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“C’monnn! Smile, Parrot!”
That’s the last thing Parrot heard before all noise drowned out and his mind went static. But it raced, all at the same time. Everything became louder, overwhelming, his eyes widening as the panic had settled in almost immediately. Those words. Theo’s chirps and laughter drowning into the background as his breathing became erratic, his breath shortening, and he suddenly felt the need to puke all over the floor. Those words. The place they were at, just a random restaurant with Theo and some other friends, now suddenly felt so crowded. Smile. Smile.
And as he felt like he was going to pass out from his internal panic attack, Theo gives him a harsh slap on the back, “Heyyy! Parrot, bro, did you hear what that chungie just said?”
“Dude! What- What the hell was that for?” He pushed at Theo hard, knocking Theo back against the booth chairs a bit and taking him by surprise.
“Woah, are you good? Didn’t mean to- like- piss you off…”
Parrot’s eyebrows furrowed at Theo, although it wasn’t visible really behind his avian mask. A bead of sweat forming on his forehead as he gulped. “Uh, y- yeah. Just, um, it’s getting a bit loud, I’m going to- um, go to the bathroom for a bit. I think.” His voice cracked on his last words, making him cringe and he immediately got up, pacing quickly towards the bathroom before Theo could get even a single word out to him.
Fymada and Horace, who witnessed the scene unfold at the table, glanced at each other and back at Theo, who was just as confused. “Did I, like, say something wrong?” He asked, to which they shrugged. “I don’t know, but honestly I think you should go check on him.”
Theo gulped, combing the feathers on his head back as he mentally prepared to check on Parrot. He obviously could tell something was up, he wasn’t acting up that way before, and Theo knew it may have had been something he said. He just wasn’t sure what…
Theo got up, now heading towards the men’s restroom as well. As he stepped down the hallway and in front of the door, he sighed to himself, nervous a bit, now pushing the entrance open to a sight bluish-green feathers trailing on the tiles and into a stall.
As he carefully and quietly stepped in, he could hear frantic breathing and timely hurling. Theo winced at the sounds but cleared his throat nonetheless, “Um, Parrot? Are you doing alright?”
Parrot choked on his spit, “Hn- Ugh. Um, y- yes- I’m-“ Parrot gagged on his words, unable to keep the bile down for long. Theo gritted his teeth, “We’re going home, dude. C’mon. You need to rest.” Theo paused for a moment, “We- we can ditch Fymada and Horace, we can just go out the back doors without them seeing us. They’ll understand.”
Parrot hurled again, “Fuck- Hmg- No… We can’t just- leave them waiting.” He exhaled the words out, his breathlessness sickeningly worried Theo more, the cockatiel now inching towards the stall Parrot was hunched over in.
Theo knocked, “Please, Parrot. You’re clearly not doing well, you’re sick or- or something. Just- talk to me, bro.” Parrot coughed from the other side of the door, huffing. “Sorry- fuck- I’m sorry, Theo.” A dry heave left the harpy’s throat, as Theo kept tapping on the door.
“Don’t- dude, it’s- it’s fine. Please, just open the door. I’ll take you home.”
And before Theo knew it, the stall door unlocked and the sight of a disheveled Parrot could be seen now. Parrot wiped his mouth dry and heaved once again, covering his mouth. Theo backed up a bit, but came back closer when Parrot settled down and whimpered, his knees wobbling.
“Can I, um?” Theo gestured an offer of his arm, guiding Parrot to stabilize himself on the cockatiel, to which Parrot followed, with Theo now hooking his arm under Parrot’s pits to hold him upwards.
Theo carried Parrot out of the restroom and down the hall, and tried his best to escort Parrot sneakily, but alas Fymada and Horace had noticed the brightly colored birds and rushed on over out of their chairs.
“Is he okay? What happened, Theo?” Fymada questioned, her eyebrows furrowed in worry. Theo sweated, “I, uh, don’t know. I’m… Just gonna take him home, I think he’s just sick.” Theo swallowed, he knew for sure it wasn’t just Parrot being sick, but he would save that for just him and Parrot to talk about when they were somewhere private.
“Good idea. Parrot, go home and rest well… and you two need to stay safe.” Horace advised, especially with the well-populated area they were hanging amongst, Theo took his advisory seriously. It had become more dangerous on Unstable lately.
Parrot groaned around Theo’s arm, his legs threatening to buckle despite him being held up by the underside of his wings, to which all three exchanged each other worried looks. “Yeah- um, we’ll get going now. Sorry for ending our hangout early.” Theo mumbled, walking past Fymada and Horace, now escorting Parrot out of the restaurant. Their base wasn’t too far from the restaurant, Theo just hoped Parrot could hold out for a little longer.
But the noise just got louder to Parrot, his senses already heightened and despite the feathery sensation of Theo’s arm, it still wasn’t enough to ground him mentally. He felt nauseous, terribly lightheaded from his shortened breath, and in turn his arm went limp against Theo and he almost fell to the ground, if it weren’t for the cockatiel having an iron grip on the other. Parrot passed out. Just Theo’s luck, and the harpy just wouldn’t stop leave a trail of feathers behind himself.
Theo cursed under his breath as the weight of Parrot sinking out of his grip, the unconscious harpy limp in his arm. He decided to scoop Parrot up and onto his back, locking his arms around the underside of the harpy’s legs, as he rushed on back to their base.
As Theo had finally hurried back, their temporary treehouse base still in tact, which Theo sighed in relief and thanked whatever god was out there, Parrot would be able to rest comfortably in the nest he built within. Theo pushed the door open firmly with his boot, his arms hooked around Parrot’s legs still like a vice, and hasted up the stairs to Parrot’s room, where there was a nest already awaiting in his room. Theo had then laid the unconscious parrot harpy down gently in the perch, and began to gather some more sticks and mud to tidy the nest up a bit, as it had been falling apart. He just wanted his best friend to be comfortable, after whatever had just happened.
It felt like his own feathers were falling out of his head at this point, his mind racing to how this all could’ve possibly happened. It was all so sudden. One minute him and Parrot were just joking around, the next was Parrot hyperventilating and passing out. It all didn’t make sense, it had to mean he did something, but what? Theo plucked a feather out of his own arm with his beak out of anxiousness, pacing around Parrot’s room, until he looked back down at his best friend, who was still passed out in the nest. He had to calm down, he could just ask Parrot when he was conscious and in a better headspace. Right? Theo let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, now exiting Parrot’s room to allow him to rest for however long. He’ll come back to check up on the harpy later, he planned to himself.
—
As Parrot gasped awake an hour or so later, his vision came back to and he felt like he was just drenched in water. He felt sweaty. His breathing was still heavy and his heartbeat rapid, he remembers what happened but vaguely. But now he was back in his nest? As he scrambled in the perch of stick and mud, he heard footsteps against planks and his body tensed… Before a certain cockatiel came into view at his door and he only settled down a bit. Although, he didn’t forget—
“Parrot? You’re awake, oh, thank god.” Theo sighed in relief, “Um, can I come in?”
Parrot darted his eyes away from Theo and to his wings fiddling with the sticks in his nest, “Um, y- yeah, sure.” Theo made his way towards the nest, sitting down beside it with his knees to the floor and his arms perched on the nest walls.
“Dude, I, um…” Theo started, “Are you good? Genuinely, this time.
I… I’m worried about you, man. Did I do something wrong?” Parrot only shuddered out a breath in response, his wing wiping a bead of sweat off his forehead, and back to fiddling with his nest.
“Please, please Parrot, dude. Talk to me. I’m not gonna get mad, I just- I’m sorry, for whatever I said.”
“Look, it’s okay- I, um, it’s not your fault. I just, got really overwhelmed is all.” Parrot mumbled to the other.
Theo’s eyebrows furrowed, this liar… “Bro, I know you’re lying. Why won’t you talk to me?” Theo then shifted his position, his back turned and now leaning against the nest. “I just, don’t like, believe that’s the reason.”
Parrot exhaled shakily, shaking his head and snapping at Theo, “Look, bro! That- I- I just don’t want to talk about it right now, okay? Please. I just-“ Tears welled and he choked out a sob, to which Theo turned around and a look of worry flashed in his expression. Theo cautiously reached his hand out, resting it firmly on Parrot, making the other’s muscles tense.
“Parrot!” Theo exclaimed, “Parrot. I’m- I’m sorry, okay? I don’t want to stress you out any more than right now, I’m sorry.” He spoke gently, a contrast to the firm grasp he had on Parrot’s shoulder. The gentle tone and the grounding of Theo’s wing brought Parrot down a notch, his breathing still slightly out of control but the choked noises lessened and he finally looked back at Theo.
“You’re okay, I’m sorry. If I said- anything, bad, to you. I’m sorry for freaking you out. I’m- I’m here for you, dude. You know that, right?”
Parrot lowly nodded, now fiddling with the feathers of his own wings. His breathing was heavy, exhaling harshly as he tried to regulate himself once again. “Yeah. I, I know. Sorry.”
Theo’s other wing had raised and reached out now, signaling to Parrot now. He leaned into the nest now, wrapping his wings behind Parrot’s neck into a hug. To which surprised the harpy, letting out an “Oomph!” noise.
“Looked like, um, you needed it. I think.” Theo chuckled breathily against Parrot’s shoulder, which a weak giggle from Parrot himself exited his throat. “You’re so corny, bro.” And Parrot returned the hug, wrapping his wings around Theo’s back. They sat like that for what seemed like hours, Parrot’s muscle now completely loosened and he felt lighter now as the hug he was put into grounded him safely.
Parrot was the first to pull away, Theo’s arms loosening and letting go as they looked at each other and snickered. “I’ll, um, tell you another time. About, whatever that was. I just… Don’t wanna talk about it right now.”
“Take as much time as you need, Parrot. I’m here.” Theo softly spoken, a faint smile plastered on his face.
And for once, it didn’t feel like he was so caged. Parrot smiled back.