high rise hearts ☆ lifesteal smp au

𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐌𝐀𝐍 ✦

𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗲: fluff, humor
𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀: swagdoons
𝘁𝘄: n/a
𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆: n/a
𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁: parrot decides it'd be funny to invite both redd and ash to the zoo without telling them who'll be there. long story short the setup works

─── ⋅☆⋅ ───

𝐏𝐎𝐕: parrot

Parrot's lying on the unmade bed in his small apartment, kicking at the pillows with his feet while he types out the invitation on his phone. His fingers move swiftly, almost trembling with excitement. He'd just had the greatest plan- he'd heard whisperings from the other Lifestealers about how Redd and Ash were over the moon for each other, and he really wanted to test that theory.
Spoke was the first one to mention it to him- how Redd seemed to fiddle with his suit and shuffle around, having difficulty maintaining a conversation with Ash even being the chatty guy he was; how Ash seemed to stutter on his words and glitch just a little around Redd, which he never ever did around anyone else. He'd been thinking on it for a while, and eventually everyone else had convinced him that the thing had indeed happened.

Nobody knew exactly what had brought about the feelings, but Spoke's account was the earliest one to date.
It was a chilly October evening of last year, according to Spoke. He'd asked for help putting up his Halloween decorations, and both Redd and Ash had agreed to come over and help him set them up. He loved decorating for Halloween, but recently he'd purchased a gigantic set of themed streamers he couldn't possibly set up himself.
Red had shown up first, bringing a ladder along with him. They'd gone up to the balcony of Spoke's apartment and set up some of the lights when Ash came along with another ladder. They thought it would be a good idea to just set the both of them up on the balcony and therefore make double the progress.
Everything was going well at first; most of the decorations and decals were gone within an hour. Everyone was getting along well, too- Spoke noted the way Ash and Redd interacted in particular, almost as if they were nervous to be holding conversation with each other. He didn't think much of it at first- perhaps they'd had some drama recently or something.
But, while carrying more decorations, Spoke's hand phased into Ash's ladder, and when he tried to pull it free, it loosened the already questionable locking mechanism holding it in place. The ladder fell, crashing into Redd's and sending them both skyrocketing down from the balcony.
Luckily, Spoke's apartment was only on the third floor, so neither of them died. But what convinced Spoke of their feelings for each other was what happened during the fall. He'd rushed over to the balcony, his hand freed last second, and saw Ash glitch and freeze up mid-air, unable to move from his position. It was Redd who had pulled him by his sleeve and cushioned his fall.
Redd broke several of his ribs and fractured his leg in that fall, but whenever Spoke visited him in the short time he spent in the hospital, he insisted that nothing was their fault. He vividly remembered the way he'd defended Ash from blame; how he defended Ash's glitches because he couldn't control them. He wasn't sure why, but the way he phrased it stuck with him:
"Never in a million years would I blame that on Ash. If anything, it was my fault I ended up here, I dragged him while I was falling and that's why I'm here now. And I'd do that again if I had to."

So, here he was now, messaging Redd for the stupidest scheme he'd planned yet:

> hey redd
> u up for visitin the zoo
> redd: uhh why
> im bein nice just trust me bro
> redd: hm
> redd: fine when
> well when r u free
> redd: hows this saturday sound
> ok then this sat at 9?
> redd: alr
> redd: you better not be about to bring me in the monkey exhibit again im done with that
> pfft ok fine