I grinned, then took a chug of my beer. I used to think it was weird, that I needed someone to tell me I was good. But outside of Lilith, no one had. Everyone had just assumed I was bad and expected me to fuck everything up.
But once I heard that, and from two good men? Two men who were kind, and strong, and fucking sweet as they come? For them to believe in me?
Damn. That’s something.
After a few games, we finally decided to call it quits for the night. Franklin and Rory had the house to themselves for the weekend, so I was headed back to their place. After a full night of playing nice for the Lilith introduction, I was ready to act out a little and remind them the evening was just getting started.
We stepped out onto the street, and the moon was nearing full in the sky above us. When she hugged me goodbye, Lilith whispered in my ear how much she liked the guys, and I gave her my most suggestive wink as we walked away. Franklin’s car was parked behind Northstar, and we headed slowly down the steep hill toward the store.
Suddenly, it felt like the whole city froze around us. It was the weirdest thing, like even the foggy light under the streetlamps looked still. It was just me, Franklin, and Rory. Tickles of pleasure and warmth hit my skin, and when Rory placed a hand first on my back, and then on Franklin’s, something new flared inside of me.
“I love you both,” I said, the words coming out so fast I didn’t think about them.
I heard Rory suck in a breath, and for a second it was like we were frozen, too. Like we weren’t even moving, just waiting.
My heart thudded in my chest once, then twice, and then a third time as my ears burned. Finally, Rory tightened his arm around my waist. “I love you too, Asher,” he said. “You’re good for us.”
We stopped walking, and Franklin took my hand. He smiled at me, and his eyes wrinkled with his grin. “I love you, Asher.”
I felt dizzy, but luckily, they pulled me close, wrapping me in their arms and taking me into a sweet, warm kiss. I curled my fingers against Franklin’s beard and stroked Rory’s side, and under the streetlight, I whispered it again.
“I love you.”
When we finally pulled away, my lips were puffy and raw. I steadied myself against Rory, then sighed as we started forward again.
Toward a brighter future, and a life with people who treated me right.
Epilogue
Asher
Two years later
Of all the ways my life had changed since I met Franklin and Rory, the fact that I was suddenly a morning person was the biggest shock.
Don’t get me wrong, I’d always been a big fan of breakfast food. I just normally enjoyed it around noon, when I was first getting up.
But the more nights I spent over at the house, the more I started to love crawling out of bed early. I’d make a big breakfast and sit back happy when the rest of the family woke up. Rory was usually up first and in a rush to get to campus, his new position as the chair of his department keeping him very busy. Making sure his belly was full made me happy, like I got to show my men that I cared about them, as soon as the day started.
Considering they cooked just about every other meal for me, paid for my woodworking classes, and fixed my whole messed-up life, it was the least I could do.
“Omelets?” Ava asked, appearing in the kitchen as she rubbed her eyes.
I flipped the omelet in the pan with a flourish. “I’m getting pretty good, don’t you think?”
She rarely managed to crawl out of bed before her uncles, but when she did, we had a pretty nice routine worked out.
“Sugar coffee?” I said.
Ava nodded. “Sugar coffee.”
I grabbed the pot, then poured us each a small splash in a teacup, adding a healthy pour of milk and a dash of sugar. Ava and I raised the cups in the air, grinned at each other, and then threw them back in one gulp.
“Yum,” she said, her eyes wide.
I laughed, then grabbed the teacups, depositing them in the sink. “Now that’s a way to wake up.”
“Why don’t you just move in?” she asked.
I slid the omelet onto a plate, then dropped it on the counter for her with some silverware. “Move in? You said my apartment was cool when I had you all over for dinner.”
“I said it was cooler than this house,” she pointed out. “But you’re here most nights anyway.”
I shrugged, then started to mix up another omelet. The truth was, I’d been starting to ask myself the same question. With how much work Franklin and I were getting with Aurora Custom Conventions, I was here building something in the shed most days anyway. But a part of me felt like it was something that Franklin and Rory should ask me, instead of the other way around.
Not that I was in a big rush. “Hey now,” I said. “You might not think it’s much, but I worked my rear off to get that apartment. Let a guy enjoy the fruits of his labors for a bit, huh?” I poured myself another sugar coffee. “Glad you want to be my roommate, though.”
Ava made an expectant face, staring at my coffee.
“Sorry, kid,” I said. “Only one sugar coffee a day until you’re an adult. Rory’s rules.”
“What’s that about a sugar coffee?” Franklin asked, entering the kitchen with Rory while they both pulled their robes tight. I jumped up to give them a kiss, then turned to flip the omelet. “I’ll have one!”
“Black tea for me,” Rory said with a yawn as he took a spot by the counter. The spring wind whipped through the air, whistling outside the kitchen window. “Thank you for cooking, Asher.”
I turned to shake an omelet onto a plate, then handed it off to the family. “My pleasure.”
For a second, I leaned back, taking them in. It was a pretty typical day at that point, but I still got a thrill just seeing myself as a part of it. Once we were done eating, Franklin took Ava to school before heading into Northstar for a visit. Ezra had been promoted, basically running the store himself so that Franklin and I could concentrate on the new business. When Mrs. Pearson’s crimes were revealed and she was forced out of the college, Rory had been hesitant to take the chair position, but the urging of his students won him over. With a couple substantial boosts to the family income, Franklin was even able to make Ezra and Clark stakeholders in the shop.
Rory left next, shuffling his papers, then reminding me that he had made me a dentist appointment for the next day as he headed out the door. I chuckled to myself as I promised I hadn’t forgotten, then made my way out to the shed to begin the next project. Ezra had drawn up some pictures for us, and I was eager to use some of the new skills I’d picked up in class making the spaceship for an upcoming videogame release.
It wasn’t as exciting as speeding down the highway, but that didn’t mean it was bad. There was a whole different thrill to taking pride in my work and in the life I had built, and with the support of Franklin and Rory. That was the new high I was chasing.
Love, I guess it was called. I never thought I deserved it, but god damn was I glad it arrived.
That night, the guys had plans to take me out for a quick dinner. I got so wrapped up in my project and playing with the new scroll saw that Franklin bought me, I almost lost track of time and had to run back to my apartment to shower and grab some fresh clothes before they picked me up.