An empty bottle of whiskey crashes into the cold tile floor, followed by an empty bottle of vodka. A man with caramel hair stumbled over to a wooden chair set around a small table. His eyes move around the small room slowly, the large amounts of alcohol he’s consumed slowing his thoughts. His brown eyes land on a half full can of beer on the table.

Reaching for the can, his fingers gently wrap around the cool object. As he brings the beverage to his chapped lips, the front door opens to reveal a taller man with dark brown hair that had patches of blonde within it. The man in the doorway expression changes from happiness to horror as he dashes over to the only other person in the room.

“Alex! How much have you had to drink?” The lanky man asks as the other one laughs slightly.

“Not enough. Why do you even care, Jack? All you do ish go down to Palm Springs and party.” The man by the name of Alex snapped angrily, slurring a word or two.

“Alex. This has to stop.” Jack stated, his dark eyes dead serious.

“Why, Jack? Why does it have to stop? Does it make you unhappy? How the fuck do you think I feel?! Almost every night I fall asleep alone. The only thing I can rely on anymore is alcohol, not you. Do you actually care about me anymore?” Alex snapped back at Jack before attempting to take another sip of the beer. Jack’s hand quickly smacked the cold can out of the other man’s shaky hand.

“What the fuck?!” Alex shouted angrily, standing up.

“I care about you! I want you to stop this because I care about you!” Jack shouted back, his dark eyes filling with tears. The caramel haired male gazed up into the taller man’s eyes.

“Well, you’re doing a pretty shitty job of showing that you fucking care. The only thing you ever need me for anymore is money. I can’t keep doing this, Jack. Those nights you call me to come pick you up, those nights you call and say you’ve lost your wallet. I can’t do it anymore. I know you need me but I can’t keep running around and doing stupid shit for you.” The shorter male said softly before turning and walking down the small hallway of the house.

“Alex, please. Let me talk to you.” Jack called from the living room as Alex locked himself in the bedroom farthest away from the lanky man.

Sighing softly, Jack sunk into the couch and kicked his shoes off. Maybe Alex is right. Maybe all I need him for anymore is stupid shit. Thoughts like that bounced around in his head as he attempted to become comfortable on the old couch. After ten minutes of tossing and turning, Jack fell into a restless sleep.
On the other end of the house was the poor drunken soul.

Alex had locked himself in what had been him and Jack’s bedroom but really just became his. He stumbled away from the door and over to a mirror. Pictures of him and Jack were taped to the side of the mirror. In every single picture they appeared to be the happiest couple ever. As he gazed at the older memories, tears began to form in his sad brown eyes.

“I still love you, Jack. I want to make this work. I really do.” Alex whispered under his breath as tears streamed slowly down his face.

Making his way over to the bed, he laid down on the cold empty mattress. He was so sick of falling asleep alone. He missed the feeling of having Jack’s lanky arms wrapped around him. A few more silent tears rolled down his cheek as he stared up at the blank ceiling. I wish we could start over again. Alex thought before closing his tired eyes and drifting off into a dreamless sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The caramel haired man’s eyes opened slowly and he let out a loud groan. The entire room smelled of alcohol and the scent was simply intoxicating. Sitting up slowly, his hands pushed against both of his ears as his head pounded. Shutting his eyes tightly, he felt his stomach become a sea of ruff waves and he quickly ran out of the room and into the nearest bathroom.

Barely making it to the toilet, Alex emptied the remaining contents of his stomach and sighed loudly afterwards. Reaching up for the toilet handle, he pushed it down quickly before gripping the sides of the porcelain bowl and attempting to stand. The stumbling man made his way out of the bathroom and into the kitchen, finding some medication for headaches in the nearest cabinet.

Popping two small white pills into his mouth, he grabbed a nearby half-empty bottle of whiskey and took a gulp. Alex’s eyes moved slowly around the room, stopping on the couch. Moving closer, he noticed a small note and hurried over to it.

Dear Alex, I went out. A friend said his birthday was tonight and he wanted me to come. I’ll probably be staying out overnight so I got a hotel. I hope you’re okay.

Love, Jack.

Alex’s dark eyes narrowed angrily as he read the note. His hands moved quickly and ripped the small slip of paper to shreds. A few warm tears hit his cheeks as he moved back into the kitchen to find some sleeping pills. Right now, Alex was at the very end of his rope. Jack just wanted him to give him more and more but he couldn’t do it anymore. Finding a bottle of sleeping pills, he took only two just so he could sleep the day away.

A few minutes after swallowing the small pills, he began to feel the effect and moved over to the old couch in the living room. The tired male flopped down on the old furniture piece and closed his eyes. Within a minute or so, he was asleep.

A loud and high pitched ringing startled the caramel haired man from his slumber. Opening his eyes tiredly, he glanced around for a clock and found that it was around 2 in the morning. Forcing himself up, Alex grabbed the phone and pushed the answer button.

“Hello?” He mumbled into the phone, his voice laced with sleep.

“Hey baby!” A very intoxicated Jack responded back.

“What the fuck do you need, Jack?” Alex asked, irritation clear in his voice.

“Don’t be so negative!” Jack shouted, followed by some giggles in the background.

“Look, get to the fucking point or I’m hanging up.” The angry male stated firmly.

“Fine. Well, I kind of got kicked out of my hotel. Oh! I lost my shoes too.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

“Nope. I also almost got into a fight with some bitch at the club.”

“Jack, why the fuck did you do this?”

“I didn’t start it!”

“Just shut the hell up.”

“Someone’s grumpy.”

“Whatever. I’m guessing you want me to come pick you up?”

“Please. I really need you right now, Alex.”

“Fine. I’ll see you in a little bit.”

“Bye.”

“Bye, Jack.”

Alex sighed as he clicked the end call button. Pinching the bridged of his nose, he found a pair of black skinny jeans on the floor and slipped them on. Keeping the gray t-shirt he was wearing on, he slipped on his shoes and glanced into a mirror. Running and hand through his messy hair, he sighed and grabbed his car keys.

As he stomped out of the house, he couldn’t help but think about how it would be if he was gone. Jack surely wouldn’t need him. The only time Jack ever needed him were nights like this one. Sighing softly, he unlocked he car and jammed the keys into the ignition. Backing out of the driveway, his mind still wandered.

All the conversations he had ever had with Jack couldn’t compare with the slow conversations he had with a gun. Alex was so close to just giving up and ending it all. His life was meaningless and the only thing he was good at was drowning his sorrows with alcohol. He found it easier to drink and forget about the problems instead of actually talking to Jack about them.

His mind stopped wandering as he found Jack, without any shoes, stumbling around on the side of the road. Pulling over, Alex stopped the car and glared at the intoxicated male. Getting out of the car, he quickly made his way over to Jack and sighed loudly once he reached him.

“For fucks sake, Jack.” Alex said angrily, dragging the other male back to the car.

“What did I do, Lex?” Jack asked, a drunken giggle escaping from his lips.

“Are you seriously asking that fucking question?!” Alex snapped back at the taller male as the two got in the car.

“Calm down.” Jack mumbled, placing a hand on Alex’s shoulder.

“No! I won’t calm down! I’m so fucking sick of you only needing me on nights like this. You don’t actually ever need me.” Alex spat the first few words, his tone becoming sadder as he reached the end of his sentence.

Jack remained silent for the rest of the ride, his mouth a thin line. The lanky male was thinking about what Alex said and realized it was true. Their relationship wasn’t full of love. Jack only kept Alex around so he had someone who could pick him up on nights like this. Biting his lip, he ran a hand through his bangs as the car pulled into the driveway.

He got out of the car and entered the house without a single word escaping from his lips. Jack didn’t ever mean for this relationship to become like this. For the first couple of months, they were happy together and actually had something special. I want that back. I really do. He thought as he trudged over to the old couch and sat down.

Jack’s dark eyes watched Alex come through the doorway and he sighed softly. He hated the fact that all of Alex’s drinking was his fault. All the negativity was his fault. Maybe I should just leave Alex. It might do him a lot of good if I was gone from his life. The tall male thought as he watched Alex come over to him.

“Look, I want this relationship to work but I can’t keep doing this for you, Jack. I can’t keep jumping through hoops to please you. I just don’t know anymore.” Alex said, his eyes locking with Jack’s. Nodding softly, Jack leaned closer to Alex and kissed him on the cheek.

“Let’s just get some sleep and talk about all this in the morning, okay?” Jack said, a small goofy smile appearing on his face.

“Okay.” Alex smiled back and stood up from the couch and made his way down the hallway, Jack following behind him.

The two laid down together in the small bed as Jack’s eyes gazed at the pictures on the mirror. Those were all the happy times. I don’t think we’ll ever get those back. He thought as he glanced over at Alex who was fast asleep. Sighing softly, he slipped out of the bed and kissed Alex softly on the forehead. Making his way over to the photos, he grabbed a nearby pen and a picture of them at some amusement park and flipped it over
.
Dear Alex, I know that I haven’t been the best person and I’m sorry about that. I want this relationship to work but I don’t think it is going to. It’s best if I leave. I just want you to remember that I have and always will love you. Even after I forget the color of your eyes and you forgot the color of mine. I’ll miss you. I’ll miss all the times we had, the bad and the good. I wouldn’t change any of the memories for anything in the world. You were probably one of the best things that have ever happened to me. As much as my heart wants me to stay, my mind is telling me I need to leave. I don’t know if we should continue to have contact after I leave. I still haven’t figured out everything but I know I will. I’m sorry about all the times I fucked up. All those times I used you. I don’t know what I was thinking. I guess it’s time to say goodnight, Alex. I hope you had a really good time. I know I did.

Love, Jack.

As Jack finished his note on the back of the photograph, he felt his chocolate eyes beginning to fill with tears. He was actually leaving. He wouldn’t have Alex to fall back on anymore. He would get to see Alex’s beautiful smile anymore. Shaking his head softly, he stood up and placed the photograph on Alex’s chest. Grabbing the two suitcases he had packed, Jack bent over and placed a gentle kiss on the caramel haired male’s cheek.

“I love you.” Jack whispered before turning on his heel and exiting the room.

As the tall male walked out of the small house, multiple feelings washed over him. He didn't know whether he should be sad or happy. Part of him was sad that he would be leaving the one person he loved in life, but his other half told him to be happy that he wouldn't be stuck in such a toxic relationship anymore. As Jack got in the car, he glanced once more at the house before nodding softly.

"Darlin', it'll be alright." Jack whispered before backing out of the driveway for the last time.

Notes

I hope you enjoyed it. c: