Chapter Text
Penny’s whole attitude turned on a dime after the expedition with the kids— and Della understood why. Webby was a smart kid, and the three of them kind of had an understanding.
Penny was a lot more alive now. She held herself higher, smiled a little brighter. The things she did felt more genuine than out of a sense of duty. And Della…
Well. Maybe she had gotten a little worried that Penny was just going to up and leave her now that the whole moon situation was resolved.
Maybe watching her and Launchpad dismantle the entire thing felt like a promise to her. Just a little bit.
Maybe when they turned the giant mountain of dismantled gold over to Scrooge, it felt good.
But what really felt good to Della was the moment when she turned to see Penny holding Webby up on her shoulders, while Webby infodumped about McDuck family history to her.
“Wait— I thought this was the McDuck family tree. Who are these Coots? ”
To which Webby replied, with her heart in her throat doing all the talking for her, “I’m so glad you asked! So, the family tree split when—“
And Della felt her chest swell with warmth.
She had come home before.
She had walked into that mansion after almost a decade of loneliness. She had walked inside after countless adventures.
But what really felt like coming home was when everyone else was heading back into the mansion from the garage and Penny stood there watching, and Dewey said something about a Darkwing Duck marathon, which got Launchpad all excited.
And she looked at Penny, and Penny looked at her.
And Penny looked away and said, “Well, don’t let me keep you waiting.”
And Della stayed behind while everyone else left.
“Actually,” she said, leaning back on her heels. “I was wondering if there’s… anything you wanted to do tonight? Darkwing Duck isn’t really my style, it’s… more Launchpad’s thing.”
Penumbra looked back, turning around fully. She shifted a little.
“And… what kind of thing did you have in mind, Della Duck?”
Della laughed. It was a soft, gentle sound.
“There’s actually this super awesome restaurant in downtown Duckburg— we can take a bus there if you want. You like ice cream, right?”
Penumbra nodded, a little cautiously.
“...I do like ice cream. Is this a date?”
Della laughed again. This time, a choked, flustered sound.
“I— uh. So forward . Maybe? It could be! It definitely could be a date if you— if you were into that—“
Penumbra cut her off. “ Della. ”
“Yes?” She responded a little too quickly.
Penumbra didn’t seem to be expecting that. She took a deep breath.
“...I don’t like the bus. Or cars.”
Della deflated a little. “Oh. That’s— that’s totally fine, really, I—“
“Can we walk instead? I feel safer that way.”
And Della knew Penumbra admitting that she felt unsafe in any circumstances was a big deal, so she nodded, slowly at first, then with a giddy happiness. “Yeah, of course! Do you— do you wanna go now now?”
“Yes,” Penumbra smiled, walking over and grabbing her arm as they went. “ Now now. Before anyone starts asking questions I’m too tired to answer right now.”
Della laughed, stumbling along behind her. “Alright, Penny.”