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eroselless · 4 months

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PATO - FIVE

series masterlist | part 3 | part 4

[charles leclerc x reader, carlos sainz x reader]

warnings: pregnancy, angst, breastfeeding, spanish and google translated french

note: Yikes, the way I wrote charles is lowkey toxic, mb lol. This part reminded me of a picture i saw ages ago about how men and women deal with breakups, dudes moving on immediately and end up being sad after a few months and women being sad for a bit and then moving on after a few months.

Anyways, shoutout to my baby sisters for being my main inspiration behind Lucero and for helping me figure out what babies do at 13 months lol I apologies in advance if some things don’t make sense, I tried my best to imitate the way they used to speak and use that for Lucero.

Although not necessary, I listened to this playlist while I did all my writing and editing. It’s a nice bittersweet blend. If you guys wanna give it a listen, I think it would enhance the feelings in this part :)

We’re bouncing a little with the time jumps again but as always, they have the dates so its easier to track :) Happy reading!

MEXICO, OCTOBER 2024

Charles staggers into the hotel room, chest heaving as if he’s been sprinting miles without rest. His chest constricts, each breath coming out in shallow puffs as he struggles to recompose himself.

“Mon cœur?” he hears come from the bedroom and he no longer has it in him to hold back. Alexandra peeks out, eyes full of concern as she approaches the sobbing man. His face is buried in his hands and he would give anything to blend into the wall he’s leaning on. Guiding him to their room, she sits him down, slotting herself between his legs as he grips tight around her middle. His tears soak through her shirt as his body wracks with loud sobs.

Frustration, anger, sadness – they all jumble together in his mind. Alexandra runs her fingers through his hair, murmuring comforts and feather light kisses into his hairline and waits for the sobs to soften before speaking.

"Mon cœur, que s'est-il passé?" she asks, gently pushing his face away from her torso. My heart, what happened? She cradles his face as he looks up at her, silent tears staining his face. “That little girl we met today... she's my daughter. I didn’t know.” His voice is hoarse when he whispers, full of regret and guilt.

Alexandra’s eyes widen at the admission. “Charles, comment a-t-elle pu te cacher quelque chose comme ça? C'est... impardonnable," she says, her tinged with sympathy and indignation. How could she keep something like this from you? That's... unforgivable.

Charles shakes his head, eyes squeezed shut, a few tears still escaping down his cheeks. His sobs are fading in quiet hiccups as he slowly regains his breathing. “No, Alex. It’s not her fault. I’m the one who wasn’t there, it’s all my fault. I didn’t care enough, I left.”

She’s puzzled at his confession, lost in the depth of his sorrow. “What?”

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

MONACO, DECEMBER 2022

You’re lying partially on your side, arm draped over your bare chest as it rises and falls at a steady pace. He watches as you turn away, hair cascading over your back. The sheets are wrapped just over your middle, your upper body completely exposed to the air. The soft morning light filters through the room and Charles can’t help but think of the events last night.

He can still hear your voice as it echoes through the room, begging him not to stop. He can feel the crescent moons you’ve pressed into the thick muscles of his back. The ghost of your lips still lingers on his skin, like the stain of red lipstick on the collar of a white shirt.

He leans over your sleeping figure, dragging his nose over your shoulder and pressing a ghost of a kiss there. It rouses you just enough to murmur a drowsy protest. “Don’t go,” you whisper and reach out for him, the tips of your fingers barely catching his skin. He is already on his feet.

"I'll be back soon," he lies, slipping out before you can say anything else. He busies himself with mundane tasks, filling his day with errands that could be left for later. He thinks of you, all on your own, in your shared apartment waiting for him to come home. As you always did. He drives across the city, glancing at his phone as your messages roll in, swiping them away almost as quickly as they came.

The truth was, being at home was proving to be increasingly difficult as time went on. His home with you, once a sanctuary, felt like a pressure cooker ready to pop. He loved you, doted on your every move but the constant fear of his career and unrelenting scrutiny of the public had slowly started to suffocate him. He couldn’t bear to break your heart and burden you with his overwhelming amount of feelings. What if he’d never be good enough for Ferrari, good enough for you? With every moment he spent away, he kept sinking into his own mind, choosing to ignore you and your attempts at breaking down his walls. He hated being away from you but he couldn’t help but pack you away into a corner of his mind, where he knew you’d be waiting for him, day in and day out.

He comes home late that night, the guilt of having to face you gnawing at him. It's well after sunset and the night air is cool, the breeze turning icy. He walks through the door, expecting the lights to be off but is surprised to see you leaning over the sink, rinsing off dishes.

Your face lights up when you see him, a tender smile he knows is only for him.

“Cha, you’re back,” you exclaim, turning to face the counter closest to the wall. You pick up a plate, filled generously with a meal that he could tell you spent a great deal of effort on. It’s gone cold in his absence.

He only gives you a small smile, pressing a light kiss to your temple. He can’t help but feel a little surprised at your good mood. But he can’t bring himself to match the enthusiasm you carry in your voice.“I’m not really hungry,” he mutters, eyes not meeting yours. “I think I’ll just shower and head to bed.”

Your smile falters as he moves towards your bedroom, hurt flickering across your face. “But.. I made this for you. You’ve been out all day, I thought we could eat together.”

He forces a smile, trying to appease you and end the conversation quickly. “I appreciate it amour, really. I’m just really tired.”

He can feel your eyes on him as he turns away, heavy with unspoken words. If he knew then what he knows now, he would've stood in that room and held you close. He would’ve tried harder to keep you by his side. He would’ve told you that he loved you. But he didn’t.

She’ll come back, it’s okay, his thoughts echo while he stares at the door as you run into the night. You’re his rock, his anchor. His home. Weeks trickle by slowly and he can feel you slip away as more time goes by. He eventually stops thinking that he can hear your keys jingle in the lock at the front door. Your scent no longer clings to the bedsheets and the lush scented detergent you would buy gradually runs out. He slowly begins placing your things in boxes and taking them into storage where he hopes one day you’ll come to get them. Soon enough, he erases you from the apartment completely and it's as if you were never even there.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Charles shakes his head, his breath hitching. “I would do that often when I was home. I would lavish her with affection, trying to make sure she knew that I loved her with my whole being but…” he stops, pressing shaky fingers to his lips as if his breath is completely depleted. “I would find reasons to leave, seeking comfort in anything that wouldn’t make me think of what I was feeling inside.”

"Why?" Alexandra asks softly, her hand gently stroking his back.

"I was scared," he admitted. "Scared of losing her, of not being enough. I thought keeping my distance, both physically and emotionally, would protect the both of us, but it only drove her away."

Alexandra's heart aches for him as he confesses. She knows Charles loves her but as his emotions spill out before her, she can’t help but feel like the other woman. She feels guilty as this new feeling is born and grows quickly. He’s confiding in her and the only thing she can think of are the doubts beginning to spiral in her mind. Trying to mask her discomfort she wraps her arms around him, his body relaxing against her as his breath gets smoother.

"You did what you thought was best, Charles. You made mistakes, yes, but now you’ve learned and can move to find a better way forward," she says as her hand rubs up and down his back.

Charles shakes his head. "I was selfish, Alex. I was so focused on my fears that I ignored her needs. I wanted to build a life together, to have a family. I pushed her away, and now... now I have a daughter I've never met."

Alex swallows hard as tears begin to bead in her eyes. She tries not to think too much about what he’s saying. She tries not to think about how this could make or break them. Would he still want to build something with me? Have the family he’s always wanted with me?

“But you're here now and that’s all that matters. It’s not going to be easy but you can still be part of Lucero’s life and maybe, in time find a way to make amends.” She meets his gaze once again. The whites of his eyes are now red, only making the green around his iris look more brilliant than it did before. “Thank you, mon amour. For being here, for listening. I don’t deserve you.”

She gives him a small smile, pushing away the feelings of insecurity that are now growing in the back of her mind. “Nous allons nous en sortir. Juste… ne m'exclut pas, d'accord ? Je ne peux pas t'aider si tu ne me laisses pas entrer.” We’ll get through this. Just… don’t shut me out, okay? I can’t help you if you don’t let me in.

“Je promets,” he nods, pulling her into his arms again. I promise.

Charles is exhausted as he lays in her arms later that night, face pressed into her chest, snug against her heart. Alexandra lies awake in the darkness, the thought of you overtaking her mind. Her hands tenderly brush over Charles’s hair, his deep breaths tickling her skin slightly. There will always be a part of him that belonged to you. And it makes her wonder, with Lucero and you beginning to take your places in his heart, would there still be room for her?

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

The sun gently peeks through the curtains, casting a warm glow over the room. You stir from your sleep, eyes heavy as you turn to the sound of Lucero’s cries. You begin to pull yourself up, pushing the sheets off of you. You hear a string of tsks next to you, Carlos gently pulling you back to bed.

“Tu quedate aqui,” he says quietly, his voice rough. “Yo voy por ella.” You stay here, I’ll get her.

You mumble a slurred ok, nodding with eyes still very heavy as you settle back down. Eyes still puffy with sleep, you settle on now propped-up pillows. Pulling at the straps of your sleep shirt, you slip the top off. You watch hazily as Carlos moves to Lucero’s makeshift crib, his steps quiet and measured. He coos at her and you can see her little hands reach out for him, legs kicking in frustration. “Buenos días, mi patito,” he says, cradling her close. “Ya vamos con la mamí, no te preocupes.” Good morning, my duckling. We're going with mummy, don’t worry. It makes your heart flutter as he stares at her with his gentle eyes, pressing a kiss to her hand as it goes to poke at his chin.

He makes his way back to the bed, watching as you adjust yourself in your spot. Lucero babbles, her initial upset fading into a groggy murmur as she nestles into the crook of Carlos’s neck. Her thumb catches on her lip as she tries to suck on it.

Carlos chuckles as he watches her latch onto it, gently pulling it from her mouth. “No, señora,” he says teasingly. No, ma'am. “No thumb-sucking, little miss.” His gaze is warm as he hands her to you.

The room fills with a peaceful silence as Lucero latches on, her small body relaxing in her mother’s arms. She holds on tightly, almost insatiable as she feeds. Carlos climbs back into bed, propping himself up on one elbow. His gaze is fixed on the two of you, eyes soft as he sees how devoted you’ve become to your little one, the love and connection strong between you.

He can’t help but feel a sense of awe as he continues to watch you. He can’t help but admire how far you’ve come, the bond between you and Lucero beautiful and pure. The feeling of protectiveness and devotion to the two of you grows every day. He catches him thinking of the babe as his own, his daughter. She meant everything to him and he can’t bear to even imagine his life without her in it. Yet, he knew that Charles had a right to be a part of her life too, no matter how much it hurt to have to share that role. It's a thought that fills him with warmth but follows with a pang of bittersweet reality.

With Lucero’s cries ceased, you gaze down at her. You're engrossed with how peaceful she looks, her little nose pressing into the flesh of your breast, little hands holding you as close as she can. Her eyes are beginning to droop again as her tummy fills up. She sighs in her stupor, pausing briefly before continuing.

You can feel Carlos’s gaze on you. He looks at you in adoration, fingers ghosting over Lucero’s chubby legs. He presses a kiss to your shoulder, sitting up as he does. Taking a deep breath, he breaks the silence. “Do you wanna talk about last night?” he asks gently. “And what comes next?”

The question hangs in the air briefly, heavy with the weight of this new reality. You take a deep breath, mind coursing with different thoughts and emotions. “Not really, no.” You confess with a dry chuckle. If you could stay in this moment, just the three of you, you would without a second thought. “But we need to.”

He takes another deep breath, nodding. His expression is thoughtful as he threads his fingers through yours, bringing your hand up to his lips. “I know,” he says quietly. “I was thinking… If we’re going to do this, maybe we should also think about involving Alexandra.”

You blink in surprise, your eyebrows furrowing. “Alexandra?” you repeat, voice uncertain.

Carlos nods, giving your hand a reassuring squeeze. “Yeah,” he says slowly. “I know its complicated, but she’s a part of Charles’s life. If he’s going to be in Lucero’s life, she might be too.”

Your expression is still a puzzled one as you respond. “I hadn’t thought about that,” You admit. “Do you think it's a good idea?”

Carlos sighs, running a hand through his hair. “I don’t know,” he says honestly. “But I think we should at least be open to it. Lucero deserves to know everyone who loves her. And I’m here, i know it’s not the same but I feel that because of that, she should be there too. We can’t ignore that.”

Your heart aches slightly at the thought, fear and hope swirling in your chest. “I’m scared, Carlos,” you say, voice beginning to tremble. “I don’t want to make things harder for her.”

Carlos leans in, pressing a gentle kiss to your forehead. “I know,” he whispers, eyes trained on her little figure, still sucking away. “But we need to think about what’s best for her in the long run. We’ll take it slow and be there for her every step of the way.”

Your eyes begin to fill with tears, your grip on Lucero tightening slightly. “What if it doesn’t work out? What if it hurts her?”

Carlos’s eyes soften, and he cups your face in his hands, forcing you to meet his gaze. “We’ll do everything we can to make sure she’s okay,” he says firmly. “We’ll protect her. But we can’t shield her from everything. She deserves the chance to know her family, even if it’s complicated.”

You nod slowly, heart heavy with the weight of the decision. “Okay,” you say softly. “We’ll try. But we have to be careful. We have to make sure it’s what’s best for her.”

Carlos smiles, his eyes filled with love and pride. “We will,” he promises. He presses his forehead to yours.“We’ll figure it out together.”

Lucero had finished feeding, her eyes now drifting closed as she snuggles against your chest. You look down at her daughter, feeling a swell of emotion as you cradle her closer. Her jaw trembles slightly, a sign she was tired once again. “I just want her to be happy,” you whisper, voice breaking slightly.

Carlos wraps his arm around you, pulling the two of you close. “She will be,” he says gently. “She has you. And she has me. And now, she has a chance to know her father too.”

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

BRAZIL, NOVEMBER 2024

The sun is high over Sao Paolo when you arrive to the paddock. The air is electric with excitement, spectators slowly filling up the stands around the track. Their conversations create a gentle buzz that echoes above the garages.

Carlos makes his way into the paddock, smiling at photographers and journalists as they wait for his entrance. They don’t miss the small body he holds in his arms and the woman that trails closely behind him, fingers intertwined with his.

Your eyes scan meet the people waiting for you to enter, a delicate smile gracing your lips. Once in the Ferrari garage, you take release a breath, one you didn’t know you’d been holding back.

“Are you sure this was a good idea?” you ask Carlos as you’re settled in the back of the garage. A sudden wave of nerves washes over you as you can see a couple photographers clicking away around the garage. “Bringing her here?”

Carlos leans on one of the tables with you, nodding, fingers gently brushing over her wispy tufts of brown hair. “She seems to like it,” he points out as she squeals happily, pulling at the wire that connects to the big headphones Fred passed to her as you entered. “Besides, it’s good for her to see where Charles and I spend so much time.”

You smile, the concern still evident in your eyes. “I just don’t want her to feel overwhelmed.”

“She’s tougher than she looks,” Carlos says, fingers going to lovingly pinch at your arm. You know he’s referring to her but the look on his eyes makes you think he might mean you too.

Lucero spots the red car being worked on and babbles excitedly as she sees the garage technicians checking around the car.

“Cah-loh!” she exclaims, her voice a mix of wonder and determination. “Sí, Lu, un carro,” you correct gently. Yes, Lu, a car. Her attempt at say carro was endearing, the R sound still elusive for her baby tongue. Car. “Es rojo. Puedes decir, rojo?” she claps her hands, ignoring your request. Its red. can you say red?

Carlos chuckles, leaning down to kiss her head. “Lolo’s going to drive el carro rojo, mi amor.” he says to her, pointing to himself and adding a soft vroom as he begins to imitate a car with his hand. He makes almost a flying motion with his hand in front of you before gently whooshing it towards the bubbly baby, tickling her tummy. She giggles, managing to grap his hands and pulls at his fingers. She holds them up to her face, a soft gargle of buh buh buh falling from her lips.

Lucero catches the eye of Charles as he makes his way into the garage, his eyes lighting up as he approaches you. He’s wearing those god-awful bleached jeans again, the odd stripes something you always teased him about. You just don’t see the art yet, he’d often say.

He gives Carlos a side hug before hesitantly leaning over you and wrapping his arms around you. It sends a wave of nerves through the both of you. He lets go quickly before he can think much of it and crouches slightly to meet Lucero’s eyes.

“Bonjour, ma petite amour,” His voice is soft as he speaks to her. Hello, my little love. There’s an eager smile on his face, one that masks the nerves that were bubbling just beneath the surface. It’s one you recognize.

Lucero looks at Charles, suddenly clampering into your arms, tucking her face into your neck. Charles’s heart clenches at the sight. “Muñeca, dile hola a Cha,” you say, his nickname rolling off your tongue with ease. Doll, say hi to Cha.

You poke gently her little tummy, pulling her attention to her father. He smiles at her as she peeks out from behind your hair. You guide her hand gently towards Charles and she meets him in the halfway, her little fingers wrapping around his. “She’ll warm up,” you reassure. “It’s a lot for her, all these new faces and places.”

Charles nods, a slight flutter of uncertainty vibrating through his chest. “I understand,” he says. “I’m just happy to see her.”

Carlos observes the exchange, emotions swirling in his chest. He can’t help the protectiveness and understanding that bubble up as he sees this. He moves away from the table only to have Lucero reach her arms out for him.

“Vienes conmigo, estrellita?” he asks as she pulls away from you and Charles, oblivious to the emotions of the adults around her. Are you coming with me, little star? She points excitedly at the car again, prompting Carlos to get near it. Buh buh buh she tries quietly.

“Bah bah,” she finally manages, voice loud as she proceeds to bury her face into Carlos’s shirt. He lets out a giggle as she does so. “Baba, bluum.” he looks at her with wide eyes, bouncing her in his arms. He glances over at you, jaw slack as he identifies what she’s trying to say.

Charles’s smile falters momentarily. She means papa, he thinks. He masks his broken-heartedness quickly and turns to you. “She seems to really like the cars.” He comments, trying to keep his otne light.

“She does,” you say, glancing between the two men. “Maybe she’ll be a driver someday, like her father.”

“Maybe,” Charles says, his voice sounding like it’s far away. The word father hangs in the air, shrouded in a veil and he’s not sure if you mean Carlos or him.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Unraveling the Ferrari Enigma: Carlos Sainz Arrives with Mystery Woman and Baby, Spotted Again with Charles Leclerc at Brazilian GP

In an unexpected twist at the Mexican Grand Prix, Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz was seen arriving hand-in-hand with a mystery woman and a baby, sparking widespread speculation and intrigue within the F1 community. The woman, identified by sharp-eyed fans as Y/N L/N, the elusive former girlfriend of Sainz’s teammate, Charles Leclerc, has rarely been seen publicly, adding to the mystique surrounding this revelation.

Y/N L/N, who maintained a low profile throughout her relationship with Leclerc, has remained a figure of intrigue among fans and the media. Leclerc, known for his privacy regarding personal matters, never publicly acknowledged L/N, making this unexpected appearance alongside Sainz and the child even more startling.

Adding to the speculation, L/N and the baby—whose identiy remains undisclosed—made a second appearance at the Brazilian Grand Prix, further capturing the attention of the F1 world. Observers noted that not only were L/N and the child seen with Sainz, but they were also frequently spotted around Leclerc, intensifying curiosity about the current dynamics within the Ferrari team.

The repeated public appearances of L/N and the child have ignited a flurry of questions regarding their connection to Sainz and Leclerc, and what this means for the Ferrari drivers off the track. Could this development cause tension between Sainz and Leclerc? With the high stakes of the racing season and the close-knit nature of the F1 community, the unexpected appearance of L/N and the baby has undoubtedly raised eyebrows and sparked numerous questions.

a/n: Hi friends! If you’ve gotten this far, thank you so much for reading! Any feedback, reblogs and likes are appreciated, they seriously keep me so motivated <3

What do you guys think about this little news item? I enjoyed coming up with the one I made back in part 2, I thought why not make one for this part? Should I keep adding them in every now and then?

tags: @kravitzwhore @janeh22 @apollosfavkiddo @leah-also-known-as-creatoronwp @tremendousstarlighttragedy @sltwins @bwormie @marshmummy @honethatty12 @staplerrrr @smithieandy @loloekie @musicheaux @jeondeluxe111 @dessxoxsworld @xoscar03 @emryb @yl90 @poppyflower-22 @a-distantdreamer

strike through => tumblr won’t let me tag you!

#carlos sainz #carlos sainz x reader #charles leclerc #charles leclerc x reader #carlos sainz imagine #charles leclerc imagine

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gracieheartspedro · 11 months

Text

Beggin' for Thread

part 2 of Trash Talk

pairing: fem!reader x abby anderson (post outbreak, set before the events of tlou2)

description: being stuck with abby and him-who-should-not-be-named on a mission is already a big problem. especially when you're not on your a-game. abby ends up saving your ass. but hey, it may not all be in vain. shit starts to get a bit better.

word count: 9.2k (HAHAHA I got wild with this one.)

warnings: MINORS DNI! this is 18+, no use of y/n, no real descriptions of reader, nsfw, smut, wlw, some slight bullying, this part has a lot of murder in it (so if you're not good with violence, pls skip out), use of guns, graphic description of dead bodies, ow*n is in a lot of this (sorry), dom!abby, abby giving reader a bed bath, fingering, eating out, use of a strap on, dirty talk, name calling. someone lowkey walking in on sexy time? if I missed anything, please let me know.

author's note: the wait is over! the love on part 1 blows me away. I love you guys so fucking much. you each make my heart so happy. thank you thank you thank you!!

“Hey, Heartless. Glad you could join us today.”

His voice makes your skin crawl. You rub your eyes, trying to clear the haze out of your vision. You’re overly exhausted. After Abby left, you never found sleep. You could not get her out of your mind. She left you disoriented.

“Hey, Owen,” You mutter, his name tastes disgusting in your mouth. He was gross to look at, let alone talk to. You decide to occupy your mind by checking over the guns you were just dispensed while you sit and wait for the jeep you would be loaded into gets gassed up.

“Heard you and Abby got into it.”

You heart stops. He can’t know?

You hold your composure, not even flinching at the question. If he did know, you’re just going to deny it and tell him to fuck off.

“What are you talking about?” You play dumb, not ever looking up to meet Owen’s gaze above you.

“Manny told me you were going in on her yesterday,” He sounds a bit unnerved when he says it. You stop checking over your gun, finally meeting his eyes. Before you can respond, you cock the gun before flicking the safety on.

“It’s not my fault she can’t pull her fuckin’ punches. We could’ve easily been picked off one by one since she didn’t want to unload her gun at some Scars.”

You don’t even realize how bitter you sound until it all comes out like word vomit. You weren’t even that angry about that, you knew you could handle it all alone. It was the fact that she left you hanging last night and became cold so quick.

Owen chuckles, “Take it easy, dude. I’m just wonderin’ why you think it’s okay to talk to her like that.”

He’s sizing you up. Typical of a man like Owen.

You stand up, knowing damn well it was the wrong day for him to do some shit like this to you.

You sling your rifle over your shoulder, “I’m not in the mood to answer to some fuck ass like you. And I’m also sure your new nurse girlfriend wouldn’t like to hear that her boyfriend is trying to stick up for his ex.”

“Don’t bring Mel into this,” He begins, his stance shifting, “You don’t get to talk about her.”

“And you don’t get to weasel your way into my business because you’re some entitled idiot who thinks every woman owes you something,” You begin to side step past him, “For all our sake, keep your mouth shut and leave the leading to the girls.”

You don’t listen to the rest of the shit he spouts at you. You walk towards Manny, who’s standing next to another guy, you think his name is Alex. You give him a slight nod of acknowledgment.

“Hey there, cariño,” Manny says a smile creeping across his face, “Sleep well?”

Your skin crawls.

“Like a baby,” You mumble, your eyes feeling heavy as you respond, “Who are we waiting for?”

“Abby and Leah will be here any minute,” Alex explains as he finishes filling the jeep with fuel, “Think they went to grab some breakfast.”

Hearing Abby’s name next to another girl's name made your throat tighten. You can’t be jealous. She’s not yours.

Just as you’re about to say something about being late to your checkpoint, Manny's eyes avert up to the door leading into the stadium. Abby and Leah appear, both holding a plethora of breakfast burritos. Your stomach had been upset all morning because of anxiety, so the idea of food makes you want to hurl. You observe Abby and Leah hand each foiled wrapped tortilla to everyone, making jokes about being late.

Abby’s eyes lock onto yours as soon as her head turns in your direction. She blinks before avoiding your gaze for Manny’s.

“Nice for you guys to join us,” Alex jokes as Leah walks towards him with an extended hand, burrito in tow.

You scoff, “Yeah, we should’ve left 20 minutes ago.”

Abby’s face drops from a soft smile to a deadly glare. She gives Manny a burrito, her hands holding two remaining.

One was meant for you.

“Yeah? Well you should’ve gotten a head start by yourself. Cleared the way for everyone.”

Her sharpness filled you with rage. She extends some foil towards you. Before you can even say anything, your instincts are to swat her arm away. The burrito flies out of her hand, splattering across the concrete floor.

“What the fuck,” She yells, her eyes trained on your deadpan expression. You feel a hand on your shoulder, and you glance back to a stern looking Manny. He doesn’t want a repeat of yesterday.

You look back at Abby’s furrowed eyebrows, her scrunched face causing sharp pains to go across your chest.

“I don’t like burritos.”

She shakes her head, “So you launch it out of my fuckin’ hands when someone else could’ve eaten it?!”

You don’t say anything, just turn and begin your climb up onto the jeep. You slip onto the spot you found yourself in yesterday, closest to the passenger side.

You watch everyone hesitantly get in behind you.

“Are you okay taking the top floors with Owen and Abby? Or do you want to come with me and Leah?”

Manny is adjusting his rifle on his shoulder. You all arrived to the skyscraper you heard Scars were trying to take over to get some higher ground on a popular WLF route. Your goal is to take out every Scar there and prepare it for WLF occupation.

Manny wanted to make sure you would not act up for Abby and Owen. He didn’t want to deal with the fallout if there was another incident involving you. He really liked you, he didn’t want to see you getting chewed out or possibly killed. You appreciated him looking out for you.

“That’s fine,” you settle your hands confidently on your gun, “I will be on my best behavior, Manny. Promise.”

“That’s what I like to hear.”

You stay back from the rest of the group as you all walk quietly through the destroyed streets of Seattle. Luckily this area wasn’t consistently flooded, so you didn’t have to wade through any filthy water today.

Abby walks in front of you next to Leah and Owen. You stare at her backside, trying not to make yourself too obvious. You need to cut it out, you need to focus.

When you all finally make it to the building, you huddle in with the group to remind each person where they are going. You and Manny hashed it out already so you want to be positive you knew where everyone would be if all hell broke loose.

Owen cringes when he hears that you’d be joining him and Abby.

You all split up to your designated places. You let Owen lead not wanting to argue when Scars could be on any corner. He starts towards a staircase, his gun trained forward. You follow him before Abby does, which means she gets to be behind you now. You three head up each staircase, your guns resting on your shoulders. You are as quiet as mice, your footfalls silent.

Owen stops, turning back to you and Abby.

“I hear them,” He whispers, pointing up the flight you have yet to go up. You nod, gesturing him to press forward. He continues on. This is when your adrenaline turns to numbness. You forget the emotions you had before you were in this staircase, they are now replaced with pure instinct.

Owen creeps open the door and that’s when you hear it.

A whistle from behind you.

You snap back, your finger and eyes reacting at the same time. A single Scar with their bow trained right on Abby. With one squeeze, they are on the ground bleeding and Abby jumps forward towards your body. She wraps her arms around your waist, her gun aimed towards the door Owen just opened. More whistling.

“Go!”

You’re not even focused on the fact that Abby has her hands on you, pulling your attention back to the open room of about 10 Scars. Owen is lighting up the room, but firing aimlessly. You hunch down, taking cover behind the door frame. Abby is beside you, tightly gripping onto her gun. You glance over at her. She’s not panicked, she’s not rattled. She’s angry.

You smirk at her, sickly enjoying her in this state.

You snap forward, aiming everywhere you see movement. Luckily Owen got the few at the front of the room. One, two, three, drop in their puddles of blood. When more gunfire erupts behind you, instinct is to look back. So when you look back at Abby firing skillfully at the people you missed, you just about fall to your knees.

When you look back, you realize no more movement stirs the smokey room.

“Everyone okay?” Owen calls out as you step forward as you wander around each piece of furniture in the room. You want to make sure you’re vigilant.

“I’m good, are you?”

You step over a man’s body as you spot a foot move behind a desk.

When you make it over to the body, it’s a girl with her hand over her neck. You aimed at her earlier, you could’ve sworn you aimed higher.

The fact that your initial thought was how you killed her made your brain snap back. What the fuck are you doing?

She’s trying to speak, but nothing is coming out. Blood is pooling on her chest and hands. You kneel down to her, your demeanor changing from violent murderer to grieving friend. Even with the scars littering her face, she looks just like any other girl you may know. Her mouth is moving but nothing is coming out. You reach out your hand, touching her leg.

You can feel your stomach flip when you notice a tear slipping from her eye. Guilt riddles your bones, the blood spilling from her by your own hand.

You swallow thickly before you mutter the words, “I’m so fuckin’ sorry.”

She lets out one final breath.

You stand, your legs feeling wobbly. You look back at Abby and Owen. He’s not focused on you, but Abby can’t look away from your actions. She gives you a curious look, watching you stumble a bit.

“What is it?”

You can’t even form words, too taken aback from watching the life slip from that girl’s eyes. It brought you back to when you were a child, watching your sister die. That could’ve been someone’s sister.

“What the fuck are we even doing?” You ask, trying not to stutter.

Owen finally looks over at you after stealing a guy’s gun magazine, “What are you talking about?”

You know you’ll get in trouble for saying what you really want to say. You can’t trust either of them. Everything would get back to Isaac.

So you don’t say anything.

You finish clearing the room, trying to avoid looking at the faces of the deceased. Owen and Abby leave the room while you trail behind them slowly. You’re on edge, trying to shake the emotions and ideas running through your head. It’s the same emotion you felt when that guy tried to force you to butcher a child, probably not even above the age of 10. Their mother stood by, screaming the child’s name, but you were too busy staring into the child’s eyes.

They are just like us. What are we doing?

Owen kicks open another door, leading you and Abby through what you assumed was an old board room. There was no one there, but as you looked across the water damaged floor, you notice one of the shattered glasses windows. You creep closer, the glass crunching under your boots. You look down to the street, the grass overtaking the main road. You start to imagine what this place probably looked like before the infection.

Now it’s a wasteland.

You realize how high up you are when you hear a shaky breath behind you. Abby stands close to you, trying to see what you’re seeing, but instead she starts to panic over the height you were at. You face her, remembering all the times you were forced to take the high ground with her, only for her to have a panic attack and leave you alone.

She’s practically dry heaving. You push her back, nudging her to get away from the open window.

“We don’t need you throwing up,” You grumble, your hand on her shoulder, “Stay back.”

She swallows, shaking her head. “Deal.”

Owen scopes out an attached room before you three continue pressing on. You needed to clear every room that wasn’t destroyed by time and vegetation.

You pander down an empty hallway by yourself, trying to ensure your footsteps are not loud. You grip your gun when you hear a couple voices in a separate stairway. You press yourself against the wall next to the exit, waiting for the voices to get closer.

“There can’t be that many left. We already got two of them.”

You snap your head the direction Abby and Owen were the last time you saw them. Now it’s only Abby. She stares at you, her eyes glinting with curiosity. You nod towards the door next to you, cocking your gun.

She knows what that means. She jogs over, trying not to be too loud.

When she gets to your side, she gets into a defensive stance. The voices are coming down the stairs, you think.

“Aim up. There’s two.”

She nods right before you kick open the door, exposing the two people on the stairs. They don’t even have time to raise their weapons before Abby riddles them with bullets.

The sound attracts Owen, who comes stomping down the hallway.

“There’s more, go down!”

You hold your ground, shaking your head, “We can’t! Isaac said we need to c-”

“Fuck what he said. We are gonna die if we stay!”

Owen is never one to abandon a mission, so you take his word for it. But you know what you heard, if they did kill 2 people, one of them could’ve been Manny. And if they killed Manny, you don’t know what you’d do. Manny is the only other person you can tolerate in the WLF. Besides… you know.

You have to just hope he’s okay.

Abby’s eyes widen as she looks down the hall where Owen was just coming from. Whistles erupt and you know what that means. Abby grabs your free hand, practically ripping your arm out of the socket as she takes off down the stairs.

You’re practically being dragged down the steps, skipping multiple steps at once as Abby never gives up your hand. Owen is close behind, but every so often, he stops to aim up the stairs to spray bullets. He’s trying to slow them down, but he’s also probably attracting more to your location. A door swings open in Abby’s path, and without even thinking for a millisecond, you lift up your gun and shoot directly into the opening. It was just one guy and your aim was spot on. Your mind is solely on protecting the girl who’s incapable of letting go of your hand.

“Keep moving!”

Another five flights and you’re finally on the ground floor. Abby finally releases your hand, letting you catch your breath for a second as Owen stands his ground and lights up the staircase behind you.

“We need to find the others! Now!” Abby yells over the gunfire.

You stumble forward, checking down the hallway you watched Manny and Leah go down before you three walked up the stairs. You don’t even say anything, you just start running down the corridor. Your throat is tight just thinking of Manny’s lifeless body.

Two Scars appear behind a corner and you expertly shoot them, running straight pass them without hestitating. You’re in fight or flight mode, your body shaking with fear that you could stumble upon a horrible scene.

You don’t know when you start doing it, but you start screaming his name. Over and over again. You’re giving away where you are to the enemy, but you did not care.

Before you can finish slaughtering more people, Manny and Leah yell your name from a room at the end of the hall. When you get to the door, you kick it open with all your might, breaking through the door with your foot.

“¿Qué pasó? Are you alright!?”

You’re panting and on edge, so when you see Manny’s concerned face, you breath a sigh of relief. His voice brings a bit of comfort as well.

Abby finally makes it to you, her boots halting right behind you, while her hands find the sides of your body.

“We gotta go! There’s more Scars than we thought. We either go or die!”

You swallow thickly, your body buzzing at the feeling of Abby’s large hands on your hips. She’s not doing it on purpose, it’s almost like she needs to have you close. She needs to protect you just like you protected her.

Manny glances over at Leah, nodding in agreement that they are on the same page. Abby pulls you away from the threshold so they can leave the room they were scoping out. Owen gets to you four, informing everyone where he thinks the Scars could hide and how they would probably make your escape hard. Abby’s hands are still on you.

You glance back at her, your lips slightly ajar. She looks down at you with hooded lids.

“We are getting out of here and you’re not leaving my side, got it?” She whispers for your ears only. You just nod.

You’re just following everyone at this point, keeping your finger trained on the trigger of your gun. Abby follows you closely, not letting you out her eyeline. You run through each corridor, trying to seek out a good exit. When you finally reach the end of a hallway, you peer out the floor to ceiling windows to see if you spot any Scars outside. There’s two rooms beside you that look like they are empty, but there’s no light shining through the thresholds. This is the only way out down this hallway. You were sick of being a sitting duck. When you realize you have no other choices you liked, you shoot out the window.

The group jumps back at your reaction.

“What the hell are you doing?!” Owen yells, smacking your shoulder hard. You turn your gun and aim it right at him. Abby’s eyes widen at your action, her arm instantly going up to block the barrel of your gun. She’s pleading with you, her eyes never leaving yours.

“I’m getting us out of here. Why do you insist on being a prob-”

Before you can get the rest of the word out, you hear footsteps approaching you quickly from the right. All you can remember is the air being taken from your lungs and your body flying sideways, away from Abby’s protective stance.

When you come to, you’re being held up by someone. You blink slowly, but your eyes will not focus on the person whose arms are holding you tight.

“What’s happening?” You manage to mutter. As you say it, you taste blood. Your ears are ringing, but you can still hear the voices around you. They are yelling to run faster!

“You’re gonna be fine, okay babe?”

You know that voice.

“You can’t call me that.”

She slows down a bit just to look at you, “Can call you whatever I want.”

Your head hurts. You know you can not fight the exhaustion plaguing your body. You can’t even argue back to her. You shut your eyes again, succumbing to the darkness.

You notice the pounding headache first. Then the very dimly lit hospital room you’re in. Then the presence in the corner of the room.

“Welcome back,” Her voice is smooth and velvety. You prop yourself a bit, but as soon as you do, it’s like the pressure in your head doubles. You feel like your brain may implode, the pain pulsating against your skull. You try to widen your eyes to focus on her, but your brain cannot muster enough energy to do so. Your vision is just slightly blurred while you train your eyes on her.

“What happened?” Your voice is weak and your mouth is dry. You try your best to create saliva, but nothing really happens when you smack your chapped lips.

“You got tackled by a Scar before any of us could see him coming. Asshole was quick. You smacked your head pretty hard on the floor,” She stands up from the chair in the corner, making her way closer to you. She’s not wearing the same shirt as yesterday. She’s in a long sleeve thermal, the light off white is a good color on her.

You blink slowly, trying to take in the information, “What happened to him?”

“Manny shot him when I was ripping him off you. It attracted a lot more of them. I grabbed you before anyone else could and just took off running.”

You look up at her when she gets to your side. You don’t say anything, just shake your head. You can’t believe Abby, of all people, saved you from possible death. She had your back the whole time, even though you gave her shit. You didn’t even realize the small glances, the quick actions when you were in your own zone.

All you could think about the whole time is how you were totally off your game and Isaac was going to have your neck for it.

“And the rest of the group?”

“They were close behind. We made it back to the jeep pretty quickly. I held you in the back until we could get to the hospital. That’s where we are now.”

“Who didn’t make it out?”

Her lips go into a thin line, “Alex and Kerrigan.”

Alex was the guy from earlier this morning with Manny. He seemed nice enough, surely he didn’t deserve to die. Kerrigan was a girl you remember from a couple of meetings with Isaac. She was a smaller girl, quick on her feet and very quiet. You can’t even really remember her face, which makes you feel bad.

“Shit… I’m sorry we couldn’t get to them.”

“Not your fault. They knew what they were getting into when we had them join patrols. I know Owen’s taking it pretty hard.”

You want to smack her for even bringing up his name. But you don’t. You know she still may have a special place in her heart for him. You just despised him, especially after he confronted you this morning. Prick.

She’s taking her time explaining things to you. You realize she’s not ever looking away from you when she speaks, something she usually does when you stare at her. She’s watching you carefully, her beautiful eyes soft with empathy.

“Are you okay?” You question, reaching out to her closest hand. She doesn’t pull away when you grab it, bringing it into your side.

She bites her cheek, “Yeah, course I am. Just glad I got you out of there.”

The softness of her whisper brings warmth to your entire body. You didn’t care about your head, or how hot the room was, or how you may have serious repercussions when you got back to the Stadium.

What mattered is that she’s here. She’s here and she wants to be. You felt relief that she may have come to her senses about what happened between you two. Something had to of changed.

“What changed? Why are you so dead set on helping me now?”

She winces, probably not expecting you to ask such a question. She contemplates for a minute, licking her lips to prepare herself for what she’s about to say.

“I can’t stop thinking about last night. Made me realize how I really feel about you,” You’re heart races at her words. You’re amazed when she continues, “I think I was scared of having those types of emotions for you. That’s why I couldn’t stay. I didn’t want to lay in your bed and overthink everything when it’s pretty simple.”

You furrow your eyebrows, “What’s simple?”

“The fact that I like you. And I have for awhile.”

It’s like the world stops and it’s just you and Abby. You can tell she’s nervous to say it, but she needed it off her chest like it was suffocating her. She lefts out a long huff, crouching down in a squat. Her unraveling braid falls onto her shoulder and you let your eyes trail it down to her chest. You notice some blood speckled in with her freckles, right near her button nose and cheekbones.

“Yeah, I like you, too.”

She smiles subtly, trying not to get too excited over the confession. But the truth was that she wanted to jump up and down in elation. She had never had someone confide in her about their feelings for her, so the idea that someone as beautiful as you could like her despite all her baggage, it gave her hope.

“I want to go home,” You grumble not sure what else to say, your thumb running over the back of her hand, “I wanna go home with you.”

“The doctor here wants to monitor you another day. I have to ship out and get back to explain to Isaac what happe-“

“No, fuck that,” You squeeze her hand, “You’re staying here with me and bringing me back to the Stadium. I’m not going back with anyone else.”

She notes the serious nature of your tone. She looks up at you with those eyes. Abby Anderson could very well be the death of you.

“I can’t refuse orders, babe,” She states, her eyes falling to your joined hands.

“Bullshit, Abby. If you tell Isaac I want you as my transport, he will let you stay. I don’t want to be with anyone else.”

You’re practically panicking thinking about Abby leaving without you. With the way you feel now, you don’t want to be out without her. She felt like the safest person to have around. You can’t trust anyone else.

You start to finally bring wetness back to your mouth, “Tell him that you need to be with me.”

“You know damn well everyone will be suspicious. I need to go back. You need to stay here. Nora will take you back, you’ll be s-“

“Get me out of this fuckin’ bed right now. I’m going with you.”

You stay to move but your body feels like jello. As soon as you try to plant your feet on the ground, Abby is reaching over your legs and placing them back on the gurney.

“Babe,” She pleads, “Just… fuck. Okay fine, I’ll stay. I’ll stay. We can both answer to Isaac when we get back, I guess.”

Relief rushes over your body.

“He’s going to have a lot to say to me, that’s for sure. I failed two missions in a row that usually are a piece of cake,” You put your free hand over your forehead. You’re sweating so bad. You glance over at Abby who’s reaching over to one of the tables by your bed for a rag, “I’m not a submissive girl to him like I am to you.”

She smirks up at you. She can’t believe you admitted to being a submissive to her.

“Yeah, you are, aren’t you?”

If your body didn’t feel like shit, you know you’d be grabbing Abby by her collar and hauling her up on the bed to kiss you. She made your face go hot, her piercing eyes raking down your body. You almost felt embarrassed being so vulnerable in front of her.

“Stop looking at me like that,” You warn, adjusting your butt on the hard bed.

“Like what?”

You rake your mind for a response. You settle for repeating something she said to you yesterday.

“Shut that stupid smart mouth up for a minute,” You try to mock her but you sound nothing like her. She laughs at your half assed imitation. She pats your head with the cold rag, getting all the sweat off your forehead.

“Get some sleep, you weirdo.”

“How ya doin’, princess?”

You shake your head at the nickname, smacking her arm with your left hand. You’re still weak and tired, but you felt a lot better with some extra rest. Abby loaded you up in a jeep as soon as you could hobble outside, and now you are heading back to the stadium. You couldn’t wait to get in your bed and sleep for three days straight.

“‘M good, thanks.”

Her smile is the sweetest thing you’ve ever seen. You didn’t know what this meant for you two, but you were excited to see how things would change over time for you two. Maybe you’d be put on less patrols together, but you could spend your free days and nights with her. After all this time, you could have her.

She taps her fingers on the steering wheel, “Can I ask you something?”

“Depends.”

She slows down the car to glance over at you, “What did you mean when you asked what the hell we were doing? Yesterday when that Scar was trying to reach out to you as she was dying?”

Your heart sinks. Your mind instantly goes to betrayal. Abby is only acting like this towards you because she wants information. She wants to rat you out.

You go from thinking about your deep desire for Abby to thinking about how to protect yourself, she’s going to ruin your life. You’re instantly spiraling.

“I don’t know what you’re asking me. Are you insinuating something?”

You watch as panic spread across her face. She realizes how bad she sounds asking such a question.

“No, no,” She’s starting to stutter and use her hands as she speaks, “That’s not what I meant by it.”

“Then what did you mean?”

“I’m just wondering if you feel the same guilt I feel sometimes! You know, like when you kill a someone and watch the life leave their eyes, I don’t know. Jesus.”

You breathe a sigh of relief. She wasn’t trying to double cross you, just emphasize with you. You really can not trust yourself to think the worst of everyone. Maybe because it felt like everything with Abby was too good to be true.

You wet your lips, “Yeah, that’s what I meant. I don’t like to… I never enjoy killing people. I never have.”

She can’t help but laugh a bit. “Well you’re really fuckin’ good at it.”

“Top Scar killer in all the WLF,” You wince when you say it. She doesn’t say anything just shakes her head, speeding up the jeep down an old abandoned alleyway. You weren’t too far from the entrance to the Stadium.

She clears her throat, “There’s only one person I’d really enjoy killing.”

Abby has never shared a lot about her past. You knew she and the Salt Lake crew were former Fireflies. You knew that she lost her dad not too long before she got to Seattle. But that’s all the information you managed to get out of her when you two were close before. She didn’t want to talk about herself, she’d rather hear about your tortured past.

“Who?”

“Joel Miller,” Silence takes over the cabin of the car. You have no idea who that is or why she cared to kill him. Before you can ask, she speaks up again, “The man who killed my father.”

You understand what it feels like to want revenge. But you also know what it’s like to finally get it. Most of the time you still feel bad. Nothing brings back the dead, not even the satifaction of watching their killer’s take their last breaths. You brutualized the man who killed your sister, and it never made her death any easier. But you knew that yearning was different for everyone. Maybe it would make Abby feel better.

You decide it’s best to just nod, acknowledging her desire.

The rest of the ride is pretty quiet, just the sound of crackling of rocks under the SUV’s tires. When you get to the entrance of the Stadium, Abby waves and calls out to the gatekeeper. He opens the tall wired fence and lets you two pass through. As soon as Abby parks, it’s like a swarm of people surround you two. Abby gestures you to wait so she can get your door. You laugh thinking about that stupid saying some old people say.

Maybe chivalry isn’t dead.

She swings open the door, pushing aside some random guy who’s staring you down. You grab Abby’s shoulder as you ease yourself onto the concrete. You were still a bit unsteady when you walked. It was a mixture of the weakness but also Nora told you that the concussion you have is probably causing balance issues. You took her word for it.

“Top Scar killer not looking so well, now,” The guy mutters from behind Abby, “Who knows, maybe one of us can be Isaac’s favorite ass kisser!”

You don’t even know the guy and the vibe he’s giving off is making you nervous. He’s about 5’8” and stocky. Abby could take him herself, but you don’t feel the need for her to fight for your honor after everything that you two have been through in the last two days. Abby huffs out in annoyance, ensuring you’re able to stand properly. You start to walk towards the ramp that leads up to the Stadium’s main corridors. The guy is still muttering shit as Abby unloads your backpack and hers.

“What are you friends with her now, Abby?”

“Can you fuck off? Does it look like either of us are in the mood?” She spits, slinging your backpack over her shoulder. You stand and wait at the base of the ramp for her to catch up. The guy just follows her closely, interrogating her about the mission that failed. Abby just ignores him, her eyes locked on yours. Before she makes it to you, the guy asks one final question.

“What do you have a crush on her or something?”

Abby drops her backpack on the ground, and within seconds, she has the guy pinned to a truck parked near the ramp. His body makes a loud thwack when he hits the metal. Her back muscles flex as she tightens her grip. As hot as it is, you don’t feel like watching her beat someone bloody for something so dumb. You weren’t feeling your fiesty self, you just wanted to be in bed.

“Did anyone ever fuckin’ teach you manners or are you just that fuckin’ dense?” She has her teeth clenched. As you get close, you see that she’s ripping his t-shirt. Your moving slowly, but as soon as violent words are being exchanged, you firmly grab Abby’s arm. She peels her eyes away from the guy, her face still scrunched in frustration.

“Just let him talk his shit, Abs. He’s just jealous because he can’t get any pussy.”

You don’t even know why you included the last part, but it only aggravates the guy more. You aren’t very good at deescalation. You usually instigate things, it’s your specialty.

Luckily, the master of settling fights comes running down the ramp. Manny.

“Hey, you guys just got home and you’re already stirring up trouble?”

Abby still has the guy pinned, his eyes trained on your fragile frame.

Manny grabs Abby’s arms and pries her off the guy, his body blocking you away from the guy as well. He starts speaking Spanish under his breath, probably venting his frustrations about Abby and you not giving him a moment of peace.

He talks down the guy, guiding him away from you and Abby. You bend over to grab her bag and shakingly hand it back to her. She watches carefully as Manny escorts the guy further down the parking lot. With her free arm, she wraps it protectively around you. You get chills up your arms and back as you two walk into the Stadium. You’re surprised she’s showing any inkling of liking you to other people, especially her peers. You know there were probably about 10 other people in the parking lot, and they for sure saw her sticking up for you.

She drops her arm as soon as you make it to the main hallways. People glare over at you as you drudge yourself down the halls, finally making it to a staircase that would put you right in front of your room. Abby lets you start up the stairs first while she stands behind you, keeping her eyes wide in case you fall backwards. You’re relieved as you reach the last step and spot your door waiting for you.

Abby runs ahead of you, grabbing the door and wiggling the knob.

“It’s locked.”

She rolls her eyes, “I know that now. Where’s your key?”

You turn your jaw upward and gesture towards the necklace. “Here.”

Instead of making you unravel it, she lifts her hands up to your chest. Her fingers travel down from your neck to your collarbones. She’s teasing you and it’s working.

She grabs the key and toys with it for a minute, trying to release the clasp. Once she figures it out, she holds the key up like a grand prize.

“You’re so stupid, please let me in my room.”

She giggles as she sticks the key into the latch and turns it, “Patience, princess.”

Once the door clicks, she opens it for you. The cold air of your room rushes out and cools your sweaty and dirty skin. You get a sense of solace when you walk in, your body feeling a bit reenergized at the sight.

Abby walks close to you, shutting the door behind her. She shimmies off your bag, dropping her own near the door.

“You mind if I stay for a bit?”

Butterflies creep into the pit of your stomach. You turn to face her, spotting a somewhat hesitant girl picking at her cuticles.

“I was hoping you would. Maybe you could give me a bed bath, just like my nurse did.”

She nods, a smirk plastered across her freckled face.

“If you need me to, I can for sure do that,” She starts to walk over to your sink, searching for some sort of bowl or towel, “I could probably do a better job.”

You stumble over to the side of your bed, kicking off your boots with a grunt. You know exactly where this is going, and even with your weakened body, you want her so bad.

She continues to search around, finding a large bowl and a couple of your wash rags. She fills the bowl with the warmest water as you peel off some of your clothes, leaving you in just your underwear and tank top.

“A better job, huh?”

She finds a bar of soap near your shampoo bottles. She sniffs it before she bounds over to you.

“Yeah,” She places the bowl on your side table, dropping a rag inside it to soak it, “I think I know your body a little bit better than Nora. Especially after the other night.”

She can’t talk to you like this, especially now that you’re in your underwear. You scoot over on the bed to allow her to sit as she rings out the blue rag. She lathers a bit of soap on it before she starts with your arms.

She grabs your wrist delicately, lifting it so she can clean the dust and dirt off. You watch her so intently, watching her wipe you down. When she finishes one arm, she does the other. She takes her time, tilting it back and forth to ensure she got every side.

“You want me to do your legs next?”

You smile as she soaks the towel again and ring it out. “You can do whatever you want, Abs.”

She raises her eyebrows as she creeps further down the bed. She kicks off her shoes, settling herself between your slightly spread legs.

“This bringing you back?” You question, slightly adjusting yourself so your legs get closer to her sides. She shakes her head sheepishly, grabbing your right ankle.

“Hmm, maybe,” She traces your legs with the rag, using her other colder hand to rub in the wet areas, “If you weren’t so weak, I’d treat you just as well as the other night.”

Even in your broken state, you can’t help yourself. “Easier to control me when I’m like this.”

She chuckles, shaking her head, “That’s taking advantage of you, and that’s not my style.”

I guess now that she confessed her feelings for you, you had to deal with a softer Abby. One that wouldn’t take control of you in the public showers. You watch as she softly runs the lavender scented towel up and down your bruised and battered legs. She is focused, not looking at you, but her eyes trailing up and down from your thighs to your ankles.

You sit up further, leaning forward and raising your fingers down to her chin. You tilt her focus to your gaze.

“What if I want you to? Ya’ know, give you my consent?”

Her eyes darken as she settles back a bit, making your hand fall from her face. She tenses up her shoulders before rolling them back, easing herself into the idea of getting between your legs again. You smile watching her do the mental gymnastics.

Her hand settles back onto your thigh, “You’re so desperate.”

You know you got her.

Without saying another word, her hand travels up to your underwear. She softly places her hand over your mound, her thumb tracing your clothed slit. You lay back as wetness pools in the spot she’s touching, your body heating up naturally.

Before she goes any further, she pulls away and plops the rag into the warm water on your side table.

She leans forward towards you, repositioning her entire body by propping herself on her elbows right in front of your core. It was hot watching the girl you were obsessed with settling herself, still fully clothed, before your heat. You could cum at the sight alone.

She rubs small circles right where your eager clit was through your panties. Before you can even moan out for her, she slips past the fabric and dips her pointer finger into your core. As soon as she does that, it feels like the coil may snap. You didn’t even realize how horny she has you. Maybe it was the anticipation or maybe it was the fact that this time you knew her true feelings for you. Hate sex was hot, but sex when you know she’s plagued with thoughts of you when you’re not even around, that was even better.

You don’t expect her next move. Instead of sliding your panties off, she uses minimal strength to just rip them in half.

As soon as you’re fully exposed for her, she turns into an animal. She mewls at your glistening slit.

“All for me?” She questions before leaning in to pepper kisses all along the wet trail. You can’t help but whimper desperately at the action.

“Yes, Abs. All for you.”

She flattens her tongue, moving further into you. Her actions are painfully slow, taking her time to drink you up. You instinctively try to close your legs together when she starts to move faster, being overwhelmed by her maneuvers. As soon as you try to move, she’s using her strong arms to hold you down. Your legs are practically pinned to the bed, her right hand still sticky from your center.

She shakes her head back and forth, creating a whole new feeling in your stomach. You don’t even think about how loud you’re being for her, not caring if the older guy next to you hears how loud you’re getting for Abby fucking Anderson.

For not being with women often, Abby knew exactly how to treat your pussy. She decides to change it up and add her fingers back into the equation. Once her index and middle finger enter you, you know that familiar feeling heating up your stomach.

“Abby, fuck, don’t stop.”

And she doesn’t. Instead she quickens her mistrations, her lips enveloping your clit and her fingers fucking you faster. You reach down, grabbing her braid and the crown of her head and push her further into you as your orgasm crashes down. She drinks you down, taking everything you gave her.

She pulls away from you, her face wet with your slick.

“Such a good girl for me,” She continues to play with you, her fingers remaining in your heat, “Do you need me to stop? Or do you want me to give it to you like I did before?”

You smirk as you glance towards the toy that you tucked back into your side table.

“It’s in there,” You croak out, “Need you to.”

She reaches over you, her body pressed against your stomach as she opens the top drawer and grabs the strap. Your stomach is reeling in anticipation, ready to watch Abby on top you.

When she gets it out, she rolls off the bed completely. You watch as she strips off her shirt, leaving her bra on. You still are in disbelief of her body, her muscles highlighted perfectly by the glisten of sweat. She keeps her underwear on but you crave to see how wet she is.

“Take the underwear off,” You say, reaching out to touch her toned stomach, “Wanna see all of you.”

She puts the strap on, ignoring your request.

“I’m not taking any demands from you right now, sweetheart. You take what I give you.”

You loved seeing her be dominant. Seeing the appendage hang from her center makes you throb. She gets back on top of you, caging your body in with her strong arms. She nudges your nose with hers, teasing you by keeping her lips inches away from yours.

“Need you, Abs.”

She captures your lips as soon as the words leave your mouth. Her lips aren’t the only thing moving into you, her hips grind into your open core. The plastic cock does not enter you, but the mixture of her kissing you and grinding is enough to send you into maddening moans.

Her swollen lips pull away, her eyes dark as she lines herself up with your opening. She drags the cock up and down, gathering your slick before easing it inside. You see stars as it stretches you, your voice hearse and gutteral. Abby eats it up. She zeros in on watch it ease out of you and split you wide open. You’re so wet, the squelching sends her to another dimension. She settles into a pace that was agnoizingly slow, taking her time with your body. She reaches behind your legs and bends them so they wrap around her waist. The new angle allows her to hit you in all the right places.

Your orgasm is building with each stroke. She’s smiling while your mouth is set in an “o” shape, loving the reactions she was getting out of you.

“Jesus, taking me so fuckin’ well, baby,” She mewls, her hands caressing up your sides to grab onto a very important part of your body that she hardly played with this time around. You’re not wearing a bra under your tank top, so when her hands make it under the white fabric, her fingers pinch at your nipples. “You love when I fuck you like this don’t you?”

“Yes, Abby, please. I need to cum.”

She leans forward, bringing her greedy lips to yours. Since your lips are already open, her tongue enters your mouth. You suck at it, trying to get her to pay attention to your pleas. She retracts back, fucking into you harder.

“Cum for me, then, you little slut.”

The words send you overboard. You’re falling, crashing. The waves of pleasure take over every achy muscle, your body jerking forward into Abby’s sweaty upper body. She wraps her arms around you, fucking into you still as you fall apart. You don’t know the words you’re saying, you’re just loudly whispering into her ear.

Once your vision clears up, you look to the side to check your position out in the mirror ontop of your dresser. You looked like a fucked out mess, but Abby is the most beautiful thing you ever did see.

You’re trying to catch your breath, your body feeling even weaker than before. Fucking someone when you had a concussion was probably not the best idea, but god damn did every part of you feel like it was buzzing. Abby stands up, her legs wobbly from being on her knees so long.

“Do you want me to make you cum?”

She smiles at your question, but she shakes her head. She yanks down the strap, opening the side drawer and tossing it in.

“No, I just wanted to treat you. You can repay the favor when you’re feeling better.”

You start to laugh, throwing yourself back into your pillows. As soon as Abby starts to crawl back into bed, there’s a loud knock at your door. You’re both half naked, so the scramble for clothes is instanteous. You grab the first pair of pants you see and as you’re yanking them up your legs, you realize they are Abby’s.

“Coming in!”

It’s Isaac’s voice. Your stomach drops as the knob turns and you and Abby stand completely still in your spots. Her pants don’t fit you well at all, so hold them over your private area to block any eyes from it.

He doesn’t even make eye contact with you, he instantly meets Abby’s panicked gaze.

“What the hell?” He turns to you and immediately turns his back, “Well I see that you’re feeling better.”

Your blood ran cold.

“Yeah, can you uh, give us a minute?”

He doesn’t say anything, just opens the door and slams it behind him. You’re appalled that he even opened the door without confirmation of that being okay. Your eyes snap over to Abby, who’s look of fear turns into rage. You yank off her pants and toss them to her.

“We’re fucked,” She mumbles, putting her clothes on. You search a nearby dresser drawer for some sweatpants and pull down your ragged tank top. You look back at Abby to check to make sure she’s clothed before you head back to the door and let Isaac in.

You nod at her before grabbing the handle and pulling the door open. When you meet his gaze, he doesn’t look impressed. You are shocked to see another figure beside him. Manny.

“Hey there,” Manny greets, his eyes showing a bit of hesitance. “We good to come in now?”

You don’t say anything, just open the door wider for them to step through the threshold. Abby stands by your desk, her arms crossed. She tries to keep an emotionless expression, but you can tell she’s pissed. And maybe a bit nervous.

“Just checking in to see how you are,” Isaac says, his pacing leading him to one of the chairs in the corner of your room. You bite the inside of your cheek.

“Just a concussion. Some bruises. Should be good to get back on after some of the nurses here clear me.”

You try to sound confident but you’re still somewhat dazed from the sex you just had. You lean against the beam in the center of your room, trying your best not to look over to see what Abby is doing. You could still feel your cum dripping down your leg.

“Yeah I don’t think you’ll be getting back on any time soon,” Isaac says, his demeanor changing towards you, “I still don’t trust you. And now you’re sleeping with Abby? You think I don’t see what you’re trying to do?”

Your heart sinks, “What the hell are you talking about?”

Manny clears his throat, “Owen told us you were questioning the mission. That you weren’t pulling your punches. Letting some Scars live.”

“Well, he’s a fuckin’ liar!” Your voice is cracking, unsure of how to defend yourself. You were pissed at Owen and you knew that emotion would turn into vengeance. They can’t ostracize you for something like that. They can’t kill you for being empathetic. Can they?

“She never said that,” Abby finally speaks up, “I was there. Owen has it wrong.”

“Abby…” Isaac says in a warning tone, “You better not be lying for her.”

Abby scoffs, “When have I ever lied to you? Never. I am not lying for her. Owen was the one who refused your orders and got us all to leave. He said we go or we die. You shouldn’t be reprimanding her. She told him we had a job to do.”

Isaac halts in his rebuttal, thinking of what his next move should be.

Manny crosses his arms. You’re so pissed, you want to slap him. How dare he go against you and be here to watch Isaac try to accuse you of something like this? What did you ever do to him?

“Is this true?” Isaac questions, standing up to get closer to your slightly hunched over frame.

You don’t even hesitate, knowing this was all going to fall back on Owen. You wanted to see how that ended for him.

“Yes. I knew I could not let you down another time. I would never risk something like that. I’m loyal to you and this cause. I am sorry if I let you down again. I wanted to finish the job, I really did.”

You were an outstanding liar. And now you know, Abby was, too. She also had your back. Which made you like her even more.

Isaac tries to sense any deception but there’s nothing written on either of your faces to indicate that.

“Report back to me in two days,” He says to you with a very stern voice, “and Anderson, I’ll see you tomorrow morning. You’re first patrol out.”

When he’s satisfied with his interrogation, he turns to Manny.

“Well, I guess you were right about one thing.”

Manny furrows his eyebrows at the slightly shorter man, unsure what he’s talking about. “Sir?”

“They are fucking each other, but they aren’t liars,” He turns back to you and Abby, giving you two a kurt nod.

You cross your arms, watching Isaac leave the room and bump into Manny as he does. You don’t even want to deal with him right now, so you wave him out, not saying anything to him. You would deal with him later. Right now, you need a back rub and sleep. And that’s exactly what you intended to get when that door slammed on Manny’s ass on his way out.

#abby the last of us #abby anderson #abby from tlou #abby x reader #abby anderson x you #abby anderson smut #abby anderson x female reader #abby anderson x reader #abby anderson tlou2 #the last of us 2 #gracieheartspedro #the last of us #tlou part 2 #the last of us part ii #tlou2

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thenewausten · 6 months

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Jealous!Quackity HC's

TW: smut 🔞

Alex not get jealous frequently, but sometimes he'd get very jealous. Don't get me wrong, he trusts you with his heart and soul, but he hates to see another man looking at you or thinking they get to see you naked.

Jealous!Alex will put his hand on your waist, holding you closer as he kisses your hair.

Jealous!Alex is always next to you to protect you at parties or crowded events.

Jealous!Alex would pull you into a hug and bury his face on your chest, his arms so tightly wrapped around your waist, pulling you closer. "What's wrong?!" You'd ask him, his nose passing through your cleavage to your neck and ear. "Didn't like the way that man was talking to you." He'd whisper into your ear. "Alex, he's a colleague." You whisper to him. "But he wants to fuck you. Only I get to fuck you." He whispers and you laugh. "I know, baby. Don't need to worry, okay?" He'd kiss and hug you the whole meeting and you'd find it's cute the way he gets jealous.

He wouldn't be jealous of your friends, he'd be very chill with them, actually. But if they seemed to disrespect you somehow or maybe, disrespect your relationship, he'd be very upset. You'd even argue with him, saying it's all in his mind. "Alex, you can't be serious!" You say to him, irritated with the fact he's jealous. "They're my friends." You say. "I don't care, they were looking at your ass! They even made a joke about it, c'mon, Y/N!" He says. "Did you listen to it?! They probably were..."

"Amor, I did. I don't want to say what they said, it's very ridiculous." He says and you sigh. "Alright, I trust you, Alexis. Thanks, baby, for defending me." You say and he smiles. "It's sad you didn't let me punch them, but yeah, that's okay." He approaches your body and kisses your face. "I'm sorry, mi vida." He kisses your forehead. "You deserve better friends." He says and you smile a little, hugging him.

Jealous sex with Alex>>> He'd be so rough, dude 😭 He'd fuck you 'till you scream his name. "You're mine, understand?!" He'd hold your chin with his fingers, thrusting his dick into your cunt like a starved man. You'd nod, moaning his name, your nails on his back, scratching his flesh and making him groan in your ear. "Say it." He orders to you. "I'm- Jesus, Alex! I'm yours!" You whine, tears on your eyes as he puts one of your legs on his shoulder. "Say it again." He orders one more time, a slap on your ass. "I'm yours, I'm yours!" You close your eyes and he holds your chin with more force. "Look at me while I fuck you, amor. I am the only one who can make you feel this way, uh?!" He asks and you nod, looking at his eyes. "Yes, please, baby! I'm so close!" You beg him and the boy slaps your ass again, making you whimper. "Jesus, 'Lex! Gonna cum!" You moan and Alex reaches your clit and rubs it. "Wait for me, princesa." He asks and you try to, but your legs start to shake uncontrollably. "I can't-" You start, tears wet your cheeks as you cum, moaning his name so loudly the neighbours may listened to it. "Fuck, you're so tight!" He whimpers and you whine as Alex doesn't stop rubbing your clit. "Want you to cum again, mi vida." He says. "This 'fuckin cunt's perfect for my cock." He whispers. "Alex, please!" You can feel he's close by his heavy breathing on your ear and the way he thrusts his hips onto yours nonsenseless. The rubs on your clit being slouch as he reaches his bliss, thrusting his cum very deep on your pussy. "You're mine, fuck! So mine!" He whispers, his fingers 'fuckin your clit. "Cum for me, baby. Cum on my cock again, uh?! Show me what only I can make you do." He whispers, your nails deep on his back as he makes you cum again, a moan scapes your throat and he smirks. "So pretty." He left soft kisses on your neck as you recover. "All mine." He whispers. "I'm, baby. I love you so much." You whisper and he looks at you. "I love you so much, mi princesa."

He'd left love bites and marks around your neck, chest, thighs and ass 😭 "Don't cover it, baby." He'd say to you and you'd obey, if you didn't, he'd make new ones in front of the asshole who wanted you in his bed.

He's jealous because he loves you <3

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoy the writing! :)

Requests are open!

#quackity #qsmp #qsmp brazil #quackity imagines #qsmp brasil #alex quackity #quackity x reader #quackity imagine #quackity x y/n #quackity x you #quackity smut #quackity fluff #quackity fanfic #quackityhq

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yayeetsonny · 8 months

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One can only take so much… before they break

(Alex Morgan X OC)

Hi, yes i know i’ve been away for a very long time, but I wanted to give this writing thing another shot to see if I still had anything left in the tank. Hopefully this isn’t the most dreadful thing you’ve ever read. So sorry if it is. Please be advised this one deals with some very strong emotions and topics. Implied mental abuse, Suicidal ideation and just overall sadness and anxiety. This will be a multi parter as my fingers got away from me lol.

This one is 99% Alex x OC, although the character’s name is never dropped as I wasn’t sure if I was going to make this an x reader fic or not. If anyone has any name suggestions at the end I’m all ears. And future parts will definitely be more USWNT x OC

3.4k Words

Everything is your fault. It always is. Why can’t you do anything right?! It all fell apart because of you! You know that, and so do they. They hate you for it. Your own mother won’t even talk to you.

“Hey, kid… Kid?…Dude!” I was so lost in thought I didn’t even hear one of my teammates calling out to me.

“Huh? What?” I looked up to see Alex looking down at me worriedly.

“Are you okay little duck?” She said squatting down so she was eye level with me. She put her hand on my cheek rubbing it softly raising an eyebrow when i didn’t say anything immediately.

“Hmm? Oh yeah, I’m fine.” I said softly, making a poor attempt at a smile but I’m fairly certain it came across as a grimace instead. I looked down and refused to look back up even though I could feel Alex trying to get me to look at her.

“Hey… what is it?” She said moving her head so she could look into my eyes, which at this point were watering and I was doing my very best to force the tears away.

“I-It’s nothing… I-I’m fine.” I said, my voice breaking. I brought my hand up to rub my eyes and I stood up and tried to make a quick get away, but Alex wasn’t having it.

“Stop, what’s going on? What’s wrong?” She put her hands on my shoulders to try and stop me from leaving but I pushed her off and started to walk away.

“I said I’m fine, just drop it Alex. Please.” I gave up trying to stop the tears, they were freely flowing now and i let out a sob as I broke into a full sprint when I heard her starting to follow me, calling out to me. I ran passed several of our fellow national team, teammates who were watching everything unfold.

I beat her to the locker room, grabbed my stuff and made a mad dash to my car, getting in and attempting to regulate my breathing. The tears were still coming in full force, sobs racked my body as I tried and failed to calm myself down. How pathetic is this? Crying like a big baby, because your mommy made you sad? I really am weak aren’t I? No that’s not true. The girls always tell me I’m strong and that I’m their brave big girl. Yeah it’s a bit baby-ish but it gets the point across. I wrestled with my own thoughts and was so engrossed in arguing with myself that i didn’t even realize I made it back to my apartment already. I also didn’t hear my phone ringing incessantly while I drove. I hesitated a bit seeing as it was Alex, probably trying to figure out where i went. It almost went to voicemail before i decided to answer.

“Hello” my voice was raw from all the crying I did, but I sounded more tired than distraught now.

“Baby, where did you go? What happened back there? Why did you run away? Please talk to me. I’m worried about you.” She said all in one breath, I bit my lip contemplating my answer. Then i took a deep breath and decided to just bite the bullet and be at least partially truthful.

“I… um, I was going thru a-a lot during the break between camps, I mean I guess I still am going thru a lot right now, given my very apparent meltdown earlier. I-I’m sorry Alex, I’m so sorry. Please forgive me. I won’t do it again, I swear.” My damn voice started breaking again as the tears started back up.

“Hey, hey, hey… little one, please breathe, you’re okay. You have nothing to be sorry for. Take deep, slow breaths, in and out.” she said gently, guiding me thru some breathing exercises until my breathing was less erratic. “Can you tell me where you are please? I’m going to come get you and we’ll talk this through and maybe we can order a pizza and watch movies, what do you say?” She asked, I could tell she was trying to remain calm but I could hear her voice quiver just slightly. She was scared, and rightfully so, this isn’t the first time I’d run off and usually when i did, I became self destructive at worst and let myself rot in bed for a week at best.

“I’m at the apartment.” I said and she let out a sigh of relief on the other end of the line.

“Okay good. I’m on my way, be there in 10. Stay there, please.”

I took one last deep breath before I got out of the car and made my way inside. I intended to sit on the couch and wait for her to get home but then the more i thought about having to talk to Alex about what’s been going on the more anxious i became. I started pacing and started mumbling to myself about what i was going to say and how I was going to say it. I wanted to let Alex in but I knew if I wasn’t careful I would let her in too much and I wasn’t ready for that. Being 17 and all my ability to regulate my emotions and understand them wasn’t the best as I’m sure you’ve already figured out.

10 minutes went by quickly and Alex was there before i knew it. She quickly made her way inside and dropped her bag by the door, coming up to me and taking me by the shoulders again to get me to stop pacing.

“Stop, please. You’re spiraling, what’s going on?”

“I just have a lot on my mind.”

“Like what? Is it your family? Soccer?”

“Family.” I mumbled, attempting to yank myself out of her grasp but she just wrapped her arms around my torso tightly so i couldn’t run away. “Let go Alex I can’t do this. Please let go.” I kept fighting against her hold but she wasn’t relenting, and while i would’ve denied it in the moment, I needed that.

“Shh, shh bub, just relax. I’ve got you. I’m here now it’s all gonna be okay, okay? I promise. Please just let me help you.” She said softly and I finally just allowed her to fully pull me against her chest, she relaxed her grip just slightly moving one of her hands to the back of my head, stroking my hair softly, resting her chin on the top of my head. “You’re okay, you’re safe now.” She whispered, and she continued to mumble reassurances to me as she rocked me in her arms slightly.

“Do we have to talk about this?” I mumbled.

“Yeah kid unfortunately we do. You know the rules when you decide to run away like you did earlier.” She kissed my head before picking me up with ease and moving us to the couch. She kept her hold on me and let me curl up into her lap, I tucked my head in the crook of her neck.

“I don’t want to.” I attempted to say firmly but it came out as a whine.

“Remember what I said? It’ll all be okay. I know this is scary but I’m not going anywhere and anything you tell me isn’t going to scare me away. I promise you. You’re my brave big girl, hmm?”

“I’m 17, you know?” I said in an attempt to seem tough.

“And that’s why i said you’re a big girl. But you’re still the baby on the team and little one to me.” She said chuckling softly. “You can do this.” she said after a moment rubbing my arm gently.

“I can do this.” I repeated to myself. I moved myself out of the safety of Alex’s arms slightly, putting some distance between us and turning to fully face her, steeling myself for the tough conversation ahead. I’m a very sensitive and emotional person so these conversations always make me cry no matter how much I try to stop it.

Do you want me to call the rest of the girls? Is this something they should know about too?”

“Too many people. Not ready, I think it’s better if I tell you everything first and then maybe only tell them the gist of it after.”

“Okay, then that’s what we’ll do. Whenever you’re ready.”

“I guess I’ll start at the beginning. So you know how in between camps and during off season I go home to be with my family? Well I went and everything fell apart, and it’s all my fault. Just like everything always is.”

“Hey, no don’t say that.” She cut me off, she hates when i am self deprecating.

“Its true though. I fucked everything up. You know how my brother and I work at the same place right? Well and you know how my shift is closing? So I work 1-10pm? Which my mom hates.” She nodded her head as I was talking to let me know she was following along. “Well one night it was bad… The weather was horrendous because in my hometown we get a lot of snow. A-and so one of the days I worked I was one of the f-few people to show up and, when everything was all said and done there was a huge mess left behind from the disaster of a day we had….” I was beginning to become emotional just thinking about what had happened that night, and i hated that it still made me feel such strong emotions.

“It’s okay, do you want to keep going?” Alex asked me softly, stroking the back of my head softly. she knew sometimes that talking about things was hard for me and that i needed to take breaks in order to get the whole story out.

“Yes i need to. I can do it.” I said determinedly. Blinking away the tears.

“Anyways, it was a mess and being a “Back up Team lead” sometimes i made a decision to send everyone else home and clean up. And since my brother worked on overnights I called him and asked him to come help me clean up so that i could go home at a semi-reasonable time. He came over to help but when they wanted to send him back to his normal area he refused and he s-started arguing with his boss about how he was going to choose family over his job at the moment and they d-didn’t like that so they sent him home for the night, and he didn’t have a car so he called my mom to pick him up…” I stopped to catch my breath as i realize I hadn’t been breathing

“Shh, easy baby, nice, slow deep breaths, you’re doing so good.” She said. I hadn’t been looking at Alex very much this whole time but when I finally did I could see unshed tears in her eyes. I knew it was hard for her any time i was upset or emotional in a negative way. She gently wiped away the tears that made their way down my cheeks.

“My mom came to get him, and then she called me, and she was angry, she demanded I come home so I did and when I got there she told me she had a lot of opinions about what happened but she was just going to keep her mouth shut. She told me to get out of her sight so I did. She wouldn’t even look at me. Just like that I was transported back to when I was a little kid and she would get angry and she would just tell me she didn’t want to look at me. It felt like a knife to the chest. I didn’t understand what i did to upset her so much and I knew she wouldn’t tell me. All part of her “healing process.” I said bitterly.

“Fast forward to the next morning, I woke up to the news my brother had been fired. I called him to apologize and I asked him what our mom said to him and he said that she blames me for him getting fired. She said I should have known better. I knew how much he needed that job.” My hands were shaking and my breathing was ragged as I played with the strings of my hoodie.

“That wasn’t your fault, you have to know that.”

“Yes it was. It is. He hasn’t found a job since and he-he’s struggling again. You remember what happened last time he was struggling don’t you? I can’t do that again, I can’t! Everything he does, every decision he makes that’s not good is my fault. My mom wants me to be “an example” for him but he’s older! How fucking twisted is that?! Why are things never his fault?!” I yelled standing up suddenly startling Alex.

“Okay, okay let’s take a break hmm?” Alex stood up holding up her hands to show me she meant no harm.

“No! You don’t get it! Everything is my fault! My own mother thinks so! I know he’s struggling but can’t she see I’m struggling too?! ” I threw a plastic cup that was on the table across the room.

“Stop. Now. We don’t throw things when we’re upset, do you understand?” Alex said sternly.

My lip wobbled as I started crying again. “I’ve spent the last 4 years trying my very best to hold my family together through everything we’ve been thru. I got my brother the job working where i do and now I’m the reason he lost it. And now he and his girlfriend risk being homeless because she doesn’t have a job either. And if they lose their apartment they move back home with my mom, which means I’ll probably have to move back to be there with her because I can’t just leave her there by herself with them. It wouldn’t be fair. Which in turn means I’ll have to put my life on hold. The life I finally made for myself.”

I’m so tired of being emotional exhausted. I can’t keep doing this. I don’t even want to be alive anymore.”

“Woah, hold on… what do you mean by that?” Alex’s eyes widened as she processed what i said.

“I mean what I just said I don’t want to be alive anymore okay? I want the pain to stop. I need it to stop.”

The silence that followed was long and tense. I immediately regretted saying what i said. But realized i couldn’t walk it back. Alex finally took a deep breath and began speaking again.

“How long have you been feeling this way? Do you- Do you have a plan?” She asked quietly, her voice breaking as she did.

“No I don’t have a plan, I just sometimes think about how much easier it would be if I wasn’t here anymore. And sometimes I think about hurting myself but i haven’t acted on it. And i’ve been feeling this way since last year, when my mom and i got into that big blowout fight at Thanksgiving. You know she didn’t even want me moving out here? She’s never really let that fight go.” I laughed hollowly.

“Thank you for telling me, and being honest with me. I know that wasn’t easy. Why didn’t your mom want you to move out here?”

“She thinks you and the girls have too much of an influence over me. She thinks you guys are “changing” me. She threatened to force me to quit playing soccer all together.”

“What? Why didn’t you ever tell me any of this?”

“It didn’t seem relevant.”

“Didn’t seem relevant?! How’s that? If i had known that I would’ve just had you move out here permanently!”

“Alex…”

“No I’m serious! I understand you’re still 17 but you’re out of high school and you should be able to decide your own path.

“I’ve been trying, but the situation with my brother gives her more reason to say i should just quit playing.

Alex goes quietly again and I can tell she’s thinking. I can tell she’s angry. She has never really liked my mom and visa versa, their relationship is courteous at best.

“I think sometimes you forget that you’re still a kid. I know that you have had a lot put on your shoulders and that a lot is expected of you, but your brothers choices that night are not your fault and I’m sorry he’s having a hard time and he might have to move back home, which yes will be hard for your mom but that doesn’t mean that you have to give up your life for them. They will be okay. I promise you.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Yes i do, you wanna know how I know?” She said and I nodded meekly.

“I know because your brother is strong, and so is your mom. And while i’ve never met her I’m sure his girlfriend is too. You don’t have to hold anyone else up but yourself. Not anymore. Their emotions and their… predicaments are not yours to try and fix. i don’t want you going home for a while okay? It’s clear that it’s taking a toll on you and to be frank, This is your home. Here with me, With the other girls. We have you okay? And we will never leave you. Ever.”

I turned away from her and tried to calm myself completely. I was so over all the crying and I bet you are too.

“You’re probably so sick of me crying.” I said chuckling quietly. Alex Vehemently shook her head and wrapped her arms around me, kissing my head.

“Not at all, you needed to get it out. it’s never good to hold it all in like you did, you know that.”

“I know, I just…”

“Have a hard time letting yourself be vulnerable. I know love. I know. So here’s what we’re going to do. I think writing your thoughts out might help what do you think?”

“Maybe…” i said hesitantly.

“Don’t worry no one else will read it but you. And the only way anyone will ever know anything you write down is if you tell them. And I know you going home for part of the year is to help you be able to pay your half of the rent but don’t worry about it okay? I will cover any excess we have from the missing income okay? I meant it when I said your home was here with me.”

“Alex you don’t have to-….”

“Yes i do. You’re very important to me, and I care about you and the things you need. And right now you need a bit of a break.”

“Thank you. That means a lot.”

“Anything for you kid. Now listen I also want you to really consider talking to a therapist or a mental health professional about how you’ve been feeling okay? I won’t force you but I think you might benefit from it. And please talk to me, or one of the other girls if you feel like hurting yourself. I don’t want you to think you have to go thru that alone okay?”

“Okay i will.” She’s right, it’s probably about time i go to therapy, I’m still hesitant as sharing my feelings and the things i keep inside has never been my strong suit.

“Now, how about you go take a warm shower to calm down a bit more, I’ll order some pizzas and get the girls over here?”

“I’d like that.” I smiled softly and headed upstairs to do as she suggested.

About an hour later I was showered, comfy and sitting on the couch sandwiched between Alex and Christen. A “Chrislex” sandwich if you will. Tobin was on Christen’s left, Mal, Sam, Kristie, Rose and the rest of the team were laying as close to me as they could get and spread out through out the living room. Pizza was also spread out through the room as people shared with one another. We had Moana on as the girls said I could pick and that’s my go to movie. I was so focused on the movie i almost didn’t notice my phone buzzing at my side. I looked at the text that came thru and my heart dropped as I realized who it was from… My mom.

“You need to come home.”

Is all it said. My hands instantly started shaking and I had that panicking feeling rising in my chest again. Alex looked over at me curiously and I forced the fakest smile i could muster onto my face. I’m in deep shit now…

To Be Continued…

There will be a part 2 and the rest of the team will be in that one more, promise. Please let me know what you think!

#uswnt imagines #uswnt #christen press #uswnt x reader #imagines #writing #alex morgan #uswnt x original character #alex morgan x orginal character

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piratefalls · 7 months

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i'm back! between work and trying to write my first fic for this fandom i've been falling really behind on reading, so for now these are going to be a more bi-weekly occurrence than weekly. in any event, there's truly a little bit here for everyone, so enjoy this week's mix of a+ works!

masterlist

you and me, babe, how about it? by @myheartalivewrites

Alex sits in the back of their Secret Service approved, PPO driven Land Rover, excitement thrumming through his body. The leather squeaks as he fidgets incessantly; his skin burns where Kieran’s shoulder is pressed into his, despite the layers of fabric between them. On the other side of Kieran, he can see Henry’s fingers twitch on top of his own knee, playing an imaginary piano, flicking out and squeezing in before releasing and starting again. Like he’s so fucking desperate to reach out and touch the leg next to his he’s having to muster up all of his self-control, draw on all the years of keeping himself restrained, just to not start things too soon. Alex can’t believe they’re actually, finally, doing this.

you know i can't be found with you by stutteringpeach

“He’s cute,” Alex declares on the first day of class. Liam doesn’t even bother to look up from his laptop. “Uh huh.” “The professor.” Liam makes a non-committal noise. “I’m gonna fuck him.”

Longer Than Most by happinessofthepursuit

“Oh,” Alex says. “Sick.” Henry can’t help but grin. He can’t believe he’s so bloody gone on a man who says sick and dude, who he’s slept with all of one time and proceeded to knock him up. Henry’s a cliche, honestly. “It is, indeed, sick, as you say.” Alex rolls his eyes, but his cheeks darken a shade, giving him away a bit. “Listen, the closest I get to poetry is your fucking face. Excuse me if my vocabulary doesn’t quite compare to yours.” Or, Alex and Henry have a one night stand. That is, until a baby’s involved.

Baby (Let Me Put On a Show) by SatinBirds

It’s been five months, and still Alex is never completely prepared for Henry’s performances. Private or otherwise. Or, Henry is a night dancer, and he’s everything Alex wants.

Sun Salutations (Waif for Me) by @duchessdepolignaca03

He repeats the movement five or six times, his body heating up with each repetition, loosening the hangovers’ grip on him through very effective breathwork. Wanting to open up his hips a little bit more, he settles into a wide-legged forward fold. He holds the pose, enjoying the delicious stretch on his lower back and virtually all the muscles of his lower body. Then he just about jumps out of his skin when he hears, “Mmm, breakfast is served.” Or: Alex parties hard on a Thursday night and has some deliciously anonymous sex with the glittery blond he calls Waif. When he wakes to do his naked sun salutations, he learns that Waif is a very, very hungry, 'temporarily unhoused' boy whom Alex quickly invites to live rent-free in his head.

secret, scars, and trust by viciouslyqueer

He trails off and Henry takes the opportunity to cup his cheek, gently swiping his thumb over the smooth skin. “Hey. We don’t have to do anything. We can stop right now if you want to, or cuddle for a while. I can put on a movie if you’d like. I don’t mind either way.” Alex’s smile grows and he leans into the touch, pecking Henry’s lips again. “Thanks, baby,” he murmurs, and Henry has to fight the urge to react at the pet name. “But it’s not that. I want to keep going, if you want it, too. I just have to tell you something before, okay?”

make it five by anincompletelist

“Fifty bucks says I can get that guy’s number.” Popping the bubble of cinnamon-flavored gum Alex had just blown, he glances up from his phone to look at where Nora’s pointing. Just over the soles of his shoes, crossed at the ankles and propped on the flaking black wood of the shop’s front desk, there’s a man with broad shoulders lingering by the far wall. Alex hadn’t even heard the guy come in. “Nora. He’s literally looking at one of the biggest dildos I’ve ever seen,” he deadpans quietly. + alex works at a sex toy shop. it's usually a pretty easy job — if he could just stop daydreaming about the blonde guy that keeps coming in to buy literally all of alex's favorite sex toys.

talk by smc_27

Henry records himself for an audio erotica app. Alex finds it. And listens.

Got a ticket for two by clottedcreamfudge

Henry likes his apartment - he has done since the day he moved in a year ago. The light in the sitting room is gorgeous at all times of day thanks to the ceiling to floor windows which lead out onto a south-facing balcony, only just large enough for the plethora of plantlife his flatmates care for. The kitchen is always stocked with his favourite tea, everyone keeps to their allotted cupboard and fridge space, and the bathrooms are kept meticulously clean. There's a rota for chores stuck to the fridge with magnets from Rhode Island and Minnesota, London and Milan, with everything typed up neatly so that nobody has to squint to read someone else's awful handwriting. His flatmates themselves? Well, they're a little… strange.

Far Away From the One That I Love by allmylovesatonce

It's been an agonizing two months of Henry being in London and Alex being in New York. When an opportunity to finally be reunited with Henry comes his way, Alex jumps on it. But things don't go quite how they expected after so much time away.

If We're Caught in a Wage (I Will Carry You Over) by @sparklepocalypse

There it is, up ahead – the small island just offshore, with Alex’s favorite broad, flat stone outcropping, perfect for sunning himself in seclusion. He splashes into the shallows and dives in when the water’s up to his knees, and it’s a matter of maybe a minute’s swim to reach the island. Alex finds his footing among the sand and pebbles, pulls himself upright, and shakes the water out of his hair, then pushes it back from his face. He can practically hear the outcropping calling to him -- you know, if inanimate rock could speak. Alex stretches, his mid-back satisfyingly popping, and then skirts his way between some larger rocks until his sunning rock is in view. Except – there’s someone already on the outcropping, their short blond hair shimmering in the sunshine, the upper slant of their shoulders visible from where Alex is standing. (Movie or Bookverse AU; Alex rents a remote beach house and Henry is a cecaelia.)

Protect Your Solitude by graceofgrayskull

At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Alex stumbles onto Prince Henry crying in a storage closet and is forced to rewrite his perception of their first meeting.

Out For A Bite by everwitch

Henry's eyes fly up, zeroing in on the reflection in the mirror. There, behind him. The man from the bar. He looks different in the fluorescent bathroom lights. Sharper. There’s a look in his eyes that has Henry shivering all over again. It's greedy. Hungry. He’s staring right at Henry. Henry's throat feels dry. His heart beats madly. He's heard whispers of this place, and more importantly of its patrons. He thinks he knows what this man is.

each time we touch / i wanna take too much by @firenati0n

my fingers slipped and now there are fingers in mouths. wrote this in one sitting at 5am today. please forgive any egregious errors, i wrote it without my glasses on and on no sleep lol. hope you like it. <3 title from New Girl by FINNEAS

you took the time to memorize me (my fears, my hopes, my dreams) by coffeecatsme

The tour guide has a small bisexual flag pinned to his chest, right next to where his name is scrawled in big, bold letters. Alex, it reads; simple, to the point. The name tag rests on a red and black flannel, and underneath is a white t-shirt with Georgetown’s name stretched on the front, reminding Henry ever so starkly that he’s thousands of miles away from what he calls home. The flannel stretches over broad shoulders leading up to a strong jaw, all in contrast with the bright, dimpled grin stretched over a beautiful face. Henry thinks there isn't a place on the world far enough away from his grandmother to escape her clutches - even after transferring to Georgetown. Then, his tour guide extends a helping hand and shows him otherwise. Or, 5 steps Alex and Henry take to memorize each other and 1 time they realize they already do.

Praise & Supplication by NoCoastPosts

Alex is always moving, always going, always seeking. He is defiance and brashness tinged with anxiety, but not in these moments. Henry pins him down with a gaze as heavy as his touch, and all of Alex’s motions cease. He is calm, he is obedient, he is pliable. He knows he’ll be broken apart piece by piece, sending waves of heat deep into his core. or When Alex gets stuck in his head, Henry helps him let go.

Another Door Opens by 14carrotgold

Henry takes a long drink. “If it makes you feel any better, my dad's dead. He and my mum had the type of love straight from the storybooks and it got cut tragically short, so what is the point in finding something real if it's just going to hurt you?” Alex bites back a smile and shakes his head. “How in the fuck was that supposed to make me feel better?” He waves his hand awkwardly. “Oh, I just thought we were both sharing the trauma that impacted our romantic relationships.” - Henry and Alex first meet when Henry reveals their partners are cheating on them with each other.

Fifteen Hours Till Forever by inexplicablymine

“I would say that in this life, we aren’t granted many chances at true happiness, at the unadulterated freedom and joy that comes to the lucky ones. I would say that I know right now only fifteen feet apart, fifteen hours till forever, and somehow the universe has decided I ought to be one of the luckiest there are.” “But tomorrow,” he continues, “when we are saying our vows, when we are promising ourselves to one another forever, I want you to look me in the eyes and know that you are it for me.” OR The year is 2025, and the world doesn't know they are getting married.

home by rizcriz

For a moment he fears Henry’s been outed against his will somehow, but he scrolls down to find a video clip. Unable to trust himself to watch the video, he scrolls a little further to read the transcript. He learns that Henry had come out during a ribbon cutting, of all things. He’d stood in front of a crowd of a couple hundred people gathered for the opening of a new youth shelter, and he’d told his truth. Alex is tempted to watch the video, to examine his body language to see if it was planned or not, but he reads further and one sentence stands out to tell him it wasn’t. There is no comment yet from Buckingham Palace. -- or, six months after Henry rejected Alex at Kensington Palace.

The Way of Things by writerkenna

Henry and Alex have been very much enjoying the life they’ve managed to carve out for themselves. They’ve had to compromise and work and change to maintain it, but it’s worth it. Henry finds himself pregnant, though, and everything they’ve built starts to turn on its head. as always, let me know if you want to be tagged either because you're a writer or a reader (or both!) and i'll see you next time!

My life is a cosmic joke and you're not a real person by lizzie_bennetdarcy

Alex plans to be a lot of firsts in the world. But this absolutely isn't the kind of first he was thinking. He stares wide-eyed into the mirror at the letters on his shoulder while June whines to be let in. Alex finally unlocks the door and June bursts through. “Show me!” Wordlessly, Alex turns to show her his back. "What the actual fuck?" June exclaims, then claps a hand over her mouth. "Sorry, that was rude, but — is it more than one person?" Or: Five times Alex doesn't find his soulmate, and one time he does

tagging: @starkfridays @stilesgivesmefeels @midnightsfp @sarahjswift omg i feel like i'm missing someone

#rwrb rec list #rwrb #rwrb fic #firstprince #red white and royal blue #rwrb fanfiction #alexhenry #firstprince fanfiction

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tw-inkl-e-tit-s · 1 year

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𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒓 𝒄𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝑷𝒕2

Pairing: Mason Thames x Fem!Reader

Type: Angst and Fluff

Word count: 2.6k

Warnings: Alex being a d*ck, ch3ating, cussing, bl00d, crying, Maddy being a sweetheart

| Mason Thames Masterlist | Here is PT 1

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

𝒀/𝒏'𝒔 𝑷𝒐𝒗

I looked at myself in the mirror as I smiled at my reflection. I finally was confident in the way I looked and you could tell my mental health was better, I had moved on from Mason and I have never felt more better than I do right now.

"You ready, baby?" My boyfriend, Alex, asked as he walked into our shared bedroom

"Yeah, I'm ready," I said, he pulled me in a gave me a rough kiss

He pulled away and smiled down at me, he got a notification on his phone so he pulled it out and checked it, I watched as his cheeks flushed red.

"Who is it?" I asked, he looked up at me and quickly put his phone in his pocket

"Nobody important, sweets," He smiled as he grabbed my hand and we left the house

I and Alex had been invited to one of Maddy's events, of course, I would go, as she's my bestfriend. Alex didn't want to go but I told him he had to go since I needed a date for this, he then agreed with a very loud groan, one thing Alex didn't like was to be seen out in public with me but I just ignored it.

Alex placed his hand on my thigh as he started up the car, he looked over at me and smiled before looking back at the road and driving off.

𝑻𝑰𝑴𝑬𝑺𝑲𝑰𝑷

We arrived at the large Dolby Theatre and watched as Many celebrities walked along the carpet getting their pictures taken, Alex grabbed my hand and walked me up the stairs and into the theater, he let go of my hand and stepped aside when someone tried snapping a picture of us together, I looked at him and rolled my eyes.

"Y/N OVER HERE!" I heard the paparazzi scream, I smiled as I walked onto the carpet and started posing for all of them

I felt a hand wrap around my waist and pull me in, I looked up to see Maddy, she smiled at me before turning back to the paparazzi and smiling at them.

"I'm so glad you could make it!" She said as she pulled me into a tight hug

"Aw, anything for you Mads, you're my girl," I smiled as I hugged her even tighter

She laced her hand with mine as we walked to a huge dining area with food being served by waiters, she dragged me to a table where I saw all our friends talking and laughing, I looked around for Alex but didn't see him anywhere, I sighed as I sat down in the middle of Maddy and Miguel.

"Hey, Y/n!" Miguel smiled as he hugged me

"Hey, Mikey!" I said hugging him back

"So where is your boyfriend, I thought he came with you?" Tristan asked

"He's around here somewhere," I said, looking around for him

"He'll show up soon," Maddy smiled as she patted my leg

"Hey guys sorry we're late, Stella couldn't find her ring," I sighed already knowing who it was, Mason smiled as he pulled out a chair for an unhappy-looking Stella, she rolled her eyes as she sat down, Mason pushed her chair in and then sat down beside her as he put an arm over her shoulder

"It's all good dude," Tristan said as he dabbed up Mason

"Are sure Alex is still here, like he didn't have an important meeting he had to get to or something?" Miguel asked as he looked at me with sympathetic eyes

"He would have told me, he wouldn't have just left, right?" I said, I pulled out my phone and opened Alexes contact in my phone

I listened to it ring a couple of times before it went to voicemail, I called again and it didn't even ring it just went straight to voice mail, I then texted him asking where he was and that he needed to hurry and get here since everyone was asking about him, It was so embarrassing for me.

"Did he text back?" Maddy whispered so the others wouldn't hear

I shook my head looking down, she smiled as she rubbed my back, and she quickly changed the topic so I wouldn't focus on my boyfriend's whereabouts, but I couldn't stop checking my phone every thirty seconds or looking around for him, why was he stressing me tonight?

"I'll be back," Stella said, as she got up and walked off, Mason quickly got up and followed after her

"You wanna go look for Alex?" Maddy asked I nodded, and she got up and grabbed my hand as we left to look for my missing boyfriend.

𝑻𝑰𝑴𝑬𝑺𝑲𝑰𝑷

We had searched everywhere for Alex and had no luck finding him, I was starting to think Miguel was right, Maybe Alex really did leave and just not tell me, I mean he didn't even want to come in the first place, but why was he not picking up my calls, or answering my texts, maybe he's mad at me for making him come, but he didn't seem mad or upset when we left?

"Where the hell is he, he isn't answering me!?" I said, I was starting to get angry

"We should split up, maybe we'll find him faster that way," She said, I nodded my head

"I'll have the guys check all the boy's bathrooms and I'll check some other places," She said as she walked away

I sighed as I continued to search for him, I spotted one of my friends who knew Alex very well, he was the whole reason me and Alex met each other.

I walked up to him and tapped him on the shoulder, he turned to look at me and he smiled, "Y/n It's good to see you!" He said as he pulled me into a hug

"It's good to see you too Jacob, Have you by chance seen Alex walking around here," I asked, he looked around before looking back at me

"I did see him earlier, I tried to say what's up but he just gave me a look and rushed out of here, he looked like he was in a hurry," He stated, taking a sip out of his drink

I sighed and quickly put on a smile, "Thank you, Jacob, I'll see you later," I said walking away

This is not how I planned to spend my night, I wanted to celebrate with my bestfriends but now I'm stuck searching for my grown-ass boyfriend, and what made it even worse was all my other friends were helping me look for him, I just want them to have fun and not worry about anything.

I grabbed my phone from my bag and texted our group chat to see if anyone had heard or seen anything.

F.R.I.E.N.D.S

Y/n: Any luck?

Maddy: No I've looked everywhere

Brady: Me and Tristan looked in all the guy's bathrooms and haven't seen him anywhere

Tristan: Miguel went to go find Mason so he could help look

Y/n: Why Mason?

Miguel: GUYS TO THE FRONT NOW MASON IS BEATING THE SHIT OUT OF ALEX

Y/n: WHAT??

I quickly ran to the front and saw Maddy running and the guys followed behind her, we heard screaming and yelling coming from outside, and I couldn't see over the huge crowd that was formed in a circle, I heard grunting and cussing.

"YOU PIECE OF SHIT!" I heard Mason yell

I tried my best to get through everybody but they just kept pushing me away so they could see.

"SHE DIDN'T LOVE YOU ANYWAY BITCH!" Alex shouted as I heard a loud slap echo

I felt somebody grab my hand and pull me into the crowd of people, soon I was in the middle and watched as Mason threw a punch to Alex's face, I looked to see Miguel beside me who was still holding my arm so nothing would happen to me.

"WHY WOULD YOU DO IT ALEX!?" Mason shouted, what did he mean?

"For fun," Alex smirked

"You cheated on her, WITH MY GIRLFRIEND!" Mason shouted, he grabbed Alex by the collar and drug him to the ground, Alex tried pushing him off but Mason sent a punch to his face

I watched as Mason knelt over Alex's bloody body and Alex smirked up at him again.

"How could you cheat on her?" Mason asked, Alex rolled his eyes and Mason slapped him across the face

"HOW COULD YOU CHEAT ON HER!" He shouted, I furrowed my brows as I tried walking over to them but Miguel's grip on my arm tightened, he looked at me with that same look of sympathy and shook his head

"I don't love her, I was just using her while I was in town," Alex mumbled, but loud enough for everyone to hear, including me

"What?" I asked, everyone's heads snapped toward me

Stella looked like she was about to cry as she held the promise ring Mason gave her in the palm of her hand, and Alex had a look of terror on his face, Mason just looked at me and I could see the tears swelling up in his eyes.

"You cheated on me, you used me!?" I shouted not wanting to believe him

"Y/n, I'm sorry," Alex said, Mason looked down at him and punched him again, and again, and again, Alex wasn't moving anymore and I watched as he got carried off by guards

"Y/n let-" Miguel tried saying before I ran off through the crowd

I felt the hot tears stream down my face as I tried to find somewhere to go, There were people everywhere I went, and they all turned to look at me when I passed them, I quickly found a door that said 'fire escape' I promptly opened it and was immediately met with cold air, I stepped out and sat on the bench behind the big theater.

I let out a sob as I tried to find a reason why Alex would cheat on me, I did everything I could to keep him in my life and I was so happy with him, he would always smile around me and would never yell at me or make rude remarks, I never had a reason to be suspicious of him.

I should have known it was all too good to be true, everything, the gifts he would send me every day, the random money he would cash app me while he was at work or on a business trip, the kisses, the hugs, and the love, it was all fake I guess.

I kicked off my heels and sat them beside me, I brought my feet up to my chest as I continued to cry, I felt water drip on my head, I looked up and felt another water droplet hit my face, then all of a sudden rain started pouring down from the night sky, I let out another loud cry as I put my face in my hands, as if my night couldn't get any shitter.

"Y/n?" I heard someone say, I looked over to see Mason walking down the ally as he looked around for me, I just stayed quiet hoping he would go away, he was the last person I wanted to see at this moment

He looked in front of him and then his eyes snapped toward me, his eyes softened as he made eye contact with me, he walked toward me with his hands in his pockets, his hair and clothes were wet from the pouring rain, I cursed at myself for the way my cheeks heated up.

He sat beside me but left a little space between us which I mentally thanked him for, it was silent for a few minutes, the only thing being heard was the rain, passing traffic, the music from inside, and the sound of people as they passed by the theater.

Mason cleared his throat and I rolled my eyes as I looked off in the distance.

"I'm sorry, Y/n," He croaked, I couldn't tell if it was from the cold weather or if he was about to cry

"I know you really liked Alex-" He tried saying before I cut him off

"-Loved, I loved him, Mason," I said, god it felt so weird saying his name after not saying it for years

"I understand, and I'm sorry you had to find out this way," He whispered, I felt his hand land on my thigh but I quickly moved my leg and glared at him

"Don't touch me," I seethed, he lifted his hands and backed up on the bench a little

"Are you still upset about what happened?" He asked, I looked at him as if he had three heads

"Am I upset!? Of course, I'm fucking upset Mason, My boyfriend of nine months just cheated on me!?" I shouted

"With Stella of all fucking people!" I said, rolling my eyes and crossing my arms

"What the hell is that supposed to mean!?" He shouted back

"Stella wasn't the sharpest tool in the toolbox Mason, even you know that!" I said, rolling my eyes again

"That's my girlfriend Y/n!" He said, standing up and facing me

I scoffed and chuckled bitterly, "Oh, so she's still your girlfriend after she cheated on you not once but- I don't even know how many times, with MY BOYFRIEND!" I shouted as I stood up and got in his face

"You're not the only one who's hurting Y/n," He said, as he looked up and let out a sigh

I looked down and nodded my head, "You're right, I'm sorry," I said, taking a deep breath

It all fell silent again as we stood in front of each other, I wanted nothing more than to just hug him, even in a friendly way, I just wanted to feel his warm embrace once more.

"I felt like an idiot that day, Y/n," He said, I looked up at him to see him looking back at me

"What do you mean?" I asked, he laughed before looking back at me

"The day I kissed you, I liked it- No, I loved it, but I was scared, but now I-" He paused and looked me in my eyes, he gently grabbed the side of my face and glanced at my lips, I furrowed my brows as I flinched a little

"What are you doing?" I asked

"Something I've been wanting to do for a long time," He said as he pulled me

Our lips crashed together and it felt like a million fireworks being set off in the bottom of my stomach, his hands moved from my face to my waist gripping it as the kiss got more heated, he pushed me up against the cold brick wall as his lips traveled from my lips to my neck, leaving small kisses on my jaw, I sighed as my hands tangled in his wet hair.

All my feelings for him started bubbling to the surface and I couldn't help but remember what he said that day. "It was just a heat of the moment thing, I'm sorry," My breath stopped in my throat as my whole body tensed up, was he just leading me on again, was this another heat-of-the-moment thing?

"Mason?" I breathed out, he pulled away from my neck, his eyes low and full of lust

"What's wrong?" He asked, worry in his eyes once he saw how upset I looked

"Is this just another heat of the moment thing?" I asked, hoping it wasn't

"What? Oh my god- No no no, I like you- I mean I love you, a lot," He said, as he grabbed my face gently with both his hands

"I want to be with you, Y/n, till our hair is grey and I'm suffering from back problems," He said causing me to giggle and roll my eyes

"I love you, Y/n." He said, turning more serious

I looked up at him and smiled, this was it, I finally got to look into his eyes, kiss his lips, hold his hand, and laugh with him.

"I love you too, Mason," I said as I pulled him into another passionate kiss

Taglist: @joycrist @wandamilf @ophelialigh @atomicprincessangel

if you would like to be added to the taglist let me know!

#: ̗̀➛ MasonThames✩#masonthamesimagines #masonthamesxreader #mason thames x reader #mason thames #finney blake x reader #finney x reader #tbp finney #finney blake #robin arellano x reader #the black phone x you #the black phone x reader #the black phone

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boltupbitches · 9 months

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Cheers to Us - Justin Herbert

Part 3 of the Layla Herbert series

Part 1 - One Day at a Time

Part 2 - Today's the Day

“Oh my god.” Justin groaned in exasperation.

“It’s honestly fine, babe. She’s ok!” Alex adjusted his collar, careful not to bump his cast.

Alex was helping Justin get ready as his younger brother kept Layla preoccupied. The two-month-old had started crying when she saw her favorite uncle. He had shaven his mustache off the day before and Layla, although just two months old, was not feeling it at all and cried at the sight of him when he came over to pick her up.

“He’s going to give her nightmares,” Justin grumbled. “I told him she’d notice, but he’s an idiot and said she wouldn’t. I know our daughter, Alex.”

Alex rolled her eyes and sighed at her husband’s ire. “Alright, go, go, go. You’re done.”

Justin wasted no time rushing back into his living room to rescue his fussy daughter from her mustache-less uncle.

“She was fine with me!” Patrick protested as his brother scooped Layla up with one hand. “That’s seriously dangerous, Justin. What if you dropped her?”

“You were making her cry with your face. I am adept at holding my daughter.”

“Says the dude with only one arm currently in use. You probably can’t even wipe your ass without Alex helping you.”

Justin went to retort, but he was interrupted by the loud. “Alright, that’s enough!” Called from the doorway.

Both brothers looked towards the doorway to see their mother and the rest of the family. They had just arrived and were invited in by Alex. After hearing her sons bicker, Holly wasted no time to break it up.

“Arguing in front of a baby? You two are so childish!” She admonished, walking forward to scoop her clueless granddaughter out of her older son’s hold. “They are so silly, aren’t they Miss Layla? Just the silliest. Grandma is here now though. I’ll keep them in line.” She stopped cooing at her granddaughter to give her sons a warning look.

Their dad came over to greet them and laughed at the pouting look on Justin’s face. “You aren’t seeing that baby for the next two days, son. All she’s talked about the last two weeks was seeing Layla again.” He gazed over at his wife as she showed off the beautiful tree Alex decorated to an enraptured Layla, who stared at the bulbs in wonderment as her grandma pointed out the beautiful colors.

Justin’s eyes shifted to his girlfriend speaking to Mitch and his wife. She looked absolutely gorgeous in the deep red dress she was wearing. Her hair was pinned to one side, her hair beautifully curled. The red lipstick she wore caught his attention and he stared in a brief trance at her lips as she continued speaking animatedly to his older brother and sister-in-law.

He didn’t realize that he had walked off from his amused father who wasn’t even hiding his knowing grin. Patrick just rolled his eyes at his lovestruck brother, focusing his attention back on his niece in hopes of winning her over by the end of the night. She’d get over the lack of mustache, Patrick was certain of that.

Justin found himself standing just behind his girlfriend when he decided to wrap his good arm around her and startle her, smirking at her squeal of shock.

“I was about to ruin your surprise there,” Mitch smirked. “But I figured you’d pout some more if I did so. Mom already got you doing that enough with her hogging Layla.”

“Yeah don’t remind me. We don’t even exist anymore since her first grandkid entered the world. I gotta compete with her to hold my daughter when she’s in town visiting.” Justin complained.

“It takes a village to raise a child,” Alex mused, finding humor in her boyfriend’s jealousy. “She doesn’t get to see her all the time. She just loves her granddaughter.”

“She FaceTimes us every day to talk to Layla. She probably has that rental out front loaded with gifts too.”

“She does,” Mitch chuckled. “She came well-prepared. It’s the reason we needed two rental cars.”

“Oh god.” Justin looked over at his parents and younger brother. “Well, I suppose we get off diaper duty tonight?” He turned to Alex, leaning down to peck her lips. “Maybe we can have a night of full sleep too.” ‘And a little something else as well.’ He thought as he peeked down at his girlfriend’s cleavage.

She blushed and smacked his arm, both ignoring the gag Mitch made and his wife laughing at him for being so dramatic. “Behave.”

“I always am.” He smirked. “That’s how Layla got here after all.” He mused as his girlfriend quickly walked off to the kitchen to check on the food, his sister-in-law following after as she reached out to punch Justin’s shoulder with a “calm it down there, tiger.”

“Sooo.” Mitch started talking, “You guys are official now?”

“We are,” Justin confirmed as he took in the sight of his living room decked out and festive for the holidays. All thanks to Alex’s good taste. “We became official a month ago, but we’ve been taking our time and keeping it between us.”

Mitch nodded. “I’m glad you guys worked it out. You almost missed out on a great girl, Justin.”

Justin agreed to that without hesitation. “I’m just glad she was willing to give me another chance. It’s been amazing.”

He took in the sight of his fussy daughter, who was wearing a cute sweater dress. She was the best gift he’d ever received. Not even being drafted in the NFL compared to the feeling of being Layla Herbert’s father. The more he stared at his daughter, the more he felt his heart warm with feelings of love and happiness.

He couldn’t wait for what the New Year would hold for his little family. He was excited to see Layla reach her milestones as she grew and with it, he’d hope that his and Alex’s relationship would continue to strengthen.

The ring he kept locked away in a small safe under his bed was waiting for its time to shine. He just hoped 2024 would be the year he’d get to break it out.

“Say, ‘come here, papa.’” Holly had her granddaughter focus on her dad. “Say, ‘papa, papa, papa.’”

Layla stared at her grandma in confusion, causing Patrick to snicker, and instead reached for her dad and let out a loud “ahhhh,” with a grabby hand towards her dad.

Justin immediately went over to her. “Why are you so fussy, Laylay?” He reached for her with one arm, using his cast-covered hand to support her bum and his other hand to hold her head against his chest as his daughter quieted down. “She’s been fussy all day.” He told his mom, who was staring at him with teary eyes. “She was just getting over an ear infection.”

“Oh Justin,” His mom cooed. “I still can’t believe this is real. Just look at her. She’s so precious. You and Alex made the most beautiful baby. I swear.” She wiped her eyes, trying not to get too emotional.

“Wait - what if I have kids someday? Won’t they be beautiful?” Patrick protested.

“They will be,” Justin said. “Just not as beautiful as mine.”

“She’s only beautiful because of her mom. It’s definitely not because of your ass.” Patrick sneered, yelping when his mom pinched his arm. “Oww!”

“Don’t be mean, Patrick! Your brother is not ugly.”

Justin smiled at his brother behind his mom’s back. “Well, Alex is beautiful and so is Layla. Can’t deny that.”

Before anyone could say anything else. Alex had called them in the dining room for dinner. Mitch had joined her and his wife in setting the table.

As Justin was walking in with Layla, Alex stopped him to ask for Layla. “Why don’t you eat first? And I can bottle feed her.”

“I was going to breastfeed her in the kitchen,” Alex said.

“Honestly, it’s fine. I’ll bottle-feed her from the milk you stored in the fridge. You eat and enjoy dinner with everyone. My mom will end up abandoning us anyway to come see Layla in the kitchen if you stay in here.”

Alex nodded at that, knowing he was right. “Ok. Let’s go eat then. Go get settled and I’ll get her bottle warmed up for you.”

Justin nodded and smiled at his wife. “I love you.”

She smiled back shyly, “I love you too.”

They stood there for a few moments until Layla fussed again and started pulling at Justin’s shirt, mouthing against the material. “Ok, ok,” He soothed her, reaching for her binky that was clipped to her dress. “We’re getting it, Ms. Fussy.”

Layla suckled on her binky, staring up at her dad with scrunched eyebrows, showing her displeasure with him.

“You look just like your mom when you make that face.” He mused at his daughter as he walked into the chaotic dining room and took a seat. “But I wouldn’t have it any differently.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead.

Justin’s mom and dad gripped each other’s hands, looking at each other with knowing looks as Alex returned to the table with a bottle for Justin.

What was once fear of the unknown for their son had blossomed into excitement and adoration for his situation. Layla was a blessing. They were sure of that. She gave Justin so much happiness and fulfillment in life outside of football. Alex, his girlfriend, was a wonderful woman as well. They had hoped someday to call her their daughter-in-law.

2023 was a year of trials and tribulations for their son. Yet, by the end of the year, he was given one of the greatest gifts of all. A daughter to love and raise.

“Cheers to Layla.” Mark said suddenly, lifting his glass, “Cheers to Christmas. To our family. And to a Prosperous New Year.”

“Cheers!” The rest of the table echoes.

“Cheers to Layla.” Justin cooed to his daughter who smiled around the nipple of the bottle.

Justin smiled at his girlfriend who smiled back at him. “Cheers to us,” He said quietly.

Alex lifted her glass of sparkling grape juice to him with a smile. “Cheers to us.” She agreed.

#justin herbert fanfiction #justin herbert fanfic #justin herber imagines #justin herbert imagine #justin herbert one shot #justin herbert one shots

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tailsbeth-writes · 4 months

Note

Espresso martini, Henry and Liam. Hehehehe

I may write more about this in a Oneshot, it's actually given me some fun ideas! 😇

Henry will admit he's a little nervous as they walk to the bar. He might be clinging to Alex's hand like it's a life raft when they see Liam wave them over. Alex is grinning like the Cheshire cat though and it makes Henry's heart fuzzy.

‘ACD, bain of my life, how are ya?’ Liam drawls as he and Alex hug, slapping each other's backs. Henry can't help but think about them doing this as teenagers, after a lacrosse game. Match? Oh, mere details Henry can't bring himself to be bothered by.

They slide into the booth and Alex goes to order Henry's usual gin and tonic at the bar when he stops him.

‘Actually, make it an espresso martini. It's a special occasion, no?’ Henry cocks his brow because he knows it will drive Alex crazy, and by the way Alex bites his lip, it's working.

‘Make it two, I'm on vacation!’ Liam chirps in. Henry smiles at him and back at Alex who rolls his eyes and heads to the bar. Liam settles into the usual small talk with Henry, who is thankful when Liam gets into a long story about his flight to New York. They don't know each other super well, but Henry has managed much worse situations. If he can deal with a high tea with the Austrian ambassador who obsessed over clownfish, then this is nothing. When Alex comes back, he's got the two cocktails but is lacking a third drink.

‘I am so sorry but I need to run out. Work emergency, I would tell them to shove it but that would be six months do-’

‘Go, I'm here for a week dude. We'll catch up another night.’ Liam interrupts with a nonchalant shrug. Alex looks to Henry, who is playing with the anxiety ring June bought him to replace the signet ring.

‘Can you entertain Liam for this evening, baby?’

Henry takes a sip of his martini, he knows this is Alex’s polite way of saying ‘You can go home, it's okay.’

‘We’ll be fine, love. Go save the world or whatever it is you do all day.’ He teases before sliding out and giving him a parting kiss. Alex calls out a quick ‘be good’ with some finger guns and high tails it out the bar.

‘I forget how embarrassing he can be… how do you do it Henry?’

Henry barks a laugh and holds up his glass to toast.

‘To Alex Claremont-Diaz, the most idiotic man with the biggest heart.’

Liam clinks his glass with him and they gulp the deep brown cocktails.

‘He hasn't changed. Did he ever tell you about the time he brought the wrong underwear for after training?’

‘Tell. Me. Everything.’

*Several espresso martinis later*

Alex ❤️

almost home

did you get back okay?

Come drink with us!

Still at Martie’s.

Baby, its almost midnight

Dont you have a call at 8am?

Pez says

it's ok

Ok?

Oh Henry how many have you had

only a few

The bartender gave us some free shots

Lovely chap

Coming to pick you up sweetheart 😂

Hows Liam?

But you've got me Alex

We're married darling.

You don't need to pick me up

So silly ❤️❤️❤️

Oh youre so gone

Liam is calling Spencer

He's going to propose when he arrives on Wednesday

How romantic!!

Wait he told you that?

Yeah

He told me lots

I know all about your 'straight' boy days

I am never letting you two drink alone again

#ficlet friday #rwrb #red white and royal blue #rwrb fanfic #henry fox mountchristen windsor #tailsbeth writes

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canirove · 3 months

Text

Rice, Rice, baby | Chapter 7

Previous chapter | Next chapter

Masterlist

“Olga, do I really have to go with you? I want to go home, I'm shattered.”

“It'll be just a minute. I'll check if I left my wallet in the kitchen and then we can go” she says. “And stop complaining, Liv. You are turning 25 tomorrow, not 80.”

“Feels like it” I sigh. Because today has been chaotic.

There was a double training session and some meetings going on, which means that I've spent most part of my day making coffees for everyone, going up and down the stairs to deliver them to the offices, and taking meal orders since one of the waiters called in sick and Olga needed help. And as if that wasn't enough, since the game at the Emirates I've been sleeping like shit, constantly having nightmares where my dad finds out about me and Declan and kills him. Literally. In last night's dream he used an axe to do it.

“I promise I'll be quick” Olga says, opening the cafeteria’s door.

“You better” I reply, following her.

“Happy birthday!” everyone screams as I walk in.

“Bloody hell!” I yell, my heart on my throat. “What the fuck?”

“Language, Olivia” Madders says. “This is a birthday party!”

“A what?”

“Surprise!” Olga says while hugging me.

“You… you… what?”

“I know your dad said that you don't like celebrating your birthdays, but you only turn a quarter of a century once!”

“Wow, those are some big words for you, Maddison” I laugh.

“So funny, Liv” he replies, rolling his eyes. “Everyone is dying to wish you happy birthday, you know? Sonny made you a card, and I think a certain Spaniard even got you a present…”

“You all seriously need to stop with that.”

“I was talking about Bryan, Liv” Madders smirks.

“You… Idiot” I say, hitting him in the arm.

“It's not my fault Spanish dudes love you!” he laughs. “Though you prefer them half Irish, don't you?”

“Shut up!”

“Half Irish? What did I miss here?” Olga asks.

“Nothing. James is talking shit as always.”

“Yes, I am” he laughs again. “Anyway, are you coming or not? I can't wait to try the cake. Alex told me it is your favourite, and knowing how obsessed you are with anything with chocolate, I'm sure it'll be amazing.”

“Wait, Alex is here too?” I ask.

“Yep.”

For the past few weeks he's been behaving super weird around me, basically ignoring me, and I still don't know why.

We've known each other our whole lives since my dad and his are best friends and we live close by, and even though we've had our ups and downs (especially because of my dating life and him not liking any guy I did), he had never been like this.

“C'mon, Liv. Let's go say hello to your guests” Olga says, linking her arm with mine and walking towards where everyone is.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

“Happy birthday, dear Olivia… Happy birthday to you!”

“Don't forget about making a wish!” my mum says.

“Done” I smile.

For my actual birthday I'm having a small gathering with my parents, Alex's and him, the usual every year. After partying way past midnight with everyone at work, it is what I needed. Something chill and at home where I can wear my pyjamas, have crazy hair, and where no one will give me a weird look. Though this year my mum forced me to actually look nice since it is a special number.

“I can't believe my baby is 25 already” she says while hugging me. Or while squeezing me against her. “Where has time gone?”

“She was a tiny loud baby not that long ago, and now look at her. My darling is a beautiful, intelligent and wonderful woman I'm very proud of” my dad says.

“Oh, stop it” I say, trying not to get emotional.

“Should we start with the presents before everyone starts crying?” Alex's mum chuckles.

“I told you I didn't need anything, guys.”

“This is just a little detail” she smiles.

After opening a few more presents, it's time for my dad to give me his.

“I'm a bit nervous about this” he laughs, giving me a small box. “Hope you like it, darling.”

“Thank you” I say, slowly opening it. Inside it there is a car key, one that obviously has a Tottenham keychain. And under it, there is a note. “Look out the window? What does it mean?”

“It means exactly that. Look out the window” my dad says, nodding towards the big one in our living room.

“Ok…” I say, walking towards it. And then, I see it. It can't be. “Dad, is that… Oh my God, is that a Mini?”

“It is, darling. Your Mini.”

“What?”

“It's yours, Olivia” my mum says.

“But I… you… how?” I mumble, looking from the car to the key in my hand.

“You've always been obsessed with that car for some reason. So much, that when you got your driving licence, I bought you a small replica of it” my dad says.

“You did, yes” I chuckle. “I still have it in my room.”

“Do you remember what I told you when I gave it to you?”

“That one day… Oh, dad!” I say, running towards him and hugging him.

“I told you that one day I would buy you the real one, not just a toy. And that day has come” he says, hugging me back. “It isn't new, we couldn't afford it. But it is better than that thing from the Pleistocene you were driving.”

“It is perfect. The Mini, I mean” I say, moving to look at him. “It seriously is. I love you so much, dad. You too, mum.”

“Oh, Olivia” she says, joining our hug.

“Did you film all that?” I hear Alex's dad say.

“I did” he replies.

“I probably look so stupid” I laugh.

“You look beautiful, Liv” Alex says. And that was… odd. But whatever.

“Why don't you kids take the car for a spin?” my dad suggests.

“Now? What about the cake?”

“You and your cakes, Olivia” my mum replies, rolling her eyes. “It will be here when you come back. Just be careful, ok?”

“Ok” I smile. “Thank you. Again” I say, giving my parents another hug. “I love you.”

“And we love you too. Now go, darling” my dad says.

“And Alex, don't let her go too fast.”

“I won't, Mrs. Chapman” he chuckles.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

“Liv, what did your mum say?”

“Shhh” I reply, speeding up a bit more.

“If you crash your car on the first day…” Alex laughs.

“That won't happen. I'm gonna take care of him as if he was my son.”

“Is it a boy?”

“It is a boy” I smile. “The most beautiful one.”

“You'll have to give him a name, then.”

“Urgh, I suck at choosing boys names.”

“Is that why all your pets growing up were girls even if they actually weren't?”

“Yep.”

“Then you better not have a son in the future” he laughs again.

“Yeah” I smile. “I've missed hearing you laugh. Are you ok?” I ask him, slowing down now that we are back in our neighborhood.

“Uh?”

“You've been avoiding me, Alex.”

“No, I just… I've had a lot going on and to like… Organise my feelings and thoughts.”

“Oh, I see. But is everything ok?”

“Yeah, don't worry. Park over there, I want to give you my present.”

“Ok” I say, doing as he has asked me.

“So… ummm… Liv” Alex says, nervously playing with the small box in his hands. “There is something I have to tell you.”

“I'm all ears.”

“I… You… We…”

“C'mon, Alex” I say, playfully hitting his arm. “It's me.”

“Yeah, I know. That's why saying this is so difficult. Because it's you.”

“I don't understand.” Why does he look so nervous? I think the last time I saw him like this was when he dared to ask out the hottest girl in our class and she… No. No, no, no, no. He isn't going to…

“I love you, Liv.”

He is. Oh, my God, he is doing it.

“And not like the way you love your dad or a friend. I love you like something else.”

“Alex, I…”

“When I told you that I was trying to like organise my feelings and thoughts, I was talking about you. About what I feel for you. Because I… because I've realized that I've always been in love with you, Liv. That if I've been a prick and disliked all the boys you've dated or been around, it's because I was jealous. Because I wanted to be them. Because I love you.”

“Alex, listen…”

“This is for you” he says, opening the little box and showing me what is inside. A ring. He got me a freaking ring, and one that doesn't look cheap.

“I can't accept it.”

“It is just a birthday gift, Liv. Nothing else.”

“Nothing else?” I laugh. “You just told me that you love me and now are giving me a ring, Alex. This totally looks like some kind of proposal.”

“Well, if you think about it like that… Then yes. It is a proposal. Liv, do you want to be my girlfriend?”

This can't be real. This has to be another of my nightmares. They all start the same, with something really good happening, and then boom! The killing starts.

“Alex… I… No.”

Have you seen that episode of "The Simpsons" where Lisa is dating Ralph, she breaks up with him while being live on tv, and when they are watching it again Bart says something like, look, if you slow it down you can see the exact moment where you break his heart? Well, that is happening right in front of me.

“I'm very sorry, Alex. But I don't love you. I just like you as a friend.”

Wow, Olivia. Wow. You just delivered the most cliché line ever.

“I see…” he says, closing the small box and putting it back in his pocket.

“I'm sorry.”

“I heard you the first time, Liv.”

“Ok, umm… I should drive us back home.”

“Is there someone else?”

“What?”

“Are you seeing someone?”

“Maybe...” I say, biting my lower lip.

“Is it the Spanish guy? The one everyone keeps talking about at work.”

“Who, Pedro?”

“Yeah, him.”

“He isn't anyone from work or related to it.” Which is a lie, but it is best if he doesn't know.

“Oh, ok.” And those are the last words he says to me for the rest of the day.

#declan rice #declan rice fanfic #declan rice x reader #declan rice imagine #football fanfic #football imagine

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imzsuzsis-blog · 1 month

Text

Because of the stupid dream, I just have to pee all the time. I'm on the toilet again and peeing. The other is that we broke up with Loki, I loved him so much. The third and the little ones haven't even been born, and I'm waiting for them. I don't know what Carlos is saying, but I don't have schizophrenia, but that's what Oscar said too.

"I don't have a personality disorder, Max!!!! Stop it… I was just dreaming.”

"But the girls too..." "No Max, he doesn't dream of that either."

"They broke up with Loki because of something stupid."

"That's not true either... Your dreams are too vivid, my friend... We're still together and we love each other."

I grimaced at him, but he just waved, because he thinks boys can't be pregnant.

"Max, stop waving. I really am pregnant.”

"That's not the problem!!! But the time, say, in Montreal, I opened for you and you had an orgasm!!!! Stupid English bastard face with twins!!!!”

"I already said I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but how many more times do I have to say it?"

Presentation and gone.

"As they say half the world is a left dick."

I sat down and closed my eyes again and soon fell asleep again, I've only been doing it for a few days. On vacation, half of my group of friends got on my nerves with this, one of them even made me a cube stomach with Photoshop, because he thought it would be a good joke for teenage girls.

"Lando, Lando... Ohhh, baby, did you fall asleep again?"

Loki? Yes, no, I'm not just resting my eyes, I needed it early again."

"Dude isn't even your best friend, can you call me baby?"

"Carlos, you're rubbish. Can you hear me?”

"And you?"

There they were giggling on a bench, like two little girls from a girly novel that Lilly used to read... Well, I used to read them. To annoy her directly, but she likes it, she always laughs at me when I do this, but so does Lando.

"Yeah, we're just fooling around."

I laughed at Oscar, he showed me the girly things to read for the week.

"Gossip Girl... It's a joke, right?"

"Not Lando, now this is the next series, on Netfilx."

"I'm going to watch it now and it's damn good."

"I don't want to interrupt, but you are not complete that you started a book club and only read girly books for being boys. Okay, I look like Lando, but you don't look like Oscar."

Carlos, look at us as fools for doing this, we both love to do it, we haven't even read one of these, how to do it.

"If you don't like it, you can read one from the list."

"No thanks, I'll leave it to my girlfriend."

"It's your choice Carlos."

"Lando, is this serious? You say the one who made out with a girl in a disco, who is not, by the way, her friend."

"This is bullshit, it was another girl with another boy and the picture was taken on New Year's Eve."

"Lando, I have to make you dream, the video was just made in Ibiza... About you and Magui kissing passionately... Are you gay or not?"

I angrily slapped Carlos and started sobbing.

"Magui violently attacked me drunk and kissed me... Then she told me that he wanted to fuck me, when Keegan and Max found out, they pulled me away and told the security and threw me out."

I started shaking, I could tell it was a what-if situation, what if he did it. And she rapes me in a bush next to the disco, I'm afraid of her.

"Don't worry, you didn't do anything wrong, your friends were there to save you from this horrible girl... I can't stand calling her a whore either."

We kissed him forehead because he mentioned several times that him head hurts from something and him stomach is burning and he wants sex less... But he brushed this off for us and not for Loki, him boyfriend.

Lando jumped on my neck for some reason, I only saw what he was doing on the scoreboard.

"Pole, pole!!!!"

The guy is happy.

"Hey, I see it too."

"I know, I know, I'm just fucking happy."

I started shaking my ass and grimacing at Alex and he back at me and we did this for about five minutes.

"Lando, honey, aren't you childish?"

“Yes, I know he is, but you?"

“Carl… Loki? The fuck came to me.”

"I'm George... That you can always be messed with by your boyfriend."

"Okay, who the hell was that?"

“Who said it could be?"

I almost fucked George for saying that to me.

"Alex started on Thursday... Because you bragged about his childhood in front of the audience, then Max because he opened up to you once and you were totally intoxicated, Carlos just for fun, Oscar because he still loves you."

"Here??? You're an idiot, a dick, George Russell!! Fuck you!!!”

After I took deep breaths, I suddenly had labor-like pains again, which I hadn't had in a month, and I calmed down because of it.

"Are you fucking okay, mate?"

"Everything is fine, only Braxton-Hicks contractions are fine. It is common in the third trimester.”

"I was terrified, I thought you were going to give birth." "I won't, we are already talking about it with DR Sarha, they will come when the girls come."

"Doctor... Let's leave the other one."

"Today was agony, Loki. Let's not even talk about it."

Lando leaned over to me with tears in his eyes, because I was the only one and I was listening to what the others were saying to him. I think the whole thing was extremely disgusting, especially Carlos, who bought into a rumor again, like at the Belgian Grand Prix.

"Darling, do you know this world is just... Baby crying and two too? Did you give birth?”

He froze and could only nod, and in fright he held both children. I cried softly on my mobile through Síri. I called the ambulance as fast as lightning, but they were already here, there was a problem with someone here at the hotel.

———————————

in the hospital

"No, no no!!!!!"

He repeated this again and now the poor man was crying from the shock, I felt sorry for him, it was unexpected and scary. We were talking and suddenly they popped out of it without any effort. Although I just spoke to George, who said that he had pain but did not deal with it.

"Lando, why didn't you tell me you were in pain?"

"It completely slipped my mind because I was busy with something else today."

I started caressing him face and wiping him tears from him eyes. It's very beautiful and cute to see when Lando cries, I always smile inside, but not now. Because it's a sad sight when we were told how big and how many grams they came into the world, we were both completely terrified, but they will survive with their needles. Instead, he is here at the Hospital because of them because he has a race tomorrow and this is his first.

"They couldn't go home for an incredibly long time, as far as Belgium at the most, because of the girls, if they get better, we can only go that far because it's a neighboring country."

"Yes, I know... This damn premature birth was in the air mainly because of what was written about you, and this is mostly the fault of today's teenagers. Because they will see you somewhere and scream and need everything about you, or they need you. It's terrible.”

I kissed his hair because I was slowly starting to fall asleep, it had been a long day and even that might make him hate himself now.

"Hello, Loki... I talked to a doctor... He was at 33 weeks..."

"What happened?"

"He started labor against him will, he read something on the internet and so on. But he said politely, he got 34."

"Good, but they are in the preterm ward."

"I know about it and I'm sorry, it would have been a few weeks."

"Are they beautiful?"

"Yes"

I saw pictures of Penelope and Leah and they really were two little beauties, I would have grabbed them but I couldn't because they weren't allowed yet.

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demxnicprxncess · 2 years

Note

hiii, could I request “how the evans would ask/react to roadhead”? ty!

coming right up.

Taglist: @kitwalkersgfff, @ppawmpkin, @yes-divine-ruler, @quicksilversg1rl, @charsdunkie lmk if you would like to be added or removed my dears.

Warnings: isnt it obvious that its just flat out nsfw?

How the Evans, ask, and react, to the reader giving them road head.

Tate Langdon:

How he asks: It would start out as a joke, like he'd be singing a song that you'd call ass, and he would glare at you and reply with something along the lines of "suck my dick" because he's a sassy bitch. And you'd be like "We're in a damn car" just continuing with the joke but then he'd use one hand to unbutton and unzip his pants before saying something stupid like, "So? You shouldn't starve yourself."

How he reacts: He whines, grips your hair, and forces you down even more, yeah, all that good stuff. But I also feel like he'd run some red lights and even stop signs, whilst stopping at green lights, he would possibly even almost crash. So :/. The first-time you guys tried it was also the last time because you didn't want to die giving him head in a fucking car.

Kit Walker:

How he asks: He doesn't, it wasn't his idea. It was just a long ride, and he was tired, so you decided to get his blood flowing by giving him head. He'd instinctively ask what the literal fuck you were doing, and you'd be like "Keeping you awake." No more questions would be asked; However, he would want to pull over, but you'd tell him no.

How he'd react: Sketchy as fuck. Like he'd be looking around all scared that anyone would see you guys, even if you were driving. Would take time at red lights to either grip your hair or even place a hand on your boobs. He would offer once again to pull over and you hum nos against his dick driving him absolutely insane. As he's about to cum he pulls you up, and either you're at your destination or in some alley, he fucks you in the backseat. However, if you are at you r house for the destination, he fucks you in your guy's bed.

Kyle Spencer (pre-death)

How he asks: He seen it in a porn video and wanted to try one day. He was absolutely horny and couldn't do anything while driving so he kind of hinted at the idea, not fully asking. Something much like, "Hey babe my friend sent me this video... well the dude was getting something called 'road head'", he sucked at trying to drop hints, because he sounded lowkey desperate. "Okay and?" you'd reply forcing him to ask. "Can we try it? I mean if you don't want to, we don't have t-" He'd be stopped because you were already pulling his dick out of his pants.

How he reacts: He swears up and down he looked so fucking cool. He didn't. He was a whiney baby, and when he was going to cum, he had to pull over. Which he would kiss you, you'd crawl into his lap and boom. You guys are having sex in a damn Mc Donalds parking lot. Hope you're proud of yourselves.

Jimmy Darling:

How he'd ask: You'd beg him to drive your car, since it was too cold, and he said only if you'd give him head while he drove. Which you did because why not.

How he'd react: Praise, degrade, degrade and praise again and again in that order. "Fuck, you're so good with your little mouth." and then, "Fuck you're such a whore for me hm?", and then my favorite, "Such a good mouth on a slut. I fucking love you." In the end yall would make out and he'd drive you to where you needed to go after car sex, when your done with your business, more car sex. When you get to camp sex in the caravan. SEX, SEX, SEX, that's how road head goes with our darling boy Jimmy Neutron.

I will do part two with Kai, James, Alex, and Peter tmr guys im tired :/

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blackhill2245 · 3 months

Text

Oh shit!

Warnings - guns, like a bit of violence but really

Note - enjoy, not proof read so if there's anything major let me know

I sit around lazily scrolling through my phone, music full blast in my headphones. I was wearing my signature 'nobody will see me' outfit, as in a grey hoodie with stains on it from painting and my at home DIY projects, my black track pants full of cat hair.

"SWAT put your hands up!" I hear muffled through my headphones as my front and back door are kicked open. I sit up in alarm shakily taking my headphones off.

"What the fuck!"

"On the ground!" A girl screams, pointing her gun at me as the rest of her squad runs around my house. "BE careful! The basement stairs are dodgy, and you'll fall through!" I yelp as I spot two men stomping down them.

"I said on the ground!" She shouts again, thrusting her gun at me to make a point.

"Ok, ok jesus" I nod sitting cross legged on the floor.

"No lay on the ground, face down!" She shakes her head grabbing my arm and making me lay down, that was hot- wait.

I yelp as I'm roughly tossed on the floor, blushing madly because oh my God girls in uniform -

Not to seconds later, the rest of the team rushed back to my living room.

"Where is he!?" The tall bald headed one asked.

"Who?" I scrunch my eyebrows straining to look up at them, "Hey, can I sit up now?".

The bald headed one nodded at the girl, who then patted me down and nodded, "Get up." she demands, and well, who am i to deny a pretty woman?

I sat up, and they were all tense waiting for me to try to make a run for it or something, but I was just straight up confused, but also thankful I washed my hair yesterday because it would have been so fucking greasy.

"He asked you a question!" Another dude said he had black hair that actually suited him well. I wonder what he'd look like with a beard, I don't think he'd have the face for it.

"I already answered, who?" I say again looking at the bald headed one he seemed to be in charge.

"Alex Rovio"

"What type of name is Rovio?" I laugh a little but stop once seeing they're glares, "nah sorry man, I'm still confused"

They all stared at me for a while before the bald headed one started talking, but I interrupted them.

"Wait, wait, wait can I get names I mean no offense but I can't keep thinking of you as the bald one" I note a younger man laughing to himself.

The man rolled his eyes but introduced everyone, I learned the pretty lady is Chris, a very beautiful name, if I might add.

"Right sorry what were you about to say?"

"A known and wanted murderer is meant to live here" deacon states his face very serious.

"Uh well I'm on the lease but my name isn't Alex, so-" I shrug

They all exchange looks, "were going to have to bring you in for questioning, Chris took her out to the truck" Hondo instructs his team but once again before they could do as told, I interrupt.

"OH, could I feed my cat before I go? And just tell my naighbor, he's disabled and I don't want him alone"

They nod, so I stand up and just stand there awkwardly, "are you just gonna watch me?"

Chris chuckles, shaking her head she hands her big ass gun to Luka. "I'll watch her. You all head to the car"

They all file out, and I call for my cat, "psst psst, chicken!, chicken!" I call ratling his treat bag.

I hear a meow, and my shaky cat chicken stumbles into the kitchen, "Hey baby!" I coo fixing his nappy.

I place his food down reaching for my phone to call my neighbor.

"Chicken?"

I look to Chris, who has a confused look on her face, "oh I found his in the trash eating chicken"

She nods and lets me call my anighbkr, over leaving a 50 on the counter and heading back to HQ with Chris.

■□■□■□■□■□■□■□■□■□■

After a while of discussing, we realized alex the murderer is using me as sort of a cover-up, pretending to live there so police wouldn't be suspicious or something, anyway I was sending money to him and he sent it to the actual renter who didn't know what was going on.

I didn't try to understand it, to complicated but long story short I'll need a new home, my neighbor had to take my cat to her apartment for a while, and I had to stay in the HQ for a couple hours until the team could arrest Alex as I was now in danger.

"Man," I sigh, Chris was designated to watch me, which I really did not mind. Anyway, right now, we were sitting in the boxing ring. Well, I was lying down.

"You alright?" She asks softly looking down at me, she was sitting cross legged next to my head.

Oh. My. God she's so fucking pretty what the fuck.

I realize I zoned out when I saw her smile, "Uh yea, I'm fine." I shrug, "It's a bit annoying, having to move but I've been wanting to buy a house for a while"

"What do you do for work?" She asked playing with her fingers.

"Im a firefighter, it's fun, you know? Helping people and all that" I Humm folding me arms behind my head, sighing.

"Neat job" she nods hesitating before shrugging herself and laying next to me.

"So. Chicken? What's up with him?"

"He's a wobbly cat or cerebellar hypoplasia, his brain is a little messed up, I brought him to the shelter but it was a kil one, I didn't realize until it was nearly to late, I realized he was a lot of work I was still in the academy but, I worked hard learned what I needed to then my neighbor learned about my cat and started to help out, he's so sweet just a little.... special" I rant I loved my cat to bits, and when I showed people him they were always saying mean things.

I look at Chris, noting how she was already looking at me. She laid on her side, looking at me.

"He looks like a very sweet boy" she mutters leaning down to get closer to me.

"He is," I whisper before we fall silent, sitting up as I see deacon approach.

"You're a free woman. He's caught. Just get out of your house as soon as possible and be careful" he walked away leaving me alone with Chris.

"Well, guess I'll head home"

"Wait, uh, I didn't ask earlier because I mean it would be I aptopreite, but since you're leaving and most likely won't see me again, um here" I smiled at how awkward she was being. I look st the peice of paper she handed me and realized it was her number.

"You know to call me incase somethings wrong?" She smiles bashfuly.

"I'd like that." I smile brightly, my cheeks hurting, "but... I'd like to call you, as soon as I get home, not when something is wrong"

"Well then, you'd better hurry home," she smiled once more before walking away, looking over her shoulder and giving me a cheeky smile and wave.

"Fuck me" I whisper, partially shocked and partially actually no, fully truthful.

Sighing I get home sending off a text.

'Hey, hope you have an easy rest of the day <3"

It sounded a bit awkward, but I can't flirt for my life. Immediately, there's a text back.

'Thank you, but don't jynx it, glad you git home safe ♡'

I spend the rest of the night smiling like a little school girl, giggling and kicking my feet.

#SWAT #s.w.a.t.#chris alonso #fxf #fanfic #cute #fluffy #wobbly cat #deacon kay #fanfiction #s.w.a.t fanfic

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illbeyourreasonwhy · 11 months

Text

when the time comes, baby don't run (part 3)

(listen, we're just going to ignore how this update is over two years late, okay?)

Part 1

Part 2

“How was your date?”

“It wasn’t,” Alex answers, the words sticking to the back of his throat.

“Dude, you’re still pretending it wasn’t a date? I’m telling you –”

“He didn’t show up.”

Luke, Reggie and Julie all freeze, staring at him with varying levels of shock and confusion.

“What do you mean he didn’t show up?”

“I mean he didn’t show up,” Alex says, swallowing so his voice won’t crack. “I went there, and I waited, and he never… he never showed up.”

His voice breaks at the end. He squeezes his eyes shut, hating it, and when he opens them Julie’s look of indignation has molded into something sadder, sorrier, and she extends an arm to him. And as much as Alex doesn’t want the pitying looks he is sure to receive from the three of them, he is feeling pretty terrible and is in need of comfort, so he joins her on the couch, allowing her to wrap an arm around him and to card a hand through his hair while he rests his head against her shoulder.

“But you were gone for over two hours,” Reggie says, sounding almost as upset as Alex feels. “You waited for him for two hours?”

Alex swallows, feeling incredibly stupid, and doesn’t answer. Julie’s arm tightens around him and he turns his head to bury it in her shoulder, hiding away from the world. She shifts a little, no doubt exchanging looks with the boys over his shoulder. Alex doesn’t have the energy to care about that right now.

“Are you okay?” Reggie asks cautiously, which is really a stupid question based on Alex’s current everything, so he doesn’t bother answering.

Reggie sighs and moves closer, so that Alex is sandwiched between him and Julie, and that’s actually comforting, so he moves away from Julie’s shoulder to offer him a small smile. Reggie smiles back, just as small and sad, and reaches over to squeeze his arm gently.

Next to them, Luke is fuming.

“I can’t believe this,” he rants, pacing angrily. “How could he – how dare he ask you out and then bail on you? Who does that?”

“Luke,” Alex starts wearily, “it’s okay –”

“No!” Luke shoots back. “No, it’s not okay! You deserve better than to be stood up on your first date, which he asked you out on, by the way –”

“Luke,” Julie says sharply, and he stops. “Sit down.”

Luke doesn’t move for a beat, then huffs and stomps his way over to the couch, dumping himself onto the armrest next to Julie. He still looks outraged, but he’s not ranting anymore, and Alex shoots Julie a grateful smile. As much as he appreciates Luke being upset on his behalf, he can’t deal with the anger right now. Maybe tomorrow. But not right now.

She squeezes his shoulder in answer, then straightens up, dragging Alex with her. “Do you want to do something?” she asks him.

“Do something?” he repeats blankly.

“You know, like play a game or watch a movie or something, to take your mind off things.”

It suddenly occurs to him that it’s past ten o’clock on a school night, and that Julie definitely waited up on him to see how his date went. He thinks he probably would have been embarrassed by that if things had actually gone well, but right now, the fact that she is here, that she is hugging him and offering to stay up even longer just to try to cheer him up, makes him so damn grateful for her.

“Shouldn’t you get to bed soon?” he asks anyways, just to give her an out.

“What are you, my dad?”

She rolls her eyes and holds his gaze for a few seconds, just to make a point. Then she smiles a little and shrugs, nodding imperceptibly as if to tell him it’s okay, he’s worth staying up for.

So damn grateful.

“Ooh!” Reggie says, sitting up excitedly and jostling Alex in the process. “Can we watch Big Hero Six?”

“It’s up to Alex,” Julie says, still looking at him. “Do you want to watch it?”

What Alex wants is to see Willie, to ask him why he stood him up on a date he asked Alex out on. That, or he wants to get behind his drums and play as hard as he can until the sun comes up, until his sticks break and his hands are raw, until his heart stops feeling like it might tear itself open every time he breathes.

But he can’t do either of those things right now, not unless he wants to wake up the entire neighborhood, so he nods and shuffles closer to Julie.

“Yeah. Yeah, okay.”

They turn the movie on, and Alex is too busy feeling sorry for himself to fully take in what is happening on screen, but he’s tucked between Julie and Reggie with Luke sitting at his feet and resting against his legs, and he thinks that maybe, just maybe, he’s going to be okay.

It’s going to hurt like hell for a while before that, though.

Alex doesn’t see Willie over the next two days. He doesn’t exactly go looking for him, either. Lately, Willie was always the one to seek him out, but he is staying away now.

Considering the fact that Willie was about 50% of his social life, Alex finds himself now having a lot of time on his hands. That isn’t helped by the fact that the other 50%, the band, don’t seem to be around much either. Julie is in school most of the time, and Luke and Reggie keep mysteriously disappearing for hours at a time. Alex has his suspicions as to where they might be sneaking off to, but he doesn’t have to heart to call them out on it, so he lets them be.

Until –

“We have a confession.”

He looks up from the guitar – he was using this extra free time to strum a tune; he’s no Luke, but he’s half-decent – to meet the slightly sheepish looks in Reggie and Luke’s eyes.

“Oh, you’re back,” he comments. “Next time you two decide to go gallivanting together on a band getaway, maybe let your drummer know beforehand.”

“Yeah, about that…”

“That’s what the confession is about.”

Alex watches as they hesitantly sit across from him; Luke looks jittery, his leg bouncing more than usual, while Reggie won’t meet his gaze, twiddling with his ring.

“We kind of … went looking for Willie.”

They both wait, apparently anticipating a big reaction of some kind – maybe tears, or anger, Alex doesn’t know. But he only sighs.

“Yeah, I know.”

“What?”

Reggie stops wincing to instead stare at him, dumbfounded, while Luke looks utterly confused. “Since when?”

“Since you two started disappearing right after Willie stood me up? It wasn’t hard to connect the dots.” The boys at least have the decency to look a little bit sheepish. “What I don’t get is why.”

“Why what?”

“Why did you go looking for him?”

Luke stares at him as if it were obvious, while Reggie shrugs.

“To give him hell for messing you around?”

It sounds like a question by the end of his sentence, his voice getting more and more hesitant as he watches Alex’s face react to this information.

Alex groans.

“No. Guys, no. Tell me you didn’t go fight Willie on my behalf or something as stupid as that.”

“We didn’t!” Reggie hurries to say.

“Because we didn’t find him,” Luke adds. “That’s kind of why we’re here. We were wondering if you knew where he might be?”

“I’m not telling you guys where you can ‘give him hell’,” Alex states firmly. “He’s a good guy, I’m not going to let you haunt him.”

“A good guy who stood you up,” Luke mutters.

That stings. He knows Luke didn’t say that to hurt him, though, that he is only upset on his behalf, so he just sighs.

“I don’t need you to fight my battles.”

“Then come with us! I mean, you must want to give him a piece of your mind, right?”

“Not really,” he lies. “And if I did, I wouldn’t use that as an excuse to harass him.”

“We’re not harassing him,” Luke huffs.

“We haven’t even found him,” Reggie points out. “But yeah, it’s not about that. We just think he owes you an explanation.” He looks at Alex with a wounded sort of sadness. “Don’t you want an explanation?”

Yes. Yes, he does. He wants to know why Willie asked him out only not to show. He wants to know if he did something, if there’s a reason Willie has been avoiding him for two days. He wants to know if everything they had meant anything to Willie, the way it did – does – to him. He wants to know if Willie knew that Alex was going to sit on the beach and wait for two hours for him.

“He is the one who stood me up,” he says after a long moment, ignoring the way the words pain him. “If he wants to explain, he can come on his own. He knows where to find me, and we clearly don’t.”

The others must be able to tell he means it, because they don’t mention that he could probably find Willie, and instead let the matter drop.

They don’t bring up Willie at all, actually, until the next day during rehearsal. Willie is noticeably absent, which hasn’t happened in a while, but no one mentions it. That is, until Alex can’t handle the way everyone seems to be walking on eggshells around him and he snaps, slamming on his drums a fraction too loud and causing everyone to turn to him in alarm.

“Stop doing that,” he snaps. “Stop hovering, stop glancing at each other when you think I don’t notice, and stop looking at me like I’m going to break.” He notices the way Reggie withdraws into himself and winces, forcing himself to lower his voice. “I’m sorry,” he says, quieter. “I didn’t mean to yell. But I’m fine, so please stop acting like I’m not, because all it’s doing is making me think about why he’s not here, which then makes me mess up the songs.”

It’s quiet for a beat, then Luke says, “Yeah, dude, I wasn’t going to say anything, but you kind of botched the whole pre-chorus there.”

His voice is light, teasing, although his eyes are still searching for any sign of distress on Alex’s part. But Alex feels himself smile, relieved to slip back into familiar territory.

“Yeah, because you guys’ fretting is throwing me off my game,” he shoots back, although there is no heat to his words this time. “So can we try that again?”

“Actually, let’s take five,” Julie says, standing up. “We’ve been at it for hours, and my voice will break if I don’t drink water right now.”

She pats Alex on the arm as she passes him but other than that doesn’t say anything, which he appreciates. The same can’t be said for Flynn, who is sitting on the couch.

“So, I only caught parts of that rant, you were kind of flickering,” she says, leaning forward, “but I’m assuming it was about Willie?”

Alex shrugs, not in the mood to open up about this, but she goes on, undeterred.

“How are you doing?”

“Peachy,” he replies.

She snorts, then her face goes back to serious. “Seriously, I’m sorry about what happened. Willie seemed really into you.”

“And how would you know?” he says, a little shortly, but sue him, he doesn’t want to talk about this.

Besides, Flynn doesn’t seem bothered. “We talk,” she says simply, apparently missing the four curious looks this causes the others to send her. “Well, talked. I haven’t heard from him in a few days. Otherwise I would have chewed him out for standing you up.”

Alex feels something in him soften at her words. He likes Flynn, but they aren’t close by any means, and they haven’t really had the chance to ever properly talk. But the fact that she is loyal to him enough to be willing to talk to Willie on his account means a lot.

“You don’t have to do that,” he says, though, because she doesn’t, and because he already told Luke and Reggie off for wanting to do the same thing.

“Yeah, well, he didn’t have to be an asshole to you,” Luke cuts in.

“But that’s the thing,” Alex says, frowning, because something doesn’t add up, “he’s not an asshole. He’s a good guy, and I don’t get why he would just stand me up and then ghost me afterwards.”

Flynn looks pensive, and she must be taking this seriously if she won’t even comment on his use of ‘ghost’.

“Maybe he didn’t mean to, and now he’s embarrassed,” she says hesitantly, although she herself doesn’t look like she really believes it.

“Didn’t mean to?” Julie repeats dubiously.

“Yeah, maybe it was an accident,” she says, sounding a little surer of herself. “Maybe he lost track of time or something. I mean, that’s what happened to you guys at that club the night of the dance, right?”

And just like that, Alex feels the ground give way under his feet.

Not literally; he’s still standing here, in the middle of the studio, but he can’t see Flynn in front of him, can’t hear Luke speaking next to him. Everything around him seems distant, faraway, as he stumbles with the weight of his realisation.

“Caleb,” he gets out.

Suddenly Julie is there, bracing a hand against his chest, and his vision clears enough to focus on the worry in her face.

Somehow, he manages to pull himself together, take in his friends’ expressions. Based on the looks on their faces, they’ve reached the same conclusion he has, but he still needs to say it out loud.

“Caleb – Caleb must have found out. He must have found out that Willie helped us, that he told us about the stamps and he helped us with the Orpheum and he’s been coming here and god, that’s why he didn’t show up, that’s why he hasn’t been around, Caleb has him somewhere and that’s why you couldn’t find him…”

His voice is ragged and his breath is coming in short, desperate gulps. Julie’s hand is still on his chest, her other cupping his cheek as she tries to get his eyes to meet hers instead of darting furiously from place to place.

“Breathe, Alex,” he hears Reggie say.

But how can he breathe with the knowledge that Willie is out there, at Caleb’s mercy, has been for days and Alex didn’t even notice because he was too busy feeling sorry for himself?

“Alex,” Julie says seriously, calling for his attention. “Look at me.”

He does.

He does, and when he meets her gaze she reaches for his hand and squeezes, taking a deep breath and indicating for him to do the same. He takes a breath, and then another, and then another, and the buzzing in his ears slowly fades out and he can focus on his surroundings again. Julie looks relieved to see him back to himself, squeezing his hand again.

“We don’t know that’s what happened,” she reasons.

And she’s right, of course, this is just a theory, they don’t know that Caleb found Willie out, but they don’t know that he didn’t, either.

“We can go looking for him,” Reggie adds. “Do you know any of his hiding spots, anywhere he might look for shelter?”

It’s an eerie echo of what he asked not a day ago, and Alex could kick himself for bailing on looking for Willie just because he was sulking. For goodness’ sake, he knew that Willie was worried about Caleb, they talked about it not even a week ago –

He can’t focus on that right now, though. Reggie is right, they can go looking now, make sure that this didn’t actually happen. Now that Alex is coming back to himself, all he can think of is that he needs to see Willie, right now, to make sure that he is okay.

He chances a look towards Julie, feeling slightly guilty about ending an already subpar rehearsal, but she is already nodding.

“Go,” she says.

He poofs away the next moment.

He ends up at the boulevard. It’s where he and Willie met, where they agreed to meet up more than once after that. He looks around wildly as if Willie might be waiting for him here. There are hordes of people around him, talking, ambling aimlessly down the street. But no Willie.

Luke and Reggie appear next to him.

“Hey,” Luke says, resting a steadying hand on his shoulder. “Where do you want to start?”

Alex looks at the two of them, feeling lost. He doesn’t know. He doesn’t know where, how to start.

He looks around at the boulevard again. He hadn’t really had a destination in mind when he poofed away, just thought of Willie and followed his gut. Willie isn’t here, but Luke and Reggie are. They followed him. They always have.

He doesn’t even mean that in the sentimental way. From the start, from the moment they showed up as ghosts in Julie’s studio, he has been able to get a sense of how far Luke and Reggie are when they’re not around. It’s in that split-second before he starts to poof away, when he is still thinking of a destination; he can feel them, can feel a pull towards them, and he can trust that following it will lead him to them. He knows they feel it too. It’s what brought them here now.

He has felt that pull towards Julie, too, since the Orpheum. But not towards Willie. So how is he supposed to find him now, when he doesn’t even know where to start?

Except –

Willie must feel that pull towards him. Because Willie has always been able to find him, to show up out of the blue in the most random of places. So maybe… maybe it’s a skill ghosts have, and if he tries hard enough, it’s a skill he can hone in enough for it to lead him to Willie.

It’s worth a try. He has to try, if it will help him find Willie.

He closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, and thinks of Willie. He thinks of his smile, of the mischief in his eyes, of his laugh. He thinks of the feel of his hand in his, of how warm Willie’s gaze makes him feel, of his never-ending support and patience. He thinks of the way Willie makes him feel: free, and hopeful, and like anything is possible.

He thinks of their first meeting, of Willie complaining about his board when he was the one to knock Alex over, of Willie taking his helmet off and making Alex’s mind short-circuit, of Willie cheekily telling Alex to keep up, of him patiently answering each one of Alex’s questions. He thinks of himself falling for Willie, even then, and somehow knowing already that Willie was meant to be a part of Alex’s life for a long, long time.

He thinks of Willie, and tries to find him, wherever in the world he might be.

“Alex?” Reggie asks after a few moments.

“I don’t know,” Alex cries out, frustrated, feeling the last of his concentration slip away. “I don’t – I have no idea where to even start.”

His heart is beating wildly in his chest and he can feel himself start to spiral, but he can’t help it, not when this is Willie’s existence on the line. He can’t – he can’t –

Reggie finds his hand and squeezes it.

“That’s okay,” he says, and it’s not, it’s not okay, but Alex tries as hard as he can to believe that it is. “Alex, that’s okay. We can do it.”

It takes everything in him, but Alex is able to take a deep breath and push the panic at bay, thoughts coming a little clearer. The panic is still there; he doesn’t think it will leave until he knows Willie is safe and sound. But he can focus on Reggie now, can listen to what he and Luke have to say.

“We can?” he asks, his voice breaking. He’s too worried to be embarrassed about it.

“Of course we can. We will.”

“We can split up,” Reggie says. “Cover more ground. Can you think of anywhere you’ve been with Willie before? Anywhere, it doesn’t matter.”

“Uh…” An image pops into his head. “Above Sunset Boulevard. On the roofs. We went stargazing there once.”

“I’ll go,” Luke offers at once, and Alex could cry with how much he loves his friends.

“Great. Where else?”

“Skate park,” Alex says. He can’t believe this isn’t the first place he thought of.

“Which one?”

“All of them. The ones in LA, I mean. Oh, and Justin Bieber’s pool, too.”

Luke frowns. “Who’s Justin Bieber?”

Alex laughs. It’s short and breathless and a little hysterical and doesn’t sound quite right. “No idea.”

“Alright, I’ll go there,” Reggie says. “Luke’s got Sunset. You take one of the skate parks, we’ll go to others once we’re done with our places.” He meets Alex’s gaze. “We’ll find him. We will.”

Alex nods, at the moment unable to form any words.

“And if you think of anywhere else, let us know. We’ll go there too.”

He nods again, and Reggie smiles a little. It’s strained and worried but the sentiment is there and Alex is so grateful for him.

Reggie poofs away. Luke prepares to go too, then pauses and squeezes Alex’s shoulder.

“It’s gonna be okay.”

Alex swallows. “Thanks, Luke,” he says quietly, hoping Luke can tell how much he means it.

Luke just smiles and leaves, and the next moment Alex disappears to the skate park.

They search for the rest of the day. By the time night falls, Alex can’t count the number of places they have gone to. Skate parks, rooftops, street corners, random spots on the beach.

He saves the museum for last. Everywhere else he went – the beach, the parks, the roofs where they would sit and talk for hours – all those places he checked with a frantic sort of desperation. But the museum he can’t bring himself to go to until he has nowhere else left to look. It’s too painful. He has never been there without Willie, and the memories of everything that happened there – the handholds, the heart-to-hearts, the screaming – hit him like a truck when he steps inside.

More than anything, he misses Willie, in a way he didn’t let himself think about until now, too buried under the hurt and then the fear. But he does. He misses Willie like a crushing weight on his chest, misses their talks and their banter and everything in between. He just wants to see him again.

But he’s not there.

As Alex walks around the museum, he realises there was another reason he saved this place for last. If this is the most likely place where Willie might be hiding, he doesn’t know what he will do if he doesn’t find him here.

As it is, each step he takes feels harder than the last. Unlike all the other places where he searched frantically, he takes his time here. He looks everywhere, checks every corner, makes sure to leave no figurative stone unturned. He can’t afford to miss anything.

It isn’t until he has gone around the museum three times that he accepts – has no choice but to accept – the fact that Willie isn’t hiding here.

Alex screams for a long time, alone this time.

He spends so much time worrying about what might have happened to Willie and whether he will ever see him again that when he does, he freezes.

He is sitting on the roof of the studio, trying to trick his mind into taking a break from imagining the million different ways Willie might be suffering right now by taking in the warm evening air, when Willie appears.

By appears, Alex means he comes into view around the corner and walks up to the studio as if all is well in the word, as if he hasn’t been missing for four days, two of which Alex went half out of his mind searching for him. He walks, no skateboard in sight, hugging his arms to his sides and wearing a slightly guilty look on his face, and Alex is so stunned that Willie has almost made it to the door before he reacts.

He shakes himself out of his daze and slides off the roof, landing right in front of Willie, who jumps.

“Willie,” he breathes.

Willie’s eyes widen, darting across his face.

“Alex.”

Alex can’t move. Having Willie here, in front of him, okay, after Alex spent the past two days in varying states of distress over his wellbeing, is too much to handle. All he can do is stare, stare, and stare, take in, drink in the sight of Willie being here, being okay.

Then Willie says, “Alex, I’m so sorry,” and something in him unlocks.

He all but tackles Willie into a hug, pulling away before Willie can even properly wrap his arms around him back so that he can give Willie a once-over. “Are you okay?” he asks frantically, distantly aware that he is patting him down as if searching for injuries. “I was so worried, are you alright? I thought something happened to you, I thought –”

“Alex,” Willie says, reaching out to grasp Alex’s flailing hands. He lets go as soon as Alex stills, and Alex tries not to focus on how much that stings. “I’m alright,” Willie says, swallowing. “I’m sorry for worrying you.”

Alex nods once, twice, eyes still roaming Willie’s face with a sort of wild desperation.

“Where,” he starts; his voice catches and he clears his throat, trying to get a grasp on his jumbled emotions. “Where have you been?”

Willie’s face twists guiltily. “I’m sorry. I – Caleb came back.” Alex’s breath hitches in his throat and Willie hurries on, placating. “He doesn’t know about the Orpheum, or any of the rest. But he definitely suspects, and I… I had to stay away.”

Alex takes in the information, feels himself calm a little. It’s okay. Willie is okay. That’s all that matters.

“When you say he suspects…”

Willie hugs his arms to himself again, his thumb rubbing circles against his wrist. Alex desperately wants to reach out and hold his hand, provide some kind of comfort, but he doesn’t know if it would be appreciated in Willie’s quiet, fragile state.

“He knows you and I are close,” Willie says, managing the ghost of a smile, the first one since his reappearance. “And you guys found out about the stamps and found a way to defeat them, so – definitely looks a little suspicious.” He frowns. “By the way, how did you beat his stamp? Did you ever find out?”

Alex pauses, confused, before suddenly realising that he never did tell Willie about what happened the night of the Orpheum. At first he was too overcome with emotion because of his reunion with Willie to go into detail, and then… it just never came up.

“It was Julie,” he says simply now. “She saved us. She found us, and she was able to touch us. When she hugged us for the first time, we became stronger.” He pauses, the memory of that night enveloping him, the warm feeling that wrapped itself around him and his bandmates when they realised they were free, they were going to stay together. “She said she loved us. It’s her love for us that saved us, I think.”

Willie’s expression has molded into something like awe. “I have never heard of anything like that.” He shifts, smiles a little. “But I’m glad it happened. Good thing Julie has superpowers, huh?”

Alex is able to huff out a small laugh. It doesn’t land quite right. He doesn’t like this, doesn’t like this sort of distance that he feels between himself and Willie that wasn’t there before, but he doesn’t know how to fix it.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” he ends up asking, his voice coming out softer than he intended.

Willie starts, looking surprised by the question, but he recovers quickly. “Yeah,” he says, smiling, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. He looks so tired. “Yeah, I’m okay.”

His voice, at least, sounds sincere, so Alex decides to let it go. Willie can talk to him when he is ready.

“Okay, good,” he says, ignoring the worry churning in his gut.

Willie opens his mouth, closes it, looks away. He rubs the back of neck, glancing back at Alex. He hesitates, then sighs.

“Listen,” he says quietly. “I’m sorry about… about not being able to come to the beach.”

Alex feels his heart jump to his throat, because they haven’t talked about this, about what it meant. But Alex can’t stand the look in Willie’s eyes, looking wrecked with guilt as he avoids Alex’s gaze.

“It’s alright,” he says. And it is, but it isn’t, but Alex isn’t going to put this on Willie; it’s not his fault that Caleb decided to resurface right on time to ruin their maybe-date. “What matters is that you’re okay.”

Willie swallows. He is still hugging his arms to his sides, and this time Alex gives in to the urge to reach out and pull one of his hands into one of his own, intertwining their fingers.

“Maybe,” he says, heart beating wildly in his chest, “we could try that again? One of these days?”

He waits, hardly able to breathe. Willie looks at their hands for a long moment, before squeezing once and letting go.

“I don’t know, Alex,” he says quietly. “With Caleb back… I’m going to have to be really careful.”

Alex feels himself nod, shoving his hands into his pockets. He can feel tears building in the back of his throat and firmly shoves them down. He gets it, of course he does, and he knows it’s not about him, that Willie needs to take his precautions to stay safe and off Caleb’s radar, but he can’t help but think it feels like rejection.

It doesn’t help that the next thing Willie does is clear his throat, glancing behind him, and say, “Well, that’s all I came here to say, so…”

He trails off, glancing behind him again, and shuffles on his feet as if readying himself to leave. Alex watches him, heart in his throat, and wishes he knew how to make this better.

“Okay,” he says quietly instead.

Willie nods, his eyes still on Alex, and starts to turn around.

Alex’s arm reaches out. “Willie.”

Willie whirls back around, eyes lingering on Alex’s hand on his arm briefly before flitting back up to Alex’s face.

Alex swallows. “You know you’re always welcome here, right? Always.”

Willie offers him a wobbly smile. “Thanks, hot dog.”

Alex smiles back, and Willie lingers for another few seconds, looking on the verge of saying something. In the end he shrugs, giving Alex one last smile, and leaves.

Every time he left before this, he has always either skateboarded or just poofed away. Alex doesn’t think he appreciated those times enough. He wasn’t ready for how much it hurts to watch Willie walk away from him.

The following days are… odd.

Willie is back, which is great; but it’s also kind of not. He comes by the studio, albeit less often, and he watches them perform, but he doesn’t participate the way he used to. Where he used to hover near Flynn, he now tucks himself into the corner of the couch, folded into himself. Where he provided them with feedback after a song, he now remains in an almost sullen silence. Where he used to find any excuse to get close to Alex, he now only touches him sparingly, almost only when Alex initiates the contact in the first place.

His eyes are still on Alex, though. That, at least, hasn’t changed.

It’s especially evident about a week after he returns. Practise is just ending, Luke wants to go over the bridge of their new song for the third time, and Willie just said he was about to leave. That is another thing that has changed; Willie used to stay well after the actual rehearsal, but he never lingers now. Alex assumes it’s because he has to be more careful now that Caleb is back, but it’s hard to read Willie these days. (And doesn’t that hurt to think about.) His friends have been a lot warier around Willie since he hurt Alex, despite Alex telling them not to, so maybe that has something to do with it, too.

Whatever the reason, he is about to leave, waving goodbye at the lot of them from across the room, casually breaking Alex’s heart with the distance between them.

And that’s when Nick arrives.

“Hi, Julie!” he says brightly, something familiar in his smile that Alex can’t place. “Am I catching the end of rehearsal?”

Alex doesn’t hear Julie’s answer, because Willie freezes. His face goes slack, eyes darting wildly between Nick and the band. Alex wants to go over and ask what is wrong, but he can’t, because they’ve noticed they are most often visible right after playing, which means Nick can definitely see him now and it would look weird if he were to speak to thin air. The irony of being a ghost unable to speak to another ghost due to his visible state is not lost on him. He suddenly feels a lot more sympathetic towards Julie.

He settles for trying to catch Willie’s eye, but Willie seems to be determinedly not looking in his direction. He has schooled his face into a neutral expression, looking so unfazed Alex might think he imagined it all in the first place. He knows he didn’t, though.

None of the others seem to have noticed a thing. They are all focused on Nick, who is speaking with Julie.

“It’s just something we’re working on,” she’s saying.

“Doesn’t that sound promising,” Nick says.

He is still smiling, but Alex can’t help but think it looks odd, like his smile is too old for his face. Okay, that sounded weird. That’s just – those are just the words that came to mind.

“Can I hear it?” he asks.

Julie looks like she is about to say yes, but Luke beats her to it.

“It’s not quite ready yet,” he says cheerfully, all but glaring at the kid. “We’re going to keep it under wraps until then.”

Julie rolls her eyes, but Nick doesn’t look annoyed. In fact, he almost looks amused.

“Of course,” he says. “Wouldn’t want to be difficult.”

He says that last part pointedly, although Alex has no idea what he might be hinting at. Julie doesn’t either, based on the confused look on her face, which is even stranger.

“Maybe we can play something else,” Reggie suggests. For half a second it looks like Luke might protest, but then he seems to realise, like Alex, that they could lose their visibility any minute, which would be very complicated to explain to Nick, so maybe they should play some music.

Julie moves back to behind the piano, and Alex chances a glance back at Willie. His face still looks carefully blank, but his eyes betray panic as he watches Nick move further into the studio, and what the hell is that about? Why is Willie so nervous about Nick? There is no way he is afraid of some lifer kid, so what is it?

Nick settles on the couch, unknowingly placing himself right next to Willie, who doesn’t seem thrilled by this. Alex tries to catch his eye again, but he is staring straight ahead, not even looking like he is seeing anything.

Alex keeps looking at him, so concerned that he doesn’t even notice they have started playing. It is only when Julie gives him an amused, “Alex?” that he realises he missed his cue.

“Sorry, sorry,” he says hastily, forcing himself to focus back on his drums and not Willie’s odd behaviour. It’s a lot easier said than done.

“It’s okay to have a false start,” Nick says pleasantly, as though Alex asked for his input, “as long as in the end you get results.”

“I have to go,” Willie says quietly at the end of the song, effectively snapping Alex out of focus and reminding him that, yeah, Willie said he was leaving five minutes ago. He is finally looking at Alex again, too, but there is something urgent in his eyes, screaming at Alex to understand, and Alex doesn’t understand why he doesn’t just say it, it’s not like Nick would hear…

And then Willie waves, glances from Nick back to Alex, and walks out of the studio.

Okay. So. What the hell?

Alex has been turning it over and over in his mind all day, trying to figure out what the heck was up with Willie today. And so far, he has come up blank. It just doesn’t make sense. And Alex hates not knowing what is going on with Willie, hates that he is so out of touch with him that he has no idea what is going on inside his head.

Okay, he can’t focus on that right now or he might cry, so he should go back to trying to figure out what happened today.

He doesn’t have to wonder long.

Willie stumbles through the studio doors, so out of breath it looks like he might collapse. Alex barely thinks about it before poofing down from the loft to Willie, catching him and helping him stay upright.

“Alex,” Willie gasps. “I just – managed – to get – to get away,” he heaves.

Alex blinks. “Did you – did you run here?” He’s about to ask why Willie wouldn’t poof over or even skate, when Willie taps his arm urgently.

“Alex – it’s Caleb. Nick – it’s Caleb.”

Alex frowns, dragging Willie over to the couch. “What’s Caleb? Breathe, you’re not making any sense.”

Willie lets himself be sat on the couch, but he clings to Alex’s wrists when he starts to move away, eyes dead serious.

“Caleb is Nick,” he says, still out of breath but not gasping for air anymore. “He’s possessing him.”

Alex drops his hand in shock. “He’s – what?”

“He is possessing him,” Willie repeats. “Today, when Nick came to rehearsal – that was Caleb.”

Alex’s blood runs cold. “What?”

His mind flashes back to all the times Nick has been coming to rehearsal, so often since the Orpheum. If it was Caleb – if Caleb has been possessing Nick – he has been using him to get close to them, he has been here, watching them, in their space without them even knowing…

“Why didn’t you tell us?” he says, feeling like his heart is about to bound out of his chest as he takes in what all this means. “We let him near us – we let him near Julie.”

“I didn’t know,” Willie says desperately. “I didn’t know it was someone you knew, that he was doing it to get close to you, until today.”

Alex thinks he nods, barely aware of what he is doing. His mind feels like it is in overdrive, buzzing with thoughts flying around too fast for him to tape them down. He needs to find the others, warn them, figure out what to do, how to protect themselves.

“I have to go,” he manages.

Willie’s hand shoots out before he can move.

“There is more.”

“There is more,” Alex repeats, his voice raising half an octave. “I don’t know if I can take another bombshell.”

Willie is still on the couch; he has caught his breath, but now he lets out a distressed huff and runs a hand through his hair. He meets Alex’s eyes and swallows.

“You remember the day I asked you out on a date?”

And despite the absolute everything of this situation, Alex’s ridiculous heart skips a beat because this is the first time either of them has acknowledged that it was actually, really, truly supposed to be a date.

“I meant to come, Alex, really, I swear I didn’t mean to leave you hanging, but Caleb came back.”

“Yeah, I know,” Alex says, a little confused because Willie has told him this already, so he doesn’t understand the urgency in his voice.

“He came back, and he just… he knew everything, Alex.”

Of course he did, Alex thinks, seething quietly, because if he has been possessing Nick this whole time, then he would have been there the day Willie came back to him the first time, after the Orpheum. Willie wouldn’t have paid attention to him, wouldn’t have noticed anyone besides Alex, but Caleb noticed. He noticed everything.

“What did he do?” he asks, almost afraid of the answer. But it can’t be that bad, right? After all, Willie is sitting in front of him safe and sound, right?

“He threatened to wipe me out of existence,” Willie answers, his voice barely above a whisper, and okay, it is that bad.

“But he didn’t,” Alex says, aiming for reassuring, but Willie’s face twists guiltily and he feels a chill run down his spine. “He didn’t,” he repeats.

“Not yet,” Willie says. “He has taken away my skateboard privileges, but that’s not everything.” He swallows, suddenly looking afraid to meet Alex’s eyes. Alex itches to reach for his hand, but something holds him back. “He said I had to find out how you were able to escape his stamp. He said it was my last chance, or I was gone.”

Alex goes through a very rapid of succession of emotions then. First comes terror at the idea of Caleb following through on his threats. Then, more dread at the realization – no, confirmation – that Caleb won’t ever stop trying to own them, and that he is willing to use Willie to get there. And then, finally, his stomach drops when he realises that he already has.

“By the way, how did you beat his stamp? Did you ever find out?”

Willie’s words ring in his head; the memory of him evading Alex’s touch, avoiding his eyes, is all-encompassing as he remembers it all. It had been the first thing he asked when he got back, and Alex had told him, had told him about Julie, god…

“I didn’t tell him.” Willie is still talking, his voice growing desperate, begging for Alex to listen to him. “Look, I know what you’re thinking, but I swear I didn’t tell him, Alex. I swear. You have to believe me.”

The thing is, he does. Maybe it’s naïve, or even downright stupid, considering everything he just learned, but Alex knows Willie, and he believes him. This is the first time he is acting like the Willie he knows and lo – cares about since this whole thing started. And that has to mean something.

Plus, if Caleb is still posing as Nick, then he must still be fishing for information.

But if Willie doesn’t give him what he wants…

“What about you?”

A small smile makes its way onto Willie’s lips. “Don’t worry about me.”

“Have we met?”

Willie doesn’t stop smiling, but Alex can tell he has never been more serious.

“I made my choice. I’m not putting you or your friends under his control ever again. So I’m not telling him anything, and I’m leaving.” He pauses, wrapping his arms around himself. “I don’t know if I can escape him, but I have to try.”

Alex thinks his mind must finally be shutting down from trying to process all the new information, because it has slowed down to one simple thought. “You’re leaving?”

Willie nods slowly. “I just came here to warn you about Nick. And to say goodbye.”

Alex finds himself unable to say a word. His mind is still reeling and there are a million things he wants to say to Willie, but at the moment he has no idea what they are. He can only look at him.

Willie reaches out then, one hand cupping his face, thumb caressing his cheek almost absent-mindedly, and Alex can’t breathe.

They stay like that for a few seconds, and Willie smiles wistfully, a small, sad smile, before pulling away.

“Bye, hot dog,” he whispers.

He lingers for another moment, then turns to leave. And Alex finally comes back to himself.

“Willie, wait!”

Willie turns around, face open and wary and afraid and maybe a little hopeful.

“Don’t go.”

Willie sighs. “Alex, I –”

“We can figure this out,” he insists, and he knows he sounds desperate but he can’t not, because this is Willie and he can’t lose him again.

“Alex,” Willie says, and he sounds so defeated, so sad, and Alex’s heart breaks for him. “There is nothing we can do, okay, Caleb owns my soul, it’s not like there is a loophole we can use or anything like that.”

“Maybe there is.”

Willie’s arm jerks minutely, like an aborted attempt to reach for him. “I’m just trying to protect you,” he says.

“I’m trying to protect you,” Alex says, and means it, even if he has no idea where to start.

Willie pauses, eyes searching him wonderingly. “Why do you want to help me?” he asks, frowning. “I just told you I was spent to spy on you.”

“Yeah, but you didn’t.” In a knee-jerk reaction, Alex almost said that Willie didn’t have a choice, but the truth of the matter is that he did, and he chose not to tell Caleb what he found, and he is choosing to leave now to attempt to keep Alex and his friends safe from Caleb. “And I… I care about you, too, Willie,” he adds softly. “I don’t want you to go.”

Willie’s face twists at his words, and he looks like he might cry. Alex reaches for his hands.

“At least let us try,” he says. “We’ll call everyone, we’ll all put our heads together, and we might be able to find a solution. We can try, okay? Just…” He squeezes Willie’s hands, breath catching in his throat. “Don’t leave.”

Willie takes a deep breath, visibly shaken, but eventually he nods. “Okay,” he whispers. “We can try.”

An emergency meeting is called in the studio. All that has been said so far is a recap of everything that Willie revealed to Alex, and Alex watches as his friends take it in, silently reeling. Julie took the news of what happened to Nick especially hard, and Alex has no idea what to do as he helplessly watches her pace the studio.

“I can’t believe this is happening,” she mutters, mostly to herself. “He doesn’t deserve this, and I… I didn’t even notice – I should have known…”

Luke has been watching her worriedly from his seat on the couch, but at those words he stands up. “How could you have known? We didn’t even know possession was something Caleb could do.” He takes her hands gently, finally getting her to look at him. “Julie, you can’t blame yourself. If we hadn’t been so bent on getting revenge on Trevor, none of this would have happened.”

Willie shakes his head. “No, this is on me. I never should have taken you to him in the first place.”

And Alex might be feeling just as guilty as everyone else in the room based on the looks on their faces, but looking around, seeing how miserable his friends look, spurs him into action.

“No,” he says, somehow finding himself on his feet. “Okay, no, we’re not doing this. We’re not playing the blame game. What is happening isn’t our faults. It’s no one’s fault but Caleb’s.”

“Couldn’t have said it better myself.”

Alex blinks and suddenly Flynn is there, appearing in the doorway. She looks just as stressed as the rest of them, but she manages a comforting smile when she meets his eyes.

“You called Flynn?” Reggie asks Julie, sounding surprised. Alex doesn’t blame him; it’s nearing midnight.

“We’re going to need a good plan, so we need her,” Julie says, and yeah, that sounds about right. "But I didn’t expect you to come in the middle of the night,” she adds in direction of her best friend.

“I was awake when I got your text,” Flynn shrugs. “And when I read what happened, there was no way I was going to sleep, so. Here I am.” She raises her phone. “I texted you to say I was on my way.”

“Oh.” Julie fishes her own phone out of her pocket, presumably to check for Flynn’s message. “Sorry, I’ve been distracted.”

“Yeah, can’t blame you.” Flynn glances around the room. “Is everyone here?”

“We’re all here.”

Flynn raises an eyebrow. “Huh. I can see you,” she says, gesturing to Alex, “and you,” this time she pointedly looks at Luke, who is still holding one of Julie’s hands, “but not Reggie. I guess you don’t all have to be visible at the same time.”

Huh, indeed. They should probably start figuring out the patterns and variables of their visibility and solidness once all this chaos is over.

“Anyways,” Flynn says, clapping her hands, “Blondie here is right. There is no need for anyone to blame themselves, and frankly, there is no time for it, either. So chins up. We need to figure out what we’re going to do, and fast.”

“Hey, Julie?” Reggie says. “Calling Flynn? Good call.”

And despite everything, Julie musters a smile. “I know.”

“Know what?” Flynn asks, looking around as if finding Reggie would let her hear him.

“That you’re awesome,” Julie says. “And that we can’t do this without you.”

Flynn raises an eyebrow, looking pleased despite herself. “Damn right you can’t. So, what exactly are we looking to do?”

“We need to free Nick from Caleb,” Julie says at once, burrowing closer to Luke for comfort.

“And save Willie’s soul,” Alex adds. “So that he can be free of Caleb too.”

Flynn lets herself drop onto the couch, unknowingly landing between Reggie and Willie. “Nothing too complicated, then. Great.”

“In movies, people usually break free from possession when they have people they love remind them of who they are,” Flynn says.

“That’s in movies, though,” Julie refutes. “Besides, none of us know Nick well enough to break him free, and it’s not like we can get his dads involved.”

They have been at it for hours now. Reggie became visible two hours in and startled Flynn, who shrieked and jumped from the couch when he suddenly appeared right next to her. She is sitting next to him again now, her head lolling back against the back of the couch as the late hour starts to get to her. Pillowed against Luke in the armchair, Julie is blinking sleep out of her eyes, but she still wears a determined look on her face. She won’t go to sleep without a solution. None of them will.

They have been bouncing ideas back and forth, deciding to focus on how to help Nick first as it seemed like an easier issue to solve. They haven’t really gotten anywhere yet.

“Even if you could, it wouldn’t work,” Willie says. “Caleb is too strong. He needs to choose to release Nick.”

“How are we supposed to get him to do that?” Luke exclaims in frustration.

“Do what?” Julie and Flynn chorus.

Luke repeats for them, and Julie folds into herself as she hears, looking just as hopeless as him. Flynn, however, leans forward, a curious look on her face.

“Okay,” she mutters. “Okay, so we just need to find a reason to convince him to do that.”

“Like what?” Reggie says.

“You planning on blackmailing an evil ghost, Flynn?” Luke asks at the same time.

Flynn’s eyes brighten. “Now there is an idea.”

“No!” Julie straightens up in a flash. “No, are you hearing yourselves? That’s too dangerous!”

Alex secretly agrees, but Flynn raises an eyebrow. “Yeah, because what is happening to Nick right now isn’t already dangerous.”

“That’s my point!” Julie cries. “We’re already in enough trouble as it is, and provoking Caleb is only going to make things worse. We need to be careful. I can’t… I can’t lose anyone else.”

Flynn immediately softens, moving across the room to squeeze her hand. “Okay, no unnecessary provoking Caleb. It was a stupid idea, anyways. I mean, what do you even use to bribe an evil ghost who has been dead for five hundred years?”

Julie musters a smile, while Willie clears his throat. “Actually, he’s only been dead for about a hundred years.”

Alex isn’t sure who that was meant for, since Flynn can’t hear him, but Reggie perks up with an interested look on his face. “Really? I would have thought it would be at least two hundred. You know, so that he would have time to assemble all that power and influence.”

“Nah, Caleb has always been a pretty influential guy. Besides, a hundred years isn’t nothing.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s true.”

“He actually died in the twenties. That’s where the whole aesthetic of the club comes from.”

“Ohh, yeah, I thought I had noticed –”

“Guys!” Alex, Luke, Julie and Flynn all say.

Willie and Reggie both stop talking, pausing to turn to the rest of the crew sheepishly.

“Not that this isn’t interesting,” Luke says, “but we do have an urgent matter to get to.”

“Right, right.”

“Sorry.”

Flynn glances between the two of them. “You were talking about Caleb, right?” Reggie nods, and Flynn’s eyes cloud pensively. “This is good. We can use this.”

“Use what?”

“This,” Flynn replies, waving a hand in Reggie and Willie’s general direction. “Willie’s knowledge.”

Alex winces, wishing she had worded it differently. Willie has been used too many times already. But Willie doesn’t flinch, only looks at Flynn, waiting for her to continue.

“Willie,” Flynn continues, looking at a spot close enough to where Willie is sitting, “what do you know about Caleb?”

Willie shifts, looking uncomfortable with the sudden attention on him.

“I mean… He likes attention? He likes music, and putting on shows. And talent. He is always on the hunt for new talents, that’s why he… he was so interested in you three,” he adds more quietly.

Alex worries at his lip. None of this is exactly new information, and he doesn’t see how they could put any of it to use against Caleb. Willie seems to realize that, and he goes on, obviously racking his brain.

“He likes dealing with people,” he says after a moment. “Making deals, I mean.”

Something in Flynn’s eyes glitters when Alex translates that. “Like bargains?”

Willie nods. Flynn hums, and Julie looks at her warily.

“So we bargain with him,” Flynn says slowly. “Find something he is willing to trade Nick for.”

“And we’re back to blackmailing.”

“This isn’t blackmailing, though. It’s a trade-off. And if he likes deals, this will probably go over better.”

Julie looks a little uneasy, but she nods. “There is less of a chance of that ending badly, probably.”

“But how are we supposed to find something worth bargaining with to someone like Caleb?” Reggie asks helplessly.

“Raid Caleb’s dressing room,” Willie says, at the same time as Flynn says: “Snoop through Caleb’s things.”

Alex, Luke and Reggie stare between the two of them.

“That was freaky,” Reggie says.

“What was?” Julie asks, eyes wide.

“Willie and Flynn,” Luke answers, gesturing vaguely between the two. “They, like, both suggested criminal activity at the same time.”

“It’s not criminal activity,” Flynn says, rolling her eyes. “It’s just digging through his stuff. After what he has done to us, I think my conscience can handle a little snooping.”

“Digging through his stuff implies breaking and entering,” Alex points out. Flynn only raises an eyebrow, as if to say, “So?”.

“It’s not a bad idea, though,” Luke says. “I mean, what better way to understand that guy’s mind than to see what kind of weird shit he has got behind closed doors?”

“Exactly,” Willie and Flynn say adamantly, once again perfectly in sync. Reggie’s eyebrows fly into his hairline; Alex decides to just roll with it.

“How do we accomplish this breaking and entering, though?” Julie asks, ever the practical one. “Flynn and I don’t even know where this Hollywood Ghost Club is.”

“Neither of you will be setting a foot there,” Luke says sharply.

Julie looks like she is about to argue, and Flynn seems furious, so Alex quickly cuts in.

“It’s not because we don’t trust you, or we think it’s too dangerous. I mean, it is, but that’s why it better be ghosts doing the snooping. At least we can make a quick escape if things start to look like they will go south.”

Julie deflates, but she doesn’t look happy about it. “I don’t like the idea of doing nothing while you guys are out there risking your lives.”

“Afterlives,” Reggie corrects absently.

Julie gives him a look. Luke moves to wrap an arm around her and she all but sinks into him, worry lines creasing her forehead.

“I also can’t really do that quick escape thing,” Willie says. “I mean, I can technically poof away, but as soon as I do Caleb can track me. If he catches me and decides to follow me, I’ll lead him right to you.”

That would explain the amount of walking he’s been doing recently. Alex’s stomach churns uncomfortably at the notion of Willie’s every move being watched and followed. The reality of his situation hits him full force all over again: until they get him his soul back, Willie is trapped.

Flynn’s lip curls unhappily, like she was just reminded of the same thing, but she nods. “Okay, then you won’t be with us.” Willie’s brow furrows, but she continues before he has the chance to protest. Not that she would hear it, anyways. “We’ll find something else for you to do.”

“Like what?”

“Like distracting Caleb,” Luke suggests, eyes glinting. Willie and Alex both flinch, and Luke glances at them apologetically, but goes on. “Think about it. If he is talking to you, then he isn’t in his dressing room walking in on us looking around.”

Willie clenches his jaw and nods. “Okay, I’ll do it.”

Something in Alex’s heart clenches, constricting painfully. “You don’t have to do this.”

“I’ll do it,” Willie repeats.

Reggie lets out a breath. “Alright, that’s… something. That’s a plan, right? This feels like we have a plan.”

Julie manages a smile. “It’s the beginning of a plan, yeah.”

Flynn nods, eyes flickering back to where she thinks Willie is. “You can give him a reason for why the stamps disappeared. Not the truth, obviously, but something he’ll believe. That way we’ll send him on the wrong scent, and you get into his good books.” She pauses. “Or, you know, less bad books,” she amends.

“That’s a great idea, Flynn,” Willie says quietly.

“Have I mentioned I’m really glad you’re here to make this plan with us?” Reggie tells her.

There are huge bags under Flynn’s eyes, her hair is a mess, and it looks like she is only running on pure adrenaline and the three sodas she kicked back at the beginning of the meeting. But she smiles at Reggie, looking genuinely touched, and the exhaustion seems to fade from her expression for a moment.

“You three,” she says, pointing her finger at each of the ghosts in turn, “you be careful. And you bring us back something we can use to talk Caleb into releasing Nick.”

“And Willie,” Alex adds.

She nods vehemently. “Yes, and Willie.”

“Wait, guys,” Willie says, looking between them. “Asking Caleb to let go of Nick’s possession is already a pretty big deal, I don’t know if adding to that is a good idea. It might backfire.”

“That doesn’t matter,” Reggie says. “We’ll just have to find something to give us the upper hand when we bargain with Caleb so that he has no choice but to hear us out.”

“Yeah, Willie,” Alex says, moving closer to him. “We’re getting both you and Nick back. That’s the plan. We’re not backing out of that.”

“But if it starts looking like you’re losing that upper hand,” Willie starts, and Alex just knows he is about to say something stupidly sacrificial like they should forget about freeing him and focus on freeing Nick instead, so he shakes his head before Willie can get another word out.

“We’re not going to leave you with him, Willie. We’re just, we’re not going to do that. That’s just not going to happen.”

Willie frowns. “I put you all through enough already. You don’t need to go through all this trouble for me.”

“Willie,” Alex says, “we want to help.”

He doesn’t know how else to put it so that Willie can understand. It’s that simple, really. Willie is their friend, and they want him to be alright. They want to help.

Something about his words seems to floor Willie, and he pauses, staring at him, before his eyes slowly drift to look at Luke, then Julie, then Reggie, then Flynn, then back to Alex. He swallows, suddenly looking more lost and vulnerable than Alex thinks he has ever seen him.

“I’m not used to… caring,” he says finally, his voice rough. “About people. And having people care about me.”

Alex looks at him, tries to find the words to explain that they do care, that they are his friends and this is what friends do, that no one has cared for Willie in the right way in far too long but that they are willing to try to make up for all of it, that he knows Willie was alone for so long but that he doesn’t have to be anymore.

“We do,” Flynn says quietly, and maybe those are the words Alex was trying to find all along.

Willie shakes himself, and Alex breaks out of the daze he didn’t realize they were both in, registering that someone must have repeated Willie’s words to the girls in that time. He didn’t hear, nor did he see the look on Flynn’s face as she took them to heart, but he is glad she did, because Willie is looking at him now, looking at all of them, like he might believe them.

He moves closer, grasps Willie’s hands. “You’re getting your soul back, okay? End of discussion.”

Willie releases a shaky breath. “Okay."

“Good.” He turns back to the rest of the group. “So everyone is okay with this plan, then?”

He catches Julie’s eye. She is looking between him, Luke and Reggie with a kind of heartbreaking reluctance, one he recognizes all too well. He hates the idea of sending Willie into the lion’s den, hates that this plan has him confronting Caleb and lying to his face, hates what might happen if Caleb were to catch Willie in this lie, but he also knows that it’s necessary if they want this plan to work. He thinks Julie might be feeling similarly about sending them back to the club.

He waits for her to protest, or to tell them to be careful. Instead what she says is:

“When are you guys ready to do this?”

“Tomorrow?” Luke says. “Might as well not waste time.”

“Alright,” Julie says. “Tomorrow.”

It’s like settling it wipes the energy out of her. In the blink of an eye, she leans back against the chair, blinking sleep out of her eyes as the hour catches up to her. Flynn isn’t much better, letting out a loud yawn as her head drops against the back of the couch.

“Alright, let’s get you both to bed,” Reggie says. “If we’re doing this tomorrow, you need to be in shape.”

“Why, it’s not like we’re actually playing a huge part in this plan,” Flynn mumbles, though Alex can tell it’s more for show than anything.

“We need you,” Luke says anyway. “We’re a team, okay?”

Alex smiles slightly at that – it’s such a Luke thing to say, to make them all feel equal, included, special. He has been doing it since the nineties, when they were still busking and struggling – whenever they were tired and ready to give up, he would be quick to rally them, to remind them that he might be the frontman but they were all in this together, his version of all for one and one for all understood in his “We’re a band.” And now he has updated it to “We’re a team,” because they are. They’re all in this together, and Alex knows he wouldn’t be able to do any of this without every single one of them. And he loves Luke for always reminding them of that.

He steps away from the group as Luke drags Julie off the chair, Reggie attempting to do the same with Flynn and apparently forgetting that his grip will simply slip through her, and moves closer to Willie instead.

“You sure you’re okay with doing this for us?” he asks in an undertone. He knows Willie is, but he needs to hear it from him.

“I’m sure.” Alex waits for him to say that it’s the least he could do, that he owes them, or something. That seems to be where his mind is at most. Instead Willie smiles softly and says, “You know I’d do anything for you, right?”

“Yeah.” Alex swallows. He suddenly is hyperaware of his hands hanging limply at his hands, and wonders if he should be doing anything with them. “Yeah, you’ve more than proven that.”

The moment lingers between them; Willie holds his gaze, jaw working like he is pondering whether or not to say something. He apparently decides against it, simply cupping Alex’s cheek with so much gentleness he could cry, and smiling. Alex fidgets with his hands, unsure what to do with them, what to do about anything when he feels like his face is on fire.

Willie pulls away, still wearing the softest look Alex has ever seen on him, and Alex immediately feels cold from the minute distance between them.

He wants to reach out, wants to hold Willie’s hand, wants to swing his arms around his neck and pull him close, wants to kiss him until they’re both breathless and then some. But he is rooted on the spot, and he watches as Willie moves to join the others again.

With great effort, Alex shakes himself out of his trance and follows him.

Julie and Flynn have apparently elected to crash on the couch, too tired to make their way back into the house, and Reggie is laying a blanket over them when Alex reaches them. The sight has his heart settle inside his chest, warm and solid and feeling a little like he is home. This is his family. Everyone in this room is his family, and he loves them so, so much, and he will be damned if he lets anything happen to a single one of them.

“So,” he says, quiet so he won’t wake the girls. “Tomorrow, then.”

#jatp fic #jatp #willex #alex mercer #willie #julie and the phantoms #my writing #*#when the time comes baby don't run #listen i know better than to promise the next (and final) part will be out within the next few days at this point #but i will say that it's almost completely written so it's *likely* that it will be out soon #feel free to hold me accountable on that

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