บท 100: Siblings
After hearing what Eren had to say, Harry had one last loose end to tie up, one last thing that his father left behind. It took a while of researching, however, Harry eventually was able to track down his sister, Liz Allan-Osborn. It turns out she decided to drop the Osborn part of her name, going by Liz Allan as she actually lived an honest life as she promised about half a year prior.
She worked in a coffee shop, not too far away from the Osborn residence. Perhaps it was a coincidence or maybe she secretly wanted to live somewhere close to her brother in case she ever wanted to return home.
Harry entered the shop, immediately being hit by the smell of coffee and sweet danishes. Liz didn't notice him, but he immediately was shocked to see just how different she looked when she wasn't her Screwball persona. Rather than having that bright, crazy pink hair, her hair was brown and in a ponytail that hung from her work hat.
Harry grinned softly, looking at his sister as she had this look of fulfillment on her face as she prepared orders and gave them to customers with a smile. Without that Screwball getup, she actually seemed like a sweet, kindhearted person. She looked like the type of girl who'd be in a photography club or into something nerdy like collecting trading cards. It was a far cry from the borderline terrorist she once was.
As she handed an order to a customer, she noticed Harry sitting at one of the tables in the back. He could tell that it startled her, but she eventually smiled a little bit and waved shyly to him. He waved back as she whispered something to one of her coworkers and headed over to his table. She sat down in front of him, still smiling shyly before the two long-lost siblings greeted each other.
"Hi, Liz. How've you been?" Harry asked her, interlocking his hands and placing them on the table.
"I've been doing better. Thank you for asking. What about you, Harry?" She seemed to really appreciate his sentiment, perhaps people didn't really ask her how she was often. It was nice to hear that from someone who cared about her.
"I've been doing better too. Thank you." Harry told her with a smile as he looked around at the wooden aesthetic that surrounded them. "Quite the shop. How're you liking working here?"
"I like it, it's fun. I've been saving up for college with my salary." Liz said with a prideful smile. She never could afford college herself, nor did she really have any interest in it despite being in her early twenties.
"That's great, Liz. You know, I could get you into any college you want... but you're probably like someone I know and you wanna work for it yourself, right?" Harry saying this compelled Liz to nod slowly with that smile still on her face.
"Yeah, I want to work for this. I want to earn my second chance." She said with sincerity. She also wasn't interested in using any of her father's money for personal gain. It didn't feel honest to her.
"I get it. If you ever need help, you can always call me, Liz. I'll give you my number. Even if it's just to talk, you know?" Harry offered as that feeling he gets when money doesn't solve his problems began to build up inside of him. He wanted to help her in some way, but he knew that money wasn't the way to do it, despite it fixing almost all of his own personal problems. One thing he was working on was trying to be a better man without his privileges.
"Yeah, I'd like that." she told him with a smile. "I don't mean this rudely, but what made you suddenly come find me? I hadn't heard from you in a while so... I thought I was right about you just forgetting about me."
Harry's eyebrows wilted, feeling saddened that she still felt that way about him, viewing him in a similar light to their father. "No, I'd never forget you. I was just busy, so busy that I was ignoring the people I cared about. I was so caught up in trying to right father's wrongs, I lost sight of what was important."
"I'm important to you?" Liz asked timidly.
"Of course. You're my sister. We're the only family we've got, right?"
"Right." Liz nodded shyly, rubbing her arm awkwardly. She didn't feel that way about Harry at all, or at least she didn't think she did. However, he did have a point. She was just so afraid to get close to him, being wary of that Osborn side of him that could be similar to their father. She didn't want to be used again, despite feeling some sort of familial love for him.
"Liz, if it's okay with you, I want us to try being a family. I know it's sudden, but I just feel like the world could end any day now, so we should try and enjoy the time we have left with those we care about, right? I understand if you don't want to, but-"
"I do. I want to try." Liz told him. "You're right. We never know what the future has in store for us, right?"
Harry nodded. "Right."
Liz looked over at the clock, seeing her break was almost over, and finding herself feeling glum about it. "Well, I gotta go now. Here, I can give you my number." Liz extended her hand, prompting Harry to give her his phone. As she said, she put her number in her brother's phone before standing back up on her feet.
"See you later, Harry." She said, smiling before walking back to her post.
Harry got up as well, waving to her one last time before leaving the shop. It felt good to finally reconnect with her, especially since he'd always wanted a sibling. However, it pained him to know that their sibling relationship would end if Eren could not change the future.
.
.
.
Just a few days later, Eren, Cindy, Lily, Flash, and Gwen found themselves inside a bowling alley, waiting for Harry to arrive with a supposed guest. "Do you know who he's bringing?" Eren asked the collective as they all sat in a circular booth beside a lane, though everyone shook their heads in declination.
"I don't know, we're his only friends I thought." Cindy said, shrugging.
However, just as they were talking about him, Harry appeared with his sister next to him, rubbing her arm shyly and looking at the ground. She didn't really have friends outside of social media, so going on an outing with five strangers and her brother whom she was still trying to get to know was nerve-racking.
"She's pretty, who is that?" Cindy asked, looking to Eren as if he knew the answer.
"I don't know... their hair color is kinda similar. Didn't he mention having a sister?" Due to Eren and Harry's last conversation being a timeline-exclusive event, Harry never was motivated enough to find his sister in the other timelines as he was laser-focused on atoning. In many of them, he and Eren even fought each other, but Eren was careful to avoid any situations that would lead to that.
"Hey, guys!" Harry addressed the group excitedly before pushing his sister forward gently to present herself. "This is my sister, Liz. Remember I told you guys about her?"
"Oh, she's the social media girl?" Eren asked, not even thinking if that was a touchy subject or not for her. Once he realized it, he added to his statement. "Uh, not that it's a problem or anything. Everyone deserves second chances, in fact, everyone here has done something we aren't proud of so-" Cindy elbowed Eren in the side of his body, stopping him from talking.
Finally, Liz was able to speak. "Yeah..." her face was starting to turn red with embarrassment at that point. She didn't think that anyone knew she was Screwball outside of her brother, so this was definitely not something she was prepared for.
'This girl is seriously Screwball?' almost everyone thought in unison upon seeing the shy girl who was hidden beneath the mask. It's a common concept in psychology that wearing a mask causes a person to act in a way they normally wouldn't. It's why Eren became more talkative, why Harry became more aggressive, why Cindy was able to mutilate the Green Goblin, and why Screwball was so outgoing and hyper. It gives people the chance to change who they are.
"It's good to meet you, Liz!" Lily added, standing up to greet the girl with a handshake. "I'm Lily Hollister, your brother's girlfriend."
"𝘠𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 dating 𝘩𝘪𝘮?" Liz seemed surprised that Harry had a girlfriend who was so attractive, especially considering all the things she knew about him. "Aren't you a bit... out of his league?" as soon as Liz asked this very genuine question, everyone erupted in laughter, even Lily giggled.
Liz laughed awkwardly as Harry stood there dumbfounded. "Huh..." he muttered. "Wait, what? Why is everyone laughing?"
And just like that, Liz felt comfortable joining the group, introducing herself to everyone, one by one, before eventually, everyone was ready to bowl together. Liz had never been bowling before, so it was up to her younger brother to be the one to teach her. As everyone was trying to determine what order they should bowl in, Harry stepped up to the lane first.
"Quiet, quiet, I shall grace thee with thy presence of thy God of Bowling." Harry said confidently before grabbing one of the heavier bowling balls with a single hand as if it weighed nothing. People often forgot that he too technically had a form of super strength thanks to Kraven's herbs.
"Watch and learn." With perfect form, Harry took a few steps forward and launched the ball forward using his super strength, absolutely annihilating the bowling pins in front of him and getting a strike on his first try. Harry pumped his fist before turning around and extending his arms. "As I said: God of Bowling."
Eren was next, grabbing a ball and pretending it was heavy before approaching the lane without saying a word. Using a bit of his Spider-Strenght but not too much to make it obvious, he rolled the ball forward, curving it perfectly before getting a strike. Eren dusted his hands, turning to Harry with a smirk on his face. "Bowling is nothing more than physics. You can cheat with that strength of yours all you want, I got the most powerful muscle right here." Eren pointed to his own head as he said this, pretending as if he too wasn't a superhero in disguise, cheating by using his strength.
Flash got up immediately after Eren went, still having that competitive link between the two of them, just in a less hateful way. "Blah, blah, blah. Math, physics, science... Watch this..." Flash grabbed the heaviest ball before taking a few steps forward and launching the ball with no strategy whatsoever like a missile. Like Harry, he eradicated the pins before puffing his chest and returning to his seat.
All the girls looked at the boys with unimpressed glares, thinking that they were taking this way too seriously. Gwen went directly after, knocking down three pins before failing to pick up the spare on her next run.
Cindy went after her, having no interest in joining in on the muscle measuring contest as she weakly threw the ball as if she couldn't pelt it into the stratosphere if she wanted to. She ended up getting a spare, making sure to make it look accidental in the process.
Lily went after her, bowling a strike with ease due to actually being a decent bowler herself.
Lastly, it was Liz's turn, finding herself standing in the lane with the lightest ball in her hand. She was observing everyone's strategies, but she still had no confidence in herself. "You got this Liz!" Harry encouraged her, compelling her to put on a face full of resolve. 'I got this...' she thought to herself before swinging her arm backward with near-perfect form, causing everyone's eyebrows to rise before she threw the ball forward...
However, the ball immediately curved into the gutter. "Awe..." she wined as she watched the ball continue down the side of the lane, hitting absolutely nothing.
"It's okay, you got the next one." Harry told her, compelling everyone else to join in.
"Yeah, you got it."
"Next try!"
"Show those pins who's boss!"
"You got it, girl!"
"Just a little less curve next time and you're good."
Liz immediately felt better hearing the words of encouragement from her new friends, giving herself a feeling she'd never had before. This is what it felt like to have genuine friends, people that cared about her, not in the same way that her so-called fans claimed. This was real support from people that genuinely cared for her, something she hadn't felt in so long.
Once again, Liz grabbed a bowling ball before taking everyone's words and advice into account. Taking a deep breath, Liz stepped forward and released the ball down the lane, knocking down three pins and causing everyone around her to erupt in celebration.
Liz raised her arms and squealed cutely, kicking her feet as she truly felt delighted at the moment, releasing a bit of the Screwball personality within her.
And just like that, Liz Allan was part of the group, finding herself part of a family like she had dreamed of after all those years.
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