Gumball rushed out of the mall, confused. He knew Darwin was here, he could feel it, but where was he? He scanned the crowd looking for him when his gaze fell on a boy about his age. He was ragged and dirty and he appeared to be crying. He didn't know why but he felt like he knew him somehow. He wanted to help him but first he had to find Darwin. He listened to his heart for another clue, but it seemed to be pointing him right toward this kid. But how could that be? Unless…...there was no way, it wasn't possible, was it? "Darwin?" He whispered. Darwin turned around, he thought he heard someone say his name, even though there was no way he could have heard that whisper. His gaze landed on Gumball and his eyes lit up. "Gumball?" He whispered in awe, he couldn't believe it, he found him, he actually found him! Gumball's eyes lit up too. That reaction confirmed it, it really was him. "Darwin!" He shouted and he began running toward his best friend. Darwin saw this and ran toward him as well. They met up and almost tackled each other in a hug. Both had tears streaming down their face and they were holding each other tightly, like they never wanted to let go. Gumball couldn't believe that he was actually hugging Darwin. He never thought that he would be able to do this, for many reasons, not the least of which was that he was afraid he would never see him again. But he found him, he was here, and now he could actually touch him. He was going to have to ask him about that when this hug was over. Meanwhile a huge wave of relief spread through Darwin. Finally, he was here, he found Gumball, it was over. It was all over. Eventually they broke the hug but they still kept each other in arms reach. "Darwin, is that really you?" Gumball asked in disbelief. Darwin nodded as a response. "Wha-what happened to you? You look human!"
"Yeah. I think I am one now. Is that ok?" Darwin asked shyly.
"Oh my gosh, yes! Yes! it's great!" He said. He immediately swept Darwin in for another hug. He couldn't believe it. He got his best friend back, and he was human now too! "But how?"
"I don't know how." Darwin admitted. "But I know why." Gumball's tears flowed even harder. He couldn't believe that he would do all this for him. Gumball opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by his parents, who had finally caught up with him. "Gumball! There you are! What's going on sweetie? Who's this? Why are you crying?" Nicole asked him with concern. She was confused. Gumball was crying, but he sported the biggest smile she had ever seen. He was holding onto a kid that she had never seen before who had the exact same look on his face. There was something a little familiar about the kid, but she couldn't put a finger on what it was.
"Mom! Dad! You guys are never gonna guess who I just found!" Gumball said excitedly.
"Who did you find sweetie?" Nicole asked. Gumball and Darwin looked at each other, eyebrows raised. They had just realized that his parents didn't recognize Darwin with his new human appearance. How on earth were they going to convince them it was him?
"Guys…..it's me, Darwin, your goldfish? Well, I guess ex-goldfish now. I know I look a lot different, but it's true! I can prove it!" He pushed his hair back to reveal gill slits around his neck. Nicole and Richards jaws dropped and Gumball looked at him in awe.
"Whoa! You still have your gills?" Gumball asked.
"Yeah, I guess not everything about me changed." Darwin told him. Both Nicole and Richard stared at him with their mouths agape. Could it really be possible? Could this really be Darwin? He did have gills, and his voice was the same, and he was looking at Gumball with an expression of pure relief on his face. It all added up, he was exactly who he said he was. "Darwin?!" Nicole said in disbelief. Darwin nodded as his tears started back up again. Their shocked expressions shifted into smiles. "Oh my gosh, Darwin!" "I can't believe it!" "You came back!" Both of them chattered excitedly. "You're not mad at us or anything are you?" Richard asked. "Because I'm really sorry…."
"It's ok. I know you didn't flush me on purpose Mr. Watterson." Darwin said. Before he knew it he was being picked up and lifted into Richard's embrace. Richard had always had a soft spot for Darwin, ever since he'd met him in the van, and he was really glad to see him again, no matter what species he was now. "Please son, call me dad." He told him. Darwin's eyes widened, did this mean what he thought it did?
"Ok Mr. Dad." Darwin said. Richard smiled and didn't bother to correct him. He figured that he would get it eventually. While Richard had picked him up, Nicole looked Darwin over and instantly her mothering instincts had kicked into gear. The child was dirty, had cuts and bruises all over himself, and he looked exhausted. What on earth happened to him when he was trying to get back to Elmore? She needed to get Darwin home quickly so she could help him and keep him safe. "Darwin! Your little feet!" She gasped. She couldn't help herself, his feet were in the worst shape of all. They were all bruised and cut up, evidently he had made the whole journey barefoot. She was surprised that he would be able to stand on them at all.
"Oh, hold on!" Gumball said. He then proceeded to take his shoes off and hand them to Darwin. "Here." Nicole tried to tell him that it probably wouldn't work, that they probably had different shoe sizes, but Darwin had already started putting them on, looking at the worn shoes like they were the greatest things he'd ever been given. Probably because they were.
"Thank you. I'll never take them off." Darwin said. Richard and Nicole decided to put the kids in the car and take them home. Darwin had been away long enough, he needed to get home right away. They dug out a spare car seat for Gumball and put Darwin in it, luckily they were the same size now, as Nicole gave him a kiss on the forehead and ruffled his hair.
"By the way, I like your new look." Richard told him as they were buckling up both kids.
"Really? I didn't exactly choose it." Darwin said, shocked.
"I know, but I still like it. It suits you."
"Thank you." Darwin whispered. He had been afraid that he would be rejected for his new human form, so hearing approval for it shocked him to his core. Richard smiled to himself. He might not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but he was pretty good at reading feelings and he had picked up on the fact that Darwin was feeling nervous and overwhelmed about his new form. He wanted to make him feel better, reassure him that he was still loved despite his new human appearance. Besides, he meant what he said, he really did like the way he looked now. The combo of his darker skin and hair with his bright green eyes was striking and, combined with his personality, Darwin as a little kid was adorable.
"So, how did you manage to get back to Elmore?" Nicole asked him.
"I'll tell you, in the form of a song." Darwin said. But before he could all of his traveling caught up with him and he crashed. Gumball followed soon after as all of this excitement was a bit too much for him. Both parents decided not to wake them up, they could tell that Darwin needed the rest and they hadn't seen Gumball so still in forever. So, quietly, the Watterson family made their way back home.
A/N: Yes, I know I write a lot of fics about Darwin's backstory. It's just something I like writing about. Not entirely sure why.