*Extended chapter

~~~~~~~~~~

There was only so much patience Thomas had for whenever he was around Ethan. The way the COO constantly disregarded any apparent danger he was in, and lash out at the people around him because of it, pushed Thomas to the end of his tether.

After taking several confusing backhanded insults, Thomas stormed out of Signature Red because it was all becoming too much.

Thomas sank onto the bench that was across from Signature Red. Because he no longer wanted to be in that dingy bar, Thomas thought he could at least do surveillance work and watch if an army of blokes entered the building for Ethan.

One by one the bar was being cleared out. After several hours Thomas saw a drunken, but unharmed, Ethan stumble out of Signature Red with the same woman besides him.

Keeping his distance from the intoxicated pair, Thomas continued to follow them to make sure nothing happened to Ethan along the way.

This lasted until they both entered a dark alleyway together, with Thomas was right behind them.

Thomas finally made his move as he then grabbed Ethan's shoulder in the very same alleyway.

~~~~~~~~~~

Ethan was embarrassed at being a grown man carried away like a sack of potatoes. It was even worse when Thomas put his foot down by sending Tracy home alone.

Thomas refused to let Ethan down as he carried him with ease. The intoxicated COO punched, kicked, and spat verbal diarrhoea - but nothing worked on the bodyguard's stubbornness.

"I'm going to throw up on your back if you don't let me down." Ethan slurred as his voice sounded bumpy with Thomas carrying him.

"Do it."

Ethan tried his best to hurl all the alcohol he drank in the last couple of hours. But with every chance he took, his throat would just end up sore and nothing would come out except fake retching noises.

"I can't believe you actually tried to throw up on me," Thomas complained. "You do realise you will be hugging that vomit if it ends up on my back."

"It'll be totally worth it Tommy."

Every time Ethan would call him anything but his real name, Thomas tried his best to always keep silent about it. It would usually eat him up on the inside because he hated it that much.

The fact that the person who kept calling him these nicknames, was the person who openly hates him, amplified Thomas' hatred and annoyance of it.

Thomas chose to remind Ethan of this because he prayed a drunken Ethan would show mercy on the inconvenience the nickname created for him. "I seriously hate it when you don't call me by me real name."

But drunk Ethan was the same as sober Ethan, except even less filtered. "That's why I do it Tom."

A petty Thomas retaliated by throwing Ethan onto his other shoulder, making his broad shoulder punch his vulnerable stomach.

"Aaah, you bitch!"

Thomas chuckled to himself as he found the enjoyment in the little things in life. He continued to carry Ethan over his shoulder as Thomas followed the footpath.

"Where are we going?" A more quiet Ethan mumbled. He kept tapping Thomas' shoulder to try and annoy him more - because he also enjoyed those little things in life.

"My apartment your dad rented me is not far from the bar." Thomas explained calmly, "Given that you don't want to go home right now, I'm forcing you to stay with me so that you don't get into trouble - again."

"No!" Ethan bursted out loud. "Just let me down and I can walk home you bastard!"

Thomas refused to obey Ethan's request as he just held onto Ethan tighter. He silenced all of Ethan's yapping by squeezing Ethan's thighs, and adding pressure to them so he would shut up.

And Ethan did - eventually.

~~~~~~~~~~

Thomas forcefully dropped a more sobered up Ethan onto the couch as he locked the door behind him. Ethan landed flat on his back, and an oomph was let out when Ethan hit the arm rest.

"Was that really necessary?" An annoyed Ethan asked.

"Yes."

Thomas switched the lights on so that they both could see inside the apartment. Thomas walked into the closet near the bedroom and pulled out a spare pillow and blanket.

He dropped the soft materials on top of Ethan's head as Thomas' introduced Ethan to the place he would be sleeping on overnight.

"Can't we at least share the bed?" Ethan asked. "The couch is super uncomfortable, and I'm pretty sure the bed has space for the both of us."

"You're lucky I'm not forcing you to sleep on the floor."

Ethan finally got up from the couch to look around the apartment. He knew not to expect much because it was only being rented for Thomas until he goes home - and so Ethan saw very little inside the apartment.

There wasn't a TV in the apartment, there were no framed photos when Ethan peeked into Thomas' bedroom, and there were only a couple of very old books.

"I know you're only meant to be here for 2 weeks, but didn't you bring something here so you're at least remotely interested to live in this apartment?" Ethan asked as he wondered what kind of things Thomas brought with him to Ohio.

"I'm not much of a materialistic person." Things were more simple for Thomas this way as he had very little possessions to showcase his life. Thomas didn't see the need to change it because he was never home a lot to cherish them.

Thomas then turned the light on his bathroom. "You want to take a shower before you sleep?"

Ethan shook his head as he didn't have any spare change of clothes. "I rather not wear one of your stupid suits to work tomorrow."

Thomas chose to take a shower as he then closed the bathroom door, with a few departing words. "We were doing so well with getting along until you spoke again."

~~~~~~~~~~

Ethan had settled himself decently comfortable in his makeshift bed. He stripped himself down to his underwear as he got comfy under the covers.

A door unlocked and Ethan saw Thomas coming out of the shower. He was in complete shock as he watched Thomas dry his hair.

"What?" Thomas questioned.

"You're finally not wearing a suit!" Ethan laughed. He looked at Thomas funnily as he continued, "I've wouldn't have picture you in a singlet though, is it just so everything is all tight and on display?"

And it was true, the thin straps of the singlet put Thomas' arms and chest on full display.  Thomas was in incredible shape, and Ethan wanted to praise the man for something he worked hard for.

"You really like to leave little to the imagination to the people who are nowhere around here." Ethan suggested. "Maybe wear that the next time you want to get laid."

Thomas squinted his eyes at Ethan as he turned his confused head towards Ethan. "I'm pretty sure you're more obsessed with my body than I am at this point..."

"Don't make it gay." Ethan joked. "I'm just comfortable with my sexuality."

Thomas threw the towel he was using into his laundry basket. His hair was still damp as he chose to just sleep regardless of it.

"Sleep tight." Thomas switched the lights off in the living room as he closed his bedroom door. "Don't do anything stupid!"

"If you would have let me leave earlier then you wouldn't have to worry about me!" Ethan shouted into the darkness.

Now all alone and in complete silence, Ethan felt unusually comfortable in sleeping in a stranger's home. Although Thomas wasn't technically a stranger, Ethan still felt like it because they didn't know each other.

Despite this, Ethan hadn't felt this comfortable for a while. Lying down on Thomas' couch, Ethan easily fell asleep once he closed his eyes.

~~~~~~~~~~

Ethan woke up to the smell of fresh coffee in an apartment that wasn't his the next morning. Ethan stretched his jaw as his shielded eyes began to blink himself awake.

He accidentally fell off the couch once he began to stretch his limbs. Ethan then weaved his fingers through his hair as he found Thomas in the kitchen.

Ethan didn't feel surprised that Thomas was all suited up again. He was pouring himself a coffee in a mug as he then put some bread in a toaster.

"Do I get any?" Ethan asked.

Thomas looked up to the former sleeping body in his living room. "Not even a 'Good Morning'?"

"No." Ethan picked himself up and put everything that was dropped back on the couch. "My back's all roughed up from sleeping on this."

Thomas witnessed Ethan kick the couch when he gestured towards the furniture that apparently ruined his night. Thomas was carrying his cup of coffee across the room as he lightly smacked Ethan on the side of his head.

"What was that for?!" Ethan yelped. The younger man was staring daggers at the bodyguard as he held his head whilst looking seriously offended.

"Don't treat the furniture like that."

Thomas had a sly smile on his face when Ethan looked at the couch instead of him. Thomas wanted to do that for a while, so he blamed his actions on the furniture instead of the frustration that was created because of Ethan.

Ethan was ready to call Thomas every name under the sun until he froze, because the bodyguard offered him the cup of coffee that he was holding.

Ethan quietly accepted as he took a sip from it. It was actually delicious, and so Ethan continued to drink it whilst Thomas watched him with a smirk.

"There's a spare toothbrush in the bathroom." Thomas told him as as he went back behind the kitchen counter. "You want to take a shower so you can freshen up?"

Ethan continued to pause his actions as he was processing all of Thomas' actions that Ethan considered to be kind. He didn't know what to do with this as Thomas was staring back at him - waiting for an answer.

After silently nodding his head, Thomas could have swore that he heard a faint token of gratitude from Ethan as he disappeared into the bathroom.

~~~~~~~~~~

Thomas was waiting for Ethan as he shortly got out of the shower. Standing by the front door, Thomas handed Ethan a plate with several pieces of toast once he stepped forward.

After Ethan took the plate, Thomas kept his palm out as he motioned for Ethan to hand him something. "Give me your keys."

"No." Ethan didn't want to invite anyone into his home that he didn't like.

Ethan quirked his eyebrow at Thomas as he still refused to hand over his keys. He munched his toast in front of Thomas as he gestured for the both of them to leave through the door.

Thomas kept his hand out as he explained to the resistant Ethan,"Give me your keys so I can check your apartment for anything suspicious."

The potential threat of an intruder wasn't eradicated in either of their minds, so Thomas wanted to do his job and eliminate that worry.

With still no motion to hand over his keys, Thomas grew impatient with Ethan. "We can do this the long way if you want..."

Ethan entertained the idea as he challenged Thomas. "And what's that then?"

Thomas thought the quickest way would be to pin Ethan down, and steal the keys from him - without a fuss from Ethan.

But that was far too unnecessary for Thomas as that would just waste both of their times, and Thomas honestly didn't want to rough Ethan up like that.

"I can ask your dad to give me the key, and then he'll ask why I want it." Thomas stepped closer to Ethan and allowed his low voice to sink into Ethan's mind. "Then I'll have to explain everything to him. And given that you haven't yet, I would assume you want to keep it that way."

Ethan was left speechless as he was trapped in a checkmate. He couldn't argue with Thomas' logic because he nailed it. Ethan didn't want to tell his dad because he would then be even more involved in this drama.

"This isn't a choice, Ethan." Thomas helped Ethan by grabbing his hand and dropping it next to the pocket that had his keys. "Now, give me your keys and I'll go once I drop you off at your office."

Thomas saw that it looked like Ethan was in physical pain doing so. Thomas was extremely perplexed by Ethan's overreaction, but nonetheless he smirked once they keys were dropped into his hands.

"No fighting back?" Thomas laughed, "You're no fun."

And on that mic drop, Thomas continued his reign of pettiness by opening the door for Ethan with too much glee. "Now, get out. I'm kind of busy today."

"Thanks Tommy!" Ethan walked out of Thomas' apartment with a deliberate shoulder nudge along the way.

Both of them were facing away from each other as their faces kept scrunching as if they tasted something awful. But neither of them let it show as they both faked professional tolerance towards the other person.

"I'll drop you off first, and then I'll swing by your house afterwards. If anything is suspicious with your house then I'll let you know." Thomas looked at Ethan and realised that he was still wearing the same clothes as last night. "I'll do a search of your house and then I can pick some clothes up for you."

"Just don't go into any room except my bedroom unless you want to be scarred."

Thomas tried to imagine what could be so horrifying in Ethan's home. It could be anything from a BDSM dungeon, to a shrine of Marilyn Manson.

Ethan ignored Thomas' confused face as he decided to purposely walk ahead. "Hurry up then. I'm kind of busy today."

~~~~~~~~~~

The ride up in the elevator was when Thomas witnessed Ethan be the belle of the ball. As more people flooded the metal box, Ethan was continuously smiling at them all - especially compared to when they woke up in the same apartment.

"Hey Carl, is your dad feeling any better?" Ethan asked to the man that just walked in.

Carl nodded his head as he replied, "His appendix burst but he should be on the road to recovery, Boss."

Ethan then turned to another employee and made conversation with her. "Jane, is your brother liking Columbus?"

Jane smiled back at Ethan as she answered back, "He's loving it Boss, thanks for asking!"

When Jane's eyes moved from Ethan to the suited man next to him, her whisper to Ethan was a lot louder than intended. "Who's the new guy?"

Ethan followed her eyes and saw how she was talking about Thomas. Ethan moved to stare at the metal door as he monotonously told her, "Nobody."

Jane decided to introduce herself to the man that caught her attention in the elevator. "I work in advertising, I'm Jane."

Thomas smiled back at Jane as he gave her his name. "I'm Thomas."

"Oh I love that name!" Jane giggled, "It's very old fashioned and kind of noble. It's kind of fitting for your looks, don't you think?"

Another woman besides Jane decided to pitch in on the conversation. "Very traditional."

"Have you seen Thomas before, Candice?" Jane asked.

"I would never forget a guy this handsome..."

Ethan interrupted the pair of them as he obnoxiously cleared his throat. "Jane and Candice, please keep everything professional and get back to work."

Candice wanted to point out that the day just started, and there was no work to do yet since they were both heading towards their department together. "We're in an elevator so we can't-"

With the door opening to Ethan's floor, the COO forcefully pushed Thomas out of the elevator, and joined the bodyguard in walking towards his office.

Thomas looked at Ethan funnily while Ethan kept his composure. Standing outside of Ethan's office, both of them bumped into Kristen who got to the office early.

"Well I'm glad you're alive, you dingbat!" With a smack to the head, Kristen warmly greeted her brother by hugging her.

Ethan wasn't keen on being attacked again this morning. He showed his attitude about it by complaining with several groans and huffs.

Pulling back, Kristen noticed that Ethan's appearance wasn't as sleek like normal. Knowing that her brother usually takes his time to look good, she saw that everything didn't add up.

"Why do you look like shit?"

Ethan directed the anger from being insulted to Thomas. "That bastard kidnapped me at the bar yesterday. He stalked me, and made me sleep on his couch."

When Kristen looked at Thomas for further elaboration, Thomas was direct as he explained. "Just doing my job and saving Ethan before he gets into trouble again."

Ethan looked at Thomas as if he suddenly spawned a second head, meanwhile Kristen gave an understanding nod like she knew trouble typically follows Ethan.

Happy with his reasoning, Kristen smiled back at Thomas. "And it's a job well done."

Ethan scoffed at Thomas' perceived delusion. "You saved me from a threesome..."

"The people that go to Signature Red are trashy as hell! Thomas probably saved you from STIs, Ethan." Kristen laughed.

Thomas only shrugged his shoulders as he seemed to agree. Ethan didn't appreciate the humbleness and superior attitude that was coming from Thomas, and Ethan felt he's spent too much time with the bodyguard lately.

"I'm working overtime tonight." Ethan decided as it would put distance between the pair of them.

Kristen was in complete shock at hearing her brother. "But you never do overtime!"

Ethan shot a glare at the reason why he decided to do overtime. "As long as I'm away from him, then I will do it until he goes back to wherever he came from."

Now directly talking to the bodyguard, "Drop off my clothes later Tommy, and I'll see you tomorrow."

Thomas smirked at the nerve of the COO. There was no way that he was going to leave Ethan alone for the whole day - especially considering recent events. "I'm not-"

"Byeeee."

Ethan closed the door on them as Kristen and Thomas were left outside his office. They both exchanged a courtesy nod and wave as they then went their separate ways, and on with their day.

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