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His wings attempt to fluff up as he approaches the castle.
He plucks a feather and gives a sharp squeak, a little hiss following at the sight of blood on the calamus of it. It wasn't ready to be taken out, one of his newer feathers that came after his molt, but he's so-
Parrot swallows and plucks another. His stomach growls, his limbs weigh heavy, and he can't pick his wings up from their drag on the ground.
Despite not being the top nor the most dangerous villain anymore, he still kept his extravagant hide-outs for some reason beyond Parrot. Thick, tall, gothic walls that span from below the lava to almost the top of the Nether ceiling, and Parrot has never been more excited to see them. If he was flying in, he'd have seen the castle itself, a looming thing that scares off most heroes, villains, and all those in-between. At one point, he called it egotistical, a fortress for no good reason other than to show off, something this grand should never need to exist in the first place.
He's not arguing now, of course. He needs this. Needs to be hidden behind the walls and protected from the outside world, told he's okay and he's good and he's-
A small chirp leaves his mouth at the sight of Ferre outside the large gate, his wings at ease while his long, scaled tail begins to wag. There's the tone of happiness in the dragon's voice, as if he's excited to see him, but his foggy brain won't let him linger on that for too long. "Parrot? What are you-"
"C-Clown?" He chirps back, his voice not his own, and Ferre must know what's going on inside his head the second the word leaves his mouth.
"Do you… need to be lead there?" His accent is thicker than normal, but Parrot doesn't question it. He nods and grabs onto Ferre, his grip loose as he stumbles after him.
He feels sick to his stomach at being here willing. The gate opens and closes behind them easily, not a single servent even questioning why Parrot was here. If anything, they were almost excited he was, as weird as that is. At what point did that start? At what point in his journey of becoming the top hero equate to him being welcome into a villain's hideout?
Parrot doesn't understand why Ferre even trusts him after their last encounter. He may have… stolen a few valuable things with Theo's help, but none of it belonged to the Nether villains! He was doing his due dilligence as a hero and returning stolen property, and what if he got captured the last time?
He wasn't held for long, for both parties involved that if he was, people would come searching, and those people were not afraid of getting their reputation muddled.
And… and if he was only let go because Clown made him promise that the next time he comes back, he's his? That's between them.
A shudder causes him to stumble once more, and Ferre catches him with suspicious ease. He wasn't muscular by any means, but he used to have weight on him, a true testament to how good heroes have it. Three meals a day, treats from Theo and Wifies when he did a good mission well, and lots of exercise whenever possible.
A little whine escapes him as Ferre picks him up. He buries his face in the dragon's neck, his eyes squeezed shut as he lets the villain carry him to where he wants to go.
"Birdie," his voice is soft, almost as if Ferre is well and truly concerned for him, which doesn't make a lick of sense, but he can't say that. Not only would it be admitting… everything to him, but the words feel stuck in his throat, and they don't feel his own. "Almost there, stay awake."
He doesn't want too.
It feels so nice in Ferre's arms… safe… peaceful… no Saps or Billy or Director can get him here… what would the harm be in sleeping? It'll be a timeskip to seeing Clown, and then he'll be well and truly safe, and-
A door opens, and before he knows it, he's being set back down on unsteady and weak legs. He blinks his eyes open, thankful for the low-light of the room, and squints before he drops his gaze to the clean floor. It wasn't the throne room, too small to be one, but not big enough to be Clown's room. Was it his office? Or maybe it was somewhere else entirely… He can hear Ferre and someone else—Clown? Is that him?—talking before there's footsteps and the sound of a door creaking as it shuts.
There's nothing but silence for a few long moments, until the sound of boots click against the polished floor. He stands frozen in place as it gets closer and closer, before black boots finally stop only a step away from him.
It takes him a moment to get words together, but all he can get is a single word, one that he hopes gets his point across with how fuzzy his head is. The voice that comes out is not his own, more like the perfect of the villain before him, "B-birdie?"
"Pretty little birdie," Clown coos at him gently as he pulls him to the his chair and sits before he drags Parrot into his lap while he starts to groom his feathers.
Parrot chirps once, twice, then a few more times before he stretches his wings nice and big, all for Clown to have easier access. His words are still the perfect mimic of Clown's voice, and somewhere in his head, he knows it'll be that way for a while. "Pretty? Pretty, pretty!"
There's a smile on Clown's face, unmasked since, from what Parrot was able to piece together, it's his private chambers, and keeps cooing at him, "You're so pretty—look how gorgeous my birdie is now."
Parrot scoots closer to bury his head in Clowns's neck, little chirps and trills leaves him while he repeats, "Pretty birdie, g-good? Good, pretty birdie?" And… and he can piece together the syllable for "O-owner?" Even if the word comes out as a weird mixture of both their voices, Parrot preens at his own attempt.
It delights Clown so much—even makes him have that little crinkle in his eyes he gets when he's oh-so pleased and delighted about something particularly wicked—as he coos back at him, lavishes praises and gentle coos on Parrot to make his pretty bird happy. "Absolutely beautiful you are, my pretty bird. Came back to me because you're my pet, yes? My pretty little thing that knows I'll help."
Parrot, of course, drinks it all up, and nuzzles further into his neck as if he can become one with Clown. He stretches his other wing out in invitation for Clown- owner to have, more trills following as he mimics one of his coos. It's the soft one Clown gave him earlier, the sound music to both their ears.
Clown runs his fingers over that offered wing, humming as he gently runs his fingers over those tender feathers, and says "Aren't I so lucky to have my pretty Parrot here for me right now?"
"Birdie," the word is a mimic of one of Clown's more stern tone, and he shakes his head where it's buried in Clown's neck. He throws his arms over the older's shoulders loosely to pull himself ever closer and croons low and soft. The hands in his wings feel good, and his feathers feel lighter for the first time in… weeks? He thinks weeks.
His hands stay firmly in his wings, plucking loose feathers and taking out the dander left behind from his breaking of the keratin. He needs to make sure his birdie is all nice and clean now that he's back in his care. Clown leans back against his giant chair, his smile shifting into a slight smirk, and he coos, "You would do anything for me just so you could stay my pet—wouldn’t you?"
"N-no, don't leave, don't leave," If the words come out scarily close to Wifies , Clown doesn't mention it. A small warble escapes and he follows Cown back, settles deeper into him and chirps, "Don't leave, pl-please,"
The villain purrs softly and a rumble escapes him as he wraps a arm around Parrot's waist, "Of course I'd never leave you now! Parrot couldn’t live without me now and I just couldn’t bare to let my birdie suffer without me in this world."
With a soft coo in return, Parrot lets his eyes slip close as he nods in agreement. He mimics Clown once more, repeats "C-can't live without owner-" The last word his own voice, for once. "-n-nest? nesting for birdie?"
And it's obvious too. He's lost weight— too much weight, but that's an easy enough remedy.
Clown just so easily, so casually, picks him up at the desire of a nest and takes him into his chambers—passing by Mugm, surprisingly, even as the other quickly bows his head to avoid his golden eyed sight—and says, "You can have whatever you want, pretty thing, but only because you're my pet."
Parrot is as happy as can be, wings fluttering as he fights his ways out of Clown's arms to fall into his bed. Trills and warbles spill from his lips as he claws at the sheets on the bed, rolls around a few times before he ends up with his newly-preened wings splayed over the bed. He stares up at Clown, almost as if waiting for approval, and even asks, now firmly in his own voice, "Am I good? L-left room for own- you too."
Clown purrs at that little display, a deep sound resounding in his chest, and says "I loved it—loves how pretty my birdy is there right now in fact! You're just so perfect, aren't you?"
He nods and reaches out for Clown, pupils blown and so very deep in his headspace as he chirps, "Owner join perfect birdie?" his voice mimics Clown again on the last two words, already nailing the emphasis on perfect despite only just hearing it.
It's why he was so important on missions, after all. His ability to mimic anyone's voice was his best quality, his intelligence being the second, and his… sway over some of his villains. But none of that is here nor there, and his brain sinks back into fog the second Clown kisses his forehead.
Clown falls onto him with an easy laugh and says, "I love you, you know I'll keep my birdy forever and ever at the end of the day! No matter how much you will run or hide, you're mine now—no one can have you, pretty thing. You're all mine, forever."
Parrot, of course, curls into Clown the second he joins him, wings wrapping around him as he replies, "all yours! Yours, yours, yours, doesn't- nest is good, no leave nest, we both s-stay? no leave?"
Clown coos, "Of course! You should know that I'll always stay for you,,,just for you after all! You're my everything, pretty birdie, and that makes me your everything too, right?"
Parrot nods and lets his eyes close again, nuzzles close against Clown and chirps, "Y-you're my everything, all good for owner, happy I came to owner for help."
Clown kisses him so gently and hugs him tightly, purring as he nuzzles his neck with overwhelming affection. And Parrot, despite knowing how dangerous it is, easily falls asleep to the soothing sound, all content and happy chirps as he clings so tight to Clown.