It's past one in the morning when Jared finally stumbles into his home, greasy and dirt-tired.

Like every night when he arrives home from working at the restaurant, he swears that he's done with that place and never going back there again.

Discarding all the possessions he's carrying along the way, he staggers through the kitchenette into the sleeping area and collapses on the bed, taking up most of the living space. He doesn't even pause to turn on one light. He doesn't need light to see where he's going since his place is extremely small, he barely owns anything, and he knows where everything is.

"I am sooooooo friggin' tired," he groans, pulling one of his pillows into his arms for a cuddle.

"Does that mean that you don't wanna eat this?"

Letting out a very unmanly squeal, Jared nearly makes a puddle on the bed and jumps out of his skin in fright. He's already flying to his feet, ready to fight, when he finally recognises the figure lurking in the shadows of his room.

"Shit! Range, are you a bloody ninja?!" he exclaims, turning on the bed lamp to glare at his friend more effectively. There's no point in glaring at people if they cannot see you glaring at them, and since Jared seldom glares at people, he wants to make good use of the opportunity.

"You walked right past me," Ranger says reasonably as if that makes the situation any better and gives Jared an innocent, indignant look. He is an artist when it comes to making an innocent, indignant face.

"Dammit, Range..." Jared pushes a hand through his thick, dark blond hair, rubbing at his head a little aggressively. "Now I'm wide awake, and my heart is racing a mile a minute."

"Does that mean that you do want to eat this?" Ranger asks flatly, holding the plate of dinner Jared's aunt left in the small bar refrigerator for him earlier in the evening... yesterday evening... Ranger is leaning against the kitchen counter, and he's right; Jared did walk right past him, within touching distance. The idea makes both of them nervous.

What if it hadn't been Ranger?!

Jared is not normally unobservant and careless; he is just extra tired right now.

"What is it?" He really couldn't care less what food is on that plate; he just feels that Ranger should work for the meal a bit as revenge for almost scaring him to death.

Shrugging, Ranger grabs one of the three forks Jared keeps in the kitchen drawer and pokes it into each item to taste a big mouthful - as if he cannot just use his eyes - while he names them as he goes along: "Mac and cheese... mixed veggies... some kind of saucy concoction, not sure what it is, but it's pretty good... and two lamb chops."

At this rate, the plate will be empty before Jared can even pretend to decide whether he wants to eat it or not. There goes his revenge down Ranger's gullet, to his stomach.

It is generally acknowledged that Jared's aunt makes the best Mac and Cheese in this world and any other world where people make Mac and Cheese. Ranger loves all of Jared's aunt's cooking, especially now that his parents are away for three weeks, maybe longer. He hates cooking, and he hates take-out food.

His parents are visiting his step-grandparents to help his step-grandfather recover from a coronary artery bypass graft procedure. Ranger's stepfather, Jonah, can work remotely from basically anywhere in the world, and Aunt Bernice is a homemaker; they could stay away as long as required. While they're gone, Ranger has to take care of his own meals... or Alicia has to... or they both do. Jared still finds their dynamic confusing and has barely said two words to the girl since he met her four months ago.

Mainly because Ranger is being an ass about it.

"Did you heat it up?" Jared asks.

"Wait," Ranger says holding up his hand, and takes three more huge bites to judge if more heating is required. "Yeah, it's warm."

"Knock yourself out," Jared chuckles, shaking his head.

"I brought you a pizza," Ranger informs him. He always brings something when he invades Jared's open-plan, one room and a bathroom, granny-flat to eat his aunt's food, drink whatever he can find, and abuse Jared's bed. He might be obnoxious and arrogant, extremely cocky and raise annoying others to a whole new level, but the dude is not a sponger.

Surprisingly, he's neither selfish nor inconsiderate, at least not in his dealings with Jared. He's not stingy, and there's hardly anything that he wouldn't do for his friends... and to them. He might be perpetually pissed off at the world, paranoid and suspicious and altogether unpleasant at times, but he's not spiteful nor malicious. He's a complex guy, and, most importantly, he knows that Jared goes crazy for pizza and exactly what kind he likes.

"I thought I smelled pizza when I came in, but figured it was just my cravings getting loud! Thanks, Bro!" Jared grins, and in two strides, he reaches the counter where the box is waiting. He wolfs down one and a half slices of loaded, spicy goodness before he stops and frowns at Ranger. "Why the hell were you quietly waiting in the dark? Do you hate me?"

"Only on Tuesdays," Ranger grunts. Today, when the sun rises, it will be Saturday. "I have a strict schedule," he grins, then shrugs, looking less happy. "Thought I was being followed."

"What?!" If Jared wasn't startled into being wide awake before, he sure is now.

"Most likely nothing," Ranger shrugs, putting his empty plate on the counter. " I've been here a while, and there's been no action."

Jared crosses to the windows to make sure that there's still nothing going on outside, and Ranger passes him to open the refrigerator; he grabs two beers and hands one to Jared when he turns around.

Looking at the beer, Jared laughs happily, forgetting all about stalkers. This expensive brand wasn't in his refrigerator when he left home this morning. He can only afford cheap beer and hasn't had any in ages. Nope, Ranger sure isn't stingy. He often crashes at Jared's place, even when he's not around. The dude needs his space now and then, and Jared doesn't mind if Ranger uses his space.

He always cleans up after himself, and Jared wouldn't even know he'd been here if it wasn't for the small surprises he usually leaves behind. Things like soft drinks in the fridge, snacks in the cupboards and, now and then, only the smell of his cologne. Ranger also always replaces the consumables he uses; he is the ideal roommate.

"Thanks, you're the best," Jared grins, gratefully sipping the beer. There is nothing like beer and pizza to lift his spirits, even if it is in the wee hours of the morning and he's dying for sleep.

"Totally," Ranger agrees, winking at his friend; he doesn't believe in false modesty.

The two friends plan to lease an apartment together when they finish school and finally get to the point where they can afford to do so. They hope to become part-time students next year and get jobs that pay enough to help them realise their plans.

Jared is looking forward to moving in together, but he is torn. Archer also wants to share an apartment with him.

Ranger is his best friend, and he's sure that sharing an apartment with him will be awesome, but Archer is his cousin. They've been as close as brothers since birth, even closer than most brothers. Jared would love to share an apartment with him. In fact, the idea of leaving the granny flat in his uncle's backyard and not seeing Archer every day really dampens his enthusiasm for moving out.

The situation is stressful. He loves Ranger, and he loves Archer, but the two of them do not exactly love each other.

They care about each other in some strange, roundabout, semi-hostile way that Jared will never be able to understand completely, but they can't be in each other's company for too long. Leaving them alone together almost always ends in a brawl. Jared is trying to come up with a plan for an elaborate apartment where all three of them could live together in peace. One where Archer and Ranger's living areas can be isolated from each other.

He's not having much success with that... not on their possible future budget. And the two of them might not even agree with the idea of sharing a home.

It could work if Jared could convince John to move in with them. He has a knack for keeping the two of them from tearing out each other's throats, and even while scowling, he has a calming effect on those around him, especially on their two volatile mates... and he can cook pretty decent food.

Having a common enemy around also helps. Range and Arch are a good team when they work together in a fight, but Jared doesn't really want to move in with any of their enemies.

He peers at Ranger, leaning against the counter, quietly eating the last few bites of his food. Outwardly, he and Archer couldn't be more different, even if they tried. Ranger has dark hair and dark eyes. He is tall and muscular but slender, and girls are always cooing about his "defenceless puppy eyes" and "sweet" smile. That is usually where they make their first mistake. There's nothing sweet or defenceless about Ranger Botticelli.

Archer's hair is the colour of cinnamon and is full of natural sun streaks. He's about four centimetres shorter than Ranger and seems to be slightly more muscular because of it. His eyes are greyish green, and there's nothing puppy-like about them. At first glance, Ranger appears to be vulnerable and gentle, while Archer comes across as arrogant and distant.

All of that is only on the surface, though and far from accurate. When all is said and done, Jared is convinced that they don't get along because they're too much alike on the inside. They're both passionate, hot-headed, stubborn and bloody frustrating. Archer is redeemable because he is generally good-natured, warm and witty, while Ranger...

Ranger has virtually no redeeming qualities that anyone else will be able to verify. Jared is probably the only person who is aware of his huge capacity for random, simple acts of kindness. He never does any kind acts where others can see it or recognise it for the kindness that it is... not on purpose. He hates being fussed over.

Jared smiles to himself, shaking his head. Bloody jackasses, both of them.

"Stop having conversations in your head! It's creepy," Ranger scowls.

After washing his dinner plate at the small sink, he practically downs his beer, watching Jared happily dig into the pizza. They don't talk; each is busy with their own thoughts. They rarely need to keep a conversation going when they're alone. They're usually content just hanging out together, eating, drinking or playing video games. Sometimes, they don't say a word for hours.

Ranger sighs in satisfaction and pitches his empty bottle into the recycling bin. Pushing himself away from the kitchen counter, he saunters into the bathroom to wash up and use the toothbrush he keeps there.

"I'm sooooo friggin' tired," he says, returning from the bathroom and parodying Jared's actions from earlier, shuffles into the sleeping area and unceremoniously flops down on the king-sized bed.

"Hey! Come on! You can have the couch!" Jared protests, but Ranger is already half asleep, and suddenly, he does seem truly vulnerable. Something is definitely up with the guy. Jared experiences an unexpected flare of compassion... probably inspired by his appreciation for the pizza and beer. "Fine," he grunts, "just don't take over the whole bed and don't try to cuddle me."

When his hand comes up empty after fumbling for another piece of pizza, he is only vaguely disappointed because he has already had one slice too many and is well and truly stuffed. Sighing, he dumps the debris of his dinner in the bin and strolls into the bathroom for a quick shower to rid his hair of the smell of frying fat.

He is too tired tonight to go through his normal bedtime routine, so he leaves his greasy work clothes in a pile on the bathroom floor, brushes his teeth, blow dries his hair, and pulls on boxer shorts to sleep in. Ranger is fast asleep when Jared finally crawls under his duvet.

He wonders why his friend is this tired and why he'd really waited in the dark for him to come home. He's sleeping on top of the duvet, wearing one of Jared's tracksuits and socks, which is a good idea since it is a bit cool tonight. Jared is surprised that Ranger is leaving Alicia all alone at home. Usually, he at least stays there with her and not just so that he can make her life hell, as he claims. He'll deny it, of course, but he actually wants her to be safe.

"What have you been up to, Buddy?" he mutters.

Of course, he doesn't expect an answer and doesn't get one. It's not long before Jared drifts off to sleep as well.

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