Archive of Our Own

It was just another ordinary day on their peaceful life. The morning was fairly quiet, with the village slowly coming to life around them.

Shopkeepers were opening their stalls, people carrying basket from one place to another, and the smell of freshly cooked food drifted through the crowd. 

Parrot was walking through the village market with Wemmbu by his side, their hands firmly clasped together as they made their way through the crowd. 

In his other hand, Parrot held a small piece of paper with a list of the things they needed to buy later. He glanced down at it every now and then, quietly going over everything in his head. 

"Okay.. So we need two bunches of water spinach and a quarter kilo of chilies..." Parrot muttered to himself, eyes moved down the list. "Oh, maybe we should get some tofu too."

He paused for a moment. 

"But.. Would the others even eat it? Hmm.."

He frowned slightly as if the question were somehow much more complicated than it really was. 

Ever since Parrot had started working odd jobs around the village, mostly washing clothes and delivering food, he had finally able to earn enough money to buy proper groceries for the four of them. It wasn't much, but it was enough to keep food on the table. 

Most of the time, Parrot had to be careful with every coun he spent. He simply couldn't buy whatever looked good. Everything had to be considered first. 

How much rice did they have left, how long would the vegetables last, even if they did still have enough money for tomorrow. 

It was.. A Little exhausting. 

Tho, Parrot had gotten used to it. 

Meanwhile Wemmbu was walked quietly beside him. His small hand remained wrapped around Parrot's, while his tail swayed gently from side to side with every step. 

In his other hand, he carried small basket they had brought along for their groceries. At first, Wemmbu was mostly focused on keeping up with Parrot. 

Then.. He began noticing the decorations around them. 

There were colorful banners hanging outside several shops, some stalls even offering discounts.. While the others had little signs displayed proudly near their entrances. 

But, they all had something in common. 

Celebrating Mother's Day. 

Wemmbu knew what Mother's day was, he still remembered it from when he was younger. 

Back then, he used to make a little gifts for his biological mother. Sometimes they were handmade cards, sometimes even small things he'd found around the house that he thought she might like. 

He would always give them to her with the same hopeful feeling, wondering if this time she might smile at him. 

But.. She never did. 

Instead, most of the gifts ended up being thrown away. 

Wemmbu had never understood why. 

He always thought there had to he something wrong with the things he made. Maybe the drawings weren't good enough.. Maybe his hand writing was messy, or even he hadn't picked the right gift. 

He never considered that the problem might have never been the gifts in the first place. So, whenever Mother's Day came around, Wemmbu had learned to keep quiet. 

He didn't ask for anything, nor expecting anything.. Even he certainly didn't mention it. 

"Wemmbu?"

Parrot's voice suddenly pulled him out of his thoughts. Wemmbu blinked before finally looking up at him, "Yeah?"

Parrot smiled softly. 

"What do you think you want to eat later?"

There. 

There was something gentle the way he asked it. His voice carried none of the impatience Wemmbu had grown accustomed to hearing from other people. 

Just.. A genuinely wanted to know. 

Wemmbu stared at him for a second, before he finally found his voice.

"I... Don't- know." He looked ahead, thinking. "Anything is fine."

Then after another silence, he added quietly, "i kinda want to try fish." His voice became a little uncertain toward the end, "but it's fine. Whatever you want is okay."

Parrot blink for a while, then let out a small quiet chuckle. 

"Fish, huh?"

He reached over and gently ruffled Wemmbu's hair, earning a small almost reluctant smile from the younger boy. 

"Alright, we'll see.."

Parrot then reached into his pocket, and pulled out his small little wallet. He opened it while continuing to walk, carefully counting the money inside. 

His eyes moved between the bills and the stalls around them. Fish.. Wasn't exactly cheap. Especially not enough for three or four people.. 

Parrot quietly counted everything again, his brows knitting together as he did the math in his head. Maybe.. Maybe two kilos would be enough, or maybe three if they could find a cheaper seller. Tho, he wasn't sure yet. 

But as he looked down at Wemmbu walking beside him, Parrot found himself smiling faintly. He could figure out to get more money later. 

For now, he just wanted to make sure his little brother got the fish he'd been asking for.

Meanwhile.. Wemmbu watched quietly as Parrot counted the money in his wallet again. Not just once, but twice.. Just to make sure. 

His fingers moved carefully between the bills, separating them one by one before putting them back together. His expression remained calm, but Wemmbu could tell that he was thinking hard. 

The younger boy's ears slowly drooped, suddenly he regretted of what he said earlier. 

Maybe he shouldn't have asked got fish. 

He knew how expensive it could be. He used seen Parrot count money like this before, especially whenever they were running low on food. 

Parrot never complained about it, but Wemmbu learned to recognize that little crease between his eyebrows. 

It meant Parrot was worried. 

Wemmbu open his mouth slightly, wanting to say something like 'Nevermind' or 'forget what i said..' But the words never come out. 

Instead, he lowered his gaze and tightened his grip around Parrot's hand, he decided to not say anything. Tho.. whatever divine revelation he got from, Parrot realized his expression.

"Hm?' He glanced down. 

Wemmbu immediately looked away, Parrot stay silent for a moment.. Before finally asking with asking, "something wrong?"

Wemmbu stay silent.. Before shaking his head. 

"Nothing."

Parrot narrowed his eyes slightly. 

"You sure?"

Wemmbu nodded. 

"Yeah."

There was a brief silence between them. 

Parrot looked at him for another second before eventually signing softly, he didn't push the question any further. 

Instead, he closed his wallet and slipped it back into his pocket. 

"Alright then." Parrot smiled, "We'll get some fish."

Wemmbu blinked. 

"But─"

"I said we'll get it."

"But it's expensive.."

"I know that."

"Then why─"

"Because you wanted it."

Parrot said it so casually that even Wemmbu didn't know how to respon. The younger boy stared at him for a few seconds before finally found his voice.. 

"But what about the others..?"

Parrot look at Wemmbu for a while, he didn't answer. Instead, he smiling as gently tugging Wemmbu along as they continued through the market. 

Eventually, they reaches one of the fish stalls. 

There were  baskets filled with freshly caught fish displayed on top of a wooden table, still glistening under the morning sunlight. The seller was an older man who was busy arranging his goods when he noticed Parrot approaching. 

He immediately recognized him. 

"Parrot!"

Parrot smiling as he looked up. 

"Good morning Mr. Jade!"

The old man give him a wide smile, as looking down and seeing Wemmbu on his hand. 

"What can i get for ya?" He finally asked, knowing very well that Parrot here for buying some groceries. 

Parrot eyes briefly moved toward the fish. The fish looked fresh and clean, Parrot used his index finger and pointed at the fish. 

"I was actually wondering how much these are."

Mr. Jade smile as he chuckled slightly, "Well.. It's depends on his much you're buying."

Parrot glanced at Wemmbu, before he then back at the fish. Inside his mind, he was thinking .. 

"Well.. Maybe two kilos..?"

... 

Wemmbu's eyes widened slightly, while Mr. Jade actually raided an eyebrow. 

"Two kilos?"

"Yeah"

Parrot said, but there is slight hesitated on his voice. 

"Unless.. That's too expensive."

The seller stared at him for a moment before shaking his head like Parrot just insulted him personally. 

"Really? You still worrying about that?"

Parrot blinked. 

"What?"

"You've been coming here for months, kid." Mr. Jade laughed quietly, "i know you're trying to feed those little ones of yours."

Hearing that, Parrot's expression softened slightly. "Oh.." He scratched the back of his neck, looking a little embarrassed. "We'll... I still have to pay."

"Of course you do." Mr. Jade reached for one of the fish, "but I'll give you a little discount."

Parrot immediately shook his head. 

"You don't have to."

"I know."

The old man smiled. 

"I'm choosing to."

Parrot went quiet. For a moment.. He didn't know what to say. 

There were people in the village who knew about him. Almost every knew, in some way. 

The teenager who was always carrying groceries. 

The boy who worked odd jobs despite being far too young to doing so. 

The older brother who was always seen walking around with three younger children following behind him, like a chicks following their mother. 

The teenager with no parents. 

That was what some people called him. 

Sometimes, Parrot could feel the stares following him whenever he walked through the village. Some people looked after him strangely, as if they were trying to figure out what kind of family could possibly leave a teenager to raise three children by himself. 

Others also looked at him with pity, but didn't do anything about it. While some people.. Simply helped. 

A Little extra food here. 

A discount there. 

Sometimes someone would give him leftover ingredients at the end of the day, telling him they had no use got them anyway. 

Parrot always tried to refuse at first. He hated feeling like he owed someone something. 

But eventually, he learned that refusing every bit of kindness wasn't going to help him feed his siblings. 

So he accepted. 

"Thank you," Parrot finally said. 

Mr. Jade nodded. 

"Don't mention it."

He weighed the fish before placing it into a bag. 

"And since it's Mother's day soon, I'll make the discount a little bigger."

Parrot paused. 

"Mother's day?"

"Yeah."

Parrot silence for a while.. While Mr. Jade looked a little surprised. 

"You didn't know?" He finally asked. 

Parrot shook his head. 

"I've been busy.."

"Well, you should take advantage of the discounts around the village. A lot of shops are doing special prices this week."

"Oh." Parrot looked around, "that's explains all the decorations."

The seller laughed 

"Exactly."

Parrot paid for the fish after the discount was applied, carefully putting the remaining money back into his wallet. 

Wemmbu stood beside him the entire time. 

But while Parrot was talking with Mr. Jade, Wemmbu's attention had already wandered elsewhere. 

He looked around the market, everywhere he looked.. There were signs. 

Red ribbons. 

Little cards hanging from shop windows, and posters advertising Mother's Day discounts. 

Some shops had written massages about how important mothers were, some even had special gift baskets displayed near their entrances. 

Wemmbu stared at them. 

For some reason, his chest feel a little strange. 

It was almost like the entire village had suddenly decided that mothers were the most important people in the world. 

And maybe..

They were. 

At least, that's what everyone seemed to believe. 

Wemmbu watched a woman laugh with her daughter, outside one of the stores. 

The little girl was holding her mother's hand while pointing excitedly toward a display in the window, they looked.. Happy. 

Wemmbu quickly looked away, his fingers tightened around the handle of their shopping basket. 

"Hey."

Parrot's voice come from behind him. 

Wemmbu looked up, seeing Parrot was holding the bag of fish in one hand. 

"You okay little starlight?"

Wemmbu hesitated. 

"Yeah."

Parrot titled his head. 

"You've been quiet."

"I'm always quiet."

"Not this quiet."

Wemmbu looked down, for a moment.. He thought about telling him. 

He thought about the Mother's Day signs. 

The old memories. 

The gifts he used to make. 

The way they were always thrown away. 

But instead, he simply shook his head. 

"I'm fine."

Parrot stared at him for a moment, then his expression softened. 

"Alright then."

He didn't force him to talk. 

He never really did. 

Instead Parrot reached down and gently took Wemmbu's hand again. 

"Come on."

"Where?"

"We still need vegetables."

Wemmbu looked at the bag of fish. 

"And.. That's enough?"

"For now."

Parrot smiled. 

"We'll figure out the rest."

Wemmbu nodded quietly, they continued walking through the market together. 

Parrot carried the groceries. 

Wemmbu's carried the basket. 

And neither of them said anything about Mother's Day again. 

But as they passed another shop decorated with flowers and signs celebrating mothers. Wemmbu couldn't help but glance at it one more time. 

For everyone else in the village, Mother's Day seemed to be something warm. 

Something that worth celebrating. 

Something that made people smile. 

For Wemmbu, it was simply another reminder of someone who had once been there.. And had chosen to leave. 

By the time they finally made it back to the cottage, the morning had already turned into a warm afternoon. 

The familiar little house come into view at the end of the path, looking exactly the same as when they had left it. The windows were slightly open, letting the warm air inside, while the faint sound of movement could be heard from somewhere beyond the front door. 

Parrot shifted the grocery inside the basket in his hands, before reaching for the door. 

"Alright, we're home. And before anyone asks, yes, i bought the fish, so don't start fighting over who gets the biggest piece."

He slowly open the door.. 

He didn't even get the chance to take another step. 

"MAMAAAAA!"

A small blur come rushing toward him. 

Parrot's eyes widened, "WH─"

Spoke immediately threw himself into Parrot's arms, wrapping both of his little arms around his neck (yes, if u ask is he jumps at him, the answer is yes.) 

He nearly knocking him backward. 

"Whoa- hey hey! Easy little one!"

"Mama!"

Wemmbu immediately covered both of his ears. 

"Spoke! You're going to make deaf!"

The younger boy ignored him completely, happily clinging to Parrot while giggling against his shoulder. 

"Mama! You're back!"

Parrot couldn't help but laugh at the sight. 

"Yes, I'm back. And i can see that you missed me."

"I did!"

"You saw me this morning."

"I still missed you."

Parrot's expression softened, he adjusted his hold on Spoke before gently patting his back. 

"Alright little Twilight. I missed you too."

Spoke immediately grinned. Meanwhile behind them, Flamefrags came running through the doorway, looking completely exhausted. 

"Parrot!"

Parrot looked over his shoulder. 

"What happened to you, Flame?"

Flamefrags bent over slightly, trying to catch his breath. "Spoke.. Hahh .. Wouldn't stop running around, while you were gone. I tried to catch him, but he kept hiding behind the furniture.."

Then he pointed at Spoke, like he was pointing a thief. 

"AND THEN SOMEHOW, he MANAGED to get into the kitchen even though i told him not to!"

Spoke gasped dramatically from Parrot's arms. 

"I wasn't doing anything!"

Flamefrags looked at him with disbelief. 

"You were literally standing on the chair!"

"i wanted to see the window!"

"You ALMOST FELL!"

"BUT I DIDN'T!"

Parrot sighed, though the smile on his face gave away how amused he actually was. 

"Alright, enough. Nobody is allowed to climb on furniture while I'm gone, understood?"

Spoke nodded innocently. 

"Yes, mama!"

Parrot stared at him. 

"You really like calling me that, huh?"

Spoke giggled. 

"Yeah!"

Wemmbu rolled his eyes, but there was a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. Parrot shook his head and carried Spoke toward the kitchen. 

"Come on. Let's just put the groceries away before somebody decides to eat everything without waiting for lunch."

"I wouldn't do that," Flamefrags said as he followed. 

Parrot glanced at him. 

"You ate half the bread yesterday."

"That was different."

"How?"

"I was hungry."

"You were supposed to wait for dinner."

"I couldn't."

Parrot laughed under his breath. 

"Of course you couldn't."

The kitchen soon became busy again. 

Parrot placed the vegetables on the counter and began sorting through the groceries while Flamefrags tried to help. Wemmbu set the basket down near the table and quietly watched them. 

Spoke, however, still had no intention of letting Parrot put him down. 

Eventually, Parrot sighed and reached for a long piece of cloth. 

"Alright, come here. If you're going to cling to me all day, at least make yourself useful."

Spoke blinked. 

"How?"

"You can be my backpack."

"My backpack?"

"Exactly."

Parrot carefully tied the cloth around his back and settled Spoke against him, making sure he was secure before turning back toward the stove. 

Spoke looked delighted. 

"I'm a backpack!"

"Yes yes, you're a very noisy backpack." Parrot said, teasingly. 

"I'm not noisy!"

"You yelled 'Mama' loud enough for the entire village to hear outside our forest."

Spoke giggled. 

Flamefrags snickered from the table. 

Wemmbu smiled too. 

It was ordinary scene.. Parrot preparing lunch while Spoke hanging comfortably from the back. 

Flamefrags sitting nearby and occasionally stealing pieces of vegetables whenever Parrot wasn't looking. 

And Wemmbu simply watching all of it. 

But.. As he looked at Parrot moving around the kitchen, something from earlier returned to his mind. 

The Mother's Day decorations. 

The flowers. 

The signs. 

The little gifts displayed outside the shops. 

And.. The way everyone in the village seemed to treat mothers as though they were the most important people in the world. 

Wemmbu's eyes slowly shifted toward Parrot. 

Parrot was humming quietly to himself while cutting vegetables, occasionally reaching behind him to make sure Spoke was still comfortable. 

He did all of this so naturally. 

As if taking care of them was simply another part daily routine. 

Wemmbu suddenly remembered something. 

He remembered how Parrot always prepared their clothes after they finished bathing. 

How he would check whether their had eaten enough. 

How he would wake them up in the morning. 

How he cleaned the house when everyone else was asleep. 

How he sometimes came home exhausted from work but still cooked dinner because he knew they were hungry. 

And suddenly.. Wemmbu couldn't stop thinking about Mother's Day. 

He looked toward Flamefrags. 

The other was quietly eating a piece of carrot. 

"Flame."

Flamefrags looked up. 

"Hm?"

Wemmbu leaned slightly toward him. 

"Come with me for a second. 

Flamefrags frowned. 

"Where?"

"The living room."

"Why?"

"I need to tell you something."

Flamefrags looked suspiciously toward Parrot. 

"Does Parrot know?"

Wemmbu immediately shook his head. 

"No."

"Then why are we going?"

"Because i don't want him to hear us, dummy."

That answer was enough to make Flamefrags curious. He put down the carrot and followed Wemmbu. 

The two of them quietly slipped out of the kitchen and into the living room, making sure Parrot was still distracted by whatever he was doing. 

Once they were far enough away, Wemmbu gently pulled the door almost closed. 

Flamefrags stared at him. 

"Why are we acting like.. Spies?"

"Because this is supposed to be surprise."

"A.. Surprise? What, for who?"

Wemmbu hesitated for a moment, before he finally lean more closer and whispered.. 

"For Parrot."

Flamefrags eyes widened. 

"Why? What are we surprising him with?"

"Mother's day."

Flamefrags stared at him, Wemmbu stared at him.. Both of them stare at each other. As there was a long silence between them. 

"What..?"

"Mother's day."

"I heard you, i just don't know what that means."

Wemmbu blinked. 

"You... Don't?"

Flamefrags shook his head. 

"No, is it some kind human thing or what?"

"Kind of."

"Does it involve figh─"

"No."

.. 

A pause, while Flamefrags shook his head slightly. 

"From where i come from, whenever someone says there's a special day, there's usually a pretty good chance somebody's going to get punched."

Wemmbu stared at him for a moment, before finally nodding his head.. 

"Oh, that explains a lot."

"Hey!"

Wemmbu covered his mouth, trying not to laugh. 

"No, but seriously. Mother's day is a day where people appreciate their mothers."

Flamefrags tilted his head. 

"How?"

"They give them gifts, make them food.. Or spending time with them. Things like that."

Flamefrags thought about it. 

"So.. You give your mom presents?"

"Yeah."

"Then what's the point of the other days?"

"What?"

"If you love your mom, why do you need one special day to give her things? Why don't you just do it whenever you want?"

Wemmbu went quite.. Actually that's a good one. 

"I.. Don't know?"

Flamefrags look at him, as he leaned back against the couch. "That sound complicated."

Wemmbu didn't answer him, but he glanced toward the kitchen again. "But.. There's something else." Wemmbu said as he lowered his voice, "i think we should do something for Parrot."

Flamefrags looked at him. 

"But he's not our mom?"

"I know." 

"Then why?"

Wemmbu hesitated for a while, "Because.." He looked down at his hands. The same hands Parrot holding.. "He does everything."

... 

"He cooks for us," Wemmbu continued, his voice become more softer as he spoke. "He cleans the house, he make sure we have clothes, he works so we can eat.. And even when he's tired. He still checks of we're okay.."

Flamefrags slowly understood what he meant, he nodded slowly, "and he carries Spoke around like a backpack."

Wemmbu couldn't help but laugh.

"Yeah, that too."

They both looked toward the kitchen. From where they were sitting, they could just barely see Parrot moving around. While Spoke still comfortably sitting against his back. 

This.. Make Flamefrags smiled. 

"So, what are we going to do?"

"I don't know yet."

"That's not avery good plan."

"I know."

"Do we need money?" Flamefrags asked. 

"Probably."

"How much?"

"I don't know."

"Do we need a present?"

"Probably"

"Do we have enough money for that?"

... 

Wemmbu fell silent. 

"Probably not.."

Flamefrags looked at him, both of them looked at each other. Before finally, Flamefrags said again, "okay.." Flamefrags whispered, "so we're already terrible at this."

Wemmbu covered his mouth again, trying to suppress a laugh. "We haven't even started." Wemmbu said.

Flamefrags smirked, "exactly."

Neither of them noticed the quiet footsteps approaching from the kitchen. 

Parrot had stepped awau from the stove for a moment, carrying a bowl in one hand while Spoke remained securely strapped to his back. 

He stopped when he heard their voices. 

He couldn't quite make out what they were saying.. 

Parrot raised an eyebrow. 

"What are those two whispering about?"

Spoke peeked over his shoulder. 

"Secret!"

Parrot blinked. 

"Secret?"

Spoke nodded enthusiastically. 

"Very secret!"

Parrot stared at the living room for a moment, before he shook his head with a quiet laugh. 

"Alright, whatever they're planning.. I'll pretend i didn't hear it."

He turned around and returned to the kitchen, oh and also.. He already put Spoke down since he starting feeling a little back hurt from always carrying him. 

Inside the living room, Wemmbu and Flamefrags were still trying to come up with their brilliant, Wonderful and completely unprepared plan. 

"We need to keep this a secret," Wemmbu whispered. 

Flamefrags nodded seriously. 

"Agreed"

"And don't tell Parrot."

"Obviously─"

     "And especially don't tell Spoke!"

They both paused, hearing the voices from someone who doesn't belong to them. Their eyes move toward where the sound come from. 

Spoke. 

Standing there, with those cheerful eyes. 

"SECRET!! I KNOW THE SECRET!"

Wemmbu's eyes widened, "SPOKE SHUT UP!'

Meanwhile Flamefrags slowly covered his face with both hands. 

"We're doomed."

Meanwhile.. From the kitchen, Parrot simply shook his head, completely unaware that his three younger siblings were plotting something for a day he didn't even know was coming. 

...

Mother's Day was still two weeks away. 

December 22nd.

That meant they still had plenty of time. 

At least, that was what they believe. 

The problem was that having two weeks to prepare didn't suddenly make them any better at figuring out what they were supposed to do. 

That night, after dinner, the cottage had finally become quiet. Everyone had finished eating, the dishes had been wahsed one by one. They had gone to take their baths before getting ready for bed. 

Parrot had gone to sleep first. 

He claimed he was tired and judging by how quickly he had gallen asleep.. They didn't think he was exaggerating. After spending the entire day working, shopping, cooking and taking care of them.. Parrot barely had enough energy left to keep his eyes open. 

Spoke had insisted on sleeping beside him that night, Parrot hadn't complained tho. 

In fact, he had simply sighed, pulled the blanket over both of them, and let the younger boy curl up against his side. 

For a while, everything was peaceful. 

The cottage was silent except for the occasional sound of wind brushing against the windows.

Spoke slowly opened his eyes. 

The room was dark, illuminated only by a faint amount of moonlight coming through the curtains. 

He looked toward Parrot. 

His older brother was completely asleep, one a loosely wrapped around Spoke's small body. 

Spoke stared at him for a few seconds, then he carefully reached up and grabbed Parrot's arm. 

Very slowly.. He pushed it away. 

Parrot shifted slightly, making Spoke froze. He waiting .. But, nothing. Parrot still remained asleep. 

Spoke let out a small tiny breath of relief, before he carefully sliding out from underneath the blanket. He climbed off the bed, planted both feet on the floor, and stood there for a moment. 

Then he tiptoes toward the bedroom door. 

One step.. 

Then another.. 

And another one.. 

'Heh.. I'm really good at this.' He thought to himself, until his foot accidentally bumped into something on the floor. 

Clack! 

Spoke froze. 

He looked down. 

A small wooden toy. 

He stared at it as if it had personally betrayed him. 

"Shh.."

The toy, unfortunately, did not listen (i wonder why.). 

Spoke carefully picked it up and place it somewhere else before continuing, he opened the bedroom door just enough to slip through. 

Then he quietly closed it begins him. 

The hallway was dark. 

Spoke looked toward the room where Wemmbu and Flamefrags slept. He walked over and finally gently knocked the door. 

Knock, knock. 

Nothing. 

Spoke decided to knocked again.. A Little louder this time. 

Knock, knock. 

There was movement from inside and he could hear it.. The door opened slightly. Flamefrags appeared, his hair messy from almost falling asleep.. While his eyes barely open. 

He stared at Spoke for a moment. 

Then, his expression immediately changed. As he mmediately remember what they planny. 

"Oh.. Finally, you're here."

Spoke grinned as his tail sways.. Flamefrags opened the door wider, letting him walk inside. 

"Come inside quickly before Parrot wakes up."

Spoke immediately slipped through the doorway, Flamefrags closed it behind him as quietly as possible before looking toward the bed. 

Wemmbu was still awake, he was sitting cross-legged on the floor beside the bed, holding a small notebook in one hand and a pencil in the other. The moment Spoke walked closer, Wemmbu lifted the notebook slightly. 

"Alright. We need to figure this out tonight."

Spoke's eyes widened.

"Already?"

"Yes. We only have two weeks."

"That's a lot of time."

"It's not that much."

"Yes, it is."

"No, it isn't."

Flamefrags sat down beside them. "I agree with Spoke. Two weeks is pretty long.."

Wemmbu stared at both of them.

"You two are not taking this seriously."

"We are."

"We're sitting here at midnight."

"Exactly."

Wemmbu sighed, he opened the little notebook and turned it around so they could both see.

The page was already covered in handwriting.

There were little bullet points scattered across the paper, some crossed out and some circled.

At the top, Wemmbu had written:

MOTHER'S DAY SURPRISE FOR PARROT

Spoke leaned closer, before then his eyes became enormous. "WHOA..." He pointed at the notebook. "THAT'S SO MANY!"

Wemmbu quickly pulled the notebook closer.

"Keep your voice down!"

Spoke immediately lowered his voice to a whisper, but also let out soft giggles.

"That's so many..!"

Flamefrags leaned over his shoulder.

"How did you even think of all these?" Flamefrags finally asked. 

"Oh.. I've been thinking about it since this morning." The list was, admittedly, getting a little ridiculous.

Flowers.

A handmade card.

A small accessory.

Something sweet.

A cake?

A drawing.

Breakfast in bed.

Clean the house.

Make lunch ourselves.

A gift basket.

Maybe a necklace.

Maybe something Parrot can use for work.

And beneath all of those, Wemmbu had written several question marks.

Spoke stared at the page with complete fascination. "We can give him flowers!" He said excitingly, Flamefrags look at his youngest brother, before answering.. 

"Maybe." Flamefrags said while nodding. 

"A card!" Spoke continue. 

"Definitely." Wemmbu said while raising two of his shoulders. 

"A necklace!"

"That might be expensive." Wemmbu said. 

"A cake!" 

"We don't know how to make a cake."

Flamefrags immediately raised his hand.

"I can make one."

Wemmbu looked at him.

"You've never made a cake."

"I've watched someone make one." Flamefrags said defensively.. 

"Who?"

Flamefrags paused.

"Uhh .. Parrot..?"

Wemmbu stared at him.

"Then you're not making the cake."

Spoke giggled.

Flamefrags crossed his arms.

"I could make one."

"You'd probably burn the house down."

"I would not!"

"You TRIED to cook an egg once and somehow BROKE the pan."

"That was one time!"

"Exactly."

Spoke covered his mouth, trying to suppress his laughter. Seeing that, Flamefrags immediately pointed at him.

"Don't laugh. You can't cook either."

"I can cook!"

"You put sugar in soup."

"Because I thought it would taste good!"

"It didn't."

"I liked it."

"You were the only one."

Wemmbu couldn't help himself, a quiet laugh escaped him as he watched the two argue. "Okay, okay. We're getting distracted." He tapped the notebook with his pencil.

"We need something Parrot would actually like."

The room became quieter.

Spoke tilted his head.

"What does Parrot like?"

Wemmbu thought for a moment.

"Food..?"

Flamefrags nodded.

"Sleep."

"Definitely."

"Money."

Wemmbu looked at him.

"I... don't think we should give him money."

"Why not?"

"Because we broke."

"Oh."

Flamefrags thought again.

"Then food."

Spoke suddenly raised his hand.

"I know!"

Both of them looked at him.

"What?"

"We can make him breakfast!"

Wemmbu's eyes brightened slightly.

"That's actually a good idea."

Flamefrags nodded.

"And we can clean the house too. Make lunch and finally we can give him the card."

"Definitely."

Spoke leaned closer to the notebook.

"And flowers!"

Wemmbu smiled.

"Flowers too."

Flamefrags looked at the list.

"That's already a lot."

"Yeah."

Wemmbu began writing everything down. The pencil scratched quietly against the paper while the other two watched.

For the first time that night, the plan actually seemed to be coming together.

They didn't need something expensive.

They didn't need something fancy.

Maybe they just needed to make Parrot feel appreciated. Just.. The same way Parrot made them feel appreciated every single day.

Spoke suddenly leaned over and whispered,

"Do you think he'll cry?"

Wemmbu stopped writing.

Flamefrags looked at him.

Then both of them glanced toward the bedroom door.

"I don't know," Wemmbu whispered.

Flamefrags grinned.

"But if he does, we should probably pretend we didn't see it."

"Why?"

"Because he'll get embarrassed."

Spoke giggled.

"I want to see Mama cry!"

"Don't say that too loudly!"

"I'M WHISPERING!"

"You're not very good at whispering."

Wemmbu quickly put one finger against his lips.

"Shh.."

The three of them fell silent.

For a few seconds, they simply stared at each other. Then Spoke slowly pointed toward the notebook.

"Can I write something?" Wemmbu handed him the pencil. "Sure, but don't ruin the list."

Spoke carefully leaned over the page. His tongue poked slightly out of the corner of his mouth as he concentrated.

Then he drew a small, crooked flower beside the words MOTHER'S DAY.

He looked incredibly proud of himself.

"There."

Wemmbu smiled.

"It's perfect."

Flamefrags leaned closer.

"That doesn't look like a flower."

Spoke immediately frowned.

"It is a flower."

"It looks like a potato."

"It's a flower!"

"It's a potato."

Wemmbu covered his mouth as another laugh escaped him.

"Okay, okay. It's a flower."

Spoke nodded proudly.

"A very pretty flower, just like Mama!"

Flamefrags shook his head.

"Sure."

The three of them continued huddled together around that tiny notebook, whispering about flowers, cards, food, and gifts while the rest of the cottage remained completely silent.

And in the bedroom just a few steps away, Parrot remained fast asleep, completely unaware that his three younger siblings were spending their night planning a surprise for him.

They still had two weeks.

They had.. no money. Or you could said they're broke. Plus, They had absolutely no experience with secret plans.

But hey! At least for now they already had a plan.

...

For the next week, something strange happened inside the little cottage. Parrot's younger siblings had suddenly become... Suspiciously well-behaved.

It started the very next morning. 

Parrot had barely opened his eyes when he noticed that the curtains were already open, letting the morning sunlight spill across the room. 

The windows had been opened too, allowing the cool air to flow through the cottage. 

For a few seconds, Parrot simply stared at the ceiling.. Before he slowly sat up. Noticing Spoke wasn't there.. 

"Huh?"

He looked around the room, nothing seemed out of place. 

.. 

Actually, it looked cleaner than usual. 

Parrot frowned. 

That was strange. 

He got out of bed and walked toward the kitchen, only to stop halfway when he heard the sound of someone sweeping. 

He peeked around the corner. 

Then there they wwere. 

Wemmbu was holding the broom, while Flamefrags was wiping down the table, and Spoke was standing on a small chair, trying to reach the window so he could wipe it. 

Parrot blinked. 

"What are you three doing?"

All of them suddenly froze, as if they're hearing a ghost voice behind their back. Wemmbu slowly turned around, before he shrugged.. 

"Cleaning..?"

Parrot looked around, then look at the clock.

"At six in the morning?"

"Yeah"

"Why?"

.. 

Wemmbu and the other look hesitate, before Wemmbu could answer, Flamefrags immediately answered it for him. 

"We wanted to help!"

Parrot stared at them, the three boys stared back. 

There was something.. Something about the way they were looking at him that made Parrot suspicious, buy he couldn't quite figure out what it was. 

Finally, he sighed. 

"Alright then, just.. Don't break anything."

"We won't!" Spoke immediately shouted, Parrot sigh and put hands on his waist, "indoor voice."

Spoke immediately let soft 'oop' and put hand to cover his mouth. Parrot shook his head wigh a quiet laugh before heading toward the kitchen. 

He didn't notice the way the three boys exchanged a quick glance behind his back. 

Their plan was working. 

At least..

Sort.. Of? 

The next day, they tried cooking breakfast.. That did not go nearly as well.

Parrot walked into the kitchen and immediately stopped, then he see smoke was everywhere. His maternal instincts immediately kicked in as he looking around.

"W-What happened?!"

Flamefrags stood in front of the stove with a frying pan in his hands, Wemmbu was desperately trying to open the windows, while Spoke was standing several feet away, staring at the blackened piece of food sitting inside the pan.

Nobody spoke.

Parrot slowly looked at the pan.

Then at Flamefrags.

Then back at the pan.

"What... Were you trying to make?"

"Eggs."

Parrot stared at the completely burnt remains.

"Those.. were eggs?"

"They were supposed to be."

Spoke raised his hand innocently, like he wasn't part of this chaos. "I think we cooked them too much?"

Parrot look at his youngest brother.. Before he covered his mouth, trying not to laugh.

"Yeah, i can see that."

Despite the disaster, Parrot still sat down and ate a small portion.

He didn't complain.

He didn't even make a face.

He simply smiled and told them it was good.

Wemmbu knew it wasn't.

Flamefrags knew it wasn't.

Spoke definitely knew it wasn't but why would they care about it anyway?

After breakfast, they washed their own plates.

Then they washed the pan.

Then the utensils.

Parrot stood nearby, watching them with an expression that was becoming increasingly suspicious.

"You've been awfully helpful lately."

Wemmbu glanced at him.

"Is that a bad thing?"

"No."

Parrot smiled, those soft smiled that make them stunned for a while. 

"It's just... unusual."

Flamefrags immediately looked away.

"We're just trying to help.."

Hearing that, Parrot just nodded.

"Well, thank you."

That was all he said.

And somehow, those two words made the three of them feel strangely proud.

For the next several days, they continued.

They woke up earlier.

They opened the windows.

They swept the floors.

They helped wash dishes.

They folded their own clothes.

They even tried to help Parrot with the groceries.

Although, sometimes, their attempts were more trouble than they were worth.

"Flame, that's not where the vegetables go."

"I know."

"Then why are you putting them there?"

"I was testing you."

Parrot stared at him, giving one raise eyebrows.

"Sure..."

On another morning, Spoke proudly announced that he had cleaned the entire table.

Parrot looked at the table.

Then he looked at the wet rag sitting in the middle of it.

"Spoke.."

"Yes?"

"Why is the rag still here?"

"I.. forgot."

Parrot sighed, he can't grounded this boy anyway. 

"At least you tried."

Spoke grinned.

They were doing their best.

And Parrot, completely unaware of the real reason behind all of this, simply assumed that his younger siblings had suddenly decided to become responsible.

He had no idea that every single one of those little acts was part of a much bigger plan.

Because whenever Parrot wasn't looking, the three of them were always talking.

Whispering.

Planning.

Counting.

And most importantly...

Observation.

Whenever Parrot took them to the village market, their eyes would wander toward the little shops decorated for Mother's Day.

Wemmbu would glance at the flowers, Flamefrags would check the sweets.

Spoke would stare at absolutely everything.

They had originally planned to collect wildflowers, it seemed simple enough.

They could find some near the edge of the village, gather the prettiest ones they could find, tie them together with a piece of string, and give them to Parrot.

Simple.

Cheap.

Perfect.

Well.. That was what Wemmbu thought. Until Spoke took one look at their collection.

"They're ugly.."

Wemmbu immediately frowned.

"They're not ugly."

"They are flowers."

"They look like grass."

"They're wildflowers!"

"They still look like grass."

Flamefrags looked at the small bunch in their hands.

"He's kind of right."

Wemmbu stared at him.

"You too?"

Flamefrags shrugged.

"I mean, Parrot deserves something nicer."

And just like that, their original plan was abandoned.

They needed real flowers.

A proper bouquet.

Maybe some chocolate too.

The problem was painfully obvious, even people still have to through them after trying everything. They had almost no money.

So they came up with another plan.

They would work for it.

It sounded simple.

It wasn't.

Their first attempt was at a small shop near the market.

Wemmbu approached the owner with what he considered his most mature expression.

"Excuse me, sir. Do you need any help around here?"

The shopkeeper looked at the three of them, he already could tell how old they are by seeing their faces. 

"No."

Wemmbu's ears drooped slightly.

"Are you sure?"

"Very sure."

The second shop gave them the same answer. The third one? They even didn't even let them finish explaining.

By the fourth attempt, Flamefrags was starting to lose hope. "This is impossible."

Wemmbu looked at him, "we haven't tried everywhere yet."

"We've tried seven places."

"That's not everywhere." Wemmbu answer flatly. 

Spoke raised his hand, "I can work!" He said with those eyes that saying 'nah i can't but i just raised my hand anyway' look. 

Flamefrags looked at him.

"What are you going to do?"

"I can carry things."

"You can't even carry the grocery basket without dropping it."

"I can!"

"You dropped it yesterday."

"Because it was heavy!"

Wemmbu sighed.

"Let's just keep looking."

They continued walking through the village, asking here and there if anyone needed help.

Most people refused.

Some were polite about it, but some simply told them they were too young.

A few looked at them with the same familiar expression Parrot often received.

Pity.

Wemmbu hated that look.

The same look when people look at him when his mother treat him badly─

They weren't looking for pity! They just wanted to earn enough money to buy something nice for their older brother.

Eventually, the three of them wandered farther away from the main market.

The streets became quieter.

There were fewer shops around, and the houses were spaced farther apart.

They were beginning to wonder if they should give up for the day when they noticed someone standing near the side of an old building.

A man.

He had dark skin and black hair, with an appearance that immediately made Wemmbu slow down.

There was something unusual about him.

Something familiar.

A Voidling.

At least, Wemmbu thought he was.

The man seemed to notice them too.

His gaze shifted toward the three children.

For a moment, nobody said anything.

Flamefrags whispered,

"Should we go.. Or..?"

Spoke shook his head.

"No.."

Wemmbu hesitated.

Then, gathering whatever courage he had left, he stepped forward. 

"Excuse me..."

The man looked at him.

Wemmbu swallowed.

"We're looking for work."

The man's expression remained unreadable.

"Work..?"

Wemmbu nodded.

"We don't need much. Just enough to buy something."

The man glanced at the three of them, his eyes briefly moved toward Spoke, then Flamefrags, before returning to Wemmbu.

"And what exactly are three children planning to do with money?"

Wemmbu hesitated, he didn't want to reveal the surprise especially toward a stranger. 

"It's... for someone."

The man's eyebrow lifted slightly.

"Someone important?"

Wemmbu nodded.

"Very important."

For the first time, something in the man's expression changed.

It was subtle.

Almost impossible to notice, but.. He seemed interested.

He looked at them for another moment before finally asking,

"Well, how hard are you willing to work?"

Wemmbu exchanged a glance with Flamefrags, both of them seemingly trying to figure out whether the man was actually serious. They had already been turned away from several places that day, and although they had tried their best not to show it, the repeated rejections were beginning to wear them down.

Still, the moment Wemmbu remembered the little notebook hidden beneath his bed, along with the list of things they wanted to buy for Parrot, he straightened himself and nodded firmly.

"As hard as we need to," he answered, his voice quiet but determined. "We don't need a lot. We just want enough to buy something for someone important to us."

The man studied him for a few seconds before his gaze moved toward Flamefrags and Spoke.

There was something almost amused in his expression, as though he found the determination of three children trying to earn money rather endearing. Eventually, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a few bills, holding them toward Wemmbu.

"You could use this to start something small."

Wemmbu stared at the money before looking back at him. "You're giving this to us?"

"Consider it a loan," the man replied calmly. "You can pay me back if you want to. If you don't, I won't chase you down for it. Just make sure you actually use it for something useful."

Spoke immediately raised his hand.

"Can we buy candy?"

Wemmbu slowly turned his head toward him.

"No."

"But—"

"No."

Flamefrags snorted, while the man let out a quiet laugh.

"How about something you can sell instead?" he suggested.

The three boys looked at one another.

And somehow, that was how their little business began.

They decided to sell lemonade.

It wasn't exactly a sophisticated business plan, but it was something they could actually afford to start with.

They bought a few lemons, sugar, and cups, then borrowed a small wooden table from someone in the village.

The table was old and slightly uneven, with one leg shorter than the others, but after Flamefrags shoved a folded piece of cardboard underneath it, they decided it was good enough.

Their sign was even worse.

Wemmbu had carefully written FRESH LEMONADE across a piece of cardboard, while Spoke insisted on drawing a lemon beside it. The result was a rather strange yellow circle with two dots for eyes and a crooked smile

(It's similar with :D )

After seeing the result Spoke seemed incredibly proud of it.

"It's cute," he insisted when Flamefrags laughed.

"It looks like it's sick," Flamefrags replied.

"It's a lemon."

"It looks like a lemon that hasn't slept in three days."

Wemmbu sighed as he took the sign from them and placed it at the front of the table. "Can you two stop fighting over the drawing? We have customers to worry about."

They didn't have any customers yet.

For the first ten minutes, nobody stopped.

Wemmbu began to worry that perhaps the entire idea had been a mistake.

Then an elderly woman walking through the village slowed down when she noticed the stand. She looked at the sign, then at the three children standing behind the table.

"How much?"

Wemmbu immediately straightened up.

"Three coins for one cup, ma'am."

The woman smiled and handed him the money.

"I'll take two."

Wemmbu carefully poured the lemonade into two cups, making sure not to spill any. Flamefrags passed them over, and Spoke proudly watched the woman take her first sip.

She smiled.

"This is actually quite good."

The three boys looked at one another.

Flamefrags' eyes widened. "We sold something."

Wemmbu tried not to smile too widely. "I know."

Spoke leaned over the table. "That means we're rich!"

"We're not rich."

"We're going to be rich!"

"Spoke, we have six coins."

"That's the beginning of being rich."

Flamefrags laughed, and even Wemmbu couldn't stop himself from smiling.

After that, things became easier. People began noticing their little stand, especially after some of the villagers who had bought lemonade came back later with their friends. Wemmbu handled most of the money and tried his best to keep track of every coin, while Flamefrags was in charge of calling out to passing villagers and convincing them to stop.

"Fresh lemonade! It's cold, it's sweet, and it's definitely not poisoned!"

Wemmbu immediately turned toward him.

"Why would you tell them it's not poisoned?"

"Because that makes people trust us."

"That's not how advertising works."

"It worked, didn't it?"

Despite their constant arguing, some passing villagers would laugh at the two boys before stopping to buy a cup.

Wemmbu would sigh as he handed over the lemonade. "I hate that you're right."

The three of them slowly found their rhythm. They learned how much sugar they needed, how many lemons they could use without making the lemonade too sour, and how much they should charge without making it too expensive.

Sometimes they made mistakes, especially when Flamefrags got distracted and poured too much into one cup, or when Spoke accidentally knocked over half a container because he wanted to 'help.'

But somehow, they kept going.

And whenever they earned money, Wemmbu carefully stored it away instead of spending a single coin.

They had a goal.

Flowers.

Chocolate.

A card.

And maybe something else if they managed to save enough! 

But of course there was only one problem.

They couldn't let Parrot find out.

That was why they never worked at the stand all three together.

Usually, Wemmbu and Flamefrags were the ones who stayed at the market and handled the lemonade, while Spoke remained at home with Parrot.

His job was to make sure Parrot stayed there and, most importantly, didn't become suspicious about where his two brothers had gone.

It sounded easy.

It was not.

Spoke was terrible at keeping secrets.

Whenever Parrot came home early, Spoke would suddenly become far too affectionate, insisting that Parrot sit down, eat something, or stay in the house with him.

One afternoon, Parrot came home several hours earlier than expected and immediately noticed Spoke sitting suspiciously in the living room.

"You're awfully quiet today," Parrot remarked as he put his bag down.

Spoke's eyes widened.

"I'm always quiet!"

Parrot stared at him.

"No, you're not."

Spoke smiled nervously. "I am today."

Parrot narrowed his eyes slightly, but instead of questioning him further, he simply walked over and ruffled his hair. "Alright. Whatever you're doing, just don't make a mess."

Spoke nodded so quickly that Parrot couldn't help but laugh.

The moment Parrot turned away, however, Spoke let out the breath he'd been holding.

Their secret was safe.

Barely.

For several days, the lemonade stand continued to operate, and their little pile of money slowly became larger. Every evening, after Wemmbu and Flamefrags returned home, they would hide somewhere quiet and count their earnings together.

Wemmbu would spread the coins across the floor and carefully separate them into little groups while Flamefrags leaned over his shoulder, constantly asking how much they had.

"How much is it now?"

"Wait, I'm counting."

"But how much?"

"I said wait."

"Is it enough?"

"I don't know yet."

Flamefrags groaned dramatically and dropped his head onto the floor. "You take forever."

"Because you're distracting me."

"I'm not doing anything."

"You keep asking questions."

"That's not distracting."

"It is when I'm trying to count."

Eventually, Wemmbu finished and wrote the amount down in their little notebook. They were still far from having enough for anything extravagant, but it was more than they had expected.

And every time they saw the number grow, the three of them became more excited.

Their plan was actually working.

They would finally be able to give Parrot something. Not because they had to, or because he expected it.

They just.. Wanted him to know that they noticed everything he did for them.

The week passed faster than any of them expected. The day before Mother's Day had arrived.

The lemonade stand was closing for the evening, and the sky had already begun to turn orange as Wemmbu wiped down the wooden table while Flamefrags packed away the remaining cups.

Their arms were tired, their clothes smelled faintly of lemons and sugar, and they were both exhausted enough to simply sit down once everything was finally packed away.

Wemmbu looked at the little pouch of money in his hands and smiled.

"We did it."

Flamefrags leaned against the table, looking equally tired but far too pleased with himself to complain. "We actually made enough."

"Enough for the flowers and chocolate."

"And the card."

"Yeah."

"And maybe we can still afford something small for ourselves."

Wemmbu immediately shook his head. "No. This is for Parrot."

Flamefrags laughed. "I was joking."

"Good."

For a few moments, they simply stood there, looking at the little stand that had somehow carried them through the entire week. It wasn't much to look at.

The cardboard sign was beginning to bend at the edges, the table had several scratches on it, and the glass container had a tiny crack near the bottom that they had been carefully avoiding.

But to them, it felt like something much bigger.

They had worked for it.

They had earned every coin.

And they were finally going to use it! 

Just when they about to leave there a familiar voice came from behind them.

"You've certainly been busy."

Wemmbu stopped immediately, and Flamefrags immediately turned around.

The same man who had helped them start the lemonade stand was standing a short distance away, his gaze moving from the empty cups to the table before finally settling on the little pouch in Wemmbu's hands.

He smiled faintly.

"Looks like you managed to make quite a bit of money."

Wemmbu looked down at the pouch before nodding.

"Yeah. We did."

"I can tell."

The man walked a little closer, glancing at the stand with what seemed to be genuine curiosity. "So tell me, what are you planning to do with all of it? You boys have been working for days, and somehow none of you have spent any of the money."

Wemmbu hesitated.

Flamefrags glanced at him.

They had been keeping this secret from Parrot, but the man was different. He was the one who had given them the money to start in the first place. Without him, they wouldn't have been able to do any of this.

Wemmbu finally decided that it was safe to tell him.

"We're buying something for someone."

The man's eyebrows lifted slightly.

"Someone important?"

"Very important," Wemmbu answered.

Flamefrags smiled as he added, "Our older brother."

The man looked at them for a moment before asking, "And what exactly are you buying him?"

Wemmbu's expression brightened as he finally got to talk about the plan they had spent so long keeping secret. "Flowers, mostly. We wanted to make him a proper bouquet instead of giving him those ugly wildflowers we found earlier, and tomorrow morning we're going to wake up early, make breakfast, and clean the whole house before he gets up."

Flamefrags nodded enthusiastically. "We're trying to make it really special. Parrot does everything for us, so we thought Mother's Day could be a good excuse to do something nice for him, even if he's obviously not our actual mother."

The man smiled at that.

"You care about him quite a lot."

Wemmbu looked down at the money in his hands, his fingers tightening slightly around the pouch.

"Yeah," he admitted quietly. "He's worked really hard for us. He makes sure we have food, he takes care of the house, and even when he's exhausted, he still makes time for us. We just wanted to give him something that shows we noticed."

Flamefrags nodded beside him.

"We don't really have much, so we thought we'd make it ourselves."

The man remained silent for a moment.

Then he looked at the little lemonade stand again, and there was something softer in his expression now.

"You've certainly put a lot of effort into this."

Wemmbu smiled.

"We just hope he likes it."

"I'm sure he will."

The man glanced toward the pouch once more before stepping back.

For a moment, he remained quiet, watching the two boys gather their things. His expression was calm, although there was a faint curiosity in his eyes that hadn't been there before.

"You said you're doing all of this for your older brother, didn't you?" he asked, casually leaning against the side of the building. "What's his name?"

Wemmbu paused while folding the little cloth they used to cover the lemonade stand.

"Parrot."

The man's expression changed, only slightly.

His eyebrows lifted, and for the briefest moment, the faint smile on his face disappeared.

"Parrot?"

Wemmbu nodded, completely unaware of the recognition behind the man's voice.

"Yeah. ParrotX2, although we usually just call him Parrot."

Flamefrags picked up the small box where they kept their cups and added, "He's the oldest one of us. He's usually the one working around the village, so he's probably somewhere near the cottage right now."

The man stared at them.

"ParrotX2..."

He repeated the name quietly, almost as though he were trying to confirm something in his memory.

Then he looked at Wemmbu again.

"What does he look like?"

Wemmbu tilted his head, slightly confused by the question.

"He's... an avian hybrid. A lovebird, actually. He has mostly bright feathers, and his wings are pretty noticeable. His hair is kind of messy too, and he usually wears whatever clothes he can afford because he's always working."

Flamefrags nodded.

"And he's got a really annoying habit of humming whenever he's cooking."

"That's not annoying," Wemmbu protested. "It's kind of nice."

"You only say that because you like listening to him."

"So?"

The man barely seemed to hear their argument.

He was still staring at them.

A lovebird hybrid.

ParrotX2.

The description suddenly made sense.

Of course.

He had heard of him before. Perhaps even seen him around the village.

The name wasn't unfamiliar, but hearing it from three children who spoke about him with such obvious affection made the connection feel much more real.

The man let out a quiet breath through his nose.

"So that's who you're talking about."

Wemmbu nodded.

"Do you know him?"

The man hesitated for just a moment.

"I may have seen him before."

Flamefrags immediately became curious.

"Really? Where?"

"Here and there."

"Does that mean you know him?"

"Not exactly."

The answer seemed to satisfy Flamefrags, although Wemmbu still looked slightly suspicious. It seemed the children didn't notice how much information the man had been quietly gathering from their conversation.

Then the man noticed something else.

"What did you say you were planning to buy?"

Wemmbu immediately brightened.

"Flowers, a card, and chocolate."

The man's expression went blank.

"Wait... chocolate?"

"Yeah."

He looked at them.

Then at Flamefrags.

Then back at Wemmbu.

"You were planning to give Parrot chocolate?"

Wemmbu nodded proudly.

"Yeah. He likes sweet things."

The man stared at them for another second.

"Does he?"

"Yeah."

Flamefrags nodded.

"He likes sweet bread too."

"And cake," Wemmbu added. "And those little pastries from the market."

"Exactly."

The man slowly rubbed his forehead.

"That's... not what I meant, bud."

Wemmbu frowned.

"Then?"

"Parrot can't eat chocolate."

Both boys froze.

"What?"

The man's expression became more serious.

"He's a lovebird hybrid. Chocolate isn't safe for birds, and depending on the amount, it can make them very sick. You really shouldn't give him any."

Silence.

Wemmbu slowly looked down at the list in his notebook.

The word CHOCOLATE was written right underneath FLOWERS, circled three times because Spoke had apparently insisted it was the most important part.

Flamefrags leaned over to look.

"Oh..."

Wemmbu's face slowly fell.

"We've been saving for chocolate all week."

"I know."

"Uh... and we can't give it to him?"

"Not if you want to keep him healthy."

Flamefrags looked genuinely devastated.

"So we've been selling lemonade for nothing?"

"No," the man replied with a small laugh. "You still have money. You just need to buy something else."

Wemmbu stared at the list.

"Then what do we get?"

The man thought for a moment.

"Something Parrot actually likes that won't hurt him. Maybe one of his favorite sweets that doesn't contain chocolate. Or something useful. You know him better than I do."

Flamefrags scratched his head.

"So... no chocolate."

"No chocolate."

"And no sneaking it into his breakfast?"

"Absolutely not."

Flamefrags sighed dramatically.

"Fine."

Wemmbu quickly crossed the word out of the list.

Then he paused.

"Wait."

He looked up at the man.

"How did you know Parrot couldn't eat chocolate?"

The man went quiet.

Flamefrags looked at him too.

The question hung between them.

For the first time since they had met him, the man's expression became a little harder to read. He glanced away for a moment before answering.

"Let's just say I've known enough avians to know better."

Wemmbu wasn't entirely convinced.

But before he could ask another question, Flamefrags suddenly pulled him by the sleeve.

"Come on! We need to figure out what we're buying instead."

Wemmbu looked back at the man.

"Thank you. For everything."

The man nodded.

"You're welcome."

The two boys started walking away, already whispering about what they could buy instead.

"Maybe we can get him those honey biscuits."

"He likes those."

"What about the berry pastries?"

"Those are more expensive."

"We have enough."

"We need the flowers too."

"Oh, right."

The man watched them disappear down the road.

His gaze lingered for a moment.

Parrot.

A lovebird hybrid.

He had heard about him before. The villagers seemed to have plenty to say about the young man, after all.

Three younger siblings.

And apparently, they were preparing a Mother's Day surprise for him.

He couldn't help but wonder what Parrot would think when he found out, especially after everything these children had gone through just to buy him a bouquet.

The man smiled faintly to himself before finally turning away.

...

( i recommend using this song while reading it :

Very recommended! (Indonesian language) 

Not really Recommend (If u prefer english song :D)

Good luck!)

The walk home was supposed to be quiet.

After spending the entire afternoon at the lemonade stand, Wemmbu and Flamefrags were already exhausted, their feet aching from standing for hours and their clothes still carrying the faint, sweet smell of lemons.

The little pouch containing their earnings was tucked safely away, hidden beneath Wemmbu's clothes where he could keep an eye on it. They had already started discussing what they were going to buy tomorrow, quietly debating whether they should get the flowers first or look for something else for Parrot before spending the rest of their money.

They were so caught up in their conversation that neither of them noticed the five figures standing ahead of them.

It wasn't until they reached the edge of the forest that Flamefrags suddenly slowed down.

"Wait."

Wemmbu stopped beside him.

"What?"

Flamefrags didn't answer immediately. His eyes were fixed ahead, where five older children were standing across the narrow path that led through the forest. 

It was the only route they knew that would take them back toward the cottage without forcing them to take a much longer route around the village.

One of the older boys stepped forward.

"Where are you two going?"

Wemmbu instinctively moved closer to Flamefrags.

"Home."

The boy glanced at them, then at the bags they were carrying.

"Got any money?"

Wemmbu's stomach dropped.

"No."

The answer came too quickly.

The older boy's expression changed into an amused smile.

"Really?"

Wemmbu said nothing.

Another boy stepped closer, blocking the path behind them. Suddenly, the two younger children found themselves surrounded, with nowhere obvious to go.

"Just give us whatever you've got," one of them said. "Then you can leave."

Flamefrags immediately frowned.

"We don't have anything."

"You expect us to believe that?"

"We don't!"

The boy reached toward Wemmbu.

Wemmbu immediately stepped back, clutching the little pouch beneath his clothes.

"Don't touch me."

The movement only seemed to make them more interested.

One of the older children grabbed at his arm, trying to pull him closer, while another reached toward his pocket. 

Wemmbu struggled against them, twisting his arm free for a moment before stumbling backward.

"Let go!"

Flamefrags reacted immediately.

"HEY!"

He shoved himself between them, pushing one of the older children away from Wemmbu.

"Leave him alone!"

For a brief moment, it worked.

Then the others moved.

Flamefrags was suddenly surrounded, and although he tried to fight his way back toward Wemmbu, the difference in numbers made it impossible. He stumbled backward as one of them shoved him away.

"FLAME!"

Wemmbu tried to reach him, but another child grabbed him before he could get any closer.

"Get off me!"

He struggled desperately, but the older boy held him back.

"Just give us the money!"

"No! We need it!"

The words came out before Wemmbu could stop himself.

The older children exchanged glances.

"For what?"

Wemmbu froze.

He couldn't tell them.

He couldn't tell them about the flowers.

He couldn't tell them about the card.

He couldn't tell them that the money had been saved for Parrot.

So instead, he shook his head.

"Just... leave us alone."

Across from him, Flamefrags suddenly managed to break free.

He turned toward them again, his expression furious.

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!"

He rushed forward.

The movement startled the group enough that someone accidentally knocked against Wemmbu.

The little pouch slipped loose.

It fell to the ground.

Coins spilled across the dirt.

For one second, everything became silent.

Wemmbu stared at the scattered money in disbelief.

"No..."

One of the older children immediately crouched down and grabbed the pouch.

Wemmbu's eyes widened.

"Wait! Give that back!"

He lunged forward, but Flamefrags grabbed his arm before he could get too close.

"Wemmbu, don't!"

"But the money!"

"I know!"

The older children were already gathering the scattered coins. One of them stuffed the money into his pocket while the others began backing away.

"Come on, let's go!"

"Wait, there's still some over there!"

"Forget it! Just run!"

Within seconds, the group disappeared deeper into the forest.

Wemmbu stood completely still.

He couldn't move.

He could barely even process what had just happened.

Then he looked down.

There were still a few coins scattered around their feet.

But the pouch was there.

But.. Half of their money was gone with it.

All the money they had earned from days of selling lemonade. All the money they had carefully counted every night.

The they had saved because they wanted to give Parrot something special.

Just.. Gone. 

Like that. 

Flamefrags slowly bent down and began picking up the remaining coins.

One.

Then two.

Then the last one.. Three.

His hands were trembling.

Wemmbu crouched beside him, silently collecting the rest.

Neither of them spoke for a while.

The forest suddenly felt much quieter than before.

Eventually, Flamefrags looked down at the coins in his palm.

"That's... not enough."

Wemmbu swallowed.

"We still have some."

"But it's not enough for everything."

"I know."

Flamefrags clenched his fingers around the coins.

"We worked all week."

"I know."

"We were almost there."

Wemmbu looked at him.

For the first time that entire afternoon, Flamefrags didn't look confident anymore. There was no teasing grin, no ridiculous joke, and no argument waiting on the tip of his tongue.

He just looked tired.

And disappointed.

Wemmbu quietly reached over and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"We can still do something."

Flamefrags looked at him.

"But what if we can't buy the flowers?"

Wemmbu hesitated.

"We.. We'll figure it out."

"What if we can't get the card?"

"We'll make one ourselves."

"And the breakfast?"

"We can still make breakfast."

Flamefrags stared at him for a moment before looking down again.

"And if we don't have enough for anything?"

Wemmbu's expression softened.

"Then we give him what we can."

He picked up the final coin from the ground and placed it into their remaining pouch.

"We don't need a lot of money to tell Parrot that we love him."

Flamefrags didn't answer immediately.

Then, slowly, he nodded.

"Yeah."

The two boys stood up.

Their walk home suddenly felt much longer than it had before.

Neither of them said much as they continued through the forest, the little pouch between them noticeably lighter.

"Flame?"

He immediately turned.

Flamefrags was standing a few steps away, one hand pressed against his side. 

His clothes were dusty from the struggle, and there was a small scrape along his cheek. Another faint mark could be seen near his arm where he had been grabbed earlier.

Wemmbu's expression changed instantly.

"You're hurt."

"I'm fine," Flamefrags muttered.

"You don't look fine."

"It's nothing."

Flamefrags tried to straighten himself, but the movement made him wince slightly. He quickly looked away, clearly hoping Wemmbu hadn't noticed.

Wemmbu noticed.

Of course he did.

He stepped closer and gently caught Flamefrags' wrist before the other boy could brush him off again.

"Let me see."

"I said I'm fine."

"And I said let me see."

Flamefrags sighed, but eventually allowed him to check. 

Most of the injuries were only small scrapes and bruises, nothing that looked serious, but it was enough to make Wemmbu's chest tighten.

"You should've been more careful."

Flamefrags stared at him in disbelief.

"They were five people!"

"I know!"

"Then what was I supposed to do? Just stand there and watch them take your money?"

Wemmbu fell silent.. Meanwhile Flamefrags immediately looked away, his expression slowly softening.

"I wasn't going to let them take it without trying." Wemmbu looked down at the remaining coins in his hand. "I know." He carefully brushed some dirt from Flamefrags' sleeve.

"Thank you."

Flamefrags blinked.

"For what?"

"For trying to help me."

Flamefrags shrugged, although the movement seemed to bother his sore side again.

"You're my.. Brother. Obviously I'm going to help you."

Wemmbu gave him a small smile.

"Still."

For a moment, the two of them simply stood there. Then Flamefrags glanced at the little pouch in Wemmbu's hand.

"We should go home."

"Yeah."

Wemmbu nodded and slipped the remaining money safely away.

"We need to get back before Parrot starts wondering where we are."

Flamefrags nodded.

Neither of them mentioned the pain again.

They simply continued walking.

But this time, Wemmbu stayed closer to Flamefrags, occasionally glancing toward him whenever the other boy slowed down.

And Flamefrags, despite insisting that he was perfectly fine, didn't complain when Wemmbu quietly adjusted his pace so they could walk home together.

...

By the time they finally reached the cottage, the sun had already begun to disappear behind the trees.

Neither Wemmbu nor Flamefrags said much during the rest of the walk. The little pouch in Wemmbu's hand felt considerably lighter than it had earlier, and neither of them had the heart to bring up the money again. 

They would figure something out. At least, that was what they kept telling themselves.

They were almost at the front door when they noticed someone standing in the yard.

Parrot was sweeping the front of the cottage, quietly humming to himself as he worked. His wings were folded neatly against his back, and his attention seemed completely focused on the pile of leaves scattered across the ground.

At first, he didn't notice them.

Then he looked up.

His expression was calm for only a second.

The moment his eyes landed on the two boys, however, everything changed.

His eyes widened.

The broom slipped from his hand and landed against the ground with a dull thud.

"Flame? Wemmbu? Oh my goodness, what happened to you two?"

Parrot immediately hurried toward them, his voice suddenly filled with panic. He crouched in front of Flamefrags first, carefully looking over his face and arms before turning toward Wemmbu and checking him just as quickly.

"Are you hurt? Did something happen? Wait, don't move too much—Flame, come here. Let me see that."

"I'm fine," Flamefrags tried to say.

"No, you're not."

Parrot's answer came almost immediately.

He gently touched the scrape on Flamefrags' cheek, careful not to press against it.

"Does this hurt?"

Flamefrags hesitated to answered at first.. Before he sigh and said.. 

"A little.."

"A little?"

Parrot's eyes looks serious. 

"Okay, that's enough. We're going inside."

"But—"

"No buts."

He stood up and took both of their hands.

"Come on. Quickly. We'll clean you up first, and then you can tell me what happened."

The two boys exchanged a glance before following him inside.

Parrot moved around the cottage with an urgency they rarely saw from him. He grabbed the small medical supplies they kept tucked away, brought water, clean cloths, and everything else he thought he might need, all while repeatedly glancing toward the two of them as if he was afraid that another injury might suddenly appear.

"Aduh... does this one hurt too?" Parrot murmured as he cleaned another scrape on Flamefrags' arm. "Hold still, little sunset. I'm almost done."

Flamefrags winced.

"Ow."

"Sorry, sorry.."

Parrot immediately softened his touch.

"Just a little more.. I know it stings, but I need to clean it properly, alright?"

Flamefrags nodded.

Wemmbu sat nearby, quietly watching.

There was something strange about seeing Parrot like this.

He had seen Parrot tired before.

He had seen him come home with aching shoulders after working all day, seen him collapse onto the bed and complain about how much his feet hurt. 

The way he cook while barely keeping his eyes open, and he even had seen him fall asleep sitting upright because he was simply too exhausted to make it to bed.

But even then, Parrot always seemed to find enough energy for them.

And now, despite having no idea what had happened, his first instinct had been to worry.

Not about the clothes they had gotten dirty.

Not even about whatever trouble they might have gotten themselves into.

He had only cared that they were hurt.

"Alright," Parrot finally said after finishing the last scrape. "That should do for now."

Flamefrags looked down at his arm.

"Does it look bad?"

"No. Just a few scrapes and bruises."

Parrot gave him a gentle pat on the head.

"But you still need to be more careful.."

Flamefrags nodded.

Then Parrot looked toward both boys.

"And you two are going to take a bath."

Both of them blinked.

"What?"

"You heard me."

"But why?"

"Because your clothes are filthy, and I want to wash them before they get any worse. Go on."

Wemmbu looked down at his own clothes and finally noticed how much dirt had gotten onto them.

"Oh."

"Exactly."

Parrot picked up the dirty clothes and carried them toward the bathroom.

"Go wash yourselves, okay? I'll take care of these."

The two boys reluctantly headed toward the bathroom, still exchanging quiet glances.

A while later, after they had cleaned themselves up and changed into fresh clothes, the cottage became quiet again.

Parrot had gone into the bathroom to wash their dirty clothes rather than leaving everything until later that night. The door remained slightly open, allowing the faint sound of water to drift into the rest of the cottage.

Scrub.

Rinse.

Scrub.

The sound repeated steadily.

Wemmbu sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the floor.

Flamefrags sat beside him.

Neither of them spoke.

There was something strange inside their chests.

It wasn't exactly sadness.

It wasn't guilt, either.

It was something warmer.

Something they weren't quite sure how to describe.

Then Spoke appeared in the doorway.

He looked between the two older boys before slowly walking inside.

"You guys are being weird..."

Wemmbu looked up.

"We're not."

"You are..!"

Flamefrags sighed.

"We're just tired."

Spoke narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"That's not why."

Wemmbu remained silent.. Meanwhile Spoke stepped closer.

"What happened?"

Neither boy answered.

Spoke looked at Flamefrags' bandaged arm, then at the little scrape on his cheek.

"Did someone hurt you?"

Flamefrags looked away.

"Yeah..."

Spoke's expression immediately changed.

"Who?"

"It's nothing."

"That's not nothing!"

His voice became louder, and Wemmbu quickly put a finger to his lips.

"Shh. Parrot's still in the bathroom."

Spoke lowered his voice, but his curiosity only seemed to grow.

"What happened?"

Wemmbu sighed.

"We got stopped on the way home."

"By who?"

"Some older kids."

Spoke's eyes widened.

"And then?"

Flamefrags glanced at Wemmbu before quietly explaining everything.

They told him about the five children blocking the path, the money they demanded, the way they had tried to take it from them, and how Flamefrags had tried to fight back.

They told him about the pouch falling.

They told him about the coins scattered across the ground.

And, most importantly, they told him how nearly half of their money had been taken.

Spoke's mouth slowly fell open.

"They took the money?"

Wemmbu nodded.

"Yeah."

"But... that was the money for mama.."

"I know."

Spoke sat down beside them.. For once, he didn't make a joke. He just stared at the floor, thinking.

"So.. What are we going to do now?"

That was the question.

The three boys looked at one another.

Wemmbu slowly pulled out their little pouch and opened it.

There wasn't much left.

Flamefrags leaned closer.

"We still have enough for something."

"Maybe the flowers," Wemmbu said quietly. "But probably not the card and everything else."

"We could make the card ourselves," Spoke suggested.

"We were already going to do that."

"Oh."

Silence settled between them again. Then finally Flamefrags spoke.

"What about the breakfast?"

"We can still make it."

"And the cleaning?"

"We can do that too."

Spoke frowned.

"But what if Parrot notices?"

"He won't."

"You say that now."

"We'll just wake up early."

"And what if he wakes up too?"

Wemmbu groaned.

"Then we'll make him go back to sleep."

Spoke stared at him.

"How?"

Wemmbu opened his mouth.

Then closed it.

"...I don't know."

Flamefrags snorted.

"Great plan."

"I didn't say it was a good plan."

The three of them quietly laughed.

It wasn't much.

But somehow, it made the situation feel a little less hopeless.

They could still do something.

Maybe it wouldn't be as grand as they had originally imagined.

Maybe there wouldn't be an expensive gift waiting for Parrot in the morning.

But they could still make breakfast.

They could still clean the cottage.

They could still make a card.

And they could still give him the flowers.

That should be enough.

Right?

The sound of scrubbing suddenly stopped.

All three boys went silent. 

A moment later, footsteps approached from the bathroom.

Parrot appeared in the doorway with a small pile of freshly washed clothes in his arms. 

His sleeves were rolled up, and a few strands of his hair had fallen messily across his forehead.

"Alright," he announced, looking at the three of them. "Everything's washed!"

Spoke immediately smiled.

"Yay!"

Parrot laughed softly.

"Don't celebrate yet. We still need to hang everything up tomorrow."

He placed the clothes down before looking at the three boys again.

For a moment, he simply stared at them.

Then his expression softened.

"You know..."

He walked closer and gently ruffled Spoke's hair.

"I think I've been neglecting you three lately."

Wemmbu immediately shook his head.

"You haven't."

"Have too."

"No."

Parrot smiled.

"You always say that."

"Because it's true."

Parrot's expression softened even more.

Then he glanced toward the bed.

"You know what? I'm too tired to do anything else tonight."

Flamefrags raised an eyebrow.

"So?"

"So..."

Parrot picked up the blanket.

"I'm sleeping with you three tonight."

All three boys stared at him.

"What?"

Parrot laughed.

"Hm? I'm allowed to sleep with my little brothers once in a while."

Spoke immediately climbed onto the bed.

"YES!"

Flamefrags rolled his eyes.

"You're such a baby."

"You want him to leave?"

"No..."

Wemmbu quietly smiled.

Parrot climbed onto the bed and settled between them, pulling the blanket over everyone.

"There.. Much better, right?"

Spoke immediately snuggled closer.

"Can you tell us a story?"

Parrot blinked. 

"A story?"

"Please?"

Flamefrags sighed.

"You're impossible."

"But you like his stories too."

"I never said I didn't."

Parrot chuckled softly.

"Alright, alright. One story."

Spoke smiled triumphantly.

Wemmbu shifted closer, resting his head against the pillow.

Flamefrags settled down beside them.

For a while, the worries of the afternoon seemed to disappear.

The stolen money.

The unfinished plan.

The strange ache in Flamefrags' arm.

All of it could wait until tomorrow.

Tonight, they were simply together.

Parrot pulled the blanket a little higher around them and began reading in a quiet, gentle voice, occasionally changing his tone for the different characters until Spoke started giggling.

Wemmbu listened quietly, not only him of course.. Flamefrags listened too.

It's warm.. 

. . .

( if the song u listen already ended, u could use this :

Here! :D 

Enjoy :D )

Morning came much earlier than any of them realized.

The three boys had fallen asleep far too deeply the night before, tucked beneath the warmth of Parrot's wings while listening to his story. 

At some point, Wemmbu had stopped following the words entirely, his eyes growing heavier and heavier until sleep finally took over. Flamefrags had lasted a little longer, although even he eventually drifted off without realizing it.

None of them noticed when the night slowly faded.

They had completely missed their chance to wake up early.

Wemmbu was the first to open his eyes.

For a moment, he simply stared at the ceiling, still half-asleep and completely confused about where he was. His hair was messy from sleeping, and the blanket had somehow ended up twisted around his legs.

Then he remembered.

Last night.

Parrot.

The story.

The three of them sleeping together.

Wemmbu slowly turned his head.

Flamefrags was still asleep beside him, his face half-buried in the pillow. Spoke was curled up on the other side, still hugging the blanket like it was the most precious thing in the world.

And Parrot... Parrot wasn't there.

Wemmbu immediately sat up.

"Wait."

He looked around.

The room was empty.

For a second, panic flashed through him.

Then he heard the faint clinking of dishes coming from downstairs.

Wemmbu blinked.

"Oh."

He quickly nudged Flamefrags.

"Flame."

No response.

"Flame, wake up."

Flamefrags groaned and pulled the blanket over his head.

"No."

"We're late."

That got his attention.

Flamefrags immediately sat up.

"What?"

"We're late."

"What time is it?"

"I don't know."

"Then how do you know we're late?"

Wemmbu pointed toward the window.

The sunlight was already bright.

Flamefrags stared at it.

"Oh..."

Spoke slowly woke up because of their voices, rubbing his eyes as he sat up.

"What happened?"

"We overslept," Wemmbu whispered.

Spoke's eyes widened.

"The surprise!"

All three froze.

They stared at one another.

The cleaning.

The breakfast.

The card.

The flowers.

They were supposed to wake up before Parrot.

They were supposed to prepare everything while he was still asleep.

They were supposed to surprise him.

Instead, Parrot had apparently been awake for long enough to do everything himself.

"Oh no," Spoke whispered.

They hurried out of the room.

As they reached the kitchen, they stopped almost immediately.

The table was already filled with food.

There were plates of rice, vegetables, eggs, pieces of fruit, and several other things Parrot had prepared for breakfast. Everything had been arranged neatly, as if he had spent quite a while making sure there was enough for everyone.

The clean clothes they had worn the previous day were already hanging outside.

The floor was spotless. Their small cottage was quiet and clean.

Parrot had done everything.

And as if that wasn't enough, he was standing beside the table, carefully placing the last few glasses of water down.

He looked up when he heard them approaching.

"Oh, good morning!"

His voice was warm and cheerful, completely unaware of the panic currently happening inside the three boys' heads.

The three of them stood there.

Wemmbu looked at Flamefrags.

Flamefrags looked at Spoke.

Spoke looked at both of them.

None of them said anything.

They had spent an entire week planning how they were going to make Parrot feel appreciated.

They had worked until their hands were tired.

They had saved every coin.

They had kept secrets.

They had even tried to wake up early.

And yet, here Parrot was, standing in front of them with breakfast already prepared, their clothes already washed and hung up, and their home already cleaned.

As usual.

As if taking care of them was simply something he did without ever expecting anything in return.

Parrot tilted his head.

"Why are you three staring at me like that..?"

Nobody answered.

Instead, the three boys suddenly rushed toward him.

Parrot barely had enough time to react before Wemmbu wrapped his arms around him.

Flamefrags joined immediately.

Then Spoke practically crashed into the hug.

"Whoa—!"

Parrot stumbled backward slightly, surprised by the sudden weight of three children clinging to him at once.

He quickly steadied himself.

"Hey, hey... what's going on?"

Still, there was no answer.

Wemmbu simply held onto him tighter.

Flamefrags buried his face against Parrot's side, careful not to put pressure on his sore arm.

Spoke hugged him around the waist, refusing to let go.

Parrot looked down at them.

At first, he seemed confused.

Then he noticed how tightly they were holding onto him.

His expression slowly changed.

The surprise faded from his eyes, replaced by something softer.. almost worried. "Hey..." He gently lowered one wing around them. "What's wrong?"

Nothing.

The three boys remained silent.

Parrot waited.

He didn't push them away.

He stood there, allowing them to hold onto him for as long as they needed, but his wing gradually wrapped around all three of them, pulling them closer.

"Did something happen?"

Still nothing.

Parrot glanced between them, trying to figure out what was going on.. Then his eyes settled on Flamefrags.

He noticed the small bandage.

His expression immediately became concerned.

"Is your arm hurting again?"

Flamefrags shook his head.

"No."

"Are you sure, Sunset?"

"Yeah."

Parrot looked at him for another second before gently running his fingers through his hair.

"Alright then.."

His voice became quieter.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

The words only seemed to make the three boys hold him tighter.

Parrot let out a small breath.

He lowered his head, resting his cheek lightly against Wemmbu's hair.

For a moment, he said nothing.

Then, almost hesitantly, he whispered,

"I'm sorry."

The three boys finally moved slightly.

Wemmbu lifted his head.

"What?"

Parrot looked down at them.

"I'm sorry."

His voice was quiet now.

"Maybe I've been working too much lately. Maybe I haven't been spending enough time with you three."

Wemmbu's eyes widened.

"No.."

Parrot blinked.

"No?"

"You haven't done anything wrong.."

Flamefrags nodded.

"Yeah.. You do enough, more than enough."

Spoke finally lifted his head from Parrot's side.

"You're the best, Mama."

Parrot stared at them for a moment.

Then he laughed softly.

"Where did that come from?"

Spoke shrugged.

"Just because."

Parrot smiled.

His wings tightened around them.

"Well... thank you."

The three boys remained there for another moment, quietly holding onto him.

Their surprise hadn't gone according to plan.

They hadn't woken up early.

They hadn't cleaned the house.

They hadn't cooked breakfast.

They hadn't even managed to prepare everything they had promised themselves they would.

But somehow, standing there in the middle of the kitchen, surrounded by the warmth of Parrot's wings, Wemmbu realized that maybe none of that mattered as much as they had thought.

They didn't need a perfect surprise.

They just wanted that.. Parrot know how much he meant to them.

"Love you, Mama." Spoke said, then Flamefrags and Wemmbu suddenly replied, "He's our brother idiot."

Parrot just laughed and give a small kiss on their forehead. 

.

.

( Song recommend : Here :) pls don't hate me.. ) 

"Time really does pass so quickly, doesn't it?"

Wemmbu's voice is quiet as he stands in front of Parrot's grave.

The place looks nothing like an ordinary cemetery anymore.

Parrot's grave is surrounded by a small iron fence, with flowers growing along the edges and several carefully carved stones decorating the area. 

Above it stands a beautiful tree with soft pink blossoms, its branches stretching over the grave as though they are trying to shelter it from the world.

The flowers sway gently whenever the wind passes through.

It is peaceful here.

Beautiful, even.

Perhaps it is one of the most beautiful places in the entire server now.

And yet, for Wemmbu, it is also one of the hardest places to visit.

He slowly walks closer before lowering himself beside the gravestone.

For a while, he doesn't say anything.

He simply looks at it.

At the name carved carefully into the stone.

Parrot.

His older brother.

His guardian.

His family.

The person who spends years making sure that the three of them always have somewhere to come home to, even when he has almost nothing left for himself.

Wemmbu reaches into his hands and gently places a small flower crown on top of the gravestone.

He carefully adjusts it until it sits properly.

"There.."

His fingers linger against the stone for a moment.

Then he lets out a quiet breath.

"I'm.. I'm sorry."

The words come out hoarse.

Wemmbu looks at the name again.

There are so many things he wants to say.

So many things he should have said years ago.

But now, all he has is a gravestone.

All he has is the memory of a person who gives so much of himself away for three children who aren't even related to him by blood.

A person who still chooses to call them his brothers.

A person who makes them food.

Washes their clothes.

Keeps the house warm.

Stays awake when they are sick.

And somehow always finds a way to make them feel safe, even when he is struggling himself.

Wemmbu swallows.

His eyes begin to sting.

He tries to blink the feeling away.

It doesn't work.

A tear slowly slips down his cheek.

He wipes it away with the back of his hand, almost annoyed with himself for crying, but another one follow soon after.

"Sorry..." His voice breaks slightly. "I know I shouldn't be doing this every time I come here."

He gives a faint, humorless laugh.

"But I don't think I've ever really gotten used to it."

The wind moves through the tree above him.

A few pink petals fall quietly onto the grass.

Wemmbu watches one land beside the grave.

Then he looks back at the stone.

"I'm sorry we never got to celebrate Mother's Day properly with you."

His voice becomes quieter.

"We were always too scared to say it directly."

He pauses.

His fingers gently trace the edge of the gravestone.

"We kept giving you gifts instead. Flowers, little cards, food... whatever we could make or afford."

A small smile appears on his face.

"We thought that would be enough."

He looks down.

"We never realized how stupid we were."

Another silence.

"We should've just told you."

His throat tightens.

"We should've told you that we loved you."

Wemmbu's hand rests against the carved name.

"We should've told you that you were more than just our older brother."

He closes his eyes.

"You were the person who raised us."

For a moment, he can't continue.

He takes a slow breath before speaking again.

"You know... Spoke still talks about you all the time."

That brings another faint smile to his face.

"Not exactly by your name, though."

Wemmbu lets out a quiet laugh.

"He still calls you Mama."

The laugh doesn't last long.

He looks down at the gravestone again.

"At first, I always thought he was being stupid."

His voice gradually becomes rougher.

"I used to think, 'Why does he keep calling you Mama? You're our brother.'"

He pauses.

"But..."

Wemmbu's fingers slowly curl against the stone.

"When I think about it now..."

His eyes fill with tears again.

"he was... Right."

The words barely leave his mouth.

"You are our mama."

He leans closer to the gravestone.

"You are our parent too."

A tear falls onto the grass.

"You are the one who teaches us how to cook. You're the one who makes sure we sleep when we're sick. You're the one who worries when we come home late."

His voice trembles.

"You are the one who stays.."

Wemmbu lowers his head.

"And even when you don't have enough for yourself, somehow, you always make sure we have enough.."

He slowly rests half of his body against the gravestone, wrapping his arms around it as though he can somehow hug the person buried beneath it.

For a long while, he stays like that.

The tree above him continues to sway.

The flowers move gently around the grave.

Everything is quiet.

Almost too quiet.

Wemmbu closes his eyes.

"I'm sorry we never said it enough."

His voice is barely more than a whisper now.

"I'm sorry we always thought there would be another day."

He tightens his arms around the stone. 

"There was always going to be another Mother's Day, right?"

A shaky breath escapes him.

"Another chance to make you breakfast."

"Another chance to buy you flowers."

"Another chance to make you a stupid little card."

His voice breaks.

"Another chance to finally say it."

He falls silent.

There is no answer.

Only the sound of the wind moving through the pink blossoms above him.

Wemmbu presses his forehead against the gravestone.

Then, after several long seconds, he whispers the words they were always too afraid to say when Parrot was still alive.

"Happy Mother's Day, Mum."

.

.

─End .