#alex on his knees in front of miles

[28-destiel-505]

Craziest thing they've ever done tbh

[arabellasbootss]

I know you’ve got the moves

alex turner x reader ( taotu era )

warnings: smut, p in v, oral sex ( f receiving )

word count: 2,635

You had been looking forward to this day for weeks, your best friend recently got you two some tickets to go see The Last Shadow Puppets at your local arena. You had been the one to introduce your friend to their music, and she loved them, but not nearly as much as you did so it was safe to say that you were looking forward to it more than she was.

“Do I look okay?” you turn to ask your friend, you had opted for some black knee high boots, a short black mini skirt and a matching black velvet top, paired with a red leather jacket. “You look amazing, maybe you’ll catch some cute guys attention huh?” she laughs.

You could only smile, *in your dreams* you thought. If anything you thought she had a better chance of finding someone to go home with tonight, she looked terrific as always. You had always felt that way though, like you were just her shadow, nothing more, nothing less.

You and her had arrived just as the opening act was finishing off, and only around 5 minutes afterwards, your friend began shaking you to look, and sure enough Alex Turner and Miles Kane were walking onto the stage, you blushed hard when you saw Alex, you had always had a crush on him, since you first found out about the monkeys. You had a pretty good view of his gorgeous face too, since you were just about at the barricade.

Alex introduced himself and Miles before they started playing the first song, you recognised it straight away, The Age of the Understatement, you danced around for a bit, staring up at Alex as he sang passionately, then, you noticed he was staring straight back at you. Of course, your friend noticed too.

“Holy shit Turner is totally checking you out!” she smacks your arm playfully, you laughed, *no way* you just kept dancing along, feeling a blush creep up on your cheeks. The gig slowly came to a close. By then you were sure that your mascara and eyeliner was running, you were a mess.

“Wanna go for a drink before we head back?” your friend asks you, dragging you in that direction already, making you feel like you really didn’t have a choice either way, so you complied, nodding your head. You were exhausted after all the screaming, dancing, people pushing you around. If you were being honest you’d rather just go home and relax at that point.

When you arrived at the pub, you headed over and got your usual, vodka and coke. Simple, but it did the job. You looked around for your friend but she was nowhere to be seen, that was until you saw her dancing with some guy. Knowing what she was like, you knew she wasn’t planning on sticking with you at all and would probably wind up home with him doing god knows what.

You sat at the bar miserably, you had a great night, you just wished you weren’t left on your own seeing as it was her idea to drag you two to go get a drink afterwards. You heard a voice behind you. a thick Yorkshire accent booming through your ears, “Anyone sitting ‘ere love?” the voice asked. Shivers ran down your spine, *it couldn’t be*. You turned around, *oh but it could be.* Your heart was doing somersaults inside of you, Alex fucking Turner was standing in front of you for crying out loud.

“Oh um..” You thought about telling him that your friend was here but then thought best not to, after all you didn’t even know if she was or not. “No, nobody’s sitting here” you gave him a small smile. He happily sat down beside you, looking you dead in the eye. “What you got there?” he says just above a whisper, eyeing your drink. “Vodka and coke, it’s my favourite” he smiles at you and scoots closer, “Saw you at the gig y’know? looked like you were having fun” you blush, hard.

“Oh yeah, It was great, you both have a real talent” you say, immediately wanting to kick yourself in the head, way to make yourself sound like a stupid fangirl. Well, you were but that’s not the point. He laughed, noticing your nervousness. You almost felt as if he were a bit cocky, you couldn’t blame him, but still.

“Thank you… so uh what’s your name?” he asks you, you tell him your name and he repeats it softly. You like the way it sounds, the way it rolls off his tongue softly yet with his thick accent. “That’s beautiful, suits you… I’m Al by the way” he mutters at the end, figuring you already knew but he didn’t know for sure, and didn’t want to assume so he shared it with you.

“Nice to meet you Al” you two start talking about everything and nothing, and turns out you both have the exact same taste in music, which sparked an interesting, hour long conversation about it, debating whether Blur or Oasis is better and different songs you both grew up listening to. You felt comfortable around him now, as if you two had known eachother for years. The bartender walked up to you both and explained that the bar was closing soon. You checked the time, 2 AM. Where had all those hours gone?

Sadness filled you as you realised you wouldn’t speak to Alex again, and most likely would never see him again. He looked at you, trying to read your expressions, but nothing, you stared blankly at your hands and got up. “I- uh I was wondering if maybe you wanna come back to my hotel? Nothing weird just so we can keep talking, I think you’re pretty interesting y’know” he almost whispers, not meeting your gaze. No way he was shy?

“I would like that Al, a lot” you give him a warm smile in hopes to calm his nerves. His shoulders dropped, letting the breath he was holding in out. You grabbed his arm, interlinking it with yours as you two walked, feeling a sudden boost in confidence. He laughed softly and grabbed your arm just as tight, never letting go once.

By the time you were both back at the hotel your hands were grasping eachother’s tightly, and your head rested on his shoulder. It was around a 20 minute walk so you got comfortable. You didn’t feel nervous around him at all anymore, you felt like he was your best friend by now. “It’s the third floor darling” he whispers softly as he leads you to the elevator.

Once you were in his room you sat on the bed looking up at him, feeling your nerves slowly creep back up. “Make yourself comfortable, you want summat to drink?” You shake your head no. He sits beside you on the bed, the silence was deafening. *Why was it so awkward now?* you gulped. “So uh.. do you wanna watch a movie maybe?” he asks you, “sure”

You two decide on a movie and he kicks his shoes off, inviting you to do the same. You discard your jacket while you’re at it and get back on the bed beside him. You thought about making a move but figured best not. After all he had a life to get back to soon, and he also probably wasn’t into you like that. Alex scooted closer to you and wrapped his arm around your shoulder. You felt your cheeks heat up and you snuggled up close to him.

As you both sat in a comfortable silence you started debating whether or not you should just go for it.. it was risky but he was really great and you liked him a lot. Luckily enough he slowly pulled you into him resting your head on his shoulder. He called out your name, to which you lift your head up to look at him.

“Can i do something?” he whispers, a faint pink painting his cheeks. Your heart began racing, praying on everything out there that he was about to do what you had been waiting for all night.

Your wishes indeed came true, once he saw your nod of approval he slowly grabbed your chin to turn your face to his and pressed his lips to yours. They were soft, and he tasted amazing. You never wanted to pull apart.

He slowly pulled away as you two ran out of breath, you began giggling to yourself out of utter nervousness, and he smiled at you before joining in. “Sorry i kind of just sprung that on you I’ve been wanting to do it since the start of the night I just- I dunno you intimidated me a bit”

You couldn’t believe your ears, *you intimidated him? huh?* gaining a new feeling of confidence, you grabbed his face again and kissed him again, slowly tangling your hands in his fluffy hair, scooting yourself to sit in his lap. He seemed to enjoy this as a low whimper left his lips when your hips met.

You bit his lip softly making him whine and you slipped your tongue into his mouth. He tasted like heaven, a taste of alcohol and cigarettes on his lips but you loved it. Alex started to get riled up the more you two made out, pushing his hips into yours for a moment before pulling back and apologising profusely.

“I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to do that I just-“ you cut him off by kissing him roughly and grinding down onto him harder than he did before. “fuck” he pants as you continue your movements. “Are you sure you wanna keep going?” he whispers and you nod, “Only if I’m in control” you smirk at him and he nods quickly.

He wasn’t used to not being the one in control but he thought it was so hot that you had openly said that to him, and he also wanted to know what it would be like. You had no idea what had taken over you, only a few hours ago you were petrified at even speaking to this man and now you wanted to fuck him.

“You wanna make me feel good first hm?” you say quietly. Alex urgently flips you over and kisses your neck roughly, definitely leaving marks. He slowly moves himself downwards, taking off items of clothing as he went. Once he was done he sat up and admired your body.

“Fucking hell, you’re gorgeous” he blushed at your naked body lying before him, hair sprawled over the pillow. You had to admit, it did make you nervous that The Alex Turner was saying all this to you but you still wanted to be in control.

“Cmon puppy, i know you wanna make me feel good” He blushes at that, and spreads your thighs apart. blushing wildly at the sight before him. Placing kisses on your inner thighs, you shiver at the feeling.

“Oh my God” you moan as he places a sloppy kiss on your clit before sucking it in his mouth. He slowly starts kitten licking you from your entrance to your clit and then stopping to lap up your wetness.

“Taste so good princess” he mumbles before licking you again. After a couple of minutes he brings his fingers to your entrance, pushing them in and curling them upwards. You squeal at the sensation of his hot tongue and nose brushing your clit as his fingers work you too.

He seems happy with your reaction and hums into your pussy as you pull his hair roughly. After a few minutes of his face buried between your thighs you feel the knot in your stomach come loose.

“Alex oh my god” you whimpered and moaned while he made sure to drink up every tiny bit of your sweetness, before climbing back on top of you and kissing you sweetly. “Best pussy ever” he whispers into your ear, you almost laughed at his attempt at dirty talk but it still worked, making you feel ready again.

You flip him over so you’re back on top and unbutton his shirt and pants, sliding them off. He grabs at your breasts, staring at them. “Eyes up here Al, and paws off puppy” you slap his hand away making him apologise profusely.

“Want me to ride you baby?” you hold his face in your hands, staring into his doe eyes. “Please…” he whispers in response.

“C’mon you can beg better than that can’t you?” you smirk at him as he cheeks turn rosy. “Please want you to ride me so bad momma I need it please” *Momma?* you thought to yourself, *why did that turn you on so much?*

You palmed him roughly through his boxers, he was fucking huge. A small moan falls from his lips as you take his cock out from his boxers. Your mouth salivated as you stroked him slowly. Painfully slow.

“Please don’t tease me” he says under his breath. “You ready?” he nods furiously in response and you align him with your entrance. Slowly, you sink down onto him and bite your lip to try not to wince at how much he stretched you out.

“Fuck you feel perfect, like heaven” he groans once you’re fully sinked down. Slowly, you began to move up and down on him, locking your eyes with him the entire time. The room was filled with filthy sounds; your hips slamming together, the dirty noises spilling from both of your mouths and the sound of your wetness sliding up and down his cock.

“Alex you’re so big puppy, love it so much” you praise him as he whimpers and whines. “Not gonna last long baby” he chokes out and you begin to grind back and forth and up and down even faster. “You wanna cum for me hm? you’re gonna have to wait for me” you moan as he grabs your breasts and starts kissing and licking them.

Not long after, you felt the knot in your stomach ready to become undone. “Al baby you gonna cum for me?” you pant out as he nods eagerly. You grip his shoulders and moan loudly into his ear, biting the skin under it to muffle your noises. He whimpers as he fills you up, holding you tightly.

“Oh my god” you pant as you come down from your high, holding his face in your hands, you kiss all over his face and slowly get off of his lap lying down next to him. You feel your shyness creeping back up as you pull the blanket over yourself and him. Alex wraps his arms around your waist pulling you so you lay on his chest.

“That were fuckin’ amazing darling” he whispers before kissing your head, stroking your arm up and down softly. “Yeah it was” you laugh quietly looking up at him. “I’ll leave in a minute just give me a sec” you say.

Alex looks at you, puzzled. “I- um, if you want to leave then do but I was kinda hoping you’d spend the night I dunno..” he trails off and you smile at him, “Okay”, “Okay?” he asks and you nod putting your head back onto his chest, wanting to be as close to him as possible.

“Can I take you out tomorrow? I was thinking lunch maybe” he asks. You think about it for a second before agreeing. “I’d like that Al, a lot” He grins to himself before slowly drifting off, you hear his quiet snores and heartbeat in your ear.

You couldn’t be more surprised at how the night had went but you were happy to fall asleep beside Alex, thinking about how tomorrow would go.

this isn’t proof read at all and also my first time writing in years so sorry if it’s awful 😭

[happiness-of-the-pursuit]

WIP Wednesday

Hi!!! I finally finished posting a fic, so, of course, on the same day I had to see new art from the artist who inspired (Dil)Do It Yourself which resulted in me opening a new doc. Yes, the Dildoverse will be getting a sequel for Valentine's Day.

Here's a fun bit of that below. Suggestive, but no smut. Yet.

Alex’s foot skims up Henry’s calf once again, keeping a straight face as he cuts into the steak in front of him. He peeks up from his plate when he reaches Henry’s knee—the angle is awkward, but the flash of annoyance mixed with arousal swirling behind Henry’s eyes makes it worth it. Thank God, and June—though he’ll never tell her how he’s using his newfound flexibility—for yoga classes. “Alex,” Henry says, voice dangerous. Sparks skim down his spine like a livewire. “Do I really need to incentivize you to behave? Is being good for me not enough?” Alex’s breath shudders, his fork nearly falling out of his hand. His foot, the heel just grazing the crotch of Henry’s pants, freezes in place, just for a second. Then, it slides the last centimeter forward. Alex watches as Henry swallows, feels the slightest hint of shifting weight—Henry leaning into the pressure underneath the table. Alex, now fully committed to drawing out the setting of Henry’s jaw when he’s feeling particularly mean, gives him his brattiest smile. “I think I just need a reminder.” Henry juts out his chin. Alex forgets how to breathe. “Well, we can certainly fix that.”

Image and Etsy Link to the inspo art by Ben Saunders below (cut off so this post isn't miles long), check out his site, he's queer and trans!!!

Thanks to @anincompletelist @inexplicablymine @firenati0n @sherryvalli @wordsofhoneydew @suseagull04 @kiwiana-writes @hgejfmw-hgejhsf for the tags!! On my way to yell at you after I hit post.

It's already kind of late I think, so not sure who I've missed, especially since it's already Thursday across the Atlantic. Tagging @affectionatelyrs @cultofsappho @everwitch-magiks @futureseaempress @gay-flyboys @getmehighonmagic @leojfitz @leaves-of-laurelin @nocoastposts @read-and-write- @rockyroadkylers @rmd-writes @user-anakin @welcometololaland @xthelastknownsurvivorx @zwiazdziarka @14carrotghoul, and anyone else who sees this and wants to share!

[topguncortez]

Hi love ur writing so much ❤️❤️❤️

I was wondering if you could do ❛ hold still. this might sting a little. ❜ with Mr Jake Seresin and the kiddos?

Anywho, you deserve all those followers

Ur writing is amazing ⭐️

Pairing: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x Shy!Wifey and Alex Seresin warnings: blood, tears, Jake can't handle his kids getting hurt. Opposites Attract Masterlist | Hagman Masterlist Main Masterlist 3 fucking K celebration

It was a beautiful Saturday morning. The sun wasn't up high in the sky yet, making it bearable to be outside. Alex and Ella had woken their parents up early, even before their baby brother Eli could cry to be picked up from his nursery. Jake had pushed the older kids quickly so they didn't wake up Y/N or Eli. He took them downstairs and started on breakfast. Saturday Mornings equaled blueberry pancakes in the Seresin house.

Jake had also determined that today was the day that he took the training wheels off of Alex's bike. He was about Alex's age when he learned how to ride a bike, and could remember his father teaching him in the driveway over their house.

A frown graced Jake's lips as he wished that he could've grown up in a neighborhood like he lived in now. The were the only house for miles on their land in Texas, and the childhood years were lonely. Jake never wanted to grow up like that. He loved the cul-de-sac they were living in now. Alex and Ella had friends on all sides of them, and kids were constantly running around. It made Jake smile.

Currently, Y/N was sitting on a blanket in the front yard, covered in the morning shade of their house. Eli was laying on his tummy in front of her, while Ella was playing with her dolls. Jake was taking the training wheels off of Alex's bike, while the little boy put his helmet on.

"You ready?" Jake asked, as the took the last wheel off, "A big kid bike now!"

"I think so daddy," Alex nodded. Jake set the bike on the ground and looked at Alex, making sure his helmet is tight.

"Alright, let's go to the sidewalk since the driveway is at a bit of a slope," Jake said, and Alex grabbed his handle bars, walking the bike down to the sidewalk.

"Mommy, when can my training wheels come off?" Ella asked.

"Anytime you want them too," Y/N said, "Do you want them off?"

"Maybe," Ella said, looking at her brother. Even though they were roughly three years a part, Ella and Alex were competitive. The little girl tried her hardest to keep up with her older brother. Y/N smiled as Ella set her barbies down and intently watched as Alex got on his bike, and Jake steadied him.

"Okay buddy," Jake said, "Put your feet on the pedals, and one at a time, push them down."

"Okay," Alex let out a shaky breath as he slowly pushed down on the pedal, making the wheels spin. Jake easily pushed him, keeping one hand on the handlebars and the other on the back of the bike to keep him steady.

"Keep pedaling buddy," Jake said, walking a bit faster.

"Okay daddy," Alex nodded.

"A bit faster, you got it," Jake looked at his son getting the hang of the skill, "There ya go, buddy."

"Don't let go, daddy! Don't let go!" Alex said.

"I'm not," Jake said, even though he started lifting his hands off the bike. Y/N smiled as she sat up on her knees, watching as Alex and Jake went down the sidewalk. Ella's eyes grew wide as she saw her dad take his hands completely off of Alex's bike.

"Don't let go! Don't let go!" Alex said over and over as he pedaled his bike.

"You got it buddy! You're doing it!" Jake said as he stood behind his son, watching him ride his bike, "Good job!"

Alex went to look over his shoulder at his dad, but clearly wasn't ready for that skill. Jake could see the accident happening before it even did, as Alex became wobbly on his bike and fell over.

"Fuck!" Jake cursed and ran down the sidewalk towards the little boy. Y/N gasped as she heard the loud cry fill the air. She picked up Eli in her arms, moving towards the sidewalk to see Jake lifting his oldest boy into his arms.

If there was one thing Jake hated more in life than his leftovers being eaten, it's seeing his babies get hurt. He tried to fight back tears as he felt Alex's tears soak his shirt. He looked down at Alex's knee and could see that the skin was red and scrapped up. Ella wrapped her arms around Y/N's middle, not liking to see her big brother cry either.

"He's okay, baby," Y/N said, rubbing her daughter's back. Jake didn't even bother to pick up the bike as he walked back down to the house with Alex in his arms.

"Come on, Elles," Y/N took her daughter's hand and went inside going to her and Jake's room.

Jake had Alex sitting on the bathroom counter in-between the two sinks. Tears were still falling down his face as Y/N walked in. She put Eli in his playpen and Ella was in the playroom with him. Alex immediately reached out for his mom. Y/N embraced her son, pulling him into her chest as she climbed up on the bathroom counter to sit next to him.

"I told him not to let go," Alex mumbled against his mother's dress, "I told you not to let go, daddy!" He said to Jake.

"I know baby," Jake said, grabbing the first aid kit, "I'm sorry. I thought you had it."

"I don't want to learn to ride a bike," Alex pouted and Y/N rubbed his back.

"Okay, you don't have to," Jake said. Y/N could see the look in her husband's eye, and knew how much he hated blood. He was trying to put on a brave face but was feeling queasy by the sight of blood running down Alex's leg.

"Jake, how about I clean it?" Y/N asked and Jake nodded quickly. She tried to stifle her laugh as they switched spots and Y/N grabbed some gauze and anti-biotic cleanser.

"Hold still," Jake said, wrapping his arm around Alex's small body, "This might sting a little." Y/N knelt down in front of her son, and gently cleaned up the blood that was down his leg up to the scrape. Alex sucked in a breath as the peroxide settled into his skin. The second that Y/N pressed a cotton ball to his knee he jumped.

"It's okay," Y/N cooed, "I know it hurts but I gotta get in clean, okay."

"C-can I have a superman band aid?" Alex asked and Y/N nodded. Y/N looked up at her husband who was looking away from the sight of blood and trying not to cry seeing his little boy in pain. Y/N shook her head and finished cleaning up the wound and putting a superman band aid on it.

"All better," Y/N said and placed a kiss on the band aid. She stood up and helped Alex off the counter, "How about you go down stairs and I'll get you a snack?" Alex nodded and took off running downstairs.

"I feel like that's worse for me than it is him," Jake sighed out.

"It'll always be like that," Y/N said and stepped in between Jake's thighs. Jake rested his hands on her hips, "We're parents. We never want to see our kids in pain. It'll never get easier to see them in pain."

"Well it's a good thing they have you," Jake said, "Cause I was starting to get a bit woozy."

"Oh I know," Y/N laughed, "You're good with the vomit and the snot. We balance each other out."

"What would I do without you?" Jake asked and pecked his wife's lips.

"Be on the ground passed out," Y/N smiled and kissed her husband again.

[tinyarmedtrex]

hey!!!

a ficlet friday prompt: Salted popcorn for firstprince (or the hot chocolate one if that's already taken lolz)

Eee thank you! Slightly nsfw below!

"Bet you can't catch this with your mouth." Alex said, holding up a piece of the salted popcorn he was eating. 

Henry didn't even deign to look up from his book. "Whyever would I want to?"

He considered it. "If you catch it, I'll do something from that chore list of yours. You can even pick which chore." He inclined his chin towards the list on the fridge, the one that Henry had written months ago but never seemed to get any shorter.

"Anything?"  His boyfriend asked, lowering his book. Alex nodded. "And what if I miss?"

Alex grinned. "Then we do something from my list." His list was the fun one, full of various sexual ideas both wanted to try but hadn't yet. 

That made Henry put down his book. "It's a deal. But I want three chances. Not all of us spent our youth playing games like this."

"Yea, yea, rub your upper-class education in my face." He lobbed the first piece of popcorn as he said it. It missed by a mile, the piece not grazing Henry or the chair he was sitting in. Henry arched a judgmental eyebrow at him. "That one doesn't count." He threw a second one. This one was much better, arching towards Henry's face. 

Who missed it by moving left instead of right. 

"Wrong way."

 Henry shrugged. "Whoops."  

Alex threw the second piece. This one wasn't as good. Henry moved and it hit his shoulder.

"Last chance." 

This time Henry got out of the chair and fell to his knees which resulted both in him being closer to Alex and also on the floor with his mouth open and tongue out. Alex felt his cock twitch with interest but he focused on throwing the final piece.

This one was perfect. He could see that it was going to land in Henry's mouth. 

Until he closed it at the last moment and it bounced off his lips. 

Alex grinned at him, putting down the rest of the popcorn. "Looks like you lost babe."

"Oh no, whatever will I do now?" Henry asked, not moving as Alex came to stand in front of him. Henry leaned in, running his nose along Alex's crotch.

"You know, I'm starting to think you wanted to lose." Alex said, fisting Henry's hair as he began to mouth at the outline of his growing erection. 

"Mhm," Henry looked up at him with a smirk. "I mean, the toilets will still need to be cleaned tomorrow. And I have been dying to try out number twenty-three on your list." 

"Fuck." Alex hauled Henry to his feet and kissed him hard before dragging him to the bedroom, the dropped popcorn long forgotten. 

[ships-to-sail]

Six(ish) Sentence Sunday

Nothing says "ready for the week ahead" quite like a late-in-the-day six(ish) sentences, amirite?

Probably not, but! Here we are anyway! This week we're still on that reality dating show AU bullshit, finally switching to some Alex POV! I'll put tags after the break, but honestly I'm coming late in off the start so if you somehow haven't done your sentences yet, consider this your tag!

Alex Claremont Diaz is exactly nine years old when he first begins to believe in true love.  He’s sitting next to his abuelita in her assisted living facility, the worn blue couch springs poking him annoying in the back while the TV blares at near-maximum volume. Not that Alex notices any of the discomfort, because he’s not really here, anyway.  He’s thousands of miles away, in the middle of the German countryside, the world’s most beautiful castle behind him as a man in a white wool suit dropped to one knee in front of a gorgeous red-head, her hands already pressed to her mouth in trembling joy, as he asks her the words Alex has become enamored with over the last several weeks: “Joyanna, will you go on life’s ultimate quest with me: the quest down the aisle?” It’s gibberish, nonsense that barely makes grammatical sense, but Alex eats up every word of it like they’re helados. He doesn’t know what it means, knows that’s not how people talk to each other in real life, but. Alex wants the glint he sees in their eyes. Wants another person to look at him like the man in the white wool suit looks at Joyanna as she nods her head at a million miles a minute.  The show calls it love, and Alex wants it. 

@kiwiana-writes @dumbpeachjuice @cheesecurdsgravyandfries @orchidscript @everwitch-magiks @happiness-of-the-pursuit @indomitable-love @cha- @celaestis1 @cricketnationrise @rmd-writes @inexplicablymine @welcometololaland @smc-27 @celeritas2997 @clottedcreamfudge @lilythesilly @hgejfmw-hgejhsf @sparklepocalypse @nontoxic-writes @inexplicablymine @cultofsappho @tintagel-or-cockleshells

[indigosunsetao3]

A Reason To Try

Chapter 10 - Into the Dark

Masterlist of Chapters

Warnings: 18+ - No minors Please read the tags on AO3 for any of your triggers (this has implied character death and I've also updated some tags on AO3 that may...help ease the situation. Take this warning hint however you please...)

Alex Keller X Original FMC 10.4k words - AO3 Link

Pain. That’s all Madeline could focus on as she stayed curled in the backseat of the SUV in the nest of blankets Everett had set up for himself. The back row was solidly his space, and it all screamed E when Madeline stared at it in the light of the garage. He had a few pieces of a board game tucked into the cupholder, little figurines he pilfered out of the boxes for his quiet games of pretend. The headphones and CD player were shoved in the backseat pocket, that was a nighttime item and he listened to the rules for the most part.

Every time she shifted the blankets crinkled with hidden wrappers of food that he hadn’t thrown away properly and she felt something squish under her knee, a forgotten about honeybun she was sure. It was like his messy bedroom back at home which made her chest ache even more. The memory of Josephine scolding Madeline for sneaking him sweets and for E hiding them around his room like a little squirrel saving his food for later and then forgetting about it for months.

Alex hadn’t said a word to her since he helped her in the car, resolutely driving with Billy Joel softly playing over the speakers. She knew she should be up front helping navigate and coming up with a plan, but she didn’t think she had the strength. Her head was pounding from all the tears, her throat raw from the wails of anguish and her whole body just ached with the grief. That’s what it was, she realized, after staring blankly at the stitches of the fabric seat inches from her face. She was grieving E like he had died, and even though he was still alive she still felt like his final cries for her were the last she was going to hear and see of him.

“Fuck,” Alex muttered under his breath as he came across a blocked off street, cars that hadn’t been there earlier jammed the road. He tried to peer and see if he could go off the shoulder and around but when he saw movement inside one of the cars, one of those things popping their head up at the sound he knew it wasn’t an option. He wasn’t about to risk getting stuck when there was one there already, one meant more. They seemed to move in packs, drawn to one another’s snarls to hunt down their prey.

Throwing the SUV into reverse Alex manipulated the wheel and doubled back down the street he had just come from. The car was too big to move fast, but it certainly ate gas quickly and couldn’t navigate tight movements well. It was like driving a tank without the luxury of being armored. Just another thing to add to the list of what he needed to plan out; potentially changing cars now that it was just the two of them and more long driving ahead.

He had been following the way they had come in as much as he could remember without having a chance to look at a map. On a whim, he had tried the SUV's GPS but it still flashed the no signal error and he sighed and clicked away from it again. He would have to just keep trying side streets until he got them somewhere he deemed safe enough for the evening.

The CD was on its third replay when Alex let the SUV glide to the shoulder and he killed the lights. He glanced up at the rearview mirror but it was so dark inside the car he couldn’t see Madeline. She had gone relatively quiet now, just an occasional sniff or adjustment. He let the car continue to idle as he dragged the map out of the glovebox to try and see if he could figure out where they were based on the exit ramp he had driven the wrong way down to get a mile marker. He didn’t like going near the highway but this area seemed like it wasn’t very populated, just trees and fields as far as he could see.

“Are we stopping?” Madeline asked into the darkness, her voice a bit muffled as she talked into the seat.

“Just for a few minutes,” Alex answered as he hit the interior light button to start pouring over the map, unfolding it and twisting it to follow the blue highlighter lines Madeline had used to track their path. She crossed out areas that were no-gos with a black pen and even left a few notes of places they stopped and what they had found. He smirked a bit at her note about him snatching her the last Reeses pack at one gas station, and the added a smiley face at the end of the scribble.

“Where are we?” Madeline asked, finally sitting up and wincing at the pounding in her head at the movement. Her eyes felt swollen and her temples throbbed with what felt like a very rough hangover.

“Working on figuring it out. Been trying to go back the way we came to get away from the city but backtracking hasn’t been the easiest,” Alex answered as he glanced up at the highway sign before back down at the map. “The main road we took in was blocked and I had to find a new route but new route meant more dead ends,” he traced his finger down the map and finally found where they were.

“Can we just stop here?” Madeline asked as she looked out the window into the darkness outside. She couldn’t see anything; it was pitch black save for the little overhead light Alex had on. The moon wasn’t out, the clouds blocked any starlight and there wasn’t a single light on for miles. “The further away we go, the further,” she stopped not finishing the thought of the further away she was from E.

“We’re too vulnerable out here in the open,” Alex answered as he glanced at her in the rearview then back down to the map. He found the road he was looking for and recited the street names he needed to take to get there to himself before tossing the map onto the passenger seat. He threw the car back into gear and turned the interior light back off, shifting a bit and rolling his neck to ease some of the tension. “Lay back down, I’ll wake you if I need you.” Truthfully, he could use her help now but he wasn’t about to ask, not with how she was.

Madeline snatched up a half-drunk bottle of Gatorade that Everett had left behind and chugged it, hoping to ease the burn in her throat. She really longed for a cold compress over her eyes, a handful of ibuprofen, and a long sleep but a room-temperature grape sport drink was her only luxury at the moment.  She didn’t say anything else to Alex as she laid back on the seat, curious about where he was aiming to get them to but too tired to ask or really care.

She didn’t sleep at first, not deeply anyway, just a twilight haze of drifting in and out, only knowing that she had dozed when she came too and the song was completely different. Alex had kept them steady, only hitting the brakes a few times and a handful of sharp turns of the wheel to avoid obstacles. She knew he was stressed driving like this but he didn’t vocalize it, just continued on in concentrated silence that he only broke to curse under his breath. In her exhaustion, she willed herself to sit up and offer assistance but the ‘five more minutes’ that she bargained with herself won and she slipped back into sleep each time.

Just over an hour later Alex saw the first signs for a new condo development. It caught his eye when he finally made it to the back road and he started mulling over the possibility of pulling over there. New development hopefully meant not a lot of people. He wasn’t going to go out of his way for it but if they had the chance to get out of the SUV for a bit he was going to take it. The next few signs that were staked on the side of the road every mile or so touted the place as a ‘secluded paradise’ that was ‘perfect for young families’ and a ‘quiet retreat for city workers’.

He scoffed under his breath about the absurdity of condos being considered a secluded paradise but secluded meant no shopping centers around. No other large populace to overrun the area and best of all a construction site hopefully meant generator hookups, gas, and even some short-distance radios. It wouldn’t enable him to call Price or Farah but he may be able to listen in on local chatter and see what was going on around them.

The faded stuck-on sign at the entrance of the development advertising they were selling phase one fluttered a bit in the wind as Alex slowly drove by. Just as he had hoped there were work vehicles and everything you’d expect on an active construction site scattered about the place. A temporary fence ran around a half-built structure that barely had its framing complete and a nice wrought iron fence lined the greater area. He continued on down the central road of the complex. Creeping past the clubhouse that still had stickers on the brand-new windows and cut through the rental office parking lot to get to building one that looked finished.

It was five stories tall with exterior entranceways and a fire escape on either end as well. Even better, more than one way in and out and less obstacles between inside and the car. The wrought iron fence was at least eight feet tall and ran around the back of the parking lot that he had halted in and behind it were trees and dense woods. The plan, while a huge risk, was seemingly coming together.

Backing the SUV up to the fence, Alex positioned them behind a construction dumpster and turned off the headlights. If no one was looking for them they wouldn’t be seen, even in their bulky out of place vehicle. The parking lot itself was about a quarter full he had observed on the drive but Alex liked those numbers. Given the fact many families had two cars, there would be some left behind in an evacuation which would make up a bulk of the left behind cars. Of course, there could still be people that stayed behind that only had one car, or no car at all, but he had to go off his limited information and play the odds.

Killing the music, he rolled down the two front windows a few inches before turning the SUV off and slinking down in his seat a bit. He was listening for any sound, any indication that they weren’t alone; human or otherwise. He kept his eyes on the building, well the area of the building since he couldn’t see it in the pitch black, to look for movement. The flash of a light, a flicker of a candle, or even the smell of a fire since it was chilly enough this evening to warrant one and the condos had chimneys.

Twenty minutes of strained listening and darting eyes there was nothing. Not a sound aside from his and Madeline’s breathing as he continued to stare into the void outside the windshield. He could tell by the deep slow breaths she was still out, her drained body not even reacting to the fact they had stopped moving this time. Easier for him to do the next part because he knew she would not be happy with his plan.

Reaching behind the seat he dug out the M16 that they had stashed before getting to the CDC and he tugged it onto his lap. As quietly as he could he popped open the driver’s door and slipped out, his finger flipping the safety off in one fluid movement as he raised the rifle. Nothing came rushing at him, no snarls erupted and he backed up a bit before gently shutting the door and pressing the button on the handle to lock it. The locking mechanism, while he had turned off the beep and flashing lights, still sounded impossibly loud in the silence. He waited half crouched by the driver’s door as he swept the area with his night vision scope to see if he had drawn any attention. Still silent.

He had to make this quick. Crossing the parking lot, he entered the open breezeway and started making his way up. He didn’t bother to stop at the doors on the lower level, he wanted to be as high as possible. Once at the top, he picked the door to the condo that faced their SUV before he grabbed the locked handle and shook it roughly, rattling the door hard so as to startle anyone inside. He stopped and listened but he didn’t hear anything, no voices or shuffling inside. No panicked shouts or anyone yelling out for him to go away. All good signs.

“Fancy,” Alex muttered as he dug out his tactical light and clenched it between his teeth as he stared at the keypad entry lock. He shifted the rifle over his shoulder and pulled out his knife using it to pry the outside box off and look at the wiring inside. “But not fancy enough,” he muttered to himself as he sliced a few wires and peeled back the rubber coating to rewire them again. It took him two different combos before the lock popped.

Putting the knife away he pocketed the light again before opening the door slowly. No chain across the inside to stop him; good indicator it was empty. He still did a sweep though, moving through each room with precision and speed, pulling open closets and checking under beds. Nothing. He could tell by how the drawers were pulled open in the kids’ room and a safe left ajar in the owners’ suite that whoever lived here had left in a hurry. They had most likely evacuated to be with other family or to get to those potential safe areas that the CDC had mentioned.

Stepping back out the front door once he deemed the condo clear he jogged down the stairs and right back to the SUV without pausing. He was feeling confident they were alone in this area, or if people were there, they weren’t willing to mess with him in the dark like this. He’d surveil the place in the morning, find a way to the roof get a good lay of the land, and scope out resources.

Instead of climbing into the driver’s seat Alex went around to the back passenger and yanked open the door. The interior light came on and he blinked back at it for a moment after being used to the dark. Madeline stirred as he clamored in and set his gun down on the floor, shutting the door with a bit of a snap to rouse her some. She had rolled on her back at some point, her head twisted to the side and half hidden by Everett’s blanket he had left behind. He watched her for one more second, debating on just leaving her be and they could go inside in the morning but thought better of it. She’d get a better night’s rest in a bed, they both would.

“Hey,” Alex said gently as reached out a hand to shake her gently. She mumbled and he reached up a hand to brush some loose hairs off her face, “Mads, wake up.” He tried again and she twisted her face to look up at him, blinking sleepily. She looked miserable, her face still puffed and pale and by the way she shielded her eyes with her hand, he suspected the dim overhead light was painful.

“Everything alright?” Madeline asked groggily, using the palm of her hand to rub her eye hard to see if that would get rid of the pounding ache behind it.

“I’ve found a place for us to hole up for the night,” he said as he reached under the seat and pulled out a duffle. If they were going to do this he wanted to be quick about it, situations like theirs could deteriorate rapidly.

“Great,” Madeline muttered as she still lay on the bench, looking at Alex as he hunched over the duffle and started to grab at things he could reach and threw them in. “Why are you packing?” She asked after a moment as he pulled Josephine’s backpack out from under the seat next and threw it on the bench seat.

“We’re going inside,” he explained as he looked over his shoulder at her just as the interior light cut out. “I found a condominium while you slept. Seems deserted, already cleared one of the units on the top floor.” He began fumbling in his vest for his light as he spoke, patting himself down to find what pocket he had slipped it into in his haste.

“Wait, hang on,” Madeline muttered as they were plunged into darkness. She sat up and her head pounded at the movement but she made herself continue sitting. “You cleared it? When?”

“While you slept,” Alex answered as he found and clicked his tactical light on. He swore he heard her hiss at the sudden brightness and angled it at the floor. “I figured after today I don’t think either of us could stomach another night in here,” he gave her a small smile. “You even said if you slept in another car again it would be too soon.”

“Alex! You went out there alone? And didn’t wake me!” Madeline felt the bite of anger well up in her for his action, though it was a dull sort of sting instead of a flash of white hot. She was too emotionally worn out for anything more. “I mean yes I never want to sleep in a car again but I didn’t mean,” she started as she felt her heart swell a bit in her chest at this gesture.

He had done this for her. Had taken this huge risk for her comfort and honestly her sanity. She had been so ready to be done with the traveling, with the sleeping on a hard bench feeling like she was in a fish bowl where anyone could happen upon them. To be in a bed, inside a building with solid walls and the strong illusion of safety had been such a relieving thought. Then all of that had been shattered and she had her heart broken along with it. She had been useless since and left Alex to deal with her issues and safety, again.

“You didn’t have to risk yourself for me. I’m perfectly capable of sleeping in a car,” she finally said as he continued to pack in the silence, clamping down the appreciation and instead settling on irritation. Irritation for him risking himself needlessly, with herself for leaving him with the burden of getting them safe. And irritation was easier, easiest of the emotions she was feeling at the moment.

“Not just for you,” Alex answered as he handed her his tactical light to hold so he could use both hands to pack. He didn’t want to leave anything in the SUV overnight that they may need just in case someone found it and decided to poke around or they had to evacuate another way. “I need to sleep in something a bit bigger,” he gave her a smirk, saying her own words from earlier back to her. “And a shower. City water may still be running for a bit if the pressure hasn’t run out yet.” He was trying to keep the conversation light, to keep her talking and distracted from her pain that he knew was simmering below the surface with how she was speaking. He just needed to get her inside and tucked safely away then she could shut back down.

If Madeline could feel anything else at the moment, she knew she would have been bashful at his comment. But exhaustion tended to only leave room for agitation, even if her stomach swooped slightly at the thought of lying properly with him. A shower also sounded heavenly with how gross she felt, especially after all the crying. A bath to soak in would be even better but she wasn’t going to push the limits on that one. She needed sleep first though, somewhere she could sprawl out and just burrow away for a few hours. While she had been knocked out on the backseat for who knew how long she was still too tired to even fathom trying to do anything but collapse face-first in a pillow.

“I’ll need you to take your duffle and the backpack,” Alex said once they both finished scouring the area for anything else they needed. He had leaned over the back seat grabbed a few things from the crate in the trunk and loaded his vest down, stuffing things unceremoniously into any open pocket; he’d organize it later. The only things left behind were the extra blankets they had pilfered from the cabin, the board games, books, and other random items they had picked up over the past few days for entertainment.

“Let’s go,” Madeline said quietly as she shifted the backpack on her back and slung the duffle over her left shoulder. Alex had given her the pistol back and she wanted to keep that arm free in case she needed to use it. She still kept the safety on though, ever afraid she’d accidentally fire it in a panic.

Just as they had done back in Boston Alex grabbed her left hand and tucked it into a strap on the back of his vest for her to hold so he could guide her. When Madeline tapped him that she was ready he moved, letting her click the button on the car to lock it up. They moved in silence, their feet falls rapid as they crossed the parking lot then climbed the stairs.

Madeline found herself looking over her shoulder in the dark, unable to see anything but still trying anyway. She was terrified something was just going to pop up out of nowhere and grab her, that just feet away in the darkness something was waiting for the opportune time to attack. She redoubled her grip as they went up another set of stairs, her thighs burning as Alex kept up the speed nearly dragging her along by the time they reached the fifth floor.

“Inside,” Alex stated as he finally stopped and opened the door he had left unlocked. He stepped off to the side to let her pass before slipping in behind and shutting it. He flipped the bolt and chain quickly before lowering his gun and turning around to Madeline who was breathing rapidly only inches away.

Madeline was glad Alex couldn’t see her properly at the moment. She was half doubled over breathing heavily and massaging her thighs a bit. Her legs were a bit shaky and she even felt her hands shake at their efforts as well. She knew it was a combination of hardly eating that day, adrenaline, and just all around disuse but Alex had to be just as worn down yet he sounded perfectly fine in the darkness. Maybe breathing a little faster than normal but definitely didn’t sound like he felt like he was going to keel over. The pounding headache wasn’t helping matters either.

“You can use the light just keep it angled down,” Alex said after a second. He had let Madeline keep ahold of it when they moved, just for the fear if they were separated for whatever reason she’d have a way of seeing. He heard her dig it out before clicking the button and illuminating the small entryway that led to the living room.

“Now what?” Madeline asked as she glanced around the area, taking in a stranger’s house feeling like some sort of burglar. It was violating to be standing in here without their permission, to be in the dark with a flashlight and creeping around like the intruders they were. With a jolt she wondered if someone was in their apartment back in Boston doing the same thing. Potentially pilfering through their things, lounging in their living room. If there was anyone left alive in the city that was.

“You go back to the bedroom while I reinforce the door. Go straight through the living room, down the small hall. It’s the last door on the very end,” Alex said as he pointed with his hand before turning around to try and find something to shove against the door.

“How are you going to see?” Madeline asked pointedly as she looked at Alex as he walked into the living room looking for something heavy. “Maybe they have candles,” she stated as she twisted to try and find the kitchen. It was off to the right; the whole area was one big room really until it got to the hall where the bedrooms were. While she wanted nothing more than to just strip down and crawl between the sheets, she could help him with this much at least. Not be a completely useless partner for the whole evening even if she felt dead on her feet.

“We’ll look for them tomorrow,” Alex answered as he settled on the loveseat as a blockade and started shoving it. It didn’t need to be pretty, or practical. It just needed to be heavy and loud enough to draw his attention if someone tried to get in the door. “I don’t want lights on in here for any longer than we need,” he added on, his voice a bit strained as he heaved the overstuffed two-seater across the threshold where the carpet turned to tile.

When the arm of the seat butted up to the door he stopped pushing, hanging his head a bit between his arms as he regrouped before standing. He gave the door one last once over as Madeline pointed the light beam at it then turned around to head back toward the bedroom. He had been careful to shut the kid's room door on his way out before, not wanting Madeline to see the little boy’s toys in there; not tonight.

Madeline didn’t fight him as he led the way down the hallway to the bedroom, pointing the flashlight at the floor so it didn’t reflect too much. When they got into the bedroom Alex went to the windows pulled down the blinds and shut the curtains to help muffle the light. The room was spacious, a large king bed adorned with overstuffed pillows and a little decorative lounge seat at the foot. She twisted to see a television mounted on the wall, a dresser underneath, and even a little vanity area whose chair Alex nabbed and moved to jam under the bedroom door handle.

They unloaded their duffels and bags onto the little seat before Alex went back to the window and twitched back the curtains to peer out of it. This window had access to the fire escape and he could see a bit of it in the light from the flashlight, the metal still shiny and new. He double-checked the lock on the window as he did so, flipping it on and peering out toward the parking lot again to be sure. Nothing caught his eye, just endless darkness. The hardest part of this plan was over; they made it inside and were safely barricaded. Now it was just a matter of telling his nerves that.

“I know I promised you a shower, but can we wait until sun up?” Alex asked as he unclipped his vest and slipped out of it, dropping it down next to the M16. He unholstered his pistol next and set it on the nightstand, shoving a dead alarm clock out of the way and put the car keys right next to it. All things that he could grab at a moment's notice should he need it. “Don’t want people to hear water running for a long while in the dead of night.”

“I’m too tired to even think about that right now,” Madeline replied as she dug around in the bags to try and find something for her pounding head. The packing had been a mess, just throwing anything anywhere it would fit. She threw the flashlight onto the bed, the new angle of light casting long shadows, as she dug with both hands through the bags. Surely they hadn’t left the medicine in the car, maybe the people that lived here had some. As she tugged she heard the telltale rattle of pills so she kept going, pulling out clothes and letting them fall to the floor.

“Something I can help with?” Alex asked as he sank down at the foot of the bed nearest Madeline to remove his boots. She was getting almost frantic in her search and he watched as he bent down to undo the laces on his left foot.

“Just need something for my head,” Madeline huffed as she pulled out what felt like one of her shirts. Good, she could put that on to sleep once she got out of the dirty sweater she was in. She unfolded it to take a quick look at it to find the shirt wasn’t hers. It was Everett’s. She froze looking at it as she held it up some, eyes roving over the tiny thing with an action hero from one of his shows on it and a nice big stain that had never come out. She dropped her hand heavily back down again and stared up at the ceiling willing herself to keep it together as the barrage of thoughts hit her. She hadn’t even given Everett clothes, she had left him at the CDC with his father and all those other strangers, adult strangers, and didn’t give him anything of his. Not even his goddamn headphones, whose wire she could see half hanging out of the bag.

Alex rose from the bed quickly, seeing how Madeline’s face crumpled at the sight in her hand. It was heartbreaking to see what she was thinking painted so blatantly on her face and he knew it was a matter of moments before she lost it again. He came up behind her gently closed his hand around hers and pulled the shirt out of her hands to set it back into the bag. She resisted at first but finally let go and dropped her hand with a slap onto her thighs.

“You don’t need to unpack all this tonight,” Alex said quietly as she tilted her head to look at him. He meant that in a figurative as well as literal sense. “Come on, I’ll find the meds,” he offered before bending down to help her up off the floor.

“I didn’t give him any clothes,” Madeline explained as she let Alex heft her up, lifting her easily as she fumbled to her feet. Her eyes trailed over the bag as he guided her away to the side of the bed and he yanked back the comforter and sheets. She glanced over at him as he gave her a tight smile and wiped her eyes at the few tears that had made it out.

It didn’t take long for Alex to find the medicine. He dug the bottle out and rose from his crouch before grabbing the flashlight to go to the bathroom muttering he’d be right back. He was hoping there was some sort of cup in there for water, or he’d have to wander back out to the kitchen again. When he glanced back over his shoulder at Madeline he saw her peeling her sweater off, lifting her arms above her head and he quickly turned away again to disappear into the other room.

Madeline moved as fast as she could in the dark, kicking off her shoes and socks, then going for the jeans next. She had intended on finding sleepwear but she couldn’t bear digging around in the bag again at the moment and there was no way she was getting in the sinfully soft sheets in her dirty road clothes. She heard Alex open and shut a cabinet then the sound of water running as she unhooked her bra and slipped out of the armholes in her tank to fully remove it. Piling all the clothes by the nightstand on her side she felt around for where Alex had peeled the blankets back before climbing in. She could have cried from the comfort of them if she wasn’t already tearing up thinking about her nephew all alone.

“Here,” Alex said a moment later as he held out a small paper cup and three Tylenol to Madeline. In the light, he could see her clothes slumped on the ground, her bra half sprawled on the top, and he quickly snapped his eyes to her face as she downed the pills. “Those should help, and some sleep as well,” he supplied into the silence as Madeline set the cup on the nightstand.

“Thank you,” Madeline said quietly as she laid down on the pillows, doing her best to not think about what Everett was doing at that moment. If he was laying in the dark of some strange room without any sort of comfort, not even his headphones to help lull him to sleep. “Do you think…you think he’s okay?” She asked a bit pitifully, the words slipping out without her volition, as Alex stepped away and moved to the other side of the bed.

“He’s safe Mads,” Alex answered simply, hearing the worry and guilt in her voice. “You made sure he was safe, you made the best call in the situation. You have kept him safe above all else in this disaster which is more than most people can say.” Now that she was settled Alex clicked the button on the flashlight to save the battery and set it next to his pistol, plunging them back into darkness.

“It’s just…it’s odd without him here. Without hearing the muffled music through the headphones, his constant shifting in his sleep,” she sighed as she curled around the pillow looking at where Alex had just been swallowed up by the dark.

“I know,” Alex agreed with a small sigh. “Just…let the exhaustion take over and you’ll be asleep in no time.”

“Are you not,” Madeline cut off as she shifted in the bed to sit up a bit, pushing up on her elbow. “What are you going to do?”

“Just keep an eye out for a bit,” Alex answered as he heard her moving around. He knew there wasn’t anything to see out there but he didn’t know what else to do at the moment. It felt intrusive to slide between the sheets with her now, despite all the talk of it before.

“There’s nothing to see,” Madeline reasoned quickly. “Please,” she tacked on without any other explanation.

“Mads,” he started but she cut him off.

“Please, Alex…just, we don’t,” she was fumbling her words around a choked sob at the thought of him pulling back, keeping a distance when all she really wanted right at the moment was companionship. “We don’t have to do anything. You can just lay on top of the sheets and I’ll just stay on my side if that’ll make you more comfortable.” Perhaps it was different now that they were here, it wasn’t just all talk and harmless flirting and Alex was beginning to feel that pressure. It was fine, she didn’t care at the moment, she could deal with those feelings later. “I just don’t want to be…alone.” Madeline almost begged.

“I’m not uncomfortable Madeline,” Alex answered after a second. “I just wanted to give you some space, some time alone after everything.”

“I don’t want either of those,” Madeline barely whispered as she shoved at the sheets on his side of the bed to give him access. “I just want you.”

Alex hesitated for a moment longer before giving in, her last words lighting something within him. He pulled his shirt off over his head in a fluid movement before going for his belt buckle and pants, kicking off his boots in the process. Each removal was loud in the silence and despite not seeing he knew Madeline was staring right at him and he was looking back at her. He didn’t bother trying to pile the stuff nicely like she had done and he barely had his pants kicked off as he bent toward the bed. He was careful, placing his hands gently into the soft feather top so as not to land atop her and he felt her reach for him.

Madeline didn’t give him a chance to find her as she grabbed at his arm where the bed had dipped and tugged him, pulling almost desperately at him to get him closer. He didn’t resist her as she dragged him down next to her, her hand sliding up his arm as he held her waist before coming to rest flatly on his chest, feeling his heart pounding under her palm. They were pressed impossibly close, legs wound around each other and she could feel the bare skin of his stomach against her own where her top had ridden up.

She could feel every place they were touching, flimsy barriers of undergarments did nothing to hide the hard lines of him. The brute strength that he was so carefully holding back from her as he shifted to press his other hand behind her head to gently cradle her into him. She pressed her face into the space between his neck and shoulder so she could fully collapse into him, breathing him in.

Alex could feel her breath against his neck as she nuzzled closer, molding herself to him as best as she could. She was incredibly soft and warm against him and he let his mind wander to each spot where they touched; how she had thrown one of her legs over his waist, where her hips pressed tight to his own, how her nails dug into his chest as she gripped at him and how her fingers flexed in response when he pressed a kiss to her temple. He silently ran his hand further up her back, letting it slip under the tank top to feel more of her skin, exploring unhurriedly as she sighed into him at the touches.

The darkness seemed to only amplify the feel of Alex’s fingers along her spine, the press of his kiss on her forehead, because there was nothing else to distract her. No light to draw her eyes, no sound to drown out their shared breathing. His hand trailed down each ridge of her spine and she was laser-focused on the gentle brush of each calloused finger as they mapped out her skin. His fingers finally came to rest when they found the elastic band of her underwear and she paused herself, holding her breath without thought as she waited.

When she didn’t pull back, didn’t squirm but instead held her breath with anticipation, Alex continued his exploration. He ran his hand over the curve of her behind to run up her thigh that she had hitched over him before he grabbed the back of her knee. One more pause, one more drawn out second, before he pulled on her leg to press her hips into his harder and create that friction they both waited for. He felt her breath hitch at the feel of him pressing into her center and while that was reward enough for him, the kiss she pressed into his neck nearly made him lose his restraint. It was tentative, shy, but he gripped the back of her head in a silent request for more.

Madeline gave him another soft kiss, letting her lips linger over his skin as he had done to her countless times. She wanted more though, more than these chaste gestures of affection and she shifted, moving the hand on his chest up to cup at his jaw and pull his face down to her. Just as the darkness has amplified everything they were sharing; it also made her bolder. She leaned in to close that gap, letting her lips brush his as she held his face. It was the first proper kiss they had shared and when Alex returned it, she felt him grip at her behind to press her hips into his again.

When she sighed at the feel of him Alex swept his tongue in, gently coaxing her as she clung to him and rolled her hips. He didn’t want to push too far, to rush her into something she may regret, so he let her show him what she wanted. He let her set the pace as she rocked into him, his hand kneading at the plush curve of her behind as the tips of his fingers skated under the thin cotton of her underwear. When she let out a strangled groan and grabbed at his arm to roll them so he was atop of her, he went willingly. Let his hips press down hard between her splayed legs as she ground up into him unashamedly. Her hands moved to slide in unison down his back as her breaths between kisses started to turn to pants. Her touch wasn’t tentative as she roved over his skin, her nails digging in every so often as he hit that hidden spot at the apex of her thighs with his hardened head.

“Alex,” Madeline gasped out as his kiss left her swollen lips to slide down her jaw, along her neck, up to her ear. His breath was hot on her skin and she arched up a bit as his teeth scraped along the delicate lobe before he pressed another kiss just below it.

“Tell me what you want,” Alex whispered along her skin, kissing her exposed shoulder as his hand that caged her body came up to push the strap of her top out of the way so he could find more. He wanted her to say it again, say those words that had lit something within him all those minutes before.

“You,” Madeline gasped as he hit that spot again with his hardened length. It was pressed so tight into her center she merely had to roll her hips to get that friction. “All of you,” she added as he skated the back of his knuckles along her ribs where her top had bunched up from all their movements.

That was all he needed. He grabbed at the tank top and helped her out of it, holding her up with one hand as she yanked it above her head and let it fall somewhere onto the bed or floor. He didn’t care. He was too entranced at the feel of her bare chest pushed up against his body, how she arched to him as he lowered her back down and let the hand that held her back firmly slip to her front to cup her breast and squeeze. She whined at the feel as his thumb brushed over the already hardened nipple and he kissed her feverishly as he pinched and rolled his fingers over the already sensitive flesh, working her up into a writhing mess under him.

Madeline attempted to follow his lips when pulled away, not ready to give up the feeling of him in her mouth as both of his hands taunted her. She reached up to pull him back to her but he dodged the movement and instead slipped down a few inches and devastatingly slowly ran his tongue over a nipple. The feeling caused her to buck up, the wetness a new sensation that sent a jolt right to her core as he sucked it into his mouth and almost lazily toyed with it. She thrashed a bit on the bed as his hand continued the assault on her other breast, the contrasting sensations making her lose all sense.

Alex grinned to himself as he roughly palmed and pinched one side while he lovingly lapped and sucked at the other. Ever so slowly he kissed his way across her chest, never one to not fix the hurt before he flicked his tongue over the abused nipple and clasped his lips over it sucking softly. Her skin was hot under him as his free hand roamed down her side and his fingers found the elastic of the last barrier between her center and his fingers. She pushed her hips up in silent consent, or demand, and he tugged them down, bending her legs up one at a time so he could unhook it from her feet.

“Yours,” Madeline gasped out as Alex moved to settle between her legs again, his hand pressed to her thigh to keep her properly spread under him. “I want to feel you.” She didn’t give him a chance to fight as she pushed up on her elbows, gently shouldering his face from her as she grasped at his boxers and pushed down. He kissed her shoulder as she ran her hands over the v of his hips and when her hand found his freed length he shuddered, unconsciously shifting his hips forward in her grasp.

She could feel him twitch at her touch, heard the small groan against her skin as she ran her thumb over his head, and felt the wetness of precum there. She smeared it gently along his head and smiled as he rolled his hips into her again to get her to continue. She obliged, running her hand up and down him, squeezing with enough pressure for pleasure as he bit down on her shoulder. It was a battle of her own will to keep this going, to not just guide him where she wanted him most and slide him home, her need growing with every second.

Alex pushed her back to lie down again, letting her settle into the pillows before the hand that had a vice like grip on her thigh moved. The closer he got to the apex of her thighs the more he could feel how much she wanted him, needed him. She was soaked the evidence already on his fingers before he even reached her center. When he pressed two fingers to her, spreading her open even more for him, her hand on him faltered and she rocked to him.

“Fuck Madeline,” Alex barely breathed as his thumb found her clit and gently circled it. She didn’t answer, just whined as she pushed into him, her hand falling away from him to grip at the sheets. He continued the slow movement, his lips finding hers again as his index finger spread her arousal around her opening and trailing it up to her clit for some extra glide. She moaned and bit at his lip in almost a feral response as he pushed a finger into her, his movements matching hers as she rose and fell with his hand.

When he pushed a second finger in Madeline grabbed at his shoulders, grinding herself down against his palm to feel that coil in her stomach. She was desperate for a release, for that rush of endorphins and spine-tingling pleasure, and Alex seemed willing to give it to her without a thought of his own need. His fingers curled inside of her and he picked up a hard, fast, pace that sent her careening. White hot lightning raced through her and as she bucked up into him the release hit her hard. She cried out loudly as Alex continued moving, his fingers pushing her along as she whined and gasped into his mouth.

He felt her clamp down, her thighs attempting to lock him in place as they squeezed against him but he pushed her leg back easily to keep her open. His fingers slid out of her as she dropped her hips back to the bed and he ran them over her clit which was hard and swollen, overly sensitive by how she twitched against him. But he didn’t stop, he kept running his fingers over her, in her, to keep her on the edge of that sword. She whined and twisted but never truly told him to stop, never pushed him away and when she grabbed at his hips, he knew she was ready and wanted more.

Alex fisted himself as he pushed up her body a bit to align himself with her. Her hands held his lower back as he rubbed his head along her folds just to tease them both even more. He groaned at the heat and slickness that coated him with each pass and when he couldn’t resist any longer he notched himself at her entrance. He had to hold her hips down to keep her from arching up and pulling him in herself, wanting to take his time instead, wanting to feel each inch as he slowly took her.

With one soft kiss, he pressed in just the tip and she sighed against his mouth in relief, in need, as he pushed further. He let go of guiding himself once he was halfway in and let his hand cup the back of her head to hold her forehead to his as he rolled his hips back before forward again to sink another inch. And he continued the same movements until he was buried to the hilt in her, his other hand holding her hip hard enough in restraint he was worried he’d leave bruises.

Madeline cupped Alex’s face in the dark once he settled into her, fighting the urge to rock as he held her fast. She was impossibly full, the stretch a pleasant burn as he rocked down into her to press her further into the bed. She knew he was taking his time to savor, to let her get used to him, but she needed him to move, to feel him slide in and out of her. She conveyed the need with the heated kiss she pressed to his lips and he responded with a slow pullout, almost to the tip, before he slid back in making her moan with pleasure.

“Please Alex,” Madeline whined as he continued the torturously slow movements, feeling every inch of him with each delicious thrust and pull back. He seemed satisfied with the plea, or over the slow torment himself because the next roll of his hips was a snap that made her bow up. His speed increased then; hands planted on either side of her as he began to fuck into her with earnest. She wrapped her legs around him, her heels digging into his lower back as he found his stride making her gasp and whine as that coil began to tighten again.

He felt her shaking, felt the clamp of her legs tighten as the next release neared and he didn’t stop. He pushed her toward it and as she was about to hit that high and began to frantically match his movements with her own, he wrapped her tightly to him and rolled them. She didn’t stop moving, didn’t even hesitate at the switch as her body chased its high, too desperate to stop.

Madeline ground down on him as he bucked up to meet her, nearly choking on her own cries as the air was knocked from her lungs. His hands gripped her hips as she rode him, her own hands scrambling to hold herself up as she came hard around him. It was almost too much as her toes curled and she scratched against Alex’s chest, the release so immense she felt tears prick the corners of her eyes.

Her release was all over his legs, his cock and he could feel the sheets underneath him were soaked. But Alex didn’t stop, didn’t let her come down from the high even as her body collapsed forward onto him. He just wrapped her tight to him and used his hands on her ass to keep her moving, his grunt and groans in her ear making her preen as she kissed his shoulder, neck, cheek, anything she could reach.

As she fluttered around him finally coming down from her last orgasm Alex let himself go. He buried himself as far as he could and came inside of her. He selfishly rocked her hips over him to ride out his own pleasure, despite how she trembled. She whined in his ear at the overuse, the pleasurable ache that was so close to being pain, as he lifted her up and pushed her back down again one final time.

He could feel himself leak out of her as she panted atop him and pushed up to kiss him properly.  He twitched slightly inside of her as she kissed him so gently and tiredly, that he almost felt bad for how thoroughly he had wrecked her.

“You alright?” Alex asked after a few minutes of silence as she wrapped around him, nuzzling her face into his neck as she flinched a bit at him adjusting. He hadn’t pulled out, not yet, since he knew every movement would be like fire to her spent nerves.

“Good,” Madeline muttered, her lips brushing his skin with the words. “More than good,” she laughed a bit before groaning at how it made her clamp around him still inside her. “I don’t think I’ve ever,” she started before cutting off as Alex gently pulled out of her now that he had softened a bit.

“You’re going to give me a big head if you finish that sentence,” Alex stated as he ran his hands up and down her back in a soothing gesture. She was still trembling a bit and he reached down to pull the blankets they had kicked away to cover her from the chill air of the room.

Even after everything that had happened that day, the past days, Madeline genuinely felt happy and she smiled to herself in the dark. Grinning at the way Alex so reverently moved her off of him to lay on the bed properly and how he pressed soft kisses to her as he tucked her back to his chest. The high of her pleasure didn’t wear off as they lay in the dark together and she absently wondered if he felt the same as he nudged one of his legs between hers to get more comfortable.  It didn’t take long for her to drift off to his gentle caresses up and down her side and for the first time in days she slept through the night.

When she awoke the next morning Alex wasn’t there. She stretched out and rolled expecting him to still be pressed to her but she found the bed empty, his spot cold. Sitting up with a jolt she looked around the room and noticed his gear, the duffels, and even her clothes from the night before were missing. A panicked heartbeat started in her chest as she swung her legs off the bed but she spotted a pile of new clothes left on the nightstand. Clean and neatly folded, along with a bottle of water and more Tylenol.

She downed the medicine in one go and nearly chugged the whole bottle of water from thirst before tugging on the clothes he had left. It was an oversized shirt and a pair of sweats, none that she recognized so she wondered if they belonged to the owners of the condo and he had dug them out this morning. Had she really slept that hard she hadn’t heard him moving about? And how long had she slept for that matter? The sun was bright even through the blinds and curtains.

“Afternoon,” Alex said with a small grin as Madeline walked into the living room still a bit bleary eyed.

“Afternoon,” she muttered as she blinked a bit at the living room floor. Alex had moved the coffee table out and had laid all of their provisions in small piles, a notebook with scribbled inventory close by. She noticed that none of the items left out were Everett’s in her quick scan and she was grateful for that as she took a seat next to him on the couch to peer at the laptop he had on the couch next to him. “How long have you been up?”

“A while,” Alex said noncommittedly as he peered over at her. “Long enough to shower, unpack, and take inventory.”

“I could have helped with that,” Madeline stated as she looked everything over again.

“We would have run out of water if you helped me in the shower,” Alex answered with a small chuckle. “You needed rest, I wasn’t going to wake you for no reason,” he added before she could pester even more.

Madeline flushed a bit at his comment but was glad to find things weren’t awkward between them the morning afterward. It could be hit or miss after the first time and while she certainly did not regret it, she doubted she would have even if it was awkward, it was still nice to slide back into their normal relationship.

“I found a few things in the pantry. You should eat,” he stated as he stood from the couch and extended his hand to her. “I wasn’t going to go out until you were up. I want to get up to the roof and take a look around. Try the new phone and see if I can get any news on the laptop.” He saw the frown on her face at that. “Just the roof, I won’t go anywhere else. Nothing is up there, we’d of heard them last night…or they would have heard us for that matter.” He smirked as she turned decidedly red at that comment.

“I’ll go with you,” she offered but Alex shook his head at that.

“Eat, get a shower, and if I’m still out there after a while come get me,” he reasoned. “I’m pretty sure we are the only people here, I sat and listened for a while this morning, watched out the windows and there hasn’t been anything at all. I’ll be fine.”

She still frowned but finally nodded as his hand came up to tilt her head back and pressed a kiss to her lips. It wasn’t chaste. It had hunger behind it and as he kissed her a second time she felt her knees go weak. She wasn’t sure where they were left after the night before if it was just sex or something else, but Madeline found she didn’t care at the moment. With the way he looked and tended to her needs, she was content with whatever their relationship was. The smile he gave her was soft, if a bit mischievous, as he let go.

With a final kiss, Alex grabbed the laptop and headed back to the bedroom to climb the fire escape to the roof. Madeline listened at the window for a bit to make sure she didn’t hear anything, no yelling or gunfire but when it remained quiet, she went back to the kitchen to eat some dry cereal by the handful as she stared at the mess in the living room. She scoped out the rest of the house as she ate, opening the kids’ room before quickly shutting it as the ache that Alex had managed to lock away for her the night before came creeping back.

Alex cleared the roof quickly, not much area for anything to hide on the flattop that only had low laying pipes and HVAC systems. He picked the HVAC unit above their condo to set up shop, standing as he peered around the area while the laptop booted up. Once it was live he plugged the cellphone into it to use the satellites as data for the internet and began scouring for information. The connection was spotty, constantly dropping, and extremely slow, as he worked. He used the little time he had connected to download files to read over later. When he heard the water start up below him he unplugged the phone from the laptop, punched in a number he knew well, and shut his eyes as the call rang.

The water pressure left something to be desired as Madeline showered off. It was room temperature and she flinched as she stood under it to rinse off, turning it off between shampoo and conditioner to save as much as she could. She doubted they’d have much left to work with in the next day or two and she thought to fill up a few pots and pans with water when she finished so they’d have some fresh water for a little while for anything else they may need.

When she had finished drying off and dressed and Alex still wasn’t inside she went to the window and climbed out. The wind was brisk even for a mild winter day and she shivered as she climbed the steps to the roof, eyes peering around the area to be sure no one was around watching. It was quiet, just the sounds of the birds chirping and her footfalls on the metal steps.

“Alex?” Madeline called as she cleared the roofline and saw him sitting, half slumped, on the ground. Her heart jumped to her throat when he didn’t move. She ran to him, glancing around to see if something had happened, to see if someone else was up here and had hurt him and was going to get her. But there was nothing. It was just the two of them as he said it would be. As she drew closer, he picked up his head and she saw the grief on his face that made her stop dead.

“What happened.” It was a statement, not a question, because it was obvious something occurred.

“She was bit,” Alex said simply and when he saw Madeline stumble at the thought that it was news of her sister he clarified, “Farah. She was bit when they were overrun. I didn’t even get to,” he stopped and twisted to look off bitterly at the horizon, the phone clenched tight in his hand to keep from throwing it in his rage, his guilt.

[onlygenxhere]

At least your hair still looks good.

When Alex asked Willie to join him and the rest of the band on a weekend trip up to Fresno to for a two night gig he’d jumped at the chance to go. He’d thought traveling with the band sounded exciting and getting to watch his boyfriend kill it on the drums was always incredible.

He didn’t take into account that the band was still trying to make a name for themselves and didn’t have much money to spend on a hotel so they’d all be rooming together. Alex had confided in him through text that he’d told the other three he wouldn’t go unless they got separate rooms if Willie didn’t come too.

Julie, Luke and Reggie had very recently started dating each other and Alex refused to be the fourth wheel for the weekend. They had promised to be good but Alex knew better, hell Willie knew better and he wasn’t around them nearly as much as Alex was. Just the way they looked at each other could sometimes make you feel like you were intruding.

The second thing he kinda forgot about was the crappy van the band traveled in that barely fit the four of them.

He’d initially thought he and Alex could sit in the back together but Alex and his mile long legs, which Willie was usually a fan of, just wouldn’t fit without kneeing Luke in the back.

So Willie had spent the five hour drive crammed in the back with Reggie, who was a great guy don’t get him wrong, but he hadn’t particularly wanted to get that up close and personal with him.

The actual gigs were amazing.

They rocked both of their venues and got cards from multiple managers and record execs.

Willie was so proud and excited for them all.

They were all still ridding on the performance high Saturday night after the show so they decided to go ahead and drive home rather than pay for a second night in a too small hotel room.

It had seemed like a good idea at the time until a deer ran out in front of them around three in the morning on a dark back country road and Luke skidded off the side into a ditch.

At least no one was hurt.

None of them were angry with Luke either. He’d done as well as he could in the situation. They were all much more tired than they were when they’d started out and the van seemed to actually be stuck.

Luke gunned the engine one more time and then sighed laying his head on the steering wheel.

“Guys, we’re going to have to get out and try and push her out.”

“Um, Luke,” Reggie croaked from the back. “It’s really dark out there.”

“I know babe but we don’t really have a choice and we’ll all be out there together.”

“We can’t all be out there,” Alex leaned over and frowned at Luke.” He nodded at Julie sitting between them. “Julie should stay in here and press the gas and steer the van up on the road.”

“I can push!” Julie huffed indignantly.

Willie bit back a snicker. Julie hated being coddled.

“Sweetheart,” Luke took her hand. “It’s not about being a girl. It’s about being the lightest.”

“Oh,” she bit her lip and nodded. “Sorry, that makes sense.”

“Ok,” Luke opened the door and slid out as Julie moved over into the driver’s seat. “Guys?” Luke looked at the rest of them.

Willie looked at Alex who just shook his head and rolled his eyes at him before opening the passenger side door and getting out. “Ugh! Luke it’s muddy!”  

“Sorry Lex!” Willie heard Luke call from the back of the van as he followed Reggie out the side door stepping down on the soft ground with a squelch.

Gross

Willie made his way around to the rear of the van finding the other three guys already getting into position to push. He squeezed in beside Alex just as Luke called out to Julie.

“Ok, Jules give it a little gas.”

They heard the engine rev and they all pushed getting the van to lurch forward slightly before falling back in the hole.

Julie kept pressing on the gas a little too hard digging the van deeper. Luke tried to call for her to stop from where he was with them but she couldn’t seem to hear him over the engine so he ran back around to the front to tell her before the situation got irreversible.

It was immediately dead quiet again.

“I hate to state the obvious,” Alex whispered, “but it’s really dark out here.”

Willie giggled and then had a thought.

He looked up and gasped.

“What?” Alex looked up and they both said, “Wow,” at the same time.

Willie had never seen so many stars being the city boy he was.

Reggie chuckled, “You should see the sky in Idaho.”

“I bet,” Willie said quietly glancing over at Reggie who was grinning up at the sky, apparently not worried about being out in the dark himself anymore.

“Ok, guys.” Luke said coming back to them. “Why are you all…” he looked up, “Ok that’s rad.”

They must have stood there staring up at the sky longer than he thought because the next thing he knew he was jumping out of his skin at Julie laying on the horn.

“Stargazing later, van unstuck now!” she called from the open driver’s side door.

“Sorry Julie!” they called in unison.

“We’re going to need to rock the van out of this hole,” Luke said getting back into position. “Jules is going to go a little more gently on the gas this time.”

He, Alex and Reg nodded and placed their hands back on the back of the van as Luke gave Julie the signal again and the van’s engine started to reve a little slower.

The guys found a rhythm that had the van nearly out of its hole after just three big pushes.

“One more!” Luke yelled as the van fell back in the ditch one last time and they all finally pushed it out of the hole. The van lurched away from them and up onto the road so quickly all four guys fell on the muddy ground.

“Fuck!” Alex gasped.

Willie had managed to catch himself on his hand and knees but the other three were flat on their stomachs.

“Oh my God,” Julie rushed over to them after stopping the van on the shoulder. “Are you all ok?”

“I think so Jules,” Luke said pulling his arms out of the mud with a pop.

“Yeah,” Reggie sighed as he stood up covered head to toe in mud. “Although I think we’re a little dirty.”

“A little!” Alex said hysterically and Willie rushed over to help him up.

They all knew Alex didn’t like being dirty and this was next level grime.

He could see Alex trying to maintain his cool and if he’d been wearing his hoodie he probably would have. He could have just taken that off and most likely been ok but he was in just a light t-shirt so he had mud on his bare skin up both arms, his neck and Willie could see where it’d even gotten up under his shirt some on his stomach.

“Guys,” Willie said taking Alex’s hands and using his own shirt to wipe them up as much as he could. “We need a hotel, now.”

“It’s only a couple more hours till home we can make it,” Luke said coming over and looking up at Alex who had closed his eyes and was taking slow, deep breaths.

Willie bit his lip and turned away from his boyfriend and shook his head at Luke. No, Alex needed a shower and clean clothes before the panic attack he was holding off by sheer force of will took over and they all knew it.  

Luke sighed and nodded. “I’m sorry, you’re right Willie.” He turned to Julie. “Can you find us the closest hotel we can afford beautiful?”

“Already on it,” she said heading back to the van.

“Come on Lex,” Reggie took Alex’s elbow and together they got him back to the van and in the front passenger seat.

No one even questioned him when he climbed into the middle of the front seat next to Alex taking Julie’s usual spot.

She got in the back with Reggie as Luke started the van up.

It was ten minutes to the hotel.

They rode in silence, other than the sound of Alex taking slow deep breaths in through his nose and out through his mouth.

Willie looked around at the rest of them once he felt he could take his eyes off his boyfriend.  

There was enough light for him to see that everyone, even Julie was covered in mud now.

Luke’s arms were just as covered as Alex’s if not more so. Reggie had it in his hair in addition to his arms and neck. Julie had mud on her arm just from having to sit so close to Reggie. They all looked like they’d gone mud wrestling and lost.

A giggle started to bubble up his throat as the situation started to feel more and more ridiculous.

It wasn’t long before the rest of them started to laugh too. Willie turned back to Alex and noticed a slight grin turning up the corner of his lips.

He bumped Alex’s shoulder. “You ok hotdog?”

“I will be,” he nodded keeping his eyes closed, “Just trying not to think about it.”

“At least your hair still looks good.” Willie snickered reaching up and moving a clean dry strand off of his face.

Alex opened one eye and looked at him with such affection it made Willie’s heart soar.

“We’re getting two rooms.” Alex stated as he closed his eyes again.

No one argued.

Once he and Alex were clean, dry and snuggled up in the hotel bed, in a room all to themselves. Alex leaned over and gave him a soft kiss.

“What was that for?” Willie grinned at him. “Not that I’m complaining.”

“For taking care of me,” he kissed him again. “For not letting Luke drive us for two more hours covered in mud to save a few bucks.” Alex leaned his forehead against his and sighed before continuing, “For accepting my crazy and not making a big deal out of it.”

“Alex…” Willie reached up and touched Alex’s face feeling him shudder under his fingertips. “There’s nothing crazy about not wanting to spend hours covered in mud. Luke’s the crazy one.”

“True.” Alex chuckled. “Still… thank you.”

“Anything for you hotdog,” Willie said giving Alex a soft kiss on the corner of his mouth before laying back against the pillows pulling Alex down to lay his head on his shoulder. “But right now I’m beat. You can thank me more in a couple hours.”

He felt Alex chuckle against his side. “Oh I will,” he said sliding his arm across Willie’s waist and snuggling in.

And a few hours later he did… he so did.

[perfectly-clear-from-here]

chapter 3 of inhaler is up now!!

INHALER - chapter 3. fire and the thud

Chapters: 3/20 Fandom: Last Shadow Puppets, Arctic Monkeys Rating: Mature Relationships: Miles Kane/Alex Turner Characters: Miles Kane, Alex Turner (Musician), Matt Helders, Nick O'Malley (Arctic Monkeys), Jamie Cook Additional Tags: Friends to Lovers, pre-TAOTU, it's 2005 babyyyyy, miles has insomnia, Slow Burn, Lots of denial, Light Angst, Fluff, Eventual Smut, Idiots in Love, Mutual Pining, both want eachother but too oblivious, Bars and Pubs, Drug Use, Smoking, lotssss of smoking, everything will be okay trust me

  Chapter summary:

“Come ‘ere.”

“Huh?”

Alex rolls his eyes, “Get close to me, ya dolt." He shifts his position, shuffling up on his knees in front of Miles and ushering him forward until their knees are touching. "Just inhale the smoke from me mouth."

click on the chapter title to read!!

tysm for being so patient with me guys i know its been ages!!

[excessive-vampires]

Danger in Numbers Part 2: Exo's Award

Masterlist with CW

“It just had to be Gemar,” Alex muttered, adjusting his sunglasses. 

“Do you have something against all the colonies?” Cassie teased. 

“It’s just so fucking bright.” 

“Most people think that makes it pretty.”

Gemar was in a binary star system, and the different angles at which the light hit the planet meant that in certain places during certain seasons any prism would throw extraordinarily vibrant and distinct rainbows in every direction. This meant many public spaces were built to incorporate a lot of glass and crystal, bathing the entire area in patterns of colored light. 

“Besides,” Cassie continued. “This is where Exohive’s primary residence is.”

“They couldn’t have picked any of their other residences? Or is it important that it be the queen bee’s nest?”

“You know that’s not how it works. Besides, would you rather be on Nova?”

“Not without a haz-mat suit.” Alex glanced around. “This is almost just as bad though. There’s got to be a ton of hives here but I have no idea who they are.”

“Why does it matter?”

“What if I’m talking with someone and they turn out to be a hive?”

Cassie clenched her jaw. Mel added a little something extra stress-reducing to the already drug-filled brownies they were making and said through Cassie, “Damn, looks like you’ll just have to not be an asshole at all for one whole day.”

Alex ran a hand through his short pink hair and muttered something under his breath. 

“Hey,” Cassie said. “You didn’t have to come with me.” Sweethive had actually been disappointed when Alex had said he was accompanying Cassie. They had been looking forward to Cassie being around other hives and not having to hide for once. But he’d insisted. “You can always go back to the ship.”

“I’m not leaving someone with no self-preservation instincts alone in a city full of hives now that they can start recruiting outsiders.”

Sweethive’s patience snapped. Silas’s grip on the cold drink he’d just bought from a street vendor a few miles from Gemar’s largest public stage tightened. He had been close enough to make the journey in time and Sweethive figured if they were reconnecting with Exohive then the more the merrier. He lifted Cassie’s hand to Alex’s ear and roughly pulled him close enough to hear him whisper. “Shut the hell up before you get yourself kicked out. If you start shit here I’m not going to defend you.” 

Alex pulled away, looking momentarily angry, then he deflated. “Yeah. I’m sorry, Cassie. I just start saying shit with no filter when I’m nervous. Not an excuse, I know, but I’ll try to keep a lid on it.”

“If you’re really sorry, I’m not who it should be directed at.” That was a lie, of course. But Alex didn’t know that. Cassie tried to quicken her pace to walk away but a sting of pain in her left knee slowed her down. She grumbled a curse. 

“Cassie, whoa, slow down!” Alex sounded concerned. “You okay? Do you need your cane?” 

“I need to be able to hold this camera with both hands. It’s an extremely expensive piece of equipment and I’m using it to document something that could end up in history books.” Carter said with Cassie’s voice. “This is worth a little pain.” 

Alex had known Cassie long enough not to argue. Finally they reached the spot in front of the stage reserved for the media. Cassie scanned her temporary press badge and moved through the barrier, leaving Alex on the other side. He frowned at her. 

“I’m fine. Go. Get some food, have fun, look at the pretty colors. Don’t stay where you don’t want to be because you’re worried about me for no reason. I’m an adult, I don’t need supervision to film a medal ceremony.”

Alex gave her a look but then sighed. “You’re right, Cassie, I should trust you. I’m gonna go back to the ship and see what ridiculous touristy shit they have at the refueling station gift shop.” 

Cassie smiled. “Good luck.”

Alex smiled back and started walking away from the growing crowd. 

Cassie’s shoulders relaxed. No more pretending for now.

“Your companion seems pretty grumpy for someone on leave from a ship,” someone behind Cassie said. She turned and saw a man with clear-framed glasses and faceted clear beads adorning his dreadlocks. The color of his badge identified him as a local reporter. 

“He doesn’t do well with new things. His heart belongs to the past.” 

“And how do you like new things?”

The smile on Cassie’s face was Silas’. “There’s nothing better.” 

The man held out his hand. “Drew Findhive.”

There was only one reason a hive would introduce themselves in a casual context with a member name. Laughter from the collective left Cassie’s mouth. And Mel’s, startling a small bird from the feeder outside their open kitchen window. The rest of the members just smirked. Findhive looked confused. “You heard Alex call me Cassie, didn’t you?”

“Is that… not your name?”

“It is. My name is Cassie Sweethive.”

Findhive laughed too now. “Oh shit, we thought you were–”

“Some thrill-seeking quiet you could seduce with the mystery and exoticness of being a hive as long as you put me at ease with a singular name?” Carter commented. 

“Okay, yeah, you caught us. So, your old-fashioned friend…”

“He doesn’t know.”

“Seriously?”

“It started as a bet between us and the ship’s captain. How long would it take the rest of the crew to realize? But then we got to know Alex. He’s fun to hang out with and a mostly good friend, but like you said, he’s old-fashioned.” 

“Ah.”

The mood was dark, so Kara decided to lighten it. “Well, you weren’t entirely wrong about us. We do love a good thrill.” 

“Really?” Findhive leaned in close. “And are you open to seduction?”

Cassie bit her lower lip. “We’re actually hoping to reconnect with Exo tonight if we can. But would you be terribly offended if we wanted to exchange information as a backup plan in case they’re too busy for old flames?” 

“You know them?” Findhive’s eyes went wide. 

“We haven’t talked in years, always had more actions in common than words, if you get me.” Silas explained. 

“Hmm,” Findhive replied as they pressed a button on their wrist-screen. Cassie’s screen dinged with the incoming contact info and all of Sweethive smiled. “Would you be terribly offended if we say we hope they blow you off?” they said with a smile. 

Then the stage lit up. Both hives snapped to attention, Sweet raising their camera and Find pulling out a screen and stylus to take notes with. 

Earth’s ambassador to Gemar approached the podium, but Sweethive’s attention was fully captivated by the six members of Exohive walking up to the opposite side of the stage. Six was a lot for a hive, and one more than Exo had the last time Sweet saw them, but the addition seemed to prove lucky. Exo’s members had each dyed their hair a different color of the rainbow to match the light thrown by the stage’s many prisms. Silas laughed. Then Cassie’s eyes locked onto Rose Exohive. Orange was a good color on her. An amazing color. It made her look like she was on fire, which absolutely matched the impression given by Exo’s behavior. Carter reluctantly dragged Cassie’s eyes back to the camera screen to make sure the whole stage was still in focus. 

The ambassador’s speech was short, which Sweethive was both appreciative of and irked by. They couldn’t help but think that if that medal were going to a quiet there would be a lot more fanfare. But still, the weight of the camera was making Cassie’s arms sore by the time the ambassador was handing the medal around Carlos’ neck. The ribbon was as bright red as his hair and his smile was wide and unapologetic. 

Then there was a horribly loud crack. Silas, now at the back of the crowd, looked up so Cassie could keep filming. 

All thoughts of getting more footage left Sweethive’s collective as Silas saw the crystal tower to the right of the stage start to fall. Cassie screamed for everyone onstage to take cover. Exohive looked up and began to scramble to the edge of the stage out of the crystal spire’s path. The ambassador ran stage right and threw himself off the edge. The heavy shimmering pole crashed into the stage without crushing anyone and for a second Sweethive thought the danger was gone. Then something backstage exploded.

[28-destiel-505]

I will never get over Alex getting on his knees during the lyrics "get down on your knees" in the Miracle Aligner music video...

[inherstars]

Gears of War | Long Way Home (7 of 11)

OK, I lied. There is one more part until monsters. But tomorrow: monsters. Previous section here.

It was dark, and they were caught in the middle of fucking nowhere.

Hope took small comfort from the fact that at least she wasn’t to blame.

“Alright,” Alex sighed, prepared to sell off a small piece of his soul just to get out of his boots.  “Operation There’s-Gotta-Be-Another-Way-Across-the-River-A-Few-Miles-Up” is officially a failure.  That’s on me.  I will get better at reading maps.”

“We can’t keep going like this all night,” Hope told him.  She’d been a good sport, but desperately needed to sit down.  Or lie down.  Or curl into a fetal position and let the earth swallow her.  At this point she wasn’t particular.

“Yeah, yeah.  Agreed.  Alright, let’s… let’s hold up a second, and see where we are.”

Hope settled onto a concrete highway divider, holding her head in her hands as Alex took a knee and fished out his map.  She heard, but didn’t bother to look, as he tried to match map markers with actual real-life landmarks.  Which was a challenge, when all the actual real-life landmarks were half-buried in rubble.

“Okay, uh…” he inched sideways, showing her the map, hoping for a vote of confidence.

“Here’s the river, right?  And we’re on this side.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Here’s the bridge that was knocked out.”

“Okay.”

“So I think…”  He checked the compass points again, and adjusted the tip of his finger on the paper.  “That this here… is what we’re looking at.”

He drew a parallel between an icon on the map and an actual, mostly-still-standing structure.  Hope’s head turned, following his indication down the tree-lined avenue, to a venerable, domed building with three-story-tall columns and about a hundred steps between the street and the front doors.

“Nnnggghgod,” she groaned.  “So many steps.”

“Yeah. I know.”  He stood, offering her a hand up, and she took it sulkily. “But we gotta.  Looks like it’s a museum, and there’s some kind of pedestrian breezeway between that building and another one on the far side of the river. They’re joined, for some reason.  If we’re lucky, we can just go in and walk across to the other side.”

“That’s that word again,” Hope sighed, trying to work the ache out of her neck.

It was a matter of a few blocks, but it felt like miles.  They paused to drank their canteens dry at the base of the steps, gathering their strength, then started up.  Hope’s face upturned to the tall, bannered entryway, something about it tickling the back of her brain.

“Y’know… I think I’ve been here before.”

He checked her, then the building’s facade. “Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.  I mean… not recently. Obviously.  But maybe when I was a little kid.  Place just seems familiar.”

“Well.  I’ll let you give me the grand tour, then.”

Alex had to shatter one of the glass doors to gain them entry, after which they found themselves in the museum’s tall main lobby.  He wasn’t sure he liked the acoustics of the place, telegraphing their every whisper and crackling footstep, but he supposed the opposite was also true: if anyone or anything else was here besides them, they’d know soon enough.

While Alex nabbed one of the museum maps, scouring it for a way through to the other side, Hope wandered the floor, wondering at the cathedral ceilings, the curving steps and larger-than-life marble statues.

“...definitely been here before,” she murmured.  She pointed absently.  “I remember thinking this guy looked like my grandpa.”

Alex came back to her, map unfolded in both hands.

“Well.  Maybe some of this will be familiar, too.”  He traced the route with a fingertip.  ���Pretty straight forward.  Cut through the gallery on this floor, go through the Rotunda.  Take the stairs up -- I know, I know, more stairs -- and then take the breezeway across.”  He accordion-folded the map back into a pocket.  “This half of the museum is supposedly all classical shit.  Paintings, sculptures.”  He looked around.  “Modern art’s on the other side.”

“Makes sense.”  She passed a hand down his arm, nodding him on toward the gallery. “Let’s go, before we both run out of steam.”

Night had already fallen, and despite their exhaustion it was good to simply walk without hurry, steps slow and sliding as they navigated the labyrinth of galleries.  There was no power, no light but for the soft blue radiance of Alex’s armor, and the pan of Hope’s flashlight beam.  The faces in the surrounding paintings loomed from the darkness like haunted souls.

She didn’t remember getting separated from him, but one moment he was there and the next he wasn’t, his movement telegraphed by the scuff and whisper of his boots in an adjoining gallery.  She took her time wending her way back to him, admiring a few of the smaller and more detailed oils-on-panel.  It hadn’t occurred to her until now, but she wondered what would become of all this.  Of art, history.  If he was right, and the COG intended to destroy Sera rather than letting the Locust have it, did they intend to sacrifice both humanity, and everything humanity had built?

What would their legacy be but ash?  Blood?  Would they be reduced to the dark ages just to avoid extinction?  And would it even work?

The hair at the back of her neck prickled, and she called his name.

“Yeah,” he answered.  The beam of her torch led her back to him.

He hadn’t gone far from where she suspected they got separated, his blocky shape planted solidly before an oil in an elaborate baroque frame.  She cast her beam across it, highlighting a genre painting of two men at a kitchen table, each of them excitedly rising from their unfinished meal to greet a third man entering from the front door.

Beneath the painting, a brass placard:

Reconciliatio Fratrum Lorenzo di Vincenzo della Torre

430 B.E. - 345 B.E.

She said softly, “Reunion of Brothers.”

“Yeah.  Little man’s coming home from war.”

“Do you know this one?”

“No.  But see--”  He gestured to some of the finer details.  “The one coming in, he’s in uniform.  Look in the corner over there, you see two matching coats hung on the wall.  They were all soldiers.  They were waiting for him.  Having breakfast… tiny little cottage, kind of run-down, ramshackle. But look how happy they are. They got bread and cheese and wine there, on the table.  That one there is missing an arm.  The other guy, an eye.  But they’re happy.”  His hand relaxed back to his side.  “Yeah.  They’re just happy he’s home.”

Another nearly-forgotten element of their first meeting came back to her suddenly.  She studied his profile, the way his eyes roved over the faces of the reuniting brothers.

“You lost a brother.”

He didn’t say anything for a few minutes, but eventually his gaze withered from the painting.

“I lost two.”

“Since E-Day?”

“Just the one.”  He turned, moving slowly through the dark gallery.  Hope turned off her light and followed.  “Desi died some four or five years back.  Mortar killed him.  He was older than me by a few.  Sammy, he was the baby.  A Berserker took out his whole squad about a week ago.”  He paused, then amended, “Well, two weeks.  They just got the COG tag back last week.  It’s just me now.”

Gutted, Hope laid a gentle hand to his arm.  She expected him to flinch away, but he looked at her tiredly, appreciative.

“I’m so sorry.”

“Yeah.  Me too.  Hell of a way to earn an honorable discharge.”

“Is that why they let you go?”

“Sole Survivor Policy.”  His head turned, searching the other paintings as they went, phantasmal in the blue light.  “COG says that if a family has lost multiple members in the theater of war, the survivors get to go home.  Joke’s on them… they don’t know our folks died on E-Day, or they might not have let me go after all.”

“Aex--You have no one left?”

He snorted softly. “Like I said. It’s a dumb fucking nickname.”

Hope held her breath as they walked, tension gathering inside her, then blurted, “My family’s gone too.”

His step faltered as he looked at her, surprised.  She was loathe to make the admission, especially now… it wasn’t a game of one up, but she didn’t want her sympathies to sound soulless or empty.  The loss meant something to her.  Something personal.

“E-Day.”  It was explanation enough.  “I… didn’t have any siblings, but… both my parents.  My grandmother.”  She looked ahead.  “And… everyone else I knew.  Friends, neighbors, classmates.  Louis is literally the only person I’ve got left, and… that’s only because he’s living in an ivory tower, apparently.”

He closed his eyes, teeth setting in a delicate, regretful grimace.

“Fuck. Hope.  What I said before--”

“No,” she shook her head.  “Look, you weren’t lying.  He didn’t get where is through valor, sacrifice or blood.  It was just… birthright.  Or whatever you want to call it.”

“Yyyyeah but… look, I didn’t mean to shit all over the guy.”

“Why not?”  Their eyes met as they walked ever deeper into darkness.  “Because he’s throwing me down a rope from the top of the tower?  Do you think I feel good about that? I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. It… it’s making me sick.”

He cleared his throat, lowering his eyes and then skirting them away.

“Can I ask you something kind of rude?  And, uh… if you want to punch me, you can.”

“Sure,” Hope sighed. “Why not.”

“Do you love the guy?”

“No.”

He wasn’t sure what answer he expected, he certainly hadn’t expected it to be that quick.

“Damn.”

Hope grunted, a habit she was too quickly picking up from him.

“No sense lying about it now.  I’m fond-ish of him, I guess.  I’ve barely seen him since he made Lieutenant.  I was actually thinking about breaking up with him, before E-Day, but then… God, my parents would have shit themselves.  Me bagging a Lieutenant in COG Command was going to be, like, the proudest moment of their lives.  My Mom had a wedding scrapbook, for fuck’s sake.  They already called him son.  And then… y’know. The world went to shit, and…” She groaned, hiding her face in her palms.  Alex needled her with an elbow.

“And?”

“And… what do I do now?”  Her hands dropped away again.  “The dating pool is about to take a huge fucking hit, right?  And Louis is the only reason I’m going to survive.”  She looked at him, both sick of the situation and sick that this was what she had to worry about while the rest of the world suffered in ways she couldn’t imagine. “He’s all I’ve got.  I’m not gonna just… let him go.”

Alex shook his head, pursing his lips and blowing out a long, slow, soft breath.

“I say again: damn.”

Hope walked on in silence for awhile, then looked up at him.

“Do I still get to punch you?”

“What?  What did I do?”

“Nothing, but you said I could.  I’ve kinda been dying to.”

He huffed.  “Get in fucking line, lady.”  He extended an arm, pointing to the dark doorway ahead.  “Hey, look.  There’s the entrance to the Rotunda.  We’re nearly there.”

Alex led the way with his Lancer at the ready, but he nedn’t have bothered.  They hadn’t even encountered a bootprint in the dust so far… apparently the Locust weren’t much for the fine arts.

The moment they stepped into the Rotunda, however, it was obvious they had other problems.

He let the Lancer sag in both hands, head hanging back in exasperation. “Fucking hell…”

Continued here.

[dwell-the-brave]

WIP Wednesday 20/03/2024

I missed Six Sentence Sunday but we ball.

Here's some WIPs for you.

HWTC Kid!Fic

“Alex! Hen! Come quick!” Bea calls from the sitting room and Alex practically throws the milk back in the fridge and takes off running. He meets Henry in the corridor and they both lunge through the double doors to the sitting room at the same time, hearts racing. Has he fallen? Alex didn’t hear a cry, so Arthur can’t be hurt. He registers Bea kneeling on the carpet by the coffee table just before he sees Arthur stood in front of it, pudgy hands holding himself up as he wobbles, steadying himself on his own two feet.

Untitled Steddie Oscars!AU

Eddie hates red carpets. He thought that by side-stepping from acting into music, he’d be able to avoid them. Attend the BRITS and the Grammys, occasionally show up at a film premiere if he’s composed the score or contributed in some way, and he’d be free and clear. No such luck. This year, he’d managed to beg off the Emmys, was in London with the Philharmonic Orchestra during the Golden Globes and had genuinely been as sick as a dog for the SAGs but there was no way to avoid the Oscars. If it wasn’t his management team pleading with him over daily calls and hourly emails, it was Chrissy Cunningham bullying him into it.

Untitled RWRB Multi-chapter Fic

“I wish I could remember,” He starts and Henry doesn’t look at him. “What happened, I mean. Like, how did we even get out of the hotel room without anything noticing? And who at the Chapel looked at us, both of us blackout drunk, and decided it was a good idea to let us get married?” he finishes ruefully. “And now, we have this tour to-,” “Please stop talking,” Henry says, more to his knees than to Alex. He takes a deep, shuddering breath, and lets it go. “My mind is going a thousand miles an hour. I can’t think straight. I’m scared. I’m angry, God, I’m so angry. With myself, with you,” he shrugs one shoulder, ignoring Alex’s betrayed expression. “I just… want to go to sleep and realise this is just a terrible dream,” he finishes in a quiet undertone. “Yeah, you and me both,” Alex says in agreement.

That's it for today! See you next time!

[cozycompositions]

@febuwhump Day 13: Forced to Hurt A Loved One

Okay, Lovelies. Seriously mind the TWs for this one. It’s a good one, but please be responsible for your own triggers and safety. Stay safe <3

TW// knives, blood and gore (graphic depictions), cutting (non-sh)

“The ropes are too tight, Alex,” Laurens said distraught as he tugged at the bonds on Hamilton’s wrists. “I can’t untie them.” Hamilton sighed and blinked away the tears that had formed in his eyes. John had managed to undo his own bonds many hours ago, and had been tugging on his own since then. It was proving more difficult. They were currently sitting in a clearing in the woods, miles from camp, with Alexander leaning against a tree in annoyance. He was on his knees with Lauren’s behind him, tugging and pulling at the ropes on his wrists burning them in the process. The men who had jumped them certainly did a number.

Alexander sighed again, the stress of the day catching up to him slowly. His wrists hurt, he was tired and hungry. He just wanted to go home. This was so stupid. John gave a frustrated huff and tossed himself in front of Alexander, glaring at the ropes. He could see the purple tinge in Hamilton’s fingers, they were running out of time to do something.

“We’re going to have to cut them off, Alex,” John said in a near whisper. Alexander threw his head up from where they rested on his knees, flabbergasted.

“Absolutely not!” He screeched. “You’ll kill me!”

“It wouldn’t kill you, I’ll cut from the backs of your hands so I don’t hit an artery. You know I was training to be a physician,” John was already reaching for the dagger in his boot. He didn’t want Alexander to see how scared he truly was. He knew that even if this wouldn’t kill Hamilton, it would be agony for him. For the both of them. Hamilton’s hands were bound so tightly together it would be impossibly to cut the ropes without maiming the smaller boy.

Laurens pulled the dagger from his boot and set to preparing for his makeshift operation. Luckily it was still bright out, he would be able to see what he was doing.

This only serves to send Alexander into a frenzy. “Woah. Woah! Laurens, knock it off!” He nearly yelled. “That’s not funny! Get away!”

“Listen to me,” Laurens grabbed Hamilton’s shoulder to stop his thrashing. “It’s going to turn out being much worse if you keep it this way. Your circulation, you see? Your hands will die.”

Hamilton stared for a moment, “You’ve nothing to numb it,” It wasn’t a question.

“I’m afraid not.”

Alexander took multiple deep breaths to calm himself. He didn’t know what to expect, except for the pain. He was scared, though he would never admit it to his companion. Laurens was seemingly courageous about this ordeal, so he would be, too.

“Do what you have to,” Hamilton commanded with a curt nod.

“Do not feel embarrassed if you pass out, it may be for the best,” Laurens said, inspecting his now surgical tool.

“You expect it to hurt that bad?” Hamilton swallowed hard. The anxiety was eating him alive, as the pain soon would. Laurens did not answer. Hamilton didn’t miss the tick of his jaw, how he bit the inside of his cheek.

“Hold still, and my apologies, my friend,” Laurens murmured. And then there was pain.

White hot pain shooting up Hamilton’s arms. His hands were pressed into each other, Laurens had to cut into his flesh to get some give on the ropes. Alexander had never felt a pain like this. He had never even been shot before, this was pure agony. He felt something in his small finger give, and he thought he heard himself scream.

Laurens was trying not to cry. The blood gushed from the incisions in Hamilton’s hands faster than he thought. John had expected the ropes to act as a tourniquet, but he had obviously miscalculated in his rush to free his friend. Laurens almost faltered when Hamilton screamed. Almost. Hamilton was bent in on himself, screaming bloody murder and praying to a God he did not believe in for a relief from the pain. John knew he was cutting into bone, nerves that were never meant to be touched. The terrifying thought hit him: if he was not careful Hamilton may lose his hands anyway. Laurens stopped his movements and spared a glance at Hamilton’s face. He scarily realized that Alexander was not even crying. He was sweating and screaming, gasping, whimpering. The tears wouldn’t come. His wet eyes would not release them, not yet. Laurens felt something warm against his hand and looked down, cursing when he saw the gore before him. The wounds were bleeding much more than he thought they would, he had to finish his work fast and do something to stop the bleeding.

Shaking his head of the thoughts, he stilled his hand, and moved the dagger slightly to press against the rope. He began sawing, feeling Hamilton’s body relax a little as the relief of pressure. His wails were subdued into whimpers, and the tears finally fell. The rope snapped in Laurens’s hands, and he quickly grabbed it and tossed it aside. The whole operation had taken but ten minutes, but the exhaustion radiating off of Alexander was contagious. Laurens grabbed Hamilton’s shoulders and spun him around.

Alexander felt his world careen and settle on John’s face. He was so, so tired. John grabbed his hands and inspected them, Hamilton hadn’t even realized his arms were free.

His eyes fell naturally to the wounds.

Dark blood bubbled from his veins. It was pouring through his fingers, down his arms, smudged across his and John’s clothes. He was acutely aware of the face that one of his fingers was definitely broken, it was twisted to a strange angle. All of this was emphasized by the purple hue on Hamilton’s skin, his circulation not yet restored due to his loss of blood. The opposite of what he needed.

Suddenly Alexander was being lifted. Laurens left the dagger behind, he never wanted to look at that damned thing ever again. Then he was running. The path was there, not far off in the distance. They could make it on time.

Hamilton desperately needed medical attention, unless he had a particular desire to amputate his hands after all he had been through.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Laurens whispered over and over, though he wasn’t sure if the other boy had even heard him, with his agony and with the loud thumping of John’s feet on the ground.

Hamilton’s screams would haunt John for the rest of his life, he knew they would. He knew he had made the best decision, but he couldn’t believe he had done it. He had maimed Alexander, bright wonderful Alexander who never would think of doing such a thing. The violence of it all made Laurens want to be sick. But there was no time.

Hamilton needed a doctor, needed Washington. Laurens ran faster, and cursed the men who had jumped him and Hamilton.

[purposefully-lost]

There was a blare of a car horn. And the rushing of a highway, and the way it somehow seemed louder when it was muffled from the inside of a car. Alex blearily opened his eyes to the sight of trees and traffic blurring by. He was in Andy's car, he realized, just before the voice of the man himself seemed to cut through to him.

"-ex! Alex, buddy, stay awake."

It was too much of an effort to lift his head, so instead it just sort of lolled to the side as he tried to turn to look at him. Andy's focus was zeroed in on the road, though he reached out with a hand and seemed to search blindly for a moment before it landed on Alex's arm. He cast a quick glance to the side, a panicky look in his eyes, before he turned back to the road ahead. Alex was alarmed to realize there was blood staining his hands, and some on his shirt. It'd gotten smeared onto the steering wheel. He was almost speaking too quickly to be understood. "Stay awake, honey. Eyes open. It's just a few more miles."

"What?" He tried to ask, but what really came out was little more than a slurry mumble. Andy's hand squeezed down on his arm before it let go.

"Just stay with me," he was saying. "We're so close. Shit.." His voice trailed off into quiet swears that Alex assumed weren't meant for him. He watched his friend, struggling to stay awake as he'd been asked to, and tried to scrape together the pieces of how they'd gotten here. The blood-- someone was hurt. And Andy looked like he was about to piss himself, he was so scared. Maybe they'd been drinking, he decided, even though this didn't feel exactly like being drunk. He was just--

The car bumped hard as they ran over something. Andy swore loudly at the same time that a pained, gasping moan came from Alex. Something like a fire had shot up through his leg, sending sharp pins and needles spreading across his skin and a white hot pain settling somewhere under his knee. He glanced down and panic sparked in his chest at the bloody mess below him. It started to come back then, the bear trap. He tried to speak and ended up only whining in pain as the car jostled again.

"Sorry! Sorry, shit, shit, Alex.." Andy was glancing over at him again, clearly torn between keeping his eyes on the road while he was flooring it and keeping his eyes on Alex. He reached out again to grab his shoulder and squeeze it. "Stay here. Look at me.."

It hurt. It hurt so bad. Alex tried to catch his gaze the next time he looked over, but the world in front of him was starting to blur. He pressed back against the seat and bit down on his cheek so hard that he could taste blood. "A- Andy.." His voice came out raspy. He had to force it to make it work. The car shook again and he squeezed his eyes shut. "Oh my god, I- I'm gonna fucking kill you for this."

Andy laughed wetly. "You can! Just- hey- hey! Eyes open!"

He could say it all he wanted, but now that they'd fallen closed, he couldn't force them back. He gave him a small shake of his head and heard the panic bleed openly into his voice. "Alex! Open your eyes, man. Alex- Alex!"

Alex groaned in response, but it was soft and barely there enough to be heard over the highway. His head felt heavy and the pain was so bright- he'd rather sleep through it. Andy tried to shake him and all it did was make his head loll back towards the side.

"Fuck! Fuck!" Andy jerked his eyes back towards the road. His hand pounded once, hard against the steering wheel, and then he was gripping it again like a lifeline. He was gonna have to make it through this. He just had to.