Coffee Break

by MossyMothBoi

Summary:

Fenton just wants to take his overworked coworker on a little cafe date and hide his secret crush. Gyro feels like he's drowning. Between being a parent, his dead sister coming back from the moon, and trying to foster a relationship with his nephews, hiding his romantic feelings for Fenton is just too much. There's no way he can keep his feelings a secret, not with Fenton taking him on dates. Della and his nephews meddling isn't helping either.

Chapter 1: Coffee Date

      Fenton was trying hard not to collapse as the elevator opened, revealing Gyro’s underwater lab. His last fight with the Beagle Boys had taken a lot out of him and he just wanted to find the first aid kit and go home to get some rest. His chest hurt bad, and he had a few scrapes on his arms that needed bandages. He was currently rummaging through the cabinet, looking for the aforementioned bandages.

     He thought to himself. Where the hell does Gyro keep the first aid kit? He has to have one, with how often they both injured themselves in the lab. Maybe they're in his office? Gyro didn't like him and Manny in his office, but he wasn't here right now and Fenton just really wanted to treat his injuries and go home. As he approached the door, he noticed it was open a crack. Odd. Gyro always closes his door before he leaves.

     He must be exhausted lately if he forgot. Which was probably true, he had been pulling late nights at the lab every night. At this point he practically lived here.

     Fenton pushed the door open, and was met with the sight of Gyro, asleep at his desk, snoring softly. He was drooling on the pile of papers on his desk, with a cold cup of black coffee next to him. Fenton sighed and got to work checking Gyro’s cabinet for bandages, trying not to wake him. After finding none, he moves to open the top cabinets, usually gyro kept beakers and such up here, but he really wanted to find the first aid kit, and he really didn't want to go through Gyro’s desk. Especially not with him sleeping right there.

     As he opened the cabinet, a beaker that had been haphazardly shoved in fell on him. He fumbled with trying to catch it for a moment but ultimately failed as the glassware shattered on the floor.

     Gyro woke up with a start, jumping up and squawking. The fearful expression on his face quickly morphed into one of anger as he recognized Fenton.

     “Dr. Intern?! What the fuck are you doing in my office?” He squawked at him angrily.

     “Sorry to wake you, Dr. Gearloose.” He apologized bashfully, “I was looking for bandages.” Gyro yanked open a drawer in his desk and tossed Fenton a roll of bandages and some antiseptic. He then slumped back down in his seat, fidgeting with his hands. He truly looked exhausted. He had dark bags under his eyes, and the usually pristine inventor’s hair was disheveled and messy. Gyro must have noticed him staring as he glared at him, raising an eyebrow as if he was challenging Fenton to say something about his appearance.

     “Is everything alright, Dr. Gearloose?” Fenton inquired, shuffling his feet slightly.

     “I'm fine.” He snapped, taking a sip from the mug of coffee on his desk and scowling slightly at the cold drink. After another moment of awkward silence, he snapped at Fenton again. “What do you want, Intern?” He asked glaring at Fenton. “Stop gawking at me and got used to patch yourself up.” He stood from his desk, and grabbing his papers and mug, stalked past Fenton and out of his office. Fenton walked out with him and treated his injuries at one of the counters.

     He wasn't facing him, but Fenton could hear Gyro tinkering with one of his new gadgets. When he was done treating his arms, he pulled his phone out of his bag and checked the time.

     4:17 am. Why is Gyro still here? He glanced over at the lanky chicken, who was slouched over his blueprints, ignoring Fenton completely.

     “Dr. Gearloose, it's getting really late.” Fenton started.

     “If your tired, then go home.” He replied, not looking up from his work.

     “Gyro.” The chicken glanced back at him, not used to Fenton calling him by his given name. “I'm worried about you,” he started, “You've barely left the lab in weeks. You need to get some sleep.” Gyro just scowled at him in response. “I'm serious.” He stated, walking closer, standing right behind Gyro now, who had sat in his office chair, still bent over his papers. “You really need to rest.” He tried again, but was ignored. He put his hand on the other’s shoulder, “Gyro-” Gyro whipped his chair around to face him.

     “You act like you take care of yourself.” He snapped. “Don't you dare lecture me about my health, GizmoDuck.” He spat the last part, before turning back to his work. Fenton wasn't surprised by the chicken’s crankiness in the slightest. Fenton sat on the couch, still looking at Gyro. They sat in silence for around 10 minutes before Gyro broke it.

     “Sorry for snapping at you.” He muttered, but it was more than Fenton expected out of him.

     “It's alright, I just want you to take care of yourself. Though you are right.” Gyro looked back at him. Fenton continued, “I don't take super great care of myself either.” He rubbed the back of his neck, and stared at the ground, avoiding Gyros eyes like the plague. Gyro didn't reply, still facing Fenton. He relaxed into the couch, still exhausted, and gyro was the last thing he saw before falling asleep.

     When Fenton woke, he was laying on the couch still. He didn't want to move, and he yawned as his brain woke up enough to check the time. It was almost 5 pm. Damn. I really slept that long? He sat up, looking around until his eyes landed on Gyro, who was still snoring softly. He was slumped in his chair with his chin resting on his chest. Fenton smiled softly at the snoring inventor. He had no right to be that damn cute. Fenton could just stare at his pretty face all day. Stop thinking like that. Fenton thought, his cheeks feeling warm. He forced himself to look away, stretching out on the couch, groaning softly as his back cracked. His neck was gonna be hella sore from sleeping like this. He begrudgingly stood up and looked at Gyro, contemplating waking him up. He ultimately decided against it, sitting at his desk to quietly work until he woke naturally. After almost an hour of focusing on his own work, Gyro finally woke. The chicken lifted his head from his chest, groaning softly as he did so.

     “Good morning, Dr. Gearloose!” Fenton greeted happily. He watched as Gyro sat up, hissing as he moved his sore neck.

     “Morning, Fenton.” He muttered still barely awake. Fenton noticed the use of his name and turned away before Gyro could notice the slight color to his cheeks. Damn it. I blush way too much, there's no way he hasn't noticed by now. He assumed that Gyro already knew about his little crush, but neglected to say anything either because he didn't return his feelings, or he didn't care. Fenton wasn't sure which option stung worse. When he looked up, Gyro was already hunched over his work again, completely ignoring Fenton's existence once again.

     It was then he noticed Lil’ Bulb sitting on the edge of Gyro’s desk, kicking his feet. Where has he been? He wondered, still watching Gyro work. After a while, Gyro noticed his staring, turning to him.

     “What do you want, intern?” He inquired.

     “I'm kinda hungry,” Fenton offered, trying to sound casual, “You wanna grab lunch?” He looked at Gyro hopefully, who only rolled his eyes and turned back to his work.

     “I already took a really long break, Fenton. I need to get back to work.”

     “Come on Gyro, please?” Fenton begged, moving to stand where Gyro could see him, his hands clasped together. Lil’ Bulb mimicked him, clasping his hands together and looking at Gyro.

     “No.” He said again. “I'm not even hungry.” He added on. It was at that moment his stomach chose to betray him and growled loudly. He sighed while Fenton continued to give him puppy eyes. “Fine.” Gyro begrudgingly agreed, pushing himself up. Fenton smiled, walking with Gyro to the elevator doors.

Chapter 2: Fuck, I'm sorry you feel all alone

Summary:

This is where the "angst" of "fluff and angst" comes in. Gyro is being a dick and Della confronts him about it.

Tw* for
Mild panic attack/general self hatred

Chapter title from "Nights like these" by Pigeon Pit

     Fenton sipped his chocolate frappe, glancing over at Gyro periodically, who was slouched in his chair, sipping his coffee. The place they had decided to get lunch was a cute little cafe that Della had introduced him to. Apparently Della, Donald, and Gyro had used to come here often. It was a quiet place with good food and a nice atmosphere.

     “Thanks for this.” Gyro’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts, “You were right. I needed a break.” Fenton smiled warmly at him.

     “Of course!” He replied, “This has been so much fun.” Gyro gave a little head nod in agreement, taking another drink of his black coffee. Gyro had been uncharacteristically soft today, and Fenton found he quite liked this warmer side of him. Sometimes it seemed like Gyro hated him, hated everyone really. But then he had his softer moments, where his usual scowl softened and his posture was relaxed, he was like a different person.

     “We should go out like this more often.” Fenton added, and Gyro froze, his eyes locked on Fenton for a moment. He didn't reply.
“I have to get back to work.” Gyro said, his voice cold again. He stood and tossed his unfinished coffee into the trash before stalking out the door, leaving Fenton wondering what in Selene's name he did wrong.

 

Gyro's POV

     Selene, what was that? He thought angrily to himself. Gyro knew he was an asshole for storming off like that. He knew he was being an ass to Fenton for no reason.
     Maybe if I hurt him enough times he’ll stop coming back. The thought hurt, but Gyro couldn't be close to Fenton, try as he might. It hurt too much. He could never be as close to Fenton as he wanted. He had vowed a while ago to not be Fenton’s friend, to keep their relationship strictly professional and he was failing miserably. Tears started blurring his vision as he rode the elevator down to his lab. Fenton would never love him and the thought hurt. There were so many reasons they couldn't be together. One such reason was that he had no clue if Fenton had forgiven him. Fenton had every right to hate Gyro. He had been such a dick to him as an intern. Hell, even now all Gyro did was bitch at him. Gyro had hated how innocent he was. It was like all the bad things in the world couldn't affect him, and he radiated happiness and pure intentions everywhere he went. Fenton was a literal superhero for crying out loud. He was the complete opposite of Gyro. Gyro was a plague that killed everything he touched. Maybe that's why my inventions always turn evil. Gyro had never been able to fit in like Fenton. He already had a target on his back for being trans, and graduating at 15 hadn't helped his social life one bit. Gyro knew he was prickly at best, Scrooge always had to remind him to be polite, and downright evil at worst. But Fenton made friends so easily, and he even managed to work his way into the heart of the most antisocial chicken on the planet.

     By now Gyro was full on crying, curled up on the floor of his office. He sobbed and gasped for air, clutching at his shirt. Fenton was perfect, he could never love someone as fucked up as Gyro Gearloose.

     It was then that He heard the elevator door ding open and his heart skipped a beat. No no no no. Fenton can not see me like this. Fuck. He was about to try and get up and shut his office door, when he heard a familiar pair of mismatched footsteps marching towards his door.

     “Wow. You look like shit!” Della exclaimed. “I was gonna try and make you feel bad for ditching Fen, but you seem to have that covered.” She plopped down next to him on the floor, sitting close enough that he could initiate contact if he wanted it, but she didn't force it. Gyro quickly tried to compose himself, wiping his tears on his sleeve and fixing his glasses

     “What do you want?” He demanded, but it was hard to sound as menacing as he wanted when he was all choked up.

     “I want to know what the hell is wrong with you.” She snipped back. Della never backed down. When Gyro was giving her shit, she gave it right back. That was one thing Gyro liked about her. Talking came easy, since they mostly fought and quipped at each other. But even with their familiarity, talking to her again after so long was weird. Up until a few weeks ago Della had been dead, and it was my fault. He was dragged out of his thoughts by Della snapping her fingers in his face.

     “Gyro.” She called. His eyes snapped back to her. “There you are. Answer my question.” She demanded once she had gotten his attention.

     “It's nothing-” Gyro started

     “Absolutely not. I have been labeled as the most annoying person ever. And I will pester you until you talk.” She interrupted.

     Gyro sighs. “It's Fenton.” He said quietly. He leaned back, resting his head against the desk before continuing. “I think I like him or something.”

     “Congratulations. You are officially the last person to know that.” She replied sarcastically. “You've liked him for a while right?” Gyro nodded. “Then why won't you tell him? We're not kindergartners. Being mean to your crush on the playground won't work anymore.” Gyro opened his mouth to retort, but Della held up her hand to stop him. “Fenton deserves to know. Or he at least deserves an apology, because you made him think he's done something wrong today that made you mad.”

     “I didn't mean to upset him. I just-” he stopped and sighed. Della silently waited for him to gather his thoughts and continue. “I don't know how to be close as friends with him. I like hanging out with him, but the effort of hiding everything is way too stressful to take.” He muttered, and he was currently cleaning his glasses as an excuse to not look at her.

     “Then just tell him.” She replied, unamused.

     “What? I can't just-”

     “Well it seems like you're gonna lose him as a friend if you don't tell him. And even if he doesn't like you back, it might make you feel better,” she explained. “Fenton’s not the type to hate someone over this. It would be better if you just told him.” Gyro just sighed, again shrugging. He picked at a loose thread on his sleeve, still avoiding her gaze. After a while, when he still didn't reply, Della sighed and stood up.

     “I'm gonna go hang out with my kids. Think about what I said.” She told him as she walked out. Gyro said nothing and sat curled up on the floor of his office for another 20 minutes at least.

     For the next week, Gyro rarely left his office, and made sure to only do so when Fenton wasn't around. He completely avoided him. It was on the eighth day of his self induced isolation, that his plan failed. He had thought Fenton was out in the GizmoDuck suit, and had decided to go steal some food from Scrooge's fridge. But just as the elevator door was closing, Fenton shoved his foot in the door, causing it to open again. He stepped inside. Now they were in the elevator together. Shit.

Notes:

I'm posting several chapters in the same night because I'm writing a lot rn and I'm just generally very excited about this fic. Updates might slow down after a while.

Chapter 3: The start of a definitely not stressful vacation

Summary:

After Gyro and Fenton's awkward elevator conversation, Scrooge announces a vacation. Avoiding Fenton is about to become a lot harder.

Notes:

I edited the tags a bit, I'm still deciding how this fic is gonna play out, but I have it (mostly?) Planned now :')

     Dammit. This was the exact thing Gyro was hoping to avoid. Fenton cleared his throat as he stepped fully into the elevator, blocking Gyro’s only escape. Then the elevator doors closed, leaving Gyro and Fenton alone.

     “Dr. Gearloose-” Fenton started. There were so many things Gyro wanted to say to him. But he kept his beak shut, staring at Fenton with the coldest gaze he could muster. Fenton said nothing for a while. When he felt like he was about to collapse under the weight of the tension, it was like he was drowning in his deep brown eyes- 

     “I'm sorry.” Fenton apologized. 

     What? Gyro had no idea what the hell he was apologizing for. Gyro should be the one apologizing, Gyro should be begging for Fenton's forgiveness right now. But Fenton apologized to him. It made no sense and Gyro’s confusion must have been evident on his face, because Fenton continued, looking down at the floor. 

     “Della told me-” oh God what did she tell him. “That you've been struggling lately and you were feeling stressed.” Oh. Gyro almost argued that him being stressed was no excuse for how he'd treated Fenton. For how he'd ever treated him. But Fenton continued.

     “I'm sorry for adding to that stress. I never meant to hurt you.” No. You never hurt me. It's my fault. The words wouldn't come out of his beak, and he just stood there gaping at Fenton, when the elevator reached its destination. Fenton stepped out of the elevator. 

     “Wait, i-” Gyro began. Fenton turned back to him, expecting him to say more, but he never did. At some point Fenton must have left, but Gyro couldn't remember. He never stepped out of the elevator, taking it back down to his lab, plans of food forgotten. Maybe getting some work done will make me feel better. Just as he began his usual work, he was interrupted by the elevator doors opening. What now? He thought, irritated. He glanced over to the elevator to see Louie.

     “Green nephew.” He greeted, “what are you doing here?”

     “I'm hiding from Huey.” Gyro raised an eyebrow at the response, waiting for him to say more. “He's trying to set up Lena and Webby.” He added, plopping himself into Gyros' office chair. “He wants me to help him tie spaghetti together or something.” 

     Gyro chuckled softly in response. That's the same thing he did on Fenton’s date with Gandra. “Fine.” He agreed, returning to his work.

     “So, what are you doing down here?” Louie asked, spinning Gyro’s chair. “I haven't seen you outside your lab in like 2 weeks.” 

     Gyro sighed. “Scrooge has me working on a very important project at the moment. The board wants to fire me, so I have to impress them.” He grumbled in reply.

     “Cool, cool.” Louie fidgeted with the strings on his hoodie, still spinning his chair. Their conversation ceased after that, and Gyro continued fidgeting with his tech, concentrating on his task. 

     He was interrupted by the elevator door opening once again. Irritated, he looked up to see his boss, Scrooge McDuck waltzing into his lab.

     “Louie, there you are, lad!” He greeted, “I was looking for you, I've got news for you both.” He continued. “We’re going to Cape Suzette!” Louie cheered, sitting up from the chair he had been slouched in. 

     What? Gyro stared quizzically at Scrooge. “Why?” He asked incredulously. 

     “I've got a business meeting there.” Scrooge grumbled, clearly not thrilled at the fact. 

     “Why are you bringing us?” Gyro cocked his head at Scrooge.

     “I want to.” He replied. “It's a nice cruise ship, and I thought a break would do you lot some good.” With that he turned back toward the elevator, and green nephew followed him. “We are leaving at 8 in the morning.” He informed, walking away. 

     “Tomorrow?” Gyro questioned, surprised. This was sudden. But Scrooge and Louie were already in the elevator, leaving. Gyro shook his head, grabbing his blueprints to pack. No reason I can't work while we're out. Just as he was finishing, Fenton came down to the lab.

     “Dr Gearloose.” He greeted, nodding in his direction as he beelined to his office. Gyro watched him enter his office, shutting the door a little harder than necessary. Gyro only felt a little guilty. After packing his stuff up, he quickly made the decision to return to his apartment, not wanting to risk running into Fenton again. 

     Morning came quicker than Gyro would have liked, and he'd barely gotten any sleep. He grumbled, shutting off his alarm and rolling over, face pressed into his pillow. After a moment he sat up, not wanting to fall back asleep. He stretched, wincing as his back popped several times. He eventually stood up, stretching again before dressing himself. He grabbed his bags, neglecting to eat anything as he checked the time. It's 7:30. I'll probably make it on time. He did make it on time, and not long after he arrived at the mansion, there were several drivers to take them to the dock. Gyro ended up riding with Della, Donald and the brats, who were behaving so obnoxiously, he almost wished he'd rode with Fenton. Almost. 

     “Dewey, put your seatbelt on!” Della commanded, the kid had been climbing around in the car, him and Webby singing a duet for some reason. Gyro’s long legs were folded uncomfortably in the small space, and he was in between Della and Boyd. The two ducks had been singing the same lyrics over and over again, and it was driving him crazy. The green nephew was asleep, somehow, and Lena and Violet were sharing earbuds, while Boyd and hat nephew had a quiet conversation next to him. Donald was telling the kids to sit down as well, but they weren't listening to him or Della, and blue nephew continued to be dumb. Eventually they did arrive at their destination, and Gyro got out of the cramped space as quickly as possible. He stood, stretching again, and Della did the same next to him. Dewey had jumped out of the limo, running around with his brothers and Boyd, while Webby stood holding Lena’s hand, both blushing a bit. Eventually Scrooge rounded everyone up to get on the large boat, and began handing out the keys to their rooms. Scrooge handed a key to Fenton, who had moved to stand near Gyro, before turning to him. 

     “Do you want a key too, lad?” He held an extra out for him.

     “Why wouldn't I?” Gyro replied, and Scrooge ignored his irritated tone. 

     “Since you are rooming with Fenton, and he already has a key.” What? Oh shit that's not good. Fenton looked surprised as well. Gyro opened his mouth to speak but Scrooge was quicker.

     “You two are in the lab together all the time. The rooms are big enough, you lads will be fine.” Scrooge waved them off, going to help the nephews unpack. Boyd would be rooming with the rest of the kids, in a room that had a lot of bunk beds. Which means Fenton and I will be rooming together alone. Avoiding Fenton was about to get a lot harder.  

Notes:

I'm having a lot of fun with this fic actually. This is my first fic, so any criticism is welcome <3

Chapter 4: At least he tried

Summary:

Gyro and Fenton are introduced to their temporary living space, and Della continues to be the ultimate wingman and meddle in their relationship.

Notes:

Sorry for not updating for a while. Life is kicking my ass at the moment.
Tw*
Dissociation
Mild mentions of eating disorder

     Gyro waited for Fenton to unlock the door, Lil Bulb sitting on his shoulder. He'd scarcely slept the night before, and after the long ride, he was completely exhausted and struggling to stay on his feet. After a moment of fidgeting with the lock, Fenton was able to open the door, and Gyro followed him into the room. It was a big space, as Scrooge had said. There was a large window with a door to the patio, and a decently sized kitchen. There was a large bedroom attached to the living area, and a loft that gyro immediately claimed, tossing his stuff next to the bed. He flopped down onto the surprisingly soft mattress, and pillowed his head on his arms, and almost instantly was taken by sleep. 

 

Fenton POV

     Immediately after they entered the hotel room, Gyro had thrown his stuff and himself into the loft, and didn't come back down. He really wants nothing to do with me now. The thought made him sad, but he would respect Gyro's boundaries. He placed his bags on the floor in front of his bed, before sitting on the edge, picking up his phone to play a game. After what was around twenty minutes, he heard someone pounding on the door. He almost dropped his phone in surprise, fumbling it in the air before catching it and placing it in his pocket. He practically ran to the door to see what was wrong. Fenton threw open the door to see Della, grinning widely with her hand still held up to knock. He had only spoken to Della a few times, but he saw her around the lab pretty often, usually to see Gyro. 

     “Hey Fenton!” She said enthusiastically, finger gunning at him. He chuckled to himself.

     “Hello, Della.” He greeted back, holding his hand out to her, which she took quickly and shook it hard. She's got so much energy. He smiled, shaking it back. Fenton found it odd that her and Gyro were such good friends, since they seemed like complete opposites and he often heard them fighting and bantering. But she seemed really nice, and Fenton could see himself growing to like her. 

    She grinned, before letting go of his hand. “Alright, where's Screwloose?” She asked loudly, walking past Fenton into the space. He was about to answer, but Della started walking around yelling for him instead. “Gyroooooooo!” She yelled, drawing out the last syllable for an almost comical amount of time.

     “What the hell do you want?” He heard Gyro mutter from above them, he looked up towards the loft to see him glaring, irritated at Della. His usually well groomed feathers were a fluffy mess, and his glasses were askew. He was squinting at the light as he sat up and stretched. Wait, was he asleep? Fenton honestly never saw him sleep and was half convinced that he didn't, based on the perpetual dark circles under his eyes and the amount of coffee he drank. 

     “Heyyyyy Buddyyyyyyyy!” Della greeted, “Have a nice nap?” She asked sarcastically. Gyro still hadn't come down from his loft, and he rolled his eyes at her.

     “Della, what do you want?” He asked again, irritation still evident in his voice.

     “Well aren't you just a ray of sunshine today.” She replied, voice dripping with sarcasm. She continued, ignoring Gyro’s tired grumble in response, “We’re going to go get dinner, come on.” Della demanded, beginning to climb the ladder to the loft. 

     “I'm not hungry.” He replied, as Della poked her head up into the loft. Gyro says that a lot. Fenton thought to himself, eyebrows furrowing in concern for the tall chicken. 

     “Uh huh, sure. Come on.” Della responded, grabbing at his sleeve and tugging, before climbing back down the ladder. Once she was on the ground, she noticed Gyro had made no move to follow her. “Gyro, I'm not gonna leave you alone.” She threatened. She suddenly sucked in a breath, and Fenton backed up, knowing she was gonna yell again.

     “Alright, alright. I'm coming.” Gyro gave up, climbing down to the ground level. He looked so exhausted, and Fenton honestly felt bad for him. Della must have felt bad as well, because she gently took him by the arm before pulling him towards the door, Lil Bulb jumping onto his shoulder as they went. 

     “Come on, you'll feel better after you eat something!” She looked back at Fenton. “You coming, Crackpot?” She asked, and Fenton smiled at the nickname, padding after them.

 

     Della ended up leading them to a large room. It had a tall ceiling and a chandelier, it looked like the type of place fancy parties would be held at. Fenton looked around the space in wonder, taking in the sights. He looked over to see Della doing the same, and even Gyro had raised his eyebrows at the pretty scene, Della still lightly gripping his arm. 

     “You enjoying the view, lad?” He pulled his eyes away from the chandelier, to see the Scottish duck smiling at him.

     “I was just looking at the chandelier!” Fenton explained energetically, “It's really pretty.” He added.

     “It is, isn't it?” Mr. McDuck replied, tapping his cane. “Get something to eat, alright lads?” Mr. McDuck was looking pointedly at Gyro now. Fenton wondered again if he had issues with eating. Gyro rolled his eyes and muttered a response. The chicken had been lethargic and unresponsive pretty much all day. Which was odd, considering how much of a vocal asshole he usually was, and it was honestly worrying. Fenton would almost rather have Gyro yelling at him, anything was better than whatever this was. He glanced between the three of them for an uncomfortable moment, before Della started pulling Gyro over to the buffet table, Fenton following them again. 

 

Gyro POV

     Gyro blinked tiredly as Della started pulling him again. He looked up to see her pulling him towards a buffet table. He really didn't want anything to eat, but he already knew that Della wouldn't take no for an answer, so he let himself be pulled in whatever direction she pleased. Not like I have the energy to fight with her anyway. He was only half aware of his surroundings as he scooped some food onto his plate. He followed Della and Fenton to a secluded table and sat down. Gyro really tried to focus, but his brain was fuzzy and the surrounding area looked odd. He blinked a few more times, staring at his food. He had been off for several days now, and people were starting to worry. He had noticed Fenton and Della looking at him with concern more than a few times, and Della kept pulling him around. I should at least tell Del what's going on. He thought absently, and Fenton. He looked guiltily at the aforementioned duck, who was eating his food and listening to Della ramble on about her and her kid's latest adventure. Knowing Fenton, he probably thinks it's his fault I'm acting this way. Gyro felt another wave of guilt. He tried to tune in to Della’s story but he was just too fucking tired, which was odd considering he'd just taken a nap earlier. He was snapped out of his thoughts by Della shaking his shoulder. He looked up and noticed both her and Fenton staring at him, as well as Manny. Lil Bulb was sitting on Manny’s shoulder now, and blinked at him a few times. When the hell did they get here? He hummed quietly, tilting his head. 

     “You okay there? You haven't eaten anything yet.” Della asked, mimicking his head tilt. He didn't respond, but he did pick up his fork to start eating. He ate about half his food, mostly just so Della wouldn't nag him later, before he excused himself to go back to their room, curling up on his bed. He stayed there for a while, before he felt someone sit on the bed next to him. He glanced over to see Della, I didn't even hear her come in. He furrowed his brow at that, rolling over to face away from her. She huffed, poking him. When he ignored her, she poked him again. She continued until he rolled over to face her, glaring. 

     “There he is!” She smiled and Gyro rolled his eyes, not replying. “What's up with you?” She inquired. Gyro opened his mouth to speak, but she interrupted, “and don't you dare say ‘it's nothing.’” Gyro huffed quietly, gathering his thoughts before speaking. 

      “I don't know. I just feel,” he waved his hands around, looking for the word, “...fuzzy. I don't know. I feel weird.” He shrugged, shifting so he was laying on his back.

     “So are you- like dissociating or something?” Della asked, flopping down next to him, forcing him to move over. Gyro just shrugged again. When the fuck did she get so mature? “Did you ever tell Fenton how you feel about him?” She pushed herself up onto her elbows so she could see Gyro’s face, and he turned away slightly. “Gyrooooo.” Della sighed deeply, “just tell him.” She whined, her voice grating on his nerves. 

    “How the hell am I supposed to even bring that up?” He challenged, glaring at his friend. 

     “Hi Fenton, I'm only mean to you because I don't know how to be nice to anyone and I'm actually in love with you.” She responded, a crude impression of Gyro’s voice.

    “My voice is not that squeaky.” He muttered, ignoring what she had actually said. Della huffed and socked him in the shoulder, sitting up on the bed. 

     “Whatever, grumpy pants. I'm gonna go.” She stood up, stretching, “but I will be back.” She added, poking his forehead as she spoke. She booped his beak next, causing him to swat at her, before jumping out of his reach and laughing. “See ya Gyro!” She jumped off the loft, not even bothering with the ladder. He heard a thump and a small oof as she hit the ground, and Gyro rolled his eyes at her antics. After a moment, he sat up, digging through his bag for his tools and blueprints, deciding to work on his latest project to clear his mind. After a while, he heard the door open, the sounds of laughing and chatter entering the room as it did. Fenton said his goodbyes to whoever was with him before shutting the door. He sighed contentedly, walking further into their shared space, he waved at gyro, who nodded in response. Gyro opened his mouth to speak, before stopping himself. I don't have to tell him everything. Gyro thought to himself, but maybe it would be beneficial to at least explain why I'm avoiding him. Gyro sat in thought for a while longer, contemplating what he should tell Fenton, going over scenarios in his head and such. After a while, the inventor huffed, climbing down the loft to find Fenton. The duck was sitting on the couch, watching some kind of drama. Gyro had no idea what was going on, because it was in Spanish, but Fenton periodically reacted to it, while Gyro stood at the bottom of the loft, still holding the rungs of the ladder. He rubbed a hand over his face, before approaching. Fenton paused the show, smiling at Gyro. 

    “Hello, Dr. Gearloose.” Fenton greeted. Fenton usually calls him Gyro, he had been ever since Tokyolk. But to be fair, Gyro was being a dick all the time now, similarly to how he'd used to act. He realized he had gotten lost in thought again, and Fenton was staring at him, brows furrowed in confusion, and head tilted. It was so cute when he did that. Gyro shook his head, before replying.

    “Dr. Intern,” he started, before shaking his head again. “Fenton.” Yeah, that works. “I wanted to…apologize.” He paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts again. He very rarely apologized for anything, and it felt odd. “I wanted to apologize for the way I've been treating you these past few days. You didn't do anything, I'm just-” hopelessly in love with you. He didn't finish the sentence, instead just shrugging and hoping Fenton understood what he was trying to say. 

     “Gyro. It's alright.” Fenton replied, “I overstepped your boundaries, I'm the one that should be sorry.” Gyro immediately felt guilty again. He wanted Fenton to understand that it wasn't his fault, but the only way to explain Gyro's sudden behavior was to tell him the truth. And I'm really not ready to do that. He swallowed, hand rubbing the back of his neck. Maybe I should just tell him. I don't want to lose him. I really don't want to lose Fenton. I don't know how to tell him any of this. Gyro could barely articulate his thoughts to himself, let alone Fenton. So he did the only thing knew how to do, and ran. 

Chapter 5: Once again running away from his problems. Literally

Summary:

Gyro has some things to figure out, Fenton just wants to know what's going on. Plus some cute Gyro bonding with his robot sons ^-^

Notes:

Wow, sorry this took so long. I managed to lose my phone while hiking, and my girlfriend broke up with me. :/ there likely won't be as much of a wait for the next chapter, since it's already like halfway done. <3

     Gyro ran until he was no longer sure where he was, until his lungs burned and legs throbbed. After what felt like an eternity, he finally stopped, panting. He surveyed his surroundings, noticing that he had come outside. He slumped down against the wall, leaning his head up to look at the sky. He scowled softly, glaring at the stars. He used to love them so much, astronomy was his passion, but after Della- no. No, don't think about that. Don't fucking think about the stupid spear-. Too late. He felt a huge wave of guilt as he thought about it, and he just stayed there, curled up on the ground. Why am I like this? Gyro began pulling at his feathers in frustration, further curling in on himself, and pressing his face into his knees. He almost started laughing, he really was pathetic! He couldn't even talk to the people he cared about. He had built up walls to keep himself safe. After everything, it seemed impossible to love other people. And now his meticulously built walls were crashing down because of one stupid intern. Fuck my life.

 

 

Fenton POV

 

    What the hell was that? Gyro had been acting weird all week, ever since their little outing, and it was driving Fenton up the wall. Why was he doing this? Did he really hate Fenton that much? Fenton was baffled, lost in thought about what had just happened. Gyro had come in here, apologized, which was already very out of character for him, and then he ran off! Where did he go? Fenton hoped Gyro was okay, he hoped he would come back soon. I should go look for him! He thought frantically, but then stopped himself. Gyro probably doesn't want to see me. He deflated slightly, deciding to call Della. She didn't pick up the first time, or the second. When he called a third time, she finally picked up on the 4th ring.

     “What the fuck do you want?” She sounded pissed and tired, and Fenton felt only a little bit guilty about waking her up.

     “Gyro's gone.” He replied. That woke her up quickly.

     “What do you mean, ‘gone’?!” She demanded, sounding much more awake.

     “He came down to see me while I was watching TV. Then he apologized -i don't know what for- and he ran off!” He explained quickly, “I didn't want to go looking for him, since he probably doesn't wanna see me right now…” 

     “Oh for the love of fuck! Goddammit gyro, you little…” Fenton didn't catch the string of insults directed at her friend, “I'm gonna go find his stupid ass, bye Fenton!” She finished, hanging up the phone. Okay. Della sounded annoyed, and at this point Fenton knew there was something going on that she wasn't telling him. Something was wrong with Gyro, and Fenton sighed, still not understanding what. He sat back down on the couch, holding his phone. His finger hovered over gyro’s contact, but after a while he sighed again, tossing his phone onto the couch beside him and leaning back a bit, and he stayed like that for a while, deciding to just wait it out. Maybe I can ask Della what's going on.

 

 

Gyro POV

 

     Gyro was still curled up against the wall, crying quietly and tugging at his feathers in frustration when he heard a familiar pair of mismatched footsteps, and his head snapped up so fast he hit the back of it on the wall and he groaned.

     “Gyro, you dumbass, what the hell are you-” she stopped when she saw the state he was in, sighing softly, as she crouched down next to him. “You uh- You okay there?” She asked, eyebrows furrowing in concern for him. Gyro just groaned again and laid his head back into his knees, shoulders still shaking as he sobbed. Della gently grabbed his wrists to stop him yanking on his feathers, and she stayed. Stayed next to him, gently holding his wrists while he cried. Stayed until he calmed enough to explain himself. 

     “I-I don't know what to do anymore.” He admitted quietly, letting her hold his wrists. Della gently shifted so that she was holding his hands, rubbing her thumbs against the palms of his hands soothingly, waiting for him to continue. He sighed again, “I should be able to control my emotions better… I'm an adult for fucks sake! But ever since we went back to Tokyolk, and I saw Akita, not just in Tokyolk but… I saw Akita in myself. The way I treated Fenton, the way I held myself above others, it was just like him. And Fenton? Fenton still tried to comfort me after it. Even after everything I put him through! I apologized, sure, but that doesn't mean I've changed. I haven't changed! I-” he was interrupted by Della

     “Yes you have! You've absolutely changed! Do you not remember the fact that Fenton’s office was in the bathroom? You were shit. You were so mean to him! You still are sometimes, but you're trying. Not a lot of people can say that. You know what? You do have flaws, we all do! You need to get over yourself, stop moping around and just talk to people! Fenton will never understand if you don't talk to him. The guy thinks you hate him. You've spent your entire life bottling up all your emotions and now it's coming back to bite you!” Della snapped, her voice wasn't loud, but it was intense. Gyro sighed softly when she was done ranting.

     “Tomorrow…” He began quietly, “I’ll talk to Fenton properly tomorrow, but I can't right now.” His voice was quiet and raspy from crying and he just looked so tired. “Can I stay with you tonight?” Della sighed softly, knowing she couldn't say no to him right now. She didn't respond, standing and gently pulling Gyro up with her. Then she quickly wrapped her arms around him, standing on her toes to rest her head on his shoulder for a moment. It was a quick hug, only a few seconds. 

     “Yeah, yeah, come on.” She was still holding his hand as she walked back to her room, gyro close behind her.

 

     Gyro woke up to a bright light blinding him, causing him to roll over and groan, covering his head with a pillow.

     “Good morning, sunshine!” Della yelled sarcastically. She had thrown open the blinds, wanting Gyro to get up. It was past noon for fucks sake. The chicken had slept in her bed with her the night before, and slept almost ten hours. She hadn't woken him up yet, wanting to let him rest, but she was ready to be up now. “Gyro, get up! I'm bored!” She poked him as she said this and Gyro swatted at her.

     “Fuck off, I hate you.” He replied, his voice muffled by the pillow. Della chuckled softly at the response. He hates getting up in the morning. 

     “Gyro!” Della whined, flopping down on him, “stop being an ass!” He groaned as she landed on him, she wasn't gentle. He huffed again, finally removing the pillow from his face to glare at the duck sprawled across him. She was laying with her back resting on his stomach, feet hanging off the bed. Della smiled brightly when he uncovered his face,

     “There he is!” She sassed, grinning. Gyro rolled his eyes in response, shoving Della off him so he could sit up. “I texted Fenton last night and let him know you were here.” Della informed him, currently typing away on her phone. Gyro felt a sense of dread in the pit of his stomach. “He called me last night, saying you had run off, guy was scared shitless.” She continued, not looking at him. 

     “Oh.” Was all Gyro said in reply, looking away from Della as well. It was tense and quiet for a moment before the door burst open. Gyro jumped as his eyes snapped to the door, but Della just smiled and stood up. 

     “Hey kids!” She greeted, putting her arms out as Huey jumped at her for a hug. She hugged all three of them and Webby. Lena and Violet waved, but they didn't usually hug Della. Boyd came up to gyro, and gyro smiled at him. 

     “Good morning, Boyd.” He greeted, hugging his definitely real boy. Boyd hugged him back tightly.

     “Good morning dad!” He said excitedly. Boyd had taken to calling him “dad” a few weeks ago, and it still felt kinda weird, but he was happy nonetheless. Boyd pulled back, sitting right next to Gyro and leaning against his side. “The boat is docked now! Mr. McDuck has business meetings today, but we can explore the town! It's a little tourist town…” Boyd began explaining what there was to do in this little town, Violet and Huey occasionally adding, while Gyro nodded along. When Boyd was done talking, Gyro noticed Louie looking at him, staring him down. He stared back uncomfortably, wondering what the hell he wanted. 

     “Why were you in our mom’s room?” He questioned. The other kids looked at Gyro now too, wondering the same thing. 

     “I…uh” gyro started, glancing at Della. 

     “He just was having a bad night and slept here.” Della explained, shrugging. Then all of them started asking follow up questions. 

     “Why were you having a bad night?” Dewey asked, and before he could reply, Webby was questioning him too.

     “Are you okay?” She asked, voice laced with sweet concern as she moved closer. 

     “Did you and Fenton fight?” Boyd asked him quietly, and that caused the questions to stop as they all looked at him again, waiting for him to answer.

     “It's complicated.” He said simply, shrugging.

     “How is it complicated? What happened?” Lena asked. She had been quiet this whole time, watching Gyro get interrogated by the other kids. 

     “Just… adult stuff. Don't worry about it.” He replied, clearly getting a bit frustrated at how nosy they were. But they didn't let up. 

     “Is it because you and Fenton like each other?” Huey asked, tilting his head quizzically. Gyro could feel his face heating up when Huey said that.

     “W-what?! Who told you that?!” He screeched, blushing hard. 

     “Well… it's kinda obvious!” Boyd giggled. 

     “Yeah,” Dewey agreed, “you guys literally stutter and blush whenever you're around each other!”

     “It's kinda hard to watch.” Louie added, raising an eyebrow at Gyro, who rolled his eyes.

     “I-it's not that obvious… right?” Gyro mumbled, face still bright red. 

     “Oh, it definitely is.” Lena laughed. 

     “Yeah, it's bad.” Webby agreed, giggling. Gyro groaned softly.

     “Do you think he's noticed?!” He squawked, putting his face in his hands. 

     “No.” Della laughed, “He's too busy trying to hide his crush on you to notice that it's reciprocated. You both are, it's ridiculous!” 

     “He doesn't like me!” Gyro snapped, “I know he doesn't, how could he?” Gyro muttered, sighing deeply and dragging a hand over his face. Nobody really knew what to say to that, knowing Gyro would argue anyways. After a moment, Della broke the tense silence. 

     “Alright kids, that's enough interrogating Gyro, let's go explore!” Della suggested, “everyone dressed and ready?” The kids all nodded and confirmed that they were indeed ready. 

     “Um, actually, I-I was thinking…” Boyd stuttered a bit, “maybe Dad and I could spend time together… we just have barely gotten to spend time together since Tokyolk and I just- uh-” 

     “It's alright, Boyd.” Gyro chuckled, “you don't have to justify wanting to spend time with your dad.” He softly ruffled the little parrot’s feathers. “Just let me head back to my room to get ready, then we can hang out.” Gyro stood up, stretching. He winced when his back popped. “Gimme like half an hour, alright?” He waved to Della and the kids, beginning his walk back to his room. Please don't let Fenton be here. Please don't let Fenton be here. Please-. As soon as he opened the door, he was greeted by a concerned duck. 

     “Dr. Gearloose! I'm so sorry, I-I don't know what happened, I-” 

     Gyro cut him off. “It's fine, Fenton. You didn't do anything, we can talk about this later. I'm going to spend time with Boyd today.” Gyro brushed past him briskly, heart pounding in his chest. It pained Gyro to dismiss Fenton so roughly, but he couldn't deal with this right now. He had to get ready. Gyro quickly climbed up to his loft, and grabbed his stuff before locking himself in the bathroom to get ready. As he stripped out of his pajamas, he took a moment to actually look at himself. His torso had more than a few scars. He allowed his fingers to brush the matching scars on his chest. He smiled a bit at them. Maybe I'll have a chance to take my shirt off at some point during our trip. He had gotten top surgery a few years prior, but he hadn't taken his shirt off in public yet. But the scars were faded enough that maybe? He shook his head and got dressed, changing into a pink printed button up and a pair of beige shorts. It was too hot for his usual turtleneck and dress pants. He kept his usual hat, but decided the bowtie wouldn't match well with the casual button up. He sighed deeply, brushing his fingers through his hair a few times before walking out to the main room to text Boyd, but to his surprise, the little parrot was already there waiting for him. He was sitting on the couch, talking to Fenton about the Gizmosuit. Lil Bulb was sitting on his head, not paying attention. Boyd perked up when Gyro entered. Fenton got bright red when he saw him, eyes widening a bit, and Gyro quickly noticed that he was blushing at his exposed tail feathers.  It was definitely the first time Fenton had ever saw them. The long black feathers were typically tucked in because they were a hazard in the lab. Gyro felt his face heat up, and they stared at each other for a moment, before Boyd broke the tense silence.

     “Hi dad! Are you ready to go yet? I've got a list of fun things for us to do in the area!” Boyd explained excitedly, grasping gyro's hand to begin dragging him out of the room, saying bye to Fenton as they left. Lil Bulb quickly climbed up his arm and perched on his shoulder. Boyd gently dragged them outside, chattering the whole time about the things they were gonna do. Gyro nodded along and occasionally asked questions, but more or less let Boyd decide the plan for their day. First up, they went to get ice cream on the dock. They got their ice cream, gyro got strawberry and Boyd got chocolate. Then the group found a bench to sit on. Gyro glanced over and chuckled at Boyd, who was making an impressive mess of his sweet. Lil Bulb was sitting next to Gyro, and he watched Boyd, his lightbulb blinking rapidly in his own form of laughter. They eventually finished their sweets, gyro going back to get napkins for Boyd, sighing softly and shaking his head. After getting cleaned up, Boyd gently grasped his hand again, walking with him on the dock. It was a large wooden dock, with lots of small shops and kiosks. Boyd was rushing about, dragging Gyro and Lil Bulb with him, for a while, but Gyro didn't mind. He chuckled softly. Boyd was always so excited. They ended up walking along the beach, Boyd and Lil Bulb finding shells along the way. After a while, Boyd pulled out his phone to text Huey. Apparently they were supposed to meet up soon. 

     “Huey said they're over by the fountain at the shopping district, so we should start heading that way!” Boyd informed, leading the way. Boyd had scarcely let go of Gyro’s hand. He tended to be pretty affectionate usually, not that Gyro minded. He just nodded and let himself be dragged, Lil Bulb hitching a ride on his hat. 

Notes:

I really love writing Della and Gyro's friendship. I wanna write some stories of them being buddies before the spear of Selene.

Chapter 6: Partially fixed

Summary:

Gyro is so mopey that even Della is sick of him. Lena talks some sense into him, and h finally gives Fenton a partial confession, fixing their relationship for now.

Notes:

Wow, I've been gone a while. Sorry lmao. I had to have a surgery, and I was miserable and depressed while recovering and I went through one of the bigger creative blocks I've ever had and just completely gave up art and writing for like 3 weeks??? Anyway, shits been wild. Here's another chapter.

     Boyd had led them down busy streets, almost a ten minute walk from where they had been. Boyd started running when he saw Huey, letting go of Gyro's hand to run up to his friend.

     “Hello, Huey!” Boyd greeted, hugging the little duck.

     “Hey Boyd! How was your walk with Dr. Gearloose?” They pulled back, no longer hugging but still holding hands.

     “We had fun! We got ice cream!” Gyro let the kids talk, instead approaching Della, who was sitting at a wooden picnic table across from Webby and Dewey. She waved gyro over and he sat down next to her.

     “Soooooooo?” She leaned over him, stretching out the syllable to an annoying degree. He huffed and pulled back, shoving her out of his personal space, which seemed to be her favorite fucking place to be lately.

     “Don't ask.” He muttered in response, knowing that it was probably about Fenton. Gyro remembered his promise to talk to Fenton later and immediately a wave of anxiety rolled through him. He sighed, bouncing his leg as he tried to dismiss those thoughts. Focus on one thing at a time, dammit. He rubbed a hand over his face, sighing again. Della seemed to notice his anxious energy, and she stood up.

     “Well, I'm bored! What do you guys wanna do today?” dammit. When did she become so observant? Della had changed since she got back from the moon… she was still an obnoxious prick, sure. But gyro had noticed she was more mature, and observant too. She could read him like an open book and it bothered him sometimes, even if it was occasionally helpful.

     The kids seemed to agree on going downtown, since most of them wanted to see the more touristy- places while Mr. McDuck wasn't there to complain about it. Dewey and Webby mostly led the way, Webby pulling Lena along with her. Gyro lagged behind, hands in his pockets as he pretty much was just left to stew in his own misery on the walk. Della didn't attempt to talk with him, and was probably sick of dealing with his mopey ass at this point, which was understandable. Gyro hated it, but it was understandable. She just wanted to have fun on her vacation. As they got further from the boardwalk, they started seeing more shops and buildings. There was a lot of traffic, a lot of noise, lights and other stressful nuances. Gyro hated every second of it, but at least the bustling tourist town was stressful enough to keep his mind off his impending conversation with fenton. Oh fuck, I thought about it again. He sighed again, grinding his teeth and keeping his hands shoved in his pockets.

     “Well someone has a stick up their ass.” Gyro whipped around to face Lena, who had slowed down to walk beside him at some point without him noticing. He rolled his eyes at her comment, but didn't reply. She was right. He'd been mopey and pissy the whole time, of course people were catching on. “What's going on with you anyway?” She asked, tilting her head. “I mean, you're always grumpy, but it's not typically this bad.” He sighed in response.

     “It's just adult stuff. You wouldn't understand.” He seethed, refusing to look at the snarky teen.

     “What kind of adult stuff?”

     “Just… don't worry about it.” She rolled her eyes.

     “I'm just gonna keep asking.” He didn't reply for a moment. "Gyro." After a moment, she went to speak again, but he sighed and finally responded. 

     “It's just something with Fenton, alright? You wouldn't get it.” He sighed, beginning to get frustrated. Lena was stubborn, observant and cynical. She reminded gyro too much of himself for comfort.

      “You think I wouldn't understand complicated relationships?” She laughed. “Dude. I'm a gay teenager, every relationship I have is complicated! Just tell me. I'm not gonna leave you alone.” She rolled her eyes. At this point it was a test of stubbornness, and Lena was winning. He sighed, glaring at her, but she just raised an eyebrow, remaining unfazed.

     “I care for Fenton, and I think we're friends now… but I've done a lot of shitty stuff to him in the past, and I don't know how to move forward because I still feel so guilty. I-i used to berate him, insult him… I didn't even call him by his name for several months after I first met him.” Gyro admitted. And I definitely have a crush on him. But he didn't tell her that part.

     “Mood.”

     “...what?” Gyro's face twisted in confusion at the response, and Lena laughed. 

     “Nevermind. I get it though. I mean, I did a lot of things that hurt the McDucks, but they forgave me… and made me a part of their family anyways. It's hard, but you just gotta suck it up. Man up, rub some dirt on it… whatever old people say.”

     “I'm only 36! I'm not that-”

     “Whatever.” She interrupted, laughing, “not the point. Fenton's clearly already forgiven you, or else he wouldn't want to hang out with you all the time. Which he does. He obviously cares about you. Sure, maybe you feel guilty and undeserving of affection… I know the feeling. But in the end, it's not up to you. You don't get to decide what's best for him, or whether or not he forgives you, you just get to be grateful he did.” She shrugged.

     “That's… surprisingly good advice.” Gyro sighed, shoulders relaxing a bit. She was right. Fenton was an adult, gyro didn't get to decide what was best for him. She cracked a grin, finger gunning at him, which he also didn't understand. She went back up to the front with Dewey and Webby, leaving gyro alone again, but he felt better at least. He went into a few shops, had small conversations with Della and Boyd, but still mostly kept to himself. They went into one tourist ship however, that had Hamilduck merch, and Gyro got Fenton a keychain as a small apology, knowing it was the duck's favorite musical. After that, it was almost four. Scrooge had asked them to be back by six so they could go out for dinner. Everyone else wanted to stay out longer, but Gyro decided to go back to the hotel...He wanted a chance to talk with Fenton before dinner, and hopefully diffuse some tension before they had to go sit at a restaurant together. He said a quick goodbye to everyone before walking briskly back to the dock leading onto the boat.

     He stopped in front of the door to his and Fenton's shared room, sighing deeply. He opened the door, holding the small keychain in his hand, running his thumb along the plastic to calm himself. He wandered further in, and saw that Fenton had gotten dressed and was sitting on the couch, video calling someone. He looked up when Gyro entered, smiling brightly and waving at him.

     “Oh! Gyro just got back.” He announced, turning the camera so gyro could see he was video calling with Gandra, and she waved at him.

    “Hey, doc.” She greeted him. He waved half-heartedly at the camera. Fenton seemed to sense that Gyro wanted to talk, so he said a quick goodbye to Gandra and hung up. Fenton put his phone in his pocket, patting the couch next to him. Gyro sat down, slightly too far away and immediately panicked. It was an awkward distance, but scooting closer would also be awkward. Fuck. What is wrong with me??? Fenton didn't seem to notice his inner struggle and he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “So… hi.” He smiled, and it was definitely strained. Gyro had just become very interested in the floor, not replying for a weirdly long amount of time. There were so many things he wanted to say. I'm not gonna run this time. He promised himself, but that probably wasn't true. He put his hands on his knees, leg bouncing erratically.

     “I- I'm so sorry.” Gyro started. Fenton opened his beak to respond, but Gyro continued before he could. “n-no. Please… I need to tell you this. I can't keep avoiding it.” Fenton closed his beak, nodding at gyro to continue.“Everything has been… awkward lately. And it's my fault. Look… everything is a lot right now, and I don't know why I can't just be normal around you. Well, actually I do know… why I can't be normal.” He mumbled, trailing off. Oh fuck, I'm really doing this. “I-i feel guilty…” he mumbled. Fenton looked confused, tilting his head. God, why is he so fucking cute? How am I supposed to focus on anything??? Gyro sighed again. “When we first met… I treated you like shit. I treated you how Akita treated me…” well, verbally at least. “I was unfair to you. I called you “intern”, your office was in the bathroom, I berated and insulted you every day. And I didn't even see anything wrong with my behavior until I saw Akita again and realized that I was becoming like him. I'm trying to be better, but I'm failing. I feel like I don't deserve to talk to you after everything I've done. I don't deserve to be close to you and be friends. How can you just forgive me!? I wouldn't!” Gyro had stubbornly refused to look at Fenton during his entire rant, but now he glanced over to the duck, jaw clenched while he tried not to cry. Fenton was also tearing up though, and he immediately wrapped his arms tightly around gyro, hugging him close to himself. Gyro tensed in surprise. What the hell?! But he began relaxing after a moment, resting his forehead against Fenton's shoulder. He didn't return the hug, but he allowed himself to be hugged, which was more than he usually would. They stayed like that for a little while, before Fenton began talking, not pulling away.

     “Gyro… it's okay, I forgive you. I forgave you a long time ago… Please, just move on. I want to move on, alright? You're a good person, you're trying your best. That's all I can ask for.” Fenton murmured, resting his beak on gyro's shoulder. After a long while, gyro took a shaking breath and finally wrapped his arms around Fenton. That was the first time he's ever returned one of Fenton's hugs and Fenton smiled softly as they just held each other. Gyro finally let himself relax into Fenton's arms. Just for a little bit… I'll let myself have this. After several minutes, Gyro finally pulled back, and Fenton did so as well, the duck wiping tears from his eyes.

     “Oh… um. I actually got you something.” Gyro handed him the keychain, and Fenton smiled brightly and pulled him into another quick hug.

     “It's so cute! Hamilduck is my favorite musical.” Fenton tilted his head, and gyro had to look away to hide his blush. He glanced back to Fenton, who was running his thumb along the plastic keychain, smiling softly still. Fuck, he's so cute. Gyro's face had to be tomato red by now. But Fenton didn't notice. Gyro still had a hopeless crush on Fenton, but at least they were on good terms now. Gyro had successfully managed to navigate a social situation, much to everyone's surprise.

Notes:

I loved writing the interaction between Lena and Gyro, it was fun. I have like 6 fics in my drafts rn, as well as the first part of the next chapter.

Chapter 7: A soft moment for now

Summary:

Gyro and Fenton have a nice night, safe from drama for now.

Notes:

Heyyyyy. It's been almost a year since I updated!!! Sorry lolol. Shits been rough and I've been in and out of the hospital but I'm like kind of alright now, so I'm gonna get back into my writing stuff.

     That night at dinner, Gyro and Fenton sat together again, having casual conversation for what was probably the first time in months. “I went out for a bit yesterday, and there was this really cute little milkshake place. I think we should go tomorrow, since Mr. McDuck is taking the kids” Fenton suggested casually, sipping his water. ‘wait- like just the two of them? That could either be really fun or really awkward.’

     “Yeah, sure. That sounds fun, I suppose.” He agreed quickly, not giving himself time to overthink and decline. Fenton smiled brightly. ‘fuck, he's so cute, why does he look like that. I could stare at his stupid face for hours-’ “Gyro?” ‘oh shit. Fenton was still talking.’ while had just been staring dumbly at the duck's pretty smile, Fenton had apparently asked something.

     “Eh? What.” He sat up slightly, suddenly a bit self conscious.

     “I asked if you wanted to hit a few stores tonight. I want to get something to wear tomorrow, since all I have is a few button ups and a random tourist shirt.” Gyro just nodded in agreement, going back to eating his food, while Fenton started up a conversation with Huey and Webby. Gyro was suddenly aware of a presence way too close for comfort.

     “For fuck’s sake, Della. Personal space.” He rolled his eyes, not bothering to shove her away this time.

     “Language.” She warned, not caring about the ‘personal space’ comment. “Sooooooooo. I saw you were talking to Fenton again?”

     “Yeah. So?”

     “God, you're so grumpy. Why do I put up with you?” She rolled her eyes. Gyro huffed out a soft laugh.

     “Because you’re irritating and I'm the only one that puts up with you?” She shoved him lightly in response. Gyro smiled and looked back at Fenton. The duck was smiling at Huey and Webby, laughing. His fluffy feathers were pushed back, one falling forward against his forehead, away from the rest. He was so pretty. Gyro found himself staring at his bill, wondering what it would feel like to kiss him. What-? Gyro immediately shook the thought off, face hot with embarrassment, even though nobody would know what he had just been thinking about.

     After dinner, Gyro stood awkwardly in the entryway of their temporary living room. Fenton was taking forever to get ready. It's not like they were going on a date or anything. Or were they?? Was Gyro underdressed??? Before he could spiral too much, Fenton finally came out of the bathroom. The duck was dressed in a lilac button up, the sleeves pushed up to expose his strong forearms, and the shirt unbuttoned just enough to have Gyro panicking internally. The bastard didn't even notice, just offering Gyro a shy smile.

     “Hey…” he said quietly. Gyro, after way too long of a pause, replied.

     “...Hey.” shit. Lame reply. And his voice was too squeaky. Maybe Della was right. He ran a hand through his bangs, sighing and adjusting his glasses, offering a smile to Fenton that he hoped didn't look like he was being held at gunpoint. Fenton grabbed his hand while they walked down the dock. The sun was starting to set, and it was getting cold. Gyro shivered slightly, and Fenton held his hand a bit tighter, which made the taller bird blush immediately. Fenton yapped the whole way, but Gyro was barely listening. He just like the sound of his voice, and the feeling of Fenton's hand grasping his own. He was so warm. He wished more than just their hands would touch. But only because it was cold!!!! He definitely didn't want to be held… The first store they went into was mostly tourist shirts and hoodies, and Gyro got one of the jackets only because he was freezing his tail feathers off. It was kinda ugly. And forty dollars, which he grumbled about the entire transaction. The next store they entered had more variety in clothing. Fenton beelined to the button ups, still talking to Gyro. He was talking about some guy his mother arrested a while ago. Gyro hummed in acknowledgement, looking at pants.

     “You should get another pair with a hole for your feathers…” Fenton suggested softly, not making eye contact. Gyro felt his face heat up, but when he glanced up, Fenton was also bright red.

     “Maybe I will.” A slightly flirty response, but it seemed to be the right one, since Fenton smiled at him with a small sound of happiness. They fell into a comfortable silence after that, picking out a few clothing pieces. Gyro tried on a black button up and dark jeans, ones that let his tail feathers breathe, which visibly made Fenton happy. Fenton’s outfit of choice was a darker plum button up with a black tie, much darker than he usually wore, but Gyro found he quite liked the look on him. They made their purchases and began to head home.Gyro barely even noticed that he had grabbed Fenton's hand.

     Fenton glanced down in surprise when he felt Gyro's hand slide into his own. Gyro never initiates affection, and he felt himself smiling at the contact. He was like a stray cat. It took a lot of work to get him to even accept affection, let alone want it. Fenton was damn proud of himself for finally breaking the stubborn asshole’s walls down enough to accept it. They were quiet on the way back, though it wasn't the tense awkward silence Fenton had come to expect. It was a comfortable silence, the both of them just enjoying the pleasant walk and the warmth of each other's hands.