#the poster -- my lil sister kept :))

[zeraphimtwins]

Momocon 24'

Nana × Wandering Ronin

Such a great day!!

Played so much on the Tekken cabinets and SoulCaliber II arcade cabinets there. Such great fun!!

[princessfroslass]

Ok but imagine: when they were in a "relationship", Angel told Val that birthdays for him are hard since he shares it with the twin sister that is not with him anymore- and Val, like the leech he is, latched up to this fact to love-bomb him as much as humanly possible, particularly sending him roses and cards.

Angel kept the latter on a little box, even after entering the Hotel (think of how his room is covered in photos and posters) he had wanted to burn them for a LONG while, but...had never manage to force himself to go with it.

Then his first birthday at the Hotel happens, and he is once again love bombed- this time even more aggressively, because he is more independent now and Val wants to take him back, specially now that he is dating someone (Huskerdust is established on my head always) When he gets back to the Hotel from his shift he just says the roses comes from a co-star friend of his and heads to his room, head too full of Val's shit along with the depression that comes with being apart from Molly another year he just.... flops on his bed and plans to rot on it 'till he has to go back to the studio.

He forgot to put the box with the cards away though, and now this lil habit is exposed as him and Husk had stared sharing his room more and more and he wanted to check on him and give him his birthday present (that, to nobody's surprise, it's alcohol) he sees the roses, notices the card (he doesn't mean to pry but like, he KNOWS Val's script by now) and after growling at the empty wall just lays by his hubby's side and gives him a card that Angel can keep OUTSIDE of his Box of Shame and actually display it without feeling like shit. Cue the tears and snuggles.

[soupbabe]

Silver Lining Part 2 (Carolyn Gray)

Whether dead or alive, Bo will never let Carolyn escape Ambrose.

Hehe part 2 to Carolyn's lil introduction ♡ part one can be found here !

Warnings: Mild violence, Maggie gets her Will Smith at the Oscars moment

Tagging: @rottent33th

As soon as the overhead lights went out, Carolyn shifted around the bed. The scent of Maggie's perfume invaded her senses. Notes of Rose and powder were ingrained into the blankets, it was a scent reminiscing her grandmother. Closing her eyes, Carolyn envisioned her grandmother's house. A smile tugged on her lips as she envisioned her walking in to be greeted by her grandma watching the TV.

Though as she opened her eyes, hoping to see her again, a poster of Judy Garland stares back at her instead.

She stared at the actress before sitting up and letting her feet touch the cold hardwood. Sighing, she glanced over at the frosted window. And while the lit up businesses were a blur, she could make out where her car was by the gas station. Next to the vehicle was a vague figure taking their frustrations out on it, effectively setting the alarms off. "Shit," she muttered, flying out of the bed and to Maggie onto the floor. "Hey," she whispered, the repeated greetings did nothing. "Maggie, c'mon, wake up!" No response.

It only took a couple of soft kicks to her arms to get Maggie stirring on the floor. "Huh?" She murmured. "Someone's breaking into my car! Get up!" She alerted the half awake woman and pulled her up. The constant blaring of the car alarm jolted Maggie into rushing out of the room, holding Carolyn's hand as she followed her downstairs.

Passing by a door came out a man with long, dark, hair. A quick glance of the man jumped Carolyn into staying close to Maggie, who smiled at the stranger. While she kept her eyes to herself, she couldn't help but cautiously watch the man who resembled her attacker from yesterday. She noticed him moving his hands in communication with Maggie, who unlatched her fingers from Carolyn to respond. A frown etched her features as they took their time heading out of the house. "What's going on?" She whispered to Maggie, "Who is he anyway?"

Maggie glanced back at Carolyn with a warm face, much to the masked man's delight. "Sorry about Vincent. He thinks it's funny to talk a lot nothing whenever he can." " Well I'd appreciate it if he started getting to my car." She crossed her arms as the small group made it to the gas station, to which Bo was standing there with an old pipe. At the sight of the crime, Carolyn could hear her heart dropping to her stomach.

Her camera, clothes, and even her grandmother's jewelry box were scattered across the pavement. Broken pieces blended with the shattered glass.

As soon as she reached for Maggie's hand, the woman stormed near Bo. "What hell do you think you're doing!? I thought you were gonna leave her alone!" Bo sneered, his voice loud enough to wake the town. "Well Magnolia, if you wanted to keep her around so bad, why not just keep her here!" Maggie raised her voice to match his, "You know damn well this is not what I meant!" "What do you think you're getting out of keeping her alive, then? That she'd stick around long enough that she'd be willing to touch your desperate ass? Just 'cause you wanted to play hero?" Bo's words were venom piercing into his sister's skin. Half hearted laughter teased her as her eyes glossed over. "Time and time again, you remind me why Mama never liked you." was all she muttered before letting her fist collide against his jaw.

From beside Carolyn, she could hear a scratchy, barely audible gasp from Vincent. He ran in between the siblings, taking a couple of blows from Bo before pulling his arm away from Maggie. "God damnit Vinny- Let me go!" He growled as Vincent shook his head, taking the pipe out of his hand and leaving it on the ground. Even though Bo struggled, itching to hit Maggie back, Vincent was able to drag him into the wax museum.

Magnolia waited til they were out of eyesight to turn around to look at Carolyn, who's eyes were fixated on the broken vehicle. Hearing the alarm going off made her feel sick. The idea of no escape hit her all at once. Carefully, Maggie rested a hand on her shoulder, to which it elicited no response. It didn't even make her jump.

"God, I'm so sorry Carolyn." Tears were held back as Carolyn's words were monotone. "Sorry can't get me out of here."

[neiptune]

almost

part 4 of suddenly not so funny

part 3 here

part 2 here

pairing: baji x female reader

wc: 2.7k

warnings: cursing, mentions of alcohol

tags: @cuteshunnybunny @eexphoria @gabi-moureira

author's note: thank you to everyone who took the time to read this lil series and let me know that they enjoyed it! i loved writing something multi chaptered and might do it again soon. i sincerely hope you enjoy this last part as well and that it helps take our minds off the shitty news we've been hearing in the past few days

In the end, something did happen between you and Baji but neither of you know how to properly handle it.

When the boys blurt out the idea of a movie night, to try something different for once, you don't really think when suggesting they could all come to your place since your parents were out of town for the weekend. You should've considered the not so successful result of an equation that included a crowd of your overly excited, not exactly quiet male friends, and a small, tidy apartment situated in one of the most silent neighborhoods of the city.

Thank fuck for Emma, Hinata and Takemichi, honestly. They all came a few minutes earlier to bring snacks, help you organize the kitchen and put away anything that could've been accidentally broken, stained or ruined in any way, like your mom's favorite vase or your dad's best kept vinyl collection.

Well, you're thankful for them just about until the girls insist to see your room, which is just a clever excuse for Emma to pry into your wardrobe and force you out of your sweatpants cause you need to wear something decent so the boys may as well remember there's three of us here and you're not just one of them.

Already stressed and annoyed as hell, you put away the ridiculously tight red dress she keeps waving in front of your face and compromise with a pair of black jeans and an old Bangles shirt you didn't even remember owning.

“Would it kill you to put on a skirt?”, she complains while Hinata smiles apologetically and Takemichi still has his back turned to all of you, in an awkward attempt to give you some privacy.

“A skirt? It's a movie night, why are you even dressed like that?”, you snort.

“Cause I hope to sit on Ken's lap?”, she replies, as if it's the most obvious thing ever. Which, yeah, it kinda is.

“Is there anything else I can do in the kitchen?”, Takemichi's cry for help makes you smile and you kindly ask him to go check if there's enough sprite for everyone.

“Maybe I'll let someone sit on my lap, ever thought of that?”, you mutter, snatching another dress from Emma's hands.

“Yeah? Who?”, she inquiries with a skeptical raise of her brow.

“Chifuyu”, you reply dryly and she snorts, unimpressed.

“Shut up, you're like brother and sister. Plus, he would never want to annoy his captain”.

“What? Who?”

Hinata has to focus on one of your posters to hide her laughter.

“Didn't you know? He's coming too”, Emma's tone is so thick with fake innocence you honestly want to strangle her.

“He's not in town”, you observe, struggling to hide your sudden nervousness.

“Came back last night”, Hinata informs you, no trace of mockery in her gentle expression.

Okay. Great.

“Yeah, well, so what? We're friends, he can come”.

And sit on the goddamn floor for all I care.

“You didn't seem just friends last time you saw each other”, Emma takes out a jumpsuit from your wardrobe and you let out an exasperated sigh.

“Not my fault your darling Ken was so drunk he insisted on playing that stupid ass spin the bottle game. It was fun in high school but we're adults now, he just didn't get the memo”.

“What are you getting so riled up about?", she bats her stupidly long eyelashes at you. "You both seemed to enjoy exploring each other's throats”.

“Oh my god, Hina”, you cry and your other friend is quick to put her hands on your shoulders, guiding you out of the room while sending Emma a good-natured glare.

“I think I heard the doorbell!”, she sings as you two stumble downstairs, Emma's laugh fading behind you.

“Y/n said no alcohol!”, Takemichi pouts as he stands in the hallway, keeping the door open for his friends.

“Then keep your voice fucking down”, Draken growls, two cases of beer in his gigantic arms.

“I'm not blind, Ken. Nor an idiot”, you greet him and he flashes you a giant, fake smile.

“Hi, y/n! Thanks for having us!”

You roll your eyes as you make room for the rest of your friends. They all carry extra snacks and bottles, genuinely cheerful and excited chatter filling your living room instantly. In spite of everything, you like the moments when you can just be together in a normal way, engaged in whatever activity doesn't include beating the shit out of some other gang member for once. You're happy to see Mikey smile fondly as he takes out his personal box full of dorayaki, the only thing he never shares with anyone. You like how Mitsuya gently ruffles your hair to say hello, the way Kazutora sticks his tongue out as you tease him about the already half empty bottle of beer in his hand, and you definitely enjoy the spontaneity of Chifuyu's arm around your shoulders, the affectionate kiss on your cheek you're always jokingly forced to reciprocate.

Keisuke is the last one you say hello to, as everyone else is already fighting about who is gonna get to sit on the small couch in front of your tv. You've done your best to adapt to that new, weird relationship between you two. Something so far from the friendship you've always had you're not even sure you can call it a friendship anymore.

“Didn't know you were back”, you try to sound normal but there's nothing regular in the way he avoids your eyes, gaze focused on your shirt for some reason, uneasiness evident in the way he awkwardly shoves his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

“Yeah. Last minute decision”, he says. The inflection in his voice doesn't show any unusual emotion but you know him to well not to notice the stiffness. You've been friends since grade school, you know him better than you know yourself.

“So, uhm...”, you clear your throat, “everything alright?”

“Yep”, he replies and leaves a friendly pat on your shoulder as he abruptly walks past you, eager to claim his spot on your couch, deaf to Chifuyu's protests as he kicks him down.

“I'm glad”, you mutter to yourself and surrender to one of the beers Draken has left on the kitchen counter.

You can hear muffled screams and laughter coming from downstairs as you grab the extra blanket Mitsuya has asked for from your bed. Although it's hard to understand how he can even be cold, given the five beer bottles he's emptied, you're happy to provide. You're happy to do anything that gives you an excuse to be alone with yourself for five minutes, which is more than enough time to take a couple of deep breaths and dig your nails into your palms in a silly attempt to both calm and punish yourself.

God, the amount of nights spent awake wishing you never went to that stupid party all those weeks ago. The amount of times you thought no one could've been that stupid, dumb enough to kiss their best friend after something like six vodka shots cause Mikey just wouldn't stop refilling those damn little glasses.

You just didn't think anything of it. It's gonna suck, it's gonna be like kissing a brick or a wall or my brother. Except it didn't. It terrified you, how much it didn't. And he must've sensed your weird body reactions, your disgusting thoughts, cause he's never been the same after that stupid night. No more breakfasts, no more banter, no more study sessions. He never calls, barely texts, doesn't even touch you anymore. Which is weird, cause he's always touched you a lot. Before Yuki, anyway.

You've done your best to dissimulate but you just miss his arms wrapped around you as you nap together, the piggyback rides he would always give you after a night out, whenever you drank too much or your heels hurt your feet. You miss grabbing his phone to tease him about the girls he's been talking to on that dating app he used, the way he'd always insist on carrying your bag whenever it looked too heavy, the stupid sticky notes he would slip into your pockets or leave on your kitchen table. You still keep all of them. Not that you need to, cause you already remember each

have a good day, dumbass

thanks for helping me with that test

you know he's not worth it anyway

love ya

You just know so much about each other, you've been through so much shit it's just unthinkable for everything to be ruined by a new girlfriend and the few seconds it took you to royally fuck up.

But, honestly, why did you not matter more to him? More than a stupid mistake you guys couldn't even discuss after more than two decades of friendship? Why is he so willing to ruin it? You have been doing your best to respect Yuki's needs, and then implement the that-shit-never-happened strategy. But what has he been doing? Why is everything on you anyway? You had been the one telling Draken to fuck off and spin the bottle again, he had been the one to roll his eyes at your protests. Grow up, it's a not a big deal. Come here.

As you shut the door of your room behind you, he's coming out of the bathroom on your left. The way he instantly avoids your eyes again pisses you off so much that you angrily push the door open once more.

“We have to talk”, you state firmly and motion for him to get inside.

“I'll miss the movie”.

“I don't give two shits about the movie, just come”.

The way he heavily sighs honestly makes you want to punch him in the face but you do your best to stay collected. You've always had to be the adult in your friendship anyway. And yet, when he sits on your lilac bedspread, eyes still focused on the carpet, you have to fight the tears already threatening to sting the corners of your eyes.

“Can you tell me when exactly are you planning to drop this bullshit act of yours?”, you're angry, so angry, it's an anger you've kept buried under some stupid guilt for weeks.

He doesn't reply and you shut your eyes for a few seconds, taking a deep breath. Fucking hell.

“So we made out. Big fucking deal. It was a game, can we just get over it or do you really want to sabotage this friendship over something so trivial? Why am I worth so little to you anyway?”

Baji has seen you cry quite a few times over the years. He's been there through failed classes, asshole friends, breakups, mental breakdowns. He's also seen you cry during some of your arguments, already familiar with the boiling hot tears of frustration streaming down your cheeks whenever he yelled at you and you yelled right back at him. He's caused you annoyance, exasperation, disappointment. But has he ever caused you pain? Has he ever made you as upset as you are right now, hurt evident in your eyes as you angrily wipe your cheeks and messily try to conceal the sniffling? Oh, he feels so bad. And so stupid he wishes he could just ask Draken to punch him hard enough to break his nose. And suddenly, whatever he feels doesn't matter. The fact that he had broken up with Yuki way before the fucking party. The dread which had followed him through his every step during the past weeks, the absolute terror of ruining the only thing in his life that is as precious as toman. Your goddamn friendship. The nights spent reminiscing how your lips felt against his, the unbearable memory of the soft moan caught in your throat as he had accidentally digged his nails into your hips to keep himself from devouring you in front of each and every one of his friends. Whatever he felt, whatever he feels, doesn't matter. Not if the only way he can handle those weird, confusing feelings is by staying away from you. Not if it means hurting you.

“Don't be fucking stupid”, he mutters as he gets up and wraps his arms around you in the blink of an eye, pulses of a furious heartbeat ringing in his ears as you cling to this shoulders, a desperate sob escaping your mouth.

“Nothing is worth more than you”, Baji whispers in your hair, rocking you ever so slightly.

“I miss you. I don't know how to be when you're not around”, you murmur, eyes shut. His scent is so familiar, so comforting, you don't pay attention to the way his heart is beating, almost as if trying to cut a hole in his chest only to be able to slam against yours. As he hugs you a little more tightly, you decide that it doesn't matter. Whatever you felt that night, whatever you feel now that you're pressed against him, it should never hold more importance than your bond. A bond so special, built on years and years of hushed 2am conversations, improvised trips out of town, having each other's number on speed dial, you calling him whenever you're too drunk to walk home, him asking you to pretend to be his girlfriend so that one annoying girl can piss off, shared headphones, shared meals, your moms going on coffee dates, the absolute rule of each other's friends being off limits, heated arguments each time he had ignored that rule. Baji is your person. And it doesn't matter if that means forever refusing to explore whatever dumb feelings you had started developing for him. You need him in your life and you're prepared to not doing anything that might scare him off ever again.

He wishes he could reply with an honest I don't know how to breathe when you're not around. He wishes he could ask if you put on that shirt on purpose, the old one he had forgotten at your house at least two years ago, after you had teased him endlessly.

The Bangles? Really?

Shut up, manic monday's a fuckin' classic.

And yeah, he also wishes you'd allow him to take that stupid shirt off. He wishes so many things, he wants to try so many things. Like touching you in different ways, new ways, even if he's already so familiar with your body he has it memorized. Yet, he can't. And although he's not the brightest, he's smart enough to know that you deserve better anyway. You only deserve the best, something he really is not.

“I'm sorry. For everything”, he mutters, chin resting on your head.

“Guess I was that bad of a kisser, huh?”, you're already testing the waters, hoping it's not too soon to make jokes about it. You know better than holding anything else against him. It's normal, that he wants to spend more time with his girlfriend. It's normal, that he feels like they should draw some boundaries. What kinda shitty friend would you be, if you couldn't respect that?

Baji barely holds in a snort. You're such an oblivious idiot, he thinks.

“No”, he replies softly, pressing his lips to your temple. “It just was like kissing my sister”.

You can't help but acknowledge the sting of disappointment hitting your chest at those words. It lasts for a whole second, even though you know it's good that he's saying that. It's normal. It's how it should be. It's gonna make it easier for you to get it together.

“Right”, you murmur, pulling back slightly, enough to meet his gaze. For some reason, he still seems upset.

“So we're good?”

Baji's lips reveal a little smile as he lightly moves some of your hair behind your ear, letting his hand linger over it for a second.

“We're good”.

And you truly feel good, when you get to finally take his hand again as he guides you downstairs, where Mitsuya is bitching about having almost died of hypothermia while waiting for your ass to bring him his blanket. You feel good, when Kazutora willingly slides down from the couch to the floor, right next to Chifuyu, to make room for his best friend. As Baji sits down with a grunt and pulls you onto his lap, you feel whole. Everything is right as it should be.

Almost.

[hangovercurse]

The Things We Can’t Tell Pete About

Pete invites you to meet his friends from The Dirt and makes you promise not to flirt with any of them, which is a lot easier said than done, especially when Colson Baker acts like that.

Request: “Hey so I love all your writing and I just thought you should know that! But also I’d your requests are on still would you mind writing a youre Pete’s little sister but kells got a crush xx”

Colson x reader

Warnings: Drug use, Cursing

A/N: I know, Dom (Yungblud) wrote the song, but also I am the writer and I say that Y/N wrote it :) Anyways, enjoy. This is only part 1 of what is probably going to be a fun, cute lil series. Also thank you to the anon who sent this! You made my day(s)

Word Count: 2411

| ii | iii | iv | v |

masterlist

New York was lonely without your brother. He had been filming in New Orleans for the past three months, leaving you alone. You had some friends, but Pete was your best friend. You were only eight months younger than him and practically attached at the hip. You supposed going through trauma together would do that to people.

He facetimed you all the time from set, updating you on things in his life, showing you cool stuff from the set, and introducing you to his castmates. You had kept him updated on your music, playing him demos of songs you were writing and getting his opinion on them.

Him being away wasn’t the worst thing in the world, but it definitely sucked for you. So, when Pete texted you that he was having a few friends from the movie over the night he got back, you were ecstatic.

Before you left your apartment to walk to his, he texted you.

You’re not allowed to flirt with any of my friends

You rolled your eyes as you locked your door, preparing a response.

I’ll try my best

Your phone buzzed seconds later.

I’m serious. I don’t trust any of them with you.

And I don’t need that kind of awkwardness in my life

Like if you date one of my friends and it goes badly

I don’t wanna deal with that shit

You chuckled at his chain of texts.

Don’t flirt with your friends because they’re dicks, got it

Don’t worry bro, I know the sibling code

 You came to find out that that was a lot easier said than done. When you walked into his place, everyone in the room turned to look at you. You recognized most of them from your facetimes with Pete, but you doubted they remembered who you were. One who did remember you was Colson, Pete’s new best friend. He made eye contact with you from across the room, a sly grin on his lips. You sent him a small smile, Pete’s text running through your head briefly.

You found your brother lounging on the couch, a huge grin on his face. He was definitely tripping on mushrooms. “Y/N!” He yelled. “This is my baby sister, everyone.”

You rolled your eyes, walking further into the room, grabbing a drink from the cooler, and taking an empty seat on the opposite couch. “I’m less than a year younger than you, Pete.”

You heard a snicker from the one of the guys, looking over to see Colson covering up the smile on his face. “But you’re still younger than me so it counts.”

Everyone went back to their own conversations, which you were thankful for. “Y/N, you remember Colson, right?” Pete motioned to the blond guy.

“Yeah.” You nodded, looking him up and down. His muscle tank exposed the sleeves of tattoos, which seemed to cover every inch of his skin. “Your hair was different, but yeah I remember you.” You opened the beer on the coffee table, taking a swig.

“You’re the musician, right?” He asked you, leaning back onto the couch.

You nodded, “Aspiring musician but, yeah.”

“Oh, she’s great. You should hear her sometime.” Pete butted in, grinning like an idiot at you.

You rolled your eyes but had a smile on your face. “I work primarily as a songwriter and editor right now, but I’m trying to work on putting out some of my own stuff.”

You felt a little intimidated talking to Machine Gun Kelly about music, seeing as he was one of the best in the industry, but he seemed to be genuinely interested in your work. “Well, if you ever want some help or someone to listen to it, I’d be willing.” He flashed a smile, his bright blue eyes sparkling.

“Thanks, that’s really cool of you.” You bit your lip slightly, trying to hide the fact that you were totally breaking Pete’s rule.

Pete sent a glare your way to which you raised your eyebrow. You weren’t really flirting; you were just… making connections. “Anyways,” he cleared his throat, “I’ve been working on this sketch idea, Y/N, and I need your opinion.”

You nodded, letting him talk. “So, I was thinking like, there’s this guy with posters all over his wall. Like life size posters of a bunch of different people. And he falls asleep while doing homework and he dreams about them coming to life. And it plays out like one of those really bad commercials that encourage kids to stay in school and shit. Like the posters are telling him to study for his test, but then there’s this one poster that’s like, very sexy. And she’s just like, talking about hot dogs and everyone else gets really sick of it and one of the other posters tries to like, tear down her poster or something.”

Throughout his description, you got more and more confused. “Pete, that’s not funny that’s just fuckin weird.” His mouth hung open in shock. “Dude, seriously? The big punchline is the playboy poster girl talking about hot dogs until the other poster people get tired of it?”

“Yes.” Pete said, as if it were obvious. “That’s hilarious.” You glanced at Colson with a questioning look on your face. He seemed as unsure of the joke as you were.

“Pete, man, that’s not your best work.” Colson clapped him on the shoulder and you giggled at Pete’s disappointed expression.

“You guys are mean.” He pouted and you two laughed. “Ok, well, how would you make it funny?”

“I don’t know if you can, bro.” Colson’s laugh was contagious. When he laughed his whole body shook, his feet stomping and everything.

“What are the other posters?” You asked, trying to be supportive but knowing this wouldn’t turn out very good.

“Well, I was thinking maybe one is like a video game character. Like that lady from Wreck-It-Ralph. The mean one. And then like a snowboarder who is definitely high, and someone else, I dunno.” He shrugged, taking a hit from the joint in his hand and passing it to you.

“Okay…” You trailed off, looking at Colson for support. You brought the blunt to your lips, inhaling the smoke and bringing it down, letting the smoke leave your mouth slowly. You passed the joint to Colson, who gladly took it, a smirk on his face.

Pete looked between you two at the small interaction, a frown. “So, the posters,” he brought your attention away from the man again, “they’re all really serious about teaching this dude math. But the hotdog girl just keeps talking about hot dogs in like this really high-pitched voice.”

You watched the smoke fall from Colson’s lips, not fully paying attention to your brother.

“Yeah man, I think that sounds funny.” Colson told Pete, his eyes lingering on you for a little longer than they should have. “It could use some work but if anyone can make it funny, it’s you.” Colson punched your brother on the shoulder, but the look he sent you said the exact opposite.

You held in your giggle, taking another sip of your beer.

The rest of the night followed a similar pattern, you and Colson flirting and Pete trying to get in between you two. At one point, after a few more hits of weed and a couple more drinks, Colson brought out a guitar, insisting you play something for him. Where he got the guitar from, you had no idea, but you didn’t ask questions. Instead, you rolled your eyes, insisting that “if I have to play something, so do you.”

Everyone was too caught up in their own conversations to care about the noise, or too drunk. You started strumming, trying to remember the chords to a song you had started writing a few days ago. “There’s no lyrics yet, just a melody I came up with.” You blushed, feeling very self-conscious suddenly.

“Guess I’ll just free style to it then.” He chuckled as you started to strum, your fingers working the strings like they had your whole life.

The blond man closed his eyes, head nodding as you played and thinking of what to rap.

“Watch me, take a good thing and fuck it all up in one night. Catch me, I’m the one on the run away from the headlights.

No sleep, up all week wastin time with people I don’t like. I think, somethin’s fuckin wrong with me.

You smiled as he sang, watching his expressions change as he tried to think up the next line.

Drown myself in alcohol, that shit never helps at all

I might say some stupid things tonight when you pick up this call

I be hearin silence on the other side for way to long, I can taste it on my tongue, I can tell that somethin’s wrong.”

He opened his eyes, looking rather proud of himself. “I had some of those lyrics already, but I just changed ‘em a little. I really liked that.”

You nodded, “That was impressive.” You smiled, looking back down to the guitar when something hit you.

You began to play the same melody but pitched higher to fit your voice.

“Roll me up, and smoke me love

And we could fly into the night

You take drugs, to let go, and figure it all out on your own

Take drugs, on gravestones, to figure it all out on your own.”

You looked up to Colson, watching his expression change, his eyes wide. Pete had a proud look on his face.

“Pete, you are a sucky hype man. You did her no justice.” Colson hit Pete on the arm.

“Whaddya mean, I told you she was great.”

Colson looked over to you, a stupid smile on his face. “Seriously, that was fucking amazing. Like, we gotta write that shit out some day.”

You bit your lip, trying to stop the blush from reaching your cheeks. “Yeah, that’d be cool.” You were trying your best to keep your cool as Colson kept his gaze on you, but you were completely freaking out on the inside.

A little while later, almost everyone was gone except you, Pete, Colson, and Douglas Booth, who joined your conversation not long after your jam session. Pete let out a yawn, directing your attention to the time.

“Jesus, it’s already 4am?” You asked, a frown on your face.

“Why, you got somewhere to be, darling?” Douglas asked you, your face scrunching up from the nickname.

“I have a writing session at 11 am tomorrow. Or, today, I guess.”

Pete reached out to hit you in the head, playfully, which you dodged. “Go to bed, dummy.”

You shrugged, “I’m gonna be dead at it anyways, might as well keep the party going a little longer.”

Douglas rolled his eyes, patting your shoulder. “Be that as it may, I am ending this party and going home. Goodnight, guys. It was nice meeting you again, Y/N. Good to see you guys.” Douglas and the guys did that little hand slap and hug thing before he left.

“I love you both, but I will also be going to sleep. And you should too.” Pete stood up, stretching his arms out before giving Colson a fist bump and leaving to his bedroom.

Once your older brother left, Colson moved to the couch you were on, his arm falling over your shoulders. You looked up at him, raising an eyebrow. “And how can I help you Mr. Kelly?”

He chuckled, shaking his head. “I’m assuming Pete gave us both very similar talking to’s, given the glares you’ve been receiving all night.”

“You mean the “don’t flirt with my friends��� talking to or the other one?” You tilted your head, a sly look on your face.

“That’s the one.” Colson laughed through his nose, an adorable smile on his face. You were both considerably high, but you still knew exactly what you were doing.

You moved closer to Colson’s body, “Well then I guess we’d better not do this.” You said quietly, leaning into him. “Or this,” You grabbed his jaw, inches from his face.

“Or this?” He whispered, connecting your lips. You smiled into the kiss, tasting the weed on his tongue. You adjusted your body so you were facing him, his arm that was once around your shoulder now wrapped around your waist.

His other hand grabbed your leg, pulling you up so you were straddling his lap, and your arms wrapped around his neck. His lips seemed to fit perfectly around yours, and you did all you could to keep yourself from moaning into the kiss as his hand began to travel up your leg.

Realization hit you like a brick wall, and you pulled away, your breathing heavy. “Sorry,” you muttered after a few seconds. You climbed off his lap, smoothing out your shirt. “We shouldn’t do that. I shouldn’t have done that.” You smiled awkwardly down at him.

He nodded, the same realization hitting him. “Yeah, that’s not the best idea. Sorry I wasn’t really thinking.”

You shook your head, cheeks still very red. “No, no, no don’t apologize. It was fine, it’s all fine.”

He nodded, looking down awkwardly. “I should get going.” He stood up, landing a little too close to you.

“Why don’t you just sleep here? Pete won’t mind and it’s a lot easier than going home.” You bit your lip awkwardly, taking a few steps back.

Colson scratched the back of his neck. This was a very different demeanor than he had before, and you found it very cute. “Are you sure?”

You nod. “I’ll get you some blankets and pillows.” You moved towards the guest bedroom, a guilty smile on your face. You moved your hand to your lips, feeling where Colson’s lips had graced you minutes before.

You came back to find Colson laying on the couch, one hand behind his head. “We don’t have to tell Pete about that, right?”

You shook your head, a small smile still playing on your lips. You put the pillow behind his head, watching his eyes as he watched your lips. “Stop looking at me like that or I’ll do something else we can’t tell Pete about.” You said quietly, watching him grin. You pulled the blanket over him, leaning down to be level with his face.

“I kind of like the things we can’t tell Pete about.” Colson chuckled, leaning forward to connect your lips again.

[borkthemork]

Given you amazing theories on what the Wu family situation could be like (one of the best and unique ones I've heard so far), how about one sorta focusing on Marcy and the relationship with her sister (and maybe parents) as a drabble request?

Hey, dude.

It's been a while since we talked. I wanted to give you the scoop on my daily life, since it's been — what — a year since we said stuff face-to-face? And might as well tell you something now that you're here.

I just finished my five years! Finally, after all the tears and dorm laundry, I am out of that place and onto somewhere cool. Really.

The board kept trying to delay me with all these counselors and mishaps and the whole major fiasco, but now that's out of the way, nothing's stopping me!

Like I said before, our family is going to get back another pair of shoes in the house eventually, but maybe that doesn't have to be the case? Not right now, at least. Because a lot of stuff happened during college. A lot of growing and realizing stuff, you feel me?

Remember her?

You know, her her?

Oh, what am I kidding, of course you know what I'm talking about. You saw her at my dorm two years ago. She kept going on about how I was being a dick because I kept bragging about how I definitely kicked her butt in those competition courtyards. I don't know why I'm even telling you this, I guess I'm just being nostalgic.

Well, so that same person who called me an affectionate dickhead wanted to plan something with me. She's one of the top grades. Scholarships love her, that kind of bizz. Okay, so, she wanted me to move in with her sometime after graduation since we have this plan of doing our own engineering projects, isn't that exciting?

Me and her, moving in. Sappy, sappy, junk like that. I can practically hear you laughing at me as we speak, but don't be surprised when I laugh at your wedding and embarrass you in front of your spouse.

Because I will do it. I will.

Alright, so we're getting off track here.

We got this plan going. It's not a good plan, it's still flimsy in making a Plan B situation if all else goes to shit, but we're doing really good in just this "honeymoon" phase of our talks. Cause, dude, she gets real passionate about it. It's cute.

I hope you can see our house one day. It'll be cool with neat roofing, awesome aircon, and I'll definitely get some anime posters somewhere in the place. You can pass by and say hello so you can be a nuisance. Or a jerk.

Yeah.

It'll be nice if we can just hang out with the robots. Babe always said that our lil robo guy would've loved to meet you someday, especially since he knows how to scavenge around for new parts like no one's business.

Remember the mall? We used to go there just to mess up the arcade games. You'd carry my toolkit and I'd just see what the pinballs can do as long as no one outed and banned us for "vandalism".

I'd also invite you to meet-ups at the local automation conferences. My professor is such a hot shot with those places, we practically felt like celebrities. Like the boba shop? With all those cool mint flavors and coffee flans? Everyone thought we were champs from chugging them whole, oh dude.

Don't you remember that? I do. I remember a lot of things because I'm great. I'm a great big sister. Yeah. Yeah, yeah...

And great big sisters remember all this stuff so you don't have to. Because apparently memory problems run in our family.

Mhm.

Because it's great to think about what we've done. I don't want to forget this stuff. I don't want you to forget this stuff.

I want to think that talking to you, right now — it sounds so stupid if I say it like this — is keeping me from forgetting.

Like I can finally stop blaming myself for being so stupid. And you're just laughing and reassuring me that I'm just being my loud, goofy self.

And you're not hurting anymore. That you're fine wherever you are.

But I don't know if it's working. I hope it is. I'm not religious? Am I religious? Ugh, and to think I got everything checked out.

I've been in this parking lot for an hour. Just talking to you. And to myself.

I don't know. I'm just sorry that I didn't take care of you more.

I just wish I had more time.

I should've said this stuff at the beginning but I don't think talking to you about morbid stuff at the start would've been the best. And now it's eleven p.m. and babe's probably worried now.

I can't blame her cause I'm just talking to myse—to you in front of the mall. I should've been home ten minutes ago.

You won't mind if I just go home now, right? I mean, I don't want to leave you alone, but I got work tomorrow and it's gonna be killing me, I guarantee it.

Okay.

Goodnight, Marce.

I love you.

[atlabeth]

transferred part four - atla smau

TRANSFERRED - zuko x fem!reader

masterlist | part 3 | part 5

summary: trying to run from your past is hard, but falling for your brother’s roommate is even harder. little do you know that he’s falling for you as well.

warning: cursing

a/n: IM SORRY I KEEP SWITCHING POVS the one at the end is katara lmao

taglist:  @ourbestfriend-mishacollins , @lil-lex1 , @xxshad0wxb1rdxx , @zuko-is-the-sun​ 

You slipped your phone into the back pocket of your jeans and got out of your car, taking a few moments to stretch out your arms and legs after the long drive. It was a little weird to think that this was going to be your new home and university, especially after so long in Kyoshi, but you were honestly looking forward to the change. After the disastrous breakup you endured, it was time for a new chapter. 

Your eyes instinctively snapped over to where you heard a noise, and a huge grin broke out on your face. Two people were coming out of the complex, and they were none other than your two roommates. 

“Sokka, Aang!” You yelled as you ran towards them. You barreled into Sokka and wrapped him in the tightest hug you could muster, looping Aang into it as well for a few moments before you pulled away, smiling so wide your face hurt. 

“Aang, it’s so good to see you, and Sokka — Sokka, you’ve gotten so tall!” You mussed up his hair with your hand which he swatted away. 

“It’s good to see you too, Y/N, but it hasn’t even been that long! And I don’t know how many times I have to remind you that you’re only a year and a half older than me!” 

“Sokka, I haven’t seen you since I moved to Kyoshi for college. It’s been far too long.” You gestured with your head for them to follow you as you started walking over to your car. “And Aang, it’s been forever since I’ve seen you too! You better be treating Katara well.” 

The shorter boy smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head, faint red tinting his cheeks. “I like to think I am, we’re really happy together. She’s the best person that I know and the most beautiful girl ever and she always h-” 

“Okay, that’s enough! Seriously Y/N, you don’t have to whip out the interrogations right away.” Despite his complaints, Sokka gave you a genuine smile and you could tell he was just as happy to see you. 

“Whatever. I’m gonna need all the details on everything that’s been going on the past three years. The occasional facetime call has not been enough.” You went to the back of your car and opened your trunk where most of the boxes were, turning your head when you heard another car pulling up. 

“That’s Katara’s car!” Aang exclaimed. “That must be her and the other girls!” 

The car pulled in two spots away from you and as soon as it stopped, an auburn-haired girl jumped out of the driver's seat and streaked over towards you, wrapping you in an even tighter hug than you gave Sokka. 

“Suki!” She was practically suffocating you but you were so glad to see her that you didn’t even care. “I’m so glad you’re here!” 

“Like I would miss my best friend’s moving day?” The two of you pulled away and went through your increasingly elaborate handshake, ending in a hip bump that caused you both to dissolve into giggles. “You look amazing, Y/N. It feels like it’s been forever since we’ve been together.” 

“Well, we don’t have to worry about that anymore, because I’m here to stay! At least for the next four years.” You laughed and looked over to where your sister was helping Toph out of the car and gave her a wave. 

“As much fun as I’m having with all these greetings, we gotta start moving these fuckin’ boxes! At this rate, I’m gonna be sleeping outside.” You hugged Katara as well when she walked over, then you picked the first box up and motioned with your head for everyone else to get one as you started walking backwards towards the apartment. “Toph is the only one who’s exempt from this, everyone else gets a box and s-” 

You stopped in the middle of your sentence when someone bumped into you from behind, causing you to nearly drop your box. You were just as surprised when you felt hands on your waist, keeping you steady and helping you regain your balance. You turned your head and could immediately feel your cheeks heating up as you hastily moved away, laughing nervously and occupying yourself with the box in your hands. 

“Hey! Zuko! Nice to meet you! It is Zuko, right?” His golden eyes seemed to burn into you, but they were offset by his kind smile and the casual nod he gave you. 

“Yeah, that’s me. Sorry I’m so late, I was showering. I didn’t think you were gonna be here so soon.” He waved at Katara and Suki and they smiled back at him. 

He was even more attractive in person. His jet black hair, still a little wet from his shower, hanging just above his eyes was really doing it for you, and god, his eyes. They were intense, but more like a comforting campfire than a raging wildfire. You didn’t even realize you were staring until Sokka elbowed you. 

Your eyes widened slightly and you quickly averted them, adjusting your hold on the box and letting out another nervous laugh. “Now that we’re all here, how about these boxes, huh? I don’t have that much stuff because I’m broke, which is good for all of you.” 

You had gotten out of your flustered state by the time that everyone had a box in hand, save for Toph, and conversation flowed much easier while you and the rest of the group walked into the complex. 

“How was your drive, Y/N?” Zuko asked, holding the door open with his back as you all filed inside.

You shook your head and scoffed as you hit the button to call the elevator. “As boring as you can imagine. Traffic wasn’t horrible, but I swear I hit every single light on the way here. My music was the only thing that kept me sane.” 

“One pro of being blind is that I always have company in cars, but it also kinda sucks when the only source of conversation you have is Sokka or Katara,” Toph said with a teasing grin. 

“What?” Both of the aforementioned yelled at the same time, causing everyone except them to dissolve into laughter. 

“This is what I missed. I don’t even have to make up for three years of missed teasing because Toph’s had it taken care of.” You patted her on the shoulder as the elevator door opened and everyone filed in. “What floor are we on?” 

“Three. There’s a lot of foot traffic and we have some very annoying neighbors, but it’s one of the cheaper places here!” Sokka pushed the button and the doors closed. 

“Sounds.. fun!” You couldn’t really complain because you had practically begged for Sokka to let you live with him, plus you couldn’t afford anything more than splitting rent four ways in a cheap apartment. “Is there anything else I should know?” 

“Sokka never washes his dishes and only takes out the trash if you yell at him to do it. Zuko always leaves his towels on the ground but he’s a neat freak so the cleanliness of his room leeches into the rest of our apartment, it’s great. And I’m a perfect roommate,” Aang said with his smile that could convince you to give him everything you owned. 

“That is such a lie, Aang! I do everything that I’m supposed to do; your room is a mess that can’t even be cleaned up by Zuko, plus you stay up super late all the time talking on the phone to Katara! Thin walls buddy, THIN. WALLS.” 

“Do you want to talk about thin walls? Because you play your music as loud as possible, and somehow it’s always when I’m trying to study! And every time we drink, you become a huge mess.” After Zuko put his word in, the three boys all started arguing. You made eye contact with Katara and Suki; Katara gave you a sympathetic smile but Suki just grinned. 

“Alright, boys! We’re here, so kindly shut up.” You elbowed Sokka in the side as you walked out of the elevator, giving him an innocent smile when he scowled at you. “Lead the way, bro.” 

~~ 

It took about ten minutes to get all of your boxes in the apartment with six people helping you, and though the girls wanted to stay they had to get back for some stuff relating to their classes. You thanked and hugged them all, and soon it was just you, your brother, your sister’s boyfriend, and the guy that you thought was hot. 

You spun around in the living room before collapsing onto the couch, spreading your arms out above you and sighing heavily. “I feel like I could fall asleep right here.” 

“I hope you can because that’s where you’re gonna be sleeping.” You looked up at Sokka with shock, and he stared back at you for about five seconds until he started laughing. 

“Ah, you should’ve SEEN your face!” He managed to get out through his laughter, wiping a tear from his eye. 

“Do you enjoy causing me pain?” 

“Very much so.” 

“You and Sokka are sharing a room, Y/N. Aang and I are in the other. And don’t worry, there are two twin beds in each so you don’t have to share share,” Zuko explained quickly. 

“Oh, fantastic. My boyfriend always snored a lot so I’ve gotten very good at tuning them out. You’re lucky that I’m the best roommate ever, bro.” 

“First you invade the sanctuary that is my home, and then the sanctuary that is the group chat for the home, and now you embarrass me in front of all of my friends for no reason? You are not my mom!” 

“Come on Y/N, we can show you around your room and the apartment.” Aang interrupted Sokka’s spiel, still going on in the background as the two of you walked over to a door with a large band poster on it. 

Zuko watched your retreating figure with a small smile on his face until you disappeared into the room, snapping out of his trance when Sokka started pulling him towards the room, grumbling about how ‘no one appreciates my genius’ and ‘can’t believe they left me’. 

[killyourrdarlingss]

Tagged by @spaceboxkitty , thank you !! And sorry this is late ♥️

Relationship status: single !

Favorite color: lime green/ neon pink

Favorite food: I'm always a sucker for yam/sweet potato fries 😌♥️

Song stuck in my head: Fever Pitch by Hotel Mira/That's What I Want - Lil Nas X

Time: 2:43am ,😅

Dream trip: I know it sounds dumb but Vegas !! I want to go to Vegas so fuckin badly !!!

Last book I read: the whisper man by ..... (Insert author here) it's okay so far, just a horror book about this young boy who moves into a house and starts talking about a whisper man who lives in the floor and his father is super fucking concerned about him ... I have a bit left of it ! It's just ok !

Last book I enjoyed reading: Freezing , I can't remember the author at the moment but it's about a morgue photographer who falls in love with quite honestly a dead woman and gets obsessive over her . Literally a fucked up book but listen it was so jarring and suspenseful? Very good book . I need to go find the author's name but I love her works

Last book I hated reading: uhh I can't remember tbh, I think it was some bad poetry ?? Maybe some snippets from novels people kept trying to make me read. Idk. I'm kind of picky with actual published stuff

Favorite thing to cook/bake: I really like cooking everything for taco bowls ... Literally one of my go to cook options, and baking? Any type of cake :)!

Favorite craft to do in free time: I like mixing drinks and reorganizing the posters on my wall in kinda like, scrapbook style if that counts ?

Most niche dislike: I have so many... Here's a general one, probably people who don't like animals, like any animal, I don't trust y'all and the people I meet who don't like pets are always insane as fuck so yeah that I guess .. I just don't get it.

Also I hate Weezer if that's more niche

Opinion on circuses: I'm literally on Tumblr dot com

Do I have a sense of direction: oh maybe but as far as my sister and mom are concerned, absolutely not. I'm always kind of wrong in some way LMAO...

Thanks for this !! I had fun and for people I'm tagging,,,,

Tag 10 people you want to get to know better !

@swearingcactus , @its-deputy-caleb , @dontcallmecanada , @brightmouth , and whoever else see's this ✌️

[corinnesamuels]

Guarding the Gates

Chapter 12: In the Air

Benjy Fenwick’s memorial is very similar to Euphemia Potter’s funeral—flowers, mourning, people in black tipping their heads to pay their respects. But because of the way Benjy had died, it had been impossible to bury a body. What the Aurors had recovered hadn’t been enough to warrant a casket, so the gatherers sat in front of a large photograph of Benjy, surrounded by flowers. It’s one James took the night the Order had decided to let their hair down, enlarged to be the size of a muggle concert poster. In it, Benjy smiled and laughed as he took everyone’s gold at Exploding Snap, not knowing that it may have been the last time he played. 

Lily wonders if he'd even had time to spend the money he had won?

Benjy’s mother and sister sit on the front row, sobbing and dabbing their eyes as people step forward to speak about their memories of Benjy. Edgar Bones, with whom Benjy had been quite close even at Hogwarts, stood and spoke on behalf of the Order. His eyes are red, and he has given up on wiping away his tears, choosing instead to let them fall freely down his face. He tells the crowd of Benjy’s sense of humor, how great he had been at announcing quidditch, and how dedicated he had been to doing the right thing, even when it came at a cost. 

Edgar breaks slightly at the end as he tells his friend that he loves him one last time. He steps from the podium to hug Benjy’s mother and sister before sitting down with his own family, and Lily sees Edgar’s eldest son climb into Edgar’s lap. 

“Daddy, what’s wrong?” the boy whispers loudly as he pats his father on the back comfortingly. “You did a good job on your speech. I’m sure Mr. Benjy liked it.” Edgar lets out a watery laugh, hugging the boy and kissing him on the temple before putting an arm around his wife and the daughter babbling quietly in her lap.

Lily finds herself smiling at the scene as she dabbed at her own eyes with the handkerchief James had given her at Alice and Frank’s wedding. She takes a chance look at James after and finds him smiling sadly as well, taking a deep breath before glancing at her. In her surprise, Lily forgets to divert her gaze and returns the forlorn smile. James surprises her again by putting an arm around her shoulders, and Lily just barely refrains from leaning into his touch.

The two of them have been playing with fire since the night Benjy died. The nights where Lily and James found themselves on missions ended with the two of them falling asleep in Lily’s bed, even after the ones that hadn’t gone poorly. Lily doesn’t know whether to be happy or discouraged by the unspoken arrangement. She sleeps better with him there, but on more than a few occasions, sleep had been the last thing on her mind as she watched his chest rise and fall through the night. 

That ship had sailed years ago, though, and Lily didn’t want to disrupt the precarious balance she had found when it came to her growing feelings for him and the desire to protect their friendship.

Lily feels James tense and shift uncomfortably in his seat next to her as Marlene scoffs on her other side. Lily follows their gaze to the podium, where a wizard speaks on behalf of The Daily Prophet. 

“—the likes of which this newspaper considers itself lucky to have been associated with. When it came to talent and tenacity, Benjy Fenwick had few peers.”

Lily angrily twists the handkerchief in her hand. The Prophet sent a wizard to pay their respects but hadn’t afforded him any when he was alive. Instead, they’d demoted him and stuck him with grunt work because he was brave enough to tell the truth. Benjy deserved better in life, and he certainly deserves better in his death.

If Benjy’s memorial service is to be the archetype for what the Order could expect for their fallen comrades—people pretending to have loved and supported someone who died too soon—Lily thinks that she would rather not attend another. 

“Bastard.” Lily hears Sirius mutter from the other side of James as the wizard leaves the podium.

She wholeheartedly agrees.

Dorcas is still in St. Mungo’s during Benjy’s memorial, with the Healers estimating that it may be several more days before she is cleared for release. Remus convinces James to go with him to visit after the services, though it doesn’t take much. James suspects that Remus is nervous about visiting her alone, and though he needn’t be, James can empathize. It’s difficult to navigate a relationship in limbo—and unreciprocated feelings, James thinks despondently. 

After grabbing lunch with Sirius and Peter, the two leave for St. Mungo’s, still in their clothes from the memorial. Remus is the image of calm as he and James walk down the hallway to Dorcas’ room, hands behind his back and nodding politely at passersby. But James knows that Remus’ fingers are clenched furiously together behind his back so that no one notices his anxiousness. Remus had tells that were more subtle than the other Marauders, but it was a tell, all the same.

When they arrive at Dorcas’ door (which Remus knows how to find without help because he talked Sirius into coming with him the morning after Dorcas had been admitted and then Peter that same evening), it is slightly cracked, allowing them to hear bits of the conversation inside.

“—sad as you can imagine, though Potter seemed to keep Lily happy enough. Had his arm around her the whole time.” James can hear the smugness in Marlene’s voice. He reaches out an arm to stop Remus from opening the door further. Remus’ eyes grow wide and he pulls a face that clearly says they shouldn’t eavesdrop, but the two stand by the door, looking down the hallway periodically to ensure that no one sees them listening.

“It wasn’t the whole time.” Lily grumbles. “Just part of it. “He’s a good friend. Any of them would have done the same.”

James tries to ignore the sinking feeling in his gut at hearing the word “friend.”

“But you weren’t sitting by any of them, were you?” Marlene asks.

Lily doesn’t answer, but when James hears the two other women laughing, he can imagine that she’s crossed her arms and started scowling at them.

“Oh, don’t get yourself in a strop, Lils.” Dorcas says, wheezing slightly. “I’m fine, I’m fine, I’m just trying to sit up…there. Now, are we going to talk about this?”

“What is there to talk about, Dorcas?” Lily asks. “You know I don’t see a relationship in the cards for me. I can’t.”

“Lily, what the hell happened before you came back.” Marlene asks. “You keep saying that you saw things. But what did you see that makes you think that you have to be alone?”

James feels his pulse racing as he exchanges a look with Remus. He had been wondering this very thing ever since he first heard Lily mention that she wasn’t interested in relationships. The same morning he’d run into one of her visitors. He pretends that he doesn’t remember the wanker’s name because he knows he had no right to feel jealous back then. Or now. But James does note with satisfaction that Lily couldn’t have seen too much of Terry (or anyone else, for that matter) over the last week, as much as James had been at her flat. It hadn’t been Terry that she’d asked to stay. It hadn’t been that “Wills” swot Sirius had told him about that kept her nightmares at bay. 

That had to mean something.

Right?

He hears Lily sigh heavily, bracing himself for the worst. Preparing to hear that she had fallen in love and the lucky sod had died a gruesome death, with her name on his lips. He feels something feral in his chest that doesn’t like that idea at all. 

But he has to know.

“You know what I was doing while I was away, yeah?” Lily sighs again. “I was working with a few different people at the time. There was a couple in the group who had been married for a year or two, and they were adorable. The husband, Ollie, was so kind, and he doted on Susan. They were both very good about it, never made me feel like a third wheel or anything. They knew about what had happened before I left England and used to tell me that one day, I may find myself ready—open—to love…and they couldn’t wait to see the bloke that changed my mind.” she lets out a mirthless laugh.

“One day, Susan goes missing. Went off on a dinner run and didn’t come back. The rest of us go searching for her, but there was no sign of her. We’d had a close call about a week before, so we started suspecting that we hadn’t gotten away as cleanly as we would have liked. Maybe the Death Eaters had tracked us back to the safe house or something.”

Lily trails off, and it’s quiet for a moment. But Marlene, impatient as ever, breaks the silence. “Did she ever come back?”

“Not like we hoped.”

There’s something about the tone of Lily’s voice that makes James think that what he’s about to hear is worse than the idea of Lily finding and losing love out there. Nothing good can come next, and he wonders if maybe he and Remus should just walk away or walk in to interrupt the conversation. But his feet won’t let him move from his spot outside the door.

“We looked for her in between missions and surveillance, and one night we stumbled into a trap. But this time, it wasn’t Death Eaters. It was inferi. We were handling our own, sending fire charms to take them down, but as we were retreating, Ollie calls Susan’s name…”

James hears one of them gasp as his stomach drops. Remus looks as if he needs to be sick.

“We tried to stop him, told him there was nothing we could do, that she was already gone. But Ollie ripped away from us and ran toward her, picked her up to hug her, but she wasn’t her anymore. It was just her body—” Lily’s voice breaks, and she takes a few breaths to gather herself. “By the time we got close enough to him to try to get him out, the inferi had killed him. The next day there was a note left outside of the safe house. ‘Shame what happened to Susan and Ollie. Someone should have taught them to mind their business.’”

“Oh, God…” Dorcas whispers.

“I can’t—I can’t put myself in that situation. Watching it was bad enough, and I’ve been through a lot of shit. But I’m not strong enough to live that. I can’t do it.”

“Lily, that’s terrible.” Marlene says, and in his head, James thinks that terrible doesn’t even begin to describe what he’s overheard. 

He hears Lily sniff. “So, you see? I envy everyone that does, I do, but I can’t take that risk.”

“But what are the odds that something like that will happen to you, love? What if you’re just closing yourself off for no reason?” Dorcas asks. James notices Remus looking down the hallway unnecessarily. No one had come down the corridor for the past ten minutes.

“I’ll take my chances.”

“Let me ask you this,” Marlene says. “if something happened to him, do you think it will matter whether or not the two of you are in a relationship? Do you really think it would hurt less if the two of you weren’t together?”

Read the rest at ao3!

Start from the beginning!

[colorseeingchick]

Oh Baby! A series (Sugawara x Fem!Reader)

Summary: Sugawara loves to play-hide-and-seek with your nieces and nephews, almost as much as he loves them. But this usually light game has real stakes when you, your brother, and your sister-in-law decide to get involved. What does Suga win in this special game? 

Warnings: Fluffy fluff, mentions of pregnancy 

Word Count: 4k

A/N: I have severe baby fever and time is a construct. This is on the longer end but I think its worth it :) Hope y’all enjoy! <3

Tired. That was the only possible way you could describe the way your husband looked as he stepped through the door of your brother’s home. His tie loose and shirt half untucked- he radiated exhaustion. But right here and right now, there’s something important that’s about to occur. And Sugawara Koushi would be at its forefront. 

“This is for you, Koushi-ojisan.” Your eldest niece, Tsubaki, bowed as she offered a folded piece of paper to your husband, who froze in the process of sluggishly sliding on his house slippers.

Suga shot you and your sister-in-law a questioning glance as he hesitantly received the piece of paper. Your sister-in-law feigned an innocent look, and you just shrugged your shoulders, pushing yourself to hold back your mischievous smirk. 

“Ne, what is this Tsubaki-chan?” The initial tiredness that had weighed down on his face had receded, being replaced with a burning curiosity and loving smile. 

“It’s to make our game of hide-and-seek more fun. You’ll play with us today, right Ojisan?” Tsubaki shyly smiled at her uncle, a plea subtly being communicated through her gaze. 

Of course he would play with his nieces and nephews. Even if he wanted to say no (which, obviously, he would never do), how could he ever reject those eyes? 

You and Suga had been married for quite a few years now, but you had been together for a long time before that. Soon after you two started dating, Suga had become best friends with your older brother. Moreover, you were very close with your brother’s girlfriend as well. So the four of you were inseparable. 

That continued into your married lives. You and Suga would invite over your brother and his wife once a week on Friday, spending the time to go out to restaurants, do game nights, or just watch movies. However, as time went on, the family dynamic shifted as your brother had his first child. And then the next one. They were now up to 4 kids, the oldest being 7 years old, the youngest at 2. Double dates became Ghibli Studio binges and babysitting time. 

Not that either of you minded, though. Your nieces and nephews were all angels, and you and Suga both loved caring for children. You and Suga had been trying for kids of your own for a while, but for the longest time, things didn’t seem to be in your favor. Suga knew that you felt responsible and that it weighed down on you, so he always kept his spirits high for you both. But you knew your beloved husband too well- he wanted a baby as badly as you, if not more. 

“Of course I’ll play with you guys,” Suga ruffled her hair, tightly holding the paper in his other hand. 

“I’m assuming Sumire-chan, Fumio-chan, and Mizu-chan are already hiding then?” He asked, glancing around the room to see if he could see any poorly hidden heads or tiny movements. 

“Y-yes...When you find them make sure you ask them for their papers, okay?” Before Suga could answer, she quickly turned around and scurried to the kitchen and grabbed her father’s leg, tugging on the fabric. “Did I do okay Otou-san?” She whispers quietly. 

Her father gives her a big smile and nods, patting her head. A hint of a smile pulls up at your lips as well. Tsubaki was the oldest of the group, and such a good older sister to her siblings, but she was yours and Suga’s lil princess. When you asked the kids to help you out when you arrived at the house that day, she was the most enthusiastic about making her Ojisan happy. 

Suga opened the folded piece of paper in his hands, very curious as to what this was all about. On the white piece of paper, in his niece’s bubbly and straight handwriting, was written:

 “for giving us another.”

His eyebrows scrunched up in confusion, and his head instinctively tilted. That told him absolutely nothing. But he could conclude that there was some bigger message. They were all too small to come up with something like a scavenger hunt/hide-and-seek game, so he knew it was the doing of the three suspicious-looking adults watching him intently. 

What are you all planning? Suga asked with his eyes, eye contact jumping between all three of you. Hide and seek was the kids’ tradition with Suga. Without fail, they would beg him to play EVERY Friday when you guys came over. And without fail, he would always agree. It was his game with the kids. But it seems like the adults had a hand in the game this time around. It was a competition with them, too. Alright then, game on.

Now, there are some things you have to know about this household’s version of hide and seek. The kids have numbered them as rules and made a nice little poster to go along with them, that way everyone would know them. 

Rule 1! Suga Oji-san will always be the first one to seek. 

Because, for some reason, Suga Oji-san was also a master hide-and-seeker, there was an extra rule when he was seeking. 

Rule 2! When Suga Oji-san is seeking, he has to do it in 15 minutes, or else we win!!

“Tsubaki-chan!~ when does my time start?” He calls out to the little girl, but his eyes are trained on you. 

Tsubaki looks up to her father because she forgot to keep track (oops). 

“You’re down a minute, Koushi,” your brother responds, leaning against the table in the kitchen. 

“You know, if you don’t find all the kids in that time, you may not get all the pieces of paper,” your sister-in-law chimed in, teasingly, at which you chuckled. 

Suga quirked an eyebrow, his competitive spirit really getting riled up now. “Tsubaki-chan, are you gonna come help me find the others?” He put his bag down by the door itself and started to quickly move towards the stairs. 

Rule 3! Once found, you have to help the seeker find the other hiders. 

Tsubaki scurried back to her Oji-san, happily (but quietly) saying, “Let’s go find Sumire-chan and Fumio-chan,” as she pulled his hand, leading him up the stairs. 

Suga knew that he genuinely couldn’t lose this time around. Sure, he could usually find the kids easily because they rotated through the same spots, but he always made a spectacle of trying to find them, loudly expressing how lost he was. Sometimes he would even lose on purpose. But not today, knowing that the adults would hold to their word of not letting him see the last piece of paper if he wasn’t in time. Sumire, first on the list of kids to find, had also gotten better at hiding now that she was older, and Suga wouldn’t be surprised if her father helped her find a new hiding space.

“Ne, Tsubaki-chan, do you know if Sumire-chan is hiding in the spare guest bedroom?” 

“Oh uh, I-I don’t know…” she pushed up her glasses and tugged on her sweater. 

He’s taking that as a yes. “Let’s go check.” 

Usually, she hid under the bed or burrowed beneath a pile of pillows that sat by the headboard, but she was in neither location. Suga pursed his lips, hands falling to his hips. “Sumire-chan is almost always in this room! But I can’t find her anywhere. She must be a master hider, I swear,” he proclaims, leaning against the wall. The closet door that was mostly closed didn’t mask the muffled giggle that carried in the air. 

“Tsubaki-chan, is that a… monster in the closet?” He gasps dramatically, as he pushes the door open slightly, just in case Sumire was behind the door. The giggling from the closet mixed with Tsubaki’s as they found Suga Oji-chan’s commentary hilarious. 

There, hiding in the corner of the closet with spare pillows and stuffed animals covering everything but her face, Sumire was now giggling uncontrollably. 

“I’m not a monster, Oji-san~~~!” 

“You’re right,” Suga responds as he pulls the pillows and stuffed toys off her body, pulling her arms lightly to help her stand up, “you’re Sumire-chan!” he cheers, pulling her into a hug, which she joyously returns. 

“Sumire!” Tsubaki whisper shouts. “The paper!” 

“Oh! Oji-san take this~!” she pulls the piece of paper out from her overall’s front pocket and holds it up to him. 

Suga takes the paper and opens it to read- 

“Thank you” 

-written in neat cursive, resembling his sister-in-law’s writing. 

“For giving us another” and “thank you.” Yeah, I still have no idea what this means. He just has to find the other two pieces, then. No point in overthinking. 

“Tsubaki-chan, did Otou-san give you the timer to carry?” 

Yes, there is an official stopwatch they carry for this game. That’s how seriously they take hide and seek. 

“Mmhm! You have 8 minutes left, Oji-san.” 

“No time to waste, huh? Ok, let’s go find Fumio-chan then.” He slides the pieces of paper into his pocket and offered his hands for the little girls to hold, although Sumire opted to just hold his two fingers instead- it was easier for her smol hands (I love when children do that 🥺💖). 

As you put your mug into the sink while carrying out conversations with your brother, you watch Suga and the two little girls descend from the stairs, their tiny hands gently clasped in Suga’s. As they reach the bottom they dash to your brother, leaning against his legs. Suga makes eye contact with you and smirks lightly, his competitive spirit shining through. 

“Found Sumire, hmm?” You taunt, knowing that he took a little longer than usual. This game that usually had no stakes had insanely high stakes, which Suga had no cognizance of, so you try to be as unassuming as possible. 

“I did!” He taunts back, but his eyes drop to her and his voice softens. “She did a good job hiding, though.” You turn just in time to see her whole face light up. Your heart bursts at the sight. You both would die for these kids. From when Tsubaki was born to Mizu’s first steps, you and Suga had been there to see a lot of it and raise them in part.

“The next target is Fumio. But I have no idea where he is!!” Raising his voice at the last part, he looks around dramatically, eliciting a giggle from the two little girls. 

Fumio is almost always in the kitchen- during hide and seek and even outside the bounds of the game (baby loves food). Suga monologues, opening the pantry and turning on the lights. 

Would he go somewhere entirely different to throw me off? 

Well, no. The point of the game IS for Suga to win (this time around). 

So where is he? 

The girls let out another round of giggles when Suga opens the fridge to look for Fumio, and you and your brother can’t help but chuckle as well. 

“Ne, Ni-san,” Suga calls to your brother. “Can you give me a hint to where Fumio-chan might be?” 

“I don’t know,” he pulls his mug away from his face. “Do you think I should help Oji-san?” He looks down at his girls.

Little Sumire nods her head aggressively and Tsubaki quietly responds, “Yes!” 

“Koushi-kun. You remember when Fumio was like, 2 and would crawl everywhere?” your brother starts.

How could any of you forget? The kid ended up hiding unintentionally in all the worst places. Underneath desks, behind the couch, inside the dishwasher- it was endless. But there was one place above all he loved to hide…

Suga’s eyes met your brother’s, lighting up with understanding. 

“Fumio loves helping put away the dishes, right Tsubaki-chan?” Suga walks around to the other side of the kitchen, where you were now standing next to all the cupboards filled with cooking pots. 

“But sometimes he puts himself away, with the pots, too.” He was right. Fumio would put a pot away and push it all the way to the back of the cabinet, only to crawl in after it. How he found the spot comfy, none of you understood. But it made for some very cute photos. 

“Fumio thinks he’s a pot!” Sumire chimes in. 

“So I should check where all the pots are, shouldn’t I?” With that, Suga opens the (already slightly open) cabinet, to reveal a little boy with his hands over his mouth (concealing giggles) and a pot on his head. Suga smiles and lifts the 3-year-old out of the cabinet, pot sliding down and covering the child’s eyes. 

“Look! Fumio-chan is a pothead!!” Sumire cries out. 

All three of you burst out laughing, your brother almost spitting out his hot chocolate. 

“Su-Sumire-chan don’t say that okay? It means something different,” you try and talk without dissolving into giggles again.

“Hmm? But he has a pot on his head. What else could it mean?” She looked extremely confused and you couldn’t even fault her for it. 

“You’ll find out when you’re older,” your brother’s classic way of shutting down unwanted topics (for now). 

Fumio, on the other hand, was just glad to be in his uncle’s arms, surrounded by his favorite pots. 

“Oji-san, here!” Fumio giggled as he held the piece of paper up above his head with both hands. Suga pulled the boy against his body, opting to hold him with his left arm, while receiving and reading the piece of paper with his right. 

“To play with”

-was all that was written on the small piece, this time clearly in your brother’s handwriting. 

“Thank you for giving us another… to play with.” Suga’s hand goes slack as his eyebrows furrow in thought. What did I give them to play with? Did I buy them a toy recently? Was I supposed to buy them something!? 

The little boy in Suga’s hand notes the pensive look his Oji-san had-- leading to the boy’s decision to poke his Oji-san’s face, right on his beauty mark. “You have to find Mizu-chan!!” He cries, his smol finger gently pressing into Suga’s cheek. 

Your brother gently tilts the watch in Tsubaki’s hands. “2 minutes, Koushi.” 

“2 minutes!” A lot more time actually elapsed than he expected. “Let’s go find Mizu-chan then! Come on, Tsubaki-chan, Sumire-chan!” 

Suga hands Fumio over to you, taking the pot off his head and placing it on the table. He reaches his hands out to the girls again, both of whom accept gladly. And with that, he bounds back into the living room where your sister-in-law still waits. 

“One minute, Oji-san!” Sumire calls out this time, genuinely concerned her uncle won’t make it in time. 

But there’s another unspoken rule that’s been accepted by all the participants that ensures Suga’s success. 

Rule 4! The baby gets to be found last. 

Mizu was just 2 years old. He didn’t understand the concept of winning or losing. He just liked it when other people played with him. But the older kids did understand winning. And just like Suga, they were quite competitive. This rule was made to teach them that being nice to those who can’t play as much (like a baby) is more important than winning. 

With this stipulation, Mizu consistently hid in the same spot for every single game. Without fail, in the small woven basket used to house all the family blankets, the baby boy would sit in silence, his mom right next to him on the couch it lays adjacent to. 

Suga was gonna draw it out, though. If it's not a show for the kids, then was there really a point? 

You and your brother (who now had his turn at holding Fumio) watched as Suga ran behind the TV, searched beneath the table, and moved pillows on the couch searching for the baby of the family. 

“30 seconds!” 

“I have no idea where Mizu is! What should I do?” 

Sumire’s face is flushed with worry and excitement as she runs up to him and grabs his hand with both of her own, pulling him towards the blankie basket. “Oji-san! He hides here usually! Hurry before time runs out!” 

You sit down onto the arm of the couch as Suga stares at the woven basket. 

“10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2…” 

“Found you!!!” Suga pulls the cover of the basket away, triggering an endless stream of baby giggles from little 2-year-old Mizu. Suga picks up Mizu and his stuffed bear that he had been clinging onto. 

“Oji-san wins!!” Sumire jumps up and down, hopping onto her mother’s lap. Tsubaki opts to sit on the floor, ready to watch what was to come. At this point, you and your brother are also sitting on the couch, your anxiousness raising in your belly. 

“So where’s that last piece of paper….” Suga scans the baby for any pockets when he realizes it's tucked into the ribbon around the neck of the bear in his hands. 

“I’ll take him,” your sister in law says as she gently puts Sumire on the side, grabbing Mizu from Suga before sitting down again. 

Suga slides the slip of paper out from the bear’s ribbon and sits onto his knees, retrieving the other pieces of paper from his pockets. 

“Ready for the big reveal?” He asked the kids in tone of voice, but the adults through eye contact. Although he had no doubts all the adults already knew the message. 

Tsubaki nodded in agreement while Fumio’s eyes were trained on his Oji-san. Sumire was fidgety. 

“Alright! So it says, ‘Thank you...’ ‘for giving us…’” he places the little slips onto the floor, leaving a gap for the 3rd piece. “...Something ‘to play with.’ Let’s see what I gave you guys to play with.” The final piece was now being flipped over in his fingers. He was killing himself with the suspense. “Thank you for giving us another-” he drops the last piece into line with the others, “-FRIEND… to play with…”  

Though the words came out of Suga’s mouth, he didn’t process what they had meant right away. For once, the fun and playful Koushi oji-san had dropped his usual playful demeanor for one of complete shock. 

A...a friend? 

Your nerves were now skyrocketing as you felt your brother squeeze your arm in a calm and reassuring manner. You get up, arms hugging yourself as you slowly approach Suga, who was dumb struck on the floor. 

But before you could speak, Tsubaki spoke up, scooching towards Suga, tugging on his arm sleeve.

“Oji-san, remember when I asked you if you and Y/N Oba-san had any babies I could be friends with, and you told me we would have to wait a while?” Suga’s eyes moved to the little girl, wide in surprise. In honesty, her words caught you and your brother off guard as well. 

She remembered that? It was a conversation from around when Fumio was a few months old, and you and Suga had been trying so hard for a child then. She asked Suga if she could play with your kids, somehow convinced that you guys were hiding your own children from meeting her. It crushed you both internally, but you had smiled as Suga told her “Oba-san and I don’t have any friends for you now. But I promise we will give you another friend to play with as soon as we can! You might have to wait for a while though.” He had ruffled her hair and smiled, but it was pained. Though she was young and didn’t understand why, she knew that what she had said had hurt Koushi oji-san, one of her favorite people. You assumed your sister-in-law had told her to just not ask you or Suga about it again, but you never assumed she actually held onto the memory. 

Suga just looked at Tsubaki, waiting for her to continue. 

“... well… Oba-san said that she has a baby in her tummy… and that when it comes out we can be friends… so we wanted to say thank you for keeping your promise, Oji-san.” 

Everything goes still. Even the small children sitting in the room, Mizu now sleeping on his mother’s shoulder while Fumio and Sumire hugged each other, aware of the frozen air... 

...until Suga lets out a shuttered breath. You look at him, watching tears stream down his eyes, and you exhale a breath you didn’t know you had been holding. 

“Yes, Tsubaki-chan, I told you we would keep our promise,” he jumps up, pulling her into a hug and spinning her around. She starts laughing and he laughs too. Before you know it your body starts shaking from giggles and tears that can’t help but escape you. You can hear your sister-in-law crying as well, and feel your brother’s arm pull you into a hug, a bright smile plastered across his face. 

Your sister-in-law had come with you to your doctor’s appointment 3 weeks prior to confirm the pregnancy. However, you wanted to hold off on telling Suga just to increase the chances of the pregnancy carrying through. You couldn’t bear the thought of telling him only to lose the baby mid pregnancy- that would absolutely crush him. So while waiting, you decided to come up with a fun way to tell him, getting your nieces and nephews in on the plan in the process. Although your brother and sister had known, neither had really processed the information. And neither had you. Not until this moment. 

Suga put Tsubaki down and approached you, face completely tear-stained and smile bright as the sun. You always somehow got lost in his beautiful features, and now you felt lost in the happiness radiating off of him. You let him engulf you in his arms, kissing your forehead while his tears rolled onto your face. 

“We finally did it, love.” He whispers. 

You push your face into his button-up shirt, inhaling his cologne and the reminiscent smell of detergent.

“We did,” you murmur against him. 

“Wait, Oji-san and Oba-san are gonna have a baby?!” You hear a surprised Sumire ask loudly. Evidently, she had been a bit out of the loop and Tsubaki one-san had to fill her in a bit. 

“Yes, Sumi, we are having a baby,” you respond, turning your head to look at her but not letting go of Suga. 

You watch the realization dawn on her, turning to Fumio. “Fumio there’s another baby coming!” She jumps up and down once more, spreading her excitement to the little boy who starts clapping and jumping with her. 

“Ba-by! Ba-by! Ba-by!” the two cheer while Tsubaki tries to shush them, Mizu still fast asleep. 

“Alright you two, shhh! Time for dinner. You can cheer more after dinner,” your sister-in-law chides as she heads to the kitchen. 

“Who’s ready for some ramen?” 

“Ra-men! Ra-men!”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Once dinner was over, a movie was watched, the children were put to bed, and dishes put away, you and Suga say bye to your brother and sister-in-law. 

“Goodnight Ni-chan!” you say as you watch him close the door. 

“Night Y/N-chan, Koushi-kun.” He waves a final goodbye. 

As you approach the passenger side of the car, you feel a hand lightly tug your wrist. You turn around to have Suga wrap his one arm around you while guiding your face to his as he gives you a slow and loving kiss. As you pull away, Suga buries his face into the crook of your neck, his smile pressed against your skin. 

“We’ve waited for so long, Y/N… and now it’s finally happened.” 

You pet his hair and snuggle against his head. “I know, Koushi. And it will be wonderful. You’re going to be the best dad out there.” 

“And you’re gonna be a wonderful mom.”

You both stand there for a minute, bodies warm in each other’s embrace and hearts warm in the realization of your shared dream. 

“But you know, our baby’s gonna be really lucky,” you giggle. 

Suga pulls away to look at your face. “Why is that?” 

You put a hand on your stomach.

 “Baby is going to have a lot of wonderful friends to play with, always.”

[bi-snape]

Chapter 2

Chapter Characters: Severus Snape, Lily Evans, James Potter, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew (mentioned), and Sirius Black

The very next day came along and Severus slowly opened his eyes to see that he had fallen asleep on the couch with Lily right besides him. He slowly stood up and gently laid Lily down so she wouldn't wake and made his towards the kitchen. Before Severus could reach his destination a soft knock was heard on the door, he let out a soft whimper not wanting to deal with people aside from his sister.

He walked towards the door and opened it while letting out a yawn "What..." he whined softly as he saw Sirius standing there. "Good morning to you too princess" Sirius said while smiling "I came by to see how my favorite serial killer was doing" he added.

Severus glared at him not liking being called princess but soon perked up at being called a serial killer "I'm fine, I got a few cuts on my arm from yesterday but I'm fine. I was gonna make breakfast" He said tiredly while smiling. "That's good to hear, well since I'm here why don't I make you and Lily breakfast so you both can fully relax after what happened yesterday" Sirius said as he walked inside.

He always saw Severus as like a little brother and did his best to protect him and his other brother Regulus. Tho since Regulus moved to America Sirius spent his time helping protect Severus even more so since finding out he was the one commiting all those murders since their teenage years.

Severus closed the door as Sirius walked in and quickly hopped onto his back while giggling softly. Sirius staggered a bit but caught his balance and made his way to the couch in the living room. He knelt down in front of the couch so that Severus could sit on it, once Severus moved from his back to the couch did he get up. "You stay there and I'll go make breakfast" Sirius said as he motioned for Severus to stay.

Severus simply nodded and grabbed the remote to turn on the TV to see what was on the news. Sirius walked off towards the kitchen to get started, he looked into the fridge to see what he should make and decided to make some omelettes. Severus watched as the news talked about the murders from yesterday that were caused by yours truly.

"You'll never catch me" Severus said mockingly to the TV and began to laugh hysterically, his laughter came to stop as pillow came in contact with his face. "Ok rude!" He said with fake offence which just made Lily laugh "Well you woke me up with your stupid laughter, what's so funny anyways? and who's making breakfast?" She asked in confusion as she wiped the tiredness from her eyes.

"Siri is making breakfast and I'm laughing cause the cops are putting out wanted posters for me" he said happily while hugging the pillow Lily had hit him with "It feels like Siri is our personal maid" Lily said quietly, both her and Severus began to giggle hysterically at that.

Another knock was heard from the door which caused the pair to stop giggling "I got it!" Lily shouted excitedly, she always got excited when people came to visit unless it was cops then she did her best not to try and shoot them or burn the house down. Lily opened the door and was greeted by the sight of her dear friend Remus "Hi Remus, what's up" she said happily. "Hi Lily, I'm looking for Sirius" He said softly "He's inside, come in" She stepped aside to let Remus walk in, Remus nodded and stepped inside the house and made his way to the living room.

"Hi Remy!!" Severus said happily from the couch "Hi Severus" Remus said and sat down next to him. Severus smiled and hugged him tightly "Siri guess who came to visit!!!" he said out loud. "I pray to God it's not my mother" Sirius said as he stepped out of the kitchen "Isn't your mother dead?" Remus questioned as he looked over at Sirius to see him wearing a pink apron. "Don't you dare say a word, I'll end you or I'll get someone to end you for me" Sirius threatened as he remembered about the apron he was wearing due to Remus's trying to hold in his laughter.

"Got it" Remus held up his hands in defense while smiling "So Remus why are you here?" Lily asked as she walked over to Sirius and removed the apron from him. "I came to see if Sirius was here and since he is we got a call from your boss they need you and James to head down to the station" Remus said as he stood up "Has James left already or is he still at the house?"

"No he's still home waiting for you, he says you got 10 minutes to head to the car before he leaves without you" Remus said which caused Sirius to groan "Ugh, I bet it's about Severus" Remus stared at him in confusion "Why would they talk about Severus?" "Because I accidentally hit a cop car when coming back home from work" Severus said as both Lily and Sirius let out a breath of relief. Sirius kept forgetting that Remus didn't know that Severus of was "Nevermore the killer raven".

Remus stared at the three of them with completely utter confusion "Right....well I gotta head home before Peter tries to cook" he said "Bye Sev, bye Lils" he added before walking off. Sirius followed him after saying his own goodbye and telling them that their breakfast was on the table. Severus and Lily smiled happily and waved goodbye to their friends before going into the kitchen to eat.

Down at the station Sirius and James sat in their bosses room with several other cops discussing what to do about Nevermore and how to catch him. "I think Sev should stop with the killings for a few days" James said and right as he said that the door to the office was thrown open "Sir there's been another murder!" The officer said quickly "Nevermore?" Questioned the Chief of police, the officer who barged in nodded which caused the Chief to practically scream.

Both James and Sirius turned to look at each other with nothing but annoyance and concern on their faces. "Black, Potter! Quit staring at each other and go find this Nevermore bastard!!!!" The Chief shouted out in pure anger. The pair stood up quickly and nodded before rushing out of the room "We gotta find sev" James said quietly "And we gotta do it fast" Sirius added as they both run out of the building.

[a-crash-in-time-collection]

Chapter 3: Return of the Mysterious Diva

It took awhile for the dark woods to pass the group, desert sand replacing it. It always felt a bit strange to Hat Girl, people always seemed to complain about the desert's heat, yet it never really bugged her. Then again, that simply could be because she was an alien who could more easily handle heat, or this desert was cooler than others. Either way, it didn't stop her from chatting with the others on the way to Dead Bird Studio.

The others informed her about how things on the planet were since she last arrived. It was... the same for the most part. Mafia Town was still Mafia Town. Dead Bird Studio kept making movies, and although slightly more tolerant of each other, DJ Grooves and Conductor still had their rivalry. The captain and seals got a new ship, apparently bigger than before. Alpine Skyline was apparently fine as well, but no one really knew exactly since they kept to themselves.

It made her happy, knowing everyone was still living their lives peacefully. She found herself soon looking forward again, seeing they were now in front of Dead Bird Studios. It felt almost like nothing changed, seeing it. The main thing that was different were two posters on each side of the building. Those posters being for the movies she took part in when she first arrived on this planet. Apparently, her movies were still some of the best the studio ever made.

It almost felt surreal that she was here again, after all this time... She felt herself take a slight breath to calm herself, glancing to her sides slightly. DJ Grooves gave her a reassuring smile, Conductor glanced at her with pride. She felt a ghostly hand remove her hat, ruffling her hair briefly before placing the hat back on. She took another breath, and walked into the building that made her a star.

They passed through the dark hallway, into the reception room. Everything was almost the exact same as years ago, minus the same posters as outside on each wall on each side of the building. The Receptionist owl was typing away at the computer on his desk. The birds there were chatting among each other, Express Owls on one side, and Moon Penguins on the other. Her smile grew slightly as Platinum began glancing around in awe.

"HEY, we're back, Receptionist!" The Conductor called as he walked up to the desk.

"I hear you Conductor, no need to be pushy about it." The Receptionist said, as his typing went quicker, as if to finish whatever he was working on.

"Normally I would agree with your statement darling, but I can't really blame him myself." DJ Grooves said, taking Hat Girl's hand as he walked closer. "One of the greatest stars we ever had has returned. Who can blame him if he's a bit excited."

"Really? The only person I can think of that meets that memo is-" the Receptionist finally glanced over, and although his eyes remained closed, he seemed to straighten up in surprise. "Is that the lil' chiper?"

"Lil' chiper? How many nicknames did you get on this planet, Hattie? Or just, names in general?" Platinum asked as he walked back over to the group, Hat Girl giving a shrug in response.

"Who else do you know that wears a purple and yellow hat almost 24/7?" Snatcher spoke, having shrunk his from slightly to where he was still able to tower the others, but to where he wasn't knocking said others to the side by mistake.

"I'll be takin' her to the back to get her bird passport renewed. Clear out everythin' else in me schedule today." Conductor said quickly.

"Same with me darling." DJ Grooves said, the Conductor huffing quietly to himself. "Oh, and do me a favor. Tell Biddy and Sheryll to bring her over to the picture booth." Hat Girl gained a bit of confusion in her eyes, weren't they already taking her to the photo booth?

"Of course, right away Mister Conductor and Mister Grooves." The Reception said, giving a quick wave to Hat Girl before getting back on the computer.

"This way darling, we'll get your passport ready, then you can choice a movie you'd like to be in." DJ Grooves said, leading her through the doors on his side of the building. The Conductor could faintly be heard mumbling in the background, as he followed them, a rare sight to be sure. Hat Girl found herself glancing around, it was so much like she remembered, yet not at the same time.

"Still can't believe you were in movies without me." Platinum huffed, though it wasn't a serious huff like Conductor's past one was.

"In my defense, I didn't know I was going to be getting a robotic brother when I was starring in them." Hat Girl giggled, smiling slightly as she waved to the owls and penguins that recognized her. It felt a bit strange, walking through the studio instead of just jumping about. Either they built some new pathways while she was gone, or she was always looking for a challenge when she was younger.

"Whelp, here we are, lass!" Conductor said, the large fake golden trophy a few feet away from them.

Platinum froze in his steps, month opening in slight shock. "Woah! Especially when the trophies are that big!" He glanced back at her, to which she rolled her eyes. She loved her brother, and they worked well together. But it takes a few tries to get some facts into his head. Like when the answer he was given was 'no'. But, to be fair, she was guilty of that as well. He turned his attention to the birds. "Where do you two even keep all these trophies!?"

"Well, this one is just a plastic replica, darling." DJ Grooves said, watching disappointment fill the Topbot's face.

"Why do you two have a plastic replica anyway?" Snatcher said, flouting to the top of the fake golden trophy, laying on the top slightly. "Aww, were one of you so insure that you would never win a first place trophy? That's just sooo sad."

The Conductor gave a slight smirk and DJ Grooves, who quickly and magically gained a cough. "Step over here darling, and we'll take the new picture for the passport. I do hope you're more… photogenic with staying still this time around." He said, heading to the camera booth.

"No promises, Grooves." She chuckled as she walked over to where the camera was pointing. She still remembered standing in this exact spot years ago. She made sure not to move this time, despite Platinum making faces at her like a child in the background.

The camera clicked, allowing Hat Girl to breathe a sigh of relief. The Conductor snatched the picture from DJ Grooves and looked at it, glancing back at her with a smile. "You look great, lassie!"

"Daddy!" A voice called before Hat Girl had the chance to say 'thanks'. DJ Grooves quickly got out of the photo booth, as a small blue penguin ran from two moon penguins to him. She was wearing a small pink dress, similar to one she remembered one of the Conductor grandkids wore. She giggled as she got to his feet, as the penguin picked her up.

"There you are, did you miss me, little star?" He asked, booping the young penguin's beak, causing her to let out a giggle. He then turned over to the toppat teens. "This here is Dinenna, my beautiful magnificent little girl!"

"Awwww, she's so cute!" Hat Girl said, walking over to the two slightly. Apparently, things had changed more than she had thought. Still, she wasn't going to let that bug her, as she smiled at the little bird. "Hi there, Dinenna!"

Dinenna looked at her slightly, letting out a small gasp in wonder. She then smiled and pointed to her. "Hat Diva! Hat Diva!" She then reached for her slightly. Hat Girl heard a sigh from the Conductor in the background, apparently he was going to take care of Platinum's picture while waiting for 'this' to be over with.

DJ Grooves chuckled slightly, as he looked back at her. "She's a big fan of yours, darling. She even watch the Conductor's westerns that have you in it."

"Don't think I can't hear ye, peck neck" The Conductor grumbled in the background.

Hat Girl smiled slightly at them both, letting the little one garb her hands slightly. Her ice blue eyes looked up at her in joy, she might be able to compete with the seals.

"Alright, we got the lad and lassie's passport taken care of." The Conductor said, walking back over to the three. He then glanced at Hat Girl. "So, which movie should we film, lassie? I've gotten a few ideas over the years."

"Well..." She began messing with her fingers. "I hope you don't mind, but I was kinda thinking I could do a movie with DJ Grooves first. It would likely take less time, and we do need to get back to the others soon. Besides, I figure Dinenna would like that, won't you?" She said, the little penguin giggling slightly.

The Conductor glanced at DJ Grooves slightly, possibly giving him a glare, before sighing slightly in defeat. "Aright, lass. But yer gonna be in one of my movies next!" He crossed his arms and leaned against a nearby wall. Platinum looked at the bird, giving a shrug before walking next to his sister.

"Well, if we're going to be in one of DJ Groove's movies, maybe we can do something with that parade thing I saw while walking in?" He asked, tilting his head to the side. "It seems like it would be a cool idea, and you looked like you were having a lot of fun while making it, Hattie." He smiled at her.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea, darling." DJ Grooves said, looking at the two of them slightly. Dineanna giggled in his arms, making him pause to smile at her before turning his attention back to the other two. "I still remember watching you leading those Owls around the set, like the leader you were."

"Well, if we are going to do that movie, there are a few things I liked to bring up." Hat Girl said as she looked at him. "We should get finger signs in place for us to use. The band tended to get way too close during the parade. And maybe we should have some extra safety measures in place this time around. I loved running around carefree and all, but things would have been bad if I slipped."

"I do see your point there, darling." DJ Grooves said, rubbing the back of his head.

"You better see the point. It would be awful if they fell and broke all their bones, or gears in Platinum's case." Snatcher stated as he flouted to the group with a chuckle. "Normal I say stuff like that in a joking manner, as I want that to happen. But know I will be seeing you in court if something happens to the kiddo." His voice gained a faint threatening tone, hand making a slight fist that was hidden from the others view.

The penguin gulped slightly. "Don't worry, darling, everything will be fine... now, let's get things ready!" He said, picking up his tone again slightly.

Snatcher flouted besides Hat Girl and Platinum as she was being led to another room. "Don't worry, I'll be at the movie set with you in case things go haywire."

"Wow, I really earned a spot in your heart, didn't I?" Hat Girl chuckled, as Snatcher glanced up at the ceiling, likely rolling his eyes. She didn't remember Snatcher being this... nice... or protective. Did something happen while she was gone that made him like this? She didn't bother asking.

Soon, they found themselves in a dressing room. "Platinum, you head into the one over there, I'll go let you know the plans in a few minutes." The Topbot nodded after a brief moment, and headed into the room, followed by a few Moon penguins. DJ Grooves walked over to a nearby closet, and pulled out her... old Parade uniform?

"Wait, didn't you give that to me?" She asked, tilting her head to the side.

DJ Grooves looked over at her, head tilting to the side as Dinenna reached for the feather on the top of the hat. "Not that I recall, darling."

"Weird..." She said, only faintly noticing some Moon Penguins holding measuring tape to her sides. "I could have sworn you did, it was in my closet when I left the planet... same with a bunch of other outfits I don't recall having..." She glanced to the side, faintly able to catch Snatcher starting to mess with his fingers again.

"Must have been a spare, or something." DJ Grooves said, placing Dinenna on the floor with the hat, before grabbing a roll of red fabric off the wall, comparing it to that of the outfit. "I'll admit, I wasn't expecting you to go with me first darling, but I appreciate it." He looked over at her, giving her a soft smile. "I promise, you won't regret it."

Hat Girl giggled. "I'm sure I won't." She said, pausing as she bent down when one of the penguins asked her too. They quickly marked her head length on it before removing it. This was going to be fun.

-------

Hat Girl adjusted her new hat as she glanced into the mirror Snatcher had summoned for her. Her current outfit was almost the exact same as the one she wore years ago, only fitted to her current size. Platinum jumped into the mirror's view as well, wearing almost the exact same outfit, but the gold and silver parts were swapped in color. He looked at her with a grin, warping an arm around her happily.

"You too look perfect, darlings." DJ Grooves said as he glanced over at them, ending the phone call he was on. Dinenna had to go home, as her mother and him agreed it would be a bad idea for her to stay up late, so he was making sure everything was alright there. He then glanced over the two rows of Owls, who were waiting patiently. "Everyone remembers the signals?"

"Yes sir, we got them memorized... r-right everyone?" One of the owls called to the others, who nodded or mumbled shyly their answers.

"Just don't draw attention to the fact I’m here, I don't want to be associated with DJ Peckneck."

"You're in the shadows of the starting building playing cards with a ghost known for stealing souls buddy, I'm pretty sure no one's gonna notice." Snatcher said casually, placing down a 7.

"Ehhh, fair." He glanced down at his cards. "Uhhh... is ace the best card, or the worst card...? This is why I don't play without me grandchildren."

"Alright Darlings, let's get this movie started!" DJ Grooves called, hopping over to a tower-float thing.

"Let's get my movie career started!" Platinum called, racing to another building as soon as he was given the 'go' command.

Hat Girl chuckled slightly as she raced the opposite direction then her brother, hopping onto the nearby building as the owls followed her. She could hear shouts of excitement from the crowd below, she could hear variants of her name shouted in joy below, it made her feel happy.

"Hey Hattie! Check this out!" Platinum called, reading himself up to a wire. He leaned forward and placed his hands on the wire, doing a cartwheel across it.

Hat Girl rolled her eyes, singling her owls to slow down slightly so she could more easily talk to him. "Yeah yeah, I can do a lot more on those wires, dear brother of mine. Watch!" She said, hopping onto one, doing a front flip as she landed on a nearby rooftop. She glanced over smugly.

Platinum made a grin, and singled for his owls to speed up as he raced to his left. Hat Girl was a bit confused, as she hop back and forth between the 'stage' area and a nearby rooftop to get a better look at the situation. She saw Platinum turn around from the rooftop edge and hop off. Before her worry could fully set in, she saw him grab some flags between two buildings just above the crowd, and used them to quickly swing himself onto the next rooftop.

"I'm sorry kiddo, but I'm pretty sure you just got owned!" Snatcher called as he looked away from the card game, chuckling along with the Conductor. Hat Girl gave a glare, then singled for her owls to speed up while looking at DJ Grooves. Then she gave him another single just from him.

"Start the firework cannons!" He called to a nearby group of moon penguins at the controls. They nodded at him, and began to press the buttons. The canons from the nearby flouts started to shoot out fireworks, and some of the ground crew got more safety tarps ready, in case one of the two were to fall onto the ground.

Meanwhile in one of the shops, a storekeeper glanced at the gems on the counter, then looked at the man. "Sir, we're legally not allowed to accept gems as payment."

"Come on, it's basically keeping change." Reginald spoke, voiced tired yet filled with stress and worry. He and Right Hand Man went looking for the kids, but after hours of searching and Reginald falling into water, they decided they should try and get some supplies for the clan. After all, they had to come back on their own sooner or later. Platinum's battery could only last so long after all.

"Look sir, I can tell something's going on, but I can't just give all of this for gems or gold." The storekeeper, glancing at the supplies that were sitting to the side of the counter. Some packs of food, bottles of water, tools, and a few tents. They glanced back at him. "If you don't have anything you can actually use to pay, you have to leave."

"But I..." Reginald let out a groan, glancing over at Right Hand Man.

Right Hand Man sighed as he reached in his pocket. Normally they would likely have just stolen it all, but Reginald refused too. He didn't want to risk them making Hat Girl look bad. Made things a bit more annoying, but he was sure he would adapt over time. He pulled out his wallet and placed some cash on the table, as Reginald had forgotten cash existed. "Alrig't, 'eres yer money. Now we'll be goin'."

"Ohhh, you're from the metro..." The shopkeeper placed their arm in front of the items before the cyborg could garb them. "News flash, your type of money doesn't work here either, pons only."

"Pons?" Reginald asked, confused by the term, before it clicked. This was an alien planet, which meant they had a completely different money system. If they wouldn't accept gold or gems, or the cash they had, they couldn't get anything from the clan... panic began to fall on him as he tried to find words.

"Come on, Reg." Right Hand Man said, holding his husband's hand once he saw panic enter his eyes. He gave the shopkeeper a slight glare, before garbing the money and leading Reginald to the door. It was getting late... they needed to get back. He was a bit annoyed to find the streets filled, which would not make leaving any easier. "It's gonna be alrig't, Reg, we'll figure out w'ot we need to do."

"H-How can you be so sure Righty!?" Reginald asked, some tears forming faintly in the corner of his eyes. "No past leader has ever had to deal with something like this, so I can't use them for guidance! The clan is all going to look to me, hoping I have a way home, but I don't! I can't even keep an eye on my own kids!"

"Easy Reg, easy..." Right Hand Man said, moving some hair out of his lover's eyes. "S'ould 'ave been t'e one keepin' an eye on t'em, knowin' 'ow busy ya would be." He faintly noticed a shadow passed by overhead, but shook it off as he kept his focus on Reginald. "Ya need to trust me, ok?"

"I hope you're right..." Reginald sighed as he glanced at the ground. He could hear the cheering coming from Penguins around him, and giggling, shouting, and taunting from up above. There were two voices that seemed stuck out to him...

"Bet you won't can't do this, Hattie!" A energetic voice called, causing both men to look up at the sound.

"Platinum?!" Reginald asked in shock, as he saw the topbot jump across to one of those large float tower things.

"Wha's the lad doing near the rocket?" the Conductor asked, having longed given up on the card game at this point. Platinum sent a sign to his Owls to have them temporarily stop, as the canon began to glow red. He tapped his foot slightly as he wanted for the faintest sights of a firework. Once one was about to launch out, he jumped over the cannon hole, just barely avoiding being hit. "Wow, the lads really got some skills."

Fear filled Reginald's eyes in a second. "P-PLATINUM TOPBOT COPPERBOTTOM, GET DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW!" He shouted, but was muffled by the cheering of the crowd. He could feel fear itself swimming through his blood, especially when he spotted Hat Girl jumping onto a wire before bouncing up again. "YOU TOO, HATTIE!"

Right Hand Man watched in worry, what were they doing? "Hat Girl, Platinum! Get down now!" He shouted.

Unfortunately, the two were unable to hear their fathers' worried calls, and kept racing around the buildings with the owls following them.

"T'at's it." Right Hand Man groaned, his feet gaining rockets under them as he lifted into the air. He flew over to the two. "Hat Girl! Platinum! Get over 'ere!"

Snatcher caught the flying man out of the corner of his eye, and was naturally confused. He then noticed he was heading to where the teens were, and had to act. He flew over to him, quickly garbing the man by the leg. "WELLLLLLLLLLL... What do you think you're doing?" he coughed slightly "FOOOL!"

"W'ot t'e-" Right Hand Man looked behind him, seeing a large dark figure with glowing eyes smirking at him. He growled, he didn't have time for this! "Let me go! T'e kids could get t'emselfs 'urt if I don't stop t'em!" The ghost didn't respond, just shook his head with a chuckle like he told a joke. Right Hand Man reached for his leg, trying to get it free.

"Oh there's no need to worry sir. As the actor's lawyer, I can say that they aren't going to get hurt anytime soon." Snatcher said, placing a hand on his chest.

"Actor?! Lawyer!?" Right Hand Man shouted as he looked up at him. "Don't know w'ot yer goin' on about!"

"Simple, these two are filming a movie, and I can't have you interrupt them rudely like that."

"It's alright, Snatcher darling. We got enough footage for the movie." DJ Grooves called, as he singled for the filming crew to stop, and for the kids to come back.

Hat Girl and Platinum both raced back to where they were, chuckling all the way. It was only when Hat Girl looked over at the phantom did she notice the cyborg with him. "Snatcher, what are you doing with Papa?"

Snatcher's face went blank as he processed the information. "This is... your father? ...How can you stand being raised by someone so boring!"

"I honestly don't know!" Platinum called up, replacing his parade hat with his normal topbot hat. "No offense Pops, but you're kinda a killjoy."

"A 'killjoy' because I try to protect ya bot'" He called, as he looked at the phantom, before the name Hat Girl called him sunk in. "'ait... T'is is the g'ost who's song I sing for ya, Hattie?!" He shouldn't really be surprised, he knew the ghost wasn't the best person, based on the lyrics. He honestly didn't know why Hattie even liked the song, but it always seemed to cheer her up.

"Yea! Isn't he super cool! Just like Grooves and Conductors are! And everyone on this planet!" She called up happily.

"Righty! Are you and the kids ok!?" Reginald's voice called from the ground below, even more worry inside of it than before. Hat Girl and Platinum glanced at each other, another type of worry growing on their features. They completely forgot about their dads.

The cyborg sighed slightly, as he called out. "Yea, just 'ang on a second!" He then glared at the ghost holding him. "Will ya let me go get my 'usband, t'en we can all 'ave a... proper introduction to eac' ot'er." He mumbled slightly, he rather just garb the kids and start heading back, but that wasn't going to let this ghost let go.

Snatcher glanced to the side slightly with a hum, as if in thought, before shrugging and letting go of his foot. "Sure, why not. You're staying next to my forest anyway, might as well get to know you since you'll be staying here awhile."

The Conductor finally raced out of the shadows next to Grooves, a bit curious at this point. Right Hand Man disappeared from sight, only to reappear with the worried toppat leader in his arms a few seconds later. Reginald quickly, yet somehow gently, raced out of his husband's grip and over to his kids, hugging them both. "You two had me so worried! Are you hurt, you better not be hurt!"

"Relax Dad, we're fine." Platinum said, a slight embarrassed tone in his voice, as Reginald backed away after a moment's hesitation. "We've just been chilling with some of Hattie's friends. Oh! We're also going to be in a movie."

"A movie?" Reginald asked, before shaking his head slightly. "You two should have at least told me or Righty first! I fell into the ocean looking for you earlier!"

"In our defense, you would likely have said no if we told you." Hat Girl said, adjusting her Family Badge on her normal hat before placing it back on.

"Oh, I know for a fact I would 'ave said no." Right Hand Man said, crossing his arms with a huff. "Ya could've gotten 'urt or lost. 'nd Just because ya were on t'is planet before doesn't mean it's any safer for ya t'an ot'er Toppats members."

"The lassie is much more capable than you give her credit fer. But as a father meself, I can see yer worry." The Conductor said, getting the attention of the toppat leaders. "Name's the Conductor, and the Penguin right here is DJ Peckneck."

"DJ Grooves." The penguin corrected, giving a slight glance at Conductor, who just gave a grin in response. He then looked back at the two. "Sorry about keeping your kids for so long, darlings. We just got a little excited when we found her, and didn't think of how her family would react."

"Wha's with the long apology. I would just say 'Sorry' and that'd be that." The Conductor said.

"Ehhh, it doesn't help that we only really mentioned the whole 'crashed on here with the clan' situation to Snatcher." Platinum said, rubbing the back of his head slightly.

Reginald took a few breaths, finally allowing himself to fully calm down after what felt like, and likely was, hours. He then smiled tiredly at the three from this planet. "Well, it's nice to finally met you all, Hattie talks so fondly of you all. My name is Reginald Copperbottom, and this is my Right Hand Man."

"'Ello." Right Hand Man sighed, as he glanced at Reginald. "I 'ate to cut t'is s'ort, but we s'ould be gettin' back to the clan. T'ey're probably worried about us all."

"Awww... but I don't wanna leave yet! There's so much we can do!" Platinum said, eyes glowing faintly in the dark.

"Yeah! And besides... " Hat Kid glanced at the birds and phantom, not finding the exact words. It seemed like she was worried...

"It's alright, Darling. I need to get home anyway. Hazel will kill me if I stay out too late." DJ Grooves said jokingly.

"Aye, same here. I got a busy train schedule tomorrow." The Conductor said, glancing at Hat Girl with a smile. "Besides, ye need to get things with yer... clan, figured out anyway. After that, we can work on our movie!"

"After askin' us first." Right Hand Man stated, a slight glare in his eyes. "I'm not lettin' Reg 'ave anot'er panic attack because t'ey disappeared."

"You really are no fun." Snatcher said, shaking his head to the side slightly.

Hat Girl smiled at them all slightly. Everything was going to be fine...

-------

Burt turned away from the sleeping form of Fredrick when he heard footsteps. He shined the flashlight over, glancing around before his mind took in the figures he saw. "Oh, chief, boss, you're back with the kids."

"Yeah... did anything happen while we were gone?" Reginald asked, sighing as he glanced around. There were a few fires set up, the children sleeping on beds close to each one, while one adult stayed up with a flashlight and a bucket of water near them. Most of the other members were asleep under the broken pieces of the orbital station. A few were still up around what was basically 'medbay' now, likely doing some final checks before heading to 'bed' themselves.

Burt shrugged. "Nothing really. We just got a few fires up and are switching between resting and making sure they don't spread. But uhh, you could probably see that already." He glanced at the small boxes Hat Girl had. "Are those some supplies?"

"No, just two outfits Hattie's friend made for 'er and Platinum." Right Hand Man said. It was true, DJ Grooves allowed the two to keep the outfits. Said to keep it as a welcome back gift. "Store wouldn't accept gold, gems, or cas'. So we're gonna 'ave to find anot'er way to get t'e stuff we need."

"Forgive me for asking, but uhh, why not just steal the supplies?"

"I didn't want to risk making a bad impression to any of Hattie's friends." Reginald sighed, glancing back at Burt. "Besides, based on what Hattie told us in the past, nearly everyone here has a 'trick' they could use to hurt us, even if they don't really mean to. Stealing just seems like a bad idea."

"Bet you some people never thought the leader of the toppat clan would ever say that." Platinum chuckled slightly.

"Well, uhh, do you have any idea what we can do to get supplies?" Burt asked, glancing to the side slightly before groaning. "I'm going to be a wreck without my coffee tomorrow... I blame you, Fredrick." He said, glancing back at the sleeping Toppat.

"Oh! I got an idea!" Hat Girl stated as she glanced at Reginald. "It's a bit away from here, but maybe we can head to Mafia Town? See if we can trade some of the gold for pons, they have a lot of both."

"Well, we did find a boat earlier we can use to get there... " Reginald glanced at Right Hand Man. "What do you think?"

"'onsently? We don't really 'ave anot'er c'oice." Right Hand Man sighed, before he yawned slightly. "W'otever we're doin', we s'ould 'ead ta bed. Can't do anythin' w'en yer basically a zombie."

Reginald nodded as Burt looked at them. "Calla placed some blankets for you all by the power grid. Said you all would likely want to stay close together until you get your actual rooms back."

It took a few minutes to find said power grid, but once they did, they all got settled in. Well, the best they could, as some of the broken walls made the area a bit crowded. Platinum adjusted his position, since there wasn't much room for him to properly stand, before plugging into his charger and turning off for the night. Reginald, Right Hand Man, and Hat Girl stayed close to each other in a nearby corner, having decided it would probably be best for them to sleep together, at least for tonight.

"You know things are going to be ok here, right?" Hat Girl asked as she looked up at them slightly. "My friends won't let anything bad happen to us. There's no need to worry."

Right Hand Man replied with a tried mumble, as he shifted slightly to get more comfortable. Reginald let out a yawn, and brushed some hair out of her eyes, smiling softly at her. "We know, Hattie. We know... Adults just tend to worry about things more than you do. Especially when they're in charge of the clan." He shook his head slightly as he closed his eyes, Hat Girl following suit soon after. "But we have each other... and that's all that matters..."

-------

Snatcher watched the crashed orbital station sight from a distance. He knew the kiddo was bound to leave once again. No contract could make her stay. Why... how did she even worm herself this far into his non-existing heart?! He knew part of the answer, sure, but was that alone enough to make him feel like... this? The fact it felt like part of her was always here didn't help either. He sighed as he floated back down, heading to his tree home. Everything will be fine. He would just have to... enjoy all the time he had with her. Maybe make some extra time as well, if he had too...

Just small little things like a missing tool every now and again... No... that would be cruel... he was already known for being cruel... but to the kiddo? Could he really bring himself low enough to prevent her from going home once again? He'll just have to see what the future has in store... Maybe time will surprise them all...

[kaidans-alenko]

so @maskydoolovesmasseffect made a post about a Kaidan doll and mentioned the possibility of renegade shep using it as a voodoo doll and I play as a renegade shep so naturally I opened my mouth in the tags and as a result they encouraged me to write this and I aim to please lol so here ya go, I hope you like it I know I enjoyed writing it.

You could easily call this a crack fic, probably wouldn’t be far off also Shepard and Kaidan are married because I said so <3

“Did you see spectre Alenko on the news last night?” Her husband’s name coming out of the mouth of another woman piqued her curiosity almost immediately. She wasn’t going to deny her jealous streak and even if it was just his last name it was enough to get her to walk inside to see what all the fuss was about and why some random woman was saying his name to begin with.

“I did! He’s so dreamy.�� Her friend swooned as she gazed up at the promotional poster they had hung up.

“Isn’t he? I wonder if he’s single.” That set Lily off and she charged over, fully prepared to tear into them but the sight in front of her stopped her in her tracks.

"What the hell…?" A display full of new 'spectre Alenko' merchandise was displayed right next to the very similar display her and Aiden shared. It was absurd, there had to be better ways to raise money than to sell souvenirs with her husband's face on them right? 

Lily pushed past them coming face to face with dolls, posters and even a goddamn cardboard cut out. Now, she was well aware of just how gorgeous her husband was and couldn't blame the Alliance for exploiting it but the thought of random men or women walking home with and doing who knows what to a doll of him made her blood boil. She glanced at her own display, notably even more creeped out that most of the plush dolls of her were also almost gone.

Lily pulled the last one off the shelf and plopped it down right next to one of the many Kaidan dolls "No, no he isn't single." She said loud enough for the women behind her to hear as she snatched up one of everything, glaring at them before grabbing the damned cardboard cut out and dragging it along with her. 

She was most definitely shoving all this in Aiden's swanky new apartment, there was no way it would fit in the Normandy and if Kaidan saw it he'd more than likely make her return everything. 

After setting up her own personal shrine in one of the spare closets, complete with a flameless candle, seeing as Aiden didn't trust her with fire. She took a step back, admiring her handy work, Kaidan and her brother would both find it incredibly creepy but at the end of the day the credits all went to the war effort so if anything she had done a public service. 

Lily picked up the admittedly incredibly cute doll and hugged it, it in no way compared to a hug from the man himself but it would do. She looked down at it "Hmmmm…" setting the doll back down she climbed up on the step stool Aiden kept around for her a dug in her emergency sewing kit looking for a pin or a needle, either would do she just needed something sharp and a knife or scissors would do more damage than she needs, they also fell on Aiden's list of 'things Lily isn't allowed to play with' but that's besides the point. It was a wonder he let her have knitting needles. 

Hopping off the stool she picked the doll back up and examined it "Now...if it is a voodoo doll poking it's cute little plush head would be far too cruel." Lily looked between the pin and the doll's hand, with a shrug she gave it a quick prick not wanting to jab it in all the way if it actually did cause real damage to him. She doubted it though.

-------------

Out of nowhere Kaidan felt a sharp pain in his hand resulting in the coffee mug he was holding to shatter onto the ground, the hot cinnamon flavored liquid spilling onto the cold metal floor of the Normandy. Sighing, he bent down to clean it up. "I thought my sister was the clumsy one between you two." Aiden said as he grabbed some paper towels to sop up the coffee while Kaidan picked up the shattered bits of the mug, his favorite mug. 

"Yeah I don't know what happened, all of a sudden I had this weird pain in my hand."

"Pain?"

Kaidan nodded "Like someone stabbed me, it's gone now though." He said as he stood up to toss the broken ceramic pieces into the garbage.

"Good but do you know what caused it?"

"No idea."  Kaidan chuckled "maybe Lily put a curse on me or something."

Aiden laughed "If she's bored enough I wouldn't put it past her to learn witchcraft." They both shuddered at the thought "But let's not give her ideas."

---------

“Lily! Are you in here?” Aiden called as he walked in, she had some errands to run which was fine, he hadn’t really needed her for today’s mission anyway but he had expected her to be on the ship when he returned but she was nowhere in sight. 

“Uh yeah! In here!” she called back as she frantically tried to hide everything, she didn’t think he’d be mad but he would definitely find her crazier than he already did. 

“You had me worried, you’ve been gone all day so I-what are you doing?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Wha-what ever are you talking about Ai?” Lily tried to appear nonchalant as her back was pressed tight against the closet door, guarding it best she could.

He narrowed his eyes at her “You’re hiding something.” 

Lily scoffed “What? Aiden, I'm appalled, I've never hidden anything from you ever in my entire life.”

“Fine, then move.”

Lily blinked in surprise “Huh?” 

“I forgot my hoodie and it’s cold, move.”

“No.”

“No?” 

“I’ll grab it for you.” She said, turning around to open it but Aiden lifted her up by her underarms, placing her off to the side like she was a small child and with her height she might as well have been.

“Lil, what the actual hell is this?” His eyes didn’t know where to look. He knew she was a tad bit obsessed with him but they were married so that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, he just never expected her to make a shrine. 

“Aiden listen I-”

“Where did you even get this stuff?” He asked, staring at the life size cutout, wondering how she was even able to get it home when it was a whole foot taller than her. 

“One of the gift shops was selling it for the war effort.”

“So you bought out the whole store?!”

“No!” she looked down awkwardly “I only bought one of everything…”

“And set up a shrine in my apartment for a man you’re already married to?”

 “We’re twins Aiden, we share everything so it’s not just your apartment.” 

“Not true also that’s not my point.” 

“Are you gonna tell Kaidan?” She looked up at him with puppy eyes, Aiden’s one weakness.

Aiden stared at her, he knew the right thing to do was dismantle it and tell Kaidan but his sister was too cute and he found himself unwilling to punish her like that. “No…keep your creepy shrine.” he said with a sigh.

“Yay!” she hugged him “you’re the best brother ever.” 

“No, I'm an enabler, I enable you.” He said despite the small blush that krept on his cheeks, glancing back at the shrine, maybe he and Kaidan weren’t far off about the witchcraft thing.

-----------

Lily lounged on the bed in the captain's quarters, humming to herself as she poked various parts of the doll, Kaidan walking in as she stuck the pin in his back “Ow, shit!” he exclaimed, arching his back slightly and instinctively placing a hand on the area.

Lily froze, looking at the doll then back at him “What’s wrong?” 

Kaidan shook his head “I don’t know, I just suddenly had this sharp pain in my back.”

“O-oh, I’m sorry babe, do you want a massage?” 

“I probably just pinched a nerve or something,” he said as he walked over to her “I felt the same pain in my hand earlier too but it went away almost instantly.” 

“How weird.” she played along as she hastily shoved the doll behind a pillow.

“I know, I should probably go see Chakwas later.” He sat down next to her against the very same pillow she shoved the doll under and she broke out in a cold sweat “is there something under the pillow? It feels like it’s propped up.”

Lily quickly snatched the mako figuring that sat above the bed “The mako is missing it probably just fell.”

“No...this feels softer.” He pushed the pillow to the side and found the plush doll of him laying face down with a pin in its back. Lily closed her eyes, lips pressed together, her head hung low “Hey Lil?”

“Yeah what’s up babe?” she asked, her voice slightly high pitched.

“What am I looking at right now?”

“A doll of you…”

Kaidan nodded “Uh huh, follow up question.” he took the pin out “why was this stuck in its back?”

“I was pretending it was a voodoo doll…”

“Excuse me?” 

“I didn’t think it actually was! I was just poking it for fun.” She said defensively, though the more she thought about it the more she realized how demented it probably seemed. 

“Right, well I’m getting rid of this before you accidentally cripple me.” Kaidan set the pin on the bed stand, grabbing the doll by it’s small plush arm and walking over to the door with it.

Lily hopped up, discarding the mako toy as she hurried after him, wrapping her arms around his waist to stop him, for as small as she was she had some incredible strength “I’m sorry, I won’t do it anymore but don’t throw him away he didn’t do anything wrong!” 

“Lily, it's still creepy voodoo or not.” 

“No he’s not he’s adorable!” 

“I broke my favorite mug because of this thing!”” He exclaimed.

“That wasn’t his fault!” She looked up at him, eyes glistening with tears “please Kaidan…”

The rational part of his brain knew she was without a doubt faking but if she wasn’t and really was this attached to a doll she only had for barely a day he’d look like a pretty heartless husband for tossing it.

“Fine...take it.” Lily detached herself from him immediately, a huge grin on her face as she took the doll back. 

“I promise no more voodoo!” She said as she held it protectively against her chest. 

“Where did you even get that anyway?”

“One of the souvenir shops had a whole display. I wanted to buy them all but had no place to put them.” 

“A display?”

“Yeah, apparently you’re a spectre and a marketing tool.” 

“That’s….great.” He was definitely gonna have to talk to Hackett about that.

“Now I can add you to my plush collection, maybe i’ll knit him a pink sweater so he fits in.” 

“Sounds wonderful honey.” He said, running a hand down his face.

She looked at him “Do you want one too?”

“I’m good, thanks.” He didn’t have a headache when he walked into the cabin but he certainly did now, Lily had a way of doing that to a person.

[praphit]

Rated L for Lactation

So, I don't have a movie for you this time. This time I only have my dream. Now, this dream gets a lil weird. By the title of the post you should know that it involves milk action. If you are allergic to or are easily offended by bodily milkiness, I suggest that you skip this one, and wait for my next movie review :)

THE REENACTMENT:

I had a dream centered around lactation. No, I was not the one who was lactating.

My dream started off with me breaking into a white woman's home.

(We'll use Michael B Jordan to play me. He's not as good-looking as I am, but he'll do.)

Let me stop real quick:

As a black man, I know that the whole "breaking into a white woman's home" detail might leave certain white people anxious. Calm down. I would never break into anyone's home. No need to up your security. This was just a dream.

So, I broke into her home, but I know this woman. I have not thought about this woman in almost 20 years. I haven't spoken to or messaged her. NOTHING. I have no idea why she popped up in my dream. Honestly, I don't remember even liking her all that much. As I remember it, she was kind of a jerk.

We'll use Jennifer Lawrence as... you know what?? -  This dream (as I said) gets a lil weird, so let's not use a woman. Let's use... Woody Harrelson. 

Picture Woody as the whitest, nerdiest woman (who's kind of a jerk, maybe) that you can imagine.

Mikey B breaks into Lady Woody's home... come to think of it, I don't know why I originally broke in.

I guarantee that it was not to do anything dastardly. Again, calm down, white people.

I do admit that this looks bad so far, though. Let's say that I broke in to find... NO.. to save her. Let's say that I heard sounds of a struggle, and BRAVELY broke into her place to see if she was okay. YES!

So, Mikey B breaks into Lady Woody's home to save her from what sounded like a beast (sure). Now, I find out that she was still asleep. Somehow or other I find myself in the guest room, and I'm snooping, wait... I'm searching diligently around her home, just in case the intruder or beast is still around. I look in the drawer of the guest room, and find a VHS. Yep, VHS. I pop it into the VCR, and... that also looks bad, doesn't it?

Well, we'll say that it had a label on it. This label read "Insurrection", and it had a little picture of a confederate flag on it. No, God-fearing American citizen would gloss over that, right?? So, I popped it in to investigate.

Mikey B is now laying on the guest room bed, while watching the video.

On the vid, Lady Woody is dancing at some sort of party in a silk, sky blue night gown. She's dancing like you'd imagine Shakira dancing. 

It looks like she's in a foreign country. There are brown people all around her (White people, I'm not going to tell you again. Calm down. The brown people were celebrating her; almost worshipping her).

When all of a sudden Lady Woody's chest is wet. Mikey B could see that this wetness was milk. This was a lactation situation. (Now, I feel like I must say that this dream is NOT sexual in nature. I know that some of your minds are creeping near the gutter, and you need to get it together. I assure you that this is not about sex, but... some sort of... wholesome, spiritual experience. Okay??).

SERIOUSLY!

Ok, so, Lady Woody is wet all over. 

We're not talking a few drops of milk. We're talking streams of milk. 

Like... there's a large, continuously growing puddle of milk under her, and spreading out to the crowd. She is not ashamed or even concerned. How many of you, if streams of milk mysteriously started flowing (and I times spraying) out of your nipples, would at least be concerned? Woody just kept dancing. And the people -  they loved every second of it. They were dancing in the milk, and some of them were drinking it.

At this point, I hear someone else breaking into Lady Woody's home. It's my sister and my aunt, and they were arguing - LOUDLY. My immediate thoughts were not, " What the hell are they doing here?" but "why are they being so noisy? - they're going to wake Lady Woody up"

We'll have Awkwafina play my sister 

and Leslie Jones play my aunt.

Mikey B then turns back to the screen to see Lady Woody on the ground (you know how people make snow angels?)... um... she was making breast milk angels. THEN, a monkey jumped on top of her. 

There's a poster of a movie called "Monkey Shines"

- it looked kinda like that.

The monkey will be played by Bill Murray (we'll use CGI to make him smaller).

Murray the Monkey jumped on top of Lady Woody, they kissed (just a friendly peck - again, stay away from the gutter).

I then heard my sister and aunt arguing some more. And then I woke up.

I can't end the reenactment there though... not very satisfying.

We'll say that... SUDDENLY an alien bursts into the guest room with Mikey B. This alien was making the same sounds Mikey heard that led him to break into this home.

The alien (CGI) looked like... um... it had old school Arnold’s body, 

with E.T's head... 

- some chicken wings (not chicken wings for eating... I mean, it had wings... the majestic wings of a chicken), 

and... Trump's hair for a bottom (not for a butt, but his bottom half).

Um... Woody wakes up with Leslie Jones and Awkwafina bantering above her bed, when... JESUS appears (played by Kumail Nanijiani). 

Jesus says "Get out here! Y'all don't wanna miss this."

He leads them out to the living room.

The alien hears Jesus and runs to the living room as well... well whatever one with the bottom half made of Trump's hair does as a "run".

The alien growls (we'll have Morgan Freeman do his voice).

Jesus glows kinda like Goku from Dragon Ball Z. He starts to charge up a fireball to shoot at the alien.

When the words "This shit's about to get real. To Be Continued..." scroll at the bottom of the screen.

And BOOM! End the reenactment! Boom! There's my dream... kinda.

So, if any of y'all know a good dream... what are they called? - "readers?" "Dreamreaders" Interpreters. Hit me up.

If not, that's okay. I bet someone else out there has dreamt of lactation, and I want you to know, that you're not alone.

[theonceoverthinker]

When Will My Life Begin? (Fair Game, 14/?)

Summary: Tangled AU. Clover Callows has been confined to a tower for all of his life, and given the threat that his Uncle Tyrian says his semblance poses to his safety, he accepts that fate. It’s the only life he’s ever known, after all. But when he’s offered the opportunity to fulfill his greatest dream after a chance encounter with a thief -- or bandit, as Qrow Branwen insists there’s a difference between the two -- both Clover and Qrow will discover joys that they never knew life could offer them before.

AO3

Tumblr: (1) (2) (B1) (3) (4) (B2) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (B3) (10) (11) (12) (13)

Hey! So, as you're going to see, I took a...different direction with this chapter than you might have expected (...I realize this happens a LOT with me). I was having some trouble with the next chronological chapter, and I thought this would be an interesting and sensible diversion from the main story while I figured the next part of the story out. I hope you enjoy!

()()()()()()()()()()()()()

If there was one feeling Harriet Bree had become increasingly familiar with, it was the feeling of underlying, yet all the same relentless tiredness.

She was tired of hearing reports of Salem’s growing army of Grimm and the havoc they were doing to far away towns and villages.

She was tired of the constant shadow of fear that loomed over every street and shop in her kingdom about when their malicious tormenter would strike next as well as who and what would be lost in the chaos when it inevitably took place.

She was tired of the criminal underbelly in the kingdom that just made getting by harder for good, honest folks.

She was tired of the fact that even with all the power she, her siblings, and her father yielded, there was only so much they could do about any of that.

However, more than any of those things, she was tired of the all but despondent look in her father’s eyes that coated his face every year around this time. 

Harriet was especially tired about the fact that the gazes her siblings gave her all but screamed in her face that she had that same look in her eyes, too.

As the saying went, ‘like father, like daughter,’ she supposed.

Then again, that look in her eyes was just as present on all of their faces, too. She was sure there was some phrase about families who do things together that applied to a heartbreaking situation like theirs, but honestly, she was at a loss to come up with one.

Besides, it didn’t matter -- it wasn’t like their family was complete, anyway.

That hadn’t been the case for over two decades now.

Clover…

Harriet had two brothers and a sister that she was fortunate enough to have in her life. She adored them with every beat of her heart, and she knew they as well as their father felt the same for her.

However, the gap that Clover’s kidnapping created in hers and her family’s hearts was one that couldn’t be filled by anyone else except for him.

Clover...

Where was he? 

Was he even alive? 

What kind of life had he led if he was alive all this time?

Why did the prospect of him being alive make her feel just as anxious as the thought of him being dead?

Damn it!

Of all the things Qrow Branwen could have stolen the day before her brother’s birthday, why did it have to be the brooch? Why did the universe insist on making this anniversary so much worse than it was already going to be, than it was for the past several years?

Was it not enough already that Clover was ripped from their arms before they could even really know him without so much as a clue as to where he’d gone or who had made off with him?

Semblance or not, who stole a baby?!

It had to be Salem, or one of her goons, but why did they never say that they at least had him in their possession? Salem’s castle was well guarded enough, and it wasn’t like she didn’t know they could never brea-

Harriet sighed. She pet the horse she was now walking beside instead of on, and let herself recline against a tree as her hand massaged her nose.

She’d gone down the proverbial rabbit hole that was Clover’s mysterious whereabouts many a time before, especially around Clover’s birthday. All that resulted in that trip were questions, questions with not even hints of possible answers, but instead haunted her with apparitions of a reunited family that was always still a possibility, but less of one with every passing year. 

Vine told her in the past that it wasn’t healthy...right before admitting that he did the same thing nonetheless. 

Even still, he was right.

Harriet would never give up hope that Clover would be found, that their family would be whole once more, but she knew well enough by now to assure herself that that wasn’t going to happen today.

However, she could at least make the next day or two just a bit less taxing on all of their hearts by getting back the last tangible memento of her brother from Qrow Branwen’s clutches.

Pushing herself off the tree, Harriet continued her trudge back to the team’s meeting spot in the forest.

Maybe one of them found something.

After all, they weren’t called the Ace Ops for nothing.

As Harriet approached the clearing where she and her team had agreed to meet, she could hear voices -- Elm’s first, then their prisoner’s, and Vine and Marrow’s soon afterward.

None of them sounded too excited, or given any kind of sign that they hadn’t walked away from their search empty handed.

No, they just sounded tired.

She could certainly slip into that feeling like a well-worn coat.

Harriet walked through the last of the bushes and under the last of the trees that stood between herself and her siblings. 

Just as she’d expected, their bodies reflected their voices, no one looking either curious or triumphant or stimulated.

“Nothing, huh?” she asked, unable to keep the dark, resigned tone out of her voice.

Words left none of them. Marrow shook his head, Vine looked to his shoes, and Elm, still holding their prisoner, bit her lip.

The prisoner Mercury scoffed, earning himself a jerk from Elm’s body.

He growled.

“You’re slowing yourselves down and wasting your time keeping me here,” he then snipped.

“We’re putting a crook like you behind bars,” Marrow shot back, clearly content to allow just a little bit of smugness to get into his tone, “sounds like a good use of our time to me.”

“And yet you can’t get back that brooch. Have to wonder how it is you got the name Ace Ops. Ace Oops seems more appropriate to me.” Mercury then smirked.

Gods, what was it about thieves that made them enjoy bragging so much? 

Weren’t they supposed to be quiet? Wasn’t that the one good thing about them?

Ignoring Mercury’s remark, Marrow looked to the group.

“Did anyone find any clues?” he asked, “Or maybe run into someone who saw him? Or saw signs of a scuffle or even just shop prints?”

Once more, silence reigned. Even Mercury didn’t respond, seemingly caught between annoyance over his accomplice’s escape as well as his own captivity and satisfaction that at least they hadn’t succeeded in their task of retrieving the brooch.

What a bastard he was.

Vine met Harriet’s eyes.

“What do we do now?”

Harriet, for the life of her, couldn’t find herself able to answer that question.

Branwen had been out of their sights for hours now. If they hadn’t found him by this point, that probably meant they likely weren’t going to find him at all.

What could they do in that case -- wait until the brooch surfaced on the black market?

Who knew how long that would take to happen, nor how they’d find out about it, nor even which of Remnant’s handful of often spoken of, but well-hidden black markets it would show up in…

This dead-ended mystery was starting to sound all too familiar to Harriet for her liking…

Harriet didn’t want to give up, though she had no idea what the next best step to take was.

Perhaps they could just return to the kingdom, drop off Mercury at the castle’s prison, and resume their search? It would be better to have the entire team at full capacity, and by the time they did that, Harriet figured she’d be able to use her semblance again.

However, that would just give Branwen more time to get even further away from them, or perhaps even just sell the brooch and be done with it.

Not to mention the fact that even if Harriet’s semblance was working once more, without an idea of where Branwen was going, she’d just be running around aimlessly.

She’d done that on more than one occasion -- it made for not only some good training, but also as one hell of a stress reliever --  but it wasn’t going to help them here.

So there went that plan, and yet the rest of her sibling’s eyes joined Vine’s, turned to her for their next step.

As Harriet struggled for an answer, her ears picked up a sound. 

It was the sound of footsteps -- small in size, quick in their pace, not deft enough to avoid snapping twigs and running into small bushes, but just so enough that there was no resulting crashes or falls.

What’s more interesting were that those footsteps were fast approaching them.

Harriet looked toward the noise’s source, unsure what was to meet her on the other side. 

Seconds later, a man emerged into the clearing. He stood tall and slightly muscular with a mean, angular face and an odd, triangle-like hair style. 

“Guards! Guards!” he called as he approached them. He took a second’s pause to loudly catch his breath. “Br-Branwen,” he continued as air kept puffing in and out of his chest as loudly as a bear’s roar. “The thief Qrow Branwen. W-we have him.”

Harriet’s eyes bulged. 

C-could it really be?

“Are you sure?” Elm asked, beating Harriet to the proverbial punch. Harriet felt her heart start to pump as loudly as the man’s footsteps were just moments ago as she waited for him to catch his breath enough to answer Elm’s question.

After three seconds that felt more like an hour, he answered her.

“Yeah,” he confirmed. “My-my boss matched him to the poster.”

Harriet couldn’t believe it -- this was really happening.

“Where is he?” she pressed. 

“L-Lil’ Miss Malachite’s,” he wheezed, pointing a finger in the direction he came. “It’s about a half mile that way. We’ve got him caught.”

Branwen…

By nothing short of pure chance, they were in the exact right in the spot to find someone who had eyes on him.

Lucky them.

While she knew he probably couldn’t have had anything to do with it -- though she’d wished against each and every odd that stood as an obstacle to that possibility that he could have -- she couldn’t help but thank Clover for this.

Harriet looked to her team, all of whom suddenly looked like they had more energy flowing through their veins than they’d had in a while.

She got the feeling she looked that way too.

“You heard him, Ace Ops,” Harriet said, glancing at a sneering Mercury, and shooting a smirk of her own at him. “Let’s move out.” 

Elm picked up Mercury’s form once more and tightened her grip around him as she and Marrow cried out jovially, Vine let loose a small chuckle, and even Harriet couldn’t help but let her smirk dissolve into a grin once she turned away from Mercury. 

They had a lead on Branwen and the brooch.

There was hope still to be had for this tiny piece of their still broken, but loving family.

Suddenly, Harriet wasn’t feeling so tired anymore.

[xsixxx]

Bad Influence, Chapter Two

Authors note: You guyyyys, thank you so much for all the love on my first chapter, I literally didn’t expect anyone to actually read it! 😭😂 I hope you all enjoy this next one! Like before, feedback is definitely welcome & also, I just wanna say that I’m British, so if some things I write sound wrong (like in the last chapter, I kept wanting to type “revise” instead of study 😂), please let me know, as I’m trying to make this sound American, as obviously that’s where it’s set! Thanks 🖤

Warnings: Language, lil bit of drug use ooo

Tags: (I love you guys for wanted to be tagged, thank you so much) @triplehaitches @freddiessmallnipples @fire-and-blood-got @scarecrowmax @lovesick-heart0

Fall 81’

“Mads, can you turn it down?! Jesus Christ!” I yelled though the poster-clad door.

She pulled open the door & grinned, “what’s wrong, don’t you like listening to your boyfriend sing?!”

“Maddie seriously, I kissed the guy like 6 months ago to prove a point, when are you going to let it go?!” I asked, rolling my eyes. “You kiss Nikki like every other fucking weekend, & then some.”

“Shut the fuck up, Beth!” She hissed, grabbing my hand, pulling me into her bedroom & slamming the door behind me. She glared at me, arms folded across her chest. “If Daddy hears you, he’ll loose his mind & I’ll never be allowed to leave the house again!”

I laughed at her stern expression, “lighten up Mads, he’s downstairs, he didn’t hear. What times the gig tonight then?” I asked, gesturing towards the vinyl player that was still spinning the new Too Fast For Love album.

“Doors open at 7, they’re on at 8.” giggled Maddie with excitement. “I can’t wait!”

“You’ve been going to every one of their gigs for months now, how’re you not bored?”

“Nikki makes sure I’m not”, she winked at me, laughing. I scoffed, cringing at the thought of that arrogant asshole touching my baby sister.

“Please just be careful Mads, I don’t trust that guy.” I looked around her room, adorned with band posters & flyers, a lot of them advertising Mötley Crüe gigs. I looked at the small print of Nikkis face on one of them & I could swear he was smirking at me through the ink. I shook my head.

“I know, I know, he’s the devil”, she laughed, “you sound like Daddy!”

“Ha, right! I’d hate to know what Daddy would say if he knew what you were actually doing when you go & see that band!”

“You’re not going to tell him, right? He’s only just started letting me go without you chaperoning me!”

“& risk having to go to one of those depraved, shit shows with you all over again?” I scoffed, “no, I’m not going to tell him.”

Maddie smiled warmly, “you’re the best, sis. Now help me pick an outfit, I wanna look hot for Nikki.”

•••

I was just finishing up with Maddies hair when Daddy knocked on her bedroom door. He opened it & recoiled slightly when he caught sight of his youngest daughter in the tight red PVC skirt, bejewelled bralette & knee high boots we’d settled on.

He shook his head, “I don’t think so Madeline.”

“Oh Daddy, come on!” Maddie whined, “It’s what everyone wears, it’s a rock show!”

“Well you’re not everyone, you’re my daughter & I raised you to have more respect for yourself. Change please Madeline!” He said sternly, raiding his eyebrow at her. “Elizabeth, are you ready to go?”

“Me? What? I’m not going,” I said, shaking my head, “I have college work to do, this semester has been killer.”

“Elizabeth, I spoke to you about this after the last gig your sister went to, when she came home drunk & thought I hadn’t noticed? I asked you to chaperone her again & keep her out of trouble.” My father said, raising his eyebrow again.

“What?! I thought you were joking! Daddy, she’s 18, she’s old enough to make her own decisions!”

“She’s not old enough to drink, which means she is being irresponsible & she needs someone to keep an eye on her.”

“Excuse me, I am here!” Huffed Maddie. “Daddy, I don’t need a babysitter, I had like one drink last time, it wasn’t a big deal. Please don’t keep treating me like I’m a child!”

“Madeline, you are my child,” my father stressed, his face softening, “I understand that I may seem unfair, but the things I say & do are to keep you safe. I know you’re not a kid any more”, he gestured to her scandalous outfit & shook his head, “but you live under my roof & you will live by my rules. Either Elizabeth accompanies you, otherwise you don’t go.” He finished, turning & opening the door. “& get changed into something more appropriate!” He muttered as he closed it swiftly behind him.

“Fuck!” Maddie yelled, stamping her heeled foot in exasperation.

“I’m sorry sis”, I said, standing up & walking towards the door. “We’ll do something fun tonight though, don’t worry.”

“What?! Beth, you’re gonna come, right?”

“Maddie, seriously? I love you, but no. I can’t stand that sorta crowd, the music gives me a headache & I do not wanna see that pompous asshole you’re fucking. Plus, I’ve got college papers stacking up, I just.. No, I’m sorry.” I trailed off. Maddie looked like she was torn between crying & throwing something at me.

“You’re kidding?! You’re not going to give up one evening to help me out here? I’m you’re little sister, we’re supposed to stick together!”

I stood in the doorway of her bedroom, shaking my head.

“Beth, please. I know it’s not your scene, I know. But you could have fun, if you just let yourself!” She tried to force a smile, but she could see it wasn’t working, so she tried the guilt tactic. “We used to do everything together after we lost mom, we were inseparable. Since you started college, all you do is sit in your room studying, I feel like I never see you anymore. Please, for me, just come out & let’s hang out like sisters again. I don’t even have to hang out with the band after, it can just be a Beth & Maddie night!”

I groaned, & she squealed with excitement, knowing she had successfully guilted me. She jumped on me & wrapped her arms around my neck. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!!”

“We are not going backstage though, I mean it. We’re watching the gig & we’re coming back home Mads.” I said seriously & she nodded her head. I sighed as I dragged myself to my bedroom go get changed, already dreading the night ahead.

Later that evening

I stood awkwardly at the front of the boisterous crowd that was jumping up & down in time to Take Me To The Top. The air was humid & sweaty & I’d been elbowed in the face at least 3 times. Vinces leather encased crotch was exactly my eye level & I could see Nikki smirking at me from off to the left. I couldn’t fucking wait to go home.

Vince crouched down as he sang the last line & planted a kiss on an all too willing blonde with huge tits that had been flashing her enhanced assests next to me throughout the whole gig. I rolled my eyes for about the 100th time that evening as they wrapped up the song &, with it, the show.

“Thank god.” I said, spinning around towards the exit.

“Woah, where do you think you’re going, Princess?” I felt my jaw clench. I closed my eyes & took a deep breath to prepare for the encounter.

“Home.” I said bluntly, turning around to face the sweaty, backcombed, mess of a man that stood with his arm draped around my little sisters shoulders, smirking at me

He ignored me. “So, you couldn’t stay away, huh? Let me guess, you’ve gotten past the too-good-for-you phase & now you’re in the looking-for-some-excitement phase?” He grinned wickedly.

“Sorry Sixx, you’re way off. I’m definitely still too good for you.” I said, smiling at him as sickeningly sweetly as I could.

“Figures. Poor Vinny will be heartbroken, he’s been dying to get into those bunched up panties of yours.” he said, flashing that infamous arrogant smile once again. He turned to Maddie, “come on doll, let’s head back stage, Tommy’s got some stuff that’ll lighten up your stiff of a sister.” He laughed. I saw Maddie elbow him & mutter something under her breath, that caused Nikkis smirk to widen.

“We can’t, I’m sorry, I promised Beth we wouldn’t stay. The show was fucking savage though, you guys killed it, as usual.” Maddie said, before kissing Nikki quickly & turning towards me, but the devil caught a hold of her hand.

“Come on babe,” he whined, pulling her back towards him, “it’s been a while & I’ve missed you,” he mumbled against her lips, stroking her cheek. I watched her melt against him once again, caving into his will. I could see why my little sister had been taken in by him. That sultry voice & those wicked eyes, I could see that he had a skill for manipulating & dragging people down with him, but making it all seem so appealing at the same time. The devil wasn’t a little red man with horns. The devil was Nikki Sixx & he was beautiful & dangerous & smooth as hell.

“Please Beth?” Maddie pleaded, a hint of desperation in her eyes. I knew there would be no dragging her away at this point.

“Fine, but only because I’m not leaving you alone with him.” I shot Nikki a piercing look. “& only for like 10 minutes, Daddy will kill me if I don’t get you back soon.” I said, which triggered a snigger from Nikki.

We headed backstage & into a dimly lit room. I walked through & immediately spotted the 3 lines of coke cut up neatly on a small glass table in the centre of the room, just before Tommy leaned over & snorted one up without any hesitation. Vince was sat on a dingy little couch, being straddled by the busty blonde from earlier. Mick was sat on a chair, clearly trying to stay as far away from the scene happening literally everywhere else in the room, swigging straight from a bottle of vodka & tuning his guitar.

“Yo Sixx, Maddie, vacuum this mess up!” Tommy yelled, beaming. Nikki obliged, immediately heading over to the table & expertly sniffing up the powder before picking up a bottle of Jack & chugging it down. He turned & looked expectantly at Maddie, waiting for her to rinse & repeat. She hesitated & slowly looked at me, the guilt written all over her face.

I lost it.

“You are fucking kidding me Maddie?! Fucking coke, are you mad?! Nah, that is it, we are fucking leaving.” I yelled, grabbing her hand, kicking over the little glass table, shattering the bottle of Jack & sending the remaining coke up into a powdery white cloud. Nikki strode over, blocking the doorway before I had chance to drag Maddies ass out.

“You better move out of my fucking way Sixx.”

“Beth come on, it’s fine honestly, I’ve only done it a couple of times, it’s no big deal-“ Maddie protested.

I ignored her, fixing my eyes on the devil standing in my way. “I said move.”

“Or what, Princess?” He replied, his voice deadly smooth.

“Nikki, come on man, if the girl wants to go, she wants to go. Move out the way dude.” Said Tommy, his voice sounding apologetic.

“She can go.” He replied sharply. “But you can leave my little play thing.” He purred, putting his hand under Maddies chin & tilting her head up to look at him, those green eyes flashing sinfully.

“Excuse me?!” Both she & I yelled together.

“I am not your fucking toy,” said Maddie angrily, swatting his hand from her face & shoving him away from her. “How fucking dare you?!”

Nikki laughed harshly. “Of course you are!” the coke & drink making him bolder & ruder. “You’re a groupie, a fun way to end a good show. What else did you think this was?” He asked, visibly amused.

Maddies face flushed a deep shade of pink in embarrassment, before anger visibly took over. “Fuck you, you fucking asshole!” She screamed, before pushing past him & out of the door.

I glared at Nikki with disgust. “Looks like I’m not the only one who’s too fucking good for you.” I spat, barging past him & after my sister, eventually catching up with her.

“I’m so sorry Beth.. I didn’t mean.. I thought he liked me yanno.. God I’m so fucking stupid.. I’m sorry..” She managed to say between her sobs.

“Come on babe, it’s fine, let’s just get you home.” I whispered, wiping away her tears & putting my arm around her. “We’ve got some fucking posters to take down.”