A/N: All I'll say is that this is set within a day or two before "Golden Spear."

Reach Out to A Fantasy - Scroldie Week: Day 4 - Gold


"I thought I'd find you here."

Scrooge smirked, but didn't turn towards the newcomer to his evening. Instead he swirled the wine in his glass and kept his stare on the descending sun, kicking his legs back and forth. He'd been hanging out on the edge of the Money Bin's roof for the better part of an hour, various thoughts drifting out over the open water.

Goldie sighed as she pulled the rest of herself out from the roof's hatch door and closed it, then took a seat to the left of Scrooge a calculated distance away. He was irritated, that much she knew, but if he was out here, it meant he was open to putting the day's events behind him. She hoped.

As she settled in her spot, Scrooge reached to his right and turned back to her with another glass of red. "Wine?" When she took it with a questioning raise of her eyebrow, he echoed, "I thought you'd find me here, too."

Chuckling, Goldie took a sip and leaned back on her other hand, some of her own stress melting away.

Scrooge was the first to broach the subject. "So...you and Louie..."

"He asked me to help him, and I did." She didn't really see what the big deal was—Louie had called for her advice, and while she did enjoy ruffling Scrooge's feathers, it wasn't like they were out setting the town on fire.

"Ye could've said no."

Goldie looked his way with a cheeky grin. "What? And miss the opportunity to pass on my wisdom?"

That earned a deep grumbling and a sip from his own glass. "Shifty shortcuts are not wisdom."

"Oh, but Scrooge's 'Patented Tried-and-True Path of Hard Work' is?" Goldie laughed bitterly. "Face it, Scrooge. Just because there's other quicker ways to success, doesn't mean they're bad."

"You were teaching him how to pickpocket! From me!" Scrooge shouted, tossing a hand in the air.

"It was a test of skill," she placated with one on his shoulder.

Something in him seemed to calm at her touch, but he still shrugged her off. "Look...Louie is my nephew and that's my money, and..."

"And you should be encouraging his own strengths, not forcing him to be just like you." There, she said it.

Scrooge whipped his neck toward her, bug-eyed, as if she'd just cursed the very existence of gold, but it was a snap reaction. Whatever fire he might've held in his gaze cooled as he realized she was right.

"He's got a gift, Scrooge."

"I know..."

"And I'm just the person to help him refine it."

"I...that's debatable."

Goldie let out a victorious hmph! as she shimmied her shoulders with a little grin and drank some more wine. She'd take that. By no means would this be their last conversation on the matter, but for now, she'd managed to get their dynamic back to the status quo, with Scrooge returning to his usual miserly self. That was a win in her book.

"Besides, he's already catching on quick," she poked after a few moments.

"Aye, that's what worries me. Now there's gonna be two of ya." Scrooge refilled his glass, then held out the bottle towards her in silent question.

Even though hers was still half-full, Goldie let him fill it to the brim, and in doing so, scooted just a bit closer to him. "What can I say? The kid takes after his Aunt Goldie."

Time seemed to freeze in that moment as she caught herself and they both gaped at her slip.

Scrooge recovered first and as he set the bottle down behind them, he settled on asking, "I-I thought you hated being called 'aunt?'" Indeed, just this morning when she had arrived at the mansion, she shot down Huey, Dewey, and Webby's attempts to use the term. Louie had been very careful to call her "Miss O'Gilt" last Scrooge was aware of.

Goldie giggled inwardly. "Yeah, well. It's kinda amazing what a day of teaming up with someone can do."

She wasn't wrong. Personal experience with the kids had taught him as much.

Scrooge eyed her carefully, then smirked. "You're bonding, aren't ye?"

That made her blush a deep red and stammer in indignation of such an accusation. "I never said that," she insisted.

"Maybe not in as many words."

"...Just don't say anything to him, alright?" She peeked out from the corner of her eye, hoping for mercy.

Backing off, he held up a hand in mock surrender. "Whatever ye want, lass. But don't expect the kids to be as tight-lipped if Louie tells 'em anything."

Goldie groaned to the sky.

Almost an hour later, the duo were chatting and flirting while basking in the final remnants of a gorgeous red-and-golden sunset. Rays broke through the clouds and shimmered across the water, and if the two ducks ended up brushing shoulders, it was only because Scrooge couldn't get enough of the way Goldie's hair glittered in the light. That, and because they each had a couple glasses of Cabernet in them now.

"Y'know, sometimes I think you put the Bin here just for the view," Goldie slurred lightly, gesturing with her wine towards the horizon.

Scrooge shook his head. "Nah. If I had done that, the big window would be on this side." He patted the concrete of the ledge they were on. "Can see you thieves on the other side."

She didn't miss the implication and held a hand up to her chest. "Me?!"

"Yes, you." He wiggled his beak towards her for emphasis.

"Name one time!"

"Summer of '69."

Goldie narrowed her eyes. "That was fifty years ago."

"Alright then, how about tonight?" Despite her protests, Scrooge reached around her side and fished a couple of gold coins from her pocket, keeping eye contact with her at all times and trying to ignore the way his heart fluttered while doing so. When he waved the gold in front of her, she quieted down.

"...That was another test," she lied.

Scrooge rolled his eyes and pocketed the treasure, returning his attention to his drink. After finishing it off, he set the glass to the side and laid back on the roof of the Bin, resting his hands behind his head. "Half-moon tonight," he mused, then held out his arm to her. "Care to join me?"

Looking back at him, Goldie hesitated, before downing the rest of her wine and nestling into his side. As he pulled her closer to him and they settled, she caught sight of the moon above them in the early evening sky. It was indeed in a waxing half-phase, and it took center stage among a crowd of stars.

From this angle, looking up, the universe felt like a celestial dome, and the moon, a spotlight on their growing desire.

The two kept each other warm as they stargazed for a while, even as Goldie's fingers not-so-subtly unbuttoned Scrooge's collar and tucked into his jacket to play with his feathers, and he casually moved his hand from her arm to caress her hip. While pointing out one of the planets, he leaned in close to help her locate it, only to steal a kiss on the cheek. Goldie allowed this to happen once more, before finally giving in on the third attempt and turning to surprise him with a proper kiss on the beak.

Several minutes of lazily making out in each other's arms later, Scrooge pulled back, breath heavy and hot, and suggested, "I'm up for a dive in the Bin, if you wanna...?"

Goldie nodded, not needing any further prompting. They got up and grabbed the evidence of their earlier drinking, but as Scrooge stood up from getting the wine bottle, his eye caught sight of something in the night.

"Whoa, did you see that?"

She tugged at his sleeve. "You don't need the trick anymore. We're already going to—"

"No," he cut her off, gaze never leaving the sky. "I saw something flash."

"Make a wish, Moneybags."

He shook her off, earning a disgruntled scoff. "I'm serious. It was like a golden spark, and it was moving in front of the moon..."

"That's the wine talking, hon." When he gave her a desperate look in response, she humored him by glancing at the moon for a full second. "Great. I don't see anything. Now let's go."

"There it is again!"

Despite herself, Goldie immediately turned towards the sky once more and to her surprise, a flickering orange dot did appear to be traveling down the face of the moon. This time it held steady.

"Huh, guess you were right," she conceded, shifting her weight to her hip as she crossed her arms.

"'Course I was," came his mumbled response. Given that he was still transfixed on the object, she let that one slide.

Together, they watched the dot move further along until it passed the edge of the moon from their point of view. Now with its glow accented by the velvet abyss of space, it seemed bigger.

After a few more seconds of watching, Goldie lost interest in the monotony and gently touched his shoulder. "Come on, Sourdough. I think we can safely say it's just a satellite."

Scrooge remained rigid for a moment more, until a squeeze from her broke the spell and he did a double-take between her and the sky. "Yeah...a satellite..." he murmured.

He let her take his hand and lead him towards the entrance back inside the Money Bin, back to the heat they'd built up before. The instant their feet landed on the top floor, his mouth found hers again and she made him forget everything but the stars.

But before all that, just for a brief moment up on the roof, Scrooge could've sworn he'd seen that little dot before.


*distant author cackling*

Honestly, I don't know what I'm building towards for the last day's prompt, but...see me writing with antici...pation. ;)

Over halfway done!