deweydewdrop

[deweydewdrop]

Despite how badly their fight had ended after Halloween, Dewey had really hoped he had given his brother enough time to cool off so they could move forward. Hell, he and Webby had even made progress on mending things, even if it was a minimal amount. Webby had made a good point when they spoke, that Dewey leaving only made things worse between them all, so now he was slowly trying to make efforts and be more present again. Especially with the holidays just around the corner, they would have to learn to at the very least tolerate each other so they wouldn’t all be miserable at the end of the year. Still, Huey was insisting on staying angry.

Dewe so badly wanted to answer in frustration Well I don’t wanna keep fighting, yet here we are! Instead he bit his tongue. He couldn’t keep making things worse. He was being the bigger person, which was usually what Huey did. It was so strange to see the older triplet act this way — Dewey had turned him into a bitter, unforgiving person. “I know,” he answered as he tried to hide his own bitterness. “But I’m giving it to you anyway, ‘cause you’re my brother and I love you.” It felt foreign to say that, having been so long since they were genuinely nice to each other. The last they spoke, Dewey had stormed off in tears. It was genuinely surprising that he was able to suck it up and still try to be a good brother after that, but it was Webby who had given him the motivation to try harder. No more running away. “So can you please just …. Take it.”

It was safe to say that Huey has yet to let go of his anger towards Dewey. No, he wasn’t raging anymore over everything his brother had caused, but the older still couldn’t stand to be in the same room as him without his blood starting to boil. So, the fact that Dewey not only decided to randomly show up at the Manor—after he decided to move out—but he really had the audacity to show up in front of him. With a present.

As Dewey pushed the gift right back towards him, claiming that it was a Christmas gift for him, Huey scoffed. “I don’t want it.” He repeated, this time around not bothering to even look at the gift. It didn’t matter to him if this was a Christmas gift, or even some kind of apology gift, he didn’t need it nor did he wanted it. Besides, it wasn’t as if Huey could be bought out of his forgiveness anyways if this was some kind of tactic into getting him to forgive his brother. “Handing me a gift is not going to do much in getting me to forgive you.” He claimed.

[deweydewdrop]

Dewey was giving his brother a pissed-off glare instead of responding. It was the way that his brother was such a know-it-all, but in this case, he was acting completely closed-minded and only really knew what he wanted to hear. The entire situation was extremely complex but Huey couldn’t be bothered to listen to the whole story. This was exactly why Dewey never talked about Tiffany to the oldest triplet in the first place — he knew it was something he wouldn’t understand. Still, Huey continued to be stubborn and acted as if he knew everything and was always right. 

“What else am I supposed to think?!” Dewey answered, his voice rising. While before he didn’t want to yell and wake up their uncle, now he was too angry to care. Their argument was past the point of no return, both equally heated and nowhere near finding a middle ground. The laugh that escaped Huey’s lips sounded almost evil to Dewey’s ears, as if he were mocking him. It was sickening — he could barely even recognize his sibling right now. It was a shame that moments ago, Dewey was feeling somewhat normal again after Louie finally spoke to him again, only to end up fighting with Huey like this right after. 

His arms were crossed over his chest as Huey continued, rolling his eyes. Even if Huey did try to stop Dewey from being with Tiffany, the middle triplet would never listen anyway. Huey wasn’t the boss of him. They weren’t kids anymore; Dewey could be with whoever he wanted to, even if other family members weren’t happy about it. He didn’t continue fighting him from that point on, knowing that he wouldn’t get anywhere even if he tried. At the end of the day, it wasn’t only about his happiness, but for some reason Dewey had been struggling with making decisions that greatly affected other people. He wasn’t trying to be selfish. 

They were at a crossroads, and it was likely best for them to drop the argument before their uncle woke up and things escalated further. Dewey’s face and hand ached from the fight with Randy just hours ago, but fighting with Huey now caused a deep ache in his heart. If you want to go live your new happy life with your new girlfriend, then just go. His brother may as well have stabbed him in the chest by how much those words stung. Dewey’s angry expression fell, his crossed arms falling down to his sides as he was stunned to silence. The feeling of being unwanted in his own family home suddenly grew much larger; he fought the urge to suddenly cry right there, tears threatening to fall. It was unbelievable that suddenly he was on better terms with Louie than Huey, even if he and Louie weren’t perfectly okay yet either. “... If that’s what makes you happy, then I will,” he answered, his tone harsh and cold. In a way, he was proving Huey wrong and said this out of spite — he didn’t only care about his own happiness. If Huey wanted him to leave, then he would; maybe he wouldn’t even come back. He didn’t know where he’d go or what he’d do, but for now he stormed off from the kitchen and headed to his room, slamming the door shut once he was there. As soon as he was alone and no witnesses were present, he let his tears fall freely.

“I know everything I needed to know.” Huey snapped right back. He didn’t need to know the personal life about this girl and her boyfriend or why his very own brother decided to get involved with them. The truth of the matter was that she was already with someone else, and if she had been so unhappy with her current relationship that she looked at Dewey for refuge, then she should've done the sensible thing and break up with her boyfriend first before getting his brother involved even more. After all, if her relationship had been so terrible, why was she even with this guy in the first place? Why hasn’t Dewey ever mentioned her before or explain sooner on why she couldn’t just leave her boyfriend even if she wanted to? If he liked her so damn much, why couldn’t he have just waited until things were okay so there wouldn’t have been anymore unnecessary problems! That’s what Huey couldn’t get. Dewey already found himself in hot water and instead of making things better, he had to made things even worst because once again, he couldn’t take the moment to stop and think before doing something completely selfish.

Then at his brother’s following words, Huey’s eyes darkened. “You think I don’t want you to be happy? Me? Oh that’s fucking rich coming from you!” He humorlessly laughed. His siblings happiness is all Huey ever wanted for them. Why wouldn’t he want them to be happy? No amount of past disagreements or fights would ever make him wish any ill towards his siblings, not even Dewey himself, and he was the one Huey was often at odds with. And deep down—deep, deep, deep down—he still didn’t wish his brother any ill. Of course he was majority pissed off at him and he was finding it difficult to even look at his brother’s direction, but Huey did wanted Dewey to be happy. He wanted all of them to be happy. Louie and Webby included. But it seemed like in his middle brother’s pursuit in happiness, it caused lasting damages in return, and all for what? Because he couldn’t even bother to let him or Louie know how he was actually feeling until it became too late? “I’m not stopping you in being with her.” Huey began. “If she makes you happy, great! Keep doing what you’ve already been doing! This is not the first time you’ve acted out of selfishness and i wouldn’t be surprised if this wasn’t your last. But all this makes you happy right? That’s all that matters— only your happiness. Right?!” At this point, Huey didn’t even look mad anymore, just done. “If you want to go live your new happy life with your new girlfriend, then just go.” 

[deweydewdrop]

With family life so tense recently, especially after the Halloween fiasco, it felt good to give some space and to settle into Morty’s and Ferdie’s temporarily. There was some guilt of course, wondering if this was only making tensions at home even worse, but at the end of the day it felt like the right decision to make. His best friend was only trying to help after all, and Dewey appreciated him for that. It was nice that despite his family life being in shambles, he still had good friends who had his back.

It seemed Morty wasn’t the only one who wanted to ensure that Dewey was okay. As he was unpacking his things, Bubbles popped her head into the room and broke the silence. Dewey turned his head to meet her gaze and smiled. “What can I say? Morty loves me,” he teased in return, nodding at her next question and motioning for her to come in. “I don’t have much to unpack,” he confessed, having only grabbed the necessities so far from his bedroom at the manor, “but I could use the company.”

For the first time ever, Bubbles wasn’t visiting Morty’s and Ferdie’s place to see her boyfriend. Seeing Morty's face was a huge plus, of course, but she actually decided to stop by because she heard from Morty that Dewey was moving in with him and his brother. It was no secret that things were pretty tense between Dewey and his family lately thanks to a certain bombing that occurred at Hotel Transylvania with him, Louie and Webby being caught within the crossfire. But seeing how some time had already passed from that incident, the blonde thought that Dewey and his family were working things out. However, after even more drama happening at the Halloween Ball, it seemed like whatever progress her friend has been trying to make was now at a standstill. Bubbles herself couldn’t say she knew what happened at the ball, that night she had been so focused on Morty, everything and everyone else became irrelevant to her. But days later, it seemed like her boyfriend got the gossip from their friend and of how Dewey got himself in a fight with Tiffany’s (ex?)boyfriend at the ball, causing the two of them to be thrown out, and how he even got into another argument with his uncle and Huey right after, and now it seemed like Dewey decided it was time for him to move out of the McDuck Manor. And of course, Morty with his big heart, offered for Dewey to move in with him, and Dewey accepted it.

Making her way to what used to be the spare bedroom, the Powerpuff noticed the doorway was open, and so she peaked inside. There, she found her friend unpacking his things. “You know, I always assumed it would be either me or Millie who got to live with Morty first. Never would’ve guessed you’ll beat the both of us to it.” Bubbles joked, catching his attention. “Want some help unpacking?” ( @deweydewdrop )

[deweydewdrop]

Deep down, Dewey and Webby, and likely the rest of the family, wanted things to return to how they used to be. The only thing was that things were so different now, nothing ever truly would be the same as before. Even if they all moved on and mended the broken relationships, it would be different. And that was Dewey’s fault. There was nothing he could do to change that — no magic, no apologies, nothing would return the family to what was. In fact, he could only imagine how different adventuring with his family would be if they ever began to do that again; he doubted that Louie would be interested in doing so.

Even if Dewey had offered, it was a relief that Webby didn’t actually want to punch him. He watched the blonde wipe away some of her tears, a sad smile forming. They were finally making progress, communicating and somewhat finding a middle ground. Dewey felt so much relief, like a huge weight was being lifted from his chest. “I wasn’t trying to abandon you. Any of you,” he promised sincerely. He knew deep down she’d never understand the loneliness he felt while still here — she had a point, that Louie still refused to look at her and Huey was hot and cold with his emotions, but she didn’t experience the backlash she was giving Dewey, and even Uncle Donald. Dewey had gotten it from every single corner, surrounded by anger and misery to the point of needing an escape. Did that really make him more of a bad guy?

He sighed heavily. Dewey had run away, but he also tried to own up to what he did. Did she not recall how absolutely no one would accept his apologies? How he may as well have been speaking to a wall when trying to make up for what he’d done? It didn’t help that his focus steered elsewhere by this time too, focusing on his feelings for Tiffany and helping her out of a horrible relationship. Dewey was all over the place, but that didn’t mean he was trying to dodge taking responsibility. There was only so much he could do! He didn’t want to argue more with her though; there was no point. They could only go back and forth for so long before they’d start to fight again and end back up at square one. Instead, he listened and nodded in understanding, letting her get it all out since she was finally willing to talk. Being a good brother. “I’m sorry too… I understand.” He had hoped for better results, but they needed to take baby steps. “You shouldn’t have to take any blame for what happened… I dragged you into it," he continued. "I just want us to be able to talk again, but I’ll give you more space if you need it…”

Webby didn’t actually believe that Dewey was lying to her. Deep down, she knew he was telling her the truth about missing her, and honestly, so did she. Ever since he left, the mansion has felt much more emptier and quieter, as if the home knew there was someone rightfully missing and couldn’t function the same without him here. She couldn’t function the same without Dewey here. In fact, if she dared to truly think about it— the mansion felt like how it used to feel when it was only just Webby living here—cold, dark and lonely. The only exception was that whereas before she knew how to spend her time making up games and activities to relieve her boredom, nowadays, even with more people living here with her, all the blonde wanted to do was stay locked up inside her bedroom until she shriveled completely away. 

Yet that was the thing, she didn’t want to shrivel away. She wanted things to go back to how they used to be, back when all four of them were living here together, and going out on miscellaneous McDuck family adventures that she was lucky enough to tag along even though she wasn’t really part of the family. But the boys always included her feel like she was, and after a while, Webby felt like she actually was their family. Now she can’t say if that was true anymore. Dewey must’ve thought otherwise, claiming how she’s his best friend and his sister, those reasons alone being why he missed her. Those words only made the blonde cry even harder, wanting to believe him so desperately, only for her to think to herself on how can she be a sister to any of them with the way she had hurt them all. Dewey was right about one thing though— she never told him she wanted him to stay since she’s been refusing to talk to him. She never even tried to stop him once she found him all packed, nor when he walked out the front door. She should’ve. She wanted to. But she couldn’t. 

“I’m not going to punch you in the face.” Webby responded, whipping away a few tears. As much as doing so might relieve some of the tension she’s been feeling lately, there’s no way she could punch Dewey. She was mad and hurt, but she wasn’t going to take it out on him like that. After whipping away a few more tears, she let her arm drop. “…..I guess I can’t be too mad about you leaving when I never told you that I didn’t want you to go. It just hurts like crazy that you did. Like, yeah I know I wasn’t talking to you back then, but when you left it felt like you were abandoning us just because things became tough around here. Like you were abandoning me.” She emphasized once again, the reminder of the lonely reality she once lived and how recently she’s been living it once again, only worse than before. “Do you know how terrible and lonely that made me feel? Especially when Louie barely wants to look at my direction? And fine, Huey has been diverting most of his anger towards you than me which I get is a factor on why you left, but there are even days where he doesn’t want to be in the same room as me either because he remembered that I had a part in everything that happened. But I’ve been trying to own up to my part in the keeping the secret about Della— I didn’t run away from it. But you did.” It almost felt completely unfair that Dewey left her to deal with all this while he got to live a happy and separate life apart from the family drama. Webby didn’t get that kind of luxury. “I’m sorry that I’m treating you like all of this is your fault— it’s not. But I don’t know if I can forgive you for leaving. Not just yet.”

[deweydewdrop]

Jumping into their handshake helped to brighten the mood a little more despite the circumstances. Dewey was currently in a hard place in life but Morty was always there to make him feel better — he couldn’t put it into words how much it was appreciated, but Morty knew without saying. He remained optimistic for Dewey as well, and the triplet smiled at his encouraging words. “Thanks, man.” His brothers and uncle may not have been happy for him, but at least his best friend still was.

The thought of returning to the manor so soon made anxiety form in the pit of his stomach, but if he were to stay at Morty’s starting tonight, he’d need some stuff, right? He sighed at the conflicting thoughts, meeting Morty’s gaze. “Wanna come with me later tonight? Might be better to avoid some conflict that way…”

Morty answered the silent call to start their special handshake, which was objectively a little more convoluted and lengthy than a “handshake” ought to be, but it had suited them for years—it was a perfectly charming tradition, in his opinion. With the conclusion of the shake, he grinned until Dewey answered the question about where he stood with Tiffany currently. That wasn’t ideal news, considering how complicated break-ups could be, but it wasn’t too disheartening. Morty nodded understandingly, assuring his friend, “It’ll be sorted out soon enough. And when it is—let me be the first to say I’m happy for you, man.”

He was confident that anyone would be lucky to be with Dewey, so as soon as Tiffany had herself settled and was ready to go for it with him, they would be flying. And Morty doubted it would take all that long, since the girl had already decided to leave her boyfriend before any fighting broke out; surely something like that would only cement her choice, not change it. Of course the details (of who started the fight and how violent it got) mattered to some extent, but there was little chance of the ex-boyfriend coming out a winner—even if he had physically won. Fighting over a girl you already lost was just ridiculous fool behavior. That clown definitely wasn’t worth another thought, so back to worthier topics: “When are you gonna go back to pack some of your stuff? Do you want me to come with you?”

[deweydewdrop]

There was so much happiness evident in both of their smiles. Lately it seemed like Dewey was his most confident self when he was with Tiffany; while normally he didn’t struggle with his confidence in the first place, the issues with his family really did change that. It felt good to feel normal once again — to feel happy. 

The only thing holding them back was the lack of an official announcement to the world yet, as Tiffany had to maintain her image online for her fans. Dewey respected that even if he was eager to show her off, but it seemed like she was just as ready as he was. “Probably soon? Maybe we wait a little bit longer,” he suggested. “I think your followers will understand though. If they’re true fans, they won’t be going anywhere.” He couldn’t wait to be part of more than just her personal life — streaming together, making TikToks together, it was all so exciting to think about.

“Oh, no contest,” Tiffany replied with a proud smile. In every aspect of her life, she was a winner. This new relationship was only further proof of that fact, because she had definitely won by getting together with Dewey. Maybe they boosted each other’s egos a little too much, always hyping one another up, but she really felt like they were the hottest couple—there was nothing wrong with admitting to that in the privacy of her own home…Still, she wished they could shout it to the world.

They only had to hide their relationship for a little longer, she thought. Nuzzling into Dewey’s side as he held her close, she asked, “When should we announce it? It’ll look so trashy if it’s too soon, but like, I can’t wait.” And how should they announce it? A video, an Instagram post, both? Should they soft launch first to prepare the fans and hype up an eventual reveal, or just do a dramatic surprise? There were so many options, it was exciting to at least think of them all, if they couldn’t actually carry them out yet.

[deweydewdrop]

It was a relief that Louie didn’t continue to nitpick his actions regarding the Randy situation, instead silently deciding to let it go. Maybe Louie was just leaving it up to Huey and Donald to do so instead; he didn’t blame him. Dewey knew deep down that the choices he continued to make were exhausting — he was just too impulsive to change that.

Louie’s next comment didn’t go unnoticed, understanding what he meant by it. Dewey hadn’t been listening to anyone recently, and it was biting him in the ass in the long run more and more. Though if he did listen to them, in some ways he would’ve lost out on some opportunities (specifically with Tiffany), but he also knew that his family wouldn’t be so angry with him… It was a double-edged sword. A moment of silence lingered as Dewey took in his brother’s words, noticing that Louie seemed to turn his attention to his phone instead of saying more. Dewey took the chance to say what had been on his mind for a while now, what he’d already said before but hoping it may actually work better this time. “I am really sorry, you know…” he confessed as he waited for Louie to meet his gaze again, “For not listening to you when I should have.”

Louie remained skeptical of both the necessity and motive for Dewey to defend Tiffany’s honor by engaging in a physical fight with Randy, but since he mostly just wanted to be left out of the whole matter himself, he elected to drop it and not get on Dewey’s case too hard. He couldn’t resist, however, commenting on how Huey was sure not to let this go so easily. It sounded like the middle triplet already expected as much, prepared for both their eldest brother and uncle to go off on him about the situation. It would be well-deserved if they did, and Louie only wished he would be there to witness it when those dressings-down did happen, glad he didn’t have to put any more of his own energy into it at this point and was able to let others chastise Dewey for his seemingly continuous string of stupid mistakes.

“Good. Maybe one of these days, you’ll actually listen to them.” Louie scoffed, thinking it was definitely too much to hope for, especially considering there seemed to be a good chance of Dewey being rewarded for his behavior by Tiffany getting together with him after all this settled down. He couldn’t be a hundred percent sure that would happen, but he could see the likely course this would take even despite the fight between Randy and Dewey. With the discussion of his recent escapades winding down, Louie pulled out his phone and started to make himself busy. He was hoping his brother had forgotten that he’d scheduled this whole conversation for a reason and hadn’t actually gotten around to talking out their trauma as planned, what with the distraction of his own personal drama.

[deweydewdrop]

Despite that Dewey wasn’t trying to be funny, Kuromi laughed at his comment — he smiled even though she had taken it the wrong way. It was nice to have someone enjoy being around him after feeling so isolated lately, even if he had mixed feelings about Kuromi. He was just too damn competitive sometimes, even if there was no reason to be. Dewey nodded. “Probably not on the same level as you have, but yeah. It’s an amazing feeling.” Dewey was still pretty new to DJing for more than just a hobby and gaining a bigger audience, but he’d done small things here and there; he hoped his social media presence would help boost his musical audience soon enough. Even if he saw Romi as a rival though, he could still learn a lot from her. “Got any tips for a newbie like me?”

Kuromi laughed at Dewey’s response, the perfect blend of sarcasm and real shit. He was so funny, sometimes without even trying, that she couldn’t help but enjoy his presence even if he wasn’t the typical company she kept. They only ran into each other once in a while, but she could really see them getting closer if they spent more time together. “Takin’ over the world with magic was takin’ too long, so I went for music,” she answered cheekily, before getting serious. “It was prob’ly the best bad decision I ever made. Ya just hafta feel the thrill of a whole crowd under yer spell once to know it’s worth it. You ever try it?”

[deweydewdrop]

It almost felt foreign to him as Daisy comfortingly put her hand on his — he’d hardly had any physical contact with family recently, and he hadn’t even realized it until he felt her gentle touch. It was a surprise he didn’t instinctively flinch away, but at the same time he felt his nervous system suddenly relax. He’d been so on edge since everything happened, so lonely and sad… at least there was one family member still willing to give him the time of day, even after hurting her too. 

Dewey listened as Daisy squeezed his hand, glancing down at their hands as she did so. As she mentioned solving everything, it only made him think of the mystery he’d been trying to solve in the first place, and how trying to solve that brought the family to this point in the first place. In that aspect, she was right too, even if that wasn’t what she meant; if Dewey had just been honest in the beginning, they wouldn’t be here, and there was no telling how different everything would be. Would they still be searching for their mother? Would he have been shut down and forced to put the mystery behind them like he'd been so afraid of? A moment of silence passed as he thought about all of this, finally breaking the silence as he continued avoiding her gaze. “I don’t know… I don’t think Uncle Donald is too happy with me right now…” or anyone else for that matter. Still, it was a relief that Daisy was willing to be on his side anyway despite everything. She may have been the only one, but he couldn’t figure out why that was. He finally met her gaze as he asked, “… Why are you being so nice to me, anyway?”

Once he took a seat across from her, the woman reached over and placed a comforting hand over Dewey’s. In spite of how his words had made the woman feel, one thing Daisy wasn’t about to do was stop showing her love and support. She was mature enough to not let her own wants and desires cloud her judgement, and even though for years now, the perspective she had on Donald’s nephews had shifted from one of her being like an aunt to them to more into being an actual motherly figure for them— the designer can’t deny that she wasn’t actually their mother. Even with her in their lives, it was understandable that at one point the boys would have gotten curious about what happened to Della, especially when no one else has given them any answers.

Her feelings weren’t as important right now, Daisy looking at Dewey with a patient and comforting gaze as she waited for him to respond to her question. Despite everything, it hasn’t escaped her how no one seemed to be taking care of how Dewey’s been doing in all of this. Yes, he may have been the cause of Louie’s injuries, Huey’s anger, and Webby’s distancing, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t as affected as the rest were. So when he confessed to feeling like he can’t do anything right, Daisy lightly smiled. “So much happened— it would be too overwhelming for you if you tried to solve everything at once.” She commented, only for the brunette to squeeze his hand. “But you know you don’t have to solve it all on your own, right? Donald and I are here for you just as much as we are for the rest of your siblings.” 

[deweydewdrop]

Dewey only really knew what Tiffany and Randy’s relationship was like based on what she’d told him, never actually seeing them together besides online and on their socials. It was obvious though that his suggestion was something that she wasn’t used to from her boyfriend, seeing her perk up in excitement at the idea. He loved seeing her smile.

Smiling in return as she agreed, his heart fluttered as she quickly kissed him and got up to get ready. He had a general idea of what he could do in the meantime, like checking on Peanut for her and getting stuff together for the picnic before getting himself ready — he was making a mental list of what would be the perfect items for a beach picnic as he noticed her pause in the doorway. Love you! He practically melted at the sound of those words. If only she could say that to the real him instead… Despite the hangover still lingering from the real Randy’s partying the previous night, Dewey was motivated enough to get up and get the day going, very much aware that all of this would only be temporary.

She didn’t need long to think about it—the offer of a picnic on the beach was more enticing than any date they’d had in a long time. Always going to the same old places because they were tried and true favorites was fine, but it was kind of like…playing the same levels over and over again. Unlocking a new map was exciting. The beach had actually been somewhere she’d visited with Dewey lately, though never for a romantic picnic date. Why was she thinking of him right now? Randy was being sweet and even considerate of her streaming schedule; they were going to have a good time and she wasn’t going to think about anything or anyone else.

“I’m in.” She grinned. “Now let me get ready.” She gave him a quick kiss and rolled out of bed, heading towards the bathroom, but pausing again in the doorway. She wanted to ask him to start packing their picnic to save them time, but with him already taking the initiative himself today, Tiff doubted whether it would be necessary to tell him. If she nagged, it would ruin the whole mood they’d set so far. “Love you!” she said simply before turning back to start her morning routine.

[deweydewdrop]

Dewey knew it was a long shot, but he was determined anyways to be a better brother and make amends. On top of the bombing and the fight, Dewey had topped angering his family by moving in with Morty for awhile, something that had intended to be temporary to let his family cool off from the anger but only seeming to irritate them further. He couldn’t do anything right. Not even a gift that was a genuine gesture. 

Ever since the middle triplet moved into Morty’s, the manor felt so quiet and empty when he’d stop by — it was obvious his family was avoiding him at all costs. He could see it in Huey’s eyes as he got his attention that he wished he had time to dodge Dewey and leave the kitchen. The last time they talked in there together, they had been fighting about Dewey’s actions at the ball. Dewey’s heart sank as the present was pushed back in his direction, though he didn’t plan to give up that easily. “If you don’t want it now, save it for Christmas then,” he insisted as he pushed it back toward Huey. “Seriously, it’s yours.”

Sitting by the table within the kitchen, he had his junior woodchuck guidebook opened against the counter as Huey’s gaze read through the passage of the page he had flipped to; the eldest not paying much attention to anything around him. If he had been, he would’ve been able to look up on time and notice when Dewey had walked inside the room, much less when he started to make his way towards him. Huey would’ve also had ample time to close his guidebook, stand up, and leave. Doing so would’ve been better than staying within the presences of the one person whom he still hasn't forgiven— despite everyone else seeming to have done so.

It has been a good amount of weeks since the hotel bombing, and yet despite the duration of time since that event, the eldest of the Duck brothers still felt like the bombing had happened only yesterday. So whenever he were to catch sight of his middle brother, Huey would immediately start to flare up. And the fact that said middle brother had also gotten himself into a fight not long after at the Halloween Ball, only enforced the anger and frustration the eldest felt towards him. Dewey knew that— his brother being smart enough to avoid him for a good while. Seemed like he wasn’t smart enough, because as he noticed the red gift bag being placed before him, Huey finally looked up. And just like that, he frowned, pushing the bag away from him before looking away from his brother once more. “Whatever it is, I don’t want it.” 

[deweydewdrop]

Getting one last little laugh out of Tiffany before she left the ball was an accomplishment in itself, satisfied with their conversation as they went their separate ways. It was unfortunate that Dewey ran into Randy not long after, and the night had gone completely south from there. Now his family was pissed at him again, he was staying with his best friend, and he wasn’t sure how Tiffany was going to feel once she knew he and Randy got into a fight that night. He had been anxiously waiting for her to reach out to him since then, a small part of him wondering if she even would at all. Did he screw up his chances with her?

When she finally reached out for him to come over, Dewey was relieved but also nervous. He wasn’t sure what Randy had told her, how their conversation went together, and where Tiffany stood now. But there was only one way to find out. His face still sported some evidence of the fight when he got to her house, forcing a smile as she opened the front door. Normally he wouldn’t need to force a smile around her, but his nerves were making it more difficult this time. It wasn't like him to overthink so much. “Hey..”

Dewey pulled a little laugh out of Tiffany with his agreement that she was the toughest bitch he knew, and she was grateful that he was able to lighten her heart when it felt so heavy, even if it was hard to hype her up as “tough” when she had just been sobbing. Hopefully he wouldn’t have to see her like this again, once all this was settled and done. She promised to call him soon, and then went to find Candice.

After spending the night at her best friend’s house, Tiffany went back home the next day to break things off with Randy and found that things had somehow only gotten messier after she left. He and Dewey had gotten into a fistfight, and she was torn between being glad that she hadn’t witnessed it and sorry that she hadn’t been able to prevent it. Would her being there have helped, or made it worse? Randy had also told her some things that she wasn’t sure how to feel about, but after everything, she just wanted to talk to Dewey. She spent that night alone, letting herself feel the end of her relationship with Randy separately before calling and inviting Dewey over the next day, waiting anxiously until he was at the door.

[deweydewdrop]

“Of course,” Dewey muttered, unsurprised by his brother’s refusal to believe him. If the middle triplet wasn’t so stubborn, Dewey probably wouldn’t have even bothered. Huey would never understand — which was probably true even if the siblings didn’t have tension from the bombing. It was one thing to not understand though, Dewey was well aware how different he and Huey were — but to completely dismiss Tiffany? And, even worse, to accuse her of tricking him? Dewey was fuming now, almost more so than when he was fighting with Randy. It felt much more personal when it was his own brother who was against him.

“Seriously!?” He asked at first, dumbfounded by the accusation. Why would she trick him? What would be the reason? “You have no idea what you’re talking about,” he answered, his anger becoming more obvious from his tone. The truth was that Dewey didn't owe Huey any explanation when it came to this situation — he didn't know Tiffany or Randy, so he wouldn't know how closely tied they were together, how they shared a house and a dog and an entire friend group. Even their jobs were intertwined! At the end of the day, Louie had finally talked to Dewey again, so did anything else really matter? It seemed like Huey just wanted to be mad just because. “You know what, I’m starting to think that you just don’t want me to be happy," he continued. "You can be pissed about everything that happened before, that's completely valid, but Tiffany is the one thing that has helped me get through all of this. She's a good person. If you can’t accept that, and you’d rather believe your own twisted version of what happened tonight, then I don’t even know why we’re still arguing and wasting each other's time."

“No!” The eldest scoffed, in complete disbelief that Dewey hadn’t had any part in starting the fight. Say it was true? And say that it was the other guy who started things? Why instead of doing the sensible thing and walking away or going to security for some help, did his brother decide to fight with this guy in return? That’s one of the main things that had Huey the most frustrated!! Because his brother always tends to do things without ever thinking them through, and fine— he can completely understand that when in the heat of the moment, thinking other solutions may have been difficult, however the fact that they were in a public establishment and surrounded by all sorts of people? One would think that Dewey would’ve at least tried to find a more peaceful and logical solution instead of getting into a full-blown fight. 

Huey completely dismissed the correction of that girls name. In his mind, it didn’t matter what her name was, her name could’ve literally be Lizabella of the Southern Isle for all he cared, that didn’t change the fact that she had a boyfriend, his brother knew she had a boyfriend, and yet Dewey still thought it was a bright idea to chase after her! And as a connoisseur of all things love and romance, the eldest of the two wished he could say he was happy that Dewey had found someone he really liked and saw himself dating. He wanted to be happy for him, and maybe if the situation had been different and there wasn’t other pressing issues weighing not only between the two of them but with the family as a whole, Huey could’ve been happy for Dewey. But to go after a taken girl? He thought his brother was better than this. “It’s always my job to lecture you, and you should count your lucky stars that it’s me who is doing so right now.” Huey snidely remarked with a roll of his eyes. Even if Uncle Donald had gotten to Dewey first and lectured him, that wouldn’t have stopped the elder of the two from giving his own two cents as well. And as his brother still tried to explain his side of things, the oldest crossed his arms. “I can tell you like her a lot— you wouldn’t have been doing any of this otherwise. Or at least, I would hope you would have enough brains to not be doing any of this if you weren’t sure about your feelings for her. But a taken girl? If her boyfriend is that much of a jerk, why hasn’t she broken up with him yet, huh? How do you know she isn’t tricking you and making you think he's a jerk? Have you ever considered that?"

[deweydewdrop]

Despite the harshness in the glare that Webby shot in his direction, he would take it — she was acknowledging and listening to him. Before, he may as well have been invisible. Between the way everyone started to treat him after what happened, it felt like he was beginning to disappear within the manor the longer he stayed. Dewey had always been the triplet who needed the most attention, but sometimes he couldn’t figure out which was worse — the negative attention he received from some of his family lately, or being ignored completely by the others. They both stung in different ways, but right now he wanted Webby to finally listen to him. He wanted to try and fix what he broke.

Webby looked away from him, the hurt in her eyes replacing the anger, but Dewey continued anyway. He had to keep trying. Webby’s tears were quick to fall by the time he was finished, and Dewey felt his heart break as he heard the hurt in her voice. His mouth fell open momentarily, stunned by her words. She really didn’t believe him. “Webby, why would I—“ but then he stopped himself. Of course she thought he was a liar; she watched him lie to his brothers the entire time they were looking for Della. Instead of finishing his sentence, he explained sincerely, “You’re my best friend. Our sister. Of course I miss you. The only reason I left was because I feel so unwanted here. I was becoming a ghost.” You’ve become a ghost, he wanted to add sadly, but he didn’t — because the truth was that in some ways, they all had: Louie, Huey, even Donald. Not only had Dewey’s mistakes crushed Louie’s leg, his mistakes crushed their entire family — their trust in him and their spirits. “You wouldn’t even talk to me while I was here, so how would I know that you wanted me to stay!?” The truth was that Dewey may have stayed if he knew that they didn’t want him to go. He felt even more awful — like once again, nothing he did was right. Like everything he touched, he destroyed.

“The only reason Louie finally talked to me again was because his friend punched me in the face,” he continued with a hint of desperation in his voice. “Is that what you need? To punch me? To hurt me back?” He knew Webby was strong, and the thought of her punching him was a little scary but he’d let her anyway, if that genuinely would help them mend their relationship. He sighed. “I’m sorry that I left, but I couldn’t keep living like this. I wasn’t trying to hurt you more by leaving.. I was trying to make things better, because apparently when I’m around I make everything worse..”

As soon as her gaze landed on Dewey, Webby felt a range of emotions. First and foremost, she was most definitely still angry at him. Angry at the fact that not once he took her concerns to heart whenever she tried to convince him to tell Huey and Louie the truth about what they were doing, and how it was not until after everything literally blew on all their faces is when he’s finally realizing how he should’ve. But then the blonde felt a wave of envy at the sight of Dewey— envious of the fact that despite it was the both of them who had lied and hid everything from their brothers, Dewey was the one Louie had decided to forgive. That flash of envy in return had then changed into guilt, as the fact remains that for as angry as she was at the middle triplet over the situation he had put the both of them in— Webby couldn’t one hundred precent put the entire blame onto him. Because at the end of the day, she had gone along with Dewey’s antics, from the very start to the very last second of when harm was thrown at Louie. Which is why she’s been beating herself up way too much over the last few months.

But among all the emotions, the one she ends up settling into wasn’t anger anymore— it was hurt. That wave of anger she had displayed had dissipated as quickly as it came, yet the blonde continued to glare at him even as he sighed in defeat and apologized to her. This wasn’t the first time Dewey had tried to apologize to Webby. In fact, he’s been trying to apologize to everyone here, that much she knew. And yet, as much as she would have liked to turn back time and go back to when she and Dewey were like two peas in a pod, thick as thieves, and overall the best of friends— she wasn’t so sure she could forgive him. Not just yet. Hearing his apology of how he should’ve listened to her from the very start, the girl finally broke her gaze and looked away from him. She didn’t turn back around, although she wanted to, but she did stay where she stood and continued to listen as he went on to admitting how he keeps screwing up over and over again, but how he was trying to be better. At that she blinked, eyes slowly starting to swell as she shook her head with disbelief. Oh yeah, he was trying to be better alright— seems like being as far away from all of them was doing him some good, she bitterly thought. Webby didn’t say anything in response to that, the urge in wanting to start crying overwhelming her as he decided to continue on. But what broke the damn was when Dewey said he missed talking to her, for tears finally started to fall down the blonde’s cheeks before she shook her head at him. “You’re lying.” Webby finally spoke, her tone coming broken. “Please stop lying, I can’t take anymore lies. You don’t miss talking with me. In fact, you don’t miss me at all, do you?!” Her voice started to raise once more as tears continued to fall. “Because if what you said is true, then you wouldn’t have moved out! You would have stayed here at the mansion but instead you took the easy route and left all of us behind! So of course you miss ‘talking to me’— You left me!” 

[deweydewdrop]

Although Dewey probably should have saved the sweet gestures for after Tiffany and Randy broke up, one hand still holding hers while the other rubbed her back soothingly, he genuinely couldn’t help himself. It had already been difficult enough holding back while they hung out as friends before this — once again, he was doing the things that Randy should have been doing, comforting and loving his girlfriend. Why did he make it seem like such a hard task? Dewey was able to effortlessly. As Tiffany nodded, the triplet smiled at her words. “The toughest bitch I know,” he replied playfully, in an attempt to get her to smile.

Even as he attempted to lighten the mood though, they both knew it was time for Tiffany to leave soon. Her sigh indicated it was that time, even if they didn’t want to separate yet. Nodding his head, Dewey finally let go of her hand, his other hand lingering on her back only a moment longer. “Anytime. Call me if you need anything, alright?"

She knew it was going to be hard. It was going to be rough as hell breaking up with Randy after so many years together, after a lifelong friendship that ran underneath their relationship and a life where they were so intertwined from their shared home to their career to their entire friend group. Tiffany didn’t feel ready right now to do it, but she knew that once she steeled herself, she would be. And she knew that by the end she was going to be okay, even if she wasn’t right now. She told Dewey as much with a nod as he asked her, answering with a hint of irony in her voice, “Yeah. I’m a tough bitch.”

Letting out a deep sigh, Tiff knew it was time to get up and get out of here. The longer she was here with Dewey, rubbing her back and kissing her hand, the less she wanted to leave, and that was dangerous where Randy could still come out of the ballroom and find them any time. She didn’t want anything to happen between the two men, which seemed inevitable if her almost-ex-boyfriend found them like this. “I think I’m gonna go find Candice and stay with her tonight. Thanks for being here for me.”

[deweydewdrop]

There was a distinct difference in the way Webby and Dewey interacted with each other since the hotel bombing. The two were once best friends, but now they may as well have been strangers. It was even worse now that he was staying with Morty and Ferdie, which wasn't Dewey's intention at all when he agreed to the idea. Even if he was grateful for the opportunity, thankful for a chance to leave the depressing walls of the manor that he used to love so dearly (it didn’t feel the same now that everyone who lived there didn’t want him around), he still understood that the choice only added to the tension with his family. It was partly why he attempted to apologize again, as he had a backpack on his back that indicated he was stopping by the manor to grab more of his belongings from his bedroom. It was easiest for him to do so at night when most of the family was already in bed, but tonight he accidentally timed it as Webby got home from a late shift. Watching the blonde attempt to go by him as if she hadn’t seen him at all made him break the silence — he didn’t want to be astray like this from his best friend forever.

Webby’s reaction to his apology stung, but it was to be expected. No one seemed to accept his apologies anymore. He sighed in defeat, removing his backpack straps and letting the bag fall to the floor to emphasize that he wasn’t leaving yet — not until Webby heard him out. “I have a lot of things I want to say Webby, but no one will even give me a chance and listen,” he answered. “And even then, I don’t really know what else to say because I don’t think anything I say will make it better.. I just want you to know I’m truly sorry." He met her gaze, desperately trying to get her to look at him and understand. It wasn't the first time he'd apologized, and it certainly wouldn't be the last — though this was his first attempt again since staying with the twins. He continued before she could walk away, "I should’ve listened to you from the very beginning, and I know it's too late to change that.” He’d managed to somewhat be on talking terms with Louie again after Halloween, but the fight between him and Randy that night didn’t do him any favors with Huey and Webby’s feelings toward him. “... I keep screwing up and screwing other people over in the process, and I know I need to be better. I’m really trying..” He sighed again. If things were different, if he and Webby were on good terms, he’d be excitedly telling her about his new relationship with Tiffany, how fun it is to live with Morty and Ferdie, and how Dewey was finding his place in the world despite that other parts of his life had fallen apart. It was unfortunate that it took feeling out of place in his own family home for him to start being more independent. On their current terms though, he knew better than to seem like he was bragging about how his life was doing since moving out. He was lucky that he even got Webby to stop and listen to his apology. The triplet didn't know what else to say for a moment, unsure if Webby had anything she wanted to get off her chest — if she wanted to get angry or upset with him some more, it was at least better than silence. “I don’t expect you to forgive me right now... Or ever. I just, I miss talking with you.."

"I'm sorry.. please don't be too mad at me." -Dewey ( @deweydewdrop )

As the door leading into the mansion closed behind her, the blonde let out an exhausted sigh. It was a pretty long and rough day at the House of Mouse, and all Webby wanted to do right now was migrate back into her room and sleep. With that thought set it mind, she turned around to start making her way towards the direction of her room, when her eyes caught the sight of another. Dewey. Instantly, her body began to tensed up, and as quick as her gaze had latched onto his, the blonde looked away from him. What was he doing here? Ever since a couple of weeks ago where he decided to move out and into Morty and Ferdie’s apartment, Dewey hasn’t exactly stopped by the mansion to visit as often. Or maybe he has? Webby wouldn’t know, she’s barely spoken to the middle triplet since the aftermath of the hotel bombing.

‘Maybe he tried to talk to Huey again?’ She thought, knowing that she wasn’t the only one who has been avoiding Dewey lately. Huey himself had been keeping a good distance away from his brother, the only one outside of the older adults who seemed to be willing to give him the time of day being ironically enough, was Louie himself. Webby had caught the two talking among each other once not too long ago before, and not going to lie— it had stung when she saw that considering how Louie still refused to talk to her, much less look towards her direction. But Dewey was his brother, so she should’ve known that he would forgive him sooner. Pretending like she hadn’t accidentally caught his eye, the blonde started to walk towards the staircase, needing to cross Dewey’s path as she did so, and when she did, all it took was for Webby to make it up a single step when he spoke up. Hearing him apologize and plead for her not to be too mad at him, something within her snapped and she turned around. “Please don’t be too mad at you? Seriously?” Webby glared. “That’s all you’re going to say to me?”

[deweydewdrop]

Dewey’s smile grew bigger, now excited at the thought of staying with his best friend. Despite that it was due to some not-so-great circumstances, at least there was something positive to look forward to. He was already mentally planning when he could go back to the manor to get some of his things, comforted at the thought that someone in his life truly did want him around. He was so lucky to have a friend like Morty. "This is gonna be awesome!" Dewey held up his dominant hand to signal the start of their best friend's handshake, giving Morty a knowing look.

The mention of Tiffany brought another smile to his lips, though this time not as confident. “Yeah. Sort of… When we kissed, it was before I ran into Randy,” Dewey clarified, surprisingly uncertain about what would happen next. It was the nagging feeling in the back of his mind that nothing seemed to go his way lately — he hated that he was always waiting for the other shoe to drop, waiting for the few people left on his side (like Morty and Tiffany) to start turning against him too. What if she became upset about the fight? What if Randy twisted the story and convinced her to stay with him? A lot could happen in a short time of them talking... Dewey tried his best not to overthink it. “I’m giving her some space for now,” he continued with a shrug. “She was pretty upset when I saw her, and I don't want to rush things, you know?”

“Of course. You don’t even have to ask.” Despite the circumstances leading to this, it was actually pretty exciting to think that Dewey would be staying here, perhaps for a while even if only as a non-permanent living situation. Morty already got one of his best friends as a roommate when Ferdie moved back from England—now he was gonna have his other (non-related) best friend living here, too? Total win for him, even if it was unfortunate for Dewey’s sake that he was doing it to escape a tense family situation at home. “Don’t make yourself too scarce,” Morty countered the promise that he would hardly notice his presence here with a smile. “We’ll be happy to have you around.”

It was a little surprising to hear that Louie didn’t think Dewey had won the fight; it seemed clear from the breakdown that the person being pulled off from the other had won after literally pummeling their opponent into ground…but then again, it also tracked that the youngest Duck triplet would doubt his brother’s recounting of events if he hadn’t seen how bad the other guy looked yet. Morty believed Dewey without question, but Louie had probably earned the right to be skeptical. Either way, even if Dew hadn’t physically won the altercation—“You won in every way that matters. I mean, you got your girl, right?”