notes: just a silly thing i wrote a while ago and then forgot about. :'D it came out funnier in my head.
i own nothing.

Return

Three o'clock.

That's the number of times the church bell rings as Fakir glances up from his work, immediately shifting over to remove the writing utensils from his lap. The lake is as calm as ever, and as Fakir stands up to stretch his back, fists reaching out over to the sky, he notices that it's been a full week since the last traces of snow melted.

Good. She'll be home soon.

Fakir tried not to worry this winter season, but embracing his true self as a cowardly boy prevented it. He accompanied the duck on her previous migrations—going so far as to buy a train ticket and gaze at her flock out of the window while they made their way south—but this year marked the first in which Ahiru went without him.

Of course he hated it at first. Fakir made a promise to stay by her side. But she also made a promise to be her true self, and that true self simply called for long-distance flying every single year.

He had no qualms with joining her. But then came the sole fact that he had a duty to oversee the town's ending. Leaving was just abandoning that other vow.

Even then, he wanted to continue going with Ahiru to keep to his—in his opinion—much more important promise, but the duck was adamant against it, feeling that she would be just fine on her own and that he should stay and watch over the town. How he managed to decipher all of that through furious quacks and ruffled yellow feathers, he'll never know. But after a few arguments and more than enough bitten fingers, Fakir gave in, and saw Ahiru off as she made to fly into the horizon with the rest of the flock he had joined in the last few years.

And there he stayed, making sure to sit out on that dock everyday while he awaited her return. He watched as the animals stored food, the snow fell, and the water froze over, remaining in the wooden chair and blowing puffs of hot air into his palms between writing paragraphs.

Now, though, winter was over. And it'll be any day now that she'll return.

Standing in his place over the calm lake, Fakir keeps his arms arched over his back while releasing a groan. Sitting in the same spot for hours at a time was definitely not healthy for one's spine. A sigh escapes after he throws his arms back down, and off in the horizon he just barely hears a distant call.

A duck's call.

Fakir turns around, keeping his back to the lake as his eyes search, and then the soft smile is already on his face as he begins to make out the group of black dots headed his way. He can't tell which one is the specific duck he's looking for, but all the same he stands perfectly in place.

…He's…happy. He can't deny it. It was the first time ever since making his promise that he was away from her for a prolonged period of time, and only then had Fakir finally realized just how different things were without her around. He welcomed the arrival of spring with much more interest than he had any other year before.

Fakir watches as the group of waterfowl draw closer, and before long he can finally pick out the small yellow one near the back of the flock, wings flapping and the same little cowlick waving in the wind. The smile grows a smidgen wider.

Eventually, the leader at the tip of the triangle decides to land in the grass several hundred feet away from where Fakir stands, and he keep a close eye on the rest of the birds. One by one, they drop to the ground, landing on webbed feet and ruffling their feathers before waddling about and going back to business as if they have never left.

Soon, the entire flock makes their landing.

Well, except for one little duck.

Fakir doesn't even notice at first. He simply assumes she has made her grounding along with the rest of her peers. So he begins moving and makes his way over to greet her, when—

"GEH—?"

And suddenly there's an impact on his chest, strong enough to completely knock him off his feet and send him flying backwards, right into—

SPLASH.

For the first time in months, the lake water is completely disturbed in waves and harsh ripples as the teen is thrown back back-first into the shallow—and freezing cold—water.

He gives a grunt, immediately sitting up to spit lake water out of his mouth and wipes a hand furiously over his eyes before glowering down to the offending animal in his lap. Her eyes look as if they're spinning, and her feathers stick out on every which-way as she gives a quiet 'quaaaaaauuuhh….'

"You MORON!" he snaps suddenly, reaching down to pick her up with one hand. "What the hell were you doing? You were supposed to land with the others!" It's not exactly the warm and welcome greeting he was expecting, but it's hardly easy to be warm when his lower half is plopped down on the muddy lake bottom and sending small splashes with every move.

…Oh god, that had better not be a lily-pad he can suddenly feel sticking over his sopping wet hair.

Practically fuming, he stands up, sending the lake water shifting around his legs and dripping from his shoulders. The smile is long gone by then, now replaced with an irritated scowl. His shoulders give a small shiver as he scowls through clenched teeth.

"After all this time, you still can't land properly. Idiot," he says, holding her up to get a close look at her.

Before responding, she shakes her head almost violently, sending small little water droplets off in the air. "Quah quah quah!" she defends.

…Fakir blinks. And then he suddenly averts his gaze, holding her with a much more embarrassed tone. The frown still lingers on his face, but his cheeks become accompanied with a slight tint as he translated her squawks.

"…I missed you too, moron," he says awkwardly with his eyes facing away from Ahiru before shifting, taking her back in her usual place in the crook of his arm. "…Now come on. We have to go dry off now. Because you couldn't be damned to just land on your own feet." The last part is spoken with a murmur as he reaches down to pick up his writing utensils. She gives an indignant quack, ruffling her feathers and sending more small droplets to land on his chest.

Ahiru hasn't even been back for an entire minute and she's already causing chaos. But the last few months were entirely too calm for his tastes.

He was...glad to have her back.

End