#joelhole

He likes John, there wasn’t a freckle out of place or an opinion that Alex couldn’t get on board with. If Alex were to pick up a pen and think about the other teenager, he couldn’t be responsible for the poetry that fell from his hand. Because that’s what John was. Poetry. In the way he smiled, the way his eyes lit up with passion, the careful concentration on his face when he sketched, the way he would flush when he was angry. John wrote poetry by existing and Alex was never one to silence the words when they came to him. He should have known it was only a matter of time before his infatuation was discovered. 

He had been friends with John for about a month, the two were glued to each others hips at school. Alex wasn’t even known for being the new kid anymore, he was just known as the other part of their dynamic duo. One line that Alex hadn’t crossed was bringing his best friend home. He’d lived with the Mirandas for the same amount of time, and though he was growing more comfortable with them, Alex wasn’t sure about how they would react if he brought a boy over. And honestly, he wasn’t willing to risk it. 

That plan was thrown out the window for two reasons. 

1. John wanted to meet Lin. 

2. Lin found his poetry. 

The first was understandable. Alex didn’t share much about his past but he had a lot to say about the present. Especially about his foster father. He had never met anyone who seemed as genuinely good as Lin appeared to be. He was still on the fence about the family but Alex was ready to rope the moon from the stars if it would make John happy. So he told the other boy maybe. 

That maybe turned into an insufferable yes when Lin found a stray piece of paper with a few stanzas of a poem that Alex had been working on. The scrap must have fallen out of his notebook and when he had realized it was his words that Lin was reading out loud, Alex wanted to curl up and let the world swallow him whole. It wasn’t even one of his more emotional pieces, but there were still words describing freckles as the constellations to love, truth and beauty. 

0-0-0-0-0

“If you don’t really want me to meet him it’s okay. I get that this is a thing for you.” 

Alex looked over, John was giving him a reassuring smile and seemed to be telling the truth. They were standing in front of the Miranda’s apartment, as they had been for the past five minutes. Alex had tried to move but his feet seemed glued to the ground. 

“I want you to meet him.” He whispered, giving John a pained smile, “I just can’t seem to remember how to move my feet.” 

John let out a light laugh, pushing on his shoulder lightly. “You can spin an argument in zero seconds flat but can’t remember how to walk?” 

Alex shrugged, leaning closer to John with the momentum from the shove. He took a deep breath, John’s laughter giving him the strength that had momentarily left him, taking a step forward. “Yeah, let’s go.” 

At that moment the door opened wide. Lin standing with his hair in a bun and his eyes alight with excited energy. “I thought you were never gonna move, had me worried for a moment there kiddo.” Lin gave John a searching look, his eyes landing heavily on the boys face, “This must be Freckles.” He held out his hand. 

Alex blushed. 

John gave Lin a confused but friendly smile, shaking the man’s hand politely. “It’s John actually, John Laurens.” 

This isn’t going to go well, Alex thought to himself as he and John were ushered inside by a bright eyed Lin. 

0-0-0-0-0-0

An hour later, John is waving goodbye to Alex (whose face hasn’t faded from bright red the whole visit) and Lin (whose been shooting Alex knowing). 

As soon as the Lin shuts the door, he twirls facing Alex, his face serious.

Alex felt his heart begin to pick up speed. 

“You need to marry him.” his voice was sure and firm. 

It took a moment for the words to process, giving Lin a blank look. 

Lin threw his hands in the air, “No seriously. He’s cute, and you’re so cute when he talks to you. That boy is so in love with you too.” He slaps a hand to his forehead in exasperation, “I can’t even handle the two of you.” 

“I don’t understand.” Alex said quietly, dazed. 

Lin walked back to the sofa, collapsing with a world weary sigh. “He looked at you like you hung the stars, and you looked at him like he was the stars.” He gave the gaping teenager a stern look, “Alex, my man, you gotta step up and ask him out. It would be perfect. I’m sure of it, you guys are perfect for each other.” His eyes widen, hastily digging in his pocket for his phone, “Oh god, wait till Vanessa hears about Freckles. She’s gonna be so upset she missed this.” He begins to text frantically.

Alex’s own phone chimes with a text alert. He unlocks the screen. 

(1) New Text From John Laurens 

Thanks for having me over, it was just as awesome as I thought it would be! :) Wanna hang out after school tomorrow? Ice cream on me? 

Alex smiled, and is about to reply when he is interrupted by the unmanly squealing of his foster father. He looks over and sees the man sprawled out on the couch, seemingly melting into the furniture with the emotions.

He points at Alex accusingly, “That’s him isn’t it.” Alex doesn’t respond, looking down sheepishly, “Oh my god. Of course it is, look at your face.”