Disclaimer: I don't own House of Anubis.
The more I think about it, I really love Palfie. I prefer them over s3 Peddie, no doubt. Their bond is undeniable, which is why I wrote a 3000 word one shot on their friendship and how they could be potentially more. Whoops. Oh, and I didn't proofread, and the ending kind of got away from me, but this is just supposed to show how strong their bond is, so... (Some of the dialogue from the show might be off as well. Sorry.) The title is lyrics to a Stephen Jerzak song, by the way.
Anyway, dedicated to Smiley612 because she loves Palfie as well, and she's put up with some constant ranting of mine. Thanks!
"Alfie, only girls wear those."
At this, Alfie looked down at the bracelet in his hand, which was identical to the one on his wrist. Frowning, his eyebrows furrowed- the bracelets didn't look particularly girly. Brown and leathery, they were barely noticeable. What was Jerome's problem?
"But it's a friendship bracelet," Alfie insisted, his twelve year old self almost bouncing in excitement. Earlier that day, he had seen Mara and Amber exchange pink beaded bracelets they had made, which had spurred the idea. Jerome and he had been friends much longer than Amber and Mara…why didn't they have friendship bracelets? Using his birthday money, Alfie had gone out with Trudy and bought the accessory. Trudy herself had called them cute! Jerome had no reason not to like them, unless…
"We are friends, right?" Alfie asked hesitantly, the light dying from his eyes at the thought that maybe Jerome truly didn't like him at all. Obviously, Jerome was superior in many ways: popularity, fashion sense, pranks, etcetera…but Alfie had imagine they'd be friends for a long time, despite those differences.
Jerome sighed, "Of course we're friends. It's just…friendship bracelets are more of a girl thing." He shrugged, "Sorry."
Alfie nodded, stuffing the second bracelet in his pocket and leaving the room. He wasn't necessarily angry with Jerome, but he wasn't happy with the harsh rejection of his idea. Friendship bracelets weren't that bad, really…
"Hey, Alfie, what's up?" Patricia said upon opening the door, maybe a little warily. Though they were close, Alfie didn't venture through the girl's hallway very often.
"Okay," Alfie started, pushing past her into the room, bouncing on the balls of his feet, clutching the second leather bracelet in one hand. "We're friends, right?"
"Uh, yeah," Patricia confirmed, unsure what to say. It was an absurd question- of course Alfie and she were friends. They always had been. While Jerome had taken a while to warm up to, Alfie had welcomed her in the first day she arrived with open arms. (Quite literally, actually, considering he practically tackled her in a hug the moment they met.)
"And you wear bracelets," Alfie pointed out, eyeing her wrist before squealing slightly. "I do too now, see?" He held up his arm, showing off the leather bracelet. "It's a friendship bracelet," he explained upon seeing her confused expression. "And you're my friend, so…" the second bracelet shone with promise, and Alfie's eyes gleamed. "So can I give you this other one? Please? Jerome wouldn't take it! He said it was too girly! I spent my birthday money on this; I almost bought this alien blanket, but then Trudy reminded me I was going to buy the bracelets, so I did that, and then when I get back, he doesn't even want it!" Alfie's voice had turned high pitched and squeaky, but Patricia didn't really mind, too touched. It was unusual for her to feel so happy, and she couldn't fight the grin that settled on her face.
"You want me to wear the friendship bracelet?" Patricia was friends with mostly everyone in the house- Amber, Mara, Mick, Fabian, Jerome, and Alfie. But everyone seemed to have a primary best friend of their own, like Amber and Mara, or Mick and Fabian. Jerome and Alfie were a great example too- Patricia wanted a friendship like that, a guarantee in a way.
"Well, yeah, we're best friends," Alfie nodded before making a squeaky sound once more. He really was too old to be acting this way, but Patricia was fine with it as he grabbed her wrist gently, slipping on the leather bracelet and locking eyes with her. His hand, which had previously been on her wrist, now fumbled into hers. Her hands were soft, Alfie noted carefully. Patricia hadn't pulled away yet, probably in shock, and Alfie could feel himself getting sweaty.
You like Amber.
His thought jolted him out of whatever haze he had been in, and he pulled away, wiping his hand on his pants to get rid of the sweat. "There," he nervously chuckled, unsure of what had happened. "It looks great," he gave a thumbs up and Patricia nodded, but Alfie was already out the door.
"Mate, I think I like Patricia."
Jerome snorted, "You don't like Patricia." He said it with such confidence that Alfie bristled slightly.
"W-what do you mean?"
"C'mon, Alfie," Jerome rolled his eyes, straightening his school tie. "Just last month, you were telling me you fancied Joy. And besides, what about Princess Pushy?"
"Yeah," Alfie dragged the word out, toying with the friendship bracelet on his wrist. "But...I don't think Amber's really interested, you know?"
"Oh, I'd say she was warming up to you," Jerome chuckled slightly. "I mean, this morning, she passed you the milk and smiled. Or, was she looking at Mick? It's very hard to tell- you and him were seated so close-"
At this, Alfie shot him a dirty look. It was no question that Mick was a sore subject for him- their rivalry had started with Amber but quickly branched out to much more.
"But Trixie? Really, Alfie?" Jerome raised an eyebrow. "S-she's Trixie. You know, mean, cold, pours water on your head? Ringing any bells here?"
Alfie scowled, but didn't say anything. Jerome insulted all the girls he liked- Amber was too demeaning and obsessed with fashion, Joy had been too perky and obvious, and now Patricia was mean, cold, and her only purpose in life was throwing water at everyone. Right.
"All I'm saying is that it's not going to happen," Jerome shrugged. "Trust me, mate, you'll move on. In fact, I bet you we'll laugh about this conversation one day."
"H-hey Patricia," Alfie squeaked, cursing puberty. He had reached the point where his voice cracked constantly, but he just couldn't keep quiet, unlike Fabian. No, Alfie Lewis had things to say- his excitement could not be buried. This is what led to his squeaking voice being laughed at constantly.
"Hey, Alfie," Patricia stifled her laughter before picking up a laundry basket. Alfie's eyes darted around the small room, searching for something he could do too, so it didn't seem like he had just followed her in here as if he was a stalker.
"So, you're picking up laundry," Alfie pointed out, laughing slightly as he bounced on the balls of his feet nervously. In the recent month, talking to Patricia had become harder than ever, and it was all because of this sudden voice in the back of his mind that told him he wanted to be more than friends. He wanted their hugs to be more romantic, wanted their laughter to be more frequent…he wanted Patricia to look at him in a way she had never looked at anyone else. "That's cool. In fact, I am too."
Alfie blindly grabbed at Amber's basket of clothes, devoid of anything of Mara's. Amber obviously needed the whole laundry basket to herself.
"Amber's laundry?" Patricia smirked. "What, are you and Jerome playing a prank or something?"
"No," he defended himself carefully. "I just…nothing, never mind."
"Are you feeling alright?" Patricia asked warily, mockingly feeling his forehead. "Not sick, are you?"
"If I was, you'd take care of me," Alfie replied easily, beaming before realizing that what he had just said could be considered flirting. He quickly backtracked, "As in, with pizza. Or ice cream. And video games. That kind of 'take care.'"
"Of course," Patricia nodded, raising an eyebrow. "Are you sure you're feeling okay? Did you eat too much sugar?" Alfie winced, remembering his sugar-induced coma from a year ago, and shook his head.
"Great, well, I best be going-"
"Hey, Trixie?" Alfie suddenly asked, voice so soft and hesitant that Patricia stopped in her tracks. "We're friends, right?" But it was so much more different than two years ago- this time his words were cautious. He wanted her to say no. He wanted her to tell him that they were more than friends and that he wasn't crazy for thinking so.
"Yeah," Patricia held up her wrist, and the bracelet seemed like a slap in the face. "Is this about Jerome again? Did he tell you that you two weren't friends or something?"
"No, no," Alfie rushed to say, waving his hands around to emphasize his point. "Jerome and I are cool; it's just…" he took in a deep breath, before letting it all out. Alfie simply couldn't keep it in; he was an open book and always had been. "I don't want to be your friend anymore."
A pause, then a thud from where Patricia placed the laundry basket on the dryer. "What?"
Alfie remained silent, too scared to go on.
"Okay," Patricia muttered after a moment, running a hand through her hair and glaring. "You don't want to be friends. Great. Let's not be friends then. See if I care." She moved to push past him, but before she could, Alfie grabbed her shoulders, feeling like crying. He was so conflicted that it hurt- he didn't want to lose his best friend, but he wanted to be more with her. For the first time in his life, he wanted to swing his arm around Patricia's shoulders and have it represent more than friendship.
"Wait, no," Alfie squeaked out. "I mean, I just, you know-" He almost wailed, cursing puberty. It made him feel even less confident than he already was.
"What?" Patricia spat, holding up her wrist and beginning to undo the bracelet. Just before she could though, Alfie's hand clasped around hers, and the two locked eyes. Patricia's were hesitant, while Alfie kept on a determined look.
"I've never kissed anyone before," he mumbled softly, and Patricia held her breath. "I don't know how to do this." In the midst of talking to himself, he looked up again at the redhead, and crossed his fingers for luck, leaning in awkwardly. His nose bumped into Patricia's and they both stumbled a bit, but that didn't stop the kiss from happening. As soon as he pressed his lips to hers though, Alfie retracted as well, eyes wide and scared.
"I know you probably want to kill me now," he squeaked, grabbing the laundry basket once more. "And that's okay, because I know I messed up a lot. And-and I'm sorry, okay? I'm really, really, sorry! I'll give you my ET doll if you don't hurt me-not that I have a doll, you know, because dolls are for girls and-"
"Let's just not talk about it," Patricia mumbled, taking her laundry basket and leaving the room before he can say anymore.
Just as she wished, they don't talk about it. Everything slowly returned back to normal, but Alfie couldn't look at Patricia the same, and Patricia couldn't look at Alfie at all. Because of this, their friendship suffers, and soon enough, Patricia left Alfie and Jerome for Fabian and Joy. Jerome became top prankster, and Alfie, his sidekick. Patricia Williamson's affiliation with them had ended a while back.
That is, until Nina Martin stepped through the doorway of Anubis House.
"I need your help," Patricia almost pleaded, sitting on the edge of Jerome's bed, next to the boy himself. He looked down at her and raised an eyebrow.
"Our help?" Alfie gulped, the two locking eyes. "With what?"
"Nina, of course. She's the reason Joy left. We need to find out what she knows."
Jerome chuckled, "Trixie, maybe she's just a new student-"
"She's not just a new student!" Patricia insisted, standing up and clenching her fists. She looked over to Alfie and her eyes widen, "C'mon, Alfie, you believe me, don't you?"
And maybe it was because Alfie found himself staring at the face he had once found so pretty, looking at the girl he found hilarious beyond belief, but he nodded. "Of course."
"Grab a partner," Jason Winkler instructed, and Alfie's eyes trailed over to Amber, before he was pulled back by Patricia.
"Don't even think about leaving me for her," Patricia rolled her eyes, as she watched Jerome make his way to Mara. Without Joy, her usual partner was gone, and Alfie would be a good substitution, or at least she thought.
"I love you," the teacher started, waving his hands about to emphasize the enormity of the statement. A telltale blush colored Alfie's cheeks, and he looked down, while Patricia averted her eyes, remembering the kiss from years ago. At this point, she was wishing she had let Alfie go to Amber- that'd be less awkward, at least.
"Patricia? Alfie?" Jason Winkler walked over, and his eyes darted between the two. "You're supposed to be doing the assignment."
Alfie looked up first, fiddling with his tie. "Right, sir. I, uh, I love you, Patricia."
Jason's eyes were still glued on them, so Patricia swallowed her fears and opened her mouth, the words sounding genuine as they slip off her tongue, as if they were supposed to do so all along. "I love you too, Alfie."
Years passed, and Patricia and Alfie's relationship strengthened more than ever. With Alfie's involvement in Sibuna, and Joy busy in a vortex of self-wallowing upon her return, Patricia hung out with Alfie more than anyone else. They played video games after dark and ate pizza they weren't supposed to have, and Alfie beamed, because everything was returning back to normal.
Eddie Miller arrived soon after, and along with him came Patricia's absence during video game nights. All her time was spent with that American so much that Alfie stuck by Jerome's side like glue. The only comfort Alfie had was that Patricia's friendship bracelet still adorned her wrist. Sometimes, he asked her if she wanted to hang out, desperate attempts of, "I got the new Zombie Hunter! You love Zombie Hunter!" But no, she was much too busy with Eddie, throwing creamed carrot at him, getting tied to his leg, slowly falling in love.
This particular night, Alfie was under a hex, which meant he was a tiny eight year old, mind bubbling with curiosity. At the sounds coming from the dining room, he made his way to it, pausing as he heard a robotic voice talking. Robots were cool, next to aliens, of course, so he stayed out of sight but close enough so he could hear.
You were the worst, the robot said, and tiny Alfie's eyebrows furrowed as a boy's voice sounded, hurt and protesting.
"Worst? You know, I don't have to be here, Yacker-"
"First. You were the first boy I ever kissed."
Eight year old Alfie wasn't quite sure why there was a pang in his heart at the statement, but he didn't like it one bit, so he distracted himself, twisting a bracelet around on his wrist that he had no recollection of receiving.
"Hey, Patricia! You wouldn't mind doing my laundry too, yeah?"
Alfie froze as who he thought was Patricia grabbed his laundry basket for him, because of his joke. Was Patricia actually volunteering to do his work for him?
"Sure," she grinned. "You know, there are some weird people here- one boy just tried to kiss me!"
"You mean Eddie?" Alfie raised an eyebrow, thoroughly interested. "Your boyfriend?"
"I have a boyfriend? Oh- right, my boyfriend. Right," she nodded, and Alfie backed away carefully. Maybe she was an alien- not remembering Eddie was clearly a sign.
"Anyway, thanks for doing my laundry," he said finally, ready to leave the room, when everything hit him. This was the room in which he kissed her, and this was the room in which his heart was broken into tiny, itty-bitty little pieces.
It was also the room in which Alfie Lewis thought that maybe, just maybe he might be falling for Patricia all over again. Suffering that heartbreak more than once was simply unacceptable, so he fled the room, letting the brunette throw his clothes into the washer. This couldn't happen again. He hadn't had a chance before, and he didn't have one now. It was time to accept that.
"Me and Alfie? Are you serious? You think me and Alfie are together?" Patricia scoffed, and Eddie rolled his eyes in return.
"Well, you are really close."
"Yeah, but we're friends. Just friends." Eddie simply looked away and huffed slightly, to which Patricia sighed. Relationships were hard, but she grabbed his hand anyways, a rare display of public affection. She lowered her voice, "C'mon, Eddie, you know I like you."
That was all it took for him to swing back around to face her, cocky smirk plastered on him as if it had never vanished, "Yeah, I know."
It was true: Patricia did really like him, so much that she was willing to marry him. Now, both husband and wife were opening their wedding presents- Eddie was currently opening Joy's and Patricia, Alfie's.
The ET doll.
The ET doll, that Alfie had almost given her in exchange for forgiveness, but had then lied about, saying he didn't have one. It was a long time coming, but the present touched her heart. The note that came along with it made her smile slightly as well.
Hi, Trixie. I want you to know that I still love you. Not in the way I thought I did, but I think this kind of love is better anyway.
-Alfie
(Are you ever going to tell Eddie he wasn't your first kiss?)
Eddie's voice sounded behind her- he had evidently been reading over her shoulder, "I wasn't your first kiss?"
In the hours that followed, Patricia explained to Eddie a story that had gone on for a good twenty years now. Alfie and she had a friendship that was simply complicated, and it took a while for her to assure him that they were just friends. That night, when Eddie finally went to sleep because he was just too exhausted, Patricia played with the ET doll before texting Alfie.
Thanks.
Anytime, friend. ;)