Much Ado About Negawing: Always Before Dawn - Darkwing Duck (1991)
A/N: Quick note— the fics in this arc are in "production order" (order of when they were written) and not in the order of which they take place in the arc's timeline.
He always leaves before dawn.
Drake gets why. It's just frustrating sometimes. It's selfish. He wants more— he wants to be able to wake up in the morning and still find his secret lover there. He wants to see the light from the sunrise wafting through the window, streaking the other duck's already beautiful feathers with soft, golden strokes. He wants to feel the warmth of his partner's body pressed against his, not the cold impression left behind in the mattress.
But Drake doesn't get what he wants.
Because this is meant to be a secret. The longer he stays, the greater the chance of this private facet of their relationship being discovered. At least he wakes him up before he leaves, to say goodbye.
As usual, his partner stands over the bed, fully clothed, minus the crimson fedora that's still lying on the floor where it had been previously discarded.
Beaks meet in a soft, chaste kiss. Drake fondles with his lover's feathers, running his fingers over them, marveling at their softness.
Beaks part, and foreheads tilt towards one another, sharing warmth between them when they make contact.
"Try not to get into too much trouble," Drake murmurs.
A snort. "You're not my mother. I'll get into as much trouble as I like."
Drake releases a soft, quiet laugh.
They stay like that for a while, neither wanting to pull away from the other.
For the first time in their short, secret romance, Drake is the first to pull away. He looks up at his partner through lidded eyes, the blue of both their sclera glinting in the faint moonlight. Fingers trail across cheeks, before curling into the slightly thicker feathers there.
"What?"
I love you. "Nothing," Drake answers, before pressing a gentle kiss to the other's cheek. "I'll… see you tonight, then?"
"Mmhmm." Hands slowly rise up to settle on Drake's, and their foreheads meet one more time. "Try not to miss me too much, Dipwing Dork."
"You too, Negsy."
"… you know I hate that nickname."
Drake pulls back a little, smiling innocently. "You know that's why I keep using it."
"Remind me why I stopped trying to kill you again?" There's no malice in his voice— not like when there used to be. Just… genuine indignance.
"Because you like me."
"Pffft. In your dreams."
They spend the next few minutes bickering like the overgrown children they are— but still having enough sense to keep their voices low, so as to avoid exposing themselves to the other sleeping occupants of this house— before finally saying goodbye and parting ways.
Drake rests his crossed arms on the window sill, watching as Negaduck disappears into the dimly lit darkness of twilight.
"… See you tonight…"
Only the empty air is there to hear him.