#yes that is a rpdr reference at the end like i could resist y'all

[halloweennut]

Pas de Deux

During a Musical Charity Auction, Felicity gets roped into wearing one of the items for charity, then literally roped onto a pirate airship and hauled miles into the air, where she meets the one and only Don Karnage. Some veritable dime-store pirate romance novel shenanigans happen from here out. 

lmao so i didn’t plan on shipping them, but here we are. first part of a three part ship story with Felicity (my oc) and Don Karnage. I just hope I wrote him well. I have no impulse control. @musekicker thank you for the encouragement bb. 

The charity musical revue had been going splendidly for the first hour and a half. A good quarter of the donation goal had been reached, and the higher ranked items hadn’t been presented or seen by most of the elite crowd of benefactors. One of those higher ranked items was a set of jewelry, dated to the 15th century, made of pure gold and precious gems. An early viewing resulted in the request to see them worn by one of the musical performers, just to see how they shone, despite them being more apt for a museum than regular party wear.

Felicity agreed to wear it during her aria, glad that it didn’t look too gaudy on her. The rings fit well, the bracelets were a little snug due to the internal clasping mechanism, and the hairpieces were easily woven into her updo. The necklace sat high and heavy on her like a collar, and it locked behind her neck via pinhole lock. While she wasn’t much of a fan of wearing so much jewelry, especially with how priceless it was, Felicity liked how it complimented her feathers and neck, as well as how the jewels shone when she moved.

Of course, the pricelessness of  the gems around her neck and everything else sitting around the opera house was bound to draw unwanted attention. Soon enough, not even 15 minutes after she belted her last note, Felicity found herself bound in rope, tossed unceremoniously unto to a flying pirate ship. After she had bitten two of the crew, Felicity found her beak tied shut with a handkerchief. She cursed whoever made the jewelry for making the rings the only easy pieces to get off of her - the necklace, bracelets and hair pieces were to slow going to remove, so for the pirates it was far easier to bring all of her along.  Her being tied up also made the process easier for them at least, not to mention the skirt she was in tangled up her legs, until they got to the necklace and the mystery of how to unclasp it.

“Captain, this bauble don’t have a clasp!” one of the pirates said from behind her. “What should I do?”

She struggled and twisted her shoulders and arms as she attempted to get loose while they were distracted, hearing the tap of leather boots storm up behind her.  Felicity hadn’t really gotten a look at the captain during the raid,  but she had hear him, of all things, sing and bark orders, the freshest being to grab her and go.

“Necklaces have clasps, you idiot,” she heard him snap. “Must the great Don Karnage  do everything?”

Felicity felt a gloved hand clap onto her shoulder and push her forward, and she let out a noise of protest. There was a pause, and she felt another hand prod and pull at the necklace.

“What in the skies…,” he sounded confused and she felt a little smug. “Ah! There is a pin keyhole. You! Bring me the key!”

“Beggin’ your pardon, captain, but we never grabbed any kind of key.”

“You never grabbed - we grab everything, you idiots! Now we have no way of getting that off of her,” the captain stomped around her, angrily gesturing at his crew who shied away. “Except…”

Don Karnage spun around to face Felicity, and she finally got a look at him. He stared at her with intense expectation, she stared back with anger. Don Karnage blinked, shifting into something smug and almost charming as he began to lightly and dancingly step towards the swan. Felicity scowled the best she could with her beak tied together and shuffled back, only to run into the legs of some crew members. They grabbed her by her sides, lifting her up so she was standing, but held her as she twisted her shoulders to get out of their strong grips. He strolled up to her, and tilted up her beak with a finger to look her in the eye.

“Maybe, songbird, you can tell Don Karnage where that little key is?” he crooned, and untied her beak.

“I refuse to tell you, you pirate,” she hissed, and tried to lunge at his hand, but was held back, her beak closing with a loud ‘clack.’ He snapped his hand back sharply and snarled, revealing rows of very sharp teeth.

“Then the less than patient Don Karnage will have an extended guest on his ship!” he hissed.

“Why don’t we throw her overboard? Or threaten her with it at least?” A peg legged crew member asked. Don Karnage groaned.

“She’ll obviously call our bluff, because if we lose her, we lose the necklace!” Don Karnage snapped, hooking a finger around the collar to pull it, and Felicity, forward, showing the large diamonds and precious jewels. “This necklace is worth more than this plane. And obviously more than you lot!”

He dropped the jewelry, hitting her hard on the chest. She let out an “oof” of shock at the weight, snapping Don Karnage’s attention back to her as if he had forgotten she was attached to the collar. He smirked, snapping his fingers. The crew members holding her let go, dropping her with a yelp of surprise and a thud as she hit the cold metal floor of the cargo hold, skirt pillowing around her legs. She stared up at him with a scowl as he he stood in front of her.

“A good, handsome, and daring pirate has ways of getting information, songbird,” he said smugly, leaning down to be in her face.

“Maybe the first thing you should learn is my name,” Felicity managed to say before he grabbed her sides, hefting her over his shoulder like a bag of loot. “Hey! Put me down!”

“Your name won’t matter once I have your necklace,” he replied as he began to walk out of the cargo hold and into the ship. Felicity watched as the crew members continued on like this wasn’t happening and the cargo hold disappeared behind a bay door.

“Put me down!” she commanded again, hoping that she didn’t sound scared. This was distressingly becoming a dime-store romance novel and she could barely refuse the role she was playing in it. She couldn’t bite any part of him, her arms were tied and from this position, he had her legs in a vice-like grip.

They entered another room off the large, cavernous hallway with the woosh of a mechanized door. When it closed behind them, Felicity closed her eyes shut tight. Whether it was fear or trying to focus her mind on figuring out some way to escape or fight someone larger than her with a sword, she didn’t know. They didn’t open when she felt him shift her in his arms, holding her bridal style for a moment before she was set down on what felt like a chair. Felicity opened her eyes and looked around. They were in what looked to be the captain’s quarters, based on the grand decor and large space. She was sitting on a chair next to a table with a half empty bottle of liquor on it. Posters of musicals, mostly featuring pirates, and pictures of the captain,  lined the walls. Against the back wall was a large canopy bed covered in dark blue velvet. Across from her, Don Karnage stood at a hutched desk covered in papers and maps, cooly removing his gloves like he hadn’t brought her in.

“Wha-,” she managed to gasp out. “What are you going to do?”

“Simply enough,” he replied, placing the gloves on the desk, replacing them in his hands with a small dagger. “The persuasive Don Karnage will persuade you into telling me where the key is.”

Felicity felt herself freeze at the sight of the knife, going stick straight as he approached. In a flash the

dagger sliced through the air...and through her binds, landing on the floor. She harshly inhaled, not realizing that she hadn’t breathed. He drove the dagger into the wood of the table, and dragged another chair over to fling himself onto with dramatic flair.  

“You really thought I would attempt to kill you? You’re worth more alive right now,” he said, leaning casually in the chair.

“And how do you know I won’t try to escape?” she asked, gently moving her arms to fix her feathers and sooth her sore muscles from the ropes. Don Karnage laughed.

“No one but my crew and I know this ship,” he said, leaning forward on his hands, elbows on the table. “Even if you managed to escape my room, navigate to the cargo hold, do you really think you could take on a crew of twenty pirates? The knowledgeable Don Karnage know swans can be feisty, but for how long?”  

“For as long as I have to be,” she snapped, standing up to her full height, leaning over him in an attempt to assert some dominance. “You shouldn’t have untied me.”

With a swish of her skirts, Felicity hurried towards the door. Before the door could even register her and open up to the hall, she felt a hand wrap around her arm and she found herself spinning on her toes, coming to the hard stop of Don Karnage’s chest. Felicity tried to pull away, hit his chest, but he gripped her wrists and if anything pulled her closer. She gasped as suddenly she found herself horizontal in a sudden dip, heading spinning from the sudden change. Don Karnage stood above her, smug.

“Truth to be told,” he said, “I enjoyed your performance at that little party we crashed.”

“Really?” Felicity replied incredulously. If he sensed her cynicism, he either ignored it or didn’t care, given he picked up on it. From what she had seen so far, the captain was full of himself.

“Oh yes,” Don Karnage replied, leaning back to bring both of them to a standing position and uncomfortably for her at least, changed their arms to dancing positions. “Don Karnage is well versed in the musical arts, knowing a good aria well sung is child’s play to someone as talented.”  

“Captain, if you think flattery -,” Felicity began, only to be cut off.

“Please, Don Karnage.”

“Captain, if you think flattery will make me tell you anything about how to get this necklace off my neck,” she stared hard into his eyes. “I’m afraid you are mistaken.”

He barked out a laugh, making her recoil. “Haha! No, Miss Columbia, the talented Don Karnage has something better!”

“Might just what-,” she stopped. How did he know her last name? “How do you know my name? You said it didn’t matter.”

“Like I said,” he repeated. “I know the musical arts, and just as importantly those who participate in them.”

He leaned close to the side of her head, and Felicity thought she felt fang brush feather. “You are very talented, talented enough to have impressed me, and I have extremely high standards. You being at that show was a treat. And now I have not only priceless jewels, but a priceless little songbird, no?”

He didn’t move for a moment, so she quickly cut in. “So what? Are you going to keep me here, regardless of the necklace? And for what? You are talented enough, surely you can perform for yourself. Mirrors work wonders.”

Don Karnage laughed again, throwing his head back in a row of laughter. “Sweet, foolish songbird. No. Having you here until you tell me how to get these trinket off you will take time. You are awfully stubborn, aren’t you? But I have ways better than flattery to get what I want.”

He swept her off her feet in a ballroom turn, despite her protests and promptly placed her back into a chair. Confused, she watched him pull an arabesque, kicking a small record player into starting. In a few seconds, she recognized the piece. It was the music from the ballroom dance scene in the last production she was in. Felicity and her co-star had worked tirelessly on it for weeks until it was seamless, and they had the bruised receipts to show how much they paid for their success. But it was weeks ago and well executed then, what was the purpose of playing it now?

“And that better way is pointers!”

“Pointers.” Felicity stared at him in disbelief as he nodded, moving to the first position that her partner started in.

“Now, I am not sure if they are for your inadequacies or that of your partner, but they are good for you to take note of for your next rehearsal,” he began, and Felicity felt her eye twitch as he began to dance.

She watched as he continued, pointing out how her partner should be or how the move should be performed correctly, and all the while her jaw tightened and Felicity could not believe what exactly was going on. First he kidnapped her, scared her to death, and now he was nitpicking her dance routine? She felt annoyance, anger, fear, and the overwhelming urge to both escape and prove him wrong. Felicity watched as he danced, moving from position to position with a fake partner.

A fake partner!

If Felicity was anything, she was an actress, she could adapt to roles, and if this mess of a show called for a heroine on a pirate ship, by god she would play the part. Now, at least, she felt she had a little more control. While he was turned away, she stood and made her way to the record player, and lifted up the needle with a finger. Could she have just run while he was distracted? Yes, but the drama and comeuppance wouldn’t have had the pay off.

Don Karnage stumbled to a stop, the next pointer on his tongue dying as he turned to face her. Felicity slowly turned to look at him over her shoulder, and held him for a second in his confusion before turning all the way. She softly smiled, bowing her head demurely to look up at him through her lashes - falsies but he probably couldn’t tell -  and slowly made her way to him.

“You know, Captain,” she said slowly coming to stand right in front of him, “I mean, Don Karnage...I’m not the most visual learner. “

Whether or not he caught on she couldn’t tell, but she watched him smile confidently. “Is that so? How you propose we change that?”

“Perhaps,” she continued, sidling up close and placing one hand in position on his shoulder, the other lacing with his. “Something more personal so I can...learn better. You could use a partner for this.”

Using him for support, she kicked out her leg, hitting the record and starting the song over again.  “Don’t you agree?”

He stared at her in surprise for a moment, before grinning and moving into position, placing his hand on her waist and raising their interlocked hands. He really thought she was falling for his ‘persuasion’ and his technically speaking legitimate but ultimately nitpick pointers as they swept around the room in their pas de deux. He continued with them, and she decided to smile and nod with the occasional “oops! my bad” when she “accidentally” stepped on his foot. But all the while she was trying to figure out how to get the two of them out into the cargo hold.

The music slowed down to a stop and slipped into the next track - a faster paced waltz that Felicity couldn’t place from anywhere but into her escape plan. So instead of stopping, she started to pull him into another dance, and she hoped it was a long one for her plan to work. Felicity fluttered her lashes in a fake plea to continue, and Don Karnage smiled, all too happy to oblige a chance to show off and dance with a pretty songbird that he thought could just keep up with him. He quickly stepped in line with her in a folie a deux, going for more difficult moves than before. Part of Felicity’s mind was thrilled by the improvisation they were doing, another thrilled it was working, and the last part wondering how long she could continue. But the song continued and so did their dance.

“You’re quite good,” he murmured at one point. Her back was pressed to his chest and her arms with aloft to just brush the back of his head, and he held one of her legs at the thigh, the two of them ever so slightly  bending forward, before snapping back up. He spun her back to face him.

“You’re not bad yourself, captain,” Felicity replied, leaning close to his muzzle before spinning away, just barely out of arm's’ reach. “But can you keep up?”  

“Bold of you to assume I couldn’t,” Karnage said stepping closer to grab her waist, leading her into the next few steps. Felicity grinned, almost smug as she slowly but surely lead him across the room and out into the hallway. Then began the next little step in her plan. She would dance a few feet out of reach, he’d catch her in another dance move,  and they repeated it all the way into the cargo hold. The crew watched on as they danced, Felicity playing coy and teasing, provoking him to continue and show off until he finally caught her with a triumphant laugh.

“How’s that for keeping up? It seems like I’ve finally caught you, songbird,” he boasted, pulling her close. Felicity smiled - this was all going to plan! She pressed herself closer, resting her hands on his chest.

“It seems you have. But I’m afraid that this is our last dance,” Felicity said, suddenly spinning away. Don Karnage felt a tug at his waist, and when she stopped, he saw why. Felicity had his sword and now it was pointed directly at his throat. “Now it’s been lovely, but I’ll be taking my jewelry and my leave, if you please.”

Don Karnage glanced between her face and the sword in disbelief before snarling, rows of sharp teeth bared. He stepped forward menacingly, trying to get her scared or to back down, but the sword stayed out at his throat, now the point was pressed into his jacket. He glared at the swan staring at him in triumph and expectation. “You little snake! You tricked me!”

“Aw, I’m no longer songbird?” Felicity asked. “But yes, I did. It was a lovely dance we did, mind you, and I’m honest there, but I’m going to need my jewelry. Or am I going to ruin your jacket, pirate?”

To drive her point home, she pressed the sword point harder. Not enough to tear the fabric or cause pain, but enough to convince that she was willing to go that length. With a growl, Karnage snapped his fingers, and a few crew members scrambled to find the pieces they had taken from her, and shoved them in a bag. Felicity extended her free hand out, and they tossed it over to her.

“Thank you kindly,” she said, slowly backing up to the cargo door switch, over the roar of the plane’s engines, she heard a plane in the distance, and hoped it was Scrooge McDuck’s. “Thank you for the performances, but I wouldn’t count on this show getting out of previews.”

Felicity slammed the hilt of the sword onto the ‘up button’, and the cargo bay opened with a groan and a hiss. The wind whipped at her hair and her skirt as she stared down Don Karnage. In that moment, Felicity knew she looked like the heroine out of a novel. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the glint of a bright red plane getting closer and she grinned.  Don saw it as well and let out a shout, one of the crew members throwing him a new sword as he rushed forward, swinging. Quickly, Felicity blocked the blow, stumbling back onto the the ledge of the port. He stepped back and thrust forward, stepping lightly as he pushed her back, grabbing at either her or the bag of jewelry in her other hand.

“You! Overrated! Little! Showgirl!” he snapped, punctuating each word with a swing. She balanced on the ledge, staring him down, the roar of the Sunchaser buffeting her ears.

“At least I am a showgirl! Go back to dinner theatre where you belong!” Felicity  shouted back before jumping onto the nearby nose of the Sunchaser, using the sword blade to catch onto the hull and pull herself up. The plane sped backwards and away from Don Karnage. As Felicity clung to the sword hilt, she blew a mocking kiss goodbye, watching as he shook a fist at her and cursed her name in vengeance. That was going to be fun to deal with.  Until then, she was content to be carefully led through the pilot window from the nose, and into the safety of the ship’s hull as it sped back home to Duckburg.

If the jewelry didn’t catch top dollar now she was going to riot.

#ducktales oc #felicity columbia #don karnage #yes that is a rpdr reference at the end like i could resist y'all #don karnage x oc #is that the tag? why not