"Let's stay home" | Quarantine AU

Chapter 2- "Eddie and Tommy"

"Why you never tell me stuff?" Alfie protested annoyed by the news of other guys joining them.

"I tell you stuff all the time, Alfie. You just don't listen to me." She replied rolling her eyes and checking her phone to see if there were new messages.

"That's so not fucking true, woman."

"Why are you getting so worked up about this?"

"I just- I thought that it was going to be just the two of us."

"Well yeah but then the quarantine has been announced and I called a couple of friends who I knew were going to be on their own and asked them to join us. I didn't think it was going to be a problem."

"I don't these guys and now I have to share a house with them for god knows how fucking long. Why did you think it wasn't going to be a problem?"

"Alfie they're cool guys. They won't be a bother, this house has enough rooms for everyone. Besides, if it was going to be just the two of us, we would drive each other crazy and probably kill the other." Emma joked trying to get him to relax, hinting at the endless bickering that would sometimes end in a fight. She honestly didn't think Alfie would be so opposed at the idea of sharing the house. She did ask him, despite what he said, and he hadn't objected to it. Not at the time she asked anyway.

Alfie didn't exactly reply, Emma chose to ignore whatever he said under his breath, and just as he got up to wash the mask off his face, Emma's phone rang. Eddie's name appeared on the screen making her smile and squeal from excitement. As if the idea of having strangers as roommates itself wasn't repulsive enough for Alfie, the sight of her excitement wasn't a good addition to the mix. But he was a grown-up man, surely he could manage this situation a lot better than bitching and moaning about it. Or well, he had to. Otherwise, this whole quarantine situation was not going to end up well.

In the meantime, Emma was getting ready to welcome both of her guests seeing as Tommy had texted her to tell her that he was here.

"Alfie, they're here." She called for him and decided to retrieve him personally when he answered her with a groan. He was drying his face when she found him in the bathroom.

"C'mon Alfie, don't be like this. I swear you're going to love them." Leaning on the door she looked at him hopefully. Alfie wasn't too sure though, he wasn't too fond of the idea of sharing the house with two strangers.

"Just give them a chance, alright? If you really can't stand them then you can leave. I mean not that I want you too but they said that they're going to repatriate everyone who wants to go home. You can go back to England if you want to, I know this isn't exactly what you signed up for." Emma didn't want him to leave but she wasn't going to force him to stay either. The bell rang and with a last look at him, she walked to the door to let the boys in.

As she had thought, Eddie and Tommy had met on the path to the house, so when she opened the door she found them both on her doorstep.

"Omg, hello! I'm so happy you're here." Emma squealed in excitement hugging both of them at the same time. Smiling at her antics, both Tommy and Eddie returned her embrace.

"Come, come. Welcome in my humble abode. Well, it isn't really mine but still." She retreated inside allowing the boys to come in. Closing the door behind her she turned around to see the newest guests looking around the living room while Alfie was standing in the far corner of the room. None of them had noticed him except for Emma.

"Oh guys, here's the friend I've talked to you about." she caught their attention while walking towards Alfie, "this is Alfie. Alfie these are Eddie and Tommy." She introduced everyone and watched as they did that weird handshake boys do. Emma could see that Alfie was still sceptical however she interpreted his politeness as a good sign.

"Have you heard the news, Em?" Eddie addressed her taking off his jacket.

"Yeah, I have. I was just talking about it with Alfie. Sucks, right?" Taking Eddie's jacket she gestured at Tommy to do the same so that she could put them on the hanger. While she did this, Alfie took the boys' bag and brought them into the spare rooms that Emma had shown him the day he arrived.

"It does. It surprised me that you're not going back home, though." He pointed out getting comfortable on the couch.

"It's just easier and safer for everyone if I stay here." Scrolling her shoulders she sat on the love seat in front of the couch they were sitting on, "what about you guys?" she asked looking at them.

"Well, I live here so..." Eddie joked making her roll her eyes at him.

"I was about to ask if you wanted to stay here but now I'm not so sure about you, Eddie." She said with a straight tone but they both knew she was messing around.

"Ouch, I'm wounded. Now, what am I going to do?" If there was something Eddie loved was taking the piss at Emma. The majority of their interactions were like this.

Alfie came back into the room at the same moment Emma threw a pillow in Eddie's face before sticking out her tongue at him. He sat on the same sofa Tommy was on and made himself comfortable as well.

"Tommy?" Knowing that he wasn't very loquacious, Emma addressed him directly.

"Yeah well, ain't no point in going home so." He simply stated nervously scratching at his clean-shaven face. At this Emma let out a little squeal of excitement and went to hug him. Tommy didn't exactly like personal contact all that much but he had known Emma for a while and had grown to not care too much when she would do things like this.

"We're going to have so much fun, guys!"