♫ — Are We Still Friends? by Tyler The Creator

Alec missed you. He shouldn't miss you, he knew that. It was.. embarrassing to say the least. Your relationship wasn't exactly equal. ‘Was any relationship exactly equal?’ was often his excuse, a shoddy one, he knew.

He broke it off with you for a reason, Alec knew that, he knew it better than even he believed. You didn't put nearly as much into the relationship as he did, not that he did anything crazy.

He'd make compromises, bring you flowers and chocolates, listen to you rant, let you into his when you fell out with your landlord.

What did Alec get in return? Disappearances from his bed whenever you got your apartment back or work began without so much as a note, ghosting him for others, even occasionally you randomly switching up whether or not you were official. He hated relationships. He hated how he let his partners turn him into some kind of kicked puppy. Alec was supposed to be the cold, hard detective, for fuck's sake.

That didn't stop him from having feelings for you. He couldn't be sure whether he loved or resented you, but he knew he still wanted to be around you. You were friends before lovers.

And so, here he was, on your doorstep after work. His eyes were pleading, desperate.

“Are we still friends?” Alec muttered lowly, taking a slight step forward, “Can we be friends?”