Michael couldn't believe he had let himself be dragged out by Isabel. How many times would he fall for her pleading eyes and whining words? He was a sucker for her, and after everything she'd been through, he was even more susceptible to trying to keep her happy. Which explained why he was currently in a crowed parking lot, being forced to watch Dirty Dancing, which it turned out, wasn't nearly as dirty as he'd been hoping. They'd taken his truck to the dive in and were sitting off the back together, while Isabel nattered on in her usual way…

"Do you know what I think you need?" Isabel continued. "A girlfriend."

Michael, was subtly scanning the place for Alex and not paying Isabel much attention. "Uh huh."

"I know I've put you and Max through a lot recently, but we need to put it behind us and try and enjoy our summer."

If she'd known what she'd done, Michael knew she'd never be suggesting this, that she'd understand why he and Max had barely spoken since that night, but he wanted to protect her, he wanted her to be happy. "Yeah, we can try." He gave her, willing himself to mean it.

"Brilliant." Isabel beamed, she signalled to someone across the room, just as Michael locked eyes with Alex. He was with Maria and Liz. God, it was good to see him, it had been a week. The longest of weeks. He looked well, or no bruising on the face at least. Michael was just considering if he should try and get Alex alone, when Isabel's voice abruptly cut through his thoughts. "Michael!" Michael snapped out of it to find one of Isabel's friends standing opposite him, smiling expectantly. This was trouble.

"Hey Michael." Megan. A petit, pretty girl from Isabel's group of socialite's.

"Heyy Megan." Michael replied warily, quickly turning to Isabel before she could -

"I'm just going to nip to the toilet." Isabel announced right on cue, excusing herself before Michael could intercept. He was going to kill her later.

"So… I heard you got arrested?" Megan started. She was now dangerously close to Michael.

What kind of conversation starter was that? "Um…yeah. A couple of times actually." He was hoping this would scare her off but it seemed to have the opposite effect.

"What's that like?" She whispered flirtatiously.

"Overrated." Michael quipped, trying to distance himself without being a dick. "So…how have you been?" He asked, hoping Alex didn't have his eyes on him. Then without warning Megan came for him, pressing her lips against his and taking him by surprise. It took a moment for him to register before he backed away instinctively. "Shit." He cursed without thinking.

"What? You don't want to?" Megan worried.

"No. No. It's not you. Sorry Megan, it's just not good timing." He turned to look for Alex, hoping he hadn't noticed, but he was gone. Which either meant he had seen nothing or he had seen too much. "Shit."

"Sorry… Isabel said you were interested…"

"Isabel's an idiot." Megan looked bruised as Michael rushed to reassure her. "No, I mean…sorry Megan. You're great, it's just... I'm into someone else. You can understand that right?"

Megan appeared confused but luckily unoffended. "Sure, it's fine. I was just doing Isabel a favour anyway."

"Great! Excuse me, I'm just going to take a slash."

Michael made a break for it, in the direction of where Alex had been with his friends, hoping to see where he'd gone. He scoured the parking lot until he caught sight of Alex's black hoodie, walking towards the burger stand. A wave of relief washed over him as he made his way towards him. When he was a short distance he called out to get his attention.

"Alex! Hey, wait up."

Alex looked back, on seeing him he hesitated but slowed to stop and wait for him. "What?"

"That was all her." Michael rushed to assure him.

"What was all who?" Alex challenged.

Michael backtracked at lightning speed. "Um, nothing. Isabel…just being Isabel. Never mind. How are you?"

That torn expression he was now familiar with, flashed across Alex's face. He was happy to see him but equally mad. "I thought you said it would be best to stay apart?"

"Well do you still have a death wish?" Michael was secretly hoping Alex had changed his mind, that they could put this all behind them.

"I start in two weeks." Alex confessed carefully, clearly scared how Michael would react.

"Two weeks." He repeated to himself gravely. "That's…soon."

"Yeah." Alex confirmed with a sense of foreboding.

"And you're really going through with it?"

"Yeah. It's done. Paperwork's been signed off and I passed my medical so… no turning back now."

Michael looked away worried he might lose his temper. Thinking about Alex leaving, made him want to smash something. He didn't have the words to express how he was feeling but he felt if he busted up the burger stand it might give Alex a good idea.

"You've got lipstick on your mouth." Alex jibed, changing the subject. Michael came back to him as he raised his eyebrows, in an all knowing way.

Michael rubbed at his lips with his hand. "So you did see."

"I saw you pressed up against Megan." Alex clarified.

Michael pulled Alex by his arm, leading him around the side of an old storage container; out of sight.

"Listen, she was pressed up against me. I didn't ask for that. Isabel was trying to set me up."

"Looks like it worked." Alex teased, referring to the lipstick.

"She kissed me, for like a second. I put a stop to it before it even started. I promise."

"Why do I care? We're done aren't we?" Alex stated, changing to a serious tone.

"Are we?!" Michael didn't know why that panicked him, they had never been official in any sense but hearing Alex say that seemed too final, he was mad but he was by no means done with him. "That's news to me."

"Well, you've been avoiding me."

"Coz you're leaving to join a war Alex! What am I meant to do with that?! How am I meant to react? I'm pissed at you! You've just given up on me."

"No Guerin. You've given up on yourself! I know you're still getting into trouble. You promised me you'd stop and you haven't. You're throwing away your life and I won't go down with you."

"Well, I'm not your problem anymore am I?"

Alex shook his head in frustration. "None of that's really you Guerin."

"Maybe it is. You don't know everything about me."
"That's on you. I've asked you to talk to me but you still keep things from me! There's nothing I can do about that. If you don't trust me by now…"

"Why don't you trust me!? When I've told you it's not about you."

"It is about me! What you do affects me! What you're feeling affects me."

"Why?"

"Because I…" Alex managed to stop himself before confessing too much.

The words left unsaid lay between them like grenade.

"You what?" Michael prompted softly, telling himself that if Alex said it first, he would say it back.

"I…" What would saying it accomplish? It would just make it harder to walk away. And he had to walk away. "I care about you." Alex retreated. Michael slouched with disappointment as the moment passed. "And I couldn't watch you destroy yourself."

"And now you don't have to. In two weeks you'll be out of here, and it won't matter what I do? Right?"

"And then you can steal and drink and press yourself up against whatever you like. Right?" Alex countered.

Neither of them took the bait, the silence was painful.

"I better let you get back to your friends." Michael cracked eventually.

"Guerin."

"Look you're leaving, nothing we say to each other is going to stop that now. So let's not make it any harder. Okay?"

"Okay." Alex barely got out.

"See you around." Michael murmured sadly, as he walked away.

…

Later that same night, after he had taken an earful from Isabel for rejecting her friend over some phantom love interest, Michael finally escaped with his truck to their usual sleep spot. It was tucked away out of sight and reach from the night airs. He had thrown his bedding into the back and curled up under the stars. Isabel hated him sleeping outside in his truck but he had come to like it, the noises didn't keep him up anymore, and he easily drifted off, to sweet dreams of being far away from this planet.

It was just after 1am in the morning, when Michael shot up to the sound of someone climbing into the back of his truck with him. If he hadn't heard Alex's voice the second he did, he would have accidently flung him against a wall, but luckily he recognised his voice immediately.

"Hey. Don't worry. It's me." Alex whispered.

Michael was sleepy and confused, what time was it? And…"What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see you." Alex explained, crouching against the inside of the truck.

"Now?! What time is it?"

"Late. Middle of the night."

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Michael's mind jumped to worst case scenarios. He willed himself to consciousness, so he could properly assess the situation.

"No, I'm fine. I just wanted to see you."

"How did you find me?"

"You always crash here." Alex explained away easily. When Michael wasn't convinced, he elaborated slightly. "When you tell me your favourite spots, I remember. I like to know where you are."

"So you came looking for me in the dark? What's going on? What if your dad knows you've sneaked out?"

"He doesn't. I was quiet, he won't check on me."

"Still it's risky Alex. If he catches you…"

"I don't care. I needed to see you."

"Well you've seen me…so?" Michael still wasn't completely sure what Alex was expecting from him. "I thought we said we wouldn't make it any harder?"

"We did." Alex sighed wearily. "I couldn't sleep."

"You couldn't sleep?"

"I kept thinking about what I've signed up for and where I'm going, and after tonight everything just got…too real. The thought of being so far away from you…I just… I couldn't sleep."

Michael held his eye, he was exhausted and didn't have the energy for this conversation. "Alex, it's the middle of the night. Couldn't we have had this talk tomorrow?"

"I don't want to talk." Alex clarified. Michael furrowed his sleepy face in confusion, too tired to question him further. "Can I stay with you? Just for tonight?" His eyes were pleading and sincere. He was calling a truce for the night and the offer was too appealing for Michael to pass up.

"You have to get back to yours in time. I won't risk your dad taking it out on you."

Alex gave a nod of understanding and Michael succumbed, lifting up his duvet as Alex kicked off his trainers and slide into the gap by his side, threading his legs in between his. Michael instinctively wrapped his arms around Alex, breathing in his familiar scent, which he had been missing more than he'd like to admit.

"Are you smelling me?" Alex teased softly.

"No. I'm breathing you in." Michael admitted affectionately.

Alex turned his face slightly to nuzzle into the side of Michael, breathing him in deeply in return. They lay together in perfect comfort, neither speaking, not wanting to disrupt the peace.

As Alex lay in Michaels arms, the magnitude of what was happening started to dawn on him, he was leaving Michael, and he didn't know when he would see him again or what would happen to them. A wave of emotion washed over him. "I'm sorry." Alex confessed quietly, leaving his heart on his sleeve. At first Michael didn't respond and he wondered if he had heard him, but then he pulled himself up onto his arm to hover over Alex, their faces only inches apart.

His eyes were intense and full of equal emotion. "You know what you said earlier? That you…care about me."

Alex knew exactly what he was referring to, the words he couldn't bring himself to say. "Yeah." He was trembling slightly with the gravity of the moment. "I do." He confirmed.

Alex starred into Michael's eyes and could see his whole heart reflected in them; his loyalty, his protectiveness… his love. "Well I do too." He gave him earnestly.

Alex thought he might cry but decided to humour him instead. "We have shit timing."

Michael relaxed into a warm laugh. He leaned in and kissed Alex, lowering his weight onto him to deepen the kiss. Alex welcomed the contact he'd been craving and pulled him in closer still. Their kisses became more and more intense and their bodies more impatient. Michael eventually reached under the duvet and started to undo Alex's zipper.

Alex pulled his mouth away quickly, his face suddenly full of worry. "Here? Guerin. Someone could catch us?"

Alex's concern only enticed Michael's rebellious side. "Then you'll have to be quiet." Michael teased, putting his hand over Alex's mouth playfully, as he sucked on the side of his neck.

Alex squirmed, pushing Michael away in amusement. "Challenge accepted." He whispered with a daring eye as he plunged his hands into Michael's boxers making him gasp. They buried themselves under the blankets to muffle themselves, laughing and teasing as they went.

When Alex eventually found himself wrapped back up firmly in Michael's arms, his legs tangled with his own and his sleeping breath kissing the back of his neck, he imagined a life where they could stay like this forever. Where he could feel this safe and protected forever. No abusive fathers, no police stations, no secrets, no army. Just the two of them. Alex closed his eyes and wished the morning would never arrive, before drifting into sleep.