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Chapter Text

Gyro looked up at the sky. Two weeks since Tokyolk... two weeks since he'd had to face him again. Two weeks of nightmares... and fear. So many things he'd forgotten had happened and now they were back. They screeched like a banshee and fought to be heard in his brain. He rolled so his face was buried in the dirt of the hill and screamed. No one else was there to hear him anyways... "Gyro?"

Apparently he hadn't checked the surrounding area well enough, "Hm? Oh, Gandra. I wasn't aware anyone else was out here..."

"Mmhmm... why were you screaming into the hill?"

Gyro readjusted his glasses nervously, "Shove off... it's nothing."

She sat down beside him and showed a small cooler she had with her, "Beer?" She handed one to him.

"Thanks Gandra." He popped off the top and took a drink, "It's been a long few weeks."

She nodded, "I'd imagine." There was a pause as the two sat and drank, "So what aren't you telling anyone?"

"It's not important. I can handle it."

"I know you can... but you have other people who want to help you... me, Fenton..."

Gyro frowned, "It's okay Gandra, I can handle this."

She shrugged and got up. "If you won't tell me... at least tell Fenton." And then she left and Gyro broke down crying.

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When Gyro went back in the lab he knew something was different... it was so quiet. Between Fenton's chattering, Manny's clopping, and now Boyd's childish energy there was rarely a second the chicken could hear himself think... Where was everyone? He uncomfortably strolled through the lab. His hand ran across Fenton's desk and accidentally knocked something off. He heard it crash to the ground and everything went fuzzy.

'Stupid bird!' The dog barked glaring down at him as the vial shattered on the floor. He covered his eyes with his hands. 'So useless... I don't know why I ever hired you on!'

'I-I'm so sorry Dr. Akita! It won't happen again.'

The dog raised a fist, 'No. It won't.'

Gyro scrambled away as quick as he could...

"Gyro! Are you okay?" He felt someone shaking him and the haze went away.

He glanced around in panic, "Wh-where is he?"

Fenton met his gaze with confusion, "Where is who?"

"N-nevermind. It was just a bad dream."  Or something like that. "Oh, your mug, I'm sorry..." He looked at the shattered fragments on the ground.

"It's okay Gyro." Fenton helped his boyfriend up and wrapped a hand around his shoulders. "I can get a new one. I just- are you sure you're okay?"

Gyro took a deep breath, "I... I'm not sure, but I'm alright now." He leaned into Fenton's shoulder with a small smile. "I just... it's been a long day. Can-can we go get something to drink or-or something?"

"Of course mi corazón." He gently kissed him on the cheek.

Chapter Text

The two sat on the couch and Fenton ran his hand through the chicken's feather's as the two of them sipped at some hot chocolate. It didn't matter what was on the tv... just that the two of them together bundled together under a blanket. Gyro relaxed into the duck's shoulder and felt his eyes begin to flitter close. It had been a long day... and longer month. It was nice to just have a simple night with just the two.

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Gyro woke up late... the TV was still running and Fenton appeared to have wrapped the blanket tighter around Gyro's shoulders. That was thoughtful of him. Gyro stretched. At least he had managed to remember to take his binder off first... sleeping in that would've been pretty bad... he reached over to see if he could find where he put it. It- hwere was it? No-no-no-no... he ran around in a frenzy digging through piles of clothing and found nothing. This couldn't be happening. Not today. Not in this ridiculous week. He tried to hold back from crying already today. He'd just have to hurry to the office and see if Fenton new where it was. This was fine... he was sure he still had that hoody hidden somewhere... and a bra. He didn't need this today.

"Fenton. Fenton!" He hissed as he entered the lab with his shoulders hunched tight. It had been years since he'd had to go without binding... this was terrible. He tried to avoid looking down, but his eyes seemed pulled that way. Those two loathsome blobs attached to his front. Damn them for being there... it was just so expensive to get rid of them permanently. A hand absently brushed against them and he shuddered. Once again that haze set in and he wasn't in the lab anymore.

'Intern? I didn't know you were...'

Gyro looked confused at the Doctor. 'I'm sorry?' The dog mimed a curvy shape with his hands..., 'Oh, that. My-my binder's in the wash today. It happens sometimes. I haven't been able to get a second one yet.'

'Mm.' He felt the doctor move closer to him and he tensed. A hand came down on his shoulder, 'You should clean it more often.'

He screamed. He wasn't really aware when he had started screaming, but it was a little late to stop now. Manny, Lil' Bulb, Fenton, and for some reason Louie too... why was the green nephew there? Gyro slowly stopped screaming. Akita wasn't there... he was fine. Everything was fine. "Dad?" Boyd was the first one to speak up.

"Sorry Boyd. I didn't mean to panic you... just stubbed my toe."

"Oh, okay!"

Louie and Fenton cocked an eyebrow knowingly. Had Manny and Lil' Bulb been capable of doing that they would've have joined in. "Boyd, weren't you going to go meet Huey in the office?"

"Oh yeah! Bye dad! See you!" Boyd gave Gyro a quick hug before running into the elevator. As soon as he had gone Fenton and Louie turned to the scientist.

Surprisingly Louie spoke up before Fenton did, "Okay my fellow binder buddy what's really going on here?"

"I just lost my binder and was.. um... Fenton, have you seen it?"

Fenton thought about it, "Oh. I moved it to the drawer. I'm so sorry babe! I- damn it... I'm so sorry!" The duck was on the verge of tears.

Gyro immediately turned to comforting him, "It's okay. You didn't mean to. You have any ideas how many times I've accidentally 'hid' it from myself?" Gyro wrapped Fenton in a hug. He tried not to flinch as Fenton returned it and he felt the pressure on his chest. He broke the hug quickly.

Louie frowned, "I get that, but why were you screaming?"

"I- um- It's not important." Gyro tried to wave it off, "I'm just going to run home and get that binder real quick." He hurried to the elevator... it couldn't open fast enough. The door closed behind him and he sunk down in a corner. Why was every fucking thing a battle lately? He'd been doing so well. He thought he'd worked through everything that had happened with Akita... but here it was... again and twice as loud. A hand slammed against the wall of the elevator and a wave of pain chased it up his arm. It was nothing compared to the racing going through his head. He leaned his head back against the wall as the elevator begin moving up. What was going on with him? Why was all of this just showing up now? He knew why, but how could he explain that to anyone else? He’d spent so long pretending it hadn’t happened and now it had come back with its teeth bared and bloodied. The elevator dinged again, and he quickly peeled himself off the floor and fled from the elevator to the car as fast he could. He just needed to find it and forget it had ever happened. Today was another bad dream he needed to forget. Just another bad dream. It became a looping mantra in his mind as he drove back to the apartment. In all of a few seconds he had the saving piece of fabric on and was carefully changing into his usual garb of button ups and bowties. Sure, somedays it was a little tiring, but today it was lifesaving. He then realized he hadn’t done his T yet today. He unbuttoned the shirt and pulled out the gel pack before rubbing it into his shoulder before redoing his shirt. Finally, ready for today. A knock sounded on the door.

“Gearloose?” Fenton called through the door.

Gyro ran to go unlock the door. “Fenton!” He started to go in for a hug, then caught himself. “Just did T… I need to wash my hands.” Fenton went to the couch and waited as Gyro cleaned the remaining gel off his hands. He wandered over by Fenton. “I was just getting ready to head down to the lab… what are you doing back already?”

“I’m just worried about you, mi amor. You’ve been acting strange lately. What’s going on?”

Gyro gently took Fenton’s hand, “I-I’m not sure. I’m just remembering things I really wish would just stay away and- and I don’t know what to do with any of it.” Fenton placed a hand on Gyro’s shoulder and the chicken shrunk away with a small noise. 

“Querido…"

"I'm fine Fenton... I just need-" What did he need? He waved his arms vaguely instead of finishing the sentence. "That. That's what I need?" More hand gestures accompanied the end of the sentence.

Fenton sighed, "That told me literally nothing Gyro." He took the chicken's hands instead. "You can talk to me about anything."

"I know I can... I just don't feel like I should." 

Fenton frowned, "That's quite literally why I'm here. Well... I mean that and the fact that I love you. I'm here to listen to you and help and love you."

"Fenton... I love you, but please... I'll tell you when I'm ready."

"I know querido... I know."

Chapter Text

He hadn’t wanted to take off his binder that night. He very carefully placed it on his nightstand where he could see it before crawling into bed. Boyd was staying with the McDucks tonight so it was just him. Everything was silent. It would've been nice had he actually been tired that would've been great. But instead he was left with his brain racing and a ticking clock. Gyro knew he was a repressor... but had he seriously forgotten so much about what had happened with Akita? He remembered a lot of the physical abuse... and the yelling... but-but... He couldn't think about it. Maybe he'd invented it? But he could feel the weight on his shoulder. Well, not literally, but he knew that something had happened. Even if he didn't acknowledge it... it had happened. It was affecting his relationship and that was where he drew the line… he needed to talk about it somehow. He pulled out a small journal and begin scribbling down what he could remember. The dog hitting him… touching him… and-and… he closed his eyes as he scribbled down the words before he could process that he had. Tomorrow he would try and tell Fenton. Try… just try. They didn’t have work and the two had already planned on hanging out for the day so maybe it shouldn’t be too hard to bring it up… he closed the notebook and tried to go to bed.

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He didn't end up getting any sleep. It wasn't that big of a deal... just add on an extra cup of coffee for the day. The clock yelled at him that it was four in the morning... he shrugged. That wasn't too bad. Might as well start getting ready for the day. He didn't own many things that branched out from the button up bowtie combo, but maybe he could find something..... he had to have something else. Didn't he? Holy shit he didn't. Was Quackmart open at 4? Probably. He threw on the hoody from yesterday and ran out the door to his car. He sped about twenty over the whole way there. They had to have something nice there... The old dog manning the door gave Gyro a confused look and he quickly discovered he was the only person in the store besides the sleep deprived employees. He ran his fingers through the shirts as he wandered through the store. Everything was so quiet. It was nice. Then he saw on one of the hangers: a soft pink button up with short sleeves. It was nice, his size, and cheap. He hadn't worn anything other than his green shirt in so long... it could be a nice change. Maybe he could find a green tie to go with it... OH! and some dark blue pants! Yes. He resumed his shirt with a clear intention now. They didn't have a green bowtie... of course not. Because "bowties were out of fashion" or some shit. What did they know about fashion? Blathering blatherskite he needed a coffee. He abandoned the shirt back to the rack in search of something else. He found it in a cream colored turtleneck and loose fitting dark brown jacket to wear over it. He begin to walk towards the check out when he heard a voice behind him.

"Intern? I see you finally decided to get a fashion sense."

He whipped around and there stood Akita in the middle of the aisle. That cocky grin toying with the edges of the dogs face. How had he gotten there? Wasn't he locked up? Had he escaped? "Y-you? How are you here?"

"Can't I come see you everyone once in a while?" The dog feigned looking wounded, "You haven't even invited me once over to see you since Tokyolk."

"And I didn't plan on every you fucking creep." His heart felt like it was going to explode... but not in the good way. Everything was happening so fast. The dog was inching closer.

He needed him to go away. He needed to get away. Akita's hands reached for the scientist. Gyro ran. He ran out the doors. He ran past his car and through the parking lot. He didn't stop. If he stopped he would get beat or-or... his legs sped up. He needed to get away. He didn't even register the turtleneck and jacket still held in his arms.

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Fenton jolted awake as an alert on his phone sounded off. It took his brain a minute to piece together that it was the crime alert. "Blathering blatherskite! It's 5 in the fucking morning Duckburg." He pulled up the map to see where: A Quackmart downtown. A simple robbery. Oh well... if crime never sleeps... justice doesn't either. He pulled up the security footage. Hold on... was that... Gyro? Why the fuck was Gyro robbing a Quackmart at 5 in the morning? Something was wrong. Very wrong. He took off out the door as fast as he could in search of his boyfriend. He just wished Gyro would tell him what was happening. Ever since Tokyolk the chicken had been acting... stranger than normal.

He tracked Gyro to an old parking garage. "Dr. Gearloose?" He called. It was a small precaution just in case someone had followed so they wouldn't piece together that Fenton was Gizmoduck.

"F-fenton?" The reply was shaky, but undoubtedly his partners.

"Yeah, it's me." He disengaged the suit as Gyro peaked his head around the corner of a column.

"Is-is he still here?" Gyro inched closer to Fenton.

He'd seen the inventor scared, but this... this was terror, "Is who still here?"

Gyro pointed a long finger and begin shaking like a horse taking it's first steps, "Him." He could see Akita entering the garage and searching for the intern. Gyro knew if he was found the dog would take him away from Fenton... forever. He couldn't lose Fenton. He grabbed the duck's hand and started to run. Fenton didn't. Why wasn't he running? Couldn't he see Akita? Didn't he know Akita would take him away forever? Didn't he care? Maybe Fenton had finally realized he could do better... maybe he wanted Akita to take Gyro away... oh... that must be it. He'd finally become a burden to the little duck and now Fenton wanted him gone... he hadn't deserved someone like Fenton anyways. Fenton's eyes were wide as he glanced between where his boyfriend had pointed and where his boyfriend was pulling him. There was no one there... why was Gyro so scared? He saw someone... but who and why did they frighten the chicken so much? "Fenton! Come on!" Gyro yelled and tripled his efforts. Suddenly he felt Fenton pull back and he was falling forward into his arms Fenton's arms... nothing bad could ever happen while he was in Fenton's arms. He melted and Dr. Akita faded out of his vision. He was safe in Fenton's hands.

Chapter Text

Gyro buried his head in the duck's feathers as he felt the tension leave his body in a dramatic sweep. He sat back on his heels as he let go of Fenton. "I- I..." How did he even explain this to Fenton...? How did he even explain it to himself?

Fenton picked up the clothes Gyro had dropped on the ground, "You should probably return these... or pay for it." Gyro looked confused as he took the clothes from Fenton, "We can talk about this later, okay?" Gyro nodded and begin vaguely walking toward the entrance of the garage. "Do-do you want me to walk with you?" He just nodded again. Fenton walked up beside him after scooping the Gizmoduck suit back into his bag and linked his arm through Gyro's. The walk back was slow and silent. Fenton didn't mind. Whatever had just happened he knew Gyro needed to process. They found themselves outside of the Quackmart and Gyro hurried inside. The employee at the register glared at him as he purchased the items. He wasn't one to apologize and certainly wasn't about to start being one now. He met the cold look with his own chilling scowl until the transaction was completed.

He met Fenton outside and held out his receipt, "Bought and paid for..." It was more a grumble than anything.

Fenton frowned, "What were you even doing buying clothes at four in the morning anyways Gyro?"

"I- I wanted to get something different for our day off." The scientists head drooped and he hid his face in his hands, "I really do have a gear loose don't I?" The last name had also been a bit of a joke between the two, but sometimes it seemed like a prophecy that had long dictated who the chicken would be from his birth. A screw-up with a gear loose in his brain. "I'll see you later." The words were cold, but he gently squeezed Fenton's hand before getting into his car and driving home. Defective. His brain whispered the word to him. Just like your inventions. Screw-up. How long do you think Fenton can stand the cold hearted creator persona before he gives up on you? Gyro slammed on the break just in time for a stop sign with a yell of frustration. Damn this brain. Sure, he knew he was a good inventor and... yeah he played his ego up... but really... really he was nothing. Nothing he did couldn't be done better by someone else. It just kept people away from him if he pretended he was so certain of himself. He flicked on the radio with a small frown in hopes it would drown out the self-destructive voices shrieking at him to just whip the wheel to one side... right into that tree. Nope. Nope. Nope.

Once home he hurried through the process of making coffee. Did it always take this long? He just needed caffeine. Now. "Dam it. Damn it. Damn it." This wasn't how today was supposed to go. It was supposed to be a nice romantic day of just him and Fenton. He was going to buy the duck flowers, then get icecream, finish it off with a walk at the pier, and then back to his apartment for coffee and a movie. He hadn't really figured out when he was going to tell Fenton what was going on... but now it didn't seem he'd have to. Fenton wouldn't let this incident go lightly. He begin changing into the clothes he'd purchased as he waited for the coffee machine to finish it's one singular job that took so freaking long! He had to admit he did look nice in them though. He smoothed out the sweater with a small smile. The coffee machine dinged and he went to go pull it off the machine and poured himself a cup before flipping on the news and sitting down in the kitchen. He threw the remote onto the couch and waited for Fenton to come knocking. An hour passed and Gyro wondered if maybe Fenton wasn't coming... maybe this morning had scared him enough to keep him from coming back ever again. He had chased him off... he never could keep relationships long. This had been the longest one so it made sense that its time had come to an end. He sighed in self proclaimed defeat and sunk further into the kitchen chair as the news drawled on about the weather. The thoughts spiraled out of control as he sipped at the coffee trying to ignore the whirlwind shrieking at him inside. He was never good enough for Fenton. He never could be. Why did he every think this would last? Had he honestly thought that he of all people would get married? Would be loveable enough that someone would want to spend their whole life with him? Hell, he could barely stand having to live life with himself. The coffee cup was empty. Gyro got up to refill it and his phone buzzed. A message from Fenton that simply announced he'd slept through his alarm and was on his way now. See... he was simply running late. Everything was fine. Except it wasn't. He was self-destructing this like he did everything else by not telling Fenton. By throwing up his walls again and trying to keep the duck away... he-he... GAH! Why were emotions so damn complicated? He was a genius for goodness sake and yet here he was slowly being strangled by his own withdraw. He slunk to his room and pulled out the notebook where everything was thrown down in a hodge podge manner. He remembered when everything was happening having a similar journal that he'd kept hidden in his mattress... what had he done with that? It didn't really matter. He had enough written down in this one without having to remind himself of whatever other nightmares he was forgetting. Those could stay hidden.

He heard the sound at the door. It wasn't a knock, just the shuffling noise of someone walking by it. Gyro raced up to the door and threw it open. Fenton had his hand up to knock and fell forward in surprise right into Gyro's chest, "Yip!" He yelped in surprise as the two crashed to the ground. Gyro shuffled away first and stood up a little too fast and sent his head spinning. He closed the door. "What the hell Gyro?" Fenton whined rubbing the back of his head.

"Sorry... I just got excited." He grabbed Fenton's hand and pulled him upright. "Can't I get excited to see my boyfriend?" He kissed him quickly on the cheek and pulled him further into the apartment. "I can make you some coffee?"

"Gyro..."

"I know. I know. You don't drink coffee... I can get you some tea? I think I have some still!"

Fenton sighed and grabbed Gyro's other hand so the chicken had to turn to look him in the eyes, "Gyro. We need to talk about the past few days."

"I know." Gyro muttered, "Can't we just enjoy this first? Just for a minute? Just the two of us?" He kissed Fenton's hands softly. "Just for a moment?"

Fenton blushed, "I-I need to know what's happening first." As much as he wanted to melt into the soft touch of the chicken he needed to know what was happening with his boyfriend.

Gyro gently dropped Fenton's hands and moved to where the table was and picked up a notebook that had been left there. "I- I know... I tried to write it down. It's not easy to read." He handed it up to Fenton.

Fenton flipped open to the first page:

The first time he ever hit me was a Tuesday. I had been working there for two weeks. I must have dropped something. He got mad and then he hit me. Right across the jaw. It left a bruise that was there for a week afterward. It only escalated from there. Sometimes he'd hit me every day... kick me... claw me. I thought that was bad, but it was tolerable. I could handle being beat. Maybe that's why I didn't do anything when he berated me with words or when it escalated past both of those. The first time he touched me...

Fenton wanted to stop reading, but he couldn't. "Mi pobre amor..." He whispered as he finished it. Gyro stared at the floor with a new level of intensity that could have burned straight threw the floor and into the room below. "I had no idea..." He wanted to take Gyro's hands, but he wasn't sure it was okay.

Gyro shook himself out of the state he had spaced off into and looked at Fenton, "It's not your fault. I didn't want anyone else to know... it's just with Boyd coming back and-and Akita... everything just exploded. I thought I had it all under control and now... I'm just as much of a mess as I was back then." He put his head in his hands in defeat.

Fenton braved it and reached out for his partners shoulder to pull him into a hug. For a small second Gyro started to pull away and then stopped. With a clear and conscience effort and moved into the hug. He wrapped his hands tight around the chicken and felt the chickens shaking hands back around his. Gyro relaxed into the hug as he always did. Fenton wasn't going anywhere. Fenton was real and here and wasn't going to disappear if he closed his eyes for too long. " Está bien...e stá bien, m i querido amor." Gyro didn't mind that he didn't know what Fenton had said other than 'amor'. That was fine with him. Something about the words washed over him with a strange sense of calm he hadn't felt in months. " Siempre estaré aquí." Fenton murmured in Gyro's ear as he pulled him in closer. They stayed like that for maybe a minute before Fenton begin to pull away.

"No..." Gyro tightened his grip on Fenton's shirt. In a random spurt of memory his brain vomited a phrase he'd learned in Latin, " Semper ne dimittas... te amo." Fenton was confused, but continued to cradle the taller in his arms until finally the two broke apart. As touch averse as he was Gyro couldn't bare to let go of Fenton's hand and gripped it tightly.

Fenton cleared his throat and gently squeezed his hand, "Maybe we can still have a nice time out on the town?" He rubbed his fingers across Gyro's hand with a comforting smile.

"Y-yeah... that sounds nice." The two stood up and wandered to the door. Gyro wrapped an arm around Fenton's shoulder as the two left out the door. It was one of the first times Gyro had allowed any form of physical affection to be seen outside of the house and Fenton leaned into his side as they wandered down to the car and slipped into the passenger seat as Gyro set into the driver side. Gyro quickly grabbed Fenton's hand and rested it on his lap as he pulled out of the parking space and onto the road. "I had a whole day planned... I-it should all fit in today..." He could feel his leg bouncing with stress. They stopped in front of a small flower shop and Gyro hurried over to the side door to hold it open for Fenton with a smile. "My love." He grabbed the ducks hand and escorted him out of the car and to the shop.

Chapter Text

The two wandered through the flower shop as they soaked in the perfumed air of roses and lavender. Gyro begin grabbing some out of containers and placing them in a hand held cart he'd scooped up when they'd entered. A violet for affection, zinnia for honor, a sunflower for adoration and loyalty, hydrangeas for unity, and a peony for beauty to finish it. He smiled. He knew Fenton wouldn't know all that, but he did. He handed the cashier the money and the two wandered back out to the car. "For you." He knew Fenton already knew that, but he said it anyway as he handed them to him.

"Thanks." Fenton took them and leaned over to kiss Gyro quickly on the cheek. Gyro blushed and mumbled something that could have been your welcome or just random noises. Fenton could really never figure out which... which was incredibly endearing in his opinion. The two continued on their way and stopped outside a small icecream shop. It was a place Gyro hadn't visited since he was a kid. He had loved it. He really hoped it was as good as he remembered. Fenton grinned at the chicken with a mischievous smile, "Let me order for you!"

Gyro rolled his eyes, "No. I took you out and I'm going to order for you." He ruffled Fenton's feathers, "Besides, I have the money... not you." He finished the statement by flicking Fenton's bill as gently as he could... which turns out wasn't soft enough as Fenton made a small noise of pain. "Oh my gosh. I'm so sorry!" Without thinking he wrapped him up in a large and overwhelming hug to completely engulf the smaller duck. The second time in that day where he had publicly shown affection to Fenton.

"I'm fine Gyro! You just caught me off guard is all." Gyro squeezed the duck closer, "Gyro, I can't breath! You're smothering me!" Gyro let go suddenly as if realizing what was happening. The chicken stiffened and walked briskly away from Fenton. Anyone who knew Gyro less would've been hurt, but not Fenton. He knew Gyro took his time and the fact that it had happened at all was a sign of progress. While he waited he found a bench to sit at and wait. The ocean lapped lazily against the beach and the clouds matched its energy as they wandered across the sky. It was such a peaceful day. A couple other people were around the area: an elderly couple reminiscing the old days, a couple teenagers giving off a façade of cool contempt, and a few tired parents being dragged all across the world by their ever energetic offspring. His brain wandered: If he did marry Gyro... would they adopt? Of course there was Boyd... but more? He liked the idea of being a parent, but he had a feeling Gyro would be a lot more against the idea. Ah well... that was for future them to decide. Gyro appeared sporting to one scoop cones. Fenton smiled as Gyro scowled at the teenagers and noisy children. He knew it was mostly an act and it had become strangely endearing to the duck. If anyone had told him before Boyd that he would end up dating the Gyro Gearloose he would have laughed claiming the chicken hated him more than he hated social events... Fenton would've been very wrong. Gyro sat down next to him and offered him a lavender one.

"It's mulberry." Gyro explained and Fenton took the cone from him. Gyro waited for him to take a lick with a small smile playing at his beak.

Fenton's eyes widened, "That's amazing Gyro!"

Gyro's small smile became a true one. It was always such a weird time when he was able to express affection... especially in public, but today had already proved to be an exception on that front. He laid an arm around Fenton's shoulders and the duck nestled into the chickens side. In a moment of exceptional bravery (or moment of weak thinking) Gyro planted a soft kiss on the top of the duck's head. "I don't what I'd do without you Crackshell." He rubbed his partners shoulder in a small comforting motion as he continued eating the icecream. His eyes roved over the surrounding area with an indifferent glare. He hadn't expected any of them to be paying attention to him, but someone was. The elderly couple met his steely glare with one of their own. Oh no... that look never spelled well for anyone. He pulled Fenton closer protectively as the two elderly people wandered towards them. Nonononono. His brain shrieked on loop as the couple kept getting closer and closer to the bench. "C'mon. Let's-let's move somewhere else."

Fenton threw him a confused look as the chicken gently tugged him upward, "What?"

Gyro was too late. The two dogs stood in front of them with a glare that rivaled Gyro's most intense ones as they glanced from Fenton and Gyro's faces to Gyro's hand on Fenton's shoulder. "Excuse us." Gyro stated coldly as he tried to move past them.

"What? You think you can just go around shoving that down everyone's throat?" One of them spoke out with a broad gesture at the parents running around with their children. "I mean, it's disgusting." She crossed her arms with a ever deepening frown.

Fenton shrank even further into Gyro. "I don't know at what point our personal life became your problem." Gyro replied chillily and once again tried to move past them.

"Ugh. Typical unaware. Think about the effect your having on the children!" The ladies husband piped in now and leaned closer to Gyro's face.

Gyro pulled back from him with a disgusted look, "Yes... because oversexualized cishet relationships pushed on children from the age of five on up are soooo much better."

The man glowered as his face flushed red. Gyro turned to leave and that's when he felt someone slam a punch right into his shoulder. Gyro stumbled forward before whipping around to face the man. He couldn't have been over fifty with a wicked glare as he stared the chicken down. Gyro stiffened and threw a return one right into the man's jaw. With that the two found themselves wrestling and punching back and forth.

"Stop! Gyro!" Fenton tried to grab the chicken out of the fray and in turn received a blow to his own face. Gyro was just barely aware enough of that and shoved the other man down before turning to comfort the small duck.

"Leave us alone." Gyro growled before scooping Fenton up and walking away as fast as he could.

Chapter Text

The two had retreated to Gyro's apartment after the pier event. Gyro dug through his freezer for something that could pass as an icepack for Fenton. Bingo... a long expired and forgotten bag of frozen peas. He grabbed it out and headed over to the couch where Fenton was wrapped up in a blanket and handed the bag to him. "Sorry." Gyro whispered as Fenton took them

"For what? It's not your fault they're assholes." Fenton replied with genuine confusion.

Gyro sat down on a chair across from him, "I know... but I shouldn't have escalated it."

"He swung first mi amante."

Gyro just shrugged in response and got up again to go find another cup of coffee. That was three today... and it was only ten in the morning... ugh. He started the coffee pot going. He should probably eat some breakfast... apparently icecream didn't pass as a "healthy" breakfast to Fenton. He grabbed a few eggs* and some flour. He remembered a very basic recipe for pancakes his mother had tried to teach him when he was little. Some berries, flour, eggs, water or milk, and... something else... urgh!! He slipped out his phone and searched for a recipe. Man... he'd forgotten a lot of ingredients. He begin pulling out the rest. and started heating up a pan on the stove. As he waited for it to finish he grabbed out some cookie cutters to shape the pancakes with and begin to mix the ingredients. He hadn't cooked in years... in fact... the last time he had was when his parents had forced him to come home for thanksgiving the year after his internship. He hadn't talked to them since that event and didn't plan on talking to them ever again. He finished the mixture and rubbed oil across the pan and on the cookie cutter before dumping the batter into it... and then waiting. He finished one and plated it before re-greasing and making more until he ran out of batter. "Fenton! You hungry?" He yelled as he split the stack between two plates.

"Mmngh... yes!" Fenton yelled back as he jerked back to consciousness. The duck stumbled upright and into the dining room as Gyro set the plates on the table before hurrying back to grab the cinnamon syrup he'd made to go with it. He grinned at Fenton as the duck processed everything. "You made all this while I was asleep?"

Gyro's grin widened, "I mean... it wasn't that hard, but yeah... I did." He waited for Fenton to get sat down and take a bite before he joined him at the table, "Well...?" He asked inquisitively.

Fenton's eyes widened to match Gyro's smile, "This is amazing! I didn't know you could cook?"

"To be completely honest: I didn't either." Gyro revealed as he drizzled syrup onto his.

Fenton put on a teasing smile, "So you could have poisoned me and you were just okay with that?"

Gyro wiggled his eyebrows, "Ah. You figured out my master plan: to lure you into love and then to your death."

Fenton giggled, "Scandalous Doctor! What will you do should news of my murder come to light?"

"Well..." Gyro pretended to be lost in thought before snapping his fingers decisively, "Then I guess I won't kill you after all." He giggled like a child on Christmas and reached over to wrap Fenton in a hug, "C'mere you." Fenton joined in the laughter as Gyro peppered the duck's face with kisses.

"Gyro! What's gotten into you?"

"I don't know. Maybe all the stress of the last few days threw my hormones out of sync?" He replied in the way only a scientist would. He settled with his head buried in her neck and played with the soft feathers at the base of Fenton's neck with a small smile.

Fenton twisted his head to kiss Gyro's cheek. "Well... whatever's brought on this sudden bout of physical affection I am perfectly here for it." He wrapped his hands around Gyro's neck with a wide grin.

Gyro scooped the small duck up in a much more loving way then what he'd done earlier with a large grin as he continued to pepper the duck with kisses and carried him to the couch before setting him down and sliding up beside him to wrap him up in a hug.

Author's notes:

            *I'm really not sure how this show works with food and stuff since some animals aren't sentient and some are? And we know they eat chicken noodle soup? So logically they have chickens that are for eating/egg production?? So I really don't know what to do about that???

              The type of pancakes he made are Japanese pancakes and they are delicious. Highly recommend trying them. Cinnamon syrup.