Fic: Bloom - Weird (2/3)
Title: Bloom - Weird
Rating: For All Ages
Fandom: Darkwing Duck
Summary: Something's weird when Gosalyn comes home for Thanksgiving. It takes a while for her to figure it out.
When Gosalyn came home for Thanksgiving, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Oh, she was pretty sure her dad hadn't been replaced with aliens or something. But he and Launchpad were acting weird.
It took her less than an hour to realize they were trying to hide something from her.
So she begged Darkwing to make an emergency store run for food she couldn't live without, and cornered Launchpad in the kitchen.
"Okay, what're you hiding?"
"Wha?" Launchpad glanced up from his newspaper, brow furrowed.
"Out with it! I know you and Dad are keeping something from me. What are two getting up to now that you don't have me around to bother you?"
"Nothing much. Same old, same old."
Gosalyn narrowed her eyes, staring at Launchpad. He was still reading the paper; in fact, he seemed to have ducked further behind the newspaper. She took a few careful steps towards him and yanked the paper down. As expected, his feathers were a faint, fetching shade of pink.
"You're blushing!" She put both hands on her hips and tried to glare at him. "What have you two been getting up to?"
"It-it's sort of embarrassing," Launchpad replied, still flushed. He turned the open paper towards Gosalyn.
There was a picture of Launchpad standing over a bruised, entangled Quackerjack, smiling uncertainly. Oddly enough, Darkwing was nowhere in the frame.
"What happened? Did Dad get himself kidnapped or something?"
"Hm?" Launchpad glanced at the photo. "Naw. He was nursing a bruised beak, though. Said I deserved the credit for that one." And there was that odd blush again.
It did, however, make a little more sense. Launchpad had always idolized Darkwing. Actually getting a chance to save the day and get credit for it must be some combination of mortifying and exciting.
"You shouldn't let it get to you, Launchpad. We all get our moment in the sun. What'd you do? Quackerjack looks like he's been through the wringer."
"He...ah..." Launchpad glanced at the floor. "I already said. He bruised DW's beak."
Gosalyn snorted. "Man! And I thought Dad was overprotective."
Launchpad shrugged. "I'm sort of new to this whole...partner thing."
"Partner? What d'you mean, partner?"
"Oh." It seemed hardly possible, but Launchpad paled. "I don't think I was supposed to tell you that."
Gosalyn narrowed her eyes. "What? Why? What weren't you supposed to-?" Her eyes widened. "Wait, you and him - you're - you're-"
Launchpad nodded, once.
"You're fighting crime together!"
"We fought crime together before," Launchpad protested, quietly.
"Oh, that," Gosalyn muttered. "That was sidekicks. This is - wow, Launchpad. So you're like a real hero, now."
Launchpad flushed again, and Gosalyn smirked. "Yeah. That's what DW said, anyway."
"Keen gear!" Gosalyn gave Launchpad a playful punch on the shoulder. "We should all go out and kick major criminal butt later tonight; St. Canard's not gonna know what hit it."
*
The members of the Mallard family drifted into the house at around three in the morning. Gosalyn was dead on her feet; Darkwing didn't look much better. Launchpad, however, was practically vibrating.
"Man, and I thought I was an adrenaline junkie," Gosalyn muttered as she trudged up the stairs. Launchpad was bustling around the kitchen to get him and Darkwing something to drink. "Don't stay up too late, you two!" she shouted.
She changed quickly in her room, and then decided a drink of water before she went to sleep would be a good idea.
She passed Launchpad on the way down the stairs; he had Darkwing slung over his shoulder. He gave her a sheepish grin.
"DW fell asleep in the kitchen."
Gosalyn smirked. "We'd better keep a better eye on you, Launchpad. At this rate, you're going to outlast both of us at this crime-fighting thing."
"I guess we did overdo it," Launchpad replied. "Good night, Gos."
She didn't think any more of it; Launchpad had made a habit of lugging one of her or Darkwing around when circumstances demanded. It didn't occur to her that things were still a little odd until she bounded in Darkwing's bedroom the next morning to find Launchpad curled protectively around him.
She stopped mid-bound, morning wake-up cry freezing in her throat.
She slipped out of the room before either of them could notice her presence, and sat in the kitchen to think.
Well. It made some of Launchpad's behavior a little more reasonable, and it certainly explained why she hadn't heard about Morgana in a while. But Gosalyn couldn't bring herself to be surprised. It wasn't like Launchpad hadn't idolized Darkwing since before he met him, and it certainly wasn't like he couldn't stand Drake.
So finding them tangled up in bed together was as much of a surprise as anything that happened in her life, although, she supposed, slightly less weird.
If anything, it annoyed her that Drake hadn't seen fit to mention this at any point. She was certain if either of the two of them had made the decision not to tell her, it was her father, and not exuberant, easily-excited Launchpad.
"Morning, Gos." Drake ambled into the kitchen, rubbing his shoulder. "Geez, I haven't had a night like that in ages. How are you moving?"
She snorted, dismissively. "When were you planning on telling me? Or were you hoping to keep it from me forever?"
"Wha?" Drake blinked, wide eyes making it clear he'd been blindsided. "You mean the partner thing? I think Launchpad was sort of afraid to mention it; he thought I'd change my mind after a week or so. Which is ridiculous. Aside from his atrocious landings, he's pretty handy in a fight."
Gosalyn was almost too busy being annoyed to notice, but she did catch the fond smile that drifted across Drake's beak when he mentioned Launchpad's worries. It was tremendously cute, as long as she didn't try to follow the thought much further. It did not, however, reduce her annoyance.
"I'm not talking about him being your new partner, which, by the way, we are going to talk about later. I'm talking about the fact that he was in your bed! And don't pretend he just fell asleep there; I'm not stupid." She folded her arms, glaring at Drake.
"Gos - I didn't - I mean - you're okay with it, right?" He was wringing his hands, and the look he gave her was so heart-rending she almost regretted getting annoyed with him.
"It's Launchpad," she replied. "Of course I'm okay with it; he's nearly as much my dad as you are. What I am, however, is annoyed that you didn't bring this up before. How long has this been going on?"
"September. Or October. Hard to say, really," Drake replied. "It's not like we ever just decided to jump into...whatever." He shrugged, feathers turning a faint shade of pink.
"So...when were you going to bring it up? Did you decide I didn't need to know?"
Drake's flush deepened. "It's not like I planned it. And it's not like...I wasn't planning on keeping it from you forever." Gosalyn continued to glare. "I wasn't!" Drake protested. "It's just - this is all new, and I don't want you worrying-"
"Worrying? Dad, Launchpad's the last person I'd worry about you...are you two dating?"
"...I guess so."
Gosalyn laughed. "You guess? Come on, Dad, you've got to do better than that."
"I mean, we've gone out to dinner a couple of times, and he keeps dragging me out to see movies he likes, so...yeah. We're probably dating."
"And when was I going to hear about it?"
"When I got around to it!" Drake sighed, and then collapsed into a chair. "Look, kiddo, I'm not quite sure what I'm doing here. I didn't want to talk about it until I knew what I was doing."
"And do you?"
Drake shot Gosalyn a startled look. "What?"
"Do you know what you're doing?"
Drake grinned, slowly. "I think so. I mean, he's as much a member of this family as you or me. And I don't think I want him going anywhere for a very long time."
"So, what? Should I start thinking about what I should wear to the wedding?" Gosalyn asked.
"Don't give Launchpad any ideas," Drake replied, smirking. "It'd be just like him to get caught up in something like that." They fell silent, father and daughter, and after a brief pause, Drake gave Gosalyn a hesitant glance. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Of course I am!" She hugged Drake, loosely. "I used to worry about what would happen after I left home. I'm glad to see Lanchpad'll be looking after you."
Drake sputtered, and tugged away from the embrace. "Him? Look after me? I do not need looking after. Launchpad, on the other hand-"
Gosalyn just laughed at him.
So maybe her life was weird. It was most definitely weird that her father, who was also a superhero, was dating his sidekick, who was now his partner. But it wasn't weirder than anything else that happened to them, was much less of a surprise, and made Darkwing a good deal happier.
So Gosalyn took it in stride that Launchpad now had a habit of nuzzling Drake when he entered a room, and that the two of them always ended up in an undignified heap in the same chair when watching television. She tried not to think too hard about some aspects of their relationship (because happy as she was that they were happy, they were still, effectively, her parents), and they tried hard to keep her from seeing anything she didn't want to. It was hardly a neat arrangement, because they were still all masked crime fighters and sometimes things got particularly weird, but Gosalyn wouldn't trade any of it for the world.
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Rating: For All Ages
Fandom: Darkwing Duck
Summary: Something's weird when Gosalyn comes home for Thanksgiving. It takes a while for her to figure it out.
When Gosalyn came home for Thanksgiving, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Oh, she was pretty sure her dad hadn't been replaced with aliens or something. But he and Launchpad were acting weird.
It took her less than an hour to realize they were trying to hide something from her.
So she begged Darkwing to make an emergency store run for food she couldn't live without, and cornered Launchpad in the kitchen.
"Okay, what're you hiding?"
"Wha?" Launchpad glanced up from his newspaper, brow furrowed.
"Out with it! I know you and Dad are keeping something from me. What are two getting up to now that you don't have me around to bother you?"
"Nothing much. Same old, same old."
Gosalyn narrowed her eyes, staring at Launchpad. He was still reading the paper; in fact, he seemed to have ducked further behind the newspaper. She took a few careful steps towards him and yanked the paper down. As expected, his feathers were a faint, fetching shade of pink.
"You're blushing!" She put both hands on her hips and tried to glare at him. "What have you two been getting up to?"
"It-it's sort of embarrassing," Launchpad replied, still flushed. He turned the open paper towards Gosalyn.
There was a picture of Launchpad standing over a bruised, entangled Quackerjack, smiling uncertainly. Oddly enough, Darkwing was nowhere in the frame.
"What happened? Did Dad get himself kidnapped or something?"
"Hm?" Launchpad glanced at the photo. "Naw. He was nursing a bruised beak, though. Said I deserved the credit for that one." And there was that odd blush again.
It did, however, make a little more sense. Launchpad had always idolized Darkwing. Actually getting a chance to save the day and get credit for it must be some combination of mortifying and exciting.
"You shouldn't let it get to you, Launchpad. We all get our moment in the sun. What'd you do? Quackerjack looks like he's been through the wringer."
"He...ah..." Launchpad glanced at the floor. "I already said. He bruised DW's beak."
Gosalyn snorted. "Man! And I thought Dad was overprotective."
Launchpad shrugged. "I'm sort of new to this whole...partner thing."
"Partner? What d'you mean, partner?"
"Oh." It seemed hardly possible, but Launchpad paled. "I don't think I was supposed to tell you that."
Gosalyn narrowed her eyes. "What? Why? What weren't you supposed to-?" Her eyes widened. "Wait, you and him - you're - you're-"
Launchpad nodded, once.
"You're fighting crime together!"
"We fought crime together before," Launchpad protested, quietly.
"Oh, that," Gosalyn muttered. "That was sidekicks. This is - wow, Launchpad. So you're like a real hero, now."
Launchpad flushed again, and Gosalyn smirked. "Yeah. That's what DW said, anyway."
"Keen gear!" Gosalyn gave Launchpad a playful punch on the shoulder. "We should all go out and kick major criminal butt later tonight; St. Canard's not gonna know what hit it."
*
The members of the Mallard family drifted into the house at around three in the morning. Gosalyn was dead on her feet; Darkwing didn't look much better. Launchpad, however, was practically vibrating.
"Man, and I thought I was an adrenaline junkie," Gosalyn muttered as she trudged up the stairs. Launchpad was bustling around the kitchen to get him and Darkwing something to drink. "Don't stay up too late, you two!" she shouted.
She changed quickly in her room, and then decided a drink of water before she went to sleep would be a good idea.
She passed Launchpad on the way down the stairs; he had Darkwing slung over his shoulder. He gave her a sheepish grin.
"DW fell asleep in the kitchen."
Gosalyn smirked. "We'd better keep a better eye on you, Launchpad. At this rate, you're going to outlast both of us at this crime-fighting thing."
"I guess we did overdo it," Launchpad replied. "Good night, Gos."
She didn't think any more of it; Launchpad had made a habit of lugging one of her or Darkwing around when circumstances demanded. It didn't occur to her that things were still a little odd until she bounded in Darkwing's bedroom the next morning to find Launchpad curled protectively around him.
She stopped mid-bound, morning wake-up cry freezing in her throat.
She slipped out of the room before either of them could notice her presence, and sat in the kitchen to think.
Well. It made some of Launchpad's behavior a little more reasonable, and it certainly explained why she hadn't heard about Morgana in a while. But Gosalyn couldn't bring herself to be surprised. It wasn't like Launchpad hadn't idolized Darkwing since before he met him, and it certainly wasn't like he couldn't stand Drake.
So finding them tangled up in bed together was as much of a surprise as anything that happened in her life, although, she supposed, slightly less weird.
If anything, it annoyed her that Drake hadn't seen fit to mention this at any point. She was certain if either of the two of them had made the decision not to tell her, it was her father, and not exuberant, easily-excited Launchpad.
"Morning, Gos." Drake ambled into the kitchen, rubbing his shoulder. "Geez, I haven't had a night like that in ages. How are you moving?"
She snorted, dismissively. "When were you planning on telling me? Or were you hoping to keep it from me forever?"
"Wha?" Drake blinked, wide eyes making it clear he'd been blindsided. "You mean the partner thing? I think Launchpad was sort of afraid to mention it; he thought I'd change my mind after a week or so. Which is ridiculous. Aside from his atrocious landings, he's pretty handy in a fight."
Gosalyn was almost too busy being annoyed to notice, but she did catch the fond smile that drifted across Drake's beak when he mentioned Launchpad's worries. It was tremendously cute, as long as she didn't try to follow the thought much further. It did not, however, reduce her annoyance.
"I'm not talking about him being your new partner, which, by the way, we are going to talk about later. I'm talking about the fact that he was in your bed! And don't pretend he just fell asleep there; I'm not stupid." She folded her arms, glaring at Drake.
"Gos - I didn't - I mean - you're okay with it, right?" He was wringing his hands, and the look he gave her was so heart-rending she almost regretted getting annoyed with him.
"It's Launchpad," she replied. "Of course I'm okay with it; he's nearly as much my dad as you are. What I am, however, is annoyed that you didn't bring this up before. How long has this been going on?"
"September. Or October. Hard to say, really," Drake replied. "It's not like we ever just decided to jump into...whatever." He shrugged, feathers turning a faint shade of pink.
"So...when were you going to bring it up? Did you decide I didn't need to know?"
Drake's flush deepened. "It's not like I planned it. And it's not like...I wasn't planning on keeping it from you forever." Gosalyn continued to glare. "I wasn't!" Drake protested. "It's just - this is all new, and I don't want you worrying-"
"Worrying? Dad, Launchpad's the last person I'd worry about you...are you two dating?"
"...I guess so."
Gosalyn laughed. "You guess? Come on, Dad, you've got to do better than that."
"I mean, we've gone out to dinner a couple of times, and he keeps dragging me out to see movies he likes, so...yeah. We're probably dating."
"And when was I going to hear about it?"
"When I got around to it!" Drake sighed, and then collapsed into a chair. "Look, kiddo, I'm not quite sure what I'm doing here. I didn't want to talk about it until I knew what I was doing."
"And do you?"
Drake shot Gosalyn a startled look. "What?"
"Do you know what you're doing?"
Drake grinned, slowly. "I think so. I mean, he's as much a member of this family as you or me. And I don't think I want him going anywhere for a very long time."
"So, what? Should I start thinking about what I should wear to the wedding?" Gosalyn asked.
"Don't give Launchpad any ideas," Drake replied, smirking. "It'd be just like him to get caught up in something like that." They fell silent, father and daughter, and after a brief pause, Drake gave Gosalyn a hesitant glance. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Of course I am!" She hugged Drake, loosely. "I used to worry about what would happen after I left home. I'm glad to see Lanchpad'll be looking after you."
Drake sputtered, and tugged away from the embrace. "Him? Look after me? I do not need looking after. Launchpad, on the other hand-"
Gosalyn just laughed at him.
So maybe her life was weird. It was most definitely weird that her father, who was also a superhero, was dating his sidekick, who was now his partner. But it wasn't weirder than anything else that happened to them, was much less of a surprise, and made Darkwing a good deal happier.
So Gosalyn took it in stride that Launchpad now had a habit of nuzzling Drake when he entered a room, and that the two of them always ended up in an undignified heap in the same chair when watching television. She tried not to think too hard about some aspects of their relationship (because happy as she was that they were happy, they were still, effectively, her parents), and they tried hard to keep her from seeing anything she didn't want to. It was hardly a neat arrangement, because they were still all masked crime fighters and sometimes things got particularly weird, but Gosalyn wouldn't trade any of it for the world.
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