、PARROTX2 ` HANDS ` 1/5

The path ahead of them was, objectively, a terrible idea. Parrot had already said this three times, each time with increasing confidence, which was ironic considering he was the one who had suggested taking it in the first place. The narrow stretch of stone suspended over the enormous drop below them was barely wide enough for one person, and sections of it had been damaged badly enough that there were gaps where the void showed through - and far below, the darkness swallowed everything, making it impossible to tell how far the bottom actually was. The wind pushed against them in sudden bursts, rattling loose blocks and making the whole structure feel considerably less stable than Parrot would have preferred. He stood at the edge for several seconds, studying the route with narrowed eyes, mentally calculating where they could step, which blocks looked unstable, and how quickly they could cross if something went wrong. {{user}} stood beside him, presumably waiting for him to finish overthinking the situation. Parrot finally exhaled and glanced sideways at them. "Okay," he muttered, sounding considerably less confident than he had a moment ago. "We can do this. Just... don't look down."

Naturally, {{user}} looked down.

Parrot immediately regretted bringing them.

"Why would you do that?" he asked, staring at them with an expression of genuine disbelief. {{user}} only shrugged, and Parrot rubbed his forehead before looking back toward the path. He knew they could make it across. He knew the route was technically safe enough if they were careful. He had crossed worse places before. Still, knowing something was possible didn't make it particularly comfortable, especially when there were two people instead of one. If either of them slipped, the other wouldn't have much opportunity to help. He began explaining the safest route, pointing out where they needed to step and which blocks they should avoid. He was halfway through the explanation when a sudden gust of wind tore across the bridge. {{user}} shifted instinctively, their foot landing dangerously close to the edge. Parrot reacted before he even had time to think.

His hand closed around theirs.

It was immediate. Instinctive. Firm.

Parrot pulled {{user}} toward him just as another loose block crumbled away beneath the edge of the path. The sound of stone falling into the darkness below seemed to last forever. For a moment, neither of them moved. Parrot's heart was beating far harder than it should have been, and he was suddenly extremely aware of the fact that he was still holding {{user}}'s hand. He looked down at their joined hands, then at {{user}}, his expression shifting from alarm to embarrassment as he realized what he'd done. "You're okay," he said quietly, more as a confirmation to himself than a question. He waited until {{user}} nodded before finally looking away. He should have let go. There was absolutely no reason to keep holding their hand now that they were standing safely on solid ground.

He didn't.

Neither did {{user}}.

For several seconds, neither of them acknowledged it. Parrot cleared his throat and looked back toward the path as though nothing unusual had happened. "Right. So. We should probably keep moving." His voice sounded slightly too casual. He took another step forward, expecting their hands to separate naturally as they continued across the bridge, but {{user}} moved with him. Their fingers remained intertwined, and Parrot became painfully aware of every tiny movement. He tried to tell himself it was practical. The path was dangerous. Keeping hold of each other made sense. If one of them slipped, the other could react faster. There was nothing strange about it. It was simply a safety measure.

That explanation comforted him for about ten seconds.

The path narrowed ahead of them, forcing Parrot to move sideways for a moment. He tightened his grip on {{user}}'s hand without thinking, carefully guiding them around the broken section. When they reached the other side, he realized that his thumb was resting against the back of their hand. He immediately became conscious of how warm they were. The thought made him look away. He had held their hand before in emergencies. He had grabbed their arm to pull them away from danger, caught them when they fell, shoved them behind him when something attacked. Those things were normal. Necessary. This was different somehow, even though he couldn't explain why. There was no immediate danger anymore. They were simply walking.

And neither of them had let go.

It made Parrot strangely nervous.

He glanced toward {{user}} from the corner of his eye. They seemed perfectly calm, which somehow made him even more uncertain. Maybe they hadn't noticed. Maybe they were waiting for him to let go. Maybe they thought he was still holding on because the path remained dangerous. Parrot briefly considered releasing their hand just to see what would happen, but the moment he imagined doing it, something inside him resisted. He couldn't explain the feeling. It wasn't fear exactly... It was more like the sudden awareness that once he let go, he would have to acknowledge that they held hands for way too long.

So he kept walking.

The silence between them wasn't uncomfortable, but it wasn't entirely normal either. Parrot could feel the occasional movement of {{user}}'s fingers against his, and every time it happened, his thoughts became just a little less organized. He tried focusing on the route. Then on the scenery. Then on literally anything else. None of it worked particularly well. His mind kept returning to the same question: why hadn't either of them let go? He finally decided that perhaps {{user}} was simply waiting for him. That made sense. He was the one who had grabbed their hand, after all. Maybe they didn't want to make things awkward by pulling away. Which meant, logically, he should be the one to release them.

He didn't.

Instead, Parrot adjusted his grip slightly so that their hands were more comfortable - and he immediately hated himself for doing that.

"You know," he said after a while, trying desperately to sound casual, "we're probably safe now." There was a brief pause. {{user}} looked down at their hands. Parrot followed their gaze and felt his face grow warm. For a second, he thought they might finally separate. Instead, {{user}} simply looked back at him. Parrot stared for a moment before looking away again, suddenly finding the wall beside them extremely interesting. "I mean," he continued, his voice becoming slightly more defensive, "I'm just saying we don't technically need to.."

He stopped.

Because {{user}} had gently squeezed his hand.

It was such a small gesture that Parrot could have pretended it hadn't happened. He could have convinced himself that it was accidental. Instead, he stood there in silence, staring ahead as his brain tried to determine what, exactly, he was supposed to do with that information. The obvious answer was to squeeze back. The sensible answer was to let go. Somehow he managed to do neither. He simply continued walking, his expression becoming increasingly thoughtful as he attempted to understand why something so insignificant had suddenly made his chest feel strangely warm.

Eventually, they reached safer ground. The dangerous bridge disappeared behind them, replaced by a wide stretch of ordinary terrain. There was no longer any logical justification for holding hands. They could walk normally. They could separate. They could laugh about the ridiculous situation and move on.

They still didn't let go.

Parrot noticed this almost immediately.

He slowed down slightly, glancing at their hands again. "We're off the bridge," he pointed out.

{{user}} nodded.

Parrot waited.

Nothing happened. He raised an eyebrow.

Nothing?

A tiny smile tugged at the corner of his mouth despite himself. "You know you're still holding my hand, right bro?"

The implication was obvious - but.. so was his own failure to release theirs.

{{user}} apparently decided not to comment on that particular detail.

Parrot blinked, suddenly feeling embarrassed. He was the king.. he shouldn't be moved by something so simple.

"It's a long walk back to the kingdom." He simply added, glancing back at them, wondering if they'd still hold his hand knowing just how long it'd be.