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Jamie wakes to sunlight, beautiful summer sunlight. He’s warm, a sheet pulled up to his hips and a strong arm around his waist. The man behind him is still breathing deeply, beard soft against the back of Jamie’s neck. He drifts in the still of the morning, taking the time to enjoy the calm before the day begins. Jamie’s happy, still a little sore from last night; it’s going to be a good day.
He turns over in the man’s embrace. The arm around his waist tightens, holding Jamie close. Then Jamie’s facing him, and he waits while the man slowly blinks his eyes open. He smiles sleepily down at Jamie, leans forward to kiss him softly.
“Morning,” Jamie whispers, the word catching the sunlight, shimmering a second before drifting away into the morning.
“G’morning, little brother,” Jordie says.
Jamie smiles and snuggles into Jordie’s chest. Jordie hugs him close, and Jamie loves him. An overlarge, warm hand glides down Jamie’s belly, and Jamie gasps a little when Jordie wraps his fingers around Jamie’s cock.
“You wanna?” Jordie murmurs against the top of Jamie’s head.
“Yes,” Jamie gasps immediately.
He makes an embarrassing little noise of surprise when Jordie gets his hands on Jamie’s hips and hauls him up to straddle Jordie’s hips. Jamie moans a little because he loves when Jordie manhandles him, and Jordie grins up at him before lowering Jamie, still loose and slick from the night before, onto his cock. Jamie gasps and leans forward to lay his hands on Jordie’s chest, getting used to the feeling of his brother inside him. Jordie runs his hands up and down Jamie’s arms.
“What’s this?” he asks suddenly, frowning a little.
“What’s what?” Jamie breathes and rolls his hips once.
“Did you get a new tat?” Jordie asks. “This wasn’t here last night, was it?”
“What are you talking about?” Jamie asks.
“This,” Jordie says, turning Jamie’s arm gently.
Jamie sits back and twists his arm around to look. brothers, it reads down his forearm.
“What the fuck?” he mutters. His stomach drops with realisation. He grabs Jordie’s arm. “You’ve got it, too.”
“Hm,” Jordie says thoughtfully, turning his own arm to look. “What, you think Tyler snuck one of his tattoo guys in and did this while we were sleeping?”
“There’s only one reason for a tattoo to just appear like this,” Jamie says. “These aren’t tattoos.”
“Of course not,” Jordie says. “They’re probably marker or something.” He licks his thumb and scrubs it over the letters. They don’t even smudge. “Sharpie, maybe?”
“No,” Jamie says. “These are permanent.”
Jordie stops and looks up at him. “You don’t think . . . ?”
Jamie can’t make himself say it. He suddenly feels sick to his stomach.
“Listen, we’ll deal with this later. We’ll go see an expert on this kind of thing,” Jordie says. “But . . . Later, yeah?” he says, rolling his hips up meaningfully.
Jamie’s about to protest, but the head of Jordie’s cock nudges at his prostate, and he can’t exactly argue with that since it puts him somewhere past incoherency.
“Yeah,” he manages, hips moving with Jordie’s.
They find their rhythm together, Jordie’s hands settling on Jamie’s strong thighs to feel the muscle there work as he fucks himself on Jordie’s cock. Jamie comes first with an embarrassingly breathy moan that would be mockable if Jordie’s own voice didn’t go a little high and broken when he comes a minute later. They stay like that for a moment, catching their breath.
“It’s going to be okay, y’know?” Jordie says, hand slipping over the word on Jamie’s arm.
Jamie nods. “I know.” He leans down to kiss Jordie swiftly before rising up off of Jordie and rolling off the bed, heading towards the en suite to shower and start the day.
*********
When Jordie wanders into the living room a while later, Jamie’s on the couch with Tyler. He’s got on a long-sleeved shirt even though it’s summer in Dallas, but his hand keeps rubbing over the hidden mark on his arm, like he doesn’t realise he’s doing it. Jordie wonders if he should have put on a long-sleeved shirt, too. Then he takes a second look at the scene. Neither boy is laughing like they usually would be. They’re both tense. Something’s off. Jamie’s acting strangely, and Tyler is picking up on it.
Jordie goes back to his room and grabs his jacket, draping it over his arm. Then he comes back to the living room.
“Jamie, are you ready to go?” he says.
“Yeah,” Jamie says, not looking up as he stands.
“Where are you going?” Tyler asks.
“To get tattoos,” Jordie says, thinking fast.
“Can I go?” Tyler asks, lighting up like he always does when someone starts talking about tattoos.
“Nope,” Jordie says. “It’s going to be a surprise.”
Jamie looks up at him gratefully.
“Sweet,” Tyler says. “You better come show me when you get back.”
“Yeah,” Jordie says slowly. Tyler’s going to be able to tell, but he’ll deal with that when it comes time.
“Have fun,” Tyler grins and leaves.
Jordie turns to Jamie who is still studying the carpet. “Ready to go?”
Jamie sighs and leads the way out of the apartment. Jordie drives to a tattoo shop first, because the artists can always tell the difference between real tattoos and soulbond tattoos. The guy they talk to confirms that they are most likely soulbond tattoos, and when Jamie puts his hands over his face, he quickly explains the platonic bond tattoos that he’s seen. This, of course, does nothing to soothe Jamie.
After that, they go to a bond counselor. They wait in the lobby, and when they’re called back, Jordie takes Jamie’s hand and doesn’t let go when they sit down in the counselor’s office.
“We’re protected by doctor-patient confidentiality here, right?” Jordie asks anxiously.
“Of course, Mr. Benn,” the doctor says. He leans forward. “What can I help you with today?”
“We, uh . . . ,” Jordie glances at Jamie who is staring at the edge of the desk. “What can you tell us about these?” he asks, showing the counselor the mark on his arm. “He has one just like it,” he adds, nodding towards Jamie. Jamie reluctantly rolls his sleeve up.
The counselor leans forward to look at the tattoos. “Well, they certainly appear to be bond marks. Let me see here.” He leans back to rummage through his desk drawers. He pulls out some sort of magnifier and a vile of something clear.
“May I?” he asks, and Jordie leans forward, laying his arm on the desk. The counselor takes a dropper from the vile and squeezes a few drops onto the s of the mark. Then he raises the magnifier to his eye and studies it.
“Yes, this is definitely a bond mark,” he says. He leans up and looks at Jamie. “May I take a look at yours as well?”
Jamie doesn’t look up but rolls up his sleeve and lays his arm across the table. The counselor repeats the routine and concludes, “And this is its partner.” He leans back again. “You see, when two people bond, it usually manifests in identical marks, though sometimes the marks differ, but there is one way to tell definitively if two marks are a matched pair. A regular tattoo is made up of hundreds of tiny dots of ink, bunched so closely that you cannot tell they’re separate. These dots are often circular, sometimes with uneven edges. But with bond tattoos, the dots making up the mark have a different shape, and if these marks match, then they are a pair.”
“What shape are ours?” Jamie asks quietly, speaking for the first time since they left the apartment.
“The dots usually take on a shape that is important to both bondmates,” the counselor says. “Yours are tiny stars, a little crooked, with what appears to be some sort of crossed boomerangs. Does that make sense to you?”
“Hockey sticks,” Jordie says. “We play for the Dallas Stars.”
“Jordie!” Jamie exclaims.
“We have confidentiality, Jamie. It’s fine,” Jordie says. He turns back to the counselor. “What can we do about these?”
“There are different kinds of bonds,” the counselor explains. “There are platonic bonds that sometimes form between close friends. Family bonds have been known to appear, for instance between brothers. And then of course, there are the most common kind.”
Jordie and Jamie share a look.
“There’s not much to be done about bonds,” the counselor continues. “There’s no way to get rid of them, but you can lead mostly normal lives with them.”
Jamie lets his breath out slowly.
“But there are sometimes . . . Complications,” the counselor says.
Jordie seizes Jamie’s hand again, holding tight. “What kind of complications?”
“They’re very rare, but occasionally, if one bondmate in the third type of bond tries to be intimate with someone besides their bondmate, anyone involved could be hurt,” the counselor says.
“Anyone involved?” Jordie repeats.
“The third party or either bondmate,” the counselor clarifies.
“Hurt how?” Jamie asks. Jordie looks over at him, but Jamie is staring at the counselor.
“It’s been described by those affected as a burning at the site of the bond.”
“So there’s nothing to be done about these,” Jamie says.
“I’m afraid not,” the counselor says. He frowns. “People are generally happy with their bonds.”
“I think we’re done here,” Jamie says, finally turning to Jordie. His expression is unreadable. “Are you ready to go?”
“I . . . guess so,” Jordie says. They all stand and Jordie shakes hands with the counselor while Jamie hovers near the door. “Thank you for your help.”
“Of course,” the counselor says. He hands Jordie a business card. “If you have any questions, you can e-mail or call or come back in anytime. I’m happy to help.”
Jordie thanks him again before taking Jamie’s arm and leading him out to the parking lot.
“What the hell was that?” Jordie asks as he pulls out onto the road.
Jamie just stares out the window, slumped in his seat with his arms crossed and his hat pulled down low.
“Jamie, talk to me,” Jordie says softly. “What’s wrong? You seem pretty upset that we’re bonded.”
Jamie still won’t say anything.
“I don’t see what the problem is. You haven’t slept with anyone else in years.”
Jordie sees Jamie flinch out of the corner of his eye, and when he looks over, Jamie is staring at his hands clenched in fists on his knees.
“That’s it, isn’t it? You want to sleep with someone else,” Jordie says.
“No,” Jamie says quietly, closing his eyes and shaking his head.
“You want to sleep with Tyler.”
“No!” Jamie insists, too loud in the small space.
Jordie leans over to lay a hand on Jamie’s thigh. “It’s okay if you do,” he says quietly. “I don’t care, little brother.”
Jamie shakes his head again, breathing shallow.
“This bond kind of complicates things, but we’ll figure it out, okay?”
Jamie blows his breath out and nods. He looks over at Jordie and smiles, small and uncertain. Jordie looks up to stop at the red light, then reaches over and cups the back of Jamie’s head, pulling him close and dropping a kiss on his forehead. Jamie smiles up at him then like he always has, like he looks up to Jordie.
“I love you, little brother,” Jordie says, turning back to the road. “Never forget that.”
“I won’t,” Jamie says. “I love you, too, and nothing’s going to change that.”
*********
When the elevator doors open on their floor, they see Tyler running up and down the hall with Marshall. He grins when they approach, and Jordie can certainly see the appeal. Of course he’s got a body like a god, but he’s also freaking cute. He’s flushed, breathing a little rough, and he’s grinning that grin that no one can resist. And he loves his dog, which is worth too many bonus points to count.
“Hey,” he says. “How’d it go?”
“Not done yet,” Jordie says. “We have to go get them finished tomorrow.”
Tyler groans. “Show me what you got so far.”
“No,” Jordie says.
“Give me a hint?”
“Nope.”
“You suck,” Tyler says, mock-pouting, but he can’t stop smiling.
Jordie rolls his eyes. “Fine, I’ll tell you. Jamie’s getting your name right here,” he says and grabs a handful of Jamie’s ass.
Jamie yelps and runs, disappearing into their apartment.
“He’s still sore,” Jordie says.
“You’re kidding,” Tyler says, but it’s almost a question. “He’s not getting a tattoo on his butt . . . . Is he?”
“You’ll have to wait and see,” Jordie says and follows Jamie into the apartment.
*********
Tyler shows up at their apartment early the next morning. Jamie and Jordie are still in bed, and Jordie wants to ignore him and wait for him to go away, but Tyler doesn’t, and Jamie finally gets up, throws on a long-sleeved shirt, and goes to let Tyler in. Jordie hears them talking in the living room, and finally gives in. He pulls on a compression sleeve and ambles out of the bedroom. Tyler is on the couch, hanging over the back to talk to Jamie who is moving around the kitchen, putting on coffee.
“I’m coming with you today,” Tyler says to Jordie. “I won’t look at what you guys are getting done, but I’m going to get some touch-ups done.”
Jordie looks up, and Jamie is staring at him with wide eyes.
“Jamie, why don’t you sit down? I’ll make coffee and breakfast,” Jordie says.
They meet at the counter, and Jordie leans in to murmur, “Do you want to tell him?”
Jamie looks down and shrugs.
“Okay,” Jordie says, hugging his brother briefly.
“I’m on to you, Seguin,” he says, walking into the kitchen. “You’re trying to sneak peeks.”
“No, really,” Tyler insists. “I’m getting my own work done, I swear.”
“What are you getting, anyway?” Jordie asks.
“Oh,” Tyler says. He gets quiet. “Just some, uh . . . Maybe a cover-up.”
“No!” Jamie protests beside him. “I love your tattoos. Which one are you getting covered up?”
“It’s nothing. Just some highlighting,” Tyler says.
“Where?” Jamie asks.
“I . . . ,” Tyler looks over at Jordie, and there’s something familiar in his eyes. Something Jordie’s seen before . . . Recently. “Y’know, I think I hear Marshall barking.”
And he bolts.
Jamie turns to Jordie, with a frown. “That didn’t even make sense.”
“No, it didn’t,” Jordie says, frowning. Why would Tyler run like that? His thoughts are interrupted by Jamie walking over and pressing himself all along his back. Jordie turns and gets his hands around Jamie’s thighs, lifting him and setting him on the centre island. Jordie blows him there, and then Jamie pushes him up against the opposite counter, drops to his knees and returns the favour. Jordie burns the bacon, but he and Jamie both like it crispy, so it’s worth it.
*********
They don’t see Tyler for the rest of the day and then the rest of the week, and then they find out Tyler’s moving out. They go to help Tyler move his stuff, and even though it’s nine hundred and fifty-twelve degrees out, he’s got sweatbands on both wrists. He says it’s so the boxes don’t dig into him, but Jordie’s not buying it. Jamie asks him why he’s moving, and Tyler mumbles something about having a yard for Marshall. Jamie’s trying to talk to him like usual, but Tyler won’t look at either of them. There’s something off.
Shortly after Tyler moves out, Jamie follows, managing to find a house a mere three blocks away. Jordie stays at the apartment, and it’s weird, not living with Jamie anymore. The apartment’s quiet, and Jordie misses him even though they still spend most days together. Jordie’s over with Jamie when they get the matching texts from Tyler, a picture of him with Marshall and his new dog. He’s in only a pair of shorts. And then Jordie has to listen to Jamie freak for about fifteen minutes about who is taking the fucking picture?. Then he curls a hand around Jamie’s arm, right over the mark, holds him down, and jacks him off slow, then jerks off over him.
“Tomorrow, we’re going to go see the new dog, and you’re not going to ask, okay?” Jordie says, still gripping Jamie’s arm.
“Okay,” Jamie nods.
*********
The next day, they go meet Cash. Jordie mocks Tyler for the name while Jamie stares at him wrestling with the new dog in the floor. He’s not wearing much more than he was in the picture, and yeah, he looks good, and he seems to be acting normal again . . . Except for the wristbands.
The weeks go by like this; things are almost normal, but there’s a tenseness between the three of them. By the time informal practices begin, Jamie and Jordie can logically say that their soulbond marks are actual tattoos, so they don’t bother with sleeves anymore. Training camp wears them all out so they don’t have energy to do much, preseason flies by, and then they have some time off, and Tyler hosts the beginning-of-season barbeque. Jordie means to talk to him, but it seems like Tyler’s avoiding him and Jamie, and every time Jordie finds him there’s always three or four other guys in the room.
And then the season starts. They drop the first two games, and then Tyler scores a hat trick against the Blue Jackets and Jamie assists on each goal and nets one of his own, earning them their first win of the season. They go out after the game and get absolutely shitfaced. Jamie orders Tyler three shots, one for each goal, that he does in quick succession, and then Tyler orders Jamie four shots, one for each point. Jordie makes him do a shot of water in between each one, which doesn’t make any sense, but Jamie does them anyway.
They’re at a table in the back, Jamie and Tyler sitting close on one side of the booth, Jordie sitting across from them. Tyler cheers when Jamie does his last shot, and time goes a little blurry then. Jordie can only watch as Tyler cups Jamie’s cheek, turning him to face him, and leans in to kiss him. Jordie sees Jamie gasp and sees Tyler’s tongue slip into Jamie’s mouth, and it’s fucking hot.
Jordie . . . His wrists are burning. He looks down, and the thin skin over his wrists is a little pink. He rubs his hands over them. When he looks up, Jamie is pulling away from Tyler like he’s been burned, and Tyler’s looking down and rubbing his arm. Tyler mumbles something and bolts.
“I think I’m going to be sick,” Jamie says.
Jordie manages to get him to the bathroom before he throws up, but just barely. He sits on the floor beside Jamie. “I think we need to go see that counselor again.”
Jamie just groans and spits.
*********
They’re back in Dallas a few days later, and after practice, Jordie and Jamie go back to the soulbond counselor.
“Brothers Benn,” the counselor greets. “You’ve returned. Have you been experiencing complications?”
“Something like that,” Jordie says, glancing at Jamie. “A few days ago . . . Um, something happened like what you told us about last time.”
“Could you be more specific?” the counselor asks.
“With the . . . Burning?” Jordie says.
“Oh, that. Yes. What happened?”
“Well, uh . . . ,” Jordie looks at Jamie again. “He, uh . . . And I felt it, but not . . . On my mark.”
“What do you mean?”
“Just tell him, Jordie,” Jamie says. Jordie looks at him, and Jamie shrugs and says, “Confidentiality.”
Jordie turns back to the counselor with a sigh. “He kissed someone, and I . . . I felt my wrists burning,” he says. “And the mark is on my arm.”
“That’s . . . unexpected, but not entirely unheard of,” the counselor says, brow furrowing. “It could be that . . .”
“That what?” Jamie demands, sounding a little desperate.
“That what?” Jordie repeats, quieter.
“That your bond isn’t . . . complete,” the counselor says.
“What does that mean?” Jamie says tightly.
“Well, it’s uncommon, but sometimes a bond includes more than two people,” the counselor says. “That may have been from the other person.”
Jordie stares at the counselor, and Jamie makes a weird strangled noise and grabs Jordie’s hand, squeezing tight.
“Another person?” Jordie repeats.
“Yes,” the counselor nods.
“But we don’t have any other marks,” Jamie says.
“Bond marks can come in at any time,” the counselor explains.
“Thank you,” Jordie says quickly. “I think we need to go home and talk about this.”
With that, he hauls Jamie out of the room and to the parking lot. He drives them back to the apartment, gets each of them a beer, and they settle on the couch.
“It’s Tyler,” Jordie says, breaking the silence that’s reigned since they left the counselor’s office.
“It’s not Tyler,” Jamie says sullenly, not looking up.
“It is,” Jordie insists. “Jamie, listen to me. After he kissed you, he was rubbing his arm. Where our marks are. And this summer he was always wearing those tacky wristbands, and I felt my wrists burning. Jamie, it’s him.”
“It’s not Tyler,” Jamie snaps, finally looking up at Jordie, his eyes burning.
“Why not?” Jordie asks quietly.
“Because it doesn’t work that way,” Jamie mumbles.
“What doesn’t work that way, Jamie?” Jordie asks carefully, trying not to set his brother off.
“Everything. It’s not him just because I’m attracted to him. You’re just seeing that because you know I . . . ,” he trails off. “Whatever.”
Jordie hesitates. “Or,” he says. “You’re attracted to him in the first place because he’s our bondmate.”
“No, Jordie--”
“Why don’t we just ask him?” Jordie interrupts.
“No,” Jamie says immediately, looking like he’s about to freak out.
“Okay, okay,” Jordie relents, holding up his hands. “We won’t ask him, okay?”
“Okay,” Jamie says quietly. “You’re not going to go ask him behind my back, are you?”
“Of course not, little brother,” Jordie says, reaching out to pull Jamie against him. Jamie goes easily, curling into Jordie’s side.
*********
Jordie wakes in the middle of the night to Jamie shaking him, saying, “Jordie. Jordie, wake up.”
“Wha?” Jordie mutters, sitting up. “Wha’s wrong?”
“My wrists, Jordie,” Jamie says. “They’re burning. It hurts, Jordie.”
Jordie remembers a time when they were kids, riding their bikes through the neighborhood. Jamie had fallen pretty badly and scraped both knees and the heels of his hands. Their parent had been out of town at the time, and it was Jordie’s job to look after his little brother. So he’d put Jamie on the handlebars of his own bike and taken him home, cleaned him up the best he could, murmuring soothing words he’d heard their mother say before while Jamie had whimpered, “It hurts, Jordie,” over and over. Jordie had patched him up and placed a kiss over each band-aid. Jamie had hugged him so tight he couldn’t breathe.
Now, he has to make his brother stop hurting again.
“C’mon, Jamie,” Jordie says. He wraps a hand around Jamie’s arm, over his brothers mark, and leads him into the kitchen. He gets Jamie to sit on the counter while he pulls a couple ice packs out of the freezer. He lays one over each of Jamie’s wrists and holds them there.
“How’s that?” he asks.
“Better,” Jamie murmurs.
Jordie’s own wrists are warm, he notices. They stay like that for long enough that Jordie starts to drift off again, leaning into Jamie’s chest before jerking upright again. Finally, just as suddenly as it had started, it stops. Jamie jostles Jordie a little to get him to wake up and says, “It’s over, Jordie.”
“Hm,” Jordie says, still mostly asleep, and pulls the ice packs away, carrying them back to the freezer before coming to stand between Jamie’s knees again. “You okay now?”
“Yeah,” Jamie says.
Without really thinking, Jordie takes Jamie’s hands in his own and brings them up to kiss first one wrist and then the other.
“Thank you,” Jamie says, voice coming out a whisper.
“No problem, little brother,” Jordie mumbles, leaning up to press a kiss to Jamie’s mouth. “You know I’m always here for you.”
“I know,” Jamie nods, pulling him close. His next words are mumbled, so Jordie doesn’t catch them.
“What was that?” he asks, leaning back to look at Jamie. His eyes are shining in the moonlight.
“I don’t want to share you,” Jamie whispers, and he pulls Jordie in again, kisses him a little desperately.
“I know,” Jordie says between kisses. “I know, little brother.”
He lets Jamie cling to him and kiss him for a while, but fuck, he’s tired. He pulls back to lean into Jamie’s chest and looks out the window. The very edge of the sky is starting to grow pink. He leans back to look at Jamie again.
“Let’s go back to bed, eh?”
Jamie nods and lets Jordie lead him back to the bedroom. Under the covers, Jordie pulls Jamie against him, wrapping his arm tight around him, keeping him safe, just like he always has.
“We’ll get through this, okay?” he murmurs against Jamie’s temple.
Jamie nods, and Jordie figures he’s probably already asleep again. Jordie doesn’t go back to sleep, opting instead to stay awake and hang on to Jamie, keep him close. He loves his little brother and will do anything to protect him. Whatever that means, he’ll do it. For Jamie.
*********
From there, things go straight to hell. They struggle out a couple of wins in October, but then go on a losing streak of epic proportions. The top line gets split up, and Jamie and Tyler can’t play without each other. Jordie has to listen to Jamie every evening talk about how he loves all his teammates, but nobody feels right on his line. No one else is Tyler.
Their fourth game in November is at home against the Sharks. They’ve lost six in a row and really need a win. In the first, Tyler nets two goals, one of which Jamie gets the assist on. He finishes up his hat trick in the second with a power play goal and they take a three to one lead into the third. And then it all falls apart. The Sharks get four past them, and they lose five to three.
Jamie stays with Jordie again that night, and Jordie watches him pace back and forth across the living room, ranting about how they need to step it up, and he’s captain; he should be able to do something, but he can’t play without Tyler, and on and on.
It happens again that night. This time, the burning in his wrists wakes Jordie, too. It fucking hurts, like the very skin is angry at them, or . . . Like their bondmate is angry. Jordie gets them a pair of ice packs that they hold between their wrists, and when that doesn’t completely ease the burn, they hold their hands together in the kitchen sink, the water running frigid until they’re both shivering, but Jordie notices a fine sheen of sweat winking in the moonlight coating Jamie’s arms.
Finally, the fever breaks, and they crumple to lay in the floor together.
“What the fuck was that?” Jamie asks, sounding a little scared.
Jordie wants to reassure him, but . . . . “I don’t know,” he says. “I think we need to go see that bond counselor again, because this is getting weird.”
When they get back to the bedroom, Jamie is still shivering, so Jordie cuddles him close under the covers and kisses him, rubbing the blanket over Jamie to warm him up. One thing leads to another, and when Jordie pushes inside of Jamie, instead of the usual sigh of ecstasy, a cry of pain rips from Jamie’s throat.
“Jamie, Jamie, what’s wrong?” Jordie says quickly.
“My wrist again,” Jamie grits out, clutching his arm to his chest.
Jordie frowns. “Let me see,” he says, gently tugging Jamie’s arm.
Jamie lets Jordie look at his arm, and Jordie’s eyes go wide at what he sees, mouth dropping open as he watches the word teammates burn its way across Jamie’s wrist.
“Jamie,” Jordie gasps.
“What is it?” Jamie asks.
Jordie looks up to see Jamie with his eyes screwed shut at the pain. “Look.”
Jamie slowly opens his eyes, a furrow of pain sticking between his brows, and he looks down at the new mark. “Is that . . . ?”
“Our bondmate’s mark,” Jordie says.
They both look down to Jordie’s wrists, but they stay blank.
“What does that mean?” Jamie asks.
“It means we’re definitely going to the counselor again tomorrow,” Jordie says.
*********
“What seems to be the problem this time?” the counselor asks with a kind smile.
“Show him, Jamie,” Jordie says.
Jamie rolls his sleeve up and lays his arm on the desk for the counselor to see. The mark is still a little red around the letters, still a little angry.
“Ah,” the counselor says. “Do you mind if I examine it?”
Jamie shakes his head, and the counselor pulls the magnifier and solution from his desk again, repeating the process of dripping a few drops of the solution and then examining it with the magnifier.
“Yes,” he says after a moment. “This is made up of the same kind of marks as the others.” He turns to Jordie. “Do you have one as well?”
Jordie shakes his head, dropping his eyes to the edge of the desk.
“Oh,” the counselor says. “I’m sorry.”
“What does it mean?” Jamie asks.
The counselor sighs. “It could mean any number of things. It could mean that Jamie has two different, separate bondmates, while Jordie is only bonded to him.”
Jamie looks horrified.
“Or,” the counselor rushes to continue. “It could just mean that Jordie hasn’t been intimate with the other bondmate, yet.”
“Is there any way to figure out who it is?” Jordie says tightly. Jamie can tell he’s angry and trying to hide it.
“Finding a matching mark is the easiest way. Or if the person reacts to a burn.”
“These things have been waking us up in the middle of the night,” Jamie says. “Is there anything to be done about that?”
“I’m afraid not,” the counselor says. “Short of finding your bondmate. There are experimental suppressants, but they’re still being developed, and from my research, none have been showing any kind of promise.”
“Thank you, sir. I think we’re done here,” Jordie says.
“I’m sorry this is causing you so much trouble,” the counselor says. “You can come to talk to me any time, and I will do the best I can to help.”
“Yeah, thanks,” Jordie says and storms out of the room, leaving Jamie nearly running to keep up with him.
“Jordie, wait, please--,” Jamie pleads.
“Not out here,” Jordie says. “Get in the damn truck.”
They get in, and Jordie squawks the tires pulling out onto the road.
“Jordie--”
“I don’t want to hear it, Jamie,” Jordie snaps.
“Jordie, please--”
“Shut up, Jamie.” A wave of guilt crashes through Jordie. He hasn’t told Jamie to shut up in years. The last time he did, Jamie didn’t talk to him for three days. He revels in the guilt, because at least it covers up the hurt.
“Jordie . . . ,” Jamie says, like he’s the one that’s been hurt.
“What?” Jordie snaps. “We go in there, and that fucking stranger tells me that what’s happening to us is a result of either me not being enough for you or you cheating on me, and you want me to feel bad for you?”
“Jordie, it’s not like that,” Jamie says, voice tiny.
“Then what’s it like, Jamie?” Jordie demands.
“I love you,” Jamie whispers.
Jordie snorts. “Obviously.”
“I do,” Jamie insists.
“You know how you said you didn’t want to share me? Well, I don’t want to share you either. But it looks like I’m either going to have to or already have been.” He pulls up outside of Jamie’s house. “Get out.”
“Jordie--”
“Jamie, just get the fuck out. I don’t want to fucking talk to you right now,” Jordie says, gripping the steering wheel too tight and staring straight ahead. Finally, Jamie gets out and slams the door hard enough to rock the truck. Jordie counts to ten and when he looks up, Jamie’s gone.
He goes back to his apartment and gets plastered.
*********
They scrape out a couple wins after that, and then a handful of losses. Jordie and Jamie still aren’t speaking when Brenden gets traded. Since the fight, Jordie had been spending a lot of time with Brenden. The night before Brenden’s supposed to leave, he comes over to Jordie’s apartment, and they get shitfaced together. Jordie’s not sure how it happens, but one minute they’re reminiscing, and the next Brenden has his tongue in Jordie’s mouth. Jordie’s certainly not unhappy about this turn of events, so he kisses back.
And then his arm starts to burn. He figures that’s Jamie, and he ignores it. But then his wrist starts to burn, too. It isn’t enough to make him stop, but he makes a mental note to call the bond counselor about it tomorrow. He lets Brenden continue to kiss him, lets him eventually lead him to the bedroom, lets Brenden fuck him.
After, when Jordie’s still starfished on the bed, Brenden comes out of the en suite still dripping from his shower, and when he leans over to pick up his boxers from the floor, his eyes catch on Jordie’s wrist.
“Dude, what happened to your arm?” he asks.
“Hm?” Jordie grunts and lifts his arm. The thin skin over his wrist is stained a bright pink, almost red. “It’s nothing,” he says, rubbing his other hand over it, like he can brush the blush away.
“I wasn’t that rough on you, was I?” Brenden asks.
“No, you were great,” Jordie says, smiling up at him.
“Goof,” Brenden teases and leans down to kiss him quickly.
There’s a knock on the door, and Jordie groans. “Ignore it, maybe they’ll go away,” he says, pulling Brenden back down on top of him.
A few minutes later, the person knocks again.
“I’ll get it,” Brenden says, standing and pulling on his shorts and picking up his t-shirt. “You should probably get dressed.”
Jordie groans again, but levers himself off the bed and pulls on his boxers and shorts. He ambles into the living room, and Brenden’s standing at the front door talking to Jamie.
“What are you doing here?” Jamie asks.
“One last hurrah,” Brenden says. He turns when he hears Jordie enter the room. “I’ll just . . . Get out your hair,” he says and starts out the door.
“Come back anytime,” Jordie calls after him, something in his gut twisting when he remembers that Brenden won’t be able to come over any time.
“You had sex with him,” Jamie says bluntly, staring at Jordie.
“Jesus,” Jordie hisses, reaching out to pull Jamie into the apartment. “Watch your mouth.”
“You had sex with him,” Jamie repeats.
“Yeah, I did. What’s it to you?” Jordie says, retreating into his apartment.
Jamie follows. “I felt it,” he says.
“What?” Jordie says, rounding on him.
“My arm was burning,” Jamie says, making an aborted move to raise his arm to show Jordie the mark in question. It’s a little pink around the edges.
“So?” Jordie says.
Jamie shrugs. He takes a deep breath and seems to deflate, curling in on himself where he stands. “It’s just that . . . I miss you, and--” He cuts off abruptly, eyes widening where they’re stuck on Jordie’s wrist. He snatches Jordie’s hand before Jordie can pull away and rubs cool fingertips over the warm skin. “This isn’t from him tying you up, is it?” he asks.
“No,” Jordie says.
“So you’re bonded with the other guy, too,” Jamie says evenly.
“Maybe,” Jordie says, taking his hand back and turning away.
“Jordie, stop being stupid,” Jamie pleads. “We’re supposed to be in this together, remember?”
Jordie turns and catches Jamie’s marked wrist, holding it up between them like a wall. “Yeah, but then you went and cheated on me.”
“I never cheated on you,” Jamie insists.
“Then what other explanation is there, Jamie?” Jordie demands.
“I don’t know, but I do know that I never cheated on you,” Jamie says softly. “Please, you have to believe me.”
Jordie looks back at the clear brown eyes turned pleadingly on him. There’s nothing but truth and love in them. He sighs. “I believe you,” he says, because he does.
“Jordie,” Jamie says, like a prayer, and then leans up to kiss him. And everything that’s passed between them in the last few weeks melts away, leaving only the two of them, and their love. Jordie leads him backwards, towards the bedroom, gets Jamie naked on his back in the middle of their bed, the one he shared with Brenden. And suddenly he feels stupid for doing that, and becomes determined to fuck Jamie back into the memory of the sheets.
They go slow, Jamie’s strong legs wrapping around Jordie’s hips and holding him in deep for long minutes while he kisses him, making up for lost time. After, when Jordie’s holding Jamie close, he wonders how he’s gone this long without him, because Jamie . . . Jamie is his in a way no one else will ever be. He’s Jordie’s little brother, and Jordie loves him. They shared a childhood, and now they bear each other’s marks, the ones that say they’ll spend the rest of their lives together . . . And that’s pretty fucking special.
Jamie pokes his cheek. “You’re getting all poetic in your head again, aren’t you?”
“No,” Jordie lies, and leans down to kiss away the giggle bubbling out of Jamie.
*********
While Jamie sleeps, Jordie calls the bond counselor.
“This is Jordie. Um, Benn,” Jordie says when the counselor answers.
“Ah, yes. My frequent customer. What can I do for you today?”
“Well, last time we came in, Jamie had that new mark,” Jordie says.
“The one on his wrist,” the counselor supplies.
“Yes, that one,” Jordie says. “Well, I don’t have a mark, but my wrist still burns when . . . Well.”
“I see,” says the counselor. “Well, that could mean that your mark hasn’t come in yet.”
“And why would that be?”
“It could just be taking its time; these marks follow no schedule. Or it could mean that you just haven’t come into intimate contact with your other bondmate yet.”
“What constitutes intimate contact?” Jordie asks.
“It can be as simple as a kiss,” the counselor says.
“Okay,” Jordie says slowly, thinking. “I think that’s all. Thank you again for all your help.”
“I hope everything works out for you and Jamie,” the counselor says. “And remember, if you have any more questions, I’m always available.”
“Right,” Jordie says. “Thank you.”
He hangs up, settling the phone back in its cradle and goes back to Jamie, slipping into bed beside him and spooning up against his back.
*********
They get a couple wins on the home stand, but then take another losing streak into December. Jamie and Tyler finally get put back on the same line for good, and they take a few good wins in a row on their trip through Canada. And then they get shut out at home by the fucking Maple Leafs just before the Christmas break.
Jamie and Jordie sleep in on Christmas morning. Jordie kisses Jamie awake and is about to take it further when there’s a knock on the door. Jordie leaves Jamie to finish waking up, pulling a shirt on and going to answer the door.
It’s Tyler. Two dogs at his heels and two boxes in his hands, a grin on his face.
“Joyeux Noël!” he says.
“No one here speaks French, dipshit,” Jordie says, but lets him and his beasts in anyway.
They settle in the living room, and Jamie stumbles out of the bedroom a few minutes later, staggering into the living room before collapsing again on Jordie. Jordie situates him so he’s sitting more comfortably, and Jamie dozes against his chest. Jordie and Tyler talk quietly, and Jordie doesn’t think he’s imagining every time he catches Tyler staring at Jamie, at Jamie and Jordie together. Or the way he keeps rubbing at his wrists, covered by his long sleeves.
Jamie finally wakes up, and they all exchange gifts, silly little stupid things mostly. Jamie even brings out a bone each for Marshall and Cash, wrapped in bright red bows. While the dogs gnaw happily on their treats, the boys settle in to watch Christmas movies. Jamie stays curled against Jordie, and Jordie definitely isn’t imagining the way Tyler keeps looking at them. Finally, Jordie pushes Jamie off him gently, murmuring something about starting on Christmas dinner, and nudges him towards Tyler. Jamie goes easily, letting Tyler lean into him, and Jordie sees Tyler flick a glance his way before he retreats into the kitchen.
When Jordie comes back, Jamie and Tyler are asleep, spooned together on the couch, Cash laying in the comma curve of space in front of Tyler and Marshall snoring in the floor in front of them. Jamie’s arm is around Tyler, hand resting on Cash’s back. Tyler’s is clutching Jamie’s wrist.
It would be so easy to look.
Though he knows Tyler sleeps like a log, he tiptoes over to stand in front of them, stance wide over Marshall. Carefully, carefully, he pushes the sleeve of Tyler’s shirt back to see the skin of Tyler’s wrist, and sure enough, there is the word teammates, a faint pink glow pulsating around the word in time with the beat of Jordie’s own heart. He feels his own wrist become a little warm, but it’s the opposite wrist. He dares to hope and holds his breath as he carefully eases back the other sleeve of Tyler’s shirt.
And that’s when Marshall decides to wake up and greet Jordie. Jordie jumps and nearly falls on top of the two on the couch. He catches himself with his hands on the back of it, and that wakes Jamie up. Jamie blinks at him, and Jordie puts a finger to his lips, pointing at Tyler, thankfully still asleep. He reaches down again to tug at the other sleeve, and there, the skin is a faint pink, the outline of the word barely visible. teammates. Jamie’s peering over Tyler’s shoulder to see, too, and his eyes go wide. Jordie smiles at him, ruffles his hair, and gently tugs Tyler’s sleeves back down.
It seems Jamie can’t stop staring at Tyler through dinner. And he keeps trying to talk to Jordie about how they should go about this, but Jordie has a plan.
*********
After the break they come back and get two shaky wins, and then they shut out the Coyotes with a six to nothing win at home. It’s New Year’s Eve, and they finally get out of the arena at around before midnight. Jamie and Jordie convince Tyler to come over to the apartment and drink with them instead of going out.
They pile up in the living room with their beers, Tyler between the brothers, and by midnight, they’re all on their way to being drunk, Tyler maybe more so than either Benn. They set the television to one of the many countdowns going on, and then drown it out with their own countdown.
“Five, four, three, two, one!”
Jordie reaches over to cup Tyler’s cheek in one large hand, and pulls him into a searing kiss. Tyler gasps a little, and Jordie uses the opportunity to slip his tongue into Tyler’s mouth. They kiss a little sloppily for a minute or two, and when they break apart, Jordie smiles to see Jamie leaning forward, watching them.
“Now kiss Jamie,” Jordie says to Tyler.
And Tyler’s just drunk enough to comply, and Jordie laughs when Tyler scrambles into Jamie’s lap, cupping his face between his hands, and kissing him roughly. Jordie has to admit, they’re fucking hot together. And when Jordie thinks they might just fuck right there on the couch with him watching, he says, “Hey, quit bogarting my little brother.”
Tyler leans back to look at him questioningly. His hair is a hilarious mess from having Jamie’s hands in. Jamie is still looking a little dazed, head tilted back against the couch. He smiles though, when Jordie leans in. And, well . . . Tyler’s their guest, so maybe he kind of puts on a show for him, biting at Jamie’s lower lip and getting him to make all those stupid little noises that Jordie loves.
When they break apart, Tyler’s got a hand over the front of his sweats. He gets up and disappears into the bedroom for a while then. Jordie grins over at Jamie.
Not too much later, they’re all crawling into bed together, too tired to get up to much. Jordie wakes in the middle of the night with an unfamiliar but welcome warmth beside him. He blinks his eyes open to see Tyler, laying between him and his brother, awake, staring at his arm, raised in front of him so it catches the moonlight. He turns to Jordie and smiles, then shows him the mark that has come in now, heavy and dark, just like Jamie’s, just like the one on Tyler’s other wrist, and now, Jordie checks, just like the one on his own wrist: teammates. Jordie smiles back and leans over to kiss Tyler chastely.
*********
They have the next day off.
Because Jordie’s a dick, he makes them go to the bond counselor one last time, just to be sure. There are only two chairs in the small office, but Tyler just settles himself on Jamie’s knee like it’s nothing.
“Benns,” the counselor greets. “And?”
“Tyler,” Tyler grins, extending a hand to shake.
“Our third,” Jamie says softly, and when Jordie looks over, Jamie is smiling up at Tyler almost like he can’t believe it.
“We came to . . . Make sure,” Jordie says.
“Right. Well, I can certainly help with that,” the counselor says. “May I?”
“Show him your marks Tyler,” Jordie says softly, and Tyler leans forward to lay both wrists on the desk.
The counselor takes out his magnifier, and begins the examination.
“What’s that?” Tyler asks when he drops the clear liquid on Tyler’s wrists.
“A micro-cooling solution,” the counselor says, holding his magnifier over Tyler’s skin. “It just makes the pinpoint marks easier to see, makes them stand out more.”
“Pinpoint marks?” Tyler repeats.
“Bond marks are made up of tiny dots with a specific shape that is important to the bondmates,” Jordie explains softly, staring at the marks on Tyler’s wrists.
“What are ours?” Tyler asks.
Ours. Like he’s already a part of them. Like they’re three of a perfect set. Which, he is, and they are. They just haven’t christened the fact yet. Jordie’s suddenly a little annoyed with himself for choosing to come here first. But he has to be sure. He doesn’t doubt it for a second, but he wants it to be confirmed. To be real.
“The Stars logo with crossed hockey sticks,” Jamie says, eyes shining a little.
“Well,” the counselor says, sitting back with a frown.
“What? What is it?” Jordie asks, panic rising in him.
“It’s . . . The marks aren’t identical,” the counselor says.
“What?!” Jordie demands. He hears Jamie’s breath catch and sees Tyler’s face fall from the corner of his eye.
“It’s similar,” the counselor adds. “May I examine both of your marks again?” he asks Jamie and Jordie.
Jordie immediately throws his arm across the desk. The counselor checks first his teammates mark and then his brothers mark. Then he checks Jamie’s marks while the room hangs in a tense silence. Tyler is slumped in on himself now, but Jamie wraps a strong arm around his middle, holding him tight.
Finally, the counselor sits back with a smile. “It’s a match.”
“What?” Jamie asks at the same time Tyler asks, “What do you mean?” at the same time Jordie asks, “How can that be?”
“It’s remarkable,” the counselor says, shaking his head. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“What? What is it?” Jordie asks, perhaps a bit too sharply, but these are his boys here.
“The brothers marks are the same, but on the teammates marks, the pinpoint marks are Stars with crossed hockey sticks and a third hockey stick between them,” the counselor says. “The marks changed to match.”
Jamie gasps and holds Tyler tighter. Tyler grins and pushes back into Jamie. Jordie feels a grin stretching over his own face.
“How could that happen?” Jordie finally asks.
“These marks aren’t an exact science. They choose their partners on their own schedule. So this is only a guess, though an educated one,” the counselor explains. “I believe what happened is the brothers marks are Jamie and Jordie’s alone. And when the teammates marks came in, they belonged to each brother and Tyler, alone. But then the marks realised their mistake, and the chemistry that you three must have together, so they altered themselves to include the three of you, together.” He shakes his head with a chuckle. “It sounds crazy, but these marks really do have minds of their own.”
“But why did Tyler’s marks came in so much earlier?” Jamie asks.
“When did they come in?” the counselor asks.
“This summer,” Tyler says. “Just after their brothers marks. They were more like outlines then, but they came in after I kissed Jamie and then Jordie.”
“Goodness,” the counselor says, sounding genuinely surprised. “That early? I assume you were very close before?”
“Yes,” the three boys chime together.
“That may have something to do with it, but it seems to me that Tyler’s love for the two of you is so great that it brought the marks in prematurely. Brothers Benn, you have got something genuinely special here. Never let him go.”
Tyler’s blushing a violent red and has his chin tucked to his chest in embarrassment, but he can’t hide how bright his grin is. Jamie’s still holding him close, and Jordie reaches over to grab his hand. Tyler turns his sunny smile of each of them.
“How long?” Jamie asks quietly.
Tyler looks at the floor. “Since I got to Dallas?” he says.
“Why didn’t you tell us?” Jordie asks.
Tyler shrugs. “I didn’t know how.”
It’s Jamie that turns to the counselor and says, “Thank you for all your help. I think we should go home and talk about this.” He’s blushing, and everyone in the room knows there will be very little talking done when they get home, but right now, Jordie just wants to get to that and doesn’t care enough to be embarrassed.
They all stand and shake hands with the counselor. Jordie says, “Thank you for all your help.”
“I’m so glad it all worked out for you three. It seems you have all of this worked out, but it you ever need any help, I’m always here,” the counselor says.
They’ve really seen too much of this guy in the last few months.
Finally, they’re all but racing each other out to Jordie’s truck. They climb in, squishing Tyler into the middle of the bench seat. Jordie speeds the whole way home, runs a red light, and two stop signs. Fuck stop signs anyway. Finally, they’re back at Jordie’s building because it’s closest, and they barely make it inside before Jamie is pushing Tyler up against the wall and kissing him senseless. Tyler has to tilt his head up to meet him, exposing his neck, which Jordie immediately sets his mouth on. Tyler whimpers between them, and Jordie wants to make Tyler make that sound over and over.
They stay like that for a minute, and then Jamie trails his mouth down to Tyler’s neck, leaving his mouth free for Jordie to seize with his own. It’s fucking hot to be able to taste Jamie in Tyler’s mouth, and fuck, this is going to be good . . . If they can get to the bedroom before they end up rubbing off on each other in their front room.
“Jamie, bedroom,” Jordie says, against Tyler’s mouth.
Jamie groans his frustration at the need to break apart to move, but he grabs one of Tyler’s hands, and Jordie takes the other, and they pull him towards the bedroom. Once there, Jamie turns to Tyler and asks, “How do you want to do this?”
Tyler’s the new one here, so it’s a valid question, because he’s not familiar with them, and this is his opportunity to learn. And the way Jamie’s looking at Tyler; there’s so much love there. Jordie doesn’t feel left out, and he realises, he has been sharing Jamie for a year and a half now. Because Jamie has been in love with Tyler. Jordie sees it now in how they act together, the way Jamie’s been looking at him all this time. It’s the same way he looks at Jordie. And Tyler’s looking back at Jamie the same way, like he loves him.
Then, Tyler turns that look on Jordie, and Jordie can feel that it’s meant for him and not residual from Jamie, and he wasn’t expecting that. He knows he’s a part of what they all have together, but he didn’t see this coming. The undeniable, unshakeable love.
It’s . . . It’s something.
“Let’s just get naked, get on the bed, and see where it goes,” Tyler says.
Jordie can definitely get on board with that. He turns Tyler to face Jamie and moves to stand behind him. Jamie kisses Tyler once, as Jordie’s hands slip up the back of Tyler’s shirt. Jamie adds his hands, and they pull Tyler’s shirt off together. Tyler shivers between them, and Jordie feels it all along his front. Jamie kisses Tyler, hands fumbling at the fastenings of Tyler’s jeans while Jordie gets his mouth on the curve between Tyler’s neck and shoulder, and finds a freckle that makes Tyler shake when he bites at it.
Jamie tugs Tyler’s jeans and boxer briefs down, sinking to his knees in front of him. Tyler just kind of stares at Jamie as he steps out of his pants and underwear. Jamie gets his hands around Tyler’s thighs and smiles wickedly up at him, and Jordie has to hide a smile against Tyler’s skin, because Jamie is such a tease.
“Jamie,” Tyler murmurs, hand coming down to twist fingers in Jamie’s hair.
“He looks good like that, doesn’t he?” Jordie whispers against the shell of Tyler’s ear.
Tyler nods dumbly, and Jordie can’t really blame him for not being able to form words, because he’s been faced with Jamie on his knees in front of him, and it kind of makes him speechless, too.
“Take your shirt off,” Tyler urges Jamie, sounding breathless already.
Jamie’s hands find the hem of his own shirt, but before he pulls it off, he looks shyly up at Tyler through his eyelashes. “You’re not going to call me chubby, are you?”
Jordie snorts a laugh against the back of Tyler’s shoulder before he can stop himself.
“Of course not, Jamie,” Tyler says, and his voice is so fucking caring.
“You two are stupid,” Jordie says.
“Shut up, Jordie,” Jamie and Tyler chorus together, no heat to the words.
“And mean,” Jordie says. “I don’t have to stay here, you know.” Like he would go anywhere when the scene looks as good as it does.
“Don’t go,” Tyler pleads, turning his head to look at Jordie, and there’s sincerity in his eyes. Jordie can’t not kiss him.
“Yeah,” he hears Jamie murmur before he feels Tyler jump and moan into the kiss, presumably as Jamie takes the head of Tyler’s cock in his mouth. It’s incredible that Jordie knows what Tyler is feeling, because he knows how Jamie like to suck cock, knows the tricks he’ll pull out to please Tyler, make his first time with them good.
It doesn’t take long for Jamie to get Tyler to the edge, Tyler gasping and shaking against Jordie. Tyler tears his mouth from Jordie’s to gasp, “Wait. Jamie, I’m gonna come.”
Jordie looks over Tyler’s shoulder to see Jamie swallow around the head of Tyler’s cock, and that’s it, Tyler’s done, shaking between them with a breathy moan that Jordie both immediately loves and wants to mock at the same time.
Tyler goes boneless against Jordie, trusting Jordie to hold him up. He huffs. “I wanted to wait,” he says.
“Don’t think you can go again?” Jamie says with a teasing smile as he stands.
Tyler groans, hips twitching slightly.
“Jamie,” Jordie says and reaches around Tyler to cup Jamie’s face and draw him in. Their lips meet over Tyler’s shoulder, and Jordie can feel Tyler watching them, and he puts on a bit of a show for him, tilting his head so Tyler can see when Jordie slips his tongue into Jamie’s mouth, moaning a little when he finds Tyler’s taste there. They continue to kiss, and Tyler carefully edges out from between them, leaving the brothers chest to chest. Jordie kisses Jamie roughly, hands sliding under Jamie’s shirt that he’s still fucking wearing for some dumbass reason Jordie can’t comprehend. They break apart only long enough for Jordie to pull it up and off before sealing their mouths together again. Jordie pinches at Jamie’s side, and Jamie nips a stinging bite to Jordie’s lower lip.
“Wow.”
Jordie turns to see Tyler sitting on the end of the bed, one hand on his thigh, the other wrapped loosely around his cock that is trying valiantly to get back in the game.
“You two are fucking hot together,” he says. “You really . . . With each other?”
Jordie’s about to say something smart, but Jamie’s sucking a mark into his neck, and he can’t really form words at the moment, let along something sharp and witty, so he says, “Yeah.”
Jamie makes a little frustrated noise when his fingers find buttons on Jordie’s shirt, but he makes quick work of them, sending only two flying to rattle against the hardwood floor. They help each other out of their jeans and boxers, and then it’s just them, skin on heated skin. Jamie breaks away first with his beautiful little boy smile and tilts his head towards the bed.
Jamie lays back against the still rumpled sheets, and fuck, he looks good. Jordie lays down beside him, settling against the pillows at the head of the bed. Jamie turns to smile at him, and Jordie leans over to kiss him once. Tyler moves to kneel between them on the bed, hands skimming over bared skin, eyes darting between them. Jordie can see him mentally cataloging the differences and smiling over every one.
“I want to watch you two together,” he says.
Jordie looks over to Jamie who’s smiling back at him. “Okay,” Jamie says, and Jordie nods, kissing him again. Then he turns over to fish the lube out of the bedside drawer. When he turns back around, Tyler is kneeling above Jamie, kissing him slow and sweet. When Tyler leans up, Jamie looks blissed out beneath him.
“Can I do this part?” Tyler asks, biting his lip shyly.
“Yeah,” Jordie says, wondering a little because he’s never known Tyler to be shy.
Tyler takes the lube and moves down to settle between Jamie’s legs, nudging his thighs a little further apart. Jordie figures he just wants to watch Jamie open up around his fingers. Jordie’s been known to like to watch his own fingers disappear inside of Jamie; it’s quite a sight. But no. Tyler’s leaning down, down . . . and licking over Jamie’s hole.
Jamie moans and writhes a little on the sheets, and Jordie sees Tyler grin before he disappears between Jamie’s thighs again. Jordie . . . doesn’t know what he wants to watch more: Jamie squirming in the sheets, gasping in pleasure, or Tyler pressing his tongue slowly, teasingly into Jamie. So he sits back and watches the whole scene unfold.
Tyler knows what he’s doing, getting Jamie to open up for his tongue before slipping his first finger in, quickly followed by a second. And he even looks up and grins at Jordie before leaning down to push his tongue in between his fingers. Tyler pushes a third finger into Jamie, working him for a moment before sitting back on his heels.
“All yours,” he says.
He moves out of the way, and Jordie catches him in a kiss as he moves into the space Tyler vacated. Tyler melts against him, and looks a little dazed when Jordie leans back again. Jordie smiles at him and runs a hand through Tyler’s hair like he often does with Jamie. Tyler smiles a little sheepishly, and Jordie . . . Jordie loves him. He deals with this revelation by leaning in and kissing Tyler again, deep and slow, before turning his attention to Jamie. Declarations of love can wait.
“C’mon, Jordie,” Jamie says, hooking his heels behind Jordie’s thighs to tug him closer.
“Yeah, yeah. Be patient,” Jordie teases.
“Jordie,” Jamie whines, and Jordie shushes him with a kiss.
Jordie leans back to line himself up, nudging the head of his cock against Jamie’s hole. Jamie whines and pushes down against him, and Jordie finally gives him what he wants and pushes all the way in in one slick slide. Jamie’s on edge already, trembling and making tiny desperate noises. Jordie fucks his slow, leaning down to kiss him softly. He looks over to Tyler to see his eyes wide as he watches the joined pair, hand moving almost absently on his cock.
Jamie’s orgasm comes out of nowhere, making him shake and tighten around Jordie. Jordie quickens his pace to finish himself off, Jamie’s overstimulated whimpering echoing in his ears as he stills and comes inside of Jamie. He pulls out and flops to the side, taking a moment to catch his breath before looking over at Tyler again. Tyler’s hand is moving quick over his cock now, bottom lip caught between his teeth.
“Do you want to fuck him?” Jordie finds himself asking.
“What?” Tyler asks, disbelievingly, hand stilling. “Really?”
“Jamie?” Jordie asks.
Jamie hums and nods, smiling a little dopily, blissed out from his orgasm.
Jordie looks back at Tyler. “He likes being fucked after he’s come.”
Jamie makes a pleased little noise and nods again.
Tyler moves to kneel between Jamie’s thighs and chews his lip a moment before asking, “I can?”
“Yeah, Tyler,” Jamie says, voice a little rough. “Fuck me.”
And Tyler’s done for. Even Jordie can’t deny Jamie when he says that. Tyler gets his hands on Jamie’s hips, tugging him down the bed a bit before lining up and pushing in. His eyes flutter closed and he doesn’t move for a long minute.
“Holy fuck, you feel good, Jamie,” he says finally, words coming out on one breath. He starts to move, and fuck, they look good together. If Jordie hadn’t just come, he’d be jerking off. Jordie watches all Tyler’s toned muscle shift beneath his skin as he slides in and out of Jamie. He’s fucking hot, and Jordie wants to touch.
He moves to kneel behind Tyler, hands roaming warm planes of smooth skin. He leans against Tyler, pressing his front to Tyler’s back, mouthing at his neck before trailing kisses up to just behind Tyler’s ear where he settles to whisper filth to Tyler.
“You two look so fucking hot together,” he murmurs. “So glad you’re with us, Tyler.”
Tyler shivers in his arms, and Jamie makes a stupid noise that makes Tyler and Jordie both moan.
“There,” Jordie whispers. “Keep hitting that spot.”
Tyler does, driving his hips in faster, and Jordie can see it in Jamie’s face that it’s too much, but it feels too good to stop.
“Next time,” Jamie says between moans, rolling his hips sinfully to meet Tyler’s thrusts. “Next time, I’m going to fuck you, Tyler.”
And Tyler comes, shaking, hips stuttering. Jordie feels the second the tension leaves his body as Tyler slumps in his arms.
“Of, fuck,” Tyler moans. “You two . . . Fuck.”
Jordie smiles stupidly to himself, but Jamie catches him and smiles at Jordie. Jordie carefully shifts Tyler to lay beside Jamie, smiling a little when Tyler curls into Jamie’s side. Jordie goes into the en suite to get a washcloth and wet it before coming back to clean Jamie up. Jamie’s already most of the way asleep, and Tyler is watching Jordie from half-lidded eyes. Jordie presses a kiss to Jamie’s forehead and then another to Tyler’s lips.
“Sleep,” he whispers. “I’ll fix dinner while you guys nap.”
Tyler smiles sleepily at him before moving to lay his head on Jamie’s chest. Jamie loops an arm around Tyler in his sleep, and Jordie has to turn away because the scene is too cute. He slips his boxers back on, pulls on a pair of sweats, and retreats into the main living area of the house.
He settles on the couch for a while to think about how this new relationship is going to work out, and finally gets up to start on dinner, because there’s no reason to overanalyse it. It’s going to work out, no matter what. They love each other, and they carry each other’s marks that state that they’re meant to be together. They’re going to be great together.
Tyler stumbles into the kitchen a while later, and Jordie passes him a water bottle. His hair’s a mess, and he still looks a little sleepy when he smiles at Jordie. He steps up to Jordie and raises up on tiptoe to press a kiss to Jordie’s mouth. It’s short and easy and . . . domestic. Jordie’s too young for this shit. He smirks at Tyler and swats him on the ass as Tyler turns to sit at the island.
Jamie doesn’t appear until dinner is actually done, his plate set on the coffee table, Jordie and Tyler settled on the couch watching the Expendables marathon that’s on tv. Jamie sits on the floor, leaning back against the couch. After Tyler finishes his dinner, carries his plate to the kitchen, and comes back to sit back on the couch, he gets one hand in Jamie’s hair, massaging his fingers through it. It’s adorable, Jordie thinks, watching them. Jamie’s making little pleased noises and pushing into the touch.
The last movie doesn’t go off until sometime past midnight, and they have practice in the morning. It’s too late to get up to anything, and Tyler and Jamie are definitely staying with Jordie tonight. They move easily around each other as they get ready for bed, like they’ve been doing it for years, and finally, they settle back in Jordie’s bed, after Jordie changes the sheets. It’s warm and comfortable, and Jordie figures now’s as good a time as any.
“Tyler,” he says, waiting for Tyler to look at him before going on. “I love you.”
Tyler stares at him a moment before saying, “I love you, too, Jordie.”
“Tyler,” Jamie says next. “I love you.”
“I love you, too, Jamie,” Tyler says easily this time. A genuine, happy smile stretches across his face, and Jordie’s so happy he’s here.
“Jamie,” Jordie says. “You know I love you, Chubs.”
Jamie rolls his eyes and grins up at Jordie. “I love you, too, big brother.”
And with that, they settle in to sleep.
They lay curled together, Jordie spooning Jamie spooning Tyler, and Jordie stays awake while the other two sleep. The moonlight casts over the brothers mark on Jamie’s arm, and that’s special. That will always just be theirs. Tyler has his arms bent in front of him, wrists pressed together. There’s a teammates on each of his wrists, but Jamie and Jordie only have one each, Jordie’s on his right wrist, Jamie’s on his left.
Jordie wonders a little at that. Jordie’s marks are on the same side, but he wonders if Jamie’s is on his left because it’s closer to his heart. Tyler and Jamie have such great chemistry, and they are such good friends; Tyler probably fell in love with Jamie first. And Jordie’s okay with that. Looking at Tyler, Jordie finds he doesn’t really mind sharing Jamie with him, because Tyler’s a great guy. Jordie loves him.
They’re going to be great together. Jordie smiles softly in the calm of the night and settles in to sleep, wrapped up in his boys and their shared love.