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jule1122 · 10 months

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Malex Fic - You know I love you so

Written for the @yearoftheotpevent June challenge of “(accidental) love confessions.” I wanted to give Michael and Alex some time to enjoy getting back together and to tell people about their new relationship so I added a few days to 3x09 between Kyle being released from Deep Sky and Alex getting sucking into the Lockhart Machine. This really just some fluff about them telling everyone they are in love. Their are brief references to past Miluca and Forlex. As always, this is a Maria friendly fic.

You know I love you so on AO3

Title from “Yellow” by Coldplay

Summary: There first date is still a few days away. It's too early for Alex and Michael to say "I love you." At least to each other.

Michael sits at the bar, fiddling with his empty beer bottle until Maria comes over.

“Want another,” she asks, already handing him a new bottle.

“Good to see you back in action,” Michael smiles. “But are you sure it’s not too soon?”

Maria rolls her eyes. “I wish everyone would stop asking me that. I’m fine, 100% fine, even certified by both Liz and Kyle.”

“Alright I’ll back off,” Michael holds out his hands in surrender. “But you can’t blame us for caring about you.”

Maria’s stance softens, and she smiles at Michael. “I’m lucky I had so many people on my side, I know that. But what about you? I heard you and Alex had quite an adventure of your own.”

It’s an opening Michael can’t ignore, but instead of the carefully worded explanation he planned, he blurts out, “ I love him, Alex, I mean.”

“I know,” Maria’s smile gentles. “He loves you too.”

Michael blushes and ducks his head, but doesn’t deny it. Alex hasn’t said the words - neither of them have which makes Michael’s confession even more awkward - but Michael feels them. He feels them in the way Alex kisses him, the way he smiles at Michael’s dumb jokes and the way he holds him in bed, no space between them.

“It doesn’t mean I didn’t love you too,” he says. And Michael knows that is what he’d really come here to say. Alex comes before and after - and hopefully forever after - but he doesn’t want Maria to feel like she was just a pit stop along his way back to Alex.

“I know that,” Maria takes his hand off the bottle where he’d been picking at the label and squeezes it. “I loved you too. A relationship doesn’t have to last forever to be important. We had a good thing together, it was what we both wanted and needed at the time.”

“And now?” Michael can’t help but ask.

“And now we’re friends. You’re where you need to be and I,” Maria hesitates for a second. “I’m figuring it out.”

“We have a date this week,” Michael confesses, a disbelieving thrill of excitement in his chest just from talking about it. “We wanted to tell you first before you saw us or heard about it from someone else.”

“That’s great,” Maria’s smile is wide and genuine. “I shouldn’t have said when I did before, but I really do expect an invitation to the wedding.”

Michael knows he should brush it off, but he can’t bring himself to pretend it’s not what he’s always wanted so he draws an “X” over his heart, “Promise you’ll be first on the list.”

“I’d better be. Now go bother your siblings,” Maria points to where Isobel and Max are sitting, having come in sometime while they were talking, “so I can get some actual work done.”

“Here you go,” Kyle sits next to Alex and sets their drinks on the table. “Boring beer for you and a Pomegranate Pluto Martini for me.”

Alex makes a face when he sees just how bright Kyle’s drink is. “So this is why you wanted to meet here instead of the Wild Pony? Because Maria won’t make you drinks that glow.”

Kyle throws back his head and laughs. “Just wanted to celebrate my clean bill of health. There’s nothing like Taylor Swift Drag Night to make you feel alive.”

It’s a fairly quiet Tuesday at Planet 7, no drag queens in sight yet, but Alex thinks he understands what Kyle is trying to say. “I’ll drink to that,” he agrees, tapping his bottle against Kyle’s glass.

“I’ll have you drinking one of these by the end of the night,” Kyle says, quickly downing his drink and signaling one of the bartenders for another.

Alex just shakes his head. He’s been to Planet 7 a few times with Forrest, but it’s not really his kind of place. Kyle, on the other hand, seems completely comfortable. He knows most of the staff by name, has glitter highlighting his cheekbones, and Alex is pretty sure he’s wearing lip gloss. He doesn’t know what to do with any of that, but tonight is supposed to be about Kyle having a good time so he’s trying not to think too much.

“So tell me what I missed,” Kyle prompts him once his new drink has been delivered.

Michael is the first thing Alex thinks because Michael is all he thinks since their kiss on the patio. He tries to push away the images of Michael’s smile after they kissed and the way his body looked spread out over Alex’s bed. “Nothing much,” he answers as casually as he can..

“You got laid,” Kyle’s eyes widen, and he points at Alex. “Who was it? Is he here?”

Alex looks around quickly just in case Michael showed up while he wasn’t looking even though he knows Michael is at the Wild Pony with Max and Isobel. He’d declined Alex’s invitation to join him, sending him off with a kiss and a promise to take pictures if Kyle did anything embarrassing. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he says, doing his best to stonewall Kyle.

“Don’t lie to me. I know that look. It’s the same look you had after you hooked up with Forrest. Is it Forrest? Did he come back because he can’t live without you? He didn’t convince you to run away with him did he? I just got out of coma, don’t leave town again.”

“What is in that thing? Alex eyes Kyle’s drink suspiciously. “You shouldn’t be this drunk after one and half drinks.”

“It’s more like four. I had few before you got here. Devon makes a mean martini,” he waves his hand carelessly in the direction of the bar and the bartender winks at him. “But don’t change the subject. You definitely got laid, and I want to know if you’re running away with some cute guy and leaving me behind.”

“I’m not running away with anyone,” Alex admits with a huff.

“So it’s not Forrest. Who is it? If you don’t tell me I’ll just get Isobel to get it out of you.”

Alex winces because nothing the Air Force taught him would prepare him for being interrogated by Isobel “It’s Guerin. Michael,” he corrects.

“Oh, thank God,” Kyle sighs dramatically. “The sexual tension between you two was getting uncomfortable.”

“There’s no sexual tension,” Alex protests.

“Maybe not now,” Kyle wiggles his eyebrows. “But the last time we were all out together, and he was playing pool, the things he did with the pool stick to get your attention were very suggestive, educational too, but mostly suggestive.”

Alex blushes, “It’s not like that.”

“It’s not sexual?” Kyle sounds doubtful. “Because I know you got laid”

“Ok, yes I got laid,” Alex cuts him off. “But it’s not just sex. I love him,” he admits without meaning to.

“Oh,” Kyle’s brow furrows for a second before a bright smile blooms on his face. “That’s awesome, dude. I’m so happy for you.”

“Thanks, I’m pretty happy about it too,” he admits, finding it easy this time to say just how much Michael means to him.

Michael walks away from his conversation with Maria smiling and wondering if he should text Alex even if it means interrupting his night with Valenti. When he gets to their booth, Max and Isobel are having a whispered conversation that stops once he sits down.

“What’s up?” he asks when they both turn to look at him. He really hopes it's not another Jones emergency. He wants his date with Alex before the next pile of shit hits the fan.

“Nothing,” Isobel says too brightly.

“You and Maria looked like you were having a pretty intense conversation when we got here,” Max says.

“Not really,” Michael shrugs. Intense seems like too strong of a word, important yes, but it’s not like they were fighting. “Just wanted to talk to her about something. And make sure she’s feeling alright.”

“It’s nice that you are so concerned, but we don’t want you to get hurt,” Isobel reaches across the table and takes his hand.

“Ok?” It’s a question because Michael really has no idea what she’s talking about. He feels like he walked into the middle of the wrong conversation.

“Michael,” Isobel sighs and sits up straighter, taking her hand away. “You know Maria is seeing Greg Manes.”

“Greg’s not the Manes I’m in love with so I don’t see why that would be a problem,” Michael shrugs.

“You mean Alex, right?” Max asks.

Michael rolls his eyes, “I sure as hell wasn’t talking about Flint.”

“Does this mean we can finally talk about your secret, sordid teenage affair with Alex Manes instead of just hinting about it?” Isobel leans forward eagerly.

“No, and it wasn’t,” Michael makes a face and Isobel raises one brow at him, “sordid.” He’ll give her secret, but there was nothing sordid about how they felt about each other. Sure, they fucked it up later, but when he fell in love with Alex it made him feel lighter and hopeful.

“Does he know how you feel or are you still waiting for the right time? You know the weird emo poet guy is gone,” Isobel tells him.

“Oh, he’s very aware,” Michael smirks, thinking of how thoroughly he’d demonstrated his feeling this morning.

“So you’re back together,” Max, ever the romantic, smiles.

“No,” Michael corrects, but he feels bad when Max’s face falls and Isobel rushes to comfort him.

“Maybe he just needs time,” she says. “He wrote you a love song after all.”

“We are together,” Michael admits. “Just not back together. What we had before is over, and we need to start fresh if this is going to work. Can’t keep looking back.”

Max winces a little, and Michael knows he’s thinking about his own complicated history with Liz.

“So when did it happen? Who made the first move? Was it romantic or one of those fighting until your kissing moments?” Isobel bombards him with questions, most of which he has no intention of answering.

Michael leans back in the booth and sighs. “It’s still pretty new, and it’s still not sordid,” he makes another face at that word. “Although the sex is,” he trails off and lets out a low whistle.

Max drops his face into his hands, but Isobel claps her hands, “Tell me everything,” she demands.

“Iz, no,” Max looks up and glares at her.

“What, even you can admit they are hot together.”

“And it’s not secret this time,” Michael says, drawing their attention back to him. “We have a date this week.”

“That’s awesome, man,” Max beams at him.

“When is it?” Isobel asks. “I’ll need an hour, no two hours, to get you ready.”

“I can dress myself,” Michael objects, looking to Max for support.

Max laughs, “Don’t look at me. She has a whole section of my closet marked off for date clothes and knows if I don’t use them. I’m thrilled she has someone else to torture.”

“I wouldn’t have to do that if I could trust you to get changed before you go out,” Isobel scolds Max.

“Hey, I thought women liked a man in uniform.”

“Not that ugly brown uniform you wear. Now, I remember how Alex looked in his dress blues for the parade,” she smiles dreamily and turns to Michael. “Does he ever wear that for you? Because he should. The role play possibilities are endless.”

It’s Michael’s turn to cover his face with his hands. “Maybe we should have kept this secret,” he groans, but no one believes him.

After their respective nights out, Alex and Michael went back to their own homes, and while they exchanged texts about how their evenings had gone, they hadn’t seen each other. Alex was surprised by just how much he missed Michael even after only a few days together, and pleased at how he isn’t afraid to let Michael know it. So it was no hardship for him to leave early enough to pick up three coffees instead of one and stop by the junkyard on the way to work.

He leaves his own coffee in the car and heads toward the garage with the other two. As expected it’s Sanders who he sees first. Alex isn’t sure if he has an alarm system on the driveway entrance or he just spends all his time watching for cars, but he always appears the minute someone gets out of their vehicle.

“Car trouble?” Sanders asks as he makes his way to Alex.

“No, sir, just stopped by to see Michael.” Alex lifts the coffee cups a little higher in the air.

“So you’re coming by in the daylight now, out in the open, instead of sneaking around hoping no one sees you?”

Alex feels a flush of shame on his face. He was never embarrassed to be seen with Michael, just afraid, but he knows how he looks. “You’ll be seeing a lot of me now. I’ll do better by him,” he says as confidently as he can. “I love him,” he adds because Sanders is Michael’s family, and Alex wants him to know he’s serious.

“I could have told you that. One eye,” he taps his patch, “but I’m not blind. Don’t know why I have to keep reminding people of that,” he grumbles. “And you’ll both do better because you’re not a couple of scared kids this time. You’re not hiding from that no good daddy of yours, and he’s not so used to secrets he wouldn’t know the truth if it slapped him in the face.”

Alex laughs because he’s not wrong, but “No, now we're just dealing with his,” Alex pauses and reconsiders his words because he can’t bring himself to call Jones Michael’s father in front of the man who really should have that title. “Now we’re dealing with Jones and all my bullshit from a decade in the Air Force.”

“Never gonna be perfect,” Sanders grunts. “But you’re better together than you are apart. Start with that.”

“Thanks,” Alex shifts on his feet. He wasn’t expecting to have a heart to heart with Sanders so soon. It makes his anxious to see Michael, to be reassured he hasn’t fucked things up already. “Here, this is for you,” he thrusts one of the coffee cups at Sanders.

He sips it cautiously then smiles before narrowing his eye at Alex. “Michael tell you how I take my coffee?”

“Nope, he told me you take it black.”

“Idiot,” Sanders mumbles under his breath. “Guess coffee runs are your job from now on.”

“I can do that,” Alex agrees easily. Sanders' approval is worth the hours he spent reviewing the footage he hacked from the coffee shop to find out Sanders preferred coffee is a double espresso latte with half vanilla, half coconut and almond milk.

“Best be on your way before Michael glares a hole in my back waiting for me to let you go. Guess I know why he’s been smiling like a loon these last few days. Probably explains the limp, too.”

Sanders walks away leaving Alex choking on air. But he spots Michael waiting in the doorway of the garage, and his smile is worth the embarrassment.

#malex fic #rnm fic #yotp 2023 #my fic #S3 fic #alex and michael are in love #and happy about it #fluff

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