Bad Habit

twenty six

After he shot Finny a text instructing him to come in on his own through the side door and show himself to Moss' room, Moss turned all the lights in his room down low and turned off his music. He threw on a pair of pajama shorts that he liked and questioned whether or not he should take his shirt off and sleep the way he usually did. After a bit of contemplation, he tore it off and threw it next to his bed carelessly. Finally, he crawled himself under the thin covers and turned his fan on high with his remote control, letting himself relax as best he could. It was difficult, though, seeing as Finny would be joining him incredibly soon. Would he get right in bed with Moss so that the pair could just go to sleep? Should they stay up a bit and have a proper conversation? Was Moss supposed to verbally forgive Finny right away?

The questions posed in Moss' mind were not able to be considered for long because soon after he got into his bed, he heard his bedroom door creak open slightly. He took a deep, sharp breath and closed his eyes tights, somewhat regretting allowing Finny to come over. He focused on keeping his eyes shut as he listened to the patter of Finny's soft feet against the wooden floor. He waited for what seemed like forever until he felt the bed shake a little bit, but nothing major, meaning Finny still hadn't got in yet. "Moss?" He whispered. "Is it okay if I-"

Instead of answering, Moss kept his eyes closed but lifted the covers just slightly so that Finny would understand and get into the bed. He took the cue and Moss felt him slide in slowly, ending up a good distance away. And they stayed like that for close to a minute, both unsure of the others limits. The moment was peaceful but also stressful because neither knew the correct dynamic. And while they both wanted to wrap their arms around each other and never let go, they were both ignorant to that fact.

After moments of silence and stillness, Moss let out a sigh. He slowly cracked his eyes open for the first time since Finny arrived and prepared himself for the shock of being that close to the boy he loved after a long two weeks. Unfortunately, the millisecond he had was simply not enough time to get him ready for the sight. Finny was laying there in front of him, his hands tucked under his chin and his body in a tight, fetal like position. His face was shaking just slightly and his cheeks were reddened, complementing his watery eyes. He looked broken and he looked vulnerable. Moss couldn't stand it.

With quick movement, Moss outstretched his arms and grabbed on tight to Finny's frail sides, consequently pulling him right into his own body. He moved himself so that Finny was absolutely as close to him as possible and then wrapped his arms around the boy's shoulders tightly. Finny made a gasping noise and reacted by holding on equally as tight to Moss and nuzzling his forehead into Moss' chest. Moss' chin was resting comfortably on Finny's head as he began rubbing slow, steady circles into the small of his back. Finny hummed occasionally due to this and attempted to move closer to Moss, though that simply wasn't possible.

They were as close as they could possibly be and it was pure and total bliss.

--

When Moss woke up around seven, he attributed it to his phenomenal mind and circadian rhythm. He told himself before falling asleep that he needed to, at all costs, wake up before eight. Eight was the time at which his mother and father both awoke, and his mother would often creep into his room with a morning smile and offer a hug. And then, soon after that, Anne would come in with a cup of coffee and sometimes a piece of toast and have a chat with Moss about her daily life and if she was having any struggles with her grandchildren. So it was definitely good that he woke up before any of that could happen.

Especially since he found himself laying comfortably with Finny who was completely on top of him. Seriously, Finny's entire body overlapped Moss' and his whole face was tucked close into Moss' neck. Every few seconds Moss would shiver, feeling the soft heat from Finny's breath against sensitive skin. He could so clearly feel Finny's chest rising and falling against his, and occasionally Finny would almost whimper and squirm against Moss. This soon became a little too much for him to handle.