Chapter Text
Dave was a bit nervous since this was his first job since being fired.
Why was he fired?
Well, he worked at a library but he dozed off a few times.
I think you can imagine how that ended.
Anyway, this was his first night shift as a watchman at Dexalabs. The manager told him that he was also going to be working with some other guy who had also just been hired. Apparently, the watchmen before them were caught snorting cocaine while on shift.
Shocker, as if it’s not California.
Dave drove to the laboratory, wearing a basic white t-shirt tucked into some black jeans. He thought it’d be simple enough, as they told him there would be a jacket in his locker when he got there.
As Dave pulled into the parking lot, he saw a red old car parked in a spot. Must be the other guy- I think they said his name is Matteo. Dave parked his car somewhat away from the other man’s as to not seem weird. He switched the key off, reaching over to the passenger seat to grab his duffel bag. He packed some of his medicine and a book to ensure he wouldn’t fall asleep. Dave opened the door of his car, locking it as he stepped out and shut the door.
As Dave walked up to the building, a voice rang out from behind him.
“Hey, are you Dave?” Dave turned over his shoulder and saw a man wearing an untucked black t-shirt sitting over a pair of black jeans. He had a short black buzzcut and a small gold necklace tucked underneath his shirt. Dave cleared his throat.
”Yeah. Are you Matteo?”
“Sure am.” Matteo caught up to Dave, walking alongside him into the large building. The only sound the men heard was the rhythmic thumping of their sneakers on the concrete and the hum of passing cars. Eventually, Matteo broke the silence.
”So, what’s your deal?” Dave squinted in confusion at the question.
“What?” He turned to look at the taller man. He couldn’t tell if he was threatening him or being friendly. If this is how he is, it’s going to be misunderstanding after misunderstanding. I just hope he’s being friendly. Matteo turned his head over to Dave.
”Oh- don’t worry man I’m not threatening you,” he chuckled, “You’d sure as shit know if I was threatening you,” Dave let out a relieved yet tense sigh, “Anyway, I was asking what your deal is because normal people don’t take up the night shift unless they have a good reason. So, what’s your deal?” Dave looked back to the building ahead of them, finally arriving at the front doors.
”Ah. Uh I have parasomnia. Got fired from my last job because of it.” Matteo reached for the doors push bar, opening it for the two of them.
”Oh? What happened?” The men walked through the building, walking towards the security office. It would be a long walk for them as the office was halfway across the building. Dave coughed awkwardly, ashamed at the memory.
”Well, I dozed off and uh-” he paused, “Well I have nightmares anytime I fall asleep,” Dave looked over at Matteo to see if he understood, Matteo nodded, “I do some crazy things sometimes. Didn’t help I worked at the quietest most boring library ever.” Matteo laughed and Dave looked back at the hallway ahead of them.
”Yup, that’ll do it. I’m here cause I needed some place to work after being in the air force. Surprisingly, the American government was nice enough to give me a year off. Saw some rough shit out there.” Dave glanced over at Matteo, he had a look on his face that was impossible to distinguish in his brain. After a few moments of silence, they arrived at the security office. Dave twisted the knob, a woman and a man were talking and waiting for them to arrive. They turned to look at the men.
“Oh hey, you guys must be the new watchmen. The lockers are over there and they’re labeled so feel free to put your stuff in there.” The woman explained.
“Ah, thank you. Do we need to clock in at all?” Matteo asked.
”Yeah, there’s a tablet right at the desk, you should be able to manually put it in. Also my names Silvia, and this is Jace,” Jace stuck up his hand in a gesture of greeting, “Alright, we better head out. Good luck night watching, don’t do any cocaine.” Everyone except Dave chuckled as Silvia and Jace walked past the men, making way for them. Dave walked in first, heading straight for the lockers. Matteo shut the door and immediately went over to the monitors.
“I’ll clock us in.” Dave hummed to signal that he heard Matteo.
Matteo tapped on the tablet. Meanwhile, Dave found his locker and grabbed the jacket inside. He set the duffel bag he was carrying on the ground beside him and put on the jacket. Oh. It’s a little bit of a tight fit, but it should be fine. Dave picked back up his bag and walked over to the table where the monitors stood on. As Dave set his duffel bag on one of the chairs, Matteo looked over to his new coworker. He immediately noticed the way the jacket hugged the shorter man’s arms.
“How’s the jacket?” Matteo asked. Dave unpacked his bag, setting his book and medicine on the table, Matteo eyed the pill bottles.
“Tight. It’s bugging me I might ask for a bigger size,” Dave started to felt aware of the way the cloth clung to his skin, he shifted uncomfortably, “I don’t like this material.” Matteo suddenly felt bad for staring at Dave, but, at the same time, he was built quite well.
“Got it. Would you wanna swap out jackets? I have a size large.” Dave finished arranging his stuff and looked up to Matteo.
“You don’t have to-“
”I will. I know what it’s like to wear an itchy uncomfortable uniform.” Matteo walked over to the lockers, grabbing his jacket and walking back over to Dave. They swapped out the jackets. Dave felt like he could finally breathe. The only problem, Dave’s medium sized jacket was now slightly tight on Matteo. Dave scrunched his eyebrows, looking at the way he filled out the jacket a little too much. He looks nice, I just don’t want him to be uncomfortable either.
“Are you sure that’s good?” Dave confirmed.
”Dude, if you ask me that again, I’m going to slap you. It’s fine, really.” Matteo let out a soft chuckle, Dave following suit with a genuine smile. Matteo noted the smile. He sat down in one of the chairs, sighing as he sat down. Dave then moved the empty duffel bag to the floor next to the table and sat down in the chair. At least it’s comfortable. Silence lingered in the air for a moment as they took in the new atmosphere.
Eventually, Matteo went on his phone and Dave felt himself dozing off but he forced himself awake. Dave reached over to the pill bottle, untwisted the cap, poured a couple of pills into his hand, and put them in his mouth. Matteo had been eyeing him since he picked up the bottle.
“Woah man, slow down. What even are those?” Dave put the cap back on the bottle and set it back on the table, turning to look at Matteo.
“Don’t worry. They help me stay awake,” Matteo was so concerned that Dave could tell, “Sorry, I just don’t want to freak you out.”
”Man, I’m more worried about your intestines. How often do you do that?” Dave thought for a moment.
”Every night if I have the pills on me.” Dave looked back to the monitors.
“Must be some heavy nightmares if you’re willing to risk overdosing in order to avoid them,” Matteo saw Dave grimace a little bit, “We don’t have to talk about it. Like I said, I worked for the Air Force, I’ve seen my fair share of bad nightmares.” Matteo put his hand on Dave’s shoulder. For once, touch didn’t make Dave shudder immediately. He felt understood. Matteo noticed the way Dave relaxed at his touch, so he made circles on his back. Dave cleared his throat.
“Thank you.” Matteo pulled his hand away from Dave’s back, and Dave looked at Matteo.
“Of course man. Us night-watchmen gotta stick together, am I right?” Dave smiled.
”Yeah.” Dave’s tired eyes lingered on Matteo’s calm ones.
Dave already felt a warm sense of belonging with him, not like with Katie, but not like a sense of friendship. Something different. Something kind of in between. Matteo could tell the shorter man felt comfortable, after all, he could tell Dave was on the defense from the moment they met. It was nice to see him warm up so quickly. He enjoyed Dave’s presence, he was awkward but had a kind somewhat funny personality.
They both knew this was going to be a fun job.