Chapter Text
Parrot’s been wondering if he should get a job for a while.
Ever since he got into university, the reminder of his student debt just isn’t something he can escape. Every time he spends money on food, Parrot is acutely aware of the fact that he’s kind of screwed for the foreseeable future, unless he becomes very rich very quickly. “Do you think I could win the lottery?” Parrot asks, breaking the silence in their dorm. Wifies has his head down, hunched over his desk as he continues typing away on some essay Parrot didn’t ask about. Because they’re.. kind of doing the same essay. Wifies hadn’t really wanted to go into law, and Parrot knew that, but for some reason, when Parrot mentioned that was what he was going to do, Wifies had quickly changed his mind.
Maybe Wifies had found a sudden affinity for Law. Considering he’d followed Parrot all the way here without a second thought. "Huh?" Wifies finally tears his eyes away from his laptop, glasses hanging low on his nose. "Did you buy a ticket?" Wifies asks, and then pauses. "Wait. Where's that coming from?"
"Uhh. I don't know. I guess I was just like.." Parrot stares at his empty google doc, at the essay he's supposed to be writing alongside Wifies, and then at the tab he'd actually been looking at. His debt statements, the glaring reminder of all the money he had to find a way to pay back. Parrot really should get a job, or something. Instead of letting it pile up. "..Looking at my bank account, n' stuff."
"Oh." Wifies is silent for a while. Parrot looks up, and the man seems thoughtful. "I mean, you could always buy a lottery ticket," He agrees. "What's the harm?" Wifies glances back at his essay. Already distracted. When he was focused like that, locked in on finishing his homework, it was always hard to drag him away from it. Parrot supposes he was right, though.
He takes a long glance at the google document, and sighs. Closes off the tab before he can think about it very long. "Alright. I think I'll go out and buy one." Parrot announces, and doesn't wait for a response, crouching by the door to tie his sneakers on. His wings flutter, the warmth of their room disappearing once he steps out into the hallway. If Wifies deigned him with a reply, Parrot doesn't hear it.
The walk off campus is calming. It's spring and while the weather is still a bit chilly, it's not nearly as cold as it would be in winter. The sun shines down, poking out through the clouds. Parrot preens at the warmth, relaxing. He's not even sure why he's going out to buy a lottery ticket, it's a dumb idea and a waste of money. But it was worth a try, wasn't it? His eyes glance around the streets, landing on a flower shop. Flowers would be nice in their dorm, but a squint at the tags show him the prices, and he changes his mind so quickly that it gives him whiplash.
..Well, flowers could wait another day. He turns his head away, and Parrot finally notices a cafe. It's new. It definitely wasn't here before. The convenience store was a few stores down, waiting almost expectantly for Parrot. But there's a weird pull here, some kind of inexplicable tug that pulls him closer and closer until Parrot is pushing the doors open, glancing around the cafe, quiet but lively. As he's looking, a strange man seems to materialise in front of him. "Are you here for the job?"
He blanks. "Bro, what?" Parrot stares, for a long moment. "You're.. I think you've got the wrong person."
"Do I?" He challenges, like Parrot is supposed to know what that means. He certainly didn't apply for a job. At least, not knowingly. And Parrot doesn't drink or anything, so doing it drunkenly made no sense. "My other applicant's late. Do you want the job, then?" Right. Was this some kind of prank? Was Parrot supposed to be keeping an eye out for cameras? Was he going to be on TV or just a youtube channel? But on the off chance that he was serious.. Parrot could use that money. A job at a coffee shop wasn't technically ideal but it was a job. Does this count as winning the lottery? Parrot doesn't really know.
"I mean.. like, I guess, bro? Sure. What do I have to do?" Wifies might laugh at this whole situation, but hey, Parrot's got a job now, right? Well, Wifies would probably laugh after reminding Parrot of the essay that he still hasn't finished yet. He was such a nerd.
"Do you know how to make drinks?"
"It can't be that hard to learn." Parrot was a very quick learner.
"Great. You'll fit right in, Parrot."
Awesome.
..Wait.
How the hell does this guy know his name?
…
…
Dean is the next person Parrot tells.
Mainly because Dean’s really the only person Parrot actually talks to outside his duties. He’s constantly volunteering for stuff and a lot of those moments involve being around other people, so Parrot does technically talk to a lot of people. But most of those guys don’t care about Parrot beyond the general niceties and usually, what notes he can give them. It’s not really something that bothers him, nor is it something he thinks about too often. Most of the time, the people he helps are quick to move on. They don’t linger around like Dean did.
Sticking to Parrot’s side like Wifies did. He’s told Dean several times, It’s okay, dude. I helped you. I didn’t mind. You don’t— Like you don’t owe me anything.” He remembers telling Dean while they were eating lunch together. A day when Wifies couldn’t tag along and it was just the two of them.
Dean didn’t seem even slightly disturbed. Honestly, he hasn’t seen much that actually made the guy react. “But we’re friends, right?” And that was enough. Parrot liked that about Dean. His simpler way of seeing things. Wifies was a lot, and Parrot liked that most of the time, but sometimes it was just as nice to talk to someone who didn’t overanalyse everything. Ever.
“Hey, Dean?” Parrot doesn’t have to tell Dean anything. It’s not like Dean would throw a party or cheer, anyways. “I got a job,” He says. Just because he wanted to say it to someone who cared that.. wasn’t Wifies. When he looks up, Dean is entirely unfocused on his book and has given up on trying to pretend to look like he’s reading. Dean immediately perks up at the whispered conversation beginning. Parrot’s not actually sure why Dean even comes to the library with Parrot and Wifies. He’s never been one to study for nearly as long as them, nor does he enjoy the silence for that long.
Wifies doesn’t look up from his book. Parrot still catches the way his eyes glance upward. An instinctive, almost wary eye on Dean. Like usual, his instincts never seemed to understand that Dean wasn’t a bad guy. Maybe it was because he was a cat hybrid, and dogs and cats didn’t mesh together well. Parrot just watches Dean, ignoring any movement from Wifies.
“Oh,” is all he says for a while. Parrot wonders what he’s going to say next. “Cool,” he nods. “That’s awesome,” He adds. Smiling. Genuinely happy for Parrot. Wifies scoffs beside him, his tail stops wagging, and Parrot sees how he turns his head away in disdain. The action is so amusing that he can’t help but snort. Dean doesn’t react to it, he never really does.
“Yeah. Awesome, bro,” He echoes. Glancing down at his books. He’s finished his work for the day, and when he glances over at Wifies, he can just tell the man is trying to seem busy to not have to leave the library yet. If Parrot is done, Wifies should be too. He’s pretty sure Wifies was done before he was, too. Just pretending to be occupied. He wishes Wifies would make more of an effort to be kinder to Dean, but he also knows that forcing Wifies to do anything he didn’t want to do never worked out well for either of them. Parrot had spent enough nights at Dean’s dorm to remember that. All their seemingly small fights escalating into something much more serious. “Wifies,” He calls. “Let’s go?” He tilts his head, watching Wifies’ gaze switch back and forth. between Dean and Parrot.
And despite his obvious internal debate to stay seated just because Dean was bored, he never could say no to Parrot. So he nods, and they all stand up. Dean audibly sighs under his breath once they’re out of the library. Parrot knew Dean didn’t actually hate the place, but he only liked it for short periods of time, wanting to do something else eventually. “Where’d you get hired?” Dean eventually asks, breaking the calm silence they’d fallen into. Parrot has no idea where they’re walking, but he enjoys not being busy for once.
“Capital City,” He says. “I’m not sure why the name’s like.. that, to be honest bro, but the place is pretty big, so I suppose it has to do with that.”
“I’m like pretty sure Professor Reddoons co-owns that place with Professor Ashswag,” Wifies adds on. Parrot blinks. Momentarily stunned. The information surprises him, but the fact that Wifies had done some probably invasive research into the place doesn’t. He’d always been protective of Parrot like that. It was shocking at first, but Parrot grew accustomed to Wifies’ overprotectiveness and never bothered questioning his methods anymore. It was Wifies. He wouldn’t hurt Parrot.
“..What?” Dean echoes Parrot’s confusion aloud.
“Uh. Yeah. Professor Reddoons is like the public owner of it,” Wifies continues. Like the information no longer surprised him. “But I looked into it and Professor Ash is the majority shareholder. So they should basically be co-owners.” Parrot had no idea about how to feel about that whole situation. It explains why the cafe was so close to the school and was already pretty huge for a place that just opened up. Actually, you know what? It explains a lot. Parrot shouldn’t even be surprised, if he’s being honest. It’s not like the owners being two different professors at their university really affected Parrot in any way. So, not his biggest problem anymore.
“Dude, what?” Dean was still amazed. Or confused. Maybe both. Parrot could relate. “That’s crazy.”
“Yeah.”
It’s the most cordial he’s seen Wifies and Dean act, so really, he should be happy for the random piece of information.
…
“Can we go to the library without Dean next time?”
“...Wifies… bro.”
…
Parrot tries to read often, but he usually doesn’t get the chance to.
Studying law is a beast in its own way, and his affinity for the library gets sidelined often enough that Parrot finds himself missing it. He’d just recently checked out a book from the library and it took him twice as long to finish the book as it would’ve before uni. He’s sure part of that is due to the fact that the book was quite long, seemingly never ending in its long winded sentences. Parrot enjoyed it, getting lost amidst the pages. He’d had a test in the last week, so he didn’t get around to reading it nearly as quickly as he would’ve liked. But the moment he could, Parrot was hooked. For a book written so long ago, it caught his attention all the same.
Parrot spent the whole of yesterday reading the last half of the book. Interested in solving the mystery before the book did. The book held strong red herrings, challenging him just enough to keep him reading. He vaguely remembers Wifies coming back from the convenience store, snacks in hand, forcing a granola bar into Parrot’s hands and not moving until he ate the whole thing. He also remembers Wifies turning off the big light in their room and having to turn on his bedside lamp so he could continue reading into the late night. Parrot has no idea what else happened in the time that he spent reading. Just that a day and half the night went by, and Wifies had disturbed him just twice.
He’s almost sad to return the book back to the library. Even if he knows it’s an illogical feeling to have. If he really wanted to reread it, it’d probably be in the library still. Still in easy access for Parrot. But he also can’t afford that late return fee on his head. Not yet, considering he hasn’t started his first shift at the cafe yet. No extra cash to be wasted on keeping good books for longer than necessary. He exhales, turning away from the counter, now empty handed. He’s frowning, he’s sure. Then, because of course Parrot couldn’t go an hour without being spoken to, there’s a voice. “Parrot?” When he turns, he doesn’t recognise the person immediately. So, someone not in his classes.
“Uh. Yeah? Do I know you?” He asks, forcing on his most polite smile. “Can I help you, bro?”
“You don’t know me, probably. I’m Wemmbu. But bro, you gotta stop giving out notes to everybody,” Wemmbu says. The words are the last thing he expected. Stop giving notes out? He expected Wemmbu to ask him for notes. He didn’t expect the guy to ask him to stop giving them entirely. “‘cause now everyone is expecting notes from me too, and it’s really annoying.” Parrot.. is really confused. Like he has no idea how to reply to that string of words with his own string of words. He opens and closes his mouth a few times, brows furrowed.
“Uh. What?”
Wemmbu waves his hand. Bounding on like he didn’t care about Parrot’s confusion enough to actually explain himself. “Just like.. I don’t know. Start gatekeeping. Wouldn’t it be better if everyone did bad anyways? Helps lower the curve. Makes your life easier. Bro’s just making life harder by giving everyone notes.” He snorts. Parrot bristles just slightly, hyperaware of his every move. He sounds just like Wifies, in a distant way. Wifies wasn’t someone who’d laugh when telling Parrot to stop helping people. But the words themselves are close enough that he finds them familiar in a strange way.
“That’s.. It doesn’t make my life harder to help people,” He says. It’s the same thing he tells Wifies whenever they get into another fight about Parrot’s affinity with providing aide to anyone who asked. “I just like to help people. That’s it, bro. It doesn’t make my life harder.” It was that simple to Parrot. He didn’t care who asked for notes. Parrot was taking them anyway. It didn’t hurt him to help other people. “Sorry that people are bothering you for notes, I guess. But I’m not going to stop just because you want me to.” He wasn’t that sorry, if he’s being honest, but no one needed to know that part.
“..Okay.” Wemmbu sighs reluctantly. Clearly not happy with Parrot’s unrelenting attitude, but Wemmbu just had to deal with it, because Parrot had no plans to stop sharing his notes around when it cost him nothing to do so. “Whatever, bro. You’re like.. weird.” He chooses to be the bigger person, and not to reply to that comment. Even though he wants to snap back with something meaner than Wemmbu, he kind of can’t be bothered to. He just had to return a really good book and now he’s dealing with Wemmbu. Can his day get any worse?
“Right. Anything else I can help you with?” Please say no. Please say no. Please say no—
“Nah bro, I guess… like that’s all I wanted to ask.” Thank god. Parrot’s shoulders relax subtly. His wings droop slightly, no longer coiled tight against his back. Parrot watches Wemmbu’s face intently, unsure of what to do now that Wemmbu didn’t want to talk to him anymore. Uh. Okay?
“..Okay,” He says.
“Okay.”
“Ookay?” Parrot echoes, confused.
“...Okay?”
Parrot groans. “Wemmbu, bro. Just turn around and go away.” He pinches the bridge of his nose, eyes squeezing shut. He’s not in the mood for this today.
…
Parrot@parrotx2
…
He’s kind of hungry now.
Parrot was going to spend another hour or two in the library, finding another book to borrow and read over the course of the next few days, but the moment he got to a new section of the library, his stomach growled. Protesting the idea of spending another hour or two inside the library. He debates ignoring it, but he can just imagine Wifies’ voice scolding him, telling him to eat and to not ignore the grumbling of his stomach. It was a very hypocritical scolding, considering Wifies did the exact same thing. He made sure to mention that to Wifies during the conversation, but all Wifies had done was say ‘Do as I say, not as I do’. Parrot made sure to stretch his wings out to hit him. Just because he could, honestly.
Noodles sound like a good lunch. He squints at all the options. There’s far too many customisation options for what should be a pretty simple meal. He’s waiting in line, tapping his foot idly. Staring at the menu. Parrot usually steals whatever Wifies orders and ends up liking it, but Wifies hasn’t ordered from here before and so he has no idea what to get. No one to copy off of. When he gets to the front of the line, standing in front of the cashier, he still has no idea what to get. “Uhh. Can I just.. What do you recommend?” Nice one, Parrot. That was a genius save. The cashier blinks at him, as if he was expecting an order and not a question.
“Today’s special is good.”
“..Right. What is today’s special?” He asks, because he hadn’t seen that on the big menu above both their heads. In turn, the cashier shrugs. Great. Before Parrot can ask again, he’s pointing to a little paper displayed on the counter. Ah. You know what, Parrot didn’t realise that was there. He squints at it, before deciding whatever, he’ll just get it and try something new. “Okay, bro. Yeah. I’ll get that. Take-away.” He pulls out his campus ID, briefly wondering if he has enough money for it, but he’s pretty sure he does. So he tries not to think too deeply about it. It would be horrifying if his card got declined, on top of all the things happening to him today.
Now he has to wait. He turns and eyes the place. It’s full of students, and there’s no empty seats. All of them occupied by groups or people who just got there before him. Guess he just has to stand there awkwardly. He debates pulling out his phone but before he can do that, someone’s bumping into him. Parrot’s wings spread outward, instinctively trying to help him regain his balance as he stumbles “Oh. Shoot! Dude, I am so sorry. I wasn’t looking where—” Parrot blinks. He glances back at whoever bumped into him. He doesn’t even get a second to reply before they recognise him. “Parrot?”
“Uh. Yeah. It’s okay. I guess I should’ve kept an eye on where—” When Parrot turns, he doesn’t actually know who to expect. He doesn’t recognise the voice. A lot of people knew Parrot’s name, so that didn’t narrow it down in the slightest. But when Parrot stares at the guy, he actually does know him. Spoke. Well, he’s not sure he’s ever talked to him, but he recognises Spoke. It’s the guy who triggered the fire alarm a few weeks ago at the dorms. “You’re.. Spoke? Right, bro?” He checks, just to be safe.
“Right on the money, Parrot my dude! Am I that recognizable? Be honest.” Parrot doesn’t really know how to respond. He narrows his eyes. He wasn’t mad at Spoke, necessarily, but the reminder of all the wasted time spent outside on the fields instead of in his dorm studying was hard to forget. The test was that important to him. And he didn’t want to do bad on it. He could've studied in the fields while waiting, but everyone was too loud and he couldn’t focus. “Uh.. Parrot? Buddy? Everything good? Usually this is the part where you laugh and we continue our conversation?” Spoke tilts his head, filled with too much energy. Parrot debates being petty with him.
“Yeah. I guess, bro.” He turns his head away, arms crossed over his chest. Parrot tucks his wings as close to his back as possible. It takes a lot to be somewhat polite with Spoke.
“Come on, Parrot, bro! What’s with the weirdness?”
“You’re the one who triggered that fire alarm, weren’t you?” He knows Spoke was. He’s not sure why he phrases it like that, but it comes out and Parrot can’t exactly take it back. Not that he would if he had the chance.
“Dude! It was an accident. Like, seriously! I was just trying to prank my friend and before I knew it there was a whole fire, you know? Like.. It just happened in the blink of an eye.” Spoke waves his hands around wildly. Parrot’s eyes hurt trying to follow all his hand movements “And I had to like, sit through so many detentions in the end.” Parrot supposes that it was deserved. He doesn’t want to know what kind of pranks Spoke was doing for him to trigger the fire alarm, nor does he plan to ask.
“I was studying for a test, bro. ‘cause of you, I had to stop studying for like three hours.” Parrot just hopes his glare is enough to hide the fact that he was definitely pouting. He’d call it a frown, but if Wifies or Dean were around, they’d definitely notice it. He’s grateful they aren’t, though. It’s childish, but Parrot didn’t care. He did kind of want an apology, though. Maybe that’d make him feel better. Less restless about his possible test results.
“Uhh. Sorry? Come on, Parrot! It’s not like it’s my fault. I didn’t mean to do that, buddy! It’s an accident.” Spoke’s tone sounds like a whine. It’s probably meant to soften Parrot up, and it would’ve worked any time else.
“..Right.” Well. He got his apology. So Parrot wasn’t sure what else to say. He wasn’t going to say it’s okay, or whatever. Spoke would only get forgiveness from Parrot if his grades weren’t affected by the fire alarm fiasco. Only then. He’d already emailed his professor about it, so he just has to wait.
“Okay, well! I think that’s my cue to leave! Great seeing you, Parrot! Sorry for the fire! Didn’t mean to, or whatever.” Parrot watches as Spoke turns and runs away. Snorting.
“What a weirdo, bro,” He mutters under his breath. Glancing over at the counter, he sees his order number pop up on the screen. Finally, Parrot can go back to his dorm in peace.
…
I don't normally share results with students before class, but I will make an exception this once. Despite the disturbances you faced, you have done exceptionally well on the test, as is usual for you. Don't stress about this matter any further.
See you tomorrow in class.
Prof. █████
…
Parrot gets added to a group chat the morning of his first shift. He’s still getting ready, taking out his books from his bag and cleaning his messy desk out. Wifies is asleep on his bed behind Parrot. He’d call it a nap, but he knows that Wifies was awake the whole night, and was just going to sleep now. Parrot had no idea what kept him awake, but he made a mental note to ask the man about it later, after his shift was over. He slings his bag over one shoulder, turning the lights off on his way to work. He’s early, he knows, but better early than late. He also needs to make a good impression on his co-workers. He’d skimmed through the group chat briefly, and realised he’s working with three other people. Parrot kind of assumes that means two people in the back, like chefs, or something, and two people in the front. He couldn’t really tell who’s in the back, though. The texts were never about work, and the manager never stepped in to stop them from fighting in a work group chat.
When he clocks in, the front counter is pretty clean. Parrot was told over text what he’d have to do, and he spent an hour before bed just researching and memorising different drinks so he was prepared for work the next day. He thinks he’s pretty ready. Just to be safe, Parrot starts wiping down the counters again. Busying himself with the first step of preparation. Cleaning. He doesn’t open the kitchen door, even though he hears voices. They sound vaguely familiar, but he’s not sure where from. Parrot can investigate later. He’ll have the whole shift to get to know everybody better.
The sound of boots hitting the ground distract Parrot from his thoughts. When he looks up, there’s a guy standing across the counter. Parrot was only told who he’d work with in the front, so he assumes it has to be Flame. He opens his mouth to introduce himself, but it seems as though the manager has already told Flame who he is. “Parrot.” He blinks.
“Hey, dude. Uh.. Did the manager tell you about me?” Well. How else would Flame know who he is? What a stupid question. Flame just gestures to his chest silently. His brows furrow as he looks down, and Oh. Right. The nametags on his chest. “Oh. Right. That too. My bad, bro.” He shifts awkwardly. “You’re Flame, right? I was told I’d be workin’ with you.” That’s literally all he was told. As he watches Flame grab his own nametag from a pocket, Parrot goes back to cleaning the counters.
“Uh. I guess he did. But I remember you from that bake sale for charity you did.” Oh. Parrot didn’t know Flame was at that. Or, well, he didn’t remember Flame being there. But then again, there was a huge crowd around the cookies Parrot was selling. Maybe Flame takes Parrot’s silence as him not remembering, because he continues explaining. “..Durin’ the campus fair? I bought a couple cookies off you.”
“Oh. Bro, that’s sick. I spent ages on those cookies.” Parrot remembers being in the common room and having to bake all the cookies there because he didn’t have anywhere else. He’d brought Wifies along so that he could help with all the shaping and to entertain him while they waited. “Wifies was so mad because he had to sit in the kitchen with me while we waited and I didn’t let him touch a single cookie,” He snorts. Behind him, he hears the rustle of plastic, and can already tell Flame’s restocking the cup dispenser.
“If you’re a baker, why aren’t you like.. I guess in the back. With the other two guys.” Parrot hums just to tell Flame he was listening. To be honest, he’s not sure which one he would’ve preferred more. Being in the kitchen preparing food, or in the front making drinks? Well, he didn’t end up getting a choice, so he supposes it was fine. The former option did sound much more tiring, and Parrot already memorised all the drink orders, so he supposes making drinks was fine. "Isn't baking like your thing?" It’s not, to be honest. Parrot used a bunch of pre-made cookie dough and just cooked that. Flame didn’t have to know that, though.
"Oh. Uh. Honestly, bro, I didn't even want this job," He admits. "Uh. Not like.. I mean, I like having a job. 'cause I need the money. But I didn't exactly.. interview or whatever." Parrot still can’t shake off the odd feeling he gets from that whole interaction. But whatever. He tries not to let it worry him. "Like. I just wanted a drink and then the manager thought I was someone else. And then he gave me the job. Like, didn't even ask me for my ID or anythin'."
"Oh.” Flame sounds confused, maybe a little conflicted on how to react to that piece of information. Eh. Parrot felt the same. “Right. Like.. I think congrats. Guess you got lucky there, huh?" He furrows his brows as a particularly difficult stain refuses to come off easily. It’s old, and Parrot’s not sure if that’s a design choice or if it’s a stain. Kind of hard to tell.
"Yeah. Guess so, dude."
They fall into silence. Parrot is content with cleaning in the quiet, calm atmosphere of the cafe, but of course nothing can be that easy. There’s a loud CLANG! and a screech of “WEMMBU!” and Parrot recognises that name and that voice. Of course his two other co-workers just had to be Spoke and Wemmbu. How great.