Title: Hot as sin
Prompt: My favorite soon to be couple, even if we haven't really seen much of them, is Buddy/Alice/Kid and for a prompt I was wondering if you'd be willing to write like a first impressions mostly from Buddy Kid's povs? And like snippets of how their feelings progressed.
Thanks for the prompt, Sarene_G!
...
Alice was distracted by a news report as she answered her vibrating phone, barely remembering to greet whoever was calling her as she continued to read the article about the latest disappearance. This one was right in the middle of Maxville, and not a child, but a father. She knew it was connected, she just didn't know how yet.
"Hello?" Alice asked, realising it was silent on the other end.
"Ah, you're listening now, good. I need your full attention, Alice. You need to leave in five minutes, calmly and without drawing attention to yourself or your departure."
"Who is this?"
"My name is Hourglass," Honey said with a smile. "I'll take your silence as awe and shock. It will wear off in a moment. You can take your bag and jacket, and say you're going to get a chocolate bar; it's close to that time of the day, after all."
Alice wondered if stress-eating chocolate every day at 3pm was something to be proud of or if she should be ashamed that even a psychic could set her watch by it. She looked around The Lost Boys' office and noticed she was the only one in the room. It wasn't rare, especially when there were new cases of lost children, and there had been three this week alone. The others that worked with her were probably put interviewing the family members or trying to goad the police into giving a solitary fuck, whether the child was a super or not. Unfortunately, it wasn't an easy or successful task.
"Five minutes from now or whenever we end this call? And why do I have to go, anyway? Where am I going?" Alice asked, trying not to sound too annoyed about the vague directions and lack of clarity about what the hell was going on.
"Five minutes from when we started, you'll have two to finish packing and dressing," Honey admitted, knowing Alice was already starting to pull on her jacket and shove important things into her bag. "You know too much, Alice, and you're drawing too much attention to them."
Alice felt her blood run cold at Hourglass' words, her grip turning loose around the stapler and it fell into her bag. A shuddering breath left her body. "I'm right, aren't I? That means... they're really out there and stealing our children. Oh, poor Chayton," she said, a wobble in her voice and chin.
"Alice, focus. You need to go out to the store like you usually do. I've hired two men to protect you and keep you safe. They'll take you to your house for some clothes and essentials, but don't take everything. It needs to look like the organisation took you, and they wouldn't let you take your pillow."
"You're using my potential kidnapping as bait to draw even more attention to them? Oh, I can get on board with that. How long will it be? Just a few weeks, right? It shouldn't take too long for people to realise I'm missing," Alice mused.
"Sorry, Alice. It will be longer than that. I can't tell you specifics, though," Honey said, genuinely apologetic.
Alice bit her lip and tried to stop asking why? and how long? anyway. There was something more important than that, anyway. "Can you tell me if Chay is okay?"
There was a moment of silence. "He's alive."
It wasn't okay, but it was better than dead. Alice just had to take a second to convince herself of that, too.
"And... will I see him again?"
"If you leave on time, you will. Go to the store and meet with your two security guards. Tall with tattoos; you can't miss them."
Alice noticed that Hourglass didn't tell her if she'd see Chayton alive again, and tried to swallow her revulsion down so she could ask one more question -
"Good luck, Alice," Honey said, the line going dead.
Alice felt like her legs had turned to lead and she couldn't bring herself to move.
"Oh, are you going out already?" Valerie asked, seeing Alice standing by her desk, bag in hand.
Her five minutes were almost up. "Uh. Yes, I need chocolate earlier today. One of those days, y'know? How'd you go with the family member?" she asked, needing to know before she left.
"Good; she had evidence of her daughter's phone location moving after her kidnapping. I'm going to bring it up on the map and see if we can get CCTV footage. We're getting close, Alice, I can feel it."
Alice could, too. She didn't want to leave her work, but she had doubted that the organisation that took her son would let her live once she'd revealed their location and deeds. Maybe going with private security now would be even better than the witness protection that the Super Bureau had offered her in exchange for her information and testimony.
"I'll look over the details with you as soon as I get back," Alice said, the lie tasting bitter on her tongue. "Do you want anything?"
"Reese's pieces, if they're on sale. I'll get money, just a moment," Valerie said, tugging open her oversized tote bag
Realising that she had to leave right now, Alice shook her head. "It's all right, I'll buy it this time around. You can get the next chocolate supply run." She heard Valerie call her thanks, but Alice was already out the door and hurrying to the corner store.
She tried not to make it look like she was stalling for time, and simply weighing her choices in the unfortunately limited selection of chocolate, but the store clerks all knew her by sight by now. Alice felt her neck flushing red as poor Dino at the front watched her curiously. The door dinged cheerfully with a tinkling bell and Alice grabbed whatever was in front of her -
Wait, that was liquorice. Eww, gross. She put it back and grabbed the king size Twix instead. Ooh, it was 3 for $5, score! Remembering Valerie's Reese's at the last moment, Alice grabbed a bag and headed to the counter.
Dino seemed distracted by the security monitor and Alice frowned. Looking around the store didn't take long, and she saw what had caught his attention easily enough. Two men, obviously models and certainly not her security guards, were walking through the store like they exuded confidence and big dick energy so thick she could touch it.
Uh, their confidence, not their dicks.
Oh, dear god, she was thinking about two strangers' dicks.
Turning her attention to Dino, Alice promised herself to get off later that night. She could put aside her worry for Chayton for an hour to play and release her stress and tension. Maybe half an hour. Fifteen minutes might be enough. Well, who needed stress relief, anyway?
"There you are, Alice."
The deep baritone made her think of sex all over again and Alice wondered if her cheeks were burning or if she'd just developed a sunburn indoors.
"We've been looking all over for you, Alice."
The second voice wasn't as deep but just as silky smooth, and Alice clutched the edge of the counter tightly so she wouldn't do something stupid like have an orgasm because of their voices.
Dino frowned at her and the two men behind her. "Are you okay, Alice?" he asked, his hand hovering over the security button.
"Fine!" Alice replied, a bit too loud and high to be believable. "I'm fine, Dino. Can I pay for these now? Val's waiting for me to get back."
"Okay," Dino said, still hesitant to believe her.
Alice couldn't bring herself to turn around and look at the two men. She could feel their body heat behind her, warming her and they probably weren't even standing that close to her. Besides, they'd looked like models from across the shop, so if she looked at them now, she'd probably be disappointed close up. It was the lamest excuse she'd ever told herself.
Alice paid for the chocolates and glanced over her shoulder at the two men. She saw tattoos peeking out from their sleeves, muscles straining beneath fabric, and scruff barely long enough to be called a beard covering both the lower halves of their faces. Goddamn, they were even more gorgeous up close. That sure as fuck wasn't fair.
"I'll be outside in a moment," she said, hoping they'd leave and at least give her a moment to compose herself.
They stepped closer to her, the heat from their bodies imposing rather than warming now, and Alice realised that Honey had said this was meant to look like she was being kidnapped by the organisation. Feeling her blood running cold, Alice wondered just how far they'd go to make it look believable.
Behind the counter, Dino looked ready to press the button, no matter what she said, and Alice very purposely left Val's Reese's on the counter as she took her own Twix bars - like Hell she was leaving those behind.
"Thanks, Dino." Alice nudged her way past one of the men to get to the exit, both of them following after her and escorting her to their car.
"Back seat will do, Alice; we're not going to put you in the trunk," one of the men said with a wry grin as her gaze darted to the boot of the car.
Relieved, Alice swallowed hard and nodded, moving to sit in the backseat. She noticed a second too late that the child lock was engaged on the car, and she futilely tried to open the door again. The other door had the same result, and Alice held her bag tightly, tempted to hit one of them with it, even though it wouldn't get her out of the car any sooner.
"You're really locking me in back here?"
"Just until we're out of the view of cameras. Hourglass provided specific instructions, Alice," one said, at least having the decency to sound apologetic.
The car turned on and Alice tried the window, not entirely surprised to find that it had been locked, too. They were gone a moment later, the corner store getting smaller in the rear window with every passing second.
Alice turned back to the front, nervous and yet, feeling too nauseous to eat. She set the Twix beside her and wondered just how much information Hourglass had given the two men. "Do I get to know your names?"
"I'm Kid, this is Buddy."
Alice blinked in confusion. "Those are your names? Really?"
"Not officially, but we've answered to them for long enough that even Kid's mother calls us by them," Buddy said with a grin in the rear view mirror.
"What about your mother?" Alice asked.
"Wouldn't know her from a bar of soap," Buddy answered.
"Oh. Sorry," Alice said, feeling a little awkward.
"Not your fault, why're you sorry?" Buddy asked, sounding confused as he looked at her in the mirror again.
"Wrong sorry, Bud," Kid said, voice low and gentle.
"Oh. Right. I get my words mixed up sometimes, Alice, but I'm better at everything else," Buddy said, winking at her just to drive the point home.
Alice felt her cheeks heat up a brilliant red, and she decided she could postpone the nausea long enough to eat, after all. It would give her an excuse to stay silent, at the very least.
"Uh... There was a sale, did you want the other Twix bars?" Alice offered, not sure whether she wanted them to take her only source of food even as she held the two bars out to the front seat.
She didn't know when they'd be eating again, but that went for all three of them, so it couldn't hurt to offer, right?
Kid looked surprised at her offer, then grinned. "Sure you don't mind? I can wait 'til we get to the safe house later."
"You can, I can't. That's a damn King size Twix, you don't turn that shit down! Uh... Thank you, dear Alice."
"Thank you, dear Alice," Kid said, smiling back at her.
Alice's heart was flipping stupidly in her chest at that smile, and she was definitely blushing at being called 'dear' - no one had called her that before. Certainly not with a suggestive tone like Buddy, though she had to wonder if she was just projecting. She hadn't had an orgasm in months, and these two guys were hot as sin, so of course she was going to overanalyse every single thing they said and make it seem like they were actually flirting.
They were being paid to be her guards. They were just being nice and trying to keep her calm. That's all. Down, girl.
Unwrapping her Twix and taking a big bite, Alice focused her gaze on the scenery and saw they were almost to her home. Hourglass had said she couldn't take her pillow, which was a damn shame, because it was the perfect size and height for her as a side sleeper, and she'd spent a good three months breaking the damn thing in.
"Holy shit, that was good," Buddy said.
If he'd sounded like sex just talking before, he sounded like a five hour, three-orgasm kind of night now. Shit, no, stop. Bad Alice.
Kid made a moaning sound in agreement that did not help things, and Alice shoved the other Twix finger into her mouth, chewing furiously and hoping like fuck that neither one would look at her.
...
Buddy and Kid swept the house to ensure it was safe before they even let Alice out of the car.
"What if something had happened to you and I was locked in the car?" Alice demanded as soon as they returned, looking absolutely adorable in her outrage, worry, and indignation.
Buddy wondered if she'd taste like caramel and chocolate if he kissed her right then. Kid nudged him, bringing him out of his thoughts about pressing Alice up against the car and tasting every inch of her, and taking his sweet time doing it.
"That's a good point. We'll leave the keys on the front seat for you next time."
"How many times is this going to happen?" Alice asked, narrowing her eyes.
"No idea, but it's something we'll work out later. You have to pack one bag with clothes that won't be missed within fifteen minutes. Preferably less time," Kid added.
Alice swallowed and nodded. "I have a bug-out bag under the bed."
Buddy brightened. "You do?"
Damn, he loved an organised woman.
She nodded, rubbing at her arms as she headed into the house, Buddy and Kid following immediately. "I figured if someone was going to kidnap my son, they might come for me, and I'd need to be prepared. I just... I think I need to add a couple of things to it. Can you bring my computer?"
Kid frowned. "Computer, like... a desktop with a hard drive?"
She nodded. "I have my work on there, I can - "
"Alice, no. If they'll notice your pillow is missing, they'll sure as fuck notice your whole computer is gone."
Her shoulders sagged and she nodded.
Buddy looked around the house curiously. There were photos across the walls, each one of her and her son, presumably, but nothing with a husband or father. "Where's Chayton's father? Why isn't he protecting you?"
"Bud!" Kid hissed at him. "Ignore him, Alice. You don't have to answer."
Buddy didn't get why Kid was angry with him; he was curious and wanted to know, so he'd asked. What was so wrong about that?
"It's all right. I... I met Kevin online. Craigslist lonely hearts, in fact," she added, hoping she didn't look as embarrassed as she sounded. "He left after I'd given birth to Chay."
"After?" Kid asked, frowning.
Alice squared her shoulders, nodding. She had overcome and dealt with snarky comments from her former family, former friends, and complete strangers. She refused to let anyone tell her she'd made a bad decision; giving birth to Chayton was the best choice she'd ever made in her whole life, and Alice didn't regret a single second, even as she steeled herself for whatever Kid and Buddy might have to say about her.
"So he stayed with you during your pregnancy, but left after you'd given birth? Was it weeks or months later?" Kid asked, his curiosity getting the better of him and his earlier warning to Buddy.
Alice felt her shoulders dropping when she realised he was angry at Kevin, not her or her decision. "He left while I was still in hospital," she admitted. "Chayton was three hours old," Alice added, feeling a lump at her throat.
She was over being left alone and a single mother - it had been years since she'd even thought about Kevin, honestly - but some part of her would always get emotional at Chayton's loss of a father so early in his little life. She'd tried to be both mother and father, and even though she'd dated here and there, Alice had never found anyone who appreciated her, Chayton, and Chayton's power. Not to mention the sex always seemed to be subpar, and she could get herself off with far less emotional baggage than dating or sex seemed to require.
"Three hours? What the fuck?" Buddy asked incredulously, looking at Kid to see if he was as pissed as he felt.
Kid forced himself to relax his jaw and unclench his fists. "Buddy, go grab some clothes for Alice. We can't keep standing around like this."
"Can we hunt this asshole down later?"
"Later. If Alice wants us to," Kid added firmly.
Alice looked adorably confused, even as she watched Buddy walk upstairs. "Oh, I can get my clothes. I... Where are we going? Do I need winter or summer clothes?"
Kid tried so very hard not to imagine Alice in a swimsuit and little else, covered in oily sunscreen and shining like a goddess, and... Fuck, he had to calm down. "Uh, winter. Bring a few summer things, just in case we have to move suddenly." Bring your swimsuit, the words on the tip of his tongue, but Alice nodded in determination and hurried upstairs after Buddy.
"I found your bug-out bag, dear Alice. It's an excellent start, but I think you're missing a few important things. Where's your bikini?" Buddy asked over his shoulder, grinning at her.
Alice's face was bright red, she was sure of it, and she kept her hands by her side despite her sudden desire to cover herself, even though she was covered from neck to ankle. "I don't have one, and I seriously doubt I'll have time to go to the beach if I'm running for my life."
"No, but even the most useless hotels have a pool, and swimming can help relieve stress."
Remembering her earlier thought about relieving stress via orgasm, Alice wondered if she could get Buddy to leave her room so she could at least pack one vibrator. The small bullet vibrator, maybe? The one with a remote and Kid and Buddy could use it to tease her and... No. Stop this. Right now. Bad, bad, bad Alice.
"I... I don't have one."
"That's a shame, dear Alice. I'm very good at applying sunscreen, so is Kid. Very thorough," Buddy added, looking her over and making her feel naked all over again.
"That's good," Alice said, her voice almost a croak as her gaze fell to Buddy's very large hands with wonderfully thick fingers.
Buddy wiggled his fingers, grinning when Alice's blush deepened and spread down past the collar of her shirt. "Do you have more clothes you want? I added my favourites."
Seeing a few tags sticking out of the bag, Alice wondered just how far into her closet Buddy had gone - she kept the clothes she'd eventually fit into right at the back. Turning on her heel, she slid the wardrobe open and grabbed a few looser shirts, a pair of jeans, leggings that she could fit into and run in comfortably, and then some jackets and a pullover. It was fraying at the sleeves but it was warm and her favourite one and Alice had a feeling she'd need whatever comfort she could get in the upcoming days. Or maybe it would be longer - weeks, months? Some part of her hated that she felt a thrill of excitement to spend that much time with these two men, even though her son was out there at the hands of an organisation and who knew what he was going through? How awful of a mother was she to be thinking with her libido like this? She had to focus on Chayton; he was her first priority, as he had been even before his actual birth.
"Okay, this should be enough. Do you think there'll be a laundromat to wash these? I don't know how long we'll be there; maybe I should get more?"
"Do you want to carry more, dear Alice?" Buddy asked.
"Oh. That's a good point. This is a heavy jacket, I'll leave it," Alice said, throwing it on the bed with little care.
She doubted she'd be able to come back to get anything once she left, and the organisation had gone to a lot of effort to destroy the belongings and homes of some of the other children's families. The realisation and remembrance of charred houses and supposed "gas explosions" in apartment buildings made Alice feel nauseous.
"Can I get a photo album?"
Buddy shook his head. "Not the whole album, Alice."
"So I can get a photo at least?" Alice clarified, almost desperately. She couldn't leave everything behind to be destroyed. She could choose a single photo of Chayton out of the hundreds she'd taken and developed, she was sure she could.
"One."
Alice nodded, dumped the clothes in Buddy's arms, and ran downstairs for the photo albums. She just had to choose one; she could do that. The one from Chayton's birthday party where he was laughing and happy? The one where he was playing soccer with his friends, his hair flying in the wind? The one where they'd gone to the beach together and he'd tried to surf on the edge of the waves with his boogie board? The one where he had ice cream smeared on his nose and the biggest smile with a missing tooth? Oh, she couldn't choose. How could she?
"Alice dear? Are you all right?" Kid asked, coming to an abrupt stop in the living room where he saw Alice surrounded by photo albums and tears in her eyes.
"I can't choose. I can't leave them behind. It's leaving him behind all over again. I should have been there. I was running late. It was my fault."
Kid cursed softly, kneeling beside Alice and placing a hand on her shoulder gently. "I've seen what the organisation can do, Alice, and I know you've seen it, too. They can cause accidents, detours, and traffic jams as easily as some people can make food. If they wanted you to be delayed, there's nothing and no one who would have stopped them. It's their fault, not yours. They took Chayton from you and if we don't leave soon, they're going to take you, too. You won't ever see Chayton again if they take you, dear Alice. I can't let that happen to you or to Chayton. You have to survive for him, if not for yourself. Can you do that?"
Alice sniffled, wiping her tears on her sleeve, and nodded. She could get herself under control, choose a single photo, and leave to live and stay alive for her son. She could do this.
"Kid, we're going to have company soon!" Buddy called from upstairs, his footsteps heavy on the ceiling above their heads.
Alice knew what photo she had to take. Grabbing the album, she took it out from the plastic carefully, then shoved the rest of the albums into the cupboard haphazardly, hoping it wouldn't seem obvious that she'd taken anything. It needed to look like she'd been kidnapped, not taken photos and clothes; she would take the damn organisation down if it was the last thing she ever did.
"Okay, I'm ready."
Kid was curious about the photo she'd chosen, but didn't want to intrude on her privacy.
Buddy stopped in the doorway, grinning. "I found your underwear, dear Alice. I'm definitely attracted to those baby blue cotton granny knickers you bought, but that hot pink silk pair was amazing. I added both."
Alice wanted the earth to open up and swallow her whole.
"Jesus, Buddy. Not the time," Kid muttered; so much for Alice's privacy.
"Did you at least get a bra?" Alice asked with a sigh.
"Yes, the ones at the front, and the matching hot pink one that was hidden at the back."
"I don't fit in that pair, which is why they were at the back," Alice said, trying to sound stern rather than annoyed; they were expensive and the stupid site's measurements were off - she'd even measured herself to make sure it would all fit!
"No problem; you won't be in them for long," Buddy said with a broad grin and intense gaze.
Kid had to get control of this before Buddy fucked up - or fucked Alice - and he stood, stalking over to Buddy, and dragging him out of Alice's sight. "Stop, Buddy. It's not helping, and Alice isn't ready for this."
"She seems interested. Pupils dilated, licking her lips, nipples going hard, and I saw her squeezing her thighs together before; her body is responding to everything, Kid."
"And what about her mind, Bud? Alice isn't ready emotionally or mentally."
Buddy faltered and he frowned. "I forgot about that part."
"I know, Bud. C'mon, we've gotta go, right? How long 'til we get that company?"
"Uh, five minutes," Buddy said, looking at his watch.
"Shit. Okay, get the bag out to the car. I'll bring Alice."
Buddy nodded firmly, holstering the duffel bag on his shoulder and heading out to the car.
Kid went back to Alice and held out a hand with a smile. "Sorry about Buddy, dear Alice. We have to go."
Alice took Kid's hand, surprised when he actually lifted her to her feet. No one had been able to do that, not even the personal trainer she'd gone to once and never returned to after that disastrous gym session. Their laughter still rang in her ears sometimes, though she'd tried to ignore it then and every time she'd heard it in her own mind since.
"Ready, dear Alice?" Kid asked, kind and gentle. "We might have to drive fast, but we'll make sure you get out of here, no matter what," he said, his thumb stroking the back of her hand and making her feel just as hot and flustered as Buddy's flirting.
Alice doubted Kid was even aware that he was doing it. It wasn't fair. Did Hourglass do this on purpose? She'd found two men she was attracted to, who seemed to be interested in flirting with her at the very least, and she couldn't have them.
"I'm ready."
...
Two hours, one epic car chase, three car changes, and one particularly intense game of hide and seek later, they were finally at a safe house. Once Buddy and Kid had confirmed they were safe and no longer being chased, Alice's shock and adrenaline had worn off. At that moment, she was asleep in the bedroom, snoring in a way that reminded Kid of Buddy.
"I'm glad you're all safe now. Did you find the instructions on how to get to the next safe house?" Honey asked, looking between Kid and Buddy.
"The ones in the bright red envelope? Yeah, we found them. So would've anyone who got here before us," Buddy said; car chases pissed him off and he'd need a few more hours to calm down.
"I knew no one would; the safe house won't be linked to you three until Thursday."
"It's Wednesday, Hourglass. We only get twenty-four hours here?" Kid asked, running a hand through his hair and obviously not as calm as he'd hoped.
"Fifteen, to be precise. There won't be any more car chases if you leave on time, though," she added, as though to assuage her own guilt.
"Hourglass, about Alice - " Buddy started, interrupted by her phone ringing.
Honey winced at the sound; she'd forgotten to turn it to silent, and this was an important call for Zach about Maxville Fashion Week. "Hold that thought, Buddy," she said, pausing the camera and muting herself before answering the call.
"What about Alice, Bud?" Kid asked, tense and stern.
"Honey gave us a file and a headshot so we'd recognise her, but there was nothing in the file about how gorgeous she is. We should've been warned; I've been rock fucking hard for hours."
Kid glanced down and saw the bulge of Buddy's dick straining against the front of his jeans. "Fuck me."
"Thought you'd never ask," Buddy said, grinning broadly.
"Alice really got you this hard, Bud?"
"Well, you did, too. I like watching you handle vehicles the way you did today."
"With lots of swearing?" Kid asked with a grin.
"Competently. The swearing wasn't all bad, though. Lots of variations on 'fuck'; you're lucky I didn't take it as a direction," Buddy added, his eyes dark as he watched Kid lick his lips at the thought. "I think I'd like to fuck Alice while you watch. You'd like that, wouldn't you, Kid?"
"Fuck... We can't do this, Bud. She's in the next room."
"If you'd let me flirt with her properly, Alice could be in this room with us right now. Maybe with your head between her legs. The blue panties get you all hot, don't they? Like the thought of that, don't you, Kid?"
Kid couldn't stop from sinking to his knees any more than he could stop the groan that left his mouth or the thoughts that filled his head at Buddy's words. "We're not doing this every day, Bud."
Honey wondered if there was any point in telling the two men that they needed to mute their side before talking about sex like that. She sighed and shook her head, turning her microphone and camera back on. "Thanks for waiting. You were saying?"
"Uh, I forgot it. We'll call at the next safe house, Hourglass."
"Good night, gentlemen," Honey said, ending the call before she saw more than she already had.
Kid had his mouth full and didn't reply.
...
Alice woke up to the sound of her stomach rumbling, and frowned, trying to remember where she was and what had happened. When was the last time she'd eaten? Reaching out for her bedside table, she hissed as her hand hit a wall instead. Sitting up abruptly, Alice saw she was in a plain room and certainly not hers, and remembered what had happened the day before. Buddy and Kid had taken her from everything she'd ever known to save her life, and hopefully reunite her with her son one day. Her head aching, stomach rumbling, and now her bladder calling for attention, Alice slipped out of the bed and went to find aspirin, the kitchen, and a bathroom, and not in that order.
Passing by the other bedroom, Alice saw Buddy and Kid in bed together, Kid curled up against Buddy's bare chest with Buddy's arm wrapped around him. Buddy had thick dark hair on his chest and arms, looking like a teddy bear, and Kid had fair hair in the warm light from the hallway. The tattoos that she'd seen earlier covered their body, works of art in black and white across Kid, and bold colours and pastel watercolours splayed across Buddy's skin.
It was like a weird version of Goldilocks and a bear, and Jesus fucking Christ, what would that fairy tale look like? This cock was too big, this was too small, and this one was just right? Stifling a laugh at the thought, and her bladder's urgency increased now, Alice turned and hurried to find the bathroom.
After finally finding the bathroom, Alice made her way to the kitchen, and had her head in the refrigerator when she heard a noise behind her. She turned abruptly to see Kid standing there with his jeans low on his hips and Alice's brain shorted out at the sight.
"Are you all right, Alice?" Kid asked, looking exhausted and alert at the same time.
Alice tore her gaze away from Kid's happy trail of hair leading down into his jeans, and realised he'd asked her a question. "I'm... I was hungry."
"Oh. Yeah, fuck, we didn't eat, did we? Here, let me turn the light on and we'll find something," Kid said, flipping the switch before Alice could protest. She blinked in the light, but Kid moved into the kitchen like the sudden change didn't bother him. "I don't know if there's anything here, to be honest; it's Hourglass' safe house, not ours. Bud always makes sure we have protein bars, at the very least," he muttered, starting to look through the cupboards.
Deciding it was a good idea, Alice started looking in the cupboards, too. "You have your own safe house?"
"Three, actually. One's in France, the other two are in the US."
"Can I ask where?"
"Oh, I could tell you, but then I'd have to kiss you."
Alice looked over at Kid abruptly, but his head was hidden behind a door. Did he say kiss?! The saying was 'kill' wasn't it? So... she'd misheard him. Yeah. That made more sense.
"Ah, here we go. I've got spaghetti and sun-dried tomatoes. Anything in your cupboard?" Kid asked.
"Oil. It's unopened, but it looks like it's been in here for years," Alice added, wincing at the thick layer of dust she wiped off the bottle.
"Possibly. If it's unopened, I think we can risk it. Same goes for the spaghetti and tomatoes. It'll be plain, but edible."
"I don't care; I've been living on ramen for the last six months, unless someone does a potluck at the office. I think Val did them mostly so I could eat vegetables that didn't come in a freeze-dried packet," Alice admitted.
She'd forgotten to eat a meal here or there, but what did it matter in the end? She had important things to do, and eating cold instant noodles wasn't the end of the world. No, she'd already experienced the end of her world when Chayton had been taken away.
"Can I get the oil, dear Alice?" Kid asked, his smooth voice distracting her from her thoughts, and she realised just how close he was standing to her, his body radiating warmth that she wanted to lean into and let it envelope her.
He must have been warm with Buddy, she realised, and the memory of them curled up together made her realise they were probably together, too. Did that mean they were gay? Was all of Buddy's flirting a gay guy thing? She had no idea, but she remembered the gay best friend trope on TV shows, and those guys flirted with their best friends. There had to be some sort of truth to it, if all of the shows did it, right? So... they weren't flirting with her.
"Uh, yeah, sure. Here," Alice said, turning and holding the bottle out, hoping he didn't see how mortified she felt at thinking two guys as good looking as them would actually flirt with someone like her.
"Thanks. Are you all right, dear Alice?" Kid asked, frowning.
"I'm... I'm not wearing pants," Alice realised, eyes wide. She'd left the bedroom in nothing but a shirt; she'd been too exhausted to change into actual pyjamas (Jesus, did she actually pack any?) once they'd arrived.
"I'm not complaining," Buddy said from the doorway, his eyes dark as he looked at her and his voice thick, Alice turning abruptly.
He was still waking up, which is why his voice sounded rough, and his eyes were dark because... uh, something about the light? Yeah, that was bullshit, but she had to believe something; they were gay, and together, and she was Alice.
She tugged on the shirt hem, which exposed more of her chest, and dear God, they were both looking at her. She could feel Kid's gaze on her thighs and Buddy's eyes were focused on her chest like a heat missile.
"Uh. Excuse me."
"No need to excuse yourself, dear Alice. At all."
"Buddy," Kid said firmly. "Help me find a pot for the spaghetti; Alice wants to get changed and be comfortable. Let her pass."
Buddy scowled at Kid. "You're lucky I love you, depriving me of those gorgeous legs. You look even better than my dreams, dear Alice," he said with a wink and another obvious once over.
Okay, so he wasn't gay? Somewhat gay? Did it matter? He was with Kid and no way was she going to wreck their relationship.
"Hurry back, dear Alice. I'll keep him under control," Kid promised.
Alice couldn't find her voice and just nodded, hurrying past Buddy and hoping her cheeks weren't as pink as the underwear he'd packed.
Buddy turned to Kid with a frown when he saw Kid filling a pot with water. "You already know where the pots are, Kid."
"I needed you out of the way; Alice was uncomfortable, Bud."
"Uncomfortably wet."
Kid sighed and turned off the faucet. "And emotionally?"
"Fuck emotion and let's fuck her instead. She's going to be so fucking good for us, you know she is, Kid."
Alice needed food before anything else. Kid put the pot on the heating stovetop, added the spaghetti, and put the lid on the pot before he turned his attention back to Buddy. "November 18th."
Buddy went still at Kid's words. Kid knew it was cruel, but sometimes Buddy needed the reminder of the worst fucking night and fight of their lives to make him remember that other people's feelings mattered, too.
"I'm better, Kid. I am."
"I know, Bud. You're doing better than you would've back then, but Alice isn't ready. She needs time. We've taken her away from everything: her home, her friends, her job. We're taking her to see her son, but we don't even know how long it will be before she sees him again. Right now, Alice probably needs him more than she needs either of us."
"But... We can be good for her, too. I know we can, Kid. We can help."
"How?" Kid asked, folding his arms over his chest.
"We can take her mind off everything," Buddy said earnestly.
"How do you know that's what she wants? You haven't even asked Alice, Bud. She might not want any of this. And not discussing things is why November 18th happened."
Buddy's expression fell entirely.
"Think about it while you find bowls for us to eat, okay?" Kid prompted, knowing that Buddy would need a task to help him focus.
Nodding, Buddy started looking for the bowls through the cupboards.
Alice returned a few minutes later with leggings on and a baggy pullover on top of the pyjama shirt. She'd been tempted to put her shoes on, in case they needed to run, but hoped that whoever was chasing them would need sleep, too.
"Can I help with anything?" Alice asked, seeing Buddy going through the cupboards with precision and a focus that she could almost envy.
"Almost done, dear Alice. The table might need to be dusted down, if you really want," Kid added, seeing her fidget with her sweater's hem.
She nodded, relieved to have a task. Kid tipped most of the pasta water down the drain, then added the whole jar of sun-dried tomatoes, oil and all. Alice could hear her stomach growling and hoped the two men didn't hear it as well.
"Found the bowls," Buddy announced proudly.
Alice had seen those while looking for food, and hadn't thought to take them out of the cupboard. Oops.
"Thank you, Buddy. Wash and dry, then the food will be ready. The cutlery should be in the top drawer," Kid said, nodding over to it.
"I can get them," Alice said, the table and chairs clean.
"Thank you, Alice," Buddy said.
He didn't call her 'dear', Alice realised, trying not to feel disappointed. She nodded briefly and went to the drawers to find cutlery. Three forks of varying sizes, an abundance of tiny spoons that weren't even teaspoons, and a bread knife.
"Three forks, lucky us," Alice said, hoping she sounded more upbeat than she felt.
"I'll wash them," Buddy offered, holding a wet hand out for the cutlery.
Alice couldn't help but think of his hand being wet for a whole other reason and forced herself to hand the forks over instead of doing something irreparable like destroy their relationship because of her stupid damn libido.
"Kid? Strategy meeting."
Alice and Kid both frowned as Buddy all but threw the forks in the sink, grabbed Kid, and hauled him over to the corner of the room.
Alice busied herself by looking after the pot of food, the noise of hot oil annoyingly covering up whatever Buddy and Kid were whispering about.
"What the hell, Bud?"
"She looked!"
"At what?"
"My hand. Alice looked and her pupils dilated."
"You can be attracted to someone but not want to have sex with them," Kid said. "We haven't discussed anything, Bud. She might just want one of us, what about that?"
Buddy frowned. "But we both want her."
"Yes, and what does that matter to her?"
"Food's ready," Alice called over to them.
"We're coming," Kid replied.
Buddy could practically see Alice's lust from here. He didn't understand why they weren't just fucking Alice against the kitchen counter already; it was clear she wanted them, what was wrong with doing what they all wanted?
Alice dried the washed bowls, washed and dried the forks, and even served up the food. She jumped when Buddy crowded up behind her to grab a bowl from the counter.
"Thank you, dear Alice."
Oh, good. Everything was all right again.
"Can you bring Kid's bowl, please? I'll take the cutlery," Buddy added, grabbing the forks before she could protest.
"I can carry my own bowl, Bud."
"You need to get drinks; you can carry three glasses at once, I can't."
"Thank you, Kid," Alice said with a smile.
Kid was sure Buddy was doing something, but didn't know what. He found drinks and carried them to the table as fast as he could, finding himself seated next to Alice with Buddy across from them and his elbows sprawled as wide as possible to ensure he couldn't sit next to him. Considering how neat Buddy usually sat, Kid glared at him as he set the glasses down.
"Thank you for the food, Kid."
"You're welcome, dear Alice. It's not up to my usual standard, but I hope it's enjoyable nonetheless," Kid said, ensuring to smile at her.
"We'll have to invite you to dinner, dear Alice. Kid would've been a chef if he didn't get through the SEALs with me," Buddy said, his food still untouched.
"Oh, really? Do you have a favourite dish?"
Kid could talk about food for hours and Buddy knew it, but he wasn't sure if this was his plan. Having Alice's full attention on him was certainly no hardship, though, and Kid couldn't help but preen under the attention. He also couldn't help but see the things Buddy had already pointed out: Alice's dilated pupils, licking her lips, her gaze falling to his mouth, and he could even see her hardened nipples despite her sweater. Fucking hell, Buddy was an ass.
Buddy took a mouthful right as Kid glared at him, chewing and swallowing. "Mmm. Fuck me, this is good," he groaned.
Kid went still. He recognised that tone. That was Buddy's 'fuck me right now' tone of voice and he'd sworn to never use it outside of the bedroom... That absolute fucker.
"It is nice, isn't it? I think it's the oil and salt from the sun-dried tomatoes," Alice said quickly, her cheeks pink as though she recognised the tone, too.
"God, Kid, you're good."
Kid could excuse himself now. He could leave and Buddy would probably follow him if he wanted sex more than food. But what if he was doing this to tease poor Alice?
Alice looked between them, Buddy moaning like he was trying to have a literal foodgasm, and Kid looking like he wanted to jump the table. Whether it would be to throttle or kiss Buddy was yet to be determined. Maybe they wanted someone to watch their weird flirting over food thing? Maybe they'd want to have sex while she watched? She'd probably do it... ah, who was she kidding? She'd definitely do it, and probably thank them for the masturbation material for the rest of her life. But what if that was it? They just wanted her to watch them and then leave? Wham, bam, no, thank you, ma'am. It didn't matter who it was, they could do this with anyone watching, and she didn't matter. Jesus, what did it matter, anyway? She'd known them for maybe 12 hours! The thought sobered her and Alice was overcome with a sudden need to leave the room, a lump thick in her throat.
"Excuse me," Alice barely whispered the words, but she grabbed her bowl and left, the silence deafening behind her.
Buddy knew he'd definitely fucked up when Kid glared at him, grabbed his own bowl and left for their room.
Ah, fuck.
...
A week and two safe houses later, Alice determined she was in her own personal Hell. She was stuck with two gorgeous men who were not only in a relationship with each other, but one of them was blatantly flirting with her while the other was clearly trying to give her space. They also weren't talking to each other unless absolutely necessary, and she didn't know what was wrong.
Maybe Kid didn't like Buddy flirting with her? Did he think she was trying to break them up or something? Did Kid actually hate her and giving her space was a thinly-veiled excuse to get away from her instead? If that was the case, why did he keep staring at her? She was sure it wasn't hatred or disgust on his face, but she'd known Kid for a week, so what did she know about his emotions and how they displayed on his face?
One of the tablets in the kitchen started to ring and Alice looked over to see Hourglass' name appear on the screen.
"It's Hourglass," Alice called, both men heading in her direction from their current opposite sides of the house.
Oh, yeah, did she mention they were also avoiding each other like children?
"Hourglass, is everything all right?" Kid asked as soon as he'd answered her call.
Honey raised an eyebrow at him and Buddy, a significant space left between them. "You tell me."
Kid frowned. "Pardon?"
"Why did I wake up at three in the goddamn morning because you're being morons and jeopardising my mission?"
Buddy and Kid both looked confused. Beside them, even Alice looked confused.
Honey wished she could use Craig's teleportation just to shake these idiots by the shoulders. She'd need a step-stool to reach Buddy's shoulders, but that wasn't the point. She wanted to tell them to talk to Alice properly about their intentions, but Honey knew that discussion wouldn't go well before she'd reunited with Chayton, which was frustrating on all counts.
"You two aren't talking to each other, even if you think you're talking to each other, and you're going to put Alice in danger if you don't get over yourselves very fucking soon. You've got two days to work your shit out," Honey snapped, ending the call before they could argue with her.
Alice looked between Kid and Buddy, then realised her presence probably wasn't helping if Kid really did hate her. "I'll give you some space."
Buddy and Kid both watched her leave, their gazes drawn to her voluptuous ass in those skin-tight leggings and sweater that clung to the curve of her body and ass with pure envy.
"I already apologised, Kid."
"I know, and I still don't forgive you. It was uncalled for."
Buddy nodded. "I won't do it again. Bedroom only, like I promised."
"You have to apologise to Alice, too. You saw her run off, you probably scared her."
Buddy had gone to check on Alice after Kid had left and had heard sounds through the thin door that made him think that scared hadn't been what she'd felt, but he didn't know how to tell Kid that without sounding like a creeper. "I'll apologise. What if she doesn't forgive me, too?"
"You accept that, move on, and be a professional. We're not putting Alice in danger over this."
"Never," Buddy agreed quickly. "You have to apologise to Alice, too."
Kid frowned at him. "Why?"
"You've been leaving the room any time Alice walks in; I don't think she likes it."
"I'm leaving so you don't pull that same shit as last time."
"I know that; Alice doesn't."
Kid thought about it for a moment, then buried his head in his hands. "Fucking hell, you're right."
"I'm right about several things," Buddy muttered, then held his hands up when Kid glared at him. "But I'll take your word for the emotional thing."
"Good. Let's go find Alice."
"It's an apartment with three rooms and a bathroom; she's going to be in her bedroom."
Kid didn't bother pointing out it had been a rhetorical statement, and took Buddy's hand as they headed to Alice's room. He knocked on Alice's door, waiting for an answer that didn't come. "Alice?"
"Behind you. I needed the bathroom. Are you both okay?" Alice asked, looking between them and glad they were holding hands, at the very least.
"We're fine. I need to apologise. I was leaving the room because Buddy was being a dick, not because of anything you did. I'm sorry for upsetting you, dear Alice."
Kid's apology and earnest expression made Alice's knees weak. It was ridiculous to feel that way because of an apology, but maybe it was because of her relief, too? She hadn't done anything wrong; he didn't hate her.
"I'm sorry as well, dear Alice. I still don't know what I did wrong, but it upset you, and that's the last thing I want to do to you," Buddy said.
How on earth did he make an apology sound sexual?!
"It's okay. I'm just the person you're protecting. Whatever you two do outside of that time is none of my business, right?" she said with a grin she didn't feel.
In her mind both Kid and Buddy would disagree, say she was important to them beyond a job, and then give her mind-blowing orgasms for the next six hours.
"That's not right, dear Alice," Buddy said, frowning.
Hope filled her and she looked between them. "What do you mean?"
"We're protecting you 24/7."
She wasn't disappointed, she'd known it wouldn't work outside of her head. Alice just needed to remember that they were Greek gods come to life and she was something to be scraped off the bottom of their shoe.
"Right. Okay. Can I get in my room now?"
"But, Alice, we want - " Kid started to say.
Alice cut him off, suddenly exhausted and not at all emotionally ready to hear what they wanted when it clearly wasn't her. "I want to sleep. I'm tired and we have to leave early for the next safehouse, right?"
"All right. Rest well, dear Alice. We'll see you at midnight."
"The next safehouse should be the last one we have to move to. We can talk at the next safehouse, right?" Buddy asked.
"Sure. Good night," Alice said, slipping past Kid and Buddy, closing the door behind her.
Buddy and Kid looked at each other in confusion, heading back to the kitchen to organise food for their midnight start.
They were silent for some time, until Buddy looked over at Kid. "Did I say something wrong again, Kid? We're protecting her 24/7, so that means whatever we do is her business, doesn't it?" he asked.
"It does to us. Maybe she doesn't know that. We'll talk at the next safehouse, like you said," Kid replied, sighing.
"How? It's the second time Alice has left when we're trying to talk to her about this and us."
Kid didn't know the answer and just shook his head.
...
Alice had fallen asleep in her leggings, sweater, and shoes. As soon as there was a knock on her door, she was sitting upright and trying to get off the bed at the same time. Woozy from standing so quickly, she ignored the sensation the best she could and grabbed her bag. "Coming!"
The room didn't stop spinning and she staggered, grabbing for something, anything, to keep her upright. The room was bare and she fell to her knees instead, letting out a curse of pain and frustration.
"Alice? I'm opening the door," Buddy said, opening the door when she didn't call out to stop him. "What happened? Are you all right?" he asked, kneeling beside her and checking her over carefully.
"I'm... I stood up too quickly, I got dizzy. I'm fine."
"You haven't eaten properly since we came here; that's on us. We should treat you better, dear Alice," Buddy murmured, standing and scooping her up into his arms.
"I'm too heavy, I can walk. Put me down, Buddy."
"You just fell over trying to walk, dear Alice, so I'm not risking it. Besides, I get you in my arms like this, and don't think I'm giving up that privilege so easily."
Alice hoped her sweater wouldn't slip over her shoulder; Buddy would never let it go if he knew she was wearing the hot pink bra.
"I've got Alice, Kid. Can you get her bag?" Buddy asked as he entered the kitchen, setting Alice on the counter to check her legs.
"Buddy, what are you doing?" Kid asked, looking between them.
"Alice fell over; I'm making sure she's not hurt. Did you bring more leggings, dear Alice?" Buddy asked as Kid hurried to get Alice's bag from her room.
"Yes, why?"
"Because these are worn thin and the carpet burn put a hole in them. Also, I'm going to rip them off you."
"What?"
Buddy grinned at her. "Don't worry, I'll be gentle, dear Alice."
She should have worn the blue panties; these pink ones did nothing when she was this close to Buddy and he was flirting with her. Alice barely heard the sound of her leggings being ripped apart, her gaze caught on Buddy's and she couldn't look away.
"I've got your bag, dear Alice. Can I help Buddy undress you or am I interrupting the moment?" Kid asked.
Alice looked at Kid in surprise; she definitely hadn't misheard him this time. Kid looked hopeful and his hand joined Buddy's where it was curled around her calf, their combined warmth like a brand on her skin.
An alarm started to sound behind them, Alice jumping at the sound.
"I... uh, I can get dressed. It's not a bad carpet burn; I've had worse," she said quickly, her cheeks as bright as her bra.
Realising that the alarm meant they had to finalise their preparations as well, Buddy and Kid reluctantly let go of Alice, and continued packing their meagre belongings into their duffel bag.
Alice ducked around the counter to change her leggings, wincing when the new pair pulled against the scraped skin on her leg. If she had to run, she'd slow them down.
"Ready, dear Alice?" Kid asked.
"Ready," Alice said once she pulled her shoes on.
"Good," Buddy said, lifting her into his arms with ease. "Go, Kid."
Kid let his gaze linger for a second before shouldering their bags and heading for the front door. The midnight air was cold and crisp, and Alice curled in closer to Buddy's chest, exceptionally glad for his warmth right then.
"Almost there, dear Alice. We need to get you a beanie, hey? Grey to match your sweater or hot pink to match that bra you're wearing?" Buddy asked with a wink as he settled her in the back seat of the car.
Alice didn't get a chance to reply as Buddy closed the door, spinning on his heel and blocking her view from whatever had drawn his attention.
"Shit. Kid, drive! Alice, down!" Buddy called, drawing a gun out of his holster and shooting at something.
"Fuck. Buddy, get in!" Kid yelled back at him.
Alice couldn't open the door. It was still stuck on the child lock. She couldn't open the door and Buddy was out there with someone possibly shooting at him. What if he got shot and all she could do was stare because she couldn't open the goddamn fucking door?!
"Open the door! Kid, Buddy, open the door! Goddamn it, open the door!" Alice practically screamed, pushing the button for the window and planning on... what, pulling Buddy inside that tiny space? Not even Chayton could fit through that, for fuck's sakes.
"I'll get him, Alice. Reach over for Buddy's door. Can you open it?" Kid asked, revving the car and looking in the mirrors.
She could. She would. She had to. They weren't leaving Buddy. Not because of her. She wouldn't lose Buddy, too. Alice squished herself against Buddy's seat, pressing herself against it as firmly as she could, her fingertips reaching between the gap between his seat and the door handle. Her arm was stuck and straining, oxygen was burning in her lungs as she couldn't breathe while pressed against the headrest, but she didn't care. She was getting the fucking door open, no matter if she had to break her arm to do it. Alice lurched as Kid started to drive.
"No, Kid! Don't leave him behind!"
"I'm not. Promise. Door, Alice."
There were tears in her eyes and her arm was throbbing in pain. She couldn't reach the handle. Her stupid arms were too short and her body was too fat and she couldn't do it.
There was another gunshot behind them, Alice jumping and turning this way and that, trying to see if Buddy was all right. Was he shot or was he shooting?
"Alice, focus! Door!" Kid said, the car locked into a spin with smoke starting to come from the exhaust and tyres.
Alice wiped her eyes quickly. She had to focus. They had to get Buddy. She couldn't reach the handle. She needed something to catch it or grab it or... her bra. The arm loop was large enough, it could hook on the handle and she could pull it back with one hand and push the door open with her other one. She could do that. She'd played the horseshoe game a million times in college. This just had more life or death consequences, rather than a free pint of beer.
Unclasping her bra and pulling it out from her sweater sleeves, Alice pressed herself against the passenger seat again, taking a steadying breath as she flicked her wrist. The bra strap flopped back as Kid cursed, swerved, and another gunshot rang out. Alice tried again, missed, then tried again, and again, and again once more when the car steadied in its loop around the parking lot again, the strap finally slipping on the handle.
"Got it!" Alice called, yanking her bra back with her left hand and pressing on the door as hard as she could with her awkwardly placed right hand.
The door inched open slowly, far too slowly for her liking, and Alice pushed harder, ignoring the pain in her wrist as a result. Buddy could get shot, an aching wrist was nothing. Another gunshot rang out, and Alice cried out as she pushed even harder still, the door finally swinging open and taking her bra along with it.
"Hold on, Bud!" Kid yelled, swerving the car abruptly.
Alice was thrown from her seat to the other side of the car, and before she could right herself, Buddy was in his seat, his legs hanging out of the car door. He pulled his legs in, grabbed the door, and slammed it closed.
"Drive!"
Kid didn't need to be told twice, pressing the accelerator down flat and tearing out of the parking lot.
They were all silent for a long moment, Buddy and Kid both checking the mirrors, and Alice staying low in case the shooter would go for her head while they were making their getaway.
Alice felt like she didn't start breathing again until they hit the freeway and merged with traffic, no one on their tail, and her assailant nowhere in sight.
"Alice dear? I think this belongs to you," Buddy said, holding her bra out with a grin. "I'm happy to keep it, of course."
Alice sat up and took her bra back, her cheeks the same bright pink colour.
"So, are you wearing the matching panties?" Buddy asked, looking her over even as she put her bra on under her sweater.
Alice sighed. "I'm glad you're alive, Buddy, but unless you want to tell me about your underwear - "
"Since you're asking and clearly interested: I go commando, dear Alice. Same goes for Kid, ever since he met me. I'm happy for you to wear that little number or nothing at all. It'll end up the same way, if I have any say in it."
Calling his bluff obviously hadn't worked, and now she was thinking of both of them going commando. Damn it.
"Buddy, calm down. Did you get a look at the shooter?" Kid asked.
"They weren't shooting. It was me and they were warning shots. It was a kid, Kid."
"What?! Was it Chayton?" Alice asked, leaning forward on her seat.
Buddy shook his head. "Nah, this was a girl and older than Chayton. Or at least taller."
"Anything else descriptive? I know what most of the stolen kids look like; she could be one of them."
"She was wearing a big metal collar around her neck that's gonna give me nightmares, so yeah, I'd say she's one of the stolen kids."
Alice swallowed hard and sat back. What on earth was the organisation doing to these kids? What was her poor Chayton going through?
...
They needed to stop at a hotel on the way to the safehouse to ensure they didn't compromise the safehouse's location. While the hotel was deemed safe, the air conditioner was broken, and the ceiling fan had two modes: barely moving or death blades. Despite the rest of the continent experiencing winter, this town was surrounded by desert and winter was almost non-existent for them. The hotel was extra super insulated with exposed brick and it was just as hot inside as it was outside. Alice sweated through her sweater, probably ruined her leggings, and wished she'd brought her summer bug-out bag as well.
"I'll go find a fan for you, dear Alice. Kid can find food for us," Buddy added.
Alice made a soft noise of agreement from where she'd decided to hole up to escape the unbearable heat: the bathroom's bathtub. She didn't fill it with water, mainly because it would take forever to climb out while fully clothed, and she didn't have a swimsuit. She refused to entertain Buddy's suggestion of staying in the tub in her underwear, mostly because she was sure he'd think of an excuse to join her.
"We'll be back soon, dear Alice," Kid promised.
She made another sound of agreement, though she didn't know if they heard, and soon the bathroom door and hotel room door closed behind them. Alice closed her eyes, determined to sleep and not let the heat bother her.
She wouldn't strip, she wouldn't strip, she wouldn't strip and have a cool shower while they were on the run and might have to leave the hotel at a moment's notice. Damn, a cold shower sounded amazing. If Buddy and Kid were both gone, she could have a cold shower and get off without them being in the next room. The thought was tempting but also required more energy than Alice had in this awful heat.
Dozing off, Alice startled awake when the hotel door closed, the sound loud in the silence around her.
Had Buddy and Kid returned? Why hadn't they called out to let her know they'd come back? What if it wasn't Buddy or Kid? She was in a bathroom in the bathtub with nothing to protect herself. Looking around the bathroom, Alice wondered if she could make a weapon out of a hotel towel. Maybe if it was wet, that hurt, right?
Kid tried to keep quiet as he organised lunch for them all, mindful of Alice finally sleeping in the bathroom after the disastrous night to get to wherever the hell they were. The food was technically breakfast for them, but it was also closer to 1pm than morning, so burgers and fries would have to suffice. Besides, it was the only thing the diner would do takeaway, apart from the pies. He just had to think of a way to serve up the pie and cream without letting Buddy proposition Alice with the cream.
As he was closing the door on the hotel's bar fridge, he heard the bathroom door open behind him, and looked over to see Alice armed with a towel and toilet brush.
"Are you all right, Alice?"
Her eyes widened when she saw Kid standing in the kitchenette. She dropped the towel and brush, feeling mortified. "I didn't know who'd come in. I thought... I thought you were still out with Buddy."
"He's having trouble finding a fan; he'll be back soon. How exactly were you planning on attacking me with a toilet brush?" Kid asked curiously.
"I don't know. It was better than nothing."
Kid conceded with a nod. "True. I imagine the bristles would hurt. If you have time, I can show you the potential weapons in a bathroom."
"I couldn't get the shower curtain off."
"Oh, no, that would be noisy and attract attention. The top of the toilet cistern can be removed, often as simply as taking the button off."
"Huh?" Alice asked eloquently.
"If you remove the flush button on the toilet, you can lift the top section of the cistern off. You do need at least a minute to do that, though, so don't do it if you're in a rush."
"Okay. Can you show me? After food," she added, her gaze falling to the burger and fries with a hunger that Kid envied.
"Of course, Alice dear."
"Uh, I'll just put these back. And wash my hands," Alice said, wrinkling her nose when she realised her hands were wet from the brush.
Ewww.
Kid just grinned and turned to get their drinks back out of the bar fridge.
...
Buddy had finally found a fan. It had taken him far too many stores, far too many hours, and he might have threatened someone at the last store. He wasn't even sure they were an employee, but someone muttering "tourists" in a scornful voice had been the last damn straw, and he still hadn't slept or eaten after being attacked by the collared child last night, so...
The point was, he now had a pedestal fan for Alice.
Buddy hauled the thing up to the hotel room, knocking with his foot when he realised he'd given his swipe card to Kid.
"Buddy? Where've you been?" Kid asked after checking the peephole and opening the door.
"I found a fan for Alice."
"Thank you, Buddy," Alice said, her eyes widening when she saw the state of him and the pedestal fan that had metallic streamers attached to it. "Uh, does the Super Smart Store know you have one of their pedestal fans?"
"Someone knows. No one stopped me," Buddy muttered.
Alice didn't know whether to laugh or worry that Buddy had stolen a pedestal fan for her. It would draw attention to them, surely, but it was also so very sweet of him. Poor Buddy was clearly at the end of his patience and energy. She doubted he'd eaten since he'd left, and he hadn't had anything since yesterday. "Let me get your lunch, okay?"
"Okay. I'll plug this in," Buddy said, looking around for an outlet.
"Uh, I might do that. You need a shower, Bud," Kid said, guiding him to the bathroom without letting him protest.
"Okay."
"I'll be in in a minute to make sure you haven't drowned," Kid added, looking concerned.
Buddy didn't bother saying he was fine; if Kid wanted to peek at him in the shower, he needed to come up with better excuses. He stripped off slowly, wincing at the peeling motion of most of his sweat-soaked clothes, and climbed into the shower, turning the water on, and closing his eyes for a moment.
"Bud? Hey, c'mon, wake up. Move your ass so I can turn the water off," Kid groused, reaching around him to smack at the lever for the water. "There. Come on, Buddy, climb out. Careful, it's wet. There you go. Alice dear, can you bring some water? Cold, he needs the shock."
"Is this cold enough - oh," Alice stopped short, looking up at the ceiling while Kid struggled to wrap a towel around Buddy's waist.
Buddy grinned when he saw Alice glance down at him again, her cheeks a delightful pink colour. More importantly, he was damned thirsty and she was still holding the water bottle. "Can I have the water now, dear Alice?"
"Oh. Yes. Here. Are you all right, Buddy? Is it my fault because of the fan?" she asked, biting her lip and looking up at him in worry.
Buddy drank the water down deeply, too focused to reply.
"It was Buddy's fault for not coming back after the first store. How many did you go to, Bud?" Kid asked, the towel finally in place.
"Five, I think. I don't even remember the Super whatever-it-was-called Store."
"I'm sorry, Buddy. You've probably got heatstroke because of me."
Buddy frowned at Alice in confusion. "It wasn't your fault; I went to the stores, not you."
"But you went because of me. You wouldn't have bothered with a fan if it wasn't for me, right?"
Buddy shrugged. "You weren't comfortable with the death blade setting and that first setting just moved hot air around. I wanted to make sure you were comfortable, dear Alice."
"So it's my fault," she argued.
"I said I wanted to make sure you were comfortable. You didn't demand or even ask for the fan. I did it because I wanted to do it. Why are you sorry and taking blame for something I did?" Buddy asked, confused. "Is it the wrong sorry again, Kid?"
"No, you're right. Alice is taking the blame for something you did and chose to do. You shouldn't do that, Alice dear," Kid said gently.
Alice was too tired to keep arguing, and finding it more and more difficult to keep her eyes up and off the slipping towel. She sighed, giving in. "Fine. I'll get the burger and fries ready."
Buddy and Kid both watched as she left, the towel falling off Buddy's hips and onto the floor. Buddy looked at Kid with a frown. "Fine isn't good, is it?"
"I don't think so, Buddy. Get changed and I'll talk to Alice, yeah?"
"Okay," he replied, kissing Kid firmly. "Thanks for checking on me, Kid."
He grinned. "No problem, Bud. I wasn't about to let you drown in the shower."
"Maybe next time."
Kid snorted and left the bathroom to check on Alice.
...
"The burger bun's soggy thanks to the sauce, but I can reheat the fries in the frying pan. It's better than microwaving them," Alice added, wrinkling her nose.
"Buddy won't care about the bun as long as the burger's still edible. The fries will be a sore point, so if the frying pan works, we'll both thank you for that," Kid said with a grin.
Alice felt some of the tension leave her shoulders when Kid didn't keep trying to argue with her. "It's a tiny pan, so it might take a few batches, but I did a similar thing at The Lost Boys after one too many late nights and forgotten food."
"Forgotten or ignored?"
"Isn't that the same thing?" Alice asked, setting the frying pan on the tiny stovetop and waiting for the pan to heat up.
"Not to me," Kid said with a shrug. "My father forgetting to pick me up from soccer practice was a very different feeling to him walking straight past me with his new wife and child."
Alice tipped the fries into the pan and looked at Kid, wondering if this was something he was doing to make her feel guilty about making Buddy get a pedestal fan for her. Either way... "That's awful."
"He wasn't a nice person. My mother and I were lucky to get away from him, not that she thought of it like that for some time after he'd left, of course. He valued money over emotion, which is one of the reasons why I value emotion so highly in my relationships. I swore I'd never become him and having healthy relationships, whether as friends or more, is one of the ways I achieve that."
So this was about Buddy flirting with her, then?
"Buddy, on the other hand, finds emotions difficult. He has to work very hard to understand things that involve subtleties and emotions. If he has a task, he'll go to the ends of the Earth to achieve it. If he wants something, he'll take it with very little regard for others. And if he wants someone else to be happy, he'll do everything in his power to make them happy."
And they were back to the fan.
"The hotel said they'd fix the AC; I would have been fine in the bathroom until then."
"We've been in places like this before, dear Alice; they say they're going to fix the AC in the hopes you won't actually say anything about it being broken in the first place. Besides, Buddy and I would have preferred to enjoy your company outside of the bathroom, if possible."
"Because it's difficult to see the front door from the bathtub?"
"Because it's difficult to use the bathroom if we're all in there at the same time. Also because Buddy would've tried to convince both of us to get in the shower with him," Kid said, grinning.
Alice tried to work out if Kid was upset at the fact his boyfriend would have propositioned her in front of him. By the sounds of it, he would've offered a threesome. Was Kid actually interested or was it just something Buddy did? "I'm surprised he didn't when we were in there."
"If he hadn't fallen asleep in the shower, he would've."
Scraping the burger buns off the burger, Alice added it to the frying pan. "How does Buddy feel about salads? I think it's edible."
"I don't think I've ever seen Buddy eat one outside of a burger. You're welcome to try."
Alice considered it for a moment, then left the salad with the ruined buns. "I'd never force a salad on anyone who didn't deserve it."
Kid laughed, the sound boisterous and made Alice smile in response.
"Fuck, that smells good. What was funny?" Buddy asked, tugging his shirt over his singlet.
"The idea of you eating salad," Alice said with a grin.
Buddy pulled a face. "Not if I can help it."
"That's what I thought. You get fries and meat instead."
"Excellent menu, dear Alice."
Alice found a plate and served the burger pattie and fries on it. Buddy made a groan of what she hoped was appreciation, but started to eat the fries one at a time. Kid reached around Alice for cutlery, placing the knife and fork beside Buddy's plate. Buddy thanked him with a nod, cutting the burger up and separating the squares from his fries.
"While my mother raised me, Buddy was raised in an orphanage as a ward of the state. They were strict about table manners there, weren't they?" Kid asked him.
Buddy swallowed before answering, "Yes, sir."
"Despite being taller than most of the kids, Buddy was teased every day. He learnt how to fight quickly, and learnt how to win quicker. He joined the Navy the day he turned eighteen, then met me on tour at twenty, and we went through SEALs together a year later," Kid said, offering a napkin to Buddy in the same moment he looked for one.
Alice watched them interact as though they'd been together for a lifetime. "And how long have you been together?"
"You mean sexually?" Buddy asked. "Since we passed through the SEALs course. Kid thought I was asexual or aromantic; I thought he was straight."
"Tiger thought we were both idiots and locked us in a supply closet with nothing but lube and condoms. Buddy still managed to break us out in under an hour. We tied Tiger to the flagpole in retaliation."
"After we had sex," Buddy added, grinning.
"Of course."
"So... you're both gay, then?" Alice asked, wishing she didn't sound so curious and hating that she was.
"I wouldn't be flirting with you if I was gay, dear Alice," Buddy said, raising an eyebrow as if her question just didn't make sense to him.
"Buddy's bisexual and demi-romantic. I'm pan-everything," Kid said with a grin.
"Oh."
"Buddy's love language is acts of service," Kid continued, glancing over to the fan with the garish streamers. "And mine is physical touch and food. What about you, dear Alice?"
"I'm attracted to men. I don't know what love languages are," Alice said, wishing she had her phone so she could check.
"Words of affirmation; quality time; receiving gifts; acts of service; physical touch; and Kid says 'food' counts, but there's a reason it's called the five love languages, and not six."
"Considering how long it takes to make food, it definitely counts," Kid said determinedly. "Remember those macarons?"
Buddy considered his response, then nodded. "Fine, food you make counts."
"I bought that food with my hard-earned money, and Alice heated it up on the stove for you. She could have put it in the microwave," Kid pointed out.
Buddy looked from what remained of his burger and fries, to Kid, to Alice. "Is food your love language, Alice?"
"Yes, I think so. Along with words of affirmation, if they're what I think they are."
Buddy sighed. "Fine. Food counts, but only for you two."
Alice smiled at his reluctant admission.
"I'm honoured, Bud. Finish that and we can sleep on a bed. I'm sure it's better than the shower."
"The shower was a good idea at the time," Buddy argued, then yawned widely. "Shit."
"Hmm. Will you sleep with us, dear Alice?"
"What?" Alice asked, blinking.
"Are you going to sleep now or stay awake? We're light sleepers, so you'll be safe to sleep at the same time as us."
Alice squashed down her disappointment. "I'll sleep later. I'm not tired."
Buddy ate the last of his burger and fries, Kid taking his plate before he'd even stood up. Alice went to take the plate from him; they were going to sleep, so she could wash the dishes, but Kid shook his head. "I'll do the dishes, dear Alice. You cooked, Buddy ate, I cleaned, that's the deal. You go cool down in front of the fan, okay? It'll help Buddy relax to see you using it."
The fan did sound like a good idea since she was starting to get hot again, and Alice nodded. "Thanks, Kid." She slipped past him and headed to the beds where the fan was set up, streamers flying directly at her bed. "Do you want me to put it on spin so you feel it, too?" Alice asked Buddy.
"No, thank you, dear Alice. You enjoy it," he replied, lying on the bed with his feet hanging off the edge, his boots still on.
"Do you always wear your boots to bed?" Alice asked curiously.
"Only in safehouses. Or hotels on the way to safehouses," Buddy added, grinning.
"I've set the alarms. Sleep now, Buddy, and please try to relax, dear Alice. Hourglass promised we'll be safe during our stopover here," Kid said, settling onto the bed beside Buddy and closing his eyes.
With the fan cooling her, and Buddy and Kid sleeping on the bed across from her, Alice figured she could shut her eyes for a moment.
She wished that she was on the bed with them, but even more, she wished that she was with Chayton again. If her son was alive, well, and with her, she'd never wish for anything ever again. Not even the two men across from her, Alice promised herself.
...
The end.
Thanks for reading!