This was always one of Alexander's favorite settings. Sitting on his bed with his back propped up by pillows, book in hand. He loved to read quietly in his room alone. Today in particular, he decided to leave his window open, allowing the warm spring breeze to flow into the room. The room was also given a warm orange tint due to the setting sun. The small flame of a candle flickered on the nightstand beside him. As the wax melted, the scent of lavender filled the air. Everything about the setting calmed him as he flipped through the pages in his book. This was one of the few times you can find Alexander in a perfectly peaceful state, as he was usually up and at it, busy with work or just being reckless.

Alexander adjusted his glasses slightly before flipping to the next page. Today had been a long day. Countless amounts of papers to deal with and meetings to attend. He was still busy with work when his friends tugged him out. They'd gone out for drinks for a couple hours before returning straight home. Alexander couldn't help but stress over the unfinished work, so he decided to do what comforted him the most. It never occurred to him just how drowsy he currently felt.

He began to feel his eyes grow heavy just before his door was opened slightly. He glanced towards the entrance to see John's head peeking inside. Alexander tilted his head. "John? Do you need something?" he mumbled. John's expression reflected slight guilt as he scanned the room, "I'm sorry, am I interrupting something?" Alexander gave him a sympathetic smile. "Not at all. Come in," he gestured with his hands. Laurens nodded and stepped inside, closing the door softly behind him.

Alexander averted his eyes back to his book. "What do you need?" John seemed to regain a bit of his confidence as he walked to Alexander's side. "I'm just bored, what're you reading?" "Nothing of interest to you," Alexander muttered, unintentionally adding a bitter tone. John seemed unbothered by this. "How'd you know that? Can I read it with you? I swear I have nothing else to do." Alexander wasn't sure if it was because he was tired or genuinely annoyed, but John's questions were bothering him. Perhaps he was just in a bad mood, the type of mood where anything anyone says annoys the shit out of you.

"Please!" John's voice cut through his thoughts. He looked up at the fluffy-haired man who had a forced pleading expression. Alexander rolled his eyes with a sigh. "Alright. It's not like you're going to take no for an answer," he chuckled, relaxing a bit. John's face lit up as he bounced to the opposite side of Alexander's bed. He stared at Alexander for a moment. He walked back and stood at the foot of Alex's side of the bed. Alexander looked up from his book at John, confusion painted on his face. "You going to…?" Laurens didn't respond. Instead, he faltered to Alex's side and took one of his hands off the book, leaving an open space. "John…?" Alex was now very confused and slightly concerned. Laurens quickly climbed onto the bed and sat between Alexander's legs, his head lying on his chest, just below his chin. Alexander physically stopped, feeling extremely flustered. He was well aware of how flushed he probably looked. John gazed up at Alexander. "Hi," he chortled. "John what the fuck…" he managed to mumble, his mind trying to process what had just happened while searching for a response. John's only reaction was a small laugh. He brought Alex's hand back to the other side of the book to lock himself in place. Alexander said nothing more. He'd always had what was a small crush on his friend since the beginning, but he'd never been brave enough to make a move. So feeling his friend against him made him feel extremely vulnerable.

At this point, Alexander was just trying to formulate a sentence in his head. It was hard to, considering his mind was antsy and his thoughts were racing. "You okay there?" The sound of John's voice made Alex jump slightly. He gulped but managed to murmur, "Y-yeah."

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"Calm down Alex," I teased, looking up at Alex with a wink. Alexander had been working non-stop all day, and I had barely been able to convince him to go out with us. When he returned, he'd spent all his time alone in his room. When he agreed to let me read with him, I had a perfect plan. Although, he seems a little more embarrassed than what I had previously anticipated.

"Laurens, how do you expect me to calm down when you're sitting...like this...with me." I giggled, "I was bored Alex, plus, I've literally slept in the same bed as you before, no need to be so nervous." Alex didn't look any less stressed. He was staring out his window. I stared back at the book gripped in his hands, noticing the strain in them. Shuffling my fingers underneath his hands, I forced him to release his grip and took the book in my hands. The awkward silence was becoming a little too painful at this point. "You still wanna read?" I felt him jump and his heart was sent racing again. "Y-yeah..just uh, tilt the book up slightly will ya?" I smiled and nodded, following his directions and beginning to read the first few paragraphs in my mind.

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He'd fallen asleep on me.

I was in fucking panic mode. Everything was going alright while we were reading, I was starting to calm down, but once I noticed he was asleep, the fire was relit. Gingerly, I took the book from his hands and placed it on my nightstand.

I hadn't noticed through the pounding of blood in my ears, the ruckus downstairs. Most likely was Lafayette attempting to make dinner with Hercules' help. My suspicions were confirmed by the sounds of faint bickering below. That's when I heard the sound of footsteps coming upstairs.

I pleaded in my mind, 'God damn it please don't come in here. Please don't come in here. Please don't come in here. Please don't come-'

"ALEX! I NEED YOUR HELP DECIDING SOME- oh my god," Lafayette bursted through my door, to much my dismay. He stared at me and John for a few seconds before a smirk spread across his face. I felt myself redden, and I stared up at the ceiling cursing under my breath.

"Aww am I ruining something? Heh, I always knew there was something between you two," Lafayette snickered smugly, entering the room. I sighed exasperatedly, "We aren't dating Laf..things just got out of hand." He rolled his eyes, leaning on the doorframe. "Well whenever you two are done with your little interaction, come downstairs to eat," he gave me a wink before turning and closing the door. I felt a small spike of panic run through me because I knew that Lafayette would tell Hercules. The endless teasing was going to be exhausting..

Not even five minutes had gone by when I heard Laurens murmuring something. "..John?" I couldn't stop myself from playing with his hair, perhaps that's what woke him. It took him a while to respond, "How long have I been asleep..?" He brought his arms to loosely hug my right arm, his warmth radiating off. "Not very long..probably an hour." John closed his eyes again, this time, resting rather than sleeping. I thought about going downstairs to eat as Lafayette had mentioned, however, I didn't feel like disturbing John's peace, and frankly, I was enjoying the moment myself. Laurens let out a small groan, "Alex I'm starving.." Well then. "The 'married couple' made something for us." He laughed, sat up and turned to face me, leaving what could only be six or seven inches between us.

I felt my heart racing again, and I was subconsciously fidgeting with my hands that I forcefully stopped. My face probably gave away all my emotions. My gaze was fixed with John's, stuck out of irrational fear. His eyes showed playfulness, I always envied his ability to stay calm. He brought a hand up to cuff my face. I felt my palms start to sweat. My gaze was now flickering between his eyes and lips. He clearly noticed this and smiled sweetly. He inched closer, our lips extremely close, our noses touching slightly. I gulped, trying to mentally prepare myself. It was too late however when Laurens closed the gap. He brought his free hand to my lower back. It took me a few seconds to actually kiss back. The kiss was more sweet than passionate. He tasted lightly of alcohol, specifically something sweet.

It didn't last as long as I'd hoped. He pulled away after only a probable ten seconds. He giggled, moving his arms around my waist. "Can I tell you I love you now?" I muttered, reciprocating a soft smile. He tilted his head slightly and pressed our foreheads together, "Yes, although, it's already pretty obvious." I stared into his eyes for a few moments. I found myself being lost in them. He had hazel eyes, which is usually considered a shade of brown, but John's eyes seemed to have a piece of everything. I'd always adored his eyes, along with his hair.

"I'm actually hungry, shall we go downstairs?" He broke the silence again, this time I didn't appreciate it. He pulled back, still practically sitting on me. "Uhm..yeah yeah we should." He smiled and slid off the bed quickly, heading towards the door. I thought I should've mentioned something. "Hey John." He stopped and turned to face me, "Hm?" I locked eyes with him, "Could we possibly…keep this on the downlow for now? I don't really WANT to tell Lafayette and Hercules just yet." John looked slightly bewildered but the expression was changed to be sympathetic, "Sure Alex, but we'll have to tell them eventually." I nodded and stood up. We walked downstairs together.

We'll tell them soon.