(Author's note: Finn & Carl angst, a milestone for Finn & Blaine, and some D/s and threesome sexing with bonus voyeurism. -amy)

Finn brought the mail in with him when he got back from class on Wednesday. The Priority Mail envelope was addressed to "Everyone, Hudson-Hummel-Puckerman," from a PO Box in Los Angeles. Finn knew what that meant. The empty house wasn't going to give him any ideas about what might be in the envelope, but he figured he should at least ask somebody before he opened a package from his boyfriends' boyfriend, no matter who it was addressed to.

We got something from Adam, he texted Kurt. Puck answered his phone more often now, but he was babysitting Duncan and Cory, and wrangling three kids was enough to keep anyone from replying to a text. Kurt, on the other hand, always answered immediately.

Oh, I bet it's the tickets, said Kurt. Open it?

Finn pulled the tab and ripped the envelope open, dumping the contents out onto the table.

Five tickets? Finn asked. And a note for you, and one for Noah. He shuffled the papers, pausing in surprise. And one for Blaine.

He was very sweet to him on the phone the other day, was Kurt's reply.

He poured himself a glass of water and drank before asking the next question. Why are some of the tickets different colors?

I'm thinking it's because three of them are backstage passes. Those are for me and Blaine and Noah. You get the other two.

Finn shook his head. Who exactly am I supposed to take with me? Rachel's still at Oberlin.

Adam meant for them to be for you and Carl.

He thought, with only a little residual pain, about the conversation they'd had back in early spring about going out on a date somewhere together, further away than Columbus, to a place where no one would know them. Where they could just be Carl and Finn, he'd said. Finn hadn't realized at the time what a dangerous idea that had been — not because they would be at risk of being noticed, but because his heart had become very attached to the idea, very quickly.

I don't think I can do that, he replied.

I think you could, said Kurt. If you wanted to.

He sighed, leaning his head in his hand, and dialed Carl's number. Yes, he wanted to. That wasn't the problem — or maybe it was.

It was still startling to call Carl's office and hear Mark's voice instead of Angela's.

"May I tell him who's calling?" Mark asked politely.

It set Finn's teeth on edge, not least because Mark looked more than a little bit like him. He was pretty sure Mark and Carl had known each other for a while, maybe since college. He had to wonder what other assorted duties were involved in being Carl's slave, even a temporary one.

"It's Finn," he said. "I'll hold."

He had all the time in the world. Summer school was draggingly slow. Now that he was only taking one class, he had plenty of time to study. At least the summer school teacher, Ms. Holliday, was awesome. She made everything so much more funny and entertaining, he barely felt like he was working at learning Spanish at all.

Finn set the phone on the counter on speaker and made himself a sandwich, moving Beth's formula containers aside to reach the cheese on the middle shelf of the fridge.

"Finn," came Carl's voice. He sounded as brisk and calm as ever, if a little wary, but it still gave him a shock to hear it. "How can I help you today?"

"I have something," Finn said. He willed away the emotions that threatened to get in the way of his proposal. "For you and me. Adam sent us a pair of tickets to his concert in Cleveland on July 9th."

Carl didn't answer immediately. When he did, Finn couldn't detect any hidden emotion. "Would you prefer to take one of your boys?"

"They already have tickets. Better ones than us. I think we're on our own for this."

"I see. It'd be a pleasure to see Adam in concert. I'm assuming that you'd be all right going with me, then?"

"Yeah, I think so. I mean, yes. I want to go with you."

There was another silence. Carl cleared his throat. "Okay. How about I arrange for transportation?"

"You mean the Corvette?" Finn wasn't going to ask if he could drive, but just riding in it would be fun. There were too many things he missed. He wasn't going to think about them all.

"I was thinking about a driver."

"I'd — rather we just go by ourselves," Finn said. He was not going to sit in a car for an hour and a half with Carl and Mark. "I could drive, if you want. I have a car now."

"There's no need for that. I can certainly drive. Please tell Adam I appreciate the invitation. We'll talk again before the show about solidifying our plans. Will I see you this week?"

"Yes sir."

"Thank you, Finn. Don't forget to bring your meditation log. I want to see your progress. Cómo va tu español?"

"I'm acing it. Second time around's the charm, I guess. Um, I should probably get going. Thanks again."

Finn didn't quite hang up on him, but it was close to that. He had made it through the whole conversation, all the references to everything in their past and what they were doing now and it was the damn Spanish class that was going to reduce him to tears.

He sat there at the table, crying into his hands and wiping his eyes, for several minutes before he told himself to stop. Told himself, because Carl wasn't telling him anything anymore.

That wasn't quite true. What Carl was doing for him now was strictly disciplinary. The plug training had continued, because Finn had asked for it. By now he was experienced at resisting the impulses that came over him when he inserted a toy made by Carl's own hand into his ass each day. The flogging and whipping brought him out of his head enough that he felt balanced and reasonably sane, but it was still hard to deal with the aftermath without Carl's arms around him. The one time he'd tried to ask for it, Carl had gently told him that's beyond my boundaries.

But Carl hadn't said anything about his boundaries here. They were going to a concert together, in Cleveland, where no one knew them, just like they'd originally planned to do. Was it going to be a date?

Maybe it really would be okay, Finn thought. He took the tickets and stuck them up on the bulletin board beside the fridge with a pushpin, leaving the letters for Kurt and Puck and Blaine.

Blaine would be here tonight, at least. That gave Finn an enormous charge. Blaine had come to visit twice more this week, driving home with Kurt from rehearsal. Both times, he'd slept in Kurt's bed with Kurt and Puck, and Finn had camped out on the green couch. It felt good to be downstairs. That way he was near enough that if any of them needed him, he'd be there — none of them had, but it had been fine, anyway — and still far enough away that he didn't feel like he was getting in the way of the sex things they wanted to do.

There was something powerful and exciting about watching Blaine get worked up about Puck and Kurt. It was almost like it didn't matter anymore that he wasn't involved, because his boys, doing things together, made him nothing but smug and satisfied.

Well, okay, it was a huge turn-on, too. He couldn't feel too guilty about jerking off on the couch while the three of them were together in Kurt's bedroom. It didn't matter whether or not he could hear what they were doing; he knew what they were doing. And chances were pretty good he'd get a play-by-play from Puck the next day, if he wanted one — which would get Puck riled up all over again, and Finn would have a reasonable excuse for wanting to climb on top of him and screw him senseless. Not that he needed a reason to want to do that.

Eventually, the image of Blaine and Kurt and Puck together settled his brain enough that he stopped crying. He didn't need to think about Carl anymore. He would eat his lunch, do his homework, and wait for his boys to come home.

"The driveway is still a pretty scary place," Finn warned. Kurt obliged by slowing down as they approached the house site.

"It'll be fine," Kurt said. He looked over at Finn, jiggling his knee in the front seat beside him, and smiled. "You can just relax, you know? It's a picnic."

"I know it's a picnic." Puck's food notwithstanding, it wasn't a formal event or anything. But Finn felt as nervous and excited as he would have if it had been a graduation party. Sarah had been a good partner in crime, helping him get the space ready and keeping the details a secret.

"Just let me know what I can do to help," said Blaine. He held his potluck donation on his lap: a bowl of baked beans, contributed by his mother.

She, at least, seemed to be all right with Blaine dating a boy from Lima, even if she only knew about one of them. Blaine's father, on the other hand, didn't know about any of them. Finn couldn't figure out how Mr. Anderson could be both gay and also so full of judgment for his son. It made him angry enough that he was kind of grateful Blaine hadn't introduced them yet.

"You can help me carry the sausages and steak to the grill," said Finn.

Kurt looked over at him curiously. "You brought your grill out here?"

Puck let out a shout of laughter, tapping on the window.

"Holy shit, Finn. Did you do all this by yourself?"

"Not all of it." They climbed out of the Navigator onto the rocky parking area, where the construction equipment and trailer sat silent. Nobody was working on Fourth of July weekend, but the field beyond the road, where there had been little more than scrub grass, had been transformed. Finn had cultivated the ground as well as he could manage. A little further in, he'd erected a standing pavilion tent as shade against the hot July sun, and set up a fiberglass picnic table underneath. The gas grill was in the shade of the nearest of the oaks. On the far side, there was a double border of annuals in a rainbow array of colors, with a bird feeder and a bench in the center.

Puck surveyed the makeshift yard with obvious delight, carrying Beth's car seat in one hand and his personal kitchen tools in the other. "This is fucking awesome."

Finn nodded, pleased by his reaction. "Sarah did the planning, but my mom did the actual gardening. I think she wants a pond or a bird bath or something eventually."

After they unloaded all the food and plastic dishes from the back of the Navigator, Kurt and Blaine spread a thick blanket on top of the ground, half of it extending under the pavilion. Then Kurt unbuckled Beth from her carrier, lifting her out to rest in the shade of the blanket and blink up at the sky.

"Kurt," called Puck, "where's that spice rub container I put together last night? And the marinade?"

Kurt sighed, looking between Beth and Puck. Blaine bent down, easily scooping her up.

"I can take her for a while," he offered.

Kurt was obviously relieved. "Are you sure?"

"I've been spending time with her this week. I think I've got the hang of it. Why don't I take a walk around the property?" He looked up at Finn. "You want to come with me?"

"Sure," said Finn, feeling startled, but he moved to stand beside Blaine immediately. A walk sounded like exactly what he needed.

"It's not that large," said Kurt. He shooed them away, already heading for Puck and the grill. "Dad and Carole will be here in a half hour. I'll shout at you if I need any support."

Blaine looked completely at ease carrying Beth. He plucked off her socks before she could complain about them and tucked them into the pocket of his twill shorts as they headed toward the edge of the property.

"You did all this for us," he said, smiling at Finn.

Finn grinned, his hands in his pockets. "Yeah, I guess I did."

"You can be proud." His eyes were teasing. "It's your place."

"My place to be proud?" Finn scuffed the ground with the sole of his shoe. "It's not that nice."

"No," laughed Blaine. "Your place. It's your home. You're taking care of it, like you —"

The way Blaine cut himself off made Finn step in closer, reaching for him and resting a hand on his back. It was strange to feel Blaine beside him at the same time that Beth was there. She turned her wobbly head, watching Finn.

"I want to," said Finn. Blaine shivered slightly.

"I want you to. You are. I mean, I'm not saying you're not. I'm saying —" He took a deep breath. "I've been thinking. About what we did in Carl's office last month."

Thinking about that in any detail, here in the warmth of the afternoon, was going to make Finn more than a little dizzy. He moved them further toward the shade. "All right?"

"Yeah. I — I don't exactly know what you thought about it, but…" Blaine looked up at him, watching his face for cues. Finn kept his expression carefully neutral. "There were things that happened? I think we need to talk about it."

There had been a lot of things, but the only one Finn could think about at the moment was Blaine, cuffed and helpless, as he shot his load against the front of Carl's leather couch while Finn spanked him. Finn swallowed on a dry throat. "Okay. What — what do you want to talk about?"

Blaine stopped in the shade of the stand of oaks, facing him, his expression resolute. "I've been thinking about it a lot, and I think… I think I might need that."

"Need what?" Finn was kind of amazed his voice wasn't cracking into a million pieces.

"That kind of… what we were trying to get to. That kind of…" Blaine was clearly embarrassed, but he pressed on. "That kind of deep submission. I didn't exactly get there. I mean, I got somewhere, but I…"

"I think I understand," said Finn. Right there, with Blaine's face six inches from his, asking for that… it was all he could do not to twist his arms behind his back and march him off to the Navigator. "It wasn't about that kind of release."

Blaine hung his head. "It wasn't supposed to be."

"Blaine, I think you thought you have this idea you were bad for letting go like that. But I think it was exactly what you needed to do."

Blaine's relief was palpable. "So that… what happened, that was — okay? I didn't completely weird you out?"

"No, no." Finn put his arms around him loosely, mindful of Beth against his chest. "It was fine."

"Because I think I could have let go more, if I hadn't been so hung up on worrying about that," he said. "And I think I understand myself better, what I need, now that I've… after meeting Puck and Kurt. I know what I want."

"I'm really glad to hear that." Finn brushed his cheek against Blaine's forehead, and Blaine sighed in pleasure. "Don't worry about what you want. Whatever it is, we all want you to have it."

Blaine laughed. "I think that sounds a little too good to be true. But I'll try to be more forthcoming with telling you when I need something. I trust you." He put his hand over Finn's chest. "It was okay, with Carl there, but I think… it would be better if it was just us."

"Yeah," Finn said immediately, feeling better. "That's what I want, too."

The way Blaine looked at him, shy and hopeful and a little goofy, melted his heart at the same time it inspired a lot of other feelings. "Yeah?"

"Well, yeah. Being there with Carl taught me some things, though. I think some of those triggers we were using helped you let go. You know, the collar, the lead, all the formal positions? That stuff would drive Puck nuts, but… I think you liked it."

Blaine blushed, looking away. "Yes."

Finn followed his instinct, reaching for Blaine's face and drawing it back to meet his eyes. Blaine stared up at Finn, ignoring Beth's mild fussing.

"Yes?" Finn asked softly. He waited.

"Yes," Blaine echoed. "S-sir."

He brushed Blaine's loose curls behind his ear. "That's my good boy."

"That's okay too?" Blaine asked. He sounded a little desperate. "I can call you that? I don't want to do anything you don't want."

Finn had to laugh. He pulled Blaine as close as he dared with Beth between them. "Trust me, I'll tell you very clearly if you do anything I don't want. You can do that."

Blaine let out a shuddery sigh, resting his head on Finn's chest. "All right."

"Say it again," said Finn.

It was impulsive, asking for it like that, but Blaine immediately said, "Yes, sir," and Finn found himself responding with a little noise. Blaine laughed again, clearly relieved.

"You're going to let me do that?"

"No," said Finn, with emphasis. "I'm going to require it."

Blaine's ragged breathing was loud in his ear. Finn could have turned his head and kissed him, could have done so much more than that, but he knew that wasn't where Blaine needed to go at the moment. He maintained his position, holding him against him, until Blaine relaxed.

"Are you sure?" The question came out in a whisper.

"Blaine."

"Oh." Blaine caught his breath. "Yes, sir."

Finn released him, taking his hand before Blaine could protest. He looked overwhelmed.

"Can you wait until after the picnic?" Finn asked. "For me to give you a spanking?"

The answer was slow in coming, but at last, Blaine nodded. "Yes. Sir."

"I'll take care of you before bed. Just remember that. You can have a good time here, knowing that I'll be there for you, back at the house."

"Can I —" Blaine bit his lip, his hazel eyes so full of doubt. Finn could scarcely bear to see it.

"Ask for what you want."

Blane's cheeks were scarlet. "May I sleep with you tonight? Please?"

"Yeah." He clasped Blaine's hand, holding it between the two of them, because if he took him back into his arms, he wasn't going to want to let go. "You've been wanting that?" Not you'd rather sleep with me than with Puck and Kurt, because that would make it sound like it was a competition, and he really didn't want that.

"I don't sleep nearly as well without you," Blaine admitted.

Finn smiled. "You think that's a shameful thing?" He let Blaine flounder with an answer before adding in a whisper, "I miss sleeping with you, too."

"Yeah?" Blaine smiled tentatively back. "I don't know how we could do that more often, but… I wish we could. The way it was at Toby's, and with you in Kurt's bed, that was so nice. But I know Puck sleeps better with me. Plus, you're kind of short on beds at your house right now."

Finn looked across the yard to where Kurt was stretched out on the blanket in the sun, one arm flung over his face, and Puck was twirling his spatula over the webbing of his thumb. "Kurt's bed's not really big enough for all four of us."

Blaine was silent for an extended series of heartbeats. Finn let him struggle with the idea.

"It's not that I don't —" Blaine said. He patted Beth's back. After another moment, he tried again. "I love sleeping with Puck and Kurt, too. But I think — no, I know — things would… happen. And I wouldn't want you to feel anything bad about that."

"I wouldn't feel bad," Finn assured him. "They're my boyfriends too, Blaine. If you didn't want there to be anything sexual, there wouldn't be, but if there was, none of us would mind. It would just be up to you to say that you were uncomfortable."

"I don't think I would be uncomfortable," he said. He shook his head, smiling. "The idea is… magical. But the bed, you're right, it's too small for three, much less four."

Finn nodded. "So how about tonight, I get my sleeping bag and the blow-up mattress, and make a space on the floor in Kurt's room. Then when you're ready to sleep, you can just come lie down with me."

They were almost back to the pavilion. Blaine slowed his steps, hanging back in the shade, away from view of the rest of the family. "You'd do that?"

"It sounds pretty good to me." Finn kept his voice very matter-of-fact. He was determined to make this work for Blaine. Whatever weirdness there might be about listening to Blaine and Puck and Kurt having sex, he could deal with that himself. He didn't need to make it anybody else's issue. "You'd be right there if Puck had trouble sleeping."

Blaine cocked his head, thinking. "He did talk about how much trouble he has sleeping sometimes, but I haven't seen it."

"What do you mean, you haven't seen it?"

"He sleeps fine when he's with me?" Blaine shrugged, clearly thinking this was no big deal. Finn stared at him for another moment, then smiled.

"Must be that he's so wiped out by the time you're done with him —"

"Oh my god," Blaine cried, rolling his eyes. "You're not going to make this a sex joke. Not after the stories I've heard about the three of you."

"You should hear the stories about them and Adam." Finn nudged him in the ribs, making him protest and dodge away. "C'mon, let's deliver Beth to my mom. I brought a croquet set, if you know how to play that."

"Croquet." That settled him down, and he smiled.

"It was Sarah's idea. She guessed Kurt would like that."

Blaine seemed calmer, which was always a relief. His reaction to Finn suggesting the use of the word sir could have been a lot worse, but it seemed that was going to be okay, too. They'd figure out the specifics later. Finn thought, not for the first time, that he was going to have to find a space for discipline, soon. There was only so much he could do at the house with everyone else around.

Finn let Blaine dig the croquet set out of the car while he went over to Kurt, talking to his mom. She was holding a flat of bright red flowers.

"I'm not going to add them now," she was saying. "I just couldn't pass up the sale. They were practically free, so we can enjoy them as long as they survive." She smiled at him. "Hi, honey. Everything looks wonderful."

"Puck was totally surprised." He tugged on Kurt's sleeve. "Can I ask you something?"

"Yes, I have sunblock?" Kurt guessed. "Yes, I brought You-Hoo? Yes, Blaine can spend the night with you?"

"Actually, I was thinking I'd crash in your room on the air mattress. You really brought You-Hoo?"

"Would I joke about your chocolate fixation?" Kurt closed the space between the two of them. It felt so familiar and easy and so mutually enjoyable, they both just stood there for a minute, appreciating it. "You're going to sleep in my room with Blaine?"

"He wants to sleep with me. He wants to do other stuff with you. I mean, I can come in later if that would be less weird."

Kurt shrugged. "This is already totally weird, being outside and letting you hug me."

"Nobody's around for a quarter mile in any direction," Finn pointed out. "Except for the cars going sixty down Bellefontaine. I doubt they'll be looking."

"I know. I think we're safe. It's a good weird."

"I really understand good weird."

Kurt sighed. "Okay, I don't think it would be bad weird, having you in the room. If you don't think it would be bad weird for you?"

"That actually wasn't my question. I was going to ask what you thought about Blaine being there while I cuffed Puck to the bed tonight."

"Oh. Oh, wow. That would definitely…" Kurt shook his head, looking dazed. "To tell you the truth, I have no idea how he'd react."

Blaine called me sir, Finn wanted to say, feeling the significance of it, but he wasn't going to bring it up with Kurt while they were at the picnic. "I think he needs to see us do it and find out. And I think Puck really could use it."

Kurt probed him with his eyes. "You saw Carl on Thursday, right?"

"I'm all right," Finn said, trying not to make it dismissive. Kurt knew what he needed as well as anyone — and he was right, of course. "Yeah. I did. We'll see how Blaine responds to seeing my lash marks. Maybe I should keep my shirt on."

"You could ask him. Or at least prepare him." Kurt reached up and laid a fond hand on Finn's cheek. "You are amazing, putting this all together. Thank you."

"I'm really glad you like it. I wanted it to be perfect."

"Perfect." Kurt raised an eyebrow. "That's a tall order." He sang one of the songs P!nk had sung with them at Adam's house, making Finn smile:

Mistaken, always second guessing, underestimating
Look, I'm still around

"Perfect doesn't mean no mistakes," Finn said. "It just means… where I belong, right here, right now. Which is pretty much how I feel about you."

Kissing Kurt there on the grass did feel kind of weird, but definitely not bad weird. Finn was able to let the weird get swallowed up by the sensation of Kurt's mouth and hands, and to stop trying not to be turned on by being close to Blaine and to let himself be turned on by being close to Kurt.

"Um," said Blaine.

They turned to face him. Kurt held onto Finn with a firm grip, not letting him step away. "Is it time to eat?"

"Yeah, Puck said we could come to the grill with our plates." Blaine was grinning. "Actually, what he said was, Tell the guys to stop macking and let me sling some meat into their buns."

Kurt snorted. "Did he actually say that, or did you just want to have an excuse to say it yourself?"

"Me?" said Blaine, touching his chest, his eyes widening, a picture of innocence. "I have no idea what you're… oh, look, a squirrel."

They followed Blaine to the picnic table to get their plates, Kurt holding Finn's hand. He was tall enough now that he could swing it a little as they walked.

"It already feels like home," Kurt told him. "This space, the way the driveway is tucked behind the grass and opens to the front. I think once construction is done, we should plant a big tree right there." He pointed toward the road. "Next to the mailbox."

"Sarah will tell you what can go where. I'm surprised she even let my mom plant things. She liked the birdhouse, though." He gave Kurt's hand a squeeze before letting it go.

"I know you want Blaine here," said Kurt. "And I'm glad it's not weird, or at least not bad-weird. If there's anything you'd rather we not do tonight, you can tell me that."

All the thoughts Finn was able to entertain regarding Blaine in Kurt's room definitely involved the word do more than the word don't. Thinking about them was far more stimulating than he needed at the moment. He brought to bear his training, and focused his thoughts on something other than Blaine and Kurt and Puck in bed together.

"If I think of anything, I'll let you know," he told Kurt.

"My heart stops… when you look at me… just one touch… now baby I believe…"

Blaine sang the whole time he was getting ready for bed, even while he was brushing his teeth. Kurt and Puck kept looking at one another, then at the bathroom door, and laughing. Finn knew they weren't teasing him, so he didn't say anything about it. After all the performing they'd done together that spring, Blaine's singing was as familiar to him as Kurt's or Puck's.

"Is your cousin Katy really going to include that on her new album?" Blaine stuck his head out from the bathroom. "I can't get it out of my head."

"I haven't talked to her since the reunion," said Finn. He turned off the inflator and screwed the cap onto the mattress, testing it with one hand. "I guess we'll find out in August when the album comes out."

"You think she'd mind if I sang it with the Warblers?"

"Oh, wow. I have no idea, but… I could ask?" He laughed. "I told her about Puck and Kurt this summer. Her only response was, I'll send you a wedding invitation for Finn Hudson and guest and guest. Maybe she could add another guest to that."

Blaine looked a lot less overwhelmed by this idea than he would have a couple weeks ago. Finn thought he might be getting used to the strange dynamics of their family pretty quickly. He felt a rush of pride for his boy.

But when he walked into the bathroom to brush his own teeth, Blaine was standing there silently, looking at the hickory box on the counter. It was the larger one, the one with the drawer in the bottom that held a wicked paddle. The top lid was open, and Blaine could see the row of plugs of increasing size. The one that was missing was not enormous, but it wasn't small either. He looked up at Finn with guilt all over his face.

"I'm sorry," he said quickly. "I just — I thought it was a jewelry box."

Finn made himself smile. "It's something Carl made for me. Part of my disciplinary training."

Blaine's eyes strayed back to the plug-shaped indentation in the velvet. "You mean you're—" He stopped before the sentence went any further.

"Blaine. It's okay. You can ask whatever you want."

"I don't want to make you… upset." Blaine looked up at him with anxious determination. "But I know that relationship meant so much to you. I just can't understand why you'd want to give it up."

"It wasn't good for us," he said. "It didn't matter how good it felt. It wasn't giving either of us what we needed."

Blaine nodded. He carefully closed the box. Then he turned and hugged Finn, hard, and Finn's arms automatically came around to enfold him. Blaine smelled so good this close against him. Finn made himself stay calm.

"I'm sorry," Blaine whispered.

"It's okay, b-Blaine." He'd found himself doing that more and more often. The more he heard Kurt's and Puck's endearments for Blaine, the less point he saw in trying to mask his own. But Blaine had told him no. He'd said, I don't want that from you.

Kurt was still applying his moisturizer when they came out of the bathroom. Puck paused for a kiss from Blaine before taking his turn brushing his teeth.

"You're sure this is okay with your father?" Blaine asked.

"He can't be hypocritical if he let Adam Lambert sleep in this bed with us," said Kurt. "He likes you, Blaine, but that's beside the point. It's my room; I get to make the rules."

Finn tucked sheets over a blanket on top of the air mattress and spread the top sheet and another blanket over that. He put two pillows at the head. Then he stood up and went to Kurt's bed, beside where Blaine was waiting.

"I have to ask you something," said Finn. He picked up the chains fastened to the bed and held them up for Blaine to see. Kurt put down his cup of thick, creamy moisturizer as Blaine took a step back, his eyes enormous.

"Oh, Finn," he said, sounding panicked, "I really can't."

"Not for you, Blaine. For Puck. I want you to have a chance to be around him when he's in that state, but if it makes you uncomfortable, we don't have to do it tonight."

Blaine looked at the chains, then back at the bathroom. "Doesn't he get a say?"

Finn had to smile. "No, he doesn't."

"Are you — are you going to use that on him?" Blaine was indicating the paddle beside their pillow with a brief nod of his head.

"I might," Kurt said. Blaine blinked, turning to face him. "I'm usually the one who chooses the paddle. Finn tends to use a flogger on Noah."

"Oh." He sounded a little faint. "Yes. All right. I can — um. I'm not sure what I would do, while you were doing that?"

"You'll have to decide what you can handle."

Finn could tell Blaine wasn't in any position to be making decisions. He took him by the hand and led him over to the bathroom, where Puck was standing shirtless in front of the mirror, shaving his head.

"Set that down," he told him. Puck did so, watching him with curiosity. "Now get on the bed. Kurt's going to get your collar."

Puck hesitated long enough that Finn reached out and swatted him. It was a loud blow, if not a hard one, and Blaine flinched at Puck's startled "Hey!"

"Beth's with Shelby. We're not going to waste this opportunity. On the bed, on your knees. I won't tell you again."

Puck didn't move. He looked carefully at Blaine's worried face.

"Are you going to be okay with this?" he asked. His voice was so gentle.

"Yes," said Blaine. He nodded, taking Puck's hands. "I'm okay with it. I never want to stand in the way of you being who you are."

That simple sentiment seemed to rock Puck back, and as he went to kneel on the bed, it was in a mood of contemplation. He waited in silence while Kurt took out his collar and buckled it around his neck.

"My good boy." Kurt kissed Puck once before turning to Blaine. "Why don't you sit on the bed next to him."

Puck avoided Blaine's gaze, keeping his eyes on his lap, but he accepted Blaine sitting close beside him. Blaine reached over and touched the tattoo on Puck's chest. He knew what it meant by now, and he'd seen all three of theirs. Finn turned off the light in the bathroom, closed the door, and went to sit cross-legged on the air mattress.

"Do you think you could make a space for him to be on all fours?" Kurt asked.

Blaine immediately moved to the side while Puck turned and knelt. His breathing was a little heavier now, but he remained calm enough.

"Noah," began Kurt.

"Do you," interrupted Blaine, and waited, looking up at Kurt. At first Kurt thought Blaine was asking him a question, but he turned back to Puck. "Do you have anything you want to let go of?"

Finn almost laughed to hear the question coming from Blaine. Kurt looked astounded. He lowered the paddle.

"Go on, Noah," he said.

"I —" Puck took a while to come up with some words. Finn couldn't tell for certain, but he didn't think it was because he was falling into subspace. He sounded sober and calm when he spoke, not upset. "I called Adam this morning and Tommy picked up. He said it was too early and I shouldn't call, and I told him to get off the fucking phone and let it go to voice mail."

"Mmmm." Kurt ran a hand over Puck's back. "You have a sense of why he did that?"

"Because it was early," Puck said. He took a calming breath, but Finn could see his head wasn't dropping, and he hadn't responded to Kurt's touch the way he usually did. "He was probably up late the night before. I could've called back later. Or asked him what time I should call back. I was just pissed that he answered Adam's phone."

"You might call and apologize tomorrow. He's Adam's friend."

"Yes, sir."

Blaine didn't look upset by any of this exchange, but when Kurt picked up the paddle again and rested it on Puck's back, he looked over at Finn. "He knows what he did wrong."

"He does sometimes," Finn agreed softly.

"So why can't he just apologize and be done with it?"

Puck was the one to chuckle. "That's like saying knowing tape will fix a rip is as good as fixing it. I'm not gonna feel it until they give me a chance to — to rip apart, so they can tape me back together."

Blaine stroked Puck's head, still looking thoughtful. "But you're not doing that. You're not. Is he?" This last was aimed at Finn.

"Not yet," said Finn.

Kurt's first four blows yielded little response — as did the next four, and the next. Puck bore the impact, but he was clearly not submitting to it.

"Noah," Kurt said, trying not to sound exasperated.

"I'm sorry." Puck really did sound sorry. "I'm not trying to be an asshole."

Finn stood up, walking over to the bed and reaching over Puck to take Blaine's hand. "Come with me."

Blaine looked startled, but he followed Finn obediently back to the air mattress. When Puck tried to turn his head to watch Blaine, Kurt spoke sharply. "Eyes on me. We're going to work on your focus."

Puck made a deep, possessive noise in his chest. Kurt grasped Puck's neck and thrust it into the bed, pushing him off-balance.

"Focus," Kurt said again, his voice sweet and light as always.

Puck exhaled through the next six swats, and he didn't voice any kind of objection. Finn gathered Blaine in close. If he overwhelmed his senses, Blaine wouldn't have any choice but to let go.

He hummed into Blaine's ear, speaking to him closely. "You'll stay here with me while Noah gets what he needs."

"Yes sir," Blaine whispered back. "His collar."

"Yes," said Finn. "Do you wish you had yours?"

"Yeah." His face was red. Finn could see Puck watching them out of the corner of his eye, his head suspended low between his shoulders, while Kurt worked him over with the paddle.

"I'm going to get it for you, all right? Stay on the bed. Kurt and Puck, they're right here." Finn scrambled off the bed, watching Blaine as he went. Blaine huddled against the pillow, his arms around his knees, and kept his eyes fixed on Kurt's paddle.

His mom was in the kitchen, but she didn't say anything as he edged past her into Puck's room. Blaine's collar was in the top drawer of Puck's dresser. Finn picked it up, glancing behind him into the kitchen, and tucked it under his shirt. Then he huffed in exasperation and brought it out again, holding it firmly in both hands. I have nothing to hide, he told himself.

His mom took one look at the collar and looked away in a hurry, turning her attention back to the sink. Finn ignored her right back, though his face was flaming, and walked determinedly downstairs.

He paused outside Kurt's room, listening to the faint, urgent noises on the other side. They were familiar enough, but knowing Blaine was in there made it so much more intense.

For a moment, he wasn't sure if he could do it. They'll be fine without me, he thought, his eyes closed. Then he heard Kurt say, "Blaine," once, very firmly, and without thinking, he grasped the doorknob and went right in.

Everyone was where they had been minutes before. Puck was still on the bed, his back arched and quivering; Kurt was standing beside him, the paddle hovering above his behind. Blaine was on the air mattress, wedged against the pillow. He had both hands over his mouth, and his eyes were glistening.

"Here," Finn said, moving to sit beside him. In one swift motion, he buckled the collar around Blaine's neck. Blaine sucked in a breath, like a gasp, and his arms went around Finn and did not let go. Finn could feel each inhalation and exhalation against the curve of his neck.

First Kurt, then Puck, sighed. It was a settled sound. After that, Puck bore the paddle in silence — until Kurt tossed it onto the pillow and climbed on top of him with a growl.

Finn knew how much Kurt appreciated being watched. At one point, riding Puck hard, he sent such a smoldering look toward Blaine that Finn felt it like a physical blow. Blaine squirmed and moaned quietly, but he did not move from Finn's arms, not even when Puck began making noises that clearly indicated enjoyment.

Finn tucked him in tighter. "You doing okay?" he whispered.

Blaine nodded. "They're… they're really…"

"Yeah," Finn agreed. "I know."

He turned his face toward the bed, yearning toward them. Finn took Blaine's hands, unwinding them from around his waist, and held his wrists bound. Blaine blinked at him.

"Go to them. I'll be here."

He hesitated. "I don't think they need me."

"Maybe not, but that doesn't mean you don't get to enjoy being with them. Puck got what he needed… and so did Kurt." He grinned, watching Blaine's eyes dilate. "I bet they'd totally love to take care of you together."

"But I'm —" Blaine swallowed, licking his lips. He glanced down, then back up at Finn. "I'm yours."

"Yeah. You are." Finn ran a finger over Blaine's collar, watching his eyelids drop shut. Then he looked over at Puck, trapped beneath Kurt's body on the bed. Puck was watching them with this amazing expression on his face, satisfaction mixed with desire and a kind of hunger Finn didn't quite know what to do with.

Finn felt that pride surge through him again. Then he helped Blaine unfold from his embrace and got him to his feet.

"You're mine," he said, "and so are they. I'm telling you, I want the three of you together right now. Do you hear me?"

"Yes, sir." Blaine didn't look back. He went right to Puck and knelt down beside him. Puck slowly raised up on his elbows, reaching for Blaine's face, and cupped his head as he pulled him into a kiss.

"So good," Finn heard Kurt say, still kneeling on top of Puck. Blaine's whimper dug into Finn, staying with him long after Kurt and Puck had made a space for him in their bed. Kurt sat back while Puck situated Blaine beneath him, lifting his knees up to his chest and stroking him at the same time. When Blaine's uneven breathing turned to cries, Puck reached for the lube.

Finn watched the rhythm of the three of them until he couldn't stand it any more. As quietly as he could, he rolled off the other side of the air mattress and took the five steps to the bathroom. He managed to close the door behind himself without any noise at all. The sounds in the bedroom were muffled, but plenty of it filtered through the door.

Finn took down his pajama pants, already damp in patches from his hard, leaking cock. He put one foot up on the toilet seat and, with two practiced fingers, pressed into his ass and drew out Carl's plug.

The routine of wiping, washing and sanitizing was one he did almost every day. It was something he could do without thinking, and for that he was grateful. He wasn't about to neglect the toy Carl had crafted for him, but all his attention was on the sounds of Kurt, Puck and Blaine. Only once the plug had been replaced inside the velvet-lined box did Finn take his own cock in his hand. He relied on the noises coming from the other side of the door to muffle his own groans as he came.

He knew there was no point in trying to pretend he hadn't done what he'd done, but he still felt mortified when Kurt came in while he was washing his hands.

"Shower with me?" Kurt said softly.

They climbed into the stall together, soaping one another in silence. Whatever sounds were still being made in the bedroom, they were masked by the noise of the water.

"I'm okay," Finn said, watching Kurt's doubtful expression. "Really, I am. That was — really awesome."

"If you say so," Kurt said. He kissed Finn. "You're allowed to be jealous. For whatever reason."

"I'm not! Seriously. That's not how it is." He pointed his finger at the bedroom. "Puck, tonight. He wasn't going to submit until he knew Blaine was getting what he needed."

Kurt nodded. "I think it's like how it is when Beth's here. He has to know she's in good hands before he can let go."

"Yeah. It's the same with Blaine. Blaine is —" He had to laugh, shaking his head ruefully, but he couldn't quite say the words aloud. Blaine is Puck's boy.

"You could have stayed in the bedroom. You don't have to feel guilty about being turned on by what we did."

"It's not that. Okay, that's a little weird, but it's not just that." Finn turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, taking his towel down from the tallest hook on the back of the door. "You know I'm still… using the plugs."

"Yes. I know."

He sat down heavily on the toilet seat. "Carl would never let me get turned on with them in. He said, right from the beginning, it wasn't about that. It was discipline. He was training me to resist my own impulses. I couldn't let myself… not while I was wearing it."

"It's okay," Kurt said softly. He dried Finn's hair with gentle, familiar rubs of his towel. "I understand now."

"Are they okay out there?" Finn asked.

Kurt shrugged. "I would have expected Noah to be asleep by now, but he seemed to be completely invested in giving Blaine whatever he wants."

"Taking what he wants, you mean."

He laughed. "Same difference."

"You think?"

Kurt extracted a clean towel from the stack on the shelf. "You know Noah better than anyone. Don't you think his goal is giving? Even with Blaine. He's loving it, making him happy." He took Finn's hand. "However long they take. I'll stay with you in your bed until they're done."