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It was well past 3am.
Jon knew he shouldn’t have agreed to go watch the midnight release of that new horror film especially because he knew Sansa would have him up at the ass crack of dawn so they could go through new applications for the cafe they’d just opened.
But he knew as soon as he would open twitter that same morning, his moots will have posted a whole hour movie debrief. No caffeine starts tomorrow now, Jon told himself.
Jon stood awkwardly at his and robb’s apartment door. Half eaten popcorn bucket tucked under his arm and his other hand occupied fumbling with his keys trying to find the fob for the door. Fucks sake i knew i had too many keychains. Robb was right.
The lock finally clicked after several failed desperate attempts trying to shove keychains into the sensor.
When Jon pushed inside he threw his stack of keys into the bowl on his right. The keys scraped down the side making a sound causing him to shiver. Closing his eye as he kicked his beat up converses off, one landing on a creased dress shirt on the floor.
He didn’t bother turning the hallways lights on as the yellow toned kitchen island lights were reflecting into the mirror on his right. He took the first left turn which connected the hallway into to the open planned kitchen and living room.
Carefully stepping down the three steps into the kitchen Jon paused when he noticed the figure sat there at the island.
Theon.
Earphones plugged in, his phone held loosely in one hand with the brightness turned all the way up despite the fact the entire apartment was dark. The only other source of light came from the city outside which spilled through the floor to ceiling windows and casting shadows across the marble counters and maybe the lamp in the corner that everyone always forgot to turn off but is still suspiciously working.
He was staring aimlessly at whatever was playing on his screen, a half empty bottle of water resting beside him. His long black locks tucked behind his ears that his silver hoop at the top of his ear was visible.
Jon frowned.
It wasn’t anything unusual. Normally when Jon came home late, Theon was sprawled across the sofa with Robb, arguing about some sort of film theory. Not sitting alone in the dark like he was waiting for someone.
As far back as he could remember, there had never been Robb without Theon. If one was invited somewhere, everyone automatically assumed the other would be there too.
Theon had been part of the Stark family for as long as Jon could remember. He had practically grown up in Winterfell just as much as Jon had.
Jon didnt have it easy. His parents passed before he born but Ned always made sure to remember them every chance he got. As soon as he was old enough to understand, he felt like a burden. Being a constant reminder for Ned of his sister and he felt he was making Catelyn feel like she was raising someone’s bastard.
Ned and Robert had loudly fallen out with Balon Greyjoy but no one had ever found out, even Theon. All three of the boys, well three boys and Arya because she would scream ‘im snitching’ and they would have to rapidly cover her mouth as she took her place next to them with her gleeful smile, would sit outside the starks living room door from the bannister listening in on the adult conversation downstairs while they were 3 beer’s deep. Still not letting anything slip.
Theon’s dad didn’t care whatever his own child did. He was sure since he was 12 he didn’t see him anymore and was more of a ghost then anything.
Ned had never took their fall out on Theon though, he was still treat exactly the same which Jon envied sometimes.
Their parents had always joked that Theon had spent more nights in their house than his own. And honestly, why would you not believe it.
He’d spent countless weekends at Winterfell, to the point where the guest room became known simply as Theon’s room. He celebrated birthdays with them, Christmas with them, barbecues, New Year’s, family holidays. Every milestone.
Or when one time Theon was in the middle of this shitty Bolton kid drama where Theon would sneak in through Robb’s window just to cry to him and end up falling asleep in Robb’s arms just to feel something because the Bolton kid told Theon he wasn’t allowed to see the Starks again.
Like fuck that would ever work, but it did. Theon completely built walls up around which left Robb with the aftermath to knock them all back down.
Even now, years later, Theon was still around constantly even though he had his own apartment across the city. Three, sometimes four days a week he would appear at the apartment like he had a key.
He’d walk in without knocking, steal food from their fridge, complain about Robb’s choice of music, and somehow end up asleep on the sofa after an intense round of random video games he played with Jon.
Every Friday, the three of them went into town together. Drinks, dinner, usually some terrible decision that Robb would pretend was Theon’s fault.
Everyone called them the ‘Winterfell Trio’ a nickname Robb came up with as children for a joke but never managed to escape as everyone picked it up. Even years later, it had just stuck.
Jon wasn’t surprised to see Theon sitting in their kitchen at quarter past three, he was only surprised by the time.
Theon is always at our apartment, Jon thought to himself, Just never this late.
Especially not when Robb wasn’t around.
Back in their King’s Landing University days, this was their norm. All three of them crowded around the kitchen island running of caffeine and a dream. Robb’s abandoned laptop balancing on the top of the sofa cushions about to fall while he’s helping Theon glue pieces of wood together exclaiming at Jon to go catch it as Jon’s buried in 14 open tab’s on his laptop.
Or Theon would take over Robb’s whole desk with tracing paper, hundred of mini wooden models he would say he’s ‘finishing tomorrow’ but would cram it all the night before complaining architecture’s ruining his life.
Jon glanced back towards the hallway, noticing how quiet the rest of the apartment was, odd. Normally Theon brought all kind of racket with him.
“Oh. Hi.” Theon looked up, finally noticing him, quickly pulled one earphone out and placed his phone face down on the counter. “Didn’t hear you come in.”
Jon shrugged off his leather jacket and chucked it onto the island countertop placing his cardboard box of popcorn balancing on top.
For a moment none of them spoke. Jon opened the fridge staring into it, reliving himself with the cold condensation because of the 7 flights of stairs he had to climb up while half asleep.
The maintenance in their building wasn’t the best. The lift was usually out of commission every fortnight.
The intercom only worked when it felt like it and Jon had stopped reporting problems months ago.
Robb however refused to let it go.
“You’d think that if I’m paying this much rent, the bloody dishwasher would last longer than three weeks.” he’d mutter every time another email arrived from the building manager promising to ‘resolve the issue as soon as possible.’
“So…” he said eventually. “Where’s Robb?”
Theon’s grip tightened almost immediately around the bottle at the mention as his eyes widened looking down in sync almost like he feared Jon was about to interrogate him. But Jon had no reason to suspect that somewhere between adolescence and adulthood.That two people he trusted most had quietly fallen in love. Right? “In his room.”
Jon hummed. “Asleep?”
“Yes.” Theon said immediately not trying to let silence linger, feeling like Jon was waiting for him to crack. “He was tired.”
Jon shut the fridge. “You’ve been here long?”
“Couple of hours,” Theon shrugged easily. “Robb wanted to go bowling.” Which wasn’t really a lie.
new messages:
[16:26] robb : bowling tonight 11pm?
[16:27] robb : jon’s staying at edd’s :))
Robb had booked the lane, complained about Friday night prices and even spent ten minutes trying to convince Theon he’d go easy on him.
There’d been a plan. Robb finished work late at ten and Theon would arrive at the apartment to set off together. Inevitably ending the night over shit tv and greasy takeaway. Both things they hated but loved in each other’s presence
But they never made it out the apartment.
Robb had opened the door still dressed in his neatly ironed three piece suit he went to pick up this morning for the fundraiser Cat dragged him along too.
Now, his jacket had disappeared and the top two buttons of his shirt were undone. He’d rolled up the sleeves to his forearms and tie already loosened around his neck. Theon looked Robb up and down without even hiding it. He looked like he’d given up looking presentable, the facade that he let disappear when around Theon.
“You’re staring.” Robb raised an eyebrow.
"You look, so-much better now all, all worn out.” Comparing his presence now to the selfie Robb had sent him earlier. Theon let himself in closing the door behind, pulling Robb down by his already loose tie. Fuck. This suit was making him somehow extremely horny.
Robb smiled through hooded eyes. Backing Theon into the door, shutting him up as they both groaned into a kiss which Theon pulled away first, taking Robb’s bottom lip with him.
Their hands roamed over each others heated bodies. Lips and tongues meeting in passionate kisses
Robb’s hair had started to fall across his forehead after a long day, and there was something about the rolled up sleeves and loosened tie that made Theon forget what he was doing in the first place. Drowned god fuck.
Their lips met again. Theon wrapped his arms around the mans neck pulling him closer as humanly possible to deepen the kiss
Robb grinned into him now cupping Theons face to slip his tongue right in. “Mhh,” Robb moaned trying to catch Theons attention.
“I thought we had plans?” He pulled away from the kiss, panting before attaching himself back to leave bruising kisses down Theons neck. Theon couldn’t help but moan. It just felt too good to be true.
“It can wait five minutes.”
It lasted way longer than five minutes and somehow all their clothes ended up on the floor.
Then neither of them had been thinking about bowling anymore as soon as Robb was kissing down Theons chest.
Half the cupboards contained snacks Theon brought over, and he’d accumulated three hoodies that belonged to Robb but seemed to live permanently on the back of one of the dining chairs. Not to mention how Robb’s closet slowly transgressed to fit half of Theons wardrobe.
Jon glanced at the clock on the oven.
Nearly four am.
“It got late,” Theon said casually, noticing where Jon was looking. “Robb just said I should stay.”
Jon nodded. “Yeah. Fair enough.” He filled a glass with water before leaning against the opposite side of the island.
“Where’ve you been anyway?” Theon said,
wanting the conversation topic to change to anything but Robb.
“The cinema with Sam and Edd.”
“The new horror film?”
Jon groaned dramatically. “Don’t even get me started.” Spilling the rest of his water back into the sink and the cup into the dishwasher.
“Why was it that bad? I saw its supposed to hit two hundred million in the box office.”
“Edd spent the entire film pretending he wasn’t scared and then nearly launched his whole popcorn box into the row in front when someone slammed a door.”
A laugh escaped Theon which Jon swore he heard echo as he nearly choked on the handful of popcorn he took.
“And Sam was somehow even worse. He kept saying, ‘I know what’s going to happen,’ about five seconds before getting the actual life scared out of him.” He exclaimed.
Theon smiled into his water bottle.
“I wish I’d seen that.”
Before Jon could reply, a bedroom door clicked open down the hallway. Footsteps.
“Theon?”
Robb appeared keeping his eyes on the steps. Barefoot and grey joggers hanging low on his hips, hair sticking up in every direction like he’d just rolled out of bed. He scratched at the back of his neck and yawned as he walked into the kitchen.
“Theon? come back to-“ Robb said carelessly. Freezing when his eyes landed on Jon, widening as he stopped dead and realised they weren’t the only people in the apartment. Everything inside him froze.
Fuck.
Jon looked between them.
Robb blinked once. And then twice. “What- what are you doing home?” Forcing the most painfully smile imaginable trying to laugh his carelessness out of him. Swiping his finger over the corner of his lip.
Jon frowned. “What do you mean?” The line between his eyebrows visible
“I mean, i mean i thought…i.” he puffed. His mind racing at a thousand miles an hour unable to speak or think
Think. Think. Think.
“I thought you were staying at Edd’s.” He managed, pulling his hand from his curls at the back of his head and towards Jon. Patting down on his joggers afterwards.
Jon stared almost offended, “No? I literally texted you.”
“Are you sure did?” Robb squinted his eyes. Feeling very confident.
“Yes.” Jon reached into his back jean pocket, already pulling out his phone.
“I specifically said, ‘Don’t lock the door, I’m staying out late but I’ll be back.’” Like he engraved the text into him mind to recall later.
Jon unlocked it as he spoke, “Hang on. Scrolling through the chat.
“Look there-”
“Anyways,” Robb interrupted far too loudly. Before Jon could react, Robb leaned across the island and casually plucked the phone straight from his hand.
Jon blinked. “Did you just take my phone?”
“No.” Robb dead panned.
“You just did. Can I have my phone back?”
Jon narrowed his eyes as silence settled over the kitchen as he looked at Robb properly for the first time.
His hair was a mess.
His breathing was still slightly uneven and there was a faint flush creeping up the side of his neck joined with a faint red mark disappearing beneath the waistband of his joggers that Theon noticed immediately.
Please don’t look at his neck.
Jon looked directly at Robb’s neck. Theon nearly choked on his water as Robb shot him the quickest warning glance imaginable.
Don’t laugh. Theon bit the inside of his cheek.
Jon watched them exchange glances to each other silently like he was missing out on half a joke, almost feeling beat.
“Why what, what was that look?”
“What look?” Robb asked immediately straightening his posture folding his arms over his broad chest. “I didn’t give no look.”
“The one you just gave him.”
Keeping it from Jon wasn’t supposed to happen. The first week, they agreed to wait.
But then there was always another reason.
Another excuse, another ‘better time’.
Months slipped into a year and neither Robb nor Theon could bring themselves to be the one to tell him. They kept waiting for the ‘right moment’ . Never realising that the longer they waited, the more impossible that moment became.
Also part of Jon was also to blame, he hadn’t even realised or questioned a single thing. How they always went missing at the same time. If one of them left a room, the other usually wasn’t far behind. Always play wrestling in the middle of the stark living room or how they harmlessly played footsies under the table. Everyone else had noticed the pattern.
Everyone except Jon.
They weren’t exactly subtle either.
Jon would usually lay back onto the leather sofa in the living room headphones on, back towards the kitchen, barely inches away from the kitchen island where Robb normally had Theon pushed against with Jon’s back to them like he couldn’t turn around any second.
But that was the thrill, not knowing if you are ever getting caught which gave them both dopamine spikes and making them giggle for hours.
If you opened Robb’s closet half of it contained Theons clothes. Or how he would constantly be wearing one of Robb’s hoodies. Or how Theon would sleep on the sofa then magically appear in Robb’s bed in the morning while Jon creeped into his room for a pair of sock because he was too lazy to do his own laundry.
“And why are you all red?” Jon said confused, furrowing his eyebrows towards the visible red marks on Robb.
Both of them froze. Robb looked at Theon in desperation while he looked down at his water bottle, quietly taking a sip, traitor, trying to avoid eye contact so he doesn’t end up the same colour of his hair.
“I, uh,” Robb puffed. “I. Went to the, to the sauna,” He paused thinking, shit is there even one? “Yeah. The one downstairs. Detoxing and all that.” He laughed trying to lift suspicion clicking his tongue.
Robb knew he would be fucked if Jon realised the gym downstairs didn’t have a sauna. I think it’s Theons apartment that does, he thought. Oh wait, is it the one across the road?
Robb and Jon had both signed up for memberships the first day they moved in. Robb quit after a day because he dropped 30kg weight on his foot and cried, Jon insisted they stay on this grind together while giving a motivational speech which he embarrassed himself doing in public.
Since then Robb has been too ashamed to set foot back in their and settled for the gym across the road, whenever he actually feels like going.
“Whatever your a freak.” Jon sighed, clearly confused and irritated after his night. Robb handed his phone back as Jon disappeared back up the stairs into his room as he heard the bedroom door click. Then re open.
He walked back down the stairs, switching the big light on causing them all to groan and squint from the darkness they had forced themselves in as they all turned towards Jon.
“Smoke?” He raised his eyebrows hinting to the half empty cigarette packet in his hand which Theon who returned the gesture and lifted himself off the island chair, reaching for the lighter next to him.