Alex was glad when K-unit finally left. The apartment was quiet again and he didn't feel so horribly exposed. What made him decide to watch what was left of the game with them, he would never know. And he hated how they all stared at him. Like Ben was staring now. Alex was stubbornly refusing to look at him but he could feel the other man's eyes burning holes in the back of his head.
"Alex, are you hungry?" Ben asked. Alex shook his head, focusing on his new drawing, surprisingly not chess related. He was drawing a football. He might draw a cleat beside it next, he mused.
"Well, how about some soup anyway? Snake said you need to eat and put on some weight." Alex considered for a minute. He supposed he could humor the man. He nodded. Ben's smile seemed to be one of relief and the soldier set about making chicken noodle soup. He set a bowl in front of Alex 10 minutes later. Alex did have to give it to him, the soup was good. He liked how the warmth spread through him. Alex pushed the chess board to Ben as he ate and the man rolled his eyes, smiling.
"Ok fine, but I'm not going so easy on you this time," Ben warned. Alex smirked.
"It's nice to see you smile," the older man noted and Alex blushed. "No, I mean it. The world has not been kind to you and the people who were supposed to be there and protect you haven't done their job, myself included. And I'm sorry about that. But we're here now; K-unit and I. And we aren't going anywhere, so you can trust us." Alex nodded and he meant it.
Ben woke and glanced at the clock. It was 3am, only a few short hours since he had finally admitted Alex's supremacy at Chess. He peered around his dark room, unsure what had woken him. Suddenly, another piercing scream shattered the stillness. Alex!
Ben threw off the covers and sprinted down the hall. He fiddled with the doorknob of Alex's room for just a second in his panic before flinging the door open. The boy was still on his bed, pale as a ghost in the moonlight. Even as Ben watched he cried out and thrashed in his sleep.
"Alex, wake up!" Ben tried, rushing over to the bed. He hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to actually shake the boy. His mind was made up for him as Alex whimpered before crying out again.
"Alex, wake up! It's just a dream," Ben exclaimed, gently shaking the blonde. Alex instantly startled awake and Ben tried to take a step back, not wanting to invade the space he knew Alex felt like he needed. The blonde had a different idea however.
Alex grabbed Ben's hand and pulled him in, hugging the man tightly as Ben's momentum carried him forward. It took Ben a second to figure out what just happened before he wrapped his arms protectively around the boy.
"Hey, hey. It's ok," Ben soothed as he felt Alex's body shake with sobs.
"Shh, Al I'm right here. You're alright. It was just a nightmare." He ran his hand reassuringly through Alex's dirty blonde hair murmuring softly as the boy cried. Slowly, the sobs slowed to sniffles and sighs.
"All better?" Ben asked, pulling away. But Alex refused to let him go, seeming almost to panic slightly when Ben tried to detach.
"Ok ok. Scoot over then," Ben soothed, crawling into the bed with the blonde. "I promise, I won't go anywhere until you're ready." Ben propped his head up against the headboard, rearranging the blankets so they weren't quite so tangled. He laid on top of them and Alex shifted so his head rested on Ben's shoulder. They stayed like that for a long time. Gradually, Alex's breathing became deeper and more rhythmic until Ben glanced down and noticed the boy was asleep again. He smiled.
AN: Hey everyone! Sorry for the short chapter and the delay in getting it up. I got randomly busy. Sorry also if the formatting is weird. The server is not liking me right now for no apparent reason. Anyway, I will have another chapter up shortly (hopefully) to compensate for this one. I would like to thank you all for the kind reviews and beg for more. Your feedback is what keeps me going!