Her bedroom seemed the most appropriate place for this, sitting amongst a pile of pillows with her feet crossed and hands in her lap. It still felt a little strange, seeing as how it was Louie across from her and not Lena. Webby regarded him for a long moment as he dug through the bag of supplies she'd found in her grandmother's room, switching back to his phone with confused intent.
She began to wonder if this had been a good idea. There were a plethora of other things she could have the boy do to make up for her covering his mistake and pulling him out of a potentially harsh punishment. Make-up, though? Did he even know what he was doing?
The idea of makeovers had been brought up on one of the shows she and the boys watched, a couple of the female characters giggling about doing each others make-up during a sleepover. Of course, Lena would have been the better option for this, however… Webby's fingers absently pulled at the bracelet on her wrist and her gaze finally left Louie's search. She couldn't help the ache in her chest as she realized there was still so much she and her best friend could have done if it weren't for Magica. Yes, Lena would have been a much preferred choice over the triplet, but that didn't mean this would be completely unenjoyable.
Webby smiled as she watched her friend pick up a flat container, squinting at the label before apparently realizing it was what he was looking for. She felt a slight tension in her gut as he finally caught her eye and again she thought of the mansion adventures that could've been had instead of make-up.
"Ready?" Louie asked, hesitantly, the container popping open, brush in hand.
"Yep." She heard herself say, but couldn't help leaning back as the brush approached her face. "What's that?"
"Uh. Primer. I think." He glanced at the container again. "Yep, just primer. Close your eyes."
She did and flinched as the bristles pulled across her lid, trying her best to keep her eye closed as he repeated the motion up to her brow. The other eye followed, each stroke sending a gentle tickle behind them and she felt herself start to relax. This wasn't so bad. And if Louie made her look like a clown, she could simply pummel him into a weeping pile until he begged for forgiveness. It was an empty threat, sort of, but it made her smile.
Louie had halted in his ministrations and she peeked to see him staring at his phone. Her smile fell as she questioned what he was looking at.
"It may surprise you to know, I've never actually used makeup before." His eyes were half lidded above the sarcasm as he spoke. "How-to's… Only way this is going to be close to right."
He was right, that did surprise her, but not in the way he had indicated. Webby was actually impressed that Louie had invested the time and effort to research. He could have easily just thrown whatever felt right onto her face, but instead was trying to fulfill the qualifications of a proper makeover. An instant sense of remorse hit her as she recalled the earlier thought of beating him up if she looked bad. No matter how it turned out, she would be grateful for the attempt.
"Pink or blue?" He asked, Webby opening her eyes to see the two shades he was holding out. Her brow rose as she met his gaze, silently asking if the question was meant to be a joke. Louie shook his head, putting the blue one back in the bag. "Right, duh. Close your eyes and hold still."
She expected to feel the brush again, but this time it was preceded by his pinky finger resting on her cheek. Webby peeked through here other eye, suppressing a giggle at the expression on his face. Louie's brow was knit in concentration, his tongue sticking out the side of his bill. She quickly closed her eye as he pulled the brush away and she could hear him giving the eyeshadow a quick couple of taps before moving on to her, now closed eyelid.
Webby finally opened her eyes again when instructed it was safe and she quietly regarded her friend as he returned his attention to his phone and the bag. He was pulling out thin tubes, black with silver writing scrawled across them.
With a frown, he put the device down and unscrewed the lid to reveal the thin brush inside. "This might suck if you move."
"Got it. Still as a statue." She wriggled into the pillows before taking an unmoving position, eyes closed once more.
"Seriously." And Louie's hand was on her cheek again. "Don't. Move."
Webby held her breath at his words, trying to keep her face relaxed even as apprehension had her hands clenching in her lap. A second later, a cool brush slid across her eyelid, just above her lashes. It took a few more strokes before Louie finished, repeating his actions - albeit slower on the other side - until he paused again to refer back to his guide. A slight heaviness weighed on her lashes as whatever he had used began to dry and she blinked cautiously. Watching him was a little nerve wracking as he pulled out a few different tubes, squinting at the tiny lettering.
"Need help?" The question would probably have been more patronizing if it weren't for how serious he was taking all of this.
Louie was in the process of unscrewing one of the products and shook his head when he found what he was looking for. "Got it. I just have to -" He was on his phone again. "Huh... okay? Eyes open this time… I think."
She recognized the brushed end of the lid, having seen her grandmother apply the make-up to her lashes. Louie was going to have a time with this stuff.
The bristles were approaching her face, but stopped as Louie frowned, still trying to figure out his plan of action. "Okay, no moving or I'll definitely stab you in the eye."
A brow rose in warning. "Let's not do that then."
He actually looked nervous as he made contact with her eyelashes and for good reason as she realized how close he was getting to her eye. Webby's eye fluttered involuntarily with each stroke, until she heard him let out a shaky breath.
"One more." Louie still seemed apprehensive, but he was steadier with the other eye, shoving the mascara applicator back in the tube with vigor before tossing it back in the bag. "Here, you should do this part." He handed her a clear container that contained a translucent gloss and she was more than happy to comply.
A flourish of powder hit her cheek as she applied the lip gloss, brow wrinkling in slight irritation. She hadn't even noticed the large brush he was holding, but the connection clicked as she saw the light pink hue of the contents in the disc. Worry started to creep in at the idea of looking like a clown. Louie wouldn't do that, would he? Maybe not intentionally.
"All done." He sat back in relief, the items falling back in bag.
With a nervous smile, she picked up the mirror and took a deep breath before facing what Louie had done to her. She let it out as she realized there was no need to worry. The make-up was light, but added enough color to her face to make her eyes pop, the mascara and eyeliner accenting the pink of her lids. The blush on her cheeks, although slightly darker than the eye shadow, made her features glow with the sheen of the lip gloss. In all, it made her feel like a princess. Granted, a princess who could kick some serious butt. She couldn't help the smile that pulled at the corners of her beak.
After a moment, Webby's grin fell into a confused frown. "That's it?" That couldn't be right. It was supposed to be a long process with, well, giggling and oohs and ahhs might not be a normal thing with Louie in particular, but it should have been more than what had occurred over the past five minutes.
"Yep! That's as far as my how-to got." Louie shoved his phone in his pocket, shifting to stand.
Oh no, he wasn't done. Her hand shot out, grabbing his wrist and pulling him back into the pillows with a startled yelp.
"What? I did what you asked!" He groused with a distinct pout.
"This is only step one!" Webby grinned, wickedly. "Now, it's your turn." Louie's eyes grew wide and she had to supress a laugh.
"No! No way!" He tried pulling away from her grip.
"Technically, it is up to you. I could just tell Mr. Scrooge what actually happened to his hat." The threat was heavy enough to force him back to his seat, a look of defeat on his face.
"Fine." He crossed his arms over his chest.
An idea was already forming in her mind as she started going through the makeup supplies. Webby would have fun with this even if it left her friend scared for life.
OoOoOoO
"What happened to your face!?" Huey had immediately dropped the game controller, letting it clatter to the floor as he took in Louie's face with shock and concern. His little brother simply stared at him with a grin pulling at his beak.
"Whoa!" Dewey joined in, the game forgotten. "Are you okay?"
The eldest brother felt sick, eyes glued to the red gash that traveled from Louie's forehead, stopping at his right eye, and continuing down his cheek. It had to hurt and he was surprised the duck wasn't in tears.
In fact, Louie was smiling, apparently pleased with their reactions. He didn't elaborate, climbing onto the couch with the discarded controller in hand and Huey could finally get a good look at the 'wound'.
Dewey beat him to the punch as he leaned in to look at it. "Is that makeup?"
"Yup." He was already playing, but obviously enjoying himself. "Webby did it."
Both older brothers stared in awe a moment longer before their initial shock came back, turning into annoyance at being worried. They gave him a shove each, content that it was enough and returned to their games.
OoOoOoO
Beakley regarded her granddaughter with curious concern as she took in the pink hues on the young duck's face. She had never considered the child one for makeup, expecting it once she had made it to her teen years. It wasn't until Webby had explained that she had been having a makeover party, everything seemed to click into place.
Until she asked who had been with her. Lena had been gone for a few months now and the young duck hadn't introduced any new girl friends who would be welcomed into the house without going through the spy first. The boys hadn't even come to her mind, especially not Louie.
Webby was beaming at her reflection and the grandmother could only smile, pleased to see that the young duck could find something normal in her life of anventure to be excited about. A warmth began to spread through the older duck's chest as she realized just how much that meant. The fact that Louie had been responsible was even more surprising. How Webby had convinced him to do her makeup had Beakley moderately intrigued, suspecting some form of blackmail had been used.
The grandmother smiled, joining her granddaughter in front of the mirror. "You know, makeovers aren't just makeup." Her smile grew with the confusion on the young duck's face. "How about a bit of fancy dress up to go with it.
She barely registered the gleeful cry as the smaller hand found hers and they were off towards Webby's room. As they passed through the living room, she caught sight of the boys on the couch, a very specific one wearing an obviously fake cut across his face.
That same warm feeling filled her chest, more than grateful her employer had let the boys into their lives. She'd watched her granddaughter grow so much in the short time they had been there.
As they left the room, headed towards the bedrooms, she made a mental note to give them a token of her appreciation. A movie night might be in order and the thought of the four ducklings curled up on the couch to enjoy the film and snacks was too easy to imagine. It was perfect.
