Ri: Welcome to Motel Madness, sorry if there are any mistakes, this is for your enjoyment rather than a literacy masterpiece
Motel Madness
Alister stretched as he stepped out the van. They had pulled into a travel lodge that was inconveniently placed off a random slip road that looked more like a farm track; they had missed the turning on their first time passing it and had driven twenty minutes down the main road before Alister had convinced Zip they should turn back. It was ten minutes to eleven, and last minute bookings had to be made before eleven, so Zip had pulled into the car park and leapt out the van into the reception, leaving Alister to park and lock up.
He wrapped his arms around himself as he began to shiver as the icy wind cut through his surprisingly thin clothing. He wished sullenly that Lara had given them a little more time to prepare for a long journey, but she couldn't be faulted; she was lucky to have been able to give them any warning at all.
He watched Zip walking back towards him waving a set of keys with a big grin. "We're in luck. Still a room available; winter's a busy season!"
Alister smiled slightly. "What room?"
Zip paused to check the huge tag the made it impossible to somehow forget you had the motel's keys with you when you drove off. He sniffed as he stood beside Alister, looking at the set of buildings. "B block," he pointed to the second building a little further from the main building. "There, second floor, room two-oh-seven." Zip started walking away, "I'll go open the door, you bring the suitcase."
Alister nodded grimly as he dug the van keys out his pocket and with shaking fingers tried to locate and place the key in the lock at the back door of the van. It took him a while to get it open, grumbling to himself at Zip who was probably already inside and getting comfortable. He moaned as he realised the case was just out of arms reach, and he took hold of one of the handles at the side, pulling himself up, swearing as he carelessly bashed his knee against the bottom.
Once inside the back, he didn't even bother to stand, crawling forward to take a grip of the strap that was tied around the case and drag it slowly back out, clambering down to the ground with much more care than he had executed whilst getting in. He closed his eyes as he hefted the case over his shoulder, and slammed the van door shut, giving it a tug to make sure the automatic locking mechanism hadn't failed before forcing his eyes open and stumbled towards the second building.
Zip grimaced as he looked around the room. He had told the attendant at the reception desk that he had wanted a room for just that night, and that he was travelling with a second person. Clearly she had got the wrong idea when she had peered out the window as Alister climbed out the van. He stood in the doorway a moment longer before taking a step in, wincing again as there appeared to be no adjoining room. No, there was one, he corrected himself: a bathroom.
"What's this?" a strong British voice sounded behind him.
"The only room left," Zip said simply. It wasn't true, but as he turned to face Alister, it came out before he had a chance to think. "Unless you want to sleep in the van."
Alister sent him a suspicious glare as he moved to place the suitcase at the far end of the small room.
Zip shrugged and sat on the bed, bouncing on it a little. "Comfy enough."
"There's no sofa, not even a chair? How much did you pay for this room?"
Zip raised an eyebrow. "It was cheap; we're only staying one night." He leaned back, spreading his arms and legs to cover the entire width of the smallish double bed. "But if you really want, you can sleep on the floor."
"What do you mean, I can sleep on the floor?" Alister said, folding his arms in his usual irritated manner. "To make it fair, we should toss a coin or something."
Zip sat up suddenly and grinned wildly at the historian. "No, no, no! I actually hold no reservations against sharing a bed with you, or anyone. If you really don't want to share you can sleep on the floor."
"Or the van," Alister muttered miserably before slowly walking round to sit on the other side of the bed. As he sat down, tenderly testing the softness of the mattress, Zip hurriedly undid the laces on his shoes and kicked them off and began unzipping his trousers.
"What are you doing?" Alister cried out in horror.
"I'm not sleeping in mah clothes!" Alister's eyes suddenly opened impossibly wide. "I'm keeping on my underwear. It's not how I prefer to sleep, mind," Zip grinned with a wink. "But this is my first time in bed with you, and I don't know if you can keep your hands to yourself."
"You have no worry of that!"
Zip finished taking his trousers off, chuckling to himself, and once he was down to his boxers and undershirt he settled back. He glanced sideways at Alister. "You're sleeping in your clothes? That's dirty!"
"You would know," Alister hissed in a less than friendly tone before taking his own shoes off. He hesitated before fiddling with his belt buckle. "Why are you watching? Look away!"
"Why did you wait for me to finish before undressing yourself? Unless you wanted me to help," Zip teased very much not to the satisfaction of Alister. "You knew I'd have nothing better to do than watch 'cause believe it or not, between you, two blank walls, and a wall with a door in it, I would rather watch you." Zip felt a strange warm feeling stirring in his stomach as Alister blushed, and tried to use the covers to hide himself as well as possible as he slipped his trousers off, and soon his jacket joined the other items on the floor.
He was about to lean back when Zip cleared his throat.
"With no night clothes, underwear you can get away with wearing into bed. But a shirt you're probably going to spend the next few days in?" Zip scrunched his face in mock disgust.
Alister hesitated. "I don't have anything on underneath," he said bashfully.
Zip sighed heavily, barely resisting the urge to turn and bash his head against the wall, or bet yet, knock Alister's head against the wall. "Alister, for Christ sake! You're a man! You have nothing to hide!"
Alister didn't move to take his shirt off , he seemed to be fighting an inner battle; his dignity was at stake, and it was either personal hygiene against exposing himself to Zip of all people.
In the end, hygiene won, and he quickly unbuttoned his shirt, cursing as his fingers refused to comply immediately, and near on tossed it to the floor, very aware and unsettled at Zip's roaming eyes. As it joined the pile on the floor, he hurriedly lay back and pulled the covers up, and Zip propped himself up on one elbow.
"What?" Alister asked, feeling a little irritated at Zip's casualness.
"You're actually quite cute," Zip smiled, before realising what he has said. "I mean, you're cute in a modest way people don't see when you're hiding behind you're books." Zip lay back down. "Though that's cute too," he said to himself quietly, unsure if Alister heard the last bit, and the warm feeling in his stomach swirled back up as he realised he hoped the Englishman did hear. When Alister didn't respond, Zip continued sleepily, "It's a quality." And he yawned, closing his eyes so he didn't see Alister sending him suspicious, calculating glances.
Ri – part 2 up in a jiffy.