Alex and Felix (LGBT) ?

Part 3

"I'll arrange another viewing for that then. Is next weekend good for everyone?"

The next viewing went pretty well and, since they'd agreed that they wanted to be housemates next year, they signed the tenancy agreement then and there. They handed over their deposits to the landlord, walking out roughly four hundred pounds lighter.

"I feel like that's the first adult decision I've made." Alex said.

"Really? What about when you moved into halls?"

"Yeah, but that was done through the university and I just listed my halls preferences and waited for them to give me a room. This is different. This is growing up."

Scotty laughed, pulling him in for a hug. "And you're growing up with us as the good influences."

"No," Ellie said, "don't try and take him under your wing. Because I am not spending second year living with three boys who bring home more guys than I do."

"She loves it, really," Scotty told Felix, stepping up the pace to walk with him. "I have to give her all the details afterwards, it's terrible."

"Even when you slept with me?"

"Oddly no. We were too busy laughing about the fact that Alex gave you the wrong number, he's surprisingly bad with new people."

"No, I'm not." Alex protested, tugging on Felix's arm. "I made friends with Felix, didn't I?"

"But I slept with him." Scotty pointed out. "That automatically gives me more points than just a friendship."

"Nah," Felix said, jumping to Alex's defence. "Friendship is the closest thing me and Alex could ever have because he's straight, remember? Which kind of puts him on equal footing with you."

Scotty looked at Alex, the kind of look that spoke volumes, and Alex shrugged. He was going to tell Felix, just later, when it was a better time and when he felt more comfortable. Maybe he'd had a fair few opportunities such as the very first time they met or even right now but Alex wanted the perfect opportunity and he still hadn't told Felix when he was dragged along to an LGBT society meeting. He wanted to then but he was the plus one that Felix had brought and it wouldn't do to take the limelight away from him.

"So why is this held at a bowling alley? Isn't there supposed to be some gay pride parade or nightclub they can visit?"

Felix laughed. "You know that our sexuality doesn't define us? We can do normal things like any other society and not just centre everything around one small facet of our personality because, while it's important, it's not all that we are."

He knew that, he did, but he'd grown up in the smallest backwater village in probably the entirety of England and he'd expected a little more freedom and rampant hedonism when he moved to the big city. He honestly didn't know if he was disappointed or not in this society meeting.

"Come on, we should get a team together," Felix said, bringing him forward and bounding up to a group of girls. "Hi, do you mind if we join you?"

"Sure. We needed another two people to come along."

The girls were all really friendly and, over the course of two games, Alex got to know them all better. He especially liked Imogen, who'd he'd talked to when they queued for slushies, and they'd found common ground in their taste of movies, particularly superhero ones. It was easy and comfortable to talk to her and he didn't feel like any topic was off limits.

"So, what's the hair about?" Alex asked, gesturing at the short, dark blue locks on her head.

"I ruined my hair and had to chop it all off." She reached up a little self-consciously. "The blue was my sister's idea, she thought it'd look nicer if I had a pixie cut like this."

"It's a good colour," he said, because he understood feeling self-conscious about his hair, too. "It looks nice on you."

She grinned at him. "Thanks. Your hair's nice, too."

He looked at her dubiously. "I'm ginger and there is a grand total of no one who thinks that's a nice look."

"Ed Sheeran's ginger and look at him."

"Yeah." He agreed, because the man was amazing. "But I don't exactly have his musical talents. It's just a thing, I've gotten used to it."

Imogen frowned, not looking satisfied with his answer, but she left it since it was her turn to bowl. Alex sat back, watching as she got a spare, and then he was called up and he showed her how it was done with a strike. It was pure luck, if he was being honest, but Felix wouldn't stop crowing about it and how proud he was. Alex beamed back at him.

It was a good night.