Drown (Doomed sequel) - Oli Sykes fanfiction

1. What doesn't kill you

CW: Mentions of problems in pregnancy, angst, Mia being typically horny but no actual smut this chapter.

Mia pulled into her parking space near the Metal Focus offices, killing the engine as she unclipped her phone from the dock on the dashboard. She glanced at the screen anxiously but had no new messages. She frowned and scrolled through her phone, rereading the last message she'd received.

🖤 Mr Syko 🖤🥵: I'm exhausted. These fans are WILD and the venue staff are so disorganised it's not even fucking funny. Only 5 more days until we're home though! I miss you so fucking much. I'll call you tonight. Love you ❤️

That was yesterday. Mia had replied, but the message was left unread and her husband didn't call her. That was really unlike him and her chest ached with worry.

She locked her phone with a sigh, slipping it into the front pocket of her camera bag on the passenger seat before picking it up with her coat and stepping out into the cold December air. Sam's car pulled up into a space behind her and she offered him a wave as she shrugged on her coat, pulling it tightly around her and slinging her bag over her shoulder as she waited for Sam to join her.

"Morning Mia!" Sam breezed cheerily as he jogged over to meet her, his face falling as he saw her brows furrowed in thought. "Wait, what's up?"

"I'm sure it's nothing," Mia sighed, pressing a button on her keys to lock the car and starting around the side of the building. "Just Oli said he'd call yesterday, but didn't. My last message to him is still unread too."

"Oh," Sam replied quietly. "That's not like him at all."

"No, it's really not," Mia lamented. "I tried to call him before I went to bed last night too, but it went straight to voicemail."

"Have you tried doing-" Sam pointed at his head with both of his index fingers, waggling them randomly in the air. "You know, your thing you do."

"Yeah, I did try," Mia managed a chuckle at the way Sam described the psychic link she and her husband shared. "But it's not always that simple. Like when he's on stage, he's completely blocked so he can get in the zone. But he would have finished by now, even with the time zones."

Sam shrugged apologetically as they finally entered the warm building.

"Like you said, it's probably nothing," he tried to reassure her as they made their way up in the lift together.

Mia hummed, but she knew the worry was going to linger at the back of her head, no matter how hard she worked today.

The lift doors opened onto the Metal Focus floor and the two friends stepped out, blinded by the bright lights that reflected off the tinsel and garlands streamed all over the ceilings and walls. This was mostly Becky's doing. She thought it would brighten the place up a bit and bring some festivity to these dull offices. Ethan had just rolled his eyes and let her get on with it. As long as Becky was happy, Ethan was too.

But today, it just made Mia feel more sad. Oli had been on tour for the last month and both of them were really sad that they wouldn't be together for Christmas - especially since it was their first as a married couple. Her best friend, Lisa, had tried to help, reminding her that they had more than a lifetime of Christmasses to spend together, but Mia couldn't get out of the funk.

Nevertheless, she forced a smile as she entered the office. Mia loved Becky to pieces, but she didn't want her asking questions - she just wanted to focus on her work and then it would only be a few days until Oli was home.

Becky was at her desk, pottering around with fairy lights and singing along loudly to Christmas songs. Ethan had actually tried to veto the Christmas music in the office, claiming that it didn't fit their image, but Becky had found a playlist of metal and alternative Christmas songs - mostly covers - but Ethan eventually begrudgingly accepted the compromise.