Chapter Text
“Fucks sake, Gray. You’re a fucking idiot!” Ethan is pulling his overnight bag along behind him, his shoulders slumped,
his body aching with tiredness after their flight.
“Fuck off, E. Not like I did it on purpose? You think I wanted to spend the night sharing a bed with your fat ass?”
“Who said anything about sharing, asshole? You’re the one who booked the stupid single room, you’re sleeping on the floor.”
They’re reached their room now and Ethan flings down his bag to swipe the key card roughly through the lock, jangling the handle with frustration when the little light flashes red instead of green. Grayson rolls his eyes and reaches to grab the card out of Ethan’s hands, pulling his hand back when Ethan shoves it away unkindly, swiping the card again with a growl and kicking the door open when it eventually unlocks.
Grayson trails in behind his brother, trying hard not to show his hurt on his face. He hates when Ethan gets like this, even though he understands his frustration after a long, uncomfortable flight and their trouble in the airport when a large group of fans had shown up, delaying their journey and pissing off the airport security. He knows Ethan doesn’t handle tiredness well, and as tough as he tries to act, he hates when people are pissed off at him like the airport staff was. Grayson knows that, but he wished Ethan wouldn’t take it out on him, it’s not like he booked this stupid single room on purpose.
“The one time I let you book something, Gray. Whatever.” Ethan is already pulling off his joggers, his shoes lying abandoned by the door. He pulls a pillow from the single bed and chucks it on the floor, flinging the comforter from the bed on top. Grayson feels his eyes stinging. He looks away, busying himself with his bag, not looking up till he hears the slam of the bathroom door.
Grayson presses the heels of his palms into his eyes, hard, willing the stupid tears back into his skull. He is not going to cry over this, Ethan would never let him hear the end of it. He can survive one night sleeping on the floor, no biggie. Even though his back is aching after the long hours trapped in his aeroplane seat… He can do this.
He takes his time getting undressed, stripping down to just his boxers and pulling on an old, comfy tshirt that he likes to wear as pyjamas. Glancing in the mirror, he realises that its Ethan’s old tshirt, and considers changing, but decides that would just be petty.
He can hear the water running in the bathroom, and sets about making up his bed while he waits for the bathroom to free up. He folds the comforter in half, deciding he’d be better off lying on it instead of under it, hopefully it won’t be too cold.
Grayson tries not to notice than Ethan doesn’t even look at him when he eventually stomps out of the bathroom and vaults straight into the bed, turning his back on Grayson and pulling the duvet right up to his chin. His pointy green hood is up, so Grayson can’t see him at all.
He brushes his teeth quickly, and splashes some water on his face. He stares at himself in the mirror, seeing so much of Ethan in his reflection that he has to turn away. He turns off the bathroom light when he’s finished, plunging the hotel room into darkness, and closes the door softly. He pulls on a pair of socks and a hoodie in an attempt to keep warm, and lowers himself onto the comforter, his tired body aching in protest. He can hear the far off purr of the traffic outside, and Ethan’s soft breathing.
A band of light streams in from the gap between the closed curtains, illuminating Ethan’s silhouette on the bed. Grayson hugs his own wrists to his chest, trying not to shiver. As he watches Ethan’s figure rising and falling in time with his breaths in the dark, Grayson feels pinpricks behind his eyelids He hates being this close to Ethan, but feeling so far away.
Grayson lies awake for a few hours, eventually giving into the tears when he decides Ethan must be asleep. He keeps as quiet as he can, not wanting to wake his brother up. He sniffles into the sleeves of his hoodie, curled up small to keep warm, even though the room isn’t that cold.
“Gray?” Ethan’s voice startles Grayson, and he freezes, hoping Ethan hasn’t heard him crying. “Gray? Are you awake?”
“No.” Grayson’s voice sounds small and pathetic, even to his own ears. He holds his breath, the silence making him nervous.
Ethan doesn’t reply for several long moments, but after a while, Grayson hears the rustle of the duvet being pushed back. “C’mere.” Ethan’s voice is low and rumbly, and Grayson lets out the breath he had been holding, the noise of it sounding like a gasp in the quiet room. He scrambles up, not even feeling embarrassed at his eagerness, just glad that Ethan seems to have forgiven him.
He finds the bed quickly in the dark, and there are strong, warm arms waiting for him, and he doesn’t hesitate to curl himself into Ethan’s body, tucking his head into Ethan’s chest, clutching at his hoodie. The bed is so soft and warm, and he is so relieved that Ethan’s gotten over his annoyance that he lets the tears continue to fall. His body shakes slightly and a damp patch spreads on Ethan’s hoodie.
Ethan hugs him tight, one hand making slow circles on Grayson’s back, just the way he likes it. Grayson feels safe, here in Ethan’s arms, letting himself be vulnerable in a way he never can with anyone else. He really does believe that they must have been conjoined in the womb, why else would he only ever feel completely whole when he’s touching Ethan like this?
“I’m sorry.” Ethan whispers when Grayson’s tears fade away to slow breaths. His own voice sounds suspiciously raspy, like he’s been crying too. “I’m sorry I was a dick. I didn’t mean to take it out on you.”
“I know.” Grayson mumbles, his voice muffled by Ethan’s wet hoodie. “S’okay.” Ethan squeezes him lightly in response and Grayson giggles. “Your hoodies all wet.”
“Eww.” Ethan laughs, wiggling out from under Grayson. “You’re gross, man.” He tugs at his wet hoodie, pulling it off and chucking in onto Grayson’s abandoned bed on the floor. He hisses slightly at the cold air, quickly tucking himself back under the covers. Grayson pulls off his hoodie too, not mentioning the dampness on the hood. It’s too hot in this bed for hoodies anyway, due to the proximity of their bodies and the amount of hot, damp tears shed recently.
They both lie back down, the tiny bed forcing them close together, but they don’t mind, not anymore. Ethan lets out a roaring yawn, signaling the end of their emotional sesh, and they settle back into the familiar closeness, drifting to sleep, all arguments forgotten.