The morning sun was warm against Alex's skin. He was loath to move even an inch. Faintly, he heard the comforting clinking of glasses. Or maybe plates? There was a smell of fresh coffee in the air. And bacon. Jack must be making breakfast. But no, that wasn't right. Alex's eyes flitted open and he was in an unfamiliar room. His world slammed back to reality and he jolted upwards. He was in the room Ben had introduced as his, wearing the same clothes as he had been previously. Minus his shoes which were sitting next to the closet. That was probably a good sign. The door to his room was cracked.
Alex crept over to it and glanced out. There was no one in the hall. In fact, the lights in the hallway were off. The blonde hesitated for a moment before slipping out. He edged down the hall, unsure if he was even supposed to be out of his room. The TV in the living room was on, but muted. The hardwood floor creaked beneath him and he froze.
"Alex!" Ben exclaimed in surprise from the kitchen counter. "I didn't realize you were up! Did I wake you?" Alex shook his head, taking a step backward. He shouldn't be out here. He was probably supposed to stay in his room.
"Al, it's ok. You can stay out here," Ben said. "Are you hungry? I was just making breakfast." Alex wanted to say no. He wanted to go back to his room where he wasn't so out in the open. But his stomach betrayed him, growling loudly. Ben smiled, grabbing a plate and putting an egg and a piece of bacon on it. He placed it on the counter and gestured for the blonde to sit. Alex sat reluctantly.
"I have something for you," the older man announced as Alex ate. He placed a black notebook labeled sketchbook next to Alex's plate on the table. "A therapist friend of mine said you might want something like that," he said as he dug through a drawer for a couple of pencils he also placed on the table. Alex chewed slowly, considering it. He reached out slowly and traced the silver letters stamped into the hard cover. Then he opened it, surprised to find a drawing already in there. It wasn't anything special. Just a sketch of a flower someone had drawn.
"Oops! Sorry, it's an old sketchbook I had from college. I didn't realize there was anything still in it." Ben blushed. Alex glanced at him, making eye contact for a fraction of a second. He carefully closed the book, placing the pencils on top of it. Ben smiled encouragingly. And then the phone rang.
Ben hardly dared to breathe. For a moment, so short he wasn't sure if he was imagining it, Alex had met his gaze. The blonde hadn't been so bold since they had rescued him. And then the phone rang, making them both jump. Ben was quick to answer.
"Hello?" Out of the corner of his eye he saw Alex open the sketchbook again and study the dumb sunflower he had drawn forever ago.
"Fox, how's the kid?" Wolf's gruff voice barked at him from the other end of the line. Ben rolled his eyes.
"Fine Wolf."
"Really? Because Snake mentioned you called him all in a panic yesterday to check him out." Ben gritted his teeth. Of course Snake ratted on him.
"False alarm. And a few missteps. It's going." Wolf snorted from the other end of the line and Ben wished he could strangle the man. He was a good leader and a better friend but damned if he wasn't annoying sometimes. Ben glanced at Alex to see he was drawing something on a fresh page now. A chess piece. The queen. He was staring intently at his model as he sketched it.
"Fox!" Wolf barked. "Are you listening?"
"Yeah yeah," Ben sighed. "Why are you calling me?"
"So… not listening then. England and Switzerland play today. Or did you forget? You know, World Cup?" Ben swore. He saw Alex freeze and instantly felt bad.
"It's ok, Al. I'm not mad. I'm sorry," the older man apologized quickly. "Go back to your drawing. It's ok."
"That bad huh?" Wolf asked. Ben could tell there was real worry in his tone, even if the other man would deny it. "Do you want to cancel?" Ben sighed.
"No. It's… we've been planning this. It might be good for him." Even as he said it he knew it was wishful thinking. But they were going to come over eventually right? Why not now?
"Warn the guys that I'm not cooking though," Ben mentioned. "If it's at my house and I have to clean up after you pigs I will require you to bring the food." Ben heard Wolf chuckle before the call dropped. He hung the phone back up and sigh. This was going to be another long day. Though, he supposed they were going to have some long days until they could figure out the whole Alex situation.
AN: Once again, I would like to thank all you lovely readers. Sorry for the late update (I am trying to update every Saturday). Also sorry it was a short one. Please leave a like and/or comment. I really appreciate the feedback!