A/N: Beta read by meridian_rose. Thank you so much! This fic was written for the 2017 Librarian Shipathon, Jassekiel week. Title from the song North by Sleeping at Last, and is everything I would want for the three of them.
~The Librarians~
They had been together for almost a year but they had never been away, just the three of them. So at the beginning of June they had voiced their intent to take a vacation. They declared they were going camping in the Rocky Mountains. Both Flynn and Eve had been supportive and reassured them that they could handle any surprises that came up. Convincing Ezekiel to go camping had taken a bit more persuasion but once they promised he could pick the next vacation destination he was on board. Although Jake thought the reason he had given in so easily was because he was craving some time for just the three of them as much as Jake and Cassandra.
This week had been good for them, Jake reflected. He had learned things about his partners, like how Cassandra's hair glows like wildfire in the morning light. Or the fact that Ezekiel is surprisingly (or is the word he is looking for worryingly) good at starting a fire, because apparently according to him "a nice trashcan fire can be a great distraction." They learned that out of the three of them only Jake is an early riser and that both Cassandra and Ezekiel are night owls. Although there were more than a few nights they convinced him to stay up very late. The two of them could be very persuasive when they put their minds to it.
It had become a bit of a routine this week; since Jake was up first he would start breakfast and let his partners slumber a bit longer. Lifting the lid from the skillet that was cooking over the fire, he saw that the eggs and bacon was just about done. He placed the lid back on the pan, before grabbing a hand towel and moving the skillet from directly over the fire off to the side. Close enough to keep the food warm but far enough away to stop it from cooking any further.
~The Librarians~
Cassandra drifted up from sleep, feeling warm and content. She felt the faintest brush of fingertips across her forehead gently pushing back her hair. Reluctantly opening up her eyes she couldn't help but smile at the sight of Jake hovering over her and when he placed the softest of kisses on her mouth, she leaned up into it. When they drew apart, he said in a gentle voice, "Good morning, beloved."
"Good morning," Cassandra breathed out. The way he was looked at her made a curl of warmth thread its way through her chest. She lightly traced his jaw and said, "Love you so much."
Jake smiled brightly before he returned the sentiment, whispering it against her lips, and then kissing her deeply. When they broke apart their breathing was erratic. Cassandra's nose twitched as the smell of breakfast wafted into the tent. Then her stomach growled nosily. "Breakfast smells wonderful."
"It's ready. Get dressed and I'll wake up Sleeping Beauty," Jake said with a chuckle. He helped her out of the sleeping bag, placing one more kiss on her mouth before turning away and kneeling down next to the bundle of sleeping bags that Cassandra assumed contained Ezekiel as she couldn't actually see him. Getting dressed quickly, as the morning air had a bit of a bite to it, she unzipped the tent. Stepping through, she looked back and couldn't help at smiling at what she saw. Jake was pulling back one of the sleeping bags and upon discovering their slumbering partner, he placed a loud kiss on Ezekiel's lips. She could tell it woke Ezekiel up because his face got the cutest nose scrunch, before he scowled sleepily up at Jake. Zipping back up the tent she left to find breakfast, leaving Jake to their recumbent partner.
~The Librarians~
Ezekiel squinted up at his boyfriend, and wondered for the hundredth time how anyone could be so chipper at such an ungodly hour. Trying to pull the sleeping bag back up over his head he was denied by the stupidly strong cowboy kneeling above him. Not only that but Jake had the audacity to completely uncover, him letting in the cold mountain air. In revenge Ezekiel shot up, grabbed a very surprised Jake and pulled him down, rolling them until Jake was on the bottom with Ezekiel straddling him.
Laughing at Jake's shocked expression; Ezekiel couldn't help but lean over and give him a kiss in sympathy. Jake pushed up and deepened the kiss briefly before breaking it and rolling them back over until he was once again on top. He smirked down at Ezekiel before he gave Ezekiel's lips a brief peck then he kissed and bit his way down his boyfriend's neck. Ezekiel couldn't help the moan that escaped as Jake lightly scraped his collarbone with his teeth. In response, he carded one hand through Jake's hair and tightened his legs around his boyfriend's hips urging him on, but was soon disappointed when Jake drew back.
Jake gave him a wink and with a playful pat on his cheek he untangled himself saying, "Breakfast is ready. Time to get up!" He left the tent, whistling an obnoxiously cheerful tune.
"You bastard!" Ezekiel shouted at his boyfriend's retreating back although there was no real heat to it.
Shivering, he quickly got dressed and joined the other two by the fire, where he pointedly gave Cassandra a thorough kiss while ignoring Jake who just laughed and handed him his breakfast. When his boyfriend turned away Ezekiel gave Jake a good smack to his posterior as a way to say thanks, and he couldn't help but smirk at the yelp it elicited.
Sitting down, he tucked into his food as though he hadn't eaten in a week. He was starving. There was something about the air up here that did things to his appetite. With Cassandra on his left and Jake on his right, Ezekiel couldn't help but think that this was maybe the happiest moment of his life. He knew it was because of the two people sitting beside him. Sitting up a bit straighter, Ezekiel realized he didn't want this week to end. With that thought he knew what he needed to do.
"So what time are we leaving?" Cassandra asked as she collected their plates and set them aside.
"Um, we don't have to be at the cabin until five so we should start packing shortly after lunch," Jake said. They had an appointment at an abandoned cabin a couple of miles north. Although abandoned, the cabin still had a doorway and that was where Jenkins would open the annex door for them to go home. Jake stretched his hands high above his head and twisted to one side trying to work out the kinks in his spine.
Ezekiel couldn't help but stare as Jake's shirt rode up, showing off his boyfriend's firm abdomen. Glancing over as Cassandra, he saw he wasn't the only one who noticed. He gave her a wink, in return she waggled her eyebrows at him, and they shared a playful smile.
"Maybe we could hike down to the lake again," Cassie said, sitting back down and holding out her hands to try to catch some of the heat from the fire.
"Ah man, that was a beautiful spot," Jake said in a nostalgic tone.
Ezekiel had to agree; although not normally an outdoorsman, even he had fallen in love with the lake they had found. They had picnicked there several times and since they hadn't seen anyone in the seven days they had been there they had actually convinced Jake to go skinny dipping with them. Although it had been a short lived adventure as the lake's water source was snow melt and was therefore bitterly cold.
Cassandra and Jake continued to debate the various merits of hiking to the lake versus just taking it easy at their campsite. Ezekiel was only half listening as he tried to psych himself up. He knew what he wanted to say but he was still nervous. What if they weren't ready?
Finally Ezekiel realized it had gotten quiet. Glancing up, he saw that both Jake and Cassandra were looking at him.
"Are you okay Ezekiel?" Cassandra asked as she placed a hand on his knee. Jake's face was pulled down in a frown as he waited for Ezekiel's answer.
Ezekiel brought Cassandra's hand up to his mouth and gave it a gentle kiss before he sprung out of his seat. He walked around the campfire, started pacing. Ezekiel walked back and forth a couple of times before stopping, and, taking in a deep breath, he tried to speak from the heart.
"I've loved this past week. Loved doesn't even seem to be a strong enough word. I have reveled in it, relished it and taken joy in every moment," Ezekiel said. He could see they were still looking at him with concern.
Ezekiel ran a hand through his hair, frustrated that he couldn't get the words that lived in his heart to make their way out of his mouth with any clarity, so he tried again, "I never wanted to do any of this domestic junk," he said, turning in a circle with hands outstretched indicating the campsite. "I never wanted to share my home, my money, or my life with anyone. I never wanted to stay still long enough to make any lasting connections, until I met you." Ezekiel said matter-of-factly. He continued in a softer tone, "Now I want Jake to drag me and Cassie to bed because it's late. I want to have Sunday brunch that we've cooked ourselves. I want Thursday nights to be movie nights where we take turns picking which movie and where we always end up cuddling on the couch. I want to fall asleep in our bed and wake up with you two every morning. And I want the three of us living in each other's space." Ezekiel stopped.
Both Jake and Cassie looked shocked at his outburst. Finally, Ezekiel decided to go for broke, "You know I'm in love with both of you, and now I want us to move in together. We could all move into one of our apartments or we could look for another oneā¦"
He stopped speaking when Jake stood up and strode forward. Cupping Ezekiel's face between his hands and leaning forward until their foreheads were resting against each other Jake said, "I love you so much." Then he surged forward taking Ezekiel's mouth in a passionate kiss which Ezekiel returned just as ardently.
As the kiss ended, Cassandra pulled Ezekiel towards her. She had the biggest smile on her face and she said, "Yes!" before she wrapped her arms around him kissing him breathless. "I love you," she whispered once the kiss ended and she laid her head on his chest and he held her in a tight embrace.
Then he felt Jake against his back and the older man wrapped his arms around both of them. He whispered in their ears that maybe they should skip the hike and move this celebration into the tent. One of his hands was taken by Cassandra as she lead them to the tent and as his other was taken by Jake, Ezekiel thought that maybe this moment was his happiest.
The End
