Room for Three

“We’ve been thinking lately, about getting to know you a little better than ‘the hot teller at the bank’.”

The first week Victor was absent, Austin steered clear of Oliver like he was the plague. The first night he tried sleeping in the same bed as the slightly older man, but Austin just couldn’t do it. There was too much animosity toward the Brit. So instead of enduring a night of unwanted cuddling, he pushed the covers back, stood up, tossed the covers lazily over the sleeping form, and went to sleep in the guest bedroom.

“We, meaning my boyfriend, Victor, and I; we just wanted to invite you to dinner and maybe drinks, if you want.”

Oli wouldn’t stop trying: whenever Austin came home, he would ask the standard, “How was work, babe?”; he’d make dinner, even if Austin refused to eat it until it got cold (just to prove a point or because he was being difficult, Oli didn’t know); he’d wish Austin sweet dreams when he went to bed. He just wanted the taller man to say something to him. Even if it was something vulgar.

“Oh my God; yes, of course. I’d love to get to know you. And your boyfriend, of course.”

By the beginning of the second week, Austin temper was starting to flare again. He just didn’t comprehend why the Briton wouldn’t let it go. He thought he made it clear that he didn’t want a thing to do with Oli. But no, that stupid idiot was still trying. Trying to gain the love he had only for Vic. He wasn’t willing to love Vic any less just to love a stupid, posh, British boy. That was just never going to happen.

A wink. “Great, I can’t wait to tell Vic you said yes.”

One evening, the second week Vic was gone, Austin came home rather flustered. Oli knew better than to push his buttons. The first thing Austin did was slam the front door and stomp into the kitchen. He made some noise, opening and closing the refrigerator, some cabinets, and even the oven once or twice. Then he stormed down to their bedroom. Oli just sat there, listening as Austin made more of a ruckus.

Austin’s weird mood continued into the night, the highlight of odd behavior was sometime in the middle of the night, when he woke Oli up from a sound sleep.

“Oli, get up.”

“Mm, why?” the Brit whined, digging his head into the pillows.

The duvet was pulled down his body, a weight pressed against his chest, and he sat up with a start. He was met with Austin staring down at him expectantly.

The shared gaze was quickly broken when Austin stood up. “Come on. Get up.”

Oli looked over at the alarm clock on the bed-side table. It read half-past three. In the morning. “Austin, I have to get up in three hours. What is so important at three-thirty?”

“Just do it,” he barked. “Please, Oliver,” he sighed when he realized how sharp his request had been.

Oli begrudgingly pushed the covers back, reached for the t-shirt he’d thrown to the floor lazily last night before passing out. He fixed his pajama bottoms, which had twisted around. When he felt at least slightly presentable, he followed the sound of his boyfriend out to the living room.

“Here, put these on,” Austin ordered, setting a pair of shoes in front of Oli. Instead of waiting for him to put them on, Austin knelt down and pushed them onto his feet.

“I could have gotten those myself.”

Austin had to stop himself from making a snide comment; instead looked up at Oli and mumbled a tired, “I just… I wanted to help.”

Oli carefully placed a hand on Austin’s shoulder to steady himself, reaching down and fixing his shoe. “Well, thank you, Austin. Now can you please tell me what we’re doing?” he yawned.

“Don’t yawn; you’re going to make me feel guilty for getting you up this early.”

Oli laughed. “Oh, sorry about that.”

Austin grabbed a hoodie and tossed it over Oli’s shoulders. “It’s cold out,” the taller man offered when he received a look of concern from the Brit.

“Um, thanks.”

They just stared at each other for a moment before Austin cleared his throat and looked away. “Come on. We should get going.”

Oli nodded obediently and followed Austin out one of their cars.

They were on the road for about ten minutes before Oli couldn’t handle the suspense any longer. “Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise.”

Oli sighed dramatically, lulling his head against the window, but didn’t say anything until Austin stopped the car and pulled the key from the ignition.

“Come on, sleepy head.”

“Now can I ask where we are?”

“Yeah. Or you can just look.” Austin got out of the car and stretched his limbs.

Oli pushed opened the door and looked around, nearly laughing at the glowing sign above him. “Denny’s? Really, you decided to bring me to Denny’s at three-thirty in the morning?”

Austin rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “Yeah, I mean, if you still like Denny’s.”

On the night Oli’s mother passed, Austin couldn’t think of anything else but to bring him to the eatery to calm the Brit down. They, just the two of them, spent the entire night sitting in the corner booth, curled against each other. It was only when the shorter man fell asleep that Austin decided to bring him home.

“Of course I still like this place,” Oli smiled, walking to the front of the car where Austin was waiting. As they headed across the parking lot together, the taller man’s arm slid around Oli’s waist. He tensed; as Austin opened the door for him, he relaxed slightly. He wasn’t going to get hurt.

They were seated, Oli on the far edge of the connected corner booth and Austin hovering around the middle. As the host left, Austin turned to Oli. “You’re awfully far away.” He curled his arm around the shorter man’s waist and pulled him closer, close enough that they wouldn’t have been able to fit their Mexican companion between their two bodies.

“Okay, what is going on?” Oli finally questioned, leaning back so he could see Austin properly.

He shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve just been thinking a lot the last week and a half.”

“About?”

Austin peeled open the napkin that had a fork, knife, and spoon wrapped inside. “I don’t know. What it used to be like. Just… all three of us being in love with each other.”

“I never stopped loving you, Aus; if you were wondering. I love you just as much as I love Vic.”

The pain in Austin’s eyes was almost too much. “How can you still love me, Oliver?” he asked, fingers lightly tracing over the split still noticeable in Oli’s lip.

The Brit couldn’t think of anything other than to lean over and press his lips to Austin’s, the taller man’s face cradled in his hands.

The truth is, maybe he shouldn’t love Austin. But thinking of a life without him and Vic was impossible.

When Oli pulled away, Austin nearly whined his disapproval. (Maybe he had been without physical contact with one or both of his boyfriends for far too long). “I’m still mad at you for hitting me,” Oli informed the taller man.

“I know. I’m sorry,” Austin rushed, fear clouding in his eyes. The last thing he had ever wanted was to hurt one of his boyfriends.

Oli sighed, his hand still resting on Austin’s cheek. “I know you’re better than that, though. I do, Austin.”

“I’m not going to say anything that justifies hitting you, but I was really mad. It just suddenly came over me. I regretted touching you like that the moment it happened.” His sentence grew quieter and quieter as he locked gazes with a waiter walking their way.

“Good morning, you guys!” the waiter smiled. “My name is Josh, and I’ll be taking care of you. Can I start you off with something to drink, first?”

Austin looked to Oli, for him to order. “I’ll, uh,” he cleared his throat. “I’ll have a cup of coffee, please.”

Austin smiled up at the waiter. “I’ll just have a glass of orange juice.”

“All right. I’ll go get those for you; give you two a few more minutes to look at the menu.” He turned and walked away.

Austin turned to Oli. The Briton’s busted lip trembled slightly. “Hey, what’s wrong Oli?”

“What if we never get better?”

“No. Hey, don’t think that way. We will, I promise.”

“Please don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

“I’m going to get better, Oli. There’s nothing stopping me except my own stubbornness. I just… I need you to be there for me. This is so weird to me, even if we’ve been together a year. I need help learning the ropes.” He leaned their foreheads together and closed his eyes. “I love you. I… need you.”

The waiter came back to take their order and they absently recited something off the menu. The entire time they were waiting for their food, they were silent; even when they ate, they were quiet, stealing glances at each other.

As Austin drove home, his hand was curled around Oli’s tightly.

Oli was half-asleep as Austin helped him to their bedroom. “I’m thinking I want to call in sick today,” he yawned, stretching out against the bed covers.

Austin pulled off the shorter man’s shoes and tossed them over by the dresser. “I wouldn’t be opposed to that.” He removed his shirt, pulled back the covers, and settled Oli underneath them.

The Brit smiled lazily. “Mm’kay. I’ll call in sick later.”

The taller man walked around the bed and laid down beside his boyfriend. Oli made a confused noise as he settled against Austin’s side. “Do you not want me here?”

“No, I do. You just haven’t been sleeping here the past couple weeks.”

“Well, now I am.”

“I’m not complaining. I miss having someone to cuddle up to.”

Oli passed out a few minutes later, face plastered against Austin’s chest. The taller man didn’t mind though, settling down for the night as well.

The next morning — afternoon, actually; but who’s really keeping track? — Oli woke to the sound of a plate breaking in the kitchen. He pushed out of bed and made his way to the kitchen. He could hear Austin swearing profusely as he padded down the hall. He walked into the kitchen to see his boyfriend staring at the floor, flour all over his front, and a burning smell wafting toward him.

“What are you doing?”

Austin jumped a mile, hand rushing to cover his racing heart. “Jesus Christ, you scared me, Oli.”

“Sorry. But what are you doing?”

“I was trying to make breakfast, to bring to you in bed.” Austin’s flour-covered hand went to his forehead. “But I broke a plate because I was so excited.”

Oli laughed. “Well, you’re burning whatever is on the stove.” He walked around the broken plate to turn off the stove. “Was this supposed to be pancakes?”

“Yes. I know how much of a sucker you are for things like this, so I figured. But it fell through.”

“Terribly so.”

Austin pouted at him.

“Don’t worry, you still get brownie points.” Oli leaned up and kissed him.

“Brownie points aren’t what I was hoping for….”

This caused the Briton to smile. “You’re rather forward.”

“Sex makes everything better.”

They exchanged glances, before erupting into unadulterated laughter.

“Yes, sex makes everything better,” Oli agreed.

The grin that stretched across Austin’s face was authentic. Finally, something made sense to him.

Later that evening, they were watching T.V. Austin was staring off into the distance.

He was lost in thought until Oli turned and asked him a question. “I’m sorry, babe?”

“I asked if you were hungry. But I think more importantly, what are you thinking about?”

“Just why I was so against this... us.”

Oli’s face fell. “And?”

The taller man sighed, feeling pricking behind his eyes. “I don’t know. I guess I was scared….”

“Of?”

“Loving Vic less.” Austin breathed in and thought about how to articulate what he wanted to say. “I guess I thought that to love you, I had to love Vic less. And I wasn’t ready to do that. But now I realize that I don’t have to love him any less. I can still love him with one hundred percent of myself. But I’m also able to love you with all of me.”

Oli watched the first tear well and roll down his cheek. He reached forward and ghosted the pads of his digits over the hollow of his cheeks. “I don’t want to say that I know what that feels like, because I don’t. But I’m grateful that you’re trying.”

Austin pulled Oli forward and pressed their lips together desperately. “I’m sorry,” he whispered in between kisses. “I’m so sorry.”

It surprised Oli where this sudden rush of emotion came from, but he figured since Austin was in such a vulnerable state, he couldn’t question it.

Vic hadn’t heard anything from either of his two boyfriends for the better part of four days. He was starting to get a little worried that Austin may have, in fact, killed Oli.

So after work on Friday, he texted Alex to tell him he was going home for a few.

He wrestled with the lock on the door, this time not forgetting his keys in the little bowl on the table in the foyer. He readied himself for some horrific crime scene, with blood splattered over the apartment walls.

Maybe, just maybe, he didn’t trust Austin very much after he hit Oli.

But the sight that greeted him as the door swung open was not a scene from the latest Stephen King novel.

In fact, what met him was probably the last thing he expected to find.

Austin was lying face down on the couch, arm hanging over the edge and touching the ground. His mouth was open, drool slipping down onto the fabric of the couch.

Oli was lying face up on Austin’s back, a blanket covering his feet. He was facing the back of the couch, his head resting on the ridge between Austin’s shoulder blades. The small of his back curved perfectly over Austin’s ass, and their legs were tangled together.

Vic took a quick picture of the two sleeping beauties and sent it to Alex before heading down to the bedroom.

The sheets were a mess, and it seemed like every piece of clothing the two younger males owned was strewn across the floor. Vic rolled his eyes and walked back out toward the living room.

Oli was sitting up, resting against Austin and mumbling something incoherent. Austin replied with a nod and a kiss to his forehead.

Vic cleared his throat, causing both of his boyfriends to jump and look over their shoulders at who was in their apartment.

Oli was the first to recognize him, rushing over in the blink of an eye. “Vic!” He nearly tackled the Mexican to the floor, smothering him in hugs and kisses.

Austin giggled at how enthusiastic the Briton was, walking over to peel him off their shortest lover. “Hey, Vic,” he smiled, leaning down to kiss him. “Welcome home.”

“Actually, I came to make sure you didn’t actually kill Oli.”

Oli’s smile fell. “So you aren’t coming home yet?”

“Well, I hadn’t heard from either of you in, like, four days. I was starting to get worried.”

“Well I’m fine. We’re fine. Vic, you have to come home!”

The shortest man frowned. “You’ve resolved your differences?”

“Yeah. It’s only been, like, three weeks,” Austin muttered sarcastically.

Oli was having a difficult time deciding who he wanted to curl against, so he chose Austin. “Vic, we’re really okay. I promise. Please come home.”

“I know you two really want me to come back. But how do I know that you won’t continue the way you were before?”

Austin sighed, disentangling Oli from around him carefully. He stepped up to Vic, cupping his face in his hands. “Vic, I understand why you’re so wary, but you have to trust us. Oli’s been helping me more than I could have asked. I promise you, I’m better.”

Oli was giving Vic his best puppy dog eyes.

“Oliver!” he sighed. “Stop looking at me like that. You know I can’t say no to you when you do that.”

Austin looked back at the Brit and smiled. He turned and kissed him. “You’re so adorable.”

“I know. But I was hoping it would work.”

“Mm, I know. You used that on me at least once in the past week.”

“Yes, when I wanted sex.”

“See, I told you sex makes everything better.”

Oli blushed. “Yeah, plus my hand really wasn’t cutting it.”

Seeing his two boyfriends playfully bantering made Vic’s heart swell. Austin had a different glint in his eyes when he looked at Oli. Maybe they really had resolved their differences.

“I’ll make you guys a deal,” Vic finally stated, crossing his arms over his chest.

Oli lit up. “Ooh, is this like the game Let’s Make a Deal?”

Austin smirked when Vic rolled his eyes. “Hey, you brought it up. You know how he is with that show.”

“Anyway. I will come home—”

“Yay!” Oli squealed, going to hug Vic again.

“But!”

“Aw,” the Brit refined.

“I’m willing to come home. But if you two start going at each other’s throats again, I will leave. I’m serious about you two having to get along.”

Oli and Austin shared a knowing look before agreeing simultaneously. “Yeah, absolutely.”

“Good, because I’ve really missed you two.”

Oli’s eyes lit up. “We’ve missed you too, Vic. Isn’t that right, Aus?”

Austin laughed at Oli’s eagerness. “Yes, we both have missed you. I think Oli missed sex with you the most.”

The Brit lightly smacked him in the arm. “Austin!”

“I’m just saying the past couple days you wanted sex non-stop.”

Vic laughed. “Wow. How was it?”

Oli blushed. “Oh my God, we are not discussing this.”

“Why? We’ve all had sex with each other.”

Oli walked away from the other two men. “I’m not appeasing your sick desires to know how sex with Austin was.”

They followed him into the kitchen, watched as he thought about making something to eat.

“Come on, Oliver,” Austin teased. “Just let me know how I was in bed.”

“Okay.”

“Okay? Are you agreeing to tell me, or telling me how I was?”

Oli smirked. “Yes.”

“Yes what?”

“Just yes.”

Austin walked behind Oli, pulling the Brit’s hips back against his and pressing an open-mouthed kiss to his neck. Oli keened at the touch, leaning further into the taller man.

“That’s not fair, Austin.”

“Oh, it’s totally fair. I know what you like.”

Oli turned in his arms and looked up at him. “I love you.”

“I love you too, baby.” He moved so he was pressing the shorter man against the counter. He pushed his hips against the Brit’s, pulling a low growl from his throat.

It was like Vic wasn’t there, watching the two go on in their own little world. He stood and went over to them. He turned Oli’s head, his eyes darkened with lust, and kissed him.

A small whine mixed in with their kiss.

“Wait a minute.” Oli pushed Vic back slightly.

“What?” Austin questioned, eyebrows scrunching slightly.

Oli locked gazes with the tallest man and nodded at Vic.

Austin smiled and kissed him. “You’re so smart.” He stepped back from Oli and laughed at the completely lost look pasted on the Mexican’s face.

“What?” Vic asked innocently, completely unaware to what the two younger men were planning.

“We’ve missed you, Victor,” the Brit grinned.

“I thought we already discussed this. I’ve missed you two, as well.”

Oli grabbed at his belt loops and collided their hips. Austin stepped up behind Vic.

The eldest man’s eyes widen as he realized what was happening. He placed his hands on Oli’s chest. “Guys…” he whined, though definitely not wanting the two to stop. He’d missed the feel of his two boyfriends.

Oli leaned forward and gently pressed his lips to Vic’s as Austin sucked dark marks into the Mexican’s neck.

After he succeeded in marking Vic, Austin pulled back. “Give me a minute and come up, yeah?” he told the Brit.

Oli nodded, watching as the youngest man disappeared around the corner. He heard him run down the hall.

“What’s he doing?” Vic asked.

“It’s a surprise.”

“You know I hate surprises.”

“It’s a surprise, even to me.”

Vic sighed. “Fine. Now, fill me in on what happened with you and Aus while I was gone.”

“Well, he ignored me for about a week and a half. One day he came home flustered, made a lot of noise, but didn’t, like, get aggressive with me. That evening — actually, it was three in the morning — he woke me up, told me to put some shoes on, and brought me to Denny’s.”

“Denny’s?”

“Yeah. It was the first day that he started really communicating with me. He was kind of touchy while we went out to breakfast. It threw me off, because of how distant he had been. But he took the time while we ate to talk to me. A few days later, he broke down, not really crying, but crying. He told me that he had been scared that to love me, he had to love you less. But he realized that isn’t so. Since then, he’s… he’s been trying.”

Vic nodded, but frowned internally. Silently, he’d been hoping Oli would paint a different story when Austin wasn’t in the room. But the looks the two youngest males had been sharing in the short amount of time Vic had been home and the way Oli was speaking of Austin right now, they were proving a different, more pleasant story.

By the time Oli had coaxed Vic to their room, Austin had picked up the loose clothes, made the bed, and had lit some candles.

He emerged from the en suite, arms spread wide. “Welcome home, Vic! We’re going to properly fuck you tonight.”

Oli cackled. “You’re not very subtle, Austin.”

“Hey, you can attest to needing a proper fuck after being gone for nearly three weeks.”

“I’ve never been gone for more than a few days, though.”

“Yes, and when you come home, you want sex.”

“Fair enough.”

Austin sauntered over to his two lovers, leaning down to kiss Vic. His slender fingers moved down to the hem of his shirt as Oli worked on his belt. Once Vic stepped out of his pants, and his shirt joined on the floor next to them, Austin took control and pushed him back toward the bed.

After his back hit the mattress, the tallest man turned to Oli and smirked. He curled a finger, summoning him forward. Oli stepped up against him, puckering his lips so Austin would kiss him.

“You’re so silly,” he laughed, pecking his lips lightly. He wrestled with his belt before letting the Briton’s pants fall to the floor. He removed his shirt as well, pressing him down onto the bed next to Vic.

As Austin got undressed, Oli curled into Vic and pressed kisses to his stomach, chest, and neck, up to his lips. Vic made a happy noise low in his throat.

The tallest man crawled up the bed where his two lovers were making out slowly. He took up the spot behind Vic and curled a hand around his thigh, pulling the eldest man’s attention away from Oli momentarily. Vic leaned in to kiss Austin while Oli moved down the bed, fingers hooking on his boxers and pulling them down. He dropped them over the edge of the bed.

Vic made a strangled noise against Austin when he felt the Briton’s mouth on his dick. His hips inadvertently thrust up against Oli. “Sorry,” he apologized to the gagging male. Oli pulled back, coughing slightly, before returning to what he’d been doing.

Austin reached up, pinching one of Vic’s nipples and sucking on the other. His fingers splayed across the Mexican’s stomach, pressing into the warm, squishy flesh.

Vic felt the tip of his dick hit the back of Oli’s throat and his back arched against both men.

Austin pressed wet, open-mouthed kisses down Vic’s chest until he was at eye-level with Oli. The Brit pulled off, colliding their lips together.

“I love you, Oliver.”

“Love you too, Aus.”

“Why don’t you get the lube?” the taller man requested.

Oli nodded obediently while Austin took his spot tonguing at Vic’s dick. The Brit stood and rifled through the bed-side table for the lube. He tossed it next to Austin before leaning down and kissing the small of his back.

Austin moaned at the contact, causing Vic’s back to arch against him. “Shit! Austin, fuck! Aus stop, I’m gonna come!”

Austin sat back on his calves, looking over at Oli. He motioned for him to kneel between Vic’s knees. The Brit did as asked after pushing down his boxers, knowing what he wanted. Vic spread his legs slightly, giving Oli enough room, and a perfect view.

He grabbed the lube and spread it over three fingers. He set it down beside his leg as he pressed the first finger into Vic. He was met with little resistance. Soon, the eldest was begging for the second finger. Oli did his best to stretch him adequately, waiting a few extra seconds after Vic told him to add his third finger.

Vic shifted against Oli’s finger, his entire body tensing as they brushed against his prostate. “Oh fuck. Shit!”

Oli leaned down and kissed the inside of his thighs. “You’re okay, baby.”

He was still babbling mindlessly as Oli slicked himself and pressed into him gently.

Vic’s babbling soon raised in pitch and changed to Spanish as Oli bottomed out.

The Brit laughed. “Austin, I broke him.”

The tallest man laughed. “Sometimes, when he blacks out, he starts to speak Spanish. You just have to talk to him, make sure he’s okay.”

Oli started cooing at Vic, telling him he was okay and that he loved him. The eldest man slowly intermingled English with his Spanish.

As soon as he came back to the present, Austin started prepping Oli. He didn’t require too much attention, as every free minute they had together in the last week was spent naked in bed. Or on the couch. But that’s a different story.

Needless to say, Austin bottomed out quickly, forehead pressed against Oli’s shoulder.

Vic looked up at Austin, smiling as he saw a long arm curl around Oli’s lower stomach and his lips press to the Briton’s shoulder.

“Oli, move! Please!” the eldest man pleaded.

Oli complied, carefully pulling out, pushing back against Austin’s chest. He swallowed the moan that threatened to rip from his throat at the feeling of Austin buried inside him. He pressed into Vic, earning a high whimper.

“Oliver!” he cried out.

Just then, Austin snapped his hips forward into Oli. His jaw went slack and his eyes rolled back, but he didn’t make any noise. Austin smiled and kissed the Brit’s shoulder. His hand pressed into the flesh of his stomach lightly. “Baby, you okay?”

He nodded robotically, like he was in a trance. His voice finally caught up with him after a few moments and he moaned as his head fell back against Austin’s collarbone.

It took a moment for the three to find a rhythm that worked for them. As Oli thrust into Vic, Austin pulled out of Oli, and vice versa. It took but a few minutes for Vic to start whining about needing to come.

“You’re going to wait for us, Victor,” Austin ordered. “Do you understand me?”

He agreed, but couldn’t stop begging for release. He was so desperate, he returned to Spanish.

“Austin,” Oli warned, after a few more thrusts that hit his prostate dead-on.

“I know, baby. Go ahead and let Vic come.”

Oli leaned forward and kissed the Mexican lightly, hand gripping his dick. Vic let out a happy cry. It took a few flicks of his wrist for the eldest man to come hard across both of their chests. The extra clenching around Oli, along with the bruising his prostate was taking, had him coming just as quickly, with a high groan of both his lovers’ names.

Austin kept pressing into Oli’s spent body, leaning forward and biting softly at the nape of the Brit’s neck. He came a minute later, panting wildly against Oli. He swore loudly before returning to breathing heavily. “Oh fucking hell,” he mumbled, pulling out of Oli so he could pull out of Vic.

The Mexican smiled up at his two lovers, completely blissed out. The Briton climbed over him and laid down on Vic’s right side, while Austin collapsed on his left. “God, I fucking love you two.”

Austin laughed, leaning forward so he could kiss the shortest man. While he did so, Oli leaned down and joined the kiss. It was uncoordinated and tired, and completely gross. But the three couldn’t find it in themselves to care too much.

Oli pulled back first, too tired to continue. He laid down and curled into Vic, his hand reaching across the shortest man’s waist to curl around Austin. He passed out a minute later.

Vic laughed at his sleeping boyfriend, nuzzling his face against Oli’s hair. “It’s time for bed, Austin.”

“I know.” He reached down to pull the covers over them. He kissed Vic once more before laying down and letting sleep consume him.

He woke up with a start some time later. He looked at the alarm clock on the bedside table. It told him it was four in the morning. Vic was pressed against him, clinging to him as if his life depended on it. Austin peered over the Mexican, noticing Oli wasn’t in bed. He carefully pried himself out of the shortest man’s arms and slipped out of bed.

Oli wasn’t in the en suite, so Austin made his way out to the hall. Light from the kitchen flooded into the hallway. He rounded the corner to see Oli leaning against the kitchen counter, head down.

“Oli?” he whispered, trying not to scare the man, but failing.

He jumped and turned. “Aus, what are you doing up?”

“You weren’t in bed. Is everything all right?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I needed a glass of ice water.” He nodded to the glass that sat beside him.

“Oh, okay.” He walked over and hugged the shorter man. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Austin.” He held out a hand. “Come on, I’m really tired and want to snuggle.”

Austin placed his hand in Oli’s and let him lead them back to their bedroom.

Vic woke up when the door shut. He sat bolt upright and nearly screamed, “Don’t kill him!” as the two laid down again.

“Shh, baby,” Oli prescribed. “You’re okay. Austin’s not going to kill me.”

Vic sobbed into his chest as Austin curled around Oli. Vic kept mumbling incoherently against the Brit as he slowly calmed himself down enough to fall asleep once more.

Austin busied himself by lightly drawing his finger over the skin on Oli’s side. The shorter man giggled. “That tickles, Austin.”

The tallest man smiled lovingly, leaning down to kiss his warm skin. He made a scoffing noise. “You’d think that was the point. Now, go to bed, baby. I love you.”

“I love you too, Austin,” he yawned, settling down and falling asleep again.

Austin curled protectively around his two lovers, his heart swelling as Vic pressed into Oli, and Oli pressed into him. Finally, the destructive fire that’d been inside him was squelched, reignited as a fiery adoration for both men. He was happy at last.