Chapter Text
Paranoid let out an indignant noise as he was unceremoniously dropped onto Hunted’s nest for the second time that day.
“How was the bathroom?” Broken teased, allowing a rare smile to crack onto his face.
“Oh fuck off.” Paranoid huffed, ears flicking in irritation.
Paranoid had rather thin, wiry feathers, and a bad habit of plucking away at his already unhealthy wings, now flightless due to his actions. Broken didn’t fair much better, with no wings to begin with, and matted, crusty lumps of feathers scattered about his frame.
Because of this, Hunted had come to a less than logical conclusion.
Winter was here, and despite them having a rather cozy little abode, the feral half of their original body thought the chill of the snowy air would kill them . So he took it upon himself to kidnap the two physically weakest avians, lock them both in his room, and force them to sit in his careful assortment of blankets and pillows (well, he told everyone it was carefully arranged. If you asked Paranoid, he’d say it just looked more like a haphazardly put together mound).
And what he demanded of them was…
“How long are we here for?” “Until spring.”
Yeah, fuck that.
Paranoid had already made an escape attempt, simply by asking if he could use the restroom. He had hoped that he could hide until Hunted got it all out of his system and gave up. Maybe he’d see reason by then, see how pointless and silly this all was, and let Broken go too.
Unfortunately, while reading a book to pass the time, Paranoid heard some commotion happening in the living room. He couldn’t see what was going on from behind the couch, but he could definitely infer the destruction being caused if the sounds of shattering glass and tearing fabric were anything to go by.
Eventually, a frazzled looking avian overturned the couch he was hiding behind. Hunted, face plastered in flushed red, let out a quick sigh of relief before throwing Paranoid over his shoulder, like one would a sack of potatoes. He struggled for a moment; Hunted gave a short warning by gripping his long, uncut claws ever so slightly tighter, and Paranoid’s movements vanished instantly.
They passed Opportunist on their way back, who was in awe of the apparent wreckage that Hunted had caused in his mad search. Paranoid gave him a pleading look, but just as the Opportunist opened his mouth, Hunted sharply whipped around with a scalding glare. Never before had Paranoid seen the chatty (obnoxious-) Opportunist shut himself up quite so quickly.
“Don’t do that again.” Hunted said in that clipped way he often did.
“Why should I even bother? The others will soon catch on and won’t let whatever this is continue.” Paranoid replied, flopping forward, face falling into a pillow. “All you’re really doing is delaying the inevitable, they’ll get us out of here eventually.”
“They can try, I won’t let them.” Hunted clicked, nestling between the two.
Paranoid looked up, a disbelieving look on his face. “There are eight of them and one of you! What do you mean you ‘won’t let them’ ?”
Hunted blinked, his common, blank look delivering Paranoid an odd eye, before giving a small shrug as he spread his wings to cover the two prisoners. “You’ll see, if it comes down to it.”
Paranoid tried to ignore the shiver that traveled up his spine.
“You should just accept it, we’re not getting out of this, not anytime soon, at least. May as well enjoy it.” Broken suggested, snuggling deeper into the sea of blankets.
“I don’t see why you’re so okay with this.” Paranoid returned.
“Well,” Broken started, “it’s warm, it’s comfortable, we’re cared for, what more could one want?”
“A choice?”
“Choices hurt us.”
“Choices freed us.”
Hunted flapped his wings, earning sounds of startle from the two flightless avians. “No arguing about the past. Go to sleep.”
“Is this some lousy attempt to get us to hibernate? Birds don’t do that.” Paranoid pointed out. Maybe if he could poke enough holes into Hunted’s logic, he’d- just for once- see he was being silly and-
Hunted’s bigger, much healthier wing pressed down onto him, it was warm and its touch was strangely comforting despite its messy feel from Hunted’s recent… treasure hunt. “Some do, on special occasion.”
“Does this count as ‘special occasion’?”
“Yes.”
“We have a house.”
“Go to sleep.”
“An insulated, warm house.”
“Go to sleep.”
Paranoid let out a defeated sigh, it was pointless arguing with Hunted, he was all instinct, and instinct apparently had a funny habit of shutting down all arguments and scrutiny by muttering out was essentially a quiet yet firm “no”.
Paranoid wiggled his lower half into the forest of blankets and pillows; if he was going to be stuck here, then damn it, he was going to at least try to be comfortable! He laid his heavy head on his crossed arms, sinking the rest of his weight down just as Broken hugged a pillow to his chest.
“Maybe choices did make things better, in the end, but right now? You might benefit from not thinking too hard.” Broken softly proposed.
“Yeah yeah.” Was his response.
—
Hunted sat up, as slowly as he could as to not disturb the two he’d placed under his care.
He saw Broken giving in easily, but he didn’t anticipate he’d actually be able to get Paranoid to sleep, not with his jumpy nature. He was all soft and sound too! Not a twitch in sight from brow or lip! Maybe what he needed to drive the nightmares away was some ginger care? All along?
They both needed preening, he thought. Broken never took care of himself properly; he always ignored the layers and layers of dirt that built up under his plumage, as well as the bent, broken feathers that likely stuck into him like needles. Paranoid didn’t fair much better with the depressing state he’d rendered his wings to, the feathers had been plucked so thoroughly that flying was an impossibility.
Hunted ran his clawed fingers through both of their plumes, cooing when they both let out pleased, sleepy hums.
“Hey, what’s going on-“ Hunted whipped his head around so fast that one might think he snapped his neck with a loud crack it produced. He gave Opportunist, who had just casually walked into his den without permission, a chilling stare. A rattle started up in his throat, promising death.
“Whoa! Holy- calm down!” Opportunist shouted, holding his hands up in surrender.
“ Leave .” Hunted growled.
“Don’t have to ask me twice! I was just worried, you know? With the whole-“
“ Go .”
“Yes, right, going now, doing that, as we speak.”
Hunted didn’t calm even as the door clicked shut, only allowing his feathers to relax after clawed footsteps faded away.
He could blockade the door later, right now he had some preening to do.