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Noah looks up to see Alejandro side-eyeing him, a small grin curling his lips when the shorter of the two finally noticed.
He raises an eyebrow and watches Alejandro cock his head ever-so-slightly to the side. The cargo hold perhaps? Noah ponders as Alejandro heads off.
Probably, as it’s their (basically) designated meet up spot. Noah nods to himself and stands, a few minutes after Alejandro departed.
He gives a barely half thought out excuse to Owen as he, too, slips away from the prying and watchful eyes of the other teens. And cameras.
The heavy metal door closes and Noah has to watch his step as he makes his way down the cargo hold’s steps.
Book in hand, he sighs as he finally reaches the bottom and flips open his book.
He promptly sits on a crate and waits until a pair of thick, muscled arms wrap around him.
“Finally.” Noah grumbles as he snaps the book shut and places it somewhere safe before holding his tired lover.
“Someone’s tired, huh?” Noah murmurs, voice low and near inaudible. Alejandro nods into the crook of his neck.
“It is so exhausting putting up with these people,” Alejandro grumbles as he huffs against Noah’s neck, the hot puff of air and complaint making Noah laugh breathlessly, “I have absolutely no idea how you put up with it alone during season one.”
“I wasn’t there for very long, to be fair.” Noah shrugs, rolling his eyes when Alejandro pinches his side.
“The point ,” Alejandro stresses, disliking when the topic of Noah’s season one performance is brought up, knowing his boyfriend genuinely felt disappointed in himself despite not wanting to admit so, “is that you survived without me . And I’m barely tolerating it here, without you I might have strategically jumped off by now.”
Noah snickers, “As if. You know you’d stick it out to shove it in José’s face. And for the money.”
Alejandro hums but nuzzles Noah’s neck, enjoying the peace they know they’ll have to disrupt soon.
Noah runs a hand through Alejandro’s hair and feels as he relaxes under his touch. He feels his lips quirk up as he does however, feeling a small rush everytime Alejandro relaxes beneath his touch.
Alejandro pulls back to stare at him, sage green eyes half-lidded and darting all over his face, lips pulled into a soft and slight smile.
Noah’s face warms, the heat rising steadily when Alejandro’s hand wanders to his cheek, the other resting on his waist.
“Hi.” Alejandro whispers, earning a more hum-like response from the other.
“What’re you doin’?” Noah murmurs, raising an eyebrow with a joking frown (though he knows, by the smirk slowly growing on Alejandro’s face, that he can feel Noah’s burning face).
“Looking at you.” Alejandro answers, “Appreciating you.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah.” Alejandro’s hum turns to a muffled giggle and he strokes his thumb over Noah’s cheek, “Ay Dios mio, te amo.”
Noah smirks and leans forward to press a soft kiss to Alejandro’s jaw, “Mi amor-ay , t—”
“Finish that and I will be up and out of here before you can even finish that abomination, cerebrito.”
Noah cackles and Alejandro decides to attack by pressing kisses all over his temple, cheek, and bridge of his nose (he’d go to his jaw, but that’d be painful for his back). Noah groans playfully before pressing another chaste kiss to Alejandro’s lips.
“You know,” Alejandro says, a few moments later, “I really wish everyone knew I was dating you.”
Noah hums, “But then you’d get an even worse reputation as a cheater, given your method of picking the competition off.”
Alejandro shudders, “Ugh, I hate that word.” He lets his head fall forward to rest his forehead on Noah’s, “Cheater. Ugh , see? I’m shaking, it’s that horrendous.”
Noah snickers and Alejandro raves on about cheating and cheaters and the pure monstrosity of it.
And as he does, Noah simply thinks about how much he loves this smart idiot.
And how much he never thought he would like, love , someone like he did Alejandro.
“I’ll see you when the show’s over, okay?”
Alejandro pouts as he looks down at his boyfriend, the two of them in the cargo hold minutes before they’ll inevitably called to do the elimination ceremony.
“But—”
“Ale. I’ll see you after the show, ‘kay?”
Noah’s calm and quiet voice calms Alejandro, but not by much.
“Fine.” Alejandro relents, dropping his forehead to rest on Noah’s, “Fine. Ugh. I’m gonna be so lonely for the next few weeks.”
“Mm, you have Heather. She knows the real you.”
Alejandro squeezes Noah and huffs, “Still. What am I to do without my cuddly boyfriend?”
Alejandro chokes as Noah punches him, not hard, but definitely not soft.
“Ow! Noah! Amor!”
“Call me cuddly again and I’m siccing Owen on you.”
Alejandro gasps in outrage and completely forgets the inevitable as he rants to his boyfriend.
(Later, he’ll only ache harder for the boy he’s enamored with, the boy who knows just how to distract him when he’s stressed or worried.)
Noah scoffs and stands, “ Whatever . I’d rather jump than listen to you any longer anyway.”
He rolls his eyes and strides to where his parachute laid.
Except, Chris intercepts him, a sharp grin on his face.
“Ah ah ah.” Chris wags a finger in his face, “As fun as it’d be to see you drop—”
Noah interrupts with a grumbled, “Creep.”
“—I noticed a lot of our audience loves you! Hah, trust me, I don’t get it either.”
Noah looks over his shoulder to his former team with a bewildered look, only to get one back from them all. His boyfriend looks a little hopeful however, and Noah finds he’s willing to punch Chris if he makes him sad.
Ugh, love is so weird..
“But to send you packing would damage views.”
“You do realize the cameras are still rolling, right?”
“Editors can cut it out.” Chris waves him off, “Now I’m gonna offer you a deal of a lifetime .”
“I can already hear future me screaming.” Noah quips before sighing, “Hit me.”
“You stay and become my assistant, pay included.”
Noah perks up before narrowing his eyes, “The catch?”
“You pop up in episodes frequently.”
Noah glares before looking over his shoulder, catching Owen’s happy eyes and Alejandro’s wide eyes.
He looks back at Chris and shrugs, “I won’t be put in any danger. Not challenges or anything like that.” Though it was supposed to be a request, it was more a demand.
And with how Chris rolls his eyes and grumbles, he knows his demands will be more than likely headed.
“Fine, fine, whatever. You’re no fun.” Chris sighs before nodding, “Alright alright.”
“‘Kay. I’ll be your dumb assistant.” Noah huffs as he crosses his arms.
“Great! Oh the fun we will have!” Chris snickers, a gleam in his eyes as he turns to the cameras with an arm slung around his shoulders.
As Chris babbles on, Noah’s eyes slide to the side to find his boyfriend leaning forward, a hopeful look in his eyes as his teeth sink into his lower lip.
He sends him a discreet smile before elbowing Chris off and following his boyfriend under the guise of joining Owen.
When they leave, Alejandro turning to go to the confessional, Noah looks his way one more time.
Just in time to see Alejandro grinning brightly at him before turning his head back around.
Noah sighs and wonders just what his past self would say if he found out his future self, after already having experience being employed by Chris fucking McLean, took a job offer by Chris fucking McLean because he couldn’t stand being away from his boyfriend.
He’d probably have a concussion from his book in all honesty. Noah finds himself thinking of Alejandro charming smile and..
Well, he’d deal with his hypothetical concussion.