ah, mini/alo...
title : tame
pairing/fandom : mini/alo, rich/grace, nick/franky/liv/matty, past nick/mini
rating : pg-13 - drugs, swearing, sensuality
word count : 3332
summary : AU - Mini and Alo trek across the forest to get to the church on time.
a/n : For the Skins Ficathon! Prompt was by youtoxic. "Situation: AU, Established relationship. Anything where the two of them are already dating."
Okay, so this is what I came up with from that. I felt like it had to alter something that's already happened. There's a little prologue to set things up as well.
I'm shaking and crying because youtoxic's writings are flawless. I am but a lowly serf to their nobility. Hope you like it anyway ♥
The title comes from the Pixies' song of the same title. I'm really bad at titles.
ETA: some of Alo's personality comes from this:
http://aloysius-minerva.tumblr.com/post/4109954788/skins-zodiac-alo-creevey-the-taurus-man-is-one
Mini watched as Alo whispered encouraging words to Rich in the middle of the corridor. He was clearly getting through to the metalhead as Rich’s down demeanour quickly shifted.
Mini was shocked to see Rich pull Alo into a hug before running past her and out of the school. It wasn’t Rich’s style to show affection. He even struggled to show his love for Grace.
Alo scratched the back of his neck before walking towards her. He gave her his best reassuring smile.
“Well, Maria,” he said, using her character’s name. “I guess it’s just you and me. At least as long as our friends decide to roll around in their teen drama.” He paused. “You need a ride home?”
“I suppose I could use one, Farm Boy,” Mini responded. She rolled her eyes playfully when Alo offered her his arm, but took it anyway.
He began leading her out of the school, away from all of the angst that their friends spread.
Though Mini would be the first to admit that she loved drama, she was glad that she was out of this new round. It was nice to be able to stand on the sidelines with Alo, watching as everything burned around them. Without the pain of being rejected or hurt by the selfishness of others.
When they reached his van, Alo opened the door and followed her inside.
“I thought your mum took your van?” Mini asked as she wrapped the seat belt around her waist.
Alo shrugged. “My dad gave it back to me after they re-enrolled me in college. I need a way to get here, after all.”
Mini nodded, not entirely interested. She sat in silence as Alo sang along to the random music on the radio. She watched him rock out, smiling at him.
She couldn’t help but be charmed by the ginger. It was hard for her to admit, but she was really into him.
She fancied him.
It didn’t take long for them to reach her house.
“Thanks for the ride, Farm Boy,” Mini said, unbuckling her seat belt, moving to get out of the van.
Alo’s hand reached out and grabbed hers suddenly. “Just a sec, Mins, I have to ask you something.”
Mini cocked her head to the side. “What is it?”
Alo looked over at her. She could read the uncertainty in his face. After all, Alo wasn’t the type of guy to cover up his emotions. Mini didn’t even know if he was capable of it. He was too open, too trustworthy for that.
He dropped her hand. “I, um… I’ve really liked hanging out with you lately,” he said, looking at her oddly, as if gauging her every reaction.
Mini nodded. “Yeah, me too.” Alo stayed silent. “Is that all you wanted to tell me?”
“No,” Alo said shaking his head. “I -”
Alo paused again and smiled at her. It wasn’t a true Alo smile, not the type that lights up his face and makes her smile back. This one was filled with self-loathing and pain. “Yeah. That’s all I wanted to say.”
“Oh,” Mini said, disappointed. She could tell he wasn’t finished. She glanced over at him. He was staring at his hands on the steering wheel and his leg was bouncing lightly.
She knew what she had to do.
“Can I tell you something?” She asked, digging for every ounce of self-confidence that she could.
Alo turned towards her. “Of course, Mins. You can tell me anything.”
Taking a deep breath, Mini leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. She put a hand on the bench seat between them and placed the other behind his neck. It didn’t take long for him to respond. He put his hand on her face, lacing his fingers in her hair.
She pulled back and smiled at him. “Okay?” She asked, not knowing what else to say.
“Yeah,” he said quickly before surging forward to kiss her again.
Mini was beyond thrilled before they were broken up by Alo’s ringing mobile. He pulled back from her with an apologetic look. “Just a second,” he said before pressing a button.
“Hey, Rich.” Mini played with Alo’s leggings while he chatted with his best friend. At least until -
“MARRIED?!”
-
Mini could tell that Alo was definitely nearing his wits end. He wasn’t an angry man usually, but everyone has a breaking point. With her own constant complaints and Nick’s worries about his brother and Franky cutting into his every thought as he attempted to navigate the threesome through the maze of a forest, not to mention that his best mate was getting married and his beloved van dying, Mini could see that he was slowly losing it.
“Franky isn’t like them,” Nick said loudly for the twentieth time. “She isn’t like me and Matty and Liv. We shouldn’t have left her with them. Something bad’s going to happen and I can’t stop it now.”
Alo spun to face him. “Listen, mate. You fancy her, yeah?”
Nick sputtered out an incomprehensible reply.
“Just do something about it, for fuck’s sake! You’re Nick Levan, not some poncy, pining wanker!” Alo said enthusiastically.
Nick nodded. “You’re right, mate. You’re always fucking right.” Nick started off into a sprint, running in the direction that the others had gone. “See you at the church!” He yelled behind him.
Mini felt an odd pride for both Alo and Nick. The youngest Levan brother had certainly developed a much needed maturity after he began to hang out more with Franky. The odd duo struck up an unlikely friendship after Alo’s party. They were weirdly good together.
Mini walked up behind Alo and took his hand. Alo looked down at her with a weak smile and gave her hand a squeeze.
“Which way now, oh great navigator?” Mini asked lightly, hoping to lighten his mood.
Alo let out a loud breath through his nose and tugged her in the opposite direction Nick had just gone. “It’s this way,” he said with questionable confidence.
Mini admired Alo. She never thought she would be able to muster more than mild annoyance for him when she first met the odd ginger. It was hard not to admire Alo once you got to know him, though. He was brave and helpful, always trying to be nice to people even when they treat him horribly while still having enough self-respect to stand up for himself.
Mini had those character traits to thank for their current relationship.
Surprisingly, when you get to know him, it is nearly impossible not to develop a crush. At least, it was nearly impossible for Mini, no matter how hard she tried to push the feelings down.
After the day of his house party, the day he said she was a good person (well, an all right person), Mini felt herself become attached to Alo. They were constantly thrown together. Once Nick entered the Franky, Liv and Matty clusterfuck and Rich and Grace spent more time alone, they didn’t have much of a choice but to hang out one on one more often.
It wasn’t that hard of a transition to make. Mini took over Rich’s seat next to Alo in class and the two would spend most of their time writing notes back and forth, gossiping about their friends.
It didn’t take long for Mini to develop inexplicable feelings for him.
Initially she was horrified. After all, she was Mini McGuinness. Since breaking up with Nick, she practically had a queue of boys lining up to take her out.
She turned each one down, her stomach twisting horribly when they asked her out. She would glance over at Alo, who would be beaming at one of their friends or making them laugh.
It was stupid, but she felt like she would be betraying him (or even perhaps herself) by going out with the random footballer or loser asking her out.
Mini tried as hard as she could to push the feelings away.
He just didn’t fit into her ideal vision of what a boyfriend should be.
He was spoiled by his parents, but was far from rich. He was horrible at sports. He was irresponsible, more likely to be passed out with a spliff in his mouth than doing anything technically productive.
Still.
He was easily the most genuine person she had ever met. He was hilarious and knew how to party.
They walked a little ways in silence, until Mini’s guilt bubbled up. “I’m sorry for complaining so much, Alo,” she said apologetically.
Alo shrugged, navigating them around the trees. “No worries, love. I’d complain too. I fucked up… I beyond fucked up.”
Mini drew her other hand up, wrapping around his elbow. “It wasn’t your fault, Alo. It could have easily happened to anyone.”
Alo looked over at her and shook his head. “It’s just… some fucking best man I am, right? I couldn’t even get us to the church.”
Alo paused his self-pity to help her manoeuvre her way over some particularly rough terrain. Her lace dress, now very impractical, was getting caught on trees and branches. He let out a heavy sigh and smiled at her slightly
“All right, love, this isn’t working right now,” Alo said. He bent over slightly and picked her up.
Mini squealed and wrapped her arms around Alo’s neck. “Oh my God, Alo!” She squeaked. “What are you doing?”
Alo increased his speed. “We need to get to the church as fast as possible. Your dress isn’t helping us.”
Mini remained silent, her arm moving down to his shoulder.
She knew him well enough to know that he wasn’t in much of a mood to talk. The stress from Rich and Grace’s wedding was getting to him, not to mention the drama of the others. It was hard to truly upset Alo.
Mini felt like having words with the rest of their group for taking advantage of his kindness.
Even though she wasn’t completely innocent herself.
Alo put Mini down once they reached a clearing.
“Just be careful, Mins,” he warned. “Stay on the path. There are probably traps around.”
“Traps?!” Mini exclaimed. Alo had already started walking in the direction he assumed was south-west. “Alo, slow down!” Mini yelled, running to catch up with his long strides. When she caught up, she grabbed his hand again.
“We can’t slow down, Minerva. We have to get there. I promised Rich I would.”
Mini stopped walking, holding onto Alo’s hand tightly. She pulled him back, forcing him to come to a halt.
“Alo, you have to stop beating yourself up about this,” she said firmly. Alo’s brow furrowed and he looked down at her.
“This is all my fault. I made the wrong turn. I broke the van. I let the rest of them fuck off and now I don’t know what to do!” Alo exclaimed, pulling his hand out of Mini’s. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked down at his shoes. “My mum was right. I’m just shit at everything.”
Mini’s eyes narrowed. It was safe to say she wasn’t overly fond of Alo’s mother to begin with.
With a sigh, Mini ran her hand down Alo’s arm. “They were just accidents, Alo. It could have happened to anyone.” She forced his arms apart and walked closer, wrapping her arms around him.
“We’ll get there,” she said softly. She pulled back slightly to look up at him. “And don’t worry about the others. They’re just being selfish. Especially Nick,” she said with a huff before going back into the hug. “I don’t even know what he’s thinking.”
“Yeah,” Alo said with a weird tone. “Nick.” He pulled back from her and smiled. “As much as I’d love to hug you in the middle of nowhere all day, we’ve got to go.” He took her hand and pulled her along.
Mini fixed her eyes firmly to the ground, looking for any possible traps.
It wasn’t much longer until Alo shouted excitedly. “A car!” He exclaimed, before running to the side of the road. Mini followed behind.
“We’re saved!” Alo shouted happily, looking up at the sky.
Several cars passed by, none bothering to stop. It didn’t take much longer for Alo to become frustrated again. He turned towards her.
“Okay, I don’t know what to do.” He said with a sigh. Mini looked at him sympathetically as another car drove past them.
A car that was driven by David Blood.
“Fuck!” She exclaimed, catching Alo’s attention. “That was David Blood!”
Alo’s eyes widened. “Holy shit!” He twisted his hands in his hair and started pacing. “Fuck, fuck, fuck!” Alo looked at Mini for a long moment.
“Mins, I hate to be that guy, but desperate times, yeah?”
Mini looked at him oddly. “Yeah?” She said, unsure of what he was going on about.
Alo sighed and bent down, grabbing either side of her dress in his hands. “I saw this in an old movie of da’s once.” He explained as he began lifting the dress, his hands grazing over her outer thighs.
Mini’s breath caught in her throat. Despite the seriousness of the situation, she couldn’t help but be distracted by his light touch. He continued until the dress was at her mid-thigh and he placed her hand over it, to keep it in place.
He pushed her slightly to the side of the road. It didn’t take much longer for a car to stop.
A window rolled down. “Can I help ‘ya, love?” A pervy man asked from inside.
Alo stepped in front of Mini, pushing her behind him. “We need to get to the church in Chepston. It’s an emergency.” Alo explained.
The Perve looked at him oddly, but shrugged. “Get in.”
Alo opened the back door, urging Mini to get in before sitting next to her. Obviously he wasn’t taking a chance sitting in the front either. “Go as fast as you can, please, mate!”
The Perv took off and began speeding down the road.
“So, what’s your relation to her?” The Perv asked, glancing at Mini through the rear view mirror. Mini glanced over at Alo, who cocked an eyebrow at the other man. “Are you her brother or….”
“Nah, mate,” Alo said with his usual coolness. Mini could tell that he was getting pissed off. “I’m her boyfriend.”
Alo placed his hand awkwardly on her knee. So they were back to this?
Mini couldn’t deny that Alo was a great boyfriend, but he was still not comfortable with the physical affection aspect. He was fine with it when they were just flirty friends, but now that they were together, it was almost as if he was treating her like a dream. Like he was worried she would break up with him just for touching her.
As Alo continued talking to The Perv, his hand steadily became more relaxed. His middle finger began tracing around the lace flowers, his skin barely making contact with hers through the tiny holes in the fabric.
Mini swallowed and glanced over at Alo. He gave her a weak and unsure smile, his fingers pausing. Mini beamed at him and her hand moved to his wrist, encouraging him ton continue. He obeyed, continuing to play with her knee. She began to fiddle with the bracelet on his wrist.
It bothered her that he was scared of her reactions all the time.
Mostly because she just really wanted to have sex with him.
He was just too fucking fuckable. He would look down at her like she was the most beautiful woman in the world. His green eyes would sparkle up at her when they snogged on his bed and his hands would stay in respectable areas.
She loved the feeling of his hands combing through her hair when they were too stoned to move. She loved to cock her eyebrow when she catches him staring at her from across the common room.
It was a weird feeling for Mini. It was weird to trust someone, especially a man, enough to want to be with them completely.
It was weird and terrifying. She knew that Alo wasn’t the type of person to hurt her on purpose, but he was accident prone. All it would take is one major mistake to royally fuck everything up.
It wasn’t long before they stopped in front of the church. Alo quickly thanked their pervy saviour and rushed out of the car, running to the other side to help Mini out.
Mini leaped out before The Perv could hit on her and ran with Alo towards Grace and Rich, who were sitting patiently on the ground.
“Blood is coming!” Alo exclaimed.
Mini threw her arms around Grace.
“Where are the others?” Grace asked.
“Don’t worry about it, we need to get you married now!” Mini exclaimed before leading the foursome into the church.
-
Mini walked outside of the tent, finding Alo perched on a haystack. He was sparking a spliff, watching Nick and Franky chase each other around the field.
Mini moved over and sat right next to him. “All right?” She asked, wrapping both of her arms around his.
“Yeah,” he said vaguely, looking down at her. He passed her the spliff. “Does it bother you?” He asked suddenly.
“Does what bother me?” She asked, confused. She took a quick hit from his joint and passed it back.
“Franky and Nick. One of your best friends and the bloke you’re in love with.” Alo looked away from her as he said the last part, choosing to watch Nick tackle Franky instead.
Mini pulled away from him and forced his head towards her. “Is that what everything has been about? You acting weird all the time?”
Alo pulled his head out of her hands, refusing to look at her. “I get it,” Alo said softly, taking a drag from his spliff. He exhaled and continued. “I mean, let’s be real here, Mins. You’re the fucking Queen of Roundview and Nick was your King. I’m just a lowly slave.”
Mini was shocked, to say the least. “How much of this have you smoked?” Mini asked, grabbing the spliff from him. “Is that what you think of yourself? You’re just some fucking rebound? Is that all you think of me?”
Alo looked over at her, his expression unreadable. “Come on, Mini.”
Mini shook her head. “Don’t give me that, Aloysius Creevey. I wouldn’t be with you if I didn’t want to be. You mean way more to me than just some fucking rebound. Way more.” Her eyes narrowed at him. “Don’t say that ever again.” Mini demanded, thrusting his joint back at him.
Alo glanced down at the spliff and twirled it between his fingers. “Way more, you say?” He said with a smile before taking a hit.
Mini cocked an eyebrow at him. “Don’t push your luck, Farm Boy,” she warned before leaning over to kiss his cheek.
Alo wrapped his arm around her and they shared the joint, rehashing the events of the day.
Nick and Franky ran up to them, out of breath. “Creevey!” Nick exclaimed, snatching the joint out of his hand. Nick took a deep hit and exhaled in Franky’s face playfully. Nick pointed down at Alo. “It’s time to party!”
Mini smiled brightly at Franky, happy that she seemed to move on from Matty. “Well, I’m down.” Mini said, looking over at Alo.
Alo stubbed the joint out on the ground and stood up, wiping the lose strands of hay from his pants. He helped Mini stand and opened his arms widely.
“Let’s do it!” He exclaimed, putting an arm around both Nick and Mini. Mini grabbed Franky’s hand and the odd foursome rushed towards the party tent, to celebrate the wedding that never was.
pairing/fandom : mini/alo, rich/grace, nick/franky/liv/matty, past nick/mini
rating : pg-13 - drugs, swearing, sensuality
word count : 3332
summary : AU - Mini and Alo trek across the forest to get to the church on time.
a/n : For the Skins Ficathon! Prompt was by youtoxic. "Situation: AU, Established relationship. Anything where the two of them are already dating."
Okay, so this is what I came up with from that. I felt like it had to alter something that's already happened. There's a little prologue to set things up as well.
I'm shaking and crying because youtoxic's writings are flawless. I am but a lowly serf to their nobility. Hope you like it anyway ♥
The title comes from the Pixies' song of the same title. I'm really bad at titles.
ETA: some of Alo's personality comes from this:
http://aloysius-minerva.tumblr.com/post/4109954788/skins-zodiac-alo-creevey-the-taurus-man-is-one
Mini watched as Alo whispered encouraging words to Rich in the middle of the corridor. He was clearly getting through to the metalhead as Rich’s down demeanour quickly shifted.
Mini was shocked to see Rich pull Alo into a hug before running past her and out of the school. It wasn’t Rich’s style to show affection. He even struggled to show his love for Grace.
Alo scratched the back of his neck before walking towards her. He gave her his best reassuring smile.
“Well, Maria,” he said, using her character’s name. “I guess it’s just you and me. At least as long as our friends decide to roll around in their teen drama.” He paused. “You need a ride home?”
“I suppose I could use one, Farm Boy,” Mini responded. She rolled her eyes playfully when Alo offered her his arm, but took it anyway.
He began leading her out of the school, away from all of the angst that their friends spread.
Though Mini would be the first to admit that she loved drama, she was glad that she was out of this new round. It was nice to be able to stand on the sidelines with Alo, watching as everything burned around them. Without the pain of being rejected or hurt by the selfishness of others.
When they reached his van, Alo opened the door and followed her inside.
“I thought your mum took your van?” Mini asked as she wrapped the seat belt around her waist.
Alo shrugged. “My dad gave it back to me after they re-enrolled me in college. I need a way to get here, after all.”
Mini nodded, not entirely interested. She sat in silence as Alo sang along to the random music on the radio. She watched him rock out, smiling at him.
She couldn’t help but be charmed by the ginger. It was hard for her to admit, but she was really into him.
She fancied him.
It didn’t take long for them to reach her house.
“Thanks for the ride, Farm Boy,” Mini said, unbuckling her seat belt, moving to get out of the van.
Alo’s hand reached out and grabbed hers suddenly. “Just a sec, Mins, I have to ask you something.”
Mini cocked her head to the side. “What is it?”
Alo looked over at her. She could read the uncertainty in his face. After all, Alo wasn’t the type of guy to cover up his emotions. Mini didn’t even know if he was capable of it. He was too open, too trustworthy for that.
He dropped her hand. “I, um… I’ve really liked hanging out with you lately,” he said, looking at her oddly, as if gauging her every reaction.
Mini nodded. “Yeah, me too.” Alo stayed silent. “Is that all you wanted to tell me?”
“No,” Alo said shaking his head. “I -”
Alo paused again and smiled at her. It wasn’t a true Alo smile, not the type that lights up his face and makes her smile back. This one was filled with self-loathing and pain. “Yeah. That’s all I wanted to say.”
“Oh,” Mini said, disappointed. She could tell he wasn’t finished. She glanced over at him. He was staring at his hands on the steering wheel and his leg was bouncing lightly.
She knew what she had to do.
“Can I tell you something?” She asked, digging for every ounce of self-confidence that she could.
Alo turned towards her. “Of course, Mins. You can tell me anything.”
Taking a deep breath, Mini leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. She put a hand on the bench seat between them and placed the other behind his neck. It didn’t take long for him to respond. He put his hand on her face, lacing his fingers in her hair.
She pulled back and smiled at him. “Okay?” She asked, not knowing what else to say.
“Yeah,” he said quickly before surging forward to kiss her again.
Mini was beyond thrilled before they were broken up by Alo’s ringing mobile. He pulled back from her with an apologetic look. “Just a second,” he said before pressing a button.
“Hey, Rich.” Mini played with Alo’s leggings while he chatted with his best friend. At least until -
“MARRIED?!”
-
Mini could tell that Alo was definitely nearing his wits end. He wasn’t an angry man usually, but everyone has a breaking point. With her own constant complaints and Nick’s worries about his brother and Franky cutting into his every thought as he attempted to navigate the threesome through the maze of a forest, not to mention that his best mate was getting married and his beloved van dying, Mini could see that he was slowly losing it.
“Franky isn’t like them,” Nick said loudly for the twentieth time. “She isn’t like me and Matty and Liv. We shouldn’t have left her with them. Something bad’s going to happen and I can’t stop it now.”
Alo spun to face him. “Listen, mate. You fancy her, yeah?”
Nick sputtered out an incomprehensible reply.
“Just do something about it, for fuck’s sake! You’re Nick Levan, not some poncy, pining wanker!” Alo said enthusiastically.
Nick nodded. “You’re right, mate. You’re always fucking right.” Nick started off into a sprint, running in the direction that the others had gone. “See you at the church!” He yelled behind him.
Mini felt an odd pride for both Alo and Nick. The youngest Levan brother had certainly developed a much needed maturity after he began to hang out more with Franky. The odd duo struck up an unlikely friendship after Alo’s party. They were weirdly good together.
Mini walked up behind Alo and took his hand. Alo looked down at her with a weak smile and gave her hand a squeeze.
“Which way now, oh great navigator?” Mini asked lightly, hoping to lighten his mood.
Alo let out a loud breath through his nose and tugged her in the opposite direction Nick had just gone. “It’s this way,” he said with questionable confidence.
Mini admired Alo. She never thought she would be able to muster more than mild annoyance for him when she first met the odd ginger. It was hard not to admire Alo once you got to know him, though. He was brave and helpful, always trying to be nice to people even when they treat him horribly while still having enough self-respect to stand up for himself.
Mini had those character traits to thank for their current relationship.
Surprisingly, when you get to know him, it is nearly impossible not to develop a crush. At least, it was nearly impossible for Mini, no matter how hard she tried to push the feelings down.
After the day of his house party, the day he said she was a good person (well, an all right person), Mini felt herself become attached to Alo. They were constantly thrown together. Once Nick entered the Franky, Liv and Matty clusterfuck and Rich and Grace spent more time alone, they didn’t have much of a choice but to hang out one on one more often.
It wasn’t that hard of a transition to make. Mini took over Rich’s seat next to Alo in class and the two would spend most of their time writing notes back and forth, gossiping about their friends.
It didn’t take long for Mini to develop inexplicable feelings for him.
Initially she was horrified. After all, she was Mini McGuinness. Since breaking up with Nick, she practically had a queue of boys lining up to take her out.
She turned each one down, her stomach twisting horribly when they asked her out. She would glance over at Alo, who would be beaming at one of their friends or making them laugh.
It was stupid, but she felt like she would be betraying him (or even perhaps herself) by going out with the random footballer or loser asking her out.
Mini tried as hard as she could to push the feelings away.
He just didn’t fit into her ideal vision of what a boyfriend should be.
He was spoiled by his parents, but was far from rich. He was horrible at sports. He was irresponsible, more likely to be passed out with a spliff in his mouth than doing anything technically productive.
Still.
He was easily the most genuine person she had ever met. He was hilarious and knew how to party.
They walked a little ways in silence, until Mini’s guilt bubbled up. “I’m sorry for complaining so much, Alo,” she said apologetically.
Alo shrugged, navigating them around the trees. “No worries, love. I’d complain too. I fucked up… I beyond fucked up.”
Mini drew her other hand up, wrapping around his elbow. “It wasn’t your fault, Alo. It could have easily happened to anyone.”
Alo looked over at her and shook his head. “It’s just… some fucking best man I am, right? I couldn’t even get us to the church.”
Alo paused his self-pity to help her manoeuvre her way over some particularly rough terrain. Her lace dress, now very impractical, was getting caught on trees and branches. He let out a heavy sigh and smiled at her slightly
“All right, love, this isn’t working right now,” Alo said. He bent over slightly and picked her up.
Mini squealed and wrapped her arms around Alo’s neck. “Oh my God, Alo!” She squeaked. “What are you doing?”
Alo increased his speed. “We need to get to the church as fast as possible. Your dress isn’t helping us.”
Mini remained silent, her arm moving down to his shoulder.
She knew him well enough to know that he wasn’t in much of a mood to talk. The stress from Rich and Grace’s wedding was getting to him, not to mention the drama of the others. It was hard to truly upset Alo.
Mini felt like having words with the rest of their group for taking advantage of his kindness.
Even though she wasn’t completely innocent herself.
Alo put Mini down once they reached a clearing.
“Just be careful, Mins,” he warned. “Stay on the path. There are probably traps around.”
“Traps?!” Mini exclaimed. Alo had already started walking in the direction he assumed was south-west. “Alo, slow down!” Mini yelled, running to catch up with his long strides. When she caught up, she grabbed his hand again.
“We can’t slow down, Minerva. We have to get there. I promised Rich I would.”
Mini stopped walking, holding onto Alo’s hand tightly. She pulled him back, forcing him to come to a halt.
“Alo, you have to stop beating yourself up about this,” she said firmly. Alo’s brow furrowed and he looked down at her.
“This is all my fault. I made the wrong turn. I broke the van. I let the rest of them fuck off and now I don’t know what to do!” Alo exclaimed, pulling his hand out of Mini’s. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked down at his shoes. “My mum was right. I’m just shit at everything.”
Mini’s eyes narrowed. It was safe to say she wasn’t overly fond of Alo’s mother to begin with.
With a sigh, Mini ran her hand down Alo’s arm. “They were just accidents, Alo. It could have happened to anyone.” She forced his arms apart and walked closer, wrapping her arms around him.
“We’ll get there,” she said softly. She pulled back slightly to look up at him. “And don’t worry about the others. They’re just being selfish. Especially Nick,” she said with a huff before going back into the hug. “I don’t even know what he’s thinking.”
“Yeah,” Alo said with a weird tone. “Nick.” He pulled back from her and smiled. “As much as I’d love to hug you in the middle of nowhere all day, we’ve got to go.” He took her hand and pulled her along.
Mini fixed her eyes firmly to the ground, looking for any possible traps.
It wasn’t much longer until Alo shouted excitedly. “A car!” He exclaimed, before running to the side of the road. Mini followed behind.
“We’re saved!” Alo shouted happily, looking up at the sky.
Several cars passed by, none bothering to stop. It didn’t take much longer for Alo to become frustrated again. He turned towards her.
“Okay, I don’t know what to do.” He said with a sigh. Mini looked at him sympathetically as another car drove past them.
A car that was driven by David Blood.
“Fuck!” She exclaimed, catching Alo’s attention. “That was David Blood!”
Alo’s eyes widened. “Holy shit!” He twisted his hands in his hair and started pacing. “Fuck, fuck, fuck!” Alo looked at Mini for a long moment.
“Mins, I hate to be that guy, but desperate times, yeah?”
Mini looked at him oddly. “Yeah?” She said, unsure of what he was going on about.
Alo sighed and bent down, grabbing either side of her dress in his hands. “I saw this in an old movie of da’s once.” He explained as he began lifting the dress, his hands grazing over her outer thighs.
Mini’s breath caught in her throat. Despite the seriousness of the situation, she couldn’t help but be distracted by his light touch. He continued until the dress was at her mid-thigh and he placed her hand over it, to keep it in place.
He pushed her slightly to the side of the road. It didn’t take much longer for a car to stop.
A window rolled down. “Can I help ‘ya, love?” A pervy man asked from inside.
Alo stepped in front of Mini, pushing her behind him. “We need to get to the church in Chepston. It’s an emergency.” Alo explained.
The Perve looked at him oddly, but shrugged. “Get in.”
Alo opened the back door, urging Mini to get in before sitting next to her. Obviously he wasn’t taking a chance sitting in the front either. “Go as fast as you can, please, mate!”
The Perv took off and began speeding down the road.
“So, what’s your relation to her?” The Perv asked, glancing at Mini through the rear view mirror. Mini glanced over at Alo, who cocked an eyebrow at the other man. “Are you her brother or….”
“Nah, mate,” Alo said with his usual coolness. Mini could tell that he was getting pissed off. “I’m her boyfriend.”
Alo placed his hand awkwardly on her knee. So they were back to this?
Mini couldn’t deny that Alo was a great boyfriend, but he was still not comfortable with the physical affection aspect. He was fine with it when they were just flirty friends, but now that they were together, it was almost as if he was treating her like a dream. Like he was worried she would break up with him just for touching her.
As Alo continued talking to The Perv, his hand steadily became more relaxed. His middle finger began tracing around the lace flowers, his skin barely making contact with hers through the tiny holes in the fabric.
Mini swallowed and glanced over at Alo. He gave her a weak and unsure smile, his fingers pausing. Mini beamed at him and her hand moved to his wrist, encouraging him ton continue. He obeyed, continuing to play with her knee. She began to fiddle with the bracelet on his wrist.
It bothered her that he was scared of her reactions all the time.
Mostly because she just really wanted to have sex with him.
He was just too fucking fuckable. He would look down at her like she was the most beautiful woman in the world. His green eyes would sparkle up at her when they snogged on his bed and his hands would stay in respectable areas.
She loved the feeling of his hands combing through her hair when they were too stoned to move. She loved to cock her eyebrow when she catches him staring at her from across the common room.
It was a weird feeling for Mini. It was weird to trust someone, especially a man, enough to want to be with them completely.
It was weird and terrifying. She knew that Alo wasn’t the type of person to hurt her on purpose, but he was accident prone. All it would take is one major mistake to royally fuck everything up.
It wasn’t long before they stopped in front of the church. Alo quickly thanked their pervy saviour and rushed out of the car, running to the other side to help Mini out.
Mini leaped out before The Perv could hit on her and ran with Alo towards Grace and Rich, who were sitting patiently on the ground.
“Blood is coming!” Alo exclaimed.
Mini threw her arms around Grace.
“Where are the others?” Grace asked.
“Don’t worry about it, we need to get you married now!” Mini exclaimed before leading the foursome into the church.
-
Mini walked outside of the tent, finding Alo perched on a haystack. He was sparking a spliff, watching Nick and Franky chase each other around the field.
Mini moved over and sat right next to him. “All right?” She asked, wrapping both of her arms around his.
“Yeah,” he said vaguely, looking down at her. He passed her the spliff. “Does it bother you?” He asked suddenly.
“Does what bother me?” She asked, confused. She took a quick hit from his joint and passed it back.
“Franky and Nick. One of your best friends and the bloke you’re in love with.” Alo looked away from her as he said the last part, choosing to watch Nick tackle Franky instead.
Mini pulled away from him and forced his head towards her. “Is that what everything has been about? You acting weird all the time?”
Alo pulled his head out of her hands, refusing to look at her. “I get it,” Alo said softly, taking a drag from his spliff. He exhaled and continued. “I mean, let’s be real here, Mins. You’re the fucking Queen of Roundview and Nick was your King. I’m just a lowly slave.”
Mini was shocked, to say the least. “How much of this have you smoked?” Mini asked, grabbing the spliff from him. “Is that what you think of yourself? You’re just some fucking rebound? Is that all you think of me?”
Alo looked over at her, his expression unreadable. “Come on, Mini.”
Mini shook her head. “Don’t give me that, Aloysius Creevey. I wouldn’t be with you if I didn’t want to be. You mean way more to me than just some fucking rebound. Way more.” Her eyes narrowed at him. “Don’t say that ever again.” Mini demanded, thrusting his joint back at him.
Alo glanced down at the spliff and twirled it between his fingers. “Way more, you say?” He said with a smile before taking a hit.
Mini cocked an eyebrow at him. “Don’t push your luck, Farm Boy,” she warned before leaning over to kiss his cheek.
Alo wrapped his arm around her and they shared the joint, rehashing the events of the day.
Nick and Franky ran up to them, out of breath. “Creevey!” Nick exclaimed, snatching the joint out of his hand. Nick took a deep hit and exhaled in Franky’s face playfully. Nick pointed down at Alo. “It’s time to party!”
Mini smiled brightly at Franky, happy that she seemed to move on from Matty. “Well, I’m down.” Mini said, looking over at Alo.
Alo stubbed the joint out on the ground and stood up, wiping the lose strands of hay from his pants. He helped Mini stand and opened his arms widely.
“Let’s do it!” He exclaimed, putting an arm around both Nick and Mini. Mini grabbed Franky’s hand and the odd foursome rushed towards the party tent, to celebrate the wedding that never was.