Saturation Part 4/5
Part
So, unsurprisingly, the Grand Canyon was fucking awesome. They spent a while at the top, letting Jon get lots of shots of the scenery and letting him pose them for some. “What about you?” Spencer challenged, and while he was okay trusting his camera to them, taking turns, it took some prying on Ryan’s part to get Jon to pass it off to a stranger so they could all be in one shot together.
The hike down was long, but Spencer, ever prepared, had brought a backpack of bottled water and snacks. Ryan entertained them, if one could call it that, with all sorts of macabre stories about the various deaths that had occurred in the canyon, some due to falls, others to plane wrecks, and others still from drowning in the river or dehydration on the trails. After that Jon kept a bit closer to the canyon wall.
Spencer had booked a river tour and they’d all dressed in their swimming trunks and t-shirts. The tour was lazy and amazing, taking up the better part of the morning and early afternoon. There were stops all along to the way to look at caves and interesting natural rock formations, and wall art of the Native Americans.
They were the only ones on their boat, and Spencer had slipped their guide a little extra to take the tour slowly, giving Jon all the time he liked to take whatever pictures he wanted. The guy put them up on a sandy shore and left them alone to have their lunch. Jon laid his head in Spencer’s lap and Ryan drew idly on Jon’s ankle with his ballpoint. He was warm and drowsy and felt heavy all over. Every stroke of Ryan’s hand on his leg, every touch of Spencer’s touch against his hair made Jon feel dizzy and high. They were so much better than weed.
By the time they came to the mouth of the river, the sun was dipping low on the horizon. Ryan insisted on looking through the booths lined on the river bank, Native Americans selling handmade goods. He bought at least a dozen scarves and a handful of brightly coloured beaded bracelets.
“What’s with all the scarves?” Jon asked, fingering a particularly vibrant one coloured in turquoise and red.
Ryan shrugged. “I’m thinking of changing my look,” he said, slipping one of the bracelets over Jon’s wrist. The stones were polished wood and tiger’s eye and they reminded Jon of Ryan’s eyes. In the right light, Ryan’s eyes looked golden.
“Thanks,” he said, admiring the way the sun caught the stones, making them shine.
“Tiger’s eye lets you see the things you might otherwise fail to notice,” Ryan said, and bent a little to press a kiss to Jon’s cheek. Jon's cheeks were sunburnt anyway. Ryan couldn't have noticed the blush.
They caught a bus back to where they’d parked their car and the sun was painting the sky rich purple and pink against the brown-red of the rocks in the distance. Spencer and Ryan waited while he took some more shots and when he finished, they were standing together, heads bent close. Spencer’s hand was light on Ryan’s shoulder, Ryan’s hand possessive on Spencer’s hip.
They saw him looking and Spencer whispered something that made Ryan’s eyes dip low. Spencer kissed him, slow and liquid, and sun casting them in shadow, golden orange around the edges. Jon knew he shouldn’t, that it was private, but he took the picture anyway.
Spencer ordered a pizza and Jon found The Breakfast Club just starting on the T.V., so they settled down for an early evening. The couch was lumpier than the one at home, and smaller, and they were more squished than normal. It wouldn’t have been so much of a problem except that at the most inopportune moments, flashes of the sounds he’d heard last night came back to him.
Ryan brushed a hand down Jon’s arm. “You okay?” he asked. He looked up at Jon from where his cheek rested on Jon’s shoulder. Spencer lifted his head from Ryan’s hip to look, too.
“Just tired,” Jon said, getting ready to excuse him.
Spencer bit his lip and he and Ryan shared one of their weird silent conversation looks. “Hey. Can we see the pictures from today?”
Jon got out his laptop and slipped the card into the drive. It was probably a good idea to clear off some of the junk anyway, so he could use the same card tomorrow. “You should put these up in your studio,” Spencer said, after they’d gone through the first couple dozen.
They were good, but everyone took shots of the Grand Canyon. Maybe tomorrow he could get something unique. “Stop being stupid,” Spencer drawled, like he’d read Jon’s mind.
There were more pictures of Spencer and Ryan, together and separately, than Jon remembered taking. He almost wanted to stop before they could see more, but they’d want to know why. As the sun got lower in the pictures, Jon knew what was coming. And then there it was, the two of them kissing. Though it was difficult to make out any details in the shadow, it was intimate-too much so for it to be okay that Jon had watched it, let alone taken a picture.
“I like the way you make us look,” Spencer said, fingers creeping softly up Jon’s neck, sinking in his hair.
Jon smiled uneasily. “You’re both photogenic,” he said. His throat was dry.
“You should take some pictures of the cabin,” Spencer suggested. “So I can show my family.”
“Yeah, I can do that,” Jon said. “But I’m-”
“You should come see the master bedroom,” Ryan interrupted. “There’s this window. Come on.” He grabbed Jon’s wrist and Spencer grabbed Jon’s camera and they led him into the bedroom.
It was fairly small and cosy, most of the room taken up by the giant bed. It was really nice, though, decorated to look like a fairy grove. White twinkle lights cast dim, golden light over the room. The rug was green and soft underfoot, and the giant bay window opened to a view of the forest.
Ryan settled on the cushioned seat, spreading his legs wide, and Spencer sat between them, leaning back against Ryan’s chest. “Take a picture,” Ryan said. His hand fell high on Spencer’s leg, pinkie finger close to Spencer’s zipper.
“I-” Jon didn’t even know what to say.
“Take a picture,” Ryan repeated. Jon did as he was told.
After a couple shots, they relaxed, looking less posed. Spencer’s head rested more naturally against Ryan’s shoulder, he stopped holding his body tensely away from Ryan’s. Ryan brought a hand to Spencer’s hair, pulling it back from his face. Jon moved to get a better angle and Spencer tipped his head back, turned his face into Ryan’s.
Ryan’s lips brushed Spencer’s temple, cheekbone, the side of his nose. Spencer sighed and arched up, and they were kissing. Jon made sure to catch the twist of Spencer’s body into Ryan’s, the curl of his fingers against Ryan’s arm, the slant of their mouths together.
Spencer got up, moving without breaking the kiss somehow, turning so they were face to face. He got his knees on the cushion on either side of Ryan’s hips, straddling him. Ryan’s hands smoothed down Spencer’s back and caught the hem of his shirt, lifting it just enough for Jon to see the smooth, pale skin of Spencer’s lower back. Skin Spencer usually guarded so jealously.
Then Ryan's fingers dipped below the waistband of Spencer's ridiculously tight jeans, rubbing small circles at the small of his back. Spencer made a soft, whimpering sound and broke the kiss, head falling back. His hips rolled in tiny, uncontrolled thrusts in response to the touch.
Jon lowered his camera, averted his eyes. "I'll just..." he said, and cleared his throat. He had to stop. He should have stopped dozens of pictures ago.
"Don't stop," Spencer gasped. Jon's eyes flew up to find Spencer's gaze, dark and heavy, locked with his own. Even though Ryan's head was buried in the crook of Spencer's neck, his tongue tracing intricate patterns at the hollow of Spencer's throat, Jon knew the words were for him and not for Ryan.
He raised his camera again.
“What looks good?” Spencer asked, breath coming fast. “You always make us look good.”
Jon shook his head blankly, taking several quick shots to capture the way Spencer’s mouth dropped open when Ryan’s nose nuzzled at his ear. “What you’re doing,” he whispered at last.
“Yeah,” Ryan murmured. “But don’t you want…” he toyed with the hem of Spencer’s shirt again and met Jon’s eyes over Spencer’s shoulder.
And this, he supposed, was the point of no return. Could he do this, watch them together, and ever let things be the same? He knew Tom had filmed shit like this for friends before, but Jon was so much closer to Ryan and Spencer than any of them had been to Tom. He wasn’t sure he could do this and not let it get weird, not when he wanted them so much.
“Take off his shirt,” Jon whispered, and he hadn’t even given himself permission to say it.
Ryan’s eyes flared and he pushed Spencer back until they were both standing. Spencer stretched his arms high over head, letting Ryan draw his shirt off and toss it aside. Spencer’s skin was flawless and looked so soft. Jon wanted to be allowed to touch.
They stood still, and it took Jon a second to realise they were waiting for him to say something. “Kiss along his shoulder,” he said. “Down his spine.” Ryan obeyed, bending his head, lips brushing along the skin so, so lightly. He swept Spencer’s hair aside and parted his mouth over the top of Spencer’s spine. He kissed all the way down, dropping fluidly to his knees as he went. His hands came up to frame Spencer’s hips, tongue darting out to taste the dip where back met ass.
“Spencer, turn around,” Jon said. He barely recognised his own voice. Spencer did as he was told, cupping Ryan’s face in his hand. Ryan turned his cheek to kiss Spencer’s palm, and Jon knew these pictures would be the only thing he’d ever be able to think of again when he jerked off.
“What do you want, Jon?” Ryan asked, still looking up at Spencer. He bit Spencer’s thumb gently.
“Fuck,” Jon breathed harshly. “Ryan…” The room was spinning around him. “Undo his jeans. Take him out.” His chest was too tight and hot, his arms tingling. He probably took a couple dozen shots of Ryan’s long fingers working the buttons through their holes and drawing the zipper down.
Ryan eased Spencer’s cock out of his boxers and Jon couldn’t breathe for a second. He couldn’t believe this was actually happening. Spencer was just fucking gorgeous, cock hard and red and leaking in Ryan’s palm, chest heaving, eyes glazed. His mouth was swollen and dark, lip caught between his teeth.
“What now?” Ryan asked. He sat back on his heels, stroking Spencer lazily. It had to be a tease. His grip was too loose. He licked his lips and Jon groaned. He wasn’t sure if he wanted Ryan sucking his cock, or Spencer’s.
Jon shot the drop of precome gathered at the head of Spencer’s dick, ready to drop. “Lick the head,” he said.
Ryan kept his flicked his gaze towards Jon and kept their eyes locked as he leaned in, tonguing the head of Spencer’s cock. Spencer made a soft hitching sound and his fingers flexed at his side. “Grab his hair, Spence,” Jon said.
Spencer’s hands shot out, fingers tight in Ryan’s hair. “Suck him, Ryan.”
Ryan sucked the tip between his lips, cheeks hollowing out. He didn’t let Spencer get any sort of rhythm, though, wouldn’t take him deep. Spencer’s tension was clear in every line of his body, muscles drawn tight.
“Take him deeper,” Jon said. Ryan did, but loosened his lips, and Spencer’s groan was more out of frustration than pleasure. “Ryan,” Jon said, terse. “Do it right.”
Ryan sat back on his heels again with one last, loud suck. “If I’m not doing it how you want, maybe you should come do it yourself,” he said, tone rebellious. He licked his lips, eyes challenging Jon.
Jon got on his knees and shoved the camera at Ryan. Spencer said, “Yes, Jon, please,” and that was all Jon needed to hear. He pushed down Spencer’s jeans and boxers all at once, halfway down his legs, so he could get to bare skin. His hands cupped Spencer’s ass, dragging him closer and he leaned forward, burying his face in Spencer’s hip.
Spencer’s fingers fell soft in his hair and Jon dragged his nose along Spencer’s pelvis, breathing him in. He looked up at Spencer and Spencer traced a finger down Jon’s cheek, over his jaw.
“Please, Jon,” Spencer whispered. Jon kissed his way up Spencer’s cock, flattened his tongue against the head. Spencer’s hips bucked forward and Jon stopped teasing. He’d never given head before, but he’d been on the receiving end. He had a good idea of what felt nice. He took as much as he could with his mouth and got his hand around the rest.
Ryan pressed against Jon’s side, hands sliding under Jon’s shirt, smoothing over his chest. “Don’t let him come,” he whispered. “Not yet. He wants you to be inside him when that happens. God, Jon.” He kissed Jon’s neck, scraped his nails over Jon’s nipple.
Jon pulled back. “Will you fuck him, Jon?” Ryan asked.
“I…I don’t-”
“Can I kiss you?” Ryan asked. Jon opened his mouth to respond, but ended up just nodding his head. Ryan sighed into Jon’s mouth, kiss rough and desperate. Jon barely got a taste before Spencer’s hands were on his cheek, turning Jon into his kiss. Spencer’s mouth was hot and his kiss was sweet.
“Jon,” Spencer whispered against his mouth, “please, we want you.”
There were hands all over him, pulling at his clothes. They got his shirt off and Spencer’s palms were soft and hot against Jon’s chest, smoothing around his back, pulling him into another kiss. Ryan nibbled at Jon’s earlobe, slicked his tongue along the shell. “I know you think this will mess us up, I know, because I was worried, too. But I saw the pictures you took of us, Jon.”
Jon tore his mouth away from Spencer’s and looked at them both in turn. “I can’t go back after this,” he said.
Ryan shook his head. He brought his hands up to frame Jon’s face, stroking his cheek. “No. Jon. You’re stuck with us, remember?”
Spencer got to his feet again, kicking off his pants and underwear, and sat on the bed. He reached out a hand to Jon, fingers wide. Jon and Ryan stood together. “Give me the camera,” Spencer said. “And then undress each other.” He looked very proud of himself.
Ryan passed over the camera and bent over Jon for a kiss, hands going to Jon’s pants. Jon made quick work of the buttons down Ryan’s shirt and slid it over his shoulders. He’d seen the skin before, but hadn’t been allowed to touch. Now he took his fill, kissing down Ryan’s throat, over his collarbone.
As soon as Ryan got Jon’s pants undone, he shimmied out of them. Ryan’s were easier-Jon just pulled the drawstring and the pants pooled at Ryan’s ankles. He wasn’t wearing anything underneath. Jon let his hand close around Ryan’s erection, long and impossibly hot against Jon’s palm.
Ryan returned the favour, grip firm and sure, practiced. “Hey,” Spencer protested.
“Go fuck him,” Ryan whispered. “And then I’m going to fuck you.”
Jon climbed onto the bed, enjoying the image of Spencer’s spread out before him. Spencer never showed bare skin, but Jon couldn’t understand why. Spencer’s figure was all soft curves; he wasn’t as skinny as Ryan, but he was narrower than Jon. His skin was flawless in the soft light. Brown gold hair fell in Spencer’s eyes, making him look exotic and untouchable. But Jon was allowed to touch, at last. He traced a hand up Spencer’s thigh and Spencer spread his legs wide for Jon to fit between.
Ryan passed Jon a condom and a bottle of lube. Jon kissed Spencer’s ankle, up his shin, the inside of his knee. He popped the cap and met Spencer’s gaze as he slicked his fingers. “Are you sure?” Jon asked.
“Jon,” Spencer said, voice slightly strained. “We’ve wanted this pretty much since we first met you. We bought those condoms a month ago. And we don’t use condoms.”
“You won’t, either, if you want. When we get home,” Ryan offered. He worked the condom down Jon’s length, pumping a few times. It was enough to make Jon chase the sensation, desperate for more.
Jon had never gone bareback, even after Cassie went on the pill, but there was something really hot, thinking of being with them, nothing in between. He had to take a deep breath imagining pushing into Spencer, the way still slick with Ryan’s release.
Hearing Ryan speak of the future, of doing this at home, made something loosen in Jon’s chest. He bent to lay a kiss on the soft skin of Spencer’s inner thigh. Spencer’s breath went high and Jon swallowed him down. Spencer’s taste was strong and salty on his tongue and Jon felt the exact second Spencer relaxed enough to take him in.
Jon eased two fingers inside slowly, taking everything in-the tightness around him, Spencer’s hips working down restlessly, Spencer’s breath coming in soft, helpless moans. He probed gently; he knew how it worked. He spread his fingers and crooked them until Spencer’s hips bucked and he gasped Jon.
“He doesn’t need a lot,” Ryan whispered. “I fucked him twice last night, and once this morning. Usually he ends up fucking me, but he wanted you so badly.”
Jon’s hips moved all on their own, responding to Ryan’s words. His cock thrust against Spencer’s thigh and Spencer moaned. “Seriously, Jon,” Spencer panted. “I’ve been waiting long enough.”
Spencer grabbed Jon’s dick and Jon let himself be led. He slipped his fingers free just in time to replace them with his cock. There was a moment of resistance, Spencer unbelievably tight against him, and then Jon was sliding in, hot and slick. And. There weren’t words.
Spencer’s fingers scrabbled over Jon’s back, sliding through sweat down, down, settling over the curve of Jon’s ass. Jon bottomed out, flush against Spencer’s skin. He rested there, panting into Spencer’s neck. Slowly, he worked his hips in a tight circle and Spencer’s head fell back, mouth parting on a whimper. Jon had to hold still, afraid he’d come at the slightest sensation.
They paused, foreheads pressed together, eyes locked. He’d never thought they’d be this close to one another, with all the promise of the future behind Spencer’s touch. He wanted to drink every moment, preserve it forever should Ryan or Spencer change their minds. Spencer’s eyes were wide and bluer than the sky, saying more than words ever could, promising.
Jon was aware of Ryan alongside them, watching. His hand fell against Jon’s back, a welcome reminder of his presence. Spencer’s gaze met Jon’s and they breathed each other in, mouths touching but not quite kissing. Spencer reached out, fingertips light on Jon’s cheek, tucking his hair back from his face. They kissed, Ryan’s hands on them both.
“Fuck me, Jon,” Spencer whined into Jon’s mouth.
It was easy to fall into a rhythm. Spencer was so open to it; tight, but welcoming. He twined himself around Jon, breath hot and desperate against Jon’s skin. His ankles locked around Jon’s waist, hands grasping fast at Jon’s shoulders. He worked to meet Jon’s every thrust, whispering pleas into the skin of Jon’s neck, things Jon barely understood, but couldn’t help but obey.
Ryan was alongside them throughout it all, hands tracing Spencer’s chest, tongue painting the skin of Jon’s neck. Their sighs were loud, surrounding Jon. “I love you,” Jon whispered, and hoped they didn’t hear over everything else. Spencer stilled beneath Jon, traced a hand down his cheek. Ryan claimed Jon’s mouth with his own, possessive and sure.
Jon’s lack of stamina might have been embarrassing, except Spencer was right there with him, leaking against Jon’s stomach, murmuring his encouragement. Jon fisted his hand around Spencer’s cock, pumping fast in time with his thrusts and Spencer came first, hot and sticky between them, Jon’s name on his lips.
It was better than anything Jon had imagined, sweeter and stronger. He hid his face in Spencer’s neck, sucking on the soft skin there. A blossom of red and purple spread beneath Jon’s mouth. He traced the lines of broken blood vessels with his tongue, hips working hard against Spencer’s.
He’d been waiting for this too long, wondered what it would be like. The reality of it far surpassed his imaginings. He followed fast on Spencer’s heels, hips stuttering then stilling at last, buried deep in Spencer’s ass. He barely had a second to enjoy the afterglow before Ryan’s hands were on him, pulling him away from Spencer.
“My turn,” Ryan whispered.
Jon was still loose from his orgasm when Ryan began to touch him. Ryan’s fingers, long and thin, had long been a part of Jon’s fantasies. They were magic on Jon’s skin, leaving bright, tingling lines of sensation in their wake, chasing the pleasure of his orgasm. Jon knew it wouldn’t take him long to get it up again with this sort of provocation.
Ryan dipped his head between Jon’s thighs and mouthed around his balls. Jon’s head fell against the pillow in abandon. Spencer fell against Jon’s side, lazy and sated, mouthing against Jon’s shoulder. It was a nice counter to Ryan’s tongue, hot and sure, as he lapped against Jon’s hole.
“Fuck,” Jon hissed and Spencer chuckled low against his pulse.
“Just wait,” Spencer threatened, or promised, Jon didn’t know the difference any more. He didn’t care. He was getting hard again already and that had never happened so quickly, even when he was a teenager and desperate for sex, no matter how it came.
Ryan’s tongue pushed inside and Jon’s whole body went tense, like a string drawn too tight. Spencer caught Jon’s mouth in a hot kiss and said, “Promise it’s us,” and Jon said, “you’re all I want.” Spencer’s hand curved around Jon’s cock in response, tugging in time with the gentle, fluid thrusts of Ryan’s tongue inside Jon’s body.
Jon barely felt recognised the switch between Ryan’s mouth and fingers at first, smooth as it was. Ryan’s hand left Jon’s balls, drifting lower, teasing the sensitive skin behind and lower, lower, tracing the place where his tongue disappeared into Jon’s body. There was a moment when it was both tongue and finger inside of Jon, and then Ryan thrust a finger in rough, twisting, and Jon saw stars. He was hard again immediately.
Ryan was careful, for all that it was obvious that he was desperate. He added one finger at a time, as Jon adjusted. His fingers parted, tongue chasing between them, sending hot sparks up Jon’s spine. Spencer’s hips worked against Jon’s side, cock filling and going hard between them. Jon reached for him blindly, fist tight around Spencer.
“I want to come in your mouth, now,” Spencer whispered against Jon’s cheek and Jon nodded and said, “Fuck yes.”
Spencer swung a leg over Jon’s chest and scooted up. His finger tapped against Jon’s jaw and Jon dropped his mouth open just enough to let Spencer slide his cock in. Ryan groaned behind them and there was the sound of the camera shutter. “When we get home, we’re buying a tripod,” Ryan muttered, and then his cock was pressing where his mouth and fingers had been.
Jon let himself be lost in the sensation. Ryan’s cock was a slow burn in his ass, Spencer’s a heavy, numbing weight in his mouth. Jon focussed on Spencer, breathing in his scent, swallowing more and more. Spencer kept a hand around the base of his cock but pushed further and further down Jon’s throat and Jon took it. It helped take away from the sting of Ryan’s thrusts.
Then Ryan grabbed Jon’s hips, tugging them up. Jon went with him, hooking his knees over Ryan’s razor sharp pelvic bones and the angle was all the sudden perfect. Jon groaned, mouth dropping opening. Spencer didn’t seem to mind, lazily pushing against the roof of Jon’s mouth.
Jon dug his fingers into Spencer’s thighs and used them as an anchor, shoving down on Ryan’s cock. He wanted to keep thrusting, desperate even though he’d just gotten off, but Ryan’s hand fell hard as steel on Jon’s hips, holding him still. He fucked Jon slow and hard, each thrust jarring. Jon sucked sloppily at Spencer’s cock, every moan spurring Spencer on harder, faster.
He knew the moment Ryan came, hearing his breath go shallow and stop altogether for a second, hips meeting Jon’s ass for one last, punishing thrust and then stilling. Jon groaned again, half pleasure, half disappointment. Spencer’s thumb pushed against his lower lip, fingers brushing over Jon’s cheek, pressing where his cock moved in Jon’s mouth.
Ryan pulled out and Jon felt open, gaping and empty. There was the wet sound of a condom hitting the wall, then Ryan’s mouth was around Jon’s dick, sucking him all the way down. He shoved three fingers up Jon’s ass, twisting and Jon came hard, harder than he’d ever come, he was sure. He couldn’t breathe, just swallow compulsively around the head of Spencer’s cock. Spencer grunted and spilled down Jon’s throat, hips working in tiny circles.
Spencer climbed off delicately but Jon barely had time to rearrange his head on the pillow before Spencer was settled against his side, holding him in place. Ryan bent his head to Jon’s stomach, licking through a trail of come painting Jon’s stomach from Spencer’s earlier orgasm.
“Get up here,” Spencer ordered, tossing a stray tee-shirt at Ryan’s head. Ryan wiped away the rest of the mess and flopped down on Jon’s free side. Jon got an arm around both their shoulders, and could almost convince himself it was just like when the cuddled on the sofa. Only with far less clothes.
Ryan traced figures like words over Jon’s chest and Spencer tilted his head up for a kiss that Jon was only too happy to give. There was so much to learn about Spencer’s mouth, and Ryan’s. Spencer’s was smaller but softer, and his teeth were sharper, but he used them less than Ryan did. Though he knew it was just his imagination, Jon could taste Spencer’s smile, bright as sunshine, and twice as warm.
“Can’t let us go,” Ryan said. His fingernail drew a lock over Jon’s heart. “Already a part of you.”
Jon woke with a boy on each side, their hands clasped low on Jon’s hips. He felt unease gathering in his stomach. Cassie had been his only relationship to last more than a few awkward one-night stands, and this was so much more than what Jon had had with Cassie. That wasn’t to say that he hadn’t loved her, but things had been easy and uncomplicated between them. This was so much more intimate in ways he didn’t even fully understand.
Any move would stir them, so Jon held as still as possible, muscles aching from the effort. Spencer was the first to stir, fingers clenching around Ryan’s. He blinked a couple times and looked up at Jon with a lazy smile. It slipped when he saw Jon’s face.
“You’re freaking out,” Spencer said blandly.
“I’m not,” Jon said automatically.
“You are,” Spencer said. He shook his hand free of Ryan’s. His thumb traced the line of definition up Jon’s belly, darted to the side to flick at Jon’s nipple, smoothed up his neck to sink into Jon’s hair. He gave a little tug and Jon resisted, but Spencer just pushed up on his elbows until their lips met.
“We have no trouble kissing you into submission whenever you start to freak out on us,” Ryan whispered, pressing a kiss to Jon’s throat, and Jon hadn’t even realised he was awake, so wrapped up in Spencer.
“I can’t lose you two,” Jon said.
Their smiles were sweet in entirely different ways-beautiful in entirely different ways. “You won’t,” Spencer said.
“We won’t let you,” Ryan added, and kissed Jon until they were panting for breath. When they parted, Spencer darted forward, catching Ryan’s mouth. They were both going hard, erections pressing against Jon’s hips, but they weren’t in any hurry about it. Jon heard a line of Ryan’s poetry played through his head, telling him to relax. He listened, watching the play of their mouths together.
Their mouths were red and swollen, spit slick, when Spencer drew back. “This isn’t conditional,” Ryan said. “You can take whatever you want.”
“We’ll give it,” Spencer whispered. “And we aren’t going anywhere.”
“You promised us that,” Ryan said. “We’re promising the same.”
Jon rolled Ryan beneath him, spreading Ryan’s thighs with his knees. Ryan only struggled a little, and it was only playfully. Jon fumbled a condom down his dick, slicking it with lube and started to push his fingers against Ryan’s opening, but Ryan shook his head, said, “Just fuck me, Jon,” so Jon did. He took Ryan slow and long, holding Ryan’s hands above his head like he’d imagined, fingers pressed hard in the ink lines.
Spencer stroked Ryan through it until he was close, and then his hand closed tight around the base of Ryan’s cock, keeping him from coming when Jon buried himself deep and let go. Spencer took Jon’s place, easing into Ryan in one slow, steady thrust.
Jon ached to photograph them like this, seeing something so private. It dawned on him slowly that it wasn’t private to him any longer. It was his, now, too. There would be plenty of time to photograph them later.
The shower stall was roughly the size of a telephone booth, so they took turns showering, Ryan laying claim to the first. “He’ll be in there forever,” Spencer remarked. “You should make out with me until he gets out.”
Jon laughed softly, tipping his face back to place a quick kiss on the corner of Spencer’s mouth. “Should I?” he asked.
“Mmm,” Spencer agreed, taking a longer kiss. Jon liked kissing. He had spent hours before just kissing, not wanting anything else. It wasn’t the same with Spencer. The touch of his mouth made Jon’s spine tingle, his ears burn. He moaned against Spencer’s lips and Spencer sighed, rolling Jon beneath him.
“Or…” Spencer said and grinded his hips against Jon’s cock. He sat up, arching his back, showing off. Jon pushed the sheets out of the way, taking it all in. He laid a hand on Spencer’s hip, rubbing gently with his thumb and Spencer whispered his name.
Jon sat up against the headboard, pulling Spencer with him, hand in Spencer’s hair guiding him into a kiss. Spencer scooted back enough to get his hands around both their cocks and Jon helped them, their fingers tangled blindly. Jon found a spot under the head of Spencer’s dick that made him croon desperately in Jon’s mouth. Precome spilled fast over the back of Jon’s hand, down his wrist.
“I want you inside,” Spencer said. “Jon, I want to fuck everyway we can.” He writhed desperately against Jon’s touch. “I want you to push me up against the wall, bend me over the kitchen table. I want to ride you so hard we both have bruises. I want to be on my hands and knees for you, sucking Ryan off while you fuck me.”
“Jesus Christ, Spencer,” Jon hissed, and fumbled the condom on, almost coming just from the touch of his own hand. Spencer lifted his hips and sank down on Jon’s length, groaning all through it. They rocked together and Jon barely lasted thirty seconds, pumping Spencer fast.
“Come on, Spence,” he urged, and Spencer came just before him, head tossed back. Jon bit down hard on Spencer’s neck when he came, tongue tracing the bruises he’d left the night before.
When Ryan came out from the shower they were lying side by side, trading slow kisses, but Ryan narrowed his eyes at them. “I know what you were doing,” he muttered. Spencer gave him an innocent look which made Ryan roll his eyes. “I heard you. Jesus. Someone gets to suck my cock later for making me jerk off in the shower.”
Jon couldn’t help the smile that spread over his face then. “I think that can be arranged,” he said, and Ryan smiled back, slightly shy. It was ridiculous, after all they’d done, but so uniquely Ryan that it was charming.
They packed up their things and Spencer checked out while Jon showered and Ryan loaded the car. Before leaving the area, Spencer took them to a nearby Anasazi village. It was mostly ruins and made for some great shots. All that really changed because of last night was the fact that Jon didn’t feel so awkward when he took pictures of Spencer and Ryan in moments of quiet, understated intimacy.
The drive through the Painted Desert was maybe not quite as majestic as the Grand Canyon, but was still stunning. Ryan stretched out in the back with Jon, head on his chest, watching the colours blur past. Spencer stopped whenever they asked and Jon filled up an entire card with pictures from that two hour drive.
It shouldn’t have been surprising to Jon to know find they didn’t behave any differently around him now, except to touch him more. He wasn’t naïve enough to think that attempting to have a threesome would be easy, but maybe it didn’t have to be as difficult as he might have imagined.
They spent a couple hours exploring the Petrified Forest and got to Flagstaff in the early afternoon, just as it was the hottest out. They went to the Arboretum and spent most of the time in the butterfly gardens because apparently Jon was in love with the two girliest men in the world. He did get some nice shots of Spencer though, whose shampoo seemed to attract the butterflies, if the amount flying around him and lighting on his head was any indication.
Ryan held Jon’s hand as they walked through downtown Flagstaff, shopping for souvenirs. Spencer’s idea of shopping for souvenirs seemed to consist of him stopping at any shop that sold shoes and trying on dozens of pairs. Ryan, on the other hand, while he seemed earnest about his desire to get something for the twins and Spencer’s parents, kept getting distracted by sparkly things.
“So, so gay,” Jon sing-songed in his ear.
“Says one of the men fucking me,” Ryan smiled back.
Jon rubbed his thumb over Ryan’s hand. “Yeah,” he agreed and darted his eyes about to see if anyone was looking before he kissed Ryan quick and light. This was all new. He’d never had to be cautious in pubic before, but he didn’t want to draw any undue attention, should someone see the way Ryan and Spencer were together, and the way Jon was with each of them. If Ryan’s editor didn’t like his relationship with Spencer, she would flip over Jon’s addition.
At the hotel, Spencer made them wait outside and managed to sweet talk the girl at the front desk into switching their suite from two double beds to one king sized. There were plans to go to the Lowell Observatory in the evening, but they were all worn out from a day spent in the sun and Ryan decided that a nap was in order. He pulled Spencer and Jon onto the bed with him, and they cuddled up on either side. Jon pressed little kisses against the back of Ryan’s neck and Ryan sighed, tilting his head so Jon could better reach.
The sun was setting when they woke. Spencer had made them reservations at a brewery downtown where they stayed until well after dark playing billiards. They had a private tour at the Observatory, and Jon decided he never wanted to know how much Spencer had spent on this trip. “You can pay me back in sexual favours,” Spencer remarked, when Jon said something along those lines.
“First you use me for my ID, now my dick,” Jon sighed. Spencer pressed close to his side and Jon threw his arm over his shoulders, holding him near on one side, clasping Ryan’s hand on the other. Their tour guide very politely refused to notice. She left them alone at the observation tower after showing them how to operate the telescope.
“It’s crazy what you can do with my money,” Ryan remarked, all awe, no hint that he was the slightest bit put out about it. Spencer confided, once, that Ryan treated Spencer like they were married, everything of Ryan’s Spencer’s and vice versa. It helped that they’d lived that way their entire lives that it didn’t cause any hurt feelings on either side.
Jon thought it was pretty amazing. He didn’t know how he’d be able to fit into it. He wanted to be with them, even if he couldn’t afford all the luxuries to which they were used, including but not limited to three-day weekend vacations. He just wasn’t sure how he could contribute when they refused to allow him. He’d have to talk to them about it, but this wasn’t the right time.
“Are you freaking out about something?” Ryan asked.
“A little,” Jon answered truthfully. “I’ll deal with it.” Of that he was certain. He wasn’t going to fuck this up. He didn’t know why he’d been given this, but he wasn’t going to do something stupid to ruin it.
Ryan put his arms around Jon’s waist, resting his chin on Jon’s shoulder. “You might freak out a little more when we get home,” he said.
“Why?” Jon asked. “What did you do?” Spencer switched his attention from the telescope to them.
“Ordered a new mattress. Queen sized,” Ryan said, mouth brushing Jon’s neck as he spoke.
“That was presumptuous of you,” Jon said.
“Hopeful of us,” Ryan corrected. “We could have slept in it just the two of us.”
“Might have been a little lonely,” Spencer said, pressing along Jon’s front.
“Couldn’t have that,” Jon said wryly.
Spencer kissed him and said, “We only have another twenty minutes here, so if you two are finished being gay, wanna come take a look at the pretty shiny things in the sky?”
“You two and shiny things,” Jon said, shaking his head.
“Hey!” Spencer said, bumping their hips together. “You like us.”
“Yeah,” Jon agreed, not bothering to correct him. Yet. “I guess I like shiny things, too.” Spencer scowled and Ryan laughed and they all fought over who got to look through the telescope first.
They went to bed early after. Ryan had a book signing Sunday afternoon that he couldn’t miss, lest Celia hunt him down and harangue him. Or, the way Spencer told it, she’d harangue Spencer and Spencer would withhold sex. “And you will, too, if you know what’s good for you,” Spencer added.
Jon drove to give Spencer a break, since neither of them really trusted Ryan very much where heavy machinery was concerned. The roads here were straight and fairly empty compared to the clogged traffic of Illinois. They put down the windows, Ryan’s long legs dangling out the back, Spencer’s hair whipping across his face and throat. It was hot, but not uncomfortably so, and the music was loud, and Jon had been on the road plenty of times with lots of people and various distractions, but he wasn’t sure he’d ever been this content.
Ryan was trying out his new look, a couple fluttery, flowery scarves over a plain white button down and actual boy jeans, which Jon hadn’t known Ryan had owned. He was wearing bracelets on both wrists, which wasn’t entirely unusual, but they were brighter and bolder than the plain black and carved wooden ones he sported regularly.
When they came into the backroom, Celia took one look at him and freaked out, hurrying to try and wrangle his wind-tossed into something resembling order. “What are you wearing?” She demanded. Then she looked at Spencer. “What did you do to him?”
Spencer rolled his eyes. “If you have a problem with the way I look, we could just call this thing off,” Ryan offered.
Celia gave a harried sigh. “And who is this?” she asked, looking Jon up and down, unimpressed.
“Jon Walker,” he said, nodding at her politely.
“Oh, the photographer who took my seat at the banquet?” she asked, but her tone wasn’t mean, just amused. “Did someone at the office engage you for this afternoon?”
“He’s not here in any official capacity,” Ryan said, tone dismissive. Jon had known him long enough by now to know that it meant he didn’t feel like discussing a subject any further. “Though we will have to look over his contract sometime soon. Adjust some things.”
Celia frowned, looking back and forth between them. “Well, of course we can have something drawn up. Is there a problem…?”
Jon waited, wondering. Ryan shrugged. “I simply feel that the old contract is too restrictive. I trust Jon to use his work how he pleases.” Jon couldn’t help but brush a hand down Ryan’s back and Ryan smiled down at him, bright and unguarded.
“Oookaaay,” Celia said slowly. She looked uncertainly at Spencer, like she feared some bad reaction.
Spencer just took Jon’s hand. “Come on. We should get out of the way.”
“Maybe I want Ross to sign my book for me,” Jon leered.
Ryan waved one of his scarves at him. “Get lost,” he said. Spencer leaned in for a quick kiss like he always did when he and Ryan parted.
“See you in a bit,” Jon said.
“Hey,” Ryan said, and pouted. He hooked his finger in Jon’s collar like Jon had seen him do to Spencer so many times before. “You too.” He dipped his head to press their mouths together. Jon breathed in and Ryan pulled away. Celia very pointedly was not looking, checking something on her PDA. Jon maybe felt a little bad for her, but not much.
There was a crowd amassed in the store, waiting. Spencer found them a place to stand off to the side-still near enough to see, but not pressing close like the others. Ryan came out a few minutes later looking more comfortable than he had at the banquet, but only marginally so. He shot them both a quick hint of a smile and several of the girls turned to try and see who he’d smiled at, but didn’t notice them.
Ryan went to the podium and cleared his throat, tugged at his scarves. “Um,” he said, and all the girls leaned forward like he’d just said the most amazing thing they’d ever heard in their lives. “I was supposed to read a couple poems that I’m sure you’ve all read before, but I’ve been working on some new stuff lately, and if you don’t mind, I thought I might read you some of that.”
A flurry of excited babble went through the crowd. Celia, standing just behind Ryan’s shoulder, looked like she was going to have a heart attack. “I don’t have a title for it yet. I’m not sure it’s finished. But I think it describes what I feel right now.”
Jon looked at Spencer questioningly. Spencer smiled and shrugged his shoulders. “He doesn’t show me everything he writes,” Spencer said. “You see what I see, for the most part. Though I bet he’ll show you a few things now that he didn’t before. I think he was worried of scaring you off…”
“Are you saying he wrote things about me?” Jon asked, smiling in confusion.
“Are you kidding?” Spencer asked, brows going high. “I swear, it’s been nothing but porn since you moved in with us. Which, okay, I’m not complaining because it’s really fucking hot and has led to more than one impromptu session of mid-afternoon sex on the couch/in the backyard/in your bed…” He smiled then, blushing. Jon couldn’t even pretend to be offended. He was hard as a rock. “You should see some of the stuff he’s written about me…”
“I hope you’re not just teasing,” Jon whispered, slipping a hand down Spencer’s spine. He gripped Spencer’s hip and jerked him closer so Spencer could feel the effect his words were having.
Spencer gave him a sly look and dropped a hand to Jon’s thigh. Ryan began to recite and Jon jerked his attention back to him. His voice was slightly different from his normal monotone, getting into the rhythm of the lines he read. When he read the line, “Things have changed for me, but that’s okay, I feel the same,” he gave Jon and Spencer a brief glance.
“Did he just confess his love for me in poetry form?” Jon asked, when Ryan had finished. He meant it to come out teasing, but his heart was beating too fast.
“Jon.” Spencer sighed and put his hands on his hips. “We’ve been trying to tell you we love you for weeks. We did say it, the other night. You were too busy running away to notice.”
“Sorry,” Jon said. “I’ve never done this before. I didn’t know…”
“You think we’ve ever done it before?” Spencer asked, gentle smile softening his words. “We never planned on adding anyone else to this relationship. We’re happy with each other; we never would have thought of needing someone else.”
Jon didn’t know what to say. He was so out of his depth. He wrapped his arm around Spencer’s waist, squeezing. “I love you, too, Spencer Smith,” he finally decided on.
Spencer gave him one of his blinding smiles, all teeth and bright, crinkled eyes. “God,” he said. “I don’t…” He laughed and pressed his forehead against Jon’s. “I don’t know why I get to have him, and you too, but…” He laughed again and Jon caught his mouth in a quick kiss. No one was paying them any attention, anyway.
Well, no one except Ryan, who was glaring at them every few seconds in between scrawling his name on the books presented to him. It was a glare that said first sex while I’m in the shower, now making out while I have to do a fucking book signing. Maybe Jon could eventually figure out this silent speech thing Ryan and Spencer had going on. “We’ll make it up to him later,” Spencer said, and tugged Jon away.
They grabbed coffee from the Starbucks in the store and browsed the romance section reading the back blurbs and laughing themselves silly. There was a second when Jon was pretty sure that some random girl snapped a picture of them, but then he often took pictures of strangers, so whatever.
When they came back the line was about half-finished, though still ridiculously long. It was overwhelmingly teenaged girls, but there were a few adult women and the random, scattered teenaged or college aged boy.
Currently it was a woman who looked about twenty, gushing about something that was making Ryan turn bright red. He hurried to finish his signature and pushed the book to her forcefully.
Jon went around the table, sitting the coffee they’d bought for Ryan at his elbow. Ryan blinked at it blankly for a minute before turning a grateful look on Jon. The girl smiled at them and wiggled her fingers suggestively.
“Well,” Ryan said, in a low voice that Jon could barely hear. “I’ve found an eager candidate, if we ever want a foursome…” and nodded in the girl’s general direction.
“I think three is enough,” Jon said, squeezing Ryan’s shoulder. A few flashes went off in the crowd.
“You’re going to be Internet famous now,” Ryan remarked. “All the bloggers are going to say I’ve broken up with Spencer.”
“Actually…” Jon laughed a little. “If that’s why some chick took a picture of me and Spence earlier, the Internet might come up with some more outlandishly accurate ideas about us…”
“Beautiful thing about the Internet, no one really believes what they read,” Ryan said dismissively. Jon wasn’t so sure about that. Then again he didn’t think it mattered if some kids guessed what was really going on between the three of them.
Part Five
So, unsurprisingly, the Grand Canyon was fucking awesome. They spent a while at the top, letting Jon get lots of shots of the scenery and letting him pose them for some. “What about you?” Spencer challenged, and while he was okay trusting his camera to them, taking turns, it took some prying on Ryan’s part to get Jon to pass it off to a stranger so they could all be in one shot together.
The hike down was long, but Spencer, ever prepared, had brought a backpack of bottled water and snacks. Ryan entertained them, if one could call it that, with all sorts of macabre stories about the various deaths that had occurred in the canyon, some due to falls, others to plane wrecks, and others still from drowning in the river or dehydration on the trails. After that Jon kept a bit closer to the canyon wall.
Spencer had booked a river tour and they’d all dressed in their swimming trunks and t-shirts. The tour was lazy and amazing, taking up the better part of the morning and early afternoon. There were stops all along to the way to look at caves and interesting natural rock formations, and wall art of the Native Americans.
They were the only ones on their boat, and Spencer had slipped their guide a little extra to take the tour slowly, giving Jon all the time he liked to take whatever pictures he wanted. The guy put them up on a sandy shore and left them alone to have their lunch. Jon laid his head in Spencer’s lap and Ryan drew idly on Jon’s ankle with his ballpoint. He was warm and drowsy and felt heavy all over. Every stroke of Ryan’s hand on his leg, every touch of Spencer’s touch against his hair made Jon feel dizzy and high. They were so much better than weed.
By the time they came to the mouth of the river, the sun was dipping low on the horizon. Ryan insisted on looking through the booths lined on the river bank, Native Americans selling handmade goods. He bought at least a dozen scarves and a handful of brightly coloured beaded bracelets.
“What’s with all the scarves?” Jon asked, fingering a particularly vibrant one coloured in turquoise and red.
Ryan shrugged. “I’m thinking of changing my look,” he said, slipping one of the bracelets over Jon’s wrist. The stones were polished wood and tiger’s eye and they reminded Jon of Ryan’s eyes. In the right light, Ryan’s eyes looked golden.
“Thanks,” he said, admiring the way the sun caught the stones, making them shine.
“Tiger’s eye lets you see the things you might otherwise fail to notice,” Ryan said, and bent a little to press a kiss to Jon’s cheek. Jon's cheeks were sunburnt anyway. Ryan couldn't have noticed the blush.
They caught a bus back to where they’d parked their car and the sun was painting the sky rich purple and pink against the brown-red of the rocks in the distance. Spencer and Ryan waited while he took some more shots and when he finished, they were standing together, heads bent close. Spencer’s hand was light on Ryan’s shoulder, Ryan’s hand possessive on Spencer’s hip.
They saw him looking and Spencer whispered something that made Ryan’s eyes dip low. Spencer kissed him, slow and liquid, and sun casting them in shadow, golden orange around the edges. Jon knew he shouldn’t, that it was private, but he took the picture anyway.
Spencer ordered a pizza and Jon found The Breakfast Club just starting on the T.V., so they settled down for an early evening. The couch was lumpier than the one at home, and smaller, and they were more squished than normal. It wouldn’t have been so much of a problem except that at the most inopportune moments, flashes of the sounds he’d heard last night came back to him.
Ryan brushed a hand down Jon’s arm. “You okay?” he asked. He looked up at Jon from where his cheek rested on Jon’s shoulder. Spencer lifted his head from Ryan’s hip to look, too.
“Just tired,” Jon said, getting ready to excuse him.
Spencer bit his lip and he and Ryan shared one of their weird silent conversation looks. “Hey. Can we see the pictures from today?”
Jon got out his laptop and slipped the card into the drive. It was probably a good idea to clear off some of the junk anyway, so he could use the same card tomorrow. “You should put these up in your studio,” Spencer said, after they’d gone through the first couple dozen.
They were good, but everyone took shots of the Grand Canyon. Maybe tomorrow he could get something unique. “Stop being stupid,” Spencer drawled, like he’d read Jon’s mind.
There were more pictures of Spencer and Ryan, together and separately, than Jon remembered taking. He almost wanted to stop before they could see more, but they’d want to know why. As the sun got lower in the pictures, Jon knew what was coming. And then there it was, the two of them kissing. Though it was difficult to make out any details in the shadow, it was intimate-too much so for it to be okay that Jon had watched it, let alone taken a picture.
“I like the way you make us look,” Spencer said, fingers creeping softly up Jon’s neck, sinking in his hair.
Jon smiled uneasily. “You’re both photogenic,” he said. His throat was dry.
“You should take some pictures of the cabin,” Spencer suggested. “So I can show my family.”
“Yeah, I can do that,” Jon said. “But I’m-”
“You should come see the master bedroom,” Ryan interrupted. “There’s this window. Come on.” He grabbed Jon’s wrist and Spencer grabbed Jon’s camera and they led him into the bedroom.
It was fairly small and cosy, most of the room taken up by the giant bed. It was really nice, though, decorated to look like a fairy grove. White twinkle lights cast dim, golden light over the room. The rug was green and soft underfoot, and the giant bay window opened to a view of the forest.
Ryan settled on the cushioned seat, spreading his legs wide, and Spencer sat between them, leaning back against Ryan’s chest. “Take a picture,” Ryan said. His hand fell high on Spencer’s leg, pinkie finger close to Spencer’s zipper.
“I-” Jon didn’t even know what to say.
“Take a picture,” Ryan repeated. Jon did as he was told.
After a couple shots, they relaxed, looking less posed. Spencer’s head rested more naturally against Ryan’s shoulder, he stopped holding his body tensely away from Ryan’s. Ryan brought a hand to Spencer’s hair, pulling it back from his face. Jon moved to get a better angle and Spencer tipped his head back, turned his face into Ryan’s.
Ryan’s lips brushed Spencer’s temple, cheekbone, the side of his nose. Spencer sighed and arched up, and they were kissing. Jon made sure to catch the twist of Spencer’s body into Ryan’s, the curl of his fingers against Ryan’s arm, the slant of their mouths together.
Spencer got up, moving without breaking the kiss somehow, turning so they were face to face. He got his knees on the cushion on either side of Ryan’s hips, straddling him. Ryan’s hands smoothed down Spencer’s back and caught the hem of his shirt, lifting it just enough for Jon to see the smooth, pale skin of Spencer’s lower back. Skin Spencer usually guarded so jealously.
Then Ryan's fingers dipped below the waistband of Spencer's ridiculously tight jeans, rubbing small circles at the small of his back. Spencer made a soft, whimpering sound and broke the kiss, head falling back. His hips rolled in tiny, uncontrolled thrusts in response to the touch.
Jon lowered his camera, averted his eyes. "I'll just..." he said, and cleared his throat. He had to stop. He should have stopped dozens of pictures ago.
"Don't stop," Spencer gasped. Jon's eyes flew up to find Spencer's gaze, dark and heavy, locked with his own. Even though Ryan's head was buried in the crook of Spencer's neck, his tongue tracing intricate patterns at the hollow of Spencer's throat, Jon knew the words were for him and not for Ryan.
He raised his camera again.
“What looks good?” Spencer asked, breath coming fast. “You always make us look good.”
Jon shook his head blankly, taking several quick shots to capture the way Spencer’s mouth dropped open when Ryan’s nose nuzzled at his ear. “What you’re doing,” he whispered at last.
“Yeah,” Ryan murmured. “But don’t you want…” he toyed with the hem of Spencer’s shirt again and met Jon’s eyes over Spencer’s shoulder.
And this, he supposed, was the point of no return. Could he do this, watch them together, and ever let things be the same? He knew Tom had filmed shit like this for friends before, but Jon was so much closer to Ryan and Spencer than any of them had been to Tom. He wasn’t sure he could do this and not let it get weird, not when he wanted them so much.
“Take off his shirt,” Jon whispered, and he hadn’t even given himself permission to say it.
Ryan’s eyes flared and he pushed Spencer back until they were both standing. Spencer stretched his arms high over head, letting Ryan draw his shirt off and toss it aside. Spencer’s skin was flawless and looked so soft. Jon wanted to be allowed to touch.
They stood still, and it took Jon a second to realise they were waiting for him to say something. “Kiss along his shoulder,” he said. “Down his spine.” Ryan obeyed, bending his head, lips brushing along the skin so, so lightly. He swept Spencer’s hair aside and parted his mouth over the top of Spencer’s spine. He kissed all the way down, dropping fluidly to his knees as he went. His hands came up to frame Spencer’s hips, tongue darting out to taste the dip where back met ass.
“Spencer, turn around,” Jon said. He barely recognised his own voice. Spencer did as he was told, cupping Ryan’s face in his hand. Ryan turned his cheek to kiss Spencer’s palm, and Jon knew these pictures would be the only thing he’d ever be able to think of again when he jerked off.
“What do you want, Jon?” Ryan asked, still looking up at Spencer. He bit Spencer’s thumb gently.
“Fuck,” Jon breathed harshly. “Ryan…” The room was spinning around him. “Undo his jeans. Take him out.” His chest was too tight and hot, his arms tingling. He probably took a couple dozen shots of Ryan’s long fingers working the buttons through their holes and drawing the zipper down.
Ryan eased Spencer’s cock out of his boxers and Jon couldn’t breathe for a second. He couldn’t believe this was actually happening. Spencer was just fucking gorgeous, cock hard and red and leaking in Ryan’s palm, chest heaving, eyes glazed. His mouth was swollen and dark, lip caught between his teeth.
“What now?” Ryan asked. He sat back on his heels, stroking Spencer lazily. It had to be a tease. His grip was too loose. He licked his lips and Jon groaned. He wasn’t sure if he wanted Ryan sucking his cock, or Spencer’s.
Jon shot the drop of precome gathered at the head of Spencer’s dick, ready to drop. “Lick the head,” he said.
Ryan kept his flicked his gaze towards Jon and kept their eyes locked as he leaned in, tonguing the head of Spencer’s cock. Spencer made a soft hitching sound and his fingers flexed at his side. “Grab his hair, Spence,” Jon said.
Spencer’s hands shot out, fingers tight in Ryan’s hair. “Suck him, Ryan.”
Ryan sucked the tip between his lips, cheeks hollowing out. He didn’t let Spencer get any sort of rhythm, though, wouldn’t take him deep. Spencer’s tension was clear in every line of his body, muscles drawn tight.
“Take him deeper,” Jon said. Ryan did, but loosened his lips, and Spencer’s groan was more out of frustration than pleasure. “Ryan,” Jon said, terse. “Do it right.”
Ryan sat back on his heels again with one last, loud suck. “If I’m not doing it how you want, maybe you should come do it yourself,” he said, tone rebellious. He licked his lips, eyes challenging Jon.
Jon got on his knees and shoved the camera at Ryan. Spencer said, “Yes, Jon, please,” and that was all Jon needed to hear. He pushed down Spencer’s jeans and boxers all at once, halfway down his legs, so he could get to bare skin. His hands cupped Spencer’s ass, dragging him closer and he leaned forward, burying his face in Spencer’s hip.
Spencer’s fingers fell soft in his hair and Jon dragged his nose along Spencer’s pelvis, breathing him in. He looked up at Spencer and Spencer traced a finger down Jon’s cheek, over his jaw.
“Please, Jon,” Spencer whispered. Jon kissed his way up Spencer’s cock, flattened his tongue against the head. Spencer’s hips bucked forward and Jon stopped teasing. He’d never given head before, but he’d been on the receiving end. He had a good idea of what felt nice. He took as much as he could with his mouth and got his hand around the rest.
Ryan pressed against Jon’s side, hands sliding under Jon’s shirt, smoothing over his chest. “Don’t let him come,” he whispered. “Not yet. He wants you to be inside him when that happens. God, Jon.” He kissed Jon’s neck, scraped his nails over Jon’s nipple.
Jon pulled back. “Will you fuck him, Jon?” Ryan asked.
“I…I don’t-”
“Can I kiss you?” Ryan asked. Jon opened his mouth to respond, but ended up just nodding his head. Ryan sighed into Jon’s mouth, kiss rough and desperate. Jon barely got a taste before Spencer’s hands were on his cheek, turning Jon into his kiss. Spencer’s mouth was hot and his kiss was sweet.
“Jon,” Spencer whispered against his mouth, “please, we want you.”
There were hands all over him, pulling at his clothes. They got his shirt off and Spencer’s palms were soft and hot against Jon’s chest, smoothing around his back, pulling him into another kiss. Ryan nibbled at Jon’s earlobe, slicked his tongue along the shell. “I know you think this will mess us up, I know, because I was worried, too. But I saw the pictures you took of us, Jon.”
Jon tore his mouth away from Spencer’s and looked at them both in turn. “I can’t go back after this,” he said.
Ryan shook his head. He brought his hands up to frame Jon’s face, stroking his cheek. “No. Jon. You’re stuck with us, remember?”
Spencer got to his feet again, kicking off his pants and underwear, and sat on the bed. He reached out a hand to Jon, fingers wide. Jon and Ryan stood together. “Give me the camera,” Spencer said. “And then undress each other.” He looked very proud of himself.
Ryan passed over the camera and bent over Jon for a kiss, hands going to Jon’s pants. Jon made quick work of the buttons down Ryan’s shirt and slid it over his shoulders. He’d seen the skin before, but hadn’t been allowed to touch. Now he took his fill, kissing down Ryan’s throat, over his collarbone.
As soon as Ryan got Jon’s pants undone, he shimmied out of them. Ryan’s were easier-Jon just pulled the drawstring and the pants pooled at Ryan’s ankles. He wasn’t wearing anything underneath. Jon let his hand close around Ryan’s erection, long and impossibly hot against Jon’s palm.
Ryan returned the favour, grip firm and sure, practiced. “Hey,” Spencer protested.
“Go fuck him,” Ryan whispered. “And then I’m going to fuck you.”
Jon climbed onto the bed, enjoying the image of Spencer’s spread out before him. Spencer never showed bare skin, but Jon couldn’t understand why. Spencer’s figure was all soft curves; he wasn’t as skinny as Ryan, but he was narrower than Jon. His skin was flawless in the soft light. Brown gold hair fell in Spencer’s eyes, making him look exotic and untouchable. But Jon was allowed to touch, at last. He traced a hand up Spencer’s thigh and Spencer spread his legs wide for Jon to fit between.
Ryan passed Jon a condom and a bottle of lube. Jon kissed Spencer’s ankle, up his shin, the inside of his knee. He popped the cap and met Spencer’s gaze as he slicked his fingers. “Are you sure?” Jon asked.
“Jon,” Spencer said, voice slightly strained. “We’ve wanted this pretty much since we first met you. We bought those condoms a month ago. And we don’t use condoms.”
“You won’t, either, if you want. When we get home,” Ryan offered. He worked the condom down Jon’s length, pumping a few times. It was enough to make Jon chase the sensation, desperate for more.
Jon had never gone bareback, even after Cassie went on the pill, but there was something really hot, thinking of being with them, nothing in between. He had to take a deep breath imagining pushing into Spencer, the way still slick with Ryan’s release.
Hearing Ryan speak of the future, of doing this at home, made something loosen in Jon’s chest. He bent to lay a kiss on the soft skin of Spencer’s inner thigh. Spencer’s breath went high and Jon swallowed him down. Spencer’s taste was strong and salty on his tongue and Jon felt the exact second Spencer relaxed enough to take him in.
Jon eased two fingers inside slowly, taking everything in-the tightness around him, Spencer’s hips working down restlessly, Spencer’s breath coming in soft, helpless moans. He probed gently; he knew how it worked. He spread his fingers and crooked them until Spencer’s hips bucked and he gasped Jon.
“He doesn’t need a lot,” Ryan whispered. “I fucked him twice last night, and once this morning. Usually he ends up fucking me, but he wanted you so badly.”
Jon’s hips moved all on their own, responding to Ryan’s words. His cock thrust against Spencer’s thigh and Spencer moaned. “Seriously, Jon,” Spencer panted. “I’ve been waiting long enough.”
Spencer grabbed Jon’s dick and Jon let himself be led. He slipped his fingers free just in time to replace them with his cock. There was a moment of resistance, Spencer unbelievably tight against him, and then Jon was sliding in, hot and slick. And. There weren’t words.
Spencer’s fingers scrabbled over Jon’s back, sliding through sweat down, down, settling over the curve of Jon’s ass. Jon bottomed out, flush against Spencer’s skin. He rested there, panting into Spencer’s neck. Slowly, he worked his hips in a tight circle and Spencer’s head fell back, mouth parting on a whimper. Jon had to hold still, afraid he’d come at the slightest sensation.
They paused, foreheads pressed together, eyes locked. He’d never thought they’d be this close to one another, with all the promise of the future behind Spencer’s touch. He wanted to drink every moment, preserve it forever should Ryan or Spencer change their minds. Spencer’s eyes were wide and bluer than the sky, saying more than words ever could, promising.
Jon was aware of Ryan alongside them, watching. His hand fell against Jon’s back, a welcome reminder of his presence. Spencer’s gaze met Jon’s and they breathed each other in, mouths touching but not quite kissing. Spencer reached out, fingertips light on Jon’s cheek, tucking his hair back from his face. They kissed, Ryan’s hands on them both.
“Fuck me, Jon,” Spencer whined into Jon’s mouth.
It was easy to fall into a rhythm. Spencer was so open to it; tight, but welcoming. He twined himself around Jon, breath hot and desperate against Jon’s skin. His ankles locked around Jon’s waist, hands grasping fast at Jon’s shoulders. He worked to meet Jon’s every thrust, whispering pleas into the skin of Jon’s neck, things Jon barely understood, but couldn’t help but obey.
Ryan was alongside them throughout it all, hands tracing Spencer’s chest, tongue painting the skin of Jon’s neck. Their sighs were loud, surrounding Jon. “I love you,” Jon whispered, and hoped they didn’t hear over everything else. Spencer stilled beneath Jon, traced a hand down his cheek. Ryan claimed Jon’s mouth with his own, possessive and sure.
Jon’s lack of stamina might have been embarrassing, except Spencer was right there with him, leaking against Jon’s stomach, murmuring his encouragement. Jon fisted his hand around Spencer’s cock, pumping fast in time with his thrusts and Spencer came first, hot and sticky between them, Jon’s name on his lips.
It was better than anything Jon had imagined, sweeter and stronger. He hid his face in Spencer’s neck, sucking on the soft skin there. A blossom of red and purple spread beneath Jon’s mouth. He traced the lines of broken blood vessels with his tongue, hips working hard against Spencer’s.
He’d been waiting for this too long, wondered what it would be like. The reality of it far surpassed his imaginings. He followed fast on Spencer’s heels, hips stuttering then stilling at last, buried deep in Spencer’s ass. He barely had a second to enjoy the afterglow before Ryan’s hands were on him, pulling him away from Spencer.
“My turn,” Ryan whispered.
Jon was still loose from his orgasm when Ryan began to touch him. Ryan’s fingers, long and thin, had long been a part of Jon’s fantasies. They were magic on Jon’s skin, leaving bright, tingling lines of sensation in their wake, chasing the pleasure of his orgasm. Jon knew it wouldn’t take him long to get it up again with this sort of provocation.
Ryan dipped his head between Jon’s thighs and mouthed around his balls. Jon’s head fell against the pillow in abandon. Spencer fell against Jon’s side, lazy and sated, mouthing against Jon’s shoulder. It was a nice counter to Ryan’s tongue, hot and sure, as he lapped against Jon’s hole.
“Fuck,” Jon hissed and Spencer chuckled low against his pulse.
“Just wait,” Spencer threatened, or promised, Jon didn’t know the difference any more. He didn’t care. He was getting hard again already and that had never happened so quickly, even when he was a teenager and desperate for sex, no matter how it came.
Ryan’s tongue pushed inside and Jon’s whole body went tense, like a string drawn too tight. Spencer caught Jon’s mouth in a hot kiss and said, “Promise it’s us,” and Jon said, “you’re all I want.” Spencer’s hand curved around Jon’s cock in response, tugging in time with the gentle, fluid thrusts of Ryan’s tongue inside Jon’s body.
Jon barely felt recognised the switch between Ryan’s mouth and fingers at first, smooth as it was. Ryan’s hand left Jon’s balls, drifting lower, teasing the sensitive skin behind and lower, lower, tracing the place where his tongue disappeared into Jon’s body. There was a moment when it was both tongue and finger inside of Jon, and then Ryan thrust a finger in rough, twisting, and Jon saw stars. He was hard again immediately.
Ryan was careful, for all that it was obvious that he was desperate. He added one finger at a time, as Jon adjusted. His fingers parted, tongue chasing between them, sending hot sparks up Jon’s spine. Spencer’s hips worked against Jon’s side, cock filling and going hard between them. Jon reached for him blindly, fist tight around Spencer.
“I want to come in your mouth, now,” Spencer whispered against Jon’s cheek and Jon nodded and said, “Fuck yes.”
Spencer swung a leg over Jon’s chest and scooted up. His finger tapped against Jon’s jaw and Jon dropped his mouth open just enough to let Spencer slide his cock in. Ryan groaned behind them and there was the sound of the camera shutter. “When we get home, we’re buying a tripod,” Ryan muttered, and then his cock was pressing where his mouth and fingers had been.
Jon let himself be lost in the sensation. Ryan’s cock was a slow burn in his ass, Spencer’s a heavy, numbing weight in his mouth. Jon focussed on Spencer, breathing in his scent, swallowing more and more. Spencer kept a hand around the base of his cock but pushed further and further down Jon’s throat and Jon took it. It helped take away from the sting of Ryan’s thrusts.
Then Ryan grabbed Jon’s hips, tugging them up. Jon went with him, hooking his knees over Ryan’s razor sharp pelvic bones and the angle was all the sudden perfect. Jon groaned, mouth dropping opening. Spencer didn’t seem to mind, lazily pushing against the roof of Jon’s mouth.
Jon dug his fingers into Spencer’s thighs and used them as an anchor, shoving down on Ryan’s cock. He wanted to keep thrusting, desperate even though he’d just gotten off, but Ryan’s hand fell hard as steel on Jon’s hips, holding him still. He fucked Jon slow and hard, each thrust jarring. Jon sucked sloppily at Spencer’s cock, every moan spurring Spencer on harder, faster.
He knew the moment Ryan came, hearing his breath go shallow and stop altogether for a second, hips meeting Jon’s ass for one last, punishing thrust and then stilling. Jon groaned again, half pleasure, half disappointment. Spencer’s thumb pushed against his lower lip, fingers brushing over Jon’s cheek, pressing where his cock moved in Jon’s mouth.
Ryan pulled out and Jon felt open, gaping and empty. There was the wet sound of a condom hitting the wall, then Ryan’s mouth was around Jon’s dick, sucking him all the way down. He shoved three fingers up Jon’s ass, twisting and Jon came hard, harder than he’d ever come, he was sure. He couldn’t breathe, just swallow compulsively around the head of Spencer’s cock. Spencer grunted and spilled down Jon’s throat, hips working in tiny circles.
Spencer climbed off delicately but Jon barely had time to rearrange his head on the pillow before Spencer was settled against his side, holding him in place. Ryan bent his head to Jon’s stomach, licking through a trail of come painting Jon’s stomach from Spencer’s earlier orgasm.
“Get up here,” Spencer ordered, tossing a stray tee-shirt at Ryan’s head. Ryan wiped away the rest of the mess and flopped down on Jon’s free side. Jon got an arm around both their shoulders, and could almost convince himself it was just like when the cuddled on the sofa. Only with far less clothes.
Ryan traced figures like words over Jon’s chest and Spencer tilted his head up for a kiss that Jon was only too happy to give. There was so much to learn about Spencer’s mouth, and Ryan’s. Spencer’s was smaller but softer, and his teeth were sharper, but he used them less than Ryan did. Though he knew it was just his imagination, Jon could taste Spencer’s smile, bright as sunshine, and twice as warm.
“Can’t let us go,” Ryan said. His fingernail drew a lock over Jon’s heart. “Already a part of you.”
Jon woke with a boy on each side, their hands clasped low on Jon’s hips. He felt unease gathering in his stomach. Cassie had been his only relationship to last more than a few awkward one-night stands, and this was so much more than what Jon had had with Cassie. That wasn’t to say that he hadn’t loved her, but things had been easy and uncomplicated between them. This was so much more intimate in ways he didn’t even fully understand.
Any move would stir them, so Jon held as still as possible, muscles aching from the effort. Spencer was the first to stir, fingers clenching around Ryan’s. He blinked a couple times and looked up at Jon with a lazy smile. It slipped when he saw Jon’s face.
“You’re freaking out,” Spencer said blandly.
“I’m not,” Jon said automatically.
“You are,” Spencer said. He shook his hand free of Ryan’s. His thumb traced the line of definition up Jon’s belly, darted to the side to flick at Jon’s nipple, smoothed up his neck to sink into Jon’s hair. He gave a little tug and Jon resisted, but Spencer just pushed up on his elbows until their lips met.
“We have no trouble kissing you into submission whenever you start to freak out on us,” Ryan whispered, pressing a kiss to Jon’s throat, and Jon hadn’t even realised he was awake, so wrapped up in Spencer.
“I can’t lose you two,” Jon said.
Their smiles were sweet in entirely different ways-beautiful in entirely different ways. “You won’t,” Spencer said.
“We won’t let you,” Ryan added, and kissed Jon until they were panting for breath. When they parted, Spencer darted forward, catching Ryan’s mouth. They were both going hard, erections pressing against Jon’s hips, but they weren’t in any hurry about it. Jon heard a line of Ryan’s poetry played through his head, telling him to relax. He listened, watching the play of their mouths together.
Their mouths were red and swollen, spit slick, when Spencer drew back. “This isn’t conditional,” Ryan said. “You can take whatever you want.”
“We’ll give it,” Spencer whispered. “And we aren’t going anywhere.”
“You promised us that,” Ryan said. “We’re promising the same.”
Jon rolled Ryan beneath him, spreading Ryan’s thighs with his knees. Ryan only struggled a little, and it was only playfully. Jon fumbled a condom down his dick, slicking it with lube and started to push his fingers against Ryan’s opening, but Ryan shook his head, said, “Just fuck me, Jon,” so Jon did. He took Ryan slow and long, holding Ryan’s hands above his head like he’d imagined, fingers pressed hard in the ink lines.
Spencer stroked Ryan through it until he was close, and then his hand closed tight around the base of Ryan’s cock, keeping him from coming when Jon buried himself deep and let go. Spencer took Jon’s place, easing into Ryan in one slow, steady thrust.
Jon ached to photograph them like this, seeing something so private. It dawned on him slowly that it wasn’t private to him any longer. It was his, now, too. There would be plenty of time to photograph them later.
The shower stall was roughly the size of a telephone booth, so they took turns showering, Ryan laying claim to the first. “He’ll be in there forever,” Spencer remarked. “You should make out with me until he gets out.”
Jon laughed softly, tipping his face back to place a quick kiss on the corner of Spencer’s mouth. “Should I?” he asked.
“Mmm,” Spencer agreed, taking a longer kiss. Jon liked kissing. He had spent hours before just kissing, not wanting anything else. It wasn’t the same with Spencer. The touch of his mouth made Jon’s spine tingle, his ears burn. He moaned against Spencer’s lips and Spencer sighed, rolling Jon beneath him.
“Or…” Spencer said and grinded his hips against Jon’s cock. He sat up, arching his back, showing off. Jon pushed the sheets out of the way, taking it all in. He laid a hand on Spencer’s hip, rubbing gently with his thumb and Spencer whispered his name.
Jon sat up against the headboard, pulling Spencer with him, hand in Spencer’s hair guiding him into a kiss. Spencer scooted back enough to get his hands around both their cocks and Jon helped them, their fingers tangled blindly. Jon found a spot under the head of Spencer’s dick that made him croon desperately in Jon’s mouth. Precome spilled fast over the back of Jon’s hand, down his wrist.
“I want you inside,” Spencer said. “Jon, I want to fuck everyway we can.” He writhed desperately against Jon’s touch. “I want you to push me up against the wall, bend me over the kitchen table. I want to ride you so hard we both have bruises. I want to be on my hands and knees for you, sucking Ryan off while you fuck me.”
“Jesus Christ, Spencer,” Jon hissed, and fumbled the condom on, almost coming just from the touch of his own hand. Spencer lifted his hips and sank down on Jon’s length, groaning all through it. They rocked together and Jon barely lasted thirty seconds, pumping Spencer fast.
“Come on, Spence,” he urged, and Spencer came just before him, head tossed back. Jon bit down hard on Spencer’s neck when he came, tongue tracing the bruises he’d left the night before.
When Ryan came out from the shower they were lying side by side, trading slow kisses, but Ryan narrowed his eyes at them. “I know what you were doing,” he muttered. Spencer gave him an innocent look which made Ryan roll his eyes. “I heard you. Jesus. Someone gets to suck my cock later for making me jerk off in the shower.”
Jon couldn’t help the smile that spread over his face then. “I think that can be arranged,” he said, and Ryan smiled back, slightly shy. It was ridiculous, after all they’d done, but so uniquely Ryan that it was charming.
They packed up their things and Spencer checked out while Jon showered and Ryan loaded the car. Before leaving the area, Spencer took them to a nearby Anasazi village. It was mostly ruins and made for some great shots. All that really changed because of last night was the fact that Jon didn’t feel so awkward when he took pictures of Spencer and Ryan in moments of quiet, understated intimacy.
The drive through the Painted Desert was maybe not quite as majestic as the Grand Canyon, but was still stunning. Ryan stretched out in the back with Jon, head on his chest, watching the colours blur past. Spencer stopped whenever they asked and Jon filled up an entire card with pictures from that two hour drive.
It shouldn’t have been surprising to Jon to know find they didn’t behave any differently around him now, except to touch him more. He wasn’t naïve enough to think that attempting to have a threesome would be easy, but maybe it didn’t have to be as difficult as he might have imagined.
They spent a couple hours exploring the Petrified Forest and got to Flagstaff in the early afternoon, just as it was the hottest out. They went to the Arboretum and spent most of the time in the butterfly gardens because apparently Jon was in love with the two girliest men in the world. He did get some nice shots of Spencer though, whose shampoo seemed to attract the butterflies, if the amount flying around him and lighting on his head was any indication.
Ryan held Jon’s hand as they walked through downtown Flagstaff, shopping for souvenirs. Spencer’s idea of shopping for souvenirs seemed to consist of him stopping at any shop that sold shoes and trying on dozens of pairs. Ryan, on the other hand, while he seemed earnest about his desire to get something for the twins and Spencer’s parents, kept getting distracted by sparkly things.
“So, so gay,” Jon sing-songed in his ear.
“Says one of the men fucking me,” Ryan smiled back.
Jon rubbed his thumb over Ryan’s hand. “Yeah,” he agreed and darted his eyes about to see if anyone was looking before he kissed Ryan quick and light. This was all new. He’d never had to be cautious in pubic before, but he didn’t want to draw any undue attention, should someone see the way Ryan and Spencer were together, and the way Jon was with each of them. If Ryan’s editor didn’t like his relationship with Spencer, she would flip over Jon’s addition.
At the hotel, Spencer made them wait outside and managed to sweet talk the girl at the front desk into switching their suite from two double beds to one king sized. There were plans to go to the Lowell Observatory in the evening, but they were all worn out from a day spent in the sun and Ryan decided that a nap was in order. He pulled Spencer and Jon onto the bed with him, and they cuddled up on either side. Jon pressed little kisses against the back of Ryan’s neck and Ryan sighed, tilting his head so Jon could better reach.
The sun was setting when they woke. Spencer had made them reservations at a brewery downtown where they stayed until well after dark playing billiards. They had a private tour at the Observatory, and Jon decided he never wanted to know how much Spencer had spent on this trip. “You can pay me back in sexual favours,” Spencer remarked, when Jon said something along those lines.
“First you use me for my ID, now my dick,” Jon sighed. Spencer pressed close to his side and Jon threw his arm over his shoulders, holding him near on one side, clasping Ryan’s hand on the other. Their tour guide very politely refused to notice. She left them alone at the observation tower after showing them how to operate the telescope.
“It’s crazy what you can do with my money,” Ryan remarked, all awe, no hint that he was the slightest bit put out about it. Spencer confided, once, that Ryan treated Spencer like they were married, everything of Ryan’s Spencer’s and vice versa. It helped that they’d lived that way their entire lives that it didn’t cause any hurt feelings on either side.
Jon thought it was pretty amazing. He didn’t know how he’d be able to fit into it. He wanted to be with them, even if he couldn’t afford all the luxuries to which they were used, including but not limited to three-day weekend vacations. He just wasn’t sure how he could contribute when they refused to allow him. He’d have to talk to them about it, but this wasn’t the right time.
“Are you freaking out about something?” Ryan asked.
“A little,” Jon answered truthfully. “I’ll deal with it.” Of that he was certain. He wasn’t going to fuck this up. He didn’t know why he’d been given this, but he wasn’t going to do something stupid to ruin it.
Ryan put his arms around Jon’s waist, resting his chin on Jon’s shoulder. “You might freak out a little more when we get home,” he said.
“Why?” Jon asked. “What did you do?” Spencer switched his attention from the telescope to them.
“Ordered a new mattress. Queen sized,” Ryan said, mouth brushing Jon’s neck as he spoke.
“That was presumptuous of you,” Jon said.
“Hopeful of us,” Ryan corrected. “We could have slept in it just the two of us.”
“Might have been a little lonely,” Spencer said, pressing along Jon’s front.
“Couldn’t have that,” Jon said wryly.
Spencer kissed him and said, “We only have another twenty minutes here, so if you two are finished being gay, wanna come take a look at the pretty shiny things in the sky?”
“You two and shiny things,” Jon said, shaking his head.
“Hey!” Spencer said, bumping their hips together. “You like us.”
“Yeah,” Jon agreed, not bothering to correct him. Yet. “I guess I like shiny things, too.” Spencer scowled and Ryan laughed and they all fought over who got to look through the telescope first.
They went to bed early after. Ryan had a book signing Sunday afternoon that he couldn’t miss, lest Celia hunt him down and harangue him. Or, the way Spencer told it, she’d harangue Spencer and Spencer would withhold sex. “And you will, too, if you know what’s good for you,” Spencer added.
Jon drove to give Spencer a break, since neither of them really trusted Ryan very much where heavy machinery was concerned. The roads here were straight and fairly empty compared to the clogged traffic of Illinois. They put down the windows, Ryan’s long legs dangling out the back, Spencer’s hair whipping across his face and throat. It was hot, but not uncomfortably so, and the music was loud, and Jon had been on the road plenty of times with lots of people and various distractions, but he wasn’t sure he’d ever been this content.
Ryan was trying out his new look, a couple fluttery, flowery scarves over a plain white button down and actual boy jeans, which Jon hadn’t known Ryan had owned. He was wearing bracelets on both wrists, which wasn’t entirely unusual, but they were brighter and bolder than the plain black and carved wooden ones he sported regularly.
When they came into the backroom, Celia took one look at him and freaked out, hurrying to try and wrangle his wind-tossed into something resembling order. “What are you wearing?” She demanded. Then she looked at Spencer. “What did you do to him?”
Spencer rolled his eyes. “If you have a problem with the way I look, we could just call this thing off,” Ryan offered.
Celia gave a harried sigh. “And who is this?” she asked, looking Jon up and down, unimpressed.
“Jon Walker,” he said, nodding at her politely.
“Oh, the photographer who took my seat at the banquet?” she asked, but her tone wasn’t mean, just amused. “Did someone at the office engage you for this afternoon?”
“He’s not here in any official capacity,” Ryan said, tone dismissive. Jon had known him long enough by now to know that it meant he didn’t feel like discussing a subject any further. “Though we will have to look over his contract sometime soon. Adjust some things.”
Celia frowned, looking back and forth between them. “Well, of course we can have something drawn up. Is there a problem…?”
Jon waited, wondering. Ryan shrugged. “I simply feel that the old contract is too restrictive. I trust Jon to use his work how he pleases.” Jon couldn’t help but brush a hand down Ryan’s back and Ryan smiled down at him, bright and unguarded.
“Oookaaay,” Celia said slowly. She looked uncertainly at Spencer, like she feared some bad reaction.
Spencer just took Jon’s hand. “Come on. We should get out of the way.”
“Maybe I want Ross to sign my book for me,” Jon leered.
Ryan waved one of his scarves at him. “Get lost,” he said. Spencer leaned in for a quick kiss like he always did when he and Ryan parted.
“See you in a bit,” Jon said.
“Hey,” Ryan said, and pouted. He hooked his finger in Jon’s collar like Jon had seen him do to Spencer so many times before. “You too.” He dipped his head to press their mouths together. Jon breathed in and Ryan pulled away. Celia very pointedly was not looking, checking something on her PDA. Jon maybe felt a little bad for her, but not much.
There was a crowd amassed in the store, waiting. Spencer found them a place to stand off to the side-still near enough to see, but not pressing close like the others. Ryan came out a few minutes later looking more comfortable than he had at the banquet, but only marginally so. He shot them both a quick hint of a smile and several of the girls turned to try and see who he’d smiled at, but didn’t notice them.
Ryan went to the podium and cleared his throat, tugged at his scarves. “Um,” he said, and all the girls leaned forward like he’d just said the most amazing thing they’d ever heard in their lives. “I was supposed to read a couple poems that I’m sure you’ve all read before, but I’ve been working on some new stuff lately, and if you don’t mind, I thought I might read you some of that.”
A flurry of excited babble went through the crowd. Celia, standing just behind Ryan’s shoulder, looked like she was going to have a heart attack. “I don’t have a title for it yet. I’m not sure it’s finished. But I think it describes what I feel right now.”
Jon looked at Spencer questioningly. Spencer smiled and shrugged his shoulders. “He doesn’t show me everything he writes,” Spencer said. “You see what I see, for the most part. Though I bet he’ll show you a few things now that he didn’t before. I think he was worried of scaring you off…”
“Are you saying he wrote things about me?” Jon asked, smiling in confusion.
“Are you kidding?” Spencer asked, brows going high. “I swear, it’s been nothing but porn since you moved in with us. Which, okay, I’m not complaining because it’s really fucking hot and has led to more than one impromptu session of mid-afternoon sex on the couch/in the backyard/in your bed…” He smiled then, blushing. Jon couldn’t even pretend to be offended. He was hard as a rock. “You should see some of the stuff he’s written about me…”
“I hope you’re not just teasing,” Jon whispered, slipping a hand down Spencer’s spine. He gripped Spencer’s hip and jerked him closer so Spencer could feel the effect his words were having.
Spencer gave him a sly look and dropped a hand to Jon’s thigh. Ryan began to recite and Jon jerked his attention back to him. His voice was slightly different from his normal monotone, getting into the rhythm of the lines he read. When he read the line, “Things have changed for me, but that’s okay, I feel the same,” he gave Jon and Spencer a brief glance.
“Did he just confess his love for me in poetry form?” Jon asked, when Ryan had finished. He meant it to come out teasing, but his heart was beating too fast.
“Jon.” Spencer sighed and put his hands on his hips. “We’ve been trying to tell you we love you for weeks. We did say it, the other night. You were too busy running away to notice.”
“Sorry,” Jon said. “I’ve never done this before. I didn’t know…”
“You think we’ve ever done it before?” Spencer asked, gentle smile softening his words. “We never planned on adding anyone else to this relationship. We’re happy with each other; we never would have thought of needing someone else.”
Jon didn’t know what to say. He was so out of his depth. He wrapped his arm around Spencer’s waist, squeezing. “I love you, too, Spencer Smith,” he finally decided on.
Spencer gave him one of his blinding smiles, all teeth and bright, crinkled eyes. “God,” he said. “I don’t…” He laughed and pressed his forehead against Jon’s. “I don’t know why I get to have him, and you too, but…” He laughed again and Jon caught his mouth in a quick kiss. No one was paying them any attention, anyway.
Well, no one except Ryan, who was glaring at them every few seconds in between scrawling his name on the books presented to him. It was a glare that said first sex while I’m in the shower, now making out while I have to do a fucking book signing. Maybe Jon could eventually figure out this silent speech thing Ryan and Spencer had going on. “We’ll make it up to him later,” Spencer said, and tugged Jon away.
They grabbed coffee from the Starbucks in the store and browsed the romance section reading the back blurbs and laughing themselves silly. There was a second when Jon was pretty sure that some random girl snapped a picture of them, but then he often took pictures of strangers, so whatever.
When they came back the line was about half-finished, though still ridiculously long. It was overwhelmingly teenaged girls, but there were a few adult women and the random, scattered teenaged or college aged boy.
Currently it was a woman who looked about twenty, gushing about something that was making Ryan turn bright red. He hurried to finish his signature and pushed the book to her forcefully.
Jon went around the table, sitting the coffee they’d bought for Ryan at his elbow. Ryan blinked at it blankly for a minute before turning a grateful look on Jon. The girl smiled at them and wiggled her fingers suggestively.
“Well,” Ryan said, in a low voice that Jon could barely hear. “I’ve found an eager candidate, if we ever want a foursome…” and nodded in the girl’s general direction.
“I think three is enough,” Jon said, squeezing Ryan’s shoulder. A few flashes went off in the crowd.
“You’re going to be Internet famous now,” Ryan remarked. “All the bloggers are going to say I’ve broken up with Spencer.”
“Actually…” Jon laughed a little. “If that’s why some chick took a picture of me and Spence earlier, the Internet might come up with some more outlandishly accurate ideas about us…”
“Beautiful thing about the Internet, no one really believes what they read,” Ryan said dismissively. Jon wasn’t so sure about that. Then again he didn’t think it mattered if some kids guessed what was really going on between the three of them.
Part Five