A/N: Hello again! Welcome to another year of Darkwing Duck themed Christmas stories! Buckle up, cause we're just getting started. This year features many more narrators with much longer stories than years past.
This first one is for MistressNegs who requested Darkwing and Negaduck's childhoods, especially compared to each other. The song I chose is "(There's No Place Like) Home For The Holidays" by Perry Como.
~Rebel
Prime Universe, Many Years Ago
The front door opened with an ear-splitting slam!, the tell-tale sign that his father was home after a night of drinking.
Drake jumped, crushing the bristles of his toothbrush between his teeth. He must have gasped, too, because the next thing he knew, he was choking on toothpaste that had slid down his throat. Yanking the brush out of his bill, Drake coughed and spit into the sink, eyes watering and throat burning. He shakily turned the faucet on, cupping the running water and scooping it desperately into his mouth. Hopefully the raw burning sensation would fade quickly so he could catch his breath.
The bathroom door burst open, Drake all but leaping away to avoid getting hit.
"What's all that racket?" Stellar slurred, his suit jacket rumpled and tie askew. The feathers on the top of his head, which were usually pristinely combed back, were sticking up at odd angles. He had probably fallen asleep on the ride home.
"I—" Drake dissolved into another bout of coughs, his hand coming up to his chest as if that would somehow improve his air intake.
"Can't even brush your teeth. God, you're a disappointment."
Ana floated into view, still looking elegant in her long coat. "Do you want some water, Drakey?" she asked, plucking a small paper cup from the medicine cabinet. She filled it before turning off the faucet — something Drake had forgotten to do in his panic — and smiled at him warmly as she handed over the water.
"That sitter gone?" Stellar asked, swaying slightly but managing to catch himself on the door jamb.
"Her name is Kathleen, and she's waiting for me in the kitchen. I'm going to drive her home." Ana's eyes were still fixed on Drake, her smile unwavering. "Did you want to come with me, baby?"
Stellar swore and shook his head. "He's not gonna be able to do anything on his own if you keep smothering him like that."
Ana turned to him, her curls swaying around her shoulders. "Stellar Mallard, go sleep this off."
He scoffed, but pushed himself into the hallway. "The word mother is smother without the 's' y'know."
"Thank you, Socrates." She took his elbow and led him down the hallway.
"Y'should come with me," he said, a soft tone in his voice. Drake turned on the water to drown out the sound, rinsing off his toothbrush.
He hated the annual policeman's ball. His father didn't need an excuse to drink, and he always overdid it when he was with his precinct buddies. Not like Stellar was nice to begin with, but add alcohol and he was downright cruel.
Drake had put away his toothbrush and thrown the cup away when Ana returned. "Did you want to come with me or stay here?"
"Go with you," he said, fetching his coat and slippers. He didn't want to be alone with Stellar if he could help it. When he rejoined Ana in the hallway, she brushed her fingers through Drake's feathers like she knew what he was thinking before leading him out to the kitchen to collect Kathleen.
Ana navigated the streets more carefully than she usually did with yesterday's snow still sticking to the roads. She asked Kathleen all the typical grown-up questions Drake was used to hearing from his relatives this time of year: "How is school going? What's your favorite subject? Do you do anything outside of school? How's that going?"
He slouched down into his seat, wrapping his arms around his middle and watched the blur of Christmas lights pass by his window. The radio was on, but the volume low, so the carols were muffled though still recognizable. With the snow, the lights, and the music it should be easy to get excited for the upcoming holiday.
But all Drake could think about, all he kept hearing in his head over and over and over again was, "Can't even brush your teeth. God, you're a disappointment."
Drake knew he was a disappointment, though. It wasn't a secret. When he brought home a test with a large "A" written at the top, Stellar would ask, "Why isn't it an A+?" If Drake played well at his baseball game, Stellar would mention another player who had performed better. Everything turned into a competition that Drake was determined to win, even though it seemed rigged from the beginning.
Still.
It never made hearing the disparaging remarks any easier. And after hearing them so many times in varied ways, it made Drake wonder. Was he hopeless? Maybe he really couldn't do anything right, and Stellar was tired of having such a worthless kid.
"What do you say to Kathleen, Drakey?"
Drake sat up straighter, realizing they had come to a stop outside his sitter's house. Dutifully, he said, "Thank you for a fun night."
Kathleen smiled at him over her shoulder. "Maybe next time I'll win at UNO."
If she didn't rig the game so Drake would win every time, then yes, she might.
Drake smiled at her and said, "Maybe."
Kathleen climbed out of the car and they waited in the driveway until she was inside her house before turning back for home.
"Stop sulking," said Ana, her blue eyes meeting his in the rear view mirror.
"I'm not—"
"You are. It's nearly Christmas, Drakey. Aren't you excited?"
"I suppose." Drake watched more lights whiz past, his fingers playing with the hem of his jacket. "Do you think Santa will visit me?"
"Why wouldn't he?" Ana brought the car to a stop at a red light.
"Dad said—"
Ana turned in her seat, a fierce look glistening in her eye. "I'm going to stop you right there."
"But, Dad—"
"I don't care what he said. It's not true. Of course Santa is going to visit you." Ana turned back around, easing off the brake when the light turned green. "Unless you haven't been good this year."
"I was! Mostly."
Ana's chuckle was warm. "Then it sounds like you have nothing to worry about."
Silence dropped between them, broken by the soft crooning of the old timey singers. When they were parked in the driveway of the house, Ana turned to face Drake again, a serious look on her face.
"I know your father says things that aren't kind. One day, you'll be able to tell if what he says is actually true or not. But know this," she reached back, caressing his cheek, "you are a good boy. And no matter the time of year, or if presents are on the line, I want you to always try to be good. Can you do that for me?"
Drake thought about it, but was soon lost in the endless blue of her eyes, in how the Christmas lights around them caused her hair to practically glow on its own.
"I think so," he finally said.
Ana smiled. "Then nothing anyone says about you matters, because you know deep down that you're good."
They climbed out of the car and Drake slid his hand into hers as they walked up to the front door.
"Besides," Ana said, squeezing his hand, "someone, somewhere, is having an even worse holiday than you. So no more frowns, mister. It's almost Christmas!"
He tried his best, he really did, lying in bed that night, to think of someone having a worse Christmas. But it was hard to concentrate when he could hear his father's snores echoing down the hall.
—…—…—…—…—…—…—…—
Negaverse, Many Years Ago
"Don't frown, boy! It's nearly Christmas!" Leon gestured to the city square surrounding them, which was decorated within an inch of its life. Miles of garland, wreaths the size of hubcaps, big red bows secured to lampposts, string lights criss crossing between buildings and creating a lattice of glowing bulbs that stretched over the street.
The four main city avenues that led to Town Square were each decorated differently for the holidays. The one where he stood was swimming in golden light offset by the greenery of the plant life.
The next one over boasted red lights on one side of the street and green on the other.
Complicated metal structures hung down in between the buildings over on the opposite street, large spindley things lined with brilliant white lights that reached out in delicate branches like cracks in a frozen lake.
The final street had large illuminated snowflakes hanging from above, suspended next to colossal ornaments, their gleaming multicolored surfaces reflecting the lights around them.
And at the end of each street, in the center of all the downtown hubbub, stood the city's Christmas tree. Half as tall as the skyscrapers around it, branches heavy with ornaments and lanterns and lights of its own. Poinsettias were gathered around the base with grandiose wrapped presents stuck in between.
Everyone planned a trip to downtown St. Canard at least once during the Christmas season, whether they were citizens, visitors from neighboring cities, or tourists from faraway. It truly was a sight to behold.
But Drakey had never been impressed.
It was Mama who loved this time of year. She enjoyed the spirit of the holidays, the decorations, the smells, the chill in the air.
Leon glanced down at Drakey, the fur collar on his coat obscuring the bottom of his face. "You should be excited!"
"I am, Grandfather," Drakey lied easily. He'd gotten to be very good at lying. "Do you know when Mama will come?"
"I'm sure she and your father are on their way," Leon said reassuringly, glancing back up at the decorations. "You want some hot chocolate or something while we wait?"
"No, thank you." Drakey stuffed his gloved hands into his pockets, eyes raking the street for the familiar car.
On the one hand, he was desperate to see his mother again; the two days he'd spent away from her had seemed an eternity.
On the other, he was wary of seeing his father after only two short days apart. He wished his mother could pick him up by herself, but her doctors said she shouldn't drive with the medicine she was taking. Drakey wasn't sure what sort of illness Mama had — no one would tell him no matter how many times he asked — but it was bad enough to take away her colors; her cheeks had turned gray instead of pink, her eyes dulled to a pale blue, and her hair thinning yellow instead of flowing gold. She'd lost a lot of weight when she had been small to begin with, and she tired faster than she used to.
Even with all the changes, she was still the most beautiful thing Drakey had ever seen.
The sound of crunching snow caused Drakey to turn and his beak split into a grin as he saw the Benz pull up to the curb, the black paint a blight on the otherwise bright world. The veneer didn't reflect the lights around it so much as it sucked it all away like a black hole.
No sooner had the vehicle come to a stop that Mama was out of the car, smiling at him.
Drakey couldn't help himself. He sprinted over with a cry of, "Mama!" and leapt towards her, throwing his arms wide.
But something sharp snagged the back of his coat, yanking him backwards and practically choking him with the force of it. Drakey was on the verge of protesting, craning his neck up to demand to be released, when he saw the sneering face of his father peering down at him. He wilted, hanging like a ragged doll from Stellar's clutches.
"Your mother is in no condition to be catching wayward limpets, boy," he snapped, eyes gleaming dangerously.
"Oh, Stellar, it's all right," soothed Mama, walking closer and smiling down at Drakey. "I can still catch my son."
"Not after your treatment today," said Stellar, his voice softer as he looked at her. "I don't want you to hurt yourself."
When Mama opened her beak to protest further, Leon lumbered over, saying, "Your husband knows what's best for you, dear heart. Why don't you wait in the car where it's warm?"
Mama glanced down at Drakey. "But—"
"I really think that's best," said Stellar, something like sincerity tinging his tone. "Please? We'll join you in just a moment."
Mama looked between the two men before she emitted a heavy sigh and headed to the car, climbing into the back seat. Drakey suppressed his whimper at seeing his mother disappear.
Leon turned to look at Stellar. "How was your dinner?"
"Productive," said Stellar, his grip not loosening on the collar of Drakey's coat. Drakey didn't dare squirm or try to kick his legs so he might free himself. Stellar would only get angry.
"Will we get funding for the new community center?"
Stellar grinned, a predatory look crossing his features. "I think so. Mr. Lee was much more cooperative tonight."
Leon nodded. "I am sure the man is eager to finish up his business transactions so he can return home to await news." He tugged at the sleeves of his coat. "Terrible thing, his children going missing."
"Indeed." Stellar raised his arm, bringing Drakey up to his eye level. "Children go missing all the time, Christmas holiday or no. Learn to behave yourself in a dignified manner so you, too, won't be snatched off the streets." Stellar reached out and placed a finger under Drakey's chin, saying, "I am only doing what's best for you."
In the next moment, Drakey was all but dropped onto the ground. The impact was so sudden, and the ground still slippery from the recent snowfall, that Drakey ended up falling down with a dull thud.
Stellar rolled his eyes and sneered, "Go to the car."
Not needing to be told twice, Drakey scampered away and thrust himself inside. Where his mother was waiting.
She enfolded him in a warm hug, Drakey burrowing into her embrace and clinging to her.
Her fingers stroked his feathers as she pressed a kiss to the top of his head. "Did you have fun with your grandfather?"
Drakey nodded even though he really hadn't had a fun time. "We looked at Christmas decorations today."
"Aren't they beautiful?" Mama asked, squeezing him tighter. "Christmas is such a magical time of year."
A chilled breeze blustered in as one of the car doors opened. "Damnit, boy," sneered Stellar and Drakey clung to Mama's warmth all the tighter. "You tracked snow all over the backseat."
"It's not his fault," said Mama.
"Clumsy thing." Stellar closed the driver's door with a loud snap. "When we get home, you're cleaning out all the gunk you dragged in here."
"It's nearly his bedtime."
Stellar looked around, disdain evident in the frown his beak was pulled into. "Then he'll need to be quick about it."
Drakey eyed Stellar warily, fisting the slippery material of Mama's gown.
She rubbed his back. "I'll help you, Baby Boy."
"No, you won't," Stellar bit back. "The child needs to learn to clean up his own messes. And you should rest once we get home."
"Oh, Stellar—"
"Ana," Stellar said, his face morphing into something close to concern as he looked at her. "You heard what Dr. Bronwen said today. You need to work on getting your strength back."
"Cleaning a car won't kill me."
"This isn't about a car. I want you to get better. And if that means you do less housework for a little while, then that's what we'll do." Stellar's eyes softened. "Don't you want to watch Drake grow up?"
Mama's arms tightened around Drakey. "Of course I do."
"Then you should rest once we get home and let him clean the car." Stellar looked to Drakey, a sinister grin replacing the soft expression on his face. "If it makes you feel better, I'll help him."
Drakey shuddered.
Mama drew him closer, rubbing his arms as if he was cold. "That would make me feel better."
Stellar nodded and turned around, putting the car in gear and easing out into the streets.
Drakey clung onto Mama the whole trip home, his eyes squeezed shut so he wouldn't see the Christmas decorations his mother loved so much. He didn't want to think of the softly glowing lights every time he remembered this night. Didn't want to equate the warmth of Christmas with Stellar's cold cruelty.
He hoped it would work. That the holiday season wouldn't be tainted with the dark memories Stellar plagued him with. That it could stay merry and bright his whole life long.