And there he was, twenty minutes later and wondering exactly what had started Bass's spiral of doubt. Was it because Alex finally knew some of the darker parts of him? Well, everyone had their dark parts. They just hadn't brushed real heavily against Alex's and that was because most of them were in his past in Roswell. A part of him had been terrified that first night of something real with Bass, but he'd found it a lot easier to slip into 'boyfriend' mode than to deal with worrying over what it meant.
He was still in uniform and he ignored the looks he got as he went in and made a beeline for Bass. The ones that questioned why Air Force was hanging around Marine, maybe. Or just the ones checking him out.
"Hey," he said softly when he reached Bass. "What's going on?"
Bass had been working with the heavy bag after his physcial therapy appointment for his leg. He was up and about, but still on restricted duty--no running, no long marches, no crawling through mud--and that gnawed at him some. Restricted duty meant he wasn't training with his unit, and he hated that feeling. It was at least part of what had him on edge. Concern about how Alex had seen into some of his crazy was another part of it. Add on the fact that he was already in a spiral before any of this happened, and you had a recipe for further spiraling.
He didn't see Alex come in, still working the bag with some particularly vicious punches, but realized he was there right before he spoke.
Bass closed his eyes and sighed a little, resting against the bag, before turning toward Alex with a wry smile. "Hey. Just trying to make sure I don't come out of convalescence completely useless."
Yeah, maybe that's not what Alex was asking, but he didn't know how to answer the other question right off the bat.
“When your physical terrorist okays it, we’re going to have to spar,” Alex said mildly. Clearly Bass was avoiding answering his questions and he would let it slide. For the moment. But he’d come here because Bass was in a mood and he wanted to help if he could. Pretending it would go away on its own wasn’t going to help.
“I mean, if you think you can handle me.”
Which was a joke, really, since Alex spent half his day behind a computer. Sure, he could keep up during training, but he knew he wasn’t training half as much as Bass did. Still, something for them both to look forward to, even if it meant he’d have to find a way to find a private gym he could rent for an evening.
...with no cameras. But that was for later.
“Are you still going or could I maybe convince you to go get an early dinner?”
Bass swept a gaze over him and arched an eyebrow at the joke, amusement flickering.
"Somehow, I think I'll manage..." Not that Alex wasn't in the kind of shape that had more guys staring at him than Bass strictly approved of when he couldn't tug him in close and stake his claim clearly. But there was a difference between it being allowed and being advisable, and making out in the middle of the gym on base still wasn't the best move.
But he stepped in just a little closer, flashing a glare at one guy who probably would've apprecited the show if the way he was looking at Alex was any indication.
"Though I don't promise to behave myself if I get you hot and sweaty in any context," he murmured with a slow smile.
Flirting was so much easier than dealing with his issues.
"I wouldn't expect any less," Alex murmured, chuckling a little at the look that Bass was suddenly giving the people around them. Not that there weren't just as many who were looking that way at Bass, especially since he was the one who was sweaty and god, why did the showers have to be public?
But no. He was here because something was clearly bothering Bass and he refused to let himself stray too far from the path.
He pressed a hand to Bass's chest and pushed gently.
"Go. Get showered and I'll wait for you to get back."
And in the meantime, he would figure out how to broach the subject of just why Bass was so bothered. Maybe it was just him going stir-crazy and, if so, Alex had a few ideas that wouldn't bother his leg too much. He was mostly worried that it might be more than that.
Bass looked like he was considering saying to hell with the inadvisability of PDA. Enough people looked like they'd enjoy the show that he was seriously questioning just how straight the majority of the Marine corps was, or at least those at the gym this time of day.
He let Alex push him back, though, and sighed, shifting back a step and reaching for his towel. "All right. I won't be long..."
He couldn't move very quickly, still, limping a little as he walked away, but once he got to the locker room, he stripped and showered as fast as he could. It took him longer than he would have liked, but he came back in jeans and a t-shirt, hair still wet, with his bag on one shoulder.
"I'm ready to get out of here..."
He was uncertain, again, the time in the shower giving him time to spiral a little back down to where he'd been when he sent the first text. But he'd reread the thread, trying to believe Alex meant it that he was better with Bass than he'd been without. Bass wasn't sure how that was possible, but Alex was here, now, and had waited, and that at least let him feel a flicker of hope. Unless, of course, he was just...being nice because Miles had told him not to upset Bass when he was fragile or something, and, fuck, he hated his own brain.
"So I was thinking," Alex said when Bass came back. He nodded his head at the door and started heading for it. The kinds of things they needed to talk about were not fit for public consumption. At least not anything that wasn't their discussions on what they wanted to eat. Because some of the things that Bass had been saying in his texts had been worrisome, but in the middle of a crowded gym was not the place to address them.
"There's this barbecue restaurant down in Waikiki that I've heard great things about. You up for it? It's just a couple of blocks off of the beach and I figure someone will have a made bonfire once we're done."
Bass could hopefully relax a little during dinner and then they could cuddle up in relative anonymity and talk about what was going on. If they waited that long to bring it up.
Bass fell into step beisde Alex as they left, smiling at the suggestion of dinner and beachtime. That sounded positive, like Alex wasn't just hanging around to be careful with him, but genuinely still wanted to spend time with him. His smile grew as he contemplated the idea of a bonfire on the beach afterward especially.
"I think that sounds great. I'm starving, after my workout." And barbecue was something he loved.
"No," Alex teased. "I walked." As they left, he reached up and ran his fingers along the back of Bass's neck, barely brushing against the edge of his hairline. He noted Bass's smile and he relaxed a little. As long as Bass was either in a good mood or in a willing-to-talk mood, Alex had a chance at figuring out what was going on.
He nudged against Bass's arm and pressed a button on his key fob to unlock the car.
"Get in," he said, responding to Bass's smile with one of his own. "Or else I'll make you walk." Which he wouldn't. Not while Bass's leg still wasn't 100%. But he was hoping - and he was sure Bass was hoping - that he'd be back up soon enough.
Bass was generally willing to talk, if asked. Only if it got to be too much, too overwhelming would he pull back...or have to be pulled back. But he was mostly worried about Alex's reaction to the situation, worried Alex would want to be the one to pull back once he'd learned Bass wasn't just quirky but had real...issues, for lack of a better word. That he could get that upset over something that wouldn't even cause most people a flicker; that he had to be watched when upset about soemthing so stupid (that didn't feel stupid to him, but he knew enough that most people didn't get upset over things like he did).
So Alex's small touch, the big of a nudge, the smile...they all caused some more of the tension to ease out of his shoulders.
"That's just cruel. I would starve before I got all the way downtown," Bass said with wide puppy eyes, even as he slid into the car.
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momijizukamori
@everythingforhim
Date: 2019-08-24 04:33 pm (UTC)And there he was, twenty minutes later and wondering exactly what had started Bass's spiral of doubt. Was it because Alex finally knew some of the darker parts of him? Well, everyone had their dark parts. They just hadn't brushed real heavily against Alex's and that was because most of them were in his past in Roswell. A part of him had been terrified that first night of something real with Bass, but he'd found it a lot easier to slip into 'boyfriend' mode than to deal with worrying over what it meant.
He was still in uniform and he ignored the looks he got as he went in and made a beeline for Bass. The ones that questioned why Air Force was hanging around Marine, maybe. Or just the ones checking him out.
"Hey," he said softly when he reached Bass. "What's going on?"
no subject
Date: 2019-08-24 09:22 pm (UTC)He didn't see Alex come in, still working the bag with some particularly vicious punches, but realized he was there right before he spoke.
Bass closed his eyes and sighed a little, resting against the bag, before turning toward Alex with a wry smile. "Hey. Just trying to make sure I don't come out of convalescence completely useless."
Yeah, maybe that's not what Alex was asking, but he didn't know how to answer the other question right off the bat.
no subject
Date: 2019-09-26 08:07 pm (UTC)“I mean, if you think you can handle me.”
Which was a joke, really, since Alex spent half his day behind a computer. Sure, he could keep up during training, but he knew he wasn’t training half as much as Bass did. Still, something for them both to look forward to, even if it meant he’d have to find a way to find a private gym he could rent for an evening.
...with no cameras. But that was for later.
“Are you still going or could I maybe convince you to go get an early dinner?”
no subject
Date: 2019-09-28 02:18 am (UTC)"Somehow, I think I'll manage..." Not that Alex wasn't in the kind of shape that had more guys staring at him than Bass strictly approved of when he couldn't tug him in close and stake his claim clearly. But there was a difference between it being allowed and being advisable, and making out in the middle of the gym on base still wasn't the best move.
But he stepped in just a little closer, flashing a glare at one guy who probably would've apprecited the show if the way he was looking at Alex was any indication.
"Though I don't promise to behave myself if I get you hot and sweaty in any context," he murmured with a slow smile.
Flirting was so much easier than dealing with his issues.
"I gotta grab a shower, but food would be good."
no subject
Date: 2019-09-28 07:18 pm (UTC)But no. He was here because something was clearly bothering Bass and he refused to let himself stray too far from the path.
He pressed a hand to Bass's chest and pushed gently.
"Go. Get showered and I'll wait for you to get back."
And in the meantime, he would figure out how to broach the subject of just why Bass was so bothered. Maybe it was just him going stir-crazy and, if so, Alex had a few ideas that wouldn't bother his leg too much. He was mostly worried that it might be more than that.
no subject
Date: 2019-10-01 02:22 am (UTC)He let Alex push him back, though, and sighed, shifting back a step and reaching for his towel. "All right. I won't be long..."
He couldn't move very quickly, still, limping a little as he walked away, but once he got to the locker room, he stripped and showered as fast as he could. It took him longer than he would have liked, but he came back in jeans and a t-shirt, hair still wet, with his bag on one shoulder.
"I'm ready to get out of here..."
He was uncertain, again, the time in the shower giving him time to spiral a little back down to where he'd been when he sent the first text. But he'd reread the thread, trying to believe Alex meant it that he was better with Bass than he'd been without. Bass wasn't sure how that was possible, but Alex was here, now, and had waited, and that at least let him feel a flicker of hope. Unless, of course, he was just...being nice because Miles had told him not to upset Bass when he was fragile or something, and, fuck, he hated his own brain.
no subject
Date: 2019-11-24 12:46 am (UTC)"There's this barbecue restaurant down in Waikiki that I've heard great things about. You up for it? It's just a couple of blocks off of the beach and I figure someone will have a made bonfire once we're done."
Bass could hopefully relax a little during dinner and then they could cuddle up in relative anonymity and talk about what was going on. If they waited that long to bring it up.
no subject
Date: 2019-11-24 03:06 am (UTC)"I think that sounds great. I'm starving, after my workout." And barbecue was something he loved.
"You have your car? Miles dropped me off."
no subject
Date: 2019-12-06 01:23 am (UTC)He nudged against Bass's arm and pressed a button on his key fob to unlock the car.
"Get in," he said, responding to Bass's smile with one of his own. "Or else I'll make you walk." Which he wouldn't. Not while Bass's leg still wasn't 100%. But he was hoping - and he was sure Bass was hoping - that he'd be back up soon enough.
no subject
Date: 2019-12-06 02:30 am (UTC)So Alex's small touch, the big of a nudge, the smile...they all caused some more of the tension to ease out of his shoulders.
"That's just cruel. I would starve before I got all the way downtown," Bass said with wide puppy eyes, even as he slid into the car.