I started this story in November of 2020 and then forgot about it- it was gonna be a time travel story but I decided I didn't want to write that so instead it's just Timephoon angst. Timephoon angst is my favorite. There will be more.
"Where are you going?" Huey asked, arms crossed and eyes critical.
"What? Nowhere. Out. Nowhere." Louie was fidgety, clearly hiding something, not lying as smoothly as normal.
"In a suit?"
"Yeah. In a suit. Can't a guy wear his favorite suit? Or am I not allowed to have self-confidence anymore?"
"Maybe he has a hot date he doesn't want to tell us about," Dewey guessed, smirking at his brother.
"I do not have a date! I'm just running an errand."
"More like running a con. What are you up to, Llewellyn?" Huey blocked the door and Dewey came up from behind, eyeballing him suspiciously.
"Should've just said you had a date, dude," Dewey teased.
"Fine! I have a job. But it's not a con, it's an obligation."
"What obligation?" Huey asked.
Louie sighed, "Gyro wants me to test the time tub to make up for taking it"
"Does mom know about this?" There were few things more powerful than the Della and Gyro rivalry. Della would certainly be able to stop Louie from doing anything too dangerous.
"I hope not," Louie said, "now will you please move? I have to go."
"Why are you actually doing this?" Huey demanded. Louie rarely ever did favors and he wasn't too keen on obligations either.
"Why do you assume that I have ulterior motives, Hubert?" Louie asked, sounding exasperated and maybe a little bit hurt.
"Because you literally always have ulterior motives," Huey pointed out.
"Just trust me for once!"
Huey scoffed, "How are we supposed to trust you when you're hiding something from us?"
Dewey really didn't want to be dragged into this argument, and he wanted to be there even less when Louie suddenly burst into tears. Louie was a bit of an actor but Dewey, who could also cry on command, recognized these were genuine.
"I messed up, I messed up the worst I've ever messed up in my life, Huey, and I almost lost you guys. I have nightmares about it every night and if I don't do this, if I don't try to make amends with everyone I hurt then I am never going to find peace again."
Huey was incredibly alarmed, to say the least. He did the first thing he could think of, which was pulling Louie into a hug, turning to Dewey, and mouthing the words, "Get mom."
Dewey didn't have to be told twice, darting off and soon coming back with Della who had heard the words "Gyro" and "Louie's crying" and jumped to her own conclusions.
Della immediately pulled all three of her boys into a big hug, with Louie held closest to her chest. Even in his suit, he looked so small, so young, when he cried.
"What did Gyro do to you, sweetie?"
Louie laughed through a sob, "Nothing, mom, I'm fine."
"Louie said that he agreed to test the time tub to make up for stealing it a while ago," Huey explained.
Della felt a pit in her stomach, that particular adventure was one of the darkest moments of her life and she knew Louie felt it too. She tried to avoid thinking about it, and, seeing Louie crying now, she has a feeling that Louie couldn't avoid thinking about it. That it had eaten him up inside and left him feeling like this.
"Huey, I'm sure you have Gyro or Fenton's number, call them and ask if that's true."
"I'm not lying to you," Louie sobbed, "I'm not! I wouldn't do that again."
"I know baby, I just have to confirm the facts so that I can properly yell at Gyro," Della promised, smoothing out Louie's hair.
"What can I do?" Dewey asked, climbing out of the hug, wanting to be useful too.
"You can go get your brother some water. Thank you, Dewey."
Once again Dewey was off, preferring to be doing something rather than just sitting with the open wound of his mom and brother's emotions.
"Mom, are you still mad at me for the time tub?"
Della let out a little sigh.
"Louie, obviously what you did was bad. But you were punished, and you've grown from it, and you've apologized so many times. So I'm not mad at you anymore."
"But Gyro still is," Louie said. He'd talked to everyone. Launchpad rarely kept grudges and had forgiven him as soon as Louie asked, Huey and Dewey had forgiven him after the grounding and Scrooge had forgiven him after the Bombie. So Louie only Gyro to beg forgiveness from, and Gyro had conditions.
"Well, Gyro can screw right off," Della said, barely avoiding the urge to use fouler language.
"I need him to forgive me," Louie said, "if everyone doesn't forgive me then I'll be haunted by this forever."
Dewey came back with the water bottle and Uncle Donald, having given him the SparkNotes version of Louie's inner turmoil. Uncle Donald sat next to Louie and Della, offering silent support. He hadn't been there during the storm, but he could be an anchor for both of them now.
Della took the water and offered it to Louie, wiping his eyes while she tried to figure out exactly what to say to reassure him. And then, with a pang of sadness, she realized that she couldn't reassure him. Because, after all, she knew exactly what he was feeling.
"Louie, I'm sorry, baby, but hurt like this doesn't go away just because you've checked names off of lists. It's important, of course, that you ask forgiveness and that you learn to forgive yourself, but there are always going to be days when the memories try to drag you down."
Donald put a hand on his sister's shoulder and she gave him a grateful smile.
"I don't think I can forgive myself," Louie admitted.
Della sighed, "Yeah, I know that feeling.
Donald cleared his throat, "She's right, Louie, some things are going to hurt forever, but that doesn't mean they'll hurt this bad forever. Therapy can help, it can help lessen the pain and it can help you learn to forgive yourself.
Donald hoped that his words were reaching Della, as well.
"You really think so?" Louie asked, longing for a night without nightmares.
"I do."
"Mom? I've got Gyro on the phone," Huey cautiously interrupted.
Della set Louie down.
"I'm going to talk to him. You don't have to put yourself in danger just to get people to forgive you, Louie."
"So I don't have to go test the time tub?" Louie asked.
"No," Della and Donald said in unison.
"Okay, I'm gonna change out of my suit, then."
"Good idea. Take some time for yourself this afternoon. It's all going to be okay," Della promised, before taking Huey's phone.
"We'll be here if you need to talk to us," Donald promised, ruffling Louie's hair before giving him some privacy.
Louie changed his suit for a hoodie and flopped face down on his bed, his hood up so that his brothers couldn't see his face, but they could hear that he was still crying.
"Hey, Lou?" Huey said, guilt forming a lump in his throat.
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry I snapped at you. And I'm sorry I said I can't trust you. I can. I do."
"No, you don't."
"Well, okay, not always. But you're still my brother, and I'll work on trusting you more."
"I'll work on being more honest with you about my schemes."
"Deal."
Dewey forced his way into the bed next to Louie.
"You know you can always talk to us, right?"
"I'm starting to realize that," Louie said.
"Good. We'll always have your back," Huey promised.
"I'll always have yours," Louie mumbled, still afraid that he would hurt his family again. But his family still loved him and was still there for him, so he had a feeling that, like Della had said, everything was going to be okay.
He could also hear Della screaming words he was not allowed to repeat at Gyro over the phone, which admittedly cheered him up a little. His family really did have his back.