Trigger Warning for Panic Attacks. Just in case. Enjoy!
~~~
“My sandcastle’s definitely bigger and better than yours,” Alex bragged.
“No, mine’s better. I built a sand version of Monticello,” Thomas smiled smugly.
“Mmm...I guess that's pretty good,” Alex mumbled.
Thomas snapped a picture of both sandcastles before stripping to his trunks.
“I'm gonna get in the ocean,” Thomas said, “You coming?”
“Um...I think I'll pass,” Alex stated.
“Aww, why not...oh...I'm sorry, we can go if-”
“No, no, I'm fine. You go on ahead, I'll stay here,” Alex interrupted.
“Are you sure?”
Alex smiled. “Go have fun.”
Thomas smiled and placed a small kiss on his forehead. “I'll be back soon.”
Alex shooed him off and Thomas ran off to the water. After taking a few pictures, he lay back on the towel with his shades on, relaxing. For a second, he was about to doze off until he was interrupted.
“Hi!” a little girl said.
Alex slid his shades down and looked next to him.
“Hello, are you another one of Thomas’ sisters?” Alex asked.
“Mhmm! I'm Anna!” the girl smiled. “So, you like my brother?”
“We were dating for a while til I messed everything up,” Alex answered.
“Aww, that sucks...wait, if you and Tommy aren’t dating anymore, how come he kissed you on your forehead?”
“Because…” Alex turned to look at Thomas in the ocean. “We still love each other, but...it's complicated.”
“Oh...why aren't you out there with him?” Anna asked curiously.
“I've had bad experiences with water.”
“...you know he wants you to join him, right?”
“I bet he does,” Alex sighed.
“You know, the water won't hurt you.”
“Unless you survived a massive hurricane.”
“Hmm...but there's no storm now. I'm sure Tommy would hold your hand the whole time.”
Alex looked over at Thomas again, smiling and jumping the waves. Just looking at the waves made him feel the flashbacks returning.
“N-n-n-no! I...I-I-I c-can’t,” Alex felt panic rise in him. “No. No. No. N-Nevis...so many people...w-water...dead.”
“I'm sorry! I didn't mean to...I'll go get Tommy!” Anna ran off fearfully.
Alex sat there hugging his knees, shaking like crazy, tears falling, and memories mixing with reality. Before he knew it, someone was hugging him close.
“W-wet...water, hurricane...s-s-so much death,” Alex sobbed.
“Alex...Lexy, it's me, it's Tommy,” the Southern drawl sounded. Thomas always knew that helped. “Everything is okay. You’re in Virginia in America. No storm is coming to get you. I'm here.”
Alex slowly wrapped his arms around Thomas, feeling safety in his hold.
“P-people...so many...T-Thomas...Tommy,” Alex breathed, calming down.
“That's it, Alex, relax,” Thomas rubbed his back lovingly.
After a few minutes, Alex was calm. He looked up at Thomas, who looked down at him.
“Are you alright?” Thomas asked concerned.
“I am now, thanks,” Alex said quietly.
“That was scary...does that happen often?”
“No, no...it’s very rare that it gets that far,” Alex sniffled. “M’sorry I'm such a mess-”
“Hey, you're not a mess and you don't have to apologize. I'll always be here for you.”
Thomas wiped Alex’s tears before kissing both of his cheeks and his forehead.
“Thank you, Thomas.”
“Um...sir?” Anna’s voice was heard. “I...I'm so sorry for what I did! I didn't mean to make you panic! I just wanted you and Tommy to have fun together!”
“It’s okay, kid, you didn't know,” Alex smiled, patting her head.
“This kid causing you trouble?” Thomas asked.
“No, officer, I think we’ll be fine,” Alex laughed.
“Okay. Anna, I think you guys are leaving soon,” Thomas said looking over towards his sisters.
“Aww, okay. Bye, Tommy!” Anna gave him a hug.
“We’ll be dropping by sometime this week,” Thomas promised and kissed the top of her head.
“Okay! Are you bringing your boyfriend too?”
“We’re not dating,” Thomas rolled his eyes.
“But you guys are perfect for each other.”
Thomas and Alex laughed as someone called Anna's name.
“I gotta go. Love you! Bye, mister!” Anna called as she ran to her sisters.
“My name's Alexander!” Alex called back and giggled. “That kid is something else.”
“I know, I used to live with her,” Thomas smiled. “You ready to head back?”
“What time is it?”
“About noon.”
“Let's just lay here and soak in the sun while the remnants of summer is still here,” Alex sighed in relaxation.
“Yeah, this is very nice weather,” Thomas agreed and lay next to Alex.
Alex grabbed the Polaroid camera. “Let's see how good my aim is when it comes to taking selfies.”
Thomas laughed and smiled as Alex tried to find perfect angle.
“A little forward, perfect! And little left, your other left and stop!” Thomas helped.
They both smiled at the camera and Alex took the picture.
“I'm shaking this one cuz you shook all the others,” Thomas said and grabbed the photo.
He shook it and smiled at the picture. Anna was right, they were perfect for each other. They even look perfect in a picture.
“I wanna see,” Alex said.
Thomas snapped out of his daze and showed Alex.
“That's a really nice picture,” Alex smiled.
“Yeah, I think so,” Thomas agreed.
“One more?” Alex asked.
“Sure,” Thomas stated.
“You can take this one, though,” Alex handed the camera to Thomas.
“Okay.”
Thomas lifted the camera to the right angle. Alex placed a kiss on his cheek as Thomas took the picture. Thomas blushed and looked over to Alex, who was giggling. Thomas smiled and shook his head lovingly. After shaking the picture and placing it in a safe spot, the two of them cuddled under the sun just enjoying each other’s company.
~~~
(957 words)
Awwwww, my boys are bonding again! ❤❤❤❤ I'm gonna see Girls Trip today with my friend, cousin, and mom and I'm so hyped!!! I've been wanting to see this movie since I first saw the trailer! Everyone says it's hilarious, so I'm ready to laugh my butt off, lol!! Alright, anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! You know what to do if you did and I will see you all on Friday! Love you guys! Bye!