Chapter Text
Chapter 6 - No Choice
Wifies willed strength into his bones, he just had to hang on a little while longer. He still had a little sprint left: he could do it.
He could do it. For Parrot.
And he ran.
He jumped out of his hole and sprinted across he room, picking up the spyglass.
He looked at Parrot, still hovering in the middle of the room. Parrot looked back, a new light in his eyes.
Hope.
“I need food.” Wifies gasped, and Parrot quickly dropped a stack of bread.
The Director was staring at them, slightly stunned, but he soon regained his wits and jumped to slash at Wifies.
Parrot intercepted him and they began to fight, feet flying across the floor and blade whirling.
Wifies watched as his hearts go up impatiently. They stopped at three, and he sighed, getting ready to fight.
Parrot’s focus was entirely on The Director, and the fight.
He weaved between the blade, struck back, aimed for under the armour. Nothing else mattered except the strike of his blade, the roaring in his head. He pushed The Director further back, never allowing him to gain footing, or to strike back, only defend himself against Parrot’s onslaught of attacks.
He didn’t notice Wifies dragging himself to his feet and drawing his own sword.
If Parrot had noticed, maybe he would have stopped him, or persuaded him otherwise, but he didn’t.
He was angry at The Director, he was hurting and filled with adrenaline, and he wasn’t thinking of anything else.
Wasn’t planning any other scenarios except the one where he kills The Director.
The Director swiped, and Wifies jumped in front of him.
Immediately, Wifies fell too the ground, not dead, but dying. Parrot made a strangled sound un the back of his throat, and ran to where Wifies lay.
“Wifies...”
The Director smiled, grinning, and breathing heavily.
“I admit that I was not expecting this.” He spoke, and though his breaths were short, his words were steady, “But you should know by now, ParrotX2, that I always win.”
Parrot looked up, kneeling over the body of his best friend, and a rage filled his body like no other.
He thought he was angry before, now he was furious.
“I am going to kill you.” He whispered, the words barely audible, but somehow, The Director heard. He laughed, triumph obvious in his voice,
“Try.”
Parrot leapt for him, raking his sword across his chest, a line of blood appearing. The Director hissed, pressing a hand to the wound.
"Not so god-like now, are you?"
The Director looked at him, final, human, emotion flashing in his eyes for a split second. Fear, realization of who he'd been puppeting all these months, and then blank, as if it had never happened.
The Director looked at him, a triumphant smile on his face as he turned.
Turned to where Wifies lay.
Everything slowed down.
The Director lunged for Wifies, sword drawn and Parrot heard himself screaming.
Felt himself lurch forward, and slash blindly at The Director, all his pain, and anger, and hatred, and resentment falling into the single blow.
And The Director stopped.
For a second, time was frozen.
Parrot stood, blade pressed into the director's neck, the director standing, eyes wide, the triumphant look from earlier still lingering.
And then everything sped up, and Parrot was standing, looking at The Director, as he exploded, his items spraying outwards, the director, gone.
Parrot looked at Wifies who still lay on the floor, eyes closed, hair rough and tangled, matted with dirt, face a picture of exhaustion.
For a second, he was in a time when breaking into Spoke's vault was the most of their worries.
When the server was still fresh, their friendship had just started.
He wondered if this would now be the end, and he would have to live with the guilt, and grief, of killing his best friend.
Wifies wasn't dead yet.
The thought came to him in his muddled state, body and head still numb from what might of happened.
What hadn't happened.
What wouldn't happen.
Parrot rushed toward Wifies, grabbing the cobwebs from inventory as he went, changing them into string.
When he got to his best friend, he used the string as makeshift bandages, binding each wound carefully and quickly. He knew he had to get Wifies out, get him proper bindings.
And, as much as he hated to admit it, he couldn't do all that alone.
Not if he wanted to keep Wifies alive.
/msg JumperWho I need ur help. Come to these coords as quickly as u can, please.
Wifies woke up in a white bed, a lantern on a table beside him casting a soft glow.
He sat up, noting his health bar was fully healed. His shoulder ached, and the events of… whenever it was, came rushing back.
He blinked, sitting up fast and glancing around, noticing Parrot sitting on the floor with his knees drawn up, sleeping. His face had multiple cuts on, and a few bruises, and there was a bandage round his hand, but he looked otherwise okay.
"Parrot?"
Parrot lurched up, hands flying in front of his face in a defensive position. Noticing Wifies was awake, he relaxed, face breaking into a smile.
"How are you feeling?" He asked tentatively.
"I'm… fine. Are you okay? Is The Director dead? What happened?"
"The Director is dead."
Wifies stilled. Looked at Parrot, hope blossoming in his chest.
"Dead?"
Parrot nodded silently, his aureate eyes softening. A small smile played on his lips as he regarded Wifies, who stared at him for a long moment.
"We did it." Parrot said, a small laugh escaping him, "I saw him die…
we did it."
Wifies smiled back, allowing this one, perfect moment to settle itself in the back of his mind,
"We did it." He threw the covers over and jumped up.
"Wait-" Parrot protested
"I'm fine, I've healed enough."
Parrot looked about to argue when someone rushed in, their mouse-brown hair tied with a pink and a blue ribbon. Brown, pink tinted googles sat on their hair, bangs covering most of their face.
Their amethyst and pink eyes twinkled, a grin on their face. Their cherry jumper was wrinkled, the yellow bow slightly crooked, their dusty rose jeans ripped at the knees and white trainers dirty, but she looked happy.
Tired but happy.
"Jumper!" Parrot greeted her, returning her smile
"Wifies, you're awake!" She cried, after nodding to Parrot, "How are you?"
"Jumper… Um, I'm fine,
I think I owe you an apology." Wifies said awkwardly.
She creased her brow, looking at him,
"For what?"
"For forcing you to keep Parrot locked up. For threatening you?"
"Oh, that?" She laughed, "Don't worry about it, Parrot's told me everything."
"Oh."
Wifies didn't know what to say to that, but Jumper seemed to have forgiven him.
"Parrot, since Wifies says he's fine, I need to meet back with BAT. Leo said something about holding some kind of funeral for Nufuli."
The guilt was back.
"Yeah, sure…
Can- can I come… and maybe Wifies too?"
Jumper looked at them,
"I'll try to persuade Leo, but, I'm not sure how willing he'll be to let Wifies come if I'm honest."
"It's fine, I understand." Wifies intercepted, Jumper looked at him and nodded, sympathy evident in her lavender eyes, before exiting the room.
Jumper left.
She understood why Wifies had done everything he'd done, and she didn't hold grudges, not like Leo, but the grief was still there.
Nufuli was still gone, and understanding didn't make the feeling any less heavier.
She sighed, this world would never stop taking from her. Everything she'd done… just to survive… It was cruel.
But it meant she could understand why Leo held grudges, why Derapchu played the idiot, why Parrot looked at Wifies with a little less trust than before.
There was no such thing as 'fairness'.
Her guard had to be up all the time.
It was hard, to live in this place, but when she went to Nufuli's funeral today, she would honour him.
She would say her final goodbye, and she would move on with her life, keeping him, and the bittersweet taste his memory brought, close to her heart.
"We need to talk." Wifies said, snapping Parrot out of his thoughts.
"Yeah."
"I'm sorry.
I'm really, really sorry."
Wifies' voice cracked, worry seeping into each word he said. Parrot sighed,
"I know…"
"Can you… forgive me?"
"I don't know.
I'm not sure if I'll ever recover from what happened in Paragon, I know it wasn't your fault, but… I guess I'm worried that our friendship will never be the same."
There was a long pause, as Parrot gazed at his hands,
"I can forgive you."
Parrot looked Wifies in his eyes, his deep, brown, chocolate eyes, and Wifies looked back.
They smiled, understanding that nothing would ever be like it was before, but they would still be friends.
"Also, I got your spyglass." Wifies said, holding it out, holding out the spyglass.
Parrot looked at it for a long moment, evaluating it,
"You keep it bro." He finally said.