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Davies gave Ethan’s shoulder a squeeze, arm wrapped around him protectively. Ethan’s head was still pillowed on his arms on the bartop, earbuds in to listen to that playlist he’d made for his PTSD-related anxiety. Davies would have thought Ethan had fallen asleep if he didn’t peek his green eyes open every so often, giving Davies and Shawn a little smile before shutting his eyes again.
Hand rubbing idly up and down Ethan’s arm, Davies went back to drinking, and talking with Shawn. “You coming over for the Blackhawk’s game?” Davies asked.
“Better question.” Shawn took a sip of his scotch. “Why do you keep trying to make me watch hockey with you?”
“‘Cause you need a social hobby.” Davies glanced at Ethan and back. “Bet I can get him to come over.”
“He likes football. That’s all I know.”
“Yeah? Which team?”
“Uhh…”
Davies laughed. “God, Greyson, you are hopeless.”
“Bite me.” Shawn took another drink and Davies licked his lips, looking away. He wasn’t touching that one.
“Well, I mean it. You need to do more than just work. And you’ll enjoy it.”
Shawn gave a noncommittal grunt. “How about we see a movie instead?” he suggested.
“I’d like that.” Davies wasn’t entirely sure if they could all agree on a movie, but he was willing to give it a go.
Shawn was on his second scotch, and Davies was debating a third Guinness, when Ethan finally came around. He sat up, stretching out a kink, before taking his earbuds out. “Miss anything?” he asked.
Davies’ arm had slid off his shoulders, settling instead around Ethan’s waist. “Not much.”
Ethan said nothing about the touch, just nodding and starting on his whiskey. He set his left hand back on the bartop by Shawn’s, their fingers tangling together. Davies finished off his beer, casually setting his free hand next to theirs - hey, they were sitting on either side of him at the corner of the bar; they were kind of right there.
“So, what are you guys doing after this?”
Ethan shrugged. “Probably just going home.”
Davies knew that Ethan had more or less moved into Shawn’s. It wasn’t official - Ethan still had the apartment - but it was only a matter of time. “You can come back to mine for a bit.”
“You got somethin’ in mind?”
You have no idea. Davies thought he conveyed casual fairly well. “I don’t know. We could get pizza. Watch a movie.”
“Nothing holiday related,” Shawn said.
Davies smirked.
Shawn’s finger was in his face. “I’ll make your life hell.”
“Already there, Princess.”
Shawn scoffed and polished off his scotch.
Ethan chuckled. “Yeah, I’m game.”
“Good.” Davies gave into temptation, laying his hand across theirs. “Good.”
Davies saw Shawn’s gaze zero in on their hands, those perceptive blue-grey eyes turning on him next. Davies looked over at Ethan instead, not willing to let Shawn see what he didn’t want him too. By the way Shawn’s thumb came up and caught Davies’ pinky, though, he figured it was too late.
Ethan didn’t seem to notice - his hand was on the bottom of the pile - as he threw back the rest of his drink. “Well then” - he set the glass down with a clink - “are we following you?”
Davies nodded. “That’s fine.” He pulled his hand away, signalling the bartender so they could all close out their tabs. “You remember where I live, right, Greyson?” Shawn had only been there a couple times when Davies needed to stop by to grab something - it wasn’t as though they hung out much.
“Yeah.” Just one word but it held weight. Shawn knew.
* * *
Davies’ apartment wasn’t far, in a fairly upscale part of the city. The door had barely closed behind them when Shawn started. “Care to explain?”
Davies took off his coat, gesturing for theirs. Ethan’s brows were drawn together, looking between them as he shrugged out of his jacket. Shawn sighed but passed off his trenchcoat anyway.
“Drinks?” Davies inquired, hanging the coats in the hall closet.
“Sur-”
“No,” Shawn interrupted. “Start talking.”
“Shawn?”
Shawn was just staring straight at Davies.
Davies sighed, his body sagging a bit as he dropped the carefully guarded facade. “And this is how it comes out.”
“What’s going on?” Ethan asked.
Davies frowned, deciding just to come out with it. “I didn’t ask you back here for a movie. I wanted…” Alright, this was harder than he thought.
Shawn must have decided to go easy on him - or was pissed off enough - as he filled in, “He wants to have sex.”
Davies winced. “I wouldn’t have put it like that exactly.”
“How else would you put it?” Davies considered it a positive sign that rather than leave, Shawn brushed past him into the living room. “Now, get your ass in here. We need to talk.”
Davies chewed on his lower lip, glancing at Ethan. Ethan’s expression shifted from shock to confusion, but he followed Davies into the living room. The pair sat together on the couch. Davies remained standing.
“Why the fuck didn’t you tell me you were bi?” Shawn demanded. Oh, he was pissed.
Davies breathed a sigh out of his nose, eyes falling shut a moment. They shouldn’t be having this conversation. There wasn’t exactly any turning back from this though, so Davies confessed, “I didn’t want to complicate things.”
Shawn raised a brow.
“Look, I was attracted to you pretty much the moment we met, and it only got worse. But I didn’t know if you even swung that way. And it didn’t really matter ‘cause we work together. So, I kept my mouth shut.”
Shawn’s eyes widened. “All this time?”
“Yeah,” Davies said softly.
“But your girlfriends…”
“Weren’t all girlfriends.”
Ethan interjected, “Wait. I get you didn’t want to say anything since you work together. But, you couldn’t at least tell him you were bi?”
“Never said it made sense. I guess I figured if Shawn knew I was…” Davies could only shrug.
“You knew I’d figure it out if I had all the information,” Shawn filled in.
“Seemed safer.”
Shawn scoffed, repeating, “All this time.” He got up and shoved Davies, getting in his face. “You selfish little asshole! All this fucking time and you didn’t say anything?!”
“I’m sorry. What the hell do you want me to say?”
Shawn huffed, looking at Davies a long minute. “I don’t know,” he finally murmured, turning and walking away a few feet.
Ethan looked between the two of them. “How do I fit into all this?”
Davies softened. For some reason, it seemed easier talking to Ethan. “How couldn’t I fall for you? If Greyson hadn’t finally got his head out of his ass…” Davies took a knee in front of Ethan to bring them to eye level. “Honestly, I thought maybe the two of us…”
“You wanted to ask me out?”
“I saw the way you looked at Shawn though. I just- Wishful thinking.”
Ethan actually let out a little laugh. “You forgettin’ somethin’?”
Davies drew his brows together in silent question.
“You said it yourself. I was watchin’ you too.”
Davies brows crawled up towards his hairline then.
Before he could say anything, Shawn was asking, “Where’s this going?” His back was still to them, but Davies could hear the strain there.
Davies frowned. “I don’t know. I wasn’t thinking.”
“You aren’t drunk enough for that. You always have a plan.”
“Not this time.” In fact, he was rather flying by the seat of his pants.
A hand on his neck startled him and he looked back to Ethan. “Relax. There’s no reason we can’t talk about this like adults.”
Davies didn’t exactly want to hope, but the fingers brushing lightly across his skin were causing him to do exactly that. Still, he didn’t hold much hope for Shawn - he was pissed, and for good reason. Ethan twisted his lips into a half smile, tipping his head in Shawn’s direction.
Getting the hint, Davies walked over to Shawn, hesitating before reaching out. He laid a testing hand on Shawn’s arm. “I’m sorry.” It was the only thing he could think to say. “I’m so sorry.”
Emotion caught in his throat and Davies willed back the tears that threatened to prick at his eyes. He mentally scolded himself. He had no right to be doing any of this to them. Thus, he had no right being upset by the outcome. It wasn’t himself he was feeling bad for, though. He felt like shit on Shawn’s behalf.
Davies stepped closer. “Shawn?”
“You should have told me.”
“I know.” Davies pressed himself to Shawn’s back. “I never meant to hurt you.”
Shawn leaned back against him. “Do you know how long it took me to get over you?”
“What?” It was Davies’ turn to get a surprise, it seemed.
Shawn turned, tipping his head back to meet his gaze. “You were the straight co-worker I was lusting after like an idiot.”
“You… You thought of me like that?”
There was the hint of a sneer when Shawn replied, “And you called me the blind one.”
Ethan sounded rather smug as he stood. “Well, since that’s settled…”
“Oh no,” Shawn disagreed, pushing past Davies with his hand up. “Having things out in the open is not being settled.” He looked at Davies. “You’re an ass.”
“So are you,” Davies fired off automatically.
“But the fact remains,” Shawn continued undeterred, “that I still have feelings for you.”
Davies softened a little, licking his lips. “Same,” he murmured.
“I also don’t do casual.” He looked between Ethan and Davies. “I’m not saying that’s a bad thing that both of you have, but that’s not who I am. So whatever it is your thinking, or… proposing, the answer’s going to be no.”
Shawn’s words hung in the air. Davies was about to admit defeat - the whole thing was a stupid gamble anyway - and beg for them to let things go back to the way it was between them, when Ethan spoke up again. “Who said it had to be casual?”
“What?” Shawn and Davies exclaimed together. “You already had a freak-out over one commitment,” Shawn was pointing out, the same time Davies was asking, “How is that supposed to work?”
Ethan smiled. To Shawn, he replied, “I know I freaked. We’ve already been over that. No reason to rehash it.” To Davies, he offered, “It’s not really that different to dating long-term with just one person. We’re just adding another.”
“To overcomplicate things twice over,” Shawn grumbled.
“If you tell me that you aren’t the least bit interested, then you’re a liar.” Ethan did look smug then. “I’m willing to give it a shot.”
“Why?” Shawn sounded curious.
“Because I love you. And we both like him too. No reason not to try.”
“I’m game,” Davies said. Shawn’s eyes on him were sharp. “This isn’t some casual fantasy… I love you.” Davies’ eyes flicked to Ethan before picking a spot on the far wall. “Both of you.”
There was a long silence before someone stepped in front of him. A hand on his cheek turned his head, and he found grey eyes staring back. Shawn hesitated before leaning up, pressing their lips together in a brief kiss.
They looked at each other a long time before Shawn said, “If you fuck this up, I’ll kill you, and dump your body in the Sound.”
Davies burst out laughing. He wrapped his arms around Shawn, yanking him in flush. “Chill out, Princess.” Davies was the one to initiate the kiss that time. Filled with all the emotion he tried to keep hidden, it was everything Davies had imagined and more.
Ethan cleared his throat beside them. “So, does that mean we’re actually doing this?”
“Thought that was obvious.”
Shawn rolled his eyes. Still, he checked, “You’re okay with this, right?”
Rather than respond, Ethan smirked. He leaned against Davies, tilting his head to capture his lips. “You have a bedroom in this place?”
Davies grinned. “Right this way.” He grabbed Shawn’s arm, noticing his hesitation. “Greyson, we don’t have to do anything, you know.”
Shawn gave him a nervous half smile. “Should probably stop calling me that.”
“Yes, Princess.” Shawn groaned, while Davies and Ethan laughed at his expense. “Come on.” He herded them both to the couch instead. Before Shawn sat, Davies snagged him around the waist to have him sit on his lap. Ethan smirked, snuggling against Davies’ side.
“Speaking of,” Ethan mentioned. “I’ve never asked what you like to be called.”
“Huh?”
“Well, can’t keep calling you Davies, but dunno if you like Rick or-”
“Brad,” Shawn supplied. Davies’ lips ticked up.
“What?”
“His middle name.”
Ethan smirked. “Too many dick jokes?”
“They’re well deserved.”
Davies pinched Shawn’s side. “Behave.”
“Brad,” Ethan tried the name on for size. “I like it.”
“Davies is fine too.” It’s what he went by day to day. It was how he thought of himself most of the time anyway. That was likely because of his job - it came with the territory.
“Not when we’re doing it.”
Shawn groaned, shaking his head. “We’re not there yet.”
“Soon enough. I’ve got someone else to help me seduce you into bed.”
Davies chuckled. He gave Shawn a squeeze. “Relax. We’ll go at your pace.”
That made Shawn smile softly. “Thanks.”
Ethan threw an arm around Shawn as well, leaning in to kiss him. “Agreed. Only teasing.” Shawn planted a kiss on Ethan’s nose and Davies thought he was going to die from an overload of ridiculous feelings.
This was a prime example of why he fell in love with the both of them. In time he hoped they would feel the same about him. At least now he had a chance.
* * *
Somehow they were managing this. Davies still wasn’t sure how.
He and Shawn kept it professional at work, sticking to their normal routines. Though, perhaps there were less catty comments thrown around. Shawn even brought him coffee sometimes.
Then there was Ethan. He was only coming on Friday’s now that he was doing better. Davies looked forward to it, and he found that nothing had changed between them on that front either.
It was puzzling, but Davies rolled with it.
After work - which Shawn was actually leaving at a decent time from these days - they would go on dates. Davies had yet to go home with them or ask them back to his. He didn’t want to seem like he was pushing for something Shawn wasn’t ready to give. The fact they were even trying this was good enough for him.
As Christmas loomed closer, so did the Greyson holiday party, and Shawn was not in a pleasant mood about the whole thing. “Don’t go,” Davies said. It was obvious that it made Shawn uncomfortable.
“We already promised Fia,” Ethan replied.
Davies nodded. He’d only met Sophia once, but she’d left an impression. “That would be fun to watch.”
“Laugh it up,” Shawn grunted, throwing some sand over at his legs.
They were sitting on the beach, Ethan between them, just enjoying the outdoors as the sun dipped further toward the horizon. He didn’t miss the implication when Ethan mentioned the pair had gone to the same restaurant on their first date. Or that their first kiss was here as well.
“Hey, I tried to help.”
“We should make you come too,” Ethan teased right back. “If I have to dress in some monkey suit, so should you.”
“Unlike you, Shawn and I actually have some class.”
For that, Ethan shoved him down onto the sand. “Oh, so I have two princesses to deal with then?” he asked, hovering over him.
Shawn barked a laugh at Davies’ expense, but Davies was more focused on Ethan. He pushed himself up enough to kiss him, smiling when Ethan pressed back, body resting half on top of his. “Well,” Shawn mused, “that looks a little familiar.”
Ethan chuckled, pulling away to glance at Shawn. Davies rolled his head to the side to find Shawn’s hooded gaze on them. “You can always join us,” Davies suggested, his voice coming out a little husky
Shawn did, scooting over so his chest was pressed to Ethan’s side. He stole a quick kiss from both of them before mentioning, “It’s not a bad idea though. You can come as Sophia’s plus one.”
It was Ethan’s turn to laugh. “Oh, God, I wanna see your mom and dad’s faces when they realize you’re dating two guys.”
Davies smirked. “Got to admit, I find that prospect rather amusing.”
Shawn rolled his eyes. “You would, you bastard.” He sighed then. “But, I suppose if I’m going down in flames, may as well make the crash spectacular.”
“I’m in.” Davies would go, if only for the entertainment. Well, and to give Shawn more support - he could use it, even if he tried to deny it.
“Good,” Ethan replied, snuggling closer. “Then you can come with us when we go my folks’ too.”
Davies’ eyes widened. “Wait a minute. I didn’t-”
“Too late.” Shawn smirked. “You’re stuck with us, remember?”
“Hey, I actually see my parents on the regular. They’re expecting me on Christmas.”
Ethan frowned. “Didn’t think of that.” He put on a brave face as he said, “Forget it. You spend time with your family and we’ll see you when we get back.”
Davies knew how much Ethan’s family meant to him. He’d been away from them for a long time, and not having them around after the shooting must have been killing him, even if Davies never heard him say it out loud. Honestly, Davies had been looking forward to sharing the holidays with the both of them - some stupid sentimental reasons, he was sure.
“If Shawn’s going, then I’m going too.”
“Seriously?” Ethan asked.
“Yeah. I’m already on the schedule to have off. Might have to adjust a day or two, but I’m sure we can figure it out.”
Watching the way Ethan lit up was worth it. It was Shawn that checked, “What about your family?”
“They’ll understand. They can go one year without me. Well, two. I was away that one year on a college trip. We were in Venice at the time.”
“How very posh,” Ethan deadpanned.
It eased the little bit of tension left over and Davies smirked. “Extremely posh,” he agreed.
They spent at least another hour there on the beach, the sun gone but its light still trying to hang on. They were walking back to their cars when Shawn prompted, “Want to follow us home?”
The implication was clear. Still, Davies asked, “You sure?”
Shawn gave him a gentle smile in answer.
“Right behind you,” Davies assured, giving them both a quick kiss.
As he followed, Davies was well aware they were closer to his apartment, or even Ethan’s, but Shawn made it a point to do this at his house. Sure, it was where Shawn would feel most comfortable, but it was also where he and Ethan shared their time together these days. Davies was, in all ways, being brought into the fold as an equal in their relationship.
Davies had his doubts of how the dynamic would work out - Shawn said it himself, more people could only mean more complications. He was concerned someone would feel left out. Yet, Davies had never felt like a third wheel, and neither of them had shown jealousy of seeing the other intimate with Davies. If anything, they were all fairly content in the arrangement.
“Want a drink?” Shawn asked as he took their coats.
Davies smirked, wondering if Shawn was purposefully parroting that night at the apartment. “No,” he said, stepping forward and mashing their lips together. He walked Shawn back a couple steps until his back hit the wall, holding Shawn’s hips to keep him there.
He felt fingers going up his shirt, along his spine, and Davies belatedly realized it was Ethan - Shawn’s hands were busy in his hair. Ethan’s touch was warm, steady. He grabbed the back of Davies’ pants and gave a little tug. “Bedroom.”
Davies and Shawn traded an amused look, following Ethan back to the master. Ethan was already starting to strip and Davies worked at the buttons of his shirt to catch up.
“We never talked about preferences,” Shawn pointed out, attempting to sound casual as he kicked off his shoes. There was a tension in his shoulders that betrayed him.
Davies smirked, slinking behind Shawn and wrapping his arms around him. He tugged at Shawn’s earlobe with his teeth before speaking in his ear, “I want you to fuck me. How’s that for preference?”
Shawn froze, and Ethan made a sound like he was choking on his own tongue. Davies slid his eyes over to Ethan. “Maybe,” Davies continued, as sultry as he could, “when you’re done, I can fuck Ethan while you watch.” Davies nuzzled his nose behind Shawn’s ear, smirking at the sharp inhale.
Ethan got on the bed, already down to his boxers. “What are we waiting for? Three switches should make things all the more interesting.”
“You two are horrible,” Shawn muttered. Something about his tone was off.
“Shawn?” Davies backed off, spinning him around. Shawn wasn’t looking at him. “What’s wrong? Look, if you don’t want to do this-”
“It’s not that. I just… I guess I expected something a bit more…”
“Romantic?” Davies supplied. He smiled a little, taking Shawn’s face in hand. “Hey, look at me.” Shawn did. “Just trying to lighten the mood. Put you at ease. Okay?” Davies knew full well Shawn was feeling a touch insecure, so he was hedging to make it just a bit easier.
Shawn’s lips twitched. “Well, you kind of suck at it.”
Davies grinned then. “Now who’s the one killing the mood?” He gave him a little push towards the bed. “Now get your boyfriend to help with those clothes, Princess.”
Now it was Shawn’s turn to look smug. “You forgetting you’re our boyfriend now too there, Brad?”
It felt nice hearing Shawn say his name. He and Ethan hadn’t done it all that often - tending to stick with Davies unless they were being intimate - so it was still a novelty. “Guess I am.”
Ethan was doing more than just helping Shawn out of his clothes, pressing lips to exposed skin, and murmuring things Davies couldn’t hear. They made an awful pretty sight together. It was almost tempting to just let them go. Almost.
“I’m assuming you were also asking about kinks,” Davies mentioned, referring to the preferences remark from earlier. He tossed his shirt aside, glancing at them. “But how about we save that conversation for another time? I’m pretty open to suggestions, but, honestly, I like to keep things simple.”
Ethan laughed. “I think keeping it simple is gonna be the name of the game ‘til we figure out how the hell this is all gonna work. Dunno ‘bout you, but neither of us has had a threesome before.”
“Well, there was that one time…” Davies cracked upon seeing their faces, shaking his head. “First for me too. It’s okay.”
When Shawn kicked his pants away, leaving only underwear on each of them, Davies stepped between his legs. “Well, Princess? What do you say?” He bent over to brush a kiss across Shawn’s lips. “Make love to me?”
Shawn melted and Davies grinned, knowing he’d done it right this time. Shawn really was an old-fashioned romantic at heart, and Davies loved that about him.
“Yeah, Brad,” he agreed, kissing him back. Shawn’s hand brushed across his stomach. “Lay down.”
Davies crawled up the bed, positioning himself on his back. He didn’t even have to ask Shawn how he wanted this to go. Ethan followed, giving him a searing kiss. His tongue flicked across Davies’ lower lip as he pulled away. Davies made a grab for him but Shawn was there next, kissing him just as deeply.
He was staring into Shawn’s eyes, sharing the same breath when Shawn said it. “I love you, Brad.”
Davies cursed himself for feeling stupid flutters in his stomach like some school boy with his first crush. “Love you too, Shawn.” He cupped Shawn’s cheek, kissing him again.
Ethan had been digging around in the nightstand drawer, coming out with a box of condoms and lube. “Y’know,” he mentioned, passing a condom off to Shawn, “at some point we’ll have to figure out how to do this all at the same time.” He dropped a kiss onto Shawn’s shoulder. “But, I’m alright with watching right now,” he added, wiggling his brows.
Davies chuckled. “I’m sure we can give you a good show.” He tipped his head towards the tent already forming in his briefs.
Shawn had a sly look on his face. “You can always help,” he told Ethan, waving the lube back and forth. Ethan’s expression matched Shawn’s perfectly.
Davies groaned, head falling back. What had he gotten himself into?
* * *
There was a phone that woke him. Davies opened his eyes, finding his arms wrapped around Ethan, who was snuggled against his chest. Rolling over, he noted Shawn was gone. That ringtone belonged to him. He was fairly certain he hadn’t left his phone on the nightstand either.
Princess was on the screen, along with Shawn’s picture - a nice profile shot when he wasn’t paying attention.
“Hey,” Davies greeted, stretching, “where are you?”
“We had a case come in, I decided to take it. I’m on my way back to the station. Figured I’d give you a wake-up call.”
Normally, that would have annoyed him, but Davies decided it was thoughtful - and a bit sweet. “I’m up. I’m gonna run home real quick to get changed and I’ll be in.”
“Alright. Oh, coffee’s brewed. And can you make sure Ethan actually gets up? If you let him stay in bed he’ll just fall back asleep.”
“That’s kind of cute.”
“Only if he eventually gets up.”
“I could make a comment to that.”
Shawn sighed. “Not even going there. See you in a bit, babe.”
Davies was still smiling from the endearment as he got dressed. To Shawn’s credit, Ethan did fuss about getting up. The aroma of coffee helped. “Come on,” Davies encouraged while Ethan sipped at his mug. “Get dressed and I’ll drop you at work real quick.” It wasn’t far out of the way to his apartment.
When he stopped at the curb, Ethan leaned over and gave him a kiss. “Thanks. See you tonight.” Before shutting the door, Ethan added, “Love you,” just like that.
Davies watched Ethan head inside, and all he could do was shake his head. “They’ve already domesticated me,” he realized. Davies laughed at himself, putting the car in gear.
This wasn’t the turn he was expecting in life, but he wasn’t about to complain one bit.
/End