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“Soul.”
“Mm?”
“There’s a chicken in the house.”
The Soul glanced up, looking at the spot on the floor where the Mind was pointing. Lo and behold, a chicken just so happened to be there.
“So there is. How strange.”
“Why.”
“Why what?”
“Why is there a chicken in the house, Soul?”
“Well, I was thinking about chickens earlier and…”
With a pop, another chicken appeared, landing in Soul’s lap and giving a small cluck.
“...Chicken.”
Mind blinked, before groaning.
“Can you…get rid of them?”
“Why?”
“Because. They’re chickens. In the house.”
“I don’t see the problem here, mate.”
Mind sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
“Will you at least take them outside?”
“If you insist.”
Soul stood from the couch, still holding the chicken he’d just materialized into existence, and whistled.
“C’mon, Darell.”
Darell, who was previously under Mind’s accusatory finger, trotted happily after his owner.
“Oh god, you’ve named it.” Mind groaned, following Soul.
“Of course, I’ve named him. ” Soul corrected, contemplating the chicken in his arms. “All my chickens are named. Except for this fella, not yet. I think he looks like an Eggs Benedict, don’t you think?”
“If you have to name it, don’t put Eggs on the front of- Sorry, wait, all of them?”
Soul walked to the back of the house, Mind just now acknowledging the sound of clucking in the air.
“Yep.” Soul grinned. “ All of my chickens have names.”
Attached to the back of the house, there was a chicken coop. Inside, four other chickens clucked away.
“Oh god, there’s more of them. Soul, why are there more of them.”
“Well, I started with just Darell, but you’re supposed to keep at least three. They’re social creatures, after all. Didn’t want Darell to get lonely.”
“...You said they’ve been named?”
“Mhm. There’s Darell, Henway, Rebegga, Shelley, and now I have Benedict!”Soul grinned, placing the newest addition to the coop in the pen.
“Of course, they all have egg puns for names…”
“Heart helped me name a few.”
“Oh, even better! Now Resident Heart is attached to these…things.”
“They are not things, Mind. They are my children.”
“Your what- Look, Soul, you can’t keep the chickens.”
“And why is that?”
“We have enough issues as is. And now you want to add the need to care for chickens to our problems.”
“Do me a favor, Mind, and remind me who’s a big part of our issues.” Soul said, quirking a judgemental brow. “One of us seems to be forgetting, and I don’t think it’s me. ”
Mind pursed his lips.
“I can take care of chickens, Mind. It’s a helluva lot easier than dealing with you.”
“Fine, fine! Keep the stupid chickens. Just keep them outside, would you?”
“Mm, maybe.”
Mind growled, storming off. Soul rolled his eyes, turning back to his chickens.
“Don’t listen to him. You’re not stupid. He’s just a hater. Oh yes he is, yes he is…” Soul cooed.
Henway simply clucked at him in response.
A week later, Mind found himself fed up with this chicken nonsense[1] Despite his “kind request” (bitchy demand), he still found the chicken known as Darell popping up around the house, doing nothing but staring at him.
In the beginning, he’d go to complain to Soul about Darell roaming free, only for Soul to coo some nonsense about Darell being an “inside chicken” or Darell “missing his papa”[2]
So, reluctantly, Mind “allowed” Darrell in the house, under the condition that Soul and Heart deal with him.
Mind groaned weakly, lying his head on his pillow gingerly. His head was killing him, as per usual. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out anything that could further aggravate his pounding head.
His eyes snapped back open as he heard his door creak open. He glared at his door as if he was trying to will whoever dared disturb him to burst into flames immediately.
His brow furrowed with confusion, as he saw no one standing in the doorway. He looked around the room until the intruder strutted into sight.
Oh. Just that goddamned chicken again.
“What do you want.” Mind asked as if Darrell was capable of human speech.
Darrell blinked, before approaching Mind’s bed and hopping up, flapping his wings wildly.[3]
“What.” Mind groaned. “Get off my bed.”
Darrell paid no mind to him and sat down.
“Go.”
Darrell stayed.
“Go.”
Darrell fluffed up his feathers and got comfortable, signaling to Mind he would not be leaving anytime soon.
“You are a nuisance.” Mind spat. “Just like your owner. I bet he put you up to this. You know, if it was up to me, you’d be a rotisserie dinner by now.”
Mind continued to glare at the chicken, before realizing how stupid and insane he’d look to a passerby, and sighed, accepting that Darrell was here to stay.
Looking at the chicken, he couldn’t deny that he looked almost…cute, all snuggled up like that.
Mind glanced at the door once, making sure there were no witnesses, before quietly giving in and petting Darrell on his head.
“...Maybe you’re not that bad…” he murmured under his breath softly.
This was terrible.
Despite his best attempts, Mind had grown… fond, of the chickens. Of course, he’d rather die than admit this to the other two.
There had been a couple of close calls of him being openly affectionate with the chickens[4], but he easily explained away (lied out of his ass) any reason why he was caught holding a chicken. For now, his secret was safe.
One late night, after Soul and Heart went to sleep, Mind was left downstairs. Darell had been let in the house sometime prior, and Mind’s “convincing” anti-chicken act hadn’t been able to get Soul to put him back in the pen.
Mind yawned, carding a hand through his hair when a cluck caught his attention. Darell had walked up to him, rubbing against his leg happily.
“Hello, you.” Mind smiled, picking him up and placing him in his lap. “Finally got sick of Soul?”
Darell ruffled his feathers, snuggling into Mind. Mind grinned, petting the chicken and humming softly.
“Now, what do we have here?”
Mind froze. He should've known.
Turning his head, he met eyes with Soul, the latter grinning widely.
“Soul.”
“Mind.”
A beat.
“What’s that you got there?”
Mind’s gaze flicked from Soul, down to Darell- who was very obviously in his lap - and then back up to Soul.
“Nothing.”
Mind paused, as Soul rolled his eyes.
“...How long have you been down here?”
“Long enough. Darell came down with me.”
The two stared into each other’s eyes, cheerful reds meeting solid blues.
“Are you finally going to admit you’re at least fond of the chickens?”
“No.”
Soul laughed, leaning down to pat Darell on the head.
“You know I’m never letting you live this down, right?”
Mind sighed loudly, letting his head loll back.
“I’m aware.”
Soul hummed, smirking.
“You can keep him for tonight. He seems to like you.”
“…The feeling is reciprocated, albeit begrudgingly on my part.”
“Oh, I’m sure it is . G’night, you two.”
“Goodnight, Soul.”
As Soul left, Mind turned his attention back to the chicken.
“I really should’ve cooked you while I still had the chance.”
Darell only clucked softly in response as Mind continued to stroke his head.