Chapter Text
Darkwing Duck hated Black Friday. Had hated it when he worked retail, but somehow hated it even more as a superhero. It wasn’t even midnight yet, still Thanksgiving, and he’d broken up three fights while on patrol—all in lines outside of stores. He had been hit with purses, bitten, called an assortment of increasingly creative insults, and pelted with Thanksgiving leftovers. Again, not too different from when he worked retail, but apparently people got more vicious when they were up against a guy in a cape and not a scrawny undergrad who had made his coffee with an energy drink just to feel some semblance of being alive while working the most hated shift of the year.
The amount of fighting across the city from its determined citizens to save themselves a few bucks made Darkwing do something he almost never did: call Gizmoduck out in the middle of the night to help him out.
Fortunately, Gizmoduck didn’t mind when duty called. Somehow, together, they survived until mid-morning on Black Friday when most of the insanity had died down, though both were utterly exhausted.
“I’m not sure what’s worse,” Gizmoduck said as Darkwing joined him on a rooftop, carrying a drink carrier with two Starducks cups—already decked out in festive colors for the holiday season. “The waste of perfectly good sweet potato casserole, or knowing that no matter how much I scrub, the marshmallow residue is going to leave my armor sticky for days.”
“At least your armor cleans better than my cape,” Darkwing said, gesturing to the variety of stains on said cape. “I didn’t realize it was a tradition to bring the leftovers from a meal in which you proclaimed to be thankful for all that you have when you go sit in lines and start fights over who got the newest Waddlewatch first.”
“My mom says she’s had to bust up entire families having meals in those lines,” Gizmoduck said. “Every person in the family would bring something, basically a giant potluck, and they’d eat Thanksgiving dinner in line. Only became a problem when it came to saving places in line for latecomers and other people weren’t happy about being cut in front of.”
Darkwing snorted. “Yeah, I remember my first Black Friday in retail, I thought I was being hazed when one of my managers told me that she survived the year of the Great Duckburg Turkey Fire, when someone tried to—and failed to—fry a turkey while in those lines.”
Gizmoduck laughed. “Oh, I remember that! Well, vaguely. I was four, I think. If nothing else, I know the story well enough because both my parents called in to help reign in the chaos and M’ma tells the story so much. It’s become a Thanksgiving tradition for her to tell that story, I think.” He took a sip of his peppermint mocha, then asked, “Hey, what are you and Gosalyn and Launchpad planning on doing for Christmas?”
“Hadn’t really thought that far ahead,” Darkwing admitted, drinking his own coffee, humming in approval as he tasted the gingerbread syrup. “Why?”
“Well, earlier today—no, wait, yesterday, sorry—I had an idea for what to get my mom for Christmas while we were on videocall with my Abuela and the rest of the family,” Gizmoduck explained. “And that is, to take M’ma to see family for the holiday. We haven’t been able to go see everyone for the holidays—any holiday—since I was fifteen, and though Abuela has come here a couple of times for Christmas since, but it’s not the same, you know? I know M’ma’s got enough leave and her squad is supposed to have Christmas off this year anyway unless something catastrophic happens, but I didn’t want to start looking at plane tickets without talking to you first.”
“Because I’d be the only hero in town if you go over the river and through the woods to grandma’s house.” Darkwing said wryly.
“It’s more like a fifteen hour flight with two layovers then an hour and a half drive by car, but yes,” Gizmoduck said. “I know that’s asking a lot, it being your first Christmas with Gosalyn and Launchpad and all.”
Darkwing frowned slightly. “You’re right. It’s our first Christmas—and Hanukkah—together. And I haven’t even thought of anything.” He drank more of his coffee before adding, “Launchpad’s parents and Loopy want to come for Hanukkah, that much I know. They’d rather come here than us go to them. We talked about that a bit yesterday when we called them.”
“When is Hanukkah this year?” Gizmoduck asked.
“The first night is the twenty-second, so Hanukkah and Christmas will overlap this year,” Darkwing answered. “That’s actually perfect, since Ripcord and Birdie said that they wouldn’t be able to make it until the second or third night anyway, since they are booked for a show on the twenty-second. So, yeah, go ahead. Take some time off. You’ve got a sweet gift idea for your mom, and I know she’ll love it.”
“I owe you big time, Darkwing,” Gizmoduck said, grinning at him and Darkwing wasn’t sure if it was the midmorning light glinting off his visor or if he could really see Fenton’s eyes shining so bright.
“Keep that in mind, because next time, it’s your turn to do a coffee run,” Darkwing said teasingly, shaking his almost-empty cup in Gizmoduck’s direction.
That being said, Darkwing did have a lot to think about.
*****
Drake stumbled in the back door, yawning as he dropped his bag with his likely-ruined costume in the entryway.
“Honey, I’m home,” He called out sleepily.
Launchpad poked his head out from the kitchen. “Welcome home, DW. You’re home way later than I thought you would be for a quiet night of solo patrol.”
Drake made his way into the kitchen, sinking into a chair across from Gosalyn, who was apparently making leftover-turkey sandwiches with Launchpad. “Yeah, well, next year, when I say, ‘Oh, no, Launchpad, you stay home with Gosalyn, you did all the cooking, and everyone’s going to be in food comas anyway, what crime could possibly happen on Thanksgiving night?’, I want you to slap me. Preferably with a slice of pumpkin pie. Because that will give me flashbacks and I’ll remember every. Single. Detail.”
“Bad guys weaponized pumpkin pie?” Gosalyn asked, grabbing the materials to make another sandwich. “I mean, it works for Gizmoduck, so it was only a matter of time until criminals decided to use the same battle tactics.”
“It wasn’t a ‘bad guy’, per se. Rather, it was some woman with a ‘I want to speak to a manager’ haircut in line for a flat screen television,” Drake said, accepting the sandwich Gosalyn fixed for him. He quickly took a bite. “Man, this is good. Speaking of pies and Gizmoduck, though, I did call Fenton for back-up. He gave me an idea, later, after all the Black Friday line fights died down.”
“Uh oh,” Gosalyn said, smirking. “A tired, end-of-patrol Dad with an idea. This is pushing the limits of ‘Let’s get dangerous’.”
“Oh yeah?” Drake said, arching an eyebrow at her but unable to hide the small smile he had. “So you don’t want to go get a Christmas tree today?”
“Christmas tree! Yes!” Gosalyn said, her eyes wide with excitement, throwing her fists in the air. “Can we go to one of those farms where you cut them down? I’ve only ever had one of those fake trees and really, really want a real one, please, Dad, please? Pretty please?”
“You want to use an axe more like it, but, yes, we can get a real tree, so long as you help keep it watered,” Drake told her. “Can you wait a few hours for me to take a shower and a nap?”
Gosalyn nodded and Launchpad spoke up, “That’ll give us time to figure out where to put it and measure so we know how tall a tree we can get. Maybe move some furniture around.”
They agreed on a time, close to sunset, and a few hours later they were all bundled up in warm clothes in the car. On the drive to the tree farm, located just outside of the city, Drake filled them in on Fenton’s Christmas plans.
“And since your parents and Loopy were wanting to come here for Hanukkah, Launchpad, I told him to go for it,” Drake explained. “And now that they know the Darkwing secret, they can stay with us instead of trying to find a hotel.”
“Sounds great,” Launchpad said. “As long as you know that my mom’s going to insist on doing all the cooking while she’s here. You thought what I made yesterday for Thanksgiving was good? You haven’t tried my mom’s latkes and sufganiot. It’s literally the best thing you will ever eat in your life.”
“I know what latkes are, but what’s sufganiot?” Gosalyn asked from the backseat.
“Doughnuts that are filled with jelly or custard and covered in powdered sugar,” Launchpad answered, turning around slightly to look at her. “Mom prefers to use jelly over custard, though, and she does them in different flavors.”
“Keen gear! I love doughnuts, I can’t wait!” Gosalyn exclaimed. Drake glanced in the rearview mirror as Gosalyn suddenly frowned, looking thoughtful. “Hey, I know we’re literally on our way to get a Christmas tree, but is it official that we’re celebrating both holidays?”
“I didn’t realize anything had to be official,” Drake commented.
“Given how much paperwork this year has involved, I think it’s safe to say we know better than anyone how many things have to be official,” Launchpad said.
“True,” Drake conceded. “Then, yes, Gosalyn, it’s official: we’re celebrating both Hanukkah and Christmas. We’re a two-holiday household.”
“Double the holidays, double the fun!” Launchpad declared.
“Precisely, Launchpad!” Drake said, putting on his turn signal to turn into the tree farm parking lot. “Now let the holiday fun commence!”
Launchpad and Gosalyn cheered as Drake parked the car.
Moments later, they were walking through the rows and rows of Christmas trees, strings of lights hoisted above the treetops to light the way. Gosalyn ran up ahead, going from tree to tree, dodging and weaving between rows before suddenly turning around and cupping her hands to the side of her mouth, shouting,
“Hey, come on, you slowpokes!”
“We’re coming,” Drake and Launchpad called back, though they made no effort to walk any faster, walking arm in arm at a much more leisurely pace, enjoying the scent of the trees, the sound of children laughing, and Gosalyn’s excitement and wonder.
“You know, I never once in my life dreamed I’d be doing this,” Drake said, his breath fogging up in front of his face.
“What? Getting a Christmas tree?” Launchpad asked.
Drake squeezed Launchpad’s arm slightly. “Walking through a Christmas tree farm, chasing after my daughter, a handsome stud of a boyfriend on my arm. It’s all… cozy. Like a dream. A crazy, beautiful dream.”
Launchpad suddenly stopped, and Drake did as well, looking up at the pilot in confusion. But Launchpad just smiled and put one hand on Drake’s hip, the other cupping the side of his face.
And then Launchpad leaned down and kissed him.
They broke apart, foreheads touching, a light snow falling down around them, snowflakes glistening under the lights, their breath coming out in small puffs of fog between them.
Launchpad’s smile grew. “Still feel like you’re dreaming?”
An easy, giddy smile spread across Drake’s face. “Always, and forever, so long as I’m with you.”
“Dad! Launchpad! Stop out-sappng the trees, will ya? You’re embarrassing me!”
“We can’t help it that we pine for each other!” Launchpad called back to Gosalyn.
“Yeah, just give us a second to spruce up!” Drake added, turning around to smirk at Gosalyn, who was groaning and rolling her eyes as hard as any preteen could. Drake slipped his arm around Launchpad’s waist, settling his hand in the pocket of Launchpad’s jacket. (Hey, his fingers were cold and he wasn’t going to ruin a pair of gloves in the name of getting a Christmas tree.) “Alright, let’s go get ourselves a tree.”
*****
They should have known there’d be a catch when everything went so smoothly getting the tree. Everyone’s fingers were still attached, no one was harmed in the chopping of the tree or strapping it to the car, the ropes around the tree didn’t snap on the road. Heck, they had even grabbed hot cocoa on the way out and there wasn’t a drop spilled or tongue burnt.
It wasn’t until they got home, Launchpad and Drake wrestling the tree into the house through the door—because even with the weird netting stuff the tree farm people had put on the tree to slim it down for transport, it was still huge and fluffy—Gosalyn stood in the living room, realization dawning on her.
“Uh, Dad? Launchpad?” Gosalyn said.
“Yeah, Gos?” Drake asked with a grunt as he pushed on the tree to get it inside.
“We don’t have a place to put the Christmas tree.”
“Yeah, we do,” Launchpad argued, tugging on the tree with some effort. “You and I made the perfect spot for it this afternoon!”
“Okay. Then we don’t have anything to put the Christmas tree in.”
On that note, the tree finally made it inside, Launchpad landing on his rear and Drake falling face forward onto the tree.
“What do you mean by that?” Drake asked as he pushed himself up off the tree, brushing loose needles off his jacket.
“I mean,” Gosalyn said, sitting on the arm of the couch. “We don’t have a tree stand.”
Horror dawned on Drake in that moment. “Uh, that’s not the only thing we’re lacking.”
No lights. No ornaments. No decorations of any sort. No… anything.
Except for a Christmas tree.
That they couldn’t even put up.
Because they had no stand.
The family of three was very quiet for a very long moment as the situation they were in fully sank in.
Drake ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “I, uh, I guess we’re going shopping.”
*****
Drake didn’t think that he’d be at McDuck-Mart five times within twenty-four hours—on Black Friday. Yet, there he was, pushing the cart through the store as his civilian identity instead of his caped alter ego. At least as Drake Mallard, he could easily walk away from two people getting into it over some toy. Fortunately, the store was considerably less chaotic now, with only a few people around—mostly workers restocking shelves.
“I have no idea what I’m doing,” Drake admitted numbly as he, Launchpad, and Gosalyn stared at the vast and seemingly never ending displays of Christmas décor. “Where do we even begin?”
“Let’s start with the Hanukkah decorations!” Gosalyn suggested.
Drake couldn’t help but notice the small twinge of emotion on Launchpad’s face when she said that. He wasn’t quite sure what that emotion was, but it wasn’t a good one. “Uh, Gos, how about we focus on the Christmas stuff now?”
“It makes more sense to start with Hanukkah, since Hanukkah comes first!” Gosalyn said, looking around. Then she went over to a college-aged worker, who tugged an earbud out of his ear when Gosalyn tugged on his vest. “Excuse me, could you show us where the Hanukkah decorations are?”
“Oh, yeah, sure,” He said, setting down the box he was working from. “Follow me.”
Gosalyn followed him, gesturing for Drake and Launchpad to keep up. Launchpad’s teeth worried the bottom of his beak for a moment before he sighed and followed.
“Something the matter?” Drake asked.
“Well, you’ll see,” Launchpad said simply.
“Here you go,” The employee said when they got to the end of an aisle.
An endcap of an aisle.
On the other side of the main walkway.
Drake winced at the very small blue and gold display. That was seventy-five percent paper plates and napkins with menorahs and Stars of David on them, and the other twenty-five mostly made of cheap plastic. All hidden away from view. A realization made even sadder when you knew that one of the most important parts of Hanukkah is ensuring that the menorah is in a place where it can be seen, where the light can shine.
Drake was starting to see why Launchpad hadn’t wanted Gosalyn to find this.
Gosalyn was not impressed, that much was written all over her face.
“Where’s the rest of it?” She asked the young man, tilting her head up at him.
“Um, this is all of it,” The employee said, suddenly looking awkward.
“You mean to tell me,” Gosalyn said, sounding outraged, using both hands to gesture to the endcap. “That this is the best that this supposedly fine establishment can do to contribute to celebrating Hanukkah?”
The poor employee’s eyes widened, unsure of what to say or do, but fully aware that he was not paid enough to deal with this.
“Thank you, we’ll take it from here,” Drake said quickly, allowing the poor guy to run for his life. Which he did.
“Seriously?” Gosalyn demanded. She spun around, gesturing to all of the Christmas decorations. “All of this for Christmas… and practically nothing for Hanukkah?”
“Hey, this is more than what was around when I was your age,” Launchpad said, kneeling down to her level, giving her a small smile as he ruffled her hair. “If you want to find good Hanukkah decorations, you’ve got to find artists. Not this mass-produced junk. Besides, the menorah is the most important decoration, and I’ve got one of those.”
“Yeah, but I don’t want the house to look like we care about Christmas more than Hanukkah,” Gosalyn said, folding her arms over her chest grumpily. “We celebrate two holidays equally, or we don’t celebrate them at all!”
“I second that,” Drake said, resting his arms on the push-bar of the cart, raising one hand in vote. “If we’re going to be a two-holiday household, we’re going to do it right. But Gosalyn and I have only celebrated Christmas before. We’re lost on the Hanukkah department.”
“No, we’re not, because we’re in the Hanukkah department, and you can’t get lost in an area the size of a postage stamp!” Gosalyn declared, once again gesturing to the ‘display’ behind her with irritation.
Launchpad chuckled and pulled her into a hug. “You’re a good kid, Gos, and I can’t wait to celebrate Hanukkah with you. It means a lot to me that you’re excited about Hanukkah, and I want it to be great. But this year is about starting fresh for all of us. New decorations, new traditions, new everything. We’ve done a lot of ‘new’ this year, and a lot of it is big stuff. Maybe this is something we have to start small with.”
Gosalyn’s shoulders slumped, but she didn’t look sad. She was processing, thinking.
“Then I’ve got an idea,” She said. “How about we just focus on the tree this year and making it look nice?”
“I think we can do that,” Drake said, Launchpad nodding as well. “It’ll be like building a collection. We can add more stuff every year.”
“So what do you want to do with the tree this year?” Launchpad asked, rising to his feet again.
“I want it to represent both Hanukkah and Christmas,” Gosalyn said. “Could we do blue and white lights? And get ornaments that represent both holidays?”
“Lights, definitely, but finding ornaments for Hanukkah is going to be hard,” Launchpad said.
“Actually,” Drake said, pulling out his phone. “Now I’ve got an idea…”
Launchpad and Gosalyn got on either side of him as Drake tapped away on his phone. A moment later, Drake was on Egretsy and had typed in the search bar “Hanukkah ornament”.
“You said that if you want to find good Hanukkah decorations, you have to find artists,” Drake said, passing his phone over to Launchpad, allowing him to scroll through the results, Gosalyn dashing over to be on Launchpad’s other side.
“Over five thousand results,” Gosalyn whispered, her eyes wide and sparkling. “Ooh, I like that one!”
“Yeah, so do I,” Launchpad said as his gaze lingered on a silver Star of David.
“How about we get some lights and a tree stand, then go home and look through these on my laptop with more hot cocoa?” Drake suggested, looking at Launchpad, a smile spreading across his face.
Launchpad wrapped an arm around Drake’s waist and pressed a kiss to the side of his face. “I think that sounds better than a dream.”
*****
A few hours later, the tree had been wrestled into the stand, fluffed, and then decorated in lights—with only one minor mishap that involved Drake basically getting tied to the tree with lights thanks to Gosalyn’s enthusiasm. They’d ordered a pizza for dinner while they worked, then spent time curled up on the couch together with hot chocolate and Drake’s laptop, having come up with a plan for more decorations.
Drake tapped ‘place order’ on Egretsy and smiled as the screen changed, declaring his order placed. He closed his laptop and glanced over at Gosalyn, who was starting to fall asleep on his arm.
“Time for bed,” Drake said.
“But Dad,” Gosalyn groaned, then said through a yawn, “I’m not tired…”
“Come on, young lady,” Drake said, nudging her slightly. “Upstairs.”
“I’ve got her,” Launchpad said, getting up from Drake’s other side, carefully picking Gosalyn up, her head resting on his shoulder.
“Thanks, LP,” Drake said, setting aside his laptop. They shared a smile when Gosalyn let out a small snore. Launchpad carried Gosalyn upstairs, and Drake pulled back the covers on Gosalyn’s bed for him to lay her down.
Launchpad set her on the bed and pressed a kiss to Gosalyn’s head, whispering, “Good night, kiddo.”
“Night, Gosalyn,” Drake whispered, also giving Gosalyn a kiss as he tucked her blankets around her.
They were halfway out of the room when they heard Gosalyn mumbled, “Love you guys…”
“We love you, too, Gosalyn,” Drake said softly, pulling the door closed. His hand lingered on the doorknob for a moment, then he went back down the stairs, lost in thought.
He came back into the living room, where Launchpad was starting to gather the trash from the evening’s adventure. Drake stepped over to stand in front of the tree, just staring at it in thought for a few minutes, before a pair of strong arms wrapped around his waist.
“I know that look,” Launchpad said in a low voice in Drake’s ear.
“I’m thinking,” Drake said, placing his hands over Launchpad’s.
“Trust me, I know you’re thinking. The real question is, about what?”
“Gosalyn. I’m… Well, we talked a lot today about how new everything is to us. It’s going to be the first Hanukkah for me and Gos, and while I know you celebrate Christmas with friends, this will be your first time celebrating Christmas with us. It’s our first holiday season as a couple, and our first with Gosalyn. And…”
“And?” Launchpad prompted when Drake’s voice trailed off with a sad sigh.
“It’s also Gosalyn’s first Christmas without her grandfather,” Drake said softly.
“I hadn’t thought about that,” Launchpad admitted. “That’s got to be rough on the kid. She’s a tough one, but the first holiday without someone you love? No one is that tough.”
“She loved her grandpa,” Drake said, slumping back against Launchpad’s chest. “He was everything to her. And everything I’ve ever been told about Professor Waddlemeyer eventually comes back around to how much he adored Gosalyn, how she was his whole world. He was the only family she had for most of her life. And just because I’m her dad now doesn’t mean that she doesn’t still have a lot of thoughts and feelings about her parents. I just don’t… we’ve got something new and beautiful here, the three of us. But I don’t want her to feel like she has to completely erase her past, you know?”
They were quiet for a moment, both staring at their tree—a tree that would soon be bedecked in the ornaments they had chosen together, as a family, to create a representation of their family and what they celebrate together.
“Hey, Drake,” Launchpad said quietly. “Do you remember if there was anything in all of Gos’s paperwork about the stuff from her old house?”
“No,” Drake said. “Why?”
“I’ve got an idea, but I think we’ll need to talk to Mr. McD.”
“What idea do you have that requires us bringing in our boss?”
Launchpad rested his chin on top of Drake’s head, and even though Drake couldn’t see him, he knew that the pilot was smiling.
“Because Mr. McD,” Launchpad said. “Is an expert in finding lost treasures.”
“Lost trea—?” Drake cut himself off, twisting around in Launchpad’s arms to look up at him. “You think we should track down Gosalyn’s old Christmas stuff?”
“I think it’d be a good way to incorporate Gosalyn’s past into her future, our future,” Launchpad said. “To honor and respect that past and the people who ultimately brought Gosalyn into the world and into our lives.”
Drake’s eyes filled with tears as he smiled. “I think that’s beautiful, Launchpad. We’ll call Mr. McDuck first thing in the morning. He’s bound to have some idea of where to start looking.” Drake wrapped his arms around Launchpad, laying his head on the taller man’s broad chest. “I know Thanksgiving was yesterday, but I don’t think I said this then: I’m so grateful that the universe led us to each other. I love you so much.”
“I think the same thing, every day,” Launchpad said. He reached underneath Drake’s chin, tilting his head back some so that they could look each other in the eye. “And you don’t have to say it. Because I see it in your eyes. Every day.”
With that, he leaned down and kissed Drake, long, deep, and passionate.
And when they broke apart, both smiling, out of breath, Drake tugging Launchpad by the wrist to the couch, where they proceeded to spend the rest of the night, alternatively kissing and talking and just basking in each other’s presence and—finally—succumbing to sleep, they realized something.
The dream had ended.
And, as it turned out, reality was much better.