louie

Davis couldn’t look at Louie as he continued to get dressed, knowing that if he did, all his feelings would spill out, unable to be put back away like he’d kept them for this long. This entire arrangement was driving him insane, and the only reason he hadn’t put a stop to it yet was because he was in love with the person who was making him insane. If he fully opened up and told Louie how he was feeling, he was sure Louie would take off. They would be done for good. Was staying in this in between worth it to keep him around?

After single-handedly ruining their whole night, Louie made sure to text Davis the next day as if nothing had happened—launching them back into an unstable sense of normalcy for the next several days. In reality, there was now an even greater unspoken tension between them than ever before, but he was also making a bigger effort to ignore the elephant in the room to account for it. His body, however, couldn’t lie. Why he thought working out together this soon would be a good idea, he couldn’t say, besides that he wanted to keep the exercise up for his physical and mental health, and Davis’ home gym was professional-grade. The fact that Davis himself proved to be a massive distraction and therefore a hazard to Louie’s safety should have been considered, but it was too late now.

Davis instantly noticed the shift in Louie’s demeanor as the heir purposely sat closer to Ferdie, keeping his expression neutral as the triplet’s smile dropped. Though he wasn’t confident that this would work in his favor despite Ferdie’s reassurance, he was determined to try; this felt like his last chance to get Louie to open up before finally giving up completely.

Knowing that the two were obviously doing this just to get a reaction out of him didn’t actually do anything to quell the force of emotions he felt from it. Perhaps even worse than seeing Davis kiss someone else right in front of him were the words he spoke just before doing it, blaming Louie for setting the precedent for this. And maybe—technically—he had, what with the whole Sharpay thing that summer and then insisting that it was totally normal for him and Davis to continually make out ‘as friends,’ but…‘He kisses friends all the time’ in present tense made it sound like he was actively doing that. The truth was that he hadn’t kissed anyone else since Davis first kissed him. Not ‘as a friend’ or anything else.

Davis was completely unsurprised as Louie broke the silence by expressing exactly what the heir was afraid of. Any small hope of things becoming more than friendship level were out the window; Louie managed to make excuses every single time, and Davis wasn’t sure why he kept torturing himself and hoping things would be different. If what they just did wasn’t enough for Louie, then what truly would be? He continued to avoid his gaze, not wanting the triplet to notice the frustration in his eyes.

This wasn’t quite the assurance he was looking for. Davis’ voice didn’t match his tone at all as he confirmed that things were okay between them, but what could Louie do about it? Asking if he was sure, pushing for more sincerity in the promise, was only going to prolong the conflict—and make him sound weirdly desperate for someone who claimed not to need anything more from the other than what they had already agreed upon. It would be akin to saying, ‘I won’t give you any emotional honesty, but please comfort me about the fact that I can’t open up to you.’ Louie was comfortable being very selfish as a rule, but even he knew that was more than a step beyond the line.

As she introduced herself to them, the look of curiosity he had now switched into that of disbelief. She couldn’t be serious, Huey thought. Della? Their Uncle Donald’s sister? Their mom?!? Aka the same mom who disappeared over twenty years ago where neither their Uncle Donald or Uncle Scrooge has ever seen or heard of her since? That Della Duck!? His eyes narrowed in suspicion. There’s no way this woman could actually be their mom. It would’ve been too coincidental that she’s now suddenly showing up after everything that’s happened lately. With the revelation that Dewey and Webby has been searching for any sorts of clues and answers about her whereabouts, to the point where the one place that apparently held the biggest clue yet about what happened to her being what tipped everything off— now their mom was back?! Huey couldn’t believe it. He didn’t believe it.

Della’s eagerness quickly faded as each boy responded, both seeming irritated and unable to believe her. While her initial thought was Who do these guys think they are? Let me in my home to see my family! her spirit was slowly starting to be crushed the more she listened to the two. This might have worked twenty years ago …. Della Duck would be forty-five now …. Della blinked in disbelief. They thought she was scamming them?? Who would do such a thing? And why was the timeline suddenly not adding up? “I don’t understand…” she trailed off. Did she somehow time travel, or was she in a messed up alternate universe instead of back home?

Initially glad to have Huey take over communications with the crazy lady at their door, Louie flinched as his older brother skipped right over one of the basic rules of stranger danger and let her know they were home alone. To be fair, they still outnumbered her—and he was sure Huey could take her single-handedly if the need for self defense arose—but they didn’t know if she was armed. She claimed to have gifts for their extremely belated first birthday in her bag, but who really knew what they were dealing with here? Because that couldn’t be the truth. She couldn’t really be their mother, because that…it just couldn’t be. Such a thing would be too much to handle if it were real. So it couldn’t be.

Shuffling the random pile of extremely fluffy plush toys into one hand, the blonde Powerpuff then lifted her free hand to knock against the door she stood before. “Knock, knock, can I come in?” Bubbles asked, knocking a few more times before she pulled her hand back. Ever since the incident at the hotel happened, it has dawned to her that she really hasn’t taken the time to come visit Louie herself. No, it wasn’t as if she hasn’t seen him at all since he got injured— the blonde has came to visit a few times already with her sisters and boyfriend, but she couldn’t deny that when it came to her personally visiting the youngest triplet, she has yet to do so. In her defense, Buttercup would often come here already and give her and Blossom any updates on his condition, and seeing how her sister was closer to Louie, the blonde wasn’t so sure if he wanted her to visit as much. Especially when Bubbles was much closer to Dewey herself, and seeing how he was the main reason why Louie got injured in the first place…..the Puff didn’t want to do or accidentally say anything that might trigger him. That, and admittedly, she had checked up on Dewey a little more especially ever since he moved in with Morty and Ferdie. But Louie was Bubbles friend too, and she wanted to make up for lost time.

“Come in,” Louie answered, not bothering to get up to open the door since he knew Bubbles was capable of getting it herself as soon as she was welcomed in. Once she did and he saw the enormous pile of toys in her hands though, he wondered if he should have made the effort to get out of bed. It was only a passing thought; the stuffed animals were probably weightless to her and her superhuman abilities even made balancing easier, so it was easier on both of them to let her handle it. He considered her as she stood framed in his doorway with her arms full of plush and hummed as if in deep thought before answering. “Hmmm. I accept your offering.”

Donald was oblivious to the fact that Davis and Louie may be something more than friends, missing the hints of any romantic feelings that Daisy was instead picking up on. He especially didn't pick up that it was really a sugar arrangement, but hearing that Louie felt safe with Davis only made Donald think about the money aspect of the matter still, the safety net of his wealth specifically. He and Daisy had entirely separate thoughts on the matter, but it would be no surprise if they both were to debrief this discussion later once they were done spending time with the youngest triplet.

It wasn’t surprising for the designer to hear Louie utter a quick and resounding “No” in response to Donald’s question. In fact, hearing the elongated way he said it, had caused Daisy to let out a small chuckle in response. While personally, she believed that Louie should bring Davis to the Manor sometime soon so that she and Donald could at least meet him due to how long it’s been since the young billionaire was last at their home, she also could see why the younger wasn’t compelled to do so. Now wasn’t exactly the best of times to be bringing in newer faces nor to be introducing them to the family. But it wasn’t as if Davis was actually new. If anything, Daisy was certain that whatever the true nature of Louie’s relationship with Davis was like, Huey, Dewey, and Webby already knew about it along with the others. They at least had a better sense of what it was like more than she and Donald did. Which is why the designer wanted to be re-introduced to him. However, she was content with waiting until Louie felt ready to bring Davis home.

Now Louie was pretty certain that Donald thought he was just using Davis for his money, but he wasn’t sure if that assumption was something he should bother to refute or not. It wasn’t like his uncle would do anything about it if Louie was just taking advantage of his friend’s wealth, so letting him have his feelings on the matter wouldn’t hurt. On the other hand, if he actively insisted that he really just enjoyed Davis’ company, they might start thinking other things…like Daisy questioning whether he wouldn’t rather be spending the night with his friend than them.

Throughout the past couple of months, the eldest of the Duck trio had gone through a range of emotions. Concern, anger, confusion, self-blame, blaming others especially that of their middle brother, loathing, more anger, and so on until he eventually settled on being forced to accept that this was the reality they were all living in. The once lively and close knit family that resigned within the McDuck Manor was no longer the same as they used to be, with Huey now being closes to Louie while his relationship with Dewey still being as strained as ever. He didn’t harbor as much anger towards him as he used to, but even with the lack of Dewey’s presences within their home, Huey hasn’t been able to find it within him to forgive his brother just yet. He’s forgiven Webby, but even the blonde wasn’t as bubbly and cheery as she used to be nor has she been spending as much time with him and Louie like she normally would She wasn’t avoiding them anymore, but she still kept her distance, which meant things like their once regular sibling lunches of four now became exclusively a regular sibling lunch for two. As two thirds of the Duck triplet was about to make their way out of the mansion, Huey being the one to open the door leading to their exit from the Manor, the pair came to a halt at the sight of an unexpected visitor. 

Della had so many questions as she took in the sight of the two boys in front of her. They were obviously identical, though they each had their differences especially in their demeanors. The first one who caught her attention was the one who spoke up first, staring at an unfamiliar-looking device in his hand as he bluntly responded to her in a very Scrooge-like manner. No solicitors. Well, that was offensive. She also noticed that he, too, had a prosthetic leg, though his was much fancier than the one she’d gotten while lost within the portal and on his opposite leg. She only got a quick glimpse at it though before the other stepped in front of him. They all stared at each other in confusion as they tried to connect the missing pieces.

When the stranger dropped the name Della—not only mentioning her but claiming to actually be their missing mother—a chill ran down Louie’s spine. That was fucking haunting. He was almost impressed by the sheer audacity…but mostly he was aggravated. He’d pulled his fair share of shady schemes in the past, but pretending to be somebody’s long-lost family member was something else entirely. He immediately wanted to say, ‘Hey crazy lady, leave us alone!’ and shut the door in her face. Instead he offered her some sardonic advice, leaning around Huey’s shoulder to stare her down. The crazy thing was—now that he had it in mind, the woman actually did resemble that old photo of their mother Dewey probably slept with under his pillow, only a few years older and like she’d been through some shit.

Ferdie seemed pretty confident the scheme would work, which eased Davis’ worries about it backfiring on him. He was beginning to see more of the pros the more he considered it — after thinking back to the time Louie had made Davis jealous, it had resulted in them getting closer, kissing each other after seeing him kiss someone else. Now it could be Davis’ turn to do so, flipping the script to his benefit and to get Louie to open up. Instead of kissing someone random like Louie had with Sharpay though, Davis would be kissing his ex instead. It was almost evil... but it just might work. 

“This is gonna be fun...” Ferdie matched Davis’ grin as they agreed on their devious plan and then headed back outside. Meanwhile, the smile Louie sported at their return with the drinks vanished as Davis took a spot beside Ferdie in the hot tub, rather than sitting closer to him. That little action alone set off alarm bells in his head, though it was still too soon to tell why, while Davis explained that the two had gotten distracted inside. That was odd, considering Ferdie was supposed to have been in the bathroom, and Louie muttered, “Whatever it was, I just hope you washed your hands.”

Buttercup knew she was being dramatic, that it wasn’t entirely true that she’d never seen a hickey on him before. It had just been a long time, long enough to where the sight felt foreign to her. Plus, Louie wasn’t in a relationship right now, so that meant that he was teetering close to one if he was willing to go this far with someone. She didn’t want to believe who she thought it was until she heard it from Louie himself. He didn’t say Davis’ name as she lured the tea from him, but she knew exactly who he was referencing anyway. 

Are you happy? she asked. Was he happy? No. But he thought he could be happy if he finally opened up to Davis, and that scared the shit out of him. That kind of happiness could so easily be taken away—it was easier in the long run not to let himself have it at all, that dangerous hope for an uncertain future. He didn’t want to sign himself up to be hurt when it was avoidable…if it was still avoidable. Was he already in too deep, bound to be devastated by any outcome?

Considering Davis’ track record with his patience and temper, it was a miracle how much patience he had for Louie despite the ups and downs — it was a clear indication of how much he loved him. Yet, it felt completely one-sided when Louie continued not reciprocating, or rather sending mixed signals. Despite his patience and understanding though, knowing Louie was still recovering from recent traumas and not wanting to trigger him further, he still had his moments too. 

Sending Davis out of the room gave Louie at least a little time to try to get himself together, though it only got worse before it got better. He hyperventilated for a minute before figuring out how to slow his breathing, and considered himself lucky that Davis wasn’t really looking at him when he came back into the room so he could subtly wipe the tears that had escaped his eyes at some point. Promising himself that he could freak out as much as he wanted later, in private, was the quickest way he knew to cut the waterworks short. He just needed to make sure his outburst hadn’t ruined everything first.

Buttercup smiled playfully at Louie’s response, though it obviously fell once she was distracted by the hickey on his neck. Her jaw had dropped open in surprise, instantly noticing his cheeks redden as he realized what she was investigating. Oh, this was going to be good, Buttercup couldn’t wait to hear his explanation. She already had a feeling she knew without asking, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to shake the details from him anyway. 

He wanted to correct her, assert that she definitely had seen hickies on him before—albeit way back in high school—but that wouldn’t prove the point that it meant nothing. If anything, it would just confirm that he was in deep now, to have let someone mark him up like that. Louie wasn’t the type to hook up with people he didn’t have deeper feelings for. Buttercup knew it as well as he did, and if he’d had to realize his own feelings the other night, then she was sure to catch on just as quickly. Trying to hide shit from her was like trying to hide from himself—and he’d already found his hiding spot. Out with it, then.

Davis’ mind and body were still coming back to reality after what just happened, the previous worries he’s had about Louie not sinking back in until it was already too late. Maybe the sex had been so good it made him too optimistic, having mentally planned to help him clean up, lay back down and really express how much he meant to him — that he loves him. It only made it hurt that much more when he returned to find Louie in a completely different mood. 

Louie didn’t have to be looking at Davis’ face to notice his demeanor changing after he snapped; he could practically feel his heart sinking in tandem with his own. And he was apologizing, as if he’d done anything wrong. Or rather like even if he knew it wasn’t his fault, he was still more concerned about upsetting Louie that he’d take the blame anyway, instead of clapping back at him for his sudden attitude. Davis seemed disappointed rather than angry, and that only made him feel worse.

Finally being back in Destiny Isle was so surreal, Della could hardly believe it. She took a deep breath as if to take in the familiar air, hands on her hips as she observed her surroundings. Things seemed a little more different than she anticipated, but that didn’t discourage her. All that mattered now was that she returned to her family. She knew exactly how to get back to the manor, anxious to see her family and especially her sons. She wondered who would answer the door first and what their reaction would be, smoothing out her hair as she thought of her initial greeting. Should she play it casually? Spice it up and add her special Della charm? If Scrooge or Donald were to be upset by her absence, she’d have a lot of explaining to do — her mind was running wild with possibilities of how this would play out. She had no idea that she’d instead be greeted by Huey and Louie, all grown up and none of them recognizing each other. Della already flopped her first impression as the front door to the manor opened, impulsively beginning with a “What’s upppp!” until she realized she had no clue who these two were. “Oh!” Della interrupted herself, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. “Uh, heyyy? I’m looking for Scrooge.. or Donald … they still live here, right?” @hubertducck @llouieduck

Even nine months after The Incident, when most of the dust had settled—things hadn’t returned back to normal between the Duck siblings. Dewey still hadn’t moved back into McDuck Manor, and the triplets and Webby had never returned to their regular sibling lunches they’d enjoyed together before everything went down last September. That left only Huey and Louie heading out to eat today and opening the door on an unexpected visitor. It was an awkward moment with her overly-familiar greeting and subsequent confusion at seeing who had opened the door, but Louie was only half-paying attention anyway (the other half of his attention focused on looking up restaurants on his phone.) He didn’t have much interest in strangers on the doorstep, and answered bluntly the way they’d all been coached by their great uncle in childhood: “No solicitors.”

Louie suddenly finishing was unexpected, but it was also so sexy. It only took Davis a few more thrusts before he was finishing too, his mouth hanging open in pleasure as he moaned and his steady pace came to a stop. For a moment he didn’t move, leaning down and pressing a few more kisses to Louie’s neck and collarbone. He didn’t want to pull out and be done so soon, but he also knew they’d both likely get overstimulated pretty quickly if he tried to keep things going. 

For a few seconds, Louie let himself pretend that this could be something more than just sex, that he and Davis could be more to each other than what they were. As Davis finished and kissed him a couple more times and whispered that it was amazing, Louie let himself believe it, and then he let the illusion shatter as soon as Davis was out of sight. This wasn’t something they could have. It wasn’t something he could have.

Buttercup didn’t need to be let inside when she came over to the manor. She was comfortable enough to let herself in as if she lived there too, having already texted her best friend to let him know she was coming. She felt it was important to check on him but still keep things as normal as they could be since his injury, though there was no denying the tension at the manor each time she was there. With Dewey gone and Huey and Webby still acting distant, Buttercup could only hope that things would ease up as the holidays rolled around.  What wasn’t normal though was what Buttercup discovered as she first saw Louie upon arrival. “I brought snacks,” she greeted without actually greeting him, tossing a bag of candy she got from the store in his direction. As she floated over to take a seat at the end of his bed, she got a closer look at her best friend and instantly noticed a very obvious hickey on his neck. Buttercup’s eyebrows narrowed. “Oh my god..” She got closer to get a better look. “Is that seriously what I think it is?” @llouieduck

“Mm, I knew there was a reason I kept you around,” Louie answered her casual non-greeting and caught the bag of candy she threw his way. He was peacefully investigating the selection when Buttercup suddenly joined him in his personal space, inspecting him. “What—” She was looking pointedly at his neck, or rather the mark left on his neck from recent activities that he hadn’t planned on talking about…Fuck. He was cozy enough in bed not to need a hoodie on, but he certainly wished he could hide in one now, his face automatically heating up at the feeling of observation his best friend was subjecting him to and cursing himself for not thinking ahead to avoid this.

Buttercup held back from hitting him at first, instead rolling her eyes. She sort of set herself up for that one, her height an easy way to poke fun at her. As soon as he said it was cute as he pictured it though, she couldn’t control how quickly her fist collided with his shoulder. “You know what’s not cute? This,” she replied as she hit him, a little harder than she intended but still not with her true strength.

“Ow.” Louie regretted remarking on her light shove earlier, because this hit actually had a little bite, even if he had known it was coming and Buttercup was still holding back her full strength. She’d never actually hurt him, but the warning punch was a lesson learned: she was not cute. He still sulked silently as he waited for her to either continue talking about Bill or change the subject, not wanting to lead the conversation away himself if she wasn’t done or bring it back up if she was.