Title: Without A Doubt

Rating: T

Words:

Genre: Friendship, Humor, Romance.

Characters/Parings: Rex Salazar, Noah Nixon

Warnings: Pre-Noex fluff, Establishing Noex

Summary: Rex proves he and Noah make the best partners. Takes place during the episode "Without a Paddle." It is also a sequel to "Waiting to Hear." Although I encourage you to have read it before this story, it is not necessary.

Author's Note: For Jessica499499, because I promised her and she has the patience of a saint. Enjoy!

Without A Doubt.

The crowd roared as the team from Ben Franklin High stepped into the gymnasium. Rex shrank back against the doors and took it all in. All week there had been parties over their win in the table tennis qualifiers. It had been everything Rex had ever wanted from Providence, recognition and friends to share it with him. But now the stakes were even higher than before, today they were facing their second competitor. Rex tried not to panic. Even though they had shut out their first game, a pile of butterflies still fluttered inside his stomach as if he was headed for their first match again. In a way it was, here teams were no longer trying to qualify they had already done that, now everyone here were setting their eyes onto a new prizes the Golden Paddle. Rex spied it on the glinting on the table on the far side of the gym. It was really just plastic painted gold, but it was the goal and every school here wanted it for their trophy cases, including Ben Franklin High.

No pressure, Rex thought and fidgeted with his gloves, not knowing if he should keep them on or pull them off. His palms were starting to sweat so in the end he took off the gloves and stuffed them into the pocket of his shorts.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when someone screamed and being to call out his name. It looked like he had been spotted. He couldn't tell who had shouted so Rex grinned awkwardly and waved in the general direction of the scream. That was when he noticed many people had begun wearing goggles like his. It was strange to be emulated Rex wasn't sure quite how to handle it. He was creeped out and flattered at the same time. He fingered the band of his trademark goggles and thought about pulling it off, before deciding there was no harm in keeping them on.

"This is insane," Noah whispered and elbowed Rex in the ribs. "Can you believe this? I think the crowd is bigger than last time."

Rex rubbed the place where Noah had jabbed him and looked over to the shorter teen. He was glad Noah was here with him. If there was anyone who could understand the mixed feelings he was going through it was Noah. A twinge of affection swept through Rex as he looked at his friend. Ever since their hug in the locker room last week Rex had noticed an odd twisting sensation whenever he was near Noah. The warmth and support that Rex had felt from the older teen, it made him want to hug Noah all the time. "Insane," Rex repeated with a side smirk.

"I know what you are thinking."

"I doubt it," Rex said blushing.

"Will you let me finish?"

"Right, sorry."

Noah closed his eyes and cleared his throat. "Well, great you've ruined my flow," he pouted. "Now I have to start all over."

"By all means," Rex said leaning towards Noah, a wide grin over his lips.

Noah blinked and Rex could have sworn Noah cheeks were redder than they were a moment before. "I know what you are thinking, but remember it is just a game. Winning isn't," he took a deep breath to steady himself. "Winning isn't everything." Noah smiled and patted Rex on the shoulder. "Try to have some fun, yeah?" Noah encouraged, though it sounded more like he was talking to himself than he was to Rex. "And not let any threats of a beat down get in the way of your focus."

"Dude, do you know who I am? I'm the guy that regularly hands out beat downs, especially against bullies," Rex promised and adjusting his wristband stepped out with head and paddle arm held high and his partner by his side.

When the buzzer went off for lunch at midday half of the qualifying schools had been eliminated, but Ben Franklin High was not one of them. The blond didn't wait for them to be in the locker room before he hugged Rex. If Rex thought the crowd had loved it when they stepped onto the court, they nearly lost their minds when the second after Rex had made the winning score, he was tackled to the ground, his arms were full of his blond friend. Rex couldn't help but laugh and hold Noah to him as he also celebrated their second win.

"One down, four to go!" Noah cheered beating on Rex's chest in excitement.

The hits didn't hurt the EVO teen in the slightest, but they did surprise him. Warmth exploded within him, he had never seen Noah so excited before. Usually Noah was the one to second guess everything and stress over every social move he made, Rex had figured Noah would be the same here. But instead of musing over every play and sizing up their next opponent, Noah was taking the time to enjoy their win. It was difficult to not want to see more of this side of Noah.

Noah leaned back to look down at Rex and Rex looked sheepishly at him. Noah had a brilliant smile plastered over his face. Rex's nanites were going nuts, as if they also craved his Noah's touch. My Noah. Rex had spent the last week adding the pronoun to the front of Noah's name whenever he thought about the blond and each time he thought back to that locker room hug his nanites buzzed with a way Rex hadn't experience since he saw Doctor Holiday out of her lab coat for the first was shaken out of his thoughts as the crowd began to chant:

"C-NOTES! C-NOTES!"

"Oh wow," Noah said taking in the audience response.

"Yeah, wow," Rex said looking at Noah as if he was seeing him for the first time. In a way, he was. His nanites continued to buzz as if they were preparing to build something and were only wanting for Rex to give the okay. He swallowed and slapped Noah on the hip with his paddle. "Noe. Get off. We got more matches to win before we start the post-game party."

He meant it as a joke, but he felt Noah tense above him as he took in their position and this time Rex was sure that Noah's face had turned red in embarrassment. Rex's nanites practically purred at the sight and Rex felt the need to see Noah blush more often. Focus, man. Win the next match now, tease Noah later. Rex felt a shiver run down his back, but he managed to clear his head and quieted his nanites, though it was a little harder to ignore the flutter in his stomach thinking about Noah gave him.

"Right, uh let's get going," Noah agreed and with a grunt he hopped off of Rex. "We're at table five," He gestured towards the large white board with his paddle. It listed the rankings of the tournament. Ben Franklin was written in blue marker under the numeral five.

"Cool," Rex murmured, not sure what he was saying. He played it off with a grin and followed Noah.

Rex couldn't prove it, but it seemed as if Noah took extra care not to touch Rex again for the rest of the day. Even when they won Noah kept his distance, giving Rex a wide grin and a lame thumbs up as they blew thru the next three matches. Rex tried not to take it personally and chalked up his concerns about Noah avoiding him to paranoia. Besides, he didn't have time to worry about possibly made up ideas, the C-Notes were about to play for the Championship.

Now Rex was never one to shy away from a fight, especially after the pleasure of meeting their coach. But going up against the EVO brothers was a slightly different matter. For one thing Noah had made him promise not to use his own EVO strength against the melded duo. Rex had argued with him, stating that pitting his EVO powers against the conjoined twins' strength was the reason Noah wanted him there in the first place.

"I know that's what I said, but I don't you coming out swinging with the big fists. At least not at first," Noah pointed out. "I don't wanna be fouled out. Let's wait for Gabriel and Michael to make the first move. Let's see how the refs call it."

Rex smiled. He was secretly pleased he had called their next opponents by their names instead of their nicknames "The EVO Twins." He knew Noah didn't have a problem hanging out with him, but it was reassuring to see Noah treated people with respect, human or EVO-kind. It was one of the many things about Noah Rex liked about him. "You're the boss," he conceded, raising his arms in surrender.

"Yep, I'm the boss." Noah smiled uncertainly, eyeing the crowd. Rex had a pretty good idea who Noah was looking for.

Instantly Rex reached out and draped an arm around Noah's shoulders. "Don't worry Noah, with your brains and my talents we could win this thing in our bed-sleep. In our sleep." Rex corrected and immediately released Noah.

Luckily, Noah seemed more preoccupied with staring at the jocks who had threatened them the previous week to notice Rex's blunder, and Rex couldn't have been more relieved. He thumped Noah on the back, breaking into whatever thoughts were rolling though that blond head of his.

"Rex?"

"Let's go win this thing." Rex motivated raising his arm so they could high five each other.

Instantly Noah's weak smile brightened into a smirk, his game face already sliding into place.

00000000

Providence airships covered the place, blockading the gym as they did damage control. Rex was thankful Noah stood by his side as White Knight gave him one of the longest speeches about responsibility and the meaning of the words 'secret agent'. The lecture ended with Rex being dismissed from Ben Franklin High and promises that his life would become unhappy indeed if this kind of reckless behavior continues.

"You know, when I said I wanted you as my partner because you're the only one who could level the playing field against the twins, I didn't mean that literally," Noah pointed out emphasizing the last word.

"Well, you should have been more specific," Rex replied with a smirk. "And anyway, shouldn't you be like kneeling at my feet or something? I did just win the championship for you." Rex shot back, picking up the plastic Golden Paddle off the gym floor.

"You make is sound like you did it alone. I seem to remember there were two of us on the team." Noah grumbled, taking the trophy out of Rex's hands.

"Oh, did I? How rude of me," Rex winked at Noah and laughed when the blond rolled his eyes. "I gotta hand it to you Noe school is a lot of fun."

"Well, that's because you are here. Trust me it's not nearly as entertaining without you." Noah paused and clamped his mouth shut, pressing his lips together as if afraid he had said too much.

"You know, that's probably the sweetest thing you've ever told me." Rex teased pointing a finger at Noah's reddening cheeks. He was grateful his blushes weren't as easy to see otherwise Noah would have noticed his a long time ago.

"Well, I wouldn't bet on me repeating it, kiddo," Noah promised with a shake of his head.

"On repeating what?" Rex challenged.

"Really? Did you really think I was going to fall for that?"

Rex shrugged. "Can you blame me for trying?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm doing now!" The two friends stared at each other, sharing a private moment before simultaneously started giggling so much their bodies shook.

Not long after Agent Six found them leaning against a row of benchers which had miraculously survived the championship brawl, laughing hysterically.

"Alright you two are you heading out with us or…" Six paused and raised an eyebrow at the two snickering teens. "Not?"

Although Six was talking to Rex, it was Noah who replied. "Nah, we'll catch up with you later. We're going to hit the showers and change first. The locker rooms are fine. I had Marco check."

Six nodded his approval. "Make sure you call in soon," he warned Rex.

Rex promised he would and before Six left he put his hand on the teens shoulders. "Nice win, boys."

Rex tried not to show it but hearing Six congratulate him meant a lot to him. He just smiled and thanked him before silently trailing after Noah to wash up.

Noah set the trophy down on a bench in order to wipe away the tears in his eyes with the back of his hand. He paused and took a moment to stare at the gold painted paddle. "You know, even though I've held it in my own hands, I still can't believe we won. That had to have been the craziest championship I've ever seen!"

"You're welcome," Rex said, leaning forward in a mocking bow. He was rewarded with the rich sound of Noah's laughter.

"Yeah, thanks Rex. I really couldn't have done it without your help."

"Would you say I was stunning today?" Rex asked waggling his eyebrows at Noah and was pleased when Noah crossed his arms defensively, his cheeks reddening again.

"I know you wouldn't let me live that down. I wish I never told you that," Noah huffed, turning his head away from Rex.

"Well, I don't. It was exactly what I needed to hear," Rex confessed. He was feeling brave and knew when he felt that way there was a fifty percent chance he would say something embarrassing. His nanites were buzzing again as Noah turned back to him and lowered his arms.

"Hey, what are best friends for?" He lowered his gaze from Rex's face to his shoes as if saying the words made him uncomfortable.

"Oh, all kinds of things," Rex stated, shrugging his shoulders. He wanted to hear Noah laugh again, even if was at his expense. It was fast becoming one of his favorite sounds. "It's almost too much to list." He ended lamely, but Noah chuckled at his explanation and shook his head.

"Yeah, almost," he quietly agreed and headed for his locker.

Rex did the same and grabbed the towel and body-wash that waited inside. Rex was hyper aware of Noah showering in a stall away from him and took the longest shower he had ever taken. He wanted to avoid a repeat of last time he had been with a freshly showered Noah. Rex cried out loud when cold water hit him. He quickly turned off the shower. Maybe the pipes had been messed up after all. Wrapping the towel around his waist Rex headed back into his locker. Noah was already pulling his shirt over his head when Rex returned from his stall. Rex ducked his head down and stared at his feet the entire time he dressed. He started with the pants first. He was so preoccupied with

"I don't know about you, but I am starving." Noah said right into Rex's left ear.

A shiver went through his spine and Rex had to instruct his nanites to not build his BFS out of reflex. He hadn't realized Noah had gotten so close to him. "What?" His nanites were still buzzing, but this time it was for a different reason even though Noah was still the source.

"You wanna get something to eat?" There was no mistaking the amusement in Noah's voice.

"Oh, yeah." Rex replied staring at Noah's lips as he mouthed the words. There was an awkward moment when they didn't say anything and Noah looked at him as if he was waiting for something to happen.

"So?" He finally asked.

"So what?"

Heat spread over him when Noah gave him a side grin. "Do you wanna go out and get something to eat?" Noah repeated.

"Oh right. Yeah, sure. Sounds good." Rex nodded and slammed the locker door shut. His ears filled with that sound of his nanites, urging him to take action, to do something about his confusion for Noah and end his torment. He supposed he could do the thing that has crossed his mind more than once in the last week, but he wasn't sure how Noah would react. The last thing he wanted to do was overstep some boundary with Noah and lose the one person Providence no longer controlled. Though he wasn't sure where that boundary was, Rex was very certain it existed, but he normally didn't know he had crossed it until he unwittingly gone over it.

"Hey, Rex are you okay?"

"Y-yeah. No. Yeah, I'm great. I'm awesome!" Rex promised.

"You sure? Because you've been staring at me pretty hard. Is there something on your mind?"

The buzzing in his ears turned up until it sounded as loud as the roar of the crowd when Rex had first walked into the gym. It was as if Noah had already read his mind, and taking pity on him, had created an opening for him; inviting Rex to come clean about his desires. But how could he possibly put those thoughts into words?

Then suddenly, without any warning Noah had moved forward, closing the gap between him and Rex and oddly hugged Rex, wrapping his arms around Rex's ribs.

Rex inhaled a gasp, completely caught off guard. When he recovered he immediately hugged the short blond back, careful not to squeeze too tightly. "Noah," he breathed, not caring how he sounded.

"Thank you so much, Rex. You were amazing." Noah admitted and added pressure to his hug.

"I had a great teacher," Rex replied. He could feel Noah smile against his shoulder and turned his head to the side in the hopes of catching the sight, the motion made his lips press on his Noah's cheek. His heart was stuck in his throat as Noah's whole body stiffened at the unexpected touch. Rex instantly pulled away, his excuses and apologies already on his lips when Noah moved back in and covered Rex's lips with his own.

It's Rex's turn to stiffen. His nanites had reached a fever pitch before going completely quiet; as if whatever itch had been bothering them had been scratched when Noah kissed him. But before he could take in what was happening Noah had released him and taken several steps back, away from Rex. The back of his knees hit the bench. He yelped and sat down heavily.

"Oh god," Noah moaned shaking his head in disbelief.

Rex saw the look of complete horror in Noah. His face had gone pale and his legs were shaking, though that might be from banging the back of his legs against the bench.

Rex pressed his lips together; he imagined he could still fell Noah on them, maybe that was wishful thinking.

"Rex, I'm sorry. I just got caught up in the moment. It didn't mean anything. I am so sorry man."

Rex felt his brows knit together in confusion. "So you don't want to kiss me?" he asked honestly. He watched as a shudder went down Noah's back. That was all the answer he needed. "Don't worry. You can act like it never happened." The tension in Noah's face disappeared only to reappear when Rex added, "But that doesn't mean I can."

"Wha-? Why not?"

Rex shrugged his shoulders for the third time. "Because I don't want to."

Noah ran a hand through his hair, venting out his frustrations. "And why not?" He sighed, screwing his eyes shut.

"Because," Rex started. "Because, I don't."

Noah's eyes snapped open and he glared at Rex, his frustration quickly turned into anger. "Why, so you could hang it over my head? Blackmail me into doing what you want?"

Rex's eyes widened in surprise, he should have realized his explanation wasn't going to be enough for Noah to understand. "No, Noe. I would never do that."

"Then why?" The blond pleaded.

"Because I-" Rex sighed and looked off to the left as his face heated with a blush. "Because I liked it." he admitted, elongating the "L" as he tried to hold back the word. But now that Rex had said how he felt; it wasn't as scary as he thought. It gave him the confidence to say it again. "I liked it. I like you."

But Noah wasn't backing down to easily. "Rex, I swear to god if you are just saying that to make me feel better-"

"No, it's the truth. I've been thinking about doing…uh, something all week, but you know," Rex paused trying to find the right words and failing.

"It's complicated," Noah ended for him.

Rex nodded in agreement and crossed his arms over his chest. "Yeah."

Noah exhaled through his nose and shook his head again; this time it was with a chuckle. "I know what you mean."

Rex was pretty sure there was more than one meaning to Noah's reply, but he didn't know what. He moved away from the lockers and lifting one leg over the side, straddled the bench. Noah watched him, his eyes never leaving Rex's. "So now what?" he asked.

"I don't know. I've never don't anything like this before. I mean crap Noah this is real, isn't it? I'm not daydreaming. We are really doing this, like are we seriously talking about our feelings?"

"Yeah, I guess we are."

Both boys made faces and shivered and then simultaneously broke out laughing. Some of the tension went out of the room when

"So you like me, huh?" Noah asked. He shifted his hips and raised his left leg, bending it at the knee so the lower leg rested on the bench. "And I guess it goes without saying that I also like me."

"Noah!"

Noah grinned. "Sorry, I couldn't resist. You know I like you, too. Obviously."

Rex leaned in closer to the blond. "Good. So, does this mean you are going to kiss me again?" Rex smirked as Noah's cheeks turned pink.

"Are you kidding? No," Noah turned his head away from Rex and pushed the EVO from him. "I couldn't go through all that pressure again!" But Rex could tell he was only teasing him.

"That's fine. It just means that I will have to do it." Rex grabbed Noah's wrists and yanked him forward, forcing the blond to look back at him. "If you don't mind," he added looking into Noah's eyes before trailing down to his slightly parted lips.

"No," Noah mouthed.

Rex's pulse hammered loudly in his ears, in competition with his nanites. He hoped they weren't always going hum at him whenever he kissed Noah. Because he planned on kissing the blond a lot and the insistent drone of his nanites would get distracting quickly. Rex pushed his thoughts away as he cupped the right side of Noah's head. "Move your head this way," he instructed. He had seen couple look like that just before they kissed all time in "El Amor, De La Pasión, El Amor" and they did plenty of kissing. If they didn't know how to do it right, no body did. Rex leaned, tilting his head in the opposite direction when Noah moved. Their lips met briefly and then parted only to reunite in a firmer kiss.

Noah made a face when they parted. "Oh, that was way better than mine. That's settles it. From now on you are in charge of kissing."

"I am?"

"Yes!"

"Cool! So, I'm like the boss?"

Noah snorted. "Yeah, you're the boss." He repeated and moved his head back to the side so Rex kissed him again.

Thank you so much for reading!