A shameless little fluff piece set during the episode "Power Play." Okay, maybe slightly shameful.
Stadium Rooftop
The roof of the hockey stadium was multilayered with heavy roof panels, vents, and walkways to make maintenance easy. The walkways were narrow, however, and were only meant for a few individuals at a time. And while the roof panels could be traversed, their sloping nature made them slightly precarious if you didn't know what you were doing.
The panels were also primarily a weather barrier, with the steel beams beneath them the true support of the roof. So it wasn't surprising that an unusually large human mutated with DNA accelerator technology was able to easily smash the roof panels, creating a domino-like wave of metal debris that sent everything in their path flying. Stanley Strazinski—beefed up and purple from the energy coursing through him—did precisely that, sending the four ducks attempting to stop him toppling down a very steep part of the rooftop.
Wildwing's gloves had strong gripping material on them and allowed him to grab the edge as he flew off the slick ridge. Mallory slid past him immediately afterwards, not giving Wildwing enough time to try and reach out for her. Thankfully she managed to grab ahold of his waist on the way down, forcing him to keep both hands on the ledge to support their combined weight. Nosedive and Grin flew past him next and Wildwing instantly felt their extra weight as they grabbed ahold of Mallory, his entire upper body screaming in protest. Risking a glance down he could barely make out his three teammates holding onto each other, the concrete parking lot below them a terrifying reminder of their immediate danger.
"Hang on!" Wildwing grunted, the tension on his arms making it hard for him to breathe.
"Great idea," Nosedive sarcastically responded, his own words strained. "Hey Grin, thanks for the wedgie!"
Footsteps above caught Wildwing's attention, causing his breath to quicken; Stanley was heading over to finish the job.
Grin's voice, though not directed at him, rang up to Wildwing: "I must remember what my master taught me."
"Yo, Grin, this is no time for a flashback!" Nosedive hollered back.
Wildwing grunted again, his adrenaline rising with every footstep he heard above them. He could not peer over the ledge, but he knew they did not have much time until Stanley sent them plummeting to the parking lot below.
"I know what I must do."
There was some movement below after Grin's statement, causing Wildwing to swing inadvertently. He groaned a bit at the strain but maintained his grip. He heard a couple of whines from Nosedive, followed by a small painful gasp from Mallory, but before Wildwing could question it he felt strong hands pull up on his shoulders.
"Grin, no!"
"Go forward with your strategy," Grin replied, ignoring Wildwing's plea. His large form allowed him to easily pull up on the roof ledge from Wildwing's shoulders, up and out of sight. While the release of Grin's weight was an instant relief to his aching arms, Wildwing knew that even Grin could not face Stanley alone. He shifted again so he could look down and see his other two teammates.
"Dive, can you climb up?" Wildwing grunted. While his heavy gloves helped to take a chunk of the burden off, he did not know how much longer his muscles would hold out.
"I'll try," Nosedive responded. "Head's up Mal, I'm about to get personal!" The teenager grabbed Mallory's waist, hoisting himself up higher and using his feet to stand on hers.
Wildwing watched as Mallory kept her feet flexed so the blonde duck had the necessary resistance to climb. Her grip on Wildwing's waist tightened from the shift in weight, but she kept her entire body as immobile and stiff as possible to give Nosedive the support he needed to ascend. Wildwing was impressed: at her size it was a wonder she had managed to hold on at all with Nosedive and Grin's full weight pulling on her.
Nosedive didn't need too much time, thankfully. He quickly used Mallory's shoulders as leverage and easily climbed up Wildwing's heavy armor. With a small jump he was up on the roof and peering down at them.
"Where's Grin?" Wildwing asked, his voice unintentionally sighing from the release of extra weight.
Nosedive turned to look before bringing his attention back to Wildwing and shaking his head. "Oh, you know, Grin's decided to become passive and let Stanley beat him to a pulp."
Wildwing groaned in frustration before turning his attention below him. "Your turn, Mallory," Wildwing stated, again shifting his weight slightly to prevent his arms from locking up.
"Right," she grunted. Her grip was around his waist, but she used Wildwing's feet like Nosedive did with hers, giving her the necessary bracing to grab the collar of Wildwing's thick armor with relative ease.
At that precise moment, however, there was a loud yell and heavy THUD from Grin and Stanley that shook the entire roof.
"Whoa!" Nosedive exclaimed, teetering slightly as he was knocked off balance.
Wildwing, however, felt the roof panel shudder and totally slip beneath his fingers. He cursed as the relatively large tile slid down, taking his hand with it. He quickly tried to grab the ledge again, but the weight of holding himself and someone else was too much with just one hand.
"Bro!" Nosedive gasped, throwing himself down onto the roof and grabbing Wildwing's arm that was still clinging desperately to the edge.
Nosedive's added reinforcement kept Wildwing from completely losing his hold on the ledge, but the quick shift in support caused the leader to swing hazardously, triggering Mallory's own balance to falter.
A short gasp came from the redhead as her feet lost leverage on Wildwing's legs. The forceful swing combined with gravity pulled her weight down, forcefully prying her hands loose from the tight clasp they had on Wildwing's armor.
Her gasp turned into a short cry as she quickly tried to grab onto Wildwing. She managed to seize his waist again, but the continued weight of her fall caused her to slip further down to his legs. Her momentum nearly took her farther but, with a lucky grab, Mallory managed to keep a hold of his boot with one hand.
"Mal!" Nosedive cried, watching the event unfold. His strong hold on Wildwing's forearm was all he could do to as he watched her try and stop her tumble.
"Grab my hand!" Wildwing yelled frantically, bringing the hand that had lost grip up to his beak, biting it and pulling the glove off. He threw the garment onto the roof and reached out for her with his bare extremity. Mallory used her own swinging momentum to grasp his shoe with both hands and steady herself. She tried to reach up for him but nearly slipped again.
"I can't hold onto your boot!" she cried out, desperately trying to keep a firm grip. But the tops of shiny boots weren't exactly known for their slip resistance.
"Okay, okay—I'm gonna pull my leg up slowly, all right?" he told her, his own position perilous with only one hand on the roof and Nosedive holding his forearm for further support. He slowly bent his knee up towards him, afraid to make any jerky movements. Mallory held on tightly, watching his outstretched hand carefully.
As soon as she was close enough she reached out and clasped his hand with both of her own.
"Gotcha!" Wildwing said, relief evident in his voice. His biceps screamed at the extra weight in one arm but he ignored it and bent his arm up towards his chest, allowing her to quickly clutch around his neck, hugging him.
Mallory's grip around his neck was tight and, as Wildwing wrapped his free arm around her to support her, he felt her body trembling.
"Hey, it's okay, you're safe," he softly said, holding her tightly.
"Wing, grab on with your other hand and I'll help her up," Nosedive called out, still holding on to his brother's arm as extra insurance. Wildwing realized Nosedive couldn't see Mallory too well from this position and probably hadn't heard him.
Mallory's grip around his neck was unbreakable so he followed his brother's command, using the arm around Mallory to grab at the roof ledge instead. While he didn't think it was possible, Mallory's hold on him stiffened even more at the jerky movements, relaxing only slightly when she felt both of them stabilize.
"Reach up for Dive," Wildwing whispered, not wanting Nosedive to hear how gentle his voice was being.
Mallory shakily nodded. She had to maneuver around to Wildwing's back to reach for Nosedive, however, and took a couple deep breaths before doing it.
"You're doing great," Wildwing encouraged.
Mallory, with one final shaky breath, quickly climbed around Wildwing, only briefly removing her grasp from his armor. Once again in the position she had been in prior to the fall, Mallory reached up for Nosedive's outstretched hands.
Their hands interlocked and Nosedive easily hoisted her small frame up onto the roof. "Nothing like a heart attack first thing in the evening, eh Mal?"
Mallory didn't respond, but after what Wildwing just witnessed he wasn't surprised. His own adrenaline had shot through the ceiling during the whole ordeal.
She turned around instead and reached for Wildwing's arm that had originally lost grip. Between her and Nosedive they were able to help give Wildwing the leverage he needed to climb back up on the roof. When his feet felt solid ground he released a deep and jittery breath as he steadied himself, the lactic acid buildup in his arm muscles finally dissipating. He went to pull his arms away and grab his glove off the roof, but before he could Mallory squeezed his hand with her own.
Wildwing looked down and she softly smiled at him, a sign of silent gratitude apparent in her expression. He smiled back at her, unsure of what to say. However, a loud grunt from Grin, followed by his heavy form crashing and rolling in front of them, caused both of them to divert their attention back to the task at hand.
Three days later
Wildwing quietly opened the old door to the Anaheim Pond's rooftop, its hinges only squeaking slightly in protest from the lack of lubrication. A silhouette greeted him on the far side of the walkway as he slowly shut the door behind him.
Mallory was leaning on the arm rail that bordered the flat portion of the stadium's rooftop, seemingly staring out at the damage caused by Stanley earlier that week. Roofers were supposed to be out within the next day or so to repair it.
A gust of wind picked up, causing Mallory to shiver slightly in her jeans and short-sleeve top. She wrapped her arms around herself but did not budge from her spot.
The ducks had definitely become spoiled by the temperate climate of Southern California, Wildwing mused.
"Hey," Wildwing finally called out to her, unsure if she was aware of his presence or had opted to ignore it.
She startled at the sound, answering his unasked question. She turned her head to him and thinly smiled. "Hey, Wing."
Wildwing, without his mask and hands in his street jacket, walked up to her but gazed out at the city lights. "Nice night," he casually mentioned.
Mallory nodded silently, turning her gaze back to the horizon as well.
He stood next to her, both simply enjoying the sights of dusk in downtown Anaheim. The sun was already behind the mountains that surrounded the large valley, leaving an undertone of dark orange and purple hues in the sky above them. Only a small amount of sunlight remained to illuminate the buildings that surrounded their home, the city lights already on and twinkling against the darkening vista.
Wildwing finally glanced over to her after a few minutes of silence. "You've been pretty distant the past couple of days."
Mallory's gaze shifted down, her eyes saying a lot more than she probably ever could. "Sorry," was all she managed to finally get out.
"You didn't do anything wrong," Wildwing responded, turning his whole body to her this time. "It's just … if you need someone to talk to, I'm here."
Mallory's expression deepened into something more complex, her eyes almost glaring at the ground now. "I … I just … that shouldn't have happened."
"What shouldn't have happened?"
"I shouldn't have reacted that way. I don't know what came over me," Mallory angrily explained, though it was clear the anger was directed at herself.
Wildwing's hand came up to her shoulder, instantly knowing what she was referring to. While it was something that had been on his mind as well the past couple of days, his reasoning for it had nothing to do with how she acted. "Mallory, you're not being fair to yourself."
"I'm a soldier, Wildwing. I've done a lot worse, I've seen a lot worse. Losing my cool over something so stupid is … that's grounds for suspension."
"It wasn't stupid and, if it makes you feel better, I'm not suspending you," Wildwing halfheartedly joked.
Mallory finally glanced at him and her expression caused Wildwing's own expression to soften: while there were no tears Wildwing could see a glaze over her eyes that she was fighting to control, and dark circles under her feathers suggested that she hadn't been sleeping too well, either.
"I appreciate you not saying anything," Mallory stated, her voice becoming slightly shakier. "I'm sorry I put you in that position."
Wildwing shook his head. With his hand still on her shoulder, he turned the redhead so they were facing each other, his other hand coming to rest on her other shoulder.
"Mallory."
Mallory's gaze had been down and to the side but she hesitantly looked up at him.
"I was terrified. I lost my grip and made you lose yours because of it. It was all I could do just to hold myself up, and I thought I had for sure sent you falling to your death. When I got you back into my arms I—"
Wildwing straightened up slightly, realizing his choice of words. "Look, I had thought I'd nearly killed you so I was acting out of line, too." He released her shoulders, sighing and running a hand through the tuft of feathers on the top of his head.
"So I should be the one apologizing," he finished, slightly embarrassed and averting his gaze back to the view.
Mallory's eyes had widened slightly at his word fumble but she masked it quickly. She cleared her throat and also turned back to the scenery before them.
The silence was slightly uncomfortable after that, but Mallory finally replied: "You don't have anything to apologize for."
"Neither do you," Wildwing quietly retorted.
"I'm the one that freaked out."
"And I'm the one that nearly dropped you."
Mallory sighed slightly, the awkwardness from earlier still lingering enough to keep both of them focused on their surroundings. "I guess we're both kind of hard on ourselves."
Wildwing snorted, only briefly glancing at the redhead next to him. "That's an understatement."
Off in the distance they heard the echo of somebody honking their horn. The night life sounds of the city were slowly beginning to rise and make their way to the stadium. The descending nightfall had caused the air to cool even more, the occasional breeze picking up a bit of a nip from it.
"I've never been afraid of heights before," Mallory mused, outwardly unfazed by the dip in temperature.
Wildwing almost rolled his eyes. "Well, I'm pretty sure everyone is going to be afraid of falling five stories onto concrete."
"I suppose," was her noncommittal reply.
"I bet bungee jumping is off your bucket list now, though."
Mallory gave him a side glance as she responded incredulously, "Seriously, Wing?"
Wildwing shrugged but a smile pulled on the corner of his beak. "Well, it's off mine, that's for sure."
Mallory smiled exasperatedly, shaking her head at him. They both were amicably quiet after that, the only sounds coming from the distant traffic and city night life revving up as the sun continued to set.
Mallory broke the silence again: "I don't know how you do it."
Wildwing peered at her curiously. "Do what?"
"Make me feel better."
Wildwing arched an eyebrow. "I guess I just need to remind you that you are a sentient being and that, every once in a while, you're allowed to act like one."
Mallory swatted him on the shoulder before he could dodge it.
"I may have deserved that."
Mallory sighed and smirked at him again. Before he could respond she walked up to him and quickly hugged him around the waist.
Wildwing's arms barely had time to settle on her back before she had pulled away and begun walking back towards the door.
"See you later, Wildwing."
Wildwing was in a slight state of shock but shook it off and responded, "Later," before Mallory had made it to the door, its hinges once again whining as it shut behind her.
When she left he let out a nervous breath, the feel of her holding him still lingering.
He shook his head to clear the cobwebs and returned his gaze to the city, a smile on his beak as he thought about everything but the view.
fin