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slushie5544 · 2 years ago

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A night in the Rerto Bird Club

So I'm gonna lie, this was a random idea I had literally yesterday after I watched a bunch of 70s music videos! I also tried to make this a challenge where I don't have any dialogue (Minus the lyric quotes). I also based Groove's dance off John Travolata's dance scene from Saturday Night Fever. This is after ahit events where the two director's are finally more focused on their hobbies/passions rather than trying to fight for a trophy every year.

Words: 3,321

Characters: Dj Grooves, the Conductor, and mentions of other ahit characters, but not much..

Summary: Not paying attention to the weather warnings, the Conductor finds himself stranded in a storm and needs to seek shelter, but when he finds himself stuck in a bar club He tries to make the best of the situation until a certain penguin arrived on the scene.

The Conductor was described as many things depending on who you asked: short-tempered, unusual, old-fashioned, and even terrifying according to the many Express Owls, but there was one thing everyone could agree on unanimously, he was one of the most stubborn birds anyone could meet. With his love and passion for his Express Train being one of his top priorities, it was no surprise he refused to leave his post at the train station despite multiple storm warnings having been announced. And sure the clouds that morning were a bit darker than usual and the wind nearly blew off his hat a couple of times, but he didn’t let that stop him! He had a train to attend! If these storm warnings were true then he had to make sure his baby was locked up securely for the worst.

By the time he had gotten to the central station, droplets of water were falling from the sky and his ears twitched at the faint sound of thunder in the distance. Maybe the storm was just going to pass over, it was still quite nice out despite the wind and cold rain, that’s what he kept trying to tell himself at least. He entered the building through a revolving door and expected at least some type of line of passengers, but instead, the station was barren. Not even one other creature was there besides the Conductor. Jazz music from the speakers above and the only other sounds that could be heard were the sounds of raindrops hitting the window ceiling and a pesky cricket that no one could ever find. His gaze turned to the queue board that was above the check-in, not a single station had someone waiting. Looking up at the post clock in the center of the station he took his pocket watch from his vest to compare the times. He was on time, just as he had always been for years. Did everyone really believe the storm was going to be that bad?

A scoff left the owl’s beak as he put his watch away and shook his head. He wasn’t going to let some pesky rain scare him from work! If he didn’t have any rides for the day, then he would just do maintenance on his train while he had the opportunity. There was always something to do and it didn't matter what it was, the owl needed to busy himself or his day was all for nothing! Even on his days off he was usually spending time with his grandchildren, who while sure were always a treat to spend time with, they were more than a handful for anyone to take care of for more than a few hours. The sound of wind whistling past the revolving doors made the Conductor’s ears perk up and turn around, then the roar of thunder made him jump with a hoot; maybe he'll just make today a half day!

After it seemed the rain wasn't going to let up any time soon the owl locked up the station doors and traversed his way back home. Unfortunately, he never realized how far he actually lived from his work until now as he fought against the powerful wind to keep standing. He hadn’t even brought an umbrella with him, so the added weight of his drenched feathers only made the fight against the elements even more difficult. Another clash of thunder was heard and the rain only became more excessive. He needed to find shelter, his home was still quite a ways to go and there was no way he was going to make it back to the station in this storm. The streets were becoming flooded as little to no cars drove by and most buildings had been closed for the day. A curse left the owl’s beak as he shivered and rubbed his arms; a flash of lightning only made his ears flatten as he awaited for the roll of thunder to follow.

He had kept walking for only another block when his ears twitched upwards, the sound of music could be heard from an alleyway. Turning to look over, said the narrow road had only two street lights that barely illuminated the streets, the only other light source the Conductor looked could spot was the small neon sign above a door.

“The Retro Bird Dine and Bar!!”

Taking one last look at the main road, he hoped to see any type of car to possibly wave down, or another establishment to take refuge. Sadly the only thing the owl could see was the dense fog that made it impossible to see anything past a couple of feet in front of him. A flash of lightning lit the sky which was quickly pursued by a roar of thunder was what made the Conductor let out a hoot as he dashed for the door. Getting closer, he could see lights flashing from the cracks of the door and the muffled sounds of music could be heard from the other side.

As he opened the door he was greeted by a sight he had to process for a minute. Various creatures danced together with colorful strobe lights flashing red, blue, and yellow as the sounds of disco music played throughout the club. There were moon penguins, express owls, mafia members, even the klepto cats were grooving with the beat of the music.

“You should be dancing, yeah~! Dancing, yeah~!!”

Many of the dancing members sang along to the funky music as they cheered excitedly seeing others show off their dance moves. The conductor on the other hand simply grumbled and walked past the dancefloor to make his towards the place he came here for! The bar was run by a mafia member who was wiping down a glass while eyeing the yellow bird sitting before him. The two exchanged brief greetings, but overall the Conductor was in no mood for the formalities and after only two sentences in he ordered for two drinks of scotch. His head was pounding from the music, and the flashing lights gave him a headache. A couple of drinks was sure to calm him from the crappy day today. He was only to get a couple of drinks though! Nothing more!

It was by his fifth drink that the bartender had decided the Owl needed a break from the bar and perhaps he should try some of their carp-related food options. However, he wasn’t hungry, instead, he was more concentrated on the lyrics of the song playing. His head rested on his arms that were folded atop the bar as the music continued. One of his feet even tapped along with the beat while one of his claws tapped along with the singing. He couldn’t remember the last time he heard this song and hearing it now on the speakers brought back memories he hadn’t thought about for nearly twenty years.

“I’m still standin’, even after all this time! Pinkin’ up the pieces of my life without you on my mind.”

His ears perked up as he nodded his head slightly to the end of the song and was actually smiling as he remembered the first time he heard the song and took the lyrics to heart with his family. Sadly, in his mildly inebriated state just remembering those creatures he had to call family made the owl frown. He loved his daughter and would do anything for his grandchildren, but he would rather be completely hammered than have the others float through his mind. So he did the only thing he could think of in a situation like this. He needed more drinks!

He was only really able to down half a glass when the sound of a scratching record made the entire club go silent and he set the cup down, however, he kept his back turned to the dancefloor still. Murmurs and gasps were heard throughout the crowd at first, but a voice from the speakers made the Conductor’s ears flatten and his clawed hands clench the glass even tighter as he brought the rest of his drink to his beak. He kept his back still to the crowd as he refused to look at who was speaking, he then ordered another drink, but the mafia employee had been hesitant at this point noticing the shift in attitude. Though who was he to stop a customer from giving him more pons? So with that, the Conductor was now only his seventh drink of the night.

Throughout the announcement, the owl could only focus on how annoyingly smooth the penguin’s voice was. He spoke of how the storm was still raging outside, but for everyone to enjoy their time at the club with courtesy water and snacks that didn’t need to be cooked. With that, the music started up again and the crowd cheered and continued on dancing.

“See how the sun shines brightly in the city, on the streets where once was a pity-”

What a joke! Of course, this was the one club where that obnoxiously charming DJ had to be! There was no way in hell the Conductor was going to stick around any longer. He stumbled off of the bar stool he had been sitting on and miraculously made his way to the entrance/exit. Unfortunately, when he attempted to open the door a gust of wind simply slammed it back shut. He tried again, this time with most of his body being used to push the door open. It wouldn’t budge, and the Conductor was now sitting with his back against the door out of breath. Guess he didn’t have a choice and was stuck in here until this storm died down.

More cheering and shouting had finally convinced the Conductor to investigate the dancefloor that he had been trying to avoid, guess if he was stuck in this stuffy room he might as well see what the huge fuss was about this time. He used the wall behind him to balance himself back onto his feet as he stumbled over the crowd. Trying to swim through the crowd had been almost as difficult as trying to walk outside as he was pushed and shoved by numerous animals and humans jumping around as they hyped each other up. The pushing and shoving added to his double and spinning vision made the poor owl feel as if he was going to be sick right there. Looking back and forth the Conductor realized he was lost, he had no idea which way was the way out of the audience and his heart started to race. The blasting music and the hollering of everyone made him close his eyes and cover his ears as he tried to walk forward hoping to get out of this dreaded crowd.

Very few members had moved out of the way as the Conductor tried to shove and push past them, some even tried to get his attention. But, he was solely focused on getting out here now. Storm be damned, he’ll blow that door up if it meant he could get out of this claustrophobic death trap of a club! With his eyes barely open at this point he kept them glued to the floor, but he might as well have had his eyes shut still as he tripped over someone’s foot. The fall felt as if he was in slow-motion. The ground was getting closer and his body was weightless for just a second with the blaring music becoming muffled for that split moment.

When he blinked and opened his eyes again his face had landed on the colorfully lit dance floor where it seemed the crowd had left some room, he finally made it to the center of it all. He vaguely remembered a hooded dweller helping him back up and likely asking if he was ok, but the Conductor waved them off. His attention was more focused on what he was watching, or specifically WHO he was watching.

“Dance, dance! Boogie Wonderland! Dance-!”

There he was, the most annoying and charismatic penguin to live: DJ Grooves. However, instead of turning back in disgust, the owl could only watch along with the crowd as the glimmering penguin danced with the music. He wore a golden holographic long-sleeve shirt that was unbuttoned from the top which seemed to fit him perfectly as it never once slipped when he stretched his arms out pointing upwards with his hips being thrown in the opposite direction, when he switched sides he tapped his foot and proceeded to laugh hearing everyone cheer him on. He leaned back slightly with a knee pointed forward as he pointed randomly into the crowd and thrust with the beat.

What the penguin didn’t know was the direction he had been pointing at happened to be where the Conductor was standing, said owl felt his face burn from the scene, but he couldn’t stop watching. Maybe it was from the alcohol, or maybe it was from the fall and now he had a concussion, but he was mesmerized by the way the DJ danced among the crowd. His mouth was agape by the next move as the penguin shuffled through the middle of the dance floor only to stop and turn as he jumped with a few spins then ran through the center and slid to a stop on his knees.

“I find romance when I start to dance in, Boogie Wonderland~ All the love in the world can’t be gone-”

This was dangerous, he needed to get out of this crowd before he did something he might regret! Turning around the Conductor attempted to push back into the sea, but after only being surrounded and pushed around for a minute he was back to the center of the floor. This time he was even closer to the dancefloor where Grooves was shuffling around gracefully on his platformed shoes. It was a marvel how the penguin could even stand in those let alone dance with the amount of energy he was giving. It almost reminded him of when he was just a bit younger and was able to pull off the moves his rival was showing off.

That was it, that damn showoff was trying to rile the owl up, the way he flaunted his tailfeathers as he lowered his glasses and winked to some of the crowd members. The Conductor felt the heat in his face spread to his neck as he clenched his clawed fist together close to his chest with his heart feeling as if it was going to jump out any second. He didn’t remember when he had started nodding his head to the music but by the end of the song, everyone including himself was clapping for the DJ who gave a bow and took a swig of water from a bottle that had been tossed in his direction. He thanked the audience and even blew a few kisses to some of the members, but something seemed to change in the penguin when his gaze fell upon the Conductor. At that same moment, the lights dimmed and the song had changed to one more funky.

“Cause there’s music in the air and lots of lovin’ everywhere, so give me the night. Alright, Tonight~!”

The crowd had finally dispersed as everyone was trying to find a partner to dance with to the new song. As for the owl though he was still trying to get past the crowd of creatures and people, no matter what direction he looked there was still no way out of this cluster. The music became background noise for the owl as he felt his breath become erratic, the flashing lights were becoming overwhelming and if he got pushed one more damn time someone was going to lose a damn arm! The feeling of nausea was coming back to the owl, but he tried to fight off the gut-wrenching feeling in his stomach. Being in the storm sounded like paradise compared to this hell!

In his panicked frenzy, the Conductor hadn’t even noticed as a blue flipper grabbed a hold of his arm until he was being pulled in a direction. He couldn’t even fight off the other as he simply closed his eyes with his head low trying to concentrate on not being sick. In just a matter of minutes, the owl was free from the cluster and he simply hunched over holding his knees to catch his breath. He noticed a bottle of water had been offered to him, thanking the other he took the bottle without looking at the individual and took some swigs of the refreshing drink.

Once he was at least able to breathe and knew he was able to keep his vomit down the owl looked up at the one who had assisted him. His ears flattened to his head and his hands clenched the bottle even tighter. The pompous yet dazzling penguin waved and asked if he was ok now, but the Conductor couldn’t find the right words. His glasses had been raised and rested on his head which was a rare sight as the moon penguins were known to have sensitive eyes and had to wear their sunglasses to protect them from bright lights. Though with the dim lights of the club and now away from the brightly lit dance floor, it gave him an excuse to take them off.

“-And if you feel alright, then we can be lovers’ cause I see that starlight look in your eyes~ ! Don’t you know we can fly?”

He had never noticed before but now that the older bird was this close to the penguin he noticed the blue and grey color of his eyes shined the lights almost like they had literal stars in them. The Conductor thought he heard the penguin ask him a question, but he couldn’t hear it. In fact, he couldn’t hear anything other than the music that was playing. He set the bottle down on the counter and stepped over to the disco penguin who raised an eyebrow at the owl.

“And if we stay together, we’ll feel the rhythm of the evening taking us up high~ Never mind the weather, we'll be dancing in the street until the morning light~!”

The Conductor wasn’t sure if it was a mixture of alcohol and panic attacks tonight mixed with the fall he had earlier, but neither party was prepared for his next move as he threw himself at the penguin and crashed their beaks together. Thankfully for the both of them, Grooves was much bigger and was able to keep himself up with the other in his arms. However, that didn’t mean he hadn’t stumbled back slightly from the sudden force against him. His clawed hands were gentle to touch the penguin’s face as he broke apart and looked him in the eyes with their beaks still close together. The other’s eyes were wide and his breathing was slightly hitched, but the Conductor paid no mind as he rested his head on the shoulder of the other bird and closed his own eyes. The last thing he remembered was the soothing feeling of someone rubbing his back as he drifted in and out of consciousness

The rest of the night was a blur for the owl, when he woke up the next morning he was in his bed at home, but he couldn’t remember how he had gotten there. Looking to his side a folded piece of paper was placed on his bedside table. When he read it his feathers rose and a familiar feeling of heat engulfed him from his head to his neck.

“You're always welcome to my parties darling, though maybe next time you'd be more comfortable with a meeting in a more comfortable crowd. Just give me a call when you're up for it, or you know where to find me darling~”

#ahit #ahit dj grooves #ahit conductor #ahit fanfic #the conductor #disco train #dj grooves #literally i spent two days writing this #i blame john travolta for inspiring me

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