(no subject)

[littleorphanalien]

Alex's name is all over posters for this music festival, something that Michael had seen once or twice. When Alex had arranged it, Michael just figured that it was some casual thing, like a gig at the bar. Then, real flyers came out, posters, and Alex had a spot on a stage at a festival. He'd seen them on the way back from dropping Luke off at school, needing to do a double-take before he was overwhelmed with the sight of them.

To say that he's proud is a wild understatement.

He's grabbed about three of them, taking off for the Ocean View apartment, grateful that they're still in the process of moving so it won't take too long, hurrying inside. "Alex!" he calls, bouncing with excitement. "Alex, you're never gonna believe what I..."

He trails off, because when he glances up from the flyers, he gets his first good look at Alex.

"...uhhhh..."

Alex still has the coffee cup in hand, wearing a pair of sweatpants tied on the one end, and he's shirtless. Michael's seen him shirtless a thousand times before, but the tanned skin against these particular sweatpants, the way his hair is falling over his forehead, and his sleepy mussed just woke up look is...well, it's doing a lot to him.

"I found your music flyers," he manages, babbling out nonsense.

Comments

[unendurable]

Alex shakes his head. "That's amazing, but it's not the same as having you," he says, because having Michael in his life is the best. The other things would be hollow without him.

"It is the real deal. So is July 31st," he says, because he is focusing on that date as much as anything. "Okay then. I'll agree with that. We got help, and worked things out and now we're here," he says. "And here is me on that poster, and our wedding, and the new house. Also, I mean.... I'm on a festival poster," he says with so much glee.

[littleorphanalien]

Michael is close to preening, and he stares at him, knowing that their wedding date is going to be the most important date to him, but hearing it from Alex makes him practically melt, because it's July 31st. It's their wedding.

It's them.

"You're on a festival poster, Alex!" he shares, laughing brightly, acting loose and carefree, like he really is seventeen again and Jesse Manes never happened. He doesn't look the same though, what with his hair down to his chin in long curls, and the scruff on his face. "I'm so proud of you," he whispers.

[unendurable]

Laughing with him, leaning in and kissing him hard. Brushing back those curls with both hands so he can kiss him, hard, loving how good he feels. Kissing him hard, moaning into his mouth as he uses that hooked leg around Michael to pull him close.

"Thank you. I feel so good about this. I'm so excited. I can't wait. I need new clothes!"

[littleorphanalien]

He knows they're happy here. It's there in every day, in their breakfasts and their lives, but these moments where he and Alex are buoyant and giddy feel like they aren't as common. Worse, when Alex moans like that, Michael forgets how to think or what he's doing.

The only thing that matters is drifting in to kiss the corner of Alex's lips, heart pounding. Luke is at school and Alex should rehearse. Michael should keep preparing more drones, but he can't.

"You wanna go shopping?" Michael offers, eyes bright, because this is the only thing he wants to do.

[unendurable]

"You'd go with me and listen go me be picky about clothes?" He grins at that, stroking his fingers through Michael's hair. Just combing his fingers through those long locks, stroking his fingers over Michael's temples.

"Can I lure you into a dressing room? I mean, just to help make sure they fit right," he teases.

[littleorphanalien]

"I'd go with you anywhere," Michael vows, and gives Alex a preening look, leaning heavily into the touch Alex is giving him, like he's being patted like a good dog. All it'll take is Alex adding some praise about how he's a 'good boy' and he'll be a goner.

Biting his lip, he pinches the sweatpants. "You willing to put on real clothes and go out? Get yourself a rock star look?"

[unendurable]

"You're so good to me," he whispers, kissing him tenderly. "Come on. Let's get changed and go and see what I should wear for the concert," he says, grinning and excited about the idea of it.

"I never thought about this. About what I would actually wear, or play. I just signed up for it."

[littleorphanalien]

Michael leans over to get the crutch, holding it out for Alex to hold again, backing away from the counter and carefully taking the posters to put them on top of the fridge where food, dogs, and other disasters won't be able to affect them.

Once done, he helps pull at Alex's hips to get him on his feet, yanking at him until their hips are flush together, which maybe isn't the best thing, because the look really did get him going.

"Your teen self probably had ideas," he mumbles, a little flushed in the cheeks and embarrassed.

[unendurable]

Taking the crutch, Alex waits for Michael. It says a lot that he doesn't try and jump down on his own, willing to have Michael's hands there, helping him, guiding him. Glad for it as he gets him on his feet.

Smiling at Michael as he loops his free arm around his neck, holding him close. Smiling at that though, positively excited about the concert. He laughs at that though.

"We're not listening to him. Have you see the people he thinks about and what he would pick?"

[littleorphanalien]

He tips his head to the side and like this, it's a little like they're slow-dancing, even if they're barely moving at all. His breath is in his throat and he has to force himself to loosen his grip on Alex's hips, exhaling shakily to let go.

"I'm pretty sure adult Alex still has crushes on the same people that teen Alex did," he says, turning to clench and unclench his hand, trying to calm himself. "Or I'm in trouble," he quips over his shoulder.

[unendurable]

Leaning into Michael, swaying slightly as he wraps his arms around him, holding him close. He's so happy about his life right now, and Michael is beautiful and brilliant and now Alex is doing this amazing thing that he wants Michael to see him and be proud.

"Adult Alex is probably definitely still crushing on the beautiful genius that teen Alex crushed on. But clotheswise for this should I do that kind of thing, or jeans and a great button down over a tee?"

[littleorphanalien]

Michael grins as he heads into the bedroom for his denim jacket to slide on, picking up a shirt and Alex's prosthetic for him, hefting it out before giving Alex a considerate look.

He looks to the prosthetic, then to Alex.

"Nah," he says, and lightly lobs it to the counter. "C'mere, if any time's the right time to give you a present, it's now."

[unendurable]

He waits for Michael to come back with what he needs, preparing to get dressed and ready. Then Michael tosses aside his prosthetic. "Uhmmm..." He blinks at that, his jaw hanging open a bit.

"It's... it's ready?" Because there's only one thing he could being talking about, especially with tossing aside the prosthetic.

[littleorphanalien]

Michael gives him a fond grin as he gestures for him to follow along to the bedroom. "It was ready before I turned into an idiot kid, but then we bought the house and then I found a flyer with your name on it and other things took priority," he admits.

"Sit," he guides. "We still need to test it and make sure it doesn't hurt you, but I think we're ready."

[unendurable]

He moves easily, following Michael with an eagerness he couldn't hide. Not when he's finally getting to try out his new prosthetic.

"And hey. I liked that idiot kid," he teases, but he can understand. Their life has been a whirlwind as of late.

He does as he's told, sitting on the edge of the bed. "I'm ready. I promise, I will tell you if it hurts and not let it keep hurting me." Because he knows he's been bad about things like that in the past.

[littleorphanalien]

Michael settles Alex on the bed, excited as he brings out the metallic case where he's been keeping it. His fingers brush against the alien materials and watch as it shimmers and glows, even if it's lined with earth metals inside to weigh it down with flexible titanium.

"I think," he says, "that if I open up a connection through you, I can sense how it's doing," he admits, reaching for the new sock to slide it on, adjusting the prosthetic and attaching it, tracking the length and feeling good about the shape of the foot and the shape of it, so close to the other.

He's spent plenty of time staring at Alex's legs, after all.

[unendurable]

Alex is practically holding his breath when Michael gets out the case. When it opens, he sees how beautiful it is, the shimmer of the ship gleaming along the length of it as Michael gets it out.

"I like that idea," he says, but it's not wholly for the prosthetic but to have that connection with Michael. All the time.

He stays very still, letting Michael get things into place. "This is the most amazing things you've done for me."

[littleorphanalien]

Michael slides his palms up and down the alien glass, watching how it responds to him with awe, incredulous and utterly entranced by the look of it, breathing out as he stands, holding a hand out to him so Alex can get to his feet.

"It's not gonna break or shatter," he promises, "so don't worry about abusing it, or smacking it into things."

He lets go, even if it's nearly impossible to do. "Go on, give it a shot, tell me how it feels."

[unendurable]

Taking Michael's hand, he lets Michael help him up. He stands there for a moment, adjusting to how it feels. The work Michael's done allows Alex to truly feels comfortable.

"I have every faith in it, Michael. It's beautiful and..." He shifts, moving and seeing how it feels. "And you did a beautiful job. Michael..' He bounces a bit, giving a wiggle to see how it reacts. "I can't believe you did this for me. I can't believe you used part of your ship for me."

[littleorphanalien]

Michael watches it, crouching over to get a better look at the prosthetic, watching how the titanium works with the ship material (and will also prevent it from trying to bond to something else). He breathes out shakily, still in awe that it's real.

"If this works right, you shouldn't need a separate one for sports," he says. "It should absorb the shock and impact and give you that flexibility." Raising to a stand, he gives Alex a hopeful look. "I don't need a way off this planet anymore. It's better for this."

[unendurable]

"Michael, it's still special and it's amazing to me that you are letting me have this." How could he be that utterly amazing to do this for Alex?

His eyes light up. "It's... I should be able to?" To think about having more of the freedom that he's lost and Michael has given him back. He moves to clutch Michael's cheek, kissing him hard. "I love you. So much."

[littleorphanalien]

Michael's so stupidly, modestly proud of it. It's something he did for Alex, and he gives him a shy, nervous smile, hoping that he can keep doing these kinds of things to make him so happy with him. "I wanna see you walking around with it," he admits, his voice rough with emotion.

He can't give Alex his leg back, only the next best thing.

"And then you can tell me if it's holding up."

[unendurable]

Alex isn't sure he can find words for this. Michael took his ship and made Alex's life better with it. He made it so he can move better and be in less pain, and it's also this promise that he's not leaving because his ship is here, with Alex.

"So does this mean I can skateboard now?" Smiling as he moves around the room, down the hallway and back to let Michael see how he moves. "It feels good. How goes it look?"

He figures Michael has watched his gait enough to know.

[littleorphanalien]

He watches the way it's moving, sliding down to his knees to press his fingers to it. It's inflexible, not like skin, and muscle, and bone, but it works a lot better and he checks where it's attached to carefully assess. "I think the weighting is fine," he admits, "but I'm worried about this," he says, squeezing that area gently.

"I think the material I used on the sock will work, but I don't know if it'll rash up on you, so you'll need to wear it in small increments. An hour, then two, and I'll see if I need to make adjustments."

[unendurable]

Alex stays still, letting Michael check the prosthetic, seeing how it fits and how it's aligned with the sock.

"You tell me what to do and what I'm watching for and I'll do it," he says with a nod, though he can't help but to smirk. "Though notice we ignored the skateboarding. Smart man," he teases.