(no subject)

[littleorphanalien]

It turns out that moving into an actual house is a lot more work than he'd expected, not to mention the money worries. He's been making the drones and they've got enough for the down payment, but it's still really tight. Each completed drone seems to sit there and laugh in his face, another piece of proof of something he hasn't sold and isn't earning them money.

The boxes need to be packed, though. Their things have to move.

Alex has been on the phone for the last while and Michael's going through their drawer to shove things into boxes, glad that most of his alien shit is going to stay with Caleb in the city on the webcam, but even then, he's just got too much stuff. He ducks out into the main room when Alex is still on the phone, raising his brow to ask if that's a good sign or not. Then, when Alex still seems busy negotiating something, he heads back to the bedroom to start packing up the not-every day items, things they could take out to the beach house without causing disruption with their lives.

Ten minutes later, he's bored of packing and Alex is still on the phone. He wanders back into the main room, gives Bopp one of her toys, and then drapes his arms around Alex's neck from behind, kissing down his neck as he curls in, rubbing his long curls against the back of Alex's head, like he's trying to snuggle in with him from this angle.

It's his mature way of stating that he's bored of packing and he's hoping Alex will get bored of that phone call soon.

Comments

[unendurable]

"Yeah, yeah you did you marvelous, amazing, wonderful genius. You are amazing," he says, sliding closer so he can wrap his arms tightly around Michael, holding him close.

This is it. They've made a life for themselves. Not just living here, but a life. With a dog, and a kid, and a house, and now a business. A business where they're making serious money.

"I am," he says with a grin, because that he'll accept. Groaning as he just leans back, keeping his arms around Michael and drawing him in with him. Kissing him back like this is it, their first kiss and their last and everything in between.

[littleorphanalien]

Michael's laugh is bright as anything and honestly, he thinks it's the happiest he's ever been. Not that it's got much competition. His life is usually a pile of angst and hardship, so to have this be a good moment is something that takes him by surprise.

He leans in and grabs at Alex's face to cup his cheeks, grab him in with another kiss, a little longer than before, a little more, dipping his toe into dangerous waters. He's bent over the table, but not to fuck Alex, just to kiss him.

"Wait," he groans, even if he doesn't move. "Kidlet," he warns.

[unendurable]

This is what they needed to confirm that all of this was going to work. That they can work for themselves and take care of their family.

And that is part of it as well. Their family.

They have everything they could want now. Each other. Bopp. A thriving business. And Luke.

Sighing as Michael reminds him of that, arching up for another kiss. Hard. Needy. Moaning into the kiss before he quits, laying back with a thunk of his head on the table.

"Right. Kidlet," he says with a nod. "Celebrating is for later."

[littleorphanalien]

Michael chases Alex one more time for one more kiss, then he slides his fingers against Alex's back to press him up and against him, leaning him up into his arms as he nuzzles at his neck, smiling warmly. "Kidlet," he teases, and he's loving this so much.

"Alex," he says, still breathless and a little amazed. "Pinch me, would you? Cuz I can't believe it's real."

He's still amazed that something he did is going to be a business and not just a one off. Genuinely, he can't believe it.

[unendurable]

Making a small sound of being frustrated but looping his arms around Michael's neck and snuggling in close to him. "You missed the one part. Our borrowed kidlet. Ours," he says with a grin. God, he really does still love that.

Laughing as he leans in, kissing Michael and then biting his lower lip. "Close enough to a pinch? It's real Michael. W're making this happen. It's going to happen."

[littleorphanalien]

"Yeah, yeah, borrowed," he retorts with a smug little grin, loving the way they're curled in together, even as he gets Alex back to a more vertical position, seeing as it's not really appropriate for him to be lying back like that.

He grins, though, sliding his fingers over Alex's face, after yelping mildly for the kiss. "We have a genuine company." Wait, does that mean they're behind? "Does Area-97 have to get incorporated now? Do we need a business account at the bank for this? Or a lawyer?" he asks, trying to ignore old feelings about Noah.

[unendurable]

He can say borrowed but in truth, it's only for Luke's sake, because he is still hoping and wishing for his family. The truth is, Alex is still hoping and wishing for his family as well but the truth is, Luke is their kidlet.

"We should... Talk to a local attorney. Are we paying taxes? Do they charge that here? We've never looked into that. We'll need to talk to someone and see what they say. I don't know how different laws in Darrow are."

[littleorphanalien]

Michael can see that look in Alex's eyes, and he leans in, his mouth firmly pressed to his jaw where he can grin, and he can't help himself. "Don't tell me that you want to get an actual kidlet," he whispers, because it wouldn't be his alien DNA that they'd be using, but he eases back to raise a brow.

He's not ruling it out, not now that he knows he's not the worst father in the world.

"This is a lot," he admits. "Taxes and lawyers and contracts and sales, and then down payments." He can feel a knot starting to form in his chest, against his will. He exhales, but it's ragged. "Going a little off the rails here, pull me back?" he requests, which is big for him.

[unendurable]

Alex goes still at that, looking at Michael for a long time. "That's not a simple yes or no, Michael. There's a lot that we'd have to consider because Darrow." Like what would happen if they left this place. That he'd need to have some clue about. "I love Luke though, and I'm so glad he's part of our family."

And that part is important. Just as this is.

"Michael, we'll work it out. We're not going to end up homeless, and we're not going to lose anything. We'll talk to a local attorney, and get their help. We're helping their economy. Hell, we're becoming part of the place in a lot of ways. We'll work it out."

[littleorphanalien]

Michael's biting his lip, staring at Alex as he eases back, like he's not entirely sure that he should have said that, but he did. "It's just, it's something I'm putting out there, okay? It'd be your kid, with a surrogate, but it's...there."

Now that he knows that he's not a bad father, that his fears were unfounded, he wants to be able to provide that option out to Alex, at least to give him the hope.

"Yeah. Yeah, you're right. You're right, I just want to make sure we make enough, you know? And not get sued or anything like that."

[unendurable]

Leaning in, Alex kisses Michael, stroking his knuckles along his cheek. "I... Maybe one day? But it would have to be that we both want to do that. Would want a child that way. Or we can do what we have, and foster other kids who end up here. Kids who need someone to take care of them."

Just like someone should have taken care of Michael.

"Michael, it's going to work. We're going to make this work. I swear, we'll make it work."

[littleorphanalien]

Michael tips his head to the side and stares at Alex with a fond grin, loving that his boyfriend is talking about fostering, even though Michael just offered to be there for him if he wanted to surrogate a kid, and god, he loves him.

"Okay," he agrees, and helps Alex to his feet. "Tell me how many I need to prepare," he says, heading to his stash of finished models, glancing over his shoulder. "Stop looking at my ass," he teases, as though Alex isn't paying attention.

[unendurable]

Smiling back at Michael, truly feeling that the right path for them is fostering. That house is awful, the kids are tormented, and they can't take in everyone, but the more of them that show up, they can look into doing what they can.

"I think we should have at least two," he says, laughing and shaking his head. "Nope. I'm not going to stop," he says, even if he hadn't been. Though he is now.

[littleorphanalien]

Michael grins as he pries two of the drones out from the locked storage, bringing them to the table to delicately set them down. There are three more still there that they could sell later, but he hands one to Alex to start programming, digging out his screwdriver kit.

"Okay, so, what do you want to do to protect these," he asks, leaning in to kiss Alex chastely on the lips, basking in these casual little touches that they can do. "And we should have better packaging, shouldn't we? Do we have a briefcase or a nice box? We should have bought boxes."

[unendurable]

They are such beautiful pieces, and Alex takes it reverently from him, just admiring it for a long moment, glancing over it. "These things are really amazing, Michael. They really are."

He's still just mesmerized by them.

Kissing him back with a grin, considering the systems they have already coded for them. "We've got time to get boxes, and I can print out labels," he says. "As for the coding, I'm thinking we can set coding with a backdoor that means we have constant access to them. Never to be used unless, you know, they either steal them or copy them. And I can code in an individual code so the terminal software only works with each one with the code. So the software won't work without a unique code."

[littleorphanalien]

Michael stares at them with pride. They really are something. To the normal eye, they look like a gorgeous paperweight, smaller than a basketball, and glimmering in perfect spheres. He'd managed to use his powers and enough welding tools to get the camera piece within it, then working with the console of the ship to give them drone capabilities to fly, looking little more than an orb in the sky.

If you ever saw them, given he's seen in his tests how they seem to cloak, which he wonders if his ship had done as well.

Michael feels his lips tingling for the kiss, but it's nothing compared to the butterflies in his stomach. "I never would've been able to do this without you," he says, and he means it. "Alex, without your software, these are fancy camera, but you..." He shakes his head. "You really do make me a better version of myself," he says, and a year ago, that would've been something he fought. "Thank you."

[unendurable]

They're beautiful and elegant, and Alex can't imagine anyone else ever making something that amazing. They're capable of so much and between them they've made something to support them and make a future of their lives.

"I feel the same, Michael," he whispers, stepping in to cup Michael's cheeks, staring into his eyes. "We wholly and truly need one another, Michael. I believe that. We're better together."

Leaning in and kissing him, slow and deep. "You're welcome, but thank you as well."

[littleorphanalien]

Michael forgets all about the drones, not caring about anything else, because Alex is talking about them and kissing him, and he forgets everything else in the world. He'd been flirting and distracting Alex that day in the back of his truck, but he'd meant it, so much.

"Just took us a decade and change to figure it out," he jokes ruefully, giving Alex an apologetic look. "Sorry I kept giving you reasons to walk away."

[unendurable]

"Michael, no. Never," he whispers, choking on those words. "You didn't give me reasons. I made up reasons because I was so scared. I was scared he'd hurt you. Scared I couldn't be enough because I didn't protect you, but you, Michael? You never did anything wrong," he whispers.

He cups Michael's cheeks, staring into his eyes. "You never did anything wrong to make me leave Michael. That was always on me."

[littleorphanalien]

"I did give you reasons," he says, and eases back. "Alex," he says, a touch uncertain. "Alex, I got myself locked up on purpose when you left. The day we were supposed to see each other and say goodbye, I stole Valenti's hubcaps off his shiny new car because I knew it'd get me locked up."

"I made it so we couldn't say goodbye," he admits, pained. "And I did it because I was scared, because I was such a mess. I..." he trails off, stomach twisting. "I'm sorry I was an idiot. Maybe if I'd come and seen you off, we could have been together the last ten years."

[unendurable]

It should have been obvious it was a stunt, and maybe then he had realizes that is what it was. Maybe he had been upset for years that Michael hadn't been there that day. They spent all summer together, and it had been amazing between them, and then that one talk in the truck, him not showing up, and every time he'd come back, it had been harder.

But now they're here, and they made it despite it all.

"Maybe, but we're here now. So maybe it took us a while, Michael, but we're together. Look at everything we have now. Bopp, our family, our wedding coming up. Whatever it took, we're here now."

[littleorphanalien]

It's ten years ago, but Michael feels like a different man. He's not that guy anymore, and he's better than that, even if he feels like he's going to be proving that to Alex for the rest of their lives, but he's okay with that. Honestly, he is.

He'd spend eternity proving it, even though he feels guilty about robbing them of a proper goodbye.

"I know. I know!" he rushes to insist. "It's just, it was a big shitty thing I did."

[unendurable]

Alex smiles then, leaning in until his brow rests against Michael's. "We both did shitty things. We can accept that now. I mean..." He takes a breath. "That night, at the drive in? I didn't care what you did... No, I did. I knew you deserved better but..."

His arms slide around Michael, tightening around him. "Jesse was watching, looking over at us and I panicked. I just saw... I saw that afternoon, and I was scared what he would do to you now, so..." So he made it clear he wasn't interested in Michael. "I wanted him not to think I still cared because I thought he'd hurt you. Maybe... maybe kill you."

[littleorphanalien]

Michael drifts in, rubbing their foreheads together for a moment, thinking about that night at the drive-in and how upset he'd been when Alex had walked away. He remembers sitting in the truck, his stomach falling when he thought of losing Alex for good.

He leans in, trying to take what he can because he doesn't want to forget that. "Yeah, well, I'd like to see him try. I'd use my alien powers and take out his eye," he whispers, "maybe I wouldn't even stop there, take out the brain too."

They definitely, really have to get a restraining order.

[unendurable]

"He won't come here. Not ever, Michael. We'll never have to see him again," he says in a low, rumbling voice. "But I trust you, Michael. I know I'm safe with you and I know you're safe with me. Nothing will get between us. Not him. Not this place. I know that, Michael."

He kisses him then, slow and deep, cupping his face as he gives over to that kiss, to the promise, to knowing they would be safe. No matter how bad this place got, they would be safe here.