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Dave paced back and forth behind the curtain, trying to keep himself calm as his footsteps filled the backstage area. He was never this antsy before a performance before, at least… evidently so. He was real good at hiding his worries under that bravado of his, he can’t help but wonder why he just felt so off-key.
It was his usual routine! His usual song and dance… but… he can’t help but feel like several things were slipping his mind.
He shook his head, trying to wack away his anxieties. It would all come to hymn on stage, it always did! Sometimes you can’t recall the lyrics to a tune until you get to hear it yourself! All his memories would just all fly back into hymn, just wait and see.
The musician took a deep breath before slowly unveiling the curtain, only to be met with… absolutely nothing?
He looked on at the invisible audience, his stage, his entire auditorium full of nothing but inky black void. The air suddenly felt cold as he took a few steps back, only to realise the curtain behind him had completely disappeared too.
The Major Player stared at the dark abyss as it stared back with its imposing glare. The complete darkness felt as if it were numbing him, making his head go completely empty.
He tried so, so hard to picture what his audience looked like, the face of any individual audience member completely blurred in his mind. He couldn’t imagine a face… a voice… a name… or even a general figure. It all just came up with nothing.
What his auditorium looked like he could barely even remember. What color was it? What was the atmosphere like? What did the music sound like? He saw it everyday! Shouldn’t it have stuck in his mind a little more? Why does it feel as if he were forgetting… everything?
He couldn’t even remember his favorite song, he racked his brain so hard to the point where it started to ache.
The musician blinked as he spotted something in the distance. He slowly ambled toward it, the blurry shape growing closer and more defined before he realises in front of him is an antique gramophone. It… reminded him a little of the one he used to have at his parents home… when he still used to live there of course. Those times were very… long gone.
Dave wagged his head, suddenly perking up as an idea entered his mind. Maybe to fill in the… total nothingness, he could finally put the record on his hat to use!
He gently removed the record upon his head and carefully placed it upon the gramophone in front of him. He could feel it now, the oncoming blast of nostalgia growing closer and closer. He’s had the record on his head for as long as he could remember. It was a song his mother would constantly listen to. While Dave didn’t really have the… greatest relationship with his mom, he couldn’t help but grow attached to the several decades old record. It was his comfort song, his comfort item. At least one thing would keep him at ease… right?
He played the record only to be met with the most ear piercing record scratch he had ever heard in his life. A sound that shook him to his core and made hymn feel itchy all over. A restless feeling filled his body as he covered his auditory receivers in an attempt to block out the noise, but no matter what he did it drilled itself into his brain.
That record was chalk full of memories, it was a song he held dear, it was one of the few things from his past that he actively kept around. To hear it be so… distorted beyond recognition filled his chest with an unsettling feeling, as if his heart were going to spring out of his chest and leave a permanent hole behind.
What was so frustrating was that he could barely , just barely recognize a leitmotif or two, barely recognize a few instruments, barely recognize a voice in the wreckage of it all… and yet, he couldn’t piece together the bigger picture. No matter how hard he strained his brain.
It was almost there, but not enough, it was never enough. The sound just purely mocked him and hurt whatever memory he had left in his head before he fully blacked out.
…
Dave’s eyes shot open behind his shades as he stared up at the ceiling. The blank white ceiling is almost a contrast to the black void he was in earlier.
He felt a warmth on his body as he looked down to see Buck’s arms holding him close. His feathers provide him with a comforting sensation. That was nice at least.
However, he couldn’t help but just… think back to the nightmare he had. He couldn’t think, he couldn’t move. You’d expect someone who had just had a terrible dream to jolt up, panting fearfully as they grasp at the nearest thing for comfort but… Dave couldn’t help but feel… absolutely nothing. A shred of dread ebbed away at the comfort the person next to him was providing.
Every time his mind even alluded to it, a bit more dread started to fill his body ever so slightly.
The musician shifted a little to take a gander at the duck cog currently clinging onto him. He couldn’t help but reach out to cup his face, looking down at him longingly.
He couldn’t help but think…
Would there be a time where… he would forget Buck? A time where his luck wouldn’t pull through and… Dave wouldn’t see him after that?
Would he forget what his face looked like, how his laughs sounded, how his feathers felt on his body?
It was a terrifying thought to think that… no, no, he really didn’t want to think that.
Still, the idea had always crossed his mind one way or another. What if Dave didn’t make it in time and Buck had really gotten damaged beyond repair during his Tune-up repair? He already had to adjust to the changes Buck experienced now but to adjust to his entire lack of presence? He couldn’t bear the thought.
The hand on Buck’s face shook as the sensation was enough to get the smaller cog to stir, an odd glitchy yawn escaping his bill as he blinked up at the other Suit.
“Oh hey there, handthome…”
Buck lets out a sleepy chuckle as he looks back up at Dave, a shaky smile on the other’s face. The Duck Shuffler tilts his head in confusion as he was expecting some kind of flirty response back, only to be met with silence.
“You jutht gonna keep lookin’ at me or what? At thith point I might even make ya pay!”
The musician sighs as he wordlessly brings Buck closer to him, his gaze almost seeming it was going through him. Something was definitely up with this guy, more than usual anyways.
“Hey pal, you’re actin’ a little funkier than usual, the BAD kinda funky. What’th up?” He questions him, his voice softer than usual. It’s hard for Buck to keep his voice low but he’ll try anything to figure out what the heck was going on.
Dave glances around himself before making eye contact with Buck again. He couldn’t afford to stop looking at him, what would happen if he just suddenly disappeared like everything in that dream?
He cleared his throat, trying to find his voice but to no avail. For once Dave was rendered completely speechless.
The gambler blinked at him as he studied Dave’s face. Buck was a poker finatic, which made him great at reading other people’s expressions and intentions. He lived off that instinct and observatory ability of his. Dave was a hard nut to crack for many, with his whole celebrity status and all it was difficult to tell what he was really thinking, but not for Buck. Dave was just another card in the deck, a big and beautiful card but a card nevertheless. Dave was his king, and Buck was his ace.
Looking at him he could clearly tell he was upset, even when he was tired he had a smile on his face, but Buck could just tell this wasn’t his usual smile. Dave’s shades in the way always made it difficult to read his expressions, it was common for gamblers alike to wear sunglasses to obscure their eyes. Pupils normally dilate when someone sees something they like, so to make sure no one knew about a good hand, shades are often donned, though it wasn’t something Buck particularly liked to do himself.
“C’mon, thomethin’ ith up. Tell your good ol’ pal, yeah?” Buck tilted his head expectantly as the other cleared hys throat.
“Ain’t nothin’ wrong, babe, just a little drowsy and all.” The musician scratches the back of his head as he hopes that Buck doesn’t call his bluff, unfortunately, he was dealing with a gambler.
“I ain’t buyin’ that, ya thly dog! Thinthe when have ya ever been low energy, huh? You can crank back theveral drinkth without even thlurrin’ onthe! There’th definitely thomethin’ goin’ on. The jig ith up, bucko!” The Duck Shuffler points accusingly at him, his claw grazing hys nose as he looks up at the other.
“Baby, the jig is still goin’! I just ain’t tip top at the moment, gotta recharge for the next few shows y’know?”
Buck rolls his slot eyes, pouting. “What? Did all thothe pianoth droppin’ on ya finally get to your head? You ain’t never anxiouth about that thtuff I know you.”
Dave shifts in bed a little, trying to avoid eye contact with the other and failing miserably. He couldn’t help but just stare at him, he didn't want to look away from him after the thoughts that had filled his head.
“Just trust me on this, babe, I’m doin’ A-okay. Finely tuned and all that.”
Buck’s slot eye twitches as he forgot how stubborn Dave could be at times, he often won over Buck’s heart with his charms but at the moment he wasn’t being so charming.
“Well I think you’re off-key, pal! I don’t wanna keep puthhin’ but I’m gonna until I win the pot, okay? Thpit it out! Whuddya got to lothe from botherin’ me?”
Dave huffs through his teeth, sighing. “I just don’t wanna bother ya.”
“Bother me? Davey, I bother you all the time! You have to deal with tho much comin’ from me, I think it’th fair game if you let me in on a little bit of your baggage.”
Dave opens his mouth to refute him before Buck raises up a finger to shush him. “I pour all of my thtuff onto ya while you jutht thit there and have to deal with all of that on your own. It ain’t right! It ain’t fair! Jutht let me help ya out for onthe, Davey. Pleathe?”
He pleads with him, tugging on the bed sheets. The other sighs, speaking up reluctantly. “Fine, but only to even out the playing field.”
Buck smirks, gently punching the musician on the shoulder. “Wath it that hard?”
Dave scoffs. “One day you’ll get on my nerves, babe.”
The gambler’s grin grows, tapping his arm idly. “Really now?”
“I just know it, babe. When it does happen… I’d be sure to pay ya back with somethin’.”
The Duck Shuffler blows a little raspberry in response, crossing his arms. “There ya go people pleathing again, c’mon, get real mad! Get real thad! Ya haven’t even told me what the ithhue wath, ya kept avoidin’ it thith whole time.”
The musician bites the bullet, finally opening up. “Fine, ya got me, babe. It was just a little nightmare is all, some bedroom blues. No biggie, really.”
Buck let out a little chuckle. “Pfft! Dave, I get night terrorth all the time! Gothh I thhoulda known, gimmie the rundown.”
The Major Player scratches hys head, sinking into the mattress a little. “It was abstract n’ all, not makin’ sense to lil’ ol’ me. To be honest, it’s uh… slippin’ my mind a little.” He tenses subtly at the irony of that statement.
“Of courthe it ain’t makin’ thenthe, it’th a dream! Pluth, with the thtuff that goeth on in your head, I’m thurprithed you even got thpooked by it.”
He chuckles, giving the other a lopsided smile. “Would ya be surprised that I don’t have many dreams?”
The gambler perked up, tilting his head. “And here I thought you were a big dreamer, your head thure ith full of nothin’ durin’ night, huh? I guethh that’th to make up for how dreamy you are.” He playfully sticks his tongue out as props himself up with his arm.
A light blush covers Dave’s face as he lets out an amused laugh. “What’s with the smooth talkin’, huh?”
“You’re feelin’ blue tho I gotta do double the talkin’ to make up for it! Duh.” He snuggles closer to Dave, a dopey smile on his face.
“I’ll miss this.” The Duck Shuffler tilts his head in confuddlement as he stares down the other. The musician thinks back to when he woke up, trying to arrange his words correctly.
“Durin’ my little nighttime adventure I was on stage preparin’ for a show that night. When I went out on stage well… there was nothin’ out there for me. I tried so hard to recall anythin’... but it all came out blank. Heck, I could hardly even remember… you.”
Buck listens carefully, expression softening as he rested his head against Dave’s chest.
“Prolly just lettin’ the jitterbugs get to me, but sometimes I think about a time where I do lose those things, and I can’t ever get ‘em back. What if those memories burn away into a cinder? What if I forget all of those things that made me happy, y’know?”
The gambler gently strokes Dave’s side, claws lightly grazing his metal skin, making him shiver. “I know for a fact ya ain’t forgettin’ me, I’m makin’ thhure ya don’t.”
“Ya don’t need me there in front of ya for you to think of me, do you? There’th other thtuff to remember me by, y’know?” He nuzzles his beak against Dave’s neck, feeling the bigger Suit hold him closer.
The musician buries his face into the duck cog’s feathers, a fluttery feeling running through him as he takes in the other’s scent. Pineapple. As always. It was always a nice smell. The scent of that tropical fruit never failed to make the musician feel all warm inside. He’s never told anyone but occasionally he’d fish through Buck’s laundry just to chase that scent whenever he had been missing him a little too much.
“Ya ain’t ever gonna get rid of me, Davey. That’th a promithe. I’ll make thure to leave my mark.” He laughs softly as he nips at Dave’s neck, the musician letting out a surprised whine.
Bouts of steam escaped the corners of his mouth as he squirmed, Buck shifting himself to rest on top of him. “Baaaabe…”
The gambler pulls away to get a good look at the other, it wasn’t so often he got to see Dave be so open and vulnerable, and heck, he was going to relish in as much of it as he can. He smirks, watching as Dave stares back, almost pleading with him.
Buck moves in to nip at Dave’s neck once again, gently biting and licking his metal skin until he’s a little flustered heap. “Y’know, you’ve been takin’ care of me long enough, it’th about time I pamper ya thenthelethh, yeah?”
Dave can’t help but have a little shaky smile creep onto his face as he moans softly at the attention. “Oooh, baby please…”
The Duck Shuffler giggles, leaving a particularly prominent mark on Dave’s shoulder. “Hmm? I can’t hear ya, Davey.”
“Babe, please…!” More steam bellows out his teeth as he lets out an odd piano note. Dave's body shakes as Buck pulls away, tilting the taller cogs head to meet his gaze.
The gambler presses his forehead against his, smiling genuinely. “I’m gonna drag thith out reaaaal long, jutht tho you can commit thith all to memory, yeah? I want ya to remember all of thith, you got that?”
The Major Player let out an amused chuckle, his heart fluttering at the sincerity of it all. “Oh, ya little deviant you… you’re just a little feathery menace, aren’t you?”
The other grins in response, “But ya love that about me, don’t ya?”
Dave’s expression turns more genuine as he runs a hand down the smaller cog’s body. “I do, it’s somethin’ I’d never forget about ya.”
Their bodies nuzzle in closer as Buck traces shapes into Dave’s chest. “I love you, babe.”
“I love ya too.”