watch the world go by

Oneshot

"Another plague?" Aleksander asked, reading a history book while the news played idly on the television, left to run as a background hum. He was still stuck inside Alina's house, still unable to work out how her electronic lock worked. At least he wasn't so grumpy anymore, which Alina counted as a personal win for herself. "What's next, boils or sure death? Are there any other more interesting symptoms?"

Alina blinked, slowly. Sometimes she forgot that, while she was old, Aleksander was so, so much more, which meant that he had a skewed view on pandemics and the like.

"No. When was the last plague you lived through?" He turned a page of the book and said a number with three digits that was shockingly low. "Aleksander. Serious answers only, if you will."

He closed the book, looking at her. There was an amused glint in his eye, and Alina dreaded the words to come.

"The plague of 758 was a very serious issue, made worse by the Fold, Alina. Supplies were so hard to reach to the other side of the country..."

"Wipe that smile off your face before talking about a plague that was made worse by your actions, then. Also, we don't call them plagues anymore, they're pandemics. Stop being an old man and get on with the times."

He waved her away, sliding to be closer her, book abandoned and bookmarked by dog-earing it like some sort of idiot whose sole aim in life was to piss Alina off enough she'd set him free, but she'd grown used to it. Alina did not take her eyes off the app she had been using on her phone, trying to pass through the level of Candy Crush she'd been playing.

"So, what are we supposed to do during this time?" He asked, close enough for comfort. Alina leaned into him, eyes focused on the colorful game pieces.

"Watch the news, they'll tell you."

"What, the box?" He still did not know how to work most technology. Alina wondered how Aleksander had survived until she found him. "I don't trust it."

Wait, maybe that was why he was out there, being a hermit. Alina coughed into her hand, not doing her best to hide the rude word she said, and Aleksander scoffed. At least he started to watch the television, leaning into Alina like it was his job.

It probably was. He didn't do much other than read, preparing to do evil things, and organize her house just slightly differently to piss her off every time she came home from her job, after all.

Alina managed to beat three levels of her stupid little game when he gasped, looking at her. She didn't bother to pause the game.

"So that's why you haven't been working! I thought they'd finally fired you." Alina looked at Aleksander, losing the level she'd been playing out of sheer surprise. "So you're supposed to isolate?"

"And socially distance as well, but considering you haven't been outside since I brought you in because you can't work out the lock," Alina paused for a moment to admire the scowl he had on his face for a moment, before continuing to speak, with an amused smile to her lips. ", you're probably the safest person to be around. Or maybe the worst, considering how long you've been alive. You're probably a petri dish of diseases."

Aleksander huffed, and Alina bit back a chuckle.

"The pot is calling the kettle black, I see." He nuzzled himself into Alina, like the lonely cat he was, and Alina brought him closer, putting an arm around his shoulders. "How long is it supposed to last?"

"The expert in plagues here is you." Alina kissed the top of his head, and he purred. She went back to her app. "But I don't know. Three weeks? Three months?"

"So what you're saying is that you're stuck here with me?" He grinned, and Alina could hear it in his voice, kissing her neck, fingers going for the buttons on her blouse. Alina batted his hand away, and Aleksander huffed. "Oh, come on. How do you think people passed time by before? Staring at their hands? We didn't use to have these rectangles."

He was just like a cat in heat.

"No idea, but again, I'm not as old as you." Aleksander gasped, scandalized, and Aline opened a few buttons of her blouse. "Maybe after I pass this level. You could get to work on distracting me, though."

Alina did not need to see Aleksander's face to see the shine in his gray eyes as she moved, resting against the sofa's armrest, and he laid down between her legs. He moved down, ignoring her exposed breasts, and Aline simply raised her arms to see better her phone as he opened the buttons of her jeans. Straight for the prize, huh.

The quarantine would be fun for her, at least.