Imagine Coldplay: LMAOO
The Not-So-Ultimate Writer: I totally forgot that friend's reference! Max*** Thank you for catching my mistake. You see, when I was writing the story with Soph, we had a problem casting Webby's love interest, as there aren't many boys to choose from. Obviously, I could have cast a girl in Max's place, but who? The female options were just as slim, and I needed our main girls (Violet, Lena, Gosalyn), for other parts of the story. So, I had to go outside of the DuckTales fandom, in search of Webby's love interest. At first, I lingered on Kit Cloudkicker, but Soph told me he'd be an adult in the 2017 series, so it would have been awkward. And I know what you're thinking, "But Jordan, you put Goldie and Louie together in Abandoned", but that's a whole other story. So, Soph suggested her OC Max, and it was perfect. But then Soph sort of pulled out of LOST, so now, I was stuck with finding another love interest, and lo and behold, there's Max, fresh off Season 3. All the chapters I wrote had the name "Max", so I always forget to change it to "Max", so do be expecting that more often :)
TheOfficialKai517: LMAO, I'm sorry Kai. And if you ever have time to talk about a collab, then PM me :))
Boss Teal: Poor Dewey indeed
Lilbree: This story is 78% of Dewey's dumbassery, and 10% love, and 12% angst
IICaetlyn27II: Oh man, you already know Dewey does leave Duckburg and doesn't face the music DD:
Guest: You'll see in this chapter :)
Chapter 5 :)
ooo
Later that night Boyd walked into the girls' apartment, his usual relaxed and friendly expression tense. Huey and Louie were messing around, Lena was filming them with a grin on her face, and Webby and Violet were immersed in a movie.
Louie tackled Huey to the floor. "Fuck you, I'm not your fucking bitch, bitch." he grinned, punching Huey's arm.
Boyd calmly stepped over them.
"Boyd, get in here. I need some of your freakishly strong robo muscles." Huey chuckled, trying to throw his youngest brother off of him.
Huey was surprised when there was no answer.
"You alright, Boyd?" Violet asked him from the couch, causing all the others to look up.
"No," he frowned. He swallowed, turning to face Webby. "I… I met Dewey."
The blood drained from her face, shocked. She stayed rooted to the couch, and Huey and Lena rushed over to Boyd.
"What?" Lena gasped.
"Are you serious?" Huey asked.
"Yeah… I, uh, ran into him earlier today," he said, pursing his lips as he threw a worried glance towards Webby. She remained frozen, unmoving as she tried to process the enormity of this unexpected news.
"Where?" Lena demanded. "How?"
"It was around lunch this afternoon. I… accidentally rammed into him on my roller skates. We got chatting," Boyd said a little uneasily.
"Hold on," Violet stood up, coming to join them, "He was that guy you were with at your apartment earlier? Mr. Duckson mentioned something!"
"He was here here?" Huey asked surprised, his voice going up a squeaky octave. "Like in the apartment here?"
"Webby?" Lena asked gently, noticing her friend remained silent, "Are you okay?"
She nodded slowly as everyone's eyes fell on her. They all knew how hard she had taken Dewey leaving; it had completely broken and crushed her: it had crushed all of them.
"Why would he come back?" she asked softly, subconsciously pulling herself into a comforting self-hug.
"He said he was relocating for work," Boyd informed her quietly as they all gathered around the couch, around Webby. He sat down on the coffee table, and the girls flanked either side of her. Huey sat on the floor, and Louie remained unmoving. "Said he'd moved back from Cape Suzette."
"Cape Suzette?" Huey frowned. No wonder they'd never found him in Duckburg.
"Boyd," Webby met his eyes straight on. "Tell us everything, please."
Boyd studied her a moment before eventually nodding, and telling them the story of his afternoon. "He said to tell you that he was sorry, Webby," he decided not to share the other bit with her just yet. This seemed enough for her to deal with right now.
She closed her eyes, trying to fight back her tears, unable to believe that the man she had prayed for a chance to see again was back.
"It's a good job Boyd bumped into him, and not me," Lena commented. "I would have skinned him alive for what he did."
"Yeah," Huey agreed, "I would have seriously hurt him." Huey grumbled, and he glared at Violet's snort.
"Yeah right. You'd be in tears once you saw your little brother again." Violet smirked at her ex-boyfriend.
"Hey, I would have," Huey protested. "Or at the most, I would have given him a piece of my mind for what he did to us. What he did to the family. You guys saw how upset Uncle Donald was when Dewey left. He was crushed. He's got no right coming back here and upsetting people." he gestured towards Webby.
But Webby shook her head. "No," she whispered.
"Webby, he just took off! He didn't even say goodbye; he's a total jerk." Lena sneered.
"No… he's not," she finally spoke up. "Please don't call him that," she swallowed.
"Why not?" Huey protested, still hurt by his brother's actions all those years ago. "We trusted him. He was one of your best friends, he was family, and he just abandoned us. Just like that. Like we were nothing to him… how can you stand up for him?"
Her gaze fell to her hands now in her lap as she found the courage to face her memories, and reveal a secret she'd been keeping. She needed to make them understand.
"Because… it's my fault he left," she finally admitted, her voice as quiet as a mouse.
"What?" Huey asked, confused after a beat, "How is it your fault?"
Webby swallowed, shaking her head sadly, "There's something I never told you," her eyes flickered to Lena and Huey before going back to the floor. "Any of you."
"What?" Lena probed, her brow furrowed deeply.
Webby took a deep breath, trying not to be consumed by the emotions that were threatening to overwhelm her, "He left all because of me." Webby's whispered confession was met with silence for a moment, as tears started to fill her eyes.
"What do you mean?" Huey finally voiced his concern for his friend. "Webbs?"
3 Years Ago…
Webby stuffed a T-shirt into her suitcase: it was finally the Winter break, and she would be meeting and spending Christmas with Max's family. Webby bounced up and down excitedly: if this went well, then there was no doubt there was a possibility of a future with him!
"Hey," came a soft voice behind her, interrupting her thoughts. She turned around to find Dewey staring at her, slight mischief in his eyes.
"Hey!" she smiled brightly, before frowning as she noticed it wasn't returned. "Are you okay?"
"Better than ever." he offered a quick hint of a smile, which didn't quite reach his eyes.
She wished she knew what was going on with him.
"So, are you looking forward to seeing your family over the break?" Webby tried after a moment of silence.
"Yeah," he looked a little uncomfortable.
"You all packed?" she asked.
A shadow crossed over his face, his features darkening for a brief moment.
"Dewey? Are you sure you're okay?" she asked, abandoning her suitcase to walk over to him. She stood in his personal space, her eyes full of compassion as her hands came to rest on his firm chest. "You haven't been yourself lately."
He shrugged a little awkwardly, before stepping out of her hold, "I'm fine."
"Dewey—" she tried, hurt by his actions. He had never kept anything from her.
"Seriously Webbs, I'm good," he clearly lied. "When are you heading to meet Max's mom?"
"Don't think I don't recognize a change in topic for what it is," she said lightly, though a smile crept onto her face just thinking about the upcoming holiday. "Goofy is cool, but apparently his parents split when he was younger. I'm nervous, but I really think this could be something. I see Max in my future!" Webby's eyes sparkled, and she missed the way Dewey looked down to the floor. "It's going to be amazing."
He swallowed hard, nodding. "So when are you leaving?"
She glanced at her watch, an early present from Max, "Max went and got the car, so he'll be on his way back here any minute. Want to help me with my bags? Hey, you could wave me off!" she teased. They were only going to be apart for 3 days.
"Sure," his voice was a little rough, and again, she watched with a critical eye as he picked up both bags.
"You're sure you're okay?"
"Never been better," he muttered.
"Dewey!" she protested.
"I'm fine," he promised, meeting her eyes. She could see so much inner turmoil going on inside of them, and it confused her. He used to be so easy to read. "Come on you have a car to catch."
"Fine," she gave him one last hard look. "But if you aren't smiling by New Years, then I'm taking drastic measures."
It took him a long moment to answer, "Consider myself warned."
With that, he hurriedly carried the bags out of the apartment.
Webby caught up with him on the stairs, and silently, they descended them. When they reached the apartment entrance, Dewey paused, and placed the bags down. She looked at him curiously for a moment, before looking through the glass door. She couldn't see Max yet.
"Wanna grab a quick drink while we wait?" Webby gestured to the usual bar, hoping he might open up a little but Dewey shook his head.
"No." he said softly, though his tone wasn't rude at all.
"O-oh, okay…" she frowned.
"Webbs…" he was struggling to get his words out, and her frown deepened as she stroked his arm reassuringly.
"What is it?"
Dewey looked like he was going to be sick. "As it's, uh, Christmas, I just wanted to… t-thank you."
"Thank me?" her face scrunched up in confusion. "For what? The gift I bought you wasn't even that good!" she protested, referring to the lame Starducks gift card. She and Dewey used to spend so much effort on their gifts, but this year, she had been so wrapped up in Max.
Was that part of the reason he was acting so weird?
The corner of his mouth tugged up briefly, but she could tell he was taking a rare, serious moment. "Really, I wanted to thank you for being such a good friend to me over the years," he insisted.
"Back at you," Webby started with a smile, but he shook his head as if she wasn't getting it.
"No, I'm serious, you're the best friend I've ever had," he swallowed. "The best best person I've ever known, and I wanted you to know I really appreciate it… everything."
It was weird him being so serious, so sincere, and she wasn't used to it. She wanted to break the moment, and remind him she was only going for a few days, but he seemed to need her sincerity.
"As long as you know the same goes for me," she offered with an honest expression.
"Thanks," he swallowed hard, "I…"
He seemed lost for words, an inner battle going on within him. She waited for him to continue, to explain, when out of nowhere he leaned forwards, and softly pressed his lips to hers. Surprised, her eyes fluttered closed automatically, as time seemed to stand still. His lips softly caressed hers. It felt amazing, beautiful. He went to pull away but she didn't let him, knowing she wasn't ready for whatever this was to finish: Webby recaptured his lips, wrapping her arms around Dewey's neck to keep him there. She'd never felt like this from a kiss before, not even with Max. He wrapped his arms around her waist, and pulled her in closer, letting the kiss deepen.
Eventually she pulled away, her breath coming out fast, as her eyes studied him in shock. She hadn't expected that… or her reaction to it.
"Merry Christmas, Webbigail Vanderquack," he said softly, gesturing to the mistletoe hung by the building door.
Her lips still tingled from the kiss, her heart yearning for more. Webby nodded, almost in a daze, touching her lips in confusion, as her eyes stayed locked onto his. She saw things she'd never seen before. Things she shouldn't see in her best friend's eyes. That was more than a friendly Christmas kiss.
"Dewey, I…"
A car horn blasted a few times, and they turned to see Max waving excitedly at them from their rental car. Dewey gave him a small wave, his eyes lingering on him longer than they should, before he swallowed, and refocused on her once again. He was staring at her, studying her with his intense gaze.
She frowned, still so confused. She was with Max. She shouldn't have reacted like that. She shouldn't have kissed Dewey back like that. She shouldn't have felt what she did.
"I love you," he said earnestly, his hand briefly cupping her cheek, his fingers lightly grazing her skin, "I want you to know that. I… just take care of yourself, Webbs."
He stared at her for another moment before ripping his eyes away. He took a step back, composing himself before he turned, and hurried back up the stairs.
"Yeah, you too," Webby swallowed, watching him disappear before shaking her head; unable to shake off the unnerving feeling of trepidation that had started in the pit of her stomach.
Present Time:
"You guys kissed?" Lena asked, surprised that she was only finding this out now. "Did you tell Max? Is that why you guys broke up?"
"Wait," Huey interrupted, shaking his head, "I still don't get how this is your fault? So you shared a Christmas kiss, big deal. He had probably planned it weeks before he left."
"You don't get it," Webby told him quietly. "He didn't just love me… he was in love with me."
The room went silent for a moment as all of them took in this revelation.
"In love with you?" Violet asked slowly, as if trying to fit this new information into her past memories.
"Yeah," she swallowed, "I didn't even realize. I was supposed to be his best friend, and I didn't even realize that he felt that way! And to make it worse, I started to date his roommate," her voice started to crack. "I used to tell him all sorts of stuff that must have killed him."
"Being in love with someone when they don't feel the same way hurts," Huey agreed, his eyes briefly flickered to Violet. "But it doesn't excuse what he did, running away, leaving us. He should have just told us."
"Who?" Webby snapped, frustrated that her friends didn't understand. "You and Louie are his brothers who would've told him to drop it, Max was my boyfriend, Lena was my best friend and roommate, and Violet was my best friend who tells me everything. We pressured him so much with the idea that we'd rip the skin off of anyone who hurt any one of us. He was scared to ask me out, scared to hurt me. He had no one to go to, Huey, no one," a few more tears escaped, and she wiped them fiercely. "He was on his own, and he couldn't escape it. We were there, together, every morning, every evening, every night… it must have been destroying him."
Everyone exchanged looks, starting to understand.
"I think it still is," Boyd said, before grimacing as Webby sharply looked up, locking her intense gaze with his.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
He pulled a face, wishing he'd kept his mouth shut.
"Boyd, please." Webby pleaded.
"Okay," he said after a resigned sigh. "When he left, he said to tell you he was sorry, you specifically," he swallowed and she nodded, sensing there was more. "He also said to tell you he regretted leaving, and thinks about you every day."
"Oh my god," Webby started crying, grateful as her friends pulled her in for a tight hug. She hated that it was still hurting him. Still torturing him. He didn't deserve that.
"Webby," Violet spoke softly, starting to understand her friends' strong emotions. "Were you in love with him too?"
"I didn't realize it," she confessed softly. "Not when he was still with us. But after that kiss I started thinking, I was confused all Christmas, debating whether I should talk to him about it. Then when we'd discovered he'd gone, I started to miss him so much that it slowly dawned on me. Max figured it out to some extent," she answered Lena's previous question.
"Absence makes the heart grow fonder," Violet pointed out, her eyes falling on Huey for a moment.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Huey asked.
"Because, I was in denial," she admitted, chewing a nail. "I was so sure that he was going to come back. Tell us all it was a prank, and that he'd be really embarrassed if you all knew. Then as time went on I didn't want to give you another reason to hate him," she looked at his brother. "Then we started to talk about him less and less, and it seemed silly to open up healing wounds."
"Yours never healed," Lena pointed out softly. "I wished you'd told me."
There was a heavy sigh from beside them. Everyone looked up to find Louie looking down, his jaw clenched tightly. His eyes were welling up with tears that were threatening to fall.
"Louie? Babe, are you okay?" Lena asked.
"I… I'm fine," he wiped his tears, before looking at them intensely. "Sorry," he swallowed, "Look, we have to find him," Louie announced. "I need to talk to him, I think we all do."
Lena still looked a little cynical, so Webby spoke up. "I'm with Louie. He was one of our best friends, he was hurting, and made the wrong choice. We miss him, and he misses us. Let's not over-complicate this. Let's find him, and bring him back home where he belongs."
Her pleading eyes turned to each of them, and in turn each nodded, wanting to help
"Okay, but where do we even start?" Violet asked. "Duckburg is a big place, and if he wants to stay hidden, it'll be difficult to find him."
"Did he give away anything?" Webby asked Boyd, "Did he give any clues?"
"Um," Boyd scrunched up his face in thought. "He works in an office?"
"That doesn't help," Violet grated.
"He likes basketball?"
"Along with a few thousand other people." Lena commented, "Next."
"Um, he's staying at a hotel? I'm sorry," he noticed their faces, "He wasn't too keen on details."
"Come on think!" Webby pleaded, "Anything?"
Boyd shook his head, "I learned a bit about where he grew up, bits and pieces about Cape Suzette," he winced. "Look he didn't say anything specific. I really am sorry."
Webby closed her eyes, sighing heavily in defeat, "We have to find him," she whispered, remembering speaking the same words 3 years ago, and remembering their feelings of desperation and failure 3 years ago.
"We will," Lena promised, squeezing her shoulder. "There's 6 of us and 1 of him, he stands no chance."
Webby merely nodded, trying not to think of the hundreds of thousands of people in Duckburg, along with the number of hiding places. If he didn't want to be found, then it wouldn't be easy, but now that she knew he was back in Duckburg, nothing was gonna stop her.
She would find him.
She had to.
ooo
And the story finally begins to unravel ;)
You know, I got a PM saying that they missed my MANDATORY VOTE FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER, because I haven't done one since OTLTA. So let me just do one quick.
MANDATORY VOTE FOR NEXT CHAPTER:
A louna based chapter
OR
A glimpse into how to adults are dealing with Dewey's departure
—Jordan :)
