Like Breathing

by Tia Fielding

  “Thanks.”

  “I’ll talk to your brother. He needs to understand that not everything is about him and that worrying about you is just fine, but….” Mom sighed.

  “He just hit a nerve. I get where he’s coming from, but he poked at something I wasn’t nearly ready to even think about, you know? It’s still new, and he’s already thinking it’ll all fall apart and someone will get hurt.”

  “Yeah, sounds like our Angel. He’s always been the more reactive of you two when it comes to family. We’ll talk to him.”

  “Thanks, Mom. So anyway, I’m at Seth and Leaf’s place this week, watching their dogs. They had to go to Texas today. Seth’s mom is having surgery, and there’s all sorts of problems in Seth’s relationship with his parents and… you know. Families.”

  Dad chuckled. “Yeah, families. What kind of dogs do they have?”

  His parents listened to his stories about the furry trio and laughed when he described Missy, and Mom cried when he told Missy’s story. They ended the call in good spirits, and Dev could feel his parents’ love for him—and for Angel—long after he’d put the phone away.

  BEING ALONE in the house seemed a bit weird, but only because he missed Seth and Leaf so much. He wouldn’t have thought it would feel like this, not so soon into the relationship. They were still very much in the beginning, but he felt like he’d known both other men for ages. They were like old friends. With benefits. And, Jesus, were there benefits…. Just thinking about what had happened on Thursday night blew his mind.

  He was also pretty sure there was something of a daddy kink forming in the back of his mind. Hearing Leaf call him “baby boy” had certainly done… things… to his libido in that moment. He knew Leaf had noticed it, too, but hadn’t pushed it. Dev hazarded a guess that it wasn’t a kink for Seth, or that Leaf wanted to talk about it first. Either way, Dev wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to explore it if one was given to him.

  He still wanted to get Seth alone, though. Their proper, control-freak professor needed things Dev could give him. He wanted to manhandle Seth a little, be rough with him, see how it would affect the easily flustered yet tightly wound man.

  The best thing was, this relationship wasn’t just about sexual things. Hell, sometimes he thought it wasn’t even half about that.

  There was something between the three of them that seemed to calm them all in different ways. At least that’s how it felt for Dev. He was settled and happy on some level he hadn’t known happiness could exist. Like Seth and Leaf had burrowed themselves into his marrow and lived there, spreading comfort with every beat of Dev’s heart.

  He was pretty sure it shouldn’t feel easy like it did, but somehow, he didn’t care. Couldn’t think of it too much either. He didn’t want to doubt any of this, no matter how much Angel seemed to.

  BY WEDNESDAY Dev was antsy. He’d gotten messages and a quick call from Seth, who had just wanted to hear his voice on Tuesday, while his mother was in surgery.

  The fact that it even occurred to Seth to call Dev felt good. The fact that he just wanted to hear Dev talk about what he and the dogs had been doing that day made it awesome.

  He was getting ready for bed on Wednesday and was just calling the dogs in from the backyard when his cell beeped in the kitchen.

  “Come on, kiddos. Time for bed,” he told the dogs, who trotted inside. Well, Missy and Husky trotted. Grace followed in her funny little gait that spoke of her age. Once the dogs were on the right side of the door, Dev closed it and went to check on his phone.

  A message from Leaf: Seth needs some TLC. They’re keeping his mom in the hospital one more night. I need to take him out of his head a little. Want to FaceTime with us while we’re in bed?

  Dev swallowed hard. He knew Leaf was suggesting phone sex, sort of. Video call sex, with Leaf and Seth together and Dev alone at the other end. Leaf thought Seth would want the connection to him while they were making love.

  Dev’s hands shook a bit—with nerves or arousal, he didn’t know which—when he replied. Just tell me when. Heading to bed now.

  He made sure the dogs were in their beds downstairs, turned off all the lights, and went to brush his teeth while he waited for the call. He was half hard, his boxer briefs rubbing against his cock as he climbed into bed and made sure there was enough light for the call. He was pretty sure Leaf and Seth would like to see him too.

  He’d had phone sex before. Even video call sex. There had been a guy in North Carolina he’d met online and tried to hold on to for a while last year. It hadn’t worked at all, but it had been something to take his mind off the fact that he was lonely.

  What he was about to take part in was incredibly different. This was long-distance lovemaking with his lovers.

  There was really no way to get a good angle for the video, and while Dev thought of that problem, something else occurred to him.

  He quickly texted Leaf. You said he needs to get out of his head, right? Can you let me do something that I think will help with that?

  It took few minutes for Leaf’s reply to come through. You know I can’t hurt him, right? You’re thinking about domming him, I assume?

  Yeah, I know, but it’s not about hurting. I just want to be part of it a bit more.

  Okay, I trust you. Five minutes. I’ll call you and prop the phone up but won’t tell him at first. Let it be a surprise.

  Dev grinned. He liked the idea. Seth didn’t do well with surprises, but for the sake of making him stop thinking about his mother’s situation…. Yeah, this could be so good.

  Dev arranged a little platform from the books on the nightstand on Seth’s side of the bed and made sure his phone would have a nice view of his body while he could still see the goings-on in the screen.

  The call came through and he swiped the screen, grinning at Leaf, who smirked at him silently, then put the phone at what seemed pretty much the same angle as Dev’s.

  It occurred to him that maybe this was something Seth and Leaf did when they were apart. His cock twitched at the thought.

  Dev could hear some muffled talking from the other end, then a door closing, and finally Seth climbed onto the bed, settled down, and got under the covers. He’d obviously taken a shower, as his hair looked a bit wet, as if he hadn’t had the energy to dry off properly. He appeared pale too, which Dev accounted to the stress. The tiredness was in Seth’s pores, it seemed, and it made Dev feel a pang of longing. He wanted to be in Texas, holding Seth through the night, with Leaf securing Seth from the other side.

  Leaf entered the view briefly, stripping off his shirt barely in the frame. He started to get into bed.

  “The light’s still on,” Seth murmured tiredly.

  “I know. Move a bit,” Leaf told him, glancing at the phone with a smile on his lips when his gaze met Dev’s through the camera.

  “What?”

  “We’re going to make you feel better, sweetheart,” Leaf said quietly.

  Seth seemed confused, until his gaze followed Leaf’s pointed look and he noticed the phone on what Dev thought must’ve been a bedside table.

  “Oh.” Seth’s surprise was obvious in his expression.

  “Hey, love,” Dev said. “Like Leaf said. You need to be able to sleep, so we’ll take care of you tonight, okay?”

  Seth had a distinct rabbit-in-the-headlights thing going on, but then he hesitantly smiled and nodded. “Hi, honey.”

  Leaf kissed Seth, then, and a little whine bubbled up from some deep within Dev. He wanted to be there with them, dammit!

  Instead, he watched them make out and get undressed in an unhurried but purposeful way. Seeing the trail of Leaf’s precome smearing Seth’s stomach made Dev moan out loud.

  The others looked at him, Seth with a flush and Leaf grinning.

  “Show us what you got?” Seth asked almost shyly.

  Dev smiled and tried not to feel too self-conscious. He finally pushed his underwear down his hips and tossed them away somewhere. Then he turned a l
ittle so they could see more of him. He wrapped his fingers around his cock and spread the precome that hadn’t soaked into his boxer briefs around in lieu of lube.

  “So, this is how it’s going to go,” he said, voice hitching a little when he twisted his wrist just so. “Leaf is going to finger you open and fuck you. But you don’t get to come until both of us have come first.”

  Dev could see Leaf’s profile, and he was smirking as he reached for a bottle of lube he’d stashed somewhere Dev couldn’t see it.

  “Okay.” Seth nodded, eyes fixed on the phone as Dev touched himself. “You look so good like that, Dev,” he breathed out the words, then moaned suddenly. Leaf’s hand did something between Seth’s thighs.

  “Stretch him good. He needs a good pounding more than anything.” Dev discovered his voice had gone a bit husky with arousal, and the sounds Seth was making certainly didn’t help.

  Seth writhed on Leaf’s fingers. Dev had to pull on his balls to hold his orgasm back. He hadn’t counted on being so uncontrollably turned on already.

  “Seth,” he said when Leaf moved between Seth’s thighs and pushed into him carefully.

  “Ungh,” Seth managed, but he turned his head to look at Dev.

  “Remember, you only get to come when I say so. I won’t be mad if you can’t hold off, but try. If you manage, I’ll reward you later.”

  “And we’re all about those rewards, aren’t we?” Leaf grunted, and Dev couldn’t help blushing. Yes, he remembered the previous reward well.

  “I’ll try,” Seth promised, the end of the sentence turning into a whine when Leaf moved in earnest.

  Dev jerked himself off leisurely, watching the screen as he pinched and rolled his nipples every now and then. They looked so hot together. It was obvious they were well acquainted with each other’s bodies, because every now and then Leaf would do something with the angle and Seth would make another delicious sound.

  “Seth, squeeze him a bit. It’s not right if you’re having all the fun,” Dev husked.

  Seth turned his head, and Dev could tell he understood by the cheeky smirk on his face.

  Suddenly Leaf let out a string of curses and his hips stuttered. “You two will be the death of me,” he said, then let out an almost whiney moan. Dev guessed Seth had tightened his hole again.

  Dev could see Seth’s cock glistening red and dripping with precome against his stomach every time Leaf moved just so. The sight made Dev fist his cock faster, unable not to with the slap of skin and other sounds they were making.

  “Getting close,” Leaf said after a while, and Seth moaned something that sounded like “Same.”

  “Me too,” Dev admitted. “You first, Leaf.”

  Leaf closed his eyes, and Seth reached up to twist Leaf’s nipples. Dev moaned, unable to stay quiet. Seth’s slightly unfocused gaze tried to stay on the phone screen, but then Leaf thrust into Seth a few more times and froze, obviously coming, with a long groan.

  Dev grabbed his balls again, trying to hold off his orgasm. They had Seth to play with still, after all.

  Leaf pulled out and moved to lie down next to Seth. He peered at the phone. “How are you doing there, Dev?”

  “Close. Start jerking him off,” Dev instructed, and Leaf did as he was told.

  Seth squirmed on the bed. His head turning every now and then to look at Dev and then back to get kisses from Leaf.

  “Not before me,” Dev grunted, and Seth whined loudly.

  Leaf chuckled and leaned down to take Seth’s cock into his mouth. The sound Seth let out was animalistic, and suddenly Dev’s orgasm bowled over him like an avalanche.

  He took a few seconds to soak in the afterglow, but the pleading sounds Seth was making caught his interest and he remembered he had task to do here. “Are you close, love?” he asked, and Seth shot him a look of pure desperation. “Not yet,” Dev said firmly, and something about his tone made Seth blink and concentrate on him harder.

  “He’s all sloppy and leaking my come,” Leaf said suddenly, having taken his mouth off Seth, and Dev could see his hand working between Seth’s thighs again. Dev groaned at the words, dirty and wonderful as they were. “Let me show what he does when you tap his sweet spot,” he said.

  Seth’s back bowed and his cock spurted precome on its own without any stimulation.

  “Mmm,” Dev hummed. “That’s not too bad. Still no coming, Seth. Let’s keep this going for a moment longer, eh?” He made his tone lazy, like there was no urgency at all in what they were doing.

  Seth lost it in all the right ways. He had trouble staying still, and constant whines rose from his throat as Leaf fingered him and jerked him off with his other hand.

  Dev was fascinated as Seth, who was normally so in control, turned into a flushed, sweaty being that kept begging—mostly wordlessly—for permission. Dev was pretty impressed that Seth was holding on still, but it was obviously becoming harder and harder, and he didn’t want Seth to fail.

  “Dev… please….” Seth moaned desperately.

  “Okay, love, you can come whenever you want.”

  As soon as he said it, Seth tensed as he came, spurting across his stomach and chest as he let out more animalistic sounds Dev was pretty sure he didn’t even know he was making.

  Dev couldn’t help but stare at the small screen. Damn, he wished it was a laptop instead.

  “Hey,” he said, making Leaf look up from where he was wiping Seth down with a discarded shirt. “I miss you. Think he can rest now?”

  Leaf nodded. “Thank you, Dev. Sometimes it’s scary how well you understand us.”

  “Yeah,” Seth murmured, turning his head and peering at the phone. “Thank you.” Then he chuckled tiredly and said, “I think I have a reward waiting for me when we get back.”

  “You certainly do,” Dev promised, grinning at them. “Night.”

  “Good night, Dev.”

  Leaf and Dev reached to end the call at the same time and grinned at each other. Dev thought a grinning Leaf wasn’t a bad last thing to see at the end of the night.

  Sighing, he went to clean the come off his skin, then went back to bed and curled up in the sheets that still held his lovers’ scent.

  Chapter Eleven

  SETH LISTENED to his parents and Leaf chat in the living room of his parents’ house, and smiled. Seth was making sure they were packed to leave in an hour.

  As much as he loved his parents, despite their differences, he could only think about how in five hours he’d be at home with Leaf and Dev and the dogs.

  It was Saturday, and his mother was at home, his dad had finally come home last night, and they were happily ensconced in their little bubble of eternal love.

  Sometimes it annoyed Seth how in love his parents were. He was happy for them, but he’d always felt like the least important member of the family ever since he was a child. Then again, now that he’d had Leaf for a decade and Dev for a while—it seemed like years, despite only having been weeks—he understood his parents better. When he was younger, he hadn’t gotten it, but now he did.

  The thought made him stop, because he realized that somewhere along the way, he’d fallen in love with Dev too.

  He left their bags in the guest room and glanced back to the doorway. He flushed red when the scene from Wednesday night came back to him once again. He’d been close to subspace, at least he thought so. He suspected it had been the stress, missing Dev, and just giving in to Leaf and Dev that had almost made it happen.

  He couldn’t keep the thought of the reward Dev had in mind for him from penetrating his mind. Not only was he slightly flushed, his cock was trying to take note of his thoughts. “I’m in my mother’s house, goddamn it…,” he murmured at himself as he made his way to the living room.

  “All packed?” his dad asked, smiling at Seth.

  His parents sat on the loveseat, his mother curled up to his dad’s side. She was sore but had good pain medication. Seth suspected she also had some quality weed for emergencies, but s
he’d never actually tell him that.

  “Yeah, just need to get to the airport,” Seth answered, going to sit next to Leaf on the bigger couch.

  Leaf noticed his light flush, and seemed amused. At least he knew Seth well enough at this point in their relationship that he didn’t tease him in any way.

  “So, who is this friend of yours who is watching the dogs?” his dad asked, raising a brow at them.

  “Yes, I don’t think I’ve heard the name Devin before,” Mother added, making Seth glance at Leaf, who squeezed his hand in answer to his silent question.

  “Uh… he’s actually the brother of one of my mentees. We met him sort of randomly and….” Seth licked his lips, glancing away from his parents. “And he’s become important to us. Leaf and I, both.”

  His dad blinked and said nothing, trying to decipher his meaning.

  His mother caught on faster. “Oh…,” she said. “In a… a romantic sense?”

  “Yes,” Leaf answered, noticing that Seth felt tongue-tied. “None of us expected it, but… he just feels right.”

  Dad looked at them both, his expression thoughtful. “Well, if nobody is getting hurt, I don’t see anything wrong with it.”

  “I agree. If you’re happy, then I’m happy for you.” Mother smiled at them, and Seth felt like a stone fell off his chest. He hadn’t thought he needed his parents’ approval, and maybe he didn’t, but it sure was good to have it.

  “We are,” Seth said quietly.

  Suddenly Leaf’s phone rang, and he got up to get it out of his pocket and went to answer it in the kitchen. From his tone alone and the little that he could hear, Seth could tell it was Dev. He also sensed the sudden tenseness and got to his feet immediately. His parents looked after him but said nothing.

  He went to find Leaf, listening to his end of the conversation as he stepped into the kitchen.

  “Yeah. The fastest way to warm it up is to put some body-temperature water into the sink and just dunk it in with the head above the water. Just make sure the water isn’t too warm, okay?”