There were two spare rooms.
Usually, that was easy. Felicia got the small one, Peter shared the bigger one with David. However, it was a little bit more complicated now. An extra mattress would not fit in Felicia's room, but Davids baby bed could. So, since David and Felicia in the same room was unlikely to work out, Peter suggested she shared the big room with Peter and let Robin sleep there, or the other way around. This plan would have worked if it weren't for Felicia, who insisted on sleeping in a room alone, saying she couldn't sleep with other people in the room. There was also no way they could fit an extra mattress and David's babybed in the same room, so they were kind of stuck.
Either way, Felicia was not going to give up her "privacy".
Larry entered the conversation, suggesting Robin could stay in his room. 'We're the same age after all.'
Peter did not exactly like that idea. 'No,' he said quickly. 'He will sleep in my bed.'
'And where are you going to sleep?' John, who was secretly laughing his arse off, asked.
'Uh... in your room?' Peter smiled awkwardly.
John sighed theatrically. Just like Felicia, he preferred to sleep alone.
'What? You're my best friend, and we all know you're touch-deprived,' Peter teased him. 'Do you want to cuddle? Or would you rather do big spoon- small spoon?'
'Oh, get stuffed, you,' John said, throwing his teaspoon at Peter, his face red.
'You have always been the only one who could make this big boy embarassed, Peter,' John's mother laughed. 'It's good to have you back.'
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And so it went. Peter dragged a mattress to John's room. 'You sure you don't want to cuddle?' That got him hit on his head by a pillow.
When they were all tucked in, Peter stared at the ceiling. 'Remember our first sleepover like this?'
'Oh, reckon. You were practically mute at first, but at the end you got so loud that ma told you to shut it. You felt so bad about that.'
'Right.' Peter chuckled. 'I lost count of how many times I slept over here years ago. It feels like home.'
'Yeah, you should come more often, mate. I bloody miss ya. Take some weekends off, help me out at the ranch.'
'You sound lonely,' Peter said. 'When I'm back in Melbourne, I'll make sure to look around and see if there's any nice, single ladies around your age. I still owe you one for sending Robin to me.'
'I don't want no city girl,' John stated.
'Then what? A city boy? A country girl? A country boy?'
'Nun-of-m. I'm just here with my ma and I got my pal right here, that's all a man needs.'
'Speak for yourself,' Peter said. 'But sure, whatever shoe fits you. How about that new recruit of yours, though?'
'No,' John said sternly. 'Unlike someone else, I don't fall for my employees.'
'Oof, that's shady, mate. Robin is not exactly an employee though. Well, he is, but we changed the contract because we became friends.'
'Whatever, mate. He's also twelve years younger than me. Just, no.'
'So you're gonna stay a bachelor forever?'
'Pete, we've talked this through. Hell yeah. WE were going to be bachelors forever, till you met Leah and bailed on me. And now you're bailing on me again.'
'Aww,' Peter laughed. 'Well, we don't know how it's going to unfold, right? Maybe it won't work. Maybe, he doesn't like me at all.'
'Yeah, sure. Even Felicia sees it.'
'Sleeping in the same bed isn't proof,' Peter protested. 'There are tons of reasons why you can do that. Loneliness, for example.'
'Ah, give up, will ya? I'm not sharing my bed with anyone. Not with you, not with some city girl or country boy. It's mine.'
Peter laughed. 'Alright, I get it. Enjoy your bachelor life, mate. I'm with you. And if you feel lonely, you can always hit me up. That's what friends are for, right.'
'Hm.' John turned his back to Peter.
'Are you mad at me?'
'No.'
'I think you are though.'
'Knock yourself out,' John grumbled. 'I don't think this convo works.'
Chuckling, Peter followed his advice and turned to his side. 'Night, John.'
'Hm.' John was always under within five minutes. Surprisingly, it didn't take Peter long to fall asleep as well.
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My favourite trope after hurt-comfort is friends-to-lovers, but these two friends have the most beautiful platonic bond I've ever seen.
Lately, I've gotten into rock music more. I feel like that's one hundred percent the kind of music John would listen to.