American Beauty, American Psycho

American Beauty

Hey everyone, guess who's back! Again, I apologize for the long pause, but it's been very beneficial. I feel like I'm in a more stable place now, where I can update a little more regularly. You've all been so supportive and that's definitely helped more than you guys can imagine. I know a lot of you have been waiting on this story, so here's a new update! Smash that vote button :)
And, like I've said before, I've been through the mill with diagnosed depression and multiple anxieties, if anybody ever needs to talk about their experiences or anything, I'm always here. Sometimes a listening ear is the most helpful thing. :)
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Alfred sat at his breakfast table the next day, contemplating everything that'd happened. He looked up at his mini-army of guards, sitting around the table with him and eating quietly. He frowned a little. Do any of these guards actually like me? He thought, are they just here to be paid, then leave? He sighed softly. Is anyone actually here to like me?
He thought about the events that had taken place. The look in the eyes of his intruder. There was something familiar about the glint in those red eyes, something that Alfred couldn't place, but he knew he'd seen before. He suddenly slammed his fist down on the table, causing all his guards to spring up into action. "S'okay guys! Sorry...just...swallowed an ice cube. All good," Alfred said quickly, and the guards went back to eating. "Can...can I ask you all something?" A guard nodded as a response for the whole group. "Do any of you...am I...your friend?"
One of the guards opened his mouth, but as he did, a little bell chimed on their watches, indicating that it was time for their outdoor shifts. Alfred watched sadly as all of them got up and left him alone, without a goodbye.
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Allen shuffled into his apartment after a long, hard day. He'd been fired from his pizza delivery job for making out with a customer.
"But, she let me!" He'd protested angrily to his boss, but to no avail.
He grumbled to himself and lay down on his couch, put a smoke in his mouth, and put his hands behind his head. He closed his eyes and listened to the silence of his apartment. It stung him sometimes, that the end of every day was just him lying alone on his couch, with nobody to lie with him, or even to talk to. There was no soft breathing of his partner at his side, just the sound of the bustling busy street and occasional bumps and thumps from the upstairs apartment. Eventually, that stinging feeling would turn into rage. Every single night. And he was growing awfully tired of it.
He furrowed his brow with his eyes closed, thinking about his break-in with Matt. There was something he recognized in that guy's eyes, a type of innocence with a hint of sad. Allen knew that look was familiar, but he couldn't place it. He growled out loud, hating the fact that something was unknown in his life. With a grunt, he put his cigarette out on his knuckle and went to go wash his face. He gathered water in his hands and splashed it over himself, then glanced up in the mirror.
Suddenly, he jumped back from his own reflection. "The fuck?!" He yelped. "Is that...me?" He squinted at the mirror, then stepped closer. He stared into his own eyes, and the look of the blond man's eyes rested in them. "What is that?" He frowned at himself. "Betrayal? Nah.." he grunted, and stared for a little longer. Suddenly, everything clicked in his mind.
Allen was lonely.
And he knew exactly how to fix it.
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Alfred walked to his bedroom, his shoulders hunched and his head drooping, like a wilted flower. His day had been typical — nerf wars after breakfast alone, movie marathon alone, gaming alone, cake for dinner alone, and chilling in his tree-mansion alone. Alfred almost turned the lights off, but remembered his intruder. "Guards!" Alfred called, and a wave of them rushed to him. "I want you all to take the night off."
They looked at him quizzically. "Sir, we apologize, but that's too risky."
"Too bad, risky is my middle name."
"Doesn't your middle name start with an F, not an R?" A guard asked.
"Don't talk back to me!" Alfred said. "All of you get the night off. I just wanna be alone," he said, with a certain ferocity in his eyes that told the guards to follow his orders, or else. All of them looked at one another, then slowly backed away and left.
Alfred put his pajamas on then went to the bathroom. He felt hollow and empty, but that was okay — he was used to it. Everything he did, he did...alone. He brushed his teeth, then washed his face and dried it. But when he looked up at himself in the mirror, he saw a look in his eyes he knew he recognized. Suddenly, it all made sense to Alfred;
He was lonely.
And so was his intruder.