REVERSE
He woke up on Saturday morning with one thought in his mind: One more day. After a few seconds he peeked out to his cell phone. Buffy would be up by now. Maybe - no! He couldn't! He had vowed when he was younger to never get into a relationship. He had a moment of weakness, was all, when he ran into her in the ally. He was just lonely, and -
This was stupid. He shouldn't be thinking of this. Buffy is human. He is a Duck. Like, disgusting.
He dragged himself out of bed, contemplated changing his outfit then decided it wasn't worth it.
FORGOTTEN
No one was in the kitchen. This was odd, as Nosedive was usually the one who was last in for breakfast. Even Duke was nowhere to be seen.
Glancing at the clock, Dive realized it was five in the morning. Duke and Mallory would be the only two up at this time. Duke would be practicing his swordsmanship, and who knew what Mallory did before breakfast?
Thank goodness no one was up. Less questions the better - Nosedive had been avoiding everyone for the past week, heeven avoided going to his sessions with Duke. He was sure they would bombard him with 'Why is your arm broken?' or 'Why did you have a bleeding nose?'
Like most of them cared. Duke would be the only one to really miss him - Nosedive was sure Wildwing had forgotten he had a brother unless he had to yell at him.
'It wasn't always like that,' Nosedive thought as he reached for a pizza from the deep freeze. He had insisted on having the deep freeze in the kitchen, as it was easier. Who wanted to walk all the way to another room just to get walffles?
Wildwing used to be Nosedive's hero. But that had shifted somewhere, Dive didn't know when, he just knew he no longer looked up to the older drake. Sure, Wing was the leader. Sure, he was perfect for it. But Nosedive's brother was gone - no jokes, no laughter, just a 'you awake lil bro?' in the morning. Perhaps more if Nosedive didn't say anything. Wing also talked to Dive if the other Ducks were around and it seemed like the brotherly thing to do.
Nosedive missed the old Wildwing. The brother that would hang out with him, not because of a team 'fun-night' (Phil's idea, promoting the 'image'.) but because he simply wanted to spend time with his brother.
Just skatin' 'round the city, shooting pucks.
He knew people changed, and he could see the differences in his team-mates, but he felt like everyone but Wildwing changed for the better. His older brother was harder, a lot more confident. Confidence was good - hardness was not.
Nosedive sighed.
HOME
Why did people hurt each other? He couldn't understand why, even if he could understand the motive. Of course, some motives he couldn't understand. After all, even if Wing ignored him like this for the rest of time he wouldn't hurt him. Not on purpose. He read in the news some kid killed her brother for a lot less.
Nosedive pulled out a comic and looked at the hero. Violence. He never realized how violent the culture of humans was. Video games where you can run people over, kill them with your hands, bats, guns - even children cartoons held hate and violence, even if they were "cute".
He rolled over, accidently knocking his comic stack to the floor. He ignored it, wondering if humans knew how violent they where.
A pizza slice met its doom with his beak. He munched thoughtfully.
Terrorists. He could understand the need to get your point across, the need to do something, the need to take action - but he could not understand the killing of people. He thought that made their whole point useless. Or perhaps it was just him.
The pizza didn't taste good anymore. It tasted vile somehow. He spit it out, aiming for the garbage but hitting his TV.
Puckworld, human version. This hit him like a blizzard, fast and cold. Earth was so much like Puckworld, why hadn't he seen it? Because Earth was vastly different too, but ...
He could name all the major cities of Earth and link them to a city on Puckworld. Key points in Earth history he could link to their alternate reality's points. Cultures of Earth all had strong sisters in Puckworld's past.
He laughed bitterly. When he had been at school on Puckworld, he had not payed attention. Now on Earth, he was learning all he could, comparing it to what he remembered of Puckworld.
He crumbled. Into a little ball and cried. Nothing he could do would be able to heal this wound, nothing would bring them back. Never realized how much he loved them, needed them. His race, his world, his people.
DREAMS
He wondered if Earth had a Brotherhood of the Blade, and if they did and Duke found out, would the ex-theif join them? Why hadn't Mallory joined the military? Or Tanya a research facility?
They would never get home, so why are they still playing hockey? Humans didn't care, they just wanted to gawk at them. Maybe the other Ducks liked to play hockey...
It was fun, yes. He loved the games now that he wasn't too depressed. All right, love is too strong of a word. Tolerate. He loved hockey, he was a Duck, not a Weirdo. (of course, Mallory might beg a differ) He didn't want to play for the joy of aliens, to make money for a fat, fat, furless monkey.
But what was it he wanted to do? He couldn't remember, couldn't remember . . . it was something important. At least, important to him, when he was younger.
Younger. He was nineteen and saying 'when I was younger'. Did he give up on his dreams already? Yes, everyone gave up on their dreams when those lizards took over.
No. It was before that. Long before. When he started to be 'joke a lot' Nosedive.
He closed his eyes. He would not think on that now, or ever.
CONVERSATION
Nosedive stood at the counter, glaring down at the pizza. He had followed the directions, he had made sure the tempature was right - and yet, it had burned itself. Maybe he should stick with delivery. Who needs Delicio?
"Dive?" Duke started to laugh. The teen turned around to face the older duck.
"What?" he snapped.
"Nice cookin' kid."
"Shut up," Nosedive muttered, going back to the pizza. At least it didn't mock him, even if it was majorly disgusting to look at. Duke came up beside him, taking a piece.
"Tates like rubbah."
"Shut up, man," Nosedive scowled.
"Somethin' wrong, kid?" Duke frowned, swallowing the rest of the piece.
"I-nothing. Why?" Nosedive asked, trying to think of an excuse to run like hell. Duke raised an eyebrow.
"Whats wrong, Nosedive? You've been off since comin' home wit dat broken arm and bleedin' nose. Ya not inta . . ." Duke trailed off. "I mean, ya not doin' anythin' stupid, are ya?"
Dive felt like laughing, but he was to depressed to do so. Duke thought Dive was involved with the life Duke had left behind. Dive replied, "Nope."
"Nope what?" Wildwing asked, startling Nosedive into twirling around. Dive ended up bruising his tail and really doing in that poor pizza. Duke laughed.
"Guess I'm the only one who has ta suffer ya cookin'."
Nosedive gave the other two his grin, and then looked at his behind, wagging his tale. How he wished he could scowl and yell at Duke for that 'joke', but he had to be 'Nosedive'.
All his life he had been joke-crackin' Nosedive. Everyone saw the happiness, the 'I Don't Care' attitude. Wildwing used to see through it, but now...
Nosedive shrugged as much to himself as to the other ducks. "Nothin' broken'."
"Except your arm." Wildwing crossed his arms. Uh oh.
"Fell off a balcony." Actually, he was pushed by a dead guy, but he wasn't going to say that. Besides, Buffy killed the vampire. Didn't need his head examined, thank you, just by telling the truth. Nuh-uh, no way, man!
"Balcony?" Wildwing repeated.
"Were ya pushed off?" Duke asked mildly.
"Noooo." Nosedive looked between the two. "You know, Thrash and Mookie wanted me to check out the new comics..."
And he dashed out of there, ignoring his brother's shout for him to come back. Wildwing didn't care, he just was making himself look good in front of Duke.
WANDERING
Didn't go to Captain Comics. Didn't want to, not really.
The sun warmed his feathers. He yawned, wishing he had brought his skateboard. After milling around the mall for a good three hours he parked his butt on a bench. His com beeped.
It was Mallory, of all people. She wanted to know what he did to her Duckcycle, it wasn't starting. Well, ALL because YOU broke it, doesn't mean I DID. He grinned at her and said she'd have to figure it out on her own. With a scowl Mallory cut of the link.
Dive sighed. Leaning back on the bench, he studied the clouds. That one looked like a winning goal, a bunny with a seriously bad tooth problem, Buffy with her stake raised to kill off a vampire, a Duckcycle running over Seige, and a comic book stack.
Ate a bit at a pizza parlor. Watched a boat race. Went home, snuck into his room and laid in bed. Nice ceiling and all.
BATTLE
Wildwing and Mallory had announced they were a getting married. This stung Nosedive, not because Wildwing was gettin' it on with Mal-Mal, but because it threw a fact up into his face that he had 'forgotten'.
He was lonely. He also knew to cure this he needed to break the most important promise he had made to himself : Never get into a relationship. They were dangerous, for both the soul and the body.
But he couldn't be alone. No one is meant to be alone, and with being an alien on a planet...
He growled at nothing. What was with him? The one thing that he least needed, his emotions (and body) were telling him he, in fact, needed.
He'd kill himself before putting a child through what he had been - stop thinking about that, Nosedive, and go bug Tanya.
ADVICE
He wandered into the kitchen on Friday morning to see Wildwing poking the mesh Mallory had placed in front of him. Wing loved his fiance very much, but she, well, couldn't cook. She also was pregnant, and Mallory without the hormones would freak if he said no, so the captain of the Mighty Ducks thanked DuCaine for his mask (Dive knew this because he saw Wing mouth 'thank DuCaine') and ate the Thing From The Stove. Mallory sat across from him and ate hers cheerily.
"Good morning, dudes and dudettes!" Nosedive bounced into the kitchen.
"Morning," Wildwing answered. His voice was a little odd.
"Breakfast?" Mallory questioned sweetly.
Nosedive looked at the two bowls and wondered if even Buffy would brave it. Vampire, sure. Mallory's cooking? Well . . . "Not hungry Mal-Mal, but thanks."
Mallory glared at him. "You? Not hungry? What are you up to?"
"Staying alive." He grabbed an apple and ran out as fast as he could. Mallory bellowed after him, "I AM NOT A BAD COOK!"
The living room held the rest of the Mighty Ducks, who where probably staying clear of Mallory and her concoction. Tanya was reading a magazine, Duke was fiddleling with a dagger, and Grin was meditating. Or at least he was in that position. He was snoring softly, and drool was sliding down his lower bill.
Nosedive sat beside Duke. He bit into his apple. What did Buffy have for breakfast? Did she like walffles? Did she eat eggs?
"Any'ody wat 'om?"Dive asked threw a beakfull, snapping back to reality and realizing he hadn't done anything 'himish' yet.
"You bit off it, th-thats disgusting!" Tanyarepliedin horror, closing her magazine.
Just to piss Tanya off, Duke took the apple and took a bite. He grinned at her response.
"Ih, thats, uh, unsanitary and DISGUSTING." Tanya got up and walked out, shivering from the memory of Duke eating something another person ate off of.
Duke gave the apple back to Nosedive. The blond took another beakfull. After a second of Duke looking at him, Dive froze. "Wat?" he asked.
"Nothin'." Duke went back to his dagger. Dive shrugged it off and finished his breakfast.
Grin snapped awake, looked around, whipped off his drool, then went back to sleep.
"How old are ya? Eighteen?" Duke wondered.
"Nineteen," Nosedive corrected.
"Hm." Duke's light blinked a few times. "Ya got a girlfriend? Back home, I mean?"
"No. Why?" Dive's thoughts flickered to Buffy.
"A boyfriend?" Duke wondered.
"Uh . . . no." Dive shook his head.
"Huh." Duke was looking at him again. "Wit de way ya come on, I thought ya'd have one."
"Na," Dive laughed. "That means responsibility,"
"Course, but it also gets a lot ol other things wit it."
"Like what?"
"Trust, love -"
"Fights that end up in the hospital emergency room," Dive cut Duke off. "No thanks."
"What? Kid, a good relationship don't end up in a hospital."
"Really?" Dive was suddenly interested in his apple core. Duke gently took the fruit core away from Dive.
"No," Duke said firmly. "A good relationship, one where ya love one anothah, ya fight but it don't end up in da hospital if ya do."
Nosedive tried to fathom this. He couldn't remember any couple from his childhood that hadn't visited the emergency room at least once a week. But then, Wing and Mal where goin' good. Wildwing was determined to raise his kids like he had wished his and Dive's childhoods would of been like. Of course, its only been two days...
"Why?" Dive asked suddenly.
"Jus' wonderin'." Duke shrugged.
"You're not going to hook me up with a girl are you, cause Grin did that to me last weekend and I am not going to repeat that experience."
Duke chuckled. "No, don' worry. No girl."
Dive breathed a sigh of relief, which got a laugh out of the duck beside him. Grin snapped awake, blinked, and got up. He took a deep breath, then walked serenely out of the room.
They sat in silence till Mallory shouted, "What do you mean its mush!"
"I ask you." Nosedive muttered.
"So...why are ya so distant lately?" Duke wondered.
"Buffy." Nosedive didn't mean to say it; it just popped out. I'm here and I'm coming out, so say it, Duckie!
Duke grinned. "I knew ya had a crush on someone." Then before Dive could talk Duke told him, "Remember what I said."
He left.
Dive suddenly wondered if Duke had known all along and was just giving him advice in disguise.
BUFFY
He frowned at his ceiling. Another week had slipped by. His cell phone sat untouched on his nightstand.
What Duke had said kept playing over and over, louder and louder.
Buffy didn't need it, though, did she? She already had the world to watch out for, why on Earth would he inflict himself on her? He didn't want to become Buffy's burden, like he was with the other Ducks.
Her laugh. The way she wise-cracks when she fights. Doesn't care if he's himself.
One feathered hand hesitantly reached for a cell phone.