Andrew has never been held by Neil from behind. If Andrew always sleeps facing Neil, then Neil has never really had the chance to hold him the way Andrew holds him, and, as far as Neil is concerned, that is something that needs to be remedied immediately. one evening, when they settle into bed to watch some random nonsense on a laptop, Neil stubbornly climbs over Andrew and squeezes himself into the narrow space between him and the wall. realizing that their usual arrangement has suddenly been rearranged, Andrew shifts reluctantly and feels an arm tighten around his waist before he even has the chance to ask Neil what the hell he is doing. the weight of Neil’s arm pulls him back against a warm body, and lying like this, with someone solid and vibrant at his back, feels completely unfamiliar. “Get back on your side,” Andrew says. Instead, Neil gently buries his nose against the back of Andrew’s head, his palm wandering slowly over Andrew’s chest and waist. “Does it bother you?” he asks. “I’m used to having you in front of me,” Andrew answers without hesitation. “That’s not what I asked.” Neil loosens his hold slightly, then clarifies in a voice that reaches directly into the space beside Andrew’s ear, “Do you like it or not?” Andrew stays silent for a while, taking the time to actually examine what he is feeling, although he does not need particularly long to reach an answer. “I like it.” the words come out quietly, followed by Andrew awkwardly adjusting the pillow beneath his cheek. he hears Neil exhale sharply, exactly the way he does before pulling a smile onto his face, but Andrew deliberately chooses to ignore it. Neil settles his arm around Andrew’s waist, drawing him closer as he buries his face against the back of Andrew’s head, breathing in the familiar scent of his shower gel and deodorant. Andrew furrows his brow, trying to adjust to a position in which he has lost his usual place as the observer. the unfamiliar vulnerability keeps threatening to surface, yet somehow each wave of it collides with something else entirely: the warmth pressing steadily against his back, the quiet rhythm of breathing against the back of his head, the occasional kiss along his hairline or the nape of his neck, and the slow, absentminded strokes of Neil’s scarred palm across his stomach. the gestures are so quiet and monotonous that Andrew barely notices himself inching closer, slowly allowing his body to grow accustomed to the unfamiliar position and deciding to stay like this just a little longer.