They adore you. Every time you walk in the room, the little wings on their head flap happily, and they love to play with your hair.
When flustered, they run around with feathers fluffed out and flapping wildly.
Taph, very much like a bird, collects little trinkets for you, a shiny stone or a pretty leaf, they bring you one every day. They are very much a penguin pebbler.
They gave you one of their feathers, which you tuck behind your ear most of the time, and it made Taph so happy the first time they saw it there, they practically lost consciousness.
You are one of the very few who has ever seen what is under the mask.
You tug on the edge of their sleeve, looking up at them. He tilts his head, quietly asking you what you want.
You start to sign, hands moving fluidly from practice.
Then they fall to the ground, rolling on the floor with a face so red it shows through the mask, headwings covering the area where their eyes should be.
They stand up, brush off their clothes, and lift their hands, which are trembling and pinkish. They sign a “yes”.
They sit on the ground, crisscrossing their legs, hands in their lap, wings fluffed and flapping happily.
You reach over and pull down their hood, then take off their mask.
Then softly, you lean in, meeting rough lips. Taph, overstimulated, faints shortly after you pull away.