#discotrain moulin rouge au

[ninjadeathblade]

Moulin Rouge Discotrain AU (part three)

Summary: (Post-game canon) The Conductor and DJ Grooves agree to finally work on a movie together. They come up with 'Moulin Rouge', a musical drama filled with romance. Over time the two directors grow closer and discover that maybe they don't hate each other as much.

Beginning | Previous | Next

Word count: 1,444

Warnings: Does Snatcher talking about being dead count?

Author's notes: Snatcher might be a little out of character but he's here with contracts so something went right. Hat Kid is here too!

Grooves looked up as Hat Kid knocked on the door, jumping slightly at the large shadowy figure next to her.

He walked up to the door, giving the child a questioning look over the top of his sunglasses.

"Darling, is this your…friend you told me about?" He questioned before looking up at the large ghost.

It seemed to trail off into the shadowy street, its purple body melting into the surroundings. Its yellow eyes and mouth stood out against the darkness at least, even if they were alarming.

"Why hello there! I believe we've come to strike up a contract about being in a movie!" The ghost greeted, grinning.

Grooves slowly opened the door, looking between the ghost and the girl.

"Darling? Are you sure this is your friend?" Grooves reiterated. Hat Kid nodded and smiled, walking in and immediately over to the sunglasses machine.

"Darling, if you break any stuff this time then I can't just rip up your charges. You will have to pay the studio what you owe." He looked back up at the ghost. "Are you sure you're friends?"

"Sadly, yes, I'm contractually obligated to be her friend. The name's Snatcher by the way," he introduced himself, extending one long arm. The penguin tentatively shook his hand before looking towards the owl side of the studio.

Grooves hadn't seen the Conductor since he'd returned to his own office.

"Excuse me, I just need to find my partner," Grooves apologised, quickly making his way along the same route he'd walked last night. He knocked lightly against the door.

"Darling?" He waited for a response, not getting one, before finally giving up and just opening the door.

The Conductor was slumped over at his desk, head resting atop scattered sheets of paper. The penguin rolled his eyes, walking over and gently prodding the owl. The Conductor merely groaned and buried his face further into his arms.

"You've got to get up darling."

"Why?" Conductor whined, batting away Grooves' flipper as the penguin reached for him again.

"Because the girl and her friend are here. And I don't fancy interviewing a ghost on my own," Grooves huffed. The Conductor rolled his head to the side, letting out a deep breath.

"I need somethin' to drink if we're interviewing a pecking ghost," he grumbled, slowly sitting before then standing.

"I can ask one of the penguins to pick up some coffee on the way in-"

"Sure, do that. But I need something stronger first if we're talking to a pecking ghost," he interjected, walking over to a cabinet at the side of the room and pouring himself something that smelled strongly like alcohol.

The door squeaked open further and Grooves turned to look at Hat Kid, who was now sporting two pairs of sunglasses. They weren't as nice as his of course, but they were still fairly decent.

"Darling! There you are! Now, where's that friend of yours?" Grooves questioned.

Hat Kid shrugged, gestured vaguely back towards the reception before walking into the room and snagging a piece of paper off the desk.

"Lassie, that's not yours. We need that so put it down, would yer?" Conductor said, not even waiting for an answer before manhandling the child so she let go of the paper.

He then picked her up and carried her until they were out of the office, gesturing for Grooves to follow. Once there was no one left inside he let go of Hat Kid and quickly locked the door.

"Alright then, let's go find yer friend." Hat Kid grinned and eagerly began to skip back towards the reception.

"Peck knows how she's got so much energy. Hope my grandkids aren't like that when they're older."

"What, you hope your grandkids don't grow up to be fabulous actors?" Grooves joked but the Conductor frowned.

"I hope they don't. Their ma doesn't need that. Besides, they already dance around like they're on birdseed. I don't need them more hyperactive," Conductor laughed sadly.

Grooves was about to interject when they arrived back at the reception, Hat Kid jumping up and down happily while pointing to Snatcher.

"Peck me, there really is a ghost."

"I would say 'in the flesh' but we all know that's impossible because I'm dead. So-" Snatcher snapped his fingers, a boom of thunder echoing through the air as a piece of paper and a quill hovered in the air in front of the two birds.

"Just sign here and we can get under way."

The Conductor reached out and grabbed the quill, starting towards the paper but Grooves snatched it out the way, holding it away from his shorter companion as he read it.

"Darling, there must be a mistake," Grooves let out a stunted, nervous laugh. "This says about us giving you our souls in exchange for you working with us."

Hat Kid stuck her tongue out at Snatcher as the ghost shrugged nonchalantly.

"It's not that big a deal, is it? I mean, aren't actors meant to sell their souls to the stage anyway?" Snatcher asked, face twisting with confusion.

"Yeah, whassa big deal?" Conductor asked, staring up at Grooves while also trying to grab the scroll from him.

Grooves shot him a distasteful look as Conductor leaned against him to try and gain more height. "Gimme that."

"No. You're sleep deprived and possibly hungover, I don't trust you with this," Grooves objected, glad that the Conductor was so short in comparison to him and his platform shoes.

Hat Kid skipped over to stand beside the two of them, extending her hands for the paper and quill.

The two birds reluctantly handed over the objects and the child set to quick work with crossing things out and writing new things in, before handing the paper back to the penguin.

"Kid, that's not how contracts work," Snatcher groaned, twisting his long body around to look at the paper as well. "But why not, it's not like I've got anything better to do. Stealing souls has been boring recently so I might as well try acting."

Grooves blinked, doing a double-take.

"So you don't really care about the contract?"

"Not at this point. As I said, I'm bored. Maybe acting will give me a renewed spark for my true line of business. So, when do I begin?" Snatcher asked, snapping his fingers again. The quill and paper burst and disappeared and Hat Kid clapped happily.

"Kid, if you're gonna act then I seriously need to sort you out a voice. As cute as your little gestures and silly faces are, they won't go very far in the grand scheme of things."

"So-" Conductor started.

"I mean, it's probably kinda fun too, right? I'm a big fan of your movies anyway. I did think about going into acting when I was still alive. Of course it didn't work out; I studied law instead and then my ex killed me," Snatcher rambled. "I've gotta say, it'll be interesting to see where you go with this movie, you've both got such different tastes in how you go about things. I mean, I never thought you'd ever work together on anything."

"Shut it, you peck neck!" Conductor shouted and the ghost paused, mouth forming a small 'o' shape as he looked down at the angry owl. "I don't care what yer did while alive! Can you act?!"

"I most certainly can."

"Then that's all ya had to say!" The yellow bird huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Can you make yourself a reasonable size at least?"

"I can try. Have you got a role for me though?"

Conductor rocked back and forth on his heels angrily.

"Hold on please," Grooves said, leaning down to be closer to the owl before continuing in a whisper. "Darling, he seems like he might be able to pull of the role of the man who runs the Moulin Rouge-"

"Harold Zidler."

"-Yes, him. I feel like this is the exuberance we're looking for," Grooves suggested. "We can give him a chance at least." Conductor looked sceptically between the penguin and the ghost.

"Fine! I'll sort out yer script later. Grooves, get everyone in. We need to sort out the script. And you-" he whirled to face Hat Kid "-you had better find me more actors! I'm countin' on you lassie."

The little girl grinned, offering him a thumbs up before waving to Snatcher and heading out the studio.

"Right, come on then. We can set yer up with a script."

Grooves grabbed Conductor's arm as he walked past. "Thanks for giving him a chance."

"Shut up. I'm doing this to win the award again, not for you."

#ahit #a hat in time #ahit hat kid #ahit snatcher #the snatcher #snatcher #a hat in time snatcher #discotrain #dj grooves #the conductor #ahit the conductor #ahit au #hat kid #a hat in time moulin rouge au #ahit moulin rouge au #discotrain moulin rouge au #a hat in time au #ahit conductor #ahit dj grooves

[ninjadeathblade]

Moulin Rouge Discotrain AU (part one)

Summary: (Post-game canon) The Conductor and DJ Grooves agree to finally work on a movie together. They come up with 'Moulin Rouge', a musical drama filled with romance. Over time the two directors grow closer and discover that maybe they don't hate each other as much.

Next

Word count: 558 (this is kinda the introduction so it's pretty short)

Warnings: None

Author's notes: I literally started writing this a couple days ago and it's over 6k and not finished so I might as well start posting it. So here it is I guess! I know there are words in the vernacular to describe it. I don't know how to write Conductor's accent, sorry. I will try and post up parts regularly but sorry if I get distracted. Pinguini and Owlice are OCs and I literally only came up with them while making this. Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading it! :)

The Conductor scribbled out another paragraph of drafted script, before crumpling the entire piece of paper and throwing it in the bin.

He let out a sigh as DJ Grooves burst in, not even bothering to knock.

"Darling! You can't stay cooped up in here forever! There are two of us working on this movie, and I won't let you take all the credit," Grooves exclaimed, shutting the door and walking over to look at Conductor's notes.

"If yer music and romance ruins my film then I'll nae work with you again," Conductor threatened, prompting Grooves to laugh.

"As if, darling! It's just the flare your ideas need, to push them that little bit further to-" Grooves paused, doing a small drumroll on the edge of the table "-stardom! But we may have to get more, how should I put it, creative with casting."

"Whaddya mean?"

"I'll put this delicately, darling," Grooves explained. "I just don't think the owls or penguins will cut it for some of the roles we've come up with."

Conductor let out a groan before quickly sipping his whiskey. He placed it back down away from the papers he'd been writing on and away from Grooves.

"I hate ta say it but I agree with yer. We could get that wee lass to come back again," Conductor said, pointing to the movie poster on the wall from his previous movie 'Murder On The Owl Express'.

Grooves nodded thoughtfully, taking a seat on the other side of his desk.

"Yeah, that could work. I know a penguin who might work as that courtesan you wrote-"

"Satine."

"-Yes, Satine, that was it. As I was saying, darling, I know the perfect penguin for the role. And I bumped into one of your owls a while back who might work well as that guy-"

"Christian?"

"-Yes, Christian! That's him! Well, I don't know if you remember one of your employees, Owlice? I think she'd do perfectly, darling, perfectly!" Grooves continued, propping his head in his flippers as he lent on the table.

Conductor pushed his notes to the side of the desk and picked out a new piece of paper, beginning to write down possible roles.

"And this penguin? What's 'er name?" Conductor asked, loosening his tie and undoing the top button of his shirt.

If he was going to be spending the night working on the film then he didn't want to be in such stuffy clothes.

"His name is Pinguini," Grooves replied. "He's an amazingly talented singer. And that role of, what's his name, ah, Toulouse, that would be perfect for your young detective, or, in my preference, the upcoming diva!" He flourished his flippers as he referenced their previous rivalling movies.

"Alright. We've still gotta lot of roles ta fill though. And I donnae think the owls and penguins will be cut out for all of 'em," Conductor grumbled. "We could see if the lass has any friends that might get involved."

"Yeah, yeah, that could work," Grooves mumbled, nodding. "I could try and talk to my contacts and see if they know anyone."

Conductor nodded absentmindedly, mind flitting between scene ideas and possible cast members.

"Darling, where is this 'Moulin Rouge' in the movie going to be filmed?"

Conductor grinned, looking up at Grooves.

"Where else? It's gonna be on The Owl Express!"

#ahit #a hat in time #ahit au #a hat in time au #ahit moulin rouge au #discotrain #a hat in time moulin rouge au #discotrain au #discotrain moulin rouge au #the conductor #ahit conductor #dj grooves #ahit dj grooves

[ninjadeathblade]

Moulin Rouge Discotrain AU (part six)

Summary: (Post-game canon) The Conductor and DJ Grooves agree to finally work on a movie together. They come up with 'Moulin Rouge', a musical drama filled with romance. Over time the two directors grow closer and discover that maybe they don't hate each other as much.

Beginning | Previous | Next

Word count: 522

Warnings: None

Author's notes: This one is really short. But next part they get to go to the cinema. Pinguini is back this chapter because I realised I'd barely written anything for him. Enjoy!

"Hey, DJ Grooves, got a minute?" Grooves turned around, watching as Pinguini ran down the hall.

"Yeah, sure. What's up?" Grooves asked.

"I just wanted to say thanks. For, you know, getting me the role," Pinguini grinned as he stopped beside the director.

"Well, you're great."

"It's a pretty big break for me. My mum was really excited when I told her about it," Pinguini admitted. "I was happy enough when I got a job in props working for you but this is great!"

Grooves smiled fondly at the younger penguin.

He'd met Pinguini a few years ago when the penguin had been promoted to head of the props department.

Pinguini was so young compared to most of the Moon Penguins on his team, it made Grooves wonder as to why he'd committed to the job so early in life.

Then again, Grooves had also started his career early.

"Mum said she's gonna come visit this evening! She said she wanted to meet Owlice," Pinguini continued.

"Yeah? You two together or…?"

"Oh, no, we're just friends," Pinguini shrugged. "But mum says she sounds like a nice girl to work with."

Grooves nodded politely before checking the clock on the wall.

"Sorry, can we hit pause on this chat? I need to go talk to Conductor. It's one of our scheduled meeting times," Grooves requested.

Pinguini nodded, smiling as he looked up at the older penguin. "Sure sir. And hey, thanks again."

"No problem Pinguini," Grooves said, beginning to walk the short distance to Conductor's office.

He smirked at the sign taped to his co-director's door. It read:

If you're Grooves, at least knock. If you're anyone else then peck off.

He decided not to knock and just walk in.

"You can read, can't yer?" Conductor sighed.

He wasn't sitting at his desk, working on notes as per usual.

Instead he was standing, leaning slightly against the desk, as if he'd been waiting for Grooves.

"So, what's wrong then? You're not working on notes, that isn't like you," Grooves pointed out.

Conductor chuckled, pushing off the desk with one foot and walking over to him.

"You got me two cinema tickets," Conductor said, head tilted slightly upwards and towards Grooves.

"So you could take a family member or something," Grooves reasoned.

Conductor froze slightly, taking a shaky exhale. His mouth moved but no sound came out.

"Well, why would I do that when I've got my co-director right here?" Conductor eventually said, looking away.

Grooves gazed fondly at Conductor, chest warming slightly at the admission.

"Have you ever watched them before?" Grooves asked as the two of them left the office.

"Yeah. My parents had them on tape when I was little. So I watched those five on repeat a lot," Conductor explained. "And then I watched all the other ones once I was old enough. You?"

"I've never seen the earlier ones," Grooves replied and shrugged.

The Conductor stopped walking and turned to look at him.

"Well then, guess I have the privilege of being with you for yer first viewin'," Conductor said with a lopsided smile.

"Can we get popcorn?"

"Sure."

#a hat in time #ahit #discotrain #dj grooves #the conductor #ahit dj grooves #ahit oc #ahit au #ahit moulin rouge au #a hat in time moulin rouge au #discotrain moulin rouge au #ahit conductor

[ninjadeathblade]

Moulin Rouge Discotrain AU (part five)

Summary: (Post-game canon) The Conductor and DJ Grooves agree to finally work on a movie together. They come up with 'Moulin Rouge', a musical drama filled with romance. Over time the two directors grow closer and discover that maybe they don't hate each other as much.

Beginning | Previous | Next

Word count: 1,070

Warnings: More Snatcher talking about being dead, Conductor remembering fighting Hat Kid, Conductor briefly uses a knife(?)

Author's notes: Not much Conductor and Grooves this chapter, sorry. But I do bring another enemy of Hat Kid to our cast of characters so that's something, right? Snatcher is back again to... do Snatcher-esque things.

"Who is it?" Conductor asked, looking up at the knock that came from his door.

"Harold Zidler. That is the name of the person you cast me as, right?"

"Come in Snatcher," he sighed, watching as the ghost opened the door.

Surprisingly, he didn't look the same as when they first met. He looked more humanoid, even if he was still purple with a couple yellow features. His regal looking attire made him seem even more out of place as he pushed long curls out the way of his face.

"I changed. Just like you said," Snatcher said, a slight grit to his words.

"You okay?"

"No, I don't really know how to look. I tried to look like how I did before I died and it's more than a bit unsettling," Snatcher admitted, fidgeting from one foot to another.

"Reminds me of my death which honestly isn't doing anything good for me. Lot of unresolved issues with that to be honest. No, I don't want to talk about it."

"I don't want you to."

"Great! Any suggestions?" Snatcher laughed nervously.

"The girl's bringing in a couple more possible actors today. You could make yourself look more like one of them?" Conductor suggested.

Snatcher nodded vigorously, eyes darting to look at posters on the walls of the office.

"Yeah, that could work, thanks," Snatcher replied.

The owl stood, walking over and placing a hand on the ghost's arm. "You seem pretty nervous lad. Wanna talk about it?"

"No, I already said I didn't want to talk about it," Snatcher growled, yanking his arm away.

"Alright. Do yer wanna go wait for the lass and her friends?" Conductor offered. Snatcher frowned, crossing his arms and looking away.

"Yes," he mumbled.

"Let's go do that then."

Conductor opened the door to his office, ushering the ghost out before leading the way to the reception.

Hat Kid jumped up and down and waved as the two of them entered, pointing at the large cat beside her.

The cat was probably the same height that Snatcher was at the moment, a scar crossing over the left of her yellow eyes. A mane of white hair swept behind her head, contrasting her face's dark grey fur. A red coat with a white fur collar was slung round her shoulder as her fur faded from grey to white, back to grey at her feet. Her two upper paws had rings on the fingers but were cuffed together.

"Finally, someone who looks like they have some sense of authority." The cat rolled her eyes, holding up cuffed paws. "Would you mind?"

Conductor drew a knife from his coat, slashing through the chain of the cuffs before putting it away.

"How long have you had that for?!" Snatcher exclaimed, looking with wide-eyed panic down at the bird.

Conductor shrugged.

"Generally or what? I've owned the knife for years."

"Are you okay?!"

"Probably not. But-" Conductor clapped his hands together, returning his attention to the cat. "You seem just the type for the role of the Duke! Yer hired! What's your name?"

"Empress," she replied. "Now, I just have a few questions."

"Of course. Fire away lass."

"Who are you, where am I, what movie are we making, and am I getting paid?"

"I'm the Conductor, I'm one of the directors. Yer in the Dead Bird Studio. The movie's called Moulin Rouge and yes, we can negotiate payment," Conductor responded.

Empress' tail flicked away from Hat Kid as the small person clapped.

"Do I have to work with her?" Empress spat the final word, glancing distastefully in the direction of the girl.

"You have history with her too?" Snatcher asked.

"Have history with her? I want her dead! The only reason I'm here is to get a reduced sentence! She's the reason I ended up in jail!" Empress raged.

"I get it, I really do. She wouldn't let me kill her once she became useless and then forced me to be her friend!" Snatcher added, nudging the small girl.

Hat Kid beamed up at him, giving him a thumbs up.

"God we really need to sign that contract that'll make you talk. It'll be the death of me- oh wait, it won't. Nessa did that and you screwed up breaking into her place!"

Hat Kid shrugged and giggled before walking over to a Moon Penguin.

"Can we get back on track?" Conductor sighed impatiently.

A flipper landed on his shoulder and the owl tensed, inhaling sharply.

"Who's this, darling?" Grooves asked, sunglasses tilted down on his beak slightly as he looked at Empress.

"We found our Duke," Conductor explained.

"Yeah, I still have no idea about what is going on, can I just have my money and a script?" Empress asked, ripping the cuffs off her wrists.

"Um, yes…Conductor, a moment please?" Grooves requested, dragging the owl aside a few feet. "Darling, is that a criminal?!"

"We can still hear you, you're not exactly being subtle," Snatcher pointed out.

"Besides, you hired me. I'm dead! How is a criminal much worse than that?"

Grooves sighed and walked himself and the Conductor to the other side of the reception.

"Darling, really, we should think this through," Grooves pleaded. Conductor looked away, crossing his arms.

"You heard her. She's doing it to get a reduced sentence. No criminal would compromise a reduced sentence. They'd have ta be mad to do that!" Conductor argued.

"Please darling. Can we just spend a while thinking about it?"

Conductor turned back to Grooves, staring into the penguin's star shaped glasses, just about making out the shadows of his eyes.

The dark lenses seemed to be breaking through his walls, staring at all his broken pieces.

The last time he'd felt afraid was fighting Hat Kid.

When he'd been terrified about what would become of his reputation, his life.

His family.

When he'd tried to steal a timepiece to correct what should've been his award.

Award 42.

Grooves' award.

A shiver ran down his spine again, that creeping feeling of fear. The ice cold realisation.

Thoughts of his family flitted across his mind.

His daughter, his grandchildren.

What might've happened to them?

He repressed the thoughts, burying them with other memories he didn't wish to think of again.

"Fine. We'll do it your way," Conductor conceded, looking away again.

"Cool. Shall we go review her actual acting strengths and weaknesses then?"

"I said fine didn't I?"

#ahit #a hat in time #hat kid #ahit snatcher #the snatcher #a hat in time snatcher #ahit hat kid #ahit au #ahit moulin rouge au #discotrain #a hat in time moulin rouge au #discotrain moulin rouge au #ahit empress #a hat in time empress #dj grooves #dj grooves ahit #ahit conductor #the conductor

[ninjadeathblade]

Moulin Rouge Discotrain AU (part four)

Summary: (Post-game canon) The Conductor and DJ Grooves agree to finally work on a movie together. They come up with 'Moulin Rouge', a musical drama filled with romance. Over time the two directors grow closer and discover that maybe they don't hate each other as much.

Beginning | Previous | Next

Warnings: Conductor thinking about his dead wife

Word count: 1,063

Author's notes: Heyyyy! Remember back in part one when I mentioned Owlice and Pinguini? Well they're making their debut! They're OCs that I came up with while working on this and will appear a fair bit in this AU so get used to them I guess. The chapters will eventually slow down in how often I'm posting them but I somehow have creativity right now so yeah. Have fun with this part!

Conductor looked up as Grooves walked into his office, a giddy grin on the penguin's face.

"What's got you so pleased?" Conductor asked, putting down his notepad.

"So you know how I said about Pinguini and Owlice?" Grooves replied, waiting for a nod before he continued. "Well, both of them are in today and I thought you could come and meet them."

Conductor considered saying no, continuing with his drafted scene ideas. But he wasn't going to get anywhere with that, he'd known that since he first started jotting more ideas down.

"Well, you said they might be good for the leadin' roles. Go on then, let's go and see them," Conductor said, standing from his desk.

"They're, um, they're actually outside right now," Grooves squeaked, standing in front of the Conductor.

"What? Why?"

"I thought it'd be quicker just to bring them here! But I think Owlice panicked and thought we were going to fire her," Grooves explained shyly. "What should we do?"

Conductor let out a put-upon sigh before shoving past Grooves and opening the door.

An owl and a penguin were sitting together on the floor, leaning back against the corridor wall.

But when the door opened both looked up, the owl scrambling to her feet while the penguin stood up at a slower pace.

The owl, presumably Owlice, wore large wire framed glasses that covered worried looking brown eyes. She wore a white lacy shirt and a small silver necklace hung around her neck.

The penguin, seemingly Pinguini, also wore glasses; but his were heart shaped sunglasses. He dressed like most of the Moon Penguins except for the fact he wasn't wearing a formal jacket. Instead he'd opted for a dark blue hoodie to go over his shirt.

"Alright then, you two had better come in." Conductor gestured back into the office.

Owlice swallowed nervously while Pinguini smiled. Grooves shut the door behind them once all four of them were in the office.

"So, Grooves tells me that yer both quite talented actors. What sections do you work in?" Conductor questioned.

"I- I work in costume design, s-sir," Owlice stuttered, looking on the verge of tears.

"Props. I work on lots of the laser guns for DJ's movies," Pinguini replied.

"Right then." Conductor nodded before refocusing on Owlice. "Lass, you're not being fired, so could ya please calm down?"

Owlice nodded, blinking a few times as she stared at him. "Yes, sorry sir, I was just nervous. If it was that I was going to get fired then I might've cried," Owlice explained, voice breaking slightly.

"Darling, do you need a minute?" Grooves offered and Owlice looked over at him.

"Oh, no, sorry sir, it's fine. I'm- I'm fine now, thank you very much," Owlice insisted.

"Right. As I was saying, Grooves here thinks yer both talented actors. But as I've just found out, neither of you are actually actors. So we'll give you the lead roles for now and see in a few weeks as to how everything is going. All good?"

Pinguini nodded and Owlice did too, albeit with less vigour than the penguin.

"Alright then, off you pop," Conductor dismissed them.

The owl and penguin hurried off and Grooves walked over to the Conductor's desk.

"That was nice of you."

"We need actors. And Owlice was going ta break down if I called her in here for nothin'."

"Why are you so against the movie having romance?" Grooves questioned suddenly. Conductor looked up at him, letting out a sigh as he recited one of Satine's possible lines he'd jotted down.

"I can't fall in love with anyone." Grooves' face knitted with confusion.

"Can't fall in love? But life without love- is terrible!" Grooves protested, holding onto Conductor's arm.

"No, being out of my job, that's what's terrible!" Conductor argued, remembering the few times he had tried romance movies.

He'd lost interest in that area after meeting his wife.

He'd only tried once to make another romance movie and that was after she died. He couldn't bring himself to do it in the end.

"No! Love is like oxygen!" Grooves argued before pausing, beak hanging slightly agape. "Are you crying?"

Conductor sniffed and hurriedly bought a hand to his face, scrubbing it across and catching the few falling tears.

"Nope. Now off you pop. I've got work to do," Conductor stated, trying to keep his tone neutral.

Whenever he thought of her he got upset.

It had been better in the more recent years but it might've been what caused the rift between him and his daughter back when it first happened.

He began to walk towards Grooves and the penguin instinctively backed away towards the door.

"We should be working together, darling," Grooves pointed out as his back hit the door.

"Just leave," Conductor sighed.

Grooves opened the door slowly, lingering in the frame of it as he turned to leave. "You know, if you ever wanted to talk about-"

"Just. Go." Grooves nodded and closed the door slowly.

Conductor let out a sob as he leant back against the door before sliding to sit on the floor.

"Peck I miss you."

Conductor uncurled himself at the knock on the door, standing up and opening it slightly.

"Um, sorry sir, is this a bad time?" Owlice asked, nervously shifting her weight from one foot to another. She held a basket in one wing, covered in a small dark purple cloth.

"What is it lass?" Conductor prompted gently, pushing his problems aside for a minute.

"Mr. Grooves asked me to give this to you," she explained, holding out the basket.

Conductor opened the door a little further, taking the basket from her.

"Thanks. Anything else?" Conductor checked.

"No sir. But everyone is packing up so I suggest you head home soon."

"Will do. Thanks again."

Conductor closed the door, sitting down on the floor again and rifling through the basket's contents.

One bottle of whiskey, two records of music from famous western films, and a couple of tickets for the movie marathon of the first five Annual Bird Movie Award winning films at the cinema.

"You pecking idiot. I didn't want all o' this," Conductor muttered, secretly touched by the action.

He stuck his head back out the door, shouting at Owlice as she walked down the hall.

"Tell him to bring them himself next time!"

#ahit #a hat in time #ahit au #ahit moulin rouge au #discotrain moulin rouge au #discotrain #a hat in time au #ahit conductor #a hat in time oc #ahit oc #dj grooves #ahit dj grooves #ahit the conductor #the conductor #a hat in time conductor #a hat in time the conductor #a hat in time moulin rouge au #oc owlice #oc pinguini

[ninjadeathblade]

Moulin Rouge Discotrain AU (part two)

Summary: (Post-game canon) The Conductor and DJ Grooves agree to finally work on a movie together. They come up with 'Moulin Rouge', a musical drama filled with romance. Over time the two directors grow closer and discover that maybe they don't hate each other as much.

Previous | Next

Word count: 858 (still not that long but I promise later chapters will be)

Warnings: None

Author's notes: Back again with part two! I snuck a quote in this one. Only one more chapter until Hat kid and her Mysterious Friend make their appearances! But yeah, I hope you enjoy part two for now!

"And then Satine and Christian gaze lovingly at each other-"

"Oh shut up! That's the tenth pecking time you've said 'gaze lovingly' this conversation!" Conductor interrupted, talking over Grooves. 

The two of them had agreed to call each other about ideas for and progress on the film. But it was beginning to get on the Conductor's nerves as to how often the penguin would phone him and suggest some more romance. 

"Ooh, what if we had a song that basically spoils the entire movie but only if you're paying loads of attention?" Grooves suggested. 

"How so?"

"Well, we said there was going to be a play in the film. And what if the play had the same plot as the film?" Grooves explained. 

"That might work," Conductor said, drumming his fingers on the desktop. "I got in touch with the lass the other day and she said she might be able to find us someone to play Zidler. What about you, eh? Find anyone yet?" 

"I'm still convincing Owlice to give it a shot. Pinguini says he's on board. I also got in touch with the little girl and apparently she and one of her friends are gonna pop by the studio tomorrow," Grooves explained.

Conductor looked up as the door to his office opened, an owl sticking their head in. 

"The last of us are heading home sir. Will you be as well?" They said. 

Conductor moved the phone away from his face, looking down at the stacks of drafted scenes on his desk. 

"You go home. I'll lock up later. Get some rest before tomorrow," Conductor instructed before holding the phone closer to him again. "Alright then, we'll see who the lass brings along tomorrow."

"Darling, are you still in the studio?" Grooves asked gently. 

Conductor let out a huff of air, skimming through the stack of papers. 

"It doesn't matter. It's my movie so I can work on it as much as I pecking want," Conductor swore, squinting distastefully at a drafted scene. 

"I cannae believe I let you put so many songs in here. Or that I let you make it centered around love." 

"Darling, I don't understand your problem with love! Love is a many, splendored thing. Love lifts us up where we belong, all you need is love," Grooves protested. 

"Please, don't start that again," Conductor complained.

"Fine darling but I'm coming to the studio and I'm bringing coffee. You'll fall asleep at your desk and we should be working on it together. That's the whole point of making a movie together," Grooves pointed out. 

Conductor let out a sigh, knowing it would be useless to argue with him. 

"Alright. But don't you dare put sugar in me coffee again."

It didn't take long for the other director to arrive, carrying a couple takeaway cups of coffee. 

The Conductor had moved to wait in the reception, shutting off most of the unnecessary power in the studio. It didn't matter if most of that was on the penguins' side.

"Finally! I was startin' ta wonder what took you so long," Conductor said as Grooves opened the door. 

The penguin laughed, the sound echoing in the near empty room. 

"Well darling, not all of us live in the studio or one of our most used sets," Grooves teased and Conductor scowled at him, grabbing one of the cups of coffee. 

"My train is my life! At least I'm not obsessed with disco," he argued before downing most of his coffee. "Well at least yer remembered no sugar this time." 

"Darling I always remember you don't like sugar in your coffee. But it's hilarious to see the face you make when you realise your coffee has sugar," Grooves explained with a chuckle. Conductor scowled up at him before beginning to walk to his office. 

"I'll make sure ta leave the sugar outta your coffee," Conductor grumbled under his breath. "With yer stupidly tall shoes, 'n' your sunglasses, 'n' your disco movies." 

"What was that darling?"

"Nothin'." The Conductor opened the door to his office, immediately moving to scan the notes he'd made on his desk. "We've got so many roles left to cast. Plus we need to organise the choreography for the big dance numbers. Like in Satine's first entrance." 

He drank the rest of his coffee before sitting down at his desk.

"Yeah, about that, where are we going to get a trapeze from?" Grooves asked, sitting down across from the Conductor. 

"We're directors. We'll buy one."

"Oh, good point."

"As I was sayin', Satine's entrance will need some expert choreography and we need the entire costume department to get fitting the extras with suits and dresses," Conductor continued. "We'll need a big set but I think one of the rooms on the Express will do nicely."

"You do know I've never been on your train before, right darling?" Grooves pointed out. 

"Ah. Well. Once we sort out the main cast, then we can figure out what things we're filming in my train." Conductor shrugged. "We need to find two good singers who are fine with playing lovers. It cannae be that hard." 

#ahit #a hat in time #a hat in time au #ahit au #ahit conductor #ahit dj grooves #dj grooves #discotrain #the conductor #discotrain moulin rouge au #discotrain au #ahit moulin rouge au #a hat in time moulin rouge au #a hat in time conductor #a hat in time the conductor #conductor

[ninjadeathblade]

Moulin Rouge Discotrain AU (part seven)

Summary: (Post-game canon) The Conductor and DJ Grooves agree to finally work on a movie together. They come up with 'Moulin Rouge', a musical drama filled with romance. Over time the two directors grow closer and discover that maybe they don't hate each other as much.

Beginning | Previous | Next

Word count: 1,285 (shorter than I thought but who cares)

Warnings: None

Author's notes: Cinema chapter! Literally only Conductor and Grooves are named characters this chapter. Next chapter we have a little more Owlice. But yeah, enjoy the boys at the cinema!

"Two large portions of popcorn please," Conductor requested before turning back to look at Grooves.

"You want anythin' else?"

"Um, maybe a bottle of water." Grooves shrugged, looking around the cinema.

"And two bottles of water please," Conductor added, turning back to the vendor.

The vendor nodded, taking a minute to get the things together.

"I cannae believe these tickets have the added charges of food and drinks prepaid. How much did it cost you?" Conductor asked.

"Not much. Besides, you seemed down. And I wanted to help," Grooves admitted.

Conductor let out a huff of amusement as the vendor arrived back with their things.

"Enjoy the movie marathon! There are five minute breaks between each movie and those tickets allow as many snacks and drinks as you and your companion would like," the vendor explained.

"Thanks lad," Conductor responded, balancing the bottles and popcorn buckets in his arms.

"Want a hand with those?" Grooves offered, moving towards Conductor.

The owl shifted the food and drinks in his arms, looking up at the penguin.

"It's fine. But can you direct me? I can't see that well," Conductor replied.

Grooves laughed quietly and picked up a bottle of water and some popcorn anyway.

"We're working together, remember? Let me help," Grooves said, smiling down at him.

Conductor returned the smile, pushing open the door to their cinema room.

"This place is empty, you'd think no one else had been allowed to book," Conductor joked, scanning the room before looking back at Grooves.

Grooves made a face and shrugged slightly.

Conductor stared at him, blinking a few times as he pieced everything together.

"You didn't."

"Well-"

"You hired out the whole cinema room just for me?!"

"I asked around the Express Owls and they said you didn't like when you had to share a cinema with other people! It's not my fault!" Grooves protested, his face a portrait of guilt.

"You pecking idiot," Conductor muttered, not meeting Grooves' eye as he walked over and sat down in a chair.

The lights dimmed and the first movie began to roll.

"So are you mad?" Grooves quietly questioned, sitting down next to him.

Conductor tore his gaze away from the first ever winner of the Annual Bird Movie Award, looking at his co-director.

"I cannae be that mad. I mean, I love these movies," Conductor whispered, looking back at the screen.

"But you shouldn't have done all this for me."

Silence stretched between the two of them as the opening credits finished, launching into the first scene of the movie.

"It's what friends do for each other."

Conductor almost missed Grooves' words.

Conductor looked back over at him, chest growing warm.

He moved his hand over to Grooves', holding onto his flipper.

"You peck neck."

"Yeah, you're nice too."Grooves looked over at him and the two smiled at each other.

"You're a great director," Grooves complimented.

"Shut up and watch the movie," Conductor giggled, resting his head on Grooves' shoulder.

"Those movies were brilliant!" Grooves cheered, pushing open the doors to the lobby.

A couple members of staff looked over at the two birds before returning to their business.

"I told yer! They're amazing!" Conductor replied at an equal volume.

After the second movie the two of them had found out about the cinema's minibar and decided that they could have a few drinks due to the free refreshments.

A few per movie. And there had been three more movies.

"What should we do now?" Grooves asked, holding onto Conductor's hand.

The owl's face screwed up before he gasped. "We should write another love song!"

"But you hate the love songs I write," Grooves frowned as both of them walked outside.

Conductor shivered, feathers puffing up as he pulled his coat tighter around him.

"No I don't. I actually really like yer songs. But how aren't you freezing?!" Conductor hopped up and down slightly, trying to stay warm.

"The moon is really cold," Grooves said.

"Here, take my jacket." The penguin took off his red jacket, draping it around his partner's shoulder.

The owl pulled it tighter around himself, frowning as the baggy fabric touched the floor.

"Why is it so big?"

"Because it still needs to look the right size when I'm wearing my platform shoes," Grooves replied.

"Anyway, are we gonna write this love song or not?"

"Course we pecking are! We're amazing!" Conductor answered loudly.

"We're the greatest directors ever!" Grooves shouted, spinning around a lamp post.

"Actually, the director who won Annual Bird Movie Awards five, seven, and twenty one was the greatest director ever, he was declared as it," Conductor stated.

"Oh."

"Tied for second greatest directors ever! Conductor and Grooves!" Conductor yelled happily, grabbing onto the penguin's arm as he swayed slightly

"How come you get to go first?" Grooves asked, looking down at his friend.

"Because I've won more awards." Conductor said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Let's go write that song!" Grooves began walking, dragging Conductor along with him."

"Yeah!" Conductor agreed before pausing.

"Wait! Wait, wait, wait!" Grooves looked down at his companion.

"What?"

"Yer drunk," Conductor deadpanned.

"So are you."

"No, I'm not. If I were drunk you'd know it," Conductor explained. "But I still don't trust myself to get us back to the studio."

"Well then, let's go back to my place. My apartment's only a block or two away," Grooves suggested.

"I didn't know you had an apartment near here."

Conductor blinked up at the penguin, tugging his friend's coat tighter around himself.

"You never asked."

"Well then, I'll take you back to yours then I'll head to either the Express or the studio," Conductor responded, putting his hands into the pockets of Grooves' coat.

"D'you want your coat back?"

"No, you can hold onto it for now. Just give it back to me tomorrow," Grooves decided. "And you could always stay over tonight. It's already early morning."

"No. I'll head back."

"It's fine, really."

"You already treated me to the cinema, no need for anythin' else."

"Fine."

"Fine."

Most of the walk to Grooves' apartment was spent in silence until just before they reached the door.

"I think I'm gonna collapse from tiredness. Keep talking to me so I stay awake," Grooves instructed, fumbling with his keys.

"About what?" Conductor asked.

"Anything. Everything."

Conductor took a deep breath. "Okay then."

He wasn't sure what came over him but he plunged into a nervous rant as he followed Grooves.

"I'm worried about making the movie. I'm worried about findin' good actors. I'm worried about the fact that I'm making another romance. I'm worried about working with you. I'm worried that we'll never find the leads. I'm worried that I'll never be good enough for this. I'm worried that I won't be creative enough, that I'll never succeed again-"

"Stop being so worried," Grooves interrupted, turning to Conductor and holding the owl's head in his flippers.

"Look at me. You are an amazing director. Your films are brilliant and way better than mine. You have earned every single one of those awards you've gotten. You are one of the best people I've ever met. I am so glad to be working with you. Don't discredit yourself," Grooves affirmed.

"Oh." Conductor wasn't really sure what else to say.

"Anyway, I'm gonna pass out on the sofa darling. See you tomorrow." Grooves yawned, letting go of Conductor and walking the short distance to the sofa before lying down.

"Should I leave your coat here too?" Conductor asked from the doorway.

"Keep it. I'll have it back tomorrow. You'll freeze otherwise," Grooves said tiredly.

"Okay. Night Grooves."

"Night Connie."

"Don't call me that."

#ahit #a hat in time #ahit moulin rouge au #a hat in time moulin rouge au #ahit au #a hat in time au #discotrain #a hat in time the conductor #the conductor #conductor ahit #dj grooves #ahit conductor #ahit dj grooves #discotrain moulin rouge au

[ninjadeathblade]

Moulin Rouge Discotrain AU (part eight)

Summary: (Post-game canon) The Conductor and DJ Grooves agree to finally work on a movie together. They come up with 'Moulin Rouge', a musical drama filled with romance. Over time the two directors grow closer and discover that maybe they don't hate each other as much.

Beginning | Previous | Next

Word count: 659

Warnings: None

Author's notes: Back at it again with this latest part. I don't know how it takes these two so long to realise their feelings for one another. Grooves has gotten a role in the movie! Not much else happens this chapter actually. Enjoy.

"This isn't working. Owlice isn't cutting in soon enough," Conductor whispered to Grooves, drumming his talons on the table as they watched the rehearsal of the scene again.

He turned back to the clamouring actors and Owlice's stammering.

"Cut!"

"Darling, I promise, I was sure she could play Christian superbly," Grooves replied, before standing and crossing onto the set.

Conductor was still trying to get used to seeing the penguin without his colourful jacket, making a mental note to return it later.

"Owlice, darling, don't be afraid to cut in! I know it can seem annoying to speak over your fellow actors but you must try! Or we'll have to award the role to another, which would be dreadful. You've been brilliant in your other scenes, what's wrong with this one?" Grooves asked.

"I- I'm sorry sir, I just…I'm not comfortable with singing," Owlice stuttered.

"But darling, your voice is like an angel's!"

"I don't like singing in front of people," Owlice sheepishly admitted.

"Yeah, singing in front of people isn't fun," Mustache Girl interjected, crossing her arms over her chest and looking at her fellow actors.

Hat Kid and Bow Kid nodded.

Conductor's patience had been wearing thin ever since the two other children arrived.

"Okay, darling, I'm gonna stand in and demonstrate what you should be doing, okay?" Grooves looked back and the Conductor and the owl gave a short nod of approval.

Maybe if Grooves stood in then they could actually get to work on the movie sooner.

"Alright peck necks, take it from the top!" Conductor yelled, watching as Owlice moved off of the set and sat down by one of the cameras.

He placed his head in his hand, knowing everything would probably go wrong.

Mustache Girl, Hat Kid and Bow Kid began yelling again as Grooves took his place on top of the ladder.

The penguin raised his flippers before singing.

"The hills are alive with the sound of music."

The Conductor raised his head, mouth hanging slightly agape as he looked at his co-director.

He'd never watched any of Grooves' movies so he didn't know if the penguin had ever sung before. But he nailed the notes of the song he'd composed.

"Alright, that's it, Grooves, come with me!" Conductor shouted, walking over to the rail of costumes at the side of the set.

"Is something wrong, darling?" Grooves questioned, taking a drink from his bottle of water.

"Christian is bein' recast," Conductor stated. "You're gonna take over as him."

Grooves spluttered and choked on his drink, eyes going wide behind his sunglasses.

"Connie, you- you can't be serious," Grooves laughed nervously, continuing in a panicky whisper. "I can't. It takes away from the possible talent the other actors have."

"Possible being the key word, eh? I'll have none of it. Owlice is a nice lass but she works in costumes and has nae acted before now," Conductor explained.

"Whereas you-"

Conductor paused, unsure about complimenting someone who was once his sworn rival.

"-you're a director and a…a good actor too. The movie will be better with you as Christian. Even if I have to put up with you callin' me Connie."

"But you were so against me even doing anything with his character before," Grooves pointed out.

"Because I didn't know the direction this movie was taking at that point. You'd be a good fit for him. But if you make a fool o' him then I'll have no choice but to change his casting," Conductor responded and Grooves chuckled nervously.

"I'll do my best."

"Good. Now get Owlice to fit you some costumes. Yer gonna need at least a couple suits," Conductor said, walking back over to where their table and scripts were.

"You're letting an owl do my outfit?" Grooves questioned, following him.

Conductor glared up at him.

"She'd do a better job than your penguins is all," Conductor grumbled, taking his seat again.

"If you say so, darling."

#a hat in time #ahit #ahit oc #ahit hat kid #ahit au #ahit mustache girl #ahit bow kid #ahit mouling rouge au #moulin rouge discotrain au #discotrain #dj grooves #the conductor #ahit dj grooves #ahit conductor #discotrain moulin rouge au

[ninjadeathblade]

Oh no, I gave him trauma

#the conductor #discotrain moulin rouge au

[ninjadeathblade]

Moulin Rouge Discotrain AU (part nine)

Summary: (Post-game canon) The Conductor and DJ Grooves agree to finally work on a movie together. They come up with 'Moulin Rouge', a musical drama filled with romance. Over time the two directors grow closer and discover that maybe they don't hate each other as much.

Beginning | Previous | Next

Word count: 555

Warnings: None

Author's notes: I wrote this earlier today because I want to get to Conductor's casting. But the chapters with him and Grooves being cast were too close together so take this. Not the best I could've done but better stuff will come soon. Enjoy. :)

Conductor scanned over what he'd planned for the end of the movie.

Satine would die in Christian's arms after they'd reconciled their love for one another.

The show would have been performed.

The Duke would end up alone, and almost everyone would get the happy ending they wanted.

Satine would use her final breaths to tell Christian to share their story.

And it would cut back to the narration at the beginning, with Christian using the typewriter.

Conductor flipped back to the beginning of the script and began writing in the opening monologue.

"The Moulin Rouge. A night club, a dance hall and a bordello, ruled over by Harold Zidler," he said as he wrote it down.

"A kingdom of nightmare pleasures where the rich and powerful played with the young and beautiful creatures of the underworld."

A floorboard creaked and the Conductor looked up sharply.

Grooves guiltily stood at the side of the room, near the door, almost blending in due to his dark jacket.

"How long have you been there?" The owl asked.

"Long enough to find out you talk to yourself while writing," Grooves said, tone playful as he crossed over and sat down near Conductor.

"I don't always. Just helps sometimes," Conductor mumbled. "Shouldn't you be rehearsing?"

Embarrassment flashed across Grooves' features. "I thought I'd come check on you. I haven't seen you out of your office all day."

Conductor sighed, putting down his pen and resting his head in one hand.

"I'm fine. I've got yer jacket if you still want it back. Sorry I didn't return it sooner."

Grooves shook his head. "Hey, it's my fault for not coming here sooner to get it back."

"Can I be honest?"

"Always."

"It feels weird seeing you out of it," Conductor admitted, a sheepish grin on his face.

"Aw, Connie, you think so?" Grooves laughed, sunglasses slipping down his beak slightly as he leant forwards.

Conductor gently hit the penguin with his free hand.

"Don't call me that," he replied, trying to not start laughing as well.

"What, you don't like it…Connie?" Grooves teased.

Conductor couldn't help the laughter that burst out of him.

"Ha! I knew it!" Grooves shook with laughter.

A knock on the door startled them both as they tried to quieten their amusement.

Conductor strode over to the door, opening it a crack. "Yes?"

"I'm looking for Grooves. Have you seen him anywhere?" Snatcher asked.

Despite what he had said before, the ghost had stuck with his same regal look.

Conductor glanced back into his office, watching as Grooves shook his head.

"No. Did yer check his office?" Conductor lied.

"Not yet. I was about to but thought I should check with you first," Snatcher explained.

"Go on then. I haven't seen him so there's no point in you hangin' around." Conductor shut the door, walking back over to Grooves.

They sat in silence together for a few moments before speaking.

"Why did you really come here?" Conductor asked gently. Grooves sighed, taking off his sunglasses and rubbing his eyes.

"Where the little girl brought in a couple more of her friends, it just- the place feels like chaos. I just wanted somewhere quiet and safe," Grooves admitted, putting his sunglasses back on.

"Well, you can always come to my office if you need it."

"Thanks Connie."

#ahit #a hat in time #discotrain moulin rouge au #moulin rouge discotrain au #discotrain #dj grooves #the conductor #ahit dj grooves #snatcher ahit #the snatcher #a hat in time snatcher #ahit snatcher #ahit au #ahit conductor #ahit the conductor #ahit the snatcher

[ninjadeathblade]

Moulin Rouge Discotrain AU (part twenty seven)

Summary: (Post-game canon) The Conductor and DJ Grooves agree to finally work on a movie together. They come up with 'Moulin Rouge', a musical drama filled with romance. Over time the two directors grow closer and discover that maybe they don't hate each other as much.

Beginning | Previous | Next

Word count: 1,073

Warnings: Mentions of blood

Author's notes: Please don't sue me. Everything will turn out well eventually. I promise.

Conductor rocked back and forth on the heels of his feet in the reception, waiting for Grooves to arrive.

It didn't take long for the penguin to show up.

"What's got you so excited, diamond?" Grooves chuckled.

Conductor's heart fluttered at the nickname that Grooves had started using for him.

"I've got a surprise," Conductor said, trying to keep his excitement from showing too much.

"For me?" Grooves asked.

"Well, kind of, yeah. It was gonna be a treat for myself but I thought you would want ta see it too," Conductor explained, grabbing ahold of the penguin's flipper.

"Where are we even going, diamond?" Grooves questioned as Conductor led him through the studio.

A few birds shot them curious looks as the two directors went past.

"If I told yer, it wouldn't be a surprise," Conductor told him, pulling the penguin into the elevator.

"Why are we going down here? Did you want to practise somewhere quiet again?"

"Wait and see."

"Oh so my surprise is down here," Grooves responded.

Conductor let out a huff of laughter, impatiently waiting for the elevator to arrive at its destination.

He let go of Grooves, flicking the lights on and walking out into the room.

The floor was clear, not a box in sight. The stage floor hadn't been repaired but the signs bearing his name had been removed.

"Is this why we had to wait for the cleaners to leave before we went to visit Roxie?" Grooves asked, walking out behind the owl.

Conductor couldn't keep a giddy grin off his face as he spun around in a couple of circles. "Yeah."

"It looks…amazing," Grooves breathed, looking around in awe.

"Come on!" Conductor took hold of Grooves once more, leading him over to the flight of stairs that led to the multiple areas of seating.

"Connie!" Grooves laughed.

"Here!" Conductor announced, letting go of the penguin and flopping onto the velvet sofa that occupied a balcony.

"You can see the whole room from up here," Grooves mused, sitting down at the other end of the sofa.

Conductor let out a hum of agreement, tentatively moving to curl up against Grooves' side.

The two of them sat there in silence for a while, just enjoying each others' company.

"So, um, there's something I think I need to get off my chest," Grooves said quietly.

Conductor pulled away from his friend, watching the penguin as he tried to gather his words.

"Take your time," Conductor told him, holding onto his flipper.

Grooves let out a deep breath, staring down at the floor of the ballroom.

"I like you a lot. And I know that it's unlikely you feel the same way but I needed to get it off my chest," Grooves explained. "And I understand if this makes it awkward for us to be friends. So, uh, sorry in advance I guess."

Conductor shook his head.

"You peckin' idiot. I like you too," Conductor muttered.

"What?"

"I said 'you pecking idiot, I don't like you'" Conductor lied, panic searing through him.

"Oh. Okay. I'm going to go now for- uh- totally unrelated reasons," Grooves blurted, standing and rushing off.

Conductor mentally kicked himself, brain taking a few seconds to process what had happened.

"No! Peck! No! Wait!" Conductor rushed to his feet, racing down the stairs and towards the elevator.

Grooves was dabbing at his eyes with a flipper as the doors were sliding close.

Pain bolted through Conductor's left ankle as he put on a final burst of speed, throwing himself at the doors as they closed.

The metal let out a resounding clunk but didn't budge as the elevator went into motion, ascending back towards the studio.

"No! Peck!" Conductor cursed again, hitting a panel on the wall next to him.

A section of the wall opened up, revealing the hidden staircase.

He pushed through the pain, ascending the stairs as quickly as he could, tripping in the darkness.

An iron tang flavoured the air. A trail of red coated the floor. Left over from his battle with Hat Kid.

Eventually he stumbled out into the brightly lit hallways of the studio, slamming the hidden door closed behind him.

"Where's Grooves?" Conductor shouted at the first bird he saw.

"Mr. Grooves said that he was taking the rest of the day off and going home," the bird stated, eyeing him worriedly. "Sir, your foot is bleeding!"

"Don't care!" Conductor barked, moving as quickly as possible to the reception.

He let out a squeak of outrage as someone picked him up.

"Going somewhere?" Empress questioned, half-lidded gaze judging him.

"I need to talk to Grooves! Let me go!" Conductor shouted, trying to swing a few punches at her.

Empress easily dodged his futile efforts.

"No. I'm going to sort out your ankle first. Then you can go. Go and sing him a song or something. That worked with Scarlett," Empress replied.

"How do you-"

"Gee, you're dense," Empress sighed. "I haven't changed that much. Emily may not have had my power and status, but she still had my attitude and excellent fashion skills."

Conductor stared dumbly at the cat.

"Emily?!"

"Miss Empress, please, stay out of the way!" Pinguini exclaimed as the large cat prodded at Conductor's ankle again.

"You really blew it, didn't you?" Empress sighed, crouching down to Conductor's height.

"Yeah. I messed up," Conductor agreed, trying to keep from crying.

"So…?"

"So what?"

"So, go get him, peck neck!" Empress shouted. "If you want to be with him, then you need to show him that! Do a big romantic gesture! Sing him a song like you did with Scarlett."

"Do not bring Scarlett into thi- ow ow ow ow, Pinguini!" Conductor shouted.

"I'm sorry sir but I have to! It won't get better if I don't make this brace," Pinguini argued, glaring up at the owl. "Besides, you need to be a little less of a mess when you show up at Grooves'."

"Woah, Pinguini's got an attitude," Empress laughed.

"I'm sorry, I'm just stressed with sorting out the last props and sets. Some of the penguins seem like they've forgotten how to paint," Pinguini apologised. "And I like Mr. Grooves a lot. I don't like seeing him upset."

"I know! I messed up! Now let me go!" Conductor replied, pushing away from the two of them.

"Now there's the Conductor I remember," Empress said.

"Shut up, peck neck."

"Good luck."

#a hat in time #ahit #ahit conductor #the conductor #ahit au #discotrain #ahit dj grooves #dj grooves #ahit moulin rouge au #moulin rouge discotrain au #ahit oc #ahit empress #oc pinguini

[ninjadeathblade]

Moulin Rouge Discotrain AU (Christmas Special Part Two)

Summary: Bet you were wondering where the others were. Well, they're here! And I'm very quickly typing this on Christmas morning.

Beginning | Previous | Next

Word count: 778

Warnings: Implied bad/crumbling relationship

Author's notes: I left it way too late to write this chapter. But it is here!

Conductor rolled towards the warmth beside him as he woke up.

It wasn't like a fire's warmth, where an all consuming urge would come over him despite having his powers suppressed.

It wasn't the heat that radiated from the train’s engines either.

Slowly he woke up more, smiling at where Grooves was still asleep beside him.

He could make out the excited squeaks of his grandkids from downstairs and the sound of the kettle boiling.

“Morning,” Grooves mumbled and Conductor returned his attention to the bird beside him.

The penguin squinted with bleary eyes at him but smiled nonetheless.

“Sorry, did I wake you?”

“Mm, no, I would've woken up anyway,” Grooves said. “Happy Christmas.”

“You too. Thanks for bein' here with me,” Conductor replied quietly, leaning over and giving Grooves a quick kiss.

“Don't know how you're so awake this early,” Grooves groaned as the owl sat up.

Conductor glanced at the clock on the wall. “It's half eight in the morning.”

“Yeah. Too early.”

Conductor chuckled as he got up, before getting dressed.

“I'm gonna head downstairs. Get some more sleep if yer need it.”

“Thanks angel.”

Conductor softly closed the door behind him before going downstairs.

Roxie still looked half asleep as she sat on the armchair in the front room, the children seemingly buried in what was already a sea of wrapping paper.

“Hi dad,” Roxie yawned as he sat down on the sofa.

“When did they wake you up?” He asked.

“About seven. This is my second mug of coffee. Kettle's still warm if you want some,” she offered.

Conductor shook his head before leaning forward and plucking a present out from under the tree. “That's for you.”

Roxie put down her mug before slowly opening the poorly-wrapped present.

“Dad. I already own this book.”

“I know. But that's the copy yer mother had,” Conductor explained. “She even got it signed.”

Roxie let out a choked sound, opening up the book and skimming her talons across the pages.

“Sylvie and the Songman is still one of my favourites,” Roxie admitted, closing it again and holding it close to her chest before pointing under the tree. “Thanks. The one wrapped in purple is yours.”

Conductor reached under and pulled out the - far more neatly wrapped - present.

He opened it up and let out a huff of laughter at the purple scarf.

“I hope you like it because decoding mum's old knitting books was a nightmare,” Roxie joked and Conductor wrapped it around his neck.

“Thank you lass.”

“Yeah yeah, you love me and all that. I know dad. Love you too.”

Roxie excused herself from the room when her phone rang.

She closed every door that she went through behind her before stepping outside and picking up the call.

“Hey Rox, I-”

“Where the peck are you?!” Roxie shouted.

“Hey, Rox, just calm down a little-”

“No, I am not going to pecking calm down!” Roxie interrupted. “Two years in a row now. Two pecking years that you haven't bothered to show your face at the holidays. You barely bothered to send presents.”

“Look, Rox, work has been busy, okay?” Alphonse finally gets a full sentence in.

Roxie sighed and took a seat, watching briefly as her breath fogs up the air.

“Too busy to see your kids? If you're so busy, how come you took them for a day out a couple weeks ago?”

A beat of silence.

“Rox, please-”

“No, don't you ‘Rox’ me. You need to start being there for the kids,” she snapped. “And you need to get your own apartment. I'm moving out of here to the city and unless you can be more reliable with seeing your family then you aren't welcome in my house.”

“Roxanne, come on,” Alphonse replied. “Don't be that way.”

Roxie scowls and picks up a stone on the ground next to her.

“I'm hanging up. I'd rather spend time with my family during the holidays than be wasting time talking to a peckneck.”

“Rox-”

She cut him off by hanging up and pocketing her phone.

A long sigh before throwing the stone as far as she could.

Then she dragged herself up to go back inside.

“Everythin’ alright, lass?” Conductor asked once she got back to the front room.

Roxie nods, before signing to him.

Al isn't pulling his weight with the kids.

Conductor's beak hangs open slightly before he looks over at the children themselves.

The bundles of yellow feathers had seemingly made tunnels through the destroyed wrapping paper.

He looks back at her and signs slowly and deliberately.

I'm always here to help look after them.

Roxie smiles.

“Thanks dad.”

#a hat in time #ahit #ahit au #ahit conductor #the conductor #discotrain #ahit dj grooves #dj grooves #ahit moulin rouge au #moulin rouge discotrain au #ahit oc #oc roxie

[ninjadeathblade]

Moulin Rouge Discotrain AU (part ten)

Summary: (Post-game canon) The Conductor and DJ Grooves agree to finally work on a movie together. They come up with 'Moulin Rouge', a musical drama filled with romance. Over time the two directors grow closer and discover that maybe they don't hate each other as much.

Beginning | Previous | Next

Word count: 853

Warnings: None

Author's notes: I wasn't going to post this up just yet but I feel like I shouldn't leave people on a cliffhanger with the sort of two part piece next. I now have another OC (the collection grows) so meet Cody!

Grooves fidgeted in his seat, unable to stop stressing.

Conductor rested a hand over one of his flippers.

"Quit it. Yer making me nervous too," the owl hissed.

The two of them had agreed to an interview with the press about their new movie.

They'd agreed to only talk to one interviewer, who would pose questions from fans and different news companies.

Which was why Grooves and Conductor were sat side by side, awaiting the questions that would be posed to them.

The cat that was acting as their interviewer seemed nice enough and excited to meet them. They had black fur like most of the Metro cats but had green eyes instead of the usual yellow.

"I'm sorry. I can't help it," Grooves replied.

"If it's about you being Christian then don't worry. You were the perfect choice for his role," Conductor comforted.

Grooves shot his companion a small smile.

"And we're going live in five, four, three, two, one-" the camera person counted the in.

"Hi, I'm Cody and I'm here today with esteemed directors The Conductor and DJ Grooves! We're going to be talking about their new collaborative movie Moulin Rouge," Cody started. "But first off, how are you two doing today?"

"Good," they replied in unison.

"So, what's it like working with each other? Cody asked. "Your infamous rivalry seems to have been pushed aside for this project."

"It's pretty fun actually," Grooves answered, looking over at Conductor.

"I don't know if we have a rivalry anymore, to be honest. This peck neck has actually been half decent. I can see myself workin' with him again sometime," Conductor admitted, looking over at Grooves as he said it.

Cody smiled as the two birds looked back over at them. "And what are your roles? It's well known you always play roles in your movies."

"I won't be starring," Conductor responded. "But Grooves here is going to be starring as one of the main characters. He's the perfect person I could've cast."

Grooves' breathing sped up, chest tightening again.

Cody's and Conductor's words faded into the background as he tried to keep his breathing even, tried to refocus.

But he couldn't. Grooves couldn't drag himself out of the pressure that he felt like drowning in.

What if he couldn't live up to Conductor's expectations?

He forced himself back into focus when someone tapped him on the shoulder.

The penguin looked over at the owl, who had a sympathetic look about him.

"Back with us?" Conductor asked gently, keeping his voice quiet enough that only Grooves could hear him.

"Yeah. Sorry. How much did I miss?" Grooves frowned, keeping his voice at an equal level.

"A bit but it's fine. You clearly weren't feelin' great. Don't worry about it," Conductor reassured, his thumb gently rubbing circles into Grooves' shoulder.

"What's happening now?"

"Advert break. We've got a few more minutes until the second half," Conductor explained.

Grooves sighed, closing his eyes behind his sunglasses.

"Or…we could just leave."

Grooves opened his eyes and looked at his friend.

"We can't do that. You worked so hard to get this interview on our terms," Grooves protested. "Connie, you can't-"

"But yer not happy. You did something for me when I was sad. So I owe you one," Conductor interrupted, standing and pulling Grooves up with him. "Come on. We can go the cinema. On me this time."

Grooves chuckled. "And what's the press going to think of the fact that we both ran off in the middle of an interview?"

"Peck it. I want to make you happy."

"Fine then."

"Let's go."

Conductor held onto Grooves' arm, dragging the penguin back to the room they'd left their things in.

"Oh, hey guys, do you need to go?" Cody asked.

"Yes. Urgent business, you know how it is," Conductor lied, picking up his satchel.

"Oh well, good luck! Can't wait to see the movie when it comes out." Cody offered a grin.

"Bye darling," Grooves said quickly before Conductor dragged him out the building.

"It's not like we have to go so fast," Grooves laughed as the two of them walked quickly down the street.

Conductor slowed down before coming to a stop. "Sorry."

"No, it's fine."

"It kind of works that we left. They're showing one of my movies and one of your movies back to back at the cinema," Conductor said, letting go of Grooves and walking slower down the street.

"You planned this, didn't you?" Grooves questioned, catching up to Conductor.

The owl stared down at the street as they walked.

"Perhaps. But I knew you probably wouldn't enjoy the interview. So I timed it that we would only have to be there for the first half then we could leave and go to the cinema," Conductor explained.

Grooves put a flipper on Conductor's shoulder, forcing the owl to stop.

His co-director looked up at him, jaw tensed.

"It's kind of you. Thanks Connie."

"Shut up peck neck."

Grooves snickered, picking up Conductor's hat off his head. "Very kind of you."

Conductor scowled up at him, swiping his hat back.

"Not kind."

#ahit #a hat in time #discotrain #dj grooves #the conductor #ahit oc #ahit au #ahit conductor #ahit dj grooves #ahit moulin rouge au #moulin rouge discotrain au

[ninjadeathblade]

Moulin Rouge Discotrain AU (part thirty one)

Summary: (Post-game canon) The Conductor and DJ Grooves agree to finally work on a movie together. They come up with 'Moulin Rouge', a musical drama filled with romance. Over time the two directors grow closer and discover that maybe they don't hate each other as much.

Beginning | Previous | Next

Word count: 1,179

Warnings: Snatcher says half an actual swear *gasp* (don't blame him though, in context there is reason for it)

Author's notes: Games night is here. Fun fact: don't trust Snatcher to play Monopoly. He does cheat, despite his claims. Anyway, enjoy!

Grooves let out a sigh, staring at the finally clear guest room and the hallway outside of it, which was now cluttered with boxes.

“You didn't have to help,” Grooves commented to Conductor as the owl walked past into the guest room.

“I did.” Conductor shrugged, beginning to make the bed.

“No, no, don't-”

“No. I will. You should sit down and rest. You've been cleaning this place since way too pecking early this morning,” Conductor interrupted, walking back over to Grooves and putting a hand on the penguin's chest. “Take a break.”

“Run away with us for the summer, let's go upstate…?” Grooves joked and Conductor shook his head gently at the Hamilton reference.

“You'll never let me live down my musical past, will you?” Conductor chuckled, pressing a quick kiss to Grooves' cheek before he went back over to the bed.

“Never.”

“At least sit down while you do then.” Conductor threw a pillow in his direction.

Grooves caught it, walking back through to the living room.

“That, I can do,” he called back to the owl, lying down on the sofa.

It felt like only a few minutes when there was a knock on the door.

“Grooves, I'm sure your nap was nice but you should probably wake up,” Conductor teased as the penguin opened his eyes, staring around the bleary room.

Conductor passed him his glasses before heading over to the door. “You said you sleep without them.”

“How long have I been out?” Grooves questioned, getting up and following his partner once he'd put his glasses on.

“Only a couple hours,” Conductor answered. “But you needed it.”

He opened the door, staring up at their guests. “Hey.”

“Hi!” Empress and Snatcher walked through the door.

The two of them almost matched; Snatcher in a dark purple hoodie and Empress in a dark purple version of her previous coat.

However, Snatcher looked incredibly different to before.

His right eye was a light blue, matching coloured scars striking across the right side of his body like bolts of lightning. A couple streaks of the same blue tainted his dark curls.

“What happened to yer?” Conductor asked the ghost bluntly.

Grooves subtly jabbed the owl in the side, hoping he would take a hint.

“Just a little accident. Nothing serious,” Snatcher bluffed, laughing nervously.

“No, that's very clearly not-”Grooves elbowed Conductor in the ribs. The owl frowned at him but stayed quiet.

“Let's just play some games,” Empress stated, carrying boxes of games through to the living room, Snatcher close on her heels.

“What was that for?” Conductor hissed.

“He clearly doesn't want to talk about whatever it is,” Grooves whispered, concerned gaze following the ghost's retreating figure.

“Sweet apartment,” Empress stated.

Grooves looked back at Conductor, gaze imploring him not to ask further questions.

“Fine. But you owe me one,” Conductor grumbled, walking into the living room.

Something made a crashing noise. “Oops.”

“You better pay for that!”

“Okay, okay! I will!”

“You cheated! You shouldn't have had enough money to afford that!” Empress accused, glaring at Snatcher. The ghost shrugged as he looked at the Monopoly board.

“I have no idea what you're talking about,” Snatcher said, voice lilting slightly.

Grooves put a flipper around Conductor as the owl curled up against his side.

“I feel like we should've chosen a less competitive game,” Conductor laughed quietly. “I did say about Scrabble.”

“Diamond, I hate to tell you, but Scrabble is also a competitive game,” Grooves replied.

“Not if yer smart. Then it becomes a game where you always win and no one else beats you.”

Grooves chuckled, pressing a quick kiss to the owl's head. “We'll have to play some time soon. I'm sure I can give you a run for your money.”

“Empress is a sore loser!” Snatcher announced, picking up the cat's money and throwing it in the air.

"No, I'm not! You're just a lying cheater!” Empress growled, pushing the ghost onto the floor. “I want to play something else!”

“Sore loser!” Snatcher repeated, earning a swipe at his face.

“Cheat!”

“Loser!”

Empress and Snatcher began playfully taking shots at each other.

“I’ll go check what other games we've got,” Conductor sighed, standing up.

The owl pressed a quick kiss to Grooves' cheek. “Be back soon, love.”

Grooves smiled at him before returning his attention to their friends.

Empress and Snatcher wore matching smirks, even with the cat holding the ghost in a headlock.

“Go on then Grooves. Spill the details,” Empress prompted.

“You two are older than me, how are you so childish?” Grooves questioned.

“You've got to have some fun after dying!” and “You're childish!” mixed together.

Empress let go of Snatcher, ruffling his hair before leaning back against the sofa.

“So…?”

“So what?”

“So, what's it like now you two are dating?!” Snatcher all but shouted.

Grooves mulled over the question.

“Not that different to before actually. We're more affectionate and have nicknames for each other but that's about it. Not that much has changed,” he mumbled, face heating at the way his feathers ruffled as he spoke.

“That's it?!”

“It's none of yer business,” Conductor stated, walking back into the room with a stack of boxes. “Now pick another game.”

“Oooh, oooh, oooh! We should play truth or dare!” Snatcher suggested, looping an arm behind Empress' shoulders. “C'mon Empress! Tell them how fun it is!”

“He's right, we should play truth or dare,” Empress agreed.

"Empress, truth or dare?” Conductor suddenly asked, putting the boxes down and leaning into Grooves.

“You know what? Truth.”

“How did you get your scar?”

“Dare.”

“Tell us how you got your scar,” he pressed.

The cat scowled.

“I did it myself. I had to look like I could command respect,” Empress admitted, paws fidgeting in the lap.

Snatcher wrapped an arm around her shoulders, glaring at the owl.

“Truth or dare, peck neck?” He spat.

“Dare.”

“Stop being such a di-!”

“Hey, no, there isn't any need for that,” Empress said quietly, shrugging Snatcher away.

Snatcher let out a huff of air. “Fine. Tell us what was the first musical you did.”

“Newsies,” Conductor answered.

“Shut up you liar. The first musical you did was Cinderella,” Empress scoffed, tail winding round Snatcher's back. “Grooves, truth or dare?”

The penguin's face screwed up slightly as he tried to decide. “Umm. Truth…?”

“You didn't sound too sure. But fine. You've seen The Conductor in musicals. Which was your favourite performance of his?” Empress questioned.

Grooves felt flustered as his three friends looked expectantly at him.

“It's hard to choose just one,” he mumbled, hoping to take attention off of him.

“My turn, I pick dare,” Snatcher exclaimed, drumming his hands on his lap and continuing to look at Grooves.

Grooves shrugged, uncertain of what to say.

Conductor stepped in for him. “Don't hug Empress for the rest of the evening.”

The ghost looked appalled, mouth hanging open.

He slowly obliged, shuffling away from Empress.

“I'm sick of this game,” Snatcher pouted, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Let's play something else.”

#moulin rouge discotrain au #a hat in time #ahit #ahit au #ahit conductor #the conductor #discotrain #ahit dj grooves #dj grooves #ahit snatcher #ahit empress #the snatcher #a hat in time snatcher #snatcher

[ninjadeathblade]

Moulin Rouge Discotrain AU (party thirty eight)

Summary: Now that they're together, Conductor and Grooves are slowly settling in with their love for one another. Both have strong feelings for one another but don't always know how to express it.

Beginning | Previous | Next

Word count: 949

Warnings: None

Author's notes: Sorry this took ages to come out. Anyway, I am finally allowing them to kiss so it was worth the wait. I got inspired by this art by @nasubeenwithcat. Her art is amazing, do go check out her blog. Anyway, enjoy!

Grooves smiled at the happy look on Conductor's face as both of them looked at the tree.

The lights decorating it twinkled in the otherwise dark room, spilling splashes of rainbow coloured light across the walls.Felt decorations of all shapes, sizes and colours were strung across its branches, giving it a cosy feel.

The owl sighed contentedly and leaned back against the penguin's chest.

Conductor was back to a chill temperature, having gotten a necklace from the train to suppress his powers.

“Thank you for inviting me,” Grooves said quietly as Roxie positioned the star on top of the tree.

Conductor tilted his head around a little further, pressing a quick kiss to Grooves' cheek. “Anytime.”

The penguin felt his heart stutter at the words and a small ripple of anxiety went through him.

It couldn't be anytime, could it?

Conductor would get sick of him eventually, the same way everyone always did.

Conductor turning around brought him back out of his negative thoughts.

“Would you dance with me?” Conductor asked sheepishly.

Grooves realised that the old radio on the shelf at the side of the room was playing a slow tune, piano notes cascading in the quiet air.

“Well, we do need practice for the movie,” Grooves joked, earning a chuckle from his companion.

Conductor hummed along with the tune until the lyrics began.

“That certain night. The night we met. There was magic abroad in the air. There were angels dining at the Ritz. And a nightingale sang in Berkeley Square.”

Grooves let out a surprised huff of air as Conductor dipped him slightly.

“I know I'm meant ta be the confident one in the movie but I'm pretty sure yer the confident one out of the two of us,” Conductor teased.

Grooves pushed back upwards, counterbalancing them and leaving Conductor hanging in his arms.

“Didn't realise you were one for flirting, angel.”

The owl's feathers ruffled slightly before his mouth twitched into a smirk. “Yer gotta remember that although you had the ideas, I wrote the dialogue for Christian and Satine in almost every romance scene.”

“Okay. Fair point,” Grooves admitted, pulling him back to stand.

“I want some fresh air,” Conductor declared, beginning to tug him towards the door before stopping and turning back to his daughter. “Rox, yer good to get the little ones ready for bed?”

“Don't worry about me, go be lovey-dovey or whatever,” Roxie said, walking over to the pile of chicks on the sofa.

“The air is so clean out here,” Grooves marvelled as Conductor led him outside.

“It's why we raised Roxie out here when she was still little. Wanted her to grow up healthy,” Conductor explained, pulling him round one side of the house.

The owl climbed onto a ladder leaning against the side of the house. “Do yer wanna see something cool?”

Grooves gazed adoringly at his beloved’s excited grin. “On the roof?”

“Better view up there,” Conductor reasoned, clambering the rest of the way up to the roof.

Grooves chuckled and followed him, the two of them lying down side by side.

“Woah.”

The sky was adorned with sparkling lights, hues ranging from blue through to purple, painting it like a masterpiece. The moon shone like a spotlight above them, illuminating the edges of a couple clouds.

“I always loved lookin’ up at the sky out here. Made me wonder if I'd ever visit somewhere big out there,” Conductor said quietly.

“It's beautiful,” Grooves breathed as he looked at the night.

“Yeah, it is.”

Grooves glanced over at Conductor.

The owl had rolled onto his side, staring at the penguin.

“You brought me up here to look at the sky,” Grooves pointed out, a blush heating his cheeks.

Conductor slung an arm over Grooves and moved closer to him. “It's cold.”

Grooves smiled, knowing this was Conductor's way of subtly asking to be closer.

“You're always cold.”

“It's night time in winter, of course I'm cold.”

“You'll freeze to death one day.”

“You'd never see another of my movies.”

“I'd publish your theatre club acting.”

“You would nae dare.”

The bickering held no real threat, none of the venom their arguing would have about a year ago.

Conductor sat up slightly, leaning over Grooves. “You… you wouldn't really though, right?”

Grooves pushed himself a little more upright as well, their beaks hovering near each others'.

“I promise I wouldn't.”

Conductor's feathers puffed up slightly, as if hesitant.

The owl looked away, paused for a moment, shook his head gently, looked back.

He slowly raised a hand to cup Grooves' cheek. “Can I kiss you?”

Grooves sighed in relief that it wasn't something more serious.

“Yes."

Conductor smiled softly before leaning in and kissing him tenderly.

The owl nervously retreated a few seconds later.

“I'm sorry I should nae have done that it was stupid of me,” Conductor began to ramble, words bumping into one another. “I'm so sorry Grooves I promise I will nae-”

The owl went quiet as the penguin placed his flippers against his cheeks.

“It's fine diamond.”

Conductor let out a shaky breath before looking back up at the sky and let out a small gasp.

“Shooting star.”

Grooves looked up just in time to catch the streak of white light across the sky.

“Make a wish,” they said simultaneously before bursting into laughter.

“You first.”

Another bout of laughs.

“I wish that you would accept how amazing you are,” Grooves said.

Conductor chuckled nervously and pressed a quick kiss to his beak.

“I wish you would be remembered forever for yer role as Christian. You're a great actor.”

“When did you become so sweet?”

“When I met a very sweet penguin.”

#a hat in time #ahit #ahit au #ahit conductor #the conductor #discotrain #ahit dj grooves #dj grooves #ahit moulin rouge au #ahit oc #oc roxie #moulin rouge discotrain au

[ninjadeathblade]

Moulin Rouge Discotrain AU (part twenty eight)

Summary: (Post-game canon) The Conductor and DJ Grooves agree to finally work on a movie together. They come up with 'Moulin Rouge', a musical drama filled with romance. Over time the two directors grow closer and discover that maybe they don't hate each other as much.

Beginning | Previous | Next

Word count: 927

Warnings: None

Author's notes: Here! They're happy now! Don't sue me for the previous part! I did keep my promise. Seriously, I have made them happier so you can't be that mad with me. Enjoy!

Grooves looked at his phone as it buzzed, checking the message he'd received.

Hey DJ, do you know where Empress is? - Snatcher

He quickly tapped out a reply before returning his attention to the movie on the TV.

It was one of Conductor's ones, his earliest in fact.

About a yellow feathered protagonist and his partner in crime love interest with reddish feathers.

Grooves sighed, flicking off the TV.

“Grooves!”

Grooves sighed, knowing the voice he was hearing was stupid.

Conductor wasn't here.

Conductor was at the studio.

Conductor didn't love him.

Conductor's movie didn't deserve him and he didn't deserve Conductor's affection.

“Grooves! Pecking hell, open yer window!”

Now that sounded too realistic to be his imagination.

Grooves crossed over to the window of the room, opening it up to the harsh weather outside.

“Finally!” Conductor shouted, small sodden form a bright spot against the dark road.

“Grooves! I'm an idiot, I'm sorry! I got nervous back there and said somethin’ that wasn't true!” Conductor continued. “And you were right! Love is like oxygen! So can yer please forgive me? I like you a lot too!”

Grooves paused, clinging to fragments of hope that this was real.

That it wasn't a dream.

“Wait there!” Grooves settled on, closing the window and dashing across the room.

He snagged an umbrella from by the door, racing outside into the rain.

“Grooves! Peck, Grooves, I'm so sorry.” The words poured out of Conductor's mouth as he stood in the torrent of water.

“I messed up. I do it a lot but that's nae an excuse for what I said. I like you so much and I don't know how to deal with that. But I would love to be with you. I'm so sorry for hurtin’ you,” Conductor apologised, hands fidgeting with the strap of his satchel.

Grooves walked over to him, holding the open umbrella over the two of them.

Conductor's feathers clung to his frame, making him look even smaller than usual.

“How are we meant to go about this then?” Grooves asked quietly.

Conductor shrugged. “I don't know. But we'll do it together. I haven't been with anyone since Scarlett but I would like to be with you.”

Grooves smiled softly at the owl, gesturing back towards the block of apartments.

“Want to come in then?”

Conductor shivered and nodded. “That'd be great.”

“Hey Grooves, d'you have any bandages?” Conductor inquired from the other room.

The penguin looked up from where he was ordering takeaway for the two of them.

“Yes, why?”

“The ones I had on got wet when I was runnin’ here. Plus I bled through them,” Conductor explained.

Grooves rushed into his bedroom where the owl was getting changed, staring at his partner.

Conductor grinned sheepishly as he pressed a handful of tissues against his left ankle.

Grooves shook his head, opening a draw and rummaging through it for a bandage before sitting down on the floor in front of Conductor.

“How did you hurt your foot?” Grooves asked quietly, pushing aside the tissues so he could begin to wrap the foot.

“Mucked it up when I was running after you. Didn't make it in time though, elevator was already going,” Conductor said, picking up the towel next to him and continuing to dry his feathers.

“I am sorry,” Conductor continued. “I-”

“Stop apologising,” Grooves instructed, glancing up at him. “We're together now, aren't we? That's what matters.”

Conductor leaned forward, resting his forehead against the penguin's.

“I'm just glad nothing in my bag got ruined,” he admitted.

“Why? What's in the bag?”

“Just some more tapes of me from when I went to theatre club. Figured that even if yer didn't want to be with me, it would still be a decent apology,” Conductor admitted.

“Diamond, you're such an idiot,” Grooves chuckled, tying off the bandage.

"Throw the rubbish in the bin in the corner. And once you've gotten changed I can hang up your clothes to dry,” Grooves stated, standing up.

"Thanks Grooves.”

“Anytime.”

Grooves finished ordering their food then picked up his phone as it rang.

“Hi?”

“Grooves, I'm taking tomorrow off. Also, did Conductor show up?” Empress replied.

“Oh, that's fine. And yeah, he's with me. Why, are you looking for him?"

“I would be if I found out he hadn't showed up. I'd knock some sense through his thick feathered skull! If he hasn't apologised, tell him that-”

“Everything's fine, bye!” Grooves interrupted, quickly hanging up.

Conductor limped out of the other room, lying down on the sofa and curling up against Grooves' side.

"Empress?”

“Yeah.”

“Sayin’ about what an idiot I was?”

“Kind of, yeah.”Conductor sighed, curling further into the hoodie he'd borrowed from Grooves.

"So, you bought tapes to make up for stuff?” Grooves questioned.

“You really want to see those, huh?” Conductor laughed, sitting up slightly and reaching over and picking up his bag.

"Okay then. We've got Phantom of the Opera, Oklahoma, Newsies, Chicago, Heathers, Hamilton, or An Inspector Calls.”

“How is only one of those not a musical?” Grooves chucked at the way that Conductor's face screwed up.

“I told yer, we did lots of musicals,” Conductor mumbled.

Grooves sat up, wrapping his arms around the owl's waist.

Conductor's feathers puffed up and he leant back slightly, just enough to rest more of his body against Grooves'.

"You should pick what we watch,” Grooves decided.

Conductor let out a hum of thought.

“I want to watch all of them though,” Conductor whispered, hugging the stack against him.

“So let's do that.”

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