Hi. If you’re still doing the requests, could we get platonic oppy and hunted or the grey brothers?
(Yes! Both of those duos are so cute!I love them! I decided to do Oppy and Hunted because I haven't written one purely for them before. Enjoy!)
"Hunted, where are we going?"
Usually an answer like that would make Opportunist bristle and be on edge, but with Hunted, Opportunist knew that he wasn't in danger.
Hunted had come up and offered for Opportunist to join him on his nightly walk around their home, checking to make sure nothing seemed afoot or amiss.
There were many nights where one of the others offered to join Hunted on his walks and Hunted never refused them, but Opportunist had never been one of those people until tonight, and that was only because Hunted had asked him out to his walks.
Hunted was never the one to directly ask someone for their company, so this had to mean something special, right? Opportunist had believed so, and now here they are.
He knew enough to know that they were straying from Hunted's usual path, traveling further into the forest instead, until Opportunist couldn't see their house anymore, but he just continued to walk, studying the back of Hunted curiously.
Hunted was one of the few people that Opportunist would say that he didn't believe would deceive him. He wasn't sure if he trusted him, per say, but he definitely felt like he could lean on Hunted for support without a catch or consequences. Hunted just-cared. That was his reason for everything.
"What made you decide to bring me, of all people, out tonight?" Hunted paused, then looked over his shoulder, scanning Opportunist up and down, and although the gaze made Opportunist a little fidgety, he just smiled brightly and allowed Hunted to search for whatever he felt was within Opportunist.
Finally, Hunted said, "I thought you deserved a chance to see this."
"Come on." Hunted didn't give him time to finish speaking, grabbing his hand and walking faster into the forest, and Opportunist couldn't even come up with possible answers when he was too busy not trying to trip over a root or his own feet.
Hunted's grip was firm, but not tight enough to hurt, and Opportunist found that the touch actually felt quite-safe. Would Hunted's hugs feel that safe?
Opportunist wasn't paying particular attention to where they were going, until Hunted suddenly stopped, making Opportunist crash into his back, but Hunted didn't even falter.
Opportunist paused, taking a second to look down at Hunted in confusion, before lifting his head.
It appeared that the path they had been taking had opened up into a clearing, a small, grassy patch of land that Opportunist could imagine them all having a picnic in. Despite that, Opportunist still couldn't tell why he had been dragged all the way out here.
He took a step forward to look at Hunted fully, who just wore a serene expression. It made Opportunist pause for a second, just to admire the other. He's not sure if he's ever seen Hunted look so peaceful before.
But then those peaceful eyes turned to him, and before he could come up with a quick and believable excuse, Hunted softly said, "Look up."
He said it with such a quiet, innocent sweetness, as if waiting for this moment, that Opportunist simply obeyed.
He looked up, and the moon greeted him.
A dark ocean of stars twinkled and winked at him, and the moon shone down at the two of them, encompassing them in moonlight.
At first, it was just a pretty sight that Opportunist smiled at, before turning back down to Hunted, only to find him staring up at the sky with a joy that Opportunist rarely sees in the smaller bird.
He found that he couldn't help but crane his head back up, and it became nearly impossible to tear his gaze away from the moon for more than a couple of seconds.
The night sky seemed to hypnotise him, wanting to take in every star and every inch of the darkness over his head, for fear of never getting to witness it again. It was just so mesmerizing, and it made everything within Opportunist feel so at ease.
He felt his knees grazing the grass, and then Hunted was quick to sit down next to him as well, both silent as they gazed at the sky.
Of course Opportunist has seen the night sky before. But it was usually just a passing look through his window, with more important things on his mind, and he realised that he had never taken the time to actually appreciate the moon and stars.
He didn't need to lie or act in this moment. He just got to relax.
He was suddenly taken out of the moment by the feeling of careful hands against his wings, and he turned to look over his shoulder, to find Hunted frozen in place, staring at him as he tried to preen his wings.
"Look at the stars again."
Opportunist chuckled at that, shaking his head in amusement. He felt Hunted continue in his task, and softly asked, "Is it pretty?"
Opportunist smiled to himself, hoping that Hunted didn't notice. "Yes, it's very pretty."
"Good. I noticed you don't go out at night." No, because there was too big a risk of something jumping out of the shadows and attacking him. The night was too unpredictable for him without others to follow.
"But I've taken others out to see this. They're always happy by the end of it, and I wanted you to see it as well."
"Why?" Opportunist asked in suspicion, but Hunted still sounded calm as he said, "Because I wanted you too."
Opportunist took a few moments to mull over Hunted's words, before looking over his shoulder again to give Hunted a knowing smirk. "Was all this just for a chance to preen my wings?" Because Opportunist refused to let anyone touch his wings.
He saw the instant that Hunted's body jolted with surprise, then deflated with guilt as he mumbled, "You never let me do it."
Opportunist laughed at the fact that Hunted was actually pouting at not being able to preen him. But he found that he didn't even mind the trick.
Opportunist had a little difficulty figuring out which members of his flock he could say he genuinely trusted. There were usually too many surprises within them, and all it took was a certain sequence of events to get their true colours to come out. Opportunist would know.
But, weirdly enough, if he had to pick, he would choose Hunted as the person that he trusted most.
He was all about survival, something that Opportunist valued deeply, even if they went about it in different ways. But Hunted's goal was always centered around the flock, around Him, around doing anything to keep them safe and alive, and he's still doing that even now.
Opportunist found Hunted to be a comfort, because he knew the other to be too kind hearted to try and deceive him. It just wasn't in his nature, just as running away wasn't in Opportunist's.
He felt-safe, with Hunted, under the stars, feeling his fingers cards through his wings.
So he gave Hunted's an impressed smile and said, "Clever thing," his smile turning soft as he watched the light return to Hunted's eyes, and then Opportunist twisted back around to gaze at the night sky again.