It's been months of going over to Alex's place, occasionally bumping into the other man when he goes on his weekly visits to see Rosa. Who's currently staying in the bunker underneath Alex's cabin. He wishes he could see her more, but more than once a week would be too suspicious. After all, they didn't want anyone finding out they where keeping a teenage girl, that really should be a ten year old rotting corpse in the ground, hidden.

There was only so many reasons why Kyle valenti would be going over to see Alex Manes. People where starting to talk already. And Kyle would be lying if he said it didn't bother him. Those same feelings from high school bubbling up to the surface again. They both make small talk but never quite have a full conversation. There small talk mostly consist of Alex asking how Liz and Michael's work to bring back Max from the dead is going.

"How's the cover story going?"

Alex asks him, giving Kyle a small smile as he picks up his keys from the table.

"Yeah, it's going good, I think mum buys the whole, Max is on vacation seeing the world story."

Kyle smiles back at him. That was the story they had told everyone, including the sheriff, Kyles' mum. After what Max had done, Kyle wanted to be the first to shake his hand and tell him how grateful and thankful he was for bringing Rosa back to him, even if that wasn't the reason he did it. For giving them a second chance at being a proper family, this time round. Without the lies and the secret love child part, that came along with it all.

"Any breakthrough?"

Alex enquires and Kyle can't help but look the other man over, from toe to head, he really did look good in his army uniform. And all Kyle wanted to do was get him out of those clothes, strip him naked, until Alex was underneath him, making soft noises and begging Kyle to move. Not that he would ever admit to it.

"No. Nothing yet."

Kyle replies, clearing his throat as Alex completes his look by putting on his army hat. And Kyle knows he's got a visible thrown plastered on his own face, but he couldn't stop it from naturally forming on his face, even if he tried. Because friends didn't have these sort of thoughts about one another.

"How's Liz doing?"

Alex asks, with concern for his other friend now. It's the fourth time she's gone down to the cave to see him, this week. Kyle informs him. Worry in his own voice too for Liz. Nothing they had tried was working. Her and Michael had been trying to work on some way to bring back Max. Who had been placed in his pod in stasis, hoping that they both could come up with something to help him, like they had done once before for Isobel. But nothing had worked so far, and Liz was just throwing herself into work, like she always did as her coping mechanism.

"Well, I better get going. Don't want to be late."

Alex says, walking towards the door as he rubs a hand down his leg, was it bothering him, his leg. Kyle thinks to himself.

"Don't forget to lock up"

The airman says, taking one last look around the room and at Alex before the door behind him closes. When Alex leaves, Kyle decides to go down the stairs leading into the bunker where Rosa was, thinking maybe he wouldn't have to think about Alex Manes for a little while. Lately Alex seemed to be on his mind, no matter what Kyle tried to do. Except this wouldn't be the case today, because Rosa wouldn't let it be so. When he gets downstairs, and not for the first time, he regrets telling Rosa how he feels about Alex manes.

-x-

If only Alex had taken his crutch with him, he wouldn't have come back into the cabin and overheard what sounded like Kyle's voice. But his leg had been hurting him recently and going back for his crutch seemed like a good idea. Alex can't quite believe what's being said, his brain tells him it couldn't possibly be Kyle Valenti talking, the airman thinks. But yet it sounds like Kyle. At first he thinks maybe Rosa has a crush on him. He hasn't exactly told rose he's gay, yet, but he's sure she knows anyway. She was the sort of person who always knew things before anyone else did, especially in high school.

"Oh Alex manes! I love you! I wanna do you fifty different ways under the sun! You make me so hard..."

"Rosa!"

Kyle's voice can be heard, warning her now.

"Cut it out, he can come back in, you know."

The hatch to the bunker was open, always was, now that Rosa was staying there, it would get far too hot to keep it closed. Rosa only really coming up for food or to keep Alex company when she got bored of being by herself.

"Oh please, you my friend need to tell him how you really feel."

She says, and Kyle knows she's right, but at the same time, remembers again that she was after all brought back from when she was still just a teenager. Unfortunately adult life didn't work that way. There was things you didn't say, if you didn't want thing to change. And he didn't want his friendship with Alex to change. They had only just started talking again. Kyle looks down at the ground, at that.

"Yeah, well, I wouldn't even now where to start..."

He trails off and then quickly comes back with a tone that's one of amusement, a little lighter than before, but still none the less true.

"Oh by the way, Manes. You see in high school, when I was a complete dick to you, it's because all I wanted to do was bend you over and do you up against your locker, and guess what? I still do!"

He finishes off by letting out a breath he didn't even know he was keeping in. Alex carefully looks down at the bunker, so not to be seen by them. He can see Kyle sat on Rosa's bed, shaking his head now, from side to side as he chuckles a little, still looking down. Rosa stands in front of him, her expression going from a smile to a serious one now. As she takes a seat next to her half brother, and a supportive hand goes to Kyle's shoulder.

"Hey, you never know, he might wanna bend you over, and do you instead!"

She laughs looking at him, and Kyle let's out a laugh too, one of those, deep in your belly serious, nervous laughs, because he was talking to his half sister about this after all, and to say it was weird was an understatement. He hadn't even properly processed the half sister part, let alone the liking, Alex Manes part. But it seemed that lately, the only person he could talk to was Rosa, especially about something no one knew about. With Liz going through what she was going through, with trying to bring Max back, and not really having anyone else he could talk to, about this, he was thankful for Rosa. His half sister gives him a smile now and the mood is light again, as they move onto the next topic of the day