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Inhaling a particularly large clump of dog hair, Ross awoke practically coughing up his lungs. After a panicked drink of water from the bathroom sink, he flopped down on the bed again and opened up his phone, for no reason other than to look at the background image, a familiar smiling face with his brown hair as messy as ever, giving him the middle finger of course. God, he missed that idiot. He understood why Alex had to go away for work, but it didn’t mean he liked it any more. Especially not with how long this trip was, nor did he like the lack of contact lately.
He didn’t like how empty the house felt either, how cold it was, or how seemingly devoid of any energy Ross’ life was without the dry humour and witty retorts. Not to mention the constant worry when there wasn’t any news. He shouldn’t worry, Alex was only involved with some of the electronics and systems, it wasn’t exactly front line, but it was still too close to being actually front line for Ross’ liking.
Pushing thoughts of Alex being caught in the conflict to the back of his mind, something he had gotten used to over the last few years, Ross pulled on his fluffy dressing gown and slippers before heading down the stairs to feed Archie and Oscar.
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The table always felt empty without the friendly smile and mess of hair across from him. Even food tasted better with him around, without him presence it just tasted like cardboard. He was getting thinner and more gaunt each week, and while facetiming his parents to wish them a merry christmas for tomorrow he broke down. Again. Flinging the phone across the room he heaved himself up and shovelled the remainder of his bacon into the two dog bowls by the back door, tears flowing all the way.
Every day the same thing, the only difference between the weeks was the call from his parents on a Sunday. If he’d been able to keep his job at Wilko tied down it might’ve been different, but without Alex there he just couldn’t function. He’d even stopped taking Chris’ calls, much to his and Katie’s annoyance.
Looking around his bare kitchen Ross let out a deep sigh, he hadn’t even bothered decorating this year and it hadn’t helped at all, but being honest he didn’t really care that much, he was the only one that would see it aside from his two dogs.
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After checking the post for anything of interest and finding nothing but another bloody Domino's menu, Ross took Archie and Oscar around the block for as much of a walk as he could muster. The walk was as boring as ever, same route, same old houses, same flickering lamppost on the corner. “Nothing ever changes in this old lightless shitheap…” Ross thought to himself. He needed to get out more, he knew that, but this was far easier.
Kicking open the front door, he sat down next to Archie and Oscar, undoing their harnesses and tossing them to the side before giving them both some much needed love, though he wasn’t sure who needed it more, him or the dogs.
Ross trudged up the stairs, nearly tripping at the top where there was one more stair than he expected as his mind wandered yet again, before shouldering open the bedroom door and plonking himself into his computer chair. He sat and looked at his jaded reflection in the black screen before cracking open another can of beer, and booting up his computer in an attempt to block out the world.
After a few hours playing Fifa, darkness crept up on him again, he flipped the lamp on and fumbled around in his desk, he just wanted to sleep again. He rested his head on the letter on his desk from a few months ago. A few tears escaping onto the paper, blurring the words further. In the distance, he heard the familiar clatter of plastic, and Ross slipped away once more.
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Tapping on his arm woke him up, one of the dogs probably needing a piss, he thought, but instead of brown eyes meeting his, it was blue, along with a familiar bearded face and mess of hair, looking worried rather than pleased to see him.
“Alex?”
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Alex was buzzing with excitement, the journey back to England had been a long one with the constant checks and general bollocks, it was a relief to be sat on his driveway in his trusty landy again. Sat outside his house drinking it in, he couldn’t wait any longer, unbuckling his seatbelt he rushed out of the car and eased the door open so as to not wake Ross, who was undoubtedly asleep.
Strangely, the door wasn’t locked. He didn’t think much of it, as Ross forgot things from time to time, as perfect as he was, he was human after all. Archie and Oscar greeted him with a massive fuss of fur and kisses for a good ten minutes before calming back down enough to ask to go into the garden. Sliding open the door and sighing happily at the sight of his garden with dogs dashing out beside him, he was so glad to be home.
Slowly and quietly stepping up the stairs, Alex was near giggling at the thought of Ross’ face, how excited and amazed he’d be to see him, how much he’d be talking and chatting and laughing about all the things he’d been doing while Alex was away.
Cracking open the bedroom door, he was hit by a strong smell of beer, after recoiling slightly he pushed the door open to find Ross, grey and slumped in his desk, an empty syringe on the floor next to him. “Oh no. No, no, no,” Alex stumbled over to Ross and started desperately shaking him and thumping his arm, trying, hoping he would wake up.
Ross stirred and opened one of his eyes slowly, “Alex?” he sighed, before his head thumped onto the desk with a thud. Alex stood up and fumbled around in his pocket for the phone and mashed 999, attempting to be calm, and failing, he explained what had happened and begged that they be as fast as possible.
Blue flashing lights were outside in minutes, the paramedics rushed upstairs and hurried him into the back along with Alex, who was sobbing, “Bring him back. Please.”.