"Can I borrow some clothes?" said Robert, standing naked in the middle of Aaron's bedroom, being watched appreciatively by his boyfriend. "I don't want to put on a suit today."
Aaron smirked, remembering how that suit has come off the night before. He hoped that it hadn't ripped, because it was doubtless very expensive.
"Nah," he said, "I don't think you should wear clothes today at all."
"Ha, ha," said Robert, giving him a reproving glance and opening his wardrobe. "Can I just borrow anything?"
"Sure," said Aaron, turning over and pulling the duvet over himself. "Just let me sleep for a bit longer. I'm still exhausted after yesterday."
"I bet!" Robert laughed, pulling on a pair of Aaron's boxers.
"I meant all the work I did, Suggers," Aaron mumbled into the pillow. "We can't all sit at a desk and look pretty."
"You think I look pretty?" Robert made a silly pose in the underwear, and Aaron threw a pillow at him. "Is it weird that I find it really sexy that I'm wearing your boxer shorts?"
Aaron just raised his eyebrows, and made it clear that Robert wasn't alone in that feeling.
Robert's face suddenly wrinkled up in mock concern. "Your mum didn't buy these, did she? That would really kill the mood."
"No she bloody didn't," laughed Aaron, throwing another pillow at him. "And I'm running out of stuff to chuck at you, so shut up."
Robert turned back to rummaging through Aaron's clothes. His wardrobe was certainly not kept in precise order – or even a decent level of tidiness. It was a stark contrast to the well-organised sections of Robert's wardrobe. He even kept his suits and shirts in the order of the colour spectrum. Not that there was much of a spectrum to choose from in Aaron's clothes.
"Do you own anything other than grey hoodies?"
"Do you… no, I'm too tired to think of anything funny," Aaron pulled one of the two remaining pillows over his head, and mumbled from beneath it: "Just put on anything, or better yet – put on nothing and get back in bed."
"We should both get up," said Robert regretfully. "You promised Liv we'd have breakfast with her." She really did seem to know how to wrap Aaron around her little finger, and breaking a promise wasn't worth the inevitable aggro that would follow.
Robert took the least-crumpled hoody and pulled it over his head, along with some jeans that looked like they might be a bit long on Aaron. The hoody was a little tight and the hem came a few millimetres above the waist of the jeans. You could just see the top of his – well, Aaron's – underwear, and the tiniest sliver of skin. Usually he forgot that he was noticeably taller than Aaron; Aaron had such a powerful presence in a room, particularly to Robert, that it was difficult to imagine him as lesser than anybody else for a moment. But the act of putting on Aaron's clothes was a bit of a revelation on that front.
"I feel like I've just had a growth spurt," said Robert. "This takes me back to high school and suddenly realising the shirt doesn't fit anymore."
Aaron came out from under the pillow and immediately sniggered.
"You look great, Suggers."
Robert held out his arms in front of him, inadvertently making a pose like a zombie. A zombie wearing a hoody that exposed his wrists and then some.
"Look at these sleeves! I feel ridiculous."
"You look hot," said Aaron, raising his eyebrows. Robert rolled his eyes in return.
"No, seriously," Aaron said in response, leaping out of bed with unexpected energy, and standing in front of Robert with his hands on Robert's waist, as though inspecting him. "I'm not saying I don't like the suits, but there's something quite nice about seeing my man all dressed up in my clothes." He gave Robert a kiss, then started to get dressed himself.
Downstairs, Liv was already waiting for them at the breakfast table.
"Took your time," she said flatly, but gave a small smile to show she wasn't actually cross. She was so like Aaron sometimes, Robert thought.
They walked over to the table together, Robert feeling oddly self-conscious. It was strange that he could walk into a business meeting in a boldly coloured suit, in a room of men and women all in black and navy, and not feel at all out of place. In that situation, he felt confident and in charge. But somehow, putting on a hoody and jeans felt like a departure from the uniforms he understood. Especially when they were noticeably too small.
"In case you're wondering, yes, these are Aaron's," said Robert, once they'd all started eating.
"How would I know what Aaron's clothes look like?" said Liv, evidently not at all interested. Aaron shot her an approving and amused look.
"Well, they're not likely to be mine, are they?" said Robert; Liv only shrugged in response. "I mean, look! They don't fit." He stuck out his arms again.
Liv looked at him as though incredulous that he could still be talking on this topics: "Well, I don't know. I thought maybe you always dressed like that."
"Always dressed like that?" repeated Robert, shaking his head. "But – "
"Let it go, Suggers," said Aaron, leaning over and rubbing his thigh. "Liv is hardly – erm – nah, I was trying to think of a fashion designer, but I don't know any."
"George for Asda?" said Robert sarcastically, but the joke was apparently lost on both of them. "Right, that's it," he added after a pause. "We're going shopping."
"For what?" said Aaron, wrinkling his nose.
"Clothes, of course!"
"Nah."
Aaron appeared to think the conversation was over, but Robert wasn't going to give up so easily.
"C'mon. It'll be fun!"
"I've got other things to do," said Aaron, "Like pretty much anything but that."
"It is a bit stereotypical, isn't it?" put in Liv, "Boyfriends going clothes shopping together, I mean."
Aaron waves his cereal spoon at her, indicating that her words could be taken as evidence in whatever debate they were having.
"Hardly," said Robert, "and you're getting milk all over the table, Aaron."
Aaron pulled the sleeve down over his hand and used it to wipe up the spots of milk that had fallen – causing Robert to slump back in his chair in exaggerated despair.
"Right, that's it," he said firmly. "We're going. No arguments."
"Oh for goodness' sake, fine," said Aaron. "But you definitely owe me."
They exchanged a look that suggested more would have been said on the topic of owing if Aaron's kid sister hadn't been present, and both gave almost identical naughty grins to each other.
"Well, if we're going, we're going," said Aaron. "Wanna be dropped at Gabby's, Liv?"
"Sure," she said, in a bored tone.
"Such gratitude," said Robert, standing up. "It's really touching to see. Go and grab your things and we'll head off in a minute."
Liv shrugged and headed up the stairs; once she was out the room, Aaron came over to Robert and stood in front of him, close, so that their bodies almost met.
"All this talk of touching and grabbing," murmured Aaron, "You sure you don't want to postpone this trip?"
Robert was evidently tempted, but also not one to give up a plan once it was in motion.
"Save that thought for later," he said, putting his hands on Aaron's butt and pulling him in even closer. "Oh, and remind me to pick up some more underwear for myself while we're picking clothes out for you."
Aaron smiled wickedly. "Absolutely not," he said, putting his own hands on Robert's bum in return. Both pulling the other in, they met in the middle with a kiss – broken only by the sound of Liv returning to the room and loudly asking if they were quite finished and ready to leave.