#《 i know you said you were moving your birds to the ducktales blog but I'm tagging the other one too just in case 》

[birdhcuse]

i wish i could take the pain away. - (Nicolau @ Teagan - prolly looking out at all the People because my artistic boi is deep like that)

{¤} It'd been a rough day for Teagan. A few of their freelance gigs were seaside and they really couldn't afford to decline any of them. An entitled mother of the bride nearly knocked them off the pier at an oceanside wedding they were being severely underpaid to capture on video, they had to work at a dunk tank for a family fair, and they had to dance in a demeaning fish costume to advertise a seafood place. None of these gigs would even be up for consideration if Teagan had the choice, but requests have been slow and beggars can't be choosers.

If the fairgoers weren't so woefully incompetent at hitting the target, Teagan would've reached their breaking point by noon.

Luckily, Nicolau happened to stop by Teagan's apartment just after they'd changed out of that god damn fish suit. The smell of the ocean still clings to their feathers, hastily covered up by cheap cologne. Washing it out completely would require a shower and Teagan already had enough exposure to water for one day.

Teagan snaps out of their daze upon hearing Nicolau's words, turning to look at him in surprise before they realize who Nicolau was actually referring to.

Oh. Right. The people.

How stupid of Teagan to think Nicolau could be referring to them...

It'd be much easier to stomach if Teagan's faith in other people wasn't thoroughly tested today. All they can think about is how Nicolau seems to care about all these undeserving strangers more than he cares about them. A pang of guilt shoots through them the second the thought slips into their mind. How dare Teagan be so selfish as to crave comfort think their problems deserve more attention than all of the people suffering below.

Maybe Nicolau would care about Teagan's pain if they weren't so insistent on hiding any trace of it.

'Stop it, Teagan! Nicolau is going to think you're an asshole if you don't give him a good enough response...'

Letting out a deep sigh, Teagan forces themselves to get into a better head-space. It's not as though they disagree with the sentiment—the work they do for the cooperative and freelance gigs they take on are in the service of making the world a happier place.

...just would be nice if they weren't made miserable in the process.

"It can be hard to believe your actions have an impact when the system is built to suck out people's souls in the name of making a profit, but they do." Teagan muses, "Your murals might be the highlight of someone's commute to work, the spark that lights the flame of inspiration in a young artist, a conversation starter that leads into a lasting relationship. It might not be the rallying cry of revolution you're hoping for, but it still matters. Any scrap of joy is meaningful in this chaotic world."

Teagan allows themselves to stare at Nicolau while they think he isn't looking, deep red eyes unwittingly betraying warmth. His long hair blowing in the breeze of the open window almost makes him look like the love interest in those corny romance novels and his bright feathers are visually striking, but the real draw is his brown eyes. Whenever they look into the chocolatey depths, it's like returning to the home they never had. Teagan could let themselves get lost in his eyes (well, eye) all day...but they won't. Best not to risk driving Nicolau away by acting like a lovesick buffoon.

When Teagan feels like they've been staring for too long, they shift their focus back to the window. It's alright...they can just steal glances at Nicolau through the corner of their eye.

"What've you been working on lately? Any big projects?" {¤}