Room for Three

“Do you love him?”

Vic sighed heavily, standing outside the door to his apartment. He wasn’t ready to go inside yet, knowing his demeanor would alarm the two other men. He just needed a moment to breathe and stop the pricking behind his eyes.

“Austin, I barely know the guy. It’s probably just a stupid crush!”

Once Vic calmed himself down enough, he reached for the doorknob and let himself in. The door was unlocked; Austin probably figured Vic would forget his keys again. And how correct that assumption was. It was only on his way back from work that he realized he didn’t have his keys.

“A crush, Vic? The last time you had a ‘stupid crush’, you left your boyfriend for me.”

As Vic let the door swing into the doorjamb, he noticed Oli sitting on the couch. Austin stood above him, arms up in defense. His entire body language gave off a bad vibe that Vic didn’t like. They had yet to look up at the long-haired man. Vic shut the door.

“I’m not going to leave you for Oli.”

Austin crossed his arms over his chest. “Oli wants to leave us,” he growled without meeting Vic’s desperate stare.

And there was nothing to stop the oldest male from breaking down. Both men looked over at their shortest lover, immediately going over to console him.

“Oh baby, what’s wrong?” Austin asked, quickly wiping the tears, and random flecks of glitter, from Vic’s face.

Oli carefully tugged on Vic’s hand, leading the two other men back to the couch. He sat down and pulled Vic onto his lap. “Sweetheart….” He went to run his fingers through Vic’s silky locks, but they got tangled, roughly tugging his head back.

“Ow!” Vic whined, hand going to rub his tweaked neck.

“What is in your hair?”

“They dumped Elmer’s glue into it to see what it would do.”

Austin’s nimble fingers went to remove the dress shirt Vic was wearing. “What’s on your chest and arms?”

“Permanent marker!” Vic cried.

“And in your belly button?”

“Melted crayons!”

“How the hell did third graders melt wax?” asked Oli, pressing his lips to Vic’s glittery forehead lightly.

Vic sniffled. “I don’t know.”

Austin reached for a tissue from the coffee table and dabbed at Vic’s cheeks.

“I’ve never had an issue with those kids. Until today,” he sobbed.

Austin practically climbed into Oli’s lap so he could hug the broken boy. “Well you’re home now. With us.”

That seemed to break Vic’s heart even more. “But you said Oli wanted to leave us,” he sobbed to Austin, then turned his attention to Oli. “You want to leave us. But you can’t. I need you.”

“I know, baby. And I’m not leaving you. I was just mad and said some things I didn’t mean.”

Vic wrapped his arms around the Brit’s neck. “Good. Because I need you,” he whispered.

Oli kissed his glittery forehead again. “I know baby. I know. Why don’t we get you cleaned up? How does that sound?”

“That sounds good. Then I need to snuggle with you guys.”

“Absolutely, sweetheart,” Austin agreed. “We can snuggle and order take-out if you want, too.” He stood up, reaching out for Vic’s hand.

The two youngest men managed to get Vic to their bathroom and stripped of his clothes. The tallest man comforted their broken boyfriend as Oli drew the bath. Then all three settled into the hot water, Vic leaning back against Oli, with Austin in between his tan legs. Oli set to work gently cleaning the glue from Vic hair, while Austin scrubbed at the permanent marker.

Vic’s head lulled back against Oli’s shoulder as long fingers massaged at his scalp. “I love you, Oliver,” he whispered up at him.

The grin that stretched across Oli’s face said it all. “I love you too, baby.”

Vic looked over at Austin, tan fingers curling around his thigh. “I love you, Aus.”

He smiled. “I love you too, darling.”

Once they had managed to clean and rinse Vic, Austin went to get some clean boxers and sweatpants. Oli gently toweled the short man dry, kissing the dry skin lightly.

“So what happened with the kids today?” the younger man asked softly.

“I don’t know. I just know that they were so much worse than normal. And I was stressed because of the tension between you and Austin. So whatever they did, it seemed a thousand times worse. I just couldn’t handle it and freaked out.”

Oli pressed his chest to the shorter man’s. He reached up and cupped Vic’s face before kissing him.

Austin came back in as they were kissing, a pang of jealousy flaring through him. He felt that he was always second best to Oli in Vic’s eyes. Even though they had been together for a little over a year before Oli was invited into their lives, it always seemed like he had to fight Oliver for the oldest man’s attention. Austin hated the Brit, because now Vic wasn’t just his boyfriend.

Austin’s hand curled around Vic’s jaw and turned his head so they could kiss. Vic smiled against the rough lips as Oli glared at them.

Vic pushed back against the tallest man’s chest and blushed. “You guys are going to make me hard if you keep kissing me like that.”

Austin smirked. “Maybe that’s the point, darling.” He sucked on the tan man’s neck.

“He just wants to snuggle, Austin,” Oli growled. “We aren’t going to have sex tonight.”

“I know. It’s just fun to harass him a little. All in good humor though. Isn’t that right, Vicky?”

“Guys, please don’t do this,” the eldest pleaded, almost tearing up again.

Austin glared at Oli, even though he had started the tiff, as he helped Vic into the boxers and sweatpants. Then they left to climb into bed together, leaving Oli in the bathroom.

“Baby, don’t worry about us,” Austin consoled, trying to curl around the short man.

Vic pushed him back, sitting up. “You guys have to stop antagonizing each other. You have to get along. I love Oli as well. Nothing is going to change that. But I’m not going to love you any less, either.” He stood up and made his way to the living room, finding Oli on the couch, pouting at the T.V. He settled under his arm, curled into Oli’s side.

“I thought you wanted to snuggle with Austin,” he leered.

“Stop,” Vic whined. “Just stop it. I love you, as well as loving Austin. But you two are making it really hard for me right now. Why can’t you just get along? We’ve been together for almost a year now.”

“I just feel like Austin hates me. You two are no longer just each other’s boyfriends. He and I have to share you.”

“Being in this relationship wasn’t just so you could love me. You have to love me and Austin; Austin has to love you and I; I have to love Austin and you. That’s how this trio is supposed to work.”

“I’ve tried. But he just doesn’t want me to be with you.”

“Austin!” Vic called.

The mentioned sulked into the room. “Yes?”

Vic stood up and pointed to his spot. Austin sat down, leaving enough space so Vic could’ve fit had he wanted to sit down with them. Vic crossed his arms over his chest and let his eyebrow peak. Austin scooted a little closer to Oli, but still with a gap between the two. The shortest man rolled his eyes.

“Austin, I love you. I really do. But you, Oli, and I are in this relationship together. You are thirty-three percent of this whole. Oli is the same. I don’t love you more than I love Oli. And Oli, I don’t love you more than I love Austin. I need both of you to survive.”

“Vic, I seriously think you’re—” Austin started.

“Don’t!” Vic growled, holding up a hand and glaring at the ground by their feet. “Do not even try to make excuses. You two constantly bickering is tearing me apart. But I cannot just ask one of you to leave. Because I need both of you to survive! I realize, Austin, that having Oli as part of our relationship was not in the plans. We were going to get married and start a family—” Vic didn’t miss the way Oli’s nose flared in distaste, “—but Oli is part of this family now. It’s not just you and I anymore. I know you love me. But you need to love Oli just as much. You need to try!”

Austin pouted up at his original lover. “Vic, baby, please. You don’t seem to under—”

“No! Stop it!” Vic decided. “You two need to get along. If not for each other, then for me. Because I cannot keep telling myself that we are okay.”

“I want to try,” Oli said to Austin. “You really do mean a lot to me, Austin. It’s just so difficult when you won’t see that. You and Vic both, you mean a lot more than you think.”

Austin narrowed his eyes at the Briton. “I guess I’ll try.”

Vic sighed in relief, not completely understanding the subtext between his two lovers. “Great, because I still want to order take-out and watch shitty movies and cuddle with you two.”

“Do you want pizza, Chinese, Thai…?” Oli asked, standing up.

“Pizza!”

“Half chicken and pesto, half Queen Margherita?” he guessed.

Vic giggled. “You know us so well.”

“Of course I do darling.” He leaned down to kiss the shorter male and then went to leave the room.

“Wait, we should have ice cream afterward.”

“So I’ll make the round trip,” Oli offered.

“Thank you babe.” Vic kissed him again before bounding off to the bedroom. He seriously had the best boyfriends ever.

When Oli returned with pizza and ice cream, they clambered onto the couch together and turned on the movie Bicentennial Man. Austin curled into Vic a little more than necessary as Vic leaned into Oli.

Vic fell asleep halfway through, so Oli carried him up to the bedroom. Austin helped in opening the bedroom door and pulling back the duvet on their bed. The Brit set Vic down between the sheets. The two men took their spots on either side of the sleeping man, curling into him.

Austin stayed awake well into the morning, watching his two lovers sleep peacefully. He was only slightly offended when Vic turned in his sleep and pressed chest-to-chest with Oli, the Briton sighing happily in his sleep.

But Austin wouldn’t let it bother him. He was trying to make this work.

All seemed well in Vic’s eyes. It had been a little over a month since he had yelled at Austin for being selfish. The fighting was at a bare minimum. They had silly fights, like Oli leaving a towel on the floor, or Austin burning dinner. But those usually ended with a lot of giggling and then three naked men curled against each other lovingly.

One morning as Vic dressed for work, Oli helping with the damned tie around the short man’s neck, Austin watched from the bed.

He observed as Vic reached up to play with the cloth around his neck, and nearly cringed when Oli playfully smacked his hand away.

“Stop playing with it. It will come undone,” Oli admonished.

“Sorry. It just feels weird.”

“Well you’re playing with it. That’s why.”

Every morning Vic and Oli would go through this little spiel. Austin didn’t know why it rubbed him the wrong way on this particular morning.

But he wouldn’t let it bother him. He was trying to make this work.

“Come on Oli, I’m going to be late!” Vic giggled.

“Maybe you could call for a substitute today,” he offered, sharing a look with Austin.

And Austin was all for making love to his boyfriend.

Vic thought otherwise. “Maybe tonight. But I have to go to work right now.” He leaned over to kiss Oli. “Tonight we’ll have a romantic night in, okay?”

Oli pouted, but nodded.

“I love you,” Vic whispered.

“I love you, too.”

The shortest man walked over to Austin, leaning down to kiss him. “I love you.”

“Love you, too.”

Oli scooted onto the bed, far enough away from Austin. But the youngest always had to convince Vic that things were okay, so he opened his arms for Oli to come in to. The Briton did willingly, finally feeling the tense atmosphere dull slightly.

“I love you, Austin,” Oli admitted.

Austin grew stiff, but remembered that he was doing this for Vic. He turned and pressed his lips to Oli’s lightly. “Love you, Oli,” he mumbled.

Vic smiled. Finally his little family was happy. “I have to go now. Love you both.” He opened the bedroom door and left, a smile plastered on his face.

Austin waited until he heard the front door shut before he pulled out of Oli’s grasp and walked down to the kitchen.

Oli felt only slightly dejected. But he followed the taller man through the kitchen to the living room. “Why do you hate me?” he asked as Austin collapsed onto the couch.

“I don’t hate you.”

“Yes you do. Why do you hate me so much?”

Austin’s blood was starting to boil and Oli could tell. In fact, that’s what he needed. He needed for Austin to explode at him. It seemed to be the only way he would tell the truth.

“I said, I do not hate you, Oliver. Now, please leave me alone.” It was said through gritted teeth, but Austin couldn’t get mad at him. He just couldn’t.

Oli tried one more time, trying his luck with the one thing he knew would make Austin explode, even if it was a lie. “Is it because Vic loves me more? Is that why you hate me so much?” And he watched as Austin couldn’t keep his cool.

He was jumping up in a second and pushing at Oli’s chest. “Vic doesn’t love you more than me! He can’t! He was my boyfriend. We were going to get married and start a family, you fucking asshole. We didn’t need you to come in and rip my dreams to shreds.” He shoved particularly hard at Oli, causing him topple to the floor. He thrust a finger down at Oli. “Vic is mine! You had no right coming into our relationship and acting like nothing was wrong. You’re such a fucking lowlife for doing that to me. I hate you! I just fucking hate you so much! I wish Vic had never fallen in love with you!”

Oli’s heart broke. “Austin—”

“No! I don’t want to hear it. You ruined the only good thing that had ever happened in my life. You can’t just act like it doesn’t matter.”

“Austin, listen to me. Please!”

“You’re selfish and you ruined everything for me!”

“Austin, please listen to me!” Oli pleaded.

“It was supposed to be Vic and me. Not Vic, me, and you! But you made Vic fall in love with you. I hate you so much! Why would you do that to me? Why couldn’t you have your own little happily ever after? Why did you have to steal mine? You’re so selfish and think you’re better than—”

Oli nearly tackled Austin to the ground, his fingers caught in his shirt. He climbed over the taller man, his weight on Austin’s chest and thighs. “I fell in love with you first, you fucking asshole!” he screamed. Austin tried sitting up, but Oli pushed him back to the ground. “No, you’re going to fucking listen to me, prick. When I first ran into you two, it was you I wanted. I wanted you, but I knew that you and he were a packaged deal. I fell in love with Vic afterward!” He leaned down and haphazardly pressed his mouth to Austin’s.

The younger man pushed him back. “Stop. Fucking stop it, Oli. I hate you!” He managed to push Oli off of him and stood up.

“Austin, please! The last thing I meant to do was drive a stake between you and Vic. Vic isn’t the only one of us who needs the other two. I need you just as much as I need him.”

Austin scoffed. “You may have Vic fooled, but I’m not stupid. He’s naïve and can’t see what you really are.”

“Austin! Jesus Christ, would you just listen to me? I love you, and I love Vic.” He reached out to grip at Austin’s face. He kissed him again, refusing to be rejected again. He pushed the taller man onto the couch and straddled him, mouths returning to each other.

Austin tried to fight until he felt the wetness of tears against his cheek. Oli almost never cried. The last time he did, his mother had passed.

Austin pushed him back slightly, noticing the splotchy cheeks of his lover. His immediate instincts were to reach up and wipe the tears away. “Oh baby,” he hushed, mentally slapping himself for both the pleasantry, and how easily he gave in to comforting Oli.

“I j-just want y-you to love m-me!” the shorter man wailed.

“I do, Oli. I really do.” Austin wasn’t entire sure where this bout of honesty had come from; if it meant getting Oliver calmed down, he was fine with it.

“You don’t act like it!”

“I know. And I’m sorry.” Again, Austin didn’t know where this was coming from. Not five minutes ago, he was fighting and arguing with the man who had come between him and Vic. Now he was consoling him.

Somehow, they ended up cuddled in their bed, Oli’s sleeping form pressed up against Austin’s. The taller man couldn’t seem to get over how unnatural it felt to have Oli against him, instead of Vic. At least the shortest of the three fit into his arms, unlike Oli. The Mexican was the perfect negative of his body.

But instead, he had a thin, bony skeleton trying to fit into Vic’s spot. It just did not feel right.

When Vic returned home, the living room looked like a tornado had torn through the area.

“Austin? Oli?” When he didn’t get a response back, he tried again. “Babes?” He picked up the framed picture of the three of them off of the floor. The glass was shattered, the image torn to shreds.

Vic placed the frame down on the coffee table, maneuvering around the couch cushions that were thrown everywhere, some of the down spilling out of the pillows. He walked down the hall, stepping over the other pictures of them that were knocked off the walls. “Oli? Aus?”

He pushed the bedroom door open, revealing Oliver lying in bed. He was curled into the fetal position, whispering to himself quietly.

“Oli?”

The younger man jumped at the sudden voice, lifting his head. “Vic!” He stood up, rushed over to the smaller man, and wrapped his arms around his waist.

“Hey, it’s okay. Shh. Baby, what’s wrong? Where’s Austin?”

“I don’t know.”

Vic reached up to hold Oli’s face slightly, but the younger flinched away. “Hey, what’s wrong?” Vic asked. “What happened here?” His fingertips brushed over a dark bruise on Oli’s cheek, then over his busted lip.

“Nothing.” Oli returned to his spot on the bed, cowering behind the pillows.

“Oliver Scott Sykes, you need to tell me what happened while I was gone right now.” Vic walked over to the bed to tower over his lover.

“Austin and I fought. He stormed out to cool off.”

After Oli had woken up from his crying-induced slumber, Austin began ripping into him again. He lashed out in a moment of complete blind rage, at both Oli and anything that had to do with the slightly older male, before he left to anywhere but that apartment.

“And the busted lip?” Vic asked.

“He exploded.”

“So he hit you, is what you’re saying.”

Oli sat up and reached for Vic’s hands. “He didn’t mean to. I said some things that I shouldn’t have.”

“Like?”

“I just wanted him to love me, Vic. I promise. He said he would never love a traitor like me.”

Vic ran his hands through the younger’s hair. He wasn’t entirely sure how to be the strong person of this relationship, seeing as he was always the one breaking down. To see Oli like this was really terrifying. He didn’t know what to say. So he said the only thing he could think of. “He does love you, Oli.”

“No he doesn’t. He even told me. I fucked up your relationship. He didn’t believe me when I told him I loved him first.” Oli gasped at what he said. “I’m sorry, Vic. I didn’t mean—”

“I know, baby. I know you fell in love with him first.”

“You do?”

Vic laughed. He opened his arms for Oli to settle in. “You looked at him the same way I looked at you. Like a love-struck teenager. It’s okay, though. I can see why you would fall for him. I mean, I did.”

Oli sniffled lightly. “Austin didn’t believe me when I said that I needed him, just like you need both of us. He said that I ruined the best thing that’s ever happened to him.”

“Austin,” the Mexican laughed, “he always had a flair for the dramatic.”

“He’s never going to love me, Vic. I’m starting to believe that this relationship isn’t meant to be. Maybe I need to leave, let you two have the life you were meant to have.”

“No, don’t you ever think that. Austin just… he’s Austin. He’s very hard to crack, but once you do… he’ll be there for you. He just doesn’t want to admit that he needs you, too, because he thinks it makes him weak.” Vic moved slightly, shifting Oli in his arms, as he reached for his phone. He scrolled down to Austin’s name in his contacts and called him.

“I don’t want to talk, Vic,” was how he answered.

“Austin, can you at least come home? I’m worried about you. You don’t have to talk to me, but I just want to make sure you’re safe.”

The line went dead.

Austin strolled through the front door twenty minutes later, finding Vic and Oli in the dining room sitting next to each other, eating macaroni and cheese. He could see the bruise on Oli’s cheek. He inwardly cringed. Nonetheless, he served himself some of the cheesy dinner and sat down on the opposite side of the table to them.

After a few moments, Vic sighed.

“I said I didn’t want to talk,” Austin immediately shot back.

“You hit Oli.”

Austin knew better than to try and justify doing that to Oli. Instead, he hung his head.

“I don’t know what started it. And I’m not asking for you to explain it. I just… I cannot live here pretending like nothing is wrong.” Vic took a moment to process what he had to say next. “I think I’m going to stay with Josh and Alex for a while.”

“You’re going to leave me here alone with him?” Oli asked, completely floored.

“I’m not helping the issue, being here with you. You,” he said, pointing to Austin, “need to man the fuck up. Oli is part of this family. You need to talk about this. Sensibly.”

“You’re going to leave me here alone with the man who hit me?” Oli tried again. “Do you want me to be killed?”

“Austin is not going to kill you,” Vic asserted, fixing his glare on the tallest man. “But I am sick of the arguing. You two have to start getting along.”

Austin fixed Oli with a glare before returning his attention to Vic, who had continued talking.

“But as of right now, I can’t keep pretending. I need a few days to myself, to think; and to allow you time to try and restore any sort of relationship.” He pushed back his seat. “I’m going to pack some things and then head out.” He stood and left Austin and Oli in the kitchen.

Once he heard the bedroom door shut, Oli was bawling loudly.

“Oh, get over yourself, Oli,” Austin growled.

“Excuse me for giving a fuck about this relationship, Austin.”

“Whatever.” Austin stood and went to track down Vic. He found him stuffing dress shirts into a duffle bag. “Why are you doing this to me?”

“It’s not just you, Austin. Oli is part of this trio, as well.”

“Why are you doing this?”

“I told you, Aus. The tension between you and Oli is overwhelming.”

The taller man folded his arms over his chest. “You can’t just leave us.”

“I’m not leaving this relationship, Austin. I just need a few days to think.”

Austin pouted. “Did you ever think how this might affect me? Or Oli, more importantly?”

Vic stood up straight, arms covering his chest, and let out a dry laugh. “Oh look at you, caring all about Oli now. Jesus Christ, Austin, you can’t decide whether you love him or hate him. Until you can figure it out and be consistent, I cannot be here, Austin. I’m sorry, I really am; but you need to, just, I don’t know.”

Vic shouldered his way out of the bedroom, going to find Oli. He was curled up in a ball on the couch. “Baby.”

“Why do you have to leave us, Vic? We can get better, I promise. You just have to stay.”

Vic sighed. “I love you,” he whispered, kneeling down in front of the couch. “I’ll be back soon.”

Oli sat up, catching Vic between his legs. “You don’t know that,” he sniffled.

Vic leaned forward and kissed Oli’s lips. “Aus just needs a swift kick in the ass,” he hushed, smiling when Oli laughed. “I’ll be back real soon.”

“I love you, Vic.”

“I love you too.” He ran his hand through Oli’s hair.

“Stay safe, yeah?”

“Don’t I always?”

“No.”

Vic chuckled. “Ass.”

“I know,” Oli giggled. Then his smile faded. “But Vic, do you really have to leave?”

“Oh, beautiful boy, I know you don’t want me to. But I just need a few days to think, without all this animosity between Austin and you.”

“We’ll get better. I promise.” Oli made no other attempt to sway Vic in staying, which the oldest man appreciated greatly. He was taking this a whole lot better than Austin.

Vic stood up and started for the foyer, grabbing his duffle bag from the living room doorway. The Briton followed him and opened the front door for him

“I love you, Victor.”

“I love you too, Oliver,” the shortest man smiled before closing the door behind him.