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There was a lot that could be said about the individuals Alex chose to work for and how he was forced to work on Christmas because of it, but when it came down to it, the situation didn't bother him as much as most would assume. Alex didn't have a lot of friends, and this wasn't the first time he had been forced to work on Christmas. It was either this or he was home alone, and as sad as it sounded, he took comfort in the fact that he wasn't alone. Slade, on the other hand, chose to work on Christmas because of the bonus he was offered. He needed that extra cash to take care of his rent before he was evicted. He never would have assumed that Christmas at work could be as nice as it was, but between the time he spent with Alex and the unexpected blizzard, he had to admit he had a lot of fun. He was almost sad it was over. Almost. He headed out the door the second his shift ended.
It was no secret that Alex couldn't drive or at least chose not to, and for the most part this wasn't an issue, as he had other methods of transportation available to him, or at least he did most of the time. The blizzard had caused a lot of issues for Alex. There were no buses available to take him home, and even if there were, he doubted he would be able to make it to the bus stop on foot. He hated how that realization made him feel, but before he could turn around and head back inside to ask for some additional hours, Slade drove around in front of him in a truck. Alex hesitated for a moment, but when Slade threw open the passenger-side door, he didn't hesitate to crawl in, and from there, Slade took off. It was warm inside, and with the music on low, Alex found himself almost asleep by the time Slade stopped. The roads were bad, and that left Slade with a decision to make. He lived closer than Alex did, so rather than risk both their lives, he decided to take Alex home with him until the roads were cleared. Alex seemed too tired to care, or at least so Slade assumed.
“Kidnapped on Christmas?” Alex mused as he watched the other man pull into his apartment’s parking garage, unable to miss the look he was handed over this comment. “Sounds like one hell of a Hallmark movie, but I would much rather not be the star of it.”
“I'll take you home when the roads clear, but unless you want to spend the night in the lab, then you should be more appreciative.” Slade responded as he switched off the truck, not missing how the other man continued to sit there even as he went to crawl out. “Come on.”
“When do you think the roads will be cleared?” Alex questioned as he followed the other man out of the truck, unable to help his shivering as he was exposed to the cold air. “Fuck, it’s cold out here.”
“They should be cleared by tomorrow morning.” Slade remarked as he led the other man to his apartment, taking notice of how he stuck so close to him, almost like he intended to use him as a heater substitute. “Alex.”
“Where the hell am I going to sleep then?” Alex questioned as he realized that this meant he would be stuck there the entire night, not missing how cold it remained even in the hallway. “Fuck, it’s cold.”
“Give me some time to think.” Slade mattered as he unlocked the door and led the other man inside, not bothering to hide his amusement when he saw how the other ran inside and cozied up next to his heater. “Now for some dinner.”
It should be noted that while Slade could cook, he wasn't the best at it, and due to that fact, he often relied on television dinners and other microwavable meals. It was easier for him, and he was used to it after all these years of MRE meals. It was no secret that most seemed to hate these types of meals, but Slade found it to be a comfort. He knew what it felt like to starve, and a warm meal was better than starvation. He had been to hell and back, and the horrors of war were paradise in comparison to what it was like at home. Slade took his time as he looked through his freezer, and after a few minutes, he settled on a chicken-fried steak television dinner.
“You want one of these?” Slade asked as he looked over at the other man, unable to miss how close he stuck to the heater. “You missed lunch.”
“Is that a television dinner?” Alex questioned as he looked at what the man held in his hand, taking a moment to absorb as much warmth as he could before he headed over. “You can't eat a television dinner on Christmas.”
“I can.” Slade responded as he started to open the box, not bothering to hide his irritation when the box was snatched from his hand. “Alex—”
“Give me an hour.” Alex reasoned as he shuffled the other man towards the couch, taking notice of the look of irritation he was handed in return. “Watch some television. I'll make dinner.”
“Fine. Fine.” Slade muttered as he sat down, doing his best to relax as he watched the other man work. “Just don't make a mess.”
Alex wasn't sure what he expected Slade to have after he watched him open a television dinner to eat on Christmas, but as he searched the kitchenette for food, he turned up with little in return. Slade’s freezer was stocked with television dinners and other frozen meals, but outside of that there wasn't much. Slade had some milk and protein powder in the cabinet and a box of cereal. It made Alex almost sad to consider that this was normal for Slade, and it also made him realize why Slade stole food from him so often. He needed an actual meal. He deserved one.
“How the hell do you live like this?” Alex questioned as he looked over his scarce options, not bothering to hide his overall excitement when he found a box of stovetop stuffing in the back of one of the cabinets. “Ah.. Some decent food at last.”
“You know it's not nice to insult someone who is giving you a place to sleep.” Slade responded as he moved to his feet once more, unable to hide his surprise over the item. “Huh.. I don't remember buying that.”
“I can make this work.” Alex muttered to himself as he looked over at his menu options, seeming satisfied with what he was able to find. “You have stovetop stuffing, instant potatoes, gravy mix, and some sliced ham.”
It was no secret that the food wasn't the most ideal food to have on Christmas, but it was better than a television dinner at least. It took Alex about an hour to make the food, but Slade seemed appreciative over the effort made for him. Alex wasn't sure when the last time Slade had a real meal was, but based on how Slade stole uncooked bites of the food here and there, it was safe to assume it had been a while. He needed better than what he received. He deserved better than this.
“Slade, don't eat that.” Alex remarked as he watched the other man take a bite of the potato flakes, unable to hide his concern over how the man acted. “It'll be done in ten minutes.”
“It's fine.” Slade reasoned as he moved on to the sliced ham, not bothering to hide how much he loved the food. “Can you hand me a plate— Ow!”
“Out.” Alex ordered as he hit the man with a wooden spoon, smacking him once more before he headed back to the couch. “You can wait ten minutes.”
Slade didn't mind the fact that the food wasn't done. It tasted nice, and he wanted more of it, but that wooden spoon kept him away until Alex had the food on the table, and it was at that point Slade started to eat as much of it as he could. He couldn't remember the last time he had someone cook for him. It made him feel warm inside, and for a moment he wished Alex could do this for him all the time. He wanted that.
“Where did you learn to cook like this?” Slade questioned as he ate, not bothering to hide how much he loved it as he piled as much as he could onto his plate. “This is nice.”
“Trial and error.” Alex responded in a casual manner, shrugging a bit as he continued. “Not like anyone else was going to teach me.”
“Huh..” Slade responded as he took notice of the cold nature of the other man's response, hesitating for a moment before he spoke again. “Thank you.”
Once dinner was over, Slade had a conversation with Alex about where he would sleep, and in the end, Alex ended up in bed with Slade. It was warm, and Alex stuck close to Slade due to that fact. It was nice, and Slade melted into the moment. Slade remained awake for a while and watched over Alex as he slept. He wasn't the kind of man who ever believed in love, but in that moment he had no other word to describe how he felt. He never wanted that moment to end, and if he shut his alarm off to have a few more minutes with Alex on his own terms, then that was his business. It was a moment he needed. It was Christmas after all.