Sean
SEAN
Rising early had been a habit of ’s for as long as he could remember. Even though his job didn’t require him to wake up with the sun, he still found himself doing it years later. Blake was still asleep when he woke, and was careful not to make too much noise as he left the room.
He wasn’t surprised to find the kitchen already occupied by Blaine. The man was sitting at the kitchen table, a tablet in hand and a cup of coffee in front of him.
“Morning,” Blaine said without looking up.
“Morning,” replied, contemplating the pot of coffee before deciding against it.
Instead, he grabbed water from the fridge and took up his spot at the kitchen table once he’d found his own tablet. Opening his email, he browsed, looking for emergencies on the wedding plans and anything from his patients. He made sure to be available in case any of his patients needed him out of office hours. Most of the time, that meant over a messaging app connected to Wi-Fi, but they occasionally sent emails instead.
Unsurprisingly, Blaine said very little as he tapped his screen. Even while calm, Blake couldn’t help but chatter away, but Blaine was perfectly content to sit in silence with someone else. It was one of those little things thought was similar between Blake and Eric, not that he was willing to tell either of them that.
After about an hour, a rather sleepy-looking Eric stumbled down the stairs. watched Blaine, who watched Eric as the man clumsily approached the coffeemaker. There was nothing but pure affection on the man’s face as Eric grumbled something that might have been a greeting under his breath.
“Well,” Blaine said as Eric flopped down next to him, holding his mug like his life depended on it. “That’s one up. You game for waking the other one?”
chuckled. “He can’t be any worse than trying to wake that one.”
Eric scowled at him, muttering something that was probably profanity-laden.
“Blake isn’t bad, especially if you show up with a cup of coffee. Otherwise, he’s just stubborn and won’t get up. Nothing quite as, uh, colorful as this one,” Blaine said, kissing Eric’s temple.
Blaine didn’t get a profanity-laden grumble, noticed.
With Blaine’s hint, poured a cup of coffee, adding a few sugars as he’d seen Blake do the morning before. Leaving Blaine to coax Eric awake, mounted the stairs and re-entered the bedroom. He set the coffee on the bedside table beside Blake’s head, letting the smell fill the room before gently nudging him.
Blake stirred, pressing his face against the pillow. “So much for siccing Eric on me.”
chuckled. “I guess Blaine was feeling generous this morning.”
To his surprise, Blake’s eyes flashed open and he moved back as though trying to escape .
“Uh,” Blake said, clearing his throat. “Right. Yeah, I guess he was. Probably had a good night or something. Thank God we slept through that .”
raised a brow. “I don’t think that was the case. Maybe he just wanted to be nice.”
Blake smiled thinly, pushing himself up to get the mug and take a sip. “Oh. You make this?”
“I did,” answered, watching Blake.
Blake grunted. “This is good. Even Blaine doesn’t put the right amount of sugar in.”
“I’ve been making coffee for Eric for years, so I know a thing or two about taking note of someone’s preferred cup,” said.
Blake snorted, eyes darting between and the mug. “Fair. Thanks, though, it’s perfect.”
“My pleasure,” told him, backing up toward the door. He managed to get to the doorway before he decided to satiate his curiosity. “Everything alright?”
Blake’s eyes jerked up to him, widening a little. “Yeah, why?”
tilted his head. “Because you’re acting a little...strange.”
More like awkward, and he’d never seen Blake awkward, hadn’t even heard about a time when he had been.
Eyes still wide, Blake shook his head. “No, no, I’m just strange in the morning.”
nodded. “So I’ve been led to believe. Enjoy your coffee. And make sure to put on pants before coming down. Eric isn’t quite awake yet, and who knows how he’ll react if you show up in your underwear again.”
Blake gave him another thin smile. “I’ll be sure to do that.”
left him to his coffee, descending the stairs to the main floor again. Eric looked more alert as he sipped his coffee, and Blaine looked a little red. Having spent a lot of time with them over the past few weeks, immediately recognized when something was afoot. Though it was the sort of afoot he wasn’t going to ask about.
“I think we might need a shower,” Blaine said casually, though his flushed face told that the ‘we’ was specifically him and Eric.
“Blake might have gone into the bathroom by now,” said.
“Got him up that easy, huh?” Blaine asked.
shrugged. “It wasn’t too difficult. The coffee did most of the work, I think. He did seem a little out of it, though.”
Blaine grunted. “Weird, normally, he’s almost as alert as I am when I wake up. Told him he could have done quite well in the field with that habit. He was...weirdly pleased by that and then told me that one of us getting shot at was enough.”
“I don’t even want to imagine Blake with a gun,” Eric murmured.
chuckled, leaving the two of them to talk softly and slip onto the couch in the living room. It hadn’t been so much that Blake had been dazed or groggy, he’d actually been very alert.
If didn’t know better, he’d say the man had been spooked.
* * *
When Blaine’s former teammates showed up, the peace and quiet of the lodge was shattered from the moment they barreled through the door. Blake jumped at the bang of the door upstairs, nearly falling off the bench in the kitchen. Eric, sat on the couch across from , sighed heavily, rubbing his forehead. Blaine, however, vaulted over the back of one of the couches and took the stairs three at a time with his long legs.
“And so it begins,” Eric muttered as a group of excited roars exploded upstairs.
“Jesus, I forgot how loud they are,” Blake grumbled as he slowly walked toward them.
“This is normal?” asked.
“I’ve never seen them all in one place,” Eric explained. “But when they visited individually, they were...yeah, this is normal.”
“And Blaine acts like a little kid whenever one of them is around,” Blake added, leaning on the back of the couch where sat.
eyed Blake out of the corner of his eye. It was the first time for several hours that Blake had willingly come near him. It wasn’t so much that Blake was noticeably avoiding him, but hadn’t missed how Blake’s tasks always took him away from . He wasn’t sure what to make of it, but he was beginning to miss the man’s company.
Eric sighed. “If they weren’t all straight and with girlfriends, I’d be a little worried.”
“I don’t know, man, with all that wrestling and manhandling they do, I don’t think they’re all totally straight,” Blake said wryly, vindicated when a grunt and a heavy thud on the wooden floor came from upstairs.
Eric scowled at him. “They’re close. Just because they’re not afraid to be affectionate or stupid with one another doesn’t mean anything.”
Blake grinned. “Doesn’t hurt that even if they were a little gay, he’s stupidly in love with you.”
“There is that, yeah,” Eric admitted, fighting a smile.
“Sap,” Blake said companionably.
“It is sickeningly sweet how they are sometimes,” agreed.
Eric pushed himself up from the couch. “Why don’t you two smartasses do something useful? I should probably go make sure they don’t break anything.”
A crash echoed from above, and Blake winced. “You might be too late.”
“Goddamn it,” Eric swore, bounding up the stairs. “Would you assholes quit? I want to get my deposit back, and I won’t if you jarheads start breaking things. Mike, I swear to God, put that down, or I’ll deal with your family planning for you.”
Blake listened to Eric, chuckling. “You ever think he might have been good as a drill sergeant?”
“Blaine told him that once, and I watched Eric try to decipher if he should be offended for a good hour,” told him.
Blake snorted. “Yeah, that sounds about right. Don’t blame him, though. I’m not sure how I’d take it if someone told me that.”
leaned back, shrugging. “As is usual with those two, Eric let it go, probably distracted one way or another by something Blaine did. Your brother is good at diverting him.”
“That’s one way to put it,” Blake said wryly.
hummed. “And there you bring it back to sex, even if that isn’t what I meant.”
Blake glanced at him, and it was like a switch had been flipped. The amusement in his eyes dimmed and he licked his lips. raised a brow and Blake hastily looked back up the stairs where conversation had finally started instead of whatever enthusiastic greeting had been going on before.
“I should probably go get more firewood,” Blake said, pushing away from the couch. “Never know when a bunch of drunkards might want a pretty fire to stare at.”
As far as excuses went, thought that had to rank comparable to wet tissue paper. He remained silent, letting Blake slink off. Once the man was out of the house, stared thoughtfully at the closed door as the conversation above continued.
He didn’t make snap judgments, especially when it came to people’s behavior. In his line of work, it was best to ask questions or let the other person talk until they’d exhausted themselves. It often happened that someone’s behavior wasn’t motivated by what an observer’s kneejerk belief led them to believe.
And yet, he couldn’t dismiss the idea that he was being ignored.
Glancing upstairs to hear that everyone was still chatting happily, he decided now was the best time. Pushing himself up from the couch, he followed Blake outside. Glancing around, he listened for any sounds, turning when he heard soft thumping.
Stopping as he rounded the house, he discovered Blake was doing more than simply gathering firewood. The man had taken it upon himself to gather and chop the logs. In the few minutes had left Blake alone, he had already worked up a decent sweat.
Before he could do more than note the damp shirt, Blake looked up and spotted . He froze, ax positioned over his shoulder as he’d prepared to swing at the next log.
cocked his head. “Don’t let me stop you.”
Blake hesitated. “Something you need?”
“I was going to ask if there was something we needed to talk about, actually,” said, motioning toward the log.
Blake blinked, then adjusted his grip and brought the ax down with a grunt. “Do we need to talk about something? And is this on the record or off?”
snorted, leaning against the side of the house. “I’m not here to evaluate your mental state, Blake. I’m here to ask why it feels like you’ve been avoiding me.”
Blake slowly added the two halves of the log to the growing pile. “That’s some...very psychiatric phrasing there, Dr. Andreas.”
sighed. “Fine. Why are you avoiding me?”
“Who says I am?”
“I do.”
“This based on your prof?—”
“Blake,” interrupted. “Either tell me why you’re clearly avoiding me or tell me I’m wrong. Take your pick.”
Blake grabbed another log, chuckling. “Forceful. I didn’t know you could do forceful.”
“I raised Eric. If you think that doesn’t require a bit of force, you’re obviously deluded,” told him. “And you’re evading.”
“No, I’m just noticing,” Blake said, slicing through the log with ease. “And you’re right, I have been avoiding you.”
“Why?” asked, not wanting to ask if it was something he’d done and letting Blake explain.
“It’s, uh,” Blake began sheepishly, adding to the pile. “Stupid, really. Nothing you did...well, not consciously.”
raised a brow. “Not consciously?”
“Literally.”
“I’m afraid you’ve lost me.”
Blake sighed, setting the ax blade against the huge stump. “You were asleep.”
frowned, opening his mouth to ask for clarification, and then snapped his mouth shut. “Oh. Well, shit. I forgot about that.”
Blake’s eyes widened. “You remember?”
couldn’t help his laugh. “Sorry, I’m not laughing at...well, never mind. Anyway, no, I don’t know… remember what I did last night. But I know what happened.”
How could he have possibly forgotten to warn Blake he was a sleep cuddler? The peculiar thing was that he only did it when another man was in bed with him. He could be coaxed with his ex-girlfriends, but for whatever reason, his sleeping mind preferred to cuddle men. It had been a while since he’d had a man in his bed overnight, though, and it had slipped his mind.
winced. “I forgot to warn you, I’m a cuddler in my sleep. I’ve been like that for as long as I can remember. It’s been a while since I shared a bed with anyone, and I didn’t even think to tell you.”
“I didn’t think you knew,” Blake said.
He laughed. “I’m pushing forty, Blake. You really think someone hasn’t told me I cuddle in my sleep? I just forgot to tell you.”
“Oh.”
cocked his head. “I’ll be honest, I didn’t expect you to be the sort to be put out by a bit of innocent cuddling.”
To his surprise, Blake’s face flushed. “Uh, yeah, you’re right. But it was?—”
waited a few beats. “It was...weird? Different? Uncomfortable?”
Blake ducked his head, turning his face away. “It wasn’t just cuddling.”
It was said quietly, but still heard him. “It was more.”
“Yeah,” Blake said quietly.
sighed, pushing away from the house to stand upright. “Did I...grab something?”
Blake let out a bark of a laugh. “No, but you definitely had something against me.”
covered his mouth, trying not to laugh. “That’s perfectly normal, even for a man nearing forty, Blake. I assure you, it was nothing personal.”
“No, it was just what followed it that made it personal,” Blake said.
’s eyes widened. “What...exactly followed?”
Blake sighed, tipping his head back and staring up at the sky. “You...ground it against me. And then you made this...this noise, and by the way, I didn’t even know you knew how to say ‘fuck’ let alone say it like you did.”
“Oh,” managed.
So, if he understood things correctly, he had all but tried to seduce Blake in his sleep. Or rather, he’d been having an interesting dream that he couldn’t remember and Blake had been the real-life recipient of the reaction. Then again, it could have just been the sensation that had brought it about. Whatever the case, Blake had found himself apparently pinned beneath ’s sleepy arousal, which was honestly not a comfortable image in ’s head.
“I am so sorry,” said earnestly. “I promise I would never have done that if I were even remotely aware.”
Blake looked up, trying for a sly grin. “I get that. I’m not exactly your type.”
made to agree and then stopped. That statement was true only because, as far as knew, Blake was straight. Otherwise, there wasn’t much that kept Blake from being his type. Not only was Blake handsome, but even had to admit he was a sucker for blond-haired, blue-eyed men, especially ones quick with a smile. Blake’s sexuality was the real block keeping from looking at him with more than just aesthetic appreciation.
Blake didn’t miss the hesitation, and his eyes widened. “Uh, ? Am I your type?”
winced. He was caught, and there was no way out of it except for the truth. Or at least, a modified version of it so he didn’t completely freak Blake out.
“I would never allow any...personal preference to provoke me into making those kinds of advances toward someone who’s not interested,” said, picking his words carefully.
Blake let go of the ax, eyes going wide. “You’re gay?”
rolled his eyes. “Don’t be so dramatic. There’s a third option, in case you haven’t been paying attention for almost thirty-one years.”
Blake blinked. “Okay. Bi then, you’re bi.”
“I enjoy the company of both men and women in an intimate sense, yes,” said.
“How did I not know that?” Blake asked.
shrugged. “It’s never been something I felt the need to bring up. Neither Eric nor Blaine knows either.”
Blake rubbed his chin. “You’ve kept that from Eric. Why?”
“Keeping it from him infers that I’ve actively concealed it when I haven’t. If I had found someone, a man that is, that I seriously intended to date, I would have told him. But seeing as how that never happened, it’s never come up,” explained.
How had the conversation gone so rapidly out of his control?
Blake grinned. “Wow. And now I’m in on the secret. Aren’t I special?”
“It’s not a secret,” told him.
“It’s something they don’t know, so it might as well be.”
“That’s not the same thing at all, Blake.”
“Sure, , whatever you say.”
“You’re being intentionally difficult.”
“Wait. So, does that mean I am your type?”
For a man who had seemed so uncomfortable that a sleeping man got a little frisky with him, Blake seemed incredibly curious about the answer to that question.
cocked his head. “Do you want to be my type?”
Based on what he knew about Blake, that comment should have earned him a startled look and probably a laugh accompanied by a joke. Instead, to ’s barely contained surprise, he watched as Blake’s face turned even redder.
“What?” Blake spat out, eyes darting around. “What the hell, ?”
couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m only asking. You seem especially interested in whether I would be interested in you.”
Blake held his hands up, eyes still not holding ’s. “I’m just saying, you were the one who humped me and then decided to get all sexy in my ear.”
“Which I am sorry for. I would never do that to someone…unless they wanted me to,” added, now grinning slyly.
Blake’s head jerked up, eyes widening. “Are you...are you fucking with me right now?”
“Could be,” admitted, finding an odd delight in catching Blake off-guard. “Or maybe I’m just fond of watching you squirm.”
Blake tried a scowl but barely managed. “You’re an ass. I don’t know why Eric didn’t warn me about that.”
“I’m sure he did. If anyone would know, it would be him,” said easily.
“Oh, fuck you,” Blake muttered, though there wasn’t any heat to his words.
chuckled. “If it makes you feel better, I am genuinely sorry I made you uncomfortable.”
“You didn’t do it on purpose,” Blake muttered, setting the ax safely to the side. “I was just being weird about it.”
“Then I’m glad we came to an understanding. The last thing I want is for something to come between us,” told him honestly.
Blake snorted. “Especially with everything we need to be doing.”
shrugged. “That too. Fact of the matter is, I enjoy your company, Blake, and it would bother me to have something standing between us.”
Blake looked up, searching his face, though for what, didn’t know. Whether he found what he was looking for or not, Blake gave him a small, remarkably shy smile and walked off.
watched him go, knowing he didn’t need to follow. What he didn’t know, however, was whether he’d been close to the mark about Blake. He had to remind himself that his own bias could easily get in the way of a proper assessment. Yes, Blake be more intrigued than he was willing to admit, or could just be seeing what he wanted to see.
And why would he want to see that?
chuckled, feeling his mind begin its first steps toward overthinking. Just as he had advised Eric in the past, turned away from the thoughts and focused on something he could do something about.
Like the wedding that was happening tomorrow.