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like someone who knows everything about you

Summary:

“Just so we're clear, I'm not cuddling with you at night," Win declares before Dean has finished setting his suitcase on the floor.

Dean looks up at him, completely unfazed. “Okay.”

Best friendship, Dean and Win-style: The London edition.

Notes:

Hemp Rope Festival prompt: Long-Distance Relationship

Among the many, many, many things that UWMA does so beautifully is to give us amazing and real friendships, and I love Dean and Win’s.

Thank you to Kiranokira for the proofread, comments, and unending and enthusiastic love of WinTeam.

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Work Text:

“Just so we're clear, I'm not cuddling with you at night," Win declares before Dean has finished setting his suitcase on the floor.

Dean looks up at him, completely unfazed. “Okay.”

It’s… Dean. Win didn’t realize just how much he's missed him, and he feels a wave of homesickness that leaves a scratch at the back of his throat. He coughs and continues, “I can be so many things for you, but I can't be Pharm.”

Dean looks him up and down, one eyebrow and one side of his mouth lifting in a matching set. "You really can't."

"I just had to set ground rules since this is probably the longest you two have been apart since forever and distance sucks."

The 'believe me, I know' is left unsaid not because they both don't know, but having Dean here was making the ache of missing Team more acute than Win expected, and he's not sure he won't start crying.

And they both know there's only one person whose tears don't make Dean look like he's trying to find the closest exit -- and it's not Win.

“But if you need a hug, I can crouch down.”

It's as see-through as air, and Dean calls him an asshole as he gives him a hug.

“Still not cuddling you," Win says, a few rebellious tears escaping and landing on Dean's shoulder.

“Thanks for your restraint."

---

Dean's visit is comfortable, lowkey, and familiar.

Win takes Dean to some of his favorite spots -- but not all of them. He saves the best for when Team visits. Dean teases him about it, and he gets a text later from Team saying he's happy Dean isn't getting "the boyfriend experience." Win sends back a terrified emoji and "that's for you alone, baby."

They have a couple of races in the pool in Win's building for old time’s sake.

By unspoken agreement, they go into separate rooms to FaceTime with Team and Pharm.

Most days, he and Team talk until Team falls asleep. Win watches how Team's eyelashes flutter and his eyes shut, and he feels every millimeter of the distance between them. Some nights they do more, and although it wouldn't be the first time Win's jerked off with his best friend in the next room (or in the same room, if he’s being honest) Team put his foot down on phone sex while Dean was visiting.

"What if he tells Pharm that's what we're doing?" Team said the night before Dean arrived.

"How do you know they won't be doing it too?" Win asked.

Team's laughter turned into wide-eyed disbelief when he realized Win was serious.

"Do you think --" Win had seen the path Team's thoughts were taking, and if he didn't divert them, he was going to have to wait more than a week for the opportunity to watch the flush bloom across Team's chest and neck and face as he touched himself.

"No," he'd said, licking at his lip. "Is that my shirt?"

So when, on the fourth day Dean is there, Team falls asleep within minutes and he can hear a low rumble of Dean's voice, Win decides to court trouble and walk out into the living room and catch the tail end of Dean’s call.

Oooh what are you two doing?” he asks, leaning down over Dean’s shoulder and looking at Dean's phone.

Dean gives him a sidelong glance while Pharm smiles from the screen and waves. “Hi, P’Win!"

"Hi, Pharm," Win says. "I'm taking good care of your Dean."

"Thank you." He gives Win a small wai before looking moonily back at Dean. "I know you are."

He doesn't miss the way the top of Dean’s ear turns pink. He claps his shoulder. "I'll leave you two now or else he's going to be grumpy the rest of his time here."

Pharm laughs and as Win walks toward the kitchen he can hear Pharm talk about a test and the cooking club and when he looks back he sees the smile on Dean's face. They really are perfect for one another.

"You two are sweeter than one of Pharm's desserts. Don't you ever talk dirty?" Win asks after Dean's hung up the phone.

"You were about five minutes too late," Dean says with such a straight face that Win isn't sure if he's lying or not.

Win is sure that he's going to put on his best pout to beg for at least a peek of nipple when he talks to Team next.

Which isn't the next day.

Win wakes up to a text from Team about a test he has to study for so he's going to be unavailable, and after almost twenty-four hours of no communication with Team, it's Win's turn to be the grumpy one.

"Come on," Dean says, wrapping his hand around Win’s bicep and practically dragging him out the door. "I'm leaving soon and there's still stuff to do."

“Why do we have to go now?” Win asks, seriously contemplating digging his heels in.

“Because.”

"That's not an answer. Where's gentle Dean? I know you don't treat your boyfriend like this." Win allows Dean to pull him along down the hallway to the elevator.

"You're not my boyfriend." Dean retrieves his phone from his pocket.

"Something I'm very happy for."

"And you spent all day yesterday pouting,” Dean says as they ride the elevator to the lobby. "You need to be outside, you'll feel better and we need to wait for a cab."

Win wants to argue that he doesn't and won't -- Dean gets to see and touch Pharm in a couple of days, so not talking to him for one day isn't as big of a deal. He wants to say that they can just walk to wherever it is they're going.

And then there's a cab and there's Pharm slinging his yellow backpack over one shoulder and from the other side of the cab there's Team. His Team. His Team who looks tired and wrinkled and wonderfully real.

"Hia." Team's voice is noticeably watery and Win has Team wrapped up in his arms before either of them can say anything else.

Win has questions, but his priority is to kiss Team breathless first, and then interrogate his boyfriend second. He's vaguely aware of Dean and Pharm, the familiar pitch of their voices makes its way to his ear, as does Pharm's "P'Dean" mixed with a laugh.

"How are you here?" Win asks, pushing hair off of Team's forehead.

Team's arms tighten around his waist and he smiles at Win. Win can only imagine what his face looks like. "P'Dean thought you needed something to cuddle."

"He--" Win looks over at Dean, who's wearing a smug grin, his arm wrapped around Pharm's shoulder.

"Since you didn't want me." Dean tilts his head towards Pharm. "We have a hotel room. I'll call before I come to pick up my suitcase."

Notes:

I’m not always a linear writer, but Win letting Dean know he was getting no cuddles was the first thing that came to mind, and it kicked off the whole story. Said line was also inspired by a conversation I had with a friend in college, except he did accidentally cuddle me. Thanks for that, N. We'll always have New Haven.