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Theo and Parrot becoming friends in college had happened accidentally.
Or unfortunately. Depending on who you asked.
Parrot would probably say unfortunately.
But it is true that, somehow, they become friends.
Between shared classes, stolen notes, and Theo repeatedly showing up uninvited.
Theo had simply decided they were friends. Annoying type of friends.
The kind where Theo texted at unreasonable hours asking:
"Hey"
"u awake"
"?"
Only to show up ten minutes later holding convenience store meals like that somehow justified disturbing Parrot’s peace.
The thing that annoyed Parrot most. Theo technically did not need to be here. At all.
Unlike every other struggling college student surviving off instant noodles and air. Theo had a house. An actual house. Near campus. A whole house.
“Dube you literally own a house. Why won't you go bother your own furniture or something” Parrot complained, watching Theo already face-first onto his bed. Hitting Theo with a pillow.
Theo barely moved, cracked one eye open. Shrugged once.
“Buy your place is better.”
Parrot immediately hit him with another pillow.
“You are unbelievably annoying.”
Theo only laughed, already making himself comfortable like he had every intention of staying anyway..
Theo had money. Parrot knew that. It's not in an obnoxious way. Just kinda obvious.
In the way a brand new watches somehow appeared on his wrist halfway and disappeared just as quickly. Cars that changed suspiciously often. The complete lack of financial panic every college student seemed born with.
And yet, Theo still crashed in Parrot’s tiny rented room whenever he felt like it.
Stole fries off his plate, stretched across Parrot’s bed like rent was somehow a shared responsibility.
Parrot found it deeply annoying. Why someone who clearly had better places to be kept ending up here instead.
Because somehow, this had simply become normal.
Theo showing up. Theo staying. Theo somehow making himself comfortable in Parrot’s life without permission.
One night, Theo was, unfortunately, in Parrot’s dorm again, as usual.
Parrot sat at his desk drowning in assignments, laptop open, notes scattered everywhere while Theo occupied the bed like he paid rent.
Which, he absolutely did not.
“You know" Parrot muttered without looking up from his notes “For someone with an actual house, you spend an alarming amount of time here.”
Theo hummed absently from where he was sprawled across the bed, phone balanced lazily against his chest.
“Your place has vibes.”
“My place has mold.”
“Exactly.”
Parrot threw a pen at him.
Theo dodged it without even looking.
Fucking annoyingly.
The room fell back into familiar quiet after that.
Parrot studying. Theo occasionally making deeply unhelpful comments.
Everything normal. Until Theo’s phone buzzed.
Once. Then again.
Theo glanced down. His expression shifted. He sat up immediately.
“…What now?” Parrot frowned.
Theo was already reaching for his jacket.
“I need to head out.”
“At” Parrot glanced at the clock “2 am?”
“It's kinda urgent.”
Parrot narrowed his eyes immediately.
“You? Having responsibilities?"
Theo pointed at him.
“Okay rude.”
Parrot leaned back in his chair.
“What emergency?”
Theo hesitated. Enough to make it suspicious.
“…Nothing bad.”
“That sounds incredibly fake.”
Theo ignored him.
Instead, he grabbed Parrot by the wrist while dragging him to the door.
“C’mon.”
Parrot blinked.
“What?”
“You’re coming.”
“No, I’m studying.”
“You’ve been studying for six hours.”
Theo opened the door anyway.
“You need enrichment.”
“Theo, I am not a zoo animal.”
Theo looked back at him once. Grinned.
“Debatable.”
Parrot should have known something was wrong the second Theo physically shoved him into the passenger seat.
A hand on his shoulder and a very firm: “Get in.”
“Theo” Parrot said flatly, already suspicious. “This feels illegal.”
Theo paused halfway around the car.
“…Define illegal.”
“Oh my god.”
The drive lasted longer than expected.
Buildings slowly gave way to empty roads, scattered streetlights, and stretches of dark fields that looked vaguely horror-movie coded.
Parrot crossed his arms.
“Theo.”
No answer.
“Theo!"
Theo glanced over briefly.
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
“That sentence usually say before people got murdered.”
Theo laughed under his breath but didn’t answer.
By the time Theo finally pulled over, Parrot had already decided this was absolutely a terrible idea.
The place looked abandoned. An old industrial area somewhere in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by rusted fences and cracked concrete.
But it wasn’t empty. Cars lined the open space. People stood around in groups beneath flickering lights, music thumping faintly from somewhere in the distance.
Engines rumbled loudly around him, headlights cutting through the dark like restless warning signs. People leaned casually against expensive-looking vehicles like they belonged here. And the air filled with gasoline mixed with faintly asphalt smelled.
Parrot stepped out slowly. Looked around once. Then turned very, very carefully toward Theo.
“…What the hell is this?”
Theo shoved his hands into his pockets. Like he was trying to decide how honest to be.
“Okay,” he said. “Before you get mad-”
Parrot narrowed his eyes immediately.
“So…” Theo rubbed the back of his neck once, looking strangely sheepish for someone who had just dragged Parrot into the middle of nowhere at midnight.
“It’s just a hobby of mine…”
Parrot stared.
“A hobby?”
Theo lifted a shoulder.
“You race cars illegally as a hobby?”
“When you say it like that, it sounds kinda-”
“Theo!”
A voice cut across the lot before Theo could finish.
Shoebilly leaned against a dark red car a few spots away, raising a hand toward them.
“The hell took you so long?” Shoebilly called. “You racing or what?”
Theo visibly paused. And something about the way he straightened felt different. Like he had slipped into a version of himself Parrot hadn’t met before.
Too confidence. Too comfortable.
Theo glanced briefly at Parrot. Then back toward the voice.
“Yeah, yeah” he called back. “I’m coming.”
Another voice chimed in from somewhere nearby.
“Yo- who is that? Your passenger?”
Parrot immediately looked at Theo. Theo, unfortunately, looked entirely too amused.
“No" Theo said quickly. “…He’s just here to judging me.”
“Hard" Parrot muttered.
Theo grinned.
Before Parrot could fully process the fact that Theo apparently committed crimes recreationally. Theo grabbed his hand and already steering him through the crowd.
“C’mon.”
“Theo-”
“You’re already here.”
“That doesn’t mean I approve.”
Theo grinned.
“You never approve of anything.”
People kept recognizing Theo. Not casually. Not in a hey, man kind of way.
More, confident nods. Inside jokes, people calling out to him like Theo had been doing this for a while.
“Yo, Theo!”
“Took you long enough.”
“You actually showing up tonight?”
At one point, someone tossed Theo a drink without even asking.
Theo caught it one-handed. Didn’t even look surprised.
“You been here often?” Parrot frowned.
"Not after I met you.” Theo glanced over.
"…What?” Parrot blinked.
Theo looked oddly casual about it, taking a sip of his drink like he hadn’t just said something deeply suspicious.
“I used to come more” he said with a shrug. “Then college happened.”
Then, quieter
“Then you happened.”
Like that was a normal thing to say.
Parrot stared at him.
Theo frowned slightly.
"What?”
“That sounded weirdly personal.”
"Am I?” Theo snorted.
“You steal my notes and yell at me to sleep. You crash in my room uninvited.”
“You let me in"
“That's because you always screaming on top of your lungs when I don't let you in”
Theo only grinned.
Standing here, surrounded by headlights and engines and people who clearly knew a different version of Theo. Parrot suddenly found himself wondering something he hadn’t before.
Just how much of Theo had he missed? Like Theo had switched into a version of himself Parrot somehow never got to see.
They stopped near Shoebilly's group leaning against two dark red parked cars.
“Guys” he said casually, jerking a thumb toward Parrot. “This is Parrot.”
The reaction was immediate.
“OHHHH.”
Parrot blinked.
Shoebilly pointed openly.
“So this is Parrot.”
Theo visibly sighed. “Don’t start.”
“Oh, we’re absolutely do” another person said immediately.
“Didn’t think you were real” someone else added.
“…Excuse me?” Parrot dazzed. Then turned slowly toward Theo.
Theo suddenly looked very interested in literally anything else.
One of the them laughed.
"Man, he talks about you all the time.”
“You talked about me?” Parrot asked.
Theo pointed accusingly at the group.
“You all talk too much.”
Shoebilly leaned against the hood of their car, eyeing Parrot for a second before looking back at Theo.
“So this is why you stopped showing up?”
Theo immediately sighed. “Oh my god.”
“What?” another racer shrugged. “Man, you disappeared for months. Thought you got arrested.”
Another voice chimed in from somewhere nearby.
“Nah, worse.”
They pointed at Parrot.
“He got emotionally attached.”
Theo nearly choked on his drink.
Someone snorted.
"Dude, he literally wouldn’t stop talking about you.”
Theo groaned loudly.
Theo looked embarrassed. Which felt deeply unfair considering he had just dragged Parrot into what looked like the Fast & Furious extended universe.
"You all talk too much.” Theo pointed at the group.
Shoebilly snorted.
“Oh, so now we’re the problem?”
Theo dragged a hand down his face.
“Can everyone shut up for, like, five minutes?”
The group only laughed harder.
Before Parrot could press further, Theo lightly grabbed at the sleeve of his hoodie.
“C’mon,” Theo muttered. “We’re leaving before they get worse.”
Parrot barely got two steps before Shoebilly's voice shouted from behind them.
“So you finally brought your boyfriend?”
The entire group erupted immediately.
“OHHHHHH-”
“ABOUT TIME.”
“BRO FINALLY DID IT.”
Theo stopped walking. His eyes already shut tight. Like he was reconsidering every life choice that had led him here.
“No one speak.” Theo pointed behind himself without looking.
Someone laughed loud enough to echo.
“Aw, c’mon, Theo. You only ditch race nights for him.”
“Oh my god" Theo muttered into his hands.
“…Boyfriend? Really?” Parrot crossed his arms.
Theo looked at him. Then sighed dramatically.
“You are never letting this go, are you?”
Parrot smiled. For the first time all night. He actually smiled.
“Oh, I will think about it”.
Parrot didn’t press further. He was absolutely curious. But the way Theo already looked halfway embarrassed, and halfway ready to throw himself into traffic if the teasing continued
Before Parrot could say anything else, a sharp whistle piercing through the noise.
The chatter around them shifted almost immediately. People started moving. Engines revved louder somewhere ahead.
Theo glanced toward the starting line.
“…Right.”
Another whistle echoed.
Theo looked back at Parrot, lightly touched Parrot’s shoulder, steering him through the crowd before Parrot could protest.
“Where are we going?”
“Somewhere you won’t get run over.”
A few turns later, they stopped near a raised metal platform overlooking part of the road. It's high enough to see everything.
Theo tapped the railing lightly.
“You can stay here.”
“You’re leaving me?”
“You say that like I’m abandoning you.”
“You literally dragged me to the middle of nowhere.”
Theo laughed quietly. Then, he hesitated. Like he wanted to say something else.
“You’ll be okay?” Parrot asked first.
The question caught Theo slightly off guard.
“I’m not five.” Theo shoved his hands into his jacket pockets.
Then added, quieter
“Just… stay where I can see you, okay?”
Before Parrot could answer, another voice called for Theo from somewhere below.
“Yo! We’re lining up!”
Theo looked down.
Then back at Parrot one last time.
And grinned.
Something unfairly confident settling back into place.
“Try not to miss me too much.”
Parrot rolled his eyes immediately.
“Go before you embarrass yourself.”
Theo laughed. Then disappeared back into the crowd.
From the higher platform, everything looked louder somehow. The sharp pulse of anticipation hanging in the cold air.
Parrot leaned lightly against the railing, arms crossed tighter than before.
Below, cars slowly lined up near the makeshift starting line. Headlights cutting through the dark. Engines rumbling low enough to vibrate through the concrete beneath his shoes.
And there - Theo. Of course Parrot spotted him immediately.
Leaning casually against the side of his car while someone talked his ear off.
Like he’d done this a hundred times. Like racing illegally in the middle of nowhere at midnight was somehow completely normal.
Parrot frowned. Something uncomfortable twisted low in his stomach.
Not fear. Probably.
Just - nervous.
Because, apparently, watching your idiot friend willingly do dangerous things was stressful.
Another whistle rang out. Then, everything shifted. People moved closer to the edge of the lot. Phones came out. Engines started rumbling louder, heavier, vibrating low against the concrete like distant thunder.
Parrot leaned against the railing before realizing he was doing it.
Below, cars lined up side by side at the start.
Theo’s sleek black car beside the same guy from earlier..
Shoebilly lowered his window.
“Try not to embarrass yourself in front of your boyfriend, yeah?”
A few people nearby burst into laughter immediately.
Theo groaned.
“Oh my god.”
“What?” Shoebilly grinned. “You been gone for months and suddenly show up with company?”
Theo rested one arm against the open window. Annoyingly relaxed.
“Can you focus on losing?”
Shoebilly barked out a laugh.
“Big talk.”
Theo tilted his head once.
“You still mad about last time?”
“Oh, you’re dead tonight.”
Shoebilly pointed vaguely upward.
“Especially when your boyfriend’s watching.”
Theo followed the gesture instinctively. Looked up straight at Parrot. And smirked. Like this was somehow funny. Like Parrot wasn’t currently debating whether to strangle him.
Theo raised a hand briefly. A stupid little gesture.
Almost like: Stay there
Parrot rolled his eyes immediately. Still, his chest felt weirdly tight.
At the starting line, someone stepped forward.
Arm raised.
The lot went strangely quiet. Even the crowd seemed to hold their breath.
Parrot swallowed. Because suddenly this felt too real. The cars looked too expensive. Theo looked way too comfortable behind the wheel.
Then-
The arm dropped.
The sound hit first.
Engines screaming loud enough to rattle through Parrot’s ribs.
Both cars launched forward so violently Parrot almost forgot to breathe. Straight down the empty stretch of abandoned road.
No turns. Just speed.
Shoebilly's car surged ahead first. Enough for the crowd to start shouting.
“Oh, Theo’s washed!”
“No way!”
Parrot frowned immediately.
Only for Theo’s car to suddenly push forward. Like he’d been waiting.
Then-
Theo pulled ahead.
Fast enough to make people start yelling.
Someone below laughed loudly.
“Oh, he’s petty tonight.”
"BRO REALLY SAID NOT IN FRONT OF PARROT.” Another voice shouted.
Parrot crossed his arms tighter. Ignoring the strange feeling in his chest entirely.
For some reason, watching Theo grin behind the wheel should not have looked that attractive.
Fast.
Way too fast.
The stretch of abandoned road blurred beneath them, headlights slicing through darkness as the crowd erupted.
“C’mon, Theo!”
Parrot frowned.
The red car surged forward like something waking up.
Fast enough to make Parrot straighten instinctively.
The gap disappeared.
They were side by side now.
Too close.
Way too close.
Shoebilly glanced over once.
Then suddenly drifted nearer.
Not enough to hit. Just enough.
A warning.
Parrot’s stomach dropped.
“What the hell?”
The cars looked impossibly close from here.
Metal and speed and terrible decisions packed into one awful moment.
The crowd loved it.
Someone shouted:
"PUSH HIM PUSH HIM!”
Theo didn’t panic.
Didn’t back off.
If anything, he looked calmer.
Like this was familiar. Like he’d expected it.
Then, Theo moved.
The car shifted just enough.
Sharp, clean.
Sliding ahead before the other driver could react.
Shoebilly tried catching up immediately.
Pushed harder.
For half a second. The car wobbled.
The crowd gasped collectively.
Parrot’s heart jumped straight into his throat.
Theo’s brake lights flashed once.
Giving just enough space.
Then, he accelerated again.
And this time, there was no catching him.
The black car tore ahead cleanly.
Fast enough that by the finish line, Theo crossed first.
Easy. Like he’d known all along.
The lot exploded. People shouting. Laughing.
Someone yelling loud enough to echo:
"BRO GOT COCKY AND FUMBLED.”
Parrot let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. His chest still felt tight. Because for one horrible second, that had looked dangerously close to going wrong. And Theo had looked way too calm about it.
By the time the race ended, the crowd had already started moving. People talking over each other. Engines cooling.
Someone yelling loud enough for half the lot to hear:
"TOLD YOU HE WAS PETTY.”
Parrot rolled his eyes. Still he pushed himself away from the railing.
Because apparently standing up there pretending he wasn’t invested had stopped working somewhere around the moment Theo nearly lost the lead.
Not that he’d admit that.
The walk back toward the lot felt strangely loud. Headlights flashed across cracked pavement. People laughed in clusters.
A familiar engine rolled up beside him. Theo’s window lowered.
And there he was. Looking entirely too pleased with himself. One hand resting lazily against the steering wheel.
That stupid grin already waiting.
“Well?” Theo asked.
Parrot crossed his arms immediately.
“You almost got yourself killed.”
Theo laughed.
“That’s not a congratulations.”
“You want a congratulations?”
“Obviously.”
Parrot stared at him for a second.
Then sighed dramatically.
“…Fine. You didn’t embarrass yourself.”
Theo gasped.
“Wow.”
“Don’t let it get to your head.”
Too late.
Because Theo immediately parked crooked, barely bothering to turn the engine off before stepping out.
The energy hadn’t left him yet.
Before Parrot could say anything, Theo grabbed him by the shoulders.
“Okay, but seriously-”
And spun him around once. Completely unnecessary. Entirely too fast.
Parrot stumbled slightly.
“Theo!”
Theo laughed loud enough to turn heads.
“I won!”
“You are impossible.”
“You watched me win.”
“That was against my will.”
Theo grinned. Way too close now.
“Mm. Sure.”