It's Not Just A Story (Robert Manion x Reader)

9

Professor Hidgens was in his lab when he heard singing. There was a nagging feeling in his gut when he left the others alone, not to leave them alone, but they're adults, so, therefore... they should've been able to deal with conflict on their own. That wasn't the case.

"Here's how it's gonna go-" The professor fired his shotgun, interrupting the alien from its god-forsaken song. The raven-haired woman who had previously been known as Charlotte narrowed her eyes and began to sing. She pointing her finger at him but was interrupted by another shot.

"Oh my god! Professor!" Emma looked at the older man then at Charlotte in shock. "You killed Charlotte!" Everyone had the same expression on their faces, staring at the professor.

Professor Hidgens shook his head and removed a cigarette from between his lips. "Wrong." Why did they care anyway?

"You shot her!" Paul shouted, his voice mixed with anger and shock. Shooting his friend and not calling it a 'killing'? What the hell was wrong with this man?!

"I shot a Charle-ton!" Professor Hidgens laughed at his joke, looking at the others to see that they were not equally amused. "Ehh..." He waved his hand in the air, dismissing any comment that would follow his joke.

A loud buzz echoed through the room, keeping the professor from adding to why he did so. "Everyone stay back. I'll return in a moment."

Everyone stared at him with wide eyes as he walked off. What kind of man would just leave like that after 'not-killing' someone? "Who is it?"

"(Y/n) McNamara! Open the damn door, professor! I have-" She was cut short when the gate opened. "Help."

The professor looked at the people behind her with wide eyes. "Who... who did you..."

(Y/n) grabbed his free hand. "They're going to help get rid of all this mess." Starkid looked at the professor, hoping that something wasn't about to happen, that they were close to the end already. "It's quite a story, do we-"

"Give- Give me some bread a-and some water!" Someone shouted from the other room. Starkid exchanged glances. "I knew we were going to need a designated driver!"

Robert grabbed (Y/n)'s hand. "If we're going to do anything, we need to do it now." He looked up at the professor. "Professor Hidgens, you can't let anyone leave this place. It's not safe, and my friends and I can stop this."

"How the hell...?" Professor Hidgens stared at the group with wide eyes. "I- j-just..." He didn't know what to say or do. A stranger just came waltzing into his lab with (Y/n), knew who he was, and now was telling him that they could stop the apocalypse. Instead of coming up with a reply, he lifted up his shotgun and pointed it at the group, including (Y/n). "A test is in order first," everyone lifted their hands in the air. "Go to the other room with everyone else."

Bill was pacing around the room, mumbling something about his daughter when the professor came back with a new group of people.

Emma and Paul stared at the new people and edged back when they joined their cluster.

"Alright," Professor Hidgens pointed the shotgun at the new cluster. "These aliens wear our skin, so therefore, any one of you could be one of them!" He gave an apologetic look to (Y/n), who couldn't believe what she was hearing. "So, we're gonna have a little test to see who's human and who's a musical doppelganger!"

Jeff opened his mouth to say something but stopped when Mariah kicked his ankle. "We have to play along, for now, Jeff. Just... just..." she looked at the rest of her friends. "Sing like we don't know what the hell we're singing. But try not to match anyone else's words..." The rest of Starkid nodded, agreeing with the terms.

While everyone was freaking out, (Y/n) was looking down at her Apple Watch. It was blowing up with text messages from her husband, asking if she was okay and why she wasn't answering his calls. But she wasn't answering for a reason: He hadn't spoken to her since he left for Washington. Nine months ago. Speaking to others as if he was coming home when he truly hadn't touched ground in Hatchetfield since 2017. But now that she was in danger, he decided to open his mouth or unlock his phone in this situation.

Robert noticed her off-mood and grabbed her hand again. A part of his mind was beating up his heart, screaming that the woman was married, but something told Robert that the marriage wasn't all it sounded like. "He doesn't shoot anyone, don't worry." He was unaware of why (Y/n) seemed off but used the thought that she was afraid of her friend shooting her.

"I want you all to sing sixteen bars right now!" The professor shouted.

Emma held out her hands, a reassuring expression written on her face. "Professor!" She paused and changed her tone. "Professor, we're not aliens-"

Professor Hidgens cocked his shotgun, then aimed it back at the two groups. "Sing the beginning of Moana!"

The group that wasn't Starkid glanced at one another. "What?" Paul stretched out the word, saying what was on everyone's minds.

Everyone in that group copied his confusing actions, lifting their shoulders to shrug while panicking.

"I said sing, goddammit!" The professor pushed his gun forward, making everyone step back.

Starkid followed the other group's actions and mixed words such as 'coconut,' 'no one leaves,' 'Moana!', 'make way,' and added a few 'where you are's.' Instead of throwing their hands in the air, they swayed back and forth making wave movements with their arms.

"It's the circle of life..." Everyone looked at Bill strangely. "And it moves..." He stopped when Emma said, 'that's not it' and let out a small 'oh.'

(Y/n) didn't sing at all. She never enjoyed movies like that. She was more of a 'Treasure Planet' and 'Tarzan' Disney movie girl- movies that didn't involve characters singing as if their lives depended on it.

"Alright..." Professor Hidgens gulped and looked at the ground. "That was terrible. Not a single one of you were on pitch, which means you're still human." He sounded relieved, more relieved that his friend hadn't turned into something that she hated. "These... things... their tactic is to hind amongst us, and as their numbers grow, they become bolder, as we've seen- violent." He looked up at Starkid.

"You..." he directed his eyes to Robert. "You said you and your friends can stop all this?"

Everyone directed their attention to Starkid and (Y/n). "Yes... we can stop this." Robert announced, looking at the group next to him. "It's... it's a long story as to how we can. And we're going to need your help too."