Archive of Our Own

Alex placed the cup of tea on his desk and sunk down into his chair with a little sigh. With practised motions he put on the headset and set up his six screens to show him every little piece of information he needed to know. He had been a handler for a few years at this point and all of this had become routine. Well, all of it except for the agent he’d be guiding today: The Taskmaster.

The name alone struck fear and respect into the hearts of his coworkers, and Alex had to admit he himself was more than slightly intimidated as well. The man had a reputation; ruthless, precise, and he never made a mistake. The only time he did mess up, he had somehow turned it around to get an even more favourable outcome than expected. He was a legend, a myth, an enigma. Seemingly no one knew anything about him and who he actually was, not even the people responsible for digging up dirt on anyone involved in a given mission. 

Alex was good at digging too, and he had done his own sleuthing of course. It was pretty much expected of him in his role as a handler, but he too hadn’t found anything even remotely interesting on the man. Their employer Avalon had somehow managed to hire the Taskmaster despite the mystery surrounding his person, and now it would be up to Alex to feed the man the necessary information so he could complete his mission without a hitch.

Today’s mission was an easy one, thankfully. It should be a piece of cake for any decently experienced agent, but that didn’t mean Alex wasn’t buzzing with nervous energy. This feeling wasn’t uncommon for him, in fact he often felt anxious, but usually just talking business with those agents he was already familiar with wasn’t even enough to elevate his heart rate.

He took a deep breath, glanced at the dot on the map on the top left screen that told him that the Taskmaster was approaching the pickup spot, and unmuted his mic.

“H-hello, agent. The pickup spot is to the left of you.” He wanted to kick himself for the little waver in his voice, but he pushed the annoyance away.

“Ah, finally. I was starting to think I’d have to do this one solo.” 

Alex swallowed heavily. Well, he had a nice voice, but he didn't sound all that happy.

"I- uh, apologies, you were a bit quicker than I expected." Alex desperately tried to keep his voice steady, but he was sure the Taskmaster could hear him mentally floundering anyway. He hummed in acknowledgement, but didn't say anything else, which Alex was grateful for. 

"The locker the package should be in is all the way in the back left corner of the room." Alex went on. Just conveying information was easy, he could do that. No problem. 

As far as pickup spots went, a train station locker was fairly commonplace. It was still early in the day, so not a lot of people were around to witness what was happening, and a man in a dark coat and a beanie wasn't especially conspicuous either. Alex watched the Taskmaster make his way over to the lockers on one of the security cams, and fucking hell, he was tall . He might draw some unwanted attention with his height after all. 

"What number?" Came the Taskmaster's voice through the headset. 

"Four-three-six." Alex read from the document on his left screen. "There's a woman at a nearby locker. Play it safe and waste some time until she leaves."

He made a displeased sound, but Alex watched him pull out his phone and tap the screen for about a minute. Once the woman passed him - now with a bag in hand - the Taskmaster put the phone away and made his way over to the locker in question. He unlocked it with the key he had been provided with and pulled a briefcase out. 

"Package secured."

"Well done. Should be a clear shot back to the car, but I'll keep an eye on things." Alex was fully in the zone now, eyes glued to the screens as he cycled through security cameras. Everything appeared to be quiet but things could change at the drop of a hat, he knew that much. Besides, it wasn't like he could see the entire train station on the cams, there were always blind spots, so he could never be 100% sure it was safe. 

"So, you got a name? Or shall I just come up with something?" The Taskmaster suddenly said and Alex had been wholly unprepared for that question. It wasn't like he didn't usually give the other agents his codename, but somehow he hadn't expected the Taskmaster of all people to care. Maybe he had misjudged the man. 

"Well, uhm. I- well, most agents call me The Assistant , but whatever name works for you, is fine by me. I-I don't mind." Alex sounded meek to his own ears and he hated it. 

"The Assistant? Fuck me, that's boring. I'm sure we can come up with something better soon." Alex watched the Taskmaster clear the main entrance of the train station and head towards the car. "Well! Thanks for the intel, little assistant. Hopefully my next mission will be slightly more challenging for the both of us."

With a click the line went dead and a second later the Taskmaster had gotten into the car and set off towards the headquarters. Alex let out a sigh of relief. 

This hadn't gone too badly. 

+++

This was going very badly. 

Alex's eyes darted across the screens, trying desperately to find another exit for the Taskmaster. He was infiltrating the offices of some tech company that Alex had never heard of before the mission. They were a big deal apparently, having appeared out of nowhere only just a few months ago. Avalon's client was suspicious of it, and wanted proof that something was off at the company, which the Taskmaster had obtained without much trouble - a flash drive with information tucked into the inside of his suit jacket - but now he was stuck on the 35th floor without an exit strategy. 

"Come on, little birdie, there has to be another way that doesn't require a key card." The Taskmaster mumbled under his breath, impatient but not yet panicked. 

"I'm working on it." Was all Alex said while he stayed focused on the blueprints he had just pulled up. 

"Someone could enter this office at any second, so be a dear and hurry the hell up." He was starting to sound agitated, but Alex ignored it. 

"Got it!" Alex swapped to a different security camera to confirm his findings, then sat up a little straighter. "You'll have to be quick, but it's your best shot. There's a door in an office two doors down the hall from you. It's hidden, or at least they're trying to ignore it. If that's even a thing one can do… to a… door." 

"Yes, yes, and ?" The Taskmaster was not just audibly but also visibly annoyed by him at this point, so Alex shook his head to himself and tried to get back on track. 

"Right. So. The door is probably locked, but it doesn't have any sort of scanner, so you should be able to brute-force it open. Which might be noisy. Which is why-" 

"I need to be quick, got it. Tell me where it is?" 

"Second door to the right. There are a few people in the hallway though, maybe you sh- oh. Or you could just. Alright. Act like you belong, that's lovely." Alex watched him walk past the three chatting women with a box of files in his arms, and they didn't even spare him a glance. Alex didn't think he wouldn't have at least glanced at the tall handso- anyway. Eyes on the task. 

The Taskmaster entered the office without a problem and dropped the box onto the next best surface. 

"Where's the door?" 

"Left of the bookcase, it's partially covered by it." 

The Taskmaster wordlessly approached the wall in question and pushed the bookcase out of the way. It looked shockingly easy when he did it and Alex had to admit that he found it kind of attractive. Well, very attractive. 

“I just force it open, yeah?” He asked and Alex made an affirmative noise.

“Once you’re on the other side, leave through the door on the right, then down the corridor towards the stairs and elevators.”

“Alright, then. Let’s not delay any longer. Here I go.” 

Alex watched as the Taskmaster took a few steps back, then bolted forward to throw his whole weight against the door. To his delight it immediately flew open, making the Taskmaster stumble. He quickly regained his footing, straightened out his suit jacket and hurried over to the door that led out into the hallway. Alex wasn’t sure how loud the bang of the door had been, but no one in the hallway seemed to be all that bothered as the Taskmaster emerged from the unsuspecting office.

“Clear shot to the elevators. I don’t think anyone’s noticed yet. At least their security system is quiet so far.” Alex told him, scrolling through the information he had access to. “Or you could always take the stairs to be safe.”

“Are you mad? I’m on the 35th fucking floor, I’m not taking the stairs. Christ.” 

Alex couldn’t suppress the chuckle at the sudden outburst and for just a second he was mortified that his laughter could’ve made the Taskmaster angry, but then the man huffed, and when he passed the next security camera Alex saw a tiny grin on his face.

“You’ll certainly be faster with the elevator. Out more quickly.” Alex replied just as the Taskmaster pressed the button to call one of the ten elevators (who on earth needed ten elevators in their building?).

“Quite right. And since I didn’t trip any alarms, I’ll be just fine. Another minute and I’ll be in the clear.”

He got onto the elevator and Alex made sure it wouldn't stop along the way on its descent to the ground floor. When he looked over at the security camera inside the elevator, the Taskmaster was leaning against the back wall, looking right at Alex. Well, he was looking at the camera, but he knew Alex was there, so he was looking at him, really. 

"So… 'Assistant'. What did you think about 'birdie'?" 

"Bir- oh. The nickname? Hm. As I said, I'm fine with anything." Alex swallowed hard, gaze fixed on the Taskmaster on his screen. He looked annoyed, but there was also an amused twinkle in his eyes. 

"Hmm, I don't like it though. It's too… sweet. You're a little feisty, aren't you? I think you need a name that reflects that."

"I-I suppose so." Alex stammered, and the Taskmaster smiled even wider. "Or I could be, uhm, less. Feisty…?"

"Don't you dare. At least it doesn't get boring with you, I like that." 

"Ah. Thank you." Alex tried to think of what to say. He was flattered, very much so, but, well, he wasn't sure what the Taskmaster was expecting of him yet. Should he keep the banter going? Probably. 

"How about some other animal-based names?" 

"Like what?" The Taskmaster perked up, crossing his arms with a thoughtful expression. "Kitten?"

Alex felt the tips if his ears turn a bright shade of red and he was very glad no one was around to see it. If Tim or Mark were here they'd never let him live it down. 

"I was thinking more along the lines of, uh, rodents? Rodents maybe?" 

"What, like 'sweet vole' or something?" The Taskmaster frowned, genuine confusion on his face, and Alex's heart sank. Maybe not rodents, then. Although he wouldn't have minded 'sweet vole' to be honest. 

"Yeah, well. Or something squirrel related, maybe. Or rats, rats are cute."

The Taskmaster snorted and Alex could see the elevator was just about to reach the ground floor. 

"I'm not calling you 'rat', silly boy."

And with that their conversation ended as the Taskmaster pushed off the back wall and strode out of the elevator with an amused smile. 

+++

"Al? Are you okay?" 

He startled, spilling some of his coffee he had been stirring mindlessly for the past few minutes. He must've spaced out in the small kitchenette, his mind embarrassingly occupied with one particular man. 

"Ah! Fine, yeah, just fine." Alex whipped around to face Mark with an unsure smile. Of course they weren't just colleagues but also friends, so Mark immediately knew something was up. 

"You've been stirring that coffee for about six and a half minutes at this point, I think it might be cold by now." He gestured at the cup in Alex's hand, and indeed, he was still stirring it. Alex jerked the spoon out of the cup and threw it into the sink with a stony expression. 

"It's just… stress. Got a big job coming up, so that's been on my mind." Alex lied. Well, it was half of a lie. He did have a pretty big mission coming up in a few days, or, the Taskmaster did, to be precise. He wasn't actually worried about it, but important missions still tended to make him nervous until he sat down at his desk and got into handler mode. 

"Mhm, alright. So, what's really going on, Horne?" Mark gave him one of his disarming looks and Alex sighed, his shoulders drooping. 

"It's… the Taskmaster." 

"Is he treating you badly?" Mark immediately looked upset, so Alex quickly shook his head. 

"No, no. No. He's actually very nice. I'm not sure why everyone thinks he's such a cruel man…?" Alex knew he was blushing already, so he raised the cup to his lips and took a sip of his cold coffee to try and hide his red cheeks. 

"He's not? Oh, good." Mark said before a grin appeared on his lips. 

Oh god, here it comes. Alex thought. 

"So it's the opposite, then. You've got a crush." 

Alex straightened up, looked Mark dead in the eyes and said: "Good talking to you, mate."

Then he marched out of the room and speed-walked back to his office while Mark's laugh echoed through the corridor behind him. 

+++

"Tell me the schedule again?" The Taskmaster said, voice heavy with exhaustion. He was severely jet lagged from his flight to Singapore and Alex was glad to provide him with any information he needed to take care of the mission smoothly. 

"At approximately 2100 hours senator Andrews will leave his suite on the twentieth floor, and make his way to the bar. You'll join him in the elevator and strike up a friendly chat. At 2115 hours the senator will meet up with his contact, who is also your mark. You will take your position close by at the bar and wait for your opportunity to dispatch the mark. Then you can leave swiftly through the backdoor and make your getaway to the airport in the provided car." Alex looked over at the left screen where the live footage from the Taskmaster's tablet camera was open in a small window. He could just barely make out the bottom half of the man's face in the low light. 

"And we have no further information on the mark, correct?" 

Alex hummed, navigating to the almost completely empty dossier on their mark. 

"No, none. I'll run their face through the facial recognition software as soon as you're close enough, but until then we're flying blind." 

"Brilliant. Well, I suppose it's not like it matters much."

"It might matter if the mark is a weightlifting champion."

"A weightli- what? Why would they be a weightlifting champion?" 

Alex could see the Taskmaster's confused expression on the video feed, and he had to push down a smile.

"Or a kung fu master. That would make things more dangerous."

"Kung fu?" 

"Or a well known celebrity. Now, that would be an issue!"

"If I showed up and I had to off Angelina Jolie? Yeah, that'd be a problem, wouldn't it?" He was almost smiling now and Alex huffed. 

"It wouldn't be pleasant for anyone involved. Although I suppose her career is pretty much over anyway."

The Taskmaster was full-on grinning now.

"Not much of a loss, then, you think?" 

Alex laughed, subconsciously reaching up to cover his mouth with his fist even though no one could see him. He watched the Taskmaster shake his head with a wide grin. 

"What a horrible thing to laugh about." He sighed. "Alright, I'll be off. I should try to catch up on sleep before tonight."

"Hm, yeah, that's probably a good idea. Talk to you in a few hours."

"Goodnight, little squirrel."

The Taskmaster smiled almost sweetly and Alex ignored the weird sensation the sight caused in his chest.

+++

It turned out the mark was just some middle-aged guy. An accountant, although that job was most likely a cover for his illegal activities. As soon as he sat down at the bar next to the senator, the Taskmaster walked over briskly and started chatting with the two of them. They were visibly irritated but the Taskmaster played the role of the slightly drunk and annoying fellow patron well enough that they didn't immediately tell him to bugger off. It was enough time for him to drop a bit of a powdery substance into the mark's drink, and once Alex saw the man empty his glass, the Taskmaster left the bar. 

It would take a while before the drugs kicked in, but in about an hour the mark would suddenly be struggling for air and within another minute he'd be dead. By then the Taskmaster would be boarding the plane back home to the UK, and hopefully anyone involved would be none the wiser. 

"Well done." Alex chimed, still fully focused on the information on the screens in front of him. 

"Thanks, I suppose." The Taskmaster sighed as he slid into the front seat of the rental. "I don't really like killing people, it's probably the least interesting part of this job."

Alex paused his typing, looking up at the screen that showed the camera feeds in the area, but none of them had the right angle to get a clear shot of the Taskmaster's face. 

"What's your favourite part, then?" Alex asked, and he knew his voice sounded small and unsure. 

"Weirdly enough, meeting people." He huffed as he started the engine. "It's fun to infiltrate, pretend to be someone else and just chat with a stranger I never would've met otherwise. It's, dare I say, fun ."

Alex hummed in reply. It made sense; the Taskmaster was rather chatty and he was charming, good at conversation, of course he'd enjoy that part of the job. And the killing, well, Alex didn't exactly have the moral high ground. While he didn't take any lives himself, he still helped and at the end of the day he was just as responsible for the deaths of their marks as the agents. It didn't bother him, not really. Most of these people were bad guys, no matter how you looked at it. Corrupt politicians, egomaniacal CEOs, or sometimes - rarely - just plain old criminals. 

It wasn't exactly like Avalon was doing any good for the world by ridding it of these people though. Alex had been in this business long enough to know that whenever a power vacuum got left behind, at least three others would rise up to try and fill it. 

"You meet a lot of interesting people." Alex finally replied. 

"I do. What about you? What's your favourite part of your job, lovely pretty boy?"

"Lovely pr- you don't even know what I look like. Or… or do you?" 

"No, but it's fun to wind you up. Well?" 

Alex took a second to sort through his thoughts, trying to un-fluster himself. 

"Erm, well, I. Hm. I like finding solutions, I suppose. When one of the agents is in a sticky situation, and I have to gather all of the information to get them out of it. That's my favourite part. Not the actual solving of the problem, more like the challenge and the pressure of the whole thing."

"So, you enjoy… stress?" The Taskmaster asked and Alex could hear the smile in his voice. He sighed. 

"I- well, I wouldn't put it like that, but yeah. That's probably correct."

"I mean, whatever floats your boat, mate. Besides, you're good at it."

"Ah, thanks." Alex found himself staring at the video feed. The only camera that showed the Taskmaster was inside the car. It was badly positioned and Alex could only see the man drumming his fingers on the steering wheel all the way at the bottom of the screen. 

"I think I'm in the clear. I know it's about lunch time, you should go take a break." The Taskmaster said after a moment. 

"Are you sure? I don't mind sticking around until you're on the flight back, at least."

"No, no. It's fine. It'll be boring to watch for you anyway. Come on, off you pop." 

Alex huffed out a laugh. 

"Alright, if you're sure. I'll be on standby if you need me."

"Thank you, little rabbit." Alex caught a glimpse of the Taskmaster's grin in the reflection of the windshield, and he quickly cut the feed before he could embarrass himself. 

+++

"Watto told me you've got a crush."

Alex sighed heavily, throwing a pained look Tim's way before taking a sip of his pint. It was one of those nights. The three of them were out to drink and have a good time after a long day at work, except that Mark was running late. In their line of work that was always a possibility. 

"I would strongly advise against listening to anything Mark's saying." Alex mumbled, but he knew he sounded unconvincing. 

"I would usually agree with you, but he seemed pretty sure of it. So?" 

"What do you mean, 'so?', what are you trying to ask here?" Alex played dumb, Tim knew it, and if Mark were here he'd be making fun of him for it. He couldn't help it though, he didn't really want to talk about this. 

"So, do you have a crush on the," Tim lowered his voice, "on the big guy. The TM?" 

Alex stared at his hand around the pint, watched a droplet roll down the side of the glass. 

"I, uh, I dunno. He's a lot nicer than I expected, but well. It's not like I really know him. He's a stranger, at the end of the day." Alex finally settled on, and he knew it was a weak defence. His friend would see right through him. 

"Oh, come on, Al. Don't lie to me." Tim leaned closer, trying to catch his eye. "I know we always take the piss out of each other when it comes to that stuff, but you obviously like him and I wouldn't mind hearing more about it."

Alex made a pained expression, trying to push away the embarrassment of having a crush. Just as he opened his eyes again, Mark dropped into the chair next to him. 

"What did I miss?"

"Horne was about to tell us about his old man feelings. That's feelings from an old man, for an old man." 

Both of them looked at him expectantly and Alex sighed again.

"I mean, I dunno. I don't know what to tell you. He's… good looking. And funny. I like talking to him, it's fun." Alex's gaze was very firmly fixed on the edge of the beermat he was fumbling with. "He called me 'little bunny' today."

Tim guffawed, taking a swig of his pint, while Mark lightly bumped his shoulder into Alex's arm. 

"Sounds like he likes you too." 

Alex turned to look at Mark, but his genuine expression only made him feel worse. 

"Alright. Let's talk about something else now? Please?" Alex pleaded, which only netted him a pair of teasing laughs. Thankfully they did change the topic afterwards though. 

+++

"I hate fancy parties." The Taskmaster mumbled, making Alex hum in agreement. 

He couldn't talk to Alex much here, it would be too obvious since he basically just looked like he was talking to himself. In a more casual setting people simply assumed he was on the phone, so no one looked his way twice, but at a gala? People weren't just making phone calls at a gala. 

Which was why he had retreated into an alcove, his back turned to the groups of people who were chattering and dancing. 

"I thought you liked meeting people." Alex said and the Taskmaster grumbled. 

"Yes, but everyone here is a pompous ass. They're all obnoxiously fake with their plastic faces and deceitful personalities."

Alex's eyebrows shot up and he couldn't help but smile. Something about the Taskmaster's annoyance was very amusing to him. 

"Well, once you've secured the documents, you can leave."

"Don't rush me, you pushy little salmon."

"Oh, it's fish now? I'm a fish?" Alex laughed and he could hear the Taskmaster snicker at the other end of the line. 

"One of these days a name will stick, but I don't believe today is that day." He said, making Alex wipe invisible drops of sweat off his brow. The Taskmaster couldn't see it of course, but Alex kind of wished he could have. 

"Thank God, I'm off the hook!" Alex joked and the Taskmaster sighed. 

"Awful. Let's get back on track: the documents." He turned around to face the room once more and Alex looked over at the video feed. They had hidden a tiny camera in the Taskmaster's breast pocket since Alex had no access to the security cameras around the mansion. The quality wasn't great, but it was enough for Alex to recognize the surroundings from the blueprints. 

"The stairs on the left; there's a small door for the servants underneath." Alex said and the Taskmaster headed towards it, stopping on the way to dispose of his empty champagne glass and exchange a few words with a man he had met earlier that night. 

There were a few security guards posted on the upper balcony, and undoubtedly many more around the outside of the building, but from all the information Alex had gathered, there shouldn't be too much activity behind the scenes. The guards really just existed to lull the guests into a sense of security and to deter anyone unprofessional or unprepared. The Taskmaster was neither of those things, so Alex wasn't worried. 

"If you take the first door to the right you can go through the rooms and avoid the hallways." Alex said as he watched the Taskmaster duck and squeeze through the small door in the shadows underneath the stairwell. No one was around so far, but he took Alex's advice and swiftly slipped through the door on the right. 

The rooms back here were a lot less fancy compared to the area the guests were meant to see. It was an old house, and Alex guessed this part hadn't been renovated beyond what was necessary in at least a few decades. 

"Just stick to the right and then after the third room there should be another hallway, just next to the servants' stairs." 

The Taskmaster made his way through the area quickly and efficiently, waiting out a passing server with a tray of d'oeuvres in the hallway, before finally reaching the stairs. He was tall and hard to miss in the best of circumstances, but he could be quiet, and if anything his long legs helped him move faster. 

"Upstairs, I'm guessing?" 

"Yes. Watch out for security, there might be more activity up there." 

"Please, it's not my first day in this line of work." The Taskmaster replied, but Alex could tell he was distracted; too focused on the mission for proper banter. So, Alex just hummed in reply and let him do his thing in silence.

There was in fact more activity upstairs. Pretty much as soon as he reached the landing, a guard stomped past a nearby doorway and the Taskmaster stepped out of sight just in time to stay undetected. As soon as the footsteps had retreated, Alex studied the blueprints again. 

"The study is down this corridor to the left. All the way at the end." 

He heard the Taskmaster make a displeased sound, but he started towards the door anyway. The corridor wasn't exactly spacious and Alex could only imagine that the Taskmaster probably filled out the space with his large frame. There wasn't really anywhere to hide in here, so Alex really hoped no one would spot the tall man in a suit sneaking down the corridor. If someone did end up spotting him, there was no telling what would happen to the Taskmaster. 

He was a very capable agent though. Alex was most definitely not worried, not at all. 

"Open sesame." The Taskmaster mumbled as he pushed open the door to the study, stepped inside the room, and then closed the door quickly. "So, what am I looking for? A safe?" 

"That's right. Can't be all that big, mayb-" 

Alex heard the door open and before he even realised what was happening the Taskmaster had whipped around and covered the guard's mouth with his large palm. It was hard to tell what exactly was happening as they struggled for a few seconds, but then the guard's body went limp and he collapsed to the ground. 

"Fucking hell." The Taskmaster mumbled, moving to close the door. "Alright, I'm on borrowed time now. Help me find this safe, clever boy. And quickly."

Alex took a deep breath and focused on the task at hand. 

"Check the bookcase in the back left corner, it looks suspicious. The books at the bottom especially." 

Alex watched him approach the aforementioned bookcase and run his fingers across the spines. Finally his index finger found a bump on a particularly thick volume and when he pressed down on it Alex heard a click through the feed and a few fake spines swung aside as a cabinet door opened. 

"Please tell me you have the combination for this thing?" The Taskmaster's fingers hovered over the keypad. 

"I sure do! 69420."

"Not a good time for jokes."

"Hm, I see how this might seem like one of my hilarious pranks, but I promise you that's the actual combination."

"Fuck's sake." The Taskmaster sighed, but he punched in the code and indeed the safe opened with a small beep. "Un-fucking-believable. That's the kind of combination I'd choose as a joke for a paper safe filled with confetti, I thought this guy was the real deal."

"Some people don't take security very seriously, which I personally appreciate. It makes my job quite a bit easier." Alex agreed with a smile. "The manila folder looks right."

The Taskmaster grabbed the folder in question and opened it to confirm it contained the documents they were looking for. Once Alex gave him the OK, he carefully slid it into the pocket on the inside of his suit jacket and closed the safe once more. When he turned around his gaze obviously fell on the unconscious guard and he paused for a moment. 

"Still time to leave before he wakes up." Alex said after a few seconds of silence and the Taskmaster hummed. 

"Right. Do I take the same route back?" 

"That would be ideal, I think. You might want to-" 

"Ditch the sneaking and just act like I belong? Way ahead of you, mate."

He strutted down the corridor with long strides, eyes fixed on the stairwell at the end of it. Alex was staring at the video feed with bated breath, hoping that nothing would go wrong and he wouldn't run into anyone. He took the stairs down two steps at a time and just when he reached the bottom and was about to slip into the room to the left, a guard appeared at the end of the corridor. Alex heard him yell, but the Taskmaster simply quickened his steps to a jog and a few seconds later he was back in the large ballroom. He weaved through the crowd at a slower pace so as not to draw any unnecessary attention. 

Alex's gaze jumped up to the balcony where the guards now looked visibly more alert, their searching eyes roaming across the guests. 

"They're all looking for you, better make it quick." Alex told the Taskmaster, who was too distracted to reply. "The guards by the front entrance will already know, take a right here and go out the side. You can make your way around to the front through the garden."

The Taskmaster followed his directions to a tee until he was halfway to the parking garage and another guard appeared between him and his exit strategy. Luckily the guy didn't see him before he ducked behind an ornamental bush with a quiet curse. 

"Take him out, or take the long way round." Alex suggested, and to his delight the Taskmaster crept forward and came up behind the guard to dispatch him quickly and effectively. Alex had to admit that he really enjoyed watching him work. He was a professional like no other and Alex felt fortunate to be able to help him succeed, even if he probably would have been just fine on his own. 

A few minutes later the Taskmaster was back in his car and on his way out of the parking garage. No one was around, since all the guards were probably busy inside the mansion, so he used the time he had to make a quick getaway, completely unnoticed.

“Well done.” Alex chimed, which only made the Taskmaster grumble.

“Should’ve gone smoother. I should’ve noticed the guy following me into the study, and the guard on the bottom floor shouldn’t have seen me either. I was lucky things didn’t go south.”

Alex frowned.

“Hm. No, I don’t think it was luck. I’m pretty sure it was skill . And if you don’t want to lay claim to being responsible for the success of this mission, then I will.” Alex was joking of course, he knew he barely did anything, but he didn’t enjoy the way the Taskmaster was talking about his own performance.

“Then so be it.” The Taskmaster simply replied and a moment later the line went dead.

Fuck. 

He had screwed things up, hadn’t he? Maybe he shouldn’t have tried to lighten the mood, but that’s really all he knew how to do. Hopefully the Taskmaster just needed some time to cool off, but what if he hated Alex now? 

What if he went and requested a different handler? Alex didn’t like that thought at all. He swallowed hard, trying to push his sudden anxiety away. He knew he was overreacting, that his fear was baseless, and yet…. 

With a frustrated grunt he ripped the headset off his head and stood. He needed another cup of coffee. 

+++

Alex got an extremely ominous text that night. 

How about 'ferret'? , it simply read and Alex stared at it for a solid five minutes. Then he put his phone down on the kitchen counter and went to take a shower. While he stood under the disappointingly low pressure stream, he still thought about the text. 

Could it be…? No, this was his personal phone, and Avalon didn't have his personal number on file - well, they probably did, but they definitely wouldn't give it out to just anyone - so who was texting him? He needed to know. 

In fact, he needed to know right now . 

Alex jumped out of the shower, wrapped a towel around his waist and pretty much sprinted into the living room to his laptop. Phone in his left hand, he punched the unknown number into the search bar. He had access to a plethora of databases, but unsurprisingly none of them came up with any useful results. 

With a grumble Alex dropped onto the couch and started typing. 

Alex: Sorry, who is this?  

Straightforward. Nothing to misinterpret, just a single concise question. If he had actually known this was him , he would've tried to be funny but he needed to be sure. He was just about to get back up and mop up the path of puddles he had undoubtedly left behind on the floor between here and the bath, when his phone chimed. 

Unknown number: Lots of people in your life calling you by rodent names?

Alex let out a relieved laugh before he realised this meant someone had given the Taskmaster his personal cell number. He immediately tabbed out of the chat to open the group chat instead. 

Alex: apparently the Taskmaster has my number… what should I do? help???

No one started typing, so he went back to the Taskmaster’s messages again. 

Alex: no. usually when I suggest 'rat' it sticks, so everyone just calls me by that one very specific rodent name

He pressed send and then immediately typed out another message. 

Alex: how did you get my number?  

For a few seconds he stared at the screen, heart hammering in his chest, but no reply came, so he tossed his phone aside and stood. With determination and with his mind entirely elsewhere, he returned to the bathroom and got dressed in his pyjamas. He forced himself not to check his phone again until he had done the dishes and was ready for bed about thirty minutes later, but when he finally did, he had multiple unread messages. He opened the group chat first. 

Mark: What? How?  

Tim: did you give it to him? please tell me you gave it to him.  

Alex: I didn't! which is why I'm confused! 

Alex: give me a second, I'll get back to you

He fumbled to return to the chat with the Taskmaster, tapping back one too many times and accidentally opening twitter. He closed the app with a grimace and finally managed to open his messages up again. 

Unknown number: I have my ways, but I can lose your number again if you want me to, I won't be cross. Only reason I'm texting you is that I wanted to apologise for brushing you off earlier. I felt awful immediately after. I'm sorry. 

Alex bit his lip and re-read the message a few times. He suddenly felt very silly for even thinking the Taskmaster might want a different handler over a slightly annoyed comment. Of course Alex knew that had only been the self conscious part of his brain talking but still, it sounded downright outlandish now. 

Alex: It's alright, don't apologise. You were frustrated, I understand. 

Alex: Besides, my attempt at deflection with humour fell flat… sorry. 

Unknown number: Now you're apologising? Fucking hell, I really messed it up, didn't I? Let's just forget about the end of that mission altogether.  

Alex: that sounds good, let's do that

Unknown number: So, shall I delete your number out of my phone again, little ferret? 

Alex: no! 

Christ, he sounded needy, this was embarrassing. A little voice in the back of his head told him that he liked sounding needy in this instance, but he ignored it as much as he could. He really didn’t want to consider why and how the Taskmaster brought that side of him out.

Alex: I mean, it's fine

Alex: might come in handy, actually

Alex: you never know when there might be an emergency

Unknown number: An emergency that requires me to urgently contact my handler on his private phone?  

He could practically see the Taskmaster's teasing grin in his mind's eye and it made Alex giggle into the silence of his bedroom. 

Alex: maybe!  

Unknown number: Alright, sure. Now go get some rest, silly boy. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.

Alex: ok, goodnight!

Alex knew he had a stupid dopey grin on his face and he was glad no one saw him hug his phone to his chest like a lovesick middle schooler, but he also didn’t care much. He opened the group chat one last time, typing out a quick message to Tim and Mark - who had resorted to coming up with outrageous theories by now - and then he turned off the lights and stared at the dark ceiling for an hour and a half before he finally fell asleep.

+++

Alex was frozen in place, staring straight ahead while his heart beat anxiously in his chest. He had been on the elevator, on the way down to his office in the morning, but he had been daydreaming and forgot to press the right button for his floor and ended up going up instead and then - of course - the doors had slid open to reveal the Taskmaster. 

They stared at each other for a second, but obviously he didn’t know what Alex looked like, so the Taskmaster just inclined his head in greeting, got on the elevator and stood next to him silently. Alex was pretty sure he was sweating like a pig, but he tried to concentrate on his breathing, and only his breathing.

Alex was fairly tall, and he knew in theory how tall the Taskmaster was, he had it both on file and he had seen it countless times on various video feeds, and yet, faced with the sheer size of the man Alex had developed a crush on, he felt incredibly tiny. He liked it.

Alex shifted his weight from one foot to the other and then he shifted his grip on the manila folder he was holding for good measure. His palms had grown sweaty and before he knew it the folder landed on the ground in front of him with a clatter.

“Shit.” Alex cursed under his breath and bent down to pick the loose sheets of paper back up. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the Taskmaster reach for one of the sheets and hold it out to him. Alex looked up and their eyes met again, so he quickly shifted his gaze away and cleared his throat as he took the paper from him.

“Cheers, mate.” He mumbled, hoping the Taskmaster wouldn’t recognize his voice. It would be quite mortifying to be recognized while he was blushing as hard as he was.

“You ought to be more careful with your very important documents about,” the Taskmaster glanced at the paper, “meat?!”

The man looked equal parts baffled and amused and Alex couldn’t help it, he laughed wholeheartedly, raising a fist to his mouth, a habit he couldn’t seem to shake. There was a strange little twinkle in the Taskmaster’s eyes and in that moment Alex was sure that he knew , but he didn’t say anything else. A second later the doors opened and the Taskmaster left him alone in the elevator, trying to keep an anxiety attack at bay.

+++

“Big mission today!” Alex said a few days later, and took a sip from his coffee. 

The Taskmaster only grunted in reply, which Alex took as agreement. It wasn't actually a big mission, to be fair. It was a normal mission, nothing remarkable about it, really, but that didn't mean he wouldn't have to get his head in the game. 

"What do these people do again?" The Taskmaster asked, referring to the company he was about to infiltrate in order to get some footage of its inner workings. 

"Export!" Alex supplied and he could immediately sense the Taskmaster's annoyance, so he quickly added: "Of meat. Meat export."

"Little unconventional, isn't it? Or is the meat just a front?"

"We're not sure, and that's- that's actually why you're there." Alex had to push down a smile. "To find out whether the meat is a front."

The Taskmaster scoffed and Alex saw on the map that he had parked the car. A second later the video feed flickered to life and the Taskmaster's head filled the frame before he pulled back a bit. 

"Thank you for the insight, you feisty little ferret." He wore an amused expression and Alex looked away in embarrassment as he felt his cheeks heat up. "I look absolutely ridiculous by the way."

The Taskmaster moved the camera away and angled it down a bit to show his outfit. Alex's eyes snapped back onto the feed and he immediately laughed. He was wearing a dark pre-dirtied boiler suit and a high-vis vest, to the front of which a fake ID had been clipped. Alex could just make out the small unflattering headshot of the Taskmaster on it. 

"It- hm. It really suits you. Looks like you'll fit right in." Alex said between laughs, making a bright smile appear on the Taskmaster's face. 

"You better fucking hope I do. Anything else you wanna share with the class?" 

"Uh, your- Hm, your hair looks nice today…?"

"I meant about the mission."

"Oh! Well, no. Not really. I'll guide you through it as much as I can, but I think this one will mostly be down to you and your cunning."

The Taskmaster laughed then, a full belly laugh and Christ, that sound would be burned into Alex’s brain for a long time. He was still chuckling as he clipped the camera to its spot inside the high-vis vest, positioning it so it was hidden but still able to record through a conveniently placed hole in the fabric. Alex wasn’t sure if he was glad to be rid of the distraction that was the Taskmaster’s face, or upset that he couldn’t see the man any longer and had to work instead now. He took a deep breath and scanned the information on his screens, getting into handler mode. 

“Well, let’s get to meat exporting!” The Taskmaster chimed, making Alex grin again.

+++

The mission went… fine. Not great, there were a few hiccups here and there, but ultimately things had worked out just fine . The Taskmaster was a little grumbly, but this time he made an effort to let Alex’s half-joking post mission comments lift his spirits, which made Alex feel better in turn.

“Thank God you had those facts about sausage production ready to go. Not sure how that conversation would’ve gone without your help.” 

“I’m sure you would’ve been alright, but I’m happy to help. I did quite extensive meat research beforehand.”

“Did you now?” The Taskmaster sounded absolutely delighted.

“Oh, yes. I bought a lot of meat and then I spent a lot of time with it. With my- I spent a lot of time with my meat.” Alex somehow didn’t crack up while he spoke, but he could hear the Taskmaster downright giggle at the other end of the line.

“And? Did you gain a lot of valuable insight from the time you spent with your meat?”

“Wooa-ah, did I?!” 

They both descended into fits of laughter for a few seconds and all the while all Alex could think was how nice this was, how much he enjoyed this. If only… maybe he should just tell the Taskmaster his name. His actual name, as a show of trust. Because Alex did trust him, but he also didn't want to pressure him into revealing anything about himself. He didn't want to make the Taskmaster feel like he owed him anything. Also, Alex knew that he was a very private man. He was very committed to staying as anonymous as possible, so why would he jeopardise his job and, frankly, his whole life just to build some trust with his handler? That was silly, a professional agent like him would never do something like that, and Alex didn't want him to either. The Taskmaster kept his identity close to his heart for a very good reason, and Alex definitely didn't feel comfortable putting the way he conducted himself into question. 

So, no, that was probably a bad idea actually. Don't tell the big shot agent you've got a crush on your name. You're probably just one of many to him anyway. Someone to be friendly with because it's the smart thing to do, but probably not someone he genuinely wanted to know in his regular life.

When he expressed this to Tim and Mark later that night at the pub they looked at him like he had just told them he still thought the tooth fairy was real.

"Al, mate. You know I love you."

"I love you too, Timmy." Alex interrupted, but Tim ignored him and just kept talking. 

"But you're so thick sometimes. Well, most of the time, really. Point is, the way you’re thinking about this whole situation is incredibly stupid." Tim shook his head in what Alex assumed was disappointment, and if Mark's expression was anything to go by, he agreed. 

"Wha- but. Hm. I-" Alex stammered, and Mark swooped in and saved him. 

"Tim's right and you know it. It's, uh, how do I put this?! You've told us for the past month that you- well, you like this man. And you've told us repeatedly about the adorable little nicknames he gives you. I'm sure you remember that, yeah?" Mark gave him a look and Alex nodded. "Of course you do. Here's the thing: This man has a reputation for being stone cold, there's no way he only sees you as a means to an end. I'm telling you - and that's not an exaggeration - if you don't do something about this soon, I'll personally, uh, step in and-and just tell him about your crush."

Alex frowned. That didn't sound very appealing at all. 

"And you know how much Watto hates to talk to strangers. Things are dire!" Tim said, making Mark nod in agreement. 

"No, I mean, please don't. I- well, I'll try, alright?" Alex paused to swallow hard. "I can't promise anything, but. I'll… try. Thanks for, uh- thanks for the advice."

"Sure thing, mate." Tim raised his pint and clinked it against Alex's and a second later Mark did the same. 

"You've got this, Horne." 

+++

Everything had gone to hell. 

It had been a standard mission, nothing too exciting, and definitely not anything they hadn't done before. Just a quick get in, plant a tracking device, get out type of mission. It should've been easy, especially for someone as experienced as the Taskmaster. 

Alas, someone must've realised the mountain of a man wasn't supposed to be at the sketchy warehouse, and now he was flitting amongst the crates and shelves as bullets whizzed past him. 

"Please tell me you have a plan." He panted in a more quiet moment while he hid behind a pillar and reloaded his gun. Alex scanned the map, trying to keep the panic at bay. He couldn't lose his head right now, the Taskmaster needed him. 

"There's another exit to your right, through the back. But there might be more people back there, probably armed as well."

"Fuck it, I have to to risk it." The Taskmaster ground out. Alex watched him turn towards a door to the right on the body cam feed. He made it there without being shot at again, but just as he threw open the door and started squeezing through, Alex heard another shot go off and a second later the Taskmaster grunted in pain.

"I'm hit." 

Alex's blood ran cold. 

On the feed he saw the Taskmaster press a hand against his side and when he let go again, it came back completely red. Alex felt like fainting for a second, but then a wave of determination grabbed him and he did the sensible thing instead: signal for backup. 

"Can you make it out?"

"Yes, I think so." The Taskmaster sounded winded, but he kept moving. They both knew he had to.

"Alright, you can do this. Just take the next door on the right. Be ready for anything."

"I'm bleeding quite badly."

"I already called for backup, you just need to make it outside. And you will." Alex was sure of it, he had to be. 

"Thank you for the vote of confidence, you little weasel."

"I'm 6'2." 

The Taskmaster let out a laugh that turned into a cough and Alex had to concentrate very hard on his breathing for a second. He watched the Taskmaster open the door and thankfully, mercifully there was no one in this last room between him and fresh air. Footsteps were approaching from behind him though, so the Taskmaster quickened his steps as much as he could with a bleeding bullet wound in his side. He burst through the door and out of the warehouse just as another bullet flew past him, barely missing his arm. 

"Agent Gilbert should be just ahead." Alex said, seeing the second dot on the map that signified agent Gilbert’s car coming to a halt close to the first one. 

"Ah fucking hell, him of all people." Alex was glad to hear his annoyance, as it meant the Taskmaster probably wasn't about to pass out. 

"He was the closest." Alex said apologetically, but he had a feeling the Taskmaster's disdain for the other agent was more of an act anyway. If rumours were to be believed the two of them were friends.

"Yeah, well, he'll never let me live this down." 

Alex didn’t have an opportunity to think of a reply before the Taskmaster made one last mad dash towards the car and leapt into the passenger side door.

“Fuck, that’s a lot of blood.” Agent Gilbert only said and then they were off at a neck breaking speed.

Alex stayed on the line with them until they arrived at the headquarters where several doctors were already waiting to take care of the Taskmaster. They talked the entire time, agent Gilbert and the Taskmaster bickering, while Alex guided them and tried to keep up with their banter. Despite this, it was becoming obvious the Taskmaster wasn’t doing all that well, as he started to become more sluggish over the course of the drive to HQ. While they were approaching Alex had half a mind to get to his feet and run upstairs to make sure with his own two eyes that the Taskmaster had arrived safe and sound.

But he didn’t. He couldn’t.

The last thing the Taskmaster said to him before the feed cut was, “Thank you, my sweet squirrel.”

+++

Alex stared at the card in his hand. The front said ‘get well soon’ in a generic cursive font, but it was his own messy handwriting on the inside his eyes were glued to. 

I hope you’ll be back on your feet asap! - Alex (your little squirrel)

His hands were clammy just from imagining actually attaching the card to the bouquet of flowers he intended to send the Taskmaster. Dropping the card onto the kitchen table, he picked up his phone and opened the group chat.

Alex: please reassure me that this is a good idea again

Tim: it’s a perfect idea, actually

Mark: Yeah, it’s probably the only sensible idea you’ve ever had. 

A heavy sigh left Alex and he had to concede that they were probably right, this was a good idea. That didn’t mean he stopped being anxious though.

It really wasn't even that big of a deal, he tried to tell himself. He wouldn't have to deliver the flowers himself, thankfully, because he was pretty sure revealing his identity completely and in person while the Taskmaster was recovering from an injury was not the smartest way to go about this. Small steps. Only his name for now, and then he'd have to wait and see what was going to happen next. 

He let out a stressed out groan and got up, pushing his chair back with a little too much vigour, so it tipped and landed on the floor with a loud crash. Alex cringed and hoped his downstairs neighbour wasn't home. He took a deep breath and bent down to pick the chair back up. 

"It's fine, it's all good." He mumbled to himself, and then he was staring at the card again, except he was standing now. 

It was a nice card. And despite his usually quite scrawly handwriting, he had managed to make it look presentable. This was good. It was a good idea, and it would turn out great. 

"Okay. Yeah." He nodded and picked up the card. 

+++

Unknown number: Hello, my sweet ferret. This is Greg from work. Thank you for your card. 

Alex's brows drew together so violently, he was sure the expression would get stuck on his face for a while. This wasn't the same number the Taskmaster had texted him from before, although he supposed that didn't mean much. It actually made sense, since he probably didn't want to actively connect his real name with the Taskmaster persona, especially not in writing. 

Greg. 

His name was Greg. 

Alex: of course! I admittedly wasn't expecting this though…  

Just in case this was some sort of joke, Alex needed to play it safe. 

Unknown number: Are you free? Do you mind if I call you? 

Alex: yes

Alex: you can call me

His heart was racing, but before he could succumb to the sheer panic he felt, his phone rang and he immediately picked up.

“Hi.” He simply said.

“Hello, you silly boy.” 

Okay, so, the pet names were still on the table. That was good. Alex liked the pet names.

“You- hm. How are you feeling?” Alex settled on asking, and Christ, his voice sounded just as wobbly and unsteady as it had when they first talked to each other.

“Better. They pumped me full of painkillers, so I’ll have to see how I feel once they wear off, but for now I’m alright. Thanks for asking, Alex.”

“Sure thing… Greg.”

They both stayed silent for a few seconds. It was probably awkward for Greg, but Alex was way too busy trying not to laugh or cheer or grin so hard, Greg would somehow hear it over the line. 

“The flowers are pretty."

"The flo- oh. Yes. I picked them because they were the nicest, in my opinion."

"They definitely brighten up this horrible room." Greg sighed. "I'm quite bored here, to be honest. I wouldn't mind some company."

"I- uh."

"It's alright, I know you're a busy man." Greg sounded put out, but Alex could tell he was trying not to show it too much. "Maybe we can just talk on the phone for a bit." 

"I'd like that." Alex agreed, and sunk down into the cushions of his old couch. "Did they tell you when you can go home?" 

Greg scoffed, and Alex had to smile at how annoyed he sounded when he replied.

"Something about next week? They aren't sure, it depends on how well I heal, I suppose. If possible I'd like to get back to work soon… and back to annoying my favourite little assistant." He sounded delighted by the time the sentence ended. 

"Of course you do. I'm your favourite?" Alex couldn't help but ask, probably sounding desperate and needy as he did. 

"You're easily the best, most competent, and funniest ha- uh. Helper I've ever had." Greg sighed. "That is the truth, but I'm going to blame this disgusting show of sincerity entirely on the painkillers." 

Alex laughed, unable to keep the flutter in his chest at bay. 

"You're also the best person to, well, to receive my help. Hm. All of this sounds quite a lot like we're talking about intercourse, doesn't it?" 

"I don't know, does it?" Alex could hear that Greg was grinning just as hard as him.

"I think so, yes. But in any case I do look forward to, uhm, guiding you again soon."

Greg laughed and Alex could hear him shuffle around, sheets crinkling. He sunk deeper into the cushions, leaning back against the sofa's armrest. 

They spent the next thirty minutes just talking about anything and everything. Alex mentioned Mark and Tim, telling Greg the story of how they had met - long before they all started working for Avalon - and in turn Greg talked about his own friendship with someone named Roisin. Alex really liked listening to him, and he loved the way they bounced off of each other. They didn't exactly have the same sense of humour, but somehow it just worked. They fit together, mentally.

Before Alex knew it, it was suddenly midnight and he had work in the morning so he should’ve just wished Greg a good night, hung up, and gone to sleep, but he didn’t want to. He wanted to keep talking to him. It was terribly childish, but he was a very stubborn man, so he stayed on the phone with Greg until the other man finally grew tired.

“I should get some rest. Thanks for talking to me, Alex.” 

“Hm. Of course. I really like talking to you.” Alex paused, trying to work through his tangled thoughts. “I’ll call you again tomorrow?”

“I’d be very grateful, you sweet little pudding.”

Alex laughed, and then they said their goodbyes, and the call ended. He dropped the phone on his chest and reached up to cover his eyes with his hands. His skin was hot against his palms.

“Fuck.” He breathed out into the silence of the empty room.

+++

The Taskmaster had been cleared to go back into the field again. He would only take on simple missions for the first few weeks, since he still wasn’t at 100%, but he would finally be back at work. Alex was excited to be able to assist his favourite agent again although he admittedly hadn’t exactly missed him, what with their near daily phone calls. Still, he liked being helpful. And he liked the adrenaline rush of having to find quick solutions on the fly. And he liked doing those things the most with Greg.

Which was why he felt like life was playing a very cruel joke on him when he suddenly caught a horrible cold the day before the Taskmaster was meant to return to the field. 

Alex: couldn’t have been worse timing

Tim: sorry mate :/

Mark: Maybe one of us gets to be his handler for the mission…

Alex: oh god

Tim: ohhhh! I hope it’s me!

Tim: what’s he calling you again? his little mole-rat or something

Mark: Pretty sure it was chinchilla?

Alex: please just

Alex: don’t

He passed out after that last text, too exhausted to keep typing. It wasn't even that late yet, but he was pretty sure he was running a fever, so he was actually grateful for any amount of sleep he got. As it turned out, that just so happened to be a lot . 

He awoke at two in the afternoon the next day. 

The sun shone directly in his face, so as soon as his eyelids fluttered open he winced and turned away from the window. He took a moment to assess how he felt and came to the conclusion that he felt fine. Still not amazing, but a lot better than the previous night. On instinct he reached for his phone and found the battery at five percent. He also found some texts, but ignored them in favour of plugging his phone in for half an hour while he got ready. 

After taking a shower and eating some dry toast (he still wasn't really hungry and the memory of throwing up his lunch last night was still too fresh in his mind), he returned to take a look at what he had missed. 

Tim: text us once you're up

Tim: we need to know you're okay

Mark: I agree with Timmy.

The most recent text was from 10 o'clock, so Alex just shot them a quick health update. He wasn't expecting them to reply until after work though. 

He tapped out of the group chat and noticed another message, from Greg. His heart fluttered in his chest as Alex opened the text, and just for a moment he thought it was his stomach acting up again. He wouldn't have been surprised by having to add nausea back to his list of current symptoms after the night he had had. But no. Just fluttery crush feelings. 

Greg: I heard that you're ill, I hope it's nothing too serious? 

Someone had told Greg the reason for Alex's absence, and really there were only two suspects. Management wouldn't be specific enough to mention any illness or injury to an agent, so it seemed like unfortunately Alex's worst nightmare had come true and either Mark or Tim had been assigned to the Taskmaster that day. 

Alex sighed and dropped his weight against the back of his kitchen chair. Hopefully they hadn't said anything about Alex's very embarrassing feelings for Greg, although he wasn't holding his breath. Especially Tim would be eager to draw details out of the Taskmaster. He'd stop at nothing to find out whether Greg felt the same about Alex, who was equal parts embarrassed and impressed by his dedication. 

Alex: just a cold and I already feel better today! 

Alex: thanks for checking in with me though :) 

Alex cringed inwardly at the smiley face as soon as he hit 'send', but it was too late now. It was fine, Greg wouldn't care, he'd probably think it was silly but very much in character for Alex, which was true. It still bothered Alex, how often he struggled to behave like a regular human being around Greg. It was fine when they actually talked on the phone or at work, but texting and that one awkward meeting in person… it was hard for Alex for some reason. He was already an awkward person in general, but Greg only seemed to amplify that trait of his. It was frustrating, but at the same time Alex was stubborn so all he wanted to do was break through that awkwardness and get more comfortable around Greg. First step: stop overthinking so much.

Alex had spaced out for a while, but the chiming of his phone brought him back to reality. 

Greg: I'm glad to hear that! I didn't love your replacement today, someone named The Messenger? 

Oh, thank God, it had been Mark. That was at least marginally better than Tim. 

Alex: he's awkward, isn't he?! even worse than me

Greg: God yeah, it was horrible. His advice was really hard to follow as well. 

Alex: hm yeah he's a bit unique… he's much better at his job once he gets used to you

Greg: I sincerely hope it will never come to that. You'll be back tomorrow, won't you? 

Alex: maybe! 

Alex: I hope so

Greg: I'm not sure I can survive another day without your guidance. 

Alex: you'll be alright! just don't get hurt again

Greg: Haha, very funny. I'll try. Feel better soon, Alex.

Alex: I'll do my best! 

+++

Alex did feel even better the next day, so finally things went back to normal. It was nice, he had missed helping the Taskmaster. 

"He's got the same energy as a heron, is how I would describe it." Greg said about halfway through the pickup mission. 

"Her- oh, like, the bird?" Alex chuckled. 

"Yeah yeah, reminded me of a weird bird. Does he look like a heron at all?" 

Alex pondered his question for a few seconds, trying to unify the image of Mark and a heron in his mind. 

"Uh, well. Hm. Maybe a smidge? I wouldn't say he's unlike a heron appearance-wise."

"Good enough for me." Greg snorted, just as he reached the location of the package and they went back into agent and handler mode. 

"He's nicer than I thought." Mark said that night on the way to the pub. Alex gave him a look. 

"You gotta admit, Alex, you don't have the best track record, and just because you say someone is nice, doesn't mean they're actually likeable." Tim looked almost smug as he said it, and while he was technically right, it still annoyed Alex. He didn't know what to reply and stayed silent, so Tim turned to Mark. 

"Did you ask him about Al at all?" 

"Well, I-I kind of tried to, but it was hard to do that while also doing my job reasonably well."

"What do you mean? Alex apparently manages to get plenty of chit-chat in." Tim teased, making Alex roll his eyes. He didn't mind the teasing, really, but he also wasn't in the mood to snipe back at them, and besides, this late in the day his cold was starting to make itself known again in the form of a headache. 

"He did say that he liked you more than me." Mark told Alex, who scoffed.

"Not exactly a surprise, is it? So you didn't tell him about my, uh… my…?" 

"Crush." Tim supplied as if they didn't all know what he meant. 

"Uh, no. Not really. It didn't really seem natural to, uh, to bring it up while he was getting chased across a shopping centre by security." Mark sounded almost apologetic and Alex wasn't sure if he liked it. Had he - on some subconscious level - hoped Mark would tell Greg about his feelings? Maybe. It certainly would've made some things easier. On the other hand, it wouldn't have felt right. He wanted to see Greg's face when he told him, even if he didn't want to talk to Alex anymore after that. 

"You need to step up your game, mate." Tim told Mark with a disappointed shake of his head. "If it had been me, I would've just started the mission with an info dump about Al. No time to waste!" 

"Hm. What would you have told him about me in your theoretical info dump?"

"The essentials for one: favourite things, movies, music, colour, food. And then I would've moved on to the deeper stuff, your feelings and how you haven't been able to shut up about him."

"That's-that's not true. I've barely talked about him. In fact, I'm almost certain the two of you have talked more about him tonight than I have in the past three months." 

"Yeah, sure. I see right through you, Al. I know what's going on behind those pretty baby blues of yours, and I'm certain that you're thinking about your TM at least 95% of the time." 

"Hm. That's. Well, that's not accurate. I'd say it's closer to 90%."

"Surely that's still a, uh, fairly accurate estimate then, yeah?" Mark asked, and Alex could only shrug. 

He didn't stay much longer after that, excusing himself on account of his headache, and Tim and Mark waved him off with slightly concerned matching smiles. He was glad he had decided against drinking any alcohol tonight, as he already felt terrible without being drunk. 

It was only eight o'clock by the time he made it home to his flat, and he pretty much fell into bed and passed out immediately, sinking into a deep dreamless sleep. 

+++

It was about two weeks later, and things were fully back to how they'd been before the Taskmaster's injury. Today's mission had been a bit more intense than most of the other recent ones, which suited Alex just fine. He did enjoy things to be a bit more high-stakes after all. 

Unfortunately since the mission was about infiltrating yet another fancy reception at some expensive hotel, it was a bit later than usual today. By the time they wrapped up and Greg was on his way back to headquarters to drop off the car, it was almost 1am. Alex didn't doubt that he was the last handler working this late, most of them had probably headed home hours ago. As soon as he said goodbye to Greg - with a silent promise to text him once he was home - Alex took off his headset and put his computer into power saving mode. He stood and let out a groan. He'd been cramping up a bit while Greg was making his getaway and now his back was feeling quite sore. After spending a few seconds stretching, he finally picked up his empty mug and started to make his way towards the kitchenette. 

Halfway to the door of his office he stopped dead. There were footsteps, loud and echoing down the halls. That didn't seem… normal. Not this late at night especially. 

Carefully Alex stepped forward and opened the door just enough to peek through the gap and fuck, there was a guy in heavy combat gear holding a gun heading straight towards him. He pulled the door closed again and locked it, taking a second to try and calm his hammering heart. He swallowed hard, then turned around and woke his computer back up. A moment later he had jacked into Avalon's security system and was cycling through cameras. 

There were a lot of armed people in dark gear. 

Not more than the amount of employees that would've been here during the day, but in the middle of the night they definitely outnumbered Alex and his colleagues. They had already rounded a few people and locked them in storage rooms and offices, but to Alex it didn't look like these people were here to harm anyone. They were probably stealing information, if he had to guess. Or money. One of the two, or possibly both. 

The question was: how had they gotten in without tripping any alarms? 

Alex frowned and tried to consider how smart it would be to manually set it off and trigger a total lockdown. He could just do it, it would take less than ten seconds, but what if that made them panic? Even if they weren't here to hurt anyone, fear could drive them to do things he didn't want to consider. So instead of triggering the security system, Alex followed protocol and sent out an immediate emergency message to all the agents and management. They'd know what to do. They'd figure it out… hopefully. 

Alex spent a few more minutes cycling through security cameras, and eventually he spotted some of the people with guns trying to get into the offices on the top floor. They of course had no idea that all the really important stuff was in the basement, even further below the floor Alex was on. Just in case it would slow them down at all, Alex disabled the elevators. 

Suddenly his phone buzzed and he almost yelped in fear. Fortunately he was able to keep himself in check, and instead he just grabbed the phone and looked at the screen. 

TM, it said in bright white letters. 

He picked up. 

"Alex, are you still at work?" He sounded worried, almost panicked and Alex had to try very hard not to let the nerves get to him. 

"Yeah, yes. I am." His voice sounded wobbly. 

"Christ, are you safe? I'm on my way." 

"Still in my office, I locked the door." He lowered his voice. "I think it's only a matter of time before they find me, but I think they're just here to steal information."

"Alright, good. Your message said there's about fifty of them?" 

Alex cycled through the cameras again, roughly counting how many there were.

"Give or take. They've got pretty big guns."

"Jesus, Alex. Hang in there, just lay low, alright? You'll be fine."

"Can- hm. Can you stay? On the phone… with me, I mean?" 

"Of course. I'm almost there, alright? Not much longer."

"Please don't rush in and try to do this on your own."

"Is that your professional advice as my handler? Don't you worry, I'm not that daft."

"I know you're not." Alex looked through his options in the security system while he spoke, trying to find more ways to sabotage the intruders without alerting them too much. "Do you- Hm. There's a system to release, uh, gas? On the top floors. Not sure why, but it would knock them out."

"How many are up there?" 

"About ten-ish."

"I'll tell you when, yeah? I'm at HQ. There are some other agents here already, we'll get you soon." 

"Okay. Do you ha-" 

BANG!  

Alex jumped, a loud gasp escaping him as he whipped around to look at the door. 

"Someone's trying to get in." Alex whispered into the phone and at the other end of the line Greg made an unhappy sound. 

"Stay quiet, do you have anything to defend yourself with?" 

Alex's gaze darted around the room, weighing his options. There was a gun in a drawer of his desk, but he wasn't keen on using it, besides, it would draw unnecessary attention. He threw open another drawer and his eyes landed on a taser. This would do nicely, but he'd still have to get an advantage in order to gain the upper hand against someone with an actual gun. 

The office itself was rather tiny, but maybe if he could create a distraction and hide behind the door he stood a chance. 

"I have an idea." He told Greg and quickly relayed his plan to the Taskmaster. 

A few seconds later he was squeezing into the corner behind the door, the taser in his hand, and the phone was on the floor under the desk. Alex had put it on speaker and Greg was happily playing along, calling out for Alex in such a convincingly concerned voice, he almost wanted to rush over and reassure Greg that he was fine. 

The banging against the door got more intense and after a few more seconds of aggressive pounding, it finally flew open and almost squashed Alex against the wall. He suppressed a whimper and swallowed hard, keeping his eyes fixed on the edge of the door. Heavy footsteps moved through the door and into the office and Alex saw the heavily armed guy from the hallway head straight for the phone. Greg was still calling out for Alex, and the guy bent down to see where the noise was coming from. 

This was his chance. 

Quietly he crept forward until he was close enough to lunge and a second later, Alex had buried the dangerous end of the taser in a gap between the guy's bulletproof vest and his belt. He turned to look at Alex and for a second he thought he had messed up, but then the guy's muscles spasmed and he crumbled to the floor. With shaky hands Alex ripped the rifle out of his hands and quickly got to work tying him up and gagging him, so he couldn't scream. He was starting to come back to his senses just as Alex finished. 

"One down, about forty-nine to go." Alex said as soon as he had closed the door and picked up the phone again. 

"Well done, little Alex." Greg told him and his tone was undeniably fond. "Would you be a dear and lock down the building? We're about to go in." 

"Yes, daddy!" 

"...never put those words into your mouth again." Greg sighed, making Alex giggle and he could feel some of the tension leaving his body as he began to type. 

"I'll see you in a minute." Greg said and a moment later the line went dead. 

He'd see him. 

They'd meet. 

Oh god.  

Alex did his best to push the fear down, but he could still feel a cold sweat forming on his back. It would be fine. They'd already met before, in a way. And if Greg took one look at him and decided that he didn't like him after all, then they would simply go separate ways. 

Yeah, not a problem at all, not for Alex. 

He definitely hadn't grown incredibly attached to Greg over the course of the past few months, and he definitely didn't regularly fantasise about Greg taking his face in his hands and kissing him. Getting turned away by Greg definitely wouldn't rip a hole into his heart. 

God, who was he really fooling? No one, not even himself. 

He took a deep breath, shook himself out of the doom spiral, and pressed the button to release the knock-out gas on the top floors. Seeing the armed men collapse on the camera feeds made him feel just a bit better. There were still about forty guys to be dealt with, so he got back into his regular role as a handler to relay any relevant information - locations, weapons, hostages - to all of the Avalon agents currently breaching the building. They silently crept through the dark halls and took out the heavily armed soldiers with ease. It was frankly quite a marvel to watch, and still Alex had to try hard not to focus solely on Greg. Especially while the Taskmaster took out a whole room of five guys without any of them noticing. Alex couldn't help but stare in that particular moment. The way Greg moved through the room completely undetected and dispatched the men one by one with so much precision, it looked straight out of a slick action movie. 

Greg did get noticed once or twice by some of the other guys, but so did most of the other agents. At the end of the whole ordeal, they all walked away with some minor bruising and maybe a laceration here or there, but somehow they'd managed to incapacitate every single one of the intruders without any major injuries. 

Alex wasn't entirely sure what would happen next, but at that point it wasn't his responsibility anymore, it was out of his hands. And he was honestly glad about it. Making sure all of the agents had all the information they needed had been incredibly stressful and draining, and by the time Alex finally watched some security personnel take away the guy he had tasered and tied up, it was almost morning. 

This mess would take a long time to clean up all the way, but that really wasn't Alex's problem. He had gotten word from management that he was to go home and take a week off, 'as a gesture of appreciation for your hard work'. The message had come all the way from the top, so Alex could hardly refuse. 

He stood and stretched when he suddenly got hit by a wave of exhaustion. Of course he was tired, but he hadn't realised just how completely worn-out he was up until that moment. He shut off the computer and stumbled out of his office, grumbling at the torn out lock on his door as he tried to close it. It didn't matter, it wasn't like anyone would try to steal from here… not anymore, anyway. 

Alex yawned as he made his way down the hallway towards the lockers. They had to leave most of their personal belongings in a security locker during their shifts, so he'd need to pick up his stuff before he could leave. Just as he rounded a corner, he had to yawn again and then he suddenly bumped into something soft and a second later two large palms landed on his shoulders. His watering eyes shot open and there he was: Greg, the Taskmaster, in the flesh. 

"Oh, hi." Alex only managed to mutter, and Greg beamed.

"I knew it was you!" At Alex's confused expression, he added: "When we bumped into each other on the elevator a few weeks ago, I figured it was my little shrew I was looking at."

Alex chuckled, and the tips of his ears already burned. He reached up to scrub a hand across his tired eyes and Greg dropped one of his hands from Alex's shoulders.

"Shrew. Yeah." Alex simply said with a nod. 

"Now that I know what you look like, it seems like the most obvious one. You were right on the money when you suggested rodents, you really look like a shrew, mate." Greg was still grinning and Alex couldn't help it, he curled a hand into the crook of Greg's elbow with a tired smile. 

"That seems accurate, yes."

Greg just looked at him for a moment and if Alex hadn’t been so tired, he probably would’ve found the fond expression on the Taskmaster’s face a little too intense. His exhaustion mellowed out all of his senses, dulled the sensations, and slowed his thoughts, so this really just felt closer to an incredibly comfortable dream to Alex.

"Let me take you home? You look about ready to pass out." 

"God, please." Alex sighed and then Greg's hand was on his back, softly leading him towards the lockers, and the tiny part of his brain that wasn't overwhelmed with exhaustion was absolutely elated by how natural it felt to talk to Greg face to face. It was so comfortable and normal , and not at all weird or awkward like he had feared, and he loved it. 

"You must be just as tired as me." Alex observed once they were sitting in Greg's car (a decisively average model, not very bougie at all). 

"I'm alright, still a bit jet lagged from the Vancouver mission to be quite honest." The mission had been a week ago, he was lying to stop Alex from worrying. Alex thought it was sweet but unnecessary. 

"I should probably tell you my address.” Alex said instead of telling Greg his address.

“You can just tell me a street that’s close-by, if it makes you uncomfortable for me to know your address.” 

Greg reversed out of the parking spot and Alex had a few seconds to gaze at his profile without shame as he was focused on navigating out of the parking garage. He was very handsome. It felt unreal to actually sit in the car right next to this handsome man, who he had been friends with for months now.

He told Greg his address and Greg turned to smile at him for just a second as he stopped the car at an empty intersection. 

They mostly stayed quiet on the way to Alex's flat. They were both tired, and it didn't feel like they had the mental capacity to discuss anything in a meaningful manner at the moment anyway. The streets were much emptier than Alex had ever seen them before, and when he glanced at the clock, he realised that it was because it was just after four in the morning. He didn't think he'd ever been out and about at this time of night. 

Simultaneously much too quickly and much too slowly they made their way across the city, and before Alex knew it Greg pulled into a spot in front of Alex's apartment building. 

"Thanks for driving me home." Alex said, not making a move to leave the car yet. "I'm sure I would have fallen asleep behind the wheel if I had driven myself instead." 

"And we wouldn't want that." Greg nodded.

They fell silent again, not looking at each other and instead just gazing out at the dusky neighbourhood. Alex saw a few lights on here and there, but overall the streets felt eerily deserted. 

He should just ask Greg if he wanted to grab dinner sometime, but… what if he said no? Alex wasn't sure he'd be able to bear a rejection. 

"Alex…" Greg started, and he finally turned to look back at the Taskmaster. 

"Yes, Greg?" He prompted after a few more beats of silence. There was a hopeful tinge to his voice which made Alex's heart give an embarrassed little flutter.

"You did a fantastic job today, both on the mission and during the high-stress situation at HQ. I doubt the outcome of this whole thing would've been half as positive if you hadn't been the one directing us. Without you at least some of us would've gotten seriously injured and I don't think we would've been able to take out the intruders nearly as efficiently. Alex… what I'm trying to say is that you're absolutely brilliant. You're the best handler I ever could've wished for, you're extremely capable and skilled. Additionally, you are also possibly the weirdest funniest man I've ever met, and I-" 

He paused for a moment and Alex had to concentrate to stop his head from spinning. He wasn't used to receiving this much praise, especially not from someone he respected and cared for as much as Greg. 

"All of that is to say I like you quite a bit, so I was wondering if… if you'd like to go out with me some time?" Greg asked finally and Alex had to take a second before he was able to speak. 

"I- you mean, as in, a date? Are you asking me on a-" 

"A date, yes. I'm asking you on a date, Alex." Greg rolled his eyes, but there was a fond smile on his lips. Alex quickly looked away and cleared his throat. 

"I would like that, I think."

"You think?" 

"Well, I can't know for sure until we've actually been on a date, but I'm positive I'd enjoy it? …I think?"

Greg laughed and when Alex's gaze finally darted back to Greg's face, he too had to giggle. This was quite a silly situation. Alex swallowed hard. His heart was racing in his chest and he wasn't sure if it was just the rush from getting asked out by the man he liked, or also a heavy dose of exhaustion. 

Probably both. 

"So, I'll - uhm, I'll text you?" Alex finally said and Greg nodded. 

"You better, you cute little shrew." 

Alex giggled again and he was sure his ears were bright red. He unhooked his seat belt with shaky hands and before he could think better of it, he leaned across the centre console and placed a hand on Greg's shoulder to pull him closer. He pecked Greg on the cheek and then he quickly retreated, trying to hide his dopey grin as he climbed out of the car. As he rounded the front of the vehicle, he let his eyes flicker up to the windshield and caught Greg's eyes again. They kept staring at each other as Alex walked and he almost tripped on the sidewalk, but then he was next to the passenger side window, which Greg had rolled down. 

"I don't want to hear a word from you until noon at least, yeah? You need to sleep." He tried to look casual, but Alex saw right through his facade. His hands were fidgeting where they rested on the steering wheel. 

"Mhm, promise." Alex said and god, this was so stupid, and it was definitely just his tired brain taking charge, but he walked over to the side of the car and placed his hands on the edge of the open window. Greg gave him a calculating look, but there was a hint of anticipation in his eyes as well. 

"Are you going to kiss me?" Greg asked as Alex leaned towards the window. 

"Yes. Well. If… if you want me to. Then yes, I'd like to. Do that. K-kiss you, that is." He shut his mouth with a click. 

"Go on, then."

Alex swallowed hard, then stuck his head through the window and met Greg halfway, their lips crushing together at a slightly awkward angle. Greg's hand came up to cup his cheek and tilt his face down so they weren't bumping their noses as much anymore, and Christ, Greg was a really good kisser. 

Alex wanted more. He tried to push closer but his head hit the roof of the car and he pulled back with a yelp of pain. Before Greg could make a cheeky comment, he leaned back in, capturing Greg's lips with a lot more confidence than he thought he was capable of at this stage. 

It was very… nice. His brain didn't function well enough to register anything beyond 'this is good', which was fine, he didn't need more than that at the moment. Alas, if he went on like this, he was fairly sure he was going to faint soon, unfortunately. Reluctantly he pulled back from Greg's soft warm touch and bit his lip. 

"I, uhm, I should really get some rest, I think. I'm starting to feel faint." 

"And we wouldn't want you passing out now, would we?" Greg chuckled, running his thumb across Alex's cheek. "Don't forget to text me tomorrow, silly boy."

"I promise, I won't forget." He leaned in to kiss Greg one last time, just a quick peck to his lips, then he finally pulled back with a huge smile. "Goodnight, Greg."

"Goodnight, Alex." 

Alex sat down on his bed just to take off his shoes, but then he was falling backwards, the soft sheets engulfing him, and before he knew it, he was out cold. His sleep was deep and restful, and in his dreams Greg was holding his hand, embracing him. He felt safe and comfortable the entire time, and he didn't even stir when the bins got emptied outside his window in the morning.

+++

As soon as he awoke in the afternoon, he picked up his phone to find several messages from Tim and Mark who had obviously heard about what had happened the previous night. He answered them vaguely, without revealing too many details via text, while he popped two slices of bread into the toaster.

Tim and Mark both took some time to reply - both of them undoubtedly typing out long paragraphs that involved many question marks - so Alex texted Greg in the meantime.

Alex: I'm alive! I don't remember the last time I slept this much?!?

Greg: 12 hours, not too shabby. How are you feeling?

Alex: like I've been run over by a horse-drawn carriage

Alex: thrice

Greg: That checks out. Have you eaten?

Without much thought, Alex snapped a selfie, the piece of toast he had been nibbling on held up next to his grinning face.

Alex: [picture]

Greg: What exactly did you put on that extremely burnt slice of toast?

Greg: Your hair is hideous by the way.

Alex: thank you

Alex: it's raw burnt toast, just how I like it!

Greg: God help me, what have I gotten myself into…

Greg: Dinner tonight?

Alex: yes, that sounds lovely

Greg: I'll pick you up at 6.

With a frown Alex looked over at the clock on his kitchen wall and sighed. It was coming up on 5pm already, so he wouldn’t have a lot more time to laze about if he wanted to look decent on his first date with Greg. Which he did! But he was also somehow still exhausted after everything that had happened.

Alex: ah, so I have about an hour to get ready

Greg: Better get on it then, little shrew.

Alex: yes, sir!

Greg: Good boy.

A dopey smile refused to leave Alex’s face while he chowed down on the second slice of toast, and even when he made up a silly song in the shower his heart was still fluttering in his chest. He still couldn’t really believe that he was going on a date with Greg, that Greg wanted to go on a date with Alex. Looking back on last night (or this morning?) it all seemed like a dream. Alex chuckled to himself as he remembered the kiss, reaching up to cover his reddening face with one hand. It had been so awkward and messy and soft and perfect.

He stood in front of his closet for at least fifteen minutes, trying to decide what to wear. He knew he didn't exactly need to impress Greg, but he still wanted to look nice. He pulled out a sweater with an obnoxiously colourful pattern and considered it for a moment, then he nodded to himself and started to put it on. Greg was going to hate it, so hopefully it would draw an entertaining reaction out of him. He also chose a garish pair of converse to wear with the sweater, and in the end he was quite happy with the outfit he had put together.

Alex spent the next fifteen minutes sitting at the edge of his couch, nervously playing around on his phone. He didn't really want to put it down in case Greg texted him, and he didn't have the time to actually do anything productive in the meantime. He was so entrenched in one of the mindless games on his phone, he jumped when the doorbell finally rang and shook him out of his anxious thoughts. With a nervous little jog he made his way to the door to buzz Greg in, already grabbing his jacket from one of the hooks next to the door. 

"Managed to put yourself together, did you? More or less anyway…" Greg grimaced at his outfit, and Alex laughed. "Ready to go?"

"One second, gotta grab my keys. Come in?" He smiled at Greg awkwardly, as if he expected him to say no, but Greg just nodded, stepped through the door and closed it behind himself. Alex bit his lip to hide a grin, absolutely titillated by the sight of Greg inside of his flat. Just as he turned around to look for his keys, Greg's fingers closed around his wrist and pulled him closer.

"We haven't even properly greeted each other." He mumbled, leaning into Alex's personal space.

"Hm, no, I suppose we haven't." 

Alex reached a hand up to grab onto Greg's lapel, pulling him even closer until their noses almost touched. He didn’t manage to banish the stupid smile from his lips even as he drew Greg in, resulting in a kiss that wasn't much less awkward than the one they had shared last night. 

It didn't matter to Alex though, this was the happiest he had been in a long time and he was going to savour it as much as possible. 

As Alex melted into his touch, Greg's hand at his jaw tilted his head to the side and their mouths slotted together, like the two of them were always meant to fit together just like this.