Might solve a mystery, or rewrite history!

Dot ended up lingering around Fall Technologies for multiple reasons. One was because she liked doing the extra work, another was to see if Flik or Garrett needed anything specific, and the third was to hopefully run into Dewey. She really liked spending time with him and she felt like it had been a bit since they talked last. The elevator was purely accidental this time, which made her blush like mad. She didn’t want him to think she was doing what she normally did, because this time it really was just to help around. “H-Hey Dewey,” she said before clearing her throat. “Um…It was good! Productive! Awesome, even.” Lame, lame, lame.  “Uh…What about you?”

Dewey was panting but trying to make it as subtle as possible.  He didn’t want Dot to think he was out of shape, even if that might be a bit true.  He didn’t really have a regular gym routine, working out just wasn’t enjoyable for him.  “That’s great,” he said smiling at her.  “Really, really great.”  Oh god why couldn’t he think of anything better to say than repeating great?  “Alright, running a little late so had to make a uh... mad dash but things are better now.  You know cause I’m here more or less on time and I’ve got some good company so yeah I’m good.”  He babbled.  He wanted to smack himself for sounding so dumb.  Why couldn’t he talk to her like a normal person?

He had been so hesitant to get a vape pen because he didn’t want to be ‘one of those people’. But then he realized he didn’t care, and at least he could get a few hits in without it being obvious as to what he was smoking. He was in the processes of zoning out, taking another pretty good-sized hit whin his doorknob started to turn. Huey sat straight up as his door opened, holding his breath. Fuck, he thought, as Dewey talked. He should lock his door, he thought. After a beat, Huey finally had to answer, “Nope, haven’t seen it,” he said, a slight cough tickling at the back of his throat as the cloud of vape poured from his mouth. He waited for it to dissipate before saying anything more. “Maybe in my top drawer… also could you close the door?”

“Sure no problem.”  Dewey closed the door and started to make his way across the room to Huey’s dresser when he noticed an odd smell in the room.  He turned and properly looked at his brother noticing the vape pen in his hand.  “Oh my god, Huey!  Have you lost your mind?  What the hell do you think you’re doing?  How long have you been doing this?”

@deweyordontwey​

“So what are your plans now that we don’t have classes this week?” Dot asked, looking over at Dewey with a small smile. “I mean, I’m sure your family has a huge Thanksgiving celebration planned, but what else is going on in the life of Dewey?”

“Staying home with the family, playing with Winnie, she’s my puppy,” Dewey answered her shrugging.  “Oh um I don’t know what we’re doing for Thanksgiving.  My uncle broke up with his girlfriend who we usually celebrate holidays with so I’m not sure what’s going on.  We’ll probably have some sort of small dinner at home.  Maybe I’ll go Black Friday shopping, there’s a couple of things I’ve been eyeing.  What about you?  What’s Thanksgiving like with the Reed family?”

Huey nodded a bit, stirring the contents of his bowl, trying to make it like some sort of murky soup. He laughed a bit dryly. “Honestly, I… I thought it was a date, too. And I think for a little while it almost was? And then things just got fucked.” he let out a sigh. “I dunno. It was mostly that stupid gossip blog’s fault, but I guess it was kinda my own fault, too? I don’t know, it’s just stupid.” he took a spoonful of ice cream. “Y’know, I’m a little surprised you didn’t just hide a walkie talkie out there somewhere so you guys could fully eavesdrop on me,” he joked a bit. “But, um, thanks for not listening too much. I’m… this is kinda a huge mess for me right now and I’ve never had something like this happen before and I don’t know what to do.”

“Oh well I’m sorry it didn’t end as a date.  Hopefully you’ll be able to fix whatever happened,” Dewey said scratching the back of his neck.  “Hey, I thought you deserved some privacy.  I wouldn’t like you spying on my dates.  I really was only checking in for a  minute or two to make sure it was going well.  I’m sorry I heard anything at all, I swear.”  He awkwardly poked with the spoon at his own ice cream.  “Is there anything I can do for you? Would a hug help or anything?”

“Just because I’m working doesn’t mean I can enjoy the fun,” Donald said. “That just means you I can’t drink tonight. That’s fine though. If you need me though you’ll find me drinking mocktails and breaking up fights.”

“No you’re right you can’t enjoy the fun because you’re you not because you’re working,” Dewey commented.  He might have been a bit guilty of eavesdropping on his uncle but he didn’t exactly have a better sort of entertainment at the moment.  “So what you do at home except you can’t have alcohol in between breaking up our fights.”

He hated what had happened. He hated all of it. But of course, he’d come into the house and slammed his bedroom door. So if by some miracle neither of his brothers had spied on him, they probably knew something was up then. And he didn’t want to talk to either of them. He didn’t want to talk to anyone. Just wanted to lay in his bed with his dog. And thankfully, they’d waited a few hours at least. “What?” he called out when he heard the knock. Huey rolled over to watch Dewey walk in. He pursed his lips, pouting a bit not wanting to talk to him, but he couldn’t say no to ice cream and his brother knew it. “Fine,” he said, sitting up, hugging a pillow. He reached out at took a bowl. “But only because you brought me food.” He looked up to his brother. “How much were you listening?”

“We don’t have to talk or anything unless you want to of course.  I just thought you could use some company,” Dewey said while handing him the bowl.  He hesitantly sat down on the edge of the bed not wanting to get too close if Huey was that upset.  “I heard a few bits and pieces.  I really wasn’t trying to eavesdrop.  I wanted to respect your privacy but I wanted to hear how things were going, check in on what I thought was a date and well I heard things weren’t going great so I left for a while and only came back briefly to check that you were okay.  I didn’t hear most of it, I swear Hu.”

“I’m actually a little surprised none of this bad stuff is happening to my family,” Dot admitted with a frown. “That’s awful to say, I know that. I just….my family seems to be attracted to danger and bad omens. I hope I didn’t just jinx things for us..um…I’m sorry. It’s all just really awful…”

“Hopefully it won’t and even if you get some sort of note I’d um... well I’d try to protect you.  Friends have gotta stick up for each other right?” Dewey said quickly losing the fire that had inspired him to start talking in the first place and going back to the safe and familiar friend position.  “I’m sure I’d feel the same way if I were in your position.  My family seems to attract danger too.  I don’t think you did, I don’t think jinxes are real.  Besides isn’t thinking positive one of the best ways to defeat bad things?”

“I… was under the impression that it was an accident,” Gertrude stated, her thoughts wandering, “I hope it wasn’t truly a prank. I’d like to think I’d trusted your brother to be better than that.” She smiles, a bit more uncertainly at Dewey. Whereas Huey had been a bit clumsy, he did seem like the person who could, genuinely, try. Dewey seemed fine as all, but she wondered, with how he was speaking to her, how much of that was true. “No, messing with teachers isn’t advised. But I think the reason to do, or not do, something should reply on principle, rather than consequence.”

She laughs, internally, about that statement. A true statement. Just a very odd one for her to make. But he’d said he’d love to come, and his smile reassured her a bit. “And I think that plants would be grateful that you don’t wish them any harm. I believe your brother was a bit clumsy as well, but less apologetic about it. More willing to-ah-take risks without remorse.” That wasn’t a lie at all. Huey was fully open and able to cause trouble. 

Then she thought about it for a moment and asked, “do you like plants? Or biology? Or botany or agriculture? Nature, the wild, anything like that? I was wondering since there are a few things coming up for the shift to autumn. If any of that would interest you?”

“Oh well it could have been that too.  I just know he has a tendency to pull pranks, we kind of all do but if he told you it was an accident than I’m sure it was,” Dewey quickly replied.  He didn’t want her to think bad of him or his brothers, or in the case of Huey any worse than she probably already did.  “Well yes on principle you shouldn’t do it either but the consequence is also a good motivation not to.”

“Well my brothers aren’t always the best at apologizing.  I know from enough little sibling spats.  But yeah willing to take risks is definitely a good description of him,” Dewey agreed with her, nodding his head.

“I find plants and biology interesting but it’s not my primary interest.  I like it and find it interesting to learn about but I’d rather go into something a bit more tech or art related, preferably a combination of the two like graphic design.”

I’m not a hero, just a man who has been struck by lightning.

Gertrude withheld a laugh. Was it bad that him being impressed at his brother’s antics was so amusing to her. “Yes, impressive, but also not quite within school guidelines,” she admits. “No fire was involved. More of messing around with the emergency fire switch at the end of the workstations. And I should hope you wouldn’t repeat it. No need to have more drowning plants on my hands.” 

She regards him with humor. She hadn’t meant to relay his brother’s actions to him, but it was amusing to see his reaction. “The greenhouse is in room 21-G on the ground floor, should you ever want to schedule a visit,” she says, the invitation welcoming as she could be, “provided no plants are harmed.”

“No of course not.  Pranks never are but that was a bit excessive for a prank.  Pranking a teacher probably wasn’t the best decision either,” Dewey said kissing up a bit or a lot to her.  “No, I’ve got no plans of doing that.  Partially because it would be dumb to repeat a prank but also I wouldn’t want to mess with a teacher.”

“Sure I’d love to come by.”  He nodded in response and smiled at her hopefully looking sweet and not like a trouble maker.  “I won’t harm any, at least not intentionally.  I can’t promise I won’t accidentally break a pot or something because I’m clumsy.”

@hubertxduckington​