Title: Under the Roses

Rating: T (just in case)

Pairings: Liquidator/Bushroot

Warnings: nothing graphic, just hinting.

Summary: Bushroot attempts to rob a bank, only to find out somebody beat him to it.

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The dark shadows of the bank left the large open marble room to be ominous with only the emergency lights on. A police guard in a blue uniform was standing not very far from the front entrance in which the public came through each day to come and work with their financial needs.

The counter from where the tellers stood behind was directly in front of the front door, a long red carpet on the floor that lead to it and made a row for customers to wait on when they were busy.

The police guard yawned, shifting from his post slightly, but went on with his job.

What he didn't catch from the corner of his eye was a small vine that was growing up from a small aperture in the marble floor against the white wall. The vine quickly moved and snaked its away around to where the police guard was standing. Unbeknownst to the guard, the vine slowly wrapped around his legs and in a quick, swift movement, tripped him. The guard fell to the floor instantly with a shout of shock and when he fell he hit his head on the railing of the window sill he had been standing in front of beside the door.

The vine unwrapped itself around the guard's leg and moved up to the handles of the floor. Just before it was about to try and open them, it stopped, and slowly moved its way to a small little box that was beside the door on the wall. The box was the security lock on the door. The vine wriggled itself underneath the cover of the box and eventually got it open. Looking at all the little buttons and the little verification screen, the vine started tearing it apart by wriggling underneath once again and taking it apart from underneath the outer part. It took a few moments, but the vine finally managed it. With that done, the vine was now able to open the doors without triggering the alarm.

The golden brass doors opened and Reginald Bushroot slowly crept inside, his nerves on end as he glanced this way and that. He held his hands close to his chest, wringing them together, a look of dread of his face.

""W-We're in…Good job, Clover…." he muttered to the vine, which moved in an appreciative way as it was praised. Bushroot looked behind him and out into the darkened streets. He gulped and turned his attention back to the task at hand. "Ooooh, I'm gonna get Likky for this! He's making me do this…" Bushroot mumbled darkly as he walked past the tellers counter and back behind it where the employees worked. He slunk past more security measures and once he was past them, he looked up towards the ceiling.

He felt his heart plummet to his stomach when he saw the security cameras there. There was one in each corner of the room. He desperately looked back at Clover, who was snaking its way behind him. "Clover! The cameras! The cameras!!" he whispered frantically. The vine moved in a way that made it look as though it was looking to find the cameras. A moment later and the vine was off to complete its master's bidding.

Bushroot watched as Clover moved up the wall and took out the first camera, and the second camera. Then the third and then the fourth. When Clover came back over to Bushroot, the mutant plant duck beamed down at it with pride. "That's a good vine…" cooed Bushroot. "I'm so proud of you…"

'You're welcome, master.' it said back.

Bushroot turned his head to look into the money chamber, slowly walking in with Clover behind him. "Okay….got the first guard and the security cameras….." whispered the botanist. "Took care of the front door….Now didn't Likky say something about another guard…?" No later had he said those words did Bushroot gasp and hide as a security guard walked up from another long hallway that Bushroot had not seen. The mutant plastered himself up against the wall, trying to take up as less of space as possible and not to be seen, while Clover lay limply against the wall on the floor.

Bushroot didn't breathe or move a leaf or muscle as the guard stood there who's back was facing the criminal. It seemed like eternity that the guard stood there, a flashlight in his hand and shining it up and down the hallway they were in. Thankfully, the guard didn't seem to notice the green, brown, and purple mutant that was on the wall and moved on, which allowed Bushroot to take a breath of relief. He then looked down at Clover and wordlessly pointed to the guard who was now walking down the hallway. Clover didn't waste a second, knowing what it was supposed to do.

As Bushroot looked down the other left sided hallway that the guard had come from he could hear Clover trip the guard and knock him out. Clover was next to his master a heartbeat later.

"Alright…..cameras….check…..two security guards….check….door alarms….check….Another camera….!!" narrated Bushroot slightly, catching sight of another camera. Clover went and took care of that once as well. As they walked, Bushroot thought, looking behind them. "I sure do hope no one else comes in here." He looked down at Clover. "All they have to do is look at your long vine trail you leave behind and they'll be able to find us." Clover made a nodding motion.

The two of them continued down the hallway and at the end, they could see the vault.

Bushroot looked at the round vault door with excitement as they came up close to it. After taking care of yet another camera, Clover got to work on trying to get the vault open. As Bushroot turned the large metal lever that needed to be twisted to open some vaults, Clover squeezed its way through the minuscule cracks and openings and worked his way to the inside to open it.

With a great clang of metal, the vault door opened and in came a relieved and accomplished feeling Bushroot. He stepped into the vault, his bright blue eyes reflecting the shine of all the money and gold that was kept inside. He walked up to the piles of money and started to reach for it, when a hand fell on his shoulder. Bushroot cried out, jumping up several feet into the air. "I didn't do it!" He knew he couldn't defend himself now, since he was caught red-handed, but he said it anyways.

"Are you in a rut? Do you have stress issues? Do you feel you just can't get away from anything anymore? That's all fine, just call the Liquidator, guaranteed to surpass your best work and allow you to take the credit!" Liquidator's infamous jargon speech reached Bushroot's ears as he landed on the ground from his jump and he spun around, seeing Liquidator standing there proudly with his chest out, hands on his watery hips and a large triumphant grin on his face.

"Uproot a plant, why don't you!?" hissed Bushroot, panting heavily from the scare and having a hand over his thumping heart. Then the realization came in. "W-Wait a minute! What are YOU doing here!? I thought you said you were gonna stay at the Greenhouse until I got back! That---That--" ranted Bushroot. Liquidator crossed his arms and waited for him to finished. "That was the whole plan! The whole plan was for you to stay behind while I did all the work! Y-You said you wanted me to do a heist all on my and yet….and yet here are you--" he began to growl. "Beating me to it!"

Liquidator just continued to watch him, the same large knowing grin on his face. "Done?"

"No! I am NOT done!" shouted Bushroot angrily, stomping down on one of his roots. "You always trick me like this and I've had it! I worked really hard on this job and I thought I had done it all by myself and here you are, beating me to it!"

Liquidator cocked his head to one side. It was rare to see Bushroot get worked up like this in a rage of anger. Usually he was more quiet and reserved, so the ex-salesman was always fascinated to see his friend act like this. "If you let me interrupt, I can tell you what really happened on today's grand adventure!"

Bushroot finally went quiet, his thin vine arms crossed and a sour look on his face. Clover just remained where he was at Bushroot's feet.

"You see…..With my all time ability to get around with my liquefied form…" he demonstrated by splashing down into a puddle. "I was able to get inside double time and with less worry and stress!" This news didn't seem to settle well with Bushroot, who just continued to glare at him. Liquidator came back to his dog form. "…..I was able to get in with ease. I first managed to get into the back rooms and take over the security cameras after taking out some guards with my water splurging powers! I then watched as you came into the scene and took out the two guards with your vine friend here!" Liquidator sounded so enthused.

"Wait a minute….You mean to tell me that you took over the security!?" repeated Bushroot is shock.

"Well, I took care of the security cameras and the door alarms. SoI was able to watch you the whole time….Which reminds me…You forgot a camera…" pointed out the canine.

Bushroot's blue eyes were wide with disbelief. "B-But…!! Which one!?"

"Which camera? Oh, simple. In the main lobby. You forgot the one on top of the door" was the smug reply.

Bushroot blinked. "There was no camera above the door! Just a circular mirror thingy!!"

Liquidator went silent, his liquid eyes blinking. "…………I know. That's the camera." He said this as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Bushroot furrowed his brow, confused. "No its not. It's a mirror! A funky mirror that stores and places have so people can look up…into them…" he trailed off, thinking everything over. He was looking at the ground, and then looked up at Liquidator. "You mean those things are cameras!? OHH!! No wonder all the cops always know where I'm at when I'm trying to steal from St. Canard's Plant Nursery! I was never able to figure that out! Even my most sneakiest of tricks!" He paused. "Really!? Those things are cameras!?"

Liquidator nodded.

Bushroot's shoulder's sagged at this new information. "Some villain I am…..I don't even know I'm looking at a hidden camera when I see one…."

Liquidator was right up next to him in a heartbeat. "Ahh, feeling depressed? Do you feel un-useful? Never fear, the Liquidator is here to amend the problem!" He then took his watery arms and wrapped them around Bushroot in a comforting hug.

But Bushroot pushed away. "A hug won't make it better, Likky! You still told me that I was going to do this bank heist all by myself!" he continued to whine. Liquidator opened his mouth to say something but a puff of purple smoke interrupted him. The two villains looked over at the other side of the room to see what was going on, although they already had an accurate guess.

"I am the terror that flaps in the night. I am the water that leaks from a leaky faucet. I am Darkwi----ng Duck!" announced the Masked Mallard. The smoke disappeared and there stood Darkwing, his gas gun at the ready.

Bushroot immediately gave a squeak and hid behind Liquidator, who didn't seem nearly as intimidated by the new occupant of the vault. "I'm sorry, but this was a private meeting. No caped clowns allowed!" he called out, gathering a ball of water in his hands and throwing it directly at Darkwing.

Darkwing managed to dodge the ball of water but Liquidator was now tossing several at a time. Some of them Darkwing was able to dodge and miss but others hit him, causing him to grunt with pain. "Holy smokes…" he gasped. "Those water balls hurt more than you would think!"

Liquidator gave a smug chortle. "What's the matter? Feeling a little watered down?" He then shot a larger, more powerful water ball at him, which hit Darkwing directly in the chest and caused him to collide with the wall behind him.

Darkwing gasped and groaned as he fell away from the cement wall, staggering slightly. "Y-You -t-think that'll…..stop me!?" he managed to say. He shook his head, finally coming back to his senses.

Darkwing then whipped out something from inside his cape. "Aha! That's it!" In his hand was a small bad of concrete powder. Liquidator saw this and trembled.

"Oh no! Not that again! It's so hard to get out of cement!" he moaned at the very thought.

Bushroot trembled beside him and as Darkwing advanced, Clover slithered back and forth on the ground, which caught Bushroot's eye. "Oh! Of course!" he whispered with excitement. "Clover, up on the ceiling. Then show him your flower power!!" He said this last bit more loudly.

Clover didn't waste a moment and quickly ascended up the ceiling, growing longer and longer and swirling around all over the ceiling. Darkwing stopped advancing towards them, watching in alarm. Clover got into place on the ceiling and then began to sprout thorns and roses. The roses blossomed and although Darkwing found them to be beautiful, he knew they could nothing but trouble. The vigilante was correct, for pollen started to fall from the fully bloomed flowers, causing a powder-like fog to descend down all over the vault.

"Ahh!" cried Darkwing, covering his nose. He knew it wouldn't be smart to smell the pollen, seeing as how this was Bushroot and Liquidator he was dealing with. But even though he covered his beak in hopes to not smell anything, the pollen was so strong that he was still able to smell it through his feathered hands. It smelled sweet, summery, and fruity. Darkwing felt his eyes begin to droop a little and his muscles start to go lax. "Wh-what did you do this time….B-Bushy…?" he managed to ask before falling to the ground in a deep sleep.

Liquidator and Bushroot looked at each other in triumph. Liquidator raised his hand in a high-five and Bushroot did the same thing. They hit hands and then looked back over to Darkwing. "That's what you get for messing with us!" sniggered Bushroot, sticking his tongue out. Liquidator's hands found their way around Bushroot's waist, pulling the mutant back into an embrace. Bushroot smiled warmly at this, his cheeks going hot.

"That was good playing on your part, Reggie" he said softly. "Congratulations….You made Darkwing look like an idiot all by yourself…"

"But he IS an idiot…" chuckled Bushroot. Liquidator shrugged; he wasn't about to argue with that.

Clover was still up on the ceiling, happy as can be. The roses were so gorgeous and seemed to take up the entire ceiling. Neither of them could see the cement above them. Just the money that surrounded them and Darkwing snoring a ways from them.

"How about we dispose of unwanted company?" suggested Liquidator. Without another second's waste, Liquidator took his watery form and created a hand from the puddle of water that was his feet. The new hand roughly grabbed Darkwing's sleeping body and tossed him out of the vault, then slamming the large metal door behind him. Now the two mutant villains were by themselves, enjoying each other's company.

"The pollen doesn't affect you?" inquired Bushroot.

Liquidator shook his head. "Although I can smell the wonderful fruity smell, it does not affect my liquid body." Bushroot nodded. "And obviously it does not affect you…"

Bushroot nodded and tried to suppress a yawn. Liquidator saw this and his eyes widened. "Or does it??"

Bushroot shook his head again. "No, it doesn't. I'm just sleepy to begin with….All this work has made me tired…I'm not used to breaking into banks…" Liquidator was behind Bushroot now, massaging the plant duck's shoulders and neck. "Ooh, that feels so good…" He closed his eyes and enjoyed the massage.

"This massage isn't free, you know" Liquidator informed him.

Bushroot opened his eyes, raising an eyebrow and a smirk on his face. "It isn't? Well, then tell me, what is the price of this massage?"

Liquidator didn't respond, just spun Bushroot around in his place, taking a finger and placing underneath Bushroot's chin, making him look up at him. Liquidator gave him a loving smile. "Oooh, this deal is expensive."

The two of them sat down on the cold cement, leaning up against the wall. Bushroot leaned back into Liquidator, allowing his plant body to soak in the water from his companion's body. The two of them just laid there in peace, neither saying a word and not having to. Things always started slowly like this and then the fun would begin. But for now, they just sat there under the roses, loving every moment of their time together.

"What if someone comes in?" squeaked Bushroot after an unknown amount of time.

Liquidator looked up at his question, eyeing the roses. "I have a feeling that even if that does happen, they'll fall right to sleep…." Bushroot looked up and saw what he was talking about. He chuckled.

Liquidator took a hand and placed it over Bushroot's. Their hands moved about and fiddled with each other. Then Liquidator took his other hand and placed it underneath Bushroot's neck, which he slowly turned so that Bushroot was looking back at him. The canine gave him a sweet kiss, which Bushroot happily returned.

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The End. J

Hope you enjoyed it!