You can’t do this alone, let me go with you. (w/ Gladstone)
{ ☆ } “No.” The word comes out more forceful than Gladstone meant it to; harsh tone made even worse by his ruffled feathers and the way it had slipped through his already-gritted teeth. Feathers quickly fluff out further, but this is more from unease than the red-hot anger that had been bubbling inside of him. Anger that still lingers, but is momentarily doused by shame (as well as by looking at Linda) “I-I mean… No thank you, darlin’.” Voice is soft, emerald eyes apologetically meeting the other’s gaze. Honestly, he should have expected this… Expected the kindhearted duck to offer to come along when she noticed how upset he was. After all, Gladstone hadn’t exactly been doing a very good job concealing it.
Curse his emotional goose-nature… Normally Gladstone is adept at stifling it when he feels it’s needed. Which is rather often. But this time, that thought hadn’t even crossed his mind. He’d been far too preoccupied imagining- “This is somethin’ that I have to do alone. I don’t… I don’t want you there when I confront D-Money about what he an’ Scroogie McBillions did to our cuz. It’s not goin’ to be pretty, an’ I won’t have you see me when I’m fit to be tied.” Soft tone gains a hint of finality to it, the gander certain of his decision. He loves Linda and adores that she wants to offer support… But he doesn’t want need it. What he needs is to be able to chew out his family without feeling her eyes on him. “I’m not goin’ over there to just talk. I know I’m goin’ to end up hollerin’ at him. I know we’re goin’ to get into a big fight… an’ frankly, what happened deserves a fight. Li’l Chucker deserves that much…”
“… He was in that lab for more than four an’ a half years, Lin.” Voice cracks, hands clenching as bitter tears begin to brim in Glad’s eyes. Stinging from the shame of not being able to stop them, the few that manage to fall feel like they burn as they slide down his feathers. “He was left ALONE.” He knows firsthand how horrible that can be… { ☆ }
