Bushroot was frustrated, scared, and oh so confused. He wished he could use his vines and plants to make everything better, to fight his fights for him, but he couldn't. Other than Negaduck, he didn't know who his enemies were and who were his friends.
He'd trusted Drake. He'd risked everything and given the hero a chance, and he'd started to think that it would all be worth it. He'd started to trust that Drake would be able to keep them safe from Negaduck. Now though, he didn't know what to think, and it made him feel vulnerable and small.
Darkwing Duck was supposed to be a hero. He saved people and kept the innocent safe. That was what good guys did. But Bushroot was second-guessing things. Did Darkwing keep them safe because he didn't want them to get hurt, or because he didn't want them to hurt anybody else?
It was something that they had all wondered about more than just a handful of times, but they'd convinced themselves that it was just lingering paranoia. They thought they'd just had doubts about Drake because he reminded them of Negaduck, and that reminder would go away with time.
Now Bushroot wasn't so sure. They weren't innocent little kids. Not really. Somehow, they were really adults that had just been de-aged. He had a hard time wrapping his head around that bit, and he would probably have a bit of a crisis when he let himself stop to think about it. What was a lot simpler to understand, but painful to think about, was that they had been villains.
Bushroot felt like he should have seen it coming. He knew that none of them were good people. Liquidator stole without thinking twice. Quackerjack didn't understand that things he thought were fun could be very dangerous for other poeple. Bushroot, while he didn't want to hurt other people, had been pushed that way far too easily. Megavolt was probably the least problematic of all of them, and even he didn't hesitate to use his electricity against somebody who upset him.
Drake had been telling them over and over again that what they had done wasn't their fault. He said that Negaduck had manipulated and tortured them. That they were victims, and they shouldn't be too hard on themselves about it. Bushroot had believed him, because it was so much easier to see himself as a victim than as a bad person.
But Negaduck had chosen them for a reason, and it couldn't just be because they had powers. Otherwise, he wouldn't have taken Quackerjack. There had to be something else, and Bushroot thought this might be it. Negaduck already knew that they were villains and more than capable of doing bad things. The potential was there. It would be far easier to manipulate.
They were villains, and bad people. Or, at least, they had been. However they had been as adults, they were just little kids now. Drake was constantly being surprised by their behavior, so they had to have changed. Mentally, they were still so young. They had the chance to learn, and grow, and become completely different people than they'd been before. But just because they could become new people didn't mean that they would, or that Drake would acknowledge it.
Did he still see them as just villains that he had to babysit? Just another heroic duty and burden? Bushroot thought that Darkwing cared about them, at least a little bit, but had that just been wishful thinking? Did Drake actually hate them? And if he could get rid of them, he would do so without a second thought.
Bushroot hoped so. He wanted to be optimistic, but that was dangerous. If he trusted Drake, it would just be opening himself up to being hurt again. How could he do that to himself? How could he let his friends go through that?
He wanted to run away from Drake. He and his friends could take care of themselves. The city was big. There had to be somewhere for them to hide and just take care of themselves, safe from both the hero and the villain.
He didn't want to run away on his own. The four of them weren't perfect friends. They fought, and got on each other's nerves, and they hurt each other, but they were all each other had. Bushroot wouldn't know how to be by himself.
Bushroot was sure that he could convince his friends to run away with him, but they couldn't yet. They needed to find Quackerjack. They weren't complete without him.
Besides, Bushroot felt guilty. Quackerjack had run off because Drake had lied and upset him. He'd only lied because of Bushroot. He didn't know if Drake had lied to make him feel safe, so he was trying to be nice, or if there was something devious and manipulative going on here. Either way, this was Drake's fault, but Bushroot was the reason, and he felt terrible.
He wished they weren't working with Drake. They couldn't trust him, and they didn't know what his intentions with them were. But Megavolt and Liquidator thought that this was their best chance, and Bushroot was scared that if he didn't go along with them then they would move on without him.
As much as he didn't want Quackerjack to be left on his own, Bushroot was even more afraid of being alone. So here they were, piled into Darkwing's jet, the Thunderquack, flying to the house that they had been kept in, all in the hopes of finding Quackerjack
Megavolt and Liquidator were at the front of the plane, looking out the window in the hopes of seeing Quackerjack or Negaduck. Bushroot, who didn't really like being so high up and far away from other plants, was curled up in the back and doing his best to ignore just how separated he was from the ground.
Also, he wanted to be as far from Drake as he could get. He could work with him, but he didn't have to let him get close.
The flight was a short one. Soon the plane was landed in the middle of the street. Drake didn't seem to care that he was blocking the entire road. He just jumped out of the Thunderquack.
"I've checked this place for Negaduck countless times." Drake said. "He shouldn't be here, but just in case, I don't want you guys to wander too far. Keep within shouting distance." That wouldn't be hard to do. Bushroot knew for a fact that screams could be heard from all over the house. It had been a detail that was hard to forget.
Megavolt ran inside, shouting for Quackerjack. Bushroot didn't know why they were searching here. It was the last place that he personally wanted to be, and he thought that somebody had to be insane to run back to the place that they had been held captive.
Then again, maybe there was some sense in looking for Quackerjack here. He knew that it wasn't nice to think of Quackerjack as crazy, and Drake was trying to discourage it, but Bushroot really didn't think that Quackerjack had any sanity left. Negaduck and Drake had torn it apart.
Liquidator retreated into the water system. They knew that Drake had taken Quackerjack to the sewers just earlier that day. For all they knew, Quackerjack had retreated back there to hide. It was worth checking out.
While Megavolt checked out Quackerjack's old room, Bushroot tailed Darkwing as he investigated the rest of the house. He just didn't want to give Darkwing the chance to find information and lie to them about it again. The grown-up seemed to take it as an invitation to talk to him.
"So, Sprout, what's gotten into you guys?" Drake asked. "You're all acting weird."
Bushroot scowled and crossed his arms protectively. "We know the truth, and we're not going to let you lie to us anymore."
Drake sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Look, I didn't want to lie about Negaduck. I see now that I-I made a m-m-mistake." He sounded like he was actually gagging on his words. Bushroot knew just how proud Drake was. It took a lot for him to admit he was wrong. Was he really that worried about Quackerjack?
Bushroot rubbed his arms. "Why are you so worried about Jackie? I thought he was your villain?"
Drake squawked and tripped over his own feet. He almost fell to the ground, and only barely caught himself on the wall. He gave Bushroot a confused look, though there was a hint of panic in his gaze too. "Quackerjack's not my villain."
Bushroot's face scrunched up as he felt distress and frustration war against each other. He wanted so desperately to trust Drake, but he couldn't deny what he'd seen and heard. "The people on the news said he was." He crossed his arms to hide the way they were shaking. "They said we all were. And that we were grown-ups."
Drake blinked slowly before he sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. He knelt to bring himself closer to Bushroot's level, though the boy still kept out of arm's reach.
"Okay, look, I admit, you kids were once some of my villains, but that's changed!" Drake said. "I'm not going to try to lock you guys up or stop you. I want to help you. You know I've been helping you."
And Bushroot did know, but it was still hard to trust him. Bushroot had a lot of knowledge swimming in his head, and they were warring against each other.
On the one hand, he remembered Drake spending his own money to get Bushroot science and farming supplies whenever he asked for it. Drake even got him some special and expensive fertilizer, just because he'd heard that it was healthy for growing plants. And Drake did that kind of thing with the others too.
He would stay up for a few hours after patrol to make sure that Liquidator wasn't too lonely in the quiet nights while everybody else was asleep. Drake would play games with Quackerjack, even though most of his games resulted in bruises. And if Megavolt got upset and claimed that one of the kitchen appliances or lightbulbs were talking to him, begging for liberation, Drake would give him the appliance to do with as he pleased.
On the other hand, Bushroot had heard enough about Darkwing Duck to know that he was the kind of hero who took pride in the fight. He didn't just want his villains to be stopped, he needed to be the one to stop them, and he needed recognition for it. Darkwing Duck would not consider it a victory. Where would the glory be in that?
Who was stronger? Darkwing Duck, or Drake Mallard?
"Did you try to help us when we were grown-ups?" Bushroot asked. After all, though he couldn't remember his grown-up self, he knew there were concerning similarities. He was sure that even as a grown-up, he would still be scared all the time, and if he fought, it was because he was fighting back.
Liquidator would have still been exhausted and lonely, because as a grown-up or a child, a water dog still couldn't sleep. Megavolt probably still had his intense memory issues. And Quackerjack had probably always been more than a little mentally unstable. Maybe they'd been villains, but that didn't mean that they didn't need help.
Drake grimaced. "Usually, no. I-I'm sorry. I knew you guys needed help. I knew that I should at least try to do something, but I pushed it to the back of my mind. I told myself that stopping you was more important than helping you. I was convinced that as soon as you did bad things, you forfeit any mercy.
Bushroot sniffled and wrapped his arms around himself. He sniffled, hating himself for crying. He didn't want to show weakness or vulnerability. It was so pathetic.
"When I saw you guys as kids, I couldn't really ignore it anymore." Drake said. "You were hurt kids, and as far as you were concerned you hadn't really done anything wrong. Any excuse I had to ignore your pain before was out the window, and I really couldn't do anything but help."
Drake looked pained and defeated. "Not that my help is worth much."
Bushroot stiffened. If he had plants summoned he probably wouldn't be able to refrain from lashing out with them. He would probably hurt Drake, and while a part of him wanted to, he definitely didn't want that. Or, at least, he was trying really hard to not want that.
It was getting hard to push down his desire to just run into Drake's arms and let himself be protected. He should know better, but it was hard to ignore the child-like desire to let someone else take charge and offer comfort.
"What if we weren't kids anymore?" Bushroot asked quietly. "What if we went back to normal. Grown-up and evil? Would you go back to ignoring that we need help, or will you still care?"
Drake was quiet for a moment, which was both scary and reassuring. It meant that Drake had his doubts, but it also meant that whatever he said would be the truth. He wouldn't just offer empty reassurances. Not after the disaster of when he had done that very thing earlier that day.
"I'd still care." Drake finally said. "I wouldn't just let you guys get away with whatever you want, but maybe talking you down and getting you help would be a better first step than fighting."
It wasn't the ideal answer, and that was why it was absolutely perfect. Bushroot knew that Drake wasn't a perfect person. He was flawed, and a flawed promise was at least a realistic one.
"Would you guys want to go back to being grown-ups though?" Drake asked. The thing was, Bushroot didn't know. At this moment, he didn't like the thought of being a grown-up. Adults were supposed to take care of themselves, and if they made mistakes they faced much more serious consequences than a small scolding.
And Bushroot really didn't know anything about his grown-up self. If he became an adult again, he would basically be letting himself turn into a practical stranger, with the blind hope that it would work out. It was terrifying, and Bushroot didn't know if he wanted to deal with that.
But his grown-up self would probably hate being a little kid again. Wasn't Bushroot as he was the practical stranger that he'd forcefully and suddenly become? The thought made his head hurt.
He didn't say anything, but Drake must have recognized the uncertain and overwhelmed look in his eyes. Drake gave him a reassuring smile. "Hey, why don't you think about it and figure it out later? Whatever you kids want, I'll help. But why don't we put a pin in it for a little bit? Let's make sure that Quackerjack is okay first before we tackle this kinda thing."
Bushroot felt guilty. Quackerjack was missing, and he was letting himself get distracted with an existential crisis. He couldn't think about himself right now. This was about Quackerjack.
"I don't know if I trust you." Bushroot said honestly. "But I want to. I really, really want to."
Drake stood up and offered his hand. Bushroot took it after just a moment's hesitation. "Honestly, I feel the same way. If I was told six months ago that I would be dedicating myself to saving my arch nemesis, I would have first thought that it was a joke, and then I would have thought it was a trap and I would have been obsessed with trying to figure out what it all meant."
Bushroot giggled. It really did sound like what Drake would do. Drake gave a small chuckle himself. It was probably the first time that Bushroot had heard the grown-up laugh at himself. It made him feel a little more comfortable.
"I guess we'll figure out how to trust each other together." Drake said. He started to lead Bushroot back into searching. They didn't get very far before they heard a desperate cry for help.
"Drake!" Megavolt came running towards them. He was so worked up that Bushroot could see sparks flying off of him. "Drake! I found…I found…look!" The rat thrust a note into his hands. Drake read the note and immediately looked concerned and more than a little freaked out. Curious, Bushroot used his powers to expand his legs so he could look over Drake's shoulder. It was a short message, but a clear and terrifying one.
'It's playtime!' A child's sprawl wrote out. What worried Bushroot was the writing underneath it, written in different handwriting that looked so similar to Drake's.
'Your move, Darkwing'.
Bushroot may not remember being a villain, but he knew enough. Negaduck had Quackerjack, and he was using him as a playing piece in this game between him and Darkwing. Bushroot looked at the villain with wide eyes. Darkwing looked determined and serious. He was in full hero mode.
"That villain has no idea who he's messing with." Darkwing Duck said. He clenched his fist, crushing the note. . "Get Liqui. It's time we finish this." He adjusted his hat. "Let's get dangerous."