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You used to be so… strong. My little killer. Now look at you. Defending someone as weak as Parrot.
You will… fall.
Theo’s eyes shot open. His heart raced as he tried to gain his bearings again. Gray feathers ruffled, he gripped his sheets, counting in his mind.
5 things he can see. The blanket, my hand, my pillow, the floor… and the lamp.
4 things he can feel. The pillow my head is on, the blanket on top of me, the sheet under me, and… he shifted to stretch his arm. The cold floor.
3 things he can hear. The breeze, the air conditioning, and Parrot snoring in the other room.
2 things he can smell. The blankets, since I just washed them, and… well. There really wasn’t much else.
1 thing he could taste. Does the toothpaste from earlier count? he wondered.
Parrot was the one who taught him to regulate like that. The same man who kept him awake by snoring. At least he’s having a good dream. Theo sighed and looked at the ceiling. It was a calm night, with no rain or much wind, a rarity this time of year.
The cockatiel tried to close his eyes again, just to be met by the sight of Shoebilly. He really, truly, hated that man. The face of the shoebill taunted him every time he closed his eyes, even if it took a few minutes for the form to come back. Theo could hardly even remember what he was dreaming about anymore, just the shove before he woke up.
Eventually, Theo decided sleep was futile for the night. If Parrot asked why he was so tired, he’d… well, he wasn’t sure what he’d say. He’d told Parrot plenty of things before, but his life with Billy wasn’t one. He wasn’t sure Parrot would want to hear about it either, given that the stress of running the potion shop was wearing both of them thin. Maybe that’s why I’ve been having bad dreams so often, Theo pondered. Back then, life was almost simple. He trained, and he killed. It’s what I was made for… right?
Theo sat up and put his face in his hands. Why was he letting Billy get into his head at such an early hour? He told himself long ago that he wouldn’t live that way anymore. Don’t attack unless attacked first. All you’ll do is get yourself into more trouble.
And still, the flame bow called to him.
Theo decided to get up and walk for a bit. He could take the flame bow for safety. He closed the door to his room and stopped for a moment by Parrot’s door.
“Theo?” the macaw called out.
Damn it.
Theo considered just telling him to go back to bed, and that he would be back in a minute, but that would cause more trouble than a walk was worth. Especially with a suspicious looking flame bow. So he stepped into Parrot’s room, leaving the bow next to the door.
“Hey,” Theo said, sitting on the edge of the bed. “Did I wake you?”
“No, I was already awake,” Parrot hummed.
“Yeah, and I’m deaf. I heard you snoring.”
“Where are you going?”
“Just… on a walk.” Theo looked down at his hands, folded neatly in his lap. “I uh, can’t really sleep.”
“Why not?” Parrot finally sat up, and Theo could see the concern in his face, though the moon behind the macaw made it difficult.
“I don’t really want to talk about it.” Theo moved to stand. “I’ll go back to bed. Goodnight, Parrot.”
“Are you sure Theo?” Parrot reached for his arm, trying to hold him back. “I don’t mind if you want to stay for a while. It’s nice having company.”
Theo let out a soft chuckle. “It’s just a bad dream. Don’t worry man.” He turned to leave, but Parrot interrupted him again.
“I mean, I am worried. I care about you, Theo.” The macaw looked up at him, almost pleading for the cockatiel to stay a while.
“I don’t want to bother you with such… trivial things. We have better things to worry about, and a shop to run in the morning.” Theo felt guilty, knowing it’d be just as easy to pour himself out to his friend. But he figured that there was no sense in that, because anything he shared could be used against him. That’s how it was with Billy, at least.
But Parrot wasn’t Billy. Parrot had no reason to make Theo doubt him. So, when the macaw raised an eyebrow at Theo, seeing straight through his excuse, the cockatiel sat down, his crest flattening as he did.
“You uh, you know about Shoebilly, right?” Theo asked, looking towards his hands again. He hadn’t realized he’d been fidgeting.
“Of course… why?”
So Theo’s story began. “He was my mentor.” His feathers ruffled at the admission. “He took me in when no one else looked my way.”
“I thought you-”
“I haven’t told you a lot of things, Parrot. So I’m not sure what you believe.” The cockatiel looked back to the macaw. “He wasn’t bad to me, I don’t think. I don’t have much else to compare it with though. I’ve known him almost all my life. He’s the one who taught me to not show, to not have weaknesses. Because he used them against me if I did.”
When Parrot’s eyes widened, Theo began his story. His life unfolding from when he was a young kid, how he met Billy as a young teen with nowhere else to go, and how the shoebill taught him to be the way he was. At some point, he laid down, describing his dream like it was some sort of fantasy world. One where he’d never been able to escape the grasp of his mentor. One where he never made it to Capitol City. Where he never found Parrot, until it was too late. One where he took pity on the macaw, instead of using his talons as they’d been meant for, sharpened like a blade in the heat of Billy’s flame. Billy had to take matters into his own talons there. Billy had taken care of them both.
“But I try not to really think of him anymore. I know he’s not dead, he would never let himself get taken out. There’s nothing that could take him out besides himself.” Theo sighed. “He’s practically invincible.” He lay facing Parrot, who was looking particularly peaceful in the light of the moon. The macaw’s gentle features entranced the cockatiel. Though, Parrot could say the same about Theo right now too.
“Theo… you know you’ll never have to go back to him, right?” Parrot murmured to him. “I would never let him take you from me. You’re my best friend.” He smiled at the other. He would do anything to keep Theo here, to keep him happy.
“Really?” Theo asked.
“I mean, why else would I let you lay down in this bed with me?” The macaw giggled as he suddenly realized the proximity to the other bird. “And don’t deny that you don’t like it.” He poked the other’s cheek.
Theo’s cheeks turned a soft pink, and he averted his gaze to the ceiling. “Nah… I’m too big of a bird to stay in here. Don’t want to push you off the bed by accident.” He moved to sit up and go back to his bed, but Parrot grabbed his arm and pulled him down into a hug.
“You’re staying here, Theo.” Parrot said. “In this bed. You’re not going to walk anywhere. If you want to think bad things, you can think them out loud. I’ll tell you everything wrong about all those bad thoughts.” Anything to keep the cockatiel with him a little longer.
“I think a lot of bad things, Parrot.” Like how I’ve killed hundreds of innocent players for rent.
“You doubt my yapping abilities?” Parrot almost sounded offended.
Theo couldn’t argue with that. He moved his head into the crook of the macaw’s shoulder. “I don’t want to be a murderer. I never did.”
“I know,” was all Parrot said.
“I just needed somewhere to stay. Food to eat.”
“I know.”
“… Is that all?” The cockatiel asked.
“I can’t change what you’ve done. Neither can you. You needed those things. He gave them to you, even if for a price.” Parrot pulled away for a moment to look at Theo’s face. “But look at me. I wouldn’t let a dangerous person hide in here with me.”
Theo pondered that for a moment. He wondered if the dream was an omen. Maybe Parrot wasn’t safe with him. “I’m a hazard to you, dude. Billy’s gonna find me one day.”
“We’ll figure it out when he gets here.” Parrot brought him back into his embrace. Anything to keep his little bird happy.
“You shouldn’t have to,” Theo mumbled.
“I’m choosing to.”
This time, Theo believed it.