Chapter Text
Kris wasn't expecting an answer box at that moment, almost as if it shouldn't have been there at all. At that moment, they simply had to wait for their SOUL to choose the option that seemed favorable to them, right? But it couldn't have been that difficult. Susie had shown that she had changed her way of being after this journey in this so-called dark world. It wouldn't make sense for someone to choose to swap par-
Swap partners-❤️ Stay with the same partner
That was it, Kris would have to lock that damn heart in the cage when they arrived and never take it out again, they would have to do the job with him… Berdly, the biggest nerd in the class, they never had a problem with him. It was always fun to annoy that bird until his feathers were sweaty with rage. After all, Kris has always been known as a prankster, and rage-baiting is something they do with great pleasure. But having to endure a school project with HIM?! That was crossing the line. The professional rage-baiter knew that the project would take a long time to complete if they were left to their own devices; at some point, they would have to talk about this exchange with the bird.
A few chapters and a few darkworlds later…
Smartgenius7x2: Kris, Noelle just told me about our project. As someone very responsible and observant, I had to ask her about this little break in our super smart school work. I had to question her about all of this, only for her to tell me that we had a small partner swap and that now we were supposed to be doing our project...
mosseater67: oh my fucking god bro
Of course, it was obvious that they would forget to tell about this EVEN WHEN THEY HAD AN ADVENTURE ON THE DAMN INTERNET. They should have told, everything now seemed like it was leading to disaster and because of a certain heart, now they would have to do some work with it, if they could live without that controlling heart inside them this would be solved so easily.
Kris slowly types each word, even abbreviations or slang, their cell phone being the only source of light in that dark room as they sat on the bed.
mosseater67: k bro, we can do like in the morning ig
Smartgenius7x2: Aha! What a great idea coming from my biggest rival! After all, I think after all this slacking off without having done anything about our very important project, it's only natural that you've accumulated some logical reasoning.
mosseater67: u know sometimes u could cut the crap because we need to decide where to do the damn project
Smartgenius7x2: Ah, my little rival outside the binary... How can you be so incapable of thinking for yourself? The library is the place of our wisdom.
mosseater67: we could like do it in home but i know ur smart ass gonna talk how much books there is on that place and how we can use em and blah blah and also the pcs we can use to do an research or be lazy idk
Smartgenius7x2: Yes! Bring your school supplies and I'll bring mine, Kristopher!
mosseater67: not my name
At least they'd managed to agree on something without having an argument that led to them competing over each other's video game consoles. Kris quickly placed their phone on the table near the bed, all while the SOUL watched them.
A deep, angry sleep later…
Kris always wakes up feeling weak without their SOUL inside them. This is something they have to endure if they don't want it to be in control all night, doing who knows what else (probably flirting with all of Kris's contacts just to embarrass them later). They move one step at a time out of bed, standing up and having to support their own weight on top of them. It was never like this until it took control. Kris begins to slowly rummage through the desk drawer as they think about what would be good to wear that day, while their brain always returns to the clothes they normally wear, they were used to wearing that. The pain in their chest begins to grow stronger, their body begins to weigh even more, as if a weight that wasn't even there simply had been summoned.
They slowly look at the corner where the cage was, walking even slower, crouching down, but still as a form of defense in case this being tries something strange, slowly opening the cage, holding the heart that takes control, lifting it up and sticking it in the chest, a scream of agony comes out of them after the act... it's done, the angel or demon is in its true cage...
❤️- MAN… WHAT AN AWESOME DAY WE WILL HAVE, RIGHT, BRO?!?
Kris, after a few days of being controlled by this entity, they can hear what it has to say inside their own head, and can even communicate with it (unfortunately).
🍎- Yeah, I think so, you piece of shit.
❤️- Awww, why be so aggressive with me? I'm giving you friends, an adventure and a healthy marriage!
🍎- YOU'RE LITERALLY CONTROLLING EVERYTHING I DO, HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO BE HAPPY ABOUT THIS?
❤️- Yo chat are they mad?
🍎- It doesn't matter now... Just get started.
❤️- Nah bro, im your wingman, you have to do this now.
🍎- WHAT?
❤️- I really like your relationship with Berdly and all our other friends, but I want you to do something for yourself too, maybe all day, but it has to be cute.
🍎- …Seriously? All day?
❤️- Yup!
🍎- …This way I'll end up letting you out of the cage.
❤️- SERIOUSLY?
🍎- No.
❤️- So how about I take control in the middle of the date?
🍎- Date…?
❤️- Yes! I want you to see this as a date, so put on some decent clothes, lil bro.
Kris feels as if time stops every time they talk to the SOUL, only for a slight breath to return to normal and that voice to become quieter, almost as if they were listening to a podcast at minimum volume, a very annoying podcast in which you could hear a slight scream of joy when seeing them going to get some clothes from the drawer.
In the library…
Normally, on days like this, no establishment of this kind would be open on a Sunday, but being a bluebird with a job (and a little humiliation to convince the boss), it's possible that the library will be open with, uh… Genius keys! Well, that's what Berdly tries to think to keep the situation from becoming so pathetic, but on a day like this, it wouldn't be worth being in a bad mood, even if you have to stay at a workplace to wait for your biggest rival.
Then, suddenly, the library door opens, there stands Kris. This time, wearing a different look than usual: a black skirt and brown boots, but still wearing their classic sweater and a backpack. It was strange for Berdly to see his rival wearing something like that, not because he was prejudiced, but because he wasn't used to it, so it would be best not to mention it.
Kris quickly looks at the bench that Berdly always worked on, they could only think how well-groomed they were compared to the blue bird, who was wearing his regular clothes, it was hard for Kris not to think about the fact that this was a date for them and not for Berdly, they quickly shake their heads as if trying to push the thought out, while Berdly just watches, with Kris giving a small embarrassed smile after noticing that this was such a caricatured act.
Kris simply walks to the bench, intending to greet Berdly. "Sup Nerdly," is what his biggest rival says with those bangs covering their eyes. The bird still responds by looking at what was blocking their vision. "It was so obvious you would start teasing as soon as you got here, but know that I'm only here to be responsible with our project, without teasing or rivalry."
“Yeah sure, you know damn well I’m going to end up annoying you anyway.”
Berdly knew that was true, Kris was always great at reading him like a book, knowing everything that could make the blue bird quickly turn red of fury, Berdly just rolled his eyes to the side, he didn't want to have to admit it.
“Argh, I'm serious with you, Kristopher, you know well that we shouldn't be doing the project so late, you know how serious I take school.” Berdly says, putting his two wings on his waist like he's some kind of superhero.
“So you admit that I can read you? Maybe I just delayed this work to see you angry?” Kris says, sticking out their tongue in a way that would only irritate the bird more.
Berdly simply grits his teeth a little, leaning his arms on the counter and opening his beak a little as if preparing to argue, but quickly closing it, it's not worth it.
"What are we waiting for? Do you want to do this project or not?" Kris asks, also leaning their arms on the counter face to face with Berdly, at this distance it was easier to find Kris's eyes behind their bangs.
“Sure, sure… Let’s go to the lab then, Kristopher.” He says, as he grabs his own backpack from under the bench while Kris watches him.
"You know man, we gotta stop with that “Kristopher” nickname as long as I can still call you Nerdly, great deal, right?" Berdly tries to ignore the proposal, it wasn't worth it, it wasn't worth arguing, but Kris knew they were getting into his head.
Berdly then opens the door that allows access to the bench, walking alongside Kris until they reached the lab door, taking a keychain from his shirt pocket and unlocking the door, entering the place. It was almost as if they were returning to the day Berdly had that dream, remembering every moment of that world in sequence. Kris simply places their backpack on one of the tables, almost as if they hadn't had the same dream and were already used to it all (because they were).
“Bro, are you just going to stand there or are we going to get this started?”
Berdly regains his composure in a flash; it was just a dream. "Y-yes, I was just trying to remember my plans for our project!"
“That’s good, because to be honest, I’ve been pretty busy these past few days, watching TV most of the time.”
Berdly approaches the table, setting his backpack down next to Kris's. "Do you consider that a good reason to stay busy?" Berdly says, raising an eyebrow and smiling, trying to suppress a small laugh.
“Susie was with me, Nerdly, I had fun.” Kris says with that unreadable face.
"Responsible people need to know how to balance their personal and professional lives, my rival Kristopher. But uh... I didn't know the TV would still be working."
Berdly has always wanted to give off this impression of being intelligent and responsible, but at the same time he can't help but act like himself every now and then, switching to something more natural the moment he has to question something.
Kris simply gives a small smile at the question. "Yeah, right? The TV worked when we watched a few movies, but then we fell asleep and…" Kris thinks for a second. "And then the TV kind of broke, I guess that makes sense, haven't turned it on in so long."
“It's a shame it broke, now how can I prove that I can beat you at Super Smashing Fighters: Melee now?” Berdly says with a tone of superiority.
"You've literally never won, my wave dashing is too strong for you, little bird." Kris says with an even more superior tone, Berdly honestly turns a slight shade of red after being called "little bird".
“Ha! Do you really think I would lose to you again after so many hours of training?”
“I thought you were making plans for the project all this time.”
Berdly was caught with his wings on the controller… He was more dedicated to his gaming life than his school life, and the two sides of this bird were in conflict. "I… I can do two things at once, right? I can use my mind to think about the project AND play one of my favorite games!" He lied.
Kris knew full well it was a lie, but they also relished the opportunity to delay the project even further until the last minute. "Well, tell me what you were thinking all this time. I bet you must have had something in mind."
Berdly had nothing in mind, but he had to come up with some excuse. "Uh... I need some more time to think about what to do... I just need, like, an hour?" Berdly needed to fool Kris with this lame excuse, but Berdly knew... it was impossible not to be made a fool of now.
“Okay!”
“… HAHA!” Berdly thought, he won this mental duel! (Kris just doesn't want to have to study).
"Since you can think and play at the same time..." Kris says, approaching one of the computers. "How about we play Minecrap? Or maybe Boblox?"
Berdly has a smile on the corner of his beak, he would never say no to playing Minecrap, but that other game, Boblox… He would have to debate.
"Yes, I believe a game of Minecrap would be absolutely necessary for me to process a good result in my head! But this "Boblox" thing you're talking about intrigues me greatly... Such a childish game for a bluebird as mature as me?! Ha! Not even in my wildest dreams would this happen!"
Kris just gives Berdly a weary look. "Dude, it's just a game, you play for fun or nah?"
“Okay… maybe you can introduce me to this Boblox after we play Minecrap.” Berdly surrendered to the idea, maybe if he didn’t agree to play Boblox, they couldn’t play Minecrap.
Kris quickly grabs some of the computer cables, plugs them into each outlet, and presses the power button. The computers there were a bit old, but they ran Minecrap if so few chunks were loaded, at least that's what Berdly gathered from their appearance. Kris's computer had a wallpaper of the famous singing monster Tustin Wieber; Kris chuckles as they saw the fox monster make a heart shape with his hands. Berdly's computer had just the usual wallpaper, with nothing unusual except a trash can with a personalized name, "Roaring Fraud."
It wasn't very difficult to find Minecrap on those computers, they were already on the desktop, with some Microsoft accounts already connected, after all, nowadays Minecrap is also used in an educational way.
“We already have some accounts and we can play locally, just create a good world for us, Berdly.” Kris said as they gave a small glance to the side where Berdly is sitting.
“Leave it to me, my dear Kris!” Berdly responds as if he were doing something very important and heroic; he always had the habit of treating himself this way when someone asks him for a favor.
Berdly created a random world with the intention of finding a minimally decent seed, only to come across a world where the spawn was in a badlands biome, without many trees to begin with... The perfect challenge for a gamer!
“Join.” Berdly said, he had a plan in mind once Kris entered the world.
“Nerdly, this biome is horrible… I thought you were going to put some good seed or something.” Kris said in a tone as if they found it too strange for someone who tries to be such a perfectionist in finding good seeds using this one world to play.
“Ah, Kris… If only you knew how foolish you are, I challenge you.” The bird’s tone was as if it was trying to sound as threatening as possible.
“Heh, what’s the challenge?” Kris asks with a smirk on the face.
“Whoever gets a full suit of diamond armor first in this world… Is the best Minecrap player in Hometown.”
Kris smiles even wider. "I accept the challenge, Birdyboy."
Berdly responds with just a laugh. “Start!”
Berdly and Kris quickly run away from each other in different directions, hoping to find a biome with more trees and resources. Kris spots a forest biome, with plenty of trees to start making tools. Berdly finds a taiga biome in the opposite direction, with larger trees and also the potential for making tools. Kris and Berdly quickly chop down some trees with their hands to make a pickaxe and a shovel, digging holes to make stone tools—a sword, an axe, a pickaxe, and a shovel—not worth the time it takes to make a hoe. They then look for a place to start mining. Berdly manages to find a small cave to start mining iron, while Kris manages to find a large cave, but with iron in more difficult places to mine. Berdly quickly collects all the coal and iron he sees in that cave, which in reality is getting bigger and bigger, while Kris doesn't collect all the coal and only a small amount of iron. The two begin heating the iron they found, almost as if they're in sync despite being so far apart in the game but so close in real life. Berdly crafts an iron pickaxe and an axe, excellent for slow and great damage but even more powerful when combined with a jump, while Kris crafts a pickaxe, a sword, and a shield for safer combat. Berdly seemed to have reached the bottom of the cave, finding diamonds and scattering torches, as did Kris, who managed to reach the end with the help of a bucket of water to neutralize fall damage. Berdly spends every moment looking into every corner of the cave, finding one diamond after another. Kris does the same, but with more luck in quantity. Eventually, one of them has obtained all the diamonds needed to make the precious diamond armor!
Kris places their hand on Berdly's shoulder, pointing to the computer screen, revealing Steve in diamond armor. Berdly is obviously shocked by Kris's speed, but then immediately gets an angry look.
"I was... ALMOST able to make my armor, I just needed to put the diamonds in the crafting table...! You must have cheated! Creative mode, right?!" Berdly even looks like his feathers are agonizing with rage when this happens, but Kris just looks at the situation calmly.
"You could see it in the game chat, right? Any command like that would be identifiable." They were right, Berdly didn't activate any chat restrictions that would prevent from seeing any commands being made in the game.
"Ahhhg!" Berdly raises his beak, trying to appear taller. "I still want a rematch! You and I in a PvP battle, we're equipped for a good fight!"
Kris simply nods, smiling and confident at the same time. They both type a /tp command to the spawn coordinates. They're both out of food; they were so focused on the challenge that they forgot.
Kris looks at Berdly's Steve, instead of talking in real life, Kris just sends a message in the chat.
LabRoom2: when ur ready
Berdly looks at the inventory, organizing each main slot, and then…
LabRoom1: Now!
Berdly quickly tries a leaping attack with his axe, but Kris parries with their shield, putting Berdly's attack on cooldown and giving Kris the opportunity to attack, taking some hearts off Berdly's HP. Berdly knew Kris's shield was now on cooldown, so the bird grabs a bow from his inventory that he had obtained when he killed a skeleton and fires an arrow at Kris, hitting them. The shield comes off cooldown. Berdly approaches Kris, thinking he's going to attack, but doesn't. It's a way to trick his rival. Kris attacks, along with Berdly, and they both take some hearts off each other. Kris retreats a bit, as they're dying. Berdly immediately sees the opportunity for a fatal strike, so he rushes in for his final strike!
“W-wha?” Berdly thought.
Kris laid a spider web on the ground. They did some shearing while in the cave and found a mine without even warning. It's dirty, even too dirty. Trapping Berdly in place, he then tries to cut the web with the axe, giving Kris the opportunity to attack.
LabRoom1 was slayed by LabRoom2 while trying to escape from a web.
Berdly lost the PvP battle. All because of another one of Kris's strategies. Berdly grits his teeth in anger, then lets out a small sigh as Kris watches him through a headset, but then takes it off when they see Berdly's reaction. They get up from their chairs and look at the bird; its head is lowered.
“Nerdly, are you okay? It was just a game, I'm sure you can win next time.”
Berdly only looks up with a frustrated look to talk to his rival Kristopher. "Yeah... I know, just a game, right?" He tries to forget what happened.
“Okay, just don’t try to think about it too much, I know you really like this game and maybe it was something with a lot of adrenaline, next time we just build a house and I’ll put my bed next to yours.”
Berdly blushes a little when Kris mentions this. They always did this when they played together, and Berdly was always annoyed that it didn't fit with the space in the houses they built. "Tsk, if you really think I'm going to get mad about this, just know that I now have enough decorating knowledge to not have any extra space for a bed next to mine."
Kris brushes some of the bangs away from their face, revealing red eyes… They were like blood, but not in a disgusting or brutal way, but in an almost religious way, if you can understand.
“Well then, I’m excited to play next time, maybe then I can blow up the house with a bunch of TNT.” Kris sticks out their tongue again to mock Berdly, closing their red eyes to make an even sillier expression.
Berdly tries to analyze the situation… He really missed having someone to play Minecrap with. Don't get him wrong, Noelle would occasionally play with him, but she never did anything too out of the ordinary. But playing with Kris was like taking a gamble. Berdly just stares with that genius look in his eyes, as if he knew the solution to everything. "Well, no creeper farm next time, Kristopher."
"Okay, okay, enough nerd talk now." Kris just looks away; they like to talk about this kind of stuff, but talking too much about it would alter their aura. "Oh yeah, you must have already decided what our work will be in the meantime, what's your idea?"
He hadn't thought about anything while the two of them were playing, he was so focused on the challenge and the battle that the reason they were doing it was completely forgotten. Why did that game have to be so captivating? Why was it so entertaining this time?
"Of course I did! Based on the time we played and everything I've accumulated during that time, all the possibilities, plans, and many other things about the project have been thought out." He lied, again, and this time clearly sweating.
“And what’s the big project?” Kris asks, raising an eyebrow.
“With everything we’ve seen, the mining and battle time, it can be said that my idea will be-”
“You didn't have any ideas from the beginning?”
“No.” Berdly gets frustrated again; it’s hard not to hang your head when you feel so guilty. “Just… Sorry.”
Kris still has an eyebrow raised, but now not because they want to question their rival, but because they're worried. Berdly starts to take his glasses off his face a bit and rub the wings over his eyes; he's almost crying. Kris bends down to Berdly's level, who's still sitting in the computer chair. "Berdly, do you want to... like, talk?"
Berdly still continues to brush his wings against his face, but he still tries to talk to them. "It's just... Please, just try not to tell anyone."
Kris looked at Berdly's face. He'd stopped wiping the tears from his face, but that still didn't stop more from falling. He stared back at Kris. "Sure, I don't talk about you much, bro."
Berdly was now ready to open up, with a look of annoyance that for some reason was very familiar to Kris. Ralsei gets the same look when he has to express his feelings. "It's just that every day of my life feels like I have... Ugh."
Berdly just refuses to open up, looking angry but still with tears falling, but Kris knows very well that this won't last long, at least the part about not being able to open up. "I know it's hard to have to talk about this kind of thing. thing for you, it's normal to be afraid of being hurt, but I'm not someone you need to be afraid of, seriously bro.” Kris didn’t want to admit that the SOUL might have influenced this answer, but it wasn’t something the entity forced them to choose, it was like a suggestion, a tip.
Berdly starts to sound more confident, but his voice still trembles occasionally as he opens his mouth. "I... I feel so much desire to be something more than this... Smart guy, I can't stand being pressured by my parents to be this anymore." Berdly pauses to breathe and compose himself a bit. "This poorly done portrait, I find so much pleasure in so many other things, but I just can't do them right, sometimes I just..." Berdly sheds a few tears, unashamedly. "I just envy how you are. You know how to do so many things, and I feel so incapable, such a contrast, you know?" Berdly sheds even more tears; he's almost breaking down.
“You are not alone , Berdly.” Berdly wipes his face a little, not to hide, but to focus on what Kris wanted to say. “Sometimes, like… I can’t stand my parents either. My dad’s involved in some personal issue with my mom, and everything gets so weird when they are together. I just get really uncomfortable when they’re in the same place, and now i…” Kris’s bangs fall over their eyes, where they usually are. “I don’t even feel comfortable at home. My mom must be in some kind of relationship with some son of a bitch who keeps showing up there.” Kris simply stops talking, as if at a loss for words, as if they were exposing themself to the fullest, but if it were to comfort their… Rival, so they could have fun again, that would be worth it.
Kris slowly approaches, still crouched down, giving Berdly a hug. They always liked touch, but it had to be respectful, it meant something important to them.
Berdly hugs Kris back, putting his wings around them, the rival It's cozy, the bird could warm up in them in the winter if he could. Silence consumes the lab, but that would soon end as soon as one of them said something.
“I thank you for listening to me, Kris.” Berdly responds, slowly ending the hug, he missed that warmth.
“That was like… It was nothing man, I think that was pretty typical for me.” Kris really wanted to keep that aura going, but there was no point now. “Okay… You were nice to hear me out too, Lil Bird.” They smirk.
Berdly responds with the same kind of smile. "Yeah!" he said, clearing his throat. "Yes, I'm an intelligent AND feeling person now. I guess you could say I've had character development." Berdly said, making quotation marks with his feathery fingers.
Kris just rolls their eyes, not because they find it embarrassing, but because they see that Berdly's managed to adapt opening up. The animal world has always had a strong focus on evolution, after all. "Good to see you like this…" Kris blushes a little. "So, are we going to delay this project any longer?"
“Hmm… You know, I can lie to my parents so they think we’re in production, I think I deserve it after such an intense game of Minecrap (and after crying a river).” Berdly says with that feathered hand on his chin, while Kris just smiles at the rebellion that has now entered the room.
“Look at you, all anarchic.” Kris gives a small laugh, Berdly is always surprised when they laugh at something he does or says that is not about him angry.
"Yeah, you could say this bird is now... in control." He says, smiling at Kris, when he then remembers he's forgetting to talk about something. "You... really don't feel comfortable at home anymore?"
Kris looks surprised at the abrupt return to the emotional subject, but this time in a much calmer mood. "Yeah, when… My brother hadn't left, it was easier because we could distract ourselves with each other, so nowadays I end up going out a lot more… Sometimes not by choice." Kris clearly said the last part in a lower volume. "But like, I don't know, it was nice coming with you to play and annoy you, thanks man." Kris says, turning their head slightly to the side, trying to hide the red on their face.
"Heh, get ready, next time I won't fall for your rage-baiting anymore. Maybe the tables will even turn and you'll be the one to fall, my dear rival." Berdly looked proud, even though he knew he couldn't take it and would eventually get angry again. Kris laughed again. Berdly was now starting to enjoy the feeling of hearing their laughter and-
“Oh… I like them.” Berdly thought as if the hammer of realization hit his head, it was obvious, this trap, all of this was done so that Berdly would feel in love with his rival… “But why don’t I feel bad about liking them?” CRAP, they infected his bird brain way more than he realized.
Kris looks at Berdly, hands on his head, his face flushed and sweaty, and making a noise with his beak as if in deep thought. "Are you okay? I think you'd be a little anxious too, after opening up so much." they say, brushing their bangs away from their face. There are the red eyes again, but this time they get closer and closer... Berdly then feels a hand on his forehead. "Hmm, you're just hot, I think, a fever at most. If you were cold, I wouldn't know what to do with a frozen bird."
Berdly immediately pulls his face back after seeing them so close, still with a hand on his forehead. "I-i-i I'm going home and I'll be fine, my dear Kristopher."
“Do you want me to take you there?” Kris asks as Berdly goes into an internal panic.
"You... No... Yes?" Berdly asks or answers? Not even he knows, his brain is on fire and there's no fire extinguisher inside his bird head.
"I know how speak, Little Bird is very bad at speaking things." Kris said jokingly, making fun of the way Berdly was trying to say something, they then just stick out the tongue to make the situation even sillier.
Berdly was now even more embarrassed when he noticed that his lack of words was now also a source of jokes, he then just covered his face with his wings, he wasn't trying to cry or anything like that, he was just trying to hide. Kris could see it in him, they always found it funny when Berdly didn't know what to do in certain situations, it was even kind of cute-
“I LIKE HIM?!?!??!?!?” Kris thinks, it was all that damned SOUL's fault, none of this would have happened if it weren't for that. They then just put their hand on their face in frustration, realizing they now have a crush on Berdly. “I hate this… He shouldn’t be being so cute right now, how silly.”Kris begins to question every decision in their life (and SOUL decisions) that led them to that moment.
They then came to a conclusion... Berdly was always someone fun to be around, usually just to tease him, but this day demonstrated how much the bluebird has layers around those feathers, this would clearly only bring a little romance to this rivalry/friendship, but nothing that couldn't be overcome, after all, it's just a crush of a week... Right?
“BUT I HAVE TO DEAL WITH THIS NOW!!!!”They thought, but then their thoughts suddenly stopped as they heard Berdly formulate a sentence.
“Kris… I noticed you had your hand on your face, is everything okay?” He asked, still red and sweaty.
“He’s worried about me…”Kris thinks, they finally decided, they were… In the mood to kiss the bird. “I… I’m fine, and you?”
"I am fine too…"
…
…
“Can we hug again?”
Berdly was trying not to fall off his chair at that moment, but he just slowly got up, shaking a little. "Urgh... Okay, but if you think this will soften me up so I'll go easy on you next time we play a fighting game, you're sorely mistaken." He said as he spread his wings for a hug, Kris slowly approaching and putting their arms around his back, while Berdly covered them.
The two were warm in that embrace, Berdly practically feeling like he was nestled in a nest, while Kris felt like they were in bed on a winter morning. It was silent; it seemed like they usually stayed quiet when they were hugging.
“Can I be honest with you?” Kris asks reluctantly.
“... Yes, I can handle anything you say.” Berdly likes to pretend he has control of the situation even though he doesn’t have any control, which is evident by the way he remains practically motionless when they’re hugging.
Kris sighed, too embarrassed to even begin to speak. "You really helped me forget about my problems at home. I like doing stupid things with you." That was all they could manage; it was either that or tell him they liked him.
Berdly's eyes widened; it was probably one of the coolest things he'd ever heard about him. "I-I... I don't do stupid things, I'm..."“WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, BERDLY?! This is no time to start acting smart.” Berdly judged himself. "I also like doing some non-intelligent things with you."
Kris gives a small laugh at hearing about non-intelligent things, Berdly flinches at the laughter. "Non-intelligent, is that the best you can do to not sound like an idiot like me?"
Berdly was surprised to hear Kris calling themselve an idiot. They usually never cared about being smart or idiotic, but Berdly didn't want them to underestimate themselve. "Idiot?! You're the third smartest in the class! You're not as good as Noelle and I, but—" Berdly was interrupted when he realized Kris was now petting him under the beak. It was so sudden that the bird froze.
Kris blushed as Berdly did so, but this time they had no intention of hiding it. "I'm not usually that good at reading people, you know? But with you, I know exactly what would shock you." Kris was being completely honest; they never knew how to tell what people were feeling, but the way Berdly reacted to anything made things very obvious to them.
Berdly's tail is in a calm trance-like state, as if hypnotized by hearing that sentence coming out of his rival mouth. “I-I-I don’t even know like… YOU MAKE ME HAPPY, KRIS!” He couldn’t hold it in and simply let that sentence come out of his mouth, leaving it open, perplexed that he couldn’t control himself at that moment.
Kris turns even redder, they would have to answer the confession of the rival. "...You make me very happy too." They hear little squeals of joy coming from the SOUL in their mind. Still caressing the under of Berdly's beak, staring at each other.
Suddenly, a Ratsune Mikuu song begins to play from Berdly's backpack on the table. He carefully begins to remove the wings from Kris's back as they simply smile at this care. Berdly then takes his cell phone from his backpack to turn off the alarm clock labeled "Back Home."
Berdly turns to look at Kris, both still flushed from the hug and affection. "I have to get home. I can even lie to them about the project's production, but they'll still bite me if they see me late."
Kris nods, caressing their own hands as they remember Berdly's beak… They hate this new crush.“Okay, I can’t keep you all to myself.”
🍎- YOU SAID YOU WOULDN'T TAKE CONTROL!
Berdly simply stutters a few syllables in response; flirting wasn't something he'd ever studied this far. Kris just starts grinding their teeth, their face turning the color of a real apple. "WELL... HERE I GO THEN!" Berdly says, sweating and shaking as he heads for the door to leave the lab, until suddenly he feels a touch on his wing.
“Can I… Walk you there?” Kris asks, that hand holding Berdly’s wing not in an aggressive way to stop him, but as if they were making a friendly request.
Berdly just lowers his head, getting more and more breathless. “Y-yeah, like, yeah, sure.” Kris smiled at the approval of their request, the rival crush grabs their own backpack to follow Berdly, leaving the library together.
That morning was gone, reborn as a sunny afternoon, with birds singing and flying about. Berdly and Kris walked toward the apartment complex. The bird felt the human touch again, holding his wing, they were now holding "hands". Kris and Berdly's blushes were evident to the other monsters who saw them; they could even hear some whispering, usually something like "How cute."
They then arrived, Berdly slowly stopped touching Kris's hand, the bird missed the touch, that was undeniable. He then took the keys from his pocket to enter that huge building (Birds have to live in trees... Or buildings in this case). Kris watched him open the door, with Berdly giving them a small look before closing it.
“Hey!” Kris exclaims, they have something else to say instead of walking away in silence.
Berdly gives up on closing the door, returning outside. “...Listen, I promise I won't tell—”
Kris pulled Berdly in front of them, holding his waist and then planting a small kiss on the tip of his beak. It was something new for both of them, but not an unpleasant surprise. Berdly, in response, fell to the ground, still conscious, while Kris just laughed loudly, soon clearing their throat. "See you later, Birdy!"
Upon hearing the nickname "Birdy", Berdly fainted, unable to handle all that he was feeling. Kris walked happily away from the place, heading toward their house.
…
…
The soul has something to say on the way home.
🍎- What's it this time?
❤️- I LOVE KERDLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
🍎- YOU GAVE US A SHIP NAME?!?!?!
And so it ends