alex and liam

(A/N: erm so this is a story with original oc's. it was just gonna be for myself to read, but i thought why not post it here. maybe then at least someone will read it. maybe. It's mlm, if you don't like that then get lost!)

Here I am again. I'm so stupid. If I was strong enough to be able to handle this all then I wouldn't have to burden this poor soul, but here I am again, crashing on his couch.

I check my phone, the bright light makes me strain my eyes and I squint. It's 2:30. How did I let it get this late? Notifications of missed calls turn my squinted eyes dull. It's dad, and I bet he's apologising again. I clench my toes tightly, tapping my finger on my phone screen as I argue with myself if I should call him back or ignore him.

I decide to leave it, and lay my phone back down on the wooden coffee table. Alex is in his bedroom. He went to bed late because of me. He tells me it's not a problem, that i'm always welcome, but I still worry i'm creating a disturbance in his routine.

There's fiddling at the front door, and my body stiffens and my eyes go wide. I get ready to leap behind the couch, but it's just Alex with a bag of groceries. I uncurl, and when it's sets in, my eyes turn content.

"I thought you were in your room. When did you manage to sneak out?" I sit up, and he places himself beside me.

"You were fast asleep." He smiles, reaching into the bag, "I got you some snacks."

He hands me a box of cookies and reaches in again to get some soda, placing it on the table.

"You didn't have to." My words don't match with my actions though, as I tear open the box.

"I can't assume you'd eaten before you showed up." He coughs, he tries not to mention it. I appreciate it, but I don't mind. I make some kind of noise in an attempt to confirm I indeed didn't eat before showing up. I was in a rush, and I didn't have any money.

He stands with the grocery bag and my eyes follow him. He flicks the kitchen light on and places the bag on the counter-top.

"Feeling better?" He walks back, standing behind me with his arms laid atop the back of the couch.

"Yeah." I swallow the soda. He lowers his head and smiles. He starts walking off towards his room.

"I'm not tired." I muster. I want him to stay with me.

"That's ok, don't sleep then." He continues walking.

"By that I mean.." I say, louder and more desperate. I didn't realise how shaky my voice was until I spoke up. He stop and turns towards me, waiting for me to finish talking. I can't. It feels like something is stuck in my throat. He laughs softly, and I know I don't need to finish my sentence anymore.

"If you wanna talk, you can say that." He sits next to me.

"No not really.." I hesitate.

"Liam, I've seen you at your worst mate." He punches my arm playfully. I pause.

"I just want some company." I say. My head is low. I hate being vulnerable, it might be because I was never taught that being vulnerable is a good thing.

Alex eyes me, and smiles. He scoots closer and brings his arm around me. I let it happen, and my head rests comfortably on his shoulder.

I sigh contently. Me and Alex don't usually say a lot to eachother, but I trust him. A lot. He knows just what to do when I come knocking on the door in the middle of the night. He knows why I'm there. I have friends, but they'll never know this side of me.

"How about we play a game?" Alex looks at me. He stares for a moment, then lets his head fall back. "I thought you said you weren't tired."

My head hurts. I adjust to the light and sit up, looking around. Im still on Alex's couch, and he's next to me. No wonder my head hurts, I was resting on his bony shoulder all night. I also hadn't realised how red and puffy my eyes had got until I got up to wash my face. I rub my eyes; I look pathetic.