Summary: Taph wants pets. Shedletsky notices.
A/N: Taph uses they/them pronouns in this fic. Additionally, I headcanon that they and Shedletsky have a strong bond because they preen each other, and Taph trusts him enough to show him their face.
I wrote them as platonic, but you're welcome to interpret this however you want.
P.S. Yes, the title and some of Taph’s mannerisms at the start are from that Youtube video of a pigeon.
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“What was that?” Elliot asked, looking around from the counter where he was making his pizzas. He was met with a shrug from the other survivors, so he returned to his pizza, figuring that it must have been from outside the cabin.
“Alright, whichever one of you is making that sound, fess up.” Chance groaned. Every survivor in the cabin began to look around at each other, trying to pinpoint where the sound was coming from. “Well, it kinda sounds like a…” Shedletsky began, before scratching his head in thought. “What was that bird that goes like that again?”
“What bird?” Shedletsky asked from the doorway, walking in and grabbing a can of Bloxy Cola from the counter. “I haven’t seen any birds around here other than me and Taph, and we’re not even actual birds so-“
Shedletsky froze, and his gaze immediately jolted towards the only survivor who would coo like a bird. “Ah... I’m surprised none of you noticed it.”
“Noticed what?” Two Time interrupted, climbing down the stairs.
Shedletsky shook his head briefly, turning back to the living room. “It’s nothing to worry about.”
Hesitantly, the other survivors gave their responses of acceptance, returning to their original activities. When Shedletsky was sure nobody was paying attention to him, he walked over to the corner where Taph was sitting.
Well, sitting may not have been the right word to describe what Taph was doing.
Shedletsky sighed as he looked down at Taph, whose right wing was moving up and down in short bursts. Their head was bowed down, and they were hugging themselves with their arms wrapped tightly around one of their pillows. “Taph.” He sighed, and the demolitionist’s head jolted up in shock.
‼️‼️‼️burst out of their hood as they jumped, and they only clutched the pillow tighter.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.” Shedletsky chuckled, and he leaned in closer to avoid anyone overhearing his ‘conversation’. “Look, Taph. I know what’s happening here. So if you want me to help you with it, I can.”
Taph’s head tilted hesitantly, and they stared up at Shedletsky before nodding vigorously. 👍🙏🙏🙏
“Okay then.” Shedletsky nodded. Taph stood up hurriedly, wing still twitching as they walked through the living room. Small coos came from their hood, and Shedletsky chuckled do himself as he followed Taph upstairs.
Once they were in Taph’s room, Shedletsky closed the door behind them as Taph sat cross-legged on their bed. “Do you need me to preen your wings again or…” Shedletsky prompted, letting Taph tell him what it was that was making him flap.
🙂↔️🫵✋ was Taph’s response, and Shedletsky had to wrack his brain for its meaning before his eyes widened in response. “…You just want me to pet you?”
“Sure. Not like I have anything to do anyways.” He shrugged, and both of Taph’s wings immediately began to flap up and down under their cloak in excitement.
“Yeah yeah, I know. Now scoot over so I can sit down.”
Taph moved over as Shedletsky sat down next to them on the bed, and Shedletsky gave Taph a questioning glance. “Now, where do you want pets?”
Taph, almost too excited to even think, hurriedly produced an answer with a slew of emojis. Shedletsky smiled as he watched the symbols pop out one after one, and he leaned over to get closer to the excited demolitionist.
Before Shedletsky could do anything, Taph slid their wings out of their cloak, revealing their black and gold feathers. Shyly, they looked at Shedletsky through their hood, and reached up to it.
“You can remove it if you want, Taph.” Shedletsky absentmindedly muttered, but his mind was too busy trying to process that Taph was about to remove his hood. He hadn’t ever seen the other avian’s face before, yet the fact that they trusted him enough made him feel warm inside.
Taph grasped their hood, slowly sliding it off until it rested at their shoulders. They pulled their bandana down as well, fully revealing their face to Shedletsky.
The admin observed Taph’s face with a piqued, careful curiosity. Taph had dark-grey skin and faded golden eyes, with a few black and gold feathers littering their cheeks and forehead. On the lower right side of their face and neck was a large scar which Shedletsky assumed was from a Subspace Tripmine, and their hair was jet-black with streaks of gold.
“Whoa.” Shedletsky breathed out. Upon reading Taph’s concerned expression, he quickly clarified his reaction as to not scare the demolitionist away. “Nothing’s wrong, don’t worry Taph. I just didn’t expect you to look like this.”
Taph smiled in satisfaction, moving closer and nuzzling Shedletsky’s shoulder with their hair. Shedletsky noted how soft it was, remembering that Taph wanted it pet. How lucky he was.
Taph’s right wing kept vibrating as Shedletsky ran his fingers through their hair, massaging the feathers on their forehead. He used his other hand to gently scratch the trail of feathers down Taph’s neck, and their relaxed coos instantly became louder.
Cruuuuuuh… Cruuuuh… Cruuuuuuh…
“Feels nice, doesn’t it?” Shedletsky asked softly, wrapping one of his arms around Taph’s waist. As his fingers combed their hair and feathers, his other hand moved to Taph’s sides, squeezing once.
A startled coo came out of Taph, who looked frantically at Shedletsky. “Whaaat?” He asked, a cheeky grin forming on his face. “I’m not doing anything.”
🫵🪶, Taph complained, and Shedletsky clicked his teeth. “Yeah, alright. You caught me.”
Before Taph could react, Shedletsky began to pinch and squeeze Taph’s sides gently, and the demolitionist began to laugh silently.
🪶🪶‼️, they frantically burst out. “It does?” Shedletsky teased, pulling Taph in so that their back and wings were to his chest. “Well, Taph, I had no idea it tickled so much!”
Shedletsky laid his head in the crook of Taph’s neck, using the stubble on his chin to nuzzle into their neck. At this, Taph’s coos became mixed with their laughter, and they grasped Shedletsky’s wrists instinctively.
Creeheeheeheeheeheeheehee!
“Your laugh is so sweet, Taph!” Shedletsky giggled, stroking Taph’s hair with one hand while the other dug into their soft stomach. “Coochie coochie coo! Aw, you have such a cute little tummy.”
He watched as they threw their head back into his shoulder, and Shedletsky couldn’t help but notice the bright blush spreading itself across Taph’s face. He had never seen the demolitionist smile before, let alone laugh - So the sight in front of him was one he wouldn’t forget anytime soon.
“Let’s play a game, shall we Taph?” He smirked, crossing his legs so that Taph was sitting snugly in the middle. Shedletsky moved his hand from Taph’s hair to their ribs, and the other avian gave him a shaky smile.
❓❓, they asked, a nervous smile on their face. They froze when Shedletsky’s finger poked their ribs, wriggling into the gap. “I wanna see how many ribs you have, Taph.”
Shedletsky wormed a single finger into the space between Taph’s first and second ribs, drawing out a few squeal-like coos as he started counting. “Oooone…”
CREEEEEEE! Creeeeeeeeeeeheeeeheee!
“Twoooo… Oh, quit moving, Taph! Now I need to start all over! One…”
Taph squeezed their eyes shut, wriggling the best they could as Shedletsky poked and traced their ribs. They laughed even harder when Shedletsky finally reached the bottom ribs, stream after stream of coos tumbling out of their mouth.
“…Aaand twenty-four! Good thing all your ribs are here, Taph!” Shedletsky smiled cheerfully, raking his fingers over Taph’s ribcage. “Now where should I get you next? Hm?”
“I know!” He gasped. “Wings aside, where’s your worst spot, Taph? Everyone’s got one.”
Taph shook their head vigorously as they cooed in embarrassment. 🤷🤷🤷‼️
Shedletsky grinned down at Taph, the cogs in his mind turning. “Well then, I guess we’ll have to find out!”
Not even a second later, Shedletsky’s hands darted to where Taph’s hips were, grabbing them and squeezing rapidly.
CREEEHEEEHEEEHEEEHEEE! CREEEHEEEHEEEHEEEHEEEHEEEHEEEHEEE!
“First try!” Shedletsky cheered, his grip on Taph’s hips firm enough to prevent his hands from being pried off. “I’d say this is a pretty good spot, wouldn’t you Taph?”
Shedletsky peered at Taph’s face, biting back the urge to say ‘awww’. The pink blush across their cheeks had spread rapidly, and their wings squirmed against Shedletsky’s chest as they thrashed in his grip. "Awww, now come on Taph. The others are going to hear you chirping!"
❌❌‼️, they squeaked, and Shedletsky huffed with fake annoyance. "You can't? Then I'll just have to explain to the others why there was a pigeon up here, hm?"
CREEEHEEEHEEEEEHEEEE! CREEEEEEEEEE!
After a minute, Shedletsky decided to give Taph a rest. “Alright, that’s enough of that. Are you okay?”
Taph’s residual giggles slipped past their lips, and they patted Shedletsky’s shoulder tiredly. 👍👍👍
“Good.” Shedletsky nodded. “So do you still want pets?”
Taph nodded, and Shedletsky continued to card his fingers through the demolitionist’s hair and feathers.
“Thanks for trusting me, Taph… Really means a lot to me.”
👍, they replied, tired out from Shedletsky’s antics.
Shedletsky hummed gently into Taph’s ear, stroking their shoulders and enjoying the soft coos. “You really are like a pigeon, Taph.” He remarked, opening his own wings and wrapping them around the other avian. “Just relax. I’ve got you.”
He continued to pet Taph until he heard softer, more relaxed coos. “Taph?”
Shedletsky quickly realised that Taph, of all things, had fallen asleep on him and was now snoring. He leaned back on the bed, laying him and Taph in a ring of pillows and closing his eyes. “Sleep tight, Taph.”