Title; stay, stay, stay (i've been loving you for quite some time)
Author; weepingrace (rcmancffs)
Desc; Five times Robb accidently wakes up in Theon's bed and the one time he doesn't. [Modern AU]
Disclaimer; I obviously don't own GoT or ASOIAF
1
It was 5:30 am and Theon actually just wanted to go the fuck to sleep.
No seriously. It wasn't like he needed beauty sleep or something (he didn't, okay) but after a week of horror exams and long as fuck papers? Yeah, he deserved some peace and quiet, alright.
Anyhow, the clock read 5:30 when Theon grabbed for it tiredly, blinking blearily up at it to see the big red digits and groan in agony.
Too. Freaking. Early.
Only after that – when he tried to go to sleep even though he knew that for him it was mainly pointless as he never could go back to sleep again – Theon slid back into place to realise something was off.
Very off, actually.
There was someone snuggling up to him – it wasn't so much being the smaller spoon that had Theon tense. It was much more the fact that he never let anyone stay the night, ever. His bed was private and sharing it? That wasn't something Theon enjoyed, period. The last person to share one with him had been Asha, and they had been toddlers then, still oblivious to the world and the pain and it all, basically.
A little horrified (oh shit, how drunk was I, I can't remember anything, fuck) Theon sat up, slowly so as not to wake the other person. Maybe give himself a chance to work out an escape plan, too, or something witty to say when the other awoke.
Apprehensively, he chanced a look at the person that – probably still fast asleep – now clung to his waist while mumbling 'please, five minutes' in a way that Theon correctly interpreted as too awake to dream, too asleep to wake up.
He tensed.
For a moment all he wanted to do was freak out, maybe have a seizure, hate himself endlessly for screwing everything up – because fucking someone you cared even remotely about while drunk usually meant screwing up. Then, however, he calmed himself immediately.
Because Theon actually could remember his whole prior evening didn't involve any booze, drugs or sex with his best friend; he was quite sure he'd remember that last bit no matter how wasted, actually.
That still didn't much explain Robb's presence in his bed, so Theon did the only reasonable thing, without much contemplating at all;
Unceremoniously, he kicked Robb out of the bed (wasn't so easy, considering the way Robb had flung himself across Theon's lap by now) and kept still for a moment until he heard a grumbled 'ouch' to which he replied with a satisfied smirk.
"What was that for…" Robb complained sleepily, rubbing his eyes before slowly sitting up enough to look at Theon, utterly confused.
"You were trespassing, obviously. Very rude," As Robb stared at him bewildered, Theon shrugged. "Yes, I'm an ass, I get it. Stop gaping, honey, I'm undressed and feel very exposed."
Robb tried glaring at him – though he wasn't much good when it came to glaring daggers – while blushing furiously.
"Oh, school girl red goes so well with your hair, Robbie." Theon complimented sarcastically, smirking at Robb.
They had started this years back, when Theon first discovered how Robb would blush and stutter and glare at him when he taunted him in this fashion or gave him ridiculous nicknames. He liked seeing perfect, calm, collected Robb come undone by mere words, well-placed and mixed with a snarky smirk.
(He couldn't very well know that Robb secretly liked the nicknames, that he just glared to do Theon the favour, or that he actually hadn't minded in a long time now.)
"Just, stop it, Theon," Robb mumbled, shaking his head. "And you're not really an ass, after all it's practically my fault. I used to do that a lot when I was younger – sleep walking, I mean. Whenever I had nightmares, I'd walk straight into my parents' bed, without ever waking up because of it."
"So what you're saying is, you had a nightmare. And your subconscious mind tells you to hide in my bed," Robb nodded slowly, fully awake and alert by now. For a moment, he wondered whether Theon would be seriously mad at him, but then he just chuckled, grinned maliciously. "How manly."
"Be quiet," Robb groaned, burying his head in his hands as Theon just kept sniggering before finally breaking out in a fit of laughter that Robb joined after a few seconds. "You're an idiot."
2
"You're a fucking idiot." Theon mumbled spitefully, although lacking his usual sharp tone; then, suddenly coughing vigorously while Robb patted his head comfortingly. As he did so, Theon tried to swat him away but his meek attempt failed miserably.
"I know," Robb replied, almost cooing; his hand now rubbing Theon's chest with some smelly salve that he didn't like so much because it looked weird and green. He voiced his thoughts concerning the balm, to which Robb replied with a tight smile. "I told you not to go for a walk in the rain at midnight. Listen to me and I'll stop bringing the eucalypt lotion."
"Fucking mother hen." He just answered, diving a little deeper into his blankets, covering his chest so that Robb had to eventually give up on the salve. Rolling his eyes, Robb relented and instead got up to open the windows wide.
"Don't even start to complain. One needs to open the windows every now and then, get the virus out of the room."
And Theon just shut his mouth because if there was one person who knew what to do when someone was sick, it was indeed Robb Stark, no matter how often Theon ridiculed him when he went Nurse Joy on everyone around. Given that he had so many siblings younger than him, Theon only deemed it logical that he'd know how to take care of people.
It also explained why Robb was such a stubborn patronizing ass at times, Theon thought with a wry little smile that grew somewhat softer when Robb turned his attention towards the window again, staring outside for a moment, simply watching the rain dribble softly onto the street below.
"So, what book would you like me to read to you?" Robb asked after a few more minutes, closing the window shut firmly, throwing Theon an amused little look when he let out a snort of disbelieve. "No, I'm not kidding."
Which Theon knew, and that was what made it so freaking ridiculous in the first place. After a second of contemplating to argue, he finally gave in and shrugged. "Anything will do, I guess."
"Oh, then how about –"
"Nope," Theon shook his head before Robb could even form the sentence. "No fairy tales, I'm a grown-ass man attending college."
Robb blinked perplexed, then smiled a sad little smile. "Yes, I get it. Sansa doesn't want them either nowadays. I'm sure I'll find something else for you, just give me a few –"
"You know what, never you mind. Just make it Grimm," As soon as he saw Robb forming a reply (probably something stupid like 'thank you'), he cut him off. "It's because I want to listen to them, don't get the wrong idea."
"I get it, really, I do." Robb said and basically that was what Theon hated most about that do-gooder of a nice guy. He understood what Theon meant without him having to say it. That made being an ass and keeping some distance near impossible.
(He's pretty much given up on that with Robb anyhow.)
A few minutes later, then, Robb was reading Little Red to Theon, who made snarky comments all along, earning him a few snorted laughs and eye-rolls from Robb. Somewhere in between the pages, Theon asked Robb to at least 'lie the fuck down that chair looks uncomfortable, man' which Robb did.
Sometime later, they both had closed their eyes and drifted off, Theon curled into Robb.
They didn't talk about it much; after they had woken up, Robb sheepishly grinning at Theon, Theon had simply opted for rolling his eyes while mumbling, "Not this again."
"It's not my fault this time?" Robb offered with a tentative smile, trying to dodge Theon's terrible morning mood shifts as gracefully as possible.
Theon grunted in reply, trying to look indignant; he was disrupted by a loud sneeze and a running nose. "Charming. How come you didn't catch it, anyway?"
In reply, Robb just grinned at him brightly. "Years of sibling care. I've had it all and now I won't get anything at all. Wow, that sounds depressing. I'm talking about viruses though."
"….You're an idiot."
3
"I'm sorry." Robb uttered for the umpteenth time that day, half-heartedly by now seeing how he'd been saying that particular phrase a lot today.
Theon's only reply was a snort and a kick to the shin that wasn't quite effective due to their close proximity. For once, though, Theon had managed to land himself the position of the bigger spoon, his arms slung across Robb's torso because Theon's bed wasn't fucking meant for two people, and the only reason this even remotely worked was because Theon's bed was a tiny bit too spacey for the regular single.
"If you're not going to accept my apologies, then at least acknowledge that I'm trying and stop throwing a tantrum," Finally, Robb almost snapped. He didn't do that much because he tended to be rather calm and collected but as of now, he was stressed. Very much so. Arya and Jon were lovely, don't get him wrong, but having them over without any kind of warning was too much. "Believe me, begging you to let me sleep with you wasn't something I planned on doing, either."
It didn't really register how he had phrased himself until Theon's chuckling increased in volume, finally reaching a pitch that had Robb worry Arya and Jon might hear.
Swiftly, he turned around, pressing his hand against Theon's mouth to try and stifle the laughter bubbling up inside the other.
After half a minute, Theon's laughter tapered off, and Robb removed his hand, blushing ruby red.
"Don't even start," He whispered, making Theon smirk impossible wide. "I know, okay. Just let me forget this whole conversation. Forget I ever said 'beg', 'sleep' and 'you' in a sentence."
For a moment, it was silent and Robb buried his face in Theon's arms (they'd somehow ended up facing each other and hugging and Robb wasn't about to complain), closing his eyes in contentment.
That was when Theon decided to break the silence.
"Oh, I love it when you talk dirty to me." He whispered, coincidently levelling his lips with Robb's ear.
Robb startled and shuddered at the same time, making him spasm oddly.
Once again, Theon just started to laugh while Robb glared at him half-heartedly and without much fire behind it.
"You're ridiculous, mate." He bit out in between the half-suppressed laughter bubbling up again and again.
"And you're childish." Robb retorted, one eyebrow challengingly raised as if to say, you won't be able to say something against that, eh?
Instantly, Theon's laughter ebbed off and his expression sobered. For a terrible second, Robb panicked and wondered if he'd ticked Theon off completely now, and how he did so, anyhow.
Then, though, he spotted a dangerous glint in Theon's eyes and gulped audibly, trying to back away slightly – of course he failed; the bed would never have offered enough space for him to make an escape without falling off the edge any second.
"Childish, you say?" Theon let out a dark chuckle, using all strength he could muster to pin Robb underneath him while also at the same time being mindful not to let either of them fall off the bed. "I can give you childish."
"Oh no, please don't –"
But it was too late, and none of Robb's begging would have been able to save him at all: with a boyish grin, Theon began to tickle his best friend mercilessly, using years of carefully accumulated knowledge on Robb's body to make sure that he gets his hands on every spot he knows will make Robb cry and scream with laughter.
Robb bit his lips hard, trying his best to muffle his laughter against Theon's shoulder, helplessly trying to shove him while being way too weakened by the unsuspected tickle attack to really defend himself at all.
"Stop it, Theon," He gasped out between two particularly strong fits of laughter trying to crawl out of his mouth. Momentarily, he even had to bite Theon's shoulder to refrain from loud laughing – not that Theon particularly cared, or even halted for a second. "We're going to disturb Arya and Jon!"
"Your point being…?" Theon asked, sitting up and smirking roguishly down at Robb, pausing only to get back to work after Robb did nothing but glare in response. "Live a little, you grumpy pumpkin. 's not like your family would mind it that much. It's about time we get that stick out of your bum."
"Theon," Robb said, frown now prominent on his features. "Why did you just call me a –"
"Pumpkin? You kind of look like one, all blotchy complexion and blood orange cheeks. Very charming."
(It was true enough, anyway. As Theon had once put it, 'You're perfect Robb Stark, with the white teeth, luscious locks and easy smiles. Aren't you perfect?', and as Robb startled and felt blood rush to his head, Theon had smirked deviously and added, 'Well, at least you look like you have a skin disease when you blush!'
Robb could blush prettily, mind you, when he was able to slow the whole process of it; with Theon, though, he never seemed quite able to catch himself and be, you know, in control of himself.
Not that he minded. At least, Theon never asked him to be perfect, because he didn't need to be.
Besides, there would never be anyone it could be more fun to lose control with than Theon, Robb was certain of that.
'Perfect people bore everyone, anyhow,' he had once told Robb in fifth grade, when Robb had flunked his test – the very first time not to receive an A, and it was an actual D; horrendous! 'I could help you out with Maths, you know. It's my best subject.'
As Robb's eyes suddenly looked suspiciously wet and he began to profusely thank his best friend, Theon had rolled his eyes as if completely annoyed and done, though the corner of his lips curled upwards.
'You're my friend. What did you think, mate? Wouldn't leave you in a ditch like that. And now stop it with the tears, bro, you're a guy – man up!')
Theon then had the audacity to wink at him. That was what finally had Robb cry out with laughter, and soon enough his friend joined in on it until they both couldn't even remember when this mess had started out, or why they (well, only Robb) had originally tried to keep a little quiet.
It wasn't until the next morning that Jon reminded Robb ever so kind why they shouldn't have done that. Grumpily he stared at both of them, but refrained from saying anything until Arya and Theon (God help us, Jon though terrified, she's taken a liking to that bastard!) went into the living room to play some console game that Jon was actually suspicious about because it probably involved blood and wasn't suited for Arya's age. But talking some sense into Robb was overdue by now, so the gaming issue would have to wait a little longer.
Jon leant forward and hissed at Robb, "What's wrong with you? Have you lost your mind?"
Robb, still tired as Theon had barely let him have any sleep last night, blinked owlishly at Jon and tried to comprehend. "Excuse me?"
"Don't you dare pretend, I know, okay. Look at those dark circles under your eyes, they speak volumes!"
"Yes, well, Theon didn't let me get any rest last night so –" Robb started to explain but was cut off rather harshly.
"Yuck! Please, spare me the details and the terrifying nightmares they would cause me, good God," He insisted, looking like he was about to throw up. Briefly, Robb pondered whether to offer him a bucket, but Jon quickly caught himself. "Anyhow, I know this has been going on since you guys moved in here – heck, probably before that – but it's not like you'd ever take my advice so I never said a thing. Frankly, I don't care what you and your friend are up to. But, Arya is thirteen. She's not supposed to hear any of that."
"Hear any of – I'm not sure if I get the point you're trying to make, Jon…" Robb trailed off, smiling apologetically.
Jon's eyebrows shot up and he stared at Robb before he simply mutter, "Oh, you must be kidding me."
As Robb only frowned in reply, Jon shook his head while mumbling under his breath, "It's moments like these that I'm glad to be adopted only, imagine being related to that kind of ignorance…"
"Excuse me?" Robb perked up, shooting Jon a curious look. "What did you say? You were so quiet, I didn't quite catch that."
"Never you mind, Robb." He replied with a curt smile as he stood up and went to join Arya and Theon in the living room. All the way to the living room door he kept mumbling to himself, "These two are ignorant, dumb idiots."
4
"I'm not sure I can actually believe this." Theon spat, once again, as he regarded Robb's bed.
"So you keep saying," Robb replied, eyes fixed on Theon rather than his shattered bed frame. "I'm not quite sure how she managed, to be completely honest. She barely weighs a thing, and yet…"
"She's a little hyperactive, so it's not much of a surprise. The thing bothering me, really? I can't believe you'll have to sleep in my bed, again." He complained, already having a frown on his face at the mere thought of once again not being able to sleep at all.
Not that Robb being there would ever have any influence on his sleeping pattern, mind you! It wasn't like the thought of Robb next to him, so close yet so far away, kept him wondering and his thoughts wandering; he just couldn't fucking sleep with Robb's breath gracing his ears and his best friend's hips so dangerously close to his own.
"…Theon?" As he heard Robb call him, Theon turned his head to look at his friend, fighting the blood rushing up his neck, as it simply would not do for a Theon Greyjoy to blush, God help him. "Are you still with me?"
"Ah, no, I just wondered for a second how long I will have to endure your morning breath before I'm allowed a pause."
Robb didn't even flinch at the jibe but rolled his eyes as he mumbled, "As if you smelt any better."
"Hey!" Theon huffed indignantly. "I definitely do!"
With one last dissatisfied growl, exited the room and called, "You coming, princess? I'm not waiting on you."
Just moments before Theon was out of earshot, Robb followed his friend, simply stating with a playful grin, "Theon? You're an idiot."
5
The fifth – and last – time Robb ended up sleeping in Theon's bed accidently, Robb was more than a little inebriated and Theon was downright pissed.
(Truly so; the next day, as they pointedly did not discuss the prior night, but the whole prior evening, Robb claimed to have never seen his friend that drunk, and Theon couldn't help but agree.)
Usually Theon wouldn't get that drunk with Robb close by, solely because he tended to talk shit when he was drunk off his arse and he tended to be brutally honest too – god knows he might screw up their friendship.
Because let's be honest here; who wouldn't wanna fuck a guy with a perfect face like Robb's? Not to mention the perfect hair and the perfect – yet ridiculously white – teeth? And those ever so kissable lips?
He'd been physically attracted to Robb ever since he had come of age; the fact that he genuinely liked Robb – that Robb was probably the only human being Theon might ever be capable of properly and genuinely liking – did not help these matters. So since the tender age of sixteen, Theon Greyjoy (the guy who'd never admit to a fear unless you tortured him) had been scared shitless at the sheer thought of being drunk while Robb was close and then spilling his feelings all over the place while not sober enough to be aware of the phrasing.
Imagine him going up to his best friend just muttering in his ear, "Let me shag you on the kitchen table." Or maybe, "I want you to fuck me against that wall over there."
Or, the most horrid of all as it would broadcast not just lust (something they might have overcome with the time) but his feelings; "Robb Stark, come to bed and make sweet love to me right this instant."
(He shuddered at the mere idea of saying something silly like 'make love to me', but you never know what a drunk might say.)
So, with this always in mind, he never got drunk with Robb, just to be sure.
Of course, they got tipsy and all that. And yes, Theon may have sneaked a few glances when Robb was pissed and Theon had to help him into bed. But never let Theon it happen that Robb was more sober than him.
Well, this time around, Theon had honestly thought that Robb was drunk far beyond the point of return, and admittedly – Robb was somewhat drunk. However, not quite as drunk as Theon managed to be after another twenty minutes. (He may have underestimated the strength of these drinks.)
"Robb," He drawled as his friend held onto him a little tighter so as to manoeuvre Theon through their front door. "You're the bestest friend ever."
Robb chuckled in reply. While Theon was drunk enough to stumble over his own feet, Robb was at least sober enough to walk steadily, if a little wobbly. "I try, at least. You're pretty neat yourself, though."
"'s not true," Theon argued as he stumbled head first into the flat, only not falling because of Robb's sure grip around his waist. "'sides, you're perfect Robb, and I'm just… well, this."
As if to make a point, Theon motioned first towards Robb, then himself and added, "It's like baseball leagues, y'know? Major – that's you. Then there's me, minor."
In dismay, Robb frowned; he was never going to be drunk enough to let a comment like this slide.
"I'm not better than you, and I'm not perfect, either." Robb insisted, trying hard to not slur his words.
Theon himself had long passed the point of caring and slurred his words all he wanted. "God, you're so perfect you even claim not to be perfect."
In aggravation, Robb shook his head; Theon putting himself down when tipsy (or, in this case, pissed as hell) never failed to sober Robb up quite some. As they entered Theon's bedroom, he figured there was nothing his friend needed more than sleep.
As he pointed that out, Theon feverishly shook his head, claiming that sleep was totally not what he needed.
"What are you, five?" And when Theon still made no move to get ready for bed, Robb shook his head and just said, "I'll sleep on the couch tonight, I'm too tired for this."
Plus, when Robb drank and then didn't get enough sleep, the next day he tended to feel like the living death.
"No, wait," Theon whined as Robb turned towards the door. "Don't leave me. I need you."
Robb came to a rather sudden halt and spun around, facing his best friend with a surprised expression. Drunks tell the truths, they say, and rather unabashed too.
Still, it was too good to believe this, Robb reminded himself desperately, as much as he did, in fact, want to believe this. He often felt as if only he depended on Theon, as if the other couldn't care less if he was there or not. Objectively he knew that Theon must at least like him a lot, seeing how they lived together, but being told that he was needed; well it was quite nice.
As he started to form a reply, Theon suddenly hugged him rather fiercely, burying his nose in the crook of his neck. Robb was fast to reciprocate the hug since they used to hug a lot before Theon had his 'no homo, bro' phase in high school after which, sure, they touched and sometimes were forced to kinda cuddle due to the bed situation but they never really got around to comfortable hugging again – which was a terrible loss in Robb's eyes.
He was not about to reject this hug, no matter how wasted his friend was.
"Theon." Robb muttered, gently tracing patterns along the other's shoulder blades, finding comfort and solace in his friend's arms, as he always had when they were still younger and full of hopes and idealistic dreams and childish ideas.
"Robb," Theon muttered right back, seemingly enjoying the comfort also. Then, rather out of the blue he said something that had Robb blush. "You smell so good."
Drunks say the truth, he thought again, well, drunk Theon does, anyhow.
He knew that: Asha had told him and just once, he had witnessed it too; when Theon had been fourteen and drunk for the first time, showing up at Robb's house 2 am and telling Robb that he was so sorry for that one time when he was so mean to Robb – Robb himself hadn't even remembered that until Theon reminded him.
Theon wasn't the type of guy who was very emotional, unless he was so wasted that he couldn't control his tongue.
"Thank you, Theon." Robb replied, as he wasn't quite sure what to say to that particular kind of compliment. He felt himself blushing beet red anyhow because that? Yeah, no one's ever said that to him, ever, and damn if it wasn't at least a little awkward.
"Hm… I bet you taste good, too," And before this could really register, Theon suddenly licked Robb's collarbone, then proceed to suck on his sternum with relish. After he had bit down slightly, he let go with a wet and vaguely arousing sound. "Called it."
"I – I…" Robb trailed off, utterly confused as to what was happening and also embarrassingly aroused by it. "We should head to bed, don't you think?"
And he swore to the Gods, he meant it so innocently. He wanted them to do so in order to sleep this off, so that Theon wouldn't do something he'd regret later.
But, Theon just began to chuckle and mumbled, "My, aren't we straightforward? Don't worry, I like it."
Robb sputtered for a short while before resolutely shaking his head. "Theon Greyjoy, you will go to bed now, and sleep all of this – mmmph!"
So that was the point when Theon decided that Robb had talked enough already, wasting their precious, precious time. "Shut it and kiss me senseless, Stark."
And Robb may not have been that drunk, but still he was drunk enough to justify what followed next at least a little; with a quirky grin, Theon stumbled the few steps backwards towards the bed, dragging Robb along who complied with a facial expression that displayed mixed feelings; amusement, surely, and worry. Also odd curiosity and, dare he admit it, a fondness for Theon that knew of no boundaries.
When Robb opened his mouth to say something – anything, really, that might make either of them come to their senses – Theon pulled him right on top of him, laying casually on that bed as if his best friend wasn't hovering a few centimetres above him, one knee now between Theon's slightly spread thighs, one hand next to his face, the other resting almost casually on Theon's waist.
Just as Robb did not need to concentrate on his balance any further, Theon placed his hands on either side of Robb's face and simply smashed their lips together without any grace or finesse.
Robb, finally giving in to the pull, couldn't help a small groan; that was when his intoxicated brain took note of their position, of the way Theon's hands started to wander and pull and push his clothing until it was rumpled all over; he then proceeded to let his hands wander under Robb's shirt, scratching ever so teasingly along Robb's sensitive hipbones.
(And so what if that made Robb whimper, and so what if he couldn't help thrusting his pelvis against Theon's? They were drunk, for god's sake, so who would blame him at all?)
"Robb," Theon moaned reverently at the sudden closeness, as their hips slotted together so nicely, as Robb's arousal was so painfully evident that Theon all but would have taken and devoured and made love to this man on top of him, the man who meant the world, had he been less wasted and messed up. Be that as it may, however, Theon was very much inebriated and also very much fucked up. So, instead, what he did next was this: he broke off their contact rather harshly, pushing unsuspecting Robb off of him, then stumbling out of the room much to Robb's dismay. As his friend called after him in worry, all that Theon could get out wasn't much good, either. "I think I'm going to –"
As Theon threw up for all it was worth, Robb patted his back reassuringly, completely ignoring his tight trousers. Lesser men than Robb would have neglected their friend in order to take care of themselves. Robb, though, would always help out Theon first, no matter how drunk and aroused he himself was.
(Besides, it wasn't like this would have been the first time Theon got Robb this kind of excited and then left him hanging. Though this was, admittedly, the first time that Theon had been actively doing so.)
After Theon was done, Robb helped him into bed, softly kissing his forehead before he silently watched Theon sleep with a serene smile on his face.
"You reek like vomit," Robb complained with half a smile, before he got in bed next to Theon, slinging his arms around the other with a content smile – because no matter how fucked up this night had ended, it did give some hope; if only Theon remembered and didn't totally regret it. With one last peck to the cheek, Robb let himself drift off, only mumbling softly under his breath. "You idiot."
5+1
"You may feel like I should apologise," Theon pointed out, obviously referring to being smashed, vomiting all-over the place and then shutting Robb out of his personal space for like a week. Which he did explain with not feeling so great and university stress and whatnot, though Robb had a sneaking suspicions that it was something completely else – something that he's been pondering about for a while, also. "But I won't because I couldn't help it so yeah."
"So basically, 'because fuck you', did I get that right?" Robb sighed, trying for 'exasperated but not really mad' even though he knew perfectly well that he didn't quite hide the annoyed frown he'd been wearing these past days. "Theon, are you sure you're alright?"
"I'm fine, are you?" Came the indignant reply of his best friend as he sashayed towards the fridge in search for … well, something, probably, Robb had no idea – Theon's been acting so weird, Robb had trouble understanding ninety-nine percent of the time. "You've been acting a little weird too, mate."
There was that word again – mate. Theon had used it so often that past week, Robb's blood boiled at hearing it by now. And that was unusual because Robb Stark and being unreasonably furious? Didn't happen at all, usually.
"Yeah, I'm fine, it's just that –" Then, though, he feverishly shook his head and spat out what he really wanted to say. "I'm not fine, I'm not fine at all. And you know why."
Theon startled horribly – because this was not Robb, not his perfectly polite 'if you don't want to talk about it I won't pressure you' best friend. Wide-eyed, he said nothing and let Robb continue.
"It's ridiculous. Can't we talk about this? We're supposed to talk about our problems because we're friends and that's what we do."
And in that moment, Robb looked as righteous and indignant as the Prince of Heaven on Judgement Day.
It made Theon so furious that he snapped as well.
"But what if you won't talk to me afterwards? Huh? What then?" He all but hissed at his friend, now stunning him into silence for once. "You've got plenty of friends, plenty of people who adore you. Who do I have? It's a fact that I only have you, you arse of a do-gooder, and I won't let you screw that up! And I won't let what we have shipwreck, either, just because we fail."
With a stern glare, Theon ripped open the fridge again to place his yoghurt back inside. Then, with a rather swift pace, he steered for the door.
Just as Theon was about to grab the door handle, he felt a warm hand on his shoulder.
"Then let's not." Robb just said, voice calm but his cheeks betraying him as they grew rather heated.
"Excuse me?" Theon replied, clearly not quite grasping what Robb meant to express.
"Then, let's not fail," He replied with a small smile before adding something as if on afterthought. "That is, if you want to. Try, I mean. Me. If you want to try me. That'd be okay with me."
Silence.
Robb could feel his heartbeat pounding away at a pace he was sure wasn't too healthy and he didn't know what to anticipate at all as Theon slowly turned around to face him, expression giving nothing away.
"God, Robb. You look like a kid with chicken-pox when you blush like that," Then, he grinned crookedly and added, "It's rather charming, really."
Robb laughed, shaking his head at his best friend/love interest/potential boyfriend maybe.
"Just finish what you started the other day, you idiot."