TW: None

Alex wasn't really the type to like routine, he preferred the challenge and excitement that came when improvising and making snap decisions. The pump of adrenaline that came from the unknown and having to rely on skill and quick thinking and basically taking one day at a time and enjoying as much of it as you could.

That being said, he still had a routine in the morning and he found some small degree of comfort in the fact that he didn't need to be alert in the mornings to be able to follow it.

Alex would wake at nine to the blaring of the most obnoxious song he could find on his phone, having to change the song every week or so, otherwise he would sleep through it and be late. Again.

Once he stopped cursing at himself for his awful choice of music and questioned why he even had so many remixes of retro video game themes on his phone when he didn't even like dance music, he would roll out of his bed and shuffle off to the bathroom to empty his bladder and decide if his beard was too straggly to leave trimming for another day. The answer was usually yes, but he could never have wielded the clippers safely that soon after waking up so he would huff at himself and head back to his bedroom to pull on some clean clothes.

Once dressed he would go through his phone, checking emails and social media as he brushed his teeth and hoped nobody had posted anything particularly amusing otherwise he would be spraying his clean shirt with spit and toothpaste, on the days he did this he would wonder why he didn't brush his teeth before getting dressed as he scrambled around for another clean shirt.

By this point, regardless of if he had or hadn't had to redress he was usually running late so he would reach out with one arm to snatch up his suit jacket as the other reached over to pull out whichever tie his hand first came into contact with and throw it around his neck, popping his collar up for a moment to tuck it in but not doing it up.

Alex would thunder down the stairs, much to the distress of his roommate and swing by the kitchen where he would snatch up a couple of pieces of whatever was in the fruit bowl then proceed to check any number of the eleven places he often left his keys when he returned home each evening until he held them in his fist.

With a shouted goodbye to his bemused friend at the kitchen table, he would yank open the front door and step out into the world outside, barely twenty minutes after he had woken.

Once out of the house he would slip his arms into his jacket and speed walk to the train station a couple of streets away, some days he would have to jog.

***********

Chris couldn't really remember the first time he noticed the other man on the train, it must have been at least 9 months ago, their first silent interaction happening sometime around the Christmas period.

Chris had been in a bad mood, not that that was unusual for him in the mornings but that morning he had been splashed by some arse hole taxi driver as he waited to cross the road into the train station and his jeans were sticking to his legs, uncomfortable and cold in the coolness of the carriage.

As was usual, Chris had snagged the table in the last carriage that was always almost empty at this time of the day. He settled into the seat, facing backwards towards the doors so he could people watch when others came on board at the stops on the way. He pulled his sketchbook out of his messenger bag, and lifted one leg up to rest on the seat opposite, his knee pressing into the underside of the table. He shoved his large headphones on first, before rooting in his bag for a pencil and cranking the music up loud to block out the world outside for the thirty five minutes or so it would take to reach his destination.

That day though he was too wound up to draw, he hadn't slept very well and he was worried about his job so he had dropped his pencil to the plastic table after fifteen minutes of nothing and looked around the carriage.

It would have been impossible to miss the other man.

The man was sitting on the other side of the aisle in one of the standard seats facing forwards a few rows away, seeming to be having a very animated conversation with someone on the other end of his phone.

He was tall, with messy sandy coloured hair that was mussed from constantly running his one hand through it as he spoke, this wasn't what had drawn Chris' attention. That was down to the shockingly horrific Christmas themed jumper that was visible under his open brown leather jacket.

Just looking at it was like having your eyes assaulted, clashing seasonal colours stitched together to form a scene of Santa flying through the sky delivering presents to awaiting houses below.

The man had looked up, probably feeling eyes scrutinising this awful fashion choices and met Chris' eyes with a wry smile that lifted one side of his face as he continued to talk into the phone. The man brought his hand down from his hair and poked himself in the middle of the chest, still holding Chris' eye as he did so.

Chris lifted his eyebrows and smirked back at him as the jumper lit up, lights appearing in the darkened homes stitched into the garment, Rudolph's nose blinking and the slay twinkling as lights flashed on its trim.

The man made an exaggerated nod and gestured down at himself, obviously pleased with the look of pure horror on Chris' face.

Chris shook his head at him and mouthed the word 'no'.

The man raised both of his eyebrows in mock offence, looking down at himself then meeting Chris' eyes again. 'You love it.' He mouthed back with a wink.

Chris laughed out loud but couldn't hear the sound himself over the music blasting through his headphones and grinned as he held up his middle finger to the man who threw his head back and laughed before pressing a hand to his mouth and focusing his attention back onto his phone call.

*********

It had been a month or so since the jumper incident and they still had not actually spoken to each other, Alex would usually either nod or salute the brown haired man as he took his seat, the man always nodded back, offering a small smile.

Alex settled back into his seat and looked over to share their usual morning greeting but the other man hadn't looked up at him as he usually did, his attention instead focused on typing rapidly onto a laptop. He looked angry, his teeth gritted as he pounded at the keys, his posture stiff in his seat.

Alex reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his breakfast, a small and slightly bruised apple that he gave a look of disgust before deciding that it just wasn't worth it, dropping it onto the empty seat next to him before rummaging in his other pocket and pulling out a handful of chocolates from a box of celebrations that he had raided in the office kitchen before leaving work the night before.

The man had started muttering, Alex wasn't sure if he knew he was making actual sound as he had his ever present headphones plastered to his ears. Alex couldn't make out the words that he was saying but the tone was bitter and mocking as he typed. Reaching up, Alex did up his tie, frowning down at himself as he realised that this was the fourth day in a row he had worn this same one.

The typing and muttering stopped abruptly once Alex was fishing his tie pin from his inside pocket, glancing over he barked a laugh as he watched the other man sit back in his seat and slam a finger down on a button at the bottom of the laptop then proceed to use both hands to swear aggressively at his screen, biting his lip hard as he did so then slamming the laptop closed and shoving it back into his bag on the table.

Alex smiled to himself, he would be lying if he said he didn't think the other man's huffing and slamming of possessions wasn't amusing and if he was totally honest, just a little bit cute.

Alex glanced down at the chocolates in his hand then back towards the man who still hadn't acknowledged his presence, smirking he picked one out and threw it towards the other man where it landed on the table and hit his bag.

The man reached out, taking the wrapped treat in his hand before looking over to Alex who simply opened one of his own and popped it into his mouth with a smirk.

The man shook his head and let out a huffed breath of amusement holding the chocolate up and mouthing a 'thank you' as he unwrapped it, leaning his head back and closing his eyes as he dropped it into his open mouth, chewing with a smile as the train slowed and he gathered up his belongings to disembark.

**********

Chris leant towards the window as the train pulled up at the station where 'train guy' as he had dubbed him in his head usually got on, Chris hadn't seen the other man in over a week. At first he had assumed he was on holiday or something but it was now Wednesday of the second week and he was wondering if he would ever see the other man again when a familiar figure lurched onto the train and practically fell into his usual seat.

The man's eyes were rimmed red, black smudges under them making him look worn and tired. His nose was similarly rosy and he was bundled up in way too many layers for the mild spring weather, his ensemble complete with a thick looking beany pulled over his ears and a grey scarf that was pulled up over his mouth.

His nod was barely visible as he met Chris' eyes for a moment before breaking the contact to hack out a barking cough into his gloved hands that actually carried over the music pounding in Chris' ears.

Chris sniffed sympathetically and made a face at the other man's suffering, rummaging around in his bag for the supplies he still had from a few weeks previously when he himself had come down with a cold.

Chris grinned in victory as he pulled out a half-eaten packet of lozenges in a blister pack, he looked towards the other man, trying to get his attention so he could throw over the packet but the other man was thumbing through his phone with a pained look on his face.

Pursing his lips, Chris let out a loud, shrill whistle through his teeth and held the packet up for the other man to see when he snapped his head up at the noise. The man nodded and held up his hands for Chris to throw him the lozenges.

The man snatched them out of the air as they sailed towards his face, waving them slightly and mouthing a 'thanks' before pushing his thumb against the back of one to pop it out of the blister pack.

**********

Alex's obsession with the other man had started to invade other aspects of his life. He often paused during mundane tasks like waiting for the kettle to boil or on his way to retrieve a document from the printer at work to think about the other man.

Alex had gone through hundreds of names in his head, trying to attach one to the man but they never seemed to fit. On their shared journeys he often wondered about the other man's life.

Alex assumed he worked and that was where he was going every day on the train but he was always dressed casually much like Alex would be when he wasn't at work. Jeans and t shirts, hoodies and trainers.

It had taken a few months for Alex to notice he got off at the same stop as himself, Alex would always walk passed the other man to use the doors further down the train so he could make it to the stairs before the rest of the train disembarking would clog them up and he would be forced to slow his walk to a crawl as they shuffled in front of him.

The man, Alex found out, would wait until the train was almost at a full stop before getting up and using the door at the back of the train, lingering on the platform to adjust his bag on his shoulder before joining the back of the crowd to amble down the stairs. He would walk along the other platform and through the door into the main station where he would join the long queue for the coffee stand that Alex never had time to wait in, instead choking down a horrible instant coffee once he arrived at the office.

It was well into summer, the train swelteringly hot even at twenty five passed nine in the morning as he stepped on board, falling back into his seat as he saluted his 'friend' with a small smile that was returned before the other man bent his head over his book again.

Alex would watch him drawing, not able to see exactly what he was sketching due to the angle he would hold the book. The emotions that crossed his features fascinated Alex, sometimes he would smile down at whatever he was drawing, at other times he would frown, a deep crease forming between his eyebrows as he scrutinised his work, often tilting his head to the side or holding the book further away from himself as he studied it.

A group of five teenage girls chatted loudly as they entered the train at the next stop. Laughing shrilly at one of their members bitching about another girl that Alex assumed was from their school.

The girls piled into seats a few rows down from Alex, some sitting on his side of the carriage and some on the other man's side.

Alex grimaced as their conversation carried clearly through the empty carriage. "Nah!" One of them insisted. "He is so into me, I might even let him cop a feel next time."

Alex couldn't help but bark a laugh that he managed to pass as a coughing fit, leaning forward in his seat and biting his lip to stop himself laughing more.

The other man had been watching him as he buried his face in his hands, glancing around his seat to make sure none of the girls were watching Alex tapped at his ear and pointed towards them to indicate that he should listen to what they were saying.

The man slid his headphones off to rest around his neck, a faint sound of guitars and drums carrying back to where Alex sat now that they were no longer plastered to the man's ears.

"Well, he said he was clean right?" One of the girls said, her voice loud over the giggling of the other girls. "But, he's a holiday rep right? So I was like 'I don't know if he is telling me the truth or if he tries to shag all the girls that come to the resort' and I didn't wanna get pregnant 'cause I have like another two weeks there so it isn't like I can just go to the free clinic or whatever and get the morning after pill." She explained.

"What? So you didn't shag him then?" One of the others asked, her voice quieter than the first girl.

"Nah, I did." She insisted. "I told him to do me up the arse so even if the condom split I couldn't get pregnant."

Alex clamped a hand to his mouth and shared a shocked look with the other man who was biting down on his knuckle, his shoulders shaking in silent laughter. 'Oh my god' the other man mouthed at him as the girls congratulated their friend for her quick thinking. Alex smirked back at him shaking his head in disbelief.

**********

Chris flicked through the pages of his sketchbook as the train pulled away from the station, the face of 'train guy' littering a large portion of the pages, most of them side on views of him looking down at his phone which is how he spent most of his journeys.

Chris flipped to a fresh page, determined to draw something else. He cranked the music volume up and rummaged in his bag, pulling it towards himself to peer inside when he couldn't find a single pencil.

He checked the pockets of his hoodie before emptying everything out of his bag onto the table. Chris caught a glimpse of 'train guy' out of the window and huffed at himself. Snatching up a lone black sharpie from the mess on the table and holding it between his teeth before piling the rest of his belongings back into his bag.

'Train guy' offered him a half-hearted wave as he approached his seat. Chris' lips lifted around the pen in a smile of greeting as he pushed his bag out of the way of his sketch pad. He uncapped the pen with his teeth, taking the cap out of his mouth with his free hand and rolling it in his palm as he surveyed 'train guy' for a moment.

He didn't look happy, usually he would smile at Chris whenever he looked over but today whenever Chris looked over he was staring out of the window looking forlorn until his phone went off and he brought it up to his ear and started talking.

Chris tried to give him some privacy, staring down at the empty page in front of him but he couldn't stop the flicking of his eyes every few seconds, checking the other man's rapidly sagging posture and noting the hand clutching a fist into his own hair.

Chris slid his hand into his pocket and turned down his music to a gentle whisper and pushed one side of the headphones half off his ear.

"Yes, I know that." 'Train guy' was saying into the phone. "I can't just drop work to come home." Chris bit at his lip and kept his eyes down as he listened, his pen hovering over the paper. The man sighed, sounding tired and emotional. "I'll speak to Bill today and see if I can have the rest of the week." He nodded at whatever was being said to him, pinching the bridge of his nose and humming a positive noise. "Yeah, you too." He muttered pulling the phone away from his ear and pressing the end call button as he leant his head back to rest against the seat with his eyes closed.

Chris wracked his brain for something to cheer the other man up, his pen soaking a thick black mark onto the page as it rested against it. Chris smirked at himself as it came to him, his pen flying over the paper as he started drawing.

A few minutes later Chris capped his pen and snorted down at his creation, leaning to the side to try and catch 'train guys' eye.

It took a few minutes but finally 'train guy' looked over. Chris flashed him a shit eating grin and turned the pad around.

A booming laugh filled the air as 'train guy' took in the drawing and offered Chris a double thumbs up. The train began to slow coming up to their stop. The other man stood and waved with a small smile as he walked passed Chris who was closing his sketchbook to stow it back in his bag.

**********

Alex rushed towards the train as the doors started to beep, indicating they were closing. He jumped through the gap and onto the train with a sigh of relief, there was an event at one of the stadiums in the city and the train was much busier than usual after nine on a weekday.

People littered various usually empty seats as he made his way over to his seat. As he approached he noticed that he could see the top of someone's head sitting in the seat opposite where his 'friend' usually sat.

Coming a little closer he could see that the other man was indeed in his usual seat on the side of the table facing Alex, his headphones resting against his collarbone as he stared in wide eyed terror at the person opposite him, flinching back as the head leant forward towards him.

Alex met his eyes for a moment, they seemed to be screaming for help. Alex pointed at his own chest then at the man in a silent offer of help. The man's head twitched in a panicked nod.

Alex took a deep breath and crept closer, trying to gauge the situation.

The voice was a woman. "Here." She said leaning forwards again and snatching up the man's sketchbook and pen. "This is my number, you call me later tonight, say around seven and we can arrange somewhere to meet up and you can take me out to the cinema or a meal or something."

Alex grinned and mussed his hair some more with his hand before striding over to the table. He totally ignored the girl as he leant towards the man and pressed a kiss his forehead. "Hey babe, sorry I didn't text you earlier. I almost missed the train again." The lies fell from his lips as the other man stared at him. "Move up then, let me sit down." Alex said nudging the other man with his hand on his shoulder.

The man shuffled across onto the seat next to the window, Alex slid in beside him and took his hand laying their intertwined fingers on the table.

Alex looked up and faked a look of surprise. "Oh, hi." He said, offering her his most charming smile. "Didn't see you there." Turning to the other man he enquired. "Who's your friend, love?"

The man didn't get a chance to answer as the girls face turned red in a blush. "Oh my god." She said. "I am so sorry!" She said gathering her bag from the seat next to her. "I didn't realise that you..." She stumbled to her feet, throwing the strap of her bag over her shoulder. "Sorry, uh, bye."

Alex pressed his lips together to stifle his laughter and eyed the piece of paper in front of him, being unable to resist. "Nice to meet you..." He started, reading what was written on the paper. "Marissa." The girl practically broke into a run and into the next carriage.

Alex managed to hold his laughter in until the door had closed behind her and he saw her retreating into the next carriage even further up the train.

**********

Chris pulled his hand away as 'train guy' released it, resting his elbows on the table to bury his face in his hands as he joined in laughing.

"Did you see her face?" The other man giggled.

Chris nodded, still laughing. "The way her eyes just fucking popped out of her face when you kissed my head."

"Jesus Christ." The man stuttered as he laughed.

They spent a few more moments laughing, trying to get a handle on their own breaths but failing miserably whenever they looked towards each other.

Taking a few deep breaths Chris grinned at the other man. "Thank you, for the rescue."

The man nodded back. "My pleasure, mate." He replied. Turning slightly in his seat he held a hand out. "Alex Smith."

Chris smiled and took the offered hand in his own. "Chris Trott."

Alex nodded with a thoughtful look.

"What?" Chris asked, narrowing his eyebrows in question.

Alex shrugged. "Just didn't peg you for a Chris."

"Thought about it a lot have you?" Chris shot back, wiggling his eyebrows in suggestion.

Alex smirked. "Enough I suppose." Chris smiled and wet his lips, unsure what to say as a heat rose on his cheeks. "So, draw me anything good lately?" Alex asked motioning to the sketchbook on the table.

Chris reached out and picked it up, angling it away from Alex as he flicked through the pages. "You like Lord of the Rings right?" Chris asked remembering seeing one of the books poking out of Alex's jacket pocket a few weeks before, Chris turned the pad around to show Alex a detailed sketch of The Grey Havens.

Alex's eyes widened and he leant forward in his seat. "Holy shit man, that's fucking beautiful." He said, awe colouring his voice. "You have some serious talent, is this what you do for a living, drawing?"

Chris closed the book and placed it on the table shaking his head. "No, just a hobby."

Alex nodded at him and reached into his pocket to pull out his usual breakfast of whatever had been lying around that morning only to find he hadn't actually brought anything with him in his rush to make sure he didn't miss his train. He let out a huff at himself as Chris pulled his headphones from around his neck and put them in his bag, zipping it up before turning his attention back to Alex sitting next to him.

"Is this weird to you?" Alex asked gesturing to himself and Chris in turn. "Cause this feels stupidly awkward right now and I have no idea why."

Chris snorted a laugh and nodded. "Yeah."

Alex offered him a crooked smile as Chis finally met his eyes. His eyes were lighter than Alex had thought, flecked with lighter golden brown. Chris wet his lips and took and inhaled through his nose as Alex's eyes flicked over his face. "Are you hungry?" Alex asked, his face neutral.

Chris tiled his head and looked back in confusion. "What?"

Alex sighed and scratched at his stubbly cheek. "Are you hungry?" He asked again.

Chris shrugged at him. "I guess?" He said, he voice going up at the end in question.

The train began to slow, pulling into their stop but neither man moved. Alex pushed himself to his feet as Chris slid across to get out from behind the table and stand, throwing the strap of his messenger bag over his head to rest diagonally across his chest.

Alex sucked his bottom lip into his mouth for a moment as Chris stood. Alex turned to walk towards the door, Chris following after him.

Alex stopped short, halting his footsteps causing the smaller man to collide with his back with an expletive and an embarrassed apology.

The taller man spun to face Chris, a hand coming up to clutch at the hair at the back of his head in a nervous gesture. "So, breakfast?" Alex asked as the train's breaks squealed to slow it further.

Chris raised his eyebrows. "What about it?"

"I, uh." Alex stuttered, fisting the hair in his hand. "Can I buy you breakfast?" Chris smiled as a blush spread over the taller man's face and he dropped his hand from his head. "I mean, if you want..." Alex continued.

Chris adjusted the strap on his shoulder, hooking his thumb under it as the train finally came to a full stop. "I don't have time this..." Chris started to explain.

Alex nodded quickly. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's fine. Forget I said anything." He stammered striding towards the door and onto the platform.

Chris hurried after him reaching out to slip his hand into the other mans. "I have an hour for lunch, or I finish at around seven if you fancy dinner instead?"

The answering smile from the other man was enough to set off a fluttering in the pit of Chris' stomach. "How about both?" Alex asked grinning down at him. 

Credit to vexedbeverage on tumblr