Seasonal Feathers

Chapter 1

A/N: Well, here it is! I finally got off my lazy butt to make a sequel. I'll keep this short since there's another author's note at the bottom. I just can't help myself, sorry. But I hope you like it!
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"Need some help?"

Matthew yelped and dropped the bottle he was holding. The man behind him lurched forward and somehow managed to snatch it out of the air. There was a small moment of silence before they let out simultaneous sighs of relief and the man offered the bottle back. Matthew gratefully took it, holding on tightly.

"Sorry." He muttered. His nerves had been wound tighter than Arthur's personality since he'd left his cabin. It wasn't all that surprising, though, considering that this was the first time he had ever left home unsupervised. Home, of course, being a giant plot of trees in the middle of nowhere, but when you were like him, your options were limited.

Like him. Another reminder that he was nothing like all the people here. Just like that, Matthew's paranoia spiked up for the eleventh time since entering the store. He had to make sure, just make absolutely sure that no one could tell that he wasn't... the same as them.

Was his coat on correctly? Were his halter straps coming loose or was that just him? Was he shedding any feathers?

Matthew snapped back to reality when he realized the man was talking to him, and had been for the past two minutes.

"--pretty awesome, huh? If I hadn't, we'd have quite a mess, plus that's valuable stuff. It's one of my more popular brandies." He laughed. It was a strange sound, loud and slightly accosting, but somehow... pleasant? Matthew's eyes were suddenly drawn to the man's hair, which, he realized with a start, was white as snow. His gaze slid down to meet the other's eyes, and his own widened. They were bright crimson, sparkling with amusement and curiosity. It took a moment for him to realize that he was waiting for a response.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, I just got distracted. I've never seen anyone with your, ah, complexion I guess?" The man raised an eyebrow. Oh maple was that rude? Then he burst out laughing. "Wow, you're cute." He appeared not to notice Matthew's cheeks turn red. "Guess you've never seen an albino person before? Not surprising, I'm one of a kind." He smirked and Matthew was sure he was going to pass out. He'd never encountered someone so... out there before, and he was already so nervous that he wasn't sure he could handle talking to anyone, let alone this guy. He didn't know what to do.

The 'albino' continued. "Anyway, my name's Ze AWESOME Gilbert Beilschmidt, but you can call me Gilbert. This is Gilbird" -he pointed to a yellow ball of fluff on his shoulder, poking it lightly until it twitched, revealing a tiny beak and stubby little wings, "-and what would your name be?"

"U-uh, Matthew," he replied, wondering how many times he'd have to answer the exact same question during this exchange, "Um, excuse me... is that a bird?" Gilbert grinned. "Yep! I love birds, and this one's my favorite. You're a close second, though."

Matthew froze, staring at the albino. Gilbert was oblivious, still talking and gesticulating wildly, nearly knocking the bird off of his shoulder. Does he know? Oh god, did my halter slip? I knew I should have checked those knots again! Am I shedding feathers? Roma didn't tell me what to do, what do I do?! He was about to make a run for it when Gilbert snapped his fingers in Matthew's face. "Hello? Are you in there, Matthew? I hope you're not overwhelmed by my awesomeness, it can happen. Anyway, I can ring you up if you'd like. Is this all?"