I Don't Think He'll Make It Through The Night - Chapter Two
Title: I Don't Think He'll Make It Through The Night
Chapter: Fuck, This Tension Is Too Much
Author: tothebatcaveO_o
Pairing: Alex/Zack
Rating: NC-17
Summary: Since his brother died, things at home haven't been good for Alex. His mother became overly controlling of him, and his parents continue to argue, all the time. Alex turned to his demons to help resolve the conflict, but now, Zack's suffering too, the only difference is, Zack's problem can be hidden
Disclaimer: Everything's extracted from my imagination
A/N: So, second chapter, thought I'd introduce the fabulous home life that Zack and Alex are putting up with. Next chapter adds even more people xD but yeah, thought I'd give some exposition to the story :)
Masterpost
After coming out to his parents, Zack was kicked out of the house. He turned to Alex, whose parents had always been fond of the younger boy, and completely at ease with their son’s sexuality. Zack has never owed anybody so much in his life. If it weren’t for Alex’s parents, he’d be living on the streets, but since Alex’s turn for the worst, he wishes he kind of was. He wishes he didn’t have to hold a fragile outline of the boy he once loved, he just wishes that everything would return to normal, but, as this continues to draw out, he’s losing all hope in anything ever returning to the way it was.
Alex was diagnosed with Anorexia nervosa a week ago. He felt a lack of control over the death of his brother, as well as over his parents’ relationship, and a lack of autonomy as his mother has become overbearing and protective. Since his brother’s death, Alex found his home life spiraling down, with the only thing keeping him going being Zack.
***
Cleaned up, Zack returns downstairs, clutching the large blanket for him and Alex to cuddle under. He peeks into the kitchen, Alex being absent from it and none of the cakes gone. Zack sighs. He walks into the living room, smiling at Alex who is lying out on the couch, the DVD menu displayed on the TV screen.
‘Oh! I haven’t watched this in a while!’ Zack exclaims happily as he realizes that it’s Donnie Darko.
‘That’s why I picked it.’ Alex says cheerily. Zack lays the blanket over Alex and turns around to see the pot of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream sitting on the coffee table, a spoon next to it.
‘You didn’t have to get it out for me.’ Zack begins to tell Alex.
‘I did, you were up there for a while. I thought you’d died!’ Alex jokes, but Zack’s quickly short of breath. ‘Are you OK?’ Alex asks.
‘Oh, yeah, it’s just,’
‘It’s OK, it’s quite a normal human function. I’d be a little worried if you didn’t need the toilet to be honest.’ Zack blushes and sits on the edge of the seat. He takes the pot of ice cream and carefully pops the card lid off. He buries the spoon into the chocolate and marshmallow ice cream and shovels it into his mouth, dropping a small chocolate fish onto his lap. He hums in delight at how good it feels between his tongue and the roof of his mouth. ‘Is it good?’ Alex asks him
‘Uh huh!’ Zack exclaims, offering Alex a spoonful which is rejected with a slight flash of fear striking his face. ‘It’s only ice cream, Alex.’ But the older boy doesn’t listen. He leans forward and presses play on the remote.
Alex is laying on Zack, the blanket tucked around the pair of them. Zack fell asleep a while ago, and Alex keeps shushing him when he snores, because he really wants to watch the film.
A key slides into the door and turns. Alex raises his head from Zack’s chest and turns to see if he can see who it is before he hears them. His dad stumbles in and smiles at his son, offering him a thumbs up, followed by a hiccup, and off he goes, into the kitchen to bang about a bit and probably collapse in the drunken state he’s got himself in.
Alex’s dad has been doing that for a while now, his way of dealing with things, Alex thinks. A loud bang comes from the kitchen, followed by clattering and finally a thud, which Alex concludes is his dad hitting the floor and passing out. He feels Zack move beneath him and leans back to watch his boyfriend wake up.
‘Was that your dad?’ Zack asks his voice crackly and groggy with sleep. Alex nods. ‘He’s drunk again then?’ Alex struggles to hide his sadness and nods once again.
Another key slides in the lock,
‘Mom.’ Alex whispers as Zack becomes alert and slightly protective of his defenseless boyfriend. Zack calms down and leans back again. Alex’s mother pushes the door open with force, causing it to slam into the wall. She bursts in the house and stares into the living room.
‘Where the bloody-hell is he?’ she asks Alex and Zack, clearly angry at her husband.
‘In the kitchen.’ Zack replies, whilst Alex shies away, holding onto his boyfriend tightly.
‘He’s a fucking dick head!’ She yells and walks into the kitchen. She yells again ‘Wake up, you piss ‘ead! What the hell do you think you’re playing at? Getting completely legless won’t solve this problem, you knob. It’ll probably make matters worse. Why the hell I married you is beyond me, but I swear down, if you do this anymore I’m going.’ She storms up the stairs, slamming the bedroom door. Alex’s dad creeps into the living room and sits on the end of the sofa.
‘So, what have you boys been up to?’ He whispers loudly, apparently unfazed by his wife’s anger.
‘Not a lot, we went to the hospital today.’ Zack informs him.
‘That’s great, but I don’t know where I’ve put my pen.’
‘What?’ Alex asks,
‘You know, my pen, it writes, and I really don’t know where it is.’ Alex’s dad gets up and begins crawling around the living room, searching for his pen under the furniture. Alex gives Zack a concerned look but Zack just shrugs.
‘He’s pissed up, what do you expect?’ Alex sighs, simply wishing that his parents would go back to normal.
‘I am not drunk, tha-thank you!’ Alex’s dad is sat by the TV and is swaying side to side. ‘Anyway, I hope you two haven’t done anything inappropriate on that sofa, it’s new, and your mother won’t be impressed if there’s any stains on it.’ Alex’s dad winks at them.
‘Dad.’ Alex frowns and shakes his head. He pushes himself off of Zack and makes his way out of the living room, the blanket wrapped around him. Zack flushes pink and shakes his head.
‘I promise that nothing inappropriate has happened on this sofa.’ He chuckles and follows Alex upstairs, after turning the TV off.
Alex sits on his bed, his legs crossed and the blanket piled around his back and resting over his thighs. He looks up at Zack with teary eyes. Zack sighs and walks towards him, gently slotting his arms around the older boy’s waist. The older boy sobs into his boyfriend’s neck, trying to make a statement but can’t speak through the tears.
Zack picks Alex up, turns around and sits on the bed, adjusting himself and the older boy so that they’re lying on the bed. After minutes of crying, Alex finally stops, his eyes close and his breathing evens out. Zack runs his hand through the thin locks of hair on Alex’s head, wishing they were the thicker, tousled strands he remembers. He holds his boy up slightly and shuffles the duvet from underneath him, draping it over himself and his boyfriend, holding him close at all times. Zack wishes he’d wake up from this, finding the old Alex lying next to him, but he doesn’t hold his breath.
Chapter: Fuck, This Tension Is Too Much
Author: tothebatcaveO_o
Pairing: Alex/Zack
Rating: NC-17
Summary: Since his brother died, things at home haven't been good for Alex. His mother became overly controlling of him, and his parents continue to argue, all the time. Alex turned to his demons to help resolve the conflict, but now, Zack's suffering too, the only difference is, Zack's problem can be hidden
Disclaimer: Everything's extracted from my imagination
A/N: So, second chapter, thought I'd introduce the fabulous home life that Zack and Alex are putting up with. Next chapter adds even more people xD but yeah, thought I'd give some exposition to the story :)
Masterpost
After coming out to his parents, Zack was kicked out of the house. He turned to Alex, whose parents had always been fond of the younger boy, and completely at ease with their son’s sexuality. Zack has never owed anybody so much in his life. If it weren’t for Alex’s parents, he’d be living on the streets, but since Alex’s turn for the worst, he wishes he kind of was. He wishes he didn’t have to hold a fragile outline of the boy he once loved, he just wishes that everything would return to normal, but, as this continues to draw out, he’s losing all hope in anything ever returning to the way it was.
Alex was diagnosed with Anorexia nervosa a week ago. He felt a lack of control over the death of his brother, as well as over his parents’ relationship, and a lack of autonomy as his mother has become overbearing and protective. Since his brother’s death, Alex found his home life spiraling down, with the only thing keeping him going being Zack.
***
Cleaned up, Zack returns downstairs, clutching the large blanket for him and Alex to cuddle under. He peeks into the kitchen, Alex being absent from it and none of the cakes gone. Zack sighs. He walks into the living room, smiling at Alex who is lying out on the couch, the DVD menu displayed on the TV screen.
‘Oh! I haven’t watched this in a while!’ Zack exclaims happily as he realizes that it’s Donnie Darko.
‘That’s why I picked it.’ Alex says cheerily. Zack lays the blanket over Alex and turns around to see the pot of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream sitting on the coffee table, a spoon next to it.
‘You didn’t have to get it out for me.’ Zack begins to tell Alex.
‘I did, you were up there for a while. I thought you’d died!’ Alex jokes, but Zack’s quickly short of breath. ‘Are you OK?’ Alex asks.
‘Oh, yeah, it’s just,’
‘It’s OK, it’s quite a normal human function. I’d be a little worried if you didn’t need the toilet to be honest.’ Zack blushes and sits on the edge of the seat. He takes the pot of ice cream and carefully pops the card lid off. He buries the spoon into the chocolate and marshmallow ice cream and shovels it into his mouth, dropping a small chocolate fish onto his lap. He hums in delight at how good it feels between his tongue and the roof of his mouth. ‘Is it good?’ Alex asks him
‘Uh huh!’ Zack exclaims, offering Alex a spoonful which is rejected with a slight flash of fear striking his face. ‘It’s only ice cream, Alex.’ But the older boy doesn’t listen. He leans forward and presses play on the remote.
Alex is laying on Zack, the blanket tucked around the pair of them. Zack fell asleep a while ago, and Alex keeps shushing him when he snores, because he really wants to watch the film.
A key slides into the door and turns. Alex raises his head from Zack’s chest and turns to see if he can see who it is before he hears them. His dad stumbles in and smiles at his son, offering him a thumbs up, followed by a hiccup, and off he goes, into the kitchen to bang about a bit and probably collapse in the drunken state he’s got himself in.
Alex’s dad has been doing that for a while now, his way of dealing with things, Alex thinks. A loud bang comes from the kitchen, followed by clattering and finally a thud, which Alex concludes is his dad hitting the floor and passing out. He feels Zack move beneath him and leans back to watch his boyfriend wake up.
‘Was that your dad?’ Zack asks his voice crackly and groggy with sleep. Alex nods. ‘He’s drunk again then?’ Alex struggles to hide his sadness and nods once again.
Another key slides in the lock,
‘Mom.’ Alex whispers as Zack becomes alert and slightly protective of his defenseless boyfriend. Zack calms down and leans back again. Alex’s mother pushes the door open with force, causing it to slam into the wall. She bursts in the house and stares into the living room.
‘Where the bloody-hell is he?’ she asks Alex and Zack, clearly angry at her husband.
‘In the kitchen.’ Zack replies, whilst Alex shies away, holding onto his boyfriend tightly.
‘He’s a fucking dick head!’ She yells and walks into the kitchen. She yells again ‘Wake up, you piss ‘ead! What the hell do you think you’re playing at? Getting completely legless won’t solve this problem, you knob. It’ll probably make matters worse. Why the hell I married you is beyond me, but I swear down, if you do this anymore I’m going.’ She storms up the stairs, slamming the bedroom door. Alex’s dad creeps into the living room and sits on the end of the sofa.
‘So, what have you boys been up to?’ He whispers loudly, apparently unfazed by his wife’s anger.
‘Not a lot, we went to the hospital today.’ Zack informs him.
‘That’s great, but I don’t know where I’ve put my pen.’
‘What?’ Alex asks,
‘You know, my pen, it writes, and I really don’t know where it is.’ Alex’s dad gets up and begins crawling around the living room, searching for his pen under the furniture. Alex gives Zack a concerned look but Zack just shrugs.
‘He’s pissed up, what do you expect?’ Alex sighs, simply wishing that his parents would go back to normal.
‘I am not drunk, tha-thank you!’ Alex’s dad is sat by the TV and is swaying side to side. ‘Anyway, I hope you two haven’t done anything inappropriate on that sofa, it’s new, and your mother won’t be impressed if there’s any stains on it.’ Alex’s dad winks at them.
‘Dad.’ Alex frowns and shakes his head. He pushes himself off of Zack and makes his way out of the living room, the blanket wrapped around him. Zack flushes pink and shakes his head.
‘I promise that nothing inappropriate has happened on this sofa.’ He chuckles and follows Alex upstairs, after turning the TV off.
Alex sits on his bed, his legs crossed and the blanket piled around his back and resting over his thighs. He looks up at Zack with teary eyes. Zack sighs and walks towards him, gently slotting his arms around the older boy’s waist. The older boy sobs into his boyfriend’s neck, trying to make a statement but can’t speak through the tears.
Zack picks Alex up, turns around and sits on the bed, adjusting himself and the older boy so that they’re lying on the bed. After minutes of crying, Alex finally stops, his eyes close and his breathing evens out. Zack runs his hand through the thin locks of hair on Alex’s head, wishing they were the thicker, tousled strands he remembers. He holds his boy up slightly and shuffles the duvet from underneath him, draping it over himself and his boyfriend, holding him close at all times. Zack wishes he’d wake up from this, finding the old Alex lying next to him, but he doesn’t hold his breath.