#popshine

1. Omgggg 😂😂😂 Twyla and Tom, but its the gravity falls meme

Omg. I need to draw marketable plushies Tom and Twyla. My skills still need work, but im sure I can draw plushies! "Noooo, don't turn us into marketable plushies!"

Omg Tom is so lucky Shiny is on his side. Ir i guess Shiny is lucky Tom likes her... or else THIS would have happened, "Tom!?" // "Just- Turn around, and walk away, Shi-" // "You're a god damn plushy!?"

Im so sorry, I am NOT getting over this 🤣🤣🤣🤣 im still giggling as I type this!!!! Omg. Poppy ofc is wondering what the hell happened. Shiny is trying so hard not to laugh... until she finds out whether or not this is lethal or not. If it isn't, auntie Shiny will be glad she doesn't die to laughter like some weasels... And Poppy, once she calms down, may giggle too "Well, you guys are pretty adorable like this..." but don't worry, they'll help get the twins back to normal. It's just gonna be a giggly time for everyone XD

2. Oh! I almost forgot about her honey badger family!!! I need to develop them. But Shiny has a little half brother who is tough as nails and wanted to brawl with Greasy the second he came in through the door XD i want to give her a little sister too, but I'm not sure about her personality.

Shiny is the eldest of her half siblings- honestly the only reason her dad wasn't around was because her mother, when she found out she was pregnant, thought it would be better for all of them if she didn't tell the father and raised Shiny on her own, and prayed Shiny would take after her weasel self in looks at least. Because being a halfie toon in the 40's was fun! :D (same thing in the human AU. Mom was an Irish woman, dad an African American. Neither side could catch a break back then). Otherwise though, or if her mother did tell her dad, then Shiny's half siblings could have been her full siblings.

Anyways though- Dad is a retired Fisherman who claims he lost his leg to a sea monster... Shiny still isn't sure if he's actually convinced or if he's just exaggerating. Little brother is training to go pro wrestling, and little sister might be a mechanic? Like Audrey from Atlantis. And stepmother? Tbh i hadn't thought that far ahead if Mr. Honey's (yes thats his last name) wife is still alive or if she's enjoying retirement with her husband. But she would be an old lass who always has a plate of cookies out for visitors, and a metal bat ready for any trouble makers. I'll have to revisit this and develop them more, but for the sake of this gift, lets use this as reference for Twyla and Tom... tagging you @wicked1will0sparkles so you can see Shiny's family (and what Greasy woukd have to face eventually 🤭)

Mr. Honey just knows something ain't right about the kids. Remember, he had encounters with a sea monster! He knows his creatures! (Shiny rolls her eyes, "So your grand neice and nephew aren't welcome in here?" // "... I didn't say they couldn't have supper. I'm just SAYING-") but before he can even meet Tom and Twyla properly, Little Sister walks right up to the twins, grease stains on her shirt that she can never wash out despite everything she's tried hinting to her hard work, with her lips pursed. She seems to have inherited her dads keen eye, knowing there's something up with these two... But she just grins, flashing her teeth that are so much like Shiny's, before smacking Tom on the shin (yes, these honey badgers are small. I imagine they're smaller than Shiny or Poppy, too. I know irl weasels are smaller than honey badgers, but this makes me smile XD) "Welcome to the family, bubs!" She then turns to Poppy, who is standing next to the twins by the front door, "Glad t'see you again, Pops."

Then, out of the kitchen, Mrs. Honey and Little Brother poke their heads out. Little brother, despite being the youngest, is the bulkiest member of the family. Not on Stupids level, he's still shorter than his eldest sister, but still. He smiles and waves from the kitchen door, exhuasted from his gig at the ring earlier but also keeping an eye on the stove since his mother has come out of the kitchen and is practically sprinting to Twyla, Tom, and Poppy, "Oh, you too are even cuter than Shiny told us!"

Poppy steps aside, giggling as the tiny honey badger manages to tug the tall hybrid toons down to her level to pull into a big warm hug. Shiny glances over from her discussion with dad, and a tiny grin forms on her face at the sight (Mrs. Honey won't ever replace her mom... But it was nice to have a woman like her around.)

Her grin falls though when the badger in question suddenly whirls on her, and she feels that familar sinking feeling her birth mother had incited within her when she was in trouble, "These cubs are so skinny! Haven't you been feeding them!? You two!?" Poppy squeaked as her step mother-in-law pointed a finger in her direction, too. Mr. Honey raised his own paws in surrender while backing away from his eldest. He knew better than to be grouped in woth the two gals right now.

But both women were able to relax once the woman of the house gently grabbed the twins' paws and guided them to the dinning table, "C'mere, now. Dinner's almost ready, and you two are bringing leftovers home! No ifs, ands, or buts!"

Basically, the Honey's treat the twins like they were always family ^^ Little Sister wants sone tattoos of her own in fact, so she's gonna be chatting up Twyla about where the best place to get inked is! Little Brother is gonna come to life more after he gets some food in his system, and challenges Tom and Twyla to an arm wrestling match- he wanted to wrestle with his nephew at least, but he knows Shiny will fight dirty with him if he accidentally hurts the wee ones, so he settles for testing their arm strength. Mr. Honey is happy to fill the twins in on the family stories, and Mrs. Honey fills in parts he forgets or loudly corrects him "No, no. It was FIFTEEN feet. Not FIFTY." // "Were you on the ship, woman??" // "No, but i know you get too caught up in yourself to tell the difference!" (They love each other, they're just an old married couple XD)

And yes... the whole twisted toon gang will have plenty to eat after Twyla and Tom come back with leftovers XD

3. THE BEST FOR LAST

Girl P L E A S E we need Poppy and Shiny to officially meet the parents!!! They have to!!!!!

Omg, I can see it clearly. Poppy was the one who saw the gifts first. She's the morning person while Shiny needs a whole pot of coffee if she's waking up in the morning. Poppy had intended to let her wife sleep in, but after seeing these gifts she at first thought were from their neice snd nephew, she decided Shiny needed to see what they received.

Shiny is rubbing her tired eyes as she inspects the moonshine, an impressed smirk on her lips, "Damn. Whoever made this must have been paying off the police for years." She snickered. Only someone truly skilled could make some moonshine that looked and tasted as good as this honey moonshine did. And it reminded her that she needed to buy more honey!

Poppy is still in her pajamas, but she's holding the beautiful gown to herself in awe. In her decades as a seamstress, she had only witnessed this level of craft a handful of times! All the details, the beading, the style! Where did Twyla and Tom find this!? "It's gorgeous! We have to call them right now-"

"Wait, sugar. Look at this."

Poppy looked back towards the table with perked ears. Her wife was holding up a note with a perplexed expression on her face. From where she was standing, Poppy could see the card was black, with red and gold rose embellishments along the edges. It looked high end, almost like a wedding invite. The rabbit stepped back to Shiny's side to take a closer look- not the easiest to do since she left her reading glasses upstairs. But after a moment of focusing, Poppy could make out the two written words.

~Thank You~

"... This isn't their handwriting, is it?" She could make out the words, but they were still too blurry to discern if this was Toms or Twylas style.

"Nope." Shiny shook her head, though she didn't sound nor looked concerned. Usually she would have found something like this unnerving. Being a burlesque dancer most of her working life, Shiny knew that suspiciously found gifts weren't typically a good sign. But something in the card told her there was nothing to worry about. As if there was some kind of magic coming off of it- not a false sense of security, but a genuine assurance that this was a token of appreciation.

It was odd, she knew. The only reason she didn't say that out loud was because she was still waking up. It was the same reason she didn't mention the two ghostly bats hanging outside the kitchen window while Poppy was focused on the note. She was too tired and was already using all of her brain power on figuring this mystery out. "I think it'll be ok, 'hon."

~

It was a rare, and almost frightening, sight to see the boss smiling. Not in an unnerving way, not in smug pride, but actual genuine joy from another person. It almost never happened. Which was why Greasy knew something had to be up between Smartass and Poppy when he saw the two laughing and drinking coffee side by side in the kitchen.

"Ohhhoho! You really said that??"

"Well 'yea, what else was I gonna say? You 'shoulda seen the look on his mug!" The weasel breathed out a few chuckles before he noticed the new presence and looked up, just in time to see his right hand man smirking at him knowingly. Rolling his eyes and shrugging, Smartass chose to just cut himself off, now that he and Poppy weren't alone anymore, "Alright, I'll tell 'ya what happened next later. Seeya at lunch."

It wasn't lost on Poppy that another person's presence did ruin the mood, but she didn't make any implication about that. She didn't want to hurt the Spaniards' feelings... That and work needed to be done anyway. So she just nodded, "Alright. I should get you the paperwork you need by ten, at the latest."

"Sounds good."

Poppy walked off with her mug and a smile, nodding and offering Greasy a cheery "Bonjour." As she passed him and slipped out the kitchen door. That left him the opportunity to smirk knowingly at his boss, who rolled his eyes in response, "Buen día."

"Shuddap, Grease."

Though 'shutting up' was not on Greasy's plans. Not after what he just witnessed. The weasel took his time grabbing his coffee cup from the cupboard and pouring himself some of the much needed caffeinated liquid, all while keeping eye contact with a Smartass who was ever-increasingly going back to his grumpy persona. This probably wasn't a good idea to poke the bear before he could finish his coffee... But hey, this was what happened when you chuck out the TV the night before, and there was nothing else to entertain your right hand man, "So, I see you and Poppy have a little something going on~"

Usually there would be a tapping foot- or a death glare- or a twitching hand and glancing towards the nearest object that would tell the taller weasel that there was indeed something happening between his boss and their sweet friend. However, Smartass must have been truly exhausted since he just huffed and went back to stirring his coffee, "There ain't 'nothin going on. That's just how a work marriage is

The ear-to-ear grin on Greasy's face fell instantly after that, and looked like his brain was shutting down from attempting to process what Smartass just said. As if he claimed that Bugs Bunny was actually a crcodile, "A... A Work marriage?"

"What?? You 'nevah heard of it??" The hint of jealousy in Greasy's eyes seemed to be lost on the head weasel. He looked more surprised at the thought of him not being aware of the special relationship one could have with their coworkers, "Well I ain't explainin' it-"

"Ohhh no, I know what a work wife is. Because that is what Poppy is to me."

The sip that Smartass had attempted to drink almost got coughed up onto his suit. The pink weasel actually had to set the cup down before he glowrred at the other toon. There was absolutely no way his ears were working right. At least Greasy better hope they weren't, "Excuse you??"

Instead of being intimidated, Greasy just crossed his arms and seemed to take on the challenge instead, "You heard me, boss. If she's work married to anybody in this house, it's me."

"Oh no. Uh-uh bub. She's work married t'me."

"No, Poppy is my work wife."

The two weasels whipped their heads towards the doorway, looking at a just woken, disheveled, feral looking Psycho staring at them like they were the insane ones. And he was sending Greasy in particular a glare that could make any iron-willed man feel weak in the bladder, "You already have Shiny. You can't have Poppy too."

At that, Smartass immediately turned back towards Greasy with his fists on his hips, "Oh! You got that lunatic, but you're over here movin' in on my work gal??"

"MY work wife! Get your own!"

"And who's to say I must limit myself to one beautiful woman, eh?" Greasy glanced between his comrades with a hand to his chest, like he wasn't just getting on Smartass' case for being work married to Poppy, "How is that fair?"

"How is tha- BOY-"

"Actually, I'm Poppy's work husband too."

"WHAT!?"All three looked straight at the smoker, now standing in the doorway and looking like he just made the biggest mistake in his life. Why he thought it was a good idea to say that out loud, who knows. But the smoker just groaned and walked further in the kitchen to grab an apple from the fruit bowl, with Stupid following after him.

"Duh, what's happening here?"

Seeing the big lug of a weasel come in all confused made Greasy and Smartass narrow their eyes at him in suspicion. Psycho on the other hand was too busy growling at an unphased Wheezy, "Estúpido, you better not say you're Poppy's work husband too."

Stupid blinked at his brother and coworker for a moment, before his eyes lit up once he caught up with the topic of discussion, "Huh? Noooo, we're not work married!"

"Good. I don't need'ta deal with yo-"

"She's my work mom!"

The whole room fell silent. Smartass and Greasy glanced to each other before looking at the oblivious Stupid, and even Psycho had paused his confrontation with Wheezy- who was now burying his face in his free hand, "Stu, don't-"

"And Wheezy is my work dad!" The buck toothed toon proclaimed happily as he pointed to the internally dying Wheezy, still blissfully unaware of the tension in the room, "He and Poppy work adopted me! We even got ice cream yesterday!"

...

At that moment, without even looking up from his paw, Wheezy knew his smokes would not be enough emotional support to face these ridiculous weasels, "Ok, guys-"

"YOU STARTED A WORK FAMILY WITH POPPY!?"

"¡Destructor de hogares!"

"Is there ANYBODY in this house NOT puttin' the work moves on her!?"

"I'm not, boss!"

"SHUT UP!"

Breakfast and coffee were on no ones mind now. The entire kitchen was quickly filled with screaming, threats, and proclamations of betrayal. Poor Stupid could only stand there, glancing to his work dad and pleading with his eyes for an answer of what to do. Though all Wheezy would do was suck in as much toxic smoke as he could while he still had the chance. Before Smartass could throw the toaster, or Psycho could pounce on somebody.

The only thing that could break up the whole room was the very rabbit of discussion when she poked her head inside in concern. Her eyes pinned down against her head and her eyes were wide as they darted to each individual in the room, "Uh, g-guys? Is everything-"

"Get outta here while you still can, Pops."

"What do you-"

She just barely managed to contain her shriek when suddenly all four pairs of eyes locked onto her, making her stand straight up at attention. The moment to escape was long gone now, "Guys...?"

A long silence hung in the air as the first three weasels all looked at each other, as if agreeing upon something, then looked right back at Poppy. Stupid scratched under his propeller hat in confusion, and Wheezy closed his eyes to fully enjoy the silence before it would be undoubtedly ruined again.

---

"What on Earth- What are you guys talking about?"

Having taken this out to the living room, Poppy was seated on the couch and resisted rubbing her temples. The papers she was working on for Smartass were currently strewn about the coffee table, but all she could focus on were the weasels surrounding her. Wheezy was sitting on her left, not at all wanting to be here either. Smartass was sitting straight up in his own chair, tapping his foot with his arms crossed. Greasy had been trying to sit on Poppy's right, though he kept getting driven off by Psycho who was standing by the couch like a gargoyle. And Stupid was busy getting himself a bowl of cereal in the kitchen now that it wasn't crowded anymore.

If Poppy had been told she was going to be in the middle of a work love triangle- or rectangle in this case- with four of Toontowns biggest criminals four years ago, she would have laughed it off as a joke.

"I don't know how we can make it any clearer, but fine." Smartass huffed out as he leaned forward, almost looking like he was in the middle of one of his business meetings, "These nimrods think you're their work wife. We gotta clear it all up, like usual."

"Smarty-"

"Poppy, it's alright. I know this is all a terrible misunderstanding." Greasy still hadn't managed to slip past Psycho, so he chose to kneel in front of her and take her paw in his hands all dramatic like. He looked like the love interest in one of his novelas, and Poppy just looked so tired, "Just tell these putas that you, Shiny, and I are exclusive. Then we can get back to normal, si?"

"Listen-"

Poppy was once again interrupted, but this time by Psycho as he hopped over the couch just to smack at Greasy's face and hiss like a territorial housecat. The second in command managed to jumo back in time, but that didn't make the lunatic back off, "¿¡Qué carajo!?"

"You go be 'exclusive' with Shiny!"

"Yeah, you shouldn't even be here!"

While the three spiraled into yet another argument, Poppy heaved out a defeated sigh before looking towards the only sane one right now. Their eyes met and, like always, they shared a silent moment of pity and understanding for the other, "Help me."

Although he truly felt sorry for his work wife, and wanted nothing more than to escape this madhouse, there really was nothing Wheezy could do for either of them. All Poppy had to see was his slumped shoulders to know what he was going to say, "I tried, Poppy. You know how they get."

The toon groaned as she gave in and leaned back on the couch to rest her head on the back. Her headache growing with each curse word flung around. Why couldn't these guys just... The bond formed within a stressful and emotionally draining work environment knew no bounds. It couldn't just be contained to one individual. Why couldn't these jerks see that??

Well, at least Wheezy understood it. And Greasy, to an extent... Maybe it was more of a pride thing between him, Psycho and Smartass. If that was the case, then she could get this fixed no prob-

"Alright then. How about a fight?"

Blinking back into the present, and getting over the jarring sudden silence that befell the living room, Poppy turned her head far back enough to see the source of the familiar voice; Shiny standing in the middle of the open front door, with what looked like a crate of her homebrewed alcohol tucked under her arm. The arguing must have been loud enough to cover Shiny coming inside. But either way, her announcing her presence caused the three weasels to actually pause in their bickering, "You guys heard what I said."

Oh god no, "I- Shiny, I don't think that- we don't want that to happen."

The weasel lady just shrugged as she kicked the door closed behind her, taking turns to look each and every one of them in the eye- including Psycho, despite the probability of him taking that as a challenge in the mood he was in now being high. She didn't even bother trying to hide her smirk while placing the moonshine on the nearest syrface as she reiterated, "If you guys want her to choose, why not prove your worthiness and fight for her?

"Shiny, for the love of God, no." Wheezy stated in a firm voice he didn't often use. Glancing to his team, he could see the gears turning in Psycho's and Greasy's heads as they briefly shared a look. Fortunately, though, Smartass at least was currently stuttering out a response in disbelief. Hopefully, that meant the boss' sanity was coming back.

"Too late, Cowboy."

"No! No, not too late! Guys!-"

"You know what?!" Finally. Smartass was being the leader he should have been from the start. Standing up and pointing a finger at the mischievous woman, who just raised an amused brow right back at him, he snapped, "You don't get to come in here and-"

Though he was too late. The time for actual sense in this house had passed. That was made obvious when Smartass was sent flying over his chair and across the room. After a straightjacket clad weasel launched himself right at him. Psycho' battle screech and Smartass' cursing and gun clicking filled the room, and all Greasy did was pull out his switchblade and started cleaning it; preparing himself for war.

Although his expression remained partially neutral, his shaking hands while he lit up his whole pack and jumped right out of his seat showed how absolutely done he was. He wasn't going to bother trying to pull those maniacs away from each other. Not when he didn't even want to make a big deal out of this in the first place, "I'm out."

"PSYCHO NO!" While Wheezy was walking away from the others, Poppy leaped up to her feet with intentions of trying to break up the fight. Though before she could take a step towards the brawl, she was stopped when Shiny placed her well manicured paw on her shoulder. Looking behind her, Poppy watched her shake her head, silently telling her 'it's not worth it, honey', "Shiny!-"

"Let them get it out of their system. They clearly need it, sugar." The woman casually shrugged. The tiny smirk on her lips, though, showed she had more selfish reasons for starting this between them... And that she wasn't going to even try to hide it, "Besides, it's funny how easy they all are. Isn't it?"

"N-No! I can't let my work marriages fall apart!"

"Oh, please. This'll get through to them better than 'sitting down and talking it out' ever would. And you know it." Shiny sighed- not as dramatically as Greasy was renowned for, but there was a hint of drama behind it- before wrapping her arms around the rabbits shoulders and pulling her around and close, making Poppy completely face her now. Good thing, too. As the pencil holder that flew behind Poppy would have hit her in the eye otherwise. Even though Poppy was upset, the look of worry and slight anger towards her was absolutely adorable, and only made Shiny's grin broaden, "Besides, it doesn't really matter in the end. Does it?"

The tiny frown on Poppy's face faltered at that. Though not because she was comprehending how close her best friend was now, "How?"

"'Cause you and I both know that out of everybody here, I'm your true work spouse."

"Oh my god-"

"Hey! I didn't say anything about being the only one! I'm just saying that I'm the matriarch of your little work harem~"

...

Somehow, despite her soured mood, despite the waging three-way war happening just mere feet from them, Shiny still managed to get a smile, and even a little chuckle, out of her. Shaking her head, Poppy decided in that moment to just press her forehead against her favorite lady's crown, and enjoy this tiny moment between them while it could last, "You're terrible."

~

Not paying any mind to the sounds of agony from the three men, or the crashing and breaking of wood, or Smartass' "WHERE'D PSYCHO GET THE LAWN CHAIR!?!?", the dancer just touched noses with her little rabbit and giggled alongside her, "I know~"

While the girls were distracted, Stupid poked his head out of the kitchen doorway to see what was causing so much of a rucus. Crumbs of ceral still unwiped from his lips, "What's going-"

One look at the three feral weasels, a mising Wheezy, and Poppy and Shiny completely forgetting the world around them, Stupid had made probably the smartest decision he ever hsad made in his life at that moment. He quickly and quietly slipped back in the kitchen to finish his food, "Nevermind!"

Ok so we know that Buffy died, and Willow the witch brought her back to life, but it had drastic consequences on Buffy, right? What if Poppy died, and Witch!Shiny decided to try to bring her back? (And it may or may not have the same impact on Poppy as it did Buffy)

Like you pointed out in the last Popshine imagine, Shiny knows it'd be worse to lose a good girl than a bad guy. She would be devastated if she ever did lose Poppy that way. But in the Monster AU, Shiny can not only actually do something about her dead friend/lover, she's also crazy enough to try. And possibly distraught enough to try to hex anybody who gets in her way.

For bonus angst: imagine Ghoul!Wheezy's reaction to this. After he himself was brought back to part-life. By her hand no less. Shiny insists she's going to do a better job this time, that she's learned from him. But he's got enough clarity to know that it's better to just let Poppy be at peace.

~

January 2, 1973

"Goodnight, Shiny."

"G'night, you little rascals. Don't forget to bite the bed bugs back for me!"

The two children giggled, Percival letting out a "That's gross!" around his laughter, before their father gently nose nudged them both towards the hallway. The twins gave him and their godmother one final hug before making their way to the back of the house to do as they were silently told how they could behave so well despite being raised by two hooligans, Shiny had no clue. It must be Poppy's influence. Usually Psycho didn't pay much mind to bedtimes, though it was late on an already long day. They all needed rest...

The grin on Shiny's face finally fell, only after Psycho glanced briefly towards her- telling the old dancer in his own way to go home now, before following his children. Now it was just her alone standing in the seemingly empty living room. It had been a long day for them all. Especially for the kids...

'Another birthday come and gone...'

visiting the grave of a woman that they didn't even know, but were supposed to. That would be scary and thought-provoking for anybody. No matter how old or young they were. Who knew what kind of shit was going through Penny and Percy's heads whenever they saw their mothers name on a tombstone?

But at least, they had as good of a support system they could get. All Penny and Percy needed to worry about now was what story their father would tell them tonight, and how many sheep they'd have to count to fall asleep. But they were getting older, too. And someday, they would lose the innocence that came with childhood...

Shiny's fists clenched, and an ugly frown tugged at her lips, choosing to glare at the floorboards as if they somehow spoke ill about her. Every year, this day was so damn hard for her. At least on the twins' birthday, she could distract herself with Penny and Percy's happy demeanor and what the day is supposed to be about. But on Poppy's birthday, all anybody could think of was how their friend was no longer with them to celebrate with.

The weasel woman growled a little before silently storming towards the front door, trying so hard to ignore the pain in her heart. She had to leave and go home anyway, but she also needed some fresh air. It was the only thing that could help her now- or at least that was what she could hope.

The former dancer's paw hovered over the doorknob in hesitation when she heard the familiar pitter patter of rain drops hitting the roof. Before she even stepped outside, 'Of course. Of course, it's going to be raining tonight.' If she were religious, she would have taken this as a sign that even the universe was sorrowful on this day. didn't bother with thoughts like that. They brought no reassurance or comfort to her despite so many people telling her it would.

Shiny just barely managed to not slam the door behind her before sinking down onto the porch steps. The night air was chilly, causing the rain to feel ice cold on her skin, not that Shiny cared at the moment. And the lamp across the street had gone out again. Shiny hadn't bothered turning on the porch light; it would just draw more attention towards her. More so than a wrech sitting on someone else's porch in the rain in the middle of the neighborhood would. At least the people around here knew to mind their own business.

That was one of the things Poppy liked about this place when they went house hunting; it was a valuable perk for anybody married to unlawful citizens. The perk for Shiny was that her house was just a few blocks away, and she could have visited Poppy and the kids more often...

"Fuck!" She roughly rubbed her eyes, trying desperately to get rid of the now familiar stinging before the floodgates started. Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck. Why? Why? Why did it have to be so damn hard just to think of that woman's name? To think about a future that would never be reality now? She knew why, but why!?

Shiny sucked in a long, overdue breath and heaved it out before slumping over in defeat. Her elbows were resting on her knees, but they hardly supported her it felt like, as she hung her head. If she closed her eyes, she knew that Poppy's grave would be all that she'd see, so Shiny settled for just staring into the wet, muddy ground. Her voice was so soft, so fragile, she would have wondered if she actually said anything if she wasn't focusing on other things, "Why did it have to be you?"

God. So much had changed over the years. It was hard to believe they all had come this far. How much they all had changed. Sure, Smartass still had his gang, and the rest of the boys were still in it. But everything was different. And it wasn't just Psycho becoming a father and widower. She was different...

So much had changed. Nothing was the same. Or ever will be again... She couldn't even remember the last time she sang. Singing and dancing used to be one of Shiny's favorite forms of expression; it had been more than just a way to make money to her. But there wasn't a need for it now. She worked in the night under a very different career now. What point was there in singing anymore?

Shiny ran a paw through her hair it had grown longer over the years. She simply hadn't bothered to cut it anymore. She couldn't see the point in it nowadays before tilting her head to the left to look at the poppies lining the house. She was careful, despite her broiling emotions and shaky paw, when she reached towards the one closest to her and grazed her fingers over the petals. It was actually Percy's idea to plant the poppy flowers, 'so mom can be home' he had said. Just more proof that the little kit thought about things a lot more than kids his age should. Of course, planting your mothers namesake to try to keep her close wasn't how it worked, but who would care? Certainly not his father. Or her.

'You always loved my singing.' The thought wormed its way into Shiny's head before she could stop it. But now that it was there, she just... Couldn't fathom the energy to force it away. Not while she was out here alone, on her sweethearts birthday, with the cold rain and breeze as her band for the night, 'And I loved to sing for you... I'd give anything to sing for you again...'

But Poppy wasn't there to hear her sing anymore. It was no longer the same. Shiny had always thought that she sang for herself, which was partially true. But she found out the hard way too that she also needed someone to offer her voice to- something to sing about. But what?

...

"I was fine... With the men... Who would come into her life now and again..." It had been years since she had found it in herself to sing anything. Let alone whatever was on her mind. She somehow already knew what she was going to sing about before the words even left her lips, but right now, she couldn't care less, "I was fine... Cause I knew, that they didn't really matter... Until you." Her eyes narrowed into a spiteful glare, as she thought about that damn weasel inside the house now. She wanted to think of him as a homewrecker in all honesty. Though how could she when Poppy had never loved her the she had hoped she would?

A shaky breath, to try to calm her raging nerves. It was futile, but it was either try or just go all out and bat shit crazy in the rain. Shiny focused back on the flower, thinking back to all the stupid things Psycho and Shiny used to do to compete, "I was fine. When you came, and we fought like it was all some silly game... Over her."

Another crack in her voice. Another breath, "Who'd she choose..."

Shutting her eyes tightly, Shiny managed to tear her gaze away from the flower bed and lift her chin towards the cloudy night sky. Though it wasn't in pride, "After all those years, I never thought I'd lose..."

"It's over, isn't it?" It was, wasn't it? "Isn't it?" Now that she was never coming back, "Isn't it over?" After leaving behind so much, "You won. And she chose you. And she loved you. And she's gone..."

Only one thought crossed her mind as a droplet that wasn't from the current weather slipped down her cheek; if their silly little game was over now... "It's over, isn't it? Why can't I move on?"

~

Penelope felt restless, sitting upright in her bed and watching the rain pattering against her window intently, rather than laying down and trying to sleep. She always loved the rain. As long as she could remember. She especially loved it when it was a heavy downpour.

Though she was scared that mom's poppies would get ruined. Thankfully, dad was already on it, and had left real quick to make sure the garden had shelter for the night, "Percy?"

She didn't look her brothers way, but she could still hear the sleepy muddle in his voice. She didn't know how he was able to hunker diwn to bed so quickly, "Yeah?"

"Do you think mom liked the rain too?" Dad and unkle Wheezy had mentioned that their mother wasn't too fond of thunder a few times, but thunder and lightning were different... Maybe she had something in common with mom.

Finally tearing her gaze away from the window, Penelope looked over to the other side of the room, where Percival, in his own bed, was. The little weasel rubbed his eyes and blinked them into focus before he shrugged, "Maybe... Dad likes the rain, and they did a lot together. So she probably did."

"Yeah. That's right..."

Penny nodded, though Percival noticed how she looked to be frowning. He sighed, knowing exactly what she was thinking. It was something they both thought about, especially on days like this. How everyone they knew got to know their mother... Except each other.

Wordlessly, the kit crawled out of his bed and walked over to his sisters side of the room. He did hop on the bed with her, but he did reach over to hug her, which she returned silently. Neither of them spoke a word. They were young, but they still knew each other best.

"... I'm gonna get a glass of water." Penny decided after a moment, pulling away from the sibling embrace and sliding off of her bed easily. Percy decided to follow her. It sounded like they could use a drink- as their unkle Smarty would say.

The trip to the kitchen was relatively short. It wasn't even too bad when they had to get creative to reach the glasses in the cupboard; usually, dad got the cups down for them, but he wasn't around. So Penny just climbed onto the counter like she had seen dad do sometimes and passed down her brother the cups. They had done this trick a lot, much to their family's detriment.

Percival could only hear the rain pouring down onto the roof. Though he was reminded that he wasn't the twin that inherited their mothers hearing when Penelopes ears twitched and tilted towards a direction. He followed confusedly after her when she started walking towards the front door, "What is it?"

The rabbit child's ears were pointed toward the door, before her bright blue eyes widened, and she hopped onto the couch closest to the front window. Percy followed suit, searching for whatever it was that she heard. When he saw the familiar figure sitting on the porch, his eyebrows shot up to his forehead, "Shiny?"

"She was supposed to go home, right?"

The two shared a look. Silently asking the other the same question; listen? Or go back to bed?

...

In that secret language only siblings could understand, the two agree to creep back towards the front door and crack it open. Just a tad; not enough for Shiny to hear them, buy enough for them to listen to what she was saying.

Or rather, singing, "Shiny can sing??"

"Shh!"

Lucky for the twins, the rain was loud enough in Shiny's ears to block out any other sound. Honestly it was a wonder she hadn't gone deaf from countless night in the past dancing along loud bands... Her heart ache might have had a hand in her lack of focus now, too.

The weasel gritted her teeth and tugged at some hair strands- which was getting wetter by the minute. Including her clothes and fur. But she just couldn't give a damn now. Besides, it allowed her to pretend that the tears streaming down her cheeks were just raindrops, "Who am I now in this world without her!? Petty and dull with the nerve to doubt her..."

Poppy was always naive; she always wanted and hoped for the best in this wretched world. But that didn't mean she was dumb. Poppy had faced her own suffering in her life, and she always looked out for the people around her, no matter how awful they truly were. The way she treated her criminal friends, how she treated her, was proof of that. Shiny knew that she could always trust the rabbit because of it. And that was what made Poppy stand out to her out of everyone in her life, and what she had loved the most about her.

But nowadays... She still loved Poppy, and she loved the twins. But sometimes, Shiny wondered what would have happened if she had tried to discourage Poppy from more of the choices she had made. Would it have been worth being more controlling if it meant Poppy would be alive now?

The singer shook her head at that, knowing in her heart that that kind of thinking was wrong. Besides, it's not like it would change anything, so what was the point? "What does it matter? It's already done. Now I've got to be there for her kin..."

From the front door, Penny and Perry couldn't believe their ears, and even shared a look. As if they had to verify with the other that what they were hearing was really real. Their aunt had always told them that she and their mother were close, but she never said anything about this. She never looked this sorrowful talking about their mom. She was always so cheery and strong; had she been hiding this from them all along? "Percy...?"

Their shared thoughts stopped in their tracks when Percy noticed Shiny standing up from the porch, and quickly gestured to his sister. The kits ducked behind the door, just in case she had planned on going back inside, or was about to glance behind her. They stayed there, holding their breaths, until they heard their godmother's voice again. Louder, almost yelling, and more strained this time. Like she was cracking under the weight of what she said next, "It's over, isn't it!? Isn't it!? Isn't it over!?"

They both flinched from their hiding spots, feeling the pain that Shiny carried through her voice. They slowly peeked back outside once they deemed it safe, and could see Shiny now stood up from the porch and off the steps, standing fully in the pouring rain now. It was hard to see with how dark it was, but it looked like she was trembling even. All Penny and Percy could do was continue to listen. It was all they knew what to do now.

The weasel felt like she was going to crack under the weight of all her pent-up emotions. Her breath huffing out all shaky and fists clenched so tight by her sides. She felt so weak right now, on her own, but all she wanted was to scream and shout and punch a pillow. Or better yet, a wall. Her vision felt blurry, and not just because of the tears in her eyes, and she wasn't even thinking about all of the painful memories like before. Right now, even though it felt so hard to do, all she could do was take in one long breath, and scream into the sky with all the heartbreak that she had pushed down all these years, "You won, and she chose you! And she loved you! Now she's gone!"

...

That's it. There was no turning back now. She couldn't take it back now. Or fault the ears of anyone who may have been listening. Blinking away raindrops and tears, as if that final scream had taken her voice, all Shiny could manage now was a soft, pained tune, "It's over, isn't it? Why can't I move on...?"

Quiet sobs escaped her lips as her head fell, now staring at the muddy ground. Her shoulders shook with her crying, but that didn't stop her from wrapping her arms around herself, trying to find some way to find warmth and comfort now, "It's over, isn't it? Why can't I move on?"

Letting out everything she had locked away didn't help in the slightest; all it left was cold emptiness. At least, that's what it felt like now. At least no one was here to see her like this...

"Shiny?"

Her eyes grew wide, and a gasp escaped her before she whipped back around towards the doorway. Seeing the two she had hoped would never see this side of her was bad enough, but seeing the utter confusion and worry on the twins' faces, worry they shouldn't have to feel for her, made her heart sink even further than it had. How much did they hear? "O-Oh! Hey, guys... Shouldn't you be asleep...?"

Usually, the kids would have some witty excuse, or at least what they thought was clever, and act innocent. It would make Shiny laugh every time before she called them out on their mischief and sent them back on the right path- doing whatever it was they were supposed to be doing. But now? Stepping fully outside and onto the porch in their pajamas, Penny and Percy didn't answer her. At least not with words. Though the many questions that they didn't ask- or didn't even know where to start- were clear as day in their wide, sad eyes.

They heard it all. Or at least enough. Enough where she couldn't make up a lie to distract them. Not that that would have stopped them. They were persistent little kits.

And now, because she couldn't keep a damn lid on herself, wasn't strong enough to keep it together, Shiny had no choice but to reveal the complete truth, "... I... Kids, I..."

But where does one even start?

~

I really wanted to add Psycho's reaction as well. But I couldn't figure out how to write it in while making it flow with the story. I'm kinda afraid that adding the twins in this already jumbled the flow of the drabble a bit- but I haven't written them yet, and wanted to try 😅

He is in the backyard, so I don't know if he could even hear her sorrow... Though maybe he came back inside last minute?

~

Poppy watched from the side of the van as the weasels entered the building, worry written across her face as her fingers dug into her palms despite all the guns and knives the Toon Patrol carried with them. She definitely didn't want to be anywhere near whatever was going to happen to the guy they were after, the one who was supposedly behind Shiny's framing, but being out here on her own acting as a 'look out' didn't sit right, either.

What if Shiny was in there? How could she stay out here while the man who hurt the woman she loved was in there? She couldn't just stand here doing nothing!

'Deep breathes, Poppy.' The rabbit kept reminding herself, taking in the shaky breaths that didn't at all help her anxiety and brimming anger right now, 'They need a look out. You have to help them now... We're just one step closer to proving Shiny isn't a killer. Just focus on that...'

Inhale... Exhale... Inhale... Exhale... Stay calm. Stay rational. beep the horn twice if you see or hear anything. That was all she had to do. She couldn't flake now-

WHACK!

Everything went black for the horror toon, and her unconscious body would have fallen onto the concrete ground. If it weren't for the one responsible for her concussion catching her in her arms.

"I'm sorry, baby!" Shiny whispered, feeling her heart ache for her honey bunny as she carried her body to the red convertible parked around the corner, just out of sight from anybody who might peak outside the windows- which was a good thing, considering the commotion Shiny could hear from the building. She didn't need a stray bullet to hit Poppy, "I promise I'll make it up to you when this is all over."

After securing Poppy in the trunk of her car, the soft look in the performer's eyes turned merciless before she set her sights on the complex where that bastard was. It was high time to clean up this mess.

~

"Come on!"

It wasn't everyday that Smartass took orders from anyone, or let his patrol do the same. But it seemed like tonight was an exception as they all followed her out of the alley, no questions asked.

They all turned a corner, but came to a sudden stop. Shiny's eyes somehow grew wider and flashed a lime green when she saw the state of her wrecked car. Or rather, the fact that her trunk was open and empty, "Poppy? Fuck, where'd she go!?"

"Poppy?" The pink suited weasel repeated, looking at Shiny incredulously as she looked around her car in a panic, as if the rabbit in question was somehow hiding in the rubble, "That dame ran on us back at-"

"No, she didn't!" Shiny whirled around with an even meaner look on her face than before, causing Stupid to step back nervously while Psycho decided to take a sniff around the wreck. She was this close to popping that shrimp a new one, "I was keeping her in the trunk to keep her safe!"

...

"Keep her safe??"

Shiny narrowed her eyes at the smoker before huffing and looking away. She didn't have time to argue about her lack of options. Not with Poppy and the real murderer on the streets, "We ain't getting anywhere in my car. Where's your guys'?"

"Oh! It's gone!"

"WHAT!?" Whipping their heads towards the direction that Stupid was pointing, everyone could see that their van was not only stolen, but the street looked like an utter mess. More so than usual. Like someone was driving like a maniac. Or an idiot. Psycho cackled, finding this situation utterly hilarious for reasons mostly unknown, while Wheezy pulled out a few new smokes with a shaky hand. Greasy groaned and muttered some spanish curses to himself, and the proud smile on Stupid's face melted when he saw his boss' ear twitch, "... SON OF A!-"

"Calm down, Smartass. It looks like it was just Poppy." Shiny, slightly calmer now with her theory, sighed as she glanced to Psycho. To which the loon nodded as he recovered from his laughing fit; either that nose of his was somehow able to conclude this, or he just agreed with her theory. Either way, Shiny was willing to take it, "Pops isn't the best driver. She must be at her wits end if she's stealing."

"THAT'S SUPPOSED 'TA MAKE ME FEEL BETTER HOW!?"

"Mierda. You could say she's a better lover than a driver." Greasy, of course, couldn't stop himself from stepping beside the dancer and making such a comment. Though the lack of a perverse grin on his mug and the more sarcastic tone in his voice showed he was getting just as frustrated as his team was. And was the only reason Shiny only rolled her eyes at him as opposed to sending him a death glare.

"Better than you could possibly be, I assure you."

Apparently though, Greasy wasn't upset enough not to let out an offended huff and look down at the lady weasel incredulously, "I'll admit, senora, she's a cute one. But what could make you say such a thing?!" Was that rabbit not as innocent as she looked?? Oh, he was gonna have to get her secrets when this was all over... It could be part of her payment to all of them for doing this damn job.

For the first time that evening, Shiny's lips quirked up in a small but loving smile before she sighed and crossed her arms. Not at all bothered by Greasy's disbelief as she looked at him straight in the eye, "She makes me smile. That's what."

~

"Tie 'em up! We'll handle 'em later."

Despite Shiny's resistance and Poppy's attempt at a rescue- bursting into the building with the tommy gun she had found in the weasels' van, before getting yet another smack to the head- the two women were forced back to back and bound together. It was that God forsaken proof toon rope too, so neither of them could try to pull any toony tricks up their sleeves to get out of this bind.

Shiny snarled and even tried snapping her teeth at some of the goons, especially at the ones who seemed to enjoy subduing them a bit too much. That didn't stop them, of course, and Poppy's pleading of them to back off of the weasel was only met with mockery. But it wasn't taken any further than that, fortunately. And the two were left alone when the brutes walked away.

Poppy tried to control her fearful trembling. She knew that Shiny was terrified as well, even if she tried to hide it; she had to put on a brave face now while their fate was looking grim. Despite her efforts, though, the only thing that managed to calm her enough was when Shiny's fingers intertwined with her own, "It'll be ok, baby. We still have each other."

Poppy looked over her shoulder to face Shiny as best as she could, her brown eyes filled with dread and heart sinking for her lover. How could Shiny still remain calm and comfort her during this time? Why did any of this have to happen? Why... Why wasn't she able to save the woman she loved? "Shiny... I... I'm so sor-"

"Shh. Don't focus on that." Shiny insisted softly, regarding Poppy with the warmth and care she had just for the rabbit. Though she knew that Poppy must be able to see her own fear as well, and squeezed the rabbits paw lightly for both of their comfort, "... I'll be honest with you, Poppy. I'm not sure how we'll get out of this one. So we can't waste time with unnecessary apologies."

Her ears pinned back at the reminder, but she didn't try to finish her sentence. Shiny was right. She didn't want to spend their possible final minutes in self-pity. Right now, she just needed to take a deep breath, and she had to focus on Shiny now, "I'm sor- I mean... I-I love you. Shiny. You're truly the most amazing woman I've ever met. I mean it." There was no possible way to tell Shiny the depth of her love for her. Not in the small time frame they had at least. But this was a good start, at least.

However, instead of returning the 'I love you', Shiny just raised a single brow down at her, "Hm. That's funny."

"What's funny?"

"You just told me you've never looked in the mirror before, though I swear I've seen you do it every morning."

God. Even after everything, even despite the grim reaper knocking on their door, Shiny still had the time to make her heart sing and illicit laughter from her. Of course, it didn't make her completely forget their situation, but it was enough to get Poppy to look up into her eyes adoringly and let the rest of the world fade away, "How are you so charming and lovely all the time?"

"'Cause I've got the right gal, darling." Shiny's heart felt like it was melting, witnessing the pure joy and love Poppy had for her right now. It always did. But right now, it felt even more impactful than the first time Cupids arrow struck her. Thank God weasels were drawn with long necks; she still had to crane her head back, but it was worth it to be able to plant a kiss on Poppy's temple and hear her happy squeak, "You ready to find out what's on the other side for toons?"

Shiny already knew what Poppys answer was gonna be. Even with the serene look on her honey bunny's face, "No."

At that, Shiny let out a small, dry chuckle. She found no humor, nor was she trying to be sarcastic. It was just all she could do at this point while Poppy held tightly onto her paw. It was all either of them could do now, "Me neither."

~