Roomies {Harringrove}

Day Sixteen

"Billy! Hi! Y-you're up! I've been... Umm... You-"

"I've been up for hours. Recounting the tale of your life to some random guy doesn't really make for good sleep." Steve crawled over to his bed softly, stopping close enough to the mattress. It felt a bit painful to Billy. They'd literally cuddled before, what was it that had Steve pulling away from him like this? He remembered when he was in the same position, so scared of how he felt that he couldn't move a single inch closer to Steve. But Steve couldn't possibly be stupid enough to be interested in a person like him and that was that.

"I'm sorry," he whispered gently.

"Come here."

"Wh-what?"

"Come. Pull my hair like you do." Steve bit his lip, looking unsure although he did melt when Billy grabbed at the air in his direction, a pout jutting out his bubblegum pink lower lip. And then he realised the amount of fondness he felt at this single image and moved back.

"I- I'm sorry-"

"I don't want or need your apology, Steve. You've got every right to not want to do something. I just wanna know why, that's all."

The thing was, Steve wanted to, he really did and that was the problem. He was happy for Billy discovering his sexuality but it scared him, how quickly his thoughts became more romantic or sexual whenever the blonde was near. He was trying to get himself out of that mindset so he didn't fully give in and become like that and being so close to a gorgeous man who had previously expressed interest in kissing him wouldn't help that.

"I... The umm... The scientists! Yes!" He was so bad at playing off not having an actual excuse that Billy smiled just slightly, letting him go on. "I j-just I don't think they would be quite comfortable with what you're asking of me a-and I-"

"But you said they weren't watching us anymore, yesterday."

"You heard that?! How much did you hear?!"

"...all of it." Steve's face went pink, filled with mortification and he did a 180, determined to slip into bed and never speak again. Billy grabbed hold of his ankle, though, not expecting the clumsy boy would be so full of momentum that he fell to the ground. He flinched at the thud, glad his mattress protected him and rose to his feet. Steve was faceplanted right in the middle of it, not even moving and his hands sticking out at awkward angles.

Billy chuckled a bit as he helped him up, struggling to stop when Steve stuck his tongue out at him, a slight frown on his face. "You're mean."

"Mm. You're adorable. Now, the scientists won't bother us so what do you say? Hop into bed with me, King Steve."

His voice was the perfect amount of raspy and Steve just knew he'd lowered it on purpose, not wanting to know what exactly he meant by that. The twinkle in his eyes told him it wasn't quite as innocent as mere cuddling between bros and he facepalmed. "Have I not told you I'm straight?!"

"Okay? Cool? So?"

"So? So?! Do you not realise how weird it is for a straight guy and a not-straight guy to do... That?"

"Jesus, Harrington, I'm not even asking for a kiss. I just want to cuddle. I was just teasing with the King Steve, okay? I'm not quite ready to touch another guy's dick yet." Steve flushed and Billy tried his hardest not to let his eyes flicker down to his sweatpants, clearing his throat to get past the tension. "We've cuddled before. It's not like me being not straight means we're never going to hug and shit, anymore, right?"

Steve swallowed when Billy saw the uncertainty in his eyes, his own blue ones hardening. They looked crystallised in that state. Not a raging sea like they usually did when he was angry, instead, they seemed to turn to ice and that scared him more but he didn't know what else to do. He needed Billy to be straight and now that he knew he wasn't, he was holding on desperately to his grips on himself but the blonde wouldn't stop making it difficult by simply existing. Being in the same room alone was hard enough without getting that physically intimate.