Trevor coughed. “Yes, it does. You relax more in safe, pleasant spaces.”
“Like this place.” Sky looked up, pushed his glasses into their proper position, and turned to G.G. “Trevor told me he expected to see stained glasses in here. Is that what’s going in the dining room wall?”
“No.” G.G. rubbed his undoubtedly stinging cheeks. “That will be etched glass. But… there’s stained glass in the master bathroom. I… put it there when I redid that room.”
“Holy shit.” Trevor couldn’t help it. “Did you give yourself a big, luxurious bathtub, Gigi baby?” And to think Trevor had joked to himself about washing him.
“I love how you treat yourself,” Sky said, putting the books down and getting to his feet. “There are romance novels of the BDSM variety in this collection. Some of them straight, but not all of them. G.G.,” Sky went on seriously, “you’re cool. Trevor should have said.”
“I’m really not,” G.G. objected.
“I didn’t say he wasn’t,” Trevor argued.
“But you didn’t say hewas.” Sky gestured around the room with both hands.
“Nobody thinks I’m cool,” G.G. insisted weakly. “I’m in my forties, for one.”
“Irrelevant to this discussion.” Sky dismissed that but focused intently on G.G. His posture softened. “Trevor’s tattoos are good, don’t you think?”
“What?” Trevor was as caught off guard as G.G.
“Yes,” G.G. agreed cautiously, eyes on the smart boy insinuating himself into G.G.’s space.
“It’s not just the placement or his choices, though those are great. Did you know neither of those tattoos are done in his style, but he designed them? One is anonymous ad-copy he imitated. The other Trevor drew but in the style of another artist as a tribute. He’s unbelievably talented even though he doubts himself.” Sky rolled on despite Trevor’s attempted interruption by calling his name. “He has excellent taste.”
That was pointed.
G.G. understood. “I’m included in that?” he asked, bemused and still blushing.
Sky gave a nod. “He’s going to scoop you up and try to keep you.”
Trevor scowled. “Sky, you’re making me sound like a sparkly vampire. I’ve only offered….”
Sky gave Trevor a Look with a capital L before continuing his talk with G.G. “To tell you a not-very-secret secret, Brian Trevor’s family doesn’t get him. They love him, but they don’t understand how he is. Nor do theytryto understand or appreciate him. So he’s got all these extra feelings inside him he’s learned not to share with them. He’s got so much that it spills over. That’s why I was expecting something like this to happen. Covid sort of halted whatever exploration Trevor might have done, but he was going to do it.”
“Make a family of his own, you mean,” G.G. remarked. Trevor stood there, hot all over and exposed as hell, not that either of them so much as glanced at him.
Sky beamed at G.G. “Exactly. My only real surprise is that he still loves me.”
Trevor forgot his bared pink underbelly to focus on Sky. “Of course, I do.”
This was ignored too.
“But that was my mistake and my own problems, which I am working on.” Sky heaved a breath. “G.G., do you think we could talk sometimes? If that’s okay? About anything? Andthisstuff.” He waved between them, seemed to remember G.G. could not read him like Trevor, and huffed before saying clearly, “Sub stuff. That means it’s not for you, Brian Trevor,” he added primly, acknowledging Trevor at last though keeping his attention on G.G. “Even if you decide for some crazy reason that you don’t want Trevor, I’d like someone to talk to about it, and maybe you would too? And maybe also aboutTrekand the problems in readingDuneat an impressionable age?”
“Oh.” G.G. was quiet. “I… yes. That might be nice.”
Sky gave him another beaming smile before narrowing his eyes. “Do you ever play tabletop role-playing games?”
“Sky.” Trevor had to reel Sky in. The reputations of board game people and polyamorous people were at stake.
“What?” Sky was innocent. “We can always use another player and,” he gestured to the books, “he might enjoy it. It’s all online these days anyway,” he confided to G.G. “So less social pressure. If you’re interested.”
“I know you’re being polite, but thank you,” G.G. said, the worst, and best, thing he could have said to Sky.
Sky turned to Trevor, his hands clenched with anger or some desire that was pissing him off. “EvenIwant to take care of him and that’s not my thing.” He was shocked. “And God, this house. He doesn’t need protection. And yet.” Sky threw a hand up between them, splaying his fingers like a game show hostess at G.G.’s red face. “You said he blushed, Trevor, but not like this.”
“It’s a physical response I can’t control.” G.G. frowned, clearly not understanding Sky’s real complaint. “It’s never gone away. Any emotion at all and I’m a tomato.”
