"Did you spend a lot of time around my dad after I left for the Air Force?" Alex asked, "And I- I'd have believed you if you'd said you'd had surgery, or that you'd gone to see a doctor. It was a long time, Michael, between when we saw each other." He thought that, maybe, it didn't occur to Michael, traumatised and hurting. And he pulled away from Alex after that event anyway, and Alex- Well, he hadn't realised that Michael pulling away hadn't been about what had happened between them but what had happened to Rosa when he was eighteen. He knew now, and he felt bad for not reaching out, but that was how things were.
He watched Michael's hand push through his hair and flexed his fingers before folding his arms, fighting the desire to reach out and tug Michael in, just press their foreheads together. Breathe in until the world settled down around them.
"I knew you were lying," Alex offered softly, in a tone he hoped was non-accusatory. "Shit- Michael that- God." He didn't even know what to say. He couldn't have prepped for this conversation, he felt like he was on the back foot and blew out a breath, knowing if he walked out now to get some space and cool his head would be absolutely the wrong move. "I'm- I'm glad you're okay. And that you- that Max didn't let you die."