Chapter Text
Chapter 1: Ruffling some Feathers
Berdly sat up in his bed. His alarm clock had gone off, at 6 am, as per usual. A smart student like him needed to be punctual, after all. It was only natural that he seized the day at the earliest moment that he could. With several swats of his left arm, he located his glasses, and slipped them onto his face, before stepping out of bed. With little effort, he threw off the graphic tee that he had worn to bed, tossing it into the hamper at the corner of his room. He then grabbed a blank shirt out of his closet, before sending himself to the bathroom.
Fresh from his shower, Berdly returned to his room. He again opened his closet, examining the options cautiously. For a genius like himself, the options seemed simple. Today was the day that his brilliant teacher Mrs. Alphys would assign partners for a group project, and he needed to look his best, nay, his smartest to ensure an ideal choice of partner, for his grades, of course. He withdrew a dressy, white button down shirt, and fastened it to himself easily.
Berdly stepped out into the kitchen, seeing his stepparent seated at the table. They drew a finger over their lips.
“Berdly, your mother is still sleeping.”
“Oh. Sorry. Was Momlet up late last night?’
“Yeah, she had a late shift last night. I think she said something about a break-in at the Mayor’s house? I wouldn't bring it up to Noelle.”
“Thank you, Moray.”
Berdly went to retrieve his cereal from the pantry, quietly. He reminisced for a second. Moray was a good stepparent, sure, but he felt like he had a hard time showing acceptance. They really weren't his “mama” or “dad” or anything like that, so he had just stuck to calling them “Moray”. Something about it felt a bit cold, but he would have to employ his intellect soon to determine an optimal way to cheer them up.
He was out the door now, his backpack slung over both shoulders. He turned back to Moray.
“Hey… Moray, I was hoping to ask you, is there something I could call you other than your name?”
“I mean, my friends used to call me ‘the ray’ in high school.”
“I… uh, I meant the way that I call my mom ‘Momlet’. I mean, you aren't a mom, or a dad, so…”
Moray got up from the table, walked over to Berdly, and rustled the feathers on his head.
“How about ‘maestro’? I think that could be kinda fun.
Berdly’s eyes lit up.
“Of course! Such a name is best befitting of a talented musician such as you! Alright, Maestro , I will see you after school.”
Moray smiled back warmly, watching their stepson leave with just as much confidence as always.
_ _ _
Berdly arrived at class moderately early, as per usual. With confidence, he seated himself at his desk, front and center. He loved sitting at the front of the class; having such a clear view of the board made note-taking a snap. Now for the decision of the day. To Berdly, the choice seemed obvious. Noelle, his best friend at school, was probably smarter than he was. Furthermore, she was always so willing to spend time with him. With Noelle at his side, the book report project would be about as easy as 3.141592 (or rather, as easy as pi). He leaned over to his left.
“Hey Berdly,” Noelle said, turning to face him. “We should pair up with each other.”
Berdly snickered, shutting his eyes, pointing a playful finger gun at his old friend.
“Precisely the genius idea I would expect from you, Noelle.”
However, Berdly’s reveling in his own genius was interrupted by the startling noise of Mrs. Alphys’ fist against his desk. Berdly let out a slight yelp, much to the amusement of MK a few desks away, before collecting himself.
“Berdly, I am sorry to, erm, disappoint, but I have made an executive decision. Since I keep seeing the same groups time and time again in this class, I’ve decided to pick them myself. I’ll go ahead and write them when the class starts.”
Berdly’s heart sank. Random selection? This was a disastrous outcome. With eight students in class (Temmie was on a family vacation for the time being), that meant a mere 12.5% chance of being paired up with his ideal academic accomplice. That meant a horrifying 87.5% chance of being paired up with a suboptimal partner. Worse still, Berdly worried, between Catti the phone junkie and Susie the troublemaker, that left a 25% chance of doing most of the work himself.
Speak of the devil. Susie, the last student to arrive, confidently swung the door open, and started walking to her seat. She stopped in front of Berdly’s desk, giving him a sick grin, before heading to her seat two desks behind him. They had a reputation as a school bully. He had a reputation as a classic nerd. That smile, statistically, had a decent chance of being a threat. However, Berdly couldn’t help but feel something else. That gruff exterior, the poorly combed hair, and her deep, raspy, brusk voice, all of it tickled the deepest part of him. She was known to be a low achiever at school, sure, but that mind certainly held secrets to it. Not to mention, she had a certain allure to her that he could not deny. Noelle was charming, sure, but she was ultimately sisterly, nearly aunt-like in her treatment of others. She was sweet and kind because it was natural to her. Susie, by contrast, was complex, bitter, and challenging. Berdly loved a challenge, but admitting feelings over such a coarse figure would certainly attract the concern of his mother. Besides, what were the odds that they would reciprocate? Likely low. Berdly imagined them seeing him as fresh meat more than anything.
“Alright class, now that everyone is… uh… here, we can begin. As you all know, there is a book report that you all will begin soon, and it will involve working in pairs.”
Alphys held up a paper list, turned to the chalkboard, and froze. She checked inside her desk, closing it with dissatisfaction.
“It appears that I am out of chalk. I… erm, still have the pairs written down here, so how about… erm…”
Alphys snapped her fingers.
“I’ll pick one of the groups to get the chalk. How about… Susie and Berdly.”
Berdly’s jaw hung open. The second worst scenario had come to pass. Susie was his partner. Berdly picked himself up from his desk, and walked out of the door, with Susie close behind him. He heard susie close the door behind him, her presence now bearing down hard upon his back. Nervously, he turned to face Susie.
Susie was dressed in a way that was common for her. A plain t-shirt with a simple pattern matched with a zipped jacket on top, paired with ripped jeans and running shoes. Her hands were firmly planted in her pockets, her posture erect, her slightly yellow teeth locked in a wide grin.
“I’m lucky as hell I get you for this, Birdbrain. Means less work for me.”
“B-but…”
“Save it. Listen, you’re doing all the work, got it? And if you don’t,”
Susie pulled a piece of chalk out of her pocket.
“Well, how about I show you? This little piece of chalk? Imagine this is you. And this is what happens when you get in my way.”
Susie put the piece of chalk between her teeth, and bit down, hard. The chalk was reduced to a thin powder, and several crumbling fragments that slipped out from between Susie’s teeth. Berdly began to shake, taking several steps backwards, until his back was up against the lockers. Susie, however, just closed her eyes, bowed her head, and laughed.
“You’re so damn funny when you’re scared. Anyways, I’m messing with you. I won’t make you do all of it.”
She quickly took several steps forwards, slamming her right hand against the lockers to Berdly’s left. He yelped again, impulsive.
“I might not do half, but I’ll go easy on you. You’re more fun when you aren’t crying, after all.”
Berdly’s head became flooded with emotions. It was exhilarating, exhausting, and overstimulating all at once. He felt like a computer whose memory had been overloaded with too many programs. He wanted to fall onto the floor and cry. He wanted to get defensive, and demand a fair workload. He wanted to get on his knees and thank Susie for going easy on him. He wanted to lean right in and kiss them right on the lips, and to wrap his feathered arms around her muscular shoulders. Wait, what was that last one? Kiss her? He couldn’t deny it, but it was shameful nonetheless. Wait, a plan, he needed one quick. Think! Biting into the chalk was an odd display of force, one that might indicate perhaps a skipped meal? Yes! He could play that angle.
“Susie, I want to make a deal with you.”
Susie’s expression went neutral.
“What kind of deal?”
“I’ll give you half of my lunch every day, on two conditions.”
Susie’s mouth watered, and her eyes perked open. Yes! The plan was working.
“All I ask in return is that you give full effort on this report with me.”
Susie gave Berdly a smile. Not the fear-inducing grin from earlier, but rather something softer, more genuine, more sweet.
“You’d give me free food just for that?”
“Not just free food, my dear Susan. 50% more lunch per day!”
Susie pulled her free hand to her mouth and giggled.
“W-what?”
“My name is Susanna , not Susan. That was such a cute little dorky thing to say.”
They removed their arm from the lockers, and lightly placed it on Berdly’s shoulder.
“We’ll get along just fine, Berdy.”
Berdly and Susie walked wordlessly to the supply closet. Susie stepped up, and opened the door without fanfare, opening it up for Berdly. They waited there, watching Berdly walk inside, strain slightly while reaching up, and walk back out with the box of chalk.
“Your little tail wags when you reach for stuff.”
Berdly became flustered. That wasn’t something he would… no, he did do that. He blushed slightly, embarrassed at having such a strange mannerism pointed out to him.
“No, it’s not like bad or anything,” they professed, “It’s honestly kinda endearing?”
Susie leaned in slightly.
“Don’t tell anyone this, but new pal to new pal, I do the same thing.”
Pal? All he did was offer her some food, and they were pals? This could be useful! With the imposing Susie as his friend, he supposed, he would acquire an aura of prestige for taming the troublemaker.
Wait, Susie had a tail? Well, she certainly did give the appearance of being a reptile. So that was to be expected. But, she hadn’t told anyone else, and didn't seem to want anyone else to know, judging by how this tail had been hidden. The conclusion was obvious, he had earned Susie’s full trust. This boded well for the book report.
The two of them returned to the class, handed Mrs. Alphys the chalk, and returned to their desks. Alphys opened the box, took a piece out, and began writing on the board:
Kris and Noelle: Hamlet
Berdly and Susie: Taming of the Shrew
Catti and Jockington: The Tempest
MK and Snowy: Julius Caeser
“Students, each of your pairs will be expected to give a written report on one of these classic Shakespeare plays, of approximately four pages in length. To clarify, if you print this double-sided, you should be submitting two pieces of paper. And yes, this is to be typed.”
Berdly smugly smiled to himself. He already knew Taming of the Shrew inside and out. Between that, and Susie suddenly being his friend, it seemed everything was coming up Berdly.