𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠, jack champion

i. "the first time we were there"

◛⑅·˚ ༘ ♡‧₊˚✧

SEPTEMBER — 2022
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA

D-23. Walt Disney's yearly biggest fan convention was set to begin.

Allison, however, was arriving for a surprise showing of never seen before clips of her new up and coming movie — Avatar: the Way of Water. It was the first time the entire cast would be back together. The first time in a while that Allison had seen some of her found family since they had wrapped filming.

Since she had spent the last couple of years finishing out the closest thing she could get to a normal graduation, this would be her chance to finally see her best friend. With how busy he had been filming additional projects — which she was endlessly proud of — neither of them had been able to visit the other.

The drought of seeing Allison's favorite people would soon end. She'd finally be able to wrap them in her arms, to cherish the ones she grew up with and had shared a once in a lifetime experience with.

And when she saw them, it was like the sun was shining on her again.

"Bails!" Allison greeted, wrapping one of her best friends into her embrace. "Oh my God, I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you more," Bailey squealed, squeezing the slightly younger girl tighter.

Allison pulled away and smiled. "You ready for today?"

Bailey's shoulders rose as she took a deep breath, "More than anything."

They were to take the stage of the expo later that morning. With the convention being the younger cast's first official outing to promote the movie's upcoming release, it was safe to say there plenty of nerves to go around.

Allison, for some reason, didn't get to see — more like get to talk to because they had a moment of greeting earlier on in the day — her best friend until they were waiting backstage in the green room. It was a little closed off space nestled to the side of the wings that were up a few step of stairs, after the adults had left them to themselves to appease the crowd's expectations.

His hair had blossomed into a mess of curls over the years, and he towered over her now due to his growth spurt. Other than that, it was her same old Jack.

The boy came up beside her, hands behind his back as he stared at their costars on stage. "If I'm being honest, I'm nervous like crazy."

Allison peeked up at him, her eyes catching onto his silver chain momentarily before flickering back up. "Tell me about it."

As if he needed proof to aid her words — even though he didn't — Jack glimpsed down to find her hands fidgeting together. Her fingers picking at the skin around her nails. With all she had gone through in her life the past couple of years, he knew her anxiety had grown to take a possessive control over her sometimes. Especially in nerve-wracking cases like this, where it was as a social setting way out of the ordinary.

Jack slung an arm over her shoulder and tugged her into his side, rubbing her arm and smiling slightly as he felt shortly after her arm sliding around his waist.

Allison smiled as she leaned into him, appreciating his efforts to help her feel more at ease. Then she thought about how one of their cast mates had it worse sometimes and deserved to be treated the same way. "I wish Britain were here. He deserves to be here."

He hummed in agreement, "He is though. I mean, he's not dead obviously but he's with us in spirit."

"Yeah," Bailey chimed. "And plus, he prefers it this way."