"Your shout, mate!" Jordan called across the room to Chase, holding up his empty glass.
Chase, leaning against a table chatting up two women, didn't turn around but held up his hand and flipped off Jordan.
"Cheap bastard," Muttered Jordan, sitting down next to Heidi and Lara.
"Dean!" Lara spotted their friend and coworker first. She waved him over to their table.
Heidi nudged Lara, "This is Dean's Navy friend that you mentioned? He is seriously hot."
"Hey, guys," Dean nodded at his team. "This is Pete," He put a hand on Pete's upper back, introducing him.
"Good to meet you," Pete stepped forward and shook hands with everyone.
Dean took the empty chair next to Lara and Pete sat next to Jordan, falling into easy conversation with him and Heidi about their jobs.
"So this is the famous Navy Pete that I've heard so much about?" Lara leaned in to whisper to Dean.
"Yeah. This is him," Dean leaned closer to Lara, "Be nice."
"Of course I'll be nice," Lara nudged Dean.
Chase rejoined them, spotting Pete instantly and reaching out his hand, "You must be Pete. Good to meet you." Pete stood up and shook his hand.
"You're the little brother?" Pete grinned, recalling the stories Dean had shared with him about Chase's antics.
"Yeah, I am. But don't believe anything he told you about me," Chase cautioned.
"Fair enough," Pete laughed.
"Round of pool, guys?" Chase asked. "Jordan? Pete?"
"Me too!" Heidi shot out of her seat to join the three men.
"Pete, you'll be my partner this round," Chase told him before leaning closer to whisper, "Let Heidi and Jordan be partners, we've got bets on how long until they hook up and if it's this month then I win."
The four of them moved to the far side of the pub to claim the pool table.
Dean and Lara stayed where they were, both watching as Pete looked back at Dean and gave a small wave. Dean smiled and gave him a slight nod, happy to see that Pete was fitting in with his friends.
"How long is he in town for this time?" Lara asked.
"About a week. Unless they get crash sailed sooner," Dean sighed. It was difficult for him to think about how brief their time together was between Pete's postings.
"That's a good amount of time, though. You can get a lot done in a week," Lara mused, trying to stay positive because she knew Dean tended to get broody about Pete being gone too much.
"Yeah, well, I'm on call the entire time. So we can't even plan much," Dean shrugged.
"I know...I'm sorry that Michelle couldn't figure out a way to get you more time off," Lara sensed him getting mopey and nudged her shoulder against his, "C'mon, you know I'll do my best to make sure we don't have to call you."
"I know you will. Thanks, Lara," Dean lowered his voice, "I just...I really like him. But I'm not sure how good I am at relationships, never mind long distance relationships."
"Look, if you guys like each other, it'll work out." She gave him a supportive grin.
From across the room, Chase and Jordan could see Dean and Lara. Their heads were tilted together in conversation and their shoulders were touching.
"You'd think that there's enough space for them to sit farther apart," Chase muttered, eyeing the chairs they had recently vacated near Dean and Lara.
"Cut him some slack, mate. He's been in love with her for ages," Jordan lined up his shot.
"Dean is interested in Lara?" Pete asked, raising his eyebrows in surprise and trying not to choke as he took a sip of his beer.
"Oh, totally. It's super cute. Even when Lara was engaged, she and Dean have always had this connection," Heidi explained.
Pete gave Heidi a sideways glance, trying and failing to hide a smile. Dean and Lara were best mates. Pete had heard a million stories about Lara and the intense rescues the two of them were involved in and he knew how deep their friendship was. Dean glanced up and caught Pete's eye, his face breaking into a huge grin at the sight of his boyfriend getting along so well with his brother and their friends.
As the game of pool neared the end, Dean and Lara came to join them. Heidi and Jordan were losing because Jordan kept trying-and failing-trick shots to impress Heidi.
Pete slung his arm across Dean's shoulders and grinned at Lara. Dean briefly leaned against his boyfriend's side before heading to the bar to get them another round.
Chase saw the secret grin Pete gave to Lara and whispered to Jordan, "Uh oh, I think Pete is making a move on Lara."
"Nah, he wouldn't. If he's Dean's best mate he'd know that Lara is off limits," Jordan dismissed Chase's concern. "Heidi! Fucking hell, why am I partners with her and you got Pete?" Jordan complained to Chase as Heidi scratched.
"I heard that, Jordan. Fuck you, too," Heidi smirked at Jordan from across the pool table.
Pete stepped up to make a shot, slowly deciding where the best angle for the cue ball should be.
Dean came over with a glass of beer in each hand, holding both until Pete was done with his turn. He got momentarily lost watching the way Pete's body moved as he bent over the pool table. He was snapped out of his inappropriate thoughts when Chase walked up to him, his eyes on the table of women he had been chatting up earlier. "Dean, I need you to be my wingman."
"What? We're kind of busy here, if you didn't notice," Dean motioned at their friends and the still in-progress game of pool.
"Games almost over. The dark haired one keeps looking at me," Chase jerked his head in her direction. "But I need someone for her friend. Jordan's too obsessed with Heidi right now to be of any use. We can give Pete some alone time with Lara and you can get your mind off whatever you're upset about now."
"I'm not upset about anything right now," Dean was incredulous. "Why would I want to be your wingman while Pete's in town? Why would we want to give Pete alone time with Lara? She's coming over for dinner later...they can get to know each other then." Sometimes Chase was confusing.
"Oh, c'mon, Dean. You've seen the way he looks at her. He may be your new best mate, but he's obviously not immune to a blond, even if she is off limits," Chase was pleading his case hard. He kept glancing back at the dark haired woman on the other side of the room.
"Chase," Dean cocked his head and looked hard at his baby brother. "Do you have any idea what's happening here?" Dean motioned between himself and Pete, who was currently in conversation with Lara and Heidi while Jordan lined up a shot.
"Yeah, Pete's trying to steal Lara from you. And you seem way too relaxed about it," Chase shook his head.
"Chase. You are an idiot," Dean put down the drinks he was holding and brought his hands to his brother's shoulders. He gave his head a small shake and sighed, calming his nerves. He spoke slowly, as if Chase were still a small child, "Pete is my boyfriend."
Chase laughed, "Sure, sure," his smile faded as he looked past Dean at Pete and then back to Dean. "Wait, really?"
Dean nodded, "We've been together for months. Why do you think I crash at his place every time he's in port?"
"Well, because you're both out drinking and he lives closer to the night life than we do." Dean could see Chase's mind working. "This is why you never make a move on Lara?"
"Lara and I are friends," Dean waited for Chase to really understand the impact of what he was saying.
"So you're…" Chase paused, looking at his brother's face. It looked the same: too many worry lines around the eyes, a familiar smirk pulling up his mouth on one side, the same brown eyes he'd felt watching over him for as long as he could remember. "You're gay?" He finally asked.
Dean nodded, "Yeah, Chase," He spoke softly but surely, "I am."
Chase paused for a moment to let it sink in before giving Dean a massive hug, squeezing his ribs and holding it for too long.
"Ok, let's not get too emotional, here...Chase?" Dean patted Chase on the back, trying to end the hug.
"Is Chase ok?" Jordan whispered to Heidi, picking up one of the glasses of beer Dean had brought over for himself and Pete. Jordan watched Chase and Dean hug and brought the beer to his lips. Heidi took the glass from him and took a sip.
"Hey! Get your own!" Jordan tried to grab the glass back but Heidi moved it out of his reach, taking another sip, "Take your own advice, Jordan."
Pete finished taking his shot, successfully dropping a ball into the side pocket, and looked up, pleased with himself, only to find nobody was paying attention to the game any more. He moved towards Jordan and Heidi but froze when Chase called out his name.
"Pete! Come over here, Pete!" Chase pulled back from hugging Dean and ran around the pool table to Pete.
"Chase, what's up?" Pete looked from Dean to Chase with a brief flash of concern in his eyes. Then Chase engulfed him in a hug. Pete smiled over Chase's shoulder at Dean, who just grinned and shrugged.
Heidi whispered to Jordan, "What's happening right now? I feel like I missed something."
"Me too. Should we be hugging them, as well?" Jordan whispered back to her.
"You feel left out? Want me to hug you?" Heidi teased, taking a sip of Dean's beer.
"And what if I did? That'd call your bluff," Jordan caught her off guard and quickly snatched the beer from her hand, chugging it as she protested.
Chase noticed the two of them flirting, "Jordan! Heidi! Stop messing around and pay attention to this moment," He ordered them, wanting them to feel as happy for Dean as he did.
Lara laughed at Chase's exuberance, happy to see him being excited for his brother. She leaned against the pool table and grinned as she watched her teammates accept Dean and Pete as a couple.
"The moment's over. Stop making such a big deal about this, Chase," Dean couldn't resist bossing Chase around, but his trademark smirk let them all know he was enjoying himself.
Pete picked up the remaining beer and took a sip, grinning around the rim of the glass when he saw that Dean had finally noticed one of their drinks was missing.
"Alright. Which one of you drank my beer?" He looked around at his friends.
Heidi subtly pointed at Jordan, enjoying antagonizing him.
"Jordan," Dean pointed at him, "Next round is on you."