Charlie was very still. Noah considered reaching for him, but before he could, Aspen turned and leaned against Noah’s chest, so they were both facing Charlie.
“I’ve told Noah this before, but I’m Autistic,” Charlie said, staring down at where his and Aspen’s fingers were threaded together. “I don’t know a lot about it because the foster parents that got me diagnosed only told me I had much lower needs than some of the other kids in the house, so I should just 'deal with it on my own.’”
Noah actually hadn’t known that, at least not with that level of clarity.
“I’ve never really looked into it, but I do know that I have some preferences and needs that are different from other folks I’ve been with. One of those is that I’m most comfortable in my house. I can and will come to one of your places if it's important to you, but I may not be comfortable enough to have sex; I might just snuggle or watch.”
Aspen was tapping Noah’s hand with their thumb, but it was their usual pattern and didn’t seem to be in direct response to what Charlie was saying.
“When we do have sex, I don’t care what you call my parts so long as they’re… uhm… masculine words?” Charlie scrunched up his face. “That might not be the right way to say it. What I mean is I’m fine with dick, cock, penis, balls, testicles… I think that’s all of them, but anything like that is fine.”
Aspen’s leg began to shake on the bed as they tapped their foot. “That’s no problem, handsome. What about your hole?”
Charlie rolled his bottom lip between his teeth. “So, I’m not entirely sure if it’s a sensory thing, a preference thing, or both, but I don’t want to interact with holes. Either other people’s holes or having other people interact with mine.”
“Oh, so you’re a side?” Noah asked, and Charlie nodded stiffly.
Aspen had gone still. “How do mouths work for you? Like, is kissing okay? Do you like getting or giving blow jobs?”
Charlie’s blush flared to life, color spreading beneath his beard. “Kissing is great. I’m usually okay giving blow jobs as long as there’s not a lot of sensory input—like smell, or if things are too wet or uhm…hairy.”
“Okay,” Aspen said, their tone as neutral as Noah had ever heard it. “And do you like getting blowjobs?”
“Yes, but I know not everyone likes giving them, and that’s totally fine with me. I’m very happy watching, interacting in the ways I can, and then getting myself off. I just enjoy spending intimate time with partners, and so long as you’ll still have me, I would really like to spend intimate time with both of you.”
Aspen bent forward out of Noah’s arms until they could rest their joined hands on Charlie’s thigh.
“I would also really like to spend some intimate time with you and Noah. I don’t like to be clean-shaven for gender reasons, and if that’s an issue, we don’t have to worry about blowjobs for me. I love my tits and dick being played with, and I would very much like to kiss you and then get on my knees for you. If you’re down for that, that’s more than enough for me.”
Charlie’s face was as red as the flannel still clinging to Aspen’s shoulders. “I’m very down for that.” Charlie stood up, still holding Aspen’s hand. “I’d like to take a shower first, though.”
Aspen also stood up, and Noah quickly followed suit. “Do you want us to shower as well?”
Charlie gazed over their heads at his bed. “If you don’t mind, I’d really appreciate that. I usually don’t even sit on the bed in outdoor clothes, but I didn’t want to interrupt.”
“Oh, shit,” Aspen said, dropping Noah’s hand and grabbing Charlie’s in both of theirs. “I’m so sorry! I should have asked first.”
“It’s oka–”
“No, it’s not,” Aspen said. “I can be thoughtless sometimes, and I’m sorry.”
Charlie didn’t respond right away, and Aspen’s shoulders slumped, but they kept their head held high and maintained Charlie’s gaze.
Charlie broke first, enveloping Aspen in a bear hug. “Even from the short time I’ve known you, I would never call you thoughtless. I’m pretty sure you actually havea lotof thoughts in your head, and I bet it’s hard to keep track of them all. You were focused on explaining your parts and preferences, and I really appreciate that.”
Noah was never sure how to react when Aspen criticized themself, especially as it related to their ADHD. It was true that sometimes they forgot things, lost things, or misstepped. Charlie was exactly right, though. They were far from thoughtless, and the small, hopeful smile on Aspen’s lips made Noah’s eyes burn.
Aspen buried their face in Charlie’s chest, and he held them around the middle of their back, almost like he was protecting them from their own negative talk.
“You’re being too nice, but…thank you. For listening and for excusing my mess up,” Aspen said just loud enough for Noah to hear. “I’m very happy to shower, but I’ll need to borrow some clothes, cause I don’t have anything with me.”
Aspen glanced over their shoulder at Noah. “I don’t think Noah does either, and while I love being naked and am alsohappy to sleep naked if this turns into a sleepover, Noah isn’t as comfortable with that.”
Charlie looked over at Noah, for the first time in that conversation, focusing solely on him. As was the case anytime Noah was the center of Charlie’s attention, he felt warm inside, like Charlie’s thread was thrumming so fast it put off actual heat.
“I have some boxers you both could roll up and t-shirts that will be too big, but should cover you? And I would definitely prefer you both stay the night and not try to navigate the backroads in the dark.”
“Works for me!” Aspen said happily, and Charlie released them.
