Watch Your Back

.:Chapter Five:.

   Brian groaned softly, rolling over in bed to silence his endlessly ringing phone, but something told him to answer it. Checking the screen, he realized it was Zacky, so he held the phone up to his ear and barely managed a sleepy, "Mmnh, hello?" Before he recognized the faint sound of crying on the other end. "Zacky? S'wrong?" He was completely awake now, sitting straight up in bed and rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he looked over at his alarm clock, showing that it read 12:23 am.
   "I-I'm sorry if I woke you up, I just.. I'm scared right now, and I heard some noises outside of my house, and.. I'm sorry." The other man's voice was faint, and Brian had a bit of trouble making out what he was saying. "I'm sorry for bothering you, I'm just so scared.." He whimpered, sniffling a little bit afterwards.
   "No, no, Zacky," He murmured, flinging the covers off of himself. "I'm getting dressed right now. I'll be over to get you in a little bit." He hopped out of bed and stumbled over to his dresser, grabbing an old pair of gray sweatpants and then quickly tugging them on.
   "W-what? No, Bri, you don't have to-"
   "I know I don't have to, but I want to." Brian quickly cut Zacky off, deciding not to bother with a shirt. He wanted to get over to his hazel-eyed friend's house as quickly as possible, so there was no time to waste. "Alright, I'm heading out the door now. I'll be there in five minutes, tops. Lock the door, shut the blinds, don't open the door or answer any calls from anyone except me. Okay?" His voice was firm, but it was also caring and protective. He quickly slipped on some flip-flops and then grabbed his keys from the counter, bolting out of the front door once he had everything he needed.
   "O-okay.. An-and, Brian.." Zacky's voice was quiet, and the brown-eyed man could hear the faint sound of the door being locked in the background. "Thank you."
   "It's not a problem, Zee. I told you I'd always protect you, and now I am." He replied as he slid into the driver's seat of his car and started the vehicle. "Alright, I'm on my way. Will you be okay until I get there, or do we need to stay on the phone?" He asked, his voice dripping with concern. Why the hell am I so concerned about him? I'm gonna kill him soon, anyways..
   "Y-yeah, I'll be okay, just.. Hurry." He whispered, and with that, Brian hung up and peeled out of the parking lot of his apartment.

   He kept the gas pedal to the floor the entire way to Zacky's house, his car reaching 90 miles an hour at one point. Once he reached the house, he pulled into the driveway and stopped just a few inches from the garage door, then he hopped out of his car and bolted for the front door. "Zacky, it's me!" He called as he knocked on the door. Suddenly, the front door was opened and he was pulled inside, feeling arms wrap around his waist and a face buried into his shoulder. Zacky shook with both fear and relief as he held onto Brian with all his might, sniffling softly into the man's bare chest.
   "Thank you for coming over, Bri.." He murmured softly into Brian's warm, tan skin. He took in a deep breath, loving the hint of cologne that wafted from his muscular body.
   "It's not a problem. Do you wanna stay over until tomorrow?" The brown-eyed man whispered, his heart hammering strangely hard against his chest as he hugged the other man's waist. Zacky nodded, keeping his face buried in Brian's chest for a moment before he slipped away, muttering something about packing a bag as he was staring at the brown-eyed man's bare chest. "I'll wait here. Just let me know when you're ready to go." Brian smiled, sitting on the couch as he watched Zacky disappear into another room.
   Jesus Christ.. He probably saw me drooling when I was staring at his chest and thinks I'm some sort of creep now.. Zacky thought as he stuffed a few pieces of clothing into a Wal-Mart bag and then tied the plastic handles together. "Alright, I'm ready." He announced with a smile as he left his bedroom, closing the door behind him. Brian hopped to his feet, giving a barely noticeable glance to the bag in his friend's hand before he walked over to the front door. "H-hey, Bri?" Zacky stuttered as Brian went to open the front door.
   "Yeah, Zee?" He murmured, turning around to look at his hazel-eyed friend, who was now nervously picking at his nails and staring at his own feet.
   "C-could I.. Until we get to the car, could I h-hold your hand?" He stuttered once more, now finally having the courage to let their gazes lock together. His cheeks were painted a bright shade of red as he bit his lip, anticipating Brian's answer that never seemed to come. The other man stood as still as a statue, his brown eyes wide and his cheeks just barely tinted pink. But suddenly, just as Zacky thought he was going to be told no, he felt Brian's warm, strong hand grip his own and then lace their fingers together, keeping them tightly woven in a reassuring way.
   "Alright, let's go.. Don't let go of my hand, okay?" Brian murmured, almost as though he were talking to a small child in a crowded area. The hazel-eyed man nodded, and as soon as the door was open, the brown-eyed man tightened his grip on Zacky's hand and led him to his car. When Zacky slid into the passenger's seat, Brian let go of his hand and shut his car door, then he rounded the side of the car and climbed into the driver's seat. He used his driver's controls to lock the doors, just for good measure.
   "Brian.. Thank you.." Zacky whispered shyly as they pulled out of his driveway. "I-I know you were asleep, and.. I know you probably have better things to do with your time, but.. I was just really scared.." He fixed his gaze on his brown-eyed friend, letting his eyes wander his bare chest for a moment before looking back up at his gorgeously sculpted face.
   "It's not a problem, Zee. I told you," Brian placed his hand on the hazel-eyed man's knee. "No matter what time it is, even if I'm asleep, I don't mind coming to get you." He glanced over at Zacky, flashing him a caring smile before he took his hand off of his knee and placed it back on the steering wheel. The hazel-eyed man's cheeks were painted a bright shade of red, looking at his knee as it tingled from Brian's gentle touch. He wished he hadn't moved his hand so quickly..

   "Alright, home sweet home." Brian chimed as he unlocked his front door with one hand, the other gripping Zacky's hand to give him reassurance. He pushed the front door open, quickly pulling Zacky inside before he shut the door behind them and then locked it again, letting go of the other man's hand so he could walk around a little bit. The hazel-eyed man examined Brian's walls, finding that they were just as bare as his own.
   "You know, you're one to talk about bare walls. There isn't a single picture in here." Zacky teased, raising a brow at Brian who flopped on his couch and propped his feet up on the coffee table. The brown-eyed man shrugged, scratching at his fuzzy chin with a wide grin plastered across his lips.
   "D'you wanna watch a movie, or just go to bed?" Brian asked over a jaw-crushing yawn, stretching his arms out as Zacky sat down on the couch next to him.
   "Um.. We can watch a movie. I don't care what we watch, you can pick." The hazel-eyed man smiled as Brian grabbed the remote, flipping the TV on before he grabbed the Xbox controller off of the coffee table and pressing the button in the middle, turning on the gaming console. "I thought we were watching a movie!" Zacky cried dramatically, giving a barely audible giggle.
   "We are. I'm starting Netflix." Brian grinned, navigating the cursor on the screen to the Netflix app and then opening it up. "What are you thinking? Horror, comedy, romantic, drama?" He asked, flipping through the different categories.
   "Um.. How about horror?" Zacky murmured bravely, knowing he wouldn't be able to handle it at the moment. But maybe, just maybe.. That would give him the chance to curl up with Brian.
   "Alright.." He whispered and began searching through the different movie titles, stopping on one that was called Van Helsing. "Oh, dude, this movie is legit. Have you seen it?" He asked, looking over at his hazel-eyed friend with his brows raised. "It's not too scary, but it's pretty fucked up."
   "No, I haven't seen it.. Let's watch it!" Zacky smiled, relieved that the movie wasn't supposed to be that scary. He liked the sort of science fiction side of movies, anyways. Brian nodded, pressing the button to start streaming the movie, and once it started, he stood up from the couch and wandered into the kitchen. He opened the fridge and grabbed two Cokes, bringing them back and handing the coldest one to Zacky. "Thanks." He muttered, popping it open and taking a drink before he set the can on the coffee table.
   "If this gets to be too much, just let me know, okay?" Brian murmured softly, scooting a bit closer to Zacky as the beginning of the movie played. The beginning of the film was in black and white, and it showed a man in a lab coat trying desperately to bring Frankenstein to life.
   "Okay." Zacky whispered, his hazel eyes wide and focused on the TV. He jumped when it showed the townspeople using a battering ram to open the doors of the castle, but he smiled right afterwards and snuggled a little closer to Brian, kicking his shoes off in the floor and then resting his feet on the couch next to him.

   Soon enough, Zacky was slumped over and his cheek was resting on Brian's shoulder, soft little snores coming from his slightly open mouth. The brown-eyed man smiled softly, turning off the Xbox with the controller before he then used the remote to turn off the TV, plunging the two of them into almost total darkness. Careful not to wake Zacky, Brian wrapped his arms around his waist and heaved him up, carrying him bridal style all the way to his bedroom and then laying him in his bed.
   "Brian?" He murmured sleepily, but the brown-eyed man shushed him quietly before he slipped his sandals off and laid behind him, wrapping his strong arms around Zacky's waist. "Thank you.. For.. Protecting me.." His voice trailed off as he fell back asleep, and Brian couldn't help but smile, breathing in the rich scent of Zacky's body wash and his cologne.
   He's awfully cute when he sleeps.. He thought as he pulled the shorter man closer to him, making sure there was no space between his chest and Zacky's back. After a moment of hesitation, he found the smaller man's hand with his own and then laced their fingers together, nuzzling his chin into the space between his neck and his shoulder. I love spending time with you.. And I'm not supposed to let myself get close to you, but I can't help it. You're just too.. Incredible. I thought this job would be easy, but it's turning out to be pretty fucking difficult.. His thoughts buzzed around in his brain for the longest time, until finally, he was able to drift into a sleep that was plagued with dreams of the man that he was snuggled so closely to.