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In his dazed state, Berdly can hardly recall how he got to this point. All he can seem to focus on is Kris towering over him.
He'd been arguing with them, a routine that was unfortunately familiar to him by now, but what he hadn't expected was for it to escalate to a point of wrestling. He was certainly no combat professional, at least outside of the world of Super Smashing Fighters, but he'd given it his all regardless.
Ultimately, he'd lost to Kris unfair tricks, and it landed him in this position; back sinking into their mattress, with his rival on their knees above him. Body angled forward, hands flat against the bed on either side of his torso, akin to an act of kabedon. Their face was tinted with a deep, rosy red, and a thin layer of sweat glistened on their furrowed brow, a result of their exertion. No matter how long he looks into them, he can't read their eyes or the thoughts their expression was trying to convey.
He's so screwed.
"…Kris?"
Though they'd been silent this whole time, Berdly swore he heard them pause. "Yeah?"
"Are you going to get off of me?"
Their eyes took a quick detour to sweep over his body, from his face all the way to his slightly shaking knees and back again. He tensed, suddenly feeling unusually exposed.
"I dunno," they shot back, donning their familiar taunting grin, "are you gonna make me?"
Berdly sighed, frustration temporarily overriding whatever perplexing state he'd been in just now. He didn't know why he expected them, out of anybody, to take any of this seriously. He was being pranked, wasn't he? They must've orchestrated this whole altercation merely to humiliate him; great, he just can't wait to deal with the taunting tomorrow.
'Can't even defend yourself in a fight, can you Berdbrain? He could hear it in his mind already.
Despite his annoyance, he made no attempt to break free from the position they were both still in. It was horribly awkward and tense, but if Kris wasn't going to cut it short, neither would he. Maybe then they'd learn their lesson and stop trying to make him look like a helpless fool.
Kris' smirk faded off their face at his grumbling silence. "Seriously, though, are you-"
"I'm not." Berdly disrupted. He tried to move closer by propping himself up on his elbows, but his arms trembled too much, and only allowed him about an inch forward, "if you aren't pressing quit on me, I'm not pressing quit on you."
That got a noticeable reaction out of Kris. Whether positive or negative, he wasn't certain, but they had clearly been caught off guard. Frantically, they covered it up with another trolling smile. He had a feeling he was only digging himself deeper into this mess, but he was too prideful to weasel out by now.
This was a game. And Berdly had no plans to lose it.
"Oh, really?" Kris cooed mockingly, narrowing their eyes. Berdly returned the look much less playfully, already calculating the optimal strategy to wipe that smug look right off the young Dreemurr's face.
"Yes, really. At what point have I ever backed down from a challenge from my beloved rival?"
"Do you really know what you're getting into?" Kris muttered back. "Because I highly doubt you can handle the heat."
Berdly scoffed, confidence growing with every word exchanged. "Oh, please, the so-called "heat" you're boasting about is likely as hot as an ice spell."
"Hilarious." The human rolled their eyes, but failed to mask their tiny sincere smile. Berdly took that as a testament to his cleverness, and beamed with pride. At this rate, victory would no doubt be his to claim!
But Kris wasn't going to have that. Their expression switched back to a stoic stare instantly, and they initiated one of their little tricks; leaning in and bringing their face closer than necessary. Berdly, completely unprepared, tried to recoil from them, but couldn't get far in his position. He shivered from the sensation of their breath passing over his face, bathing it in warmth. Subtle notes of a fruity scent hung in the air around their head, slithering into his nostrils with every breath and making it worse. He tried but failed to hold back an anxious chirp.
As if that wasn't enough, they then had the audacity to snicker at him. His cheeks were lit up with shame.
Desperately, he scanned the immediate area, seeking an epiphany on how to one-up his rival's taunt. He took notice of their hands clutching and crumpling the bedsheets, mere centimeters away from his sides but not quite close enough to graze them. Their knees were perched on the edge of the mattress, occupying the pocket of space between his splayed legs. It wasn't a coincidence, the avian realized; Kris had been going out of their way to avoid touching him. His ticket to winning sat clearly before him, as clear as a boss' critical hit zone.
Struck with this inspiration, Berdly adjusted his leg, letting his knee bump against the side of Kris' thigh. Their reaction was nothing less than immediate; they honest-to-The-Angel flinched away from the contact like it had afflicted them with a Burn effect. Their eyes blew wide open, red tones blooming across their once-smug face. Now it was Berdly's turn to laugh at their expense.
"What was it you said? You figured I wouldn't be able to "handle the heat"?" He shifted in place, letting their hand finally brush his waist, "It seems you've hurt yourself in your confusion."
If Kris' sputter of indignation and subsequent growl were any indication, he was sure in for it now.
Caving in completely to the contact, Kris took one hand and placed it directly in the center of Berdly's chest, finally pushing him down fully into the bed. Their fingertips were just slightly touching his throat, effectively acting as a warning of what they could be pushed to. Berdly looked down at their hand and back at them, raising an eyebrow like a silent question.
"Fucker," they spat, fighting to maintain their intimidation despite how swiftly they'd been defanged by Berdly's little stunt.
Berdly tutted in teasing disapproval. "Your insults could stand to be a little less juvenile."
"Beggars can't be choosers," they pressed two fingers into the soft bit at the base of Berdly's throat. He hissed through his teeth and wrapped a feathered hand around their wrist, but didn't pull their hand away. Slowly, a quivering smile grew on his beak.
"If you want to consider me a beggar, you had better earn it, Dreemurr."
…huh. Where had that come from?
Kris blinked at him in silent shock. Their mouth opened and closed a few times, speech failing them completely. Embarrassment crept up on Berdly amidst the silence, as he fully processed what he had just insinuated. Oh, Angel, he was beyond screwed now.
The human's grip started tightening on the collar of his shirt, their face continuing to burn hot like a rosy red lamp. "What does that mean."
"M-My apologies, I wasn't thinking clearly," Berdly mumbled, fighting his jumbled mess of a brain to maintain his usual speaking mannerisms, "we can just forget-"
"Hell no, don't you dare." They yanked his shirt, slightly lifting him off the bed and closer to their face. "What. The fuck. Did that. Mean."
There was a heavy moment of silence before Berdly slowly began to explain himself. "Er, I was s-suggesting that it would make more sense to call me a beggar if you first made me-"
"I was being rhetorical," Kris clarified quickly, "I know what you meant."
Gradually starting to calm down, Berdly scanned Kris' flushed face and chuckled slightly despite the tension, or perhaps because of it. "I can't help but notice that you're redder than Knuckles The Echidna right now," he commented, hoping to lighten the mood.
"Don't remind me…" They angled their head to try and hide behind their shaggy hair. Berdly laughed a little more, weirdly endeared. Then he reached forward and pushed a lock of hair behind their ear, with as much tenderness as he could muster. That little action made Kris melt noticeably, quietly whining in defeat.
It seemed he was the winner of their little competition. And he certainly felt rewarded.
Kris looked Berdly in the eye briefly and sighed, annoyed by his stupid lovestruck expression. "Are you ever going to give me peace…?"
Berdly's face morphed into a smirk again, sensing an opportunity. "I don't know, are you going to make me?"
Kris loudly grumbled at him, raising their hands and clenching them in the air next to his face, as if holding back from grabbing him. "Angel above, you-" they cut themselves off and slightly relaxed before continuing in a weaker tone, "…you're such a pain."
"Of course I am, o great rival of mine, how else am I meant to challenge you and push you to grander heights every day?"
"You're certainly not challenging me physically, that's for sure."
Berdly puffed up, recalling how easily he'd been beaten in their little one-on-one wrestling battle that led to this entire chain of events. "Hey, you know you were pulling dirty tricks to win! It's not my fault you're a filthy cheater!"
"Aaaand there's the obnoxious Berdly I know." Kris nudged him and winked at him. "Always making excuses for why he can't beat me~"
Berdly grinned proudly, having just thought of the perfect comeback to that. He lifted his hand and traced their jaw with a feathery digit, prompting them to look his way. "Sure, I may have lost to you in PVP, but I still hold victory over your heart."
This unprompted flirtation threw Kris for a complete loop, leaving them sputtering and struggling to form an answer just like before. Berdly was starting to enjoy the sight more and more each time.
"Y-You- that's- …sh-shut your beak. You're literally the worst."
"Deflect all you like, Kris Dreemurr," Berdly stated, pushing up his glasses. "but I can deduce from the way you gaze upon me, your desire to kiss this noisy beak is downright debilitating!"
"Maybe I will, if it'll actually shut you up."
Berdly's brain short-circuited for around the third time that night. Before he could put together a coherent answer, his beak was interlocked with a pair of soft but dry human lips. Both parties had to tilt their heads to achieve the right angle, but it was a small and worthwhile effort to put in for this moment of bliss. Although it was quite short, and Kris pulled away before Berdly could pull them in any closer.
"There," they mumbled, turning away to hide the red tint overtaking their face. "You better have enjoyed that, because you're not getting another anytime soon, got it?"
When the avian finally pulled his thoughts together, he lit up with triumph. "Ohoho! It seems that with the power of his natural charms, the incredible Berdly has won over the stubborn tsundere Kris!!"
"Berdly, I swear to the Angel, I will choke you for real this time!"