Work Text:
It was too fucking goddamn hot.
That’s the conclusion that both of them had come to.
So they had, of course, come outside, where it was more hot. Didn’t they have a song that was literally titled C’est La Vie? Guess this was the literal definition of that.
Point is, it was hot and as California sun beat down on them, warm and familiar, Alex leaned back in the plush outdoor couch cushions of the lounger he found himself in, home a world away as he swirled the ice in his glass of lemonade, the clinking a pleasant counterpoint to the rhythmic splashing from Matt bombing into his own pool only a few feet away.
This guy, honestly.
“Dude, chill, you’re gonna drown all the plants and me as well,” Alex laughed, shielding his eyes as water droplets somehow managed to end up over the other side where he was, while Matt surfaced, slicked back hair dripping, a wide grin splitting his face. “Worth it. This LA heat is no joke.”
“Amen, dude.” Alex watched, respectfully of course, as the latter hoisted himself out of the pool, leaving a trail of glistening water on the patio stones as he grabbed a towel to run himself down, board shorts clinging to his waist as he spoke. “Man, speaking of the LA heat, you gotta stay longer this time, Alex. We’re just getting started with this writing sesh.”
Alex’s smile faltered, just for a moment. “Nah man, gotta get back. Vancouver’s calling, home’s missing me.” He shrugged, trying to keep his tone light. “Flights booked and all that.”
Matt kobed the towel onto the lounger beside Alex’s, before he swandived into it, usual playful energy radiating off him in waves. “Lame. Seriously though, you are up and over your dick in cash atm, you can afford to stick around. We could hit up In-N-Out again, maybe finally check out that weird museum you were talking about.”
Alex just shrugged. Don’t get him wrong, was a genuinely nice invitation. Matt was great to hang out with. Funny, energetic, and creatively they always clicked, so why, when Matt’s eyes, warm and earnest, met his, did a ripple of something… odd… run through Alex?
It wasn't an unpleasant feeling he felt, not exactly, but it was… there. A subtle discord despite having known Matt for years now. It made him squirm, trying to think just what could be causing it, but nothing really came to mind.
Maybe he was seriously just that homesick and needed to get over himself. He had been couch surfing for weeks on and off now, not just on Matt’s side of LA either. He seriously needed his parents, some level of comfort right now that Matt and his other friends couldn’t provide.
“Maybe next time, Gravy Train,” Alex said, forcing a brighter smile, but it almost felt like he was acting as Matt seemingly arched an eyebow at him and silence passed through for a few seconds. A little too long if you asked him. He stood up, suddenly feeling restless and mumbled something about needing to grab his charger, and retreated inside the house, leaving Matt by the pool.
That was…pretty much how the rest of the week went after that conversation. Strange. Different. It was like a low hum of static had settled beneath Alex's skin. He couldn't quite place it. He kept replaying Matt's invitation in his head, the way Matt had looked at him.
It had been just friendly, right?
Of course it was. Matt was just being Matt and it wasn’t like it wasn’t something they didn’t do a lot of the time, hung out in each other’s spaces, but despite having some of the awkwardness dissolve between them as they worked in unfinished projects together, the feeling persisted, a peculiar unease that seemed to be woven into every thought, every action.
He found himself thinking about Matt more than usual as well. Not in a work way, not like when they were collaborating on tracks or on a tour making fans go nuts for their antics, but in a newer way that just felt…at odds with himself, something he never expected to be given life was currently fucking great thanks to good therapy and some banger antidepressants.
He couldn’t get things out of his head like he used to, the way that Matt threw his head back when he laughed, the little crinkle around his eyes, the slightly goofy way he always managed to spill something on himself. He noticed the way Matt moved, his confident swagger, the way he held a microphone, his infectious energy on stage. He even started paying attention to the scents in Matt's house - a mix of something spicy and subtly sweet that Alex suddenly associated solely with him.
Honestly, the way he was acting around this grown ass man, as a grown ass man, was ridiculous. Just plainly simply ridiculous. He was just stressed about heading home after being away for so long, the jet lag after the 4 hour flight fucking with his insomnia, the looming mountain of emails and contacts waiting back in Vancouver at his parents place. That had to be it.
Why would it be anything else?
He tried to distract himself when he wasn’t working, which was thankfully not a lot of the time. Worked on new solo beats, scrolled mindlessly through social media, even attempted to rope Matt in to clean his own house up a little (a truly Herculean task considering Matt could whine and even complain), but still, the weird feeling clung to him, a persistent, almost… sticky sensation in his chest, like he was getting sick, but not sick enough that he could treat it with something.
God, he hopes he’s not like, actually sick, though. Last thing he wanted was to give his parents when coming back into their home was germs. They were already saints for letting him live with them full time while he had his own shit to deal with, let alone their own.
It’s when he’s at the airport doing exactly that does everything suddenly, swiftly, fall into place.
It’s Monday, an awfully shitty day to fly just to let you know and he was walking through LAX, navigating the sprawling terminal, with phone in hand. The usual airport bustle he would encounter, the hurried announcements over the speakers, the cacophony of rolling suitcases – it should have been familiar, routine for him now.
Today, it’s jarring and giving him a headache. He’s already woken up in a bad mood, chest tight and Matt and him have already said their goodbyes and left each other despite all of that, so he shouldn’t be feeling so shit about anything. God, it’s almost as if he knows that going home is not even fun anymore and he’s just going to get back there and turn into a slug for the next couple of days cause all he can think about is-
A cold wave of realization suddenly crashed over him, making him stop dead in his tracks, right in the middle of the concourse, his suitcase bumping against someone’s leg. He barely registered the annoyed glare however as it spread from his chest to his lungs where he gasps, to his heart which beats faster than it ever has while his brain runs fucking overtime.
Matt. All he can think about is Matt.
He can picture him back at the house, in his studio where they’ve been for days working on a new beat, his booming laugh echoing through the room itself and through the chambers of Alex’s currently fragile heart as he stand there, stuck dumb by his own person.
This past fucking week, all the weirdness he’s felt since he flew in, wasn’t him being homesick for Vancouver like he had wanted, at first. No, no what he felt was something he hadn’t felt in a long time.It was love.
Pure, unadulterated, heart-stopping, oh-my-god-I’m-in-love-with-my-best-friend-and-I’m-about-to-leave-him kind of love. The kind you find in just about every stupidly cliche romantic movie Alex has ever been forced to watch.
He loved Matt.
He loved Matt.
Panic suddenly took over his senses, making him fumble with the phone as he turned back towards the exit gates that were more far away than they had ever looked in the times he had used them. He was supposed to be getting on a plane. He was supposed to be going home, but home suddenly felt a million miles away, and the only place he wanted to be was back… with Matt.
Without a second thought, without even processing the sheer insanity of it all, Alex did something, again, that he from another life and another time would never have done. He turned around. He grabbed his suitcase, his shoes squealing on the polished floor as he spun around and began to run.
He ran against the flow of people, dodging rolling suitcases and bewildered tourists. He ran past newsstands and coffee shops, his breath coming in ragged gasps as he tried not to hit anyone with his person or belongings on purpose. He ran until he burst through the automatic doors leading out of the terminal, blinking in the sudden sunlight behind his glasses before he scrambled to the pick-up zone, heart leaping into his throat.
God, he was probably too late. Matt had most likely already left without him and he would have to find a fucking Uber at this rate just to catch up with him to he can look him in the face and know for certain-
Then, blessedly, he spots it. The familiar shape of the Honda Civic idling nearby as people and other cars pass it, Matt still in his good chains, basketball jersey and ripped jeans leaning against the back door where Alex’s suitcase had sat for the hour drive, scrolling on his phone passively.
He hadn’t left, not yet. “MATT!”
Matt’s head snapped up, his eyes widening in surprise as he saw his dumbass form sprinting towards him, suitcase swinging wildly as he skidded to a stop in front of him, dropping the suitcase with a thud as the airport noise faded into a muffled background hum, eyes meeting as he closed the remaining distance between them in a few strides, momentum carrying him forward.
Then, ignoring every ounce of self-doubt, every flicker of fear, he did the only thing that made sense in that moment. He cupped Matt’s face in his hands, ignoring the startled look in his eyes, and kissed him.
It wasn’t a gentle kiss by any means, despite what Alex had intended. It was a desperate, clumsy, whirlwind of a kiss, fueled by a week of suppressed feelings and sudden realization that he was 99 percent sure was one sided and this would be the most alarming moment of his life going forward. He hoped he wouldn’t lose Matt as a friend after this, if that was true.
Matt was stiff with shock for a split second, Alex’s lips feeling nothing at first, then his hands came up to cup Alex’s waist and pull him further against Matt’s body, the kiss deepening almost instantly as Matt’s tongue ran across Alex’s teeth. Seeking permission.
Alex let him in.
Of course, nothing lasts forever as everyone has to be reminded that they are only human, so when they finally break apart, breathless and blinking in the sunlight as life moves them, the world seemed to rushed back in slower, more muted, as Alex looked into Matt’s eyes.
“What the…?” Matt breathed, his voice a low rumble. “What…what was that?”
Alex, his heart still pounding like a runaway train, just managed a shaky smile. “That-” he said, his voice still rough from making out, “-was me realizing I’m an idiot and that maybe… maybe that I’m in love with you, Gravy Train and that I’ve turned into a shtity rom-com character because of you.”
He held his breath, bracing himself for rejection, for laughter, for anything but Matt, fucking perfect and beautiful and sunshine in a cup, just stared at him for a long, silent moment, a slow smile spreading across his face. Then, he laughed. A real, genuine, happy laugh that chased away the last vestiges of Alex’s fear and warmed him up on the inside as Matt always did because he wasn’t laughing at him, thank god.
He was laughing at the absolute absurdity of it all, Alex joining in not long after. They must have looked like a pair of idiots, standing in the drop off zone of the airport doubled over, tears on both their faces as they leaned against Matt’s car, Matt’s arm around his hip and Alex’s hands fisted in his jersey.
Eventually, the laughter subsides and Matt, ever the charmer, grins down at him. “Guess you’re staying a little longer after all, huh?”
The playful warmth of his tone sends shivers down Alex’s spine, lingering in his chest as he also grinned back, looking up into those blue eyes like he had done countless times before. Only different.
“Yeah. Guess I am-” His hand reached out to take Matt's hand, intertwining their fingers together as the world seemingly shifted, at peace now as he rested his chin on Matt’s chest. “Guess I am.”