A/N this has a LOT of time/location skips you'll have to work with that sooorry

7:03am

John felt soft lips pressed against his own and fluttered his eyes open to meet Alex gazing up at him lovingly, snuggled into his chest with messy hair and glowing eyes.
"Good morning my love," John whispered hoarsely with a smile, Alex's smile widening with a small giggle.
"Morning Johnny," Alex grinned.

"New nickname huh?" John smirked, cocking a brow at Alex.
"I get Lex or Lexi sometimes, you needed something too," Alex chuckled with a small shrug.
"How about, daddy?" John purred seductively, pulling Alex closer.

They held their position for 5 seconds before bursting into laughter, the car bouncing with their hysteric shouts.
"Oh my god n-no," Alex laughed, shoving John's face away.
"Party pooper," John pouted, sticking his tongue out at Alex.

Alex only giggled and pecked John's lips before he sat up, groaning and instantly lying back down.
"You okay?" John frowned worriedly, pushing up onto his elbows.
"You weren't exactly gentle last night," Alex snickered, raising his eyebrows expectantly. John felt heat crawl to his cheeks and he chuckled sheepishly.

"S-sorry," he muttered, looping his arms under Alex's back and lifting him onto his lap bridal style.
"It's fine," Alex giggled, holding John's jaw and pulling his face closer. "I like it rough," he whispered, biting his lip.

John's cheeks were beetroot red now, Alex sitting on him giggling like an idiot.
"Alright, we've had our fun, but we're also wanted criminals who should probably get back to the group," John reasoned.
"Hmm five more hours," Alex muttered before continuing to laugh, wrapping his arms around John's neck and pulling him into a tender kiss.

"When we're in France you can have as many hours as you'd like. We'll be free soon," John smiled against Alex's lips. But his mind wandered as one of Alex's hands traced down his jumper-clad chest, over the skin that Maria had so skilfully marked and John had been able to keep hidden. For now at least.

---

8:26am

"Welcome back," Lafayette smirked as John walked into the underground parking, Alex on his back with his legs around his waist and his arms draped lazily over John's shoulders.
"Well now we know who topped," Hercules whispered to Laf, who lost his shit laughing and tried to cover by coughing into his elbow, very poor acting.

"How was it?" Eliza smiled as they reached the group, Alex slipping off John's back and side stepping around to stand beside him with a little wobble. John hooked one arm around Alex's waist to keep him steady.
"It was beautiful," John beamed, earning a que of awes from everyone but Maria and... James?

"How was your night?" Alex grinned in turn.
"It started with knocking out a McDonalds employee that recognised us and finished with James and Hercules groaning in pain after a chicken nugget eating contest." That explained it. James was leaning against Thomas with his eyes closed and a small frown, it was fairly evident who won.
"Sounds wild," John chuckled, glancing at Maria who kept her gaze downcast with a frown.

"Well we should hit the road," Eliza sighed, nodding her head towards the van. "Speaking of which, you returned the car right?" Eliza quickly checked.
"Yeah yeah, gave the car back it's fine," Alex waved off dismissively.

---

9:10am

"My car!" Lin gasped, jogging over hurriedly.
"The shop called and said they saw two men park it back here in the morning, it seems they only stole it overnight?" Vanessa muttered as she slowly made her way over, Sebastian in her arms.

"Why the fuuu-" he quickly caught himself with Sebastian around. "Teenagers," he scoffed, pulling the driver's car door open and scowling as he pulled a lollipop off the top of the dash. As he pulled it away his eyes instantly caught on an empty pop corn cup with a message scrawled on the side.

Thanks for the wheels
Proposed to my super hot boyfriend here
And we banged in the backseat
Regards-
A.Ham

Lin scowled, whipped out his phone and snapped a photo, going to twitter and posting it. As soon as he found this, A.Ham, he was going to have his ass kicked right back to the 1700's.

---

8:39am

"The police are swarming outside," Thomas hissed as he jogged down the stairs.
"Why? What's going on?" Eliza frowned worriedly.
"Those idiots stole a car, a celebrity's car, that's what's going on, they still think you're in the area, they're looking for your dumb asses," Thomas groaned, gesturing towards Alex and John who sat in the van with their hands intertwined and their legs dangling over the edge.

"Well it was a drive-in movie, you can't just waltz in there!" Alex defended, rolling his eyes.
"Do something else!" Thomas scoffed as James made his way over and wrapped his arms around him, a wave of calmness and serenity instantly washing over him in James' arms. "Either way we're cornered," he sighed, slinking his arms around James and swaying gently.

"Looks like we're stuck here for the night," Maria sighed, shooting Alex a sharp accusing glare.
Alex furrowed his brows in confusion at her hostility and she switched her gaze to John, softening a little. John gulped and averted his gaze and after that one short exchange, Alex knew something was happening.

---

9:55pm

All they had eaten today was lollipops and bubblegum, courtesy of Maria. The police didn't leave until around 5, but the group didn't want to be out in the open during rush hour, so they decided to wait it out and move during the night.

"Get dressed gay and gayer," Hercules scoffed, throwing Alex's denim jacket at him as he walked past. Alex turned back on John's lap and squinted menacingly.
"You can't talk," he hissed, nodding towards Lafayette.
"Neither can you," Lafayette growled, hooking his arm up in a punching gesture and slapping the inside of his elbow, making Alex jump a little and nod furiously.

"Hey, come to the bathroom real quick before we get on the road," John muttered, nodding across the carpark.
"Johnnn I don't want to walk," he groaned.
"Who said you'd have to walk?" John smirked mischievously.

Alex didn't have a chance to respond before John stood up, pulling him up too. Alex groaned a little and leaned on John, hiding his face in the crook of his neck.
John chuckled softly and turned around, bending over to let Alex jump up onto his back.
"All good?" He smiled softly.
"All good," Alex repeated under his breath as he snuggled his head to rest on the back of John's neck.

John smiled and began walking away with Alex on his back, towards the stairs where they'd go up to the public bathrooms, but Maria watched on with a scowl. There was not going to be a round two of their little date night. She was done waiting around. She wanted her ex dead. Now.

Maria followed them carefully, slinking in the shadows as John began walking up the stairs. They were having some kind of conversation about who was cuter out of the two of them. Pft John easily Maria scoffed in her head, memories of John lying underneath her, his abdomen scattered with hickeys still fresh in her mind.

Soon they shifted to the 'big spoon little spoon' topic.
"But I always top," John reasoned as they walked down the dimly lit corridor of doorways that lead to bathrooms or fire exits.
"Fair point," Alex muttered as they entered the men's bathroom. John let Alex slip down and quickly pecked his cheek before making his way over to a cubicle and closing the door.

Alex opened his mouth to continue their conversation but was suddenly cut off as a metal pipe swung and smashed into his stomach, shattering his ribcage, feeling like a knife slashed through his lungs as all the air was forced out of them.

Nothing. He tried to gasp but there was nothing. It was like he was suspended in space, black spots crawling in his vision. He stumbled backwards but two strong arms caught him, and right when he thought he was being saved, one of the arms swung to wrap around his throat like a python, squeezing not-so-gently.

"Hey Lexi you okay?" John called out from inside the stall. Alex tried to scream, tell John to run, but all he could manage was hoarse gasping and wheezing. John's skin crawled with uneasiness, he had heard the gasps and knew something was terribly wrong.

He threw the cubicle door open and like a gunshot his stomach dropped to his toes. He felt like he was going to puke, a sick swirling churning in his gut. Alex was semi-conscious, held in a headlock by Conway beside the door.   

"Long time no see Johnny boy," a hooded figure smirked.
He knew that voice all too well.
But he was dead. He was dead!

John had no chance to respond before Reynolds swung the pipe across his head, throwing him to the ground with a mighty THUD.

Alex tried to scream, but his throat was still as shredded as a cat lady's curtains. Tears spilled down his cheeks as he silently cried, thrashing in Conway's grip weakly and watching John's limp body be picked up like a rag doll and thrown over Reynolds' shoulder.

The group turned to exit without a second thought. Out in the corridor the bathroom door slammed open and Maria jumped with a squeak, her head shooting up and a horrified gasp escaping her lips.
"Maria? Maria fucking Reynolds?" He chuckled bitterly and sent her a twisted grin, pulling his hood away to fully reveal his face. She knew that face all too well.

It was her ex boyfriend, Levi Weeks.