Alright people, background; this is an alternate ending to Flying Home, and it involves the story to change a little so listen up. (and if you haven't read that, I suggest you read it first, or this will make no sense whatsoever)

I've extended the time Nico has been missing to ten months, don't ask why, it's just seemed right :P The basic story is still the same, only there was no video call in Tokyo. So everything in the story is more or less the same until they reach Sao Paulo. This is where they meet everyone and the showdown happens, fairly similar to the original, only Tony isn't in the building that ends up being blown up and Nico isn't nearly as injured, only a few bumps and bruises. This is where we pick it up :)

I'm not entirely sure where this came from, and I don't know if I'm even going to finish it, but it was just begging to be written ever since I went to see Pitch Perfect (which yes, this is based loosely off). So I finally sat down and let it out before my muse packed her bags and left (which she has done when I've refused to write something down).

It probably doesn't make a huge amount of sense, but I just wanted a reunion ending that was a bit happier than my original :) and I thought I'd post it to see if I could get your opinion too :)

"Ow, ow, ow, ow!"

"Will you shush a minute!" Cosette muttered, slapping him lightly on the shoulder, one of the few places the small bird hadn't been injured, "just be thankful it's only a sprain, it could've been far worse."

"Yeah, along with the concussion, the countless bruises, cuts and a wing that doesn't look like it's going to hold my weight for a while," Nico muttered, rubbing gingerly at his sore head, already wrapped up in a tight bandage, stopping the bleeding from a large gash on the side of his head.

"Yes, well, I saw the remains of that building you were in," Cosette said, gently tucking in the end of the bandage, "you were lucky to escape with your life."

Nico winced at this, looking away guiltily. He knew how close he had come. Again.

"I know, sorry," he murmured, sighing, "I'm just a little annoyed that I'm so close to home, we're only in Sao Paulo, and I'm stuck here," he slumped back against the wall, "barely two hundred miles away and I'm stuck."

"I know sweetie, I know," Cosette cooed, standing up and holding out a wing to pull the injured canary carefully to his feet...well, foot. "but it's not for long, as soon as your wing is back in working order, we can be on our way." She slipped a wing around his waist to help him limp to the door.

"How long are we talking here?!" came a call from the other side of the door as they walked through to see most of the group lounging around.

"A week," Cosette told them, leading the grumbling canary into the room they were staying in, "at least for this one here," she grinned, lowering him back to the floor.

There was a few moments of silence, then Tia chose that moment to strut through the entrance to the temporary hollow, grinning from ear to ear.

"At least we won't be bored," she smirked, "anyone want to join me in entering a little competition?"

"Is it that time of year already?" Nico asked from the floor, leaning forward on his good wing and looking up in curiosity, trying to ignore Tony acting like a mother hen over the bandages wrapped around his head and leg.

"What?" Miyoko asked, sitting up and looking over in confusion.

"Biggest music competition in Brazil, held here every year," Nico explained, a hint of a smile appearing on his beak, "and every year, me and Pedro make it a point to enter and at least give winning a shot," he grinned, "we managed it twice, once we were too late to enter and failed the riff-off because of a simple misplaced word, the other three times we either got second or third."

"Riff-off?" Ali asked, flopping down next to him and picking up his hat, spinning it in her wings.

"They always have one place open after closing applications," Nico told them, "anyone trying to enter after closing date essentially has to battle it out in a riff-off against all the other acts, completely improvised, one slip-up or failure to act in each section and you're out."

"Interesting," Tia said, rubbing her chin, "when do they close entries?"

"Usually a week before competition, and the riff-off is the day before, giving them time to prepare. And if I've got my dates right, entries would've closed yesterday."

There was a moment of silence as the birds thought over what he said.

"We can do it," Ali said after a deep breath, "Miyoko, your girls are acapella, yeah?"

Miyoko grinned, "we are indeed."

"That's the music, and between you, me and Tia, and possibly Adri, we've got some pretty strong lead singers, I can put a dance routine together in a few hours if needs be, and from I've heard Nico's improvised a winning performance at a competition on the spot, surely you can put together a set for us?" she looked over at Nico, expression pleading.

"Don't see why not?" Nico grinned, "and if I'm lucky, Pedro and the others may come regardless of whether I'm there or not, could see them too."

"So we're entering?"

"Heck yes!"

Pedro was swearing. A lot.

"I cannot believe we missed the cut off! Now I've got to do the riff-off and everyone knows I can't do that without Nico!"

He paced back and forth, breathing hard and trying not to hyperventilate while Rafael and Jewel tried to calm him down, even a little.

"So don't enter," Jewel said simply, trying to use logic to soothe his obviously frazzled brain.

"But I have to, I promised myself I would at least try, for Nico," the cardinal argued, waving his wings about.

"So do the riff-off, you might still get in," Rafael reasoned.

"But-"

Rafael cut him off, physically holding his beak closed so there wasn't a chance of the smaller talking over him. "Look," he said, giving Pedro an annoyed glare, one eyebrow raised, "either you enter or you don't. I know it's been a long time since you've sung anything on your own, and yes, I want him back too, but you need to make a decision."

"Mmmph," Pedro tried to talk, but Rafael was still holding his beak shut. "Alright!" he nearly shouted once it had been released, "I'll do it, for Nico, I'll do it," he said, quieter as he nodded, more to reassure himself than anything else.

It had been ten long months, and after no word, everyone had assumed the worst, he wasn't coming back. Pedro had fought long and hard against the overwhelming feeling of hopelessness threatening to take over, but after even Rafael had given up, he gave in to the fear, lost all hope of his best friend, of his brother, ever returning. He cried for two days (not that he would admit that to anyone of course). He tried not to let anyone see what he was really feeling after that, keeping up the false happy pretence in front of everyone.

Rafael, of course, saw straight through it. And somehow managed to convince him that entering the competition on his own might help.

Pedro however, was really beginning to doubt that.

The Riff-off was a battle to the death.

And without Nico on his side, he was going down.

Three days in, and the song was ready. All that was left was for them to practice it to death. Nico had backed out of entering, his reasoning being he had done this so many times before, Pedro hadn't shown up yet, that he knew of, and there could be only one winner to the Riff-off, he wanted to give the girls as good a chance as possible. There was no point if he wanted them to perform.

So he focused on putting together a few songs (using things they already knew, so much easier than making Miyoko's girls try and make up a whole new backing sound), using a few of each of the girls favourite songs that actually fit together.

Now however, all he was doing was watching over practice, jumping in every now again with a tip or improvement they could make, occasionally swapping singers to see if they would work better elsewhere, then more often than not swapping them back.

It was afternoon on the fourth day that Tia began to notice something about him. Or more specifically, began to notice something about him and Ali. At first she simply assumed she was imagining things. She had, of course, been rooting for the two of them to get together from the moment she saw them standing next to each other, Ali glaring a hole into Nico's head just because she could, while he backed away, terrified and a little confused. They grew to tolerate each other over Nico's stay in Hawaii, and it was clear she liked him at least a little when she made the decision to come with them to Rio, and they had grown closer as they travelled. Tia knew Ali almost as well as she knew herself, chances of anything romantic happening between them, at least in the near future, were slim to none, though she kept her hopes up.

But as the week went on, she was beginning to suspect that maybe something more had happened.

It was little things really, things she probably would've missed if she didn't know Ali so well. Like the way she always looked to him when she was singing, small glances in his direction when she thought no one was looking. The way she always seemed to head straight over to him before practice to warm up with him. When they were going over the dance moves and he was walking through the lines, straightening postures and making sure everyone was doing the right thing, she couldn't help but notice the way his wings lingered on her hips, and the way she didn't try to bite his head off for it, like she would for just about everyone else.

And it was the same with Nico. She didn't know him quite as well, but then, he wasn't quite as subtle as Ali tried to be. She saw the way he spoke to her, the way he looked at her, even when he knew she was looking at him. She almost laughed out loud when Ali had been putting together the dance routine and lost her balance. Nico just happened to be in the right place at the right time and caught her (almost falling over himself because of his injuries). Tia was absolutely certain they held on to each other for a few seconds longer than was absolutely necessary, probably as they thought no one was around.

The whole situation was both hysterical and frustrating, and by the time the riff-off came around Tia was just about to rip out her own feathers in annoyance.

Tony suggested just asking them, she replied with a simple 'you know that's not my style.'

However...

The chances of either of them coming clean on their own was highly unlikely.

"t-minus one hour guys!" Miyoko called as she flew into the room the girls (and Nico) had been using to practice. They had barely left all week, spending the first half getting to know each other, what they could all do with their voices, and practicing with random songs to see if they could work together

"You think you're ready?" Nico asked, "once you're there there's no backing out."

"Well, you can fail on purpose, but that's just embarrassing," Adriana pointed out, fluttering down from one of the higher boxes where she had been warming up with Miyoko, who flew down after her, landing next to Nico.

"Besides," the colourful bird added, "my girls can do back up to pretty much anything, start singing and they'll back you up through whatever. I think we'll do fine," she said, winking with a wide grin, "when does everyone begin to head down?"

"Usually around nowish, the pre-battle is just as good as the actual thing, and it means you can scope out the competition," Nico told them, "but I'm hanging here 'til Cosette gets back, she promised she'll sort this freakin' bandage out before the thing starts," he said, tapping gently at the white bandage around his head. Cosette had told him it was time to take it off but had to rush off to get the medical kit and hadn't returned.

"Have you actually left this room at all this week?" Ali teased from just above him, hanging over the edge of a low box.

"You of all birds know I have," Nico muttered, giving her a raised eyebrow. She just giggled (Tia almost fell over, she couldn't remember the last time Ali had giggled!), and pushed herself up.

"Shall we be off then?" she asked, grinning wide, "I believe we have some asses to beat."

The Riff-off was held in and old empty swimming pool near the main stage, the perfect arena, with those watching from up on ground level, and everyone else down below to battle it out between them. The smooth, rounded walls were grubby from years of disuse, but this was no problem for the backstreet birds of Sao Paulo who ran the competition, and with the exception of one or two higher class performers, no one else seemed to be particularly fussed with the thin layer of rust and moss that had appeared since the pool had closed thirty years prior. They were just happy they even had an arena that they could use.

The Riff-off was a tradition that spanned back to before the competition had even begun, as a battle to determine the top birds in the city. As it grew in number, the competition that is now around was born and opened up to birds from around the country, and with such high demand those who didn't enter in time had to face down others to earn their right to perform, and if they didn't get in, tough luck.

With nearly forty acts fighting for a place in the legendary contest, the stakes were high, and it looked to be a long night ahead.

Ali felt tiny in the huge crowd, even with the rest of the girls surrounding her. While there were a lot of groups and performers that were a similar size to them, the ones who were bigger, even if they weren't all that good were still quite intimidating.

She knew they had a good chance, the sisters could do just about anything from what she's heard so far, and if they really tried they could win this, and that she shouldn't be quite so intimidated based on nothing but size. She knew far better than to judge birds by their size. She'd stared down a bird almost four times her size before for the last strawberry.

This would be a walk in the park.

With five minutes to go and still no sign of Nico, Ali was beginning to get antsy, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet as the girls behind her warmed up. She scanned the crowds that were forming around the edge of the empty pool, searching for that flash of yellow that would signal that he was here and they had at least one supporter in the crowds.

"Ali?" Tia called, grabbing her attention.

"Hmm? Oh hold on!" she said, waving a wing at her friend and going up on tip-toes as she spotted Nico and his brother push through a small gap and almost fall into the pool, Tony grabbing Nico's wing to keep him from toppling in. She watched as they managed to find a good foothold, before looking out into the crowd of performers, looking for them. She caught his eye pretty quickly, winking and giving a small wave before turning back to Tia, who was still trying to get her attention, looking both excited and panicked at the same time, allowing for rather funny facial expression. "What?"

"Come 'ere," Tia pulled her back a few steps and pointed through the crowd.

"What is it?" Ali asked, not seeing what her friend was clearly seeing.

"Small bird," Tia tried to explain, "red and grey, looking quite panicky, look familiar to what Nico was saying?"

Ali squinted, still not seeing anything remotely similar to the description. Then she saw him, definitely looking anxious, and if what Nico said was true and that was who they thought it was, it probably had something to do with performing on his own for the first time in ages. Anyone would be nervous.

She leant back, looking for the canary up in the crowds, waving to get his attention. Once caught, she pointed in the general direction they were looking in. She received a confused look, but he complied with her vague request.

If the way his face absolutely lit up was anything to go by, then their suspicions were correct.

They were indeed up against the infamous Pedro.

"There's always next year."

Pedro had done well; he had held his own for the first ten rounds, and had made it to the last fifteen acts, but had fallen short against an all-girl acapella group that had done a song that left him completely stumped and clueless about how to follow it. If he was being completely honest with himself, he might have been a little mesmerised by the lead singer for that particular song, a colourful tanager with eyes that had him hooked almost instantly, not that he would openly admit that to anyone. He could have sworn he heard a very familiar cackle from the crowds as his beak momentarily dropped open, but he brushed it off, knowing that it couldn't possibly be who he thought it was.

"I suppose so," Pedro shrugged as he sat with his feet hanging over the edge, giving a small smile up at Rafael, "I'm just gonna have ta' get used to singing on my own I guess."

"Things will get better, they always do," Rafael said, nodding, glancing down at the group that had managed to beat the younger bird sat beside him. They seemed happy, but somehow not quite as happy as they had been after previous wins. Each and every one were grinning, but it was like the adrenaline was beginning to wear off and they were getting tired, which surely they must be, but there was something in the way one or two kept glancing up to them that he couldn't quite place.

"I suppose if I can't be in it, I might as well cheer for someone," Pedro said, leaning back on his wings and watching as the next category was read out; Rock'n'roll.

"Who're you going for?"

"Well, there's small all guys group that I was chatting to during the break," the cardinal said nonchalantly, "they're still in, not bad guys, might as well cheer for them."

Nearby, Nico was trying very hard not to bounce up and down on his toes in anticipation, both because it hurt and because it was annoying Tony. The girls had done so well to get this far, the battle had been going on for near on two hours, and it was looking to be another long one, the winner usually being the one who was still awake when they reached the end. And despite having just lost to the surprisingly destructive force that were his girls, Pedro had done exceedingly well, all things considered.

Both of them knew that Pedro's strengths lay in improvising around others, adding things to songs that completely re-vamped and redesigned them, improving them in a way Nico never could. Nico knew he could sing, and properly sing, but the older bird preferred to take a step back on that front for the majority of the time, at least in front of an audience. Backstage was a whole different story, but they still sung together.

Goodness knows it took Nico some months to get used to singing without the usual back up. And he hadn't sung in front on an audience of more than ten, with the exception of Tokyo, since he left Rio. He didn't know if he could face this on his own.

Though he couldn't help but laugh at the look on his face when Tia had started singing. Admittedly, it was a rather suggestive song and he knew Tia was the kind of bird Pedro was attracted to. It was inevitable. Pedro just lucked out in that he was the last to perform and therefore lost when he couldn't follow.

He honestly had no idea that Miyoko's girls were this good. Obviously they were good, he'd never had much experience with acapella, but he knew these girls were special. They had a bond, one very few had, were they could improvise so smoothly around each other, it was like they could read each other's minds.

It was a bond that sparked that hint of familiarity within him. A bond that reminded him so much of Pedro and himself, they way they knew what the others were going to do next with nothing but a small gesture or even just a glance.

The rest of the show went rather quickly after that, now he wasn't torn between who he should be supporting. If he wasn't so desperate to see the girls perform on the big stage, he would have entered himself, or tracked down Pedro when he still had the chance.

He leant forward, trying to see further down the crowded edge, to where he knew his family were sat.

As soon as this was over, he'd go over there.

Until then, he had a group to support.

"Is this ever going to end?!"

An hour and a half had passed, and they were down to the last two acts. And it would not end, they simply could not beat each other. Twenty minutes had passed since the last act had been kicked out, and the two groups now against each other, the girls against a small all boy group, had been going back and forth, the audience watching with bated breath, just waiting to see who will screw up first.

Nico sighed, looking down at his brother, who had fallen back in frustration.

"I should go find Pedro and Ralfy now," Nico said, leaning forward and trying to see them past the crowds, "once this is over it'll be impossible to get to them."

Tony smiled up at him, pushing himself up on his elbows as Nico leant so far forward he almost fell off the edge. "I'll cover when they," he paused, looking down to where the girls were rolling their eyes and whispering excitedly amongst themselves, "eventually win," he finally said, a small smirk pulling up the corner of his mouth as he sat up just in time to see Miyoko push forward and cut off the boys where they stood.

"Thanks Tony," Nico grinned, standing up shakily, almost toppling over as he lost his balance for a short moment.

With a deep breath, he took the plunge and dived into the crowds, going further out so he wouldn't be shoved over the edge of the pool.

It didn't take long to push through the tight crowd. His size helped, being able to duck under legs and fit through small spaces was one of the good sides to being less than two inches tall.

There!

He turned, aiming towards the familiar colours and shape of his best friend, reaching forward through the crowd.

"Nico!"

Someone grabbed his other wing before he could even make it two steps. He rolled his eyes and inwardly growled, turning around to see who needed him at a time like this. His jaw almost dropped when he took in the sight of the bird in front of him.

"Martin?" He asked, eyes wide in shock. Martin, the ever calm woodpecker and overall director of the competition was looking, to put it mildly, a little frazzled around the edges. "Dude, you okay?"

"Can you end this?"

"What?" Nico blinked, looking incredibly confused.

"They've been at it for three hours and to be honest this needs to end now!" Martin said, looking a little frantic, "and these two have been at it for the past half an hour, which I'm sure is a new record or something," he added, momentarily looking impressed, before gripping the now quite frightened canary by the shoulders and looking straight into his eyes, "get in there, cut them both off, whoever joins in first wins."

"And what about me?" Nico asked, narrowing his eyes a little. Maybe he could strike a small bargain here.

"I'll give you a place in the competition," Martin said, giving the canary his most hopeful expression.

Eyebrows went up. He was expecting maybe opening act or something, not an actual place in the competition.

Not that he was going to argue.

"Pedro too?" he asked. He wouldn't do it alone now he knew they were here.

Martin didn't even miss a beat, "yes, just get in there so we can get on with the prep for tomorrow!"

Nico just grinned, "deal."

And with that he was gone, pushing through the crowd. He paused for a moment, right behind Pedro and Rafael. Two birds that for a moment he never thought he'd see again. Standing right in front of him. He felt a complete burning desire to screw ending the riff-off like he promised and just stay there.

"Well," he muttered to himself, "I've waited this long," a smirk found its way to his beak, "let's make an entrance."

He steeled himself, took a deep breath and marched forward, pushing in between Pedro and another bird, hearing an irritated "Hey!" from the former, followed quickly by a very confused "huh?" as he slid down the side of arena with a laugh, ignoring the flare of pain in his ankle, breaking into a small flutter and a run as he hit the bottom, launching straight into a fast rap that cut the boys off mid-verse. They stumbled back a little from where they had moved forward, trying to intimidate their opposition.

"It's going down fade to Black
The homies got RB, collab creations bump like acne
No doubt I put it down never slouch
As long as my credit could vouch
A dog couldn't catch me, straight up."

Stunned silence filled the arena, and he could sworn he heard a soft 'No way' from where he had pushed through. A grin split his face at the thought of Pedro's expression. He glanced over at the girls, who were bewildered by the whole spectacle, though he noticed a growing grin on Ali's beak. He gave her a quick wink before continuing.

"Tell me who could stop with Dre makin' moves
Attracting honeys like a magnet
Giving them eargasms with my mellow accent
Still moving the flavour with the homies Blackstreet and Teddy
The original rump shakers."

He stopped, relishing in the shocked silence and trying not to laugh at the expressions on the faces that lined the edge of the pool. Nothing like this had ever happened at the Riff-off before. It took everything in him not to turn around; between Pedro, Rafael and Tony, he just knew he wouldn't be able to contain himself.

Martin's now slightly smug voice called down from the pool edge. "Whoever can keep up with him wins the riff-off!"

The two groups looked ever so slightly panicked, and Nico knew he could hear his brother laughing from behind him.

He let the silence drag a little, staring down the two groups with a smirk, just daring them to interrupt him, which only made Ali's grin grow wider as she caught his eye.

Then, tipping his hat slightly over his eyes at an angle and taking a deep breath, he began to sing.

"Shorty get down, good Lord
Baby got 'em open all over town."

Tony was the one to start the cheers, the sounds erupting like a ripple effect around the pool, and Nico wanted to laugh with joy when two things happened at once; Pedro and Rafael cheering louder than any of the others (save maybe Tony) and Ali joining in, the canary strutting towards him with a smug smirk and spinning to stand beside him, grinning at the opposing team.

"Strictly biz she don't play around
Cover much grounds got game by the pound."

By this point the acapella girls had enough time to get their act together and join in with back up, Tia and Miyoko grinning at each other as they pulled the two canaries towards them so they could face their rivals properly.

Nico continued to sing lead with Ali, Tia and Miyoko singing backup and the rest providing the music.

"Gettin' paid is her forte
Each and every day, true player way
I can't get her outta my mind
I think about the girl all the time

I like the way you work it,
No diggity, I got to bag it up baby,
I like the way you work it,
No diggity, I got to bag it up baby."

Now he was fairly sure it was Pedro that started it, though to be honest it could have been anyone from that general area, but the next thing he knew, the entire arena was singing along to the back-up, almost drowning out his own voice, Tia joining in with him and Ali just to keep it up.

This time he couldn't help but laugh through his singing, catching a glimpse of Pedro out of the corner of his eye, grinning like a madman on the edge of the pool.

"I like the way you work it,
No diggity, I got to bag it up,
I like the way you work it,
No diggity, I got to bag it up
Way out."

A deafening cheer rose up from the crowds as the group finished, the boys that had lost sighing in resignation as they turned away, their leader giving Nico a dirty glare, to which the canary only grinned, before two sets of wings grabbed him and pulled him into the group hug that was happening behind him.

"We did it!" was the ecstatic cheer from the group, the girls squealing with joy as they hugged, Nico laughing somewhere in the middle.

"Well hello," Ali's voice sounded next to his ear, and he turned as best he could in the tight space, grinning at the canary pressed up against his side. She claims it was involuntary, but Nico had his suspicions.

"Well done," he said, taking her wing in his. Ali just looked at him, one eyebrow raised and a wicked smirk on her beak, something Nico barely registered, "you guys were-"

"Oh shut up," Ali laughed, interrupting him mid-sentence, sliding one wing behind his head and pressing her beak against his, trying not to laugh as he went shock still for a moment before he kissed back, awkwardly turning in the small space to wrap a wing around her waist and pull her closer.

When they broke apart, the group around them had fallen silent, though they hadn't moved, they were staring with open beaks and a look of shock on each face. The two canaries looked around for a moment, then at each other, before breaking into hysterical laughter, leaning against each other for support.

"Since when?" Tia squeaked out once they had calmed enough to listen. Ali looked at Nico, taking his wing in hers.

"Just before the explosion," she said, looking to Nico for confirmation, smiling when he nodded. Nico just grinned at the looks on each face, even more so when he glanced up and saw his brother's shocked expression. He glanced along as Tia spluttered, trying to find Pedro and Rafael, but couldn't see them along the edge of the pool where he last saw them. He did however, see Jewel, who caught his eye, grinned and pointed downwards. He nodded in return, giving a quick wink and a mock salute.

"I've gotta go," he said to the group, "be right back," he extracted his wing from Ali's, and grinned wider than he had all night as he backed out of the group, looking around the now crowded pool as everyone piled in, celebrating the win. How he was going to find them in this crowd was beyond him, and he still couldn't fly more than an inch off the ground for a few seconds.

He turned, trying to spot the familiar colours through the countless bodies filling the empty pool; but coming up with nothing.

That was when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He barely had enough to turn and see who it was before he was engulfed in a crushing hug, red and grey feathers filling his suddenly blurring vision.

"You're here, oh my god you're actually here, you're alive," the very familiar voice sounded close to his ear, sounding more like he was talking to himself than anyone else, trying to convince himself that this wasn't just a dream. If he was honest with himself, Nico was finding it very difficult to convince himself that this was happening as well, that it was real. He laughed, closing his eyes and trying to force back the tears that were threatening to fall, trying to move his wings so he could hug his friend back.

His pushed away slightly, and took a step back, smiling so wide his cheeks hurt.

Pedro looked exactly like he remembered; a little bit slimmer perhaps, but then again, so was he. Ten months had taken its toll on everyone involved. The larger bird was staring at him with a look of absolute wonder and happiness, his wings still on the smaller's shoulders, like if he let go he would just disappear.

The tears spilled over and Nico choked back a sob, laughing as he covered his beak and rubbed at his eyes. "I was going to be cool," he murmured, chuckling through the tears, "damnit I was going to be cool."

He took a deep, shaky breath, trying to calm his shaking wings. "Oh screw it," he eventually muttered, jumping up and wrapping his wings tight around his best friend's neck, feet dangling as Pedro hugged him back, both of them laughing.

"Missed you buddy," Pedro said, "like you wouldn't believe."

"Oh, I believe it," Nico replied as the smile dropped a little, "I'm sorry," he murmured sombrely, closing his eyes tightly against the sting of tears, "I'm so, so sorry." He took a deep breath, trying to swallow the lump in his throat and not start sobbing there and then.

"It wasn't your fault," the cardinal told him, adjusting his hold on the smaller bird so he could put him down.

"We can go to the beach now," Nico murmured, both birds letting out a laugh as Pedro placed the canary safely on the ground. But before either of them could say another word, another voice called through the crowd.

Nico's face lit up once more, and he turned to see Rafael pushing through the horde of birds, his face split with a large grin and tears in his eyes.

"Ralfy!"

The toucan didn't even get through to them properly before the canary launched himself at him, hugging the larger bird as best he could, burying his face in the soft feathers. His mind immediately flashed back to a time before all this, back when he was still a kid, still only a few weeks old, a few months, when Rafael and Eva was all there was, his parents in all but blood.

That was all it took. Suddenly he just couldn't fight it, and he was both laughing and crying as the older bird hugged him tight.

"I'm sorry," he muttered into the toucan's feathers.

"And I don't care," Rafael told him, not once loosening his grip, "you're safe now and that's all that matters."

Nico just sniffed and nodded, taking deep breaths to try and calm his frazzled mind, not quite wanting to let go just yet. "I missed you," he said, turning his head and looking up, "I was so scared I'd never see you again."

"So was I," the older bird replied, putting the canary down and looking down at him with a wide, if slightly teary smile, "I didn't know what I would do if we never saw you again."

"Sorry I took so long," Nico said, looking slightly guilty as he wiped away the tears.

"I'm sure you had your reasons."

Nico laughed, "you wouldn't believe me if I told you," he said, grinning up at him, eyes still wet, "it's been crazy," he chuckled, glancing to his right where the others had grouped, including Cosette, Marius and Tony, "mainly due to these guys."

Rafael looked over, raising an eyebrow, and Pedro appeared at his other side.

"Hey! They're the girls that beat me!" he exclaimed, staring at the group, particularly at a certain tanager, who just smirked in return.

"And they're also the birds that saved my life on several occasions," Nico grinned, trying not to laugh, "and the ones that got me through the past ten months. I think I would have gone insane without this lot." He tried very hard to ignore the sappy looks from several of the girls.

"I feel we need introductions," Rafael grinned.

Nico grinned, "that could take a while, and we're not all here," he shook his head, "I haven't seen the twins in days and honestly I don't want to know," he grimaced, trying not to imagine the havoc they were most likely causing, "it's midnight and we have a competition to get through tomorrow."

"You mean they have a competition," Pedro muttered, to which Nico just grinned.

"No, we have a competition," he smirked, "I might have struck a deal with Martin, end the riff-off and he'll give me a place in the competition, and that means, by extension, you too," he told them, pointing at Pedro, who just gaped.

Everyone was staring in shock by this point, and even Ali's smirk had been wiped off her face. Tia and Miyoko had identical expressions of horror on their faces, which were very hard not to laugh at.

"Well crap," Ali muttered, the smirk appearing once more as she shook her head, not once taking her eyes away from a chuckling Nico, "we're screwed aren't we?" she said, laughing a little.

"Please," Nico drawled, pushing up Pedro's jaw, which was still hanging open in shock, "you guys still have the advantage," he said, rolling his eyes at the quizzical looks being thrown his way, "you've been practicing all week and your performance, which I put together, is flawless, and me and Pedro haven't sung together in months. Besides, we've got less than 24 hours to put something together."

"Coming from the bird that can come up with a song on the spot," Tony pointed out, and Nico could've sworn he saw both Pedro and Rafael do a double take. He just shrugged, chuckling.

"Details, details," Nico waved it off, laughing, "whatever the case, we should get inside, I feel there's a story to tell and I'd rather not do it here," he said, gesturing the still quite crowded pool.

"Come on then," Miyoko grinned, "back to the den?"

Nico laughed, nodding. They had nicknamed the room they had hijacked for the week 'the den', simply for lack of a better term. "I'll catch up with you," he said, smiling, "and if you see the twins, drag them away from whatever mischief they're getting themselves into."

"Will do," Adriana nodded, rolling her eyes good naturedly.

One by one, they all flew off, leaving just Nico, Pedro and Rafael, and surprisingly, Ali.

"Uh, Al, you too," Nico said, trying not look too scared. He knew about Ali's wrath, he had been on the receiving end of it several times, and didn't want to go though it again.

"I know," she shrugged, taking a few steps forward and wrapping her wings around his neck, hugging him tightly, "don't hold back," she whispered.

Nico barely got enough time to get over his shock and give her a quick squeeze before she was gone, taking off and flying after the others. He sighed, turning back to the smirking pair behind him.

"Don't," he said, holding up a wing and smiling, "just don't."

"Alright," Pedro said, putting up both his wings defensively and smirking wide. "Now, why're we being held back?"

"Because we're not going to be able to get away from that lot for days, and I want to talk to you before we go back and I get bombarded with questions," he chuckled, finding that tears were beginning to spring back and he had to shut his eyes to force them back. Thankfully, the pool was beginning to empty, leaving just a few other birds chatting a fair distance away.

"You alright dude?" Pedro asked, stepping forward to put a wing on his friend's shoulder.

"Y-yeah," Nico said, taking a deep breath to steady his shaking voice, "better than I've been in a long while," he smiled wide, tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. "Damnit, I wanted to be cool, and here I am crying my eyes out," he laughed, rubbing at his eyes, "let's never mention this again okay?"

"Agreed, you sap," Pedro chuckled, "though while we're here, we really did miss you," he said, shrugging awkwardly, "the past few months have been hell, I know I've been scared that this was it, that you weren't coming back, and we didn't even get to say goodbye."

"Who's the sap now?" Nico laughed, Pedro giving him a playful shove and a mock glare.

"Shut it," he smirked, blinking back his own tears.

"I know the feeling though," Nico said, looking up at Rafael, who hadn't stopped smiling all evening, "I was so scared too," he carried on softer, dropping his gaze to the floor, "there were times I didn't think I would make it, and I was scared, so, so scared," he trailed off, choking a little on his words, and feeling a few tears escape to drip off the end of his beak.

Rafael didn't say anything, instead he simply spread his wings and drew them both into a tight hug.

"It doesn't matter now," the older bird murmured after a few moments, "you're home now, it's all in the past."

Both birds nodded, smiling up at the toucan.

Everything was going to be okay.

"Seriously though, we mention this to no one."

Sorry, that was ridiculously sappy wasn't it? :) I was just in one of those moods I guess :D Let me know if you want me to write another chapter, it may be a while, but I have a few ideas :)

I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it :) Leave a review (long or short, good or bad, anything will do :)) and let me know what you think. I'm always interested :) Besides, it's 2:30 am and I have a job interview tomorrow, so it would be nice to know that at least someone appreciated my hard work :P

Ciao all :)