Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters that are used and mentioned in this story. They aren't mine, they're TNA's. I don't own the song "First Time" or the band Lifehouse either, because they own me. Laff. Okay, I'll stop.

Author's Notes:
Right. Well, I've been planning this story for a while now and I figured I should start someday, so yeah. There you go. The song used is Lifehouse's "First Time". Also, since the lyrics were written for a girl, and they were no girls in this story, I changed the word 'she' to 'he'. I felt guilty at first, but whatever.


Irregular

The clock ticked, slowly and expertly, its heavy hands moving in a delicate and steady pace. It was dark outside, as the time was close to midnight. There was a solid silence throughout the room, broken only by the occasional rustle of clothing and paper.

Atop a lavish leather sofa, Chris Sabin sat alone, a magazine in his hands. His eyes scanned the glossy pages, though his mind did not focus on anything. Despite the bright background accompanying the words and the cleverly structured sentences, the man wasn't interested. His indifference, though subtle, showed through his face. Slightly creased forehead, gritted teeth, pursed lips; these were the signs of impatience, and they could all be seen on his face.

He was waiting. He had been waiting for a long time now.

It was 30 minutes to midnight. And every few minutes, he would steal a glance towards the clock. He was getting restless. His fingers had started drumming against the armrest. He glanced at the clock again. Annoyance crept in. He slid his hand into his pants pocket, groping for his cell phone. He took it out, only to shove it back inside his pocket after a look at the time. 20 minutes to midnight. His magazine was now abandoned, the only sound in the room being the sound of anxious fingertips against leather. His eyes settled upon the clock again. 15 minutes to midnight. He bit his lip. Again, he pulled out his cell phone. He flipped it open this time. However, before he could dial, there came a knock on his door.

His heart skipped a beat. Immediately, he rose from his seat. Breathing seemed harder, as he took slow steps towards the front door. Normally, he would find this odd; heartbeat and breathing quickening just because of a knock. But this was different.

This was Alex.

We're both looking for something
We've been afraid to find
It's easier to be broken
It's easier to hide

As his hand gripped the doorknob, he felt just the slightest urge to resist, to turn away and pretend he was already asleep. However, he knew he wasn't capable of that. The thing that they had, it was confusing, really. He preferred not to think about it at all. Whatever it was, they had gone too far, delved too deep, fell too hard to stop now.

And that, was the reason why Chris swung open the door.

Looking at you, holding my breath
For once in my life I'm scared to death
I'm taking a chance letting you inside

Bright blue eyes met dark brown ones, and tension quickly rose. Chris swallowed. There Alex was, standing right in front of him, looking as good as always, but his expression unreadable. He had noticed that about him form the first moment that they met. Alex was good at that, hiding his emotions and keeping them showing from his face. It was handy, Chris had to admit, but it had to be difficult on Alex. Keeping a straight face is never an easy thing. It was difficult on Chris, too, to know that Alex stored his feelings and emotions locked away from the world – away from Chris.

"What're you up to?" And the silence was broken. The question was asked with a tilted eyebrow and a small, lopsided smile.

Chris smiled back. His voice barely higher than a whisper, he answered, "Nothing."

The world that I see inside you
Waiting to come to life
Waking me up to dreaming
Reality in your eyes

Looking at you, holding my breath
For once in my life I'm scared to death
I'm taking a chance letting you inside

The whole thing had started no more than two years ago. They were just a little too drunk, and having too much fun. It was merely a night. A night spent together, in the same bed, and without clothes. After that, Chris had no idea how things got the way they were now. They simply evolved. What started as a drunken encounter turned into two, then three, and then gradually it had become somewhat of a routine. They would meet at Chris' house every single week. Chris would sit on his couch, every Sunday, waiting for Alex. Though his timing was always different, there was one thing that Chris noticed about Alex's visits – he came and left before midnight. Chris had no idea why, but he wasn't complaining.

Alex then walked past Chris, inside the apartment, gesturing for him to lock the door. Chris complied, watching blankly as Alex shrugged his jacket off and tossed it towards the sofa.

Chris swallowed. Alex had that effect on him. He intimidated him.

Their encounters were meant to be physical, purely physical. Chris knew that. Of course, there hadn't been any agreements. They hadn't even talked about it. It was just a thing they did every week. But something had gone wrong. Perhaps it was because of Chris' inexperience, and the fact that he had never done something so casual before, but something had gone terribly wrong.

Chris fell in love.

It wasn't meant to be that way. Fuck buddies were just that – friends who have sex, not lovers. At first, he had tried to brush the initial feelings off. He tried to pass it off as lust, but clearly, it wasn't lust at all. He wanted to be with Alex, and not just for his body, but for him, as a person.

I'm feeling alive all over again
As deep as the sky, under my skin
Like being in love, he says, for the first time
Maybe I'm wrong, I'm feeling right
Where I belong with you tonight
Like being in love to feel for the first time

"Um… aren't you a little late?" Chris muttered. "It's eleven forty-five."

"Is it?" Alex looked at his own watch, a nonchalant expression on his face. He looked back up at Chris' face. "Well, we're just gonna have to be quick."

Just as he said that, Alex had grabbed both sides of Chris' face, bringing their lips together, prompting Chris to forget all about his earlier musings. Lips parted, tongues intermingled, and soon enough the desire multiplied. They needed more.

We're crashing
Into the unknown
We're lost in this
But it feels like home

"Chris," Alex moaned, moaning as Chris moved his lips to his neck. The T-shirt he had on was pushed up to his neck, and Chris' hands were roaming his chest, sending shivers down his spine.

He pushed Alex back, sending them both crashing down to the couch. Their lips met again, and in the heat of passion, he whispered, "Love you."

They both fell silent.

Chris felt no regret. The heavy weight on his shoulders had finally been lifted. Alex knew how he felt now.

For a few moments, they simply stared at each other, before Alex quietly said, "All this time?"

"Well… yeah."

"Oh, thank God," he muttered, before reaching up and engaging Chris in another kiss. This one was different from the one they had before, though. There was no raw lust, no wanton desire. It was only a sweet, innocent kiss.

I'm feeling alive all over again
As deep as the sky, under my skin
Like being in love, he says, for the first time
Maybe I'm wrong, I'm feeling right
Where I belong with you tonight
Like being in love, he says, for the first time
Like being in love to feel for the first time

Chris was smiling as they pulled back. "All this time?"

"All this time." Alex nodded.

They locked lips again, slowly and lazily, enjoying the moment. Chris had no idea how long they had been kissing, but they were interrupted by Chris' clock, chiming loudly to signal that it was midnight.

"You gonna leave?"

Alex looked at the clock, before smiling. "No, I think I'll stay."

And that, was how their routine was broken.

Like being in love, he says, for the first time
Like being in love to feel for the first time

-end.­-