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This was probably going to be the dumbest thing Kris would ever do.
They were standing by their open window with a backpack sitting on their shoulders. Their soul was caged, as per usual with these types or errands. Their mom was downstairs, spending time with Sans and probably already tipsy. The music is loud enough to cover for them, so now's their best shot. They coursed their will into their legs and lept to the grass below, landing with a grunt. No turning back now.
The jarring quiet of night was cut through by Kris' panting as they ran, even though they were trying their hardest to make a little noise as possible. They held their backpack steady by the straps to not damage the contents too much. The brick apartment buildings gradually came into view, emerging from the fog.
Kris gulped nervously as they went around to the back, gaze turning up until it locked on a particular window, the one to Berdly's room. It was dark inside like they knew it'd be, since the bird in question was working an extra shift at the library tonight, a fact he had bragged about all day at school.
Which isn't even a cute thing for someone to do, so why is Kris' face as red and hot as a hotdog?
They sighed and approached the wall, tracing the cracks on the bricks with their fingertips. How were they even going to get up that high? It seemed their plan wasn't as sound as they had thought. They considered turning back now, returning home and pretending as if this had never happened.
They shook that consideration right out of their head. They've already come all this way for that dumb bird. No way they're letting a wall stop them. It had enough cracks and crevices in it that they could probably find their footing, anyway. With a couple of tries, they achieved just that, and began their climb.
The material was cold and rough under their grip. Each time, they gently prodded their foot about until they found somewhere to put it, one after the other. It felt like an eternity just making it a few inches. Their fingertips burned red, threatening to give out, but they persisted. Careful, precarious steps, knowing that a wrong move could send them tumbling to the ground.
The sound of movement inside one of the apartments nearly startled Kris into falling, but they held tight. Angel, has their heart ever beat this fast? The last time it'd ever came close was probably when Berdly-
Gah, keep your focus, Kris. You don't have time to simp.
With one big reach, their hand secured itself on Berdly's windowstill, followed by the rest of them being slowly hoisted up with a grunt. The window part was left wide open, and the screen popped out with ease. Kris hopped into the room and took in their surroundings.
Wow.
Berdly's bedroom acutely reflected his perfectionist tendencies. His bed diligently made, his floor vacuumed spotlessly, and every bit of trash tucked neatly in the trash can next to his desk. A shelf against one wall displayed figures and an alphabetized row of game cases. Kris kneeled beside it to examine his collection.
Wait, what are you snooping for? You have a mission, get it together!
They jolted to a standing position, face burning with embarrassment over their actions. Now's not the time to be fawning over Berdly's "epic gamer collection", or whatever dumb and adorable name he'd call it if he was here. They came here for a reason.
Kris slid their backpack off their shoulders and looked around for a place to put the items inside, opting for the bed where it would be impossible to miss. Turning the backpack upside down, they watched the contents spill out; a baggie of birdseed cookies, a bouquet of very wilted wildflowers, and a card that they left unsigned. Staring down at it, they begin to question if a gift this pitiful is even worth wasting all this time.
Well, maybe it's not that big a waste. It won't be if he likes it, at least.
He better.
All that was left now was to leave without being caught. Easier said than done, considering the nauseating drop that awaited them out the window. But it's not like they can just waltz out the front door like they own the place, that's a recipe for getting in trouble. So there's nothing left but a leap of faith, which was exactly what they braced themselves for, aiming for the softest looking patch of grass.
Luckily, Berdly's apartment is low enough in the building that the jump is survivable. That doesn't protect them from hitting their ankle at a weird angle upon impact. Pain shot up from their leg through their body, and they choked out a gasp. Fuck.
"Hello? Is someone there?" A neighborly voice rang out from a distance. Double fuck. Not able to get up in time, Kris instead opted for rolling on their side like a log, right into the bushes.
A young rabbit woman turned the corner, beaming a flashlight about. "I could've swore I heard something…"
Kris held their breath like their life depended on it, holding themselves still as a rock. The light passed over the bush concealing them, making their heart nearly jump into their throat. The silence was eating them alive, until she eventually flicked the flashlight off and sighed.
"I guess I just imagined it...?"
The moment she was out of sight, they scrambled out of the bush, dramatically gasping for air as if emerging from water. Their ankle throbbed, sore and demanding their attention, and they gave it a once-over to determine the severity of the injury.
They could walk on this, right? No problem.
Kris hoisted themselves up with the support of the nearest tree, panting and wincing. The walk home wasn't too far, but the situation would be hard to explain to their mother.
He's lucky, Kris thought to themselves, lucky that I'm dumb enough to do something this absurd over him. To bake those cookies, pick those flowers…
Despite themselves, they did crack a tiny smile.
So he better appreciate it.
Berdly knew what to expect when he got back from his shift at the library. A dark and empty apartment, no one to greet him or to chat with about his day. It got depressing to live that way, which might've been the reason why he'd decided to do his volunteer work a little longer than usual today.
He headed to the bathroom first to wash up before what would inevitably end up being a microwave meal dinner. But as he passed his open bedroom door, something felt off to him. He realized his window screen was laying on his bedroom floor, which meant it had either fallen on its own, or, the much scarier option, someone had broken in when he was gone. Immediately, he ran over to put the screen back in place. That's when he noticed something sitting on his bed.
The first thing he noticed was a plastic bag tied shut with a ribbon, containing a few seed-filled cookies inside. Next to it, a bouquet of wildflowers and other plants, all lovingly pulled up by the roots for easy replanting. He picked up the note that had been left with the gift.
"Dear Berdly,
I made these for you because I had some spare birdseed lying around. Don't read into it too much. Also I guess it's because I care about you and want you to feel happy over dumb things like sentimental gifts. But only a little.
Signed, your secret sort of admirer.
P.S. If you try to trace this back to me I'll kick your ass."
Berdly stared at the note in confusion. The first person that came to mind as the potential author was Susie, but the gift didn't line up with that theory. Susie had always seemed more the type to leave, say, a dead squirrel on your porch as a present, not a bag of treats with a little dainty ribbon. The cookies and flowers were more akin to a gift from Noelle, but someone like her wouldn't write a note like this. How peculiar.
He picked up the items and brought them to the kitchen with him. The first thing he did was get a glass full of water to put the flowers in. Seeing how wilted they already were, he wasn't certain it would be enough to save them, but he wanted to try. He set the cookies aside as a dessert, sticking one of his frozen dinners into the microwave for a few minutes.
Sitting back down to wait for it to finish, he found himself examining the gifts a little more. As droopy as they were at the moment, the flowers made the space a little bit brighter. And the cookies looked absolutely delectable; his beak was watering a little in anticipation to taste them. Heck, why not try one right now? He began to untie the little ribbon, and suddenly noticed a dark line on the plastic. Plucking it off, it dawned on him that it was a crucial piece of evidence towards the identity of his secret admirer.
An undeniably human strand of maroon hair.
Oh.
Berdly's face flared up faster than it ever had in his life, face feathers puffing off in all directions. It was Kris. The present had been from Kris.
An awkward laugh bubbled out of his beak, followed by a burst of giggles as he buried his warming cheeks in his wings. Why was he so giddy? He hadn't gotten like this over the thought of Noelle or even Susie giving him this. Why now?
He chalked it up to him being embarrassed that his guesses of the gift giver's identity had been wrong. Yeah.
Remembering what he'd been doing, Berdly reached for the bag again. He pulled one of the cookies out and took a big, confidant bite. His eyes lit up instantly. Kris' baking skills were no joke! Though that was to be expected from a member of the Dreemurr family.
The microwave beeped, startling him bad enough that he almost choked on the crumbs in his mouth. Thankfully, no one was around to see it happen. If Kris had been a witness, he had no doubt they would've laughed at his misfortune. He stood up and opened the microwave to get his food.
Peeling back the plastic seal, Berdly watched steam waft off of the microwaved food, catching the moonlight. His eyes flickered over the gifts again, bring a tiny smile to his beak. In the silence of the night, he muttered three gentle words.
"Thank you, Kris."