"Ferns & Feathers" | Platonic O!Alliumduo |

Chapter 5: Cuddle in the Coop

(Don't be weird plz)

When the pair reached Tommy's house, the avian tossed Ranboo's cape on to the coat rack and slung his goggles on to the small table.

"I'm gonna go change real quick, you can start a fire in the fireplace in the main room but don't burn down anything" stated Tommy.

Ranboo shrugged and watched as the avian disappeared into the hallway. The ender prince kicked off his boots by the door, walked down the short hall and entered into the main living space. There were cushions, blankets, moss and feathers scattered about the place. Ranboo knew it was a part of avian and elytrian instincts to nest, but sometimes it made him cringe at the mess. He sweeped a few things to the side so he could actually walk around the room. Once at the fireplace, Ranboo pulled out his gloves from his pocket, which were still dirty, and put them on. He didn't want to touch the soot and wood with his bare hands so he might as well use what was already filthy. He scooped up ashes at the bottom and held them, looking for a place to dump them in. He noticed a vase beside the fireplace with the words "Soot Storage" engraved into it. The ender prince looked at it before shrugging and placed them into it. Once he did that, Ranboo grabbed new pieces of wood and neatly placed it in the fireplace. He was going to grab some flint & steel but he saw a box of matches on the shelf above the fireplace. He grabbed it, pulled a stick out, and striked it against the side of the box which sparked a small flame. He tossed it onto the fire and pulled the small gate up as the flames spread on the dry planks.

Feeling proud of himself for doing manual labor all by himself, Ranboo sat down on a cushion and leaned against a nearby wall. He placed his dirty gloves onto the floor and grabbed the fantasy book from his bag. Strange as they were, Ranboo found them quite enjoyable and very liked the ones with little animals in them. He was currently reading one about goats crossing a bridge. There was mention of a very rude monster and wanting to eat them, which was quite awful since Ranboo actually likes goats. As he continued through the story, the sound of footsteps caused him to look up. Tommy had reappeared at the doorway, in new clothes and familiar small chicken perched on his shoulder.

"Ay, you did it and didn't burn anything" cheered Tommy, as he walked over to where Ranboo sat.

"It wasn't too bad, though why do you have a vase for ashes? Do dump them out somewhere" stated Ranboo, watching as Tommy sat beside him with the chicken in his hand.

"Well Jack needs them for his cave to make it feel like home and Fragrance Man sometimes drops by so he can make stuff with it in his hut" informed Tommy, as he balanced the chicken in his hand.

"How much wood do you burn?" asked Ranboo, with a concerned look.

"Eh, winter is halfway through and it gets cold easily up here now since I mostly here on my own at night and Hetta is still very small" shrugged the blonde, placing the chick into Enderian's lap.

"I see, but don't you like to visit Phil or Tubbo during the evening" inquired Ranboo.

"I did but Tubbo is hella cryptid at night and Phil has so many cats that it makes Hetta nervous. I tried staying at Will's place but he gets hostile since he's a phantom. I thought of Jack but the heat from his cave is overbearing. Scott just said no since I might end up stealing, which isn't wrong since he has lots of shiny things. Beau moved in with Niki & Charlie since her feathers are water-proof, unlike mine. Sneeg is obvious since his tree is small and I'm claustrophobic. Fundy's is just off the market since we are kinda in a thief rivalry, plus foxes eat chickens. For Techno, I just have no clue where he lives, probably a hole somewhere" explained Tommy, as he pressed into Ranboo's side.

"Wow!" exclaimed Ranboo, kinda shocked.

"Wait, you never came to me" he remarked, confused.

"Not gonna lie, Phil said not to try you since you were kinda selfish when it came to your things and wasn't big on sharing" replied Tommy, wrapping a wing around himself.

"Fair, but I could have made an exception for you" stated Ranboo, as he closed the book.

"Really?" questioned the blonde, his feathered ear twitching.

"I'm yeah, the cold doesn't bother me too much but kinda lonely at night after being with everyone all day" said the ender prince.

"I guess that's gonna change once we get married" declared Tommy, his feathered ears wiggling quickly.

Ranboo nodded and placed his open hand out. Tommy just looked at it before grabbing it. It was much bigger than his but still was comforting to hold. They kinda sat in silence, just listening to the fire crack and Hetta clucked quietly. Ranboo moved his arm to wrap it around the avian's shoulder. Tommy didn't reject the gesture, but pressed closer into the enderian's side. As the two sat, the avian boy began humming a tune that Ranboo was unfamiliar with but liked the melody of it. He gently bobbed his head to it. The two of them were in a rare moment in time where both of them had let their guard down to just enjoy the company of the other. It was like the world had just stopped for a moment.

The duo didn't know how much time had passed, but the sound of chiming bells broke the calming silence. Their ears perked and looked around confused. Ranboo looked to where a clock hung from the wall. It was 6 p.m. It was time for dinner at the pube. Tommy let out a groan as shifted his weight away from Ranboo, leaving his side cold.

"Fuck" yawned the avian, as he strecthed his wings.

"We gotta go" said the enderian, as he stretched his own limbs.

"Do we have too?" asked Tommy, rubbing his eyes.

"Yeah, or else Tubbo or Beau will come dragging our butts up to the Pube" informed Ranboo, as he slowly stood to his feet with Hetta in his arms.

Tommy let out another groan before standing up himself. A scooped Hetta into his own arms and headed towards the door, Ranboo followed after him. The blonde tossed the cloak to the ender prince and grabbed his goggles.

"Let's go, before I change my mind" declared Tommy, as he swung open the doors.

Ranboo nodded and teleported towards the dirt path. Tommy huffed jumped off a nearby rock and into the air. The avian boy held his precious chicken to his chest as he glided down the hill. The enderian watched from below as the two winged creatures flew by before teleporting ahead to keep up.