Hackett's Quarry Forever! | Dylan x Ryan | FanFiction

•Chapter 19 - Sunrise•

"Laura?! Laura?!" Max calls anxiously as he stumbles back into the station, an insecure Dylan following shortly with his head hanging and his tail between his legs as he drags his feet towards Kaitlyn and Ryan. The others watch in a mixture of confusion and worry.

"Yeah?" Laura answers nonchalantly as she leans against the wall in the back of the waiting area, struggling to make eye contact with the desperate man hurrying towards her.

"Look, I uh- back there..." He struggles leaning over to rest his hands on his thighs as he pants like a dog for air.

"Look, Max. I really don't care." She states preemptively crossing her arms as she sighs.

"No, I just wanted to say like, it wasn't anything weird, I just, I don't know." He struggles worriedly, stepping closer to her with a frown.

"I know what I saw, Max. I know others would be shocked... feel betrayed, feel like they were cheated on. I don't." She admits with honesty as she turns to look him in the eyes, feeling small under her gaze.

"I-I don't understand. I feel like I fucked up really bad, I don't know what came over me, it's just... he's so... so charming, caring... sweet." He explains with a faint blush as he recalls his encounters with Dylan through the night with a mixture of fondness and shame circling within him.

"I'm not mad, Max. We're better than that. Look loyalty is important to me, sure, but I'm not possessive. I don't control you and you don't control me." She insists after a deep breath, taking his shaky hind in hers and holding it tightly.

"Why do I feel so shitty then? I feel like I let you down. I love you more than anything, Laura... Why did I let myself fall into this... this trap?!" He questions in outrage as he holds his head with his free hand.

"Calm down, Max." She insists pulling him in for a hug. "People catch feelings, there's no controlling that. I'm sure Dylan and Ryan have talked about it. It's no trap, it's just reality." She assures as she strokes his back soothingly, tears slipping down his cheeks.

"Laura, I don't know what to say." He sobs into her shoulder to which she frowns sympathetically as she pats him.

"Look, I know you're probably exaggerating everything right now in your head and think I'm gonna dump you and leave but I'm telling you, Max, it was nothing more than a bit of a shock. I really don't care. If I'm being honest, I caught a thing for Ryan last month... It was nothing serious but I felt it. What I'm tryna say is, what would a relationship be if we weren't able to live freely, Max?" She expresses passionately with hopes of changing his perspective as he cries harder into her shoulder from her profound approach.

"Thank you, Laura. I'm sorry again." He replies wholeheartedly with a shaky tone, voice hoarse from the tears

"Don't apologise. All I ask is that you'll love me unconditionally and be honest and I will do the same, our bond is too fucking strong to be broken by petty ass things like this, as cheesy and gross as that sounds." She requests genuinely with a soft chuckle as she cringes at her unusual self.

"Of course, Laura. You big sap." He retorts with a weak giggle as she slaps his arm playfully.

"You're the one calling me the sap? Please." She counters in amusement rolling her eyes.

•••

Some time has passed and daylight is nearing by the minute. Their rides approaching within the next hour, they feel a sense of relief and hope amongst them, despite the unfolding events of the night; a true transpiring of love, hate and insecurity. One need common between them: a nap.

"How are they looking?" Emma asks worriedly as she approaches Kaitlyn and Abigail who are finishing up treating Jacob and Nick's cuts and bruises.

"We patched up most that we could with what we had from the first aid kid. It's mostly grazes and flesh wounds." Kaitlyn replies confidently as she stretches a bandaid across Jacob's thigh, kneeling before him.