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Parrot was pretty tired, after everything that had happened as of late. He shifted on the bed inside of one of the towers in the northern council - the place he and Theo now occupied, as Parrot had officially gotten into the election not too long ago. Getting the first hundred votes hadn’t been easy, having to fight his way through and save an entire civilization.
But it did pay off, it really did. Despite being at the bottom of the whole list of candidates, he still had hope that he would win. And now, he had a whole night to himself to rest. Theo, his best friend, was currently pacing on the balcony outside. He was, as always, trying to protect Parrot, basically guarding him from any danger.
Parrot eventually let his head hit the pillow. It was actually really comfortable, he couldn’t lie. He let out a contented sigh as a small smile formed on his face. Despite being early in the evening, Parrot already wanted to go to bed, and the comfort of the sheets tangled around his body didn’t help much to make him more alert. Besides, he had Theo… If anything were to happen, Parrot would be fine.
As Parrot was just about to doze off, he was jolted up by a sudden thought. He opened his eyes, blinking. It had caught him off guard, the memory.
That face,
Those eyes,
That smile,
That voice-
Wifies.
That was the person that had begun to plague his mind just now. Parrot hasn’t really thought about Wifies in a while, trying to force himself to forget everything that had happened between them. Wifies’ slow shift from caring to obsessive, trying to keep Parrot safe even if it meant killing and sacrificing others to do just that. Those were the things Parrot tried to forget.
More importantly, there was one sound, one sight, one smell that Parrot hadn’t dared to try and remember. The way the explosion pierced his ears, the way the flames roared and the remnants of the explosion broke down, and the smell of smoke that had him nearly choking. That’s why he left and never looked back, he couldn’t face any of those things again.
Anytime he was met with any of those things, he felt sick. So incredibly sick. Right now he almost felt like throwing up, the sudden burst of memories pushing themselves up to the top of his mind making his breaths shorter and more laboured. “It’s okay,” Parrot whispered to himself, gripping at the blanket tighter as he forced his wings to rest against his back, “It’s fine.” Parrot’s self-soothing didn’t have the same effect. He was tired, his vision blurring every now and then, and he couldn’t properly comfort himself right now.
Instead, Parrot resulted to laying back down and turning to face the wall. He carefully lowered himself onto the bed again, pulling the blanket over himself firmly. He closed his eyes, trying to focus on Theo’s footsteps outside instead of the thoughts that nearly brought him to tears.
After a few moments, Parrot opened his eyes, unable to sleep. As his vision began to focus, he could make out a shape in front of him. For a second, he thought it was Theo. But, no, that wasn’t right… How hadn’t he heard Theo come in if it was him? Parrot tried harder to make out the shape in the darkness. It looked familiar…
Only then did Parrot jerk upwards and nearly choke-
That figure at the side of his bed, was Wifies. That can’t be, though… Wifies is dead. He’s been dead. He can’t be here, that’s just not possible. Parrot stared at “Wifies”... or, whatever that thing is. “Wifies”, in turn, tilted his head, before speaking.
“Don’t you miss me, Parrot?” He asked, smiling. It sounded like Wifies, but the way it spoke… It just wasn’t possible that it was Wifies. The undertone of those words seemed almost mocking, something that Parrot didn’t think Wifies would ever target at him. No, he KNEW Wifies wouldn’t speak to him that way. Still, that voice was too similar… It nearly broke Parrot. And yet, he managed to hold his composure. Somehow. Barely.
“...What are you..?” Parrot asked, his wings shifting to shield him from whatever that thing was.
“I’m Wifies. Can’t you see that?”
“No.. You-... Can’t be Wifies. He’s dead.” Parrot tried to keep his voice hushed, not intending to alert Theo, who was still out on the balcony.
“What if I said that I am Wifies, though? Why don’t you just touch me, Parrot? I’m real. I am Wifies, so come on. Don’t you want to hug your best friend?” The “Wifies” urged, reaching out his hand. The shadows that hit his body looked wrong, almost eerie in how subtle the mistakes were. He wasn’t Parrot’s Wifies. His smile curled into a smirk as he watched Parrot finally break down.
“Get away!” Parrot shouted, nearly falling off the bed as he tried to run, to separate himself from the thing he posed as a threat. Tears welled in his eyes as he couldn’t tear his gaze away from “Wifies”. He looked so familiar… So warm, like if he just touched him, then maybe… The thought made Parrot sob harder.
That scream was enough to get Theo moving, rushing inside the tower. Theo nearly stumbled in his panic to open the door. He thought that Parrot was in danger, and it got his heartbeat going crazy at the thought of anything happening to his best friend.
“Theo..!” Parrot cried out the name, his voice shaky as he turned to look at Theo, who was visibly confused yet worried. There was no one around, no danger that Theo could see. No one else in the room except him and Parrot. Theo still ran over to Parrot’s side, trying to gauge what was wrong. Was he hurt? Was there someone here that Theo wasn’t fast enough to catch?? What was going on???
“Parrot! Parrot, what happened? You scared me so much-” Theo sat down next to Parrot, about to reach out and examine his hands for any injuries, before Parrot latched onto him, his sobs drowned out as he buried his face in Theo’s chest. Theo paused before returning the contact. Whatever it was that happened, Parrot clearly needed company and comfort. Theo pulled Parrot close and carded his fingers through the other’s hair as he sobbed.
“Hey, buddy.. It’s okay, you’re fine… What happened..?” Theo softened his tone of voice, trying to gently bait the answer out of him. Parrot clung on tighter, whispering something about seeing someone. Theo ran his gaze through the room, checking for any sign of disturbance - yet finding none.
Parrot finally looked up, after a few minutes of crying. He kept Theo close, his head still pressed against the cockatiel’s chest as he turned his head to examine the room himself. Parrot still saw “Wifies”, in the same position as before, the smirk morphed into a frown. He looked away quickly, focusing his attention on Theo and Theo alone. It’s okay, it is. He has Theo…
“...Uh, you okay..?” Theo asked hesitantly. He wasn’t sure what to do, as he didn’t know what made Parrot so scared in the first place. “But seriously, what happened? You gotta tell me so I can help you.” Theo pulled Parrot closer, wiping away a tear from his eye.
“I just-... I-” Parrot struggled to form his sentence properly. “I… remembered something, and I just… I can’t…” He couldn’t find it in himself to finish, still shaked up from the fact that “Wifies” was still lingering around. It nearly made him break down once again.
“Remember what..?” Theo asked tentatively, his fingers still occupied with Parrot’s hair. Parrot let out a sharp breath, the question making him tense up. He’d avoided the topic of any of his dead friends for so long, and being confronted with this question caught him off guard. He curled up closer to Theo, and spoke in a broken whisper.
“I’m… I’m not ready to tell you yet,” Parrot’s voice was softer than before. He was praying to whatever deity above that Theo would understand, that he wouldn’t push and would just stay by his side. “Wifies”, whatever it is, kept talking, yet Parrot tuned him out. He didn’t matter.
“I’ll always be there when you’re ready to tell me. And, you can be the biggest bird. Only for tonight though, buddy.” Theo offered, letting Parrot nestle himself in his lap. Parrot’s vision blurred, he was pretty close to passing out now that the comfort he needed so desperately was provided. And even then, Theo’s offer brought a tired laugh that sounded almost like a sob. Parrot glanced at where “Wifies” last was, only to see the figure slowly fading out of view as his eyelids began to close. Parrot gave into exhaustion, slumping against Theo completely. The thing was gone, and Parrot was finally asleep in the arms of someone he considers as close as family. He felt safe. Theo didn’t complain, humming something softly as he watched Parrot pass out.
Theo would spend hours like this if he had to, if it meant that Parrot got to rest.