"Benefits" [Under Editing]

I'd Like For You and I to Go Romancing

Edited.

Saturday

John woke up alone in his bed with a pounding headache to the sound of typing. Alexander, who had seemingly permanently moved back to his own bed, was working on something in his laptop. Probably schoolwork, knowing him.

The problem was, it was 6:00 a.m.

On a Sunday morning.

Too hungover to deal with the noise, John threw himself off the bed and dragged himself to Alexander.

"Hey, Babygirl,"

"Don't call me that, you fuckstick" Alexander muttered, not looking away from his computer.

Looks like someone has been hanging out with Peggy a lot lately. Thought John.

"Why are you working so early in the morning? Come and cuddle with me, we can still sleep for a few more hours" He purred as he hugged Alex by the shoulders.

"No, John. I have work to do, I can't waste my time "cuddling"" Alexander says with a roll of his eyes.

John fake-gasped "Are you saying that cuddling is a waste of time!?"

"Yes, now leave me alone!" He slapped John's arms out of his shoulders and resumed his typing.

Resigned, John returned to his bed and tried to go back to sleep with no results.

Sunday

The memories of that Friday were foggy at best and nonexistent at worse. Laurens remembered going to the bar with Peggy to talk about Alexander, something must've come out of that conversation, but John struggled to remember.

There was a line though, that kept flashing through his head.

"Alexander is a helpless romantic, y'know? Do something with that,"

And so John started forming a plan.

—•—

After classes were over John went to the nearest flower shop he could find outside of campus and purchased a bouquet of purple hyacinths, which were supposed to mean sadness and asking for forgiveness. He found himself knocking the door of his own dorm room like an absolute idiot, and of course, it was Alexander who answered.

He looked cute, wearing an oversized college sweater and his dark hair loose on his slim shoulders. His eyes were hooded and surrounded by eye bags and his lips chapped, John honestly didn't know how he found this mess of a man attractive, but he did. So much that upon seeing him his gay brain malfunctioned, and instead of producing coherent sentences like a functional human being of society, he shoved the flowers at Alexander's direction.

He raised his brows, unamused. "Wrong dorm, Laurens. This is mine, not one of your hookup's."

"What– no, Alex these are for y–"

Alexander slammed the door on his face.

Monday

The next day he continued with the cheesy crap, just as his plan dictated, and bought Alex a box of heart-shaped chocolates. He left them on his desk beside his computer, so there'd be no way he could miss them, nearly at dawn because Alexander was usually up at ridiculously early hours. He also left a note that read "Hope you enjoy the chocolates, they are sweet just like you <3" on the box right before leaving.

That afternoon he came back and saw his roommate typing away on his laptop, as he usually seemed to be doing. The chocolate box was nowhere to be found, and John bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from smiling.

"Hey Alex, did you like the chocolates?"

"I don't know, I threw them away. I'm on a chocolate and dick free diet right now,"

Of course what John didn't know is that Alexander did eat all of the chocolates, while crying.

Wednesday

Tuesday had been a day to rest and replan. Then Wednesday came by and John was convinced that nothing could possibly go wrong. Sure, his plan has failed miserably so far, but today was their day, it had to be different.

He woke up and Alexander was nowhere to be seen, but John shrugged it off. Surely he would have to come back eventually. He wouldn't miss Mean Girls Wednesday, right? He decided to take his absence as an opportunity. Yes, he'd use this time to attempt cooking. Surely that portable stove couldn't be that hard to use, right? It's just a stupid little thing anyway.

Two hours later he had burned the food and nearly the entire dorm. John decided that ramen would've to be good enough for today, as he didn't fancy dying in a fire just yet. He warmed up two cups and smiled with hopes of watching his favorite movie and cuddles.

But Alexander didn't come back that day.

John ended up eating both cups of ramen.

Thursday

This was going to be his last try, if this didn't work, John couldn't think of anything else he could do. Peggy has said "be romantic", right? So he decided to write a letter. I mean it can't be that hard, right?

He came from class and sat down at his desk, determined to do this. But after a few hours and lots of crumbled pieces of papers littering the floor and desk later, he gave up. John decided writing wasn't his strong suit in the slightest, definitely more of Alexander's area.

He could write a song, but that would involve writing too which automatically discarded it.

There was one more thing he could do involving pen and paper, though. So he grabbed his sketchbook and got to work.

Friday

Friday came and John decided that he needed a drink. He was now in a nearby pub with a pretty girl called Abigail. He hoped, uselessly, that maybe she would be the one to finally rub the gayness out of him.

Maybe those thick, red lips of her would finally make him come to his senses, make him normal. Ironically his mind was far from Abigail's lips and instead on the memory of Alexander's.

Oh and did his missed those rough lips in need of a chapstick that could make his mind go crazy. He would do anything to feel them again against his own, on his skin. Kissing his neck with so much sweetness like he used to. To feel his fingers caress his body and see those dark eyes look at him with desire at least once more. Or with hidden fondness when he thought John wasn't looking.

He didn't dare to give him the drawing, what was the purpose, anyway? It was clearly a lost cause.

So he left, not bearing to see Alexander so close yet still so far. And now he sits with a girl who can barely remember his name.