Archive of Our Own ^beta

The moment Scrooge opened his washroom door, those soothing plans crashed like Launchpad on a rough day. He quacked in alarm at the figure that had somehow snuck into his room.

"McDuck," said a gruff voice tinged with desperation, "I need yer help."

...

A few minutes after he kicked the intruder out into the hallway, Scrooge emerged from his room, dressed not in his cozy bathrobe, but in a clean outfit that matched his usual day clothes. He glared at Glomgold, who had the sense to look slightly abashed. "What the blazes were ye doin' in my private quarters!?" Scrooge demanded, rounding on the shorter duck. "How did ye even get in here!?"

Glomgold shook his head in frustration. "Nevermind that! I need yer help! It's important!"

"What's so important that ye had to interrupt my peaceful evening?" Scrooge grumbled, stalking down the hall. Glomgold had to trot to match the peeved duck's pace.

"It's Mark Beaks!"

That gave Scrooge a moment's pause. He gave his wayward rival an incredulous look, opening the door to a small sitting room usually reserved for quiet reading. The fireplace was already crackling away, a testament to his ruined evening. Glomgold followed him into the room and claimed the more comfortable chair. Scrooge, aggravated but wanting to get the conversation over with, took the other seat with a minimum of glaring. "What's that nouveau-riche blighter up to now?"

At that, Glomgold looked away. Scrooge raised a brow at the boastful billionaire's uncharacteristic nervousness. "He... found some dirt on me. Says he'll use it against me if I dinnae fund his latest stupid phone app." Glomgold crossed his arms and gave Scrooge a harsh look, though it was tinged around the edges with fear. "You've got to do somethin' about it!"

Scrooge rolled his eyes. "Yer a grown man, Flinty, ye can fight yer own battles. This has nothin' to do with me. Now, if ye'll excuse me--" He went to stand up.

"WAIT!" Glomgold sat up a bit straighter in panic. A log popped in the fireplace. "Ye have to help me! A-Aren't ye supposed to be some kind of good guy?" 

Scrooge made a face. "I'm just an adventurer, not some superhero! Why does it have to be me? Call the police, or Gizmoduck, or something."

Averting his gaze once again, Glomgold squirmed uncomfortably in his seat. "I cannae ask anyone else. The fewer people who know about this, the better." He hesitated before continuing, "Yer already sort of involved, so ye've got to help me fix it!"

Scrooge fixed Glomgold with a cold glare, making the shorter duck squirm even more. "How, exactly, am I involved? What are ye not tellin' me?"

Glomgold looked up at the bookshelves, into the fireplace, anywhere but at his rival. One hand raked anxiously through his fake beard. "T-That's... it's not..." He trailed off.

"Glomgold, what is this dirt? What's goin' on?"

The shorter billionaire had both hands buried in his beard now. He murmured something under his breath.

"What? I cannae hear ye when ye mumble."

"I'm... I'm gay, Scrooge."

It was barely more than a whisper. Finally, Glomgold met his rival's gaze, eyes wide with fear. "He-- Beaks, he's gonna... tell people, if I dinnae fund his app. You've gotta--"

Scrooge stood abruptly. He forced himself to speak past the lump in his throat as he paced. "That connivin' bastard... I still dinnae see what this has to do with me, but I'll be damned if I'm gonna let him get away with that malarkey! Ye may be a right pain in my backside, but he cannae do this!"

Broad shoulders slumped in relief. "I knew ye would help... So what're ye gonna do? Kick his butt? Make his headquarters explode??"

"I'm going to go to his office and give him a stern talkin' to."

"What?? That's it?" Glomgold looked at Scrooge in disbelief. "He's not gonna stop just because ye tell him to!"

Scrooge smiled conspiratorially and twirled his cane. "Oh, I think he will."

After a moment, Glomgold caught on. "Oh! You've got an angle on him! I shoulda known. Blackmail the blackmailer! Classic!" Scrooge cut his rival's guffawing short with a look.

"I'm not gonna blackmail him. I just think I'll be able to make him see reason." He walked over to the door, but paused before touching the handle. Glomgold looked at him, confused.

"What--" 

"Shh!"

Scrooge tilted his head towards the door, listening, and then quickly rapped the foot of his cane against the door around waist-level. A startled "Ow!" could be heard from the other side. Scrooge cast a bemused look over his shoulder at Glomgold, who watched in shock as Scrooge opened the door.

"You kids should know better!" There, right on the other side, were Scrooge's great-nephews and their honorary sister Webby, who had a glass in one hand and was using the other to rub at her ear.

"Uncle Scrooge! We just, uh--!"

Louie pushed Huey aside before he could say anything further. "We were just... playing a game! Not eavesdropping!"

Scrooge gave the boy a deadpan look. "With a glass?"

Louie shrugged. "It's kid stuff, you wouldn't understand!" He made to run off then, but Scrooge hooked his hood with his cane.

"How much did you kids hear?"

"Everything except the juicy part!" Dewey exclaimed in annoyance. "He was whispering or something and we couldn't make it out. What'd he say??"

Huey chimed in, "Are you really gonna help Glomgold? Isn't he like, your worst enemy?"

Webby's voice called out louder than necessary, "What's going on? My ear's still ringing!"

With a sigh, Scrooge knelt down and pulled the kids into a huddle. "Alright, listen to me. I'm headin' over to Waddle HQ to have a little chat with Mark Beaks. I need you kids to stay here and keep an eye on Flinty. Make sure he doesn't try to steal anything or snoop around." The kids' affirmations drowned out Glomgold's objection to being 'babysat by babies'. Scrooge stood up.

"And one more thing. Ye are not to pester him." The children glanced at each other in confusion. "Glomgold may be my business rival, but he's havin' a hard time of it right now. No pickin' fights with him unless he starts it--"

"Hey!"

"-- and for goodness' sake, dinnae bother him for details about this whole fiasco. I mean it."

After a moment of consideration, the four kids nodded to each other, then saluted to their uncle.

"You got it!"
"Sure thing."
"Yes sir!"
"We won't let you down!"

With a smile, he ruffled the head-feathers of whoever he could reach. Scrooge turned back toward the room, and to Glomgold, who was fiddling with his beard again. Scrooge approached his rival and put a hand on his shoulder, startling the shorter man from his thoughts. "I want to thank ye."

"F-For what??"

Scrooge smiled wanly. "For bein' honest with me for once. And..." He squeezed Glomgold's shoulder, just a bit too firmly to be reassuring. "... I want ye to know that if this is just another one of yer schemes, I'll never speak to ye again." 

Glomgold sputtered, more in shock than indignation. "It's not!! The only one schemin' here is that lowlife Beaks! I swear it!"

Scrooge's smile returned, more genuine this time, and he patted Glomgold's shoulder before turning away. With a last goodbye to the kids, Scrooge gave his rival a long, measuring look, and then he left.