A Continuation of The Slash Saga: My Funny Friend and Me and Birds of A Feather
By Roaming Tigress
Chapter Two:
Mine Alone
Stealthily, the shadowed figure stepped out of hiding. A black and red fedora gave away the identity of the shadowed figure -- Negaduck. He saw that the two were headed for the direction of the greenhouse on the other side of the city, not far from the park. Keeping a low profile, Negaduck decided to follow them to the ends of the earth if need be.
At the greenhouse, Steelbeak sat on a bench while Bushroot stood behind him to rub his back. The rooster had worked for the criminal organization for half his life, and being fired was understandably a devastating blow. His eyes were red from crying, and he was so far into his depression that no more tears could be shed. He gave all he had for F.O.W.L, but at the end they tossed him out like trash. He felt dead, even in the comfort of his boyfriend.
"Twenny five long years . . . " Steelbeak said in a spaced out voice, staring blankly at the glass walls of the greenhouse with his head in his hands. He suddenly grabbed Bushroot and hugged him as tight as he could, realizing that although he had lost his job, he still had his Bushroot. The plant duck was all that mattered to him now.
"Easy there, big fella!" I don't think ya'd want to be hugging onto a piece of plant pulp now, will ya?" Bushroot laughed, feeling himself practically get squished into a pulp by his big boyfriend.
With a chuckle, Steelbeak loosened his hug and was content to let his lover sit on his lap. He was back to his old self again.
"I suppose not! Grass stains are 'ard enough ta get out!"
"Hah . . . Saps!" Negaduck scoffed, leaning up against his chainsaw as he watched them. He had banished Bushroot out from the Fearsome Five when he found out about his love for Steelbeak. His reason for this action? He spent more time with the F.O.W.L fiend than going out with the rest of the gang to commit crimes. He looked away for a moment and shook his head as the two appeared to be getting a little more than familiar.
"Those two . . . " He groaned.
Now that the Fearsome Five was down to the Fearsome Four, Negaduck decided that the group needed a new villain. After some thought, he felt that new villain had to be none other than Steelbeak. Where he lacked in superpowers he more than made up for in the brains and brawn department.
Additionally, it occurred to him that if he could get Steelbeak to be his loverboy, he could hurt Bushroot in revenge for slacking off on his orders. Just how well could he do it, however? Steelbeak was no run of the mill idiot, he knew a trick a hundred miles away. After watching him for a while, however, Negaduck understood why so many woman (and men) flocked to him.
Hrm . . . He *is* rather handsome. Maybe more than rather . . Gah!? What am I thinking? I can't think of Steelbeak in that way!
Negaduck violently shook his head, finding himself staring at Steelbeak as though he was looking at some beautiful dame. He had to admit, he was a handsome devil but nothing more. Previously he never had feelings for another man, so why now? Thoughts aside, he decided to step in and have his fun.
Holding his chainsaw behind him, Negaduck quietly opened the door and grinned maliciously through the small opening he made. Knowing how easily it was to frighten the two (especially Bushroot), he couldn't help but to reenact a horror movie scene.
"Heeeere's Negaduck!"
With a yelp, the terrified Bushroot leapt into the arms of an equally scared Steelbeak. "F-Fancy seeing you here, b-boss!"
Although Steelbeak was a good deal larger than the duck before him, he was beyond scared with just being in the same locale as him. He shivered in fear, expecting himself to be chopped up into chicken nugget-sized chunks. This was just what the mallard wanted -- absolute fear.
"Yes, but who tells the Prince of Darkness were he can and cannot go?" He asked with a rumbling growl in his chest, switching on the chainsaw and holding it high above his head.
"NO ONE!" He roared, swinging it towards their direction.
Instinctively, Bushroot jumped out of Steelbeak's arms while his companion took refuge from under a table. He let out a sharp cry as he was grabbed by an ankle and pulled under. When he realized who grabbed him was only his buddy, he clung to his thick neck and practically strangled the life out of him.
"Can't breathe . . . !" Steelbeak gasped, recoiling up against the wall as Negaduck threateningly peered under the table. In spite of his terrified state, he hugged Bushroot to let him know that he wasn't going to abandon him in this crisis.
He casually switched off his chainsaw and reached his hand into his yellow jacket. The two expected the worse -- a gun, a knife, something that would kill them. If I want that rooster I'll have to get that damn talking plant away from him, and I know just the way to do it . . .
Steelbeak let out a sigh of relief when the thing he brought out was something so benign; a spray canister of some sort. On the other hand, things were becoming all the more terrifying for Bushroot. His fear had became so bad he let out a scream and ran out the back door, leaving his companion to whatever fate Negaduck would deem appropriate. This time, his natural cowardice overcame loyalty.
"Bushroot, wait!" Steelbeak cried out, too terrified from moving out from under the table. "Come back, youse jus' can't leave me 'ere wit' dis maniac!" His cry went unheard to the plant-duck, who had run off to hide in the woods.
Why did youse leave me behind, Bushroot? Come back . . . Just come back. I need youse . . . I love youse. He looked out the window, expecting him to return to him at any moment.
"Weed killer, gets him every time!" Negaduck sneered, approaching the cringing cockerel on his hands and knees. When he saw him look outside with a distant, betrayed expression, he let out a growl.
"I really don't know what you see in him, ex-agent of F.O.W.L! The can's empty and he took off running and left you behind! How is THAT for love?"
"Bushroot does love me!" Steelbeak angrily retorted in spite of the state he was in. "'E jus' got scared, dat's all. I mean, kin yas blame 'em?"
"Are you trying me?" Negaduck snapped, feeling the other avian was getting too snarkey for his liking. "If you are . . . "
Steelbeak's heart was pounding so loud now that the two of them could practically hear it. He flinched practically every time Negaduck moved an inch toward him, expecting the worse at every second. For exactly twenty seconds, the duck eyeballed him before pulling away and getting to his webbed feet. At the moment, he didn't care how pathetic he looked under the table.
"Get out, Steelbeak!" He ordered, calmly but authoritatively. "Before I drag you out myself. Let me tell you, when I get rough, it's not a pretty picture. "
"Why should I listen to youse, Negageek?" Steelbeak taunted, becoming decidedly stubborn right the moment when the other avian was easing off on the intimidation. Mouthing off proved to be a most unwise decision, even if he did feel good about it.
Negageek!? Rrrr! That does it! Gritting his teeth and growling with frustration, Negaduck reached under and grabbed hold of Steelbeak from the collar of his jacket. He forcibly yanked him out with all the strength he had, wincing and grunting only slightly from the rooster's sheer weight. If Negaduck was to make the rooster a minion, he would have to show him who's the boss right from the very beginning.
"Jus' kill me now, why don't youse?" Steelbeak asked, half-defensively, and half fearfully. He again tried to escape, but froze when he saw a knife being brought to his muscular neck.
"Don't tempt me, roosterboy!" Negaduck hissed, threatening to cut the jugular vein with just a flick of his wrist.
"N-No! Lemme go!" Steelbeak pleaded, feeling the knife come up against his throat and make a slight nick in his flesh. It wasn't enough to make him bleed to death, just enough to make him squirm in which Negaduck took delight in seeing.
"I'm sorry fer callin' youse Negageek! I'll make it up to youse, I promise."
Things are looking up. Now that I've managed to terrorize him into submission, it's time for my next move .
With an smirk, Negaduck placed the knife away and slid a cold hand down the rooster's red shirt. He felt Steelbeak tense up even more with this touch and teasingly traced a finger up and down his chest. His move was seductive, but to his "victim" it was beyond creepy. It was downright unsettling!
Instead of resisting the unwanted attention or giving him a punch to the jaw, Steelbeak merely submitted to it. He as too frightened, too puzzled to do anything else. One moment 'e's killin' me, de next 'e's tryin' to seduce me! I know 'e's off 'is rocker, but . . . I don't t'ink 'e usually treats 'is victims ike dis normally.
"Very well, if you insist!" Negaduck exclaimed as a delayed response to Steelbeak's pleading. He slipped his hand out and almost playfully tapped Steelbeak on the beak. "I have come to you with a sort of fellow villain-to-villain proposition to make to you."
"W-What might dat be?" Steelbeak asked, becoming physically uncomfortable in the same odd, half-cowering position on the ground. He tried to get up, but the other bird shoved him down with amazing strength.
Negaduck wiped the trickle of blood from Steelbeak's neck, and with an evil smirk he licked it off his fingertip.
"If you'll be mine alone, I'll give you a new image -- and a new job."
With the exception of Juno and Javert, all characters mentioned in this chapter are © Disney.