Don't You Cry No More

Alex somehow always found himself crying in Matt’s arms.

The first time it happened, he had just moved to the United States. Of course, he expected things to be weird for him. He was the dorky British kid. After unpacking all of his things, his parents told him to explore a bit, so he decided to go to the nearby park. On his walk there, nobody seemed to really pay attention to him. It was peaceful.

He had been sitting on the swingset when an older kid pushed him off, sending him face-first into the sand. Alex groaned softly before standing up.

“What do you think-“ He began to protest, immediately shutting up and cowering at the glare that was sent his way.

“Go cry to your ‘mum’, dickhead.”

Alex bit his tongue as he turned away. He felt his eyes sting as he walked. It was only a few minutes, and he was already being picked on. When he was a fair distance away from the swings, he bumped into somebody.

“Sorry…” He mumbled, wincing at the way his own voice cracked.

“Hey, it’s alright. Are you…” The stranger trailed off, noticing the tears in the younger boy’s eyes. “Why are you crying? It’s not my fault is it?” He frowned and Alex shook his head, sniffling quietly.

“No, no. I just… I just moved here and already people are making fun of me…” Alex choked out. Out of sympathy, the stranger pulled him into a hug. Within seconds, the tears that were held back began flowing down chubby pink cheeks. The older boy shushed him gently, rocking side to side.

“Shh… It’s gonna be okay, kid. I won’t make fun of you. In fact, I want to be your friend!” He said softly. Once he calmed down enough to speak, Alex pulled back to look at him, disbelief in his eyes.

“My name’s James, by the way, but I prefer Matt.”

“I’m Alex… Thanks, Matt.”

They smiled at each other before going off to find something to do, settling on a long walk around the pond.

---

The second time it happened, Alex was a wreck. He called Matt in hysterics. The only words he managed to pick up were “brother” and “gone” in addition to the wailing. The older of the two didn’t even begin to question it, heading over to the Gaskarth residence. Upon arrival, he was almost knocked over as the blubbering boy ran right into his arms. The sad looks on the faces of the others told him that something wasn’t right, but he didn’t feel the need to ask for the full story.

They sat on a chair in the living room, Alex’s curled up in Matt’s lap as he sobbed. Once more, the latter just held him until he calmed down enough to function.

---

The third time that Alex cried in his friend’s arms was in high school.

He had gone through a bad breakup, and felt that Matt was the only person he could talk to about it.

He knocked on the door in the middle of the night, feeling guilty upon realizing that he had woken his friend up from what was probably the most sleep he’d gotten all week. They both shrugged it off, though, retreating to the bedroom. Their night was spent in Matt’s bed, Alex shaking as he held back sobs. The most he would allow was tears.

Right before they fell asleep, the younger felt a pair of lips on his own for a brief moment. He almost melted as Matt pulled him closer. They stayed like that for an unknown amount of time before he heard a quiet “It’s gonna be okay, kid.” and what he was sure was an “I love you.”

---

The fourth time that Matt held a crying Alex was when they were both adults.

It had been close to Christmas time, and Matt felt it was cliché, but he didn’t care. It was shortly after Alex’s birthday when they were curled up on their couch, sharing little kisses here and there.

Somewhere between the break-up and their position on the couch, they started dating. After that, when Alex reached the age of twenty, they decided to move in together. It was like a dream for Alex, really.

“I’ll be right back.” Matt giggled as he placed a soft kiss on Alex’s lips before getting up, earning a pout from his boyfriend. The caramel haired boy sat up and closed his eyes as he waited. When he finally opened them, Matt was there again, this time with a ring in hand and a beaming smile to match the hopeful glint in his eyes.

“Lex, will you-“ He paused when Alex’s eyes filled with tears. The hope in Matt’s eyes began to fade into something sad.

Alex caught onto the slight fear that washed over Matt and pulled him into a kiss, holding onto him like his life depended on it. The tense feeling went away the second that a small “yes” spilled between them.

With a ring on his finger, Alex found himself crying in Matt’s arms again, this time with a smile.