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Parrot woke up slowly, only stirring to the soft rapping at his door. He blinked blearily at the ceiling, feeling the exhaustion weighing down his limbs like physical weights. His wings twitched, spread out below him. He had almost slipped back into a doze when he heard another knock, a bit sharper this time, but still impossibly gentle.
“Who is it?” He called, voice low and rough from sleep.
“It’s me.” Parrot could’ve recognized Theo’s voice anywhere. “It’s Theo. Can I come in?”
Parrot considered this for a moment. He probably looked a bit of a mess, but the idea of getting up to preen seemed incredibly treacherous.
“Yeah,” he eventually decided, letting his eyes flutter shut with a soft sigh. He distantly registered the door creaking open—slow, hesitant.
“Parrot?” Theo approached his bedside, based on the sound of his footsteps. “Dude, why aren’t you up?”
“Mmmhm.” Parrot made a vaguely annoyed sound when Theo ruffled his hair. “Stopppp it...”
Theo huffed, and Parrot could practically see him putting his hands on his hips in frustration. “Okay, fine. You asked for this.”
Parrot was about to ask what he was talking about when Theo threw a pillow at him. He squawked indignantly, feathers puffing out, and tried to scramble away from the attack.
“Dude, what the hell—” Parrot’s wing curled in front of him protectively, deflecting another pillow. “Stop!”
Theo grinned but relented at his word. “See? You’re awake now. You’re welcome.”
Parrot groaned. “I didn’t want to be. I’m tired.”
“Too bad. Get up, we have meetings. You should probably preen your wings, too.”
Parrot rolled his eyes and reluctantly slipped out of bed. He caught his reflection in the mirror and paused. His wings spread behind him, a display of green and blue that looked duller now. His hand reached up, then stopped and hovered before he could straighten any feathers.
“Parrot?” Theo prompted, leaning against one of the bed posters. “Is something wrong?”
“...I feel a bit sick.”
Theo’s wings twitched, eyes softening with concern. He crossed the room in two strides, reaching for Parrot's forehead like a fussing mother. “What’s wrong? Do you want to cancel the meetings?”
“No, no, not…” Parrot sighed and folded his wings again. “I’m fine.”
Theo frowned. "...You're sure?"
Parrot forced a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Yeah."
It came too quickly.
Too practiced.
Theo had spent enough time around him by now to know when he was lying. "...You look awful."
"Thanks."
"I mean it."
"I know."
Parrot turned back toward the mirror, reaching for the small comb resting beside it. He drew it through the feathers of one wing automatically, movements stiff and distracted. Halfway through he simply… stopped, staring at nothing.
Theo watched in silence.
Normally Parrot preened with almost obsessive neatness. Every feather was straightened, cleaned, checked.
Today he'd forgotten halfway through.
"...Parrot."
"Hm?"
"You've been standing there for like..." Theo glanced toward the window. "...two minutes."
Parrot blinked.
"...Have I?"
Theo didn't answer immediately.
Instead he walked over, gently taking the comb from Parrot's hand.
"C'mere."
Parrot looked confused. "What?"
"You'll be late if you keep spacing out." Theo lightly nudged him onto the stool in front of the mirror. "Sit."
"...Theo."
"Sit."
Parrot sighed dramatically. "You're bossy."
"I literally work for you."
"And yet."
"And yet somehow I'm still the responsible one."
That earned the tiniest giggle.
Good.
Theo stood behind him and carefully resumed combing through the larger feathers.
"...You know," Parrot muttered, "this is humiliating."
“I have seen you bleeding out.”
"That was once."
"It was four times."
“...I suck at PVP.”
Theo laughed quietly.
The room settled into a comfortable silence.
The comb slipped carefully through emerald feathers, smoothing them back into place. Theo wasn't particularly good at preening someone else's wings, but he tried to imitate the way Parrot usually did it.
It wasn't perfect.
Parrot didn't seem to care. "...There."
Theo stepped back. "They're...acceptable."
Parrot looked over his shoulder. "'Acceptable?'"
"I have standards."
"You absolutely do not."
"I absolutely do not."
That finally pulled a real smile out of him.
Small.
But real.
Theo mentally celebrated.
There you are.
.
A few minutes later Parrot finished fastening the last clasp of his royal coat.
Theo picked the crown up from where it rested on its velvet cushion.
"...Ready?"
Parrot reached for it automatically.
Then stopped halfway.
"...Actually..." His hand dropped. "...Could you?"
Theo blinked. "What?"
"The crown."
Parrot rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly looking strangely embarrassed.
"My hands are...I don't know." He flexed them. "They feel weird."
Theo stared for a second before grinning. "...Your Majesty requires assistance?"
"Oh, shut up."
Theo laughed. "As you command."
He stepped forward carefully.
The crown wasn't especially heavy, but it carried a certain weight anyway.
Slowly, he lowered it onto Parrot's head.
It settled neatly over his hair.
Theo adjusted it slightly to straighten it. "...There."
Parrot looked at himself in the mirror. "...Thanks."
"No problem."
For a second neither of them moved.
"...Does it look stupid?"
Theo looked him over dramatically. "Hm."
"What?"
"It almost makes you look kingly."
Parrot rolled his eyes. "I hate you."
"No you don't."
"...No." He smiled faintly. "I don't."
.
The walk through the castle was unusually quiet.
Usually Parrot would already be talking through the day's schedule, muttering reminders to himself about trade routes or construction reports or whatever crisis had decided to happen that week.
Today… Nothing.
Just footsteps echoing through stone halls.
Theo kept glancing sideways.
Parrot wasn't walking any slower.
He wasn't limping.
He wasn't sick.
He just looked…
Heavy.
Like every movement required thought.
Eventually Theo broke the silence. "...You forgot breakfast."
Parrot looked over. "I did?"
"You walked right past the dining hall."
"Oh."
"...Do you want to—"
"I'm fine."
Again.
Too fast.
Theo frowned. "...Right."
Another stretch of silence.
They reached one of the castle balconies overlooking the city.
Morning sunlight spilled across rooftops below.
Parrot stopped for only a moment, looking over it all.
Peaceful.
Safe.
Exactly what he'd wanted.
Exactly what he'd fought for.
"...What day is it?" he asked absently.
Theo checked the small calendar tucked into his notebook. "Twenty-eighth." He flipped the page. "June twenty-eighth."
…
Parrot stopped walking.
Completely.
Theo took another step before realizing he'd been left behind.
"...Parrot?"
Nothing.
The king stood perfectly still.
Not frozen.
Just…
Gone.
Like someone had quietly removed him from the present.
Theo frowned. "...Parrot?"
Slowly, very slowly, Parrot inhaled.
June twenty-eighth.
The words echoed somewhere far away.
June twenty-eighth.
A year.
It had already—
No.
No, that wasn't—
His stomach lurched.
Suddenly the exhaustion made sense.
Why he'd woken up feeling sick.
Why his chest had felt tight since opening his eyes.
Why everything had seemed…
Wrong.
His body had known before he had.
A year.
A whole year.
Theo watched the color drain from his face. "...Hey."
Parrot blinked hard.
"...Sorry." His voice sounded strangely distant. "I..." He swallowed. "...Let's go."
Theo didn't move. “...Parrot.”
“I'm okay.”
“You don't look okay.”
“I'm okay.”
Theo stared at him.
“...What’s today?”
Parrot was quiet for a long moment.
When he finally answered, his voice was barely above a whisper.
“...My best friend died today.”
Silence.
Theo had heard Wifies’ name before.
Only in passing; fragments.
Stories about someone brilliant.
Someone funny.
Someone Parrot had loved like family.
Someone who’d… died.
He’d never asked how.
It had never felt like his place.
“...Oh.”
It was all he could think to say.
Parrot nodded once.
Then, with the practiced composure of someone who'd spent the last year learning how to function around an open wound, adjusted his crown.
“...We’ve got a meeting.”
And he kept walking.
Theo followed.
But for the first time since becoming Parrot’s bodyguard, he wasn’t thinking about protecting the king.
He was thinking about how lonely he suddenly looked.
.
The meeting lasted nearly two hours.
Parrot never stumbled once.
He discussed border repairs, approved new housing near spawn, listened patiently through an argument over farmland, and gently redirected three separate nobles who had mistaken "urgent" for "personally inconvenient."
If anyone noticed the king seemed quieter than usual, they didn't mention it.
Theo stood behind the throne the entire time.
Watching.
Every answer Parrot gave was measured.
Every smile arrived exactly when it was supposed to.
Every joke landed just enough to keep the room comfortable.
It was almost convincing.
Almost.
Because Theo had learned something over the past few months.
When Parrot was actually relaxed, he fidgeted.
He spun rings around his fingers.
Tapped his claws against the arm of his chair.
Adjusted his sleeves every few minutes.
Today…
Nothing.
He sat perfectly still.
Like if he moved too much, something might crack.
.
By the time the final advisor left, sunlight had shifted across the polished floor.
The enormous doors shut with a heavy thunk.
Silence.
Parrot stayed seated for another few seconds, staring at the empty council table.
Then he let out a slow breath.
"...Good meeting."
Theo snorted.
"You almost fell asleep during the tax report."
"I didn’t."
"I watched your eyes unfocus."
"I was thinking."
"You were sleeping."
Parrot huffed the ghost of a laugh as he stood. "Come on."
They wandered without much destination.
The hallways were pleasantly dim.
“...Anything on your mind?” Theo asked after a while of silence, their footsteps echoing off the marble floors.
Parrot shrugged.
That seemed to be the end of it.
Then, suddenly:
“I thought I would cry today.”
Theo looked over. “What?”
“I woke up feeling awful. I figured… I figured I would break after a while.”
“…”
“I didn’t.”
“Yeah.”
“...What’s wrong with me?”
Theo’s wings twitched at that. “Nothing.”
“I should be able to cry for him.”
“No.” Theo stopped walking, grabbing both of Parrot’s shoulders. “Nothing is wrong with you. I want you to hear that. Absolutely nothing.”
Parrot swallowed. “But—”
“No buts. I’m serious.”
“...”
“...”
Parrot let out a shaky little sigh. “...Okay.”
Theo let him go at that. “Good. Come on. Let’s go outside, yeah?”
“Yeah.”
The palace gardens had become something of a refuge over the last year—far enough from the bustle of the castle that people generally left the king alone, close enough that Theo didn't have to worry about assassins hiding behind every bush.
Flowers spilled over stone paths in bright colors.
Bees drifted lazily from bloom to bloom.
Somewhere, a fountain trickled softly.
Neither of them spoke for several minutes.
Eventually Theo glanced sideways. "...Can I ask something?"
Parrot nodded.
"You don't have to answer."
Another nod.
"...What was he like?"
Parrot slowed.
Not because the question hurt.
Because…
It didn't.
Not in the sharp way he'd expected.
Instead it felt like someone opening a door to a room he'd been too afraid to enter.
"He..." Parrot smiled before he realized he was doing it. "He laughed at everything."
Theo listened quietly.
"Everything?"
"Everything."
Parrot looked down at the path.
"I could trip over literally nothing and he'd be on the floor."
"...That's kind of mean."
"He'd help me up first."
"Oh."
"...Then he'd laugh harder."
Theo grinned. "I like him."
"...Yeah."
Parrot's smile lingered.
"He was..."
His voice caught.
"...He was kind."
Not perfect.
Not brilliant.
Not fearless.
Kind.
"He made everyone feel like they mattered." The words came easier now. "He remembered birthdays. He'd stay up all night if someone was upset. He used to leave food outside people's rooms when they forgot to eat."
Theo looked over. "...Seriously?"
Parrot nodded. "He'd pretend it wasn't him."
"...That's adorable."
A tiny laugh escaped Parrot. "It was."
Silence settled again.
"...What happened?"
The question came carefully.
Almost apologetically.
Parrot stared ahead. "...He got scared."
Theo waited.
“...He loved people so much…” Parrot said quietly, “...that eventually he couldn't stand the idea of losing them.” His fingers curled into the sleeves of his coat. “I tried to help.”
A pause. "I don't think anyone could've."
Theo didn't press further.
He didn't need to.
.
They reached the far end of the gardens.
There, tucked behind flowering hedges, sat a quiet clearing.
Wildflowers.
A single tree with a rope swing.
A little pond reflecting the afternoon sky.
Parrot stopped.
His breath caught.
"..."
Theo frowned. "What?"
Parrot looked around slowly "...This..."
The tree leaned over the water almost exactly the way one had in the End.
White flowers climbed a nearby wall.
The breeze carried the same sweet smell.
"It looks..."
He couldn't finish.
Theo followed his gaze. "...Did you have a place like this?"
Parrot nodded once. "...Our garden." The words were barely audible. "We built it together."
Theo looked around again.
Then back at Parrot.
"...Can I make a really weird suggestion?"
Parrot gave him a tired smile. "When have you ever made a normal one?"
"Fair."
Theo shoved his hands into his pockets.
"...He doesn’t have a grave."
"...No."
"...Then maybe..." He hesitated. "...Maybe he could."
Parrot blinked. "What?"
"A memorial." Theo shrugged awkwardly. "Doesn't have to be where he...died." His voice softened. "Just somewhere you can visit."
Somewhere to put the grief.
Somewhere to stop carrying all of it alone.
Parrot looked around the clearing again.
The flowers.
The tree.
The pond.
"...Here?"
"I think he'd like it."
“...Yeah. “Parrot swallowed hard. "...I think he would."
.
Neither of them spoke much after that.
Theo disappeared for a little while, returning with a simple stone marker from the palace mason—a smooth piece of pale granite that hadn't been carved yet.
No name.
No dates.
Just stone.
Parrot knelt in the grass, brushing dirt from its surface with gentle fingers.
"...What should it say?" Theo asked.
Parrot thought for a long time.
Finally:
"...Nothing."
Theo tilted his head. "...Nothing?"
"If someone asks..." Parrot smiled sadly. "...I'll tell them." He rested a hand against the stone. "I don't think he'd have liked being remembered for how he died."
Only for how he lived.
Theo nodded. "...Okay."
He reached into the satchel he'd quietly brought with him. "Oh. I almost forgot."
Parrot looked up.
Theo held out a wrapped bundle.
Small.
Long.
"...What's this?"
"A present."
"...Theo."
"What?"
"You don't—"
"Open it."
Parrot carefully peeled back the cloth.
Inside…
A spyglass.
New brass caught the sunlight, polished so brightly it almost glowed.
For several seconds, Parrot couldn't breathe.
"...I know it isn't..." Theo said quietly.
"...I know."
His thumb brushed over the metal.
"It's not supposed to replace it."
"No."
"I just..." Theo rubbed the back of his neck. "...I figured maybe memories don't have to end with one object."
Parrot stared at it.
Then, very carefully…
He laid the spyglass at the base of the stone.
"...Thank you."
Theo smiled. "It seemed like something he'd appreciate."
"...He would."
The wind stirred the flowers.
Neither of them moved.
After a while, Parrot sat down in the grass.
Theo started to follow.
"...You don't have to stay."
Theo looked at him like he'd said something ridiculous.
"...Yeah." He lowered himself beside him. "I do."
Parrot looked at the memorial for a long time before finally speaking, not to Theo this time, but to the quiet garden.
"...Hi."
His voice shook.
"It's been a while."
He laughed softly at himself.
"I’m finally king."
A pause.
"I know. I still think it's weird too."
Theo looked away, giving him whatever privacy he could without leaving.
"I've been trying to do it right."
Parrot's fingers toyed absently with a blade of grass.
"I'm trying to keep everyone safe. I'm trying to make this place peaceful. No more wars. No more mafias. No more people dying because someone wanted power."
He smiled faintly.
"I think you'd like it here."
Another pause.
"We planted gardens. We help new players. I finally figured out that paperwork isn't totally evil."
Theo laughed under his breath.
Parrot almost smiled.
"...You would've made fun of the crown. You would've said it made my head look too big."
His voice cracked.
"...You would've been right."
Silence.
Then, much quieter—
"...Theo's very nice."
"But he worries too much."
"I think you'd get along."
His hands began to shake.
"...You would've liked everybody."
His breath hitched.
"...I just..."
He squeezed his eyes shut.
"...I hope..."
The sentence wouldn't come.
His shoulders trembled once.
Twice.
"I hope I became someone..."
A tear landed in the grass.
"...that you'd still recognize."
Another followed.
Then another.
He covered his face with one hand.
"...You would've been so proud of me."
The words came out broken.
"So..."
A sob escaped before he could stop it.
“Why did you change?”
“…”
"Why did you have to leave me?"
The question disappeared into the rain that had just begun to fall.
Theo didn't have an answer.
There wasn't one.
He simply shifted a little closer until their shoulders touched.
Not enough to crowd him.
Just enough that Parrot wouldn't have to cry alone.
And for the first time in an entire year, he let himself grieve.
.
Theo had Parrot in his arms, the avians quietly resting under the shelter of the tree. The rain was coming down harder now, but Parrot didn’t seem ready to go just yet, and Theo was okay with that.
Theo’s wings curled instinctively with his arm around Parrot’s shoulders like a shield. Parrot’s eyes were red, his sobs long since quieted into little sniffles here and there.
Parrot had never really talked about the people he’d lost. Not about Spepticle. Not Nufuli or Dean. Not Wifies.
Theo couldn’t imagine how much Parrot had lost. Before Parrot, he’d just been a normal player, trying to survive on a server that seemed to be very insistent on wanting him dead. But here, with the king and a real job, to protect, he felt like he’d gained a purpose.
But before Theo, Parrot had an entire life’s worth of adventures. Of friends. Of experiences that Theo probably wouldn’t ever fully grasp. Their king had gone through… so much.
And yet he was kind.
He was empathetic and patient and so, so good.
A warm kind of pride bloomed behind Theo’s ribcage.
“You know,” Theo began slowly, “you were right.”
He felt Parrot’s head shift slightly up against his shoulder.
“...What?” He croaked.
“...Wifies would be proud of you.”
Theo heard Parrot’s breath hitch even over the sound of the rain.
“...Yeah.”
They fell silent again, listening to the sound of the rain and their own breathing. They were mostly shielded under the tree, but a few drops managed to sneak past and stick to their feathers and hair.
Parrot began to shiver despite their shared warmth. Theo’s arm tightened around him as the avian started to cry once more, little tears that slipped down his pale cheeks and left trails in their wake. His breath came in short, punched-out hitches, as if he was trying to quiet himself.
“Hey,” Theo murmured. “…I’m here.”
“It’s not fair,” Parrot sobbed. “He’s supposed to—to be—”
“I know. I know. Shh… It’s okay. Just let go.”
“Friends don’t just…” he choked on his next breath. “They don’t just die. Not like—not like him. He’s supposed to… he’s supposed to be here!”
Theo’s heart twisted at the sight of his best friend so unraveled.
“Maybe that is his way of being there,” he offered. “…Maybe he loved you so, so much, that he wanted to stay with you forever.”
“Wh-what do you mean?”
“Maybe… he knew that you would’ve never let him keep you pinned down.” Theo gave him a small smile. “And so he decided to stay with you in a different way.”
Parrot flinched as Theo’s hand raised towards his heart, just hovering there and not quite touching. When Theo got his hesitant nod of approval, he gently rested his palm over Parrot’s heart.
“He decided,” Theo continued, “to stay right here, so he never has to leave you. And—and you get to see the world, just like you always wanted to.”
Fresh tears welled up in Parrot’s eyes as he scoffed out a little laugh.
“That’s so corny, bro…”
“You love me for it.” Theo ruffled his hair affectionately, but stopped when Parrot’s face crumpled.
“...I miss him,” Parrot whispered. “It really hurts.”
“Yeah. I know. It’s… probably always going to hurt. But… you know, as long as you remember Wifies, he’ll be with you. I didn’t know much about him, but I just know he loved you. So much.”
“He did.” Parrot smiled. “He could be so overprotective sometimes, it drove me crazy…”
“Sounds familiar.” Theo grinned as Parrot rolled his eyes. “In a good way, though.”
“Hopefully.” Parrot looked down at his hands. “Um… thanks. For staying. I know I said you didn’t have to, but… I really didn’t want you to go.”
“Of course, dude. You think I’m gonna leave my best friend alone in some random garden in a state like this?” Theo went to playfully shove him, but stopped upon seeing that Parrot had gone rigid. “Parrot?”
“Sorry. I, uh…” Parrot cleared his throat. “...Wifies called me that, too.”
“Oh.” Theo fidgeted with the chain around his neck. “I am so sorry. Do you… Can I? Can I call you that?”
Parrot considered this for a long time.
“...Yeah. That’s…” He chuckled softly, a small smile curving his lips. “I like it.”
“...Cool.”
They both fell silent again. The sun had just begun to dip below the horizon, casting long shadows over their faces.
“You wanna go back inside?” Theo asked after a particularly large raindrop splatted onto his head. His annoyance melted at Parrot’s little laugh. He deserved something to laugh about.
“Sounds good.” Parrot took both of Theo’s hands, pulling himself to his feet and stretching his wings out. He cast a long, lingering look on the memorial, even as Theo stepped back onto the paved pathway, like he wasn’t quite ready to leave.
“He’ll be here tomorrow,” Theo assured him, putting a gentle hand on Parrot’s shoulder. “We can visit again. As often as you like. You can ditch me, too, if you want to do it alone.”
Parrot sighed heavily, wings finally sagging like weights had been removed.
“It’s okay. I’m okay.” He shut his eyes for a second, then looked towards Theo. “...Thank you.”
Theo’s eyes softened. “Anytime. Come on, dude. Let’s get out of this rain before you catch a cold.”
Parrot scoffed. “If anyone is getting sick, it’s you. I’m the biggest bird, remember?”
“Let’s test that. I’ll race you back to the castle.”
“You’re so on.”
That night, when they arrived at the castle dripping wet and laughing, neither of them claimed themselves the winner.
And the next morning, when Theo woke up with a fever, Parrot didn’t gloat one bit.
Parrot was a damaged person. But maybe, just maybe, he wasn’t alone anymore.
Maybe, with the help of his best friend, he could heal.
He still missed Wifies dearly. His heart ached every time he saw Wemmbu and Egg laughing together, or Flame and Lomedy bickering, or Spoke and Mapicc pulling some stupid prank.
But now Theo was there. Theo didn’t heal the Wifies-shaped hole in his heart by any means. But he warmed it. He filled it with a different kind of joy.
And who was he to ask for anything more?