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Miles Kane cannot for the life of him figure out why he's being woken up so early on this morning of all mornings. It's just after 7:30 and yet his phone is already vibrating on his nightstand while it plays the classic iphone jingle. He rolls over to have a look at who it is. His plan had been to shut it off until he saw the photo on the screen that was associated with the caller."Miles, who's calling you this early?" Hannah's voice groans from in bed next to him."Who do you think?" The smile is already apparent in his voice. It's the second time so far today that Alex has called him. The first was at the very stroke of midnight to sing him happy birthday over the phone. Miles had intentionally let it go to voicemail so that he could listen to that lovely voice anytime he wanted. He then called Alex back immediately after."Of course," Hannah yawned rolling back over, and hiding her head under the pillow, pulling the covers up over her. Miles swiped his phone to unlock it on the very last ring before it would have gone to voicemail."Hello?""Good morning birthday boy. Did you sleep well?" Alex asked. He sounds more chipper than any sane person should be so early (but whoever accused Alex Turner of being sane)"I was sleeping rather nicely till you rang actually." Miles teased. " There a reason why you're calling at such a god-awful hour? It's barely bright outside.""Yup, it's time for you to get up. Come over, I made you breakfast!" Alex said proudly."Alex, It's my birthday can't I sleep in?" Miles complained, falling back onto his pillow. He stared up at the ceiling for a moment before covering his eyes with his hand letting out a deep sigh." No, I'm already cooking and we've got a tennis court reserved for 9:30. Do you want to play one on one? Or doubles with Matt and Cookie?" Alex asked. Miles couldn't help but smile."How about the kind of Tennis where I stay in bed and don't end up with welts because Matt gets too competitive?" Miles asked. He does love playing with Alex but didn't feel like leaving the comfort of his cozy bed so early to do so.On the other end of the line, Alex looks around him before lowering his voice. "Taylor is leaving to take the dog out for a walk. Probably won't be back for about an hour or so. I wanted to give you one of your birthday presents early... you know when it's just us." Alex says in a whisper so that he couldn't be overheard."Well in that case," Miles sat up on the side of the bed now thoroughly enticed." I'll be over in twenty." He said before hanging up."Going over to Alex's already?" Hannah asked. " I thought the party wasn't until later."" When Alex said we were spending the day together I didn't know he meant the entire day, but you know how he gets." Miles smiled. " First breakfast, then tennis, then I'm sure that he's got something else up his sleeve.""Oh, that sounds nice. Have fun with your boyfriend." Hannah Joked rolling over to go back to sleep."Yeah yeah, he's not my boyfriend," Miles says, although they both know differently. He walks over to to the closet and sighs as he stares into it. " Has he clued you in on anything else that he's got in mind for today? I have no idea what I'm supposed to wear." He says changing directions and grabbing his gym bag to throw a few things in."Other then the party this afternoon Taylor and I can't figure out what he's up to. He's being very secretive about it all." Hannah shrugged, sitting up against the headboard of Miles' bed."No offense, but if he has anything special planned I highly double that he would tell Taylor," Miles said, shoving his shorts into his gym bag and rummaging for a matching pair of clean socks."Has she still been acting strangely towards you?" Hannah asked."No, it's like we're as good of friends as ever, but that's only for Alex's sake. I know she doesn't trust me." Miles said. Since their summer tour had ended with The Last Shadow Puppets there had been a strange switch. Miles wasn't seeing as much of Alex as he was accustomed to. For the first week or two, it had been because they were both so burned out. They'd wanted to get some rest and spend some time with the people they hadn't been trapped with all summer. After that, it was assumed that things would go back to normal, but they hadn't. Alex seemed almost intentionally distant.Whenever they did spend time together these days it was never alone, and not for a lack of trying. It wasn't as if they were always trying to be by themselves, but it would have been nice to get so spend some quality time together that didn't involve their respective girlfriends or other friends hanging over their shoulders. Hannah was much more understanding of Miles need for space and time with Alex. She'd never had to play dumb when it came to the true nature of the relationship between the two men. Miles had never asked her to accept it, but she had anyway. Although Miles was a fiercely independent man he still craved constant company. It hadn't taken her long to figure out that he could never be satisfied with the love of a woman alone.This was in sharp contrast to Alex. Though he was known to be shyer and less social than Miles, the friendships he found himself in were generally built to last. Once you found yourself in his inner circle you would quickly realize that Alex Turner is a horribly clingy individual. It might have been a turn-off for some, but Miles was more than alright with Alex's need to be in constant contact with him. The one downside had always been the girlfriends. Whenever Alex fell in love he would usually spend an outlandish amount of time with his significant other. This usually led to things like them moving in quickly and becoming a huge part, and constant presence in his life as well as Miles'.Alexa had been wonderful and Arielle had been as well. Miles had genuinely liked both girls. That wasn't to say that he didn't likeaccustomedTaylor or that they weren't friends. They got along rather well most of the time, She got along with Hannah, and most importantly she made Alex happy. Where the problem seemed to lie is that since returning from tour Taylor seemed to be attempting to put herself in between Alex and himself. When Miles had approached his suspicion about that very subject with Alex he'd admitted that the two of them had an argument about the amount of time that Alex was spending with Miles."Says I'm dating her, not you. We got our summer together, now I've got to put some time into my relationship before I run off to do another Monkey's record." Alex had said. It did make sense, and deep down Miles knew that. He also knew that just because Hannah was alright with the relationship between himself and Alex didn't mean Taylor shared those feelings. She wasn't ignorant to what was happening, anyone with a set of eyes that paid a lick of attention understood that there was a certain tension between them. If she knew the full extent of it, then she would no doubt see it as cheating. That was a fight that both Miles and Alex would like to avoid.Alex loved Taylor, that much was true. Losing her would absolutely destroy him so he and Miles had always been careful about covering their tracks. Over the summer they'd been a bit bolder than they usually would have. " It's just for the fans." Miles had heard Alex trying to justify to her one night when they've been having a disagreement on one of the occasions that Taylor had come to visit them on the road. Something deep down told Miles that she didn't buy it and that's why since they'd gotten back she'd been trying to keep Alex from him or be a constant presence whenever they were together. She was keeping Alex on a tight leash in a way that was starting to bother Miles.He knew he shouldn't be bothered by it. Alex was in a relationship and so was he. Sure, he and Alex shared something more physically and emotionally intimate with each other than they did with their other friends... but was it love? That was something that they had been trying to figure out since they were in their early twenties. They'd never tiptoed around the issue, but they'd also never met it head on either. At the end of the day, neither one of them knew the answer. Did they love each other? Yes, absolutely! However, it wasn't some textbook description of a loving relationship.Miles never saw his relationship with Alex the way he did his relationship with any of the girls that he'd been with. The way he thought about it when his vision of them became clouded was that Alex wouldn't be the person he married. There was no way. Neither of them had any inclination to commit solely to each other and probably never would. That may have started to change a bit over the summer, but they'd discussed their options briefly before putting them to rest once again. The easiest way to define their relationship was by not defining it at all and accepting it as something ever changing that in the same stroke never changed at all. They were what they needed each other to be when they needed it."Do you think she's starting to figure things out?" Hannah asked as Miles continued to grab what he needed."Call it selfish of me, but I don't really care. Not today anyway. It's my birthday and if I want his attention then I'll have it." Miles shrugged as he threw his red swim shorts into his bag for later. "Only reason he actually got me out of bed is because he said she's going to be out for a while and he's got something for me.""Oh yeah? Any idea what it could be?""Head, I'm hoping for head," Miles said. They probably wouldn't have time for sex, not decent sex anyways. Maybe a quickie, but if Miles couldn't get at him properly he'd rather just get oral and call it a win. He reaches into his drawer and pulls out a pair of fitted jeans and his Paul Weller shirt, deciding that he'll be a casual turtle today. If they end up going out later then He'll just borrow something from Alex."You're such a tramp." Hannah laughed."I've been very good this year, and birthday sex was at the very top of my wish list. Speaking of which, thanks for last night. That was pretty incredible." He said winking in her direction. " Anyways I'm off. I'll see you this afternoon." and with that Miles is out the door.It doesn't take Miles long to get over to Alex's house. They only live about ten minutes walk from each other, but for the sake of time Miles takes his Vespa rather than going it on foot. "Hellooooo." He calls into the house when he finds the front door unlocked (not that he doesn't have a set of keys anyways)"In the kitchen!" Alex calls back. The whole house smells sweet which makes Miles smiles as he makes his way into the kitchen, leaving his gym bag by the door."Ooh, what are you making me?" Miles asked as he snakes one arm around Alex's waist and pulls him back against him."Pancakes," Alex says as he poured the batter onto the griddle. " Want to do me a favor? There are strawberries and whipped cream in the fridge. Would you mind grabbing them?" Miles nods letting go of Alex. Once they've all started to cook Alex abandons his post at the stove and runs over to Hug Miles from behind while he stares into the open fridge. " Happy Birthday by the way." He says as he leans to kiss Miles cheek."Why thank you darling." Miles laughed, turning around to face him with the strawberries and whipped cream in hand."I've got something for you," Alex said with the most mischievous smiles that Miles has ever seen. "Wait here, don't let the pancakes burn." He said before turning off to run and get Miles present from the other room. Miles waits for him to come back, keeping an eye on the pancakes while picking at the delicious looking strawberries. He was munching away on one happily when Alex returned. Behind his back he's obviously holding a box as if it was small enough to actual conceal."Why you trying to hide it! It's wrapped, I can't tell what it is anyways." Miles laughs as Alex makes his way over to him and sets the box down on the counter. " Am I allowed to open it now? Or do I have to wait till the party later?"" You can open it now, I'd rather have it stay between us that I got you this. Wouldn't want anyone to get jealous." Alex saysAs he pulls the paper off the box Miles isn't sure what to expect. Was it something sexy? Possibly private and that's why Alex wants him to open it now rather then later? Any assumptions about what it could be, go out the window as soon as Miles opens the box. " Oh my god Alex." Alex is absolutely beaming with pride, he knows he picked exactly the right thing by the shocked expression on Miles' face. "Tell me this isn't real...""It is! And it's got the papers to prove it." Alex says. Miles is in absolute shock. Staring back at him out of the box is a copy of John Lennon's imagine... a signed copy of imagine."How did you even find this?" Miles is in awe he doesn't know how he's ever going to be able to say thank you and part of him is unsure if it would be right to accept something so valuable even from Alex."You know me, I've got me ways of doing things." Alex winked walking back over to the stove."Alex I-" "No, before you say anything I didn't pay THAT much for it. I called in a favor to help me get my hands on it. Just say thank you and if anyone asks where you got it from then tell them it came from a secret admirer." Alex said. He took pride in being excellent at picking out gifts for people. It didn't matter if it was the simplest thing or something high dollar he always knew exactly what to get for someone. Every birthday or Christmas it was widely acknowledged among their friends and family that he had a talent that was almost superhuman in that regard."Thank you Alex. Thank you so much I love it." Miles couldn't help the way his lips curled at the corners when he made the joke about it being from a secret admirer."Yeah well... after how wonderful you made this summer for me I wanted to get you something nice. It was the happiest I've been in a long time and I have you to thank for that. Besides, can't I spoil you a bit for your birthday?" Alex asked."I didn't get to do the same for you. You were up in the mountains, I didn't even get to see you for your birthday this year." Miles sighed. That ski trip had been yet another attempt to put distance in between them."I invited you! But no! You wanted to go to Mexico!" Alex insisted."Forgive me for wanting to go somewhere warm! I think I've spent more than enough of my life being cold." Miles said walking over to Alex and kissing his cheek and neck. "Besides... All I wanna do is get high by the beach, get high by the beach get high." He sang softly making Alex laugh."Looks like Lana is starting to rub off on you." Alex chuckled, turning around to face Miles as the other man rested his hands on his hips to pull him closer."Maybe just a little bit," Miles admitted. "Did you invite her to the party this afternoon""Of course I did. What have you two been up to anyways, it seems like you're always together these days." Alex pointed out."We've been working," Miles said."Right, working." Alex rolled his eyes."Hey, don't get that accusatory tone with me. Don't tell me you're jealous.""I'm not jealous, but you know how fond I am of Hannah," Alex said pulling away slightly to flip the pancakes. "Be straight with me, have you slept with her?""Oh Alex, that's asking too much you know how hard it is for me to be straight with you around." Miles joked to lighten the mood. "But no, of course not.""I didn't think so. I was just wondering if... maybe since you two were collaborating you were getting from her what you haven't been getting from me lately." Alex confessed."You're the only one who can give me what I get from you physically and musically. It takes you and you alone to satisfy those needs." When he puts it like that Alex can't help but blush." I know, it's silly of me to think, but it almost feels like you're having an affair." He jokes."Alex, that's ridiculous. That would be like me being jealous of the time you spent with Alexandra!" In truth, he had been for a moment, but that had been back when they needed to focus on their own record and he was having trouble keeping Alex from being overstressed and scatterbrained while he split himself between the two projects. "And never once did I consider the idea that you might be sleeping with her!""I was just asking!" Alex insisted. " I know how much you like sex to go along with the creative process." He says cocking an eyebrow."Mmm, that's just with you ...If you were in my shoes would you?" Miles asks out of curiosity."I'm going to say no because I'd like to think that I'm a decent man, but the answer is probably yes," Alex said as Miles reached for another strawberry."These strawberries are incredible," Miles said trying to push their conversation in another direction. " Here, try." He said grabbing Alex and holding it out to him. "They're so juicy." Alex was momentarily reluctant but leaned in to bite the strawberry that Miles was holding in his direction making sure to make purposeful eye contact with Miles as he wrapped his lips around it. Miles found the exaggerated way that Alex groaned, playing up how much he was enjoying it extremely arousing."Mmm, fuck that is good." He said, licking his lips but missing a bit of juice that had run down his chin."You've got uh..." Rather than telling him Miles just leaned closer, licking it away. He pulls back just enough to catch Alex's eyes as if to ask for permission. As soon as it's granted he crashes his lips into Alex's pushing him back against the countertop, letting the stone dig into Alex's back as he yelped from the impact.When the short burst of pain subsided Alex smirked into the kiss. He'd been waiting all morning for Miles to make a move. He wasn't sure for a while if he would or not. Little does Miles know just how ready for him Alex is, already having taken the time to open himself up earlier that morning. Sure he could say it was all for Miles since it was his birthday, but in truth, he had been craving the other man's touch for weeks. "How do you want me?" Alex asked as Miles' lips made their way down his neck a few minutes later. He was already panting and needy."Think I'd like you on your knees," Miles growled in reply."What... don't you want to fuck me?" Alex asked sounding disappointed."Do we have time for that?" Miles inquire. He's worried that either they'll be caught or the pancakes will burn. One of the two."Yeah," Alex said as he reached to turn the stove off while Miles slipped his hand into the athletic shorts Alex was currently wearing. Just as they're both starting to get their hopes up they hear the barking of a dog and the twisting of a door knob causing them to jump apart."Al, I'm back." they hear Taylor's voice ring out from the kitchen. Miles and Alex exchange desperate glances before separating from each other just as Taylor walked into the kitchen"Hello there love," Miles said waving at Taylor."Hey Miles. I thought you weren't coming over until later." She said. Miles can't tell if she's actually happy to see him or if the smile is only for show."We're playing Tennis with the boys today," Alex said, his back was turned as he put the cooked pancakes onto plates. "Breakfast?" He asks looking over at Miles." Mmm, please!" Miles replied. He's starving, but it's not food that he's hungry for.Breakfast is awkward, to say the least. Miles can't concentrate on his food with Alex sitting next to him, still looking so enticing. They both finish quickly and use tennis as an excuse to head out as soon as the dishes are in the sink. " I'll clean up the mess when we get back," Alex tells Taylor as he kisses her before running out the door."That was a close call." Miles sighed as they got into Alex's car. Alex replied only with a frustrated noise. "Don't look so sad darling I'm sure we'll get another chance later.""When! That was our only opportunity to be alone, why do you think I called and woke you up." Alex muttered as his hands tightened their grip on the steering wheel till his knuckles were white."Easy tiger, don't break the wheel," Miles said putting his hand on Alex's thigh. "I'm sure we'll come up with something. We always do." He fakes a smile but knows he could be entirely wrong this time. He misses the old days when they were younger and didn't have to worry about being found out. Even over this summer he'd become so accustomed to having Alex whenever he wanted him. He'd become addicted to the feeling of the other man's skin, the way his chapped lips worked their magic across every inch of his body, the way his long hair felt between Miles' fingers as he tugged on it. Miles was a hopeless junkie when it came to Alex Turner and it seemed that Alex had it just as bad, both of them sick from the withdrawal."six weeks. It's been six weeks since we were together last." Alex points out."That's not true. I blew you just last week, remember? In the changing rooms at-""That's not the same! You haven't fucked me recently." Alex pouted."Turner, has anyone ever pointed out to you just how oversexed you are?" Miles asked trying not to laugh. After all, it was his favorite pass time."I'm no worse than you. Besides, I'm not getting anything from Taylor right now either. Forgive me if I'm a bit impatient." Alex whined."Oh? Have you gotten yourself into trouble again?""No... It's weird I don't really know how to explain it... It's not something I want to talk about if you don't mind." Alex said."Then we won't talk about it. It's none of my business what goes on between the two of you. Miles shrugged looking down at his phone."I... accidentally called her your name when she were blowing me the other day..." Alex admitted."Oh really?" Miles can't help but smile at the thought."Yeah, we were in bed and she was under the blanket. So, I couldn't see her and I let my mind wander I guess... it just sort of happened ok! It's not like she doesn't know that I fantasize about you! She's alright with me wanking myself thinking about you as long as I don't put my hands on you." Alex said."But you have got your hands one me, rather frequently I might add." Miles laughed."What she doesn't know won't hurt her. She told me what I want to think about when I'm trying to get myself there is up to me, but when we're together she better be the only one on me mind." Alex sighed, he's slightly embarrassed by his actions, even if they had been an accident."I can see where she's coming from. I think I would be pretty upset if you and I were getting it on and you called me by someone else's name. " Miles said. He would be downright furious."That would never happen because I can't imagine thinking about anyone else when we're together." Alex's blush is deepening now to the point where he nearly matches the color of the stoplight in front of them."Oh, am I special then?" Miles already know the answer. He just wants to hear Alex admit it."Have I ever given you a reason to doubt that you are?" Alex asked looking over at Miles. Their eyes stay locked on each other in silence until the light changes."DAMMIT HELDERS, IT'S MY BIRTHDAY YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO LET ME WIN!" Miles shouted from the other side of the court. Matt and Jamie are standing opposite himself and Alex. All four men are drenched with sweat and Matt and Jamie had just scored their final point to finish out the match."Whoever said that was a rule? What's the fun in playing if you know you're going to win? That just makes it boring and predictable!" Matt laughed."It doesn't matter, you're still a winner in my book." Alex joked, giving Miles backside a quick slap. " Let's hit the showers champ.""I think Jamie and I are going to take off, but we'll see you two lovebirds later." Matt teased while Jamie stood behind him making kissy faces at them."Just remember the party is at three!" Alex called after them when they started to retreat towards the parking lot rather than the locker rooms."I love playing doubles with them, but Matt gets so competitive sometimes." Miles sighed as they walked back into the side door of the building."He's always been like that. You should know by now." Alex said. "Even when we were kids and we were on the same football team. He'd do anything he could to win a match." As they walked into the locker room they notice that it's relatively empty. That made sense, it was a weekday after all. Not many people have the luxury of being off on a Friday afternoon the way they did. Miles was often thankful for their lifestyle, but he'd grown so accustomed to it that it was hard to remember that normal people worked during the week."At least neither of us ended up with any bruises today," Miles commented. The last time they had played doubles he'd ended up with two rather large purple patches on his thigh thanks to being hit with a few particularly high-speed balls that Matt had hit in his direction. The first one had been an accident, but it was debatable if the second one might have been aimed at him purposefully."I told him you had complained about it. Said I didn't want you to stop playing with us the same way Nick did because he was getting too rough with you." Alex laughed."Is that really why Nick won't play anymore?" Miles asked."If it was you, me, and Jamie then I think he would probably be up for a round or two, but he's flat out said that he won't play with Matt again." As Alex says it he grabs his gym bag from his locker and starts to strip himself down. Miles watches him as he pulls his shirt over his head, discarding it into the bag and pulls out a fresh one setting it aside. The next thing to go is his shorts which reveal a pair of bright red briefs with black trim underneath. Miles is practically licking his lips at the sight. Alex seems to notice the way Miles had stopped undressing himself to stare. "If you wanted bruises I could probably give you some." He adds. He wouldn't mind at all, but he knows it's probably not the best idea to be leaving marks all over Miles, especially when they're going to be having a pool party later that day."... You think we can get away with getting a bit steamy in the shower?" Miles asked. It's not like they haven't done it once or twice before. Alex is the master of keeping quiet when he needs to be. The only other people that were in the locker room with them were probably the old men that liked to hang out in the steam room and they were all hard of hearing, to begin with so they didn't even need to necessarily keep the volume down unless anyone else came in."Race you!" Alex said grabbing his towel and bolting for where the private shower stalls were. Although he'd always wanted to do it in one of the big, open community showers he didn't exactly feel like getting caught today. That could wait for another time."Be careful Al! You're going to slip and crack your head if you run in here!" Miles called after him, but Alex was already out of earshot. When Miles reaches the showers Alex has already decided to occupy the very last one in the row. He can see the steam from the hot water coming from behind the curtain. Miles pulled the curtain back to reveal Alex, all soaking wet and waiting for him with a look of delight and anticipation on his face. It reminded him of the last time that they'd had sex in the locker room. They'd decided to spice things up with a little bit of role play action. They'd acted as though they were anonymous strangers. Alex had come into the steam room after a long hard workout and sat across from Miles, trying to avoid the gaze of the 'stranger' who was obviously watching him. When Alex left to shower, Miles had found himself following after the beautiful boy, peeking at him through a gap in the curtain until Alex 'caught him' then Miles had pushed Alex into the cold tile on the wall and fucked him silly."You like what you see?" Alex asked, running his hands up and down his body as he looked over his shoulder at Miles"Mmm, you know that I do," Miles said. He hung up his towel and stepped into the shower. He pressed himself up against Alex's back, his arms going to the other man's hips as he kissed the side of his jaw and the shell of his ear."There's something hot about feeling like I'm some random guy that you're cruising," Alex admitted."Oh yeah, because that's why I like this gym so much. All the anonymous gay sex... Alex you know things like that don't happen in real life, that's only in porn." Miles laughed."No, it does happen! You know how many older men I've had come up on me here?" Alex laughed."The geezers from the steam room? I'm not surprised. Why do you think that they come here all the time? They're looking for some nasty little twinks who will suck them off in the sauna." Miles growled against Alex's ear. "But they don't get to have you. Only I do. I'll be the only man that ever lays a hand on you.""You make it sound like I'm your property." Alex rolled his eyes as he turned about to face Miles."That's because you are. Now if you don't mind, I think I'd like to have what's rightfully mine." Miles said, pushing Alex back into the wall causing him to whimper at the sudden impact. He loves when Miles gets rough with him it always makes him weak in the knees, a fact that Miles is well aware of.It doesn't take long before Miles has Alex pressed up against the tile. His legs are twisted around Miles' waist trying his best to hold himself up although with all the new muscles Miles has developed recently he doesn't seem to need much help supporting Alex's body weight. Miles' lips are on Alex's neck while the other man tries not to squirm, lest it knock them both off balance. "You ready for me?" Miles growled, biting down on the skin of Alex's clavicle."Fuck yes." Alex moaned, biting his lip while Miles positions himself to enter him. Just as he's starting to push himself into Alex a terrible sound rings through the locker room causing them both to startle and Alex to fall to the hard floor. "OW MILES!" He yelped."I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Miles said, pulling Alex to his feet and grabbing both of their towels. A fire alarm at a time like this? REALLY? "C'mon Al, we need to get out of here." He wants to check and make sure that Alex is alright, but if there is a fire then they need to get clothes on and get out as quickly as possible.Alex is still upset when they get outside. He's not so much upset with Miles as he's upset with the situation. Nothing kills a boner faster than being dropped on a hard tile floor then having to run outside. As it turned out the heating element of the sauna had caught on fire, so at least it wasn't a false alarm. "Your back alright Al?" Miles asked as they stood out in the parking lot."Don't exactly know how I'll explain the new bruise to Taylor, but it's fine." Alex shrugged, taking another drag off his cigarette as he and Miles walked back towards his car."We just don't have very good timing today do we?" Miles sighed. He'd been so close to getting the one thing he truly wanted for his birthday... well, there was one other thing, but he wasn't sure he'd ever admit that.The car ride is oddly silent. Being quiet isn't something that often happens when Miles and Alex are together. There's never a lull in conversation with them. Usually, it's because Miles never shuts up, but he can feel the waves of disappointment from Alex. " Think there's still shampoo in my hair." Miles faked a laugh, running his hands across his scalp."Hm... Your hair is getting long... Going to shave it again?" Alex asked."Nah, Think I'll play with it for a little longer." Miles shrugged."I like it long. It's starting to remind me of when we were younger," Alex said. He's feeling a bit nostalgic for the old days especially at the moment. They had been simpler times back then."Maybe I'll try something new soon. How about I take your Dracula look for a test drive? Start slickin' me hair back and acting to like someone's drunk uncle?" Miles joked punching Alex in the arm. He was fishing for a laugh but Alex didn't take the bait."Might look good on you." Alex simply shrugged and once again the car fell silent. "You want me to drop you off at your place so you can clean up before the party?""Who 'cleans up' for a pool party, honestly Alex that's just silly." Miles rolled his eyes."I was just wondering since you said you're still soapy and all.""Can't I just shower at your place? Maybe we can have another go at -"" Miles, my back hurts. I'd rather not be slammed into any more walls today thanks, and Taylor will be home so if you want to shower at my place you're welcome to but you're going to have to shower alone." Alex grumbled."... Right then... let's just head back to yours..." Miles sighed. He could suggest that they go to his flat to hook up, but he doesn't like to actively subject Hannah to their relationship for fear that it might upset her. That and the fact that they might be gone for too long would look suspicious."I'm sorry I'm in a mood. It's got nowt to do with you honestly I'm just frustrated," Alex said as he ran a hand through his hair. "It's just... it's your birthday and I wanted everything to be perfect." Alex is exasperated, it's not hard to tell."Well, it's not what I was expecting, but it's certainly been exciting so far! We almost died in a fire and I got the best present ever!" Miles said taking Alex's hand while they were at a stoplight and kissing the back of it."We did NOT almost die, the fire wasn't anywhere near us." Alex rolled his eyes but smiled all the same. "But that record was damn near impossible to find so I'm glad that you like it.""It's incredible, but that's not what I was talking about. I was talking about getting to spend time with my best mate. We don't get much time to ourselves lately." Miles said causing Alex to blush."You're saying I'm better than a signed copy of imagine?" Alex laughed."If I could choose between spending the day with you and spending the day with John Lennon himself I would choose you every time," Miles said. There's a certain weight to the way he says it that indicates a deeper meaning. From time to time things like that happen where it almost feels like they're about to have some sort of breakthrough only to retreat back into their shells. It's just the moment, it's not really what they want and allowing things to change would only spell disaster. "Actually, that's a lie. I would take the day with Lennon. You I can see anytime I want. He's dead, that makes him much more elusive!""I was about to say you're a madman if you'd even think of turning that down. I have a question though, is he alive for a day or are you dead for the day? And what are the rules about outside contact is he allowed to see anyone else? Or just you? Like can he call Yoko or Paul? Or can he not have contact with anyone that he knew when he was alive cause that's too messy, and if that's the rule then would you two be allowed to face time me? Because I have SO many questions!" Miles smiled, it seems as if Alex is starting to finally come back around."I was imagining he would be a ghost of sorts... can ghost use face time they can't see themselves in mirrors can they?" Miles asked." No, that's vampires, Miles. Vampires can't see themselves in mirrors." Alex laughed."I know for a fact that's not true!" Miles insisted."Oh? How?""Because you've got a reflection!"When they get back to the house Taylor is out by the pool with her dog. She hears them come in but isn't inclined to get up from where she is. Miles heads right for the shower and Alex decides to go and lay down for a minute or two.Miles should have expected that by the time he'd gotten his hair rinsed out Alex had already fallen asleep on his bed. Rather then putting his clothes on he decided to just throw on his swim shorts since they'll probably be going swimming soon anyways. Alex is splayed out like a starfish still in his gym clothes with his eyes closed and his rhythmic breathing is blowing his short bangs away from his face. He hadn't heard the door which meant that Taylor was still most likely outside so he decided to lay down next to Alex, gently kissing his next."Mmm Mi..." Alex muttered moving his neck to give the other man better access."How did you know it was me?" Miles asked."The way your lips feel... and your stubble," Alex said as he rolled over without opening his eyes to pull Miles closer. " And your scent, even soap can't wash it off." Miles' heart melts a bit as Alex opens one eye to look at him a soft smile playing on his lips. He can't help the way his heart beats out of rhythm when Alex leans in for a kiss wrapping his arms around him before muttering the blasphemous words "I should get up.""Give us a minute." Miles pleaded."Everyone will be here soon. Got to be getting things ready." Alex sighed as he sat up. He looked over at Miles and smiled at what he's got on. " Mmm, I like those ones. I like them very much. You know how much I adore you in red.""I know you do, that's why I picked them." Miles wiggled his eyebrow for emphasis."You're such a tease, Kane." Alex chuckled."Oh, and you're not? Walking around all sexy like with that bum of yours and your... face." Miles retaliated as Alex got up from the bed and went to look for his own swimsuit."You like my bum eh?" Alex laughed as he started to pull his clothes off and put on a pair of light blue shorts a bit longer than Miles' own."I thought we'd already established that I do.... WELL OF COURSE I CARE, YEAH I CLEARLY DO." Miles laughs the last part."Did you a just-"" Well Of course I did, yeah I clearly did.""Remind me again why we're friends?" Alex joked."Because you love me," Miles smirked."Maybe, just the smallest amount," Alex admitted." Well of course you do, Yeah you clearly do!" Miles couldn't resist."Oh fuck off!" Alex laughed walking back out into the kitchen and looking through the fridge. "I really ought to have done this yesterday, but Matt and I wanted to take the bikes out.""You blew off getting things ready for my party to go out on ya motorcycle with Matthew? Oh, that is unacceptable Alex. I'll have to have words with that boy." Miles laughed. " Seriously though you've already done so much for me. Besides, now I can help!""You'll do no such thing. You're going to sit down and let me make you a drink and then I'll get everything ready to go on the grill." Alex insisted."Al, don't be silly. I can help." Miles tried to insist, but he knows Alex isn't going to let him."Nonsense, now what will it be. I stocked up for the party so you name it I'll make it." Alex said."I don't know surprise me! You know what I like." Miles said."Well, Brandy and Cock it is then... coke brandy and coke." Alex corrected, his cheeks tinting red."Get your mind out of the gutter Turner," Miles said once he'd managed to quiet his laughter."Sorry, was lookin' at your shorts." Alex joked."You naughty monkey." Miles wiped a tear from his eye as he continued to giggle."Shut up! Here's your drink." Alex said handing the glass over to Miles and going back to the fridge to start getting things ready.A couple drinks later Miles decided to go and join Taylor outside in the pool. They were friends, after all, it's not like they couldn't be alone together for a while. After a quick dip and some polite conversation about boxing which Taylor had recently taken up, they both decided to go refill their drinks and go help Alex bring the food out to start grilling. "Damn Miles, When did you get so shredded," Taylor asked noticing as they get out of the pool that Miles is much more muscular than he was when she'd first met him. The improvement was noticeable even more so than it had been on Halloween."All the working out is starting to pay off. Getting some nice defined lines, that's for sure." Miles laughed."I bet Hannah can't keep her hands off you." Taylor joked."You'd be right about that. My new body defiantly has its perks. I got tired of being the skinny scraggly little thing I used to be, so I did something about it. Feels great." Miles said puffing his chest out. He's rather proud of his work."Think she'd mind if I snap a picture for Instagram?" Taylor laughed."Not at all! Going to show me off to all your model friends?" Miles asked." You know it! Smile birthday boy!" She quickly snapped the photo and posted it before putting her phone down. " Let's see how long it takes for you to break the internet."" You say it like I'm Kim Kardashian or something," Miles said, walking past her back into the house. " ALEEEEX, LET'S GET COOKING I'M HUNGRY."Soon enough the party was in full swing. There were people crowding the back yard as well as the kitchen inside the house all talking and having a good time. In all honesty, they hadn't invited that many people just their inner circle. All the monkeys and their wives were there but hadn't brought the kids with them. This was time for the adults to get a little wild so they all thought it would be best to get a babysitter for the little ones. Zach had turned up with a big box of fireworks which he, other Zack, and David had already gotten into even though it was still somewhat light outside. Lana, Hannah, and Taylor had ended up in the pool chattering away and Alex was manning the grill. Of course, Miles was the center of attention and he was soaking it all up. Sure, they could have gone out and partied, but honestly, this is exactly what Miles reaches wanted. Sunny weather, drinks, barbecue, and to be surrounded by the people that he loved most. Sure it would have been nice to have some of his friends from back home around. Jay and Jeff would have come, but they were busy with shows at the moment which Miles understood."Alex! Are you ever going to come join the party or are you just going to slave over a hot grill all evening?" Lana asked as she got out of the pool and made her way over to him."I'm almost done. Probably ought to hurry, those drinks seem to be going down awfully fast." Alex shrugged." Miles has already started to slur," she laughed. "But it's his birthday! If he wants to get sloppy drunk then that's his right.""It is. You should have seen him on his thirtieth. That was a disaster." Alex said shaking his head at the rather fond memory. "From what I remember at least. We were both pretty gone that night.""Then you should be drinking with him. He obviously wants your attention. He keeps looking over here and something tells me that that has nothing to do with the food, honey.""He's had my attention all day! I made him breakfast, we played tennis with Matt and Jameh, and there was a fire at the gym it was all very exciting. Then we came back here and we talked for a bit while I was trying to get everything ready to go on the grill. He showed me some of what you've been working on, it's really quite brilliant." Alex said."Did you fuck him yet?" Lana asked causing Alex to choke on his beer."Sorry what? I have no idea what you're-" She shuts him down immediately with a look causing Alex to lower his voice. "How did you know?""Oh please, the tension between you two is obvious," Lana said smirking at the way Alex reacted. " So, are you going to answer my question?""No, and not for lack of trying. Timing is just off today is all." Alex sighed. " It's funny, I asked him the same thing about you this morning.""That's just rude Al. You should know I have no interest in Miles. I see him as my gay friend who's good for things like shopping and making music.""And Karaoke! That was a good night." Alex laughed."That too. Although please do the world a favor Alex, no one ever needs to hear you sing 'Like a prayer' again." Lana said."Only if you promise not to do any more show tunes." Alex rolled his eyes, starting to pull food off the grill."I think Hannah might be upset if she heard you refer to him as 'the gay friend'. He's not gay you know." Alex said." No, but you are aren't you?" For the second time, Alex nearly chokes. How is it that having known them such a short time Lana seems to have a great deal of insight, picking up on things that even his girlfriend misses."... I'm in the process of figuring things out." Alex admitted. "Everything sort of muddy, it always has been. I don't know if I can call it one thing or another.""It doesn't matter what you call it Al, as long as you're happy then it doesn't matter. But I will say life is no fun if you don't rock the boat once in a while." Lana says winking at Alex and turning head back for the pool. She pauses again and looks back over her shoulder at him. "You know you're all he talks about when we're together. It's apparent that you're constantly on his mind."Later that evening when their guests have come and gone and the group has been reduced to the last few stragglers the house falls quiet. Hannah was in the kitchen with Taylor clean up and Alex had pulled Miles into the guest bedroom. It had been decided that Miles and Hannah would certainly be staying the night since they were far too drunk to drive. This wasn't the first time that had happened and it certainly wouldn't be the last."Alsan'er I ca wulk m'self lemme go ya dumb uuuh." Miles seems to be searching for an insult but instead bursts into laughter."Oh hush Mi, you can barely stand." Alex laughed. He's not exactly sober himself but at least he can stand up! Miles, on the other hand, had been sitting in the grass unable to stop from stumbling as he tried to get up when Alex decided to help." 'm fine yeh leg go 'f me" Miles tried to pull out of Alex's tight grip only to end up colliding with the wall in the hallway and tumbling to the ground. "Ouch." He muttered before starting to laugh again causing Alex to smile as well. He stands back and watches a few of Miles' attempts to stand before he finally gives up. " 'm 'k ya can 'elp me now.""Oh, what was that? You DO need my help?" Alex smirked."smug fuck shuddap," Miles said taking Alex's hand." You're going to severely regret this in the morning." Alex laughed as he helped Miles into the guest room. He pulled away and instantly fell onto the bed letting out a content sigh." 's m' birthday I get ta make ba' decisions." Miles insisted."You're right. Did you have a good birthday Mi?" Alex asked sitting down on the bed next to Miles."Mmm, tha's to you Aly." Miles, giggled starting to let his eyes close. " ya do err'ythin' fa me... ya'd do an'thin' fa me." His speech is starting to becoming more and more unintelligible as Miles closes his eyes. Alex isn't sure if he's falling asleep or if he's finally blacked out, but it only takes Miles a few minutes for his breathing to even ou telling Alex that he's indeed asleep. It was a shame, Alex had been hoping that he'd be up for a while, at least long enough for Alex to say what he'd been thinking about all day. He figured asleep or not he might as well say it anyways."Well, today certainly didn't go the way that I planned it... It would have been nice to have gotten to give you a good birthday shag, but that's not why. The truth is, I had a very specific plan that had nothing to do with breakfast, or tennis, or parties... it just had to do with us. I planned to come clean to you in ways I never have before Miles and I was looking for the right time but it just didn't feel like the moment I wanted. I guess now is as good a time as any to tell you that I've been lying to you. It isn't Taylor who has been keeping me from getting any time alone with you. I've been intentionally distant and trying me best to frame her for it. The truth is she doesn't have a problem with you at all... but that might change if she heard what I'm about to tell you."Alex hears a loud clattering in the kitchen and then the two girls roar with laughter. He's was glad to see that it hadn't woken Miles or he might not have the courage to continue. "I love you Miles Kane... and not in the way we usually say it. This summer made me realize how crazy I am about you. It took me some time to come to term with these new feelings only to realize that really, they're not new at all. Guess I've always had them and just couldn't understand what they mean. It's when you get that word on the tip of your tongue and you can't seem to get it out of your mouth. You know what it is, but you can't say it. For me, that word is your name. It's the only word I want to call out in the night, to whisper like my own secret, to have as my own private mantra like a spell that's been cast enchanting my mind and bringing light to my life. You have truly bewitched me. You're the poison in the apple of sin that was worth plucking from the tree even if it meant being thrown out of Eden. You're the beat of my heart and the blood in my veins. You are the sweetness on the tip of my tongue and you are the red of my rage, my passion, my lust, my desire and everything else that consumes me because deep down in the darkest parts of me..." Alex pauses with a sigh. " You are the heat that warms my frigid soul and the fire that keeps me going. I love you Miles Kane... and I don't want anyone else... just you."He finishes and stands, crossing to the door and flipping off the light. " Goodnight birthday boy." He muttered before shutting the door. Out in the hallway, a single tear runs down his cheek as he realizes he'll never have the strength to repeat the words he's just said. So he wipes it away and goes to the kitchen to join the ladies knowing nothing has changed and likely never will. Little does he know that Miles did indeed hear him.He heard every word.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Miles wakes up disoriented and alone. It takes him a moment to get his bearings and realize that he is in Alex's guest room. He's fairly used to waking up there, usually when he's hung over, sometimes when he's not. It's not just in this house, but in every home Alex has had prior. It's a time-honored tradition that Miles will always end up in the guest room or on Alex's couch far more often than he should. Sometimes if he's lucky he ends up in Alex's bed instead, but not here. Not since Taylor started living with him at least. Maybe on one or two occasions that she had been out of town and they had seized an opportunity.Nights spent together were more commonly in shared hotel rooms where one of the beds would be left untouched. They would ruffle the covers in the morning to make it look as if it had been slept in so they wouldn't arouse any suspicions. On the bus, it wasn't all that uncommon for them to get cozy either. No one really batted an eye as long as there were no strange noises. Sex on the bus was usually out of the question anyways. Bunks much too cramped for it to be comfortable and Alex was far to self-conscience. He was afraid of someone finding out what they were doing. It wasn't that he minded anyone knowing that they were hooking up. He just didn't really think the others needed to know what he sounded like when he was a moaning mess. Even if he was quiet they were bound to hear something eventually because Alex has no ability to contain himself when it comes to Miles.Miles tried to focus, sitting up in bed. Someone had drawn the curtains to keep the light from getting to him. Something he was entirely grateful for. If his head was pounding this hard in the dark he couldn't imagine what it would be like if he'd woken up to the sunshine that usually covered the bed. Out of all the rooms in the house, this was the one that got the most direct sunlight in the late morning and afternoon. This had made it one of Alex's favorite napping places. Miles had on plenty of occasions found him splayed out on the bed on his stomach, snoozing in the warm spots left on the blanket by the sun like an oversized cat.He looked around the room trying to gain some composure. He was still wearing his now dry shorts from the night before. He probably should have taken them off before getting into bed, but since he didn't seem to remember much about the way the night before had ended he guessed it probably hadn't been something that crossed his mind. He grumbled stripping off his swim shorts and hoping that by chance he'd left clothes around there somewhere. If not then he would just borrow something from Alex.As he gets up he notices something sitting on the nightstand next to the bed. Someone had left him Asprin and a glass of water! How kind of them! It had to have been Alex. Hannah wasn't the type to take care of him when he over did it with the drinking. She'd simply laugh at him for his mistakes and tell him to go back to bed until he was feeling better. Alex, on the other hand, didn't have the heart to let Miles be miserable. It probably had something to do with how many times Miles had taken care of him as well. On tour, they always looked out for each other to make sure that the other was in show ready condition when they needed to be.He took the pills and got up, walking over to where to the dresser that sat in the corner of the room and opened the top left drawer. It had been dubbed his. Usually, anything that got left around the house would end up there. That or occasionally Miles would lend Alex something that he forgot to give back (or secretly didn't want to give back and he was hoping Miles would forget that he had it) and it would take up residence in the drawer until Miles decided to take it home (or just give it to Alex) Recently, since Taylor had started to have more suspicions about them Miles had tried to be better about when and where he left clothing lying around their home resulting in the drawer being rather empty these days. Luckily there was still a pair of Jeans he'd forgotten a while ago when they'd gone swimming. That was enough for now. If he really needed a shirt he could get the one he'd been wearing yesterday from his gym bag.He slipped out of the guest room and into the bathroom to brush his teeth. He left the door open to let in enough light to see but didn't flip the switch to the bright vanity bulbs on. Of course, he had a toothbrush there in the medicine cabinet. Just shows just how often he ended up hanging around. Even in the dim light from the hall, he could see that his hair was an absolute mess. He didn't want to cut it yet. Maybe he would even let it grow back to its former Mod glory! It was just at such a strange length right now that he wasn't sure how to manage it. Maybe he would start slicking his hair back the way Alex used to since he wasn't rocking that look anymore. Rules that had been established after their Beatle looks in the early days of The Last Shadow Puppets stated that they were no longer allowed to have the same haircut, or near same, at the same time. It made them look too much like brothers and there is nothing stranger than getting a hard-on from someone who looked like they could be your long lost twin.He rinses his mouth out and splashes his face with water, taking a moment to collect himself in hope that the dizziness that he's experiencing will pass. It's then he notices that there's sunglasses next to the sink, a pair of Alex's. Next to them is a little sticky note with an image of a cartoon sun wearing sunglasses and an arrow pointing to the pair...Could this man be any cuter? It's simple things like this that make Miles realized how blessed he is to have the darling boy in his life. A man could never ask for a better best friend. Sure, the rest of the world saw him as some bad boy sex god, but to anyone that knew him, truly knew him he was just a sweet oversized puppy hell-bent on making those he cared for happy.Miles put the sunglasses on and walked out into the living room, finding Alex watching some documentary or another about the Beatles that just happened to be on." Morning." Miles grumbled, coughing as he realized just how hoarse his voice sounded." I was starting to think that you weren't going to get up." Alex laughed looking over at Miles as he turned the volume down on the TV slightly. Even with the aching in his skull, Alex's laugh was still the most incredible thing that Miles had ever heard in his life. Every little nuance of it made it sound like the swelling of a great symphony. " 's nearly two." He added."Mmm," Is all Miles says, sitting down next to Alex on the couch."You want some coffee? Here I'll go grab you some." Alex said, getting up just as Miles sat down. Miles wanted to protest that he just wants Alex to stay next to him (and possibly never move again for the rest of eternity) but coffee does sound lovely at the moment. Alex returned a moment later handing him the cup and reclaiming his seat."Thanks," Miles muttered taking a long gulp even though the coffee was still hot. It felt soothing against the back of his throat which he was more than thankful for. "Where are the girls?""They left about an hour ago to go shopping. I'm pretty sure they're with Lana." In actuality, Alex had asked Lana for a favor. He'd conspired with her to get their girlfriends out of the house for a while so that Alex could have some time with Miles when he got up. Lana had agreed on the condition that Alex comes clean with Miles about how he was feeling towards him. He told her technically he already had but she'd insisted that it didn't count because Miles had been passed out drunk."So then they won't be back for a while," Miles said, putting his cup of coffee on the table and leaning to rest his head in Alex's lap. "I had a very odd dream last night." He started."Yeah, what about?" Alex asked, his eyes once again fixed on the television as he mindlessly ran his hands through Miles' hair, scratching his scalp in a way that left Miles practically purring under his touch."It was about you. You were finally telling me things that I always suspected you felt but were too scared to be honest about." Alex feels as though his heart has just stopped but he tries not to let it show. "If I remember right you were being awfully poetic about it. It was strange though... It was all so vivid, but at the same time, I couldn't see you. I could only hear your voice but there's one line that repeated itself in my mind the rest of the night over and over again. I love you Miles Kane, and I don't want anyone else just you.""Miles that' ridiculous. I thought you said it was something that you actually suspected me of feeling. You know that's not true. I love you but, it's not like that!" Alex said. Shit, Miles had heard his confession. He had to backtrack and fast, at least he thought that it was a dream. Maybe there was a way that he could get himself out of this."Really? So you're not crazy about me like the Alex in my dreams is?" Miles asked. He sits up putting his hand on the back of Alex's neck and pulling him closer so their foreheads are pressed together. "Cause he told him I'm enchanting.""Miles..." Alex muttered, trying to pull back. He's scared now. He doesn't want Miles to have heard those things and now it looks like he's trying to use whatever he thinks 'dream Alex' said to him to get laid. Alex knows this move to well to see it as genuine. It's the one that makes him weak. Miles will say a few devilishly sweet things then pull back just far enough to stare into Alex's eyes. He'll caress his face, run his thumb over his cheek and then lean in for a kiss leaving Alex like putty in his hands. He becomes nothing more than soft clay Miles can mold into any position he chooses. This time though it feels dirty and wrong. A simple set of repeated gestures that will no doubt lead to sex in and only serve to cheapen the value of words not dreamed at all but poured from the soul of a sweet man to afraid now to repeat them. It leaves him feeling trapped and anxious. He's powerless to escape."Said that I was his rage, passion, lust." As the word lust leaves the tip of his tongue he grasps the front of Alex shirt and starts to pull back as if he's going to kiss him. That is until..."STOP! Miles stop." Alex says pushing him away and getting up from the couch. There were tears forming in his eyes already which makes Miles feel absolutely horrible. Had he gone too far? Alex wants to run. He wants to run to his room and shut the door. He wants to stay there until the girls come back and Miles goes home, but he can't. He stays frozen to the spot as every emotion for hurt to shame flows through him starting from the tips of his toes and flowing upstream to the geyser of anguish erupting in his chest. How dare Miles use those words against him and how could be such a coward for only saying them when he was blacked out."Alex..." Miles' eyes soften instantly."Am I a joked to you, Miles? You can't just..." Miles couldn't stand to see Alex cry. It's his Kryptonite. He'd move mountains with his bare hands if he could assure that it would never happen again. More often than not recently he seemed to the cause of Alex's tears."Sssh, it's ok Al, I-I don't think that at all." Miles tried to tell him, his voice taking on a softer tone as he got up moving towards Alex who only retreated further. He had obviously gone too far. "Al, I knew it wasn't a dream. I was just trying to see if you would confess on your own." Miles said. Alex glared at him through the hair that hung in his face."What?" He snapped."I was awake. I heard what you said to me last night." Miles said rubbing the back of his neck."So, knowing that I had poured out my soul to you thinking you were asleep you tried to play me like a fool, for what? To humiliate me? To get a good shag?" Alex asked."No Al, it's not-""Did it ever occur to you Miles that I said those things when you were passed out because maybe I was afraid to say them to you conscious? Did you ever even for one second-" Miles moves closer again, putting his hands on either side of Alex's face."Alex, breathe. Calm down." Alex had been so wrapped up in his panic that he hadn't realized that he was hyperventilating. Miles skin against his, the chocolate orbs locked into the honey brown pair opposite seemed to relax him although his breath nearly stops when he hears the words spoken from those soft thin lips. "I love you too." and with that, the gap closed between them in a flurry of passion.Eventually Alex, dizzy and devoid of oxygen broke away. His lips now cherry red from the way Miles had chewed the chapped skin. When the rise and fall of his chest slips back into its usual rhythm he speaks up. "You know what this means, don't you?" He asks as he walks past Miles to the couch. Miles is more than happy to sit back down next to him. His legs had started to feel a bit wobbly as he was still incredibly hung over."That all our friends were right?" Miles joked."I think we should... see less of each other for a while," Alex muttered."What? Alex! Why on earth would you say something like that? You can't be serious. I've just told you I love you, really truly love you. We have mutual feelings for each other and you think we should be together LESS?" Miles asked, his own shouting making his head pulsate."Well yes, obviously," Alex said tilting his head as if unsure why Miles wasn't understanding him."That's absolutely daft. You can't be serious. Why would you even suggest that?" Miles asked."Think about Miles. If I hadn't said what I did last night, or if you hadn't heard it for that matter, would you have ever told me about how you felt? Don't you think that maybe it's swaying your views a bit?" Alex asked."Do you mean am I sure that I love you? Yes, of course, I'm sure." Miles said."Really? Because I don't know that I'm sure. I mean I do mean everything that I said but think about this reasonably Miles. Logically, we've been spending an abnormal amount of time together recently. I've tried to put distance in between us to see if it would go away like some leftover side effect remaining from this summer." Alex said."If your feeling could change by something as simple as you and I spending more or less time with each other then don't you think we'd have fallen in love well before this?" Miles asked, a bit off put by Alex's thinking. Although they seem to be on the same wavelength most of the time there are still things about Alex's mind that Miles finds absolutely baffling. The conclusion he's come to in this situation is obviously one of those times."Well, I don't know about you but I sure have. Miles, I must have fallen in and out of love with you at least a dozen times in the years we've known each other. Yes, this time feels deeper, like it's embedded right in the core of me, but it's changed before and it could change again. That's why I never have the courage to be upfront about it." Alex said, looking down at his socks as if they were suddenly interesting."Did you ever stop to think that maybe things changed in the past because we never actually gave us a shot?" Miles asked."I've thought about it, but I never really found it worth it to try. You could already have me whenever you wanted. We were best friends, we were shagging, what incentive was there for you to want to be faithful to me? I know that I'll never be enough for you on my own." Alex shrugged. " I'm ok with it. I've found people who make me happy enough to fill in the void.""Why would you say that?" Miles asked blinking at Alex, a deep frown devaluing his normally handsome features with its presence."It's true, don't try and tell me that it's not.""What makes you think I'm not doing the same. Alex if I had you I'd-""You'd what Miles? You'd change for a bit until some pretty bird catches your eye and you start craving the soft skin of a woman's curves again. When do you start to miss that alluring sight that only a short dress and a pair of 'Fuck-me-pumps' provide? You've never been in a monogamous relationship in your life, let's face it that's because you can't live without me, but you'd be bored with a man alone." Alex pointed out. "And what about Hannah? Or Taylor for that matter? Do we just end our relationships out of nowhere? Taylor lives with me if you'd forgotten. Splitting up our relationship would be messy and I'm not sure I can handle that right now physically or emotionally.""Hannah would understand... I know it's simpler with her and I then it would be for you." Miles sighed. "But..." He turned to Alex looking longingly into his eyes. "We could be together if you wanted to." this earned him a solid punch in the arm."Miles! Timing! Jesus can't you take anything se-""It wasn't intentional that time! I promise!" Miles said rubbing his arm."Oh, sorry." Alex sighed, kissing the now red skin of Miles' arm softly and letting out a deep sigh. " What if we don't work? What if we try and we're just not right together. What if I'm right and it doesn't last? I don't want to end up losing you." He admitted."We're stronger than that. Even if things ended between us there's no way that we could ever stop being friends. We're far too tangled up in each other's lives to ever be without each other." Miles tried to assure Alex. "The real question is how much of a risk are you willing to take?""You know I'm prone to playing it safe," Alex whispered although his thoughts wandered back to what Lana had said the day before. Life's not fun if you don't rock the boat once in a while. "If it were just me then I'd be less reluctant but-""But there's other people in your life that you have to think about... I understand." Miles sighed. " I have to ask, why did you bother to say anything in the first place if you were going to be all talk and no action?" He's starting to feel slightly frustrated, but he knows this is how Alex works. Anytime he admits that there's something he wants for himself it's with a certain mournful sadness. He seems to doubt and question his own every move to the point where he won't act and when he finally does he's instantly filled with guilt and remorse."Because I'm selfish..." Alex muttered."That's bullshit and you know it." Miles crossed his arms."B-because deep down it's what I really truly want and it's been eating me alive that I was lying to you and avoiding you. I just want to spend time with you Miles. Every day I get to spend with you feels like it's better than the one that came before. You make me smile. You make me whole. I couldn't stand that I was the one keeping us apart recently and you deserved to know why. I've felt so sick without you, but not as near as much as the way my stomach would twist itself into knots when you and I were together. The way you'd touch me... the voices in the back of my head would just scream that it meant nothing to you, that I meant nothing to you."Alex admitted."But now you know I do feel the same, I'm still having trouble seeing why you're being so resistant. I already told you, you can have what you want. You can have me." Miles said. " All of me Al.""And I'm telling you that I can't because I'm afraid that it will ruin us. At the very least it will ruin me in a way that I'm sure there's no coming back from." Alex sighed."Jesus Christ Alex, could you not over think everything for once in your god damn life." Miles rolled his eyes, maybe it's because he's hungover that he's being so blunt with his answers but he's had enough."But-""No, it's my turn. Look at me," Miles said. Alex doesn't comply. " I said look at me, Turner," Miles said, grabbing Alex by his jaw and pulling him to face him. "You don't have to calculate every move you make. It's ok to not know the way something is going to turn out. I know that uncertainty scares you but I can promise you one thing and it's that I won't let you break. I know you won't break me either. We've never failed each other before do you know why that is Al?" Alex shook his head no in response. "It's because we're a team. That's the most important thing the person you love can be, they call them partners for a reason. So what do you say? Give being my partner a real shot?""I want to but-""Oh stop it with your fucking excuses and just kiss me already," Miles said pressing closer to Alex and knocking him onto his back in an attempt to get to his lips. Alex couldn't help but laugh between kisses as he let the storm clouds in his mind dissipate."Alight, yes. Let's give it a try." He said eventually when they stop for air. He nuzzles his nose against Miles' making them both laugh as they start kissing again. Miles would be content to spend the whole day on the couch like this lazily making out while the soft sounds of the television played in the background. They would occasionally part in order to stare into each other's eyes for a moment, smiling at each other and giggling like giddy children who knew a joke the people around them didn't. Alex, on the other hand, seems to have different plants for their afternoon."C'mon." He muttered, pulling himself out from under Miles and getting to his feet, as he reached for Miles hand."Where we going?" Miles asked."Bedroom obviously," Alex said rolling his eyes."Oh!" Miles said perking up quickly and squeezing Alex's hand as he led the way. He is absolutely not going to protest.Alex fell back on his bed, pulling Miles down on top of him and kissing him again. " So, does this mean I'm your boyfriend now?" Miles asked. Alex gave him a sheepish grin, his doe eyes sparkling with excitement and his cheeks tinted red around the lines of his smile."Guess it does," he admits. "Guess this means we can stop denying it at least." Alex laughed."I don't ever want to deny what you mean to me ever again," Miles told him."Oh? And Mister Kane what exactly am I to you?" Alex asked running his fingers through Miles' hair as he rolled to the side to lay next to Alex."I told you already, you're my partner. We're a perfect set because they're no one else like you in this world. Even if there was they could only hope to be a cheap imitation." Miles said, laying a hand on Alex's cheek. He could lay there and stare into his eyes all day. He'd love nothing more than to just admire him until finally drifting off back to sleep until his hangover subsided. He wanted to be wrapped in the comfort that only Alex's embrace provided, but he knew that there was no time for anything so drawn out. The girls would come back eventually."Can I uh, have a second quick," Alex asked, getting up from the bed."Sure." Miles nodded, letting him escape to the bathroom. Miles rolled over on his back and stared up at the ceiling, pulling out his cell phone to text Hannah. "Are you guys planning on coming back anytime soon?" He asked. She replied almost immediately."In about an hour or so. Why?" She asked."Think you could stall for a bit? An extra hour or two?" Miles asked."You guys need that long?" Hannah asked. Sex shouldn't take THAT LONG."You remember that one thing that I REALLY wanted for my birthday? Well, I got it!" Miles said to clarify. Hannah knew that what he wanted more than anything this year was Alex."Congrats baby! Who confessed first?! You know what, tell me later! Have fun, take as long as you need <3" Hannah texted back before sending another one soon after. " I'll warn you if we're on the way back."Miles put his phone aside, laying back on the soft pillows and waiting for Alex.Alex, in the bathroom, was doing his best to compose himself. "Breathe Alex, you can do this." He mutters to himself in the mirror as he waits for the water in the sink to get warm. He doesn't know why he's suddenly so nervous. He and Miles have had sex a million times before this. They're comfortable with each other physically and have been for years. So why did this time feel like the first time all over again? Was it the weight that it seemed to carry? Alex could very clearly remember what his first time with Miles had been like.They had only known each other for about four months. The Tour they'd been on together had been over for a few weeks now. There had been an instantaneous connection between the two of them. It had only taken Miles about a week before he decided to kiss Alex, which Alex had been more than alright with. From day one they'd talked about anything and everything together. This included conversations about sexuality. They both acknowledged a strong urge to experiment wanting to do so with someone that they deemed as safe and trust worth. That's how it had all started, curiosity and mutual attraction. After all their firsts had been checked off the list it had less to do with finding out about themselves and more about satisfying the new itch they had found.It had started slow, some touching over their clothes while they kissed. Then it became more adventurous. Clothes started coming off, touches were exchanged, new erogenous zones were discovered. Sloppy handjobs that were a bit too dry till they got the hang of it were next. Alex had almost cried when Miles complained that Alex was being too rough on his sensitive parts. A good dose of lube fixed that up properly. He hadn't complained since! Mouths were next. Alex quickly found that he had an affinity for Oral. Not only was he a natural but he quite liked the feeling of control it gave him.It had been one night after the tour had that the topic of sex had been introduced to the conversation. "So I were just tryin' to get my records and leave, but the guy at the counter kept barking at me 'bout-""Hey Miles..." Alex cuts Miles off mid-story."Hm?" Miles asks."I was just thinking. Would you maybe want to go to London this weekend?" Alex asked. He fidgets with the flip phone in his hand waiting for an answer to something he's been thinking about asking for quite some times."Yeah, sure. Got a gig or something?" Miles asked."No, I was just thinking that maybe we could go just to two of us. You know, get a hotel room for a couple days, knock around a bit?" Alex asked."Yeah, that sounds like it would be fun. You miss me so bad already you want to take me away for the weekend love?" Miles joked. Alex swallows the lump in his throat."You wish Kane. Maybe I miss you a little. I just been wanting to get over that way and I thought it would be nice to have some company. All the lads are busy so-""So I'm your last resort! And here I thought I was your first choice." Miles admitted making this harder for Alex."Miles I want to have sex." He finally blurted out against his better judgment."Knew it. As soon as you said hotel room!" Miles laughed."Could you not laugh at me right now Miles. I'm being serious about this and it's really embarrassing to admit... I've been thinking about it a lot lately actually." Miles is quiet for a moment before answering."I'll meet you in the city on Friday evening."Friday finally comes around. Alex's nerves have gotten the best of him. He'd gotten to London earlier in the afternoon and had already checked into the hotel. He was standing at the train station waiting for Miles to show up. He felt out of place here alone he was used to being with the band. Though he was of legal age he looked a bit too young to be wandering around on his own owing to his childish features."Al!" He hears a voice shout from a little way away, breaking his train of thought."Hey!" He calls back, waving to Miles who's got his bag slung over his shoulder and a smile on his face.When they reach each other neither had much of anything to say, they just stare at each other for a moment before Miles finally clears his throat and breaks the slightly awkward silence. " 's good to see you mate." He said, clapping a hand on Alex's back as they start to make their way out of the crowded train station."Yeah... you too.""Don't be so nervous. It's not...It shouldn't be that different than sex with a girl right?" Miles tries to reason with Alex when they're back at the hotel."Yeah but one of us has to... you know um..." Alex bites his lip looking up at Miles who leans down to connect their lips."Yeah, that's true. I'm really fine with either position." Miles says. They're already both naked and warmed up. Miles is ready to go, but he can tell Alex is feeling a bit reluctant."You know that you can change your mind, Al. This isn't set in stone." Mile tried to assure him."I want to do it I do, I'm just a little jittery is all cause... I think I want to be the bottom." Alex admits. " I've been experimenting a bit on my own and well... it just seems more natural that I would be the bottom rather than you.""So is that why you knew how to get yourself lubed up so well?" Miles asked he moves to straddle Alex. "If you're sure that's what you want then it's something I absolutely want to give you." He adds leaning down to kiss Alex's neck, drawing a small moan from the other boy." I do, I want it." Alex nodded. Miles smirk and adjusted their positions so he was between Alex's spread legs."You're sure about this right?" Miles asked. "and... things aren't going to get weird with us after right.""If things were going to get weird don't you think that would have happened back around the time I started swallowing your cum. Now yes, I'm absolutely sure! I want this Miles." Alex assured him."Alright," Miles said reaching for the lube and starting to slick himself up. "You ready?""Yeah, go ahead." he says as he feels Miles' head brush against his sensitive entrance.Alex shakes the memory out of his head and starts to wash himself up. He has no reason to be nervous, it's only Miles after all. Miles who loves him. Miles who is actually his now. Miles who he now belongs to. Miles who his heart always belonged to.When he walks back into the bedroom Alex's steps seems just as unsure as he himself is. Miles can sense it right away. It's always been like this between them, one step forward and two steps back, even if only in a figurative manner. Miles pushes himself up off the plush mattress and makes his way to the shaking boy, now stripped down and vulnerable as he stands in front of him as if awaiting judgment. He puts a strong hand on each of Alex's shoulders, talented fingers running over the soft skin, taking an extra moment to play connect-the-dots from mole to mole as he goes. "Are you alright?"" 'M fine Mi." the uncertainty that remains in Alex's voice is concerning. It's similar to the tone he'd taken up only a short time before when he had insisted that their attempts to be together were doomed from the start."You're shaking." Miles countered."Just a shiver, the air is too cold in here." Alex tried to find the quickest excuse he could, and now naked it wasn't entirely untrue."I can turn it up for you, or you could come get under the blankets," Miles suggested."I'm sure I'll get plenty heated up when we-""You're anxious aren't you?" Miles asks. He shakes his head and sighs, already knowing the answer. "You know you're allowed to change your mind Alex. We don't have to do this if you don't want to.""NO!" Alex shakes his head. "No, it just you know with the meaning 'n all that. Just a bit more pressure than usual.""I didn't mean the sex Al, I mean us being together. You can change your mind if you want to." Miles assured him. Alex thinks for a moment, mulling over the options in his head."Do you want me to change my mind?" He asks."No, of course not. Cause if I did then I'd have changed my own. If you're allowed to have second thoughts then so am I! Thing is, I haven't got any." Miles confirmed making a small smiles stretch across Alex's soft features."I don't either. It's a bit silly really to be nervous after all this time. Maybe it's because-" Alex cuts himself off calculating how he wants to describe to Miles what it is that he's thinking. "It feels more real now. This is a big moment for us and it's not even sunk in really. Parts of my mind are telling me that it's just you, the same old you that you've always been. The other part keeps reminding me that you know how I feel about you now. You're my boyfriend! It just seems to good to be the truth.""That's the thing, isn't it? I always have been really. It doesn't matter if we've acknowledged it or not. You and I have-""I know what you're going to say, and no we haven't. Just because we've been best mates you know just as well as I do that doesn't mean we haven't used each other for sex before. It's been just sex. Good sex! But still, it was only sex.""This summer wasn't just sex." Miles pointed out."This summer was another in a long series of my failed attempts to keep from falling in love with you," Alex admitted with a sigh."Why do you keep saying things like that Al. It really puts a damper on the mood. Can't you at least try to be happy? You make it sound as if you and I being in love is a bad thing. Where's the Alex who said all thought lovely little things to me last night when he thought I was asleep?" Miles asked, his frustration with Alex is becoming more and more evident by the moment."Now that you're awake he's retreated like the cowardly little lion that he is..." Alex admitted, hanging his head in shame. "There's nothing wrong with being in love with you, it's just... I've always tried to avoid it for fear of fucking things up. I'm a massive fuck up and you've already stood by and watch me ruin all the best thing that have happened to me.""Alex, we just had this same conversation. You need to stop doubting yourself... you know that if we fall apart I'm not going anywhere.... I'm not Alexa." Miles can already tell from the sorrow in his eyes exactly what Alex is thinking about."Could you not bring her up at a time like this," Alex muttered, oh the wound that will never truly close. "The spark will fade away from you and I just the same way it did with her. Just takes long enough for you to get sick of me.""Alex, I'm already sick of you. I've been tired of putting up with your shit for YEARS. Just the way that sometimes you're so tired of my antics that you want to bash me brains in." Miles smile doesn't match his comment at all, but Alex smiles back knowing exactly what he means by it."So if you're already exhausted by my-""Constant clinginess, need for validation,""Overinflated ego.""Need to constantly use large words for no reason other than to sound like some pseudo-intellectual twat." Miles laughs."Oh, that one's never going to go away." Alex rolls his eyes. "So what you're saying is.""If I'm already sick of your ways and I've still never left, I'd have to be dead before I go anywhere." Miles nods as he sits back down on the edge of the bed. Alex takes a step closer so that he's standing in between the other man's legs. Miles reaches out, taking Alex's hand in his own and placing it over the left side of his chest. "Feel that? It's still beating. As long as it is, you could make me hate you and I still would never consider leaving your side.""Do you really mean that?" Alex asked, shying away a bit as Miles placed a hand on his cheek."Of course I do Alex.""That doesn't mean I won't break your heart." Alex sighed."I know you will, and I'm sure at some point I'll break yours too. What's the use in talking about it now?" Miles said, "Now come kiss me before you spoil the mood again." He adds, pulling Alex into his lap as the smaller man quickly complies.It doesn't take long at all before they're rolling around on the bed, fighting for dominance in their usual way. "Got ya," Miles says triumphantly as he manages to pin Alex down to the bed with a hand on each wrist and thighs squeezing on either side of his torso. The way Alex looks up at him makes his heart race. The waves of love and adoration that radiate from him are in sharp contrast to what had been said only moments before."Yeah, you got me alright," Alex said, sitting up while still in Miles grip to kiss him. Miles releases his wrist and slides an arm around Alex's back to pull him closer while their tongues work against each other. Alex takes the opportunity that his now free hands afford him and start to reach for the button on Miles jeans. "Maybe we ought to hurry up and get to it. Hannah isn't going to be able to stall forever." Alex is already slightly amazed that they've gotten as much time as they have. Granted, he's probably wasted a good bit of it on his doubts."You're probably right, she said she would text me if they were on the way back," Miles said, kissing Alex again to silence him. Alex glances over at Miles phone. The screen is dark which is a good sign for them. No new messages yet."Yeah, ok." He nods, unbuttoning Miles jeans and trying to push them down his legs. He's already achingly hard himself from rolling around in bed naked with Miles. The mixture of Miles warm chest, the roughness of the denim that occasionally collided with his bare skin, and the cool cotton sheets each gave off their own pleasurable sensation, but it's the feeling of Miles calloused fingertips trailing their way down his chest that electrifies him. By the time they stop at his navel Alex feels as thought he's Dr. Frankenstiens creation, newly animated by the lighting. The monster of lust inside him has now been brought to life. "Fuck me, fuck me now!" He growls, looking up through his bangs at Miles who hovers above him."What about foreplay?" Miles teases, running the pads of his slim digits up and down once more."Yesterday was ALL foreplay. I want you. I want you right now." Alex muttered. How can Miles say no when Alex is being so clear about his desires"Well, if you insist." Miles teased. "Where's the lube?""Top drawer." Alex nods to it. Miles reaches over and pulls the drawer open rifling through its contents looking for the small bottle he knew was there som- ... Wait."Alex?""Yeah?" Alex asks without moving from his spot on the bed."What is this?" Miles asks pulling out what appeared to be a strap-on."You know exactly what it is. Don't look so surprised. Now put that back." Alex rolled his eyes. What he does in bed with his other partners is no one else's business. Alright MAYBE it is Miles business but Alex doesn't want to talk or think about the thing he does with Taylor while he's all hot and bothered for Miles. The only thing he wants to think about is Miles. "It's just a cheap replacement for the real thing.""Oh, I see. Weren't getting enough of my cock so you got a fake one eh?" Miles laughs finally getting a hand on the lube bottle."Exactly, now come give me what I've been craving," Alex said, sitting up some and biting his lip while trying to give Miles his best seductive look. As soon as they make eye contact they both erupt into a fit of laughter neither able to take Alex's comment seriously."That sounds like something out of a bad porno Al," Miles said wiping a tear from under his eyes as he tried to calm his breathing."No no no, bad porno would be something like." Alex thinks for a minute before crawling across the bed on his hands and knees to Miles. He took the bottle of lube from his hand and forcefully pushed him back down onto the bed. Alex keeps his hand in the center of Miles muscled chest as he straddles the other man's legs. " Oh, thank you mr.plumber for coming on such short notice!" He exclaims as he starts to pull Miles zipper down ever so slowly without breaking eye contact. "I desperately need my pipes unclogged and I thought that maybe your snake might do the trick." The words are barely out of Alex's mouth before there's another fit of giggles from the two."No more, NO MORE!" Miles yelped, covering his mouth and trying his best not to kick Alex by accident as he tried to get control himself. "Oh god, my sides hurt.""Would you prefer to be the milkman?" Alex joked, now starting to work Miles pants down his legs."Think I'd rather just be myself today. We can try roleplay another night." Miles replied."Oh, Kinkeh," Alex smirks leaning in closer to nip at the soft skin of Miles' thighs. He leaves the other man's briefs in place as he starts to trail his fingertips over the soft material while his tongue runs along the edges in the crease of Miles' thigh, up to his hips. Alex moves up the other man's body, tracing the lines of Miles now well-defined muscles, taking his time to explore each individual dent which was a sharp contrast to how smooth his body had been in their youth.Miles, of course, is soaking in all the wonderful attention he's getting, thoroughly enjoying himself as Alex dips his head lower to lick the tuff of hair that trails from just under his navel to the top of his still clothed groin. He lets out a low moan as Alex takes a moment to suck and tease the sensitive skin while Miles runs a hand through Alex's hair, now shorter than it had been over the summer. "Get that mouth a little lower could ya?" Miles asked."Oh? Lower? How low?" Alex smirked sliding down Miles' body far enough that the other man thought he might actually be getting what he wanted until "Is this low enough?" Alex asked, kissing the top of Miles knee cap before digging his fingers behind the joint making Miles laugh and kick his legs out at him."To low!" Miles laughed. This is one of the things he always loved about sex with Alex. There was a sense of balance. It was sexy and sensual but not without its silly moment and that 'something else' that was unique to only them."Ok," Alex said, nuzzling Miles' thigh and leaving soft love bites on the skin. "Better?" The devilish smirk on Alex's face tells Miles that he knows exactly what buttons he's pushing."Alexander, stop fucking around and come put my dick in your mouth would you!" Miles insisted. If he lets him Alex will mess around all afternoon. He wishes he had the time for that. Maybe another day, he'd like to find a way to give Alex all of the time in the world. Perhaps he can find a reason for them to go out of town together. They'll find a little seaside town up north where no one would know their names. They could be the anonymous strangers passing through. They would hold hands and stroll along the docks listening to the racket of the birds and the way the waves lapped against the sea wall while the refreshing salty air replaced the artificial smog of LA in their lungs. Their roadside motel room would be small, and quaint rather than seedy. They could spend all night exploring each other in ways they'd both longed for but had never been afforded the time to do so. Yeah, that would be wonderful.As Alex pulls Miles underwear off his legs tossing them aside. Miles can already feel Alex's hot breath on his sensitive skin as Alex looks up at him from the space between his legs. " Well If that's what you wanted then all you had to do was ask love." He teased."Cheeky bastard," Miles grumbles while Alex takes a moment to admire his length. By now, he's memorized each and every vein as if they were lines on a map. Alex has spent plenty of time licking each and every little path in the past, from base up to tip, which curved slightly to the right in a way that Alex always enjoyed. He grazes a light finger up a particularly prominent vein as causing Miles to inhale sharply. Alex smirked leaving a trail of short, gentle, kitten licks to the underside and shaft of Miles hard member, stopping to suck at a couple of particularly sweet spots before moving back to the head taking it into his mouth. "Mmm That's it," Miles moaned threading his fingers into Alex's hair and pressing his hips upward forcing Alex to take more of him into his mouth. He knows he can handle it.Alex groans low and deep in his throat sending vibrations through Miles erection Alex presses his mouth further and further down until he's almost got his nose flush with Miles' belly. "Fuck you know I love it when you do that Al," Miles muttered, though with all the build up the day before he's afraid he might finish too soon if Alex keeps it up so he gives a light tug on his hair. "That's enough love." He said, causing Alex to pull his mouth away with an obscene pop."You taste so good though," Alex complained, nuzzling his nose against Miles groin, inhaling the musky smell that is distinctly Miles and him alone. Miles can't help but smile at Alex, he loves the way the other man practically worships his body. If there way ever a day he found himself feeling self-conscious Alex would no doubt set him straight in no time at all."I love you," Miles told him, tilting Alex's face up to look at him."Love you too Mi," Alex said. The words come out easily, fluid, like they've seen said a million times before. In truth, they have, but never with quite the impact that they have today. Still, they're without hesitation, Alex seems to finally let go of his inhibitions and is embracing just how happy he is."C'mere love," Miles insists, grabbing Alex by his upper arm to pull him in for a kiss and rolling them over so Alex is now, once again, pinned beneath him. " You have no idea how sexy you look right now.""Miiiii," Alex whined, covering his face with his hands although he lets his eyes still peek through his fingers. "You're making me blush.""Going to make you do more the blush," Miles smirked, reaching for the discarded lube bottle. He pops the lid open and coats his fingers with a healthy amount, taking some of the excess to smear around Alex's entrance, teasing the pink puckered skin for a moment before starting to press a finger in. "You think you could hurry? I... I don't think I need to much warmin' up. I was uuum-""You were what?" Miles asked."I was bored waiting or you to get up this morning! There was no one else here so I decided to have a little fun win one of my toys." The blush already present in Alex's cheek has just grown two shades darker at his admission."Oh? You get off on your own this morning while I was in bed?" Miles asked raising an eyebrow. "And what were you thinking about while you were doing it?""Isn't it obvious?" Alex asked, wondering if Miles is actually going to make him admit it or not."Yes but I want to hear you say it. Tell me you were stroking your own cock while you thought about me." Miles teased."Shut up Miles! And I wasn't thinking about anything in particular really. It wasn't some elaborate fantasy it was more just-""Just what?""Well, you know that picture that Taylor posted of you on her Instagram yesterday of you out by our pool?" Alex could not get anymore impossibly flustered at the moment. His shade now nearly matched Miles shorts in the in photo in question."Mmm, I did look pretty hot in the picture didn't I?" Miles asked puffing his chest out. "I'd probably wank over it too if I were you." He flashed a cocky smile that made Alex roll his eyes. "So what you're saying is, you're all ready for my cock because you were too horny this morning to wait for me?" He punctuates the filthy words by licking a stripe from the base of Alex's collarbone all the way up to his ear, taking the lobe between his teeth and biting down lightly causing Alex to groan."I love it when you talk dirty to me." He muttered, but Miles doesn't plan to do much more talking he can think of much better things to do at the moment. He reached again for the lube, letting it drip from the cap of the bottle onto his length slowly rubbing it across the whole shaft to coat it while Alex watched eagerly."You sure that you don't need me to get you a little warmed up first?" He asked."I'm sure, just do it." Alex nodded, spreading his legs further apart."If you insist," Miles said with a devious smirk as he got himself situated in between Alex's strong thighs. He took a moment to run his hands over each of them, enjoying the feeling of the toned muscles beneath his long dexterous fingers.As he starts to press the head of his cock into Alex's entrance the other man groaned, letting his head lull back onto the pillow at the feeling. "Fuck Mi," He moaned as the other man pushed in deeper to fill him."Enjoying yourself are you baby?""Just because we're dating now doesn't mean you get to call me baby," Alex said looking up at Miles."Why not, that's what you are! My baby, my love, my everything." Miles jokes making ridiculous over-dramatic gestures with his arms as he says it."It doesn't sound right! You and I have no need for silly pet names." Alex argued."Nonsense I have plenty of pet names for you and you love them!" As Alex is about to open his mouth again Miles cuts him off. "Don't deny it! You do! My little monkey, my puppet.""Yeah, guess I am pretty fond of that." Alex blushes while Miles gives him an all to self-assured smiles. "Now would you hurry up and move? We haven't got all day." He grumbles."Greedy little thing aren't you. Need Daddy to fill you up with his cock." Miles jokes. Alex puts his hands on Miles' chest giving him a light shove before covering his face to conceal his laughter."You calling yourself daddy is worse then you calling me baby. Never NEVER do it again!""I dunno maybe I like the-""Kane, would you just shut up and move your dick already?!""I see how it is, you only want me for your own selfish pleasure." Miles teases. "I thought you liked when I talk dirty to you.""There's a difference between dirty and disturbing!" Alex insisted as Miles finally started to move his hips thrusting slowly in and out of Alex. Alex has been waiting six weeks for this. Six weeks since the last time they slept together and at the moment they're both thinking that it was well worth the wait. Usually Miles would give Alex a little bit of time to adjust before speeding up his thrusts, but instead, he kept them slow and in a steady rhythm. Alex has both his eyes tightly shut, waiting out the slight burn but altogether loving the sensation."Al, hey Al," Miles says causing Alex to open his eyes. "Alex, look at me love." He says doing as he was told and meeting his eyes. "That's it, god you look so good." Alex can't help but smile, letting a small moan escape his lips as he does. There's no reason for him to be quiet, they have the house to themselves but he's not going to fake any exaggerated moans either. Miles prefers it that way. Sure, when the sex is rough he knows just how to make Alex scream but there is a time and place for that and right now isn't it. At least when Alex is somewhat quiet he knows that his moans are genuine and Miles likes to know that he's making his partners, Alex or not, feel good.Miles has to admit that this is very much opposed to what their recent sex life has been. Most of the time it's quick and rough, involving Alex being bent over furniture or the two of them being cramped into tiny or uncomfortable places. There's a need and an urgency, usually laced with a fear of being caught. It's not to say that the same lust isn't there, but right now face-to-face like they are there's a sense of intimacy that hadn't been there in a while. Now that their feelings were out in the open there was something deeper in the chocolate brown eyes that stared back into his own. Something that had been buried that Alex was not longer afraid to let show. It didn't have to be a secret anymore, that was love in his eyes and it drew Miles in like nothing else could. He leaned in closer to kiss Alex, pressing their foreheads together after a soft peck.Alex hummed in content when Miles kissed him, enjoying how in tune their bodies were with each other as Miles continued his slow and steady pace thrusting in and out of him. "Hi." He murmured, unable to hold back a smile as Miles sweaty forehead pressed to his."Hi," Miles replied smiling back. Alex is now perpetually blushing. He probably hasn't stopped since the last time, but that's alright. It's not so much out of embarrassment. It's just that the way Miles makes him feel causes him to redden when he thinks about just how much he's in love with the man who is causing him to feel so wonderful."I like you." Alex barely whispers as if it's a secret."I like you too." Miles answered just as softly causing them both to let out a quiet giggle as Miles rubs the tip of his nose to Alex. "You want me to go faster?""Mmm no, I'm enjoying this," Alex replied, back arching up off the bed as Miles tip grazed across the just right spot inside of him."Good, me too. Something about it just feels more-""Intimate?" Alex asked."Exactly." Miles nodded, pressing in a little bit deeper and earning another moan, a bit louder this time. The intoxicating noise sends shivers down his spine causing him to buck his hips a bit harder. He wishes they had more time. The whole day to themselves perhaps. It's a though that he's been having all too often this afternoon which might be keeping him from letting himself fully enjoy the moment. He would love to spend all day in bed like this with Alex taking his time to kiss him, to fully appreciate the feeling of the tight heat wrapped around him. He'd love to waste hours bringing them both right to the edge and let them come back down again only to make them desperate for more. He wants to be able to cuddle up in bed, lazily napping in the mid-afternoon sun with the blankets draped over their naked bodies only to wake up ready for another round.Either way, there is no reason to dwell on what they don't have when there's plenty to be happy about in the moment. Alex can't keep his hands from roaming over both Miles body and his own exposes skin as he presses back to meet each one of Miles thrusts. Everything about their bodies is in sync at the moment even their breathing. With each rise and fall of his chest, Alex can't help the way his moans become louder and louder. "Fuck Mi, that feels so good." He mutters as Miles leans closer to kiss and suck his neck again, doing his best not to leave any noticeable marks."Mmm yeah, so good." Miles groaned in reply, biting down on his lower lip before allowing his jaw to hang open as he gazed into Alex's chocolate brown eyes. "I think I'm getting close," he added. They both knew from the start that neither of them was going to last long. With all the build up the day before and how much time had passed since there last time together, they'd been expecting things to cut a bit short which neither was exactly heartbroken over. How long they lasted didn't matter, as long as they enjoyed it while they could."M-me too." Alex shivered. " Will you touch me?" Miles nodded reaching between them to wrap his first around Alex's cock, rubbing him in time with his thrusts, making sure to occasionally run the pad of this thumb over the slit. It only takes a handful of strokes for Alex to cum, streaking warm white liquid across his chest. Miles finds the sight and the way that Alex wriggles below him too enticing for his own good. Miles is still thrusting into him when Alex starts to come down from his high. He lets out a whimpering noise becoming overly sensitive from his orgasm."Just give me a second Al, I'm almost there I promise," Miles told him as he started to feel the familiar heat rising in his stomach. Only seconds later he reaches his climax spilling himself into Alex. It's not something he does often, usually he would pull out but today he feels like marking his territory even if Alex will protest later because of the mess. Miles pulls out and sighs happily, leaning his head against Alex's chest as he lays his body on his. Although Alex is slightly smaller Miles has always liked that they are very close to the same size. It makes it so easy for their bodies to fit together. "That was good, that was REALLY good.""Yeah, it was." Alex nods, stroking the small sweat soaked hairs that lay across the back of Miles' neck. They lay like that for a while neither saying anything. Alex is almost certain that Miles has fallen asleep on him until he speaks."I love how easy it is with you." He says simply."What do you mean?" Alex inquired."Sex. It's just so comfortable. It's hot and sexy and fun but then-" Miles pauses to think about what it is that he's trying to convey to Alex with his words. "I like that we can laugh. It doesn't have to be serious all the time. We can be ourselves and be silly if we want to and just enjoy it. There's no one else I can do that with. Anyone else there's a pressure to perform and with you...""I know what you mean." Alex nods. Kissing Miles cheek. "And as much as I love you being so close do you think you could get off me? I'm overheating." He laughed."Oh, yeah course." Miles laughed. "Actually, how about going out for a smoke. Maybe a dip in the pool might cool us down?""I think you read my mind!" Alex said, getting up from the bed. "Just let me clean myself up first. Would you mind opening the window? Let the smell of sex out." He said as he walked off to the bathroom. Miles nodded crossing the room to open up the window as requested and checked his phone. There was still no messages from Hannah or Lana either which was a good sign. Maybe they had decided to see a movie or something. Either way, Miles isn't about to complain. He lays back down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling and letting himself doze off for a moment while he listens to the running of the faucet from the other room."C'mon lazy bones get yourself up." He hears Alex's voice a moment later. He cracks an eye open to see the other man standing above him."Swim time?" Miles asks."Mhm," Alex confirms, tossing a towel to Miles."Aren't you going to put anything on?" Miles asks although he's hoping the answer would be no."Why? It's my pool, I'll swim naked in it if I please." Alex shrugged."I was hoping you'd say something like that," Miles said, getting up and following Alex outside.Alex picks up his cigarette pack from the patio table but doesn't sit down, waiting for Miles to do so first before situating himself in Miles' lap. He pulls to cigarettes from the pack and places one in between Miles' lips holding up the flame to light it for him before lighting his own. "Thank you, love," Miles said, giving Alex another peck on the lips. It feels like something in their dynamic has shifted, but at the same time, it all feels natural the same way that it always did. The desires for affection have always been there, but in the past weren't acted on as freely as they are now."I don't want this afternoon to end." Alex sighs, leaning against Miles' shoulder."I know..." Miles sighs. To think in another hour, maybe two if they're lucky they'll have to go back to life as usual until they can figure out how exactly to work all of this out."We can figure out how to make this work right? Make us work?" Alex asks cautiously."Of course we can. We'll find a way. I've been waiting a very long time to hear you say the things that you did this morning, I have no intention of giving that up." Miles admitted as Alex stubbed out his cigarette and got up from his rather comfortable position to head to the pool. "You know what I told Hannah the top thing on my birthday list was for this year?" In truth, it had been the same every birthday for the past few years."What?" Alex asked."To hear you tell me that you love me," Miles smirked."Bullshit it was," Alex said slipping down into the cool water and letting it soothe his heated flesh."No, really. You can ask her about it if you want. That's how I got her to stall for us. Told her that I finally got exactly what I wanted." Miles nodded, following into the pool."Well then happy birthday. I'm just a day late." Alex laughed swimming over to Miles and wrapping his legs around his torso and his arms around his neck."Better late than never." Miles nodded, looping his arms around Alex to pull him closer.They stay like that for a while, all tangled up in the shallow end, making out and enjoying the way each other's lips felt as they worked against each other. It doesn't take them long to figure out that round two is in order and with a silent nod both they come to an agreement.Unfortunately for them, Miles had left his phone in the bedroom so he doesn't hear the text he receives. Neither of them hears the car doors from out front or the floating of laughter and voices. No, Miles is too busy having his way with Alex. He's got the smaller man's back pressed up against the cool tiles around the edges of the pool while he forcefully thrusts into him. Over Alex's low moans they don't hear the girls coming in but luckily Miles' spots them through the sliding glass door before they themselves are spotted."Fuck Al! They're home!" He says quickly pulling away and swimming off in the other direction to act as if they were just going for a late afternoon dip. It's just in time, as seconds later Taylor and Hannah walk out into the backyard."Thought I heard you two in the pool," Hannah said."Thought we'd go for a swim," Alex says casually."Naked?" Taylor asks."It's not as if you two haven't gone skinny dipping when we've been out before." Miles defends with a laugh. "It's the same thing! We've both got the same parts it's nothing we haven't seen before." After that, the conversation is dropped and the girls other than Lana, who insists she has now seen far too much of both Alex and Miles, join them in the water.Later that night Alex is standing in the kitchen waiting for the tea kettle to boil when Taylor walks in. He's still feeling paranoid about almost being caught earlier and has been avoiding her gaze. "Al, you ok?" She asked."Hm? Yeah, fine! Why wouldn't I be?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest."You just seem like you've been a bit on edge this afternoon." Taylor points out."I don't know what would make you think that. I'm absolutely fine" Alex shrugs."You aren't though, I can see it in your body language. It's like... maybe you're hiding something from me.""What would I be hi-""Cut the shit Alex, why were Miles' phone and jeans in our room earlier?" Alex's heart almost stopped."Um, he was uh going to borrow something and then we decided to go swimming instead so-""Did you sleep with him?" Taylor asked bluntly."Did I WHAT?" Alex asked, faking confusion."I know you fantasize about him. Did you sleep with him? Did you fuck him today while I was out with the girls?" Taylor asked again."I don't know what would give you the idea. Miles and I are just mates. Best mates really, but there's nothing more to it then th-""Alex, stop lying to me. I know you're lying and that's only going to make it worse. Now be honest with me. Did. You. FUCK. MILES?" Alex can tell that Taylor's anger is starting to reach a boiling point so he hung his head and sighed."Yes," He admitted. "And it's not the first time either...""How long has this been going on?" Taylor demanded to know."Since we were nineteen, maybe twenty I guess," Alex said, to be honest, he can't totally recall what age he was when he first started messing around with Miles. Taylor hadn't been expecting that answer. She thought it would have been something over the summer, not an affair that had lasted the entire run of their relationship."So you've cheated on your other girlfriends too?" She asked, narrowing her eyes."Well, technically... sort of, but not really." Alex shrugged. "Arielle knew, and Alexa was downright encouraging about it.""So it's just been me then?" Taylor asked, looking hurt by this revelation."Yes, I... I didn't really know how to tell you." Alex sighed. "I knew even if I could find a way that you would be upset about it.""Does Hannah know about this?" She asked immediately. Not wanting to get his friend in trouble Alex decided to omit the truth."I'm not entirely sure what Miles has or hasn't told her." He replied."Are you gay then? Has this all just been fake the whole time?" Taylor was looking more and more distressed by the moment."No, I'm not gay. I mean, partially yes. I don't know if I would call myself bisexual exactly. As far as men go, it's only ever been Miles that I've been physically attracted too." Alex said, that much is true. "And nothing about our relationship has been fake. Anything I've said or done I've meant whole heartedly. Do you think I'd have gotten this tattoo if I didn't mean it?" Unfortunately, Taylor doesn't take the bait he was putting out with the tattoo line and continues to fire questions at him rather than answering his."So is it just physical between the two of you?""Um, I wouldn't say it's just physical. I mean it's not all about sex, he is my best mate after all and-""Do you love him?" Taylor wants to get straight to the point without Alex trying to worm his way out of the conversation."Sorry what?" Alex pretended not to have heard."Are you in love with him Al? And don't lie to me." Alex decides that although it will be difficult for them both now is probably the time to go ahead and admit to what had happened that morning."Yeah..." He mutters hanging his head. " I'm mad about the boy.""I always sort of had the feeling that you were," Taylor said looking away. She's a tough girl but Alex can still tell that she's about to cry."So..." He scuffled the soles of his sneakers against the tile floor causing the rubber to produce a squeaking sound. " What, um... what do we do now?" He asked."What do you want to do?" Taylor asked."Well, really nothing has to change we could-""Alex, how can you even say something like that. Nothing has to change, of course it has to change. This changes everything. I can't be with you knowing that you'd rather be spending your time with him. I won't play second rate to Miles Kane! I already felt like I was when I didn't know about all this but now that I do...""I'm sorry..." Alex Mutters and he truly means it from the bottom of his heart. He can see the way that this is hurting Taylor and it tears him up inside to do so."If you were sorry then you wouldn't have been screwing around with him in the first place," Taylor muttered. There's a long silence between them. Really it's only a few minutes. Not even long enough for the kettle to start boiling but to Alex, it feels like an eternity. It's eventually Taylor who breaks it. "I think we should stay together. In public at least. It's good for both of us as far as the media. I don't think either of us really wants to deal with a public break-up right now, especially when people are already speculating about you and Miles after this summer.""Yeah..." Alex doesn't want to admit it, but Taylor is right."Technically it's your house, so I guess I'll move into the guest room for the time being. I'll start booking more out of town shoots too. When we're both here... I really don't want anything to do with you Al.""Taylor I-""Shut up, just shut up Alex. Anything you're thinking about saying right now just don't it's not going to make it better so just stop." And then the tears started, in both her eyes as well as Alex's. "Just do me a favor and at least be kind enough not to wave it in front of my face that you two are together... I'm going to bed I've got an early shoot tomorrow." She said, turning on her heels to walk away from the situation.Alex just stood stunned, upset, and not really sure what to say. So, he did the one thing he could think to do. He called Miles."Missing me Already?" Miles teases from the other end of the line when he answers. That is until he hears a sniffle from the other end of the line."Mi, Taylor and I broke up." He muttered into the phone."I'll be over there in five minutes to get you," Miles says before hanging on the phone.Just because he's finally getting what he wants doesn't mean that leaving his old ways behind doesn't still sting. So Alex goes and sits on the front step of the house waiting in the dark for the one person who always has and always will make him feel better. Miles Kane. The man he loves.