#and reggie absolutely starts crying when he realises he’d made it for him

[nicknellie]

Anonymous requested: Could I request willex fake dating au, maybe the boys are trying to get Alex a boyfriend and so he asks Willie to fake date him to get the boys off his back or something please!

Anon, I love fake dating AUs, I’m beyond glad that you suggested this. Plus with willex I think fake dating is very in character, especially for Alex. I had a lot of fun writing this one, thank you for your request! I’m sorry it took me so long to get round to writing it, but to make up for it I’ve made it longer than most of my other fics.

A Dream Come True

Alex had to hand it to them – when Luke and Reggie wanted something, they really pushed for it. Normally it would be one of the many things he loved about the two of them. Determination, perseverance, resilience, all good qualities. And when they put their minds towards something useful like booking Julie and the Phantoms a gig or dragging Willie out of the washing machine when he got stuck in it playing hide and seek, they were definitely useful to have around. So usually, Alex loved their pushiness.

He just didn’t like it when it was aimed at him. Even less so when they were trying (for the umpteenth time that month) to get him a boyfriend.

And the worst part was that this time Alex had run out of excuses.

For reasons Alex simply couldn’t fathom, Luke and Reggie had been obsessed with the idea of finding him a boyfriend for some weeks now. Reggie had downloaded several dating apps and entered all of Alex’s information, and every time Alex saw him the first thing Reggie would do was reel off a list of several candidates he’d deemed worthy. Luke, ever the technophobe (or rather just terrible with technology), had taken a more natural approach and spent countless hours wandering the streets of Hollywood for someone who was, in his words, ‘the sort of guy who would make Alex lose his goddamn mind’.

It wasn’t that Alex didn’t appreciate them trying to make him happy – he found it sweet, if a little weird – it was just that he knew nobody they found would ever be right. He knew what he was looking for, he knew what he wanted, and he didn’t think that Luke and Reggie could get it for him.

The first time they had tried to send him on a date Alex had faked a cold and pulled out at the last minute. The second time he had “accidentally” shown up to the wrong location and missed the entire thing. The third time he simply hadn’t gone – instead, he turned off all the lights in his house, locked all the doors and windows, and hid, so when he didn’t show up and Luke and Reggie came over looking for him they assumed he was out. The fourth time and most recent time he had pretended to fall asleep when they told him about it.

Alex wasn’t the most creative of people and he had pretty much exhausted all of his go-to date-dodging tactics. So the fifth time his friends tried to set him up, he completely panicked.

“So I was doing my usual lap of Sunset Boulevard this morning,” Luke said in lieu of a greeting the moment he walked into Julie’s garage. “And Alex, dude, bro, you will not believe the guy I saw.”

“Good morning to you to,” Alex said flatly.

Luke wrinkled his nose like the greeting confused him, but then saw Julie setting up her mic in the corner. A bright smile grew on his face as he was distracted and for a moment Alex thought he might have been lucky enough to get out of the conversation. But a moment later, Reggie entered the studio and also decided that greetings weren’t a necessity.

“Luke! Did you tell Alex about the guy yet?”

Julie snickered (she found the whole thing much funnier than Alex did and he most certainly did not appreciate it) and for a moment more Luke continued to just look at her, absolutely besotted, but then he came to his senses and all of a sudden his excited smile was directed at Alex.

“Right, that. So I ran into him outside the Orpheum, so he’s probably a music guy,” Luke gushed, winking in a way that Alex supposed was meant to be suggestive. “We had a little chat and he told me he’s training as a teacher and is also looking for someone to settle down with.”

“Sometimes I worry about you,” Alex said, laying a gentle hand on Luke’s arm. “You’re getting forgetful. I’m not looking to settle down with anyone.”

Rolling his eyes dramatically, Luke shrugged Alex’s arm off and instead planted his own hands firmly on Alex’s shoulders, shaking him a little. “Maybe not, but that might change when you meet this guy.”

“I doubt it. What’s his name?”

“Oscar. Maybe Oliver. Orville? I don’t know, but it definitely began with an ‘o’.”

“He sounds memorable,” Alex deadpanned. “I’m sure we’ll have a great time together.”

Reggie gasped excitedly. “So you’ll meet up with him then?”

“No,” Alex said firmly.

Julie giggled again (and once again Luke looked at her, dazzled). “Why not, Alex? You sounded so enthusiastic about him!”

“Very funny,” he returned. “I’m not meeting him.”

“Why not?” Luke whined, dragging the words out like a frustrated toddler. “You always do this! Reg and I try to set you up with people but you always say you don’t want to. Are we missing something?”

Alex could see the cogs whirring in Reggie’s mind before his face lit up and he triumphantly guessed, “Or are we missing someone?”

If anyone had asked, Alex wouldn’t have been able to give a reason for what he said next. It was completely untrue, a wild statement made under extreme pressure in the face of an emergency. Perhaps it was a bad decision, but he had run out of excuses to not meet people and he was getting desperate. He hadn’t had time to consider it.

Alex said, “Yes.”

Reggie’s jaw dropped, Julie dropped her microphone, and Luke dropped whatever respect he had left for Alex’s personal boundaries. He launched himself at Alex, tackling him to the floor in what he assumed was supposed to be a hug, and Alex was fairly certain that Luke was crying with happiness.

“Dude!” he shouted (though it was rather muffled since he had his face buried in Alex’s shirt). “That’s awesome news! Reggie and I can stop searching! I didn’t think you’d be able to find someone yourself, bro.”

“Thanks for having so much confidence in me,” Alex said flatly as he extricated himself from Luke’s vice grip and hoisted himself to his feet.

“You’re welcome,” Luke said as he wiped his eyes (yes, he was actually crying happy tears).

Julie had her arms crossed in front of her chest, looking half-puzzled and half-affronted. “You’re seeing someone? And you didn’t tell me? The only one of your friends who is even a little bit good at keeping a secret?”

“Hey,” Reggie interrupted, “I’m good at keeping secrets!”

“Reggie, honey, I love you but at Christmas you told everyone what you’d bought them as soon as you’d bought it.”

Reggie looked like he wanted to defend himself but couldn’t. “I was excited to see everyone’s reactions…”

Rolling her eyes fondly, Julie turned back to Alex. “Anyway – why didn’t you tell me?”

While he was a terrible liar, Alex just so happened to be a very good actor. In high school he’d got the lead role in the school play two years in a row, but whenever someone asked him if he was gay (before he had come out) he would often panic and pretend to faint to get out of the situation. Though he was technically telling a lie here, he decided it would be the prime opportunity to employ some of the improvisational skills he had worked on with Carrie back in their theatre club.

“It was all very new,” he explained, “we weren’t sure if it was going to go anywhere and we didn’t want to tell everyone until we were sure.”

It was only at this point that Alex realised he was digging a very deep hole for himself and it was most certainly too late to climb out of it now.

“When do we get to meet him?” Reggie asked excitedly.

“You already have,” Alex replied.

A little voice in the back of his mind was saying, shut up, you absolute idiot, what the hell are you playing at? Perhaps stupidly, he drowned that voice out.

Looking dumbfounded, Luke clutched Alex’s shoulders again. “We have? Who is it?”

The little voice got louder – don’t say it, Alex, I’m begging you not to say it, it’s like you’re actively trying to ruin your own life, you absolute–

“Willie.”

In eery synchrony, Luke, Julie, and Reggie all looked to each other with identical expressions of shock and bewilderment and then turned back to Alex with furrowed brows.

“Willie?” they all chorused.

Alex pursed his lips and rocked on the balls of his feet, suddenly regretting every decision he’d made that had brought him to this point in his life. “Yep.”

“I thought your thing with him finished like six months ago?” Julie said.

“Well, there wasn’t really much of a thing to finish,” Reggie reasoned, “just Alex’s pining from afar that had lasted for like four years–”

“Yes, thank you, Reginald,” Alex interrupted. It wasn’t that Reggie was wrong, Alex just didn’t like how right he was. “And yeah, it did… I guess. But then we were hanging out together a few months ago and it was really nice and we started doing it more often and eventually he asked me on a date.”

Alex was overly aware that every word he had just said was an utter lie. Firstly, he had never really got over Willie – Willie wasn’t the sort of person you could just forget or move on from, even though Alex had never actually dated him. Secondly, Alex and Willie hadn’t actually hung out together alone in quite a while. Willie had been busy with their blossoming art career, going to different presentations and awards shows, trying to make a name for himself; Alex, on the other hand, had been doing his best to avoid dating anyone. And thirdly, Willie had never once asked Alex on a date.

He knew he should have backtracked, told them the truth, but he was in far too deep.

“This has been going on for a few months?” Luke said incredulously. “How have you kept it from us that long? Dude, you just let Reggie and I spend literally all our free time trying to find you a boyfriend!”

“I never asked you to do that.”

“You could have told us to stop,” Reggie said.

“I did,” Alex returned. “Several times.”

Julie raised her hands placatingly. “Okay, okay. That’s not important right now. What’s important is that Alex and Willie are finally together. Are you sure they’ll be alright with you telling us while he’s not here?”

Alex shrugged, trying to act like he wasn’t too sure (which was easy because he’d never been less sure of anything at any time in his life). “Umm… well… we haven’t really talked about it much, but… you know, I’m sure he won’t mind too much. I’ll tell them tonight.”

Julie smiled warmly. “Well, I’m happy for you in any case. It’s nice that you’ve finally got what you wanted for so long.”

“Amen to that,” Luke said, finally picking up his guitar. Alex had all but forgotten they were supposed to be practising instead of talking about his very fake relationship with Willie which Willie didn’t even know about. “And Reg and I can finally stop looking for someone.”

“Could’ve stopped before you’d even started,” Alex said, sitting down behind his drumkit, “but alright.”

He knew that sooner or later he would have to tell Willie what he’d done and he was absolutely dreading it. Willie was a very chill person and Alex knew they’d probably find it funny more than anything, but it was still a daunting prospect. But for now, he focused himself on his drums, hammering out all of that excess anxiety, and forgetting the absolute nightmare he’d created for himself just for a little bit.

*

It was nearing one o’clock in the morning and Alex was very much not ready to go to sleep. For one thing, he was still wearing his clothes instead of pyjamas, and for another he was pacing his room like a caged lion with anxiety and had been doing so for almost three hours. He was trying to build up the courage to call Willie and let him know what had gone on, but he was so nervous that he wasn’t sure he’d even be able to string a sentence together if Willie picked up the phone.

He knew he would just have to bite the bullet. He couldn’t put it off forever or it would end in disaster. For the thousandth time he reminded himself that Willie was the kindest, funniest, most good-natured person he knew and that he had nothing to be scared of when it came to telling them that he had made a massive, probably damning mistake. Willie would be fine with it, Alex knew.

Before he could dwell on it a second longer, Alex dialled Willie’s number and let it ring.

It only rang twice before Willie picked up. Even though it was late, Alex had known Willie would pick up (the guy hardly slept at all) and he fought the urge to tell him to go to bed.

“Morning,” Willie said chirpily.

Alex checked the time and blinked in surprise; he hadn’t realise how long he’d been pacing for.

“Yeah, I guess it is,” he said. “How come you’re still awake?”

“Mario Kart,” they replied. Alex could practically hear Willie’s smile – suddenly there were butterflies in his already anxious stomach and they certainly weren’t helping. “Why are you still awake? I thought your bedtime was half nine.”

“It hasn’t been in two years and you know that,” Alex said. Willie giggled brightly which teased a smile out of Alex. “I, uh… I actually need to talk to you about something that happened today.”

Just get on with it, he told himself, don’t drag it out.

“Oh?” Willie said. “What is it? You sound nervous – do you need me to come over?”

“No,” Alex told him, “it’s late – or maybe early. Either way, you don’t need to come all the way to my place just so I can tell you this.”

“It sounds serious.”

“It might be,” Alex admitted. “It depends on how you take it.”

There was a brief silence on the other end and for a moment Alex wondered if Willie had decided to end the conversation, but then they said, “Alright, let me just pause the game.”

Another short pause as Willie stopped mid-race. Alex took the opportunity to collect himself, shake out his nerves. It would be fine. Willie would be fine with it.

“Okay,” he said a moment later. “I’m back. What’s going on, hotdog?”

Alex scratched awkwardly at the back of his neck, suddenly unsure where to start.

“Okay,” he began uncertainly. “Well… Luke and Reg have been trying to set me up with someone for a while now and I’ve been trying to avoid it as much as I can. I’ve sort of run out of excuses and you know how difficult it is for me to say no to them.”

Willie hummed knowingly. “Like with the Great Cactus Robbery of 2019.”

Alex winced at the memory – he hadn’t realised cactus spikes hurt quite that much, but he’d gone through with a lot that night for Luke and Reggie’s sake.

“Don’t remind me,” he said witheringly. “Anyway, you know what I’m talking about then. They told me about another guy earlier today and I really needed another excuse to give them. I tried just point-blank telling them no, but then they started asking questions and…”

“And?” Willie prompted.

“I told them I was seeing someone,” Alex said. There was silence on the other end. “I told them I was seeing you.”

After a moment or two (that felt like an eternity) Willie burst out laughing. Alex sighed, affronted, but he supposed it was one of the better reactions he could have got. At least Willie wasn’t angry at him.

“Why?” Willie wheezed between laughs. “Was that seriously the first thing that came to your mind?”

“Yes,” Alex grumbled. “I was under a lot of pressure. You were the obvious choice.”

They giggled happily and Alex realised just how true those words had been – whether he liked it or not, Willie would always be the obvious choice for him.

“Well, I’m flattered,” they told him, blatantly trying to contain their giggles. “Thank you for thinking of me, hotdog.”

“You’re welcome,” Alex said. “But I’m sorry about it too. I’ve created an absolute mess and dragged you into it, so I understand if you’re angry at me.”

“Does it sound like I’m angry at you?”

“No?”

“That’s because I’m not,” Willie said kindly. “I get it, man, you just panicked. No big deal. Besides, we can ride this out easily.”

Alex blinked. “We can?”

“Sure, man, it’ll be fun. We’ll pretend to date for a few weeks, have a friendly breakup, and then everything can go back to normal.”

“You’re sure?” Alex checked. This hadn’t been what he was expecting – he’d thought Willie would say it didn’t matter but he needed to come clean. He hadn’t been expecting the offer of dating.

Fake dating, said that irritating little voice in his head. It’s not real. Don’t let yourself forget that.

“Of course I’m sure,” they said. “I mean, it’s totally cool if you don’t want to, but surely it’ll be easier than backtracking completely with the others. And it’ll get Reggie and Luke off your back for a little while longer.”

He considered it, weighing up the pros and cons. On one hand, he’d get to date Willie at last, something he’d wanted to do since he met him. It would give them more of a chance to hang out together, Luke and Reggie would stop pestering him, and it was always fun to harmlessly mess with his friends. On the other hand, he wasn’t sure his sentimental little heart could stand getting to date Willie and then having him taken away even if that was the arrangement from the very start.

But it was a sacrifice he was willing to make.

“Alright,” he said resolutely. “I’m in.”

“Cool,” Willie returned happily. “Shall we meet tomorrow to discuss, you know, like, boundaries and stuff like that?”

“Sounds great. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He heard Willie press play on his game, the unmistakable sound of an item box being broken on Mario Kart.

“See you tomorrow, Alex,” Willie said. “Or maybe now we’re dating I should be calling you ‘babe’ or something.”

If that made Alex’s heart flutter, he wouldn’t say anything about it. “We’ll go over pet names tomorrow. Goodnight, Willie.”

“Goodnight, babe.”

As Alex put his phone down and launched himself into bed (still fully clothed but suddenly far too tired to even consider getting changed) he thought to himself that there probably couldn’t have been a better outcome.

*

Alex had expected the meeting with Willie to feel awkward and weirdly formal, but it was completely the opposite. Both of them were in high spirits the whole time, jokingly holding hands and making heart eyes at each other, laughing every time one of them used a particularly ridiculous pet name for the other. (When Alex had called Willie ‘sugarpoops’ he had thought they might die from laughing.)

But the meeting was productive too. They set some effective boundaries – any touching was allowed, just not too intimate; kissing was fine, but only to prove a point; and just for the fun of it they agreed they had to act like the most sickeningly in-love couple the world had ever known. Alex didn’t really care if that would give the whole thing away, it seemed like a bit of fun and it would be useful when it came to reminding himself that none of this was actually real.

That bit, he had to admit, still stung.

He and Willie had arranged to meet Luke, Reggie, and Julie at the studio that afternoon, so spent the day together beforehand. Just to try and get into the swing of things, they treated their morning together as a mini date. Alex took Willie to minigolf, then they went to an ice cream parlour, and after that Willie tried to teach Alex how to skateboard for fifteen minutes before Alex got too nervous and gave up. It was fun and Alex tried not to think about the fact that this was the reality he was missing out on – if he imagined he was just hanging out with Willie as a friend, which in a way he was, then it was just about bearable.

They arrived outside the studio together and they could hear the other band members’ voices already inside. Alex’s stomach started squirming nervously which he thought was weird. He didn’t actually have anything to be nervous about – he and Willie weren’t really dating.

But still, he was starting to feel a little bit queasy and was seriously considering just running away.

Then he felt Willie’s hand slip into his and their fingers lace together. He looked down at them and saw that he had a kind, soft smile on his face, gently encouraging.

“Ready to be my boyfriend, sweetheart?” Willie asked teasingly.

The nerves didn’t disappear, but Alex found it a lot easier to ignore them after that.

“Always,” he said. “Let’s do this.”

Without another moment’s hesitation, Alex pushed open the studio door and led Willie inside. Julie, Luke, and Reggie all hushed immediately and looked at the couple like they’d been caught red-handed. If their guilty expressions were anything to go by, they had been talking about Alex and Willie before they had walked in. He could only guess as to what they had been saying, but at that point Alex hardly thought it mattered.

It was showtime.

“Hey guys,” he said, grinning broadly. “What are you talking about?”

The three all responded at the same time but with wildly different answers.

“That gig next week,” blurted Luke.

“I lost my favourite hairclip,” Julie explained.

“I’m thinking of buying a horse,” Reggie told them.

Alex and Willie looked at each other, trying to hide their amusement.

“Anyway,” Julie said, “doesn’t matter what we were talking about! Because you’re here now, both of you! And you’re dating!”

Without warning, Willie giggled brightly and attached himself to Alex like a koala to a tree. Alex laughed and threw his arms around Willie, holding them tightly, pressing a firm kiss to the top of their head.

“I feels so good to finally have it out in the open,” Willie gushed, gazing at Alex with pure adoration in his eyes. “Right, sugarplum?”

Alex gently rubbed the tip of his nose against Willie’s, fighting the urge to laugh. “Of course, my little cheesecake.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Alex could see his friends’ expressions – he had to close his eyes so he wouldn’t be able to see them, otherwise he definitely would have broken character and started laughing so hard he couldn’t breathe. Luke looked utterly horrified, like the display of affection was disgusting; Julie was staring at the two of them wide-eyed, her face flushed red, looking like she would rather be anywhere else; and Reggie just looked baffled.

After a while, Julie cleared her throat and the couple turned to look at her innocently.

“So,” she said, “we’ve heard Alex’s version of the story, but Willie – how did… all this happen?”

Willie linked his arm through Alex’s marched the two of them over to the couch and sat Alex down, then sat primly on his lap, laying their head against Alex’s shoulder. “I’m so glad you asked.”

“I’m not,” Luke muttered, “this is weird.”

Julie kicked his shin and he shut his mouth.

“I had been watching Alex from afar ever since we met, but I didn’t think a cool, handsome drummer could ever care about someone like me. I was convinced we would only ever be friends. But then we hung out together and I saw all these different sides to his personality – he’s so caring and soft, you know, and he means everything he says. Alex isn’t like anyone I’ve ever met. So I decided to just go for it, ask him out, admit how I feel.”

Alex stroked a hand through Willie’s hair, eyes fixed on him. “Since then we’ve never looked back. And we never will.”

“Oh, my darling!” Willie exclaimed, throwing themself at Alex and pressing a kiss to his lips.

It certainly wasn’t how Alex had envisioned his first kiss with Willie going (and he had envisioned a great many different versions of it) but in a strange way it felt just right. Sure, they weren’t dating, but they were hanging out together, having fun, being in each other’s company and loving every second of it. Maybe the circumstances weren’t exactly what Alex wanted, but the love they held for one another was still there, nothing could take that away.

So maybe it wasn’t the best decision he’d ever made, but Alex let himself get lost in the kiss. He didn’t know how many times he’d get to do this in his life, so he figured it was better to make the most of it. He blocked out the fact that his friends were right there (a sure sign that he wasn’t thinking straight – absently he knew that he would be very embarrassed by this when it was all over) and just focused on Willie.

And he was sure he wasn’t imagining the fact that Willie seemed to be enjoying it just as much.

When Julie eventually cleared her throat again, they separated. But Alex couldn’t take his eyes off Willie. He knew he wasn’t imagining what he’d felt in that kiss – like sparks had flown between them, forcing their dynamic into something much more than friendly banter and an inside joke. Willie’s eyes were glassy and he was breathing heavily, scanning Alex’s face for something, though Alex didn’t know what. All he knew was that the kiss had pushed the boundaries they had spent all morning setting and if he wasn’t more careful he would lose himself to this silly little charade.

The five of them spent the rest of the afternoon and evening just talking to each other. Willie stayed firmly planted in Alex’s lap and they both used the occasional cutesy nickname for each other, but it seemed as if both of them had silently made the decision to tone things down a little bit. Luke seemed relieved about it at least – for all the heart eyes he made at Julie he certainly seemed uncomfortable at the affection Alex and Willie had shown. It was probably because Alex hardly ever showed love like that in front of people.

But god, he wanted to do it all again.

Luckily, it didn’t seem like any of their friends suspected Alex and Willie of lying to them. By the time they were all on their way home – Alex and Willie walking away hand in hand – nobody had brought up the fact that it could all be fake.

“That went well,” Willie said as they walked along the seafront, heading back to his place. The cold night breeze lifted their hair and Alex couldn’t keep his eyes off them, not when they were looking so beautiful.

“Yeah,” he said, watching the way the amber glow of the streetlamps danced in Willie’s eyes. “It did.”

“Have you thought about how long we’re going to do this for?” Willie asked. Alex was sure he heard nervousness in Willie’s tone, maybe mingled with hope.

He shrugged. “A few weeks maybe. Unless you had something else in mind.”

“No, no, that’s fine, man.” They had arrived at Willie’s apartment building and stopped just outside of it. “I’ll see you tomorrow then?”

“Yeah,” Alex said, smiling smally. “See you tomorrow.”

He didn’t know what he was thinking – he had expected a goodnight kiss from Willie, but instead he was left alone in the cold as Willie let go of his hand and hurried into the building. Alex was suddenly reminded again that it was all fake, that he shouldn’t have expected kisses when they were alone.

It hurt though. He knew that kiss earlier had been more than just top-notch acting.

He fell asleep that night, still thinking about it, the memory replaying on a loop in his mind. In one way or another, Willie was going to drive him crazy.

*

The next two weeks flew by. Alex found himself hanging out just with Willie more and more often, playing Mario Kart together at Willie’s insistence, going on more dates that weren’t actually dates, or even just video-chatting each other while doing their own separate things to enjoy the company.

After that first day as a “couple”, Alex was sure Willie’s confidence had been knocked. For the next few days they withdrew himself from Alex and Alex didn’t know if he’d done something wrong or if it was just something on Willie’s mind. Still, he let Willie work through it, and a few days later he was back to normal, clinging to Alex like a barnacle to a ship, calling him every pet name under the sun.

And still their friends were none the wiser.

The end of their time as a couple came all too quickly. Alex walked Willie back to his apartment again, a heaviness in his heart. He didn’t know how an actual breakup felt, but he was willing to bet that a breakup would be less painful than whatever this was. No part of him wanted to give this up, whatever silly little thing was going on between him and Willie – it was fun, it was freeing, it gave Alex a light feeling in his chest and made him so happy he thought he might burst at any moment. He didn’t want to give any of it up.

But still he walked Willie to his door.

They stood facing each other, hands interlinked between them, sad smiles on each of their faces. Alex tried to memorise every detail on Willie’s face as if it was the last time he would see them.

“This has been fun,” he said eventually, his voice low, quiet in the night air.

“You can say that again,” Willie agreed. “I loved being your boyfriend.”

“I loved being your boyfriend.”

Something flickered in Willie’s eyes, an expression gone too quickly for Alex to name, but it was quickly forgotten because a moment later Willie stood up on his tiptoes and kissed Alex.

It wasn’t like any of the other kisses they had shared in the past few weeks. There was nothing over-the-top and exaggerated about it, it wasn’t just a stunt they pulled to fool their friends. It was slow and soft and Alex felt the rest of his body go fuzzy and numb as all he could concentrate on was Willie’s lips on his.

An eternity later, Willie pulled away, his eyes scanning Alex’s face.

Alex swallowed heavily and said, “I thought we could only kiss each other to prove a point.”

Willie nodded. “Did I not get my point across very well? Do I need to kiss you again?”

Alex almost laughed but something stopped him. “Just… just explain it to me first. So I don’t get the wrong idea.”

“I loved being your boyfriend,” Willie said. “You enjoyed being my boyfriend. So… why should we stop?”

Alex felt his head spin. Somehow the nightmare he’d created for himself all those weeks ago was turning into a dream come true.

“You mean that?” he asked. “Tell me you mean that, Willie, please.”

“I mean it,” Willie said resolutely. “I’ve felt this way about you for too long just to let it go. If you want me then I want you. I want to date you, Alex. For real.”

Alex kissed him again, short but sweet.

“Is that a yes?” Willie asked, giggling.

“There’s no other answer I could have ever given.”

Even though they remained boyfriends (real ones this time), Alex and Willie decided to drop the over-the-top, lovey-dovey stuff. It was fun, but it wasn’t them. Instead, they chose to fill every second together with quiet declarations of love, casual dates, soft kisses, nothing that wasn’t real.

But they never did tell Luke, Reggie, and Julie how much of it had been fake.

*

Taglist (if you want to be added or removed just let me know): @ace-bookworm @williexmercer @boggie-brainrot @itstiger720 @the-reckless-and-the-brave @that-one-newsie @bluedarkness @lookingthroughmirrors @tmp-jatp @salty-star @julieandthequeers @lmaohuh @sunnysbright @sylphrenas @callmeontheleyline

#i didnt proofread but in my defence its half midnight and i have been writing for over 2 hours #willex #willie x alex #alex x willie #willex fic #jatp #jatp fic #julie and the phantoms #julie and the himbos #fic #fanfic #fanfiction #alex mercer #willie jatp #fake dating #au #fake dating au #request #my writing #writing #friends to lovers

[schmiidt]

existence. {alex x willie}

All Willie wanted was for the night to take away all his thoughts, any whisper of the blond drummer he'd once crashed into. Unfortunately for him, his subconscious had other ideas. 

also posted on ao3 if you want to read it there

The subconscious works in mysterious ways. Willie just wanted some space, wanted to skate away and ignore all his emotions, ignore how he was trapped here and Alex was passing over, ignore how much he didn’t want to lose him, even though it was definitely the best option he had. But his brain was always thinking of Alex, no matter how hard he tried to put him out of his mind. Which is probably how he ended up in front of the museum.

It was almost midnight, so the museum was closed and empty. Like it had been when he’d brought Alex. Before, when it had just been the two of them without a care in the world. Before he ruined everything by taking them to Caleb. Before he’d effectively ruined the (after) life of the most wonderful person, and his best friends. He never should have taken them to the Hollywood Ghost Club, but they’d wanted a way to be visible, and he had wanted to do everything to help Alex that he hadn’t even considered that Caleb would stamp them as he had him.

He stood in front of the building for what felt like an age, before taking a big breath and stepping inside. He made his way to the bench where he and Alex had shouted all of their worries away. Somehow, in such a short period of time, he had wormed his way into Willie’s life and heart.

He had played the Orpheum tonight – they all had. Opening for Panic! At the Disco, no less. Willie would have given anything to see them play, to see Alex in his element, but it was too dangerous. He couldn’t risk Caleb finding him watching. He had pretty much forbidden him from seeing them until they joined him. And watching their concert would have been the worst place to be caught.

They were getting their unfinished business, actually finishing it. He was so happy for them, of course he was, but it left a gaping hole in him that hadn’t been there a couple weeks ago. Part of it was that he would never complete his unfinished business. He didn’t even know what it was, but even if he did, there was no way Caleb was going to let him cross over. That was not a part of their bargain. His soul was Caleb’s, and there was no unfinished business that could be completed quick enough to do before he noticed. But the other part, the bigger part of the emptiness, was because of Alex. Willie knew that. He had never met someone who he clicked with that quickly. Someone who just wanted to spend time with him, whatever they were doing. That must be why the thought of him crossing over was so upsetting.

Or there was the other explanation. He had never really, truly been in love before, but he imagined that this was what he was feeling. May as well admit it to himself, since there was no one else to admit it to. He would never get the chance to tell Alex, but he could at least be honest with himself. He had fallen in love with him. The cute drummer who had died from a bad hotdog. The boy who’s mind raced a hundred miles a minute, with every question known to man. The ghost Willie would have followed anywhere, if he was able. He missed his smile, the way it felt holding his hand, the feeling of his arms wrapped around him. Would they have had more embraces like that? What would it have felt like to have his lips on his?

This line of thought was dangerous. He was never going to get a chance to find out, so there was no point in dwelling on the unknowns. But his head was filled with images of the blond, so he may as well indulge in fantasies.

Spending the nights running around Hollywood. Teaching Alex to skate. Introducing him to Justin Bieber and his empty pool, perfect for skateboarding in. Watching Alex rehearse and perform. Asking him to be his boyfriend.

His face felt hot, his nose stuffy. Without realising it, he had started crying. He stared numbly as a few stray tears dropped into his lap. Head placed in his hands, body bent forwards, he let the emotions overcome him.

-

They were free. Julie had saved them. Alex had absolutely no clue how that worked, but for right now he wasn’t going to question it. He was allowing himself that luxury. They had escaped a painful removal from existence, so he deserved it. And they had played the Orpheum. They had finally played the Orpheum and lived to tell the tale. Well, not exactly lived, and there wasn’t really anyone to tell the tale to, exactly, but you’ve got to count your wins somewhere.

Actually, there was one person he wanted to tell the tale to.

The three ghosts and Julie had been cuddling on the couch in the studio, none of them willing to give up the blessing that was the ability to touch Julie. Which is why, when Alex stood up and extracted himself suddenly, the other three looked at him curiously.

“I have to go find Willie. He thinks we’ve crossed over.”

Luke and Reggie glanced at each other, grinning widely, but it was Julie’s soft smile and answering “Go get him, tiger,” that emboldened him even more. He poofed out of the studio to the place where he and Willie had first collided, not quite sure where to begin looking for him.

The street was a bad idea. There were still a lot of people around, and if Willie was here he wouldn’t be easy to find. Alex started jogging down to the bench where they had first chatted, when streams of afterlife questions had been flowing from his mouth, as if someone had turned the tap on and forgotten to turn it off.

The bench was empty.

Alex stared at it for a long moment, almost trying to make Willie appear by imagining him there, but he didn’t appear. With one last glance around, Alex set off in the direction of the only other place that held meaning to the two of them; if he wasn’t there, then it would be a long night searching.

The lights were off in the museum, but for once that didn’t deter him. He only cared about seeing if Willie was in here. What if he was? Would he be happy that they hadn’t crossed? That they were free of Caleb’s mark? What if he wasn’t? Why was he suddenly overthinking this?

All of his worries slipped his mind as he entered the next room, seeing another person hunched over on the bench he and Willie had moved. Not just any other person. It was Willie.

A gut-wrenching sob echoed through the empty room. Alex stopped still. Willie was crying. This wasn’t how he had expected to find him. He stepped forward slowly, lightly, until he was stood directly in front of him. His eyes must have been tightly shut, for though his hair covered his face, he didn’t look up and see Alex. He hadn’t registered that he was no longer alone.

“Willie?"

-

Willie had been sat on the bench for about five minutes, overcome with emotion. Tears streaming down his face, sobs coming out in full force. He hadn’t been this upset since, well, dying. He was so overwhelmed that he didn’t realise he wasn’t alone until someone spoke his name.

“Willie?”

He slowly unfolded his body and glanced up, into the worried eyes of one cute, blond drummer.

“Alex?” He whispered, afraid that speaking too loud would shatter the illusion that his mind had surely conjured. “Are you okay? What’s wrong?” “Am I okay? What about you? Shouldn’t you have crossed over by now?” Willie stood up gradually, careful not to make any sudden movements. “Are you even really here?” He murmured.

“Oh,” Alex breathed, with a knowing expression on his face. “Yes, I’m really here. Come here.” He wrapped his arms around Willie, and for a moment, Willie didn’t care if it was his imagination. His arms snaked around Alex’s torso and squeezed so tightly that Alex wouldn’t have been able to breathe, if he’d actually needed to.

“The Orpheum wasn’t our unfinished business.” Alex spoke softly, so as to not spook Willie further, as it was evident that the skater had been going through something. “And I don’t really understand it, but after the show, when Julie came to see if we’d passed over, she was able to hug us. And then Caleb’s mark lifted. I don’t know how, and right now I’m not questioning it. I just, I needed to find you and tell you.”

Willie held on even tighter, ever conscious that his tears were falling onto Alex’s shoulder. “I, uh, I thought I’d lost you forever. That I was never going to see you again. And I hated it.” “I’m right here. I’m right here, I promise.” Alex kissed the top of Willie’s forehead, and Willie fell even more in love with him right then.

Willie drew back, just enough to look at Alex. He hadn’t noticed properly when he first saw him, but he looked handsomely dishevelled, in a light pink blazer and a white shirt which was unbuttoned to about halfway down his torso. His hair was messy and in his face, and Willie was convinced he had never seen anyone quite as beautiful as him. He shifted his gaze to Alex’s eyes, which were still glistening with concern for him, another thing Willie loved about him. They hadn’t crossed over, they had almost blinked out of existence, and Alex was worried about him. He didn’t deserve him, but he was going to make sure he cherished him. Taking a deep breath, he started, “I have something to say.” Alex nodded for him to continue.

“The thought of losing you was the worst thing I could have imagined. It felt like there was an ache in my soul, that nothing else could have soothed. So I need you to know, Alex, that I am so deeply in love with you.”

Alex stared at him, eyes searching his face for clues as to whether he was genuine. Apparently finding an answer, he stuttered, “I, uh, I..” then searched his face again, and pulled his face towards his own.

When their lips met, all worries of Alex not returning his deep sentiments left his brain. His lips were as soft as he’d imagined, and though he had been pulled forward with some urgency, their kiss was sweet and tender. Alex’s hands cupped his face, gently, and Willie’s hand had moved to grip the back of his head. Alex was the first to pull back, resting his forehead against Willie’s, and whispered delicately “I love you too.” And Willie was not to be held accountable for pulling Alex back to his lips.

After they broke apart again, Alex wiped the tears off of Willie’s face, and Willie noted that he was wearing a dopey smile that he was sure was mirrored on his face.

Willie gave Alex a full glance once over, noting how good he looking in the 3 piece. A small smirk returned to Willie’s face, as he exclaimed, “You clean up good, hot dog. But you didn’t need to get all dressed up to come and find me.”

Alex blushed bright pink, as he seemingly stumbled for words. Willie’s favourite version of Alex was flustered Alex. He laughed, loud and heartily, all the sadness of the night forgotten. Alex looked exasperated, but also glanced at him adoringly as he continued to laugh. Soon enough, Alex was laughing too, Willie’s amusement too cute to ignore. There was a lot that needed sorting, Caleb’s control of himself, how they had managed to break free of his mark, but all that could wait. They could figure it out together, but for tonight, they would just forget about all their worries and exist together.

#willex #julie and the phantoms #alex mercer #willie #jatp #julie molina #luke patterson #reggie peters #willie x alex #alex x willie #hope you all like it!! #its my first fic in a while lol #mine*

[productivedramaqueen]

I'll Be A Better Man Today (2) - Reggie Mantle X Reader

Summary: part two to ‘better man’. reggie attempts to win his girl back, but it backfire spectacularly. Warnings: mentions of bullying, like one swear word. A/N: there will be a part three to this. the inspiration just flowed when i started writing, and it’s been a while since that happened so i’m going with it. hope you like it!

**

The week passed by painfully slow. Every day meant another attempt by Reggie as he tried his best to win you back. Tuesday morning saw him waiting outside your house in his Jeep, waiting for you. The car hummed quietly, the radio playing a selection of your favourite songs. You spotted him the moment you stepped out the front door. You froze, not expecting to have to face him just yet. He smiled cautiously out the window, and waved.

You turned on your heels and reentered the house. After a few uncertain seconds, he saw you leave - with a set of keys hanging from one hand. Without sparing him a second glance, you unlocked your fathers sleek silver Ford and got into the drivers seat, tossing your backpack into the passenger side, and starting up the engine. Reggie’s car blocked your exit; you met his gaze, expectantly. His face fell, and he pulled away from the kerb. You turned out the opposite way; it would take longer to get to school this way, but you took that route anyway. Reggie was in the parking lot, Moose by his side, and he waved again as you parked, on the other side of the lot. You walked towards the building, not looking back once.

But Reggie wasn’t ready to give up just yet. He waited outside your math class, and walked alongside you toward your english, and then sat down next to you at lunch. Jughead, Archie, Betty and Veronica looked a little surprised, exchanging glances, what should we do?

They didn’t have to do anything. You simply got up and left, disappearing into the large crowd of students in a matter of seconds. Reggie groaned and lay his head on the table. He glanced up at Jughead, and Archie immediately tensed. Jughead shot him a sideways look, but Reggie just left.

** You weren’t sure if you were more annoyed or secretly happy that Reggie was, once again, waiting for you Wednesday morning. You followed the same routine as the previous day; ignoring him, getting in the car, ignoring him, driving to school, parking, ignoring him, and going to class. However, Reggie knew it was time to start stepping up his game.

He waited by your locker at eleven am with a cup full of your favourite coffee. You slammed the door; 'I just had one.’ Reggie’s shoulders slumped, and he dumped the coffee in the first trashcan he came upon. That evening, he got your favourite Pop’s order and brought it to your house - after an extremely generous tip he convinced Pop to break the takeaway rule - and again, your dad had to open the door.

'Did he hurt you in any way?’ He asked you, later, as he devoured the meal meant for you. You shook your head, running your hands through your hair. 'No, not me,’ you muttered, looking down at the table.

'He seems like a sweet boy,’ your dad told you. He is, you think, just not to everyone.

**

Thursday morning, and Reggie waited for you again. You ignored him, again. Halfway through the day and the only gift you’d received was a handwritten note shoved through the open vent in your locker. It read 'you look beautiful today. love you, r x’. Crumpling it in your fist, you’d nearly thrown it away, but changed your mind at the last second, instead tucking it into your personal journal. You were wary; was he giving up?

No, of course not. Cheryl and Moose ambushed you on your way to science, and dragged you off to the gym. You protested, the whole way there, but Cheryl shut you up with a snippy retort about how much she knew you hated the class. The gym was empty, save for the entire squad of River Vixens, clad in their cheer uniforms, and Reggie, who was earnestly talking to Betty and Veronica. Both looked unsure, and my stomach clenched uncomfortably.

'Reggie! The guest of honour is here!’ Cheryl called, cheerful. The tall boy turned, a face splitting grin brightening his face the moment his eyes fell on you. For a moment, you almost smiled back - you forced it back, turning to the redhead on your left. 'Cheryl, what is this?’

'Sit, sit!’ She insisted, pushing you toward the bleachers and giving you a shove so you hit the bench, hard. 'Ouch!’ She rolled her eyes, and stalked back towards her squad. You climbed a few benches further up, Moose settling next to you. 'Do you know what this is?’ You asked, nerves writhing like snakes in your belly. He simply smirked.

'Okay, ladies! Lets go!’

Music filled the airy room, a high-tempo, upbeat rhythm, and the cheerleaders began to dance. You stared, not sure about what was going on. You could feel Reggie’s dark brown eyes on you, never once moving anywhere else. You kept your own eyes on the girls. The music quietened down, and they began to chant.

All the blood in your face drained away, embarrassment overwhelming you. The urge to cringe was almost painful; when you risked a glance in Reggie’s direction, he was blushing, a bashful smile on his lips.

'1, 2, 3, 4, who does Reginald adore?

5, 6, 7, 8, (Y/N), don’t say it’s too late!'

The squad finished their routine, bowing, Cheryl clearly pleased by their - or her own - performance, if the smug smile and flip of her long red hair was anything to go by. The music stopped. Silence stretched out endlessly; you could have heard a pin drop. Betty and Veronica were watching you - well, they all were, Reggie looked nervous but hopeful, Cheryl and the squad expectant. But Betty and Veronica were watching you with concern in their eyes. After a long moment, you stood up, shakily. 'That was really, really great, girls. Well done,’ your voice was strangled, and the hopeful look dropped off Reggie’s face. You headed straight for the exit. Footsteps followed - three sets, one you recognised as Reggie’s, the other two lighter, Betty and Veronica.

'Just - give me a minute with her, please!’ Reggie pleaded with the girls - you heard them sigh, giving in.

You rounded a corner, into the empty hallway. Reggie caught up with you, skidding to a halt in front and grabbing you by the shoulders. 'Wait, (Y/N), just talk to me-’

He was slightly out of breath, his hair falling over his forehead endearingly - you snapped. ’Talk to you? What do you want me to say? What the - what the fuck was that?’ Reggie cringed at the curse as it slipped from your mouth - you only ever swore when you were pissed beyond belief.

'I’m trying to prove to you how much I love you!’

You rolled your eyes; 'That’s not-! Ugh!’ Frustration hit you like never before, how could he still be so blind?

'Tell me what I can do, and I’ll do it, baby, please,’ he begged, trying to drag you closer to him, but you resisted, standing your ground.

'I told you! I asked you, a million times, to stop being such an ass to Jughead and everyone else you think is 'lower’ than you!’ You yelled, really losing your temper now. Not caring if someone heard, you kept going. 'You said you would but you never did! Is it really so hard to treat people as human beings, Reg? That’s all I wanted! I can’t date a bully!’

The words were like a slap to the face for the football player, the last one in particular. But he knew he couldn’t deny it; he was a jerk toward certain people, at this point, it was just a habit. He knew you and Jughead were friends, and, okay, maybe he was a little jealous of your friendship so maybe he had pushed the school loner a little harder than usual.

As what you said really hit you, you looked away and suddenly found more tears burning behind your eyes. You were sick of crying, sick of pining after Reggie. He wanted to know how to get you back? Well, now he knew. The ball was in his court. 'Get your shit together, and then we can talk,’ you said finally, firmly. You walked away. Reggie let you, still feeling guilty as he thought back on all the times he knocked Jughead into a locker, called him something nasty, even punched the smaller boy. He stood, alone in the hallway, until the next bell sounded out, and students poured from the mouths of classroom like prisoners from a cell. He didn’t even realise until the sea of bodies began shoving past him, and then he snapped back to reality. Turning, he slammed straight into the one and only Jughead Jones.

Automatically, he opened his mouth to snap at him - then, he thought of you, and closed it again.

'Sorry, man, that was my bad,’ he said, quietly, seeing the look of absolute shock on Jug’s face. His eyes widened, and he asked if Reggie was feeling okay. The taller boy laughed. 'Honestly? No.’ He shook his head and looked down. Discomfited at the sadness in Reggie’s face, he struggled to think of something to say - not for his sake, though. For yours, for his best friend.

'Look, man, if this is about (Y/N)…’ something like pain flashed in deep brown eyes and Jughead wished he’d bitten his tongue off instead of speaking. He shook his head, mumbling an apology. Reggie called him back, voice brighter all of a sudden. 'I think I know how to fix things.’

Reggie was planning something big, Jughead could tell. He’d known him a long, long time, and the calculating look that had replaced the sadness on his face made him nervous.

'Oh, no,’ Jughead said emphatically, 'why do I have a feeling this fixer-upper involves me?’

Reggie smiled. Yeah, he knew what he had to do.

#riverdale fic #reggie mantle x reader #reggie mantle imagine #reggie x reader #ross butler #riverdale