Don't worry, you didn't miss my Week 1 submission! I haven't posted it. I'm doing things a bit out of order, just as I get inspired to do them, really. But I was determined to finish and post at least one before the end of the month. Shout-out to the Discord gang, esp @nour386, for brainstorming prompts and helping me out with what I was going to write.
Oh, and this is classic, OG Stanley McGucket AU. Enjoy.
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The front door slammed open, letting in a gust of cold air that Stan could feel from his armchair in the living room.
“Boots off before y’all track in snow and mud,” Angie said as she followed four children into the house.
No, not four. Five.
Stan raised an eyebrow at the sight of his nephew mixed in with his children.
“I didn’t know Tate was gonna visit,” he remarked. Tate shot him a shy smile and made a beeline for the kitchen.
“Son of a- I tell ‘em to take off their shoes...” Angie muttered, frowning at the mess left behind when the children dispersed. She looked at Stan. “Fidds is in the swing of things with his latest invention. He asked fer Tate to come over so’s he won’t be interrupted. He’ll pick ‘im up after dinner.”
“All right,” Stan grunted. He loved having his nephew over but didn’t like it happening unexpectedly. It reminded him too much of the couple years Tate lived with them while Fidds got his head on straight. Angie kissed him on the cheek.
“Emmett would like to talk to ya ‘bout the field trip his class went on today,” she said softly.
“Some sorta ballet show, right?”
“Yes. Swan Lake.” She patted him on the shoulder, her expression oddly tight. “Hear him out, okay?”
“Hear him out? About what?” Stan asked.
“He’ll tell ya,” came the cryptic reply. There was a loud crash from the kitchen closely followed by a quiet “oops”. Angie groaned. “This house is never clean.”
“Babe, I knew you when you were a teenager. You were way messier and clumsier,” Stan said dismissively. Angie rolled her eyes and gave him another peck on the cheek before going to investigate what disaster had happened in the kitchen.
As soon as Angie entered the kitchen, Emmett snuck out of it, hurrying over to stand in front of Stan’s chair. Stan set his newspaper aside.
“All right, what’s goin’ on?” he asked. “Yer Ma said somethin’ about the show you saw today?” Emmett nodded eagerly, brown curls bouncing.
“Yes! It was Swan Lake!”
“Uh-huh.”
“It was- it was awesome!” Emmett gushed. Stan smiled indulgently at his son.
“Glad you liked it, sport.”
“And it actually- it made me realize something.” Emmett swallowed. He played with the zipper of his coat, which he had yet to take off. Like Angie, he got cold easily. Stan waited. Emmett took a deep breath. “I- I want to try ballet,” he blurted out. Stan raised an eyebrow.
“Uh, what does that mean?”
“I want to do it! I want to dance ballet!” Emmett said insistently. Both of Stan’s eyebrows shot up into his hair.
“You want to what?!” he yelped. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Angie poking her head around the kitchen entryway to scowl at him.
Fuck. Watch the tone, Stan. Emmett’s never been this excited about anything before. Stan took a breath and tried again.
“You want to be a ballet dancer?” he said, trying to speak calmer. Emmett, who had recoiled from Stan’s initial yell, nodded warily. “Uh, wh- why?”
“It just- it’s…” Emmett trailed off. He frowned thoughtfully, clearly carefully choosing his words. Which was abnormal for him. Emmett was quiet and demure, but when he was passionate about something, he tended to uncontrollably erupt. Which meant he either didn’t really care, or, more likely, cared so much he wanted to be smart about this conversation.
This is uncharted territory.
“It’s beautiful,” Emmett finally whispered. “I’ve never seen anything so- so amazing! It’s art, but art that you make by moving your body.”
“Y’know, some people describe boxing like that,” Stan tried. Emmett frowned at him, his expression identical to Angie’s from earlier.
“Boxing isn’t an art, it’s a sport. Ballet was- it was like watching a painting in action.” Emmett tilted his head back, his bangs falling to the side so he could make eye contact with Stan. Stan’s heart sank. He recognized the look in his son’s dark brown eyes.
It was a brilliant, obsessed sparkle. One identical to Ford’s. It meant one thing.
Emmett had found what he wanted. And he wouldn’t let anything stop him from doing it.
Stan sighed.
“All right, go get me the phonebook,” he grumbled. Emmett lit up eagerly. “I’m gonna see if there’s any ballet places in this backwater town.”
-----
“Emmett wants to drop boxing,” Angie announced while they were unpacking groceries. Stan froze with a head of broccoli in one hand, staring at her. “He never liked boxing. Always felt out of place there. And if he wants to get serious about ballet, which he does, he can’t be splittin’ his time.”
“I don’t care if he doesn’t like boxing, it’s important,” Stan said firmly. Angie sighed. “The kids are like me. They stick out. When you stick out, you have to protect yourself. He can’t do that dancin’!”
“Stan...”
“His twin loves boxing!”
“What, are ya sayin’ twins have to share the same interests?” Angie prodded. Stan scowled. “Look, Emmett’s never belonged in that class. Just because his twin does, just because you did, it don’t mean-”
“I never belonged in boxing lessons,” Stan muttered, opening the fridge and chucking the broccoli into the crisper drawer. He could feel Angie’s frown even turned away from her. “I wasn’t there to make friends. I was there to learn how to protect myself. And I did!”
“You didn’t make any friends while you were boxin’?”
“Hell, no. But I didn’t need to. I had Ford. That’s all I needed. And Emmett’s got a twin, too, so he doesn’t need other friends, either.”
“I reckon I disagree with that assessment,” Angie said mildly. “He’s dif’rent from our other kids. He could use friends like him.”
“Ford and I are different.”
“Not as dif’rent as Emmett is from his siblings. He’s so...” Angie tapped Stan’s shoulder. He turned his head. She handed him a bag of oranges. “He’s so…understated.”
“Yeah, no idea where he got that from.”
“My side of the fam’ly. My Ma says she was the same way when she was young.”
“Huh. She must’ve grown out of it,” Stan mumbled. He shoved the oranges next to the broccoli. “Maybe Emmett will grow out of it, too.”
“Maybe. But right now, he’s sensitive and soft and- and artsy.”
“We get one kid that isn’t a damn science geek and he wants to dance ballet,” Stan said under his breath. Angie slapped the back of his head. “Hey!”
“I tried bein’ diplomatic, but that ain’t workin’ with how thick yer skull is,” she snapped. Stan stood and turned around, closing the fridge door as he moved. Angie stood with hands on her hips, glaring up at him. “I don’t want our kids to do stuff they dislike if they don’t need to.”
“Boxing is-”
“Sure,” Angie said, talking over Stan, “Emmett don’t fit in at school. Sure, his only real friend there is his twin.” Angie stood on her tiptoes and wagged a finger in Stan’s face. “But no one’s laid a hand on him! Boxing won’t protect against the kind of bullyin’ our lil boy might face.”
“Little? He’s almost as tall as you.”
“Hush! Emmett found the thing what calls to him, and a community of like-minded people who care about him! He even got invited to a birthday party fer one of his ballet friends.” Stan blinked.
“He did?”
“Yes!”
“That’s... He’s never been invited to one before, has he?”
“No, he hasn’t! The other three kids have, but not him.” Angie lowered her heels to stand flat on the floor. “It’s a sign. He’s found a place he belongs.” A small smile broke across her face unexpectedly. “Like when ya left Jersey to work fer my folks. Remember?” She took hold of his hand and squeezed. “Ya stuck out at first, but then ya slid in like a puzzle piece returned to the right box.”
“Yer folks had more to do with that than anything else.”
“That’s what I’m sayin’! Findin’ folks what care fer you, want to spend time with you, invite you to their birthdays... Didn’t ya feel so much better havin’ more ‘n just one friend?” Stan sighed. He hung his head.
“I’m not gonna say yer right,” he mumbled. Angie’s eyes lit up. Just like Emmett’s on his first day of ballet class. “I still think he should do boxing.”
“But...” Angie prompted.
“He can drop the lessons for now to focus on ballet.” Stan shot Angie a fierce look. “I’m gonna make sure he keeps up on the boxing basics at home, though.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less,” Angie said sweetly. She stood on her toes to kiss him. “Trust me,” she said once she pulled away. “This is what our son needs.”
-----
Stan waited in the hall outside the dressing room with the other parents. Emmett’s first ballet recital was over, and while he wouldn’t pretend to understand any of it, he could tell his son had done a good job.
More than that. A damn good job. The other parents, when they found out Emmett was his kid, kept confirming as such.
“I thought I was gonna fall,” a familiar voice said. Stan’s head shot up. Emmett was exiting the dressing room with two other boys, chatting animatedly with them. Stan raised an eyebrow.
Huh. Didn’t know he could be…social.
“What?” scoffed one of the boys. “You’ve got those extra toes!” Stan tensed, ready to jump in at the first denigrating word about Emmett’s polydactyly. “They give you extra grip! You’ll never fall!” Emmett and the third boy laughed. Stan relaxed.
“I wish I had lucky toes,” the third boy said.
“No, you don’t. I have to get the special extra wide shoes,” Emmett said, rolling his eyes. The other boys chuckled. Emmett scanned the hall, beaming when his eyes landed on Stan. “Dad!”
“That’s your dad?” one of the boys asked. Emmett frowned at him.
“Yeah. Why?”
“You don’t look like him.”
“I will when I get older,” Emmett said confidently. He ran up to Stan and wrapped his arms around his father’s waist. “You came!”
“Duh,” Stan scoffed. He grinned. “It was way better than your sister’s flute recital.” Emmett giggled.
“You really think so?”
“Yer one of the few people who can tell if I’m not bein’ honest,” Stan said. “Why would I waste my time lyin’?” Emmett’s smile somehow brightened even more.
“Thanks, Dad.”
“Don’t mention it, sport. I’m just tellin’ the truth.” Stan ruffled Emmett’s hair. “You belong here.”
I mentioned a little bit ago that in my Pirate AU, Angie and Stan's son Emmett eventually becomes the next Pirate King. Here's a sort of origin story for that.
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There were some benefits to have a nervous nature, Emmett considered as he snuck into his parents’ bedroom. His parents and siblings were all at a festival in the Gravity Falls town square. Being anxious and uncomfortable in large crowds, Emmett had been allowed to stay home.
I mean, it ain’t like I’m lyin’. I really don’t think I’d enjoy the big kerfuffle goin’ on today. But I did play it up just a tad to make sure they’d let me stay home. With everyone out of the house, he could finally snoop in his parents’ room. From the outside, they were straitlaced pillars of the community. Angie cooked for the poor and sick, while Stan mentored young people who lacked parental figures. But Emmett knew it was all an act.
Behind closed doors, his parents taught all their children how to pickpocket, swore like sailors, had mysterious scars, and walked like they were ready for danger at any moment. The last one, Emmett recognized because he himself behaved in that way. He had a feeling, however, that his parents weren’t on edge because of severe anxiety.
After all, Stan taught Emmett how to see through lies from anyone. Even Stan himself. And some of the lies Stan told were remarkably thin. It was almost insulting, the expectation Emmett would believe his father changed his name to avoid sharing it with a pirate. Or that Danny and Daisy’s early memories of time with pirates were just confusion over spending their first few years of life on a merchant ship.
Emmett opened the door to his parents’ room and strode confidently over to the closet. Inside were his ma’s many lovely dresses, though a few surprisingly masculine articles of clothing were hidden at the back. Emmett nodded thoughtfully. The trousers helped his theory, but they were far from conclusive. His older sister Daisy preferred trousers, for one thing. He knelt and began to stick his fingers in between the floorboards, looking for a loose one that could be pried up. Underneath a box of bonnets, he found it. It only took a small amount of effort to lift the board, revealing a chest below. Emmett huffed. His parents definitely weren’t making it easy. But he had plenty of time before his family returned.
He lifted the chest up and carried it into the bedroom proper, where he had better lighting to look at the contents. Naturally, it had a large lock on it. A lock that was swiftly picked by Stan’s best student. Emmett set aside the lock and paused. Now was the moment of truth. He lifted the lid of the chest. His breath caught in his throat.
The lessons he’d learned in class came flooding back to him. His twin was always fascinated by pirates, and asked question after question from their teacher when they discussed the ongoing piracy scourge. The voice of his teacher echoed in his head.
“The most famous pirate in recent memory was Sally McGowan, previously known as Sully McGowan, the last Pirate King. Her blade, a gift from her first mate and rumored lover, Stan Pines, was named Wasp’s Stinger, a reference to the ferocity hidden under her small stature. When she and her first mate disappeared, so did the blade that killed hundreds.” Emmett cautiously picked up the cutlass that rested on top of the chest’s contents. His fingers traced the letters that were etched into its blade. He didn’t have the ear for languages that his younger sister Cadenza did; he’d never become properly fluent in the Irish his ma tried to teach her children. But he knew enough to translate what was written on the sword.
“The stinger of the wasp.”
Emmett’s heart began to race. The distinguishing features of Sally McGowan his teacher had told them about resounded in his ears, aligning with his ma’s physical appearance perfectly. Blonde hair. A large nose. Eyes the color of the sea. Shorter than average and very sensitive about that fact.
He set aside the sword and continued to dig through the chest. A few other weapons were there, including brass knuckles. Brass knuckles were the reported favorite of Stan Pines, a former cabin boy who never properly learned swordplay and who, supposedly, looked eerily similar to Emmett’s dad, Stan McGucket. The weapons were wrapped in more clothing, these bloodstained and torn, but apparently still full of sentimental value. Hidden at the bottom of the chest was a pendant, made of an opal surrounded by gold. Emmett frowned.
Don’t recognize that. And it don’t seem like Ma or Dad’s style. Probably somethin’ they plundered and decided to keep as a souvenir. He set it aside as well. Finally, wrapped in a fine white fabric that seemed like part of a wedding dress, he found a piece of wood. His fingers brushed against it. It smelled of the sea and had a mark where a limpet had been pried off. Again, he wasn’t sure what it was. Nothing about it seemed remarkable or worth saving. But Emmett’s suspicions had been proven long before this point. He glanced at the clock on the wall. He let out a swear that would make most people gasp, but his parents would barely register as a bad word. His family would be home soon.
Emmett quickly put everything back in the chest, aside from a small dagger that he slid into his boot.
It’s their own fault for teachin’ their kids how to steal. They should expect us to “borrow” things here and there. He lingered on the cutlass of the last Pirate King, but knew that theft would be discovered far faster than lifting a simple dagger. With everything other than the dagger placed in the chest again, he locked it, put it back under the floorboard, and shoved the box of bonnets over it. He quickly glanced around the room as he left. It was like he had never been in there.
When his family returned, Emmett was reading a book on the couch. Caleb and Cadenza eagerly began to tell him all of what he missed. Emmett smiled and nodded, but couldn’t stop thinking about his parents. The unassuming woman and man who raised him had once been the scourge of the high seas.
I still have a few prompts left to get to, but for some reason, I really wanted to write this particular plot point out. And I don’t like to redirect my muse if she’s speaking to me for something specific. So here’s Stan talking to Emmett about why he looks so human and what it means for his future.
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Stan idly swept the cave floor with his tail, brushing bones and shed skin to the side.
Eh. Good enough. Angie was out hunting with most of their hatchlings and had requested he tidy up a little bit while she was gone. If she wants it cleaner, she can tell me when she gets back.
“Dad?” Stan looked over at the lone hatchling to not go hunting, ten-year-old Emmett. Due to his incredibly human appearance, and thus lack of natural protection and weaponry, Angie and Stan didn’t want him hunting just yet. Even with supervision, they were both very aware of how dangerous hunting could be. They bickered and disagreed over a number of things when it came to raising the hatchlings, but keeping Emmett on a short, supervised, and protected leash was the one thing they didn’t have to discuss at all. They were on the same page from the beginning.
“What’s up?” Stan asked. Emmett looked down at his feet.
“I think I need new sssssssshoessssss,” he said. While the children that were more dragon hadn’t picked up Angie’s distinctive hiss, the naga children and, to their surprise, Emmett, had. Stan looked at Emmett’s feet. Both of his big toes stuck out of the incredibly worn shoes he had on.
Kid goes through shoes like no one else. Probably the extra toes. Like a lot of his siblings, Emmett had polydactyly. His was in the form of twelve toes.
“Yep. You’re right.” Stan walked over to Emmett. He circled his son, inspecting the rest of his clothing. Most of the family wore clothing either rarely or just on their torso. Emmett was the lone exception. Unlike everyone else, he had to wear not just a top, but also pants all the time, to protect his sensitive skin from the elements.
‘Cause it’s not enough for the kid to look mostly human. He’s gotta have eczema, too. Emmett greatly disliked wearing clothing and as such, tended to let it get completely worn out before asking for something new. Stan and Angie had to periodically check their son’s wardrobe to make sure it wasn’t literally falling apart. When was the last time we checked? Obviously before his last growth spurt. The hem of Emmett’s pants was almost halfway up his shin. Stan sat down.
“You need more pants, too,” he said finally. Emmett groaned. “And probably some new shirts.” Emmett groaned again, louder this time. “Most kids would be happy that their dad’s gonna get them some new clothes.”
“Ssssssssso?” Emmett asked, crossing his arms. His sporadic maroon and gold scales, which started near his elbows, glinted from the movement. “I’m not mosssssssst kidsssssss.”
“I know, ‘Met.” Stan sighed. “But you need clothes.”
“Can we at leasssssssst get treatsssssss from my fav’rite sssssssstall?” Emmett begged. Stan shook his head. “Why not?”
“We’re not gonna go to the Crawlspace this time,” Stan said. Emmett’s mouth dropped open in shock. “We’re gonna go into human town.”
“What?!” Emmett squeaked.
“Don’t worry, no one’s gonna know we’re not human.”
“But- but- Ma’ssssssss gonna lossssssssse it!”
“No, she won’t,” Stan said firmly. “Go change into whatever fits you best and covers up your scales. I’ll get ready and then we can head out.” Emmett groaned loudly but turned away and headed for the particular cavern that served as his bedroom. Stan looked down at the cave floor, thinking.
We’ve been planning on taking him into human town for a while. Might as well do it now. Angie wanted to be there for it, but it’ll probably go better if it’s one-on-one. Poor kid gets nervous when too many people are paying attention to him. Stan shook his head. He stood up and went off to the cavern he and Angie shared. Hopefully everything pans out like we want.
-----
“See?” Stan said, elbowing Emmett playfully. They had just finished shopping at the mall, stopping by the food court on their way out. They were now walking around a nearby park as they ate. “No problem.”
“I guesssssss,” Emmett mumbled. He took a bite of his hot dog. “Cooked meat is weird.”
“Do you not like it?”
“No, it’sssssss all right. I’m jussssssst not usssssssed to it, I guessssss.” Emmett frowned at the hot dog. “What kinda meat isssssss thisssssss, anyway?”
“No one knows.”
“Weird,” Emmett mumbled. He looked up at Stan. “Dad?”
With how fast he’s growing, he’s gonna start looking down at me soon.
“Yeah?”
“How come you were able to pretend to be a human ssssssssssso well?” Emmett asked. “You even underssssssstand human money and etiquette and- and everything!”
“That’s a bit of a long story.”
“Sssssssso you’re not gonna tell me,” Emmett said flatly.
“Did I say that? No.” Stan guided Emmett to a nearby park bench. They both sat down. “Y’know how everyone says that you look so human ‘cause there’s a human somewhere in my family?”
“Yeah…”
“The human’s me,” Stan said. Emmett stared at him. “I used to be a human. But years before you were laid, I turned into a dragon.”
“Wh- wh-” Emmett seemed like he was short-circuiting. “Did you become a dragon ssssssso you could court Ma or ssssssssomethin’?”
“Nope. She actually used to be human, too.”
“What?!” Emmett looked like he was about to throw up the hot dog he’d just eaten. Stan put a hand on his son’s back.
“Calm down, kid. It’s okay.”
“Wh- wh- how?!”
“Your ma and I were humans. But one day, we got exposed to water from a magical stream.”
“Magical ssssssstream?”
“The one that we don’t let you or your siblings get near. That water turned us into magical creatures.” Stan tilted his head. “That’s why we don’t let you get near it. We don’t know what it would do to you. It doesn’t look like it hurts other magical creatures, but you kids have former humans for parents, so we’re not taking any risks.”
“I…” Emmett stared at the ground. “Why didn’t ya tell usssssss?”
“No one in the magical creature community knows we used to be human. We wanted to wait until you kids were grown up enough that we knew you could keep the secret.”
“Why issssssss it a sssssssssecret?”
“Emmett,” Stan said flatly. “You know how humans are treated. If people knew what we used to be, they wouldn’t want to be around us. But we definitely couldn’t try to stay in human society. Especially not your ma.”
“Good point,” Emmett mumbled. He shook his head. “Why are ya tellin’ me now? I know I asssssssked, but ya didn’t have to anssssswer the quesssssstion.” Stan sighed. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
“Your ma and I have been talking about you.”
“Good thingsssssss?”
“Neutral things.” Stan met Emmett’s eyes. “We think it’s time for you to go to human school.” Emmett jumped off the bench, staring at Stan in horror.
“H-h-human ssssssschool?” he squeaked. “They’ll- they’ll kill me with a ssssssssword!”
“Most humans don’t have swords.”
“Then they’ll usssssssse a gun.”
“They won’t kill you,” Stan said firmly. “Sit back down and let me finish what I was saying, will ya?” Emmett reluctantly sat on the bench again. Stan took a deep breath. “You pass as human even without shapeshifting or using a magical spell. No one would have any idea, especially if we made sure to give you a Glamour every day, like I do when I go into human town. Just in case someone caught a glimpse of something that wasn’t human.” Stan put his hand on Emmett’s knee. “We’ve been planning this practically since the day you hatched.”
“Why?” Emmett asked.
“I knew you looked too human to fit in with the other magical creatures. Your ma knew it, too. No matter how hard we tried, you were gonna stick out. So we had a backup plan. If magical creatures didn’t accept you, humans would.”
“But- but-”
“Your siblings have been telling us lately that school has been difficult for you,” Stan said softly. Emmett immediately looked down at his brand-new sneakers. “I’m not upset. Neither is your ma. But you’re getting old enough that people are really gonna start picking on you for being different. We just wanna make sure that you have some place you belong.” Stan rolled his eyes. “And your ma really likes the idea of you going to college.”
“College?”
“I think it’s stupid, but it’s important to your ma. Probably ‘cause she went to college.” Stan waved a hand dismissively. “Anyways. We’re gonna let you finish out the school year with all the other magical creatures. But we want you to consider switching to the human school next fall.”
“I…”
“You don’t need to give me an answer right away. I don’t want you to give me an answer right away. If you do, it means you didn’t think about it.”
“Okay.”
“And if you decide you don’t wanna go to human school right now, that’s fine. But like I said, you’re old enough that we wanted to offer it to you,” Stan said. Emmett looked around the park, watching humans stroll by, not even glancing in their direction.
“It issssssss kinda niccccccce to be around people that look like me,” he said quietly. “No one’ssssss sssssstaring at me fer lookin’ dif’rent.” He let out a heavy sigh. “I’ll think about it, Dad.”
“That’s all I wanted, ‘Met.” Stan ruffled his son’s thick, brown hair. Emmett chuckled. “Is there anything else human you wanted to see before we head home?”
“I don’t know what’ssssssss in human town.”
“Hmm.” Stan looked up at the sky, using the sun’s position to roughly estimate the time. “We’ve got a while before your ma and siblings are done hunting. We can do a quick tour.” Stan stood up. Emmett stood as well. “At the very least, we can pick up some more food. Humans have way better snacks than magical creatures do.”
I was going through my ficlets on my writing sideblog and realized that, once again, I had a ficlet ready for posting that wasn’t actually posted, because I thought I had already done so. So here it is. And also once again, I’m too lazy to come up with a good title. All you need to know is that it takes place after this Superhero/villain AU ficlet from a while back.
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“So you’re like. Really a McGucket?”
“Yes, I am,” Emmett repeated. He sighed. “Why does everyone keep askin’ me that? Ma always says I look just like Uncle Lute.” He was at lunch sitting with Carter and Carter’s two best friends, Ruby and Derek. So far, he liked them. It wasn’t quite the same as sitting with Emily at lunch, but he didn’t mind it. Or at least, he got the feeling he would mind a lot less once they started talking about themselves rather than asking him questions about his family.
“Lute McGucket? The Twister Twin known as Tsunami?” Derek asked. Emmett nodded. “That guy’s my hero. There aren’t a lot of A-list villains out there for young hydros like myself to look up to.”
“Well, Dad said Uncle Lute’s s’pposed to pick me up from school today, so…”
“That is so cool,” Derek said. Emmett shrugged.
“I mean. He’s just my uncle to me. And not even my coolest uncle.”
“Who’s your dad?” Ruby asked. Her eyes widened. “Is he the McGucket?”
“…No. He comes from a family that sorta has inconsistent powers. The type varies a lot and it skips generations pretty frequently.”
“Is he a villain at least, though?”
“No, he’s a stay-at-home dad. He didn’t want me to come here, since he’s never been involved in the whole mask thing,” Emmett said, the lie easily rolling off his tongue. Carter, Ruby, and Derek gaped at him. “That’s why my sisters didn’t go here.”
“Your dad married a McGucket and doesn’t want his kids to be villains?” Carter asked. Emmett scratched the back of his neck.
“Not- not quite. He’d prefer if we weren’t, but he won’t stop us. He and Ma agreed to raise us as neutrally as possible so we could make our own decisions. And this whole thing sorta goes against that plan.”
“Your mom is the McGucket,” Ruby said. Emmett nodded. “Your mom is Sirocco?”
“Yeah,” Emmett confirmed. Derek let out a loud chortle.
“Dude, she’s a badass. And honestly, kinda hot.”
“Gross,” Carter said, rolling his eyes.
“What? It’s true.”
“She’s his mom, man. Have some class,” Ruby said. She punched Derek’s shoulder. “For reals though, Emmett, that’s awesome. I’ve always admired her.” Ruby grinned viciously. “Her fights with Flamethrower are inspirational.”
“Heh. Yeah.” Emmett picked at his lunch idly.
“Hang on, did you say you had sisters?” Ruby asked. Emmett nodded. “How many?”
“Three. There’s my two older sisters – they’re twins – and my twin sister.”
“You’re the younger twin, I take it,” Carter said. Emmett grinned weakly.
“How’d ya know?”
“Only the younger twin doesn’t bother saying which twin is older. At least, that’s what my cousins that are twins told me.”
“I didn’t know Sirocco had kids,” Derek said thoughtfully.
“I did,” Ruby said. “Not how many, but I knew they existed.” Derek eyed her doubtfully. “No, really! I did! My aunt is friends with one of the people on the Twister Twins’ crew. She told me that Sirocco’s been on maternity leave a couple times.”
“Well, like I said, my parents are trying to keep things as neutral as possible for us,” Emmett mumbled. Derek shook his head.
“That’s so weird. Why marry a McGucket if you don’t want your kids to follow the McGucket family legacy?”
“Uh, for love, duh,” Ruby said, punching Derek again. “How’d your parents meet, Emmett?”
“It’s-” Emmett shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t know. My ma tells me the same story pretty consistently. She says they met at a bar and felt a connection. But my dad tells a different story every time, so I’m not sure what to believe.” He set down his fork. “Look, I- I’m glad that you don’t hate me or whatever, but I really- I’d prefer to not- not talk about my family, okay?” He looked away. A soft beeping came from the power dampener wrapped around his wrist, indicating that it was suppressing whatever command Emmett had accidentally given. Carter heard the beeping and glanced at Emmett’s power dampener.
“Hey.” Carter reached across the table and rested a hand on Emmett’s arm. “We’ll back off. Sorry about that. We don’t get to meet many famous people.”
“But I’m not a famous person.”
“You might not think so, but a lot of people really look up to the McGuckets around here.” Carter smiled sympathetically. “You’re gonna have to get used to a bit of fame.”
“Great.” Emmett slumped in his seat. “Of my siblings, I’m the only one who doesn’t like being the center of attention.” The bell rang.
“Lunch is over,” Carter said. Emmett nodded. “C’mon, I’ll help you find your next class.” Emmett nodded again.
“Okay.”
-----
Emmett sat on the curb, trying to ignore the stares he was getting from other students. By the end of the day, word had spread that a McGucket was attending the school, and that the McGucket looked like him.
This sucks. This sucks so much. Emily would love this. She’d have a million friends already if she was here. He took a shuddering breath, trying to keep from crying. I wish she was here with me. His power dampener began to beep again. Emmett put his head in his hands. My dampener hasn’t had to work this much since I started lessons with Grandma Pines. This is all backfiring, isn’t it?
The worst part of the day had been the class on controlling his powers. Like Carter had said, it was required for all students who were still relying on power dampeners. Immediately after removing his power dampener for the lesson, the other students had run out of the room, overcome by Emmett’s desire to be alone.
At least the teachers were immune to it. Emmett squeezed his eyes shut. But it took forever to track everyone down and bring them back.
“Howdy there, sugar-cube.” Emmett looked up. “You all right?” his ma asked. Emmett jumped to his feet and wrapped Angie in a tight hug. Angie, who had become shorter than Emmett after his last growth spurt, returned the gesture. “Honey-bun, somethin’ wrong?”
“A lot of things,” Emmett mumbled into her hair.
“Oh, sweetling, I’m so sorry,” Angie said softly. Emmett broke off the hug. Angie smiled and wiped a stray tear off Emmett’s cheek.
“I thought Uncle Lute was gonna pick me up.”
“Yer dad said you could prob’ly use a ride from a parent today. Apparently this mornin’ went a bit rough?”
“The whole day did,” Emmett said.
“I’m sorry to hear that. Do ya want to talk ‘bout it?”
“Yeah.” Emmett glanced over at the other students waiting to be picked up. Almost everyone was staring at them. “But not- not here.”
“Would that have anything to do with the peanut gallery watchin’ us?”
“Yeah.”
“C’mon, then. I’m parked over here.” Angie began to walk towards the parking lot. Emmett followed her, staying close behind. “Care to explain why ya had an audience?”
“It’s ‘cause I’m a McGucket.”
“Yer a- oh, consarnit.” Angie grimaced. “I didn’t think about the trouble yer last name might get ya into. It’s fer the best that Lute didn’t pick ya up, then. He likes showin’ off. He’s actually been a guest speaker at this school before.”
“Wait, really?”
“Yes.”
“Ma!”
“Emmett, I really am sorry that I didn’t consider yer fam’ly bein’ a problem.” Angie kneaded her forehead. “I was so focused on tryin’ to make sure there wouldn’t be any issues with yer dad that I disregarded any issues that would come from me.”
“I’m famous.”
“Yeah.” Angie chewed her lip. “And that’s not somethin’ you want.”
“No, duh.” Emmett clenched the strap of his backpack tightly. “Can I please go back to normal school?” Angie shook her head. “But Ma-”
“We got the report of yer first power lesson already.”
“You- you did?” Emmett asked. Angie nodded.
“Usually, it’s a weekly call, lettin’ parents know how their kids are doin’ learnin’ to control their powers. So it was an awful big surprise to get that call on the very first day.” She came to a stop outside the family van and unlocked the doors. Emmett tossed his bag into the backseat before getting in the passenger’s seat. Angie got in as well. “Apparently, yer command was so powerful that even the teachers almost ran fer the hills.”
“I didn’t mean to-”
“That’s the point, Emmett,” Angie said shortly. “That’s the whole point of you comin’ here. That every other time you use yer power, it’s on accident. You can’t live yer whole life with a power dampener on. Clearly, yer grandma’s lessons haven’t been workin’ as well as we’d hoped.”
“It’s just because I was stressed and upset.”
“That’s not a valid excuse. When yer stressed and upset is the worst possible time to lose control of yer powers.” Angie clenched the steering wheel. “Sweetling, I know you didn’t enjoy yer day. And I wish there was some other option. But what happened in yer lesson today has fully convinced me that this is the only option.”
“Ma, don’t make me go to school here,” Emmett begged. His power dampener beeped. Angie looked at him sadly.
“We don’t have any other choice. Even now, yer accidentally tryin’ to control me.”
“I don’t want to be famous.”
“I know. I know.” Angie let go of the steering wheel to stroke Emmett’s cheek. “What if yer dad or Uncle Ford picked you up and dropped you off fer a bit? At least until the initial excitement over you bein’ a McGucket has died down.”
“But I thought Dad couldn’t come, in case someone recognized him.”
“It’ll be fine.”
“But-”
“This is ‘bout the only thing we can do to make things easier on you, kidlet. So that’s what we’ll do,” Angie said firmly. Emmett nodded. “Did you make any friends today?”
“I think so.”
“Oh? Anyone whose fam’ly I might know?”
“Um, his name is Carter Jones.”
“Jones…” Angie pursed her lips. “Hmm. Can’t say I know that fam’ly.” She started the car. “Maybe we’ll have to have him over, if you two get close.”
“Really? Even though Dad’s-”
“Stop worryin’. Yer father’s a grown adult. He can take care of himself.” Angie ruffled Emmett’s hair. “Now, let’s go pick up Emily.” She grinned at Emmett. “I bet she’ll be nice and jealous of ya.”
btw in the Pirate AU, Emmett becomes a pirate, eventually rising up in the ranks to become the pirate king.
he goes by the name of Stan McGowan, only child of the former pirate king Sally McGowan and her first mate Stan Pines.
but he works hard to become the pirate king, he doesn't use his parentage as a sort of shortcut. he earns that crown.
Angie and Stan don't find out he's a pirate until after he's already become pirate king, and are astonished he managed to keep it from them. but also incredibly proud.
(Angie's a bit more proud than Stan, tbh, bc Stan's worried about Emmett's safety)
I was looking through my AU Word docs for Inspiration for Stanuary, and stumbled across this scene that I never finished. So I decided to finish this scene. It stars Emmett McGucket, who sort of inadvertently became the star of the Superhero/villain AU lmao.
Enjoy.
———————————————————————————————————–
Emmett opened the door to his house.
“C’mon in,” he said nervously. Carter punched his arm.
“You don’t need to be anxious around me, man. Hell, I’m the one who should be nervous. I might get to meet a famous supervillain.”
“…Probably not,” Emmett said, stepping aside so that Carter could come in. “Ma’s at her day job and Uncle Lute got called in to help his crew.”
“That’s unfortunate,” Carter remarked. He entered the house. “Oh, well. At least I get to meet your dad and your sisters.” He grinned at Emmett. “I’m a bit curious about whether they’re actually as wild as you say. I mean, compared to you, just about anyone’s wild.” Emmett flushed. “I’m just teasing, relax.”
“Yeah, I, uh, I knew that,” Emmett said weakly. He closed the door. “I’m glad your mom said you could finally come over. You didn’t get lost on the way, did ya?”
“Nah.”
“And did you walk or-”
“I biked.” Carter eyed Emmett. “Do you really wanna talk about how I got here, or show off your house a bit?” Emmett smiled.
“Good point. My room’s upstairs.”
“Awesome. Oh, before you show me your room, my mom told me to bring something over. Apparently that’s the nice thing to do or whatever. So…” Carter removed his backpack and dug around in it. “Ah ha! Here!” He handed Emmett a large candle. “You can give that to your dad.”
“When he gets home, I will.” Emmett brought the candle into the kitchen and set it on the counter. When he returned, Carter raised an eyebrow.
“He’s not home?”
“Nope.”
“But…he’s a stay-at-home dad. Where is he?”
“He, uh, he had to go run some errands,” Emmett fibbed.
“He’ll be back before I leave, though, right?” Carter grinned at him. “I’m starting to wonder if he doesn’t exist or something. You’re so secretive about him.”
“Nah, he exists. He’s just a bit uncomfortable with the whole villain thing,” Emmett said with a shrug. Carter shook his head.
“That’s so weird.”
“Hey, Emmett!” a voice shouted from the second floor. Footsteps thundered down the stairs. Daisy stuck her head around the corner to stare at Emmett and Carter. Her eyes widened. “Ooh, you have a friend over?”
“Yes,” Emmett said. “Ma and Dad said it was okay.”
“Hmm.” Daisy approached the two boys. She crossed her arms. “You’re short,” she said flatly to Carter. Carter grinned.
“I’ve seen you guys’ mom before. I’m not nearly as short as her. Or as Tsunami.”
“True.” Daisy continued to look Carter up and down.
“Did you want somethin’?” Emmett asked. Daisy shrugged.
“Yeah, but since you’ve got a guest, I’ll just harass Emily about it.” She burst into flames and flew away. Carter’s jaw dropped. He turned to stare at Emmett. Emmett smiled weakly.
“I told you my sisters were all elementals.”
“Yeah, but-” Carter chortled. “Man, I wish my family had cooler powers. When we show off, it’s not nearly as fun.” Emmett’s smile strengthened. “Anyways, do you have any fun video games?”
“I don’t really play many video games, but my dad and Danny like to play Need for Speed.”
“Hell yeah! Lead the way.”
-----
The video game session was interrupted a few times by Emmett’s sisters, who were incredibly curious about his friend and not bothering to be polite about it. Eventually, Emily settled down in Stan’s favorite armchair in the living room, silently reading a book on pyrotechnics and occasionally glancing over at Emmett and Carter, playing video games from the floor.
“So, Emily, do you think you’ll be the next Sirocco?” Carter asked after winning yet another round. Emily shrugged.
“Maybe. Depends on when Ma decides to retire. I don’t wanna steal her codename while she’s still usin’ it.” Emily turned a page in her book. “Dunno if I’ll go the full villain route, though.” Carter whipped his head around to stare at her.
“What? You’re thinking about being a non-villainous Sirocco? That’s insane.” Carter shook his head. “See, this is why it was stupid that your parents didn’t send you all to Sycamore Grove. Now not all of you will be villains!”
“Well, Dad’ll be happy about that, at least,” Emily muttered. Carter set down his controller and leaned back against the couch.
“This mysterious ‘dad’ again,” he drawled. He looked at Emmett. “Seriously, where is he? He’s not doing a very good job of being a stay-at-home dad if he’s not home.”
“He’s got other things to do,” Emily said. “And we’re old enough to watch ourselves anyways.”
“Fine, I’ll drop it,” Carter muttered. He turned his attention back to the game. “So, Emmett, you said all your sisters were elementals. Emily’s an aerokinetic, what about the others?”
“Danny’s a cryo, she gets that from our Ma’s grandma,” Emmett said. “And Daisy’s a pyro, she gets that from Dad.”
“Your dad’s a pyro?”
“Yeah.”
“Honestly, I didn’t even realize he was a super,” Carter commented. “Why isn’t he a villain? He married one and he’s got the right power for it.”
“Not all supers are masks,” Emmett said. “I mean, I don’t think I’ll wind up being a mask.”
“But to marry a mask and not be one-” Carter started. Emmett paused the game. He looked at Carter. “You guys are pretty touchy about this.”
“Well, yeah,” Emily piped up. “You think we haven’t heard this same line of questionin’ from Ma’s coworkers?” After a moment, Carter nodded.
“Fair point. So-” Whatever else Carter was about to say was interrupted by a loud crash in the backyard. “What the hell was that?” Carter asked, getting up. Voices carried from outside.
“You almost crushed me there, Pines.” Emmett and Emily exchanged a look.
That sounds like Uncle Lute.
“Excuse me for not having a perfect landing while I’m bleeding out, Gucket,” Stan snapped. Footsteps sounded on the back porch, which led directly into the living room via a sliding glass door. The door opened. “Who put the curtains down?”
“Prob’ly one of-” Lute started, pulling back the curtain. He paused, catching sight of Emily, Emmett, and Carter, who were all staring at him. “Um.” Before anyone could say anything, Lute suddenly tumbled out of sight with a yelp. “Son of a- Emily, get yer father off me ‘fore he flattens me.” Emily jumped to her feet. As she went to help, Emmett grabbed Carter’s hand.
“We should prob’ly go upstairs.”
“What? Why?” Carter asked.
“This seems like something that we shouldn’t-” Emmett started. Danny and Daisy raced down the stairs.
“We saw Dad crash in the yard,” Danny said breathlessly. “Is Ma-”
“Yes, yer mother’s on her way, but right now, we need to move yer father to the couch,” Lute said, pulling the curtain open. The action revealed Stan, unconscious and pale, being partially lifted by Emily. And, to Emmett’s dread, his father was in his superhero outfit.
“Come on, Carter, we need to get out of the way,” Emmett said, pulling Carter up from the couch and dragging him upstairs. His power dampener beeped. Once they reached the landing of the second floor, Carter pulled his hand free.
“Did you try to control me?” Carter asked quietly.
“What? No!”
“Your power dampener just lit up.”
“I- sometimes when I get worked up- I still wear the dampener for a reason,” Emmett stammered. Carter looked back down to the first floor. “No!” Emmett’s dampener beeped again, making him grimace.
“What the hell is going on?” Carter demanded, still looking into the living room from above. “Is that- is that your mom’s archnemesis? That looks like Flamethrower.” Emmett broke into a nervous sweat. “Why did your uncle bring an unconscious superhero to your house? And why-” Carter’s eyes widened. “Your uncle called him your dad. So did your sister. And you said your dad was a pyro, which Flamethrower is.” Carter swore softly. “Your dad…is Flamethrower?”
“Can- can we talk about this in my room?”
“Yeah. Sure.”
-----
Once Emmett had closed the door to his room, Carter looked at him expectantly.
“Care to explain why your dad is a superhero?”
“I…I don’t know, to be honest.” Emmett crossed over to his bed and sat down. Carter sat next to him. “I told you the first day we met that I didn’t know how my parents met. Which isn’t completely true – I know how they met. But I don’t know why they became a couple. From what I understand, they didn’t get along for years, then, out of nowhere, they became a couple and had Danny and Daisy.”
“What’s the exact timeframe here?” Carter asked thoughtfully.
“Pardon?”
“How long between your parents getting together and your older sisters being born?”
“I…” Emmett stared at his friend. “Are you suggesting that my parents got together because my dad got my ma pregnant?”
“It’s a possibility.”
“But how would my sisters have gotten conceived if they were still enemies?”
“Oh, like you haven’t noticed how steamy some fights get,” Carter scoffed. “You pin your enemy against a wall, their eyes stare directly into yours…”
“Ugh! Okay, I get it, just-” Emmett grimaced. “Stop makin’ me imagine that happening with my parents.” Carter snickered. “At the end of the day, though, the timeline isn’t important, and neither is the way my parents got together. What’s important is that they’re married and love each other now.”
“Yeah.” Carter shook his head. “That’s weird as fuck, man. No wonder you’re always so cagey about your dad.”
“If anyone found out…” Emmett’s throat abruptly became choked up with fear. “My uncle told me that, back when Danny and Daisy were still really little, one of Dad’s coworkers found out he married a supervillain. The coworker went rogue and kidnapped Dad. My ma rescued him, but it was a big mess.” Emmett met Carter’s eyes. “You can’t tell anyone.”
“What would happen if I did?” Carter asked. Emmett’s heart broke. His expression must have shown this, because Carter quickly backpedaled. “I won’t! Sorry, I didn’t- I’m just so used to playing devil’s advocate that I said that without thinking.”
“I don’t know what would happen. But I would definitely never be able to see you again.”
“Well, you don’t need to worry, ‘cause I won’t tell a soul,” Carter said firmly. Emmett smiled.
“Thank you.” There was a knock. “Yes?” Danny opened the door.
“Dad wants to talk to you and yer friend,” she said, looking directly at Carter with a cold gaze. “Come on.” Emmett and Carter exchanged a look, then stood up and followed Danny downstairs. Stan was on the couch, still wearing the bottoms to his heroing outfit, with a large bandage over much of his bared torso. Thankfully, he was now awake and drinking a can of Pitt Cola.
“Glad yer okay, Dad,” Emmett said quietly. Stan grinned at him.
“Takes a lot more than what happened today to put your old man out of commission.” He looked at Carter. “Sorry about ruining your playdate with Emmett.”
“Dad!” Emmett yelped. Stan chuckled.
“I’m just teasing, sport. Seriously though, Carter, this isn’t how I planned on meeting you.”
“Shit happens,” Carter said with a shrug. Stan nodded.
“I like that attitude.” His easygoing demeanor abruptly vanished. Emmett swallowed, recognizing the stony expression on his father’s face. Stan was shifting into what Emily called “take no shit mode”. “Look, kid, you can’t tell anyone what you saw or think you saw today.”
“Don’t worry, I already told Emmett I’d keep it a secret,” Carter said. Stan looked at him doubtfully. “I don’t want to mess up my best friendship. Or anger one of the most powerful families in villainy.” Stan nodded.
“Smart. Even if Angie and I have to go into hiding with the kids, the rest of her family won’t have to. And you know exactly how dangerous the McGuckets are.”
“Yes, sir.”
“You’re giving me your word that you’ll keep my secret identity to yourself,” Stan said. Carter nodded. “I need you to say it, son.” Emmett noted with some amusement that the way Stan said his last sentence reminded him of someone. He glanced at Danny, who, judging by her expression, had also picked up on it.
He sounded just like Grampie Gucket. Carter, somehow not quailing under the force of Stan’s stare, nodded again.
“I give you my word that I won’t tell anyone your secret identity, Emmett’s dad.” Immediately, Stan left “take no shit mode” and chortled.
“You can call me Mr. Pines, kid. That’s what Emmett’s sister’s friends call me.”
“Ah. Okay. Mr. Pines. Your secret is safe with me.”
“Good.” Stan got up from the couch, poorly stifling a groan of pain. Danny crossed her arms, scowling. “Princess, don’t give me that look.”
“You shouldn’t be getting up, Dad. If you need something, I can get it.”
“Nope. No dice.” Stan clapped Danny on the shoulder. “I’m gonna go call your ma to let her know I’m not unconscious anymore.”
“Are my services as a human ice pack no longer needed, then?”
“Yes, sweetie, you’re free to go.”
“Great.” Danny went back upstairs and ducked into her room.
“Dad, I think Danny’s right,” Emmett said. “You should be laying down.”
“Nope! You and your little friend can get back to playing. Whattaya think for dinner? Spaghetti? I gotta get started soon if it’s gonna be ready at a reasonable time.”
“You’re making dinner?” Carter asked. Stan raised an eyebrow.
“I’m a stay-at-home dad when I’m not getting stabbed by villains. Feeding my kids is my job.”
“But you just got hurt.”
“Eh. I’ve had worse.” Stan grinned. “My wife’s given me worse.”
“Dad!” Emmett whined. Stan chuckled. He walked into the kitchen.
“Why’s there some candle in here?”
“My mom told me to bring a gift over,” Carter called.
“Nice,” Stan said. “Very classy.” Carter looked at Emmett, amused. Emmett shrugged.
“He’s right. Bringin’ that was pretty classy.” Carter laughed and punched Emmett’s shoulder.
“You’re funny, ‘Met. C’mon, let’s get back to me kicking your ass at video games.”
Something we discussed on the Discord a while ago was a new scenario for my Superhero/villain AU: Emmett has an ability that is derived from Ma McGucket’s side of the family, and that family catches wind of it and decides to recruit him. Ma McGucket is estranged from her family, for good reason, as evidenced by the fact that they decide to recruit Emmett by kidnapping him. Luckily, a non-powered kid in the family decides to help Emmett escape. And basically, here’s how that goes. Enjoy.
——————————————————————————————
“Psst!” At the hiss, Emmett looked up. Speaking through the window in the door was one of the kids in the family that had kidnapped him. Willis. Since they were close in age, Willis was often sent to bring him his meals. They’d gotten to know each other well, or at least as well as they could, given that Emmett was locked in a room. Willis unlocked the door and entered, the first time he’d done so.
Huh. Gettin’ a closer look at him, he looks a lot like Grannie Gucket, but with dark hair. Emmett remained silent, waiting for the other boy to speak first, just like his dad had taught him.
“Wait for the other person to speak first if they seem like they want you to talk first. It gives you more power when they eventually cave.” After a few moments, Willis cleared his throat.
“I’m- I’m here to break you out,” he said. Emmett frowned.
“Really.”
“Yes.”
“Sure, you are,” Emmett scoffed. “We might have talked, but that don’t mean I’ll just believe you when you say-” Willis scurried forward and removed the power dampening shackles on Emmett’s ankles. “Never mind.”
They wouldn’t want me to have access to my powers, even if they were trying to win my loyalty. Emmett rubbed his freed ankles, scowling slightly at his irritated skin. Great. Of course the shackles would make my eczema flare up.
“I can’t stand by and let this happen anymore,” Willis said quietly. “My family’s done a lotta shady things, but this is the worst. Kidnapping a nephew?”
“Wait, wait.” Emmett sat up straighter. “Nephew?”
“Well, I don’t know the exact relation, but-”
“Yer sayin’ I’m related to y’all?”
“Through yer grandma.”
“Through-” Emmett closed his eyes. “What’s yer last name?”
“Turner.”
“That’s- that’s my grannie’s maiden name.” Emmett put his head in his hands. “Now I get it. Now I get why they kept tellin’ me to join ‘em. Grannie told me that her fam’ly was rich in telepaths ‘n psychics, that my power came through her. Shoot.”
“Yeah. Um…” Willis looked over his shoulder at the opened door. “We- we should get outta here before anyone realizes I’m missing.” Willis helped Emmett to his feet.
“We?” Emmett asked. Willis nodded.
“I’m leavin’, too. I’m sick of bein’ treated poorly ‘cause I’m a normie.” Willis looked at the door again. “C’mon. I know a secret way out.”
-----
Emmett and Willis exited the building as quietly as they could, climbing out a window and jumping down to the sidewalk below.
“So…where are we?” Emmett asked.
“Nashville.”
“Nashville?” Emmett squeaked.
“Yeah. Is that- is that a problem?” Willis asked timidly. Emmett rubbed his face.
“I mean, I don’t know anyone in Nashville. My folks live on the West Coast, and my ma’s fam’ly lives in Arkansas. I don’t know what-” Emmett cut himself off as he felt the familiar sensation of hairs standing on the back of his neck, like someone was watching him.
“Why’d you stop talkin’?” Willis asked. Emmett looked around, but couldn’t see anyone. Before he could say anything, he heard a voice shout his name.
“Emmett!” Emmett and Willis spun around. An extremely tall man rushed over, scooping Emmett into an intense hug. “Thank the Lord.” Emmett buried his face in his uncle’s chest.
“Uncle Basstian.”
“Yup.” After a moment, Basstian held Emmett at arm’s length. Worry etched his face. “You look better than I thought ya might, but not nearly as well as I’d like.” Basstian embraced Emmett again. “It’ll be fine. Ma ‘ll fill ya up with some good ole fashioned southern comfort food, you’ll get some sleep, and we’ll take care of whoever did this to ya. No one messes with the McGuckets.”
“Uncle Basstian, how’d you know I was here?” Emmett asked. Basstian’s face hardened.
“Ma wondered if her fam’ly had somethin’ to do with ya disappearin’. Yer power is the exact kind that they like, after all. She wanted someone to come here to check, just in case, and I offered to go ‘cause I’m least likely to get caught. Everyone else is patrollin’ the more likely places.” Basstian broke off the hug. He looked Emmett up and down again. “She’ll be fit to fry when she gets told her folks did take ya.”
“Um…” a small voice said. Basstian looked over at Willis, who was shrinking away from him, visibly terrified.
“Willis, don’t worry, this is my uncle,” Emmett said quickly. Willis grimaced. “What’s wrong?”
“He’s- he’s a McGucket.”
“Uh, yeah. So am I.”
“But you’ve got a Turner power.”
“No, I don’t. I’ve got my own power. Look, you can trust Basstian. He’s my fav’rite uncle.”
“Aw, shucks,” Basstian rumbled. He ruffled Emmett’s hair. “Yer just sayin’ that ‘cause I’m the only one left in the fam’ly taller ‘n ya.” Basstian looked at Willis. His voice softened. “Willis, was it?” Willis nodded. “I came here to rescue Emmett, but if you need rescuin’, too, I’ll do just that. Is that what ya want?” After a moment, Willis nodded. “Good. Both of ya hold my hands and I’ll turn us invisible.”
“How are we gonna get to safety, though?” Emmett asked. “You can’t fly.” Basstian grinned.
“That’s a good thing, kidlet. They know there’s flyers in the fam’ly. So we’ll be takin’ my car. They won’t even glance at my beater.”
-----
“Hey, kidlet.” Hands gently shook Emmett. He opened his eyes blearily and yawned. Basstian smiled at him. “We’re here.” Emmett looked out the window. Relief washed over him at the familiar sight of the McGucket farmhouse. The drive from Nashville to Gumption wasn’t too long, at least, not by McGucket standards, but Emmett had fallen asleep quickly.
“Sorry I passed out,” Emmett said softly. Basstian shrugged.
“No problem. Yer lil friend was actually nice to converse with. He’s a sweet kid.” Basstian looked at Willis, who was sitting in the back seat. “I think you’ll like the rest of the fam’ly, Willis.” Willis smiled weakly.
“If they’re like you, Mr. Basstian, maybe.”
“Just call me Basstian, okay?” Basstian opened his door. He paused. “And, uh, be prepared. The rest of the fam’ly is nice like me, but not quiet like me. And since I was too busy leavin’ to call ahead, it’s goin’ to be chaos when I walk through the door with Emmett.” Basstian chewed on the inside of his cheek. “Actually, if ya want, you can stay in here until folks have calmed down a bit.”
“No, I’ll- I can handle it,” Willis said.
“Okay. Don’t be afraid to ask me to take ya outside or somethin’ if it gets to be too much, though,” Basstian said. Willis nodded. Basstian looked at Emmett. “Well, time to face the music.” Emmett nodded eagerly. They all got out of the truck and Emmett and Willis followed Basstian to the door.
“Who all is here right now?” Emmett asked.
“A decent number of people. Yer grandparents, Violynn, Harper, yer pa. Yer ma and siblin’s are still in Oregon, though, with Fidds ‘n Ford. Lute’s in California, doin’ some searchin’ there. He’ll be happy to come home.” Basstian pushed the door open. Hushed voices came from the kitchen and living room.
“Is that Basstian?” a voice asked. Emmett recognized it as belong to Violynn.
“I’ll check,” said a second voice, resigned and weary. Emmett’s heart leapt to his throat.
Dad! Footsteps sounded. Stan cleared the corner and walked into the hall leading from the front door. He froze at the sight of Emmett.
“Emmett,” Stan croaked in a strangled voice. Emmett let out a loud sob and ran to his father, wrapping his arms around Stan in a tight hug. “Oh, sport, we’ve been- you’re-” Stan broke off the hug to look at Emmett more closely. He searched Emmett’s face. “Sweet Moses, we’ve been worried. Are you all right?”
“Y-yeah.”
“Whoever took you wasn’t feeding you enough.”
“Dad.”
“Don’t worry, your ma and grandma will fill you out again.”
“Dad, stop talking, I just wanna hug you,” Emmett said, his voice thick with tears. Tears sprang to the corners of Stan’s eyes.
“Sure thing, kiddo.” He embraced Emmett tightly.
“Was that Emmett?” a voice said from the living room.
“Yep,” Stan replied. There was a sound like a heard of stampeding elephants. Emmett and Stan were quickly surrounded by the McGuckets currently at the farmhouse. The McGuckets fussed and cooed over Emmett, stroking his hair, talking over each other at him, and hugging him when Stan finally let go.
“Yer skin ‘n bones!” Ma McGucket gasped. She pinched Emmett’s cheek. “Poor thing. I’ll get yer fav’rite food goin’ right away, okay?”
“Grannie, ordering pizza honestly sounds just as good as a homecooked meal right now.”
“There’s nowhere in town that makes pizza.” Ma McGucket chewed her lip. “I’ll fly to the closest Pizza Hut and get ya whatever ya want.”
“Sally, give him a second to think ‘fore ya fly off to a dif’rent town,” Pa McGucket chided. “Matter of fact, he don’t just need time, he needs some space, too. Everyone, back off a bit. Let him breathe.” Reluctantly, the McGuckets moved away. Pa McGucket looked over at Basstian, who was still by the front door. “Basstian, you found him, didn’t- well, howdy there.” Willis, partially hidden behind Basstian, let out a small squeak.
“I see ya picked up a stray, lil brother,” Harper drawled.
“That’s Willis,” Emmett said. “He helped me escape.”
“Well, shucks, that earns him lifetime membership to the McGucket fam’ly, then,” Pa McGucket said jovially. Willis ducked his head shyly. Ma McGucket, who had gone stock still at the sight of Willis, straightened her back and strode over.
“Willis, yer a Turner, aren’t ya?” she asked calmly. Willis nodded. Ma McGucket’s gaze turned steely. “I figured, since ya look like one and I sent Basstian to check on the Turners. I can’t-” Ma McGucket shook her head. “I thought maybe my folks were responsible, but I hoped they weren’t. I hoped that they had some shred of humanity, that they wouldn’t kidnap a boy of their own blood. But of course they did. Emmett’s got a new power, one that they’d want in their arsenal.”
“I’m sorry,” Willis mumbled.
“Oh, hon, don’t apologize,” Ma McGucket said. “It ain’t yer fault what yer fam’ly does. We won’t hold it against ya, no more ‘n my children ‘n husband would hold what they did against me.”
“So it was your family that kidnapped my only son?” Stan growled. Emmett looked at his father. The expression of pure rage was one he hadn’t seen since Emily was mistreated at school after she transitioned.
“Yes.” Ma McGucket clasped her hands. Her voice was steady, her face calm. “They’ll pay.”
“Damn straight they’ll pay,” Stan spat out. His hair was beginning to smoke. “No one messes with a Pines.”
“No one messes with a McGucket, either,” Pa McGucket said firmly. “I’ll go ring up the rest of the folks. Round up a good ole fashioned angry mob.”
“You’ve got my mom’s number, right?” Stan asked. Pa McGucket nodded. “Mind calling her for me? She’ll be able to contact anyone in my family who could help in a brawl.”
“Why don’t you call her?” Harper asked. Stan glared at him. “…Yer son was just rescued from kidnappin’. Right.” Harper cleared his throat. “I’ll, uh, I’ll call up Lute. Violynn, you wanna call Angie?” Violynn nodded. The McGuckets dissipated, most of them going to other rooms to make phone calls, with the exception of Ma McGucket, who went to the kitchen. A few moments after, pots and pans began to clatter.
“They cleared out fast,” Stan muttered. He brushed Emmett’s shoulders. “You need some new clothes. I’ll raid Basstian’s closet.”
“No need,” Basstian said quickly. “I’ll grab him some stuff m’self.” Basstian ruffled Willis’s hair. “Don’t worry, kidlet, Stan might look scary, but he’s a reg’lar teddy bear inside. And he’s not nearly as loud as my siblin’s.” Basstian walked away, whistling idly. Willis, still standing by the door, wrung his hands.
“You all right there, kid?” Stan called.
“Yeah, just, uh…” Willis rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t know what to do,” he said in a small voice. Emmett glanced at his father. Stan nodded slowly.
“Been there.”
“Really?” Willis muttered. “Doubt it.”
“I didn’t run away when I was a kid, but I did get kicked out. It sucks. But you’re a couple steps ahead of where I was when I was in your shoes. You’ve got a bed, a roof over your head, food. You can figure out what to do later. After you’ve eaten something and slept.” Emmett smiled.
Dad likes to pretend he’s got a heart of stone, even around his own kids. But like Uncle Basstian said, he’s a softie. Especially for kids from difficult situations. Stan beckoned Willis over.
“C’mon, kid. There’s TV to watch.”
“I…okay.” Willis walked over to Stan and Emmett. “What- what kind of TV?”
“Whatever Emmett wants to watch.”
“…Ducktective?” Emmett suggested. Stan ruffled Emmett’s hair.
“Good choice, sport. That’s a quality show. Let’s go watch a stupid duck solve some crimes.”
