#platonic ralbert

[apollo-is-somthing]

Dw they are gonna sing the BANGER that is King of New York tomorrow. Being beaten half to death will NOT keep them from being awesome!!!

[clevereverest]

“For You, Fine” - Oneshot

[ Sorry for kinda dropping off the radar on AO3, but here’s a new fic that @asexualbert helped me brainstorm a few days ago :D I think it’s pretty fun, and I hope you enjoy it! ]

Summary and tags below!

[cubexr]

My first ever newsies fic :D I got this idea ages ago. It was actually going to be a longer fic that I never ended up writing, but I loved this scene so much that I just had to write it, and maybe in the future if people like it, I might continue, who knows... enjoy <3

LOOKING FOR FINCH

Kind of modern era redfinch but more like Race and Albert being chaotic besties, Race trying to play the match maker and fangirling over birds and Albert acting like he doesn't believe in love at first sight

(word count 1196)

“Did you get his phone number?” Race asked Albert, who had just made his way back to their table.

“No”, Albert answered shortly. He would never admit it to Race, but he felt disappointed. It had taken him a while to even build up the courage to talk with that cute boy, but now it all felt like it was worth nothing. He hadn’t asked his phone number or his social media, so they would probably never meet again. Great.

“But you liked him, right?” Race asked.

“Yeah, I guess”, Albert said. Yes, he had liked him. They had hit it off right away until the guy had noticed the time, said ‘it was nice to meet you’, and left very quickly. Why, that he didn't tell.

“Then why don't you have his number?” Race asked, interrupting Albert's thoughts.

“Oh, because I found out that he is a time traveler from the 1800s and doesn’t have a phone,” Albert deadpanned. “You idiot, because I didn’t ask for his number of course.

Race raised his eyebrows.

“Okay Einstein, what are you going to do now?”

“What do you mean what I am going to do now? Finish this cupcake and leave is my best guess.”

“About the guy! What are you going to do with him? Are you just going to forget that this dreamy boy ever crossed paths with you and move on? Just like that?”

“Well,” Albert said and took a bite of his cupcake. “That is pretty much the plan, yeah.”

“You know that I am not going to let you do that,” Race said and grinned. “We will find him or we will die trying.”

Albert rolled his eyes. He knew there was nothing that could stop his best friend now.

“So,” Race started. “Did you get any information out of him?”

“He thinks that chocolate cake here is absolutely delicious but coffee could be better. He also told me that he doesn’t come here often so no, before you even suggest that I spend all my free time here hoping that he would come back, not going to happen. This isn’t some cheesy romcom and we should just let it go,” Albert noticed that Race was going to interrupt so he continued before the other one could say anything. “It is not worth it. Seriously. It was just some guy. Yeah, we had a fun chat but it lasted like five minutes. Could we just drop it?”

They stared at each other for a few seconds, and for a moment there Albert actually thought that Race was considering his words.

“Sorry to break it to you but the information you just gave me was absolutely useless,” Race said, ignoring completely everything else Albert had tried to say. “Give me something I can use. I got to agree tho, chocolate cake is heavenly”

“Race…”

Race sighed, and looked at Albert. There was something almost sad in his eyes, and this sudden change of emotion made Albert forget what he was even going to say.

“Hey, Albert, listen to me for a moment here,” Albert was so caught off guard by the sudden seriousness of Race’s voice, that he didn’t even try to stop him. “I know you liked him. Sorry buddy, but you are not that hard to read. And it was more like 20 minutes you two were talking, not five. See, you didn’t even notice how fast time went by. And I saw your face when he left and I think the last time you looked that disappointed was the time I couldn’t fit three tennis balls into my mouth. I am aware that this might be totally useless but can’t we even try? So what we never find him, at least you didn’t just give up like that.”

Albert stared at Race, not quite knowing how to respond to that. Race was hardly ever this serious and reasonable. Had it really been 20 minutes? Could Race actually be right for the first time in his life?

“Okay.”

“What? Are you for real?” Boom, happy Race was back. Albert rolled his eyes again.

“Yes yes don’t make a big deal out of it. What do you want to know?”

“His name.”

“His name?”

“You heard me.”

Albert sighed. “Finch.”

Moment of silence.

“Finch?” Race said, amused.

“You heard me.”

“Yes I did but did you hear him? Finch? Isn’t that like a bird?” Race said, sounding now way too amused to Albert’s liking. Albert nodded.

“There is no way his name is actually Finch.”

“Says who, Race? Like that is a normal name.”

“Sweetheart, that is not my real name.” Race said.

“Yeah Sherlock, maybe Finch isn’t his real name either. People go by nicknames all the time. Like Buttons for example. Or Specs.”

“Yeah but they are our friends. That’s why we call them that.”

“Oh yeah? Tell me Specs’ real name then.”

“What?”

“Our friend Specs. I am pretty sure that is not his actual name. Can you tell me what it is?” Albert asked, and now it was his turn to be amused.

Race went quiet, clearly trying to think for an answer to the question. After a moment, he let out a frustrated sound.

“No, that is not the point. The point is, that ‘Finch’ will get us nowhere,” Race said.

“But that is all that I got, so,” Albert smirked. “So, maybe we should just give up.”

“No!” Race almost shouted. He was not going to let Albert win. “Yes, Finch is good we will work with that.”

Race pulled his phone from his pocket and started searching.

Albert was almost sure there was nothing to be found. It was ridiculous, there was no way Finch was the guy’s actual name. Maybe surname? No, that seemed unlikely too. Maybe he had just lied to-

“Look, Al! Look what I found” Race screamed suddenly.

Small hope woke up in Albert.

“What? What did you find?”

“There is a literal finch fan page, look! I mean for the birds, actual finches. It has like 400 hundred pics of different kinds of finches, this is wild! Do you think same person took all of the pictures or-”

“Oh my god Race, I actually thought you found something.” Albert could barely hide his growing frustration. The hope that had just been there was gone. “Come on, try to concentrate, this was your idea not mine- Oh my god did you just follow the god damn finch fan page?”

“Maybe I did,” Race said happily. “These pictures are actually super cool, I never knew there were so many different kinds of finches, I thought it was just one bird”

“Race please, this is getting us nowhere.”

“Oh my god, maybe it’s him! Maybe he is a big finch nerd and that is how he got his nickname!”

Albert laughed. “If it’s his page then I don’t think our interests match enough for me to reach out. And he didn’t exactly seem like a guy who’d be that into some birds.”

“What do you know, you talked for like five minutes.”

“Hey, you said it was twenty!” Albert said and kicked Race under the table.

“Ouch! Okay, okay, it’s probably not him. We should keep looking,” Race said.

“You still think we will find him?” Albert asked. After all, there still was a small amount of hope left in him. Just a little bit.

“Of course!” Race said cheerfully. “We will find him. And in your wedding this will be an excellent story in my best man speech.”

thank u so much for reading <3333

[offspring-of-calliope]

Hey!

I saw you asked for requests, so how about some Redfinch and/or platonic Ralbert? Basically just Albert and the guys that make him all comfy and happy :-)

Hey, thank you very much for this request, I had so much fun writing this and I hope it turned out alright.

It’s called “A study in being subtle” and it’s basically Redfinch testing the waters of their relationship while Race is trying to help Albert with his biology homework. It’s a modern AU.

I hope you enjoy it,

Sincerely, me,

Lélodie

-----

Albert's head was spinning. He looked down at the notes Race was making while trying to explain to him how photosynthesis worked. Biology was one of the subjects Al hated the most but he had thought that maybe Race's presence would make it more bearable. And indeed, sitting next to Race in Biology class was a lot of fun but on the downside, he was too easily distracted to really understand what the teacher was saying.

The good thing was that Race was – even though he sometimes had the mental state of a little child – a genius when it came to science. So of course, they met up at Al's house today after school so they could do their homework together. Al just hoped that they would be finished before Finch arrived.

A smile graced his lips at the thought of his boyfriend. Boyfriend. The word still seemed a bit foreign in his mind. They hadn't been together for that long, nearly two months now, and they hadn't even told their friends that they were dating. Albert was always really careful when it came to relationships, considering that he hadn't even completely figured out his sexuality, and Finch respected that.

“... and that's it, basically. Easy peasy.” Satisfied with his conclusion, Race took a sip of his water and glanced over at Albert, only now realising that the redhead hadn't even been listening to him. “Al? You okay?”

“Mh, what? Yes, totally. Photosynthesis. Plants producing oxygen. Got it.” Contrary to his words, Albert's smile faltered while he let his gaze wander over the notes on the topic.

Race sighed deeply, taking an unlit cigarette from his pocket and put it between his lips, presumably to calm down. “Did you understand at least one of the things I've been trying to explain to you?”

“Of course!” Al retorted, maybe a bit too harsh. Yet, he couldn't help it. Languages came easy to him. Languages, sports, dancing, literally anything except for mathematics and biology and physics. He even understood a little chemistry on good days. But obviously not understanding anything made him feel weird, as if he wasn't enough and then, there was this urge to prove himself. Albert groaned and put a hand on Race's shoulder as a sign of being sorry for nearly snapping. “I understood the words you said,” he answered then.

Race laughed at that. “Well, that's something. But seriously, where was the point where it got too complicated?”

Al opened his mouth to answer but didn't get the chance to say anything because right at this moment, the doorbell rang. Confused, Al looked up. His parents weren't going to be home until at least eight in the evening and it wasn't even four yet. “I'll be right back,” he said, standing up and running down the stairs to get to the front door. Hesitantly, he opened it. The smile that had left his lips at the thought of his homework came back in an instant. “Finch,” he exclaimed, throwing his arms around the other boy.

“Hey, Al,” Finch answered, holding him tightly. “I know I'm early but my dance teacher got sick, so I had no class today and you know that sitting around, simply waiting, makes me antsy.”

“And here I thought you came early because you wanted to see me,” Albert said when the hug was over, followed by a bold wink.

“I thought that was already implied. Anyway, am I interrupting you or something? I can still come back later.”

“No, no, it's fine. It's just -” Al threw a look over his shoulder, then looked back at his boyfriend. He lowered his voice a bit. “Race is helping me with our bio homework. So maybe...”

“Got it. No couple-y stuff.” Finch nodded, intertwining their fingers for a moment to press a kiss on the back of Al's hand and let go.

Albert was certain that his face was as red as his hair. “Yes.” Hastily, so that Finch wouldn't notice him blushing, he closed the door behind the other boy and led him up to his bedroom, where Race was playing some game on his phone.

At the sound of footsteps, Race looked up. “Oh, hey, Finch. Didn't know you'd be here, too. Do you also need help with biology?”

“I am in a different course but if I need help with something, I'll let you know. Coming here was more of a spontaneous decision,” Finch answered, greeting Race with a small hug that didn't last nearly as long as the one he'd had with Al.

“So,” Al started, sitting down next to Race at his desk, after having brought another chair for Finch. “You wanted to know where it got too complicated for me, right?”

Again, Race tried to explain the topic to Al, this time with some comments from Finch, which were unexpectedly helpful most of the time. After a while though, Al got distracted once again. Since his desk wasn't that big, Finch was sitting very near, leaning unconsciously into his personal space to take a look at the notes that Race used for his explanations.

Being aware of Finch, right there, next to him, Al wanted nothing more than to lean back against his chest, feeling his warmth against his back, his touch against his skin. So he did just that. Slowly, so that Race wouldn't notice anything, he leaned back against Finch. The redhead could hear Finch's heart skipping a beat and smiled shyly, trying to concentrate on Race's words.

He was relieved upon realising that when he actually listened to what Race said, he was able to understand at least the basics of the topic.

Then, he felt fingers trailing up his arm, soft touches, barely noticeable. Finch's breath was tickling his neck and Albert nearly let out a dreamy sigh as his boyfriend pressed a feather-light kiss against his skin. Carefully, Al looked at Race but he was busy adding some facts to his former notes.

Feeling daring, all of a sudden, Al decided to go a step further.

He remembered the conversation they'd had, right at the beginning of their relationship. Both of them knew that Albert was a person that craved touch, yet it was also a known fact that Albert didn't exactly consider himself being allosexual. Of course, he appreciated the aesthetics of other people and enjoyed cuddling or little touches, yet he hadn't ever felt the need to get sexual with anyone. Therefore, they had decided to start their relationship rather slowly. Maybe trying some things and seeing how both would react to them.

Naturally, it had been a surprise for both of them when Al had suddenly, during a really soft make-out-session, exclaimed that he wouldn't mind taking the relationship into sexual territory carefully as long as it was Finch who was by his side. They hadn't done anything but still, the fact that both of them weren't opposed to intimate touches was something they were aware of.

Still a bit hesitant, Al let his hand wander until it rested on Finch's upper thigh. He could hear Finch holding his breath for a moment and looked back at him with a smug smile. Finch was also wearing a little smile but it was obvious that he was torn between not doing anything Al would later regret and keep playing the little game of doing things while Race was seemingly oblivious to it.

“Do you think we can move on to doing the homework or is there still something that's not clear to you?” Race's sudden question made Al turn his head, maybe a bit too abrupt and he hoped that Race wasn't able to see his hand that was still resting on Finch's thigh – too high to be explained with a platonic reason.

“No, I got it. I think we can move on to the task,” Albert answered honestly.

“Okay, I'm just gonna get the sheet,” Race said, facing away from the both of them to search for his homework in his bag.

Albert nearly yelped when he felt Finch's hand on his cheek, turning his head to face him again. One heartbeat later, Finch was kissing him directly on the mouth.

“Oh, there it is.” Albert cursed Race in his head for finding his sheet that quickly because the kiss ended as suddenly as it had begun so that their friend wouldn't notice anything.

Actually solving the tasks they had to do turned out to be easy on the one hand and really difficult on the other hand. While writing his answers, Al kept thinking of what to do about Finch since it was now his turn to play the game. But he couldn't come up with something, instead trying to get the homework done as quickly as possible so he could be alone with Finch.

He was tired of keeping his hand in place on Finch's thigh, so in the end he settled for putting it in Finch's hand instead. After a while, when Race and Al were discussing one of the last questions, he felt Finch starting to massage his palm and he feared that he'd never be able to stop smiling.

It seemed as if ages had passed before Race and Al finally finished their homework and Race was packing his stuff together. “Are you staying here, Finch?” Race asked, zipping up his bag.

Finch nodded, causing Race to look at him, then at Albert, then at their joined hands. “Wait a moment,” the blond started, seemingly confused, then kind of sceptic. “Are you two holding hands?”

Al was at a loss of words, not sure what to answer but Finch was just laughing. “We're not holding hands. I'm just massaging his hand.”

“A very platonic gesture, I might add,” Al chimed in, retrieving his hand back from Finch's grip. “I've read that platonic massaging was good for... you know. Your health and such. Biology. You're the expert on that, don't you know that?” The redhead knew that he was trying a bit too hard but he kind of liked what he had with Finch. Just the two of them. He didn't want to let anybody in on their relationship just yet.

Not only Finch but Race as well looked at him with a funny face. “Yeah, of course, how could I ever forget the healing power of platonic massaging,” Race eventually stated, taking his bag and standing up. “I'll find the door myself. I hope I could help you at least a little bit.”

“Definitely. Thanks for the help, I owe you something,” Albert said and the two of them hugged.

“Oh, don't mention it. It was also a good revision for myself. Bye, Finch” Race hugged Finch as well, then looked at both of them for a long moment. “Have a fun evening and don't do anything I wouldn't do.” He said with a grin, put his cigarette between his lips and left the room.

Albert only dared to breathe again when he heard the front door opening and closing. “Well, that was...”

“Interesting,” Finch finished his sentence as if he'd known exactly what Al wanted to say.

The redhead nodded. “That's one way to put it. Do you think he noticed something?”

“I'm not sure. Between your babbling about platonic massages with healing powers and me trying not to jump you – a platonic gesture, of course – I couldn't see if he was oblivious or just polite,” Finch answered with a smug smile and laughed when Al punched his shoulder lightly.

“I panicked!”, Al said. The sound of his phone distracted him for a moment and he pulled it out of his jeans, only to see that he had two messages from Race.

Al, you're my best friend and I love you to death but you're not only bad at biology but also at being subtle.

Also, you two are totally my new OTP and I'll support you no matter what. I won't say anything to anybody. Have fun!

“Told you so,” Finch said when Al read the messages out loud.

Al let out a sigh and put his head on Finch's shoulder. “Maybe learning to be subtle should be the next point on my to-do-list.”

“I thought the next point on your to-do-list was me,” Finch answered with a laugh.

“Why do I even put up with you?” Al tried to suppress a laugh and failed. Then, he put his arms around Finch, debating with himself if his boldness from before was a one-time-thing or if he might take Finch's comment seriously.

He took his time thinking and all this time Finch was right there, waiting for him, just happy being together.

[wide-eyed--wonderer]

“The ouija board says you’re a little shit.”

Oh, I’ve missed writing these chaotic bros. I love them (CW light swearing)

“AL!! YOU’LL NEVER GUESS WHAT JACK FOUND!” Race shouted, letting himself in Alberts house. 

“Hi, Anthony.” Race stopped and winced.

“Sorry Ms DaSilva. Didn’t realise you were home.”  

“It’s ok Hunny, Albert’s upstairs.” Ms DaSilva winked and pointed up the stairs. 

God Race loved her for enabling his craziness.

“Thanks, ms DaSilva” 

Race ran up the stairs and collided with his best friend in the hallway on the way to his bedroom. 

“Race what the hell do ya want?” Albert groaned from the floor. 

“Look.” Race was up and thrusting his treasure out of his bag and into Albert's face. 

“Don’t really know what I’m supposed to be seeing her Race?” Albert raised an eyebrow. 

“It’s one of those old school Ouija boards.” 

“Ya know those are fake right? They’re made by Hasbro to get money outta idiots like you.” 

“Nuh-uh. The plastic ones, sure maybe.” Race conceded, “But this is an old school wooden one. Didn’t even buy it. Jack found it in the attic.” Race nodded as if that proved his point. 

“Race you bought that house, like a year ago.” Albert rolled his eyes, “The people who used to be in it before probably brought it then.” 

“Albert you sceptic. It was covered in cobwebs and dust and shit.” Race gestures vaguely to the board and put it back in his bag. 

“Literal shit?” Albert teased. 

“Obviously not literal shit ya idiot. But listen. It’s real.”

“Even if you're right and this-” Albert pointed at Races bag - “is real, why the hell did you come over yelling about it?” 

“Isn’t it obvious? We’re gonna talk to a ghost!” And Race took off toward the stairs/ 

“You know that this isn’t gonna work right,” Albert called but made to follow him anyway. The point of friendship is to do stupid pointless shit together after all.

“It is and I’m gonna prove you wrong. To your basement!”

“My basement.” Albert deadpanned, “Why?” 

“It is a well-known fact that ghosts hang out in basements and attics and you don’t have an attic.” Race nodded sagely. 

“Fair enough.” Albert nodded, “But why my house?. Actually, why am I involved at all?” 

“I don't have a basement and Jack is still cleaning the attic. Plus, who else is gonna go along with my bullshit.”

Albert rolled his eyes but continued to follow Race anyways. The boys headed downstairs. Race pointed to a spot on the floor and Albert sat, watching as Race placed the board in the middle and surrounded it with candles that he pulled out of his bag.

“This isn’t going to work” Albert noted as Race finished lighting the candles and sat on the opposite side of the board to Albert. 

“Shut up and put your hands on the thingy” Race waited until Albert followed his directions before closing his eyes. 

“Oh ghosts of my best friends basement.” Race sang. “Tell us your names” 

“You're an idiot.” Albert laughed. 

“Shut up. Are the ghosts saying anything?” Albert raised an eyebrow. 

“The Ouija Board says your a little shit.”

 Race scowled. “You’re not taking this seriously.”

“Gee what gave it away.” Race opened his eyes and glared at Albert. 

“I will take my ouija board and candles to someone who will appreciate it.” 

“Who the hell else is gonna go along with this.” Albert sat back on his hands and stretched his legs over the board game onto Races lap. 

“Spot will.” Race hit Alberts ankle but didn’t shove him off. 

“Spot will literally kick you out” Albert raised his eyebrow. 

“Jojo will” Race insisted. 

“Jojo will scream and throw you out the second you mention ghosts” 

“I hate that you’re right” Race pouted. Albert stuck his tongue out at Race as the basement door opened, and Alberts mom walked in. 

“Boys you want food.” She smiled, looking around questioningly. Which the boys understood because they were surrounded by candles with a ghost summoning board between them. 

“You done summoning ghosts in my basement?” Albert looked back at Race. 

“For your mom's cooking. Always.” And Race shoved Alberts legs off him and made his way up the stairs.

“RACE GET BACK HERE AND CLEAN UP YOUR SHIT.”

There we go!! Hope you enjoyed it!! Let me know what you think!

[orangecrane]

Could I request 57 & 28 from the fluff-hurt/comfort list with some platonic Ralbert perhaps?

i see stars (and i think of you)

Albert's not having a great time. But one late night phone call to arguably (definitely) the best friend ever might make it better, even if said friend insists on driving over in the middle of the night. Racetrack just hopes that Albert knows that he wouldn't do this for anyone else. 

A/n: Thanks for the prompt and sorry it took a bit to get around to, I hope you enjoy it! As always this is cross-posted on ao3

CW: Some swearing

Race’s phone is ringing. It’s one in the morning and he’s almost asleep when it goes off. He’s tempted to decline the call and block whoever dared to call him, he’s also tempted to throw his phone across the room. He does neither of these things. Instead he half-assedly reaches for his glasses and practically jams them onto his face, and finally checks the caller ID. Oh, it’s Albert. What the fuck does he want now?

It’s only by virtue of about a decade of friendship that Race picks up. “Albert I swear to all that is holy if you’re calling me to talk about some fuckin’ alien conspiracy theories I am hanging up and ending our friendship immediately,” Race says, not even giving Albert a chance to speak.

“Race you can’t seriously tell me you don’t believe in aliens, can you? They’re out there!” Albert replies indignantly. Race is all of two seconds away from hanging up when Albert continues, “No, but seriously Racer, I- I really need someone to talk to right now.”

“Oh shit Albo, what’s up?”

“I’ve just been having a bad day. Well, week,” Albert takes a shuddering breath.

And Race is suddenly more awake. He knows that Al wouldn’t have called him this late for something like this if it wasn’t serious. “Talk to me, Al,” Race says softly.

“I just… why are you my friend? Why are any of you guys my friends?”

“What?”

“You heard me Race, I- I’m not especially skilled or smart,” Albert’s voice breaks and he starts talking faster, “an-and I just need to know why you like me.” Race’s heart breaks, pain radiates from his chest and he feels sick to his stomach. His friend sounds like he’s about to cry. Albert almost never cries.

“Oh Albert… you’re my best friend in the world,” Race breathes out, “you may not be the most booksmart but that doesn’t mean you aren’t smart, you’re fantastic at skateboarding and researching things and taking care of your plants and you always find the best rocks and you’re the only one who can match me when we talk about astronomy. Those are all skills aren’t they? You’re also funny and you put up with so much of my shit, you’re like, the most loyal person I know and you’re always there for your friends when we need you. What’s there not to like?”

“... A lot,” Albert mumbles.

Race is insistent, “Well I can’t think of a single thing, besides, you know me too well to think that I’d lie to you about something like this. You know what? I’m coming over. I’ll see you in like twenty minutes Albie.”

“Wait, Race, you don’t need to-” Race hangs up. Too bad for Al, Race has already made up his mind. It’ll be easier to talk to him in person and maybe he’ll be able to slap some sense into Albert if he continues to think poorly about himself. No one is allowed to talk down to Race’s best friend besides Race himself, not even said best friend.

He drags himself out of bed and briefly considers just driving to Al’s as is, but quickly reasons that if he wants to stop by a store on the way over he’d need to put on pants. He fumbles around for a pair of sweatpants using his phone as a light. Finds a pair that doesn’t seem too dirty and throws them on, then makes his way downstairs quietly, grabbing his keys and wallet on the way out the door.

He’s about three steps outside when he shivers in the cold air, maybe not grabbing a jacket as well was a bad idea. Welp, too late for that. Grumbles to himself about how cold it is and how late it is on his way to the car and nearly all the way to the nearest twenty-four hour convenience store. Albert is so lucky he’s Race's best friend, he wouldn’t do this for anyone else. Like, seriously, he’s out here in a stupid store at stupid o’clock getting weird looks from the cashier while he looks for some stupid star stickers (they’re not stupid but Race is tired and grumpy and cold and he wants to complain) for his stupid friend (also not stupid: see earlier note). Not only that but Race is spending his hard earned money on these little glow in the dark star stickers just to make him feel better, well Albert better appreciate all that Race does for him.

He moves through the checkout station as quickly and with as little speaking as possible. He knows that glow stars are a bit of a weird thing to be buying at this hour, but he’s got a plan and they are a vital piece. Race takes his receipt and the stars and throws them in the passenger seat of his car and continues his drive to Albert’s house.

When Race arrives he grabs the stickers and hops the fence to walk down the side of Albert’s house. He walks down the narrow alleyway and crouches down about three-quarters to the end, slides through the open window in Albert’s room in the basement. Smiles to himself, he always enjoyed entering his house this way, there’s just a certain thrill that makes him feel like he’s in a heist or something. Though the way the window sill scrapes at his back is certainly less fun.

“You didn’t have to come over, Racer,” Albert says the moment Racetrack’s feet hit the floor.

“Yeah well I did, and I come bearing gifts,” Race proclaims. He quickly surveys the room, the only light on is the lamp on the bedside table and Albert is sitting on his bed, phone in hand and looking the slightest bit like he was trying to hide the fact that he’d been crying. That was mildly concerning, Race was glad Albert had called him.

“What?”

“Well since it seems you have little object permanence-”

“-What’s that supposed to mean!” Okay maybe Race shouldn't be teasing him right now, but maybe it'd be even weirder not to.

Race shakes the packet of stickers at Albert. “I have acquired some objects to be here permanently when I am not so you cannot possibly forget that I am the best friend ever.”

“Are those glow in the dark stars? Like for a ceiling?” Albert looks more confused than anything. That is… disappointing but expected.

“Yes, my dear friend, they are,” Race says with all the drama one would expect of the one and only Racetrack Higgins.

“Okay, but why?” Race falters. He’s not exactly prone to thinking things through but he was certain this made sense. However, Albert still doesn’t seem to get it.

“Well…” Race continues much quieter and considerably more nervous, maybe this is a stupid idea, “we always talk about the stars ‘n stuff and whenever I look at them now I think of you.”

Fuck, that was sappy, and not exactly to the point but important nonetheless. And Albert still looks like he doesn’t get what he's trying to say. So Race continues, now almost rambling, “And I kinda thought that maybe you did the same thing so if we put these on your ceiling then whenever you feel down on yourself or like I don't like you for some reason you’d see the stars and think of me and know that I’ll always be here for you, ya know? Best friends for life ‘n all that. Do you really think I would have done this for someone I didn't like or who wasn't a good friend?”

There's a moment where neither of them speak before Race starts cracking his knuckles nervously. “It kinda sounds stupid now that I say it out loud.”

“No,” Albert chokes out, and Race swears he looks like he’s about to cry, though maybe that was just from before Race and he hadn’t been paying enough attention, “it’s not stupid.”

Race shoots him a look that screams ‘Are you kidding me?’, now that he’d said it out loud he was almost certain it was a stupid idea. Seriously, who gets a call from their friend who is clearly having kind of a hard time and then proceeds to hang up on them, buy some cheap little decorations, and show up at their house like that would fix anything? God, what was Race thinking? “Okay, it’s a little ridiculous,” Albert amends, “but that is such a Racetrack plan I shouldn’t have expected anything else.”

“I… don't know what you mean by that Albie…”

“It means I like it and think it's a good idea,” and Albert gives him this grin, like he’s something precious, and it makes Race feel all warm inside. He loves being able to make the red-head smile like that. “In fact, we’re putting these up right now.”

“Oh, so now you’re making me do work? After I came all this way? You’re lucky you’re my best friend Dasilva,” Race teases, but he’s already opening the package to get going. He won’t admit it but he thinks that them putting up the stars together makes it a little more special. Reinforces the idea that they’re a physical reminder of Race and that he loves Albert enough to go through all this trouble for him.

Both boys get to work quickly, dragging furniture around to stand on and filling Albert’s ceiling. They laugh and joke as they work, occasionally trying to create actual constellations only to have the other mess it up. Race is almost successful at creating a dick out of stars before Albert notices and derails his art piece, leaving Race pouting and Albert caught between laughing and telling him off. By the time they finish they are both in considerably better moods and utterly exhausted.

“You gonna sleep here, Racer?” Albert questions, already half-asleep. Race takes off his glasses and sets them on Albert’s nightstand.

“If you think you can get away with waking me up in the middle of the night, making me drive all the way over here, forcing me to work for you, and then not giving me any cuddles in return then you have got another thing coming mister. Now scoot over bitch,” Race demands, not waiting for Albert to move before flopping down onto the bed half-way on top of the other boy.

“Stupider isn’t a word,” Albert says. He adjusts himself anyways, moving over to give Race some more room. Once they are both situated Albert wraps his arm around Race, allowing him to curl into his side. Albert sighs contentedly, holding his friend close and looking at his new ceiling decorations. There really was no way he’d ever be able to look at them and not think of the boy next to him and how much he cares for him. “Hey Racer,” Albert hesitates, “thanks for… everything.”

“‘S no problem Albie,” Race burrows his head into the crook of Albert’s neck and mumbles, “I’d do just about anything for you.”

[louisapennyfeather2021]

Race: Psst, come here. It's a secret.

Spot: Okay???

Albert: We're very, very... stupid.

Spot:...

Race and Albert: *high five*

[asexualbert]

Hey I got one done on time!

A little bit of good soft Platonic Ralbert for y'all.

@watchwhathappensfromafar