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Chapter Text

Fenton let out one last sigh as he completed the last document for today. It was almost 5:30 and he (for once) finished most of his work early. He adjusted his signature purple tie and fixed the collar of his cream yellow shirt. He leaned back in his chair to glance over at the slightly older chicken.

Gyro had his face buried in an invention he was tinkering with. Fenton was ecstatic when his office was moved from the bathroom out to the main section of the lab for times like these. He was able to look over and see the scientist working on something old that needed work done or something new that his genius mind has come up with.

The only problem was his inventions worked right about 50% of the time but that's besides the point.

The young duck couldn't help but make goo goo eyes at his superior. The chicken might have looked lanky and stalky to others, but to Fenton there was nothing about his appearance that wasn't gorgeous.

His pure white feathers that fluffed up when he was mad or when they were wet, his down-turned beak that made it all the more pleasant when he smiled (which was almost never), and his dark green eyes.

To most, the eyes would look completely black, but Fenton knew when his eyes hit the sunlight just right, they would be a perfect shade of forest green. They were mesmerizing in the rare moments he got to see that. The duck had always loved the color green, but never wore it since it didn't suit him well. 

Whenever he would wear it, people said it made him look sick or uncomfortable, sometimes even out of place. Fenton accepted the fact he looked better in yellows, purples, and brown-ish colors, but his love for green never faded. 

"What are you staring at, Intern?" The chicken asked coldly that Fenton jumped as he forgot he was still admiring him like a love sick teenage girl. "N-Nothing just the new invention, Dr. Gearloose!" 

Gyro raised an eyebrow and started to explain it. It was a requested item by Louie to be a remote to connect to any device in Duckberg. Gyro told him that was impossible without tampering with all the other devices and made him settle on a remote to control any TV in Duckberg to which the teen sighed and accepted. 

Gyro has no doubt he would use it to his advantage when visiting his friends' houses.

Fenton didn't pay much attention to the explanation on how it worked though. He was still staring into Gyro's eyes, hidden by his thick framed glasses, making them look bigger.

"Intern!" The duck looked at the chicken and realized he must have said something important. "Yes Dr. Gearloose?" 

Gyro huffed. "You should go home and rest, you finished your work for today and you have been spacing out. Go sleep tonight and don't be tired or acting like a space cadet tomorrow." Gyro responded sharply without saying another word. 

Fenton frowned but gave in and got his stuff ready to leave the lab for the day. Gyro was right but Fenton had been getting enough sleep. The thing he needed was to stop chasing after his co-worker or have a fun night to hang out with friends. He needed his mind off of Gyro for today. 

As he got home to his new apartment he flopped on the bed and loosened his tie. God, he knew he was pathetic for liking a guy who didn't even seem to care much for others, let alone fall for a guy like Fenton. He closed his eyes for only a few seconds before he heard his phone go off. He unlocked it and saw a text from his ex-girlfriend now best-friend Gandra. Their breakup wasn't rocky. They realized they both already liked someone else and that they had other priorities at the moment. 

GD: Hey Gay Guapo, wanna hit the bar tonight? I heard they were having a buy three, get one free on drinks tonight...

GizBoy: That would be great but I'm too much of a light weight to even make it to four...

GD: Or is it because you are an embarrassing drunk? Still caught up on Doctor Longlegs?

GizBoy: ...

GD: What about the club? You can meet someone and I can get myself some drinks. Deal?

Fenton thought about it and sent back a quick reply to meet him there around 8:45. He knew he had to tell her 8:45 so she would be there around 9:00. 

He changed his clothes into something less formal, yet flattering if he could meet anyone half as amazing as Gyro.

-----------------

Gyro finished working on the remote for the day. It was nearing 6:30 and he was exhausted. He needed a quick break, especially since he desperately wanted to break free for a bit. He knew that he couldn't keep his alter ego at bay forever and it was easier letting him out at night where he could get away with more and would be less likely to be caught.

Gyro took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes.

Why did his co-worker have to stare at him like he was a living diamond or some other precious gem. He was bad with reading people and didn't know whether it was him mind convincing him that Fenton had a crush on him, just to make himself feel better.

He liked the duck but would hardly admit it to himself. He needed to let loose and get the voice in his head to stop begging him to be let out.

Tonight seemed like the perfect night to let the other side of him free.

What could go wrong?

Chapter Text

Fenton had been dressed in a darker purple outfit, a much more casual shirt and dark brown pants. He didn't know if it even looked that good together but it suited him well enough. He brushed through his feathers a bit and adjusted his sleeve cuffs before taking a deep breath and leaving his apartment to go meet Gandra. Gandra was a much heavier drinker and she enjoyed going to bars and clubs to meet random people and have a good time. Fenton was different in that way since he was much more prone to sticking with his friends but tonight was way different. 

He needed to get his mind off of his crush on his co-worker and maybe it would be nice to meet someone new for once. Even though he never travelled outside of Duckberg much, he enjoyed the company of kind strangers. The most he had travelled was to Tokyolk and that was technically for work. He walked to the club since it wasn't too far from where he was staying at the time. The apartment building he lived in was mostly populated by college kids so it made sense that many of them would hit the club while not doing homework.

He looked at his phone and the time was 8:50 and he knew he was late to the time he told Gandra but definitely not to the time she would actually show up. Gandra had a habit of being late to events or parties even when told the time of the occasion a million times over. He sighed and made sure to text his mom that he was going to hangout with friends tonight. He called her every night after work just to check in and he didn't want her to worry if she didn't receive a call from him. He put his phone in his back pocket and decided he should get a place in the line before Gandra gets there and before it gets too long. He stood in the line and twiddled with his thumbs. He was nervous, especially if Gandra was going to try and get his mind off of Gyro. 

She might ask random strangers to talk to him or even bribe them with drinks to do it. He loved meeting people, if it wasn't forced or in it for romance. He checked the time and it was 8:57. Gandra should be arriving soon enough.

He looked around and spotted her through the distance. She was in a cute black cocktail dress with a dark blue trim at the bottom. Her hair was the same but she had definitely brushed it after work to look neater. He waved to get her attention and she pushed pass some people to meet him in the line.

"Sorry I'm late, had to dig this old thing out of the closet if I'm trying to give you a good night tonight." She laughed at the last part of her sentence and it reminded Fenton the reasons they were even coming here in the first place besides their usual bar. Not too much later, the clock hit 9:00 PM and the bouncer at the door started checking IDs and letting people into the building. Fenton shuffled through his wallet to make sure he didn't forget his ID again. The bouncer wouldn't let him in even though he was obviously older than 12 but rules were rules and he understood that.

He found it just right before they got to the door entrance. Gandra handed hers to the Eagle bouncer first and he gave a nod of approval for them to go inside. Fenton handed his second and the Eagle man gave the same nonchalant nod and let him in as well. The club wasn't too packed, but there was definitely a crowd on the dance floor. While Fenton wasn't that good at dancing because he was clumsy, he still enjoyed it as much as the next person. Gandra got them a table and ordered a round of drinks as Fenton made his way to the floor. He felt the music go through him.

It was loud, vibrant, and had a little bit of a techno sound to it. He moved to the rhythm and slowly got more comfortable with his dance moves as time went on. In no time, he was dancing like a maniac, solely focused on the music and not on the eyes of the people in the club around him. As he was dancing and moving around, his left foot caught on his right at the wrong angle. He braced himself for a face impact with the floor until he felt thin arms catch him before it could happen. Fenton slowly opened his eyes and saw a tall chicken with wild purple hair and the most neon nuclear green eyes he had ever seen. They were captivating. 

"I've never seen moves like that before. You dance like no one else is watching and it shows." The words from this guy sounded harsh, but seemed to have some sort of kindness sewed around it. "Who are you?" Fenton stumbled out and slowly pulled himself to stand instead of hanging there, held up by the chicken.

"My name is Mads. What about you, handsome?" The tall man said slyly and with full confidence like he couldn't feel the emotion of embarrassment. That was probably true based on his purple hair sticking in several directions, the thick black boots like he was hiking, and the mismatched outfit of pinks, whites, blacks, and looked like it was thrown together last minute at a Good-Duck store.

"F-Fenton. Fenton Crackshell-Cabrera, pleased to meet you." The duck said quickly, holding his hand out for a shake. The chicken looked at his hand for a moment and then smiled. When he brought his hand to grab the duck's, he instead brought it up to his beak and kissed the back of it for the duck before he realised he had even grabbed it. "You have a nice name, Cabrera. Say, let's go sit for a minute, you probably need a small rest after that fall."

This guy was suave and very charming in a I think he has gone mad way, but it was definitely flattering and unsettling at the same time. "Sur-Sure. My friend Gandra has a table over there." The duck said before pointing in the direction he remembered it was. When he looked over, Gandra was there with a female duck chatting it up and Fenton felt it would be fine to go over and sit with them. He followed the taller bird to the table.

He was definitely a character...

Chapter Text

The two men sat down at the bench opposite of the two women. Mads was on the inside and Fenton was on the outside. "Gandra, this is Mads, Mads, this is Gandra, my best friend." Fenton introduced the two and immediately Mads held out his hand. She took his and they shook.

"Nice to meet you, Mads. Fenton, this is Dickie." Fenton held out his hand but saw Dickie was only looking at Mads a little puzzled. "You look like an old friend of mine. You said your name was Mads right?" 

Dickie seemed confused but also concerned at the same time.

"Yes, I am Mads. I get that a lot even though I do look so unique." Dickie frowned a bit and realized Fenton still had his hand out. "Sorry, I get distracted easily. I'm Dickie, and you are Fenton?" 

"Yeah, has Gandra said anything bad about me yet?" 

"No, just that you two came to have a good time as a good distraction. You two seem pretty close." 

"We are best friends. We actually use to date til we both found we had other plans, priorities, and issues we needed to resolve. Then we realized we worked so much better as friends than as boyfriend and girlfriend." Gandra said, leaning in to be closer to the blonde duck. 

"So what have you two been up to? I know you don't just bring any other guy to a table, Fen." Gandra said with a smirk. 

"What? I just, I thought he might want to come sit with us. He did just save my life back on the dancefloor, ya know." 

"I caught him before he fell and hurt his pretty face, that's all. I wouldn't call it saving your life. Just as simple as helping out a friend." Mads smirked and eyed Fenton through his round glasses. Those toxic green eyes pierced through him like a dagger. 

He almost felt like he was being hunted by the handsome stranger, but he wasn't complaining too much yet.

"Well, me and Dickie were going to go back to my place tonight, she said that she has never seen 'The Ducky Horror Picture Show' yet. Thought we could watch it together. What are your guys' plans tonight?"

Fenton swallowed hard and looked at Mads. "We haven't figured that out yet. But you two go along and Mads and I can get to know each other better." Fenton smiled at Gandra and she looked at him with an evil smirk. 

"Don't have too much fun, Fen." She winked while her and Dickie left the table after putting some money down for her drinks.

After they left, Mads turned to him. "You wanted a distraction tonight? May I ask from what?" He moved seats to sit across from the duck, looking at him with curiosity.

"Oh, just work. I've been working. A lot." 

"Fenton, you can be honest with me. I'm not here to judge, we all have our reasons."

Fenton took a deep breath and thought what the hell. He may or may not see this guy again, might as well vent.

"I have a crush on my boss. He is tall and attractive but cold. He hardly looks at me and acknowledges me. I know he cares but it feels stupid to like a guy like him, ya know?"

Mads smiled and placed his hand on top of Fenton's. "I understand. Sometimes, love is cruel but other times, it is wonderful. While unexpected, sometimes it will prevail and conquer." Fenton's face heated up from the touch and the poetic words of the chicken.

In this lighting, Mads looked divine and a lot like Gyro.

Maybe because they are both chickens?

---

Dickie and Gandra exited the club and started to walk to Gandra's place. "That Mads guy really did look like an old friend of mine. It was kind of strange."

"Really? Would I know this friend?" Gandra asked jokingly.

"Well, he is just a well known scientist in Duckberg. His name is Gyro Gearloose. Have you heard of him?" 

Gandra's jaw dropped, realizing why the chicken looked so familiar. "Yeah! Fenton works for him. That's also the guy he has a crush on. His own boss." 

"Yeah, Gyro and I used to date until a few months in he started acting strange like he needed to hide everything from me. He used to be really sweet and open, but something happened and he shut himself away."

"Gyro is always like that to everyone from the times I have interacted with him. He is smart but also an ass. What do you think happened?"

"I don't know, but I don't think it was good."

Chapter Text

Exiting the club, Fenton was laughing so hard he had to take a minute to breath afterwards. This was probably the most fun he had in a while. He looked up at the chicken and saw him smiling at him.

"You know, you have pretty eyes. It was one of the first things I noticed about you, they are REALLY green." 

The chicken stopped smiling for a moment, his face turning to a more shocked expression. "Thanks, I guess a lot of people think that about me, but they don't usually say anything, let alone spend all night talking with me."

"Do you not have a lot of friends here in Duckberg?" Fenton gave him an almost sympathetic look. 

"Not really. I don't do anything during the day and I'm always out at night. Guess I'm one of Duckberg's only nocturnal chickens, huh?"

"I wouldn't say that's a bad thing. If it works for you, then it's cool. I have a day job, so I'm not really ever out this late, by now I'm usually in bed asleep."

"Welcome to the night life, my friend. Duckberg is much prettier at night, less people, and only streetlight and buildings to light your path."

There a short silence filled only with Fenton leaning a rail, and smiling up at Mads. Mads was looking into the distance, looking slightly down.

"Well, even though we have very different sleeping schedules, I would be down to hang out again sometime." Fenton said, sounding almost optimistic about it.

"I would too, Cabrera. Maybe, we could see each other more if your boss would stop making you work so much, we could spend more nights together."

"My boss isn't the worst. He cares but he knows if he doesn't push me, I won't succeed in anything. He challenges me, even if he seems sour some days."

"Well, he should still let you take more days off, maybe treat you better, and pull his head out of his own tail feathers. Gyro needs to let loose too."

Fenton almost froze. Mads sounded a lot harsher than before, especially talking about-

"How did you know I work for Dr. Gearloose?"

Mads stiffened a bit.

"You said you were a scientist, and you worked a lot. You mentioned he was a chicken so I assumed you worked for him. He is one of the only chicken scientists in Duckberg, ya know. Besides that, there aren't many other labs in Duckberg."

That seemed to check out, but it was still weird hearing someone talk about Gyro using his first name like that. Not only that, but his tone seemed odd. 

"Okay, well I'm going to head home for the night, I go into work tomorrow but it's in the afternoon. Hopefully I get to see you again?" 

"Trust me, Cabrera. I know you will see me again." He smirked and his eyes shone once more. Fenton could feel his stomach fill with butterflies (or knots?). Fenton turned and Mads went the opposite way 

---

Fenton got home, and as soon as he got there was when he realized he didn't get his number. Or his last name. Or his job.

Come to think of it, he still didn't know much about Mads except he was nocturnal, smart, and eccentric. Most of the night they talked about Fenton.

He grumbled, letting himself so open to a stranger he still knew nothing about. Hopefully he can sleep off tonight and see him again. Maybe he should hit the club tomorrow after work...

---

Mads got to the lab late, taking a detour to not go in the same direction of the cute brown duck. He stripped off his boots and thick layers of clothing, leaving most everything off.

He slumped to bed, and closed his eyes to fall asleep. Maybe the duck will wander back into the club and happen to meet him again. Gyro did need the courage to ask out Fenton, but Mads might teach him a lesson on confessions. 

If Gyro doesn't go for Fenton, he might have to steal him away first.

Chapter Text

Fenton had a slight headache the next morning. He didn't sleep much due to thinking about Mads most the night. The more he thought about his eyes, the more they burned, going from mesmerizing to almost terrifying. He didn't want to think bad of the guy, but he didn't seem right at the end of the night.

Maybe he was just tired and not use to being out. He grumbled as he got dressed and combed his feathers out. At least he had time to relax and chill before heading to work in the next few hours.

----

When Fenton got to the lab, he saw Gyro working already. It seemed like he never stopped working by this point. "Good morning, Dr. Gearloose!" 

"Morning, Ca- Intern." The chicken cleared his throat quickly after speaking. If Fenton didn't know much better, he would have guessed he was going to call him by his last name, which is odd because he never does.

"Well, how was your night last night?" 

Gyro gripped the tool he was working with.

"Fine, found a few more bugs in this one, just been working out a few more kinks." Gyro spoke quickly, trying to avoid looking at Fenton.

"Dr. Gearloose, it has come to my attention that you work way too much. You know Mr. McDuck isn't paying overtime, why do you work so hard?" 

The chicken didn't respond initially. He turned his chair more towards his invention, even if it seemed impossible to do so.

"You should get out tonight. At least get out of the lab, maybe sleep at your house for once."

"Intern, you don't understand. I don't care about trivial things like going out with friends, or partying, or meeting strangers in clubs. I LIKE to work." 

Fenton frowned. That last one seemed oddly specific but maybe he was thinking too hard into things. Fenton walked over in front of Gyro's desk, and he was going to get the chicken to look at him. When he made his way over, he could see Gyro was looking down at his machine. Fenton mustered up all the courage he could.

"Why won't you look at me when we talk? I know I may be overstepping a boundary here, asking you to leave the lab and getting on to you for overworking, but could you at least look at me or even tell me I'm overstepping without being cryptic."

The chicken sighed and looked up at him. Gyro's eyes looked tired, but the color of them seemed a little bit lighter of a green than usual. Usually, they were dark enough they looked black, but right now, you could see the green without shining a light in them. 

His eye bags looked heavier, and he looked like he hasn't slept much either. 

Fenton's heart ached a bit for the scientist. 

"Come out with me tonight. Or at least leave and get some proper sleep." 

It almost seemed like Gyro smiled a bit, but went back to his usual self.

"I will consider it."

Fenton almost couldn't believe it. Gyro was the guy to immediately turn you down, but now he is thinking about it? 

"Thank you, Dr. Gearloose!" He knew he shouldn't get excited over a 'consideration' but it was a huge start. 

Maybe, just maybe, Gyro would get sleep and then later he could go out with Fenton. The duck walked away from the scientist's desk and went to his own to start work for the day.

In the very least, this day might not be too bad. "I'm going to go grab us two some coffee, be right back Dr. Gearloose!" He ran out the door giddily, he knew the chicken always loved his coffees in the morning.

----

As he was leaving the shop with the caramel latte with three extra shots of espresso (which is excessive and a heart attack waiting to happen) for the chicken, and the French vanilla frappe with extra sugar for the duck. Gyro loved his coffee so bitter that Fenton didn't even know why to get a flavor in the first place. 

Then again, Gyro mentioned Fenton might as well drink liquid sugar without even adding coffee because of how sweet everything he gets is.

As he was heading back towards the lab, he saw a familiar blonde duck.

"Hey Dickie! What are you up to this fine morning!" 

"Oh, I'm just meeting Gandra at the arcade today. We went back to her place and watched that movie. It was great, but definitely a little odd. Then I went home to my place and she texted me this morning to hang out. I think we really hit it off."

"That's great! I'm just bringing some coffee to Dr. Gearloose."

"Oh right! Gandra mentioned you worked for Gyro."

"You know him?"

"Yeah, we used to be really good friends and even dated for a bit, but it didn't work out much. He drifted away and became a little distant."

"He's like that all the time at work, but he mostly overworks and never leaves the lab. Maybe you could come visit him? I'm sure he wouldn't mind much if you are on good terms."

"I haven't seen him for a while, I probably could stop by tomorrow, I am meeting with Mr. McDuck and the lab is on the way. Well, it was good seeing you, Fenton. Take care!"

"You too, Dickie! Have a good day!" Fenton yelled as he started walking back to the lab.

----

When he got there, he saw the chicken face planted on his desk, sleeping. Fenton couldn't help but smile a bit.

Chapter Text

Gyro woke up on his desk, no coffee in sight.

"Intern... Are you back yet?" He mumbled lazily. He was so damn tired he could still barely keep his eyes open.

"Yes Dr Gearloose! I put the iced coffee of yours in the fridge to keep cold while you were out." Fenton made it sound more like he was running errands than drooling on his desk. 

He sat up straight and fixed his posture a bit before hunching over his work again. He picked up the screwdriver and got back to work.

"Could you please get it for me?" Fenton couldn't believe his ears for the second time today. Gyro used the words 'please' and the sentence didn't have an ounce of anger to it. He quickly ran to the fridge and brought the coffee, not wanting to make him wait too long for it.

Fenton could see Gyro take a sniff of the drink first.

Gyro took a sip and smiled. Bitter. It was perfect. "Thank you, Cabrera." He took another sip before he realized what he said. He looked at the duck who looked more confused than normal. "You didn't call me Intern."

"Well, we have been coworkers for a while, and I guess I figured I could start calling you by your name, I mean you don't have a title so last name seems professional. Also, calling you Crackshell-Cabrera is a lot to say more casually. Sorry, guess I should have asked."

Fenton must be going mad, or Gyro seemed different. He smiled more, called him by his name, and was more comfortable sleeping in front of him. Maybe he was warming up. Getting less cold and distant. He was even making sure he was okay with saying his actual name. It gave him a bit of hope and made him happy.

Gyro looked away.

"You are fine, Dr. Gearloose." Fenton's tone sounded lower but had a slight sound of being endearing. Gyro looked back at him and could feel his cheeks flush a bit, so he quickly got back to work on his new invention.

Fenton's smile didn't drop the whole time he was at the lab.

He returned later to his apartment. He knew he should get some sleep, but he couldn't stop thinking about the purple/pink haired chicken. He checked his phone and saw a text from Gandra asking if he would meet her at the club again tonight. 

He shot back a quick reply back.

----

The club was noisy as always, and it was crowded. Not that it wasn't the night before, it was probably even less so.

He scanned the room and didn't see Mads anywhere.

"You didn't get his number?" Gandra asked, her arm around Dickie who was taking a sip of her cocktail.

"No. I forgot to ask."

"Maybe he got tired of you or is trying to lead you on a bit. Such a man of mystery, did you even get his last name?"

"No..." He really was pathetic. Mads probably knew everything about him just short of his thoughts and address. 

Dickie looked up. "Well, maybe he was just busy tonight, getting some sleep?"

"He said he didn't sleep at night. He was more nocturnal, in his words."

"Odd." Was all that came from Gandra's mouth as she took another swig of her drink.

After a few more minutes, Fenton decided to sit down at the table. He was about to order a drink when a tall chicken walked through the club doors. Black boots, odd sense of style, dark shades, and the same toxic green eyes peeking out. 

Fenton immediately got up and rushed past the waiter, pushing past some dogs and other ducks. The tall chicken looked down at him, "What's wrong? Did you not want to see me?"

"I- I did want to see you, actually." Fenton confessed, rubbing his right arm with his left hand. "I see, well, let's go sit and talk then."

"Great! Gandra and Dickie are over there." The chicken followed the duck and sat with the two girls. "Hey Mads, here two nights in a row?" Gandra asked a smirk on her face.

"I actually come here quite often. It's nice getting out and seeing people." He glanced at Fenton, head still turned to Gandra. Fenton observed the slight eye bags under his eyes.

The more he looked, every detail or feature replicated Gyro. Nothing seemed like a coincidence at all. Mads seemed to know things about him before asking and Gyro was off today, calling him-

"Cabrera, you look nice tonight." Mads complimented, talking about the magenta tie on the orange shirt that Fenton was currently wearing tonight. It was different from usually but it wasn't like he was in a suit.

"Thanks, Mads. I just thought to change up my style a bit." He awkwardly chuckled. This guy made him feel two different ways.

One was like this guy was amazing and caring, that he took notice of small details, and maybe wanted to spend as much time with him as possible.

Two was like he was critical, reserved, observing him more like prey rather than a friend, and keeping him at a certain level of distance.

Suddenly, Mads took his hand and pulled him towards the dance floor. "Wha-What are you doing?"

"Taking you to dance."

"But-but I fell last time!"

"And I will be here to catch you, like last time."

Mads placed a hand on Fenton's shoulder and took his other hand in his. Fenton's hand landed on the chicken's waist, the other holding the hand of the chicken.

He pulled Fenton close, twirled him, pulled him in closer and swayed to the music. Fenton knew Mads was much more balanced on his feet, and it seemed like he was also a much better dancer in general. Fenton wasn't bad, just clumsy.

Fenton's mood lifted, dropping doubts of this guy fast as they continued to dance. Nothing else seemed to come into view except Mads. He was smiling and it seemed to have a familiar warmth.

He couldn't help to smile back.

"Your smile is infectious, Cabrera."

"You smiled first, silly." At the response, Mads looked flush for a moment and seemed almost embarrassed.

They returned back to the table and Fenton ordered first. "A Pina Colada, please."

"Scotch, neat."

The waiter nodded and left to go get them.

Gandra shot an odd look.

"Isn't neat bitter and just straight from the bottle?"

"Yes, no ice or other mixes, just the scotch in a glass. Some find it bitter, others think it is the only way to fully understand the taste and complexity. It even smells better."

Bitter.

"My old friend Gyro used to get everything so bitter it hurt to even see him drink it."

Fenton and Mads went a bit wide eyed. 

"He does, I ordered him extra bitter coffee this morning." Fenton added. Everything was seeming like almost everything about Mads and Gyro were the same, but his guy didn't act anything like Dr. Gearloose. He looks like him but his hair and style is different. Even the feeling in their eyes.

"What a coincidence. I didn't realize Dr. Gearloose was a fan of anything bitter or strong. Might be a species thing." 

Mads didn't say anything else, and Fenton could feel his stomach churn.

"So, Mads, I never got the chance to ask. What is your last name? I mean, you call me by part of mine."

Mads looked at him and took a another sip before answering.

"Pitagorico."

Chapter Text

"Pitagorico."

"Is that Italian?" Dickie asked.

"Yeah, it means Pythagorean. Like the philosopher Pythagoras." Mads responded with.

Fenton squinted. It was an odd last name, and it didn't help with the pause. As he thinks he learns more about him, more questions build up. 

"Are you good with math?" Fenton questioned the chicken.

"I suppose I'm good enough, not much to write home about but enough." The chicken wasn't looking at Fenton anymore, if anything avoiding his eye contact.

Well, at least Fenton got a last name from the guy. 

The night went on and Fenton couldn't help the fact of the butterflies turning more into knots. As he spent more time with the guy, he became more unsettling. He was like Gyro, but if Gyro tried putting on a way too nice guy act or was secretly an evil supervillain.

Fenton went home earlier and when Mads asked if he wanted to be walked home, Fenton declined saying he would be fine.

"It's really no big deal, I'm just not feeling too well and I have work in the morning."

"That's too bad. Here." Mads handed him a slip of paper with a phone number on it. It must have been his.

"Oh, thanks, I forgot to ask last time."

"No problem." Mads smiled and his eyes glinted more. Fenton could almost feel himself shiver and his feathers stand on end.

He walked home by himself and when he got to his apartment he went to his laptop to see if he could find any information on Mads.

He knew it was wrong to try and search for a guy to learn more, but Fenton couldn't shake off the feeling he needed to do so.

He searched but nothing. So he sent a text to his mom.

Fenny: Hey ma'ma, I have a favor to ask. Can you run a background check on a 'Mads Pitagorico'?

Ma'ma: Of course, is there a specific reason? New boyfriend?

Fenny: No, Ma'ma, just a friend but he seems... Strange. I don't know, I just have a gut feeling on something.

He lied down, and rolled onto his stomach. He sighed and tried to go to sleep, and after a while, he succeeded.

When he woke up, it wasn't too much before his alarm went off. He got up and ready for work and decided he should head to the lab early today. 

Maybe he should take after Gyro and work to push his personal problems away.

"Morning, Dr. Gearloose." Fenton rubbed his eyes, not sounding as cheery as normal. When he looked at the lab, it was clean and Gyro's inventions weren't thrown everywhere. It looked like he swept, mopped, the whole shablam.

"Good morning, Mr. Cabrera! I have tidied up a hair and I already got us both coffee."

"What's the occasion?" Fenton asked, confused by this behavior from the scientist.

Gyro paused. "None. I just thought I could try to be more... Approachable."

Fenton smiled. "Thank you, Dr. Gearloose." Fenton took his coffee and found the right order for himself, noting to himself that Gyro knew his favorite sweet coffee drink.

The duck's phone buzzed and he glanced at the text.

Ma'ma: There isn't anything on a 'Mads Pitagorico' are you sure that is his name? The name Pitagorico isn't even on file for the last thirty years except on an old marriage license.

Fenny: What? He said that was his name. And there is no trace of the last name from anything recently?

Ma'ma: Well, the marriage license was a Sonia Pitagorico to Fulton Gearloose. Is he related to Gyro?

Fenton didn't reply. He looked up from his phone at the doctor in the lab, seeing his eyes looked green without a light hitting them, and his eye bags were decreased heavily. 

"Hey, Dr. Gearloose, I need to make a real quick phone call. Is that okay?"

"Sure thing Cabrera, just don't take too long, I have an idea for a new invention I would like to discuss."

Fenton nodded and practically ran out of the lab.

He pulled out a piece of paper he stuck in his pocket, the one from Mads.

He dialed the number, hearing it ring.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

Nothing.

The voicemail started.

'This is Gyro Gearloose, I'm not at the phone right now, just leave a message.'

And then came the beep, feeling louder than it actually was. Fenton almost felt sick.

He went back into the lab and slumped at his desk, 

"Cabrera are you-"

"I'm fine, Dr. Gearloose. Just confused."

Chapter Text

"I'm fine, Dr Gearloose. Just confused." The duck couldn't bring himself to look at his coworker and crush. "Are you him? I know it might be stupid to ask, I mean you couldn't possibly be him."

"Who are you talking about, Cabrera?" The chicken sounded just as confused as the duck currently was. 

"This guy I met, his name is Mads Pitagorico, but there isn't any evidence to the existence of him." The duck looked at the chicken's face to see he had a frown on his face. He almost looked angry.

"Cabrera, I don't know who you are talking about. Not all chickens are related, that's a fallacy."

Fenton frowned. He tried keeping his cool, but he was getting frustrated with the whole situation regarding Mads. "Do you recognize the name? Pitagorico?"

"No." Gyro wasn't looking at him anymore, his green eyes not meeting Fenton's.

"Really? Even though it's your mother's maiden name?"

Gyro turned to him, his eyes almost glowing.

"It might have been, I don't know. Leave Mads Pitagorico alone, Fenton. It's probably all in-"

"All in my head? Is that what you were going to say? I can't make up a guy like him. Also, Gandra met him and your ex did too." Gyro froze.

"Dickie? When were you and her friends?"

"Well, she is close with Gandra and somehow you became the topic. Why did you become distant, Dr. Gearloose? Why are you so distant with me?"

"Because I don't want to hurt you! Is that what you want to hear?" His irises went from green to a toxic biohazard shade of the same color.

"You want to hear that I'm some mad scientist or a freak? Maybe I should be some kind of guy who picks you up at a club, would that be better?"

His feathers were turning a light shade of lavender. "What do you want from me? Why would you pretend to be this Mads Pitagorico or why would he even exist? Gyro I-"

He looked to the chicken standing before him.

Mads Pitagorico, in the same spot and position Dr. Gearloose was just in, the doctor nowhere in sight yet still in the room.

"Looking for someone, Cabrera?"

Chapter Text

Fenton's eyes widened. Standing before him was Mads Pitagorico.

"Looking for someone?" The duck stumbled backwards. 

"What's going on, how did you-"

"Oh? My little magic trick. Thank Gyro for this, the guy is mad afterall." Mads laughed at his own weird pun, clearly finding himself amusing. 

"I don't understand."

"You see, Cabrera, Gyro has split himself in two. He was trying to make a clone of himself to get work done twice as fast, but instead he created me. Once he found out I existed, instead of getting rid of me, we found ways to live with an agreement. I get nights, he gets the days."

Mads started fiddling around with one of Gyro's inventions. "He doesn't usually give me every night so he can sleep, but when he does, I get to roam Duckberg." Mads then started to fiddle around in one of Gyro's drawers, it seemed like he was looking for something.

After a few more seconds of messing with everything in the drawer, he walked over to the fridge. After checking it, he rummaged through the cabinets. "Aha. Found it." The chicken pulled out a muffin.

He took a bite and started to talk again. "Well, aren't you going to say something, Cabrera?"

"This is just ... A lot. Is this why he got distant with Dickie?" 

"At that time, me and Gyro were still fighting for control, he couldn't focus on keeping me at bay while dealing with 'relationship issues' as well."

He took another bite. "Okay, Mads, this is really interesting but also terrifying at the same time."

"Figured you would say that, anyways, what about you, handsome, what are you going to do with this information?"

"I... don't know." Fenton didn't know what to think or even to say really. What was he going to do?

"Well, I know you have a little crush on Gyro, and I know the way you look at me too. What do you say?"

"What." Fenton probably couldn't handle one boyfriend, let alone the complicatedness of two. Also, he still didn't know Mads intentions.

"I mean, it's all up to you, Cabrera. Whatever you decide." Mads took the last bite of his muffin and placed the wrapper on Gyro's desk. That explained why those would be there at random periods even though Fenton never saw Gyro eat much in the lab.

"Well, I'm gonna go grab some groceries for this place, that was the last of my stash."

"Wait! Gyro and I still have work and it's daytime."

Mads sighed. "Fine. Whatever, I'll be back tonight."

Slowly his feathers turned back to white and the chicken before him changed a bit. Gyro's eyes were back to a dark green but he looked rested for the most part. Gyro fell to the floor and was breathing hard.

Fenton reached a hand to the chicken, but he swatted it away. "Don't touch me." He sounded cold.

After a moment of silence, Gyro was able to stand up. "Sorry, I just don't want to talk right now." Dr. Gearloose walked into a different room and shut the door. 

Fenton didn't know what to feel. Maybe he could help him, but how?

Maybe Gyro would feel better if Mads wasn't around, but on the other hand, he was another part of Gyro.

Fenton sat at his desk and breathed. He and Gyro would talk later, hopefully.

Chapter Text

Fenton sat at his desk and Gyro still didn't come out even though an hour later has passed. He was started to get worried, so he went to lightly knock on the door.

Before his hand met the door, it opened with a crack and a small creek of the hinges.

"Are you okay, Dr. Gearloose?" The chicken frowned, his glasses weren't on his face and his feathers were a mess. "I'm fine, I just didn't want you to find out about this. About him." 

Fenton and Gyro walked over to Fenton's desk and Gyro took a seat next to him. "I apologize, you shouldn't have had to see that or get caught up in this at all." It was clear Gyro didn't do many apologies, but he was genuine.

Fenton listened to the chicken. "I didn't intend for any of this to happen, and I understand if you want to leave, I can ask Mr. McDuck to help set up a different job for you or-" Fenton put his arms around the taller chicken, making him lean down into a hug.

To Fenton's surprise, he didn't try to move away. So instead, the duck spoke.

"We can fix this. I want to help you in any way I can." The taller man hesitated but put his arms around the duck and hugged back. "Thanks."

They stayed there for only a few more seconds until one moved apart from the other.

"Well, anyways," Gyro started, being the first to pull away. "I have some work to do and you probably need some time."

"No it's okay, but I just wanted to know what you want to do, about Mads."

Gyro didn't look at the duck. "I want to get rid of him, and I know that sounds wrong, but he shouldn't even exist, let alone cause problems anymore. I just don't know how to yet."

Fenton looked at him sympathetically. Maybe they could find a way together.

----

Fenton went though several books, about conscious state of mind, cloning, even anything close to the situation about Gyro and Mads, but there wasn't anything too close.

He asked Gyro to bring out the original invention that made Mads even possible, which was stored away in one of the rooms filled with other failed machines.

He looked over the technology, part of it damaged. If he were able to find a way to somehow reverse the effects, maybe with a negative charge?

No, it would have to be more complex than that. Fenton took several of the textbooks to the other room with the machine and made sure he wasn't missing anything.

There wasn't a definite formula, and it would be near impossible to just replicate the original result and then not have a way to reverse it.

He was at a loss, but he wasn't going to give up.

Meanwhile, Gyro was working on the same thing. Looking over the other half of books, formulas, and even making sure something else didn't happen that day, but he was so tired everything was a blur.

Hopefully, Fenton had some bright ideas, or would at least have some soon.

Chapter Text

The next few days passed slower than a tortoise with a limp. Both stayed in the laboratory more than usual, looking for anything but always coming short in too many areas of how to solve it.

It also consisted of Fenton annoying Gyro with questions about how it all works or what it was like with Mads.

"I don't know Fenton, I highly doubt that." 

"Well your eyes change, so it wouldn't be too hard to assume or believe that other parts of your body would change. Your hair changes too, which is also weird."

"Well besides that, I don't think anything else changes. As much as I would like it to." Gyro spat, whispering the last sentence.

"Okay, so why does it change? I mean, maybe he dyed his hair after the switch and now it just changes whenever he takes over? That still doesn't explain the eyes."

"No, it doesn't."

"Well, your eyes are a dark green and his are lighter, so maybe it has to do with a chemical? A reaction? Intention?"

"Fenton, please stop talking, I can't concentrate when you are blabbering about this." He twisted a stray bolt with his wrench, locking it into place.

While Fenton was talking a million words an hour, Gyro was fixing up the old machine that split him and Mads into two.

The duck could talk for hours, but that didn't mean Gyro could think with it happening.

"How about we take a break?" Fenton turned to the chicken, shocked that Gyro would suggest it. Usually the chicken would try working himself to death.

"Are you sure?" 

"I'm for sure for sure." He looked the duck in the eyes and walked towards him.

He put his hands on the duck's shoulders. "We both need a break."

"Okay, Dr. Gearloose."

As Gyro was about to walk away, Fenton grabbed his hand. 

"Do you like me?"

"Of course, you are my coworker and if not I would have kicked you out by now."

"I meant as more than that."

Gyro stopped.

"I don't know. I would rather not think about anything else than trying to get rid of Mads or subduing him. It was hard with Dickie, not telling her, and I would rather focus on this than..."

He didn't finish his sentence, just letting Fenton fill in the words he didn't say.

"I understand."

Fenton let Gyro walk away, knowing Gyro enjoyed his space. The chicken was about to walk out the door when he turned back to the duck. 

"Do you want to go somewhere? We probably need some decent food to continue our work."

"Are you asking me on a date to a restaurant?"

"Whatever you want to call it, sure."

Fenton smiled.

"I would love to go."

----

They went to a good restaurant, as Gyro got water and Fenton got sweet tea with lemon for drinks.

They ordered food and chatted the whole time, actually getting to know each other a bit, and be about to chat about something other than work or drama.

Fenton shared some family shorties about his M'ma and Gyro shared about his nephew.

"You have a nephew?"

"Yeah, he is about the triplets age too, and his name is Newton."

"Like Isaac Newton?"

"Yeah, those 'intellectual' names run in my family." Gyro joked, making both of the men laugh.

The rest of the night, they talked until they realized they were there for a few hours and the restraunt was closing.

Gyro tipped the waitress well for having to deal with them taking her table for a while, and Fenton apologized almost fifty times for it.

They walked back to the lab together, which was a little more silent than at the restraunt.

"Can I ask you something, Fenton?" The duck smiled, just noticing how the chicken had used his first name all day.

"If I can ask you a question back."

"Fine, but you have to ask your question first."

"Well, I was wondering why you didn't have more rooster features. It's obvious you are a chicken but you don't have the other rooster parts."

"I wasn't born a rooster." Gyro said, being blunt as ever.

"So you are.."

"Yeah. I thought it was a little known."

"Now I see how oblivious I am. What was your question?"

"I wanted to know why you don't wear many other colors."

Fenton chuckled. "I didn't realize you were such a fashionista or fashion police, Dr. Gearloose."

They stopped in front of the lab doors. "I was just curious."

"I was told I looked awful in other colors, especially green and blue."

"I think you would look great in every color." Fenton blushed and they went back into the lab.

Chapter Text

The next day at the lab, Fenton decided that Gyro was right. Instead of wearing purple, tan, or beige, he decided he could maybe change it up a bit. He examined himself in the mirror for several minutes, and decided this was the perfect thing to wear today to the lab.

Gyro, on the other hand, arrived at the lab after getting a good night of sleep (or by good, meaning much better than the past few). He broken open a few new books, looking for more answers on how to get rid of Mads.

He knew Fenton didn't entirely like the idea of 'killing' him, but as far as Gyro was concerned, if he could find a way that worked, he would do it.

Of course, if it was any other solution than getting rid of both of them.

He heard the door opened and turned around to greet Fenton, when the outfit the duck was wearing caught his eyes.

Instead of wearing his beige shirt with a purple tie, today he was wearing a light blue shirt and a teal green tie.

As different as the duck looked the colors still suited him quite nicely. The chicken remained silent, his eyes fixated on the shirt and tie.

"I knew it looked bad."

"No, you look amazing." Fenton looked at the chicken, and Gyro's eyes met his.

Gyro turned away, feeling his face heat up. "Anyways," he coughed, "I should continue reading."

Fenton smiled and took a seat at his own desk and looked back at more designs for the machine and how to rework it to undo the separation.

"What if we move the engine over this way? Then we could in put another battery so it doesn't run out of power this time."

"So if we move it there, we can move the wires over to the other side."

"And in put the new bearings and gears over where it was, and next to it with the new charge."

"Cabrera, you are a genius." Fenton turned a little red at the compliment as Gyro got out of his seat to go rearrange the parts of the machine.

He followed shortly after and showed Gyro the new formula with the new charge and he slowly started inputting it.

Hopefully, this would work better than before.

----

After several days of putting it together, they were ready to test it. Fenton was wearing a pale red shirt, with a salmon tie.

The machine whirred and turned on, it parts moving and Gyro put his hand on the newly replaced lever.

"Fenton, if this doesn't work, I'm at least glad we tried."

"You are acting like you won't survive it, Dr. Gearloose."

"Well, there is always that chance, but nonetheless, I should take it."

"If Mads is completely gone, would you go with me on that date?"

"Absolutely." The chicken smiled and pulled the lever.

A bright light shined and Fenton covered his eyes. The machine stopped, and thankfully didn't explode.

On the other hand, smoke came of of it in several places, making both of the men cough. "Well, there is only one way to find out if it worked."

Gyro tried listening for Mads but didn't hear anything, and tried letting him take control and still nothing.

"I think he's gone." The chicken said, feeling happy.

The duck smiled, "Good, because he was still you, and I don't think I could handle two of you." He joked, and lightly hit the chicken on the arm.

"So... About that date?"

Chapter Text

Fenton adjusted his bowtie. "I don't think this is the one."

"You have changed from bowtie to bowtie to tie too many times, is this why you get ready so early? The fact you can never choose what to wear?" Gandra sat on the edge of his bed, helping him choose what to wear.

"Well at least I chose a shirt.... Oh no, what if this is the wrong shirt?"

"I know what you should wear." She stood up and started to rummage through his closet. She pulled out a suit. She pulled out the white suit and nice purple he wore on his date with Gandra. 

She moved her eyebrows up and down, "It looks good on you..."

"As much as I appreciate it, I don't think it's Dr. Gearloose's style."

"Fenton, you aren't going on a date with Dr. Gearloose, you are going out with the eligible bachelor who happens to be a scientist, and his name is Gyro."

"You are right, we aren't at work, and it is sorta like a date."

"Here's something else you can wear!" She pulled another outfit and Fenton nodded that it was perfect.

----

Gyro fidgeted his hands and twiddled his thumbs in an awkward and inconsistent pattern. He was early, as usual, but it still made him nervous when people didn't arrive as early as he did. Fenton wouldn't stand him up, he knew that the duck would make it even more awkward at work if he did.

He tried taking a deep breath in. This would be fine.

He was fine.

Everything was fine.

He just needed to work on his patience.

He let out a shaky breath and relaxed his shoulders down.

He looked up from his watch to see Fenton, he was in wearing a green button down over a collared yellow shirt, red tie, and a purple suit jacket on top of it. 

It might have looked weird, but it looked nice on him (and probably the only one who could semi pull it off). 

Gyro stared at him, not realizing Fenton was already in front of him. "Gyro, are you okay? You look hot."

"Why thank you, Fenton, you do too." The nervous flirting caught both of them off guard, as they shuffled into the restraunt awkwardly. 

Once they got seated, they eased smoothly into conversations with each other. Gyro asked how Fenton's mother was, and Fenton said she was doing good. Gyro talked a bit about an invention that was in progress (and hasn't exploded yet). 

They ordered food and laughed over both mentioning that they saw Mr. McDuck the other day with a pain in his back from swimming in his money wrong. Gyro found it a lot funnier than Fenton did, but the duck still giggled at how the billionaire walked.

At the end of the night, they left the restraunt and Gyro walked Fenton home. 

"Well, I had an amazing time, Gyro."

"Me too, Ca- Fenton." He had been trying to correct his habit, and it turns out he still needed to work on it.

"Goodnight, Gyro." Fenton placed a soft kiss onto the chicken's cheek, the chicken smiling in return.

"Goodnight Fenton."