I'm starting to ship these two. Help. Each little ficlet is based on a different song.
Lost Twin AU belongs to donaldtheduckdad on Tumblr.
1. Flying Without Wings
"Ninety-one, ninety-two, ninety-aw!"
A sharp point on a small statuette of an unknown duck punctured the balloon, popping it instantly. Launchpad laughed, rubbing the back of his neck.
Dewey shook his head. "Sorry, man. Maybe you'll have better luck at beating my record next time!"
Launchpad scooped him up, setting him down on his broad shoulders. "You win some and you lose some. I hold the record for the largest living jungle gym. Wait, no, I don't. Not yet. I'd need a bunch of kids for that sorta thing."
Huey, Louie, and Webby instantly attached themselves to his limbs, giggling as Dewey gave him directions so that he didn't bump into anything while his eyes were covered.
She had never witnessed a man so good with children that he willingly became a living jungle gym. Aside from his employment under Scrooge McDuck, Launchpad hadn't changed one bit from the dorky, sweet guy she knew in flight school.
Sweet. Della had just described him as sweet.
She inwardly groaned. Romance was the least of her worries. She had her children to take care of. Their needs would always come first. They had grown up fine without their biological father.
More importantly, without her brother's encouragement and determination.
If Donald had been here, would he have approved of Launchpad? After all, it took a great character to work under someone infamous for their stinginess and short fuse. Launchpad had never given up on Scrooge even when Della had lost faith in him.
Someone who never let temperament get in the way, someone who could protect children, someone strong and honest about everything...
He could make her soar without an airplane. And she wasn't sure why.
2. You Can Fly (Or Crash)
The unexpected snow and ice were considered too hazardous for those in training to attempt practicing taking off and landing. Launchpad huffed, his breath coming out in a small cloud of white. He'd been flying and crashing before he could even walk.
Literally. His parents were fond of recalling the time he'd crawled into the cockpit of a biplane and somehow started the engine. The story ended with the neighbor's barn destroyed, but it served to remind people that he had pilot's blood in his veins.
With his lessons cancelled, he had enough free time to admire the winter wonderland around him. The snow came down in a gentle breeze, though not heavy enough to be considered a blizzard.
And skating in the middle of the frozen pond was the main attraction of the winter wonderland herself.
White flakes were caught in her scarf and goggles, nearly blending in with her feathers. Launchpad couldn't stop himself. She was so beautiful. He had to say something.
"Della!" he yelled, waving his arms at her. "You're cool! I mean, not as cool as the snow, since it's at freezing point, and that would be bad for your body if you were at 32 degrees, but still pretty cool!"
Della whipped around, tucking a feathery strand of her hair behind her head. "Wait, Launchpad! Stay where you-"
Launchpad rushed out to meet her, only for his feet to slide out from under him. His arms flapped like a windmill as he accelerated across the ice, drifting headfirst into a snowbank. He shook his head, dazed by the impact.
Someone latched onto his legs and yanked him out. He grinned at Della. "Hey."
Della rolled her eyes, amused. She was even more beautiful when she gave him that exasperated 'Oh, Launchpad' look. "I see you've taken the crash course in ice skating."
And she made puns too.
"I see you've been taking the crash course into my heart," he shot back.
Della immediately pelted him with a snowball.
3. Wind Beneath My Wings
Launchpad was a hero. He had all the makings of one. Honesty, courage, kindness, loyalty...
One couldn't have asked for a better confidant.
She could soar, do tricks, and fight like no tomorrow. Repairing a broken wing or landing gear was second nature.
But at night, she couldn't sleep. She checked on her boys, she wandered the empty, silent halls, and she replayed the memories of that night in her head. Days were easy. She had stuff to distract her, something to keep her hands busy and mind sharp.
Night brought the memories, the what-ifs, the 'Is Donald dead or is there a chance I can see him again one day?' question that nagged her with no end in sight.
Launchpad was often up getting a midnight snack. Her feet took her to the kitchen. He had a certain magnetism around him, that's for sure.
He was there.
He lifted his gaze from his sandwich and gave her a small smile. Della sat down in the chair next to him, her head hung low.
Launchpad put his sandwich down, moving his chair closer to her. Della's hand moved to rest on the soft fabric of his sleeve. He rubbed her back gently.
She wrapped her arms around his arm, glancing at his face. His eyebrows raised in surprise, but his eyes were soft and understanding.
Della shifted closer until she could lean on him.
She mentally added 'Physically and emotionally supportive' to her list of Launchpad's qualities.
No words needed to be exchanged. Somehow he knew exactly what she needed.
4. Let Me Be Your Wings
"So you wanna be the pilot or the engine?" Launchpad asked eagerly.
"What does that mean?" Della laughed.
Launchpad shrugged. "Well, without the pilot, the engine could never start. And without the engine, a pilot wouldn't be a pilot."
"You do realize co-pilots exist?" Della said.
He blinked. "Yes...but I like my way of saying it better."
Della nodded, even if she didn't really understand what he was trying to get at. Then again, Launchpad had a way of saying things that shouldn't have been so sweet, but somehow they were.
"And we could go to space together!" Launchpad continued. "We could do loop-de-loops around Saturn's rings! Maybe see a Martian or two?"
"Uncle Scrooge wouldn't like us using up fuel for daredevil tricks," Della reminded him. "No matter how tempting it is."
Launchpad was on his game today. She didn't know how she felt about that.
"So if we were two parts of the same bird, I think I'd like to be the wings."
5. On the Wings of Love
"This is your pilot speaking," Launchpad's voice came over on the intercom. "Testing, testing, one, two, three!"
"They can hear you, Launchpad!" Scrooge complained.
Della kept a watchful eye on the kids while Launchpad and Scrooge were handling business in the front. She grinned at the sound of Launchpad's voice.
The kids paused in their high-stakes card game of War and listened. Della moved Louie's hand away from the card pile as he tried to discretely search for the aces while everyone was distracted.
"We'll touch down in the Canary Islands in one hour. Until then, please enjoy the in-flight entertainment we've provided," Launchpad announced.
"So we finally getting one of those airplane monitors you can play games and watch movies on?" Louie asked.
Della shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine."
"On the wings of love, up and above the clouds," Launchpad crooned into the mic, his voice washing over her like the gentle but firm tug of the wind. "The only way to fly is on the wings of love."
Dewey and Webby stuck out their tongues at the love song. Huey wrote down the words to look up on the Internet as soon as they had wifi.
Della could feel a blush creeping up. She quickly raised her collar to hide her cheeks.
"On the wings of love, only the two of-ACK!" There was an audible smack as Launchpad sounded as though the wind was knocked out of him.
"I pay you a penny a mile to be a pilot, not a casanova!" Scrooge snapped. "Serenade my niece off the clock, ya hear?"
"Why does your mom have that weird grin on her face?" Webby asked.
Dewey pretended to hurl. "That's gross, and unnatural. I think she's under a spell of some kind."
Della let them argue about the possibility of Launchpad being able to control her mind with magic.
Maybe, just maybe, there was something to letting him co-pilot her heart after all.