#alib Pato

[nico-di-genova]

ALiB Verse Texts: Alex & Hinch

[raapija]

Driver opinion bingo: Alex Rossi

ALEEEEX, my favorite monster fucker tall boy 🥰🥰

Him and Pato were the sole reason I got into indycar, because the vibes are ✨immaculate✨. Thanks to @nico-di-genova and @calebwidgast for sharing the brainrot with me on a daily basis ❤️

Alex deserves the world ! He's been through so much in his life that I want him to be able to fulfill all his dreams ;_; <3

Also, alib palex alex lives rent free in my head even if he's still caged up in Cass' brain.... I NEED MORE ALIB TO SURVIVE 😭😭😭😭

[op81s]

💌

oh, so many things to choose from because you're one of my favorite friends i've made on here recently 💖

but considering that alib is how we started getting to know each other i'll have to say the little tidbits of alib lore i get fed in my dm's 👀 like the boys going to coachella 👀 fernando getting LIT 👀 alex and pato both coming from religious backgrounds and that clearly informing their relationship 😭 lance walking around in a canadian tuxedo 👀

(i also just love getting to know you through bonding about alex being a weird ass freak 😂 and live chatting with you is one of my favorite things about indycar race week 💖)

want to know something i love about you?

[nico-di-genova]

ALiB Alex taking his photographer duties very seriously, because Pato and his influencer status is very important - who else is gonna pay for the three dogs they’re raising together?

Bonus: he’s gonna make this a side hustle like a stay at home mom with a spare Canon lying around.

[nico-di-genova]

Alib Pato sending this to Alex to ensure the other he got back to his hotel safe (photo from last night he's actually fucking around past his bedtime)

Pato: safe and sound, going to sleep now 😴💤

Meanwhile, Lance’s Instagram story:

[nico-di-genova]

My brain: we want to actually write A Lesson in Braking

Also my brain: We also want to make a shitty Pato/Palex ALiB edit that shows how they view each other (but mainly Pato through Alex’s eyes)

[nico-di-genova]

those selfies pato just posted would alllll 100% be sent to alex in alib

100% yes, you are correct.

[nico-di-genova]

pleaseee share any pato/alex headcanons for alib? i miss them an unhealthy amount

I miss them, and I’m the one creating them. My brain when I think about ALiB Palex is honestly just this:

Which makes it hard to have cohesive thoughts about them most the time. But have this random headcanon dump:

They have a method when it comes to chores. Pato does the laundry, but Alex folds and puts it away. Alex cleans the kitchen, but Pato organizes/cleans out the fridge (and also washes the dishes because Alex hates touching wet food). They work around each other, basically in synchrony. If Lance and Fernando are ever over for dinner and they stay to try to help clean they usually just find themselves standing off to the side kind of watching Alex and Pato work together effortlessly.

They love beach days. Usually if they’re going to the beach it is a full day affair. Sometimes they rent a whole beach house because they need to get away from work and regular life for a bit. Pato has a favorite one at Anna Maria island that Alex is always sure to get if they’re looking to leave the Fort Myers area for the weekend. The dogs also love the beach, so there’s long walks along the shoreline in the morning and afternoon with pauses for Norbi and Nala to play and chase each other. They rent jet skis and race each other with no real finish line set. Afternoons are spent watching the sunset and lounging on a blanket, pato resting his head on Alex’s chest and starting to doze off to the sound of heartbeat. Pato always gets sunburnt, because he’s insistent on layering sunscreen on Alex’s back but usually forgoes his own. He’ll insist he doesn’t need it but then ends the weekend looking like this:

Alex learns to start stocking up on aloe Vera when they stop at the grocery story for sandwiches and snacks in the morning. Pato is always very grateful for it come nighttime when he’s laying in bed with overly warm skin.

Their wedding is perhaps a beach wedding at the beach house. The dogs are the ring bearers ofc 😌. Lance is Pato’s best man, James is Alex’s. Esteban actually gets certified so he can officiate the wedding.

They adopt a third dog after their honeymoon, because Brunner needs to be apart of alib, obviously.

They’re both super active. Alex because he likes the routine of working out, the consistency of it, and because it’s really good for his mental health. Pato for the same reasons, but also because he’s just really passionate about it, about taking care of his body (but he also maybe goes overboard occasionally). So they workout together sometimes, not all the time, they like having their space. When Pato wants to do intense lifting Alex is usually his spotter.

They buy insane amounts of dog toys, and Alex spends an equally insane amount of time trying to organize them.

Arguments over who’s going to drive are common, they both hate being the passenger because they both hate not having control of the car. Usually this is settled with rock paper scissors, sometimes they get inventive.

Alex is always going all out for Pato’s birthday, but he hates the same attention in return. Pato’s learned he’s more comfortable doing things when it’s just the two of them, or a close group of friends. One year he takes Alex horseback riding, calls around until he can find the best place with the most secluded trails. He makes sure it’s not all flat land and empty fields, tries to find a place that has towering pine trees because he knows Alex likes the woods. It ends up being one of Alex’s favorite birthdays.

Before they started dating, when they were in the extended friends with flirty vibes zone and Pato would spend the night a lot, they got really into Mario kart. Alex is always insisting they play the N64 version, ‘the real one’ as he calls it. He consistently beats Pato in every race until one day Pato starts coming over and just kicking his ass out of nowhere. Turns out he bought his own console and game and had been playing with Esteban and Lance until he eventually got good enough to beat Alex. He was training, as he likes to call it, though Alex is still trying to figure out ways he could have been cheating.

There was a massive hurricane that hit the area during Pato’s senior year, he rode the storm out at Alex’s place. This is how he finds out Alex has a fear of storms, and also how they both find out Norbi and Nala share this trait. Pato isn’t necessarily cool with them, but he ends up playing the cool and collected one by default.

The first time Pato kisses Alex he’s a little drunk, and it’s impulsive. Alex doesn’t kiss him back, because he doesn’t want Pato to feel like he’s taking advantage of him. Instead, he waits until he’s sober and then kisses him properly.

[nico-di-genova]

ALiB Pato playlist, the second one, except this time it’s all the t-swift songs he cries along to in his charger.

Listen Here

[nico-di-genova]

6 and/or 9??? and pairing is dealer's choice 👀

9. What is the most common cause of conflict between them?

Lance/Fernando

The future. Fernando never wants to get in Lance’s way, or prevent him from pursuing something because of their relationship. Lance gets frustrated that Fernando thinks he’s not smart enough to make his own decisions. They try to avoid talking about anything long term or down the road in the beginning of their relationship. And it takes them a while to learn how to navigate conversations pertaining to their goals and prospective life together.

Pato/Alex

Finances. Alex is big on saving and money management. He sits down and plans a budget at the start of every month and he has a savings account that he’s always trying to maintain. Pato, on the other hand, tends to be impulsive. He doesn’t think before he spends, and he doesn’t give much thought to savings because in his mind he could die at any moment and all that saving would be utterly pointless. It leads to a lot of tension when they move in together. Pato thinks Alex is too strict with his budget, so if Alex says he can’t pay for something because he’s hit his limit for the week, Pato would always just offer to pay. It was frustrating for both of them and they but heads a lot about money until they could eventually talk to each other and understand where the other was coming from.

Send me a number for “A Lesson in Braking” Palex or Strollonso and I’ll tell you about their relationship!

[nico-di-genova]

A Lesson in Braking boys and their songs:

Lance

“I hate you for what you did, and I miss you like a little kid.”

Fernando

“You’re so much older and wiser, and I- I wait by the door like I’m just a kid.”

Pato

“Without ever touching his skin, how can I be guilty as sin?”

Alex

“God loves you, but not enough to save you.”

[nico-di-genova]

number 2 for palex 🥺

2.)  Who confessed? How?

Pato, a few weeks after he drunkenly tried to kiss Alex at one of their post-work hangouts. He showed up at Alex’s house late at night, panicking because he was worried he’d ruined their friendship. Alex had become a huge support system for him, and he didn’t want to lose that over feelings he was trying desperately to repress.

He was also panicking in general over a million other things. Alex brought him in, calmed him down, held him until he fell asleep and they talked it all out in the morning over the breakfast Alex cooked for him.

Send me a number for “A Lesson in Braking” Palex or Strollonso and I’ll tell you about their relationship!

[nico-di-genova]

Sending hugs always!

11.)  How do they express their love?  (Some people are physical, others rely on compliments and gestures, some give their time, etc).

For the pair of your choice, please and thank you.

Pato/Alex

Pato: physical touch

He’s the friend who will hug you any chance he gets, rests his head on your shoulder, or holds your hand just because he can. For Alex, who is not a fan of frequent physical contact, it takes some getting used to. He finds he doesn’t mind it as much when it’s Pato who is resting his head in his lap or coming up behind him in the kitchen to wrap his arms around Alex as he cooks. It grows familiar, and becomes a comfort almost. And he knows if it’s too much, or if he’s feeling like he needs his space, that Pato will respect that.

Alex: quality time

Love, to him, is sitting on the couch with him and the dogs between them, watching a shitty reality television show because they both like laughing at the absurdity of it. You don’t even need to be talking to him, just being around him in silent company is enough. He likes the simplicity of just having someone he loves near, knowing they’re taking time out of their day to sit down and spend it with him. Mario kart tournaments where they’re both elbowing each other trying to get the other to mess up, or meals that they cooked together shared at the table, are truly some of his favorite moments with Pato.

Send me a number for “A Lesson in Braking” Palex or Strollonso and I’ll tell you about their relationship!

[nico-di-genova]

Actually coming back to this because I’m thinking about alib pato today

These lyrics originally being tied to Lance, Pato’s yearning and inability to express it. But then he gets with Alex and it’s suddenly not yearning at all.

“Get my car door, isn’t that sweet” no longer being Lance opening the door to the charger for Pato before their hookup, but becoming Alex opening the door for him when they go out on a date.

“What if the way you hold me is actually what’s holy” going from the small moments where Pato actually let Lance hold him after a hookup, before the Guilt set in, to mornings curled up in bed with Alex.

Anyway, alib Pato my beloved and all.

Internalized homophobia is a bitch and it’s maybe kicking Pato’s ass. But at least he’s cool and popular I guess.

[nico-di-genova]

A Lesson in Braking

Palex Snippets

I could write the fic (and I am, don’t worry) but it’s also fun to focus on the events happening after the story.

Anyway, might I interest you all in some ALiB Palex crumbs?

Lance just filled Fernando in, he is now planning an engagement party to rival all other engagement parties. Pato has probably gone back to looking at the sharks. Alex is trying to decide if they should use that Olive Garden gift card for dinner.

Lance is maybe tearing up over his ex-fwb getting engaged - finally comfortable with himself and happy in a relationship.

[nico-di-genova]

for some reason i can't stop picturing alib alex having the most inactive Instagram ever, and then suddenly after not posting for about 5 years he just makes a post of him and pato <3

also.. will james make any appearances in alib (he and alexs friendship is so dear to me)

Oh yeah, no, that’s exactly it. He doesn’t know what a soft launch is, and he doesn’t care. Half his friends have no idea he’s even dating someone until he posts something like this:

And then they’re all like ??? One year??? Boyfriend???

James (who will not make an appearance in the fic, but who will be offhand mentioned by Alex) probably finds out through, like, an insta story, or something.

Alex mainly keeps to himself, and is super closed off, Pato’s really the first person to get close to him (James moves out of Florida once he graduates, so it’s hard for him to be there for Alex consistently). He doesn’t really think to keep his friends/family informed on his life, so they usually find out after the fact. His dad doesn’t even know Alex is getting married until he receives the invite in the mail (more out of obligation than Alex actually wanting him there). James is really the only person to stay somewhat informed, and that’s because he makes a habit of checking in on Alex consistently and ensuring they maintain a relationship. So yeah, he’s got an inactive social media presence and a hermit lifestyle and everyone who wants to stay close to him just comes to expect that.

James is still flying in monthly to see him though, and Alex visits him consistently, knows the guest bedroom is always waiting for him. That’s his best friend, Alex is stuck with him (affectionate).