The Perfect Timing

by FrickFrackNerdIsBack

Summary:

DJ Grooves decides it's finally time to confess his feelings to Conductor. Only things don't necessarily go as planned...or do they?

Notes:

(HA HA "DELAYED"?! GET IT, CAUSE IT'S A TRAIN PUN?! okay I'll see myself out-)

Chapter 1: A Delayed Confession

Grooves had been extremely lucky to finally get to board Conductor’s train.

He could not recall a time when he was any luckier. Perhaps it could compare to when he had won the only award he had ever won legitimately. But then again that did not nearly compare to how lucky he had been when Conductor (albeit begrudgingly) finally accepted his money to let him board the Owl Express. Grooves had been asking to do it countless times, for years even, as he had never boarded the train before. And succeeding in doing so had seemed like winning the lottery to him then. But oh, how happy he was that Conductor had accepted at this exact point in time after all these years. It was almost perfect timing! At least for him, anyways.

He was sitting in one of the passenger booths, along with a few of his body-guard penguins. He had politely told them that they didn’t need to sit with him during the ride, but they had insisted. So for right now, a pair of them were playing a simple card game between themselves. (With another two out exploring the other train cars for any “danger”) They had been riding the train for quite some time now. And Grooves sighed to himself as he stared outside the window of the train car. The desert’s night sky was rather lovely and truly a sight to be admired. And the train was going at a rather smooth and steady pace.

Unlike his own heartbeat, that is.

While the two other penguins were busy playing their card game, Grooves was lost in his own thoughts. His own, private thoughts that he had been mulling over all day. Why had he decided to board the train today after filming? For one reason, and one reason alone. That same reason that made this boarding such great timing. The same reason that he couldn’t get out of his head or stop thinking about. The same reason that he had been thinking about doing for a long, long time. And just imagining it in his head made his heart race, as it had been this entire trip.

Tonight was the night he was going to confess to Conductor.

He had been thinking about doing it for awhile now, ever since he had discovered his crush for his rival. He had just been too shy to do it until now. And if he was being honest, he still felt shy about doing it. Which that was a laugh, right? The ever-flamboyant DJ Grooves? Being shy about a thing like this? Sure, that’s what his penguins lackeys had thought about the situation at first. And they were surprised that Grooves wasn’t going to go for some big, glittery gesture to proclaim his love for Conductor. But Grooves quickly shook his head to all of those ideas, much to their surprise. Grooves knew that Conductor and him weren’t on the...best of terms. And no extremely fancy and flashy confession was going to change that. Nope, for once he was going to go with a nice subtle approach to this.

But that certainly didn’t mean that this was going to be easy for him.

“Hey, boss? You doing alright?” one of the penguins spoke up, getting his attention. And once he snapped out of his thoughts, he gave them both a weak smile.

“Yes, I’m...fine, darling.” Grooves settled on that, not really sure on what else to say. But the two penguins gave him questioning looks, as one of them shuffled a pack of cards.

“You’re thinking about that, aren’t you boss?” the shuffling penguin said, giving him that look from underneath their shades. And Grooves could tell, even though he was wearing shades as well. It was sort of an understood thing between him and his penguins.

“Are you feeling nervous?” the other one, who was sitting next to him in the booth, asked. And Grooves gave them both a quick nod.

“Yes, I am. I can’t help it.” Grooves let out a worried sigh. But if he was being honest, he felt kind of relieved to get that kind of thing off of his chest. Besides, the penguins were already very much aware of Grooves’ crush from the get-go. And he trusted them to keep a secret.

“Don’t worry, boss. You got this.” the other penguin comforted him by placing their flipper on his shoulder. And Grooves smiled at this, before placing his flipper on top of theirs.

“Yeah, you’re gonna do great, boss. Like you always do!” the other joined in. And Grooves could help but let out a chuckle.

“Thank you, darlings. I needed that.” he smiled at them, as best he could. And the two penguins nodded at that, before going back to their little card game once more.

Grooves took a moment to thank whoever gave him such understanding body-guards. And that no owls were around to hear their conversation, since most all of the owl passengers had been let off at their stops. And he had wanted it to be that way, since it was just as late as it was. He thought that perhaps it would make this confession easier for him. With less owls around, it was less likely that rumors were going to spread around as quickly if things turned sour. But even at the slight thought of rejection, Grooves had a sudden new confidence. If he could face riding this dreary old train for such an amount of time, surely he could gather enough courage to tell Conductor about how he felt. He had been waiting this long, both inside and outside the train, and that was long enough.

He had made up his mind. This was going to be easy as-

The penguin trio were quickly alerted, as the door behind them was quickly slammed open. And out of the door came two more penguins, panting and sweating. They tried to catch their breath, as they must have ran the entire way back. And Grooves sat up a little in his seat, curious as to what was going on.

“Boss! Something’s wrong!”

“We’ve got some bad news!”

Oh...peck, Grooves cursed in his head.

“Why? What’s wrong?” he was immediately worried, trying to get out of the booth. And the penguin next to him didn’t even need to be told to move, and the three quickly slid out of the booth. “Did something happen? Is the train going to break down?” he asked, fearing for the worst. But as the other two penguins that just walked in came over, they both shook their heads in unison.

“The train’s fine, boss.”

“Yeah, nothing wrong with the train.”

And at this news, Grooves let out a relieved sigh. Although that still didn’t mean everything was alright, and he was quickly reminded of that.

“It’s...it’s something wrong with Conductor, boss.”

Grooves’ blood ran cold, and he could feel his face going pale. He gulped, that wasn’t a good sign. That really wasn’t a good sign. When something was “wrong with the Conductor”, whether it be outside or inside the studio, it was never a good thing.

“What?! Is he okay?! Did he get hurt?!” Grooves asked quickly, shooting off worried questions one by one. And all four of the penguins had to try and calm him down, while the other two shook their heads again. And Grooves let out another sigh, bigger relief this time. “Okay...then was is it?” he asked them much more calmly this time. And he felt his spirits drop, as they took a moment to look at each other.

“Well...he’s sort of-” the first one started, before looking at the other to finish.

“He might be a little-” the second tried to start back up, and failed.

“Oh no.” Grooves groaned, before face-palming. “Please don’t tell me he did it again.” he started rubbing his forehead, before looking at them for an answer. But their face said it all. “He’s drunk again, isn’t he?” he said bluntly, without even a hint of subtlety. And the two penguins looked over to the opposite side, their expressions rather guilty-

Before slowly nodding their heads together.

“Great. Just perfect.” Grooves buried his face into his flippers. And the two penguins next to him hugged him for comfort, with the other pair joining in. This made him look up for a moment, smile, and start hugging them back. “Thank you, darlings.” he smiled as they all looked up at him, standing tall in his platform shoes.

“Sorry we couldn’t stop him in time, boss.” one of them said, taking off their hat and looking down in shame.

“No no, it’s not your fault, darling. It’s not any of your fault. If anything I should be...used to this by now.” Grooves sighed that last part, recalling the many times that this had happened before.

It was an endless cycle at this point. One that Grooves only wished he could stop. It was always the same every time, and he could recall each metaphorical step in his head. Conductor would become stressed or angry (which was nearly all the time), immediately get out his alcohol stash, drink about four or five glasses, then onto full bottles, and before you knew it he was pretty much plastered off of scotch and/or whiskey. It didn’t matter where he was getting drunk either. At home, some random bar, even work for pity’s sake! And every time it happened, Grooves would be the one to have to bring him back home, or avoid him if he had a hangover. Though why of all the times for it to happen, Conductor had decided now was the time for him to get drunk?!

“Oh well...” Grooves let out a final sigh, before walking towards the door. “Looks like it’s going to have to wait until next time, I’m afraid.” he told his penguins, and they were all pretty aware of what “it” was. “I’m going to go get him, hopefully one of the Express Owls can get us home.” he turned to tell them.

“Wait, boss! Don’t you want us to come too?” one of the penguins asked, and the other nodded in agreement. But to their surprise, Grooves waved them off.

“No, I’ll be fine. Conductor isn’t going to attack me while he’s drunk. If anything, he won’t even be able to stand up!” he joked to lighten the mood, and smiled as a few penguins chuckled behind their flippers. But they quickly composed themselves, remembering about their guard duties.

“But, boss, what about-”

“I’ll be fine, darling. Don’t worry about me.” he quickly waved them off again, as he reached for the door knob. “Besides, you darlings deserve a break. You’ve all been doing a great job and I’m glad you came along with me.” he complimented them, giving another warm smile. While at the beginning of the trip he wanted to go solo, he really was glad that his penguins tagged along. Being alone on this train for such a period of time would have been insufferable. And the company was certainly nice.

“I’ll be back soon. You all stay here, alright?” he wanted them to promise. He knew that Conductor was very prideful, and would go off on him later if any other penguins saw him stumbling around or acting like a fool. And his penguins quickly nodded, all four of them giving a salute. They decided that they would all play a game of Black Jack together, and Grooves waved them “Tata!” before going out the door. Once the door was closed though, he let out a quiet and annoyed groan, quiet enough to were the penguins wouldn’t hear him. He took off his shades for a moment, rubbing his eyes as he mumbled to himself.

“How did I get myself into this mess?” he grumbled. Though he was more mad at himself than Conductor or anyone else. He should have known that the confession would never happen, even if he gave the effort. Perhaps this was better than confessing to Conductor, and then getting kicked off the train in the middle of the desert. Perhaps...it was never meant to be in the first place. Maybe it was a sign. A sign that he should stop now, before things turned for the worse. Conductor was probably drinking because of him, and how “pecknecks” where aboard his train. He hated him, didn’t he?

How could he ever think that Conductor loved him?

“Stop that.” Grooves hissed, holding his head and shaking out all the negative thoughts. He would go mad like that, thinking about the possible rejection due to their rivalry. Maybe he could just...try again later? Bring Conductor home, wait til his hangover passed, and then try to ask him somewhere more convenient? Like the studio? Well...that wasn’t really romantic or private. Hence, why he didn’t choose that location in the first place. And it was only a small confession. Which was nothing to get all worked up for right? And it really wasn’t that important. He could just..wait until he was ready, he supposed. Like he had been for awhile now. Like he had been for years.

And with that thought, Grooves finally went down the hallway in search for Conductor.

Chapter 2: Meanwhile, over in the train's bar...

Summary:

(I'm gonna admit it again, the drunkeness isn't that well-written. Or realistic, like, at all. It's more cartoony drunk, honestly. Also I apologize if the way I wrote Conductor's Scottish isn't that great either. And the stammering might also get annoying, so sorry once again-)

Anyways, onward with the cute bird love story!

“Y-you’ve had more than enough to drink, s-sir!” the owl bartender spoke meekly, despite the fact that Conductor clearly wouldn’t yell at him. He was much too dopey to think straight. But that didn’t mean it wasn’t any harder to convince him to stop drinking. This much was evident, as the bartender pushed the empty glass back towards Conductor once more.

“Nonnnsense, laddie! Enough is neverrr (hic!) ‘nough.” the owl slurred out, pushing the glass back with a dumb grin on his face. “Now will ye do me a favorrrrr an’ poor me just a wee bit morrrrrre?” the old owl shifted in his seat as he rolled his “R”s, nearly losing his balanced on the bar stool. But the bartender promptly pushed the glass back in his direction, not giving in.

“S-sir, you’ve had nearly three whole bottles worth! And...and I’m taking a stand on this!” the owl announced, trying to use the bar to stand up taller. Thank goodness no other owls were in the room with them, otherwise the Conductor would surely have his head for this later. But he had to use authority to get him to stop, otherwise he would drink himself to death! And the bartender frowned, as Conductor giggled and pushed the glass back for what felt like the fiftieth time in a row.

“But ah need more, laddie! Ah need it ta loosen up an’ (hic!) forget allllll me worries, dontcha know?” they owl hiccuped in the middle of his speech, like he had been for sometime. And all the giggling he was doing certainly wasn’t helping. The bartender simply let out a sigh at the problem before him.

“Look, sir, I get it if you’re upset about our current...passengers. But I can’t just-”

“Upset?” Conductor interrupted him loudly, and then gave a confused look. “Now whyyy would ah be upset, laddie? ‘M just a lil nervous, is all...” he said, in a calm tone of voice that was completely unlike him. And the bartender had to admit, he was a bit surprised at that. Both the Conductor’s tone, and what he was talking about. If Conductor wasn’t drunk right then, he would have yelled at him for “saying such a stupid thing” and then promptly call him a “peckneck” afterwards. But to say he’s only “nervous” about the penguins currently boarding the train? Including his rival, who he loathed so very much? That certainly peaked his interest.

“Nervous? About what?” the bartender asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. And he felt a slight pit of dread form inside him, as Conductor gave him a wide and mischievous smile.

“...Cannn ye keep a (hic!) seeecret?”

The bartender took a moment to stare at Conductor, before groaning a smacking his face with a wing. He had heard those words too many times before. Conductor would, unfortunately, tell him “secret” things about himself that he wouldn't tell another soul if he wasn’t drunk out of his mind. Things that were mostly unwanted and Conductor would spout at random. He tried being polite when he was told these things, but it was hard sometimes. Like how once Conductor was afraid that the studio would go bankrupt! Or the time he had lost award 42, bawling his eyes out over his broken record. But the worst of all, was when Conductor had unknowingly blabbed about his previous spouse, before breaking down into tears. That last one had stuck with him the most, as he would get punched (and possibly hospitalized) if he ever told another living soul about that one.

But considering that Conductor was smiling like an idiot, it couldn’t be that bad, right?

“Sure. Go ahead.” the bartender finally spoke, resting his head in his wings on the bar.

“Ye gotta prrromise not ta tell!” Conductor said suddenly and fast, making the bartender flinch in shock. But before he could even say that he promised not to, Conductor simply went on with talking. “Therrre’s a certain (hic!) bird on this here train...an’ ah’ve been thinking ‘bout confessing to him!” the Conductor had a smug grin on his face, as he took the empty glass off the bar. He swirled it’s non-existent contents around, before taking a quick chug. But suddenly finding it still not filled with alcohol, he tipped it upside-down and let out a sad whimper. The bartender just stared at him, almost bewildered.

“...‘Him’, sir?” the bartender asked, confused out of his mind as to who that meant. Until Conductor quickly gave him a glance, causing him to panic. “I-I mean! That’s fine! I’m n-not judging! Good for you, s-sir!” he quickly spat out, truly not wanting to offend. But Conductor just gave him another calm and collected smile.

“Ah, ‘s all right! There’sss a good lad!” Conductor patted the bartender’s arm, before going back to his empty glass. He was now scraping one of his feathered fingers on the bottom, to see if there were any droplets of alcohol left.

“I’m very s-sorry, sir. That was rude of me.” the bartender apologized once more, even though Conductor wasn’t listening. “It’s just that...you’ve never really mentioned a ‘he’ before? And what’s this bird got to do with the passengers that-” he started to ask, before suddenly cutting himself out. “-boarded...today...” he whispered, realizing something. “Holy peck. Are you...do you have a crush on one of the penguins?” he laughed to himself, as he almost couldn’t believe it. Conductor? In love with a penguin? Even if he were to tell any of the other owls, they wouldn’t believe him! And this made him laugh once more, getting Conductor’s attention.

“Aye! Ohhh, ye should jus’ see the lad. He’s got reallllll good looks, ah’m telling ye.” Conductor placed the empty glass back down, rested a hand on his face, and sighed dreamily. “An’ he’s got spunk too, he just hides it reallly (hic!) well. An’ he’s a right good dancer! Ah oughta ask him out sometimes. What’d ye think? Just me an’ him, going out ta the nice fancy bar...” he went on, sighing again as his head fell slowly onto the bar. He cuddled the surface a bit, and the bartender could see him chirp and blush at whatever daydream he was having.

The bartender has to resist the urge to pinch himself, as he was almost positive that he was dreaming. If he didn’t see and hear the evidence right in front of him, he would have surely called it a hallucination. But it only made him ponder more, as he watched Conductor sigh and think happily to himself. Who on earth could he be talking about? He hadn’t really seen the passengers boarding, so he didn’t know all who got on or how many there were. Besides, he didn’t really know a lot of the penguins personally (For obvious reasons). All he knew was that they were penguins, since Conductor had only mumbled about it once before he got fully drunk. So who on earth could it-

A knock on the door startled them both.

Conductor nearly jumped out of his stool, knocking the empty glass in panic. Once he did, he started to wobble off of the seat, heading down towards the floor. And in one swift motion, the bartender grabbed both the glass and Conductor’s arm, saving them both. They both took a minute, letting out relieved puffs of air. And the bartender carefully placed the glass on the bar, and pulled Conductor back up on his seat. He then let out a sigh, as that wasn’t the first time that had happened before. He was just lucky enough to catch both of them this time.

The knocking on the door grabbed their attention once more.

“C-come in?” the bartender said confusingly, as he wasn’t expecting another passenger this late. Since most of the passengers weren’t even riding right now, he expected it to be one of the owls running the train. Perhaps it was Greg, and he was getting tried of conducting the train for so long. Or maybe it was just the janitor, something like tha-

The bartender gasped, as the door slowly opened and DJ Grooves peeked in.

He couldn’t believe it. He just couldn’t believe it. But there he was, Conductor’s long-lived rival. Standing there in the doorway with his giant afro, star-shaped shades, and glittery jacket. For some reason he looked...nervous? But also sad? He couldn’t really tell why, he had no clue that Grooves had even been riding the train up until now. And part of him wanted to warn the poor guy to get out, while he still wasn’t being yelled at. But instead he took a huge gulp and forced on a smile as Grooves walked in, shutting the door behind him.

“Darling?” Grooves finally spoke up, looking at Conductor. And the bartender braced himself for shouting, yelling, anything of the sort. He looked back and forth between the two, shrinking behind the bar for cover in case-

But...he stopped hiding, as he noticed an even dopier grin growing on Conductor’s face.

“Oi, laddie. That be the handsssome bird right (hic!) there~” Conductor leaned over and whispered, giggling afterwards. And through some miracle, Grooves hadn’t heard a word he said. He was simply standing on the other side of the room, giving them both a confused look. But the bartender’s eyes became wider and wider, as he quickly connected the dots.

“W-wait...YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT GR-”

“Shhhhhh, calm yerssself.” Conductor quickly brought a hand up, shutting the bartender’s beak. “What’cha think? Doesn’t he dress niiiiiice?” he whispered back again, giving another big grin and giggle. And the only thing that the bartender could think of doing was to slowly nod (And remove Conductor’s hand off his beak). Honestly, he was still recoiling from the shock. He had no clue that Conductor had such a crush! He had honestly been so good at hiding it...until now, that is. “‘Ello, Grrrooves!” Conductor called back, waving a hand in an odd manner. And he was awfully loud, even though Grooves wasn’t even that far away.

“Hello, Conductor.” Grooves let out a sigh, before coming over to the bar. “Let me guess...drank yourself silly again, huh?” he asked bluntly once he got over there. But he didn’t get too close, standing at least a good distance from the both of them. And the bartender watched the two, though he was more focused on the look that Conductor was giving Grooves. An oddly...flirty look. And once the bartender saw this, he started fidgeting with his wings nervously.

In his mind, this wasn’t going to end well at all.

“Ohhh, ah’m jus’ a lil (hic!) tipsy is allllll.” Conductor waved Grooves’ comment off, but gave him that same flirtatious look again. And Grooves quirked an eyebrow at this.

“A ‘little’ tipsy, darling?” he said accusingly, and Conductor seemed to find this funny. “How many drinks has he had?” Grooves turned to ask the bartender, who was nervously staying quiet. And he was surprised, but slowly brought up three feathery fingers. “Only three drinks? Well, that isn’t so bad. But-”

“T-that’s not three drinks, sir. It’s about three...b-bottles worth.” the bartender squeaked quietly, trying to hide himself in the vest he was wearing. And Grooves’ eyes went wide behind his shades, before he promptly face-palmed.

“You let. Him drink. That amount?” Grooves growled under his breath, catching the bartender very off guard. He quickly shrunk back behind the bar again, fearing the penguin’s sudden anger. He had no clue that Grooves of all people could be as terrifying as Conductor, if not more so!

“He’s finnne, Grooves. Leave the poorrr lad be. Ah’m th’ one who asked for the (hic!) drinksss.” Conductor brought a wobbly hand up to defend the bartender, before taking a moment to look back at him. “Spunky, innit he? Ah told ye ssso, laddie!” Conductor said nonchalantly, as if Grooves wasn’t standing right in front of them. So instead, the bartender did the panicking for him.

“Excuse me?” Grooves looked up for a moment, to give the pair a very questioning look. But Conductor just smiled at him like he said nothing, holding his hands and even crossing his legs.

“Oh, ‘nuthin!” Conductor proceeded to giggle, blindly swinging one of his legs back and forth on the bar stool. “Say, Grooves...yer looking mightyyy fine t’night. Ye wearing a new outfit or somethiiing?~” he began to flirt with Grooves, much to the bartender’s dismay. And if Conductor had eyes, he definitely would have sneaked in a cheeky wink right there and then. Grooves just stared at him, almost at a complete loss for words. Conductor had never acted like this around him before, when he was drunk all those other times. And that had to be, hands-down, the nicest thing that Conductor had ever said to him. Ever.

“Um, thank...you? But this is the same outfit I always wear, d-” Grooves almost called him “darling” again, but stopped himself. He didn’t want to give Conductor any more bright ideas. And Conductor seemed to notice this, frowning a bit. But his grin quickly re-appeared, as he let out a chuckle.

“Ah, myyy bad, heheh! It’s just...ye alwaysss (hic!) look so niiice in it, Groovy~” Conductor slurred out his words, mostly on purposed, to sound more alluring. And the bartender’s beak dropped open at the cutesy nickname, with Grooves nearly doing it as well. Conductor then chuckled proudly to himself, as he noticed Grooves’ face quickly turning red.

“Wh- ‘G-Groovy’?!” Grooves covered his beak with a single flipper, but it certainly didn’t hide all the blushing he was doing. And Conductor nodded at this, which only made Grooves face even more red under his light blue feathers. “O-okay, I think you need to go home now.” Grooves tugged on his jacket collar, feeling rather hot under it, before reaching out to take Conductor’s hand-

And he was very surprised when Conductor gladly met it with his flipper.

Before Grooves even knew what was happening, Conductor slid off the bar stool and came up closer to him. He was much shorter than him, sure. But that didn’t mean that Grooves was any less flustered, as Conductor was quick enough to take his other flipper as well. And he soon noticed that Conductor had gotten them both in dancing position. Conductor’s feet were a little off, but to make up for it he stepped up on the edge of Grooves’ platform shoes. And Grooves felt himself become more and more nervous, over what was currently happening and that Conductor was wobbling badly. But despite this, Conductor swayed to and fro and managed to keep a seemingly impossible balance. It wasn’t exactly…“dancing”, but Grooves could still see were Conductor was going with this. Needless to say, it was all very surprising to him.

And he was even more surprised when Conductor started to open his beak and sing.

“There’s a bird, who ah do adore

He’s the ap-ple of me eyyye

What a sight to be had!

Such a handsome lad

In a suit an’ bowtiiiiiie~”

Grooves tried to sway along with Conductor, making sure he wouldn’t fall. But he was so awestruck at the sudden shanty (which sounded almost exactly like an Irish drinking song), that he almost lost his balance. And Conductor noticed this, quickly moving his other hand to Grooves’ waist for support. Grooves jolted a bit at this, and felt his face warming up at he look at Conductor. Yet, the singing continued into another verse-

“He’s got pretty featherrrs

No matter th’ weatherrr

An’ his dressing’s all snazzy and fiiiiiine!”

Conductor paused for a moment, bringing his other hand onto Grooves’ shoulder. And Grooves felt this, but couldn’t seem to take his eyes off of Conductor...

“But if things went me wayyy

An’ ah dare to say

His lovely beak would look betterrr

If it could meet miiiiiine!”

Conductor seemed to be finished with his song, as he stopped his swaying and gave Grooves a proud smile. And Grooves was practically speechless, staring at Conductor with surprised eyes as his face completely covered in blush. Conductor kept smiling at him, before almost letting go of his flipper and falling backwards. But Grooves was quick to catch him, hoisting Conductor up into his arms. And Conductor seemed very surprised by this, as his face went directly into Grooves’ feathered chest. But then he let out a happy sigh and chirped, hugging onto Grooves for warmth and comfort. If Grooves’ face could have been any redder, he would look like he was burning up. Yet he let out a forced laugh, one that was a little nervous-sounding.

“H-ha ha, Conductor! You’re always so...full of surprises! A-aren’t you, darling?” he joked and laughed, but it became more like panicked muttering as Conductor looked up at him. And he almost flinched, as Conductor put a hand up to his cheek, giving it a soft stroke. Grooves had to use all of his willpower not to squeak in embarrassment. “A-alright, darling. I think it’s time to bring you back h-” Grooves started, before Conductor carefully put both his hands on his cheeks, his face now in the owl’s hands. And as if Conductor didn’t have any more surprises up his sleeve-

He leaned up suddenly to give Grooves a “kiss”.

Since they were both birds, and they both had beaks, it obviously wasn’t like a normal kiss. It more or less looked like they were locking beaks with each other. But by bird standards, it was most certainly a kiss, and a very passionate one at that. And even though all that Conductor was doing was giving a quick nip, Grooves could almost taste the alcohol left on his beak. But Conductor soon pulled away, before going back to cuddling Grooves’ chest. Grooves however, couldn’t even say a word at that moment. Had...had that really happened? Was this all a dream?

“Love yyye, (hic!) Groovy~” Conductor mumbled sleepily, which brought Grooves back into reality. And before he could say anything, Conductor was already beginning to snore as he leaned into him like a pillow. Grooves kept his hold on him...but he couldn’t help but almost smile at the circumstance. Conductor had fallen asleep in his arms many times before, but right now he seemed so peaceful. Conductor seemed to be using his chest like a pillow now, and it cheered him up. And as Grooves patted the sleeping owl’s back, he leaned down and placed a small “kiss” on his head.

“Goodnight, darling.” Grooves whispered, so as not to wake Conductor. And he received a sleepy mutter in reply, almost making him giggle at how cute it was.

But soon Grooves remembered that he wasn’t alone, as he turned to look back at the bar. The bartender owl stood there, beak wide open in surprise. He had been watching the whole thing happen, and was just as shocked as Grooves had been. But he quickly shut it, once he noticed Grooves staring at him. Grooves took a moment before simply shrugging it off though, carefully hoisting Conductor into his arms so he could carry him. Once he had in in an almost bridal-carry position, he turned back to look at the bartender owl. And the owl quickly stood back up.

“Don’t say a word about this to anyone else, got it?” Grooves wanted to make himself clear, as he cradled Conductor in his arms. And the bartender owl nodded his head frantically. He then noticed that Grooves needed a little help, and got out of the bar to get the door for him. “Thanks. I appreciate it, darling.” Grooves nodded respectfully, as the bartender held the door open.

“D-don’t mention it! Uh, mister Grooves, sir.” the bartender blurted out the last part, making Grooves chuckle.

And the bartender watched, almost relived, as both he and Conductor went out the door.

Chapter 3: Once More with Feeling

Summary:

(WOOT! LAST CHAPTER! This one gets kinda sad but then actually it's really sweet, so I hope you enjoy!)

Last night had passed, with Grooves succeeding in getting Conductor home safe. It took them awhile before the other Express Owls could get him, his penguins, and Conductor back home, but they had managed just fine. And now, on a lazy Saturday, it was morning once again. Sunlight was pouring in through the windows of Conductor’s apartment. Bright yellow light filled up the sad, gray room that Conductor called “home”. And it managed to annoy him to the point where he finally started stirring in his bed. With a pounding headache, he quickly noticed, rubbing his forehead. Thank peck he didn’t have to work today. Otherwise it would be unbearable, with DJ Grooves getting on his case again…

“Good morning, darling.” a familiar voice spoke as quietly as possible. And Conductor let out a mumble in reply from underneath his covers.

“Mornin’, Grooves…” he let out a yawn, before shifting and turning in his blankets. He “opened his eyes” slightly, catching a glimpse of the penguin sitting next to his bed. Grooves was wearing formal attire (well, formal as it could be for him), and was sitting in a wooden chair close to Conductor’s bed. All while drinking from what happened to be one of Conductor’s favorite coffee mugs. But Conductor didn’t pay any mind to him, as he mumbled a bit and felt himself drifting back to sle-

Wait a minute.

“GROOVES?!” Conductor shouted, jumping up straight from his bed. And it almost gave Grooves a heart attack, as he nearly fell back in his chair. “WHAT THE PECK ARE YE-” he started to rant, before hissing in pain and holding his head. “Ow, ow, owww, pecking hangover-” he groaned in pain, his headache starting to act up again. “What are ye dong here, Grooves?” he grumbled, turning to look at him in the chair.

“Why, to make sure you’re alright, darling. I know how you get after drinking so much.” Grooves explained, before reaching into his pockets for something. He then pulled out some pain medicine, and held it out for Conductor. “Here. There’s some water over there-” Grooves then gestured to the bedside table, where a glass of water was sitting. And Conductor took a second to look at him, before reluctantly taking the medicine from him and reaching over for the glass. “I’d offer you coffee, but I wouldn’t want you getting sick.” Grooves said, causally taking a sip from Conductor’s coffee mug.

“Yeah yeah, ah get it.” Conductor huffed, before popping the medicine into his mouth and taking a small sip of water. For a moment, he almost felt a wave a nausea. But he managed to keep it down, after taking another sip. “So...” Conductor spoke up, looking down at his glass of water and not at Grooves. “...ah did it again, huh?” he finished, after a minute of silence. And Grooves couldn’t help but frown at this, before slowly nodding. “Great. Just pecking great.” Conductor groaned, before rubbing his face.

“Sorry...” Grooves felt himself mumbling under his breath.

“Why are ye apologizing? Ye got nothing to be sorry for.” Conductor said simply, catching Grooves by surprise. “And, uh...thank ye...by the way.” he mumbled lowly, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. And Grooves took at moment, before giving a smile.

“You’re more than welcome, darling. How sweet of you.” he gave a warm smile, chuckling as Conductor gave him an annoyed glance.

“Alright, out with ye. Ah want some time alone, to deal with this pecking hangover.” Conductor waved him off, growling out that last part.

At this point, he just wanted to sulk to himself for being such an idiot. How could he have let himself drink so much? Maybe he should just spend the rest of the day in his room. But he quickly regretted saying this, as he saw Grooves’ expression. He looked almost...hurt by his words, though he had no clue why. Hadn’t they done this before? Grooves would bring him home, make sure he got out of bed in the morning, and then leave. So why did he seem so reluctant to leave now? He knew the peckneck cared about him, but…

What was he hiding behind that look?

“Oh...alright then.” Grooves muttered, before quickly chugging down the last of his coffee and getting up from the chair.

He should have expected it really, that Conductor would have wanted some time to himself. And perhaps it was better to leave him alone, to sleep off his headache. That didn’t make it any less disappointing though, as he had really been waiting to talk about last night. Maybe try to give his confession another shot. It’s why he had decided to stay the night there at Conductor’s place, instead of just going home like he sometimes did. He just didn’t feel like it could wait until they were back at the studio, since they both would have work to do. That’s probably why he hesitated before going out the door.

“...Conductor?” Grooves called back, as he had already walked up and was holding the doorknob.

“Yeah?” Conductor called back, almost half-asleep again. But Grooves took a moment, mulling over whether or not he should ask about it in his head. “Spit it out, Grooves.” Conductor interrupted his thought, making him sigh. He then turned around, looking Conductor in the eyes.

“Do...do you remember any of what happened last night? Anything at all?” Grooves asked, praying that he would get an answer. And if Conductor had eyes, they would have widened in surprise.

“Uhhh not really? Me head’s feeling rather fuzzy right now, can barely think straight...” Conductor said quietly, and trailed off when he saw Grooves’ expression start to fall. “Um...why do ye ask?” he gulped, hoping that he didn’t do anything brash or stupid when he had been drunk. But he was surprise to see Grooves simply shake it off and give him a smile.

“Oh, it’s...nothing important, darling. I was just being hopeful, I guess.” Grooves forced a laugh, before letting out a dismal sigh. “Well, I’ll see you at work tomorrow!” he said fake-cheerily, going to open the door and-

“Hold on, Grooves.”

Grooves immediately froze in his tracks once Conductor intervened. And he scolded himself internally, wishing that he hadn’t even mentioned it now. What has he been thinking?! Conductor must be curious about it, now that he had brought it up. And he would most likely be furious if he found out about saying such things to his rival. He took at moment to breath in, then out, and then finally let go of the doorknob to face Conductor. But he was surprised to see that Conductor had an almost unreadable expression on his face. He couldn’t tell if he was scared or worried. But it was certainly out of the norm for him.

“Sit down.” Conductor tossed off his covers and shifted in his bed, leaving an empty space for Grooves. It was honestly kind of funny, as he even patted the mattress for him to sit there. But this was no laughing matter. Grooves took a minute to think about it, before eventually going over to sit with him. The mattress creaked under both of their weight, and Conductor groaned slightly at the noise. Grooves became concerned, but Conductor quickly told him off.

“Tell me everything. And ah mean everything.” Conductor said to him, as calmly as he could. But Grooves could see him fiddling with his hands nervously. He decided not to bring it up, though, and sighed before explaining what happened. He tried to be direct about it, but at the same time he was cautious of how Conductor would react. The last thing he wanted was to be yelled at. And yet, he didn’t want to lie to Conductor either. So he decided to be completely truthful about the whole thing.

But the expressions on Conductor’s face said it all, especially at the more embarrassing parts.

“Ah said wot now?” Conductor whispered in disbelief, as he had just gotten to the part when he had been flirting. And Grooves could feel a twang of guilt and regret at this.

“You said that you liked how I was dressed. And then you called me...” he hesitated greatly, not wanting to go on. But the look that Conductor was giving he made him realize he had already come this far, so he might as well. “...‘Groovy’” he finally managed to say, but it only made him feel worse. In any other setting, he would have found it hilarious and howled with laughter. But with Conductor’s deafening silence, it only made him regret his decision to board the train in the first place. Yet, he went on with the rest of the story, wanting to get it over as quickly as possible.

Once he was finished though, Conductor looked at him like he was crazy.

“Look, you told me to tell the truth. I’m not lying-”

“Ah know that, peckneck!” Conductor shouted suddenly, before winching as his headache came back. Grooves opened his beak to say something, but Conductor quickly raised a hand for him to stop. “Ah know yer not lying. Ah’m just...so stupid.” he buried his face in his hands. By his tone of voice, Grooves almost thought he was going to cry. And he was tempted to rub Conductor’s back for comfort, but decided to think better of it.

“You’re not stupid, you were just-”

“Yes, ah am.” Conductor growled back, cutting Grooves off. “...ah always peck everything up, Grooves. Ah just wanted it to go right. Just wanted to tell ye that-” he quickly cut himself off, grabbing Grooves’ attention. But instead he scooted away from Grooves on the bed, turning his back to him. And Grooves felt like the atmosphere was almost suffocating. He held his tongue as well, not wanting to break the silence by saying something stupid. But it was tempting…

“...did you mean it?”

“Huh?” Conductor quickly turned back, only to see Grooves with his face turned away from him. And Grooves took a minute, before carefully taking off his shades and turning to face him. And Conductor nearly gasped, as he saw his rival’s eyes for the first time. But right now...he could tell they were filled with sadness. And it almost made him want to disappear.

“Did you mean it...when you said you loved me?” he asked again, hope glimmering in his eyes for a moment. And Conductor felt small, almost invisible. Why had he said that? Why had he said that?! He figured that Grooves must have hated him now, and that nothing would ever be the same again. But since he had nothing to lose, and Grooves had been so honest with him before, Conductor slowly nodded his head. “...really?” Grooves asked him, his voice sounding almost relieved. And this got Conductor’s attention, as he turned to look into Grooves’ dark eyes.

“Do ye know why ah got drunk?” Conductor gave a weak smile, trying to lighten the mood a little. And Grooves shook his head, confused as to why Conductor was bringing this up now. “Ah was actually planning to...confess to ye. But ah got the jitters bad once ye boarded, so ah figured some good ol’ scotch would calm me nerves.” he scoffed, before shaking his head and letting out a sigh. “And well...ye can see how well that worked out.” he rested a hand on his face, waiting for Grooves’ reply. But he just sat there awkwardly, as Grooves just stared at him.

Before letting out a light chuckle.

“Oi, what are ye laughing about?!” Conductor scolded him, almost offended. But that soon changed once he saw the Grooves was actually smiling now, not sad like he had been before.

“To think, that I was so nervous during that entire trip. Only to find out you feel the same way.” Grooves quietly mused to himself. “I...was actually going to confess to you too, darling. That’s why I wanted to board your train in the first place.” he felt a bit nervous as he said this, holding his own flippers nervously. And Conductor gave him a questioning look, which he quickly noticed.

“Yer joking?” Conductor asked, almost thinking that he misheard him. But Grooves quickly shook his head, making him blush in surprise. “O-oh...” was all he could say, feeling incredibly flustered at this. “...why me though? Why would ye want to be with...someone like me?” Conductor mumbled, staring down at his feet. And he flinched, as he felt Grooves put a flipper on his shoulder.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Grooves gathered up the courage to try and confess to Conductor right there and then. “It’s because I care about you, darling. And I like spending time with you. Even if you make mistakes sometimes, we all do. But none of that will ever change how I feel about you.” Grooves brought his flipper up to Conductor’s face, and could see the owl’s blushing from underneath his yellow feathers. “I love you. And I wouldn’t trade you for anyone else.” he smiled, with an affectionate look in his eyes. And Conductor could feel his face growing hot by every minute.

“Peck, yer really good at this.” he mumbled, before bringing his hand up to hold Grooves’ flipper. “...ah didn’t think ye would ever feel the same way about me. Yer just so perfect in every way. And ah’m just an old coot who yells all the time.” he looked to the side, and Grooves gave him a concerned look. “But if yer would really like to...maybe ah could take ye out sometime?” he proposed, giving a weak smile. And Grooves could feel his face starting to blush as well, before he gave a wide smile back.

“I would love to, darling.” Grooves said happily, before suddenly bringing Conductor into a gentle embrace. And Conductor was complete taken by surprise, almost thinking to retaliate. But...the feathers on Grooves chest, which were now all in his face, were fluffy and comfortable. And he could hear Grooves’ heartbeat clearly, which was almost calming in a way. So instead, Conductor joined into the hug. (Hoping that Grooves wouldn’t see him snuggling up to his chest on purpose)

“Ye could’ve just asked to hug me, peckn-” Conductor started to say, before stopping himself. “-Ah mean...Grooves.” he corrected himself, and Grooves laughed at this.

“Darling! How sweet~” he teased, and laughed when Conductor merely grunted in response. “By the way, that reminds me! I was going to give you something after I confessed.” he said with a grin, and Conductor moved back to look up at him confusedly.

“Wot? Did ye have a gift or s-” Conductor started, before Grooves brought a flipper under his chin. And before he could say anything, Grooves brought his chin up, leaned in slowly-

And gave him a small “kiss” on the top of his beak.

If anything, it was more like a small bump on the head. But that didn’t mean that Conductor wasn’t taken aback, as his whole face started to go red. And Grooves brought his arms around Conductor, embracing him snugly. He started to preen the top of Conductor’s head, nipping at a few small feathers that where poking out. And Conductor said nothing, but couldn’t help letting out a few calmed chirps. It felt...relaxing, though he could feel his face getting hotter and his feathers puffing up from being so flustered.

“Love you, Ducty~” Grooves said in an amorous tone, making Conductor’s feathers puff up even more.

“Sh-shut up!” Conductor squawked in embarrassment, head-butting Grooves’ chest. “Ah love ye too...” he sighed, nuzzling his beak into Grooves’ feathers.

And they both happily stayed like that, until Conductor eventually fell back asleep in Grooves’ arms. But Grooves didn’t seemed to mind, as he carefully laid Conductor back into bed to tuck him in. He grabbed the sheets and carefully placed them over the sleeping owl, making sure he was as comfy as can be. Conductor muttered in his sleep, at one point grabbing Grooves’ flipper and hugging it for warmth. And this made Grooves’ smile, and he leaned down to place another “kiss” on Conductor’s head. And the owl smiled in his sleep, even after Grooves managed to free his flipper.

“Sweet dreams, darling. Hope to see you soon~”

Notes:

(This fic can also be found on my tumblr blog, frickfracksnatchisback, so feel free to check it out there as well! Kudos and comments are very much appreciated! ♥)