Title: All good things
Category: Friday Night Lights
Genre: Drama/family/sex/unorthodox relationships
Ship: Tim Riggins/Lyla Garrity: Tim/Lyla; Tim/Lyla/Jason
Rating: NC-17, Explicit
Word Count: 4233
Summary: A flight of fancy for those who liked Jason and Lyla together but also ship Lyla and Tim hard like myself. A feelgood AU futurefic.
All Good Things
None of them really knew how it turned from a seed, a fleeting thought, an idea, into an actual plan. Maybe it was Herc’s ‘turn every negative into a positive, man’ mantra that made Jason wonder if it could work. For a long time, Jason’s blood boiled every time he thought of Tim and Lyla, the two people he loved and trusted most in the world, getting it on behind his back; he’d envisaged it and cried many times - Tim inside Lyla, and Lyla moaning and sighing into Tim’s mouth and not his.
They were both sorry for what they’d done, of that Jason was sure, but he wasn’t sure they wouldn’t do it all over again given permission. He’d seen the way Tim looked at Lyla when he thought Jason couldn’t see, and the way Lyla’s body fitted into Tim’s when they hugged or sat next to each other in the truck bed while Jason drove. It had always been there, he now realised, the chemistry between them, like a fire that has been banked down by ashes but still glows, the ashes being Tim’s drinking, his on-again, off-again relationship with Tyra, the constant stream of rally girls and the kickings off the team, none of which Lyla had much patience with. The irony was, of course, that had Lyla been his, the rest would stop.
Tim saw no need to stop, not now. Lyla loved Jason, he loved her, the fling with Tim was a mistake - she’d made that crystal clear. End of conversation. Yet another reason for him to self-destruct; the only girl he’d ever really loved was taken and any hopes he had of her being his were shattered that day on the doorstep when she told him she couldn’t do it to Jason any more.
Months had gone by since the revelation and Tim and Jason had somehow got past it, on the surface at least. Lyla and Jason were back together and had even managed to have sex once. Jay was devastated at not being able to perform like he had before his accident, and Herc’s advice had been to realise he had to learn all over again what turned him on - there was going to be no more ‘hit it and quit it’ for you, my friend. Back to square one.
Jason was living with Herc and Tim would come over to hang out; they’d watch some crappy fishing programme or dissect the Panthers’ last game, whether won or lost.
Herc was out one night; he had a date, someone he’d met at quad rugby, where he and Jason were both on the team. Oh yes, even the parathletes had their equivalent of (very) able-bodied rally girls and cheerleaders. Lyla had caught onto this quick and staked her claim early.
Tim had come over with beer and was sprawled in one of the easy chairs with a bottle to his lips when Jason yelled “Come in!” to the knock on the door. Lyla.
“Oh, I didn’t know Tim was round tonight,” she said, hesitating in the doorway. She had a bag with her - food, if Jason wasn’t mistaken.
Tim said, “Hey, Garrity,” without looking at her. Not awkward at all.
“Hi, Tim,” she said, still in the doorway. She looked to him but he kept his gaze on the TV. He wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of seeing any suspicion of hurt or desire in his eyes.
“Come in, Lyla, it’s fine,” said Jason.
She crossed the room to him and ducked down to kiss him where he sat in his wheelchair. “Hi, sweetie,” she said in that soft voice she saved for him.
Tim wanted to puke. “I’ll go,” he said, making a move to stand.
“Tim, no,” said Jay. “Stay - please. Please?”
Tim shrugged and sank back into the chair, sighing, still unable to look at them.
“What’s in the bag?” said Jason, trying to lighten the atmosphere.
“Been baking,” smiled Lyla, and took out a couple of Tupperware containers, which were full of cookies and little cakes.
“Want a cookie, Tim?” said Jason.
“No, thank you,” said Tim, not wanting to touch anything Lyla had handled for fear he would taste her and feel addicted all over again, “but I am suddenly hungry. Gonna go out and get pizza. What about you, Six?” He was addressing Jason, who exchanged glances with Lyla.
“We’ll have pizza too, thanks,” he said. “Want some money?”
“No, I’m good.”
Tim shucked on his sheepskin jacket and left, banging the door behind him.
He didn’t really know why he went back, because everything was telling him he’d really rather not watch those two mooning over each other, but Tim was Jay’s best friend first and foremost and he felt like he owed it to Jay to accept defeat and not act like a jealous jerk.
When Tim went back into the flat, without knocking because he knew Jason didn’t care, Lyla was straddling Jason as he sat in his chair, and they were kissing.
Tim dumped the pizza boxes on the coffee table, and turned to leave again.
“Tim!” Jason called to him, “wait.”
Jason looked at Lyla, who gave him a little nod.
“What is it, man?” Tim said, frowning uncomfortably. “I can’t be here, not like this.” He wanted to tell Jason how much it destroyed him to see them together, but knew he was supposed to man up and accept the fact that he wasn’t the guy Lyla panted for any more, and told him how much she cared about him, but he was back to being the outsider again - mutual friend. That was damn near impossible to return to, from the places where he and Lyla had been together.
“I want you to help me,” said Jay, looking intently at Tim.
“What?” Tim’s voice, quiet, not understanding.
“I want…I need… you to help me. Help us,” he said, again. “All of us,” he added, hoping to make it clear to Tim that he wasn’t going to just be an observer.
Tim stared at them in disbelief, but Jason just kissed Lyla again and pushed her skirt up a little, allowing Tim a glimpse of her nakedness underneath. There was no misunderstanding. Tim’s breath caught and he could feel himself getting hard. Whether it was the prospect of sex with Lyla again or just the shock of the proposal he wasn’t sure, but something was definitely getting to him.
Without conscious thought, Tim felt his feet take him towards where they were sitting and he slipped off his jacket as the space between where he'd been standing and Jason’s chair shrank to nothing.
He dropped to one knee so that their faces were all on much the same level, and said, “What do you want me to do?” He was looking at Jason, a bit afraid to look at Lyla’s expression in case he didn’t like it. Tim felt Lyla put her hand on his shoulder and squeeze it gently; he looked sideways at her hand, then nervously up to meet her eyes, which were asking him a question he couldn’t quite fathom.
“We need to get into my room,” Jason said. “I don’t know when Herc will be back, and this might be a bit much even for him.”
“Are you serious about this?” Tim said, following Jay as he wheeled himself into his bedroom. Lyla was behind Tim, and touched his back. He turned to her, and she cupped his face in her hands, gently pulling it towards hers so that she could kiss him.
“Serious as a heart attack, “ said Jason, focused on getting onto his bed and appearing not to notice.
“We all need this,” Lyla breathed, her face still close to Tim’s. Tim wasn’t sure exactly what she meant, and didn’t ask. His hands were either side of her slender ribcage; he dared to stroke her nipples lightly with his thumbs, once, testing the water, and she gave a tiny sigh with her eyes closed. He wanted to run his hand up her inner thigh to feel the heat between her legs, especially now he knew she was exposed down there, but didn’t want to rush or force anything - this was Jason's show, he told himself.
“Some help here, guys,” said Jason, who had got himself onto the double bed but was struggling with his clothes. Lyla stepped in quickly, helped him get his polo shirt off over his head then tugged his pants and boxers down. Tim found the catheter a bit gross at first, but Lyla demonstrated how to deflate the balloon inside and withdraw it quickly. It wasn’t so bad, Tim thought, he could probably do it if he had to.
The next thing Tim knew, Lyla was urging him to get undressed too, pulling his t-shirt up and off, then toying with his belt buckle, sneakily pressing her hand against him as she did so. She was looking at Jason and he was paying close attention, appearing to find it arousing.
“Let me watch you do something for Tim,” Jay said to Lyla. There was little doubt about what he meant.
Tim’s eyebrows furrowed and his mouth moved as though to say something, which might have been ‘no’, but Lyla sat on the edge of the bed and raised her eyes to his, silently asking him if that was okay, but telling him she was going to do it anyway. He couldn’t remember being harder, and thought that this probably wasn’t going to take very long, as Lyla undid his jeans and closed her fingers round his cock, which was naked inside. She knew Tim often didn’t bother with underwear and she always found it a turn-on, knowing how easy it was to get at him if she wanted to.
“Can you take your top off?” said Tim. Lyla looked at Jay and he gave a tiny nod. Lyla sat up in front of Tim and took her time unbuttoning her white cotton blouse before slipping it off, revealing just a see-through lacy bra. Her cute brown nipples were hard and visible through the lace and Tim found that a fucking turn-on in itself.
Lyla’s pink, warm lips closed round him and he was groaning and moaning loudly in minutes. Jay’s clawed right hand had managed to pull one of Lyla’s bra cups down so he could stroke her nipple; Tim could see Jay’s dick getting hard as his own excitement built and fuck, even that was turning him on more than he would have imagined.
Tim’s hands were in Lyla’s hair as he shouted his release and he spilled at the back of her throat. She carried on sucking him for a few more seconds to draw out his orgasm, and Tim felt completely spent, but remembered where he was and looked to Jay to make sure he was still OK. If Jason felt any resentment about the fact that Lyla appeared to enjoy Tim coming in her mouth when that was something that had always seemed off limits between the two of them, he didn’t show it. The fact that they were so clearly familiar with each other was sort of a bonus. The Sanskrit ‘peace’ tattoo he’d had done on his arm when he was away for the quad rugby trials had helped him come to terms with a lot of things.
“Could you help Lyla, please, Timmy?” There was no hatred or jealousy there, just love and acceptance. Tim wondered what he meant for a moment, then figured it out. The way Lyla was looking at him with those big brown eyes, he would do anything for her right then, and if it benefited Jay, too, well that was okay, he reasoned.
Tim took a moment to get his jeans right off rather than halfway down his legs where he’d been standing, then helped Lyla off with her skirt and bra. She was exactly as he remembered, with her perky little boobs and neatly trimmed triangle of dark hair, and it felt surreal as he looked at her there, naked, in front of him again.
He climbed onto the bed and supported Lyla from behind as she sank down onto Jay’s erection. Tim had seen him hard before, many times, the afternoons and evenings when as kids they’d hidden in the tent down by the lake or in the summer house when Jay's parents were out, jerking off together to Parade magazine and sharing fantasies about Miss Day the student teacher, or the little hottie that worked in the butcher’s; but this, with Lyla…was in another category altogether. While Lyla rode Jason, Tim held her hip and used his other hand to massage her clit, which was swollen and firm under his broad, square fingertips. Lyla was moaning loudly, and Tim could see Jay’s face over her shoulder. Tim knew Jay would want to see Lyla’s expression when she came. She always looked so sweet and helpless, and she made these shuddery, whimpery little noises when she was close. Tim could hear those sounds coming from her now, and his mouth was close to her ear, whispering things he knew excited her.
Lyla raised her arms and crossed them behind Tim’s neck, seeking out Tim's lips as she turned her head towards him. Seeing the beautiful couple kissing whilst he was inside Lyla gave Jason the most incredible rush, and he spurted uncontrollably into her just as Lyla started to groan hard from her own orgasm. Tim was ready again behind her, and when Jason was done he pushed her forward from the hips, replacing Jay’s now softened member seamlessly with his own. Tim began thrusting hard into the hot, slippery space Jay had left while she was still coming, and in less than a minute he was exploding into her as well, pulling her hips hard against him, eyes tightly shut, and trembling with the force of it.
Lyla had been supporting herself on her arms, her hair hanging loosely over Jay’s face, and she bent down to give him a long, melting kiss while Tim ran his rough palms across her back and waist, still inside her and breathing hard.
Lyla laid down first, next to Jay, with Jay’s arm round her, and she pulled Tim down too, urging him to lay next to Jay on his other side. Tim laid propped up on one elbow, to gaze at them both, his mind blown at how easily they’d crossed a line between being friends to three-in-a-bed lovers.
He bent his head down and couldn’t believe he was doing it, but he kissed Jay on the lips, surprised at how natural it felt. Then Tim kissed Lyla softly, too; Lyla looked directly into his eyes and told him she loved him. She said it twice, to make sure he heard, and so tenderly he actually thought he could believe her. Jay caught Tim’s hand in his, happy for his best friend who he knew had been so sad for so long. Finally, maybe there was a way forward.
***
To Herc’s dismay, and on the pretext of Jason and Lyla setting up home together with Tim as a friend contributing to the rent, the three of them moved into an apartment together (partially funded by Buddy, which Tim and Jay found amusing considering Buddy would have a coronary if he knew the truth), and the arrangement continued. Lyla cooked, cleaned and helped out in her dad’s business, Jay coached quarterback part-time and helped where he could with the housework, Tim went to Dillon Tech and got a job in construction. Billy knew, of course, but he wasn’t very discreet. Tim was afraid that he would shoot his mouth off in the garage once too often and someone would hear, so he didn’t tempt fate by working with Billy.
Mainly for show, Tim had his own room, and when Buddy or Coach came round he would make a point of going to bed alone or having to go to his room for something. Tim had a double, and Jason had a queen-size, so mostly they slept together in Jason’s bed but sometimes Jay was tired and Lyla joined Tim in his. They were the nights he liked the most, if he was honest, and Lyla appeared to appreciate them too, if her love-talk and sighs of pleasure were anything to go by.
Jay didn’t mind, because he knew that the two people he loved most in the world loved him back, and if anything happened to any one of them the other two would still be there, together. He still got plenty of his own Lyla time, Tim saw to that. Sometimes he just left them be and sometimes he helped without getting involved. That was more difficult but he did it to try and keep things even.
Lyla genuinely loved both of them, and the emotional bond they had was strong, with firm foundations. She knew, though, that the boys loved each other more than anything, otherwise they wouldn’t share her. The nights she was alone with Jason were spent kissing, cuddling, talking about hopes and dreams, past and future, how things could improve for them both and how they would always be there for each other, no matter what.
Nights with Tim were passionate and intense, with bed-breaking, uninhibited sex punctuated by screams of laughter, deep kisses and tight embraces that spoke of enduring love.
If anyone wondered why Tim was drinking less and keeping himself to himself on the girl front, nobody said anything, assuming Tim just kept his conquests quiet; then someone started a rumour that he was seeing someone out of town, and they let that stick.
Buddy Garrity was unimpressed (to put it lightly) when Lyla told him she was pregnant, and had a serious talk with Jason about his expectations for his daughter. Buddy had always assumed that Jason wasn’t going to be able to father children, and that suited him just fine - at least he wasn’t going to tie Lyla down any further and she would be able to walk away when she finally saw sense. He didn’t want Lyla to be a carer her whole life, and he seemed singularly resistant to having his beliefs about Jason’s disability changed even when it was clear that Jason was more or less independent as long as he had all his equipment, and plenty of time. Jason was earning, and he was studying nights to get qualifications which would make him very employable even without the use of his legs.
The clinic staff thought it was a bit odd that both boys turned up with Lyla to the ultrasound appointment, but welcomed them anyway, and the sonographer found herself strangely congratulating all three.
Although they didn’t want to cause a fuss by making a thing about it, their friends and family did think it was remarkable how much like Tim Jason and Lyla’s baby looked. They reasoned that Jason had green eyes and Lyla had dark hair so it was just coincidence, but the resemblance became stronger and stronger the older the child got, and the eyes weren’t the light, piercing green of Jason’s but the hazel-flecked olive of Tim’s, with the same soulful dark rings around the irises.
***
One Saturday afternoon, Jason came home from quad rugby practice, and asked the other two to sit with him at the table. Olivia, now just three, was sitting on Tim’s knee, while he helped her do a wooden jigsaw puzzle on the table in front of them.
“What’s up, Six?” said Tim. Lyla was setting glass cups in front of them, together with a jug of iced tea, then she handed Livvy a beaker of milk.
“The thing is,” said Jason, looking into his lap, “I…I’ve met someone.”
Tim and Lyla looked at him, then each other, disbelieving.
“What do you mean, you’ve met someone?” said Lyla, trying not to panic. To Tim, she said, “Did you know about this?”
“No, I didn’t,” replied Tim, carefully, wondering what other bombshell Jason was going to drop. He knew every shade of expression of Jay’s, and he saw it then, something else.
Livvy was standing on Tim’s lap now, hugging his neck and jigging up and down just to play.
“Stop, please, darlin',” said Tim, patiently, and lifted her gently onto the floor so she could go and get something else from the corner pile of toys to occupy her. “See if you can find your clown or maybe Charlie Cat.”
His attention was back on Jay now, and Lyla was looking Jay in the eyes, hurt and betrayal evident.
“She’s pregnant.” The words came out in almost a whisper, and Jay was unable to meet the eyes of either of his partners.
“She’s WHAT? I can’t believe you’d do this to us, Jason,” Lyla grated out, bitterness and confusion in her voice. She jumped up and headed for the door, grabbing her car keys on the way.
“Lyla!” Jason shouted. He went to go after her but he couldn’t get away from the table fast enough and the door slammed as he was halfway down the hall.
“Let her go, Six,” Tim drawled. “She’ll be back. What the hell, man, what’s been going on?”
“She’s a waitress at the club,” Jason said. “Met her at the after-party a couple of months ago. She’s called Erin and she took me home when I had too much to drink one night. One thing led to another and she told me the other day that she’s pregnant.”
“Are you sure it’s yours? Does she know about us three?”
Tim was trying to be there for his friend but could feel the ground of his secure, familiar world cracking.
“Yes, and yes. She’s had an ultrasound and you can just see it. About six weeks is the first time you can see a foetus on the sonogram so the dates make sense. I thought she would flip if I told her about this,” he made a circular gesture with his stricken hand as he said ‘this’, “but she didn’t. If anything it made it easier to say I was going to leave.”
“Just like that, Six? Really? What about Lyla, what about me?”
Jason laughed, a bit sardonically. “This has been amazing, and wonderful, and I still love you both - you have to believe that,” he said, “but I need to be on an equal footing with someone. I think I can have that with Erin. You and Lyla, you may not realise it, but you’ve become more like a couple than Lyla and I ever were, especially since it’s blindingly obvious that Livvy is yours.
“With Erin, I know that baby is mine, and it may be a little miracle because I accepted a long time ago that there was a high chance I could never be a dad, not in the biological sense anyway,” Jay went on. “This is my chance to be kinda normal, if that’s possible.”
Tim understood the logic of all that, but still felt crushed. He thought the time when the people he loved left him had finally ended.
Lyla came back later, and sat on Jason’s lap, crying, for a long time. He was her first love, and for a time her only love, she told him.
“I’m not so sure about that,” said Jason, smiling at her. “You and Tim were made for each other.”
Lyla frowned at him through her tears. “What do you mean?” she said. “It’s been you and me against the world, for years.”
“Tim has kept us together,” said Jason. “He’s always been the glue that made us what we were. And now you’ve made that beautiful little girl with him, and he loves you and you love him. It’s time for me to move on, to have something that I can have just for me. Do you get it? I still love you, I’ll always love you, Lyla, and I’m gonna miss you, but I need this - it’s a chance to have my own child and a fresh start as just me. Erin isn’t making adjustments, she’s just accepting me as I am, as I have always been to her.”
***
The wounds healed and the space that Jason had taken up in Lyla and Tim’s life gradually became filled with love, laughter, and another crib.
“I want Livvy to take my name before she starts school,” said Tim to Lyla one evening, as they sat exhausted on the sofa, both babies now finally asleep. Then he added, “And I’d like you to take my name too.” Lyla looked at him sharply, her eyes wide. “How do you feel about getting married?” he said, simply.
“I thought you’d never ask,” she said, flashing him one of those beaming smiles that always got his heart beating a little bit faster, even now. She thought about the many hours she’d spent as a teenager, practising her signature all over every exercise book as Mrs Lyla Street, and decided that actually, Mrs Lyla Riggins sounded a whole lot better.
“Do you think your dad will ever get over it? You, babies, marriage - all with a Riggins?” asked Tim, grinning mischievously.
“Absolutely not,” laughed Lyla, and snuggled into him.