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Missa woke up late today, he had been working on his amusement park all night and lost track of time. He turned around and snuggled closer to the person next to him in bed, or the person that was supposed to be next to him. Phil is an early bird, he’s most likely been awake for hours by now. Missa turned to look at Chayanne and Tallulah huddled in their blankets. The kids were still sound asleep and wouldn’t be awake until tomorrow. Phil was probably out grinding cookies in the meantime.
He sent a message through his communicator to see where he was, “The Bakery,” Phil responded, as suspected.
Missa grabbed some items and warped to spawn, eager to find his husband. As he looked towards the bakery he saw Phil inside fiddling around. He had a gas mask on, it seemed like today Eggza decided to make an appearance. This wasn’t Missa’s first time interacting with Eggza, but it was also very rare for him to see Phil like this.
With a couple of quiet steps, Missa tried sneaking up on Phil, but it seemed like the bird's hearing was extra good today. Phil whipped his head around in an instant and perked up in glee. Using his wings to propel him forward, he launched himself at Missa, almost sending both of them to the floor. Phil engulfed him in his arms and wings whilst letting out a couple of happy chirps.
“Hola Philza, how are you?” Missa laughed.
Phil detached himself to place down a sign, “Do you have any bone meal with you? I ran out :(“ he let out a sad warble.
“Hm, a ver déjame buscar.” As Missa searched his, in kinder words, disorganized backpack, in the corner of his eye he saw Phil’s wings flutter and flap behind him. He smiled to himself, usually, Phil wasn’t very expressive with his wings but as Eggza, he always seemed to let loose more.
“Here you go cariño, bonemeal for you.”
Phil immediately picked up the bonemeal, did a little side step resembling a wiggle, and ran towards the bakery. Before he got to the doors he quickly stopped, turned around, and came running back to Missa to place a sign, “I’m sorry, how are you? I’m doing well :D”
“Oh I’m doing alright, ¿Necesitas ayuda? Do you need help?”
Phil quickly gave Missa a big nod and chirp, took his hand, and dragged him to the bakery. Truthfully Phil didn’t need help, but any excuse to spend more time with Missa was good enough for him.
“You just brought me in here to get double the cookies.”
Phil squawked in offense, quickly shook his head, and placed down another sign, “Can’t a man just want to spend quality time with his husband?”
Missa melted and squeaked out, “You want to spend more time with me?”
“Of course you idiot,” another sign, “Help me farm some more ingredients?”
Missa could cry right here and now, “Si si vamos.”
Phil let out a fond sigh and a delighted coo.
The first stop was the underground animal pit. Phil needed some extra hummingbirds to turn in for the tasks. He handed Missa a poppy and took out some cages to grab the hummingbirds with.
“Is this for me?” Missa felt heat rise to his cheeks.
Phil shook his head and pointed at the hummingbirds as they flew from the corner of the room and towards Missa.
“Oh,” Missa said disappointedly, if he wasn’t red before he sure is now, but out of embarrassment. Phil just chuckled to himself.
He heard a click and happy shuffling of wings. He looked up to find Phil holding a camera pointed at him and a flower clasped in the other hand. There were two hummingbirds chirping next to him trying to get it, but he remained unbothered.
The photo was handed over to him. He was sitting on the floor surrounded by 7 hummingbirds and the petals of the flowers they tried picking at.
Phil placed down a sign, “I thought you looked pretty. You can keep the photo, I have a copy.”
Missa’s heart twisted with affection, “I want to take one of you too!”
At that, Phil perked up, “Me?”
“Yes! With all the hummingbirds.”
Phil crouched down to the floor, folding his wings and hiding them behind his back. He made sure to fasten his mask a little bit tighter.
This didn’t go unnoticed by Missa, he loved Phil’s wings, loved the way they fluttered and twitched to match Phil’s emotions and movement. He thought they were gorgeous, unlike what Phil thought of them. He was so happy Phil had recently started taking them out more, showing them off to the world despite the damage they had gone through. There is still some self-worth and confidence to go through but Missa made sure he was there to help.
“Hey, there’s one behind you look!”
Phil turned to look over his shoulder to find nothing there.
*click*
“La foto perfecta!” Missa beamed as he handed the photo over to Phil, “Your wings look gorgeous surrounded by the hummingbirds.”
Phil’s wings happily flicked at the compliment, “thanks,” he wrote.
He quickly caged all the remaining hummingbirds to take back to the bakery, “Oh before I forget, here you go.”
Phil reached into his backpack and pulled out a rose to hand over to Missa.
“But there’s no more hummingbirds?” Missa questioned.
Phil just walked over and grabbed the hand that was holding the rose. He slowly pushed the rose to where Missa’s heart would lie and held his hand there as well. Phil’s wings were completely boxing them in both, isolating them and creating their own little corner of the world.
Missa looked up to see if he was understanding correctly, but all he was met with was the gas mask. Sensing his confusion, Phil nodded and let out a small chirp and coo.
Missa’s heart didn’t think it could take much more.
Next was farming.
This task was a bit more tedious, but something Phil had a lot of fun doing. The repetitiveness kept him busy and he could sit here for hours on end. Missa wanted to tend his section of the crops so they could work faster, but Phil was feeling extra clingy today.
The entire time Phil would not leave Missa’s side, practically attached by the hip. Whether it be hiding behind him or perching next to him on the tree tops, Phil always made sure to keep a close eye and wing on Missa. At some point, Missa moved inside to go fetch some strawberries. All he could hear was repeated caws coming from outside and he knew they would not stop unless he responded or came back up. So quickly, he grabbed what he needed and went back outside. Phil was perched on top of a tree looking around the garden, he seemed distressed. As soon as he spotted Missa his wings started fluttering again and he happily clicked and cooed. With one swoop he glided down and stood in front of him, “where did you go?!!!?” he messily wrote on a sign.
“Y- You told me to get more strawberries?”
“Oh yeah, soy pendejo,” Phil wrote.
Missa just fondly shook his head and laughed, “Que bueno que eres bonito.” Phil smacked him with his wing.
He looked down to hand over the strawberries and noticed Phil was reaching down to grab something too, “¿Qué es eso?”
Phil raised his hand, and in it, was one singular feather. Missa although delighted, was confused. He wanted to gift something too, wanted to return the love Phil so graciously handed over to him again and again. As if reading his mind, Phil stopped him and grabbed his attention towards the sign, “Don’t worry, take it as an exchange for the strawberries.”
It looked like all the ones Phil had given him before, but to Missa it was special. Every feather he’s ever been given is unique and special. Missa cherishes every single one, and he will never get tired of receiving them, even if he thinks he doesn’t deserve such a gift. He remembers the first time he ever got one, and how hesitant and scared Phil was that Missa was going to think it was gross and discard it. But all Missa had done was squeak and gasp in happiness over the idea of Phil sharing such a special part of himself, a part he kept hidden away and was ashamed of for so long.
Phil took the feather and tucked it behind Missa’s ear. Something in his gut danced and swirled every time he saw Missa decorated by one of his feathers. Maybe it was the Eggza birdbrain too, but something in his head was fuzzy and delighted at the sign to the world that Missa was his, that anyone could take one look at Missa and know who his family was. He was at his most possessive and territorial like this, but Missa never seemed to care.
After a while Phil stopped writing as much, resorting to happy chirps and squawks here and there to get Missa’s attention or let him know he was still listening. Missa usually would just ramble or go on tangents distracting himself, leaving Phil to do all the farming. Phil didn’t mind, as long as Missa was by his side he was happy.
By the time the moon was in the sky and the sun hid away, Phil’s wings started to droop. Missa was just finishing up the last of the vegetables needed, “Tienes sueño pajarito?”
Phil yawned.
“Let’s go to bed then. I’ll finish these up later.”
As soon as they teleported to Rose’s Sanctuary, Phil was practically dragging them back to the treehouse. He threw himself onto their bed and laid there with his wings spread out.
“¿Y yo que?”
Phil took him by the hand and dragged Missa into bed too as he let out a startled yelp.
They were really tired, and ready for bed, except for one thing.
“Your gas mask?”
Phil didn’t move.
Missa didn’t know why Phil always wore a gas mask in this state, but he figured it was just for safety and comfort. He never bothered him about it except when they went to bed, because he knows when Phil wakes up he will wake up with pain, “entiendo que no quieras quitártelo, pero no va ser cómodo dormir con eso puesto.”
Phil let out a resigned warble. He sat up in bed and slowly went to take off the mask. Missa sat up with him and went to turn his back out of respect like he always does. Phil stopped him and kept them facing each other.
Missa, wide-eyed, watched as Phil removed the mask. He looked… different.
His eyes were dilated and looked darker than his usual light blue. His teeth looked a bit too sharp. Stray feathers were growing around his head like a crown and a couple on his cheeks. Phil looked down at his lap as his wings closed in behind him, now that Missa thought about it, they had looked bigger too.
Phil smiled at him, one that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
Missa cupped his face, delicately brushed against the feathers, and made him stare directly into his eyes, “Eres bien hermoso.”
Phil’s wings puffed up happily and he chuckled, “When di-d yo-ou get so brave?”
Missa sucked in a breath and his face went red. He didn’t expect Phil to talk. His voice was very raspy, and little clicks and warbles poked through each word. Phil laughed a little more at his surprised face, his wings fluttered alongside every butterfly in Missa’s stomach.
He tried speaking again, “tha-ank you for t-day,” it came out a bit broken, but it seemed like Missa understood. Phil had never shown his face to anyone in this state, not even his kids. The mask was his protection from the world, from his thoughts, but with Missa here he didn’t think he needed it.
“No te preocupes, I know it’s been hard recently and I’m sorry for being away for so long. I swear I’m trying to be better for Chayanne, for you, for-“
Phil rolled his eyes and cut Missa off as he dragged him back down into bed. He warbled a small caw of reassurance.
“Tu y yo, siempre,” Missa whispered.
Phil happily chirped, ‘You and me always’ went unspoken. They both knew.