Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

If Wallace Wells hated anyone in the world, it was Envy Adams, the damn bitch who for several months prevented him from seeing his best friend, Scott Pilgrim. During those months, she destroyed his self-esteem and shattered his personality. Now they were over, and Wallace had a submissive, quiet, and fearful Scott in his apartment.

The old Wallace would have been delighted with this silence in his home. However, after months of the same and with no one to talk to or have a beer with, he began to feel lonely. Now, Scott barely spoke, rarely interacted with him or anyone else. The old Scott couldn't stop talking; he talked so much that Wallace wanted him to shut his damn mouth.

It was hard for him to get used to this new normalcy.

A week ago, when Scott came home late at night with scratches on his face and bruised, his vacant gaze revealed desperate tears streaming down his cheeks. Wallace welcomed him and treated his wounds gently, noticing how Scott shivered with every touch. His best friend wasn't like this; he used to be affectionate and clingy like a headache. Wallace was worried, even if he found it hard to admit.

Scott hadn't said a word about what happened with Envy Adams since he arrived. Nevertheless, you didn't need to be a deductive genius to know it wasn't something nice. Wallace would have wished to see the warning signs earlier, but it was difficult when that bitch stood between them every time he tried to communicate with Scott—she answered his phone, said Scott was busy or sleeping, she even took him to live at her house, and Wallace had to admit that, at first, he felt grateful for having his apartment to himself.

But after a few weeks, he felt lonely and bored. At least with Scott, he had someone to watch movies with or just have background noise while doing something. At that time, he was completely alone, and it was driving him crazy. Even if he went out with other guys, it always ended in failure. His love life was a mess.

However, everything changed tonight. After returning from his night shift at work, Wallace found his roommate crying and trembling inconsolably sitting on the bed.

"Scott!" he ran towards his best friend with some desperation, tried to touch him, but the red-haired guy sharply hit his hand. It seemed the sound of the hit made Scott look up from the floor and meet Wallace's eyes. Wallace received a clear and teary gaze. "Scott... It's me, Wallace. I'm not going to hurt you," he affirmed seriously. Scott just released more sobs and wiped them away forcefully, trying to prevent more tears from coming out.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." he sobbed. Wallace stood still, not knowing what to do and not understanding. He sat down beside him gently, avoiding any sudden movement that might scare his roommate.

"Why are you sorry? You didn't do anything wrong," Wallace assured, watching how Scott clung to himself, perhaps trying to stop shaking.

"For being useless... For being a nuisance that shares the air with you... I still can't understand why you let me stay in your house," said Scott with regret.

"You're not a nuisance. Sometimes you were annoying and insufferable, but when you left with Envy Adams for those months, and I was alone, I realized that I really needed you. I felt lonely, had no one to talk to about anything, someone to watch a movie with, or someone to tell me useless Sonic the Hedgehog facts," Wallace said with a little laugh at the end. Seeing Scott, he noticed a small smile, which made his heart skip a beat—it's the first one since he broke up with Envy Adams.

"So... You missed me?" Scott asked in a low tone, noticing the blush on his cheeks.

"Of course, you idiot," Wallace replied, but Scott dimmed a bit, and his smile didn't last as long as Wallace would have liked.

"... The day I came back home, I never told you why I looked like this," said Scott, curling up more on himself. Wallace gave him a worried look.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to..." Wallace looked at Scott with concern and uncertainty, seeing him nervously rubbing his hands, perhaps wishing to take them to prevent them from trembling.

"No, you need to know... That night, I found out that Envy was unfaithful to me. We argued... I yelled at her horribly, and she didn't like it at all. I was stupid," Scott said between sobs and tears, while Wallace listened attentively. "And that's why she... She hit me, scratched me... And I couldn't do anything. I was paralyzed, didn't know how to defend myself... I let her do whatever she wanted," he continued, leaving Wallace incredulous. "And we're supposed to fight...

".... You let her attack you?" Wallace said, sounding stunned, but suddenly everything seemed to make sense: the way Scott shivered at any sudden movement, his constant contraction... Oh, Wallace wanted to kill someone.

"Scott, it's not about whether you knew how to fight or not. She was tearing you apart from the moment you started dating. She turned your self-esteem into thousands of pieces, and when she attacked, you were unable to defend yourself. You're not weak because of that," Wallace assured. Scott looked at him with wide-open eyes and narrowed pupils as tears continued to fall, as if he had just discovered a new truth.

"She didn't do that, did she? She wasn't bad... She said nice things to me, said she found me funny, said she loved me!" Scott defended even after everything that had happened. "Sometimes she got very angry when I talked too much and told me to shut up, but that was when I became insufferable, or she had a bad day... We all have bad days from time to time..."

"Scott..."

"If anyone is to blame, it's me. I made her angry, yelled at her horribly," he admitted, and Wallace looked at him incredulously, almost angrily, but he calmed down because Scott didn't need someone yelling at him again.

"Yes, you had every right to be angry with her. She hurt you. The times she was tender with you were to manipulate you," trying to sound as calm as possible, trying to reason with the redhead, Wallace watched as he clenched his fists on his jeans, risking wrinkling them, staining them with tears while keeping his head down.

"So, am I that much of an idiot?" Scott asked with teary eyes.

"You know I didn't mean that... She's the bitch here, you're not an idiot. But you will need a psychologist," Wallace assured; his roommate wiped away tears with his forearm, avoiding more sobs, then looked at him with teary eyes and a broken smile, difficult to maintain but still as genuine as possible in this moment.

"Why do I need a psychologist when I have my best gay friend?" Scott said, with a little laugh, making Wallace's heart beat faster. He hated that damn smile of Scott Pilgrim.

"You know... it's the first time you've smiled since you came back... You should do it more often," said Wallace, watching how Scott blushed. "Now you have me, you don't have to deal with this alone

."

With that, Scott finally broke down again, but this time he hugged Wallace tightly, as if he was going to leave at any moment; the raven-haired guy without hesitation returned the hug, remembering the feeling of hugging someone after being alone all these months, he really missed the hugs from this idiot.

"Everything will be fine now," he spoke gently and drew soft circles on Scott's back to relax him, then felt how he started sobbing again and sighed. "I'm here..."

Chapter Text

It had taken a lot, but Wallace convinced Scott to start practicing with his guitar again. He couldn't rehearse with the band; they had replaced him after he stopped attending rehearsals and answering their calls. Wallace couldn't blame them; they weren't close to Scott enough to care, and they had a goal: to be a famous rock band, which they couldn't achieve without a guitarist.

It was comforting to see Scott enjoy what he loved. Since he arrived, he hadn't touched his guitar or sung a single song. Now he did it sometimes, but outside the house to avoid bothering Wallace with the noise (which was new because the old Scott wouldn't have cared). Despite that, Wallace went to where Scott played to listen to him anyway. He didn't know why they used to annoy him so much before, but now even the lyrics of the songs had changed. They talked about broken hearts and emotional vulnerability, but they still had Scott Pilgrim's distinctive touch.

Wallace liked some of them, and secretly, he had recorded two or three that fascinated him and listened to them on the way to work. It was genuinely nice to see Scott smile when he played, different from the Scott who had been lately.

However, there were bad days when Scott didn't leave the house and spent time in bed, not in the mood to talk. When that happened, Wallace cooked Scott's favorite dish, and in the evening, he persuaded him to watch a movie and have beer together. It was fun, but the most important thing was that Scott started to smile again and regained his clingy personality.

And then, one Monday, Wallace received a truly surprising piece of news; it almost gave him a heart attack. That night, during dinner, damn Scott Pilgrim dropped information that left Wallace incredulous.

"I got a job," Scott said. Wallace spit the water he was drinking on Scott's face, who looked at him with half-closed eyes.

"You what!? When? How? Are you the real Scott!?" Wallace bombarded him with questions while drying the water that had splashed.

"At a music store..." Scott took his water glass tightly, as if fearing Wallace's reaction.

"Well, that's great, and it's a job especially for you... But I would like to know what led you to make that decision..." Wallace continued eating, waiting for Scott to speak.

"When I lived with Envy, I depended entirely on her! Depending on her money, living with her all the time... Before Envy, I depended on you... Besides, I want to help you; you're doing a lot for me these days," Wallace sighed, looking at Scott with a half-smile, and nodded.

"I think it's great that you got a job," Scott returned the smile, no longer as worried as before, something Wallace noticed.

From then on, both established a new routine. Wallace prepared lunch for Scott, who went to the music store. Then, Wallace went to his job, and both had dinner together upon returning. Sometimes, Wallace had a night shift, and on those occasions, surprisingly, Scott prepared dinner for him to take. The most surprising thing was finding his apartment orderly and clean the next day.

After a couple of months, Wallace accompanied Scott to therapy. He waited for him after each session, and then they went for coffee. Scott told him certain things from the sessions, for example, from the beginning, Envy had been violent with him, initially with shoves or hits in the form of a "joke," but then the violence had intensified.

Moreover, every time Scott talked too much, Envy silenced him and complained about how annoying he was. Scott confessed that because of that, he now feared speaking because he considered himself annoying. At that moment, Wallace felt a bit guilty because, yes, before he was annoyed when Scott talked too much, however, that didn't mean he wanted him to stay silent as he had been those first weeks since he returned.

That's why what pleased Wallace the most was seeing Scott talk more often, picking up his useless facts about pop culture again, and although he still struggled to give or receive affection, at least he wasn't as fearful when speaking.

Although everything was going well, it was evident that at some point, everything would come crashing down. Scott had been invited to a party after playing at a venue, and he asked Wallace to be his companion, stating that he didn't feel safe going alone. That was something Scott had mentioned in therapy, everywhere he went, he had to do it with Envy because, according to the girl, he was incompetent to handle himself alone, and although he had realized why he needed to continue having company to go somewhere, he still had fear.

So Wallace agreed; after all, it had been a long time since he went to a party or went out with someone since Scott returned; he hadn't felt the need to do so.

So, the thing happened at the party. They separated for a moment, and Wallace went with a guy who turned out to be an idiot, but at least it served to distract him. Then his phone rang.

It was Scott. Wallace immediately left the guy before moving on to the second phase and answered the phone, just to hear Scott's broken and tearful voice on the other side.

"Can we go home?" Wallace suddenly worried.

"Are you okay? What happened?" Scott took a few minutes to respond, but muffled sobs could be heard over the phone.

"I'll tell you on the way home... Please, can we go?" he sighed.

"Of course, meet you outside this place."

It didn't take long for both guys to meet outside the party. It was four in the morning, and it was very cold on the streets. Wallace wanted to cover Scott with his own jacket, but he rejected it.

"You'll catch a cold," Wallace said, sighing.

"I don't care, I don't want you to get sick," Scott replied. Anyway, Wallace covered Scott with a thick jacket he had brought. Both set off, and once they stopped hearing the uncontrolled sound of the party, Wallace dared to ask.

"So, what happened?"

"A guy tried to hit on me. We were in one of the rooms of the house..." Wallace noticed how his best friend clung to his jacket as he walked, nervously— "I told him I didn't want to do anything, repeatedly... But he was violent with me, and then everything blurred for me. The guy wasn't there anymore; it was Envy. I know it wasn't Envy, but..."

"Scott..." Wallace was worried and angry, wanting to hit that damn stupid guy— "Did it go further?"

"No," he assured quickly. At that moment, a girl entered the room; I reacted to the sound of the door being hit and fled before she tried anything else. I don't know why I saw Envy suddenly; I wanted to get out of there, and my body wasn't reacting. It was like that situation..."

"A traumatic memory revived; it can happen," Wallace consoled. He placed his hand gently on Scott's, watching as Scott's tears fell uncontrollably— "I'm sorry for separating from you at the party... We should have been together."

"You don't understand! This proves that Envy was right! I'm an idiot by myself!" Scott released more sobs, and Wallace looked at him worried.

"That's not

true; yes, you may not be in your best moment, but that doesn't mean you're not strong. You got a job, you're in therapy, you're starting to perform in more places since you've been solo; you're doing these things for yourself!" Wallace reminded, wiping the tears that fell from the redhead's cheeks.

"But I couldn't defend myself. If it weren't for that girl, he..." Wallace took Scott's cheeks with both hands and made him look at him.

"Scott, you're in a vulnerable moment; you just went through an extremely toxic relationship; it's normal to relive traumatic memories. It's okay to be weak; it wasn't your fault." Wallace affirmed firmly. Scott looked at him with teary eyes, breaking into tears; he didn't hold back any longer and hugged his best friend.

"Envy said my hugs were annoying and insufferable, and even though you used to complain about them before, now you even reciprocate them..."

"That's because I missed them more than you can imagine, Pilgrim."

<3

Chapter Text

Scott lately wasn't sleeping well; many sleepless nights in a row with the same issue lingering in his head.

Starting over was hard. While he now had a job and had started therapy, a twisted part of him missed Envy. He couldn't let her go; they had broken up, it shattered him and left his heart in tatters.

But if Envy Adams didn't want him, who would? She had cheated on him; he must have been a terrible boyfriend. Maybe if he had put more effort into the relationship... He couldn't stop thinking about it, that maybe, because of his fault, things went south.

His therapist told him it wasn't like that, Wallace told him it wasn't like that, but a part of himself wanted to keep blaming himself. A part of himself couldn't accept it, and that just made him feel even more foolish.

Everyone would tire of the martyr sooner or later.

There was something wrong with him, if everything was really wrong. It was hard to forget the good times, when they had dinner together and ordered Chinese food, listened to Envy talk and made her laugh. Was all that a lie? Did Envy even love him?

But then he thought about everything else, the fights, how easy it was to drive her crazy. He tossed and turned in bed just to see Wallace sleeping peacefully beside him.

Wallace, who had done everything for him, didn't deserve this...

He got out of bed, resigned to sleep because it would be difficult already. He went to the bathroom, splashed his face, changed, grabbed his jacket, and went outside. Foolish him, because he didn't realize it was raining, but he cared little because he left his house and walked, his mind was blank.

He ended up under a roof, opened his phone just to see pictures of him with Envy, early in the relationship, when everything seemed fine... Damn, he was a damn drama queen right now.

Who does this in the rain?

It was starting to get cold, he didn't want to go home, he didn't want to be a burden to Wallace. He thought several times about going back to his parents... He knew how hard it would be if he did, and doing so would mean leaving everything he had achieved so far.

—There you are! —Scott looked up in surprise, only to see a pajama-clad Wallace bundled up in a huge jacket running towards him. His best friend slipped and almost fell, however, Scott went to him quickly and held him before that happened. Scott was holding Wallace by the waist, both were very close, he didn't know why that thought made him blush a little.

—Are you okay? —he asked; Wallace nodded but quickly pulled away, suddenly looking angry.

—I should be asking that! What are you doing out here in the middle of the rain so late?! You're going to get sick! —the dark-haired one protested; Scott was embarrassed about himself.

—That doesn't matter, let's go home... I don't want you to get wet. —he felt bad for making Wallace go out to look for him; now he could get sick because of him.

—Fine, but at home, you'll tell me what happened... —Scott agreed, and both headed straight to the apartment.

Once there, Wallace made two coffees for both and turned on the stoves; it was very cold, and he saw how Scott kept shivering and had a somewhat pale face.

—Alright... —he sat at the table next to the redhead and handed out the coffee cups, although Scott completely ignored his. —What happened? Why did you go out in the rain? —he looked worried.

—... —Scott didn't say a word, just stared into space for twenty seconds, which did test Wallace's patience a bit. He was frustrated; sometimes, he wanted to help Scott, but he was difficult because it was hard to get him to let go of some things, and he understood that, but damn it was complicated to do so, although he wouldn't give up, he wouldn't leave Scott alone again, he wouldn't abandon him so easily if that's what the damn Scott Pilgrim thinks.

—I can't read minds, so unless you tell me what's going on, I can't help you... —

—I'm going to... I'm going back to my parents... —that statement left Wallace incredulous, no, it left him stunned.

—W-what? —he was confused and paralyzed; why would Scott make that decision? There was a reason why Scott and his sister left his house so early. Scott's parents were controlling and abusive, bad people in general.

No one wanted them around, not even their own family members; Scott and his sister left as soon as they turned eighteen. Scott's sister left much earlier when she was older, making the redhead endure the rest of the abuse alone. Wallace didn't understand, didn't understand anything.

—Why would you go back to them? —Wallace even came to think that maybe he did something wrong, maybe he was pressuring Scott more than he should, and that's what

bothered him.

—I really don't want to... But... I don't want you to keep taking care of me... I don't want to bother you anymore... —he spat out at last, and Wallace wanted to strangle him. —I need to be alone; I feel useless this way.

—Scott... It's not a bother for me to take care of you. Besides, now when I come home, I have the whole apartment clean and someone who prepares lunch for me to go to work... Look... The fact that I'm alone again, I... You have no idea how I took it. —Scott looked at him in surprise; Wallace kept talking, somewhat embarrassed to continue. —I slept with every guy I saw, got drunk excessively at thousands of parties because I wanted to avoid going home again, because I knew that coming back... This place would be empty, there would be no one waiting for me when I returned... You wouldn't be... You. —Scott blushed hard; did Wallace really miss him that much? Scott worried then; did he ignore Wallace so much when he was with Envy? He thought Wallace would be better off without him since he didn't receive messages or calls from Wallace during all those months either.

—Why didn't you call me? Or send a message? I would have come! —he sounded upset; Wallace sighed heavily.

—I did, but Envy always answered. She said you were asleep or busy... The guys from the band also called me asking where you were and why you didn't go to rehearsals. Your sister was worried too, but I didn't know what to tell her because I didn't know anything about you either... —Scott blinked several times, surprised and amazed. If it's true that Envy could enter his phone as many times as she wanted, Scott never saw the problem in that because he had nothing to hide; however, he never expected her to answer messages and calls for him... That made him think that no one cared enough about him to call or message; he wasn't even with his cell phone much, Envy had it most of the time.

—I didn't know... I had no idea that Envy controlled my life so much. And that frustrates me more because... —it was hard for him to say, especially in front of Wallace. —I still miss her. I can't let her go, and that makes me feel more helpless and stupid. —Wallace was surprised but understood.

—And it's normal; you were with her for a long time. No one expects you to let go of her overnight. Damn it, Pilgrim, no one expects you to be completely fine overnight after all you've been through. You shouldn't either. —he affirmed with certainty; Scott just cried.

—It's funny —Scott spoke very softly, barely audible to Wallace, as Scott's voice was completely broken. —How we always end up the same way... You comforting me. —he sobbed; Wallace hugged him tighter.

—And we'll end up like this as many times as necessary until you understand how special you are.

Chapter Text

During the time he worked at the music store, he befriended a girl who worked in the store next door, a store that rented Netflix DVDs. Her name was Ramona, Ramona Flowers. At first, he was wary of her because he hadn't socialized with people for a long time.

They hung out after work and went to a café just to talk. It turned out that Ramona had also gone through a complicated relationship; she called it toxic, but Scott still found it difficult to say out loud what his relationship with Envy truly was.

So they got along well. Ramona told him that her girlfriend, who is also her roommate, helped her get over it.

"How did you do it?" Scott had asked, somewhat frustrated.

"How did I do what?"

"How did you start a new relationship after what you went through with him? How did you know it wouldn't end badly..." Ramona sighed, looking directly at her tea, as if reliving the past.

"Well... I didn't know. Yes, I had the same fear as you. In fact, when I realized what I felt for Roxie, I got scared, panicked. I didn't want to. I was afraid that, because of me, we would stop being friends or she wouldn't love me anymore... Now that I look back, I feel kind of silly. You never know how a relationship will end unless you start it." Ramona looked at Scott, curious. "Is this about the guy who lives with you? Wallace, right?" Scott blushed, almost spitting out his coffee.

"No! I—before he could continue, he saw how Ramona looked at him mischievously. "Well, it's... complicated."

"It's always like that at the beginning." Ramona took a sip of her tea.

"Wallace has always been there for me. He helped me move out of my parents' house, and now he's helping me a lot. He really knows how to make me feel better, and he's... he's, I don't know, he's the sweetest person I've ever known in a way." Scott's face turned into a tomato. Ramona laughed internally at the situation.

"Okay, you like him too much." She giggled, and Scott turned even redder and almost died of embarrassment.

"What! No!"

"Of course you do. You're the same way I was with Roxi." She accused him. Scott repeatedly shook his head, super mega embarrassed.

"It's not the same! He's my best friend!" He tried to excuse himself, but Ramona wasn't going to let him off that easily.

"That's what Roxi was to me." She attacked. Scott was silent, didn't know what to say, and he was really confused. How could he like Wallace?

"No! The fact that I find him attractive and love it when he takes care of me, and maybe I've dedicated one or two songs to him doesn't mean I like him!" He shouted. Everyone in the café looked at them for a second. Scott cursed himself, and then people went back to their business. Ramona burst into laughter.

"You really dug your own grave! You dedicated songs to him?" Ramona continued to laugh. Scott was really nervous and agitated.

"Yes, I did. Obviously, I didn't sing them to him. They don't even have Wallace's name; I replaced it with 'baby.' They're more like mestrings songs." He tried to justify himself. Ramona looked at him, blinked several times, somewhat dazed, and then laughed again.

"Oh my God, Scott, and only now do you realize you like him? Sometimes you're really an idiot." She said jokingly. Scott looked at her with narrowed eyes, seeing her laugh.

"Well, if I like him, what am I supposed to do? Confess everything to him and risk our friendship? What if we go out, and then I ruin everything?" Scott stirred his coffee with a spoon, looking at Ramona with a plea for help in his eyes.

"Well, you'll never know unless you tell him how you feel, and if it ends badly, not everything will be lost then. Breaking up with someone, even if they seem irreplaceable, doesn't mean the end of the world." Ramona was frank and realistic. She didn't tell him they would still be friends if things went badly between Wallace and him, but Scott came to the conclusion that if he had broken up with Envy, whom he considered the love of his life and was gradually getting over, Ramona might be right; ending a relationship is not the end of the world.

However, he feels he's jumping too far ahead. He hasn't even told Wallace how he feels about him. He doesn't know how he'll react. Maybe not now, but at some point, he knows he won't be able to hold it in any longer.

"I guess you're right... Someday I'll have to tell him, but it's scary." He confessed. Ramona sighed and looked at Scott with a smile.

"It's always scary, and when you tell him, you'll want to run away and never come back, but you have to stay because otherwise, you could regret it for your entire fucking existence." Ramona drank her tea, as if she were a kung fu movie sensei giving wise advice to the protagonist.

"And what if I confess it in a song?" Ramona looked at him somewhat amazed.

"Scott... .don't put Wallace through a canon event." She warned, referring to Margot Robbie's Barbie movie. Both laughed.

...

Exactly two weeks had passed since the talk with Ramona, and he... indirectly perhaps was avoiding Wallace. He didn't want to, but he got really nervous around him now that he knew what he felt!

All he did was write new songs because he had been called by an underground bar to perform live. Cyber Rock was the name, and that was all Scott knew. Maybe he should have inquired more about it, but with everything on his mind, the song ideas, plus the work at the music store, he hasn't had time for anything.

Wallace hasn't been home much either; still, he doesn't know why, but he supposes that's better for him because it prevents him from making a fool of himself.

And even though Wallace isn't there, his head can't stop thinking about him. All the songs they had written so far were about the dark-haired guy who lived with him since they were kids. Damn. They sounded so cheesy and horrible that if it weren't for the lively and upbeat rhythm he put to them, they would be really overwhelming.

And then he knew why Wallace wasn't spending much time at home tonight. Wallace had come home drunk from a party, very drunk. Scott doesn't understand how he managed to get home alone, but that doesn't matter now because he must take care of him to ensure he gets to bed safe and sound, hoping he won't have a hangover tomorrow at work.

"Over here," he had said, guiding Wallace by holding him around the waist, pressing him to himself to prevent him from falling.

"You don't know how much fun I had today," he said. Well, he said it barely. They were more like slurs than words, but Scott could understand them. "Jimmy invited me to one of his brother's parties." Scott was a bit surprised. He had

never heard that name before.

"Jimmy?" he questioned, a knot forming in his stomach.

"The guy I started dating. Didn't I tell you? Yeah... I should have told you. Maybe you don't remember." Wallace dropped the bomb, and Scott could barely react. He would have remembered such an important detail. "You'll like him. He works at Nintendo. He's just as much of a nerd as you." Wallace laughed, almost fell, but Scott held him in time. Finally, they had reached the bed. Scott laid his companion down.

"How long have you been dating him?" he inquired, somewhat afraid, finally surrendering.

"I don't remember. I met him before you came back, but by then, we weren't anything serious. I'll introduce you to him. He's like... my almost something right now." Scott nodded. He should have guessed that something like this might happen, yet it hurts somehow.

"Okay, but now you should rest. I'll bring you water and some medication for your headache. You have work tomorrow," Scott reminded him. Wallace let out a complaint. The redhead went to get what he said; Wallace drank the water and took the medication, hoping not to have a hangover tomorrow at work.

Scott lay down next to him at that moment. As soon as he did that, a sleeping Wallace hugged him. Scott didn't reject him. But he couldn't help thinking about everything said.

Is this what rejection feels like without even confessing?

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Wallace was somewhat angry; he had argued with Jimmy. He didn't want to go to Cyber Rock and had told him that if he really loved him, he shouldn't go there.

Who was Jimmy to tell him what to do? Lately, they were having a lot of problems. Jimmy was a bit jealous; he couldn't talk about Scott in front of him or any other guy. That was definitely frustrating, but it was the only bad thing about the Asian.

He needed freedom. Scott had invited him to that concert, and he was going to that concert. He insisted to his partner all week, and Jimmy finally agreed to go. He needed Scott and Jimmy to meet; he wanted to know what his best friend thought about his current partner. And it's not like Wallace needed anyone's opinion, but...

Scott was his best friend, a very important and special person to him. Since college, they had always been together; Scott supported him in all his nonsense, took care of him when he came home drunk from a party, and listened to him complain about every guy he dated. In short, Scott was the only person in the world who tolerated him.

But he decided that Jimmy's jealous attitude wouldn't ruin tonight. He would listen to Scott sing and cheer him on from the crowd. Without further ado, the dark-haired boy got ready to go to his partner's house.

Scott had met with Ramona and Roxi an hour earlier to get ready for his performance. He couldn't admit it, but Scott looked really sexy in the clothes he had bought. Wallace blushed thinking about how he would look today.

Damn it. What the hell was he thinking? He had to get over Scott. He had already discussed this in his mind. When Scott left with Envy, Wallace understood that he would never return his feelings. There would always be a girl or someone between them preventing such a thing.

For this same reason, he was dating Jimmy, to forget his feelings for Scott, right? He and Jimmy were fine; he had to stop thinking about that. He and Scott were not compatible, and destiny had made that clear enough.

Around eight in the evening, Wallace arrived at his boyfriend's house, and they both headed to Cyber Rock. Scott had sent him a message saying he was already there and to meet him backstage.

When they arrived, Wallace was amazed by how big the place was. It wasn't an underground bar like Scott had mentioned in the message. What the hell! This was a giant club with neon lights in the purest Cyberpunk style you can imagine. There were many people, a diverse crowd with extravagant clothes, in the futuristic style of science fiction novels with a post-apocalyptic future. Without a doubt, Ramona and Roxi knew what they were doing when they helped Scott choose his outfit.

Wallace saw his boyfriend, who, rather than looking amazed by the place, seemed bored. It's true that Jimmy was hard to impress; he came from Japan, where these things were everyday sights in Tokyo.

That made him nervous because he really wanted to have a fun night with his best friend and boyfriend meeting each other.

"Can you at least try to, I don't know, have a good time with me tonight?" Wallace looked at his boyfriend pleadingly. Jimmy looked at him with an annoyed expression; the dark-haired boy sighed heavily. This was going to be difficult. "My friend is performing tonight; I want everything to go well. He's been through some tough stuff lately," he said, referring to "the Envy situation." Jimmy scoffed in annoyance.

"And there you go again. You say Scott shouldn't worry me, but you always bring him up," well, that had infuriated Wallace, maybe a bit too much.

"Of course I bring him up because you're finally going to meet him tonight, damn it!" Jimmy rolled his eyes pessimistically. He crossed his arms, somewhat annoyed... Why did they always end up like this?

"It's not just tonight, it's all the time," he accused resentfully, shouting over the loud music. "You literally insisted all fucking week to come here, talking about how great he sings, how great he is. And I swear I get that he's your best friend, but... Is he really just that to you? Do you think I haven't noticed?" Wallace was speechless, blinking several times as he watched his boyfriend shout harshly. Again... Wasn't all this an exaggeration? They stayed silent for a few minutes, but Wallace saw how the Asian broke down emotionally. "What am I to you, Wallace? A rebound?" His boyfriend looked at him with teary eyes; a couple of people were watching and judging them with their eyes. He stood still; he had never expected this. Wasn't it too soon for this climax? Were they really so messed up that they were unbalancing like this? He tried to calm the situation; he really didn't want to argue today, of all days.

"Of course not! You're a great boyfriend, one of the best guys I've dated." That wasn't a lie. When Scott left with Envy, he met Jimmy at a train station, and they had been seeing each other for a few months; he was cute, fun at first, a sweet guy. But now, that guy looked at him with disappointment and perhaps desperation, as if he really didn't want to lose him today.

"But I'm not the one you want, right? Look, if you... really mean it..." They stared at each other for a few minutes; Wallace had his heart in his mouth. "Let's get out of here; let's go home and watch a movie, I don't know, whatever you want. But please, give this up once and for all. If he didn't return your feelings before, why would he now?" He was truly surprised because no one had ever read him so well... He had always liked Scott, maybe from the beginning, although it was hard to admit. He was aware that he was using Jimmy to forget the redhead, but he really wanted it to work because if it didn't, he would be left alone. Because there's no way Scott would return his feelings... Right?

"I..." He didn't know what to say, but as if by some angelic call, a voice from outside pulled him out of his internal crisis and caught his and Jimmy's attention.

"There you are, Wallace!" The cause of the argument with Jimmy appeared and looked... incredible. Scott was wearing a platinum black top with a single extravagant shoulder pad that made him stand out, fluorescent green chains that glowed under the ultraviolet light of the place hanging from his platinum black tight pants, and of course, long black boots with fluorescent green laces that also glowed.

A small detail that didn't go unnoticed was that Scott was wearing makeup and that green eyeshadow also made him shine... To him, Scott had never looked so cute, and not just cute; Wallace could feel the confident energy emanating from him, and that was good after everything he had been through. He couldn't be more proud.

"I've been looking for you... For a moment, I thought you wouldn't come," he admitted nervously. Wallace saw how Scott fixed his gaze on Jimmy, who had an almost lethal expression on his face.

"Uh... You must be Jimmy... right?" The Asian sighed heavily, bracing himself for what was to come.

"Scott Pilgrim! I challenge you to a duel to the death for the hand of Wallace Wells!!"

Everyone stood still; the crowd paid attention. Wallace wanted to die, Scott barely understood, and Jimmy wouldn't give up easily. And among the crowd, a curious redhead made her way to the commotion because she had to be where the attention was.

... What had this turned into?...

Chapter Text

When he received the punch from the Asian guy, he never expected it to be so strong. Now he was lying on the ground, with everyone looking at him, Wallace there, worried and somewhat annoyed at his appearance.

He really didn't want to fight today, okay? It had been a long time since he last fought, and he didn't have the energy to take on a fight, not after Envy. Envy had forced him to fight everyone who didn’t do what she wanted, in a very childish behavior. The girl insisted so much, claiming she had been hurt and that he, as her boyfriend, should defend her.

Scott had gotten tired of the fights then. He would come back hurt and wounded, but Envy would calm him down and heal his wounds, which made him think at the time that it had been worth it, even though she would later point out all his flaws in a sweet tone, making them seem like destructive criticisms about his body or the way he fought. She claimed he always needed to train more.

He was about to receive another punch; he didn’t know how to defend himself. He was still a bit dizzy and dazed. He closed his eyes, expecting to take the hit, but... it never came.

He slowly opened his eyes to see Wallace standing in front of him. Jimmy stopped dead in his tracks.

"This is ridiculous," Wallace shouted, furious. Scott had rarely seen him like this. "You are ridiculous..." Scott saw the Asian guy tremble, clenching his fists tightly. "You're acting like a child, and I can't be with someone like that." Jim didn’t say a word, he just stood there, and if he wanted to say something, a redhead stole the words from his mouth.

"Ridiculous is Scott Pilgrim..." everyone turned to the girl in the crowd. "Who couldn't do anything on his own, not even defend himself in a fair fight." Scott looked at her; his body tensed. He could barely breathe. His gaze locked onto her with a look of horror and fear. He got up as best as he could and dashed out of there because he simply couldn't listen to her or see her, not without reliving past events, not without giving absolute truth to her cruel words.

"Scott!" he heard Wallace's shout in the distance, but he kept running. He didn’t know anything else after leaving Cyber Rock as fast as his legs would carry him.

Wallace turned to Envy Adams, and if looks could kill, Envy would have dropped dead instantly. However, it didn’t take long for him to see Ramona and Roxy coming out of the crowd. Roxy had a flashy blade in hand, ready to be used.

Even though Wallace really wanted to help Roxy finish her off, he had to go after Scott first... He looked at Ramona, and the dyed girl nodded, indicating that they would take care of both Envy and Jimmy. Then, he quickly ran in the direction Scott had gone, running straight until he ended up on a bridge not far from the place, as Cyber Rock was in a port area.

Scott was sitting at the edge of the bridge; Wallace could hear the sobbing and sighing, really ready to confess everything.

He gently sat down next to the redhead; Scott didn’t even look at him. Wallace saw Scott’s hands trembling and did what he had always wanted to do since he returned: he took both hands gently to calm them down, causing Scott to finally look at him. His eyes were glistening with trapped tears that wouldn’t stop, and he could see Scott’s makeup running.

"I'm sorry..." Scott sobbed. Wallace looked at him confused.

"Why are you apologizing?" he took his hands more firmly, with some anger not directed at Scott, but at the whole situation, at how Scott felt he needed to apologize for something.

"For being a coward, for running away... Today I really thought I could get over everything. I was so damn excited, and then she was there, and then I made your boyfriend angry..." Scott closed his eyes tightly and sobbed, bringing his hands along with Wallace’s to his eyes to stop the tears.

"It wasn’t your fault... Jimmy is an idiot on his own, you have nothing to do with that, he was already mad at me before... And regarding Envy, I know it’s hard with her here... But you can’t let her affect you," Wallace made Scott look up, placing his hand on the redhead's cheek. "I’m here for you, not just me, Ramona and Roxy too... We won’t let her do anything to you, I won’t let her touch a hair on your head," he said confidently. Scott broke down again and hugged him tightly.

"I..." Scott whispered between sobs; Wallace could barely understand him.

"You...?" Scott pulled away from the hug, wiped his tears, and curled up on himself, somewhat embarrassed.

"You know... Ramona made me realize something very important," Scott seemed calmer, but still spoke nervously. Wallace watched him intently, not knowing what might come out of his mouth at that moment. "And it’s about... my feelings for you. I never realized how obvious it was, that I was denying it and not accepting it... But after these months... After everything I went through, I always felt safe with you. After my parents, after Envy, you were always my place, where I wanted to be all the time... What I want to say is... I really like you and it doesn’t matter if you don’t feel the same, but I can’t keep pretending I don’t." Wallace was perplexed and surprised, but he couldn’t do more than laugh hysterically.

Scott looked at him worried and somewhat fearful. "Wallace! Are you okay? I’m sorry..."

"No! Shut up! I just... find it hard to believe after so many years," Wallace shed a few tears and tried to stop his laughter, which was more hysteria due to the fury of his emotions, "I... always... I’ve always liked you, since the first second we met in college." Wallace looked at him with glistening eyes; Scott was stunned, his face as red as a tomato. So, Wallace had loved him all these years? Oh... He was such an idiot.

"Would you forgive me?... You know, for not realizing sooner and being an idiot in general," Wallace rolled his eyes and shook his head with a mischievous smile on his face.

"Oh... shut up," when he finished saying that, he took Scott’s cheeks and leaned in, kissing the boy on the lips, and Scott let himself go.

They both felt as if it were just the two of them, as if something magical surrounded them. Wallace had never felt anything like this with another guy, and Scott had never felt this before with any other girl.

As they separated due to lack of air, both Scott and Wallace could see bright colored sparks forming around them, affirming that the magic they felt between them was real.

"The sparks..." Scott managed to say, with bright eyes looking around.

"Yes, they’re real..." Wallace had heard about them from acquaintances; they appear when you kiss the right person, when you find that person you know you’ll spend your whole life with. He never thought they were real; rather, he saw them as an urban legend. But here they were. He looked at Scott, the redhead looked at him. Scott jumped on Wallace, and they both fell to the dock floor, Scott on top of the dark-haired boy.

"So..." Scott spoke; they both stared at each other, thinking this was all a dream.

"So..." Wallace inquired.

"I guess we officially stop being best friends..." Scott finally said. Wallace looked at him a bit dazed and burst out laughing. Scott just looked at him with a smile, thinking Wallace was the most beautiful thing on the planet.

"You’re an idiot," Scott, unafraid, kissed Wallace on the lips, though it was only for a brief moment, leaving the dark-haired boy somewhat dazed.

"But I’m your idiot <3," he said, smiling. Wallace was completely red now. He wanted to make sure everything was real, that he wasn’t dreaming because this was what he had wanted since... well, always.

But a shout interrupted their moment, a shout from Envy Adams coming from Cyber Rock.

"GET AWAY FROM ME, YOU CRAZY MANIAC!" they both knew things might have gotten a bit out of hand leaving Roxy and Ramona to deal with their exes.

"I think we should go back to... make sure Roxy doesn’t kill anyone..." Scott said as he straightened up properly. Wallace agreed. They both got up and, holding hands, headed back to Cyber Rock.

...

When they returned to Cyber Rock, people were watching Envy Adams closely, her dress all disheveled, her hair messy and scratched. They saw Ramona trying to restrain Roxy with all her might. Both of them saw the couple walk in; Roxy got immediately distracted when she saw the two boys holding hands and her eyes lit up.

"I knew it, Ramona! They were meant to be," the blonde pointed at them, shaking poor Ramona, who could barely control her girlfriend.

Envy saw them both, with a face of hatred and disgust. Scott sighed heavily, let go of Wallace's hand, and walked toward Envy. She was on the ground, and not in the best condition.

"I..." Scott began, but Envy immediately interrupted him.

"I don’t care! You’re an idiot, no matter what you have to say to me, and you," Envy looked directly at Wallace, with fervor in her eyes, "you’ll realize what I’m saying. It won’t take long for you to leave him because you’ll realize how incompetent

he is on his own. YOU ARE NOTHING WITHOUT ME!" Wallace got furious, stepped forward to her.

"HE’S NOT- " a hand stopped him. Scott looked at him with determination in his eyes, but with a few tears that he quickly wiped away.

"I’m tired... I want you out of my life!" Scott pointed at Envy, "I put up with everything from you, your insults, your tantrums... I always tried to please you... But I can’t anymore. I won’t let you affect my life any longer!" he shouted; everyone fell silent. Envy looked him straight in the eyes, angrily. She saw how everyone looked at her, saw Wallace’s fierce look, Ramona’s, saw Roxy, how she pulled out her knife and looked at her with a sadistic smile. It was as if Scott had his own demons defending him. She couldn’t do anything even if she tried. She got up from the ground, cleaned herself up, and left.

At that moment, Wallace jumped on Scott, giving him a kiss on the cheek while hugging him.

"You did great, honey," Wallace congratulated him.

"Honey? Are we starting with nicknames already?" Scott laughed, blushing.

"Hey, you kept me waiting a long time, you can’t blame me." They both laughed.

"And you’ll never wait for me again," Scott said gently; he jumped and kissed Wallace on the lips, only separating for lack of air.

After that, they invited Scott to the stage, where he could perform and play at the bar. The audience applauded; they were really impressed with the lyrics and rhythm, not to mention the previous situation that no nosy spectator had missed. Scott had given them the show they needed, and Wallace couldn’t be happier and prouder of his partner for standing up to Envy Adams like that.

The stage was now his, and Scott made the most of it. The music flowed, the lights flickered, and the atmosphere was filled with positive energy. Wallace watched Scott with admiration, amazed by his talent and the strength he had shown throughout.

When the performance ended, Scott came down from the stage with a radiant smile. Wallace greeted him with a tight hug, feeling the pride and connection they shared.

As they enjoyed the bar’s atmosphere, Roxy and Ramona approached, both with triumphant expressions on their faces.

"I’m happy for you guys, you really deserved this," Ramona said, smiling.

"I said they would end up together!" Roxy added, looking at Scott and Wallace's intertwined hands.

Scott smiled and squeezed Wallace’s hand tighter. He knew he had overcome a difficult chapter in his life, and now he was ready to move forward with the people who truly mattered to him.