Work Text:
Side Effects
By: Cath
There were loads of things in life that brought Will Ospreay satisfaction. As he lounged across the bed in his hotel room, listening to the shower run, he was fairly certain that moments like these were near the top of the list. He stared up at the ceiling, coasting on pleasant nothingness until the water stopped. He brought his gaze down slowly as the bathroom door opened. Kip stepped out, still gorgeous despite his hair being matted down. There was the faintest hint of a limp as he moved. As Kip crawled into bed, resting his cheek on his chest, Will had to amend his own list. This was definitely at the top.
“Been thinking,” Kip murmured his fingers skimming bare skin at the waistband of Will’s sweatpants. He closed his eyes, taking a couple of deep breaths.
“Yeah, you’re pretty good at that. Thinking, I mean.” Will put his arm around Kip, drawing him even closer.
“Shut it,” Kip said. “Like I said. Been thinking. You’re always after each other.”
Will nodded. He stayed quiet, then kissed the top of Kip’s head, breathing in the now unfamiliar scent of the shampoo he’d been using. Sabian’s fingers shifted, fiddling with the string on his sweatpants, batting it back and forth against his thigh in a rhythm. “You two chase each other around like dogs, doing everything to get the other’s attention, then scurrying off. ‘Chase me, play with me. Come after me, mate.’ Anyone who knows you two can see it.” Kip pressed his lips together, hesitating. He pressed forward and felt like he’d set the timer on whatever this was between he and Will. “He’s more of a cat though, isn’t he?”
-
Cage and Archer weren’t dicks by any means, but it was hardly the most stimulating conversation Kyle had ever had in his life. He nodded and smiled when he was expected to do so, but his mind kept wandering. Show days were like a dance: the steps and the pacing were always the same, but the cities, the venues, made things unique. Same steps, different music. Kyle couldn’t shake the feeling that the flow was off today. Something was out of synch.
A familiar laugh rang out down the hall. Immediately, Kyle squared his shoulders, smoothed out a wrinkle in his jacket and fixed his gaze on the door. He put on his sunglasses and a smirk plastered itself on his lips and he leaned forward, closer to those he called Family.
Will wasn’t alone.
Will walked past him.
Will walked right past him.
Securely hidden behind the mirrored lenses, Kyle’s gaze tracked his every move. Watched Will deftly move past people, greeting a few with a smile or a nod. It took a conscious effort on Kyle’s part to turn his gaze away, but he didn’t make it far and he stared at the person keeping Will company. Kip was equally chatty with the people around them, his demeanor so different from the tense, timid thing he’d become recently that it actually took a moment for Kyle to recognize him.
“Hey Fletch, you listening?”
Archer wasn’t the first person to call him that, but Kyle bristled nonetheless. They were part of the same family, but his addition had been a business transaction. The nickname felt too familiar for how well they knew each other. “Yeah,” Kyle said, nodding. “Just got to thinking. Sorry. Run that by me again, would you?”
-
“That was a good bit of fun,” Will murmured into his ear. Ospreay put his empty plate atop the pile with the others. His now free hand settled on the small of Kip’s back, guiding him out of the room, wholly unaware of how many eyes were on them.
-
Christian Cage’s coffee cup had been empty for the past five minutes, but he sipped at it anyway, watching the performances going on in front of him. For the first time in weeks, Kip walked past without so much as a look in his direction.
-
Kyle’s body thrummed with lingering adrenaline, his brain buzzing from another successful match. Don had another bout to observe, so Kyle walked the halls alone, intent on his well-deserved shower.
As he rounded the corner, he stopped cold.
Kip was pressed up against the wall, seemingly oblivious to anything to anything but Will Ospreay’s mouth against his. Will slotted one thigh between Kip’s and Sabian made a muffled noise. His hands came up to touch Will, but he paused and pressed his palms flat against the wall instead, shuddering as Will’s mouth migrated down towards his neck, those infuriatingly familiar curls blocking Kyle’s line of sight.
Kip’s gaze drifted to the side. “He’s left.”
“So?” Will murmured, fastening his lips to a particularly appealing spot where neck and shoulder met.
“We don’t have to keep going.”
Will’s hands clamped down on Kip’s hips, forcing the man to grind down on his thigh. “Stop it, Kippy.”
“Stop what?”
The kiss became a bite that would turn into a mark. Will gripped Kip’s hair, tugging his head to the side so he could whisper in his ear. “Stop acting like I don’t want you. Because now I’ve got no choice but to take you back to the hotel and prove you wrong. Tell me you understand.”
He found it hard to look Will in the eye, so Kip shut his own. “Yes, I understand.”
“Look at me.” Will took hold of the point of his chin. “Yes, what?”
Kip’s eyes opened, locked on to Will’s and for a few fleeting moments, he could pretend that there were only the two of them in this relationship. “Yes, Sir.”
-
“You’ve been distracted all day, Kyle. What’s on your mind?” Don’s voice barely registered above the static buzzing between Kyle’s ears.
“Huh?” Fletcher forced himself to look at Don. “Oh, sorry. Bit under the weather, is all.”
“I see.” Don took a step away, then pivoted his attention to Lance.
The conversation drifted off without him. Kyle let out an inward sigh of relief. Now he wouldn’t have to explain the truth: He was thinking about Kip Sabian’s neck. His eyes returned to their previous fixation. Kip and Will were at the other end of the hallway, chatting with a group of folks. Will’s hand had disappeared under Kip’s hair, and neither one of them seemed to notice how profoundly unacceptable that was.
Kyle Fletcher was thinking about Kip Sabian’s neck. More specifically, he couldn’t figure out why he wanted to wring it so badly.
-
Will wasn’t watching the monitor for the benefit of the people tuning in at home. He stood square to the screen, his gaze tracking every movement. Kip seemed to be hitting another gear tonight, everything he did seemed calculated, whether it was defensive, offensive, or the mind games he was so good at. He winced as Kip got pushed face first into the ringpost while the ref wasn’t looking.
“Oi, Ospreay.”
It was tempting to ignore him, but before Will could consider the option, a hand was on his shoulder, turning him around. “Can I help you with something?”
“What the fuck are you doing?” Kyle hissed.
“Who me?” Will gestured towards the monitor. “Not much. Watching the show.”
“I mean with Kip.”
“So did I. Pretty good match too. Want to watch?” Will took a half step to the side to make room for him.
Kyle’s eyes went wide, and he gave Will a shove back. “So what? That’s fucking it? After everything? After what I did, you go with him and that’s it?”
“That’s it, Kyle.” Will shrugged. “Isn’t that what you wanted? The fuck are you so pissed about?”
Kyle pointed an accusatory finger at him. “No. You were supposed to-”
“Supposed to what?” Will asked. “Oh, I’m sorry. Was I supposed to chase you? Plead for you to take me back? You had me, Kyle. I was right there, and you picked Callis. And now you want me to beg for your attention? Nah, bruv, that doesn’t work for me. I got someone who’s happy to be with me, and I won’t fuck things up with him like I did with you.”
Kyle had expected a screaming match, or a fight. Instead Will looked calm and chill and all sorts of other things Kyle didn’t feel at that moment. He glared at him.
One broad shoulder lifted up into a shrug. “I made one big mistake with you, Kyle, guess I owe you an apology for that.”
Fletcher snorted. “Enlighten me.”
“I kept giving you what you asked for, and not what you needed.”
A bitter laugh bubbled past Fletcher’s lips. “Few weeks fucking someone smarter than you and suddenly you have all the answers, eh, Will? Go on. I can’t wait to hear this. Tell me what you think I need.” The only warning he got was the tensing of Will’s muscles. Kyle braced for an attack, but the blow never came, not in the way he expected. Within a second, he was pinned up against the wall, a forearm across his throat, just hard enough for him to feel it. His pale eyes went wide as he stared into Will’s. This wasn’t the Kingpin, or the Billy Goat, or the Aerial Assassin; this wasn’t even the best friend he’d spent so many hours with. There was calmness and a confidence to his expression that made Kyle’s stomach feel like it had dropped down to his feet. This was a Will Ospreay he’d never seen before.
“What you’ve always needed, Kyle,” Will’s lips twitched, a smirk staining his features. His gaze dropped down to Kyle’s lips, slightly parted in shock, to the eyes so wide they looked ready to fall out of his head. He leaned closer, cheek to cheek, so he could whisper into his ear. “Is a firm hand.”
Kyle froze. By the time it occurred to him to argue, Will had disappeared down the hallway. Fletcher sagged against the wall, rubbing his collarbone, still feeling the ghostly weight of Will’s arm against his neck. The shower he’d been envisioning became a lot colder.
On the unwatched monitor, Kip was making his way up the ramp. His music was interrupted as Christian’s began to play. The Patriarch stopped, took a good long look at him, and continued to the ring.
-
Kip stepped out of the shower, smiling as Will’s fingers reached out to comb through his wet hair. He batted his hand aside and went towards his bag, as he tried to decide what to wear. “Some new club has just opened. Looks like a few people are hitting it up tonight,” Kip said, finally settling on his clothes. “Part of me wants to go, but I’m okay with staying in too. What do you think?”
“I’m good either way,” Will shrugged. “But to be honest you dripping wet like that is making me want to head back to the hotel straight away.”
“Prick.” Kip snorted. The towel fell into a puddle at his feet. He shivered as Will’s voice caressed the back of his ear.
“We are definitely staying in tonight.”
-
“- bro, are you even list-?”
Will’s laugh carried through catering. He put his hand on Kip’s shoulder and pulled him in, kissing the top of his head.
Kip straightened up and started looking at something on his phone.
Will’s hand never moved. It stayed firmly in place on Kip’s shoulder.
The rest of the family left the table. Kyle was alone.
-
“Think it’s about time we do a bit of clubbing with some of the others,” Kip said idly, packing his clothes back into his suitcase. “If we spend too many more nights cooped up by ourselves, people might start to get ideas.” He grinned at the prospect, then bent down and took the point of Will’s chin, kissing him lightly. His hand trailed down the length of his arm, giving his hand a squeeze.
Will didn’t kiss back.
Kip pulled away, only to be met with a reminder that Ospreay had the world’s shittiest poker face. Sabian nodded. He didn’t have to see the texts that decorated Will’s phone screen. “Guess I’m on my own tonight.” He backed away towards his bag.
Will stood up. “Listen,” he said slowly, trying to formulate the words in his head, but finding it hard to think when it looked like Kip was about to shatter into pieces in front of him. “I need one night with him. I need to try and get this shit sorted. Please. I just need one night.” He tried to pull Kip in close, but Sabian resisted. “I swear on my life, this isn’t the end of the two of us. I promise you that.”
“You’re a fucking idiot,” Kip said, without a trace of fire. “It’s been about him from the start.” When he left, he took his bag with him.
-
“You’re an idiot,” Kyle said under his breath. His phone buzzed and vibrated with notifications, and it got so distracting that he finally pressed his finger into the side to shut it off for good. “Such a fucking idiot. I should just-” Gritting his teeth, Kyle raised his hand and knocked twice.
The door swung open almost immediately and for a split second, he could have sworn that Will looked disappointed. Kyle stepped into the room. Any awkwardness he felt was blown out the window when Will pushed him up against the door, grabbing at his hips as if to pin him in place.
“Will?”
Ospreay closed his eyes. He clenched his hands until they ached, tried to find that part of himself they both needed right now; Kyle so he could understand, and Will so he could forget.
“Kyle,” the voice didn’t quite sound right. Will wasn’t who he needed to be right now, but he would get there. He took two steps back and looked the other man up and down. Ospreay licked his lips. “After tonight, I hope you understand. I think you will. And if you ever trusted me, if anything we had ever meant anything to you, then listen to me.”
Closing his eyes, Will took a breath. He breathed in deep, letting himself feel bigger than he was. He let the air out slowly. “Put your phone down, then place your hands behind your back. I will not tell you again.”
“What’s going on?”
“I didn’t tell you to speak.”
There, Will thought. That sounded better. It seemed to sound good to Kyle too, given the way he jolted at the tone.
The phone came to rest on the coffee table. Kyle fidgeted in place.
Will kept his gaze level; Kyle was here, he’d obeyed once. Things never would have gone this far if he was wrong about this. “Your choices are to listen, or to leave.”
Kyle bit down on his bottom lip, then let it slowly side out from between his teeth. He put his hands behind his back. He tried not to tense up as Will approached him, then did so immediately as Will cupped the side of his neck. He sighed into the kiss that was at once familiar and totally new.
Will’s hand came up, pressed down on the nape of Kyle’s neck, bringing him down so their foreheads touched. “Now we can start.”
-
Kip moved through catering like a ghost, unmoored, drifting from conversation to conversation, never contributing, before moving on to the next group.
Don’s eyes narrowed as two familiar figures walked into the room a few seconds apart. He quelled the chatter from his group with a squeeze of Cage’s shoulder.
Kyle looked around, then sat down next to Will.
Kip left.
-
“What am I supposed to do about Don?” Kyle asked abruptly, glancing up from his phone.
“What about him?” Will sat down to lace up his boots.
“He won’t be happy about any of this. You and me. Fucking any of it.”
“Yeah, he’s never really happy, is he?” Will paused and looked at him. “Do you want my advice?”
“Yeah.”
“Don uses people.” Will said. “Calls you family, then when it’s time to dump you, tells you it’s just business. If you’re not ready to leave him, I get it. He can open doors for you. It’s … he uses people, Kyle, so the best thing you can do is use him back. Keep it business. Don’t let him become family.”
A better person would feel bad about what had gone down between them, the choices he’d made, but for everything that had happened now, Kyle couldn’t quite bring himself to regret it. He’d destroyed his old relationship with Will, but something new was coming up between them. “And what if he wants me to choose again?”
Will shrugged. “Choose both.”
-
The halls were emptier, and therefore safer. Kip moved through them, kept his head down, moving past any of the tech crew who brushed past him without a second glance.
“I had a feeling I’d find you here.”
Kip lifted his head. Christian was standing near a monitor, which he quickly shut off.
“It’s a shame, isn’t it, Kip?” Christian tsked. “All that time and effort you put into him, and he tossed you aside for a newer, younger model.”
Kip gripped the handle of his bag tighter. “It wasn’t like that.”
“Oh it wasn’t, eh? Then how about you look me in the eye and say it.”
Kip swallowed hard and opened his mouth. “This was always the plan.”
“So it was some noble self-sacrifice for the greater good?” Christian shook his head. “Somehow, I don’t think so. I think some tiny little part of you was holding out hope that Billy Boy would realize what he had standing in front of him. Maybe you hoped to become more than a bed warmer. That he’d notice you. But he didn’t, did he? Ospreay kept his eyes on the prize and look where it’s gotten him. But where has it gotten you, Kip? You’re alone. Unwanted. This company is full of idiots who wouldn’t know good advice if it hit them with a chair, so I don’t bother doling it out often, but here’s a freebie.” Christian’s voice dropped into a low drone, a tone that seemed designed to burrow itself directly into Kip’s brain. “You need to find yourself someone who won’t toss you aside the minute something better comes along. You need someone who can appreciate everything you’re willing to bring to the table. What you really need is a father.”
-
Kip lay in the corner of the ring. His ears were ringing, muting the cries of pain and anger, or the sounds of weapons hitting flesh. The canvas bounced under him as people went flying. He kept his head down, staring at his boots, willing his vision to clear up a bit. The bell was clanging, cutting through the rest of the noise, and then eventually stopped.
A hand appeared in his line of sight. He blinked a few times, but it remained. Sabian’s gaze traveled past the hand, up the arm and he eventually found himself looking up at Christian Cage. The overhead lights and Kip’s own blurry vision made him a blinding sight, almost impossible to look at.
Kip took his hand, then hauled himself to his feet and leaned in the corner, trying to shake off a final bout of dizziness. A few downed bodies lingered in the ring. Referees and officials were keeping an eye on folks, in case someone wanted to start up the chaos again. Kip touched the side of his head, then glanced down at his fingers. No blood, just sweat. That was something at least.
“Move.” Christian’s voice cut through the cotton that seemed to have filled Kip’s head and he couldn’t think of a reason to argue, so he followed. He slipped out of the ring, felt the overbearing presence behind him, a cold hand pressed into the middle of his back. Halfway up the ramp, the touch vanished, and Christian walked in front of him, taking up the majority of his field of vision. The crowd was booing so loudly, it had become a steady drone, easy to ignore. Kip stared at him wordlessly. The whole world had dropped down to the two of them. There were two entrance ways. Left and right. Christian backed up two steps towards the left one. “I don’t have all night, Sabian.” He extended his hand.
Kip put a hand on the side of his head. He took one step forward, then another. The tone of the audience shifted, and Kip flinched. Left or right. He stared down at the outstretched hand, then side stepped, hopping off the ramp and choosing neither.
If Christian was bothered by the development, the smirk on his face revealed nothing.
-
“Hey Will!” Christian’s voice rang out down the hall.
Ospreay grimaced, then turned. “What?”
As he jogged up to meet him, Christian’s smile was too wide to be genuine. “I just wanted to say that I really appreciate all the hard work you’ve been putting in lately. Don’t think it’s gone unnoticed, kid. Especially everything you’ve done for Kip.” He leaned in a bit closer, as if confiding a secret. “Got to be honest, all that desperation isn’t really my thing. But damage? Between you and me, that is what gets my attention.”
“You stay the fuck away from him.”
“Don’t worry. I plan to.” Christian agreed. “After everything you’ve put him through, he’ll come crawling to me all on his own. Thanks for that. I really owe you one.” He clapped Will on the shoulder. “Bruv.”
-
Kyle watched Will pacing back and forth, murmuring to himself, and Fletcher could practically hear the gears turning in his head as he mulled things over. He wasn’t used to seeing this side of Will outside of the ring. When he was wrestling, Ospreay was driven, passionate, dedicated. Without the physical outlet of a match, it had turned into anxious pacing, fussing with his hair and faltering gestures, as if the argument in his head was about to turn physical. “Will,” Kyle said. When Ospreay didn’t react, he spoke louder. “Will.” The pacing continued, and now the muttering began to get louder. Fletcher rolled his eyes and got to his feet, standing in his path. “Will, stop!” He put his hands on the man’s shoulders. “Listen to me.”
Will took a half step forward, but stopped just shy of barreling into him. “What?” His eyes were wide, mouth partly open. “What is it, Kyle?”
Now that it was his turn to speak, the words clustered in his mouth, struggling to get out. “Maybe,” he began slowly. “If this is what Kip wants-”
“No! Absolutely not.” Will took a half step back, his eyes narrowing. He shook his head. “That is such horseshit! No fucking shot. I will not get one person I love out of a bullshit family at the cost of another. I will not do that; do you hear me?” He took a step to the side and started pacing again, running a hand through his hair. The restless energy began to wane, and Will stopped then dropped on the edge of the bed, glaring at the skyline through their hotel window. Kyle was sitting on the arm of the couch, and he looked awfully confused. “What’s wrong?”
Kyle looked off to the side, took a deep breath in through his nose, and let it out slowly. “You called me someone you love.” They’d said variations of those words to each other over the years, particularly as the drinks flowed, it felt different this time.
Will let out a huge sigh, as if trying to clear his lungs of air. He stood in front of Kyle, nudging his feet apart so he could get closer still and wrapped his arms around the younger man. “Course I do, you cunt.” He muttered and some of the tension dissolved as he felt Kyle’s shoulders shake with muffled laughter.
“What about Kip?”
Ospreay already knew the answer, but he wasn’t ready to say it yet. “First step, we get him alone. Second step… I’m still working on that. He’s the one who does all the planning.”
-
The air was thick with the promise of rain as they made their way through the parking lot.
“Going to be hard to get him by himself,” Kyle said as they approached the arena.
“Kip’s got a match. Turns out the rest of that Christian and his crew weren’t booked this week.” Will’s voice was cool, almost brusque.
“Oh,” Kyle was surprised. “That’s lucky.”
“Yes,” Will’s lips set into a thin line that couldn’t quite be described as a smile. “Funny that.” He quickened his pace.
Loads of people only thought of Will as a bubbly, cheerful, excitable guy; not too many realized what a cunning bastard he could be when he set his mind to it. Kyle grinned.
-
“Kip, wait up.”
Sabian stopped cold at the sound of Will’s voice. Rain was battering the parking lot outside, falling in a straight line, without so much as a gust of wind to bat it around. He hadn’t been looking forward to the walk, but what was approaching him was probably going to be even worse. Will’s eyes were bright and earnest as ever, and Kip knew they would stay that way even as the man gently stomped his heart into dust. “There’s nothing to say, Will.” Kip was thankful that most of their colleagues were lingering in their changerooms. At least this evisceration wouldn’t be too public. Small blessings. “I know what you’re going to say.”
“Then you really are as smart as everyone thinks, because even I don’t know what I’m about to say next.”
Kip couldn’t help but laugh, his eyes softening as he looked Will over. “You don’t have to say anything, Billy. This was always the goal. You wanted Kyle out of the family, and he is, everywhere but on paper.”
“I told you this thing with Kyle wasn’t going to be the end of you and me.” Will reached out to take Kip’s hand, but Sabian backed up and pushed the door open.
“I genuinely believe you meant that when you said it, Will,” Kip said. His voice rose so he could be heard more clearly over the pounding rain. “But Kyle was always your endgame.” Christian’s voice rang out loud and clear in his head. “Don’t get me wrong, it was fun, but I was,” Sabian tried not to wince, “I only ever going to be the bed warmer. I knew that going into this whole thing. You don’t have to justify anything. This was my plan, remember?” He pressed his lips together. “I want you to be happy. Both of you.” He leaned in, lips pursed for a kiss, but he shook his head and started out the door into the rain.
“Fuck sakes,” Will fired off the text he had ready, then darted out after him. “Kip, stop!”
Sabian blinked past the drops that had clung to his eyelashes, turning to face him. “What do you want?”
“You’ve just got to wind me up like this, haven’t you?”
Kip frowned. “What?”
Will jabbed an accusatory finger at him, sending droplets of rain flying. “Three seconds in the rain, and here I am looking like a drowned rat while you’re still so goddamn pretty. It is fucking infuriating. Now get your arse in the car, we need to talk.” Right on cue, their rental vehicle pulled up, with Kyle fidgeting behind the wheel. Ospreay looked over at Kip. “One conversation. Hear me out. Please.”
Kip gripped the handle on his luggage tighter. Will’s hand came to rest on top of his own. With a shaky sigh, he relinquished his hold. The car unlocked and Kip slipped into the back seat, staring fixedly out the windshield. The trip back to the hotel was short, save for Kyle’s muted bouts of road rage. The hotel had an underground parking garage, the lobby was mercifully empty, which meant no distractions, and a much quicker arrival than Kip had prepared himself for. He turned to face them. “You wanted to talk, so talk.”
Will took a deep breath. “You were right, Kip. When I told you that this thing with me and Kyle didn’t mean the end of you and me, I meant every word.”
“How do you expect that to work, Will?” Kip shook his head. “We split custody, and alternate weekends?”
“Kyle asked me about the Callis family. I told him I’d support him no matter what. He can have them professionally, and me personally. He can have both. I can live with it.” Will reached out with his left hand, felt Kyle clasp it.
“This is what you wanted to tell me? That you’ve worked everything out between yourselves? Fantastic. Wonderful. I hope it goes swimmingly for you. Truly.”
“Do you know what I see when I look at you, Kip?” Will’s voice rose sharply, cutting off Kip’s train of thought. “Actually, I’m gonna start off with what I don’t see. I don’t see a guy who comes up with plans. And I sure as fuck don’t see – what did you call it? – a bed warmer. I see Kip. Smart, gorgeous, talented funny Kip.” Will held out his right hand. “I see Kip, and I see Kyle. I want both.”
“You’re insane. This is why you let me do the planning.” The logistics of this kept bounding around in Kip’s head, playing out every single scenario where this could go wrong. Most of them ended with this blowing up in his face, starting with the main issue. He looked over at Kyle. “And what do you think of all this?”
Fletcher shrugged. “You’re not ugly, so that’s a plus. And given how Will hasn’t shut the fuck up about you for the past couple weeks, I’m pretty sure he’s into you. You did a lot for h- for us. I don’t see the harm trying it out.” If he squinted, Kyle could practically see the specter of Christian looming in the background. He didn’t like it. He squeezed Will’s hand tighter. “After all that’s happened, at least try.”
“Don’t see the harm? Absolutely mental, the pair of you.” Kip shook his head in disbelief.
“That’s not a no, is it?”
Kip looked down at Will’s outstretched hand. He took it.
-
“When did Will say he’d be back?” Kip flicked through the channels on the hotel TV, found nothing on, then went back to his phone.
“He said ‘soon’ fifteen minutes ago. The arena’s like ten minutes away. What the fuck could be taking him so long? Maybe some chatty fans or something.”
Kip shook his head. “Wasn’t there a bakery on the way over?”
“Oh fuck me, you’re right.” Kyle pinched the bridge of his nose. “We’re looking at another ten minutes, at least.”
“Try half an hour,” Kip snorted. “He’s going to walk up and down the rows, trying to decide if he wants chocolate or a cake. And god help us if there’s anything with strawberries.”
“And then if we goes with cake, is it going to be vanilla or caramel?” Kyle shook his head. “Oh, and of course he’ll get halfway out the door before he remembers he should get something for us. And it starts all over again.”
“God yes. ‘Does Kyle hate cherries or love them? Can’t text him because I want it to be a surprise. Maybe I should get him a brownie instead. Yeah. Fuck it, I’ll get brownies. Who doesn’t love brownies?’”
Kyle grinned at the performance. “For the record, fucking love cherries.”
“Cinnamon roll, if you ever have to buy me a baked good.”
“Duly noted.” Kyle gave him a mock salute. “Frosting or no frosting?”
“You know you’re the first person to ask that. No frosting. Sweet enough as is.”
Kyle glanced at the door again, as if he could gauge how close Will was. He stretched his arm out across the back of the couch, just as Kip settled back down. Kyle went to move away, but Kip moved in closer, then gave his hand a squeeze. Fletcher’s hand dipped lower, rubbing Kip’s shoulder. “I like you like this.”
“Like what?” Kip asked. He set down his phone, then tucked his legs under himself, settling more comfortably against Kyle’s side.
“Happy.” Kyle said.
-
Will grasped his key card, swiping it through the sensor. He stepped inside, then latched the door. He opened his mouth to speak, then paused.
Kip was sitting in Kyle’s lap, their mouths meeting in slow, lazy kisses every few seconds. One of Kyle’s hands was firmly entrenched in Kip’s hair and the other held his hip. They seemed to notice him at the same time. Will cleared his throat, kicking off his shoes. “Don’t stop on my account.” He set the paper bag he’d been carrying on the coffee table. The brownies could wait till morning.
-
“I swear to god, nobody told me we needed to bring a drink.” Will shook his head. “The fuck are we going to do?”
“I’ll tell you what you’re going to do, Billy. The two of you are going to thank your lucky stars that I actually go back and read the group chats.” With a flourish, Kip pulled a bottle of green liquid out of his travelling bag, handing it over to Kyle.
The Australian read the label, then let out a low whistle. “Absinthe? Our boy’s going all out.”
“Couple shots of that, and I reckon we’ll even get him out on the dance floor.”
Kyle loosened the top button on his shirt. “Let’s do this.”
Will opened the door and allowed the other two to step out first.
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the Brit, the Australian and their third wheel. Just the man I was looking for.”
Sabian shook his head minutely, then turned and walked over to Christian. “Something I can do for you?”
Christian looked him up and down. “I wanted to let you know that when these two decide you’re not worth the trouble and drop you like a bad habit, that the Patriarchy will be waiting for you.” He gazed at the other two for a moment, then back to Kip. “And for the record, I am nothing like that dickhead Callis. I don’t go around signing up every braindead meathead that hangs out in the gym. I don’t invite nobodies into my family. The door is open, when you’re ready to walk through it.”
“Thanks for the offer,” Kip shrugged. “But there’s a lot on my plate right now. I’ve got to deal with this tall, loud, unfortunately haired twat. And then there’s Kyle.”
“Oi, fuck off!”
Kip tried not to smile. “I’m going to have my hands full for the foreseeable future.”
Christian stepped closer, right into his personal space. Kip didn’t back down and lifted his chin defiantly. He felt the shift of someone moving up behind him and held up his hand, forestalling the intervention.
“I’ll remember this, Sabian,” despite the menace that seemed to be radiating from every pore, Christian’s voice was flat, almost pleasant. “And when these two drop you like the dead weight you are, I’ll be sure to remind you of this moment.”
The trio didn’t move until Christian disappeared around the corner. Kip slowly let out the breath he’d been holding, then started to walk. Will’s hand settled around his waist and Kyle’s arm was around his shoulders in a matter of seconds.
Kip hoped Christian would remind him of this moment; it was a good one.
THE END