What can I say? I've been bitten by the DuckTales bug and have been on a heavy re-binge on the show as of late.
This story is set immediately after Moonvasion!, just to be clear on chronology.
Hope you enjoy my first foray into this fandom!
"Ah, it's good to be back."
Donald stood proudly in his houseboat, having fixed up more photos of Della on the boat's wall in the few hours since the end of the Moonlanders' invasion, thinking to himself, Since Della's back now, there's no point in hiding the rest of these photos anymore. Looking in the box of photographs he had taken from the storage closet on the houseboat, Donald took out an empty frame before reaching into his pocket and taking out a picture of himself, Della, Scrooge, and the kids that had been taken just hours ago. Putting the photo in the frame, Donald propped the frame on a table and smiled.
Closing the box, Donald put it back in the storage room and was about to exit his houseboat to join his family in the mansion when a series of knocks gave him pause.
"Donald?"
Donald opened the door to find his sister standing in front of him, looking uncharacteristically nervous while holding a couple of steaming mugs. Smiling, Donald said, "Della."
"Can I come in?"
"Absolutely." Donald stepped aside, and Della walked into the houseboat, her metal leg creaking with each step she took.
Sitting down on a chair and setting the mugs onto the table where Donald had just put the frame, Della took out a can of metal lubricant and sprayed it around the joint that was supposed to be her knee. Watching as the liquid seeped into her leg, Della took out a rag and wiped away the excess lubricant before wiping her hands and sticking the cloth back into her jacket. Standing up, Della performed a couple of squats, and, once she was satisfied, sat back down. Gesturing to the mugs she had brought in, Della said, "It's hot chocolate. Figured you might want some actual... y'know, food after surviving on nothing but seawater and sand on that island for a whole month."
"Thanks." Taking a seat across from her and picking up a mug, Donald took a sip and asked, "How're the kids doing?"
"They've got Mrs. B watching over them. Webby's friends came over for another sleepover as well. Anyways," Della put her hands together before continuing, "Uncle Scrooge decided to let Fethry and Gladstone stay for the night, and he gave them our old room from when we were growing up, which is also where I stay now. So Donnie..." Della gave a nervous grin as she finished, "can I crash on your couch just for tonight? I'll be out of your feathers when Gladdy and Fethry leave tomorrow." Much to her surprise, Donald nodded.
"It's been ten whole years since we last saw each other, of course you can stay on the boat for the night." Looking at his sister, Donald noticed something was up, with how her eyes seemed to be trying to focus on anything but him. Squinting suspiciously, Donald asked, "Alright Della, what's up?" as he took a sip of hot chocolate.
Sighing, Della set her mug on the table before saying, "It's just... I've only been back for a few months and... I need to apologize."
Donald raised an eyebrow. "What for?"
Della's voice became very small as she whispered, "I'm sorry, Donnie, I'm so sorry... I never should've gotten on that damn rocket. I made you give up your dreams, broke you and Uncle Scrooge apart for ten years, caused this whole invasion... this is all my fault," wiping her face as she finished her spiel.
"Oh..." The hot chocolate suddenly felt like ash in Donald's mouth, and after forcibly swallowing it, he turned to face his sister, who was beginning to tear up. Sighing, Donald said, "Della, I would be lying if I said I wasn't mad at you for taking the Spear of Selene." Della winced, but Donald felt that he needed to get things off his chest, so he continued, "I was so angry when you disappeared. Angry at Scrooge for building you that death trap, and angry at you for abandoning the boys for the sake of having one last thrillride. I instantly cut ties with Scrooge once you were lost in space and took the eggs with me to the marina. Those first few years without you were horrible."
"But," Donald said, having noticed that Della had begun to shrink into herself, "the boys were what kept me going, even on the worst days. Sure, I made some sacrifices," Donald stopped for a moment to look towards the storage room, where only he knew that a black mask and blue cape were buried deep underneath the floorboards before continuing, "but their happiness was what mattered to me, and I never stopped trying to provide them the best I could afford them." Pulling out his phone, Donald asked, "Do you want to see some photos of them?"
"I'd love that, Donald," Della smiled, blowing her nose into her jacket. Her brother gave her a box of tissues and a disapproving look as he opened his photo gallery and clicked on a section titled 'Woodchucks.'
"Here's the boys' first day as Junior Woodchucks!" Scrolling through the collection of photos, Donald continued, "Dewey and Louie quit the organization after the first month, but Huey loved it." Upon reaching a picture of Huey camping with two other Woodchucks, Donald commented, "He's in the running for Senior Woodchuck, the other candidate is one of Webby's friends."
"My son's gonna be a Senior Woodchuck?!" Della almost shrieked.
"Blow out my eardrums again, why don't you..." Donald grumbled, but his smile quickly returned as he watched Della run laps around the table, whooping in joy. As she sat down, Donald opened up another photo gallery titled 'Birthdays.' Looking at Della, who suddenly seemed entranced by the gallery he had opened up, Donald passed her his phone. "Figured you'd want some time to look at this one."
Della scrolled through the collection of photos, feeling a swirling mix of joy and guilt build up in her chest as she finally got to see the decade of her boys growing up that she had missed while on the moon. Once she was finished, Della quietly passed Donald back his phone and gave him a hug, quietly crying in her brother's arms. "Thank you, Donnie," she whispered. "Thank you for taking care of them and doing a good job at it." Once she broke the hug, she joked, "You deserve a vacation... for real this time."
"Thanks, Della," Donald replied as he disappeared into the boat's storage closet. After a moment, Donald came back out, dragging a box full of photographs out of the storage room and placing it on the table. "More photos of the boys, if you want them-"
Cutting her brother off with a hug, Della excitedly said, "Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!" Upon setting her brother down, she continued, "I missed you so much, Donnie," as she sat down on the couch she'd be sleeping on for the night.
Chuckling, Donald said, "Missed you too, Dumbella."
"Hey!"
When I watched the show back when it was first airing, I loved the interactions between the Duck twins and was kinda bummed there wasn't much of that in the third season outside of the Halloween episode. I wanted to try my hand at a possible interaction in-between seasons, and it's a bit of a departure from my usual stuff.
Hope you enjoyed, and reviews are always appreciated!
-Krosshair