John comes home

John arrived home later than usual, the lingering effects of his after-work beers with Dan making him feel a bit more relaxed. By the end of the evening, the odd feeling he had in the back of his mind had passed giving way to simple contentment. When the door closed behind him, he saw Robin's head pop up from behind the couch.

"And where have you been?" Robin demanded with a little pout.

John's brain stalled at the tone of the question, "Oh...uh, sorry...I was with Dan..."

"Dude, relax. I'm kidding, clearly," Robin said sinking back down out of sight.

"Right," John blinked, not sure why he would have been in trouble. That said, he decided that maybe it would be polite to call Robin if he was going to be home late in the future.

John put his stuff down by the door and walked around the couch, intending to sit with Robin a bit. As John came around he looked over his friend and saw that Robin had huddled with his phone, looking oddly **** in his hoodie with his legs curled up under him in his baggy sweatpants and his hair hanging down in soft waves.

"You do something new with your hair?" he asked as he sat down, however, he could smell something familiar that he couldn't place.

Robin felt the heat rise to his cheeks in embarrassment, "Uh, yeah, something like that. Just trying out something new," he lied.

John nodded, "Well, it looks cute," he said, the words slipping out before he could stop them. He quickly looked away, feeling a bit embarrassed that he just called his friend cute.

Robin rolled his eyes, "Thanks," he replied as sarcastically as he could manage while shyly touching his hair. Obviously, it was a joke but something about the comment made him feel a strange warmth. "How was your day?"

John shrugged, leaning away from Robin. "Same old, same old. Though Dan and I had a few beers after work. It was nice to unwind a bit. What about you?"

"Nothing new," Robin said trying to ignore how uncomfortable his soft hairless skin felt in his ratty old clothes.

John excused himself to go clean himself up, leaving Robin alone on the couch. He absentmindedly played with his hair, the texture, and fullness of it feeling alien yet strangely comforting.

"It looks cute," he whispered to himself with a slight smile.

A bit later, John returned, holding a small card in his hand. "Hey, Robin," he called out, drawing Robin's attention. "I found this while I was cleaning up. It's a gift card for that clothing store downtown. I got it for my ex before we broke up, but obviously, she never got to use it." He extended the card towards Robin. "You can have it or give it to one of your female co-workers. No point in it going to waste, right?"

"Thanks, John. That's really nice of you but don't you want to get your money back?" he said, examining the card. He recognized the store's logo and realized it was on his way home from work.

He sighed, "No receipt, so I'm out of luck. I'm glad she didn't get it, I'd much rather you have it."

Robin nodded, tucking the card into his pocket. "Maybe I'll find something nice for Nashma. She was pretty nice to me today."

John smiled, leaning back into the couch. "Sounds like a plan. I'm sure she'll appreciate it."

The two of them sat in comfortable silence for a while, the tension from earlier seemingly dissipating. Robin couldn't help but notice how John's presence made him feel at ease when he just allowed himself to relax.

Eventually, they both decided to call it a night. As Robin lay in bed, he struggled to sleep in his scratchy clothes. He found himself wondering if he should use the gift card on the way home to find something softer to sleep in.