Thicker Than Water

by EricaX

Takes places directly after "Beginnings and Endings". Being forced to start from scratch, Launchpad and Drake are now living in Duckberg and both working for Scrooge McDuck. After recovering from his painful loss and fighting off depression, Drake just wants to move on. But certain enemies plan on making that impossible for him.

12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

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With the first aid kit firmly in his hands, Scrooge McDuck walked through the hallways and corridors of his mansion until he reached his destination. He could hear the voices of numerous people mingling together as he got closer. He had been in a perfectly calm mood not minutes ago; spending some quality time with his paramour when his oldest nephew had gone and ruined everything.

He was irritated at Donald for saying such awful things about him -to Fenton, no less!- Then proceeding to try to act nonchalant! Fenton was not speaking, which was never a good sign. It also reminded him far too much about Fenton's behavior right after the incident with the Golden Heart took place. Now he's come to learn that Launchpad and Darkwing were injured by Negaduck and he knew deep in his gut something had to be wrong if Gyro was visiting. The kindhearted inventor did not like to overstep his welcome no matter how welcomed he would be.

So deep in his thoughts, Scrooge barely noticed when he had arrived at his destination. The familiar voices of Launchpad and his house keeper is what snapped him out of his thoughts.

"What happened, Launchpad?" Mrs. Beakley was asking.

Launchpad used his good arm to reach up and scratch the back of his neck nervously. "Oh, heh, heh! Ya know, the usual. Quiet night in. Evil villain comes and attacks with a group of his goons..."He trailed off, not knowing what else to say. He quickly added, "Heh, doesn't that happen to everybody!?"

Scrooge grimaced as he turned the corner and walked into the room. He looked over at Darkwing Duck just in time to see the vigilante roll his his eyes at Launchpad's attempt to joke.

Launchpad, Darkwing, and Mrs. Beakley weren't the only ones in the living room. Gosalyn was standing close to Darkwing and trying to help him wrap his hand tighter with his ruined cape. Launchpad's sleeve was soaked in blood and Scrooge wasn't able to see any type of dressing on the pilot's arm. Frowning with concern, that only got him to move faster towards them. That was when the old miser noticed Gyro sitting in an arm chair in the corner of the room. He was sitting there tapping his leg softly on the carpeted floor as he observed everyone else. Lil' Bulb was sitting faithfully on his shoulder.

Darkwing grunted as Gosalyn's attempts to help him turned out to be too much. "Ow ow ow OW!" he cried out. "Gosalyn, sweetie! You are hurting daddy!"

Gosalyn moved her hands away, her eyes wide as she looked up at her hurting father. "Sorry, dad!" she mumbled.

Darkwing smiled at her and took his good hand to ruffle her red hair.

Scrooge cleared his throat, which gained everyone's attention. "I suppose yeh have good reason t'not have gone straight to the hospital with these injuries, hm?

With a pout, Darkwing answered, "Of course we do, gramps!"

Launchpad gave his friend and old boss a big smile. "Heyo, Mr. McDee!"

Scrooge shook his head at the pilot. He walked over and set the first aid kit down on the table in the middle of the room. "Here. Clean yerselves up enough so yeh can at least get to the hospital in one piece."

Mrs. Beakley walked up to Launchpad knowingly. "Come on, dearie. It's best you just take off your jacket and we'll get you cleaned up."

Launchpad began shifted nervously from foot to foot, his eyes glancing up briefly to Darkwing, who was busy tending to his hand. "Uh...I-I'm fine."

Mrs. Beakley wasn't having any of it, however, and she stepped closer to Launchpad and grabbed for the zipper of his jacket. "Oh, come now, Launchpad!" she admonished.

Launchpad swatted at her hand and began unzipping his jacket himself. He carefully pulled off the jacket, being very mindful of his bloodied arm. Mrs. Beakley helped him by gently lift the material up so that it wouldn't brush too much against the wound. Once the jacket was off, Mrs. Beakley held it out in front of her, being mindful not to let the bloody arm touch anything. "There, see! That wasn't so bad, now was it? Now you can properly get a look at the damage to your arm!"

Launchpad however, was currently as red as a cherry as he stood there without his jacket. Underneath it he wore a simple, well-fitted white tank top. His eyes once again searched out Darkwing, who this time was looking over at his friend.

Darkwing blushed when his eyes fell on Launchpad's bare shoulders and barrel chest. He quickly looked away.

Scrooge, feeling far from chatty or charitable with his time, placed his hands on his hips and glared at everyone. He didn't have time for this! What he truly wanted to be doing was finding Fenton and get that silly paramour of his to talk and make sure he was alright! Not to mention he needed to have a serious talking to with Donald!

He loudly cleared his throat.

Everyone looked back up at him.

"Would someone please explain t'me what happened!?" he demanded. He pointed an accusing finger at Darkwing. "You! I called yeh to come here t'me mansion so we could discuss plans for our trip to Mount Vesuvius! An here yeh are a bloodied mess in my living room! So, again, I ask: what happened!?"

Darkwing scowled from where he was hunched over the first aid kit. "What do you THINK happened, gramps!? Put two and two together!"

Scrooge's eyes widened at the snarky reply. "Excuse me!?"

Gosalyn stepped back from her dad, his eyes wide with awe. "Keen gear, dad! Way to piss off a billionaire!"

Darkwing sighed and closed his eyes. "Look, I'm sorry, Mr. McDuck." There was a tone in his voice that proved how much it pained him to say those words. He was a stubborn duck who hated to be in the wrong. "Negaduck ambushed us. He took blood from Launchpad and me."

Pacified ever so slightly by Darkwing's apology, Scrooge nodded solemnly. "Aye, I was afraid yeh were gonnae say that..." He glanced over towards the silent inventor who was sitting away from everyone else. "What about you, Gyro? What brings yeh over this evenin'?"

Gyro, who was sitting on a plush red chair with his knees drawn up to his chest, startled at the sound of his name. He glanced up and immediately seemed to shrink in on himself as though he wished he could disappear. "M-Me? Oh, well... As it happens...That Negaduck fellow stopped by my house. Him and his cronies, that is. Mr. Darkwing and Launchpad helped save me from them."

Darkwing instantly puffed out his chest at the praise, much to Gosalyn's chagrin as she continued to help him bandage his hand. "Yep, yep, yep. Nothin' like a good ol' search and rescue!"

Launchpad frowned in confusion as he looked up from where Mrs. Beakley was wrapping up his arm. "Say, just what were they doin' with you, Gyro? Those guys were taking you someplace. We didn't find you at your house. We heard you shouting for help."

Instead of answering, Gyro frowned; looking highly distressed by his question. Lil' Bulb purred animatedly on his shoulder and patted him on the side of the head. "Oh, well..." He fiddled with the hem of his shirt. "They had seen the inside of my house, see...And noticed that I was an inventor...So they..." He trailed off for a moment before finishing. "I guess they wanted me to invent something for them. I don't know."

Launchpad, Gosalyn and Darkwing seemed to take his answer at face value, yet Scrooge was far from convinced. He narrowed his eyes at Gyro; not accusingly, but with concern. He knew Gyro well enough to know when something was wrong and the old miser could sense deep in his bones that Gyro was not sharing the full story.

Deciding to leave it for now, Scrooge nodded. "I see. Well, I'm happy t'have yeh here, Gyro! I suggest yeh stay here fer the time bein' in case those goons decide to bother yeh again."

Gyro nodded. "Yes, that would probably be best, sir..."

The pitter-patter of small webbed feet filled the room before a set of three identical heads poked in through the doorway.

Everyone turned to see Huey, Dewey, and Louie peering into the room; their matching eyes soaking everything in.

"Ah, boys! What are you still doing up?" asked Scrooge, placing his hands on his hips.

Louie, with his eyes half lidded, gave his uncle a grin. "It's not THAT late, Uncle Scrooge."

"Yeah, besides-" continued Dewey excitedly. He stepped further into the room in front of his brothers. "Uncle Donald said that Gosalyn was here! We wanted to see if it was true!"

Hearing her name, Gosalyn pushed past her father, who was standing there watching, and cleared her throat to gain attention. "Sure am!"

The triplets walked further into the room and filed around the red head, all saying their own separate greeting.

"Hey Gosalyn!"

"Welcome back, Gosalyn!"

"Been a while, hasn't it?"

Gosalyn shrugged at the last question. "Eh, just a few years. Have you guys gotten any better at baseball since I've been gone?"

Dewey crossed his arms in indignation. "Yes! We have as a matter of fact!"

Huey and Louie both looked uncertain, with Louie waving his hand back and forth in a 'sort of' type manner.

Darkwing stepped up behind Gosalyn and rested a hand on her shoulder. "Gos, sweetie, why don't you spend some time with the boys while LP patch ourselves up?"

"At the hospital!" interjected Scrooge. "Those wounds need proper stitches, I cannae see that much for meself!"

Darkwing gaped at him. "You payin' for it, gramps!? Hospital visits aren't cheap!"

Scrooge scowled at him. "An' I suppose you'd know all about that-Bein' the bumblin' fool yeh are in a cape!"

Gosalyn laughed. "Geeze, dad! Would ya stop disrespecting the richest guy on the planet already?"

Darkwing crossed his arms, cradling his injured hand carefully, and pouted. "Richest, maybe. But not the most charitable" he muttered darkly.

Scrooge rolled his eyes with a angry hiss.

Huey reached out and grabbed Gosalyn's arm. "Come on, Gosalyn. It's too late to play baseball but we can play some video games with you for a while before we go to bed" said the oldest triplet pragmatically.

The adults watched as the triplets guided Gosalyn out of the room, chattering away about their games. Darkwing couldn't help but smirk when he heard his daughter say, "Too late for baseball, says who!?" He knew from experience that there was no such thing as being too late at night to play any sort of sport.

"Come on, DW. Let's get to the hospital" suggested Launchpad. Without another glance at Scrooge, Darkwing walked past him with Launchpad close at his heels.

Now that most everyone was out of the room, it left only Scrooge and Gyro.

Feeling his annoyance and animosity slowly fade away now that Darkwing was no longer around to poke and prod at his patience, Scrooge felt the tension in his shoulders loosen as he walked over to the last person in the room.

"Gyro? Are yeh sure everything is alright?"

"I'm fine, Mr. McDuck" mumbled Gyro as he stared down into his lap.

"Gyro..." coaxed the old miser softly. He knew the inventor would crack eventually.

Lil' Bulb purred again as it looked desperately to its creator, as though it was trying to convince him to open up to Scrooge. As though he could understand Lil' Bulb, Gyro shook his head in disagreement. "No, I can't talk about it."

Tilting his head sympathetically, Scrooge walked over until he was sitting on the arm of the chair that sat Gyro. "It's me, laddie. Yeh can tell my anythin', I promise yeh. I've only known yeh since yeh were barely out of yer teenage years. My guess is that I know yeh better than most, so there's no reason yeh can't confide in me."

Without looking up, the inventor said, "You don't know me as well as you think, Mr. McDuck."

"Aye, that's true. I only know the bits about yeh that yeh've cared to share over the years. I'll never forget findin' yeh in ol' Ripcord McQuack's plane garage, sweepin' floors, and emptyin' trash cans. Tryin' so hard to keep yer hands off anythin' mechanical and failin'. Yeh couldn't resist buildin' and creatin' even back then" said Scrooge as he sat down next to Gyro. "According to Ripcord, yeh hadn't so much as touched a plane part while workin' under him, yet when I had asked yeh about the plane I was havin' fixed there, I could have sworn yeh'd been the one who fixed it; yeh knew that much about it!"

Gyro nodded. "I was hired as a janitor. Nothing more. He didn't need to know I knew so much about planes. Mr. McQuack had been very kind to hire me. The last thing I had wanted to do was step out of line by tinkering and experimenting with plane parts."

Scrooge nodded. "Aye. Yet there's more to it, isn't there?"

Gyro's shoulders tensed as he shrunk in on himself.

Exhaling deeply, Scrooge rested a hand on the inventor's shoulder. "Gyro...I know yeh have secrets in yer past. I've suspected it since first meetin' yeh. A young lad as smart and innovative as you, with no family, no job history, no money besides what yeh made off Ripcord...Don't insult my intelligence by tryin' to pull the wool over my eyes when yeh say yeh don't have secrets."

Gyro nodded stiffly. "Okay, then. I...have secrets..."

Scrooge nodded in approval. "There we are. Now, that's the first step. Admitting it. The second step..." He sat up straighter and turned to Gyro, who looked back at him in question. The old miser bore his eyes into the inventor's with a seriousness like no other. "Is TRUSTING me when I say that whatever secrets yeh have...will stay with me...and me alone."

Gyro found himself nodding once more.

"Now. Why were those goons after yeh? If they were just terrorizin' the park, they wouldn't have taken yeh in like that. Those overgrown neanderthals were workin' for Negaduck, who's working with Magica de Spell. That is no coincidence that they took an interest in you, of all people."

Gyro sighed. "Oh, you're right, Mr. McDuck..." He absently pulled at a loose thread on the hem of his shirt. He pulled on it hard and broke it off before he could cause a tear in the fabric. "Those men had no intention of taking me in until Negaduck showed up and told them to. He had recognized my name when he demanded it. Said he'd heard the name 'Gearloose' before."

Scrooge shrugged, nonplussed. "No surprise. Yer name has been tied t'mine numerous times thanks to yer inventions."

Gyro nodded. "Yes. He said that. But...That's not where he actually knows me from."

"Oh?"

"He couldn't quite remember, but I know what he was trying to think about..." He trailed off, his shoulders sagging as though the energy went right out of him. "Oh, Mr. McDuck...Please don't make me tell you this story...It..It really was a dark time in my life that I don't like to think about."

Scrooge looked away. "I'm sorry, Gyro. I'm just concerned fer yeh, is all. Yeh know I won't force yeh."

Suddenly fidgety, Gyro pulled one of the plush pillows out from behind him and began running his hands over the fabric. He let out a small whimper before he began telling his tale, "I should tell you. Just in case. Negaduck might come after me again..."

Scrooge settled more comfortably in the chair as he prepared to listen.

"My parents were both inventors. They worked in a lab for a large company. Some of my earliest memories are of my parents working on blueprints and math equations, so you can see where I got the knack for inventing from!" chuckled Gyro in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Scrooge humored him by smiling along kindly.

"Due to their jobs, they were paid well. Yet most of their time was spent working, meaning I had less of a childhood with them. I spent most of my time reading before I quickly rushed through school and graduated three years early from grade school before I attended college. Once I was in college, I was able to work as an intern alongside my parents in the same lab. I couldn't have been happier. Of course, back then I was known as Georgina. I hadn't started my transition yet. My parents fully supported me and my life choices but they had asked that I wait until I got into college to start any of it. It worked out for the best, really. College allowed me to have a more flexible schedule when I needed it."

"I had been curious if Gyro was yer birth name" commented Scrooge.

Gyro shook his head. "It's not. But long before I had discovered more of myself, my parents had nicknamed me 'Gyro'. As a child, I had been fascinated by gyroscopes and I guess my love and interest of them amused my parents so much that they nicknamed me after them. Anyways, it was probably about six months after I started my internship that my parents were asked to work on a top secret project. I, of course, was privy to it, but I didn't have the same access to the files and documents that my parents did. It was to be an android that protected the city, that was all I knew at the time. I had been working in the lab late one night on my own projects when I stumbled upon some computer data for the android. Our Head Professor-He was asking my parents to build not only an android-But a super weapon."

"Tartan me feathers!" exclaimed Scrooge. "What kinda weapon? Surely not a-"

"A weapon of war" finished Gyro with a solemn nod. "The digital coding, the mechanics-At the time, it was the most advanced technology I had ever seen! It was similar to Gizmoduck's design! Only imagine Gizmoduck without a person inside to be it's main computer; it's main brain."

"Like an artificial intelligence?" questioned the richest duck.

Gyro nodded. "Yes! But with sentience like Armstrong or Robotica!"

Scrooge made a face of disgust at the reminder of those failed rejects.

"I was terrified, of course! I thought of confronting my parents about it, but everything had happened so fast! I didn't want to take the chance of waiting too long! The android had been nearly completed at this point and I knew it was far too dangerous to release onto the world! The documents I had found confirmed that it was indeed meant to be for war! I tried to find my parents, but I couldn't find them anywhere! By the time I found them it was too late! My parents had already discovered the true intentions of the android and tried to stop our Head Professor.." Gyro went quiet as he silently took off his hat and placed it over his chest.

"Gyro?"

"They were murdered."

Lil' Bulb purred in lament as he held tightly to its inventor's neck.

"I'm sorry, Gyro. I-I shouldn't have pressed-I had no idea-"

"No, it's time someone heard this. I need to tell my story..." lamented Gyro. "I found my parents murdered. I learned I was next. " Tears appeared in Gyro's eyes as he closed them tightly. He sniffled before saying, "I couldn't let them! I couldn't let them go through with it! The fact that my parents were killed means they didn't approve of it either! I couldn't let such an evil machine exist! I destroyed everything I could of the project! I broke in and destroyed the android and all its blueprints, data, coding-everything! Of course, it didn't take long for the Head Professor to find out! He found out before I could get out of there!"

"So what did you do?"

"I did the only thing I could think of: I ran!" cried out the inventor. "I managed to escape. I couldn't go back to my house, they were waiting for me there. I lived on the streets for a few months as I tried to scavenge any money or small jobs to get me by."

"How long did you live on the streets?"

Gyro shrugged as he rolled his eyes to the ceiling in deep thought. "I'd say about a year or so before I found myself outside of Ripcord's hangar."

Scrooge nodded. "And of course, he took you in under his wing."

Gyro mumbled his agreement. "Yes."

"May I ask, lad: Just who was your old professor? Is he associated with Negaduck?"

The inventor pushed his glasses further into his beak after wiping the tears out of his eyes. "That, I don't know. I wouldn't be surprised. Have you-Have you ever heard of F.O.W.L.?"

It didn't go past the older duck that Gyro didn't say who his head professor was, but a more pressing matter was on his mind as the notorious organization was mentioned. Scrooge found himself grunting and replying dryly and sardonically, "Hmmph! Have I ever heard of F.O.W.L.!? Fiendish Organization of World Larceny?! Do yeh really think it's possible to be the richest duck in the world and NOT know about them!? Please, lad! Of course I have!"

"I know my parents didn't know it at the time, but our professor was working for F.O.W.L.. I know they're still out looking for me for destroying their plans. They used to chase me back when I first left. I haven't seen any sign of them for years! But Negaduck said he'd remembered me from somewhere and it's possible he may have heard of me from F.O.W.L. and I hated the idea of them finding me! But I didn't think they ever would, to be honest..."

"How do yeh figure? F.O.W.L. has more than enough resources to track a person down if they wanted to" Scrooge pointed out.

Gyro hummed in thought. "Yes, that's true. But you forget, Mr. McDuck, at the time of my internship with them, I was still in my transition. Not only that, but legally at the time, I was still known as Georgina Gearloose. They've been on the lookout for someone who technically no longer exists! They wouldn't know to bother a 'Gyro' Gearloose! And thankfully the Gearloose name is common enough not to raise suspicion!

"Ahh, I suppose that is true!" admitted Scrooge. He then stood up, using his cane that he'd laid beside him to help him get back onto his webbed feet. He turned to Gyro with a fond smile. "Thank yeh, Gyro, for confidin' in me. I now have a bit more of an understandin' of what is goin' on. I'm afraid it's just been one thing after another around here. With Magica on the loose and Negaduck workin' with her, I fear it may be best yeh stay here for the time bein'. I'd feel better if yeh did."

"I won't say no to that, Mr. McDuck. Thank you." Gyro also stood up with a weak smile. He wiped at his eyes once more. "Thank you again for listening. I know I could have shared this with you years ago, but its just a part of my past that I don't like to think about..."

Scrooge nodded sagely. "I understand, lad. Now, go and find Mrs. Beakley or Duckworth. One of them will set yeh up in a room somewhere. I'd do it meself, but I have other matters to attend to. Launchpad and Darkwing should be back from the hospital soon enough and I'll be wantin' to check on them. Good evenin', Gyro."

Gyro gave a small bow and said his goodbyes, leaving Scrooge to go walking down the halls in search for Fenton.

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"I'm never getting paid. Never. And if I DO get paid...The money is going straight to these hospital bills!" Darkwing was currently complaining. He had decided to stay in his Darkwing outfit for the hospital, which surprisingly brought less questioning from the hospital staff then he expected. Darkwing didn't exactly have his civilian clothes with him to change into at the time. The two of them had just gotten out of the taxi that had dropped them off at the gates to McDuck Manor. "They charge an arm and a leg for everything these days!"

Launchpad gave him a sympathetic look before he pressed the intercom to the gates.

"McDuck Manor. How may I help you?" came Duckworth's drawling monotone voice through the speaker.

"It's me, Duckworth! DW and I just got back from the hospital!" said the pilot cheerfully after pressing down the button again. "Could you let us in, please?"

"Ahh, yes. Welcome back, Mr. McQuack." There was a buzzing sound before the gate's lock clicked open.

Darkwing was studying the cast on his hand dubiously as Launchpad guided the way through the gates and onto the McDuck property. The cast covered his knuckles and went up past his wrist, which sadly meant he had little movement with his hand or fingers. "A week I have to have this on! This blows! How am I supposed to do any kind of combat fighting with this!?" He moaned as the gate shut tightly behind them with a loud clang.

"Aww, lighten up, DW! It's all going to be okay!" encouraged Launchpad. He was fortunate not to have need of a cast thanks to the location of his wound and switches. Instead he was heavily bandaged up underneath his usual jacket. Darkwing wasn't as lucky since his hand required so much day-to-day movement that would effect the stitches. Not to mention the fact that Darkwing's wound went straight through, whereas Launchpad's was just a very deep cut.

Before long, Duckworth was greeting them at the front door and they found themselves back inside McDuck manor.

"Where's Gosalyn?" was Darkwing's first question once they were inside.

"Miss Mallard is upstairs playing with the boys. We took the liberty of taking up food and refreshments to them. She has been well cared for, sir" replied Duckworth.

Darkwing blinked at him before smiling. "Wow! Thank you!" He could feel the tension leave his shoulders now that he knew his daughter was safe.

"Now, if you gentlemen would follow me to the room that has been prepared for you" said Duckworth. He peered at Launchpad before adding, "You should be quite familiar with the room, Mr. McQuack."

Launchpad beamed, knowing what the butler was talking about.

Darkwing just raised an eyebrow. "Just one room?" A blush began to color the top of his beak.

"Certainly" answered Duckworth without looking back. He had started guiding them through the mansion. "Let me say: you two are far from subtle."

Darkwing choked at the comment while Launchpad groaned in embarrassment.

They silently followed Duckworth to the room and the butler was gone before either of them could even say thank you.

Now that the two of them were finally alone, Darkwing felt safe enough to take off his mask and fedora. With a sigh, he tossed both of them onto the bed.

"Sure was nice of Mr. McDee to let us crash here for the night!" commented Launchpad with more cheerfulness than he should for someone who had just been attacked and injured.

Darkwing, now Drake, rolled his eyes at his friend's cheeful demeanor. He began working on the buttons of his purple suit jacket.

Launchpad took off his scarf. "It was also quite fortunate that I still have some spare clothes here! This used to be the room Mr. McDee let me stay in when I stayed overnight!"

"Why would you have spare clothes here?" inquired Drake as he pulled off his jacket and set it down on the bed. He turned and let out a surprised squeak of surprise which was more girlish than he would ever admit to. He quickly turned on his heel to face the other direction, his face red. He had not been expecting to turn and find his friend half dressed.

Launchpad currently had nothing over his broad, well built chest and shoulders since he was in the process of changing his top. "DW?" He gave his friend a curious look, not understanding his reaction. He then looked down and realized why his friend was embarrassed. He yelped and said, "Oh, heh, sorry! Forgot I was in the middle of changin', heh!"

Pressing his lips together in a tight line, Drake slowly turned back around. He was unable to deny it. Launchpad was an attractive duck. Big broad strong shoulders, flaming red hair, bright brilliant blue eyes...

How had he never noticed before?

Drake's eyes then caught the sight of Launchpad's thick bandages that were wrapped around his right arm. "Does it hurt?"

Launchpad seemed taken aback for a moment, as though he hadn't heard Drake. He quickly answered after a pause, "Huh? Oh, eh...nahh. Not really. I've had much worse. How's your hand? Does that hurt?"

Drake glanced down at his own hand, which was in a small cast. Due to the location of the wound, the doctor had been forced to have the whole hand wrapped so that the stitches wouldn't get torn. The damage could have been a lot worse. "Yep. It hurts. But...like you, nothing I can't handle. The cast keeps me from moving and irritating it too much."

He frowned. It also kept him from using most of his hand, since the cast covers his palm and wrist and just left his fingers with barely little wriggle room for flexibility. He shook his head before pulling off his purple jacket, leaving him in just his teal turtle neck.

There was a knock on the door and Launchpad was quick to answer it now that he had one of his old tank tops on again. He had replaced the one he was wearing earlier with a new one.

Duckworth was on the other side of the door and he was holding up three sets of pajamas on hangers with one of his hands.

"Oh! Hey Duckworth!" greeted the pilot with a smile.

"Good evening, gentlemen" replied Duckworth as he stepped through the threshold of the room. He cleared his throat being saying, "Mr. McDuck has instructed me to supply the two of you with sleep clothes. The one set is from myself. Mr. McQuack, I realize you and I are not entirely the same size, but as far as pajamas go, a set of mine is the only that would fit." He used his free hand to pull Launchpad's clothing away from the other to offer to the pilot.

Launchpad took the offered pajamas gingerly. "Gee, thanks, Duckworth! I'll try them out. Worse case scenario, I'll just sleep in my what I've got on!"

"Splendid" drawled the butler. He turned to Drake. "As for you, Mr. Mallard, Fenton sends you his extra set of pajamas. He was insistent I offer you the option of sleeping in one of his onesies..." He trailed off with a air of disdain.

Drake made a face at the spaceship design onesie that was being held out to him. "Fenton wears a onesie!? What is he, a child!?"

"The jury is still in decision on the matter" snarked Duckworth sarcastically. "However, yes. He does. Though he did send you an alternative set of pajamas in fear that you would not wish to wear his onesie."

"He's darn right!" snapped Drake, grabbing and whipping the regular pajamas out of Duckworth's hand.

Duckworth tucked the unwanted onesie under his arm. "Wise choice, sir. Now, unless there is anything else in which you need, I best be off."

Beaming with gratitude, Launchpad shook his head. "No, I think we're good! Thanks, Duckworth!"

"My pleasure..." With that Duckworth shut the door and they were alone again.

Drake turned to Launchpad and raised an eyebrow. "Fenton wears onesies to bed? Seriously? What does McDuck SEE in him!?"

Launchpad frowned and shrugged. "Beats me! I just know he's a really swell guy! You still don't like him?"

Drake turned and walked back over to the bed. He tossed the pajamas on the soft covers and quickly changed. If his cheeks were tinted heavily with red, Launchpad was kind enough not to comment on it. Once Drake was properly wearing the pajamas, he finally answered. "I don't dislike him. Despite being the bane of my existence as Gizmoduck...Fenton really IS a good guy. He can just be so annoyingly happy and never stops talking!"

That earned a chuckle from Launchpad. "I won't disagree with you there, DW!"

A lull of silence filled the room as the two of them finished getting dressed for bed. Launchpad was now wearing loose jogger pants and a tank top while Drake was wearing a collared button down night shirt. It fit him better than he expected, the only exception being that it was a tad long on him, since Fenton was taller.

Drake began to fold his Darkwing outfit up into a neat pile when he paused. He glanced around the room before turning to Launchpad.

"This room only has one bed" he stated.

Launchpad nodded. "Yeah, like I said before, this is the room I used to stay in."

"But this is the room Mr. McDuck told us to sleep in" continued Drake.

Clearly not understanding what his friend was trying to get at, Launchpad shrugged. "Yeah?"

Drake sighed. "Well, it's not like we haven't bunked up together before while out on patrol..."

The two of them sat down on the bed.

After a long pause, Drake spoke up. "I thought Negaduck had stabbed you in the chest" admitted Drake forlornly. "I thought...I thought for a single moment that he had killed you and the very thought of something happening to you...It was one of the worst moments of my life." He looked over and met the pilot's gaze. "Right up there with watching Gosalyn get blown up in that pile of exploding dolls..."

Launchpad blinked and gasped silently in surprise. To be compared to the moment when Drake thought he'd lost Gosalyn? Launchpad never once thought he was THAT important to his best friend. "R-Really, DW? Ya mean that?" He could hear his voice waver. He could feel his heart strings being pulled.

Drake nodded. "You're my best friend, LP. My sidekick. Of course I feel that way about you! You've meant a lot to me for years! I guess it's just until recently that I've come to realize just HOW much you mean to me."

Launchpad bit back a wince at the words 'best friend'. "So...I'm just a friend to you?"

Drake blushed and looked away.

"Come on, DW! You already know about my feelings for you! No need to be shy! We should talk about this!"

Gulping down his nerves and looking determined with his back straightened, Drake quipped back, "Okay, then! Talk!"

Launchpad snorted before letting out a small chuckle. He shook his head. Of course Drake wasn't about to make this easy! "Well...I like you! As more than a friend! I could easily say I love you!I used to be nervous about saying it, but I guess now that I've said it before its a lot easier! You're a great guy, DW! I've always looked up to you since way back when I first heard of the daring purple vigilante that flapped in the night."

Drake nodded, rubbing at his arm and looking more than uncomfortable. His face was cherry red. "Alright. Good! Thank you! See? We talked about it!"

Launchpad shook his head again as he scooted closer to Drake on the bed. "No. 'I' talked about it! YOU are NOT talking about it!"

Drake just hunched his shoulders and shyly looked away.

Launchpad frowned, his amusement slowly fading away. He wanted to know once and for all if Drake was at all interested. He was starting to feel tired of waiting. Sure, it had technically been a little over a week ago that he even realized his feelings, but so much had happened in just that short amount of time; it felt like so much longer! His shoulders sagging, he grumbled, "Come on, DW. Please?"

"You know I'm not good about this stuff, LP!" replied Drake in a whiny voice. He sounded a great deal like Gosalyn whenever she didn't want to do her homework or clean her room. It was no wonder where she got it from!

"I know, but it's me, DW! You can tell me anything! We've been through so much together! I would think it'd be easy!"

Drake sighed. "Alright, well...uh...Exactly how long have you had feelings for me?"

Launchpad tapped his chin in thought. "Well, gee, I don't know for sure, DW. I mean, I realized I had feelings for you back in that toy factory when we were talking about finding me someone to date. Remember?"

Drake barely recalled the conversation since it had happened the fateful night they had thought Gosalyn had died. "Oh...You mean up in the cat walks?"

The pilot nodded. "Yeah! We were talking about finding someone for me to date! That's when I had realized I liked you, but...I have a feeling I've had these feelings for you a lot longer..."

"Yeah...I guess that would make sense...I mean..." He puffed his chest out. "I can't blame you! I am quite attractive!"

Launchpad rolled his eyes at his antics.

Quieter, almost too quiet to hear, Drake mumbled, "And I'd be lying if I said I've never thought you to be handsome..."

It was Launchpad's turn to blush.

"R-Really?"

Drake nodded.

They both turned so that they were facing each other before leaning closer. Their foreheads touched.

"What are you thinkin' about, DW?" whispered Launchpad.

Drake was looking down at their laps. He reached over and grabbed hold of Launchpad's hand.

His eyes never leaving where Drake was holding his hand, Launchpad decided to continue. "This can be whatever you want it to be, DW! Don't worry about me! I'll be happy no matter what! You want to stay friends? That's fine! I've been your friend for all these years-I can keep it that way-"

"But you want more" Drake pointed out without looking up.

"Well...yeah, But I'll take what I can get!"

Drake spread Launchpad's fingers apart so that his own could slide between them.

"I want more too" confessed Drake.

Launchpad's eyes widened and he couldn't stop his mouth from opening with a gasp of surprise. "W-What!? R-Really?"

Drake leaned back, his hand still holding tightly to Launchpad's, and looked at him in the eyes. "Really" he said with determination. Without missing a beat, he leaned forward and kissed Launchpad. Launchpad met him halfway and they continued to kiss, both soaking in every detail. Every touch. Every emotion.

It was both strange and normal at the same time. Their beaks brushed up against each other awkwardly. Drake's beak was wider where Launchpad's was more narrow. Yet they managed to make it work seamlessly.

Their hands awkwardly fumbled as though neither of them quite knew what to do with them. Drake's hands moved on their own until they were resting uncertainly on Launchpad's broad shoulders, while the pilot's hands settled somewhere between the vigilante's waist and shoulder blades.

Drake pulled back first after a couple minutes, the feathers on his face and neck completely red from his furious blushing. "I...Um...I mean..."

Launchpad waited patiently for him to continue.

"Wow." A nervous chuckle escaped Drake's beak as he pulled at his pajama collar.

Feeling more nervous than he could ever remember feeling around his best friend, Launchpad leaned back and rubbed the back of his neck. "Eh, too much too soon?"

Drake shrugged. "Kinda?" He glanced around at their surroundings: An old fashioned oak bedroom. One of many, Drake would guess, with a mansion this size. He chuckled. "I mean, we're...making out in Scrooge McDuck's mansion...Of all places."

Launchpad followed his paramour's gaze and chuckled along. "Heh, gee, I...I guess you're right!"

They looked at each other.

Then they both began laughing loudly, no longer able to keep it in.

Launchpad stopped laughing first. "So..." Launchpad sounded so unsure of himself, his voice sounding so fragile.

Drake stopped his laughter and met his gaze.

"So...We're doing this? This is happening?"

Drake nodded. "It's happening, LP." He found himself smiling widely with excitement.

The grin on Launchpad's face was so large and so filled with happiness, Drake wasn't entirely sure if he could look any happier. "We're d-dating then? Like...boyfriends?"

Drake nodded. "Like boyfriends."

As much as Launchpad wanted to just soak in the moment and enjoy the fact that Drake had just agreed to date him, he knew he had to bring it up. He cleared his throat and asked in a small voice, "What about Morgana?"

Drake frowned. "What about Morgana?"

Launchpad shrugged and looked away. "Well-I just-You two just-You broke it off so suddenly because of what happened to Gosalyn. I mean-barely two weeks ago you two were still technically dating. Are ya-Are ya sure you're...over all that?"

Drake leaned back with a thoughtful frown. "Ahh, right..." he mumbled. He scratched at his neck as he tried to find an answer.

Launchpad waited on baited breath.

Drake took in a deep breath of his own before answering, "I mean, I really do like Morgana..." He began blushing at his confession. "I don't think I'll ever NOT have some type of feelings for her, LP. But...I'm not so sure they're romantic feelings. Not anymore. If I'm being honest, I doubt think they have been for a while...I think we just kept trying to make it work but never could..." He glanced up at the pilot almost nervously. "Know what I mean?"

If Launchpad was being entirely honest with himself, the very idea of Morgana holding any sort of place in Drake's heart made him feel a wave of jealousy. The sorceress has had Drake's attention for years and he found it difficult to believe Drake was suddenly interested in dating Launchpad, of all people! All of this just seemed so surreal! Just days ago he was talking to Gosalyn about how much he loved Drake and how he feared Drake didn't feel the same way. Now suddenly they were dating?

"Launchpad?"

Launchpad snapped out of his thoughts, having not realized how zoned out he'd become. "Eh, what's that?" He met Drake's confused gaze. "Oh! Heh, sorry, DW!" He chuckled nervously at himself.

"You didn't answer my question" stated Drake.

Launchpad sighed. "Yeah. I guess so, DW. I'm just worried that I'm gonna end up being some sort of...I don't know...replacement for Morgana..."

Drake made an affronted grunt in the back of his throat. "Replacement!? What!? You mean like a rebound!?" He frantically shook his head. "Pfft! Please, Launchpad! Don't be ridiculous! I would never do that to you! I promise!" He leaned forward and raised his arms to give Launchpad a hug.

Launchpad smiled as he returned the hug. "Sorry. I-I know you wouldn't do something like that, DW...It's just...It's all happening so fast, I guess! I didn't even think you were all that interested."

Pulling apart, Drake smiled back up at him. "I know. It does seem a bit fast, doesn't it?"

"What made you decide so quick? Couple days ago you didn't even want to talk about the idea of 'us' and now here we are" asked Launchpad.

Drake looked away, his face turning somber. "Like I said, LP. I thought Negaduck had stabbed you in the chest. I thought-I thought he was going to kill you. For a split second, I thought you were going to die before my eyes for the second time in a week. The first time being when Bushroot and the others had you suspended over Audubon Bridge." He reached out in order to hold onto Launchpad's hand. He gently rubbed his thumb over the pilot's knuckles. He watched his hands rather than looking up. "I guess seeing you nearly die twice made me realize how much I care about you..."

Launchpad smiled with hearts in his eyes. "Awww! Shucks, DW!" He craned his neck and shoulders down so he could meet Drake's level and initiated his first kiss between them. The kiss was light and soft; only lasting for a moment. Suddenly feeling like a little kid on Christmas, Launchpad laughed and pulled a surprised Drake close.

Drake gave a squeak that was higher than he would ever care to admit as Launchpad pulled him closer until he was practically in the pilot's lap.

Without worry, Launchpad began peppering Drake's cheeks and beak with tiny affectionate kisses. "Aww, gee, DW!" he began saying between kisses. "Heh! This means I get to do this now!" He kissed Drake's forehead. "And-and this!" He kissed the top of Drake's beak. He found more and more spots on Drake's face and beak to kiss.

Drake, meanwhile, was squirming in his lap; having been pulled into it, and found himself laughing at his new boyfriend's antics. "L-Launchpad!" He cried out, though there was no bite to it. No anger or annoyance. If anything, he sounded just as excited as Launchpad.

Launchpad finally stopped his attack of kisses and gave Drake a chance to collect himself. "Sorry, DW! I'm just-I'm just so happy!"

Drake's blush couldn't get any more red at the sentiment. "I'm pretty happy too, LP! This feels...right."

Launchpad nodded enthusiastically. "Sure does!"

Being mindful of Launchpad's injured arm, Drake curled himself around Launchpad; his arms wrapping around the taller duck's torso. He rested his cheek against Launchpad's broad chest.

Launchpad watched for a moment, as though not sure what to do, before he wrapped his own arms around Drake and held him close. He rested his chin on Drake's head.

Everything was uncertain and chaotic around them as they tried to figure out what they were going to do about Negaduck and Magica. But for the moment, the two of them were happy to just hold each other.

That moment of quiet peace certainly didn't last long.

The door to their bedroom swung open and hit the wall with a booming thud from the momentum. Drake and Launchpad both shouted in alarm; jumping up and away from each other. They turned to the sound of the commotion to see Gosalyn making an entrance.

"And Gosalyn Mallard wins agaaaaain!" she was crowing proudly with her arms up in the air.

Drake groaned and placed his head in his good hand. "Ugh, Gosalyn, sweetie...Please don't break the rich guy's doors. I don't even want to think about how many lifetimes it would take to pay to get anything in this place fixed."

Gosalyn had the decency to look sheepish as she lowered her arms. "Heh, sorry..." She immediately perked up at the sight of her father's cast. "Did the hospital fix you all up? Are you going to be okay?"

Drake nodded. "Yep, yep, yep. Your old man will be just fine!"

Launchpad nodded. "Yep! And they fixed me up too! Unlike DW, I don't need a cast though!"

Heaving a sigh, Drake leaned further into the cushions of the plush couch and lifted his arms up to reach for his daughter. "Come here, baby girl... It's been a long day and daddy missed you while he was away getting fixed up."

Gosalyn gave him a wry smile before doing as she was asked. Drake Mallard was the only person alive who would ever be allowed to call her 'baby girl' and still live to tell the tale. She hated those kind of endearments when she heard other people use them, but it has never once bothered her when her adopted father did it. Instead it actually made her feel especially loved.

The young duckling climbed into her father's lap, smiling as she felt his arms encircle her and hold her close.

With a contented sigh, Drake whispered, "I love you so much, Gosalyn..."

Gosalyn rested her head against her father's chest and snuggled deeper into his warmth. "Yeah, yeah. I know, dad" she brushed off in an attempt to come off as nonchalant. Yet her actions proved how much she was loving and appreciating the sentiment.

Placing his chin on top of her head, he sighed. "No, really, Gos. You may not be my biological daughter, but I love you as though you are. You give my life purpose!"

Gosalyn rolled her eyes as she continued to hold onto her dad close. "Oh, boy. Here we go" she groaned.

Drake used on his hands to gently slap her back for her sass. This only caused the young duckling to giggle for she knew her father wasn't actually mad at her.

"Oh, come on, dad!" laughed Gosalyn. "You're so dramatic!"

Launchpad, who had been sitting beside Drake watching quietly the whole time, couldn't stop himself from laughing as well. "Heh, she's got ya there, DW."

Drake turned his head so he could turn unimpressed eyes to his newly declared boyfriend.

Gosalyn continued as she sat up in Drake's lap, which gained his attention. She clasped her hands together and looked up to the ceiling, mockingly pretending to be Drake. "You give me purpose, Gosalyn!" she began in a falsetto voice that sounded nothing like Drake. "I wouldn't know what I would do without you! I could never be Darkwing again! For who is the Terror that Flaps in the Night if he is not St. Canard's great protector!" She finished her act with a large grin that she aimed towards her father.

Drake however was far from amused.

Gosalyn frowned, not understanding her dad's reaction.

Launchpad squirmed uncomfortably where he sat.

"Gosalyn, please don't make fun of things you don't understand" said Drake quickly and sternly.

Gosalyn said nothing as the two of them sat there. She knew he had more to say.

Taking in a deep breath, Drake began, "Gosalyn...sweetie. You need to understand that I actually had thought you were dead. We all did."

Gosalyn made a face of confusion. "Yeah. I know." She stated this as though he was saying the most obvious thing in the world.

Drake shook his head. "No. I mean, I thought you had died. And I thought I had been the cause of it."

Gosalyn's eyebrows scrunched together.

Drake gave her a soft, sad smile as he took a hand and gently cupped her cheek. "The guilt and the pain I felt from that...It's the worst feeling I've ever felt in my life..."

Gosalyn narrowed her eyes at him. "Wait a minute...I know where you're going with this-"

"Gosalyn-" began Drake.

Gosalyn shook her head, not letting him finished. She already knew what he was going to say. "Dad, please! Being Darkwing isn't what caused this! You can't stop being Darkwing just because all this happened!" begged Gosalyn.

"Yes, but BEING Darkwing is what nearly killed you! At the time, I thought you HAD been killed! Don't you get it, Gosalyn!? In the span of a roughly a few days, so many awful things have happened! Things that are still happening! And all of those bad events all have one thing in common: Darkwing. None of this ever would have happened if I had just stopped being Darkwing and focused on being the proper dad you deserve!"

Gosalyn's face scrunched together in a deep angry scowl as tears came to her eyes. She pushed herself off Drake's lap and sniffled. She stood as tall as her short frame would allow and both Drake and Launchpad watched in surprise as she began to speak, "Stop saying you're a bad father! You're the best thing that has ever happened to me!" Her tears were becoming harder and harder for her to control as she wiped angrily at her eyes. She tried to keep her gaze on Drake. "My parents-My real parents-Were never around! The few memories I have of them aren't nice ones!"

Drake's jaw dropped in a silent gasp at her words; looking crushed. The pilot beside him had an identical reaction. Gosalyn never spoke of her birth parents. She occasionally brought up her grandpa Waddlemeyer and would share a fond memory of him; but her parents? Never.

Gosalyn went on explaining, her voice cracking as her emotions got further out of hand. "T-They were always too BUSY! I was always left with some-some babysitter! Then they died! I was given to-to Grandpa and he f-finally paid attention to me! He understood that I wasn't just a problem child! He said I just had spirit! But I didn't get to spend much time with him because-because of Bulba! Then I went and lived in the Orphanage! Do you know what it's like to live in an Orphanage!?"

Launchpad lamentedly shook his head, looking down into his lap. "No..."

"Yes."

Gosalyn blinked up at her father. "WHAT!?"

"I lived in an orphanage for a couple years...But...Unlike you, I was too young to remember a whole lot of it before my foster parents took me in. I was in the foster system for a good chunk of my childhood. I was fortunate though, that my foster parents only ever took me in. I didn't have to compete with a group of other foster kids with them, like in a foster home. Made it easier."

"They adopted you?" asked Gosalyn's small voice.

Drake shrugged. "Not at first. They just fostered me. It wasn't until I was a little older that they fully adopted me and became my legal parents."

Gosalyn looked away, not knowing how to respond.

"So, yes, Gosalyn. I have an idea of what it's like. Maybe not to the same extent as you, but I know enough to know that it hurts. Hurts to know you're not as loved as other children are" continued Drake.

Gosalyn then angrily shook her head. "Well, that's besides the point!" She stomped her foot down. "My point is that before you walked into my life-I didn't have it very easy! You were the very first person who saw me for ME! I'm able to be myself around you and not worry that you're going to ignore me or toss me out or shove me off to be someone else's responsibility."

Drake's eyes widened at her words. "Oh, Gos! Of course I wouldn't! Yes, you're a handful and yes you drive me up a wall on most days and yes, you charge me an arm and a leg in repair damages from your constant playing and schemes-But I would never abandon you or kick you out!"

Gosalyn pointed a finger at him. "Exactly! That's what I'm trying to say! You love me no matter what I do! THAT'S what makes you a great dad!" She climbed back into her father's lap, who welcomed her back happily.

Drake wrapped his arms around her torso and held her close before sighing. "Oh, but Gos, sweetie. I also put you into so much danger..."

"But that's MY choice!" insisted Gosalyn. She pulled back a bit so she could look Drake in the eyes. "It's not all on you! I can't tell you how many times you've told me to 'stay home'! Or 'stay with the Ratcatcher'! Or 'stay out of trouble'! You tell me to stay safe and I don't listen! I'm the one who insists on being there with you during your crimes! It's my choice to be a part of your Darkwing life! I could stay home while you're out as Darkwing but I don't! That's not your fault-it's mine!"

Looking crestfallen, Drake shook his head. "B-but I could try harder! I-I could be stricter! I could do a better job of keeping you out of my Darkwing life!"

Surprisingly, a small smile appeared on Gosalyn's face as she began to giggle. "Ha! Honestly dad, if you really think you can keep me from doing something I want to do, you don't know me as well as you think you do!"

Breaking his silence, Launchpad laughed along. "Heh, she's got a point there, DW!"

Drake wasn't joining in on their amusement, however, as he leaned back into the cushions of the couch. "Alright, fine" he conceded. "According to you, I'm not to blame for your near death at the factory...But who's to say it won't be fault the next time, huh? I can't go through that again, sweetie! I can't!" He turned to Launchpad for support. "Back me up here, LP! You saw how I was when I thought she had died! I was beyond tears! I was beyond grief!"

Launchpad's shoulder sagged in sadness. "I'm afraid he's right, Gos. You should have seen him. I've never seen your dad in such a state..."

"But he had you, Launchpad! You helped him get through it!" she argued before turning back to her dad. "And next time you won't have some stupid potion to make things worse! Just imagine if you hadn't taken that potion! Things wouldn't have been so bad! You would have been sad and depressed-sure-But a bunch of other things wouldn't have happened either!"

Drake squirmed uncomfortably at the mention of the dreaded Emoti-Gone potion. He sat up a little straighter, helping Gosalyn shift on his lap as he did so. He then took a free hand and covered his eyes and bit back a whimper.

"DW?" Launchpad leaned down closer to his paramour. He reached over and began rubbing the back of Drake's neck soothingly.

Eventually, Drake asked in a small broken voice, "How are we so sure it was the Emoti-Gone potion that had me doing those things? How do we know that's not just who I really am buried deep down!? What if I really am that awful person and the Emoti-Gone just brought it to the surface for everyone to see!?"

"No."

It wasn't Gosalyn who had spoken.

Father and daughter turned to look up at their friend.

Launchpad had stood up and was now towering over them; his eyes focused on Drake. "No, DW! That was NOT you!"

"LP-"

Launchpad didn't want to hear it. "I know it wasn't you, Drake!" It was strange to hear the pilot use his real name, but it only proved how serious their usually carefree and relaxed friend was being. "I watched you that whole time you were under the effects of that potion. It. Was. Not. You!"

Gosalyn and Drake just continued to watch their friend; neither knowing what to say.

"I refuse to believe that was really you, DW!" He reached down and gently pulled Drake's hands together, being mindful of the one in the cast, and held Drake's hands in his own. "Maybe you can be a mean person deep down-Maybe you DO feel some of those feelings sometimes-But without that potion you never would have done those things! That potion took away your emotions! Something that normally can't be done-and shouldn't be done! You will never be like that because you will never not have your emotions! You're a good person who's made some mistakes! That's okay, DW! We all make mistakes!" He leaned down and kissed Drake on the forehead. "And I'm always going to be with you when you make new mistakes! Because even when you make mistakes, you're still my favorite person in the world! You're not alone, DW!"

Drake just stared, his eyes tearing up and a small dopey smile forming on his beak. "LP..." he whispered weakly.

They stared at each other as though they were finally seeing each other for the first time.

"Keen gear!" crowed Gosalyn. "So, does this mean you two are official!? Cause if you're not yet, I'm gonna have to do some serious butt-kicking! That was far too sappy to not be a love confession!"

Drake looked away, pulling his hands out of Launchpad's. He was blushing. "Ahhh-A-About that-" he stammered.

Launchpad had pulled away from Drake and now scratching the back of his neck nervously.

Gosalyn just rolled her eyes. "Ehhh, I get it! No need to explain! I'm totally cool with it! It's not like I haven't seen Launchpad as part of the family for years now anyways!"

Launchpad and Drake both chuckled at that.

Gosalyn then got up into their faces, staring them down accusingly. "However! I'd better not be bombarded with gross lovey dovey public affections all the time! You two keep it under control!" she demanded.

Drake and Launchpad had no choice but to agree. Not like they would have argued anyways.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Scrooge was making his way past the kitchen when he heard the sound of dishes being moved around and clanking together as though someone was cleaning the dishes. Loudly.

Pausing, the old miser stared at the kitchen door. Just as he was about to reach over to push it open, the door swung open and Mrs. Beakley appeared before him. "Wak! Twist me tartan!" he cried out in alarm; raising his cane for attack.

Mrs. Beakley shouted in alarm, placing a hand over her chest. "Oh! Mr. McDuck! My goodness! I'm so sorry!"

Lowering his cane and forcing his breathing to go back to normal, Scrooge exhaled and grumbled, "Water under the bridge, Mrs. Beakley..." He glanced inside the kitchen door behind his maid. "Is everything alright?"

Mrs. Beakley also glanced into the kitchen before giving her employer a look of uncertainty. "Eh, well, I was actually just on my way to find you, Mr. McDuck."

"Oh?" replied Scrooge distractedly. He was busy glancing down the hallway, his mind focused on looking for Fenton. "Is there any way I could get back to you on that? I'm sort of in the middle of something- This night has been more than disastrous. I'm not sure I can handle anymore problems. I'm actually just tryin' to find Fenton. I haven't seen him for a few hours. It has me a tad concerned."

"Fenton is in the kitchen" Mrs. Beakley informed him.

This gained the richest duck's attention. "What?"

"Fenton. He's in the kitchen. Has been for the last while, actually. That's why I came to find you. He's..." she trailed off, glancing back into the kitchen behind her. "He's acting a bit stranger. Well, strange for him."

Now frowning with concern, Scrooge walked past Mrs. Beakley and into the kitchen.

The sound of silverware clanking together against the sink rang in his ears as he stepped through the threshold. Scrooge's eyes then landed on his paramour's back since the accountant wasn't facing him.

At the other end of the kitchen, Fenton was humming an offbeat tune, his sleeves rolled up and his hands and deep in the hot soapy water.

Turning back to Mrs. Beakley, he whispered, "What's wrong with him? He looks fine to me."

Mrs. Beakley, being quite taller than McDuck, leaned down to whisper back into his ear, "There were no dirty dishes when he started."

Scrooge raised an eyebrow in confusion at her.

She went on to further explain. "He's been in here for the last two hours making relish and meat trays, claiming that everyone was going to need some snacks. Then after he did that, he began taking out all the dishes from the drawers and re-washing them."

"Why!?"

"He keeps saying that washing the dishes helps him feel less anxious" clarified Mrs. Beakley.

As though to emphasize her point, Fenton quit humming and mumbled to himself, "Just gotta keep cleaning the dishes. Then clean the rest of the kitchen. Cleaning is good. Cleaning is safe. Cleaning means I'm being useful..."

Scrooge sighed. As though he didn't have enough to worry about. He bit down the surge of anger towards his oldest nephew for upsetting Fenton in the first place.

Mrs. Beakley gave Scrooge an encouraging light shove towards the young accountant. Scrooge gave a soft squeak of indignation before turning to glare at her. She simply winked and walked out of the kitchen. Finally alone with Fenton, Scrooge cleared his throat and walked up to him.

Fenton was so engrossed in his task, he didn't even hear his paramour.

A decidedly wicked smirk appear on Scrooge's beak as he set his cane quietly on the kitchen table before walking up from behind Fenton; wrapping his arms around the accountant's torso. Though Fenton was taller, Scrooge managed to settle his chin on the younger duck's shoulder.

Fenton cried out and jumped in shock as he felt warm arms encircling around him. So startled, Fenton dropped the plate he had been scrubbing, causing soapy water to splash about in the sink. "Ohh!"

"Hello, treasure" greeted Scrooge with his eyes half closed. He nuzzled his beak against the crook of Fenton's neck.

Glancing behind him, Fenton beamed brightly when he saw it was his paramour. "Oh! Hello, Scroogey! You surprised me!"

"That was my intention" admitted Scrooge candidly. He let go of Fenton so he could move to stand beside him, his eyes landing on the hot soapy water. "Mrs. Beakley tells me you've been busy in here."

Fenton nodded. "Oh, yes! Well, I just thought with so many people here, some of them might get hungry! I've already taken a snack tray up to the boys! Gosalyn and Webby were with them, so they ate too!"

"Thank yeh, Fenton. That was very thoughtful of you." He leaned over and gave Fenton a kiss on the cheek. He watched with mild amusement as Fenton's cheeks turned red.

"Aww, you sure are affectionate this evening, Scroogey!" gushed Fenton as he rinsed off the plate he'd cleaned and set it aside.

"Yes, well, our preening session did get rudely interrupted earlier" sniffed Scrooge with an air of annoyance. "It would see Negaduck attacked Launchpad and Darkwing this evenin' in the park. He collected their blood."

Fenton gasped in alarm. "That means Magica only needs your blood now!"

"Aye. Let her come at me. S'long as I keep me loved ones close, there is nothin' she can't do. She's even said herself that she wants the potion ritual to take place and she won't let that happen before we get to Mount Vesuvius" grumbled Scrooge.

Fenton hummed in thought and much to Scrooge's surprise, didn't comment on the foreboding topic. Instead he said, "Well, I've just been trying to stay busy in the meantime!" He raised a glass he just washed into the air for emphasis.

"Aye, I noticed that too. Yeh've been off hidin' in me kitchen" Scrooge hummed in thought. "Could that have anythin' t'do with what Donald said t'yeh?"

Fenton's eyes widened as he turned to meet his paramour's eyes. "How do you-"

Scrooge cut him off with a sigh. "I overheard part of yer conversation when I was coming back fer the first aid kit. Somethin' along the lines of how I don't love anything more than me money."

Fenton just stared at him as though he didn't know how to react, his hands still in the water. After a moment, Fenton turned his head to scrub at a dirty fork.

It was clear Fenton was not going to reply.

"Fenton, I know I've complained time and time again on how obnoxiously talkative yeh can be, but it's even worse when yer quiet." He paused and sighed when the accountant didn't say anything. "T'be frank, I much prefer yeh talkin' m'ear off than yeh not sayin' anythin'."

Having cleaned the last dish, Fenton reached deep into the water and pulled the plug; the water slowly draining away. "Why are you still making Donald pay off his college loans from you? I mean, Donald and I are the same age, and while college for us wasn't THAT long ago, it has been a while. He said you paid for his years in college and now you're making him pay you back?" Fenton finally spoke, though he started with a direction Scrooge had not been prepared for.

Scrooge blinked at him. He opened and closed his beak a few times as he gathered his thoughts. "Where is this comin' from, lad?"

"Just answer my question" Fenton nearly snapped. He added on a quick, "please" in hopes to sound less petulant and demanding.

Shaking his head in surprise at the sudden change in topic, Scrooge bit back, "W-Well, I'm certainly not gonnae make it be free! College is expensive! Why should he get a free education while everyone else can't!?" Anger began to boil in his veins as he went on. "What's this now? Just because his ol' Uncle Scrooge is the Richest Duck in the World doesn't automatically mean he gets everythin' in life for free!? Doesn't mean he should get everything in life handed to him!? Nae! He should have t'work for it! But I'd rather he owe ME than some numbskull, backwards college university that's known to amp up the interest rate at the drop of a hat! At least when owing me, I'd cap it off at a solid price and leave it!"

Fenton looked away and nodded. "That makes a lot of sense, actually..."

Softening, Scrooge felt his anger and annoyance melt away as quickly as it had come and he raised a hand to Fenton's face to cup his cheek. "Aye, treasure. Now, tell me what's really on yer mind."

"Huh?"

Scrooge gave him a knowing half-lidded smirk. "Come on, now. Don't play daft. I know yer head is all in a tizzy when yeh get all quiet. It's rare fer yeh t'not be talking."

Fenton's shoulders sagged as he looked away and turned a bit pink in the face. He leaned away from Scrooge and properly sat up. "Do I really talk THAT much?"

Scrooge gave him an amused smile. "Yeh do have a habit of ramblin' about whatever's on yer mind, lad."

Fenton turned his head to look at his hands in his lap. "I must come off as pretty annoying, then, huh?"

Scrooge's expression hardened at his question.

"An' I suppose it was my oldest nephew that put such nonsense into yer head, eh?"

It was the old miser's stern tone that had Fenton whipping his head back up to look at his paramour. "Huh?"

Scrooge's frown only deepened. "Donald went and put those thoughts in yer head."

Fenton shook his head. "No, he didn't."

"Aye, he did! I told yeh I overheard yeh both talkin'!"

"No, it's not-He didn't-" stuttered Fenton, pulling away from Scrooge and shaking his head. "Trust me-Donald did NOT put those sort of thoughts in my head! They've always been there! Believe me! I KNOW I can come off as annoying and clingy! It's not new information to me!" His voice broke at the end of the last sentence.

Taken aback by Fenton's strong reaction, Scrooge felt his anger and annoyance melt away as concern replaced it. "Fenton?"

"Donald said you always choose treasure before family" began Fenton.

It hurt. It truly did hurt to hear those words. Scrooge shook his head. "Nae. It's not true! I may have acted as though treasure was more important t'me than treasure but its not true! I would never choose treasure over you, Fenton!"

"But you DID! You chose the Heart over me!" Fenton argued back, his voice raising into a yell as tears began to form in his eyes. "I remember! I tried talking to you about our relationship but all you cared about was the Heart! You were trying to brush me off! Because that's what you do! You brush off the things you don't want to talk about! Not when you could be finding gold and treasure instead! That's all you can think about sometimes!"

Scrooge gaped. Anger began to boil in his chest. No one spoke to Scrooge McDuck like this and got away with it! The last couple hours had been full of stress and worry ever since Launchpad and Darkwing showed up! It was one thing after the other for the old miser. Now this! His infamour McDuck temper was growing out of control. "Now see here!" he roared. He pointed a finger at Fenton and jabbed at him in the chest. "I most certainly did NOT choose treasure over you! I dinnae know I was makin' a choice at the time! Yes, I wanted the Golden Heart! Yeh wanted t'talk about our relationship in the middle of a cave! YOU were the one who dinnae tell me you were gonnae die if I took the Heart!"

Fenton whimpered and seemed to curl in on himself. He fiddled with his hands in front of him as he looked away and refused to look Scrooge in the eye.

Still fuming, Scrooge added, "An I thought yeh had said yeh dinnae remember anything from Sitka!"

Fenton closed his eyes, his shoulders sagging in defeat. "I...I started...remembering things today... After my talk with Donald...I started...remembering things that happened in Sitka. I remember...meeting the Faerie."

Scrooge stared with wide eyes. This had been the last thing he was expecting to hear. He felt his heart clench at the idea of Fenton remembering the moment he found out he would die if Scrooge took the Heart. He had been rather relieved when he learned Fenton didn't remember; for who would want to remember something like that?

"I remember being afraid to tell you about what the Faerie said."

"Why? Why were you so scared?"

Fenton winced. "I didn't tell you because I was afraid you WOULD choose treasure over me!"

Scrooge gasped, his heart stinging at the confession. "F-Fenton...Yeh...Yeh don't mean that. Surely yeh couldn't have actually thought that! After all the praises and compliments yeh always say about me-I find it hard t'believe you thought that of me!"

"That's what I'm trying to tell you, Scroogey! Donald didn't put those thoughts in my head! They've already been there! When we were in Sitka you all but ignored me every chance you had! And before that-You were so distant early on after we started dating! You've always insulted me left and right! How was I suppose to think otherwise! I'm a nobody next to you, Scrooge! Every day I wake up and wonder why you would ever waste your time on me and I'm so thankful you do! I never once thought you'd EVER return my feelings, but you do! But you've gotta know I'm waiting for the day when you wake up and realize you don't want to be with me anymore!" Tears had begun falling down his face. He sniffled and whimpered out, "So, Donald may have said those things but it was already something I feared!"

"Oh...Treasure..." lamented Scrooge. He raised his arms and invited the younger duck into his arms. Fenton immediately fell forward and latched onto his paramour, wrapping his arms around Scrooge's waist. "I'm sorry, Fenton. I dinnae know yeh felt this way. I'm sorry I ever made yeh doubt yourself or my affections for yeh." He pulled Fenton away so that he could cup Fenton's face with his hands. "I will always choose you over treasure, Fenton. You may not realize this, but yeh've come to be like family to me."

Fenton's eyes widened and shined with tears. "R-Really!?"

Family. Scrooge saw him as family! Oh, how his heart soared! That's all he's ever wanted since he started dating the old miser!

Scrooge nodded. "Yes, Fenton."

They stayed there, standing in the kitchen, holding onto each other for an uncertain amount of time. It felt like just a few moments, but when Scrooge glanced at the clock it was later than he was expecting. He gently pulled away and smiled at Fenton. The young accountant smiled back and leaned in to kiss Scrooge on the cheek. "Thank you, Scroogey. You always so have a way of making me feel better."

"Glad t'hear it" replied Scrooge. He raised his arms and stretched until his back popped, which only caused him to grunt in pain as he began rubbing at the base of his back. "Ugh, it's been a terribly long day and I'm afraid this ol' man's bones are feelin' it. I would still like to find Donald and give him a stern talkin' to! He had no right to say the things he did to you!"

Fenton nodded. "I suggest you do. It sounds as though there is a lot of misunderstandings and hurt feelings going on between you two."

Scrooge shook his head. "I had no idea he felt that way about me!"

"Do you want help finding him?"

Scrooge shook his head. "No. I'll find him. You continue doin' what yeh were doin'. I'll see yeh after bit, treasure."

They shared a quick kiss before Scrooge grabbed his cane from the table and walked out of the kitchen. He felt a great deal better now that he'd spoken with Fenton. Now he only needed to focus his attention of his oldest nephew. Not only did he have to discuss Fenton with him, but also ask about how his meeting with Admiral Grimmits went. He had meant to do it earlier but then all of this happened. He needed to find out when they would be heading for Mount Vesuvius.

Scrooge was just walked up the stairs when he heard his name being called by said nephew.

"Uncle Scrooge!" Donald called over to him.

Reaching the top of the stairs, Scrooge turned and watched Donald climb up the stairs behind him. Watching as Donald quickly caught his breath, he forced down the slew of angry thoughts that filled his mind. Snapping at Donald wouldn't help matters; if anything, it would only make it worse. Donald had just as nasty of a temper as he did, after all, and was not nearly as good at controlling it either.

"There yeh are, laddie" huffed Scrooge, unable to hide his irritation completely. "I've been lookin' fer yeh. There are several things I wish t'discuss with yeh."

Donald's eyes widened and he suddenly looked like a child who had been caught stealing cookies from the cookie jar. "Oh? Uh...Like what?"

"Were yeh able to speak with Admiral Grimmits?"

Clearly relieved by the question's subject, Donald visibly relaxed. "Oh! Yes! He says he will be stopping by tomorrow to talk with you! He doesn't seem very happy that we're extending our stay here, but it's not completely your fault, he said! I guess the ship has been having some technical difficulties ever since we docked here!"

Scrooge soaked in this new bit of information with a deadpan expression. After the last couple of days, nothing surprised him anymore. "Technical difficulties, yeh say? Like what?"

"Communication problems, mainly. He's having trouble getting in contact with the other naval ships. He didn't go too into detail with me, but I know he's quite upset" explained the sailor.

"Well, like it or not, Admiral Grimmits will have to be joinin' us on our trip to Mount Vesuvius. Magica made it quite clear she wanted us there and while the idea of walkin' into an obvious trap makes me weary, I would feel slightly better knowing we had the forces of the naval army at our backs. We've helped Grimmits out of some tight spots in the best anyways; he more than owes me!" scowled Scrooge at the reminder of some of those past adventures.

Donald nodded. "Right. Is that all you wanted to talk to me about, Uncle Scrooge?" The younger duck was already trying to discreetly step away from his uncle.

"No, actually."

Donald stopped dead in his tracks and looked like a deer caught in headlights. He knew his uncle had heard some of the things he'd said to Fenton earlier. "Oh?" Donald was watching his uncle carefully.

"Perhaps I can jog yer memory. Do the words, 'He's greedy and only cares about money', ring a bell, by chance?" inquired Scrooge with a frown.

Donald gulped nervously.

When Donald didn't immediately reply, Scrooge kept going, "Or perhaps the words, 'My uncle will always choose money and treasure over his loved ones'?"

"Aww, phooey..." muttered Donald as his eyes down turned to stare at the carpet. He rubbed at the back of his neck. "Uncle, I-I never shoulda said those things..."

"Yer darned right yeh shouldn't have!" snapped Scrooge, no longer able to hold in his anger. Donald jumped at the sudden shout. "Twist me tartan, Donald! Is that really how yeh feel about me!?"

Donald opened and closed his beak yet no words came out. Just the look of guilt on his face told the old miser some of the thoughts going through his mind.

Scrooge went on. "It's bad enough yeh feel that way about me, but t'say it out loud! And t'Fenton of all people! How dare you say such things t'him! Our relationship is our business and ours alone! If yeh have a problem with me then come to ME! Don't attack Fenton the way yeh did tonight!"

Something seemed to snap in Donald and his guilty expression melted away into anger. He took a brazen step forward and began to defend himself, "I was just tryin' to warn him about what he's getting into! Maybe I shouldn't have said those things but what I said is right! All you care about is treasure!"

Appalled, Scrooge gaped at his nephew. "Donald! What have I ever done t'yeh t'make yeh think such a thing!?"

Crossing his arms, Donald sassed back, "Oh, lemme see: just a childhood's worth of examples! You never paid any attention to me unless you had to! Never took interest in any of my hobbies! Wouldn't let me take any college classes I wanted to take! Always brushed me off to the side whenever anything business related came up! Always insulted me left and right and pointed out every chance you got how big of a failure I was! So overly critical of everything I did! Just to name a FEW examples!"

McDuck sighed, his shoulders lowering as tension drained out of him. He knew some of what Donald was saying was true. Donald and Della came into his care when they were still fairly young; around the same age as the triplets. He had never had children of his own so when they were brought into his care so suddenly, Scrooge had no idea how to raise them. Sadly Della had her plane accident and was lost to them, but Donald stayed near; save for when he was in the navy. They had never seen eye to eye. Especially now in adulthood. "Donald, I'm sorry" he softly confessed.

Donald's expression softened at his words. He had not been expecting an apology.

"I may have been harsh on yeh growin' up, but I was only harsh and strict because I loved yeh. I'm sorry, Donald, but that's the only way I've ever known how t'show love. I thought I was teachin' yeh the best ways t'get through life! I made yeh WORK fer things yeh wanted so that yeh EARNED it all and that would make yeh appreciate what yeh had more!"

"But what about making me pay my college tuition after you paid it for me!?" demanded Donald.

Scrooge couldn't stop from rolling his eyes. "I wasn't about t'make yeh go through college fer free! What, because I'm the richest duck in the world means yeh shouldn't learn to pay for anythin' yerself! I thought I was doin' yeh a favor! By havin' yeh owe ME instead, I was savin' yeh interest! Not t'mention, I wasn't givin' yeh a deadline to have it paid off by! I would rather yeh owed me money than some thievin' no-good college!"

"Oh..." Donald seemed to deflate at that. "Um...thank you...I guess..."

Scrooge shrugged off his thanks, simply grateful to finally have an understanding between them. "Anythin' else yeh'd like t'get off yer chest before yeh we part ways fer the evenin'?"

Donald sighed and his shoulders sagged. "I just don't get it, Uncle Scrooge!"

"Get what?"

"He's-He's MY age! It's-weird!"

Ahh, they were back to talking about Fenton again.

"Aye, I'll give yeh that" conceded Scrooge. He didn't say anything more for a long moment. Just when Donald thought his uncle wasn't going to say anymore, Scrooge spoke again. "Do yeh remember Goldie O'Glit?"

Donald blinked at him. That was random. Of course he remembered Goldie. The ups and downs of Scrooge's relationship with the Southern Bell was nearly as legendary as Scrooge himself. "Umm, yeah. Della and I even met her a couple of times, years ago when we were staying here at the mansion with you. Why do you ask?"

"Then you'll recall how much she hurt me" commented Scrooge, his eyes looking away and his expression suddenly gaurded as he held on tighter to his cane.

Donald remembered that too. "Well, yeah. She was after your fortune."

"Aye. Besides Goldie, there was only ever Millie who lasted a wee while...but at the end of the day...I was never able to truly be happy with them. I may be the World's Richest Duck, yet that comes with a lot of responsibilities, not to mention my adventures...Haven't yeh ever wondered why I've never settled down?"

Donald sighed in a way that only a parent could. It was the same way he sighed whenever one of the boys asked him a question for the millionth time and he already knew they knew the answer. "Well, yeah! Of course we've wondered! We just figured you were too busy to date anyone!"

Scrooge nodded. "An' I was. I still am, in fact. A very busy duck, indeed! Never once did I think I was meant t'be happy with a significant other after what happened with Goldie and Millie..."

"That's all we've ever wanted for you, uncle Scrooge! We just want to see you happy, Uncle Scrooge!"

Scrooge nodded knowingly. He raised a finger in emphasis and said, "And that right there is why I'm datin' Fenton! He makes me happy! Is he a tad immature? Aye. Does he talk too much at times? Aye. Is he naive? Doubly so. But at the end of the day, I donnae have t'worry about wakin' up one day and findin' me money bin empty or me Number One Dime stolen, or one of me priceless ancient artifacts missin'...Because I know, without a doubt in my mind, that Fenton is not after me fortune."

Donald still looked skeptical as he crossed his arms. "I looked him up, Uncle Scrooge-"

Scrooge glared at him. "Looked him up!?"

Backpedaling, Donald raised his hands up in alarm, worried Scrooge was going to get angry enough to start throwing punches. "Y-Yes! I looked him up! I was able to thanks to my connections with the army database! He used to work at a Bean Factory before he became your accountant and he lives in a trailer park! He's in a lot of debt, Uncle Scrooge! Did you know that!?"

Scrooge could only blink at him in confusion. This was new. "Whaaat?"

Donald nodded. "His mother doesn't work so he's the only one bringing in any income. It's been like that for years! He's still paying off his college tuition too! So excuse me for thinking he might be after your money, uncle! Cause he could sure use a lot of it to pay for all his debt!"

Scrooge was completely flabbergasted. Fenton had not once said a word about any of his bills or other debt he owed. Yes, he was aware of Fenton's home life and his dead beat mother, but not once had Fenton complained! Not to him, at least! If anything, Fenton often pushed aside the idea of getting paid; willing to do anything for his paramour for free!

Gathering his thoughts, Scrooge finally said, "Well-Be that as it may- Fenton is NOT after me fortune! He's had plenty of chances t'steal from me and has yet t'do it! Even if he was after me money, which I know he is NOT, that is none of yer business, nephew! So why don't yeh stop all this slander and respect yer deal ol' uncle the way yeh should be!"

Properly chastised, Donald nodded with a frown. "Just lookin' out for you, uncle..."

A small smile appeared on Scrooge's beak. He raised his arms to give Donald a hug; who happily accepted it. He had been expecting a few hits from his uncle's cane so he was not about to say no to a hug. "I know, Donald. An' I appreciate it. Yer just doin' it in all the wrong ways. It would seem you and I are more alike than we realize. We sometimes have a hard time showin' our love."

Donald hummed in agreement.

They broke apart and shared a look.

"Now, best be off, nephew. It's been a long day an' I fear we have an even longer day ahead of us tomorrow."

"Night, Uncle Scrooge. Again, I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry, too, Donald. Good night."

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Author's Notes: Long chapter full of conversations. More to come soon! -EricaX