Duckshots!

For Him! (Gladstone & Della)

2017 Ducktales AU (pre cannon)
Gladstone & Della
Gladstone x Donald (implied)
Major Character 'Death'
Hurt/Comfort

This is like my one shot For You! but from Della's POV if it had been Donald.

Gladstone woke up to it. Della's name flashing across his phone. He couldn't help but smile, despite knowing it meant something bad had most likely happened. It had been too long since he had seen either of the Duck twins and he had been down in the dumps, more than usual recently. Though the fact it was the middle of the night worried him slightly more than normal. He hoped that maybe his nephews had hatched and Della/Donald wanted to tell him as soon as possible. 

"Hey Del!" Gladstone said, holding back a yawn.

"Gladstone," despite the echo from the airplane hanger she was sitting in, he could tell she had been crying.

"Della, what's wrong?" Gladstone bolted up on the bed. He had never seen or heard Della cry.

"Donald took his boat out, Glady. He hasn't been seen at any of his usually spots. I need someone to watch the eggs." Something inside him sank. She didn't even use one of her a funny nicknames for her brother.

"I'm on my way. Give me ten minutes, Del." Gladstone was already rushing to get ready.

"See you." She hung up.

...

She was past the point of sadness. She was just afraid and mad. She hadn't heard from him in three days. That was too long. Too long for him not to check in, especially with kids on the way. Why did he go out with the storm that was coming in?

Della sat on the edge of the balcony of the airplane hanger, staring at the docks in the distance. She kept hoping she would hear someone walking up the creaky stairs any minute, and she pulled her arm tighter around the egg that sat closest to her.

She knew why she had called Gladstone, but as minutes clicked closer of him being here, she wished she hadn't. Then again, he deserved more than the newspaper's version of what happened to her brother. The two had always tried to hide how close they actually were, but Della knew. She knew everything about her brother, like that he was still alive, just missing.

"Del?" There was a light tap on her shoulder and she jumped. "Are you alright?"

Gladstone could tell that Della was clearly not alright. She was completely ready for a mission. Her plane was packed and her aviator jacket was on. However, she was on the verge of tears.

"He disappeared off the coast three days ago. There this massive storm," Della started standing up. "Scrooge, won't let me take his plane so I have to take this hunk of junk."

Gladstone followed her down towards the plane. She started untying some ropes that held a small cargo plane in place.

"I need someone to watch the eggs. I'm going after him." Gladstone caught her arm.

He was trying to process everything she had just said. Two things didn't compute. Why would Donald go out in a storm? Secondly, he wouldn't let Della go out in too. That meant Gladstone was about to either.

"Donny is like the safest guy we know. He would be beside himself if something happens to you?"

"Don't you think I've thought about that!" She shook her head, and she collapsed on his shoulder in tears. "Gladstone that's why I'm doing it, for him. For all the times he saved my tail feathers."

She shook in Gladstone's arms as he ran a hand through her hair. It was messy and clearly hadn't been brushed in a while. Her eyes were also sunk in, like she hadn't slept in days. He pulled her to the area where she has a makeshift bed set up and pulled out her brush.

"Dee, I'll do it. I'll watch the kids." He said, pulling the brush through her hair.

"Really?" she asked, yawning but pulling away towards the plan. He nodded and pulled her back down.

"In the morning." He said with another brush of hair.

"That might be too late!" She protested.

"Della, you said yourself that there's still a storm and you clearly haven't slept in as many days. Donny can hang on. He always does." He mumbled the last bit.

"How can you be certain?" She stared at her hands like them not moving physically hurting her.

"I'll bet my luck on it." She looked at Gladstone and he corrected himself. "On him."

Della wanted to protest more, but the hair brushing was putting her to sleep. She passed out in his arms. Gladstone really was the luckiest goose in the world, he thought, staring at her. To have such amazing family willing to sacrifice so much f̶o̶r̶ ̶D̶o̶n̶a̶l̶d̶ for one another.

Word Count: 815