Starlight

Alex has been in the shower for the past hour and it doesn’t look like he would be coming out in the next one too.

It was obvious to everyone in the close proximity [that being Jack in the kitchen] that he had a nightmare. He was mumbling something, pleading someone, practically crying and kept his wings so close to his back that at one moment they disappeared and Jack was left staring at wingless Alex. It looked weird for Jack, considering the fact that when Alex slept, he was always able to see his wings. He never asked Alex why’s that but maybe he should. Or shouldn’t. If Alex doesn’t talk about it then maybe it’s not important.

When he woke up he had this panicked look on his face like wild animal would have on its face when it’s captured. He looked around the room and it seemed to calm him down a little, like he understood where he is and what he dreamt about is not here. The next thing for him to do was unfold his wings and wrap them around himself. He practically hid behind them only his eyes visible for Jack.

“You alright?” Jack asked, unsure if it is good idea to talk to panicked angel.

Alex’s eyes shot up to look at Jack. For a while he just looked at him, wings still wrapped around his body. He looked like a child who’s stayed up late, watched some horror movie and now is scared of what he saw, sitting wrapped in a blanket and thinking that it will protect him from any harm coming his way. Only in Alex’s case blanket was replaced with wings and monsters lived in his dreams.

“Can I use your shower?” he whispered, his voice coming out muffled by the wings pressed close to his face.

“Yeah, sure. Just don’t drown yourself and if you need anything just ask.”

Without giving any last look or word to Jack, Alex got up from the couch and, still keeping his wings close to his back, walked towards bathroom.

“Damn, he’s weird,” Jack muttered to himself, took his morning coffee and went to sit on the couch.

He should figure out what his old professor meant yesterday and he should start to write that essay. Maybe he should ask Alex about it later. He seems to know a lot and he might help him with that. He’s done that before so what’s different this time? Only difference Jack could think of was that this time Alex would be able to explain more and not give him just some hints but real information. That is – if he will know something about that, of course.

Then again, maybe he shouldn’t ask Alex. Not today anyway. Or he should wait and ask him later. Few hours later when he’s calmed down after those nightmares. Maybe he should ask him what that was about but he doesn’t know how. Jack has never been good when it comes to asking someone how they feel or what’s been troubling them. He’s just not that kind of a person. He just thinks that if someone will need help they will ask. If they don’t ask, they don’t need it. He respects other people private space and he’s not one of those nosey persons who just doesn’t know when to stop.

While thinking about Alex and his professor and essay he should write, he doesn’t even notice how it is already the third episode of ‘Friends’ and Alex is still in the shower. Knock on the door makes him look at the clock and realize that it’s 12:23pm and Alex has been in the shower for more than hour and he’s probably drowned in there and now there’s someone who wants to get in and they will find Alex’s body in his bathroom and think he killed him and he’ll be sent to prison and…

“Hey Jack!” Rian. Of course. Who else would be stupid enough to come visit him.

“What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be home and rest your…leg and head and…everything else?”

“It’s boring there and I wanted to see my best friend,” he pushes past Jack and walks in to his living room, eyes searching for something…or someone.

“Looking for something?” Jack asks, realizing that Rian must be dying to see who this Alex is.

“No. Just thought that you could’ve at least cleaned this room if you had someone over here.”

“Right,” Jack muttered and returned to sit in his spot – on the couch, in front of TV.

After few minutes of looking through his fridge Rian joined him on the couch with strange looking yogurt.

“I must warn you. I don’t remember when I bought that and I don’t know how good it is. Or probably isn’t.”

“Whatever. I might say that food in your house might be even better than hospital’s food,” he said opening yogurt and carefully tasting it, “not that bad,” he said to himself, “you should try it too just in case if I…” he stopped in the middle of his sentence, his face saying that he concentrated on something, “is there someone in the shower?”

Fuck! He should’ve checked on Alex. Maybe he’s really drowned.

“I should go and check on him,” he said and got up from couch, leaving smirking Rian behind.

He lightly knocked on the doors, “Alex?”

“What?”

He looked behind and could see Rian staring back at him. There’s no way he can talk to Alex with Rian staring like that.

“Can I come in?”

He will say no. He will definitely say no.

“Umm…I guess…”

Oh. He didn’t say no. He slowly opened doors and was greeted by a steam. A lot. His mirror was practically white and he was sure that no one will be able to see anything in there for the rest of the week. He looked to his left where shower was. Glass doors closed and just as white as mirror. He could form Alex’s body, sitting on the floor.

“Umm…you…you’re alright? You’ve been here for an hour and…do you even have hot water left?”

“Yeah, I’ll be out…soon…I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“Maybe you wanted to have a shower too but I used all water and…”

“No, I’m fine. I just thought that you’ve really drowned in here or something,” he looked around his bathroom, awkward silence filling the room, only sound being the water. Just the thought of naked and wet Alex being so close to him made the hot room seem even hotter. Really Jack? He had a rough morning, probably the night wasn’t better and Rian is waiting in the living room. Not the right moment, Jack, “umm…Rian is here so I thought you probably shouldn’t walk out of here with your wings and everything.”

“Oh, sure but…can you maybe bring me some shirt then? I didn’t take any and I should need one now.”

“Yeah, sure. Be right back,” and with that he walked out of bathroom and to his bed room, not missing the sight of still, or again, smirking Rian. He pulled one of his shirts out of the closet and returned to bathroom, lightly knocking on the door in case Alex has decided to step out of the shower. Not that Jack would complain about that just not the right moment, Jack.

“So, here’s the shirt and, really, don’t stay here any longer. You’ll look like my grandfather when you get out.”

“Mhm,” he was really quiet today. It was kind of understandable but it wasn’t Alex Jack was used to.

He returned to his living room, feeling Rian’s eyes burning holes in his face but he ignored him turning his own eyes to TV screen.

“Soo…there’s nothing between you two, right?” Rian scooted closer.

“Right,” Jack answered.

“Riighhtt. Then please explain something to me. Why is he in your shower? Why are you allowed to go in there while he’s taking a shower? And why are you bringing him clothes? Didn’t he have any when he went in there or what?”

“Shut up, Rian. Nothing happened.”

“Well, it’s not how I see it.”

“Then you should get a pair of glasses and maybe then you will see things like they are,” he snapped and finally looked at Rian.

“You really like him, don’t you? And he doesn’t feel the same way,” Rian said in serious tone.

“No, it’s not…well, yeah. I might like him, but it’s…it’s way too complicated with him…” they both sat in silence. Water had stopped and only sound was coming from the TV.

“You know, it has never been way too complicated for you. You like him more than you’d like to admit.”

Jack opened his mouth to say something mean to Rian when bathroom doors opened and Alex walked out, hair still wet but making good looking mess on his head.

“Hey,” he chirped, smile on his face and waving to Rian, “I know, you’re Rian. Jack told me and I guess you know that I’m Alex. I’m starving. Do we have something normal to eat?” he asked to Jack, but didn’t even give him time to answer as he walked to kitchen and started his search through every cupboard and fridge for something that he would accept as normal food.

Jack just sat there with furrowed brows and watched Alex. Was he a good actor or what? Just a few minutes ago he could barely talk, an hour ago he looked like terrified five year old and now…now he looked like everything would be fine!

“Do we have something normal to eat,” Rian whispered to Jack, trying not to laugh, “anyway, you have work today?”

“Yeah,” Jack’s answer was distant as he still followed Alex with his eyes, looking as he found leftover from their last night’s meal – Chinese takeout’s that consisted of noodles and chicken in some weird sauce.

“Great! What time?”

“Starts at two. My shift,” he added.

“Stop staring, it’s pretty obvious,” Rian whispered, “then you’ll be taking me back home.”

“Since when you decide what I’ll be doing?” he looked away from Alex to look at Rian, “and how did you even get here then?”

“Zack took me,” loud noise came from the kitchen.

“Alex!” that’s what Jack was talking about. Next step will be him dropping that plate on the floor not just on the counter.

“Sorry,” he muttered.

“You, mean that Zack from the hospital?” Jack looked back at Rian.

“Yeah, that Zack. Turns out that he’s living pretty close to where I am and he called me this morning asking how I felt. You know, the head and leg. So I told him that everything’s fine and that I wanted to get here. Hospital is on this way and he said he could take me so here I am!” Rian finished his rambling with bright smile.

“Right. You know, you could’ve just called me and I would’ve gone to get you,” Jack said to Rian but his eyes were on Alex as he came closer to couch, plate in his hands and light smile on his face. There were plenty of space next to Rian but, noo!, he needs to sit next to Jack. He squeezed in the little space next to Jack, being side-to-side pressed against Jack, making Jack feel uncomfortable with Rian’s eyes on them.

“I guess we need to leave in next thirty minutes if I need to get you home,” he tried to focus on Rian and the thought of getting him home and not being late to work but it was hard because of Alex. Because Alex…Jack shouldn’t be like this around him. He has never been like this around anyone! Well, okay, maybe one time he has but that was long time ago and he’s not going back there not with Alex or someone else.

Next thirty minutes were like torture for Jack. He felt like an outcast in his own apartment. Yes, maybe he was sitting between Rian and Alex but they completely ignored him, having their own conversation about tv shows Jack had never even heard of! He could understand Rian, yes, he spent a lot of time watching television but Alex? Alex didn’t even know how to turn on his tv at first and now he’s having this conversation with Rian like he would be an expert when it comes to tv shows!

And what made him feel even worse was Alex’s head placed right on his shoulder and his hot breath hitting his skin every time he said something. He would enjoy it if Rian wouldn’t be there and if everything wouldn’t be so confusing with Alex.

He didn’t like the looks he got from Rian when they were in his living room and he still didn’t like the way Rian looked at him when they left his apartment and stepped in to the elevator.

“Don’t even start,” he muttered, “or I will leave you on the street.”

“I wasn’t even thinking of saying anything but now when you started…”

“Rian!”

“Just listen, okay? He is nice and by nice I don’t mean that he’s polite or neat or some other shit but he’s nice as a guy. And you know that I don’t say that often about men because that’s not what I’m interested in but if I say it, I mean it.”

“Thanks,” Jack looked at Rian thankful that he finally didn’t tease him.

“But that thing. Up there in your apartment!”

“What thing?”

“That thing you call nothing! I don’t know what it was but it wasn’t nothing!”

Notes

this chapter came to me when I was washing my hair [what a coincidence, right!] and let me tell you something - I have long hair so I had pretty much time to put this thing together in my mind.
and a little secret - *whispers* I like this chapter so you better like it too!