Archive of Our Own

It was only when they could feel a pesky splinter digging itself into their palm, right at the base of their left pointer finger, that Kris came to the conclusion that they might have been a little overzealous.

At the very least, they'd made this promise to the violet flower far too late. They thought they'd have a feasible amount of time to get that coveted item before Saturday's Dark World, but the entity controlling their SOUL, annoying pest that it was, seemed fully confident that it could best the Knight in combat the previous night, and it'd thrown off their whole schedule. That entire endeavor had drained their energy so thoroughly they couldn't bring themselves to wake up before their mother and the sweet scent of pancakes in the early morning did the job for them, and now the Festival was rolling up and they were one “feather of a true genius” short.

They were so going to ruin the plan if they messed this up.

So now here they were. Perched on the sturdiest branch they'd ever known, less than two feet away from a certain bluebird's nestroom window. One thing was for certain, though: whatever this situation was definitely beat having to listen to that horrible song and dance their mother and the skeleton cashier were partaking in in the living room. Even if the splinter on their palm was starting to border on excruciating.

Thankfully, rather than slightly cracked into a slit as it typically was, the window was wide open for whatever reason. With such a (frankly out of character) careless move on his part, entering Berdly's apartment was no harder than crawling along the windowsill, narrowly avoiding eating shit when they pulled themselves into the room too quickly and nearly lost their balance and slammed headfirst into the floor. Good thing they'd snuck in through this exact spot several times before already. They were practically a pro!

(They were reasonably sure there was no need to reflect on their… questionable proficiency.)

Still, even as they gathered their bearings and rose to their feet properly, quiet as a mouse so as to not disturb the bluebird's sound sleep, they couldn't help but wonder why exactly it was so easy to sneak in this time around. Berdly wasn't the kind of person to simply forget that he left his nestroom window open so wide he might as well not have one. Had he passed out studying like last time? Somehow, Kris doubted it.

No time to dwell on any of that, though. They were a they on a mission. The coveted item couldn't be any of the feathers from past molts Kris may or may not have stockpiled in a box somewhere under their bed - it had to be fresh. For… an arbitrary reason the violet flower never went into detail about. Probably because it hadn't specified any of that, seeing as it couldn't speak, and Kris was the one who made that decision. But at the end of the day, did that really matter?

Almost like they were in a cartoon, the human tiptoed their way towards Berdly's nest, where the bluebird lay facing the wall, bundled up with his many blankets. Their feet made little sound on the linoleum, courtesy of the fuzzy, padded slippers they had picked specifically for this heist. Rest assured, Berdly would not stir for a good while. Kris couldn't help but smile at that thought. He was practically a sitting duck - sleeping bluebird? - right now! This was going to be so much easier than they thought.

It didn't take them long to get to work, making use of the bluebird's nightlight and the glow of the moon to try and find loose feathers silhouetted against the floor. And though it was jam-packed full of items, Berdly's room wasn't very big at all, so it took them even less time to give it a couple of once-overs, carefully stepping around the organized chaos of the nestroom floor to avoid any unhappy accidents.

Which is why it frustrated them beyond reason that they were having no luck with this search at all. There were toys and pillows and plushies of all kinds strewn around everywhere, but no feathers.

Kris tch-ed with irritation against their better judgement. How was it that Berdly's room was both spotless and a complete mess at the exact same time?! It felt paradoxical. Did he enjoy the chaos, but not the untidiness it brought? What kind of messed up psyche must that nerdy bird have to-

An echoing click in the silence of the room snapped the human out of their thoughts on the spot. Their surroundings were swiftly bathed in a dim yellow light, and the only thought in their mind became an inexhaustible loop of oh shit.

Comically slow, their head turned to the source, their torso rotating along with it when they realized it was further behind them than they'd expected. They came face to face with a very surprised, very bewildered bluebird, the wire that connected to the fairy lights hanging above his nest loosely clutched in one of his wings.

Everything was beginning to go wrong in one fell swoop, and even their attempts to throw in the towel were wildly unsuccessful. No matter how hard they tried to say anything at all to him, wanting desperately to break the awkward silence that stretched on and on like chewed-up bubblegum, they couldn't bring themselves to make up literally any justification at all for what he was currently bearing witness to.

(Because really, how would one explain whatever the fuck this was?)

Now that the shock of the situation had worn off, a cacophony of sounds of surprise erupted from both teens at the same time. Kris slapped their hand over their mouth to muffle their embarrassed squeak to the best of their ability, nearly tripping on air when they recoiled away from Berdly on instinct.

Not that the bluebird was any more composed, fumbling so frantically with his blankets he almost tangled himself in them. After some struggling, he shoved the textiles off himself, sitting up on his nest quickly enough to make Kris feel lightheaded by proxy.

All of a sudden, Kris's eyes had something to focus on besides Berdly's bewildered expression.

Because they'd expected to see a shirt with some sort of cringy phrase like “EAT SLEEP GAME REPEAT” and a shitty graphic of a Ybox controller, and they were instead met with lots and lots of incredibly fluffy-looking feathers.

…Huh.

He… Berdly really did take excellent care of his plumage. Even the feathers on his torso, usually concealed by clothes, looked as well-kempt as his wings and crest. Kris found that their attention was forcefully captured by the way the fluff rippled, puffing out, then smoothing down rhythmically, like its owner was trying to decide how to feel about the situation he was in. It was almost mesmerizing.

Not enough to forget about the nerd it was attached to, though.

“K-Kris?!” Berdly screeched, eyes so wide they almost matched the size of his glasses (which still laid neatly on the table next to his nest). “What in the world are you…”

In the wake of his outburst of surprise that inadvertently reminded Kris of their primary mission, the human finally managed to tear their eyes away from his chest fluff - okay wow they'd been staring in a really obvious way that was probably super weird - just in time to see the bluebird's own eyes narrowing skeptically, then widen again as all the feathers in his face stuck out at odd angles.

Deafening silence settled in the room once the bluebird realized where exactly Kris's gaze had landed, quickly followed by the sound of Berdly frantically grabbing the nearest blanket in an attempt to cover himself up. His face was almost homogeneously coated with the cobalt blue shade of his magic, and his beak was pursed into a taut line, though the corners dipped downwards in a look of true mortification.

His voice was strained and several octaves higher when he spoke again, clutching the blanket for dear life. “D-don't just stare at my-”

Kris's neck twisted to the side so quickly they were surprised (and mildly disappointed) that it didn't snap, not even waiting for the bluebird to finish speaking. Their face blazed brightly to match his own, lower lip wobbling pathetically with their fluster, and for once, they were glad they couldn't feel their SOUL viciously hammering in their chest.

“Sorry!” the apology they gave in return was so high-pitched, so instinctive, it made them want to take a swan dive off the window through which they'd crawled into the room. And if that wasn't bad enough, their incredibly embarrassing display had to come with an encore. “Sorry sorry sorry!! I-I didn't mean-”

“Why are you in my room at one in the morning?!”

To their chagrin, Kris's brain decided they hadn't dug a deep enough grave yet, and their mouth was faster than whatever countermeasures they could have deployed.

“I'm sorry for staring at your chest fluff I wasn't expecting you to-”

“It's fine!” Berdly seemed to be forcing himself to lower (and soften) his voice. “I- It's fine. Contrary to what you may think, that is not my biggest concern right now!”

“W-well, why are you awake at one in the morning?” Kris shot back, a flimsy attempt at deflecting. “Aren't you usually conked out by 10PM?”

Berdly scoffed. “I'm sure you're not familiar with this concept, but… sometimes my genius is so overwhelming, it bleeds out through my pores and prevents me from being well-rested.”

“Right, of course. Makes total sense.” the human replied in a faux understanding tone, nodding along. “I'd like the real answer now, though, if you wouldn't mind.”

Amusingly, Berdly's cheek feathers fluffed up again, and the blush that had once coated his face made a necessary comeback. They didn't get to admire - or rather, blankly stare at - the strangely captivating color, because he bowed his head to bury his beak in his fluffy chest as soon as he remembered he was being perceived, halfway hidden by the blankets he was still using to cover himself.

“…I couldn't fall asleep.” he mumbled into his plumage. “I keep… thinking. About the Festival tomorrow.”

“Really?” Kris cocked their head, raising an inquisitive eyebrow. “You of all people, worrying about the Festival? Thought it was some math equation you couldn't make sense of.”

“You still haven't answered my question.”  Berdly swiftly changed the subject. “Which, in my personal opinion, is much more pertinent, seeing as you do not live here.”

Kris blanched. Shit. Shit shit shit. What were they supposed to tell him? That they needed a feather from him for… reasons?! He knew all about their quirks and oddities, but they were certain this was too out of the ordinary, even for someone as weirdly tolerant of their chicanery as him. He'd never just willingly give them one of his feathers - he was way too particular about that stuff. They needed an excuse, any excuse, to hide the real reason they'd broken into his room in the dead of night.

“I can't stop thinking about you.”

…

Okay, well.

Maybe not any excuse.

The blanket Berdly was holding slipped from his grasp as his beak hung agape at their improvised response, feathers frazzled like they'd become staticky. Kris had to make a physical effort to avoid staring again.

“What?” he cheeped, his voice hushed, closer to a breath.

Never in their life had Kris seen him react like this. Perfectly complementing his arrogant “I'm-better-than-you” persona, Berdly had always been the kind of person to verbally contest something that he perceived as outrageous - not many things left him utterly speechless like this. It was disconcerting, to say the least, to see him wide-eyed and tense, looking so meek, so vulnerable.

But Kris was already halfway down to the Earth's core. It only made sense that they kept digging.

“I'm… I like you a lot, Berdly.” they mumbled as an addendum, shyer than intended. “I couldn't wait until the Festival tomorrow.”

The words came out far too easily, far too smoothly, for how foreign they felt on their tongue. Kris shouldn't be this comfortable lying about something so special, even if they were lying to Berdly. His expression was starting to shift into something that toed the line between hopeful and disbelieving, and the slow but noticeable change made a funny feeling settle in their gut.

…Maybe it was a good thing that YOU had made them ask Berdly out to the Festival before. This ridiculous fumble would surely fool him. Surely.

“I reiterate.” Berdly's voice shook, brows furrowing slightly. “What?”

Kris mimicked the characteristic chagrin of a gauche teenager to sell their act further, looking down at their shifting feet and lacing and unlacing their fingers repeatedly.

“Don't make me say it again.” they huffed.

The bluebird didn't reply. He just stared in silence for a good, long while. When Kris looked back up at him, they found him deep in serious thought, the light furrow of his brow remaining etched on his face as though he was trying to rationalize the situation.

Yet the longer he stared at them, scanning their face and body for what seemed like his own peace of mind, the more confused he looked. Kris found themselves mirroring his expression somewhat. Why was he hesitating so much?

Berdly took a deep breath, then let it out, face twisting into an expression of slight distrust before he finally spoke.

“…Okay.” he said simply. “Okay. Well. If you… really like me. And… and if this is actually happening, and it's not just… m-my stupid brain playing tricks on me in the dead of night…”

(He'd mumbled the last part purely to himself, but Kris still managed to catch it. The casual way in which he'd said it, as though that was the realistic option, made them feel like their SOUL had been forcibly shoved back into their body and was currently trying to claw its way out through their throat.)

“…then let's go on a date.” he finished with a resolute tone and a degree of confidence much more in line with what he was normally like. “Right now. In my house. At one in the morning.”

It was Kris's turn to be caught off guard, feeling their face get a lot warmer and their palms a lot clammier against their will. That stupid annoying splinter that they'd managed to ignore flared up with a fresh batch of pain as if it had been waiting for an invisible cue, and they hoped Berdly couldn't pick up on the way their hand tensed.

“Huh?” they blurted out, perplexed.

“You came all the way here for me, right?” Berdly presented them with his lightning-quick explanation, as if he knew he'd have to justify his suggestion somehow. “So… s-so let's spend time together. Let's go on a date, Kristopher.”

If Kris's SOUL was still tethered to their body, it would have dropped straight to their stomach. Damn it. He was right, and he most definitely knew it, from the way his beak was curling into that characteristic smirk of his. In the scenario they'd made up on the spot where they were so infatuated with him they broke into his room in the middle of the night to see him, they would definitely jump at the opportunity to spend time with him romantically. Damn it all to hell.

(For the first time ever, they found themselves futilely wishing YOU had been around after all. Only an entity like that could get them out of this predicament.)

Holding back an instinctive grimace, Kris took one step closer to Berdly, still maintaining a respectful distance from his nest. Once they got close enough for him to properly discern their features without his glasses, they took note of how the bluebird's plumage rippled along his body and his cheeks darkened considerably.

“I thought you'd never ask.” they crooned, smiling softly. Their words had sounded so unbearably corny they felt like throwing up, even though they'd been on an empty stomach for hours by now.

Berdly's beak curled upwards in a wide, excited smile, eyes so bright they were practically shining. That weirdly endearing expression was swiftly wiped off his face once he cleared his throat, reaching around his nest for a t-shirt that had apparently been lying around the whole time.

As Berdly put on his t-shirt, the human took some time to come to terms with their current situation. Alright. Maybe they'd gotten into some truly deep shit in their attempt at hiding their weird endeavor, but these sorts of hijinks weren't uncommon to someone like Kris Dreemurr. They could work with this change of plans. Definitely. This heist wasn't ruined yet - not on their watch.

A sudden hiss passed through their parted lips when their fist tightened in such a way that their fingertip pressed into that infuriating splinter again without them noticing. The jolt of pain that traveled up their forearm was so unexpectedly intense it had them biting the inside of both their cheeks in an attempt to curb their reaction, but it was no use. The longer it remained untreated, the bigger of a hassle that splinter would become, and they were very aware of that fact now.

For the first time in a long time, Kris prayed to the Angel above, hoping that Berdly hadn't noticed the way they winced. Unfortunately, much like the last time they'd bothered to properly pray, it seemed the Angel did not care for their faith.

The nerdy bluebird that sat in front of them during class could, admittedly, be perceptive at times. On the odd day, he flip-flopped between painfully oblivious and scarily aware. And since things could only possibly go downhill from here, Berdly immediately perked up, gazing at them questioningly with his beak still stuck in the shirt collar.

“Are you alright?” he asked, unusually gentle.

(Briefly, Kris wondered why the Angel hated them.)

Kris gave him a noncommittal, monotonous hum in place of a proper response, pursing their lips. Goddamn splinter. They were almost sure this was the first time they'd ever gotten one from climbing that tree. What rotten luck.

That wasn't enough to deter him, of course. He fit the rest of his head through the collar and swiftly hopped off his nest, talons clacking against the floor as he walked towards Kris at a steady pace. They overcame the urge to take a step back, but regrettably pulled their injured hand to them on instinct instead.

(And of course, Berdly noticed that too.)

Greenish eyes zipped towards the movement in an instant, narrowing slightly in suspicion. Any and all attempts Kris made to divert his attention just made him more focused, and by now, he was almost too close for comfort. The tips of his feather-fingers reached out to brush over the back of their hand, before he reeled his wing back in a jittery motion, as though that action had been instinctive.

“Give me your hand.” he asked instead.

“'S fine.” Kris mumbled awkwardly, because despite their nonverbal tendencies they just could not keep their mouth shut when it came to Berdly. “Just a splinter.”

“A splinter!” Berdly repeated with a gasp. “You must let me treat it, Kris - you can't let it get infected!”

“I'm good.” their voice strained when the puncture wound instantly proved them wrong by pulsing with pain.

“You will not be “good” until it's out of your body.” the bluebird scoffed. “Let me help.”

Kris tucked their injured hand behind their back. “No.”

To their surprise, Berdly only looked mildly irked, crossing his wings.

“Yes.” he countered.

“No.” Kris retorted, very maturely.

“Yes.”

“No.”

“No!”

“Yes!”

“Got you!” the bluebird crowed in amusement, proudly puffing out his chest feathers through his wide shirt collar. “You have no choice but to let me take care of you now!”

Kris groaned, though they couldn't help the odd wisp of endearment they felt at Berdly somehow managing to get them with something as childish as that. Ugh. He was going to get really annoying about this if they didn't give in.

…Well, anything for that feather, they supposed.

“Only 'cuz you managed to get me with that.” they grumbled halfheartedly.

Still a little sour at their loss, they followed him into the bathroom, where he wasted no time prepping everything needed to care for them. Berdly was surprisingly good at being a caretaker, they'd give him that. Unlike his usual self, he was quiet, his scratchy voice low and reassuring as he took their hand in his wing, carefully pulling out the splinter via disinfected tweezers with incredible precision for someone holding an item too small for his large wings.

It was weird. The lack of cocky commentary. The way he was treating them. The way he murmured each step of his splinter curing process to them before he executed it, to make sure they weren't caught off guard. All of it was weird. They hadn't expected any of this.

Weirdest of all, though, he… didn't even make fun of them when they couldn't keep their hisses of discomfort in. Even worse, he caressed their hand when that happened, like he was comforting them. What the hell? What the hell? Who was this, and what had they done with Berdly? Berdly wasn't helpful! Berdly wasn't tender!

(Horrifyingly enough, they liked this side of him. A stupid, impulsive part of them briefly deliberated getting hurt in his presence on purpose just so he could care for them like that, before the normal, rational part of them gutted it on the spot and strung up its body as a warning.)

Thankfully, his work was done before Kris could spiral any further. With a dab of antiseptic and a plain bandaid, their palm felt much better, and Berdly had finally gone back to normal (the lind of normal they were used to, at least).

“You're welcome.” he crooned smugly, even though the human hadn't said anything.

(Kris looked away in case he could see the flush on their cheeks.)

“I'm hungry.” they blurted out, a shitty distraction which was technically not a lie. Sue them - it was nearly two in the morning by now.

“Not to worry, Kristopher!” the bluebird crowed. Thank the heavens, he took the bait. “I always have a collection of snacks at the ready in case I awaken at night with the urge to binge watch something!”

“Are you finally getting started on our date, then?” Kris asked teasingly, following him across the hall towards his living room.

They promptly bumped into Berdly when he stopped in his tracks. His neck swiveled around to face them, but the surprise plastered on his face didn't last, soon replaced by unwavering confidence.

“Why, yes!” he chirped happily. “Yes I am! Getting started on our date! Our movie date! Follow along, Kris!”

The human muffled a snicker when his head returned to its intended position. If anything was a sign that Berdly was improvising his way through this almost as much as they were, it was definitely his reply to their teasing. Maybe they could get away with more than they realized.

(The heist was back on.)

[…]

Kris tried and failed to toss a piece of crumpled up plastic into the trashcan next to the television, groaning when it just barely grazed the rim before sliding down and settling right next to the others. They weren't sure how much time had passed, but it had certainly been enough for their heist to have gone back into hiatus. Time dilation, or some shit. Whatever the case, it'd been too long.

The “date”, for all intents and purposes, hadn't been disastrous in the slightest. Matter of fact, it was going very well. Perhaps too well. Which was a ridiculous thought, seeing as not only were they on an impromptu 2AM date with Berdly, but the bluebird of the hour had picked Singularity Hypothesis of all things for them to watch. The words “good date” and “Singularity Hypothesis” should not go together, and yet…

…Berdly's plumage was ridiculously comfortable, okay? Also this was one of the better Season 8 episodes.

The plumage thing was the reason Kris was no longer leaning on him. They'd done so at first to sell their act further, and maybe possibly because they kinda liked how he hesitantly slid a wing around their back in a half-hug and tucked them to his body, but they were now coming to the conclusion that the bluebird was deceptively comfortable. They needed to get their head back in the game. Enough binging - it was time to brainstorm some stupid reason to touch his feathers again.

(…So they could figure out which one to pluck out. Obviously.)

Just when they were about to turn to him, though, they noticed through their peripheral vision that he was already staring at them.

Not like it was the first time - Berdly had been sneaking glances towards them for a while now. He was trying to be slick with it too, instantly facing the TV again at the slightest hint of movement from Kris. It hadn't taken them very long to find a pattern - he would watch whichever episode was on screen for a while, then relax his shoulders, then his head would “discreetly” tilt to the side and his eyes would slowly trail over their frame, appraising them, lingering noticeably on their face.

…And then Kris would twitch, their arm would nudge his wing, and like the flip of a switch, he would snap his head right back to the screen, beak pursed and cheeks flushed. They'd already noticed how easy he was to fluster before, but seeing him as fidgety as he was right now put a mischievous smile on their face.

The ritual repeated itself before the episode they'd been watching even ended. This time, though, Kris decided that they wanted to mess with him a little.

“Got something on my face?” they teased, a flirty edge sneaking into their tone without them wanting it to.

A mrrp! of surprise bubbled out of Berdly and he immediately looked away again, feathers fluffed. This time, his gaze fell to his lap rather than gluing itself to the television.

“Uh.” he choked out. “I, um…”

Kris assumed he wasn't going to reply with anything coherent, but that was before they noticed him visibly steeling himself to give them a proper answer. Soon enough, he turned to them again with a certain kind of awe shining in his eyes and a ridiculously endearing - ridiculous, just ridiculous, not endearing - cobalt blush coating his cheeks.

“I think I want to kiss you.”

Narrowly avoiding choking on the air they were breathing, the human snapped their head towards him. A festering warmth threatened to spread through their entire body, but thankfully, Berdly's own embarrassment proved to be their saving grace, because with a mortified cheep, he buried his face in his wings to hide his shame.

“N-nevermind that! I wasn't thinking, hah!” he mumbled with a forced laugh, just barely peeking through his digit feathers. His voice turned harsher when he spoke again. “Stupid, stupid, stupid…”

Kris didn't speak. They just… stared. Silence felt safer than whatever ridiculous bullshit their brain was telling them to say. Not only that, their lungs were aching like they were caving into themselves. Their energy was better spent thinking up ways to get themselves out of this conundrum.  They needed that damn feather sooner rather than later, and they'd wasted far too much time already.

(Maybe it was just their horrible sleeping habits catching up to them once and for all, but they thought they wanted him to kiss them, too.)

This wasn't the time to ponder that ludicrous concept, though. Instead, they deigned to ask themselves one simple question: would this get them closer to their incredibly delayed end goal?

(The human recalled the moment when their gaze had swept over his fluffy chest and gotten a glimpse of all those pretty blue feathers. A certain emotion welled up within them until their stomach was overrun by all manner of pesky, inopportune winged insects.)

…

They decided it would.

“M'kay.” they hummed, much more casual than the clusterfuck of emotions battling for dominance in their brain.

Berdly cheeped again, wings immediately dropping from his face. He clearly hadn't expected this outcome.

“Hah?” he vocalized, an octave higher than usual.

“You can kiss me.” Kris clarified calmly.

“I… You…” the bluebird was at a loss for words, failing to stammer his way through a sentence. “A…are you sure…!?”

Kris couldn't help but snort, taking notes of how his fluffed feathers angled upwards at their reaction. “Getting cold feet all of a sudden?”

Berdly grumbled under his breath, facepalming. Still, they couldn't help but notice how he shifted on the couch to face them properly, tucking his talons to his body.

“Can't miss an opening, can you?” he hissed exasperatedly, like a sigh he was hesitant to let out into the open.

“Yep.” the human grinned, poking their tongue out and watching Berdly avert his eyes on instinct. “What can I say? You're just so fun to-”

In one quick, awkward movement, Berdly shuffled even closer to them, pulled them by their sweater, and pressed his beak to their lips, a peck that almost felt more literal than figurative.

The sensation wasn't even allowed to linger for longer than half a second before he pulled away, and when he did, he was more flustered than they'd ever seen him, blushing furiously and preening his wing feathers over and over while avoiding eye contact. Though his tail wagged quickly behind him, he was pursing his beak to force his expression into neutrality.

Of all the things Kris was anticipating, Berdly actually making the move to kiss them before they even got started on their teasing was at the bottom of their probability chart. And damn if his stupid brazen action didn't awaken something in them. Had their SOUL still been nestled within their ribcage, they just knew it would be going ham right about now. Instead, the distinct lack of an offbeat thrumming was replaced with the oddly pleasant sensation of their skin prickling.

They could already feel the warmth of their own cheeks striving to match Berdly's, but no matter how hard they tried to say something, their brain's cache had been cleanly wiped, and no predetermined sentences existed within it anymore. Regardless, feeling almost as awkward as the bluebird in front of them looked, Kris made an attempt to speak.

“…That's it?” was the first thing that came to mind, and the only reason they didn't spontaneously combust in front of Berdly was because the Angel was either not real or not merciful.

Berdly made a weird bird noise in the back of his throat, eyelids stretching back as far as they could go.

“What do you mean, “that's it”?!” he squawked, voice cracking on the word he emphasized. “I-it was a kiss! A demonstration of romantic passion!!”

“You call that a kiss?” the human teased with a muffled airy giggle. What the hell were they saying. They needed to shut up right now. “That was more like a peck, dude. The bird kind.”

“I am a bird, nitwit.” Berdly retorted with a huff. “Mountain bluebird, to be precise.”

“My point still stands.” Kris tapped the tip of his beak with their index finger, smirking playfully when he flinched. “Your “demonstration of romantic passion” kinda sucked, dude.”

Berdly sputtered as though he was trying to say several different things at once. Eventually, he settled on what he had apparently determined was the ideal choice.

“Nuh-huh!” he whined, huffing petulantly.

The human couldn't hold back their snort in time. Berdly growled at their reaction, feathers rising “threateningly” along his crest.

“Really?” they drawled. “Nuh-huh?”

“The dialogue options I land on are none of your concern.” Berdly snapped. Then, only briefly stopping to ponder what he was about to say, “What's your idea of a proper kiss, anyhow?”

Kris found themselves perking up, overcome with a lingering terrible awful no-good idea that they could no longer cast aside now that those words had left his beak. They turned to face him head on, allowing him a proper view of their eyes through their bangs, and shuffled even closer to him on the couch.

Curling their index finger into a hook, they dragged it under Berdly's beak slowly, purposefully, tilting his head up as they went along before it dropped back down like a weight once their finger was no longer supporting it. To their surprise, he offered no resistance, only making a mildly outraged sound in the back of his throat after it was over, as if he'd been in a trance that he only snapped out of when the point of contact broke. He most definitely had not expected this degree of assertiveness.

(Their body flared up with goosebumps seeing him try to fight the mind fog he was starting to succumb to. Was he really this excited at the thought of…)

“Hmm, I dunno…” they murmured, far too close to him and far too flustered by the proximity. “Maybe something like this.”

And with that incredibly corny one-liner, Kris placed a gentle hand on Berdly's cheek and pulled him into a feather-soft (pun intended) kiss.

It wasn't anything special - at least they didn't intend it to be. But things didn't have to be special to be enjoyable, and they were very quickly made aware of that fact once they felt Berdly reciprocating the kiss languidly, wings settling on their waist to pull them halfway into his lap. Despite Kris's initial intentions, the kiss became drawn out. Very drawn out.

Dread overtook them like a whole garden of poison ivy crawling up their body until it felt suffocating (though maybe that was just the lack of oxygen). They were not supposed to linger. They were not supposed to linger. They weren't supposed to give into the adoration with which the bluebird was kissing them, they had a goal in mind with this whole impromptu nighttime visit what the hell were they doing-

Berdly noticeably melted into the kiss, readjusting the position of his head for maximum efficiency, and whatever thoughts had remained in the human's sleep-addled brain were promptly turned into shapeless mush when the softest little hum rumbled against their lips.

It took Kris all of their remaining willpower to pull away and finally put an end to this extremely enthralling kiss, plus an extra bit of willpower they didn't know they had to avoid closing the gap again once they realized Berdly was chasing after them as they moved back with a drowsy churr. Even then, his beak still managed to brush against their lips one last time, sweet and electrifying and so enticing. That could have been catastrophic, had Kris not already been exercising more restraint in this very moment than in the past two days combined.

The bluebird's eyes fluttered open and he snapped out of whatever daze he was in with a noticeable stumble. Contrary to what Kris expected, though, he didn't immediately try to regain a semblance of the higher ground. His eyes still looked glazed over, and his beak was half open in a perpetually stunned expression.

They felt his wings trembling on their waist when he finally spoke, staring down at them with tiny pinpricks for pupils.

“Am I dreaming?” he blurted out, completely awestruck.

Kris could only swallow in lieu of a response, still stuck on the way he'd kissed them - and, how he was currently gazing at them like they'd hung the moon in the sky. Did… did he dream about them that often…??

Suddenly, he let go of them, crossing his wings tightly against his chest. Equally as sudden, Kris's brain had something else to latch on - or rather, a lack of something. It felt weird to miss it, but they supposed they'd always enjoyed physical pressure.

(They'd keep telling themselves that for as long as they could. It helped to distract from how lightheaded they still felt thinking about the kiss.)

“Th… that was a stupid question.” Berdly let out an awkward huff-laugh, bordering on wry. “Obviously I'm… Uh, d-disregard that, just kee-”

His sentence was cut off by a quiet chirp when Kris reached out to cup his cheek again, the same way they had when they kissed him. For a moment, the bluebird was genuinely startled, with bristling feathers, wide eyes and a sort of fearful tension in his body Kris was able to feel secondhand, but he soon relaxed into their hold, like second nature, like he was predisposed to. Kris could feel their very being melting at the sight, a warmth they weren't familiar with seeping into their chest.

(They were searching. For loose feathers.)

“Does this feel like a dream?” they murmured, running their thumb over his cheek softly.

Berdly screwed his eyes shut, face twisting with the kind of bittersweet anguish the human had never expected to see on him. When he opened them again, the longing reflected on his irises felt almost debilitating to watch.

“N…no.” he whispered, out of breath. “It shouldn't feel this tangible. It… it's terrifying.”

“Why not just… let yourself feel?” Kris cocked their head, their voice unnaturally soothing considering who they were talking to. “Like, I know that's easier said than done, but… Y'know.”

The bluebird didn't reply for a while. He looked to the side, suddenly interested in the quality of his couch's fabric, but he didn't pull away from their touch. If anything, he leaned further into it.

Eventually, his gaze found theirs again, a spark of resolution in the greenish-yellow depths.

“…You're right.” Berdly heaved a weary sigh. “This… This can't be a dream. It…”

He paused, pursing his beak as though it was hard to finish the sentence. Kris encouraged him with a gentle scratch of their fingers on his cheek.

“…My dreams are never this good.” he murmured, a small, hesitant smile tugging at his lips.

Kris had to make a noticeable effort to avoid pulling a face so embarrassing they'd never be able to come back from it. Did Berdly even realize what he was saying right now? How… how weirdly suave he was being in his attempts to move past his clear denial? It was a hard thought to stomach. That Berdly could be suave, even if unintentionally. They decided to file that for later.

“R-right.” they managed awkwardly, swallowing down the invisible lump in their throat and praying their face didn't look as warm as it felt. “That's 'cuz it isn't one. So. Y'know. Go wild. Or something.”

Berdly's eyes widened marginally. Kris felt his feathers poke their palm when he fluffed them, a vivid blush speading across his cheeks. There was little uncertainty in his expression now, though, and the disbelief in his furrowed brow was there for a different reason.

All of a sudden, as if that bit of encouragement was all he'd needed to fully let loose, his huge, fluffy wings were back on Kris's waist, slowly trailing up to their upper back, tracing their midriff as they went. The smile on his beak slowly widened, radiating so much glee Kris felt it was growing contagious.

A fit of giggles wracked the bluebird, and his smile grew so wide his eyes crinkled with mirth. Kris barely had time to catch their breath before he practically tackled them into the couch, peppering tiny, excited pecks all over their face that left them feeling dizzy, trilling as he did so like he was so happy he couldn't keep it in. The human couldn't help the shudder that wracked their body when he started pulling them closer and closer to him.

By the time Berdly had deemed them close enough, they were practically being smothered by his perfectly preened feathers, trying to ignore how their limbs felt like jelly in their body whenever he nuzzled into them to get even closer, pressing the side of his beak to their cheeks enthusiastically as if trying to kiss them without accidentally pecking at the skin. The bluebird sure was clingy. That godawful series they'd been watching was practically forgotten by now.

(Not that Kris had an issue with any of that. He was warm, too. And soft. Really soft.)

To avoid confronting the embarrassing thought and the traitorous blush that reddened their face in tandem, Kris wrenched their arms from underneath Berdly's wings, pushing him back lightly. He gave no resistance, though his flushed, puffed up face certainly looked a little dejected. And too close for Kris's comfort. They were starting to think again, and it was distracting them from their goal.

(…When was the last time they'd thought about the mission?)

“Jeez, dude, you're eager.” they chuckled, sounding way more affectionate than they reasonably should. “Slow down a little. I'm not goin' anywhere.”

Berdly blushed bright cobalt, fluffing up once more. He looked away from them, but not quickly enough to avoid letting his gaze flit over their lips. Kris didn't like how good it felt to catch him staring like that, silently yearning to kiss them again in such a delightfully obvious way.

“A-apologies, I…” he cheeped in a strained voice. “It's still hard to believe this is happening.”

“You're playing with fire here, y'know?” Kris teased in a low drawl, eyeing him up and down. “I might just decide to get you back for this.”

Amusingly, Berdly's cheeks darkened further, even as his bashful demeanor was replaced by a much more self-assured expression. Kris couldn't help but notice the way his wings slid low on their hips.

“O-oho! Is that a challenge I hear?” his voice shook with barely contained excitement, a little laugh passing through his beak. “And at this late hour? Tut, tut, Dreemurr. I expected better of you, truly.”

A smirk overtook Kris's features, slow but sure, and their arms looped around his neck as a reply. One of their hands slid up into his crest, fingers spreading through the feathers in a soothing motion akin to a pet. As soon as they felt his plumage ripple under their touch, they leaned towards his neck with a low chuckle, not close enough for their lips to touch the feathers but close enough for him to want them to.

“Everything sounds like a challenge to you.” they murmured, honeyed tone honed by casual flirting during their Dark World escapades. “You're just itching to start something you can't win, aren't you, pretty bird?”

Berdly pushed them away instinctively, though the action was anything but harsh. A little voice in the back of their head reminded them that maybe they should feel at least a little unsettled at how badly they wanted to hear his breath hitch like that again.

“Pest.” he hissed under his breath, trying and failing to cover up his wild blush and unkempt feathers with an outspread wing. “You are… s-so unfair.”

“Get back at me, then.” Kris retorted, smirk just shy of a grin. “We both know you want to.”

The moment where they got to see the bluebird's eyes flash with hunger was brief - before either of them were prepared for what was to come, he'd already pushed them into the couch again. With the way their body dented the cushions and the bluebird let out a frustrated puff of air, shaking with barely contained anticipation, they could tell this Berdly was different from the Berdly they were used to. Raw, unrestrained. Exactly the way they wanted to see him right now.

In a split second, his beak latched onto their lips again, and his intentions became crystal clear once Kris was able to practically taste his desperation. A low, growly chirrup rumbled in his throat as he parted his beak lightly, kissing them over and over again, almost obsessive in the jittery way he moved back and forth just to get enough air to kiss them longer.

To their dismay, the human didn't hesitate to reciprocate his uncharacteristically bold display, kissing him deeper as a reminder of who was really in charge. This was the opposite of a punishment, if the low, wavering moan they got in return was anything to go by. But Kris was well aware of this, and they intended to use this knowledge for the greater good.

(If by “the greater good”, one meant “getting Berdly hooked on kissing them until he was the one who was put in his place”. But that was neither here nor there.)

Berdly refused to go down without a fight, though, just as they'd expected - as they'd hoped. Though he struggled to recover from their barrage of kisses, he retaliated soon enough, kneading their hips (and, by extension, their midriff) gently with his massive, greedy wings.

“Insufferable. You're- Y-you make me stupid, you know that?” the bluebird hissed between kisses, heaving desperate breaths as though he couldn't bring himself to stop even for the sake of his oxygen intake. “Not fair. Why'd you- Mnh- Why'd you have to feel so good to kiss? So much better than I…”

He cut himself off with yet another hasty kiss, chirruping softly when Kris's hands gripped at the feathers on his crest needily until they'd gotten a fistful of them. The myriad of delicious noises parsing through his beak felt like water in their brain, drowning out any other thoughts they could have possibly had. Angel above, what was he doing to them?

“Can't be a dream… Couldn't have imagined this…” the words hastily stumbled out of his mouth in an avalanche, just coherent enough for Kris to understand them, and a loving, needy sigh soon followed. “Mh… Too good…”

They could have believed their SOUL was still nice and snug inside their chest cavity, with the way the bluebird's slurred sentences invigorated them until the only thing they could do about their surge of emotion was break his obsessive kissing streak with one of their own, infinitely more assertive and craving to get a proper taste of his beak again.

(Maybe it would be as saccharine as his ridiculous words.)

Berdly had no qualms with this. As soon as they took the reins, a melodic warble rumbled against their lips and the wings wrapped around their body became more frantic, craving to touch in the most restrained way he could manage. And when they pulled away again to catch their breath, they could have sworn he'd let out a little whine of protest.

“Smooth.” Kris chuckled breathily, peppering kisses along the edge of his beak. “Anything else you have to say?”

The bluebird stared at them in a thoughtless haze, feathers ruffled, cheeks flushed, and heaving with the effort of breathing properly. In the heat of the moment, Kris allowed themselves to admire just how pretty he looked, dazed, wide-eyed, glasses askew, peering down at them and engulfing their entire midriff in his wandering wings - only for a split second, of course. It was a disconcerting realization. One they welcomed, oddly enough.

“You look beautiful when you're dead set on making me forget my name.” he murmured shakily, completely awestruck.

Kris was fully certain the heat that blossomed across their entire body rivaled the temperature of the sun, making them feel giddy and dismayed and endeared all at the same time. Fuck. That kiss-drunk tone of his was unfairly attractive. They couldn't even imagine the way they looked right now, trying their best to compute the compliment they had been completely caught off guard by. It was even harder to imagine how red their face surely was, and that thought was making them very, very flustered.

In the end, their solution to this conundrum was a strained grumble of embarrassment followed by burying their face in the crook of Berdly's fluffy neck, both to hide their cherry-colored cheeks and to find out how it felt to nuzzle into his plumage. It had an optimal texture, they concluded.

They drank the bluebird's cedarwood scent, uncaring as to how weird that was to do. Angel, his feathers were driving them mad, and it didn't help that Berdly's reaction was worsening any possible compulsions they could have. What business did he have, chirruping the way he did, squirming as they nuzzled him and yet actively making it easier for them to do so by craning his neck? He had a lot to say about their unfairness, but conveniently failed to mention his own. Hypocrite.

The urge to cause mischief soon overrode everything else, and the human deemed it more important to start peppering soft kisses along the down of his neck, sighing sweetly at how incredibly soft it felt, over weighing the pros and cons of their impulsive decision. The tiny feathers stuck perpendicularly against Berdly's skin when he took in a sharp breath, tickling Kris's lips and nose with how they twitched.

Seeing him so needy, so pathetic, dragging his wings down their back as he barely bit back hushed warbles of bliss with a couple of slurred pleas mixed in… It just made them want to make him melt even more. To go a little further.

And go further they did.

They pulled back just a tiny amount and allowed their warm breaths to wash over Berdly's plumage, silently relishing in how his whimpers grew in pitch and he exposed even more of his neck to them. Then, careful as could be, they nibbled and tugged at the skin where his neck met his shoulders until they were sure a mark would be left behind, eliciting a full body shudder from the bluebird. They couldn't wait to feel him ripple like that again.

However, though he'd initially been pulling them closer and tracing every muscle on their back with his index feathers, a strangled gasp was suddenly torn from him, and he began lightly pushing them away instead.

“Nh- Kris-” he hissed out, sounding out of breath in the most addicting of ways. “S-stop- Stop.”

Kris pulled back without a second thought, a pit of worry forming in their gut. When they gave him a quick once over to make sure everything was okay, they found him on the brink of unraveling, half lidded greenish eyes barely managing to focus on them. Oddly enough, he… didn't look upset at all.

“W-was it something I did?” they found themselves stammering, brow creasing with concern.

“No no no!” Berdly's scratchy, very much winded voice was immediate and reassuring. He shook his head frantically to complement his words, scattering feathers when he did so. “N-nothing of the sort, dearest - quite the contrary, actually!”

(Kris ignored the pet name for the sake of their mental health.)

“It's just that… I-it's almost three in the morning and I fear I'll never get any sleep if I allow this to continue.” he admitted bashfully, scratching the side of his neck (right around where Kris had left their hickey, as if he was trying to get a feel for it discreetly).

“That good, huh?” the human teased, in part to distract from how flattered that admission had made them feel.

In return, they got a face full of feathers as Berdly smothered them with one giant wing, pushing their head into the back of the couch. Kris didn't resist, instead smiling cheekily into his palm.

“Quiet.” he hissed, but the human could tell just from his voice just how flustered he was. “Your allure will not save you from my wrath if you decide to get smug with me.”

At last, Kris swatted his wing away, their legs swinging off the couch so they could stretch them properly. Berdly had done a number on them, caging them between himself and the cushions, and they could almost still feel the ghost of his wings tracing the curve of their body, but in the midst of all the chaos, they'd finally gotten what they were there for. It was about time they took their leave - they'd extended their stay far too much already.

“Well, better get going, then.” they mumbled halfheartedly, moving farther away on the couch. “Y'know, since it's so late. 'Night, Berdly.”

“W-wait.”

A wing jolted out to wrap around their wrist awkwardly before they even placed one foot on the ground, almost as if the action was instinctive rather than premeditated. When they turned back to look at the bluebird it belonged to, the playfully exasperated look they were planning to put on withered away as soon as they were face to face with him and the barely concealed longing shining in his eyes struck them like a hunter's crossbow.

For a brief moment, he seemed to regret his impulsive outburst, but the doubt didn't linger long enough for him to not follow through with whatever he wanted to say. His grip tightened just enough for Kris to feel it, but not so much that it felt constricting.

(In the depths of their being, Kris knew what he wanted to say before he even opened his beak to speak.)

“Um…” Berdly's voice was meek, too meek. Kris didn't know how to react to it. “It isn't really… that late, actually. Wh…what's stopping you from staying a bit longer?”

Kris couldn't help but snicker at the wording. They'd expected Berdly to get annoyed at that, but on the contrary, he looked almost lovesick, staring at them dazedly.

“Wow, you are really bad at pretending to be nonchalant.” they joked.

Berdly pointedly looked away, cheeks bluer than they were a moment before. “I don't know what you're talking about.”

Against any better judgement they could've possibly had, Kris sank into the couch cushions properly, scooting over to nudge Berdly, then sort of leaning on him. He initially flinched at the unexpected contact, but just as quickly returned the gesture, gluing himself to them like opposite poles of a magnet.

“If you wanted me to stay the night, you could've just said so.” the grin on their face was nothing short of shit-eating.

The bluebird bristled. “N-not what I said whatsoever!”

“My point exactly!” Kris gave him another well-timed nudge, chuckling softly. “Admit it with your whole chest, birdie. Don't hold back.”

At their words, Berdly hesitated. Not in the typical way where he was trying to find an excuse to avoid the subject, but in the way he hesitated when he was psyching himself up to be vulnerable. It was a sort of reluctance Kris didn't often see in him. The sort they enjoyed.

It seemed that his final decision was to surprise them for a change, because the wing closest to their left hand slid over it until his feathers completely enveloped it, squeezing gently. Then, with a slow, meaningful turn of his head, he gazed into their eyes, and the human was given front row seats to the thousand prayers that shone in the depths of his greenish-yellow irises. His pupils shrank and grew rapidly the longer he stared, and his Adam's apple bobbed when he swallowed, as though it'd make it easier to speak.

(Kris didn't think about how big his wing was. Kris didn't want to think about how badly they wanted to be swaddled by him until they had no choice but to stay.)

“I want to wake up to you.” he confessed, low and fearful, like a secret he'd never told before. “I want… I want this to have mattered. If I wake up on my couch with you next to me, then… I'll know that it happened. And that it meant something.”

Truthfully, Kris had intended to leave. Their words hadn't been a bluff; they'd gotten what they came here for, so it only made sense to hightail it back home and pretend they couldn't still feel Berdly's wings on their waist or taste his beak on the tip of their tongue. They had inwardly told themselves that no matter what he said, they wouldn't let their weak will reel them into a less than ideal situation.

But now, their throat felt dry, and they found that they couldn't leave anymore.

“Please, Kris, let this be real. If… if not for a bit longer.” Berdly insisted in a hushed murmur, just shy of begging. “Stay with me. Don't leave.”

Refusing to let regret and embarrassment get the better of them, Kris grabbed the wing squeezed around their hand with their free one, smiling softly at him. Their skin should not be prickling pleasurably at the breathy tone of his voice. That nerd flustered them too easily for his own good.

“I really didn't want to.” they admitted, just as quietly as he had.

Slowly but surely, Berdly returned their smile, and an unspoken agreement settled between the two of them. Step by step, they went through the motions of getting ready to sleep on the couch (which was definitely not fit for two people to sleep in), their only sources of heat the single blanket Berdly had taken from his nest and each other's far more enticing body warmth. With the low murmuring of whatever show the TV was playing now droning on in the background, Kris's eyelids grew heavier by the second, and Berdly's comforting weight provided just the right amount of pressure for a good night's sleep.

Kris had climbed through Berdly's nestroom window with one goal in mind. Instead, they came out of this absolutely ridiculous situation far too aware of their ugly crush for their liking and with the knowledge of just how needy the arrogant bluebird could be when he was really infatuated with someone. And that they happened to be the someone in question.

Realistically, this should be unbearably embarrassing. They should feel like a dumb, sappy idiot for caving into that nagging urge they'd been hard at work attempting to snuff out for over a week and trying and failing to pass it off as a last minute lie. They should attempt to astral project into the afterlife forever, quite frankly.

…But Berdly was cooing right in their ear with how tightly he was holding them. And he was really, really comfortable. Like a giant pillow, one that was warm the way only a living being would be.

So really, what could they do besides letting sleep take them? This was undoubtedly going to be a problem for next morning's Kris, but just for tonight, they were free to nuzzle into fluffy feathers and let the droning sound of their maybe-possibly-boyfriend's coos lull them into what they knew would be the best sleep of the past couple weeks.

(And if the feather in their pocket ended up crumpled, it was the violet flower's problem.)

[…]

Seth lumbered back to the table where their prized feather laid, carrying a massive stack of books almost half as tall as them and struggling to keep them all from toppling over. Flowery would summon them for the final fight any moment now, and even though they'd wasted no time sticking their nose into the first avian-related book they could find after playing “jail” with Aqua to get out of that cellar, they were no closer to inferring any new information about their hero.

It was illogical. It made no sense. They'd flipped through countless books by now - surely at least one of them would be of use! Could it be that books didn't hold the truth to everything after all? But they'd done so much research on what it meant to, well… research! This wasn't making any sense!

They supposed they'd found out Berdly was a mountain bluebird, and that the feather Kris had given them typically grew along the middle to lower back, but still. Was it too much to ask to know just a little bit more about the things he-

“Uuuuu, whatcha doin'?” an airy, higher pitched voice broke the Plantner out of their thoughts.

Seth only barely managed to pull their scattered research closer to them before Aqua slumped over the left side of the table, flowy sleeves draping over stray papers. They pushed their glasses up when they pinched the bridge of their nose, eyes screwed shut in annoyance.

“Aqua!!” they hissed through gritted teeth. “Get off the table!”

The girl cocked her head. “Why?”

“Because!” Seth hissed. “I'm researching!”

“Why?”

“So I can learn more about my avian hero!”

“Why?”

“So he will-” the violet flower cut themselves off with an awkward cough, feeling a flush rise to their cheeks. “Uh- For the sake of knowledge!”

Aqua's teeth poked out in a cheeky grin. “Why?”

“Because that's what I do???” Seth's voice strained as they fought to avoid raising it too much. “Enough pestering already!”

Unbothered, the light blue Plantner merely flipped over so that she was no longer laying on her back. Seth couldn't see her eyes, but prolonged exposure to Aqua had trained them to recognize when she was staring at something so hard she was practically boring holes into it. And right now, that something was the feather.

“What's that?” she drawled.

Her sleeve dragged along the table when she stretched out her hand to either point at it or grab it. Seth wasn't taking any chances either way.

“Hands off.” they snapped, swiping the feather off the table. “It's for my research.”

“Booooriiing!” she groaned, crossing her arms. At the very least, she'd finally stopped laying on the table. “Always research with you. You never wanna do fun stuff.”

“I have no time for that.” Seth huffed. “Knowledge calls.”

“Just don't pick up!” Aqua retorted matter-of-factly, giggling. “Play a guessing game with me! I'm tired of jail.”

The violet Plantner groaned inwardly, shooting a dismal glance at an invisible camera as though they were on that show Asgore liked to watch on the weekends. They weren't getting out of this one any other way, were they?

“Alright, fine. Guessing game.” they conceded. They presented the feather again, twirling it between their fingers. “Guess what this is.”

Their friend's answer was immediate. “Feather!”

“Where did it come from?”

“Kris!” another equally as swift response.

Seth shook their head. “Some humans have feathers, but Kris's wouldn't have been blue.”

“Hmmm…” Aqua put a sleeve to her chin thoughtfully. “Bird guy!”

“Too vague.”

“Berdy!” she corrected with a huff.

“Close enough.” the flower snickered to themselves. “How did Kris get it?”

“Broke into his house and stole it!”

Seth choked on air, thoroughly unprepared for that answer.

“What?!” they yelped, their jaw hanging open.

“They told me at night!” the girl elaborated, shifting her feet so that she was swaying from side to side. “Whispered it really quietly so the others wouldn't hear! I was sleepy, but I still heard it!”

“Y-you can't possibly…” outrage bubbled up from within Seth's body. “How dare you imply Berdly would ever be that careless?!”

“Did I win?” Aqua asked, still with that insufferable cheeky smile.

“No???” Seth stared at her incredulously, throwing their arms in the air. “You got it wrong, for book's sake! That means you lost!”

“But the game was to get you mad, right?” she giggled.

Seth aggressively swatted the air around Aqua as though she was a fly, grumbling angrily to themselves. Aqua dodged every swing flawlessly, looking no less pleased with the current situation.

“Just go bother Blue or something!!” they screeched. “Out! Out!!”

The Plantner watched as their friend twirled away in the air amidst a fit of giggles, just as breezy as she had been when she'd shown up. Ugh. The nerve. They couldn't believe she'd imply something like that.  It didn't matter that they didn't really have an answer to the last question they'd asked her and had been subtly coaxing her into hypothesizing with them via the guessing game - any answer would be more logical than that!

…But then what else would justify the look in Kris's eyes? The apprehension in their stance while they waited for Seth to take the feather? Why would they be that embarrassed at getting caught, unless they'd obtained their prized possession through less than honorable means?

(Seth recalled the blush that had spread like wildfire once Susie skeptically asked Kris about the feather's origins, the way in which the human bowed their head in embarrassment like they were trying to hide their flushed face.)

No. No, Kris hadn't done something as ridiculous as that. Their idol was too smart to ever allow it to happen. The reason had to be more grounded in reality.

…Right?