Truth Be Told
Just a heads up-getting used to the story format here since my .docx wouldn't load! This isn't anywhere close to my best writing out there, but I wanted to get a little (ha) bit of fiction written.
Another year on Earth. The hope to return home was grim, if not impossible. Glimmers of hope emerged occasionally, but soon were killed. What would Puck World even be like anymore? Would the rest of the Saurian Overlords take over where Dragaunus had left off? How would it be to return home, and return without Canard? Impossible. He wasn't even sure he wanted to go home anymore.
He carried the tension with him to the kitchen. That morning, the milk ran out. "Oh for puck's sake, doesn't anyone ever make a grocery list?" Wild Wing snapped, shoving his bowl of dry cereal away.
"Oooh, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," Nose Dive said, digging into the fridge. "You know, you could like use juice or something."
"I'm not having juice."
"Why not?"
"What kind of moron uses juice in cereal?"
Grin glanced up from where he sat, chewing slowly, swallowed. "It's like a fruit parfait that way. Especially with grape juice."
"Whatever," Wild Wing said as he got to his feet. "I'm not eating until someone gets groceries."
"Dude, you're always part of the complete breakfast sorta thing," Nose Dive watched his brother stalk out. Oddly enough, Wild Wing wasn't even wearing the mask, but kept it by his side. He frowned and shook his head. Wild Wing could be such a weirdo sometimes. "Man, I hate it when he gets like this."
"He's been pretty nasty lately. Everything all right?" Mallory asked, finishing a yogurt. "I mean, it's not like an anniversary of when we got here, or when we lost Canard, is it?"
With their former leader's name came a silence. Nose Dive made a face, snorted, and looked away. "Way to ruin my appetite as well."
"Nose Dive, he was a true inspiration. If it wasn't for him, we wouldn't have come together," Duke said.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know all that. And I should be grateful and blah blah blah, but Jeez Louise! Just because he was Wing's best friend doesn't mean he's mine. Could barely stand the guy once I got to know him. I mean, he nearly LEFT ME. Or well, would have, told me to get lost when he was recruiting my bro. I mean, what's up with that?"
As Nose Dive spoke, Tanya entered the room. Mallory pressed a finger to her beak and Tanya nodded, sitting down at the table silently. Duke sighed and rubbed his forehead, "Nose Dive, you have to realize Canard was stressed at the time and trying to make sure things worked. Plus, you gotta realize you were a kid."
"Hey, I wasn't that young."
"You were fifteen, Nose Dive. That's young, whether you believe it or not. A very… very… gullible, loud, obnoxious fifteen-year-old too, might I add."
"Oh, puhleeze, like you'd be saying that if you weren't some old geezer," Nose Dive snorted. "Besides, what's that got to do with how I feel about the guy? I don't like him. I never did. End of story."
"I didn't re-re-realize conversation was, you know, b-based on Canard. Geeeeez, no wonder everyone looks all down." Tanya shook her head. "I dunno, Nose Dive. I liked him a lot. He was, you know, really… good."
"Ugh, what is with everyone? It's like I'm not entitled to my own opinion. You don't see me telling you to not like him. Just because I didn't like Canard and he didn't like me doesn't mean you have to not like him or Wild Wing has to not like him or something."
Duke handed Nose Dive a bagel before he started to cut one for himself. "You know, there was always something about your brother and Canard," Duke said, "Got the impression they were a bit more than just friends."
Nose Dive coughed on the bagel, then got to his feet, knocking his chair over backward. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, HOLD THE PHONE! Where did THAT come from? Wild Wing is NOT gay. And definitely was NOT gay with Canard."
"They did spend a lot of time together," Grin murmured.
"Uh, dude, because they were BEST FRIENDS. Total BFFs, just like you and me, Grinster."
"But little friend, you do realize we are much different than they were."
"Maybe since we're, oh, I don't know, individuals? Give me a break."
"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you had a real problem with people being gay," Duke said, folding his hands behind his head.
Nose Dive's jaw dropped. "Whoa, wait a second. Dude, did you just call me a homophobe?"
"If I did?"
"Dude, seriously, that is so far from the truth. As far as like we are from Puckworld, flat out. I mean, you see me and Mookie, and she's like butch central. Like Queen B butch, man!"
"Then why are you having an issue about your brother and Canard?"
"Because they weren't gay! Don't you guys listen?!" Nose Dive groaned and went to sit down forgetting the chair was knocked over, yelping and flailing as he hit the ground. He grunted, "Oh man, remind me next time to look before I sit down." Then, he picked up the chair and sat down. "Besides, he totally would have like, told me, you know? I'm his little brother. It's not like he has anything to hide."
"What don't I have to hide?" Wild Wing asked, stopping in the doorway. Nose Dive looked relieved while the others looked nervous.
"Oh man, thank duck you're here. So like, they're being all crazy and stuff and talking about how you and Canard had the gay for each other, and that I shouldn't hate the guy because of that, and I told them flat out that wasn't true and that you're just in a bad mood today for no apparent reason and blah blah blah all that jazz, finito—Wing? Uh, Big Bro, what's wrong?"
Wild Wing looked ill, head hung. Hand by his stomach as if nauseous. "Nothing… it's nothing, Dive."
"You okay? We've got bagels, man. Seriously, if milk means so much to you, then I will go out MYSELF and get you a gallon."
"No, no, I'm fine. Say, I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier. Why don't I make it up to you by taking you to Captain Comics?" Wild Wing forced a shaky smile.
"Tch, like I'd turn that down. Apology accepted, bro. Hey Grinster, wanna come?"
"… I'll think about it," the larger duck said and watched Nose Dive leave the kitchen, footsteps getting softer as he went further down the hall. Without another word, Grin pulled out the chair Nose Dive had been sitting on, and Wild Wing sank into it, arms folding on the table, face buried in it. He breathed deeply.
"You gonna tell us what's going on, or do we have to play twenty questions?" Duke folded his arms over his chest.
"It was his birthday today," Wild Wing said. "Lucky twenty-three. Heh."
"Take it easy, Wild Wing," Mallory said gently. "It's hard to get over someone who's gone."
"I'm surprised you even care," Wild Wing said and looked up.
"Why?"
"What, with your background an all."
Mallory's face burned. "Because I was military? Or because at one point maybe, just maybe, I liked you? Just like Tanya before we got over you?" Mallory put her hands on her hips. "You weren't the only one who lost someone in war."
"I'm sorry. That was a jerkish thing to say."
"You know, Wild Wing," Duke began, "we were kind of surprised that Nose Dive didn't seem to know anything about your little, eh, how do I put it—special something."
"He didn't need to know at the time."
"And now?"
"He still doesn't."
"Wing, the kid's almost nineteen. Don't you think he should know?"
"No. If I want any bit of privacy left, telling him's the worst possible thing I could do. Besides, it's not like being gay'll come up here. I don't exactly have dating options."
"Grin and I should be offended," Duke said as he flicked his fingers, "You're assuming I haven't done any canoodling in the past."
"Say what?" Mallory said as she turned around in her chair to look at him. Even Tanya and Grin looked surprised.
"Oh yeah. Totally. Had this friend, not Falcone, don't worry, he was hideous. But yeah, me and this friend, we used to make out all the time."
"R-really?" Tanya asked.
"Oh yeah. All the time. Especially when we'd go to the bar. There was this hangout we had. Brotherhood of the Blade had its own VIP. He wasn't part of us exactly, but a friend's a friend. And Tuesdays were karaoke, and we had this routine and oh, it was great."
"I don't believe it," Wild Wing said, amazed. "This whole time I thought you were as straight as a board and you were playing for both teams."
"Well, I wouldn't exactly say that. There was this really beautiful woman there who really liked seeing men kiss, so that might have influenced it just a little."
"… men," Mallory groaned, though surprisingly Wild Wing laughed, even leaned into Duke's hand as Duke squeezed his shoulder.
"Thanks, I needed that."
"Anytime, Captain. Though really, I think you and Dive should have a little talk."
"Talk about what?" Nose Dive asked.
"About what comics we're checking out first. Come on, I've got fifty bucks with your name on it," Wild Wing said, putting his arm around Nose Dive's shoulder for a moment as he steered him from the room.
Duke sighed and glanced down. "Well, don't go to Wild Wing as your next out superstar."
"Oh, come on. Leave him alone," Tanya said. "It's Canard's birthday so let him gri-let him gri—let him feel a little sad about everything."
"But he feels sad about everything almost all the time," Mallory said.
"She's got a point," Duke sighed.
"I'm half-inclined to tell Nose Dive myself," Mallory said.
Duke shook his head and got to his feet. "No. You saw him before, didn't get through at all. He was too young, he's going to remember it a certain way. And it's not like Wild Wing's going to tell him any differently. It's not our place."
"It's funny. You think he'd have been open with Dive upfront. He was open with us."
"I think that was because he didn't want rumors starting up about why they were sharing a bunk," Duke said. "Plus we don't know anything about his family. Maybe they were nuts or something."
Grin got to his feet. "I don't know about you guys, but I feel we should do something to help Wild Wing become one with who he is inside."
"As much as I'm not really into that hokey sorta talk, I think you're right," Duke nodded.
"So, what do we do now?" Mallory asked, moments before the blaring sirens from Drake 1 sounded. "… apparently save the world. Again."
The team ran toward the Ready Room. Tanya typed at the controls, scanning the screen.
"What is it, Tanya?" Mallory asked.
"It's something… it's really big." The screen went fuzzy before it cleared up again. "What the-?"
"Guys, can you hear me?" the image of Canard yelled, panting on his stomach.
"Canard?"
"I need help. I'm in a crater, I think something's broken. Hurts to breathe."
"Where are you?"
"I don't know," Canard said. "We got out and we need help."
"We?" Tanya asked before a familiar face came into view. "Lucretia Decoy?!"
"Not just her. There are tons of us here. Please, hurry. She's dehydrated. Stay on the line, stay with me."
"Canard, we're trying, we're—damn it!" Tanya swore as the screen cut out. She typed along Drake 1 again. "At least we've got some coordinates."
"I hate to be the downer, but didn't we already fall for something like this?" Duke said.
"Yeah, seriously. This could be a huge trap," Mallory added.
"Chameleon can't multiply himself. You guys, I don't think this is fake. I think it's real," Tanya said, shaking her head. The beeping of the intercom came in, Wild Wing's voice, "Is everything okay?"
Tanya hesitated, "Er uh, just a false alarm. Must have switched up some wires or something, heh, sorry about that."
"Well, all right. I'm back to browsing comics, OH NOSE DIVE, YOU ARE TOAST BABY BRO! I gotta go. Com me if you need anything."
"Later, Wild Wing." The moment the connection was gone, Tanya exhaled. "Last thing I need was that." But not everyone was relieved. Duke seemed almost furious.
"You… lied to him…"
"I had to. If it was another trap and he found out about it… he'd be crushed. And well, you know, I can't exactly blame him. I mean, it's gotta be lone—it's gotta be lone—it's gotta be really, you know, tough."
Duke closed his eye, grit his teeth. "… then let's not waste anymore time, because I think Wild Wing's bad mood's a bit contagious."
"We should be near location," Tanya said from the Migrator's navigational system as Duke drove. "Lots of energy cutting in and out."
"I've got a bad feeling about this," Mallory said. "And I hope you're right that this is the real deal."
"Duke, pull over, here. They should be nearby." The Migrator pulled over, stopped, the side opening as its passengers walked out and next to Tanya. "I don't understand…" she murmured as they got to the side of the road. There were craters, but all were empty and looked old. "I swear there was energy from here."
"Then maybe it was an illusion made by Dragaunus," Duke sighed. He watched Grin and Mallory climb down into one of the craters before shaking his head. "Gotta tell you, Tanya… maybe you were right about not telling Wild Wing."
"Well, I mean, I wish it wasn't but a lot's probability-"
"Hey, you guys! Come over here, Grin found something!" Mallory yelled. Tanya and Duke immediately ran to the edge of the crater.
"What is it?"
"Blood. And feathers," Grin said.
The group exchanged looks before hearing the rumble of an engine, the lasers being shot from guns. Dodging and running, they tried to avoid the onslaught of weapons, but it was hard to tell where they were going, where they could run. "Where are the drones coming from?" Tanya asked.
"Right over there," Mallory yelled. "It's from a ship or something—"
Duke turned toward the Migrator, "Come on, let's move! Not much time!"
As the Migrator swerved off and sped toward the lasers, Duke only increased the speed. "Come on, please don't be a trap. Not this time…."
A laser rocketed off the Migrator's side, and the vehicle rocked on its wheels but kept on. With the door opened, the ducks ran out, puck blasters ready, firing against the drones which exploded. With the clearing smoke, for a brief moment they saw the images of Siege, Wraith, and the Chameleon before they too disappeared.
"Arg, lost 'em AGAIN!" Mallory grumbled, though her attention was picked up with an unmistakable sound: help.
Carefully, the ducks moved forward, scanning the ground, the rubble, until they found a trail of blood. They looked at each other before continuing as one, braced together, and peered down the slight decline into another crater. "Oh Puck…"
Huddled together were a trio of ducks, weathered, exhausted, broken. In the front crouched Canard, holding onto his ribs, Lucretia Decoy by her side. The ducks ran toward the group, Tanya the first to touch Canard's shoulder. "Canard… it's really you. But how did-"
"That lizard lips Dragaunus and his goons… they wanted to have a blood bath, get you guys off your game psychologically. I don't know what else they're planning, but it's not good," Canard said weakly, then smiled. "It's good to see you guys. Where's Wild Wing?"
"Out with Nose Dive."
"He didn't go with the team?"
"Look, that was my call. He doesn't know about this. We had a scare before where we thought you came back, and it, you know, broke him."
For a moment, Canard looked down. "That's what I was afraid of…" He groaned again. "But no time for that. We've got ducks who need care."
"How many of them are there?" Mallory asked.
"Three." He wheezed, "Four including me."
"All right, let's get you guys to the Migrator and we'll—" Duke froze, jaw slack. "JAX?" He brushed through the group, pulling a drake into his arms, clothes ripped, tattoos galore. "Come on, come on, buddy, talk to me," he encouraged as the duck gave a groan, but soon was quiet again. Picking up his friend, he held him against his chest. Like a skeleton.
"You know him?" Mallory asked.
"No time for that. We need to get these guys back to the infirmary STAT!"
After three hours, the ducks were bandaged, Canard sitting upright, the least injured of the bunch even though his ribs were taped up. "I can't believe I'm with you guys again. And look at this place. It's pretty impressive."
"Well, Earth's a little bit, you know, behind in our technology," Tanya laughed, embarrassed. "I had to, you know, improvise a little."
"Trust me, anything's advanced in comparison to Limbo."
Mallory leaned forward in her chair as she looked at their former leader. "So… what was it like?"
"Hell," he said after a moment, then wove his fingers together. "How's Wild Wing doing with everything?"
"Not going to lie, he's stressed. He was thinking about you today. Your birthday or something."
"Is it? I've lost track of time. How old am I?"
"Twenty-three."
"Twenty-three… Three years now." Canard frowned.
"Want to tell us about your companions?" Mallory asked, mostly to change the topic, then looked toward Duke who wiped his friend's forehead with a washcloth.
Canard answered, "I believe you guys know Lucretia already. Besides her, there's Jax, top criminal. Reminded me of Duke, except he's not as classy. Someone who stays under the radar by being so over the top. And next to him… " He gestured to a female whose feathers were white, neck slightly elongated, with black marks on her face, "We didn't even get a name from her. Not even sure if she's a duck. She doesn't speak, ever. Wonder if she even can." He looked toward Duke, "I'm surprised you two know each other."
"We go way back. Since we were kids. He was such an uptight, arrogant prick. Loosened him up a lot… now he's a lax, arrogant prick… who can do a damn good job on a car." Duke smiled as he looked down. "Even though I was a better mechanic than him."
"In your dreams, L'Orange," Jax said hoarsely.
"Jax! You're awake?"
"No, I'm a sleep-talking figment of your imagination." Jax groaned and kept his eyes shut. "Am I dying?"
"No. No, you're fine."
"Then save the reunion for later. I'm tired."
"Jerk," Duke said cheerfully as he got up and joined the others. "God, I missed him."
"That guy totally insulted you just now, and you like him?" Mallory asked incredulously.
"We've got history. Trust me, he's about as happy to see me as I am him."
"LUUUUUUUCY, I'M HOOOOOME!" Nose Dive's voice echoed from down the hall. The team froze.
"Tanya… you didn't by chance happen to tell Wild Wing what was going on, did you?" Mallory asked.
"I uh… no, sort of forgot… I'm guessing uh, none of you mentioned it to him?"
Canard pulled to his feet, ran a hand through his hair, exhaled deeply. He brushed his hands over the bandages. Duke glanced over, "You look more nervous than excited. Everything okay? He's still got feelings for you."
"… that's what I was afraid of."
Duke was about to ask another question when the door opened, Nose Dive walking in alongside Wild Wing, both drenched, Nose Dive with a stack of comics in his arms. "Oh MAN, it was SWEET! Best water gun fight in the world! We totally took Thrash and Mookie down a peg and… oh… why are we in the infirmary…? … with other ducks? …. With…?" Nose Dive's eyes widened and he dropped the comics on the ground. Next to him, Wild Wing's body became rigid, his jaw slacked.
"Canard?!"
"In the flesh," he laughed uncomfortably. "It's… good to see you…" But Canard wasn't able to speak another word. Instead, he ran forward, arms thrown around Canard's shoulders, pulling him into a deep hug before brushing his lips against Canard's. Canard's arms hung limply by his sides.
"I missed you so much. I never thought I'd see you again," Wild Wing lamented softly. He looked at Canard's chest, then touched the bandages. "What happened?"
"Just a little battle damage," Canard said, sucking in a breath.
"It hurts a lot, doesn't it?"
"It's fine. Just to be out of limbo."
"I can't even imagine," Wild Wing said, moving to kiss him, succeeding at first before Canard pulled his head back. Wild Wing leaned forward again, but still, Canard avoided his face. "Canard? What's that about?"
"We need to talk," Canard said, looking a little grave.
"What's wrong? You didn't suddenly become chicken on me, did you?" Wild Wing joked, but Canard didn't smile. "Canard, what is it?"
"We need to talk… alone."
"Yeah. Sure, sure. Uh, we can go to my room-"
"Not your room."
"… okay. Uh… we'll go to a conference room. Come on," Wild Wing said, guarded, as he walked slowly, Canard a step behind him, down one of the corridors. Duke quirked his eyebrow. That was strange…
He turned his head to talk when he saw Nose Dive standing in the doorframe still, watching. A twisted expression on his face. Betrayal? Upset? Jealousy? "Hey Kid… you okay?"
"Yeah. I'm… fine." Nose Dive turned his back to the room and shuffled out the door, head hung. "I'm gonna lie down… I'm tired."
"Nose Dive…" But Duke didn't try to stop him, nor the rest of the team. Duke's eyes dropped to the pile of fallen comics then stooped to pick them up. "I don't know if he even knew what just happened."
Mallory sat down. "This day's getting more complicated by the second. At least things should smooth out from here on-"
"YOU GOT HER PREGNANT?!" Wild Wing's scream echoed through the Pond.
Mallory exhaled deeply, "Me and my big beak…"
"Wing, take it easy-"
"Take it easy?! Take it EASY?! You got, out of ALL ducks, Lucretia Decoy PREGNANT?!"
Canard ducked as Wild Wing threw a telephone book at him, then leaned up. "Wild Wing, let's be reasonable-" He dodged to the side, this time away from a rubber band ball.
"Did you forget you were my boyfriend?! Did you not seem to get that she's the biggest traitor on the planet? Is it even YOURS?"
"Wild Wing, would you SHUT UP and let me speak!?" Canard spluttered, "Look, it was only recently. You said yourself you didn't think you'd see me again, and likewise I didn't think I'd ever see you. There's a point when you have to move on from the dead. And I moved on and fell for her."
"But I'm not dead," Wild Wing said quietly, putting his head in his hands.
"Wing… I thought you would have moved on by now. I care about you so much, but… I was gone. Practically dead. What were you doing all alone?"
"Ignoring that I have no options here, you honestly think I would have moved on?" Wild Wing's face burned. "No. No, Canard, I wouldn't have. Because you know what? I always hoped you'd be back. I dreamed about it, dreamed that you came back and we could be together. And now you're back and you're involved with someone who betrayed me, who betrayed our entire team?"
Canard sighed. "I'm sorry, Wing. I really, really am."
"Yeah, well so am I." Wild Wing walked out of the room without saying goodbye. Hands shoved deep in his pockets, he walked in the direction of his room. Outside the door, he saw Duke leaning against it. His eyes burned angrily. "What do you want?"
"Came to see how you were doing. Heard uh… there was a little complication."
"Yeah, little complication my ass," Wild Wing snorted. "Move away from my door."
Duke obliged as he stepped to the side while Wild Wing typed in the key code. "You know," Duke began, "It's not really the greatest way to bring it up, but you might want to consider what you're going to say to Nose Dive."
"What?"
"I mean, after all that fuss and you covering your relationship with Canard up…"
Wild Wing's face fell. "I… didn't even think about him. How… did he take it?"
"I don't know. He went back to his room."
Wild Wing sighed, and nodded. "All right. I'll see you later. Breakfast maybe."
"Whoa, wait. Wing, you're not even going to talk to the guy? He's your brother, and just saw you sucking face with another dude."
"What's the use? Canard's not mine anymore anyway, so not like things'll change."
Wild Wing stepped in his room and turned to close the door, but Duke braced against it with his foot. "I don't like meddling in other folks' business, but this is wrong. He's an open-minded kid. He adores you. What's going to happen when he starts thinking you're hiding stuff from him?"
"I'm not hiding anything. I just… want my private life private."
"Well, you ruined any chance of that happening." Duke snorted and turned his back. "While you're off moping, I'm going to talk to your brother because someone needs to do the right thing." He stalked down the hall. Wild Wing watched after him, a sadness coming to his face for a moment before he closed the door. Canard… what'd you do to me?
Duke knocked on Nose Dive's door. "It's open," the teen yelled from inside. Duke stepped in, squinting to adjust to the dim lights. "Sorry, was taking a nap."
"S'okay. You want me to come back later?"
"No. No, it's fine." Nose Dive sat upright from his bunk and flipped on the lights. "What's up?"
"Wanted to see how you were doing."
"I'm fine."
"You sure? I'm not so sure I'd be fine after what I just saw." Nose Dive frowned, then pat the mattress next to him. Duke climbed up and sat down. "Probably a little overwhelming, isn't it?"
"I guess. I don't know. I mean… I had no idea."
"You were young."
"Yeah, but I mean, this morning. It's like everything changed."
"He was upset because it was Canard's birthday." Duke shook his head. "Are you angry at him?"
"Canard? I just don't like the guy."
"I mean your brother."
"Oh. No. Yes. I don't know. I just… nhnnn… just why didn't he tell me?"
"I don't know. You tell me."
Nose Dive lay back, legs still dangling over the side of the bunk. "Was it something I did or said?"
"I don't know. Maybe your parents?"
"My parents…" He frowned. "He was pretty close with them. Wanted to be that ideal student since he was always the smart one."
"Hey, kid, don't sell yourself short. Sure, it might not always be present, but you've got brains."
"Yeah. Right." Nose Dive closed his eyes. "Why Canard? Why Canard out of anyone? Talk about bad taste in men."
Duke snorted then laughed before he lay back as well. "Believe me, bad taste is all too common. Even though I like Canard a lot, he really messed this one up." He folded his hands behind his head. "What kind of duck would you want your brother to date instead?"
"I never really thought about that before," Nose Dive murmured.
"Never?"
"I mean, it was always just him and me. And the team, you know?"
"Do you want him dating?"
"Oh, totally. I want him to be happy." He seemed to think a bit, "Just not with someone who walks around with a mighty stick up his butt acting holier than thou. Someone smart who like, has a sense of humor, and loves hockey, and's cool, and won't embarrass me, and likes hanging out with me too. Sorta like…" Nose Dive paused. "Sort of like you."
The feathers on the back of Duke's neck straightened, and he sat upright quickly. "Whoa, kid, that's uh… I'll take the compliment, I guess?"
"What? You're saying my brother's not good enough for you?"
"No, no, I'm not saying that at all! I mean—are we still talking hypothetically here, kid?"
"Yeah, why? You thought I wasn't?" Nose Dive asked curiously as he sat upright. "Care to elaborate?"
"Not really," Duke said, and pat Nose Dive on the back, though it was a little brisk. "Anyways, I should uh, probably see about going somewhere unless you want to talk or do anything."
Nose Dive quirked his brow but nodded, "It's cool, man. Thanks."
Duke nodded and walked to the door, opening it as Nose Dive asked, "Do you like my brother? I mean, I know you like women but… do you? Because I mean, you're one of my besties and like, I could sorta see you like a brother."
Duke leaned against the door handle. Kept his head low. "I honestly never thought about it before."
"Thinking about it now?"
Duke mulled over his words. "With all due respect, I try not to make it a habit of going after those who are recently heartbroken."
Nose Dive nodded, yawned, and hit the lights. "Night, Duke."
"Night, Kid…" Duke murmured as he stepped into the hall and closed the door. He exhaled wearily. "There's way too much drama in this place. And here I thought this show was a comedy."
He walked down the hall, stopping by the infirmary. Laughter spilled into the halls. Duke smiled with relief. Thank puck for someone laughing SOMEWHERE. He entered the room, sat on the side of Jax's bed where he drank. Lucretia hugged a pillow to her stomach, smiling as well, laughing with the team though Tanya kept a wary eye on Lucretia. "Fork it over," Duke said, gesturing to a flask of whiskey. "You shouldn't be drinking when in here."
"Rather be drunk than have morphine," Jax said as he handed over the flask with a grin and wink.
"So Jax said you guys go way back," Mallory said.
"We've heard tons about you from Jax," Lucretia added with a nod. She ran fingers through her lavender hair.
"Probably all bad."
"Only the worst," Jax confirmed with the most serious expression he could muster when drunk. As they laughed, they looked up with the door opening once more, this time Nose Dive there in his tshirt and boxers.
"Hey guys, mind if I-"
"-join the party," Wild Wing concluded, blinking at Nose Dive from across the room at the other door. The brothers gazed at each other before Wild Wing looked away. "I can go if you want."
"Wing, stay, there's plenty of drinks to go around," Canard said. He walked toward Wild Wing and touched his shoulder, but Wild Wing pulled it away, forced a smile, grabbed a beer, and sat on a stool. He looked over at Nose Dive as his brother pulled up the stool next to him.
"You're too young to drink."
"And you're not going to do anything about it."
"Okay… just one beer. And no more. You got that?"
"Yeah, yeah," Nose Dive said. For a moment, things seemed normal. A brief moment before tension began to fill the air again. Duke was the one who broke it.
"So hey, you know how at breakfast I was telling you about my friend who I was snogging to get a lady's attention?"
"Oh my God, you TOOOOOLD someone?!" Jax whined.
"That was YOU?!" Mallory asked, surprised.
"Tch, yeah. What other loser would be dumb enough to make out with chippy," he said, tapping the chipped beak before Duke smacked his hand away.
"Hey now, you were the one who started humping my leg, not the other way around, I should have you know."
"And I was the one who slept with her, so who's laughing now?" Jax taunted.
"… I thought I was the one who slept with her."
"Well, you were wrong."
"No, I'm pretty sure I'm right and that I did."
"Well, I think you're wrong. And senile."
"And I think you're full of crap," Duke said as he sipped from the flask again. "Anyway, so you guys know, this guy has the WORST breath on the planet, so I wouldn't make any plans to snog him."
"Oh, bite me."
"With pleasure," Duke said, grinning as he leaned forward, tugging Jax by the front of the shirt. As they tilted their heads, close to a kiss, to the cheers and laughter of the other ducks, Duke stopped suddenly. "Wait, wait," he said, tapping his wrist com to take a picture of them, "I gotta get a pic of this for Myhockeyspace," as he closed the gap between them.
"Damn, Duke! Casanova!" Mallory laughed when Duke broke contact, smirking darkly.
"So hey, Mallory, that enough to talk you into a rendez-vous avec moi?"
Mallory snorted and laughed harder, "Keep dreaming, L'Orange."
Conversation seemed well for nearly an hour before Lucretia moaned from the bed, whimpered, and turned on her side. Immediately, Canard moved next to her, touched her arm. "Lucretia?"
"Hurts," she whispered. "Hurts so much."
Tanya got up with a sigh. "We better check to make sure things are still okay. Figure out how many eggs you're dealing with."
"Do you think there's something wrong with the baby?" Canard asked, concerned.
"I… honestly don't know. Everyone was a bit banged up. Could mean some problems," Tanya admitted. "If uh, if you guys don't mind," she said, addressing the other ducks, "I'd like to give her a little privacy when I do this."
"Sure, no problem. Come on, Jax," Duke said, moving his friend's arm over his shoulder. "One, two, three," and the pair stood up. He cast his eye over to the white and black duck who gazed out the window until Mallory approached her.
"Come on," she said softly, extending her hand. "You can stay with me."
The female looked frightened a moment before accepting the hand and getting to her feet, casting a look behind her to Lucretia before continuing out the door.
Wild Wing walked to the door, stopped, then cleared his throat, "If uh… if there's anything we can do to help…"
"Thanks, Wild Wing," Canard said, nodding his head although he didn't look back.
Wild Wing nodded briefly before he walked out of the room, hand to his face. "No. No, nonono, no." He closed his eyes as he walked toward his bedroom, jerking when a hand touched his shoulder. Nose Dive.
"Hey bro… you know, if there's anything you want to tell me, or anything you want to talk about-"
"It's fine. There's nothing to talk about," Wild Wing mumbled as he started to walk past.
"Why don't you trust me?"
"What?" Wild Wing turned around.
"I thought we were close, man. Why the hell won't you talk to me?"
"It's complicated."
"My ASS." Nose Dive sniffled. "Do you think I wouldn't love you if you were gay? Did I do something horrible to you to make you think that?"
"What?! Dive, no. No…" Wild Wing murmured, touching his brother's shoulder before he guided him into his room. Wild Wing closed the door, and sighed before hugging Nose Dive. "It's… not that."
"Then what is it?"
"I just…" He bunched his hands up and walked away from his brother. "I don't know. I guess it was embarrassing. I'd be like that if I had a girlfriend, too. Just… bringing it up. And I didn't want your friends to make fun of you because of me."
"You mean on Puckworld?"
"Yeah."
"They wouldn't have done that."
Wild Wing laughed under his breath uncomfortably, "I don't know about that. We had enough crap to deal with through high school. Never saw our parents look so disappointed when they realized my date for prom wore a tux."
"I thought Mom and Dad were supposed to be, you know, open minded."
"Doesn't mean it made it easy." Wild Wing shook his head. "I just didn't want to make it tough for you."
"But why didn't you tell me once we got to Earth?"
"Can you imagine the tabloids if it got out? Not just alien crime fighting ducks, but now gay alien crime fighting ducks. Who play hockey." Wild Wing gave a painful smile. "I swear, it's not you, Dive."
Nose Dive rubbed his hands together. "So what happens with Canard?"
"Nothing. It's over."
"What about other options?"
"What's with the sudden interest?"
"I don't know. It's like a big deal, you know? Big bro actually has feelings of the romantic variety. Plus it'd be nice if you got with, you know, any sort of duck who wasn't a complete jerkoff."
"Heh. Like who? Don't tell me that new duck who's friends with Duke?" Wild Wing grinned playfully, seeming to relax, or at least faking it well for Nose Dive's sake. "Tattoos are a plus, but the attitude frankly sucks."
Whether sincere or not, Wild Wing's mood alleviated Nose Dive's tension, and the duck grinned broadly, "Hilarious as that would be, aaaaaactually, I meant Duke."
Wild Wing snorted, shook his head, "Dive, he's not like me."
"But what if he was?"
"He's not. So why waste time thinking about what-ifs with someone I have no chance with? Besides, baby bro," he added, putting his arm around Nose Dive's shoulder, "Right now not even sure romance is in my best interest right now."
"Canard wasn't good enough for you, though."
"Oh, he was perfect for me, all right. Problem was I wasn't perfect for him."
Nose Dive frowned. "Sorry."
"Hey, it's no problem. But look, it's late, and we've got a game tomorrow. I think it's about time we get some sleep. Who knows when Dragaunus will strike next." Wild Wing squeezed Nose Dive into a tighter hug. "And I should be the one saying sorry to you. Don't ever, EVER think that I don't trust you. Because I do and love you so much, and I'm so proud of you."
"Oh guh, getting so sentimental on me. You're ruining my image as a tough guy!"
Wild Wing smiled and scruffed up his brother's hair before he walked to his room, slightly calmer after his talk, yet still weary and unhappy. Emotional day all around. His hand brushed over the Mask, and he looked down. Soon he'd turn it into Canard. The team really deserved a good captain, a good leader.
A/N: So uh. Hi guys. I totally forgot that I said, oh, I don't know, 6 years ago that I was coming back to the fandom... so uh... HI! :) Hoping that I can stick with it this time and make some new friends! :)