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It was probably the five beers he’d downed in the past hour, but something about seeing Albert just sitting in the same bar just made Michael’s blood boil. It was definitely some Reeves-patented brand of stupidity that led him to excuse himself from his friends and storm over to confront the older man.
Michael plopped the half finished bottle of beer (okay so he was actually at five and a half) onto the table where Albert was sitting alone. The other man, who’d previously been looking down, apparently pensively, looked up with a start.
“Oh hi Michael” Albert said, a little languidly, “funny coincidence seeing you here”
“Hey! Don’t *hic* ‘hi Michael’ me” the eponymous man responded, “I have half a mind to give you a piece of my nerve!”
Barely looking up from his mint julep Albert replied “Oh? And what would that be?”
For all his bravado, inside Michael faltered. He had not been prepared for such a blase answer.
He pressed on “Some kind of justice for Lily, that’s what!”
Just barely, Michael could tell Albert was bothered.
“Look, man…” then he took a deep breath. “I’m sorry for what happened, I can tell you care a lot, but this is very much in the past you don’t need to be mad”
Michael’s ego waned maybe a little, but he took another swig of liquid courage.
“I’m not letting you off this easily.” Michael pressed, but sitting down in the empty chair opposite his...foe.
Albert sighed, a weary, well worn sigh “Okay we can talk it out if you want.”
Albert got up, pulling on his jacket, he waved to the bartender who waved back. Michael guessed he must come here often, maybe live in the area.
“You coming?”
Michael looked up, dazed, confused. Albert seemed to be waiting for him to follow. Despite the clear idiocy of it, he complied.
-
It soon became readily apparent to Albert that Michael was drunk. He’d considered themselves colleagues, even friends, before the split, but at least right now the feeling was far from mutual. Albert had wanted to maybe talk things out with Micheal on a walk in the park near his apartment, but the other man was a stumbling, incoherent mess. Plus, Michael didn’t even bring a jacket, and the Asian mom in Albert couldn’t let the other catch a cold.
So there they were, in the dining room of Albert’s shared house, Michael half passed out, on his kitchen table, while Albert boiled water for tea. He just needed Michael to be sober enough that he could call him an uber to the OTV house without trouble.
By the time Albert walked back to the table, mugs in hand, Michael was fully asleep. He looked at the younger man and had to admit, he was cute, handsome even if only in an unconventional way. A part of him wanted to just let the boy sleep, but that was hardly a reasonable decision.
-
“Hey, I made you some herbal tea” Albert nudged Michael awake.
“Huh?! Wah?!” Michael awoke, then saw the mug that Albert had placed in front of him
“You feeling okay? Sleepy?” the older man inquired, sipping his tea
“Oh uhh, No I’m okay.” Michael replied, shaking sleep from his eyes. Unfortunately the alcohol was wearing off, and his logical faculties were now doling out the standard dose of guilt “thanks and umm, sorry for...you know”
“No problem, man” Albert shrugged, “I know you just care.”
“Yeah…” Michael trailed off. Rather than continuing he tried the tea. Michael took in surroundings, but found his eyes drawn to the other man. Despite looking a little haggard, Albert looked, well, good. Clear skin, classical boy-next-door features framed by black hair.
“It’s just ginger so there shouldn’t be any caffeine to keep you up” Albert noted, filling the awkward silence.
Michael caught himself staring and uttered a quick affirmation. Then, he decided it was now or never.
“Why’d you do it?”
“Oh.” Albert seemed a bit caught off guard. “It....it’s hard to say. Lust? Stupidity? I’m not sure but I know it was a mistake.”
“I guess that makes sense.” Michael acquiesced “But I don’t get it. You guys….you guys were so perfect together.”
Albert grinned a little, then it turned to a grimace. “Maybe, hard to say now though.”
“Like when we first met, I-” Michael wasn’t sure if it was the drinks making him talk now, he felt like he just had to get how he felt off hist chest. “I- thought you guys were like every couple’s goals. Like the type to grow old and wrinkly and die in a nursing home in each others’ arms!
“Well now it’s you guys” Albert said, then seemingly having steeled himself smiled“I hope you guys can have that”
It was obvious that the smile on his face was strained.
“Thanks” Michael wasn’t sure what else to say. “I don’t think I could compare to you, but thanks anyway”
“Oh come on you have lots of great traits” Albert encouraged, easing a little.
“Yeah right, I’m just a five foot two dropout who happens to know how to make companies pay for my dumb shit!” Micheal dismissed.
“Hey, that's like the most important skill to have in our field” Albert chuckled, smiling more genuinely “besides I’ve seen the memes they say about where your height goes!”
Michael Scoffed, it must have been the alcohol egging him on, “The kids on reddit don’t know the half of it! Literally!”
“Okay then let’s compare.”
-
Albert had no idea why he said such a dumb thing. Sure he was a little buzzed and probably a little curious, but there were very few scenarios where he would ever say something like that. But here he was in his bedroom, in his jeans and boxers around his ankles, standing before the shorter man, flaccid dicks hanging out. A literal f*ckin dick measuring contest.
“Well I think they’re about the same,” Albert said, ready to put this weirdness behind him.
“No mine’s definitely bigger” Michael pushed back walking towards Albert “I think you just need to get a better look.”
Albert wasn’t sure Michael meant but abruptly, he was inches away from the other’s face, the brown eyes looking deeply into his. He could smell the alcohol on the other’s breath, it mingled with that on his own. Then just as suddenly they were kissing. It was fortunate they were already half dressed, because they tore off each other’s shirts with a hunger.
Albert had never felt this way, being pushed by Michael’s strong, buff arms onto his own bed. His hands were eager to feel the firmness of Michael’s torso. Even though Michael was by no means ripped, Albert still enjoyed feeling the muscles move beneath his touch, power in their fibers. His hips bucked into the shorter man as he broke the kiss and began planting rough kisses down his jawline.
Michael on the other hand, was in awe of Albert’s lithe body. Micheal knew he wouldn’t remember to but he really wanted to ask him how he kept his skin so smooth. He moaned slightly, interrupting his exploration of Albert’s fine jawline, when said man grabbed his pectoral, lightly tweaking his nipples as he passed by. Rough and messy, that’s how it was with drunk sex, but Michael found his way through it.
-
Michael woke up feeling a terrible headache and a terrifying soreness in his rear. While he enjoyed neither at the moment, the latter at least gave him an idea of what they’d been up to the night before. He tried to slip out of the covers quietly, slipping on his shorts and underwear before resuming the search for his shirt.
Michael had just found said article hanging from a lampshade when a voice alerted him.
“Leaving?” A barely awake Albert said, sitting up in bed. The covers hid his indecency.
“Yeah” Michael croaked. His first words of the day.
“I’m sorry about last night. Please don--”
“It’s okay I won’t” Michael said, interrupting Albert. The two men nodded, a silent understanding between them.
“How did you get me to bottom” Michael asked, as he slipped on his shirt
Albert grinned smugly, then stretched before answering “A magician never reveals his tricks”
“Well next time I’m gonna top” Michael concluded.
“Alright” Albert chuckled, “next time.” to no one really in particular. Michael had already slipped out of the bedroom.