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Trish was staring at him.
Austin could feel it, could feel her gaze boring into the side of his skull. She wasn't glaring, wasn't trying to intimidate or frighten him. Instead she was simply…staring, like she was trying to pull the thoughts from his head with her eyes alone. She was pretty unrepentant about it too, boldly meeting his gaze whenever he looked toward her side of the couch. But, despite Trish's unflinching stare and his increasingly unsubtle responses, their companions seemed to be none the wiser. He wasn't surprised; Dez and Ally had always been more enthralled by romance movies than him and Trish. It was kind of cute, honestly.
His hand wandered from where it was draped over the back of the couch to Ally's hair, absentmindedly running his fingers through it and relishing the softness he found there. She was curled into his side, caught between him and the arm of their Ikea couch that had taken nearly six hours for him to build (he wasn't good with furniture, okay?) Trish sat by the other arm, having claimed it (and most of their pillows) as soon as their official Fearsome Foursome movie night had started. Her lap was occupied by Dez's upper body, who was more or less using everyone else as a seat. His right leg dangled down, tangling with Austin's while his left was outstretched, his foot resting on Ally's thigh.
Austin's other hand drifted down toward the popcorn bowl settled between his midriff and Dez's legs, only to be met with the rattling of popcorn kernels against plastic. He sighed; the bowl had only lasted about twenty minutes into the movie, despite Ally's strict declaration that they weren't to eat any until the movie started. No one had actually listened to her, but now Austin was starting to wish he had.
“I'm gonna get some more popcorn,” he said, removing his arm from around Ally and trying to extricate himself from Dez's lower body, a feat made more difficult by Dez's attempts to “help.”
“Okay, babe,” Dez said after Austin finally managed to free himself, now entirely transfixed on the movie again. Austin gave a quick peck to Ally's cheek and tried to ignore Trish’s stare, which had become notably more incredulous.
Unfortunately, Trish De la Rosa was not one for being ignored. “I'll go too,” she said, shoving Dez to the floor. He let out an “Ow!” that was more offended than pained and made a half-hearted swipe at her legs as she walked past him.
For her part, Trish waited until they were alone in the kitchen before she pounced. “What's up with you three?”
He looked up from the popcorn packet he was contemplating and willed his voice to be cool and unwavering. “W-what are you talking about?” It didn't work.
Trish raised an eyebrow. “You, and Ally, and Dez. You guys seem…closer.” The implications of that last word hovered, unspoken, in the warm, buttery light of his kitchen.
Austin shrugged with forced nonchalance. “I mean, ever since Ally and Dez graduated and then you made it big on Broadway, we've had to hang out more without you.” He really hoped the combination of guilt-tripping and ego-stroking would divert Trish from her line of questioning.
It didn’t.
“I've hung out with Dez a lot and he's never called me babe.”
Austin winced; he'd been hoping the pet name had gone unnoticed by her. It had started a few weeks ago, at first being a slip of tongue by Dez. The redhead had immediately clasped a hand over his mouth like he’d said something awful, like he wanted to retroactively swallow the word before it came out. For the next few days he'd rather deliberately referred to Austin with only undeniably straight, platonic epithets like “man” and “dude” and once, more than a little tired from pulling four all-nighters in a row, “bro-mo sapien.”
(That one provided enough teasing fodder to last him and Ally until Austin got Thailand and Maryland mixed up again and Dez turned the tables on him with obvious glee.)
The awkward dudebro nicknames tapered off after a little while, but the more affectionate ones didn't. Little babes and hons directed at both Austin and Ally and somehow the sickeningly sweet pet names they only used for each other started to replace Dez's actual name. And it kind of became a thing that was there but was never actually discussed. Another item on the long list of the unacknowledged, like the fact that Dez had a toothbrush at their place, or that Dez's fridge was always stocked with Ally's favorite brand of pickles, or how friend suddenly felt like an inadequate word when talking about Dez. Not worse, not lesser, he wouldn't give up his friendships for anything. Just…wrong, like a discordant note in the middle of a song.
It all led to lumpy, confusing mass of emotions in Austin's stomach that he had no interest in explaining to Trish.
(Not that he would even known how)
So Austin had always kind of known than Dez had a crush on him. Okay, yeah, out of the four of them, Austin definitely had the reputation of being the least emotionally intelligent. He wasn't good at understanding his own feelings, much less other people's. Every attempt at empathy felt like a total shot in the dark.
Still, Dez had never been…subtle about his feelings (something most of the people in Austin's life had in common, he noticed) and even Austin had come to realize something was up. Someone can only offer to play your love interest so many times before you realize that they’re not really talking about movies. But Dez never actually said anything, never made any moves that would have forced them into a confrontation about their relationship, so Austin had just…let it be. Don't fix it if it ain't broke, right?
And yes, in hindsight, he could see how letting his best friend stew in unrequited love for years without any kind of closure was kind of a dick move, but he'd been fifteen, alright? He'd been fifteen and confused and he didn't want to drive away his best (and, for a while, only) friend over something that wasn't (in his mind) a problem.
(A tiny part of him had also just enjoyed the attention but he ignored that because he- he was trying now, okay? Trying to not be selfish, to not ask people to give everything they could and then some just for his own convenience.)
Then Dez met Carrie and he assumed that Dez's crush was a thing of the past. He'd been happy – overjoyed, even – that his friend had moved on, that he was finally willing to put himself out there for someone who liked him back. Sure, they had ended up breaking up, but the relationship even just existing still meant that Dez was over Austin for good, right?
For a while that's what Austin believed, helped by the fact that Dez's less-than-subtle flirting had tapered off and Austin was happily dating Ally. For years, they'd been strictly platonic friends for the first time since middle school, but then Dez had moved back to Miami after graduating from film school and things had been…different. Dez's crush had apparently been rekindled and suddenly the flirty compliments and date-like outings were back, except this time, Austin didn't feel that combination of flattered-but-uninterested he always did. Instead, well, he felt the same way he did when Ally flirted with him, all dorky and utterly adorable.
Another difference was that, this time, Austin was pretty sure he wasn't the only one Dez had a crush on.
“She's so cute,” Dez noted one rainy day as him, Austin, and Ally wandered around an art museum. Austin paused, not necessarily surprised at what Dez said – Austin agreed wholeheartedly that Ally was adorable when she started infodumping about different Renaissance painters – but more about how he'd said it. “Cute” was the most recurring compliment that Dez gave Ally, but it had always been in that kind of faux-nice condescending way, like when a little kid showed you an ugly, scribbled picture they drew and you called it cute because it was the nicest, blandest word you could think of. Now, however, there was a tinge of affection in Dez's voice as he watched Ally inform a somewhat confused family about tempura painting techniques.
Austin knew that Ally and Dez had always had a…tenuous relationship back in high school. Not as explosive as Dez and Trish's but still not great. Despite their similarities, the two had always seemed to rub each other the wrong way.
(Actually, maybe their similarities had been the cause of the tension in the first place.)
But, now that the four of them were like, actual adults now, Ally and Dez seemed to be getting along better. They went out sans Austin pretty frequently and seemed to delight in teasing Austin together. They'd finally formed the genuine friendship that they had been lacking in high school (much to Austin and Trish's relief; the passive-aggression was so uncomfortable).
And as he watched the two of them, Austin was suddenly, acutely aware of how much their relationship had changed. Dez trailed after Ally with a soft, unbelievably fond expression, like she was something more than human, like she had personally hung all the stars in the sky. And when Ally noticed that she had wound up ahead of them, she doubled back and grabbed Austin's hand like second nature, giving it a firm squeeze. She also grabbed Dez's hand, intertwining their fingers like she had with Austin.
(They'd stayed joined like that for the rest of the day.)
But Austin didn't know how to explain any of that to Trish, still standing in his kitchen, arms crossed with an expectant eyebrow raised. All of that was so…personal, and maybe he should have felt bad for excluding Trish from all of it, but mostly he just really, really didn't want to delve into his relationships with his best friend and his girlfriend, and how the two were becoming frighteningly similar.
“I’m dating Ally, and Dez is just my best friend. Same as it's always been.” Lies, lies, lies.
“Uh-huh,” Trish said, utterly unconvinced.
“I'm being serious. You know that Dez is just…affectionate,” Austin smiled, all teeth and glittery façades.
Trish reluctantly dropped the topic as Austin took the bowl of freshly-popped popcorn back into the living room. Ally twined their arms and laid her head on Austin's shoulder while Dez threw his legs back over Austin's, this time practically sitting in Austin's lap. Both of them seemed oblivious to how their positions looked, as well as the glare Trish continued to level at Austin's head.
At the end of the night, Trish left with little fanfare and Dez crashed in what had once been a guest room, but was now rapidly becoming Dez's-room-that-other-people-sometimes-slept-in. Ally curled up beside Austin in bed, her snores soft and precious, and Austin stared at the ceiling and tried to think of nothing, especially not the redhead sleeping down the hall.
Thursdays were nice, Austin reflected two weeks after Trish's movie night confrontation. Thursdays were the day all of them turned the Music Factory to the regular staff and just took the day off. And, since Austin and Ally were both between albums, he didn't have any obligations other than to just relax. And, most importantly, Thursdays were him, Ally, and Dez's official-but-not-really date- uh, hang-out night. Not a date.
(Even though sometimes it felt like that.)
He shuffled into the kitchen on one of these Thursdays only to find Dez and Ally already there, singing along to one of Boynado's hits. He tried to remember if Dez had stayed the night again, concluding in the end that he probably had. Trying to pour himself a glass of grape juice while dodging Ally and Dez's bad-on-purpose dancing was almost as complicated as the choreography for his concerts, and the first sip of juice felt well earned. He leaned back against the counter as Ally and Dez ended the number with a dramatic finish, arms being synchronously thrown in the air. They managed to hold the pose in complete, serious silence for a total of five seconds before collapsing into laughter.
Ally turned and picked up the carton of eggs on the counter that had obviously been taken out of the fridge at some point, but had otherwise remained untouched. Dez opened a bottle of pills that had also been left on the counter, only to have them snatched out of his hands by Ally as she breezed by him on her way to the stove.
“Wrong bottle,” she chirped. Dez tossed an apology at her as he picked up another bottle, this time correctly locating his ADHD medication. He tossed one of the tablets in the air and caught it in his mouth, to the amusement of Austin and the eye-rolling of Ally.
Austin started to make pancake batter as Ally continued to scramble eggs and Dez flitted between the two of them, “helping” in a way that mostly constituted of distractions and randomly leaning over their shoulders to comment on their cooking. It was during one of these intervals where Dez was hovering over behind Austin, his breath hot on the other man's face, that Austin was complete blindsided.
Ally had casually reminded them of their plans to go to a silent movie at the park that night when Dez turned to her and winced theatrically. “Ooh, sorry, I totally forgot to tell you, but I have a date tonight.”
Austin spun around to face Dez, dislodging the other man in the process. “You're- a date? Why?” He cried, aghast for reasons he couldn't explain, reasons that had made his conversation with Trish is so difficult.
“He’s cool, I'm single, I thought it would be nice to go out with someone,” Dez said, voice calm and steady like he was explaining something to an unruly child or trying to soothe a frightened animal. Austin wasn't sure which comparison annoyed him more. “And he's cute.”
At that, something inside Austin bristled; not to be egotistical, but he and Ally were probably way cuter than what's-his-face. And they could sing, dance, write songs, and make amazing coffee. Well, technically only Ally could do that last one, but still. He'd like to see Mr. Big Shot top that.
Through the haze of green clouding his vision, he heard Ally say “That's great, Dez!” but there was something hollow in her voice.
“Yeah,” Dez sighed, all dreamy-like. “We're going to that Italian place - you know, the one by the mall? He gets a discount ‘cause his cousin's a hostess-“
“Cheap,” Austin scoffed. Ally and Dez both turned toward him, confusion etched on their faces. “I'm just saying if he's such a great guy, than he should be willing to pay full price. Sounds like a jerk to me.”
The confusion melted away into two distinct emotions. Ally's lips were pressed tightly together, the beginnings of a scowl starting to form on her face and Austin knew she was on the verge of yelling at him. Guilt started to curdle Austin's insides, and it only grew worse when he saw Dez's crestfallen face.
“Is something wrong, babe?” Dez asked. And it was that, the genuine concern combined with the casual pet name that caused Austin to snap.
“Have fun on your date,” he all but spat. He pushed past Dez roughly and collapsed on his bed, slamming the door shut behind them.
He pressed his palms into his eyes, making little starbursts and static appear. He hadn't had a jealousy freakout like that since…high school, probably. What was wrong with him? Shouldn’t he be happy that Dez had found a guy he liked?
There was a soft click as the door swung open and then shut again, and then the muffled sound of footsteps against carpet. There were exactly two guesses of who was sharing the room with him and, unless Dez had suddenly developed a liking for Ally's perfume, Austin knew definitively who it was.
“I know, I'm the biggest dick in the world,” he said, voice still muffled by the hands covering his face.
“Yep,” Ally said. He felt the bed dip under her weight as she sat down. He sat up and Ally immediately, instinctively took one of his hands in her own.
“I- I don't know what came over me,” Austin admitted, staring down at his lap rather than risking seeing the disappointment on Ally's face. He was so pathetic; twenty-five years old and he still couldn't talk about his feelings. “But I just couldn't stand the idea of Dez being on a date with someone, even an ugly cheapskate who probably kicks puppies-“
“Austin,” Ally said reproachfully. He felt his cheeks heat up with shame and he mumbled an apology. “Right now, we shouldn't let our own feelings get in the way of being there for Dez. It's the first date he's been on since Carrie; We should be happy for him and, more importantly, supportive.”
Austin took her words to heart and immediately apologized to Dez, trying to seem happy and supportive about the date. Keyword there being tried. An ugly, unjustified bloom of anger appeared in his chest whenever he thought of Dez going out with some other (probably not as cute) guy, but he tried his best to tamp down those feelings. He wasn't very successful, but was still convincing enough for Dez (not that picking up on social cues had ever been Dez's strongest suit.) He even helped Dez pick an outfit from the twenty the redhead had laid out.
After wishing Dez luck on his date, Austin and Ally still went to the silent movie, but it felt…different than usual. He couldn't put his finger on it, and started to assume that it was all in his head until Ally abruptly shook her head and laughed to herself. Austin sent her a questioning look.
“Sorry,” Ally laughed again and it sounded like music to Austin's ears. “It's just- I was thinking that it feels weird without Dez here.”
She had a point. He hadn't thought about it, but it really had been awhile since the two of them had gone out alone. Somehow, Dez had always ended up tagging along with them. And objectively, having a constant third wheel like some kind of uncomfortable tricycle should have been annoying, but it really wasn't. Austin found himself actively resisting the urge to text Dez and Ally seemed a little distracted too. They end up heading home early and the awkwardness seemed to clear when Dez burst in, uninvited, to steal food from their fridge and join them in watching Spike Steven's Juliet and Romeo. It eased the weird knot in Austin's chest until-
Until Dez started talking. And talking and talking and talking about what’s-his-face and how nice and wonderful and amazing he was. Austin's jaw clenched and he repeated Ally's mantra about being nice and supportive, but all he saw was green and he eventually excused himself to lie in bed, staring moodily at the ceiling.
By the next morning, Austin was able to present a reasonable facsimile of happiness for Dez, which was fortunate because Ally couldn't. Her responses to Dez gushing about his date were becoming increasingly clipped and she kept muttering to herself about heartburn. But when Austin expressed concern for her, she simply smiled and insisted that nothing was wrong.
It was in this uncomfortable continuum that the three of them existed for the next few weeks until Dez's second date with Mr. Big Shot.
The date had been planned for around lunch this time so that Austin and Ally could pick Dez up to go a street fair afterwards. But, just as they pulled up outside Dez's apartment building, both their phones chimed with a text from Dez in their group chat.
Dez: sorry, gotta cancel again
Dez: you guys go ahead w/o me
Ally inhaled sharply and Austin had an inkling she was feeling the same combination of disappointment and irritation that he was. But, it was his best friend, so Austin slipped back into his cheerful façade as he typed out “got lucky after ur date? ;)”
Dez's reply was immediate.
Dez: no
Dez: kind of the opposite lol
Dez: dont think theres gonna be a third date
Five minutes later, Austin and Ally found themselves outside Dez's apartment. Dez opened the door and seemed to be momentarily blindsided as his friends brushed past him and into his apartment.
“Come in?” he offered to the empty air where the couple had been standing before turning back around to where Austin and Ally had made themselves comfortable on his couch. He collapsed onto the chair next to them. “What's up? I thought you guys were going to the street fair.”
“We wanted to go with you,” Ally said. Something soft flashed over Dez's face before being replaced with an apologetic smile.
“Sorry, I know we planned this weeks ago, but I'm just…not in a crowded places kind of mood,” Dez shrugged. There was a silence where Austin assumed Dez thought they were leaving and they didn't.
It felt like the three of them were doomed to this eternal, impenetrable silence until Ally spoke, voice soft. “Did something happen on your date?”
Dez's ever-expressive face dropped, letting them know Ally had guessed right on the first try. “Uh…kind of. He just…said some stuff, but we don't have to hash it out and actually I've got some things to do-“
He stood, but Austin caught him by the sleeve, preventing him from attending to the “things” that all three of them knew weren't real. “What stuff?”
Dez sighed and Austin pulled him down to the couch, situating the redhead between himself and Ally. One arm curled almost protectively around Dez's shoulders and the other man seemed to lean into the touch.
“It was just- it was stupid.” Dez's fingers twitched, pulling his cardigan sleeve over his knuckles. “We started talking about Zaliens and I got a little-“ He made a vague circular gesture that Austin assumed was meant to convey Dez's tendency to start infodumping when it came to Zaliens. “- and he asked if I was on medication for that “ADHD shit” I told him about.”
Ally winced in sympathy and Austin's grip on Dez tightened.
“And I was like “uhhh yeah” and he said my doctor ought to up my dosage.” Dez inhaled shakily and it sounded like he was actively repressing tears. Ally's fists clenched and Austin had the distinct feeling his girlfriend was planning a murder. He didn't blame her. “And he tried to backpedal and say it was just a joke but-“
“But you're too smart to fall for that crap?” Austin said, half-joking and half-hoping the compliment would boost Dez's mood.
“Yeah,” Dez said softly, sounding like he was only humoring Austin. “And I get people suck about that kind of thing but I- I don’t know, I just wasn’t expecting it, y'know?”
“You shouldn't,” Ally said and the pure steel in her tone made Austin fall in love with her all over again. “You shouldn't expect people to suck, or to act like you being passionate is something to be embarrassed about and-“
Austin had the feeling that Ally's speech would have lasted upwards of an hour uninterrupted and was probably full of really good points, but Dez smiled that same soft smile and simply said “Thanks, Ally,” which stopped her in her tracks.
Him and Ally hung out at Dez's for the rest of the day, alternating between watching movies and playing video games (where Ally kicked both of their asses at Super Smash Bros. When had she gotten so good?) And Austin knew that they Dez was a grown adult and they didn't need to watch over him like this…but he also knew that this was the kind of thing that Dez would obsess over and internalize, so he figured a little reminder that Dez had people who loved him wholeheartedly wouldn’t hurt.
They all ended up in the same bed that night. It happened sometimes, when one of them needed more reassurance than usual. Days when Ally's anxiety flared up and the ghost of her stage fright came to haunt her, days where her hands wouldn't stop shaking and her jaw ached to chew her hair. Days where Austin felt burnt-out and wretched in every way, where it felt like every aspect of his personal life was splayed out in some tawdry tabloid and he wondered if pursuing his dream all those years ago was worth all this. Days like today, where people decided that that had the right to treat Dez like shit for no reason and Dez was right on the verge of feeling like he deserved it.
Austin was somehow, despite Dez's night owl tendencies and Ally's rigorous night time routine, the last one awake. They had settled into their normal positions, with Dez pressed against Austin's back and Ally curled against his chest. Austin's hands found themselves in Ally's hair, gently twirling the strands between his fingers. Dez mumbled random, unconscious fragments of sentences into Austin's ear and Ally's snoring threatened to drown him out and everything felt right to Austin.
By the next morning, Dez had extricated himself from their group in his sleep and somehow turned completely upside down in the process so his head hung over the foot of the bed. It was a mystery as to how he'd contorted himself like that without waking up, but it made it easier to follow Ally as she yanked him out of bed and then out of the room entirely.
They sat down on Dez's couch and Ally’s brows knitted together. It would have been adorable (and it still kind of was, actually) if Austin didn't know it was the precursor to a Serious Talk, typically about feelings of some variety. His hands found hers and he looked at her, concerned. She smiled, weak and soft as half-melted snow. She inhaled deeply and Austin worried she was breaking up with him.
“I'm in love with Dez,” she said, quick and blunt, and okay, this was certainly not the direction he was expecting this conversation to go in.
“Oh,” he said, withdrawing his hands. Ally quickly stole them back.
“I'm not saying this because I want to break up with you,” she said, eyes shining and genuine. “I still love you with all of my heart. I just…I think I love him too. Lately, with all this dating stuff, I realized that- that I can't stand the idea of him being with anyone else but us.” She paused, and a knowing glint entered her eyes. “And honestly, I think you feel the same way.”
“What? That’s- that's so crazy…” he trailed off as Ally raised an eyebrow at him. He sighed, letting the façade drop somewhere in the region of his dignity. “Was I that obvious?”
“You've been moping for the last few weeks because he went on a couple subpar dates with another guy. Yeah, you were pretty obvious.” Her smile straddled the line between smug and loving and dammit she shouldn't look so pretty like that!
“So what now?” Austin asked, glancing toward the bedroom to make sure the object of their (apparently) mutual affections wasn't awake. “Do we just walk up and say ‘guess what, Dez, we want you to become part of a permanent threesome with us!’”
Ally laughed, not unkindly. “There’s better ways to phrase it than that.” Her smile faded, face becoming a little more thoughtful. “And – massive elephant in the room here - he's always liked you. Me on the other hand…” She laughed again, this time dry and humorless.
“Hey.” He squeezed their interlaced hands and caught her eye. “Trust me, he's crazy about you too.”
“Austin, are you kidding me? He's always seen me as- as competition-”
“That was back in high school,” Austin interrupted, hoping he was coming across as reassuring rather than dismissive. “We were all pretty dumb back then. I thought I was straight.”
Ally giggled and Austin welled with pride at successfully driving away her negative thoughts.
“And besides,” he continued. “Last month he drove fourteen hours roundtrip just to watch you open for another singer. Do you think he'd do that for someone he doesn't care about?”
She smiled bashfully, head dropping slightly. “He'd do the same for you.”
“I think you just proved my point.”
He pulled her in for a kiss but broke it off when he heard footsteps as Dez wandered out of the bedroom. “Oh, don't let me interrupt you two love birds,” he said, wiggling his fingers at them. Austin and Ally, however, didn't move a muscle, feeling like they’d just been caught doing something embarrassing. It wasn't over the kiss, but rather their discussion; what if Dez had walked in the middle of them talking about their mutual feelings for him?
“So…what now?” Austin repeated to Ally in a whisper as Dez disappeared into the bathroom. A shrug was her only reply.
It was Austin who made the first move. It was the wrong first move, but still. He should get some credit for that.
The three of them had been hanging out at Austin and Ally's house like they always did. Ally was tucked against Austin's side, his arm wrapped around her. Dez was on Austin's other side and he resisted the urge to pull the redhead closer. Him and Ally had decided on no abrupt gestures of affection, but it was becoming increasingly difficult for both of them to follow that agreement; Ally had pulled the ‘sorry for holding your hand, I thought you were Austin’ thing too many times for all of them to be genuine.
However, Austin's resolve to abstain from making any unexpected advances only lasted for another ten minutes. Dez cracked a joke about the show they were watching and as Austin turned toward him, he was struck (like he sometimes was when he looked at Ally) about how the redhead was perfect in every way Austin could conceive.
He started to move without conscious thought, arm unspooling around Ally's shoulders. He leaned in, gently wrapping his hands around Dez's hips and then pressed his lips against Dez's. The other man froze, and then slowly started to thaw, melting into the kiss, until-
Thud.
Austin fell to the floor, still reeling from the kiss and then subsequent shove from Dez, who was now scrambling backwards toward the other side of the couch as fast he could. He ended up awkwardly perched on the arm of the coach and some part of Austin was reminded absurdly of birds. Austin’s hand splayed against his chest, more for the gesture of it than out of any actual pain; he knew well enough that Dez hadn't been trying to hurt him, just push him away.
“I’m sorry- wait, no I'm not! What the hell, Austin?” Dez shouted, taut and tense but still more confused than angry.
“This is why we needed to plan things out," Ally chided even as she helped Austin up. She'd been insistent on making sure they told Dez in the most meticulous, thought-out way and now he was starting to see her point.
He settled back on the coach, making sure Ally was in between himself and Dez, but the other man kept a healthy distance from both of them anyway. “Okay so maybe you were right,” Austin admitted.
“Maybe?” she teased.
“Fine, you were totally right,” he said, returning her playful tone as he leaned in towards her and-
“Hi, hello, guy that Austin is apparently having an affair with here,” Dez interrupted, waving his arms to steal their attention. “Still confused about the what the hell that was.”
Austin ran a hand down his face, humiliation threatening to eat him from the inside out. “I'm sorry, buddy. I shouldn't have done that.” He paused, knowing this next part was going to be the most stressful. Ally slipped her fingers through his and smiled, one that he immediately understood as I'll take things from here. One of the perks of knowing someone as well as you know yourself.
“We noticed that the three of us have been spending more time together lately-“ Ally started.
“And you want me to leave,” Dez finished, sounding rather miserable and heartbroken.
“Let her finish, will you?” The words came out with too much levity for the conversation they were having, but it caused both Ally and Dez to break out in amused smiles, so Austin took it as a win.
Ally inhaled deeply, like she was gathering up all her courage in her lungs as well as oxygen. “We want to date you.”
Dez blinked. “Like, both of you?”
“Yeah, you know-” Austin gestured vaguely between him and Ally, and then at Dez. “Polyamory.”
He had a distinct feeling that he wasn't helping any.
Ally smiled that you're-so-adorable-but-also-a-dumbass smile at him before turning back to Dez. “We're just putting it on the table. If you want to date only one of us, or neither of us, it's fine. No pressure.” Which, you know, number one way to make someone feel pressured: say “no pressure.”
Dez nodded slowly and you could practically see the gears working in his mind. “Is that why you guys have been acting weird lately? ‘Cause you liked me and I went out with that guy?”
Ally fumbled with her hair. “I mean, I wouldn't describe it like that, but basically, yes.”
Dez nodded. “Okay. Just checking.” He slid off the arm of the coach and flanked Ally's other side, casually wrapping an arm around the girl.
“So that's a yes?” Austin asked hopefully.
“Yeah, obviously,” Dez said. “And honestly- I was hoping the three of us had our own little thing.” His cheeks went a little pink.
“And dating someone else factored in how?” Ally asked, eyebrow raised as she looked up at Dez from under his arm.
The blush on Dez's face grew even brighter and blotchier. “You guys never said anything! It's hardly my fault you two are bad at communicating.”
Austin hummed in vague disagreement, but he had other things on his mind. “So, do you mind if we finish what we started earlier?”
Dez nodded eagerly and Ally rolled her eyes good-naturedly, muttering about Austin's one-track mind as she ducked out from between them. Now, sitting directly beside the other man, Austin quickly reeled him in for a kiss, hands tightening around Dez's hips again while Dez cupped his face. His only focus was on how soft Dez's lips were, how warm the body under his hands was, how it felt like the universe had finally come back into alignment. Unfortunately other things, such as breathing, trickled back into reality as they broke apart. However, the breathless, star-struck expression on Dez's face was definitely worth it.
“My turn!” Ally cheered, looping her arms around Dez's neck and bringing him in for a kiss of her own. Her hands migrated upwards to cup the back of Dez's head while Dez leaned in, like every fiber of his being was being consumed by her. When they pulled apart, they simply smiled at each other and Dez swooped back in to place a gentler kiss on her forehead.
They eventually settled back down to finish their nearly-forgotten TV show and honestly, Austin couldn't remember a single moment of it. He was too distracted by the way Ally bit her lip during intense scenes and the way Dez's leg started to bounce impatiently whenever there was a commercial break. And obviously what was most distracting was the way Ally gave him a quick peck on the lips whenever she got up to and the way Dez's thumb brushed over Austin's knuckles as they held hands.
(Whatever; his distraction were better than any TV show anyway.)