Chanyeol remembers the good old days of playing all day—excluding school, which was boring and unfortunately essential, according to Mom—and just having the best time in the world with his best friend.

Then puberty hit, and Baekhyun started acting funny.

But they got through it. Together. They got closer and stronger.

Then whatever happened after the voice-breaking, hair-growing, pimple-popping roller coaster of junior and high school happened.

And Baekhyun brought boys home.

They're different from the boys in middle school, sometimes. When it was just one boy, they'd laugh a lot at nothing funny, Chanyeol knew something funny was going on.

He never asked their parents, though, because nothing bad happened. Not exactly.

Chanyeol just felt a little lonely.

His swing felt too big with just him, and his singing didn't sound as full or lively. His wings felt heavier with feathers he couldn't reach while preening until he got bigger.

A lot bigger.

Like, a whole head bigger than Baekhyun.

He uses his reach to his advantage and steals Baekhyun's phone a lot, if only to get his attention—and fill the camera roll with his selfies.

“Oh, is Jonginie coming over?”

“Maybe if you give me my phone back, you dinosaur!”

Chanyeol holds him back with a wing. “I'll tell him to come over.”

“Chanyeol! We're supposed to go out tonight!” He trips when the wing falls, catching himself on soft feathers.

“You guys always go out... What about me?”

“Oh, Chanyeol... I-I'm sorry.” He reaches for the spot of small feathers behind his ear. “I know it's been weird with my dating and whatever, but I really do appreciate you still backing me up. I don't think I could put myself out there so much if I didn't know you were here for me.” He hugs Chanyeol, and Chanyeol wraps his arms and wings around him, cocooning them both.

When they were little, Chanyeol would hold Baekhyun like this. For all his noise and perceived confidence, Baekhyun's always been a frustrated crier and critical of himself. Being enclosed helps him orient himself in the moment.

“Yoink!” Baekhyun breaks the hug with a whoop and snatches his phone. “Let's order takeout and make Jongin watch scary movies!”

Their relationship doesn't last. Not as boyfriends, anyway. They're good friends, though, maybe close, and Chanyeol prefers it. Jongin's a good guy. He knows the spot to get Chanyeol to relax, his favorite seed blend and songs—the works. It's kind of like having another brother, one quieter and less annoying than Baekhyun.

After Jongin there's Yifan.

Sehun.

Taehyung.

Heechul.

There's even a girl, briefly, but Chanyeol's not even sure if they were dating.

They all fit a similar mold, sans the girl, who was a complete outlier—tall, sweet smiles, fun to be around, questionable fashion sense, although Sehun is an anomaly there.

So once Baekhyun breaks up again, he swears off men for a solid five hours and comes home from a doctor's appointment with a name and sneaky photo of Do Kyungsoo.

“He practices judo and was in for a checkup after dislocating his shoulder,” Baekhyun reports excitedly. “Isn't he cute?”

He looks like a pissed off owl to Chanyeol. Kyungsoo is short and not very built, doesn't smile, and dresses like Johnny Cash is his stylist.

It's all wrong.

But Baekhyun loves it.

“He's so cute, Chanyeol. You have no idea. There's just badboy kinda vibe, but it's not like biker gang or smoking at sixteen bad boy. More like...X. An unknown variable.” He flinches at Chanyeol's expression. “What? I did pay attention in class. Not all expressions of affection are from poetry and literature.”

“Whatever, nerd.”

Baekhyun hangs out with Kyungsoo a lot, somehow weaseling his way into his good graces and even affections, if the compromising position on the sofa Chanyeol walks in on means anything.

He's seen Baekhyun kiss people before but not like he's trying to remove their tonsils with his tongue. Chanyeol blushes and ducks back into his room.

To salvage his fragile mentality, and to humiliate Baekhyun, like good bros do, he wets his lips and wolf-whistles and rolls his tongue in a high purr as loud as he can.

Which is pretty loud.

Kyungsoo jumps in tandem with Baekhyun, nearly throwing him to the floor.

“You almost dropped me!” Baekhyun whines.

“But I didn't. Don't be such a baby.”

Chanyeol wails like an infant.

“Shut up, Chanyeol, you jerk!” Baekhyun shrieks.

The bird's response is a delighted laugh. He can just imagine the beet redness of Baekhyun's cheeks and fully expects him to charge into Chanyeol's room to try and pluck out his feathers in retaliation.

But he doesn't.

Instead, Chanyeol spies him sitting stiffly beside Kyungsoo, slowly relaxing into a side hug. It's similar to how Chanyeol would calm him down; Baekhyun sometimes needs to be held and have the stress squeezed out of him.

“Maybe you should bring Yixing sometime. His mellowness could rub off on Chanyeol.”

Chanyeol tilts his head. He's heard of Yixing before, Kyungsoo's companion—not a bird, which is all Chanyeol knows. He usually has only good things to say, although Yixing can apparently be rather vain and not know how to dress for the weather and stay up really late but not sleep in mornings, so he always seems sleepy.

“Yixing can be just as bad, believe it or not. His teacher is an old fox, and lately, he's really been building up Yixing's confidence—which is great; he could be a bit of a pushover before—but he's getting awfully crafty. He's always been a fast learner.”

Baekhyun hums and slouches so Chanyeol can't see him anymore. “Maybe we should keep them apart, then. Who knows what pranks they'd come up with. I just feel bad,” he continues, “because Chanyeol's kind of by himself more often than not. He's really social, and I want him to make friends.”

They're quiet for a little while, then Kyungsoo drops his head back to call, “Hey birdbrain. You wanna make a new friend?”

He ruffles his feathers at bird brain, but a new friend sounds nice. “New friend?” He can be a bit like a dog, sometimes. To Baekhyun, Kyungsoo adds, “Let's try it. Pick a day we can both be around.”

“Is this a play date or a double date?”

“That depends on how well they get along.”

Chanyeol casually strides out and raids the cabinets for some seeds. Baekhyun tugs one of his primary feathers. “Hey, eavesdropper. Date next weekend?”

He shrugs, trying to keep up the casual facade. He has to focus on his crest to keep it flat. “Sure.” His wings arc behind him, and he physically grabs them to pull them back.

There's a date set for next Saturday, and Baekhyun bribes Chanyeol's good behavior with his favorite snack before pushing him onto the sofa and lying against his wings to play on his phone.

Peace lasts for only so long. Chanyeol cleans his room, vacuuming three times to be sure he's picked up every kernel and shell from his snacks and even polishing his swing. Once he's done, he can't focus on anything but the empty time until there's a knock at the front door.

Chanyeol’s feathers rise, betraying his curiosity.

“That should be Kyungsoo,” Baekhyun says, sitting upright. “Go open the door, Yeol.” When the bird makes no move, he shoves him off the sofa. “Don't be such a scaredy cat; they don't bite!”

Smoothing his feathers, Chanyeol trips over himself but catches the door, preventing a face fall.

Kyungsoo’s casually looking down the hall when the door opens, appearing cool and nonchalant. Chanyeol thinks most people look like thugs or delinquents with shaved hair, but Kyungsoo just looks…

Like a thug or delinquent.

“Hi, handsome; c’mon in.” Baekhyun impatiently muscles Chanyeol aside.

“Hey, birdbrain.” Kyungsoo slips into Baekhyun’s open embrace, kissing him briefly. “Close the door, Yixing.”

Chanyeol fidgets by the door, hovering and trying to keep his wings out of the way while Yixing quietly steps inside and removes his shoes.

“Hi, Xing Xing!” Baekhyun chirps. “I like your haircut.” To Kyungsoo, he adds, “Had to have your sheep sheared already?”

“He wanted it,” Kyungsoo replies. “Chanyeol, this is Yixing.”

“Hello.” Yixing smiles, and it feels like the sun on Chanyeol's face. “I'm Yixing.”

“Chanyeol. I-I like your horns!” Antlers? Extra bone? They're impressive, whatever they are, curling around either side of Yixing's face and ending in blunt tips pointing above his ears.

Yixing touches them as though just realizing they're on his head. “Thank you. I'm rather attached to them.” Baekhyun snorts. Such lame humor. “Your feathers are really pretty.”

Chanyeol spent three hours preening and has a pile of discarded feathers that could stuff a throw pillow. He's pleased his hard work paid off.

“Show him around, Chanyeol,” Baekhyun urges. There's a funny feeling, seeing the bird so moony; he's not sure if it's a good or bad feeling, but it's something Chanyeol usually picks up on but is too focused on giving Yixing a tour to notice Baekhyun's weirdness.

Every room he presents has a story, starting from the kitchen where Baekhyun once burned his hand retrieving something from the oven. He'd had an oven mitt on, but it was on the hand he opened the door with rather than the one he stuck into the heat.

He still has the scars.

Their main bathroom flooded the week they had moved in after Chanyeol had left the water on and over-filled the tub. He couldn't tell water from bubbles and misjudged.

The pantry holds Chanyeol's favorite seeds, haphazardly piled on the top shelves where only he can reach.

Kyungsoo sits with Baekhyun on the couch, chatting while keeping an eye on the guided tour. “You know,” Baekhyun says, “when you'd told Yixing was exotic or whatever, I honestly expected, like, a tiger or a grizzly bear.”

“Illegal.”

“Did you consider a cat? A really pissy, one-person cat would suit you.”

“What are you trying to say?” Kyungsoo’s arm tightens around Baekhyun’s neck in a threatening hug. “Explain that thought to me.”

Baekhyun pats his arm. “It was just an observation, babe; you can’t deny you’re like a different person when we’re alone.”

“You bring out the worst in me.” He kisses Baekhyun’s forehead. Something hits the back of his head, and a long feather floats onto his lap.

Baekhyun sits up, catching the bird’s wing before he can leave but letting it slide out of his grip. “Chanyeol, it’s fine. He’s not hurting me.”

“You have a very protective bird,” Kyungsoo comments. “I swear he’s always staring at me.” He can see the tall bird out of the corner of his eye, looking at him while pointing something out to Yixing. His face is handsome and pretty sweet when he smiles, especially with the naturally red cheeks, but his size or the vibe he gives off is unsettling.

“He's just nervous,” Baekhyun assures. “He told me he had a dream you plucked his wings and fried them like a chicken's. I'd be nervous around you, too. He’s trying to figure you out so you can be friends.”

“You're a very positive thinker. I think it's more likely that he’s waiting for a moment to attack—a preemptive strike. I've seen The Birds too many times to not worry. He’d better not think I’m a mouse or something.”

“That’s not a part of his diet; no worries.” If he was a bag of seeds, Chanyeol would show no mercy. “If you were a kiwi, though? Then you’d have to worry. Although…” He rubs Kyungsoo’s head, squinting critically at the shaved style. “You do kind of resemble one. A most handsome kiwi. Chanyeol, you like kiwi, right?”

“Yeah?”

“Kyungsoo looks like one; It must be fate for you to be friends!”

Chanyeol blows a raspberry and opens the door to Baekhyun's room to allow Yixing a peek; it's relatively neat, and the dual computer monitors show a login screen for an online game.

Nerd.

Chanyeol shows his own room last. A sort of hammock hangs in a corner, and a swing is suspended from the raise ceiling. His bed is large and covered in plush characters, which would usually embarrass him to show off, but Yixing takes it all in stride, looking around with mild curiosity and amusement and neither shock nor disgust. He smiles when he spots something beside Chanyeol's bed and touches it, allowing the guitar case to roll towards him.

“Do you play?”

Chanyeol nods. He hops a little, hauling himself onto his swing, and falls back to hang by his knees and hold himself up with his arms. “Sometimes.” He plays a lot. “I'll occasionally sing, too.” He'll sing a lot, too. He started singing with Baekhyun when they were kids. “You like music?”

“I love it.” The sheep sits on the bed, relaxing when Chanyeol doesn't say anything. “I try to keep it quiet, to not disturb Kyungsoo.”

“He doesn't like it?”

“No,” Yixing shakes his head, “he does. He's just...a quiet person.”

“Oh. Well, Baekhyun's noisier then I am.” Another reason to wonder how Baekhyun could think Kyungsoo is so great. “He doesn't mind if you want to play something.” He rubs his cheek on his arm to hide the blush. “I'd like to hear, too.”

Yixing doesn't seem to need much prodding or reassurance. He eagerly, but carefully, pulls the guitar case onto the bed and removes the instrument from its place, cradling it and feeling its weight. He tunes it by ear; even Chanyeol uses a tuner.

He plays a song Chanyeol's never heard before. It's light and airy and reminds him of flying but more mellow, like hoping to fly.

“That's pretty,” he comments softly. Yixing closes his eyes when playing but smiles at the remark.

“It's something I came up with recently.” He stops playing and smiles. “I'm stuck on the ending. Kyungsoo thinks it could go something like this,” he plays briefly, a mellower tune that feels heavy to Chanyeol, “but I dunno, yet.” He plucks random chords. “Maybe nothing will come of it. It happens.”

They talk about music and their lives like old friends. Chanyeol's never been afraid of over-sharing, and Yixing offers up the same amount of personal baggage and feelings. It's only when Kyungsoo calls for Yixing that they realize hours have passed.

Chanyeol follows them to the door, bowing politely and smiling at Yixing. He kind of floats back to his room, then, giddy, and Baekhyun follows on his feathers.

Baekhyun leans over the swing, pulling up his legs to hover. “So what'd you think of Yixing?”

“He's...really nice.”

“Birds of a feather, Yeol. Kyungsoo's really nice, too.” He kicks out a leg at the bird's frown. “He is!”

Chanyeol just doesn't see the appeal. However, if Yixing likes him and can live with him and talk about him with such fondness, then maybe Chanyeol can trust him with his favorite person.

“Just give him a chance.”

“Fine.” Chanyeol pouts into his plushies. “You owe me some seed, though.”

“I'll have Kyungsoo buy you a big bag of your favorite.” Baekhyun stands up with a grin. “The expensive favorite.”

Chanyeol's crest rises. He can be bought.

a/n: Written for Archer's Balance fest. (prompt no.18: Hybrid!Chanyeol is absolutely terrified of his owner Baekhyun's new boyfriend, Kyungsoo, but he'll weather the storms if it means he can spend time with Kyungsoo's hybrid, Yixing.)

Yixing isn't easy for me to write, so I really struggled with characterizations while struggling to not get sick in the awful heat and humidity.

Also, Chanyeol's a cockatiel. I've never had a bird, so characterizing a birdboy wasn't easy, either. I did my best. uwu