We were fighting. Again.

Our arguments had become more recent nowadays, to the point where one of us only had to breath in the other's direction to set them off. I slept in the guest room, my things stuffed in a corner. Liam stayed in his room, neither of us acknowledging each other over morning coffee. A stone was set permanently in my stomach, waiting for the words that would send me packing and leave me officially single.

But they never came. Not verbally. But eventually, I got the hint. Staying over at Fred's place for the day helped relieve some of the anxiety, but left the tension of my return tighter than ever.

"I don't know, man," Fred would say, his eyes glued to the screen and a console in his hand. "Maybe you should just back off. You and Liam have been at it for weeks now. I'm surprised one of you hasn't broken it off already."

So was I, but I wasn't about to tell Liam that. Both of us were hoping things would work out, and neither wanted to crush the other's hopes by saying the forbidden words. But the line drew closer and closer, and it made me want to do nothing more than hold onto Liam and never let go.

Voicing my concerns to Fred probably wasn't the best idea.

"Look," he said, rummaging around in his pocket and pulling out a twenty. "Take this and go to the store. Buy yourself whatever you want. Just let me know if you need some place to crash."

I thanked him, staring at the bill in my hand. My feet started moving without my consent, heading out the door and onto the sidewalk before I registered what was happening and where I was going. Soon enough, the wooden door and golden number sat staring me in the face.

I stayed here for a second, the money still clutched in my hand. Finally, I took a deep breath, pulled my keys from my pocket and went inside.

The place was a lot messier than when I had left it this morning, with takeout boxes and crumb littering the couch. I heard the coffee machine going, and the smells of cream and sugar drifted to my nose. I stood there, letting the noise and memories engulf me.

That is, until Liam walked through the door.

He stared at me for a second, his green eyes tracking my face, the cup of coffee steaming in its mug. He ran a hand through his tousled brown hair, looking away as he said, "Why are you home so early?"

The word "home" gave me courage.

"I was paid," I told him, waving the money in my hand. Liam snorted.

"If you're not here because you want to be, then get out," he said, plopping onto the couch and scrolling through TV channels. 

I winced, scolding myself for joking around. This isn't funny.

I wrapped my arms around myself, not quite sure what to do. I didn't even know why I was here.

My eyes strayed around the apartment, coming to rest on Liam, who was tense and still. He was obviously waiting for me to leave.

Here goes nothing, I thought. My feet made soft pats on the hardwood floor as I moved over to him, throwing myself onto the couch. Before he could react, I put a hand to his cheek and pressed my lips against his.

One, two, three seconds and he didn't pull away. When we finally broke apart, slightly out of breath, he stared at me, his green eyes flecked with gold. "What are you doing?"

"I was paid to stay away, Liam," I told him, my hand still on his face. "I came because I love you."

His face softened, his voice breathy. "God, James, I love you too."

I grinned, pressing closer to him and facing the TV. His arm went around my shoulders, and we stayed like that for the first time in weeks. 

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K, that was a little rushed, sorry about that. Also does anyone else feel like this would be a great Malec moment? I don't know why, but I can totally see this happening with them.