Chapter Text
Gyro Gearloose had left work, but his brain was still buzzing with ideas. He sat on the last bus of the evening, trying to write everything down in a little notebook. The bus jostled him and his pencil slipped, accidentally crossing out the “steam-powered shoes” that he had just written. He stared at it again. Maybe it was fate, telling him that was a bad idea. People might burn their feet. Unless he could come up with some super-insulating cloth?
He tried to write “super-insulating cloth” but the bus lurched again, making the ‘s’ in ‘insulating’ look more like a mutated ampersand. He tried again and got as far as “super-insulating clo”, but as the bus stopped, the pencil pressed hard against the page, breaking the lead. He didn’t have a sharpener, so he sighed and looked out the window.
Wait. This was his stop! He stood up just as the bus started moving again. He sat back down, focused on the movement of the vehicle this time, and got off at the next stop, backtracking several blocks on foot.
It was almost midnight, but it was also a Friday, so a few groups of people were still out, accompanying each other back from the late-night restaurants and bars back towards the towering apartment complex in which Gyro now lived. The entire complex was owned by his new employer, Scrooge McDuck. He’d offered a room to Gyro soon after offering him the job- apparently he kept a small number of apartments discounted for new employees, to help them move to Duckberg and start working as soon as possible. Gyro didn’t mind the apartment itself- it was reasonably clean with a decent kitchen, a spacious shower, and a large window in each of the two bedrooms. Nor did he mind the discounted rent that Mr. McDuck offered- his student loans were paid off, but he didn't have much in savings after completing his PhD program.
But he still wasn’t quite sure how he felt about his new roommate. Launchpad McQuack was a tall, broad-shouldered man, a few years younger than Gyro, who was working as a delivery driver for several McDuck Enterprises products, while studying to be a pilot. He seemed friendly, but a little too enthusiastic. And Gyro couldn’t for the life of him figure out if Launchpad’s cheerful and carefree demeanor was genuine or not. He may have just finished a PhD in engineering, but in all his years of schooling, he really hadn’t learned much about understanding people. He’d hardly left the lab back in Tokyolk, to be honest. And after his ignominious departure from the city, he’d found it hard to get close to anyone. The story of 2-BO had followed Gyro to University Hamsterdam, where he’d finished his dissertation working under the eccentric Ludwig von Drake, one of the only professors who’d been willing to take on the former protege of Dr. Akita. He hadn’t really met a lot of people in Duckburg yet. Though as far as he could tell, Launchpad was not capable of understanding Gyro’s work, much less caring about his past. While he might have preferred the company of someone more intellectually stimulating, it was nice to not be judged. At least, Gyro was pretty sure he wasn’t being judged.
The building was reasonably quiet, as Gyro crept down the hall towards apartment number 502, wondering if he could manage to make hot cocoa in the kitchen without clinking the dishes loudly enough to wake Launchpad. But as he opened the door, he found these worries were unfounded, as Launchpad was not asleep, and neither were the two other people in the apartment.
“Gyro!” Launchpad jumped up and clapped a hand to his shoulder. Gyro stiffened at the touch, but kept his face calm. “Have a date, or working late?”
“A date?” Gyro looked shocked. “Who would I go on a date with? I just moved here. I don’t know anyone.”
“I dunno, you could’ve met someone.”
“I was at work. And then I missed my stop on the bus back.”
Launchpad sat back down on the sofa next to their two guests. “This is Donald and Della Duck, by the way. Mr. McDuck’s niece and nephew- they live up in the manor with him.”
The pair of ducks each raised a hand and waved at Gyro. A quick glance told him they were obviously twins, and they looked to be in their early twenties.
“You just missed the final episode.” Della said as Donald reached for the remote and switched off the television, which was playing a vaguely familiar saxophone tune that Gyro couldn’t quite place.
“What show?” Gyro pulled one of the wooden chairs from the kitchen table and sat facing the three others on the couch.
“Darkwing Duck.” Donald’s voice was unusually raspy. Gyro had never heard an accent quite like it. Or maybe it was a speech impediment? Asking would be awkward, he decided.
“Darkwing Duck? Like from when we were kids? It’s still running?” Gyro looked at the trio.
“Not anymore! I can’t believe they cancelled it on a cliffhanger” Launchpad cried dramatically. Donald patted his arm.
“Yeah. It’s just ended,” said Della in a perfectly normal voice, allowing Gyro to deduce that her twin’s unusual manner of speaking must not be a learned accent. “Where’ve you been? Under a rock?”
“In graduate school.” Gyro responded with a shrug. “Not a lot of time for TV. Anyway,” he admitted, “I wasn’t that into Darkwing as a kid. I liked space shows more than superheroes.”
“Like Hawk Solo? We dressed up as the robots once when we were little, remember, Della?” Donald’s sister laughed.
“Hawk Solo was all right,” Gyro responded, “Though I was really more of a Major Courage kid. Then Ducktor Who when I got a little older.”
“Oh! I loved Major Courage!” Donald exclaimed.
“Too bad the main actor turned out to be such a dingus.” Della muttered, and Launchpad chuckled, as if this was part of some private joke.
“What do you think about the new reboot they’re planning?” Donald continued, looking earnestly at Gyro.
“Honestly? It looks really good. Like they’ve actually involved a scientist in any part of the writing.”
“Aww, I always thought the terrible science and cheesy special effects was part of the charm! I don’t know if it will be the same if they take themselves seriously.”
“Oh, sure! But the corniness was all right when I was a kid- this reboot looks great for adults too.”
Launchpad sighed. “Hope Darkwing gets a reboot someday.”
“Oh! Speaking of Darkwing, we brought you some old merch!” Donald crossed the room and picked up a backpack that was propped against the door. “Just some stuff I had in my closet, I haven’t used it in years, but maybe you’d want some?”
Donald unzipped the bag and pulled out a purple lunchbox.
“Ooo, it’s got the old logo on it!” Launchpad reached out to inspect it, and the lunchbox rattled.
“Open it up- there’s more inside.” Della encouraged him.
Launchpad undid the metal clasps and gasped. “Are these...?”
“Yep.” Donald grinned.
Launchpad pulled out two small green figurines. “The Hamburger Hippo kids meal toys! I’ve been looking for the Bushroot to complete my set for ages! No one has him! And you had two this whole time?”
“Twins.” Della shrugged. “Same restaurant, same day, same toy. But I think you need them more than we do.”
“I don’t know how to thank you guys! You’re the best!” Launchpad pulled both ducks into an enormous bear-hug. “You want to get in on this hug action, GG?”
It took Gyro a moment to realize that Launchpad was referring to him. “I had nothing to do with this.” He stayed firmly in his seat. He wasn’t much one for hugs. Or touching in general, these days. Launchpad looked puzzled for a moment, then cheerily set Donald and Della back down on the floor.
“You two need a ride back up to the manor?”
“We’ll be all right, it’s a pretty short walk up the hill,” said Donald.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, the twins departed, and Launchpad began to clean up the empty snack and drink containers that were scattered around the small kitchen/ living room as Gyro quietly sipped the cocoa he had made.
“So you hadn’t met any of Mr. McD’s family yet, GG?”
Gyro wasn’t sure he liked the nickname, but decided not to say anything about it. “My PhD advisor was Mr. McDuck’s brother-in-law, actually. But I haven’t met anyone else, until tonight.”
“Well, as gruff as Mr. McD seems at first, he can be a real softie once you get to know him. Same thing with Donald- he’s got a temper, but he’s really a nice guy most of the time. And a really good musician! We should go see his band next time they play!”
Gyro just nodded.
“And then Della’s in my aviation class this semester. One of the only girls there, and she flies better than any of us. She sure is something.” A soft, yearning look crossed Launchpad’s face.
“Wait.” Gyro wasn’t sure if he was reading the situation right. He thought for a moment- would it be too embarrassing to ask? No, he decided. If anyone would be embarrassed, it should be Launchpad. “Do you mean you have a crush on Della?”
Launchpad’s face fell. “Yeah, a bit. But nothing’s gonna happen there. She’s dating a literal goddess.” He crushed an empty soda can and pitched it into the recycling. “What about you? You seeing anyone?”
“I told you- I haven’t met anyone here yet.”
“So no one from before?”
Gyro sighed and bit his lower lip. “Not anymore.” Launchpad was watching him quietly, so he continued. “There was this guy I kinda dated for a while last year. But it turned out he was using me. Just wanted ideas for his stupid start-up.” His eyes felt hot, as if tears were about to well up. He stared away from Launchpad and towards the opposite wall, feeling ashamed. That college fling wasn’t worth crying over. He reached up and pretended to wipe a smudge off his glasses.
“That sucks, buddy.” Launchpad nodded sympathetically.
“It’s over now.” Gyro waved a dismissive hand.
“Well, you’ll find someone new. I could always try to introduce you to some guys if I meet any that seem like your type. Girls too? Or just guys?”
“What? Oh, just guys.” Gyro brushed his hair out of his face and put his glasses back on. There was no use dwelling on what might have been. He turned back to his roommate. “And thanks, but no thanks. I’d rather focus on my work than on dating right now.”
“Fair enough. But you shouldn’t overwork yourself. Burnout is a serious problem for early-career professionals. Or at least, that’s what I read the other day.” Launchpad nodded sagely. “So you’ve got a standing invitation to come along when I go out, ok? Duckberg’s a great town, and I’m happy to show you around.”
Gyro was sure that Launchpad meant well, but he generally found socializing more taxing than work. Still he didn’t want to be rude, not to someone he’d have to share a living space with for at least the next several months. “Sure. You know where to find me.” He rinsed his cocoa mug and retreated to his bedroom.