Chapter Seventeen:
At Avian Way
"How about you stay and live with me for a while, until things get better for you?" Darkwing suggested, gently placing an arm around his lover's waist. He didn't feel comfortable leaving Steelbeak at his apartment, for he didn't trust the other High Comanders to do anything drastic to him. What had happened that night was enough to warrant the reason for keeping him in his sight.
The two avians stood out in the back of F.O.W.L Headquarters, watching the police take Jerold into the back of an armored police truck. Darkwing couldn't help but to feel proud in conquering yet another vicious villain and seeing him be sent off to jail. There was a time when he wouldn't have a care if the rooster had troubles with his superiors, but that was a lifetime ago.
What should I say? Steelbeak gave him a kiss on the top of his head, straightening out the three feathers that stuck out on top. He so desperately wanted to be as close as possible to Darkwing and liked the idea of residing with him for a while. To his knowledge, High Command didn't know the whereabouts of Darkwing's home. He was confident that they wouldn't find out where it was either, but he didn't want to be a burden.
"T'anks fer de offer, little buddy, but I really don't wanna be a bother to youse," Steelbeak explained quietly, still jarred from the incident with Jerold and his cronies. "Especially after all de help youse gave me. I've got my place, I'll be jus' fine."
"A bother? What on earth made you think that?" Darkwing asked in astonishment, looking up at the rooster with his bottom jaw practically hitting the pavement.
"Well, yer kid and I never got along, and I'd jus' eat youse outta yer house!" Steelbeak answered with a light chuckle, his mood lifting from the duck's surprised reaction.
"Hey, I'll keep plenty of food around. I'll make sure Gosalyn behaves herself, or my name isn't Darkwing Duck!" The mallard said matter-of-factly, making a dramatic sweep of his cape.
Knowing the mallard wasn't going to accept no for an answer, Steelbeak decided to give in to his suggestion. "I guess it'd be okay if I stay over fer a coupla days, until I get t'ings back to normal wit' F.O.W.L. 'Sides, it's a bit lonely up dere in dat apartment."
"I was hoping you'd change your mind," Darkwing smiled, seeing the twinkle in the rooster's eyes return. "I could imagine the loneliness."
"Yeah, I never knew a villain ever could 'ave dat feelin' . . ." Steelbeak said rather distantly, walking side-by-side with him through the F.O.W.L parking lot. "I've felt anger, joy, power, but I never t'ought dat bein' on my own would really bother me."
"You needn't explain more, I know how it is," Darkwing understood perfectly, patting him on the back. It seemed that he was good at cheering up the old rogue, and decided to humour him again.
"I can't imagine you ever
being on your own. You being so suave and all, I bet you had them
in droves after you, and you
after them, you charismatic cock!"
"Youse bet I did!" Steelbeak exclaimed, elbowing the mallard in a chummy manner. His mate's cheering up trick had worked wonders almost a little too much, for the elbowing was enough to send him face-first onto the asphalt.
"At one point, I 'ad one fer ev'ry day of de week!" He said proudly, helping his boyfriend up onto his webbed feet. "Dey all couldn't 'ave me all at once."
"Why am I not surprised?" Darkwing chuckled, brushing off bits of leaf on his jacket. He lead Steelbeak through an elementary school's yard, the same one they often fought in their youth.
"Seems like only yesterday we's were wrestlin' out 'ere," Steelbeak remarked, absent-mindedly sitting in one of the swings in the playground. "I kin still remember dat time youse broke one of my legs over somet'in'g really stupid. I t'ink it was a lunch box, but I remember youse askin' fer forgiveness when youse found out I didn't do it."
Taking Steelbeak by surprise, Darkwing snuck up from behind and pounced him. The two birds were sent falling into a pit of gravel, landing in a rather suggestive pose with Steelbeak lying on his back, and Darkwing sitting near his crotch.
Darkwing remembered the incident, way back when he was actually one of the school's bullies. "Yep, yep, yup . . . And you never did forgive me for that!"
Looking up at the stars, Steelbeak smiled a little at remembering the violent but memorable event. He had enough problems as it is with his deformity and family abuse at the time, yet was able to laugh this incident off.
"Well, I forgive youse now. 'ow old were we's back den? Ten? Eleven?"
"Around that, pretty close to Easter if I could remember," Darkwing replied, getting up off Steelbeak and fixing his cape. "I was sure mean back then, and you, so timid! So withdrawn! It's really a wonder we became who we are!"
"It really is!" Steelbeak said with a slow nod, not allowing the horrid memories of his past drift back to haunt him. "Whatever made youse reform into becomin' a crime fighter? Of all t'ings? I mean youse could've been a lawyer, doctor . . . "
"I wanted to do something really good for the community," Darkwing answered with pride, standing atop a hill that had a beautiful view of the city.
"When the police weren't doing enough, I decided to take matters into my own hands. In a way, I become a sort of a villain in preforming vigilantism, but doing a good deed at the same time."
He turned to Steelbeak, curious as how the rooster turned to a life of crime. "Now, how did you become the criminal mastermind? I know about the accident and everything. Before that, though . . . What made you decide to start stealing cars?"
Memories of those bygone car-theiving days were good ones. Back then, Steelbeak's mother wasn't there to abuse him and he didn't have a care in the world. He smiled a little, remembering that as a teenager he was so full of himself. Back then, he didn't have much in the way of responsibilities. He only had to look out for himself and enjoy the remainder of his youth that hadn't been cruelly stolen away from him.
"I t'ought it was excitin'. Dere was somet'ing in my blood dat drove me to do it. I knew it was wrong, I suppose dat 'ad somet'ing to do wit' it," Steelbeak explained with nostalgic excitement, walking down one of the roads that he used many years while speeding away from the law.
"Another part was de attitude dat came to me. I don't exactly know where it came from. I was an ugly S.O.B but damn I was arrogant as all get out! I knew just when ta get away before gettin' caught by de cops, I didn't give a care if any of my partners in crime were caught. All dat mattered was dat I got away scot free."
"Ah, so, once you got bit by the crime bug, you never became cured." Darkwing listened carefully, understanding his reason for his criminal behaviors but at the same time wishing he had chosen a different path.
"I like de way youse said it!" Steelbeak exclaimed with his well-known laugh. "Holds pretty true, too. Once a villain, always a villain - - at least in my case."
It was close to ten o'clock by time the two arrived at the Avian Way household. They would have got there faster if they took a vehicle, but the walk was worth it. It was valuable bonding time, and a little fresh air didn't do them any harm.
"Gosalyn does that every time I leave the house," Darkwing remarked, hearing loud music booming inside the house as they came up to the house's driveway. "She knows I can't stand it when I'm there, so when I'm out, she puts whatever she likes on full blast. She's stubborn, so I told her one day she'd go deaf if she keeps it up. "
"Did she listen?" Steelbeak asked, trying to block out the loud rap music that had bothered his sensitive hearing.
"No," Darkwing shrugged, unlocking the door and peeking his head in. "GOSALYN! YOU TURN THAT DOWN RIGHT THIS MINUTE!"
"Why?" Gosalyn asked, shouting back over her music that even she couldn't hear over properly. "I like it like this!"
"I BROUGHT SOMEONE OVER! THAT'S WHY!" Darkwing yelled back, getting a bit of a sore throat from raising his voice.
"All right . . . " She groaned, going over to the entertainment system and turning down the volume of the CD player. She froze when she saw Darkwing usher Steelbeak in and was ready to defend herself should he do anything to her.
"Um, hi . . . " Steelbeak said, feeling a touch uncomfortable with Gosalyn's presence. He sat next to Darkwing on the couch, leaning back with a sigh. Had he not been in a relationship with the masked mallard, he would have menaced the girl but now he wanted nothing to do with her.
Why are you here?" Gosalyn asked suspiciously, not letting her eyes off of him. "If you so touch a feather on me, I'll - - "
"Gos, take it easy," Darkwing growled, noticing her attitude. "I took him in because I wouldn't put it past F.O.W.L to kill him."
"What'd he do, try to overrun the place?" Gosalyn asked in a snarly manner, crossing her arms. The relationship itself wasn't what was bothering her, but rather the fact that the criminal was in the house. She did not the least bit trust him.
"I certainly wouldn't miss him if he was gone."
"Okay, dat's it, dis kid 'as pushed 'er limit wit me!" Steelbeak snarled, jumping to his feet and pointing a finger at Gosalyn. Darkwing Duck quickly grabbed hold of his shoulders, forcing him to sit back down.
"Why did you have to say something like that?" Darkwing wearily asked, letting go of his hold on the rooster only when he was sure he had relaxed.
"High Command found out about the relationship which was against their rules. For his own safety, I thought it'd be best if he stayed here for a little while. He behaved himself while he was over here when I got him out of jail."
That was one time too many! Without making another snide comment, Gosalyn headed off to her bedroom. Her father watched on, shaking his head. Things haven't gone as smoothly as he had hoped, but knew things could have gone much worse.
Steelbeak cringed slightly as he heard the door slam, wondering however his mate could cope with her. "I kin imagine she's quite a 'andful fer youse!"
"That she is, but don't you worry, you two will get used to having each other around!" Darkwing said assuredly, sitting next to Steelbeak and taking hold of one of his hands. He brought the hand up to his bill and gave it a delicate kiss.
"We are birds of a feather, Steelbeak, and there's nothing that will change that!"
Or was there?
Disclaimer: Steelbeak and Darkwing Duck, and other characters mentioned excluding Javert and a few minor chars' are © Disney.