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Parrot readjusted his belt for the fourteenth time, invisibility pots clinking softly against each other. Theo barely reacted, the feathers on his wings rustling at the new noise but quickly settled back down, their glossy surfaces shining in unison. The duo was rowing their way out to a Law base, as according to Parrot there should be valuable loot for their army stashed inside. Theo didn’t know if he believed it or not, but it was Parrot, so he went along anyway.
Speaking of Theo, he resisted the urge to sniffle as his nose dripped insistently. A small cold had gotten a grasp on him, leaving his sinuses stuffed and throat sore. His voice was barely a whisper above the waves, scratchy and raw from underuse. Parrot had insisted on him taking some disgusting cold medicine before they set sail, but it seemed to do exactly nothing.
Parrot shifted again, anxious waves subtly rolling off of his stiff shoulders and fidgety hands. His wings were tucked nicely against his back, the rough edges of cut feathers smoothly blending into his plumage. He needed this to succeed. So, Theo was there to make it happen.
Theo continued rowing their small boat, shoulders burning in the success of their distance. It was a welcome distraction to the persistent pressure in his head and watering of his eyes.
They continued in silence for a few minutes more, before Parrot eventually broke the gentle pattern of the waves against their boat. “I can see the base in the distance. I think we should stop here and pot up.”
Theo rested his aching arms, rolling his shoulders a few times to relieve the stress. He looked over the horizon, squinting against the light reflecting over the water. In the distance, a towering castle could be seen perched on top of a hill. The Law’s insignia was visible even from this distance.
“Sure.” Theo responded, voice hoarse. He swallowed a few times, wincing. Parrot gave him a look before tossing one of his invisibility potions upon them. Faint particles rose in the air as the two avians disappeared, swallowed by the cover of nothingness.
“Has that cold medicine kicked in?” Parrot’s disassembled voice came from his side of the boat, soft against the lapping waves of the ocean.
“I don’t really know,” Theo sniffled, wiping his nose onto his sleeve. “I’ll be fine, though.”
Parrot hummed in response, silence resuming over the pair as Theo rowed closer. Once they were within hearing distance, they jumped off of the boat, swimming to shore.
The icy water chilled Theo’s bones, soaking through his feathers and uncomfortably dragging him down. He clambered onto a conveniently placed dock, shaking like a dog to dislodge the water trapped in his wings. Parrot huffed nearby, spluttering as he was splashed by Theo’s torrent. Theo withheld a giggle.
“Okay. We sneak in, find the stash, get out. Got it?” Parrot whispered, an invisibility potion pressed into Theo’s hand. He took the potion, storing it safely in his inventory and nodding before realizing Parrot couldn’t see his agreement.
“Yeah,” Theo whispered back, considerably louder than Parrot. A small cough left him afterwards, tugging uncomfortably in his chest. If they weren’t invisible, Theo could imagine Parrot turning to glare at him.
“And be quiet!” He hissed, flashing his spyglass a few times. Theo followed the floating object, wooden boards creaking quietly underfoot.
It wasn’t hard to sneak into the Law base. Seriously, Lettuce should consider hiring better Lawmen. Theo dug into the wall, having Ace’s their only pickaxe. They quickly tunneled through the stone, creating a web of caves to navigate by. The footsteps of Lawmen could be heard echoing through the halls of the castle, patrolling their routes over and over.
The dust of their tunnels tickled Theo’s nose, making him want to sneeze. Sneezing here would be a horrible idea, so he resorted to using all of his willpower to stop the burning in his nose. He rubbed the burning appendage across his sleeve, resisting the other urge to sniffle. His wings brushed against the sides of the tunnel, puffing up with his distress.
Parrot must have heard the faint rustling, because Theo soon felt his presence in front of him, a hand resting on his bicep. It wasn’t hard to feel the concern radiating off the fellow avian.
Theo shook him off, hoping that got his point across that he was okay. There was no need for Parrot to be a mother hen, even if it was in his nature.
The two continued on their illegal activities, crouching against the end of one of their tunnels. Theo had mined until they hit the smooth surface of stone bricks, an indication of a wall. Footsteps could be heard from time to time on the other side.
Once the footsteps died down, Parrot made his move. He took the pickaxe from Theo, mined the wall, and jumped out from the hole and darted across to another room. Theo followed quickly behind, patching up the hole behind them so as to not be detected.
The small room was filled with riches, armor stands littered around the perimeter with diamond armor glinting in the low light. Chests sat in the middle, full of backup sets and gapples.
Two shulkers were placed on the floor, and Theo got to work. He quickly cleared out most of the room with Parrot, taking the loot for themselves. They had one close call with a Lawmen, but the duo was lucky Lettuce only hired stupid people.
Once they finished with that room, Theo followed Parrot down the halls of the Law base. He was careful to walk silently so as to not alert their position to the guards.
Parrot crept into a small room, pickaxe glinting in the light. Theo quickly put down his enderchest, grabbing a few extra shulkers.
This, however, was their downfall.
A guard made his way up the staircase, footsteps becoming increasingly louder as he approached their position. Panicking, Parrot mined into the wall, Theo quickly cramming himself next to the avian as he frantically covered the hole they had made. The two were forced to hover awkwardly near each other, with no room to move their large pairs of wings. Theo tapped on Parrot's arm, tracing out ‘enderchest’ on it. The faint rustling of feathers showed Parrot’s agitation.
Parrot attempted to turn around in the small hole, wings brushing against the walls and Theo. He grimaced as they tickled his bare arms and neck, flinching as his body betrayed him with a sneeze. He froze, slowly turning to look at the invisible Parrot.
“Dude!” Parrot hissed, clambering to smack a hand over Theo’s face as a round of coughing escaped him. His eyes watered, vision blurry in the low lighting as his outbreak was stifled. Unfortunately, the damage was already done.
The shouting of guards could be heard through the walls, armor clanking as they entered the room where Theo had left his enderchest. They exclaimed their surprise of intruders, destroying their own walls and flooring to look for the perpetrators. Parrot scrambled around the flustered Theo, frantically mining into a small cave.
“Put your armor on. They know we’re here.” Parrot whispered, the clanking of netherite audible as his frame came into view. Theo did the same, wiping at his face again. His eyes watered, sinuses screaming. “How many carts do you have?”
Theo already knew the answer to that, but he took a moment to clear his throat before answering. “I only have four. The rest are in my enderchest back there,” He responded, voice weaker than he had originally anticipated. Shit, I might be actually getting sick.
“Okay, change of plan. Restock and blow our way out of here.” Parrot hissed, mining back into the wall. He raced down their tunnels, Theo hot on his heels.
Parrot exploded into the room of Lawmen, immediately jumping at the opportunity to embed his sword in the chestplate of an unfortunate soul. Theo sprang into action behind him, quickly opening his enderchest and throwing a few more carts into his inventory. He was cut off as a few Lawmen jumped him, landing a couple free hits on his still form.
Theo winced, hacking down their weak attempts with his far superior netherite weapons. Parrot raced around the room, a whole swarm on his tail.
“Parrot! I don’t have the pickaxe!” Theo yelled over the harsh grating of metal on metal, ignoring how it pulled painfully on his throat. Parrot rounded the corner, totem particles flashing as he sprinted back over to the enderchest. “You gotta protect me while I mine it!”
Theo tried his best. He truly did. But he couldn’t cart for fear of blowing up Parrot, kept missing his hits due to the water in his eyes, and really, really wanted to just go back to base and sleep for the next three years.
“Parrot- Parrot, just leave! Clear the room!” Theo shouted, pushing a guy over as Parrot took sword hit after sword hit. He shielded from the reckless attack of another guy, spinning on his heel and stumbling as he was pushed from behind. Tripping over his own clumsy feet, his weakness was immediately taken advantage of as the violent clang swords upon armor deafened his ears.
“I’m trying!” Parrot answered, disappearing in a flash of diamond armor and stone. He’s safe, Theo thought, trying his best to ignore the pain in his muscles and the constant urge to sneeze. That’s all that matters right now.
Theo refocused on the fight. Diamond armor swirled in his vision, making him dizzy. Sword after sword after sword rained down in a torrent of blows, some landing on his already weakened armor. Even in his current state, Theo was confident he could take these chungies.
He scratched that thought as another cough ripped out of his throat, dodging an axe and stumbling out of the way of three Lawmen. His eyes watered uncontrollably, tears welling up and stinging his eyes. It was hard to focus. It was hard to do anything, god why did he agree to this-
“Theo! Theo just run! Just run-” Parrot’s faint voice came from some random spot in a wall, Theo couldn’t really tell, but he agreed with the advice. Run.
It wasn’t hard to stumble his way out of the room, shoving down attackers with a few random sword slashes before racing his way through the halls. Truth be told, Theo had no idea where he was in this stupid castle, but he ran until his legs screamed and his lungs burned, bursting into the courtyard.
The afternoon sun blinded the poor avian's eyes, sunglasses doing little to stop the harsh glare of sunlight. Lawmen charged after him, screaming and waving weapons around like a bunch of headless chickens.
Finally, Theo thought, hacking his way through the ranks. I can blow these guys up.
Two seconds. It took him two seconds to get set up, slamming a rail onto the packed dirt and exploding a fresh TNT minecart into the face of multiple Lawmen. The distant boom! of cannon fire signaled at least three deaths; it was hard to tell over the persistent ringing in his ears.
One cart down, a million enemies to go. Theo fell into the easy routing of fighting idiots; blow a few up, step back to either cough or rub his eyes, kill a few more, easy peasy. Super easy job. Nothing could ever go wrong. Not that it hadn’t already.
“Theo! Where do you want your enderchest?” A familiar voice rose over the throng of players, multicolored wings visible over the sea of diamond armor. Parrot raced through the courtyard, a blur of motion as he ducked and wove his way towards Theo, taking down a few Lawmen as he went.
Theo ignored the ringing in his ears and the oncoming of a headache, creating a small clearing for Parrot to appear by his side. “Wherever is fine!”
The two fell into their usual stride, Parrot defending the avian as he quickly restocked and collected more carts. They switched positions; Parrot covering his blindspots with well timed arrows while Theo exploded the Lawmen to smithereens.
Place rail, shoot arrow, place cart- boom! Rinse. Repeat. Place rail, sneeze, miss cart, get knocked into a wall-
Coughing, Theo narrowly avoided a sword aimed at his chest, rolling through debris and dust. A cloud of god knows what blocked his vision, more importantly giving him time to reset and get away, even though he was now split with his feathered friend.
Why did he ever agree to go with Parrot.
Theo staggered to his feet, stumbling his way out of a crater made by one of his explosions, relishing in the few moments of freedom before a swarm of Lawmen converged onto his location.
Distantly, a thought something like Where is Parrot? formed in the back of his mind, but Theo was frankly too tired to care. He would figure that out later.
Lawmen fell all around. TNT exploded in random bursts all around the ruined castle, frequently causing the cockatiel hybrid to flinch at the bright lights dancing in his vision. Parrot appeared moments later next to his side (Oh, there’s Parrot.) yelling something at him. Theo knew this by watching the avian’s face, unable to hear anything Parrot was saying over the ringing in his head.
Parrot grabbed him by the arm, dragging his best friend away from the crime scene. “Yo- we –otta go!”
The two left the wake of their destruction with a small army of Lawmen chasing them down, scrambling onto their boat and quickly escaping the slimy hands of diamond clad players. They rowed in silence (Was it silence?) for what felt like ages before two hands roughly grasped his shoulders, jolting Theo out of the repetitive motion of rowing.
“What dude?” He asked irritably, turning to look at his friend. Parrot was studying him with thinly veiled concern, head tilted to the side. “You weren’t responding to me for like three minutes bro.”
“I was locked in on rowing.” Theo suppressed a wince as the adrenaline started to wear off, scratches and cuts demanding his attention. A small scrape on his forehead bled sluggishly, exposed to the elements once his helmet had shattered in two.
Parrot continued to stare at him.
“. . . What? Do you have a plan to go back?” Theo prompted after a moment, wary of his friend’s silence.
Parrot took a few seconds to respond, eventually huffing and turning away. “It's nothing bro. We can go get the ghast and try again.”
Theo suppressed a cough, resuming rowing. “Sounds like a plan.”
—---
“Yo, they are just camping us bro.” Parrot said softly, peering over the edge of the happy ghast. Theo continued steering the creature higher into the air, blinking to clear the haze in his mind.
“I mean, we are trying to steal all of their loot.”
“Loot we need!”
Theo joined Parrot on the side, watching the Lawmen scurry around below them, slowly constructing makeshift ladders to build up. The world swirled in colors below him, making his head hurt more than it was already throbbing. He shook the thought away. “What should we do?”
Theo moved away from the edge, opting to sit nearer to the middle and rest his aching head in his hands, resting his eyes. Parrot shuffled nearby, keeping watch. “Can you hand me your bow?”
Theo handed the weapon over with no resistance, content to enjoy his few moments of futile rest in peace. A cough tore itself out of his throat, ripping through the fragile control he no longer had. The bow was taken from his trembling hands, the repetitive motion of drawing it back and firing echoing around in his skull.
Parrot piped up after a while of shooting Lawmen off their towers. “You look like shit.”
“Thanks man.” Theo replied, sniffling.
“Wasn’t a compliment.”
“I know.” Theo rose stiffly, looking at the little progress they had made over the past half hour. “Can’t we just blow them all up?”
Parrot huffed. “In the sorry state you’re in? I think not.”
“Hey!” Theo exclaimed, affronted. Parrot’s point was proven as another round of coughing escaped him. “Okay, whatever bro. Lets just get in and get out, okay?”
“I mean, we can try but- wait-” Parrot paused, straining over the side of ghast enough to make Theo panic.
“Dude! Wha-” He was cut off as a loud burst of sound echoed around the Law castle, ringing uncomfortably in Theo’s head.
A Wither.
“Someone's spawning withers!” Parrot shouted excitedly over the telltale sign of more withers being spawned in. Theo crept to the side of the ghast, peering down at the very wither shaped creatures attacking the Lawmen. An invisible player ran among them, red trimmed chestplate sticking out like a sore thumb.
“Yo!? Is that Spoke?” Parrot leaned farther off the ghast, attempting to get a better view of the player. Theo grabbed him by the collar, hauling him back to ‘stable’ ground. It took more effort than necessary. “Don’t you have spyglass?”
“Dude! This is our chance!” Parrot wriggled free from his grasp, kicking off of the flying beast and launching himself over the edge. Theo sighed, watching his best friend land in a pool of water and start attacking Lawmen.
Theo leaned over the edge, letting the weight of gravity capture his body. He plummeted towards the ground, weightless. The wind whistled past his head, causing the ringing in his ears to exemplify tremendously, vision blurring and moving together whilst pausing and darkening. The water hit him like an aggressive slap, knocking the wind out of the poor avian and causing him to wheeze for breath, choking on his own coughs.
That was not a good idea. Theo thought as he scurried towards the battlefield, ignoring the way everything in his body twinged uncomfortably.
He could be sick and pitiful later. The time was now to fight.
“Yo! What’s good Spoke!?” Parrot called gleefully, TNT exploding from his hands and killing Lawmen in uncoordinated blows. Spoke raced up behind him, fishing rod snagging armor and dragging the unfortunate soul into a well placed explosion. “Parrot!”
Theo barely managed to dodge a punch aimed at his face, realizing far too late that he had given his bow to Parrot. His bow. The one he used to explode carts.
Frantically, the frazzled avian threw an enderchest on the ground, barely managing to grab his crossbow before a sword met his shoulder. Fiery agony, white hot and filled with rage ran up the length of his arm, startling a shout out of him. He swung in pure retaliation, relishing as the blow connected with something person shaped. His vision blurred together, shapes becoming blobs of color as his eyes watered, a sneeze building in his head-
“You good bro?”
Wemmbu.
Wemmbu caught his wrist, stopping the momentum of his next swing. Three Lawmen lay dead surrounding the demons’ feet, blood glinting off of his mace, Gambit. Theo knew enough about him to know for certain; Wemmbu didn’t show concern. Hell, the guy probably couldn’t feel scared for his teammates.
Theo would be damned if he didn’t look concerned right now. Maybe concern was too far a stretch. Mildly disturbed. Pitying.
“I’m fine.” Theo rasped, shaking the demon off, stumbling slightly without the support. Wemmbu quickly backed up, stepping over the dead bodies of the freshly killed Lawmen. The avian’s wings still dripped from his crash landing, clothing sticking uncomfortably to his shivering body. Shivering? When had he started shivering? Nevermind.
“Sure.” Wemmbu agreed, awkward silence falling over the pair. The distant shouts of Spoke, Parrot, and who knows who else rang out in the background, but all Theo could hear was his labored breathing and the erratic race of his pulse.
Wemmbu eyed him warily before equipping his elytra with one quick movement. “There’s more Lawmen coming, by the way.”
Theo huffed, standing shakily on his two own legs. What a win. “Great.”
Wemmbu left in an explosion of rockets and the sound of wind whispering over the fake pair of wings, mace easily slamming down on the heads’ of nearby players. Theo took a moment to recover and check in with himself.
Alive? Check. Standing? Check. Sick? Probably. Cold? Check. Hot at the same time? Check. Feeling like his brain was going to explode? Check. Trembling? Check. Throbbing head? Check. Various bleeding wounds? He couldn’t really tell where, but it would come back to bite his ass later. Dizzy? Check.
What a lovely day.
Two Lawmen approached from the side, having escaped from the slaughterhouse in the courtyard. They raced towards the avian, swords glinting in the air.
Theo turned, practiced hands moving on their own and going through the familiar motion of his style of death. Place rail, light a fire, place cart, blow it up.
One of the Lawmen fell immediately, body vanishing in a cloud of smoke and flame. The other one had a bit more critical thought than his fallen brother, using this nifty contraption called a shield.
Theo did it again. He darted away from the oncoming blows, ignoring how the world lurched violently at the sudden movement. He placed his rail, fingers slipping on the flint and steel and lighting the fire slower than he would have liked. It took even longer to place the cart down, trembling limbs aching with the effort of moving.
The Lawman got to the cart before he did, blowing it up in both of their faces. Theo wheezed as the air was knocked out of him, slamming into the packed ground of gravel and dirt. The explosion singed his feathers, minor burns carving their way into his skin. Pieces of metal and shrapnel from the cart cut his face and arms, stinging painfully as the hot metal sliced flesh.
The Lawman suffered just as bad, burns tracing the way up their body. Their armor had done little to nothing against the blast, immediately crumbling at the power of the explosion.
Theo lifted his aching arm, putting the man out of his misery. He then fell back against the ground, too tired to move.
This seemed like a really comfortable spot to sleep. In fact, what if he just took a nap here for like, forever?
The sound of fighting rang out in the distance. Spoke, laughing manically as he killed people with TNT. Wemmbu, mace connecting with helmets with satisfying crunches. Flame – when did Flame get here? – arguing with Wemmbu over the fighting. Parrot, yelling at the others to cooperate.
Parrot.
He was here with Parrot. To protect Parrot, in fact. He wasn’t doing that much protecting laying in the dirt, surrounded by craters and despawning loot.
Theo pushed himself to his knees, spitting out the blood that had pooled in his mouth. His wings sagged against the ground, feathers dirtied and waterlogged. He still didn’t have a helmet, hands felt too burned to hold a sword– but he persisted. Because that is what Parrot needed.
Through much effort, Theo rose to his feet, staggering his way towards the sound of fighting. His sword hung limply from his side, swaying with the jolt of his footsteps.
He killed two more Lawmen, no longer able to ignore how his arms burned in protest, pain blinding his senses. Everything was swirling and he was dizzy, feeling hot and cold and wet and pain-
He was near the courtyard. The sounds of fighting had died down considerably, the occasional clash of swords signaling the end of the stragglers. Theo stumbled his way through an entryway, leaning against the wall for a moment to breathe. It was more of a wheeze, painfully rattling around in his lungs and dragging a wet cough out of him.
Wemmbu was crouched down near the body of a Lawman, packing up loot into his shulkers. Small cuts littered his arms, but otherwise, he looked as if he had just stepped out of the shower. Flame looked similarly, clothing singed but mostly intact. He had a few more dents and chinks missing in his armor, showing the signs of his fight.
Spoke was grinning from ear to ear, dirt, grime, and soot covering every inch of his body. Any cuts that he did have were more than likely packed with debris, TNT still held easily in his hands.
And Parrot. Parrot was talking to the others, conversing easily despite his worn appearance. He looked far better than Theo, but more beat up than the other three; wounds bled sluggishly down his skin, streaking through the dirt and grime layering his arms, hands, and wings. His helmet was lopsided and he was missing a boot, but otherwise, no major injuries were noticeable.
Flame noticed him first. The demon rose from his perch next to Wemmbu, stepping over bodies to approach the avian. Theo gave him a weak wave, wincing at the fresh wave of pain that lanced up his arm.
Wemmbu looked up, eyes narrowing as he studied Theo. Spoke paused mid rant, cut off as Parrot turned to look at his best friend.
“Theo!” Parrot exclaimed, dropping his sword and rushing to the avian’s side. “Dude, what happened!?” Concern fluttered off of him in waves, hands hovering near him, unsure of what to do.
Parrot was safe. All of them were. Theo’s knees gave up, collapsing down onto the bloodstained ground. Flame caught him before he hit the earth, grabbing the avian and gently lowering him to the floor. Parrot came crashing down next to him, face appearing in his spotty peripheral. Eyes wide and concerned stared up at his face, glancing to the cuts on his cheek before returning to look in his blurry vision.
“I may-” Theo coughed weakly, cracked lip spilling blood down his chin. “I may be sick.”
“No shit!” Parrot exclaimed, hands coming to wipe the blood off of his face. It probably just smeared it. “Dude, you’re burning up.”
“I know I’m hot.”
“Shut the fuck up.”
Flame was studying him with fierce intensity, arms shifting to support more of the avian’s weight. Theo gratefully used the demon as a crutch, leaning heavily against his side. Flame frowned at how warm the avian felt to the touch.
“We need to get you back to base. And to clean all. . . this.” Flame gestured to all of him. Parrot nodded in agreement, stiffening as Theo slumped forward.
It was really hard to stay awake. Actually, why was he awake? His friends were safe, and he was (probably) safe. His head throbbed, sunglasses long gone in the fight, causing the bright sun to blind him. The adrenaline was wearing off, causing his systems to crash after no need to continue fighting.
“Ah- ‘m prob’bly gonna pass out.” Theo slurred, opting to rest his head against Flame’s shoulder. The other quickly readjusted, avian practically laying in his arms.
“Don’t do that.” Parrot commanded, sounding far more worried than he was two minutes ago. Theo closed his eyes against the glare of being alive, grunting as Parrot made a concerned sound.
He bit his lip to keep from crying out when he was jostled, raised easily into someone’s arms. His wings dragged limply on the ground, dirt sticking to the already ruined feathers.
The next moments, whether it be hours, minutes, or days passed in a blur. Theo was carried into the castle and laid down with careful precision onto a table. He must have passed out some time after that, because Theo woke to the pleasant feeling of sickness.
His head throbbed, abrasions on his forehead covered by a securely wrapped bandage. His arms had been washed clean, blood, dirt, and grime no longer present along his form. His shoulder was hastily wrapped in a protective coating, keeping the joint from moving. Both of his wings hadn't been touched, drooped over the edges of the table.
He felt so hot and weak, yet shivering uncontrollably at the same time. His blood felt like it was boiling him alive, scalding his skin and leaving him in a sweaty mess. Theo's hair stuck uncomfortably to his forehead, countless wounds and scrapes demanding his attention. Metal splinters littered his arms, begging to be released from their fleshy prison. The faint breeze of cold wind burned against his singed skin, irritating the already red and inflamed burns.
Parrot was sitting cross-legged nearby, absentmindedly running a damp towel over the avian's head. He shifted when Theo let out a low groan, pain seizing his limbs and preventing him from moving.
“I know it hurts, dude. We gotta get you back to District 13 to actually be able to clean all of your wounds,” his best friend muttered softly, low enough not to grate on Theo's ears. Theo shifted weakly in response, cracking one eye open only to squeeze it harshly shut again.
Parrot readjusted the damp towel, running a gentle hand through his blood and sweat stained hair. “The others are finishing packing up and then we are getting out of here. Can you stay awake?”
Theo grunted again, voice betraying him with words. Parrot must have taken it for a yes, as the sounds of shuffling accompanied the gentle clinking of armor. “I'm going to go get them, and we are getting you to District 13.”
The quiet footsteps faded into background noise. Theo lay on an uncomfortable surface, wings stretched haphazardly behind him. He winced in pain as lightning shot through his veins, making the avian wish he was unconscious or asleep.
The footsteps returned, followed by two more pairs. Parrot crouched down next to his fallen friend, prying the towel off of his face.
“C'mon man,” he said softly, sliding a hand under his uninjured shoulder. “Time to get you home.”
Against his will, Theo fought his way into a sitting position, eyes still squeezed tightly shut. Another pair of hands caught him by the arm, helping the avian stand unsteadily. His wings trailed uselessly on the ground, feeling like lead weights upon his back. The armor he had been wearing had been shed, leaving him feeling remarkably small.
“Do your eyes hurt?” Flame asked, louder than Parrot. Theo flinched at the volume, sudden movement sending pain up his spine. Parrot caught him by the arm, steadying him.
“Bright.” Theo rasped, voice hoarse and barely above a whisper. He shuffled in the direction he was led, leaning heavily on someone's shoulder. “Lost- my sunglasses.” The words were slurred and slow, weighed down by the brain fog lingering in his head.
“Here.” Dark cloth wrapped around his eyes, gently tied behind his head. The darkness was a welcome interruption to the light filtering through his eyelids, instinctively relaxing into the cover of black.
Silence fell over the small group after that, slowly making progress to the top of the roof. Wemmbu was already perched on top of their ghast, keeping an eye out for unwanted persons. Spoke, uncharacteristically quiet, clambered up beside him, vibrating with unspoken words.
Flame and Parrot helped the injured avian lay on top of the flying creature, settled gently onto his back. Theo's head rested in his friend's lap, one hand carding through his messy locks. Parrot scratched rhythmically against his scalp, soothing the pained avian.
The trip back to District 13 was uneventful, with only the cooing of the ghast and the occasional word from their group breaking the silence. Theo lay in the middle, shifting uncomfortably on the flying creature. The wind whistled through the air, ruffling his hair and causing small tremors to run through his body. His arms stung, still waiting to be treated with the higher quality medical care at their home base. His shoulder throbbed, radiating pain across his chest. His wings felt disgusting, singed, dirty, and covered in debris. Not including his fever, stuffy head, and constant feeling like he was going to die, Theo had decided today had not been a good day.
—-
Parrot trailed anxiously behind Wemmbu, keeping a constant watch of his best friend laid across his back. Wemmbu walked with practiced ease, showing no signs of exertion in carrying the avian. Flame followed Parrot, cloudy eyes sightless and unseeing. He had tied his blindfold around Theo’s head, giving some relief to the poor guy. Parrot thought it was slightly eerie to see Flame without his blindfold on, eyes unfocused and dull, unlike his sharp demeanor.
Spoke bounced along with the squad, immediately peeling off to go find Mapicc in the vast space of District 13. Wemmbu carried Theo, along with Flame and Parrot tagging along, towards their medbay.
Egg and Horace were waiting near the entrance for them, calling out greetings and voicing their concerns towards the unconscious avian draped like a ragdoll over Wemmbu’s back. Parrot shuffled from foot to foot, anxious. Logically, he knew his friend’s wounds were not serious by any means, but his fever, along with all the burns along his arms, was bound to mess with him when he woke up. Parrot felt horribly guilty that he hadn’t noticed how poor Theo was feeling earlier.
Wemmbu gingerly set him down, Theo’s limp wings brushing against the walls as the avian’s face screwed up in pain. Egg crouched down next to him, immediately getting to work with the calmness of someone who had done this a million times before. He probably had, considering Wemmbu. Horace disappeared around a corner, off to fetch clean clothes. Wemmbu trailed after him, probably to bother Spoke.
Flame was uncharacteristically quiet, standing against the doorframe with his arms crossed. His sightless eyes bored into the back wall, contemplating. Parrot had expected to scamper off a while ago.
“Flame?” Parrot asked quietly, gently unwrapping his makeshift bandage around Theo’s shoulder. The avian shifted unconsciously, mumbling something incoherent.
Flame turned to look near Parrot, seemingly breaking out of his trance. “Yeah bro?”’
“I’m just surprised that you’re still here.”
Flame was quiet for a moment before responding. “He’s a good guy. I learned a lot from him when we trained together.”
Parrot nodded, cleaning the small cuts crisscrossing Theo’s face, muttering apologies as the avian grimaced. “He really is a good guy.” He smiled fondly down at the bird. Even though he was reckless, and often really stupid, Parrot appreciated everything the guy had done for him. Track down buried treasures. Put up with Parrot’s antics. Fight off countless enemies. Campaign for Parrot’s candidacy. Cover his back when he needed it. Be his best friend.
Parrot untied the blindfold, laying it on the bedside table. He then got to work cleaning the small cuts around Theo’s eyes, no doubt from shards from his sunglasses.
“Thank you for giving him your blindfold.” Parrot said softly, watching as Flame walked over to retrieve it. Flame shrugged.
“Would do the same for any of you.”
Parrot snorted. “For Wemmbu?”
“I’d dip it in vinegar before I give it to him.”
—--
Theo watched in horror as Parrot pushed him roughly away, the sword strike intending to kill him landing upon his friend. He smiled as he went down, bright red blood pulsing out of the gaping would across his back, staining Theo’s hands with marks that he would never scrub out-
Theo woke with a start, sweat soaking his shaking frame as the darkened room came into focus. He was lying on his back, tucked up against an array of blankets and pillows. His arms and head were cleanly bandaged, hair braided to stay out of his face. Theo coughed, pain shooting through his shoulder and chest. What the fuck. . . ?
The world was dizzy. Or maybe it was him. It was hard to tell. He was so incredibly cold, even after being curled up under a million blankets. His head throbbed, sending pulsing pain behind his sensitive eyes. The various wounds that adorned his body stung, making their wonderful presence known.
But his wings. His beautiful wings, usually shining with care, were now matted and disgusting. Broken feathers were more common than unbroken, covered in blood, dirt, and grime. It hurt to attempt to move them, the uncomfortable stickiness of gunk clogging up his wings persisted to stay with him until he was healed enough to move.
Parrot came into view. He looked down upon Theo, realizing he was awake before disappearing again. It was hard to see his expression, considering how the room was bathed in darkness. Parrot reappeared, holding a cup of water in his hands. He helped the injured avian sit up, Theo shakily taking the cup and taking a few sips. The cold water felt like heaven against his parched throat, soothing the coughs that had just wracked his body.
“You okay?” Parrot asked quietly, considerate of his sensitive ears. Theo had long ago ruined his hearing, constant explosions from his carts blowing out his eardrums. Parrot had gotten him specialized hearing aids not long after they met, specifically made to block out loud noises. The devices were sitting upon the bedside table, plugged in and charging.
“Fine.” Theo responded, voice raspy from underuse. “What- what time is it?”
Parrot took the cup from him, setting it on the table. “Three AM. You were out for fourteen hours.”
Theo blinked in surprise. The rational part of his brain told him that was probably normal, but he was too chilled by fever to care. “Dude, why are you awake? Go back to bed.”
Parrot laughed quietly, as if Theo had just told him that pigs fly. He then sombered up, clambering over his chair to sit on the edge of the bed. “You just woke up from a nightmare. I’ll be damned if I’m asleep when that happens.”
Theo grunted. He was about to snap a rebuttal when Parrot threaded a hand through his feathers, eliciting a startled flinch from the avian. “Sorry,” he muttered quietly, straightening the singed feathers. Theo stayed silent as Parrot worked, watching as the perfectionist side of Parrot’s brain worked to fix the issue as fast as possible.
Parrot continued to preen his wings, straightening feathers and removing broken ones. The gentle, repetitive movement soothed Theo into a mindless rest, contentedly resting his head against the bedframe as Parrot worked.
Theo cracked an eye open when Parrot nudged his arm, signaling to the avian to scoot over. Theo wordlessly obliged, wincing as he shifted his sore and aching body over. Parrot climbed into the bed next to him, positioning the sleepy avian in his lap for better purchase over his wings. Theo lay in his best friend's lap, lulled into peaceful rest as Parrot fixed the messy appendages.
That is where the others found them in the morning, curled peacefully against each other. One, covered in bruises, cuts, and bandages, and the other with unmarred skin and a shiny wing wrapped protectively around them.
Wemmbu took a few screenshots for blackmail. Flame prevented Spoke from drawing with markers on their faces.
Horace forced everyone to leave and let the tired duo get their beauty rest. So, the friends spent the rest of the day sleeping peacefully, fever lessening and conditions improving.
Correction– best friends.