Work Text:
Gavin gets caught red handed in the middle of pushing his bed next to Michael's when somebody walks into the room.
The footsteps stop by the door and, after a few beats, Michael says “Gavin.” in a warning tone. “Put your fucking bed back right now.”
He'd hoped Michael wouldn't notice the difference in the room. Well no, Michael was always going to notice an extra bed attached onto the side of his one, but Gavin had hoped he'd let it slide.
He quickly gives the bed another hard shove, Michael's “Gavin.” being lost in the sound of wood scraping against wood, until his and Michael's beds are flush together.
He spins around to give Michael an innocent smile, stuffing his sweaty hands into his pockets. “Boi.” he greets happily.
Michael doesn't look impressed. “Put it back.”
“Put what back?” Gavin takes a step away from the offending beds but freezes when Michael mirrors him, body tensing up.
“Move you're fucking bed back, Gavin.” Michael repeats. When he steps forward Gavin steps back in panic, arms stretching out to defend his beds position.
“It's fine where it is.” Gavin argues, planting his feet on the floor more firmly.
“It's not fine, you little shit head. Move it back.” Michael let's out a frustrated noise when Gavin shakes his head stubbornly. “Gavin, your bed is meant to be for you and mine is supposed to be for me. They're not meant to be one big happy fucking mattress family.”
“But Michael.” Gavin protests. Michael ignores him in favour of storming over and shoving Gavin out of the way.
Gavin let's out an indigent squawk and tries to stop Michael from moving the beds, but in the end he only succeeds in clinging onto Michael's back as he pushes them apart again.
“Michael no,” Gavin begs, fingers digging into Michael's jacket tightly. “I want to sleep next to you.”
“You're still next to me.” Michael argues, shrugging him off forcefully. Gavin lands in a heap on the floor and can't bring himself to move from his sprawled position, choosing to watch mournfully as Michael manoeuvres his bed even further away then it was to begin with.
“It's not the same.” Gavin complains.
Michael turns to look at him in annoyance. “You sleep here,” he gestures to Gavin's bed, a single wooden frame covered in a mound of blankets. “And I sleep next to you. Over there.”
Michael's bed is big and luxurious, full of pillows and furs, with four posters and hanging drapes. It's got a thick duvet full of the finest chicken feathers - well, the ones Geoff had been willing to part with anyway - and it smells like wild flowers. Like Michael.
None of these reasons are why Gavin wants to sleep in it, they're just bonuses. The most important thing about Michael's bed is that Michael is in it.
“Michael, we're married Michael. We shouldn't be so far apart.” Gavin says sadly, eyeing the space between their beds and feeling something in him shrivel in dispair.
“I'll divorce you if you don't stop fucking whining.” Michael snaps. Then, gentler, “look, we're still next to each other, okay? If you really want to cuddle with someone then go sleep in Jeremy's bed.”
Jeremy's bed is pushed in the far corner of their room. It's a nice bed, all thick quilt and soft pillows, but Gavin doesn't want Jeremy. He wants his Michael.
A hand shoves itself into his face and Gavin considers biting it just to show Michael how upset he is. Michael would probably throw him off the roof for that though, and Gavin doesn't want a serious fight.
He let's himself be pulled up and steered out of the bedroom, glancing over his shoulder mournfully at the distance between their beds.
Michael slams the door shut behind them.
Gavin calls Ryan over to the lad den after the storage system mysteriously breaks and slips his miniaturised bed into Ryan's pocket before he leaves. Ryan notices instantly of course, but chooses to raise an amused eyebrow at Gavin instead of saying anything.
The rest of the day goes by normally and Gavin feels pleased at his own genius.
Jeremy had given him a are you fucking kidding me look when he'd come into their room earlier.
Gavin had been lounging amongst Michael's sheets, idly reading a book on elemental magic and purposefully ignoring the Gavin bed shaped hole in their room. Jeremy's look had only increased at Gavin's innocent smile, the new emptiness being very apparent in the clutter of their room.
“I'm not dealing with you when he finds out.” Jeremy warns him. “And you can't sleep in my bed when he kicks you out.” Gavin just keeps smiling, cheeks aching and laughter bubbling in his chest, offering a cheeky wave as Jeremy walks back out.
Gavin's dozing off when Micheal finally walks in, a loud “You've got to be fucking kidding me.” making him open his eyes. Michael is stood in the doorway, damp hair curling from his shower, and he's staring at Gavin with the most unimpressed look Gavin's ever seen.
“Michael, my lovely little husband.” Gavin greets in a scratchy voice. “Come to bed.” He pats the space next to him invitingly.
“Gavin, I will count to fucking five, and by the time I reach five you best be out of my sheets, or I swear to god.” Michael tells him in a flat voice.
“Michael, no.” Gavin complains, pushing himself up into a sitting position.
“One,”
“Please let me stay here Michael,” Gavin begs.
“Two,”
“I won't be a bother, I promise. I'll stay on my side.”
“Three,” Michael starts to walk over, hands clenching into fists by his side.
“Michael, please Michael, be reasonable.” Gavin tries to make his eyes big and sad, but Michael's never been affected by his puppy face.
“Four,” Michael's reached the bed now and Gavin grabs a pillow and holds it in front of him as a shield. “Don't make me get to five, Gavin, or I swear to god.”
Gavin refuses to move.
“Five." Michael gives him a hard look and Gavin juts his jaw in return, stubbornly staying put. "Right, get out you fucking piece of shit.” Michael lunges for him then and Gavin let's out a shout, flinging the pillow in his hand about and hitting Michael with it.
A small scuffle happens, Gavin flailing about and hitting Michael with the pillow whilst Michael tries to dodge the attacks and forcibly remove Gavin from his bed.
Gavin has the upper hand for about two seconds before Michael somehow manages to twist his arm behind his back and shove him onto the floor. The pillow is snatched back from him and Gavin can hear the springs of Michael's mattress shift as he climbs onto it.
Gavin pushes himself up and sits cross legged next to the bed. “I don't have anywhere to sleep.” Gavin points out in a last ditch attempt, arms gesturing wildly to where his bed is missing. “Please let me stay here for just one night.”
“No, Gavin.” Michael measures him with an unimpressed look. “You got rid of your bed. I don't need to suffer because of it.”
“I didn't get rid of it, Michael.” Gavin tells him in his most sincere tone. “It must have been stolen.”
Michael snorts at that and Gavin tries not to let his lips twitch in return. “Stolen, huh? Shame they didn't take the shitty DDR machine with them.”
“It's not shitty.” Gavin protests, pushing himself up onto his feet. Michael doesn't respond, instead climbing under his sheets.
Gavin hovers next to Michael's bed with a pout. “Where am I supposed to sleep if you won't let me stay with you then?”
Michael fluffs up a pillow and tugs a fur blanket over him. “Go sleep with Jeremy.”
“Nope.” Jeremy shouts from the other room. “My bed is a no-Gav zone.”
“Hear hear.” Michael calls back.
Gavin shifts on his feet, unsure what to do next. He never considered the possibility of Michael not letting him sleep in his bed when Gavin's was missing. “Michael, you can't make your husband sleep on the floor.”
Michael groans and shuts the drapes to his bed without even a goodnight, blocking Gavin out.
After waiting around for ten minutes, letting out loud complaints and dramatic sighs, he summarises that Michael isn't going to let him sleep with him.
He walks out of the room and collapses onto the sofa next to Jeremy with a defeated groan.
“No luck, huh?” Jeremy sounds amused and Gavin groans even louder, draping himself across Jeremy's lap.
“Gavin,” Jeremy complains. He doesn't push him off though, just ruffles his hair and let's his hand rest there. “There's a whole sofa to lay on, you clingy thing.”
“My husband is making me sleep on the sofa when I've done nothing wrong. I think I deserve a hug.” Gavin shifts so that he can see the TV.
“You got rid of your bed and we all know it. Go grab it in the morning so you don't need to sleep out here again.” Jeremy flicks his forehead and Gavin gives a dramatic sigh.
“Jeremy, can't I sleep in your bed just for tonight, Jeremy?” Gavin asks after Jeremy finally turns the TV off and gets up.
“I did warn you.” Jeremy reaches down to ruffle his hair again. “Your stupid actions deserve stupid consequences. Night, Gav.”
Gavin sighs again as he's left alone in darkness of the living room.
In the morning he wakes up to a familiar bear skin thrown over him and a pillow that smells of flowers under his head. His coos of “Michael I knew you loved me really.” are met with loud scoffs and half hearted insults about how Gavin may be a child, but Michael is the mature one in their relationship and he couldn't let his stupid husband sleep on the sofa without a blanket.
When Gavin goes back into the bedroom to grab a change of clothes there's three signs hanging above the beds (and the gap where his is meant to be). He hates the Gavin Bed sign the most and glares at it harshly, his heart twisting in his chest.
Gavin tags along with Ryan on his next delivery to Geoff. At first Geoff complains about Gavin invading his fresh start, but neither of them have an easy way back when Ryan teleports away, so he relents his complaints and gives Gavin the grand tour instead.
“Don't you miss home?” Gavin asks him after Geoff shows off his pride and joy: a blue chicken called Millicent. “Isn't it lonely?”
“I like my solitude. You assholes can't mess my shit up if I'm here.” Geoff cracks open a soda and starts to down it as he leans back on his chair.
“I miss you, though.” Gavin tells him honestly. He sits down on the dirt next to Geoff’s chair and feels the sun beat down upon them, accepting the cool bottle Geoff passes him.
It's hotter here than at the base and it feels odd to go from high tech computers and generators to nothing but grass and trees.
“I'll be back one day.” Geoff tells him, reaching into the coolbox Gavin had gifted him to grab another soda. “I just need a break from you idiots.”
They sit in silence for a while and Gavin appreciates the calmness of this small island. Back at the base things are nonstop, somebody always creating something and the anguished moans of Jeremy's blood alter echoing around their world. It's quiet here, though, with no buzzing generators or clicking of magic in the air. Gavin can see why Geoff likes it, but he thinks he'd grow bored if he were to follow suit.
“How's married life treating you?” Geoff asks, taking his straw hat off and putting it on Gavin’s own head.
“It's okay.” Gavin tells him honestly. He enjoys being married to Michael, likes the way Michael will jump to his defence without a thought and give him soft smiles in the privacy of their den and playful shoves whilst they're working. He likes the thought of having Michael be his forever. “It's good.”
“But?” Geoff glances down at him with a frown.
Gavin squirms under his gaze, refusing to meet Geoff's eyes and staring at his shoulder instead. He's never been able to lie to Geoff and the other man has always read him like a book.
“He won't share a bed with me.” Gavin admits, feeling nervous. Part of him is worried Geoff will laugh at him and call him a baby, and the other part is worried he won't have any answers for Gavin at all.
Geoff let's out a thoughtful hum. “Maybe he's worried you'll want more.”
“But I don't.” Gavin protests instantly. “I don't want anything more then he's willing to give. I just want to sleep next to him like a real married couple. I want him to smile at me before I go to sleep and I want to be woken up by him every morning. I want to share the same space at him.”
Geoff gives a small laugh. “You're such a sap, Gav. Have you told Michael any of this?”
He hadn't thought he needed too. “No.” he admits, feeling stupid.
“Start with that then, you idiot.” Geoff pushes himself out of his chair. “Anyway, if you're insistent on staying here, you can at least be useful and help me harvest some leaves.”
Gavin doesn't like sleeping alone. He never has and doesn't think he ever will. His thoughts get too loud and he feels cold and alone.
It reminds him of the time before he met the people he calls his family, before they all landed on that stupid tree, when it was nothing but Gavin and the stars and the endless waiting.
He's a tactile person by nature and nobody had ever seemed to mind him clinging off them or following them around like a second shadow. It wasn't until after he and Michael got married that he was denied the small comfort of a hug at night.
Before the wedding they all used to sleep under the stars and he hadn't had to crawl into anyone's bed as they were always within reach.
It's weird sleeping alone now in his big empty bed. He shifts onto his side so he can stare at where Michael is asleep.
Didn't Michael feel lonely as well?
He craves the closeness of someone else next to him, missing the days before beds and rooms and space between them all.
Both Jack and Ryan have beds in the lad den now and, although cramped, they all fit in here nicely.
Gavin still feels alone in a way that makes his chest ache.
Gavin changes the sign above his bed to read Gavin Naughty Bed as sleeping there feels like a punishment.
Michael's dragon is large and a bit scary, but Michael assures him it won't hurt anyone. That it won't hurt him.
Ryan and Jack are flying about on their own dragons in the distance and Gavin thinks Geoff had the right idea by leaving. The latest dragon production project had been going on for months and Gavin is sick of seeing the big beasts everywhere.
Just this morning he'd come to check up on his solar panels to see Lindsay looking guilty, her own blue dragon by her side and his latest panels crushed.
“She didn't mean to do it.” Lindsay had told him worriedly. “She says sorry.”
Gavin doubts that the dragon is sorry, but he had chosen not to say anything in favour of fixing his solar panels.
“Michael, does that thing really need to be here?” Gavin asks, feeling annoyed and irritable. He hasn't been sleeping well lately and its shortened his patience with things like bloody dragons.
Michael laughs, loud and bright, and jumps off its back. “Of course she does, she's my baby.”
A petulant part of Gavin wants to point out that Gavin was also meant to be Michael's baby. He's not jealous of a dragon though. Not at all.
“Michael, one of those things has already ruined my solar panels today. They're too big to be around delicate objects.” Gavin grabs another mirror and lays it down on top of the last, magic sparking from his fingertips to fuse them together.
“She won't ruin anything.” Michael dismisses. He plops himself down next to Gavin, their shoulders brushing together.
“She bloody might.” Gavin mutters, but let's it drop. He'll just have to accept that he lives surrounded by beasts now. Maybe he'll have to build his solar panels a shelter to protect them.
“You're moody today.” Michael observes, nudging Gavin's knee with his own. “What's up with you, husband of mine?”
“Nothing.” Gavin snaps.
“Sure.” Michael agrees easily. “Any way I can help?”
“You can always let me sleep in your bed.” Gavin let's slip without thought.
There goes being subtle.
“Christ, Gav, this again? You have your own fucking bed, you don't need mine.” Michael doesn't sound annoyed this time, just exasperated.
“But Michael, we're married Michael.” Gavin stresses, abandoning his solar to stare at Michael. The other man stares back with confusion written all over his face.
“I know we are, dipshit. I still don't see why you need to sleep in my bed though.”
Because, Gavin wants to say, I'm lonely and I can't sleep and I love you and I want to exist next to you until the end of time.
Because that's what husbands are meant to do.
Because you mean everything to me and the thought of sleeping in the same bed as you makes it easier to breathe.
“Because,” Gavin says. He can't make the words come out and they stick in his throat, choking him. “It's the right thing to do.” he finishes lamely.
Michael doesn't look impressed with that answer and Gavin turns away, embarrassed, going back to his solar.
They don't speak about it again and Michael leaves shortly after.
Michael makes him a new bed.
It's big with blue cotton sheets and one of Michael's bear skins thrown over it. Michael brags that he handpicked the chicken feathers for the quilt and pillows, no Geoff being there to stop him. It takes up too much space in their crowded room but nobody complains.
The sight of it makes Gavin feel sick.
He thanks Michael in a strained voice, not wanting to seem ungrateful, and avoids climbing into it until he can't keep himself up any longer.
The drapes fall shut and cocoon him in darkness. The sound of the others shifting about is cut off and the only thing he can hear is his labored breathing.
His sleeping pattern gets worse after that, the new bed feeling emptier than his last.
The only comfort he gets comes from wrapping himself up in the bear skin that smells like botanical flowers.
“You look like shit.” Jack tells him a week later.
Gavin flips him off from where he's perched on top of Ryan's generator. It's raining heavily but everybody's too lazy to fly over to the fishing jamboree and grab the rain shield.
Gavin thinks the rain is very fitting for his bad mood anyway.
“No, seriously Gav. You look like crap. What's up?” Jack flys closer to him until they're face to face.
“I'm fine.” Gavin tells him.
Jack frowns.
“I'm not sleeping well.” Gavin corrects, fingers twisting in his scarf. He feels embarrassed admitting to it, but he knows Jack won't mock him.
“Want me to ask Ryan for a sleeping potion?” Jack asks in a concerned voice.
Gavin shakes his head no. He doesn't want potions to be able to sleep. “It'll be fine.”
Jack frowns again.
“Want me to speak to Michael?” he asks in a more delicate to tone.
“Michael doesnt care.” Gavin says moursouly. The rain gets heavier at this statement and Jacks concern seems to grow.
“Michael does care.” Jack tells him, eyes soft and voice firm.
Deep down Gavin knows that it's true. He knows that Michael cares about him really, but he just doesn't understand why they can't share a bed.
Gavin might be overly clingy but he'd happily sleep on the bottom of the bed, giving Michael the space he so obviously wants, if it meant he could be near him.
He's been avoiding Michael the past couple of days and misses him.
It feels too awkward to hang around him though, especially after Michael had once again dragged Gavin from his bed and dumped him back onto his own one. They'd had an argument about it which had only ended when Jeremy threatened to use them as blood bags if they didn't shut up.
“Want to help me with these chance cubes?” Jack changes the subject, not waiting for Gavin to reply before grabbing his hand and pulling him off the generator.
He has to physically drag Gavin over to his designated solar system site, but after a few hours of moping about, Gavin starts to enjoy building up the cubes and smashing them apart.
A glass dome full of flowers and trees appears and Jack let's him keep it for his own, telling him that it can be a dragon free space for him.
The rain stops after a while and the inside of the dome heats up pleasantly under the sun.
Gavin finds himself dozing off in the soft grass to the sounds of Jack working.
He changes the sign above Michael's bed to read Gavin and Michael bed after he comes back from visiting Geoff again.
Michael watches him do it in silence.
That night it's changed back to Michael bed and Gavin's own bed has been shoved further away.
He rips down the sign the next afternoon and writes Gavin and Michael happy bed in protest.
Michael curses when he sees it and rips open the closed drapes to reveal where Gavin has hidden himself amongst his sheets.
“Stop it.” Michael tells him sternly. Gavin petulantly starfishes across the bed.
“Gavin, I swear to god I will ban you from the lad den.” Michael grabs onto his legs and starts to pull him off.
Gavin can hear Jeremy laugh from where he's lounging on his own bed and, when he tries to twist out of Michael's hold he sees Jack pop his head in to see what the commotion is.
“Michael, please.” Gavin begs, grabbing fistfuls of Michael's quilt and dragging it down to the floor with him. “Let me stay with you. I promise I'll be good.”
Michael looks down at him with a frown. “Not until you tell me why you feel the need to sleep in my bed instead of your own.”
Gavin hates words and how they never leave his mouth correctly. “I need you.” Gavin tries to explain, face flushing.
“Christ,” Jack says, ducking back out of the room. “I don't want to hear this.”
“Me neither, you kinky fucks.” Jeremy jumps off his own bed to follow Jack and shuts the door behind him, leaving Gavin and Michael in an awkward silence.
“Gavin,” Michael starts, looking uncomfortable. “Look-”
“No, not like that.” Gavin scrambles to get up, putting him and Michael at eye level even though he struggles to meet the other man's eyes. “I want you. At night, ” which probably sounds worse. Gavin is mortified.
“No.” Gavin continues hurriedly. “Like, I just need your company. You. Next to me. That's all I want.”
Michaels eyebrows pull together. “You honestly just want to sleep next to me?”
Gavin nods, feeling shy and embarrassed. He drops his gaze down to his feet.
“Why can't you sleep next to me in your own bed?” Michael asks. He nudges Gavin's foot with his own when Gavin doesn't answer. “Don't ignore me, idiot. Why do you need to be in my bed?”
“Because,” Gavin starts nervously. “I can't sleep on my own.”
After a beat, Michael's fingers gently tilt his head up until Gavin is staring him in the eye. He raises an eyebrow, knowing there's more to what Gavin is saying. Listening, even though Gavin keeps messing things up.
“I get scared." he starts, licking his lips nervously and trying to force his thoughts to make sense. "You make me not scared. I,” he hesitates, staring at Michael's closed off expression. “Uh. Michael, I love you Michael, and I just want to be around you. You're my boi.”
Michaels lips twitch up at that, a fond smile spreading across his face. Gavin gives a shy smile in return, heart pounding in his chest.
“You're an idiot.” Michael says in a kind tone. And then, "I love you too.”
Gavin wants to melt slightly, and he must a bit, because Michael reaches out to pull him into a hug.
“You'll behave then?” Michael asks, fingers tugging playfully on Gavin's hair.
“Of course.” Gavin agrees, voice muffled in Michael's shoulder. He's not too sure what he's saying yes to.
Michael pulls back from the hug and nudges him to one side, grabbing the sign off the wall.
“You promise?” Michael checks, pulling a pen out of his pocket.
Gavin nods, not trusting himself to speak, eyes wide and fixed on what the other man is doing. Michael nods back solemnly before flipping the sign over to the blank side and starting to write on it.
Gavin can't control the excited squeal that escapes his mouth when Michael hangs the sign back up. Michael bed. Sometimes Gav bed if he's good.
“Michael,” he cries, delighted. He feels like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders and he jumps onto Michael, legs circling his waist and arms tight around his neck. “Thank you so much, my lovely Michael.”
“Yeah yeah.” Michael hugs him back, arms warm and firm and so, so nice, spinning them around with a laugh.
“Aww.” Ryan coos from the door. Gavin shoots him a big smile over Michels shoulder, legs tightening round Michael's waist so he can lean back and gesture to the sign.
“Ryan look! It's our bed now.” Ryan smiles back, being shoved further into the room by Jeremy.
“Oh wow, finally.” Jeremy says. “I'm very happy for you both.”
“Me too.” Ryan agrees. “Hopefully Gavin’s negative attitude will stop making it rain all the time.”
“That'd be a nice change. I was starting to worry I'd never see the sun again.” Jack chimes in from the kitchen. “My plants were starting to drown.”
“I'm arguably witnessing the second most happiest moment of your lifes.” Jeremy coos. “Geoff is gonna be so mad he missed the wedding and this.”
Gavin slides off Michael with a laugh but can't help pulling him back in for another hug, something relieved and bright flowing through him. “Thank you so much.”
“Remember, you're only allowed to sleep here if you're good, Gav.” Michael jokes, arms tightening around Gavin's waist. “Any bad behaviour and you'll be back on the naughty bed.”
“I promise I'll be good.” Gavin tightens his arms around Michael's neck in return. "I swear it."
When Gavin wakes up the next morning he feels warm and soft. Michael's arm is resting heavily over his waist and his hot breaths hit the back of Gavin’s neck, ruffling his hair.
Gavin's other bed stays empty for a few more weeks before Geoff suddenly returns, moaning and kicking up a storm about all of the changes. He claims the bed as his own and the signs take another change, Geoff bed nobody else allowed appearing above it and Gavin naughty bed being placed next to the sofa
A small part of Gavin is worried that Michael will actually make him sleep on the sofa, but Michael never makes him leave, even when Gavin is being extra annoying.
Instead, Michael seems more than happy to climb into bed alongside Gavin or shift over to make room for him. He lets out complaints when the others are watching, shoving Gavin onto ‘his side’ of the bed, but gives him gentle smiles when the drapes shut over them and pulls himself closer to Gavin.
Gavin and Michael happy bed reappears on the sign and this time around Michael just gives him a stupid smile.