The Swan

Chapter 1

It's really funny how things just sometimes go together like puzzle pieces. Or water that perfectly flows down a riverbank.

The ice rink was empty. No one really went to ice skate during the summer, not like there were more than 8 people who came in at all. It still got money because of the winter season though, since couples and families would come in to have some fun.

Otherwise, it was usually completely empty. That's why today, the hottest day of summer, was the perfect time for Quackity to skate.

Quackity was a short man with raven hair that went down to his neck. He had a gray beanie with hints of color and LAFD on it, as well as a white dress shirt that was tucked into his slacks and rolled up at the sleeves. He also had a navy bow tie with some black suspenders.

He adjusted his suspenders and walked into the building, greeting the janitor as he walked in. He was a regular. His mother used to skate a lot and he sort of picked up a passion for it. He never liked competing though. The manager of the place was his acquaintance so he knew what songs to queue for Quackity.

He sat down while setting down his duffel bag. Grabbing out his skates, he put them on after taking his dress shoes off. He loosened up his suspenders and took off his bow tie. The ravenet put on a pair of gloves and pulled out a jacket that he left next to his bag in case he needed it. He grinned before taking off his blade guards.

Once he entered the rink he felt the coolness radiating off the ice and inhaled the cool temperature that filled his body with a refreshing feeling. He gave a thumbs up to the glass above where there was an overseer, who also knew Quackity, only through the songs he skated to though. He shuffled the playlist- and you know that feeling when you shuffle a playlist and it starts with one of your favorites? That's the feeling the skater had as he started skating his usual choreography to the song.

After a bit he took a rest and grabbed some water from his duffel bag and sat down. When he drank some of his water, he heard the door open and saw the manager with a genuine grin on his face. The mutton chops helped define his grin more too.

Quackity smiled back before speaking, "Hey Schlatt, you seem happy today, any reason to it?"

Schlatt stood next to Quackity, looking over the rink. "Yeah, Tubbo called me dad today, I almost cried I tell ya, Big Q-" he seemed so giddy as he spoke. Quackity listened as he continued. "He kissed my cheek and hugged me before saying 'love you dad' as I left him with the babysitter. He's such a good kid I'm so lucky to have him."

Quackity felt warmed by how happy the man seemed. They never got on personal levels, but they liked to talk about things to each other once in a while.

After about 25 minutes of chatting, Schlatt said he had some paperwork to do, but he paused before he walked through the door. "Oh yeah, the babysitter will probably be coming to the rink with Tubs later, also a new employee as an overseer is being trained, so I think you should introduce yourself to him since you're a regular, eh?" he explained with an encouraging grin.

Quackity nodded as he took his last sip of water. "I'll make sure to do so, have a good day Goat Man," he joked. Schlatt cackled while walking out the door. The ravenet shook his head with a sigh and a smile. It's always quite peaceful around here.

He slid back onto the ice and went back in sync with the music that was playing. His jumps were almost as graceful as a swan's, in fact his whole routine seemed as majestic as a swan. A duckling who became a swan when he wanted. Now that's just a beauty in itself.