Chapter Text
Alex has heard of him, of course. Miles Kane. Alex has seen him perform, too, at various festivals both Miles and the Monkeys been recruited to play and he's certainly a talented musician. Alex would even go so far to admit, only in private, that Miles is as a good a guitarist as he is. And their paths had crossed other places, too, at industry events, festivals, parties and afterparties, and bars and restaurants. All that though, and they'd never really spoken, not more than a few words here and there, maybe a "Pardon me," a "Sorry," a "Is this the line?" or maybe ever to borrow a lighter or bum a cigarette on very rare occasion.
Alex has always been told Miles was trouble, and, funnily enough, Miles has been told the same thing. Miles has a reputation for being heartless and allergic to commitment. People tell Alex that even if Miles would sleep with him, he'd be unceremoniously kicked out on his ass and probably heartbroken because Miles is exactly what Alex would go for in a partner and has a tendency to misplace his affections.
Alex, on the other hand, has a reputation for being drugged to the gills, especially for things like award shows or industry events where he's expected to talk to more than a few people. People who don't really know Alex tell Miles that he passes more time medicated than he does sober and that Miles really shouldn't get within ten feet of Alex because he's a breakdown or an overdose just waiting to happen.
They both, however, have something of a reputation for sleeping around, but unlike the stories about Alex, there are no stories about Miles and other men floating around. So for a long time, they stay safely on opposite sides of rooms, casting glances, which is rather unfortunate, because they would get on like a house on fire.
The rumors about Miles aren't quite true. He is, admittedly, not very fond of commitment to romantic or sexual partners, and he does have a tendency to send his one-night-stands on their way first thing in the morning, that is true. It's more out a need to protect his feelings though, not because he's a heartless asshole. If anything, he has too much heart, too much love. It's gotten him hurt in the past and he's not keen to do it again. And it's not that he doesn't sleep with men, it's that he's a little quieter about it than Alex is and people don't focus on him the way they do Alex.
And the rumors about Alex are just a little bit unfair. It is true that he takes Xanax before some events, only when he's having a bad day, so he doesn't have a panic attack in the bathroom or chain smoke all night, but he has a prescription and he always asks someone to keep an eye on him when he does so he doesn't make a fool of himself or cause problems. It is also true that he enjoys other things, like cocaine in clubs after shows, a joint here and there, or anything else that might give him a new experience, but he passes more time sober than he does intoxicated. And Alex, and to a certain extent, his band, decided at the beginning of their careers than fans who would care that Alex is bisexual are fans they don't want. Still, he did keep his sexuality under wraps in the early years, mostly because he didn't want to deal with it being public knowledge. The older he got, though, the less he cared about it.
They stay believing the worst of the other on opposite sides of rooms until there's an award show and they both end up in the bathroom at the wrong time.