"Ian, can I ask you a favor?" Nat sounded surprisingly tense.

Ian shrugged, "Sure."

"Don't touch me unless I say otherwise," Nat continued, looking down – seemingly ashamed to even say the words – and Ian hated seeing him like that. He looked so fragile.

"Okay," Ian agreed. He could see some of the tension in Nat's shoulders disappear. He hated being the cause. "May I ask why?" he inquired.

Nat licked his lips, "Because I say so."

"Kinky."

"Ian!"

"Sorry!" Ian should feel bad. Nat looked legitimately angry. At the same time, he also looked increasingly embarrassed. "Hey, you know you can ask me anything," Ian said reassuringly, lifting one hand to reach out before remembering what he'd just promised. Instead he nudged Nat's foot with his own.

"Yeah."

"And you said that without sounding too doubtful," Ian sighed.

"I'm just feeling a bit different lately."

"Different how?" Ian asked…

Gold debated internally, wondering how he was going to explain this one. "Just… different."

"Like, I'm-ready-to-burst-into-song different or I-want-to-peel-my-skin-off different?"

The latter.

But he couldn't really say that, could he?

"Somewhere in between."

Brilliant, Rumpelstiltskin. Absolutely inconspicuous.

"May I sprawl out?" Ian asked, leaning more and more towards him and Gold rolled his eyes, but leaned back. If he didn't, Ian's weight would be uncomfortable to hold. Ian hummed and for once it was Ian who was snuggling. Not that Gold was ever the snuggler… eh, snugglee…

Ian was enjoying himself. He could listen to Nat's heartbeat when he sat like this. The movie on the screen gradually blurred, the steady thump in Nat's chest becoming somewhat distracting and calming. He wanted to fall asleep to this. And he had done so in the past. Nat would complain loudly in the morning, but he didn't have the heart to remove Ian physically. Ian found it funny how the rigid exterior held back the softie core.

Nat didn't think it was funny.

But there was one thing he did find funny.

"Nat?"

"Hm?"

"Have you seen my fiery bicuits?"

Ian almost fell off the couch when Nat let out a rather undignified snort of laughter.

Ian - 1 : Nat - 0