Chapter Text
The remainder of the trip back to Thor’s home was silent, but not terribly so.
Hattie had fallen asleep, snoring softly into Snatcher’s overshirt. He had barely moved an inch since she’d passed out, and at some point had started to rub her back.
He hated that he could feel her ribs. 2 months was too long for her to wait. It had been too long for him, from what he recalled.
That parallel… it bugged him.
But it was over now.
Conductor and Grooves were muttering amongst themselves, something about a big movie and prospective casting.
Cici was actually up on the bridge with Thor, talking to him about.. Well, something, probably. Not like the King of Subcon had super hearing.
And Mu? She was still asleep.
He hadn’t bothered to change back as of yet, staring at his free hand, almost memorizing the details of the hand.
His form was misty, barely kept together by his own will, so details were a bit lost, but it was still recognizable. He stared down at the sleeve, following up to the folded fabric at his elbow and being stopped by his hair. It was as long as it had been before Vanessa cut it. He could probably braid it.
He used to love doing that, but Vanessa said that she didn’t like it, so she just cut it.
God, the red flags were so blatantly obvious. It’d be funny if it hadn’t killed him in the end.
Well… Comedy is tragedy plus time. Maybe he needed a few more decades.
Thor suddenly entered the room “We’re here. I just landed the ship”
Snatcher looked back at the kid, poking her face. “Kid, Kid, wake up”
She just grumbled in response.
“Come on kiddo, don’t you wanna get your ship all set?”
She grumbled again “Mmh”
“Kid, come on. I’d like to go back to not having legs, thanks” He argued.
She just grumbled for a third time.
Snatcher groaned, and just flopped her onto the couch, hearing a little giggle.
“Yeah yeah, hilarious” Snatcher mumbled, standing and stretching, misting his human form away and returning to his much more ghostly form. “Ahhhhh, that’s better”
“Aye, I like ‘ye better as a noodle” Conductor commented. “Up and at ‘em lassies!” he jumped out of his chair “Come on, come on!”
Mu grumbled herself awake, looking down at Hattie, who was shoving her head in the cushions in defiance.
“Oi, get up! You still need a name, cranky pants!” Mu shoved her with her foot.
“We took care of that while you were snoring away, ‘stache” Snatcher commented, relenting and picking up Hattie with one big, shadowy hand “Her name’s Harriet”
Hattie grumbled, finally opening her eyes “Thanks”
“Shut up” Snatcher quipped “And wake yourself up. Don’t you wanna see your ship?”
“Harriet?” Mu put on a thoughtful face “Yeah, tha suits ‘er. Ey, Hattie!”
Harriet looked down from Snatcher’s hand
“When we get back t’Mafia town you an’ I got some friendly reconsilin’ to do! An’ some Mafia goons to bowl over”
Hattie paused, and gave Mu a genuine, thankful grin “You bet”
Mu gave her a thumbs up right back with her regular, enthusiastic grin just before Thor directed the group out of his ship and into the hangar.
The Hangar itself was just big enough for his ship, and for Hattie’s which was parked towards the back, set in a metallic hanging structure keeping it off the ground. Hattie seemed to have stars in her eyes as she stared at it
“You cleaned it…”
“Of course I did” Thor pressed “Against all odds.. I did hope you’d come back, Sol.. Harriet” he corrected himself “That name might take a little getting used to”
“Aye, i’s no’ tha’ hard” Conductor commented “Just keep sayin’ it t’yrself! You’ll remember it before ya know it!”
Thor chuckled at the reassurance, and looked back at Harriet, who was much more awake “I’m sure I will.” Thor clapped his hands together “Now! What do you plan to do, Harriet? You have to leave Primus Prime within 24 hours, Do you want me to collect your things?”
The girl of the hour furrowed her brow, as if suddenly remembering that she was being kicked off of her home planet “Uh… Well… “
“How about we get the darling something to eat?” Grooves recommended.
“Excellent Idea!” Cici chimed in “Do you have the ingredients for Spaghetti?” She looked to Thor.
The man nodded “I do, please, follow me to my home! Its small, but you should all fit” He looked to Snatcher “You… might have to shrink a bit”
“I’m fine with that” Snatcher raised an unimpressed brow.
Over the next few hours, a meal was served, Hattie finally got to dress in some decent clothes, and then she ended up falling back to sleep.
Thor, finally alone in his kitchen for a time, let out a deep, exhausted sigh.
“I feel like I’ve aged into my senior years” He grumbled, sipping on a glass of water and rubbing his head
“Pfft, get on my level”
Thor looked up, and was greeted by the ghost, back in his more human form. “Got anything stronger than water?” He asked.
“Probably” he grumbled “But I don’t drink when she’s around. Promised her parents”
“Hm, that's probably smart.” The ghost nodded “But misguided. She’s asleep. And you don’t need to get drunk.”
“You’re not giving me a whole lot of confidence, considering she’s living with you soon.” Her uncle took another sip of his water.
“Listen, I never said I was some kind of great father figure or anything… But I won’t leave her alone, okay?”
“.. I guess that's all I can ask for, though, I suppose I do have one more question…”
“Hm?”
“... Why “Harriet”?”
Snatcher’s mouth became a thin line, and he leaned against the wall, arms crossed.
The men were quiet for a time, and Thor wondered if he’d crossed a line.
“... When I was alive, my… wife-” he sneered slightly “-and I were hoping to have a child. We talked about names.. Harriet was one of them, if it was a girl”
Thor didn’t answer for a while, letting the silence linger as he finished his glass.
“So….. you gave her… your never-born daughter’s name” Thor pointed out “As if she is your daughter”
Snatcher rubbed his hand across his face “.... Yeah, I know. It was… quick thinking, on my part”
“... If it makes you feel better, it’s a lovely name.” Thor assured “Harriet Artemis Arlelius… it sounds right”
“... her initials spell “HAA”” Snatcher pointed out, getting a small laugh out of Thor.
“Perfect then. Her mother would have loved that”
“Can I ask about her parents?” snatcher suddenly asked.
“.. Well, they were Time Well Collectors - they Collected energy for Timepieces. Shortly after Harriet was born they were suddenly called for a collection mission.” Thor explained “Despite still being on parent leave… they couldn’t say no, and left her with me. . . They sent her parents into an active war zone, their ship was… Well, they didn’t escape”
“... That's… awful.” Snatcher huffed
“.. I’m kind of glad she never got the chance to know them… Would have been too painful for her” The uncle admitted.
“I guess I can understand that… do you have any photos?”
“Why?”
“Curious”
Thor took a moment, before reaching into his back pocket, and holding out a little square. He clicked on it, spoke briefly in Preem, and a photo showed up- holographic, slightly static, but wholly visible.
There were two people holding an infant in the photo - he assumed the baby was Hattie. The woman had bright golden hair and Hattie’s cerulean eyes, and the man had curling, brown hair and darker eyes, trained on the little baby as if it was the most precious thing on his planet.
Despite this just being a photo, the King of Subcon could feel the love radiating from the parents, and felt a heavy sadness in his chest. Hattie was, at the very least, loved by her parents - something he’d come to think was doubtful due to the culture of this stupid, harsh planet.
“Her mother was my sister” Thor pointed out. “She was named Hecate. Her father’s name is Aaron”
“Your parents like Greek gods?”
Thor chuckled “They did, yes”
“How did they…?”
“Intergalactic libraries. These large, planet sized ships that traverse the universe collecting information”
“Huh” Snatcher responded. “... Back to what I was asking before, you got anything stronger than water?”
Thor just shakes his head.
O0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
It did not take much time to get all of Hattie’s stuff in her spaceship, nor get her back on her feet emotion-wise.
But Mu could still see her passive bitterness, even if it was buried. It was just behind the brunette’s eyes
The blonde followed Hattie into her spaceship bedroom, where the alien in the girl was putting away her clothes.
“Hey, need help?”
Hattie looked up “Uh… sure?”
The two fell into silence, before Mu spoke again.
“... You know, you’re allowed to be mad”
“Hm?”
“What's happenin’? It sucks. You can be mad about it”
Hattie’s brow furrowed “Well uh, I mean, it's just the laws-”
“Screw the laws!” Mu interrupted with frustration “They’re kicking you outta your home! That’s not fair, an’ you know it”
Hattie stared down at the dress in her hands “...”
“Say it” Mu pressed.
“... Say what?”
“Say that what's happening to you is unfair. I wanna hear you say it” Mu pushed, shoving a pair of socks into a drawer while somehow maintaining eye contact.
Hattie just looked back at her with a nervous expression
“It-”
“Say it” Mu repeated herself, her stubbornness showing.
“.... What happened wasn’t fair”
“Again”
“What happened wasn’t fair” Hattie’s voice had a little more force.
“Again!!” Mu yelled.
“What happened wasn’t fair!!” Hattie nearly screamed, and her eyes went misty
“Yeah, it wasn’t. An’ its okay to be mad about it” Mu affirmed, reaching over and putting her hand on Hattie’s.
Hattie sniffled “Adults are stupid” She held Mu’s hand, and used the other to rub at her face.
“Heck yeah” Mu affirmed.
The two of them didn’t move for a moment, giving Hattie a few moments to collect herself, sniffling - the anger giving way to sorrow quite quickly.
“... Whaddaya think you’re gonna miss most?” Mu asks.
“... I think the TIME tower.. Its really pretty, and I had a friend that lived there… I dunno if I’ll see him again”
“Well, how ‘bout you jus’ call him?” Mu suggested “Send ‘im the coordinates and stuff, that way he can come see ya.”
“.... Why didn’t I think of that?”
“Because you’re bein all sad and stuff, i’s fine”
Harriet gave Mu a small smile “... Thanks, Mu”
Mu just gave her a grin “Happy t’help. Plus, can’t alienate ya. I still need someone t’help me beat the Mafia for good!”
“You haven’t done that yet?”
“..... I’ve gotten close”
Harriet let out a chuckle with a sniffle “Sure”
oOoOoOoOo
Dinner was a comical affair, with Cooking Cat and Thor having to share the kitchen as Thor made food for him, Mu and Hattie, and C.C. making food for all of the non-human aliens.
Thor made her spaghetti. Harriet almost cried.
About two thirds through the dinner, there was an aggressive knock on the door.
Thor looked up, brow furrowed “.. I’m not expecting guests”
Snatcher, who was back to being a noodle, seemed a bit tense at that concern from Thor, his tail instinctively wrapping around Harriet, who was just next to him.
“Thor? Thor are you home?”
“Tim!?” Harriet called out.
Thor got up and yanked open his door, and a shorter child ran right passed him.
“Timmy!” Harriet pushed Snatcher’s tail off, and ran over, meeting Timmy halfway with a tight hug
“You’re not in the Vitrosphere!” The young boy excitedly stated “And you’re not in a prison rift! That’s awesome!”
“I got a name now too!”
“Wha- Dad, dad she’s got a name now!”
The older man still standing at the door just chuckled a bit “Hello, Thor. Good to see you”
“You as well, please, come in’
The man walked in, looking at the aliens eating in Thor’s living room. He approached Harriet and Timmy, who were still hugging.
“And what is your name, now?”
“Harriet Artemis Arelius!” She recited with a big grin
“Artemis… Your mother would have loved that” Tim smiled, patting her head “I’m sorry that my pardon was not enough”
“Its okay, at least I'm alive and stuff.” she looked back at Mu for a second “... It does really suck and this is all dumb”
“Heck yeah, it is!” Mu chimed in, getting up from the couch “Who’re you guys?”
“I am Tim, and this is my son, Timmy”
“... Original” Conductor spoke.
“It’s tradition” Tim argued
“You’re whole world has dumb traditions” Conductor argued back “Th’fact tha’ a child had to wait all this time f’r a name because they’re no’ related t’you is very dumb”
Tim’s lips pressed into a thin line
“Dad, don’t get all butthurt” Timmy spoke “They’re just tourists”
Hattie giggled “Lemme introduce you guys to my friends!”
After a rousing round of introductions, Thor and Tim parted to have a private conversation - though Tim promised it had nothing to do with Harriet, but other matters.
Timmy, meanwhile, was attempting to teach Mu how to play a card game called “Yoke Bloke” while Hattie watched from the couch, her head leaning on Snatcher’s tail in relaxed amusement.
“Wait, why is the red card weaker than the blue?”
“That’s just the rules”
“Well they’re stupid!” Mu argued “Red is way better than blue!”
“I mean, I like red too but the rules are the rules. It's just a game” Timmy shrugged.
Mu just groaned and slammed the cards down “I give up this game is dumb. I gotta teach you black jack!”
“What what?”
“Anybody have a real card deck?”
“Sorry, darling” Grooved shrugged.
Mu groaned “Ugh, when ‘r we goin’ home?”
“Soon” Cici confirmed “We’re just letting the clock run”
“What?”
Thor chimed in “Waiting until the last minute”
Mu just rolled her eyes.
Hattie chuckled from her seat on the couch, having watched the entirety of Timmy’s futile attempt to teach Mu anything.
Sure, things sucked but… it was okay.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Goodbyes weren’t as bad as she thought they’d be.
I mean, they weren’t great. Her uncle definitely got misty eyed, and hugged her tighter than when she came back months ago.
He promised he’d visit as soon as he could and she responded that she couldn’t wait.
Timmy and Tim weren’t as sad, with Tim promising that they’d visit within two months to check in on her if Thor couldn’t get there any sooner.
Her heart felt so full.
Sitting at her bridge, hands on the buttons, happy to be home.
“All set?”
She looked behind her, where Snatcher floated about. He’d be the only one on her ship with her, the others taking the Mafia ship back to the planet.
“Yeah, I think so” She checked over some numbers, looking out the window and sighing at the view of her shining planet and their domes “... Mu said that its okay to be angry about being kicked off but… I think I’m just… sad”
“... Yeah, I can understand that” He commented, a human-looking hand rubbing her shoulder. She looked back up, seeing him return to his human form, whisping and ghostly, but his face looked… soft. An expression she wasn’t used to seeing on the specter. “But hey, you’re gonna get to live on a planet that won’t try you as an adult for stuff outta your control, so that seems like a good trade off”
“Hm.. “ She didn’t properly respond, setting her ship to be prepared for autopilot “Uh, Snatcher?”
“Hm?”
“... Why’d you give me your last name? And my first name, Where'd you get that from?”
The ghost king paused. He knew she’d ask that at some point but.. He was hoping he’d have time to come up with some kind of plausible excuse.
But after all she’d been through.. He supposed he deserved the truth.
Before he could answer though - the intercom went off
“We’re all set ‘here, lassie! You all ready with the ghost?” Conductor seemed to yell
Hat kid pressed a button, and spoke “Hi! Yeah, we’re all set! See you guys soon!”
“Be safe, darling!” Grooves spoke up - sounding further from the mic
“We will!” She smiled, taking her hand off the button and suddenly focusing on getting the ship into hyperspace.
He watched her with interest, seeing her effortlessly press buttons and switches, and then dramatically slamming her hand on a big button, and the ship jerked, and launched into open space.
A map popped up, showing the endgame to be back to Snatcher’s home - her new home.
“We all set?” he asked
“Mhm” She nodded, looking up to him.
He looked down at her for a moment, before reaching over and startling her a bit by picking her up, resting her on his hip.
“You still wanna know why you’ve got my last name?” He asked.
Looking back at him, she nodded almost nervously.
He took in a breath, remembering what he’d told Thor. He just needed to.. Reword it some. That's all.
“.. When I was alive.. Vanessa and I were planning on having children” He started
“.. I saw the nursery” she commented, looking down at her hands
“.. Yeah” He huffed a bit. The further removed he was from that contract, the worse he felt about doing it. Gah, he really was going soft. “We talked about names, and Harriet was one of them. When I wrote it on the paper.. It seemed right to give you my last name, as .. selfish as that sounds. I guess some part of me still wants kids”
“So.. I’m your kid?” She concluded, looking back up at him.
He sighed, as if in defeat. He really couldn’t find a way to wiggle his way out of that, could he?
“Yeah, kid. I guess so” He smirked “Think you can handle being the Princess of Subcon?”
She gave him a big, enthusiastic grin “Yeah! Totally! As long as I don’t have to sign a contract”
Snatcher bellowed out a laugh at that.
“No contracts, kiddo. Not anymore. Now I can just order you around as your parent” He winked “You’ll still have chores”
“Ughhh” She groaned at that “No outhouse though, right?” She leaned her head on his shoulder. His free hand reached up, applying reassuring pressure to her back
“No outhouse” He affirmed.
There was a moment where the two just held onto each other, Snatcher looking at the stars blazing by.
“.. Hey Snatcher?”
“Hm?”
“Can uh, can I call you my dad?”
Snatcher seemed to freeze for a second, before his shoulders relaxed “... Yeah, sure kid”
She hugged him around his neck, hugging tightly. He was grateful that he didn’t have to breathe - she might be suffocating him if that was the case.
“... Thanks for saving me, Dad”
He couldn’t help but give her another reassuring squeeze.
Sure, they were only at the beginning of this new venture, but the King of Subcon held his newly adopted little princess, and couldn’t help but feel as if this was the start of something new. Something… good. So he whispered into her hair..
“Anytime, Harriet”