Status: finished
Love is a Dangerous Thing
16
It didn't take much for Zack to get overwhelmed when they went out that night, there were a lot of people at the restaurant and he couldn't really hear anyone and he wanted to go home pretty much as soon as they got there. He tried not to make a big deal about it but it just wasn't happening and he could tell everyone knew and that just made it worse. Alex and Rian talked but the whole table kept glancing at Zack who had become very interested in his glass of water as soon as they sat down.
"You know what, I'm actually not that hungry," Alex announced before they even placed their drink orders. Zack looked at him with a confused expression but the older just took his hand in his own under the table and gave it a light squeeze. "You guys wanna go get ice cream instead? Zack and I know a great place not too far from here."
"I'm down," Chris quickly agreed.
"I'm certainly not gonna turn down a hot fudge sundae," Rian shrugged. "What about you Zack?"
"I like ice cream," Zack mumbled and just like that they were out of the overcrowded diner and back onto the much emptier street where he could breathe. Chris and Rian walked a little ahead of them and Zack leaned into Alex's side with a smile.
The night improved drastically from there, the ice cream parlor was empty except for them and Alex got Zack a rocky road ice cream cone and he felt almost normal. Between Alex, Chris, and Rian there was never a quiet moment which left Zack free to mostly just sit quietly. He joined in a few times to talk about how weird Chris was for getting a plain vanilla cone or to agree with Rian that ice cream in December was perfectly acceptable but mainly he just sat tucked into Alex's side and ate his cone. It was a good night and when Alex whispered to remind him it was a good third date as well, he felt just that much better about the whole thing.
"Rian's not that bad," he said when it was just him and Alex walking back home.
"I think he liked you too," Alex laughed. "We need to stop and grab some stuff from the grocery store before we get home, is that alright?"
"Yeah, but why?"
"Just trust me."
Zack didn't understand their stop until the next morning when he woke up and felt like shit. He noticed right away that Alex wasn't in bed with him and felt worse but he walked out into the living room anyways. He couldn't help but smile at the scene before him when he walked out, Alex was passed out on the couch with Christmas decorations surrounding him. There were lights strung up on a tree in the corner and presents laying underneath it. Two stockings hung from thumb tacks in the wall and there were Christmas themed snow globes everywhere. It wasn't ridiculously extravagant but it was all for him and that felt nice. Carefully he lifted the blanket covering Alex to lay down with him. The older woke up briefly but only long enough to mumble something incoherent and wrap his arms around him.
"How'd you know I was gonna have a bad day?" Zack asked later when they were snuggled together eating more ice cream and watching Elf on the couch.
"Well, I had this theory and I asked Chris about it and he said I was probably right, that's why he's not coming over today, you need a break."
"A break?" Zack raised an eyebrow, his whole life was a break.
"Yeah, a break. I realized it yesterday when I was talking about how proud I was that you're doing all this stuff when last month you didn't even talk," Alex explained. "Going from speaking to absolutely no one and only really being around one person for only like 45 minutes to talking and being around someone all day is a lot."
"So what was your theory?" Zack tilted his head up to gaze at Alex from the older's chest genuinely curious to hear more about this theory of his.
"The theory is when you do really good and push yourself out of your comfort zone, like you did last night and on our two previous dates-" Zack blushed and looked away at that making Alex laugh. "On our two previous Outings," he said, changing the word to make Zack feel better. "You exhaust yourself and the next day you're emotionally drained or whatever which is why you get all sorts of cranky and need me to hold you."
"I'm not a baby," Zack grumbled, the words barely out of his mouth before Alex was grinning with a reply.
"But you're my baby."
Zack's face turned a bright shade of red but he didn't say anything just laid back against his friend and watched tv, where their show was just coming back on.
"Zack?" Alex just barely held back his laughter.
"What?" Zack kept his eyes glued to the tv, he himself trying not to smile.
"Did you like it when I called you baby?"
Zack shrugged, Alex finally laughed.
"You know, you're really too cute for your own good."
When Chris came over the next day Zack used all the courage he had to bring up the subject that had caused so much trouble last time.
"I want to tell Alex I love him."
"That's great," Chris smiled this time and instantly Zack felt the majority of his anxiety fade. "I think you've made huge strides forward and if you want to tell him then I totally back that decision, as your friend."
"Really?" Zack hesitated and made sure his door was closed completely. "I'm sort of scared to say it."
"Why?"
"What if he changes his mind?"
Chris laughed and went to the door opening it and calling down the hall for Alex who showed up quickly.
"Is everything okay?" He asked, looking over Chris's shoulder to see Zack.
"Everything's fine," Chris assured, speaking loud enough for Zack to hear. "I was just wondering on a scale of one to ten how much do you lo-"
"20, I love Zack more than anyone," he looked over Chris's shoulder again with a soft smile. "You know that buddy."
"Thanks Alex," Chris waited for Alex to leave and then he shut the door and walked back over to his chair. "See, nothing to worry about, he's definitely gonna say it back."
By the time Zack walked back out to the living room and sat with Alex again he couldn't stop grinning if his life depended on it.
"I just really think this is gonna be a good Christmas," was the only explanation he gave. "A good Christmas for us," he added which only made Alex ask more questions. The questions only stopped when Zack promised he would give Alex part one of his present tomorrow for Christmas eve.
"You know what, I'm actually not that hungry," Alex announced before they even placed their drink orders. Zack looked at him with a confused expression but the older just took his hand in his own under the table and gave it a light squeeze. "You guys wanna go get ice cream instead? Zack and I know a great place not too far from here."
"I'm down," Chris quickly agreed.
"I'm certainly not gonna turn down a hot fudge sundae," Rian shrugged. "What about you Zack?"
"I like ice cream," Zack mumbled and just like that they were out of the overcrowded diner and back onto the much emptier street where he could breathe. Chris and Rian walked a little ahead of them and Zack leaned into Alex's side with a smile.
The night improved drastically from there, the ice cream parlor was empty except for them and Alex got Zack a rocky road ice cream cone and he felt almost normal. Between Alex, Chris, and Rian there was never a quiet moment which left Zack free to mostly just sit quietly. He joined in a few times to talk about how weird Chris was for getting a plain vanilla cone or to agree with Rian that ice cream in December was perfectly acceptable but mainly he just sat tucked into Alex's side and ate his cone. It was a good night and when Alex whispered to remind him it was a good third date as well, he felt just that much better about the whole thing.
"Rian's not that bad," he said when it was just him and Alex walking back home.
"I think he liked you too," Alex laughed. "We need to stop and grab some stuff from the grocery store before we get home, is that alright?"
"Yeah, but why?"
"Just trust me."
Zack didn't understand their stop until the next morning when he woke up and felt like shit. He noticed right away that Alex wasn't in bed with him and felt worse but he walked out into the living room anyways. He couldn't help but smile at the scene before him when he walked out, Alex was passed out on the couch with Christmas decorations surrounding him. There were lights strung up on a tree in the corner and presents laying underneath it. Two stockings hung from thumb tacks in the wall and there were Christmas themed snow globes everywhere. It wasn't ridiculously extravagant but it was all for him and that felt nice. Carefully he lifted the blanket covering Alex to lay down with him. The older woke up briefly but only long enough to mumble something incoherent and wrap his arms around him.
"How'd you know I was gonna have a bad day?" Zack asked later when they were snuggled together eating more ice cream and watching Elf on the couch.
"Well, I had this theory and I asked Chris about it and he said I was probably right, that's why he's not coming over today, you need a break."
"A break?" Zack raised an eyebrow, his whole life was a break.
"Yeah, a break. I realized it yesterday when I was talking about how proud I was that you're doing all this stuff when last month you didn't even talk," Alex explained. "Going from speaking to absolutely no one and only really being around one person for only like 45 minutes to talking and being around someone all day is a lot."
"So what was your theory?" Zack tilted his head up to gaze at Alex from the older's chest genuinely curious to hear more about this theory of his.
"The theory is when you do really good and push yourself out of your comfort zone, like you did last night and on our two previous dates-" Zack blushed and looked away at that making Alex laugh. "On our two previous Outings," he said, changing the word to make Zack feel better. "You exhaust yourself and the next day you're emotionally drained or whatever which is why you get all sorts of cranky and need me to hold you."
"I'm not a baby," Zack grumbled, the words barely out of his mouth before Alex was grinning with a reply.
"But you're my baby."
Zack's face turned a bright shade of red but he didn't say anything just laid back against his friend and watched tv, where their show was just coming back on.
"Zack?" Alex just barely held back his laughter.
"What?" Zack kept his eyes glued to the tv, he himself trying not to smile.
"Did you like it when I called you baby?"
Zack shrugged, Alex finally laughed.
"You know, you're really too cute for your own good."
When Chris came over the next day Zack used all the courage he had to bring up the subject that had caused so much trouble last time.
"I want to tell Alex I love him."
"That's great," Chris smiled this time and instantly Zack felt the majority of his anxiety fade. "I think you've made huge strides forward and if you want to tell him then I totally back that decision, as your friend."
"Really?" Zack hesitated and made sure his door was closed completely. "I'm sort of scared to say it."
"Why?"
"What if he changes his mind?"
Chris laughed and went to the door opening it and calling down the hall for Alex who showed up quickly.
"Is everything okay?" He asked, looking over Chris's shoulder to see Zack.
"Everything's fine," Chris assured, speaking loud enough for Zack to hear. "I was just wondering on a scale of one to ten how much do you lo-"
"20, I love Zack more than anyone," he looked over Chris's shoulder again with a soft smile. "You know that buddy."
"Thanks Alex," Chris waited for Alex to leave and then he shut the door and walked back over to his chair. "See, nothing to worry about, he's definitely gonna say it back."
By the time Zack walked back out to the living room and sat with Alex again he couldn't stop grinning if his life depended on it.
"I just really think this is gonna be a good Christmas," was the only explanation he gave. "A good Christmas for us," he added which only made Alex ask more questions. The questions only stopped when Zack promised he would give Alex part one of his present tomorrow for Christmas eve.