#thecostofgreatness

[justlightlysedated]

Start from Part One on AO3

part ten of eleven, for @bestillmyslashyheart so sorry for the long wait, i love you!! 🥰💖

*

Alex felt the excitement bubbling inside of him as he spots the Airstream and the truck both parked outside of the cabin, meaning that Michael has come back from his self imposed exile, to pack the rest of his thing, while Alex had been taking Buffy back to the Animal Shelter.

He had gotten a little upset when Alex had mentioned it two mornings ago, but they hadn't really talked about it. 

Alex hadn't mentioned that it was just temporary because he still hadn't been sure that the plans that he'd been making would actually come to fruition.

But after a phone call with a friend he had in Florida, and a visit to the travel agency that Isobel had suggested, he had everything figured out.

All he had to do now was tell Michael.

He turns the keys in the ignition and opens his door, dropping down to the floor and almost tripping in his haste to get inside.

It's only when he closes the door behind himself that he hears the argument.

"I'm just trying to look out for you!"

"Well, don't!"

Alex inhales deeply at the sound of Max's voice and as he gets closer to the cabin, he can see that Max's jeep had been hidden from him by the Airstream.

Alex just looks up to the sky, begging for patience not to punch Max Evans in the face, but all of that flies out of the window when Michael yells again.

"Then stay the fuck out of it!" He says, and his voice cracks a little, desperate and almost terrified, and Alex snaps, moving before he's even aware of it.

The door to the cabin opens with a slam before Alex even gets there, and he can hear Michael's voice again simmering with rage and pain.

"Get out," he says, voice cracking. "And don't fucking come back."

Alex appears in the doorway before Max can even move, and both brothers turn to him in one fluid motion.

Michael's eyes are bright with unshed tears, and his eyes immediately dart away from Alex. 

Alex feels a pang low in the pit of his stomach, but he'll deal with whatever is bothering Michael after he deals with Max.

Max's eyes are blazing with anger and his glare intensifies when Alex turns to him.

"Tell him," he demands, and Alex immediately bristles.

"You have no right to come into my home, start a fight with my husband and then demand something from me," Alex tells him. "I think you've overstayed your welcome."

Max just grits his teeth and takes one step towards Alex. "Tell him that you're leaving again."

Alex exhales roughly, "I already told you that that is not happening."

"I saw you at the travel agency and I talked to the agent who dealt with you and she confirmed that you booked a flight, so please tell me again, how you're not leaving."

Alex stares at Max for one single, stupefied second.

"Fucking unbelievable," he says, huffing out a breath.

He turns to Michael who is looking back at him, and he tries to telegraph with his eyes how wrong Max is, but Michael's brow just furrows.

"This is exactly why I hate living in a small town," he says, taking a step towards Michael, feeling relieved when Michael doesn't move back. "No fucking privacy."

Michael stares at him intently.

"So he's right?" Michael asks, voice wavering just a little, like he doesn't really believe that Max is right, but he needs Alex to confirm that he's wrong.

"Of course I'm righ-" Max starts and then shuts up at collective glare that Michael and Alex turn on him.

Alex turns back to Michael who looks at him expectantly.

Alex exhales and holds his hands out, not stopping the smile that spreads across his face when Michael immediately puts his hands into Alex's.

Alex squeezes his hands and moves in a bit closer, shaking his head a little.

"I'm never going to be able to surprise you, am I?"

Michael tilts his head at him.

"Yes," he says, after a few moments of silence. "I did go to the travel agency tha-"

"I told you so," Max interjects and they both turn to glare at him again.

Alex turns back to Michael who is still glaring at Max.

"The one that Isobel suggested that I go to," he continues, and Michael's gaze snaps back to him, and he can feel Max looking at him too, but he ignores that. "You know with the brochure that she gave us as part of our wedding present?"

Michael's entire posture relaxes and he tightens his hold on Alex's fingers.

There is a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, and his eyes are bright with excitement.

"I was thinking we start small," he continues. "Since you've never been out of the country. So I thought, Florida."

Michael furrows his brow, "Florida?" He asks skeptically.

Alex just raises an eyebrow and waits for Michael to get it.

Michael's face goes a little slack, and his eyes light up even more, and when he smiles, he looks exactly like the same boy that Alex fell in love with, and it makes a wide smile spread across his face.

"You don't mean-" he starts sounding like he's trying to tamp down his excitement.

"Yes, I do," Alex says, and his smile widens when Michael pulls him close, until their feet are overlapping. "I managed to get us a private tour, and while I know that you don't want to leave the planet anymore, they do have a simulator, and I'm pretty sure that together we can sneak out a few schematics just in case we would ever need to build our own spaceship."

Michael lets his hands go to drag him into a kiss that’s more him pressing their smiles together than anything else.

Michael pulls back, pressing their foreheads together.

“Have I told you that I love you today?” he asks rhetorically, nudging their noses together.

“Nope,” Alex says, wrapping his arms around Michael’s shoulders. “But I know.”

Michael hums low in his throat, and then pulls back like something just occurred to him.

“What about you?”

Alex furrows his brow. “I love you, too?”

Michael rolls his eyes and pushes Alex back a little bit, keeping his fingers wrapped around the collar of Alex’s jacket so that he doesn’t get too far.

“I mean this honeymoon is starting to sound a little one sided.”

Alex just tightens his arms around Michael’s shoulders pulling himself closer.

“Well, I’m gonna get to hack into a secure NASA database and there is a cabana right on the beach with our name on it, and,” he continues leaning in even closer and lowering his voice, until it’s barely a whisper. “I’m only planning on packing some sunscreen.”

Michael makes a low noise at the back of his throat and pushes in to give him a kiss when Max clears his throat loudly.

Alex shuts his eyes.

He had forgotten all about Max.

When he opens his eyes and looks at Michael, it’s to see that Michael also forgot.

They both sigh at once and then let each other go, turning to Max.

There is a look on Max’s face, as though he’s starting to understand something, which makes Alex defensive immediately.

"You were right," he tells Michael, who leans a little bit closer to Alex until their shoulders are pressed together and he can tangle their fingers together.

"I usually am," Michael says, with just a small hint of animosity.

Max rolls his eyes.

"About me never seeing you actually happy," he continues and both Alex and Michael freeze, staring at him with wide eyes.

Max just shakes his head. "I still don't understand any of this, but I don't want to lose you Michael."

Alex feels Michael tightens his fingers around his.

"You're not losing me," Michael says, finally. "You're my brother, and as much as I hate it, it gives you a reason to meddle and be worried, but there really isn't anything to worry about. I swear."

Max looks down at their joined hands and then back up to Alex's face.

"I'm beginning to see that," he answers.

Michael lets Alex go, and herds Max out of the cabin with one arm around his shoulder.

They talk and Alex watches as Michael leads Max to his jeep.

Max says something that makes Michael stop and dart his eyes at Alex, before looking back at Max and then pulling him into a hug.

Alex bites down on the smile that wants to spread across his face and just leans against the door jamb waiting for Michael to come back.

Max leaves, and Michael jogs up the steps and stops right in front of Alex lifting one eyebrow.

He seems to be lighter than he had been when this whole thing started and Alex feels happiness bubbling inside of him at the thought that things were turning around, at least where Michael's siblings were concerned.

"That went much better than my last talk with Max," Alex says, which makes both of Michael's eyebrows raise up.

"You had a talk with Max about us?"

Alex just gives him a winning, innocent smile, and drags him into a kiss when he just continues to look at him expectantly.

Alex manages to distract Michael enough that he gets them across the cabin and almost to the bedroom, when he trips over one of the squeaky toys that he forgot to pack for Buffy.

They pull apart as Michael steadies them, pushing his body flush against Alex's and pinning him to the wall.

They both look at each other, breathless and pink cheeked, and then look at the toy on the ground that squeaks as it inflates slowly.

"So, Buffy," Michael starts and Alex just smiles as he turns back to face him.

"I already filled out all of the paperwork," he says, reaching up and dragging fingers through Michael's hair. "And they'll have everything ready for her to come home with us once we get back."

Michael smiles, bright and happy, and Alex feels so happy he could burst.

"I love you, Mr. Guerin," Michael whispers, leaning in close, eyes darting down to Alex's mouth.

"And I love you, Mr. Guerin," Alex responds.

Michael seals the words with a kiss and Alex responds back enthusiastically, feeling like he's finally, finally home.