Running on empty || Brian & Shaun
Brian's eyes snapped open and he quickly shot up, heart racing and head spinning. He sighed heavily, slipping from his bed and padding into the bathroom. Apparently, as the clock on the wall was telling him, it was five in the morning. Awesome. Brian stared into the mirror in front of him, frowning gently. He'd been doing this a lot lately. Waking up too early for some unknown reason - probably nightmares, he'd decided. But everyone had nightmares didn't they? It didn't mean anything.
He walked back out of the bathroom, into the kitchen where he opened the blinds and stared out at the still dark city. He could see cars already making their way to work. He wondered if they were all eager to get the day over and done with, or if he was the only one who found the day this much of a chore. He'd only been awake five minutes and he already wanted to crawl into a hole and die. He paused as that thought crossed his mind and frowned again. Well, only if that death didn't involve a crazy hitman strangling him to death and firing shots everywhere. Brian knew it had happened, he knew that man was real... but somehow, when the cops had finally shown up and he'd sprinted up to the apartment in front of them... everything had looked exceptionally normal. There was no bullet, no cable that had almost been used to hang him from the balcony... no suicide note. Only alcohol, and that had been all the police had needed. Sure, they'd been concerned, especially since he needed 'bodyguards' in the first place, but he could tell they thought he was overworked or paranoid. They didn't believe anyone had been here trying to kill him at all. They'd suggested that, without his police watch stationed right outside as usual, he'd become too paranoid and the alcohol hadn't helped. They thought he'd dreamed the whole thing.
Brian didn't bother to let them know that he often evaded the police when he wanted time alone, time without feeling like he was being watched. Though, that was exactly how he felt right now and he was standing in his own kitchen. Brian rolled his eyes, slamming the almost empty cupboard shut and storming out of the room. He didn't have work, but he sure as hell wasn't going to sit inside all day, terrified of his own shadow.