This is basically just fluff. Takes place after 'Blindsided'. I apologize for any OOCness.
A.S.D.A
Family Matters
by Nefertanya dragongurl Ahhotep
"NOSEDIVE!!" Tanya growled in frustration. She glared at the plastic, slime-coated eyeball that had taken up residence in her hairgel. With a huff, she snatched up the violated container and stormed out of her apartment in search of the boy in question.
Tanya had really had enough by this point. She'd put up with his extra-annoying behaviors, such as scaring her in the halls, and his prankster shenanigans, such as impressively altering her seismograph to spell out 'Dux Rock!" every time there was a tremor large enough.
But *now* he was going through her personal items, and that was the last straw. She growled again as her target came into view. NoseDive was sprawled on the floor of the Rec. room, playing tug-of-war with his dog, Savior(and most likely one of Duke's socks). Although she was deeply allergic to all dogs, Tanya had agreed to let the dog stay-as long as Dive kept everything dander-free and a good distance from her. After all, the dog *had* saved her life and indirectly got her date with her long-time crush, WildWing.
"NoseDive, uh, may I have a little talk with you?"
The blonde male glanced up from the game and flashed a quick grin at her before resuming his attention to the quickly shredding sock. "Sure, Taunnie, what's up?"
"Don't you 'Taunnie' me, mister! Recognize this?" She pulled the offending item out of the gel. NoseDive gave it a half-hearted glance before looking at her with a smirk. "I think someone's experiments are getting out of hand!" he singsonged.
"This is *not* my experiment, this is *your* prank!" she shouted in fury, startling the poor boy.
"Hey, whoa-ho, calm down girly-gi-"
"No, I will *not* calm down! What's with you lately?! You've been, y'know, riding my tail for weeks now, ever since..." Her features softened with realization. 'Ever since I went out with WildWing."
NoseDive quickly jumped up and put his hands out defensively, knowing what conclusions she was reaching. "Whoa! It's not what you think, Tanya! Honest!"
"Then why have you been so overwhelmingly obnoxious to me lately?"
"Do you still like me, Tanya?"
The blonde female shook her head in disbelief. "What?"
"Well do you?"
"Well, uh, yeah, but what-"
"Let's get a bit sacrilegious then, shall we? Let's say Drake DuCaine descends from Paradise. Tells Wing he's real impressed by him, and offers his daughter's hand in marriage-"
"But DuCaine never had a-"
"*For theoretical purposes*, his daughter appears in front of Wing. She's gorgeous, the perfect ideal of his perfect mate. They talk, they laugh, *boom*, they're engaged and he's got the deed to Paradise in his hip pocket.
Now enter the little brother! I, playing me, joke around, make a few quips, pull a few pranks. You know, me just being-"
"A nuisance?" she smirked.
"Me." glared the boy. "Anyways, the time for them to return comes, and she starts tugging Wing along. He says 'Wait, what about Dive?' She 'fesses up that she really doesn't care for me, and wouldn't it be better that I stay here?"
NoseDive stared hard at his brilliant friend, blue eyes carefully searching violet ones.
"He wouldn't go." Tanya nodded in understanding, finishing the tale. "Because he wouldn't want to leave you behind even if it meant losing everything he desired."
"See?" Dive said softly. "Wing and I are a set package. I learned long ago that if I can do my absolute worst to you, and you can still tolerate, even *like* me, then it's all the better for *us*."
"I like you, Tanya." he continued. "You've patched up more of my 'boo-boos' than I care to remember. I'd feel really bad if you and Wing lost out on your chance for happiness because of me. He's a *really* great guy, y'know."
Tanya gave the younger duck a maternal smile. "Yeah, I know. I could never, y'know, hate you NoseDive." She cocked her head. "Did WildWing ever tell you anything about my family?"
The blonde boy shrugged. "Just that you have a big family."
"Mm-hmm. And out of all of my siblings, I was closest to my younger brother Alexi. You two were the same age."
"Were?"
Tanya started-then a small look of horror crept on her face. "I-I mean you are. At least...you're supposed to be...Stars, I don't know where he even is...!" She crumpled into her hands as the tears poured.
Awkwardly, Dive tried his best to comfort her. "Aw, Tanya, it's okay. Please don't cry. I didn't mean to upset you."
"I know, I-"
"Look, me and Wing, we don't know what happened to our mom either. None of us knows what happened to the family we left behind. But we all just have to go on believing that they're all free and okay, or we'll never finish what we started! And won't ol' Dragon Breath just lo-ove that?"
Tanya took a deep breath and held it for a few seconds before releasing. He was right, but it hurt so much! She pulled away and wiped the tears from her glasses. Savior whimpered and licked the salt from her hands, giving her a worried paternal look.
"Feeling better?" Dive asked with a smile. She let out a short laugh and nodded, patting the dog's head.
"So. I remind you of your brother. Then we must have the same impeccable taste in clothing!" He smoothed the front of his faded orange tee and shredded, mud-encrusted jeans.
"Huh, oh no. Yours is much, much, *much* worse." They laughed as they made there way to the kitchen. "But he loved his comics, and you both can *eat*!"
"Hey, we're both growing boys!" NoseDive said in mock offense.
Duke popped his head into the Rec. Room before Tanya could retort. "Hey, has anybody seen my other sock?"
"Oops! Look at the time! Gotta go!" Dive shouted as he took off at a full run, the gray mutt at his heels. "Looks I'll have to take a raincheck, Taunnie!"
"I'll hold you to that!" she laughed as the guilty party disappeared. Duke came up next to her.
"What was that all about?"
She shrugged, giving the empty hall a fond look. "Oh, nothing. Just a little brother thing." She turned and walked on to the kitchen. She could use a good cup of tea right about now.
Duke shrugged after her. As he was about to leave the Rec. Room, something caught his eye. Hey, what tha..."
"NOSEDIVE!!"
A.S.D.A
Family Matters
by Nefertanya dragongurl Ahhotep
"NOSEDIVE!!" Tanya growled in frustration. She glared at the plastic, slime-coated eyeball that had taken up residence in her hairgel. With a huff, she snatched up the violated container and stormed out of her apartment in search of the boy in question.
Tanya had really had enough by this point. She'd put up with his extra-annoying behaviors, such as scaring her in the halls, and his prankster shenanigans, such as impressively altering her seismograph to spell out 'Dux Rock!" every time there was a tremor large enough.
But *now* he was going through her personal items, and that was the last straw. She growled again as her target came into view. NoseDive was sprawled on the floor of the Rec. room, playing tug-of-war with his dog, Savior(and most likely one of Duke's socks). Although she was deeply allergic to all dogs, Tanya had agreed to let the dog stay-as long as Dive kept everything dander-free and a good distance from her. After all, the dog *had* saved her life and indirectly got her date with her long-time crush, WildWing.
"NoseDive, uh, may I have a little talk with you?"
The blonde male glanced up from the game and flashed a quick grin at her before resuming his attention to the quickly shredding sock. "Sure, Taunnie, what's up?"
"Don't you 'Taunnie' me, mister! Recognize this?" She pulled the offending item out of the gel. NoseDive gave it a half-hearted glance before looking at her with a smirk. "I think someone's experiments are getting out of hand!" he singsonged.
"This is *not* my experiment, this is *your* prank!" she shouted in fury, startling the poor boy.
"Hey, whoa-ho, calm down girly-gi-"
"No, I will *not* calm down! What's with you lately?! You've been, y'know, riding my tail for weeks now, ever since..." Her features softened with realization. 'Ever since I went out with WildWing."
NoseDive quickly jumped up and put his hands out defensively, knowing what conclusions she was reaching. "Whoa! It's not what you think, Tanya! Honest!"
"Then why have you been so overwhelmingly obnoxious to me lately?"
"Do you still like me, Tanya?"
The blonde female shook her head in disbelief. "What?"
"Well do you?"
"Well, uh, yeah, but what-"
"Let's get a bit sacrilegious then, shall we? Let's say Drake DuCaine descends from Paradise. Tells Wing he's real impressed by him, and offers his daughter's hand in marriage-"
"But DuCaine never had a-"
"*For theoretical purposes*, his daughter appears in front of Wing. She's gorgeous, the perfect ideal of his perfect mate. They talk, they laugh, *boom*, they're engaged and he's got the deed to Paradise in his hip pocket.
Now enter the little brother! I, playing me, joke around, make a few quips, pull a few pranks. You know, me just being-"
"A nuisance?" she smirked.
"Me." glared the boy. "Anyways, the time for them to return comes, and she starts tugging Wing along. He says 'Wait, what about Dive?' She 'fesses up that she really doesn't care for me, and wouldn't it be better that I stay here?"
NoseDive stared hard at his brilliant friend, blue eyes carefully searching violet ones.
"He wouldn't go." Tanya nodded in understanding, finishing the tale. "Because he wouldn't want to leave you behind even if it meant losing everything he desired."
"See?" Dive said softly. "Wing and I are a set package. I learned long ago that if I can do my absolute worst to you, and you can still tolerate, even *like* me, then it's all the better for *us*."
"I like you, Tanya." he continued. "You've patched up more of my 'boo-boos' than I care to remember. I'd feel really bad if you and Wing lost out on your chance for happiness because of me. He's a *really* great guy, y'know."
Tanya gave the younger duck a maternal smile. "Yeah, I know. I could never, y'know, hate you NoseDive." She cocked her head. "Did WildWing ever tell you anything about my family?"
The blonde boy shrugged. "Just that you have a big family."
"Mm-hmm. And out of all of my siblings, I was closest to my younger brother Alexi. You two were the same age."
"Were?"
Tanya started-then a small look of horror crept on her face. "I-I mean you are. At least...you're supposed to be...Stars, I don't know where he even is...!" She crumpled into her hands as the tears poured.
Awkwardly, Dive tried his best to comfort her. "Aw, Tanya, it's okay. Please don't cry. I didn't mean to upset you."
"I know, I-"
"Look, me and Wing, we don't know what happened to our mom either. None of us knows what happened to the family we left behind. But we all just have to go on believing that they're all free and okay, or we'll never finish what we started! And won't ol' Dragon Breath just lo-ove that?"
Tanya took a deep breath and held it for a few seconds before releasing. He was right, but it hurt so much! She pulled away and wiped the tears from her glasses. Savior whimpered and licked the salt from her hands, giving her a worried paternal look.
"Feeling better?" Dive asked with a smile. She let out a short laugh and nodded, patting the dog's head.
"So. I remind you of your brother. Then we must have the same impeccable taste in clothing!" He smoothed the front of his faded orange tee and shredded, mud-encrusted jeans.
"Huh, oh no. Yours is much, much, *much* worse." They laughed as they made there way to the kitchen. "But he loved his comics, and you both can *eat*!"
"Hey, we're both growing boys!" NoseDive said in mock offense.
Duke popped his head into the Rec. Room before Tanya could retort. "Hey, has anybody seen my other sock?"
"Oops! Look at the time! Gotta go!" Dive shouted as he took off at a full run, the gray mutt at his heels. "Looks I'll have to take a raincheck, Taunnie!"
"I'll hold you to that!" she laughed as the guilty party disappeared. Duke came up next to her.
"What was that all about?"
She shrugged, giving the empty hall a fond look. "Oh, nothing. Just a little brother thing." She turned and walked on to the kitchen. She could use a good cup of tea right about now.
Duke shrugged after her. As he was about to leave the Rec. Room, something caught his eye. Hey, what tha..."
"NOSEDIVE!!"