Work Text:
It was a cold day outside.
Parrot was studying in the dormitory dining room, slowly eating away at his dinner while rewriting his notes for physics.
He murmured something unintelligible to himself, crossing over his own writing, and going over his old notes again.
“Yo! Parrot!”
He jumped up awake when he heard that voice from the door of the dining room, along with the sound of footsteps getting closer.
Parrot straightened himself in his chair, and looked up from the table just in time to see Spoke placing a mug on the table, right next to his notes.
“Hey, Spoke,” He greeted, friendly.
Spoke sat on the chair right next to him. He grinned, gesturing to the mug.
“For you, bro, drink up.”
Parrot eyed the mug for a second, before holding it up and checking the contents. He could smell the strong scent of chocolate, grimacing at the definitely chocolate colored liquid inside the mug.
“What’s this?” He asked, frowning.
Spoke had a mug of his own, and he was drinking out of it, shrugging, “Just hot chocolate. Added a few marshmallows too. Dunno if you’d like it.”
Parrot blinked.
He slowly put the mug back on the table, keeping a still gaze at Spoke. “Bro.”
Spoke seemed to be confused at this reluctance, “What?”
Okay, so he genuinely didn’t realize. No bad intentions.
“I can’t drink this,” He said bluntly, and watched the realization take a moment to sink in on Spoke’s face.
When it did, Spoke shot up in his seat.
“Oh!” He said, quickly retracting the drink with a grimace, “Ohhhh shoot! My bad, bro, my bad. I forgot, y’know parrots, and chocolate, uh. My bad.”
Parrot let Spoke take the mug back from his hands, still processing what just happened, and then let out a disbelieved laugh.
“Were you trying to poison me, bro?” He said, with an edge of hysteria.
Spoke vehemently shook his head, “Listen! I just forgot, okay? I didn’t realize, y’know, like, I was just making some for myself and then saw you sitting here all alone, and thought that like, maybe I’d do something nice!”
So no bad intentions, yes. That’s relieving, at least.
“You were trying to poison me!” Parrot repeated, more lightheartedly.
“I was not!” Spoke defended, “It was an honest mistake!”
Spoke placed the mug that was meant for Parrot on his side of the table, as far away from Parrot as possible, as if Parrot was still going to reach for it and try to drink it if left unattended. Not something he'd do, but Parrot found the gesture funny and lowkey sweet.
The air was a bit awkward after the accidental attempt on Parrot’s life, but Parrot wasn’t mad. At least he noticed before things could’ve gotten bad. Even if he didn’t immediately notice, he’d smell the chocolate when trying to drink it.
“Hey, it was the thought that counts, right?” Spoke asked, after a bit.
Parrot shook his head in exasperation, glancing back to his notes, but still laughed. “Right, yeah, thanks bro. No harm done.”
Spoke played with the mugs, and drank out of the one that was meant for Parrot.
“More for me,” He grinned.
“More for you,” Parrot agreed readily.
There's a pause after that, and Parrot went back to studying for a bit, Spoke watching him as he does.
“What can you drink?” Spoke asked, after a bit.
It is surprising he hasn’t told Spoke too much about it this far into their friendship, but Spoke didn’t try to give him drinks often. Rarely, even. Maybe ever. Tonight was a nice gesture, even if it could’ve ended up badly.
“Nothing with caffeine. Also no dairy.”
That made the other man take one long blink.
“God, Parrot, your life must absolutely suck,” Spoke said, bluntly and with such negativity in his tone.
Parrot let out a laugh at it, “It’s not that bad, bro!”
After that, a more comfortable silence hits the dining room, after the failed accidental murder attempt. Spoke is quietly drinking from his mug(s), and Parrot continues scribbling notes. It was a nice day, being accompanied while he’s studying is not something unwelcome. Especially being accompanied by his friend, who was so close to murdering him a moment ago.
“I mean, I like apple juice, if you have that,” He said, after a while of thought, and far apart from the conversation the remark was replying to.
He heard Spoke sigh. “Of course you’re an apple juice person. But I can’t really give you hot apple juice though, can I, Parrot? Nobody’s drinking apple juice during the winter, that’s weird.”
“Hey. I do.”
“Well, you’re weird for that.”
“No I’m not. Stop being judgmental, bro.”