、PARROTX2 & WIFIES ` COOKING! `

The idea had seemed simple when {{user}} brought it up. Easy, quick, efficient! Dinner shouldn't have been difficult. The three of them had access to a kitchen, plenty of ingredients, and a recipe that claimed the meal would take less than an hour. There was no reason it should have turned into anything complicated. Parrot had been enthusiastic almost immediately, his wings shifting behind him as he leaned over the counter to inspect everything they'd gathered. Wifies, meanwhile, had looked over the ingredients with the quiet skepticism of someone already anticipating problems. He hadn't objected to the idea, though. If anything, he seemed mildly amused by Parrot and {{user}}s confidence, and the faint smile on his face suggested he was happy to see how badly things could possibly go.

“I've got this,” Parrot announced confidently.

Wifies glanced at him before looking down at the recipe in his hands. “You haven't even read the instructions.”

“I don't need to.” Parrot scoffed.

{{user}} laughed, and Parrot gave them an exaggeratedly eyeroll before finally taking the recipe from Wifies. He began reading through it, although it quickly became obvious that he wasn't paying nearly as much attention as he claimed. Wifies patiently walked him through the first few steps, measuring ingredients while {{user}} prepared everything else. For a little while, things actually went surprisingly smoothly. Wifies handled the precise parts of the recipe, Parrot took care of mixing, and {{user}} moved between them whenever something needed an extra pair of hands. It almost felt like they had done this before.

Then Parrot decided the recipe was wrong.

According to him, there was no way the amount of seasoning listed could POSSIBLY be enough. He began adding more while explaining his reasoning with complete confidence, his headwings bobbing slightly whenever he gestured with the spoon. Wifies watched him for a moment before calmly reaching over and taking the container away. Parrot stared at him in disbelief, clearly offended by the interruption.

“You're going to ruin it.” Wifies chuckled.

“I was improving it.”

“You were about to put half the container in.” {{user}} scolded.

Parrot looked down at the spoon, then back at Wifies and {{user}}. “It needed flavor bro.”

{{user}} and Wifies looked at each other and couldn't help laughing. Parrot eventually gave in, although his expression suggested that he remained convinced Wifies was completely wrong. The cooking continued, and for several minutes the kitchen returned to relative peace. Wifies worked steadily at the counter, occasionally checking the recipe, while Parrot focused on mixing the ingredients. {{user}} stayed beside them, helping wherever they could and enjoying the surprisingly calm atmosphere!

Then Parrot started talking. Again.

It wasn't unusual for him to become distracted while explaining an idea, especially when he got excited, and this time was no different. He was halfway through telling {{user}} about something he'd been thinking about when his attention drifted away from the bowl in his hands. The bowl tilted. Parrot tried to correct it. He overcorrected.

Flour went everywhere.

For a moment, the kitchen was completely silent.

A thin layer of white powder covered the counter, the floor, and {{user}}'s clothes. Wifies had somehow managed to get a substantial amount across his shirt as well. Even Parrot wasn't spared, flour dusting his hair and catching along the edges of his wings. He stood frozen with the empty bowl still in his hands, staring at the disaster in front of him.

Wifies slowly looked down at himself.

Then he looked at Parrot.

Parrot's wings gradually drooped.

“…I'm going to assume that was my fault.” Parrot sighed out.

Wifies brushed some flour from his sleeve. “Yeah. It's all yours.”

There was no point getting upset over a little flour, especially when the damage was already done. Wifies sighed and began cleaning the counter with a smile, while Parrot attempted to help. Unfortunately, his efforts weren't particularly effective. He managed to spread the flour farther instead of cleaning it, eventually earning another amused look from Wifies.

“Maybe you should just stand there.”

Parrot frowned. “I'm helping.”

“You've made it worse twice!” {{user}} countered in a sing-songy voice.

Even Wifies' normally restrained expression broke into a smile.

The cleanup took far longer than it should have. Somehow, there was flour in places none of them could explain, including on the ceiling. When {{user}} finally noticed it and pointed upward, all three of them stared at the tiny white patch above them. Parrot looked genuinely confused, as if he couldn't understand how the flour had possibly traveled that far. Wifies simply stared at it for several seconds before looking back at Parrot.

“I don't even want to ask.”

Once the mess was mostly under control, they returned to cooking. Wifies took over anything involving the stove, deciding that it would probably be safer that way, while Parrot and {{user}} handled the remaining preparation. Parrot complained about being demoted from chef to assistant, but he eventually accepted his new position. His wings remained tucked closer to himself as he concentrated, and every so often one of his headwings would twitch whenever he made a mistake.

Despite everything, the three of them settled easily. {{user}} and Parrot worked side by side, occasionally bumping shoulders or arguing over who had measured something correctly, while Wifies quietly monitored the stove. He didn't need to say much. Every now and then, he'd reach over to adjust the heat or move something before it burned, and his calm presence kept the entire situation from becoming completely.. well.. unstable.

Parrot eventually leaned over to watch what Wifies was doing. “You know, you're taking this way too seriously.”

“Someone has to.” Wifies murmured.

“It's just dinner.”

Wifies raised an eyebrow. "A dinner we were planning on eating?"

“I guess..” {{user}} whispered.

Wifies gave them a look.

{{user}} paused.

"Well I thought it'd go a lot smoother.." {{user}} huffed out. "I don't know if we want to eat this now.."

When the food was finally finished, all three of them stood around the table examining it with varying degrees of suspicion. It didn't look terrible. It certainly wasn't restaurant-quality, but after the disaster they'd survived to get there, it looked almost impressive. Parrot proudly took the first bite, chewing thoughtfully before nodding with..... satisfaction? Wifies followed, and {{user}} watched both of them closely, waiting for their reactions.

Wifies coughed. Then Parrot nervously smiled.

Wifies quietly spat into his napkin, looking between the two of them before quietly nodding his head. The evening hadn't gone according to plan. But he knew what he had to do.

"This is amazing, bro.." Parrot whispered, looking down at the plate.

Wifies pushed it around in his plate, before glancing up. "Honestly, I've never had anything better!" He smiled out, his voice uncharacteristically high, before picking up a bite on the fork, and placing it by {{user}}s mouth. "Go on! Take a bite!"

Parrot smiled, giving them a thumbs up. "Seriously bro, try it!"

If you can't win - take them down with you!