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Chapter Text

José opens the door of the house and enters carrying a suitcase in his hand, behind him followed Panchito dragging his feet in a very exhausted walk. The couple was just returning from a very long trip that they undertook in several Latin American countries, such as Colombia, Chile, Argentina, Venezuela, they even went to Mexico to visit the family of the rooster. But finally, after two months traveling from one place to another, the two return to their humble home in Bahia, Brazil. Both shared a small house that barely had a living room, a kitchen, a bathroom and a bedroom. And a backyard where there was only one beautiful mango tree that Panchito and José planted a long time ago and took care of it with dedication.

Panchito arrives at the only couch in the room, leaves the suitcase on the floor and falls to the couch to finally rest. But unfortunately he was so tired that he fails and only the top part of his body manages to reach the couch, while the rest of his body was on the cold floor, one of his arms was hanging from the furniture and the other was trapped under his chest.

It didn’t seem like a very comfortable position, that's what José thought when he saw his couple, but that didn’t seem to bother him at all since he had fallen asleep. Jose knew he couldn’t leave Panchito like that, he knew that the next day he would be complaining about the pains in his back and shoulder, so he left his suitcase and tried to wake the rooster, but he didn’t answer. Without more alternatives, José grabs Panchito and tries to lift him, but he can’t handle the weight and they both fall to the couch again, with the rooster lying on the lap of the parrot. Jose knew that he was weak, but he didn’t expect how heavy Panchito was, being thinner than him he thought he might be able to carry him, but he already proved how wrong he was.

José tries to get up again with Panchito in his arms, and although he was about to fall again, he manages to stabilize and maintain the weight of his boyfriend, his face clearly said the extreme effort he was making. The parrot manages to take slowly small steps, and at that moment José was considering to stop being so lazy and start exercising. He was already a few steps from the door of their bedroom when he feels that he stops breathing, he realizes that he has no way of opening it. He had to leave Panchito on the floor, but he felt that if he left him and tried to load him again his back would break.

After 5 minutes, José manages to turn the doorknob with his elbow and walks to the bed. Finally he throws Panchito to the bed and he sits on the floor, unable to feel his arms and with pain in his back, but happy to have achieved such a feat that he hoped never to repeat again in his life. If he wasn't tired before for the trip now he is.

But he doesn't realize that Panchito starts to move uncomfortably, until he wakes up. Panchito can see that he's in his room and tries to remember how he got there, until he sees his tired boyfriend sitting on the floor.

“José? What are you doing on the floor?”

“I'm just … tired”

“Ay Zé, we had a long trip, of course you're going to be tired, but at least you would have reached the bed instead of throwing yourself to the floor.”

Panchito gets up from the bed, with a slight discomfort in his shoulder, and without problems he carries José in his arms, laying him on the bed and lying down beside him. José doesn't even bother to ask him how the hell he does to carry him so calm when he suffered every second when Panchito was in his arms. He just curl his head on his boyfriend's chest and quickly fall asleep.

Panchito brings the parrot closer in a loving embrace and kisses him on the forehead, then goes back to sleep, this time in a more comfortable position, in the arms of his beloved and with the moon illuminating the room.

Chapter Text

The duck was on the ground, kneeling on the white tiles now stained red. He was in front of a lot of pieces of the mirror, broken by his injured fist, with blood coming from his knuckles and falling to the ground, merging with his tears of pain. Donald kept his eyes tightly closed, trying to keep the tears from coming out of his eyes. He felt as if his heart had broken, his chest hurt, screaming to end that suffering. But he couldn't because he had to stay strong for the three eggs that remained in the bed of his room, wrapped in a sheet to cover them from the cold that came through the open window.

He wanted to stop crying, get up and go with his nephews, be strong for them, but he couldn't, his body didn't react, he was immobile on the floor of his bathroom with his hand full of blood.

Donald's life had taken a drastic change in such a short time, everything seemed to have gone very fast, his sister was now lost in space, probably killed by the cosmic storm, and yesterday he had a strong discussion with his uncle, blaming him for losing his sister. Scrooge also seemed distressed, at first he had tried to apologize, but then he began to scream annoyed, insisting that was Della's fault for thought it would be a good idea to travel to space when on Earth she had three little ducks to raise.

Maybe he was right, Donald had warned her that it was a bad idea, but she did it anyway. And now he has to take care of three eggs that are not even his. How could he deal with that when he never looked after any child in his life? He didn't know what to do, he was stressed and very scared, he can't be strong for his nephews or for himself, he can't do it alone.

And as if someone had heard his prayers, the doorbell begins to sound repetitive, pulling Donald out of his thoughts. Finally, the duck manages to get up, and without caring that his hand was still bleeding and that in his eyes there were still traces of tears, he leaves the bathroom and passes in front of the open door of his room, seeing the eggs rest without worries in the bed. He takes a look to make sure they're all right and goes down the stairs, dragging his feet in each step he took until he reaches the door, when he was about to open it he notices his trembling and bloody hand, he knew he shouldn't open the door like that, so he just ask who's behind the door.

“It's us, amigo. Do you think you can let us in?”

Donald knew that voice with a Mexican accent, but it sounded different, it didn't have that happy and funny tone, it was softer as if he didn't want to bother him. He was undecided, he watched as his hand trembled with pain and fear. He couldn't open the door like that, he knew who was behind the door and he didn't want to worry him about a stupid thing, or at least that's what Donald thought.

"Donald, please, we know what happened, we know that you don't want to be alone, even if you don't admit it ... but you don't have to be, just open the door" this time it was another voice with a Brazilian accent, he sounded sad and worried as if he understood the pain that Donald was going through.

Panchito and José, his two best friends, whom he saw as his two older brothers (although he was the oldest), were behind the door wanting to enter and support him in what was probably the most difficult moment which Donald was going through ... How to say no to that?

After thinking a moment he decides to open the door, with some pain because he used his bruised hand, and the first thing he sees are the eyes of his friends, looking worried and sad. The first thing that Panchito and José see are the tired and red eyes of his friend for so much crying, beneath them he had eye bags for being awake looking after the eggs, and the trace of the painful tears that a few minutes ago didn't stop coming out. They see a disconsolate and afflicted duck that looked so small and weak.

Panchito is the first to react, giving him a strong but delicate hug, afraid to hurt him more than he already was. Donald hesitates for a few seconds, but then he returns the hug and the tears begin to fall down his face, wetting the shoulder of the rooster. José just stood there, watching Panchito trying to comfort Donald, he wanted to get closer and join the hug but seeing the face of his friend reminded him of himself when his sister had died leaving only two eggs he had to take care even when he didn't know how. José knows how Donald feels, he knows what it was like to lose a loved one, felt that you should've done something to avoid it, and then have to carry what that person left behind. It was difficult, but he managed to get ahead thanks to his friends.

Panchito takes Donald to the couch in the living room, he was still clinging to Panchito's jacket, without noticing that he was staining it with blood. José closes the door and goes to the kitchen to prepare tea to calm the duck. Panchito still had Donald in his arms, that moment also reminded him of how long ago José also went through something very similar, years ago he had the parrot in his arms too, crying sad and scared. He doesn't like to see his friends like that, but he can't do anything more than be with them and support them in everything he can.

José returns with a cup of tea in his hands and the two birds manage to make Donald drink it, it calms him down a little but some tears still remained in his eyes.

"Thanks ..." Donald says with a weak voice and barely understandable.

"It's nothing, you know we're always going to be here for you" José takes the duck's hand and squeezes it as support, Panchito was going to do the same, but he realizes the already dried blood on his knuckles.

"Donald, what did you do?" Panchito was mad, but he remembered that it wasn't the best moment to argue and he decides to ask him soft, but still annoyed.

Donald looked at him sadly, he knew that they were going to reproach him for that, he had bothered them enough with his whimpers and he didn't want to bother them more for a foolish wound. Thinking about that only makes his tears come out again. “I-I’m sorry”.

"Oh, no Donald, you don't have to apologize, está bem, it's not your fault" José tries to prevent his friend cry again.

"Yes, it is! It's my fault that I've hurt my hand! It's my fault that Della has disappeared! It's my fault that three children don't have a mother anymore! It's my fault that my family has been broken! This is all my fault!" Tears come back out of his eyes, he kept his head hidden in his hands so that his friends wouldn't see him like that. Panchito and José look at him in shock, although they expected a reaction like that from Donald.

“Donald, of course not, that’s not true” Panchito tries to reason with him.

"Donald, look at me," José takes Donald's face in his hands and forces him to look up and see him, the duck could see the concern in his friend's eyes, but he also saw understanding and sadness “I know it's hard, losing your sister whom you loved, having to take care of three kids that are not yours even when you have no experience. I know it's very painful because I also experienced it, I also suffered it, but I managed to keep going thanks to you and Panchito, you two supported me and were there for me every time. Now it's my turn to be there for you, Donald, and let me tell you the same thing you've told me, it's not worth blaming anyone, now you have kids that need you and I assure you that you won't be alone in this.”

Donald remained silent, he had no words to express how grateful he was to have friends like them, he was so happy to have them at that moment and to know that he’s not alone. Not knowing what to say, Donald embraces José strongly, this time crying with joy and with a grateful smile, the parrot without hesitation returns the hug, with some tears sticking out of his eyes and smiling. Then Panchito joins, hugging both birds as support.

After that hug that only lasted a few minutes, although for them it was an eternity, Panchito and José take the duck back to the bathroom, and while the parrot healed the wound in his hand, the rooster cleaned the remains of the mirror and the dry blood on the ground.

As soon as they get to the bedroom, Donald lies on the bed hugging his nephews and falls quickly asleep, exhausted from all the emotions he suffered that day. The other two watch him for a few moments, satisfied to see him sleep peacefully, then look at each other and nod. Both lie in the bed with Donald and the eggs, falling asleep because they were also quite tired from the trip they took from their homes in Brazil and Mexico, it was difficult to get flights so soon, but it worth that effort so they can be with their friend who needed them.

They knew it would be difficult, especially for Donald, but now the three of them were together and they were going to support him in everything, no matter how difficult it is. Because, through fair and stormy weather, they stand close together.