On the other side of the beach, where Wildwing and Mallory had originally been walking, two figures slowly emerged from the chilly waters. Winter in Anaheim never really dipped below 60 degrees, but the Pacific Ocean—with currents drifting from up north—routinely dipped well below that.
Wildwing had put on his jacket during their walk, seeing as though the night masked the ugly stains on his jeans. Now the jacket clung to him, causing him to gather the ends and ring it out.
Mallory hobbled next to him, causing him to stop and look at her. "Are you hurt?" he asked.
Mallory shook her head, hobbling some more until she stopped and picked up her right foot. Reaching into her boot, she pulled out a rather long piece of seaweed. Sighing, she tossed it back into the water and continued her trek to sand.
When they reached the beach, both sat down, worn-out from the long swim against the strong currents caused by the full moon.
Mallory had been fine when Wildwing jumped in after her, though the constant leg brushing of what Mallory hoped to be more seals was causing her anxiety to peak through the roof. Together they managed to safely maneuver around the rocks they had fallen from and make their way back to the beach.
Wildwing risked a glance over to Mallory, who was currently fighting to remove a twig tangled in her hair. He sighed and, remembering the purpose of this evening, felt down to his pocket.
The box had somehow survived the trip and remained stowed away in his jeans. He let out a breath of relief quietly and stood up, offering his hand to the redhead.
Finally freeing her hair of the twig, Mallory tiredly looked up at Wildwing and took his hand, letting him pull her to her feet.
Wildwing didn't let go, however, and pulled her straight into his arms, hugging her.
"You're shivering," he commented.
"The water's a bit brisk," Mallory lamely responded, wrapping her arms around the larger duck when she felt his body heat resonate through his wet jacket.
"Let's get you home," he said quietly.
"Agreed."
They stood like that for a few moments longer, until Mallory reluctantly pulled away from Wildwing's warmth, both turning to head back to the main road.
"On the bright side, you don't smell like wine anymore."
The wind was rather chilly against soaked clothes and feathers, so Wildwing opted for a slow ride back to the Pond. Behind him Mallory hugged herself close to him to hide herself from the breeze.
Normally Wildwing would enjoy that, but at the moment he was more concerned with her accidentally brushing her hand against the box, which would probably be more noticeable with his soaked jeans clinging to every inch of him.
As if in answer to his silent worry, the duckcycle's engine chucked a bit and the bike slowly came to a stop, Wildwing watching it with growing realization and despair. As the bike died down he managed to drift it toward the shoulder of the empty street.
"Why are you stopping?" Mallory mumbled behind him, her voice tired and jittery from the cold.
"I'm … not."
That seemed to get Mallory's attention, because she sat up enough to peer over Wildwing's shoulder. "What? What do you mean?"
Wildwing cringed, already knowing how this was going to sound. "It appears … we're out of gas."
"WHAT? We almost had a full tank when we left!" Mallory got off the bike at this point, removing her helmet and looking at the gas gauge. Sure enough, the computer light indicated it was empty.
Wildwing sighed, taking off his own helmet and switching off the engine even though the lack of gas had already turned it off. "I think it's Earth's fuel. Tanya was saying something about how our gauges are beginning to lose accuracy in measuring it because the fuel's so dirty here compared to back home."
Mallory growled in frustration, her hands rubbing her face angrily. "Could anything ELSE go wrong tonight?"
Wildwing was beginning to realize this evening might not be the best time to pull out his trusty box, and he again sighed at how karma managed to pluck his tail feathers.
Pulling up his jacket sleeve to reveal his wrist COM, Wildwing said, "It's fine, I'll just COM the—"
Mallory slapped her hand on Wildwing's wrist, covering his COM unit and preventing him from dialing the necessary commands to contact the Pond. He looked up at her in surprise, cutting his own sentence off.
"We are NOT contacting ANYONE to come get us, got that?"
Wildwing, eyes still wide from Mallory's quick reaction, simply nodded.
Mallory released his wrist, her hands going to fists by her sides. "I have been drenched in a saloon and a bakery, attacked by seriously pissed off sea mammals, and have sand in places SAND SHOULD NOT BE! The LAST thing I'm going to do is let Dive or Duke hear about this and mock me for the next six months!" Mallory paced as she vented, her arms angrily and vividly expressing rage that had been building up slowly but surely over the course of the evening.
She paused in her tirade, turning back to Wildwing and shoeing him off the bike. "We are going to walk back to the Pond, sneak in quietly, shower, and NEVER SPEAK OF THIS NIGHT AGAIN." Mallory took a deep breath, switching the duckcycle back into neutral and tossing her and Wildwing's helmet into the storage bin beneath the seats. She grabbed the handlebars of the bike and glanced up at Wildwing, who had yet to say a word. "Clear?"
Wildwing managed to find his voice to answer back: "Crystal."
"Good." Mallory grunted a bit as she began pushing the bike, slowly wheeling it down the street.
Wildwing was going to offer to push the bike for her, but at the moment he wisely walked alongside her, afraid of accidentally redirecting the redhead's anger towards him.
So he smartly kept quiet, only glancing at Mallory every once in a while.
"How far away are we anyway?" Mallory finally asked, the anger in her voice gone and replaced by exhaustion.
Wildwing opened his COM, checking the built-in GPS. "About two miles."
Mallory took a deep breath but didn't say anything more.
After a couple more minutes Wildwing couldn't stand seeing her bent over pushing the bike anymore. Opting for a compromise, he gently took the handlebar closest to him. Mallory looked up at him as he wedged her hand away and, seeing what he was doing, gratefully stood up and kept her other hand on the handlebar closest to her.
Together they could push the bike without bending over, and did so quietly for another five minutes or so.
Mallory eventually sighed, catching Wildwing's attention. She glanced at him and back in front of them quickly. "I'm sorry, Wing."
"For what?"
Mallory released a breathy laugh. "I don't know, for biting your head off maybe?" They reached the main road the Pond was on and slowly turned right onto it. "You're always cool and collected, no matter what. Makes me wonder why you put up with me sometimes."
Wildwing scoffed, shaking his head. "For one, you didn't bite my head off. You just … vented. And two, I'm not always cool and collected. I believe you're the one that tells me I'm a worrywart."
"That's not the same, though."
"Isn't it? I mean, okay, so I don't yell a lot and can mediate most fights. But I lose it when you or Dive get hurt, or are put into danger. I overreact."
"So you worry. You still lead us, and you don't let things like that get in the way."
"I think I would, if it came down to it. And that scares me sometimes."
Mallory paused briefly, glancing over at Wildwing. Her voice was softer when she spoke: "I know he's family, and I'm, well … important to you, but you would never put us over the other guys. That's not you."
Wildwing looked down at the ground. "I want to think that too, but … I don't know."
Mallory watched him for a moment, his eyes boring holes into the ground in front of him. She eventually turned back to the road ahead of her, taking a couple seconds to look up at the clear night sky and bright full moon.
"I know that's not you, Wildwing, because that's not who I fell in love with."
Wildwing looked at her then, his expression unreadable.
Mallory saw him through her peripheral vision but kept her eyes on the road ahead. "You're the leader because no one else can maintain this team the way you do. You respect everyone's ideas, you prioritize safety above all else, and your best attribute is that you don't think you're qualified for the position.
"Your humility, as aggravating as it can be sometimes, makes you always strive to do better. And coming from a military background, I assure you it's a quality most leaders lack." Mallory finally looked over to Wildwing—who had been staring at her as she spoke—and repeated, "It's who I fell in love with."
Wildwing glanced away, almost seemingly embarrassed by her words. He cleared his throat after a moment, saying quietly, "Thank you."
Mallory smiled, amused that even now he was hard-pressed to accept the acclaim. "We don't say it to you often enough, but I guarantee you the rest of the guys would agree hands-down."
Unable to currently form the words of appreciation he wanted to say, Wildwing simply took his hand and placed it on top of Mallory's, who was still holding on to the handlebar closest to her.
His touch caused her to look at him again, and he smiled warmly at her, a gesture that she returned. They remained in amicable silence for the next few minutes after that, Wildwing's hand squeezing Mallory's affectionately before returning to its original position on the handlebars.
Up the road a ways the Pond became visible through the night sky, its large structure indicating they were only a few blocks away from home.
Mallory went to turn the bike towards the billboard sign coming up, where a secret entrance and exit was built to their large underground hangar.
Wildwing stopped her however, motioning towards the Pond itself. "We can't open the garage without the bike being on, so we'll have to just park it outside tonight."
Mallory nodded, sighing a little as they passed the billboard and continued their walk. "I guess we could've tried to find a gas station on the way here."
Wildwing took a glance at his COM. "I was thinking the same thing, but we'd had to have gone a mile out of our way to do it. …And I wasn't keen on bringing up that option earlier." He sheepishly grinned at Mallory when she shot him a glare, but thankfully for him it loosened into a smile and a shake of her head.
"I take back that leader-that-shows-respect stuff I said earlier."
Mallory smirked at him playfully, which made Wildwing smile, both from the snarky comment and the redhead's seemingly better attitude. Maybe the night wouldn't be such a total failure after all.
A gust of wind picked up as they neared the large hockey stadium, causing Mallory to involuntarily shiver. The night air was dropping pretty steadily now, causing their damp attire to become more uncomfortable by the minute.
"How about we go inside, get cleaned up, and I'll make us some hot chocolate; maybe watch a movie?" Wildwing suggested as they trekked across the parking lot towards the side entrance.
Mallory hummed in approval, using her foot to pop out the kickstand of the duckcycle when they reached their destination. With the bike standing on its own she wrapped her arms around herself, watching Wildwing as he removed his keys from the bike and brought them to the door.
When he didn't immediately open the door, Mallory approached him, trying to peer around to see what the problem was. "Wildwing?"
In answer to her hesitant call to him, Wildwing groaned, his forehead resting on the door in frustration. Mallory tilted her head as she stood next to him, watching. "What's wrong?" she asked.
Wildwing laughed a little, though the laugh itself was clearly out of aggravation. "The key's gone."
"What? What do you mean? The key's right there." Mallory reached out, grasping the keys that were still in Wildwing's hands. She looked them over, trying to find the one that opened the side entrance to the Pond.
"It was an old key … it could've fallen off anywhere."
Mallory, realizing she wasn't finding the key on the key ring where it was supposed to be, looked at Wildwing incredulously. "Come on, the one key we need? Maybe it's in your pockets still. Here, let me—"
Mallory reached toward Wildwing's jeans pockets, and Wildwing—out of instinct more than anything—jumped back from her.
Startled, Mallory looked at him. "Are you pranking me right now? Come on, Wildwing, I'm cold and sore and tired. Let's just go in."
She reached for him again, causing Wildwing to take another step back. Mallory growled out of frustration. "Wildwing!"
"I don't have the key, I promise!" Wildwing finally said, realizing he was pushing himself in a corner.
"Then what's with acting like a jumping bean? Just let me check your pockets to be sure!"
"You … can't."
Mallory, obviously annoyed, crossed her arms over herself. "And why not?"
Wildwing thought quickly, but couldn't come up with an excuse. He groaned, his hands coming up to his face to rub his eyes tiredly. "I just wanted to have a really nice night out with you."
His companion lost the edge to her anger as she watched him, but her arms remained crossed over herself. "Wildwing?" she asked questioningly.
"You didn't want to do anything fancy, which was fine. I didn't think that would've been the way to go, anyway. We're not like that. And then we had to have Mindy for a server."
Wildwing, in full rant-mode, began pacing. "So we get to wear our dessert and you get to taste what a softball feels like when it meets a bat. The night's not over though, and for the most part you don't seem too upset. So I suggest the beach.
"I didn't want a paparazzi storm, so I think a new beach we don't normally visit might be better. They're all the same along the coast in the end, right?" Wildwing let out a breathy laugh, still pacing and causing Mallory to look on slightly bemused.
"But I guess Seal Beach is aptly named. So we're covered in wine and fruit tarts and drenched in forty-five degree salt water. The night's pretty much a bust. But I thought, 'Hey, I can still get you home and warmed up, maybe watch a movie we'd been meaning to see.' That's still a good setting for us, right? We've always loved our nights in together, so maybe that makes the most sense anyway."
"Wildwing, what are you—"
"But no, the bike with its faulty tank sensor has to run out of fuel, make us hike home soaking wet, and of all the things I DIDN'T lose in my pockets tonight, the stupid freaking key—off a SET of keys, no less—has to somehow magically disappear, leaving us with absolutely no choice but to COM the others to get inside." Wildwing took a deep breath, turning to look at Mallory.
His voice returned to a normal, if not softer pitch, as he continued: "But it somehow managed to stay in my pocket all night, even after a dip in the ocean." Wildwing closed the distance between him and Mallory, one of his hands brushing her damp, cold hair out of her face. "So, it might be the stupidest time to do this, but at this point I really don't have anything to lose."
Mallory looked completely lost, her brow etched in an expression of confusion as she watched Wildwing speechless.
"You think your temper is your worst quality, but I think it's your best. You're passionate about everything you believe in, and in the end you always know when you've crossed the line, so you apologize.
"Your ability to see your own faults and make up for them makes you just as humble, and it's one of biggest reasons I love you. You're always striving to be better for the same reasons you say I am, and I think together we push ourselves even more."
Wildwing reached into that same pocket he'd been constantly checking since this night began, but for the last time. He pulled out the box, clutching it tightly in his hand.
A look of dawning crossed Mallory's face as she looked at the box and up to Wildwing with wide eyes.
"Puckworld and Earth have different ways of doing this, but because Earth is ultimately what brought us together I thought maybe a mix of traditions might be best." Wildwing took a deep breath, shakily using his other hand to open the box.
"Earth likes diamonds for their rarity, but Puckworld likes colored stones since everything's covered in ice…." Wildwing tilted the open box toward Mallory, the small emerald stone sparkling in the center of the white gold ring. "But both Earth and Puckworld also think bigger and gaudier are better. I know you're not a fan of jewelry, so I thought maybe something smaller might suite you."
Wildwing removed the ring from the box, hastily replacing the container in one of the pockets on his windbreaker. "On Puckworld we stand, but I like Earth's idea better." With that statement Wildwing bent down on one knee in front of Mallory, holding up the ring to her.
"And on Earth they ask for your hand in marriage, but I think Puckworld asks it best: Mallory McMallard, will you wear this ring as a symbol of our bond—of our love—and of our commitment to each other as lifemates?"
Wildwing continued to hold up the ring to Mallory, who remained speechless as she looked down at him. Her eyes were uncharacteristically wide with surprise and fear, but after a few fleeting moments of uncertainty her expression softened into a smile.
"Yes to Earth's marriage, and I do commit as lifemates with you, heart mind and soul." Mallory, in Puckworld tradition, grasped Wildwing's hand holding the ring with both of her own. Wildwing smiled and stood up, taking the ring and placing it on Mallory's middle finger of her left hand.
Mallory watched him and, when he was finished, jumped into his arms, kissing him.
Wildwing stumbled back a bit but caught himself from falling, catching her and returning her kiss with eager.
When they broke apart, Wildwing gently put Mallory back on the ground as she admired the ring.
"How long have you been planning this?" she finally asked, looking up at him.
Wildwing rubbed the back of his neck guiltily. "About … two months?" Mallory raised an eyebrow at him, causing him to hastily add, "It took a while to work up the nerve to do it, okay?"
She laughed, shaking her head at him and hugging him around his waist. Wildwing accepted the embrace readily, glad for the stressful task to be over.
"So the night wasn't a complete loss then," he added, kissing the top of her head.
Mallory pulled back to look up at him, her hands on his hips. "There could've been less water and crazy mammals involved—but yeah."
Wildwing grinned and went to kiss her again, but stopped when Mallory frowned and looked down at Wildwing's pants. He followed her gaze but didn't have a chance to question her expression before one of her hands reached into his pockets.
"Hey now-!" Wildwing cried out of surprise, considering his pants were still wet and stuck to him like glue.
Mallory successfully pulled her hand out after some searching, producing what she had presumably felt when her hands had rested on his hips.
Glaring at him in the face, in full brass glory, was the missing key to the side entrance door.
"Heh," Wildwing breathed out of surprise. "Guess it just fell off the key ring after all."
Mallory rolled her eyes but didn't say anything else as she used the key to open the door. Turning back to him with a playful smile, she grabbed his hand and pulled him inside with her.
"At least we don't have to COM the—"
Wildwing and Mallory both stopped, the door behind them loudly squeaking shut. Their entrance had gathered the attention of their teammates, currently scrimmaging on the ice.
"Hey Bro, we were just about to send a posse after you!" Nosedive called from his temporary position as goalie. The rest of the team skated over, waving.
Duke was the first to notice. "Uh, get caught in a storm d'ere sweetheart?"
"Whoa, Bro, you got some … uh something on your pants there," Nosedive motioned to Wildwing's earlier fruit tart incident.
Mallory and Wildwing glanced at each other, the former sighing at the latter groaning.
"Sounds like you guys had an interesting night," Duke commented when the two didn't reply.
Tanya squinted a bit at Mallory. "Is that … oh Drake, is that a ring?"
Wildwing turned to Mallory, ready to say something. She shushed him with a wave of her hand.
"Just … don't."
Wildwing obediently remained quiet but gave Mallory's hand a squeeze before the rest of their teammates had managed to exit the ice rink and barrage them with questions and congratulations. Despite everything she still smiled back at him.
While the night didn't go quite as planned, it certainly wasn't going to be a night they forgot anytime soon.
fin