Preston's P.O.V.
Rob had always been a little... outside of the box. Eccentric. Unconventional. Quirky. However you wanted to put it. He had never cared about anyone thought of him and I honestly wished I possessed as much confidence and self-esteem as he did. It made him pretty happy when someone would insult him for the way he looked, talked or dressed, because then he could give them the whole run down of how you couldn't tell someone's sexuality just by looking at them, how just because a man had a slightly more feminine look didn't mean they were gay- oh and that he was gay, but stop assuming shit.
I had no idea why he decided to shave his head but he rocked a buzz cut or was just completely bald for almost a year, giving not two shits about anyone who whined about how he didn't look like his old self. He complained about it to me-
"I don't want to look like I didn't when I was 20!" He grumbled, flicking a post-it note across the bench to land in the bin. "I want to be able to change and not receive constant complaints about how they miss the old days, my videos aren't the same, blah, blah, blah. Bullshit."
He pouted a bit and slipped from the barstool to grab a handful of snacks from the cupboard and motioned for me to follow him into the living room, where he threw said pile of snacks onto the floor.
"Movie night?" He said, giving me one raised eyebrow.
"Movie night."
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Rob actually fell asleep on me, which was kind of surprising considering he hadn't seemed to be in a very cuddly or touchy mood earlier. We had begun on separate couches, chucking food and the remote across to each other every now and then but Rob decided that wasn't good enough because he ended up on my couch, feet tucked in beside my waist. Within a few hours he had swapped so he was facing the same way as me.
I didn't complain, I only squeezed my arms around him tighter and smiled to myself as his head eventually nodded on his chest and he fell limp beside me. Despite the confidence he normally exuded I knew he still needed time to let everything go, to forget the comments and the looks, and, for a few hours, to just be vulnerable. I was seemingly the only one he was comfortable enough with to do that.
Cradling him, I carried him very gently up the stairs to his bedroom but when I tried to set him down his grip on the front of my shirt only tightened. I tried to loosen his grip but he only held on tighter, burying his head into my chest.
"No." He mumbled, pulling me down onto the bed. "Stay."
"I'm going to sleep in my own bed R-"
"Nooooo." He groaned again, securing himself more firmly- mostly on top of me. I sighed deeply but once I stopped trying to move and just ran a hand down his back he sighed himself, settling back into a quiet sleep. I wasn't even sure he had been fully awake through the partial conversation but either way he didn't seem to care that he was clinging to me with all of his might and had just asked me to sleep in his bed. Thinking about it, he probably wouldn't have cared even if he was awake, but that wasn't the point.
He was properly asleep within a few minutes and I just sighed, happily mind you, because I really hadn't been expecting to sleep in Rob's bed with him clinging to me like a koala. I couldn't move in any direction without risking waking up so I just settled and held him tight.
Rob was my best friend, sure, but over the last few months there had been something a little more between us. He had been becoming more clingy, hugging me from behind or just leaning on me, and he had also been more open about everything he had been feeling. I had accepted this with more affection in return. But for a couple of months now I had had butterflies in my stomach whenever he was in the room with me, red filling my cheeks.
I just... I liked him, okay? I loved his confidence and his smile and his love, the way he walked and talked and laughed. He was everything I wanted to be.
-------------------------------------------------
"Preston?" Rob whispered, gently poking my side. "Come on, time to get up."
I groaned and squinted in the morning light, managing to roll onto my side and look up to see Rob leaning up on his elbows beside me, a smile playing on his lips. He was shirtless, face flushed red from the warmth, happy.
"Mornin'." He said, reaching out to push part of my fringe off my forehead. "You sleep alright?"
"Mm." I mumbled, groaning. "Yeah."
"Do you want a cup of coffee?"
"Please."
The bed squeaked and shifted as he slipped out of bed and his footsteps headed down the stairs, followed by movement in the kitchen. I squinted and rolled over once again, kicking the duvet off me onto the floor before I finally began to wake up properly. Despite having slept... god, nearly 12 hours? I still felt exhausted and really did need a good cup of coffee to wake me up. Rob came back up after 10 minutes, two mugs in hand.
"Here." He handed one to me, which I took gratefully. "Gonna be a lazy day, huh?"
"Definitely." I mumbled. "I really don't want to work today."
"That's quite alright with me."
We sat on the bed in silence for a while, Rob progressively shifting closer to me as we sipped. Eventually I just reached out and out my arm around his waist, pulling him right into me. He grinned and flushed red.
"I get it, you wanna cuddle. It's fine Rob." I said, putting my now finished coffee on the nightstand to hug him with both arms. "I wanna cuddle too. You're warm."
He laughed at that, a deep, hearty, happy laugh and just buried himself into my side, head on my shoulder, practically sitting in my lap. I held him tight and pressed my lips his the back of his head, just wanting to coddle him like a soft toy and exist in that moment forever because it was so calm, so quiet, so happy. Rob froze when he first felt my lips touch his skin, I felt him tense, but after a moment he turned and kissed me properly.
It was shock at first when I realised what was going on but after a moment I just kissed back. I kissed back hard and passionately, cupping his face, barely able to breathe. My first words when pulled away-
"Of course you had the confidence to make the first move." Rob practically cackled, still sitting in my lap.
"You wish you had my confidence." He breathed.
"I did." I said. "But I don't think I do anymore. Because now I've got you."
