#the name is quite the misnomer lmao

[halloweennut]

The Shipwreck Incident

In which we have a part three to the Felicity/Don Karnage nonsense, wherein both catch feelings and have to talk like adults about them. Some content warnings for: description of injuries and treatment thereof, needles, and suggestive make-out i guess. catch it under the read more! still cant write Karnage lmao

The last people had seen of Felicity Columbia had been just before a large, tropical storm had hit the shore of Cape Suzzette. She and a few company members had rented a small beach house and a boat for a week after a show had wrapped up as a way to relax and wind down. On the day of the storm, the small group had decided to take the boat out to sea to drink, dance, and lounge on the waves. The storm didn’t show up on any news weather radar until after they were over an hour out, and by then it was two late. A rescue party found the wrecked ship partially submerged on a sandbar close to shore, and almost all of the group was there, except for one swan.

The rescue party and coast guard scanned the sea for miles, and did the same for the shore, but to no avail. There was no sign of her there, and people began to assume the worst.

What they didn’t know is that Felicity had already been found.

---

The Airship blazed through the sky triumphantly after another heist, this time a large cargo ship full of goods they could easily sell on the black market.  After the normal round of critiques and nit-picks, the crew settled near happily into their standard positions. Peg-Leg Meg went to the helm, checking monitors for storms or pursuing ships and what have you, while the rest went to either sort loot, do repairs, or practice for the next robbery. Don Karnage looked over the cargo hold and at his crew with the vaguest sense of pride and accomplishment.

“Oh, we really dodged a bullet back home, Captain,” Meg said. “We just missed a huge storm.”

“And? We could have easily made it through,” Don Karnage scoffed. She checked another screen.

“A lot of boats are washing up. People are missing and search crews are out,” she added. Don Karnage hummed.

“Full speed then. I don’t want to run into any of them in case they think they can try and apprehend us,” He ordered. Meg quickly saluted and sent the command to the engine room. The ship began to speed up, and she returned to her post.

There was a tiny blip on the radar, far down below them and a few miles out in the water.  It echoed through the helm. Don Karnage’s ears perked up at the sound, and turned around the grab the monitor pulling it towards him on its swivel. If it was a ship, coast guard or something to rob, he wanted to know firsthand to expedite orders as soon as possible. The system was older, and couldn’t tell him what exactly it was except that it was small and in the water. Meg peeked up at the screen under his elbow.

“Captain?” She asked. “You don’t think it’s one of the missing people do ya?”

He shrugged, pushing the screen back into position. “We’ll be flying over soon enough. Bring us down a few clicks so we can see what it is. If it’s a person, we bring them aboard and hold them for ransom. If rubble, let it sink.”

The ship slowly began to drop, and slowed down slightly as it approached. One team of two flyers went out to check up close, finger on the button of a radio to confirm whatever it was in real time. Some of the crew waited in apprehension, having been caught up by Peg and the Captain. There was a buzz as the radio came to life.

“We’re not seein’ much o’ anythin’ cap,” one pilot said. “Are ya sure about the- hold on.”

The radio died for a few seconds, then buzzed back. “Blow me down, it’s a person. Bringing them aboard.”

A few minutes later the plane returned. The first pilot jumped out of their pit and over the second one behind him where the other pilot was, the soaked head of the person just jutting out above the edge of the cockpit.  “Mind her head, now.”

The two of them carefully maneuvered them out of the plane, the first pilot ended up taking the castaway in their arms. Initially, all Don Karnage saw was a mess of white feathers and soaked hair until they brought them closer, and he froze when he saw that it was the swan that had plagued him for weeks, the one his mind ran in circles about. The swan that he had - nevermind. That was not important. What was important was that people would be looking for her, and ransom could easily be gotten in exchange - she did have a small bit of fame to her name afterall.

Felicity, upon closer inspection, looked like death warmed over. She was paler, even with her white feathers, now mussed and in disarray, her arm and shoulder sat an odd angle, and there was a large bump on her head. The pilot’s hands shifted on her torso, and she let out a quiet whimper in pain as she shivered from the cold air on the ship. The injury list seemed to grow, and Don Karnage realized that she was in nothing but a flimsy swimsuit that did nothing but expose her to the chill and eyes of the crew.  

Without much of a thought, he shed his coat and rushed forward, wrapping it around her as he took Felicity from his crew member. With a bark to get out of his way, another to arrange for the ransom order to be sent and another for the crew doctor to be ready to attend her as soon as they reached their hideout, he booked it out of the hold and down into the belly of the ship to his bedroom. He remembered a similar scenario from weeks ago, but she was awake and fighting, dancing and tricking him. Right now, Felicity was curled against his chest and unconscious, but at least she was not longer shivering. Ocean water seeped into his shirt and his fur, rolling off her feathers and hair.

The door to his room couldn’t open fast enough, and he nearly nicked his head as he stormed in. Shifting her to one arm and wincing when she let out a noise of pain, he flung back the sheets on his bed and placed her delicately onto the plush surface. He removed his coat and threw the sheets back over her, carefully adjusting her head on a near threadbare pillow. It would have to do until they reached shore and the doctor was able to take care of her.

He made the first thought in his mind, as he hung his coat to dry, that her health was only important in regards to the ransom he could get for her. With a roll of his shoulders and a quick glance to watch the rise and fall of her chest, he made his way back to the helm to make sure his orders had been taken care of.

--

When Felicity woke up,  she was very confused and very much in pain. Her shoulder hurt, her ribs hurt, and her head hurt, and she could feel what felt like bruises all over her. She had no idea where she was either. All she could remember was the storm and then nothing. Felicity glanced around the best she could to see her new surroundings as she laid prone on the bed. The walls looked like carved stone, if not a cave, and was decorated with antique furniture. The door appeared to be from an old plane. The walls had a few pictures and framed items she couldn’t quite make out in the dim light, but the bed was soft and warm. As much as she would have loved to have fallen back asleep, the pain she felt was a bit much, and her mind was on high alert due the fact that 1. She had no idea where she was, and 2. She didn’t know who brought her here.

She attempted to sit up, carefully planting her one good hand on the bed and pushing herself up and back. Felicity let out a cry as shocks of pain ran through her shoulder and ribs, but forced herself to keep going until she was sitting up. Tears streamed down her cheeks and her jaw clenched. With tender fingers, she gently prodded her side and gasped at the ache - one of her ribs was broken. Another round of prodding at her arm confirmed that she had dislocated her shoulder, and judging by her headache and the the bump on her head, she more than likely had a concussion on top of all this. At the very least, whoever found her had put her into a large shirt that went down to her knees, covering her up since she was only in a swimsuit underneath. It was very old styled, like an 18th century gentleman’s, and smelled like metal, fur, and ocean water. The ocean water may have been her.

Felicity slowly lowered herself to lean back on the pillows behind her, hissing at the protest her body gave and took better stock of her situation. She was alive, but injured, and somewhere she hoped was safe. There had to be search crews looking for her, in in the worst case her body. If the person who saved her was a good person, they’d have called them by now and the coast guard would be on the way. She held onto that, and waited for anyone to come into the room. The only thing she heard was the quiet sound of chatter from another room, she supposed, and the sound of what might have been machinery. Where in the world was she?

She got her answer sooner than she thought, as the door opened and in strutted Don Karnage in all his bravado, followed by a smaller older man. She had finally stopped thinking about him and the - nevermind. Felicity hadn’t seen hide or hair of him since, but she’d be lying if she said she didn’t miss their pas de deux.  She  bristled and instinctively moved back, wincing and missing the odd look Don Karnage had on his face. The older man skirted around the pirate captain to her side.

“Hello, miss, I’m Dr. Sawbones,” he said. “Can you tell me your name?”

“Felicity,” she gasped out. “Felicity Columbia. Please tell me that’s just a misnomer and not reflective of your -ow - practice.”

“No, just a name,” the doctor laughed. “The Captain insisted I tend you you as soon as possible. I’m glad you’re awake.”

“Really?” Felicity mumbled, looking up at Karnage. His look read disinterest, but he hovered by the bed nonetheless. The doctor nodded.

“Very concerned. But that may be for the ransom he’s asking for you,” Dr. Sawbones said, placing his medkit on the bed. Felicity stared at Don Karnage. “But I don’t know, just the doctor. “

“Ransom? Karnage, you no good, ill-begotten son of a - HNNG!” Felicity’s angry tirade ended with a groan of pain in protest of her moving and beginning to shout. She fell back with a strangled noise dying in her throat, and

gasped for air.

“Stay down, Felicity,” Karnage said. “You’ll hurt yourself more. And whoever pays your ransom won’t be thrilled.”

“Go walk the plank, pirate,” she snipped between breaths. The doctor ignored the spat, pulling back the covers of the bed, and gently began to lift the hem of the shirt to get a better look at her ribs. Felicity watched him, and out of the corner of her eye saw Karnage stand over him as the shirt came to rest just above where she thought the broken rib was. Felicity wanted to snap at him to keep his eyes to himself and if she wanted him to see her half-naked she’d ask, but considering her pain and the fact that he was mostly watching the doctor made the sentence die in her mouth. With practiced hands, Dr. Sawbones carefully pressed and prodded around the area, and she clenched her jaw to stop any sounds from escaping her. She couldn’t stop the tears rolling down the side of her face though. The doctor removed his hands.

“A broken rib and probably a few that are bruised,” he listed, grabbing a roll of bandages from his bag. “Can you - nevermind, Captain? May I ask for your assistance? Please support her sitting up so I can wrap her ribcage.”

Don Karnage looked like he wanted to grande jete out of the room. Felicity wanted to say that she could support herself, bum shoulder or not. But she said nothing and Karnage moved to the other side of the bed, getting behind her and carefully lifting her up to sitting. She winced at the movement, and absentmindedly grabbed at his fingers when the doctor wrapped the bandage around and round her ribs. He shifted behind her, letting her lean her weight against him fully. The doctor cut the bandage to size and secured it.

“Now, let’s get a look at that shoulder,” he said, lowering the hem of her shirt, and moving up to her arm. He barely had to touch or look to know it was dislocated. He carefully handled her arm by the bicep, with one hand on her shoulder. “We need to put this back in place. It’s going to hurt, so I suggest looking away, miss.”

Felicity braced herself, closing her eyes and biting her bottom beak. She felt Karnage shift again, holding her straighter and in place, but paid it no mind as she numbly felt her arm and shoulder shift, and then there was a rush of pressure and a sickening pop of bone and muscle realigning back in place. Felicity cried out, fresh tears coming forth as she turned her head to bury it into Karnage’s neck as she shook with pain. The doctor gently bent her arm at the elbow, and she felt Karnage hold it in place while Dr. Sawbones tied it in a sling.

Karnage was surprised that Felicity would, by all technicality, turn to him for comfort, but he’d had his ribs wrapped and shoulder popped back into place. It was painful as all get out, so all he found himself doing was letting her pinch his hand, bury her head into his fur, and all he did in return was hold her as she shook.

He looked up at the doctor, impatient. “What else is there for you to do?”

“I’m just going to wrap her head and give her something for the pain. No blood thinners, she probably has a concussion, so I will act like she does,” the doctor said. “Miss Columbia, can you raise your head for a moment please?”

Karnage felt her nod against his chest and he helped her lean forward again, gently supporting her back as the doctor cleaned scratches on her head, then wrapping a bandage around it, especially around the veritable goose egg above her temple.

“I hurt like hell,” Felicity murmured once he was said and done. The doctor nodded, and grabbed a small bottle of pain medication and a sterile sharp.

“This will pinch, but it’ll relieve the pain and you can go back to sleep, miss,”  he replied, injecting the needle into her arm. The effect was immediate as she sighed in relief and slumped backwards onto Karnage’s chest, breathing slowly evening out. Absentmindedly, he raised a hand and wiped a few remaining tears off her cheek, smoothing down a few ruffled feathers as the doctor packed up. Dr. Sawbones looked at him for a second and grinned to himself.

“What are you smiling about, old man?” Karnage snipped. The doctor raised his hands in defense.

“Nothing, nothing, nothing!” he replied with a chuckle. “Just...youth is all. Was it necessary to give her your quarters and one of your shirts, captain?”

Karnage scoffed, shifting so Felicity sat more comfortably on his shoulder. “Where else could I have put her? In the crew’s quarters in her condition and a ransom on her head? Nonsense. And what else was she going to wear? I wasn’t going to let her only be in a bikini!”

The doctor nodded to the miniature tirade. “Well, when she wakes up, we’ll make sure she gets some ice packs for the swelling and pain management. Let me know when that happens, please.”

“I’m not her keeper! Who told you that you could make orders, especially to your captain?” Karnage barked.

“I apologize, captain. I overstepped,” he replied, heading towards the door, casting one last look at the two of them in the bed. Felicity had fallen to sleep, head half-hidden in his captain’s neck, and he himself was holding her. It looked like a cover of a novel. Karnage glared at him. “I’ll be back to check in on her in a few hours. For now, she needs her rest, the poor thing.”

Karnage looked down at her as the door clicked shut, and hesitated for a moment before slipping out from behind her, lowering her head on to the pillows and bringing the sheets back up over her chest. He watched her for a moment, and sat down in a plush armchair a few feet away. He flung himself down with a huff, and rested his chin on a fist as he stared at no spot in particular and stewed in his thoughts. It was odd to she her sedate - he preferred her dancing and singing. Why did it have to be her that they found? Why of all the castaways, in all the oceans, in all the world did it have to be her?

---

Karnage, afterwards, was both constantly present and ever absent. He came in from time to time to grab something from his desk or clothing as the next few days passed, revealing to Felicity that it was not only his room and bed, she was in but also in his shirt. They would exchange few words, mostly scathing, offhand remarks and gloating peppered with inquiries into her injuries and her ransom. Then, Karnage would leave until he either found an excuse to come back in, the doctor coming to check on her or someone coming to bring her meals. He’d linger for a moment and leave.  It confused her. His conflicting concern and bravado over holding her captive and for ransom confused her, his lingering and not to mention the kiss a few weeks beforehand and the avoidance. As much as Felicity liked to banter and bite at him...she was confused about where she stood, where they both stood.

It meant that they would have to actual talk, like normal adults. Not a captive and a captor, nor a pirate and a songbird.

The next time he entered the room, they continued as normal - gloating remark, an insult, an question about her pain, a question about if her ransom had come in, etc. As Karnage turned to leave, Felicity quickened her resolve.

“Wait, Karnage?” she called out, quiet as she extended a hand, only to draw it back. He froze on a dime at the doorway, slowly turning to look at her. “Stay.”

He raised an eyebrow at her, and threw on a cheap smirk as he walked to the side of the bed. The door closed with a click, and so did he boots as he came to a stop in front of her.

“I don’t like being commanded like a dog, songbird,” he chuckled. “But if my presence delights you so much, I’ll consider ignoring that and doing as you say.”

“Trust me, pirate, if I had a choice, I wouldn’t-” Felicity stopped herself, and sighed. “Listen, we need to talk.”

“Negotiations for your release or finally admitting defeat to me? Believe me, having you captured and for ransom,” Don Karnage bragged, sitting on the edge of the bed and leaning over her. “That’s a good start for my vengeance on you.”

She sighed, shifting on the pillows as she crossed her one good arm over the other. “No. And don’t count on that happening ever. Someone will either pay the ransom or daringly rescue me. But that’s not what I wanted to talk about.”

Felicity looked away for a moment, then caught his eyes.  “We need to talk about the kiss. I - I’m confused by it and confused about what it meant and you doing….all of this...I need to know what’s going on here, and I think you do too.”

“There’s nothing to discuss. There’s nothing in general,” he mumbled. The bravado in his smirk and pose had died. Don Karnage snapped his head away, slouching as his crossed his arms.

“Then why did you kiss me?” she snapped, leaning forward, only to fall back as her ribs screamed in protest. Don Karnage knee-jerk lurched toward her, hands reaching out but quickly snapping back to fold across his chest.

“I don’t have to explain myself to you, songbird,” he snapped, standing angrily. “I never explain myself to anyone, let alone you.”

“Karnage, please,” Felicity hated that she was pleading, and gently cradled her head. “I’ve tried to stop thinking about it. I’ve tried to not dance with you in our pas de deux’s. God, I’ve tried to stop thinking about you in general, but mostly why you had to- What was so wrong with us dance-fighting that you had to go and mix all of-of this into it?”

She bit her bottom beak and looked back at him expectantly.  He stood defensively at the foot of the bed, fists clenched as he met her gaze. Don Karnage exhaled, almost defeated as his shoulders slumped and sat down at the foot of the bed.

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “After you stole the jewels back and jumped off the plane, I despised you. I hated how you had outsmarted and outperformed me. I wanted revenge. I wanted to out do you at whatever chance I could. Whenever we ran into each other and we danced…it felt like a fight.”

He sighed, leaning his head forward, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. “I liked it. I like enjoyed how it made me think and react. I started to want to do more and more, and eventually it was less of a trying to out do you, but suddenly I wanted to impress you. Each time. I couldn’t stop thinking about it the performance, and then you. It was absolute madness.”

“What happened the last time?” Felicity asked. “You were acting different just before...is all of that why?”

Don Karnage nodded, almost in shame. “I hadn’t known you’d be there. It was chance for me to act, and I did, obviously, but I was unprepared. I couldn’t clear my head so when we danced...everything crashed together and kissing you seemed to be the best move I could have done.”

Felicity felt herself flush, and leaned back into the pillows further. “And that’s why I’ve barely seen you since? Because you felt conflicted.”

“I’m never conflicted. I always make the most decisive of decisions,” the bravado returned for a moment.

“Then how come you can’t decide whether you want to avoid me while I’m here or hover over me?” Felicity snipped, then gently placed a hand on his arm, ignoring the pain the stretch brought. “Karnage, I...I looked forward to the dances to. I liked the challenge and the improvisation, and the fact that it was all not choreographed or planned? It was nice. It was...nice dancing with you, and bantering was fun. But I haven’t gotten the kiss out of my head, nor the parts about whatever this is out either.”

He looked at her curiously, so she continued. “That whole day threw me through a loop. The dance was different. The script changed and…”

Felicity paused, falling back onto the cushions  but holding his gaze. “I liked it. I liked the change. I even liked the kiss. But it can’t last. It’s not sustainable. If anything, we both unfortunately are attracted to and infatuated with each other.”

“An infatuation,” he repeated and moved closer. “One we both share. You really enjoyed dancing with me? I’m not surprised, I am a good dancer, not to mention a good kisser, I’ve been told..”

“Yes, I did,” she said, annoyed that he slipped back into narcissism. “But I can’t act on it, and neither should you. We shouldn’t.”

“That’s a good idea. I’d like to go back to our old script as well,” Karnage said. “But, out of curiosity, why not?”   

  “For starters, it’s an infatuation. They never last,” Felicity continued, ignoring that Karnage had gotten closer. “For my part, there are aspects of you I cannot stand. The rampant narcissism, the stealing, the acts of vengeance, not to mention how you treat your crew, even if you claim it to be in their best interests.”

“I don’t like your sense of morality, songbird. I hate that you don’t let yourself have things but you are always so ready to take control,” Karnage bit back. “But damn you are one hell of a performer. I like that. I like how you fight back.”

“You’re not bad either, pirate. But only in that aspect,” she replied. “Okay granted, sometimes you’re charming but then you go and ruin it.”

“Based on that and my outstanding powers of understanding,” he said, gently leaning towards her, “We should simply nip it in the bud.”

Felicity felt her heartbeat quicken as he lowered a hand at her side, effectively closing in on her. Her face flushed again. “Yes. It wouldn’t work anyway. Let’s...let’s stick to our folie a deux and vengeance curses. There’s far too many differences for it to work. It would be madness.”

“Our folie a deux,” Karnage replied, placing a kiss on a non-bandaged section of shoulder that the sleeve of her -his - shirt had fallen off of. Felicity clasped a hand over her beak as he face grew warmer.  “My vengeance.”

He placed another kiss where her shoulder met neck, following with a slight nip, remembering the reaction from before. Felicity gasped, and she shivered underneath him.  He chuckled. “Our banter is always nice, but I think I like this better.”

“You’re terrible, pirate,” Felicity managed to say, grabbing the front of his jacket to hold him in place over her. Did his vengeance now consist of kissing her and driving her mad?  “This is the last time it can happen.”

“Obviously, songbird,” he replied, moving his attention up her neck to the side of her face, and brought a hand up to her non-injured side to hold her at her waist. “That’s why I plan on making it count.”

“Then do it,” she said breathlessly as she finally closed the gap between them. The second time around wasn’t a clash of beak and teeth but just as rushed as Felicity tried to claim his mouth as hers and hers alone. Careful of her bandages, Karnage pulled her close to his chest as the kiss deepened. Felicity pulled away, panting, and decided to go for the exposed bit of neck she had access to, kissing and nipping wherever she could place her beak.  Karnage found himself delightfully surprised by her initiative, and realized why she seemed to like it when he did the same thing. Felicity let herself have a proud little smile, much like the pirate’s, as she felt his hand on her waist tighten and the other move to rest heavy on her thigh. Placing one last kiss on his chest, she pulled back to look at his face. He was flushed and he stared at her with unexpected intensity.  

“It seems you’re taking the lead here,” Karnage grinned, his hand moving from her waist, tracing a thin trail up her spine to rest on the back of her head. “I do like it, but I’ll be taking that back.”

He pulled her forward, joining them in another kiss. Felicity raised her hand to his face, running his fingers through the soft fur before wrapping her arm over his shoulder, humming in enjoyment as he deepened it further. Absentmindedly, Karnage moved his hand up to rest on her side and to pull her ever closer to his chest, forgetting for a moment that she was still injured. Felicity pulled back with a cry and he nearly dropped her as he moved. Both of them gasping for air at the sudden shock and the break in lip-lock, they raked each other’s faces for answers.

“I, I am sorry. I forgot and I- so much for making it count, eh?” Karnage apologized, letting her adjust herself to sit up before he removed his hands from her. He was still extremely close to her, and she could feel heat radiate off of him. She laughed around the decreasing ache in her side, and placed her good hand on his cheek. Without thinking, he leaned into it, especially when she began to gently scratch the side of his head.

“Maybe we should hold off then,” she murmured. “Until my ribs and shoulder are healed. Then we can do this better and then finally end it.”

“Perhaps. But that will take a few weeks,” he replied. “My schedule is always in flux. I might not be able to at that time.”

“And I’ll have to return to rehearsals soon. Well, whenever we can then. We’ll finish what we started,” she said, pecking the corner of his mouth. “Then return to what we were.”

“And the folie a deux ends there,” Karnage murmured, pressing his forehead to her neck as she pulled them back onto the pillows. He heard her murmur a yes above him, draping a lazy arm over him. In turn he slid an arm behind her back, careful of her ribs this time.  They stayed like that for a few moments, and they both pretended it was normal - just a pirate and a songbird. As she laid there, absentmindedly stroking his fur, Felicity admitted to herself that things had changed completely in the opposite direction of how she had planned. All that was left to know was how either of them would change in response. Karnage suddenly spoke up again, strangely quiet. “You’re going to be bad for business, songbird, I can tell.”

“Good then, pirate,” she replied with a ghost of smirk.”I’m glad.”

---

No ransom came, but a rescue party did a few days later, a fight ensuing as she was hurried out of the cave system and back home. Felicity found herself in one of the nicer hospital rooms, wrapped in different bandages and just barely out of if from pain relievers after they had set her rib back in place to heal properly. The hospital smelled and felt sterile and clean, but her feathers still smelled like salt water, metal and fur. It was probably something she would find herself accustomed to, but she found herself smiling about it nonetheless.

#felicity columbia #don karnage #don karnage x oc #ducktales #ducktales oc #lmao im having fun at least