Dev took a sip and grimaced. It wasn’t good, but wasn’t the most horrible thing he’d tasted either.
“We’re having a light dinner. This is my tuna-and-pasta salad, and there’s garlic bread if you want some. You don’t have to eat, but you probably should,” Leaf said, plating some food for Seth and then himself, and finally, after Dev acquiesced, for him too.
Dev ate slowly, almost forcing the tasty meal down instead of really enjoying it. He drank the wine, and a second glass Seth poured him. Seth and Leaf talked about their travel plans and other things, leaving Dev out of the conversation when they sensed he wasn’t up to it.
He finished about half of his meal, and then Seth remained to clean up while Leaf took Dev’s hand and walked him upstairs to their bedroom.
“You’re going to be sleeping here with us. I don’t want you to be alone tonight, okay?” he said quietly, and Dev nodded. Leaf took him to sit on the edge of the bed and sat by him, taking his hand. “I don’t need to know any details of your fight with Angel. Just… know that we want you here. You’re part of us now, Dev. Something drastic needs to happen for that to change. We care for you so much.”
It was the declaration they were ready for, Dev realized. The heavier stuff was in the distance somewhere. They’d gone from fun to serious pretty quickly, and while the physical side was still waiting for them to get there, the mental side of this relationship had already locked in.
Dev didn’t have words, so he looked at Leaf beseechingly, feeling tears gather into his eyes.
“Oh, sweetheart,” Leaf said, pulling him closer.
Leaf kissed him gently, waiting for him to open his mouth to deepen the kiss, but it wasn’t about lust—it was still comfort.
Dev made a sobbing noise right into Leaf’s mouth. He clung to Leaf, and all he got back was kindness and caring. It almost embarrassed him how much he was clinging, but Leaf kept murmuring to him and gave him kisses when he wanted them.
After a while, Seth came into the room, took one look at them, and stripped to his boxers and T-shirt. Then he climbed into bed and told Leaf and Dev to get up and get undressed too.
They did so, quietly and, in Dev’s case, wearily, then got into bed with Seth.
Dev was put in the middle.
Suddenly Seth tensed. “Wait a sec,” he said and got out of bed. He padded downstairs almost silently, and he came back with Dev’s pillow. “We forgot it in the study.”
“Thank you,” Dev said, putting his pillow between Leaf and Seth’s, and let them hold him.
They didn’t talk, and at some point, Dev fell asleep, surrounded by his lovers.
HE WOKEup in the morning, feeling better in some ways and just the same in others. When he rolled over, Leaf was on the other side of the bed, using a tablet for something.
“Morning,” Dev murmured.
“Good morning, sweetheart.” Leaf smiled and leaned in to kiss his forehead. “There’s coffee and breakfast in the kitchen. Seth’s working a bit, last-minute stuff.”
“Might wanna shower first,” Dev grunted, feeling grubby. He liked to shower in the evenings, but he hadn’t last night.
“Sure. I brought your suitcase up. There’s clean towels for you on the counter.” Leaf raised a brow at him. “Unless you want me to join you…?”
Dev chuckled. “Thanks for the offer. I think we can try that another time. Besides, I think I owe some one-on-one time to Seth first anyway.”
“Right, I forgot that,” Leaf said in a thoughtful tone. “We could talk about all this when we get back. Figure out if we have to go with this turn-based system or not.”
Dev got out of the bed and stretched, scratching his treasure trail. “Yeah, I think we could just say screw it and go with whatever works for any given situation.” His suitcase sat nearby and he hauled it onto the bed to open it more comfortably. “It seems like we can make any situation work, when it comes to sex at least. Dates, well, that too. I mean, it’s probably more about who is free when at this point. I wouldn’t get jealous of you two if you spent more time on dates. Besides, you guys live together anyway.” It made no sense to get jealous of their time together when he just couldn’t physically be there anyway.
“True. We’ll talk about it when we come back.”
“When do you leave?” Dev asked, digging out clean underwear from his suitcase.
“We’ll leave the house at two.”
“Okay, gives us time to have lunch at least.”
“Yeah. I’ll take the dogs for a long walk before we go, tire them out a bit so you have it easier tonight. You’re free to join us after you have breakfast,” Leaf said, and put the tablet on the bedside table.
“Yeah, might do me good as well. See you downstairs in a bit?”
