Instant Family (SWSH Fanfic)

Hangovers and Hanging on the Edge

"Hey!" Piers's gruff voice filtered from behind Marnie's door, his knuckles wrapping on the hard surface angrily. Nessa and Marnie's eyes darted to the door handle as it began to turn.

"Uhhh—"

Nessa and Marnie stumbled backwards, breaking away from their embrace as the door swung open. Marnie's face burned as she tried not to think about the growing tension of her and Nessa's interrupted conversation, crossing her arms over her chest defensively as she turned to face Piers. He was standing, his face sullen with fatigue, a frown wrinkling his face slightly. He opened his mouth to complain, but stopped, scanning Nessa up and down, then Marnie up and down. He raised an eyebrow, squinting his eyes suspiciously.

"...Wha's goin' on here...?" he straightened his posture and tapped his foot rhythmically against the ground.

Oh my god he was right. He knows. He knows everything—

Marnie's eyes darted to the bed, then to Nessa who walked in front of Marnie defensively. Her confidence took Marnie by surprise, her tone of voice completely calm and nonchalant.

"Morning big boy," She put her hand on her hip as she gave him a quick scan of her own, smirking and looking unimpressed, "Did you wake up early to start your juice cleanse before you hit the gym...?"

The awkward air diffused between the three, Piers rolled his eyes, Marnie cracked a small smile. Piers brought his hand to his neck and massaged it, grimacing as his shoulder popped loudly. "No way, only thing I'll be hittin' is the sack... I passed out downstairs. I just wanna know what you two are doing up so early—" he leaned over and peered behind Nessa, his eyes focusing on Marnie, "especially you li'l marzipan. Bet you're hungover as fuuuuck..."

Marnie looked down at her hands, finally giving herself a moment to do a quick wellness check on herself. The alcohol that was pumping through her veins was now replaced by adrenaline, but that was sure to wear off soon. She shrugged standoffishly, following Nessa's lead in confidence and jumped into bed.

"Ehhh," she waved her hand in Pier's general direction, criss-crossing her legs, "I'll be fine. Besides, this isn't my first hangover..." Piers leaned against the doorframe, jamming his hands sheepishly in his pockets and scrunching up his shoulders. He breathed in deep, his eyes scanning his sister's messy room.

"Welp, guess you're good then—" he bumped himself off of the doorframe, and turned his gaze back to Nessa, "—can I grab you for a sec then...?"

Marnie's eyes darted to Nessa nervously, her heart starting to pound hard again.

Uh oh. I knew it. He totally knows. Did he hear us? I was trying to be quiet—

"Sure thing!" Nessa's voice was a bright contrast to the two dreary siblings. She cocked her head back and waved cutely to Marnie as she sauntered her way to the door. Marnie's eyes inadvertently dragged down Nessa's figure, locking on her swaying hips as she stepped past Piers. Piers cleared his throat loudly, bringing her attention back to him. She swallowed and shrugged sheepishly, shooting back a sleepy grin to him.

"...Well... I know I'm not your dad or anything but..." he kicked aside a stray shirt that had fallen out of her laundry basket earlier, "try 'n keep your room clean, okay?" his voice trailed off as he reached for the doorknob, Marnie sunk back into bed slightly. She looked at his sad expression as he closed the door.

"I'll make sure, Piers..."

-•-

The door shut behind Piers, suddenly blocking out all the light in the hallway. Nessa shifted nervously, wincing at the sound of Piers flicking on the hall light as he slid behind her, walking down to a room at the end of the hall. He opened the door, beckoning Nessa with his chin, holding the door open with his foot. She walked into the dark room, the smell of cigarettes and leather filled her nose. She heard the doorknob turn as Piers shut the door behind him. She felt him put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it lightly as he reached up in the darkness to pull on a chain. A small light clinked on, swinging from a ceiling fan. The beam of light shifted around in a circle, almost like an interrogation lamp. Nessa swallowed hard as Piers slunk past her, taking a seat on a large amp by his guitar stand. His legs were spread, he leaned forward and laced his fingers together. He held his chin with his thumbs and tapped his nose with his index fingers as they made an 'L' shape in front of his face. He pointed lazily to a rolling chair by an industrial desk directly across from him. Nessa took her seat. The light continued to sway.