Hooty x Duolingo owl - Hooty's "oral" spanish exam.
A tale of lust.
Hooty was never any good at math but one thing he did know was that 1 + 1 = 2, and in just 2 words, he found his other 1.
"Hola amigo" It's funny, in a way. Hooty spent his whole life being told to shut up but now he was expected to speak he couldn't find the right words for the job.
Then again, could you blame him? The owl, mere inches away, looked refined yet muscular. An academic with unflappable style and as Hooty gazed he couldn't help but think that green would suit him well.
Of course, this wasn't the first time Hooty had seen him. That was during introductory Spanish – Duolingo, the teacher, was the first bird that he felt really connected with him.
As the lessons went on, Hooty found himself preening before lessons, and subtly cooing in the back row desperate for any sign that Duolingo may feel the same way.
For weeks on end, Hooty saved up his allowance until finally he was able to find the perfect gift. A hybrid dictionary that covered French, Spanish and english.
Old and much loved, he wondered if his gift was enough. Was he moving too fast? Too slow?
Eda had always told Hooty that some birds "didn't swing that way" when he was young. It had taken him many months for him to understand what she meant by that – and a few second to realise what it meant for his future with Duolingo.
And then – one day – it happened. It was twilight outside, and yet it was still so hot. Duolingo, with a thin sheen of sweat at his desk, asked hooty to stay behind.
"mon ami?" Hooty snapped back to reality in an instant, pained by how long he'd let his imagination run wild for. If only he had actually worked up the courage to give him that book.
Still in his bag, it was a constant reminder – so close, yet so far, the owl destined for his nest was near enough that he could smell his cologne; French… No, wait, perhaps Mexican?
"h-hoo-hoot?" he managed to splutter out. Smooth, Hooty, real smooth.
Duolingo laughed, unaware – or perhaps uncaring – of the plight that hooty had found himself in. How could one owl be so intelligent yet so oblivious to his crush?
Perhaps, however, he wasn't oblivious. Perhaps he knew, but was sparing Hooty's feelings. Somehow, that made him want him more. The idea that anyone would even consider Hooty's feelings was something Eda told him he didn't deserve for his entire life.
And yet, in this one moment, that no longer to him. Sure, she had cursed him such that if he ever were to find happiness he would electrocuted at random intervals but that no longer mattered.
His lack of friends didn't matter. His poor grades didn't matter. His awkward pausing didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was Duolingo.
To be continued.