Stockholm Syndrome
By: Aubrie1234
They were in bed, but they couldn't sleep. How could you when you were sharing a bed with someone you barely knew, let alone the same gender?
"Nice boxers." Alex commented in the dark.
"You too." Artemis muttered. They were turned away from each other, trying to not touch the other.
"And please refrain from touching me with your 6-toed foot." Artemis rolled his eyes.
"I'm trying, you ungrateful boy." This pissed off Alex.
"Oh, I'm the boy? We're technically the same age! You're 17, I'm 17! You're the younger! I was born in February, you were in September!"
"Not so loud!" Artemis hissed, "And we must get some sleep."
"Not until you take your insult back." Artemis turned over to glare at Alex.
"How can you be childish at a time like this?" Alex turned to face him.
"It's one of the ways I keep myself sane, if you haven't noticed. I try to forget all about my spy self and pretend I'm a normal boy. That includes now, trying to share a bed with you." Despite it being dark, Artemis' light skin highlighted his blush immensely, making Alex grin. They were surprised not only at their own reactions but also the other's.
"I know many cursewords, but I prefer not to use them, jackass."
"You're calling me a mule? Nice insult, Fowl. And aren't you a little cold with such white skin?"
"No, so stop staring." Artemis pulled the covers higher on himself and looked away. He shivered when he felt Alex's hand touch his forehead.
"You feel cold and even shivered. Are you sure you're fine?"
"I can put some clothes on." Alex sighed and pulled his hand away, making Artemis wish he hadn't. The warmth had felt good.
"You can get out of the bed, put some clothes on, and get back in, or stay here and let me warm you up. This is strictly a friend thing, Mr. Pride." Artemis huffed at the offer and the nickname, but accepted it, almost immediately latching onto Alex. The blond flinched and shivered.
"You're freezing! How do you stay warm?!"
"My bed at home usually has thick covers, along with any other place I go. If I can't get warm, Butler warms me up." Alex was silent, letting his hand rest on Artemis' head.
"...You know this was your decision, right? At any time we could take you home."
"I wanted to go. I wanted to have an adventure on my own. I wanted..." Artemis blushed at the last part, stopping himself before he could start digging his hole. He was glad Alex couldn't see him.
I wanted to be with you. was his thought. He wasn't sure whether he was gay or not, but it seemed so. When he had seen Alex and Yassen, he had his eyes on Alex the whole time. Who wouldn't have? Alex was literally a dreamboat, both for men and women. At first Artemis had been jealous of Yassen, seeing as the man looked much younger than he did (Artemis still was, in a way), but now that wasn't the case.
He would have to tell his family and friends, of course, which would upset Holly. He may have not understood emotions so well, but he could understand her's, including the fact that she liked him to the point she may love him as well. He didn't want to hurt her feelings, but so far, it seemed the hunter's heart was set to capture the spy's.
"You wanted what?" Alex's words brought Artemis out of his thoughts. The Irishman gritted his teeth, suppressing the urge to tell the Englishman the truth.
"I wanted to experience new things, just as they should be."
"Like football? I could teach you."
"I'm not that athletic..."
"It's fine. I can still teach you, just in a different way."
"Maybe..." Alex's warmth was lulling him to sleep, making his eyelids flutter as he struggled to stay awake.
"Go to sleep, Artemis. We have a long day tomorrow." It seemed the blond had noticed. Artemis didn't need any more prodding, falling asleep almost immediately after those words.
With the younger man asleep, Alex allowed himself a small sigh. Like Artemis had (except more subtly), Alex had been watching him. His heart had started to beat faster when he saw the sapphire-eyed man, no matter how much he didn't want it to. He thought he had been in love with Sabina, but Artemis was much more than that. He wanted to hold the Irishman like this forever, hug and kiss him, possibly more. But there was no way for that. Artemis wasn't gay, and Alex hadn't thought of himself in that way until they met. So, no matter how much it hurt, he decided to try and stay in the friend zone.
"Sweet dreams, il mio amore." He may have been stubborn at times, but Alex knew when he was beat. In this case, he knew he was head-over-heels in love with the man in his arms and wasn't going to deny it. For now, he was going to take what he could get and snuggle Artemis as he slept.
In the morning, that was how Yassen found them when he went to awake them for breakfast. With a soft smile, he left them alone, resolving to leave a note on the kitchen table. At least that confirmed his theory. He had seen the way the two had looked at one another, so he wanted to find a way to get an excuse to keep them together. The attack on Artemis, as unprecidented as it was, was just what he had needed. Now, to see how long it would take...
"Anything?"
"Nope. Seems Fowl or the Shadow Birds erased the footage from all hotels or put it on loop so I wouldn't be able to find it." Foaly answered Holly, "And I know this sounds stupid, but I think we can let those Mud Men take care of Artemis while we focus on getting rid on the Shadow Birds."
"You know what his luck is like, though."
"Of course I do, but I honestly think he'll be fine without us for a while." Foaly grinned as he leaned back, "I don't want to be in your shoes and tell Butler, though."
"D'Arvit."
Alex woke up when Artemis did, feeling the slightly younger man move as he awoke.
"Morning, Sleeping Beauty." Artemis, who was awake just as quickly, frowned.
"Let go of me, Rider."
"Okay." They sat up, pausing, "So, what are we going to do today? I can still teach you football."
"I don't think-"
"Artemis, what harm will it do? It's not like there's anything breakable in here." The black-haired man rolled his eyes.
"Fine, but let's have showers first."
"You're going to get sweaty." Artemis got up and went into the bathroom, which connected to their room.
"I'd rather feel clean before I do anything, even if I do get sweaty, which I most likely will." he spoke before closing the door.
"Then I'll see if Yassen let us anything to eat, since he's probably left by now." Alex got up and walked out of the room, towards the kitchen. He found Yassen's note, somehow not surprised that the Russian had looked in on them, and threw it away. No need for Artemis to get embarrassed further. He grabbed some leftovers from the fridge and began eating, waiting for the other to appear, which he did after a while. Much to Alex's surprise (and his faint blushing cheeks) Artemis appeared clad in only a towel with another being used to dry his hair.
"Well? Aren't you going to go wash?" A fairly prominent blush was tinged on Artemis' face as he stared down Alex.
"...B*st*rd." Alex muttered softly, trying not to let the other hear. He stood and went to get his own shower, not knowing Artemis had heard him. The Irishman glared and, out of spite, decided to eat the rest of Alex's breakfast.
"I am most certainly not gay and falling for that guy." Artemis growled to himself, "If I was, I wouldn't fall for him, the insensitive-!" He froze when he heard the water begin to run. Had the blond heard him? He shook his head. Why did he so badly not want Alex to have heard his words? Was he mad? There was nothing he couldn't get with money, after all. Except maybe love...
Was he really as lonely as he felt? Didn't his friends make up for that? He had never been desperate for love before, except when he had lost his parents, so why was it coming up again? He was fine, he didn't need anyone to love... But then why did his heart ache so much?
"D*mn him." Artemis hissed, running a hand through his damp hair, "D*mn that man."
Sorry it's so short and fast. But anyway, il mio amore means 'my love' in Italian. Please read and review! I MEAN IT!
