#you can put your dead dad on his boat and listen to free bird on blast

[icaruspendragon]

in order to be “jest like yer deddy” (the redneck father’s daughter), one must grow up glued to their father’s side.

my father was a redneck and i was glued to his side. which means i’ve done a whole lotta redneck bull hockey and tom foolery in the name of spending time with dear old dad.

i spent a lot of my october and november weekends sitting on an upturned five gallon bucket watching my breath fog while waiting for the sun to come up so i’d have enough light to read whatever book my dad bought me to keep me quiet.

and he needed me to be quiet because he was dove hunting and i was seldom ever not in his line of sight, so i’d tag along and he’d indulge me and buy me stories even though i had no interest in the hunt.

i’m sure there’s an irony in my loving my dad so much i’d sit in the cold just to watch him kill things, but that’s not the point of this.

anyway. the sun would come up, i’d be placed a good ten feet behind all these men and their guns, my dad would make sure my earplugs were secure and my nose wasn’t too cold, and then they’d open fire.

once a bird was shot, they’d go and get it. i can’t remember what they did with them. that part doesn’t matter.

but what i do remember is after the safeties were on and the shotgun barrels were pointed skyward, my dad would “let” me run out and get the birds for him.

i say “let” because when i was a kid i thought bird fetching was a very important and serious job.

he died a few months ago and our relationship got complicated in the way they’re bound to do when daughters realize pain is something they inherit from their fathers.

when i was writing his eulogy i was thinking of happy childhood thoughts and i remembered the “hunting trips.” and how big and important i felt being the one who went to get the birds.

he’d shoot. i’d fetch. he’d tell me to sit. and we’d do it over and over and over again. and that’s when the revelation came.

i was the fucking bird dog.

[rudysrings]

Twin Pogues of the OBX - 9

A/N: I’ll explain my disappearance later. I just want to get this out for now. It’s a long one. But I’m happy to be back :P Love and miss y’all. 

Warnings: Violence, mentions of sex, mentions of drugs, police, DCS, mature themes. 

Words: 5.5k YEESH ALSO AHH MIDSUMMERS :D

Masterlist

Kiara and you arrived at the Chateau together, well after sunset. The silhouettes of Pope, JJ and your brother were clear against the moonlight, quiet as they lie in the hammock.  

You and Kiara slipped into the netting silently. Your shoulder was up against JJ’s bare bicep, and you fought the urge to move closer.

“You really think it’s out there? No bullshit?” 

You felt JJ’s gaze on you, a million different emotions brought to the surface by his mere stare. 

John B admitted that he did believe after hearing your father’s voice on the tape.

“Well we’re going to find it, you know. Even JJ believes,” said Kiara, looking over at you two.

Surprised, John B asked, “Oh my God, JJ, do you really believe?”

On instinct, even though he clearly hadn’t been paying attention to the conversation, JJ replied, “Totally.” Then paused, confused. “Wait, are we talking about four mil?”

“Four hundred mil!” 

All of you chorused, causing JJ to roll his eyes and turn onto his side, facing you. “I’m going to dream about shipwrecks. Good night, Bird!” 

“Goodnight, bird shit!” Pope mocked.

All of your friends were asleep. You could hear John B’s loud snores and Kie’s soft murmurs. Pope’s body was halfway off the hammock in his state of unconsciousness.

You turned, lying down on your side and startling slightly at the wide eyes looking back at you.

Before you could chide him for creeping, JJ whispered. “I’m sorry.”

Immediately, you whispered back, “I’m sorry, too...Are we gonna be ok?”

JJ hushed you. “It’s you and me, Trouble. We’re always gonna be ok.”

The two of you didn’t say anything else. You didn’t need to. 

The five of you set off in search of the coordinates the following morning. There was an unmistakable air of excitement but also somehow nonchalance. Everyone wanted this to be it, but was too afraid to believe in it.

JJ was at the wheel of the HMS Pogue, his sunglasses and signature red cap making him look especially good in the Carolina sun. 

You noticed yourself noticing things like this even more than you did before. This morning, you woke up before everyone else and found yourself admiring the early morning silhouette of the blonde that currently occupied all your thoughts. Pope caught you, incredibly confused why you were staring at his best friend like a dazed puppy. Luckily, your reputation pulled through and he simply scolded you for being stoned so early. Yeah, that’s right, simply looking at JJ made you seem high. You were in a shitload of trouble. 

You were supposed to be helping Kiara release the rope with the drone attached at the end, hurriedly tossing it into the water against the raging winds. Y’all had picked the worst time to do this.

You caught yourself distracted by JJ, who was furiously spinning the wheel to John B’s directions. There was something about that shirt. He flicked his head back to see how you guys were doing and scrunched his eyebrows inquiringly when he noticed you watching him. You shook your head, trying not to get embarrassed. Too late. “Y/N!” Kiara slapped your shoulder, forcing you to pay attention to the rope that the current was currently tugging away. Shit. You refocused, but not before catching the upward tilt on JJ’s lips at your ridiculousness.

960 feet.

 970.

 980.

 “I’m at the bottom!”

“See anything?” Called JJ.

“It’s the Royal Merchant,” You heard your brother say, raising the hair on your arms. 

You and Kiara rushed over, your arm on John B’s shoulder as you tried to look over him at the monitor. He was right, you could see old, rusted over debris from the wreck scattered all over the ocean floor. But...no gold.

You looked at your feet in disbelief. Clenching your fists as your heart dropped. You met JJ’s eyes, shaking your head sadly. He nodded at you, shrugging as if to say. What did we expect? You didn’t miss his heavy disappointment. That look steeled you. Gold or no gold, you’d find a way to get JJ out of this shithole.

“Somebody beat us to it,” John B muttered.

“Or it was never there,” Grumbled JJ. 

You and John B dropped the pogues off, each of them saying goodbye rather emotionally, drained from the loss of something you never had. Kiara ruffled your hair, reminding you, “Chin up, yeah?” as she left. Pope simply pulled all of you into a quick hug, giving you a pat on the back. 

JJ, as always, was more subtle, more secretive. As John B steered the boat towards the docks, he sat next to you, pulling your hand into his lap without looking at you. He rolled his lips, before bringing his elbows onto his knees and leaning his forehead on his hands that encased one of yours. He breathed deeply. Once. Twice. Three times. Then he looked at you, offering you a smile and twirling your ring. He echoed his words from last night. “We’re gonna be ok.”

You nodded fiercely, smiling. “I know, Bear. We always are.”

You and John B walked up to the Chateau alone, gear in hand. He draped an arm around you, pecking the top of your hair. “I’m sorry it didn’t work out. I really thought it would.”

You didn’t want to admit it, but you did, anyway. Maybe your brother needed to hear it or maybe you needed to say it; whatever the reason was, you said, “Yeah, me too. I really hoped Dad didn’t give his life for nothing.”

John B pulled you closer into his side as you walked, for once not disputing your claim on your father’s death. 

The two of you walked inside, only to see...fucking Cheryl from foster care on your couch.

You startled immediately, pulling your brother behind you. “Hey, guys,” the devil incarnate greeted.

You rolled your eyes, leaning against the table as John B sat down. You sighed. “You know, Cheryl, it’s kind of a bad time for a check-in.”

She smiled. “Not a check in. We’re here to take you.”

Your eyes widened. “Today? Really?”

“It’s just for a few weeks until your hearing.”

John B spoke up. “No, no, no. Cheryl, look, we’re not going into foster care, okay? We’re not going to go be a part of your little system.”

“Kids, this is Deputy Thomas.”

Before you knew it, Deputy Thomas had you and your brother in the back of his car, driving you to your fate. 

John B pulled a clever trick though, and as he picked up the picture of your dad that Cheryl had been foolish enough to let you guys grab, you both looked at each other once, before breaking into sprints in opposite directions.

You ducked under some trees, peeking over the corner of your shoulder to see Deputy Thomas chasing your brother. He’d have to get away somehow. You had to trust that. You looked forward, running through the neighborhoods you knew so well and dialing the first person you thought of.

“Yo! Me and Po-” 

“JJ!” 

You made your way towards Heywards, figuring he must be with Pope. “Woah, what’s with the excitement. I know I’m a riot, but-”

“JJ, shut up! It’s DCS.”

“What? Are you alright? What’s going on?”

“I got away. I’ll see you at Heywards.”

“Wait, Y/N-”

You hung up as you neared the store, seeing JJ out front, staring at his phone in concern, a deep set frown on his face.

“JJ!”

You nearly crashed into him, but stopped short, your hands on your knees as you tried to catch your breath.

Pope came out, too, noticing you. “Ayo, Y/N. I didn’t know you were coming.”

“What? No. I just got away from Deputy Thomas.”

“What the fuck? Did he do something to you?” 

“Why are you running from the cops?”

JJ and Pope questioned you immediately. “I-no, I’m fine. Like I said, I ran away. They’re trying to take us away until our hearing in a few weeks. But I don’t know if John B got away. Listen, I shouldn’t be here. They’re gonna come looking for me.”

“Then come with us,” insisted JJ.

“No, I wouldn’t put it past them to search the waters.”

“Stay here, then,” Pope offered. “You know my Pops will cover for you.” 

You agreed. JJ furrowed his brows. “Then we shouldn’t go. We can’t leave her like this, Pope.”

You shook your head, grabbing JJ’s hand. “No, you guys go. Anyways, if they turn up here, they’ll be more suspicious if y’all are here. They’ll expect me to be with you. Trust me.”

Pope nodded, going back inside to let his dad know. JJ held your shoulders, leaning down to look at you. “Be careful, yeah? Nothing stupid.”

“You’re one to talk.” You tried not to notice how close he was to you. 

I’m fucking serious, dude. There’s nothing I can do if they take you away from me. I don’t want us in the position, got it?”

You nodded, taken aback by his seriousness but grateful for it nonetheless. 

He pulled his cap off, messing your hair before slipping it over your head. “Stay low, Trouble,” He said as he walked off towards the docks.

You walked inside, smiling at Pope’s dad. “Thanks for this, Mr. Heyward.”

He nodded at you. “Any time. I know all about that foster system. You’re better off dead than stuck in that, kid.”

You agreed, taking some boxes from his hands and getting right to work.

You spent the day at Heywards, hiding out in his freezer when the Deputy came over.

That evening, Kiara dropped by Heywards and convinced you to come to one of those old movie nights that you usually spent your summers at--summers free of treasure hunts. She explained that you’d be hidden amongst everyone from town and JJ and Pope would be there too, so there was no reason for you not to come. 

JJ held your hand tightly, his eyes darting around the crowd constantly. You hadn’t questioned his jitters or why his grip on his bag was so tight, but your fingers were starting to give to the pain of being crushed.

“J. Shit. My hand, bro.”

He looked down, instantly letting go and looking apologetic. 

“Don’t worry about it.” You shook your head as you walked over to Kiara.

You lied down and didn’t bother listening to the conversation, too worried about your brother either being dead in a ditch somewhere or in Deputy Thomas’ clutches. He hadn’t called once.

Until you heard, “JJ, please tell me you did not bring a gun here.”

You sat up immediately, “JJ what?”

“There are children here,” You heard Kiara say.

You raised your eyebrows at him, ignoring Pope and Kiara’s words as you stared. “Are you kidding me, dude? A fucking gun?”

He had the decency to look a little ashamed, staring at his feet and biting his lip.

During the movie, the boys ventured off to take a piss and you and Kiara joked that they must be holding it for each other. Honestly it was ironic given the amount of shit they gave you and Kiara for going to the bathroom together only to do it themselves.

It was not more than a few moments later that you heard glanced over to see JJ and Pope gone. You grabbed Kiara and walked behind the giant projector screen, shocked to see Pope in Topper’s hold and Rafe and Kelce grappling with JJ. “Let go of him, Topper! Fascist Asshole!” Kiara cried, using JJ’s bag to hit Topper. 

“Get off him!” You turned to JJ and shoved Rafe, grabbing his shoulders and pulling his jaw down to meet your knee. “2 on 1...real fair, Rafe,” you sneered into his ear as he groaned, clutching his smarting jaw.

You saw Topper toss Kiara and instantly reddened with rage. You grabbed his hair, pulling him to the ground with force. He grabbed your ankle and you would have fallen if JJ wasn’t right behind you, helping you up. Kelce and Rafe were on you again and you couldn’t get out to help Pope, who Topper was about to suffocate. 

“Come on, man, admit it! Admit you did it, bitch!” He threatened Pope and you screamed.

“Get the fuck off of him, Topper! What the fuck! Please!”

You heard Rafe tell Topper to finish him off and let out a strangled cry, locking eyes with JJ, who for once, looked scared, too.

All of a sudden, it was hot. Really, fucking hot. You looked around to see the movie screen going up in flames; you heard shouts as people fled the burning scene.

Kiara. Instantly, the kooks let you go. Kiara helped Pope up and JJ coughed, nearly falling forward, but you caught him, slinging his arm around your shoulder. “You’re a fucking idiot, J,” you hissed.

He ignored you, simply pressing his lips to your cheek. “What was that for?”

“That was for bruising the fuck out of Rafe Cameron’s jaw,” JJ said smugly.

You rolled your eyes. “That’s one of the moves I picked up from you, actually.”

“Exactly. You did me proud.”

“No, what the fuck, JJ? They almost killed you guys. Kie saved your asses.”

He leaned on you heavily as you walked and his off-beat steps had you realizing that he was faking the limp. You hid your smile. 

You couldn’t stay at the Chateau anymore, not with DCS watching it, so all of you apart from Kiara crashed at Heywards.

JJ and you took the couch, not unused to spending the night together on all sorts of odd surfaces.

As you lie down, head on his shoulder and body overlapping his slightly, he pet your hair. The silence was absolutely insufferable.

“Hey, Trouble?” JJ asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

You hummed.

He sighed, pondering his words. “I know you’re scared to…to change anything between us.”

You didn’t look at him, keeping your eyes shut as you just listened. 

“I just-I just want to tell you that I...I would take care of you, Y/N. I swear on it. I would. I’d...I’d-fuck, why am I so bad at this?”

He took a breath again and you could imagine the adorable look of frustration on his face. You felt his arm raise, probably to run through his already messy hair. You bit your lip to keep yourself from smiling. 

“I just want you, yeah? Any way you’ll have me. Just...think about it.”

He settled in, then, his breathing evening out. You peeked your eyes open to see his shut; he looked dead asleep.

Your fingers slowly made their way into his. You ducked your head further into his chest and felt him squeeze your palm. Oh, so he was awake?

Blushing, you decided this was a problem for tomorrow, and instead let his presence lull you into slumber, dreaming of John B being chased around town by Deputy Thomas.

When you woke, JJ was gone. You heard voices in the store though and made your way towards them. You found Kiara, Pope and JJ. Your eyes met Kiara and she shook her head sadly. No John B. You saddened visibly.

“Morning!” JJ greeted with a grin, throwing some sort of rubber ball from the tourist section at you. You caught it, walking up to him and placing it at his chest. 

“Morning, J,” You said, surprisingly shy.

“Hey, Pope. Someone here to see you.” Mr. Heyward entered. “Y/N, you don’t want this one to see you right now.”

JJ took one look outside and shoved you down by the shoulders, pushing you behind one of the shelves. “Stay down!” He whispered.

You heard Pope say “Evening, Officer and your eyes widened.”

“I have an arrest warrant for felony destruction of property.”

Oh, fuck, Pope got caught. Your heart sped up, and you twisted your ring in worry.

You heard the distinct metallic sound of handcuffs and next thing you knew, Pope was being taken away, arrested by Shoupe. You heard everyone go outside but couldn’t make out any words. You waited a few minutes, waiting for the sound of the car driving away.

You got up, heading outside to see Kiara, Mr. Heyward and Pope? You rushed over to him, pulling him into a hug. “Oh, thank God, I thought he arrested you, man.”

Pope was rod straight. You pulled away, confused. Kiara was standing there in utter shock. Wait, where was JJ?

“What-what happened? Why are you like that? Who died?” You chuckled half-heartedly.

Mr. Heyward shook his head, going inside.

You looked at Kiara and she said, “JJ told Shoupe that he did it. Shoupe took him away.”

Your stomach fell. Clutching the cloth of your shirt, you asked, “JJ did what?” 

You blinked away the tears before your friends could see them. “We have to do something. We have to bail him out.”

“There’s nothing we can do, Y/N,” Kiara insisted.

You looked at Pope, who looked lost. 

“Well, if you guys won’t, then I will!”

Pope grabbed your arm, pulling you back. “No! Look, Y’N. Kiara’s right, there’s nothing we can do right now. And you can’t do anything, you can’t risk getting taken away by DCS.”

“FUCK DCS, Pope! JJ’s in jail!”

“They won’t keep him there for long, Y/N,” Kiara said, stepping closer. “He’ll be ok.”

You thought it over. You couldn’t think of anything you could do except stomp over to the sheriff’s office and demand that JJ be released, but that wouldn’t go over well for either of you. “Fine. You’re right. We just have to hope for the best.”

Kiara had you spend the night at her house, both in an effort to cheer you up and because it was Midsummers the next day and the only way she said she’d go is if you came with her. It wasn’t a bad hiding place. There were no cops at Midsummers so you’d be alright.

She saw you fidget all day, restless. Your brother was missing and JJ was rotting away in a cell as far as you knew. It got you thinking, though, if anything were to happen to JJ, you would regret most not coming clean to him that you liked him more than a friend. Yeah, you were admitting it to yourself. You cared about JJ in a way you had never cared for anyone ever. Even though that thought was enough to scare you to your bones, right now, all you could think about is how much you wish he knew. You hoped you knew without you having to say it, but he deserved to hear it. 

Kiara took the liberty of trying to distract you as best she knew how. She helped you get dolled up for that evening. She was wearing the most beautiful deep lavender dress you had ever seen. She offered you her entire closet and she was a little disappointed when you chose a halter jumpsuit, but when she saw how nice the rich, sunset orange went with your skin tone, and how the low cut neckline down to almost your waist and lack of a back flaunted some skin, she caved. 

She did your makeup so that you glowed golden and your hair was free. You let yourself get lost in the process, realizing you had missed out on stuff like this after your mom left.

It was tradition to wear a flower crown, and you chose peach colored hibiscuses to decorate yours, weaving them together with jasmines in between to make it smell nice. In the end, as you and Kiara stood side by side, you thought you looked like prairie girls, but she said that was the aesthetic and you should shut your mouth and go with the theme. 

The party was loud. It wasn’t loud like the keggers you had on the cut, it just screamed money and status. Every little thing was done up in a way to show something off. The food they chose was to prove that they had a taste for the richer things, which were much worse than a meal at the Wreck in your opinion. The drinks were aged to perfection and people spent more time staring and discussing the bottles than drinking, completely juxtaposed to the fast pace of the lines at the beer kegs that you were used to. Saying you felt out of place was an understatement.

You knew Pope was working the party and Kiara and you caught sight of him pretty quick. They exchanged some witty banter and you raised an eyebrow at Kiara, only for her to blush and shake her head, wordlessly denying anything. You did your usual handshake with Pope and pulled him in for a hug. “I like the fit,” he complimented. You smiled. “Hey, have you heard from JJ?” Pope asked. 

You looked down, shaking your head. “I-No. He has to be okay, though.”

“Yeah, he’ll be alright. He’s got the survival instincts of a cockroach.”

Pope frowned. “It’s all my fault.”

“Uh-you didn’t do this, Pope.”

You nodded. “Kie’s right, Pope. You can’t blame yourself for this. JJ made his decision on his own.”

You pulled Kiara towards you. “Come on, let’s dance. I need to not think about anything, right now.” You called out to Pope, “Catch you later!”

You were dancing with Kiara and a couple other kooks she was chill with. The song taste wasn’t your favorite, but it was something to get your mind off all your problems. 

When a particularly ear-bleeding song came on, you couldn’t help yourself. Holding Kiara’s upper arm, you admitted to her, “I’m really fucking worried about, John B. I’m hoping he’s ok and just being stupid by not calling me. I don’t know what I’m going to do if something happens to JJ. I’m worried that even if he gets out, his dad-”

Kiara wrapped her arms around you, shushing you. “I know, babe. I can’t say much to help you, but have a little faith, hmm? We’ll deal with whatever happens.”

You nodded, before looking over her shoulder to see Pope and a blonde waiter. Wait, no, that wasn’t a blond waiter. No one else on the cut had those rings and that tousled hair.

“JJ!” You cried, breaking out of Kiara’s embrace. He must not have heard you over the music, because he didn’t look at you, still talking to Pope. Your legs couldn’t carry you fast enough.

You shoved indignant people out of your way, ignoring their shrieks and curses. Your hair flying, jewelry clinking together, you threw your arms around him, forcing him to take a few steps back from the momentum. He held your shoulders, pulling you away from him. “Ma’am--wait, Y/N?” 

“JJ! You’re okay!” 

He smiled, pulling you into a hug. He dropped his head to your hair and you held tight to his neck, face tucked into his neck. “Thank God,” You whispered.

You looked up at him, noticing now the clear dark marks of fresh bruises all over the left side of his face. His lip was busted open and his eye slightly swollen.

You touched his cheek. “J, did Shoupe-”

JJ shook his head. “Oh, nah. This was-this was my dad. Has the right jab.” 

You were quiet for a moment, before saying, “I’m gonna fucking kill him.”

“No, no, no.” JJ’s grip tightened on your arms. “You can never go near him, got it?”

“J, I-”

“Swear you won’t, Y/N,” He insisted, looking scared. 

“I won’t,” You gave in. 

Something came over you then. Some rush of emotion, a rush you had been experiencing more and more often around the blonde. “J, I-I want to talk about what you said that night-”

JJ’s eyes widened almost comically. A shocking flush crept up his neck and you almost smiled at his adorable awkwardness. He glanced at Pope behind you, reminding you that he was watching your entire exchange. “Hold that thought, yeah?”

You nodded. He pecked your cheek, making it heat up as you looked anywhere but at him. He let go of you, stepping away and into the crowd. 

Pope looked at you incredulously. 

“What?”

He parted his lips in disbelief, waving at the air between you and where JJ stood, like his question was obvious.

You simply repeated your question.

Pope sputtered. “What you ask? Since when has that become a thing? I didn’t know y’all were having a thing.”

“We’re not!” You said quickly.

Pope laughed. “Whatever you say, Y/N.”

You looked around the crowd, not spotting JJ. You frowned, where had he gone?

Your question was answered pretty quick. You noticed a commotion across the party and saw JJ being escorted out of the party. He downed a gentleman’s drink and the action was surprisingly attractive. 

You noticed Kiara shouting, trying to prevent him from being thrown out. Grabbing onto Pope, you made your way over to them.

“Mandatory power hour at Rixon’s, Kie!” JJ called, walking out. You saw him meet up with John B. Your breath came back to you seeing your brother alive and intact.

JJ noticed you out of the corner of his eye and grinned wide, holding his arms out for you. You didn’t think twice, letting him spin you around and grab your hand as the five of you ran off.

A fire was soon set up at Rixon’s Cove, and JJ had changed into normal clothes, though you had to admit, you didn’t mind the look he was sporting before.

JJ lay across a log, his head in your lap, looking up at your face, which was lit up from the fire light. He didn’t smile, didn’t say anything, just looked at you as you ran your hands through his hair, refamiliarizing yourself with him even though he had only been gone about a day. His absence reminded you how used to seeing him you were, how used to touching him. 

“Alright, my dad’s going to kill me, anyways. So what’s this mandatory meeting about?”

You were wondering that, too, and looked up at your brother, waiting for an explanation.

JJ sat up beside you. “We might as well tell them, man, before we get gaffed.”

“Gaffed?”

You soon learned that the gold never went down with the Royal Merchant. It was on Tannyhill. What concerned you, actually what made your blood boil, is how your brother had gone about finding this information.

Kiara voiced your concerns. “You were in Chapel Hill with Sarah Cameron while Y/N thought DCS had for sure taken you away?”

You stood up, glaring at John B. “You better be fucking with me. Not one call? What, you were too busy macking on here and prancing around the mainland to let your goddamn sister know that you were alive?! I was so scared, you ass!”

John B shuffled his feet, before walking over to you. “You’re right. Ok? You’re always right. I didn’t think. I’m-I’m sorry for worrying you, kid, alright?”

You were prepared for him to blow up at you. A sincere apology was the last thing you expected. “Maybe Cameron’s a good influence on you. First time I’ve heard you say sorry since you broke my collarbone in the fourth grade.”

“That was JJ’s fault, though.”

“That’s debatable.” 

John B pushed your forehead and you sat back down.

The storm came on suddenly. Not a regular storm either—a full on, thundering, lightning outer banks storm. The four of you huddled in the van as your brother went to meet Sarah Cameron and figure out the exact location of the gold. 

You groaned, pulling your hair up away from your sweaty neck. “Fuck, it’s hot in here.”

You began to get up. “Where you goin’?” JJ asked.

“It’s too fucking hot. I’m going to step out for a sec.” You paused before saying, “Come with.”

Pope began to get up, too, but Kiara stopped him, hissing something in his ear. 

JJ followed you out, falling in step with you as you made your way into the cool night air. Your pace was slow, unhurried, unbothered by anything right now, because everyone you cared about was safe. 

But, that thought from earlier in the day, that regret, still remained. You looked at JJ and he offered you a shy smile, offering you his hand and quirking an eyebrow in question. You took his hand, your arms brushing against each other as you walked.

“I almost didn’t recognize you today. You look like a right kook.”

You wrinkled your nose. “That’s offensive.”

JJ shoved your shoulder with his. “No, that’s not what I meant. You look great. For real. You look like the goddamn outer banks sunset threw up all over you. I mean that in the best way possible.” His eyes sparkled with eagerness. 

You smiled at his attempt at complimenting you. “I’ll take it as such. Thank you, JJ. You looked nice in your disguise, too.”

“Nah, it was too stuffy for me.”

“That’s ‘cause you probably haven’t had a smoke in a hot minute.”

JJ snorted. “That could be it.” 

You were quiet for a moment, just walking, stealing glances at each other. “JJ,” You said, stopping. 

He stopped, too, turning towards you. “Yeah?”

“You remember all those chick flicks John B used to drag us to on the weekends? The ones where the heroine would be all ‘my world revolves around you’ and ‘I can’t breathe without you’ and ‘you give my life meaning’ and all that?”

JJ scrunched his nose. “How could I forget that kind of trauma?”

You stepped closer to him, taking both of his hands in yours. “I’m only going to say this once, we are never to speak of it again and if anyone asks I will deny it.”

JJ choked on a laugh. “Alright, Trouble, you have my attention. I’m listening.”

“That’s just it, J. You have my attention. All of it. All the time. Those romantic movies are the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen. They’re absolutely, clinically insane. I don’t get it and I probably never will. All I know is that when I’m drowning, you’re the first person I think about. I know that you’re the only one who has ever seen that I’m so incredibly fucked up and not wanted to fix my behavior. I know that when you’re hurt, which is way too often, I go absolutely batshit with worry, seriously it’s a problem. I know that, especially recently, I can’t stand the sight of you macking on anyone.”

JJ looked like he was losing control, and you hoped that it wasn’t in a bad way. His breaths were coming faster and his hands gripped yours tight. “What are you saying, Trouble?”

“Isn’t it obvious? I’m saying I’m in love with you, JJ.” JJ's face broke into a blinding smile, encouraging your words. “I can’t promise you that I love you like in John B’s movies—”

“--Thank God.”

“--But I can promise that the way I love you is crazy in its own right. The good kind of crazy. I’m still scared. God, I’m still so scared, JJ. I don’t know how to do this. I’m still so afraid that I’m going to fuck up in some way. So that’s why I’m tell you this now.” You held his face in your hands, pulling him close so that he would hear your words, really hear them. “If you let me love you, I swear on poguelife that as long as it’s in my hands, I will never make a decision that will hurt you. That I promise you.”

You noticed JJ tearing up. He swiped his eyes with his thumb. “Fuck, dude, you’re making me cry.” He laughed tearfully, bringing his hands to rest on your waist and leaning his forehead on yours. “I know, dude. Everything you’re telling me--I know. I know you’re scared. I’ve never seen you scared of anything, even though you really should be, but this scares you. But I love you, yeah?” 

You nodded, biting your lip against the tears.

“Trust that. Please, even if you trust nothing else, trust that I love you. Because it’s where I put my faith. Kie tried to take me to church once, but man I don’t think I have ever had anything nearly as religious as how I feel about you, Y/N. It’s constant. It-it centers me. It grounds me. So if we’re going to do this, you have to promise me something.”

“Two promises in one day? You’re getting greedy there, Maybank.”

“It’ll be worth it,” he assured you, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear.

“Then it’s done.”

“You have to promise me that if you get scared, you’re going to talk. You’re not going to run, you’re going to talk to me and we’re going to figure it out together, yeah?”

“Done. Can I kiss you now?” 

“Fuck, yes. 

And then you heard the screams.

Masterlist

Tag List (If there is a strike through your user it’s bc I couldn’t tag you bc tumblr is wack sometimes…)

@hurricane-abigail @omigodyall​ @timotaychalabae​ @kaelyn-lobrutto24​@caswinchester2000​ @meghanisdeadinside​ @harrysbbby​ @official-maddibrown @xdelicates@maybebanks@yourwonderbelle @treestarrrrrrrr @loco-latte@sspidermanss@theradvibes @eviction-notice-no666@screamingnewsies @the-fandom-life-forever @dolanfivsosxox@vibin-n-thrivin @em-aesthe  @the-real-jort @riverdaleserpent04@free-pool-trash @mileven-reddie @drewswannabegirl@queen1054 @eternalharry@alwayshopelesss @superqalifragilistik@smileyxdolans@fangirling-all-day @dianaillusion@catonthesideoftheroad @darling-im-not-okay-i-promise​ @thelovelydreamer17 @http-cherries​ @pit-zuh​ @kisssmefree​ @starryblueeyesandstarryblueskies​ @outerbankstings​ @oliviadrake1​ @pancakefancake​ @haharudy​ @truthdaze​

I’m also kind of new to tagging and rlly bad at it so if something is wrong, I’m sorry and pls let me know and I’ll try my best to fix it!

I also lost my updated tag list i’m so dumb so let me know if I told you i would tag you and i didn’t oop

Stay safe and stay healthy!

[nataliedanovelist]

GF - Shards of Glass 1/2

After over thirty years, Ma is getting paid a visit, all thanks to the persuasion of a sweater-making, pig-loving teenager. A loud HAPPY BIRTHDAY for Stanley and Stanford Pines, born June 15th 19?? (who cares?) Part 2 will be posted on June 30th to conclude the celebration of their existence. So stay tuned!

@thestanbros

~~~~~~~~~~

Mabel had never been on a plane before.

Well, okay, that wasn't entirely true; she had been on an airplane before, but she was so little back then and she didn't remember it now, so to her brain this was her first time on a plane, and she didn't like it much. She had to chew on gum the whole time to keep from getting a headache and the WiFi was too slow to function, so she daydreamed about the summer ahead as she watched the clouds roll by and imagined shapes.

Once, when she and Dipper were really little, maybe four or five, they had flown down to Ma Pines' house all the way in New Jersey for a holiday. Probably Thanksgiving since Mabel only had three memories of that trip. She remembered yummy sweet potatoes with marshmallows that she ate as much as she was allowed, she remembered the distinct smell of the flat, and she remembered…

"Attention passengers, we will be arriving in Glass Shard, New Jersey in five minutes. Please remain seated until instructed to exit the plane, and as always thanks for flying with us at…"

"Dipper, we're here!" Mabel cheered and checked her phone, her other hand busy petting a disturbed Waddles on her lap. By the time a message would load to her great uncles they would already be in front of them, so there was no point in sending a text to alert them of the arrival. "This is so exciting! A whole month sailing with my three favorite people in the world!"

"I'm so excited to see all the anomalies the guys were talking about." Dipper said, looking up from his special journal to smile at his twin. "Maybe we'll see a real adlet!"

"But first I wanna see where Grunkle Stan and Ford grew up!" Mabel piped in. "Maybe we'll see the cave where they found the Stan O' War!"

"Maybe," Dipper said, unsure how true that word was. "But don't you think they might not want to stay very long? I wouldn't be surprised if they want to set sail as soon as we get there."

"But what about their mom?" Mabel asked. "Don't they want to see her?"

Dipper looked down at the silver pinetree on his blue book. Their great-grandmother was a tough old bird (as Grandpa Shermie called her) and was still going in her early nineties. Grant it, she didn't do much besides give an occasional palm reading to keep herself busy, but she was definitely still around. Grandpa Shermie was good about staying in touch with her from what Dad said, and Dad called her every Sunday, but she was still relatively lonely due to the fact that her husband was gone (good riddance) and two of her sons hadn't spoken to her in thirty years. ("Stanford" had been very quiet during Stanley's funeral, had refused to attend Filbrick's, and when Grunkle Stan saw Dipper and Mabel being born he left just before Ma arrived at the hospital.) While a visit was way overdue, it might be too little too late.

"I'm sure they want to see her," Dipper finally said as he looked back up at Mabel. "But it might be too hard, now. And not just for them, you know? How would she take it? Would she even believe them?"

Mabel's attitude dropped a little bit more. She shrugged and scratched the spot Waddles can never reach. "I dunno… Dad took the news okay."

Dipper smiled. When their parents' had gotten Mabel's letter their mother didn't believe them, but their father took them seriously and only shrugged and said, "Yup, that sounds like my uncles, alright."

"I think it's a good idea to see Ma, but let's not pressure them, okay?" Dipper settled on.

"Don't worry, Bro-Bro." Mabel said confidently. "It'll all work out. Oo! Look, look, look! We're here! Look, Dipper, look!"

"Okay okay, I'm looking." Dipper chuckled as they both watched the ground come closer and closer, the plane landing safely on the runway and gliding peacefully.

~~~~~~~~~~

Ford had always been more collected and self-contained of the dynamic duo; this became apparent as he was able to stand perfectly calm in the airport with his hands on the pockets of his blue jacket while Stan tapped his foot impatiently and checked his phone every minute, even though he never received a notification or heard a ringtone. Ford smiled and came up with a joke to poke the bear with. "Well well, has Stanley Pines truly gone soft for two teenagers?"

"Shaddup." Stan growled but smiled back nonetheless.

"You know, a watched pot never boils. Just relax."

"I ain't worried or nothing, Poindexter," Stan defended. "Sorry that an uncle's excited to see his kids!"

"I'm happily anticipating their arrival, as well," Ford chuckled. "I'll admit it, Mabel's idea of sailing with us is a fantastic one. Why in the Multiverse she wanted to go so badly she felt compelled to beg for a month straight…"

"Believe it or not, the kids like us." Stan lightly punched his shoulder. "I'm sure all they want is to be stuck on a boat with two cool old men for a month with nothing but fish and an occasional monster for company."

"And a pig."

Stan snorted. "I try to forget that naked jerk."

"And we all know how great of a job you…" Ford cut himself off, turning red and fearing he had crossed a line, but Stan laughed loudly and slapped his knee.

"Okay okay, you got me there…"

"Stanley,"

"What?"

Just as Stan turned around, his eyes landed on the two most precious things in the world: a boy in a ushanka and navy blue vest with a green t-shirt and blue jeans, a journal in his hands and a large backpack on his shoulders, and a girl with shoulder-length brown hair kept back with a red headband, wearing a purple sweater with a big pink heart that held a golden fish and a golden six-fingered hand, a pig in her arms and a huge suitcase just busting at the seam with sweaters and arts n' crafts supplies.

Mabel grinned with teeth free of braces and tears in her eyes and let Waddles down so they could all run freely. Stan broke into a run for his pumpkin and ignored the squealing pig that arrived at him first by a split second, little hooves on his jeans and button eyes requesting cuddles. Stan scooped Mabel up into his arms and held her tight, her arms wrapped around his neck and her face in his shoulder. Dipper was at his legs in an instant and hugged him, not bothering to pretend it's a chokehold or a means to make the old guy trip and fall. Stan freed an arm to keep him close, and not even a second after Dipper joined the hug Ford was by his brother's side and Dipper adjusted to hug him, too.

Stan heard a small sniff and rubbed Mabel's back. "Sweetie, you're not crying, are you?"

Mabel lifted her head up from his shoulder to look at him, wiping away the tears on her cheeks and eyes. "N-No…" Her smile unwavering through her white lie.

Stan chuckled warmly and put her down next to her twin. "Alright, let us get a good look at you two."

"You've seen us at least once a week." Dipper reminded him. They video-chatted constantly and there wasn't a day they didn't exchange an email or a text message.

"This is different, now shaddap and let me work through my cataracts." Stan and Ford looked at the kids hungrily, who was looking back at them just the same, as if they couldn't absorb each other's appearances enough. Which was probably true. "You've both gotten taller."

"I'm taller than Mabel now!"

"By one milometer!"

"Now don't get short with your brother." Ford said with a smile, making every laugh, including Mabel, who shrugged with a "whatcha gonna do" atmosphere to it.

"And your teeth look amazing, pumpkin!" Stan commented; back in March she had gotten the braces removed and admitted to being unsure if her teeth looked good enough, but they dazzled beautifully when she grinned and apart from a painful reminder that she was growing up, Stan was pleased with the new change.

"And the pictures and video don't do your hair justice. You look beautiful." Ford got on one knee and ruffled her hair, making her giggle and playfully swat his hand away. "I must ask, was there a reason for the new hairstyle, or did you simply fancy trying something new?"

"Let's just say an arts n' crafts accident didn't leave me much choice." Mabel said with a wink.

"She set her hair on fire and we had to cut off the dead ends." Dipper spoiled.

"Dipper! I gotta keep some secrets! It makes me look cool and mysterious!"

"No more secret, sweetie." Stan laughed alongside her.

"And Dipper, my boy, you've certainly grown up a lot since we've last seen you." Ford noted as he stood back up.

"Yeah, who gave you permission to look more manly and junk?"

Dipper rolled his eyes at Grunkle Stan's comment, but Mabel chimed in first. "He's already grown five chest hairs! I bet he named them, too."

"I did not!"

"He won't let me see, though…"

"Last time you saw my chest hair you put it in your scrapbook!"

"That's cuz it was your first, Dip-Dip. The rest aren't as special."

The uncles laughed at the kids' playful bickering and Stan took Mabel's suitcase and they ventured out of the airport with Waddles in Mabel's arms.

With the airport being on the furthest side of town from the beach, Stan flagged down a cab and they piled in for the docks. The entire car-ride they filled each other in on their lives, the kids talking about school and the adults giving brief summaries of some of their adventures. Waddles moved from Mabel's lap to Stan's, and without a single comment and only funny looks from the others, Stan scratched the pig as he talked and listened.

At long last the cab pulled up to the docks and the kids ran out, tired of sitting after a six-hour flight and a twenty-minute car ride, while Ford paid for the ride. The younger set of twins raced to the boat they had only seen pictures of and marveled at the vessel before them. Already showing signs of harsh weather and tons of love, the Stan O' War II stood strong on the gentle sea salt waves, the white letter shining in the early-afternoon sun. With a cozy cabin with a downstairs bedroom and an upstairs everything room, a hardtop for astronomy and sunbathing, and a big enough cockpit for the small family, the Stan O' War II had been an excellent home for the old pair of twins and the younger pair of twins were excited to live here for the first half of summer.

"There she is, kids!" Stan said proudly, a hand on Dipper's shoulder. "This ole girl survived Fiji Monkeys, sirens, and five different krakens. It's completely and totally safe." And then a piece of the antenna for the TV fell off.

"Grunkle Stan, if we can survive in the Mystery Shack for an entire summer, I think we'll be fine here." Dipper said while Mabel ran up to the boat and climbed up with Ford behind her.

"What do you think, my dear?"

"It's BEAUTIFUL!" Mabel squealed and hoisted Waddles up into the boat with them, her eyes sparkling with stars as she took in every detail. "I can't wait to get splinters and name all the moldy spots!"

"Unfortunately, there aren't any moldy spots yet." Ford chuckled. "But there are some craters in the wood that haven't been named."

"Leave that to Mabel!"

When Stan and Dipper joined them, the old men took the kids downstairs to the bedroom to unload their things and get situated. What once used to only hold a set of bunk beds and a dresser now also hosted a set of hammocks hooked to the wall and the dresser, one on top of the other for the kids. Mabel squealed with delight and snuggled into the lower one (still a little afraid of heights) and Dipper said, "Whoa, cool! Thanks, guys."

"Well, can't have you two gremlins sleeping out on deck, can we?" Stan asked. He clapped his hands together and declared, "Alright! You two get settled while Ford and I get us out at sea…"

Mabel sat up on her knees, her hands on the edge of the hammock. "Wait, Grunkle Stan! Aren't you gonna give us the grand tour?"

Stan shrugged. "It's a small boat. Not much to tour, kid."

"I mean Glass Shard Beach." Mabel pressed. "You could show us that old candy store and your swing-set and the boardwalk you used to play in!"

Ford looked over at his brother; while he could stomach saying here a little longer, he wasn't sure how comfortable Stan was taking a trip down memory lane, but then again Stan was always preaching about how "the past's in the past" and "old memories shouldn't stop us from making newer, better ones," but that didn't excuse the fact that Stan had been quick to suggest leaving the docks as soon as they picked up the kids and get the supplies they needed when they first arrived.

But Stan smiled, crossed his arms over his chest, and smirked, "I don't see why not? You cool with it, Sixer?"

Ford smiled at his family. "I think it's a wonderful idea. The boardwalk should be open, maybe the Freak Show is still there."

"Freak Show?! Let's go!" Mabel hopped out of her hammock and the four left the boat for town.

Walking alongside the beach and letting Mabel ride on Stan's shoulders, the kids got a good glimpse of the town. They eventually decide to walk into it on the way to the boardwalk, the old men wondering how much Glass Shard had changed.

It was an odd combination of "nothing changes" and "everything changes". The buildings were still the same, not much torn down or rebuilt, but the interiors were mostly updated or something completely different. They passed the Juke Joint and Stan found he couldn't ignore the growl in his stomach. Nothing but the staff had changed (and the prices had gone up due to inflation), the wall art and food and music still the same, but they had a fun time in the diner as the adults told the kids why What's New Kittycat wasn't an option in the jukebox.

After the late lunch, they were just about to enter the boardwalk when they spotted the candy store that mostly sold saltwater taffy, but they also sold jelly jeans, toffee peanuts, peanut brittle, and any kind of candy anyone could want. Though the store had been given a clean update since Ford and Stan were children, the candy was better than they remembered and they all filled their pockets with bags of sweets. Then they strolled along the Boardwalk and while they didn't play many games, the Stan-twins had a lot of fun telling stories that came along with each and every booth.

At the end, in a giant tent with a devil at the front, stood the Freak Show. Of course, none of the adults from the old men's childhood were still around, except for one muscular guy with tons of tattoos who growled at Mabel like an animal but then broke into a smile as she complimented his look and asked where she could get a cool tattoo of a headless seagull.

"Well, tear off my limbs and call me the next human pickle!" The very old tattoo guy said, his hair white and his skin in wrinkles, but his muscles still somehow very toned and his tattoos still clear as ever. "Good ole Six Fingers! How've you two been? These squirts normies?"

Dipper pulled off his hat and pushed back his bangs. "Who you calling normie?"

The whole tent gasped and a woman with hair growing all over her face said tearfully, "One of us."

"Yup, these little weirdos are Dipper and Mabel, our brother's grandkids." Stan introduced proudly.

"Aw, well ain't that swell!" A puppet said for it's puppeteer.

"So wait, you knew our great-uncles when they were kids?" Dipper asked the oldest weirdo.

"Tell us some embarrassing stories about them!" Mabel bugged, her hands on the guy's knee.

The old tattooed guy laughed. "Embarrassing?! Ha! Your uncles were cool little weirdos who made this dock more bearable! Nearly caught a devil at ten-years-old to boot!..."

"You did WHAT?!" The kids gasped at their beaming uncles.

"... Stan over there knew more swears than anyone else his age and Ford knew more secrets than anyone ever. Those two were hands-down the best pair of twins this side of the Mississippi!"

Ford, who was rosy in his cheeks, had his hands in his pockets and commented, "The Sibling Brothers would have loved to disagree."

"What who now?" Mabel asked.

"The worst pair of uptight dorks you would ever meet," Stan growled. "Ascot and Dickie. Blond-haired rich kids who claimed that no one solved a case quicker than them, but who found the Jersey Devil first, ey?!"

"You found WHAT?!"

"I wonder whatever happened to them." Ford pondered as he held his cleft chin.

"Who cares?" Stan said and motioned the kids out of the tent. "Now let's get outta here so I can show you what happens when a pelican eats a firecracker!"

"Stanley, no!"

"Stanley, YES!"

When the sun was setting beautifully on the ocean, the grunkles bought everyone some ice cream and they sat at the edge of the boardwalk to eat. At one point Stan got ice cream on his shirt with a small "Boo!" and had to leave to clean it off, but then got sidetracked and tried to cheat at a booth. Ford went over to rangle his brother, leaving the kids alone.

"Isn't this place great?" Mabel asked with Waddles licking her strawberry ice cream. "They were so lucky to grow up on a beach! Piedmont is so boring."

Dipper smiled at his sister and opened his mouth to respond, but something else caught his attention. A pair of look-alike kids were snickering and laughing as Grunkle Stan and Ford fought off a mean seagull that was trying to peek at the ice cream on Stan's chest. It was a cruel snicker, one the old men couldn't hear, but the kids could, only being a few feet away from them.

"What a couple of fools." The girl with short blonde curls laughed with a slight English accent.

"And does that one have six fingers?" The boy sneered with peering eyes, his hair greased and parted down the middle. "Ugh."

"Hey, hey!" Dipper snapped and stood up, pointing at the rude pair of siblings. "Shut it." He said darkly.

The boy scoffed with a cheeky smile. "Or what? What does it matter to you?"

"Yeah, you leave Grunkle Stan and Ford alone!" Mabel demanded, standing by her brother's side.

"Wait," The girl looked back at the old men, still fighting off the bird, and she cackled a mean laugh. "Six fingers? Rags for clothes? Stan and Ford? Are you the Pines family?"

Dipper and Mabel glared at them. "Yeah? So what?"

"I haven't heard that name since Uncle Ascot and Uncle Dickie told us about how they conquered the Jersey Devil and tricked some monsters to make the boys run away crying." The boy marveled.

Dipper and Mabel glared daggers at the kids, ready to snap at them, but a pair of adults came up behind the mean kids and a voice said coldly, "Bernard, Silvia, play nicely."

Mabel snickered. "Bernard…"

Dipper looked at the men who were around Ford and Stan's age. Their blond hair was freckled with gray, one of the men had a twirly mustache and wore a red and brown sweater-vest combo while the other was clean-shaved and wore a blue polo with khakis. Their blue eyes were cold and mean, and Mabel and Dipper instantly didn't like them. Ascot and Dickie smiled maliciously; these kids looked nearly identical to those pains in their sides. "I see twins run in your family, as well, do they?"

"Excellent deduction, Dickie." His brother commented. "My my my, I didn't think this town could get any worse, but here we are. Once again terrorized by the discount Mystery Twins."

"Hey!" Mabel snapped. "We're awesome! Our grunkles are the best! They go on super cool adventures all the time!"

Meanwhile Stan kicked the seagull away, making it squawk and dive for his red beanie. While Stan grabbed his hat in time and tugged, Ford grabbed the bird and pulled furiously.

Ascot and Dickie rolled their eyes in unison. "We can see that."

Huffing and puffing, Ford and Stan walked up to their kids while Stan readjusted his beanie and smiled down at the best pair of Mystery Twins he knew. "Kids, if we hurry we might make it to…"

Ford's eyes widened and then narrowed darkly. "No. Way."

"What? What…" Stan looked up and growled like an angry bulldog, a hand on Dipper and Mabel's shoulder instinctively. "Oh, great. You two."

"And so the Pines twins come crawling back, eh?" Ascot snorted. "I do hope the mysterious findings out in the West have served you well, Stanford, as you preached it would." He and his family looked up and down at their faded jeans and gruff stature.

"Clearly not." Dickie and the let slip his downfall. "And here I thought your family couldn't sink any lower."

He screamed as a pig bit his ankle and Stan stole the moment of weakness for his advantage, punching the old jerk in the face and Dickie slapping him in return, the two getting into a fight. The moment Stan punched Dickie, Ascot nearly punched Stan in retaliation, but Ford jumped him and started rolling on the docks with him. Mabel shrugged and pulled on Silvia's hair and punched her on the cheek while Bernard and Dipper began slapping each other.

And that was how Stan and Ford ended up fleeing from the cops with a teenager in their arms. Stan had to pull Mabel off of the girl like an angry cat at the sound of the sirens and Ford carried Dipper merely because the old scientist was much faster than the boy.

Luckily no one was hurt, aside from some bruises on their limbs from fighting, but Silvia had grabbed Mabel's arm awkwardly at some point during the fight and her long nails scratched Mabel's skin, actually just deep enough to make a bead or two of blood. So Ford sat Mabel on the table, her sleeve rolled up, while he tried to disinfect her injury, but Mabel kept pulling away and whimpering at the painful medicine.

"Mabel, please, you're worse than Stanley was." Ford said to ease the situation.

Mabel smiled and gripped his hand a little tighter as the medicine stung her arm. Ford then quickly wrapped it up as he scolded. "And really Stanley, you couldn't have controlled your temper?"

"You're one to talk, you jumped Ascot!"

"He was about to attack you!"

"Whatever, you were both awesome!" Dipper cheered.

"Yeah! Did you see the black eyes Dickie had!" Mabel laughed. "He'll be avoiding cameras for weeks!"

"Who says it never ends well to see old friends?" Stan asked and opened the cabinet to get started on a late dinner.

Over baked beans and hotdogs, or Beanies and Weenies as the Pines called them, Stan and Ford shared their plan with Dipper and Mabel, the map laid out on the table and the trail through Canada's islands written in pencil. The kids were beyond excited. The plan was actually pretty straightforward; they were all going home to Gravity Falls together. After first exploring Boston (mostly so the nerds in the family could geek about American History), they were going up north past Prince Edward Island and the Gulf of St. Lawrence, crossing the Labrador Sea for the Baffin Bay, passing the Cornwallis, Bathrust, and Melville Islands, sailing over the Beaufort Sea, down through the Chukchi Sea, and dipping around Alaska and down south for America until they arrived at Florence so the Stan O' War II could rest for whatever remained of summer.

"This looks incredible!" Dipper said, eyeing the newspaper articles on monsters around Canada and the foggy photographs that accompanied it.

"I'm so excited!" Mabel cheered, shoving her cheeks full of Beanies and Weenies.

"Then we'll head out first thing tomorrow!" Stan declared.

"Actually, can we go see Ma first?"

It was like a record had screeched horribly. Stan's whole body tensed, his jaw was tighter, and he was gripping his spoon much tighter than necessary. Ford, however, looked like he was caving in himself, like an animal curling up in fear to hide, his back hunched over and his head a bit lower. Dipper glared at his sister. "Mabel," He hissed in his warning tone.

"What?" Mabel asked gently. "I miss her. It'd be good to see her again, don't you think?"

"Well yeah, but…"

"I didn't know you had met her." Ford mumbled with a soft smile.

Mabel grinned. "Yeah! We talked on the phone sometimes when Dad would call. And we went to see her once. She loves us! She's super cool! She's the one that told me I'd one day marry a really handsome guy."

"She only said that cuz you wouldn't quit begging her to read your palm." Dipper sneered with a smile. "You know all her fortunes were fake, right?"

"The love behind them wasn't." Mabel insisted. "Come on, can't see just go say hello? We're already here, we might as well. She'd be so surprised!"

"I don't think that's a good idea, my dear." Ford said quietly.

"Why not?" Mabel asked gently.

"Well… given everything that has happened… it would just be very difficult."

"So is defeating a triangle demon, but you guys did it together, didn't you?" Mabel said with a soothing smile. She covered one of Ford's polydactyl hands and squeezed it reassuringly. "I know it'll be hard, but I think we should go see her? Don't you want to say hello?"

"Of course I do." Ford said quickly. "She's my mother, but…" His eyes went to Stan, suddenly concerned about something. "Stanley, you've been very quiet."

Mabel looked at her hero to find him engulfed in shame. She wondered if he had looked like that after Ford was lost behind the portal. He held his head with one hand, his elbows on the table, and the strong grunkle she knew resembled a tired old man too much for her liking. Mabel's heart dropped when she came to the conclusion that she caused that pain. "Grunkle Stan…"

"Look, it's no secret I did a bad job of staying in touch with her even before the portal business." Stan started with. "I definitely went months without a payphone for her."

"You're not the only one to blame." Ford sighed. "I hardly called her when I was in college and nothing changed when I moved to Gravity Falls. Fiddleford was actually the one who encouraged me to call her one day the summer before… before everything happened. That was the last time I spoke to her."

"Yeah well, I kept that character trait in my portrayal of you, Sixer." Stan growled, his anger at himself. "You know her; she's too smart. One long look at me and she would've known who I was. You can't fool the best conwoman in New Jersey. So I just straight-up avoided her. I didn't even go to Pa's funeral and showed up early to see you two gremlins being born, all so I could avoid her. And I would've been too tempted to dance on someone's grave if I had gone to the funeral." He added.

"Stanley,"

"Kidding, that was a joke. The point is, just popping in after all these years seems too little too late in my book. So, no. sorry, but we're not going."

"Grunkle Stan," Mabel said as soft as a kitten and got down from the table to stand next to him. "I'm sure Ma would wanna see you."

"I don't think so, sweetie…"

"That's not true." Mabel said firmly. "She loves you both. All moms love their kids, no matter how many stupid mistakes they make, or how old and grunkly they get." She added, making Stan crack a smile that didn't last long. "It doesn't matter how mad our mom would be, she'd still wanna talk to us. She even forgave Dipper for breaking her favorite mug."

"Geez, it's been five years…"

"And you still haven't replaced it, Dip-Dip." Mabel said and focused her attention on both of the old guys. "If you two really don't think you can go see Ma, it's okay. We don't have to go. But I think you guys want to go, and you two need to go. She needs to know the truth, she needs to know you're okay, and even if she doesn't take it well, at least you can say you tried and you won't have to worry about it anymore."

Stan and Ford's eyes flickered to each other to use that awesome twin-telepathy they had or whatever. Or maybe they were just close enough to be able to read minds with a single facial expression to go off of. Either way, Stan gently ruffled Mabel's hair with a smile and said, "Alright, we'll go see Ma tomorrow after breakfast."

Mabel wanted to cheer and shout and punch the air victoriously, but she managed to catch herself in time and only allowed a quiet "yes!" before hugging Grunkle Stan and saying, "I'm so proud of you guys." She quickly hugged Ford before returning to her dinner, choosing to ignore the star-struck looks on the old men's faces.

~~~~~~~~~~

A few hours later and Mabel was sitting criss-cross in her hammock, wearing pajamas while knitting. The gentle clicking of her needles harmonized with the gentle rocking of the waves and her grunkle's humming from the tiny bathroom. Dipper was above her, reading a book quickly before bed, and when Stan emerged from the bathroom in his boxers and undershirt, taking his gray hair damp with a towel, and saw that his twin wasn't preparing for bed, he growled, "Sixer, do I have to drug you again?! Get down here!"

"I'm coming!" Ford called back.

Stan rolled his eyes. "Yeesh. You kids settled in okay?"

"Yeah," Dipper said casually.

"I love these hammocks!" Mabel said, rocking hers a little with joy. "Maybe we should replace the mattresses at the Shack with these!"

Stan chuckled as he threw his towel at the foot of the bunk bed and he noticed the beautiful deep violet yarn in his niece's lap. "Whatcha workin' on, Mabel? 'Nother sweater?"

"Yup!" Mabel said proudly to show a thick and cozy purple sweater that was a little more detailed than her usual creations. While this one lacked any pictures or designs, the sleeves had been woven with a special pattern down the arm and the wrists and neck were so thick and fluffy they resembled odd clouds you could sink into. "I wanna show Ma how much better I've gotten since she taught me."

Surprisingly, the mention of his mother made Stan smile, not frown. Ford came down the stairs just in time to hear Mabel say that, and they both smiled tiredly at their niece. "I didn't know she taught you how to knit."

"Oh yeah," Mabel said with a nod and resumed her work. "When Dipper and I were four or five we visited her for Thanksgiving with Mom and Dad and Grandma and Grandpa. I don't remember much about it, but I remember the delicious sweet potatoes with marshmallows, the flat's smell, and that Ma taught me how to knit. Mom and Dad and Grandma were busy in the kitchen and didn't want my help (I still have no idea why), and Grandpa Shermie had fallen asleep while watching the parade. Ma sat in this rocking chair, and at first I thought she was a witch and doing magic, making two shiny sticks click together to make something, but Ma laughed and explained what she was doing and asked if I wanted to do it, too. So she let me sit on her lap and follow her hands as we made a really pretty blanket until dinner was ready. Ma even let me take some yarn and a pair of needles home with me, and I haven't stopped knitting since."

Stan smiled, sitting on the bottom bunk. "That's really cool, sweetie."

Ford, who had slipped into the bathroom to change into his blue flannel pajamas, called from the other side of the door, "She will love a Mabel Pines original."

"Thanks. I hope so." Mabel inspected her work and gave a quick nod of approval before packing it away in her suitcase and curling up for bed.

One by one everyone settled down. Ford emerged with clean teeth and pajamas and climbed up to his bed, putting his glasses up on a shelf by his head. Dipper turned off the lamp on top of the dresser, leaving only Stan's nightstand-lamp on, and he set his book down and began to settle. Stan was just about to turn off his lamp, but Mabel sat up and gasped, "Wait! You guys! Tell us about the Jersey Devil!"

Dipper sat up excitedly and sided with his twin. "Yeah! When were you gonna tell us that one, anyways?"

Stan shrugged with a cheeky smile and Ford chuckled. "Oh come on, you don't wanna hear about the first pair of Mystery Twins." Stan teased, waving the idea away.

"Yeah we do!" Dipper argued with a grin. "Come on!"

"It can even be our bedtime story!" Mabel suggested, snuggling into her blankets and smiling at her uncle with those adorable eyes and cheeks no man was immune to.

"How old are you again?"

"Oh, just tell them, Stanley."

"Alright alright," Stan rubbed his hands together with a toothy grin and wiggled his fingers to begin the story. "The year was 1960-something in Glass Shard Beach, New Jersey. Summer had just started, but before we could figure out which urban legend to hunt down that day, Pa called for Stanford and was really mad about something…"

"Now, hold on, Stanley." Ford said, sitting up a little from lying on his front and listening to his brother's story. "Pa called for both of us! In fact, we called for 'Stan Pines' but we both knew that meant he wanted us both."

"What?!" Stan gasped, pretending to be offended. "Me, innocent and perfect, being angrily called? Never!"

Dipper and Mabel laughed, not sure if Stan had ever truly been innocent, and so from that point forward the elder twins told the story together, interrupting each other with corrected versions of the story and doubling the runtime, but the kids weren't complaining. Hearing about the old Freak Show, killing the Sibling Brothers, and basically acting how Dipper and Mabel would act on a search for the devil, was hands-down the best bedtime story in the history of bedtime stories, and by the time they had gotten to the part where Shanklin the Stab-Possum saved the day, Waddles was asleep on Stan's bed and the kids were shiny-eyed.

"And that's how Stanley and I ended up grounded for the summer." Ford concluded with, adding in a shrug. "To be honest, we didn't even mind. Solitary confinement is't so bad with the right prison mate. Pa was angry when Stan confessed, but I think some small part of him appreciated the honesty. I guess I'll never know."

"And that's when you two knew you'd be adventuring together for the rest of your lives and everyone lived happily ever after!" Mabel cheered.

Ford laughed at her adorable nature and commented, "I suppose we did."

"Alright, everyone get some shut eye." Stan gruffed as he laid down, gently pushing Waddles out of the way so he could rest his legs, but all that did was cause the pig to trot up to his hand and lay underneath it for sleep. "G'night."

Three voices returned the wish for pleasant dreams and Stan turned off the lamp. The room was soon filled with the gentle snores of the four Pines, escaping into a world entirely their own.

[theoddcatlady]

Washed Overboard

“Jesus Christ, Anna, get your nose out of the book, we’re about to go snorkeling!”

I responded how I normally did to my sister- I raised my middle finger without tearing my eyes from the pages. I heard Rose gasp before she ran back to mom, whining about how I flipped her the bird and was being antisocial again.

Hey. My family dragged me away from my weekend of reading in my room where it was quiet and peaceful. My plans hadn’t changed even if the location had. On the ocean. Where my brother and his girlfriend were constantly making out below deck and you couldn’t get my older sister out of the water for more than ten minutes.

I heard my dad’s stride approach me before a pair of large hands covered my eyes. “Anna, did you flip off your sister again?” He asked.

I struggled free and set down the book, putting a bookmark in place. “There’s no photographic evidence,” I said before turning in my seat to look at him. “Are you seriously going to force me to snorkel?”

“Noooooo… but I’ll take you to a bookstore once we’re back home if you do.”

The cruelest of bribery. I chewed my bottom lip as I contemplated it before I said, “And we name the boat ‘The Midlife Crisis’?”

I got a gentle smack on the back of the head for that.

“Worth a shot.”

I got into my swimsuit and stood awkwardly near the edge, crossing my arms over my chest. Rose bounced over, grinning like a Cheshire cat. “Yippee! You’re gonna love it sis. It’s SO gorgeous out here!” She trilled before she jumped in. The water was practically her second home.

On the other hand, I totally believe if God meant us to swim, he would’ve given us fins. And that says something considering I’m an atheist.

I took a deep breath before I dived in after her.

The water wasn’t too cold at least, Rose was already swimming off watching the coral below. I floated in place for a while, not moving an inch.

“Anna! You drowning?”

I shot a thumbs up above the water before I started paddling my feet. Rose was so graceful in the water, each movement smooth and calculated. The fish got close to her, unafraid of her because she was unafraid of them.

I screamed when a smaller fish darted closer to me. It darted off and hid. Yeah. I’m a little scared of fish. Just a little.

I was beginning to wonder when was the appropriate time to return to the boat when at the corner of my eye I caught a dark shape floating. A human dark shape floating.

I popped my head up, my heart pounding in my chest. Had something happened to Rose? I ripped off the goggles and started paddling to the body.

Closer I got confirmed it wasn’t Rose. It was a man. Too tanned to be my pasty white dad or sunburned brother, but they weren’t moving. Frantically, I paddled faster, screaming for Rose or my dad for help. I reached him and turned him over.

He wasn’t rotting. He was still warm to the touch. Also, bad time to notice, but he was really hot. And naked.

Rose popped up next to me, her eyes bulging from her skull. “Holy shit! Is he dead?!”

“I don’t think so, come on, I can’t drag him back to the boat myself!” I grunted as I attempted to do so, only succeeding in pushing my head below the water.

Thankfully Rose had been a lifeguard for the past two summers running. She knew how to do this. We dragged the unconscious man up to the ship, yelling for dad to help. Both him and my mom grabbed a hold of the guy and pulled him onto the deck. By the time I got my flippers kicked off and I climbed onboard Rose was already performing CPR.

I shook my head as Leo finally joined us above deck, his girlfriend Claire discreetly adjusting her bikini top behind him. He was so dead. The success rate of CPR was way lower than the movies and the TV shows would have you believe. Ick. I checked out a dead guy.

Water spurted from the guy’s mouth and he sat up in a shot. I screamed and nearly toppled overboard as I scrambled backward. The man gasped, his eyes wide as he rested a hand on his chest. His eyes darted from person to person. Rose sighed with relief. “Welcome back to the living,” She said, patting his shoulder.

This is when we all consecutively noticed how very naked he was. My mom quickly tossed him a towel to cover his ‘decency’ and my dad got him to a chair to sit down. He seemed very out of it, not surprised given he was probably just about to head into that good old white light before we fished him out of the ocean.

“Sis, get the first aid kit. And maybe dad’s spare trunks,” Rose said as she sat with him.

Of course I was reduced to running girl. Not like I found him or anything. By the time I returned to deck, he seemed more focused and was talking coherently.  His bright green eyes focused on me as I walked up, holding out the swim trunks. I felt my face grow a bit warm and I cleared my throat. “So, did you see a white light or anything?” I asked.

Rose groaned and face palmed. “That’s my sister Anna, she’s the one who found you. She doesn’t know how to talk like a normal person,” She said.

The man chuckled and took the swim trunks, resting them on his lap. Damn, he had great thighs. Focus on his face. On. His. Face. “Eh, I can’t remember if I did or not. Thank you, Anna. I don’t know how much longer I would’ve lasted out there,” He said. Damn, his voice was sexier than his ripped bod.

Seriously! Focus!

I cleared my throat a few times and shrugged. “I mean, I’m not gonna leave you for the sharks. What’s your name?”

“Christopher. My name is Christopher.”

Despite nearly drowning, Christopher seemed to show no ill effects, only taking an Advil for the headache he had. And my whole family immediately fell in love with him. Particularly Rose.

Especially Rose.

“Here’s dinner,” My dad said as he plopped the steaks in front of us. Christopher seemed uninterested in dinner. Same with Rose. They were… very interested in each other, their eyes not breaking contact and their hands clutched together.

Mom pressed her lips together. “Chris? Rose? Are you hungry?” She asked, not so subtly hinting for them to break it up.

“Oh! Right!” Rose blushed and filled her plate while Chris raised a hand.

“I’ll pass. I’m not too hungry.”

Claire wrinkled her nose. “What were you doing out there anyway?” She asked.

Chris paused for a moment. “Oh, why I was out in the water?” He laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s embarrassing. I was on a boat with my friends last night, we were partying, and I guess I slipped. Ocean was rocking pretty roughly last night, I hit my head on the way down. I don’t know how I made it as long as I did,” He said.

“And you were walking around naked-” I cut off as Rose kicked my ankle.

Chris shrugged. “It was warm,” was his excuse. Rose giggled and set her head on his shoulder. Lucky her.

I focused on my steak dinner and let Chris continue chatting it up with my family. After I cleaned my plate I walked below deck, deciding now was the time to finish my book.

“Pssst! Anna!”

Claire poked her head from her room and gestured me in. Confused, I walked in. Claire was the same age as my little brother, sixteen, so there wasn’t much of a gap between us but she hardly seemed interested in talking to me. For a few seconds, Claire listened at the door before she sat on the bed.

“I think Christopher is full of shit.”

I nearly choked on my spit with how bluntly she delivered that. I pounded my chest before I sat down next to her. “What do you mean, full of shit?” I asked.

Claire rolled her eyes. “Please. He said he fell overboard last night. You didn’t find him until midafternoon. Yet his skin wasn’t wrinkled? Heck, he was still alive after being out there so long? And the ocean was hardly bad last night. I’m just saying it’s weird. Also. He was walking around naked last night. How convenient.”

Huh. I shifted my weight on the bed and frowned. “That’s… that’s a bit weird, yeah.” I heard a burst of laughter above deck, Christopher probably cracked another joke. “I don’t think he’s bad though. I mean, he’s been nice. Maybe he’s just embarrassed?”

Claire pursed her lips. “That’s what worries me even more. If he was out to sea last night with his friends, why the fuck hasn’t he asked for one of our cellphones to call them and tell them he’s okay? Why haven’t we heard on the radio that someone went overboard last night?”

Oh.

~*~

I couldn’t sleep that night. Christopher was sleeping on the top deck, dad was promising to take us all back to land tomorrow so we could reunite Christopher with his friends. Christopher laughed and said he’d kick their asses for not realizing he was gone.

Why did Claire have to make me all paranoid though?

I counted the waves splashing against my window. Maybe it would work like counting sheep and I’d be okay. One wave… two waves… three waves… a giant fucking splash…

Did Christopher fall overboard again? I kicked off the blankets and quick walked to the deck, my heart bouncing into my throat.

Rose was out there in her Hello Kitty pajamas, looking overboard. Her lips were in a perfect ‘o’ as she stared into the water. “How… I don’t understand, Christopher...” She said.

I heard Christopher’s voice, more melodic and soothing than ever. “Come with me, Rose. I can show you the reef in ways you’ve never imagined. You won’t have to leave the water again. And your chains with be of the beautiful silver and pearls.”

I was almost onto the deck myself when someone yanked my arm back below deck.

It was Claire, who’d gone white. “Cover your ears! Now!” She hissed, pointing to her own earplugs. I reached up, dazed, clapping my hands over my ears.

It was like a switch. What the fuck.

Claire dragged me further below deck, out of earshot of Christopher. “There’s more of them. Men, woman. I saw them swimming by the window,” She said, pulling out one earplug. “They’re all telling us to come overboard. I had to tie Leo to the bed with his t-shirt, he’s uber pissed.”

“What the actual shit is going on, Claire?!” I asked, glancing back up the stairs. I could still hear Christopher’s voice, not the words, just the tone.

Claire shook her head. She had no idea.

Oh no. Rose.

I pulled Claire’s earplugs from her and ran back above deck.

My parents were already up there, staring into the water. Rose was standing on the edge of the boat, completely naked except for the necklace I gave her last year. I could hear Christopher’s voice, with many others, talking to all of them.

I screamed Rose’s name at the top of my lungs. Rose jerked and turned around, seemingly trying to focus on my voice. “Rose! Get down from there! Please!” I screamed again, starting to run to her to pull her down.

My dad clubbed me over the head before I got too close. I hit the ground, my skull exploding in pain. I heard one splash. Two splashes. One of the earplugs rolled out of my ear. I heard Christopher again.

“Jump, Rose! Jump!”

I blacked out.

The next morning, when the sun started warming my face, I woke up, my head aching and Rose nowhere in sight. Neither was Christopher. I walked to the bench where he’d slept the night previous, the borrowed swim trunks were neatly folded on the seat.

I heard a splash and turned my head.

A scarlet, scaly tail slapped above the water, before a familiar head poked up. Christopher grinned up at me, gesturing for me to come closer.

I threw the swim trunks at his head before I ran below deck, screaming for my family.

Mom and dad were gone. Leo was gone. Claire was also gone. I was the only one left onboard. I walked back on deck. Christopher was already gone, along with his swim trunks.

I sunk to the ground, wrapping my arms around myself as I sobbed.

I was all alone. The only one not convinced to jump overboard.

[takemetotheriotofthestars]

Truth Revealed (Dead in the Water S1, Ep3, Pt3)

Supernatural Season 1 Episode 3 Part 3 Warnings: Minor character death.   Words: 3,342

Masterlist

“Sam, Dean, Y/n.” Andrea breathes once she sees the three of you including her father, enter her home. She stood up and placed a bag and a container on the chair she was sitting on. She had a surprised look on her face with a bit of confusion. “I didn't expect to see you here.” You and the boys were in the police station. “So now you're on a first-name basis. What are you doing here?” Her father replied as he walked towards his chair and sat down. “I brought you dinner.” She said, pointing to the container, the stern look on Jake’s face melted into a gentle expression. “I'm sorry, sweetheart, I don't really have the time.” He replied, frowning a bit at his answer. “I heard about Bill Carlton. Is it true? Is something going on with the lake?” Andrea couldn’t help but question everything she had been hearing throughout town. Gossip and rumors spread like wildfire. Her father sighs and leans back in his chair, rubbing a hand down his tired features. “Right now we don't know what the truth is. But I think it might be better if you and Lucas went on home.” Lucas whining caught yours and the brothers attention, he jumped up from his chair and tugged on the sleeve of your coat with a stricken face. He looked panicked. “Hey buddy” You say, grabbing his hand “It’s okay” You soothed, a reassuring smile on your face “It’s okay, Lucas.” Andrea pulled Lucas away from you before leading him outside, the whole time Lucas didn’t break eye contact with you until the door closed. Jake took off his jacket and gestured to the seats in front of you like the day before. “Okay, just so I'm clear, you see...something attack Bill's boat, sending Bill—who is a very good swimmer, by the way—into the drink, and you never see him again?” Jake asked, he looked up from his desk and stared at each of you with a poker face. Dean glanced at you and Sam before returning his eyes to the sheriff. “Yeah, that about sums it up.” Dean breathes, the three of you refused to sit down. “And I'm supposed to believe this, even though I've already sonar-swept that entire lake? And what you're describing is impossible? And you're not really Wildlife Service?” You and Dean stared at the man with surprise. “That's right, I checked. Department's never heard of you two.” He leaned forward, placing his hands on his desk. “See, now, we can explain that.” Dean offered, you rolled your eyes. How are you going to get out of this one? “Enough. Please.” Jake sighed, he looked down at his desk before locking eyes with each of you for a few seconds and then shifting to the next person. “The only reason you're breathing free air is one of Bill's neighbors saw him steering out that boat just before you did. So, we have a couple of options here. I can arrest you for impersonating government officials and hold you as material witnesses to Bill Carlton's disappearance. Or, we can chalk this all up to a bad day, you get into your car, you put this town in your rearview mirror, and you don't ever darken my doorstep again.” “Door number two sounds good.” You and Sam say in sync, a small smile on your face. “That's the one I'd pick.” Jake smiles. *** After you grabbed your bags and checked out of the motel room and drove far enough out of town, Dean stopped at an intersection. The light was green and there were no cars coming either way, none was behind you. You looked into the rearview mirror with a questioning gaze, Dean stared straight ahead and tapped his fingers on the wheel. “Green.” Sam says, Dean glances at his brother with confusion. “What?” Dean says, he blinks and shifts his attention when his brother gestured to the traffic light. “Light's green.” Sam says, Dean stares at it for a moment or two without looking away. “You know” You say, Sam shifts in his seat as he waited for his brother to press on the gas and leave the town in the rearview mirror. “Something doesn’t seem right.” You had a bad feeling in the pit of your stomach, the mystery of the case wasn’t solved and whatever was in that lake was obviously dangerous; it won’t stop until it gets what it wants or you kill it. “Nothing seems right about this case actually, it’s targeting specific people, not random.” Dean bites his lip unconsciously as he listens to what you have to say before he finally made the decision to turn right, back to town. “Uh, the interstate's the other way.” Sam says, you release a breath you didn’t know you were holding. You were relieved of Dean’s choice. “I know.” Dean replied, you leaned forward, putting your arms on the front seat. “But Dean, this job, I think it's over.” Sam looks at his brother with more confusion etched onto his face. You shake your head. “I’m not so sure about that” You say “I don’t think it’s over at all.” “If Bill murdered Peter Sweeney and Peter's spirit got its revenge, case closed. The spirit should be at rest.” Sam says, shifting his body so he could look at the both of you, his back rested against the door. “All right, so what if we take off and this thing isn't done? You know, what if we've missed something? What if more people get hurt?” Dean asks, he glanced at his brother before his eyes returned to the road, you nod your head in agreement. “I have a feeling it’s not over Sammy.” You say, he rolls his eyes at the way you said his name. “But why would you think that?” Sam asks, Dean doesn’t look at him. “Because Lucas was really scared.” “That's what this is about?” You bit your lip at Sam’s question. “I just don't want to leave this town until I know the kid's okay.” Dean replies, you nod. “Me too.” You add “He seemed really scared and it has to be related to our case, with all the clues he gave us...there’s not doubt about it.” Sam sighs and turns back in the seat so he’s facing the windshield. “Who are you? And what have you done with my brother?” Sam jokes, you roll your eyes before a smile settled on your face as Dean glances at his brother. “Shut up.” *** The Impala pulled in front of Andrea’s house, all the lights were off and it seemed eerily calm. Your eyes scanned the two story house, each window contained a dark room behind it. You looked at the driveway, Andrea’s car was in it. You exit the car with the boys following behind as you made your way up the steps. “Are you sure about this? It's pretty late, man.” Sam says, you rung the doorbell and not a second after that, Lucas opened the door with a terrified expression of his face. “Sweetie are you okay?” You ask, right after the words left your mouth Lucas took off into his house. Without any hesitation, you ran after him. You ran up the steps with the brothers on your tail, water squelched beneath your shoes as you made your way up. With the help of the moonlight coming through the windows, you saw water rushing through the crack of the door as Lucas pounded on it. You moved the boy aside as you watched Sam kick the door in before running into the bathroom. Lucas buried his face into your side as his hand clutched tightly onto your shirt. You ran your hand through his hair as you watched Sam reach into the tub and try to pull Andrea out. Whatever made her like this wouldn’t let go. With one final tug, Sam brought Andrea out of the tub. She gasped for air before coughing, your muscles relaxed and a sigh of relief escaped you as you watched her cough water out of her lungs. *** Hours after returning to the town and saving Andrea, dawn broke over the horizon and birds sung like nothing happened earlier. You sat on the couch in the living room as Andrea sat across from you. Her hair was dry and she wore comfortable clothing but yet her hands still shook from the event. Dean looked through journals on bookshelves for answers as Sam sat next to you. “Can you tell us?” Sam asked, Andrea shook her head as tears threatened to fall. “No.” She replied before she buried her face in her hands “It doesn't make any sense.” Her voice cracked. “I'm going crazy.” A sob escaped her. “No, you're not.” You reassured “Tell us what happened. Everything.” She slowly looked up, her eyes were red as tears trailed down her cheeks. “I heard…” She started before cutting herself off with a shake of her head “I thought I heard...there was this voice.”   “What did it say?” Sam asked, she looked between the two of you before gulping. “It said...it said 'come play with me'.” Another sob erupts from her throat as she placed her head in her hands. “What's happening?” You glanced away from her and watched Dean pull a scrapbook of off the shelf and flips through it. He pulls out a square photo and closes it before walking towards the three out you and sitting down. “Do you recognize the kids in these pictures?” Dean asks, Andrea looks down at the boy scout photo before looking back up with confusion. “What? Um, um, no. I mean, except that's my dad right there. He must have been about twelve in these pictures.” She points to a different picture of Jake as a child, he stood next to Peter. You and the brothers glanced at one another. “Chris Barr's drowning.” You say, your eyes were on the photo. “The connection wasn't to Bill Carlton. It must have been to the sheriff.” “Bill and the sheriff—they were both involved with Peter.” Sam says, he looks at you before shifting his eyes back to the picture. “What about Chris? My dad—what are you talking about?” Andrea asks with confusion, she shakes her head softly. You look around for the little boy, once your eyes spotted him, you relaxed a bit. Lucas stared out the window. “Lucas?” You asked, slowly standing up. “Lucas, what is it?” He doesn’t look at you as he opened the door next to the window and walked out into his backyard. You followed him as the others trailed behind you. “Lucas, honey?” Andrea said, you followed him to the edge of his yard and watched as he looked at the ground and to you. Your eyes trailed to the ground, something glinted in the sun. “You and Lucas get back to the house and stay there, okay?” You say, shifting your attention to Andrea. She nods and pulls back Lucas without question. You sigh as you listen to the brothers walk away and come back a few minutes later with shelves.  You step back and watch as the two of them dig, not long later Sam’s shovel hit something metal. You crouched and dug with your hands until you pulled out a red bicycle. “Wow.” You say at the same time as Sam said: “Peter's bike.” “Who are you?” You turn around at the same time as the brothers did and spotted Jake pointing a gun at the three of you. “Put the gun down, Jake.” Sam said, the brothers dropped their shovels before the three of you raised your hands in the air. “How did you know that was there?” Jake questions, you lick your lips. “What happened?” You ask, gesturing to the gun with your chin “You and Bill killed Peter, drowned him in the lake and then buried the bike?” “You can't bury the truth, Jake. Nothing stays buried.” Dean says as Andrea walked out of her house. Her eyes widened at the sight of her father pointing the gun at you three. “Go to your room, sweetie. Now. Lock the door and wait for me. Don't come out.” Andrea turned around to her son standing in the doorway before she walked closer to you. “I don't know what the hell you're talking about.” Jake says, you roll your eyes despite the situation you’re in. “You and Bill killed Peter Sweeney thirty-five years ago. That's what the hell I'm talking about.” Dean says, Jake points the gun at him as Andrea picked up her pace from walking to running. “Dad!” She yelled. “And now you got one seriously pissed-off spirit.” You say. “It's gonna take Andrea, Lucas, everyone you love. It's gonna drown them. And it's gonna drag their bodies God knows where, so you can feel the same pain Peter's mom felt. And then, after that, it's gonna take you, and it's not gonna stop until it does.” Sam says, Jake shifts the gun to Sam. “Yeah, and how do you know that?” Jake raises an eyebrow. “Because that's exactly what it did to Bill Carlton.” You say, he points the gun at you now. “Listen to yourselves, both of you. You're insane.” Jake laughs. “I don't really give a rat's ass what you think of us. But if we're gonna bring down this spirit, we need to find the remains, salt them, and burn them into dust. Now tell me you buried Peter somewhere. Tell me you didn't just let him go in the lake.” Dean says, you glanced to the house, Lucas watched the scene unfold from his bedroom window. “Dad, is any of this true?” Andrea asked, she took a step toward her father. “No. Don't listen to them. They're liars and they're dangerous.” Jake glances at his daughter before his eyes quickly returned to the three of you. “Something tried to drown me. Chris died on that lake. Dad, look at me.” Andrea says, Jake turns to her. “Tell me you—you didn't kill anyone.” He visibly swallowed before looking away. “Oh my God.” She breathes, a sob escaped her as she clasped her hand over her mouth. “Billy and I were at the lake. Peter was the smallest one. We always bullied him, but this time, it got rough. We were holding his head under the water. We didn't mean to. But we held him under too long and he drowned. We let the body go, and it sank.” Dean glanced at you and his brother, your eyes were trained on the gun. “Oh, Andrea, we were kids. We were so scared. It was a mistake. But, Andrea, to say that I have anything to do with these drownings, with Chris, because of some ghost? It's not rational.” “All right” You breathed before saying louder: “listen to me, all of you. We need to get you away from this lake, as far as we can, right now.” Andrea turns to look at the lake before a gasp escaped her mouth. You, Jake, and the brothers look at the lake. Lucas walked towards it and onto the dock. “Lucas!” Jake yelled as all of you ran towards the water, you ran onto the dock with Dean and Sam behind you. “Lucas!” You yell as you heard a child's voice taunt Lucas, he leaned over the edge as a hand reached up from the water and pulled him in. You take a deep breath as you reached the edge of the dock and dived in. The freezing water chilled you to your bones, your eyes were open and all you saw was dirted water and darkness below you. Swimming up to the surface, you took a deep breath of air before diving down again, muffled yelling was all you heard until you had to break to the surface again. “Y/n?!” Sam yelled, you took in a deep breath as you heard Dean yell your name. “No.” You say, but despite the diminishing hope of the sobs that escaped Andreas mouth you dived back under. Please, you thought, please just let me find him. Your lungs burned from the lack of air you were receiving, your body felt freezing cold and black spots began to appear in your vision. You were about to swim back up until your eyes landed on something floating towards you, you swam towards it and once you realized what, or rather who, it was, you grabbed onto the body and went to the surface. You took in a deep breath, Lucas wasn’t moving, your fingertips burned from the hyperthermia spreading throughout your body. On the shore, Andrea was sobbing, her hands covering her mouth and her shoulders were shaking as she stared at the water, Jake was nowhere to be seen. *** “Look, we're not gonna save everybody.” Sam said as you leaned against the Impala and watched the brothers walk towards you from the motel. Dean sighed and rubbed his eyes tiredly. “I know.” Dean replied, you gave him a soft smile and stood up. “But we saved who we could.” You say, you turned around and looked at Andrea once you heard her call your name along with the brothers. “Hey.” Dean smiled at her. “We're glad we caught you. We just, um, we made you lunch for the road.” Andrea gestured to her son who held a tray of sandwiches. “Lucas insisted on making the sandwiches himself.” She smiled. “Can I give it to them now?” Lucas asked, Andrea nodded and watched him hand out the food after she kissed his head. “Thank you.” You grinned at the young boy. “Come on, Lucas, let's load this into the car.” Dean said, Lucas followed him to the backseat of the Impala. You looked at Andrea as Sam asked her a question. “How you holding up?” He asks, you cross your arms to help shield your body from the cool November breeze. Andrea looked down at her shoes for a moment before looking back up. “It's just gonna take a long time to sort through everything, you know?” She sighs, you look away to something in the distance. You bit your lip and nodded a bit. “Yeah” You sigh “I do get it, we’re sorry.” You looked at her, she shook her head. “You saved my son. I can't ask for more than that. Dad loved me. He loved Lucas. No matter what he did, I just have to hold on to that.” “All right, if you're gonna be talking now, this is a very important phrase, so I want you to repeat it one more time.” Dean says, the three of you turn to look at him. He looked down at Lucas who grinned back at him. “Zeppelin rules!” Lucas yelled, his eyes were shining as he fist pumped the air. “That's right. Up high.” Dean high fives the boy, a smile spread across your face at the sight. “You take care of your mom, okay?” Lucas nods as his mother walked to Dean and kissed him. “Thank you.” She says, you whistle as Dean scratched his head awkwardly. He can't handle women kissing him before he made the first move. He walks around the car to the driver's side and takes the keys out of his pockets. “Sam, Y/n, move your ass. We're gonna run out of daylight before we hit the road.” Dean says, you roll your eyes and grin at Andrea before giving her a wink. You slide into the back seat after moving the sandwiches, and closed the door behind you. Dean’s rock music blasted throughout the car as you waved goodbye to Andrea and Lucas. Once they were out of sight you turned to look at Dean, the grin was still on your face. He didn’t glance over his shoulder or look in the rearview mirror. “Saved the kid, got a kiss…and you couldn’t even handle it, Mr. Winchester.” “Shut up.”

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@haelyn @trilloku-blog @wickidlady

[pengychan]

Te Rerenga Wairua - Epilogue

Title: Te Rerenga Wairua Summary: Found by the gods drifting at sea, Maui always assumed he had been thrown in it to drown. When that assumption is challenged, there is only one way to find closure: speaking to his long-departed family. But it’s never a smooth sail to the Underworld, and he’ll need help from a friend - plus a token that fell in the claws of an old enemy long ago. Characters: Maui, Moana, Tamatoa Rating: K Prologue and links to all chapters here.

A/N: Well, this is the end - about time we got here, too, after some ten months! This fic got a lot longer than it was supposed to be. I can only hope the read was worth it. Thanks a lot to everyone who’s been reading/reviewing/faving/reblogging this!

***

Moana had learned, very quickly, that her dad was a heavy sleeper. He didn’t seem fall asleep like everyone else did; rather, he fell unconscious. He would always awaken little after dawn but, until then, the skies falling down wouldn’t be enough to make him crack one eye open. By the age of six, Moana knew she could stomp all the way from her bed to the door without him stirring.

People often joked that he simply couldn’t hear anything over his own snoring, and that was a good point, because it seemed to work for Moana’s mom as well: she was used enough to it to sleep through it, and the noise her husband made kept her from hearing anything else.

Like, say, the steps of a child sneaking outside.

Moana knew that her dad wouldn’t want her to sneak out at night, let alone to get to the shore, so she always took care to be very quiet, just in case. However, as soon as she was out, she’d just start running as fast as her legs could carry her - and that was real fast, she was getting faster and faster the more she grew, and she knew her island so well that the almost complete darkness was not a problem at all - until she was standing before the ocean, out of breath but grinning from ear to ear.

She heard the ocean rather than seeing  it, without the moon in the sky to turn its waves into threads of silver; there were nights when the shore was alight with bioluminescence, but that wasn’t one of those night, either. It didn’t really matter: she knew it was there, and it only took a few steps for her to be in the water to her knees. With the darkness hiding the sheer expanse of it, it was easier to imagine that whatever could be found beyond the reef - beyond the horizon - was within her reach, if she only swam for it, or knew how to sail.

There had to be other islands, just like her own. Maybe other people, looking at the horizon like she did every day and wondering what lay beyond it; maybe they had tales of their own, like the people of Motunui had theirs. Gramma Tala had said there were monsters, too, but she was not afraid. If she had a boat, a fast boat, she could glide over the water and they would never catch--

“Isn’t it a bit late for you to be out here?”

Moana recoiled, nearly losing her balance, when a very familiar voice spoke behind her. She turned and, while she could barely make out the figure standing a few steps from her, there was no mistaking who it belonged to.

“Gramma! You scared me!”

Her grandmother laughed, and stepped closing, causing the water to splash gently. “You’ll never need to be afraid as long as you’re anywhere near the sea,” she said, and put a hand in her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Don’t tell your father I said that, though,” she added, causing Moana to grin.

“It will be a secret!”

“Sure it will be. Like all of your little trips to the shore. Do you think you’re that quiet, running through the night like a wild boar?” she added, and Moana’s grin turned sheepish, even though she knew her grandmother couldn’t see it.

“Oh. Did I wake you up?”

“No, no. Your father’s snoring kept me from falling asleep, all the way to my home,” she added, and Moana burst in giggles.

“No, it didn’t! It’s not that loud!”

“But I am keen of hearing,” her grandmother pointed out. “There, did you hear that?”

“I heard nothing.”

“Not if you keep talking, dear,” she replied, and she crouched down in the water, her arm still around Moana’s shoulders. “Listen closely. If you try, I’m sure you can hear it too.”

Moana strained her ears to listen, and she did catch sounds - the waves, a few birds, splashing fish and a sound in the distance that might have been… wait, was that…?

“Is that a whale blowing?” she whispered in awe, trying and failing to see something in the pool of blackness that was the sea around them. Her grandmother chuckled, very quietly.

“I believe it is, yes. Not quite what I was referring to, but fascinating nonetheless.”

Moana frowned, some confusion replacing the awe. “Wait, then what was it I should hear?”

“Oh, never mind. You’ll know. You feel it all right, but you can’t quite hear it yet.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re trying too hard to listen.”

“But you told me to listen!”

“Listen to the village Crazy Lady, is what you did. What were you expecting?” Gramma Tala retorted, ruffling her hair, and Moana laughed.

“You’re not crazy. You tell the best stories!”

“I am, and that is why I tell the best stories,” Gramma Tala replied, and picked her up. Moana reached to wrap an arm around her neck, leaning her cheek on her shoulder. “Oof! Getting heavy, aren’t you? One day I won’t be able to pick you up anymore, but I won’t let it stop me. Then my spine will snap like a twig and you’ll have to use coconut glue to put me back together.”

The thought of gluing her grandma back together was funny in an odd sort of way, and Moana laughed. “No, you won’t!”

“Oh, you’ll see. Enjoy it as long as I can pick you up,” Gramma Tala said, starting to walk back towards the beach. Moana learned more comfortably against her, her free hand closing on the necklace her grandmother always had around her neck. It was smooth to the touch and so pretty, even though she couldn’t see it very well now.

Her grandmother noticed, and chuckled. “You like that necklace, don’t you? It’s more precious than you know. It will be yours, one day,” she added, causing Moana to frown.

“Why? Don’t you want to keep it?”

“For as long as it’s needed, yes,” was the reply. It was an odd reply, really, but then again most things her grandmother said were odd, and she put her down on the sand before she could ask, reaching to take her hand instead. “Now, you come to my place and we’ll have a bit of a snack, just the two of us. I’ll tell you a story and then you’re going back home to your parents before your father wakes up, sees you’re gone and drops dead. I don’t know who that boy took after. Not me, that’s for sure.”

“But he wouldn’t really drop dead, right?”

“Oh, of course not. Don’t believe everything this old lady says. But the stories I tell you, those you had better to believe…”

***

“Aren’t you a bit old to be sneaking out of home at night?”

Her grandmother’s voice was unexpected, but far from unwelcome. Moana, who had just reached the shore - after leaving her bed silently, yes, and leaving a snoozing lizard hidden under her pillow, but hadn’t precisely sneaked out - turned back from the dark sea. Gramma Tala was sitting on a rock just behind her, her feet in the water and an eyebrow raised, a glow of light in darkness. Moana held back a grin and returned her the look with a cocked eyebrow of her own.

“I am just taking a look at the new island. Last time I did sneak out, it was you to tell me to do it. To find Maui, grab him by the ear, drag him all the way across the horizon and so on,” she pointed out, causing Gramma Tala to chuckle.

“Ah, fair enough. You did all that this old lady expected of you and more,” she said, patting the free space on the rock next to her. Moana took the silent invitation and sat by her.

“I may have gotten a little help along the way,” she pointed out, and her grandmother smiled.

“And you returned the favor swiftly, I see,” was the reply. An arm, sort of solid and sort of not, rested across her shoulders. It felt good, though, and she leaned into the touch. “I met his family on the way here, you know. Lovely people. A bit on the wild side, his siblings. It must run in the family.”

Siblings? Well, that was new. Maui must be delighted, she thought, and was about to say as much, but her grandmother spoke first.

“I hadn’t expected you to be thrown into something so big right after returning home, but perhaps I should have. Unpredictable things do happen when Maui the trickster is involved,” she added, and then paused. “... The crab was a surprise, too.”

Moana couldn’t hold back a laugh. “Oh, definitely,” she said, then reached to put a hand on her grandmother’s own. They shared a few moments of peaceful silence before Moana spoke again. “Thank you for leading me to him when I was lost. I would have never made it to Cape Reinga otherwise.”

“Oh, you’re welcome. I could have led you there myself, but then what? I am but a spirit, and I could have given you no help. Someone alive was better suited to watch your back. Especially if fifty feet tall and with claws the size of a couple of boats. I can’t say I’m pleased that he tried to eat you but it’s good to see he knows how to pay a debt, at least.”

The memory of what had happened - the horrible crunch as Tamatoa’s shell gave in, his scream, the blood oozing out of ragged wounds - was almost unbearable. Tamatoa had almost paid the ultimate price to save her and Maui, and he didn’t have to. “He owed me nothing,” Moana pointed out, causing Gramma Tala to raise an eyebrow at her again.

“Oh, please. He owes you as much as Maui does; anyone with half a brain would know, so even he must have realized it,” she added, and ran a thumb over the seashell necklace Moana had inherited from her. “You know what I realized? What it is that makes you different from any other wayfinder that there ever was and will ever be. I don’t know if it’s because you were born and raised to lead people or if it’s something that would have been part of you regardless, but either way you do so much more than finding your right course. You help others find their own.”

Gramma Tala pulled back her arm, and the next moment she hands were on either side of Moana’s face, her forehead leaning against hers. “I am so proud of you,” she added, and didn’t seem in the slightest surprised when Moana threw her arms around her. She’d grown taller than her grandmother had been even before the weight of her years began to bend her back, and she didn’t quite feel as solid as she had in life, and yet for a moment she felt all the world like a child again - getting a hug from her grandmother after being caught sneaking out at night by herself to pay the ocean a visit, feeling a pull she wouldn’t understand until years later.

Everything had changed, but so much was still the same. She was on a different island than Motunui, but beneath the same sky and connected by the same ocean, with her family and people on it. She knew the way back, and she knew she could always find her way forward - but, at least for a while, she was exactly where she wished to be.

***

“So… they left?”

“Yeah, just before dawn. They said they couldn’t wait to be back and rub it into everyone’s faces. Ma is probably going to brag about me for eternity now - I mean, of course she is. Who wouldn’t brag about having me in the family?”

“I can’t imagine,” Moana replied.

“I can,” Pilifeai said drily. Moana had turned him back his usual size before the rest of her village awoke in exchange for a ride to the entrance of Tamatoa’s old cave, and that annoying lizard had decided to stay and listen, because he was apparently unable to mind his own business.

Tamatoa decided to ignore him entirely - he couldn’t imagine anything worse than being ignored, so that would serve him right - and just replied to the human. “See? Me neither. Actually, you missed them by minutes. They’re going to visit again, though,” he added, and made a face. “I have to admit, it was great and everything, but they argue so much. I zoned every once in a while and if they stayed long I would have gotten a headache. It was like--”

“Listening to you and Maui arguing day in, day out? Now you know what we had to suffer,” Pilifeai muttered, and this time Tamatoa glared at him. So much for ignoring him.

“I don’t remember anybody asking you to tag along to listen,” he pointed out, and he was about to add something on how he should probably scram now when Moana, sitting on a rock barely above the surface of the sea, lifted her hands.

“Guys, don’t start,” she all but ordered before looking back up at Tamatoa. “I do hope they visit again soon. I’d love to meet them,” she added, causing Tamatoa to shift a bit awkwardly. He hadn’t thought of the possibility Moana may meet them, and the idea was a bit uncomfortable because… well…

“Right. Huh… in case that happens, keep in mind that I miiiight have downplayed your role in what happened. And Maui’s. Just a bit,” he said, and shifted again when Moana and the lizard exchanged a glance before turning back at him with a raised eyebrow. Or, in Pilifeai’s case, the ridge of scales he passed off as one. “Don’t look at me like that! It was just--”

“To make yourself look better,” Pilifeai guessed.

“No, not at all!”

Both human and lizard raised the other eyebrow.

“... All right, maybe a little. But it was mostly because I had a lot to tell, and... Storytelling is hard, you know! You’ve got to prioritise,” Tamatoa added, crossing his claws. “And besides, the human doesn’t mind. Er… you don’t mind, right?”

Moana laughed, and stood. “No, I don’t mind at all,” she said. “Just give me a lift to the other side of the island. I want to see if Maui is still there. Maybe his family is--”

“CHEE-HOO!”

There was the usual, familiar cry, a large shark jumped out of the water right next to Pilifeai, causing him to yelp in surprise. It changed shape in mid-air, and the next moment Maui landed in a crouch on Tamatoa’s shell, his grin so wide his cheeks just had to be hurting.

“Morning, everybody! Hey, Crabby, how did your family reunion go?”

“Pretty well, really! They-- wait a moment, how do you know they came over tonight? Were you listening to us?”

Maui shrugged. “Nah, I just got here. But my old man said he asked a couple of dead giant crabs for directions to get here, and who else could that be? He said the old one gave him the wrong directions, by the way.”

Tamatoa shrugged. “That does sound like something Gran would do.”

“Hey, to be totally fair, it’s possible he just heard the directions wrong.”

“Yeah, he does that a lot.”

“And we do mean, an awful lot.”

“That is not true! I am certain I heard right! I was given the wrong directions, I tell you!”

“Sure, dad.”

… Huh?

Tamatoa blinked and looked ahead to see… well, a bunch of people who hadn’t been there until moments earlier, standing on the rocks just below the surface. A bunch of dead people, if the muted colors and the faint glow were anything to go by. There was a familiar something about all of them, and it was easy to guess who they had to be - especially since the older guy probably looked everything like Maui would have if he’d ever gotten to age. And had taken it a bit easier with tattoos. And lost a fair share of muscle tone on the belly area.

“Enough, boys. Stop teasing your father,” someone spoke up, a woman with short hair who was a good couple of heads taller than Moana was. While Tamatoa didn’t remember what Maui’s mother had looked like, not after so much time, he didn’t need much guesswork to know it had to be her. Plus, she took it upon herself to dispel any possible doubt.

“I suppose you’re the one who took the hairpin while I was burying Maui at sea,” she said, craning her neck to look up at him, and Tamatoa grinned.

“Yep! In the flesh! I saw it there in the sand and you were so busy mourning that you… didn’t even… er…” he paused, suddenly acutely aware of everyone’s quiet gaze on him. And raised eyebrows. He was getting a lot of those that day. “I, uh. That. Wasn’t a nice thing to do, I guess…?” he said slowly, eyestalks shifting slightly towards Moana. She quickly shook her head, and he immediately corrected himself. “I mean, I know! As in, I know it wasn’t a nice thing to do. I, er. Sorry? It looked great, though.”

“I made it!” the guy who was definitely Maui’s father piped in, and Tamatoa grinned at him.

“You did? You’ve got great taste, man! Shame you didn’t pass any down to your kid,” he added, causing Maui to snort and stomp lightly on his shell.

“Thanks, Crabby,” he muttered, and turned to point towards Moana with his fishhook. “Ma, Pa, guys, this is Moana,” he added. With everyone’s attention shifting on her, Moana seemed to recoil a little, but the smile that followed seemed effortless.

“Hi. It’s great to finally meet you.”

“Pleasure’s all ours!”

“Thanks for saving our baby brother’s butt!”

“And fixing his mess!”

“Maui, you didn’t tell us she was also pretty!”

“Taha, you’re much older and dead. Way to be a creep.”

“Don’t mind him, he’s just an idiot.”

Maui’s mother paid no mind to her children, and smiled back at Moana, taking a step forward and reaching to take her hands. “Thank you for being there throughout the journey. He told us so much about you,” she said, and Moana shrugged.

“It was no trouble, really. Well, maybe a bit of trouble,” she added, glancing up at Maui with a lopsided grin. “But that’s what friends are for.”

That caused Maui’s mother to laugh. “In any case, you have my thanks,” she said, and finally turned to her left, where Pilifeai was staring at the scene with wide eyes. She looked straight at him, then frowned. “... I have no idea who you are,” she finally said.

“A creep,” Tamatoa supplied helpfully, causing the giant lizard to glare at him.

“You know, I am starting to regret saving your shell back there.”

“And I regret not snipping off your tongue when I promised I would, but here we are now.”

“Yeah, I second the crab,” Maui said. “This guy has kind of been following us around the ocean for a while. But if he knows what’s good for him, he won’t bother us on our trip,” he added, a threatening note in his voice. Pilifeai scoffed, trying and failing to sound unimpressed, and Tamatoa blinked down at Maui.

“Huh? What trip? Where are you going?” he asked,and it wasn’t Maui to answer: his siblings got there first.

“Wherever we feel like it, really.”

“Yeah, seeing places we knew when we were alive, places we didn’t know…”

“Maui is gonna show us where the sun rests and all that.”

“Bit of a family road trip, some five thousand years late.”

“We just got to make sure dad isn’t allowed to set the course.”

“True, we wouldn’t want to go looking for him in the Underworld again, I hear the Great Lady of the Night doesn’t like Maui very much…”

“Hey now, I’ve never been that wrong…!”

“Ah, no? How about that one time--”

“Taranga! You tell them!”

“... Well. To be absolutely fair, dear…”

Tamatoa decided to ignore the resulting discussion - last thing he wanted was getting caught up into an argument with Maui’s family - and glanced back down to Maui. Moana was doing the same, after climbing up his shell as well. Tamatoa hadn’t felt her doing that at all.

“So, you’re going to travel together?” she was asking. “That’s a wonderful idea!”

Maui grinned. “Yeah. It was a long time coming, which means we’re going to make it well worth the wait. Actually, we’re leaving right now. Would you guys like to come with us?” he asked. Moana seemed to consider that for a couple of moments, then she turned back towards the island, and shook her head.

“I don’t think it’s the best idea right now. I have just come back, my people have just begun settling, and there is so much to do,” she said. “But next time, you can count me in!”

Maui seemed to have expected the answer, and didn’t insist. “You bet I will. I promise I won’t let too much time pass,” he said, giving her a bump on the shoulder, and Moana caught him by surprise by throwing her arms around his neck. On Maui’s chest, Mini Maui burst crying.

“I want to know everything you did when you come back,” she said, and Maui smiled, holding her back - and lifting her up in the process - for a few moments before letting her go.

“I’m sure I’ll have plenty to tell,” he told her, and looked at Tamatoa, who narrowed his eyes.

“Well, I’m not going to hug you,” he informed him, crossing his claws.

“I’d be really worried if you said otherwise,” Maui said. “I take it you’re not coming, either?”

“Naaah. It pains me to deny you the pleasure of my company, I don’t think I’m up for another trip right away. Call me next time if treasure is involved,” he added with a grin, and Maui let out a snorting laugh.

“Hah! I’ll keep an eye out for anything you’d like. So, where do you go from here? Are you staying here, or going back to Lalotai?” he asked, causing Tamatoa to pause. Truth be told, the thought of going back to Lalotai hadn’t crossed his mind again. He knew that was where he was supposed to be, where his entire species came from, but… well, his species was sort of gone. Where they’d lived didn’t really matter anymore and, besides, following into the footprints of an extinct race somehow didn’t strike him as a very sensible thing to do.

“Of course he’s not going back to Lalotai. He doesn’t even like that place,” Pilifeai piped in before Tamatoa could say anything, gaining himself a glare.

“You mind your own business,” he snapped, but his gaze lingered on the entrance to the cave he’d been raised in for a few moments before he looked back down at Maui and the human. Honestly, did they have to stand on his shell? Having to look back at them was starting to make him go slightly cross-eyed. “I could go back to Lalotai, but you know. I wouldn’t want to break the hearts of my new fans.”

Maui and Moana exchanged a quick look before turning back to him.

“Well, of course you wouldn’t,” Maui said.

“I’m sure the kids are going to be delighted,” she added, and Tamatoa nodded.

“Of course. Who wouldn’t be?” he said approvingly. “I was right to say you’re the smart o--”

“Hey, Maui! Are we going or not?”

“You said you were gonna race us - not chickening out, are you?”

“You know, if you’d met the chicken I have met, you wouldn’t be using that as an insult. But fine, let me make you eat my salt water,” Maui yelled back, and lifted his hook before turning to smirk at them. “See you soon, guys. Tell your people I’ll be back. CHEE-HOO!”

Maui’s shark form was in the water before either of them could say anything, and in the blink of an eye so was his family; Maui’s mother was the only one to turn back and mouth a ‘thank you’ before her translucent form changed into something else and then disappeared underwater, leaving a trail behind as it followed the others. From what Tamatoa could tell, Maui was already ahead of everyone else. Go figure. He always had to show o--

“Oh, don’t even think about following.”

“No, wait--”

“Iti haere.”

“Uuuugh! You and that convenient gadget of yours are really starting to get on my nerves!”

Moana paid no mind to Pilifeai’s protest - his voice was a lot easier to ignore when he was so tiny - and just picked him up before looking up at Tamatoa. “Mind to give me a lift back to the village? My father must be wondering where I went. He was going to show me something about the harvest.”

“Sure! Got to greet my fans, too,” Tamatoa said. “They said they’d keep looking for stuff to put on my shell. Most of it isn’t even shiny, but it’s not too bad, I guess.”

“Well, it’s the thought that counts. That’s how we see it, anyway.”

“Pfft, humans. You’re weird, you know that?”

“I think there’s something to be said for our way to see the world. Maybe we’ll rub off you, if you stay long enough,” she said, sitting down on Tamatoa’s shell as he began making his way back towards the village, careful to walk in shallow enough water so that she wouldn’t get wet. “I’m glad you’re not going back to Lalotai.”

“You are? I mean- of course you are!” Tamatoa grinned, turning his eyestalks towards her.

Moana smiled up at him, paying absolutely no mind to the angry muttering coming from the red lizard in her arms. “Did you miss this island when you were there?”

“Maybe a bit,” Tamatoa admitted, and held back from shrugging only because she may have fallen in the water if he did. “I mean, if you or Maui are having a trip, I won’t deny you the pleasure of my company. But other than that...” he paused, and glanced at the familiar island for a few moment before nodding. “Yeah, other than that, I think I’ll stay for a while.”

‘A while’ turned into months, months into years, then decades and then a century or two. And, the occasional journey aside, Tamatoa stayed.

***

“Where are we?”

“Which way do we go?”

“I… I don’t know! I can’t see a thing!”

“Where on earth did all this even come from?”

The storm had been upon their boat suddenly had unexpectedly, catching them halfway through their journey from Motunui as they returned from an exchange of goods which had, quite quickly, turned into a welcome party.

They had ties to the people living in all islands known, but their bond with Motunui was stronger than any other: they shared a common ancestry, from back when Moana the Wayfinder had taught her people how to be voyagers again and had taken some of them to make new islands their home. The people of Otemanu had never forgotten where they came from - not that they could do so even if they’d wanted to, with Motunui’s people reminding them as much at every chance they got, like annoying but affectionate older siblings.

It was playful banter for the most part, but sometimes one couldn’t help but wonder if they were jealous of the fact it was Otemanu, and not Motunui, to be home to a being who had been so highly regarded by Chief Moana herself. Maybe--

“HANG ON TIGHT!”

The warning cry was almost lost in the midst of the storm; Lasalo could barely hear it through the crashing waves, the roar of thunder, the groaning wood, his own blood rushing in his ears. But hear it he did, and he didn’t even waste time turning to see the wave about to crash down on their boat: he just paid heed to Lupelele’s warning, like everybody else on board, and just reached for a rope to cling to.

It was not enough. The wave that crashed down on him tore the rope away from his grip, burning his palms, and threw him off the boat into the raging ocean. It was not the first time he was thrown off board, and not the first time it had happened in the middle of a storm, so Lasalo did not allow himself to panic. He stayed calm, so that he could see where the surface was - many would just desperately try to swim right away, wasting precious energy without realizing that they were actually swimming towards the bottom - and then, only then, swam up to the surface. He was a good swimmer, and he broke through it within moments, drawing in a gulp of air. The boat was right by, and he only needed to--

A wave crashed against the boat’s side suddenly, and Lasalo could do nothing to avoid the oar that suddenly swung towards him and hit the unprotected side of his head with a dull thud, causing everything to suddenly become muted. He heard, distantly, someone calling out his name; he saw through a daze a hand reaching out for him, but it was too far. Everything was so far away, the thunders and the rain, the screams and Lupelele’s hand. He had no strength to try reaching back for her, and he sank beneath the waves.

Under the surface, everything was so quiet. His mind oddly empty, Lasalo opened his eyes to see the darkness beneath. Was that the end? If so, it wasn’t so bad. All he had to do was stop holding his breath, just let the water in, and then-- then-- wait, was that…?

A form came from the darkness beneath, swimming fast, and the daze in Lasalo’s mind suddenly cleared, some more air escaping his mouth in a silent cry. Few things can give one the same jolt fear does, and few things are quite as terrifying as watching a shark swimming straight at you… closer and closer, barings its teeth and ready to… to… smile? Was that shark smiling at him? Was he dreaming it?

It was a question that remained without an answer, because the next moment the shark did something else that it was definitely not supposed to do: it began pushing him up towards the surface, so fast that Losalo had barely enough time to realize what was going on. Next thing he knew someone was grabbing his arm and pulling him up and then there was the air in his lungs, the wooden boards beneath him, the rain pouring down on him, and Lupelele’s arms around him. “I hope that wasn’t an attempt to walk out of the engagement,” she heard her saying, half-laughing and half-crying with fright, and it was only then that the sense of unreality seemed to fade.

“The shark,” Losalo managed. “It brought me up to the surface. How… why…” he began, but trailed off when Lupelele let go of him.

“We need to get out of this storm. Don’t stand, hold onto the mast. We’ll be fine, I promise.”

Losalo did as she’d told him to do, his head still throbbing, and looked around. The others on the boat were doing their best to keep going despite the waves and howling wind, but the true problem was that they didn’t know where to head; no land in sight, no stars or sun visible to guide them, the currents impossible to read. If they gods, or the ancestors, or whoever may be looking upon them didn’t send a sign--

“Bwoook!”

Losalo blinked. Either he’d hit his head even harder than he’d thought, or he’d heard a chicken. Which was impossible, of course. What would a chicken be doing in the middle of--

“This way!”

For a moment, Losalo thought he’d just heard Lupelele calling out. But it wasn’t right, because the voice had come from further away, somewhere out at sea. He squinted and looked around, but all he could see were waves and rain. He’d heard something, but where--

“Skreeeeeeaw!”

The screech of a hawk, impossibly loud even through the thunders, caused everybody on the boat to recoil. Losalo didn’t see it flying over the boat - none of them did - but he felt and heard the sudden gust of wind, and instinctively turned to where the bird must have flown. It would head towards land,  any bird caught in such a storm would try to find dry land and-- wait. Was that…?

“There is a boat!”

“Oh gods, the sails, look at the sails!”

For a moment, the spiral on the boat’s sails was all that Losalo could see; then the boat overcame a wave and they could see the sole occupant, looking towards them and sailing over churning sea with seemingly no effort at all, hair whipping in the wind.

“This way! Follow me!” she called out again, and with that she turned the boat, heading straight into the heart of the storm. And they did follow, without question and without wasting one moment, because of course they knew who had come to their aid - someone whose deeds had earned her a place among godly beings after her mortal life had ended.

The legend said that she would always come to lead the lost back on the right course, and that she was never alone in doing so. She wasn’t alone this time, either; they were not alone, because suddenly there were so many boats all around them, sailing with them, shining like moonlight and gliding over the water. The sound of drums drowned out the thunder, and the the echo of chanting rose over the sound of crashing waves.

“Ancestors,” Lupelele murmured, a quiet wonder in her voice. Somewhere on their left, a man wearing the traditional Chief headdress of Motunui looked straight at them through the storm and smiled. He mouthed something, the words lost in the wind, but Losalo knew what he’d just said without the shadow of a doubt, as though he’d heard it with his own ears.

She knows the way.

And she did, she really did. As they followed, the storm grew weaker and weaker, until it ceased; their ancestors began fading away from sight like mist at dawn and, finally, they lost sight of Moana the Wayfinder as well. But that did not matter, it really didn’t.

Because just ahead of them, at the edge of the horizon, they could see home.

***

“Looks like nobody’s home.”

“Maybe he’s at the village. I’m sure he’ll come as soon as he hears what happened. He knows we wouldn’t get so close to his island without at least dropping by to say hi.”

“Or we could go show ourselves, lap up some praise and pick him up.”

Maui’s suggestion caused Moana to laugh. “And knock him out of the spotlight? Not on this island. We promised him not to steal his thunder, remember?”

Maui shrugged, leaning on his fishhook. “Well, we kind of did that already. Those guys must have guessed who saved their hides,” he pointed out.

“... Fair enough. But it’s not like we could leave them to drown,” Moana conceded, sitting down next to him and reaching to scratch Pua behind an ear. “Thanks for saving the one who fell off the boat, by the way.”

“Hey, you’re welcome. Good thing we bumped into each other earlier, huh? It was nice to say hi to your people as well. Looking for you was my next step after picking up the crab.”

“What is it you’re up against this time?”

“A bunch of Patupaiarehe. Annoying guys. They’re causing some trouble in an entire archipelago and hey, I could totally handle this myself, but what’s better than some team work for old times’ sake?”

Moana laughed again. As much as she loved sailing the oceans with her people in her wake, bringing lost voyagers back on course, there were few things she enjoyed as much as adventures for ‘old times’ sake’. As far as she was concerned, it was like taking a vacation.

***

What truly set Otemanu apart from all other islands on the sea was the fact that it was home to a being that the villagers considered akin to a guardian. Not that he did an awful lot of guarding, but his sheer size was more than enough to keep anybody from even thinking of causing their island trouble, and they supposed that counted. Plus, it just sounded cool.

Tamatoa had been there longer than any of them had been alive, and he had a wealth of stories to tell from even before their village came to be. One of his favorites was how he’d come to have gold embedded in his shell, but few had ever seen that gold: it was hidden beneath everything else that covered his shell - seashells, bits of mother-of-pearl, a few actual pearls, colored glass, oddly-shaped rocks, bits of coral, carved wooden figurines. They were all gifts from their people’s children, generations of them, and Tamatoa had never thrown out a single one. If asked, he was able to point at each object on his shell and recall precisely who had gifted it to him and when, and then go on telling all he could recall about their lives. Generally in song form.

This time, however, he was not singing. He was, in a rare occurrence, listening very closely to someone else’s tale. As was the whole village, really.

“... And that is how we made it here!”

“There were the ancestors, too, roaming the ocean with her!”

“I saw my great grandfather there, I am sure of it! Just as I remembered him!”

“Do you think it was really her? The Wayfinder?”

The question was followed by a sudden silence as everybody in the village turned to look at Tamatoa. Sprawled on the sand, the giant crab rolled his eyes.

“No, you had a collective hallucination. Really now? There was the boat with the spiral coming out of nowhere, a bunch of glowy dead people showed up, you heard a chicken. I’d bet my right claw it was her,” he added, and grinned before turning to look out at sea. “Hey, you mentioned there was a hawk as well, didn’t you?”

“Yes,” Losalo replied. “And also a shark who-- oh. Do you think… was it Maui? That Maui?”

Tamatoa made a face. “I sure hope there isn’t another, because one is more than enough. And I’m about to have to hear him gloat,” he muttered before he stood and shook some sand off himself. Everyone present immediately held up their hands to shield their heads from it. “Well, glad to see you’re back. You’ll have to hold the welcome back party without me, because I may or may not be off for a while. A bummer, I know, but try to have fun anyway.”

The disappointed groans coming from the children covered the collective sigh of relief that left the adults. Tamatoa did have a tendency to get carried away, and easily forgot the tremendous amount of damage his sheer mass could deal to their village. No one had ever been hurt, but a few houses had to be rebuilt from scratch every once in a while; for all the affection they all had for him, knowing he’d pass that one time was a relief. A short-lived one.

“Wait! You’re going off with them, right?” one of the children, a girl called Nafanua, cried out. She ran across the beach to cling to one of Tamatoa’s massive limbs. “You always do that! My dad says that sometimes you go away and then you come back and you have new tales about Maui and Moana and I want to meet them! I want to come with you, too!”

“Huh. I don’t think you coming with us would be a good ide--”

“So you are going with them!”

“I want to come, too!”

“Mom! Mom! Can I go?”

“I want to meet them!”

“Wha-- no no no! Moana will strangle me if I try to bring kids along with-- aw, come on! No crying! That’s unfair, guys! That’s blackmail, and-- uuuugh. Fine. Fine. Just stop making sad faces at me and hear me out. How about I get them here for the party before we’re off?”

The children gleefully took the offer - and, truth be told, so did the adults. Yes, they may have to rebuild a few things when all was said and done, but it would be a small price to pay to meet two demigods most of them had only heard of in their lifetimes.

And besides, if need be, they knew which spot to scratch to make Tamatoa fall asleep.

***

“So much for not stealing the spotlight. Thanks a lot, man.”

“You’re just jealous.”

“Well, duh. Of course I am! Those are my humans!" Tamatoa protested, claws crossed.  Sitting back against the mast, hands folded behind his head, Maui let out a laugh. 

“Hah! You were the one who invited us over to make kids happy - your fault for going soft. Of course they were going to be amazed by us,” he added, glancing behind them. Otemanu was growing smaller and smaller, and would soon fade beyond the horizon - and yet the crab just wouldn't drop the matter.

“You still didn’t have to go out of your way to act cool!”

“I never need to act cool, buddy. it just comes natural."

"And now they even got to see me shrunk when we left! They were never supposed to see me like this!”

"Aw, no need to get crabby.  They still love you. Just give them some time to get over how awesome I am. Sure, when you get back they may or may not want to hear all about my role in our adventure--”

“Moana! Tell him to stop!”

Moana glanced down at Maui with a sigh, a hand holding the sails and one on the rudder.  "Haven't we talked about this some three hundred times?" she asked, and Maui held up his hands.

“Fine, fine. I’ll keep my amazing snarking skills for the Patupaiarehe. So, how’s life been?” 

“Pretty good, actually! Oh, and there are a couple more songs I thought up since last time. They’re pretty good if I say so myself, but let me know what you guys thin--"

 "Hey, Maui! You haven't told us what's exactly going on with the Patupaiarehe yet!" Moana said quickly. Tamatoa trailed off and blinked up at him, as though realizing just then that he really had no idea what the whole journey was going to be about.

"Oh, right! You didn't tell me a thing. What is all this about?"

Maui grinned, clearly relieved to have avoided songs for time being. "All right, fair enough. It's a bit of a long story, so I'll make it short. It was--"

"A Tuesday," Tamatoa supplied helpfully.

"No. It was--"

"A dark and stormy night?"

"Really now?"

"I'm just trying to help you, man. You're a terrible storyteller."

"Gee, thanks. Keep cutting me off and I'm not telling you anything. It was--"

"Bwaaak!"

"No, it wasn't that. Can you stop cutting me off? Thanks. N ow, where was I?"

"It was a Tuesday."

"Right, thanks. It was-- oh, come on!"

There was laughter as the boat kept sailing towards rising sun, and it kept those on it from hearing another chuckle - that of a huge, blood-red lizard trailing behind them, only the very top of his head visible above the surface. Of course they would spot him sooner or later- they always did - but for as long as he could, he would try to enjoy the entertainment while staying out of sight. After all, that was half the fun.

With a grin, Pilifeai went back underwater and kept following the boat over the horizon.

***

[Back to Chapter 18]

[Back to Prologue]

[imagineswithpan-blog]

Just like Romeo & Juliet (Kind Of)

Request: Hey love! Could you possibly right an imagine where the reader is Hook's daughter, and she and Pan are in a secret relationship. And on their nightly visit when Pan flies to Hook's ship for the reader, (make it as cute and fluffy as possible please!) they get caught by one of Hooks crew, and Hook is enraged and tried to kill Pan, but the reader stops him, and after Hook sees how in love the two are, He hesitantly agrees to the relationship

Word Count: 1830

Warnings: None

Where is he?

It is twelve minutes past midnight. He should have been here by now.

The frosty night chill greets your bare shoulders, and you silently curs yourself for not bringing out a coat to wear over your (slightly revealing) night gown. In all fairness, you didn't think you'd be waiting this long for him to come.

But then you hear it: the sound of something much greater than a bird majestically swooping through the air.

Even though he's late, you can't help but grin at the sight of Peter. He lands gracefully and quietly on the deck of the ship, his tousled brown hair blowing gently in the wind.

You practically run into each other's arms, almost knocking each other down in excitement. He leans down and kisses you, both of his hands cupping your face and then running through your hair, and you can just tell how much he's been missing you, and you're glad you're not the only one. Finally, he pulls back softly, just enough to see your face. He traces the outline of your lips and smiles, and his eyes won't come off of you.

Peter presses his forehead against you and whispers, "I've missed you so much, Y/N."

You grin, and reach up to touch his cheek with your hand. "Peter, I've missed you too." Then, jokingly, "You're twelve minutes late, by the way."

Peter throws his head back, trying not to laugh and wake up the ship.

You both know the risk of what would happen if someone, anyone on the ship were to wake up and see you and Peter like this.

To put it very simply: Peter would be killed. You would never see the light of day ever again.

Your father, Killian Jones, would most likely make you watch Peter choke on his own blood.

The very thought makes you tug at the Peter in front of you to make the mental one go away.

"Peter, I..." You start to say, but you stop yourself.

"What?" Peter's eyes widen. He tries to guide your line of sight back to him by gently grabbing your cheeks. "What, Y/N? What is it?"

And then you look up at him, and you feel it, a million things you want to tell this boy, this beautiful boy you may be in love with, and you don't even know where to start.

"Peter...I wanna run away with you."

You watch as Peter's whole face lights up, and for a minute, he almost begins to fly. You pull him back to the deck.

"Y/N I'd..." You can see the ideas blooming in Peter's mind. The places you could go, the place he could take you.

But then reality sets in on him as well, and you assume he has the same choking-on-his-own-blood vision you had.

"But...your father, Y/N. He hates me. He wants to colonize Neverland. If he ever found out about us..."

You bury your head in his chest, and try to live as much as you can in this brief moment of escape. "I know. I know. So let's just forget that. I wanna focus on the now."

The two of you stay like this, wrapped up in each other's arms, for what feels like forever. Then, you hear the grandfather clock in your father's cabin strike, indicating that it is now 1 o'clock in the morning.

Before he leaves, Peter promises you that he'll be back tonight at the same time. With one last kiss that lingers on your lips, he's off into the night, soaring up into the clouds until you can't see him anymore.

---

The day goes on like every other day on board does. Your father barks commands at his crew while you "survey" the ship (your father, not trusting you enough to let you do a crew member's work, made up the job position). It's hot, and you can't focus on anything else except how excited you are to see Peter tonight.

Dinner with the crew consists of the catch of the day (a two foot grouper), and once the sun sets, you hurry off to your cabin to make yourself look slightly less like you've been stranded on a boat all day.

You're spraying perfume on the back of your ears when you hear it: someone smashing something outside on the front deck. Then, shouting.

Oh no.

You sprint outside to the front of the ship, only to find Peter being held with his arms painfully twisted behind his back, Killian's first mate being the one holding him.

"Love, go get your father. It looks like Pan's tried to plan an attack on our ship!" The pirate addresses you, Peter squirming in his grip.

Peter's wide eyes lock with yours, a silent conversation happening in the span of two seconds. What do we do?

Panic sets in as your father appears from his cabin, drawing his sword. "No need to fetch me, I'm here."

Killian circles around Peter, his sword pointed right at your soul mate's throat. "So what is it, Pan? Did you think you'd try and ransack us in our sleep? A stealth mission of theft, you'd be gone before we woke?"

"P, please, Captain Hook, I can explain-" Peter starts, but your father quiets him immediately.

Killian whistles loudly, and immediately the entire crew begins to rise from their chambers, all sleepy-eyed and bed headed.

This isn't going to be good at all.

"Boys, tie him to the pole! Someone, tape his mouth shut!" Your father shouts, and all at once, his crew begins to grab at Peter, binding his wrists behind him and tying a cloth around his jaw so he can't speak.

You need to speak up. You have to!

"What are we going to do with him, Captain?" The first mate asks.

Killian smiles an awfully wicked smile, and your heart sinks to the very bottom of your chest. "Why, mates, we're going to do with him what we do to all thieves: tie his limbs and make him walk the plank!"

The crew cheers, and when one of the crew mates lurches for Peter, you scream.

"No!"

Immediately, ever pair of eyes turn to you. However, you're only focusing on Peter's. Peter, who is shaking his head at you, pleading with you.

Y/N, don't do it. I can get out. Save yourself.

But it is too late.

Your father turns to look at you, and his face softens. "Aw, Y'N, darling, you don't have to watch this. Really, go back to bed. The men have to do what the men have to do."

You feel an anger rise up in your chest, and you push through the crowd of pirates, defensively standing in front of Peter.

"No, dad, I won't," You start, looking your father dead in the eye, "Because Peter wasn't trying to break into the ship. He was here to see me."

Silence fills the deck. For a moment, no one says a word. Not, at least, until your father bellows, "WHAT?"

You grimace, and the crew members look uncomfortable. They back away from you and Peter, leaving a clear path from you to your father.

Killian approaches both of you, and you block Peter's body with your own like a human shield.

"You mean...to tell me...that you and this, this...vandal, this...RUFFIAN boy are...seeing each other?" Your father is hissing, and you know this is exactly how you thought he would react.

Just then, Peter tries to say something, but it comes out muffled from the gag. Quickly, you turn to him and untie the cloth, throwing it to the ground.

"Sir, please, just let me say something." Peter begins to beg.

"Oh, no, Pan. I think I've had enough from you-" Killian starts to dismiss, but Peter interjects.

"Please, sir."

All the crew members go quiet and lean forward, anticipating what Peter has to say.

Your father goes quiet as well, wordlessly allowing Peter to speak.

Peter takes a deep breath, momentarily glancing at you before locking eyes with your father.

"Sir, I know how it's been between our kind for the last few years. And believe me, I'm not proud of a lot of it. But sir, I am terribly and hopelessly in love with your daughter. I've never felt so happy or so sure of anything in my entire life. Every second of my being is filled with the need to be with her, to be close to her. That's why I came here. To see her. And sir, if you let me continue to see your daughter, I vow with all that I have to protect her, and to put her life before my own. Because I love her."

When Peter stops talking, the deck fills with silence once more. But you're not paying attention to them.

Because right now, you're looking at Peter, and you know in your heart he's worth giving up everything. He is your everything.

Your father is slow to speak.

"Crew, untie Pan."

You run to your father, wrapping your arms around him in a hug. You whisper, "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

However, he puts his hands on your shoulders. "Not so fast, young lady."

Peter, now free, slowly walks over to you and Killian, waiting for your father to continue.

Tension hangs in the air.

"Alright," your dad finally says, and you grin, lacing your fingers through Peter's. "But listen, there's gonna be visiting hours! There will be crew members watching you guys at all times. I don't need another mouth to feed on board!"

"Dad!" You shout at the implication, but deep down, you're just happy. Happy for no more secrets, no more sneaking around. Happy you and Peter can finally be together.

A lot of the crew members go back to their quarters, relieved to get to return to sleep rather than host an execution.

Your father watches you and Peter for a bit from the balcony before shaking his head and returning to his cabin, a smile on his face.

It's much cooler tonight, the breeze more calm and soothing than frigid and biting.

"So," Peter says, your first words alone together, "That went better than expected."

Despite the horrible string of events that could have happened, you find yourself laughing, all the stress and fear from the evening falling off of your shoulders.

You and Peter walk to the rail of the ship, gazing down at the dark waters below. The sea is calm and comforting to watch.

Peter looks around for a moment, making sure there's no spying crew members, before wrapping his arms around your stomach and holding you against his chest. He's warm, like always, and in this moment, your heart is filled with a thousand emotions. Love. Joy. Thankfulness.

You feel Peter chuckling, and you turn your head to look at him. "What?"

His grin lights up the night, and looking down at you he responds, "So, I guess we're just like Romeo and Juliet, right? But, like, the good ending."

You raise your eyebrows, toying with the thought. After a brief moment, you reply, "Kind of."

"Yeah," Peter affirms, returning his gaze to the moon above. "Neverland beats Verona any day."