That night, Courtney escorted the birds to their quarters so they'd get a good night's sleep. But it wasn't a good night for everyone.

They don't need you. The voice was back. Her voice. They don't even want you. No one wants you. You are nothing. You are NOTHING.

“I AM NOT NOTHING!" Red screamed, waking up. She didn't know which side of her to believe, though. Feeling as if her whole body was split in two halves, Red burst into tears.

In the room next to Red's, Leonard woke up to the sound of her scream. He wasn't sure if he should go talk to her. She sounded like she needed comfort, but for all he knew, it could've been about him.

He made his decision, and headed for her room.

❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️

Leonard should've knocked, but he was too focused on what could've been on Red's mind. When he quietly opened the door, he saw her on her nest, curled up in a fetal position, sobbing. This wasn't good. Red never cried (as far as he knew, at least). Very slowly, he approached her.

“Red?"

The thick-browed female looked up to find Leonard right in front of her. Red nervously wiped away her tears and arranged her head feathers so they would cover most of her face. She didn't want him to see her at her weakest.

“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," Leonard apologized, backing away nervously. “I'm probably not the best guy you should talk..."

“It wasn't about you," Red interrupted. “What you tried to do doesn't bother me anymore."

Leonard raised an eyebrow curiously. “Did you tell anyone about it?"

Red shook her head. “Did you?"

“No," he answered.

“Good," Red muttered.

Leonard decided this wasn't the kind of conversation to have in a woman's quarters.

“Can I offer you some water, or something?" he asked her.

“I guess that'd be nice," Red replied. Leonard took her wing in his hoof and led her out of the room. He took her to the other side of the submarine and unlocked a door with a keypad. Once it was opened, Red looked around the room. It wasn't very large, but seemed rather comfortable. There was a mini bar and some comfy-looking green chairs. Calm music played on speakers.

“I always like to have a private area where I can just relax," Leonard explained, letting her sit on a chair. “This is the first time I've let anyone in, though."

“Well, I can certainly see why," Red said as he gave her a glass of water. “This is really nice."

Leonard smiled for a bit before asking, “How come you've never told anyone? I'm just curious."

“I... I don't know," Red admitted. “I guess I just thought it would make me look weak. Besides, no one would believe me."

“Red, you beat me," Leonard tried to reassure her. “When I thought I had you, you ended up winning. How is that weak? And I'm sure someone would believe you."

Red sighed. “But Leonard, why would you want me? I mean, not even my own parents wanted me."

“What do you mean?"

“When an egg loses both its parents, it's usually taken in by a relative," she explained. “But not me. I was abandoned, left in the jungle. If it wasn't for a troop of Mighty Eagle Scouts... I probably would've rotted. They took me to a Lost and Found and the bird in charge put me in a nest and waited until someone missing an egg would come to pick me up. I ended up hatching in the very room I was kept. From the moment I was born, everyone told me I was unlovable... unwanted... unnecessary. No one would take me in, so I had to do everything on my own. Until you came, hardly anyone knew I existed, and those who did... just didn't care."

“That must've been awful," Leonard said, noticing Red was crying a little again. “I can't imagine what that's like."

Red lightly scoffed. “Of course you wouldn't. You're a king, and I'm..." She trailed off.

“You're what?" Leonard asked.

“Nothing, nothing," Red replied, making it sound like it wasn't an answer before quietly whispering, “I'm nothing..."

Leonard pretended not to hear her. How could she say something like that? Red was beautiful, brave, kind, and wonderful. The moment Leonard met her, he looked past her tough exterior. He knew inside her heart of stone, there was a rare gem waiting for him to find it. And Leonard just wanted to hug her and never have to let go. He had to admit, her large eyebrows were quite unusual, but they didn't bother him. In fact, Red's oddities made her seem even more beautiful. She was rare, unique, and Leonard was infatuated with her.

Very calmly, Leonard got down on his knees in front of Red, brushed her feathers back, and wiped her tears away. Red looked up at him for a brief moment then avoided his gaze again.

“I'm sorry," she muttered. “I shouldn't burden you."

“Red, you're not a burden," he assured her. “I'm glad you told me all this, it helps me know you better."

“The day we met, you called me lovely," she pointed out. “No one else has ever called me lovely... or cute, or darling, or anything like that."

“They should, because you are," he said, stroking her face with his hoof tips. “Don't ever think you're not."

Red smiled for a bit and found herself staring into his dark eyes. Despite what he did to her, she felt comfortable being this close to him. Leonard then felt the same way. Red wasn't sure if a bird should be feeling this way towards a pig, but still slid her wings up his arms as he held her chin with one hoof and her waist with the other. They leaned in closer, closed their eyes, and...

“Attention all personnel!" Garry announced over an intercom, causing Red and Leonard to freeze. “We are approaching Eagle Island, and are heading in for a secret landing!"

Blushing, Red gently pushed Leonard away.

“Well, step one: sneak onto Eagle Island," she said nervously, and left the room. Leonard just stayed there for about a minute before heading out. Courtney was right, he loved her.

But could she love him?

don't

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