Just Like Animals

№ 10

Since Ricky was little, he always had nightmares.  To some extent, he was used to them, but depending on the narrative, they were still scary. 

He wasn't surprised when he woke up in a fright, heart racing and skin clammy, but he was surprised when Chris came running down stairs, flicking on the lights in the den.

"Are you okay?" Chris asked, rather worried about Ricky. He had heard a scream and assumed something horrible had happened.

Ricky nodded, still shaking as he recovered from the physical affects of the bad dream, "Just a nightmare." He sighed and rubbed his temples, "I'm sorry if I woke you." He mumbled, realizing it was probably the middle of the night since Chris was wearing pajama pants and a tank top rather than his typical jeans and sweater.

Normally Chris would be mad at Ricky for waking him up, but it was the first time it had happened and he could tell Ricky hadn't intended to bother him.  He went into the kitchen, taking down two mugs from a cabinet and putting on the kettle for hot cocoa. 

It took a few minutes, but eventually he was handing a mug overflowing with whipped cream to Ricky, watching as he took a sip to test the temperature.  They sat together quietly, the two drinking and staring into the roaring fire, both consumed by their thoughts.

"Would you like to talk about the dream?" Chris offered, breaking the silence.

Ricky shook his head, not wanting to let a sociopath into his psyche.  He finished up his cocoa and handed the cup back to Chris, scooting into the corner of the couch and pulling his knees to his chest.  He would've loved to go back to sleep but it was incredibly unlikely with how wired he was.

"A movie then?" Chris suggested, able to see that Ricky was wide awake. He was a bit sleepy himself, but willing to stay up now that he was getting comfortable.

With a bit of hesitation, Ricky agreed to the movie. Chris plucked the remote from the coffee table, calling up a streaming service and browsing.  He wanted something interesting so he wouldn't fall asleep but something that wasn't scary for Ricky's sake.

"Do you have any preferences?" Chris wondered, looking to Ricky for some sort approval.  Ricky just shrugged though, not being picky since it had been weeks since he watched anything other than brief snippets of the news.

Chris ended up putting on a limited series rather than a movie, finishing his own drink before kicking his feet up.  He relaxed into the sofa, resting his arm on the cushions behind Ricky.

It was after the first episode he felt a little shift in his seat, able to feel Ricky moving around.  Ricky let out a little huff, struggling to get comfortable before scooting closer to Chris and resting his head on Chris' shoulder again. 

Being as slow as possible as to not spook Ricky off, Chris looked down at Ricky, making sure he was cozy before wrapping his arm around him, pulling him close.  Ricky was a bit uncertain of Chris' intentions, but relaxed into his body nonetheless.  Chris was warm and it seemed like Ricky fit perfectly against his side, tucked in tight.  One of Chris' hands rested on Ricky's back, gently rubbing back and forth, his other hand finding it's way to Ricky's knee.

It had been weeks now since Ricky had cuddled with Jaime, but even then, usually he was the one holding her.  It made his heart feel full again knowing that even if Chris was a horrible person, deep down he had some ability to care for others. It also gave him hope that there was a little soft spot in Chris that he could perhaps exploit for the sake of getting out of there in one piece.

"Are you getting tired?" Chris asked after they had been watching the show for a couple of hours.  Ricky shrugged, pushing his hair out of his face and getting ready to sit though another episode.  Truthfully, Ricky had been thinking more than watching, but he still liked the entertainment.

Chris had been spending quite some time thinking too. He liked having Ricky around.  He was a bit of a recluse and frankly, he wasn't pulling guys left and right.  His last relationship was in college and it only lasted a week, it being rather hard for him to communicate and get along with the girl.  After that, he figured out that girls just weren't his cup of tea and moved on boys.  Since then, he only had a couple of first dates here and there, there never being a second date. 

Dating wasn't Chris' favorite thing though. The talking stage was painful, going on dates was nearly torture, and being held to an arbitrary set of guidelines like how often they should text or how much quality time was the right amount of quality time made him want to take a long walk off a short pier. 

Regardless, Chris had other communities.  Of course, he had his primary set of friends that included Ricky, but he was also a part of several organization.  They were clubs of a sort that catered to people's special interests.  Nothing illegal, maybe immoral, but as long as everyone consented, not illegal.

Chris was yanked out of his own head when Ricky let out a yawn and shifted around some more, getting all snuggled up.  Chris adjusted his hold on Ricky, letting his arm slip down his back and slowly moving his hand from his knee to his thigh.  With his thumb, he started to rub little circles on Ricky's tender skin through his sweatpants, watching as Ricky twitched a bit before lifting his head off Chris' shoulder.

"Please stop that." Ricky stammered nervously.  He looked up at Chris, trying to gauge if he was angry or upset with the request, once again seeing no emotion at all.  It was rather difficult for him to scoot away, both paralyzed by fear and being held in place by Chris' grasp on him.

Ricky sat frozen, watching as Chris moved in towards him until their lips connected.  He was in shock, unable to pull away or lean in, being rocked to the core with panic.  After a moment, Chris slowly backed off, able to tell Ricky wasn't into it.  He waited for some sort of response from Ricky who just stared straight ahead, barely breathing, let alone moving or speaking.

It took several minutes, but eventually Ricky regained his voice. "I think I'd like to go to sleep now." He whispered, tripping over his words as he thought about what had just happened. 

Chris took the hint, letting go of Ricky. He turned the television off and stood up, looking back at Ricky.  "Think about it." He begged, setting a hand on Ricky's shoulder, sad to see him flinch at the touch.  Ricky nodded weakly, gulping down his fear as Chris fondled the padlock that held the chain around his neck.

With that, Chris turned and left, Ricky just sitting there in a sort of trance. It took a while, but in time, he laid back down on his makeshift bed, facing the wall so Chris wouldn't know he was awake if he were to peak into the den again.  And there he laid, wide awake until the sun rose, his mind being suffocated with all sorts of thoughts and questions, none of which had answers.

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