Chapter Text
The first time Gnarly tried to cuddle Grim was a sour memory in both their minds. Gnarly had draped an arm over Grim's shoulders and pulled him close. Grim had pushed away and yelled at Gnarly for manhandling him and treating him "like a bitch". Gnarly had gotten defensive and hurt that Grim had taken it so badly. The two of them spent the rest of their time together that night in silence, with considerable space between them.
The times after didn't go as bad. Gnarly would initiate with the arm over the shoulder move, and Grim would grumble and tolerate it for a few minutes before ducking away from his grasp.
On rare occasions, however, Grim would cuddle Gnarly. It was always when he was high or drunk or both and falling asleep. He would get real close to Gnarly and lie on him. One time he even held him. Gnarly would of course not move, but he noticed they'd never be together when he awoke.
Tonight, Grim and Gnarly had shared a blunt and were laughing at some stupid shit together on the TV. A clip of a man slipping on ice and dropping his food got them pretty good. Both of the critters were holding their sides, laughing boisterously. After they caught their breaths and settled down, Grim had gotten closer to Gnarly and hugged his torso. Gnarly had froze, and looked down discreetly at the smaller critter. He found that Grim had a small smile on his face and was watching the TV contently. Grim had smiled and gently returned the hug. It was hard for Gnarly to focus on the TV for the rest of that night.