Upside Down [mxm] [editing]

Chapter 4

Going out for coffee may not have been the best idea that Alex had ever had. For the past week, he'd been playing over the whole thing in his head. What had gone wrong and why. What he could have done differently. If he should have even suggested that they go at all.

He and Julian were in a sticky situation, and guilt seemed to grab randomly at the other man, making him shut down or shut up or run away. Alex couldn't blame him, and Alex wasn't too sure he liked their situation either. But for whatever reason he just couldn't back away from it, he couldn't stop himself from craving their interactions. Just like he was ten years ago, he was addicted again, the notion of living without some speck of Julian in his life was akin to no longer breathing air.

"Are you, ah, are you bored?" Alex had been laying on his bed, stretched out over the duvet with his fingers laced behind his head, blue-eyed gaze fixed unfocused on the ceiling. The voice had come from a bit further south, deep and husky, not to mention tinged with annoyance, as fingers paused their work undoing Alex's belt buckle. "I can stop if you'd rather." Forget annoyance, there was borderline anger there.

"No, no sorry." Shifting up onto his elbows Alex leaned forward to run his fingers through the brunette's hair, dragging them down his jaw and pulling him forward for a kiss. "Just thinking about work." Lies were always so much easier than the truth. "Keep going." Alex smile against his companion's mouth before nipping lightly at his lower lip. "Please?"

It was evident to Alex that Sebastian wasn't pleased about being ignored for work (or not work as the case may be) but he returned to the task at hand, trailing kisses down Alex's chest and stomach as he did so. Sighing Alex leaned back, making certain to keep a hand in Sebastian's hair. Apparently, the other man was needier than usual tonight and while what they had was hardly a relationship, Alex appreciated what they did for one another.

Which was why Alex paused for a whole two seconds before grabbing the phone when it buzzed to life on his nightstand. Normally he'd have left it, but "Hawkeye" popped up on the screen. Julian and he hadn't spoken since they'd gone out for coffee and, as he was wont to do, Julian had opted to leave the establishment quickly and without warning. Alex thought that giving him space was the best idea and, apparently, he'd been right.

Hey. It wasn't much, but from a man who'd basically run out of the cafe, it was at least something.

Grinning Alex typed out his reply quickly, breath catching sharply as Sebastian did his best to wrest Alex's attention back. Woah, don't go stealing my lines.

Ha. Another one-word response. Okay, maybe he should just put the phone down.

Of course he didn't, though. Instead, Alex kept trying to come up with something witty to say, but Sebastian was being delightfully distracting, fogging Alex's mind and leaving him feeling both very pleased and incredibly dumb. Having often been one for honesty - at least with Julian - he opted for the truth. I know this is the part where we trade jokes and memories but I'm kinda in the middle of something right now.

It's one in the morning. Way to use that Columbia trained noggin there, Julian.

Yeah. Alex gasped, and then whimpered, narrowing his eyes down the bed. "Hey. Teeth." And 'something' isn't really happy that I'm texting you instead of paying attention to what he's doing.

Oh.

Yeah oh. Except, oh, yeah, he really needed to stop texting.

Um.

Look give me an hour okay? The phone was practically thrown off to the side, Sebastian promptly being given every ounce of Alex's focus and time.