I own nothing.
Little Things
Falco found that if he concentrated on the little things he could block out the world around him, forget what was real. Curled against Peppy he concentrated on how his cool body drew like poison the unwanted heat from his own. He noticed the smooth feel of his shirt against his beak, the smell of it, the soap powder they all used, like synthetic flowers, tickling at the back of his nose making him want to sneeze. Beneath that Peppy's smell, like roasting coffee beans, more soap and the faint musty scent of wet earth, he'd always found that comforting. All mingling with the wet salty smell of his own tears. Falco listened to the sound of Peppy's heartbeat and felt the gentle rhythm of his breathing as his own heart slowed to a similar pace, easing the terror from his tensed muscles and flighty heart, taking him back to softer memories…
One night while the team had been on shore leave he had woken screaming in the night. The terror that lingered and Fox's insults from the bed next door had been enough to steal sleep from him. Peppy had come in, like he always did when he was aware of their distress, seeing any attempts to sooth him would wake Fox, Peppy had allowed Falco to get up and took him outside. Falco could remember feeling very grown up being allowed to stay up so late into the night, in fact it was probably still before midnight. The place they were staying was a small wooden beach hut right on the sand looking out on the sea. At the front it had a small deck with a few chairs and a table. It was onto this that Peppy led him that night. They stood staring out at the sea for a while, leaning against the rail at the edge of the raised platform, Peppy thoughtfully silent. Falco stared out at the inky black sea, at the moon glinting off its smooth surface, at the waves crashing up the beach.
At Falco's insistence they crossed the short distance to the sea. He longed to plunge his feet into the breakers and see if the change in colour to that of black crude oil made any difference to the feel of it. He'd never seen the sea by night before. The icy cold of the water made him gasp and run back to Peppy's side where he waited more cautiously on the dry sand. Falco remembered the laughter in his eyes as Peppy watched him scamper up the beach, high stepping in delight at the way the sparkling white sand stuck to his toes. Peppy turned back towards the hut and Falco trotted along behind.
They sat together on the deck, staring up at the stars. They seemed brighter here than they had back on Avion, and far more common. Falco liked to listen to the sounds of the waves roll up the beach, like they were saying "Shh" The air smelt of salt, he could almost taste it. He felt the cool wind brush at his feathers as he curled closer to Peppy for warmth. Falco listened to his soft voice, telling him about the moon and the stars, gently lulling him to sleep…
Falco never remembered the dream that had woken him…