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lasttimeonthenegaverse · 4 years

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The Life and Times of the Negaverse- part two

Later, when it was just him and Launchpad in bed (it wouldn’t be for long- not only was this the longest Gosalyn’s been kidnapped, it’s also the longest he’s been gone. The brat would appear sooner or later) Negaduck couldn't really sleep. There was something he'd been thinking about for a while now. Though if he was asked to pinpoint when he'd gotten the idea, he wouldn't be able to say.

“Launchpad,” Negaduck elbowed his husband. “ Launchpad .”

“Wha?” Launchpad glared at Negaduck, annoyed to be woken from his first good sleep in weeks.

“I think we should get another caretaker for Gosalyn,” Negaduck said and that woke Launchpad fully.

“What do you mean?” Launchpad asked.

“You can’t spend all your time at home and I’m tired of seeing you moping every time she’s gone for a day,” Negaduck said.

“I don’t mope,” Launchpad said.

“Then I’m tired of seeing you bitch,” Negaduck corrected which earned him a flat look. “We can’t watch Gosalyn twenty four seven. She needs someone who can be around more. Someone who could teach her something she’ll actually learn instead of being a huffy brat. And I happen to have the perfect candidate.”

“Who?” Launchpad was sceptical. Sure, he trusted his husband and the plans he had were usually good. This was their daughter , though. Gosalyn could prove to be as picky as him oftentimes.

“Morgana.”

“Oh hell no,” Launchpad went up on an elbow like he was preparing to fight. “I don't want that bitch in charge of Gos.”

“Neither do I. That's why I'm getting Darkwing’s.” Negaduck smiled at him.

“Didn’t ya say they’re datin’?” Launchpad narrowed his eyes.

Negaduck scoffed. “Puh-lease, it'll be doing them both a favour.”

“Nu-uh,” Launchpad shook his head. There was no way Launchpad would accept Morgana into their house. It didn't matter that she was a different version. His jaw was set, but Negaduck’s was equally set. “No way.”

“You want people to keep kidnapping Gosalyn? How ‘bout I just leave her wherever she ends up next time,” Negaduck said.

“ Morgana ,” Launchpad said with emphasis. “Are ya insane ? I thought ya said the portal broke, anyhow.”

“I did,” Negaduck said. “But I'm sure one of your old friends could help me.”

Launchpad’s eyebrows furrowed as he racked his brain, flipping through every person he'd met that lived. It was a longer list then some might think. Finally, it dawned. “Ya are insane.”

Negaduck smirked. It was clear in the way Launchpad looked at him from the moment he'd mentioned it. From the second Launchpad rose on that elbow to tower slightly above him. He thought this whole thing was a bad idea. Well, too bad. See him come up with something better. Instead of prolonging the argument, Negaduck chose to press a biting kiss to Launchpad’s beak.

“She's sleepin’ in the guest room. I ain't lettin’ someone else in my bed,” Launchpad said, lying back down and turning so his back was to Negaduck. It was a surrender. A begrudging surrender, but a surrender nonetheless.

“Of course.”

Dr. Sara Bellum was in her lab when he got to S.H.U.S.H. Just as he figured she would be. The good doctor was married to her science. Practically literally. She actually wore a green wedding ring to ward off any potentials. One that could produce one long spike for anyone who didn't understand ‘no’. All in all, she was his kinda person. Even if she'd almost killed Launchpad five times.

He cleared his throat and Dr. Bellum startled before she turned to him. “Oh! Negaduck!” She looked around him excitedly, hands clasped. “Did you bring Launchpad? I have an experiment that I'd love to run on a sturdier victim!”

“Not today, Dr. Bellum.” The doctor visibly wilted at that. “I need you to make me a cross-dimensional portal.”

With that she brightened right back up. Immediately she headed over to a doorway he assumed led to a storage closet. There was a box next to it that she began to mess with. “Where would you like to go? 4308-009? No, probably not. I think that one’s all hats. 4308-070?”

He wasn't sure what the numbers were. Right now, he only wanted one thing. “Remember when that Darkdip came over here? I just need one that goes to his universe.”

“Oh! You want to go to universe 4308-052!” Dr. Bellum said.

Of course, if she was gonna keep speaking in code - “What are you blabbering on about?” Negaduck demanded.

“I've been running tests on my own interdimensional portal since you started your dimension hopping,” Dr. Bellum said. “I've only peeked into most of them but I've spent some time in Darkwing’s dimension. I understand the appeal. The Sara from there is very pleasant.”

That didn't really answer his question. Though at this point, he was used to being at least a little lost while talking to her. He certainly didn't like it, but he was used to it. Dr. Bellum had a nasty habit of taking circles around everyone in the room and he wasn't sure if it was because she didn't notice or because she truly didn't care. But her experiments with the portals hadn't been something he'd known about. Not that he ever paid much attention to Dr. Bellum when he didn't need her. And Launchpad tended to give her a wide berth ever since she’d snuck into his room to conduct experiments on him while he slept during his time at S.H.U.S.H. They both felt it best to just let her do her thing. The good doctor had a tendency toward gadgets Negaduck found useful, anyhow. She was more inclined to let him use them this way. “Does either S.H.U.S.H. know about this?”

“Oh, they tend to stay out of our way ever since we made that death ray together!” Dr. Bellum chirped.

Negaduck raised his eyebrows, impressed. That was something he’d have to look into. But not right now. He couldn’t afford to be distracted. “Just show me the damn portal.”

Dr. Bellum looked at him like she didn’t think he was very smart. Then she pressed a singular button on the box. There was a buzz and a rumble and a shake. Orange light poured out under the door.

So it wasn’t a closet.

Something was held up too close to his face. With a grimace he took a step back so he could actually see it. The object was silver metal. A clockface swung in front of his beak. “ This is to bring you back to our universe, 4308-049. Just press this little button,” and she brought it back close to herself, pointing to the button that would set an alarm. “and it’ll zap you right back here.”

“Alright.” He snatched the watch from her, putting it on his wrist. There was a minute of silence as Negaduck waited for a ‘and this is how you’ll die’. Eventually Dr. Bellum seemed to get bored and turned away, back to what she’d been working on before he got there. The death addendum never came. Apparently she’d gotten all the ‘features’ out of this one.

Before he left he pulled out his phone to call Launchpad. He picked up on the second ring.

“She already had a portal,” Negaduck said in lieu of a greeting.

Launchpad grunted in response. “Ya goin’ through?”

“Yep,” Negaduck said.

“Ya sure about this?” Launchpad asked once again, just as he did when they woke up. And after their dry cereal breakfast. (Neither had gotten milk yet. Launchpad was supposed to grab groceries while he was out.) And before he’d left.

Negaduck rolled his eyes, but he didn’t vocally respond. He knew Launchpad would be able to sense it. They both knew he wouldn’t change his mind. As he opened the portal door, he could almost see Launchpad’s responding nod. “I’m heading in.”

“Don't seduce her. Ya got lucky with me, doubt ya will with the witch.” With those parting words, Launchpad hung up.

‘Don’t seduce her.’ Pssh. He was Negaduck. He could have anybody he wanted tripping over themselves to please him. A little seduction wouldn’t go awry.

What did Launchpad know?

A lot. Launchpad knew a lot and he hated him for it. This was something he'd take to his fucking grave.

Negaduck currently had his back plastered against the kitchen wall right next to the doorway to the living room where Morgana was. She hurled spell after spell toward him. Something she'd been doing since she walked in to him sitting in one of her living room chairs. It had been fine until she turned on the light. He probably shouldn't have mentioned the blood of her enemies. Luckily she hadn't managed to hit him yet.

“Morgana, babe, just hear me out!” Negaduck called.

“I don't want to go on a date with you, nor do I want you to paint me like a French girl, I am very happy with my dear Dark!”

Painting like a French girl. He smiled to himself. No loss there. Negaduck couldn't paint, anyhow. Launchpad on the other hand. They had the proof in the tower of just what Launchpad could do with a body, a canvas, and some acrylics.

“Fine,” Negaduck bit out. “No dates.” That’d annoy Launchpad more than this plan already has anyhow. And Launchpad could get pouty when he was annoyed. He didn’t need his husband to poison Morgana the second he was able to drag her back to the Negaverse with him.

Thankfully, that seemed to do the trick. When he risked a look he wasn’t immediately shot at. Instead Morgana just glared at him. It was a good look on her. “What do you want, Negaduck ?”

He frowned pitifully at her. “Why the distrust, Morgana?” There was no vocal answer, but her gaze hardened. “Still bitter about the way our first date ended?”

“That wasn’t a date,” Morgana said. “You tricked me.”

“Ah, potato pahtato, my sweet. Some of my best dates have been through trickery,” Negaduck said. He’d almost forgotten how nice it was to talk with this Morgana. She was more willing to keep up with his repartee than his own, who figured herself too far above it. It was something satisfying.

“You still haven't told me why you're here,” Morgana said.

“Do I need a reason to visit my favourite witch?”

“I doubt you do anything without a reason.” Morgana crossed her arms.

Negaduck smiled at her. “Look at that. You know me so well already.”

“What do you want, Negaduck?”

“I want you to come with me.”

Her face swapped between emotions like a flip book. Never lingering long enough to really read a single one. The final look was multifaceted. The disdain and distrust were plain. Harder to see was the curiosity. On her it looked morbid. Given that it was curiosity in him , he thought it fit. If anything he'd wear it with pride. “Why?” She asked eventually, careful.

That was the million dollar question, wasn’t it. This was the moment to decide. Would he go for broke and just tell her most of the truth or would he spell out a flat-out lie. In this situation it might be better to just go for the truth. She’d be coming with him no matter what, but he’d like it if she came willingly. From what he knew about her a little girl could do that. Oftentimes the truth was more fun, anyway.

“I need you to help raise and keep an eye on my daughter,” Negaduck told her.

Morgana's expression flipped to a full out glare. Apparently the truth hadn't been the right course of action. “Dark told me what you did to that poor little girl.”

‘Poor little girl’. He wanted to scoff. ‘Little terror’ was more like it. Not that Morgana or Darkwing Dipstick knew that. Barely anyone knew that, which was the whole reason he was here in the first place.

“That dumbass doesn't know anything,” Negaduck growled. “He just jumps to conclusions and sometimes he gets lucky.”

“You locked that sweet girl up in your house like a prisoner just because she's different from you!” Morgana said, likely words ripped right from Darkwing.

He couldn't deny that conclusion hit the head pretty square on. Though there were more subtle nuances Darkwing wasn't privy to. Which could be the tagline for his whole career. “That was for her own good.”

“Own good?” Morgana repeated and her stare turned molten. “ Own good ? How ever could locking a child up in a house be for her own good? ” She demanded.

Negaduck felt his hackles raise. He didn't like being told how to take care of his own damn kid . Especially by someone who didn't even know anything. “My brat gets kidnapped constantly ,” he spit out. “What else could I do? My husband took her everywhere with him, but she was sick of that and not everyday can be ‘bring your daughter to work day’.” The monologue helped cool him slightly. He rolled his eyes. He wouldn't mention the way Gosalyn would whine when her dress got a little blood on it. Luckily Agent 22 knew how to get blood out of clothes. If she hadn’t gotten that spot out of Gosalyn’s favourite pink dress she wouldn’t have let them hear the end of it. And St. Canard would’ve felt it. But back on track. “Of course the week I order her to stay in the damn house? That numbskull decides to traipse all over my city and hand my fucking kid over to a bunch of heroes! Do you know how fucking worried my husband was? So I had to get someone else- you . I’d get my universe’s version of you but she has a stick so far up her ass I'd be able to use her as a puppet if I had a death wish.” Was he scared of his universe’s Morgana? No. Was he an idiot? Also no.

There were so many statements there. So much to unpack. Morgana’s mind parsed through them, one after the other. At least one thing was mentioned twice. That’s what she latched onto. “You’re married?”

“For ten bloody years,” Negaduck said proudly before his voice turned dark. “Is that a problem?” It wouldn’t be the first time someone’d given him shit for being married. There was something about Launchpad that rubbed people the wrong way. But he always made sure to rub them and make sure everything was okay again. He always found it much harder for them to complain once their body parts were one with the irrigation system.

“No I just,” Morgana frowned. “You don’t seem the type.”

Negaduck shrugged. Before he’d met Launchpad, he hadn’t considered himself the marrying type either. It’s amazing what a fight to the death can do. “Point is, we need you. Someone needs to be able to help us watch her so this doesn’t happen again.”

Her eyes flicked between him and something behind him. There was hesitation in that gaze. That was something he couldn’t have. “We want you there, Morgana.”

“Darkwing would miss me,” Morgana replied, eyes returning to him in a flash like they were magnetized.

“Please,” Negaduck said, beak curling, “that dunce wouldn't even notice you were gone.”

“Of course he would! He loves me,” Morgana protested.

Negaduck shook his head. “You can't honestly tell me he's dating you for anything more than clout.”

“Clout?” Morgana’s voice was subdued. He'd caught her by surprise.

“A superhero turning a super villain good with the power of love? Then dating that ex-villain?” Negaduck raised an eyebrow and tuttered. “You wouldn't have such a thing done to you in my universe.”

Her eyes were hard, ice inside. But there was something there. Something deep. Uncertainty. Doubt . One of her hands twitched. Magic danced at the fingertips, Negaduck could sense it like electricity. “That’s not true. Dark’s not like that.”

“Then why don’t you know his secret identity?”

“I don’t know yours.”

Negaduck waved a hand. “Don’t have one. Haven’t for years.”

“Why are you so certain he has one, then?”

“He’s my counterpart. Who else would know him better? Other than Launchpad,” Negaduck shrugged nonchalantly, But he spoke firmly. “He has one.”

She scrambled for her landline, dialing a number she knew by heart. It wasn't the first time she'd thought about that. In the beginning, when she asked, he'd avoid it. He always avoided it. By the time she truly went to his tower for the first time, she just figured he didn't have one. Seeing the tower seemed to confirm it. So why did it bother her so much right now? When it hadn't bothered her for a year. Somehow, hearing Darkwing’s mirror image mention it drove a stake into her heart. Exposing the question that had bothered her so much. The one she'd felt she'd buried

The phone rang five times. Just as she thought it’d switch to the answering machine, the line clicked and a voice said ‘hello’. “Dark Darling?” Morgana asked into the receiver.

“ Morgana! ” Darkwing responded, sounding surprised.

“Do you…” Morgana swallowed, suddenly unsure of herself. She’d know if he had a secret identity, right? That’s not something he’d keep from her. It wasn’t and she was being silly.

“ Who is it, DW? ” She could just barely make out the words in the background. They had her taking the plunge.

“Do you have a secret identity?”

“ What! ” Darkwing’s voice screeched in her ear and she winced, holding the receiver away. Though Negaduck hadn’t stepped any closer, from the look he had it was obvious he’d heard that shout. Warily she put the phone back at her ear. “ Morgy, what's brought this back? ”

“I’m,” Morgana hesitated. Did she mention that his double was at her house? That he was asking her to his universe? That her answer felt like it hinged on this very conversation, no matter how silly it might seem. “I’m just curious, is all.”

Darkwing chuckled nervously on his side. “ Morgana, Morgana, Morgana. Don’t concern yourself with something so trivial. ”

But it wasn’t trivial. Not to her. Not right now. “Dark dearest, please.”

“ Morgana, ” Darkwing repeated her name again. And she knew right then she wouldn’t get her answer. She never did. “ That’s a… rather personal question. ”

“Dark, you’ve met my family ,” Morgana said. That was personal. Perhaps the most personal Morgana had ever been with anyone since her highschool days.

“ And you've met mine, ” Darkwing replied.

“You're not answering my question,” Morgana said quietly. He never had before. It hadn't felt important that he did those previous times, though. Not like now. With Negaduck looking at her, eyes surprisingly soft. Understanding in a way she wouldn't expect. Like he could hear both sides of the conversation.

There was a sigh. Something clicked in the receiver, like Darkwing had opened his beak to say something before changing his mind. “ I haven’t had a secret identity in years. ”

For a long time Morgana was quiet. She couldn’t tell how she knew that was a lie, after all Negaduck had said those same exact words. But she knew it was. Just as she knew Negaduck had told the truth when he’d told her that. More words came from the phone, but she couldn’t make them out. They felt like white noise. Shakily, she hung up.

“When can we leave?’

Negaduck smiled at her, shark teeth gleaming. There were only a few steps between them and he crossed them quickly. He took her wrist before pressing a button on his watch. Then the world swirled around them in shades of black and purple. Strangely she felt like crying, but she wouldn’t let herself. There was no reason to. It was easy to tell herself it didn’t matter. But it was a lot harder to believe it.

Once her world stopped spinning she was ambushed by a tall goose. She was skinny with glasses and long black hair. And way too close.

“I see it worked,” she said, not seeming to notice when Negaduck shoved her away.

He didn’t answer her. Just brushed past her, hand still wrapped around Morgana’s wrist. She craned her neck to give the stranger an apologetic look, but she didn’t seem to mind. Like it happened all the time.

The whirlwind didn’t stop as she got in the sidecar on Negaduck’s motorcycle. Everything felt too fast. She didn’t feel capable of processing anything as they passed broken building after broken building. All the emotions that had mounted when she’d agreed to go coalesced together and numbed her from the inside as they rode.

Eventually they stopped in front of a two story house she didn’t recognize. She stared at it for a long time. Did Darkwing live somewhere just like that? Or somewhere else? Somewhere with a big backyard for Gosalyn to play in. It felt weird to imagine. The image clashed with the one she knew of the tower. Of the place with the tall computers and the bed and the kitchen where she’d always thought Darkwing had lived.

A door slamming closed brought her out of her head.

“You get her?” A voice asked. It was rough, but she recognized it. It was still a shock when she looked up. Launchpad. Something weird settled in her gut when she saw him. It wasn’t anything she could name, though. That something settled lower when Negaduck swung off the motorcycle and went right to him, Launchpad- his double - leaning down to kiss him.

“Of course I did. You doubt me?” Negaduck asked, arms crossing petulantly. But Launchpad’s double didn’t respond. His eyes had found her. It felt like they were boring into her and Morgana squirmed without meaning to.

She got out of the sidecar as fast as she could without landing on her face. As she stood, his eyes ran up and down her body. There were no words to describe how disconcerting it felt, having someone who looked not-quite just like someone she already knew looking at her like they’d never seen her before. Or how much it looked like he was calculating just how to kill her. “I’m Morgana.” The introduction came on reflex.

“I know who ya are,” Launchpad’s double said. “He try ta seduce ya?”

Negaduck glared up at Launchpad. Damn him .

“He did,” Morgana confirmed, crossing her arms. “Was that your idea?”

Negaduck’s glare switched to Morgana. Damn her! Fuck it. He'd kill both of them. At least Herb would never be right .

Launchpad nodded at Morgana, then went back inside the house. She wasn’t sure what it meant. But Negaduck was ushering her in before any questions could form. Once she was inside the house, she looked around. There was a staircase that lead to the upper floor. A living room to her right that seemed to lead right into the kitchen. And from the kitchen, a door to the outside. From the front it was hard to tell just how big the backyard was, but it hadn’t looked small. There were no outside toys that she could spot, though. But there were a few toys in the living room. A broken doll hung limp off the ratty couch.

“Miss Morgana?” The voice startled Morgana and she looked down. A girl blinked up at her, head tilted to the side. The resemblance between this little girl and the Gosalyn she knew were uncanny. But they were definitely different children. This girl had her red hair in tightly wound curls, surrounding her head like a halo and a pink dress with enough frills to drop her age a good few years. The eyes didn’t stay on her for long, swapping to Negaduck instead. “Daddy, why'd you bring her over? And why’s she look so different ?”

“She's gonna be your new caretaker,” Negaduck said.

“But Miss Morgana doesn't like me,” the girl who looked like Gosalyn frowned deeply. “And I thought you were gonna stay here with me and Papa.” She brushed the toe of her foot against the ground.

Something in Morgana’s heart bled for her immediately. She crouched down. “I like you.”

The girl looked back at her, eyes a little shiny. “You’re lying.”

“Of course not. I'm not that Morgana,” Morgana said seriously.

“But you’re gonna make it so Daddy can leave me again,” she sniffed.

“Gosalyn,” Morgana said. “I'd never.”

That seemed to shock her out of her tears. “How do you know my name?” She asked suspiciously.

“I’m from Darkwing’s world. That’s the name of the little girl you look like,” she said after floundering for just a second.

The girl sized her up and Morgana felt like she’d suddenly been thrust into a vat of cold water. She didn’t know why. “Alright,” the girl said. Her beak opened like she was gonna say more, but Launchpad’s copy picked her up and it cut off whatever further words she had.

“C’mon, I made dinner,” Launchpad’s copy said.

Morgana stood back up as they made their way into the kitchen, Negaduck following after. It was like she was stuck again, just as she’d been outside the house. And once she’d first stepped inside. She’d agreed to watch this girl. For some reason though, it felt like she’d just agreed to a lot more. It occurred to her that she’d just fallen off the precipice of her life and landed in the unknown. With hardly a backward glance. Alice, thrust into the mirror world. She hadn’t even told Darkwing goodbye.

“You better get in here,” Negaduck called toward her and her feet moved without her consent.

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