(no subject)

[littleorphanalien]

Even though he's back to work, something's different.

Michael can't put his finger on it. Nothing's changed, other than the guys giving him a wide berth for a while when he first gets back. It's just weird, like he's not as satisfied with the job as he used to be. He still likes working on the cars, but it starts feeling repetitive, boring, and just...not what he wants to do. It's really highlighted when he makes the drone for Luke's birthday and for the first time since before the kidnapping, he really feels alive.

So that's been bothering him, a lot, and it's on his mind as the work day finishes and he heads to the desk to collect Alex.

He waits for the last customer to finish up, hanging back with amusement as he watches the guy try and flirt with Alex, clearly trying to work up some courage, and when he goes, he slaps a piece of paper with a phone number down before bolting.

They're the last in the shop to close up, which means Michael feels pretty safe perching on the desk, eyeing Alex with a mock-serious look. "We might need to have a talk to you about flirting with the customers," he drawls.

Comments

[unendurable]

Michael returning to work felt good to Alex in the beginning. Glad for Michael getting out of the house, going back to how things had been. Not that Alex hasn't noticed that things weren't exactly right but he's just glad that Michael seems to be trying, working on having the life he had before.

Alex is willing to go along with it though, do what he can for Michael.

Not that he notices him there at first, working with the client. He knows the way other man is acting, and he's dealt with things like that before. He's been that guy before, so he doesn't do anything different, though he smiles as he darts out, the bell over the door ringing in his wake.

Looking up at Michael though, laughing as he slides the paper towards him. "I can't help that I'm just that hot," he says, shrugging as he closes the file for that client and starts the shut down procedure for the night. "How're you feeling? All good?"

[littleorphanalien]

Michael's already tidied up everything in the back, which had felt rote and routine, boring almost. He really should be more grateful for this job, but ever since they took in Luke and ever since the kidnapping, he's been feeling stifled and almost bored.

It's never been an issue because he always had the ship and the prospect of going home on the horizon, but now that he's happy and that's gone, fixing cars isn't so exciting anymore.

He picks up the paper, amused as he waves the little piece with the phone number on it. "You should keep it. Who knows, you might need a safety," he teases, sliding around behind Alex to physically tuck it into Alex's pocket, kissing his cheek as he wraps his arms around him from behind. "M'good," he promises, even if he's bored.

Bored isn't bad, right?

"Ready to go home." By now, the babysitter they've got should've put Luke to bed, at least on days like this where they're both here to close, so they don't even have to worry about dinner.

[unendurable]

Alex knows his alarms and cameras will watch over them all but at the same time, he also worries that about Michael all the time. About Luke, and about Caleb. So he does what he can to watch over them, to do all he can for them. Up to and including looking over Michael as much as he can.

Even if he's rolling his eyes at him when he tucks the number into his pocket.

"What do you mean I might need safety?" Reaching back and pulling the number out, tossing it into the trash. "I'm wearing a ring. What was he even doing giving me his number?"

Not sounding at all impressed and definitely not needing the number.

"And home sounds good,' he says, leaning in to kiss Michael chastely. "And M'good is actually good or just what you tell Alex so he doesn't bother you good?"

[littleorphanalien]

Michael is smug as he bows his forehead to Alex's shoulder, loving the fact that he's throwing it away, which hadn't been a test, but it's still good to see. "That's my boy," he mumbles, and draws away from Alex so he can get up and get ready to leave.

Him probing about the way he answered makes him shrug. "No, it's fine." And he means that in the most literal way possible. "You know. Not amazing, not awful. I'm good," he says, and that's the problem.

Coming here every day is only exciting because he gets to see Alex more, not because he's enjoying the work.

[unendurable]

"Always yours," he says, full of conviction and honesty as he starts shutting down the computer as Michael moves away, finding more delight in those three words from Michael than he ever thought he might. It left him excited and wanting to show him so much more of just how much he was Michael's.

He chuckles softly. "I've never heard someone make fine sound so wrong," he admits, moving to take Michael's hand. "Want to grab something on the way home or throw something together there?"

[littleorphanalien]

Michael gives Alex a fond smile, reaching out for his hand to tangle them together when it's offered, digging out his phone, knowing that he does want to talk, but probably not around Luke. "Let me just call the sitter and see if she'll stay."

He glances at his watch. "He should be sleeping by now, so it shouldn't matter." That's the advantage of the late shift, though maybe that's about to change soon too.

"But, I'm not upset," he wants to make it clear. "You gotta put that on record, I'm not mad."

[unendurable]

"I would love that," he admits, thinking about how nice a night out would be. He loves Luke in their lives but he wants time to spend with Michael.

Especially when he goes into detail that he's not upset or mad, but that doesn't make it any more comfortable to Michael.

"Okay. Well that's good," he says, glad for that at least. But he's got a million horrible thoughts in his head. Thoughts that he's bored with Alex, that he can't handle being with him after what happened to Michael. Not mad doesn't mean this isn't a break up, and he's suddenly terrified that is what this is.

[littleorphanalien]

Once Alex has got everything shut off, he tucks away his phone and wallet, bundling up Alex's coat (Michael's wearing a barely there one, because he doesn't get cold, but appearances must). He tugs him along towards the nearest diner and settles into a booth with the menus.

It's hard to approach the topic, mainly because he knows it's going to change everything.

"I gotta preface this by saying that just cuz I wanna do something, doesn't mean you have to," he warns. "I don't expect you to follow me out of loyalty on this one."

[unendurable]

Alex tries to smile when Michael guides him to a place nearby, wanting to be able to be happy and excited about this but the truth is that he's so nervous about Michael's words. If he's not angry, then what is he?

His brow furrows, biting at his lips as Michael just makes it even more a bit confusing. "Oookay. I, uhmmm, okay Michael? You're scaring me. What is it you're going to do?"

[littleorphanalien]

Michael fidgets with the menu, breathing out and then in, and deciding the best way is to just be blunt. "I don't know if I want to work at the shop anymore," he admits. "And I know it might be because of what happened, and I know that maybe it's just me freaking out, but it's not."

"It's not that I'm scared," he hurries to insist. "I'm just..."

He shrugs.

"I'm bored," he admits, and honestly, a part of him is just surprised he didn't reach this level before.

[unendurable]

Alex takes in those words at first, thinking about what Michael is going to want, if he should look for other work as a second job if Michael's not comfortable working. Even as he says he's bored, he worries it's part of not wanting to be out of the house, to take chances. Or that he is constantly reminded of what he'd been through.

"Okay. I can understand that. I'm sure I can find a way to make sure we're okay financially. I don't mind that," he says, wanting Michael to know he'd support him in what he needs, even if he worries about Michael going home and not ever leaving the house again out of fear.

[littleorphanalien]

Michael furrows his brow, folding the menu in front of him, not sure Alex gets what he's saying. "What? Fuck, Alex," he protests, almost a hiss of a thing. "I'm not gonna make you work to cover me," he protests. "Bored doesn't mean miserable, I'm not saying I want to quit tomorrow, I just..."

The idea of spending the rest of his life working as someone else's mechanic with no larger purpose kind of sucks.

"At home, I had the ship and the constant project to get back to my home planet, to my family, but I don't need that here. I've got my family," he says, reaching across for Alex's hand to take in his own. "So I don't know," he admits. "The most I've felt like that version of me was when I was working on the drone for Luke."

[unendurable]

"Michael, you've been through hell. If you needed a break, I would be here for you."

And that, to Michael, is what matters. That he would do whatever he could for Michael. For them to be happy here.

Alex's fingers curl around Michael's, holding tightly to him. He smiles at that though, considering these things. "Okay, well I don't want you to be bored just because it's a job. You encouraged me to release my album, to make my own music. I'm here to support you in whatever you want to do."

He smiles wider then. "Why aren't you making drones then? And larger remotely piloted vehicles. Like the military uses."

[littleorphanalien]

"I don't need a break," he says stubbornly, because he's back to work, he's talking, he's able to do this, and he wants to be able to work. He rubs his thumb over Alex's palm, taking his time to look at him, thinking about what he's saying.

"I'd have to use the ship's tech," he admits, which isn't a bad thing. "I probably have enough for a limited run, a couple hundred, but I guess..." He thinks about it, tries to think about how many, but then realizes. "I mean, I could use the ship for everything. If I got a contract, there's a ton of things that I could make."

He looks up, nervously, mainly because, "Would you still work with me? Leave the shop and keep helping?"

[unendurable]

He's actually glad to hear he doesn't need a break. He's been worrying about where that might lead and if he could get back into things. So that he doesn't need that break is good in Alex's book.

He listens to his thoughts, not interrupting until those questions. "Of course I would. Absolutely. Michael, I'm only there for you, and because it's easy to do my other work from there. I'm sure my new boss though would be cool with me taking some time for music. I just..."

He shifts, trying to find the words for this. "Are you sure that's what you want to do with the ship?"

[littleorphanalien]

Michael's shoulders sag with relief to have Alex agree that he'll go with him. He should feel bad for their boss, but it's an auto shop. They'll be fine, and Michael might still ask if he can come in once a week to work on cars, just to keep his hands moving, but he knows he can't do it every day.

He's not sure why Alex is asking about that.

"I don't get it," he says. "Why wouldn't I do that with my ship?"

[unendurable]

Alex worries at his lip, considering how to say this. He knows Michael wants to be withhim, and they're engaged and planning their wedding with luke and it's a family thing. They have a family here, friends, a life that is both of them. They're so happy, and yet he can't assume. He won't assume.

"Well, I mean, one day you won't be upset you don't have it anymore?" Which is the easiest way of saying it, that he can bring himself to say it without asking if he won't regret not having it to go home.

[littleorphanalien]

Michael's face goes through a hell of a journey, from the worry and anger that Alex might hold back on him to relief and then fondness. He stares at Alex like they're seventeen again and he knows he hasn't talked about this out loud, not really, but he reaches for him.

"My mother was at Caulfield and from how Noah told it, our planet was wracked in civil war," he admits, from the small bit he'd gleaned before he'd gone with Alex and Kyle. "Alex, you're my family," he says, firmly. "You and Luke, here, with Caleb and our friends."

He reaches out to take both of his hands in his own.

"I'd rather do something with the ship. I don't want it to take me anywhere, especially when all I've got is a console and it's not like there's any way out."

[unendurable]

Alex knows he's risking upsetting Michael, mentioning that. And a part of him doesn't want the answer that could be that one day he might. He just doesn't want to not make things clear what it is Michael wants, and that he makes the choice, not that Alex makes it for him.

He smiles though at that, his fingers curling around Michael's.

"You are my family," he agrees. "And I want to be wherever you are, Michael. So if that's what you want to do, I'm there for you. Even if I'm just the pretty one showing off the merchandise."

[littleorphanalien]

Michael's so damn grateful, but now that he's said it, he also needs to figure out how, and that's where Alex comes in. "I can't just say I want to run my own business and then do it, can I?" he asks, frowning.

Sure, he has the materials and the knowledge, but it can't be as easy as that. "How do you even start your own business? And we'd definitely need to think about a bigger space."

[unendurable]

"Technically? I mean... Yes, but you risk it not ending up being profitable," he says, gently, considering the options on how this would work.

"So to begin we would need to find space, somewhere you can work on things without it being in the living room and risking child or dog and troubles," he says. "Then you decide what you're going to make and what it will take. We can probably take out a small business loan for the start up," he says, considering it from the things he knows, though it's not his speciality.

[littleorphanalien]

"It'd be drones."

He has thought about this. It's something that's been circulating his genius mind during boring shifts, and something that he knows he wants to do. That part is easy. "The components of the ship would work as the outer camouflage, with the motor and mechanism to fly inside, with the camera," he says. "And I mean, I know the glass is breakable, but it's better than most."

"I could definitely sell it as a contract," he says. "I probably wouldn't get more than maybe a hundred, but then I have the tech to look at for other projects."

Shit, he's thinking about this, isn't he?

[unendurable]

Alex shifts then, leaning in closer to Michael. "Okay so... You start advertising, look into who would be looking for what. Some will want them for fun, but you want to hype them as surveillance, for security means. Especially if you can work out cameras and recording devices," he admits, thinking about it. "Mostly because that's going to bring up your price."

He shrugs, just thinking about it. "With that kind of tech though, a hundred of them could put you in the black your first year, which most companies can't do."

Alex is being deadly serious, offering the help he can without even questioning it. Not at all.

[littleorphanalien]

He doesn't say anything for a while. He's just staring at Alex, listening to him talk, and he reaches over the table to cup his face, grab him in for a hungry kiss, the way he did at the reunion. Out of nowhere, sudden, and filled to the brim with affection.

When he eases back, he holds onto him, his eyes still closed for a moment.

"You're so good to me," he confesses, voice wrought. "I put you through hell for weeks, and I tell you I want to upend our lives, quit my job, and you want to help. And you're giving me a blueprint," he admits, finally opening his eyes. "God, you're just..."

He's so good.

[unendurable]

Alex pauses, not sure if he's gone the wrong or not but then there's that kiss. A kiss that is like fireworks. It's the kind of kiss that he's thought about for years, and hated himself from walking away from. Nearly as much as he had hated himself for not protecting Michael.

The kind of kiss that lets him know that everything is okay.

"I love you, and I want you to be happy," he whispers, leaning into Michael's touch, his hand covering Michael's. "You were hurt and tortured," he whispers. "It wasn't hell. It just hurt not knowing how to help. This, I know how to help with."