Matt/Bruce was probably my first ship ever and this is an attempt at a nice, fluffy romance for a change. Not to mention my attempts at fleshing Bruce out a bit.

Enjoy.

Things started to changed after Alaska.

He was so close to losing him. It nearly drove him insane.

Matt wasn't an idiot. He was well aware that M.A.S.K. Missions always were a risk. But on the field... he's always felt like he could do something if it ever got too far. That he could jump in and make a difference.

But at that moment, when Bruce, one of his closest friends, collapsed and he couldn't do a single thing... Was one of the worst moments of his life. He was helpless. Couldn't do anything. Couldn't even rush in and comfort the other man.

Fortunately, he was able to do something. Bruce was saved. The relief he felt surprised him. Not that it was there. Bruce was a good friend, his best and a cornerstone in his life. But just... the amount of relief seemed larger even then that. This was beyond a strong friendship, as Matt started to slowly realize.

When Bruce was released from the hospital, Matt was there to help him get home. He couldn't help himself and as soon as the other man was in front of him, he pulled him into a tight hug.

"M-Matt?" Bruce stammered, confused.
"I can't believe I nearly lost you."

"But you didn't." Bruce said, slowly but surely returning the hug. "You saved me. Everyone saved me. I'm so blessed to have all of you."

"And we're blessed to have you." This made Bruce break the hug, looking down with a small smile, blushing madly.

"I-I think that's a bit much." He stammered.

"How so? C'mon, Bruce, this is no time to be modest. You're an excellent mechanic. A great second-in-command, an even better friend..."

"Matt, stop. Please." Bruce said, smile dropping. "Let's just go home..."
"Right..." Matt said, confused and a little embarrassed it had to end like this. What had gotten into Bruce all of a sudden?

Back home, these things still bothered him. However, some other things started to bother him as well. Well, not exactly 'bothering' him... it was confusing. He just... he just wanted to be close to Bruce. Be near him. Protect him. Make him happy.

And that wasn't even getting into the more... visceral feelings. This wasn't mere friendship anymore. This was turning into desire. Into... love?

"Get a hold of yourself, Trakker..." Matt said to himself as he contemplated these feelings. "You're not in high school anymore. You're an adult. Act like it. I mean, there's nothing wrong with falling in love with him. I mean, yeah, it would probably make things awkward on the field..." He groaned and stopped himself. "What am I going to do with this?"

"Tell him?" Came from behind as Matt startled. Scott stood in the door-frame.

"H-how long have you been standing there?" Matt asked.

"Long enough." Scott said, shrugging. "So... why don't you just tell Bruce how you feel about him?"

"I can't just... bare my heart to him like that. I mean, that could spell disaster. What if he doesn't return those feelings? What if he's straight?" Matt said.

"This isn't like you, dad. You usually know exactly what to do."

"I-I know, Scott." Matt said. "And I probably will, eventually. But for now... I just need time to think."

"Alright, Dad, if you say so." Scott said, shrugging before leaving. Matt just sighed. Now what?

Another day, another mission wrap-up. Sometimes Matt was surprised at just how normal this routine was. By this time most of the other M.A.S.K. Agents had gone home, however, Bruce stayed, mostly to repair damages to their vehicles. They were alone... Prime time to discuss things.

Then why aren't you?

Matt scolded himself as he just stood and watched Bruce work from a distance. The other man was currently hunched over Rhino's engine block, he had foregone his tie and his shirt was on far more loose and casual then usual. Not to mention he was covered in smudges and his hair in disarray. It was... distracting. But again, wasn't this the exact reason why they should talk?

Alright, just start out casually.

"Need some help with that?" Matt asked as Bruce came back out.

"No thanks, I'm fine." Bruce said, before wiping his forehead, leaving a large black smear. Matt couldn't help himself and snickered, making Bruce somewhat uneasy.

"What? What did I do?" He started rubbing his face, trying to get rid of the stain. It just made things worse as Matt laughed out loud.

"Come here, let me just..." He said, taking a wet towel and playfully wiping Bruce's face clean. "There, all back to your gorgeous self." He said, before realizing what he just told. "Not that you're not gorgeous with the smudges, I just..." That just made it worse. Again, Bruce looked at him quite insecurely, as Matt decided for both the best and the worst thing to do in the current situation.

He kissed Bruce.

Nothing grand. Just a little peck on the nose, but it was enough to make both of them freeze. For a while Bruce just... stared at him, before looking down in a rather pained way and dashing off. At first, Matt was stunned, before he realized that might not be the best reaction.

"Bruce... wait!" Matt called, running after the other man, whom he found outside, just sitting down, huddled within himself and... staring into the distance. "Listen, I..." He tried. "I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean to hurt you. It's just that I...I had these feelings for a while now and..." Matt stammered as Bruce looked up. "Please... I-I don't want to ruin what we already have... if you don't feel this way, I'll back off."

"Oh Matt..." Bruce said sadly, getting up from his position. "It's not that I don't return these feelings..." He said.

"Then what's the matter?" Matt asked him, overjoyed that Bruce seemed to return the feelings, but confused as to why the other man was so hesitant.

"I... I don't think I'm what you deserve." Bruce said, looking down.

"Don't deserve... what do you mean by that?" Matt asked, confused.

"I-It's better if we just forget this..." Bruce said, turning around to leave.

"I don't want to." Matt said, taking Bruce's arm. "And I get the feeling that you don't want to, either. Please... at least explain what's gotten into you."

"Let go of me." Bruce asked, voice cold and Matt did so as Bruce pulled his arm back and crossed them over his stomach, trying to appear small. "I don't deserve this. I never deserved this. I'm a nobody."
"You're not nobody, Bruce. Whoever said that?" Matt tried.

"Many people... People at school, people at university. People at home..." He closed his eyes, talking about this obviously taking a lot out of him.

"But why?" Matt asked. "You're smart. You're kind. You're beautiful." He placed his hands on Bruce's shoulders, who just looked away. "You're... you're the most wonderful person I've ever met. Please. You have to believe me." Tears started to well up in Bruce's eyes.

"I wish I could... I really wish I could..." He started, voice cracking. Matt didn't know what to do, so he decided on a careful hug, which Bruce almost collapsed in as he was sobbing loudly.

"It's okay. I got you." Matt whispered, as he let his friend pour out his emotions for what was probably the first time in a long while.

About an hour later, they were back inside Boulder Hill, both with a steaming cup of coffee. Neither said anything, obviously waiting for the other to start.

"I suppose you want some more details?" Bruce softly asked after a while.

"Only if you want to. I'd hate to make you more uncomfortable then that you already are." Matt answered. "I-If I knew you'd react like that, I'd think it trough."

"N-no, please don't regret it. It was, in all honesty, the best thing you could do." Bruce said. "I just... I have been sitting on a lot of anxieties..."

"Does anyone know?"
"Of course not." Bruce said, as if it was obvious. "Well, maybe Alex... But I'd rather keep this to myself. It's not... it's weak to flaunt your insecurities like this."

"Weak?" Matt asked, as Bruce stared down in his coffee. "You consider yourself... weak? How... where did this come from?"

"When I was just a kid... my parents and I moved to the United States due to my father's job. It was quite high end so we lived in a small, suburban community. We were very likely the only family in that community that wasn't white. It was... difficult." He looked down. "My parents figured the best way to avoid racial prejudice was... perfection. Perfect house. Perfect front yard. Perfect employee. Perfect son."

"Sounds like that places some serious strain on you." Matt softly said.

"I tried... I tried so hard. But I was just an average student. I never failed, but the highest I ever had on a test was a B+. I was terrible at sports, too. The only talent I had was with mechanics, but..." Bruce closed his eyes. "My parents didn't approve. Said it would just reinforce stereotypes."

"That sounds... painful." Matt quietly said. "To feel that inadequate, even among your parents." He sighed. This explained a lot about Bruce's behavior towards him.

"That's why I was so happy when you approached me for the position at M.A.S.K. It felt like a validation. And everyone was so nice... For the first time, I felt needed. I felt... wanted." He blushed. "I might have overdone it a bit."

"I'll say..." Matt said, remembering that time. In the beginning, when M.A.S.K. Was in it's infancy, Bruce once collapsed while working. Exhaustion according to Julio. Too little sleep and too much caffeine. Matt just wrote it off as eagerness and a workaholic streak. He was now mentally kicking himself for doing that. "That said, as your leader and friend, I should have seen the red flags sooner. I-I just..."
"It's okay, Matt... I probably should have told you this sooner. You can't notice everything. You're human." Bruce said, taking Matt's hand. "You're doing so much for me already by being my friend... And, perhaps... something else..." Matt just held his hand, inching closer.

"Only if you want me." He said, as their noses touched.

"Isn't it obvious?" Bruce asked, before finally closing in as their lips met in a loving kiss.