Subdued applause twinkles across the smoky cafe air. With these kinds of establishments, earnest clapping would be seen as incredibly gauche. Appreciation for live entertainment must be handled with as much detached apathy as one passing a busker on the subway station. The performers are of course aware of this social protocol, and take whatever smug scraps of approval that is tossed at them as they wipe the spotlight-induced sweat off their brows. That is the kind of applause of a jazz cafe.

However, one pair of hands opposes this. Seated on the stool with the best view of the cramped stage is a plump rock dove, clapping with the ardor of an animal who had just heard a symphony. He even jumps out of his seat to give a standing ovation, which causes nearby audience members to roll their eyes. He had, after all, done this for all of the band's sets. Brian remains blissfully unaware of his neighbors' annoyance; his focus is solely on applauding the band. Well, more specifically, the drummer. The penguin in question offers a sheepish smile to the enthusiastic bird before facing the rest of the crowd one more.

"Thanks." The main singer, a porcupine with a face as bored as the crowd's, mumbles into the mic, silencing the trickles of applause. "That was our last set. Our CDs are for sale at the entrance, only five bucks. We'll be back next Friday so, uh… yeah. Cheers."

Brian glances at his phone's home screen. Just a few minutes after eleven pm. That was the last performance of the night, and the cafe will soon be closing. He knows for a fact Humbert's group will have to stick around to clean up. It comes with the deal of being the closing act. The penguin explained that it was worth it because Friday night is by far the busiest time of the week, so a little manual labor afterwards is a small price to pay. So, Brian waits for the other cafe-goers to filter out of the limited walking space until only he, the band, and the staff are left.

"Hey, Brian." The porcupine greets stiffly as he coils the mic cable around his arm. "You helping out again?"

"Yep! Great work, you guys!" With a smile, the rock dove wastes no time in grabbing a nearby broom and sweeping the cigarette stub-ridden floors. While Brian would endure a lot to see Humbert perform, the indoor smoking is by far his least favorite part of the gigs.

"You really don't have to stay after the show ends. It's getting late." Humbert chuckles, but genuine concern creases his expression. "Don't you have work tomorrow?"

Brian waves the thought aside. "It's the afternoon shift. Stop by and you get a free cup."

"Is the cafe having a promotional sale or something?" The donkey jenny who plays the trumpet asks.

"It's more of a Humbert sale." Brian laughs. "I treat him to a drink when he stops by."

The jenny smiles. "Aren't you two close?"

The two birds shuffle around nervously.

"Seeya, Zaki!" Humbert calls out to the porcupine who is one step out the door. With his back quills still faced to the bird, he offers a curt wave of the hand, more resembling a half-assed karate chop than anything, and exits the cafe. That's the last band member save the drummer, leaving only Humbert, Brian and the staff taking stock in the back room.

Having the cafe all to themselves, they dare to get closer. Brian raises an arm to the sky, grabbing its elbow with his other hand, and stretches with a loud groan.

"Whew! Pretty soon I'm gonna get a six pack after all that exercise!"

"Don't overwork yourself." With a mischievous smile, Humbert gives a forceful poke to the pigeon's exposed gut, deflating the bird with a wheeze. "I like your zero pack as it is now. It'd be such a shame to lose it."

Still doubled over his gut, Brian gives a few hoarse cackles. "Don't tell me there's 'more to love.'"

"Oh no, am I getting too predictable?"

Brian scoots closer to his boyfriend, lacing his pink fingers between the penguin's calloused black ones.

"I think I just know you you too well, Birdie."

Humbert's head ducks down to meet the pigeon's and brushes his beak against his with a light clack. He had once said that's how penguins kiss.

The moment ends as suddenly as it began as soon as they hear the shuffling of staff grow closer. They jump back to their original position and politely greet the animals. After an exchange of formalities, the group all exit the cafe and lock up the building for the night.

"Want me to give you a ride to Noah's Arc?" Humbert offers, pointing at his tiny yet trusty silver car parked in the distance.

"I'd actually appreciate it. Most buses are off service now."

The couple chirp out their last goodbye to the cafe staff as they make their way to Humbert's car. Once inside, the Humboldt switches on the music as soon as he starts the engine. It's a pleasant and refined instrumental jazz piece, one both of them know all too well.

"Listening to your own CD? Has fame finally gotten to your head?" Brian teases.

Humbert gives him a playful nudge. "I do have my number one fan with me, after all. You should be honored, Pigeon."

"Well, that's true."

They traverse the blurry haze of city lights, appreciating both the sights and sounds.

"I still think Zaki doesn't like me." Brian blurts after a while in the most casual voice he can muster.

His boyfriend gives a weary smile. "Zaki's like that to everyone. I told you most music types have their heads in the clouds so much they forget how to interact with others. I think he secretly loves it when you cheer like that."

"Sorry, I'm still too loud, aren't I?" Brian sighs. "Believe it or not, I was really trying to keep it low-key."

"I believe you. You didn't even whistle once."

"How was I supposed to know jazz fans don't whistle?"

"You're still not pretentious enough to understand the mentality."

Brian scoffs. "I'm plenty pretentious. You even showed me how to do the 'ba dum tss' sound on your drum kit!"

"It's called a percussive sting."

"Wow, maybe I really am not pretentious enough."

Humbert laughs. He glances at Brian with a curious expression. "Have you ever thought of playing an instrument?"

"Maybe I tried one or two in middle school, but I never stuck with any. Besides, pigeons aren't very musically talented."

"Oh, like penguins are?" Humbert challenges. "Okay, if you had to choose one instrument to learn, which one would it be?"

The pigeon tilts his head, pondering the question. "I don't know… maybe drums so we'd match?"

"But what about the sound?" Humbert's inner petulant musician jumps out. "You wouldn't learn the yaybahar if I played it, would you?"

"I don't know what that is, but probably. I don't really prefer any instrument over another. They all sound nice. What made you want to play the drums?"

The penguin's frustrate expression morphs into a pensive one. "My friend bought a set in fifth grade and he let me mess around with it when I went to his house. As soon as I felt the drumsticks in my hands, it just… clicked. Every beat I played made me want to play more. It was magical. I bugged my parents so much about getting my own set, they bought me one the week. Though I spent the next five years paying it off…"

"Wow, that does sound magical. I'm really glad you found a passion like that so easily."

"Passions are easy to discover, but hard to perfect. That's why I can never slack off when it comes to drumming. Besides, it definitely built up some arm strength!"

On cue, Humbert flexes a bicep with a haughty grin. Brian squeezes the tensed arm with exaggerated oohs and aahs. "You must have so many groupies!"

"You're the only groupie I need, Bri."

"I'm pretty sure that sounded more romantic in your head."

One trait Brian was quick to pick up on when they started dating was that Humbert has an inability of letting go of things that bother him. So even though the question of what instrument Brian would hypothetically play was dropped, the pigeon knew that eventually, it would resurface in another conversation.

What he didn't expect was for it to happen the very next weekend. His boyfriend asked him to meet at an address he did not recognize, with no further explanation. Upon arrival, he is face-to-face with a small recording studio labelled "Python Records" by the worn iron plaque on by entrance. Slightly confused, he presses the intercom button. After a period of silence, Humbert's voice crackles through the outdated speakers.

"Hey, Bri! We're on the third floor."

With no further explanation, he hangs up, and moments later, Brian jumps at the loud buzz of the entrance unlocking. He sighs, half amused and half worried, and enters the building. After the laboring climb up the stairs (which is any climb up the stairs for Brian) he reaches the third floor, seeing Humbert peek out through one of the dark iron doors.

"Over here!" He beckons.

"Hi… huff…" The shorter bird wheezes. "What's this… all about…?"

The penguin's eyes glint. "We're gonna settle this once and for all."

He basically drags Brian by the tail feathers inside the cramped apartment. The space is littered with sheets of paper on every surface, as well as cardboard boxes, some sealed shut with tape while others overflow with miscellaneous junk. Vinyl records, disorganized bits and pieces of instruments, ripped folders… it's what Brian imagined the inside of Humbert's head to be like. A python is coiled up in a tight dollop, struggling to fit his entire length on the largest desk of the main room. He seems to be highly invested in something on his smartphone, and only offers an apathetic glance up at the pigeon when he approaches.

"Sssecond door to your right." With the tip of his tail, he points to a hallway behind him hidden by more clutter. Humbert waits no time and guides the pigeon to the mysterious door.

"Are you ready?" He asks in a conspiratorial voice.

"I don't know what's going on but sure!"

The penguin opens the door revealing a modest rectangular room. Heavy sound-proofing foam covers every corner of the windowless walls and ceilings, but more interestingly, an array of instruments are aligned neatly across the space. Brian begins to connect the dots.

"Birdie…" Brian begins in a sweet but exasperated tone. "Don't tell me you rented all of this equipment and this room just for me."

"We're gonna find your spirit instrument today!" The penguin declares. His wide smile twitches when the pigeon's look of concern only deepens.

"Listen, I know you don't like it when I spend money on you… but I know Maurice, so he gave me the friends and family discount! It was really nothing!"

"Hmm…" Brian's furrowed brow creases even more, now to a clearly exaggerated degree. Suddenly, his face relaxes entirely, leaving only a wide smile on his beak. "Okay!"

His smile is infectious, because Humbert returns a grin just as wide. "Alright, let's do this!"

The penguin gives him a basic rundown of the instruments, starting with the strings, to the brasses, and ending in the percussions. It truly was an impressive array.

"So, do you feel a gut calling to any of these?" The Humboldt asks expectantly.

Brian glances over the sea of musical tools. "Maybe the violin? It's kinda cute."

"Good choice!"

He hands the violin over to the penguin and begins instructing him on how to hold it. Though he struggles with balancing the instrument under his beak (the chinrest is more or less obsolete given his lack of chin), eventually he reaches the perfect pose.

"So, hold the bow like this…" Humbert directs, taking Brian's hand in his and adjusting the frog of the bow in between his fingers.

"Are you sure this isn't an excuse to hold my hand?"

"I decline to answer." Humbert smirks. "Keep your fingers like this, okay? And now, gently move your arm up and down on the E string."

He does so, creating a delicate, high-pitched note. It sounds a bit wobbly, but even Brian is a little impressed with it. They wait for the note to dissipate in the air.

"So…" the penguin prods. "How did it feel?"

"Hm…" Brian shuts his eyes, razor focused. "My shoulder hurts."

Humbert sighs. "Let's go on to the next one."

A dozen instruments later, and the pair of birds know just as much about Brian's instrumental preferences as when they first walked in. Either the rock dove reviewed the sound as 'okay' and nothing more or he failed to play the instrument correctly at all. French horn, viola, marimba, oboe, keyboard, banjo… nothing struck a chord.

Humbert's enthusiasm soon turns to frustration.

"I don't get it…" He grumbles. "It's supposed to just click. Or at least give you a hint. Maybe we need to go even more obscure…"

"There's still one left." Brian points over to the drum set.

"There's no point…" Humbert mopes. "If you didn't feel a connection while hearing me play, I doubt it'll just suddenly happen now."

To this, Brian can't help but laugh. He heads over to the drum kit and stares at it fondly, tracing his clawed index finger on the taut, blanched skin of the mid tom.

"That's where you're wrong, Humbert…" He chuckles. "Now I know I love drums the best. But only if you're there to play it."

"What do you-"

"I'm really not musically gifted at all." Brian shrugs. "I'm sure if I played this thing, I wouldn't even recognize it as the drums at all. But when I hear you play it, suddenly sounds like the coolest thing in the world. It's like I can feel your love in every beat."

Humbert comes closer. "Bri…"

"So instead of playing, I'd rather listen. Or if you really want, you could teach me. But only if you hold my hand through every note."

"That can… be arranged."

Brian looks up at Humbert, placing a hand on his pink and black cheek.

"Say… are you sure Maurice can't see us at all In this room?"

"I'm sure. Or hear."

"Good."

Sometimes, very rarely, two birds hatch out of a single egg. It's rare because not only does an egg seldom have two yolks, but during the rare case of double fertilization, only one of the embryos receive enough nutrients to survive until it's time to hatch. In order for both chicks to see the light of day, they must always share equally, be it nutrients, or space, or oxygen. One cannot get greedy and take more than the other.

This is what happened to Penny and Piper. Despite not being identical twins, they might as well be. Growing inside of the same egg is the ultimate challenge for any pair of siblings, and done before even being born. In that sense, they had perfected their relationship with each other as soon as they hatched.

To Penny, Piper is no less indispensable than than her hand or her beak; she is simply another part of her whose presence is as undermined as it is essential, and vice versa. Naturally, teachers have never dared to separate them. Doing so would almost be disrespectful to their circumstances. They take every class together, eat every meal together, take every step together.

To an animal with a more independent disposition, this may seem unhealthy. Surely, no matter how much one loves one's sibling, one would need some alone time every once in a while. But for the cockatiels, they feel just as comfortable in each other's presence as any other animal would feel in solitude. In reality, having their sister by their side is like being alone and together simultaneously. They share every weakness, strength, like and dislike. It is the best of both worlds.

They can't remember which of them began displaying an interest in cheerleading first. Most likely, the desire was mutually concocted. Although their physical stamina during tryouts was far from ideal, their incredible coordination was enough to hint at their potential, so Coach Charlotte made her decision.

The cheerleading lifestyle suits them well. They are certainly not gifted in academic success, but seem to have the natural charisma that is essential to the pompom way of life, even If their ditziness sometimes exceeds the status quo. They often joke that they even share the same braincells. All of this is common knowledge to anyone who knows them, especially their fellow cheerleaders. And was is even more well-known is that if Piper is somewhere, so is Penny.

Which is why Kristen does a double take when she sees Piper and Piper alone in the female herbie common room.

The cockatiel had asked to meet with her via text in the room, 10 minutes before curfew ends. Kristen didn't think too much of it; knowing them, it was probably just to ask if they could copy her homework or borrow some blush. And of course, it is always the unspoken rule that when you meet with one of them, the sister would always be accompanying. So seeing only one of the cockatiels seated in the faded lounge couch felt beyond unnatural, like seeing a turtle without their shell.

The panda looks around the otherwise empty common room, double checking if her eyes are really telling the truth. "Is it just you?"

Piper nods. "Uh huh. Penny is in our dorm getting ready for bed. I told her I'm just sneaking in a late night snack."

This confuses Kristen even more. "Did you text me just so we can eat snacks together? I already brushed my teeth, you know."

"It's not like that. You have to, like, pinky promise you won't tell any of the other girls about this, okay? Especially not Penny."

"About what?"

"Well…" Piper's somber gaze falls to her lap, and beckons the panda to take a seat next to her. "I've actually been thinking of quitting the cheerleading club."

Kristen's beady eyes grow wide with shock. "Quit?! We can't lose two members!"

The cockatiel huffs in frustration. "Are you even listening? I'm thinking of quitting! As in, just me!"

To this, the panda can only tilt her head in confusion. "Why are you even thinking about this? Did something happen?"

"No, nothing happened. It's just like… sometimes you do something for long enough and you just kind of get the feeling you're not, like, enjoying it as much as everyone else. I just think I need to, like, play it up whenever I'm cheerleading. It's like super exhausting, you know?"

"Uh… I guess I can understand where you're coming from. So Penny doesn't feel the same way?"

Piper throws her torso forward, suddenly moved by a passionate spell. "Not at all!" She whines. "I've, like, tried asking her all subtly about it, and she doesn't feel the same way at all!"

She deflates into a morose disposition, completely opposite to just a few seconds ago. "It's like… kinda scary, you know? We've always been on the same page for everything ever. But now… It's like this is the first time I don't feel like we're on the same wavelength. And I really don't know what to do."

"Hm…" Kristen hums. "Not to be rude, but why did you come to me for help? Shouldn't you have gone to Hafsa or the coach?"

"It's easier to be alone with a herbie than a carnie. Plus, no offense to the others, but you're like, kinda the most reliable member we have. I love Hafsa to death but I don't really trust her to keep this a secret."

"Uh huh huh huh…" Kristen giggles, embarrassed at the sudden compliment. She claps her cheeks together, as if motivated by the kind works to dish out some valuable advice. "So, you must know that if you quit, Penny is quitting with you."

"I know…" Piper groans. "That's what sucks so much. I don't want her to quit just because I wanna, because she really likes cheerleading. I'm convinced that if I left, she wouldn't even think it's fun anymore. So I, like, totally don't know what to do!"

The panda picks at her teeth in deep reflection. "Maybe this could be a good thing, you know? You two do everything together, so maybe this is like… catharsis or something."

"I don't even know what that is."

"That was part of our vocabulary homework. I'm applying it."

"Whatever." The cockatiel grunts. "A part of me wants to, but a part of me totally doesn't want to catharsize with my sister. Cuz like… what if we only start getting more different?"

Kristen wraps a fluffy paw around the smaller female's shoulder. "Most sisters are different from each other. It's healthier this way."

"I guess… I don't know, I need like, more time to think about it." Piper gets up dejectedly, her feathery crest drooping. "I should go back now. She's probably getting worried."

"Good luck!" Her panda teammate calls after her, but receives no response. She continues to sit on the couch.

It must be tough… Kristen thinks to herself. I don't have any siblings, so maybe I'm not the best person to ask. Pandas have small, solitary families after all. It all seems so foreign to me.

Kristen nearly forgets about the strange heart-to-heart by next week. Until she walks into the gym for cheer practice. She tends to be the last one to arrive, so the team is accustomed to starting warm-ups without her. However, the other females are all huddled up around something, clearly not stretching. As she approaches, the circle parts enough so that she sees what all the fuss is about.

Piper chats away with the coach, a cheerful but apologetic look on her face. She's the only one not in uniform and one of her arms is in a cast, cradled by the other one. Scribblings of colorful signatures decorate the otherwise plain plaster, including a particularly long note left by her twin.

"What happened?!" Kristen exclaims.

"It was like, crazy!" Piper squawks. "Penny and I were walking to third period yesterday, totally chill. But as we were going down the stairs, I tripped and fell down the whole flight! I like, broke a bone! But it was totally cool because I got to ride in an ambulance, and like, the works."

"That's awful…" Coach Charlotte consoles, patting the bird on her head. "Looks like you'll be off duty for a while. Don't worry, just focus on healing yourself."

Penny looks at her sister in tears. "Are you sure you don't need me?"

Piper flashes her a bright smile. "I'll be totally fine! I'll just chill in our dorm, so don't worry about me. The club can't have two girls missing."

The other cockatiel nods her head, but clearly remains reluctant. "Okay. But like, call me if you need anything and I'll like, rush over there."

"For sure. Have fun for the both of us, okay?"

"Okay."

The sisters hug (as well as they can considering one arm is broken) and Piper exits the gym to the choir of the other females' get well wishes. Only Kristen remains silent. She quickly thinks of some dumb excuse and rushes out after Piper.

"Piper!" She yells, stopping the bird in place.

"Yeah?"

"Don't 'yeah?' Me!" The bear growls. "Please don't tell me you fell down those stairs on purpose!"

"I totally did."

Kristen's jaw nearly hits the floor. "That's your best solution to not wanting to come to cheer practice anymore?! You could've died!"

The cockatiel grimaces. "Whatever. If the price of my sister's happiness is a broken arm, it's, like, a good deal. I owe all of my bones and my like, guts and stuff to her. And that way, she stills gets to enjoy practice and not have her feelings hurt, and I get to, like… not be there."

"Well, what happens when your arm heals, huh? Are you gonna break a leg? Your hip? Maybe a rib or two?"

"I'll think of something else by then!" The bird huffs. "And don't yell at me, your fangs are like, really scary looking."

"Never mind my fangs, you-" A lightbulb goes off in Kristen's head. "Wait, I think I've got it."

Piper gasps. "You would really do that… for me?"

"Well, it's either that or you cracking your skull, so I'd rather it play out like this."

The bird wraps her good arm around the bear's soft neck and gives it a tight squeeze. Tight for a cockatiel's grip, anyhow.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She chirps. "I like, love you!"

Kristen giggles. "What are friends for?"

That evening, Penny returns from practice to the dorm. To her surprise, Piper is huddled up in the corner of her bunk bed, looking panicked beyond belief.

"What's wrong?" Her sister exclaims, dropping her duffel bag at the door.

"The most insane thing happened to me." Piper trembles. "As I was going back to our room, Kristen stopped me. She was all like:

'You sucked at cheerleading anyways so if you come back I'm totally gonna eat you!'

So I was like:

'What, are you joking?'

But she was like, totally not joking. So I asked:

'But what about my sister?'

But she was all like:

'Your sister's cool, I'm not gonna eat her.'"

"HUH?" Penny shrieks. "She threatened to eat you? Aren't pandas, like herbivores? She lives in our dorm!"

"Pandas can still eat meat even if they don't get like, cravings. …That's what she told me."

"We gotta tell someone!" Penny jumps to her feet, tugging on her sister's unbroken hand. "Coach Charlotte, the principal, the FBI, anyone!"

"No way, no way!" Piper shakes her head furiously. "If we tell, she's gonna come after you too! And all the other girls! She really won't hurt anyone if I just quit, not even you."

"What a crazy psycho! I can't believe she would say that!"

"I know... right?" A pang of guilt runs through Piper's body. Kristen assured her she would be willing to take the fall as long as she stop endangering herself but… talking about a friend who would sacrifice her reputation like she were a deranged predator… There's no way Piper can stoop so low.

"No… Forget all of that. I lied."

Penny's expression becomes even more bewildered. "What the fuck is going on right now?!"

Piper sighs. "We need to talk."

The following day, Piper texts Kristen to meet her in the courtyard after class. This time, she does bring her sister along.

Kristen stiffens her body, knowing that, given what Piper should have told Penny, this could get ugly. But the first thing the twins do as soon as she arrives is fall into a deep bow.

"We're sorry!" They whimper in unison.

"Huh..?"

"I came clean…" Piper admits, still bowing. "I couldn't sell you out like that. So I told Penny, like, everything."

"I'm really sorry my sister put you in such a tough situation. I made sure to like, yell at her until she lost her hearing."

The panda continues to gape at the two birds. "So… are both of you quitting the cheerleading squad?"

"I definitely am." Piper says. "No way I can stay on after nearly doing that to you."

Penny finally stands upright once more and looks Kristen in the eye. "I'm still staying, though. It's the perfect place to hang out with you!"

"Me…?"

"Of course!" She chirps. "You were willing to do so much for me and my sister. That makes you like… an honorary triplet! So of course I can stay if I have a sister by my side!"

Kristen had never been called a sister before. It's something she could get used to.

AN: Thanks for reading! This chapter is just a little spin-off bonus. I wanted to write more about Humbert and Brian because of course. And I also wanted to shine a little spotlight on Piper, Penny and Kristen, three of the less mentioned cheerleaders. This was a great opportunity for me to figure out their own personalities and motivations.

P.S. Piper is the older twin.
P.P.S. Did you know a female donkey is called a jenny? Now you do!

Take it easy and stay safe.