Archive of Our Own

-ˋˏ ༻❀ one ❀༺ ˎˊ-

Why is asking someone out so nerve-wracking?

Jimmy stood outside of the door of Scott’s apartment, trying to work up the courage to knock on the apartment’s wooden door. He glanced at his phone again, opening it with his face ID and, navigating back to the text messages he exchanged with Martyn (Scott’s roommate) not too long ago.

Jimmy: hey, do you know if scott’s home

Martyn: yeah he’s home

Martyn: why? something wrong?

Jimmy: no i just want to talk to him about something and he’s a hard man to get ahold of

Martyn: ha well that much is true

Martyn: he’s home now but idk how long he will be

Jimmy: omw

Martyn: [thumbs up emoji]

He sighed deeply, tucking his phone back into his pocket. It was now or never, he supposed. Jimmy raised his fist to knock against the door when the door swung open, revealing the very man he had shown up to see.

“Jimmy?” Scott questioned, blinking rapidly in surprise at him. “What are you doing here?”

“Uh,” Jimmy responded dumbly. He hadn’t expected Scott to open the door before he even had a chance to knock! “I wanted to talk to you.”

Scott furrowed his eyebrows and glanced down at his phone to check the time. “Can you make it quick? I promised Cleo I would help them move into their girlfriend’s place and I’m supposed to be there soon.”

Considering that Cleo was Lizzie’s partner and that Lizzie was one of Jimmy’s siblings, Jimmy already knew about those plans. He simply hadn’t realized that today was the day they chose to do it. It was poor timing on his part to do this now, but almost every other time had the same probability of being a poor choice. Scott tended to help out everyone that he possibly could so, while most people would try to get out of helping someone move, Scott was the first to say “yes”. 

Jimmy admired Scott’s desire to help, but between him constantly helping other people, working his two jobs, and trying to still make time for his friends, it was hard to get one-on-one time with him. As previously acknowledged, now may not be the best time, considering Scott was itching to get on the road, but Jimmy wasn’t sure when he would build up the nerve to ask him out again. It had to be now!

“I would like a date,” Jimmy blurted out in an attempt to ask Scott on a date. Unfortunately, it didn’t come off that way. He tried to tack on a “with you” to the end of his sentence once he realized he hadn’t said enough- it was a fumbling attempt, but he did try! By the time he caught it, it was too late.

Scott’s frosty blue eyes (that still looked warm despite the frost coloring) widened as a grin grew on his lips. “Jimmy Solidarity, are you wanting me to matchmake you?”

“No!” Jimmy panicked, not sure how he got himself here. He got mildly distracted by how excited Scott got, but he forced himself to focus. “I mean, not exactly-”

“Come on, Jimmy.” The way Scott said his name was strangely addicting. Honestly, Jimmy would be willing to listen to him talk even if all he said were passages from the world’s most boring textbook. “You’re a good guy, great smile, easy on the eyes, I’m sure I could find you someone easily.”

Scott had gained the reputation of being a matchmaker of sorts in the giant web of social connections he was a part of. The giant web may be better understood as an extended friend group or social circle, but the effect was the same. Scott’s matchmaking skills have had a fairly impressive success rate so far.

“I mean, I helped your sisters!” Scott continued to speak while Jimmy was still on the fact that Scott had basically called him handsome. “Last I heard, Lizzie and Pearl are both in happy, healthy relationships. Grian would be too if he would actually let me try to help him with Scar- everyone and their mother knows about Grian’s crush yet he won’t admit it- but he’s so frustratingly stubborn and won’t accept my help. Anyway, I’ve helped your sisters and I know I can help you too! Hell, I’m helping Lizzie’s partner move in with her! Which I should be going to do soon, but wait, let me think…” 

“Well, that’s true, but,” Jimmy started, wanting to nip the idea of matchmaking him with someone else in the bud. How did he fuck this up so badly this quickly? This wasn’t the goal!

“Let’s see, who would be good for you…” Scott tapped his chin as he started to mutter to himself, debating between various people. “Oh! I know this guy named Tango that I think you would like. Martyn and I had some repairs that needed to be done a bit ago, he overheard us and offered his services. He’s, like, stupidly smart and thinks it’s no big deal, but it’s super impressive. Anyway, being as broke as we were, we offered him food and friendship in exchange, and we’ve kept in touch. He’s pretty talkative and high-energy, so I think you two will mesh well. Don’t you think so?” 

Jimmy ducked his head, averting his eyes as a light pink flushed his cheeks. This was embarrassing. “Well, yeah, he seems cool-”

“Perfect! I’ll talk to him and see if he’s also interested, but I really have to go Jimmy.” Scott gave him an apologetic expression. “Text you later?”

“Yeah, yeah, talk to you later,” Jimmy sighed as he moved out of the way for Scott to speed walk down the hall.

What just happened? He had gone to ask Scott out and he (somehow) ended up getting set up on a blind date! How did he manage to fail at asking someone out that poorly?  

(Later that week, Jimmy did end up meeting Tango. They found out that they were both in similar situations; they both were crushing on someone, but Scott somehow got them on a date- and they instantly hit it off. The more they talked, the more Jimmy could feel himself starting to fall for Tango too… even as his crush for Tango grew, his affections for Scott never wavered.)

-ˋˏ ༻❀ two ❀༺ ˎˊ-

“Come on, Martyn, drive faster,” Scott urged, patting the top of the dashboard of Martyn’s car. “We’re going to be late.”

“Yeah, and who’s fault is that?” Martyn huffed with a slight shake of his head, but Scott knew him well enough to tell he wasn’t that annoyed. “And we’re not even that late! The GPS says we’ll be there in a few minutes. I can see the sign for the neighborhood just up ahead! What’s the rush?”

“I’m just excited to see everyone!” Scott defended himself, practically bouncing at the prospect of the group get-together. “I’ve been busy so I haven’t seen most of them in a bit. Plus, Lizzie’s party-hosting skills are so good. I always have fun and you do too. Besides, Ren will be there with his boyfriend. You two always get along really well and act like you haven’t seen each other in years, even if it’s only been a few days, so I don’t want to hear it.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever makes you feel better,” Martyn dismissed, knowing full well that Scott was right. “Just lay off my car! I don’t need a Scott’s hand-sized dent in my dashboard.”

Ren and Martyn had always been a dynamic duo, making a rather big presence wherever they were. If Ren was going to be at an event, Scott knew that he wouldn’t have Martyn by his side, but he didn’t mind. Scott was plenty social on his own, so he had his own list of people to check in on.

It didn’t take much longer for them to reach the correct street and park on the side of the road outside of Lizzie’s house. Well, they parked further down the street from her house, but it was close enough. The sheer amount of cars parked on the side of the road made it clear that someone nearby was having a bunch of people over.

Scott and Martyn made it to Lizzie’s front door in no time (there is some truth to the saying “gays walk fast”), and Scott knocked on the door. It was a common courtesy to not enter someone’s house without permission, after all.

The door swung open, revealing someone wearing green overalls, a black shirt, and moon hair clips. Those items stuck out to Scott before he even had time to register her face, knowing who it was based on outfit recognition. “Pearl!”

“Scott! Long time no see, my friend!” Pearl greeted as they both stepped closer to give the other a quick hug. Once they parted, Pearl peered around Scott to give Martyn a wave. “Hi Martyn. Nice to see you too.” 

“S’up.” Martyn gave her a little salute, but he was otherwise rocking on his heels. It was clear that he wanted to get inside, but Scott got distracted before he made the move to let him in.

Still standing in the doorway, Scott asked, “So how are things going with Gem? Still in the honeymoon phase?” 

“Honeymoon phase?” Pearl snorted, amused. “We’re coming up on our four-year anniversary soon. If our ‘honeymoon phase’ has lasted this long, I don’t think it’s going away anytime soon. Still crazy about her, ya know? I’m thinking about doing something special special if you know what I mean, but don’t tell her I said that.”

Scott gasped, pleased that it was working out so well between his friends. He knew they would be a good match when he paired them together. If his guess was correct, Pearl was planning to propose! Scott would have to make sure to check in on that later and see if he can help record the proposal or something else. He clapped his hands in delight before zipping his lips shut and throwing away the key. “I won’t tell a soul.” 

“You better not because I know where you sleep,” Pearl lightheartedly threatened before catching something out of the corner of her eye. She turned her body to the object of her attention and yelled, “Fwhip, I see you! Stop eavesdropping on me!”

“I heard nothing! ” Fwhip claimed loudly, giving his drink a sip before speed-walking away.

“You better not have!” Pearl called after him before rolling her eyes. A small smirk grew on her lips as she shook her head to affectionately complain, “Brothers, honestly! I already have two brothers- Grian and Jimmy are a pain enough- but Fwhip has basically become my third.”

“He’s just getting you ready for when he’s your brother-in-law.” Scott poked Pearl’s side. “Now let us in before we freeze out here.”

“Oh, right!” Pearl stepped aside to let them inside. “That’s why Martyn’s been trying to kill me with his eyes.”

“If looks could kill, you would have been brutally murdered,” Martyn huffed, but Scott appreciated that he didn’t interrupt their conversation. Those little signs of consideration were nice to see from his roommate and childhood best friend, even if he would huff and puff about it after the fact.

From there, the three of them separated to mingle. Scott fluttered around like the social butterfly he was at this sort of thing, making conversation and trying the various alcoholic drinks available at the bar.

He didn’t drink very much on his own, but he had the habit of being a social drinker when it was available to him. Sometimes the most interesting thing to do was go to the local bar and make easy conversations with people. That was how he made some of his friends, like Sausage and Doc.

The problem with his social drinking is that he tended to overdo it. It was much like being a kid with unrestricted access to a candy store after being on a strict diet of fruits and vegetables. Scott could blame his mum for modeling his habit, but he enjoyed indulging in it too much to only blame her. Besides, she had enough going on with taking care of his kid siblings (he had been the result of a teen pregnancy, so he was much older than they were), especially since one of them has been in and out of the hospital for a few years now…

Scott shook his head to clear his brain. It wasn’t time to be anxious and worried about that. He had come here to have fun, after all! With the stress he had to carry on his shoulders, Scott enjoyed being able to loosen up enough to properly enjoy his free time and forget everything he had waiting for him to do. I need another drink.

He downed what was already in his cup, got another one, and wandered to the living room where a bunch of people had circled around to chat. He was thoroughly buzzed, his usually high energy that came out around people dialing down a few clicks.

“Hey, Scott! Wow, it was like on cue, wasn’t it Joel?” Bdubs commented on Scott’s entrance with a grin almost as large as his eyes seemed to be. He turned to Joel, who was sitting next to him. “See, it’s fate! You should talk to him. He’s the local matchmaker, after all.”

“I don’t need a matchmaker!” Joel exclaimed, face annoyed-red as he crossed his arms. “Just ‘cause I’m not dating doesn’t mean I’m lonely.”

“But he could pair you with someone special!” Bdubs tried to convince Joel, continuing to talk about Scott as if he wasn’t there. Scott wasn’t there enough to fully care, settling down where there was room on one of the offered seatings. “He paired me and Etho together, and we’ve been happy ever since.”

“He can’t be that good of a matchmaker if he’s single himself.” Joel gestured to Scott, voice razor sharp as if it were an accusation. He then hiccuped a bit before taking another swig of whatever was in his cup.

“I could date if I wanted to,” Scott chimed in, feeling the need to defend himself. His eyes darted to Tango and Jimmy, who were sitting nearby. Scott’s chest tightened at the sight so he forced his gaze away from them to look back at Joel and Bdubs. “I’m just busy.”

“Sure,” Joel muttered dismissively. “I don’t care either way, but I don’t need you managing my love life.

“I never even offered!” Scott furrowed his eyebrows before deciding to ignore him. He didn’t need to deal with grumpy drunk Joel. He had come here to have fun and to relax.

Scott’s cup was halfway full, meaning it was still a significant amount. Still, he shot it back and chugged it until the liquid was gone. He closed his eyes and focused on the alcohol doing its job. The spacey-er he got, the further away his problems seemed and the less he cared about everything.

If he were to be honest, he didn’t remember much after that. Scott knew he talked to more people and that he likely drank a bit more, but his memories were all fuzzy. It was like he blinked and suddenly teleported to another location within the house, leaning against a wall. A cup he hadn’t been aware of fell out of his hand as someone crouched down in front of him.

Scott blinked before squinting his eyes, trying to focus on the person’s face… the person who was looking at him with such care and concern. He wanted to reach out and touch them… hug them… mmm… Scott’s always been a cuddly drunk. He tried to mutter Tango’s name once he placed who it was, but his words were slurred.

Tango was here… Tango with his pale blonde hair and his red sunglasses only there for aesthetics and his stupidly handsome face and his kissable lips… maybe Scott was drunker than he thought he was. Tango was Jimmy’s boyfriend now! He shouldn’t think that way about him anymore… Scott had paired them together on purpose, hoping to banish his affections (those of which went beyond simple friendship) for them both from his mind. He was too busy… always too busy…

“I think he drank too much,” Tango glanced at the person standing beside him. Jimmy! “He seems fine otherwise.”

“He should probably stay here tonight. I think he got here with Martyn, but I don’t know where he ended up. He’s not answering his texts and he was drinking a decent amount too last I saw him. I don’t think Lizzie would mind having a few guests crash on her couch. Honestly, I think she expected it…” Jimmy hummed softly, beckoning Tango to move to the side some. He crouched down next to Scott and moved his arm over his shoulders. “Get his other side. We’ll move him to the living room.”

Scott could feel his heart beat quickly at the close proximity to the two men. He hoped that his blushing would be covered by his already red flushed cheeks, thanks to the alcohol. They helped him to the couch before setting him down there. Scott clung to them, despite his best judgment, and asked, “Stay with me?”

Tango and Jimmy exchanged a glance, expressions on their faces that Scott couldn’t quite read. He hated that. He hated when he couldn’t pick up body language and nonverbal cues from other people.

“Okay,” Tango agreed in a low tone, sitting down next to Scott. “Only so we can keep an eye on you.”

Jimmy, familiar with the house, found some throw blankets that had been hidden away somewhere and brought them out. He laid them out over Tango and Scott, and he pushed the ottoman closer to make them an impromptu “bed” of sorts before settling down on Scott’s other side.

Being this close to them as they laid down to sleep had his brain going all sorts of places. Scott knew he was being selfish and he knew they would push him away if they knew what was going on in his brain, but he kept his lips sealed shut. He wanted their closeness more often and much more beyond that.

What if I was selfish for once?  

Scott thought, knowing asking them to stay was already selfish. This was him being selfish, but he knew what he wanted, what his heart wished for so desperately. They were so close, yet just out of reach. Maybe, in another life, he could have them, but he couldn’t now. He had too much to do… he had his jobs, his mum, his siblings, his friends… but maybe he could pretend for a night. There was no harm in pretending, was there?

-ˋˏ ༻❀ three ❀༺ ˎˊ-

“Scott and Tango!” Grian announced, holding up the two pieces of paper up for the crowd to see. Martyn was standing next to the whiteboard and, when their team was announced, it was written down for everyone.

Grian had gathered a bunch of their friends to do a field day full of obstacle courses and various challenges. Tango had participated in several others before and they’ve always been a lot of fun so, when Grian asked him, he accepted.

Tango hadn’t expected to be paired with Jimmy’s crush though, but he should have not been that surprised that it was a possibility. Scott wasn’t only Jimmy’s crush, he was a friend, however distant, as well, but it was something that stuck in his brain.

Jimmy had admitted what had happened to get them matched on their first date and Tango was relieved at his openness. He had been (still was) in a similar boat, for he also had a crush on someone else, but struggled to say no to Scott. He was a force of power that was difficult to stop once he put his mind to something! Tango hadn’t wanted to give Scott the real reason why he wanted to say no (his crush was Martyn and Martyn was Scott’s roommate), so his excuses fell flat and Scott somehow managed to rope him into it.

They had a good laugh about their situation and decided to try out the whole date-hangout thing anyway. Worse comes the worst, they simply don’t talk to each other again. Tango didn’t think either of them expected to have such a good time or to hit it off so well. The end result was them dating and, not too long later, the topic of polyamory was brought up. The acknowledgment of their previous crushes opened that conversation to them, making it easier and less nerve-wracking.

After many long discussions, they’ve agreed to stay exclusive with the exception of if something happened with either Scott or Martyn. If someone else came into their lives that they wanted to pursue, they would just have another conversation. Open communication and transparency were necessary for any relationship, but especially important for polyamorous ones.

Tango’s feelings towards Scott were casual and friendly with some aesthetic attraction (he wasn’t a stranger to admiring one’s beauty) thrown in there. Tango knew that last part for certain (at least from his end) when he found himself staring at his assigned teammate as Grian continued to announce the rest of the teams. Scott was wearing simple, black shorts, which showed off his long, lean legs, and a sleeveless crop top, which showed off his belly button piercing. 

The crop top was designed to be for workouts based on the elastic band built into the bottom of it which would prevent it from moving much, even if Scott randomly started doing cartwheels. It was pale yellow with some sort of design on the front. Tango didn’t pay much attention to it; he was too busy looking below it.

The belly button piercing showed off a five-petal flower made up of red crystals. Tango may have stared at it too long, partly because he was just put off by it. When did Scott get a belly button piercing? He didn’t seem like the kind of guy who would get one, but Tango supposed there was still a lot he didn’t know about Scott.

“My eyes are up here, Tango,” Scott teased as he approached, a slight smirk on his lips. Grian must have announced all the teams and told them to find their teammates, but Tango hadn’t been listening. “I know I’m cute, but you’re a taken man.”

“When did you get your belly button pierced?” Tango blurted out his question, ever curious. His curiosity often got the best of him, but, this time, his curiosity luckily saved him. He didn’t want to confront his embarrassment about being caught staring by the very man he was staring at. “I didn’t know you had one.”

Scott looked down at the jewelry in his navel for a moment before looking back up and shrugging. “I got it a while ago out of spite. I don’t think I would have gotten it otherwise. It’s not really something I would normally go after- I prefer regular earrings- but since I have it, I might as well use it.”

“Out of spite?” Tango parroted, amused. “It sounds like there may be a bigger story to uncover here. What happened?”

Scott laughed (a rather joyous sound) before closing one eye and placing a finger against his lips. “It’s a secret.”

“Oh, come on!” Tango protested with no real fire behind his words. “We’re friends, aren’t we? Wait, I could just ask Martyn. I’m sure he’ll know- hey, Martyn!”

Scott grabbed Tango’s wrist to prevent him from walking any further to go and bother Martyn about it. “How about this: I’ll tell you if we win?”

Tango pursed his lips, considering Scott’s offer. After a few seconds of “considering” (his mind had already been made up, but he played it up for the bit), Tango nodded in agreement. “Deal.”

From there, they worked as a team to complete various obstacles and challenges Grian had put together. Tango hadn’t teamed with Scott before, so he was surprised at how well they meshed together. They were friends before this, sure, but events like this were always a toss-up on how well one would mesh with others. Tango supposed he shouldn’t be too surprised, considering Scott’s reputation of being extremely good at this sort of thing. He’s even won a few and gotten close in others!

Currently, all the teams were wiping rags against their foreheads, drinking water like there was no tomorrow, and waiting in anticipation for BigB (he had agreed to be the non-biased record keeper and referee this time around) to count up the results.

“Everyone shut up!” Joel ordered in a loud enough scream to be heard over everyone chatting. As he intended, everyone closed their mouths and turned to where Joel was standing. He cleared his throat and nodded his head towards BigB. “BigB’s been trying to get your attention for the past three minutes. I don’t know about you blummin’ idiots, but I want to hear the results.”

“Thank you, Joel,” BigB flashed him a partially nervous smile before addressing the crowd. “I have tallied everything up and will be announcing the winners now!”

BigB paused for a moment as cheer and applause broke out among the gathered crowd. Once it quieted down, he announced each team that got into the top three, pausing in between each team to allow time for congratulations and clapping. “In third place, we have Pearl and Scar! In second place, we have Scott and Tango!”

“Not bad! Second place!” Scott grinned widely, looking proud of the both of them. He glanced at Tango. “We make a good team, you and I.”

“We do, don’t we?” Tango returned the grin, a soft yet fierce warmness burning within him. Is this what Jimmy felt when he was with Scott? Is this what he saw in him?

“Last but not least, the ones in first place and the team that gets to take home the trophy are Gem and Cleo!” BigB finished the list. “Congratulations everyone!” 

Once everything started to die down from the cheering, Tango turned to his teammate. “Hey, Scott, do you think you want to go out sometime? You know, to celebrate our almost-win?”

Scott opened his mouth to respond when someone else grabbed his attention. After a brief conversation with them, he turned back to Tango. “I would love to, but maybe another time. I have a lot on my plate and- yeah just a second! Sorry, Tango.”

With the apology, Scott hurried off to go tend to whatever it was this time. Tango scrunched his nose as a sinking feeling grew in his stomach. He didn’t like the feeling. Instead of focusing on it, he took a deep breath and went to find Jimmy. Maybe they could go get something to eat (he’s sure Jimmy would be okay with him tagging along if he was planning to go out with his teammate) and talk about the day they’ve had.

-ˋˏ ༻❀ four ❀༺ ˎˊ-

“You should not go out and stay in tonight.” Martyn sat on Scott’s bed as Scott rummaged through his closet. “You’ve barely been at the apartment all week. You’re going to run yourself into the ground.”

While that was true, that wasn’t the only reason Martyn wanted Scott to stay around. Truth was, Martyn simply enjoyed Scott’s company and wanted more of it. He became roommates with Scott, specifically, for a reason. They were childhood friends, yes, but Martyn knew he loved him beyond a platonic or even familial bond. Thank the stars they have never had the whole “you’re basically my brother” sentiment passed between them, or Martyn may just have to walk across an intersection without looking both ways first.

“I’ll be fine,” Scott dismissed as he turned around to face Martyn, holding up two hangers along with their sweaters. “Which one do you like better? I like the black starry one, but the red stands out more since it’s not as dark.”

Martyn pursed his lips for a moment before commenting, “Wear the black one. The red makes you look like a bitch.”

Scott hummed in consideration, studying the two sweaters for a moment. “You’re probably right. Bitchy isn’t the vibe for tonight. I don’t want to be perceived that way when trying to celebrate Cleo’s accomplishments.”

“You know that you can go visit Cleo’s exhibit on another night, right?” Martyn pointed out. “They’re probably going to be distracted anyway. Plus, Lizzie’s going to be there so she’ll be there for Cleo. You’re not even getting paid! This is unpaid labor.”

“I know that, but I want to be there for them. Think of it as me getting in some volunteer hours.” Scott pulled off his shirt to change into the black starry sweater. Martyn averted his gaze, feeling like it was disrespectful to do so despite the fact he’s seen his best friend shirtless many times before. It just felt wrong, knowing the extent of his feelings and attraction toward him. “Besides, I showed up to Cub and Pix’s big first exhibits when they had those. It would only be fair to Cleo that I do the same for her. They’re also expecting me to show up to help them double check everything before the opening.”

“I just feel like you’re running yourself ragged,” Martyn further expressed his concern, but he knew it was a losing battle. “Especially with Lizzie and Cleo, between their move a bit ago and this. At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if they asked you to ordain and cater their wedding.”

“Well, I did get a license to ordain people for a reason.” Scott shrugged, unbothered. “I’ve done it before. I married my cousin to their husband. Remember that one weekend I traveled back to Scotland to visit my extended family?”

“You’re impossible,” Martyn scoffed, deciding to give up. Scott was determined to go and it didn’t matter what Martyn wanted. The thought was unfair, but he couldn’t help but feel upset by it. Was it so wrong to just have a nice night with his (crush) best friend?

“What did you expect from me?” Scott laughed as he stood in front of his room’s mirror. He held up two different earring options to his ears, debating between the various options. Scott set down one pair and put in the other, a bluish-tinted silver gem shaped like a star. “If people are going to call me a matchmaker, then I might as well live up to the title!” 

“Mhm, sure,” Martyn grumbled, leaning back on Scott’s bed. He wasn’t interested in the conversation any longer.

“What? Sad you don’t have someone?” Scott teased Martyn lightheartedly. He tilted his head in consideration. “I could match you up if you’d let me. Hm, let me guess who may be a good match for you. You would want an animal lover, I bet. You’ve wanted a dog for forever, but our apartment complex doesn’t allow that. Maybe a theater nerd as well, so you two have something in common to gush about. I love a good play, but you are obsessive to another level! It’s rather endearing. Someone smarter than you would be nice, but that shouldn’t be hard to do-” 

“Hey!” Martyn shot back up with an offended gasp. He grabbed one of Scott’s pillows and tossed it at him. “I am very smart, thank you!”

Scott dodged out of the way with a gleeful giggle, the pillow missing him entirely. Before he could make a quip back in response, his phone’s alarm went off. “Oh, I need to get going. That was my ‘gotta go’ alarm.”

“Uh, since you’re not free tonight, would you like to go out, together, another day?” Martyn asked quickly, getting in the words before Scott had the chance to leave the room. If he was shot down or rejected, at least he would have the apartment to himself for a bit. “Maybe tomorrow or this weekend? It’s been a bit since we’ve hung out one-on-one”

“That sounds awfully romantic, Martyn,” Scott commented with a mild teasing tone, shoving his phone in his pocket. There was more to his voice than just teasing, but Martyn couldn’t quite pinpoint it. He hoped it was Scott liking him back, but that felt too hopeful for him to realistically believe.

“It could be!” Martyn felt like kicking himself. “We could go all classy with dinner, or maybe even a picnic in the park or a day at the pool. Something chill and low stress. I mean, what's a better first date than that?” 

“I wonder how many first dates we’ve had at this point.” Scott skipped over the part of the conversation that would clarify that they’ve done those sorts of things with each other many times before. They had been friends since they were kids, after all, so they both knew that information.

“Many, but as long as they’re with you, they’re all perfect,” Martyn leaned into the flirting and flattery, maintaining an outwardly collected composure.

“You’re such a flatterer, aren’t you Martyn? You really know what to say to a guy.” Scott’s face flushed pink, but he seemed to try and play it off like it was nothing. It wasn’t too unusual for Martyn and Scott to have “flirt-offs” from time to time, but it’s been a bit since they’ve engaged in that sort of competition. “I’ll have to take a rain check though. I’m working this weekend, remember? Anyway, I’ll be back late tonight so don’t wait up. I’ll lock up when I get home. Bye! Love you.”

“Love you too. See ya later,” Martyn waved him off, not taking his eyes off of him until he was out of sight. He couldn’t help but be disappointed, but what did he expect? Scott has an eye for romance, attraction, and affection for literally everyone else but himself. Martyn loved him (so much that it was becoming a problem), but, stars, he was dense as hell sometimes.

-ˋˏ ༻❀ five ❀༺ ˎˊ-

“What’s worrying you?” Martyn asked, snapping Scott out of his thoughts.

Scott and Martyn were sitting down together at their little dining table, eating dinner together. They tried to make a point to do so semi-regularly, sometimes cooking the meal together or one treating the other by cooking them a meal.

What’s not worrying me, is the better question…

Scott contemplated confiding in Martyn for a moment, but it didn’t last long. Martyn was his best friend and he cared deeply about him. If he couldn’t confide in him, who could he confide in? 

“I don’t know if I can keep up with rent payments,” Scott admitted. “You may have to find a new roommate.” 

“A new roommate?” Martyn echoed, eyebrows furrowing and mouth gawking open. “No, Scott, I don’t want a new roommate, I- Why not? You work so often and… you know I can cover you for a bit, yeah?” 

“I know you can, I just…” Scott trailed off, avoiding Martyn’s piercing blue eyes. He didn’t want to leave Martyn, but there was only so much he could do. He took a deep breath before starting to ramble off his reasonings. “My car has needed repairs, and one of my siblings has been really sick lately, so I’ve been sending more money than usual home for my mum so she can pay the bills and still take care of my younger siblings and it’s just a lot. I might have to move back home to save on rent-”

“We could get roommates!” Martyn offered, placing a hand on the table and straightening his posture. “That way our collective rent is less.”

“In this small place?” Scott raised an eyebrow. They had their own bedrooms now, yes, but they were cramped. Living with another person- especially a stranger- in that small of a living quarters was not something he cared to do. “This is a good place for two people, maybe a couple and their kids, but not for more roommates.” 

“We could get a different apartment!” Martyn brought up another alternative to solve their possible “no longer being roommates and Scott moving back in with his mum” problem. “Our lease for this one is almost up anyway, and I know Jimmy and Tango are looking for a new place. Maybe we can all move in together.” 

Scott considered it for a moment. He liked Jimmy and Tango (a lot), but he wasn’t sure he could be close to them that often, knowing that they were happy together without him. He hated that he was jealous of them… not that they were happy together, but that they were content without him. Scott wanted to be important to them in a more significant way, but that couldn’t possibly happen. They deserve a better boyfriend than me anyway…

Mentally dismissing those thoughts, Scott turned to a practical question, “What apartment around here has four bedrooms?” 

“We could share,” Martyn stated, simple as that. It was the obvious situation, after all. “We could find bigger bedrooms than the ones here. Tango and Jimmy would probably want to share a room and… and we can relive our university dorms experience. Or we can see if we can afford a house together with four incomes. We’re all friends, and you and I’ve been rooming for years now, so it shouldn’t be too hard to adjust. I think I would love living with the three of you too.” 

What Martyn was saying was making sense, but Scott was curious as to “Why do you care so much? It's not like you’ll never see me just because we’re not rooming together anymore. You’re still my best friend.” 

“I just don’t want to see you have to move back to our small hometown when you worked so hard to come out here.” A light blush graced Martyn’s cheeks as he shrugged and glanced off to the side. “Besides, I like having you around. If you leave, who will be my roommate? Some stranger?” 

Scott pursed his lips for a moment before nodding slowly. “Okay, I’ll make a group chat and see if we can work it out.” 

Martyn’s eyes lit up, looking extremely pleased (maybe too pleased) as Scott grabbed his phone to do as he said. He picked up Scott’s cleared-off plate and set it on top of his. “Here, I'll clean up dinner and you go pick out a movie for us to watch.” 

“Martyn, you don’t have to do that. I can help clean up.” Scott picked up his cup and went to grab Martyn’s as well. “We both made dinner, so we both should clean up the mess.” 

“No, no, you’re clearly stressed out about everything and this is my way of helping.” Martyn prevented Scott from grabbing his cup and gestured for Scott to give him the other one. Scott obliged him with a weary smile. “Go sit your ass down on the couch and I'll come over to play with your hair when I’m done.” 

“You’re using my weaknesses against me,” Scott whined, but wouldn’t object. He loved when other people ran their fingers through his hair and Martyn always knew how to make it feel really nice. 

“I know, I know, I’m so awful,” Martyn rolled his eyes affectionately as he walked over to the sink with all their dishes. “Now go. ” 

“Okay, okay!” Scott had started to move to sit down, but he spotted the broom leaned against the wall and couldn’t help himself. “Here, I’ll sweep first.”

“Scott, no.” Martyn moved swiftly to dry his hands on the rag by the sink before standing in front of Scott. He placed his hands on his shoulders and looked him directly in the eye. “You do so much to help everyone else, arguably too much at times. You need to learn to let other people take care of you sometimes.”

“But I like helping other people,” Scott scrunched his nose, but allowed Martyn to prohibit him from the broom.

“I know it’s how you are, but that doesn’t mean I have to stand for it when I can help it.” Martyn smiled at him so lovingly that Scott wished he could cup his face and trace his thumb along his lips and- stop! You’re just friends! Don’t think like that…

Scott ducked his head, hoping to hide how red his face burned. He turned around to beeline toward the couch like Martyn wanted him to. “You’re the best, Martyn.”

Martyn snorted at that comment, but there was a bit of a laugh to it. “Yeah, I know.”

-ˋˏ ༻❀ plus one ❀༺ ˎˊ-

So, as Martyn suggested, they ended up buying a small house not too far away from where they lived before, with Jimmy and Tango now included. Scott knew Jimmy and Tango saw him and Martyn as friends, but he hadn’t expected them to jump on the idea so ecstatically. It worked out for the better though, with Tango and Jimmy sharing the master bedroom, and Scott and Martyn taking the smaller rooms. 

Scott got the bigger of the two rooms, mostly because he had more things, but also because Martyn claimed the smallest bedroom when they were deciding who went where. Martyn explained that he liked the simplicity of the smaller space (though Scott guessed that he liked that there was an easy exit route from that bedroom’s window to the outside) and he brought up the fact that he would probably spend a decent amount of time in the common areas over his bedroom anyway. From there, it made the bedroom choices obvious.  

Things have been good- really good. Great, even! They settled into a routine rather quickly and it’s been smooth sailing. They had chore lists, a group calendar, and all those typically helpful things to have in place when living together with other people. What was great was the time in between the chores and their jobs. The time Scott had enjoyed the most was the sweetly domestic moments the four of them shared.

It wasn’t an unusual sight to see the four of them cuddled on a couch to watch a movie or baking together with some tunes on in the kitchen. They would play board games, go on almost date-like activities on their days off, and wander around on duo adventures in every combination possible… it all felt so natural and so wonderful.

Yet Scott still wanted more. Selfishly wanted more.

That wasn’t to say he wasn’t content because, for the most part, he was! It was just those moments of intimacy he was craving more. Scott was grateful none of them were closed off to cuddling together with him, hugging him, or running their fingers through his hair (Tango and Jimmy had picked up on his love of it from Martyn doing it), but there were nights where he craved more. There were nights when he didn’t want to sleep alone in his bed. There were times when he wanted to feel their lips. There were moments he wished he could call them his. Each and every single one of them.

He forbade himself from getting a boyfriend at all because he was too busy and now he found himself desiring three! How selfish was he?

If Scott were to give himself grace, his chaotic schedule had been getting better. His kid sibling was currently in recovery, so he didn’t have to send as much money home, and the house payment split four ways was a lot easier to come up with the funding for.

Maybe I can afford to be a little selfish…

Scott stood in the doorway of his bedroom, biting his lower inner lip as he stared at the back of Martyn’s head. He was in a house full of blondes, yes, (maybe he had a type) but Scott had perfected the skill of telling who was who from the back on first glance. Jimmy, Martyn, and Tango’s hair were all different shades of blonde and styled with different haircuts. Besides, Martyn often wore a headband and had for a good chunk of the time Scott’s known him. He didn’t expect Martyn to give up the headband anytime soon.

Martyn was watching some show on the television, and Scott wasn’t sure where Jimmy and Tango were off to. The house was quiet, aside from their quiet breathing and the sound coming from the speakers.

Scott stepped forward softly, creeping his way around the couch to sit down next to Martyn. When Scott got there, he leaned into Martyn, and the action was accepted without any fuss. Scott cuddled against his childhood best friend, who wrapped his arm snuggly around him as he idly scratched his fingernails against Scott’s side. Scott breathed out, content with the comfort and closeness.

This was pleasant, nice, wonderful, perfect, and all those other positive terms. Did he really need the label on it to be happy? Scott knew he should just learn to be content with what he had. He didn’t want to scare them off! Besides, Scott didn’t even know if they would be open to polyamory; he’s never asked.

Scott’s phone started ringing, pulling both Martyn and himself out of their peaceful moment. He wrinkled his nose as he tried to blink himself into awareness. Scott fished his phone out of his pocket, squinted at the caller ID, read that it was Jimmy, and answered the call. “Hello?”

“Hey, Scott, are you and Martyn home or busy at the moment?” Jimmy’s voice spoke louder than Scott had anticipated so he pulled his phone away from his ear, clicking down the volume button.

“Does Jimmy need us?” Martyn asked, overhearing Jimmy’s question considering the louder volume the phone was set at. “Put it on speaker.”

Scott did as he was told before replying to Jimmy, “Yeah, we’re both home. We’re just watching one of Martyn’s shows. Why?”

“We’ve been talking a lot and there’s something we want to talk about with you two.” Tango’s voice came through, meaning they were together and also on speaker. Based on the background feedback, Scott guessed they were driving. Tango’s next comment proved that guess correct, “We’re almost home and we just wanted to make sure you two were free to have a conversation.”

“What about?” Martyn asked, taking the words right out of Scott’s mouth.

There was silence on the other end for several heartbeats before Jimmy spoke up again. “It’s a conversation that’s best to happen in person. It’s nothing bad and, no matter what the conclusion is, nothing has to change.”

“Okay, we’ll be home soon, bye!” Tango spoke quickly with his voice pitched in the way that happened when he was nervous. 

The call disconnected and Scott turned to Martyn. “Do you know what that was about?”

“No,” Martyn suddenly looked mildly flustered and Scott wasn’t sure why, “but I have a few suspicions.”

“Do you know something I don’t?” Scott raised an eyebrow at him. “I thought everything was going well between the four of us.”

“Everything is going well,” Martyn assured Scott with a half smile. “I- I think it is something you will like if what I think they’re talking about is correct.”

“How do you know what they’re going on about and I don’t?” Scott huffed, crossing his arms. He didn’t enjoy being the only one in the dark.

“I’m just really good at listening,” Martyn gave the excuse as if it was an acceptable explanation.

Before Scott could say anything in response, the front door opened to reveal Tango and Jimmy. Scott started to stand to join them, but Jimmy instructed him against that. “No, stay sitting. We’ll come to you. This conversation is probably better sitting down, anyway.”

Scott obeyed, sitting back down beside Martyn as Jimmy and Tango took a seat (Jimmy on another chair and Tango criss crossed on the floor) in the living room as well. An awkward silence hung in the air as they all stared at each other, no one daring to say the first word.

“So, have either of you considered polyamoring?” Tango blurted out, suddenly breaking the growing tension. His face was red, but so were the other three’s so no one commented on it. 

They exchanged looks for a moment before Martyn hummed, “...it’s definitely been on my mind recently.”

“Tango and I’ve talked about it before, and we’ve discovered we’re polyamorous.” Jimmy gave them a rundown of the reasoning behind Tango’s question before diving into more detail. “We were both crushing on other people- still are- when Scott introduced us. We hit it off and started dating, as you know, but those crushes never went away. If anything, they’ve gotten stronger and we may or may not have developed feelings for the other’s crush as well.”

“And those crushes are me and Scott, aren’t they.” Martyn’s words were set up like they formed a question, but he said them like they were a statement. Both Tango and Jimmy nodded to confirm the suspicion. 

“What?” Scott’s eyes widened, feeling like he was being tricked (not that this was bad news) somehow for some reason. He didn’t think that they were the kind of people to do that sort of prank about something like this, but surely they wouldn’t feel the same way towards him? Was he really that blind? How had he never picked their affections up if it’s actually been that long? Thinking back, there were so many signs, but Scott had dismissed them all as affectionate actions between friends.

“For a matchmaker, you’re pretty oblivious when it comes to your own love life,” Martyn huffed, half teasingly, half simply stating the obvious. He took a breath, averting his eyes away from them before braving it and looking back at them. “Since we’re being honest and open right now, I’ve liked you, Scott, for several years now. I just didn’t know how to tell you and you always said you were too busy for that sort of thing.”

“Really?” Scott squeaked, hating the sound that built in his throat. So he had been that blind! Stars, how oblivious could he be? Here he was, priding himself on picking up on body language and nonverbal cues while these things had gone undetected on his radar.

“ Yes, you dumbass.” Martyn’s insult didn’t have any bite to it. His focus moved from Scott to Jimmy and Tango. “After all our time building up our friendships, and now, after living together, I can see myself falling for both of you too.”

Scott buried his head in his hands, his face hot enough that he could feel the heat against his face. This must be a dream, right? He’s had them before. He’s daydreamed about what it would be like to date each of them so many times now…

“You don’t have to agree to date us, any of us,” Jimmy promised, moving closer and placing a hand on Scott’s thigh. His tone was gentle and caring, which only made Scott’s heartbeat quicken. “We still care about you and, as we said, nothing has to change.”

“We won’t thirdwheelificate you,” Tango chimed in. He was clearly nervous if only based on the word “thirdwheelificate.” Tango only used words like that when he was nervous, forgot a word, or was showing off some big accomplishment. “Or, rather, fourthwheelify you-”

“No, no, that’s not,” Scott choked on his words, surprised to feel wet tears against his hands. He rubbed his palms against his eyes before removing them and beaming brightly at them. “I would love to date you all, I just… I thought it wasn’t an option, especially with everything I had going on, I wouldn’t be a very great one…”

“Bullshit,” Martyn scoffed in dismissal, wrapping his arm around Scott again. “You would be a great boyfriend. You’re already a fantastic friend. You broke through my angry shell when I was a kid and my life is significantly better off because of it. For someone typically so confident in yourself, you sure have a lot of self-doubt.”

“Well, you didn’t have to call me out like that,” Scott stuttered a laugh. A weight he hadn’t fully realized was still there lifted from his shoulders. He felt happy. Happy in a way he hadn’t thought he would a year ago. Life seemed to like him once more, everything turning up in his favor. Scott’s stressors weren’t as numerous as they once were and now he was being offered what he assumed would only be dreams.

“I would be a bad friend if I didn’t.” Martyn paused for a moment with a slight tilt of his head. “Bad boyfriend?”

“I think you’ll find the answer to that question if you kiss me,” Scott couldn’t help but slip a sly, little flirt in. 

A brief look of surprise flashed on Martyn’s face before morphing into a smirk. He pulled Scott onto his lap. “C’mere, then.”

Scott giggled, wrapping his arms around Martyn’s neck as they leaned in for a kiss. This wasn’t the first time they have kissed before, but it had been a while since they kissed last. Scott and Martyn were two of those kids who kissed each other “for practice” and discovered they enjoyed it much more with another boy than with a girl. Honestly, Scott was surprised at how their parents didn’t pick it up sooner growing up.

When they broke, they were both looking very satisfied. Scott stayed on Martyn’s lap, but he twisted his body to face Tango and Jimmy. “Can I kiss you two as well?”

He wasn’t met with words, but they both nodded. Since Tango was closer, Scott climbed off of Martyn and moved to where Tango was sitting on the floor. He got to his knees to meet Tango’s lips, but they didn’t stay upright. They moved their kiss to a horizontal position, and he could hear Martyn and Jimmy entertaining themselves with each other as Scott eagerly explored Tango, experimenting to see how each other responded to various things.

When they finally came up for air, they were panting to try and catch their breath. Observing the details of Tango’s face as he laid under him with a huge grin on his lips and his face flushed a bright red was such a beautiful sight to commit to memory.

“We’ll have to talk more in detail later,” Jimmy started, though he looked thoroughly dazed from his kisses with Tango and Marytn.

“We can work out everything later, but that’s too much to think about right now,” Scott interrupted him as he approached Jimmy to claim his lips in a kiss. He had wanted it long enough that he didn’t want to talk about boundaries and everything else more in-depth until later. Scott wanted to claim his Jimmy kiss before then, at least. “I would prefer it if you just kissed me-”

Scott was going to say more, adding more flirt and maybe some extra touches, when Jimmy shut him up with a kiss. It was wonderful, so Scott certainly wouldn’t complain. When they broke, Scott knew he had a stupid grin on his face. He felt warm and fuzzy with a sufficiently content buzz humming in his chest. “If that’s how you’re going to shut me up from now on, feel free to do it anytime.”

“Is that offer open to us too?” Martyn chimed in. “Because that would be oh so very useful.”

Scott rolled his eyes and flipped Martyn off, who promptly cackled with delight. Despite what may typically be perceived as annoyance, it was anything but. Scott felt pure bliss as he came to terms with the situation and it continued to stay with him. He didn’t know exactly how their relationship was going to go, how it would develop, or where they would end up, but those questions didn’t matter right now. They would figure it out together, one day at a time, and Scott couldn’t wait to see what was in store for them next.