Work Text:
A log thrown into the fire crackled. Wifies was humming under his breath as he cooked, and the sound of it almost lulled Parrot to sleep. Their little adventure at finding the secret was going… actually, it wasn’t important, how well it was going—they didn’t lose any clues and were making some progress, and Parrot called it a day.
It was a little worrying how just traveling with someone had become more exciting than the idea of uncovering the Big Secret, some sort of truth about this world, but Parrot didn’t dwell on it too much. He was having fun, so it was a win-win situation.
“Are you hungry?” Wifies asked, and Parrot didn't immediately processed his voice.
“Nah. Leave some for me, though. I eat it in the morning.”
“No, you don’t,” Wifies answered, somewhat softly. “Get your ass and eat, I'm not starting a fire again.”
Parrot chuckled, “So it wasn’t a question.”
“No.”
The food Wifies cooked was more than decent. Not like Parrot doubted it—Wifies apparently was talented in a lot of stuff—it’s just they were flying from spot to spot with almost no luggage, and it seemed impossible unless Wifies’ entire inventory was packed with ingredients. Or maybe it was.
They doused the fire as soon as they finished. Monsters wouldn’t disturb them with how high they were; other players, however, were a real threat. The campfire was making it too easy to track them at night, which was a shame—Parrot missed some coziness in his life.
“Are we taking shifts?”
“Nah, bro, let's just sleep,” Parrot's words came out as a mumble.
Wifies hesitated before unzipping his sleeping bag, “I think I’ll stay up for a couple of hours.”
“Mhm.”
Parrot resisted closing his eyes for a bit. Wifies studied him for a long second.
“You don’t take off your glasses before bed?”
“Well, you don’t take off your headband either.”
“It’s clearly different.”
Parrot wanted to ask how so, but only managed to adjust the position and made himself more comfortable. Sleep was catching up on him quickly. Glasses weren’t that much of a deal anyways. Sometimes they stayed up all night, and sometimes he found them on a floor, conveniently right next to his head.
***
Little did Parrot know back then this journey led them into a trap.
Parrot now had a lot of time to reflect on it. Not only were they destined to learn nothing, but affection led them straight to disaster. Wifies was willing to sacrifice himself in Spoke’s stupid game, and Parrot himself didn’t realize what hole they was going down when he decided to break Wifies from the prison. Perhaps Parrot should’ve stopped there and thought for a moment. Perhaps he shouldn’t let Wifies get so close in the first place—but it was too late for that. Parrot actually liked him. A lot.
And it was a mistake he was now willing to fix. He just needed… some time to accommodate being alone. Survival didn't require pleasant things at all—but it did require what was necessary.
He built a cabin in the jungle. It was nice here when it wasn’t raining heavily. Birds were colorful and cool, and Parrot observed them through a spyglass in his spare time. He fished a lot. And, frankly, he was terrible at cooking fish—he missed Wifies’ food.
Days were blending in, but he began to adjust. He started the farm on his roof—according to his plan, it was supposed to work as camouflage from high altitude. Over the next few days, he tried to attract blue parrot's attention. He genuinely thought it would be fun to tame it. And also it would be nice to have someone to talk to.
The only thing he hated here was going to sleep – thoughts caught him off guard. Some dreams were pleasant, about the past. He missed their adventures and how well they worked together, like a puzzle that had just come together. Some dreams were straight up terrifying. They were about the future where Clown continued his search, bringing even more pain and misery. He dreamed about the entire forest being burned to the ground.
Parrot should have kept track of the time. Sometimes he considered going back – just to gather information on the situation, but he brushed off this thought, deciding it was his weakness speaking.
Clown said the two of them were familiar. This thought repeated itself like a broken record, but also cemented his determination to stay away from his friends.
***
Days were blending in a mess, barely bringing something new besides creative nightmares. So a knock on the door came up as a sudden thing. At first, upon hearing it he fought he lost his mind – but then the knock came again.
“Who is this?”
“Who do you think this is?” a familiar voice asked back.
“Wifies.” Parrot hesitated for a moment, yet let a momentary weakness win. The next moment he was looking at Wifiies, only the doorstep separated them. “How did you find me?”
“You said it yourself. That It would be nice to live in a jungle. ”
It was actually good to see him. It was so good it hurt a bit. Some leaves were stuck in his hair, and there was a small scratch on his cheek—apparently, the landing included trees with some sharp branches in its path. Parrot still was blocking an entrance for him, though. Wifies’ gaze studied him back.
“I'm glad I found you. This place is actually huge. It took some time.”
“You can't stay. Please leave.”
That hurt Wifies as well—it was clear in his expression. He tried to soften his face to hide it.
“Can we just talk? This is solving none of your problems.”
Oh, it solved a lot of them if Wifies was safe.
“No.”
Parrot tried to close the door, but Wifies blocked it with the foot. Taken by surprise, Parrot lost control just enough for Wifies to open the door wider.
“Okay, this is just stupid-”
“Bro, do you actually understand nothing? Get out.”
“No!”
“Okay, well-”
Parrot missed with his first blow. Wiffles stepped aside, as if expecting it, and managed to sneak by, stepping even deeper in the house.
With his next blow Parrot was a bit more reckless, like he actually was trying to hurt him.
That did something, making Wifies step back – only for clenching into Parrot’s jacket a moment later in some weak attempt to stop this fight.
Parrot punched him, and Wiffles grabbed Parrot's arm. Leaning forward and pushing would have been foolish, but Parrot did it anyway, and the action effectively made them lose the footing.
The next minute both of them were on the floor, Wifies pinning him down with his weight—while also trying to pin Parrot's hands.
It was a pathetic piece of a fight.
“Did you…” Wifies made an exhale, “ever, like, stopped and thought what you are trying to accomplish by this?”
“Yeah! I just don't want you dead!” Parrot let his head rest on the floor fully. “I’ll be fine, but this is the only way to keep you out of this.”
Wifies chuckled, and Parrot felt the air on his face.
"So… funny thing. I don't care what happens to me. I've already been through worse," Wifies leaned closer. "So if you think you're protecting me by pushing me away, you're not. You're just making both of us miserable."
Parrot averted his gaze. It sounded... like he really understood him well. Parrot would feel the same thing if they switched places.
“This is… okay, it’ll pass. Just go back to your normal life.”
“I don't want a life without you in it.”
“Bro. This makes you sound a bit crazy.”
“I know. And I don't care, frankly.”
This admission weighed heavily on him. Parrott closed his eyes, but the words wouldn't even come to mind—he silently listened to his heart pounding against his ribcage, barely aware of the adrenaline draining from his body.
This whole thing with Withies sitting on him became weird.
“Okay, let me get up, bro. I won't fight.”
The path he'd chosen was the most peaceful option—but with two of them, their chances of success were significantly lower. Parrot needed to be light-packed, ready to flee.
“I- I will become stronger,” said Wifies after a long pause. “If you are worried about me being a burden.”
Parrot didn’t say anything back. It was a nice goal to have, he couldn’t lie. But in reality they both needed to become stronger.
He couldn't afford Wifies by his side by being this weak.
There was another way to resolve this whole situation other than hiding here forever, but from what he could tell, the peace would have to be forcefully snatched from the beast's jaws. It only meant getting bogged down in more con
flicts.
Was he willing to go down this path with Wifies?
Parrot took a deep breath.
Yeah.
He could risk it.
“We need a plan.”