Chapter Text
Everything happened so fast.
I really wasn’t stealing, is all Willie repeated to themselves, over and over again.
Closing their eyes, Willie flexed their bruised knuckles and tried to clear their mind. As their hand flex their pride bracelets slipped down their arm and their chest tightened, remembering the look on the clerk’s face when they saw the bracelets.
“How’s your hand?”
Willie startled at Ray’s voice and shifted uncomfortable, crossing their arms so Ray wouldn’t stare at their hurt hand.
“It’s fine,” Willie replied stiffly.
It was bruised knuckles, they’d live. It wasn’t a crack in the forehead or internal bleeding.
There was a hum of noise in the holding cells as across the way another accused criminal was shuffled in, some older guy with tattoos all over his face and down his neck. He looked Willie right in the eye and it sent shivers up their spine.
“I…I really wasn’t,” Willie attempted, but Ray waved them off.
“I know, mijo,” he promised.
They both let out sighs and sank back against the holding cell wall. Ray was putting on a brave face, but Willie felt sick inside, knowing he must be scared to death. There had been a time when Willie had teased Ray for his squeaky-clean record, not even a traffic ticket to his name, but now they could appreciate what all those years of fighting to stay above the law looked like for Ray.
It had taken a second for Willie to ruin all of that for them.
Today had been a normal Monday. Willie was working with Ray part-time now as a photography assistant, something they enjoyed more than they ever thought they would. Mondays were typically for scouting locations and talking to clients about shoots that would happen later in the week, which is what they were out doing when Ray realized he left his phone charger at a location that morning. Willie offered to run into a nearby gas station to get a new charger while Ray made a business call, knowing it would save them time not having to drive back across L.A.
I really wasn’t stealing.
The clerk hadn’t given them the time of day. Worse, a customer had ganged up on them too, calling the police before Willie even had a change to defend themselves- not that they even had anything to defend! Maybe they had been an expert pick-pocket as a ghost and didn’t mind playing Robin Hood for ghosts and lifers in need, but Willie was alive now. They knew to be careful.
Ray had rushed in as soon as he saw what was going on, trying to keep the peace at first so that Willie could tell him what happened but then there was so much shouting. It was so loud, and all Willie had to hear were them talking about a ‘lack of parenting’ and being tired of dealing with you people- except a lot more hateful, horrible words that still chilled them to the bone were used- and Willie couldn’t hold back anymore. They threw the first punch, hitting the clerk. Then the clerk shoved them back, screaming about assault while the customer was screaming horrible things about them too. Ray tried to get in between them, but then the customer had attempted to throw back a punch. Easily blocking him and shielding Willie, Ray struck back on instinct, breaking the customer's nose.
And that was when the police showed up.
Willie had never had an adult physically protect them like that, ever. They were still in shock about it, still trying to figure out how everything had escalated so fast.
“I’m sorry,” Willie spoke up again. “I’m sorry, I ruined your whole workday and you might be in a lot of trouble and I was so stupid.”
Ray opened his eyes again and turned toward them; Willie flinched on instinct, hating how the man’s face only softened with more sympathy.
“Willie, you didn’t do anything wrong,” Ray insisted. That wasn't true though, they had hit somebody. Even if the person deserved it, that didn't seem to matter. “You didn't even ruin my day. I have six kids, frankly this is the closest thing I’ve gotten to some quiet time in months.”
“You have six kids?” The criminal across from them repeated. Ray nodded, sitting up straighter, looking proud. “And you’re still pulling off the whole silver fox look effortlessly. My hats off to you, Papi.”
Willie bit back a laugh as Ray blushed, running a hand nervously over his head.
“Um…thanks,” Ray replied awkwardly.
Willie forced a small smile, but they still couldn’t bring themselves to agree that it wasn’t their fault. Regardless, they knew Ray meant well and it meant a lot to Willie that he was even trying to be there for them.
“How’s your hand?” Willie asked.
Ray flexed his own bruised knuckles and shrugged casually, as though it was nothing for a single dad whose idea of a wild night was game night with his kids to get into a fight.
“I’ve had worse,” Ray boasted.
Blinking, Willie raised an eyebrow and challenged:
“You have?”
With a smile Ray sat back, holding his other hand over his bruised one as though to purposefully try to hide it from their sight.
“You don’t become a photographer in Hollywood without getting into a few press fights,” Ray said with smirk, “and when I say press fights, I mostly mean protecting Trevor from the paparazzi. I was never paparazzi, I was one of the good guys.”
Sometimes, they totally forgot that Ray and his late wife used to be best friends with the ultra-famous Trevor Wilson…who was also their boyfriend’s former best friend and bandmate.
Life was weird.
“That’s…sweet,” Willie offered.
“I used to box back in school,” Ray admitted.
Willie’s eyes went wide.
“What? No way! So did I.” They fell quiet, realizing what they said as Ray studied him curiously. Willie never liked to talk about their old life, but Ray deserved some truth tonight. “They taught it at my high school. I got bullied a lot, you know…being gay and wearing crop tops weren’t exactly a popular thing back in…”
Willie stopped short just before they could say ‘the 80s’, and both of them glanced over to the criminal who shared their holding cell,
“My gym teacher broke up one of the fights, and when he saw I could throw a pretty good punch he said I should try out for his boxing team,” Willie explained. “Skating and art was always my main thing, but I could do boxing instead of P.E. so I was in.”
Ray offered them a kind smile, clearly appreciative to have something about Willie's old life shared with him.
“You know, there’s a boxing gym not too far from the house," Ray told them. "Maybe we could go sometime.”
“Really?” Willie’s eyes lit up when Ray nodded, but just when they started to get excited about the idea of Ray wanting to do something like that with them, they remembered what was at stake. They added, mumbled: “Maybe our fighting skills will help us in prison.”
Ray managed a small, dry, laugh, but Willie couldn’t help but to worry about what would happen if they really were somehow found guilty. Just the thought of being trapped inside a cell again, even one that had light and bars and not just endless darkness, made their blood run cold. Reality went all fuzzy for a bit as their mind went dark and they tried to fight off the panic that came with Dark Room memories.
Haven’t I spent enough of my life in prison?
“Willie, are you okay?” Ray asked.
“I can’t be locked away again,” Willie whispered. They wrapped their arms around themselves, hiding in their hoodie as best as they could, wishing it were Alex’s instead.
“Again?” The criminal across from them echoed.
Ray threw him a warning look, but Willie ignored him. The walls of the cell felt like they were closing in as they desperately tried to breathe, staying focused on Ray’s hand on their shoulder and the noise, the light, of the cell around them.
What if they snapped again and got locked in solitary confinement? Only this time, they wouldn’t be dead, they would be fully alive.
"Willie?" Ray called gently.
They hadn’t talked to Ray about the Dark Room yet. They assumed he knew, that he had heard stories either directly or overheard from the other boys, but they weren’t sure if Ray had any idea how long their soul was trapped and tortured in darkness.
“When I was with Caleb he…he used to lock us up in a Dark Room, as punishment,” Willie explained. “It would be for…for anything. Sometimes for hours or for days. It was just darkness."
Face pale, Ray held onto their shoulder and glanced between them and the criminal across from them, who looked just as disturbed as he did confused.
“What, were you kidnapped or something?” The criminal asked.
Willie just shook as they rocked back and forth, trying to focus on any little movement or sensation that grounded them to reality.
“That’s not going to happen again,” Ray promised. He was noticeably paler, even with his textbook calm voice.
“Don’t you get like, legal immunity or something, if you’ve been kidnapped?” The criminal said.
They both looked up; Ray wore a little more disbelief in his face than they did. In Willie’s opinion, dying and coming back to life should have earned them legal immunity, but they would take anything at this point.
“I don’t think that’s how the law works,” Ray muttered. With a sigh, he turned back to Willie: “We’re going to get out of this. We’re not bad people, you know that and I know that. We’ll get a lawyer if we need to, but no one’s going to lock you up over this.”
“He’s right,” the criminal chimed in, “simple assault charges get dropped all the time. You’ll probably just have to pay a lot in fees."
Willie groaned, dreading either of them having to pay any money over this.
“Don’t worry about that right now,” Ray assured him. “You’re safe, that’s all that matters. Victoria will come make bail and we’ll be home in no time.”
Their eyes met and they shared a look of mutual understanding, and Willie tried to convince themselves that Ray really wasn’t mad. It still made them feel bad that Ray would have to spend money on a lawyer- not to mention bail money. All because Willie overreacted and Ray made the mistake of stepping in.
“I never should have gotten you into this,” Willie sighed.
“It’s always going to be my job to protect my kids,” Ray announced, “and not I would ever expect you to, but thank you for standing up for me too."
“The guy was racist, homophobic, tried to lie about me stealing and insulted your parenting,” Willie stated with a shrug, “he deserved it.”
Maybe don’t say that in court, Willie could hear Alex warn.
“That asshole insulted your parenting?” The criminal shot. “How fucking dare he! Clearly you’re a good father.”
Ray blushed, and Willie bit back a smile, wondering if he had any idea the guy was hitting on him.
“He’s the best!” Willie agreed.
“Good for you, kid."
Willie still avoided Ray’s eyes because even though they really did think they had every human right to defend them both, deep down they were still ashamed they’d let things get so bad.
“I just hope you know I would never expect you to put yourself in danger to protect me,” Ray told him. “I know you’ve been through a lot, Willie. You’ve had to go protect yourself and fight, but you don’t have to do that anymore. I’ll always be there for you and protect you.”
Willie breathed in sharply, feeling overwhelmed with all sorts of emotions they weren’t used to feeling. Family was still a new concept to them, let alone protection. Protection for the sake of love, expecting nothing in return.
Across from them, the criminal sniffled, swiping at his eye.
“You’ve really got a good dad there, kid,” he stated. “I haven’t seen my father in twenty years…”
The man kept rambling onto himself about his dad while Willie looked over to Ray, feeling overwhelmed as they studied him. For the past year Willie had been living in this man’s house, taking shelter, letting themselves be fed and supported. Now they undstood the Molina’s were so much more than just a refuge.
“Raymond and William Molina,” the guard called and the both jumped up.
As soon as Willie saw Alex rush around the corner, their eyes connecting immediately, a weight lifted from their shoulders. Julie and Victoria were there as well, tia looking over to Ray, both amused and worried.
“Are you okay?” Alex demanded, trying to reach through the bars for him. The guard glared at him and he stepped back right away so the man could unlock the cell.
“I’m fine,” Willie insisted, stuffing their hurt hand in the pocket of their hoodie.
Alex didn’t look convinced, watching with wide, wet eyes as the cell was opened. The two wasted no time throwing their arms around each other and Willie breathed in deep, taking in the comfort of having their boyfriend back.
“Dad!” Julie called anxiously, pulling her dad into a hug as soon as he was let out.
“I’m okay, mija." He met eyes with Victoria over his daughter’s shoulders, silently pleading with her to not ask questions. “Did you post bail for both of us?”
“Actually, your charges were both dropped,” the guard announced. “The incident has been trending. Some girl name Flynn held a protest outside the gas station, demanding a nationwide boycott of the chain if charges weren’t dropped.”
A bright smile crossed Willie’s face as he met Julie’s eyes, grateful, knowing she likely had a hand in that scheme.
“Flynn,” Ray sighed with a firm smile. He looked up to Victoria. “Thank you.”
“All I did was drive the car here,” Victoria replied as they all filed out of the police station. “Besides, I still owed you for that time you bailed out me and Rose.”
Julie’s jaw fell open as her dad grinned and Willie let out an incredulous laugh.
“Mom got arrested?!” Julie yelped, hurrying to follow her aunt, demanding: “What did you guys do?”
As they stepped outside Willie breathed in the fresh night’s air, surprised at how much better they felt to be outside and free. They thought they handled that fairly well, all things considered, but it was be terrifying to think of how bad that could have gotten.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Alex asked him skeptically.
Alex pried Willie's hands out of their hoodie and examined them, his face hardening when he noticed the bruised knuckles and faint red lines from the handcuffs.
“I’ve had a lot worse,” Willie reminded him, adding with a smile: “It was for a good cause.”
“Come on, Jailbird,” Alex murmured, “let’s get you home.”
Before Alex could pull him away, Willie turned back to Ray, reaching out for him.
“Um, Ray?” Willie asked.
The two hung back and with the others out of sight, Ray rubbed his hand and wrist as well, like it hurt more than he was letting on. His face was tight with stress; it looked like he still hadn’t properly breathed yet even, not until they were all home safe.
“I’m really-"
“Willie…” Ray cut in.
“Please, let me say it,” Willie pleaded. “Your family has sacrificed so much for me, and you risked all of that tonight, for me. The whole thing was so stupid and got out of hand so fast. I know I didn’t really do anything wrong, but it would have been wrong if you got arrested because of me. I’m eighteen now, and I should be a lot less stupid about these things. You didn’t have to stick your neck out for me like that. I’m an adult, I should have just dealt with the consequences myself. I'm sorry."
Breathing hard, Willie stopped, trying to not get too upset. Ray reached out, placing his hands on their shoulders.
“You’re never stupid for standing up for yourself and others,” Ray told him. “Yes, there are a lot more consequences now and sometimes life is really, really not fair. You know as well as anyone the kind of challenges you will face, for no reason at all, for nothing you can help. I can't always condone violence, but I always want you to stand up for what is right. You’re my kid, Willie, and I love you. That doesn’t stop just because you’re eighteen."
Willie fought back tears as it hit them how sincere Ray was. Why was it still so hard to accept unconditional love? They had received more warmth, more happiness, more comfort and love in the past year than they had in three decades under Caleb, but it was still like they couldn’t accept that they deserved it.
“You stood up for me,” Willie stated quietly, still in disbelief. “You have all your kids, you have Julie and Carlos and you knew you could get in trouble for it and you still stood up for me.”
“Yeah,” Ray nodded, and he shrugged. “I probably shouldn’t have broken anyone’s nose, but no one treats my kid like that. Besides, you have Alex, your freedom and second chance at life, and you stood up for me too even though you have so much to lose.”
To Willie, it was a no brainer to go after anyone who dared to talk so someone as loving, as caring, as good as Ray like that monster was. They just never imagined someone would feel the same way about defending them.
“Yeah,” Willie breathed. “I guess…I guess that’s what you do for family.”
Ray’s lips turned up in a smile, and Willie couldn’t help it. They rushed, forward, throwing their arms around Ray, hugging him. Hugging an adult was still new- trusting and loving an adult was still new, but Willie was finally understanding that Ray wasn’t just any adult. Ray had done more than enough to prove that he really did love Willie like a son, and Willie wanted to show him how much they appreciated that.
“Thanks, Dad,” they whispered. "Thanks for being there."
They could practically feel Ray melt at being called ‘Dad’ by Willie for the first time and both of them were choking back tears.
“Always, mijo. Always.”
Ray was beaming as he casually brushed away a tear and broke away.
“You know that guy back there was hitting on you, right?” Willie teased.
“Yeah, can we never talk about that again?” Ray groaned.
He placed a hand on Willie's shoulder as he led them back to the car.
“I thought he was sweet! And he has a really good tattoo artist.”
“Those were gang tattoos,” Ray pointed out, mortified.
“I said what I said.”
The two of them exchanged final smiles before walking away from the police station and climbing into the van. To Willie’s surprise, everyone was there, all of them cheering them on as they buckled in.
“Way to kick some racist, homophobic butt!” Reggie exclaimed, reaching over to hi-five Ray from his seat in the middle of the van.
Reluctantly, Ray hi-fived back and Reggie hi-fived Willie next. Willie let Alex pull them close and they let out a long sigh as they rest their head against his shoulder, grateful to be heading home. It was still strange for them, to have a home and family and somewhere they truly belonged, not because of any soul-binding contract but because of love. As Willie rest against Alex’s shoulder they watched Ray up in the front seat. It was strange to feel so safe even when they had potentially been in so much danger that day, but for the first time they could allow themselves to have that childlike suspense of disbelief that his family would have never let something happen to him. And for the first time ever, Willie found themselves watching Ray and thinking…
That’s my dad.