dennis was dating robby. dennis was also dating jack. jack and robby were not dating each other. it was just a coincidence that they both liked dennis, and neither wanted their friend to be denied the chance at having him.
dennis spent his days off with jack, and he spent his quiet nights with robby. it was nice. one time, jack came over and watched the game when dennis was over at robby’s. they were still friends, after all.
when he was done cleaning up after dinner, he slotted into the space they’d left between them. he had an arm around his shoulder and a hand on his thigh. during the fourth quarter, he put his legs on robby’s lap and his head on jack’s chest. they were talking quietly over his slumped form, just shooting the shit.
he fell asleep with the thought of just how nice it was to watch them be together.
they asked him what he wanted for his birthday, he said dinner with the two of them. he didn’t even need to explain or beg, they were fine with that. it certainly wasn’t a hardship to have dinner with a friend.
when they went back to jack’s for cake because it was closer, robby realized there was a sticking point. who did dennis want to spend the night with? how would they navigate those feelings?
all three of them were in the kitchen, with dennis sitting at the island and his two boyfriends standing side-by-side in front of him. jack, who had been thinking about the predicament all night, softly asked dennis, “what else does the birthday boy want?”
dennis pushed out his bottom lip the way he knew robby liked. “i have an idea…but it’s kinda a lot.” he grabbed the bottom of jack’s shirt to play with. dennis made his eyes real big and looked up at robby.
robby fell for it all. “i’m sure we could work something out.” jack and robby were both willing to sleep on the couch while the other one had dennis in jack’s bedroom. maybe one of them could have tonight and the other one get the morning? they weren’t new to hand offs.
“i…” dennis trailed off in fake trepidation. they responded to a specific type of hesitation, usually. “would you guys kiss? it’s the only present i want.”