Ducktales Oneshots

Midnight Spree

Gladstone doesn't know if it was Donald's bad luck, their luck canceling out, or his luck in a last-ditch attempt to save him that caused his cousin to discover him halfway down the stairs with a backpack over his shoulder, dressed to go out.

At first he chalks it up to Donnie's bad luck. His cousin already wasn't in the best mood, having heard Gladstone's attempts at secrecy from his nearby room, and had woken up. He was already annoyed at being woken up, and seeing his cousin was going on an adventure without him - that no-good lucky goose doesn't NEED more - his anger levels skyrocketed.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Donald snaps, waving his arms in the air. Sleepiness be damned. He still has bags under his eyes, but they were bright with frustration. "What on earth makes you feel the need to wake others up while you're sneaking out? Why do you even need to sneak out?!"

Gladstone sighs heavily, running a hand through his already tousled hair. He had to give the indication that he planned on going to bed and staying there, and styled hair was no way to do that, much to his digress. "Look, Don, just go back to sleep and I'll be out of your hair. I promise."

Donald crosses his arms tightly across his chest and leans against the railing. "Oh yeah? And what about tomorrow, when you brag about your adventure and Uncle Scrooge just praises you? What about when whatever dumb little trinkets you bring back into the mansion make messes you never have to clean up? What about when whatever gang you win against and piss off comes running here and we have to fight them off while you hide in the house?! Huh?"

Gladstone toes the floor. He hadn't planned to tell anyone what he was doing, but Donald always messes up his plans. He was a black streak of destruction in Gladstone's perfect, neat world. "I'm not coming back," he replied after a moment. "You'll never have to deal with my messes again. That's what you want, isn't it?"

His cousin stares at him, stunned, and Gladstone turns and hurries out of the house. He keeps a brisk pace, tethering on sprinting, but forces himself to walk slowly and calmly. He blinks back hot tears, but they kept pooling out.

As soon as he is out of McDuck Manor's sight, he breaks into a swift run, tears streaming down his face and catching in the wind behind him.

He pauses and rubs at his face before approaching the bus stop.

Shut it, Gladstone. You have your luck to protect you. You'll be fine. Scrooge, Donald, and Della will be happier without you. You will be free to do whatever you want.

This is what you want, isn't it?

—

Gladstone makes it all the way past St. Canard, in a little fishing village, before tires screech, shattering the early morning peace, and a familiar black limousine pulls up beside him. The driving is reckless and fast, but Duckworth still takes the time to carefully parallel park like always.

Della's torso is out of the window before the car is within two blocks of him, her hair whipping around her. Her usual pilot's hat is gone, probably left behind in a rush to find him.

Gladstone can hardly believe there has been a rush to find him, or that anyone even came after him.

Della's yelling something made incomprehensible by the wind and the screeching of the tires, despite her naturally loud voice. He catches the tail end of it "-but it was worth it!!" as the car skids to a stop and his cousin tumbles gracefully onto the pavement. Donald has opened the door from beside her before Duckworth has pulled into a complete stop.

Scrooge exits last, after Donald trips over Della, and makes his way to stand beside his nephew. He is the most polished out of the three of them, but his feathers are ruffled and his top hat is askew. "Laddie, what in Dismal Downs were ye thinking?! Ye nearly scared us all half tae death!!"

Before Gladstone can answer him (not that he wants to), Della is crushing him in a hug, and something wet is dripping onto his shoulder. The usually fast-talking adventurer is speechless for once, but the weight of her embrace says everything.

Last of all is Donald. His final cousin hesitates a bit, laying his hand warily on Gladstone's shoulder. His voice is harder to understand, layered thick with emotion, but Gladstone can understand him just fine. "This is not what I want."

Gladstone finally smiles for the first time that day and his own tears finally spill over. "Me too," he replies softly, and he can see the moment his cousin's heart breaks before he is crushed in another hug. Without a moment to spare Della crashes into them, and Scrooge is soon to follow.

They're all clutching each other, sobbing for a loss that never came, in the wee hours of the morning in a tiny fishing village off the coast of St. Canard, but this thought only occurs vaguely to Gladstone. It's quickly swallowed up by the warm, glowing bubble in his chest that threatens to become bigger than him and consume them all.

Gladstone lets it, lets his love for his family wrap around the sobbing quartet and warm them all.

A/N: All day today I was mourning how I don't really have the time and energy to write much these days, and then this happened :P

It's super random, I just felt like writing some Gladdy angst. You think Donald's the only lonely, depressed Duck cousin with an inferiority complex? Think again. :P

Gladstone isn't cured, but now he has his family around to help him, and he knows they would follow him to the ends of the earth. It helps.

By the way, Della's complete line was "It's 3 am and we've been driving for an hour stopping everywhere and I'm exhausted but it's for you so it was worth it!!" <3