#abnerantisocialduck

Mark quietly trudges over to the duck, and without so much as a word, he wraps his arms around him and buries his head against his shoulder. His tail feathers are drooping, and it looks like he’s been picking at his neck feathers again. A shuddering sigh escapes him, and finally, he murmurs, “Family’s nothing but trouble.”

The forest was quiet and calm most days. It was one of the few places Boyd could sit and rest without having to worry about people asking him about the family he doesn’t have, or why a kid like him was out on his own. He’d found an empty burrow in the ground that was just large enough for him to hide in, even-- which was where he stored any supplies he accumulated.

Knowing he was a robot, he didn’t have to worry much in the way of food or water-- while they could be used to fuel his energy banks, they weren’t a necessity like if he were a real bird. The supplies he kept were more in the way of spare parts, wiring, and bandages to hide the patches where his synthetic feathers and skin had worn away.

Today, he’d gotten lucky. He’d managed to find a discarded toolbox, with most of its components still inside! Boyd had rushed back to his burrow to store it away, too distracted by the exhilaration of finding it to notice he’d been spotted. It wasn’t until he’d pushed the toolbox into the hole and replaced the leafy camouflage that he heard footsteps behind him.

"What about... I'm adopting you? Like officially, with all the papers and lawyers and what not. I could be your father. For real! Then you could live in the woods with me and nobody else could meddle with your education. How about that, little guy?" 

"...”

How did Abner even find him? Was Dugan that easy to read? Not that the park wasn’t the best place to take off to, but at least he’d let Fethry know where he was heading. No more drama, no more communication slips, no more broken ties, no more talking to You Know Who unsupervised.

The boy got up where he stood, shoulders hunched as he slowly backed away. Unca Abby shouldn’t be here. He shouldn’t be here. This wasn’t right.

...wait, live in the woods?

No. This wasn’t the time to be swayed. He felt corned. He was scared. This wasn’t right.

“I... N–Not til ya ‘pologize ta Mister Zé!” Heart pumping, ragged breaths, and knowing better than to call him ‘Unca’ around Abner. He wanted answers, and despite the unsung tears that burnt at his eyes, his voice was firm. “H–He didn’t do no wrong, he–I–just STOP!”

He was grinning menacingly, his voice low and fiery eyes glaring like a predator. “You better start running, amigo... Because when I catch you, I’m gonna beat that smug parrot beak of yours to a pulp!”

Oh, no, he was back. He hoped he wouldn’t have to deal with this when he got back. Was that too much to ask for?

He elected to smile the best warm smile he could muster for Abner, but he sounded serious. And he knew from very personal anecdotes that when anyone took that tone of voice, it was best to just run.

Oh. Oh no.

“Grandma? I… I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I really have a lot of work to do, so…”

It was a big fat lie. But Abner didn’t want to open up, and Grandma was getting too close to the truth, so the lumberjack was avoiding her. But even so he would never be rude to Elvira!

“…Sorry, but I gotta go back to the woods…”

"I'm not leaving until we talk." He can't avoid her forever.

"Clone? Do you need glasses? ...or the dozens of newspapers detailing my UN-luckiness?"

Maude isn't at all phased by Abner, especially since she deals with much worse on a daily basis. His ignorance makes his spiteful words sound utterly stupid.