just in case you need it, 'cause i probably pictured the characters differently than you may without looking at this (and most of them are celebs, some of which you may not be too familiar with, so i thought this could help)
Summary: The story of how Aiden and Alex came to be, from childhood to graduation, and just about everything in between.
A/N: Happy birthday Nurabear! I thought I’d do something special for your 18th, so I wrote you a full Aidex fic! It really had to be done, since we’ve been coming up with headcanons for a while now, but yeah, I hope you like it. (And I kind of added a few semi-original characters in there of my own, I hope you don’t mind.)
.
The sun was shining brightly as the two boys were running around the older one’s backyard on that Sunday afternoon, their parents chatting away inside about practically anything and everything. The younger boy, Alex, was trying to run as fast as he could to avoid the older one, Aiden, since the two were playing a game of tag.
“Haha, you can’t catch me!” He called back, sticking his tongue out. Just as he found himself headed in the direction of the patio, also known as the boy’s ‘base’, where they wouldn’t be able to tag each other, he felt himself being knocked over and pushed into the ground, being rolled over onto his back to see the older boy lying on top of him.
“Ow.” He complained, pouting cutely. The older boy giggled.
“You’re it.” He said teasingly. Alex laughed breathlessly. It was just a moment later that Alex began to realize that Aiden was still lying on top of him.
“Uh, A-Aiden?” He asked shyly, glancing up at the older boy, finding that his eyes were staring elsewhere … meaning, his lips. He called out his friend’s name again, but next thing he knew, a pair of lips were attached to his own. It was odd feeling, being kissed by your best friend. Alex had heard kids talking about it in school, but he never pictured himself actually doing it. He thought it was gross, and he still thought girls had cooties. Plus, when people talked about kissing, it was typically between a guy and a girl, not two people of the same gender (but his moms would say that they were different, and love wasn’t always between a guy and a girl). The idea of kissing always confused Alex.
But here, kissing his best friend, it didn’t feel so bad. It didn’t seem as amazing as kids in school made it out to be, but it felt nice. It made his heart flutter, and he felt butterflies in his tummy.
Before he knew it, the short kiss was over, and Aiden’s cheeks were flushed.
“D-don’t tell anyone about that, okay?” He said. Unable to find his voice, Alex simply nodded. Then, Aiden was standing up, sticking a hand out to help Alex back onto his feet. Alex opened his mouth to say something else, but Aiden was already walking back into the house, the door shutting behind him. Alex sighed, following in Aiden’s path.
The two never spoke of that kiss again.
~
The halls were crowded and loud as Alex stood there, taking books out of his locker, listening to his best friend Sam go on and on about the homework he had that day.
“I don’t think the teachers here give a shit about us,” He complained. “They just give us piles upon piles of homework and expect us to do it in one night. Maybe I actually have a life outside of school? I’m sure they do too…”
At some point in the one-sided conversation, Alex tuned out, glancing up for once and spotting the school’s soccer team walking through the hallway. And as they walked, it was almost as if things went in slow motion. Alex could feel his heartbeat picking up as his eyes locked onto his childhood friend and current crush Aiden in the crowd of people. And soon, Aiden’s eyes found his, and they stayed on him as he continued to walk past. Alex knew his cheeks were heating up, and likely turning red, but he didn’t care. He continued to stare at Aiden – who, at one point, curled his lips up into a smile, sending a wink in his former friend’s direction. At that, Alex felt truly fucked. God, I am such a girl, he thought to himself as Aiden and his teammates turned the corner and disappeared from his sight.
“Alex? Alex!”
“What?” Alex said, snapping back to reality. “What?”
“Did you hear anything I just said?” Sam asked. “Or were you too busy staring at Mr. ‘I’m Too Cool to Keep Friends’ Stylinson?” Alex rolled his eyes.
“Shut up.” He said. “He’s a nice guy, okay?”
“I guess.” Sam said. “But if he really wanted to prove that he’s nice, he shouldn’t have just left you to go become friends with those athletic idiots.”
~
The next morning, when Alex awoke, he felt in need of some advice, so, of course, he turned to the only person he could think of on short notice.
“Hey, Mom?” He said as he stirred his spoon around his bowl of cereal. “How did you fall in love with Mami?” Ana chuckled.
“Well, it’s kind of a long story, and I swear I’ve told it to you before,” She said. “But, to sum it up a bit, we met online and continued to talk to each other, both on and off the computer, for a few years, until Trish finally flew down to Texas, where I lived for most of my life, and we fell in love from there. But why’d you ask?”
“I, um, I-I don’t know.” Alex said, embarrassed, glancing down at his cereal and not meeting his mom’s eyes again. She sighed.
“Alex, do you like someone right now?” She asked calmly. Alex finally lifted his gaze and met his mom’s curious one, quick to shake his head.
“Nope.” He said quickly. “I gotta get going, though. The bus should be here soon.” And with that, he stood up, leaving his bowl on the counter as he grabbed his backpack and headed outside, shutting the door behind him. Ana watched as he left, shaking her head, thinking, there is definitely something up with that boy. As she turned back to her cooking – bacon and eggs that she’d originally planned to serve for Alex, but now thought she’d have to save them for January – Trish slowly came down the stairs, shuffling her slipper-covered feet as she walked into the kitchen, snaking her arms around Ana’s waist from behind, brushing some hair aside and kissing her on the back of her neck.
“’Morning.” She mumbled sleepily. “Is Alex gone?”
“Yup.” Ana said, switching the stove off and putting a cover on the pan as she turned to face her wife. “I think our little boy might have a crush on someone.”
“Really?” Trish said. “Who?”
“I’m not sure.” Ana said. “But he was asking to hear the story of how we fell in love again, and I’m sure he wants to get someone to like him.”
“Well, he should’ve asked what you did to get me to fall in love with you.” Trish said.
“Hey!” Ana said. “I thought they were funny!” Trish giggled.
“I know, babe, I know.” She said, wrapping her arms around Ana’s neck and kissing her on the cheek.
~
After that, Alex came up with an idea of his own to get Aiden to notice him – he’d go to all of the team practices, sit in the bleachers, and watch, hoping that Aiden would see him and maybe smile like he’d done in the hallway. But he was too scared to just sit there alone, so he ended up dragging each of his friends along on different days, and after a week of this, they were all beginning to grow suspicious.
“Why do you keep bringing me to these things?” Asami asked, clearly annoyed, her gaze locked onto the screen of her iPhone, where she was texting other friends of hers in order to keep herself occupied. Alex blushed, biting his lip, glancing back out onto the field, his gaze falling upon Aiden and staying on him, even has he got the ball and ran across the field with it.
“I don’t know.” He lied, shrugging. “I guess I’m just a fan of soccer now.”
-
“These practices really aren’t my thing, dude.” Sam said when it was his turn to be dragged to a practice. “I’m not that much of a soccer fan, you know.”
“But it’s just like baseball,” Alex argued. “Only, without the bases, pitchers, bats, and they use their feet.”
-
“Are you sure you’re just here for the soccer?” Logan asked when it was his turn, clearly suspicious. He raised an eyebrow as Alex’s cheeks turned red, following his gaze to the field, watching as Aiden lifted the hem of his shirt up, wiping sweat off his face. Logan smirked, glancing back over towards Alex, placing a reassuring hand on his knee.
“Hey, it’s okay if you like him.” He said. “I’m not going to judge you. All I’m going to say is that you have really good taste, my friend.” Alex couldn’t help but smile at that, licking and biting his lips.
“Thanks.” He said. “I feel so much better because of that.” Logan laughed, and Alex couldn’t help but join in, his attention off of the field for once.
~
“So, the junior’s ‘Spring Fling’ dance is coming up.” Asami said as she walked up to Alex’s locker a few days later. “I’m definitely not going – saving all my beauty and money for prom – but, are you?” Alex shrugged, closing his locker and leaning his back against it.
“I don’t know.” He said. “Who would I go with?” Asami smirked.
“I have my guesses.” She said. Alex shook his head.
“He’d never go with me.” He said. “He’s way too popular. And, sometimes I feel like he’s forgotten about me, and our friendship.”
“Oh please,” Asami said. “No one can forget about someone like you. Maybe, just try not to be so shy around him. Make it known that you like him. Flirt and stuff, I don’t know. I’ve never been good with setting guys up with each other.” Alex smiled.
“Well, that’s actually pretty good advice.” He said. “Thanks.”
And that’s exactly what he did, attempting to flirt with Aiden as best he could. At first, it was just small smiles and glances, but sometimes he’d make sure to brush shoulders with Aiden, even if the older boy continued to ignore him afterwards. But, one day, Alex wasn’t looking for Aiden, and just casually roaming the halls, and next thing he knew, he was tripping over his own two feet (literally), and mentally calling himself a dork as he felt himself falling backwards. He closed his eyes and braced for the pain that was to come, but it never did. Instead, he felt a pair of arms wrap around him, and a familiar voice saying, “Whoa, that was a close one.” At that, Alex’s eyes snapped open, only to meet Aiden’s – yes, Aiden Stylinson’s – blue ones.
“You okay?” Aiden asked when Alex didn’t say anything.
“Uh, yeah, I think so.” He replied, letting Aiden’s arm help to push him back onto his feet. He then bent down to pick his books up off the floor, and Aiden was quick to rush over and help him, neatening up the stray papers and handing them to Alex.
“Thanks.” He said shyly.
“Want me to walk you to class?” Aiden asked. “Maybe help keep you from falling again?” Alex giggled.
“Sure.” He said. “I’d like that.”
Then, the two stood up and quickly fell into step, Aiden bringing up his soccer and the two discussed that for the whole time that it took to get to Alex’s class. Just before they reached the door, Alex nearly tripped again, but caught himself, blushing when he saw that Aiden stuck an arm out to catch him if he had fallen. The older of the two realized what he’d done and blushed as well.
“So, um, this is my class.” Alex pointed out, standing in front of the door. “I’ll, uh, see you around?”
“Yeah.” Aiden said. “It was nice to see you again, Alex.” With that, he smiled politely and walked away, leaving Alex to stand there and think, he remembered my name.
~
Nighttime came, and Alex found himself sitting in his room, trying to get his homework done. But he soon realized that he left his window open, since he began to faintly hear music coming from the house next door. Curiosity getting the best of him, he stood up, walking over and room directly across from his also had its window open, and as Alex glanced in, he realized that oh right, Aiden lives next door. Next thing he knew, Aiden was singing, some original song that Alex had never heard before, but as he listened to the lyrics mixed with the guitar playing, he found himself really liking it.
“What if the one who was meant for you,” Aiden sang. “Was all along right in front of you? Just didn’t see, it was there all the time. Got a feeling tonight, yeah, the stars align.”
As soon as the song ended, Alex found himself clapping, causing Aiden to jump.
“Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” He said. “But, that was really good. The song was nice, and, uh, your voice was kind of nice too.” Alex glanced back up at Aiden and tensed when he saw that the older boy was just staring back at him, but then he was chuckling, and Alex felt at ease.
“It’s just, uh, something I’ve been working on for a while now.” Aiden explained. “It about someone I’ve known practically my whole life, and I think I might be falling in love with them.”
“Well, I wonder who that could be.” He said, smiling sincerely. Aiden chuckled.
“Uh, you wanna hang out sometime?” He asked. “I’ve seen you coming to our practices a lot lately… You want me to bring you onto the field or something?
“Oh, no,” Alex replied. “I suck at soccer.”
“Alright.” Aiden said, smiling. “Maybe you’d rather hang out here tomorrow night? My moms should be having their date night – as they always do on Fridays – so they probably won’t be home until maybe early Saturday morning.” Alex giggled. “We can just chill here, do whatever. Like the old days.” Alex smiled.
“Sure, I’d like that.”
~
The next night, Alex ended up at Aiden’s house, and frankly, he was really enjoying himself. They hung out in Aiden’s room for a while, the older boy playing guitar and singing lyrics from just about any song on the radio, and Alex giggled and sang along, all thoughts about his crush disappearing, replaced with a feeling of warmth and comfort as he sat there with his childhood best friend. The short jam session ended with the two collapsing onto the bed in a heap of laughter.
“Wanna watch a movie?” Aiden asked when the two calmed down. Alex smiled.
“I’d love to.” He replied.
Then, the two went downstairs and settled into the living room, Aiden turning on the movie – Tangled, Alex’s choice (“It’s not my fault it has a great story!” Alex had argued, which Aiden only laughed at) – before sitting down and throwing a blanket over himself and Alex. At some point in the movie, Alex had fallen asleep, his head resting against Aiden’s shoulder. The older boy chuckled as he felt the extra weight, smiling at how peaceful his best friend looked. His thoughts began to lead to how much he wanted to kiss him, but he tried to dismiss them. But they quickly took over, which led to him only kissing Alex on the forehead. The younger of the two, who was still asleep, seemed to like that, cuddling in closer and draping an arm over Aiden’s waist. Again, Aiden laughed, but slung an arm over Alex’s shoulder, pulling him closer as he reached for the remote and shut off the TV, letting his head rest on top of his friend’s, sleep quickly washing over him.
Only about two hours later – midnight – Aiden’s parents came home, turning on the lights and scaring the boys, whose eyes snapped open and they practically jumped off the couch.
“What were you two doing?” Nura asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically. Aiden turned his head and glanced over at Alex, who met his eyes, the two seeming as though they were hiding something.
“We were just watching a movie, Mrs. Stylinson.” Alex explained. “I guess we must have fallen asleep at some point and never bothered to look at the time. Sorry.”
“Well, I’m sure your moms are worried about you.” Rachel pointed out.
“No, they know.” Alex said. “But speaking of them, I should probably go back home. I’ll, um, I’ll see you in school, Aiden.” He smiled shyly at the older boy, and his parents, before heading out of the house, the door shutting behind him.
“Is there something going on between you two?” Nura asked. Aiden’s cheeks turned red.
“What? No!” He replied. “Just stay out of my personal life, okay?” With that, he pushed past his parents, heading upstairs to go back to his room.
“There’s totally something going on between them.” Rachel said once their son was gone. Nura nodded in agreement.
~
The whole incident ended up being forgotten completely, and when Alex entered school on that Monday morning, things seemed to be back to normal. That was, until Aiden walked over and stood by his locker, leaning against other lockers, looking as casual as ever.
“May I help you?” Alex asked, raising an eyebrow. Aiden smiled.
“Are you coming to practice today?” He asked.
“Yeah, I guess,” Alex replied. “Why?”
“Oh, no reason.” Aiden said, clearly hiding something, but before Alex could ask him anything else, the bell rang, and Aiden was off, walking past Alex to get to his class, smug smile on his face as he pushed past him, purposefully bumping their shoulders together.
-
When Alex got to the soccer field that afternoon, Aiden was the only one there, standing in the middle of the field in his uniform.
“What is this?” Alex asked, confusion evident on his face. Aiden just chuckled.
“This is a soccer field.” He said. “And you and I are gonna play a game of soccer against each other. Just like old times, right?” Alex smiled and laughed lightly, all confusion and hesitancy he’d felt before completely disappearing.
The two then really got into a game, Aiden letting Alex steal the ball from him once, pausing for a moment to watch as the younger boy ran across the field with the ball. He then ran over to him, happy that he was faster as he stood in front of Alex, attempting to get the ball away from him. Alex only giggled and tried as hard as he could to keep Aiden from getting the ball, but somehow, their legs got tangled together, resulting in them falling down, Aiden ending up lying on top of Alex.
“Just like old times.” Alex joked, and the two laughed. Once they calmed down, Alex began to realize that Aiden seemed in no mood to get up anytime soon. He glanced up and found the older boy staring right back down at him, only confusing him.
“Aiden?” He said, but the older boy didn’t respond, his gaze flickering from Alex’s eyes down to his lips for a moment. Next thing Alex knew, Aiden’s lips were being pressed against his, and Alex began to feel flashbacks to when the two had kissed back when they were kids. But this time around, Alex enjoyed the kiss more, his arms coming up to wrap around Aiden’s waist. And as he felt Aiden’s tongue slide against his lips, he parted them, allowing the older boy access into his mouth, moving his tongue against the other boy’s. Bravely, he let his hands slide downward, resting on Aiden’s butt, giving it a hesitant squeeze. The older boy only moaned in response, and not a moment later, he was pulling away. Alex whined at the loss of lips against his own, clearly wanting more. The realization quickly dawned on Aiden of what he’d just done, and his eyes grew wide.
“I, uh, I gotta go.” He said, pushing himself off of Alex, sticking his hand out to help his friend up. “You should probably go too.” Alex stared at him for a moment, before taking his hand, noticing how Aiden’s breath caught in his throat as their hands touched.
“Yeah, um, I’ll just go.” Alex said shyly once he was back on his feet. “I’ll, uh, I’ll see you around.” And with that, he was gone.
-
“You kissed someone.” Zee said as soon as Alex closed the door behind him, startling the younger of the two.
“What?” He said. “N-no I didn’t.” Zee giggled.
“It’s okay, you don’t have to tell me.” She said, heading into the living room and sitting down on the couch. “But I am older, so I can give you advice if you’d like.” Alex sighed, sitting down next to his older sister.
“I kind of, um, have this, er, little crush on Aiden.” He said, his statement sounding more like a question due to his hesitancy. “And, um, he invited me to join him on the soccer field today, since I’ve been going to practices a lot to watch him, and it was just a game between the two of us, and we … we ended up kissing. And he didn’t even seem to want to talk about it. He just said that I should go, so I did. Any advice you can give me for that?”
“All I can suggest is that you talk to him.” Zee said. “Find him in the hallway, pull him aside, and just talk to him about it. Don’t shy up, ‘cause I know that you’re one to do that.” Alex smiled.
“Thanks, sis.” He said. Zee smiled.
“It’s what I do best.” She said.
“You do what best?” Ana asked, now standing in the doorway.
“Nothing!” Zee replied. “I’m best at doing nothing. Yeah, you guys know how lazy I can be.”
“It’s true.” Alex agreed, nodding. Ana smirked.
“Sure.” She said, walking out of the room.
“Thanks.” Alex said softly. Zee chuckled lightly.
“No problem, little bro.”
~
Throughout the week that followed, Aiden continued to ignore Alex, which only angered the younger of the two. Eventually getting fed up with the ignorance, Alex dragged Aiden away from his friends one day, forcefully pulling him into the bathroom.
“Why did you kiss me back when we played soccer?” Alex asked once the door was shut behind them. “I mean, I guess it’s possible to have just gotten caught up in the moment, but I guess I just thought it would mean something since we are – or were – best friends. And I know I promised never to bring it up again, but I couldn’t help but be reminded of our first kiss – remember, the one we shared when we were kids? I honestly didn’t think it’d mean anything, but then that second kiss happened, and I just couldn’t stop thinking about it, and then you kept avoiding me, and I knew it had to have affected you too and—” His words were cut off by Aiden suddenly kissing him on the lips.
“Um, I kind of like you?” Aiden said shyly after pulling away. Alex smiled, giving Aiden a small shove.
“Well, why didn’t you just say so?” He said, pulling Aiden into another kiss.
“Wait, you’re okay with this?” Aiden asked.
“Mmhmm.” Alex replied, kissing Aiden again.
“But are we telling anyone?”
“I’m pretty sure your moms are already suspecting something.”
“No, I mean your friends and my teammates.”
“My friends suspect things too, so.”
“But what about—?”
“You talk way too much.”
Aiden laughed at that, stepping away from Alex for a moment to lock the door, before walking back over to him again, pressing him against the countertop and kissing him again.
~
From there, Aiden and Alex decided to sneak around a bit, only acting like a couple behind closed doors. And they thought they’d been doing a good job with keeping their relationship private. That was, until Logan began to suspect something.
He’d noticed how Aiden and Alex would send shy smiles and glances when they thought no one was looking, and he just knew that that wasn’t their usual behavior. Then, while working on a lab in Science, Logan caught Aiden brushing his hand against Alex’s butt, hearing how the younger boy’s breath hitched.
“Is there something going on between you two?” He asked once Aiden was no longer near them. Alex quickly turned his head towards Logan.
“What?” He said, his cheeks turning red. “No! We’re just … really good friends.” Logan smirked, nodding, not reading into Alex’s obvious lie.
-
“I think Alex is secretly dating Aiden.” Logan said as soon as he got to lunch that day, glad he was there before Alex.
“I totally agree.” Asami said. “They give each other heart eyes every five seconds. If they’re trying to hide their relationship, they’re doing a pretty shit job at it.”
“But did you ask him?” Sam asked.
“I tried, but he lied and said no.” Logan replied. “But I caught Aiden touching his, um…”
“Butt?” Asami asked.
“Yeah.”
“Well, here comes Mr. Loverboy.” Sam said. Before everyone could turn their head to look for Alex, he sat down in his usual seat, and all eyes landed on him as he did so.
“Um, hi?” He said shyly. “Were you guys talking about me or something?”
“We know about your little secret, Alex.” Asami said.
“Oh, yeah, I cheated a little bit on the last Pre-Calc test and looked at Logan’s paper.” Alex said casually, shrugging. “I didn’t think it was that big a deal.”
“What?” Logan asked.
“No, she meant the Aiden thing.” Sam cut in.
“Oh,” Alex said, his cheeks turning red. “That.”
“So, it is true!” Asami said. “I can see it in your face. Our little Alex is finally in a relationship, aw!”
“Shh, don’t say it too loudly.” Alex said. “We’re still trying to keep it a secret from everyone else.”
“Do your moms know?” Logan asked.
“Nope.” Alex answered. “Not mine, not his. And it’s going to stay that way for a while. Don’t need all the teasing from them.”
“Well, we’re happy for you, buddy.” Sam said, slapping Alex lightly on the back. “Let’s hope he treats you right.”
“This is your first boyfriend too, aw.” Asami added.
“And this is why I didn’t wanna tell anyone.” Alex said. His friends laughed.
“She’s just joking around.” Logan said, slinging an arm over Asami’s shoulder. “But she means no harm.” Alex smiled slightly.
“So, does this mean we already have our prom king and queen?” Asami asked. Alex chuckled.
“No.” He replied. “I don’t even know if he’s gonna ask me to go with him.”
“Well, he should.” Asami said. “If he doesn’t, call me and I will make sure he does.” Alex smiled.
“Thanks, ‘Sami.”
“No problem.”
~
“Guys,” Aiden said as he walked into the locker room that day before practice. “I need your help.”
“We’re all ears.” Ryan said, tossing his uniform top on and sitting down on one of the benches, all of the guys coming in closer to hear what Aiden had to say.
“I wanna ask someone to go to prom with me, but I wanna do it during a game.” Aiden said. “Is there any way you can get Coach to let me perform an original song during halftime?”
“Whoa, wait, you write songs?” Charley asked. “Since when are you a singer?”
“Since my mom started singing me to sleep when I was little,” Aiden replied. “When do you think? I probably got my talent from her.”
“Wait, who is the lucky girl?” Andy asked. “I’m sure we’re all wondering the same thing.”
“Oh, I bet it’s Perrie, the cheerleader,” James said. “She’s hot.”
“It’s, um, i-it’s not a ‘she’.” Aiden said, his cheeks turning red as he avoided his teammates’ gazes.
“Okay.” Danny said. “So, who is he?”
“Wait, you’re not gonna beat me up about that?” Aiden asked, picking his head up.
“Of course not!” Ryan said. “I’m sure he’s a great guy. And we don’t judge.”
“Some of us aren’t that into girls either.” Charley said, slinging an arm over Danny’s shoulder, the younger of the two blushing.
“So, you guys’ll help me?” Aiden asked. Andy smiled, walking over and slinging an arm over their captain’s shoulders.
“We’ll see what we can do.”
~
“Hey, wait up!” Aiden yelled out as he walked through the hallway the next day, running up to one of Alex’s friends, whose name he couldn’t remember (Nathan, was it? Or Logan?). “You’re friends with Alex, right?”
“Yeah.” The guy said. “Why’d you ask? You trying to dump him or something?”
“What? No, of course not.” Aiden said. “I just need your help for something.”
“I’m listening.” The guy said.
“I need you to bring him to our next home game on Friday.” Aiden said. “I sort of have this plan to ask him to prom during halftime.” At that, Alex’s friend smiled.
“Sure, sounds great.” He said. “We’ll make sure he’s there.” Aiden smiled.
“Great.” He said. “Oh, and, uh, sorry for asking, but, what’s your name again?”
“Logan.” The guy answered with a smile, before walking away. Knew it, Aiden thought.
~
Friday night came faster than Aiden thought, and as he stood in the locker room, back in his street clothes, guitar slung over his shoulder, he could feel himself shaking with nerves.
“Hey, relax, man.” Ryan said, gently placing a hand on his teammate’s shoulder. “You’re gonna be fine. I’m almost positive he’ll say yes.”
“No one can say no to a serenade.” Another teammate, Adam, added. “It’s just impossible.” Aiden smiled.
“Thanks guys.” He said, taking a deep breath. “Here goes nothing.” And with that, he stepped out onto the field.
-
As soon as Alex saw Aiden walk back out onto the field during halftime, in his street clothes, he could tell that something was up. He turned and saw grins on his friend’s face, beginning to think that yeah, they totally have something to do with this. He opened his mouth to question them about it, but Asami just shushed him, motioning over to where Aiden stood in front of a microphone, his eyes finding Alex in the crowd.
“Um, I know you guys are used to seeing me out there in my uniform,” He said. “But I have something I need to do here and in order to do that, I kind of have to sing as well. So, this one’s called ‘Parallel’.” At the mention of that song title, Alex felt his heart skip a beat, knowing that whatever Aiden was about to do would involve him.
The performance went on to include Aiden keeping his eyes locked on Alex’s the entire time, his lips curling up into a smile as Alex began to giggle and blush. And once the song came to an end, Alex knew there’d be more to it.
“I guess it’s finally time for me to, uh, do that something now.” Aiden said, awkwardly chuckling into the microphone. He took his guitar off, handing it to one of his teammates, before grabbing the microphone and taking it off its stand, walking over towards the section of the bleachers where Alex stood.
“Alexander Delgado,” He began, tears forming in his eyes as he stared at Alex. “Will you go to prom with me?” At that, people started cheering, encouraging Alex to say yes. The younger boy simply got out of his seat and ran down onto the field, kissing Aiden in front of everyone, only pulling back to say into the microphone, “Yes!” He then tossed the mic aside and kissed Aiden again, whispering only to him, “A thousand times yes.” To which Aiden chuckled, kissing Alex again, the two of them earning cheers from the audience, as well as congratulations from Aiden’s teammates, who had run out onto the field soon after, all patting their captain and his boyfriend on the backs to show their support.
-
“I thought there was something going on there.” Ana commented.
“I totally called it.” Nura said. “I knew something was going on between them right when we saw them cuddled up on the couch.”
“I think it’s cute, though.” Rachel added. “I mean, they’re practically brothers. It’s nice seeing them finally get together.”
“If this lasts long enough, we’ll get to be in-laws.” Trish pointed out, which all four women giggled at.
~
As expected, the night of prom came quickly as well. Aiden picked Alex up at his house, but he still had to step inside and pose for pictures (per Ana and Nura’s requests). Through each pose, Aiden groaned, but once Alex only chuckled, whispering to him, “Hey, behave. The sooner we’re done here, the sooner we can get out of here.” At that, Aiden smiled and perked up, kissing Alex in response, the moment ending up as a photo, which only annoyed the high school senior even more.
But luckily, before they knew it, their moms were done with pictures, finally giving their sons permission to leave. Once they were done, Aiden was quick to grab Alex’s hand, pulling him out of the house and into the car, not even saying a word as he drove them to the venue. Once there, Aiden could sense that Alex seemed uncomfortable.
“Hey, relax.” He said, the hand holding onto Alex’s turning into an arm slung over his shoulder. “I’m right here, okay? I’m not leaving your side.” Alex smiled, leaning up to kiss Aiden on the cheek, letting him open the ballroom door for them. And as soon as they stepped in there, Alex saw a sight he never expected.
“What are you guys doing here?” He asked, walking over to one of the tables. Aiden was quick to follow, realizing that Alex was talking to his friends Logan and Asami, who apparently went together.
“Um, well, we’re kind of … together?” Asami replied.
“How did that happen?” Alex asked.
“You know when Aiden asked you to prom?” Logan asked.
“Yeah.”
“Then.” Asami said. “We kind of kissed after you ran onto the field. Sam didn’t seem to notice, or care.”
“Well, thanks for telling me.” Alex said.
“Come on, babe.” Aiden said, clearly getting annoyed. “Let’s go over to our table.”
“In a moment, I think I need to use the bathroom, wrap my head around all this.” Alex said, the two no longer standing near the table. Aiden sighed. “I promise to be right back. Just meet me there, okay?”
“Alright.” Aiden said. Alex smiled, kissing him on the cheek.
-
Once he stepped into the bathroom, he really wished he hadn’t. The room was empty, except for his best friend Sam standing right there, back against the tiles on the wall, another guy standing in front of him, the pairing’s lips attached. Clearly, Sam hadn’t heard Alex come in, since he continued to make out with the guy in front of him. Hesitantly, Alex cleared his throat and got their attention, quickly asking, “What exactly is going on here?” And Sam answered easily, “Um, I’ve been dating this guy George for, um, a few weeks now? He’s on Aiden’s team, they probably know each other. Oh, and, uh, we kind of decided to sneak off to the bathroom to make out? Sorry ‘bout that, man.”
(So far, prom was going off to an odd start.)
Afterwards, Alex walked back to his table, letting his head fall against Aiden’s shoulder as soon as he sat down.
“Rough night?” He asked.
“A lot to take in, yes.” Alex replied.
“Well, I know of a way to get you to forget about all that.” Aiden said, standing from his chair (much to Alex’s disappointment) and sticking his hand out. “May I have this dance, my prince?” Alex giggled.
“Of course you may.” He said, taking Aiden’s hand and standing up, following him to the dance floor.
-
(“I’m happy for them.” Ryan commented as he sat at the table. “They make a great couple.”
“Yeah, okay, can we get back to dancing now?” Perrie asked. “I get he’s your captain and all, but you don’t have to sit there in awe of him all night. Honestly, I’m beginning to think that you have a guy crush on him or something.” Ryan chuckled.
“Of course not.” He said. “You’re the only person I’m crushing on.” Perrie smiled and kissed him on the cheek, pulling him to his feet and onto the dance floor.)
-
“I’m a little nervous.” Alex said once the two finally reached the dance floor. “I’ve never, um, danced with a guy before. Er, like this, at least.”
“It’s the same as dancing with any girl.” Aiden said. “Only, you’re the girl.”
“Why?” Alex asked.
“’Cause I’m taller.” Aiden replied easily. Alex rolled his eyes. “Well, slightly, anyway. Come on, just put a hand on my shoulder, and take my other one.” Alex sighed, doing as told, shivering a bit as Aiden’s other hand came down to rest on his waist. The younger of the two glanced up to see Aiden grinning down at him.
“Just let the music take over.” He said softly, and Alex did so, swaying a little bit, which Aiden smiled at.
-
The two continued to dance and enjoy themselves for the rest of the night, Alex completely forgetting about his friends and their secret relationships. When the whole night came to an end, Aiden made a comment that caused Alex to just stare at him for a moment.
“What?” He said when they were finally in the privacy of Aiden’s car. Aiden chuckled.
“My moms gave me money to rent out a hotel room for the night.” He said. “They didn’t say why, but I’m pretty sure they, like, ship us or something. It’s kind of creepy, but hey, when have my moms ever been normal?” Alex giggled. “But we don’t have to if you don’t want to.”
“No, I do.” Alex said. “It, uh, it could be fun. But, um—”
“I know.” Aiden said, taking Alex’s hand in his own. “I promise to be gentle.” Alex smiled at that.
“Well, what are we waiting for?” He said. “Let’s go!” Aiden laughed, pulling Alex into a kiss before sitting up straight again, turning engine on and beginning to drive off.
-
(“That was … kind of amazing.” Alex commented when he woke up the next morning, only to see Aiden already out of bed, putting his boxers on. “Thank you.” Aiden smiled.
“No problem.” He said, crawling back into bed, leaning over Alex and kissing him on the lips. “And good morning, beautiful.” Alex giggled.)
-
Next thing Alex knew, the month of June finally arrived, and he was beginning to freak out, not knowing what special thing to do for Aiden when he’d graduate.
“What do you get for a guy who loves music and soccer?” Alex asked one day at lunch.
“Easy.” Logan replied. “A promise ring.”
“A what?”
“A promise ring.” Asami explained. “It’s like an engagement ring, but it means that you two will stay together until you’re old enough to get married. Then you can do the proper engagement ring, wedding, etc.”
“And make sure to invite us, man.” Sam said. “I call Best Man!” His comment only resulted in a punch in the arm from Logan, causing Sam to clutch his arm and whine in pain.
“Too soon to call it, Sam.” Logan said simply. Sam shook his head.
“So, a promise ring, huh?” Alex said.
“And I’ll help you find the perfect one.” Asami said. The three boys just stared at her. “What? I know how to find good jewelry!”
-
A few short weeks later, the day of Aiden’s graduation came, and Alex was a bit of a mess. He cried like any proud parent would when Aiden’s name was called, even blowing him a kiss as he accepted his diploma. And as Aiden made his way off the stage, Alex continued to clap for him, his heartbeat going up as he felt the box that held the ring shift in his pocket. Asami, who stood next to Alex, could sense that he was nervous, so she simply placed a hand on Alex’s shoulder as they sat back down, whispering, “It’ll be okay, Alex. I have no doubt that he’ll say yes.”
The two families ended up meeting outside once the ceremony was over, and Alex was quick to pull Aiden into a hug, even kissing him on the lips in front of everyone, whispering, “I’m so proud of you!” A picture was snapped of the moment by Ana, which only led to Alex groaning and letting his head fall onto Aiden’s shoulder, the older boy chuckling.
“Aw, come on, Alex,” He said. “It’s just her job as a mom to embarrass you.” Alex scoffed, shaking his head.
“You’re so lucky you get to live on your own for the next four years.” He said.
“It has its perks,” Aiden said. “But there are a couple cons to it too.” Alex smiled.
Then, the families ended up at the Stylinsons’ house, where a graduation party was held for the couple’s only child. Both Alex’s friends and Aiden’s teammates were there, and at some point, the teen couple ended up separated from one another, with Alex using his friends to help calm his nerves.
“Relax, he’ll say yes.” Logan said reassuringly. “How many times do we have to say that?”
“Until he actually does.” Alex said.
“He really loves you, you know.” George pointed out. “He never stopped talking about you during practices. The guys were saying that it was making him a worse player, but I just thought to let the boy be in love.” Alex blushed at that.
“He really talks about me a lot?” He asked. George nodded, and Alex smiled.
“So, what are you waiting for, Alex?” Sam said. “Go talk to him already!” Alex took a deep breath.
“I can do this.” He said. “I mean, there’s no way he’ll say no, right?” His friends rolled their eyes.
“Just go!” Asami said, pushing Alex in Aiden’s direction. Alex sent a glare her way, but still walked over to Aiden, shyly asking if he could pull him aside. (And if the warm smile he received from the older boy was any indication of how the next few minutes would go, Alex could feel himself instantly feeling better.) Aiden’s teammates wolf-whistled as Alex pulled Aiden towards the house, which the older boy only chuckled at.
“Ignore them.” Aiden said. “They’re a bunch of children sometimes.” Alex giggled nervously.
-
Soon, the door was shut behind them, and Alex hesitantly took Aiden’s hand in his own, nervously taking a deep breath.
“U-um, y-you know I love you, right?” He said hesitantly. Aiden smiled.
“Of course.” He said. “Though you never actually said it.” He raised an eyebrow, and Alex found himself giggling, feeling himself calm down.
“Alright.” He said. “Aiden James Stylinson, I love you. And honestly, I can’t imagine spending my life with anyone else.” Aiden smiled again. “With that said,” Alex let go of Aiden’s hand for a moment to reach into his pocket, pulling out and opening the box, watching as tears came to Aiden’s eyes. “Will you marry me? In a few years, anyway. When we’re both old enough and ready.” Aiden grinned and nodded.
“Yes!” He said. “Yes, of course I will. I love you so much, Alex.” Alex smiled at that, feeling tears sting his own eyes as he slipped the ring onto Aiden’s finger, tossing the empty box aside as he wrapped his arms around Aiden’s neck, pulling him down into a kiss. The two then headed outside, going back to their respective groups of friends, but as Alex met his friends’ eyes, he simply said, “He said yes!” His three friends then pulled him into a group hug, congratulating him while George smiled at the sight (but Sam ended up reaching out and grabbing his hand, forcing him to join in the hug), and he could hear Aiden’s teammates doing the same. As Alex backed out of the hug, listening to his friends talk about what would come of this, with Aiden going to college and all, he glanced over to where his boyfriend stood, meeting his gaze, smiling at him. Aiden smiled back, mouthing, I love you. And Alex smiled, mouthing back, I love you too, adding a hand-heart, which Aiden chuckled at, blowing a kiss in response.
~
“So, I guess this is it, huh?” Alex said when the summer came to a close, and he stood with Aiden in front of the older boy’s house, watching as his parents started up the car, all prepared to drive their son to his dorm. “Moving day has finally come.” Saying that, Alex could feel himself begin to cry, which he attempted to hold back, but Aiden sensed it, gently saying that it was okay, and he was allowed to cry. As the tears began to slip down his face, Alex pulled Aiden into a tight hug, whispering, “I don’t want you to go.”
“I know, baby.” Aiden said, gently stroking Alex’s back. “But hey, you can visit me any time, you know that, right?” Alex nodded. “I love you so much. I’ll think about you all the time, I promise.” Alex smiled, grabbing Aiden by the waist and pulling him into a tearful kiss. He could feel Aiden’s hands gently running through his hair, and he noticed that he felt something … different.
“You’re wearing it.” He said as he pulled back. “You’re wearing the promise ring I gave you.” Aiden smiled.
“Of course I am.” He said. “I said I always would, didn’t I? And besides, it reminds me of you. When I wear it, I feel like I’m right by your side, even if I’m physically not.” Alex smiled.
“I love you.” He said. “I know we barely say that to each other, a-and it’s a big thing to say to your, um, partner, but I just do and I’m really gonna miss—” Aiden cut him off by pulling him into another kiss.
“You need to learn not to talk as much.” He whispered against his lips, which Alex only giggled at.
“Hey, Aiden?” Rachel called out, causing both boys to pull away and glance in her direction. “Think you’re ready to go? We have to check in soon.” Aiden sighed, turning back to Alex.
“Guess I have to go.” He said. Alex kissed him again.
“I’ll miss you.” He said.
“I’ll miss you more.” Aiden said, smiling and kissing Alex on the lips again before leaning down and whispering into his ear, “And we are going to have the most amazing Skype sex while I’m away.” Alex giggled and blushed at that, giving Aiden a small shove, before pulling him back into one last kiss. Aiden then began to head in the direction of the car, shyly waving at Alex before the door closed behind him. Alex continued to wave at the car until it turned a corner and disappeared from sight, and once it was gone, he sighed, feeling the tears return, coming down harder this time. Next thing he knew, his friends were pulling him into a group hug, each of them rubbing his back comfortingly.
“It’ll be okay, Alex.” Asami reassured him. “Aiden has a little piece of you right there with him.” Alex smiled, sniffling.
“Yeah,” He said. “Yeah, he does.”
~
As Aiden glanced out of the window, he could see them coming closer and closer to his dorm building. He sighed, suddenly feeling a bit nervous. He twiddled with his thumbs a little bit, before feeling his phone vibrate in his pocket. Wondering who it could be, he pulled it out, glancing down to see that he received a new text message, already knowing who it was based off what it said, not even needing to look at the number. I love you, was all it said. And Aiden smiled, easily typing back his response.
Because you wrote me an amazing fic for my birthday last year, I decided to do the same, but also made it a little different. (Also not as long, and written completely by me :) )
Oh, and there's another little gift I decided to make for you. ;)
I know we haven't spoken much recently, but I still remembered that today's your birthday, so yeah, I thought to make it special.
Happy 18th, Nurabear!
-Rachel xx
happy birthday, and may all your dreams come true @nurasbirthdaygift - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag
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