#immy.

Zach Wilde

Zach didn’t want to ruin the fun of last night by immediately running to Immy and letting her know what had happened with Danny, but now that it was the next day, he knew that he needed to say something to her. The morning had been nice, and after eating breakfast and Malea had gone off to play with her toys, Zach turned to her. “I kind of wanted to bring something up to you,” he started, sitting down at the table. He knew how close Danny and Immy were - they were practically family, which is why what happened last night pissed him off even more.

Once they got Immy’s attention, they cleared their throat. “So, last night, I decided to talk to Danny. Just wanted to see what his intentions are with Midge. I mean, they wore a fucking couple’s costume. Dude proceeds to tell me ‘I’m just hooking up with her’”. They shook their head. Even that response had pissed them off. Who talked about women like that — to the big brother of said woman they were sleeping with? “And yeah, that pissed me off. I didn’t do anything, I basically gave him another chance. And he goes ‘what? Do you want me to say I’m fucking her?’ Or whatever bullshit he said.” Zach looks up at Immy, taking in a deep breath. “Honestly? For me, that’s enough to tell me that he doesn’t deserve her.”

Immy Cortes

Immy raised an eyebrow at them when they spoke, but nodded, sitting down across from them. She frowned as she heard how the conversation went, and wanted to shake some sense into Danny for talking about Midge like that to Zach. “He shouldn’t have said that.” She agreed, “And I can understand having that kind of first impression would make you want something else for your little sister, but Danny isn’t as bad as he presents himself to be.” She frowned again, moving closer to Zach so she could sit on his lap instead of across from him. “I mean, can you imagine anyone who you would think is good enough for your sisters?” She smiled, one hand cupping his cheek. “Do you want me to talk to him?”

Zach Wilde

Zach sighed, and he figured that this would be the case. If anyone had come up to him telling him that Midge had acted a certain sort of way, he would defend her with his whole life. "Yeah, I think there's someone out there. I know there's good dude's out there. Is that who Midge surrounds herself with? Not really." They didn't want to be the one to tell Immy this, because they had a feeling she'd be upset, but it needed to be said to someone. "Look, I wouldn't have been that mad. Annoyed that he talked about my little sister like that to me? Yeah, of course. But.." Zach sighed, leaning into her touch. "He took both of his hands, grabbed my costume and pulled me towards him. Do you know how many times my dad has tugged me close to him like that before he's beat the shit out of me, Im? It fucking flashed before my eyes. Not only am I not cool with that in any fucking circumstances, but he's talking to my sister, trying to convince me he cares about her, and he puts his hands on me? Babe, that's not okay."

Immy Cortes

Immy listened to everything Zach had to say, and understand where they were coming from, but when they mentioned Danny grabbing them she stood. “He what?” She was sure she must have misheard, her mind spun trying to understand. She loved Danny and she knew he didn’t always make the best choices, but there was no excuse for putting his hands on Zach. “Did he hurt you?” She asked, looking him over, making sure she hadn’t missed anything last night. “I can’t believe he did that.” She didn’t know what else to say, she was beyond angry with Danny, and she couldn’t understand what he was thinking, what could have possibly been going through his mind. “You’re right, it’s not okay. I’m going to talk to him, I know that doesn’t change what happened, but I’m going to talk to him. I know he wouldn’t hurt Midge, but…I get where you’re coming from. She shouldn’t be with someone who is so easy to get physical. I get it.”

Zach Wilde

"No, he didn't hurt me." Zach shook his head. He really wasn't a violent type of person, and the only person who had ever really been able to bring it out of him had always been his dad. Because of Aaron, Zach hated violence. "That's the thing, though. He put his hands on her big brother. That's the kind of guy he is. Everyone keeps telling me 'oh he's not as bad as he seems', right? Then he goes and proves the exact opposite. Talks to me like an asshole and then gets physical with me." They sighed. They'd wanted to talk about this last night, but too much had been going on. "Not to mention…" Zach's voice shook, and he looked down at the floor. "Aaron came by and hurt Midge, babe. He choked her out. And she just told me last night. It's just too much. I don't want her near someone so violent, but obviously I can't tell her what to do."

Immy Cortes

She didn’t know what to say. She knew Zach wasn’t wrong for how they felt and if it were anyone but Danny she probably wouldn’t feel the need to defend them, but it was Danny, and as mad as she was at him, she’d never concede to him being a bad guy. Yet, she understood why Zach would think so, and she wasn’t going to tell them she thought they were wrong. Zach coikd only judge Danny on his own experience with him, and that experience left a lot to be desired. Watching as Zach looked down, her heart broke for them, and for all of their siblings. She’d had a feeling that something had happened between Aaron and Midge, but she certainly didn’t feel good about the confirmation. “Jesus,” she whispered, sitting down again, but this time pulling a chair up next to his so she could look into their eyes. “You can’t tell her what to do, but you can tell her how you feel about what happened, and you can be there for her when she needs you.” Immy reached for their hands, holding them in her own before kissing Zach on the cheek. “You spent so many years using yourself as a shield to protect them, I know you want to be able to keep doing that, but you can’t. As hard as you might try, it’s just not possible. Midge is making her own choices and you just have to trust her.”

Zach Wilde

Zach nodded. He knew that everything Immy was saying was correct - he couldn't protect them anymore. They were on their own, and it was hard to deal with. But wouldn't any big brother want to make sure that their siblings were safe? He finally snapped out of it and pulled Immy in for a short kiss, pressing his forehead against hers. They had been so upset that they hadn't completely registered Immy's hands in their own, but he finally smiled at the image. She was always there to take care of him, no matter how he felt, and it was something he would always appreciate it. "You're right. About everything. I do need to talk to her, though. But I doubt she's going to like what I'm going to have to say. But…" They shook their head. "I'll just tell her I'll love her anyway. It doesn't matter. As long as she's safe."

Immy Cortes

She felt terrible for Zach, knowing there was nothing she could do to solve this problem for them. She could only be there for them when they needed her. “She may not like it, but she respects you, and she’ll care about what you think.” Immy stood again, standing close to them and wrapping her arms around his shoulders. She placed a kiss on top of their head. “I’m going to talk to Danny, too. He has a lot going on right now, but that’s no excuse. I’m sorry, baby.”

Zach Wilde

Zach wrapped his arms around Immy’s waist, pressing his face as close as he could to her. She smelled amazing, and it was a comfort to just have her there. He nodded. Everyone had their shit, and he knew that much. “I get that. I’m doing my best not to be judgmental. I know you love him and he’s obviously gotta be in my life in some capacity.” They pulled her down for a soft kiss. “I love you. You know that right? I don’t know anyone else who can talk me down like you can.”

Immy Cortes

She gave a sad smile, nodding as Zach spoke, "You're one of the least judgmenatal people ever, Zach. He does have to be in your life, but that doesn't mean you have to love him, too." She sighed, kissing him back, and then moving back into their lap. "Well, I had a small incling that you might like me a little but, good to know you love me, I must be pretty special if the wonderful Zach Wilde loves me." She placed kisses all over their cheeks and forehead, pulling back only to smile again. "I'm sorry I don't have an easy solution for this, I'm sorry I can't just make it better, but I love you so much. We'll figure it out, okay?"

Zach Wilde

"You don't need to have a solution for anything, babe," Zach murmured and smiled as she peppered kisses all over his face. "Just you being here and talking to you about it is enough. And you validating my feelings, actually. That's really helpful too. Just.. you. And especially that I have Immy Cortes who loves me. That's insanely lucky." Zach wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her as close as possible. He didn't want to think about all of this anymore, so he decided on a subject change. "Oh, hey. So Ellie and Miles wanna do a double date. She says she'd just be down to get some pizza. Is that something you'd be okay with?"

Immy Cortes

Immy Cortes

To say that it felt good to be sleeping next to Zach, in a bed, after an extra long shower, would be an extreme understatement. She'd been so tired, she hadn't even taken the time to consider what Malea would think in the morning. Immy stretched under the blankets, a smile forming on her face as her hand brushed against the muscles of Zach's arm. She pulled herself closer to him, pressing a soft kiss to their shoulder before resting back onto the pillow to let them sleep longer. It was short lived, as suddenly she felt a weight at the foot of the bed, and then a little head and body crawling up the blankets to meet them. "Good morning, Goose." She grinned, "How did you sleep?" Malea looked up at her, wiggling her way in between her and Zach. "I slept okay," She said, practically shoving Immy out of the way. "Good morning, Zachy." She sang at them, before turning back to Immy, "So, if Zach is sleeping here, does he live here? Does him living here mean he's my Daddy now?"

Zach Wilde

Zach was fast asleep when he felt a significant change in weight in the bed, which stirred him awake. He was still opening his eyes when he heard Immy say good morning to Malea, and he immediately pushed himself up on his elbows to look over at her. "Good morning, cutie pie," Zach chuckled, his voice a little hoarse from sleep. He shuffled just a little bit so he could wrap around Malea. At Malea's question, Zach's eyes went wide as they looked over towards Immy to gauge her reaction. If they weren't feeling awake before, they certainly were now. They knew better than to answer the question - this was Immy's decision on what to tell her. Because things had only been made official the previous night, they hadn't had an explicit conversation on what would happen if Malea ever asked this question. But with their arm wrapped around Malea, they couldn't help but feel something warm bloom in their chest. They hadn't known her long, but the parental feeling they were already having towards her was overwhelming in the best way possible.

Immy Cortes

She stared between Zach and Malea trying to figure out how to answer that question. She had no idea what to say, Malea had never seen someone sleep over their house before, of course she would question what it meant, but she hadn't quite expected that. "Those are some good questions, Mama." She said, her fingers playing with Malea's hair. "I think Zach is going to be spending a lot more time here, and Han, too." She offered, hoping that that might placate her for now. "So, he is my Daddy? And I get a dog?" She said, and Immy couldn't help but smile, even though the questions made her nervous. "Do you want Zach to be your Dad?" She asked, curious to know what her answer would be. "I like Zach, a lot, but I've never had a Dad, so how would I know if I want one." Immy smiled, though it always broke her heart when she was reminded that Malea had never known a father. "You know what, I'm not sure we know, either. What if we focus on getting to hang out with Zach a lot more, and Han, and then we can all see how we feel about if maybe Zach can be your dad?"

Zach Wilde

As Zach listened to their conversation, they couldn't help but smile at both Malea and Immy's words. "You know what, Malea? I want to be whatever you want me to be. I can be your Zachy, I can be your best friends, I can be your daddy if one day that's what you want to call me." He couldn't help the way that he got a little choked up, hoping that Malea wouldn't be able to catch on. He stroked the top of Malea's hair, slightly messing it up and he smiled at the messy hair before continuing. "Han is now officially our dog. And you know what? He told me that you're actually his favorite, Malea." Zach said the last part in a loud whisper.

Immy Cortes

She wasn’t sure how Zach was going to react to any of this, but of course their reaction was perfect, allowing Immy to relax slightly. Malea seemed to have completely switched gears at the mention of Han being their dog, “And you know, Malea, since Han is our dog now, that means we’re responsible for him, too. And I think he needs to go out. Do you want to go let him out in the backyard?” She asked, wanting to have a minute to herself with Zach again. Malea practically bounced off the bed, running out of the room with Han at her heels to let him out in the large fenced in backyard. Turning to look at Zach, she let out a groan. “I can’t believe I didn’t think about how she was going to react to this. She’s never seen anyone else waking up in my bed…I can’t believe I was so careless.” She said, her annoyance with herself evident. “I’ve always been so so careful about making sure she never gets attached to anyone that may not be a permanent part of our lives.” Immy paused, choosing her words carefully, “I trust you with my whole heart, but I hope you know that when it comes to Malea, I’m trusting you with my entire world.”

Zach Wilde

Zach smiled as they watched Malea and Han bound out to the backyard, though was nervous to turn back to Immy and see how she was actually feeling now that Malea wasn't in the room. They nodded, listening intently at every single word that Immy was saying. "As far as I'm concerned, I'm staying in your lives permanently. But I understand your worries, and I'm really sorry. I didn't think about it either." They shook their head, hoping that Immy wasn't too upset with the situation. He turned towards her and pulled her in for a kiss, and then rested their foreheads together. "Would it be crazy to tell you that she's already my whole world too? I know I'm just newly in her life. But, babe.. I meant what I said. If she wants me to be that for her, and more importantly, if you want me to be that for her..? Then that's what I'm gonna be. Okay? I'm not going anywhere."

Immy Cortes

"No, don't apologize, please. You couldn't have known." She said, grateful for the kiss, and the closeness. Immy reached up to cup Zach's cheek her hand, looking at them with a serious face. "Zach, I am not worried about that at all. They say that when you get pregnant, you become a parent right away, you connect right away, but that the other parent, they have to meet the baby, and then they love them instantly. I don't know how true all of that is, but I know that her dad met her and never felt a thing. He walked away and never looked back, and it kills me when I think about it. I'll never understand it." She paused, turning her body to face him straight on, "It's not crazy, because it's true. I swear, Zach, when you met her, it was like I watched you fall in love. I don't care how stupid that sounds, I saw it happen. And all I've ever wanted was for her to have more than just me, for her to be surrounded by people who give her the love she deserves, and I know that's what you'd do. I just want her to choose it. I want her to know what it means, and to choose it for herself. I'm not upset because I think you're going to walk out on her, I know you won't, I'm just upset that I didn't think to prepare us all for this moment before it was happening."

Zach Wilde

The thought of looking at Malea and not immediately falling in love was such a baffling thought to Zach. He wasn't sure if it was because Malea was an extension of Immy and therefore he immediately loved her too, but it was there and overwhelming in the best possible way. "I think that happened for me. I genuinely feel this parental love for her. I believe in fate, babe.. And I think this was written in the stars for us. You, me and Malea. As a kind of family." They relaxed when Immy explained that she didn't think Zach was going to walk away. He was in this for life, and that wasn't going to change anytime soon. Not ever. "Hey. She'll have a huge family. She's gonna have me, Gabe, Abby, Midge, Leah, Daniel... A whole bunch of Wilde's that already love her so fucking much. Not to mention the Sylvesters, and the Menkins." He smiled, kissing Immy on the forehead. "It's gonna be my mission in life to make sure Malea knows how loved she is. And if she ever decides to call me dad..." Tears prickled at their eyes. "I'd be really happy about that."

Immy Cortes

“I know it did.” She said when Zach it happened for them. “If it’s fate, then it’s fate, but whatever it is, it’s like Malea needed you just as badly as I did.” She said nodded when they listed all the people Malea had and smiled. “I know. I think about the people I had, and the people you had, and I’m just so grateful that she will never have to feel the way you and I felt growing up. She doesn’t have to be afraid, she doesn’t have to feel stuck, or feel like she’ll never be happy. She’s already happy.” “I know she’ll want that, and when she’s a teenager and hates us both she’ll still know that she’s so lucky to have a dad that loved her by choice. I have no doubt that that’s what’s going to happen.” She smiled again, wiping away at his tears. “I would go through every second of pain I went through in my life all over again, as long as it means I get to have this with you and her.”

Zach Wilde

See, Zach was pretty sure he was going to stop crying, but then Immy said she would go through all of the pain again, and he couldn't help himself. The tears continued coming, but he laughed through them and then surged forward to kiss her once again. "I don't want you to go through a single milisecond more of pain. That's my job - to make sure you're happy for the rest of your life." Yeah, they'd been together for days, and he was saying the rest of his life. It'd been 20 years, and he wanted another 20. And then some. "I've got to say, as a brother to two younger sisters, I know what they're like as teenagers and I don't think I'm ready for that." They laughed, thinking about the ups and downs of what it was like for both Midge and Abby. "What should we say to her now? What if she asks again after letting Han outside? What do you want me to say to her?"

Immy Cortes

“Yeah, well you already do.” She smiled, kissing him again. “I know, I am not prepared, but at least now I’m not alone.” She laughed, though she was grateful. Immy flopped back onto her pillow, an arm falling over her eyes as she groaned. “I guess we just tell her the truth.” She shrugged, meeting their eyes again. “We tell her that you and I are in a relationship and in love, and that you love her, and if someday she wants to call you her dad she can, but for now you’re Zach, and we’re just going to take some time and get used to what life is like all together.” She said, apprehensive to see how they felt about her answer.

Zach Wilde

Immy

This has been one of the longest weeks of her life, she was sure of that. And as much as she wanted to just curl up in bed with Malea and feel safe, she was dying to spend time with her aunties after having missed them all week. It was almost impossible for Immy to drive away after bringing Malea to Brinley, making her younger sister to bring her home in no more than two hours. Her eyes were sore from tears by the time she got home, not sure what to even do with herself, and worried to see if her house was still even standing. Pulling in her driveway, all looked normal from the outside, untils he walked to the front door and saw someone standing there. Fear gripped her for a second, until she saw the face staring back at her. "Oh my God, Zach. Thank God you're okay." She breathed, her feet carrying her to them before her brain even caught up. Her arms wrapped around them, throwing herself into their body as she crashed her lips into his at the same time. "I can't do this ever again. I can't lose you ever again, Zach."

Zach

The first thing Zach (after stopping at his place to hug Gabe, take a shower and pop some Xanax) by his house to did was make his way over to Immy's house. The whole week had been terrible, and it got worse day by day - hour by hour. After the first text of Immy's where she told him she loved him, Zach needed to be with her. Their anxiety had gotten worse with each passing moment. Now medicated and at Immy's house, Zach was feeling exponentially better. As soon as they saw the car in the driveway, their heart started pounding. He ran up to Immy and took her in his arms, holding her and kissing her immediately. "I know," he breathed, feeling his eyes prickle with tears. It had been a hard week, and all he had wanted was to be with Immy. He cupped her face with both hands on either side to really look at her. Zach had nothing but admiration in his eyes. She was so beautiful - he would never get over it. Tears spilled down his cheek, and he kissed her again. "I love you, baby," Zach murmured, pulling back to look at her again. "I'm sorry I didn't say it when you did. I wanted it to be like this."

Immy

She was worried she'd gone too far by telling them she loved them. She certainly didn't want to say it over text for the first time, but she was so anxious being away from him, and she couldn't stop herself, and then cell service had gone back out and she couldn't take it back. Not that she would have, but she could have said something else. And then the rest of the week had gone by, cell service had come and gone, but they hadn't said it back and she was terrified she'd freaked them out. Still, despite her nerves, it didn't stop her from running to him before she had the chance to stop herself and think. But then Zach was running to her, too, and holding her and kissing her again and everything felt so right again. "It's okay, it's okay." She whispered when he apologized, tears streaming down her face now, half from relief, half from joy that they had said it back. "I love you. I love you so much. I can't go another day without you. I don't want to freak you out, but I need you so badly, I just need to never wake up away from you ever again."

Zach

Seeing Immy cry made Zach cry even more, and the two of them were standing there, crying over one another. It was such a special moment to Zach, however, to just prove how much they loved each other even after all of this time. They smiled when Immy said don't freak out. "You think I'm going to let you out of my sight anytime soon?" They asked her, brows furrowed, serious look on their face. "I was already planning on staying the night here, whether you liked it or not. I need to hold you all night and feel that you're actually here." Finally, it hit Zach. He looked around and noticed there wasn't a four year old attaching herself to his leg. "Where's Malea?" His eyes went big. "She's okay, right?"

Immy

She burried her head in their chest, laughing when he said he was planning on staying the night, she couldn't imagine anything feeling better than being held by the person she loved after one of the worst weeks of her life. She pulled away to meet his eyes when he asked about Malea, shaking her head quickly, "God, yeah. She's fine. She's completely fine. She was just so bored all week, she insisted on hanging out with someone cooler than me for a little bit, so she's with Brinley, but they should be here in half an hour or so." As much as it pained her, she pulled away from them, but kept hold of their hand and lead them to the front door. She needed ot make sure the house was okay, and didn't want to stand outside anymore. Pushing into the house, she let out a sigh of relief when she saw that everything seemed to be in place, not even a broken glass to be found. "I need you to kiss me some more, okay?" She said, sinking down on the couch.

Zach

Zach followed Immy into the house, immediately looking around to make sure the house was intact. The earthquake had been bad enough for a lockdown, but thankfully not bad enough to ruin his and Gabe's apartment or Immy's house. Zach moved around, making there were no cracks anywhere important. He turned his attention to Immy immediately when she said that she needed more kisses. "Say less, beautiful." He grinned and sat on the couch right next to her. Zach tugged her close to them, immediately pressing their lips against hers. Their lips moved along hers, and they sighed into the kiss. All Zach had thought about was this, right here. Being with Immy exactly like this. He pulled away, peppering kisses along her jawline and then down to her neck. Zach was obsessed, and god, they had missed her. They wanted to kiss her all over, for as long as possible. They thread their fingers into Immy's hair, pulling her closer.

Immy

Immy let out a shaky breath as she felt their lips against her jaw and then neck, letting her head fall back to give him more room. She let her own hands wander over their chest, taking in every curve, and committing it to memory. Immy lifted herself up, swinging one leg over so she was on their lap. The fact that she'd waited and wondered and maybe even fantasized about what it would be like to have sex with Zach, and then when she finally found out how much better it was than she ever could have imagined, there was a literal earthquake that kept them apart for an entire week. It almost made her afraid to do it again, but she couldn't help herself. As much as she'd missed them this week, she'd also craved them. "Tell me if this is too much," She said, pulling away for just a second before plowing her lips back into theirs. She knew Malea would be home soon, but she needed as much time with Zach as close as she could possibly get to them.

Zach

Zach let out a groan when Immy straddled him. His hands immediately went to her hips, and when he kissed her, he couldn't help but gently bite her lower lip. God, he wanted her so bad. "It's more than okay," he answered, his voice rough. He slid his hands underneath her shirt, fingertips running against her stomach. He wanted so much with her, to show Immy exactly how okay this was. Zach felt himself growing hard, and he could tell that Immy was feeling the exact same way. He was about to take off her shirt when he heard the front door swing open. "Zach's here! Look Brinley, Zach's here!" Zach heard a familiar voice yell, and they couldn't help but laugh. They slowly lifted Immy off of their lap, locking eyes with her, smiling. "Later," they mouthed, and then turned towards Malea and Brinley. "Malea the Magnificent!" They pushed themselves off of the couch, letting Malea run and give him a bug hug. All of a sudden he felt emotional, having been worried about the girl all week long. "I heard you were so brave this last week. That's awesome."

Brinley

As soon as Brinley entered Immy's place with Malea, she noticed her older sister straddled on.. with, of course, Zach Wilde. She covered her mouth with her hand, giggling. They seemed to be enjoying themselves. She smiled when she saw how Zach greeted her. This was a good one, she'd decided. She definitely approved of Zach. "Bye, Malea! Love you so much my little munchkin!" She gave Zach and Immy a knowing look. "Okay you two crazy kids, I'm gonna get out of your way. Love you Immy. Have fun tonight!" She winked at her sister, laughing to herself as she closed the door behind her.

Immy

Immy groaned in slight frustration when she heard the door open, pulling away to rest her forehead against Zach's before the moved her from their lap. At least there was a promise of more to come, but she was so stressed this whole week, and could have used the release. But still, she grinned when she saw how excited Zach and Malea were to see each other. The idea that this could be something all three of them could get used to made her heart race. She grinned at Brinley, sticking her tongue out playfully and shaking her head, "Love you, Brin. Thanks for taking care of our girl." Immy sighed, pushing herself up from the couch. "I'm sure all of this food needs to be thrown out, since we probably didn't have power all week, but how about we order some food?" She said, looking to the other two expectantly. "Then maybe we can all snuggle and watch a movie?"

Zach

Zach put Malea down, and she immediately jumped up and down excitedly at the idea of snuggling and watching a movie. "Oh, wait! I'm gonna go get some toys to snuggle with us!" And like that, Malea was gone with a lightning speed. Zach loved her so much already - he didn't know how to explain it either. Zach walked up to Immy and took her hands in their own. "While she's getting us some more friends to snuggle, I just want to say I love her. And you. Like you said.. I don't want to spend another second without you." They leaned forward to kiss Immy. "Be mine. Officially. There's nothing in the world that would make me feel luckier than being able to call you mine." Zach gave her a soft smile. "What do you say, babe?"

Immy