HIIII GIRLIES GUESS WHO’S BACKKKKK 😝 Sorry for like two–three weeks of radio silence from me, I really have no good excuse, so sorry about thatt 😇
Anyways, I’m writing part 4 of my Axl Heck fic but firsttt, I need to ask you guys a question bc you know that the most important thing to me is writing something that you enjoy reading and I want to know what you want to read and what you want to see in this story!!
So, how comfortable are you guys with sex themes on fics? I don’t plan on writing like full-on smut so dw, but it is important. In the show, Axl’s like a freakkk 😭 There’s a lot of jokes abt that, it’s part of his character tbh, like being a hormonal and moody teenager. I need to know mainly bc of jokes, thoughts, and teenager talk that will occur in the fic. Mentions of sex and stuff like that would be an important part of storytelling, it’s not abt being a freak just because. And also bc of a really important scene in what will be like the most important part of the whole fic (basically the scenario I started creating this whole story around 🌝)
But ofc I had to ask you guys first, so I made a poll!!
Suggestive themes on the fic?
YES
Yes but not too much
No suggestive themes at all
.
Remaining time: 14 hours 9 minutes
I’ll adjust to whatever wins, so feel free to be honest and vote what you would feel most comfy with 💗
You can also comment your suggestions, opinions, or doubts here or send them through asks or dms (inbox is open!!)
CW/TW: reader has hair, embarrassing situations, bantering/fighting, mentions of food, mentions of drowning, Axl being Axl, Axl being a freak (just for a lil moment), s3 Axl, angst, English is not my first language, no use of Y/N, lmk if I’m missing anything 💞
A/N: Part three is finally outtt!! I’m so sorry if this took too long, I had terrible writer’s block and I had no idea what to write 😓 I got carried away with the Axl angst so lmk if you like it or if it was too much (or out of character because that’s literally my biggest fear). Also, I’d love feedback on my writing in general, I feel like I’m too descriptive at times with things that aren’t really important and idk if you guys like that, last thing I wanna do is bore you!! Tysm to everyone who voted in the poll I published, the two winners were cheerleading and theater, in this chapter I only mention cheerleading, but dw, we’ll get to theater soon (I’m a theater kid, you guys made me so happy 🥹). As always, follows, likes, comments, and reblogs are appreciated 😊
WC: 5.8k
Your eyes scanned the bleachers, already filled with students and parents settling into their places, most dressed in the school’s characteristic baby blue color. Some others wore orange and black. The rival team, you guessed.
Finally, your eyes landed on an empty space somewhere between the third and fifth row, big enough for you to not be too close to a stranger but small enough that your lack of company wasn't particularly noticeable.
Muttering a few sheepish apologies to the people you accidentally bumped into while trying to get through the crowded space, you made your way to where you’d decided you’d be watching the game.
It was especially embarrassing to apologize after you accidentally touched an old lady’s butt with your elbow.
Just another thing to add to the list of not-so-great things that’d happened on your not-so-great day.
For some reason, today, your movements were notably clumsy, resulting in things like knocking over your breakfast plate, crushing your pinkie finger when you slammed your locker’s door, and burning your ear with the hair straightener when you were doing your hair.
Worst one was when you dropped your brand new, straight out of the package, Blackberry Bold 9900 onto the sidewalk.
Luckily, it only got a small scratch on the upper right corner.
All those tragedies and add the frizziness of your hair you couldn’t manage to get rid off no matter how hard you tried, consequence of the unusually humid weather.
It was still summer, and although the past days had been quite hot, today, the soft blue of the sky was hidden under gray, puffy clouds.
It was as if you were the main character of a movie where the atmosphere is set to reflect your moods and feelings.
Maybe you were something like Truman Burbank.
You were startled out of your conspiranoid thoughts when you felt someone abruptly sitting down on the empty space to your right, not close enough for their skin to be touching yours but close enough that you felt a few strands of hair tingling your shoulder.
Your head was turning to look at the person on your side before you could actually think about it. It was an automatic reaction.
Safe to say, you were met with a really pretty sight.
Sitting beside you, was a girl with gorgeous auburn hair —definitely styled—, hazel eyes enhanced by a very dark mascara, golden hoops adorned her ears, and lips so shiny you were sure that gloss was uncomfortably sticky.
The brunette seemed to sense your staring, so she turned her head to look at you, legs crossed, left palm flat against the bench, and chin resting on her shoulder.
She didn’t smile, didn’t say ‘hi’, didn’t give any other sign of acknowledgment other than holding your gaze.
It was impossible to deny that her actions made you feel a little bit intimidated, or more like embarrassed from being caught staring, but you knew you couldn’t afford to look away. Doing so would only make the situation worse for you, you’d probably come off as a socially awkward loser.
So, you held her gaze back.
Though you tried to appear confident, inside, your mind was scrambling for something to say, anything to break the silence. Although, surprisingly, said silence wasn’t as uncomfortable as you would expect it to be.
Before your brain could come up with anything, the girl spoke.
“You’re new.”
Straight to the point, you appreciated that.
“I am,” you shrugged, trying to seem as casual as possible, “moved into town with my family this summer.”
“That’s weird,” her brows furrowed, “why would anyone want to move into this boring ass town?”
That made you snort. Orson wasn’t the worst place in the world, but it would be a shameless lie to say it was even slightly interesting.
“Rude,” you huffed, finally tearing your gaze away from hers and directing it back to the field, “it’s been my dream since I was a little girl.”
It wasn’t. Your tone made that very clear.
That pulled a laugh out of her, and it made you smile. The slight tension that was there just a few seconds ago dissipated into the air and drifted away with the wind.
“I’m Hannah,” she finally said, and you gave her your name in return.
She seemed to notice your eyes searching the field in which the players from both teams were already scattered around, and you didn’t have to see her face as she spoke to know that she was smirking.
“Who did you come to see?” she teased.
You quickly caught on to what she was implying, and with the most serious tone you could manage, you responded “The referee.”
Her eyes landed on the absurdly short, bald man in the middle of the field, and you were sure she could break a record with the amount of emotions that flashed through her expression in a matter of milliseconds.
God, you tried, you really tried, but you couldn’t help the loud laugh that left your body at her expression of pure disgust, “You really thought I was serious?!” you said, almost offended that she’d believe that.
“You scared the shit outta me,” she huffed with an eyeroll.
“Who did you come to see?” you decided to tease back.
“No one in particular,” she shrugged, unbothered, “I never really get to actually watch the games.”
That made your eyes furrow in curiosity, “Why not?”
“I’m on the cheerleading team,” she started to explain, “we’re usually down there on the field… well, cheering, obviously. But, for some reason, the football season started earlier than usual this year, and since we’re short on members because of all the girls that graduated last semester and the fact that tryouts aren’t until next week, we get to sit on the benches this time.”
You nodded in understanding, but before you could respond to anything she’d said, Hannah spoke again.
“You should try out for the cheer team.”
That caught you by surprise, you knew cheerleading was an option for an extracurricular, but you hadn’t actually considered it. You hadn’t considered any option, you’d been too lazy these days. It didn’t seem like a bad idea, though.
“Hm, you think?” you questioned curiously.
Hannah simply nodded, “We’re trying to expand our members this year, something about making more complex and fun cheers… or whatever the captain said,” she scoffed.
You just let out a small laugh at her tone. Hannah was a bit grumpy, it wasn’t hard to notice, but she was also really honest, and she had that sarcastic humor that you found really funny. She seemed awfully cool, too.
“That’s actually a good idea, I really am in a time crunch to choose both an elective and an extracurricular—” you didn’t get to finish what you were saying, words abruptly cut off by the loud cheering of the people around you.
That’s when you realized you’d been so immersed in the conversation that you didn’t even notice when the game’d started.
Hannah stood up to cheer along everyone else, and even though you didn’t know what had happened, you mimicked her actions.
Peer pressure is a strong force, you thought.
“Wait— what happened?” you asked, raising your voice so she could hear you through the sounds of clapping and whistling.
Hannah continued clapping, leaning closer to your ear to answer, “Number 32.”
Your eyes automatically searched for the player she’d referred to, trying to focus on the numbers on each of the players’ white and blue jerseys.
Finally, you caught sight of who you’d been looking for; he was holding the ovoid to his chest with both arms, body laying against the grass of the end zone, legs sprawled in a way that indicated that he’d thrown himself directly into the ground to achieve the touchdown.
The name above the number on the back of his jersey read ‘Heck’.
Before you had time to process if that was the Heck boy you were familiar with —the one in your class, the one who lived in the same neighborhood you’d moved into—, he was already standing up.
The boy took off his helmet to celebrate as his teammates surrounded him, and you got a clear view of his appearance.
His dark brown, wavy hair was messy from the helmet, you’re not entirely sure if that’s important to note since it’s always kinda messy, the ends of the front strands clinged to his forehead and temples due to the sheet of sweat that was covering his face, his cheeks were flushed, and even through the heavy pants he took as he tried to steady his breathing, he wore a proud smile.
Axl had a really pretty smile, probably the prettiest you’d ever seen.
You would never say that out loud, though. You weren’t even sure how or why you’d noticed.
“I didn’t know he played football,” you said without really thinking about it, taking your seat again as the cheers began to die down.
“Heck?” Hanna sat next to you, “He’s the best player of the team, you know him?”
You simply shrugged.
“We share most of our classes, but we’ve never actually talked.”
“Really?” she sounded almost amused, “I’m surprised he hasn’t tried flirting with you, you’re a pretty girl.”
You couldn’t help but feel flustered at her compliment, but you played it off as smoothly as you could.
“Is he really that much of a flirt?” you asked. Although, you kinda already knew the answer to that.
Among the many things you’d noticed about Axl Heck in the short time you’d known him —like his dramatic nature and his weird answers in class that had you wondering if he should be applauded for creativity or mocked for stupidity—, was that he was a ladies man.
Or at least he attempted to be.
Surprisingly, or maybe not that much, girls at school seemed to dig his superb intelligence. You had to hear him flirt back and forth with the girls in your class, shooting winks and sly smirks. You’d also seen him in the hallways, the lockers, or practically anywhere in school, each time with a different girl.
Hannah scoffed, “I think even Darrin in a bikini would do it for him,” she rolled her eyes.
“Ew,” you winced, “get that image out of my mind!”
“I’m serious,” Hannah defended, although her smile hinted she was not that serious, “Him, Darrin, and Sean once sent this girl a picture of them hugging. Naked.”
“WHAT,” you almost yelled, “Why would they do that?!” you broke into a fit of laughter, the mental image was too ridiculous.
You weren’t sure if it was because the mere memory of it was too funny or maybe your laughter was just contagious, but Hannah started laughing with you.
“And it was Valentine’s day!” she added through a cackle.
The audience watched with concentration and anticipation as the offensive players positioned themselves for their next play, and then there was you and Hannah, two girls in the middle of the bleachers laughing loudly about something the rest of the people around had no idea about.
You were sure the both of you were getting some judgy looks, maybe a few glares, but you couldn’t bring yourself to care. Because, weirdly enough, the sun began to shine.
In a day that had been all dark clouds and cold breezes, somewhere between 6 and 7 p.m., the clouds parted, and sun rays made their way through the space they’d left cleared.
And you, after weeks of spending your days alone, had finally found a friend.
Or a potential friend, at least. Don’t want to rush things.
“I actually know Sean,” you started, trying to regain your breath after laughing so hard, “He invited me to this like start-of-the-season party. I figured that if I was gonna attend that, I should also watch the game. That’s why I’m here,” you finally explained.
Hannah nodded, also coming back from her own fit of giggles, “Yeah, the Donahues do that every year,” she breathed, “they’re like super nice. Overly nice. I don’t know how they do it, I could never,” she frowned from just imagining it.
“Are you going to that too?” you asked her.
“Yeah, want me to drive you?”
…
You stepped out of the car, thanking the universe and all the gods above because you’d made it to your destination live.
For a girl so sophisticated, Hannah drove like a psycho.
The dents on her silver Mercedes should’ve been a warning.
The both of you walked up to the front door. Hannah’s hands were busy holding her car keys and the two iced lattes you’d gotten on the way to the Donahue’s, yours were occupied by a quite large box of baked goods.
Sean’s invitation had been really kind, and you were taught to never arrive somewhere with empty hands.
So, you did what you know best: baking.
This time you’d made cherry turnovers and packed them in a rectangular, brown box adorned with a bow tied with two ribbons —one blue and one white—.
You were really feeling the school’s spirit.
They were easy to bake and the decoration wasn’t elaborate, so you figured it was the better option. You could make a ton of them for everyone who’d be at the party to enjoy, and to show your gratitude to the Donahues.
Hannah didn’t bother with knocking on the door, she just turned the handle with her elbow —the door was already unlocked— and walked right in without a care in the world, like this was her own home. You simply followed her in.
Nancy Donahue was in the kitchen, preparing what you were pretty sure was homemade lemonade. As soon as her eyes landed on you and the brunette beside you, a beaming smile popped into her expression.
“Hi, my girls!” she made her way towards you with open arms, Hannah was the first to return her hug, “Oh, Hannah, I feel like I haven’t seen you in so long,” she fake-pouted, “You look a little different,” her eyes squinting to inspect what’d changed.
“Hey, Nancy,” Hannah greeted back, “Yeah, I dyed it a little bit darker last time”
“Oh, I can see,” Nancy nodded, “You look amazing, beautiful as always!” she beamed.
Then she turned to you, and you had to hold back a laugh at the way she pretended not to notice the box in your hands.
“Oh, and you, it’s so nice that you’re here,” she pulled you in for a tight hug and you tried your best to hold the box with just one hand to return her hug and avoid the cherry-filled pastries to crush between your bodies, “Sean told me he was inviting you, I’m really glad you came.”
“Well, of course I did,” you smiled as she finally let you free from the tight embrace she had you in, “Thank you so much for the invitation, I brought these,” you held out the box in your hands for her to take.
You were 100% sure that Hannah was fighting as hard as you were to bite back a laugh when Nancy pretended to be surprised as she took the box from you.
“Oh God, you didn’t have to,” she placed a hand over her heart, like this was the most thoughtful gift she’d ever gotten, “This is so sweet of you, I didn’t even notice you’d brought something.”
Lie. That was an absolute lie, but you let her have it. It was a funny lie. Maybe she really enjoyed the cupcakes you’d made weeks ago and she was just excited for another sweet treat.
“You girls go outside, everyone your age is in the backyard,” she offered, “there’s food if you’re feeling hungry, and I’m almost done with the lemonade,” she smiled proudly, “Go have fun— Oh, and don’t forget to congratulate the boys on their win, it was amazing!”
With a final wave to Nancy, Hannah and you made your way to the back door, walking past a bunch of adults who you assumed were the parents of the football team players.
As you stepped into the backyard, you took the view in. White fairy lights hanging from one tree to another sparkled against the now darker sky, a rectangular pool in the middle of the green, freshly mown grass, a large table covered with a gray and white checkered tablecloth, and on top of it: paper plates, red plastic cups, and snacks like chips, dips and some fruit.
You saw a couple of familiar faces scattered around the place. There were many boys with their hair slightly damp, you figured they were the players after showering and changing into more casual clothes.
“So, you’ve already met Nancy,” Hannah spoke beside you.
“Yeah, we’re neighbors, I guess it was inevitable,” you said, not feeling like explaining the hand out of cupcakes you’d done when you’d just gotten here.
“It is,” she confirmed, “Orson is such a small town,” Hannah huffed, “and, well, the Donahues are… the Donahues.”
“I’ve known them since we were little kids —everyone knows everyone around here—, our parents are good friends and they would like host barbecues on Sundays. I’ve spent a lot of time in this backyard.”
“That sounds nice, like a core childhood memory.”
Hannah opened her mouth to respond —something sarcastic, you’d bet— but she held back whatever she was going to say when she spotted someone a few steps away from where you were both standing.
You followed her gaze to land on a boy leaning against a tree with his arms crossed. He was tall, dark skinned and quite muscular.
A teasing smile made its way to your face.
“Is that who you went to see?” you nudged her with your shoulder.
“Shut up,” she whisper-yelled but the smile she tried to hold back didn’t go unnoticed by you. “Yes,” she admitted with a sigh.
“Go talk to him,” you encouraged her, nodding your head towards him.
She seemed to consider it for a moment before answering, “I don’t want to leave you alone.”
Excuses, excuses.
“Oh, c’mon,” you rolled your eyes, “I’ll manage, just go talk to him for a bit, I’ll wait.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I can entertain myself,” you assured her.
With that, she finally looked convinced, nodding to herself as if she was preparing for battle.
“How do I look?” she asked, turning to face you.
“Your hair flattened out,” you winced.
“WHAT?” she panicked.
“I’m kidding, I’m kidding! Sorry,” you giggled, “You look good, just go, go, go.”
“You keep scaring me!” and with that, she finally walked away, heading towards the boy that had her heart skipping beats.
From your spot, you watched as she approached him, and when he caught sight of her, his eyes lightened up and a flirty smirk made itself present on its lips. As they started chatting, Hannah twirled her hair with her finger and you saved that sight to tease her later.
Assuming it’d be a while until Hannah decided to end the conversation with her loverboy and come back to keep you company, you started considering ways to pass the time.
You scanned the field searching for Sean; you needed to say hi and maybe you could talk to him while Hannah came back. He was nowhere to be found, though.
He was the host after all, maybe he was busy helping Nancy or greeting people inside.
In the end, you simply decided to get a snack.
Grabbing a white paper plate, you stared at the different options that sat on the table in front of you. Ultimately deciding on some classic salt chips and some freshly cut strawberries with chocolate drizzled on top.
Once you’d placed what you wanted on your plate, you turned around to look for a spot where you could sit while you ate, but instead of that, your eyes found the boy you were looking for just five minutes ago.
Without paying attention to your surroundings, you started walking towards him.
Bad, bad decision.
Remember the clumsiness you’d been a victim of all day? And remember all those unfortunate accidents that’d happened because of it?
Apparently, in the last hours, you’d gotten too confident in your luck, and the universe decided to put you back in your place.
You didn’t have time to react to or even notice the boy running full speed in the same direction you were walking in. You, obviously, didn’t have time to move your feet away from the edge of the pool either.
The impact happened too fast, you stumbled and tried to regain your balance but your attempt was futile.
You looked around to see if there was someone who could help you, but everyone was too busy with their own thing to notice what was happening.
Except for a certain boy, who only stared at you with wide eyes and —what you assumed was— a shocked expression.
He was what was closest to you, so you stretched out your arm to reach him and gripped his shirt so that you could hold on to him and stay on land, nice and dry.
That didn’t happen, of course.
He fell into the pool with you.
You felt the shivering sensation of cold water against your skin as you fell deeper into the pool, your eyes closed and holding your breath so that the chlorine-filled liquid didn’t get inside your nose.
Once you couldn’t go any deeper and the laws of physics started pushing you towards the surface again, you couldn’t help but worry about the boy you’d accidentally pulled into this embarrassing mess with you.
He would never let this go.
You contemplated drowning.
The both of you resurfaced at the same time, heads popping out of the water, you were pushing your hair back and rubbing your eyes so that you could open them while Axl was gasping for air. He looked like a fish out of the water.
When you opened your eyes, Axl was already looking at you with a glare.
See? He would never let this go.
You gave him a tight, awkward smile that said ‘I’m sorry’. Or at least that’s what you attempted to communicate.
It took you a moment to notice the deafening silence that surrounded you, and when you finally did, you teared your eyes away from him to take in your surroundings.
Now everyone was staring.
And almost as if the universe wanted to mock you a little more, you saw that the only thing that hadn’t fallen down with you into the pool was the white paper plate with chips and chocolate drizzled strawberries that was now on the edge of the pool, sitting perfectly, not a single strawberry or chip scattered around the floor.
Unbelievable.
Suddenly, the silence was broken by the sound of fabric rustling, and when you turned to look at the direction of the sound, you saw that it was Sean taking off his shirt.
And before you had time to process it, he was cannonballing into the pool.
At that, everyone around exploded into laughs and cheers, and in just a matter of seconds, the rest of the boys of the team were taking off their shirts and diving into the pool, yelling whatever weird things came to their minds.
Finally, you allowed yourself to let out a sigh of relief, the attention had drifted away from Axl and you, and Sean had saved you from a really embarrassing moment.
You didn’t even want to imagine what would’ve happened if he hadn’t jumped into the pool. Maybe something like turtle girl situation? Just the thought made you shiver.
“Ahem,” Axl cleared his throat in front of you, “An apology would be nice, you know.”
His words made your relief disappear and, instead, your chest filled with anger.
Of course you would apologize! If he’d given you just five seconds to regain your breath, you would’ve already gotten the apology out!
And his passive-aggressive attitude was definitely not appreciated.
Now you didn’t feel like apologizing.
“Excuse you,” you huffed, “it was an accident and I was just trying to hold on to something.”
“Yeah, people with manners usually apologize for accidents”
“You’re ridiculous demanding an apology “
“You’re ridiculous for not giving it”
“You could’ve helped me and you didn’t even try to!”
“How was I supposed to know you were going to fall into the pool?” he threw his hands up.
“You saw me!”
“No, I didn’t!”
“Yes, you did! And you just stared like a dumbass!” you threw your arms up too.
From your peripheral vision, you noticed that something on your wrist was missing. Axl said something else, but your mind didn’t process his words, it was now only focused on what you’d lost.
“Oh, no,” you blurted out, your tone somewhere between sadness and disappointment.
“What? What’s wrong?” Axl’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion, completely forgetting about the previous argument.
“I lost my bracelet,” you pouted without looking at him, your eyes trying to find the object at the bottom of the pool but the water made it impossible to.
Maybe you were being a little dramatic, but you couldn’t help it. You'd bought that bracelet with your hard-earned money from selling cookies at your last school. It was delicate, thin, made of white gold, and it had an elegant hibiscus-shaped charm in the center of it.
Axl didn’t say anything, that made your mind drift once again to the situation at hand.
“Sorry,” your gaze was back on him, trying to ignore how pretty his blue eyes looked when his lashes were wet, “for pulling you into the pool with me, I really didn’t mean to.”
Your apology seemed to catch him off guard, his snarky remarks stuck in his throat.
“Don’t worry about it.”
It was a weird sight, Axl Heck, always loud and sarcastic, didn’t have much to say this time.
Maybe you just had the luck of finding him or putting him in these embarrassing situations, like when you’d run into him and his sister at Frugal Hoosier looking for the ingredients to make the cherry turnovers you’d brought.
“I can help you look for—”
He didn’t get to finish his sentence because it was interrupted by someone calling your name behind you.
You turned around to acknowledge said person. It was Hannah.
She was holding her white Converse in one hand as she sat at the edge of the pool, dipping her feet into the now warmer water and looking at you with an amused smirk.
“Huh, you did entertain yourself.”
…
“Axl, now you’re going to have to throw out that shirt!” Frankie scolded as the family walked into their house, Mike flicked the light switch on. “The chlorine will fade the fabric!”
Axl groaned dramatically, kicking his shoes off, “Whatever, I can wear it to sleep or something,” he suggested, annoyed.
He knew he was lying, he never wore a shirt to sleep, or at home in general, but he just wanted his mom to let it go.
“Oh, and your shoes! These were supposed to last you at least another year!” Frankie whined.
“Oh my God, Mom, would you please let it go!?” he yelled, startling his sister with the volume of his voice, “My team literally won a game today and I was MVP, and all you” he pointed to both of his parents accusingly “can talk about is a drenched shirt!”
He saw the expressions of his parents, how Frankie was taken by surprise by his outburst —even if it wasn’t something uncommon— and how Mike got even angrier at his attitude. Still, he couldn’t help but speak again, the words spilling out from his mouth like a reflex, not even giving his parents three seconds to speak.
“And it’s not my fault we’re too poor to buy a stupid shirt!”
And there it was. His angered expression didn’t falter, his tongue didn’t stutter.
On the outside, he was typical, moody, always-complaining, mad-at-the-world Axl. But inside, that bitter guilty feeling creeped into his chest. The one he was all too familiar with. It ran like blood on his veins. Like it was what made his body function, through his veins to his heart, from his heart through his arteries to his organs. Like it was what kept him alive.
He didn’t know why he was like this, always angry, always defensive. He tried to convince himself it was the adrenaline that came from anger what made him like this. Because it was what he was used to. Being angry.
But was it really adrenaline if all he did was have his guard up all the time?
What a coward, he told himself.
Besides, what is he even angry about? What made him so angry at his parents, at his family, at the people he loved the most?
Why did he resent them so much?
It was a question that was always in the back of his mind, stubborn in its place when he tried to ignore it.
He’d never tried to answer it. Didn’t want to. He was too afraid.
Coward, his mind repeated.
He looked at his parents in front of him. He knew they loved him, and he loved them right back. More than he liked to show. He knew they worked hard to maintain the family, and he appreciated that. More than he’d ever admit.
He didn’t know why he was like this with them.
He looked at his little brother who —no matter how much he read— was still too innocent for this world. Books can’t give all knowledge, there’s some things you have to learn by living.
He hoped he didn’t grow up to be like him. As angry and fearful and lost as him.
He looked at his younger sister. She was always so bright, like a ray of sunshine. No matter what the world threw at her, she continued being herself. Her real and authentic self.
Something Axl had never been able to do.
Some would call it admiration. Axl knew the feeling was too bitter to be that, too venomous. It was more like resentment. Jealousy. Envy.
Oh, and he hated himself for that. For feeling that way. For being that way.
Because he loved her too much. But he hated her too much. Because he could never be like her. Sue was brave enough to be stubborn in a world that kept rejecting her. Axl wasn’t.
Coward.
“Go to your room,” Mike said sternly, his voice deep and determined.
Axl didn’t answer, he simply groaned —loud and dramatic and lazy as always—, throwing his head back.
He walked or more like stomped into his room, slamming the door with unnecessary strength.
Even he flinched because of the sound.
He started taking off his clothes with harsh tugs, stripping off his shirt, his pants, his socks, and his boxers. He grabbed a clean —or he hoped it was clean, at least it was dry— pair of boxers from the floor and put it on. It was white with bright yellow lemons and grass-green limes as a pattern. Too ridiculous for how he felt at the moment.
He threw himself onto his unmade bed and laid on his stomach.
He tried to push those too-stubborn thoughts out of his mind, and those too-complicated feelings out of his chest, attempting to think of literally anything else.
And for some reason that he didn’t bother himself with trying to understand, his mind drifted to you.
First, to the memory of your encounter at the Frugal Hoosier, he winced from embarrassment just from remembering it.
He was afraid that you’d make fun of him, that you’d tell people at school that you’d seen him shopping at the store that sold way-too-cheap expired food with his weirdo sister.
But you didn’t, you were too kind for that.
Axl wondered if that idea would even cross your mind, if you even saw that as something embarrassing.
Still, he found himself wondering if maybe you’d pitied him, or felt embarrassed for him. He found himself caring about what you thought of him.
Then, his mind went to the pool.
He thought of how you looked. You look pretty with your hair wet, he wondered how it’d look sweaty—
Woah, he was not going to Horny Land right now.
It didn’t seem like it, but he did have some self-control.
He wondered what you would say if you found out he had that thought about you. Maybe you’d keep quiet and pretend you didn’t know to save him from further embarrassment, like you did that day at the store. Or maybe you’d snap at him, like you did today at the pool.
He allowed himself to smile at the memory, he was all alone after all, no one would see him smiling at his thoughts like a schizophrenic.
He enjoyed fighting with you, even if it was just for a small amount of time, he liked seeing a more defiant side of you.
He’d only seen you quiet, sweet, and composed. Seeing you mad at him was a nice surprise, it showed that you had a strong personality hidden underneath.
Although, he was certain that making you laugh would be even better.
He reached into the front left pocket of the jeans that he’d thrown onto the floor beside his bed when he was changing out of his wet clothes, feeling the cold metal against his right palm as he grabbed the delicate object.
Suddenly, the door opened, and Axl snapped his fist shut to hide what he was holding.
He relaxed when he heard little steps and knew it was Brick.
“Hi, Axl,” Brick said politely, and Axl’s heart tugged at how cute it sounded “what do you have there?” he asked with a curious tilt of his head.
“None of your business, geek”
Brick simply nodded, unfazed by his brother’s tone, and then he pressed his chin to his chest and whispered to himself “Geek”.
Axl rolled his eyes, “Turn off the lights, I’m trying to sleep,” he whined.
“Okay,” Brick shrugged and did as told, “Goodnight, Axl” he said, way too sweetly.
The oldest brother sighed, “G’night, Brick” he said softly as he heard the youngest getting under the sheets of his own small bed.
He opened his palm again, the soft light that the moon reflected entered through the window, illuminating the delicate bracelet on his hand.
Axl knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight, not while he was too busy wondering why he didn’t give it back.
I had to give us a girl bestie bc girl friendship is so dear to me. Inspired by my irl friends, those girls are the sunshine of my life ☀️🌺
CW/TW: reader has hair, embarrassing situations, bantering/fighting, mentions of food, mentions of drowning, Axl being Axl, Axl being a freak (just for a lil moment), s3 Axl, angst, English is not my first language, no use of Y/N, lmk if I’m missing anything 💞
A/N: Part three is finally outtt!! I’m so sorry if this took too long, I had terrible writer’s block and I had no idea what to write 😓 I got carried away with the Axl angst so lmk if you like it or if it was too much (or out of character because that’s literally my biggest fear). Also, I’d love feedback on my writing in general, I feel like I’m too descriptive at times with things that aren’t really important and idk if you guys like that, last thing I wanna do is bore you!! Tysm to everyone who voted in the poll I published, the two winners were cheerleading and theater, in this chapter I only mention cheerleading, but dw, we’ll get to theater soon (I’m a theater kid, you guys made me so happy 🥹). As always, follows, likes, comments, and reblogs are appreciated 😊
WC: 5.8k
Your eyes scanned the bleachers, already filled with students and parents settling into their places, most dressed in the school’s characteristic baby blue color. Some others wore orange and black. The rival team, you guessed.
Finally, your eyes landed on an empty space somewhere between the third and fifth row, big enough for you to not be too close to a stranger but small enough that your lack of company wasn't particularly noticeable.
Muttering a few sheepish apologies to the people you accidentally bumped into while trying to get through the crowded space, you made your way to where you’d decided you’d be watching the game.
It was especially embarrassing to apologize after you accidentally touched an old lady’s butt with your elbow.
Just another thing to add to the list of not-so-great things that’d happened on your not-so-great day.
For some reason, today, your movements were notably clumsy, resulting in things like knocking over your breakfast plate, crushing your pinkie finger when you slammed your locker’s door, and burning your ear with the hair straightener when you were doing your hair.
Worst one was when you dropped your brand new, straight out of the package, Blackberry Bold 9900 onto the sidewalk.
Luckily, it only got a small scratch on the upper right corner.
All those tragedies and add the frizziness of your hair you couldn’t manage to get rid off no matter how hard you tried, consequence of the unusually humid weather.
It was still summer, and although the past days had been quite hot, today, the soft blue of the sky was hidden under gray, puffy clouds.
It was as if you were the main character of a movie where the atmosphere is set to reflect your moods and feelings.
Maybe you were something like Truman Burbank.
You were startled out of your conspiranoid thoughts when you felt someone abruptly sitting down on the empty space to your right, not close enough for their skin to be touching yours but close enough that you felt a few strands of hair tingling your shoulder.
Your head was turning to look at the person on your side before you could actually think about it. It was an automatic reaction.
Safe to say, you were met with a really pretty sight.
Sitting beside you, was a girl with gorgeous auburn hair —definitely styled—, hazel eyes enhanced by a very dark mascara, golden hoops adorned her ears, and lips so shiny you were sure that gloss was uncomfortably sticky.
The brunette seemed to sense your staring, so she turned her head to look at you, legs crossed, left palm flat against the bench, and chin resting on her shoulder.
She didn’t smile, didn’t say ‘hi’, didn’t give any other sign of acknowledgment other than holding your gaze.
It was impossible to deny that her actions made you feel a little bit intimidated, or more like embarrassed from being caught staring, but you knew you couldn’t afford to look away. Doing so would only make the situation worse for you, you’d probably come off as a socially awkward loser.
So, you held her gaze back.
Though you tried to appear confident, inside, your mind was scrambling for something to say, anything to break the silence. Although, surprisingly, said silence wasn’t as uncomfortable as you would expect it to be.
Before your brain could come up with anything, the girl spoke.
“You’re new.”
Straight to the point, you appreciated that.
“I am,” you shrugged, trying to seem as casual as possible, “moved into town with my family this summer.”
“That’s weird,” her brows furrowed, “why would anyone want to move into this boring ass town?”
That made you snort. Orson wasn’t the worst place in the world, but it would be a shameless lie to say it was even slightly interesting.
“Rude,” you huffed, finally tearing your gaze away from hers and directing it back to the field, “it’s been my dream since I was a little girl.”
It wasn’t. Your tone made that very clear.
That pulled a laugh out of her, and it made you smile. The slight tension that was there just a few seconds ago dissipated into the air and drifted away with the wind.
“I’m Hannah,” she finally said, and you gave her your name in return.
She seemed to notice your eyes searching the field in which the players from both teams were already scattered around, and you didn’t have to see her face as she spoke to know that she was smirking.
“Who did you come to see?” she teased.
You quickly caught on to what she was implying, and with the most serious tone you could manage, you responded “The referee.”
Her eyes landed on the absurdly short, bald man in the middle of the field, and you were sure she could break a record with the amount of emotions that flashed through her expression in a matter of milliseconds.
God, you tried, you really tried, but you couldn’t help the loud laugh that left your body at her expression of pure disgust, “You really thought I was serious?!” you said, almost offended that she’d believe that.
“You scared the shit outta me,” she huffed with an eyeroll.
“Who did you come to see?” you decided to tease back.
“No one in particular,” she shrugged, unbothered, “I never really get to actually watch the games.”
That made your eyes furrow in curiosity, “Why not?”
“I’m on the cheerleading team,” she started to explain, “we’re usually down there on the field… well, cheering, obviously. But, for some reason, the football season started earlier than usual this year, and since we’re short on members because of all the girls that graduated last semester and the fact that tryouts aren’t until next week, we get to sit on the benches this time.”
You nodded in understanding, but before you could respond to anything she’d said, Hannah spoke again.
“You should try out for the cheer team.”
That caught you by surprise, you knew cheerleading was an option for an extracurricular, but you hadn’t actually considered it. You hadn’t considered any option, you’d been too lazy these days. It didn’t seem like a bad idea, though.
“Hm, you think?” you questioned curiously.
Hannah simply nodded, “We’re trying to expand our members this year, something about making more complex and fun cheers… or whatever the captain said,” she scoffed.
You just let out a small laugh at her tone. Hannah was a bit grumpy, it wasn’t hard to notice, but she was also really honest, and she had that sarcastic humor that you found really funny. She seemed awfully cool, too.
“That’s actually a good idea, I really am in a time crunch to choose both an elective and an extracurricular—” you didn’t get to finish what you were saying, words abruptly cut off by the loud cheering of the people around you.
That’s when you realized you’d been so immersed in the conversation that you didn’t even notice when the game’d started.
Hannah stood up to cheer along everyone else, and even though you didn’t know what had happened, you mimicked her actions.
Peer pressure is a strong force, you thought.
“Wait— what happened?” you asked, raising your voice so she could hear you through the sounds of clapping and whistling.
Hannah continued clapping, leaning closer to your ear to answer, “Number 32.”
Your eyes automatically searched for the player she’d referred to, trying to focus on the numbers on each of the players’ white and blue jerseys.
Finally, you caught sight of who you’d been looking for; he was holding the ovoid to his chest with both arms, body laying against the grass of the end zone, legs sprawled in a way that indicated that he’d thrown himself directly into the ground to achieve the touchdown.
The name above the number on the back of his jersey read ‘Heck’.
Before you had time to process if that was the Heck boy you were familiar with —the one in your class, the one who lived in the same neighborhood you’d moved into—, he was already standing up.
The boy took off his helmet to celebrate as his teammates surrounded him, and you got a clear view of his appearance.
His dark brown, wavy hair was messy from the helmet, you’re not entirely sure if that’s important to note since it’s always kinda messy, the ends of the front strands clinged to his forehead and temples due to the sheet of sweat that was covering his face, his cheeks were flushed, and even through the heavy pants he took as he tried to steady his breathing, he wore a proud smile.
Axl had a really pretty smile, probably the prettiest you’d ever seen.
You would never say that out loud, though. You weren’t even sure how or why you’d noticed.
“I didn’t know he played football,” you said without really thinking about it, taking your seat again as the cheers began to die down.
“Heck?” Hanna sat next to you, “He’s the best player of the team, you know him?”
You simply shrugged.
“We share most of our classes, but we’ve never actually talked.”
“Really?” she sounded almost amused, “I’m surprised he hasn’t tried flirting with you, you’re a pretty girl.”
You couldn’t help but feel flustered at her compliment, but you played it off as smoothly as you could.
“Is he really that much of a flirt?” you asked. Although, you kinda already knew the answer to that.
Among the many things you’d noticed about Axl Heck in the short time you’d known him —like his dramatic nature and his weird answers in class that had you wondering if he should be applauded for creativity or mocked for stupidity—, was that he was a ladies man.
Or at least he attempted to be.
Surprisingly, or maybe not that much, girls at school seemed to dig his superb intelligence. You had to hear him flirt back and forth with the girls in your class, shooting winks and sly smirks. You’d also seen him in the hallways, the lockers, or practically anywhere in school, each time with a different girl.
Hannah scoffed, “I think even Darrin in a bikini would do it for him,” she rolled her eyes.
“Ew,” you winced, “get that image out of my mind!”
“I’m serious,” Hannah defended, although her smile hinted she was not that serious, “Him, Darrin, and Sean once sent this girl a picture of them hugging. Naked.”
“WHAT,” you almost yelled, “Why would they do that?!” you broke into a fit of laughter, the mental image was too ridiculous.
You weren’t sure if it was because the mere memory of it was too funny or maybe your laughter was just contagious, but Hannah started laughing with you.
“And it was Valentine’s day!” she added through a cackle.
The audience watched with concentration and anticipation as the offensive players positioned themselves for their next play, and then there was you and Hannah, two girls in the middle of the bleachers laughing loudly about something the rest of the people around had no idea about.
You were sure the both of you were getting some judgy looks, maybe a few glares, but you couldn’t bring yourself to care. Because, weirdly enough, the sun began to shine.
In a day that had been all dark clouds and cold breezes, somewhere between 6 and 7 p.m., the clouds parted, and sun rays made their way through the space they’d left cleared.
And you, after weeks of spending your days alone, had finally found a friend.
Or a potential friend, at least. Don’t want to rush things.
“I actually know Sean,” you started, trying to regain your breath after laughing so hard, “He invited me to this like start-of-the-season party. I figured that if I was gonna attend that, I should also watch the game. That’s why I’m here,” you finally explained.
Hannah nodded, also coming back from her own fit of giggles, “Yeah, the Donahues do that every year,” she breathed, “they’re like super nice. Overly nice. I don’t know how they do it, I could never,” she frowned from just imagining it.
“Are you going to that too?” you asked her.
“Yeah, want me to drive you?”
…
You stepped out of the car, thanking the universe and all the gods above because you’d made it to your destination live.
For a girl so sophisticated, Hannah drove like a psycho.
The dents on her silver Mercedes should’ve been a warning.
The both of you walked up to the front door. Hannah’s hands were busy holding her car keys and the two iced lattes you’d gotten on the way to the Donahue’s, yours were occupied by a quite large box of baked goods.
Sean’s invitation had been really kind, and you were taught to never arrive somewhere with empty hands.
So, you did what you know best: baking.
This time you’d made cherry turnovers and packed them in a rectangular, brown box adorned with a bow tied with two ribbons —one blue and one white—.
You were really feeling the school’s spirit.
They were easy to bake and the decoration wasn’t elaborate, so you figured it was the better option. You could make a ton of them for everyone who’d be at the party to enjoy, and to show your gratitude to the Donahues.
Hannah didn’t bother with knocking on the door, she just turned the handle with her elbow —the door was already unlocked— and walked right in without a care in the world, like this was her own home. You simply followed her in.
Nancy Donahue was in the kitchen, preparing what you were pretty sure was homemade lemonade. As soon as her eyes landed on you and the brunette beside you, a beaming smile popped into her expression.
“Hi, my girls!” she made her way towards you with open arms, Hannah was the first to return her hug, “Oh, Hannah, I feel like I haven’t seen you in so long,” she fake-pouted, “You look a little different,” her eyes squinting to inspect what’d changed.
“Hey, Nancy,” Hannah greeted back, “Yeah, I dyed it a little bit darker last time”
“Oh, I can see,” Nancy nodded, “You look amazing, beautiful as always!” she beamed.
Then she turned to you, and you had to hold back a laugh at the way she pretended not to notice the box in your hands.
“Oh, and you, it’s so nice that you’re here,” she pulled you in for a tight hug and you tried your best to hold the box with just one hand to return her hug and avoid the cherry-filled pastries to crush between your bodies, “Sean told me he was inviting you, I’m really glad you came.”
“Well, of course I did,” you smiled as she finally let you free from the tight embrace she had you in, “Thank you so much for the invitation, I brought these,” you held out the box in your hands for her to take.
You were 100% sure that Hannah was fighting as hard as you were to bite back a laugh when Nancy pretended to be surprised as she took the box from you.
“Oh God, you didn’t have to,” she placed a hand over her heart, like this was the most thoughtful gift she’d ever gotten, “This is so sweet of you, I didn’t even notice you’d brought something.”
Lie. That was an absolute lie, but you let her have it. It was a funny lie. Maybe she really enjoyed the cupcakes you’d made weeks ago and she was just excited for another sweet treat.
“You girls go outside, everyone your age is in the backyard,” she offered, “there’s food if you’re feeling hungry, and I’m almost done with the lemonade,” she smiled proudly, “Go have fun— Oh, and don’t forget to congratulate the boys on their win, it was amazing!”
With a final wave to Nancy, Hannah and you made your way to the back door, walking past a bunch of adults who you assumed were the parents of the football team players.
As you stepped into the backyard, you took the view in. White fairy lights hanging from one tree to another sparkled against the now darker sky, a rectangular pool in the middle of the green, freshly mown grass, a large table covered with a gray and white checkered tablecloth, and on top of it: paper plates, red plastic cups, and snacks like chips, dips and some fruit.
You saw a couple of familiar faces scattered around the place. There were many boys with their hair slightly damp, you figured they were the players after showering and changing into more casual clothes.
“So, you’ve already met Nancy,” Hannah spoke beside you.
“Yeah, we’re neighbors, I guess it was inevitable,” you said, not feeling like explaining the hand out of cupcakes you’d done when you’d just gotten here.
“It is,” she confirmed, “Orson is such a small town,” Hannah huffed, “and, well, the Donahues are… the Donahues.”
“I’ve known them since we were little kids —everyone knows everyone around here—, our parents are good friends and they would like host barbecues on Sundays. I’ve spent a lot of time in this backyard.”
“That sounds nice, like a core childhood memory.”
Hannah opened her mouth to respond —something sarcastic, you’d bet— but she held back whatever she was going to say when she spotted someone a few steps away from where you were both standing.
You followed her gaze to land on a boy leaning against a tree with his arms crossed. He was tall, dark skinned and quite muscular.
A teasing smile made its way to your face.
“Is that who you went to see?” you nudged her with your shoulder.
“Shut up,” she whisper-yelled but the smile she tried to hold back didn’t go unnoticed by you. “Yes,” she admitted with a sigh.
“Go talk to him,” you encouraged her, nodding your head towards him.
She seemed to consider it for a moment before answering, “I don’t want to leave you alone.”
Excuses, excuses.
“Oh, c’mon,” you rolled your eyes, “I’ll manage, just go talk to him for a bit, I’ll wait.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I can entertain myself,” you assured her.
With that, she finally looked convinced, nodding to herself as if she was preparing for battle.
“How do I look?” she asked, turning to face you.
“Your hair flattened out,” you winced.
“WHAT?” she panicked.
“I’m kidding, I’m kidding! Sorry,” you giggled, “You look good, just go, go, go.”
“You keep scaring me!” and with that, she finally walked away, heading towards the boy that had her heart skipping beats.
From your spot, you watched as she approached him, and when he caught sight of her, his eyes lightened up and a flirty smirk made itself present on its lips. As they started chatting, Hannah twirled her hair with her finger and you saved that sight to tease her later.
Assuming it’d be a while until Hannah decided to end the conversation with her loverboy and come back to keep you company, you started considering ways to pass the time.
You scanned the field searching for Sean; you needed to say hi and maybe you could talk to him while Hannah came back. He was nowhere to be found, though.
He was the host after all, maybe he was busy helping Nancy or greeting people inside.
In the end, you simply decided to get a snack.
Grabbing a white paper plate, you stared at the different options that sat on the table in front of you. Ultimately deciding on some classic salt chips and some freshly cut strawberries with chocolate drizzled on top.
Once you’d placed what you wanted on your plate, you turned around to look for a spot where you could sit while you ate, but instead of that, your eyes found the boy you were looking for just five minutes ago.
Without paying attention to your surroundings, you started walking towards him.
Bad, bad decision.
Remember the clumsiness you’d been a victim of all day? And remember all those unfortunate accidents that’d happened because of it?
Apparently, in the last hours, you’d gotten too confident in your luck, and the universe decided to put you back in your place.
You didn’t have time to react to or even notice the boy running full speed in the same direction you were walking in. You, obviously, didn’t have time to move your feet away from the edge of the pool either.
The impact happened too fast, you stumbled and tried to regain your balance but your attempt was futile.
You looked around to see if there was someone who could help you, but everyone was too busy with their own thing to notice what was happening.
Except for a certain boy, who only stared at you with wide eyes and —what you assumed was— a shocked expression.
He was what was closest to you, so you stretched out your arm to reach him and gripped his shirt so that you could hold on to him and stay on land, nice and dry.
That didn’t happen, of course.
He fell into the pool with you.
You felt the shivering sensation of cold water against your skin as you fell deeper into the pool, your eyes closed and holding your breath so that the chlorine-filled liquid didn’t get inside your nose.
Once you couldn’t go any deeper and the laws of physics started pushing you towards the surface again, you couldn’t help but worry about the boy you’d accidentally pulled into this embarrassing mess with you.
He would never let this go.
You contemplated drowning.
The both of you resurfaced at the same time, heads popping out of the water, you were pushing your hair back and rubbing your eyes so that you could open them while Axl was gasping for air. He looked like a fish out of the water.
When you opened your eyes, Axl was already looking at you with a glare.
See? He would never let this go.
You gave him a tight, awkward smile that said ‘I’m sorry’. Or at least that’s what you attempted to communicate.
It took you a moment to notice the deafening silence that surrounded you, and when you finally did, you teared your eyes away from him to take in your surroundings.
Now everyone was staring.
And almost as if the universe wanted to mock you a little more, you saw that the only thing that hadn’t fallen down with you into the pool was the white paper plate with chips and chocolate drizzled strawberries that was now on the edge of the pool, sitting perfectly, not a single strawberry or chip scattered around the floor.
Unbelievable.
Suddenly, the silence was broken by the sound of fabric rustling, and when you turned to look at the direction of the sound, you saw that it was Sean taking off his shirt.
And before you had time to process it, he was cannonballing into the pool.
At that, everyone around exploded into laughs and cheers, and in just a matter of seconds, the rest of the boys of the team were taking off their shirts and diving into the pool, yelling whatever weird things came to their minds.
Finally, you allowed yourself to let out a sigh of relief, the attention had drifted away from Axl and you, and Sean had saved you from a really embarrassing moment.
You didn’t even want to imagine what would’ve happened if he hadn’t jumped into the pool. Maybe something like turtle girl situation? Just the thought made you shiver.
“Ahem,” Axl cleared his throat in front of you, “An apology would be nice, you know.”
His words made your relief disappear and, instead, your chest filled with anger.
Of course you would apologize! If he’d given you just five seconds to regain your breath, you would’ve already gotten the apology out!
And his passive-aggressive attitude was definitely not appreciated.
Now you didn’t feel like apologizing.
“Excuse you,” you huffed, “it was an accident and I was just trying to hold on to something.”
“Yeah, people with manners usually apologize for accidents”
“You’re ridiculous demanding an apology “
“You’re ridiculous for not giving it”
“You could’ve helped me and you didn’t even try to!”
“How was I supposed to know you were going to fall into the pool?” he threw his hands up.
“You saw me!”
“No, I didn’t!”
“Yes, you did! And you just stared like a dumbass!” you threw your arms up too.
From your peripheral vision, you noticed that something on your wrist was missing. Axl said something else, but your mind didn’t process his words, it was now only focused on what you’d lost.
“Oh, no,” you blurted out, your tone somewhere between sadness and disappointment.
“What? What’s wrong?” Axl’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion, completely forgetting about the previous argument.
“I lost my bracelet,” you pouted without looking at him, your eyes trying to find the object at the bottom of the pool but the water made it impossible to.
Maybe you were being a little dramatic, but you couldn’t help it. You'd bought that bracelet with your hard-earned money from selling cookies at your last school. It was delicate, thin, made of white gold, and it had an elegant hibiscus-shaped charm in the center of it.
Axl didn’t say anything, that made your mind drift once again to the situation at hand.
“Sorry,” your gaze was back on him, trying to ignore how pretty his blue eyes looked when his lashes were wet, “for pulling you into the pool with me, I really didn’t mean to.”
Your apology seemed to catch him off guard, his snarky remarks stuck in his throat.
“Don’t worry about it.”
It was a weird sight, Axl Heck, always loud and sarcastic, didn’t have much to say this time.
Maybe you just had the luck of finding him or putting him in these embarrassing situations, like when you’d run into him and his sister at Frugal Hoosier looking for the ingredients to make the cherry turnovers you’d brought.
“I can help you look for—”
He didn’t get to finish his sentence because it was interrupted by someone calling your name behind you.
You turned around to acknowledge said person. It was Hannah.
She was holding her white Converse in one hand as she sat at the edge of the pool, dipping her feet into the now warmer water and looking at you with an amused smirk.
“Huh, you did entertain yourself.”
…
“Axl, now you’re going to have to throw out that shirt!” Frankie scolded as the family walked into their house, Mike flicked the light switch on. “The chlorine will fade the fabric!”
Axl groaned dramatically, kicking his shoes off, “Whatever, I can wear it to sleep or something,” he suggested, annoyed.
He knew he was lying, he never wore a shirt to sleep, or at home in general, but he just wanted his mom to let it go.
“Oh, and your shoes! These were supposed to last you at least another year!” Frankie whined.
“Oh my God, Mom, would you please let it go!?” he yelled, startling his sister with the volume of his voice, “My team literally won a game today and I was MVP, and all you” he pointed to both of his parents accusingly “can talk about is a drenched shirt!”
He saw the expressions of his parents, how Frankie was taken by surprise by his outburst —even if it wasn’t something uncommon— and how Mike got even angrier at his attitude. Still, he couldn’t help but speak again, the words spilling out from his mouth like a reflex, not even giving his parents three seconds to speak.
“And it’s not my fault we’re too poor to buy a stupid shirt!”
And there it was. His angered expression didn’t falter, his tongue didn’t stutter.
On the outside, he was typical, moody, always-complaining, mad-at-the-world Axl. But inside, that bitter guilty feeling creeped into his chest. The one he was all too familiar with. It ran like blood on his veins. Like it was what made his body function, through his veins to his heart, from his heart through his arteries to his organs. Like it was what kept him alive.
He didn’t know why he was like this, always angry, always defensive. He tried to convince himself it was the adrenaline that came from anger what made him like this. Because it was what he was used to. Being angry.
But was it really adrenaline if all he did was have his guard up all the time?
What a coward, he told himself.
Besides, what is he even angry about? What made him so angry at his parents, at his family, at the people he loved the most?
Why did he resent them so much?
It was a question that was always in the back of his mind, stubborn in its place when he tried to ignore it.
He’d never tried to answer it. Didn’t want to. He was too afraid.
Coward, his mind repeated.
He looked at his parents in front of him. He knew they loved him, and he loved them right back. More than he liked to show. He knew they worked hard to maintain the family, and he appreciated that. More than he’d ever admit.
He didn’t know why he was like this with them.
He looked at his little brother who —no matter how much he read— was still too innocent for this world. Books can’t give all knowledge, there’s some things you have to learn by living.
He hoped he didn’t grow up to be like him. As angry and fearful and lost as him.
He looked at his younger sister. She was always so bright, like a ray of sunshine. No matter what the world threw at her, she continued being herself. Her real and authentic self.
Something Axl had never been able to do.
Some would call it admiration. Axl knew the feeling was too bitter to be that, too venomous. It was more like resentment. Jealousy. Envy.
Oh, and he hated himself for that. For feeling that way. For being that way.
Because he loved her too much. But he hated her too much. Because he could never be like her. Sue was brave enough to be stubborn in a world that kept rejecting her. Axl wasn’t.
Coward.
“Go to your room,” Mike said sternly, his voice deep and determined.
Axl didn’t answer, he simply groaned —loud and dramatic and lazy as always—, throwing his head back.
He walked or more like stomped into his room, slamming the door with unnecessary strength.
Even he flinched because of the sound.
He started taking off his clothes with harsh tugs, stripping off his shirt, his pants, his socks, and his boxers. He grabbed a clean —or he hoped it was clean, at least it was dry— pair of boxers from the floor and put it on. It was white with bright yellow lemons and grass-green limes as a pattern. Too ridiculous for how he felt at the moment.
He threw himself onto his unmade bed and laid on his stomach.
He tried to push those too-stubborn thoughts out of his mind, and those too-complicated feelings out of his chest, attempting to think of literally anything else.
And for some reason that he didn’t bother himself with trying to understand, his mind drifted to you.
First, to the memory of your encounter at the Frugal Hoosier, he winced from embarrassment just from remembering it.
He was afraid that you’d make fun of him, that you’d tell people at school that you’d seen him shopping at the store that sold way-too-cheap expired food with his weirdo sister.
But you didn’t, you were too kind for that.
Axl wondered if that idea would even cross your mind, if you even saw that as something embarrassing.
Still, he found himself wondering if maybe you’d pitied him, or felt embarrassed for him. He found himself caring about what you thought of him.
Then, his mind went to the pool.
He thought of how you looked. You look pretty with your hair wet, he wondered how it’d look sweaty—
Woah, he was not going to Horny Land right now.
It didn’t seem like it, but he did have some self-control.
He wondered what you would say if you found out he had that thought about you. Maybe you’d keep quiet and pretend you didn’t know to save him from further embarrassment, like you did that day at the store. Or maybe you’d snap at him, like you did today at the pool.
He allowed himself to smile at the memory, he was all alone after all, no one would see him smiling at his thoughts like a schizophrenic.
He enjoyed fighting with you, even if it was just for a small amount of time, he liked seeing a more defiant side of you.
He’d only seen you quiet, sweet, and composed. Seeing you mad at him was a nice surprise, it showed that you had a strong personality hidden underneath.
Although, he was certain that making you laugh would be even better.
He reached into the front left pocket of the jeans that he’d thrown onto the floor beside his bed when he was changing out of his wet clothes, feeling the cold metal against his right palm as he grabbed the delicate object.
Suddenly, the door opened, and Axl snapped his fist shut to hide what he was holding.
He relaxed when he heard little steps and knew it was Brick.
“Hi, Axl,” Brick said politely, and Axl’s heart tugged at how cute it sounded “what do you have there?” he asked with a curious tilt of his head.
“None of your business, geek”
Brick simply nodded, unfazed by his brother’s tone, and then he pressed his chin to his chest and whispered to himself “Geek”.
Axl rolled his eyes, “Turn off the lights, I’m trying to sleep,” he whined.
“Okay,” Brick shrugged and did as told, “Goodnight, Axl” he said, way too sweetly.
The oldest brother sighed, “G’night, Brick” he said softly as he heard the youngest getting under the sheets of his own small bed.
He opened his palm again, the soft light that the moon reflected entered through the window, illuminating the delicate bracelet on his hand.
Axl knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight, not while he was too busy wondering why he didn’t give it back.
I had to give us a girl bestie bc girl friendship is so dear to me. Inspired by my irl friends, those girls are the sunshine of my life ☀️🌺
Jason was so fun to draw I definitely want to do more dc art! maybe absolute superman or Wally west..never doing bedsheets again though that was so hard it felt malicious
Hellooo, I just wanted to come on here and yap about how grateful I am for anyone who is reading my Axl Heck x fem!reader fic 💗 Trust me when I tell you I truly thought not one single soul would read this, considering the tag is not that popular, and I’m just starting. I didn’t really think anyone would come across this fic, but I was wrong. Since I published the first part, seeing the likes on the posts has made me so happy. They might be a few, but they mean so much, especially because I’m catering to an audience that’s quite small (I’m sure you’ve noticed there’s like only 5 fics about this guy) and in so little time (less than two days since I published the first part!!). So, yeah, every follow, every like, every comment truly makes this all so worth it. So, again, thank you so, so much to anyone who takes even just a few minutes of their day to read my work, ily 🧁🌸
With that said, I have a question for you, my friends 🤭💛
Which extracurricular/elective class would you like reader to take?
Swimming
Cheerleading
Music
Theater
Arts
Other
Voting ended onJun 8
As someone who loves doing all types of activities at school, this is such a hard decision for me 😭 Those are the options I like the most but obviously there’s more. If you think of anything else you’d like, you can comment it!! I think I’ll be making more of this polls through the writing of the fic because I want to know what the readers want to see 🩵
CW/TW: highschoolers being mean, bullying, reader is just a little bit shy, a tiny bit of angst (reader is just nostalgic), mentions of food, sibling banter, sibling fight, Axl being Axl, Sue being Sue, Axl being mean to Sue, s3 Axl, trying to stick to the storyline of the show but obviously have to add and change a few things, English is not my first language, no use of Y/N. Let me know if I’m missing anything 🤗
A/N: Second part is hereee!!! OMG, I’m so happy, I really hope this part is a little bit more entertaining than the last, we’re slowly getting to the good stuff; right now, we’re building connections, we’re building storylines, so bare with me, please 😉 You guys have no idea how much I struggled writing the second scene of this, took me an embarrassing amount of time, so I hope it’s not too bad. Also, why is punctuation such a nightmare in English? 😫 Anyways, hope you enjoy; feedback, likes, comments, follows and reblogs are always appreciated 💞
WC: 3.6k
The melodious sound of teenage chatter, lockers banging, and squeaky sneakers against the floor rang in your ears as you headed towards your second period class.
It was strangely comforting, in a way. Everyone was doing their own thing just like you were, each person preoccupied with their own version of the mundanities of highschool: grades, assignments, tests, friends, crushes, teachers, extracurriculars, electives…
Speaking of electives and extracurriculars, you were yet to choose any of those. The principal had been kind enough to give you an extra week to think about it, something about taking your time to adapt to your new environment. Basically, she pitied you because you were new. Or so you assumed.
You didn’t mind, anyway. If anything, it just gave you more time to look at your options and weigh them on the scale that measured which would be best for you. Also, Orson High had a surprisingly good catalog of extracurriculars and elective classes that included all possible types of activities —arts, athletics, leadership, community service, academics, STEM, and various student clubs—. You had to admit you were actually excited to choose one.
Just as your mind started drifting towards imagining yourself in every possible club, you got pulled out of your thoughts by the sight of a circle of students forming around something… or maybe someone.
Since you’ve always been curious by nature, or more like nosey, you walked towards where all the commotion was taking place. As you were getting closer, you heard people letting out snickers and saw some pulling out their phones.
An uneasy feeling settled in your stomach, you still hadn’t seen what everyone was so entertained by, but you were now certain that it was a someone.
With a few more steps closer, being cautious of not actually stepping into the circle, you finally got a look of what everyone was laughing about.
A girl was on the floor, laying on her back, facing the ceiling, and her body stiff. She was completely out of breath and her hair was dripping wet. Apparently, her clothes were too, since they clinged to her like a second skin. You get uncomfortable just by imagining the sensation of wet clothes. She was making an effort to stand up but the heavy weight of her backpack didn’t let her, keeping her in place. She looked like a turtle upside down.
Damn, Donatello down.
She seemed to be asking for help, but everyone was too busy taking pictures and laughing at the sight to give her a hand. Not like they would help even if they weren’t doing anything else, you were sure.
Suddenly, her gaze landed on someone and a hopeful look took over her features.
“AXL!” she called out loudly, attempting to wave her arm in order to get the boy’s attention.
And she definitely succeeded because the smile on the wavy haired boy’s face vanished in less than a second and he rushed away from the scene, almost embarrassed.
What a jerk, you thought.
Soon, the students that surrounded the brunette girl started to disperse, each back to minding their own business because the bell was about to ring. Seems like everyone was finally satisfied with the laughter they’d gotten out of the poor girl’s tragedy.
She was left there on the floor, writhing and struggling to get back on her feet. She almost looked like she was doing jack knives.
You finally walked up to her —a little embarrassed that you had taken too long to help— and held out both hands for her to take.
When your face came into her line of vision, her expression turned into one of awe, like she’d just seen an angel. It took her a while to react, as if she was in disbelief that this was really happening, someone was genuinely helping her .
You raised your eyebrows at her lack of movement and the girl shaked herself out of her trance and finally took both of your hands so you could help her back on her feet.
She stumbled a little as she settled into her stance, not letting go of your hands. She seriously had a strong grip.
Once she was back up, standing and steady, she just kept staring at you. She had a big cheesy smile on her face and her hands weren’t letting go of yours.
Shit, you really had to get to class.
“Are you ok-” you tried to check on her, but your question got cut off by her enthusiastic introduction.
“I’m Sue!” she giggled, buzzing with excitement as if she was meeting her favorite singer instead of a random girl at her school.
You couldn’t help the soft smile that made its way into your face, her enthusiasm was kind of adorable. Sure, weird but adorable. It made you wonder if she had any friends, she seemed like she had a very bubbly personality but you could tell she was also… well, weird. Braces, clothes with childish patterns, awkward movements and even more awkward situations. You were positive this wasn’t the first time she’d been target of ridicule, and it definitely wouldn’t be the last.
“Hey, Sue,” you smiled at her, “are you alright?”
She nodded so fast you were scared for her neck.
“Yes! Oh my god, yes, don’t even worry about me! I’m fine,” she blabbered with that wide smile on her face, not allowing herself one single breath, “It was nothing, really, just an accident. Such a frosh move on my part,” she waved it off with a loud laugh, “falling over because of a heavy backpack? So embarrassing! Am I right?” she continued with an even louder laugh.
You just wanted to make sure she was alright before you left, and once you confirmed she wasn’t even slightly hurt or injured, and since she didn’t seem like she was stopping anytime soon, you decided to cut off her rambling.
“Perfect,” you started, “I really need to rush to my biology class, Sue, but I’ll see you around,” you smiled at her one last time before running off to your classroom, not giving her a chance to respond.
…
“Everyone has to deliver their worksheets by the end of the class,” your teacher stated and you could feel the dread settle into your body, you were already fighting the sleepiness and now you had to work.
“Since these are a little bit long, you’ll have to work in pairs,” you felt your heart drop to your stomach at the woman's words, “so choose a partner and get to work.”
Shit.
The moment you’d been dreading ever since your first day of school was finally here. You knew this would happen at some point, you’d just hoped it wouldn’t be so soon.
Apparently, your plan of not worrying yourself about not making friends wasn’t such a great plan after all.
It’s not like you hadn’t talked to anybody; since the first day, you’d continued to take the same seat, right next to Sean, who smiled at you every morning and greeted you with that kindness that was so characteristic of him. That’s why you kept sitting there. Plus, some girls from your class had also been quite nice, complimenting your hair and making small talk.
Still, you’re yet to have a proper conversation with practically anyone. None of your interactions went further from the short, casual small talk you had with your classmates during the small gaps between getting to the classroom and the class actually starting.
You still spent your lunch time at the library, your short breaks in the bathroom or pretending to be getting stuff from your locker, you had no one to hang out with after classes nor anyone to text with about the homework.
And now you find yourself worried about every decent person in the class choosing to work on the assignment with their friends until there’s nobody normal left for you to work with and, therefore, being forced to partner up with the boy at the back of the class who’s always barefoot or the girl who steals the boys’ deodorants.
Fortunately, you didn’t get to dwell on your worries for long.
A light tap on your left shoulder stopped your mind from wandering too deep into the land of catastrophic possible consequences of not finding an acceptable partner your head had come up with, escorting you back to reality.
The knot in your stomach immediately loosened when you realized it’d been Sean.
“Hey,” he called you by your last name with his ever-present smile and you just prayed he was talking to you for the reasons you hoped for.
“Hi, Donahue,” you smiled back.
“Do you have a partner for the assignment?” he questioned and you answered by shaking your head in denial.
“Great,” he grinned, “we can partner up then?” he finally asked with that cheeriness that would be too much on anyone else but, for some reason, fit him so naturally.
At his words, you immediately felt a weight being lifted off your shoulders.
“Yeah, of course,” you nodded, trying not to seem too excited, but the fact that you wouldn’t have to work with deodorant girl was extremely relieving.
Sean started moving his desk closer to yours, table legs screeching against the classroom floor.
“Hey! Donahue, what are you doing?!” someone shouted, you didn’t even need to look up to know who it’d been. Merely by his voice, you could tell that was Axl Heck.
“Moving my desk?” Sean answered, confused.
“Are you working with her?” Axl pointed to you.
Woah, rude.
“Uhm, yeah, why?”
“I thought you were partnering up with me!” Geez, he sounded seriously offended.
“You can work with Darrin,” Sean suggested with a shrug.
Axl rolled his eyes, “Yeah, but Darrin’s a dumbass,” he stated, as if it was something obvious.
Well, look who’s talking.
Darrin, who was right beside Axl, was too busy carving holes into an eraser with a pencil that had definitely seen better days to react to his friend’s words.
Hm.
Maybe he was a dumbass but, still, rude.
“It’s only one class, Axl,” Sean sighed, “you’ll be fine.”
“Ugh, whatever,” Axl groaned, plopping back onto his seat, arms crossed and everything, muttering something about loyalty and betrayal.
He was very dramatic, that you’d noticed.
Sean’s attention was back on you again, he started reading the instructions of the worksheet out loud for both of you, but you couldn’t bring yourself to actually listen since you were too distracted by the feeling of someone staring at you, that certain someone being Axl.
Weirdly enough, his stare wasn’t harsh; you’d expect him to be staring daggers at you after you stole who, if it weren’t for you, would’ve been his partner for the class. However, it wasn’t a soft stare either.
You weren’t sure where to place it, maybe it was curiosity? The uncertainty of not knowing if he was judging, assessing, or simply looking had you feeling quite intimidated.
You didn’t dare look up to check, though. Deciding, instead, to direct all your focus on the unanswered worksheet.
The rest of the class was genuinely enjoyable. Sure, you had to do most of the work because Sean wasn’t very bright intellectually speaking, but he tried, and he was excellent company. You scribbled down answers about transfer of matter and energy while you talked to the boy next you about any topic that came up in the conversation.
It started off with you complaining about the teacher asking for such a long worksheet to be delivered by the end of the class, and then Sean started telling you about this terrible math teacher they’d had last year and how she failed him and his friends on the final exam. The story made you laugh so much that you decided to tell him your own horror stories about teachers in your last school. After that, the conversation flowed naturally, and you talked about your friends at that school and what activities you used to do, and he told you all about his sports.
As you were talking with him, narrating your funny anecdotes, you couldn’t help but feel a little nostalgic. Everything changed for you over the summer, and your mind couldn’t help but drift to the memories of those hot days where you had to say goodbye to your old friends, school, and neighborhood. You shrugged it off, though. It was not the time to be sad, you were finally building a friendship in this new school.
A few minutes before the bell rang, everyone was handing in their worksheets to the teacher and packing up their stuff to leave.
“Hey,” Sean started, “football season starts this Thursday, and my family is hosting a small party for the team after the game,” he explained.
“You’re welcome to come if you’d like to.”
You felt your heart warm up at his kind invitation, and, considering you were in no position to say reject an offer like this, you accepted.
“Thanks,” you smiled gratefully, “I’ll be there.”
…
“You can’t blame me! I told you, I’ve dedicated a lot of effort to maintain a good reputation and being seen with a loser like you would definitely ruin all my work!” Axl shouted as he slammed the car door shut.
“OH. MY. GOD! I can’t believe that’s more important to you than helping your own sister!” Sue gasped, stepping out of the passenger seat and almost tripping over her own feet because she was too busy arguing with her brother to pay attention to her steps.
Axl didn’t need to respond, he just turned to his sister and shot her a look that said ‘Of course it is’ as he opened the door to step into Frugal Hoosier.
Sue opened her mouth to say something and, as soon as her brother noticed, he interrupted her, not letting her get the words out.
“Can’t you just shut up?” he groaned, throwing his head back in annoyance, “I mean, you’ve been whining about the same thing the whole day. Get over it,” and with that, he slammed the door in his sister’s face before she could walk in.
That only made Sue’s anger flare up even more. She pushed the door open harshly, earning a few judgmental looks from the buyers around.
“Me? I should get over it?” she yelled, “I can’t believe you, Axl! You know what? You should get over yourself!” She seemed very proud of the comeback she’d come up with, so she continued her rambling while following the boy’s steps inside the store. “Yeah! You’re always thinking about yourself and only yourself! You don’t care about anyone else other than you!”
Axl tried to tune out his sister’s rant as he scanned through the shelves of canned food, looking for the beans their mother had sent them to buy.
He didn’t care about Sue screaming right behind him. After all, the only person she was embarrassing was herself.
That was until he saw a familiar girl at the end of the aisle.
He turned to Sue so fast he even startled her a little bit, “Okay, Sue, I get it, I’m selfish and all that. Now, shut up!” he snarled through gritted teeth, making sure only the younger girl could hear him.
Sue crossed her arms, leaning on one hip and pressing her lips into a thin line like Axl’s words were his acceptance of defeat, “Exactly, I’m glad you’re taking accountability,” she raised her finger, “but I still have a few things to say.”
Axl was quick to wrap his hand around her wrist to try and drag her out of the place, but Sue, ever so stubborn, planted her feet firmly on the floor.
“C’mon, Sue, we have to go,” he almost pleaded, trying his best to look discreetly at the girl behind him, making sure she didn't notice him or sister.
Sue seemed taken aback by the urgency in his voice, “What? Why?” she asked, “Is something wrong?” she stood on her tippy toes to look over her brother’s shoulder while he tried to block her view.
When she finally managed to get a good look, what she saw made all her anger melt away immediately.
At the end of the aisle, stood a girl staring at the multiple bags and boxes of flour like they had personally offended her. The same girl that had helped her out that morning.
“Oh my gosh!” Sue screeched, so loud there was no way anyone within a 10 meter radius didn’t hear her.
Axl squeezed his eyes shut in embarrassment, not wanting to look behind him even though he was sure the girl had already seen him. It was impossible not to look when someone screams as loudly as Sue did.
Then, he realized that the girl hadn’t seen his face yet, maybe he could walk away before she had time to recognize him.
And then Sue ran straight up to her and all his hope went flying out the window.
Or maybe not all of it, he could still run in the opposite direction.
“Axl, come here!” Sue called out excitedly.
Nope, it did went flying out the window. All of it. Definitely.
He knew he had no way to escape now, so he gave up and finally turned around.
Your eyebrows shot up when you recognized him, but you immediately schooled your expression, he already looked like this was the worst humiliation he’d ever experienced. You weren’t particularly fond of him, but you didn’t want to make him feel worse than he probably already felt.
A faint blush crept up Axl’s neck from the embarrassment. Sue had already embarrassed him in front of his classmates at school, and now she was embarrassing him in front of another classmate outside of school. And she did it all on the same day. He didn’t know how she managed to do that.
“Axl, this is the girl who helped me out in the morning,” Sue explained with a big smile, “because she’s actually nice, unlike other people.” She didn’t miss any chance to whine about that, did she?
Until that moment, neither Axl or you had uttered a single word, Sue had done all the talking.
“Hi, Axl,” you made your best efforts to put on a natural smile despite the awkward situation.
You’d never really talked to Axl before, but neither of you could pretend to not know each other because you shared the majority of your classes. Therefore, you assumed not saying hi would’ve been rude, and it also would only make the already awkward situation even more uncomfortable.
The boy cleared his throat and simply said your name as an acknowledgment.
Sue raised her eyebrows at that and turned to you, “You know my brother?”
When she said that, you couldn’t hide your surprise anymore, you’re pretty sure your expression gave it away. They were siblings?
“Oh, I didn’t know he was your brother,” you answered, trying to go back to a more natural and calm expression, “but, um, we’re in the same class.”
Sue’s smile only widened at that, if that was even possible, “Woah, what a small world, huh?” she laughed, nudging you with her shoulder.
Your smile turned more gentle and much more genuine at that; this girl, in all her awkward glory, was truly adorable.
“What’re you looking for?” she asked, and Axl pinched the bridge of his nose. He really wanted to get out of here.
“Oh, just some flour and a few things to bake,” you answered, holding up the box of flour in your hand, “they don’t seem to have anything good here, though,” your brows furrowed.
“Oh, this store is pretty bad,” Sue agreed, “it’s mostly expired food, but it’s like super cheap so we shop here sometimes,” she explained with a shrug.
You weren’t sure if it was your imagination, but Axl seemed to be turning purple from embarrassment.
“Hm, that makes sense,” you said, “I guess I’ll have to look somewhere else.”
Sue perked up at that, like the best idea ever had just popped into her mind, “Oh, do you want us to take you? Axl can drive you to another store!”
Axl completely stiffened up and you had to bite your lip to hold back your giggles at the sight. You weren’t particularly fond of the boy, but you felt a little bad for him, if you were in his place you’d probably be embarrassed too.
With your sweetest smile, you turned to Sue again, “I think I’m just gonna head home for today, I’ll look for another store tomorrow. Thanks for offering, though,” you said, placing the box in your hand back on the shelf.
Sue’s excitement deflated a little at your answer, but she kept up her smile, “Of course! Well, let me know if you need anything, I know all the stores in Orson,” she said with a clap of her hands.
You couldn’t help the small chuckle that you let out at that, her happiness was somewhat contagious, “Thanks, Sue,” you turned to Axl again, a little bit unsure of what to say. He did look like he was about to throw up, “I’ll, uh, see you at school, Axl,” you shot him a small smile and he responded with an awkward nod as you made your way to the door, walking past him.
The boy didn’t move at all until he heard the door close behind you. Only then, he let himself breathe.
“She’s so nice, isn’t she?” Sue said giddily, completely oblivious to the awkward moment she’d just made her brother go through.
“I don’t wanna see your face.”
Can you tell I’m a Sean glazer? Inspired by a real friend of mine with whom I always used to sit with in class (just with a change of personality, my friend was not as bubbly 🥲)
CW/TW: reader is heavily kinda based on Lara Jean, reader has hair (no descriptions of color, length, or texture), reader has a dad, food and baking, reader and Axl are the same age, s3 Axl, sibling banter, Axl bullying Sue, English is not my first language, no use of Y/N, let me know if I’m missing anything.
A/N: This is my first fic everrr and I’m so, so excited 🥹 I never ever would’ve imagined that my first fic would be about Axl Heck but just recently I started watching the middle and I’m so obsessed with him (it’s bad 😭) and the lack of content and fics about him forced me to write my own 🫢 I always thought that my first published fics would be something about DC or Percy Jackson but life is full of surprises and I created a new blog just for this (I already have some DC drafts written but I still have to finish them and will probably be publishing them on my other blog). Anyways, this is just part one because I have a kinda long story in mind for this boy and I apologize because this part is so long and boring, it’s basically just context (reader and Axl don’t even interact 😓) but I promise I’ll write and publish the next part asap to make up for it. I’m not very proud of my writing either, this is definitely not my best work but it’s my first so I’ll try to get better for anyone reading. Also, I’m terrible at naming things so all the titles will be lyrics from songs and the series in general doesn’t have a name yet sooo… (I know, I’m sorry 😭). Promise that the next parts will be more entertaining, just bare with me please 😫 Anyways, sorry for so much yapping, I’m just very excited 😊 I hope you enjoy; feedback, likes, follows, and reblogs are appreciated 💗🌸
WC: 2.6k
You stare at your reflection on the glass as you huff in annoyance, blowing those rebellious strands of hair that keep getting on your face while you try to set the right temperature in the oven you’re still not familiar with.
“Woah… I didn’t know you were opening a bakery” an amused voice called from behind you.
You turned to look at your father, who was staring with curiosity at the multiple cupcake trays that were currently taking over the kitchen counter.
“No! Don’t!” you called out, standing up abruptly from your squat to shove his hand away when he tried dipping his finger in the mix. “These are for the neighbors,” you sighed.
The look of curiosity didn’t leave your father’s gaze, just now it was directed at you.
“Aw, sweetheart, that’s so sweet of you,” he replied, that hint of fondness in his words that never quite left whenever he was talking to you. “Although, I don’t think we have that many neighbors,” he added lightheartedly.
“I’m putting them in boxes of 6 cupcakes, each box will have one cupcake of each flavor: red velvet, lemon and raspberry, saffron pistachio —those three go with cream cheese frosting—, chocolate filled with chocolate ganache, coconut cake with mango filling, and a classic vanilla with buttercream frosting and sprinkles. Each house is getting one box” you explained calmly, pointing out each tray and the piping bags filled with the different icings, ready to decorate.
“Damn, you are putting a lot of effort into this,” your dad nodded, “I’m sure they’ll turn out great,” he reassured.
His words were simple, but they held a certain weight in them that he tried to disguise. He knew the reason you were doing this, it was a completely new environment for you and your family. New neighborhood, new school, new people. You were just nervous and wanted to start off on the right track, and if that meant a whole night of baking, then so be it.
“Of course they will, you’re talking to the number one chef of this household,” you joked, bringing your pinkie to your mouth to lick off the cream cheese frosting.
“Hey, you didn’t let me do that!” your dad argued, throwing his arms up with mock offense.
“I have the right to do it because I’m the baker and a taste test is needed to confirm the quality of my pastries,” you smiled proudly as you took one tray in each hand to finally get them in the oven.
Your dad sighed, but you didn’t miss the smile coming back to his face.
“Fine, whatever. You sure you’ll be done in time? It’s almost 6:00 p.m.” he asked.
“I’ll just bake, decorate and pack them tonight, I’ll give them out tomorrow after school,” you shrugged, your attention back on the task at hand.
…
The sound of your footsteps against the hot pavement were your only companion as you made your way through the neighborhood. It was a very hot day in Orson and, although you aren’t a big fan of extreme hot weather, the cool air breeze made up for it, making it feel more like spring rather than the middle of august. So, you let the sun rays hit your skin as you recall the events of your first day at Orson High.
It wasn’t anything remarkable, honestly. You rushed to your first class since you left the house a little later than you had planned to because it took you too long to choose an outfit —something you didn’t want to admit—. Luckily, you made it there on time. You sat on the middle row, close to the window as the rest of the students barged into the classroom, chatting and settling each into their seats. You just hoped you hadn’t chosen someone’s unofficially designated seat; the last thing you wanted was someone telling you to move or getting shot a dirty look because you had taken someone’s friend’s place.
Lucky for you, none of that happened. Instead, a pretty sweet boy had taken the seat next you, offering you a kind introduction with a handshake and the nicest smile you’d ever seen on someone. Sean Donahue, you’d learned.
It didn’t go further than that, though. For the rest of the day, you didn’t really talk to anyone else other than your teachers and the librarian.
You see, even though it was the start of a new school year, Orson was a small town and you figured almost everyone already knew each other around here. All your new classmates have probably been classmates since kindergarten and their friend groups are most definitely already established.
So, with the intention of not making things awkward for yourself or anyone else, you decided to keep to yourself for the day. You mostly didn’t want to seem desperate, hang out with the wrong people, or to try to force yourself into a place where you weren’t sure you would be welcomed.
You spent your classes listening to your teachers while your classmates talked amongst themselves, and when everybody else was in the cafeteria, you found peace and quiet in the school’s library.
You decided not to worry yourself about not making friends today, it was only your first day after all. Nevertheless, there was still some kind of pressure and worry in your head about it, you didn’t want to be alone for the rest of the school year.
Therefore, it was a nice surprise when you’d found out that Sean Donahue, the nice boy from your class, was also your neighbor.
His mom had opened the door for you, and after introducing yourself and handing her the box of cupcakes you were holding —which she received with the brightest smile—, she invited you in for a glass of homemade lemonade, introducing herself as Nancy.
She chatted with you excitedly once inside, asking you questions about your family, where you were from, how you ended up in Orson, and your school life. When you told her you’d just started attending Orson High, she was quick to mention her son and you immediately recognized the name.
She was just as nice, and kind, and bright as Sean. You figured it was a family thing.
After leaving the Donahue’s with a warm hug from Nancy and a promise of having dinner sometime soon, you were now headed towards the next house. You felt more calm now, you’d had such a nice experience with Nancy, you weren’t really worried about the rest of your neighbors anymore.
You stood in front of the door —white box adorned with a baby pink ribbon in your hands— for a few seconds before knocking on it.
A loud “Coming!” from the other side of the door followed by what sounded like something breaking was your answer.
The door opened abruptly and your eyes settled on the middle aged woman that now stood in front of you. She had short, light-brown hair with bangs, she wasn’t very tall, and she wore a fuchsia sweater. Her hair was slightly messy, she looked a little out of breath, and she had a somewhat crazed look in her eyes. You assumed she’d rushed to the door.
“Hi,” she greeted you, making her best efforts to maintain a nice smile.
“Hi!” you smiled back, introducing yourself with your name and your family’s last name. “Me and my family just moved into the neighborhood a few days ago,” you explained, pointing to your new house. “I brought cupcakes!” you finally said, offering her the box in your hands.
Immediately, a much more genuine and natural smile formed on her lips as she took the box from you, holding it to her chest as if it was a gift sent from above.
“Oh, god! You did? That’s so nice of you,” you were kinda taken aback by her excited tone, she said those words like you’d handed her a bottle of water in the middle of the desert.
“Thank you so-,” her words were cut off by a loud bang from inside the house and what sounded, once again, like something breaking.
The smile on her face twitched and she took a deep breath before turning her face to the direction the sound had come from and yelling “BRICK! I TOLD YOU TO NOT MOVE ANYTHING!”
The woman turned to you again, this time with a much tighter smile, trying to hide her embarrassment.
“Heh, sorry,” she shrugged, her smile shyer now. “Kids, am I right?” she said, only half joking and waving it off with her hand.
She then stood there just staring at you, smiling awkwardly as if she was waiting for you to say something. You stared back.
Suddenly, she seemed to remember that it was her who’d been interrupted, “Oh- I just wanted to really, really thank you for these,” she said, holding up the box of cupcakes in her hands. “I’m Frankie, Frankie Heck,” the woman finally introduced herself, with a much more relaxed smile now.
Poor woman, looks like she really needed those cupcakes.
“Don’t mention it, I hope you like ‘em, they’re all different flavors,” you explained with a hint of shyness you managed to hide pretty well, giving her a sweet smile.
“Oh, trust me, we will,” Frankie answered. “This will be tonight’s dinner,” she laughed, but you weren’t entirely sure she was joking.
After saying goodbye to Mrs. Heck, you continued your journey through the neighborhood. You were in no rush, so you walked slowly, taking your time to take in your new environment.
The Heck last name was present in your mind ever since Frankie had introduced herself, you’re pretty sure you’ve heard it somewhere but can’t seem to recall where or when.
And suddenly, it clicked.
Axl.
Well, Axl Heck was hard to miss. He was also in your class and he seemed to be good friends with Sean, though he didn’t seem half as nice as the Donahue. He was impossible to ignore because he was loud with his jokes, which were, honestly, very stupid and dumb. Maybe that’s what made them funny,
Aside from his jokes, you were absolutely sure the reason you remembered him and his name was the stupid answer he’d given in class: when he was asked where the capital of Indianapolis was and his genius answer was “Uhh, the first letter?”.
You had to cover your mouth to not let out a cackle at that. Was this boy for real?
Frankie’s distress made sense now.
You couldn’t help the small giggle you let out at the memory as you walked to the front door of the next house, ready to continue your hand out of baked goods.
…
“I made dinner!” Frankie called out loudly as she stepped in through the front door, holding two bags of takeout in her arms and walking in rushed steps into the kitchen.
Like animals coming out of their hiding spots, the rest of the family left their rooms or whatever they were doing to make their way into the kitchen as Frankie placed the bags on the aisle.
Sue was the first one to get there, walking in —or more like jogging in— excitedly as the smell of greasy hamburgers and salty fries reached her nostrils.
“Oh my god! Thanks, mom! I’m starving,” she said, with that weird half-laugh-half-groan that she always did, peeking into the bags to reach for the food.
“Geez, finally! What took you so long?” someone yawned, and Frankie did not have to turn around and look to know that that was Axl, walking in half naked in a pair of boxers with a red hearts pattern and that scowl on his face that he always wore around the house. He’d clearly been napping.
Frankie just crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, resting her weight on one hip and ignoring her son’s complaints because she was too tired for any scolding or arguments. Instead, she turned back to her daughter who was the only one who seemed grateful for the effort she’d put into going to get dinner for her family.
“Oh and guess what,” she smiled at Sue, clapping her hands in excitement. “Tonight, we also have dessert!” she pointed to the pretty white box with the pink ribbon that was placed on the kitchen bar. Sue’s eyes immediately lit up in excitement, that big smile of hers making its way into her expression as her eyes settled on what her mom was referring to.
Axl was quick to grab said box, tugging harshly on the ribbon that adorned it to remove it and open the box to take a look at what it contained, “Cupcakes! Sweet,” he said, immediately grabbing one yellow cupcake with pink frosting and taking a big bite out of it. “These are great,” he said with a mouthful of cake and frosting.
Sue’s eyes widened at her brother’s actions, “AXL!” she yelled in a scandalized tone, “Dessert goes after dinner, you’re not supposed to do that!” the middle sibling gasped.
The older boy just rolled his eyes, grabbing another cupcake —this one was fully chocolate— and taking a bite out of it just to taunt his sister. “I can do whatever I want, I’m still gonna eat dinner,” he shrugged.
“But don’t eat them all, Axl! Leave some for the rest of us!” Sue pleaded, “I wanna try them too!”
While the siblings continued arguing about the cupcakes, Mike turned to his wife.
“Where’d you get those?” he asked, his brows furrowed and a hint of curiosity in his tone as he pointed to the box Sue and Axl were currently fighting over, snatching it from each other.
“Oh, you won’t believe it!” Frankie began with a smile, “This family just moved into the neighborhood and their daughter baked cupcakes for all the neighbors,” she explained to her husband, “isn’t that so sweet of her?” the mother awed.
At her words, Sue turned her head so fast it almost gave her whiplash.
“OH MY GOD!” she screamed excitedly, making her younger brother flinch from her volume. “There’s a new family in the neighborhood? And they have a daughter? Does she have any siblings? How old is she?” the girl immediately started questioning, curiosity getting the best of her.
“Yes, yes, I don’t know, don’t know that either but she looks like she’s in highschool age,” her mother answered. “Maybe she’ll be attending Orson High, too,” Frankie suggested with a shrug.
That did nothing to lighten up Sue’s enthusiasm. Instead, she now looked like she was going to burst out of her body from pure happiness.
“I can’t believe it! I bet she’s so cool, too,” the brunette started, smiling from ear to ear and looking up at the ceiling as if she was daydreaming, “Oh god, I have to meet her, maybe we’ll become best friends and we can bake together!” Sue was almost jumping up in excitement.
“Yeah, sure, because the new girl is so obviously dying to be friends with a freakshow like you,” Axl responded sarcastically, throwing a french fry onto the air and attempting to catch it with his mouth. Failed attempt.
“Axl! Quit being rude to your sister,” Frankie scolded.
“Yes, Axl! You don’t know her, maybe she’s nice and wants to be friends,” Sue turned to her brother with her arms crossed.
The dark haired boy simply shrugged, grabbing his food —a burger, a bag of french fries, a can of soda and the two already-bitten cupcakes— and heading into the living room.
“Whatever,” Axl plopped down onto the couch lazily, “when you befriend Buddy Valastro,” he took a bite out of his hamburger, “tell ‘er to make more cupcakes.”
Sean Donahue, my beloved 🥹☀️ He’s the sweetest boy on the show, I love him sm 💗
