A Continuation of The Slash Saga: My Funny Friend and Me and Birds of A Feather
By Roaming Tigress and Tammy Wraight who gave permission to use the character of Faith Mallard
Chapter Six:
Understandment
Weary from a lack of sleep, Darkwing Duck watched the threesome take place from a window. With his eyes stinging from tiredness, he didn't think Steelbeak was having sex with Negaduck -- he thought he was beating him up! To him, it looked like the rooster pounced him and was going to pound the living daylights out of him. What little did he know!
"Well, looks like Steelbeak's taking good care of them," Darkwing yawned, turning to an equally tired and concerned Bushroot.
"I think you should head off to bed, Reggie. It's been a long day today."
With a nod, Bushroot agreed. Just before the two went their separate ways, he peeked through the window to see Steelbeak beat up his ex-boss. Luckily, the lights were turned out just in the nick of time. Optimistic that his beau could look after himself one his own for the night, he made his way back to the greenhouse.
Inside the Fearsome Five Headquarters, the three villains had tired themselves out. Negaduck was just about ready to snuggle up with his Faith, but remembered he had to keep Steelbeak confined or else risk loosing him. With Faith lazily slinging an arm over his shoulders, he escorted him at gunpoint to a small cell that was located in the back of their bedroom.
"I won't be able to sit for a week . . . " Negaduck grumbled, rubbing his forehead after locking up the cell. His rear end had suffered under Steelbeak's overenthusiastic talent with Mr. DeNiro, and he walked his way to the bed with a stiffened gait.
"Awww, well . . . I'll give you an assage. You know, a massage for the arse!" Faith smirked, giving her husband a light smack on the rear.
"If anyone deserves one, it's you!"
Steelbeak, now back in his now slightly tattered looking Armani, watched the married pair get together under the sheets. He was finally relaxing without the aid of seduction.
"Now that Bushroot's dead, Ironbreath will fit his place just well . . . " Negaduck muttered, ending his sentence with a yawn.
The mention of Reginald made Steelbeak feel intensely guilty. He had forgotten him up until now and the mention of him being dead made his mood dampen all the more. He wanted to believe he wasn't dead, maybe there was a way he was able to get away in spite of the injuries he suffered, but he had to be realistic. Bushroot did not look good the last time he had seen him. 'Ow could I be such a joik and fuhget all about 'em?
"I'm sorry, Reggie . . . " Steelbeak quietly cried, trying not to attract attention from the others. He sat at the back of the jail cell with his knees held up against his chest, looking out at the stars from the window.
"I loved youse . . . " Right about now, he wanted to die for the sole purpose of being with Bushroot again. The news of his apparent death shocked him so much that the tears didn't fall right away, but sure enough, they did.
"Did you hear that?" Faith asked tiredly, giving Negaduck a poke to the ribs when she heard his sob. "I think your rooster's crying for his plant."
Negaduck rolled his eyes, not believing it for a moment that a 'true' villain (or anyone to that matter) could ever miss someone like Reggie Bushroot. Steelbeak has such class! How he can bring himself to love Bushbrain AND be seen hanging around him? Then again, this was the same nitwit who had a fling with Dumbwing Flunk.
"The big wimp will get over it . . . " He groaned, putting the pillow over his head so that he wouldn't hear Steelbeak's anguish. There wasn't much to hear, aside from a little whimpering, but more than enough for what he could bear.
Faith, on the other hand, couldn't help but to feel a little sorry for the rooster. After loosing her family in a mass slaughter, she knew how much it hurt to loose a loved one. After some thought, she decided to go and check in on him. She was thirsty, anyway -- might as well do two trips in one.
As she slipped out of bed, she looked down at her husband and twirled a finger around his tail. "Just going to get a drink and check in on the cock. I'll be back in a jiffy!"
"He'll be fine . . . " Negaduck groaned, not wanting her to go easy on him. "If ya coddle him, he'll just get softer!"
"I know, but . . . If I quiet him down, you can get back to sleep," Faith whispered. "All it'll take is a woman's touch. You know how it is."
"No problem . . . " Negaduck grumbled in response. Before she slipped out of the bed, he dozed off sleep, exhausted from the night's sexual rendevous.
Faith found Steelbeak huddled in the corner with his beak burrowed between the space of his knees and his chest. In the dim light, she saw a stream of tears run down his face. After kneeling down to his level, she reached out through the bars and gently touched his cheek. His feathers were as soft as Negaduck's, but with a silkier texture.
Initially, Steelbeak cringed at this -- both from out of shame of being caught showing his emotions and secondly, being paranoid that she would tear his "mask" away. It was obvious that this was not her intention, but it almost became an instinct to him to cower away. Her sympathy for him there grew. Poor guy . . .
"Shhhh . . . It's okay . . . " Faith whispered, wiping the tears from his eyes. Being the compassionate criminal that she is, she wanted to lighten Steelbeak's mood while remaining understanding to his plight.
"Okay, well, things aren't so great from you now. I suppose you overheard what we were talking about. I want to let you know that I'm not mad, but if I don't see a smile on that face, Negaduck will come in here and beat you silly!"
Let him. To acknowledge her comfort, he rubbed his beak up against her hand, startling her with its cold touch. Steelbeak appreciated her sympathy, even if he didn't ask for it.
"T'anks fer . . . Stoppin' in on me . . . " He whispered, lightly patting her on the hand that was caressing his cheek.
"Not a problem," Faith smiled, drawing her hand out from behind the bars. "I was just on my way to get a drink of water. Want me to get you anything on the way out there?"
"I'd like a beer," Steelbeak yawned, curling up on the floor for a lack of a better place to rest. "Make it t'ree, actually."
Negaduck didn't sleep for long. As he tossed and turned in his sleep, he ended up tumbling off the side of the bed. With a growl, he got up to his feet and flopped back onto the mattress, perking his head up when the rooster mentioned his favorite beverage. He noticed that his wife still wasn't around, but instead of going back to sleep he decided to have a little more fun with Steelbeak.
"Why was Melonhead so important to you?" Negaduck curiously asked, walking up to the cell with the bloodied knife behind his back.
"None of yer business . . . " Steelbeak growled, not appreciating the mallard disturbing him as he tried to sleep.
"Jus' leave me alone."
Oooooh he's getting mouthy with me again. I'll have to fix that, because NOBODY gets mouthy with Negaduck! I wear the nonexistent pants in this relationship, and I won't tolerate any disobedience from him.
"Tell me, Steelbeak, or I'll have to get dangerous . . . " Negaduck growled, unlocking the door with the weapon. Quite suddenly, he pounced his captor with a bloodthirsty snarl.
"I-I can't quite explain!" Steelbeak yelped, pulling out of his jacket when Negaduck took hold of him. "If I's do, youse'd just laugh at me. It's really borin', ya probably wouldn't wanna know about it."
"Really? How would you know if I wasn't interested or not? I want an answer . . . " Negaduck asked with an accusative growl, grabbing Steelbeak by the front of his red shirt. After pinning him against the wall, he poked his exposed belly with the tip of his knife. He made a slight cut in the flesh, sneering as Steelbeak winced from this.
"Maybe I will laugh, maybe I won't!" As he did with the last time he wounded the rooster, Negaduck traced a finger across the slash mark and licked off the blood.
"A-And what if I refuse ta tell ya?" Steelbeak asked with a coy grin as Negaduck lightly tickled the area. "I-I mean I - okay, okay, I'll tell!"
Negaduck took the blood-tasting further, bending his head down to his stomach to lick up the crimson liquid. The more the rooster squirmed and sucked his stomach in, the more he went at it.
"Now that's more like it! I'm a curious duck, and I get persistent if I want to know about something . . . " Just as it looked like Negaduck was going to gut the rooster, he tore the knife up his shirt and tossed aside the scraps.
Heyyyy he ruined my best shoit. Ah well, better dat den shreddin' my intestines. Once more, Steelbeak caved into his request. He knew that Negaduck would back him into a corner about the issue; he was doing a good job at it already.
"We's didn't get a long all dat well at foist. I was assigned to steal a coupla rare plants from de zoo, orchids of some sort from one of dose countries wit' clickety languages. Bushie was tryin' to steal 'em at de same time fer 'is own use. We 'ad some shouting, some pushing, but at de end I pretty much got my way."
"Doesn't take a lot to push him around . . . " Negaduck smirked, releasing Steelbeak to file his nails with the knife.
Steelbeak heaved a sigh when he was let go, and slid his back against the wall as he sat down. "De little guy didn't want me to get killed fer not completin' a mission and let me kept some of de plants. His attachment to those plants was kinda pathetic -- "
"You're telling me!" Negaduck groaned. "That's all he ever talked about in group discussions. Bonsai trees, Dutch elm disease, anything to do with botany."
As Steelbeak told the story about how he and Bushroot met, Faith came back from the kitchen with a whole armful of beer bottles. She passed them around to the men before setting a few down a few for herself. Negaduck had eased off on frightening Steelbeak, satisfied that he once again had the upper hand of him.
"Sorry it took so long, decided to use up what we have!" Faith quipped up, sitting down Indian-style on the floor while drinking down one of the bottles. Negaduck sat beside her, placing an arm around her shoulders.
"Not a problem, Faithy!" He winked, taking a swig. "Go on, Steelbeak, I'm sure there's more to the story than that."
After drinking down the whole beer in practically one gulp, Steelbeak continued. "I . . . Sorta felt sorry for him I guess."
"I can't believe this. You loved him because you felt sorry for that sap?" Negaduck scoffed. "I'm sorry, but that has got to be -- "
Steelbeak ignored Negaduck's interruption. "Bushroot didn't wanna see me get killed fer not completin' de mission, and allowed me ta keep de plants."
"And . . . ?" Faith and her husband asked in unison.
"He showed up on day to tell me 'e developed . . . Feelings fer me," Steelbeak said with some hesitation, still expecting to be mocked. "I suppose 'e was real lonely, not 'aving anyone but 'is plants fer friends. 'E showed up at my apartment one day and told me 'ow 'e felt about me. 'E wanted a friend, someone big an' burly to 'ang around and protect him."
Faith understood what he was talking about but encountered a blonde moment along the way. "So . . . He wanted you as a sort of bodyguard?"
"Nah, nah, jus' a friend," Steelbeak answered, shaking his head with a slight smile. "I t'ink it took a lotta courage for 'em ta come up and tell me dat. To dis day I still don't know 'ow 'e found my place."
"And how did you take this?" Negaduck asked, turning his head to one side. Although he didn't show it, he was indeed curious as how he felt about this ex-minion and what he found in him.
"Truth be told, I was lonely myself -- "
"And desperate to even befriend that lousy excuse for a villain!" Negaduck added with a cruel laugh, finding amusement.
"I wouldn't be caught dead with him around me . . . "
Jeesh, by de time I get through wit' dis I'd die of old age! Steelbeak heaved a sigh, wondering whether or not Negaduck wanted to hear the story for entertainment purposes or out of genuine curiosity. He gave the mallard an annoyed glare, and got the look returned right back at him.
"I befriended 'em back," Steelbeak shrugged, wondering what more he wanted to know. "I needed a good pal jus' as much as 'e did. We's were both outcast villains who suffered de scars of an abusive past, and we's found comfort in each other's presence. Eventually we's became more den jus' friends. I suppose it didn't intend to out out dat way, but it was just one of those t'ings dat 'appens."
The mention of the rooster having a cruel upbringing sparked another interest in Negaduck. He never thought of Steelbeak having abuse in his past, for he had always thought of him as one who had always lived a cushy life. He wanted to know about this past, but decided to keep it for another day.
"How did he treat you?" Faith asked. "I mean surely there's a reason you fell in love with him beyond understandment and a little pity thrown in."
"I know it sounds really sappy, but Reggie touched my soul like nobody 'as done before," Steelbeak responded, feeling his eyes mist over with held-back tears. "'E treated me like I always wanted ta be treated, healed some of dose wounds of de past and made me feel alive again."
Steelbeak paused briefly to exhale. "Youse kin laugh, Negaduck. Dat's de Steelbeak-Bushroot saga in a nutshell."
For a moment, the married couple looked to each other knowingly and whispered to each other just out of the rooster's hearing range. The she-duck saw her husband's eyes soften and tucked a finger underneath his bill. There was not even a hint of a light chuckle from either of them.
"That'll be all for tonight, Steelbeak . . . " Negaduck smiled, reaching out and patting him on the shoulder. For once, he touched him without the intent of torture.
All characters mentioned in this
chapter are © Disney. Faith Mallard belongs to Tammy Wraight.
If you steal or copy her, expect
to die a horrid death.