Alex the Big Spender

Mark was so sleepy that he could hardly keep his eyes open as he sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for Alex to finish drying his hair. His head kept drooping as he dozed off, only to jerk back up again.

The sound of the hairdryer was loud, and after a few minutes, Mark blearily opened his sleepy eyes, staring blankly at Alex's waist. *His waist is twice the size of mine, and he's so strong, with those abs…* Mark thought, yawning and rubbing his eyes before drifting off again.

"Are you tired?" Alex asked as he noticed Mark's drowsiness. He cupped Mark's face in his hands, gently tilting his head up to look at him.

"Mm, tired," Mark mumbled, rubbing his eyes. He looked so soft and sleepy that Alex couldn't help but smile. He leaned down and kissed Mark lightly. "Just a little longer."

Alex sped up the process of drying Mark's hair, wanting to let him rest as soon as possible. When he was finally done, he turned off the noisy hairdryer.

Mark, who hadn't heard the usual loud noise, blinked his sleepy eyes and looked up at Alex. "Finished?"

"Yeah, all done." Alex kissed Mark again, and then once more, unable to resist.

But Mark was too tired to care. "I'm going to sleep. So sleepy…" he muttered as he crawled under the covers, finding a pillow and giving it a couple of pats before settling down and closing his eyes.

Alex chuckled at how endearing Mark was. *He must be exhausted to be acting like this.*

"Stop bothering me… I… I'm going to sleep now…" Mark mumbled, his words slurring together as he drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

Alex knelt on the bed, smiling as he leaned over and planted a kiss on Mark's cheek, whispering softly, "Goodnight."

Mark was already fast asleep and didn't hear a word. Alex gently tucked the covers around him before getting up quietly to leave the bed.

There was a soft knock on the door, controlled and not too loud. Alex turned to open it and found Howard standing there, holding a first-aid kit.

Howard didn't say a word but jerked his head toward the hallway, indicating for Alex to step out so he could bandage his wounds.

"We can do it here. I don't want to wake him up and have him not find me," Alex said, opening the door wider to let Howard in.

Howard glanced at Mark, who was sound asleep in bed, hesitated for a moment, and then entered the room. The two of them sat on the sofa, and Alex shrugged off his bathrobe, turning his back to Howard.

Howard deftly applied antiseptic and wrapped Alex's wounds with bandages. Their practiced ease showed this wasn't the first time they'd done this, a silent acknowledgment of past injuries.

After finishing with Alex's back, Howard checked his hands. When he saw the wounds on Alex's palms, where the skin had turned white from soaking, exposing raw flesh underneath, Howard frowned and scolded, "Do you want your wife or your life?"

"This is nothing. I've taken bullets before and survived," Alex said with a light laugh, brushing it off.

But Howard fell silent, a wave of memories hitting him. Alex had taken a bullet for Howard once, a moment that had changed both of their lives. Back then, Alex had offered Howard a way out of his toxic family, promising safety and a chance at a new life. 

It was a bloody escape that had earned Howard his reputation as a madman—he had carried an injured Alex while fending off countless attackers, even blowing up a base of operations to cover their retreat. Howard had been a force of nature, driven by his need to protect Alex, the man who had given him and his mother a way out.

"Sorry," Howard muttered, his voice heavy as he applied medicine to Alex's hand.

"We were just looking out for ourselves. There's no need for apologies," Alex replied, his tone casual.

Howard's hands paused for a moment before he smiled slightly and continued bandaging. "True. Thanks to you, I was able to buy my mom a house and get her out of that place."

Alex's expression tightened at the word "fool," clearly not liking it.

Though he was irritated, Alex didn't argue. Instead, he looked at Howard and asked, "Did you and Rick have a fight?"

Howard's face immediately turned cold at the mention of Rick's name. He pulled the bandage tight on Alex's hand.

"Ah—" Alex let out a yelp of pain but quickly covered his mouth and glanced at the bed.

When he saw that Mark was still sleeping soundly, Alex breathed a sigh of relief before glaring at Howard. "Is this how you treat someone who saved your life?"

"If it weren't for me carrying you out, you'd be dead by now," Howard replied calmly as he packed up the first-aid kit, adjusting his glasses.

Alex was left speechless. Howard's words were true, but it was actually Alex's uncle who had ultimately saved them. After Howard collapsed from exhaustion on the roadside, and Alex, too weak from blood loss, could barely stand, it was Alex's uncle who arrived just in time with a rescue team and got them both to the hospital.

Alex's uncle had even used his influence to keep the powerful Howard family from retaliating, as their family had strong business ties with Alex's uncle. Though the Howard family was forced to back off, they had harbored resentment ever since. Howard's older brother had even tried to get back at Howard several times but had only ended up being humiliated and sent back home in disgrace.

Alex usually just watched from the sidelines, knowing that Howard didn't need any help dealing with his family.

"I heard your uncle is back in the country?" Howard suddenly asked.

"Yeah, he's back," Alex replied, testing the movement of his bandaged hand to see if it would hinder his work. Fortunately, the injury wasn't too severe.

"Long time no see," Howard commented as he neatly tidied up the bandages and placed them in the trash.

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Why the sudden interest in my uncle?"

Normally, Howard wouldn't care about such things.

"Just to be clear, you're not his type," Alex teased immediately.

Howard shot Alex a cold look, one that could freeze over a thousand lakes.

"Are you thinking of finding someone else to get back at Rick?" Alex continued to prod.

"I'm not as petty as you," Howard retorted, his tone void of emotion.

Howard had simply been curious about Alex's uncle because Richa had once helped him, and he hadn't had the chance to thank Richa properly. He didn't expect Alex to take it the wrong way.

"I don't know what's going on with you two, but Rick isn't the type to deliberately ignore you just to test you. If he's not reaching out, he's probably dealing with something," Alex speculated, trying to offer some insight.

But Howard wasn't in the mood to hear anything about Rick and quickly changed the subject. "If your hand gets worse, go see a doctor."

With that, Howard coldly dismissed himself, not bothering to linger.

Alex was used to Howard's demeanor but couldn't help sighing as he watched him leave. He had always thought that Howard and Rick were a good match, not just because Rick was his brother. Rick was someone who had grown up surrounded by love, and he knew how to care for others. Meanwhile, Howard had grown up deprived of love, and they complemented each other perfectly.

"Forget it. There's no point in worrying," Alex muttered to himself as he got up and quietly returned to bed.

He stared at the ceiling for a moment, feeling the exhaustion of the day catching up to him. But before he could sink deeper into his thoughts, Mark, who had been sleeping soundly, instinctively snuggled into Alex's arms, seeking his warmth.

Alex's mood brightened instantly. He smiled, leaning down to kiss Mark on the forehead before wrapping him in his arms.

Mark stirred slightly, frowning for a moment as if he were uncomfortable, but then he nestled even closer to Alex's chest and fell back into a deep sleep.