Gosalyn was awoken by the sound of someone furiously typing away at a computer. She yawned and stretched, rubbing her eyes and looking around.
After a night of crime-fighting, both she and Darkwing Duck had returned to his base to sleep for a couple of hours. It was a Saturday, the sun was bright enough that she could tell it was midmorning...and Dad—Drake Mallard was sitting in a nearby armchair, sipping at his morning cup of coffee and typing away at his laptop so fast that she was surprised it wasn't on fire.
"Morning, Drake," she said with a yawn.
"Morning, Gos," he said, eyes still attached to the screen. "Pancakes and eggs are on the table."
"Thanks," she said. But she wasn't quite hungry yet, so she stared at him for a few moments. "...are you writing a novel or something?"
"In a way," he said. "I realized that I haven't contributed anything to the collaborative fanscript I'm a part of for months! I've got to write at least two pages to make up for it."
"Let me guess...it's for the old Darkwing Duck TV show?" she asked. He nodded. "Drake, I doubt anyone else has been reading or working on that script. It'd probably be fine to just let it die off."
"Let it die off!?" Drake said. He looked as offended as if she had suggested letting an orphanage burn down. "I'll have you know that I am not the only person who cares about this script!"
"Mhmm. And how many other people are helping with it?"
"...one," he grumbled. He turned his laptop around to show her a chatroom. It was filled with links, art, writing, conversations...and had exactly two members in it.
"So...you're determined to work on a script that one other random person ever reads," she said. Drake huffed, almost looking angry for a moment...but took a deep breath and calmed down before speaking again.
"Gos, they're actually one of my best friends," he explained. "We've been talking ever since I was in high school. We would spend long nights roleplaying Darkwing episodes instead of studying, watching our favorite episodes at home and pretending we were watching them together, sharing fanscripts..."
"Huh," Gosalyn said, her eyes flicking over the long strings of text. "So...when was the last time you saw them in-person?"
Drake looked away, rubbing the back of his neck. Gosalyn sighed, pinching the bridge of her beak. "Let me guess...you've never actually met them. Probably don't even know their real name. And you consider them a best friend?"
"Yes," Drake answered, pouting slightly. "They've been there through me through thick and thin..."
"Virtually."
"You don't know how many days and nights we spent just talking to each other!"
"Compared to the hours of real, in-person crime-fighting and bonding Launchpad and I have done with you?" Gosalyn crossed her arms. "Do they know you're the real Darkwing Duck?"
"No, I haven't told them," he said. "But I...would like to imagine they're a fan of me."
She raised an eyebrow. "So...you're in an online fan club. And a part of you is enjoying it for the ego boost."
"Yes. I mean...ugh! It's more nuanced than that, you inquisitive imp," he grumbled.
"If they're not just an ego boost to you, why haven't you ever met up?" she pressed.
"Because we are both adults with busy lives!"
"Which includes writing fanscripts for a canceled children's show."
"Fine, I'll message them and ask if they want to meet in-person!" he said, fingers already flying across the keyboard. "But I'm not telling them I'm Darkwing Duck over the web."
"Probably a good idea," she said with a nod. "They'll probably just think that you're crazy if you start off by telling them that."
Drake slapped down the Enter key with great energy. "There! They might not even be interested, but I asked. Happy now, missy?"
"Better," she said. She didn't want to admit it aloud, but she did want to see Drake have real friends and family, not just fans. "As long as you're smart and don't get mugged by them or something."
Drake huffed. "Decades of talking and befriending me seems a bit overkill for a mugging plot. I'll be fine. Besides, nothing can stop Darkwing Duck!"
Gosalyn rolled her eyes, but still smiled at him. "So, are there any pancakes that you didn't burn?" she asked, heading towards their small dining area.
"I'll have you know that most of them are edible this morning!" he called after her, also smiling.
In Duckburg, Launchpad McQuack was driving Della and Donald Duck to the Money Bin to meet with Scrooge. Both of the twins were clutching something in front of them and wincing at Launchpad's bad driving, though Della seemed better able to look away and try to distract herself.
Launchpad's phone buzzed in his pocket, and to Donald's unheeded protests, he pulled it out and began to read. The car began to swerve even more, and Della realized with a lurch in her stomach that yes, it was possible for his driving to get even worse.
"Oh hey, one of my friends just messaged me," Launchpad said, smiling as his eyes scanned over the message. Donald winced, fingers digging into the back of the seat in front of him for dear life as the car swerved to and fro. "Hey, they're interested in meeting up!"
"Really?" Della said, leaning over and trying not to freak out at the car's erratic movement. "Which friend is it? Is it Penny?"
"Nah, it's one of my friends from high school," Launchpad said. "We've been talking online about Darkwing since forever! Roleplaying, sharing fanscripts...they're really good at playing Darkwing."
"Aww, that's sweet," Della said as Launchpad swerved in and back out of the other lane. "How long has it been since you've seen them?"
Launchpad typed out a quick response with his thumb. "This'll be the first time!" he answered cheerfully. "I'll just tell them that St. Canard is a good place to meet. We've always wanted to go there together."
He sent out his message just as they crashed at the Money Bin. Donald groaned, unbuckling and stumbling out of the car. "Wait," Della said, taking a few deep breaths as she got out of the car, only slightly frazzled. "You're planning a meeting with someone you only know by their online persona, and have never seen before?"
"Yeah," Launchpad said.
Della sighed. "LP...aren't you worried that it could get a bit...dangerous?" She quickly added, "Not in the fun Darkwing Duck way! Dangerous as in the...they could try to mug you or kidnap you way."
Launchpad tilted his head. "But I've known Darkwing_Fan_1 for years! They'd never do something like that. Anyway, I'm going to go ask Mr. McD for some time off tomorrow."
He headed into the building before Della could raise a protest. "...hoo boy," she said with a sigh. "Well, if he goes missing tomorrow...at least we know to start our search in St. Canard?"
Donald groaned, probably nauseous from the ride. But Della took that as a confirmation. "Right! And I'll give him some pepper spray. Just to be safe."
Launchpad eventually accepted the pepper spray once Della offered him one in a purple canister. And of course, he had to put a Darkwing Duck sticker on it before attaching it to his keychain.
Still, he wasn't worried at all, no matter how much Della and even Donald stressed that maybe he should try to be cautious. It was just before noon when he entered St. Canard's park, waiting on a bench near the fountains for his online friend.
"Hey," said a familiar voice from behind. He whirled around and saw Drake, his real-life best friend and the real Darkwing Duck, leaning forward against the back of the bench in his usual pink shirt. "Didn't expect to see you around here in the daytime, LP."
"DW!" Launchpad said, smiling. "I'm actually here to meet up with someone. Oh, and check this out." He pulled out his keys, showing off the small canister of pepper spray with the sticker attached.
Drake nodded in approval. "Nice! I wonder if I could try to market official canisters like that..." He hopped over the back of the bench, plopping next to his sidekick. "Anyway, I'm here to meet someone, too. Mind if I talk with you for a bit?"
"Of course not!" Launchpad said, tucking his keys away. "Say, Dewey told me there were rumors about another company picking up the rights to Darkwing Duck...whatever that means."
"Wishful thinking, I believe," Drake said with a sigh. "Even if they could get the rights..." He rambled a bit about the facts he knew about movie productions, which naturally segued into what movie they would make if given the opportunity.
Once they had finally finished their idea for an actually good Darkwing movie and Launchpad was tucking his notes away, Drake scanned the crowd. "I figured my friend would be here by now," he mused.
"Same," Launchpad said. "Maybe they got a little turned around on their way to the park?"
"Good point," Drake conceded with a nod. "I should probably message them and let them know exactly where I am, anyway." He pulled out his phone and began quickly typing. He used one hand to shield it from Launchpad's gaze...it would be embarrassing if he saw how invested he was in this small online chat!
That, and he didn't want Launchpad to think his friendship wasn't enough. Because it was, absolutely! Still...it would be nice to meet this other friend. Gosalyn may have had a point, pushing him to do this.
I'm in the park on a bench near the fountain, he typed, quickly sending it.
A second later, Launchpad's phone buzzed. Drake's eyes widened as he pulled it out. That had to just be a coincidence, right!?
"I'm in the park on a bench near the fountain..." Launchpad mumbled aloud. Drake's eyes widened even further. Okay, so there was no way it was a coincidence. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, while Launchpad looked around.
"Hmm," he said. "There's no one on any of the benches but us..." A second went by. Another. A third. Finally, something seemed to click, and he slowly turned towards Drake with wide eyes. "Wait—!"
"You're Captain Crash!" Drake said, pointing an accusing finger at the pilot.
"And you're Darkwing_Fan_1!" Launchpad said, mimicking him as he pointed at him.
Once the realization fully set in, they both beamed at each other, squeed, and pulled each other into a tight hug.
"I've read every single one of your fanfics!" Launchpad said, his hug so tight it caused something to crack in Drake's back. "I should have known it was you—you're one of the best Darkwing roleplayers out there!"
"I am, aren't I?" Drake said smugly (or as smugly as he could manage with the air squeezed out of his lungs). "I've read all your fanscripts and seen all your art...and your username, I can't believe I didn't realize it was you!"
Launchpad finally let go, and Drake took a deep breath. "I can't believe it," Launchpad said, hand pressed against his head. "My best friend online was actually my best friend in real life, and Darkwing Duck!"
Drake chuckled. "Yeah...Gos is probably going to laugh at us both for this later. Or at least give us a smug look."
"Maybe, but so?" Launchpad said with a shrug. "I'm just glad to meet you in person. Again, I suppose."
"Same," Drake said, grinning. After a few moments, he asked, "...did you really read all my fics?" Launchpad just nodded, and Drake buried his blushing face in his hands. "Oh my god..."
"They were all really good," Launchpad supplied, which did not help Drake's embarrassment considering that he had been writing them since he was a teen, and writing was not his strong suit in the least and there had been so many weird and strange things he had put on the web...
A strange, garbled sound of embarrassment escaped Drake's throat. "Could we change the subject?" he asked. "Like talking about your...ah..." Darn it, he couldn't think of anything embarrassing Captain Crash had made! That and LP was confident enough in his works that he wouldn't get flustered like this.
"...your fanscripts," he mumbled. "And your art. I've seen all of them, and have...a lot saved to my laptop."
He glanced up just as Launchpad blushed slightly, rubbing the back of his neck. "...well, if the real Darkwing likes it, it must be good!" he said. Drake quickly glanced around to make sure no one had heard.
Once he was certain his secret hadn't been outed, he smirked, puffing out his chest. "Yep! Consider your works officially Darkwing-approved." A happy squee sound came from the back of Launchpad's throat, making Drake's smirk shift into a soft smile, and they both leaned back, staring up and out at the skyscrapers of the metropolis.
"Remember when we used to discuss going on a trip to this city, back when we were young?" Drake broke the silence, rubbing the back of his head. "Visiting all the places Darkwing fought his most feared villains..."
"Recreating the scenes..." Launchpad said, eyes gleaming.
"Filming our fanscripts!" Drake said. The two of them were grinning, and had turned to each other with fists pumping at their sides in excitement without even realizing. "Anyway...still want to do that?"
"Yes!" Launchpad said, immediately jumping up and holding Drake's hand into the air. "It's a date!"
"A...buh?" Drake said, eyes widening as his feet dangled off of the ground. A blush spread across his face. "Date? Like, uh..."
His brain shut down even more when Launchpad looked at him with concern. Gah, he had to be really caring on top of all his other positive traits! "If you want it to be," he said with a slight shrug. "I mean...you okay, DW?" He lowered his arm so he wasn't lifting Drake off of the ground.
"Buh," Drake said again. His brain was turning in circles. He certainly didn't dislike the idea of going on an honest-to-goodness date with Launchpad-slash-Captain Crash. It actually sounded kind of nice. But he was surprised, and...
...was there any reason to not make it into a date?
His face turned bright red, and he cleared his throat. "Very well," he declared, trying to slip into the easy dramatic flair of Darkwing. "If you want a whirlwind of romance from the Darkwing Duck, I'm more than happy to oblige!"
Launchpad's eyes widened and sparkled, and Drake feared for a moment that he was going to faint on top of him (again). But he seemed to get control of himself as he gave Drake's hand a light squeeze. "Yeah! Let's get dangerous. In the dating way."
Drake smiled, fighting to keep a blush from spreading across his cheeks. "I'm pretty sure there's a taco trunk somewhere around town we could grab lunch from...though we might have to hunt it down," he said. "Then, maybe...you'd be interested in staying the night for some crime-fighting?"
Launchpad's smile was wider than he had ever seen it, and before he knew it, he had been pulled up into another bone-crushing hug. "You're the best, DW!"
Drake chuckled. "I know." Launchpad set him on his shoulder, and he made himself comfortable, giving directions and raising his head high as he towered above the crowd.
Still, he reached down to hold Launchpad's hand in his, giving it a small squeeze as he held it up.