Unnecessary proximity

Little light

All nightmares are behind, the warm rays of the sun illuminate the living room. Alec emerges from the bathroom in wide, padded home pants and a T-shirt that Chris likes to wear at home. The guy's features are relaxed, he casually straightens a lock of his still damp hair. Chris likes to see him like that, he admires and remembers the warmth of this man's hands. How he smiles, how he laughs, how embarrassed ... It's strange, but the Alec is endless for Chris, he always finds something new in him, no matter how much they know each other. Right now, Chris wants to hug him and close his eyes so that he can feel the feeling of comfort emanating from Alec with his whole body.
Alec looks up and looks Chris in the eye, "What are you staring at, you moron ?! Admire yourself in the mirror."
No one knows how to return to harsh reality as Alec. Chris just wanted to imagine for a second what it would be like if he and Alec were together. And this picture before his eyes was too attractive, especially now. Oddly enough, but light dreams helped him to regain his peace of mind a little. But the harsh reality cannot be changed that way, they are still in the middle of a nightmare, and Alec still hates him.
"Do you have to be rude?" Chris sighed, leaning back against the back of the sofa.
"For you? Yes",Alec sit down next to Chris on the other side of the sofa.
"It's impossible to talk to you", Chris shook his head and decided to move the topic,"Because of all this, we missed lunch, and it's almost evening. Would you like to eat?"
"I don’t want to, I’m losing my appetite next to you", snapped Alec. Apparently, his mood was disgusting, and he venting his anger on the Chris.
"Maybe stop insulting me?" Chris asked sternly,"You are still in my house."
Alec pursed his lips in displeasure, but did not argue. It looked like he was sulking about Chris's refusal to insult himself.
"Listen, we’re stuck here together for an unknown amount of time", Chris tried to speak softer to convince his neighbor, "It is mortally dangerous behind the doors of my apartment, it is not known what problems we may face and when help will come. I think we've had enough of this stress. Let's at least stop fighting. And don't pretend that you can't. We used to communicate well, we got along well. So why can't we take a small truce at least for a while?"
"But only for a while, and do not think that I have stopped hating you," Alec answered sharply.
Although he gave his consent to the truce, his tone of voice spoke of the opposite. The awkward silence was interrupted by the loud rumbling of Alec's belly.
Chris smiled lightly, "Not hungry, huh? Wait, I'll make us dinner."
"Do what you want", Alec muttered, it was obvious that he was embarrassed.
Chris approached the cooking with full responsibility, put on the apron given by his sister and take up a cookbook that Sam gave him. He was as focused as possible, cut something, cooked and periodically checked the recipe.
"Forgive me", Alec's voice suddenly rang out next to his shoulder.
Chris looked in surprise at the guy who stood so close, "Why do you apologize?"
"Because I want to live", Alec replied calmly, peering over Chris's shoulder into the pot, "You obviously decided to poison me for all the insults addressed to you."
"Don't be silly", Chris said resentfully, "It's quite ...on prescription."
"From a book on potions?" Alec grunted, the whole situation clearly amused him.
"Why did you come at all?" Chris asked resentfully, "I told you to wait for me."
"What if you add something to my food? Of course, I came to check," Alec replied seriously.
"Your jokes got me,"Chris complained.
"Then step back and let me cook dinner for us," Alec pushed Chris aside and closed the cookbook, "You can take it, you better read the recipes, and not cook according to them. Go away."
"What if you add something to my food?" Chris jokingly remarked, glancing curiously at Alec, who clearly felt confident in the kitchen.
"I don’t have such a powerful poison to surpass your culinary abilities," Alec winced, peering into the pan,"I can't even imagine what you were going to cook. Go read the recipes and someday I will trust you to cut carrots. From now on, only I cook in your kitchen."
"Forever and ever? I agree," Chris laughed, for which he was immediately rudely cursed.
His neighbor really swears a lot. Chris didn't go far. He sat down in a chair and watched Alec cook in his kitchen. And Alec was obviously doing pretty well, Chris really wanted them to cook together in his kitchen someday. Even if he only chops carrots.
They ate supper in silence, despite all the horrors, they were very hungry. Because of this, the food seemed incredibly tasty, although it was the most ordinary. Alec knew how to cook, but he was not a great culinary specialist either. When they finished eating, the room was darkened. Without the sun's rays, it became somehow alarming, a dark bitterness descended on my heart. They just sat together at the table, and each thought about his own.
"Chris, look!" suddenly exclaimed Alec, he was very agitated.
"What?" Chris flinched in surprise.
He don't expect good news at a time like this.
"In the house across the street, someone turned on the light," Alec smiled happily, as if he had received an amazing gift.
Chris stand up and they went to the window.
"Look, both there and over there", in several windows, one after another, the lights came on.
In some places, he blinked several times, as if someone had pressed a switch several times to give a signal.
Alec grabbed Chris by the arm, there was so much excitement in his voice, "Let's turn it on too?"
Chris's heart seemed to skip a beat, he looked at the happy sparkle in Alec's green eyes, and felt his soul fill with joy.
"Why don't we do it together?" he suggested, and they turned on the light.
And then they stood side by side and looked at the lights in the windows of the house opposite, which were now more beautiful than all the stars in the sky, because there was hope in them.
But the light in the windows gradually began to go out, fatigue took its toll. It was time for sleep.
"Are you going to sleep on the couch?" Chris asked doubtfully.
"Go to bed already, I'm quite comfortable", Alec muttered.
As soon as the feeling of magic due to the light in the windows passed, the same prickly neighbor returned. Chris had no choice but to go to bed obediently.
"Chris", Alec called suddenly, and he immediately stopped, turning around.
"Thank you for saving me", in the words of Alec there was a sense of sincerity, apparently, he thought about his words for some time.
“You’ll do the same,” Chris smiled.
"I'd throw you at the zombies", Alec joked grimly, making himself comfortable under the covers.
"No, you wouldn't do that", Chris became serious, "No matter how we fight, I still think that you are a good person."
Alec did not answer, he turned his back to Chris and closed his eyes. He shouldn't be so worried about these words, he shouldn't be worried about what Chris thinks of him. He must sleep now.
Alec sat next to Chris on the couch, knees touching. They were drinking some kind of multicolored drink with stars from tall transparent glasses. It tickled pleasantly somewhere in the throat, which made Alec constantly laugh foolishly and frivolously.
Chris looked at him affectionately and very attentively, and then said loudly "You are mine."
This voice seemed to bounce off the walls, filling the room and creating an echo.
"You are mine", Chris repeated again. And then Alec stopped laughing, the drink in the glass lost its colors, began to see the. He unclenched his fingers and the glass of drink fell to the floor, allowing the viscous liquid to spread across the floor, the stars turned out to be broken glass.
"You are mine", Chris repeated again. And now he recognized the voice. It did not belong to Chris, but to a completely different person.
“You are mine,” Chris repeated, a growl in his voice.
His features began to distort, filling with wild hunger, his eyes glittered terribly with madness.
Alec tried to get up off the couch and run away, but his movements were too slow, as if he were floating in some kind of viscous fog. He wanted to run away, but his body did not obey. Faster, it should be faster!
"You are mine", Chris growled.
He grabbed Alec and threw him onto the sofa, for some reason his lips were covered in blood. And then Alec screamed with all his might, but he heard only silence and someone else's angry growl. No matter how much he screamed, he could not be heard, no matter how hard he tried, he could not move. Alec only breathed quickly, and saw how the face of a stranger, disfigured by bites, was approaching him.
"Wake up!" Chris's loud voice suddenly shook the whole room, and Alec closed his eyes.
When he opened his eyes, he was already in the warm embrace of Chris, who whispered, "It's okay, don't be afraid. It's just a dream, I'm near. Nothing bad will happen to you."
And Alec allowed himself to be lulled, trying to shake off the sticky embrace of sleep. He gradually got used to the fact that he could breathe and move calmly again. That there is an ordinary room around and the most ordinary Chris. He's fine as always.
"Fuck off! Don't you dare touch me!" suddenly rudely said Alec, and shoved Chris away. He pulled the covers up to his chin to replace the warmth Chris dared to give him.
"Alec, are you again?" Chris sighed wearily, "You cried and screamed in your sleep. I just wanted to help."
"I didn't ask you to help!" Alec raised his voice, "Go back to your room!"
"Okay, then I'm sorry", Chris pursed his lips, trying to hold back the harsh words that were trying to slip off his tongue, "Good night."
Chris left without turning around and slammed the bedroom door in annoyance at the end.
The morning was not good for Alec, and he could not sleep well. The head hurt, and the body seemed to fall apart. He wanted to continue sleep, but a suspicious noise in the kitchen brought him to his senses.
Reluctantly, Alec got up and trudged to the kitchen, where he immediately scolded Chris, "Why the hell are you up so early? And I told you not to cook, you only spoil the food."
"Firstly, I'm able to make sandwiches, and secondly, it's already lunch time", Chris looked at the frowning Alec, "Thirdly ... wait, you are kind of pale. Are you feeling okay?"
"None of your business",Alec sharply turned back towards the living room, and from this movement the world around was shaken. Because of the dizziness, it seemed to him for a second. that he is about to fall. Fortunately, Chris noticed his condition and managed to hold Alec, and then sat him on a chair.
He touched the palm of Alec's forehead and frowned, "You obviously have a temperature. Okay, I'll put you to bed now, and then I'll fetch the first aid kit."
Alec was silent the whole time and just looked at his feet.
"Can you hear me? Alec, are you really bad?" Chris anxiously began to question, but fell silent when the neighbor gently squeezed his wrist.
Alec looked Chris in the eye and asked quietly, "I contracted a new virus?"