#and then today every noise made me ANGERY

[boomerang109]

spent my birthday money on replacing my loops cause somehow i lost them and this world is too loud

[jay-and-dean]

Not even a cup of coffee

Gif not mine, found on Google

Dean x Reader x Sam

This is my first request from @voltage-my2dlove. I hope you’ll like what I wrote.

Can I request Sam×Reader(female)×Dean. It's reader's birthday or their relationship's anniversary. But both boys keep it secret that they are planning a party & doesn't wish reader. She pouts all day as she thinks they don't remember & is bit angery about it. [She is more emotional because she is pregnant with both of their kids - this is if you want to] surprise party, very happy reader! Sweet, caring & lovely Sam & Dean! Both bit guilty because they are the reason she pouts all day! Fluffy plz.

Warnings : swearing (as always), a bit of angst, a lot of fluff.

Words : 2.3k

***Want to read more ? => MASTERLIST***

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           You wake up and smile, this is the first thing you do every morning since you wake up with them.

           You feel Sam's giant hand on your side, making your skin burn ; and Dean's back is sweating under your arm. You inhale both their manly smell biting your lips. Good thing you stopped the heating of your bedroom because you would have melt between those two giants.

           You open your eyes and see Dean's neck, his sweaty hair sticking to it, the freckles on his back like the stars in your sky, you turn your head and your eyes meet his brother's throat, you have to look up to watch his peaceful face. You feel so small.

           When you move a little, your long hair boyfriend grunts and wraps his massive arm around you, his soft and sweet skin sticky from last night sex and hot night sleep's sweat. The muscle of his arm are hard and heavy, capturing you like an anaconda and even if you know he's the sweetest guy, you always feel like he could crush you just like that.

           He puts his thigh on your legs and you whine.

"Sammy, baby, I can't breathe."

He sighs but doesn't let you go, still half asleep. The tall hunter nuzzles in your neck and you try your best to push him but he's way too strong.

           Probably annoyed by you wriggling, Dean suddenly lifts you up above him like it was nothing, putting you on the side of the bed, using his own body as a shield against his brother's cuddles.

           You usually always stay between the two of them when you are all together, because they don't want to be too close to each other, and because they both want you by their side. But from time to time, one of them steals you.

"Sam !" he groans loudly, pushing him callously, and your other boyfriend wakes up abruptly. "Damn it bigfoot, you're crushing our babies."

"And me..." you add, kissing his shoulder.

He rubs his face and sighs grumpily.

"Baby, you count as one of our babies."

           Then all falls silent. You can't see Sam's face and Dean's eyes are closed but you know they didn't fall back asleep, they never do.

           So you wait...

           You wait for a kind word, an attention, anything...

           But nothing.

             Having two boyfriends has inconveniences sometimes, but it has a lot of advantages. Among them : twice more attention. But most of all, one of them is always available, caring.

           And they just can't both forget your birthday...

             Not your 25th birthday, not after what the three of you have been through together... And not after you organized them their first real Christmas after a confession night where slightly drunk Dean told you stories about how he would have love to know a real family Christmas ; not after you told him you never received a present for either Christmas or your birthday, never blown a candle...

           You touch your still little baby bump and sigh. You don't ask for much, just for them to wish you a happy birthday like last year when you woke up next to a horny Dean and that Sam greeted you in the kitchen after with a wide dimpled smile and a cup of fresh coffee for the "birthday girl".

           You're not the kind of person being offended by people forgetting to think of you. Hell, you've been raised by an alcoholic single mother, that learns how to handle being forgotten... You never had a birthday party, and no perfect big brother like Sammy had to buy or steal you something anyway.

           The worst is they know that, they know everything...

             Sam rubs his face and gets up, not saying a word. You watch his beautiful naked body as he walks in the room to find the clothes he threw everywhere last night. His butt is so round, the  muscles on his back are a work of art. He opens your closet to take one of the boxers you keep here for him.

"I'm going to run, maybe I'll have lunch outside too, it's sunny" he says grabbing his shirt.

One quick peck on your lips and he's gone.

           You put your hand on Dean's tattoo and he smiles at you tenderly.

"I want you to stay in bed with me" you sigh, a bit sad that Sam forgot your birthday.

"Not today baby. I'm sorry, I promised Claire that I would check her car while she's in Kansas, it makes a weird noise" he says kissing your cheek. "But tomorrow, if there's no case I'll stay as long as you want."

"Oh you promised Claire..." you mumble.

             Not even a cup of coffee... When Dean left, you found yourself alone in the kitchen, he had taken the last coffee while you were in the shower and had already left.

           You spent the day alone in the bunker. You ate watching TV in the Deancave, trying not to think about the ache in your heart.

           Sam never came back from his run and Dean didn't tell when he would be back, he didn't ask you to come with him either.

           They rarely are gone in the same time, you spend most of the time together, but of course, just today, they are. You called Sam once and he didn't answer, so you went back to doze in Dean's comfy armchair.

             In the kitchen you look at the ingredients you bought to make a pie. Of course you bought ingredient for a pie, you idiot !

           It's your birthday but you still wanted to please your men. You prefer chocolate, and wanted to cook yourself a nice chocolate cake but at the last minute you changed your mind, thinking they would both like pie more...

           You throw the untouched ingredients in the trash when tears fill your eyes, and rub your belly.

"Fuck it" you mumble.

You sense that ache in your stomach and run to the bathroom.

           Kneeled before the toilet bowl, with your pillow in your arms, you take deep breaths. This is okay, you tell yourself, this is normal. Still, each change in your body, each nausea, each ache in your breasts, each urge to cry... everything makes you worry. Usually, the fathers are here to make you feel better, to rub your shoulders, to give you water, to tell you everything will be fine and to listen when you need to talk about your body, how you feel, how it changes, and to tell them this is their fault.

           You start to sob, resting your head on the wall, carrying two babies at once, from two men, this is quite an adventure ; and even if you love that, you're also incredibly scared that your body is going through all that. They said the three of you are going through this together. But here you are, alone finally, because it's not like you could escape from this to check on a stupid car or go on a stupid run...

           When the nausea stops, you get up and keep sobbing, scattering wet tissues where you go, and forgetting to throw it away. And suddenly... You're tired of crying.

           Usually, even after being depressed, you would have still waited for them, not this time...

           Now you carry those babies, you can't allow to be weak, if you want to take care of the precious beans growing inside of you, you have to learn to take care of yourself. And this starts now.

           You take your jacket and your car keys. Fuck them. You're going to offer yourself a birthday alone, you can't drink so you're going to buy a lot of ice cream and maybe watch a movie in cinema, why not ? Or you'll go in that club where they never want to go, even if you drink only orange juice, maybe you'll dance alone... But you won't cook their stupid meal and pie, you won't wait for them, you won't act like this wasn't about you this time.

           This is going to be fun !

             This is not fun at all... You look down your glass and sighs when that awful song starts again. Don't they have more than ten song in here ? Three men already tried to hit on you, the good thing is the pregnant card always works to make them run away... You're lonely, and it's too early to be in a club, no one dances. You are really bored.

           When you take your phone from your pocket, you see you have fourteen missed calls from Sam and three from Dean. It rings again.

"Dean ? Is everything okay ?" you ask loud, to cover the music.

"Well you tell me Sweetheart, you made us freak out ! Where are you ? What is all that noise ?" he asks clearly trying not to show he's angry.

"I'm in a club" you state.

"In a club ?"

"Yes, and I'm having fun Dean" you lie. "I'm dancing and making friends, what do you want ?"

"Okay stop lying" your boyfriend grunts. "No one dances in a club in the middle of the week at 9 pm... And this is not your having fun voice, baby."

You don't answer and sigh.

"Do you want me to pick you up ?" he adds.

"No I have my car" you sigh again. "I didn't ask for much, I just wanted a cup of coffee you know..." you say before you hung up on him.

             Trying not to cry you drive back home, going on that well-know road that goes through the woods for long before it reaches the bunker.

           When a shape appears on the side of the road, you slow down, who could be here ? No car... The moment you're about to take your demon knife from the glove box before stopping and asking the tall man what he does here alone, you recognize Sam.

           You stop and he smiles at you, then opens the door to sit on the passenger seat.

"Sammy ? What are you doing here ?"

He bends to kiss your cheek, and runs his large hand through your hair lovingly, searching your eyes.

"Are you okay baby ?" he asks, frowning.

"Yeah..." you shrug.

He feels guilty, you know he does because he would never be so calm after you missed fourteen of his calls ; maybe he finally remembers it's your birthday.

"Turn right" he says and you frown.

"This is barely a path Sam... Why would you want to go in the middle of the forest" you state sternly. "I'm not having sex with you against a tree, it was awesome but not tonight..."

As you're too suborn to do as asked, he takes the wheel and suddenly makes the car turn right, gaining a scream from you.

"Are you crazy Winchester !" you shout but he doesn't answer.

"You can stop here" he says after a minute.

"Sam, I'm serious. I had nausea all afternoon, I'm not having sex in the forest. Fuck you..." you pout.

Sam is used to your temper, and to that habit you have to insult his brother and him when you're mad, and mostly when you're sad, he finds the way you try to be mean extremely cute.

"I know" he says. "I'm sorry. Dean and I found your pillow, we know you take it only when you know you're going to stay for a long time on the floor with your head in the toilet bowl... We found tissues everywhere, and perfectly good ingredients in the trash... We are stupid, you clearly had an awful day..."

Before you can open your mouth he kisses you. His soft lips capturing yours with a tenderness so pure, you give in and return the kiss. You stroke his hair and notice noise outside the car.

"Get out with me now" Sam purrs, breaking the kiss.

             The minute you open the door, you hear distant music and laughs, you look at your boyfriend, but he only takes your hand in his, guiding you across the woods.

           The music becomes louder, you recognize your favorite song and the laughs become clearer, you see lights in the threes everywhere now, little colorful light bulbs and paper lanterns, like you were approaching some kinds of heaven. Dean's voice makes the feeling even more vivid.

           You turn to Sam and he smiles at you, then points you the little crowd of people gathering around a beautiful camp fire, next to all your favorite food and drinks, and a pile of lovely (some of them poorly wrapped) gift, like it was Christmas.

           Your only two friends from before hunts are here, they came all the way from New York, along with every member of this family that welcomed you : Jody, Claire, Alex, Cas, Jack, Garth and the others... All the people you love are here.

           The forest looks like a fairy tales one, Jack or Cas even created small northern lights that dance in the trees and the real starry sky is perfectly clear, not a single cloud.

"Happy birthday my love" Sam whispers in your ear, making your eyes instantly wet. "I love you baby... I'm so sorry we acted like we forgot, that was a bad idea, we're idiots..."

"This is beautiful" you say strangled by emotion.

           Dean takes long steps to join you and you see a small present stick out of his front pocket with your initials, his and Sam's on it. Sam still holds your hand, and his thumb makes small circle in your palm.

"I love you. I will never forget to bring you coffee again" Dean says, cupping your face.

His lips claims yours, his strong hand lands softly on your tiny baby bump, making you feel safe instantly.

"I made a chocolate cake" he states, taking your other hand to lead you toward the party.

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                   ***FEEDBACK IS EVERYTHING <3***

Request are open for now, if you want something, send me an ask.

Forever Tags : @parinarain @animegirlgeeky @mogaruke @masterof-agony @rainflowermoon @tftumblin @deans-baby-momma@roonyxx@animegirlgeeky @paradoxical–intentions  @thefaithfulwriter@parinarain@vicariouslythruspn@emeow1496@daryldixonandfrogs @holylulusworld  @cocklesbelli@sandlee44 @mogaruke @masterof-agony

This request tag : @voltage-my2dlove

Tags are open

[floralicious]

(I’m just gonna keep on waiting) Underneath the Mistletoe

Cross posted on ao3 

Summary:  In which Lucy hangs some mistletoe with the hopes of kissing her dream girl, and Alfendi pretends not to help her.

Relationships: Lucy Baker/Katrielle Layton

Rating: General Audiences (I think there’s one curse word but not like a super bad one)

A/N:  Guys I wrote this at four in the morning on December 23rd so I could make some quick edits and get it out on Christmas so my deepest apologies for the incohesive and slightly out-of-character writing. I know it's not the best but I really wanted to get this out while Christmas was still here! My school didn't get out until December 22nd (!!! I'm angery !!!) so I have had uuhhh zero time to write this idea which has been bouncing around my head for the whole month. Anyway hope you enjoy!

Happy holidays!!!

-

If anyone asked, he would swear he tried to discourage her.

Technically, he did. But alas, there was no stopping Lucy when she got it in her head that the Mystery Room should feature mistletoe for the duration of December.

She already had the stepladder out to hang it in the doorframe when he walked into work on the second day of the month.

“Oh, hey, Prof! Look at this,” Lucy said. She waved a bunch of mistletoe around. “Some bloke on the street was selling it. Isn’t it a perfect decoration?”

“Sorry, Baker, but the Mystery Room is a strictly mistletoe-free zone,” Alfendi replied. Lucy made some sort of sputtering noise in protest. She opened her mouth to speak, but Alfendi put up a finger.

“Before you say anything,” he said, “Let me explain. Reason one: we really have enough decorations.” At this he pointed to the rather obtrusive plastic tree on Lucy’s desk.

“Reason two,” he continued. “Life is awkward enough without the possibility of being caught under mistletoe with your coworkers. And finally, reason three: last time I tried hanging mistletoe in here, there were some really scarring experiences for everyone involved.”

“Oh.” Lucy took her foot off of the stepladder. “But… it really completes the decorations! And we can make new memories with it!” She gestured to the generous amounts of tinsel and lights strung around almost every object in the room. “Look how well it would go with my tree!”

At that moment, Alfendi realized what Lucy’s true motive was. Or at least suspected. At the time he was about 93.7 percent sure that Lucy wanted to get caught with Katrielle under the mistletoe.

Contrary to Katrielle’s belief, he knew it wasn’t just platonic interest when she asked him for Lucy’s mobile number. Or when they went to dinner together- without him as a middleman. Nonetheless, both women denied that anything was going on whenever he broached the subject.

“You know what? Let’s do it,” he said. Would it be so bad to help a friend out? “What’s the worst that can happen?”

Lucy jumped right back on the stepladder. “Thanks, Prof! This will be the best December ever!”

In the end, the mistletoe really caused more problems than he expected. Cut to December 10th. Over a week had passed without any mistletoe incidents, though it had hung over every person to pass through the Mystery Room door.

He supposed he had been in a bit of a rush that morning. He overslept, his own coffee machine was broken, the local coffee shop was crowded, and to top it all off, traffic was hell.

So when Alfendi ran into the Mystery Room that morning, he didn’t realize Lucy was crossing the threshold at the same time he was.

The two hit each other and stumbled to the floor. Alfendi sat up, and saw that Lucy was just laying facedown on the floor.

“Lucy? Are you alright?” he asked. “Uh, sorry- here.” He stood and offered her his hand. Lucy looked up at him. Her eyes were bright with mischief. She took his hand and planted a kiss on the palm.

He raised his eyebrows. “Why, Lucy. I hardly think-”

“Look, Prof!” She quickly stood up before he could say anything more. “Mistletoe, remember?”

“...Ah.”

“Nothing like that, silly. You miss your alarm this morning too?”

And the day continued. That was the first time the mistletoe had caused a problem, albeit a minor one, but it wasn’t to be the last.

The next mishap happened only two days later. Alfendi was showing Emiliana Perfetti from her division to his own in preparation for a case they would be collaborating on. Emiliana was a rather fast walker for her height, and he struggled to keep up as she breezed through the halls. He managed to get through the door at the same time she did, not realizing his mistake.

“Caught you!” said Lucy from her desk. She crossed her arms. “Another person at last!”

“What?” Emiliana said, in that disturbingly calm voice of hers. “I don’t understa- oh.” Her gaze followed Alfendi’s to the mistletoe above them. “Ms. Baker, if you think I’m going to go along with your scheme, I am afraid that you’re sorely mistaken.”

Alfendi took her hand. “Don’t worry, Perfetti. It’s nothing personal. If I may?”

She nodded reluctantly. “If only because you have been competent so far on this case of ours… And I suppose I could do with a bit of Christmas spirit.”

Alfendi ducked down to quickly peck the back of her hand. “There. Now, Lucy, if you’ll allow us to work..”

He thought that was that. The first true bout of awkwardness the mistletoe had caused was over, and hopefully no more would occur. He was proven wrong, however, when the very person Lucy was hoping for came through the door two hours later with her assistant.

“Hey, Al!” Katrielle said. “Why are you looking at me and Ernest like that? You’re sort of… glaring above our heads?”

“I would suggest that you both look up.” Oh, this was bad. Bad for Lucy, anyway. Maybe good for that assistant of Kat’s. At least Lucy was out on business at that moment.

Katrielle and Ernest looked up at the same time. Katrielle grinned and kissed Ernest on the cheek before he could comprehend what was happening.

“Oh… Miss Layton…” Ernest said as a blush rose to his cheeks. He looked oddly similar to a tomato in that moment, Alfendi thought.

He directed his glare at his sister. In the space of a few seconds, they had a silent exchange.

Alfendi twisted his face into an expression that inexplicably said “Stop leading him on.”

Now Katrielled raised her own eyebrows. “I’m really not,” the face said.

“Oh, really? What about the fact that you’re very much not interested in men, yet just kissed the one hopelessly in love with you?” was the silent reply. Or something along those lines. It was a difficult thing to convey without words, but Katrielle got the message.

She looked away. Now she was blushing.

“Anyway,” Alfendi said with a pointed look at Katrielle, “What’re you here for?”

“Um, a- a c-c-ase,” Katrielle stuttered. “Definitely not a specific person or anything! Nope! Just a detective and her trusty very platonic assistant!”

“Alright, fill me in.”

In retrospect, maybe Alfendi shouldn’t have let his little sister off the hook so easily. Maybe he should’ve called her later to get her to confess her feelings. But he figured it was for her and Ernest and Lucy to work out, not him.

The next time it happened was the 21st day of December.

Lucy and Alfendi were working in silence, finishing up some paperwork that needed doing. The door creaked and Lucy looked up, presumably hoping to see Katrielle.

“Hi, Hilda,” she said. Alfendi looked up. Indeed, Hilda Pertinax stood in front of him, intimidating as ever.

“Ah, Ms. Pertinax. I’ve been expecting you,” he said.

“Alfendi Layton. Don’t tell me you forgot today was the solstice, you prick.” She was wearing her signature coat properly today, accompanied by what Alfendi assumed was a fashionable scarf wrapped around her neck. She looked almost like the angel on top of Lucy's tacky tree, golden hair floating around her shoulders.

“I resent that! I did not forget, thank you! Or did you not hear me say I’ve been expecting you?” Alfendi replied.

“Hmph. Oh, and Lucy. Merry Christmas, dear. Or whatever.” Hilda rooted around in her purse and drew out a gift card to a popular cafe chain. She gave it to Lucy.

“Thanks much, Hilda. You really didn’t have to do anything for me, y’know…” Lucy said. “What’s this about then?”

“Al and Justin and I have always celebrated the winter solstice together. It became a tradition- one Al always forgets about, might I add- since our first year of uni. The snow was awful that year, no trains going anywhere, so we had to stay at school. And now, well, we get lunch and give each other cheap gifts,” Hilda said.

“I actually spent more than ten pounds on your present this year, so mine better be good. Anyway, the lunch hour is ticking away, so let’s get out of here,” Alfendi said. He stood up and went to put on his coat. “Any interest in tagging along, Lucy?”

“Work awaits, as per th’ usual, Prof,” she replied.

“Alright, well, see you later.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Lucy twirled her pen in her fingers as Hilda and Alfendi started to leave. He really wasn’t expecting it when Lucy yelled “Wait!” It was an extremely loud yell- one she usually reserved for when she solved cases.

“Godamnit, Lucy!” he said. “What was that for?”

She silently pointed to the top of the doorway. The odd couple looked up.

“Of course,” Hilda said. “And here I thought you learned your lesson about mistletoe.”

“I have learned. It was Lucy’s idea,” Alfendi grumbled.

“Rules are rules, Prof,” Lucy said. “Two people end up under the mistletoe, they hafta kiss.”

Hilda put on a dry smile. “Shall we? For old times sake?”

“Hmph. Back when you thought you liked men and I thought I didn’t. Come here, then,” he said. And they kissed. Rather too passionately for friends, Lucy thought, but she supposed they did have a history. She watched as they walked away, both laughing as Alfendi tried to get Hilda’s lipstick off of his face.

After the solstice incident, Alfendi was genuinely worried that Lucy’s plan would never come to fruition. Every time Kat had come into their workplace that month had been a bad one, and he knew how much the two needed to resolve their obvious sexual tension.

Eventually, he took matters into his own hands and dialed up his sister.

“Alfendi, can this wait?” said Katrielle’s voice, tinny through his phone.

“I know you aren’t busy, shut it. You’re probably just waiting around for a case and playing with Sherl. Am I correct?”

“100 percent,” Kat sighed. “So what can I do for you?”

“I’m also 99 percent sure you won’t be doing anything at the time of the holiday party at the Yard tomorrow. Which you are expected to be at, as usual, and I also need you to be in my office ten minutes early. If you value your safety, don’t ask questions. Just be there,” Alfendi said.

“Al, I really don’t see why-”

“Nope! No questions!” he cut her off. “Be there. You’ll thank me later, I promise.” And Alfendi hung up.

The next day was Christmas Eve. Most of the Yard worked right up until or even on Christmas Day, so the party was always held the day before.

Fifteen minutes before, Alfendi set his trap.

“Lucy, would you do me a favor and stand under the mistletoe? It’s for a case. ‘The Merry Murderer,’ they’re calling it.”

“I s’pose?” Lucy did as he asked. She looked exceedingly confused.

“Thank you. Just… stay there. You’ll see.” Alfendi backed away slowly. He pretended to inspect the case file, being very careful not to look at the open door.

He didn’t have to pretend for long, though. Not five minutes later, Katrielle walked in and stopped next to Lucy.

“Oh! Kat! Good to- er- good to see you!” Lucy said, blushing.

“Alfendi, what is all this about? You better have a good reason for this! I’m actually on time for once.” Katrielle was unusually composed for someone wearing a hat with a puffball on it.

Alfendi turned around and tried to look surprised. “Oh, you’re here. Well. Kat. Kitty. Sister. Katrielle. Look up,” he said, smiling mischievously.

Lucy realized before Kat did. She turned a rather worrying shade of red, not unlike Ernest had.

“Prof! You didn’t- you couldn’t have-”

“Whatever you’re thinking, I didn’t do it. I really did need you there for a case,” Alfendi said, holding up the case file.

Kat glared at him. “You dirty-”

“Ah ah ah. Mistletoe first!”

Alfendi technically discouraged the kissing. He did avert his eyes when Lucy and Katrielle kissed, and shoved them out of the doorway, so if anyone asked, he had no idea what was happening while he was at the party.

And when he got a text from Katrielle the next morning with numerous heart emojis, he knew the mistletoe was probably worth all of the trouble it caused.

end

Thanks for reading! Please like/reblog!

[puns-and-fics-has-moved]

Meant to Be - Part Five: Fine

All Parts

Request: Soulmate AU – When soulmates draw on themselves, it appears on the other’s skin as well.

Tagging: @elenarte @empyrealsakaki @gum-and-chips @karenthepoop @hammytrashy@falling-open @bestfluteninja @urstupidmom @olympun @rebel-with-cause @mishaisakitten @depressionjoke @gemilton @ur-friendly-neighborhood-fangirl @regionallyblurredfaces @destiel-addict-forever @sxnyalxveshxrses@theinevitablesense @boiugotsmehalpless @rachurro @hamilton-of-issues@phantom10526 @feral-tomcat-hamilton @alonelynoodle @aceplaysbass @ilesserpanda@kyloslightsaberdick @msageofenlightenment @pentagramtardis @artisticgamer @smol-angery-bean @abbylikeschickennuggets @little-miss-vanilla @marquisdelargebagutte @cant-we-just-dance @commandergreysonpike @abbyg14 @ixhadbadxdays

Word Count: 2512

Warnings: swearing, anxiety/panic attacks

Dedicated to: @abbyg14 for being a sweetie-pie

A/N: aaaaaaah ily. enjoy <3

also I want Laf to be my best friend

When Alex heard the knock on his door, his heart immediately leapt into his throat. His dad was at work, leaving Alex at home alone, and he really wasn’t in the mood to socialize. Too nervous and self-conscious, Alex made the decision to let them assume no one was home and leave. Before Alex could cozy himself further into his cocoon of blankets, however, his phone buzzed.

Laf: C’est moi.

Alex’s anxiety lessened and he grinned at the message, hauling himself out of bed to go answer the door. He caught sight of himself in the mirror on the way and grimaced. His hair was dishevelled, and he was wearing his most comfortable – therefore ugliest – pair of pyjamas.

After trying in vain to fix his appearance, he opened the door and was immediately enveloped in a warm hug. Alex cuddled into his friend’s strong arms and felt his constant worry faded slightly.

“Comment ça-va?” Laf asked, stepping back and examining his friend’s face intently.

Alex shrugged in response and was pulled into another tight hug. He felt Laf’s hand stroke his hair softly, and found himself grinning. When they pulled away again, Laf smiled in satisfaction at the calm look on his short friend’s face.

“Have you eaten?” Laf asked, wandering into the kitchen to browse for snacks.

“Yeah, I had an apple…” Alex shrugged.

“When?”

“… this morning,” Alex muttered, looking down at the floor. He felt a hand touch his face and tilt it upwards to look into Laf’s.

“Chou, you have to eat. It is no wonder you are so short,” Laf chuckled, but there was real worry behind his eyes.

“Hey, I’m average!” Alex cried indignantly, rolling up his shoulders to appear taller.

“Of course you are, cher,” Laf agreed absentmindedly, digging through cupboards until he found what he wanted. He began to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for his friend. He prepared it quickly and cut off all the crusts before passing it to Alex. “I know it is not fine dining, but you must eat.”

“Thanks, mom,” Alex laughed and sat at the table. As soon as he took a bite, his ravenous hunger was realized and he began to eat very quickly.

“How was therapy?” Laf asked gently, satisfied that his friend was eating.

“It was okay,” Alex shrugged.

“I expected you to come to school once you were done,” Lafayette hedged, leaning forward and propping his head up on his hands.

“I… didn’t feel like it,” Alexander mumbled in response, training his eyes on the grain of the table. “Was Thomas there?”

“No. I have not seen him since debate club.”

Alex only nodded in response, finishing his sandwich and taking his plate to the sink. As he rinsed it, Laf approached and leaned himself against the counter to look at Alex.

“John was upset that you were not at school,” Laf stated calmly, and the plate in Alex’s hand clattered to the base of the sink, soap flying into the air and decorating Alex’s peach-fuzz and eyebrows.

“Oh?” Alex squeaked as casually as he could. Laf smiled as he dotingly brushed the suds from the small boy’s face.

“Tread lightly, Alex. He is more fragile than you think,” Laf said wisely. As if on cue, Alex’s shrill ringtone pierced the room. They both looked around for the source of the noise, and found it under some papers on the kitchen counter.

“It’s John,” Alex said, his face flushing. He hit the power button to cease the shrill ring.

“You are not answering it?” Laf inquired, his eyebrows spiking to his hairline in surprise.

“I’m treading lightly,” Alex deadpanned with a shrug. Lafayette rolled his eyes in response.

“You are so dramatic, Al–” he began, but Alexander’s phone rang out again, cutting him off. “Please pick it up this time.”

Alex nodded and answered it. “John, what’s wrong?” he asked, anxiety creeping into his voice.

“It’s Aaron, actually...” an awkward voice drifted through the speaker and Alexander’s throat constricted in fear.

“Where’s John? What happened?” he cried, causing Laf to look up sharply in concern.

“Uh… fuck… Lee punched him… I think he’s concussed… shit,” Aaron said, his voice drifting away from the phone every now and then. “He keeps passing out and waking up again… I don’t know what to do.”

“Call a fucking ambulance!” Alex all but screamed, his vision fading at the edges as his worry overwhelmed him. He suddenly felt Laf’s arms around him and the phone was eased out of his hands. Alex curled his head into his French friend’s chest, willing himself not to cry.

“Aaron.” Laf’s voice was calm and collected. “What is going on?”

“John… concussion, I think… keeps telling me not to call an ambulance.”

“Merde. He does not have the insurance…” Alex looked up from his friend’s chest, his eyes swimming with tears. Lafayette shushed Alex softly and began to give Aaron instructions. “Tell John I will pay for it. Call the ambulance. We will meet you at the hospital.”

Lafayette hung up and touched Alex’s face, while still embracing him with the other arm. “Are you okay, chou?” he asked gently, steadily looking into his friend’s wet eyes.

“Yeah,” Alex nodded. “I’m just… fuck. Let’s just go.”

He extricated himself from Laf’s arms and made his way to the door to pull on his shoes. Lafayette followed, watching his friend carefully for any signs of an oncoming attack.

“Laf, let’s go!” he cried impatiently as his friend slowly tied up his shoes.

“Hold on, Alex…” Laf shushed, straightening up. He gave his friend a once over, taking in his jittering frame, his wide, red-rimmed eyes, and his quivering hands. “Have you taken your medication today?”

“Yes, now let’s go!” he cried impatiently.

“I am right behind you,” Lafayette said, still scrutinizing his friend’s behaviour. He sighed in resignation and pulled the door closed behind him as they left for the hospital. 

“The ambulance is on its way,” Aaron said softly to John, hanging up the phone at the dispatcher’s instruction. He was sitting cross legged, John’s head in his lap. He was now stroking the boy’s curly locks to soothe him.

“No… can’t…” John moaned incoherently, and Aaron shushed him.

“I already told you, Laf is paying for it. Do you want me to call your dad?” he asked gently.

John’s mind was not sharp enough to wonder how Aaron knew he had a single father. Instead he just shook his head, taking the question at face-value.

“Where’s Alex?” he asked after a moment of quiet.

“Like I said, he’s meeting us at the hospital,” Aaron answered patiently, still stroking his hair.

“Why… why are you being so nice to me?” John inquired, his eyelids fluttering sleepily. Aaron tapped his face; the dispatcher had told him to keep the boy awake. “You hate me.”

“I don’t hate you,” Aaron said immediately. “Not at all.”

John’s brow furrowed, and he had trouble getting out a response. “O…kay. I don’t hate you, either…”

Though his eyes remained sad, Aaron’s face lit up with a small smile and he shushed John kindly. “You don’t have to lie, John. I know you hate my guts.”

John shook his head dopily. “You’re the nicest of all y’all motherfuckers…” he muttered, and Aaron stifled a laugh.

Before he could respond, however, he heard a loud siren approaching. He breathed a sigh of relief, but stayed put, not wanting to disturb John’s position. The ambulance pulled up in the school parking lot, and two paramedics raced out to where the two boys were sitting.

“Out of the way, please,” one of them instructed, pointing at Aaron. Taken aback, he gently lifted John’s head out of his lap. The paramedic put her hand under his neck to support the weight, and Aaron shuffled backward to get out of the way.

He felt removed from the world as he watched John be hoisted onto a stretcher and taken to the ambulance. He followed behind them, feeling a little lost.

“There’s a seat in there for you,” one of the paramedics said kindly, and Aaron shot them a grateful smile, clambering into the van and taking a seat next to John.

“My name’s Nat,” they said warmly, while hooking the barely conscious boy up to a heart monitor.

“I’m Aaron,” he replied, his eyes trained on John.

“Is he your boyfriend?” they asked, placing another pillow under John’s head to keep it elevated.

Aaron’s cheeks darkened. “Uh – no… just…” he stuttered.

“Woah, sorry, didn’t mean to freak you out,” they laughed easily, and Aaron sighed in relief.

“Where’s Alex?” John groaned, and Nat turned to look at Aaron questioningly.

“Alex is meeting us at the hospital, John,” Aaron patiently repeated.

“Who’s Alex?” Nat asked.

“They’re best friends. He was the first person I called, actually,” Aaron smiled lightly, then gazed back down at John, the worry plain on his face. “I’ve told him like ten times that Alex is meeting us there, but he keeps forgetting.”

“That’s… not good,” Nat replied. “That he’s forgetting, I mean. I’ll definitely mention that to the doctor when we get to the hospital.”

Aaron’s insides twisted with worry and guilt, and he bit his lip. Thankfully, they soon arrived at the hospital, and Aaron was presented with a clipboard full of questions he didn’t know how to answer. He ended up calling Laf, who was still on his way, and he managed to provide most of the details, including his own parents’ insurance information.

Thankfully, John was soon checked in and admitted to a hospital room. Aaron awkwardly waited in a chair outside the room while they examined him. He wasn’t sure whether or not he should leave, but he stayed anyway, shooting a text to his uncle that he would be home late.

He waited about fifteen minutes before Lafayette and Alexander showed up, the latter running full tilt. He skidded to a stop outside of John’s room and tried to peek through the small window. He sighed dejectedly when he found he couldn’t see anything of gravity.

“Aaron, how is John?” Laf asked calmly, taking a seat beside him.

Aaron heaved a sigh. “I think he’s okay. He kept forgetting things though… the doctors are looking at him now.”

“Thank you for staying with him, Aaron,” Laf said genuinely, touching him on the arm. Aaron shot back a small smile, but his eyes were full of sadness.

“It’s the least I could do,” he shrugged.

“You can go now,” Alexander said harshly, cutting the short silence. Aaron looked up at Alex with hurt eyes, but the latter glared back coldly.

“Alex!” Laf hissed. “Aaron is the one who brought John here! We should be thanking him.”

“Thanks! You can go now,” Alex snapped back.

Aaron stood up with a resigned sigh and grabbed his backpack from the floor. His eyes flickered over Alexander’s livid face and then to Laf’s apologetic one.

“Okay, um… let me know if he’s okay,” Aaron said awkwardly and turned to leave.

“Thank you, Aaron,” Laf said sincerely, and Aaron smiled, giving an awkward little wave before leaving the hospital. Alex plopped down into the now vacated chair, folding his arms in a huff.

“Was that really necessary, Alex?” Laf sighed, glancing over at his friend.

“He may have stayed with John, but he had the chance to stop it,” Alex scowled. “And he didn’t. That prick was asking for it.”

Lafayette was about to respond, but stopped himself. Alex was not in a good place mentally; he probably couldn’t handle another altercation. With a sad smile, Laf pulled out his phone and began to text Herc, who had been anxiously asking for updates.

Alex stared longingly at the loving smile Laf gave his phone and huffed again, sinking lower in his chair. He wished he had that. But did he want it with Thomas? He had wanted it with T, but now that had changed. And… if he was being honest with himself, he wanted it with John. In fact, after accepting that nothing would ever happen with Thomas, he couldn’t get his mind off of John.

And he was sure John loved him back, no matter how much he denied it.

“Alex?” a voice said suddenly, breaking through his reverie. “Is one of you Alex?”

Alexander stood up and nodded at the doctor who was asking for him.

“That’s me,” he said with only the slightest of tremors in his voice.

“John is asking to see you,” he said, beckoning Alex to enter the hospital room. When he did, his mouth popped open at the state John was in. His whole cheek was swollen and bruised, and he had a faraway look on his face.

“Is he gonna be okay?” Alex asked tearfully, running over to John’s side and beginning to stroke his hair in a gentle rhythm.

“Yes, he’ll be fine. He does have a concussion, but he’ll make a full recovery soon. He just needs to take it easy for a while,” the doctor smiled warmly.

“Why does he look so out of it?” Alex demanded, a bit of hysteria creeping into his voice.

“He’s on some pain medication right now, but he’ll be fine, don’t worry.”

“Okay…” Alex said uncertainly, looking dotingly upon his friend.

“I’ll leave you two alone,” the doctor said, excusing himself from the room.

Feeling his anxiety begin to make him sweat, Alex rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. He was shocked to find writing there.

Is John okay?

James told me what happened.

I’m so sorry.

Talk to me.

How is he?

Alex groaned in frustration. Why wouldn’t Thomas just leave him alone?

Fine. He’s fine. Alex scrawled back, and rolled his sleeves down again. He didn’t want to look at Thomas’ words.

He turned his attention back to the semi-conscious boy. “You okay, Jack?” he asked gently.

A small smile lit up John’s face. “Mmhmm,” he mumbled before his face grew serious, his eyes opening slightly wider than before. “Alex, I have to tell you something.”

Alex grabbed his friend’s hand and leaned forward. “You can tell me anything.”

“I… lied. Yesterday,” John muttered groggily, struggling to keep his eyes open. “You weren’t dreaming.”

Alex felt his heart beat a rapid tattoo against his chest. He let out a small breath, his lips parting slightly. Before he could stop himself, he leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to John’s plush lips, feeling warmth pool in his stomach at the contact.

A heavy hand made its way to Alex’s hair, and he pulled in closer, their kiss deepening despite the pain John felt in his jaw.

They only broke apart when the door to the room slammed open. Nearly jumping out of his skin, Alex turned – hair dishevelled, lips swollen, and eyes blown wide – to see Thomas standing in the doorway. He looked bedraggled and tired, but there was a furious fire raging behind his eyes.

His voice came out in a low growl. “Fine, huh?”