Chapter Text
Parrot chuckled.
"Actually, it all started pretty spontaneously," his eyes glanced to the up against his will, and the events, so distant, replayed themselves in his head.
☆
Spoke came up to him during the lunch break between classes. He casually plopped down next to him, and, resting his head on his crossed arms, patiently waited for Parrot to notice him.
The bird hybrid, pointedly lowering his head almost into his plate, kept chewing his salad. They sat like that in silence for several minutes. Parrot could give Spoke credit for his patience, and yet, whenever he appeared on the horizon so suddenly, it never boded well.
When Parrot finished eating and was about to leave, Spoke drawled with a wide smile.
"Paaaaaaaarroooooooooot"
"Oh god, bro, what?" Parrot replied, annoyed.
"Wanna join me in that freshman competition?" Spoke kept smiling, stars twinkled in his white eyes while he himself remained still.
It was, of course, about a kind of "talent show," if you could call it that. Such an event, in theory, was supposed to strengthen bonds among freshmen and let them show themselves somehow. But in reality, it was nothing more than a headache and extra stress. In Parrot's opinion, of course.
"Find someone else, bro. I told you right away I'm not taking part in that. I came here to study, not to waste my time on side stuff. Sorry if you didn't." Parrot pressed his fingers against his closed eyes until he saw colorful circles spreading.
"Oh, don't be like that," Spoke drawled, resting his head on the table and blinking. "I asked around, everyone else in our group either doesn't want to or is already participating. Please, you're my last hope!"
Spoke sat up straight again, folding his hands in a prayer gesture. Parrot didn't look impressed.
"I don't want to either," Parrot said dryly, then stood up to leave. Spoke grabbed his arm, looking extremely pitiful.
"No, Parrot, wait! Listen, just listen! I've already figured everything out! You'll definitely like it! Parrot, pleeeease!"
"Get off me, bro! We're just directors, what are you even planning to show there? A movie?" he said ironically, but immediately fell silent when he saw the serious expression on Spoke's face.
"Please, please, please! I don't want to do all this alone! Parrot, seriously, you're the only one who can help me, please! I'll handle everything myself, just be my partner!"
Parrot sighed heavily. He had no intention of even listening to this madman's ramblings. He tried to leave the cafeteria, but Spoke clung to him so tightly that he even started being dragged across the floor, still yelling a drawn-out "please." People began turning to look at them and whispering. Parrot felt his face start to burn.
"Ugh, fine! Fine. I'll help. But god, bro, do you really want to shoot an actual film?" Parrot jerked his arm sharply so Spoke would finally let go. The latter, rejoicing, grinned widely.
"Just one small scene, nothing complicated," he stood up straight, as if nothing had happened, and trotted along step by step behind Parrot.
"God... So?" Parrot asked, walking out of the cafeteria. His brows were furrowed as he looked at the overly happy Spoke. The latter shot him a mocking glance and put his hands behind his back, as if he were some important high-ranking boss.
"Well, it's not safe to talk about it here. What if someone overhears and steals the idea?"
"Bro, who even needs your idea," Parrot grumbled in displeasure. "Fine, how about the library then?"
"It's closed today," Spoke declared cheerfully. Parrot groaned in agony.
"Okay, so where do you want to discuss all this?"
They walked forward down the hallway, passing small groups of students chatting about their own things. At the end of the corridor, someone could be heard buying coffee from a vending machine, and its sweet smell spread across the entire floor. Unexpectedly, Parrot felt drowsy.
"I'd suggest my place, but my mom will be home, so that would be awkward. You live alone, right? Let's do your place then," Spoke kept chirping as if nothing were wrong. Parrot barely listened and hummed mechanically.
And just like that, after classes ended, they found themselves at Parrot's rented apartment. Calling it an apartment was a stretch, by the way; his part-time job didn't allow him to live large. One room with a mattress on the floor, a desk, a small kitchen, a shower and a toilet. Nothing extra, basically.
"Cozy place you've got," Spoke smirked, looking around.
"Shut up, you still live with your parents," Parrot grumbled, sitting down at the desk and opening his laptop. "So? What's the idea?"
Spoke giggled quietly, sitting on the desk in front of Parrot. The latter just looked up in annoyance but didn't shoo him away.
"So, you know, to shoot a story about how some guy gets some illegal stuff that can alter reality, and eventually because of that, the universe itself becomes unstable. And, oh! We could add politics too! And betrayal!" Spoke spoke with great enthusiasm. He kept talking and talking, throwing out new ideas for plot twists. His thoughts got tangled, topics jumped from one to another while Parrot tried to write them down. The more words flowed from his fingers, reflected on the screen, the faster his heart beat. His hands felt so light, as if weightless. From time to time, he glanced at his classmate, not believing that he could actually come up with something like that.
All his plot sketches, plans, and ideas really did sound... Interesting. They were just completely raw.
"No, Spoke. This is all great, of course, but there's no way we can shoot something like that." Parrot sighed heavily, lowering his head and covering his eyes with his hand. His wings hung low, almost fully lying on the floor. Spoke ran his gaze over the unkempt feathers and pressed his lips together.
"You're such a pessimist!" he cried, trying to keep a smile on his face. "I'm sure if we polish this idea, everyone will love it. We'll definitely take first place, I guarantee it!"
Parrot looked up at the words typed on the screen. First place didn't seem likely at all.
"How can this even be polished? And where do you plan to find actors? Makeup artists? A screenwriter? A film crew? Enthusiasm alone won't get you far. We don't even have a budget."
Spoke swayed slightly, thinking.
"Well, we'll figure it out! I'm sure someone from other departments will agree. And we can shoot on a phone," he smiled, meeting Parrot's gaze.
"Oh god, are you serious bro?" Parrot threw his head back, covering his face with his hands. Spoke laughed. "This is so unserious that... God, who would even agree?"
Parrot abruptly slammed the laptop shut, a nasty feeling like worms squirming in his chest. He stared at the device with a blank look, feeling the presence of another person very close.
"Parrot. Please," Spoke leaned closer, the smile gone from his face, and his voice sounded pitiful, just like in the cafeteria. "We haven't even tried. Just imagine, they call us on stage, they hand us an award. Everyone claps for us! Their faces are so thrilled! Everyone loves it, the university gives us funding, we get rich and our film plays in theaters. We shoot a sequel, and everyone's waiting for it, and as directors, we get carried on people's shoulders!"
He waved his arms as if seeing the whole picture right now. His voice was ecstatic, as if everything he said was a true promise of success for two unknown freshmen.
Parrot chuckled warmly.
"Bro, you're already fantasizing. Fine. What about the cast, for starters?" his voice sounded tired but resigned. He opened the laptop again, and cold white light lit up the room. Both guys squinted for a second. Then, once their eyes adjusted, Spoke grinned widely, jumping off the desk onto the floor.
"Well, I can play the main character!" he leaned on the desk with his hands, peering at the laptop screen. Parrot nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, and the rest? You said you wanted several main characters," Parrot cast a glance at his colleague, noticing how thoughtful he looked.
"Well... You could be the second one, if you want. And the third..." Spoke pulled back and started pacing around the room. "I don't know... No one would agree."
Parrot silently watched his efforts.
"I don't want to be a main character. I'm not an actor at all, bro," he rolled his eyes.
"Well, fine! Then we'll find the actors a bit later! If anything, I'll just call Jamato, or, I don't know... We'll find someone!"
Parrot sighed heavily. No wonder no one wanted to work with Spoke. Getting this project into shape would be... hard.
"Have you at least come up with a title?" Parrot asked, propping his chin on his hand. Spoke stopped abruptly, looked at him in silence for a few seconds, and then, tilting his head slightly, spoke seriously.
"What about Unstable?"
Parrot thought for a moment, then nodded.
"Unstable. Yeah, sounds pretty good," he smiled. Then he turned to the laptop and clicked a few times to rename the file.
[Project 'Unstable.' Directors: Parrot, Spoke. Cast: Spoke.]