ice and sugar dust (alex turner fanfic)

Chapter Nineteen

As they were huddling into Alex's bedroom upstairs, their friends all gone, the place halfway tidy again, Alex had sobered up for the most part. He was still clingy, now that he didn't have to move about and away from Chloe, refusing to let go of her hand, stopping every step of the way to pepper kisses to her cheek, her neck, when he managed to cupping her face and turn it towards him to capture her lips with his.

"A-Al" she giggled, squirming from the way his warm lips tickled the crook of her neck, needing more strength than her slightly dizzy body could muster to navigate her sleepy and affectionate boyfriend into the bathroom and talk him into brushing his teeth while she removed her make up, brushed her hair, then also brushed her teeth, giggling as he sat down on the lid of the toilet and watching her with wide eyes, his elbows resting on his knees, face resting in his palms as he watched her, fascinated with her even doing the simplest things, the way she hummed as she brushed her teeth, swayed back and forth, had his full attention without even trying.

"Chlo..." he drawled as she turned around, satisfied with the glow of her face from the moisturizer, walking over to him with a dab on her finger and his eyes fluttered shut as she covered his reddened skin with gentle circles of the tips of her fingers, had him relaxing in no time.

"Yes, baby?" She asked, smacking her lips together to spread her lip balm.

"I want you..." he mumbled, looking up at her with wide eyes as he opened them again.

Chloe blushed, and Alex continued speaking before she could even begin to attempt finding a suitable response. "And I feel like I owe yeh still, Chlo..." he declared quietly, standing up and taking her hand to lead her back to his bedroom. "Were sooch an idiot, I wanna make it up teh yeh..."

"Al..." she said as she sat on the edge of his bed, pulling him down beside her, his eyes wide, ready to hang on to her every word as she spoke. "You have nothing to make up to me. I love the camera, I love the party you organized, I love you."

Alex pushed his bottom lip forward, staring back at her with wide eyes. "I love yeh too" he said. He pondered a thought he'd had all day, something he'd been thinking about for a while, crept back into his brain when he least needed a surge of insecurity and the pout remained on his lips.

"Are you alright, handsome?" She asked, reaching to the back of his head and running her fingers through his hair to soothe him.

"I am alrehyt" he said quickly, his eyes widening and he nodded quickly. "Joost been ... uh ... tha knows ... finkin' 'bout summat..."

She licked her lips, continuing to stroke his hair as she felt him relax into her touch. "What is it, Al?" She asked softly, starting to worry now because he tended to overthink things when he was tipsy, and there was still some alcohol in his system and it had ironically fuelled his confidence as much as his insecurity.

"Can I try ... um ... tha' fing again?" He blurted out.

She raised her eyebrows, trying to understand without having to ask as it seemed he was shy even speaking about whatever was on his mind, but had to resolve to it as she realised she could not figure out his drunken mumblings. "Al, what thing?" She asked gently.

He licked his chapped lips and she bit back a comment about them, allowing him to do as he pleased as he moved forward slowly to lie her down, inching backwards on the bed and giving a slight tug on the hem of her sleeping shorts, her eyes widening, lips parting.

"O-Oh..." she said, a scarlet pink creeping into her cheeks and she swallowed hard. "A-Al, you really don't have to make anything up to me and I ... I don't want you to feel like you have to do anything..."