Chapter Text
Wifies had run.
Yes.
He had been a complete coward.
The biggest coward of them all.
He had run as fast as he could without looking back until he finally managed to make it all the way to his apartment. He slammed the door shut and leaned against it, breathing as though he had just run a marathon.
—Shit… shit, shit, shit.
He ran both hands through his hair as he tried to catch his breath.
He had been caught.
He had seen him!
No. No, he hadn’t seen anything. He had only… known Wifies was watching him.
Yes. Exactly.
That was different.
—He didn’t see anything —he muttered, pushing himself away from the door and beginning to pace around the room—. He probably doesn’t even know who I am. I just have to… stop going to the park.
He stopped dead.
—Exactly.
It was the most logical solution.
He wouldn’t go back.
Ever.
That way, he could forget about all of this and continue living his life like a normal person. A person who didn’t spend hours hiding behind a tree while watching a macaw.
…
A macaw with a beautiful voice.
Wifies frowned.
No.
He shouldn’t think about that.
He needed to forget about him. The most beautiful boy he had ever seen, with that green hair streaked with hints of turquoise, pale skin, dark brown eyes, and—
—NO!
He lightly smacked his cheeks, forcing himself back into reality.
—Focus!
He wasn’t going back to the park. It was better for both of them; for the sake of his own dignity and, especially, for the dignity of the poor guy who probably thought some complete lunatic had been following him.
Wifies nodded to himself.
Decision made.
He wasn’t going back.
Ever.
…
“How much longer are you going to stare at me…?”
Wifies froze.
His own mind had decided to betray him.
Again.
The voice came back with ridiculous clarity, so calm and soft that, for a moment, Wifies wondered if it was even possible for such a voice to come from a macaw.
Or maybe it was.
Maybe he was exaggerating.
He was probably exaggerating.
Although…
—His voice was pretty… —he murmured.
His cheeks began to heat up. He covered his mouth with both hands before dropping onto his bed, unable to stop the sentence from replaying in his head.
“How much longer are you going to stare at me…?”
—H-hehehe…
He grabbed his cheeks, completely embarrassed, a little giggle escaping between his fingers.
—HEHEHEHEHhehHehh…
His tail swayed from side to side, miserably betraying him.
This was ridiculous.
Completely ridiculous.
Only a few minutes ago, he had been determined never to see him again, and now he was sitting on his bed replaying his voice in his head like an idiot.
Wifies flopped backward and buried his face into his pillow.
—I’m doomed.
Maybe…
Maybe he just needed to see him one last time.
That was all.
One last time.
To say goodbye.
After that, he wouldn’t go back to the park. He wouldn’t bother him, he wouldn’t hide behind a tree again, and he would definitely stop watching him.
Yes.
A goodbye.
Nothing more.
With that thought in mind, Wifies sat up and, almost out of habit, reached toward his chest for his camera.
…
Nothing.
He blinked.
He searched again.
Nothing.
His expression slowly changed.
—No.
He patted his chest again as though the camera might magically appear.
—No, no, no, no…
He shot to his feet and checked his pockets, but there was nothing. He searched the table, his backpack, even underneath the bed, despite knowing perfectly well there was no point.
—Where is it…?
He opened drawers, checked his desk, and emptied his backpack onto the bed again. He even looked in places where he knew perfectly well the camera couldn’t possibly be.
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
Wifies stood frozen in the middle of the room.
Then he remembered.
He had been so busy running away, so focused on escaping that situation, that he hadn’t even noticed.
—The camera…
His face went pale.
—No.
He looked toward the door.
—No, no, no, no, no.
The last time he’d had his camera…
Had been at the park.
The silence that followed was enough for Wifies to realize exactly how bad the situation was.
He closed his eyes.
He could picture exactly where he’d left it.
The bench.
Beside the tree.
Right where he had been watching the boy.
—…
He opened his eyes slowly.
—I have to go back to the park.
He stared at the door for a few seconds. His entire determination never to return had just died in the stupidest way imaginable.
Wifies sighed, grabbed his things, and headed for the exit.
—Great.
He opened the door.
—Just great.
Because apparently, the universe had decided it wasn’t going to let him escape that easily.
⧼♡⧽
The park was much quieter than Wifies remembered.
It was almost night now, and the sky was beginning to darken as the last rays of daylight slipped between the branches. Most people had already left by this hour.
Perfect.
Or at least it would have been, if Wifies hadn’t been walking into the park with his heart in his throat.
—I get the camera and leave —he muttered to himself—. That’s it.
He didn’t have to see him.
He would just take his camera and go home.
Simple.
Very simple.
He reached the bench and stopped when he found it completely empty.
—…
He looked underneath it.
Nothing.
On top.
Nothing.
Beside it.
Nothing.
His expression slowly changed.
—No.
He crouched down and searched through the leaves, carefully pushing them aside while mentally praying for the familiar shape of his camera to appear.
—No, no, no…
Nothing.
He stood and looked around. Maybe he’d left it somewhere else. Maybe someone had found it.
Maybe…
—What if someone took it…?
The thought alone sent panic rushing back through him.
—Shit!
He began searching everywhere, checking beneath the bench, behind the tree, and between the bushes. He even retraced the path he’d taken when he’d run away earlier that afternoon.
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
—Where is it…?
Wifies ran both hands through his brown hair, growing more desperate by the second.
—WHERE THE HELL IS MY CAMERA?!
He spun around.
And then he heard a voice.
Right behind him.
—Looking for this…?
Wifies froze completely.
His breath caught.
No.
No, no, no.
He knew that voice.
The same voice he’d been replaying in his head the entire way here.
The same voice he’d sworn he needed to forget.
Very slowly, Wifies turned his head.
Parrot was standing behind him.
His green hair, streaked with soft turquoise, moved slightly in the breeze. His pale skin contrasted against his dark brown eyes, which looked almost black beneath the fading light.
He watched Wifies with a calm, almost expressionless face while holding Wifies’s camera in one hand.
—…
Wifies opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
Parrot tilted his head slightly.
—Is this yours?
Wifies looked at the camera.
Then at the pretty boy.
Then back at the camera.
—You…
Parrot blinked.
—Me?
—You have my camera.
—Yes.
The answer was so calm that Wifies almost felt his brain shut down.
—How…?
Parrot looked down at the object in his hand.
—I found it here.
—Oh.
Silence.
—Oh…
Another silence.
Wifies still hadn’t moved. He had imagined this moment in so many different ways on the way here. He had prepared apologies in his head, thought about what he would say, and had even considered pretending that he had simply returned to the park by coincidence.
But none of those plans seemed to work with Parrot standing right in front of him.
And, most importantly…
He could hear that voice again.
—You forgot it —Parrot said.
Wifies swallowed.
—Yeah.
—You ran so fast you didn’t even notice.
Wifies felt his face beginning to heat up.
—I…
Parrot watched him for a few seconds before asking:
—Were you running away from me?
—NO!
The answer came out far too quickly.
Parrot raised an eyebrow, and Wifies was horrified by his own reaction.
—I mean… not exactly.
—Oh.
—I just…
He pointed at the camera.
—I needed to get it back.
—I can see that.
Parrot held his hand out toward him.
—Here. It's all yours.
Wifies looked at the camera, then at Parrot’s hand, and finally at his eyes. For a moment, he completely forgot what he was doing.
—…
—What?
—Nothing.
Wifies quickly took the camera.
—Thanks.
Parrot nodded.
—You’re welcome.
The silence between them became strange.
Wifies hugged the camera against his chest. He had come here to say goodbye. That was what he had decided.
He just had to do it.
—Well… then…
He took a small step backward.
—I should go.
Parrot watched him for a few seconds.
—Oh… I see.
Wifies expected him to say something else, but he didn’t. Instead, Parrot looked at the camera in Wifies’s hands.
—I just came to tell you that you take good pictures.
Wifies blinked.
—What?
—Your pictures.
Parrot pointed at the camera.
—You capture the essence of every bird really well.
Wifies stood completely still. His brain took a few seconds to process those words.
—You… saw the pictures?
—Yeah.
—All of them?
—Some.
Parrot paused before adding, completely casually:
—Although I look ugly in some of them, so I deleted a few of mine. ^^
Wifies felt his soul leave his body.
—…
—…
—You deleted…?
—A few.
—From the camera?
—Yes.
Wifies slowly looked at the camera. Then at Parrot.
Then back at the camera.
—You… went through my camera.
—I was looking for my pictures.
The answer was so simple that Wifies didn’t know what to say.
—Oh.
His face was getting red.
—Oh…
Parrot tilted his head slightly.
—Is that bad?
—No!
Too fast.
—I mean… no. It’s fine.
Wifies cleared his throat and looked away.
—I just… didn’t expect you to see the pictures.
—Why not?
—Because…
Because they were pictures of you.
That was exactly what he couldn’t say.
Parrot waited patiently.
Wifies felt the heat climb all the way to his ears before finally mumbling:
—Because they’re private pictures.
Parrot blinked.
—Oh.
For the first time, he seemed to realize that maybe he had crossed a line.
—I’m sorry.
Wifies looked up.
Parrot still had that calm expression, but now he seemed slightly concerned.
—I didn’t mean to bother you —he continued—. I just wanted to know who was taking the pictures.
Wifies felt a pang of guilt.
After all, he was the one who had been hiding behind a tree.
—I… I’m sorry.
—Why?
—About the pictures. I didn’t mean to… well, I did, but not like that. I didn’t want you to think I was… that I’m a…
Wifies stopped, completely embarrassed.
—A stalker —Parrot finished.
—No! Well… yes, but no. I mean, I’m not… I just…
The words began tumbling over each other.
—I like birds and you were there and the lighting was good and I thought I could take one picture, but then I took another and then another and I didn’t know how to ask for permission and…
Wifies squeezed his eyes shut.
—I’m sorry.
Parrot watched him for a few seconds before letting out a small laugh.
It wasn’t a loud laugh or mockery. Just a soft, almost amused sound that made Wifies turn even redder.
—Don’t worry —Parrot said—. I understand that you’re a bird fan.
Wifies slowly opened his eyes.
—Really?
—Yeah. It’s pretty obvious.
Parrot pointed at the camera.
—But next time, you should ask for permission.
Wifies looked down.
—Yeah.
—I’m not really someone who likes pictures, And you don’t even know me.
Wifies pressed his lips together.
—I know…
Parrot tilted his head slightly.
—Then you can’t assume it’s okay to take pictures of me without asking.
—It won’t happen again.
Wifies nodded quickly.
—Yeah. Of course. Absolutely. Never again.
Parrot smiled a little.
—You don’t have to be so nervous.
—I’m not nervous.
—You’re squeezing the camera like it’s going to escape.
Wifies looked down at his hands.
Sure enough, his fingers were wrapped around the device so tightly they were starting to hurt.
—Oh.
He immediately loosened his grip.
—It’s a habit.
—The habit of stalking birds?
Wifies went pale.
Parrot laughed again.
—I’m joking.
—That wasn’t funny.
—A little bit.
Wifies looked away, trying to hide the smile beginning to creep onto his face.
—So… you’re not mad?
Parrot shrugged.
—Not really.
—Not really?
—I would’ve been more upset if you’d kept hiding without saying anything.
Something in Wifies’s chest loosened.
—I was going to apologize.
—Oh, really?
—Yeah.
—Then why did you run?
Wifies went silent again.
—Because… I was embarrassed.
Parrot blinked.
—Embarrassed?
Wifies nodded.
—Yeah.
He looked down.
—Because you caught me staring at you.
Silence.
Parrot watched him for a few seconds.
And then, much to Wifies’s surprise, a small smile appeared on his face.
—I see.
⧼♡⧽
They eventually sat down on the bench.
The silence between them no longer felt as awkward as before. It was… different.
Almost peaceful.
In front of them, the sunset was slowly disappearing behind the trees. The last rays of light painted the sky in warm colors, casting long shadows across the park as the wind gently rustled the leaves.
Wifies should have been enjoying the view.
He should have been thinking about how pretty it was.
Instead, he’d spent the last few minutes stealing glances at the boy sitting beside him.
For some reason, it made him disproportionately happy.
He had spent so much time watching Parrot from afar that getting to know even the smallest part of him felt strange.
Almost unreal.
There were so many things he wanted to ask.
How had he gotten here? He clearly wasn’t from around here.
What exactly was he always reading?
How old was he?
Did he come to the park often?
Did he have any habits that came from being a hybrid?
Hundreds of questions piled up inside Wifies’s head, one after another, but none of them managed to make it past his lips.
Say something.
Wifies swallowed.
Anything.
He opened his mouth slightly.
Nothing.
He closed it.
Perfect. Excellent conversation.
Before he could force himself to say something, Parrot broke the silence.
—I’m Parrot.
Wifies immediately turned his head toward him.
Parrot smiled a little, as though he had just realized how strange the name sounded.
—Ironic, isn’t it? I’m a parrot named Parrot…
Wifies blinked.
Parrot.
Now he finally had a name to associate with that voice.
Those feathers.
That smile.
He didn’t know why, but suddenly the name felt perfect.
Parrot is so perfect…
—Well… my name is Wifies.
Parrot looked at him.
—Wifies?
—Yeah.
—Then I guess we both have funny names.
Wifies let out a small laugh.
—I guess we do.
They both laughed quietly.
And for the first time since he’d arrived at the park, Wifies felt like he could breathe normally.
This is going well.
Parrot didn’t seem eager to leave.
And, miraculously, Wifies hadn’t said anything completely stupid yet.
Well.
Almost nothing.
Parrot turned his gaze back toward the horizon, resting his arms against his legs.
—I told you the truth when I said you take good pictures.
Wifies looked at him again.
—Really?
—Yeah. They’re amazing.
Parrot paused before looking at him again.
—Do you really like birds that much?
The question caught Wifies slightly off guard.
—Huh?
—The photography —Parrot clarified—. It’s obvious you don’t do it just because.
Wifies lowered his gaze to his camera. His fingers absentmindedly traced along one of its edges as he thought about how to answer.
—Yeah…
A small smile appeared on his face.
—I really do.
—How long have you liked them?
Wifies thought for a moment.
—For a long time.
Parrot waited.
—When I was younger, I liked drawing them —Wifies continued—. Then I started taking pictures because… I don’t know.
He shrugged.
—I guess I like trying to capture moments that people normally don’t notice.
Parrot tilted his head slightly.
—Like what?
Wifies looked at him.
—Like when a bird is about to fly. Or when they sit completely still and it looks like they’re thinking about something.
Parrot smiled.
—You think you know when a bird is thinking?
—Of course I do.
Wifies answered with such confidence that Parrot let out a small laugh.
—And what are they thinking about?
Wifies went silent.
—I have no idea.
—Then you can’t know if they’re thinking.
—But I could!
—You could.
Parrot nodded solemnly before carefully brushing his hair behind one of the small wings that rested where his ears would normally be. The little wings shifted with the movement, complementing the larger wings resting behind him.
Then he looked directly at Wifies.
—So…
His dark brown eyes met Wifies’s.
—What am I thinking about?
Wifies swallowed.
For a moment, he completely forgot the question.
A soft breeze had begun moving through the park, stirring Parrot’s green hair and mixing the little turquoise strands together. Some of his feathers swayed gently with the wind.
Behind him, the sunset was disappearing between the trees, painting the sky in warm colors that seemed to frame his silhouette.
Wifies stared silently.
He was…
Beautiful.
No.
Way too beautiful.
The light made his feathers seem to glow and, for some reason, Wifies felt like he was looking at something that shouldn’t exist outside a photograph.
And then he remembered.
The camera.
His fingers moved toward it almost instinctively.
Parrot was still looking at him, waiting for an answer.
—I…
Wifies looked down at the camera, then back at him.
The scene was still there.
The wind.
The sunset.
Parrot’s calm expression.
Everything.
Perfect.
—I think…
He slowly raised the camera.
—I think I know what you’re thinking.
Parrot raised an eyebrow.
—Oh, really?
Wifies smiled slightly behind the camera.
—Yeah.
—And what am I thinking?
Wifies adjusted the focus, trying to keep his hands from trembling.
“Wifies, I think you’re the smartest person I’ve ever met.”
Yes.
That was definitely what Parrot was thinking.
—Pfft… —Parrot let out a small laugh—. Yeah, I think it’s pretty obvious you’re not. What are you doing?
Wifies felt his cheeks heat up again.
—Just… stay like that.
—Like this?
—Yeah.
Parrot obeyed, although his expression became slightly more curious.
—Why?
Wifies looked through the viewfinder.
Parrot’s image settled perfectly into the frame.
For the first time, there was no tree hiding him.
There was no distance between them.
There was no fear of being caught.
It was just him, sitting against the sunset and looking directly at Wifies.
Wifies held his breath.
Click.
The sound of the camera gently broke the silence.
Wifies lowered it.
The picture had turned out perfectly.
Or at least, he thought it had.
But for some reason, the photograph didn’t matter as much anymore.
There was something different now.
Something a camera couldn’t capture.
Parrot was still looking at him.
—Well?
Wifies blinked.
—Well, what?
—Aren’t you going to show me the picture?
Wifies went quiet.
He had completely forgotten that he was supposed to ask for permission.
Again.
—Oh…
Parrot smiled.
—Exactly.
Wifies slowly lowered the camera.
—I-I’m sorry… I’ll show it to you later.
—Later?
—Yeah.
Parrot seemed to think about it for a few seconds before nodding.
—Then you’ll have to come back.
Wifies froze.
His heart gave a little jump.
—Come back…?
—To learn.
Parrot smiled softly.
—Wasn’t that what you wanted?
Wifies felt his face burning.
Maybe…
Maybe the universe hadn’t been trying to make him escape the park after all.
Maybe it simply wanted him to come back.
And, for the first time, Wifies wasn’t sure he wanted to run away.