#I'm not supposed to have that much coffee for like... 3 different health conditions I have going on

[heartshattering]

Today is an IBS flare day and I'm regretting all of my life decisions

[aliencowboyqueen]

FIC: The Rules to Accidental Dating (3)

Pairing: Alex/Kyle

Summary: In which Kyle and Alex accidentally pretend-date their way to love.

Rating: Teen+

Find Chapter 1 here. | Find previous chapter here. | Fic Masterlist.

"How are you holding up?" Kyle asks Liz.

She is sitting in her makeshift lab, looking like she hasn't slept in days. When she accepts the coffee Kyle brought her, he starts wondering whether he should be supporting her insomnia. Liz has been holed up here ever since Max exhausted his alien powers and put himself in coma. When she is not trying to find a way to save him, she has Rosa to reintroduce to life in Roswell, and Max's pod to visit. No rest for the wicked and brilliant.

"I'm taking it day by day, hour by hour," she says, resting her head against him briefly. Sometimes Kyle marvels at how easy it has been, to transition from being Liz's lover to being just her friend. Perhaps that's what they were always meant to be; he loves her and cares for her and wants her safe and happy. He, however, doesn't have a burning desire to be the one making her happy.

She continues: "I think I'm… doing well enough. But you…" She pats the center of his chest when she pulls away. "You need to tell me some good news. Tell me… Tell me about Alex!"

Kyle looks at her curiously. He thinks Alex is supposed to be more Liz's friend than his own, but with the state her life is in at the moment, it's understandable she's lost touch with him. He knows more about what Alex is up to these days.

"He is doing well, I think, all things considered." He is searching his brain for what to say that he doesn't need to consult with Alex first. "The next time you see him, he'll probably be a Dad to this beautiful creature…"

He takes out his phone and shows Liz pictures he took on an impromptu trip to an animal shelter. On a way from a recon mission, Alex mentioned wanting to go and Kyle invited himself along. Because puppies.

The pictures show Alex with a Beagle in his arms, an adorable dog that kept nuzzling her nose against Alex's cheek.

Liz smiles. She squeezes Kyle's arm and takes the phone from him to go through the photo series again. Kyle has to admit the photos are quite nice, and it's encouraging to see Alex feel good about something for a few moments.

He doesn't bring up Jesse Manes or how his current, ah, health issues haunt Alex and Kyle both. He thinks Liz and Alex both need to focus on their own oxygen masks first before they can support each other properly; their troubles are much too similar.

Before he can bring it up, Liz looks at him with concern. "I'm glad you found a way to each other," she says softly. Kyle remembers all the times in high school when the tension between him and Alex caused friction between him and Liz. He wonders how different life could have been if he figured life out earlier. Then Liz adds: "But be careful with him, alright? I know he's coming off a quite intense heartbreak."

Curious as he might be, Kyle still doesn't know the details of what happened between Alex and Michael Guerin. Alex wouldn't let him pry and he has to accept that his own curiosity doesn't take priority Alex's comfort and privacy. However, he is sure Michael Guerin is exactly who Liz is referring to.

"Don't worry. I'm making sure Alex has no time to even think about him."

ooo ooo ooo

He runs into Alex at the hospital later that afternoon. Alex has a haunted look on his face and he is wearing clothes so plain he could blend into the walls. It tells Kyle he's been visiting his father.

"I didn't pull the plug," Alex mutters when they fall in step with each other. "Tempting as it was."

"Don't even joke about," Kyle winces, even though he can't quite blame Alex. He understands the temptation, even though he'd never act on it. Neither of them would go that far. "I talked to Liz earlier," he adds. "She asked about you."

Alex gives him a curious look. Then he sighs. "I should go see her…" He sounds very apprehensive about the idea. Kyle doesn't understand why until Alex adds: "Michael helps her with her research sometimes." The words rush out of his mouth as if he wanted to get rid of the information as fast as possible. As if he is ashamed of admitting that vulnerability, the fact that the sight of Michael Guerin affects him or perhaps that he can't stand the awkward tension between them. Kyle appreciates that Alex confesses to him that much. It speaks volumes about how things between them have shifted.

Yet… It sucks that the rough time Alex and Michael are going through is affecting Alex's ability to spend time with the other people he loves. They're not in high school anymore; they shouldn't be struggling with this type of issue.

And that's when Kyle's thoughts and ideas finally align.

"I've been thinking about having her and Rosa over sometime. For pizza and movies and awkward bonding." Though the idea has only just occurred to him, it feels like something he should have done already. Possibly multiple times. It would be the right step towards building a relationship with Rosa as his sister, something they never had a chance to do as children. It would provide an opportunity to relax for Liz, and for Kyle himself as well. And perhaps it would be a good opportunity for Alex to enjoy himself and spend some time with his friends, too. "Would you like to join?"

"I don't want to get in the way of a family reunion." Alex’s tone lands somewhere between snark and self-deprecation. 

"You, Rosa actually likes. You'd be doing me a service." He sees Alex considering so he adds: "You keep telling me I need to take breaks. Get a life outside of… work." As he changes his wording so as not to bring up their alien-related research in public, he nods at a resident passing them by.

A corner of Alex's mouth lifts in a hint of a grin. "I guess I do. I have a condition, however… Liz and I are in charge of the movies."

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