EPILOGUE
A few months later
"Alex, I promise you, we're fine." His mom wasn't often exasperated with him, but he couldn't even blame her this time, since it was his third call of the day.
"I know, I know." He got up from where he'd perched himself at the foot of the hotel bed. "I wanted to hear him, that's all."
They already knew it wasn't good for Boo to hear him over the phone, because it confused the little guy and made him fussy. This was the first night Alex wasn't anywhere close to his son, though, so he figured hearing Boo might help him.
It did not.
"You'll be here tomorrow afternoon," his mom reminded him gently. "And he'll happily babble at both you and Ian to your heart's content."
Alex smiled at that. "Yeah, okay."
"Now, go spend time with your man and leave our grandchild to us, will you? And no phone calls before nine in the morning!"
"Okay, okay, I'm going." Alex glanced towards the door. "Talk to you then."
"Good night, baby, I love you. Get some rest before tomorrow."
Tomorrow. The session he'd made the overnight trip to the city for, instead of waiting back at home for Ian to get there for the weekend.
He shouldn't be so nervous about going to the studio after so many years in the business, should he? It had never been the scary part of the whole process. But he hadn't recorded anything in so long…
"Alex, you there?"
"Yeah, sorry." He cleared his throat. "I'm going to try sleeping in and we'll see what happens. My internal clock may be forever broken now."
"You'll be grateful for every minute you can sleep in, just you watch."
"Hopefully. Good night, then. I love you."
"Love you, too!"
With that, Alex disconnected and put his phone away. Ian was waiting for him out there in the suite's living room and there was no better distraction than that.
"—serious?" he heard Ian say as soon as he opened the door and walked out of the bedroom. "What the hell happened?"
Ian was standing with his back to the room, right by the floor-to-ceiling window with a truly breathtaking view of the nighttime New York.
Take that, company crash pad. Alex had refused to sleep in Ian's temporary quarters on principle alone, but if he needed any more arguments, this view had been it.
"No, I haven't heard anything." Ian rubbed the back of his neck. "Damn, maybe I could— No, you're right. If he talks with anyone, it will be you. Let me know, though? We can stall over the weekend, but after that, we'll have to decide something."
Alex reached Ian right as he was finishing the conversation and he circled his arms around him from behind, pressing against his back.
"Is there something wrong with the team?"
Ian had spent weeks—months, even—worrying over finding and hiring people who would be a perfect fit for his company's New York City's branch, but they were supposed to be past that, now, which was yet another reason for celebrating tonight.
"Not the newbies, no." Ian leaned back into his embrace. "A transfer request from the DC office that has taken Noa by surprise, which is why he called at this hour. I hardly believe it, either. Nothing to be done about it tonight, though."
Alex hummed as he looked out at the city over Ian's shoulder.
"Does that mean you're all mine now?"
With a chuckle, Ian turned in his arms until they were facing each other.
"As if I'm ever not yours," he murmured and pressed a soft kiss to Alex's forehead, sending Alex's heart flying.
"I can't believe you ever thought you don't have a way with words." Alex shook his head. "You get any better and I won't be able to handle it."
"I learned from the best."
Ian leaned in for a kiss and Alex opened for him easily, as excited as he'd been the very first time.
Maybe more so, actually, since he knew now there was going to be the next one, and the next. It was no longer a fantasy, or a fresh start, or an adrenaline-fueled… something. This was their reality now.
Soon enough, even the temporary housing would be a thing of the past and Ian would move in with Alex and Boo full-time, not only for the weekends.
Alex could hardly wait. As it were, he could never get enough of this—of being around Ian, of touching him, of kissing him. Of being swept off his feet and carried back towards the bedroom.
"Don't you want to admire the view some more?" Alex teased with his lips against Ian's ear.
"Oh, I intend to do more than just admire the view." Ian put him on the bed, then crawled right after him until their bodies were pressed closely together. "Where do you want me to start?"
"Wherever you want." Alex circled his arms around Ian's neck. "I'm all yours, after all."
"A perfect match, then."
Alex grinned.
Perfect, indeed.
THE END
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