Disclaimer: I don't own Ducktales!

Title: Hot Cocoa

Summary: The kids celebrate Lena moving in with hot cocoa.

...

It's strange, the things one misses when they move. Lena hadn't realized how comforting the crash of waves was, how familiar the scent of mildew and decay could be. Everything in the mansion is clean and open, when she is used to dirty and tight, and it's a rough acclimation, even with her familiar lava lamp and candles and her favorite bedtime hoodie. (And, deep down, Lena knows she only misses it because she's not stuck dealing with it. She was miserable under the amphitheater then, and she'd be miserable now, no matter how rose-tinted she tried to make the memories.)

But there's a strange serenity to the nights that tickle Lena's fancy in a way the amphitheater never could. She can drag her hands across the walls and walk wherever she wants and when she looks out the window the sight of the half-fixed houseboat bobbing in the pool doesn't fill her with dread. Lena can relax and be herself. She's got a long way to go before she's used to that yet; used to family. That includes the odd family gatherings the Duck-McDuck family seems to have- or maybe all families have them and she's just been missing out.

Case in point: two A.M., in the kitchen, sipping hot cocoa. Well, save for Huey, who worries about that kind of thing and decided to get a glass of water instead. Louie watched over the proceedings with the look of a cat plotting vengeance, while Dewey seemed to be snoring, his beak in the mug. Webby was not-so-subtly leaning on Lena's side, but Lena doesn't mind. It's nice knowing there's ducks out there who know what she is and where she comes from, but want to cuddle and just do the kinds of friend-things she's only ever seen happen to everyone else.

"This is probably a bad time to do this," said Lena.

"Yeah," Huey agreed.

Louie rubbed at the edge of an eyelid. "I think Dewey is dead."

"M'not dead," he slurred. "Just wish I was."

"I can rectify that."

"Bite me, Lena."

"Hey, now." Huey lightly whacked his arm. "We're here to celebrate our family coming together."

Dewey rubbed the spot with a scowl. "Why don't you smack Lena too, huh? You already got a favorite, Hue?"

"I can't reach Lena from here. Duh."

Lena takes a sip of hot cocoa. It's more lukewarm than hot, but she's never been one to complain about something like that. Drinks are drinks. "You all do realize that just because I can't sleep doesn't mean you dweebs have to be here, right?"

"Family helps family," Huey recited. "In this case, they help them suffer through insomnia."

Webby shrugged against her side, trying not to look positively giddy at being called family. It wasn't working. "My sense of time is pretty iffy anyway. The mansion never changed from day to night, so I never felt a need to sleep at any particular time. I can go until dawn."

"I'll literally die if I stay up until dawn," Dewey grumped before sluggishly sitting up and lifting his mug. "So raise a glass to Lena or whatever, 'cause I'm gonna drink this and zonk."

"To Lena!" Huey cheered. "For surviving a yucky shadow realm and becoming an official member of the family!"

"I am a yucky shadow realm, thank you very much." Lena hid a smile with the white foam that collected around the edges of the cup. She felt warm inside, and it sure wasn't from the lame mocha. "It means a lot. Not enough to do it for you guys, but a lot."

Louie stuck his tongue out at her. Webby laughed.

It was nice.

Author's Note: A fun and fluffy commission!

-Mandaree1