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Kris doesn't have a lot of hobbies these days. Things like drawing or sewing, heck, even playing the piano like they used to all the time, just weren't things that they had the motivation for. The act of existing was so draining most days that there would be no energy left for almost anything. But at somepoint or another, they weren't sure exactly when, that changed a little.
They've picked up something new, but it's taboo. When their mother asks what they're going out to do, they tell her they're going 'birdwatching'. Which, to be fair, isn't totally a lie, just not the whole truth.
Right now they're seated at the table in the town library, a book laying open in front of them as an alibi to turn to. They're not really reading, nor are they participating in the conversation between the residents who happen to also be sitting there. Their attention is completely and utterly stolen by a certain bluebird across the room.
He's engrossed in a book of his own, but not because of the story. He's grumbling at folded corners and notes in the margins. Muttering about "vandalism" as he tries to unfold and erase the damage. Kris bit their tongue, trying not to smile or laugh at his adorable grumpy expression. Who the hell gave him permission to be so endearing?
"Who in their right mind treats a library book this way…?" Berdly hissed, brow furrowed in frustration. Kris was inclined to agree that it was a shitty thing to do, even if it was hilarious to see Berdly so pissed off.
Their eyes remain trained on him as he stands to begrudgingly put the book back, having seemingly decided he's done all he can do to salvage it. They're totally not watching the sway of his hips in each step. Nope, not even a little.
They suspect that somebody might've just tried to speak to them, but they're too busy tracing the edge of his wings with their eyes to fully process the words. His feather-covered arms would make an amazing blanket, they realize. They start picturing exactly that, the feeling of Berdly's embrace, his plumage soft and fluttery across their back. His beak tucked into the crook of their neck, nuzzling, maybe even nibbling a little-
Berdly's hand grasped the handle of the front door, snapping them out of their daydream. Shit, he's leaving. Without delay, they hoisted themselves to their feet, their eyes refusing to fall away from him and risk losing track of him. Funnily enough, they've become a little curious to see where he goes next.
If there's any state that Berdly looks best in, it's when he's all alone and being himself. The sunlight is complimenting the hue of his feathers nicely today, and despite his typically eccentric and nerdy attitude, the way he walks when he's by himself is straightforward, no-nonsense, talons tapping against the pavement rhythmically. Kris kept their footsteps quiet and focused, watching from a few paces away. There's nobody around but them, and it's pure bliss.
For all of four seconds, right before he walked into the diner. They sat and watched from the window as his smug grin plastered right back onto his face, his usual facade. He approached the counter and began his monologue, no doubt using way more words than necessary just to tell the waiter what he wanted for lunch. Classic Berdly, always saying more than he needed to. Angel, he's just the cutest.
A tall and bulky shadow approached them, and they looked up to see Susie's big snout pointed down at them. She held up her fist, and Kris bumped it with their own.
"Been looking everywhere for you, dude," she scolded, nudging their shoulder, "what the hell have you been doing all day?"
Kris sighed softly, already staring at Berdly through the glass pane again. "Oh, y'know, just birdwatching."
Susie pushed her head up against the window and squinted at the people inside. "Watching what birds??"
"Him."
They pointed directly at Berdly, a stupid giddy smile extending across their face. He's sitting in a booth in the corner, twirling his fingers nervously under the table while he tries to keep up a confidant expression. Susie crinkled her nose.
"What about him?"
"He's pretty."
Susie whipped her head around to look at Kris like they'd just grown a second head. "You're kidding. HIM??"
"What's wrong with him?" Kris glanced back at her, raising an eyebrow.
Susie groaned and held up all ten fingers. "I could name several things. More than I can even count."
"Oh, hush, he's not that bad." They refocused their attention on Berdly, who had just been served his food. They peered closer to try and see what he had ordered so they could take note for the future. If only they were in that booth with him right now, talking and joking and laughing with him. Berdly had the cutest ugly laugh in the whole town.
"Great, and now you're drooling." Susie commented.
Kris sat up straighter and wiped their mouth with their sleeve. "I am not drooling. And if I am, it's just because the food looks good, so shut up."
"I get the feeling the food's not what you're hungry for here, buddy."
"You just don't get it because you don't swing that way."
Susie threw her hands up over her head. "It's fucking Berdly of all people, of course I don't get it! What do you see in him??"
Kris rested their chin on the heel of their hand, smiling ear to ear. "He makes me laugh."
Susie groaned and pinched her nose bridge. She's acting all fed up, but Kris can see a grin of amusement, like the whole situation is so absurd that it's funny to her.
"You know what, fine. If you're gonna follow around and ogle the most annoying guy on Earth, then frankly, I don't care. Have fun, you freak."
She started to march away with her arms tucked behind her head, but just then, Berdly stood up from his booth and approached the door. Seeing this, Kris panicked and ducked behind Susie to hide. If he found out they were swooning over him, they'd never hear the end of it.
He stepped out of the diner and eyed them both with suspicion. Susie turned towards him slowly and returned a casual stare. "Sup, nerd bird?" She greeted, baring her teeth in a grin.
Berdly's feathers stuck up a bit defensively, but he tried to cover his reaction with an annoyed scowl. "Greetings, Susan."
Kris' eyes flickered between the two monsters, but they made no comment. They watched as Berdly adjusted his shirt collar and cleared his throat.
"Now, if you'll ex-cuse me, I have somewhere I need to be. The homework and chores at home don't do themselves! Not that I expect you to understand, knowing you to be the local delinquent."
"Whatever." Susie rolled her eyes and watched him shuffle past her. He chuckled nervously and suddenly bolted, which made her laugh a little to herself. "Coward."
Kris watched him take off, feeling slightly disappointed that he hadn't acknowledged them. But that wasn't enough to deter them from setting off to follow him. He was heading back to his place, right? Shouldn't be too hard to tail him, as long as the security isn't extreme.
They started in the direction of the apartments. They hadn't had their fill of Berdly just yet.
Kris' nails sunk into the damp bark of the tree they were trying to climb. With a grunt of effort, they pulled themselves onto a fairly sturdy branch, resting their back against the trunk. This new spot gave them the perfect view of one particular window; the one to Berdly's bedroom. If only they'd remembered to bring their binoculars, they would've been able to see him even better. But this would do for tonight.
They perked up excitedly when they heard him open his bedroom door and enter. Under their watchful stare, he moved towards his dresser and started undoing his button-up. Kris was faced with a dilemma now; look away and grant him decency, or keep staring and get an eyeful of fluffy chest feathers. Unable to decide, they covered their eyes with their hands, but peeked through their fingers anyway.
Berdly moved slowly and in heavy silence, no longer needing to act proud and pompous without an audience around to witness the act. He slipped into a plain gray shirt and went to sit next to his bed, chin resting on the edge of the mattress. With a sigh, he reached for his handheld and booted it up, the light of the screen illuminating his tired features. Kris' giddy smile faded off of their face.
They'd never seen him look more sad. It was unbearable.
They should do something about that.
Without really thinking about it critically, Kris wound up for a leap of faith onto Berdly's windowstill. They miscalculated slightly and ended up with a concrete edge to the ribs, knocking the air out of them. They scrambled to hold onto the ledge and let loose an unceremonious yelp.
That was stupid. Why the hell did they do that?
Thankfully, Berdly opened the window just then and poked his head out, eyes widening at the sight before him. He squawked in disbelief and immediately grabbed both their wrists before they could lose their hold.
"Kris?? What are you doing at my window?" He dragged them in, wincing as they tumbled onto the bedroom floor. "You should be at home!"
Kris rolled onto their side and stared up at him. He towered above them in this position, blue feathers lit up under the moonlight, creating a sight they wished they could look at forever. But he was waiting for an answer.
They tried to pull off a seductive pose while still crumpled on the ground, ignoring the feeling of a bruise already forming where their chest had met concrete. "You look lonely. Want me to, um, fix that?"
Despite the absolute fumble, Berdly still got noticeably flustered, pulling at the hem of his shirt and trying to play off the blush on his face with a scoff. "Er, well, that's a very generous offer, Kris, but I can assure you it's not needed! I…I'm used to being alone."
"Aww, c'mon, that's no fun. Why don't I stay the night? I'm sure your mom won't mind." Kris sat up, speaking with a soft and inviting lilt. They were absolutely nailing this flirting right now. At least they hoped they were.
If Berdly's face was any indication, it seemed like that was the case.
He stepped back shyly to sit on his bed, rubbing the bedsheet between two fingers. "If you're so eager to remain here, then…I suppose that I don't, um. Mind it. If you want."
Hell yes. Absolutely fucking nailed it.
Kris managed to stand up with only a small flinch from the pain of the earlier impact, but Berdly still noticed it, and furrowed his brow in worry. He lifted a hand towards the hem of Kris' sweater, but hesitated.
"…May I see?"
Seems like it's unfortunately Kris' turn to get flustered and fidgety. They gave him a tiny nod, and he lifted their sweatshirt just enough to see the fairly nasty bruise forming on their torso. His concern grew tenfold.
"That looks quite painful," He observed, standing up quickly, "I'll retrieve you an ice pack."
Kris nodded again, watching him exit the room promptly. His politeness and care was unexpected, and it was started to make them really regret the whole "stalking" thing.
Fuck, they were gonna have to tell him, weren't they? It would be the right thing to do, but just imagining going through with it was making their stomach twist. They sat and sunk into the mattress, already mentally cycling through the possibilities. Would he feel scandalized? Betrayed? Would he kick them out of his apartment? They never should have done any of this.
Lost in this spiral, they barely noticed the mattress sinking again next to them. What finally pulled them out of it was a cold sensation on their stomach. They looked down at the ice pack, held in place by Berdly's hand, then at his face.
He smiled awkwardly. "Too cold?"
"No…it's fine."
Cautiously, they rested their hand on the back of Berdly's. The ache of the bruise was being numbed slightly, but the knots they were feeling on the inside stayed. They didn't deserve this, not like this. He has to at least know.
Here goes everything.
"Berdly?" They muttered his name solemnly, grabbing his attention. "I don't know how to say this…there's something you need to know."
They took a deep breath, ready for the worst. "I didn't end up here by coincidence, I followed you. I've been following you all day, and it's…not the first time. I've been trying to justify it in my head, but there isn't an excuse for the way I've been treating you. I'm so sorry."
Kris looked down, muscles tense as they awaited Berdly's anger, but it never came. Slowly, they raised their head to look at him again. His eyes were blown wide and his beak was snapped tightly shut, darker tones dusting his cheeks.
Wait. Why is he blushing.
"You…" he started, stumbling over his own words, "you were watching me all day? Why?"
Kris had to swallow the lump in their throat to continue, not having prepared to admit all of this.
"Because I think you're pretty."
Berdly let go of the ice pack, allowing it to slide off of Kris' stomach. His entire face erupted in darker blue, and Kris' cheeks reddened to match. All that effort put into being smooth earlier was wasted.
His beak opened, then closed, then opened again when he finally found the words. "I…I don't know what to say, that's…do you really think that highly of me, that you would admire me for an entire day…?"
Kris blinked at him, genuinely caught off guard by his takeaway. "Huh?? Berdly, what are you- I literally stalked you, aren't you mad??"
"Should I be??" He straightened himself, touching his own face timidly. "Because right now, I just feel really…flattered? I never considered that someone could be that drawn to me-"
Kris frowned and grabbed Berdly's face suddenly, making him chirp in surprise. "This isn't how this works! You're supposed to condemn me for this!"
"U-um-" Berdly's gaze flickered around across their face before he composed himself. "H-how, could you, Kristopher!!" he declared overdramatically, "how could you betray my trust this way!! You've crossed the line, Dreemurr! Never again shall you rest…peacefully…?"
Kris couldn't help it, they snorted while trying not to laugh at the theatric display. There was one more second of silence, which erupted into a fit of laughter from both of them, continuing until they were both gasping for breath. Kris gave in and flopped against Berdly, forehead resting on his chest. They looked up at his startled, nervous expression, and smiled. "You're a dork."
"O-oh, yeah? Rich coming from you, Kris "because I think you're pretty" Dreemurr."
"Pfft, shut up!"
The next day at school, Berdly could sense a pair of eyes fixated on him. Watching, memorizing, admiring him. He didn't fear it. He greeted it with a smile, and clasped hands with the one the gaze belonged to.
And now, he belonged to them, too.