Alex woke up tangled in a pile of sleeping bodies and crumpled blankets on the living room floor. His head was on his father's chest while his mother's body was draped over his protectively. Melani's arm was thrown over the top of them both and Ashley was tucked in somewhere at his side, both spots claimed sometime in the night.
It was a pile of love and hope, and he desperately wanted to feel it. The hint of it was hovering just out of his reach. Lips pressed to his temple and he looked up to find his father looking back with a tired smile.
"Hungry?" David whispered. Beside them someone shifted and they struggled not to laugh when a loud snore broke the silence. Alex nodded, rolling carefully as David helped him wiggle out of the pile.
Alex looked at him with confusion when his dad went to the door and began stuffing his feet into his shoes. Ashley shifted closer to Liz, who instinctively wrapped an arm around the body next to her. Alex did his best to hold his laughter until he had sandals on his feet and was following his father outside.
David whistled a random tune as he started his truck and waited for Alex to buckle in. "Any good places around here?" Alex shrugged, blushing when he realized he honestly didn't know.
"I don't eat much," Alex muttered, plucking at the knee of his sweatpants.
David gave a single nod and went back to whistling as he drove, making turns here and there at an apparent random until they ended up at a diner a few miles from Alex's apartment. The waitress seated them in a booth next to a large window and Alex found himself leaning towards the sun, closing his eyes and soaking in the warm light.
He ordered the first thing he saw on the menu and cringed when his father rattled off several meals and drinks. The waitress gave him a slightly concerned look before giving them a smile far too bright for morning and walking away. David didn't say anything as they waited. He sat opposite of Alex simply studying his son's features with a smile.
"What?" Alex finally asked as he shifted awkwardly.
"You were such a little shit when you were a kid," David said. It must have been obvious that Alex was taken back because his father laughed. "If we told you not to do something, you did it. Scared the hell outta us a couple times. You were just so strong headed," he huffed playfully. "When you met Roman you were actually quiet. You looked at him like you'd just met a superhero. Mom could tell you not to do something and you'd continue on doing it. If Roman told you to stop, you would at least take it into consideration. You were seven when he professed his love for you, and it turned into your first fight, do you remember?"
Alex shook his head, his brow furrowing tightly. David chuckled and sipped at the steaming coffee sitting untouched in front of him. "Mandy and your mom took you guys to that park down the street and this kid was picking on Roman. Took his ball and wouldn't give it back or something. Anyway, Roman pushed the kid and the kid pushed back. You pushed that kid and then started screaming for your mom like someone was trying to kidnap you. Roman had a small scrape on his knee, nothing a bandage couldn't fix, but to you it was the end of the world. You told your mom and Mandy that you were going to marry Roman and protect him from all the bad guys. Roman said it was his job to protect you, that you were going to stay at home like his mom so you didn't get hurt because he loved you. You told him that you weren't a wimp and demanded to go home. He showed up the next day holding a handful of flowers from Mandy's garden and begged you not to be mad because it made his heart hurt."
Alex closed his eyes, trying to bring back such a memory, but came up empty. Something swelled in him, though, something that told him that Roman would have done exactly that. "For not being a wimp, I'm pretty wimpy," Alex chuckled dryly.
