Status: finished
Love is a Dangerous Thing
9
Not even two hours after agreeing to be more than friends with Alex, Zack was already freaking out. It wasn't that he was regretting his decision, he was just over analyzing it and the more he thought the more questions he had. What if they didn't work out, would he be homeless? Did Alex want to go out and do stuff? Was he supposed to talk more now? He had a lot of questions that he didn't want to ask mainly because he was tired of talking but also because he didn't want it to seem like he was already backing out.
All his thinking made him tense which evidently bothered Alex who was sleeping in bed with his arms wrapped around him. Zack tried to relax a little but the thought of losing his only friend made that impossible. Next to him he heard Alex mumble something that sounded like what's wrong Zacky but he pretended not to hear him.
"Zack, that doesn't work anymore," Alex complained in a more coherent voice.
That made Zack smile just the slightest because everyone else gave up or wrote him off when he didn't respond but finally someone was willing to push him. Turning over he smiled at Alex who pulled him into a hug again and he still had a lot of questions but he felt a little better.
"What made you so worried?"
"Everything," Zack mumbled honestly pulling back from Alex and looking into his eyes. "I talked a lot today."
"And you don't want to anymore even to tell me what's bothering you?" Alex guessed, earning a nod in reply. "But you're worried about everything?" Another nod. "Are you worried about stuff that has to do with the past or stuff from right now?"
"Right now." Zack felt himself blushing for no reason at all under the other boy's gaze. He didn't want to make him mad but he also didn't want to lie to him, that would be worse.
"Are you getting more nervous right now?" Zack nodded and Alex laughed. "Then come here silly." Alex sat up a little wrapping his arms around Zack who fell into his side. "How about I guess what's bothering you and you can just nod if I'm right?"
"I like that."
"I knew you would," Alex laughed. "Alright my first guess is you're worried about what things are gonna change?" Yeah, Zack was definitely worried about that he nodded quickly. "Nothing's really gonna change, I'll still love you like I always have and you'll still be getting used to trusting me more. I don't expect you to suddenly want to talk all the time or hold my hand for no reason but if you want to do either of those things I'm not at all opposed. You said you wanted to go slow so nothing will change unless you want it to, I'm not gonna push for anything."
"Guess again," Zack prompted after a moment of silence. "There's other stuff."
"Okay, are you worried about when you have to say that thing you don't want to say?"
"I wasn't."
"Then don't be I'm gonna keep saying it because it's true and I want you to know that but you can take all the time you need. What else are you worried about? You don't have to answer that, I'm just thinking out loud."
This time Zack laughed, resting his head on Alex's shoulder while the older thought. Things were quiet and peaceful and kind of perfect he thought. When he was able to get outside his head and be present for the moment that was happening things felt good. When Alex talked to him he felt good.
"You're not still worried I'm gonna do something mean, are you?" Alex played absently with the fabric of his shirt while he spoke, still thinking.
"Not really."
"I don't know then, I give up. What are you worried about? Just give me like a one word hint."
"Going out," Zack sat up. "Other people."
"Do you want to go out?" Alex drew his eyebrows together in clear confusion. "Because like I said nothing's gonna change so I didn't really expect you'd want to go out but we can if you want."
"Yeah." He didn't really want to go out but he knew Alex wasn't going to want to spend the rest of his life inside. Plus he wanted to be a good whatever he was and he made a mental note to ask later what his exact title was because he'd never really done this relationship thing and he knew they were more than friends but he wasn't quite sure if that made them boyfriends or if there was any difference at all. "Sometimes, maybe for your birthday."
The grin on Alex's face let him know he said something right before the other boy even opened his mouth to reply. "Usually I go over to my parent's for breakfast on my birthday, I was going to cancel to stay with you but if you want to come that'd be amazing. I promise they'll be super nice, they used to love you when you would come over and they ask about you all the time. Do you wanna go?"
No, absolutely not, he was barely comfortable talking to just Alex but he was still smiling so big that Zack nodded anyways and even furthered what he knew already was going to be a terrible day. "Maybe we could do something else too, just us."
"Zachary Merrick, are you asking me on a date?"
"Only if you say yes," Zack mumbled, blushing profusely.
"I'm definitely saying yes."
For the next twenty minutes Zack listened to nothing but Alex rambling about how excited he was and how this was going to be his best birthday ever. He himself felt more like throwing up than celebrating but Alex said it was the greatest present he could give him and that made it worth the anxiety.
After they'd finally got out of bed he listened to Alex call his mom and rant for another ten minutes about why his life was perfect. He also added in another five minutes about all the things she shouldn't ask Zack but he pretended not to hear that part. The poor kid could barely contain himself pulling Zack into the worlds tightest hug as soon as he hung up rocking back and forth with excitement. For the rest of the night Zack didn't have to worry about talking because Alex never even gave him a chance to and that was perfectly fine with him.
By the time they were back in bed and going to sleep Alex was finally starting to calm down just a little. He was still holding Zack tighter than usual and whispering excitedly but at least he'd stopped randomly squealing.
"I love you so much, Zack, this is going to be great," those were the last words Zack heard and despite his anxiety he fell asleep with a smile on his face.
All his thinking made him tense which evidently bothered Alex who was sleeping in bed with his arms wrapped around him. Zack tried to relax a little but the thought of losing his only friend made that impossible. Next to him he heard Alex mumble something that sounded like what's wrong Zacky but he pretended not to hear him.
"Zack, that doesn't work anymore," Alex complained in a more coherent voice.
That made Zack smile just the slightest because everyone else gave up or wrote him off when he didn't respond but finally someone was willing to push him. Turning over he smiled at Alex who pulled him into a hug again and he still had a lot of questions but he felt a little better.
"What made you so worried?"
"Everything," Zack mumbled honestly pulling back from Alex and looking into his eyes. "I talked a lot today."
"And you don't want to anymore even to tell me what's bothering you?" Alex guessed, earning a nod in reply. "But you're worried about everything?" Another nod. "Are you worried about stuff that has to do with the past or stuff from right now?"
"Right now." Zack felt himself blushing for no reason at all under the other boy's gaze. He didn't want to make him mad but he also didn't want to lie to him, that would be worse.
"Are you getting more nervous right now?" Zack nodded and Alex laughed. "Then come here silly." Alex sat up a little wrapping his arms around Zack who fell into his side. "How about I guess what's bothering you and you can just nod if I'm right?"
"I like that."
"I knew you would," Alex laughed. "Alright my first guess is you're worried about what things are gonna change?" Yeah, Zack was definitely worried about that he nodded quickly. "Nothing's really gonna change, I'll still love you like I always have and you'll still be getting used to trusting me more. I don't expect you to suddenly want to talk all the time or hold my hand for no reason but if you want to do either of those things I'm not at all opposed. You said you wanted to go slow so nothing will change unless you want it to, I'm not gonna push for anything."
"Guess again," Zack prompted after a moment of silence. "There's other stuff."
"Okay, are you worried about when you have to say that thing you don't want to say?"
"I wasn't."
"Then don't be I'm gonna keep saying it because it's true and I want you to know that but you can take all the time you need. What else are you worried about? You don't have to answer that, I'm just thinking out loud."
This time Zack laughed, resting his head on Alex's shoulder while the older thought. Things were quiet and peaceful and kind of perfect he thought. When he was able to get outside his head and be present for the moment that was happening things felt good. When Alex talked to him he felt good.
"You're not still worried I'm gonna do something mean, are you?" Alex played absently with the fabric of his shirt while he spoke, still thinking.
"Not really."
"I don't know then, I give up. What are you worried about? Just give me like a one word hint."
"Going out," Zack sat up. "Other people."
"Do you want to go out?" Alex drew his eyebrows together in clear confusion. "Because like I said nothing's gonna change so I didn't really expect you'd want to go out but we can if you want."
"Yeah." He didn't really want to go out but he knew Alex wasn't going to want to spend the rest of his life inside. Plus he wanted to be a good whatever he was and he made a mental note to ask later what his exact title was because he'd never really done this relationship thing and he knew they were more than friends but he wasn't quite sure if that made them boyfriends or if there was any difference at all. "Sometimes, maybe for your birthday."
The grin on Alex's face let him know he said something right before the other boy even opened his mouth to reply. "Usually I go over to my parent's for breakfast on my birthday, I was going to cancel to stay with you but if you want to come that'd be amazing. I promise they'll be super nice, they used to love you when you would come over and they ask about you all the time. Do you wanna go?"
No, absolutely not, he was barely comfortable talking to just Alex but he was still smiling so big that Zack nodded anyways and even furthered what he knew already was going to be a terrible day. "Maybe we could do something else too, just us."
"Zachary Merrick, are you asking me on a date?"
"Only if you say yes," Zack mumbled, blushing profusely.
"I'm definitely saying yes."
For the next twenty minutes Zack listened to nothing but Alex rambling about how excited he was and how this was going to be his best birthday ever. He himself felt more like throwing up than celebrating but Alex said it was the greatest present he could give him and that made it worth the anxiety.
After they'd finally got out of bed he listened to Alex call his mom and rant for another ten minutes about why his life was perfect. He also added in another five minutes about all the things she shouldn't ask Zack but he pretended not to hear that part. The poor kid could barely contain himself pulling Zack into the worlds tightest hug as soon as he hung up rocking back and forth with excitement. For the rest of the night Zack didn't have to worry about talking because Alex never even gave him a chance to and that was perfectly fine with him.
By the time they were back in bed and going to sleep Alex was finally starting to calm down just a little. He was still holding Zack tighter than usual and whispering excitedly but at least he'd stopped randomly squealing.
"I love you so much, Zack, this is going to be great," those were the last words Zack heard and despite his anxiety he fell asleep with a smile on his face.