#this was so impromptu that i wrote it entirely On Tumblr just for funsies

[subtlereferencetomyinterests]

“Is this okay?”

Patton glances over at Remus, his head tilted in confusion. As far as he can tell, his partner isn't... doing anything. He’s weirdly calm, actually, being quiet and more-or-less still. He's only inched closer to press himself against Patton's arm, and they've barely even been talking- just enjoying each other's company and half-watching a goofy horror comedy. It's a peaceful moment, the kind that are slowly growing familiar in their new (wonderfully new, and sugary, and exciting) romantic entanglement.

Patton smiles at him, a bit bemusedly, and says:

“Is what okay, Cuddlebug?”

Remus pulls back a some, staring at him like it should be obvious. And when it isn't, he scooches away even further, gesturing broadly between the two of them.

"This kind of touching. Is it okay?”

Patton blinks, the smile on his face turning silly and wide. It's such a sweet, unexpected check-in from his partner, and it's just the sort of thing to give him a toothache. He leans forward, wrapping his arms around Remus and settling them back together.

“Of course it is. Honey, we do this all the time, you know that it's alright.”

Remus doesn’t hesitate to wrap around Patton this time, but he frowns, his expression twisted up in that rare way of showing genuine wariness.

“Okay, well-” Remus catches Patton’s hand in his own, curling their fingers together, “What about this?”

And Patton doesn’t know what to make of this, isn’t sure what his boyfriend is getting at, but nods his head encouragingly nonetheless.

“And,” Remus rests his head on Patton’s collarbone, looking up at the taller side with the utmost curiosity- “This?”

“Yeah,” Patton laughs, softly, “Yeah, Mess, that’s just fine."

He’d begun to wonder if Remus was gearing up for something- to make a pass at him, probably, which wouldn’t have been the first time and wasn't exactly unwelcome. But the tone was all off, and Remus hadn’t gotten that dark and mischievous look behind his eyes, the type that always appears when he's being suggestive. But he just looks, if anything, relieved; settled down again already, with finality, staring peacefully forward as though none of this had been strange.

“Remus,” Patton says, gently, “You don’t have to ask when you wanna touch me. You know that, right?”

There is a pause.

“Uh, yeah, I do?”

“Not all the time. Not when it’s like this.”

Remus twists around until he can bring them face-to-face, looking utterly bewildered. “I- what?”

“If you wanna touch me, to cuddle? You can. I’ll tell you when I don’t want to, if I don’t want to, but I can’t imagine me saying no to a good snuggle session! You’re allowed to just, y'know, go ahead.”

Patton brings his hand up to the side of Remus’ face as he says it, trying his best to be the picture of encouragement and affection as he presses their foreheads together. But the Duke breaks away, shaking his head sharply. 

“But I- I just don’t want to take it too far, you know? Like, I’ve never- I’ve never done any of this before, Sugar. And, I don’t know if you know this, but I’m really good at messing stuff up. It’s kind of my job?” Remus cackles faintly, drumming his fingers against Patton’s sternum. “I don’t want to fuck this up, though.”

Morality doesn’t speak right away, just clutches Remus tighter to his chest, resting his chin on Remus’ head and trying not to notice the sudden aching in his chest.

“You won’t ruin this, Sweetpea,” he says, slowly. “I trust you. I know you won’t.”

“Yeah, maybe you do. I don't know anything!"

He kisses the crown of Remus’ head, feeling a spark of guilt and concern nag at him. The trait is trying to take a light tone about all this, but the underlying emotion is obvious. Remus doesn’t worry about things, hardly ever does he even give something a second thought before jumping in, but here they are.

While the carefulness he takes with Patton these days makes the sensitive trait feel all kinds of bubbly and special, there’s still that little bit of sadness from knowing that at least some of it is because he doesn’t want to scare Patton away. Because Patton used to be scared of him, and he’s not sure he’ll ever stop feeling sorry for that. 

“I love you,” Patton says. 

“I love you, too,” Remus says back, easily- and it hasn’t been long between them but they don’t shy away from the words, just like they never did when they were friends.

“It’s okay to be nervous.”

“I’ve got a good reason to.”

“Really?” Patton leans down and boops their noses together, a little teasing, “Because you’ve got a ‘history’, you mean?”

Remus boops him back, looking a little like he’s trying not to grin. 

“Well, I do,” he insists, semi-seriously. 

“I guess it’s lucky for you that i have a thing for bad boys, huh?”

Remus cackles, unable to hold solemnity for longer than a second, and Patton silently thinks, there we go, there he is.

“Just look at my track record,” the side goes on, nuzzling slightly into his boyfriend's hairline. “I need somebody tougher than me.”

“You need somebody,” Remus laughs, his nose scrunched-up, “-to make you look more responsible by comparison.”

“Mm, that too.”

Patton lets Remus squirm around, the trait pulling himself into Patton’s lap and burying his face in the crook of his neck. He hums to himself, wrapping around Patton in a way that makes his neediness unabashedly plain. Patton sighs, still smiling, and runs his hand gently up and down his partner’s back.

“If I still need to ask,” Remus mutters,  “Just- to make myself feel better. So I know that I’m not hurting you... That’s okay, right?”

Patton feels himself melt, just a little.

“Of course it is, Mess. Just as long as you know that you don’t have to. That I trust you.”

Remus nods against his shoulder.

“I know you do, Angel. I know.”

Writing Taglist:

@shrimp-crockpot @glitter-skeleton-uwu @donnieluvsthings @intruxiety @thefivecalls @did-he-just-hiss-at-me @gayformlessblob @mychemically-imbalanced-romance