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Azul slid back on the top of his desk until the backs of his knees touched the edge. He didn’t approve of sitting on tables or any other non-chair furniture, especially not in Mostro Lounge, but he could make exceptions under certain circumstances.
And right now, with Jade standing between his legs, one hand caressing the back of Azul’s head and the other gently resting on Azul’s thigh, certainly called for an exception.
Azul wrapped his own hands around the back of Jade’s neck and pulled him down for a kiss. It wouldn’t be long until they were joined in the VIP Room by their guest, so they had to make the most of their time alone.
Plus, they still needed a plan.
“Jade?” Azul murmured between kisses.
“Mm?”
“How do you think he’ll react?”
Jade groaned, deep and throaty against Azul's lips, and Azul could practically feel his hair standing on end. Jade pulled away long enough to reposition his mouth over Azul’s neck, where he began peppering kisses.
“Must we,” a kiss, “talk about,” another, “my brother,” a light one against a particularly sensitive spot, “while we do this?”
Of course Azul didn’t want to talk about Floyd while he had his arms around Jade. Floyd was a fine enough friend, but Azul was quite satisfied with the Leech twin he had for a romantic partner. More than satisfied, really. Not only was Jade handsome, he was clever with a level of cunning that rivaled Azul’s. In fact, he often seemed to know what Azul was thinking without either of them having to say a word. As cliché as it might sound, Azul felt that Jade truly understood him and wanted to help him achieve his goals. He respected Azul in spite of his flaws, both on land and in the sea.
And Azul… well, he felt the same. He knew that Jade wasn’t perfect. He could be an absolute menace at times. Twisted, a bit sadistic. But Azul still desired his company. Together, they made a powerful team.
Perhaps this truly was love…
The fact that their blossoming relationship seemed to be on track to lasting quite some time was exactly why they had to finally tell Floyd about it.
For so long, the three of them had acted as a unit. Jade as the brains, Floyd as the brawn, and Azul as the mastermind. That had no reason to change. Azul had every intention of continuing to run Mostro Lounge alongside his ‘wish-granting’ business, and he supposed the twins planned to stay by his side through it all.
The only thing that would change was what happened between him and Jade off the clock. Even before they’d started dating, they’d spent more time by themselves thanks to Floyd’s fickle moods. And if things continued to go well for them, Azul knew he’d want even more alone time with Jade. But would this knowledge cause Floyd to want to stay close? Would he feel jealous? Excluded? Like a third wheel?
Would he be angry with Jade for keeping this from him?
Jade’s mouth had found its way to Azul’s earlobe, and the grazing of a sharp tooth against his skin brought Azul right back to the moment. It didn’t matter what Floyd thought. Whether he liked it or not, Azul was dating his brother, and he would just have to get used to the idea.
What a nuisance it would be if he didn’t approve, though…
“Who-” Azul paused to suck in a quick breath. “Jade, I’ve told you a dozen times, I make… embarrassing sounds… when you kiss me there.”
He felt his boyfriend’s lips curl into a smile against the skin just behind his ear. “I’m aware,” he whispered before kissing the spot again.
Azul stubbornly suppressed the whimper that threatened to escape him. He refused to give Jade the satisfaction. “Who is going to tell him?”
“You should,” Jade answered, standing upright to look Azul in the eyes. “You have a way with words.” He gave a tiny sheepish grin before adding, “And I don’t like being put on the spot.”
Ah yes, Jade and his ‘stage fright.’ Well, Azul supposed he had no room to judge. Jade’s alleged aversion to attention was as convenient as Azul’s random bouts of weak knees when he wanted to get out of something.
That didn’t mean Jade would get out of this scot-free, though.
“And what will you do for me in return?”
Jade chuckled. “I could kiss you.”
“You do that for free already. We agreed that we wouldn’t keep track of kisses for reciprocation.”
“So we did.” With that, Jade swooped in and began kissing along Azul’s jawline.
If Jade thought he could get out of this discussion by distracting Azul with kisses, he was… well, he wasn’t wrong. For now, anyway. Azul would just have to think of a proper means of repayment as his boyfriend’s lips moved closer and closer to his own.
Unfortunately, a knock on the door let Azul know that his guest had arrived.
He urgently patted Jade on the back. “Jade. Jade!”
“Yes, love?”
“He’s here.”
With a sigh, Jade stood up straight once again. “I suppose I should let him in, then.” Before he turned to walk away, he leaned in and pressed one last kiss to the very tip of Azul’s nose.
Azul straightened his tie and hat as he rounded his desk to sit in his high-backed chair. He didn’t think that Floyd was as observant as his brother, but Azul hoped he hadn’t left any evidence of what they’d been up to for Floyd to notice.
As the door opened, Floyd immediately made his presence known with a loud yawn. “Maaaaaan, why do I get stuck with the boring jobs? It’s not fair that you guys get to come in here and chill out while I’m still working.”
Floyd sauntered over to one of the VIP room’s sofas and practically threw himself onto it, but not without a quiet, “Feet off the furniture, please,” from Azul before he could even think about using the coffee table as an ottoman.
“I thought you liked overseeing closing procedures,” Jade noted with a hopeful grin.
“Tch. Yeah, only when I get to squeeze the workers who get out of line. Everybody decided to behave today.”
Azul rubbed the bridge of his nose as Jade made his way back to his side. Great. Just what he needed. Floyd was already in a bad mood.
“So what’d you wanna talk to me about?” Floyd asked.
Well, there was no turning back now. Before he had a chance to sigh, Azul felt Jade’s hand on his shoulder, and he felt slightly more encouraged. “Floyd, I… we have some news.”
Floyd’s eyes went wide. “Did someone die?”
Every bit of composure Azul might have had disappeared at that. And it didn’t help that Jade laughed. “No! Why would you jump to such a morbid conclusion?!”
“‘Cause you look super serious right now!” His defensive expression suddenly turned into a frown. “Are you firing me?”
Azul groaned and glanced up over his shoulder at Jade. “Why don’t you tell him?”
“No, it will be better coming from you. You’re doing a great job.”
He looked back at Floyd with a long overdue sigh. “This is good news.” Azul paused as he carefully chose his words. “The… nature of mine and Jade’s relationship has… changed.”
Floyd merely stared back at him with a blank expression. Did he really have to make this so difficult?
With one last deep breath to gather his courage, Azul blurted out, “We’re dating.”
The entire VIP Room was still and silent for a moment.
“So what’s the news?” Floyd asked.
“Were you not listening? Jade and I are dating.”
The disappointment on Floyd’s face was obvious. Just as Azul had feared, the worst case scenario was unfolding before his very eyes.
But then, unexpectedly, Floyd said, “That’s not news.”
Azul blinked. “Pardon?”
“That’s not news! Jade told me that forever ago.”
Azul felt as though the wind had been knocked out of him. Slowly, he turned to glare up at his boyfriend.
“Oh, dear,” Jade said, the most insincere apologetic grin Azul had ever seen plastered on his face. “In my excitement, I must have let it slip. How careless of me.”
Floyd sighed. “Man, and here I thought you had something exciting to tell me.”
On the one hand, Azul couldn’t believe this was happening. Jade telling Floyd about their relationship was one thing, but the fact that Jade hadn’t told him that he’d let it slip to Floyd was another thing entirely.
On the other hand, setting Azul up to tell Floyd something he already knew, making him look foolish in the process, was exactly the sort of thing Jade would do. Really, did Azul have to have fallen for such a vexing man?
Another thought suddenly occurred to Azul and his heart sank. He whipped his head back around to Floyd and hissed, “Have you told anyone?!”
“Why would I tell anybody about it?”
Oh, what a relief. Azul could practically feel the tension leaving his body. After all, it was his job to keep tabs on everyone else’s confidential information.
“Well.”
And with one word from Floyd’s lips, Azul’s stomach was in knots again.
“It might’ve come up at basketball practice once. I kinda remember Sea Snake laughing when I said something about you and Jade sucking face when you think no one’s watching.”
Sea Snake. Wasn’t that Floyd’s nickname for Jamil? Jamil, as in his classmate Jamil? The same Jamil who’d been giving him strange smiles for the past week?
Jade snickered into his closed fist, and Azul suddenly felt faint.
“Uh hello? Azul?” Floyd popped up from his spot on the sofa and walked over to Azul’s desk. “Hellooooo?”
He waved his hand in front of his face, but Azul didn’t respond.
Floyd looked up at his brother with a frown. “I think we finally broke him.”
“Then I suppose it’s my duty as his vice housewarden and boyfriend to try to bring him back to his senses.”
Azul’s gaze remained unfocused as his chair gently spun to face Jade, who was looking down at him with a fond smile. He tipped Azul’s chin up and leaned in to give him a little kiss on the lips.
With a few blinks, Azul came back to the moment, and he immediately frowned. “You owe me so much more than a kiss,” he half-growled.
“Gross,” Floyd muttered. “Can I go now?”
Jade smiled, warm and genuine, as he looked into Azul’s eyes. “How about a lifetime of undying affection?”
Despite everything, the knots in Azul’s stomach suddenly turned into butterflies. He had to fight the smirk threatening to overtake his pout lest Jade think he was off the hook.
“It’s a start, I suppose.”