Chapter Text
The dark-haired guy with the large brown eyes that was stumbling oh-so-gracefully through the door caught Newt off guard at first. Mostly because it was the last day before classes started and, considering that this was The Glade, the best college available for people with next to no money, he'd expected all students to be here several days early to get properly settled in. It was a little hypocritical of him, considering that he himself had only gotten here a few hours earlier, but looking at all the decorated rooms and flyers for campus parties, he'd been right. They'd just somehow managed to put the two exceptions of that rule into the same room.
"Name's Newt. And it seems like you're my new roommate", he introduced himself.
The brunet took the offered hand and shook it with a smile. "I'm Thomas."
Newt smiled back. "Okay, Tommy! You need any help with your stuff?"
"Oh, yeah! Thanks, dude!"
It marked the beginning of a chaotic friendship.
The day before winter break found Newt and Thomas lounging on their beds - Newt with the fifth book in the Skulduggery Pleasant series and Thomas with his cell phone.
"Hey Newt!"
"Hmm?" Newt didn't even bother looking up.
"Can I ask you a favor?", Thomas asked.
"Depends on the favor."
"Well ... you know this annual family reunion I told you about?"
"Yeah. What about it?" There was a bad feeling settling in Newt's gut.
"Um ... wait, this doesn't work. I need to start at the beginning."
Now that had Newt putting his book down in record time. "What have you done, Tommy?" he questioned, sounding suspicious.
Thomas seemed to shrink before his eyes. "Uh ... I maybe sort of told my mother that we're dating."
"You did what now?"
Thomas shrunk even more into himself. "She was just being so annoying about me being single and I'd already told her so much about you and she thought we were dating anyway and then I told her that you wouldn't be going back to England for the break and she just assumed that you'd come along to the reunion and I just never corrected her."
Newt had watched on with narrowed eyes but at the end, he didn't bother with more than an eye roll. "That's so typically you, I can't even be bothered to be mad about it." He sighed. "Just tell her the truth then - problem solved."
"But she already told the whole family that I'd bring you as a date", Thomas replied.
That tone told Newt everything he needed to know. "I think I know what that bloody favor is. And I'm telling you 'no'!"
Thomas quickly sat up straighter, leaning toward Newt. "But you have to!"
"No."
"But I need you."
"No!"
Thomas looked at him with big eyes, his lower lip jutting out just enough to be considered subtle. "Please?"
Newt couldn't tear his gaze away. Stay strong. "No, Tommy. Not this time!"
"But I never ask you for anything."
"Are you bloody serious right now? You ask me for stuff all the damn time!"
"When was the last time I asked you for something?"
Newt raised an eyebrow, knowing that he'd win this one. "Literally this morning! You asked me to bring you your coffee into bed because you were too lazy to get up!"
"Okay, but the time before that!"
"Yesterday evening when you forced me to watch the new Supernatural episode with you even though I'm still on the second season."
"See - you do stuff for me all the time. So why not do me that teeny-tiny little favor as well?"
Newt gave him a suspicious look. "You can't just change your strategy half-way through."
"This is not the time for honorable fights, Newt. A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do when he wants to survive his aunt Ingeborg." Thomas looked so dead serious that Newt couldn't help but grin.
Thomas's face brightened at that. "Does that smile mean you'll help me?"
Newt rolled his eyes. "I guess."
Thomas jumped up and flung himself across the gap between their beds. Newt cringed at the impact, uncomfortable with the warmth of the body pressed against his but not shrugging it off just yet.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you! I owe you! I owe you so big, man!"
"Just please get off me!"
Thomas pulled back, still smiling brightly. "I promise, it won't be too bad. And it's only for two weeks."
Two weeks was a really long time, especially when one happened to have personal space issues. Being stuck with Thomas, the touchy-feeliest motherfucker on the planet, and said motherfucker's entire family who were all very much aware of that behavior sounded like hell. They'd expect hugs and hand-holding and ... kisses. Oh god, what had he just agreed to?
Newt's thoughts must have shown on his face because Thomas's giddiness shifted into a look filled with sympathy. "Okay, maybe it will be bad - for you at least. But just a little bit."
"I regret it already", Newt mumbled.
"Sorry, bro - no backing out anymore! You already agreed."
The feeling of impending doom grew stronger by the second.
Day 1
They were driving along a busy highway with Thomas behind the wheel and Newt riding shotgun. Their duffel bags were on the backseat and the car stereo blasted 500 Miles because Thomas was an asshole. Newt should have never agreed to this.
They reached their destination after an agonizing amount of five hours. Newt had no idea how he'd managed to let Thomas live. They parked beside eight other cars in front of a huge wooden holiday home that was already sporting Christmas decorations in every window. They picked up their bags and climbed the front steps to ring the doorbell. Within a second, the door flew open, revealing a woman that had to either be permanently positioned right on the other side or owner of a teleportation device.
She was short with fire-red dyed hair and more make-up than Newt had ever seen on a single individual.
"Toooom!" she squealed and pulled Thomas into a bone-crushing hug that caused him to drop his bag.
"Hey Ingeborg", Thomas gasped.
Newt bit back the smile threatening to break free.
Almost half a minute passed before she let go of her nephew and turned to Newt, who felt his eyes widen in fear.
"And you must be Newt! Tom's mother has told me so much about you." She pinched Newt's cheek between her long fingernails. "But she never mentioned how gorgeous you are!" she cooed. "What a beautiful young man, Tom. You need to hold on to this one or somebody will snatch him away right under your nose." She dropped her hand.
It took all of Newt's willpower not to raise his hand and rub the pulsating spot on his face.
"Now come on in! Chuck will show you to your room!" She ushered them inside with a bright smile, before running of with frequent screeches of "CHUCK!"
Newt took the opportunity to massage the throbbing spot on his face. "I think she tore a muscle."
"I think she cracked most of my ribs", Thomas replied, rubbing at his chest.
"That's one intense lady", Newt admitted. "I thought you were kidding when you told me about her."
Thomas looked at him with wide eyes. "Oooh heell no. I would never joke about that woman. I used to have nightmares about her when I was little."
A short, curly-haired boy appeared at the end of the hallway, drawing Newt's attention.
"Hey, Chuck", Thomas greeted the boy, giving him a fist bump.
"Yo! Seems like you two just got ingeborged." Chuck's grin was gleeful as he passed them by and started heading up the stairs.
Newt picked up his bag and waited for Thomas to do the same before he started climbing the steps.
"Yeah. I think she's been doing push-ups - that hug hurt more than the one last year", Thomas said.
"I wouldn't be surprised if she did", Chuck replied.
The upper floor was made up of a corridor lined with doors on both sides. Chuck didn't even pause to think before he led them to the third door on the right. "That's yours!" he announced, rapping his knuckles against the wood.
Newt nodded. "Thanks, Chuck."
"No problem. I'll see you downstairs for lunch!"
"Yeah, thanks dude!" Thomas smiled as he watched the short boy saunter away. Only when he'd disappeared down the stairs did he open the door and step through.
Newt followed closely behind, his eyes darting around the room to take everything in. It was pretty big with a glass door leading out onto a small balcony. The walls were lime-green with and printed with an ugly pattern that looked inspired by his grandma's home. To his right where two other doors - presumably bathroom and closet - separated by a stretch of wall that was half-covered by a chest of drawers topped with an average-sized TV. To his left was a king-sized bed flanked by two small nightstands. Wait ... only one bed?!
"There's only one bed", Newt repeated out loud after closing the door behind him.
Thomas, who'd already walked past him and dumped his duffel bag, was now throwing himself onto the bed. With his hands folded under his head and his eyes closed, he seemed rather unfazed by the situation. "Yeah - what did you expect? They all think we're a couple."
Newt slowly let his bag slide to the floor. "But, but ... I need my space. At least when I'm sleeping."
Thomas shrugged, still having his eyes closed. "You can sleep on the floor if you want but I'm sleeping on here. This mattress is heaven."
"I'm not sleeping on the floor", Newt grumbled, walking over to the bed and sitting down on the edge. "I hate you for making me do this."
Thomas finally looked at him. "And I accept that hatred and promise to try and stick to my side of the bed."
Newt gave him an incredulous look. "You never stick to your side. You're always all octopus-arms and sleep-cuddling."
"That was one time", Thomas protested.
"And I'm scarred for life by it!"
"I didn't mean to fall asleep on your bed! And anyway: it's not my fault that you have personal-space issues."
"What's so bad about wanting to keep a respectable distance?"
Thomas sat up and looked at Newt with fake-shock on his face. "Touching is a beautiful thing! It's showing affection for somebody you care about and letting them know that they're not alone."
"I don't need to invade somebody's personal space to do that", Newt argued.
"Then how do you do it?"
"I tell them."
Thomas frowned at him. "You never told me anything."
Newt gave him a smirk. "Then what does that tell you?"
Thomas gasped and put a hand to his heart. "I am deeply wounded. I think this relationship is unhealthy and that we should split up!"
"Who's splitting up?"
Newt's head shot around to see a tall dark-haired woman standing in the doorway.
"MOM!" Thomas shouted, jumping up and near tackling his mother.
The woman laughed happily and hugged her son back.
"I missed you, mom!"
"I missed you too, Tom." She rubbed her son's back affectionately, her touch lingering even as she pulled away to look at Newt. "And I see you've brought your boyfriend!"
Newt's manners made him get to his feet and approach her with a hopefully friendly-looking smile. "Hello, ma'am. Pleasure to meet you."
She smiled at him and grabbed the offered hand with both of hers. Newt tried his best to not show his discomfort at the body-heat radiating off her hands. "What a polite young man you are. And please call me Jody."
"I'm Newt."
Unlike with Thomas, her hands thankfully didn't linger and she soon took a small step back. "I just wanted to let you boys know that lunch will be ready in ten minutes in case you want to change or anything."
"Thanks, mom."
She gave them another bright smile before walking away, leaving Thomas to close the door.
As soon as she was out of sight, Newt wiped his hand on his pants.
"What do you think, t-shirt or button down?" he asked as he picked up his duffel bag and dropped it onto the bed.
Thomas shrugged as flopped down on the bed. "Doesn't matter. They'll be too distracted by your face anyway."
"Well, you're not helping", Newt muttered, eventually settling for a dark-blue button-down and gray jeans.
Ignoring Thomas who'd started to rummage through his own clothes, Newt headed into the bathroom. At least he'd meant to. Instead, he found himself face to face with an empty closet. Sighing, he didn't acknowledge Thomas's snickers behind him and side-stepped to the right door.
Ten minutes later, he reappeared to the image of Thomas spread out on the bed, channel surfing. "Someone's dressed all fancy." Thomas grinned as he watched Newt roll up his sleeves. "You want to impress your future in-laws, huh?" The joke earned him a ball of Newt's old clothes to the face, though he didn't seem too bothered as he pushed it off his head.
"I'll happily go in my bloody pajamas if you'd like."
"Nah, I appreciate it. Having a gorgeous, well-dressed boyfriend makes me look good."
Newt snorted at the compliment and sat down next to his friend, leaving a respectable distance. "Don't we have to be downstairs?" he asked after a couple of minutes.
"Nah, they always take half an hour longer than they assume so we still have some time."
"Shouldn't we help them with the food or something?"
"We'll have kitchen-duty soon enough, believe me. Enjoy the free time while it lasts."
They didn't head downstairs until fifteen minutes later.
The small door-less corridor that they'd found themselves in upon first arrival led into a large open area made up of a living and dining room. In the far corner stood a Christmas behind two large couches, and the wooden pillars supporting the ceiling were all wrapped in bright sparkly lights and garlands.
The people running back and forth fit into the aesthetic with their comfortable, warm-looking clothes as they stacked the large dining table with bowls and plates of food. The only ones not helping were an elderly woman and Chuck who were already seated and playing cards.
Newt barely had time to take it all in before they were jumped by Ingeborg. "Oh, my two gorgeous boys, sit down, sit down. Lunch will be ready in a second."
Newt complied and took a seat next to Chuck while Thomas exchanged a few more words with Ingeborg, the smile on his face clearly forced.
Once Thomas approached the table, he pulled his chair closer to Newt before sitting down.
"What are you doing?" Newt whispered.
"I don't want to sit so close to Ingeborg", Thomas answered, voice low.
For five minutes, Newt entertained himself with watching Chuck clearly lose the game, as people around them searched out their chairs and got settled down. By now, there was enough food on the table to feed a small army.
Once everything had started to quiet down, the elderly woman next to Chuck spoke up. "Welcome, everybody to our sixty-third family reunion!"
Holy shit! How far back do Tommy's genes go? Ötzi?
"I'm proud to see everybody has made it here once more! And this year, I'd also like for you all to welcome a new addition to the family!" She looked past Chuck at Newt who could feel his face heat up as all the attention shifted onto him.
We're not bloody married!
"His name's Newt!" Thomas helpfully offered.
Newt glared at him.
Thomas responded with a sunny smile.
There were a few mumbled "hellos" "welcomes" and bright smiles from all around the table that Newt had no idea how to respond to.
"Now, let's start eating!"
Newt had never heard more beautiful words.
He politely watched and waited until everybody had plated their food before he started to take some himself.
"So, Newt. Are you a vegan like Tom here?" some across the table asked.
"Uh, no. I'm a vegetarian, though", Newt replied. He should've seen this coming - of course they'd be asking all sorts of questions.
"How did you two meet?" somebody else questioned.
"He's my roommate in college."
"How long have you been dating?" Again another person.
"Eight months", Newt blurted. It was the first thing that had popped into his head.
"Would you guys just let him eat?" Thomas cut in, clearly annoyed.
"We're just curious, honey", Jody said. "You can't blame us. You've never brought somebody along before."
"And I'll never bring him again if you keep treating him like that."
Newt poked at his food as he waited for the conversation to move on to other things before he allowed himself to relax and start eating again. Still the discomfort lingered all throughout the meal.
After lunch, somebody announced that it was time to watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Apparently it was a tradition.
Newt and Thomas stayed behind for a bit to help carry the dishes into the kitchen, causing them to be the last ones to get to the living room. All three couches were already piled with people and there were only two armchairs available, one of which was taken by the grandmother. Eyeing the free chair, Newt turned to Thomas.
"You take the floor", he whispered.
"They'll expect us to share", Thomas murmured.
"I don't want to share."
"This is a family of affectionate people, they have expectations so if you want us to be convincing, you've gotta get used to this."
"I want to go home", Newt whined quietly as Thomas grabbed his wrist and started dragging him across the room.
Thomas didn't hesitate as he sunk into the cushions and pulled Newt down with him. For a few moments, Newt couldn't help but wiggle around, until at least his butt wasn't touching Thomas but the armchair. Thomas gave him the space to move for a bit longer before he wrapped his arms around Newt, giving him no other choice but to lean against Thomas's chest. The entire endeavor would have been far easier if they weren't both so goddamn tall.
Newt took a few deep breaths as he tried to relax but it was so strange, being this close to somebody. He wasn't used to having his legs entangled with anything but sheets, and this radiating heat against his side. He could literally hear Thomas's breathing right next to his ear.
"Relax, Newt", Thomas whispered. "It's just me."
Newt squirmed a little as he felt the rumble of Thomas's voice against him. Thomas's only response was to tighten his hold around Newt's middle.
Newt really hated this. He was already grumpy and worn out from the long drive, annoyed by all of the attention and physical contact, and by now there was also an insistent pounding in his head from the noise created by over a dozen people cooped up in a single room. Closing his eyes to center himself, he took a deep breath and tried to force his muscles to relax. So much body heat. All that touching skin. I can feel his bloody breath in my hair. People are so weird.
And as the narrator talked over the cartoon figures on screen, Newt tried to keep himself from combusting. Steady breaths.
There was an inaudible voice in his ear, trying to rouse him. Newt pushed his face further into his pillow. "Just five more minutes. It's so warm here."
"You two are so cute together." The voice barely registered in Newt's brain.
"Newt", a familiar voice whispered. "I think it's in your own best interest that you wake up right now."
The breath of the speaker puffed against Newt's skin. And now that he thought about it, his literal bed was moving against him as well. The soft veil that had been shielding him from the world was brutally pulled away, leaving him panicked. He quickly pushed off the person he'd been sitting on, scrambling away. Unfortunately he hadn't been accounting for their entangled legs, causing him to crash the floor with an 'oomph' as his back collided with the carpet. With his eyes wide open in confusion and terror, he found Thomas looking down at him in a mix of confusion, amusement and concern.
The memories came crashing down on Newt, reminding that he'd probably fucked up just now. Preparing himself for the worst, he took a second to himself before he faced the people staring at him. Some of them had jumped up from their seats, probably to check if he was okay. He hoped his face didn't look as red as he feared it to be.
"Are you alright?" Thomas asked. He must have gotten to his feet while Newt had been staring at everybody else because now he was was standing over Newt, his hand outstretched.
Newt quickly shuffled back a few inches and got up by himself, straightening out his clothes. "I'm okay, I'm fine. Just a little disoriented, is all."
He could feel the eyes on him, their gaze burning into his skin, but he refused to meet them.
"That was odd", somebody commented, his voice low enough to suggest that he hadn't meant for it to be heard by them.
Thomas didn't hesitate to put an arm around Newt's waist, pulling him close. "He's just always a little confused after a nap." Thomas pressed a small kiss to Newt's cheek. "Right, babe?"
Newt let the embarrassment wash over him. This moment would haunt him until his dying days. He longed for his own room, his own bed, far far away from prying eyes and noisy relatives.
"You boys had a long day." Jody's voice was warm and caring. "How about you go up and rest for a while? I'll get you when dinner is ready."
"That'd be great!" Thomas replied, relief evident in his voice. "Thanks, mom!"
Newt shot her a grateful smile while Thomas guided him away with the arm still firmly wrapped around his waist. Thomas didn't break the contact until they reached the stairs.
The walk upstairs was filled with tense silence. Only once the door had fallen close behind them did Newt allow himself to relax. One look at the bed was enough to fill Newt with urge to scream into one of the pillows for the next three hours. He settled for throwing himself face-first onto the mattress instead, leaving his feet and part of his shins to dangle over the edge.
"I quit! I'm done! I'm going home!" he declared, voice muffled.
"You can't! You made a promise!"
He could feel the bed dip as Thomas sat down next to him, his knee brushing against Newt's side.
Newt rolled onto his back, giving Thomas a disbelieving look. "Do I look like I care? This was the worst day of my whole bloody life and I can't go through that again, let alone thirteen times more!"
Thomas looked at him with wide shining eyes. "But you promised!"
"Don't look at me like that - it won't work! Not this time!"
Thomas pushed out his lower lip, his eyebrows drawing together. "But I need you! You just have to stay. Please!"
Newt did his best to ignore the stupid feeling in his chest but it was hard when his eyes refused to pull away from the sight that was causing it. Despite his best efforts, he could feel his resolve crumbling. The realization that he was incapable of refusing this stupid dork anything made him groan in frustration. "Why do you have to be so bloody good at these stupid puppy eyes, you goddamn idiot!"
Thomas gave him a sweet smile. "It's a curse."
"I hate you."
"No, you don't. You looooove me."
"Shut up or I'm leaving."
Thomas didn't seem any less happy as he laid down next to him and wrapped his arms around Newt, squeezing lightly. "No, you won't. You wanna know why?" His face was squished against Newt's cheek, and he was humming lowly.
"Let go of me!" Newt protested. Thomas pulled back a little, loosening his hold but not pulling fully away. Newt counted it as a win.
"You know what I think?"
"No."
"I think you're starting to enjoy the touching! You even fell asleep on me! All soft breaths and adorable sleepy-face - it was so precious!"
"Oh, the regret!" Newt whined as Thomas pulled him closer once more, rubbing his cheek over blonde curls.
Thomas chuckled and let go, causing Newt to quickly roll away, as far out of reach as possible. When his back collided with the headboard, he settled for lying on his stomach, the pillows feeling cool and soft under him.
Thomas grinned at him. "I've never seen you look so disheveled before - it suits you."
"You're an asshole and I hate you", Newt replied, no real heat behind his words. He made no move to fix his appearance. Now that the embarrassment had worn off, he could feel his eyes droop again.
"You keep saying that but I just don't believe you", Thomas teased, wiggling up the bed until his face rested near the pillow Newt's cheek was squished into.
"Well, you should."
"I'm sorry that I'm causing you so much trouble, you know. But I'm really happy that you're doing this for me. It's nice to not have them ask about my love life all the time."
"They're really persistent. Must be annoying to have them interrogate you every year."
"You can't even imagine. They've been doing that since I turned thirteen."
"Ugh. I'm sorry that you had to go through that."
Thomas offered a small smile. "But now you're here, right? You'll play my boyfriend and get them off my back and then I'll finally have my peace."
"I guess."
They were quiet for a while.
Thomas was the one who broke the silence. "I'm sorry for the kiss. I know you hate the touching but I was scared that they'd see through the act and I needed to distract them."
"It's okay, I get it", Newt reassured. "I suppose you're really affectionate in your relationships."
Thomas shrugged. "My first relationship was when I was twelve and it was with a girl. It lasted for all of two weeks before she left me for this guy called Alby. After that, there was only three guys and none of them lasted longer than a month."
"You dated a girl? Heteronormativity, huh?"
"My arch-nemesis."
"I can relate."
Thomas quirked a small smile. He was quiet for a few moments. "How do you do it?"
"Huh?"
"How do you deal with relationships when you don't like physical closeness?"
Newt considered lying for all of two seconds before deciding on the truth. "I don't. I just-" He sighed. "I guess I always thought I'd just find a person I don't mind to be close with. Hasn't happened yet, I suppose."
"Sucks."
They were silent again. It was a comfortable silence, one that didn't urge to be filled with talking or music. It was something Newt was grateful for because he'd always believed that it spoke of a far closer bond than constant chatter did.
"Wanna see what's on TV?" Thomas asked after about ten minutes of shared staring at the ceiling.
"Sure."
The knock at the door came at a few minutes after 7pm.
"Dinner is ready!" Jody announced through the door.
"Okay!" Thomas called back but remained laying down for a few more minutes before he switched off the TV.
Newt waited for Thomas to get up before he bothered to crawl out of the sheets himself. He did his best to straighten his shirt and tame his hair while Thomas just headed for the door, not bothering to look anything more than someone who'd just gotten out of bed.
With his hand on the doorknob, Thomas quirked a smile. "You ready to feel my affection?"
Newt pulled his eyebrows together. "That sounded dirty."
Thomas smirked.
Rolling his eyes, Newt headed past Thomas, making sure to bump their shoulders together as he did.
Dinner was mostly filled with polite chatter about nothing specific, making it easier for Newt to handle. Unlike what followed.
Before they gathered in the living room, somebody came up with the brilliant idea of playing charades which was Newt's worst nightmare. He hated being stared at, having never been one to enjoy too much attention. He was fine in larger friend groups but a whole bunch of strangers that were just dying to pry into his private life? No thanks.
Sitting on the armrest of Thomas's chair, he'd somehow managed to get out of acting something out himself, leaving him with only the duty to help guessing. Which he was terrible at. These people seemingly no clue of what actual animals looked or behaved like and some of the fictional characters were created decades before he was even born. And then it was Thomas's turn.
He'd barely shifted his posture before Newt got it.
"Gollum!"
"Correct!"
The others seemed confused. "What?"
"Redo!" somebody else demanded.
Thomas thought for a few seconds before starting up again. It took all of two seconds.
"Whomping Willow!"
"He's right!"
"How do you guys do that?" Chuck asked. "To me that looked like a monkey on speed!"
"Chuck!" Jody called.
"We have a mind-link", Thomas explained.
Newt chuckled. "No, I'm just used to his spastic motions by now."
"He's lying. It's a mind-link."
After they were done playing, the first people started to excuse themselves. Newt and Thomas quickly took their chances and followed suit.
Upstairs, Newt called first shower and changed into his pajamas right after. With his teeth brushed, Newt exited the bathroom and found Thomas rolling off the bed to take his turn.
By the time he came back, Newt was was already dozing off, lulled in by the sound of the shower and TV.
He barely registered Thomas sliding into bed beside him.
"I'm still not happy with this sleeping arrangement", Newt mumbled, followed by a yawn.
"Well, unless you wanna sleep on the floor, you're gonna have to deal with it", Thomas replied.
He turned off the TV about twenty minutes later, rustling the sheets as he slid further down the mattress.
"Night, Newt", he said sleepily.
"Night, Tommy." Newt wasn't even sure if he'd said the words out loud or just thought them.
About thirty minutes later, Newt startled awake as an arm wrapped around his middle and pulled him closer to a warm body. A leg wrapped itself around his and warm breath ghosted over his hair.
"Tommy!"
No reaction.
"Tommy, let me go!"
He heard a small sigh behind him as he was squeezed even tighter.
"I hate you", he muttered, trying to wind himself out of the embrace. The leg was now wrapped around his knees, effectively stopping him from squirming.
He groaned in defeat and let himself be cuddled. It didn't take him too long to drift off again.