Okay, this is a very long ass'd chapter that came out longer than expected. It's 5,646 words WITHOUT the authors note but PLEASE don't skip it bc it is an important chapter :)
Thanks!
Disclaimer: I do not own R5 or the song "Unpredictable" by 5SOS, all rights go to Hollywood & Capitol Records!
Chapter 11
2 Months Later
Ross doesn't think he's ever gone so long avoiding someone in his entire life. When he said he wasn't going to speak to Ellington anymore and that he hates him, he was not lying.
The most interaction Ross and Ellington both had with each other were glances and that was about it. Not a lot of people had noticed. The only people that had noticed were Rocky, Riker, Ryland, Maia and Laura because they all knew the truth behind it, but then again Mark and Stormie also noticed they weren't talking to each other but had no clue why. Even when they questioned Ross on it or any of the other Lynch siblings they would always avoid the subject or, if you were Rydel, have no clue what they were going on about.
The reason why Rydel didn't notice at all is because she's so hung up on being with Ellington that she wouldn't notice if her house was burning down with all her family in it.
It was clear on Ellington's face that he wanted to do something about this whole thing every time he looked at Ross because he could barely look at Rydel anymore without feeling awkward or guilty. He should have just ended it the last time he had the opportunity to because he knows for a fact Riker and Rocky don't want him to be with Rydel anymore let alone be anywhere near Ross after the way he acted towards him.
For the last month they'd been on a small tour, just for the fact that soon they won't be able to go on a tour for a long while. That small tour was no fun at all. Especially when your 4 months pregnant with morning sickness and you can't be quiet throwing up your insides on a morning, especially when the bus is moving. It wasn't so bad when the bus had stopped, Ross could go outside and they'd be in the middle of nowhere. That way he wouldn't get caught.
But he did get caught on the bus a couple times.
He got caught by his Mom who told his Dad later, then there was a time he got caught by Rydel and that wasn't fun. That was awkward. It was at 4 in the morning and Rydel got out of her bunk because she thought she could hear someone throwing up, so she went into the bathroom of the tour bus and found Ross hanging over the toilet and she sat by him for the rest of the time he threw up and she even looked after him the next day to make sure he was okay.
And yet, there he was. Carrying her boyfriends baby.
Boy did he feel bad.
Thankfully they were home now
They had only just got home and they were still unpacking things from the bus like instruments, suitcases and boxes etc.. Ross opted for the lighter things like the lighter boxes seen as though it's very dangerous for him to carry heavy things. Heck, it is for all pregnant people. Rocky and Riker made sure he didn't carry anything too heavy either and when he was given something heavy by his parents or Rydel they'd take it before he got the chance too. Ellington was helping too, but he avoided Ross throughout most of it. He did always try to help him when he got told to carry something heavy but Riker, Rocky or Ryland always beat him too it.
He knows he basically told Ross he wants nothing to do with him or the baby but all he wants is his friend back and to help him. Yes. He realises how much of an ass he was and there was no need for him to have acted like that, because if Ross was Rydel than Ellington knows he would have stayed. To be honest, what was the difference between Ross and Rydel when it came to Ratliff now? The only difference was that Ross is a boy and Rydel's a girl and the fact he's gone further with Ross than he has with Rydel who is the actual person he's dating.
So was there a point for Ellington to even be a deadbeat and continue dating Rydel? No.
that's why he decided the next chance he gets he's going to break-up with Rydel and tell her. Regardless whether or not Ross likes it and is pissed.
Man, he really acted like he didn't give two shits about Ross when he did.
Ross walked out of the house and over to the bus where Mark was getting a couple of things out the back, and they didn't look too heavy. And they also looked like it was the last thing to come out and go inside. Rydel was inside unpacking her things, Riker and Rocky had just took something in along with Ellington and god knows where Ryland had disappeared off too. Ross approached the side of the bus where his Dad was "Um... is that it?" Ross asked, looking down at the suitcases.
Mark looked down at the suitcases and nodded "Yeah—oh no," he said as he had the suitcases in his hands "Rydel's keyboards still in here. Would you mind getting that?" he asked.
Ross rubbed his hands together nervously "The keyboard?" he asked "Rydel's big keyboard? That's er... that's really heavy..."
Mark nodded "I know. I'd get it but your here and there's suitcases," he said, seeing Ross sigh "oh, go on Ross. You're stronger than me so it would be better if you got it." he said as he walked up the path to the house.
Ross let out a whimper, thinking about how Rocky and Riker were going to kill him if they caught him carrying it. He looked in the boot of the bus and saw Rydel's keyboard in it's case sat there. He reached over to it and slowly pulled it out.
"Whoa! What the hell are you doing?!"
Ross turned round at the sound of the familiar and, obviously, panicked/worried voice.
Ellington.
Plot twist much, he was expecting it to be Rocky or Riker.
Ellington watched as Mark told Ross to carry something from the tour bus and as he was about to leave Mark came in and told him there's no point in going out there, there's only one thing left and Ross has got it. At first he thought it was going to be something stupid or light, but no. It was Rydel's keyboard which he thought someone had brought in already. Apparently not.
Ellington took it off Ross as quickly as he could "Y-you shouldn't be carrying that if it's heavy..." Ellington said, slightly nervous to how Ross was going to react to him being caring and worried. Ross didn't say anything, he stared at him blinking a couple times as he was surprised about him being caring. Ellington looked at him back before turning round and heading into the house.
Riker and Rocky had taken the tour bus back to where it belonged with Mark, Ryland had tagged along too. That meant that Rydel, Ross and Stormie were the only ones left in the house. Along with Ellington of course, but he had quickly gone out to his apartment to get something but he'd be back soon. Stormie was downstairs, Rydel was in her room and where was Ross?
The same place he'd been practically every morning.
The bathroom. Throwing up again.
Could he be heard? No.
Well, not by Stormie anyway but given Rydel's bedroom is straight across from the bathroom she could hear him.
She swung open her bedroom door and kicked open the bathroom one where she found Ross coming away from the toilet, breathing heavily and looking like shit as he leaned against the wall and wrapped his arms around his stomach. Rydel knelt in front of him, leaving the bathroom door open "Your throwing up again?" she asked.
Ross sighed, looking at Rydel "Wow, no strings attached on you are there."
Rydel rolled her eyes at Ross's sarcasm. Actually, she couldn't tell if it was sarcasm or a mood swing. He'd been having plenty of them too. "You've been like this for the majority of the tour and you're not getting better," she said "Rocky had that too for a little while a couple months ago. Do you have his sickness too?" she asked.
Ross puffed his cheeks and huffed "Sure... why not," he said quietly, feeling another rush of sickness "Oh no."
Rydel took a step back and watched as Ross threw up in the toilet. She knelt behind him and rubbed his back gently until he was done. She stood up and wiped her hands, watching out the corner of her eye where she saw something she thought she imagined as Ross crawled back to lean against the wall. "Ross..." Rydel said, suspiciously as she looked down at him "have you gotten... fatter? Or is that just my imagination?"
"Imagination," Ross said almost immediately, becoming panicked at how Rydel noticed "definitely imagination."
Rydel went to go say something but they were cut off by a noise coming from downstairs. Ross's eyes widened, more in confusement as he ran his hand through his hair "Is that a baby crying?" Ross asked "oh my god it is... Oh my god I can hear the future, holy shit." he said, rubbing his head.
Rydel gave Ross a funny look, not being sure what he meant by that "Yeah... you know Carol?" Rydel asked, Ross nodded "she was coming through LA and her car broke down, so she has to wait at the garage all day and wait for it to get fixed but she didn't want to keep the baby around exhaust fumes and whatever other fumes there are in garages. With it only being a couple month old. So she asked Mom if her or one of us could look after it and she'd come back for her later."
Mockery. Complete mockery. Whoever is up there in the sky is looking down on Ross and mocking him completely. Leaving the hints all around for people to figure out for them self.
"Can you look after her later?"
Ross looked up at Rydel "What? Why?"
Rydel found it weird the way Ross was getting all touchy and defensive against this situation but didn't bother to question it any further "Because, I promised Mom I'd take her to the store and Riker, Rocky, Ryland and Dad are going to be a while. Don't worry, you won't be on your own Ellington's coming back."
Yep, the world is definitely mocking him.
"Then take the baby with you. I'm sick." Ross said, looking for any excuse to not have to do this.
Rydel dropped her hands to her side in disbelief at Ross "Take the baby to the store?" Rydel repeated, Ross nodded "when we don't have a pushchair, only a car seat, to take her in. It would mean carrying a 6 month old baby around in our arms and that is not okay."
Ross shrugged "Leave her in the car, one of you can stay with her. Car seats better than nothing."
Rydel's mouth almost fell open. She shook her head "Is this what you're going to be like when you have children of your own?"
"Don't know, but we'll find out."
Rydel scoffed, leaving the bathroom "Yeah, I dread that day when it comes!" She called.
"Believe me, Rydel, it's coming sooner rather than later!" Ross called back to her. He sighed and leant his head back against the wall, shutting his eyes.
Ellington walked through the door to the Lynch house. He'd been to his apartment to get something, but he didn't actually have to get anything he just needed some space from Rydel and to think about what he was going to say to her and how gentle he could be breaking up with her without physically telling her she's too clingy and they need space. Along without having to end the break-up with "Oh yeah, by the way, I slept with your little brother and now he's carrying my baby". He'd love to see how that turns out if he said that but he doesn't at the same time. He'd rather keep his balls because no doubt Rydel will want to rip them off and make him watch as she feeds them to a rabid dog.
To be honest he wouldn't blame her. In a way he deserves it along with everything else that is going to come to him once he reveals it to her. Not just for cheating on Rydel but for what he's done to Ross too.
He knows Ross blames himself in a way, but if you think about it long and hard it is actually all Ellington's fault. You know, apart from the whole baby thing and being able to have them. All Ross wanted to do was go upstairs and go to bed, but no. Ellington wanted to have a night away from Rydel by having fun and he had to force Ross to drink and then they slept together, and again... Ellington made the first move. Suppose in a way you could say it was a type of rape because Ross obviously didn't want the drink and he didn't want to do what he did that night, but something inside Ellington did.
Could it be counted as rape? Cause if so Rocky and Riker are gonna kick his ass even more. It's bad enough that when Riker got his cast taken off his arm Ellington was bricking it because Riker promised he would kick his ass once his arm was better, but he never. Riker could tell he was scared though, that's what made it funny.
It's also ridiculous at how much Ellington hates himself over this whole mess. If he could go back and redo that whole night all over again he would. Also along with the day he and Rydel started dating, he would do that over too and say no. He would have rather had said yes to his friend Georgia. She's bitchy, persuasive in a slutty way, patronising and very good at blackmail, yet she would make a ten times better girlfriend than Rydel. But she wasn't even classed as a friend to him, he just knows her.
Yep, he's definitely going to hell.
When he got through the door, he looked up the stairs where Ross was no doubt because he heard the toilet flush and he heard that many times during the tour when he could hear Ross waking up almost every morning with morning sickness. He went to go upstairs to go see Ross and talk to him but he heard a noise. Specifically a baby.
He froze and looked towards the kitchen. Ellington walked towards the kitchen, he looked in the living room where Stormie was. He slowly pushed the kitchen door open where Rydel sat at the table looking at a baby in a car seat. Ellington became confused, turning his head back towards the stairs and back into the kitchen "Did Ross give birth?" Ellington asked, confused.
Rydel turned her head to Ellington and furrowed her brow, she then burst out laughing at how random that was. She shook her head "Nope. He didn't. You remember Carol right?" Rydel asked, Ellington nodded "yeah, this is her baby. Her car broke down as she was coming through LA and she has to wait at the garage for it to get fixed. She didn't want to keep her around all the fumes and loud noises, you know? So she asked my Mom if she, me or Ross could look after her. Ross is sick though, so that just leaves me," suddenly a light bulb went off in Rydel's head.
Rydel stood up from the chair and smiled at Ellington sweetly "Ellington... you know that you love me?"
No. "Yes?" Ellington asked.
She put her hands on his shoulders, pressing her body closer to his "My Mom wants to go to the store and she wants someone to drive her-"
"Sure, I'll drive her." Ellington said.
Rydel rolled her eyes "No, I meant can you look after the baby whilst I go with her because there's some stuff I wanna get too," She said, taking herself away from him. She could have sworn she saw Ellington's face into some sort of horror. "Don't worry, if you need anything Ross is upstairs, I don't think he'll be much help though. And I know you two haven't been talking, I don't know why, but it won't hurt to ask him if you get stuck."
Ellington nodded "Oh yeah, because he knows so much about babies doesn't he." he said sarcastically, with a crack in his voice.
"He doesn't," Rydel said, grabbing her car keys "I'm just saying, he's there to help. I mean it could be quite funny," she made her way towards the kitchen door "you two babysitting together. Now that is a comedy I would pay to watch."
Ellington scoffed "Give it 5 months." he muttered.
"What?"
"Nothing!"
Rydel looked at him suspiciously. She found it weird how he and Ross were both acting weird today, and have been for the past few months. At first when she noticed it she thought it was because she's dating Ellington, who is Ross's best friend. But now she senses there's something more too it.
"Rydel," Ellington said, nervously "I need to talk to you when you get back from the store."
Rydel nodded "Yeah. I need to talk to you too," she said, not knowing that only made Ellington feel nervous. She smiled at him "Bye now, have fun." she left, shutting the kitchen door to go to the store with her Mom.
Ellington waited a couple of seconds after the door was shut before turning round to the baby sitting in the car seat, looking up at him with her big blue eyes. Ellington smiled "Awe—No." Ellington's smile dropped, not letting himself think a baby is cute especially when it's part of whoever is mocking him with what's going on in his life.
Ellington pulled up a chair and sat in front of the baby, looking at it "So... did Satan send you? Because it's really coincidental that you're here at a time like this—and oh my god, I'm talking to a freaking baby," Ellington put his head in his hands "yup... definitely going insane."
Ellington stood up from his seat and went into the cupboard for a glass so he could pour himself a drink. He failed to notice that a glass was hanging on the edge and when he took the glass he wanted that glass fell and smashed loudly on the floor, resulting in the baby beginning to cry. "Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!" Ellington chorused, as the baby began crying "don't cry! Please don't cry!"
He put the glass he had in his hand down before quickly picking up the smashed glass as best as he could and threw it in the bin. Ellington stood over the baby, trying to think of ways to make it stop crying "Please! Stop crying, your Mom's coming to pick you up soon," he said, like the baby could actually understand him but she kept on crying "um... Rydel will be back. Not yet, in like an hour or something but she'll be back, I know she's good with children and babies. She'll make you happy unlike me who is a demon from hell who makes babies cry," he whimpered "I'm gonna be a terrible father." he said, beginning to fake cry.
He sighed, looking down at the baby feeling a major headache coming along from her crying. "Who do you want? You clearly don't want me! Do you want Riker? Rocky? Ro- Ross!" Ellington said "Do you want Ross? Ross is upstairs! Maybe he can cheer you up!" Ellington turned towards the door "ROSS COME DOWN HERE BEFORE I BREAK!"
Ellington waited a couple of seconds and heard nothing. No footsteps, no nothing. He turned around "Please... for the love of god stop crying! You don't see me crying when someone breaks a glass! Oh god..." Ellington rubbed his head.
Suddenly the kitchen door opened, and he turned around where Ross came in. He went to go say something, thinking it was Rydel or his Mom in the kitchen, but stopped when he saw Ellington. Realising that if he spoke to him, it would be defeating the object of ignoring him and hating him. So instead he went over to the fridge – trying his best to ignore the crying baby that was also giving him a headache. But hey, not his baby, not his problem. Though it will be in like 5 months.
Ellington sighed "Ross, please help me. Rydel left me to look after it and she won't stop crying, I don't know what to do. I say this without trying to offend you in anyway, but you have more experience with babies than I do I mean you have four siblings for crying out loud and in five months your gonna have your own baby!" he said, now becoming desperate for the baby to help as his brains felt like they were going to explode. Ross still ignored him. Ellington sighed, looking down in guilt "And by your own baby I meant ours... Ross... I need to talk to you." he said.
Ross ignored him again and shut the door of the fridge, going over to the cupboard instead. He was doing his best to ignore Ellington but he was making it really, really hard. Especially with the crying baby in the background that wouldn't stop.
"Ross, please, talk to me! I can't bare this anymore." Ellington began to beg.
Ross sighed heavily, slamming the cupboard doors shut because he couldn't take this anymore either. He walked towards Ellington, which made him nervous, before pushing him out of the way to get to the baby. His headache was getting bigger and bigger. Ross undone it from the car seat it was in and began to gently pick it up "Hey, shh, it's alright, calm down." Ross soothed the baby, bobbing it gently.
Ellington had his hands pressed against his ears, watching as Ross held it in the attempt to comfort it and stop it from crying. He could still hear the baby crying a little, but then he heard the crying go down. Ellington blinked a couple of times before slowly removing his hands from his ears, and the baby wasn't crying anymore. "Oh my god, I can hear again! Do you have some sort of magical power when it comes to babies?" Ellington asked, feeling relieved it was no longer crying.
Ross turned his head and glared at him. "That wasn't an insult!" Ellington said, realising how that could have sounded like an insult. Ross turned away from Ellington. "Seriously though... you have some sort of magic touch because there was no way I could have shut it up."
"That's because you weren't even trying to," Ross said, feeling weird that for the first time in 2 months he had spoken to him. He looked down at the baby and cracked a small smile "Eh... I guess I do have some sort of magic touch. But then again, it's not very often I have a crying baby in my house."
"Yeah you do. What about when Rocky cries?" Ellington asked, making Ross laugh softly. Ellington smiled a little when he got Ross to laugh, seeing they were being able to manage an actual conversation "Ross... can I talk to you please?" He asked.
Ross sighed, putting the baby back down in the car seat it had been brought in. You'd have thought Carol would have brought something else for it to sit in "What do you wanna talk about?" Ross asked, sitting down at the kitchen table.
That took Ellington by surprise because he thought that Ross had tried to avoid that, but he didn't. He started to become nervous. Ellington pulled out the chair next to Ross's and sat down on it, closer to him "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say what I said that day," Ellington started "I was just... I don't know... shocked? Scared? I mean, it is a pretty unbelievable thing to try and believe and process through your mind. Surely when you first found out you refused to believe it?"
Ross nodded "I did. I think I even threw something at the nurse," he said thoughtfully, making Ellington smirk "it wasn't anything hard. I think it was a pillow... I don't know. She had me laid on the bed so it was something on the bed. It was pretty funny."
"I can imagine," He said, with a little nod. Ellington looked down to the floor and on his way back up to looking at Ross he caught a glimpse of his stomach which had clearly gotten bigger. He frowned and looked back up "I'm sorry for doing that to you."
"You've said already."
"Yeah, sorry," He said, realising how much he is apologising in the space of two minutes. "I just... I don't wanna be an ass. I don't want to be one of those people, you know what I mean? The person who watches as the person they got pregnant goes through what they go through, even when the child's born and suddenly realises when the hard parts over and the kids basically grown up that they wanna help and be apart of the babies life."
"Right, okay..." Ross nodded, understanding what he meant but not quite sure where he was going with it.
"I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm gonna be here for you and stand by your side all the way through this, regardless of the consequences and what happens to me. I won't let anybody or anything hurt you or the baby or let anybody or anything near you and the baby that I think will hurt you both," Ellington said, leaning closer to Ross and putting his hands on the table where one ended up on top of Ross's "what do you say?"
Ross looked at Ellington with uncertainty, not being quite sure if he truly meant that. He shrugged "I don't know... you could decide in a few months time before it's born that you don't want to be a dad or have this responsibility. Like you did two months ago."
Ellington shook his head "No, I won't. I promise."
"What about Rydel? What are you going to do about her? She's not going to be happy about it. She's going to hate me as well as you."
"No, she'll only hate me. Your her brother she can't hate you."
Ross scoffed "Then you clearly don't know Rydel Lynch." he mumbled.
Ellington chose to ignore what Ross said, as he clearly thought Ellington didn't hear him. If anything that unsettled his nerves about this whole thing. He stood up and hugged Ross whilst he still sat on the chair. Ross hugged him back, finding it kind and sweet at how Ellington was starting to care – but Ross didn't trust him one bit. He still had that unsettled feeling inside of him that a couple of months from now he could change his mind completely. Probably due to the fact it gets exposed to the world and he gets unbearable hate so he feels the only way of getting away from it is by leaving him.
Rocky already said, he's not going to stand by and watch that happen.
"That's sweet, Ell, I appreciate it... but... no..."
Ellington pulled away slowly from the hug, looking down at him not being sure if he had misheard him or not. Was he being serious? He was pissed the first time when Ellington turned around and basically said he doesn't want anything to do with them both, and when he does offer support he rejects it? Though, after being rejected by Ellington himself the first time it is a little bit untrusting so he can kinda see where he's coming from. "Excuse me?" Ellington asked, slightly rudely too.
Ross felt himself tense up and become nervous by the way Ellington's mood suddenly changed "I-it's... um... it isn't anything personal... I um... I just..." he stumbled for words, getting really nervous at how he was going to react "I don't... trust you."
"Are you fucking kidding me?" Ellington asked, raising his voice.
"Shh," Ross said, standing up where he remembered the baby being in the car seat on the table "if you get any louder she'll start crying again." he lowered his voice.
"Oh, well, sorry for being angry that you don't trust me! Even after I offer support!" Ellington snapped, finding this difficult to believe himself. In fact, he started moving closer to Ross who found it intimidating so he started walking backwards as Ellington got closer and closer to him "Why don't you trust me? What did I do? Did I say something wrong?" he asked, practically having Ross up against the wall now as he was inches away from his face.
"Well.. um... this..." Ross said, pointing in between himself and Ellington "this is a er... a good start. No really, you're scaring me and making me nervous..."
Ellington ignored what Ross said "Just answer the damn question Ross! It's my baby as well as yours, you can't keep it away from me forever. What happens when it grows up and questions why it's only got one parent? What are you gonna tell it then? Huh?"
"What the fuck is going on?!"
Ross and Ellington turned their heads towards the kitchen door where Rocky and Riker stood, looking over at Ellington like they were both going to rugby tackle him to the floor. Rocky wasted no time in making his way over to where Ross and Ellington were where he grabbed Ellington by the back of his shirt "You can get the fuck out now," He said, dragging him towards the door "and if you think you're coming anywhere near him again, you've got another thing coming." Rocky started saying to him as he dragged him down the hallway towards the front door.
Riker watched as Rocky took care of that and went over to Ross who started breathing heavily and slid down the wall till he hit the floor. Riker knelt down beside him "Are you alright?" Riker asked "what was that about?"
Ross shook his head "I don't know," he said, trying to control his breathing "it was a bit of a blur... one minute I came down to get something to eat where I found Rydel had left Ellington to look after Carol's baby whilst she went to the garage, she was crying so I calmed her down, he said he wanted to talk to me, did so calmly, I said I didn't trust him and next thing I knew he had me against the wall."
Riker nodded as Rocky came back into the kitchen "Alright, calm down, Ross, breathe for god sake," He said, putting his hand on his shoulder "You're gonna stress out the baby and you don't want that. Calm down." he tried to calm Ross down as best as he could, seeing Ellington had really shaken him.
Rocky came storming back into the kitchen and slammed the door shut "Alright, I'm gonna fucking kill him. I'm actually going to kill him the next time I see him, and when he and Rydel break-up because of all this, I hope she fucking kills him too!" He yelled in frustration, taking a deep breath afterwards "anyway. Are you alright?" Rocky asked, looking over to where Ross was who nodded.
Riker held out his hands for Ross to take hold of and he helped him up to the floor back onto his feet gently "Okay, I'm gonna take you upstairs to bed," he said, keeping hold of him still "Rocky, take care of the baby. Try not to make her cry. We all know you did that last time and it took us forever to get her quiet."
Rocky folded his arms and huffed "It was an accident." Rocky said, sitting down at the table.
"Playing your guitar at full blast on the amp with a baby in the room is no accident Rocky! I'm surprised she never went deaf!" Riker exclaimed, making his way to the kitchen door with Ross.
Rocky looked down, remembering that day and feeling slightly guilty for it "I forgot I'd left it on loud."
"Rocky-"
"Shut up and take him upstairs if that's what you're doing!" Rocky snapped, having enough of 'pin the blame on Rocky'.
Riker rolled his eyes and done so.
Yay for protective Rocky & Riker as I have figured out you all love. Idk who you love being protective more, Riker or Rocky and I'm gonna try add more of that in as the story goes on. Woo.
Thanks for reading, hopefully nobody skipped this chapter bc of it's length :)
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