A/N: I know I said the next chapter would be the wedding, but I HAD to do the bachelor party first. Don't worry, I'll do my best to either get the wedding part up after this, or at least up tomorrow. I am away again this weekend, so after Friday at around 4:30, you WILL NOT see any updates until Monday, unless I get back super early Sunday.
OH, and I have to say I have a way to make another teacher student relationship, using one of the OTHER characters in this story. BUT it would be a female teacher to a male student. Not sure if I am gonig to do it, but I'm considering the concept. SO, for whomever suggests Alice's prom dress that I use, you will get a spoiler from THIS story, AS WELL AS a spoiler about that other story. I'll bounce hte idea off the winner and he/she/it/they/amorphous blob of goo can give the first feed back on that and have hte story dedicated to them.
Awesome no?
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Malcolm hated having to leave Alice in hte hotel room alone like that, but she understood. His mind still reeled from the fact that he had told her he loved her. And that she had said it back. That really surprised him. He hadn't meant to say it so soon, but having Alice in his arms like that while they were in a hotel suite had just been too perfect. Still it amazed him that he had said it already.
With Shawna things had been different. Easier, and less chaotic, and a compelte farce. Meeting Alice and having her point out the fact that he was lying to the woman he was living with, and worse, to himself had changed how he was able to live with himself. It meant he wouldn't let his head lie to his heart anymore, and the words had followed that.
He paced in the hallway, ignoring the amused and curious looks he was receiving from his Abuelo, his father and the other male relatives that were about to kidnap Diego. Kasumi hadn't even made it as far as her room before the females had descended upon her and swept her away. Someone had taken her bags and dropped them off in the ajoining suite, then with a smell of liquor and chocolate, they were away.
He needed to try and focus on his little brother right now, it was Diego's big day tomorrow and tonight was supposed to be all about living up his last night as a 'free man'. Malcolm managed to shut away his frustration at having to leave Alice alone upstairs right after making love to her in time to help his male relatives barge into Diego's room and grab the groom.
Diego put up a fuss of course. This may be a family tradition, but there were no actual rules beyond the males and females are seperate. Something about protecting male ego and pride, though Malcolm serious believed that it was so the girls didn't have to censor themselves around their men folk. They stuck a giant baby soother in Diego's mouth, and tied it around his face with a lacy pink thong, sticking a cheap crown on his head that had the words BACHELOR PARTY on it in big letters. Using more lingere, Diego was hog tied and carried downstairs to a waiting limosine. People gawped and laughed, pointing at the groom to be and his family. The Vega men were not hard on the eyes, even Abuelo had a regal charm and he was in his eighties by now, so some of the looks were more appraising than amused, but Malcolm just ignored them all.
Chucked into the back of the limo like luggage, Diego couldn't make a lot of noise around hte soother. After everyone climbed in though, they cut the thong and pulled the stupid thing out, but left him tied up. "For your health." Abuelo stated in triumph, and poured a shot of old tequila into Diego's mouth.
The groom drank it and coughed, everyone around him already prepared with their own shots for hte groom.
"For your wealth." Malcolm's father stated and gave Diego another shot of tequila. Around the limo, each male relative made a toast for Diego's marriage and forcefed the shot to the groom. Malcolm waited for last, listening to everyone toast Diego and Kasumi for good health, wealth, fat babies, good jobs, safe home, sweet in-laws and fabulous sex. Finally as older brother, it was Malcolm's turn to toast his brother.
"For you heart and your head being smart enough to ask her to be yours." Malcolm saluted his brother and poured the shot. Only after they had all toasted him, and had a shot of their own, did htey release Diego. But as groom to be, he had a pair of panties safety pinned to him from everyone present. It was ridiculous and stupid and cracked everyone up because they hadn't let the groom change out of his driving sweats. So he really looked like static cling had owned his ass.
"Should I be afraid that you guys are going to get me arrested so I'll miss smy own wedding?" Diego asked his family, sitting next to Malcolm.
"Don't worry, I left bail money with Alice." Malcolm replied flippantly.
"That's not encouraging. Especially when I think Kasumi is gonig to get the ladies to swing by later and steal her too." Diego replied.
Malcolm sat straight up, suddenly concerned for his girlfriend without him around ot help fend off his female relatives. "What?" he demanded, making every male in thecar burst into laughter.
"Your turn next Malcolm!" Bob called out. "Better watch out or you might have to bail HER out of jail!" Big Louis added in.
Malcolm swallowed his fear, aware that Alice very much could not go out with his soon to be sister in law and the other women. She was only seventeen, not even legal here on the Quebec side yet. If she was carded, they would all find out just how very young the woman in his life was. Panic strated to crawl its way up his spine as he thought of all the ways things could go wrong for them if Alice was pulled into Kasumi's bacherlorette party. The other guys in the limo assumed his reaction was just worry about his girlfriend being pulled into the family, the whole paniced bachelor thing. But Diego seemed to recognize that his brother was honestly freaking out over something and got the guys into bragging over who was gonig to embarass the groom to be the most tonight. With everyone drinking and boasting, Diego managed to whisper to Malcolm.
"You look like serious mierda is happening, what's wrong?" Diego asked, smiling so the rest wouldn't know something was wrong.
Malcolm stared at his brother for a moment, not sure what to say or do to stop the secret of her age getting out. Nothing was supposed to ruin Diego's big day tomorrow. "I just need to warn Alice. It's ok." he replied, not sure what to tell her. Don't open hte door, my family wants to include you but you're too young? Alice was just contrary and stubborn enough she would go hunt the bachelorette party down herself if Malcolm told her she couldn't go even if invited. He loved her but that didn't make him blind to how stubborn she was.
So he texted her a quick message: Fem. famil might come knocking for u, try 2 take u out drinkin
The guys started razzing on him as soon as they saw the phone, and he stuffed it away quickly before getting her reply, afraid that they might take it from him and get a message they really shouldn't. Malcolm took a deep breath in and hten released it, relaxing his body at the same time. If something happened, they'd deal with it. She loved him, he loved her. It was brand new but he believed that if they were willing to work at it, there wasn't much that would keep either of them knocked down for long.
"So, as the unmarried older brother, I have to dance barefoot at your wedding." Malcolm announced into the rambunctious car. It was the tradition and he wouldn't shy from it even if it was a little humiliating.
"You should dance naked!" Marco called out. The others all vetoed the idea, claiming that if Malcolm went buck then there'd be no one left to dance with, he'd scare all the women away.
"As I was saying!" Malcolm shouted over his relatives, taking their insults in stride. "As the barefooted big brother at the wedding, I am allowed to make a request of my little baby brother..." he pinched Diego's cheek condescendingly and jerked his hand back when Diego snapped his teeth at it. The guys all made mocking cooing noises and passed the soother back towards Diego, who hurtled it to the other side of the limo. "AND my request is this!" Malcolm statd dramatically, pausing to highten the effect. "I want a shrubbery!" he stated finally, cracking up his family. Diego started to laugh at the Monty Python reference and someone went NI while another babbled about cod fish and everyone was drinking heavily from the bottles of tequila.
"Are we actually going anywhere or are we just driving around drinking in the limo?" Malcolm's father asked Abuelo. As the patriarch, Abuelo had plotted this kidnapping, and he was the only one with ALL the plans. The rest of the men had just pitched in ideas and cash as needed.
"Oh we're gonig somewhere alright. And I think we're pretty much there." Abuelo replied with a satisfied glint in his eyes. So every male pressed his face to the glass to try and see where it was they were celebrating. Malcolm spotted the strip club and felt like groaning, but laughed instead. Of course they would go to see strippers, it seemed to be the thing to do when guys got together.
"No lap dances!" Diego ordered as they pulled him inside, almost carrying him over hteir shoulders. And inside there were Diego's male friends waiting, fake breast cups, ridiculous cake and alcohol. Malcolm managed to wheedle himself out of having to drink as much as everyone else because he was taking pictures, loving how well his new camera worked. When he showed the evidence of their wild times to these guys later, he would have blackmail material to hoepfully deter the beatings they'd want to give him for taking pictures in hte first place.
Malcolm laughed with the men of his family as Diego was forced to eat the lady parts designed cake without using his hands, and was tied to a chair with the lingere once more. Being restrained, they carried Diego up onto the stage and placed him on a marked out square. Then left him there. The lights dimmed, music started and a stripper came out dressed in bridal style lingere. She had a veil on, whie lacy corset, thong, garter belt, thigh highs and stilettos. Her hair was long and dark and Malcolm couldn't help but be reminded of Alice. Only this stripper lacked Alice's tattoos and her air of boldness, instead this woman on the stage was all plastic sex and cheap lust, grinding against Diego and putting on a show for all the friends and family at the bachelor party.
But now that he'd thought of her, Malcolm couldn't get Alice off his mind and he dodged into the bathroom to check his phone. She had texted him back a few hours ago and he was surprised that the time had flown by so quickly. He'd texted her at 8:15 and now it was midnight. He read her text twice, laughing at what she'd replied with.
Thanks for the heads up now go drink for me. And STOP WORRYING. I've got a fake id if I want to join them. Besides they tricked you guys, the bachelorette party is here, downstairs. NOW GO DRINK.
Malcolm shook his head, once more amazed at how Alice seemed to understand the way his mind worked, and grateful that she was as painfully blunt as she was. He really did love her, the acknowledgement of the feeling didn't make it diminish but instead seemed to build it up more. He clicked his phone shut and was about to head back out when Diego stumbled in, drunk, bleary and with the stripper bride's veil skewed off his head.
"Woah, easy there D, if you're gonig to puke, aim that way." Malcolm warned, laughing.
Diego straightened himself up, which looked ridiculous anyways because he still had panties pinned ot him and a veil perched on his head. "S'not that bad. I'ma lil drunk." Diego stated, slur making a lie of his words.
"Yes, yes you are." Malcolm replied, not bothering to fight with his brother on the matter. It was his bachelor party, Diego was SUPPOSED to get absolutely smammered. He helped his brother to the urinals and gave him some privacy, only turning back when he heard the flush. Diego was washing his hands at the sink, swaying.
"What're you worrying about earlier?" Diego asked, blinking owilshly at his older brother.
"Don't worry about it kiddo." Malcolm brushed it off.
"Dun call me kiddo! I'm gettin murried t'morrow." Diego stated, sounding a little angry. "You," Diego pointed at Malcolm, "you have something eating at you. You can tell me! I'm your brother." Diego actually sounded like he was sobering up a little to try and talk with his brother.
Malcolm looked at Diego for a moment, and tried to look past the drunkenness, the cake stained, the panties and the veil. Diego was only twenty-two and already getting married. He was young, but not srupid or impulsive, and he had a steady career in computer securities. Malcolm both respected and trusted his little brother, and was protectively proud of him. So he took the gamble. "Alice is only seventeen. And one of my students." he blurted out.
Diego blinked at him and swayed a little, but then straightened up, realizing Malcolm was serious. "Wait, I know you're not one of those kind of guys... I thoguht she used to be a stripper?" Dieog asked, voice still blurry from alcohol, but as he concentrated, some of the stupor fell away.
"She did. I didn't know how young she was when we met. But we hit it off, talking when everyone thought she was giving me a lapdance. Fast forward a week or so and this new student comes into my class. It's her. Things sort of progressed from there." Malcolm leaned against the bathroom sink, looking at his brother's reflection. "There's just so much that I... her past makes her age irrelevant. She is more mature than women ten years older than she is and smart enough to already be in college." Malcolm vented, meaning to keep things to himself, but as Diego stood next to him and listened, Malcolm ended up telling him everything. All about Alice's past, the horrible details of her foster life and the life they were making together.
"You're really in love with this girl." Diego stated, sounding far less drunk and far more assured than he should.
"I really am." Malcolm smiled.
"Then do as she says and stop worrying. I've got your back Malcolm, hers too. If this seventeen yeard old woman is the person that makes you happy and helps you heal, I sure as hell am not going to stand in the way." Diego patted his brother's arm.
"I'm sorry for interrupting your bachelor party." Malcolm realised they'd been in there for almost an hour and no one had come looking.
"Pssh, it's for them anyways." Diego waved it away. He'd never been a huge partier to begin with.
"Want to go steal the limo and crash the girl's party?" Malcolm asked, a plan suddenly forming in his mind.
"Do I ever." Diego agreed. With that goal in mind, they swarmed out of the bathroom and eventually rounded up the male folk. During the ride back to the hotel, the bottles of liquor were finished off, Malcolm drinking without really paying attention until he realized, he was drunk. And trying to text Alice to see if she'd gone to Kasumi's party. But he couoldn't focus on typing properly and gave up, putting his phone away.
The guys all stumbled into the hotel, several veering off to the bar while the core group headed upstairs. Deigo slipped away to his own room and locked everyone out, refusing to continue drinking and Malcolm stumbled to his hotel room with the same plan in mind. His brilliant scheme to crash the bachelorette party was abandoned as the need to see if Alice was alright overtook him. The sober part of his brain knew she had nightmares almost every night and having a drunk man barge into the hotel room wouldn't exactly ease her fears, but he was just too drunk to really succeed at being quiet.
"Mal?" Alice's sleepy voice called out from the bed.
"S'me." he nodded even though she couldn't see. A light came on and Alice blinked up at him, hair tousled and face beautiful from sleep.
"You are either drunk or had a lobotamy." Alice stated, getting out of the bed to help walk Malcolm to the bathroom. He loved the wya her hand fit into his, and how she fit under his arm when he held her to him. They stumbled a little as Malcolm suddenly hugged Alice to him, needing to feel her in his arms. "Ooof, definitly drunk." Alice mumbled against his shoulder, but held him back.
"Love you." Malcolm mumbled, suddenly feeling tired and a little sick.
"I love you to. No don't..." Alice trailed off as Malcolm threw up into the sink. She'd been trying to get him to the toilet but they hadn't made it in time. "Thank god there's two sinks." Alice stated and started running water in the non filthy one. She patted a wet towel to the back of his neck and his face, helping to cool him down as he suddenly felt feverish.
"Sorry..." Malcolm swayed, too miserable feeling to be embarassed.
Alice laughed softly. "It's alright Mal. I wasn't sleeping anyways. Besides, you're gonig to be even worse tomorrow and I can mock all I want." she warned, helping him over to sit beside hte toilet. The jaccuzi had a wide ledge all the way around it and a step to help get up onto that ledge, so she sat him down on the side, close enough to hit the toilet if more came up.
Malcolm groaned as her hand smoothed a circled on his back, soothing and steady. His head was starting to pound as his stomach churned, and he gave the same silent prayer sick drunks everywhere make at this time. 'Lord if you help me through this, I will never drink again!'. And then he threw up some more.
He was grateful for her help, because his body felt weak and shakey by now, and super heavy as he heaved. Eventually there was no more alcohol to vomit up and she managed to get some water into him. He hated it when she left him in the bathroom alone, but couldn't go after her. He hadn't even realized there'd been a knock at the door, but she came back into the bathroom carrying a tray from room service.
"They gave me the funniest look for this order..." Alice stated and pulled the cover off, revealing two cucumbers, some water melon and a ripe tomato. "Here, eat this." she instructed and started to pass him the food.
Too ill and still drunk, Malcolm didn't argue, just munched and swallowed, drinking water to wash it down. His stomach argued about having more food so soon after up chucking, but it all stayed down, and surprisingly he started to feel less terrible. Alice set aside the tray with pieces of food still on it and wiped his face with the towel again. "The cucumber works best, but I figured the rest can't hurt either. They've got s*** in them that helps with this kind of thing." she explained.
Gratitude bubbled in his gut and he mashed his lips to hers, kissing her fiercely. Alice kissed him back and when she puleld away, gave a funny face. "Mmm drunk vomit breath. Seductive. Think you can shower or do you need me to help?" she asked him.
Malcolm frowned but stood up, less weak feeling and no longer swaying. "I'll be quick." he said and shuffled over, dropping his clothes to the bathroom floor.
Alice collected his discards and headed for the door. Before she headed back to bed, her voice drifted to him. "Brush your teeth too." and then he was alone. She left the door open, and even came back to check on him, but let him handle it himself.
When he collapsed onto the bed next to her and pulled her to him, he no longer smelled of sweat and vomit, and he drifted off to sleep with the smell of her skin in his nose. He wasn't sure if it was the alcohol or the realization that his little brother was getting married tomorrow, but Malcolm couldn't help but realize that he wanted that happiness too, and he may have found hte just the right woman to share it with.
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A/N: And there is the bachelor party! Wahoo! It was both more tame and more realisitic than the one bachelor party I've been to. Yes I am a girl and I have been to a bachelor party. He's my best friend. I told the other guys how to dye a certain part of his anatomy purple. It lasts for about 2 weeks and is not able to be washed or scurbbed off, it has to fade. You have NO IDEA how hilarious the phone call I got from his new bride was.