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First time it happens, it's almost midnight and they are preparing for a scene. Alex is quietly observing the crew as they shuffle around her, setting up everything. With Karen and Arthur having finished their scenes, its only her and Matt, and he is nowhere to be seen. Alex is about to set out in search for him when she spots him running up to her, a bunch of flowers clutched in his hand. She almost expects a disaster - the little time they have worked together has been enough for her to know how accident prone he is - but he manages to skip over the wires littered through his way, a big grin on his face as he makes his way to her.
Thrusting the flowers in her hands, he wraps his arms around her, engulfing her in his embrace. "Happy Birthday, Kingston!"
His excited grin is adorable, and laughter bubbles in her throat. Bemused, she brings the flowers to her nose, inhaling the subtle and not-too-sweet scent. It's her first birthday on set for Who, and she is more surprised by the fact that her co-star took the pain of finding it out and remembering it. A day here and there is allowed. "Thank you, darling," she rises on her toes to press a kiss to his cheek, and bites her lip as a pink tinge colours his features, "but it was yesterday."
A boyish smile lights up his face at her words as if she just said the words he had been waiting for. "I know!"
The second time, they're filming on her birthday and the day after. Matt is there, lounging in the chair next to hers, fiddling with his screwdriver, when everyone comes to wish her. Flowers and a book she had been wanting to read. She thanks them, sneaking a glance at him, and waits for him to wish, but his gaze remains trained on the set as he twirls the screwdriver in his hand, and she vaguely wonders if he is mad at her for some reason.
The next day he flirts with her like nothing happened, like it's any other workday, proving he isn't mad at her, cracks dreadful jokes that never fail to make her laugh, but doesn't say a word about her birthday. It's strange, and she tries to shrug it off, but it bothers her.
They finish early, leaving her with enough time to cook a decent meal for herself and catch up on her favourite shows. She skypes with her daughter, ready to hit the pillow before midnight. She has nearly forgotten about Matt's strange behaviour when he knocks at her door at 2 am.
"Kingston! It's your birthday!"
She stares at him in a sleepy confusion, frowning as he grins and pushes past her into the flat, leaving her with no choice but to follow him. He places the box in his hands on her coffee table, kneeling in front of it with the biggest possible grin on his face and pulls out a candle and a plastic knife from his pocket.
She flops down next to him, sleepily noticing how their pajamas match, and fixes him with what she hopes is a look and not just a confused fish expression. "My birthday was yesterday, Matt."
Smiling knowingly, he thrusts the knife in her hand. "Happy Birthday, Kingston!"
Third time around, Alex is in Vancouver, filming for Arrow. She doesn’t expect anyone to remember and is surprised when Karen calls, wishing her with Arthur and Steven. Paul gifts her DVDs of some of her favourite movies that she couldn't find anywhere, and later conspires with the others on set to make her birthday memorable.
Somehow, she instinctively knows Matt wouldn't wish. At least not on the day itself.
He calls her around midnight the day after her birthday, and she marvels at his consistency even with the time zones separating them.
"Happy Birthday, Kingston!"
Alex bites back a smile. It's been months since they last shot together, and she was missing his general exuberance. The childish excitement in his voice is enough to chase away her exhaustion, a feeling she doesn’t want to examine.
Lying back against the pillows, she tugs the blanket up. "Hello, darling," she can't help but tease him, "You do realise it was yesterday? Or well, day before yesterday?"
He giggles on the other side. "Yes, but wishing the same day is so boring. Everyone does that."
"Ah." Realisation dawns. "And is that why you always wish me a day late and past midnight?"
"Yes." His voice takes a different quality altogether. "It's our thing. Or, well, I thought it could be our thing, but if you don't-"
Alex chuckles as he stumbles through his explanation, and quietly affirms, a laughter in her voice, "It is our thing."
---x---
There are times he longs for the days when they were still working together, and she would be either sitting in a chair next to him, laughing across the set, or would be next door. Whoniverse was like stepping back in time.
Now it has been ages since they have talked. Apart from the days leading up to her wedding, and then when River's return was announced. He misses the laughter in her words, the way they never fail to cheer him up or soothe him.
At 33, he should know better. She is probably busy filming somewhere, or is spending some quality time with her husband and kids. But when others remember to wish him despite their own busy schedules, he begins to wonder.
He is not the Doctor anymore. Certainly not hers. He isn't jealous. Of course, not. He is just moody and irritable, and glancing at the clock every five minutes.
It is not until near midnight the day after his birthday when Laura thrusts her phone under his nose to show him a picture of himself and Alex smiling at the camera that he feels a smile creep on his lips.
Happy Birthday Matt, wherever you are. Love from me and the cockatoo. xx