Closed RP: A Pirate Mission

[likeabadpenny.livejournal.com]

There was a mission at hand; a mission of the utmost importance. Capytan Peg-Leg Pete, the Dread Pirate Morgan and Swashbuckling Specs had formed a dreaded Pirate Crew, and the Captain had decreed that they must go find his brother Nathan.

Why? Such lofty questions were not pondered at length in Peter's mind, but this was important. Nathan had to be part of the crew! And he had to help them bury some treasure, because Nathan was an Adult and could help with these sorts of things.

So Peter led them on a dangerous mission; running through-out the halls of Hogwarts, waving their guns and swords (sticks, really), hollering at the tops of their voices. Leading the way into Slytherin (which he felt was where Nathan was), Peter stopped in the middle of the common room, looking a little lost.

"NAAAAATHAAAANNN," he screamed, and then turned to Rachel and Gabriel, hands on his hips. "He'll be here. Somewhere. Nathan's always here when it's important." And obviously a pirate mission was of the utmost importance.

Comments

[soopernathan.livejournal.com]

It... wait.

There were a few long seconds in which Nathan wasn't entirely too sure what to say. That little, big-eyed kid was talking about... nannies and, yes, still knowing his name, but what was more disturbing, very much so, had to be him going on about yes, that, the damn nannies! How the hell would he know Sarah, unless he... was...

Oh, for fuck's sake.

"You're a..." Kid. Peter was a kid again. ...Except, literally, not just that weirdo dreamer vibe he usually had going on. He was... what, four? Five? "How?" Pause. "No, wait. I don't want to know." Seriously, did not. Magic was freaking... terrifying.

Oh, man, and the girl was crying again. God, and for all he knew, this was someone else he knew too. Criminy. "Okay, okay! Don't cry! I just... Do you want, uh." What did kids like? What did Nathan do when Peter was about to cry way back when? "Piggy back ride?" Maybe? Please? "Just, seriously, kid, you gotta work with me." And then, of course, pointed, back to Peter - God, Peter? Seriously? - with a knowing sort of look. "Do not start crying, man, I cannot handle that too." He knew that look anywhere.

[likeabadpenny.livejournal.com]

That was a close call. If Nathan hadn't recognized him, there would be kicks in the shin in the near future.

And Peter could not care less about the 'how'. Not that he actually remembered anyway, but Nathan was totally asking the wrong question. So he just beamed up at Nathan and hugged his leg tighter. He hadn't seen Nathan in ages!

But - PIGGY BACK RIDE. "I'm not crying," Peter frowned, but said frown was quickly wiped off his face by a large grin. "I wanna piggy back ride! Now, Nathan! Piggy back! Piggy back," he chanted. "And then can we play airplanes? I want to fly!"

[racheltherunner.livejournal.com]

My lips were quivering, face all splotchy and wet from my heaving sobs (and, therefore, there was a face-sized damp spot on Nathan's pant leg) and now people were offering me two very different things that I wanted. On the one hand - hugs! Daddy said hugs made everything better! On the other - piggy back rides!

I gave Gabriel a teary nod, but then looked back when Peter started chanting. It was all just a little bit too much and mommy still wasn't around and I was crashing from a definite sugar high and I was lost and tired and no one was hugging me and I wanted a piggy back ride.

So I did the time honored response. I cried harder, voice raising to a plaintive wail as I once more buried my face into the Grown Up's pant leg, entire body shaking with my toddler-sobs. Never give small children so many choices! We couldn't handle it! Now I was just overwhelmed and crying seemed like the only possible answer.

[mmm-brainz.livejournal.com]

Gabriel stood, arms wide, eyes fixed onto Dread Pirate Morgan. ...And watched for a minute. ...Okay, okay, maybe she was a slow hugger, okay.

Oh, what the heck.

Maybe she didn't want a hug? Maybe it was the whole kuru thing. Maybe he just bathed too much. ...Maybe she didn't like him anymore. ...M-maybe they weren't girlfriend and boyfriend anymore and she hadn't told him about it. What was going on and why were hugs not being distributed at this moment in time. Gabriel resisted the urge to wave his arms around in circles, large eyes staring down DPM with... some emotion between 'forlorn' and 'vengeful'.

He no longer liked this extremely tall man with The Jaw. He made DPM cry, and he offered piggy back rides (dare he say, looking pointedly NOT at Gabriel??) and NOBODY made Specs' girlfriend cry! Revenge! No, he had to plot first. He fiddled with his glasses, not pushing them back up but just... studying this new person. Oh, he'd get him. Eventually. Revenge was a dinner best served cold. ...Or so he'd read.

Nathan, of course, was not quite accustomed to this whole... crying child thing. Peter, despite all the trouble he was worth, hadn't exactly been too much of a crybaby for any of his life. Simon and Monty were practically freaking angels when they were growing up - except for that whole period with Simon and the flailing and the 'won't!', of course, but that was forgivable.

But this? It was a small child! A small girl! Sobbing into his pants! That sounded wrong on so many levels. But she was, dammit, and... gah! "Okay, okay!" God, if this girl didn't stop crying, he was going to lose it. Or... defenestrate her or something. He was crouching down beside the two kids, shooting Peter a halfway pleading look, and running his fingers through his hair. What the hell, he was totally going to kill somebody. "Her first, then you? Yeah? Please?" He couldn't do both at once. Right.

...Right?

[likeabadpenny.livejournal.com]

Much more of this and Peter was definitely going to start crying as well. He couldn't help it; sad people made him sad, and Rachel made him sad because he couldn't do anything to help!

But Nathan was offering piggy back rides, and that was totally going to make everything better. Because Nathan always made everything better, and so did piggy back rides - logic, at four years old, was a wonderful thing. Peter smiled brightly at Nathan and gave him a quick hug, arms squeezing around his neck. "Okay!" Rachel could have the first one because she needed it more than he did.

Pleased with this, Peter scampered off to sit on the couch again, shooting curious glances at 'Specs'. Why did he look unhappy at Nathan? Nobody could look unhappy in Nathan's presence, surely.

[racheltherunner.livejournal.com]

Sniffling a little - even a four-year-old crashing off of two (two!) donuts could only maintain all-out sobbing for so long - I rubbed my eyes with the back of my chubby fists, looking up at Nathan. Okay, piggy back rides would make everything better... But so would hugs...

Face crumpling in despair, I made a decision. Turning, I launched myself at Specs, giving him a tight hug, my face buried in his chest for a moment as I finished snuffling. "You're the best friend boy, Specs," I informed him with a teary smile, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

Feeling much better - hugs, man, were where it was at - I went back to Nathan and held up my arms to him, an expression of restrained glee starting to bloom across my face. Piggy back rides!

"And Specs after Capytan Pete," I bossed with wide-eyed pleading. "Please?" My daddy told me that my eyes could sell rosewood to a werewolf and I employed them now, quite certain that the Grown Up would make everything better with lots of piggy back rides.

[soopernathan.livejournal.com]

Hug? Hug! There was currently A PERSON OF THE FEMALE PERSUASION. ...HUGGING HIM. Gabriel's arms shot out to the sides, as he stumbled back a few steps, with a movement that could only be described as an all-out flail. Egads. Hugging. What did he do? Did he hug her back? Did he offer consolation?! Did he thank her? This was the kind of stuff that his mother should have been teaching him! How much mayonnaise one would put into a tuna sandwich was not important, mostly because tuna fish was disgusting! Hugging, however: Important!

"I... don't... yes!" he managed to stammer back, and then Dread Pirate Morgan was most certainly doing something involving lips and his cheek that may or may not have been a kiss, and dear God. Another flail, as Gabriel's eyes widened to comical proportions behind thick-rimmed glasses and every muscle in his body went ramrod straight. Um. Girl germs, girl germs, get it off, he wasn't married, he was going to H E Double Hockey Sticks! "And I'm not good at hockey," he hissed to DPM, randomly, without really informing her as to what was currently going on in his train of thought.

Right. Apparently Big Man With Giant Chin was much more interesting than the boy who could not even handle a kiss on the cheek - which, at the moment, Gabriel had no problem with, and he was definitely taking a few waddling steps away, arms still stuck out to the sides in an attempt to get the germs very decidedly not onto himself. What to do, what to do.

Peter was definitely throwing his arms around Nathan, and, damn, he'd forgotten how adorable this kid had been, hadn't he? He still had the whole puppy eyes thing going on, but how much worse was it when it was four-year-old puppy eyes? Nathan's mouth even quirked into something that... might have been a hint towards something that possibly resembled a grin. He was just so damn cute.

The little redhead was flouncing over to Nathan, then, tears still streaked down her cheeks, and he let out a weird sort of sound of distress. Oh, man. Arms all splayed and he may or may not have felt really bad now. He made a kid cry! Who was proud of something like that? "Okay, okay, and then... Specs," he muttered under his breath, even as said Specs automatically squealed something about not needing a piggy back ride or anything else possibly involving pigs. Which were dirty.

Specs. Was that seriously his name? What mean-ass parents.

...Or maybe it was for the glasses thing. Whatever. Kids were... weird.

Nathan was grabbing Rachel under the armpits and swinging the girl up over his shoulders, protective hold of her legs to keep her from slipping and... entirely sure he was going to be regretting this tomorrow. Namely, his back. "Holding on?" Hopefully not around his throat?

[likeabadpenny.livejournal.com]

While Dread Pirate Morgan and Nathan were piggy-backing, Peter quickly lost interest and had decided to wander around behind the couch. He'd talk to Specs, but Specs kept glaring at his brother and Peter wasn't sure if he liked that, because everyone liked Nathan, and if Specs didn't, then clearly he wasn't part of everyone. Which made him... well, Peter didn't really know, but he didn't want to find out.

Turned out the back of the couch was a great hiding place. Nobody would find him here! He could be invisible. (Of course, this thought automatically prompted him to turn invisible, but Peter didn't notice at all. These things are not important when you're trying to hide.)

Ooh, a bookcase! Peter's mind automatically equated this with a great launching spot, because he'd always wanted to fly and spent a great deal of time jumping off things. So he climbed up the bookcase to sit on the top - a bit of a mission for a four year old - and swung his legs happily, watching Nathan and Rachel with a silly grin.

When it was his turn, Nathan could catch him! That would be fun!

[racheltherunner.livejournal.com]

The second I got picked up I started giggling, tears completely forgotten in the joy of a really good piggy back ride. Nathan was tall! That was essential for optimum ride potential.

Clasping my hands around the top of his head, I laughed, ducking my forehead against him in glee. Except something was missing!

"You have to make the noises," I informed Nathan in exasperation, kicking my feet against his chest. "My daddy always makes the noises."

I looked around for confirmation, except Specs seemed to be having some kind episode and Peter was...

Where was he?

Eyes going wide, I looked wildly around the room, body twisting as I tried to find him. He was missing! Kidnapped! Taken by rival pirates!

"CAPYTAN PETE!" I shouted. "WHERE ARE YOU?"

Oh no! Mount the rescue operation!

[soopernathan.livejournal.com]

Okay, yes, ow ow ow. Child hands, grabbing at his head. Tiny feet were flailing away at his chest too, and Nathan staggered for a second, realizing it was probably not good to fall on his ass with a kid latched around his forehead, Gabriel would have been muttering something relative to, 'fall, fall, FALL' were his girlfriend not all the way up there, and, dear God, suddenly everything had lapsed into total disaster.

"I'm not... making," Nathan started to puff out between strange noises of distress, grasping Rachel's legs - gently! - for... purchase! Yes. That was it entirely. Not because he was going to have foot-shaped bruises against his collarbones. Besides, something entirely more worrisome had sprung up.

Where was Peter?

"Peter?" he called out to the room, eyes narrowing into a glare. "Peter," in that 'get out here now, you little shit' sort of voice that he had to use all too often with this kid. Even Gabriel calmed enough to Purell his hands rather than the useless flailing from before, huge gasping breaths as if he'd run a mile rather than experience a hug. No, really, he was good. He was all good. So where had his captain disappeared off to...?