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English
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Published:
2026-01-06
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1,354
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1/1
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Certain Birds

Summary:

Regect has only ever known one avian.

That is, until he meets Ze.

Notes:

(See the end of the work for notes.)

Work Text:

Regect has only ever known one avian. One avian whom he had grown to love as a little brother. One who was a part of his flock.

Micha, his protagonist before Ze. The boy he saw as his own little brother, with beautiful white wings just as pure as the boy’s heart.

While originally Regect was supposed to scare Micha, the little boy had not been fazed at all. Micha, instead, was determined to make friends with Regect. The entity had tried, at the time, not to let himself be swayed, and yet Micha wormed his way into Regect’s invisible heart. They had spent quite a lot of time together, seeing as Micha spent quite a lot of time on Minecraft while stuck in hospitals. Regect and Micha spent their days mainly picking flowers, building, and talking. Though Regect’s favorite days were when Micha’s wings would need to be preened, as instead of following through with his duties as an entity, he got to take care of the little brother he was never supposed to love. He always paid close attention to Micha’s instructions, not wanting to harm the boy by accidentally pulling a rogue feather a little too roughly. Through Micha, he learned that avians give a primary feather to their loved ones, to those part of their flock. Their family.

It has been years since he last saw Micha, and yet he will never be able to forget the boy he had grown to care for as his own little brother. He continues to hate the rain, the memories of standing and waiting for him continuously fresh on his mind. He cannot even stand to look at chickens, sometimes, when the grief is at its strongest. The white feathers of the animal serving as a reminder of Micha’s own. To the white primary feather, he has tucked safely in an ender chest.

Over time, Regect lost hope of ever seeing anyone rejoin the world. One year grew into two, two into three, three into four. Until, at the fifth year, something changed. A player had joined the world.

Ze, as stubborn as he was cold, with white hair, a white hoodie, and blue jeans with no wings at his back. That was how Regect saw him, at least, a far cry from the previous sweet boy he was supposed to haunt.

It was supposed to be easy, to scare this player until he left. Yet, nothing Regect did seemed to really faze the man. At most, Regect got an annoyed glare and was yelled at, but no screams of terror or logging off out of fear.

Eventually, the two even started to talk, which always turned into arguments. Regect didn’t mind, though, finding that arguing with Ze was actually pretty fun as neither man nor entity would ever back down. Regect started to learn that while Ze is definitely stubborn and can be cold, he has a softer heart buried underneath all of the ice. As more time passed, he began to learn more and more about his white-haired companion, growing even closer through their bickering.

Which leads Regect to now.

One second, he’s with Ze in the mines, complaining about their need for resources, when a skeleton fires an arrow at Regect. He wasn’t paying attention, too caught up in his arguing with Ze. He didn’t see it, not in time. Regect knows he cannot move in time as the arrow flies closer, and as always, he forgets he can teleport. He closes his eyes, preparing for the blow.

Shit.

He thinks.

This is going to hurt.

Yet, it never does.

A loud bang, and Regect knows Ze has shot the skeleton with one of the guns he always has on him. Regect hesitantly opens his eyes, yet when he does, he is met with eyes staring right back at him. He jumps, startled, before he processes what exactly he’s seeing.

In front of him, with an arrow through a white wing, is Ze. The eye he had seen was on the back of that wing, reminding Regect of the butterflies that use fake eyes to scare predators.

That’s his first thought, until it fully processes. Ze. An avian. With an arrow buried in one wing.

“Holy shit, dude.” Regect quickly breaks out of his confusion, moving closer to Ze to inspect the wound. “What the fuck?”

Ze huffs a breath, rolling his eyes at Regect’s dumbfounded remark. “Yeah, well, you were just standing there like a dumbass, someone had to do something.”

Regect, with an uncharacteristic gentleness that startles Ze, holds his injured wing with both hands as he looks at the arrow. Blood has stained the feathers around the wound. Regect never wants to see such a sight again.

“Are you going to pull it out or just keep standing there?” Ze raises an eyebrow, one hand reaching for the shaft of the arrow.

Regect gets there first, claws gripping the shaft of the arrow. He’s silent as he tugs the arrow out in one swift, yet clean, motion.

Ze grits his teeth, for the most part managing to stay quiet, though a small whine of pain does escape him as the arrow is tugged out of flesh.

“You could have just let it hit me,” Regect says, something strange in his voice. He holds the arrow in one clawed hand, the tip of it colored red. “My body is stronger than yours.”

Ze doesn’t say anything, but his gaze is disapproving as he scoffs.

“And what the hell, dude?” Regect begins again, trying to bring the mood closer to normal. “Where did you get wings from?”

Ze waves a hand dismissively as his wings tuck themselves back behind his back. “I’ve always had them, tucked in my hoodie. I wouldn’t be surprised if you missed them, considering how unobservant you are.”

A teasing smile sits on Ze’s face, like he didn’t just take an arrow wound for Regect. Regect knows, deep down, that Ze must be in pain. That he must be covering it with strength as he always does.

Regect lets it go, sighing, as his worry wins over. “C’mon, Ze. That wound needs gauze.” A pause. “Plus, Moe is going to want to see your wings, and I know you can’t tell her no.”

Ze lightheartedly punches Regect’s visible arm, but he doesn’t disagree, letting the entity teleport them both home. Regect knows then and there that Ze is in more pain than he is letting on, considering his lack of arguing.

Regect stays quiet as he leads Ze to the couch, as he wraps the wound, and as he listens to Moe and Ze talk in the background. He focuses on the feathers in his hand, the way they are white with their tips being black like ink, and the softness of each feather. They are unlike Micha’s, who still had his baby feathers. Yet, they are just as beautiful.

By the time Regect is finished wrapping the wound and ensuring it has stopped bleeding, Moe has gone to bed. Regect looks up to see Ze resting his head on the back of the couch, his eyes closed.

Regect huffs out a soft breath, but doesn’t disturb the man. He knows Ze needs rest, and after today, it is the least he can give him. Regect puts up the gauze and disinfectant before he returns to the couch.

He considers going to sleep in his room, leaving Ze to sleep on the couch. Yet, he finds that after his scare today, he doesn’t want to leave Ze’s side. So, he sits down carefully next to his player, closing his own eyes. As he listens to the calm breathing of the man he has come to love beside him, he lets himself be lulled to sleep.

As he wakes in the morning, with Ze no longer beside him and a black-tipped primary feather left deliberately in his lap, Regect realizes.

Regect has met two avians. Two avians he had grown to love in different ways, yet being a part of their small flock all the same.

Notes:

I LOVE avian brothers Micha & Ze so I had to make something based off of it

also title is taken from Certain Birds by Fish in a Birdcage, highly recommend