thingthatoncewastruee

[thingthatoncewastruee]

This is my friend, Carly. She has been feeling really self conscious lately.

Reblog if you think she is beautiful.

It will only take 2 seconds. And it won’t ruin your blog. 

[thingthatoncewastruee]

fell down the dnp rabbit hole and I've never felt more safe and comforted. like ever. love em

this is all that matters to me

[thingthatoncewastruee]

and if i wrote a skam rosekiller au??? what then???

[thingthatoncewastruee]

i'll leave (a light on) ch.6

ch.1, ch.2, ch.3, ch.4, ch.5, ch.6

Back at in the hotel Sirius and Mary choose a queen sized bed and pull back the covers.

Peter snuggles into the huge wide layered rocking chair.

"I've seen all the Barbie movies but I don't think any one of those could make me cry as much as Margot Robbie did." He gives a big yawn and smacks his lips together like a baby.

Marlene at the back mutters, "I thought Barbie was supposed to be fun and uplifting. That Zootropolis 'you can be anything' level delusional but still happy." She burrows herself under the covers but leaves her feet hanging out from under the blankets. Sirius drops himself onto the bed next to hers and Mary lowers herself next to Sirius on their bed with her back to the headboard and her long fingernails carding through his hair and scratching his scalp.

Like a notification pinged in his brain Peter crawled out from under his blanket fort and got up to peel her out her prosthesis. Then he massaged muscle relaxant into her stump. Some of which she didn't particularly have sensation in. Just an odd tingling under the numbness where he was prodding at.

"Thank you." He tucks her in like her Dad used to and plants a kiss on her forehead then her hair.

When Peter wakes maybe two hours later in a heat flash its 1 am. He scans the room and Mary's not there so he slips on his fuzzy slippers and wraps a blanket around his shoulders to go look for her. The rooms may be well insulated but the hallways are freezing.

He finds her at the hotel bar chatting with the bartender with an oddly shaped glass bowl of icecream. He plops down next to her looking like a polar bear and the bartender looks at him fondly. "If it ain't lovely seeing you again, Wormy."

The guy's voice is rough and raspy and the nickname is nostalgic which—wait how does some random bartender know me? So when he wills his eyes to fight the bright lights gleaming at him from under the shelves he sees the not stranger with a crooked grin carved into his face. Then he's suddenly hopping off the barstool, his blanket is falling to the sticky floor but Mary catches it. Peter's moving behind the bar where he plants a big fat, though brief, kiss right on the guy's mouth, which is returned.

"What are you doing here? I feel like we haven't seen you in forever!" Peter holds Tomny at the back of his neck and around his waist in a hug, hooking his chin over Tomny's shoulder. Tomny wraps his arms around Peter and rocks him side to side.

"I could ask the same and I did see you last Christmas so it hasn't been that long." Tomny kisses the top of Pete's head twice and lets go to get him a cup of pistachio icecream because maturing and growing up is realising pistachio icecream is superior and Peter's favourite. Something Tomny apparently remembered with how little they see each other but when you know someone as long as they've known each other does it ever really go away? For Tomny remembering the little things about people was as easy as remembering the spelling of his name.

He slides the glass next to Mary's and Peter makes his way back to the barstool again. Tomny plops a tiny spoon like a flag on top the icecream mountain and smiles, eyes twinkling all because of the way Peter's lips drop open in a small smile and he whispers, "I love tiny things."

"Mary was just finishing up telling me about how she can't sleep because she's having nightmares about her ex who doesn't know she's an ex yet. Who, in her nightmares, starts to up-end Mary's entire life right after she plays The Song at the concert tomorrow. I am trying to convince her that she is one, not a bad person for ending it."

Mary rolls her eyes at him. "I didn't say I feel like a bad person for ending it. It's the right thing to do. I know that. I just don't want her to find out from a video on someone's instagram of the show tomorrow."

"Yeah, okay. I stand what I said but it is a fucked up and very public way to find out. But she can't blame the wind for the mess it makes when you open the window. The same way you blame people for hurting you when you gave them enough room to do so. I'm not saying lock yourself away in a vault or be a rock and a river at the same time. I'm definitely not excusing what she did or what you did. For whatever reason you kept giving her knives to throw at you. I know you're trying to prove a point I just can't figure out what."

Tomny pauses to close out a couple's tab before getting nack to them.

"Something I have yet to teach you is that what comes out is what's inside. Sometimes whats inside people is hard to distinguish. So you get hurt, mistreated, abused and other times you get helped, cared for, kindness. It is a consequence of what it is to have people in your life. You're going to get the good with the bad and it takes a level of courage and peace to be as forgiving as you are. But if all you get from her is a pile of bullshit its because that's what's inside. And if you're drained after interacting with her then it's because it was already there."

It's something you can change for yourself but it's not something you can change for others. You tried to tell her but again it's not like she's answered any of your calls since Sirius asked you to perform. Its also a small thing in the face of the emotional trauma she gave you."

"Wait what? You were just waxing words of peace and wisdom and suddenly its 'she deserves it'? Aren't you supposed to be telling me to be patient and considering? That everybody makes mistakes?" Mary slips a spoonful of icecream into her mouth and slams his fist exasperated on the bar.

Tomny lifts an eyebrow at her completely unimpressed and she pouts and shrinks back.

"You are kind, not a saint. You give people second chances yes but there is a difference between patience and wasting your time. I'm supposed to tell you 'when someone shows you who they are the first time, believe them.' You just want me to tell you to forgive her. Where I am now of the opinion that she can eat dirt for however long she ends up living without water."

"Whatever, and I don't have emotional trauma." She mutters mockingly.

"Yes, and I have the brain of a jellyfish."

"When did you become so self-aware?"

"It must be the dilf in me," He mutters under his breath that she barely catches. Peter catches Mary as she almost falls on him and drops her icecream glass. Mary breaks out crying and hauls herself onto counter.

"Uh, uh. None of that, no crying and be careful."

She slides down from the counter top in her pjs even though the 3 of them were starting to draw eyes.

Tomny, the little boy she walked hand in hand with as they took their first steps at daycare. The brother she's had since they were next to each other in the NICU, her bestfriend.

He grunts at the force of her knocking into him. She practically wraps him in her arms and starts whispering so no one hears. "Not a dream anymore, is it?"

Mary can feel Tomny's chest shuddering like he's scared or relieved, probably both. "You are the bravest, most caring and patient person I know and you're going to be an amazing dad." She holds him more gently and sways with him, "I know you already are. You've been mine my whole life."

Peter's still on the bar stool hugging his blanket and watching them confused. "Why're you two crying? I've been here the whole time, what'd I miss?"

Mary swipes tears from under his eyes and Tomny smiles, "I'll tell you tomorrow when Remus is here." Mary and Tomny switch to Dutch.

"Tante Ri klinkt best goed."

"You haven't even met them. One of them can't even say that."

Mary gasps and coos at him. "One of? How old? How many?"

"Eleven and two. Sweet, protective, funny girl and her adorable little brother. I'll ask if they want to go to dinner to meet you guys."

"I can't believe you didn't call me." She slaps him back handed in the stomach and he winces. "Ik kan je helemaal niet tegen."

"Je mag van mij wel zitten, niemand stopt je.

I absolutely can't stand you.

You have my permission to sit down, nobody's stopping you.

Mary half asses a glare at him but he's just grinning back at her. Meanwhile, Peter's still on the bar stool staring deadpan past them trying to break the fourth wall for a confirmation from the audience that this is just disrespectful.

"I know I do it but it's just a different level of disrespect when you guys do it. Like we haven't been family since kindergarten and our families don't get together every holiday and webdidn't grow up together in my house."

"I'm going to leave to pick up Remus in," She checks the pocket watch hanging on her neck. "How's it almost 2:30 already?"

The three of them look around the hotel bar and it's empty apart from the cleaner wiping down tables and last bartender cleaning up behind the bar.

"Okay." She hugs Tomny tight and walks back over to a yawning Peter who finished both his and her iceream while watching them leave him out in their rapid, confusing Dutch. She looks at the bowl then him at several times. He slowly starts to grin and slides off his chair and quickly walks past her to the elevator while she stares after him with her jaw hanging open.

"It's on." she mutters to herself under her breath. Tomny walks up next to her with a new bowl of a half tiramisu, half pistachio and several maraschino cherries on top.

"Spa?"

"It's still open?"

"It's my hotel."

"Okay. Say, do your kids have arts & crafts stuff in the hotel?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I need to make an embarassing airport sign for Remus."

again do tell me if you want me to stop bothering you or if youre new and crazy and do want me to bother you with this fic thats gonna take forever because i am against my will a lover of dialogue oh also sorry i didnt update for three weeks i know no semblance of the passing of time also i was having an impending breakdown for two of those weeks that was sitting at the back of my mind waiting for it to be over WHICH IT IS but also isnt i get my grades back this wednesday pray for me oh and i hope you enjoy 500 words of me giving you advice i will ALSO be taking suggestions for uhh the sign mary's taking to the airport when she picks up remus AND reg because moonwater are besties

@moonyswarmsweaters @sspadfoot @thingthatoncewastruee @probs-reading @cheekyboybeth

@starving-marauder-lover @yourlocalbadgerscales @taleofapart-timepoet @mirrs-ball @tea-blankets-andstars

@where-is-vivian @amberlink @wastingawayinmyroom @ashes-to-ashesxx @percabeth-trash

@equippedtolove @moon-girl88 @jamespotterbbg @drunktayloratthevmas @labyrinthhofmymind

@s0ggyguts @nyx-taylors-version @will-vs-the-homo-sapiens-adgenda @siriusly-insane

[thingthatoncewastruee]

this is amazing (no but peters would be my comfort channel)

james, sirius, remus & peter youtube channels

official first part next part

[thingthatoncewastruee]

i'll leave (a light on) ch.5

ch.1, ch.2, ch.3, ch.4, ch.5

"Please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, pleeeease, Mary! Please! Come on!"

Marlene's on her knees on the stage floor at soundcheck. The band has just finished, but Mary hasn't gone on yet and Marls is now clutching her legs begging, begging, BEGGING to hear the song she and Sirius are going to perform tomorrow night.

"I already told you – you'll hear it on stage tomorrow night."

Marlene's body falls along Mary's legs which almost makes her fall over. "But that's so far away." She pouts up at her and has her hands on Mary's ankles now. Well, one ankle and a hunk of metal, but who really cares.

Mary smooths Marlene's hair over her head. "You'll survive."

"But what if I die? This is grand tier homophobia." She groans on her way down Mary’s legs to sprawl out on the stage floor.

"Okay," she whispers. "Hey, Cas! Littering ain't cool. Come get your kid– ACK!" Mary lands with a thump on the floor and glares death at a cackling Marlene who's squirming like a crab flipped on its back. When Mary moves to get to her feet Marls immediately lets loose a string of curses as she scrambles off the stage. She jumps off the side stage and scrapes her elbow.

"So aggressive. Save it for sex."

"I know where you sleep, McKinnon.”

"Good. It's a no-clothes zone, by the way." She shrugs, walking backwards and throws a piece of gum in her mouth. "Just a reminder." She stalks off backstage to Dorcas and Peter with a pop of her bubblegum.

When Mary turns to look out at the stands from the center stage she senses Sirius coming up behind her, even though she can't hear his footsteps. She knows why.

"What are you doing? I can see you in my side mirrors, stop creeping up on me."

Sirius walks up until they're side by side and squints incredulously at her. His eyebrows are as high as they can go and his eyelids are straining to stay close enough to call it a squint. "Your side mirrors?"

"I'm bilingual, okay? I forget words sometimes. You know what I mean. The corner of my eye. Stop squinting at me like that. You look like a newborn.

"One, rude. Two, your peripheral vision?"

"Tomato, tomato; they're synonyms in this context."

"Peripheral does not equate to a side mirror?"

"The way I see it, as long as you understand what I'm saying—it's a win. I have no respect for grammar."

"We'll circle back to this."

"No, we won't."

"It's because I'm a goldfish, isn't it?"

Mary swings her arm around his shoulder and he wraps his arm around her. "Yeah, your memory ain't all that hot, dushi. We still love you."

"Yeah, whatever. I love you too."

They stand there for a long time staring at the empty stadium. So this is the big leagues, she thinks. There was something about all this empty space and the way it amplified her insignificance; it was refreshing.

The rain made a mirror of the stage floor and showed her someone she hadn't seen in so long, but still recognised. The version of herself that was brave.

Mary could tell it was reaching for her. The vines were slowly winding their way up her legs, soon her torso, then her mind. It was undeniable in the way it lingers; the mourning to be someone you love. Again or for the very first time. It's a vague emotion until it's not and she could feel it. Her melancholia is growing, it never dies. 

"Mavis."

"Yeah. Sorry." She pulled her eyes from the stage all across the stands and then to Sirius. All her excitement seeps from her pores and her breath comes out shaky with all of her nerves. And with it, a real smile, something that hadn't felt like it in so long.

"This is going to be the time of my life." Sirius matches her with all the enthusiasm he has left, which is, quite frankly, running on E, but he'll always have a smile for her.

“Scared?”

“Oh, terrified. In a good way. I feel like this marks the beginning of what’s going to be the happiest memories of my life.”

"Well, in that case, may it never end. July 25th, a day to remember." Sirius hands her a mic and turns to signal their audio guy.

The opening chords start playing and the tambourine might just be it. The beginning of something; something brave.

★

The car ride to lunch is an actual disaster. They end up stopping at a Krispy Kreme for donuts because it's taking so long to decide where to go. Mister Kingsley Shacklebolt in particular has, frankly, had it from here to hell with them. Marlene and Sirius are talking over each other and can’t even agree between Mexican and Thai. It all stops though, when Kingsley comes to a hard brake and sends the two of them crashing forward into the seats in front of them.

"We know you can drive better than this." Marlene says, rubbing her cheek.

"Should learn to strap in outside of the bedroom." He takes the keys out of the ignition then jumps out and goes around the front to the other side to open the door for Minnie. Then the door in the middle for Dorcas, Mary and Peter and shut it leaving Sirius and Marlene in the backseat with nothing but a box of Krispy Kreme with a lonely donut.

"Did he just…?"

"This is a thousand percent on brand for him, Sirius, don't be surprised."

She holds the door open for him as he shimmies out of the van with a donut and an empty box, before Marlene grabs and crushes it.

"Really?"

She shrugs and throws it in some random trashcan on the sidewalk. "What is this place anyway?"

"I couldn't care less as long as they have something sizzling on a plate."

"I just hope it's not Indian again."

"Why are you such a hater? Why do you have the palette of a baby, an allergy to anything exercise and the immune system of a sickly Victorian child? And yet have the audacity to look like a jock?"

Sirius opens the door and holds it open with his back to face Marlene. "Survival of the fittest, Sirius. Girls don't really care if you're a picky eater when you're this hot."

"Survival of the fittest?"

She puts a condescending hand on his shoulder, looks him up and down, shakes her head then sighs out a ‘you’re hopeless.’

Sirius pulls his head back in offense then starts fake coughing all over her when she walks past him. Marlene's skeleton and all vital organs abandon her as her fleshbag body runs through the restaurant with Sirius hot on her heels.

"Don't! I actually do have an immune system worse than a preemie NICU baby!"

Minnie solidifies out of thin air and grabs them both by the ears before a worker comes to kick them out.

"Sit."

Marls and Sirius drop into the booth next to each other rigid as a stoner next to a drug dog. Seriousness all but nonexistent by half a strawberry glazed donut dangling desperately from his mouth.

"Sirius, what are you guys doing?" Peter asks with a high eyebrow.

"Wuht?" He bites into the donut and catches the rest of it before it makes a sticky pink mess all over his jeans.

"Can't you two read a sign?"

That's when Marlene and Sirius turn over their shoulders – and butt each other's head on the way there – to look at the coloured signs basically lining the door frame. Eyes specifically snagging on a sign with a dog silhouette with a bright red block sign over it.

Sirius slowly turns his head back to Peter. Then he sees Minnie with a hard smile trying not to laugh. "Don't be racist." That's when the Italian waiter decides to show up at their table with the heaviest accent ever to ask if they have a problem.

"Your sign is racist." Sirius hisses and jumps to cover Marlene's mouth while they all stare at her wide-eyed. All except Dorcas of course. Who has had to live with this for years.

"Pardon?"

Cue heaven sent Dorcas Meadowes to the rescue. She and Minnie distract and order. Almost everyone moves around and under the booth to get to who they want to sit next to. Sirius ends up next to Mary which he later realises will be a big mistake because she asks if he wants to see a magic trick. Of course, he says yes. What else is there to say? It's Mary.

She pulls out a water bottle from her purse and pours it into an empty glass on the table. Then she takes her glass and pours the water into his. When she's done she moves her hand around the cup like it's going to make magic happen. Next thing he knows – he's drenched. Water splashed all over his face and soaked in the front of his shirt.

"Refreshing."

"That's going on the band's main insta account." Peter snickers already typing up a caption for their insta story.

Sirius' eyebrows shoot all the way up and he strains to keep his eyes near closed and blinks to make that funny face of 'what.’ 

"Excuse me?"

Then Sirius' phone pings and he's tagged in the story of his own personal tsunami escapade with '#stayhydrated' after his username.

Sirius, then and there, pulls up one of his many many pictures of Pete sleeping in various acrobat level positions. Specifically that time he fell asleep in what was basically a king cobra pose, his foot caught in the cushions of the couch in the studio. He retaliates as is his birthright. In his following of this existential purpose, naturally, he posts it. Drool and all. And he tags Petey. Obviously.

Peter's lips purse like a squished sponge but he's already come to terms with the fact that there are tons of pictures of him like this on the internet and this won't be the last.

"Well played."

"Thank you."

Lots of jokes, munch, munch, yum, yum, if you don't know how to make Italian food it's borderline tasteless, blah, blah, blah. They had fun.

They're leaving when Sirius, still munching on garlic bread, asks if they weren't supposed to catch a movie.

"Yeah, but are you grandmas still up for that?"

Marlene rubs her stomach like there's something in there. "I'm still nursing a food baby but if you want to, Minnie, we'll go with you."

"Well the movie's at 8. So," she checks her pocket watch, "an hour and a half. What do you want to do in the meantime?" Minnie fiddles with the keys through her thin fingers. Mary snatches them and dashes to the car.

"Thank you." She points the keys at Peter while holding the passenger door open for Minnie."Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Petey's eyes light up and he runs to grab the keys from Mary and slide over the hood. "I'm driving!"

Mary looks at the pregnant food fetus carriers with her eyebrow cocked like a shotgun. "Get in or get an uber." Car doors slam with just Minnie, Peter and Mary in the jeep. Sirius trails after the girls to the car like he has nowhere to be. That's until the car starts reversing to drive off. Then it does. Slowly. Tauntingly. The back window over the tailgate opens and the jeep starts to pick up a bit.

Dorcas and Marlene sprint and launch themselves over the backdoor. Sirius almost doesn’t make it past the corner but does end up grabbing the support at the back end and swinging himself inside. He drops his head on the bed of the wrangler with a thump. Marlene's monologuing, on insta live with Mary's phone. "That, my dear friends, is what 5 years of jockdom looks like. Former athlete in the flesh. Emphasis on ‘former.’" Sirius glares at her through panted breaths, grabs the phone and flips the camera.

"You act as if I didn't hear you wheezing like you were choking up a hairball after Dori had to throw you into the jeep." He flips the camera back to his face with a low blush, "That's what 4 years of vicarious jockdom looks like." Mary leans over the backseat and scrambles his hair as a distraction to grab the phone from his clawing fingers. "Where are we going anyway?" He leans his head against the tailgate.

"The arcade."

"What about the movie?"

"Same place." Mary and Pete say in unison. It happens a lot. Childhood best friends and all that. They're also highschool friends with Alice and… that roommate they live with, who Sirius has never seen somehow.

"Pardon?"

"You little freshwater fish. Welcome to America. The arcades are in the cinema." Peter cranks up the radio and it's ‘paradise calling’ by Birdy.

They get there maybe half an hour later so they definitely killed some time. Between getting tickets and trying to figure out the arcade, then realising that you can’t just use money. You need a buy a card for the arcade and put money on it. When did everything get so complicated? They play, stand in line for popcorn and then drag Sirius and Marlene away from Dance Dance Evolution so they don't all miss the movie. There was never a dull moment.

The commercials finish rolling and then the movie kicks on. It feels really creepy at first with just a couple girls playing with dolls.

The movie ends and the lot of them are walking hand in hand out the cinema. Tears streaming down their faces and red noses. Dorcas is the first one to say anything since the credits rolled. She tilts her head almost totally confused like she almost can’t remember what happened only that she’s crying.

"What the fuck?"

i feel like the movie was pretty obvious and i know they would all cry. marlene specifically. last update for the next three weeks cause exams and my life is not my own, alas BUT next chapter IS the wolfstar finally meet so yay

@moonyswarmsweaters @sspadfoot @thingthatoncewastruee @probs-reading @cheekyboybeth

@starving-marauder-lover @yourlocalbadgerscales @taleofapart-timepoet @mirrs-ball @tea-blankets-andstars

@where-is-vivian @amberlink @wastingawayinmyroom @ashes-to-ashesxx @percabeth-trash

@equippedtolove @moon-girl88 @jamespotterbbg @drunktayloratthevmas @labyrinthhofmymind

@s0ggyguts @nyx-taylors-version @will-vs-the-homo-sapiens-adgenda @siriusly-insane

[thingthatoncewastruee]

i don’t know about y’all, but i wholeheartedly believe barty crouch jr would fucking LOVE 2010s white girl music. barty getting down to kesha or p!nk? ABSOLUTELY???

[thingthatoncewastruee]

ITS SO SICK AND TWISTED THAT BARTY AND EVAN NEVER MET IN CRIMSON RIVERS

[thingthatoncewastruee]

Hello, I apologize if I'm bothering you, and I hope you’re well.💔 Unfortunately, I’m not. Please, imagine yourself in my position: two months ago, I emerged from the rubble after losing my grandfather and aunt, while my father was seriously injured; shrapnel is lodged in his body, and he needs urgent treatment and travel. We’ve lost everything—our source of income and our home—and now we live in a tent, shivering from the cold, without food, winter clothes, or blankets to protect us from the freezing temperatures, and we have no medicine or basic necessities.

Your donation is our only hope. $100 can help provide my father's daily treatment, $50 can assist us in buying winter clothes and blankets, as a single pajama costs $100, and we are eight family members. Even $20 can make a significant difference in securing our basic needs.

No matter the size of your contribution, it means life to us. Please, help us to survive, and don’t let us face this cold and pain alone.🙏

my link in bio

Guys let's not forget about the tragedy happening there and even if you can't donate, share

[thingthatoncewastruee]

I wonder if I've already told you how much I love your rosekiller fic. If not, I'm telling you now. If I've said it before, I'll say it again because you deserve it. I'm sorry, but my memory is like:

my memory is actually like that too😭 anyway!! matching dory memories🤞🤞

THANK. YOU. like I don't even know how to respond. like this means SO much to me. i hope to deliver sth good soon, but I know it probably won't happen (won't happen too soon) - school is killing me

thank you again sm sm sm sm sm🫶

[thingthatoncewastruee]

brainstorming a rosekiller fic and the contrast between barty's and evan's headcanon lists is HILARIOUS

[thingthatoncewastruee]

[thingthatoncewastruee]

omg I love stuff like that

me @bri-cheeses

So I saw this “how I see myself” trend on tiktok and I decided to do it too

Here’s the template and my version

I’m so curious about your versions 🫶

@ssseashell @ermdotorg @sadgalwrites @scorchedmazes @newtsmas @cherie-luvv @loloisloco @weepinglavenders @zer0brainc3lls @zennedy

[thingthatoncewastruee]

💌 send this to the twelve nicest people you know or who seem to have a good heart and if you get five back you must be pretty awesome >:p💌/np

i love yu n tytyty for all the things you do for me

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU💞

[thingthatoncewastruee]

whimsigoth lily and her himbo old money husband james 🌚💗

[thingthatoncewastruee]

i'll leave (a light on) ch.4

ch.1 ch.2 ch.3

"No."

Sirius comes back into the diner with the biggest Cheshire grin and Minerva immediately knew she wanted absolutely nothing to do with it. 

Sirius, in all his too early energy, word-vomits all over Minnie's morning mud brain. "Sirius it is yet 10 in the morning. I haven't had my," she mutters then yawns, "pancakes yet."

One thing everyone should know about Minnie is that she's the furthest thing from a coffee person. In fact she pledged to herself at 15 years old that she would never drink 'The Mud Water' as she calls it. Why? Well, it happened after a very poor encounter with the very dreaded 'coffee breath' which has apparently scarred her for life. 

No, Minnie is something else entirely. She is a pancake girl which means no pancakes = no happy. All to say, she's a fair bit less tolerable in the morning without the pancakes. "Well I thought it was best I run it by you, instead of having Mary pop up on stage at the end of the concert without rehearsals." Minerva hums to herself and that's when the waiter shows up with her and Mary's stack of gorgeously fluffy pancakes and Minnie's eyes light up. 

Sirius sighs, "I wish I were a bit more like you, Minnie. Oh, to wake up and be excited about pancakes." 

"Life's simplicities, Sirius." Mary chimes in cutting into her pancakes. 

"So," Minnie starts, peppier than a minute ago, "Your bright idea is to have Mary perform an 'outro' song at the concerts in LA?" Sirius hums in confirmation. Minnie rolls her eyes 'cause it's entirely on brand for him to be so spontaneous and spring this on her. They both watch her face as the clogs turn in her mind.

"I'm not all so concerned with the explicitness of the song as I am with whether or not Mary's prepared to perform. You two might also have to accept the very real possibility that the music won't be live. The backup band might not be able to nail the song in the 3 days before the last concert so the music might end up playing from the speakers.” It's a pretty short notice so while it's not the best it could be, they still nod along in agreement. "Before all of that there's the most important question: Can you perform, Mary?"

"I've done the same training Sirius does for the tour. I can handle it, my leg shouldn’t and won’t cause any issues. I might not be fit right now to run the 2 hour show Sirius does but I'm capable, Minnie. I can do this."

Minnie drops her fork and smirks. "No doubt, but I meant whether or not you'll impress. Me, that is. It's going to be a lot of organising but it could work." Mary and Sirius playfully smack each other's arms in excitement and a little disbelief.

Minnie then poses the next important question, "Your costume?" Sirius' eyes widen 'cause he genuinely, kind of, completely forgot about that. He curses under his breath but Mary is all smiles and aces up her sleeves.

"I've got that one covered." 

"Well, then," Mary, Peter, Sirius, Marlene and Dorcas all raise a bit off their seats in the booth crowded around Minnie. "I will see you at soundcheck." 

Screeches fill the diner and the waitress walks up hips swinging with their breakfast, "Well, y'all rowdy this morning. Something good happen?"

"Something great," Marlene purrs from the end of the booth. She takes the plates from Jolene's hands and places them on the table. "Mavis, our little songbird here, is going to perform for us at our concert." Jolene spins around to the counter to pick up another tray filled with their breakfast and comes right back. "Oh, ain't that wonderful?" Marls replies back in her near-perfect southern accent, "Ain't it just?" 

"Speaking of, Jolene, love, do you serve piña coladas here?" Marls asks with a big smile. "Just might." Marlene winks at her before she turns to head back to the kitchen. 

"Virgins, please." Minnie calls out and Jolene nods. 

Kingsley reaches over from his singular booth, because he likes mornings to himself, and smacks Marlene on the back of her head. "Stop flirting with the waitress before she sues you for harassment." He says while leaning over into their booth. 

"Why on earth would she? I'm so charming." She grins up at him. Kingsley takes barely a glance at her before clearing his throat, "Pest control," he smiles sweetly gesturing at Minnie and Dorcas. "If you wouldn't mind collecting your drooling toddler in aisle 1." Marlene mutters something that sounds like 'bitch' and starts munching.

"Look," Marlene starts waving her fork around pointing at her friends around the table. "I'm twenty-three. Age is just a number." Her eyebrows drop instantly and Marls whips her head back when she hears Kingsley scoff from his booth behind her. When she turns back Minnie's holding a hand up for a pause so she can finish chewing. "And homicide is just a dare then." Marlene locks eyes with her for a long minute before concluding with, "Maybe." Mary grunts in agreement. 

"Seconded." Sirius chokes out through his mouth full of pancakes. Marlene sticks her neck out over the table to get a good angle at Sirius' face. Everyone is looking at Sirius now and he's frozen like he's been caught red-handed. "What?" Marls tucks her lips in to keep from laughing at his stuffed chipmunk cheeks. "You lot are missing my point. Which is, that flirting is a harmless ego booster and in my heart of hearts, I see nothing wr-"

"What heart?" Marlene reaches an arm past Mary to hit the back of Sirius' head. He rubs the back of his head but stays steady nailing in his coffin. 

"I'm just saying." He puts his palm up. "You're no hagfish."

"I'm not, but you're surely looking the part and," she opens Mary's pocket watch necklace to check the time, "Half past 10 is no hour of morning," she drops the posh accent, "to be pushing my buttons." 

"Got a mute?" Peter and Mary say at the same time with a string of bubbly laughter following. 

"It's not a button but I'm sure they'll plug your mouths just fine," Marls pulls out her best cheshire grin as Jolene walks up with their virgin piña coladas. She serves the drinks and Marlene asks, "Do you want a wand or a rabbit?" 

Minnie's laugh is big and genuine. Sirius and Mary are choking, Peter's wearing a look somewhere between shocked and impressed. Dorcas has her head down but is grinning nonetheless. Everything halts though and all eyes are locked on Jolene when she chimes in with, "I say both." She locks eyes with Dorcas and eyes her from head to toe but doesn't look up again before walking off. 

The entire table is silent until Jolene closes the kitchen door behind her. They all exchange looks but the first one to speak is Kingsley who, once again, leans over the edge between the two booths and whispers, "Might I interest you in a sarcastic comment?"

"Oh, piss off, Kingsley. Don't you have a morning appointment with misery?" 

"Harsh world being mediocre, is it?" 

"Not nearly as much as your morning rank. Honestly." Marls mutters and covers Kingsley's face with the spread of her hand and pushes him back into his own booth. 

Peter hums for a minute. "Ironic or iconic – what do we think?" 

"Both." Sirius chimes in. "Both is good."

Marlene licks the syrup off her fork and stabs it in the air at the two of them. "Do not make me stab you." She keeps eating and mutters under her breath, "I'd have to get up."

Dorcas squeezes Marlene's legs between her own. They've been entangled under the table the entire time. Marls gets up from her seat at the end of the booth and leans down to plant a sticky sweet kiss on Cas' lips then sits right back down. 

They finish up, pay the bill and leave Jolene a big fat tip. Peter carries Mary out to the bus this time, her prosthetic still inside. Sirius trails behind his closest friends and chosen family, most of them at least. He watches their happiness and feels for a second that it's not absent from him. 

For the next couple hours between board games and entertainment, snack stops, reminiscing memories and making new ones, just being with his friends makes Sirius feel that there's still a light on somewhere. It seems small in his despair but it's there, and that's all that really matters.

 

★

After 17 hours filled with highways and concrete jungles, food stops, naps and 'Are we there yet?’s Kingsley pulls the tour bus up to the hotel entrance with a limousine stop. It's nearly 7am and they're filing out the bus with their go-bags, yawning and trailing Minnie like a brood of ducklings. Dorcas walks three-legged with Mary and they're half asleep on their feet. Marlene collapses in a lounge chair next to Sirius and Peter is a yawning, sleepy mess hugging Minnie's arm.

Minnie gets the keycards and herds her bundle of kids, plus Kingsley into the lift. When they exit, they all trail behind her as she walks the hall looking for their rooms and hands Kingsley the key for their double room. Then turns to open the door directly across from the two of them and holds it open for her little ones still mindlessly following behind in their pajamas.

"Wait," she says as she closes the door to the room. Effectively stopping Marlene seconds from face planting into one of the queen beds with Peter on her heels. "We leave for sound check in four hours, lunch after, then you're all free to go sightseeing if you want to. Or most likely, come back here and knock out, but if you're interested we can go to a sneak preview tonight."

They all look at her confused and it might be the collective drowsiness in the room. "What's that?" Sirius murmurs looking up at Minnie with squinted eyes from where he's wrapped himself around her.

"It's a special showcasing, in our case a movie, where you can watch it before it's available to the public. You never know what you might end up seeing though." They yawn out okay’s and Minnie walks Sirius over to the queen bed with Mary already bundled up and slides him in. They might all be 20-somethings, but they're really just kids so she makes sure to kiss them each on the crowns of their heads before she walks out. It's not as if they'll ever know – they're all dead to the world anyway.

Before she forgets, Minnie takes a second to dig into her shiny, red handbag and pulls out her speaker. Then she tells Alexa to wake her up in four hours to You Give Love A Bad Name by Bon Jovi. She waits for confirmation, sets the speaker to max volume, puts it on the coffee table and walks out of the room.

Minerva spends the next two lovingly child free hours in the spa which turns into a bit of a nap on the massage table. When spa time's over, she drowsily walks back to her hotel room for a power nap. An hour and a half later, rested and relaxed, feeling better than she has in a while, after some me-time – she takes her very sweet time. Gently massages face wash onto her face, rinses it off, rubs in day cream in nice slow circles. Finds the softest navy sweater and pulls it on because it's cold and rainy outside; perfect sweater weather. Minnie pulls and twists her curls to pin them with her cherry claw clip, then goes to sit and watch whatever Kingsley has on the TV. She sits there eating his room service ice cream and watches Adventure Time.

After a little while she taps Kingsley to tell him she's leaving. Minnie steps into the hallway and calls a car before sliding on her navy blue headphones. She holds the keycard over the scanner and pushes the door open. When she walks into the batcave, she can't see shit. Regardless, she gets comfy on the sofa in the corner of the room and waits.

Then the alarm goes off shatteringly loud, not that she really hears it. They all jump out of their skin like they've shed their skeletons. Sirius actually knocks his head on the dresser on his way to the floor and Marlene is already halfway there with the way she sleeps. Mary and Peter immediately launch out of the bed straight to their feet and jump straight into a loop of I'm up!

Dorcas is still and unsurprisingly fast asleep but that must be conditioning. Minnie cuts the alarm and the music stops. She sets Mary and Peter to sit down as she passes by to check if Sirius' victorian skull is bleeding and he has a concussion. Once she sees he's fine and dramatic as usual she sits him next to Mary and Peter. Then she scoops up Marlene with the ease of a former athlete and sits her down to complete her little row of drowsy ducklings.

Dorcas is still asleep so she reaches into her shiny, cherry red purse and pulls out a little vial. Minnie reaches over and sprays Dorcas in the face which is when she finally jumps out of bed, scared out of her skin like the rest of them. She swipes a hand over her cheek and shakes it out like there's something disgusting on her face.

"I am no hippo."

"Could never be, exhibit A: that wonderful articulation."

Minnie then pulls her off the bed and sits her next to Marlene. Then sprays the rest of them with very icy water and rubs it into their skin to wake them up. She fixes their hair and then is off to soundcheck with a trail of little guys in front of her. It's still a challenge to herd them all off the bed, to the elevator and through the lobby and it does not go without bumps and bruises. Minnie holds the car door open and they file in one by one. Only then, she shuts it and hops in the shotgun. And only sometimes does she feel like an alternate version of Sir Reginald Hargreeves.

On the drive to the stadium Minerva stares out the window trying to come up with something to ease her vague sadness. It’s not necessarily storming but it's still overcast and set to rain for the rest of the day. She thinks about how a wet show tomorrow night would be epic for Mary's new single then worries if she'll be nursing a sick Sirius after. Speaking of, she looks in the rearview only to see him and Mary passed out again. 

She thinks of Poppy.

idk if any of you were expecting my mysterious minnie x poppy agenda. yeah. theres a lot going on there actually. i might never unpack it & just leave you to your imaginations. ALSO IM SO SORRY?? i did NOT notice it's been 2 weeks. anyway, munch up and please tell me if you want to be added/removed from the taglist

@moonyswarmsweaters @sspadfoot @thingthatoncewastruee @probs-reading @cheekyboybeth

@starving-marauder-lover @yourlocalbadgerscales @taleofapart-timepoet @mirrs-ball @tea-blankets-andstars

@where-is-vivian @amberlink @wastingawayinmyroom @ashes-to-ashesxx @percabeth-trash

@equippedtolove @moon-girl88 @jamespotterbbg @drunktayloratthevmas @labyrinthhofmymind

@s0ggyguts @nyx-taylors-version @will-vs-the-homo-sapiens-adgenda

[thingthatoncewastruee]

Tbh I’m a big believer in the idea of Rosekiller not having much of a height difference. Like maybe one of them is an inch or so taller but for the most part they’re just two dudes who can make eye contact without having to try all that hard