Chapter Text
I hate this, I can't do this.
Wifies, please help me.
Before, Parrot could do things on his own without help.
He could run, fly, fight, cook, make decisions, without any help.
He could take risks, protect others, get injured and clean it up.
He could run.
Run without any worry, run freely and safely.
He ran around the grassy fields, smiling wildly.
“Wifies, come. It's pretty cool running around,” he urged his friend.
Wifies let out a soft chuckle before joining him in on the fun. “Okay, if you say so."
Parrot grabbed Wifies’ wrist and practically dragged him around the grassy fields.
"Look, bro, it's so pretty out here. But the air is freezing me,” he admitted. "but I love it. It hits my face beautifully; like having ice cream on a hot sunny day,” Parrot rambled, grinning ear to ear.
Wifies nodded and admired the grassy plains around them. "I admit, it's pretty interesting I must say.”
The grass tickled the avian’s legs. "Yeah, see? The downside is the ants. I swear, bro, there's ants everywhere," Parrot huffed, slapping an ant that was on his arm.
“Yeah, annoying.”
"Dude, do you just agree with me on everything or what?” Parrot joked, laughing lightly.
"Let's just go, Parrot.”
"Whatever, bro.”
Parrot brushed it off as Wifies being Wifies.
He was always like this.
Mysterious and cryptic like that.
"Oh, Wifies!” Parrot beamed, pointing at a structure. "That looks neat, let's visit it, shall we?”
"Sure, bro whatever, just don't get hurt."
Parrot laughed, “Yeah, dude, whatever. I won't get hurt, I'm the biggest bird, you know?"
This was getting tiring for Parrot.
"Ugh, my legs, bro,” Parrot whined.
His wings behind him shuffled. “Oh,” he muttered.
Parrot stretched out his wings which made Wifies look up.
"Parrot?”
"I’m going to use my wings, this walking is tiring me.”
Wifies nodded. “Alright.”
Parrot stretched out his wings fully and flew.
He flew up.
Up in the skies.
Up in the clouds.
Up where he feels home.
Parrot could fly.
He could fly whenever he wanted to.
Anytime of the day, he could stretch out his wings and fly.
Fly into the clouds.
Touch the sky.
Breathe in that beautiful air.
Fly with the birds with him.
He once remembered him and Theo flying together.
Him and his cousin, flying together into the clouds.
That same adrenaline had pumped through his body, his veins, he loved it.
He loved the adrenaline, it never got old.
That beautiful freedom.
Oh, how Parrot loved being free.
He loved being a bird.
Every time he flew, he forgot his problems.
He forgot all his worries.
All he could think of was: free bird.
Parrot was a free bird.
He loved being a free bird.
Parrot could fight.
He could swing, parry, clash, defend.
He fought alongside his friends during the Mafia time.
His armour broke, resources drained, energy gone. But nonetheless he loved saving the world.
He didn't love fighting, but he loved the times where his siblings — FlameFrags, Wemmbu and Spoke — would fight each other playfully; it was their way of bonding.
They taught Parrot how to fight.
And he loved it, he loved being strong enough; so he could protect others, save others, help others.
He didn't fight for pleasure, he fought because their safety mattered.
He could cook, Parrot could cook.
He cooked for his family and friends.
He fed them.
Oh, the times where there was no war. It was just him and his brothers.
“Parrot," Spoke whined. “I'm hungry!"
Parrot sighed, “Just wait a minute." He turned on the stove and grabbed a pan.
“Ta-da," Parrot said, beaming with pride as he placed the plates on the table.
Spoke tried to say something, but it came out muffled since food was stuffed in his mouth. “This ‘s so delicious…”
Wemmbu nodded. “Yeah, it's actually delicious," he had paused. “Honestly, I thought this would end up burnt or whatever."
“Hey—"
"Bro, don't listen to him, this is actually—” Flame struggled to find the words. "Yummy…?"
Parrot laughed, “Glad you guys liked it."
"Like? We love this,” Spoke said, stuffing more food into his mouth.
It was just them, laughing and talking. They were happy.
Parrot could make decisions.
He could do it with no one stopping him.
He was free.
He could do what he wanted without anyone telling him not to.
He could do it without anyone screaming at him to stop.
He could do what he wanted.
He did what he wanted, even if it injured him.
Sometimes Wifies would tell him to stop, but Parrot would ignore the other and kept going.
It was weird; Wifies would try and stop him from doing things he loved.
Parrot could take risks.
He ran headfirst into dangers without thinking twice.
He never thought twice, he did what he wanted to do even if it was dangerous, even if it cost him his life.
He would jump headfirst into fights without a second thought, trusting his ‘bird instincts.’
Every risk he took made his heart pound, made him alive, made him free.
Sometimes he would get hurt; it made Wifies terrified.
“Parrot, you gotta stop jumping into fights, you might die one day,” Wifies warned him.
But Parrot didn't listen to any warnings.
Not even when he almost died.
“Parrot, please," Wifies pleaded.
Parrot could protect others.
Parrot loved protecting others, even if the cost was his own life, even if he was about to die.
He would rather die saving others, than die never save others in his life.
Protecting others was always his priority, even if he got injured whatsoever.
"Parrot, I'm scared,” Spoke whispered to him.
“It's okay, close your eyes," Parrot reassured Spoke.
Wemmbu and Flame were arguing downstairs. Their voices got louder and louder as they argued.
"Stay here, okay?” Parrot slowly left Spoke’s side.
“No… don't leave, I'm scared of the yelling,” Spoke sobbed. Parrot felt his heart breaking into a million pieces.
"I'll make the yelling stop, I promise.”
"Don't break the promise, please?” Spoke begged.
"I never break promises, Spoke.”
Parrot could get injured and still clean it up.
Everytime he fell, he cleaned himself and got back up.
Every scratch, bruise, cut he got, it didn't matter. He would pause for a while and clean it up then get back to whatever he was doing.
His wings would ache, it would bleed and dirt would get stick onto it, but he moved with that practiced precision, slowly tugging each feather, caressing it with a gentleness he never showed anyone. He didn't need help, never needed it.
He was strong.
Brave.
A warrior.
He was ParrotX2.
For him, pain was temporary, he never cared about himself. He had other important things to take care of, people to protect, a family to feed.
And that was ParrotX2, a warrior, a protector, a guardian, a friend. He would ditch everything to help you.
Parrot loved those times. Now he couldn't do it. He couldn't and it pained him.
“Wifies, get out, get out,” Parrot warned. The invisible Mafia were attacking him left and right, and he might die.
He might die.
Wifies whispers to you: WERE IN
Parrot let out a sigh of relief. He flew far away, far from the civilization, serving as a distraction for them.
Good, they're safe.
Wifies whispers to you: where are you so i can come for yhou
He threw his pearl in multiple directions in hopes of losing them.
Parrot sent Wifies his coordinates, his hands shaking while he sent it.
The adrenaline pumped through him once again, his heart kept pounding; slamming against his ribs, it wouldn't stop.
His breathing became quick. Breathe in, out, in, out, in, out.
He could hear everything, hear the hum of the void, the footsteps of the invisible mafia walking around.
Please don't find me, please.
Wifies finally arrived at the location, dropping him rockets and invis. He acted strange though, more protective, even.
Parrot didn't care, and he rambled to Wifies on how the invisible people chased him whatsoever.
“You didn't message for like, eight minutes, dude my heart stopped,” Wifies admitted, laughing slightly.
“Yeah, bro, I was cooked."
.
.
.
.
"Wifies…” Parrot cried out. "You faked your death."
..
..
..
..
..
Ever since Paragon, Parrot changed.
Or did he change when Wifies ‘died.’
He didn't know it anymore, everything was a mix of blur of screams and deaths.
He could run, fly, fight, cook, make decisions, without any help.
He could take risks, protect others, get injured and clean it up.
Now why couldn't he do it?
Parrot couldn't run.
Well he could, just fine, but not without Wifies or the guards trailing behind him like some bodyguard.
He could run, but Wifies is always behind him. Watching like a creep.
He could run, right? But the feeling wasn't the same.
The feeling of wind hitting his face, it wasn't the same anymore. Everything felt dull and empty.
When he ran: instead of feeling carefree and happy, he felt broken and watched. He felt the eyes of the guards watching his every move.
He could run, yes, but he was scared of falling and giving himself an injury to deal with.
Parrot lost the thrill, he lost the thrill during Paragon.
Parrot couldn't fly.
Not because his wings were clipped, he wouldn't let anyone touch his wings.
He could fly, touch the skies, touch the clouds. He could feel the breeze washing through him. He could remember the thrill of flying, the freedom he felt.
He couldn't because there was always someone behind him, someone worrying, someone preventing him from flying.
Because Wifies never let him fly too high.
But Parrot wanted to fly too high, he wanted to soar through the skies and the clouds; Wifies prevented him on doing so.
So he's trapped.
Down here.
Trapped.
Couldn't fly 'too high.'
He wanted to fly 'too high.'
Let him fly.
Let him be free.
“Parrot, don't,” Wifies said when Parrot stretched his wings.
"Why not?” Parrot asked.
"You'd escape,” he muttered. "You'd fall and get hurt," he quickly added.
“But I won't, I never fell when I flew."
“Still, Parrot, just don't," Wifies said in a stern voice.
Parrot huffed and crossed his arms.
“I won't be far," Parrot argued. “Just let me fly, please."
“Fine."
Parrot stretched out his wings and flew. He tried to reach the clouds, the sky, but Wifies shot him a look that said Parrot, don't.
So Parrot didn't. He didn't get the freedom he yearned for.
Flying for Parrot was therapy; a way of relieving his stress.
But Wifies denied his only way to relieve stress. Why?
Sometimes — when Parrot thought Wifies and the guards weren't looking — he would spread out his wings and fly for a while; he would have a craving to fly up to the clouds or fly away from the ‘world’ Wifies made, but he would hear Wifies' voice echoing in his head.
It was like as if Parrot was trapped in his mind, it was like his mind wasn't his anymore.
He could fly, but he wasn't allowed to be the free bird he once was.
Parrot couldn't cook.
Not because he had forgotten, he had done it a thousand times — he had fed his siblings, friends, family a thousand times.
Everytime he would cook, it brought him joy and peace.
Now?
Now, though.
It wasn't the same.
Wifies would hover beside him, telling him to be careful on the knife. "Careful," Wifies would say.
It was annoying, exhausting even. He couldn't cook peacefully. Couldn't feel safe while cooking since someone decided to be in his way.
He would pause, hesitate, second-guess. He didn't feel like himself anymore.
Why?
For Parrot, cooking was loud, messy, love and warm; and that what makes a beautiful dish.
A beautiful dish consists of love and warmth.
He could still cook, yes.
But it didn't feel warm.
Didn't feel loud.
Didn't feel like Parrot.
The warmth was gone, the laughter was gone, the love was gone.
It was gone.
Parrot accidentally sliced his finger and blood started to drip.
"Parrot!” Wifies yelled.
This was so exhausting, Wifies was acting like an overprotective mother. Holy.
"Can't you just leave me alone? I can do this perfectly fine!” Parrot exploded, this was the last straw. Why was Wifies acting like this?
Why?
Please, just leave me be.
“I—"
Parrot groaned, slamming the knife back down and stormed away.
I can't even cook!
Wifies is always there, hovering by.
So annoying.
Parrot couldn't make decisions.
He could do it, yes. He knew what he wanted to do. What he wanted to speak, to say.
But it didn't matter, did it?
Because Wifies would always say, "Don't do that."
Why?
Everytime Parrot wanted to do something that wasn't in Wifies’ script, Wifies would deny, shut it down and leave.
The first time Wifies did that, Parrot argued, debated, insisted, explained why he could do it on his own, why he could handle it.
But Wifies never budged. He never did.
“Stay here, Parrot. It's safer," Wifies said, not even looking at him.
"Why?” Parrot asked, shuffling away from Wifies.
"I told you, it's safe.”
"...”
Time after time, he stopped trying. He stopped arguing since it was pointless. He gave up.
What's the point, anyway?
Parrot couldn't take risks.
He could, but what was the point when someone always tries to stop you?
He used to jump headfirst into bad situations, into fights.
He always ran headfirst into danger without thinking twice.
He never thought twice.
He did what he wanted to do even if it was dangerous, even if it cost him his life.
Every risk he took made his heart pound, made him alive, made him free.
He loved those moments.
Loved the times where he could be strong, where he could take risks to protect others.
Now he's here, useless.
He couldn't protect anyone in this stupid world.
There was literally no one.
Parrot couldn't do the things he was good at.
He couldn't run anymore without anyone watching him.
He couldn't fly and touch the clouds. His happiness was stripped away from him by his own best friend. Cruel, right?
He couldn't cook anymore; couldn't feel the warmth and love for cooking.
He couldn't make his own decisions without someone stepping in and controlling him, controlling his choices, his words.
Day by day, he forgot how to cook, make decisions, fly and run.
He forgot how to cook.
He forgot the feeling of being messy while cooking, making mistakes while cooking, burning himself while cooking.
He forgot how to cook.
Wifies usually cooked for him and that's what kept him alive.
It's okay, right?
I have Wifies and that's okay.
He can do this stuff for me and that's okay, it'll keep me alive.
Cooking is also dangerous, right? Wifies said it himself, so I have to trust him.
He's the one keeping me alive.
He forgot how to make his own decisions.
He forgot how to make his own decisions since Wifies usually told him what to do.
He let Wifies make his decisions since all his decisions before caused him to get injured, right?
Parrot was the reason that he was in Paragon, without the pesky decisions he made; he wouldn't have been here.
Parrot could've been soaring through the clouds, making friends, having fun, but he couldn't since he's trapped in Paragon due to his decisions.
He forgot how to fly.
He forgot the feeling of adrenaline every time he soared through the sky.
He couldn't fly, because he forgot how to fly.
After a long time of not flying really does things to his brain.
He tried to jump — not in a high place, there was water below him so he wouldn't get hurt and make his best friend angry — and he couldn't fly when he tried.
It's okay, I don't need to fly. I'm safe here and that's alright for me.
It's okay.
It's okay.
It's okay.
It's okay.
It's not okay.
A bird needs to fly; without its wings they'll be depressed, becoming jumpy, they'll lose their confidence in exploring.
They'll become depressed; pluck their feathers, lose interest in their favorite foods.
And Parrot didn't wanna be like that.
He didn't wanna become jumpy, depressed, lose confidence in exploring — that was his most favorite thing to do — pluck his feathers and lose interest in his favourite food.
He didn't wanna be that.
He tried to jump again, but his wings flapped behind him uselessly.
Useless.
Useless.
Useless.
Parrot gave up and sat down somewhere, burying his face with his palms and muffled a sob.
He didn't wanna stop exploring.
He didn't wanna pluck his feathers.
He didn't wanna.
Parrot forgot how to run.
He could, but he forgot the happiness of running, he forgot the adrenaline.
Oh the adrenaline.
Oh the adrenaline when he was getting chased by Clown.
He forgot how it felt.
The grass tickled his legs, ants crawled up his body, and yet he still felt empty. He missed the times where he could run freely without any worries.
He missed the times where he could be… ParrotX2.
He missed running like a kid.
Parrot couldn't be a free bird.
He stopped being a free bird the day Wifies trapped him in Paragon.
He could take risks, protect others, get injured and clean it up.
And that was ParrotX2, not a warrior, not a protector, not a guardian, a friend...
Before, he could run, fly, fight, cook, make decisions, without any help.
Before, he could take risks, protect others, get injured and clean it up.
Now, he couldn't.