folie à deux.

Aaron can’t help but feel grateful that their bedroom isn’t upstairs, as he makes his way through the creaking old farmhouse, doing his best not to make too much noise. It felt like a stark contrast to the modern renovation of the Mill, the way the farmhouse creaked, and groaned, as though it had something to say about the life being lived inside of it.

Maybe it did. Aaron was sure there were generations of crotchety old Sugden spirits stuck in the walls, horrified at the thought one of their own was playing house with another man.

It made it all the more satisfying, really.

Blindly, Aaron undressed, not wanting to turn the light on and disturb a fitfully sleeping Robert.

He had been away at a scrap run, and hadn’t been due to come back until the next day, a planned stopover in Birmingham for the night - but Aaron had hit Birmingham, and the thought of checking into his room at the Premier Inn he’d booked had felt like the most miserable prospect of all time, so he’d stopped at a services for an energy drink and he’d kept on driving.

Some people - including his mum, sometimes - might say Aaron and Robert had become concerningly co-dependent, but Aaron didn’t really care. He’d nearly lost Robert so many times, in so many horrible ways, that he felt like being co-dependent was the only reasonable response.

Gently, Aaron peeled back his side of the duvet, rousing Robert, despite how quiet he was trying to be.

“Aaron?” Robert mumbled sleepily, confusion evident in his tone.

“Yeah, it’s me,” Aaron replied softly, sliding into bed. Robert was all over him in an instant, warm body pressed against Aaron’s cold one.

“You weren’t due back until tomorrow,” Robert said hoarsely, his grip on Aaron’s waist tight. He clearly hadn’t been sleeping too deeply, which wasn’t entirely unusual for Robert nowadays.

“I wanted to wake up with you,” Aaron found himself saying.

It was cheesy, really - a bit over-the-top and romantic, for two o’clock in the morning, but it was the truth. Aaron savoured every morning he got to wake up with an armful of Robert Sugden now, because he’d gone far too long without getting to do it.

Robert burrowed his face in the crook of Aaron’s neck, mumbling something incoherent.

“Go back to sleep,” Aaron hummed, pressing a kiss to the crown of Robert’s head. “I’ll be here in the morning.”

but I'd rather believe that there's so much more for you and me // Aaron and Robert