A Briller Canon Divergence fic for @troped-fanfic-challenge
When Bryan realizes that he and Miller have differing ideas about Wonkru, he puts an end to their relationship before things get messy. When he starts exchanging secret messages with someone, though, he begins to wonder if he acted too quickly.
Ghosts can't be seen in mirrors, and for Willie, it's been 30 years since they've seen their reflection. When Alex realizes this, he's determined to do whatever he can to make sure Willie feels better. If it takes being his mirror, he'll do it.
Aka @emeraldphantoms made a post asking if the ghosts could be seen in mirrors and my brain wanted to do something fluffy and instead it went angsty and this was the result. I’ll link the post that inspired this in the first reblog!
Aka "the one in which Kit lovingly describes Booboo Stewart's face for two pages”
[Image ID: A photo of Juliet’s balcony in Verona, Italy - a small balcony on a stone walled home. Superimposed on the image is large beige text with a drop shadow that reads “meet me at the sandbox” on one line and “(what if)” below. Below that is smaller beige text with no drop shadow that reads “A Willex Letters to Juliet AU” /end ID]
This is my first entry to @jatpbigbang! It also doubles as my contribution to American’tgate as it features Canadian!Willie and is set in Canada!
Thank you so much to Iris for creating such an amazing moodboard (see the link below!) and to Mich for being a wonderful cheerleader even as I procrastinated like crazy!
Title: meet me at the sandbox (what if)
Author: Me!
Cheerleader: @vicesvsvirtuesfanfic
Artist: @fireflyingaway
Word Count: 25853
Rating: T
Warnings: language, Caleb-level emotional manipulations (and Willie's intrusive thoughts as a result of this), and the implication of child abandonment in the backstory.
Summary:
“Well, you kind of bring out the worst in me.”
“And that’s my fault, how?”
“If you hadn’t written that stupid email, I wouldn’t even be here right now,” Alex retorted, rolling his eyes. “But I’m here now, and I’m just trying to keep an eye out for Luke. He’s my best friend, and I need to know he’s alright.”
“And I get that, I do,” Willie said earnestly. “And I have a really good feeling about this. You’ll see.”
(from this!) Thank you!!!
5. “What the hell did I just walk into?“
Taglist (let me know if you’d like to be added or removed!): @screamin-amuseum @thedepthsofhell @iridescentkippen @owenmercers @oldsmobile-hotdogs @phanhowell @williexmercer @lyxchen @chickwiththepurpleguitar @sk8rwillie @mynameisntluke @julieandthequeers @fairylightsandrainydays
At first all he could hear was giggling and random clatter. Alex frowned, walking down the hall towards the source of the noise in the kitchen. As he drew closer, he could make out Reggie’s voice, and, surprisingly, Willie.
Weird. What were they doing together? It wasn’t entirely out of the ordinary, but at the same time, Alex wasn’t sure he remembered Willie and Reggie spending time together much in the past.
He rounded the corner, and found himself in the middle of a disaster zone.
There were bowls everywhere, and a dust cloud of flour was mushrooming into the air as Willie poured it from a large bag into the bowl in front of them. Reggie was off to the side with another bowl, cracking eggs with flourish. The oven was on behind Willie, and Reggie was in the middle of telling a joke that had Alex’s boyfriend doubled over in laughter. In short, it was pure chaos, in the most innocent, lighthearted manner, and strangely, perfectly expected from both of the ghosts present.
Still, though, it was chaos. “Uh… what the hell did I just walk into?” Alex asked, his voice incredulous. Willie glanced up first, setting down the bag of flour, and Alex was met with the sight of his boyfriend with flour streaked through their hair and a smear of what looked like cake batter across their cheek. He was smiling brightly, the kind of smile that made him radiate warmth and light that instantly warmed Alex’s heart and nearly made him forget about the strangeness of the situation.
“Oh, hey bro,” Willie said, somehow turning a word Reggie and Luke had used so many times in the past into the most romantically affectionate word Alex had ever heard. They stepped from behind the island, walking over to him. “We’re baking!”
“Yup!” Reggie chimed in, from his vantage point. “Willie and I were kinda bored, y’know? I thought it’d be nice to make cookies for everyone, especially now that we can!”
Willie smiled sweetly at him and Alex nearly forgot how to stay standing. “You were out, and Reggie asked so nicely, and I figured, why not? We made your favourite!”
“I--” Alex started, staring around the room. “Why is-- what-- the kitchen--”
“Use your words, ‘Lex,” Reggie quipped, chuckling.
“Reggie?” Willie’s soft voice edged into Alex’s thoughts, and he absently heard his friend chirp in response. “Mind giving us a sec? I’ll keep an eye on the oatmeal raisin batch.” A beat passed as footsteps echoed out of the room.
Alex groaned. Not even the promise of sugar cookies could stop him from pointing out the obvious. “The kitchen’s a mess.”
“Well, yeah,” Willie said, taking Alex’s hands and stepping backwards, pulling him with them. They ended up sandwiching themself between him and the island before reaching around, slipping their hands in Alex’s back pockets. “We didn’t want to just make one type of cookie, so we just kind of made them all, and a couple of cakes, too. I’m sure Ray won’t mind.”
Alex’s brain had already started to short-circuit the moment Willie’s hands were in his pockets, and their comment didn’t help matters. He stammered, watching the way Willie’s nose crinkled in amusement, trying desperately to come up with some coherent reason why it was utterly insane that the kitchen looked the way it did. It was difficult, though, when Willie was looking at him with warm, brown eyes.
Alex blinked, his hands (which had been hovering awkwardly once Willie dropped them) landing on Willie’s waist.
“I missed you,” they murmured, leaning forward and pressing their lips to Alex’s, a brief, fleeting kiss that left his lips tingling as they did every time, always as though it was the first time. “I wanted to surprise you.”
“It’s, er, definitely a surprise,” Alex replied, slowly lifting a hand and running his finger through the cake batter smear.
Willie raised his eyebrows, tugging him closer. “I kinda wish I was baking with you, though. D’you maybe wanna do that sometime?”
“Sure,” Alex replied, finding it hard to focus on anything when Willie was so close, his presence filling Alex’s senses. “But only if it’s not as messy as this.”
He just barely caught the mischievous look in Willie’s eyes before they twisted away. “You mean, like this?”
Alex’s brows knit together in confusion and he didn’t have time to react before Willie was flicking a handful of flour in his direction. He coughed, blinking.
“Dude, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to get it in your face!” Willie blurted, reaching for his waist.
They were too endearing, and Alex couldn’t stay mad at them. Really, he couldn’t even get mad. As Willie fussed over him, swiping at his cheek, Alex noticed there was still cake batter on his finger. He reached out, smearing it on Willie’s nose. “That’s payback,” he said, letting out a small chuckle.
Willie was stunned for half a second before they reacted, a fond smile on their face. “You always find some way to surprise me, Alex,” he said, leaning in to kiss him, his arms around Alex’s neck. Alex slipped his arms around Willie’s waist, holding them close.
Willie pulled away first. “Wanna try the sugar cookies?”
“Of course,” Alex replied, grinning back at them, following them to the counter.
For ten years, Alex's head has been filled with the thoughts and feelings of others, with no way to control it. As the world became progressively more anti-mutant, he hid his abilities, hiding with his friends in plain sight.
A chance meeting with a stranger should have been the only momentous event that day, but when tragedy strikes, he finds his entire worldview shifting and the stranger becomes a part of his life in ways he couldn't have imagined.
Now, Alex needs to decide if he wants to take a stand against the government, or continue to hide. And maybe, just maybe, his new companion can help him find the balance between rage and serenity to master his powers.
“Come on, he’s not even that great a guy!” Alex blurted out, pressing pause on the remote and leaning forward to stare at the tv. Hearing Willie giggle beside him on the couch, he turned, shaking his head. “Seriously, I don’t get why she’s staying with him.”
“You’re cute when you get heated about movies, babe,” Willie said, their eyes glittering as they looked back at him. The term of endearment caught Alex off guard and his breath caught in his throat, his stomach doing a little flip. Willie was always so casual in the way he shared his affection, like the way his fingers were currently splayed over Alex’s thigh, the way he was smiling at Alex in that way that made him feel like he was the only person in Willie’s world. It was so casual, in a way that Alex still had trouble processing, even in the middle of a movie night where he had been cuddled up against his boyfriend for an hour already.
“I... I just...” he stammered, lifting his arm off Willie’s shoulder for a moment. They didn’t let him remove it completely though. Willie’s hand snaked up, lacing their fingers with his, pulling his arm back.
“You’re overthinking things,” he said, tilting his head against Alex’s shoulders. “Come back to me.”
Well, when he put it that way...
“Okay,” he said, craning his head downwards. Willie caught on immediately, kissing his cheek. It was a simple action, an act of affection, sure, but it was something Alex was used to. It grounded him, and he let his head hang for a moment, enjoying being so close to them.
“You good?” Willie’s voice was soft, gentle, his breath tickling Alex’s cheek.
“Yeah,” he breathed, relaxing against Willie once more. “You called me babe. It surprised me.”
Willie rubbed their thumb against his hand. “Is it okay if I call you that?”
He took a moment to think about it. “Yeah, I think so.”
“That’s good, babe,” Willie said, with a chuckle. “I like saying it.”
Alex hid a secret, fond grin. To be honest, hearing the word from Willie in reference to him made him stupidly happy. It was a reminder that they were actually together. He had a boyfriend.
Alex was the luckiest ghost in the world, he thought, as he caught Willie’s gaze.
“Should we start up the movie again, or are you going to keep yelling at it?” they asked, a twinkle to their eye.
“I just don’t get why she would pass up the clearly better option to stay with him,” he said, gesturing at the tv. “It doesn’t make sense.”
“It’s a movie, Alex,” Willie said, patting his knee. “It doesn’t have to make sense.”
Alex gave an exaggerated sigh. “Oh, fine.” He paused as an idea came to him. It was a delightfully impulsive idea, a very Willie idea. His acceptance of being called babe emboldened him, though, and he drew in a breath through his nose to steel his nerves. At a questioning eyebrow raise from Willie, he made his decision. “Can I lie on your lap?” he asked, speaking quickly as though he thought he might back out halfway through the question. “I mean, it would be more comfortable, and then maybe I won’t want to yell at the movie so much and—“
“Babe,” Willie interrupted, disentangling himself from Alex. “Of course you can. I’m here for you, whatever you need.” They patted their lap, and Alex had a brief moment of panic, of ohdeargodwhatdidijustsuggest. Willie wore an encouraging smile, though, and that was more than enough for him.
Alex shifted, slowly lying down with his head on Willie’s lap. His boyfriend looked down at him, hair falling and framing their face perfectly, the soft glow from the lamp behind the couch illuminating them. Their expression was soft, and Alex gave a lazy smile in return. He could stare at Willie for ages and never get tired of it.
“Good?” Willie asked, their fingers playing with his hair. Another casual show of affection that made him shiver, but in a good way. In a way that reminded him once again that the gorgeous person on whose lap he was currently lying was his boyfriend.
“Yeah,” he breathed, lifting a hand and twirling a strand of long, brown hair around his fingers. Willie breathed in sharply through his nose, and Alex watched as their Adam’s apple bobbed. He wasn’t the best at casual shows of affection, but this was something that just felt so natural in the moment, and he had already been impulsive, so what was one more time?
Neither of them noticed when the tv shut off from inactivity, so caught up were they in smiling at each other and playing with each other’s hair.
“Babe?” Willie murmured, their fingers light against the skin at Alex’s temples. Already, the word sounded natural, as if Willie had called him that for ages. He hummed in response, and Willie bent down over him, kissing his forehead. “I could stay with you like this for hours.”
This time, the flip Alex’s stomach pulled was far from uncomfortable as he focused on the spot on his forehead, still tingling pleasantly from the kiss. “Me too,” he whispered, finding Willie’s hand with his own. “Definitely.”
The smile on Willie’s face would have been enough to light up the whole room.