Summary: Rockwell encounters alpha Megavolt and omega Darkwing Duck in Twitching Channels.

Ch 5: Twitching Channels

"You... are not what I was expecting," Rockwell admitted, his gaze sliding from one anthropomorphic animal to the other. That wasn't entirely true; he'd taken some artistic liberties to make the characters more child-friendly.

"You don't say," Megavolt drawled sarcastically. The rodent looked more like a gangster than cartoon character, especially with the power cord wrapped loosely around his neck. His thick brown hair was held back by an orange bandana, leaving room for his oversized blue goggles. The yellow jumpsuit and cobalt blue vest were not quite how Rockwell had pictured him in his mind - though he should have guessed that even an anthropomorphic rat would have a tail.

"I, for one, would like to know why HIS character wears pants, and mine walks around half naked?!" Darkwing insisted.

"Er, well... you're a duck," Rockwell stammered, watching the drake's eyes narrow beneath his mask. The human was sure that if his office wasn't covered in carpet, he'd be able to hear the duck's boot tapping defiantly on the floor.

"Actually, I find that rather hilarious." Megavolt didn't even attempt to hide his snickers, which drew a glare from the superhero in the chair next to him.

"You would, plug-head," Darkwing shot back, his arms coming up to cross over his chest.

Rockwell drew back in fear as the rat's whiskers began to spark. Thank goodness he had a desk between him and the arguing pair. Still, he'd better think of something quick before they get into a real fight and destroy his office.

"So, uh, why don't you guys explain to me how the alpha, beta, omega gender-thing works in your universe," the man suggested. The pair froze, mid-argument, their combined gaze coming to rest on the human's overly-bright smile.

"What do you mean?" Darkwing asked, even as he settled back into his chair.

"I'm a human. We have two genders: male and female. Your universe, or dimension, or whatever – has this alpha, beta, omega thing that happens during puberty. What I want to know is how it works," Rockwell admitted. Actually, it was a topic that used to pick at his brain. He'd have given his left nut to know how a male could somehow gain the ability to become pregnant.

"Well, I'm no biologist, but I think I can explain how it works," the duck commented, his hands coming to rest on his lap. "There are a lot of different sentient species on our planet. Bird-people, rodent-people, canine-people, porcine-people, and so on. We're born as males or females, depending on our body-parts."

"Puberty," Megavolt cut in, "usually happens in high school, although in rare cases it can happen earlier or later. There are many different terms for what happens during that time. Most people turn out to be betas or alphas, so it's not really considered all that interesting. Betas, of both genders, are more docile. Only the female betas can get pregnant, but they're not as fertile as omegas. Male betas also have a lower chance of siring children."

"Ahem," Darkwing coughed, interrupting the rat's explanation. "Alphas are hot-headed, brash, arrogant at times, and overall more aggressive than betas and omegas. Both male and female alphas are capable of siring children,. Omegas, also known as the third gender, are not as rare as they once were. Both the females and the males are capable of carrying children, and they go into heat far more often than betas do. Because of this, most people would say that a person has bloomed as an omega."

"Heat? Like animals... er, I mean..." Rockwell adjusted his collar at the narrow look from both of the men sitting across from him.

"Yes, our people have heat cycles. It's quite normal for us. Omegas and female betas have a higher chance of pregnancy when they are in heat. Are you saying that your species doesn't have heat cycles?" the rodent asked, staring at the larger man curiously.

"No, not at all. We're capable of reproducing at any time of the year. Although, women do menstruate... but I am Not explaining that. Ask a woman," Rockwell insisted. Glancing between the pair, the human found himself tapping his chin as he attempted to properly word his next question. "How do you tell which of the three genders a person is, if their physical gender doesn't matter?"

Megavolt tapped his nose in response. "It's all about scent. You can tell what gender a person is by how they smell. An omega who is still of bearing-age smells delicate and fertile, although the scent varies depending on the individual. Betas have a weaker scent to them; it's not as sweet, I guess you could say. Alphas have a musky, even aggressive, odor."

"And this is why you wear alpha pheromones, isn't it, Darkwing? You don't think people would take you seriously if they found out that you're actually an omega," Rockwell mused aloud, barely registering the secret he'd revealed without warning.

"You're an OMEGA?!" The rodent spun sideways in his chair, eyeing the duck up and down in disbelief. Even his tail was agitated at the news; it kept twisting and swishing behind his back.

Darkwing, on the other hand, looked ready to sink into the floor. His ivory cheeks were tinged red, likely with embarrassment. Rockwell felt a twinge of guilt at having just blurted out the duck's closely guarded secret.

"He would have found out eventually," the human tried to explain, gesturing to the Darkwing Duck action figure on his desk. "If you're both here to stay, it will be difficult to keep secrets from each other. Especially since quite a few of them show up in the cartoon." The last bit was mumbled as the blond man looked away, giving the two a moment to think.

"You're right," Darkwing finally admitted, leaning back in his chair. "Even those kids I met knew my life story, it seemed. I can't walk around here wearing a mask forever."

Rockwell felt like a voyeur as he watched Darkwing Duck reveal his true identity to one of his most dangerous enemies. Slipping his hat off his head, the duck left it in his lap as he slid both hands around to unknot the mask and peel it softly from his face. Placing the purple cloth inside his wide-brimmed tando, the avian slowly turned toward the rodent next to him.

"My name... my real name, is Drake Mallard. And you are..?" The question hung in the air, along with his hand, as a look of horror spread over the supervillain's face. Megavolt gaped at the duck, his mouth moving without a sound.

"Sorry," Megavolt finally whispered.

"What?" Drake's head tilted to the side, clearly waiting for more of an explanation than that.

Rockwell watched, eyes as wide as dinner plates, as the electric rodent rose from his chair, only to kneel before the unmasked mallard. Taking his feathered hand, Megavolt whispered, "I'm so, so sorry. How could I have forgotten?"

Drake only blinked back at his enemy, utterly confused by this turn of events.

Megavolt slipped his goggles from his face, pulling the bandana loose as well, his brown hair hanging in messy waves around his face. "It's me, Drake. Elmo Sputterspark,"

"Elmo," Drake breathed, staring into the eyes of the man he'd lost so long ago. All this time, the alpha had continued to be a part of his life without either of them realizing it.

"Ehem, so…" Rockwell interjected, drawing their attention back to him. "I'll have my assistant book you a couple of hotel rooms until we can arrange something more permanent."

"One room," the superhero insisted, clutching his former-mate's hand tightly. "We have… quite a bit to discuss."

Note: Most of my Megavolt x Darkwing stories are inspired by DarkPenguin's amazing artwork. (Check her out on deviantart) My favorite couple in the series is Liquidator x Bushroot, but Darkwing x Megavolt is a very close second.