Freefall
Summary: Della discovers Duck Avenger’s true identity and confronts him. Comicsverse
for @callme--starchild (sorry for taking this long)
Word Count: 1500
Once she had somewhat settled in, Della Duck had gone into research mode. She had lot of catching up to do. She had after all lost 10 years in the time she had been in space. She would spend the days when her sons were at school reading and going through the Internet. Absorbing everything she could.
Donald popped his head into the guest bedroom she was staying in. ”Do you need anything?”
Della bristled at the tone. Something about it, like she was fragile-
”It's fine. I am just going through the old news. Gonna get caught up. Then get a job. Move out of your way.”
”No hurry.”
”Hm.”
Donald yawned. ”I should head off. I'm exhausted.”
And Della was left alone. Absentmindedly she leafed through the old newspapers. Duckburg had sure gone through lot of things while she had been gone. Calamities. Superheroes. Duckburg had always had its fair share of odd events but it felt like everything had just ramped up when she hadn't been there. Ten years. In what had felt like a week to her...
Some people kept popping up in these news. Uncle Scrooge, of course. Occasionally she'd spot Donald or Fethry or her sons on the background of some pictures.
And there were others.
Gyro.
Rockerduck (who was either a family friend or an enemy she couldn't tell yet)
Weird people, like a supposed witch called Magica or the Duck Avenger...
Della stopped. It couldn't be true. Her fingers traced over the grainy image of the superhero.
Donald Duck's friend.
She looked over her notes.
The superhero who had started his career taking revenge on Uncle Scrooge...
But it was impossible! So obvious but impossible!
She immediately felt guilty over thinking so. She knew her brother was courageous. And a good man.
Better than she was, in so many ways...
But a superhero?
She let out a laugh.
Nonsense.
But it made sense.
But surely someone would have noticed by now? He kept wearing the same hat!
Maybe they did, but no one had told her. Maybe they thought it would shock her. Maybe it was a one big joke where everyone knew but pretended not to and hadn't gotten around to letting her in on it yet.
But how did he get these gadgets?
Gyro. Of course. That much was clear. In fact even if it wasn't Donald it might be the most likely source of this superhero technology.
Della sat there, wondering about it.
First things first. She'd have to be sure.
…
”Donald?” Gyro looked up from his work. ”He hasn't been around in days.”
”I see,” Della nodded. Awkwardly she looked around the workshop. She had known about Gyro before leaving. He had been the weird kid hanging out in his father's workshop.
He had come a long way...
He smiled again, in that awkward way Della had gotten so used to ever since she got back.
It was like no one knew how to deal with her.
For her things had stayed the same. Everyone else had moved on.
Ten years.
Ten years had been stolen from her.
Her sons had grown, and her baby brother was now older than her.
She had been left behind.
And no one would look her in the eye.
…
Once Della had been sure her brother was the Duck Avenger it was relatively easy to figure the rest of it out. She knew the times Duck Avenger would be patrolling, so it was just the matter of keeping an eye on her brother. So if he was indeed Duck Avenger he'd have to be able to change in his room.
So for the first night Della had camped outside his window.
And nothing had happened.
Next morning she had checked the Internet and sure enough, Duck Avenger had been seen getting someone's cat from a tree.
She had wondered for a moment if she was wrong.
Maybe.
But she wasn't convinced just yet.
So the next night she had knocked on Donald's door at 4 am.
She could hear him snoring...
Eventually she forced the door open and stepped inside.
Her brother was deep asleep.
Wait-
She pulled away the covers. A fake head.
So now she was sure.
Della started her search of the room. There were not too many places that could hold a secret door so her attention was quickly drawn to the closet...
She ran her fingers on the wood paneling and detected a part that was slightly elevated.
She pushed.
The closet plunged downwards.
Della staggered out of the disguised elevator and into a small base with masks and gadgets...
And the Duck Avenger.
Della stood straight and said with the tone she had been practicing a lot lately. Self confident. Mature. ”Donald Duck.”
The masked duck looked at her. ”I don't know what you're talking about.”
He didn't sound like him.
He stood straighter, and was so much more than her brother... Donald always seemed like he was either at the edge of exhaustion or too full of energy. The duck in front of her was so much more...
Competent.
Suddenly she could see why no one had believed the two to be the same person.
But she recognized him.
She recognized her little brother who had played pirates with her as a child, striking a pose like that as he pulled out his sword, ready to face Pirate Queen Della, the Dread Lord of at least Eight Seas.
”Come on, bro, how dumb you think I am?”
To her surprise he removed the mask. He stared at her, his expression unreadable.
”This is cool, dude!” Della gestured at the secret base. ”This is like- remember the old well at Grandma's farm?”
When he didn't reply she continued.
”You know, it was all dried up and overgrown, so we dug it out and made a secret base there-”
”And one time the rope snapped.”
”It was fine- we got out- There was enough vines to climb up-”
”No it was not fine,” Donald snapped.
Della nodded. ”I see.”
”What do you see?”
”I see that when you do this- this kind of a childish- childish mistake it's fine, but when I do it- when I make a mistake it's- no one will talk to me about it! Everyone says they're happy to have me back but no one really looks me in the eye!”
”I have no idea what you are talking about.”
”Yes you do! You always knew, we are- we used to be close.”
A silence fell.
Della decided to keep pushing. She didn't recognize this calm and collected man in front of her. If she got him to yell at her-
She would know how to deal with that.
”How could you do this?”
”Della...”
”How could you put yourself at risk? I know what you were doing! I- when I started to suspect you were the Duck Avenger I studied! I looked up things! You have gotten involved with so many dangerous things- How could you!”
”Della, don't- don't say things we will both regret.”
”Stop pretending to be the adult here! I am not the one dressed like batman! How could you- What if something happened to you? What if you died? The boys would be all alone!”
He gritted his teeth.
But still he didn't take the easy bait.
”I think we should go and get something to eat, calm down, sleep on this-”
”SAY SOMETHING!”
”What do I have to say?” For the first time there was anger in his voice.
Della watched him pull his mask back on.
”What would make you happy?” he asked.
”This isn't about me! This is about you running around playing a super hero like a child.”
”You know nothing about what I do,” Duck Avenger informed her.
She didn't recognize that tone.
”Don't...”
She stepped forward, setting a hand on his shoulder.
”Why didn't you tell me? I mean... I have read enough superhero comics to know you gotta protect your family but I think I do good enough job ruining my life all on my own. Might as well know my little bro is a cool superhero.”
”You didn't ruin your-” Donald stopped. ”If I start to talk about this I might say something I shouldn't.”
”That's what everyone is doing,” Della said. ”Not talking. Dancing around the subject. Just go on-”
She poked his chest. ”Let it all out.”
”Della... How dared you! To leave me!”
He pulled her into a hug. ”I was so bad at it! Being a parent!”
”You're great! What are you talking about?”
”I had no idea what I was doing! I sucked! I suck!”
”Nonono!” Della pointed at herself. ”I suck!”
”I missed you so much! I have tried so hard- I worried!”
There was true pain in his voice.
But it felt like finally things have started to move forward.
”I think we should talk,” Della said. ”About this, about... everything.” She swallowed. ”Just talk.”
