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Prompt: Imagine Person A having a nightmare in the dead of night and screaming as loud as they can and Person B rushing over from the apartment across the hall in just their underwear. Person A seems to be more surprised that Person B wears glasses and looks hot in them than the fact that they’re almost nude.
After yet another late shift, all James wants to do is crawl into bed and sleep the horror of work away. The moment he’s back in his apartment, he strips out of his suit and eases himself into bed, settling comfortably under the duvet. He picks up his glasses and the novel he’s been reading from the nightstand, in an attempt to relax before he gives in to slumber.
Suddenly, he hears a piercing scream from the apartment opposite his. Aleks.
James doesn’t hesitate. He launches himself out of bed, grabbing the baseball bat that he keeps hidden in his closet.
Armed, he charges out of his apartment, halting outside Aleks’s front door. He grabs the spare key from underneath the welcome mat (not that he’s been spying on his hot neighbour, absolutely not) and quickly unlocks the door.
He bursts inside, scanning the periphery of the dark apartment. Seeing nothing of alarm, he storms into the master bedroom, flinging the door open. He hits the light switch, and his gaze lands on a pale, trembling Aleks, who is sitting up in bed, staring at him in shock.
“Are you okay?” James demands, edging towards the ensuite bathroom. He raises his bat as he enters, but falters when he realises that room is also empty. He returns to the bedroom, where his neighbour is still frozen, clutching his duvet to his chest.
“Yeah.” Aleks whispers, giving him a weak smile. “Just a nightmare.”
James halts at his words, and he lowers his weapon. “A nightmare?” He echoes, even though he’d heard him clearly.
Aleks nods wearily, and James feels his cheeks flame, absolutely mortified by his mistake. So much for saving his hot neighbour from an intruder. What a fucking idiot. “Sorry.” He says lamely. “I thought you were…”
He trails off, not wanting to sound foolish. He’d already embarrassed himself enough through his rash, heroic antics.
Aleks is still staring at him, his eyebrows raised in surprise, and James can feel his blush deepen. He glances down at himself, unable to meet Aleks’s gaze – and then balks when he finally notices his near-naked state.
So concerned about Aleks’s safety, he’d completely forgotten that he is only dressed in his underwear.
This is the height of humiliation.
He has nowhere to hide, and nothing to cover himself up with. Fuck. It can’t get any worse than this.
“You wear glasses?”
James looks up, startled. “Uh, yeah. For reading.” He answers, taken aback by the question. He’d expected something along the lines of: what the fuck are you doing/get the fuck out psycho.
Aleks nods slightly, and his eyebrows knit together in a small frown.
James doesn’t give him the opportunity to continue the conversation. “I should go.” He says, needing to make his escape now before he makes even more of a fool out of himself. “Glad you’re okay.” He waves at him awkwardly, unable to meet his eyes as he backs out of the bedroom.
As he shuts the front door behind him and returns the spare key to its original position, he decides to look for a new place to live, knowing he’ll never get over his shame if he continues to see Aleks on a daily basis.
~O~
The next morning, James feels a little better. He is well-rested after a long sleep, grateful not to have work today, and he heads to the foyer to pick up his mail. Now that he’s slept on it, he realises that looking for a new apartment is a hasty decision. Still, it won’t hurt to look at the available listings nearby.
As he pulls a newspaper out of his mailbox, a sheet of paper flutters to the floor. There’s no envelope, and James picks it up, recognising Aleks’s handwriting immediately. He cringes in dread, but somehow, he manages to pluck up the courage to read the letter.
James,
I’m sorry for disturbing you last night, but thank you for coming to my rescue. I appreciate it.
The next few words are scribbled out, as if Aleks had lost his nerve, and James can’t decipher them. But finally, at the end of the note, is a legible sentence.
You’re welcome in my apartment anytime – maybe we could have dinner together one night?
Aleks x
James stares down at the paper, reading it a further three times before it hits him.
Aleks was asking him on a date. Him. The baseball bat wielding, underpants wearing, crazy neighbour.
He grins in delight, turning the paper over to scribble his reply.
Moving away is no longer an option.
~O~
The next time James is startled awake by one of Aleks’s nightmares, he reaches across the bed to wrap his arms tightly around him, drawing him into his warm embrace.
He feels Aleks still as his tension begins to melt away, and gradually he relaxes his body, his breathing evening out. “Thanks.” He says quietly, resting his head on James’s chest, soothed by the steady thrum of his heartbeat.
“Didn’t even need to grab my baseball bat this time.” James whispers, unable to resist a joke at his expense, and he hears his boyfriend chuckle. The incident no longer shames him, because it brought the two of them together. He kisses the top of Aleks’s head lovingly, smiling at the memory.
Aleks leans up imploringly to kiss him, managing to align their lips, even in the dim darkness. “Trust me, it wasn’t the baseball bat that calmed me down.” He murmurs, drawing back to smirk at him. “I’ll never forgot how hot you looked that night.”
James grins, recalling the way that Aleks had frowned at him. He’d thought he’d been angry, but now he knows that he’d witnessed Aleks’s turned-on-but-determined-not-to-show-it expression for the first time. He’d seen it many times since.
Including now, as Aleks looms over him, settling his body over his.