That's What Neighbours Are For...

[egghead]

"I hope you don't mind that I brought some...gifts."

The shiny wrapping paper glimmered in the dull lighting of the kitchen, the mystery of what was inside rousing a child-like curiosity in Glen. He just couldn't keep his eyes off of them.

"N-no, it's okay..." he stuttered as he led them to the table, where his shaky hands struggled to light the candle sitting in-between the paper plates and plastic forks.

Meanwhile, their neighbour unwrapped one of the gifts to reveal a bottle of red wine. It looked like an expensive brand, perfect for dinner.

"What a lovely home you have," he smiled at both of them, though it was mostly directed at the man burning his fingers trying to get a match to work. "I'm honoured to be here."

Glen perked up at the sight of alcohol. Maybe a few glasses would loosen him up...

"Oh, uh..." he chuckled a little, flattered. "Thanks."

Leslie smiled wider, showing off his perfect pearly white teeth, and took a seat directly across from his host. Resting his chin on the back of his hands, he watched, almost dreamily, as Glen pulled out some styrofoam cups from a cupboard.

"I...These are all we have..." the older man explained as he set them down on the table. Expecting to be mocked or laughed at, he was surprised when his guest didn't say anything at all; Instead he just filled them up with wine like they were normal glasses before raising one in a toast.

"To us."

Glen raised his own "glass" and smiled weakly. "Um, to us?"

 

[Atom]

Declan simply sat down and watched the events unfold, feeling slightly sick at his uncles own naivety. Though he couldn't help but laugh quietly to himself at the sight of wine in paper cups, it was absurd.

For the most part, he stayed quiet, really just because he was afraid to say anything. This guy was extremely strange, who in their right minds would be honoured to be at such a dump. At least they weren't as bad as the loud people on the floor above.
Declan pulled out his cellphone and fixed his gaze downward, looking for someone to annoy by sending a text but with his luck, it was dying. Well, he wasn't about to leave his dense uncle with this guy.

"Uncle, how did you guys meet anyway..?" He asked, voice just above a low whisper.

 

[egghead]

The question tensed every muscle in Glen's body. He avoided answering right away by sipping at the wine very slowly, his eyes darting back and forth between the two.

Fortunately (or unfortunately) for him, their neighbour was the next to talk.

"It was like a dream." The smile on Leslie's face was the most charming it had been the entire night. "I'm sure you wouldn't remember that night...It was so long ago."

Glen cleared his throat. "N-no, no, I remember..." his voice sounded pretty unconvincing, and he must have realized that since he quickly grabbed for the pot of room temperature spaghetti. Somehow knowing that Declan wouldn't touch the awful mess he cooked, he only served himself and his guest a plate.

"Looks delicious!" Their neighbour clapped his hands together in a way that made him seem more excited about this meal than he should be.

Glen didn't say anything, and only watched in stunned silence as he wrapped his plastic fork eloquently around the undercooked pasta and brought a mouthful up to his lips.

He closed his eyes tightly, expecting him to spit it out or even outright vomit, but when neither happened, he peeked to see that he was actually enjoying it.

"Um..." his head was foggy with confusion. "H-how is it?"

Leslie sighed like he had never eaten anything tastier in his entire life. "It's perfect..." he reached over the table and took his hand into his.

"Just like you, Glen."

 

[Atom]

While glancing back and forth between his flustered uncle and weirdo neighbour, Declan rested an elbow on the table, laying his head in hand. In all honesty he didn't care, it just brought up conversation to prevent him from boredom. The voices of the two felt muffled for a moment until he watched Leslie take a bite of the undercooked spaghetti and almost got sick right then and there.
"Uhm, sorry just going to grab some water..." He stood up, walking to the sink with a styrofoam cup in hand. While filling it up and taking a sip, his eyes wandered back to the two at the kitchen table.

Declan nearly choked on the water, dropping his cup in the process.

Coughing wildly with a red face in horror, he tried to regain his composure. "Ha ha, sorry, just thought there was a bee in the house...."

It was winter.

What was going on?

Why was the weirdo holding his uncles hand?

Declan grabbed a dishcloth and wiped up the spilt water, confused on what kind of dinner this was turning out to be. Now he was afraid to turn around again, from both what just happened and embarrassment.

 

[egghead]

"I...I don't..." Glen couldn't look away anymore. It was the first time he looked his neighbour in the eye the entire night, and what he seen was another human being smiling at him like he was the only thing in his universe.

He tried to play along and smile back, but his face wouldn't budge from a vacant stare. "I-I'm not that great, I..." he took back his hand and glanced away again, too mortified to even talk properly. He had heard his nephew's reaction and wanted to sink into the ground right then and there.

Leslie's laugh was the only thing to bring him back. "You're too precious, Glen..." he said like it was a known fact as he slid his long fingers over the bow of his second gift. "Here, I made this for you."

Taking the box into his hands, Glen actually hesitated before opening it. Feeling his guest's eyes burning through him, he pulled apart the bow holding it closed and almost gasped when he seen what was inside.

It was a chocolate cake, completely perfect and topped with strawberries. He could see his own shocked expression in the reflection of the glaze. This was...for him?

"Wow, this is..." Tears sprang to his eyes and fell down his cheeks, but he didn't realize it until Leslie wiped them away. The feeling of a warm hand against his face was something he wasn't used to, it almost felt...good.

"Oh, Glen..." he heard him say. "I knew you'd like it."

 

[Atom]

While hearing the broken conversation behind him, Declan attempted to loosen his tie, turning around.

Oh.

Glen was crying and the neighbours hand was on his face?

"So, does my uncles skin feel like moldy carrots, or what?" He took his seat at the table again and stared daggers toward both with a surprisingly blank face. Slowly, an uneasy smile broke through on his lips while being completely still.

"Is there something more between you two?" Declan's face was strangely red, a sweat ready to break out on his forehead any second. This wasn't how he remembered having a guest over was like.

 

[egghead]

There was something strange about their neighbour's expression. His thin lips were pressed together tightly, and for a second a flash of white hot anger crossed his face. But then he smiled again and leaned back in his chair. It creaked slightly with the movement, sounding louder in the silence of the apartment.

"No," he stated finally as he crossed one of his black-clad legs over the other politely, not even bothering to look at or even fully acknowledge the boy's presence. "There's not."

Glen, on the other hand, couldn't stand the tension. He plucked his cup from the table and tossed back the rest of the wine before smiling meekly at both of them, not wanting to let either know that he had no idea what was going on. "S-some more?" he asked as he held out the bottle.

His guest complied, almost too willingly. He filled both of their "glasses" to the brim, drank it down, then filled his up again.

Leslie laughed at his alcoholic prowess. "Thirsty, aren't you?"

He couldn't help but laugh a bit. The truth was that he wanted to get drunk off his ass on expensive gift wine to be able to deal with this train wreck of a dinner, but he wasn't about to admit that.

"So, Declan...H-how about you go grab me a knife?" Clearing his throat, he quickly added: "You know, for the cake?"

 

[Atom]

Declan inched his gaze toward Leslie and narrowed his eyes. He caught that little bit of anger, it seemed their guest had a short temper when it came to Glen as a topic.

Upon closer inspection, the cake he had gifted looked almost too perfect, not to mention the colours reminded Declan of their neighbours suspiciously ugly outfit. It grossed him out, he'd rather stick to eating the pile of cheep sweets in the cupboards.

"On it." He stood up but barely broke his stare toward the neighbour, studying his viciously cheerful smile. When pulling open a drawer, he realized there were only dull butter knives and a bent spoon so instead he went to the knife block. Declan was about to grab one of the smaller ones but decided on grabbing the biggest one there, they had maybe used it about twice.

He walked to the table and shoved the knife between their two faces, attempting to imitate their guests expression.

A big smile.

"Will this do, uncle?"

 

[egghead]

Glen caught on the reflection of himself in the blade. His own miserable face stared back at him, desperate eyes begging for the night to be over. He didn't know if he was feeling woozy from the wine or if the smell of Leslie's cologne was getting to him.

"Yeah..." his quivering hands took the knife by the handle. "Thanks."

Preparing to carve out a slice, he almost felt bad for eating something so perfect, but his growling stomach and watering mouth pleaded him to do it. He could feel eyes on him as he cut the cake, but couldn't pinpoint exactly whose they were, which only made him more nervous.

"You're shaking, Glen..."

He almost jumped when he felt Leslie's warm, warm hand brush over his again to urge the knife away from him. He submissively let him take it and settled back to drink some more wine while their neighbour carefully scooped a suspiciously large piece of the dessert onto an empty paper plate.

Thinking nothing of it, he sampled a taste. His eyes lit up when his mouth exploded with the flavour. It was so fluffy and moist, and had the right amount of sweetness.

"Oh my god..." he blurted, feeling tipsy enough to talk more. "This is...really good?"

Leslie just smiled wider.

 

[Atom]

Yet again, Declan took his seat, a look of disgust washed over his face while watching the two. He couldn't believe they lived next to this fashion disaster for the longest time.

A large yawn escaped him through the tense atmosphere and he remembered how tired he was.

At this point he had no idea what to say or do, just watching in case anything too weird happened. Declan rested his elbow on the table, head in hand. Some part of him wished he could have a cake that looked that good too.

With half lidded eyes, he looked at Leslie.

"Do you have feelings for my uncle?"

 

[egghead]

The demand caused the old man to almost choke on a mouthful of chocolate. "Declan?!" he was appalled that his nephew would even think of saying something like that, even after everything that happened.

Blinking rapidly, vision going blurry for a moment, he shut his eyes as a cloudiness began to take over his mind.

"Hmm, you don't look so well..." Leslie observed pleasantly, his thumb rolling around the rim of the cup as his lips gave to a knowing smirk. "Too much to drink, Glen?"

"I-I don't know, I..." Bringing a hand up to his face, he watched through increasingly corrupting perception as his neighbour stood up. Before he could get any closer though, he also jumped up from his seat with enough force that his chair almost toppled over.

"Glen...?"

The sound of his own name barely reached him. It was like he was sinking into a pool, pulling further and further away from the surface, black abyss waiting for him at the bottom. He wobbled, nearly crashing into the table.

"I'm fine, I just..." Something like tiredness, except much more heavy and sinister, weighed down on his entire body. His knees began to buckle and he probably would have collapsed onto the floor if Leslie wasn't there to catch him. The other man's warmth could be felt through the wool of his sweater vest, and his voice was the calmest and most collected it had been since the beginning of the night.

"Close your eyes..." was the last thing he heard before the darkness consumed him.

 

[Atom]

"Uncle....!?" Declan shot up from his seat along with the two, odd panic striking his chest. Glen didn't look good and Leslie sure as hell wasn't helping with the way he was acting. "What happened...should....should I call 911 or something..?!" He grasped a handful of his own hair, staring at the two in front of him. "Is he okay?" Now that cake on the table with only one slice missing was looking awfully suspicious. The way it was perfectly made and how only Glen had tasted it. Maybe he was overreacting too...

Already, he had his cell phone out, hoping there was enough minutes on it but before he could call, it would be best to see for himself if he was still breathing. Declan approached the two in panic, about to reach a hand out toward his uncle...

 

[egghead]

With a fully grown man hanging limp in his arms, Leslie couldn't do much about the nephew touching him but actually seemed to cringe slightly when he tried. "Don't touch him..." he seethed right before returning to that hi-diddly-ho neighbourino façade. "Your uncle just had too much to drink."

Dragging him towards the futon, he continued to talk. "He'll be fine...but I think it'd be best if an adult were here to take care of him."

Brushing Glen's hair off of his face, he admired his handiwork for a moment before turning around to deal with the little pest that was always getting in his way...by smiling at him. "Now, why don't you run along and play with your toys while your new stepmom tidies up?"

 

[Atom]

Thrown back at the comment that escaped Leslie, Declan shot him a glare, confused and offended. He really wanted to ask him who the hell he thought he was but since Glen was literally looking dead, he wouldn't be able to back him up. Instead, he followed the two into the living room and watched from a small distance.

The disgusting way their neighbor gently touched Glen sent shivers down his spine. "What?! Are you kidding me? I AM an adult!!!" Declan raised his voice toward the stranger, narrowing his eyes at the smile on his face. "Honestly...I think it would be best if you left and I got him to a hospital." The last thing he needed was his uncle falling ill before Christmas, last year he had to spend it alone and that only made him feel worse about the holidays. A part of him was scared too, Leslie was starting to get intimidating with just the two of them in the room.

He walked closer, trying to hide the fact that he was extremely nervous. "So, if you could just..."

 

[egghead]

"I don't think you know what you're talking about." Leslie stared down at the boy, sneering at him like he was a drowned rat as he strolled around him towards the dining table. He began to clear away the cups and plates, his fingers lingering a little too close to the kitchen knife before he picked up what remained of the cake, box and all.

After tossing everything into the trash, he brushed off the front of his sweater vest. "Glen needs someone to take care of him..." he repeated, this time hammering it in that he meant something entirely different. "I can do a much better job at that than anyone else."

He shot a glance back at Declan, his smirking face speaking volumes about his distain for him.

"Including you."

 

[Atom]

He had no idea what to do, Leslie was getting on his last nerve and it looked like no matter what he said or did, it wasn't going to get rid of him. Declan hated getting angry, so he decided to try and keep it cool...for now. Who know's what he was capable of when upset.

"Yeah? And how long you plan on staying here?" He followed him around, keeping distance in case something happened. "I'm off school for break now, I'm going to be here whether you like it or not." Declan then stood against the wall with his arms crossed, expression blank but eyes staring daggers. The old flip phone was still in his hand, open. If he wanted he could call someone.

"Nobody knows my uncle better than I do, as much as I hate to admit that...so you better stay in your lane, fashion disaster..."

 

[egghead]

Something inside of Leslie snapped. Maybe it was the tone of his voice or the comment about his style choices, but his hatred of this boy overflowed and poured into his expression. The smile that graced his face throughout his entire visit twisted into a harsh scowl only made more horrifying in the flickering, dying light of the kitchen.

"Listen, kid..." the words seeped out of his mouth like poison. "You have no idea how long I've waited for this...how much time and effort I put in just to get close to him."

The sound of his loafers clacking against the floor echoed in the empty apartment before he loomed over Declan's tiny frame.

"I won't let anybody get in my way. Glen will be mine, and once he is, you'll be the first to go."

 

[Atom]

He didn't admit it, but Declan felt scared the second Leslie's expression changed, he knew he was in some deep shit now. The once friendly and kind person was now standing over him in a way that triggered a deep thought in his mind.

"Get away from me..." It was a dirty move, but he spit in the neighbors face and shoved his terrifying stature away, hopefully enough to knock him over.

"I'm not going anywhere, buddy." A harsh glare overtook Declan's face as he stomped forward, ready to throw a punch. "You wanna know what it's like to have everything taken away from you? I can show you!"

 

[egghead]

The monster from next door was grinding his dentist-perfect teeth so hard they threatened to shatter. A flash of hostile, almost murderous intent gleamed in his dark eyes as he stood up straight after being pushed away, his shadow devouring the younger man entirely.

When words came, they strung out in slow, forced syllables. "You...little...shit..." he reached behind his back to pull out a rag. It was soaked in a chemical he bought online, a sort of "back-up plan" in case the cake didn't do its job.

Sweeping up behind Declan, he forced the rag against his face with enough strength to crush his nose, if not completely suffocate him. The corners of his lips twitched before stretching wide into an inhuman smile that almost sliced his head in half.

If this kid wasn't going to shut his mouth, he would shut it for him.

 

[Atom]

Confusion and panic crossed his mind seeing Leslie get up again with twice as much terror written all over his face.

"W-What are you!?" Before Declan could get enough words in, there was a cloth over his face. He coughed violently at the chemical smell covering it and felt his entire head start to spin. "You...you..." With every bit of strength draining, his struggling began to get sluggish.

Leslie's grip also seemed to loosen as his latch on his eyesight did. It didn't take long at all for Declan's body to go limp the neighbors harsh grip, eyes closed.

He messed up again but despite being out cold, he knew before passing out that he wasn't going to allow Leslie to touch his uncle. Glen was his family.