A/N: I know I should write less modern AUs for Newsies, but oh, well. Dutchlets, modern day AU, for the record.
Happiness, in Alex's opinion, wasn't in the big events, or the dates, or going out. It was in the little domestic moments together; curled up together on the couch with big mugs of coffee and watching a show; getting breakfast in the morning and trying to decide who gets the last of the milk; watching one of their favorite movies and quoting along and not even caring that they were being dorks.
And he loved those moments, especially since his boyfriend was so far away. Mark lived on the other end of the freaking country. Alex, in Tennessee, and Mark, in Minnesota. They'd met online through a mutual love of the same movie and the rest was history.
Alex visited, for a few weeks. He flew up, practically tackling Mark once he was off the plane. Mark hugged him and Alex was totally not ashamed to admit that he started crying. (So was Mark, so it's not like he was alone in that.)
Once they finally managed to pull themselves apart, they got coffee together, Mark dumping what Alex swore was three cups of sugar in his while Alex just got milk.
They went out on dates while Alex was visiting, going out to movies and dinner and lunch and all that, but Alex's favorite thing was when they were holed up in Mark's room, cuddling on his bed and watching a movie or TV show.
Mark didn't mind his strange habit of sleeping curled up awkwardly on one half of the mattress, which Alex loved him for. So many people thought he was weird for that. Mark just shrugged and cuddled closer, even when Alex nearly kicked him out of bed.
All too soon, Alex had to go home. Mark went with him to the airport and they sat just outside of security until Alex had to go or else risk missing his flight. Mark hugged him and Alex clung to him tightly, burying his face in Mark's shoulder and trying not to cry. Alex only let go when it was that or miss his flight. (Not that he'd have minded missing the flight, because it meant he'd be here with Mark, rather than back home.)
He started crying the second he was out of sight of Mark, keeping his face buried in the stuffed cat Mark had given him so no one would see.
Being at home was the hardest. Alex missed Mark so damn much, it actually hurt. It was a physical ache in his chest, and he was just so down all the time, Alex was fairly certain his mother was going to send him to a counselor. He wasn't depressed, just missing Mark.
Which, okay, was making him somewhat depressed, but significantly less than he could have been. He had low moments, and more time than he cared to admit was spent pining and listening to songs about long distance relationships. ("Hey There, Delilah" was played a record five hundred times over the course of his summer.)
He got a job, so he wouldn't sit around the house and mope all summer. He saved his money, only spending on what he needed to, and managed to cover the cost of a plane ticket for the end of the summer.
Time slowed to a crawl after that, and Alex was fairly certain that he was going to go insane from watching the clock so much. He packed, unpacked, then repacked his suitcase twice the day after he bought the ticket. (And he had a month before the actual visit itself.)
The day before, he was a neurotic mess. He'd repacked his bag three times, done the same to his backpack, and nearly had a panic attack when he realized he hadn't printed his boarding passes. But then the passes were printed and he was heading to bed and getting ready the next morning.
The flight was nerve-wracking, but entirely worth it to step off the plane, get past security, and hug Mark again. Okay, so it was more like 'get off the plane, navigate the complete hell that is Minneapolis-St. Paul, get to the baggage claim in one piece without getting pick-pocketed, and then hug Mark'.
All worth it, though. Even if Alex did want to slowly torture the person who'd designed the airport. Hugging Mark again was incredible. Alex buried his face in Mark's shoulder and tightened his grip until he was afraid the blond would snap in half.
"God, I missed you," he murmured and Mark nodded, hugging Alex back just as tightly. Alex smiled and kissed the blond's shoulder, not wanting to break the hug quite yet.
After a minute, Mark finally pulled back enough to kiss Alex, murmuring a quiet 'finally' as he did.