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No matter what Ralph Allebach seemed to do for the past three years, he couldn't quite shake the cunning Jack Merridew from his life. Or maybe it was the other way round. No, it was definitely the first option, he thought as he stood face to face with the devil himself in his flat after a long day at work.
"Jack what the fuck are you doing in my flat? Who let you in?"
"I did."
"How?"
"Your spare key, it's under the doormat. I remember everything you tell me," he said before tipping his head back and taking a chug of Dr pepper.
"You can't just- you can't? you can't just do that?"
Jack theatrically slammed his can down and threw up his hands. Ralph watched in no confusion since this seemed to be average Jack mannerism.
"What! You said I could swing by any time I needed help!"
Ralph rolled his eyes and began to raise his voice, "help meaning if you were in trouble, or needed a place to crash. Not when you needed a coke-"
"It's Dr pepper."
"-shut up. Or when you felt like bothering me."
Jack grinned his shit eating grin, "but that's my favorite thing to do."
Ralph threw his satchel and rain coat down to the floor, muttering to himself as he whirled around fixing Jacks mess, who still stood there grinning like a gimp.
"Get your own place, aren't you tired of surfing between the people you call friends? Get a job for fucks sake Jack I'm sorry your daddy's wealth didn't get to you."
The redheads smile dropped almost instantly.
"Don't talk about my father."
Ralph paused what he was doing and sighed not out of irritation at Jack but at himself. He knew better than to talk of Jack's father like that, who had disowned Jack the moment he turned eighteen. He knew Jack had no where else to go.
"Fuck sorry. I didn't meant to get angry. You can stay if you want. I'll let it."
Jack's head hung low now and he shuffled his feet, he glared at Ralph through the curls covering his eyes.
"It's fine I'll leave," his voice was cold and quieter now, "I'll leave you be."
He started to gather his bag and various coats he had hauled with due to the frost. Although he was stupid he wasn't that stupid enough to let himself get cold. Ralph took a moment to breathe, contemplating whether to stop him or not.
"Jack."
"Mhm?" he grunted just as he reached for the doorknob. The blonde sighed and spun around.
"Stay. But you're not stopping me from going to work tomorrow. I have a job to do."
Jack hesitated, he couldn't tell if Ralph was being sincere or just didn't want to have an argument. Either way, he was tired and didn't feel like walking home.
"Yeah?"
"Yes you twat. Stay. But you're not sleeping in the bed with me, you're on the couch."
Jack gave a fake pout, "but the couch is cold."
"You're a grown man you can handle it."
Jack grunted and put his things down, carefully placing his coats on the rack and his shoes in the right place as to not irritate Ralph. Ralph watched him intently and sunk down to sit on the sofa. He checked his watch, six pm. Enough time to cook, eat, and watch some TV before showering and falling asleep. Once Jack was done, he sat down next to Ralph and fiddled with the hem of his own shirt.
"Are you going to eat?"
"Why, are you hungry?"
Jack puzzled about this for a moment, "no not really but if you eat I'll eat."
"I know you, that means you're hungry. What do you want?"
"Pasta."
"You're boring."
Albeit Ralph wanting something more than pasta, he found himself standing over the stove stirring premade spaghetti sauce, Jack hovering by him too close for comfort. He was occasionally giving Ralph instructions on how to cook.
"Just add a little more water to the sauce it's looking too thick."
"You're thick in the head stop telling me what to do."
It was hard for Ralph to focus with Jack breathing down his neck all the time, both figuratively and literally. Every time Jack moved closer or let out a sigh, he could feel himself tensing up from the warm arm flowing onto his skin. Jack had always been like this ever since they left school and began hanging out. He questioned every day why he was still talking to Jack, let alone being friends with him. Although they weren't the best of companions, it was almost routine now to see eachother almost every day. He wasn't really sure when it got more frequent, somewhere in the first year of him moving out of his parents house and into his own flat. Jack got disowned and started sleeping anywhere he could find. Whether that be Ralph's flat, Simons house or the shitty little room Roger was staying in. But it seemed he chose Ralph more often than not.
Jack moved closer again, almost pressing his front against Ralph's back.
"Youre doing it wrong!"
Ralph let go of the spoon he was stirring with turn to face Jack. He scowled up at him and scrunched his nose.
"What do you mean! I'm doing everything you're telling me to do!" he shouted.
As his chest rose and fell when he spoke, he could feel himself brushing against Jack's front. He was pressed up against the counter, the boiling bubbling pot of sauce spitting on his back. Jack's face was red, as it often was when things got intense, and his lips were pressed into a thin line. A softer, sad expression spread itself on Ralph's face, leaving him looking a bit kicked.
"I'm sorry Jack I don't mean to raise my voice like that."
For a second, it seemed as if Jack would reel his hand back and hit Ralph straight across the jaw, but instead he stepped away.
"Don't burn the food."
He peacefully walked again and sat on the couch, but Ralph could still feel the anger radiating off him. He know Jack could get riled up and angry at just about anything. But he never did hit or punch, not since secondary school, and Ralph felt a pool of guilt for believing that he would.
That evening they ate in silence. Jack quietly thanked him for the food and excused himself to go shower. Ralph cleaned the kitchen by himself humming a soft tune, one Simon had taught him many years ago. He thought of when next he should see Simon, perhaps that coming Saturday. Maybe some company will do Jack good, if he was staying that long. Jack and Simon got on better than people expect since having known each other since year seven. They were quite different people, but had a quiet stable friendship after Jack decided to stop bullying Simon.
Ralph finished up what he was doing with a swift wipe of the counters and trudged to his bedroom. It was connected to the bathroom, which Jack was still in. The shower wasn't running anymore but it sounded like he was brushing his teeth. The toothbrush wasn't his, it was a spare one Ralph kept just for him. Ralph lightly knocked on the bathroom door.
"Jack, you almost done in there?"
"Yeah just brushing my teeth" Jack called muffled through a mouth full of toothpaste.
Once he was done, he slinked out of the bathroom. Ralph was in bed already, phone in hand and scrolling. He glanced up at Jack, who was in his makeshift pajamas, which was a borrowed band shirt from Simon and black silk shorts that he had salvaged from his old clothes. His clothes hung off his sickly gaunt frame like rags and his wet hair dripped down his back.
"Hell Jack it's freezing you can't wear that shit to bed."
Jack looked again as if he was about to shout again, but relaxed his face and mumbled "I'll be fine."
He opened the bedroom door and paused.
"Goodnight Ralph."
"Jack. Come sleep next to me in the bed. I was being mean earlier. It's cold."
Jack didn't say anything but closed the door again and slowly crept towards ralph's bed. He lifted the covers and climbed under them, wary not to touch Ralph.
"Thank you."
Ralph promptly turned the light off and watch Jack curl in to a ball. That night they both slept peacefully like small children. Ralph had a strange dream that they slept like this side by side as young boys, on a bed of leaves and a wooden shelter hanging over them.