Please excuse the cringey title and enjoy!
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This is a family matter! And you are not family!
The harsh words still rang in Webby's ears as she began to pack. It took everything in her not to break down crying as the memory replayed in her head. Of course, she knew that Scrooge hadn't meant to lash out at her. She had just spoken at the wrong time. Perhaps it would have been better to keep her beak shut; Della hadn't been her mom, after all. She hadn't even known her mother.
She sighed, placing yet another pink bow into her suitcase. After the disastrous adventure, her grandmother had ordered her to pack her things. They were taking a - very long - vacation out of Duckberg.
Webby didn't want to leave, she really didn't. It was ironic, really. Before the triplets had shown up, all she had ever wanted to do was travel and see the world outside of their small town. Now, she couldn't stand the thought of being so far away from it, away from them. How could she? She had grown to love everyone here as her own family.
Except, they weren't here family as Scrooge was quick to point out. Sure, he might have not wanted to say it, but that didn't mean he didn't mean it.
"I don't think I've ever seen you so quiet."
Webby's attention was drawn to a certain blue-clad duckling in her doorway. "Oh, hey Dewey," she greeted solemnly.
Dewey approached her slowly, stopping a few inches in front of her. "You and Beakley are leaving, huh?" he guessed.
She nodded. "Yeah..." she answered. "She has, like, nine hundred vacation days saved up, so..."
He hummed in understanding. "I don't blame you guys for wanting to get away." His face darkened slightly. "I don't know what I would do having to be stuck with him for my entire life."
The venom in his voice when he mentioned Scrooge honestly made her nervous. Dewey was a bright, friendly person. To hear the resentment in his voice was unsettling for her. "It's not like I saw much of him, anyway," remarked Webby. "I thought we were bonding since the mission to rescue Granny, but..." Her voice cracked slightly due to the lump in her throat and she looked down to the floor to suppress the tears. It didn't really work.
No one in the house was particularly good with emotions, save for Donald. So the last thing she expected from the boy across from her was to be brought into a hug.
Dewey held her close, their feathers brushing up against one another. She buried her head into the crook of his neck, letting the tears fall freely. He, in turn, rested his head on top of hers and she could feel a few of his own tears. After a few minutes, they pulled away.
"It's not true, you know."
Webby tilted her head in confusion. "What's not true?" she asked.
He crossed his arms. "What Scrooge said about you not being family," he answered. "You're more family to me than he is."
"Don't say that," she chided gently. "He's still your uncle. I'm just the weird girl who lives in his house cause her granny's the housekeeper."
Dewey shook his head. "Webby, you're my best friend." She had waited to hear those words for so long, yet now they just sounded bittersweet. "You've had my back through the Della case and that means..." He wiped at a stray tear. "That means more to me than any adventure he's ever taken us on."
Webby gave him a half-smile before it faltered. "He said I could call him 'Uncle,'" she revealed. "I just thought that meant..." She shook her head. What a naïve fool she was to think that could ever amount to her being part of the family. He was probably just being nice.
Dewey managed a lopsided grin. "Hey, just because Scrooge wants to be a loner, doesn't mean you aren't part of our family." He winked. "I bet Donald'll let you call him 'Uncle' if you ask."
"Maybe..."
"Webs don't be sad," he pleaded. "Look, you're going on a vacation. You're getting out of Duckberg! That's the one thing my brothers and I have dreamed about since we were kids!"
Webby started to tear up again. "I don't want to get out of Duckberg."
Dewey sighed. "It'll be better this way," he reasoned, his voice growing softer. "No one should have to be around him."
She gave his shoulder a quick pat. "Take care, Dewey. And don't drive Donald crazy."
"No promises."
They both snickered and Webby packed her doll - the only thing left from her parents. "We'll see each other again, I know it." It was the only thing she was sure of.
He rolled his eyes. "Well, duh. Tell Beakley thanks for everything."
"Only if you tell the same to Donald and your brothers."
They embraced one more time. This one was a lot softer than the first and a lot happier too. He was the first to pull away, slowly making his way towards the door. "Bye, Webby."
She waved. "Bye, Dewey."
And with that, he was gone.
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Tbh, guys, I'm not really mad at Scrooge or the triplets. Scrooge did everything he could to save Della, but it fell short. On the other hand, the triplets are upset. Since the person at fault wasn't there, they had to direct their anger at someone else. That someone else just happened to be Scrooge.
But what he said to Webby wasn't cool, bruh. He needs to compensate for hurting the precious bean. Anyway, please review!