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Morgan hadn’t heard from Alex all day, which was strange. Not that being able to work on their latest heist plan without distractions wasn’t extremely useful, but Morgan still found themself missing it. Alex would usually send text messages now and then, random thoughts and pictures that Morgan would pretend didn’t make them smile at their phone like an idiot every single time.
What if something was wrong? Maybe something was preventing Alex from contacting them. Why else would they not have sent a single message all day? Then again, nothing short of a trip to the Eternity Area would be enough to inconvenience Alex for long, and that sort of thing would have been broadcasted on Today’s Earth. They should be in touch soon, right?
Morgan tried to focus again on the technical drawings in front of them, but their mind was swirling with possible scenarios. Thinking about this was starting to turn into a distraction of its own. They should just call Alex, to check how things were going. Morgan could ask them what kind of takeout they should get for movie night. That was a good enough excuse, right?
Having dug their phone out of their pocket, Morgan pressed Alex’s number in the list of ‘recent calls’. They held their phone up to their ear, expecting Alex to pick up just as quickly as they always did.
The sudden music blasting from the corner of the couch made Morgan jump. The sound was slightly muffled by a pillow, but the tune sounded very familiar. Morgan couldn’t quite figure out why though.
So Alex’s phone was here? They breathed a sigh of relief. That explained why Morgan hadn’t heard anything from them.
“Jenny, darling, you're my best friend
But there's a few things that you don't know of”
Best friend, huh? Morgan smiled. Good choice of personalised ringtone. It was a catchy song, with a nice beat, so Morgan kept listening with their fingers tapping along against their leg.
“Why I borrow your lipstick so often
I'm using your shirt as a pillow case”
That was… a strange addition to a song about best friends.
“I wanna ruin our friendship
We should be lovers instead”
Wait, what?
Morgan’s brain short-circuited as their eyes widened.
“I don't know how to say this
'Cause you're really my dearest friend”
Maybe this was someone else calling Alex? Ignoring the fact that if that were the case Morgan’s own phone would have shown that the receiver was busy, they picked up Alex’s phone from the couch. Yes, that was Morgan’s name across the screen.
This couldn’t be a coincidence. It had to mean something, right? They kept listening to the lyrics, heart pounding in their ears.
“Jenny, darling, you're my best friend
I've been doing bad things that you don't know about
Stealing your stuff now and then
Nothing you'd miss, but it means the world to me”
A creaking noise from the doorway made Morgan look up from the phone. Alex was there, staring at Morgan like a deer caught in the headlights. They looked… terrified. Which was weird. Morgan had never known Alex to be afraid of anything, ever.
Alex closed their eyes and seemed to brace themself for something as the song continued blasting from the surprisingly powerful phone speaker.
“I wanna ruin our friendship
We should be lovers instead
I don't know how to say this
'Cause you're really my dearest friend”
Alex crossed the room in quick strides and snatched the phone from Morgan’s hand, pressing the ‘ignore call’ button to make it shut up. They refused to look at Morgan, opting instead to stare down at the floorboards with a pained expression.
“You were never supposed to hear that,” Alex mumbled. “I’m sorry.” They turned to leave, but stopped when Morgan grabbed their arm.
“Don’t go. Please?” They could feel Alex trembling next to them. Something about this had knocked them off balance completely, and that worried Morgan. They couldn’t let Alex run off on their own before talking about this. Especially since they weren't sure when they would be able to talk to Alex again if they didn’t do it now. Considering how today had gone, Morgan didn’t know how they would be able to handle an extended period of time without them.
They gently took Alex’s hand in theirs, trying to show that everything was ok. Alex remained quiet, just standing there looking down at their joined hands.
“What are you so scared of?” Morgan gently stroked their thumb across the back of Alex’s hand.
“Losing you.” Morgan was surprised by how quickly the response came. Alex’s voice was strained, and their breaths unsteady. “I can’t lose what we have by accidentally pushing you into something you don’t want.” Alex swallowed hard before continuing, still not looking at Morgan. “You’re my best friend. I like having you in my life. I… I don’t want to lose you. So it was easier to just… not say anything.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Morgan said. “I like having you in my life too.”
Alex let out a short watery chuckle. “Good.”
“And you’re not pushing me into anything, ok? I know my brother likes to think so, but we both know you’ve never mind-controlled me, so why would you start now?”
“There’s other kinds of pushing too,” Alex noted, unconvinced.
“I know. But I’m perfectly capable of deciding what I want for myself, ok?” Morgan smiled. “You’re not the boss of me,” they added with a smirk.
“Just so we’re clear, I’m not expecting you to feel the same way.” Alex quickly continued before Morgan had the chance to interrupt, “I know I can be loud and scary, and that people feel like they can’t say no to me. That’s part of why I didn’t want to tell you actually. I didn’t want you to feel like you had to be with me. That wouldn’t be fair to you.”
“You know you haven’t successfully intimidated me in years, right?”
“Well, unlike the others you have the advantage of knowing the me behind the mask.”
“Exactly.” Morgan braced themself before taking the plunge. They couldn’t leave this unsaid. “And I happen to like that person. A lot.”
Alex looked up, their golden eyes meeting Morgan’s gaze properly for the first time since they had grabbed the phone, and their face lit up in a hopeful smile.
“Really?” Their voice was no louder than a whisper, as if saying it too loud might shatter this fragile moment.
Morgan nodded, and before they knew what was going on Alex had wrapped their arms around them in a hug, hiding their face in the crook of Morgan’s neck. Morgan hugged them back, resting their head against Alex’s shoulder and feeling the last of the tension from earlier in the day melt away.