Throughout the flight Alexander had fallen in and out of sleep, only to find each time he awoke that the brunette seated next to him was awake, staring out the small oval window at the condensed landscape below, or doodling in a notepad provided by the plane, either way doing a fine job of ignoring him. Multiple attempts on Alexander's part to begin a conversation was shot down by Hephaestion's one－word answers, so the blonde resolved to give the man his space, while his mind drifted off to other places.
Alexander thought about Oliver, whether he was still hospitalized, because the hospital no longer charged his bills to his credit card. Perhaps Oliver was well and discharged, or perhaps his pride simply could not allow himself to have his medical bills paid for by someone who no longer saw him as a friend. Alexander didn't know, having not stepped into the man's ward again since the day he stomped out of it. He felt like he owed him a visit now.
"What're you thinking about?" asked Hephaestion so softly the voice of Alexander's mind nearly drowned it out. The brunette looked uncertain, almost as though he was afraid to pry, but was growing too tired of the silence.
"Nothing," shrugged Alexander, stretching his legs and feeling it brush up against Hephaestion's. The brunette seemed disappointed by the answer as he looked out the window again, his shoulders raised up to his ears. Eager to regain his interest, Alexander added "I was thinking about college, about how much I miss it."
Hephaestion turned to him. "You met Cassander there."
Alexander groaned inwardly. "Yeah."
The look in those blue eyes was one of curiousity.
"Do you want to hear about Cassander?" asked Alexander, mustering a smile. "Or would you like to get to know him yourself?"
Hephaestion took a moment to answer. Everybody knew by now the little crush he had on the "managing director", though what they didn't know was that the feeling was mutual, so denying it was fruitless. He chuckled. "Any charming anecdotes? If not then save your breath, because I'm dying of boredom here."
Oddly encouraged by the man's lack of interest in Cassander's past, Alexander picked up the ugly perforated notepad, drew the face of a dog on it, and passed it to the brunette, remembering how Ptolemy had once mentioned that Hephaestion used to play this little game with him during boring classes. "Continue this drawing. " Alexander flashed him a childish grin as though asking to be humored.
Hephaestion laughed, pointing at Alexander's work. "What the hell is this supposed to be, a penis?"
The blonde's jaw fell open in mock horror. "How dare you. It's a dog. Your dog to be exact."
"I take that as an insult,"murmured Hephaestion, dragging the tip of the pen across the coarse paper in a conscientious and yet careless manner that Alexander found had an inexplicable charm.
Within minutes Alexander saw the face of Maxie staring back at him, next to it was his own work, which, in comparison, did begin to look more and more like a male genitalia.
". . . Wow," Alexander ran his fingers over the palm-sized sketch and felt the indentations where the brunette applied most pressure with the pen. "This is amazing.
The corners of Hephaestion's lips curled up into an appreciative smile. "Thanks."
"What, do you have photographic memory or something?" Dazzled by his smile, the blonde wondered absently how Hephaestion could still take pleasure from hearing his simple compliment when he had definitely received much more elaborate ones before. Alexander chuckled. "This looks exactly like Maxie. You're like… a printer."
Hephaestion snorted and the blonde thought it was the most graceful snort he'd ever heard in his life. "Shut up, it's just a doodle."
"Just a doodle, huh?" began Alexander, hovering the tip of the pen over the pet portrait, grinning stupidly.
Hephaestion glanced fleetingly at the blonde and looked out the window. "Don't be a kid."
"Try me," the pen drew closer and closer to the surface of the paper where Maxie's intricately-drawn left ear was. "I'll give him an ear ring."
"Don't," said Hephaestion simply, as though Alexander were Maxie and he'd obey his orders without hesitation.
"It doesn't matter. You could easily draw a new one."
"It won't be the same," complained Hephaestion as the pen touched the paper. He fixed him a warning look. "Alex, don't."
Alexander blinked, setting down the pen. Had Hephaestion just called him Alex? Were they friends now? Because only his friends ever dared to use the abbreviation of his name. He decided not to question Hephaestion about it, wanting him to grow used to using that name and maybe, in the future, maybe even use the words "honey". . . or "darling". . . or "baby". . . Alexander chortled like a mad man at the indulgent idea, earning a raise of an eyebrow from Hephaestion, who couldn't help a breath of laughter from escaping him.
"You're weirder than I thought," observed the blue-eyed man, yawning and then suddenly sneezing. He drew his shoulders up to his ears and placed his hands between his jeans-clad thighs.
"Are you cold?" Alexander was asking the obvious, but Hephaestion shook his head and looked out the window. Alexander shrugged off a brown aviator jacket and placed it in Hephaestion's lap. The brunette felt the material of the clothing between his fingers. Guessing what he was thinking, Alexander spoke up. "It's synthetic leather."
Hephaestion looked up at him as though surprised that he'd read his mind, and then hummed in approval, slipping on the jacket. It was tailored to fit Alexander's build perfectly, so he wasn't surprised when the jacket hung around Hephaestion's lanky, more angular frame. "Thanks. . . Aren't you cold?"
Alexander took this moment to place his hand on Hephaestion's briefly in the pretense of comparing body temperature. He flashed him a smile that he hoped would work as well on him as it did on most girls, glad that Hephaestion had not rejected his offer like he did the last time, and that they were now on better terms. "Not as cold as you. You should get some sleep, there's still a couple more hours to go before we land."
Hephaestion nodded somewhat reluctantly, leaned back in his seat, arms folded over is chest, and let his eyelids droop shut. Alexander waited until he heard slow even breathing coming from the man before gently tugging the drawing out of his hand and slipping it into his own pocket, promising himself he'd frame it up when he got home.
Hephaestion blew his nose into a tissue.
"Are you okay?" asked Gerald with a hand on Hephaestion's back. His eyes were swelling slightly, his nose was pink from tissue burn and his hair was askew.
"Yeah, you look like shit," commented Frank as he studied the taller man.
Alexander chuckled softly at Hephaestion's qualmish state, and Ptolemy nudged him between the ribs. Hephaestion looked up, glaring at Alexander before pulling the band out of his hair when he noticed the attention it was receiving. Alexander resisted the urge to comb his fingers through the thick brown locks and straighten it out.
Hephaestion made a small guh sound as he tried in vain to breathe through his nose, pulling Alexander's jacket tighter around his body. "I think I'll stay in the hotel today."
"What?" Frank gaped at him, patting him hard on the back as though trying to smack some sense into him. "We're in Las Vegas, the playground for adults. There's no way you're staying in just because of a bit of a bug."
"I think it's a good idea for you to stay in," said Ptolemy with his hands in his backpockets.
"Yeah, I'll stay with you," said Alexander. Hephaestion looked surprised by the offer, as though fully expecting the man to go off gambling with the others while his roommate stayed in bed wheezing and sneezing to death. Ptolemy patted Alexander's back in approval, though there was still concern in his face. "You guys will be at the casino right?"
They all nodded as though there was nowhere else to be.
"Meet you guys at dinner then?" decided Alexander, and everyone nodded again. If there was one thing Hephaestion found strange about his colleagues, it would be the way they acted around Alexander. It was especially obvious when he spoke, they behaved as if Alexander were a robber giving out orders with a rifle in his hand, and they were helpless, frightened civillians.
"Good luck," whispered Ptolemy with a quick smile, squeezing Alexander's shoulder and leaving to join the others.
"You don't have to, you know? I'm perfectly able to take care of myself," sniffed Hephaestion, not completely meaning what he said. He could feel a steady fever coming up and if Alexander hadn't offered his jacket, he would've been quivering in the wind like a tuning fork, so it was hard not to admit that he couldn't go back to the hotel alone.
Alexander hesitated for the space of a heartbeat before wrapping an arm over Hephaestion's shoulders. Something fluttered in his chest when he felt the brunette lean in against him, trying to derive warmth from his body, though his arms remained folded across his chest. He laughed. "Oh, it's not that, it's just that I don't believe in gambling and taking care of you made for a great excuse."
Hephaestion looked at him and offered a sarcastic smile, an odd feeling swelling in his abdomen and tugging his lips into a small smile at the thought that just weeks ago he would've easily misunderstood the blonde's intentions and reacted negatively toward them. Could the feeling have been friendship? Hephaestion wondered if he was simply touched by the man's charm, and it was in fact too soon for him to let his guard down around him.
When they arrived at the hotel Hephaestion's throat was beginning to feel swollen from breathing in the dust-laden air and his nose was completely blocked. Alexander took off his jacket for him and set him down on the bed. Their room was comprised of two queen-sized beds placed side by side, an LCD television in the front, a tea table and two chairs next to the full-length windows and an adjoined bathroom - a whale of a difference from the presidential suite that Alexander was so accustomed to enjoying whenever he travelled.
He looked to Hephaestion, only to find the brunette staring back at him with tired, somewhat wary blue eyes. Alexander's heart slammed against his chest, as though it couldn't believe that he and Hephaestion were alone together in the same room, where they would eventually fall asleep together, and spend their first waking moments together. He felt once again like a love-sick teen.
"Are you tired?" asked Alexander with a soft smile.
Hephaestion shook his head mutely, reminding Alexander of a child.
"Lie down," ordered the blonde softly, guiding Hephaestion's head down onto the fluffy pillow. Hephaestion coughed, frowning. "Do you need anything?"
"Water," said Hephaestion in a groan-like voice.
"Here," said Alexander, putting a glass of water to his lips. He caught Hephaestion staring at him again as he drank and Alexander laughed. "What?"
"You've changed," observed Hephaestion, his voice clearer now. "At least you seem like you've changed. And so much."
"How do you mean?" asked Alexander, loosening his tie and throwing it onto his own bed, painfully aware of Hephaestion suddenly stiffening and shifting away from him.
"You know how I mean," said Hephaestion, pulling the heavy bedsheets up to his chin.
"No, I don't, so tell me. Tell me what you think of me," Alexander tried to stop himself from getting angry at Hephaestion for misunderstanding him, for not believing him. He knew full well what he meant when he said he'd changed.
Hephaestion scowled at him. "Forget it." He turned to face the wall. "I'm going to sleep."
Alexander sighed, running a hand through his blonde hair. "I'm sorry," he whispered. Hephaestion didn't grace him with a response, so he returned to his own bed and pulled a book Roxane had recommended to him out from his suitcase - The Illustrated Man. So far he found the short stories rather ridiculous, but they were good enough to pass the time reading nonetheless.
When Alexander woke up, it was to the sound of soft whining. He didn't realize he'd fallen asleep; his book lay open on the carpeted floor, crushing against a page. He looked to Hephaestion's bed to find him struggling against the bedsheets. A sheen of cold sweat shone against his skin under the moonlight, and his breath was ragged and labored. Alexander had never witnessed anyone in the grips of a nightmare, but he was pretty certain that that was what Hephaestion was experiencing now, as he approached his bed and held down the sleeping man's shoulders, trying to bring him to a calm. It proved to be a bad decision when Hephaestion let out a cry, and out of the darkness a balled fist connected with Alexander's jaw. The blonde stepped back, cursing softly.
Not knowing what to do, Alexander kneeled down next to Hephaestion's face, whispering words of assurance as he carressed the side of his face and raked his fingers through the soft brown hair, massaging his scalp. This seemed to work magic as Hephaestion eventually stopped squirming and slowly his breathing became regular again. The blonde pushed his own hair back from his perspiring forehead. Hephaestion was running a high fever and he was at a loss of what to do. Alexander may have allayed a nightmare that night but he wasn't sure if he could handle a fever.