Work Text:
He felt light.
As if he weighed nothing.
When he opened his eyes, he realized he was in a kind of gray room.
He had never seen this place before.
He sat up with difficulty.
He didn't know why his body hurt so much.
His clothes were torn to shreds.
It looked like he had detonated several TNT sticks, judging by the state of his clothes.
His ears ached terribly.
He felt dizzy.
He began to walk with great difficulty.
His leg hurt a lot.
And after walking for a while, he couldn't stand it anymore and sat down.
He pulled up his pants and saw it.
His leg was covered in wounds, with parts completely burned, bloody and everything.
It could heal, of course.
But he would probably be lame forever.
Then he wanted to check his wings. He took off his shirt and looked at them. One wing was fine, the other wasn't. It had small cuts and some burns, but it would surely heal.
But now the most important thing was to find a way out.
His leg hurt a lot.
He wanted to cry, but he didn't want to seem weak.
He sat quietly.
"Quackity, right?" An echoing voice came, soft and peaceful.
"Who are you? Where are you?" His voice sounded much more frightened than he wanted it to be. He was defenseless, unarmed, and his leg was badly injured.
"Don't worry, little duck." There was a short pause. "I am a god who has seen how much you have suffered."
"A god?"
"Yes, a God, I am the God of life and hope."
"Why have you looked at me? I'm not interesting."
"Well, I saw that you suffered a lot, from a very young age..." He paused. "I want to offer you something special."
"Offer me something?"
"You've never had peace in your life, you've suffered a lot."
"I know."
"I want to offer you another chance, in another world, a world where you can rest and be at peace."
"Why do I deserve another chance? There are other people who have suffered too."
"Because you've grown fond of me, little duckling. I've been watching you since you were a baby, and you deserve a peaceful life, a peaceful end."
"What happens if I don't accept?"
"You'll go to limbo until it's your turn to be judged, then you'll go to heaven or hell."
"And what happens if I accept?"
"You'll go to limbo until it's your turn to be judged, then you'll go to heaven or hell."
"And what happens if I accept?"
"I want to offer you another chance, in another world, a world where you can rest and be at peace."
"Why do ... "You'll go to the world I'm telling you about, you'll meet people, you'll live peacefully."
"Will I be able to walk around easily? I mean, my leg is messed up."
"I can heal it, but you'll be lame forever. Your leg is badly injured."
"And my wings and tail? Will I be able to be a hybrid? Will I have to hide it like I did in the snow?"
"You don't have to hide it, only if you want to. You will be a hybrid."
"Can I..." He remained silent, unsure what to accept. "Can I have the chance?"
"Of course."
A white light appeared, bright, very bright.
Quackity felt dizzy from the sudden brightness and fainted immediately.
When he opened his eyes, he realized he was lying on the grass.
He remembered nothing.
Before he could even think of anything logical, he heard voices and footsteps.
"Hey kid, get up now." A boy approached.
He was tall and had black hair swept back. He wore purple pants but no shirt.
At first, he was alone, but soon he was surrounded by several people.
"Where am I?" His throat hurt, as did his leg.
"You're in Karmaland. You've been asleep for half an hour," another person spoke.
"Karma what?"
"Karmaland. You're a hero, just like all of us," the boy with black hair spoke again.
Before they could process everything, a hand reached out to him, signaling him to get up.
The boy who helped him had brown hair, red eyes, and a black hoodie.
"I'm Luzu, nice to meet you."
"I... I don't really remember," Quackity murmured.
"It's okay, it's normal to be confused at first."
"And how do you remember your name?"
"Well, we already told you, you've been asleep for like 30 minutes."
"Oh, right... I forgot."
"Well, we should introduce ourselves. I'm Vegetta," said the boy from the beginning.
"I'm Rubius," said a hybrid (like him), a bear hybrid, or so it seemed.
"I'm Lolito," said a boy with blond hair.
"I'm Staxx," said a boy, or so it seemed. He was... strange.
"I'm Willy," said someone who didn't look so young.
"I'm Fargan," said a bird hybrid, or something like that. He reminded him of someone... although he couldn't remember who.
"I'm Mangel, and this is Illojuan," said Mangel, who was young and smoking a joint. Illojuan was pushing Rubius.
"I'm Mangel, and this is Illojuan."
"I'm Rubius." "I...uh...I don't really remember..."
"It's okay, don't stress about it, it's normal," Fargan said, putting an arm around his shoulders.
"Do you know where you're going to live?" Luzu asked.
"I don't even remember my name, how am I supposed to know where I'm going to live? No way."
"You have a pretty different accent, where are you from?" This time a different voice spoke, someone I hadn't met. "I forgot to introduce myself, my name is Alexby."
"Well, I remember I'm from Mexico."
"That's cool, you're the first Mexican in Karmaland, we're all from Spain."
"Oh."
Then the group split up and everyone went their separate ways.
Quackity went with Luzu, and while they were cutting down trees, quackity remembered
"Quackity"
"Huh? Did you say something?"
"Quackity, that's my name."
"It sounds like a duck."
"I know, I don't know why, but that's my name."
"Can I call you Quacks? Like quack?"
"Well, I don't mind."
"Hey, why are you limping?"
"Oh, I don't know, it just hurts."
"Can I check your leg?"
"Sure." He sat down and pulled up his pants to show his leg. It was covered in explosion scars and cuts; there was hardly any healthy skin.
"Wow... your leg is in terrible shape."
"Yeah, I can see that."
"It's healed, but I think you're limping because the wounds are permanent."
Days passed, and their friendship only blossomed.
They spent practically every day together.
Although, of course, he also spent time with the others.
Staxx and Willy had adopted him.
With Rubius, he did illegal things and planted mines.
With Vegetta, he explored the surrounding area.
Those were the ones he talked to the most; he talked to the others too, but not as much.
With Illojuan, he sometimes went to his bar to drink and chat.
Quackity also hung out with Fargan, asking him about hybrids since Fargan knew a lot and Quackity still didn't quite understand all that stuff.
He hadn't talked much with Mangel and Lolito. Mangel wasn't usually with the others, and Lolito... well, Lolito was crazy.
He hadn't told anyone he was a hybrid.
He knew it wasn't a bad thing, since Rubius and Fargan were also hybrids.
But Quackity felt he had to keep it a secret.
∘₊✧──────✧₊∘
It was very late.
It was already dark.
Quackity took advantage of the nights to fly a little, since Fargan said that if hybrids didn't use their wings, they could weaken.
So every night he flew a little to keep them from weakening.
He usually flew from his house to the nearest river to play with the normal ducks, the ones that weren't hybrids.
Fargan had also told him that some hybrids were shapeshifters, and after trying Quackity, he realized that he was one too.
Some nights he turned into a duck, not quite, only when there were ducks still awake.
That night was one of those nights.
No ducks were awake, so he simply sat in the river, his legs getting wet. His wings flapped, as did the small wings on his head (which he usually covered with a hat).
He was wearing black shorts and had taken off his sweatshirt for flying, since he didn't have any special clothing like Fargan or Rubius.
His tail was constricted as always; he didn't have any special pants.
It was very uncomfortable and annoying.
It hurt.
He was so lost in thought that he didn't hear footsteps.
"Quackity?" Fargan's voice approached until it was right beside him.
Startled, Quackity covered himself as quickly as possible, but it was too late; Fargan had seen his wings.
"No need to hide," he said, sitting down next to him. "I'm a hybrid too, you know that."
"Yeah...but I don't know why...I feel the need to cover myself up."
"Is that why you kept asking me about hybrids?"
Quackity was mortified. He looked at the ground and nodded.
"What kind of hybrid?"
"I'm a duck...a shapeshifter."
"That makes sense. I can see your duck form."
Quackity nodded and transformed.
Soon, a small yellow duck appeared and hopped onto Fargan's lap.
"You're a little duck, you look like a baby duck."
Unable to answer, Quackity just quacked.
"You are a baby duck." He pulled it close to his chest. "That's cute, man. You're just a baby duck."
After a while, Quackity returned to his hybrid form but didn't leave. He felt comfortable and safe.
"How is it possible that I'm a baby duck?"
"Well, you only grow when you're in your duck form. That is, while you're in your normal duck form, you don't grow."
Quackity did some calculations before speaking. "So I'm practically a month old?"
"I guess."
"Are you a Shapeshifter?"
"No, I'm a normal Owl hybrid."
"How did you know I'd be here?"
"Well, it's not the first time I've seen you fly. I just wanted to make sure."
"You're a liar. You never told me you were an owl."
"Because I always suspected it. You asked a lot of questions, more than humans."
"Oh."
"Can I preen your wings? They look very neglected."
"What's preening?"
"It's what birds call it when they clean and groom their wings. That's how they keep them healthy and beautiful."
"Will it hurt?"
"Is it?" "A little, but it's normal, they're very neglected."
"Okay."
She turned away and let Fargan take care of her wings.
"Can you not tell the others yet?"
"Okay." She smiled and continued cleaning.
∘₊✧──────✧₊∘
From that day on, every night Quackity stayed with Fargan, who cleaned her wings and taught her everything important. He also let Quackity transform into a duck so he could take care of her.
Soon Quackity turned two months old. She was still a baby duck, but she had already grown a little.
Fargan had grown very fond of the duck and loved taking care of her.
Her friendship with Luzu was also improving.
In fact, Quackity had told Fargan that she liked Luzu, but that she didn't want to ruin their friendship.
She had also met Titi—well, her real name was Titanicus, the one his mother, Staxx, chose.
Titi looked like a head of broccoli.
But he was his brother.
He loved him very much.
He also talked a lot more with Rubius.
They were doing even more illegal things, constantly planting mines and causing trouble (if they kept this up, Vegetta would get gray hair).
But even so, he always had a strange feeling.
He felt like he was being constantly watched.
It was something external, something he didn't understand.
He also had strange dreams: himself in wars, him talking to people in English, etc.
But the strangest dream was him in a dark room.
Sometimes he couldn't hear anything.
Sometimes he heard a voice saying his name and asking him things he couldn't answer.
Everything was very strange.
Even stranger because he couldn't remember his past.
Even though they had told him that nobody remembered him.
But he felt this was different.
∘₊✧──────✧₊∘
Today he had arranged to meet Luzu to go exploring and gather materials since Luzu wanted to improve the house a bit.
Quackity was on his way to meet Luzu; he wasn't far, in fact, he could already see his house.
But without realizing it, he stepped on a landmine.
It exploded immediately, his shirt was completely burned. Damn, he shouldn't have worn that cotton shirt.
He lay on the ground, almost dead. His wings moved weakly; they were burned, and one was broken.
Rubius and Alexby came out of their hiding place laughing, before they realized the mess they had made.
Quackity was vulnerable; his wings were broken and burned, and his back was covered in old scars.
"What the hell?" Rubius spoke first, looking at Quackity's back.
"Since when are you a hybrid?"
Quackity didn't speak; he was in pain all over, sobbing, and his body ached terribly.
Before anyone could help him, Luzu came running up.
"Quacks! Are you okay?" He bent down to help him before noticing the wings. "Are you a hybrid?"
Quackity nodded in pain.
Alexby went to call Fargan while Luzu and Rubius took the hybrid to the nearest house to get him treated.
The biggest problem was the wings.
Only Fargan knew how to care for them.
And if he didn't arrive in time, the burns might be permanent...
Luzu was talking to Quackity, trying to keep him from falling asleep.
Rubius was tending to the wounds on his chest, arms, and face.
"Come on, Quacks, don't fall asleep, okay?"
"Luzu... just let me sleep..."
"No, Fargan will be here soon."
"Hey, Quackity, where did you get the scar on your eye? You already had it when you arrived, but I never asked you," Rubius said, examining the scar.
"I don't know, I don't remember how I got it, maybe I got it fighting."
"And can you see out of that eye?" He covered the eye that didn't have the scar.
"Uhm... no, I can't see anything."
"So you're blind in one eye?"
Quackity nodded. He didn't have the strength to continue talking, so he leaned against Luzu's chest as Luzu spoke again.
After what felt like hours to Quackity, Fargan arrived and, seeing the state of the wings, the first thing he did was scold Rubius and Alexby.
"How could you plant a mine?! You think more with your dicks than your heads!"
"We didn't know he was a hybrid!" Alexby defended himself.
"It doesn't matter! It doesn't matter if he's a hybrid or a human."
Then the owl hybrid approached and carefully took Quackity to his lap to tend to and repair his wings.
"It hurts a lot..."
"Yes, little duck, it's normal."
Meanwhile, Luzu brought him water and food so he could recover, and Rubius and Alexby had gone home so as not to anger the owl hybrid any further.
After finishing treating and bandaging everything, Fargan let Quackity fall asleep on his chest.
"Did you know Quacks was a hybrid?" "Is he okay?" asked the hooded man.
"Yes, but he asked me not to tell anyone. We meet every night, and I talk to him about hybrids and take care of him."
"Will he recover?"
"Yes, but flying will be more difficult; he's badly injured."
"At least he'll recover."
"Yes, let's hope he's not as badly injured in his duck form."
"Duck form? Is he a shapeshifter?"
"Yes, he's about two months old; he's just a baby."
∘₊✧──────✧₊∘
Two days had passed since the explosion, and Quackity had been asleep. Fargan said it was normal; the explosion had weakened him considerably.
On the third day, Quackity opened his eyes. At first, he felt dizzy, disoriented, unsure of his surroundings. It was the dark room of his dreams.
"Little duck... you poor thing, are you alright?" A soft voice called out.
"Where am I?"
"Well, you're in limbo. You're not dead, you're just unconscious."
"If I'm not dead, why am I here?"
"Well, you don't remember, but before you came to Karmaland, you spoke to me."
"What are you?"
"I'm a god, the god of life and hope. Do you remember?"
"You seem familiar..."
"I'm glad. I missed you. I've been watching you a lot."
"Why me?"
"Because you're special to me, little duck."
"When can I go home?"
"Well, I just wanted to say hello and ask you a question."
"What?"
"Are you happy?"
"I'm very happy here. In Karmaland, they welcomed me like family.""ia"
"I'm so glad, little duck. Now close your eyes and relax your body."
Quackity closed his eyes and relaxed. He soon fell asleep, and when he woke up, he was face down on Luzu's bed. He could feel Fargan grooming him again, and Luzu was helping Fargan.
"W-where am I?"
"Quacks!" Luzu couldn't help himself and hugged him. "Are you okay?" "Does anything hurt?"
"I feel dizzy."
"It's normal, little duck." Fargan smiled and hugged him.
"You've been sleeping for three days." Luzu wiped the sweat from his brow.
"That long?"
"Well, the explosion left you in terrible shape... and well, your body was already in bad shape, covered in cuts, scars, and burns."
"I know."
"Do you know how you got them?"
"I still don't remember."
"Well, now rest."
∘₊✧──────✧₊∘
Two weeks had passed before Quackity was well again.
Fargan had told him that if he didn't tell the others about being a hybrid, he would tell them himself.
So today there was a meeting, where everyone Heroes and Merlon would be there, Quackity would tell the truth.
The meeting was at 5:30 and it was already 5:00.
Quackity clung to Luzu, trembling. He knew nothing would happen, that he wasn't the first hybrid who didn't have to be anything. But he was still nervous.
"Quacks, calm down," Luzu tried to comfort him, but he couldn't.
"I'm scared."
The remaining 30 minutes passed. When everyone arrived, each sat in their respective place, then Quackity stood up.
"Thank you all for coming... I'd like to say something important, that's why I called you all here."
He felt like his heart would leap out of his chest from the fear he felt.
"I..." He couldn't continue speaking; he felt panic, so what he did was take off his characteristic hat and show his small wings, the ones on his head.
"Are you a hybrid?" he asked. Mangel
"Okay," Vegetta said.
Wait, did I hear wrong? Vegetta just said it was okay, and everyone was nodding and didn't seem to care?
Wait, did he really think they were going to judge him?
Why did he think that?
Why did he have a feeling everyone was going to make fun of him for being like that?
"Well, was that all?" Lolito asked.
Quackity nodded and put on his shirt.
"Well, now that we all know, we could go eat at Illojuan's bar."
"Why not?" Let's go!"
That afternoon was one of the most beautiful, according to the whole group.
The whole group was reunited. There was nothing to fear.
From that day on, Quackity flew with ease, had adapted clothing, and also used his duck form. In a short time, he stopped being a chick, and his form began to grow.
∘₊✧──────✧₊∘
Today, Luzu had asked him to go to his house; according to him, he had something important to say.
When they arrived, Luzu asked him to go outside.
"Lusu, you're acting strange, what's wrong?"
"Quacks, we've known each other for a long time, we've been together since the beginning," he looked at the ground nervously. "I wanted to believe we were just friends, but my heart refuses to believe that lie, because "I love you."
"What?" He stared at him as if it were a joke.
"Quacks, I love you, I want to be with you, only if you want to, of course you don't have to se-" He couldn't finish the sentence, because Quackity hugged him so tightly that he fell to the ground.
"Silly, I love you too."
That day they became a couple.
Everything was going great.
Quackity was nominated as president.
Luzu would be his vice president.
Everything was going well. Quackity won the election and started as president.
The town was improving more and more.
Everything was going great.
∘₊✧──────✧₊∘
"I was right." A soft voice sounded; it was the God of life and hope. "My little duckling was able to have a life with "Peace"
"I don't deny it, you were right." Another person spoke; it was a god, not just any god, it was DreamXD.
"It's so beautiful to see him happy."
"Without a doubt, he is."
∘₊✧──────✧₊∘
"Are you nervous, Quackity?" Rubius was adjusting a veil for him.
"A little."
"It's normal, you're getting married today."
Soon Vegetta came in, telling them they had to go now, the wedding was about to begin.
Willy walked Quackity to the altar, then the wedding began.
Alexby was the priest, and it was clear he was prepared.
"Luzu, do you take Quackity to be your husband, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health?"
"Yes, Father."
"Quackity, do you "To Luzu as your husband, in good times and bad, in poverty and in sickness?"
"Yes, Father."
"Then you may kiss."
The ceremony was beautiful.
It was the best day of her life.
In the end.
Living in peace was better than in war.