"I can't believe you got me to do this," said Aaron.

"I can't believe I'm still wearing your hoody," said Robert.

They were standing at the top of the stairs, looking out over the floor of a clothes shop that Aaron had never even known was there. He was used to shopping (on the rare occasions that he did) in places that were filled with people, racks of clothing, piles of jumpers and jeans on different surfaces, all in a mix with prominent price labels on them. Here, the tables were spread out, and each one only seemed to have a few items on it. There couldn't have been more than a dozen people in the room, and half of them worked here. Mannequins in suits outnumbered the humans three to one, and Aaron had a passing envy for them. So, this was where Robert got his clothes.

"We don't exactly look like we belong here," admitted Aaron. "Are you sure about this?"

"I come here all the time," Robert said confidently. "They'll just assume that all my shirts are in the wash, or something."

Aaron nodded reluctantly, hands stuck in the pockets of his hoodie.

"If you hate the hoody so much," he said, pretending to sulk, "Why don't you just take it off?"

Robert looked a little embarrassed, and wouldn't catch Aaron's eye. He mumbled something.

"What?" said Aaron, beginning to enjoy himself.

"I forgot to put anything on underneath," Robert hissed to him.

A grin spread across Aaron's face.

"So, you mean… I could just…" he reached up and pulled at the zipper a little. Robert quickly batted his hand away.

"Behave, A!" Robert said, though he couldn't help laughing too. Aaron looked at him warmly, his eyes – always so expressive – showing just how much he loved Robert. Enough to come with him to this shop, which was so out of his comfort zone.

"C'mon," said Robert, rolling up his sleeves and walking over to a display. "We need to get you a few shirts first, I think."

Aaron walked after him, hands still in pockets.

"I don't see why I have to get anything at all, Suggers."

Robert turned to him "We went over this," he said, "I don't want to change you. But I do want you to have something to wear when we go out to dinner that isn't the suit you wear to funerals."

"You sound like my Mum," said Aaron, rolling his eyes.

"Well, get that out of your head," said Robert, a cheeky grin on his face. "That's exactly the opposite of what I want you to think in about two hours when we're back home and clothes are the last thing on our minds. Or on anything else."

Aaron grinned, his mind running away with him. If all that stood between him and that was a few shirts, then he'd put up with it.

"Can I help sirs?" said a shop assistant who'd suddenly appeared by them. He was dressed in a close-fitting suit and waistcoat, which showed off his lean figure, and had dark curly hair and a little stubble. He was also, Aaron and Robert couldn't help noticing, rather good looking. Probably in his late twenties.

"We're just looking," said Robert, entirely in his element.

"Aren't we all?" said the assistant, his eyes clearly lingering a little as they went up and down Robert – whose face turned slightly pink at the obvious attention.

"I'm picking something out for my boyfriend," said Robert firmly, inclining his head towards Aaron. Aaron, in turn, nodded at the shop assistant.

"Excellent," said the assistant, apparently entirely unabashed. "Did you have anything in mind?"

Aaron looked blank, and hoped Robert would say something. Which, thankfully, he immediately did.

"Something smart but not a dress shirt," he said, "With button cuffs, and perhaps a little tapered."

Aaron looked blank. "Er, yeah," he put in – going so far as to remove his hands from his pockets. Once he'd done that, though, he couldn't think of any way to hold them that wasn't awkward – so he put them back in his pockets again. "What he said."

"What he said," repeated the shop assistant slowly, openly looking at Robert's lips. Robert coughed slightly and looked down at the floor and then at the mannequins. Aaron watched his embarrassment, a little perplexed.

"A range of colours," said Robert, "But plain, I think, not patterned. Maybe a check if it's subtle. Medium. Collar is a 16." Robert had somehow known that just from looking at Aaron, though Aaron had never even thought to find out what size his neck was – and was rather surprised that anybody knew.

"I'll be right back," said the shop assistant. "Don't go anywhere!"

"Mm," said Robert shortly – in a quite unfriendly manner, Aaron thought.

Aaron watched the shop assistant him as he walked to the stock room, though Robert was determinedly looking at the lining of a jacket on a mannequin. The assistant undoubtedly had a nice body, and Aaron quite enjoyed watching it walk away. The snug trousers definitely did nothing but accentuate the view. But he couldn't waste time on that; he wanted to speak to Robert quickly.

"What's going on, Suggers?" he said in a low voice.

"What?" Robert dropped the sleeve he'd been minutely inspecting and looked rather agitated.

"Don't give me 'what'," said Aaron. "That shop assistant and his flirting."

"I swear I'm not encouraging it!" said Robert, "I haven't ever seen him before, and I'm not saying anything back." He looked so like a boy who'd been accused of somebody else's misdemeanour that Aaron wanted to reach out and give him a reassuring hug.

"But that's exactly my point!" Aaron said, a little louder.

Robert looked confused, and was clearly stopped in the tracks of whatever he was going to say.

"What do you mean, A?"

"You're not flirting at all – and you *always* flirt."

Robert didn't look any less confused. Aaron shrugged: "Not me – I'm hopeless at all that kind of thing. But you flirt with everybody – man, woman, young, old. You usually can't help it. I've seen you do it for years."

"But – "

"Robert," said Aaron seriously, looking at him intently. "I trust you. I – " He lowered his voice a fraction. "I love you. And I don't want you to change – well, not everything. Flirting is fine. I quite like watching it – 'cos I know it's me you're going to go home with."

Robert now looked a mixture of bewildered and delighted. It made Aaron want to laugh, but he settled for a grin that spread slowly up his face.

"As long," he added, eyebrows raised in mock warning, "as it's nothing more than flirting."

Robert raised his palms, as though defending himself. "Never!" He dropped them, and matched Aaron's serious tone. "Honestly, A. Never."

They didn't kiss, but both realised they were rocking slightly on their feet, in sync with one another. It was their way of showing closeness in public, and both could feel the electricity of it.

"I'm back!" said the assistant, holding three or four shirts on hangers in front of him.

"I missed you," said Robert, his flirty tone sweeping back into place. "Don't leave a boy waiting so long next time." He darted his eyes back to Aaron – who had a smile across his face. "But – even in the short time you were gone, I learned a thing or two about not trying to change things about your boyfriend."

Aaron's eyebrows rose slowly.

"So – many thanks – but I don't think we'll be needing to buy any shirts today." Robert pulled Aaron by the arm, shot the assistant an apologetic grin, and the two of them headed back to the stairs together.