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moonbeam-dragon · 2 years

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A Favor Part 1

Moonrise! So I’m finally starting on that AU with Kimbra. For those of you who don’t know, Kimbra is a Darkwing Duck OC created by the terrific @trishabeakens on Tumblr. Kimbra is Bud Flud’s ex-wife. She left him after he set fire to a couple competitor factories. I got permission to use her for a on shot. I also found out Piper and Parker exist so it gave me an idea. Here we go I guess. Tw: Marriage issues, a knife at the end.

They were just standing where they were and glancing at each other. The Fearsome Four stood around, at the other end of the Audubon Bridge, trying to figure out what to do. Everyone but Liquidator was out of breath from their narrow escape. Naturally, the first thing out of anyone’s mouth was blame.

“If you hadn’t upset Darkwing, we wouldn’t be here!” Bushroot hissed, pointing at Quackerjack in an accusatory manner. “He might have helped us but nooo, you had to mess that up, didn’t you?”

Quackerjack took a deep breath, glaring. “I’m sorry if I- was trying to make a truce with his ally!” His retort came out all choppy, as he was still panting.

“You gave a bomb to a child!” the plant-duck screamed, remembering the shock on the red-head kid’s face when the juggling ball she’d been handed blew up and burned her hand.

Quackerjack huffed, making it even harder to get any oxygen. “It wouldn’t have gone off if she’d listened to my directions.”

“Why would you give it to her in the first place!?” Bushroot exclaimed.

“Self-defense!” Quackerjack reasoned.

Megavolt growled. “Enough out of the both of you! Now we’re on bad terms with Dorkwing, as if we aren’t already! And Neg- He is infuriated. We’re as good as dead!”

Liquidator watched the exchange, trying to think. Darkwing was prepared to kill each one of them. The police were actively searching for them this time around. And their former boss was out of hiding and prepared to kill them all. He’d discovered the locations of a few of their hideouts, and the ones he didn’t know about were too far. With the sudden security increase, they couldn’t get to them in time. They weren’t safe anywhere in St. Canard.

“I have a proposal to make,” he declared loudly enough for everyone to hear him over their bickering. They went quiet when he spoke. He looked at each of them. “However, I’m sorry to say that you must sign this contract without reviewing every clause.”

Megavotl was the first to resist. “If you can’t tell us your plan, how do you expect us to trust you?” he shouted.

Quackerjack threw an arm dramatically at the bay, towards St. Canard. “We’re on the run from everyone back there. We have so little control in this game as it is. How can we just give it all to you?”

Liquidator sighed, looking at the road they were hiding just barely out of view from. “I can tell you the contract entails protection and a place to hide. I cannot, however, tell you every detail. Employees can rest assured that you will be notified of the details shortly.”

The other three exchanged glances. Bushroot was the one to look at him in the eyes first. “Fine,” he said. “You know trust isn’t something we have a lot of. We trust you.”

“We here at Supervillain Solutions value one another’s trust and appreciate your compliance,” Liquidator told them. “Follow me.”

The others followed the canine as he lead them through the forest on the side of the road and into town. He kept an eye out for anyone nearby, and lead them whenever the path was clear. They came up to an empty street with an apartment building. He splashed over to the large mailbox at the corner, with all the different apartment numbers and names of the occupants. He scanned it until he found a name he must have recognized, then beckoned the others around with him. He came up to a first-floor apartment. It had a nice porch, a small swing on it. The window was blocked by light yellow curtains. Liquidator went up to the door, motioning for the others to stay a bit behind.

The others exchanged looks with one another, unsure of what was going on. Did he know somebody? Was this an old business partner? A fellow villain? A family member? Come to really think of it, none of them remembered hearing much about his life before his mutation. Who could this be?

He knocked on the door, flowing backwards a little. The sun had set by now, and the only lights were the street lamps behind them and the porch in front. Bushroot reached out to put a hand on his shoulder and ask something, but was too shocked when he touched the other. He was cold. So cold, it was a miracle he hadn’t turned into ice.

“Bud, what’s this about?” the other mutant asked, pulling his vine back.

The watery one shook his head, clearly not ready to explain. The door suddenly made a noise, like the doorknob was being unlocked. Bud straightened his posture, putting on a confident smile as the door swung open.

A middle-aged woman stood there, though she looked fairly young. She was a dog with white fur, but deep purple hair in a short style. Her right ear had two piercings with little black hoops in them and a black choker on her neck. She was wearing a red sweatshirt and black leggings, which showed off her full hips and chest. She had a small mole on her snout next to her nose. Her ocean blue eyes widened upon seeing them. She stared in disbelief at Bud, and Bushroot could swear he saw them shine with tears. One thing was certain: she recognized him, and not just from the news.

Bud grinned, starting to talk. “Coming to you for St. Canard, he’s bold, he’s charismatic, he’s-” Without warning, she drew back her paw and tried to slap him, but her hand just went through his head. She stared at her wet fingers in shock. Apparently, she was mad enough to try again, and she back-handed him. This time, she actually struck him pretty hard and his face turned the other way. Quackerjack and Bushroot looked at each other in curiosity. He’d have to let her hit him. Megavolt just stared at the pair, having the most trouble processing the events. “I deserved that,” Bud mumbled.

“Deserved that?!” the woman exclaimed. “Deserved that?! There are a lot of things you deserve, mister! And I am not one of them so if you don’t mind-” She started closing the door but Bud grabbed it and pulled it back. “Hey!”

Bud sighed, looking behind him. “Kimbra, please.” Kimbra? The other three looked at each other again, staying silent. The water canine looked back at her. “There is a lot of compensation I owe you. Let me come inside.”

Kimbra gasped and shook her head. “You have a lot of nerve showing up here after what you did. What are you doing in Duckberg, anyways? Aren't you supposed to be flooding St. Canard or something?”

Bud winced. “That incident is far behind us… Can my associates and I come inside and explain this all to you?”

“Are you serious?!” Kimbra whisper-yelled, fuming. “Are you on the run from the police or something?”

“And Darkwing Duck,” Quackerjack interjected.

“And our old boss,” Megavolt added.

“And the general populus,” Bushroot mentioned shyly.

Kimbra stared at them, then at Bud. “No. Get off my porch. Get out of town for all I care-”

Bud shook his head. “We can’t. You have every right to be upset with me. But there are waivers stating you cannot take anything out on my comrades.”

“I should call the police!” Kimbra told him. “You are supervillains! Criminals! You set two factories on fire, poisoned water, flooded St. Canard, took over St. Canard, robbed multiple banks- Need I go on?”

“Don’t forget kidnapping!” the jester offered.

“Quackerjack, that’s not helpful input to this business meeting. Plus that’s your charge, not mine,” Bud told him without looking back. “Kimbra, they have nowhere else to go.”

The woman looked at the group uncertainly. Then she looked back up at Bud and huffed. “Get in here before someone sees you. By the way, you are not allowed anywhere but the living room.” She walked deeper into the apartment, leaving the door open.

Bud looked back at the others. “And that is what you call a lucky deal.”

Megavolt motioned at the door. “Who the heck is that?!”

Bud sighed as he ushered them in. “That, my friend, is my ex-wife.”

The others all snapped their heads to stare at him in disbelief. Bud shrugged, unsure of how else he could prove it. He pushed the others in, sighing. That could have gone a lot worse.

The villains all sat in the living room, awkwardly shiting. Liquidator chose a spot on the couch, Bushroot slowly sitting next to him. Quackerjack sat with his legs folded on the arm of a chair, Megavolt seating himself in it properly. Bushroot looked around, throat going dry. He felt like they shouldn’t be here. Not just the whole being on the run thing, no. He felt like he was intruding on something private. But what other option did they have?

Kimbra went to a doorway leading farther inside. “I’m going to be right back. Don’t you pull anything or I’ll call the police.” The men nodded in understanding. They felt like they could overpower her if needed, but it felt wrong in every way possible. And that was coming from people who had a roulette wheel for a moral compass.

The canine left the room, and footsteps could be heard as she went down the hallway. A door creaked open and everything was still for a moment. Then the door shut. Kimbra came back, sitting on the other side of the sofa, moving as far away from Bud as she could. “Why here?” she asked. “Why not go hide in the sewers or something?”

“The answer for that is quite simple,” Bud started. “We could use a favor from you, specifically. Kimbra Flud, the intelligent, sassy-”

“Cut that and tell me what this is about,” she demanded, crossing her arms.

Quackerjack snickered at her response, Megavolt quickly zapping him to shut up.

Bud nodded. “Right. Well-”

“Also I changed my name back to Wulf, just so you know,” she added.

Bud obviously frowned, but ignored it. “The reason we came to you specifically is that you can offer us help. See, the current situation in St. Canard is far from ideal. Thanks to Ne-” He caught an eye twitch from Quackerjack and quickly cut himself off. “That is, thanks to our former boss, the water of St. Canard has been poisoned.”

Kimbra looked flabbergasted, as if she had a million questions that were clogged on her tongue. Bushroot cleared his throat. “A few years back, he got his hands on some dangerous equipment thanks to us. He made a chemical that spread through the water and is messing up the whole ecosystem. The plants are getting sick, the air smells bad, the weather is sporadic, and now the blame is on us.”

“Sure, we’re villains, but the city isn’t even fun to take over anymore,” Quackerjack complained. “He always ruins playtime.”

“Why not ask that Darkwing Duck guy for help?” Kimbra said. “Surely he’d do anything to defeat Ne- that guy?”

Megavolt and Bushroot glared at Quackerjack. “Someone nearly blew up one of his fans,” Megavolt told her. “So now there’s no truce.”

“We hoped your access to Ecotech would give us a tactical advantage,” Bud confessed. “A little birdie told me that you were involved in a project concerning pollution. This is the perfect opportunity to test that out in the field. It gives you public interest, favor of the people, and a chance to do something right!”

Kimbra shook her head. “I see what this is. A ploy to get into Ecotech and rob the place. It’s not working. I won’t fall for it.”

The group shared panicked glances. Bud swallowed as he tried to think of something more to say. “I can assure you that this is not the case! Our primary goal right now is to see our sworn enemy behind bars.” Kimbra stared at him with a contemplating look. She opened her mouth a few times to speak, but didn’t get to it. “We don’t care about our profit margin at this moment in time.”

“Yeah! If I ever get my hands on that traitorous, scandalous, heartless scumbag,” Quackerjack said, starting to clench his fists. “I’ll make sure it is game over, or at least make him look a lot less like Darkwing!”

Megavolt poked his neck, shocking him. “Hey, calm down. I’m supposed to be the destructive one!”

“Deep breaths, Jackie, deep breaths,” Bushroot said. “You can’t commit homicide against anyone here.”

Kimbra stared at the group in disbelief. “Should I be worried..?” she asked, leaning a bit closer to Bud.

The water dog nodded. “There is always cause to worry for our board of directors. But I can guarantee that you will not be harmed.”

Kimbra looked unconvinced, but she dropped it for now. “I get it, you hate the guy. What, do you want pardons from prison? Payment from the city?”

“The only pardon we’re looking for is a pardon from the wrath of You-Know-Who,” Bud corrected her.

“Uh-huh, sure,” she said. There was a sudden creaking and Kimbra stood up. Soft footsteps came from the hallways. She walked into the hallway and a small voice came from out of sight.

“Mommy, who are you talking to?” it asked.

Bushroot cold feel how Bud’s temperature dropped suddenly, he was even frosting over on some spots. Quackerjack covered his mouth with both hands, holding down hysterical laughter! This took a very interesting turn. Megavolt looked at the door, nothing but confused. Bushroot stared up at Bud, trying to read his expression. It was hard to do with watery pits for eyes.

“What a twist, Christ!” Mr. Banana Brain randomly piped up. Bushroot glared at Quackerjack, who quickly tucked his friend away.

“Oh, um, just some coworkers. We had to make a meeting so they’re here to talk,” she lied. “It’s okay. Just go back to sleep.”

“Can I come say hi?” the soft voice asked.

Kimbra’s response came a little too quickly. “No! I- You’ll get bored. Just go back to bed, Snowball.”

“Okay. Nighty-night,” the voice said, followed by soft footsteps and a door shutting.

Kimbra came back, met by everyone’s different looks. Bushroot looked terrified, like he’d seen a ghost. Quackerjack was having trouble holding back laughter, eyes bulging out of his head. Megavolt only then, looking at the others, put the pieces together. He stiffened and shot glances at Bud, then at Kimbra, then back. Bud was just staring into Kimbra’s soul, unreadable himself. “Did you hear any of that?” she asked, pointing down the hall.

“All of it,” Bud told her. “The Liquidator inquires: Is the father here?”

Kimbra shuffled in place. “Well, yes-”

Bud stood up. “Then I suppose we shall take our leave so as not to further complicate matters-”

“Well then he wouldn’t be here,” Kimbra quickly said. “Because you are the father.”

The room was silent. Bud slowly fell back onto the couch, eyes never leaving Kimbra. Bushroot started breathing heavily. Nope. He should not be here. None of them should be here. This felt invasive. He stood up suddenly, looking at Kimbra. “G- gosh, I could use some water. All that running around and the sun today was just- wow. It’s the whole- the whole plant thing, you know? I- I could use a glass of water. How about you two?” he asked, looking at the jester and electric villains.

“Yep, a drink sounds great. I haven't had water in a while,” Megavolt said. He gave a casual grin to Kimbra. “You know, bad memory can’t even remember to drink water.”

Quackerjack shook his head. “Nah, I’m good-”

“What’s that, Quacky, you need some water?” Megavolt asked, grabbing his arm and zapping him again. “Let’s get water together, the three of us!”

Kimbra was about to object, after all, she had a rule about staying in the living room. But they were trying to get out of an awkward, private conversation. At least they had some decency. “The kitchen is directly across the hall,” she told them.

Bushroot nodded, quickly leaving the room. “Yeah, th- thanks!”

Megavolt dragged Quackerjack out of the room, meeting Bushroot in the kitchen. The plant-duck was staring at him in shock. “We should leave. We should leave,” he said nervously. “We were not supposed to hear that!”

Megavolt nodded and spoke calmly, “Oh yeah, great idea. The only problem is we have nowhere else to go!”

Quackerjack burst out into silent laughter, collapsing against the counter, laughing his butt off. His fist softly beat against the counter ash e tried to pull himself together.

“Quackerjack, this isn’t funny!” Bushroot said.

Quackerjack gasped for air, looking like he was about to cry. “It’s not! There’s nothing funny about this!” He sniffed a couple times. “It’s so awkward! I don’t know how else to respond.”

Bushroot took a cup from the cabinet, filling it at the tap. He put it on the ground and stuck a toe, well a root, into it. “I thought that was just an excuse,” Megavolt said.

“No, I’m freaking out and I need a drink,” the mutant explained. “And you probably do, too.”

The moment the others left the room, Bud looked away from his ex-wife. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Kimbra sighed, rubbing one arm. “I figured it was better off that way.”

“Better off?” he repeated. “Tell me. How is it better off for that kid not to know me?”

“They don’t know you because you’re a criminal, Bud!” she whisper-yelled. “Not only that, but a supervillain. As it was, you were always busy with work. Now you’re in and out of jail, causing destruction, and hanging out with a gang of psychopaths!”

Bud let out a huff. He was about to retaliate when something else caught his attention. “They??”

Kimbra stiffened and nodded. “Yeah. I have three. Piper, Parker, and Pierre.” Bud was so still for a moment, it looked like he’d turned to ice. Kimbra sighed. “I didn’t tell you because it would ruin them. By the time they were born, you were ‘the Liquidator.’ Just by sharing your name, they’d be in trouble. Which is why they’re all ‘Wulf.’ Which is also why I moved to Duckburg. Do you realize what they were born into?”

“If I’d known you were pregnant, I wouldn’t have done half the things I did, and that’s a fact,” he stated.

Kimbra put a hand on her stomach. “Well, I didn’t even know I was pregnant. Not until after I left. I was considering telling you but you flooded the city!”

“And to think, your formal complaint was that I was not honest with you,” Bud pointed out. There may or may not have been a snicker from the kitchen, followed by a thud and a whimper. “Besides, I thought you were too dedicated to your job to raise a family.”

Kimbra frowned, looking down the hallway. “That changed. Being a single mom of three while also having a job isn’t that easy.”

“You didn’t have to be a single mom,” Bud said. “That was your choice. It’s inadvisable to play victim of your own choices.”

Kimbra crossed her arms. “This isn’t about them. This is about your deal with Ecotech.”

“Well, this is about them now,” Bud insisted. “You didn’t even give me the choice to be a part of their lives. That’s completely unfair.”

“What would you want? Henchman? Minions?”

“My children!”

Kimbra sighed. “I didn’t know what else to do!”

“At least let me know they existed! I didn’t say I wanted custody. I didn’t say I wanted to push anything off onto them,” he said. “Do you really believe I’m so heartless?”

“I don’t know you!” Kimbra argued. “I thought I married a good man who would give me a happy life! Instead I married a stinking capitalist super criminal!”

“I have made my fair share of mistakes, but you were never one of them. I tried to never make a mistake with you,” he said. “I treated you the best I could. I showed you more love than I’ve shown anyone. I tried to make you happy.”

“You lied to me.”

“About one thing.”

“About one huge thing that could have gotten people killed!”

Bud rose up. “That may be true, but-” He didn’t have a comeback. He did do that. That was part of the reason he’d taken to making the water taste bad. That was less violent. He could ensure that nobody would die in the factory. Except himself, it seemed…

“We’ll talk about this later,” Kimbra said. “I need to sleep. Tomorrow’s Saturday, so we’ll sort out this Ecotech deal in the morning.”

“What about our kids?” Bud asked. This was a topic he wanted to take seriously, but it seemed like Kimbra just didn’t. This was nothing light or inconsequential. This was his legacy, his flesh and blood. And that meant something. At least those children were flesh and blood.

“My kids, Bud,” Kimbra corrected him. “You may be their father. But you’re not their dad.”

“That’s not my fault,” Bud said coldly as Kimbra walked into the kitchen.

She saw Quackerjack peering out the doorway, but he gasped and jumped back. She was honestly too tired to care. Megavolt and Bushroot were having a hushed conversation and quickly stopped when she entered the room. “I don’t suppose you have anywhere to stay?” They all shook their heads. “Then you can stay. Hide in the only bedroom on the right. Nobody sleeps in that one.” She opened a drawer and grabbed something. She shut it and spun to face the others, holding a large knife. Bushroot squeaked and wrapped his vines around Quackerjack and Megavolt. Quackerjack and Megavolt clung to each other and leaned back. “And if I find you sneaking around or trying to pull anything, I will use this. Don’t test me.” The villains nodded vigorously. She smiled and pulled the knife back. “Good, we’ve settled boundaries. Now I’m going to sleep.”

When Kimbra was away in her room, Megavolt was the first to dash for Liquidator. “She said to hide in the unused room on the left.”

“The right,” Bushroot corrected.

“Yes, the right,” Megavolt noted. “Hurry, before she kills us!”

Bud gave them a questioning look. “She pulled a knife on us and took it to her room! Let’s just do as she says.”

Bud chuckled. Of course Kimbra would do something like that. But, given past experiences, maybe that wasn’t the wisest choice. He’d have to mention that. “She won’t actually do it,” Bud whispered to them as they headed to the empty room. “Her only intent is to put you into place.”

“It’s working!” Quackerjack said as they closed the door behind them. He pulled on the tassels of his hat, as he normally did when he got excited or anxious.

“She is nothing like our previous employer, boys,” Bud told them calmly. “Think of this from her perspective. Four people you don’t trust come into your hideout with your precious toys, plants, appliances, or children that you never informed someone of, uh, my point being, wouldn’t you be a little defensive?”

The others took a moment to think before nodding and relaxing. A little. Reggie looked at Bud gently. “About the whole thing with the children,” he said quietly. “How are you taking that?”

Bud glared. “Surveys say not well. Not well at all.”

Quackerjack snapped his fingers. “Hey, I know. We’ll try and convince her that you really do mean well! Then she’ll have to come around.”

“Sounds like a plan, Dan!” Mr. Banana Brain added.

Bud raised what would be an eyebrow. “You mean to tell me that you, three dangerous super-criminals, intend on convincing my ex that I’m not a bad person?”

“Exactly!”

“Come on, we’re great wingmen!” Megavolt said. “Isn’t that right, fellas?”

Bud shook his head. “I appreciate your thought. But that won’t be necessary. It’s no use.”

“Come on. Don’t you trust us, Buddy?” Quackerjack asked.

“I-” He was silent for a minute before he gave up. He did. And although he knew this couldn’t go anywhere good, he’d let them try. “Fine. You have full approval to try.”

Haha I think I’m funny. Anyways, part two coming out probably next week. Farewell, best of luck, avoid roasted cabbage, don’t eat earwax, and look on the bright side of life!

Moonset!

#liquidator #bud flud #fearsome five #fearsome four #darkwing duck #kimbra flud #parker flud #piper flud #pierre flood

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