The city lights flickered as Damian and Alex walked side by side, their footsteps uneven on the cracked pavement. The air was thick with the scent of rain, the humidity clinging to their skin. The silence between them was comfortable, but it carried an unspoken weight.
Alex shoved his hands into his pockets, glancing over at Damian. "You still thinking about earlier?"
Damian exhaled, running a hand through his hair. "I don't know, man. I just… I don't know what to make of it."
Alex gave a half-smile, nudging Damian's shoulder. "Then don't overthink it. Let it be whatever it is."
Damian sighed. That was easier said than done. His mind was a mess, thoughts tangled like a storm raging in his head. He looked up at the dark sky, the stars barely visible beyond the city's glow. "You make it sound so simple."
Alex shrugged. "Because it is. We don't have to figure everything out right now. We just keep moving forward, one step at a time."
They walked in silence for a few more minutes before Alex suddenly stopped. Damian turned, raising an eyebrow. "What?"
Alex smirked. "Race you to the corner."
Damian blinked. "Are you serious?"
"Always." Alex took off before Damian could protest, his laughter echoing through the empty streets.
Cursing under his breath, Damian sprinted after him. His heartbeat pounded in his ears, the world blurring past him. For a moment, everything else faded away—the confusion, the uncertainty, the weight of what they were becoming. It was just him and Alex, running through the night like they had a thousand times before.
Alex reached the corner first, arms raised in victory. "Too slow, old man."
Damian rolled his eyes, catching his breath. "You cheated."
Alex grinned. "Maybe."
Damian shook his head, a reluctant smile tugging at his lips. "You're impossible."
Alex stepped closer, the teasing in his eyes softening. "And yet, here we are."
Damian felt his pulse quicken. There was something about the way Alex looked at him, something unspoken yet undeniable. He swallowed hard, glancing away. "Yeah. Here we are."
Alex didn't push, didn't press for more. He simply started walking again, and after a moment, Damian followed.
Maybe they didn't have all the answers yet. Maybe they never would.
But for now, this was enough.
As they continued down the street, Alex suddenly veered toward a small convenience store, the flickering neon sign casting an eerie glow over the sidewalk. He glanced at Damian. "Hungry?"
Damian shrugged. "Could eat."
Alex grinned. "Then come on."
They stepped inside, the sharp scent of instant noodles and stale chips hitting them immediately. The cashier barely looked up from his phone as they wandered the aisles. Alex grabbed a pack of chips and tossed them at Damian, who caught them with a smirk. "Seriously? This is dinner?"
Alex held up a pack of gummy worms. "It's a feast."
Damian shook his head but followed him to the counter. As Alex paid, Damian leaned against the counter, glancing at their reflection in the smudged glass of the fridge doors. Two guys, side by side, stuck somewhere between best friends and something more. The thought made his chest tighten.
Outside, they sat on the curb, sharing the chips and passing the bag between them. The city hummed around them, cars passing, music drifting from an open window somewhere nearby. Alex leaned back on his elbows, staring at the sky. "You ever think about just… leaving?"
Damian raised an eyebrow. "Leaving where?"
Alex shrugged. "Here. The city. Just picking up and going somewhere new."
Damian considered it. "Yeah. Sometimes."
Alex turned his head toward him. "Where would you go?"
Damian thought for a moment. "Somewhere quiet. By the ocean, maybe. Somewhere where everything doesn't feel so… heavy all the time."
Alex nodded, looking back at the sky. "That sounds nice."
Damian glanced at him. "What about you?"
Alex smiled, but it was smaller now, more thoughtful. "I don't know. I just want to be where you are."
Damian's breath caught for half a second. He looked away, focusing on the way the streetlights flickered. His heartbeat felt too loud, too obvious. "You're ridiculous."
Alex chuckled. "Yeah, but you like it."
Damian didn't answer. Because maybe Alex was right.
Maybe, against all odds, he did.
The night air was heavy, thick with unspoken words and lingering tension. Damian and Alex walked in silence, the streets mostly deserted, the city lights flickering in the distance. Their footsteps echoed against the pavement, a slow, unsteady rhythm that matched the chaos in Damian's mind.
He couldn't shake the weight of their last conversation—the way Alex had looked at him, the certainty in his voice, the way he'd said, "Then we figure it out." Like it was that simple. Like Damian wasn't overthinking every damn second of this.
Alex, of course, seemed completely at ease, hands tucked into his jacket pockets, eyes scanning the empty streets ahead. But Damian knew him well enough to recognize the tension in his shoulders, the slight tightness in his jaw. He was waiting. Letting Damian process whatever the hell was going on in his head.
And that just made it worse.
Damian sighed, running a hand through his hair. "This whole thing is fucking stupid."
Alex shot him a glance, arching an eyebrow. "Which part? Be specific, dude."
"All of it," Damian muttered. "This… whatever this is."
Alex hummed, nodding slowly. "Right. So the part where we've basically been acting like a couple for years, that's fine. But now that we're actually talking about it, suddenly it's 'stupid'?"
Damian groaned. "That's not—"
"Because I gotta say, man, I'm not really seeing the difference."
Damian stopped walking, turning to face him. "The difference is that now it's real."
Alex tilted his head, considering that. "It's always been real, Damian."
The words hit harder than Damian wanted to admit. Because Alex wasn't wrong. They'd always been close—too close, really. The late nights, the lingering touches, the way they gravitated toward each other like it was second nature. But there had always been an unspoken rule between them: don't name it, don't define it, don't risk it.
And now, suddenly, they were doing exactly that.
Damian exhaled sharply, shaking his head. "I don't know how to do this."
Alex smiled, but it was softer this time, almost hesitant. "I know. And that's okay."
Damian hated how much that calmed him down. How easy Alex made it sound. Like they weren't teetering on the edge of something that could ruin everything.
They stood there for a moment, just looking at each other. The street was quiet, only the faint sound of traffic in the distance. Damian's pulse was too loud in his ears, his chest too tight.
Then Alex took a step closer, closing the space between them. Not pushing, not demanding—just waiting, giving Damian the choice.
And maybe for the first time in his life, Damian stopped thinking and just… let it happen.
He reached out, grabbing Alex's jacket and pulling him in. Their lips met in a slow, tentative kiss, uncertainty mixing with something deeper, something they'd both been ignoring for too long.
Alex kissed him back immediately, his hands gripping Damian's sides, grounding him. And for once, Damian didn't feel lost.
He felt like he was exactly where he was supposed to be.
And there was no going back now.