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Grey can't think of one word that could describe what he and Gilliam have together.
In the past they played the roles of mentor and student, but it hasn't been that way in years now. And now-a-days it's not nearly that simple. Gilliam hasn't been a father figure to Grey since he was a child. There's never been what you could consider friendship between the two. They sleep in the same bed together and Grey takes care of Gilliam. There are a lot of intimate moments, but it's never escalated to sex. It's hard to explain and have people understand what unique thing they have going on.
Grey lets out a sigh when Gilliam starts carding fingers through his hair. It's probably greasy and nasty feeling, but Gilliam never seems to mind. Grey's eyes are staring off into space, more focused on how good it feels to have his hair played with. This has become a habit of theirs, a pleasant one, but Grey doesn't really understand it. He doesn't like sitting in one place for too long. Eventually he'll start fidgeting and then Gilliam will reprimand him to stay still. But today he's feeling lethargic and not up to doing much of anything.
Gilliam never seems to question the relationship they have. Doesn't care too much that it's different from the ones other people have. Maybe it has to do with his age. He's content with quick kisses, holding hands, and cuddling. That doesn't mean they're not intimate. In fact, what they have is very intimate. Neither one feels as comfortable or as safe with anyone else in the tail section as they do each other, except maybe Curtis.
No one asks questions about them. It might be that people are scared to mess with Grey. He could take anyone in the tail section if he wanted to. Another factor might be that people in the tail section have great respect for Gilliam. Edgar had asked one time and Grey just shrugged his shoulders. He didn't have a definite answer. He doesn't know how to explain the way they feel for each other, how they love each other so much but don't express it in the conventional way of sexual intimacy. After awhile Grey stops caring how to define what they have. He just knows that he has and he's happy with it.
He's pulled out of his thoughts when he realizes that Gilliam's not playing with his hair anymore. He pulls away from Gilliam to get a better look at the man sitting beside him. Grey thought he was being good. Sitting there, not fidgeting, letting Gilliam do as he pleased. He doesn't understand what he's done to upset the old man, but whatever it is he will try and do better.
"You seemed to be thinking awfully hard about something. What was it?" Gilliam grabs a hold of Grey's shoulder to pull him back against his side. Then he starts playing with Grey's hair once again. Grey relaxes again.
Grey shakes his head to let Gilliam know it's nothing he needs to worry about.
Gilliam lets out a hum and nods his head. He presses a soft kiss to the side of Grey's head. Grey sits back up and leans in to kiss Gilliam on the lips. The kiss is long and languid, sensual like most of their kisses are. Grey is about to deepen the kiss when Gilliam pulls away from him. Grey lets out a huff of air at the loss.
"It's late, Grey." Gilliam brings his hand up and caresses the younger boys face. "We should go to bed."
Grey moved to help Gilliam lay down in their makeshift bed, tucking them both in. They only had one blanket to cover up with. It wasn't ideal, but they had to work with what they got.
Grey had to stay pressed up against Gilliam all night to keep him warm. Sometimes the old mans feet woke Grey up. It would feel like blocks of ice pressed to his legs or his feet. Other time Gilliam would be shivering so bad it would wake Grey up. They just pressed closer together and pulled the blanket tighter around them on those nights.
On rare occasions, Grey would wake having slept a whole night through without being disturbed. His arms still wrapped around Gilliam, pulling the old man tight against his chest. Grey would lay there until Gilliam woke up. He didn't dare move and risk disturbing the old mans sleep. Plus it was nice being close to Gilliam, sharing body warmth and feeling the old man as he breathed slowly.
Yes, it was difficult to describe their relationship, but moments like this make Grey not care. He only cares that he has it.