I'm Not The Same Boy You Knew Back Then

Alex stared up at the ceiling, huffing out a sigh of defeat. He couldn't sleep - that was definite. He'd spent the past hour rolling around in his sheets, trying to force his brain to shut off, but it was useless - it was just one of those nights. He could hear Matt through the wall snoring gently, which was then cut off by one of Zack's outrageously loud ones, all thanks to his sleep apnea. Alex couldn't understand how Matt shared a bed with him sometimes. Zack was a constant regular in their apartment, and Alex was wondering when Matt would ask his boyfriend to officially move in.

Alex secretly envied Zack and Matt's relationship. He hated how loving their embraces were, how they intuitively knew when something was wrong - how strong their feelings were for each other. Alex had never really had a proper relationship before - he had dated for a few months when he first moved in with Matt, but he eventually gave it up as a bad job. No one was ever… interested enough. Alex didn't just want a 'casual fling' or whatever; he wanted a deep and meaningful relationship, but hadn't found anyone to share that with.

He continued rolling around on the bed, trying every sleeping position possible until he decided enough was enough, and got out of bed all together. He rubbed a hand over his face, taking a few deep breaths, and pulling on some sweatpants. If anyone did wake up and ask him what he was doing, he'd at least like to be decent. He wanted to go into the lounge and maybe watch a movie on a low volume, but Jack was sleeping on the couch, so that was a no. Instead he decided to go get himself a glass of water, and go back to his room and read a book. He pulled the door open, and slipped out into the corridor, tiptoeing along it, trying to avoid floorboards he knew were creaky. He hated waking people or annoying them - he always tried his best to make everyone happy. He made it to the end, and carried on into the lounge. He tried to be extra quiet as he went by Jack, not wanting to disturb him. He made it into the kitchen, and decided it was safe to walk around normally instead of like a super spy. He poured his glass of water, and returned to his tiptoeing. He was halfway across the lounge, until a voice pierced the silence. "Couldn't sleep either?"

Alex jumped a foot in the air, almost dropping his drink. "Can you not scare people like that?" He whispered harshly into the darkness.

He heard Jack huff out a laugh. "Sorry, James Bond. I still heard you go past, no mater how stealthy you were trying to be."

Alex narrowed his eyes even though no one could see, but went and took a seat on the couch next to Jack, who was now sitting up with blankets sprawled out over him. Alex could vaguely see him - his hair stuck up wildly, his hands rubbing at his eyes. Alex could go as far as saying he was cute, but instead he chose something that wouldn't be as weird. "Why are you awake? It's like… five in the morning."

"I could ask you the same question," Jack replied as he shrugged his shoulders. "Guess everything just catches up with you when you sleep."

Alex hadn't really thought of that before. When you get into bed for the night, you seem to think over the day's events, things from further back in the past, or even what's in the future. You stop thinking about what you're going to do next, and sort of mull over what's already happened. Then sleep carried you away on a boat before you can even finish. "Y-You can talk to me about it, if you want?"

Jack tipped his head back against the cushions. "It's nothing, really. Just thinking about where my life is going now. Where I'm going to live, mainly. I mean, I have barely any money, and no job, so it's not like I could buy or even rent a place. I might have to look at-"

"You can stay with us! I err, I mean… only if you want to. You could have my bed and I could keep sleeping on the couch until we got like a futon or something because there's really nowhere else for a bed to go and-"

Jack shut Alex's ramblings up by holding his hand over his mouth. Alex's lips suddenly tingled under it, and he couldn't put a finger on why - he'd never really felt like this before. He blushed, and looked away as Jack placed back in his lap.

"Are you sure that's okay? I mean I could find a hostel or something?"

"N-No," Alex stammered. "Look, Jack, I want to put everything behind us, and start a fresh. I want to get to know you again."

Jack grinned, his face illuminated by the slowly rising sun through the curtains. "Okay, but we need to run this by Matt, first. He lives here too."

Alex nodded, a bit too enthusiastically, and returned the smile. He stood, but was held back by Jack's hand on his arm. He tilted his head to the side, waiting for Jack. The said man stood up also, but did something Alex was definitely not expecting. He leaned in, and placed a chaste kiss on Alex's lips. "Thank-you for this second chance," he said, their noses almost brushing, and then walked off into the kitchen as if nothing had happened.

Alex just stood there, frozen in place, heavy blush painting his cheeks. Things had just become very different, very fast.