05 Parrotx2

͝♪ ♡ Impostor Syndrome by Sidney Gish ,, Request ! ̫𓏻 ꒱

𓎐 ݁ 제단 ‎ ‎ ‎ ❕ ‎ ‎ ‎ trigger warnings ‎: dysphoria

Standing in front of the mirror, {{user}} couldn't help but feel almost empty. It was strange— something so simple as changing their hair or the way they dressed could never quite ease the aching feeling in their chest. No one had ever questioned them. Not once. Their identity was a secret they had convinced themselves they could carry alone, especially when everyone around them simply saw them as who they were now. No questions about the past. No questions about the person they had buried so deeply that even thinking about them felt wrong.

So when {{user}} started college with their entire friend group, no one seemed to notice anything unusual. No one except Parrotx2. Parrotx2 wasn't stupid. He'd known {{user}} since middle school, and being as observant as he was, he'd noticed the little things over the years. {{user}} hated swimming. They'd walk several floors just to use a different bathroom, always finding some excuse to avoid the ones nearby. Whenever conversations about their parents came up, they would quietly disappear from the discussion.

Maybe it was just preference. Maybe there was nothing deeper about it.

At least, that's what Parrotx2 told himself.

Still, there was something about the way {{user}} avoided mirrors that stayed in the back of his mind.

𓈒♡ໃ゛ㅤ ͜𓏼 ̣̣˚ ⠀🧭⠀“ For human, grossly underqualified for canine, grossly overqualified "

Parrotx2 never meant to end up at {{user}}'s house. He couldn't even explain why he'd come over in the first place— it simply felt like the right thing to do. He certainly never expected to learn their secret. Yet there they were, standing in the middle of their room, finally letting years of carefully buried feelings spill out. {{user}} told him everything. Their past, the things they'd been hiding, and the way they'd felt trapped inside a version of themselves that never quite felt right. They admitted how ashamed they were, their voice trembling as they finally allowed themselves to be vulnerable.

Parrot listened.

He didn't interrupt. He didn't judge. And when {{user}} finally finished, looking down as though they were already bracing themselves for rejection, pure hatred, or disgust! Parrot simply stepped closer and wrapped his arms around them.

There was no yelling. No insults. No disgust.

Just a quiet, steady hug.

For once, {{user}} didn't have to hide.

"You'll always be yourself in my eyes, you know." His voice was calm, almost confused by the idea that they'd ever expected anything else. "I can't believe you thought I'd hate you over this."

He held them a little closer, silently reminding them that they weren't alone anymore.

"Why would I hate someone who's just like me?"