#gcbc

[d-vacations]

This is the first—and probably the last—time I’m posting drawings that aren’t in the lego style

And it’s also most likely the last time I’ll be drawing rareships or posting it

sorry emmet

do you liek my artrsykrlwlejdwifkowpd ? be honest

[brickowalski]

[arzeenik]

Hello its been a while watch my lego slop if you want to

[loresongs-legos]

Bluebird

Chapter Seven: The Derelict

It was a couple years before their next encounter- before Benny really understood why Bad Cop was such a terrifying figure. The pirates were too given to exaggeration for him to really trust their judgment, and though Ken had sat him down and explained things in a bit more detail, Benny held onto the fact that he had beaten Bad Cop- surprisingly easily- and escaped unscathed.

Until the raid on Pirate’s Cove two years later.

Many Master Builders had already moved to the haven Princess Unikitty was still working on, but word still hadn’t reached all of them. Rock Island was one of the few holdouts Master Builders had been using up to that point, but it was getting to where there were too many of them hiding there. It was only a matter of time before Bad Cop discovered them.

Benny and Metalbeard were quite pleased with the results of their trip to Cloud Cuckooland. It really was difficult to find, never in the same location twice, as it drifted through the skies disguised as clouds. They had come to the Island to advertise its current whereabouts, and hopefully convince their people to move on. And that was when all hell broke loose.

There had been no warning, no indication whatsoever that a veritable army of Super Secret Police had been right outside Rock Island’s doors until they were smashed in, that damned cop in the lead. “You’re all under arrest,” Bad Cop snarled, and Benny could feel his blood freeze in his veins. The guy was massive, only a couple inches shy of Metalbeard’s own impressive height, and every bit as built as his pirate friend. Benny glanced around the gathering room, but this time there wasn’t really much that would be of any use in causing mass destruction, like he had the last time. Not unless he simply set fire to the place, and he doubted that would do them any favors, when Bad Cop’s forces were all made of metal.

Several of the braver souls rushed to try to take him on hand to hand, and Benny could only stare in awe. The man fought like a thing possessed; the Master Builders, though fairly skilled themselves, didn’t stand a chance. All three were in cuffs within minutes, and handed off to robot escorts.

The bright blue of his suit must have caught Bad Cop’s attention, because the next thing he knew, that scowl was turned onto him. “You,” the officer growled, and Benny paled. As Bad Cop stalked toward him, he did the only thing he could think of through the panic- he turned on his jetpack, flying far out of reach.

“Benny!” Metalbeard hollered, and he latched onto the sound, searching for his friend. Master Builders were going down everywhere, and it was hard to spot any familiar faces in the chaos. Finally he spotted the captain, and dropped himself back down into the madness. Bad Cop was bellowing orders, throwing Master Builders and robots alike out of his path as he hunted the astronaut down, all unholy rage. “There be no winning this one,” Metalbeard said once they’d found each other again. “Come on lad, into the tunnels- it be our only chance of escape.”

“But what about the others?”

“There be no hope for them now, we were caught too off-guard.”

“It’s not like you to just give up.”

“Well what do ye suggest we do?! Most of our numbers already be caught and cuffed! Rule number two, Benny!”

Always abandon a lost cause.

Benny wanted to protest further, but one glance across the room convinced him to keep his mouth shut. There were more bots than Builders now. With a nod he ducked into the tunnels as directed, Metalbeard only managing to corral a few more before he was forced to put the cleverly disguised door back in place.

Benny sat curled up in his hammock, alone in the crews’ quarters. Most of the others had been caught in the raid, and the two others that had made it out were avoiding him at all costs. Not that he could blame them. He was feeling pretty rotten, himself. Somehow it felt like it was his fault that Bad Cop had found them. He should have at least fought, rather than running away like such a coward.

You saw him fight. You wouldn’t have stood a chance against him, up close like that, no matter how many tricks you had up your sleeve, he tried to tell himself, but it wasn’t any consolation.

If only he could Build something other than just spaceships, maybe then he could have done something to help…

Benny swallowed past the lump in his throat and buried his face in his blanket. “Augh, what is wrong with me?!”

“Would you like that listed in order of incidence, or alphabetically?”

Benny jolted, then glowered in Skeeter’s direction. “Oh, fuck off,” he grumbled, and Skeeter snickered. He was something of a friend, being the only member of the crew that didn’t constantly harass Benny for his Master Building skills (or lack thereof), even if Skeeter really grated on his nerves sometimes. His nickname was well-earned. “Can you even alphabetize?” he added after a moment.

“Pfft, just because I’m not a nerd like you doesn’t mean I don’t know my letters.” He plopped himself into Benny’s hammock, nearly dumping the spaceman out of it. Benny yelped and held on, trying to regain balance. “Seriously, mate, what’s eating you?”

“The usual,” Benny sighed. “That I’m the most worthless Master Builder that ever was. If I could just Build something, anything, other than spaceships… Maybe…”

“You realize there were several dozen other Master Builders who were just as helpless, right?” Skeeter pointed out. “Cap’n’s feeling pretty low right now, too. Bad Cop’s just gotten too good.”

“I guess…”

“Yeah well I know.”

“But I took out his troops so easily last time!” Skeeter reeled back at his vehemence. “Why did I chicken out this time?!”

“Ah, so there’s the problem.” Skeeter reached over, patting his shoulder. “You had the advantage of surprise, last time. This time, he did. It happens, you know? And there’s nothing wrong with realizing you’re in over your head. We’re good, but we can’t be perfect.” He grinned. “At least, not all the time.” Benny finally cracked a smile at him. “There we go. Keep your chin up, Benny, you can whup him good next time.”

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

Flight

“So you’ve really never really flown before?” Benny asked, watching as Liam stretched his wings out and went through some warm-up exercises.

“Only once.” Liam answered. “To save a bot’s life. I, um. Almost threw up afterwards.” Benny fought down a snicker- it was funny to hear about it second-hand, sure, but it must have been terrifying in the moment.

“I can only imagine the exertion it took to carry not only yourself but an entire robot’s worth of extra mass to safety.”

“I almost didn’t make it. RJ had to pull us up the rest of the way.” Liam finished his warm-ups and checked his feathers next. Everything seemed to be in order, since he gave Benny a nod a moment later.

The astronaut stepped up to his boyfriend, stopping barely a step away. “I’m told this feels kind of weird.” He said as he extended a hand toward Liam’s chest. “Unikitty said it made her tummy do flips like she was on a roller coaster.” He grinned. “I hope you don’t get motion sick.”

“Hardly.” Liam snorted. Benny pressed a hand to his chest, focusing for a moment. The sensation that followed certainly was strange- he wasn’t floating, his feet were still firmly on the ground, but it felt like gravity’s tether had been cut off. Benny backed up again to give him some room as he stretched his wings out, then he gave them an experimental flap.

He would never admit to the sound that came out of his mouth as he was launched more than a mere foot off the ground. Benny was already doubled over, cackling.

Liam kept his wings stretched out instead of flapping them again, testing how slowly he drifted back to the ground. The answer was faster than Benny normally did, but still much slower than if gravity had a proper hold on them. He flapped again, launching himself higher, above the trees that covered their property. It was quite a view. He kept his wings beating at a slow, steady pace to hold himself at his current altitude to wait as Benny floated up to his side. “Well, go on, show off a little!” His boyfriend teased. He didn’t need any more prompting than that.

Liam gave his wings one mighty flap and pushed himself forward. Well, somewhat forward, mostly up. He normally liked to think he had pretty good core strength, but trying to find the balance to move forward instead of up was challenging that perception. It took him several minutes, but eventually he got the hang of it. It took him a few more tries to figure out how to turn. Eventually he managed a lazy loop back toward Benny, who pressed a palm to his back as he passed by when it became apparent he was starting to sink. He gestured that he was heading back to ground anyway, too winded to speak in that moment. Benny nodded and dropped back down.

The landing was a little rougher than he would have liked, but he managed not to fall flat on his face so he counted it as a victory. “Sooo?” Benny pestered, grinning at him.

“I’m in worse shape than I thought.” Was all Liam said once he caught his breath again. His wings and chest were burning, his heart trying to beat its way out of his chest.

Benny burst out laughing. “You’re in amazing shape, your body’s just not used to working in this manner is all. It’ll get easier the more you practice. Who knows, maybe eventually you won’t need my help to get off the ground!”

“I doubt it, but I hope you’ll still keep me company anyway. It’s nice to have someone to share the sky with.” Benny just smiled and hugged him.

“Of course.”

[loresongs-legos]

Prizes, Plunder, and Adventure

Chapter Twenty-Five: Marry Me

“Make way for the king!” someone cried, and the crowd in the street parted the best it could to allow passage. Emmet perked up as his father approached, smiling brightly.

“I thought I would find you here,” Sirius muttered in fond exasperation. “Enjoying yourself?”

“I am! Are you joining us?”

“Seeing as I got forcefully evicted from my study, I figured I might as well.” Emmet let out a giggle. Sirius glanced down at the plate Emmet held, piled high with pastries, and snagged one for himself. The prince snickered softly. “Mm. These are good. So. Are we going to be having any more incidents in the future?”

“No,” Emmet said. “I think I’ve had enough adventure to last me a lifetime. No more leaving the palace without a proper escort.”

“Now? Now you listen to me?” He sighed at the sheepish grin Emmet gave him. “I suppose some lessons can only be learned the hard way.”

“…I’m sorry I made you worry so much.”

Sirius took Emmet’s plate, setting it aside before pulling him close. “It was for a good cause,” he allowed. “I’m- I’m proud of you, for being able to find a peaceful solution.”

“Well I didn’t do it all by myself. Princess Lotte really isn’t so bad after all.”

Sirius smirked at him. “But you still don’t want to marry her.”

“I don’t think she really wants to marry me either,” the prince admitted.

“Would that be because someone else has caught my son’s eye?” Emmet chewed his lip. “A certain pirate captain, perhaps?”

Emmet blushed deeply, hiding his face in his father’s shoulder. “I didn’t think you’d notice,” came his muffled reply.

“Goodness, Emmet, give me some credit, I’m not that oblivious. Nor are you as good at hiding it as you seem to think.” He chuckled softly at the embarrassed whimper Emmet gave.

“You’re not mad…?”

“Mad?”

“That’s it’s not a princess that I like. Or at least someone from one of the noble families…”

Sirius sighed softly, gently rubbing his back. “No, Emmet. I’m not mad.”

“What are you thinking, then?”

“How much work it’s going to take to get this one passed- oof!” he wheezed as Emmet’s hug tightened considerably. “Emmet. Air.”

Metalbeard had left the day after they’d returned to Bricksport, bringing his family back with him when he returned once more. The Callaghans waited at the docks to meet the captain’s wife and children, each family thrilled to no longer be the only ones.

“Much as I knew leaving my flock for Jonas was the right thing to do, I must admit, I’ve missed being part of one,” Pearl said as she was greeted by Ma and Pa.

“It’s been the same for us,” Ma agreed. “But at least now we’re no longer alone.” And true to Cary’s word, there were many others ready to welcome them to Bricksport.

Benny and Emmet argued over the old shipwright’s house for weeks before finally coming to the agreement that the former pirate would pay only half the asking price (Cary’s estimate that the prince would try to just give it to him had been spot on, but Benny refused to be given the place for free). Benny was quick to move in and set up after that though, immediately getting to work under Metalbeard’s guidance.

Lucy immediately signed up to join the navy, and was placed under the Callaghans’ guidance to learn the rules and regulations during her probationary period before being granted the rank of captain again. It was a difficult adjustment to make, after a relatively rule-free life as a pirate, but she was determined to prove her worth. After months of hard work she was finally rewarded with a ship- one of Benny’s first- and her old crew. It would still be several years before any of them were granted citizenship, but at least it felt like they were making progress.

With careful work, the twins’ wings were slowly being restored. Benny was in awe. May had been right about them being cranky at being denied the skies for such a long period of time, though. It really tried Benny’s patience sometimes- a lot of the time, really- and often resulted in shouting matches that would have one or both of them storming off to cool down alone, but he stubbornly remained by their side through it all.

(And making up afterwards was always enjoyable.)

By the time the winter holidays rolled around, it was as though they’d never been hurt at all. It had taken more than half a year, but their wings were fully restored, and Benny was thrilled when their plumage came back every bit as beautiful as it was before. A test lap around the palace had restored their good mood as well, much to Benny’s relief.

The shipwright was at the palace preparing to present his latest designs to the king when Emmet had let out an excited shout and promptly dragged him, and everyone else he could get ahold of, out into the gardens. Benny had thought it looked like it would snow when he’d left home, but he was surprised to find how hard it was coming down in such a short time. If his meeting with King Sirius ran long, and the snow kept falling at its current rate, he would likely wind up having to stay the night. Not that he would complain. He watched as Lucy shook her head, unable to hide her smile as the prince tried to catch the big, fluffy flakes on his tongue, and halfway debated joining Emmet.

Alastar glanced over his shoulder at a tug on their wings to see May pulling one out as far as it would stretch, practiced fingers gently raking through the feathers. “And what, may I ask, are you doing?”

“Admiring my handiwork,” she replied with a grin. Alastar laughed. “They fledged back out really well, you can’t even tell there’s any scarring.”

“You have a talent, my dear.”

“Does she ever,” Benny agreed as he sidled up to them, gently tugging the siren’s wings around himself and grinning up at them. “You keep me warm,” he said at Alastar’s amused look.

“You guys are disgustingly cute,” Rex snarked. “Seriously, when’s the wedding?”

“You know, we were actually thinking sometime next spring, maybe mid-May-” Benny rambled, and Cary laughed.

“Generally one of us has to ask first,” he reminded. The shipwright smirked at him.

“You want to?”

Rex threw his head back and laughed as Emmet gasped, scandalized. “Benny, you can’t do it that way! It’s gotta be romantic, and you have to have a ring and- and get down on one knee-”

“I’ve got this,” Cary interrupted, drawing everyone’s attention to himself.

“Cary…?” Benny asked, tilting his head as the siren reached around to the back of one wing, carefully plucking out a blue feather. “Are you…”

“Sirens don’t have fancy ceremonies. We don’t speak our vows, as we know better than most the true worth of words. Nor do we require grand demonstrations. We prove our love and our loyalty through the choices we make, the small actions we perform every day. And it would be enough for me to see you wear this, to know that every day you choose me, the same as I choose you.” He took Benny’s hand, carefully placing the feather in his open palm.

Benny swallowed thickly, staring down at it. “That explains… so much…” He closed his hand around the feather, giving them a watery smile. “Okay.”

The moment was interrupted by Emmet’s loud sniffling. Lucy rubbed his back as he wiped at his eyes, making a valiant effort not to start giggling. “Wait- were we just witnesses to a siren wedding??” Rex asked, giving the pair an utterly bemused look. Benny snorted and buried his face in Cary’s shoulder to muffle his own laughter. Cary smirked, holding him close.

“You know His Majesty is going to be very mad you did this without him present, right?” Mayhem pointed out, grinning at them. “Congratulations, by the way.”

“Oh gosh that’s right, Father’s going to be so disappointed…”

“It was rather spur of the moment,” Cary admitted.

“But you’ve obviously been thinking about it for a while,” Lucy teased.

“It was perfect,” Benny murmured. “Maybe we can still do a human-style ceremony, though?”

“It won’t be the same,” Emmet protested, pouting.

“It won’t,” another voice agreed, and the group turned to see Sirius standing a few feet away, arms folded across his chest and giving the lot of them a disapproving look. “Though I suppose as long as I get to see you tie the feather into his hair, I’ll be satisfied.”

Benny glanced up to see Cary smiling back at him. “Then I suppose I should let you do the honors.” He offered the feather back to him, and tried not to snicker at the ticklish feeling as Cary fastened it into place at his right temple. “How do I look?”

“It suits you,” Rex admitted.

Sirius nodded his agreement, then wrapped his arms around himself and shivered. “Can we take this inside now? It’s cold out here.”

[loresongs-legos]

Prizes, Plunder, and Adventure

Chapter Twenty-Four: Confluence

They’d only made it a few steps past Sirius’ office when a white blur came barreling toward them and collided with the captains, latching onto them immediately and warbling in distress. Their parents weren’t far behind him. “Told you,” Sirius murmured as they wrapped their arms around their younger brother.

“We’re alright,” Cary crooned to him.

“B-but your wings…”

“We’ll live, Kee’. May thinks she might be able to help with that anyway.”

“I hope so.”

“Us too,” Cary sighed.

“Come on, boys,” Pa spoke up. “Let’s see if we can’t at least get you back into human shape. I finished a batch of something that should numb the pain pretty well just this morning.”

Sirius chuckled at the look on Alastar’s face. “We’ll finish catching up later then,” he said. “I’m off to find my son.” Alastar barely managed a wave goodbye before they were being pushed along by their family.

It had been a couple hours since the former pirates had been let loose in the city, and Benny was having the time of his life. Everywhere he turned there were colored lanterns, food vendors, games, musicians, and nearby he could hear excited chatter about the fireworks that would be set off once it was dark enough. This was a party.

He blinked in surprise when he spotted a familiar face in the crowd, decidedly shorter than the last time he saw them, and elbowed his way through the sea of bodies to get closer to them.  “Callaghan!” he called to get their attention.

Cary turned at the shout and crooked an eyebrow at him as he bounded up to them with unbridled enthusiasm, grinning ear to ear and with a bit of powdered sugar from some fried pastry he’d eaten still dusting one corner of his mouth. “You look human again! How’d you manage that?”

“Not without some help,” Cary said. “And a lot of painkillers.” Benny laughed, then eyed them up and down. They were back in their uniform, with no sign of their wings. Benny guessed they had them tucked inside their shirt and under their jacket to protect them. He smiled widely.

“I’ll give you one thing, you Octans really know how to throw a party.”

“I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself.” Unable to help himself, Cary reached out, gently swiping away the bit of powdered sugar. Benny jerked back in surprise, staring at him with wide eyes. His face turned an interesting shade of red as Cary licked the sweet substance off his thumb, expression contemplative as he considered the flavor of it. “You had a bit of sugar here,” he explained at the look Benny was giving him, tapping the corner of his own mouth.

“You could have just said so.”

“Where’s the fun in that?”

Benny stared at him in surprise for a moment, then started laughing again. “Man, they must have you on the good stuff. ‘Playful’ is a whole new side to you.”

“We’re perfectly sober, Ben,” Cary said, giving a good-natured huff. “We’re home, we’re safe, and we’re off duty. There’s no need to act stern right now.”

“Then why are you in uniform?”

Cary offered an arm to him. “Thought you might enjoy having a man in uniform on your arm.”

Benny’s eyes lit up and he grinned, accepting the offered arm. “You do look good in it,” he agreed. “So uh… Does this mean we’re actually doing this?”

The siren paused, looking him in the eye. “Ben.”

“Aye?”

“May I court you?”

Benny’s breath caught in his throat. “Absolutely,” he managed to get out after a moment. His heart fluttered at the smile Cary gave him. They wandered the streets arm in arm for a while, silent as Benny struggled to think of something to talk about. “Um. So. Where might a prospective shipwright set up shop around here?”

He almost wanted to kick himself for that being the only thing he could think of.

The captain actually seemed to be considering his question though, giving it careful thought. “I might know a place,” he finally said, and gave Benny’s arm a gentle tug as he changed direction. They wove their way through the streets and around revelers. Benny tried to pay close attention to where they were going, but had a feeling he’d be hopelessly lost once the streets cleared out again.

“Oh,” Benny gasped as Cary led him to an empty brick building. It was large enough to not only set up an office and designing room, but to also live in, if he so chose.

“It’s been sitting empty for a while. Another shipwright used to live and work here, but he retired years ago, and moved in with his son when this place got to be too much for him to keep up with on his own. I’d say you could probably get it for a good price, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Prince Emmet just gave it to you. Would you like to see inside?”

“Oh, please!” Benny bounced eagerly, barely waiting for him to push open the door. He was in awe as he wandered through each room, the captain trailing along behind him. The place was perfect. “…You knew the shipwright that used to live here?”

Cary nodded. “He designed our ship.”

“Explains how you’re familiar with the place.” He finished his tour and approached the captain again, staring up at him.

“…What is it?”

“…You’re-” Benny hesitated for a moment. “I guess… I’m still waiting to wake up and find out this is all just a dream. It’s too good to be true. You’re too good to be true. I mean… Even after our years of fighting, you still convinced your king to pardon our crimes and take us in, you helped me find the perfect place to settle down, you… you got hurt saving my life…”

He held his breath as Cary closed the distance between them, and slowly exhaled as the siren leaned in to press their lips together, grabbing his shirt collar to pull him closer. He broke the kiss to gasp in surprise as Cary pressed him back against a wall with a low growl, and snickered. Stars, he moves fast… “Eager, are we?” he teased. He hummed with content as the captain kissed him again. “Mm- you know, I’m all for this, but I’d kind of like to own the place before we christen it.” That was enough to get Cary to release him, snorting in amusement. “What do you say, wanna take this elsewhere?” He shivered in delight at the look Cary gave him.

“We shouldn’t be disturbed on the Diligente…”

[loresongs-legos]

Prizes, Plunder, and Adventure

Chapter Twenty-Three: Run Free

“So you’re really doing it?”

Benny turned to see Kitty poking her head out of the water, giving him a sad look. “Doing what?”

“Leaving the sea behind to go be a human.”

He gave an eloquent snort. “Come on, Kitty, you know me better than that. Yeah it’s a hell of an opportunity and I’d be insane to pass it up, but do you really think I won’t come out here to see you and stir up trouble?” She grinned back at him, cheered up by his answer. “And it’s not like you can’t come visit me, now that I’ll have a permanent home base.” He sighed softly. “It’ll be nice, actually having a place to call home, now.”

She nodded. “I can understand that. And you really do have a lot going for you, here.” She gave him a sly smirk. “I wonder, did a certain captain have anything to do with your decision?”

Benny’s face reddened slightly. “Maybe?”

Kitty giggled. “You’ve got my blessing. He seems a decent sort. And you tell me if he ever does you wrong, I’ll set him right!”

The merman laughed. “If Jonas doesn’t beat you to it, anyway.” He leaned over the railing and she rose up further out of the water to press her forehead to his. “Thanks, Kitty. You’re the best.”

She purred softly. “Good luck, Benny. You’ve earned this.”

There was much fanfare as they returned to Bricksport. News had traveled quickly that the war was ending almost as quickly as it had begun, and already the festivities were in full swing. Emmet had cheered up considerably upon seeing the decorations. As the prince turned wide eyes up at him, Cary sighed. “Take Rex or Mayhem with you,” he relented, and Emmet cheered. It wasn’t long before he was dragging May into the city to join the celebration.

“So what now?” Lucy asked as she stepped up beside the Octan captain. None of the pirates looked quite sure what they should do, if they were even allowed to join in as well.

Cary chuckled to himself. “I’d say you’ve all earned yourselves an invitation to the party. You don’t have to stay here.” He smirked when that got them moving. Lucy and Metalbeard held back, the younger of the two looking hesitant. “Is something wrong?”

“We wanted to be speakin’ with ye about those pardons ye offered.”

He turned his full attention to them. “We’re listening.”

“Ye and that king o’ yers- ye really be serious about it? No tricks?”

“No tricks,” Cary promised. “After all you’ve done to help us, it would be rather unfair of us to pull any underhanded tactics. So if you’re saying that you want them, they’re yours, no strings attached.”

“And me family- they’d be welcome here?”

The siren was silent for a minute. “I won’t lie to you. There are still those who are not… very fond of people like us, or May, or Lucy and Benny. But they are few and far between these days. I’m sure your family will have little problem finding welcoming people here.”

Metalbeard smirked, brushing gentle fingers over the feather at his right temple. “Suppose it were foolish to think ye wouldn’t pick up on certain details. But now, I trust that ye’d know. Many thanks, matey.” He stumped away to explore the city, leaving them alone with Lucy. Cary gave her an expectant look.

“I’ve been a pirate all my life,” she finally said after some thought. “I guess I just… don’t know what to do with myself, now. How I’ll ‘earn my keep’, so to speak.”

“You know, the navy could always use resourceful captains like yourself, and your father,” Alastar suggested. “You’d have to apply for citizenship first, of course, but I imagine that would be little trouble for you.”

“And… Emmet? Would I get to see him again?”

Alastar smiled. “Oh, most definitely. I doubt he’d have it any other way.” As Lucy chewed her lip, he added, “you know, Captain of the Octan Navy is a perfectly respectable title. It could make a lot of opportunities available to you.”

She blushed, and frowned at him. “Don’t think I don’t see what it is you’re trying to do.”

“What, trying to give you a better chance to catch the prince?” he teased, laughing as she swatted at him with her hat. “He’s quite fond of you too, so really I think you’ve got little to worry about.”

“…Thank you. Both of you.”

“You’re welcome. Now go enjoy yourself.” They watched as she hurried away, trying not to look too excited, then made their way toward the palace. Just because their job was done, didn’t mean the king’s was yet. He was likely swamped with paperwork, if his absence was anything to go by. “We should probably drag him out for a break, don’t you think?”

I agree. Let’s go find him.

They walked to Sirius’ study, earning quite a few stares from the palace staff along the way, and let themselves in. The king glanced up at them over the rims of his glasses, ready to let whoever dared to interrupt him have it, until it registered just who his visitors were. He blinked, taking in the bandages wrapped about their chest, holding their wings in place. “So it wasn’t just a dream…”

“Keelan?” Alastar guessed, and Sirius nodded, shoving himself out of his chair. He stopped just a couple paces away from them.

“You should definitely go see him next, he’s been inconsolable… What happened?”

“Thomas,” Cary spat. “Or at least his crew. They tried to blow Benny’s head off with a cannon. We couldn’t warn him, that bastard stole our voice…”

“So they blew your wings off instead.” Sirius sighed.

“May thinks she might be able to restore them.” At Sirius’ hopeful look, he added, “though it will take some time. Maybe years.” Sirius winced in sympathy.

“That’s going to be a long time to go without flying…”

“We’ll manage. We’re alive, and we’re home, and we intend to stay that way for a good long while.”

“Good.” Sirius took the invitation when Alastar opened his arms to him, stepping forward to thump his forehead against his best friends’ chest, relaxing only when those arms closed around him again. “Don’t ever scare us like that again.”

“We don’t plan to. Now come on, there’s a party going on and you’re missing it.”