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Chapter Text

"I think you've finally lost it." Marilyn said, looking at her dad with her hands on her hips and sass in her eyes as she shook her head slowly. It was difficult to read, but it seemed like she was a mix of worried and exasperated with this whole situation. Her father in specific.

"I haven't bloody lost it! I know what I'm talkin' about 'ere!" Murdoc said, frustratedly crossing his arms, mocking her sassy position as he usually did in their spats. "I'm telling you I've got the truth to it all!"

"What you've got is more brain damage than Stu'." Marilyn replied, rolling her dark red eyes again with a sigh. Cults? The truth? What was he going on about this time? Marilyn was used to her dad's wacky and insane ideas that usually stemmed from a bottle, sure, but he was completely sober telling her this, making it all the more worrying to the teen.

"Oh sod off you little brat." Murdoc said, mocking her once again, making her struggle to not crack a smile. If there was anyone in this world to make the word 'brat' sound like words of brod admiration it was Murdoc Niccals.

"No I'm serious!" She said, biting back the laugh from earlier before turning to the others who were watching whatever this was take place from the kitchen. "Does any of this blasted cult talk make sense to any of you?" Marilyn asked, gesturing to her dad with her left hand.

"Not in the slightest." Russel said, not looking up from some kind of newspaper he was reading. "But if anyone was gonna go looney here first I was banking on Mudz." He added with a chuckle.

"Very funny Russ." Murdoc said, rolling his eyes with a sigh.

"I wasn't joking." Russel said, looking up from the paper with a smirk before down again, chuckling to himself. Russel seemed to have a bit more spunk as of recent, and it annoyed Murdoc a lot.

"I'm telling you guys I know what I'm talking about if you'd only hear me out-" Murdoc said before getting cut off by Noodle.

"Isn't this all because you're stalking the neighbor woman?" Noodle asked, looking up from her phone at Murdoc with a genuine look of curiosity. Sure, she thought he was crazy too, but she didn't want to throw stones just yet.

"Yeh, and didn't she came over here to ask you to stop staring at her while she was in her backyard?" 2D asked as well, watching the green man flush in embarrassment.

"I wasn't watching her I was lookin' at her garden..." Murdoc said, his voice a mix of embarrassment and anger. "And no this isn't some gesture to impress some girl. This is somethin' I've had for months!" Murdoc said. Truthfully, deep down, it was a scheme to get some girl, but Murdoc and the others didn't know that yet.

"Aww, Dad has a crush. How cute!" Marilyn said, exaggeratedly clasping her hands together, making the man grumble something and shove her away from him and Noodle giggle.

"No need to act stupid about it." He muttered. Murdoc wasn't sure what color his blush was since he changed colors like a polly pocket color change surprise doll, but whatever it was he was practically glowing with it.

"Eh, just some payback for when I was 9 and had a crush on Rouge the Bat and you made a big deal over it." Marilyn shrugged, grinning herself now. Annoying her dad had always been one of her favorite passtimes.

"Rouge should be anyone's crush at any age." Noodle said, chuckling and fist bumping her her sister with a grin. "If you find her attractive then the world is already healing."

"I wouldn't say 'healing' exactly. You used to like Rouge too after Dee bought ya a Dreamcast. After we bought you a plush of her and Shadow you tried to throw Shadow off the roof of Kong because you thought he was gonna take her away from you." Russel shrugged, chuckling to himself at the memory of a small Noodle yelling in Japanese at plushie of a black hedgehog. Screw Sonic, Noodle should've been Shadow's real enemy.

"It's called being a good wife, Russ." Noodle said, dramatically flipping her black hair. "In this world a woman's gotta take her precautions."

"Murder is a precaution?" 2D asked, raising an eyebrow at this conversation. He knew his sister was joking, but at the same time he didn't know anymore. She was just as predictable as a hurricane.

"Yes." Noodle and Murdoc said at the same time, making Russel shake his head. Even if he raised Noodle mostly, she still could be a carbon copy of Murdoc at certain times or when she wanted to be.

"This conversation got weird. I'm out." Murdoc said, walking out, Marilyn behind him in protest.

"So when you make the conversation weird it's okay but we do it's a problem?"

"Bang-on. Glad you could understand."

________

Only a few days had passed and the cult business was, surprisingly, in full swing. With Noodle and Russel on board, and 2D there to basically be the errand boy, Murdoc's vision of The Last Cult was quickly becoming a reality and sight to behold.

The only problem? Someone was opposed.

"Come on love! Tell me one good reason why you won't join!" Murdoc said, practically begging the girl at this point.

"M'kay, I'll giva ya a counter point. Gimme one good cult that's ever ended well." Marilyn said, one hand on her hip and the other at her side. "Listen, I'm not sayin' I don't trust you or Dee, Noodle, or Russ, okay? It's the cult in of itself. I have issues with it, not you."

"But this isn't some dangerous thing that I'm gonna be sacrificing people to! It's just like a church, just without the rubbish." Murdoc said, attempting anything to reason with his daughter, but quickly learning it wasn't going to work. "Bad choice of words, eh? Okay, uh, motivational group?" Nothing. He sighed.

"Fine." Murdoc said eventually with a heavy sigh. "You don't have to join if you don't want to, but you're always welcome if you change yer mind. Got a thing picked out for you and everythin'." Murdoc said, giving her a small smile. Even if he was still kinda hurt over it, he couldn't force her to join. He didn't want to be like those blasted preachers.

"Thanks." The teen said, smiling back at him. She was glad he wasn't the forceful type. She had enough of that when she had to stay with her mother after he got arrested after Plastic Beach.

"Actually before we got on this topic I came in here ask if you payed 2D for that rock he had to paint yet."

"No, but don't worry, he'll forget about it."

"I don't think he will."

"He will."

He didn't.

Chapter Text

Poor Murdoc Niccals. All he wanted to do was to show everyone his new robes that he had gotten made for his cult ceremonies, but it didn't exactly work out...

________

"So... Whaddya think?" Murdoc asked, stading in the living room of the new house, a proud and giddy smile on his face. He hadn't looked this excited since he found out Stevie Nicks agreed to sing on their new album that was currently in the writing phase. But to be honest, the whole house fangirled over this. Even Del.

"Woah! It's really-" 2D began, attempting to build his friend up when he was interrupted by laughter. Marilyn to be exact. The girl was currently wheezing harder than a hardcore smoker after a marathon.

As time would tell, it was proven that if you were in the Niccals family you were doomed to have some kind of weirdly abnormal laugh. It was something in your blood at this point. Murdoc had his weird laugh that, honestly, made him sound like a predator, and Marilyn had one that made her sound like a boiling teakettle. Her usual laugh was quiet and quite normal from a standpoint, but if you really got her going she sounded like a seagull being steamrolled.

"What are you laughin' at?" Murdoc asked, looking annoyed but also slightly amused at her reaction.

"You!" Marilyn said, covering her face with her hand. "T-The clothes themselves are perfectly fine but..." She trailed off, her fit of laughter returning in full blast, making Noodle join in a bit now out the absurdity of her sister's reaction.

"But what?" Murdoc asked, his hands on his hips, looking at her with a slightly embarrassed look now. He knew it wasn't the most normal of outfits, but for cult ceremonies and meetings it was downright perfect.

"You look like you're gonna make me answer 3 of your riddles!" She wheezed, curling in on herself in laughter. "You look like some old lady's garden gnome!" She said, watching as even Russel joined in now. His laughter was quiet and not very noticeable, but it was there.

"Uh-huh. Mhm. Cough 'em all up. Gimme your worst and get it outta your system." Murdoc said, blushing with embarrassment and looking away from the group of 3 that was currently bullying him. Not that he didn't deserve it of course.

"She's not wrong actually." Noodle said, giggling herself now and shaking her head. "You kinda look like if a priest went slutty." She said, watching as Marilyn had to physically bury her face in a pillow she was laughing so hard. "Barbie girl priest!" Noodle exclaimed with a snap of her fingers.

"I think you look like cunty choir leader." Russel said, chuckling himself now, unable to take Murdoc seriously now, or even look the man in the eye at this point. "Or a gay troll." Del added in Russel's mind, making his internal struggle to not bust out laughing even harder.

"Dad, there are some men in this world who can pull a dress off effortlessly. Kurt Cobain as an example. I hate to tell ya this but you're not Kurt Cobain." Marilyn said, giggling still like a child and watching as Murdoc tapped his cubain heels against the floor rapidly. He was obviously embarrassed and annoyed now but trying not to lash out. She knew they should've been maybe giving the poor man a break, but pushing him to his limit was rather entertaining these days, so that was wildly out of the question.

"Okay, you're done, all of you." Murdoc said, crossing his arms with a sigh. "This isn't a dress neither! It's a robe! I'm wearin' other stuff underneath of this!" He protested, looking over at 2D who was obviously struggling to not laugh. It was honestly a bit pathetic how poorly 2D was keeping that up, but the thought and attempt was nice.

"I don't 'ave to take this from any of you people! I'm your great leader and your father! If I wanna wear my bloody robes I'll do it when I damn well please, whether I look like a garden gnome or not!" Murdoc said, throwing his hands up before looking at 2D. "Your act is piss poor too Stu'! I know you got ammo in there, you're just not sayin' anythin'!"

"I-I mean it's not that bad!" 2D protested, attempting to keep the peace. "I mean, you do look a bit... Uh... Silly... But it's in a cool way! Yeh?" 2D said nervously, fiddling around with his shirt hem.

"Whatever. I don't care what you think! I think they're fine and that's good enough for me, isn't it?" Murdoc asked, giving a childish huff and turning around to walk up the stairs.

"Some of you people don't understand fashion and it shows!"

"Wait dad, come back! You still haven't given us those riddles!"

"How about this one: I'm young, annoying, and been a pain in the arse since 2006. What am I?"

"Really? Honestly dad, I'm upset at you. Self deprecation isn't funny and neither is lying! We all know you aren't young anymore."

Chapter Text

Murdoc Niccals was no stranger when it came to livestreams, no sirree. Started way back when during the days of Plastic Beach and he's worked himself up since then to Youtube and Twitch lives. As the self-proclaimed spokesman for Gorillaz, Murdoc claimed and vowed to use this only regarding band related situations and promotions. No, this job was strictly business related. No dillydallying or horseplay here. No droning on about personal business or yourself either, no matter how tempting it may be.

This last statement was often broken by Murdoc almost constantly, but how could he help it if he was so captivating? You know you have it good when you can't even stop talking about yourself.

Often times the others would attempt to do their own streams or ask Murdoc to let them host one, but this, however, was a seldom granted opportunity. Murdoc was a stingey old codger. Who would've guessed?

Russel for one, never asked and never cared. He hosted a mini radio show for Apple back during the Song Machine days and did a good few interviews back in the Demon Days of yesteryears, so he figured that was enough, much to Del's protest. Noodle had her own Instagram, so she went live as much as she pleased for whatever she felt like. 2D, however, didn't have this luxury. Often times he found himself having to trudge to Murdoc like a child asking their father for permission and every time Murdoc gave him a different variation of the same answer; No.

Needless to say, nobody got to join Murdoc in these lives of his. He strictly flew solo through these hour-30 minute long escapades and liked it that way too.

Nope, Nobody crashed a Murdoc Niccals Original Gorillaz livestream and nobody ever would dare.

Until today.

________

All this was supposed to be from the get-go was a peace treaty of sorts for the fans. The entirety of the band had been stone silent for the past few weeks, working to write songs and hook collaborators that would knock 'em in aisles, all while somehow keeping up their social and private lives to date and painting the city red with illegal paint that probably had lead in it. Social media had taken a strong backseat due to this mess, and people were starting to turn sour. So Murdoc decided to take things upon himself and give the fangirls what they wanted: Him. Obviously.

A simple and quick Q and A seemed plausible. Murdoc was long tired of people spamming his DMs on Twitter to ask either the most unhinged stuff the bassist had ever heard. or the most simple of stuff that a toddler should know by age 2. This was not only something the fans ate up, but also a solution to his own problems. Win win!

He didn't plan on this being a lengthy one, an hour at the longest, but those plans quickly changed when he suddenly realized he wasn't home alone, and streaming in the living room wasn't the best idea.

"Well personally, I believe that equal rights should mean equal fights, ya know? So to answer your question @Boiboiperson, yes. I would square up with a baby. No hesitation. Especially if it wasn't my own." Murdoc said, leaning back in the rolling desk chair he had by the desk in which he was streaming on. "You lot ask some weird questions I'll tell ya that much. What do you guys do with all this juicy info I drop, eh? ...'Play with myself to it' Okay. You're banned."

Murdoc was so caught up in reading replies ad 'banning' those who said stuff that Murdoc himself would most definitely say, that he didn't even notice someone in the corner until someone in the chat called it out.

"Huh? No, I'm by myself 'ere. Gave the others the slip so I could do this. Whaddya mean theres someone in the frame?!" Murdoc said, getting chills himself for a moment. He knew his fans were crazy, and they were living in a sort of subivision, but breaking into the house? Murdoc quickly spun the chair around and instantly let out a startled yelp while the figure busted out into snickers and laughter. The perfect scene.

"Mary! What in the bloody hell are you doin' 'ere?!" Murdoc asked, embarrassed at getting so scared and trying to play it cool. "I thought you went with the others!"

"No? I told you I was staying to work on stuff in my room. I came down here to get something to drink thinkin' it was just you an' me here but I guess not. Whaddya now, a Twitch streamer?" Marilyn asked, grinning and raising an eyebrow at him. "You someone's Discord kitten now? Ya twink."

"I'm not a twink you brat! That's 2D, not me! Sweet Satan you scared the shit outta me kid. Fuckin' hell..." Murdoc groaned, running a hand down his face in exasperation. "I don't like this attitude young lady." He said, pointing his clawed finger at her with no real malice behind it.

"I'm 18, whaddya gonna do? Make me stay home from my job? Spooky Scary." She snorted, walking closer to the screen and looking at it curiously. "Jesus, that's a lotta tabs. How'dya keep it all straight? And why do you currently have 7 open to Por-"

"And you're done!" Murdoc said quickly, shoving her playfully away. "Say goodbye like a good girl and kindly clear out. I'm a busy man."

"There goes your feminist argument." Marilyn said, sticking her tongue out at him as he shoved her. Marilyn's tongue wasn't a public safety hazard like his, but it was still abnormally long, so she was sure she gave some lonely blokes at home a start. It was a cool party trick. Unfortunately Marilyn never got invited to any parties.

Murdoc rolled his eyes and looked back at the screen with a look akin to those scenes where Michael Scott would look into the camera from The Office. This look was cut short, however, when he saw a comment that made him physically ill and nausea burn sickly in his esophagus.

"18? So you're 56 bagging someone 37 years younger than you?"

Oh hell no.

"She's my daughter you disgusting degenerates!" Murdoc exclaimed, looking genuinely horrified and angry. He felt physically sick to his stomach at the idea of it. It was just as gross when people made comments about 2D or him with Noodle, and it felt like it was even worse with Marilyn. He knew he didn't have the track record in crime, but incest and borderline pedophila? What was wrong with people?!

"What the fuck...?" Marilyn asked, sharing that disgusted look. "I know it's been awhile since you guys heard about me, but..." She said, walking over to the behind of the chair where her dad was and bending down some, wrapping her arms around his shoulders absentmindedly and laying her chin on the top of his head. He surprisingly didn't stink like others thought he would. He smelled like dad cologne and a feint scent of cigarettes and alcohol. "You guys probably don't remember me, but I was that annoying little kid crying in those facebook lives and Pirate Radios he did back a long time ago. I was only 5 or 6 then."

"You were only 5 back at Plastic Beach? Fuckin' hell, where has the time gone...?" Murdoc muttered. He felt like his whole life had been put on x2 speed since get got of prison before the Humanz album and it hasn't stopped since.

Instantly the chat was filled with mixed reactions. Some being confused and still not getting it, some reconizing her and fawning over her like they do Noodle because she was 'still a little girl omg', some begging her to stay and 'spill the tea' on her father, and horny people who didn't care regardless, hearing the fabled words '18' and running with it.

Murdoc was sure those people later were banned within an inch of their life on everything.

"Uh, stay? Answer some questions? Uhm... Sure? I guess? It's not like I got better thinbs to do." She shrugged, pulling a chair up next to her dad with a half grin. "I'm sure you don't mind." She said, sassily crossing one leg over the other.

"Now just hold on a minute 'ere! This is my stream and I make the decisions here!" Murdoc said, poking her with his fingernail and smirking when he watched her swat him away like a diva.

"...So can I stay or what?"

"Yes."

________

"Huh. 'What's your family like'? For me?" Marilyn asked nervously, looking a bit flustered at being asked something. "It's nice I suppose. Noodle's got more bite than she does on magazines. 2D is kinda like that awkward older brother or uncle that you tell one time that you like blueberries an' he gets 'em for you every goddamn shopping trip. I'm gonna hurl purple soon if he doesn't stop. Russ is kinda my other dad despite despising my actual dad. He's kinda my go-to for stuff. Del is too. He's just kinda hyperactive and likes to watch the world burn."

"That's all fine 'n dandy but where am I on this list? I'm the one that made ya for Christ's sake!" Murdoc said, looking a bit hurt actually at not being mentioned.

"You're the one who sends me videos at 2am that I could care less about." She said, patting his hand. "I love you, but the monkey videos gotta stop."

"They're funny! You just obviously don't have such an advanced sense of humor as yer ol' man." Murdoc said, rolling his eyes and pouting like a child with his arms crossed.

"Whatever. Anyway- Oh. 'Who's your Mum?' Madonna."

"For the record it isn't Madonna."

"How do you know, Dad? You weren't there."

"Oh I think I was."

________

"Oh my god, these horny people are pathetic on here." Marilyn murmured, squinting her eyes to look at the screen and read some of the most horrendously down bad comments she'd seen in her life about her father. "Probably shouldn't call 'em pathetic. Might direct 'em my way."

"Oh yeah, it's somethin'. It's kinda flattering sometimes though." Murdoc said, shrugging a bit and chuckling.

"You guys seriously want this man in a room with you? Be for real. I've met some of the women he's dragged into this house and they said they'd rate him one star at best." Marilyn said, a sly grin growing on her face making her look almost exactly like her father. It genuinely creeped him out sometimes. He needed to get her some goddamn friends to hang out with.

"Marilyn. That's enough." Murdoc said embarrassedly, looking away from the screen as his face flushed at this.

"One time this, and I must admit, super attractive dude left early one morning saying it was like spendin' a night with Shrek and I think about it often against my will. Like goddamn are you that green everywhere-?"

"Marilyn Mariana Niccals I swear to Satan below-"

________

"Do you hang out with the other's still like the good ol' days or are you too old now they wanna know?" Murdoc asked, looking at Marilyn after reading the comment before smirking at the screen.

"I can vouch on this one that yes, she does. I still catch 'er an' Dents doing everything together like teenage girls all the time. It's like he has a second, wider shadow." Murdoc said, not noticing Marilyn's shift and slight frown at the wider comment. She knew he didn't mean it like that, it just still came out that way and was a bit uncomfortable for her.

If only he knew why she wanted to be with him a lot.

"I swear, you'd think her and Noodle moved in together too with how much I see her and that girl hanging out watching movies or something. They sleep together too sometimes like an extended sleepover. Kinda sweet if ya ask me. At least the girls get along 'cause the guys don't." Murdoc chuckled, shaking his head. Marilyn just chuckled along with him, rolling her eyes and shoving him playfully.

If only he knew why she was afraid to be alone at night recently.

"Oh and her, Russ, and Del I swear 'ave been inseparable as of late. Guess the emo phase finally broke. She's always helpin' him cook or something. He just uh, 'asn't been cookin' as much since he started watching that blasted static show on the telly. Been thinking of busting that thing soon. I can't take this much take out! It'a gonna be taking me out soon!" Murdoc chuckled, shaking his head. "When you're as old as me fast food doesn't sit as well with ya anymore. Enjoy your youth before you start fallin' apart kids."

"Yeah. Old is right." Marilyn snarked, making Murdoc take a magazine off the desk and loosely roll it up, bonking her on the head with it with a laugh.

"Anyway. I've been rather busy with this upcoming project I hinted at with you folks, so we haven't had as much time to be together. I'm sure the same role with others would apply to me though. She's pretty stuck on me I gotta admit." Murdoc shrugged, ruffling Marilyn's thick, black, curly hair with a chuckle before moving onto the next question, not noticing his daughter's shift.

If only he knew why she was so clingy lately. If only he knew why.

________

"'How tall are you Murdoc?' Well, I pride myself in being 5'8 actually. It's no 6'2 skyscraper like Stuart, but it's still taller than most men, so I take it to heart." Murdoc said, proudly and sassily putting his hand on his chest and looking stupidly prideful over a height.

"Mhm. Take the shoes off dad." Marilyn said, raising an eyebrow at him with a smirk.

"What? Whaddya mean?" He asked, shooting her a 'Don't you fucking dare you little shit' look that she ultimately chose to ignore. She liked playing with her life. 50\50 chances. She liked those odds.

"He's actually 5'4 without his high-heels on. Don't let 'em butter you up and lie to you." Marilyn said, grinning that sharp-toothed grin of hers at the camera, dodging a half-hearted swat from Murdoc.

"Actually, she's the one lying. I dunno what she's talkin' about. Ladies and gents, ignore her." Murdoc said, his jaw clenched slightly as he shot her another warning look. But being a Niccals it clearly didn't phase her because ane was as stubborn as a mule.

Marilyn didn't say anything, she just looked at the camera before literally grabbing his foot and pulling his shoe off, grabbing the other despite his kickings and protest and doing the same with a laugh. "¡Abraza tu altura, maldita sea!" She said with a laugh, ignoring the kick to the gut she just got from the overgrown cactus she called her father. Thank God she had her own built-in padding down there.

"¡No! ¡Vete a la mierda!" Murdoc replied in a shout, fussing and fighting her back with the same sounds an agitated parrot would make while being murdered.

"Be proud of your height you garden gnome!"

"Says the 5'2 girl!"

"Yeah, but at leat I don't use women's boots and pay people to photoshop me to look taller in photos! I embrace my fate!"

"Marilyn I have run over people before, I can still do you if you don't shut it."

"I'd rather die standing then live kneeling! He's short as fuck sheople, wake up!!"

Chapter Text

Ever since the cult activities had begun in the house, Marilyn had oddly found herself feeling unwelcome in it now. It wasn't anything anyone was saying or doing, not at all, but it was rather a subconscious feeling she couldn't shake from herself no matter how hard she tired. She felt uncomfortable and oddly stressed when being around the topic, so rather than annoying the others or making them feel bad for doing something they seemed to be enjoying, Marilyn decided to go out and walk around the neighborhood they were staying in. During the day of course.

Not that she couldn't protect herself, of course. Murdoc had gotten her a pocketknife for her 13th birthday to carry around and taught her how to use it while Noodle and Russel both had given her mini lessons on how to rock someone's shit if needed, so she wasn't defenseless. But be that as it may, she still was only 18 and was only 5'3 in her shoes, so someone of a bigger or taller stature could always overpower her.

That was something she preferred not to think about, however.

This afternoon, while the band was in the basement doing God knows what, Marilyn decided to go out for a stroll. It was a warm, sunny spring day and, despite her vampire tendencies, she decided to go out and enjoy it.

She had sent her dad a text saying what she was doing, and all he did was send a selfie of himself and Noodle giving a thumbs up while 2D looked like a pathetic and wet cat in the background, covered in pink paint that must've fallen on him somehow. She swore that man was straight out of a Looney Toons cartoon sometimes.

She hadn't noticed it first time around, but behind 2D was Del, a mischievous grin on his face as he held an empty bucket of paint in one hand and held his finger up to his ghostly grin with the other in a shushing motion.

This house really was an unreleased episode of Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends sometimes, and Marilyn wondered how she'd kept her sanity in it for this long.

Paying the goofy picture no further mind, Marilyn got on her shoes and decided to walk around and see what the more quieter areas of Los Angeles had to offer.

Little did she know it'd offer her more than just a change of scenery.

________

The warm Spring air was comforting in contrast to cold gust that the AC was constantly blowing out inside their home, and Marilyn finally realized just how cold Russel and Murdoc really liked it in the house. No wonder 2D was always shivering in there. He didn't have any insulation, the poor thing. He reminded Marilyn of those pitiful skeletons from Minecraft that would rattle and clunk when you hit them. They needed to feed that man more.

Lost in her thoughts as she walked down the sidewalk, she barely noticed a voice call out to her. Snapping to her senses, she looked over and noticed someone on the porch of a very clean and kempt large house, noticing the woman instantly to be the woman her dad had been borderline stalking since they arrived. What was her name again? Moon something? Who names their child anything that starts with 'Moon'?

Marilyn knew drugs was regular ingredient in Cola back in the day, but she didn't think they were that strong.

Noodle had a good a theory that it was a fake name she had made up to hide from the public eye, but Mary wasn't so sure how much sense was in that or how much faith she had in Noodle's Game Theory level takes on stuff. Moonflower being an old immortal actor from the 30s? Not very likely. Moonflower giving Murdoc a fake name because she didn't like him? Probably the answer.

Marilyn let her curiously get the better of her and decided to respond to her, being as nosey as her dad, the old gossip. She guessed it was just another thing that ran in the imfamous Niccals bloodline that was unavoidable to any generation it had it's green hand in.

Thankfully she wasn't green however.

Yet.

"Oh, you're the girl that lives next-door with that bunch, right? Hi! What are you doing out here by yourself?" Moonflower asked, crossing her legs on her porch swing and making it swing a bit by using her foot as leverage.

Oh. It clicked for Marilyn finally.

This woman thought she was child still.

Marilyn understood where the common misunderstanding had it's place, since she didn't have a very mature a face and was short for her age. Often times people thought she was about 13-14 based off her appearance and were absolutely floored when she told them she was a legal adult. It was just as embarrassing as it sounded, and was a conversation Marilyn wasn't looking forward to here at all.

"Oh, uh, hello." Marilyn said, being nervous around new people. She walked over to the woman's gate and leaned against it ever-so-slightly in a polite manner. "Walking."

"Oh, that's nice. Does your family know you're out here?" She asked, looking at the girl inquizitively, pushing the sunglasses she had on her eyes up to rest on the top of her head. Marilyn had to admit, she saw the appeal of why her dad found her so captivating. She was very pretty. If she didn't stop talking to Mary like she was a child, however, Marilyn might start going off.

She wouldn't, however, because she had to be polite, but God know's she wanted to.

"Yeah, they do. I'm 18, actually so I'm kinda allowed to be out." Marilyn said, giving a shrug as she spoke, finding the difference in their accents to be rather amusing. This woman sounded like a more relaxed version of Rarity from My Little Pony oddly enough. She wondered where she was from originally because it didn't sound like here. Or maybe it did? Marilyn wasn't sure.

"Really? My bad. I thought you were younger than that." She chuckled, apologizing and sitting a book she was previously reading down beside her. "I'm used to young adults and kids looking a lot older nowadays, ya know? It's odd. Not liked it used to be I'll tell you that much." Moonflower said, oddly sounding as if she were an old lady remising about the good ole days instead of a middle aged woman. It was odd.

"It's fine. You have a point." Marilyn replied shaking her head.

"Oh, well sorry just the same. Worrying is just what I do. Don't want anyone getting hurt." she said, smiling. "Uh, anyway. I was wondering, you live in that house with Niccals, right?" she asked, looking at her with a curious look.

"Yeah." Marilyn replied, nodding. "Why, is he spyin' on you again?" she asked.

"Yes, actually! It's weird! I've asked him to stop but he won't." she said, looking a bit surprised. "Wait, does that mean that woman is his-"

"Hell no. That's my sister. We're all kinda one family mushed together in one house right now. He's not married, never has been. To be fair though, who'd have 'em?" Marilyn replied, seeming a bit more comfortable with this woman. She wasn't sure why, but she felt a bit uncharacteristically calm right now. That definitely wasn't natural since her anxiety was usually pretty strong.

Maybe Noodle was right?

Or maybe Marilyn's problems weren't as solved as she thought and the minute a middle aged woman was sweet and nice to her, her body immediately tried to fill in an empty hole in her heart.

That was probably it.

"Aw, that sounds nice! Well, could you ask him to stop please? I really don't wanna be rude because he seems nice enough, but I will call the cops on him if he doesn't stop soon, okay?" Moonflower said rather harshly, obviously getting tired of a Pickle playing Inspector Gadget in order to watch her.

"Will do. I'm sorry for him buggin' you. He's not bad, just weird." Marilyn said, deciding to be nice and put a good word in for her old man, even if it was more easier to make fun of him.

"Of course. I'm sure he is! Just, make him stop, okay?" She asked, picking her book back up after Marilyn nodded and giving her a small wave. "Thank you! You have a nice day!"

"You too." Marilyn said, giving her a mini wave and walking down the sidewalk again, oddly smiling to herself. She really needed to book a therapist appointment soon.

Moonflower simply went back to her book, smiling herself as well, but for a different reason.

With one other person in that group on good terms with her, that meant one less obstacle to getting to what sne so desperately needed.

A sacrifice.

________

As Marilyn walked along the sidewalk of the town, houses vanishing behind her calmly, she found herself enjoying this place more and more. It was very bright here, very welcoming and warm, and honestly Marilyn didn't want to leave when the album was over. She knew she'd, somehow, miss the UK since it was home, but this place had so much more to offer than dark old London had.

She knew she could never leave it though. Home is home afterall.

Marilyn physically jumped like a frightened cat when she heard an unfamiliar voice shout something at her from closeby.

"I like your outfit!" A person called from their front yard in a mini roadside garden. Marilyn turned around and nearly jumped again when she saw a tall femmine looking person with brown kind eyes and short blonde hair in a sort of wolfcut style. They wore a white lacey tank top, a brown long open jacket/sweater, a sage green and patern filled maxi skirt, and a little white bandana tied in their hair like a ribbon. Marilyn was certain she forgot to breathe for a moment, completely captivated by this person like a slap to the face.

"O-Oh, uh, thank you?" Marilyn stuttered, her hands trembling as she slid them into her ripped jeans pockets. She had completely forgotten what she was even wearing until now, which was a sleeveless hot pink and white striped corset top, ripped blue jeans, white tennis shoes, and a gold chain necklace which had Murdoc's old upside-down cross on it. Since he had gotten a new charm he gave her his old one, and she had worn it ever since.

"Of course! It's super pretty!" The person said, smiling. "I haven't seen you around here before, huh? Nice to meet ya! My name is April!" The person said, smiling at Marilyn and reaching their hand out. Marilyn gave a wobbly smile like Charlie Brown in return and shook it nervously.

"I'm Marilyn. Marilyn Niccals. N-Nice to meet ya too." She muttered, feeling like she was looking at some kind of Angel or Greek God right now instead of some random person her age. It got even worse when she heard April giggle a soft laugh.

"You've got an accent. You're not from here, huh?" April asked, looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

"London actually." She said, feeling that warm feeling in her body grow the more she talked to this person.

"Oh for real? Ew. British person. Not sure we can even be friends now." April teased, waving Marilyn off with a laugh. "Just kidding!" They said with a laugh.

Marilyn however looked at them with wide eyes, that wobbly and shaky smiling growing as she looked at this person with a look similar to a puppy seeing it's owner for the first time.

"Wait... Friends?"

________

"She's been gone way too long. Nobody takes that long on a walk." Murdoc said worriedly, tapping his foot on the ground as he sat cross legged in the couch, looking at his phone nervously waiting for a message.

"God, relax. I'm sure she's fi- Oof!" Noodle said, not able to finish her sentace before the door was opened and her niece hugged the woman so hard she almost practically picked her up.

This gave alarm bells for everyone for a moment before Marilyn happily and giddily announced like a little child: "I made a friend!" She exclaimed, squeezing Noodle happily. "I made a friend, isn't that cool?"

"Yes! That's great- Please stop crushing my ribcage." Noodle said, giving a slightly pained smile as she ruffled the girl's hair, finally breathing went she felt her let go.

"Is that where you've been?" 2D asked, giving her thumbs up and genuine smile at her excitement.

"Yeah. I met him on my walk and we talked since and he's my friend now!" She said, practically bouncing on her heels as if she was 3 years old again. It was cute but slightly sad. She hadn't had any friends her age until 2D's son Max and his stepsister Sam had come to visit, so her making a friend was obviously a big deal to her. Murdoc felt slightly guilty about it, but shoved it down quickly.

"That's great little girl!" Russel said with smile, looking up from the old TV he was watching. "Glad you made one and you're okay. Murdoc was losin' it over here."

"I was not! I'm just a concerned parent is all." He said, rolling his eyes before looking at Marilyn. "That's great, love." He said, shaking his head with a chuckle. "Did you say 'he' though?" Murdoc asked, smirking and raising an eyebrow at her.

"Yeah? Well she uses he or she pronouns. Bigender I think it's called? I dunno. It's cool though." She said, completely missing her dad's teasing drift she was so excited. She looked like she was going to pass out if she didn't breathe soon.

"Ohhh okay." Murdoc said, crossing his leg a bit more sassily before folding his hands in his lap and looking at her again. "Did you say 'she or he' then?" He asked, grinning at her as he watched her face flush red.

"No! It's not like that! Ya weirdo!" She said, giggling a bit as she felt Noodle pull her by her shoulders over to where 2D was sitting and putting her in-between them, 2D smirking at her himself now and chuckling.

"Breathe before you die!" Noodle laughed as she put her cool hands on the back of the girl's neck which she gasped at and shoved her hands away. "Did you run all the way here or something?"

"Maybe." Marilyn replied,

"Yeh! The news of your new boyfriend!" 2D teased, ruffling her hair and chuckling along with the others, joining in with Murdoc and his teasing.

"She's not my boyfriend!" Marilyn protested, moving her bangs back after he messed them up and sticking her tongue out at him playfully.

"Speaking of partners, which I DON'T 'ave by the way, Dad I talked to your little crush today."

"Wait, what?! You're kidding. What did she say? What did YOU say?! Marilyn Mariana Niccals I swear to Satan below if you made me look bad-"

"I said you're weird."

"Oh my- Why would you say that?! Okay that's it. I'm going to your little girlfriend's house right now."

"Don't you fucking dare! And she is NOT my girlfriend!!"

Chapter Text

As Marilyn found her days being spent more and more frequently at her new friend's house she failed to notice the changes that were taking place at home. All until today that was.

With April's family gone on holiday for spring break, Marilyn found herself with a lot of unbridled time on her hands and more questions than anyone had answers for. Russel addicted to a screen, Noodle on some Game Theory level shit, 2D going to the neighbor's house more frequently, and her dad in the hot tub making some kind of monstrosity to sell. It was more confusing than it sounded and made the teen question the sanity of her family at the moment.

But for now the questions went to her father who looked like a frog marinating in a witch's brew. All that was missing was broom and an ungodly laugh.

Scratch that, all they lacked was a broom. They had the rest.

"The hell are you doing in there? You boiling yourself in a soup or somethin'?" Marilyn asked, leaning on the doorway to patio with her arms crossed. "I know times are tough and bills here are insane, but I'm not eating anything you and your radioactive body have touched."

"No, I'm not makin' a soup you brat! I'm making a magical product for the cult to use during rituals for your information." He said, getting really sick of his daughter's sass. He didn't have the faintest idea where she picked it up either. Must be a teenager thing. "It's an essence I'm working on."

"What 'product'? I'm fairly certain if you wanted chemical polluted water you could go to Chernobyl and get some for free." Marilyn smirked, walking closer and sitting on the edge on the foot of the tub. "It'd probably be about the same as whatevers marinatin' in that junk."

"Haw haw, very funny. You're a right comedian, aren't ya?" Murdoc said sarcastically, splashing her with water from the hot tub and grinning when he heard her squeal and jump back digustedly.

"Don't splash me with your gamer girl bath water!" Marilyn said, wiping her old black Nirvana shirt off and sticking her tongue out at him. "You're so gross!" She said, fixing her glasses that undoubtedly had water on the lens.

Marilyn had black glasses that she wore around the house, but 90% of the time due to embarrassment she wore contacts. Or she'd just walk around blind like 2D and run into stuff and misplace branches on the side of the road for cats. Whichever came first.

"And you're so prissy! It's just water and some herbs for Satan's sake." Murdoc said, waving her off with a roll of his eyes.

"Yeah, but you're in it!"

"What The hell do you think I'm made of?!"

"I dunno! I try not to think about it!"

________

"Yo, don't go in the family room." A familiar voice said, making Marilyn raise her eyebrow and look a bit shocked as she saw Del looking a bit grumpy in the hallway. Russ must be asleep if he was able to manifest his whole body like this.

"Why?" She asked, looking a bit confused as she looked at her ghost uncle. "Is he takin' a nap or...?"

"Nah. He's watchin' that stupid static channel again. I'm tellin' you, he's so outta it he probably didn't even notice me take over. It's that bad." Del said, throwing his hands up with a sigh. "Somethin' ain't right with that set, kid. When someone like Russ starts actin' like this 'bout it and saying shit like 'It has the answers' then it's time to pull the plug, y'know?"

"Yeah, I guess. Nothing is adding up here though. Like, nobody is actin' like themselves anymore. I'm tellin' ya this cult business is going too far." Marilyn said, crossing her arms and leaning on the wall some with her hip, happy to finally have someone to admit this to. "I mean, Russ is outta it completely, Noodle is always writing somethin' down and not wanting to be bothered, 2D is literally never here because he's with Moonflower and her friends, and Dad just isn't acting the same anymore. It's worrying."

"Nah I feel you. It's all seemin' too outta place. I was on board for this at first but I'm gettin' mad sick of it real quick. You try sharin' a skull with some dude and all you hear is static 24/7. It's driving me looney." Del said, shaking his head and chuckling slightly, but the laugh sounded so dry and forced. Marilyn wasn't sure how ghosts work, but he seemed so incredibly tired. He most likely either hadn't slept since Russ got addicted, or he was just tired mentally of hearing static day in and day out. The answer was probably the ladder.

"If you need anythin' from Russ you'll probably just have to get me instead kiddo 'cause somethin' tells me he ain't comin' outta that for awhile." Del said, patting her on the back before vanishing, probably attempting to get Russel to snap outta it again.

Marilyn frowned, feeling that familiar spiky feeling in her gut at Del's words, realizing he most likely was right about that...

And she didn't like it one bit.

________

An Anxiety attack was not something Marilyn had on her agenda for the day but should've known it was bound to happen anyway. Anxiety didn't care about your plans or wants. It fit itself into your busy schedule whether it worked for you or not and told you to fuck off if you attempted to stop it. She felt tears blur her vision and like she couldn't think straight as the she felt her body shiver as if her insides were shaking. It felt like her ribs were rattling like a cartoon skeleton's and she didn't like it one bit.

She normally wouldn't do this, but this was a bad one and she just wanted some comfort, so off her bed she slid and made her way to the door, her legs wobbling and threatening to give out from under her as she did so.

She already couldn't breathe, she didn't need the wind knocked outta her next goddamn it!

________

Murdoc sighed, thumping his bass with the base of his hand in defeat. He'd been trying and trying for the past hour or so to work out the tune for Oil but he just couldn't do it. He just couldn't make his hands work and he was getting so angry with it he couldn't live. He was Murdoc Niccals! The man who made the most legendary bassline of all time, and he couldn't make a tune for a song for Stevie Nicks? What happened to him?!

It only got worse when he heard a shakey voice at his door, making him sigh and take his readers off. He didn't want to talk to anyone right now with him so upset and busy, especially not his daughter whom he'd had streak on not lashing out at with. He'd been trying so hard to be so much more considerate with everyone as of late.

And he was about to break it right here.

"What Mary?" He asked, not looking up from his sheet music for more than a moment as he thought about the cords he had written down. He didn't mean for his tone to come off so condescending but it did. He'd regret that later he knew for sure.

"D-Dad could I ask you something?" Marilyn asked, her hand shaking as she brushed her bangs out of her face. She looked like a wreck.

"If it's anythin' other than if I need a drink then no." Murdoc said, getting even more angry since the lyrics looked completely wrong now too. God he spent so long on this song just for it to not look right now? He wanted to rip everything to shreds, his hair included. "I don't 'ave time for your little problems now. I've got ones of my own." He grumbled, still not looking up at the trembling mess at his doorway.

"I-I know, It's just, I'm kinda stressed out and-" She began. not even being able to finish her sentance before Murdoc crumbled the paper up and threw it on the floor, massaging his temples with a grunt.

"Then take your medicine and go to bed." He snapped, pushing his fingers onto his skull in attempts to make the ache stop. "Everyday it's the same problem Marilyn. You got medicine, take it like the rest o' us and move on." He grumbled, unhooking El Diablo and putting it back in it's case. "What'rya gonna do when I finally croak, eh? I can't hold your hand through everythin' and solve all your problems. When I'm gone how'rya gonna handle shit? Start prayin' to God and hope it magically fixes stuff for ya like yer mum?"

Murdoc knew damn well he should've kept his mouth shut here. He knew good and well he'd already went too far, but for the first time since his near death experience and after all that holding back on everyone he couldn't stop himself, and he didn't care at the moment what it did to her.

"When ya stop whinin' 'bout everythin' and start doing shit to actually fix it come back." Murdoc said, waving her off with a huff, already knowing this decision was far from wise and it was gonna make him sick later when he cooled off from everything.

Marilyn was holding her breath while her eyes watered, holding back the sob that was stuck in her throat with a deep breath. She clutched onto the doorframe before straightening up some and gripping onto the door handle. She knew what she was about to say was gonna be hurtful, but he cared enough to compare her to Renata then she could give him a taste of his own medicine scott free.

"And when you stop acting like Sebastian, come find me." She growled, her voice cold as she slammed his door roughly before he could react, watching the shocked reaction on his face as the door flung closed, and walked off, deciding to just go to her room and forget about everything since no one else would help her.

Noodle would tell her she was busy and to 'Get over it eventually', Russ was outta it, 2D was taping some eyeball drawing in his room over his bed, and she had zero interest in talking to Murdoc right now. She knew Del was an option, and he'd try his best, but there's only so much a ghost can do for someone in a situation like this.

Marilyn just slammed and locked her own door, sighing as she pulled out her medicine and took one and threw them back on her desk with a huff. She didn't want to take them, but if that's the advice the great Murdoc Niccals of the Last Cult had to offer then obviously it had to be the gospel.

She didn't like taking any medicine after watching what happened to 2D. She was always subconsciously afraid she was gonna get addicted like him, so she avoided them completely if possible. But she didn't care anymore. Oh well, it wasn't like it mattered exactly anyway.

After all, as hurtful as it was, he had a point.

What was she gonna do when he died? Get on her knees like the sinful lost lamb she was and beg for mercy? Was she gonna resort to begging to someone who wasn't there for help that wouldn't come? Was she gonna get it together or give it away to someone to chain her down again?

She didn't know. She just laid there while she heard the sickening tick of the clock, the pound of her own pulse, and the feint and muffled words of the conversation 2D and Noodle had in the hallway, realizing Noodle had a very good point when he warned 2D of some danger she couldn't make out...

"Nothing in life is free."

Chapter Text

"You said what to her?!" Noodle exclaimed that next afternoon, looking at Murdoc with a mixed look before wacking him on the back of the head with her notebook roughly, ignoring his whines of pain. "Why on earth would you say that to her?!" She asked, looking generally confused and throwing her hands up some as she sunk back into her chair at the dining room table, frowning at Murdoc angrily.

"I don't know, okay?! I dunno why but it just came out an' I couldn't stop it! Don't you fucking hit me with your book again either. I've got a hangover from beatin' myself up about it all night and I don't need you screamin' in my ear right now." Murdoc grumbled, rubbing a hand down his face with a grimace and pouring himself a cup of coffee. He wasn't the biggest fan of coffee by a long shot, but he needed to get rid of the nagging pain in his body fast so he could function like a normal human being. He didn't have the luxury of sleeping all day today like he usually did after his little breakdowns. He needed to get work done on the album so they could start producing and there were still two songs he hadn't finished yet or even had an idea for. He needed get his ass in gear and soon if they were gonna release an album by 2023.

"Oh how sad. You yelled at your daughter then she insulted you back and you spent the night drinking about it. Truly a tragic caper." Noodle said sarcastically, shaking her head before resting her face on her hand with a sigh. Sometimes she wondered why she still put up with Murdoc after all these years and helped him out of his potholes in life. She supposed deep down she loved him was reason, but sometimes he made it very hard for Noodle to feel that way about him.

This was one of those times.

"Oh shut up." Murdoc growled, taking a drink of his coffee with a grumble, his hands still shaking some from the remainder of his buzz. "I didn't mean to. It's not like I'm the worlds best at comforting people or havin' compassion for my fellow man."

"Neither am I. Where do you think I learned it from?" Noodle asked, gesturing between the two of them before shaking her head again. "But even I know to not go that far."

"Congrats. You'd handle that situation better than I did. Whoopity-Doo. We all know this. How does it help me though?" Murdoc responded sarcastically, looking out the window in the kitchen and attempting to not make eye contact with anyone. He was already on thin ice to lash out again and he certainly didn't want to make Noodle of all people mad.

"Handle what situation better?" 2D asked, walking into the kitchen and ruffling Noodle's hair before walking over and making some toast for breakfast. He still was doing his toast challenge he told his Pot-Cast about and this family was going through more bread than Walmart did Toilet paper during the pandemic.

"Murdoc got in an argument with Mary and in true Murdoc fashion took it too far. What's new to expect?" Noodle said, opening up her notebook and returning to scribbling stuff down. She didn't have the time nor energy to continue this conversation any further.

"You didn't hit 'er, did you?" 2D asked, looking at Murdoc with a genuine look of concern on his face. Due to his unsavory past with Murdoc, 2D always found himself worrying that one day Murdoc was gonna snap and beat Noodle or Marilyn up like Murdoc used to do him. It worried him more often than it should even if he had never seen Murdoc lay a hand on either of them before. It payed to be cautious he learned.

"No of course I didn't bloody hit her!" Murdoc exclaimed, looking physically hurt by 2D's assumption. It obviously struck a sensitive nerve in the man's brain because he gripped his mug tighter than before. "I've never hit my daughter before!"

"Physically no." Noodle muttered, not looking up from her notebook. "I'd say some of the verbal bombs you've dropped on her before though would count as a slap to the face." She said, looking up at him briefly before looking back down again.

Murdoc just remained silent, hating that Noodle had a very clear point. He just looked down into his near empty mug before downing the rest and putting it in the sink, that uncomfortable feeling returning in the pit of his stomach.

"Are ya gonna apologize to 'er?" 2D asked, getting his toast out of the toaster and putting it on a tiny plate, getting some butter out of the fridge. "You aren't just gonna let it go and forget about it, right?" He asked, spreading some on his toast as his frown grew more at Murdoc's total lack of response here.

"I don't know." Murdoc mumbled before walking off, leaving the two alone as he went back to his room with a sigh, deciding to drown his problems in music for the time being.

2D just frowned and shook his head before sitting next to Noodle and taking a bite out of his food with a disappointed look on his face. "I feel bad for Mary." 2D said, his words slightly muffled from the food in his mouth. "You know she was sad too last night an' he probably 'asn't even checked on 'er yet." He said, shaking his head.

"True. She deserves a better dad sometimes." She muttered before tearing a crust off her brother's toast and looking up at him with an inquizitive look on her face. "Are you still going next door this evening to get an aura reading from Moonflower?"

"Yeh. Gonna take a shower later for it later. She specified I be 'pure' or whatever for it. I guess that means I must smell normally, huh?" He asked, giving a small chuckle to his sister before taking part of his crust back. He just laughed even more when she shoved him playfully and called him a 'tightwad'

"Yeah or your aura does from being around Murdoc." She said, rolling her eyes at mention of the man. "Him an' all his drama."

"Yeh, that's true. Oh, speakin' of which. If I'm not around later could you-"

"Fill you in with all the family drama when those two finally butt heads again? Absolutely. Do you really even need to ask?"

"You're the best sister ever."

"And you're the best brother ever. Even if you're sodding tghtwad with your toast."

________

With Russel in some trance still watching that blasted static channel, Noodle getting some me-time in her room finally, 2D gone early to the neighbor's house, and Marilyn still staying in her room, Murdoc found the house to be the perfect atmosphere for song writing with no distractions and background noise to interrupt his process. It was literally the perfect time to get stuff done for their new album...

But he couldn't even pick up his bass to begin.

Here it was 6pm and he still hadn't made anything. He couldn't. Too much was happening in his mind and none of it was lyrics or cords to songs.

It was guilt. Worry and guilt weighting his gut down and making him feel nauseous. He just sat there on his bed, feeling gross while thoughts of what he should do remained in his head at a constant level.

Murdoc Niccals was never a man to admit defeat or apologize unless it was necessary. He was the type of man to not go down without a fight regardless of the situation or context, but this time around he found himself giving into surrender.

He'd beat himself up all night long over that petty little argument, and he knew he'd only stop when he did the right thing.

Admitting defeat and 'doing the right thing' was Murdoc's arch nemisis, but being a good father meant that battles had to be fought, no matter how soul crushing they may be.

He took a deep breath and slid off his bed, deciding to put an end to this finally.

Satan give him strength.

________

"Mary, love, can we talk?" Murdoc asked, quietly opening her door and peaking in, seeing the girl slouching on her bed and working on some sketch for what Murdoc presumed was to be a new painting.

"I dunno." She mumbled, not looking up from the mostly blank canvas and setting the pencil down on the covers. "Depends on if you want to since I 'avn't taken any action to 'actually fix things' for you." She said, her voice deepee and sharper than normal, showing Murdoc she was mad still.

"I uh, wanted to talk about that." He said nervously, walking in her room and leaning against her wall, taking in the posters and records she had framed on her walls. These records mostly consisted of a mixed viraity of Lana Del Ray, The Beastie Boys, Nirvana, Artic Monkeys, and a few old record cases Murdoc had given her of his old metal bands. He knew she wasn't a huge fan of that style of music, so he thought it was sweet she kept them anyway since he was so fond of it.

He also felt a short-lived twinge of pride when he saw their first album, Demon Days, Plastic Beach, and Humanz on her wall in the middle of the frames and posters on her main wall. Sorta like they were front-and-center in her bedroom and amongst the others. He felt oddly comforted to know she liked their music so.

It obvious where most of Marilyn's music tatse came from however, and that was Russel. The 3 Beatie Boys albums on her wall among the other rappers that he couldn't make out from the distance made that evidently clear. He felt a tad disappointed that she didn't have the same taste as him and extremely jealous whenever he'd see her and Russel talk about music together, but he'd rather eat his Cubain Heels than admit that.

"Hello? What about it?" She asked, looking at him confusedly as he snapped back and realized he'd been zoning out this whole time over her music. He was embarrassed now on top of all of this. Lovely.

"O-Oh, Yeah. Uh... I wanted to-" Murdoc was about to speak before the door was suddenly and violently slung open and Murdoc got a doorknob slammed into his spine. "Goodamnit!" He hissed, jerking forward. "What do you want?"

"We need to get Stuart. Now." Noodle said, shoving Murdoc over roughly and standing in the room with the two, looking at her phone frantically.

"Why? What's wrong?" Marilyn asked, looking at her aunt worriedly and sliding off her bed, walking over to the group curiously but still keeping her distance from her dad.

"He's been over there for 4 hours too long and his phone has been shut off. You tell me." Noodle said, looking at the two worriedly. "I have a really really bad feeling about this. We don't have time gab here. Get your shoes on and let's go." She said seriously, turning around and quickly walking down the hallway, hollering for Russel to 'Snap the fuck outta it'

Marilyn looked harshly at her dad briefly before grabbing her tennis shoes and walking away, following Noodle without a word to the man.

Murdoc sighed and walked out of her room and to his own to grab his shoes, shaking his head as he found himself, yet again, in a situation where he had to save 2D's ass from some kinda disaster. It was getting exhausting.

"I swear, if you make it outta this one alive you owe me big time, Dents."

Chapter Text

The group quickly realized as they made their way to the neighbor's house that Noodle's fears were far from unwarranted and outlandish. Nobody answered the door when it was knocked on multiple time, and still no response even when Russel pounded on it like he had a warrant. The lack of response or even sound coming from the house was cause for concern, and it only got heavier the longer they waited outside.

"They better not be shaggin' in there." Murdoc said, sighing and leaning against one of the posts Moonflower had on her front porch. "If he knows what's good for 'em, that is."

Marilyn grimaced and in disgust some at the mental image but kept silent. Now wasn't the time for her Asexual ramblings.

"I highly doubt it. His phone wouldn't be off if he was doing that." Noodle said, giving Murdoc a look before looking back at Russel, who was trying his best to stay with everyone despite feeling like his body was shutting down on itself slowly. "Any luck?"

"No." He muttered, shaking his head with a sigh. He felt like the world was spinning around him like the worst hangover ever. Where had he been the past week?! He felt like he blinked and he was here somehow.

Noodle was about to give a counter suggestion before she saw a window that appeared to lead to a basement. She gave a grin at her discovery and motioned for the others to follow, gesturing to the window. "さあ…！" She muttered with a smirk. "Anyone up for climbing in a mini window like a Tom and Jerry cartoon?"

"Noodle. I'm an old man. There's no way in Satan's name am I bending like that anymore." Murdoc said, frowning at her and the ridiculously small opening. "I can fit many things a great deal o' places, but there's no way I can fit through there."

"Me neither." Russel said, his voice still slightly slurred. "An' I'm the size of botha ya put together."

"Don't look at me, I'm in the same boat Russ is." Marilyn said, putting her hands up in defense and shaking her head slightly at her aunt's suggestion. "Except I'd sink it."

"You people are so dramatic. Fine. hold on." She grumbled before kicking the window in and making it flip open. She then carefully slid in and ran over to the basement door and, after a minute or two fussing, unlocked the door. Murdoc just shook his head and looked at the others with a look of awe.

"How the bloody hell does she do it?" Murdoc asked before looking to the others. Russel was zoning out tiredly while Marilyn's only response was a hum before looking the other way while fiddling with her necklace chain. Murdoc just sighed to himself with a roll of his eyes. "Riveting conversation everyone. We outta do this again soon."

Moments later the door clicked and Noodle let the two in, shaking her head exasperatedly. "There. Done. Was that so hard to do?"

"Not all o' us are super soldier prodigies Noodle! Some of us were just born dumb!" Murdoc said while walking in quietly, waving her off.

"And some of us never outgrew it." Marilyn added sarcastically, oblivious poking at Murdoc before walking in too, leading Russel with her. This was a stressful situation and she couldn't take how casually Murdoc was handling things.

Murdoc shot her a look before deciding to drop it. Him yelling at her once caused enough problems lately. He just rolled his eyes and kept walking, hoping to find something to make this night end faster. Like a shotgun.

________

After a good few minutes of navigation, and pulling out a few moves from the last Scooby-Doo movie that was actually good, the group finally found themselves in front of the open doorway to a secret room, one that was full of people in blue robes and candles.

Wonderful. Another cult. Just what the doctor ordered.

But the cult was quickly to be overlooked when there Noodle spotted 2D being apprehended by one of the members and swaying slightly and mumbling as if he were both drunk and high at the same time. He looked completely out of his mind and Noodle felt rage and fear boil over inside her all at the same time. Her brother? Being a sacrifice? Oh Hell no.

"I knew him going over there was a bad idea..." Noodle murmured, giving a death glare from the hiding spot that the group was in by the doorway, hidden behind the concrete and spiderweb covered wall.

"Then why didn't you stop 'em?" Murdoc sassed, throwing his hands up a bit as if this were Noodle's fault. He didn't really blame her, but deflecting onto others was a defense mechanism Murdoc had instilled into his brain since he was a young adolescent and had been utilizing it since then.

"Me?! What was I supposed to do Murdoc?! Look a 43 year old man in the eyes and say 'Yeah you're grounded go to your room'?!" Noodle snapped back, her hands on her hips as she directed that killer glare in Murdoc's direction this time. "I couldn't stop him!"

"Oh whatever. I'm not arguing with another female in this blasted house. We need to find a way to get Dents back where he belongs." Murdoc said before realized how much it sounded like he cared for Stuart there before quickly changing it up. "I mean uh, if anyone's gonna sacrifice that sod it's gonna be me. Now someone smarter than me come up with a plan." Murdoc mumbled, looking a bit embarrassed at the idea of him being all mushy.

"I got nothing." Russel said groggily, Marilyn nodding along with him while worriedly watching them tie 2D to that wheel thing like he was Jesus being crucified. The parallels worried her.

"Okay okay, what if I go in there and say I wanna help while you others go in there and do your thing while I distract them?" Murdoc said, looking a bit confused himself at his own plan. "I could keep 'em distracted by my charm."

The others stood there and blinked silently for two seconds before Noodle spoke again.

"Or, we could just go in there, rock people's shit, and get our family member back." Noodle suggested, her hand sassily on her hip while the other held her fist up.

"You seriously think that plan is better than-" Murdoc began but got cut off in the end.

"That works." Russel said, nodding with a weak smirk "Seem's more realistic."

"I'm in." Marilyn said, crossing her arms and leaning against wall with a smirk of her own. "Definitely better."

"Oh for the love of- Why do I even try anymore?

________

Nobody was sure how things escalated so quickly, but Marilyn felt like the room around her was a blur. The only thing she truthfully could make out was 2D, and that was moreso because he was her main focus at the moment.

Ever since Plastic Beach at the young age of 6 Marilyn slowly felt as if Stuart's safety was her responsibility and hers alone. Since Murdoc was a wreck then and careless in his actions he wasn't afraid to break some of the singer's bones to get his way, Marilyn found she was the only one actually looking out for the man. Oftentimes she'd get in the middle of arguments just to get Murdoc to leave him alone. Other times she'd just crawl in the man's arms and just sit there, knowing Murdoc wouldn't hit Stuart if she was sitting in the line of fire and the argument would dissipate.

This simple action out of defense for Marilyn soon became a toxic routine upon her life. If 2D is in an argument with Murdoc and he dares get physical, it's up to her stop it. Murdoc hits 2D? Hit him back. Yells at him? Yell back. She'd do anything she could to help him because frankly she felt it was her job to do so. Russel and Noodle had told her, borderline begged her, to stay out of it and that Stuart was capable of defending himself but from Mary's point of view, he wasn't. She saw that skinny, pale, sickly. and bruised man shivering on his bed in a cold room under the water when she saw him and Murdoc get into it, and she was damned if she was going to watch that happen to him again.

She couldn't bare the thought of the man bleeding and sobbing while clutching his head after an altercation with the bassist again. She couldn't stop the feeling of sickness that churned in her belly when she remembered the way he cried and even vomited endlessly from his migraines due to withdrawal from Murdoc keeping his pills. She couldn't stop the physically painful feeling in her chest that made it agony to breathe in when she remembered the way he'd beg desperately for Murdoc to leave him alone and how he'd do anything for him to, only for those begs to turn into pleads overtime for Murdoc to just finally kill him so he'd know peace again. All of it played before her eyes as a defenseless child stuck on that rotting island of rubbish and it played out again like a flashback as she watched this go down before her.

Even if Murdoc and 2D made up and were good or even great terms right now, she still had these god-awful memories play in her mind sometimes, making her go to the man and just hug him for seemingly no reason to others. No one else knew why she did this, but she did. It was to remind herself he was okay. It was to remind herself her family was still together and standing after everything. It was to remind herself everything was okay finally.

It was to remind herself nothing was gonna hurt again.

Until now.

Marilyn felt sick to her stomach, and the urge to regurgitate what little was currently in the stressed organ then and there was so strong she could feel it begin to burn her esophagus before she could stop it. She started to breathe heavy and her knees threatened to buckle beneath her as it got stronger and stronger.

She hadn't thrown up from stress since Mexico, but God help her.

She could feel everything around her get too loud. too white, and concerningly enough too pink before she felt someone grab her wrist and jerk her backwards to them violently. That immediately somehow scared her stomach enough to stop trying to reject it's own bile and her senses to return. The person looking down at her was in an all blue cloak, obviously a trademark of this cult similar to the pink of her father's, and immediately something in Marilyn snapped.

Reconizing him as the one who was apprehending Stuart earlier, Marilyn suddenly ripped her arm back violently almost ripped the surprised man's arm off by the socket with it. She barely dodged his grab again before stumbling back over something. A loose metal pipe laying on the ground for some reason. Marilyn didn't question and quickly picked the thing up and, without a single hesitation in her body, wacked the man on the back of the skull so hard with it that the sound of the thick metal making impact with bone made even Noodle pause for a split second in her fist fight and wince.

The man fell like a limp vessel of Jello immediately and Marilyn glared at the body with an unreadable emotion. Murdoc paused and just looked at it and her with a mixed look of shock and fear on his face. Jesus Christ that had to be some serious pent-up rage. Marilyn just looked at him for a moment and those sharp red eyes made Murdoc visibly jump. Never once had he ever given thought about his daughter's violent side since she never really exhibited behavior of it, but now it was going to keep him up at night. That look she shot him with those eyes would haunt him as well and he knew it too.

He better be coming up with an apology and fast.

He didn't have time to dwell on this however, because Moonflower was... Trying to save Stuart? He didn't waste another second before running over in attempts to help, clenching his jaw a bit tighter when he heard the familiar sound of metal on another person's body again and every bit as grizzly as the last. Good God Almighty he wasn't gonna get in another argument with Marilyn ever again.

________

Everything went from there in another blur. Murdoc attempted to help Moonflower but ended up getting his dick smashed in a way he wasn't fond of for once, Noodle and Russel were still fending others off, and Marilyn was still successfully putting every single member of the Boston Redsox to shame before an explosion caused everyone to jump in their place.

An overwhelming blue light bathed the room for a split moment before 2D flew from the hole and skidded across the floor rapidly, giving Murdoc some unpleasant memories of a parking lot in Stoke years back. The other cult members began to disolve into ashes before everyone's very eyes and Moonflower hit the floor, making Murdoc suck up the agony from his groin and run to her side, ultimately choosing her over his family. Marilyn took notice of this and just stared lifelessly before throwing the pipe on the ground so violently it bounced and clanged loudly. Murdoc didn't dare turn around for anything out of fear she was behind him.

Marilyn glared at Murdoc looking utterly betrayed before running off, quickly going to her somehow alive uncle and family and swallowing back her tears. Adrenaline was a hell of a drug.

Before she could say a word cop-lights flashed and sirens could be heard nearby, showing their little conflict wasn't unheard of. Wasn't exactly Silent, now was it?

Marilyn sighed and, with the others, put her hands up in surrender, closing her eyes and keeping them that way even while she felt her hands be violently jerked down and held behind her back painfully. She didn't move a muscle unless instructed to. She couldn't open her eyes, she didn't either. She couldn't do it.

She couldn't bear to look over where her father was originally and see him gone.

Bailed again.

Coward.

Chapter Text

Noodle was utterly exhausted, and she felt that even behind the make-up she was wearing from experimenting with styles in her room, it showed evidently. The mascara and eyeshadow had smuged and faded from her occult altercation earlier and you could physically see the dark circles under her eyes. She looked like the worlds hottest yet most exhausted clown as she leaned against the phone box, attempting to get in contact with someone unknown for her mandated call. How she could look conventionally awful and tired but still so pretty was a mystery to all.

Stoned wasn't even a strong enough word to describe Stuart either. The man was as floppy as a newborn and his worlds and ramblings made about as much sense as holding a microphone up to one. The man could barely hold himself upright and had nearly gotten sick on himself from whatever they gave him in that cult, once in the cop car and then actually did second time outside after they stopped. It took two officers to help him up away from the nearby bush he had thrown a mysterious blue color up in and two now to get the lanky man to sit down in the chair he was handcuffed to. It didn't help that both of the officers tasked with helping and questioning Stuart were about the same height as Marilyn either.

It was downright comical watching them try to settle the obviously tripping man down and attempt to keep him seated to little avail. It worried Noodle as she looked up briefly from the receiver to her brother, frowning and watching him flail a bit and ramble pitifully about some mysterious "Cracker Island." Noodle found it to have a bit of a ring to it however, despite it sounding like a strictly white strip club. Maybe they'd use it as their album name?

Nah. Too outlandish.

Russel was sitting in a room zoned out again, watching that blasted Static Channel again as if it were a lifeblood. Russel was completely out of it again, letting the show's airwaves mull his mind over, and someone decided enough was enough.

Del had enough of this stupid channel, it's stupid sounds, and it's stupid effects on his partner and he was damned if he was letting this go on any longer than it had. He figured he'd just manifest, turn the TV off, then snap Russel out of it again back to reality. Yes, it seemed like a perfectly foolproof plan!

The problem?

Someone else had taken residency within Russel's vessel, and Del suddenly found himself feeling rather unwelcome in his own home.

Oh hell no. This was HIS partner's vessel and he wasn't about to go down without a fight. Well, time to Rock the House.

________

With Noodle on the phone, 2D being questioned while literally on another plane than everyone else, Russel in a trance, Del in a soul battle, and Murdoc bailed like a coward Marilyn found herself alone in her cold seat as she stared at the floor, gripping onto the wooden arms of the chair so tightly her fingers throbbed. Her mind raced, her throat was bitterly dry, and her stomach ached physically from how hard she had clenched her whole body. She was a mess from top to bottom and this only got worse and worse the more time went on.

Marilyn's mental state was damaged severely after years upon years of her incredibly messed up and confusing childhood, so to protect itself from any further damage it would attempt to shut itself down until everything was over and safe to engage physically in again. It was her own built-in defense mechanism that, coincidentally, did more harm than good but usually got the job it tried to do done well enough.

Well, it usually did that, up until today that is.

Marilyn was feeling too much all at once and it was causing her to detach herself from this situation completely like her uncle. Her mind was racing yet standing still. She wanted to speak but her mouth was so dry nothing would come out. She wanted to breathe but her lungs wouldn't expand.

She couldn't do this anymore.

This evening had struck a very sensitive nerve in the teen's brain and she didn't know how to react to it in the slightest.

She was seeing things without moving her body, hearing a tune without an explanation as to why, and worst of all everything was in that dreaded pink color of her father's cult. It made her sick. She looked around and saw that symbol from that stupid cult everywhere, obscuring people's faces and mocking her in a sense. It covered 2D's face completely, it floated behind Noodle like an omen, it was everywhere. Those cops looked to her as if they had those white masks from the Forever Cult on and sickened her further to her burdened soul.

It scared her. It hurt. It hurt so bad.

She wanted out.
She wanted out.
She wanted out.
She wanted out.
She wanted

"Marilyn."

Marilyn jumped as she felt hands on her shoulders, shaking her a bit roughly and she froze. They were feminine hands and soft yet sharp and worst of all they were strong. She felt her body tense against them and feared if the worst was to come. Not her's... Not again... She'd tried so hard, she didn't want this again... But, the inevitable never came. They didn't dig or hurt or claw. They didn't hit or grab or pull. They were safe. They were soft. She wanted to hold them against her heart. They gripped firmly however, snapping her slowly out of whatever that was. Her blurred and hazy vision cleared feintly and she turned to the stern voice that had called her back to reality, finding solace in it's nature. It had an accent that was soft and familiar and made her want to cry. She registered it was safe and warm before she knew who it was, so that gave her a comforted idea of who this had to be.

Noodle.

Noodle looked at her younger sister with a worried yet serious look on her face, removing her hands quickly from the girl's shoulders and looking at her with those searching green eyes of hers. She felt a bit guilty for spooking the girl so. but she had no other choice. Generally she looked worried.

"Mh-Mhm?" Marilyn hummed out weakly, her voice sounding monotone and distant from the situation, causing Noodle to frown more. Something was definitely wrong, and you didn't have to be a scholar to know that much either.

"What happened? You were out of it. Hard." Noodle said, looking worriedly on at the girl with a mixed look. She could tell Marilyn wasn't within her right mind, and the way the girl sounded and looked distance was a good giveaway. She could see the way the girl was gripping onto the arms of the chair as if they were her only hope and Noodle gently took her hands and made her let go and held them in her own. They were trembling.

"I-I didn't mean to be..." Marilyn mumbled, her stutter causing her to talk slower than normal and Noodle's worries to confirm themselves. She hadn't seen Marilyn this upset in forever. things definitely weren't good.

"It's okay. Breathe. You're okay." Noodle murmured, looking at her gently. She wished she could wrap her arm around her niece the way she knew she liked but her hand was handcuffed back to the chair, making movement impossible. It didn't stop her from wishing though as she gently rubbed her fingers against the tops of Marilyn's hands in a soothing pattern. She attempted to brush the hair that had fallen into the girl's face and placed her cool hand against her cheek when Mary quickly moved back some in fear. That wasn't concerning at all.

"What scared you so bad? You jumped." Noodle asked, returning her hands back to the girl's and holding them again. That motion seemed to relax her at least.

"I thought... I-I dunno what I... Memories..." Marilyn said in a lost tone. Questions like that made Marilyn begin to stutter or backtrack for no reason and made her hard to understand. Noodle unfortunately got the gist of this however. At least Marilyn's eyes were finally moving around and looking at stuff around her so maybe she wasn't totally a lost cause? Either way it still wasn't good.

"Oh." Was all Noodle could say quitely. She felt horribly guilty as she gently kept on holding the girl's hands in hers. She forgot that was how that woman used to grab her all the time and she felt guilty. She chewed her lip some while looking at the poor thing before looking away. "I'm sorry." She muttered finally.

"It's okay. I'm okay. You wouldn't hurt me on purpose." She said quietly, sounding a bit more like herself in some ways but yet still so lost. She sounded like a small child again, and Noodle worried a situation like this would trigger something in Marilyn that they thought they'd solved a long time ago. She wouldn't know what to do for her if she slipped into that small mindset again for the first time in years, and Noodle crossed her fingers so to speak that she wouldn't.

"Right. I wouldn't." Noodle replied gently, inspecting the girl carefully and was about to add more to her sentence when an officer came over and unhooked the guitarist from her chair silently. For a moment Noodle thought they were being released and a feeling of relief and excitement washed over her, but all the cop did was move her to another spot and click her in a chair next to 2D. Well, there went all that wonderful excitement. It was Marilyn's turn for questioning and Noodle couldn't be next to her she supposed. Great. Marilyn was having a panic attack and they expected her to answer their questions about this Scooby-Doo episode of a situation? Fat chance there.

"This one drugged up too?" A male officer asked, looking at Noodle across his shoulder with a frown. Noodle didn't like his condescending tone or attitude. It seemed the only one he treated with any form of respect here was 2D. Figures. Noodle found herself revolted by his kind.

"No. She has anxiety though. She's having some kinda attack right now. Be patient." Noodle replied coldly, matching his energy and facial expressions before looking the other way. She had zero time for people like him.

"Oh of course it does." He grumbled, making Noodle tilt her head back in his direction again. Uh oh. Bad choice of words around Noodle of all people, buddy. Rookie mistake.

"What does that mean?" She asked, her tone sounding much less of a question and much more like a threat honestly. Even 2D was quiet watching this with his twitchy hands in his lap. Or maybe he was looking at the receptionist down the hall. Who knew with 2D anymore.

"Nothing. It's just always something, isn't it?" He said flatly, looking back at Noodle with that look most bigots from Murdoc's generation did before spouting off their nonsense. "You just know how they are. Knowing her background I wouldn't be surprised if it is just drugs. Down there they all-"

"You know nothing of her background. She's from London. She's 18. She's not in your, or anyone's, system. Ask your goddamn questions." Noodle growled, her tone cold and firm and her eyes piercing through the man's skull, making him immediately swallow back any sentence he was planning on saying. That wasn't someone who was playing around, and quickly he shut up. Another win for Noodle, the only one with sense left in this group.

Sometimes she wondered what they'd do without her...

________

By the time their interagation was over Marilyn felt like she was even more of a nervous wreck now than she was earlier. Her body felt overwhelmed and annoyed and her brain still was attempting to make itself be fully detached from the situation. She was frustrated, exhausted, and wanted desperately for someone to just knock her out cold. Honestly, the others couldn't tell who exactly was in worse shape and outta it more; Russel or Mary.

Noodle looked over to her left where 2D seemed to have slumped over asleep as quiet snores left his throat. She just shook her head and patted the man on the back before looking over at her sister with a frown. She still was struggling and Noodle honestly didn't blame her. She shot a sympathetic look her way whether the teen saw it or not before looking up and to her surprise, Russel was standing in the doorway! The man was with us once again! She certainly wasn't expecting that.

Russel was leaning against the doorframe while rubbing a hand down his face in attempts to snap out of it fully. He looked so incredibly tired, but was still standing at least.

"Can I have my clothes back, please? It's gettin' kinda breezy over here." Russel mumbled to a nearby nurse, fiddling with the thin nightgown they'd stuck him in for the time being. He even sounded like himself again! Thank God, Noodle thought. Now at least there were two people with common sense again.

"Are you okay?" Noodle asked, looking at Russel from the seat she was still cuffed to with a slight frown. He had been pretty out of it for a long time.

"Yeah. Got checked out in there and the only thing up with me is my cholesterol. But that's just bein' apart gettin' old I guess." Russel replied with a dry chuckle. "Just tired. Feels like a real bad hangover."

Noodle nodded, sighing as she looked around the room tiredly with a yawn. She was pretty tired herself. She was going home and crashing. Hard.

"How come they didn't cuff you?" Noodle asked, raising her right arm up and showing how it was currently chained to the chair.

"Dunno. Considering the certain kinda breed that works in law enforcement sometimes you'd think they'd be pretty eager to take guy like me in for somethin' as simple as jaywalking." Russel said as loudly as he pleased. He payed the cops around him absolutely no mind as he thanked the nurse for returning his clothes to him. He really didn't care. It was the truth, wasn't it?

"Is she okay?" Russel asked, stopping himself before he went in a room to change and pointing to Marilyn with his free hand. Noodle just frowned and shook her head before motioning to the room behind him as if to say "Its a long story, just go." Russel just nodded and walked away, shaking his head tiredly.

________

The officers for whatever reason were deadset on keeping the party 4 there until "a verdict could be reached" so the group found themselves slumped over in uncomfortable waiting room chairs of the hospital long past a decent hour to be there. 2D had been given some kinda medicine to sober him up which was working at a pretty decent rate, Noodle was leaning against his shoulder half asleep and half awake while eyeing the other officers like a watch dog, Mary was absolutely exhausted from everything and was sitting back watching whatever was playing on the small TV while the after effects of adrenaline were running through her weak limbs, and Russel was in similar fashion sitting next to her with his arm around her back. He was attempting some form of comfort here, but everyone was too tired to care.

Eventually after total hour 4 of waiting in a room only one person was left awake, and that was Russel. He wasn't sure what was keeping him awake, or why he was so set on staying that way, but he was. He had been almost certain Noodle would remain awake before him, the anger directed at Murdoc keeping her awake, but she was out cold, curled up in the chair next to 2D who was in a familiar fashion. Marilyn had eventually fallen asleep too, holding onto Russel's left arm for dear life in her sleep. It was sweet, yet a bit sad in all honesty. It was peaceful for the drummer to be all on his own, aside from Del of course, but strange. He wasn't sure how to feel about all of this, especially since he'd been out for most of it.

He didn't have much time to dwell however because not too long later the hospital door opened with a creaky sound and a deflated looking Murdoc walked through. He didn't look much like himself, and Russel wasn't sure if it was because of guilt or something else.

He was wearing those ridiculous cult robes however and looked a bit unnaturally dusty too. What the hell had he been doing this whole time?

"Don't look at me like that." Murdoc muttered in a deeper, more exhausted voice as he stood behind Noodle and 2D, eyeing them with a frown for a moment before looking up at Russel and his child again. Marilyn was still asleep and Russel didn't look too happy. Great. He was probably in hot water. Again.

"I can look at you how I want." Russel replied, his voice firm. "Where in the hell have you been?"

"Busy." Murdoc replied quieter than before as to not wake the others.

"Doin' what? Playing dress-up?" He replied, gesturing to Murdoc's robes. "I ain't buyin' it."

"For your information I have a pretty lengthy little thing called a crime record on me, Hobbs. I can't just play willy-nilly around cops unless you want me in the slammer again." Murdoc replied, his tone a familiar bitter bite. "I ran off because of that."

"You ran off because that's what you're used to doing." Russel bit back. "You never, as long as I've known you, ever face things head on. You hide or run or-"

"I get it." Murdoc snapped. "Keep rubbing it in my face, why don't you?"

"I will 'cause you got one girl extremely mad at you and another one disappointed. C'mon man, be better than that." Russel said, rubbing Marilyn's shoulder gently while she laid there silently asleep. Murdoc just frowned again but this time more sympathetically. He already knew who was who.

"I try, but obviously it's not enough sometimes." He mumbled before sighing. "The cops came by our place and sniffed around, that's why I had to stay there so long. Thankfully they eventually gave us the ok and you lot are free to come home as long as I escort ya." Murdoc said, gesturing to the door.

"They're not concerned about the cult bullshit?" Russel asked, raising an eyebrow and looking genuinely surprised.

"Nope. What'd I tell ya, eh? LA is the cult capital of US. As long as we weren't sacrificing blokes left n right we got off the hook just fine."

"And Moonflower?" Russel asked again, prompting the man to go on.

Murdoc got a certain kind of look on his face before continuing, his voice sounding heavier than before. "I don't wanna talk about her, alright? She's fine." He said firmly before walking back towards the door. "I'll have 'em release you. Just you keep quiet and hold Noodle back from me and we should all get along just fine. It's been a long night." Murdoc grumbled before walking off, his feet seeming to drag in a way Russel couldn't tell if it was exhaustion or depression. Oh well. He deserved it either way, the deserter.

Russel simply nodded and sat up more, shaking his head as he looked at the clock nearby with a sigh. 3am. Of course. It all came together now to him. Why Murdoc was acting so weird, why they were forced to stay here so long, all of it. It clicked.

Nothing ever sense made at 3am.

"Pretty low of him to bale like that and not own up to it." Del muttered in Russel's head. "I think when I make my beat for this album imma make a song 'bout that. Call it Captain Chicken or some shit."

Russel simply chuckled and shook his head before gently nudging Marilyn with a sigh.

Yep. This was gonna be the longest car ride of their lives.

Chapter Text

Exhaustion. Marilyn could feel it in her bones. Exhaustion, yet the feeling of not being able to stop. She couldn't stop her legs from working, and she supposed that's all she could do to keep her mind from eating her and her body to have an emotional breakdown. She just had to keep coaching her brain to shut up and function.

Don't think, clean up the living room.

Don't think, wash the mound of dishes left.

Don't think, organize your art stuff.

Don't think.

Don't think about 2D or the cult.

Don't think about how he almost died.

Don't think about your father.

Don't think.

Don't-

Marilyn jumped like a cat when she felt her phone ring in her pocket, and when she saw the time she realized the sun from earlier had already risen and set again. It was evening, nearly night honestly, and Marilyn had done nothing but distract herself for around 11 hours now. Straight. No wonder her bones ached like an old woman's and her chest hurt.

Looking at the contact name, Marilyn already sighed internally. She didn't feel like talking, and not to him either. She hated bothering him, even if he was her best friend, and she knew if she had to explain any of what happened she'd cry like a baby. Part of her seriously contemplated just letting it ring, however when she did that and he immediately called again, Marilyn gave up. Well that shot that theory all to hell.

She gave up whining and just answered it. You're 18 years old Marilyn and are in collage. You have a crummy job like the rest of the adults. You are an adult. Suck it up.

"Hello-"

"Mary what in the hell is goin' on?!" Max exclaimed on the other end of the line, his voice high pitched, thick with country accent, and full of discomfort from obvious stress. Marilyn bid him to join club.

Matthew Wells, Matt to his family, or just Max as everyone else called him, was 2D's biological son who didn't know anything about said father until he asked questions when he was 15 and got a plane ride down to England as his answer. Since then the awkward duo had been trying to make up for lost time and bond and him and Marilyn had formed the first only healthy relationship between the Niccals and Pot's since the dawn of time. However, since Max lived in East Tennessee is the US, and Marilyn went whenever the band did, their conversations weren't as often as she wanted. Admittedly, it's been about a week since she called him and she bit the inside of her cheek at it as well.

"I don't hear from dad in like days, Murdoc's Twitter is just one depressin' cry for help, you're radio silent, and now I get a news break on my TV 'bout- "Gorillaz"- Ugh- What does this even say? Hold on..." Max grumbled, the panic and confusion in his voice dying out for a second as he mumbled words under breath. Marilyn rolled her tired eyes at it. "...Y'all blew up a fucking house?!"

"First of all we didn't explode anything. That was the Forever Cult, not us. And second of all: Matt are you really that surprised?" Marilyn asked, exhaustion leaking so heavily into her tone. She sounded monotone and dead as she squinted at the clock on the oven and remembered she didn't have her glasses. She shrugged it off and sat at on a chair at the kitchen island.

"No, I just wanna know what even went down. There's rival cults? Y'all are over there slingin' down with rival cults? What is this, the money-grab mafia?" Marilyn almost snorted at that, but she was too tired to. "Just tell me what happened, Mary. I get worried too y'know."

Max had a point. What had just happened out there? What went down at Moonflower's little shop of horrors? Marilyn took a shakey deep breath in and let it out, only to let this choked sound squeak out from her throat as she did so. She felt her teeth clench as she cleared her throat, one hand clutching the phone against her while the other dug into the chair's seat fabric.

Wearily, she croaked out her response.

"I-I don't know..." she whispered, closing her eyes tighter as her voice wobbled some more. "I don't... It all happened so fast..."

A shakey sob left her mouth quietly and russtling could be heard on the other line as Max evidently sat up some in his bed.

"Woah... Whaddya mean you 'don't know'? How'd you get from A to C? You gotta have a B in the middle there somewhere, right?"

"There wasn't a B!" Marilyn replied as her voice rose. "There wasn't even an A! It just happened! Don't you understand that?!"

"No, because I wasn't there." Max replied firmly, but not rudely. "I know you're stressed, I get it, but don't take it out on me, okay?"

She sighed and nodded even if he couldn't see it. She tilted her head back some and closed her eyes for a moment before looking back at the wall again, her eyed unfocused and blurry.

"Remember the stupid cult? This one? The neighbors have one too. Dad liked the woman next door so he made the cult more public than it should've been. God only knows why they made it in the first place. Noodle said it was a public play on how modern pop is nothin' but a pink, glittery, and plastered social cult of mindless drones or whatever, but I think it was ego really." she sighed before carrying on. "Anyway, the woman didn't like dad, she liked 2D, and one thing led to another before 2D is missing for like hours and he's gonna be sacrificed by the neighbors and-"

"What?!" Max cut in suddenly.

"Let me finish!" Marilyn hissed before taking another deep breath. "We saved him, somethin' blew up in the house, we get arrested, held at the hospital for hours, we got back almost 15 hours ago and I still can't sleep so I've been fixing this mess up. There. Now be loud."

Surprisingly Max was quiet. Completely. Marilyn just sat there for a moment, the only sound being the occasional shuffle or tap before a videp call request came through. Tiredly, she rolled her eyes and accepted it. Why did he always want to video call? Couldn't he understand she didn't want to see herself in the screen.

There he was, sitting upright in his bed, leaning against the painted blue walls of his bedroom before shaking his head.

"Rest. You need it." he said. "If they're all fine, what else can you do 'bout it?"

"Not much." she admittedly weakly, biting her lip before waving him off. "I'll be fine though."

"Uh, no you will not. Look at yourself! You don't look fine at all!"

"Jee, thanks." Marilyn said sarcastically, shaking her head. "I wanna sleep. I do. But I can't, okay? I can't. Hasn't there ever been anything that's kept you up even if you wanna rest?"

Max paused for a moment and his blue eyes fell down to look at the blanket on his bed. Only the distant sounds of his TV could be heard in the background as it flashed different colors onto the dim bedroom wall. Memories of memories came into his mind. Ones that made his blood feel cold. He only looked back at the screen and nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, there has been."

"So you get it then. I'm just wound up, Matt. It's like having a cold. It's gotta run it's course I suppose." Marilyn shrugged before looking at him with a sigh. "I'm tired of this."

"Of the cult or...?"

"Of this. Of this being my life. Every time these 4 people get together something horrible happens. People make music videos and fake their death, Plastic fuckin' Beach, haunted houses, one gets arrested and the other loses their mind, this. Everything. I think the time they spent making Song Machine was the most peaceful we've had."

"And even that, by all means, could've been described as stressful." Max added. "I don't get easily stressed, and even I felt a bit tight walking into the smack-dab middle of all that."

"Exactly. I'm just tired, Matthew. I'm so tired." she sighed, laying her head on the table with her phone propped up with a dead plant 2D forgot to water. And they said you supposedly weren't able to kill a succulent plant.

"This isn't like... Y'know...?" he asked, this time worry leaking into his voice as he looked at her. He could see it in her eyes, and she could see the fear in his.

"No." Marilyn replied. shaking her head. "Tried that before. It was foolish and didn't work." she watched him physically relax and she continued. "Bein' suicidal and wanting a change are different. I don't wanna end my life, I just want to change the unnecessary bullshit of it.."

"Oh. Okay." he sounded calmer. "Then how're you gonna do that? Move out?"

"Been thinking of it." Marilyn shrugged. "Maybe not permanently just yet, but I wanna have somewhere to go when they get their crackpot ideas. I can't continuously live in this, mate, I really can't."

"Wanna come to Tennessee?" Max asked, raising and eyebrow and grinning a bit at her. He sounded like he was joking, however he wouldn't hesitate if she said yes.

"Not in the slightest." she replied, cracking a smile herself. "I love you and your little sister, but your religious stepdad and his racist arse would hate me. I dunno about your mum. She lacks too much of a spine fof my liking."

"Fair enough." he shrugged with a bit of a chuckle. "If you really need me, I'm always open though."

"I know." Marilyn hummed, looking gently at the screen now. "Same for you with us. I know things suck, so you always got at least one place to run to."

"I know too." he nodded before shaking his head. "Yuck. We got sappy. We gotta get help."

"Absolutely." she chuckled with a sigh.

Across the room, hiding behind the doorway in the hallway, someone quietly sighed. He'd heard the whole thing, and only could walk away from it back to his own room. The cult robes were tossed in the floor across from the bed.

Both of them had a point after all.

What were they even doing anymore?