TW: Cute fluffs

Alex kicks his feet against the tarmac, dislodging a few stones, and paces a little in front of the pub. Hoody zipped up higher than usual, Alex is half tempted to flip the collar of the button-up shirt he is wearing underneath it against the cold wind tenaciously licking at the back of his neck.

The pub's doors swing open as a gaggle of middle-aged regulars barge through it, chuckling with one another as they go. A burst of warm air, punctuated by the sounds of general hubbub, spills through the doors and washes over Alex in a wonderful, but brief, wave of heat. Ducking his head and scratching nervously at the back of his hair when one of the patrons glances his way, Alex digs in his hoody pocket for his phone and swiftly unlocks it.

To: Trotty 2 Hotty

i think ur m8 has stood me up

Watching the message send before he shoves the phone back in his pocket with added irritation, Alex huffs a cloud into the air and leans back against the outer wall of the pub. Wriggling a little to try and find a place that isn't digging into his spine, Alex feels his phone vibrate next to his stomach just as a soft voice addresses him.

"Are you Smith?" Alex whips his head around and finds himself suddenly thrown into a romance movie. A guy maybe an inch shorter than himself, with short dark brown hair and the most beautiful ocean grey eyes he has ever seen, is standing smiling at Alex expectantly.

"I, uh, yeah that's me!" Alex manages, wrestling his voice from where it had become trapped in his throat, and grins nervously at the attractive stranger. "You must be Ross?" Alex's friend, Chris, had set him up on a 'date' with one of his friends from University; exclaiming that he had never met anyone more suited for Alex and that it'd be a crime against humanity if he didn't set them up.

Ross beams and nods, taking his hand from the pocket of his dark grey hoody and extending it for Alex to shake. Alex swallows his nerves and takes the offered hand, holding on a beat longer than he feels he should have, and clears his throat.

"Shall we, uh," Ross stares openly at Alex and makes his voice stick again.

"Go in?" Ross smirks, not maliciously, and Alex chuckles gratefully. He and Ross make for the door, only to bump into one another whilst trying to go through at the same time. Laughter light and breathless with nerves, Alex steps back to allow Ross to go first and curses himself for being such an uncharacteristically awkward twat.

Out of the corner of his eye, however, Alex's libido hastily draws his attention to the back of Ross' jeans and gives him a metaphysical thumbs up. Cringing at himself, Alex jumps and blushes when suddenly the bar is in front of him and Ross is stood beside him, smiling expectantly again. A quick glance into his eyes and Alex realises in that moment that Ross is just as nervous as he is about the whole thing.

"D'you wanna go find a table? I'll get your drink," Alex offers with a falsely nonchalant shrug of his shoulders, and feels glad of it when Ross smiles brightly and makes Alex's heart flip in his chest.

"Cheers, yeah. I'll just have a Bud?" There is a glimmer of uncertainty in Ross' eyes that Alex finds curiously endearing, and he inclines his head in a nod as Ross wanders off to find a table. Alex places their order first, and turns his head to watch Ross find somewhere to sit as he waits for the drinks.

Ross shuffles between two crowded tables towards an empty booth in a back corner of the pub; catching Alex's eye with a small shy wave and gesturing towards the table as though asking if it is okay. Alex nods dramatically, raising his hand in a thumbs up and grinning broadly.

"Here you are, mate." The barman snaps Alex out of his moment of staring, doe-eyed, at Ross. Jumping a little as he turns back to the bar, Alex wraps his hands around the cold glass of the drinks and heads over to wear Ross has taken up temporary residence. Turning sideways and holding the drinks aloft as he squeezes through the same crowded tables, careful not to spill any, Alex grins once again as he approaches his and Ross' booth.

"Hey hey-hey!" He chirps, instantly chiding himself for the cheesy greeting, and places the drinks on the table as he slips into his seat opposite Ross. Heart jumping into his throat as he feels his knees knock against Ross' under the table, Alex stumbles over an apology and blushes when Ross chuckles and dismisses it.

"Thanks," Ross murmurs, fingers curling around his drink. Alex can't help but notice the way that Ross has pulled his hoody sleeves over his palm, and suppresses the flutter of adoration in his stomach. Clearing his throat, Ross takes a quick mouthful of his drink and breaks the silence that has settled between them.

"So... Trott tells me you build computers?" Ross smiles when Alex's eyes light up at the question, a small smile spreading across his face in a way that just makes him more attractive. Ross had assumed that Chris had just been trying to get him to agree to doing this when he had told him that Alex is attractive. When he'd actually seen him standing there outside the pub, all tall and broad with his tousled auburn hair and stubble, Ross had hardly believed it.

Alex's eyes sparkle prettily, his mouth curled into a near permanent grin as he talks Ross through his personal computer; each component and its uses spilling from his lips as though he himself is a computer of sorts. At some point Ross forgets his drink, instead leaning one elbow on the table and cradling his chin as he becomes engrossed in Alex talking tech. After around ten minutes, however, Alex falls quiet and blushes; shy smile pulling at his lips and eyes furtively meeting Ross'.

"Sorry, I- didn't mean to ramble," Alex apologises, and Ross sits up in surprise. Hands moving in vague gestures, Ross shakes his head reassuringly.

"No! No it was..." cute. Ross makes eye contact with Alex across the table, the unsaid word hanging in the air between them until Ross blushes and fidgets with his sleeves. "It was interesting." He murmurs, biting at his lip.

Alex takes a deep breath in preparation, gathering his courage, and suddenly slips his hand across the table to rest over Ross'. Ross flushes prettily, breathing steadily to calm his heartbeat as he moves his fingers to fit between Alex's.

"You're really cute." Alex blurts, taking Ross in a burst of flustered flattery. Immediately Alex puts his spare hand over his eyes and groans in embarrassment. "Sorry I don't know why I just shouted that at you."

Ross smiles fondly, dropping his eyes to his and Alex's entwined fingers and remembering something else Chris had told him. His and Alex's mutual friend had explained that whilst Alex assumed himself to be a big-shot when it came to flirting, when he actually liked someone he is hopeless with conversation. He had then followed up with giving Ross tidbits of information about Alex in hopes that Ross could actually start them off talking.

"What kinda music d'you like?" Ross asks Alex across the growing awkward silence, and Alex grins sheepishly as he runs his fingers through his hair in a movement that Ross can't help but be completely attracted to.

"Don't judge, but I really like a lot of country type music?" Alex ducks his head, still grinning, and Ross feels his heart thud happily in his chest at the expression. Smiling slowly back, his thumb absently brushing over Alex's own, Ross raises a playful eyebrow.

"Oh, right? I'm more of an electronic person myself, but I'm pretty down for anything so I'm not one to judge." Feeling more relaxed, Ross takes a sip of his drink and unconsciously smiles when Alex does the same without looking at him. "Play any instruments?" Ross continues, and Alex almost chokes on his drink in eagerness to talk about the subject.

Some time later, in the middle of a tangent conversation about dream pets - Ross laughing about Alex's almost concrete argument about why a sea otter would the best pet - Alex's phone starts to buzz incessantly in his pocket. Fishing it out and looking at the caller ID, Alex raises an eyebrow and holds the phone out across the table so that Ross can see who is calling. Even with Alex's nickname in place, Ross recognises the caller as being Chris from the ridiculous ID photo. Grinning sneakily, Ross takes the phone from Alex and answers it for him.

"Alright, mate?" Ross says casually down the phone, beaming across the table at Alex trying to stifle his laughter behind his hand. Alex can just about hear the confusion in Chris' voice as he recognises that Ross has just answered Alex's phone, and bites his lip when Ross answers.

"He's here, sat opposite me trying not to laugh too loudly." Ross winks at Alex, spurring a flurry of butterflies into action in his stomach. Suddenly Ross' smile falters, replaced by a wide-eyed blush, and after a pause of nervously licking his lips he speaks into the receiver again.

"I- no, not yet, we-" Ross starts, only to be cut off by the indistinct murmur of Chris on the other end of the line, and after a moment takes the phone away from his ear; passing it to Alex.

Frowning in confusion, Alex takes the phone from Ross and holds it to his ear, not quite knowing what to expect after watching Ross go from playful to flustered in a matter of seconds.

"Yello?" Alex greets, and immediately Chris is half-yelling down the receiver at him.

"Kiss Ross already will you?" Alex stomach flips at Chris' words, his eyes flicking over Ross lips and nervously away when he feels his cheeks burn.

"Trott what the fuck mate you can't just-"

"Oh come on, you already let him use your phone, which I have never been allowed to do, and you've only been in that pub together about three hours." Alex can practically hear Chris rolling his eyes, and swallows hard when he realises how good a point his friend is making. Wetting his lips, still not looking across the table at Ross and instead focusing on a glass stain in front of him, Alex sighs.

"I hate you."

"Nah you don't. Now, kiss him!" Chris commands, and with a beep in Alex's ear hangs up. Pausing for a few seconds before he takes the phone away from his ear, Alex stares at it in his hand and rubs his thumb over the screen nervously.

"Ross, uh-" Alex manages, eyes continuing to be fixed on the table. No more words make their way out of his mouth however, as suddenly Ross is leaning over the table and tracing Alex's jaw with his fingers. Alex looks up then; the sky blue of his eyes clashing with the whirls of grey that make up Ross'. Sitting up a little in his seat, Alex takes one fleeting look down at Ross' lips before closing his eyes and tentatively pressing kissing Ross.

The initial contact is like a blessed exhale, making Alex stand a little so that he can better reach Ross without Ross having to bend over the table too much. After the first hesitant brushes of lips finding one another, Ross kisses back properly and steadies himself with one hand on the table, the other grasping Alex's shoulder.

"Kissing on a first date," Alex murmurs against Ross' lips when he has pulled back a little, and raises an eyebrow when he glances up and into Ross' eyes. "How naughty."

Ross giggles softly, chuckling as he leans back into his seat and sits there beaming attractively up at a still standing Alex. Exhilarated by that first kiss, Alex returns the grin as he too sits back down in his seat. This time there are no nerves as he reaches for Ross' hand and intertwines their fingers, and as Alex looks across the table at Ross - his heart going a mile a minute in his chest - he mentally reminds himself to thank Chris later.

Credit to Smushfaace on Ao3