After a busy week, the weekend brought the three together again. "My awesome friends, I've got the movies!" Gilbert yelled from next to the tv. Right on cue, Antonio pushed open the door and lifted three grocery bags into the air.
"And I've got the drinks!" He kicked the door closed behind him and smiled when Francis joined them in the room.
"Ah good, good. I've started dinner. Shall we open a bottle while we wait?" Francis wiped his hands on a towel before tossing it over his shoulder. The other two nodded, though Gilbert opened his mouth to add something in. "A bottle of beer for Gil and wine for us sophisticated people." Francis nodded to himself, feeling pleased to once again steal the words from his friend's mouth. Raising one eyebrow, he tilted his eyes to meet olive colored ones. "Antonio?"
"I'm on it!" The cheerful man hurried into the kitchen and rummaged for glasses in Francis' overly complicated cabinet organization. Some days, he just wanted to switch a glass here and a bowl there and let it grow natural like a garden. Shaking his head, Antonio snatched up the proper glasses and left the rest in their pristine rows like he always did. Francis of course had no idea the thoughts that went on behind his smile. "Let me help out with dinner too," Antonio begged as he tipped exact amounts of shiraz into their glasses. He popped open a beer and passed it to Gilbert who moved into the entryway.
The youngest of them sipped some of the amber liquid before his face broke into a smile. For a second, Antonio stared with his hand still holding the bottle cap. "My favorite kind! Thanks Toni, you're the best." Gilbert's strange colored eyes shone with the unbridled sort of happiness they rarely got to see. Sure he smiled, but not often so like a child. He did get a good sleep last night though. Antonio noticed those kinds of things. Gilbert blinked, then returned to normal. "Can I help cook too?" he asked, dragging Antonio out of his thoughts.
Francis whirled around from his cutting board and perfect round tomatoes. "Please don't. Antonio is more than enough help. We ah…appreciate the offer, but…" He blinked closed his eyes with a tight-lipped smile and charming tilt of his head. The half tied back waves of wheat blonde hair just added to the affect. Gilbert tried not to gag. Instead, he sent a glare that dared Francis to finish his sentence. The blonde looked away, obviously daunted enough. Unfortunately, one in the room was immune to all red-eyed glares.
"What he means is your cooking is fine. If it's things you know how to cook. Oh you're great at some things, Gilly, but you wouldn't be any help to us right now, kay?" Antonio burst out with a bright smile that didn't match his words at all.
Gilbert's eyes went wide and he sputtered for a few seconds before howling. "F-fine! I like being alone anyway. No one said I liked cooking!" A second later, he stormed out of the room. The other two listened to his stomps which ended in a thunk and squeaking couch springs. Francis looked at Antonio, a strange expression on his face. He very nearly asked if Antonio knew how harsh he sounded or if he spoke with bluntness to be kind in some way. Francis found Gilbert's reaction amusing though so he just went with it. After all, when they solidified their friendship on that nameless club roof one year ago, they promised if any of them tried to get too much higher than the others that they would drive back there and shove him off the roof. Francis smiled at the memories from that haze of cigarette smoke and alcohol that made them who they were. This was their relationship, good or bad. Perhaps he should just call it balanced.
Gunshots burst from the living room and Francis jumped. Call of Duty Antonio mouthed before they turned back to cooking and the kitchen settled with an amicable air. The two cooks chatted as they passed ingredients between them. "Don't you think Gilbert seems happy today?" Francis started.
"Sí! So you noticed it too?" Antonio grinned. He thought he was the only one with his head in the clouds enough to observe the degrees of his friends' smiles. Francis just chuckled. He noticed it when the other man turned. The look only stayed there for a second before he and Gilbert started nagging, but what a look it had been. The two shared more arguments than Antonio did with either of them, but this too left a soft smile on Francis' face. He enjoyed every bicker and whine and he knew Gilbert did as well.
"What about you, Antonio? Are you happy?"
At that, Antonio threw back his head and laughed. Not the sort of laugh he often let loose, but something wild and not childish at all. "I've had more fun here than I've had in years," he admitted. "I knew we were meant to live together."
Francis hummed at that. "I was a little worried. Like we would get sick of each other. You know they say living with your best friends can be the surest way to break a friendship." He focused on the green onions he currently chopped. Maybe he said something more serious than he meant to, but he knew his friends' bad points. He had his own and even though the three all found each other such a short time ago, he felt as if they knew each other their whole lives. Like they knew every fact and nuance of each other's personalities. Of course that couldn't be true. Even Antonio whom he met ten years ago still had secrets lurking around in his brain. Half the time, Francis didn't understand him at all with his weird smiles and words that could be interpreted in ten different ways. German born Gilbert with his flaky English could be understood better.
"Really?" Antonio asked in that bright voice of his. His arms snuck around Francis as he leaned against the other man's back, chin resting on his shoulder. "But we promised to be best friends forever. And you know how I feel about broken promises." Antonio smiled too brightly, his breath hot against Francis' ear.
Francis shook his head and turned in the man's embrace to brush a hand along his jaw. "Don't tempt your elders," he whispered before pressing a kiss to Antonio's cheek. The brunette just laughed and twisted his face to look scandalized. Francis rolled his eyes and let out a huff. "That's enough out of you! Normally a little wine wouldn't make you this horny," Francis chided without sounding the least bit bothered. He plucked the wineglass from the other's hand, then ducked out of his arms. Antonio let him go without a fuss. After setting down the glass, Francis picked up his knife again. Not that he got much work done when Antonio's hand grazed against his thigh on the way to recapture the wine glass. Francis jumped at the touch and watched Antonio sip with challenge in his eyes. Did he do that on purpose?
Antonio answered in his own way. "I'm not horny unless you want me to be. Can't a guy just hug a friend when his face gets too serious?" After a second, Francis realized both meanings he hinted at. Just a hug, but there was always the possibility of more than a hug if Francis wanted it. A horny Antonio could be one of the best things of any given day and it wouldn't be the first time the friends fooled around together. Ever since Antonio confided his sexuality, they had their stolen moments, none more serious than the last. Francis didn't care about who he slept with, their age, or gender, as long as they were beautiful and few people had no beauty in his eyes. Antonio reached for him, but Francis pulled back at the last second.
"Now, now…Gilbert is in the next room. What would his face look like if he saw us fucking on the countertop?"
"Cute?" Antonio tilted his head, smiling.
Francis chuckled at that and swatted Antonio's butt with his towel. That would be true, but he'd rather not play with fire until they had far more to drink. Normally the insane stunts waited until they couldn't draw a straight line, let alone walk on it. "And you call me the perv…" he muttered. "Now will you please chop these olives? Food is the most important!"
"Okay!" Antonio sounded no less excited about cooking than the prospect of sex and Francis knew him well enough to accept this as total truth. Same as Francis, Antonio viewed sleeping with him as a momentary pleasure. They could be no less scorned by a lost moment than missing the latest soap.
An hour later, the three men lounged on the couch, hollering at a movie. "That's fucking impossible!" Gilbert yelled as the hero jumped an extraordinary length between two buildings.
"He's a super hero!" Antonio whined back and wrapped his arms around Gilbert's neck, nearly choking him and spilling his drink at the same time. They'd moved on to a Chardonay at this point for Francis' sake. He himself lay across the entire couch length with Antonio perched on his legs. Gilbert sat on the floor between Antonio's, a pack's worth of empty bottles littering the floor around him. The line between pleasantly tipsy and drunk wavered for all three.
Gilbert burst out laughing and reached back to smack Antonio's leg multiple times. "Omg, did you see that? He totally did it! I can't believe he did it!" He kept beating his friend's leg as he pointed to the tv.
"Ah, no! Stop!" Antonio whined and not even Francis sneaking a hand into his back pocket could stop him from flailing forward to swipe at Gilbert. He moved too fast though and finally tipped the contents of his glass onto Gilbert's head. He blinked for a second as the room stilled. Even the tv's screaming dulled as Antonio put on his most sheepish grin, and he had many very effective levels of sheepish. "Oops?"
Gilbert exploded into action. "Toni!" He grabbed Antonio and a second later, the brunette went flying through the air and landed in front of Gilbert. "Arrg! Now I smell horrible!" He hissed and jumped on top of Antonio as if to attack him, but a bit of wine dripped down onto his lip. Gilbert's face twisted into one of horror. A sniffle escaped before he wailed, hands in his hair as he knelt over his friend's legs. Antonio's hands slipped up to hold onto Gilbert's hips, though mostly because he half tipped over backwards. His pout affected the wailing man as much as his hands did—Antonio guessed he didn't notice them at all.
"Ooh hoo…what's this? I heard little Gil hated wine, but this is impressive," Francis chuckled. He watched their little show, content to stay on the sidelines until now. Wine made him lazy and satisfied and the movie made him sleepy. Gilbert always picked such silly things to watch. Now Francis slid to the floor behind Gilbert, wrapping arms around him. Gilbert sunk into them, though that might have been because the person he sat on started began shifting. Francis locked eyes with Antonio and a slow smile spread across his face. "Toni, I have an idea…"
"Oh? Is it a good one?" Antonio smiled. Francis nodded. The idea couldn't be better. So good in fact, he wondered why he never tried it before. Oh right, because he liked his hands and other precious body parts attached to him. Glancing at the inebriated state of his friends, Francis decided it would work today.
Normally Antonio remained the soberest in the room. At this point, Francis couldn't tell if that rung true today as well. Antonio often had moments of drunken behavior followed with sober speech, which made others doubt his real level of drunkenness. In fact, Francis only once saw Antonio what he would call honest-to-god sloshed and he never wanted to repeat that day. The cheerful brunette had a way of staying just tipsy. Maybe today Francis just didn't feel tipsy enough. Though the way Gilbert slipped—or more of flopped—away from him and raced to find a bottle with liquid in it perfectly illustrated his usual drinking habits. Never just tipsy by the night's end.
"Need some beer!" Gilbert growled. He needed to get the vile wine taste off his lips, but every bottle he pressed to them turned up empty. "Why is the beer always gone?" And he thought himself very clever for quoting Jack Sparrow. He didn't notice Francis and Antonio trading grins behind his back. Whatever they talked about bore no importance on him, not when beer was to be had.
"Now!"
Gilbert turned then, a hum of confusion passing over his lips. His hum turned into a strangled yelp as Antonio grabbed his arms from behind and Francis pinned his legs with one hand. He held up a new bottle of wine with the other. "We're going to teach you to finally appreciate wine, so prepare yourself," Francis murmured as he climbed up Gilbert's body, blue eyes glinting with hunger.
"Huh, what? You can't be-" Francis shoved the bottle against his protesting mouth to silence him. Gilbert spluttered, nearly got his arms free before Antonio pulled him flush against his chest, then choked on the bitter-sweet wine taste. Francis lifted the bottle away and Gilbert coughed, white rivulets rolling out the corners of his mouth. His head dropped back against Antonio as the world spun. He felt too short on breath and so hot. A heavy flush painted his cheeks. "…N-no more."
Francis' eyes went wide at the sight. Gilbert's chest rose and fell with the struggle to draw in breath and his eyes held an unfamiliar glaze. Behind them, a car exploded and Gilbert coughed one last time. He freed himself to wipe the wine trail away. "Shit. What the hell is that?" Silence greeted him. Silence and white-toothed smiles. "Um guys? You're starting to scare me." Gilbert attempted to roll to his knees, but the floor shot up toward the ceiling and he fell onto his hands with a groan. This was…this was not normal. He knew what drunk felt like. This was like bad drugs or vodka. With new vengeance he thought 'I hate wine'.
Antonio moved to Gilbert's side again and rolled him onto his back, head in his lap. It wouldn't be good to try wandering around in this state. Francis meanwhile stayed rooted to his spot, heart thudding right out of chest and mind blank. Suddenly, he dived forward and shoved the bottle into Antonio's hands. "Quick! More wine now!" Francis very nearly hyperventilated with excitement. "I…oh damn, where's my phone? We need to commemorate this moment for eternity. A new drunk Gilbert side!"
Indeed, neither saw their young friend like this before. Normally Gilbert got louder, wilder, stupider. He jumped on top of tables and waved his shirt around like a flag as he sang the German national anthem. No, he did not lose his cocky grin, only to replace it with pants and flushed cheeks. Francis wanted to eat him up even if he had to live as a fingerless man for the rest of his life. The memories would make the horror worth it. After locating his phone and returning their space in front of the sofa, he snapped a picture of Gilbert lying pliant as Antonio tipped wine into his mouth. He looked almost submissive. Francis didn't know Gilbert could look that way.
Blood ran straight to his lower regions. "Give that wine here," Francis grunted. Antonio tilted his head in question, but handed it over.
"Are you planning things again?" he asked as he took the phone and shifted Gilbert at Francis' prompting. They soon had him straddling Francis' lap with Antonio behind the blonde to watch and taunt him with the camera. Gilbert still struggled some, but they were weak attempts compared to his usual strength. Most days he couldn't be held down without the other two teaming up. Francis took a swig from the bottle before fixing Gilbert with a determined stare. Red eyes widened with understanding.
"N-no way! Please no more wine!" Anything to keep the last shreds of control together. He couldn't lose them, not even in front of his closest friends—the only real friends he'd ever had. Francis gently tilted his chin and pressed lips to his, but Gilbert refused to open his mouth. Antonio licked a stripe across his palm, earning a moan. The mouthful of wine slipped in, then down his convulsing throat. Antonio pressed the next mouthful to his lips. No more. He couldn't take any more of this. Francis stared with his smokey eyes and then Gilbert lost it. When Francis passed another mouthful to him, he gulped it down greedily. He brought a hand up to tangle in the blonde hair as he thrust his tongue into Francis' mouth. The moan humming against their tongues sent Gilbert's body shuddering. Francis' moan or his, it didn't matter. Despite opening his eyes again, they stayed glazed and half-lidded in white lashes, his face lax. A face belonging to another person.
"More." Gilbert rutted against Francis' pelvis. "I need more."
For a second, his companions just stared at him. Gilbert with eyes fluttering closed, paleness reddening almost everywhere they could see skin, rocked forward and opened his mouth in a silent keen. "Gilbert?" Francis felt the need to make sure because a changeling must have jumped out of the movie and possessed the albino on top of him. Those eyes shone like ruby stones as the snowy eyelids parted again. After a second, a normal expression of haughtiness and impatience passed over Gilbert's face.
"What's the hold up? You don't want to tap this?" he snapped, albeit with a slur. His hand caressed his jean clad bottom to inform just what 'this' was. Francis licked his lips. Antonio nudged him and whispered in his ear.
"Take the invitation!" It would be worth seeing no matter the result.
When sober, Francis had a rule against sleeping with drunks. Somehow the rule sounded so much less practical with his own head swimming in wine. And this was Gilbert. Like Antonio said, this sort of invitation came only once in a lifetime. His hands dropped onto Gilbert's hips as he pressed the younger man firmly down against the bulge growing in his pants. "Yes of course, dear. I just thought your fine ass was off limits," Francis murmured as his pressed kisses to Gilbert's neck. He would have gone after it the day they met had he known. He even tried then. He tried every time Gilbert got drunk or when he bent over too tantalizingly, but only going as far as the other would allow, which wasn't much.
Gilbert threw back his head and laughed. "It is off limits! But…" he leaned down to whisper in Francis' ear. "I'll let you in on a secret. Sometimes…it isn't!" Gilbert burst out as if he shared the most outrageous detail. The others' stunned faces got him laughing again. "What? You think this thing is a virgin?" He gave his butt a slap. "What kind of prude do you think I am? I've had men before! So…" He licked his lips. "Come at me, boys."
"Fuck!" Francis couldn't hold back anymore. He dropped his mouth over Gilbert's and ravished it as he slipped hands into his shirt. Antonio fell onto his side with a hand propping his head up, watching the show. Small mewling noises escaped Gilbert as Francis exposed more swathes of flushed skin. He thumbed a nipple which rewarded him another moan. Gilbert pulled his mouth away with a near scream.
"Hell yeah, that's it!" A second later, Gilbert dissolved into useless noises as Francis slipped his hands down to squeeze his ass. With each squeeze, his fingers gathered more flesh and moved inwards until Gilbert felt them brushing against his hole. His back arched and he had to grab hold of Francis' shoulders for balance. "Scheiße!" His head spun from the motion. He tightened his grip because if he let go of Francis he would surely fall to the floor or maybe the ceiling. Everything spun, dark and light, up, down. Gilbert buried his face against the other's neck as reason left. "Ich will dich." Hands pulled at his belt buckle and Gilbert felt himself melt toward oblivion, his voice spiraling ever downward. "…Sehr gut…Ooh, Ivan…!" The hoarse whisper died in his throat as his body went lax. The last thing he saw was the tattered edge of a mauve scarf before he fell into its warmth.
Francis blinked as the body slumped forward in his arms. At first he didn't understand, but Gilbert didn't respond to his touch and that fizzled down through his alcoholic haze. Francis wanted to cry. Antonio noticed his trembling shoulders, but hadn't reached the same conclusion. "Why'd you stop?"
"…He fell asleep."
Antonio burst out laughing. "Aw, poor Francy. And he even called out another's name," he cooed despite shifting his own legs uncomfortably. "Shall Toni offer you a hand?" With that, Antonio slipped one hand between Francis' legs and gave a little squeeze.
Francis shuddered and breathed out as he leaned back against the couch. "You know just the way to my heart." That got Antonio chuckling again. Francis rolled Gilbert onto his back and let his eyes linger as if to savor what could have been. Just as he turned back to Antonio busy wriggling out of his jeans, another idea struck Francis. "Not there." He grabbed the other's wrist and pulled him in front of Gilbert. Antonio glanced back, but understood without words. He got on all fours above their unconscious friend whose lips still lay parted and glistening.
"Someone needs to punish him for calling another name. No one compares me to other lovers!" And so, knowingly or not, he would be roped into their fucking. Plus, Francis couldn't get over that pliant, moaning Gilbert and he knew Antonio couldn't either. He reached down to rub Antonio's erection. "You enjoyed watching me play with him."
"Yes!" Antonio cried. "I want to see his face when I come!"
"Me too," Francis whispered. He leaned down over the other man's back so he could feel Antonio body and see Gilbert's face. It struck him how wonderful these two together were, even if it only lasted a night. "Then I'll have to make you come."
xXx
Gilbert groaned and squeezed his eyes shut as if that could expel his headache. He felt like someone used him as a punching bag. Focusing on breathing, he curled up tighter. Just another one of those nights, except, what did happen last night? After a minute, he forced his eyes open and what he saw made him scream.
"My eyes!" Gilbert wailed, all of his previous sluggishness forgotten as he tried to block out the scene with—were those Antonio's boxers? He flung away the unfortunate first thing he grabbed with another cry. Francis and Antonio sprawled out little more than a foot away, limbs tangled, and completely naked. Francis' junk up close and personal would be burned into his brain for all eternity. God, they had bedrooms! Did his friends have to do it practically on top of him? Gilbert looked down at himself. At least he still had his clothes. Shirt, pants, socks, the whole ensemble.
Just as he patted himself for assurance of this fact, Gilbert's brows furrowed. One hand rested over the front of his jeans. "…my button is undone…" White flakes came off his shirt, dusting his hand. It wasn't possible, was it? Oh god. Gilbert frantically inspected himself. Important bits still tucked away inside his pants, hands clean, no twinges in his hips, ass, or anywhere else. Finally, he let his trembling hands relax. The relief that flooded him lasted only a second. No sex, but…Gilbert's eyes snapped back his friends with sudden fury and distrust because someone else's cum was on his shirt. He snatched up a couch pillow and swung.
"Perverted freaks! What did you do with me?! Perverts! Perverts!" Each scream fell with a strike from the pillow. Francis flailed and sputtered, his arms held in defense even before he understood the situation. The pillow hit him full in the face, smothering his attempts to speak. He caught only the sight of crimson sparking eyes before Gilbert tossed the pillow on top of him and stormed out of the room.
The pillow slid down Francis' face into his lap and he just sat there, dazed. "What the hell?" he croaked. His eyes widened and he raised a hand to rub his throat which felt coated in sand and salt. His head hurt too much for consciousness and certainly not Gilbert's impressive lungs. Why would he scream so loud at this early hour? Francis glanced over at Antonio, still asleep even after being dealt pillow blows. "Oh…that." He brushed oily strands of hair out of his face as he accessed the situation. Did Gilbert remember anything from last night. No, probably not since he asked what they did to him. Francis chuckled as a grin spread across his face. Not as much as I would have liked.
He prodded Antonio a few times, but decided the other male wouldn't wake any time soon. Francis would deal with Gilbert later. Now, all he wanted was a shower. They fell asleep after doing it, not even bothering to wipe the mess away or cover themselves. It shouldn't have mattered anyway. Gilbert went home with men before and he sure wanted it when drunk and sometimes drunk Gilbert was the most honest. The large amount of wine they drunk may not have been smart, but not half as dumb as Gilbert thinking he could escape now. The secret was out. Gilbert didn't just top.
When Francis emerged from the shower, he found the younger man in the kitchen. Gilbert stood over the counter, dressed comfortably and at ease. Francis moved softly so as not to startle him and eyed the food. Gilbert had a large dish which he liberally covered in cheese, salami and breads. Eggs boiled on the stove, far more than he could eat by himself. Francis opened his mouth to comment on how those were his cheeses and he bought that loaf for something, but he supposed that didn't really matter. Gilbert fetched something out of the cabinet corner he kept his personal foods. Strangely, he hummed as he set the jam jar on his platter. "It's strawberry. Your favorite right?" Francis startled, but nodded. He didn't think Gilbert noticed him.
The younger man shifted to the eggs after telling Francis to set the finished food on the table. Francis chuckled. He expected Gilbert to stay mad for the entire day. Mad? That was how it seemed, though he couldn't imagine why it turned out that way. Sure Gilbert woke up next to his friends in a post-sex state and Antonio still slept on the floor with a satisfied grin, but it wasn't that big of a deal. It's not like Gilbert didn't know he and Antonio had that kind of relationship. He even hooted at them when witness to a particularly hot make out session. Francis would have to drag the truth out of him. He took the tray and swept away with it. "Thank goodness. I was afraid you planned to eat this all by yourself." He knew Gilbert liked breakfast, but this was an impressive food spread.
Gilbert finally met his eye and it was then Francis noticed the pink tinge on his cheeks. "I just started grabbing food out of habit. I wasn't thinking." He paused, snapping the heat off with more force than necessary, then sighed. "But…what happened last night?"
"Well, for starters we got filthy drunk." Francis' chuckle danced across the room. He reached for the jam and tilted it to see the masking tape label, marking it as homemade. Gilbert grabbed a handful of cheese and devoured it, still pink in the face. So cute. I just want to tease him. "So, who's Ivan? I didn't know you had a man now."
Every muscle in Gilbert's body tensed. Eyes wide, his gaze darted up. Francis froze as the other man's surprise twisted with darkness. So many emotions passed by, good, bad, and terrifying to see on Gilbert's face that rarely expressed any of them. "Don't say his name," he growled, a warning rather than a challenge. Francis shook his head, confused.
"Why? I thought we didn't have secrets?" They never made a rule like that, but he lived by the philosophy himself. Francis bared his troubles. His friends could help even if help came in the form of teasing jokes and a free drink. The lack of seriousness soothed him, but Gilbert kept so much inside still. "Is he an unrequited love? Ex? Your favorite porn actor?" Francis couldn't quite get his smile to work. He kept pleading with his eyes though.
It seemed like Gilbert wilted. He brought the eggs to the table and collapsed into a cheap wooden chair. Francis perched on a stool considering they had odd, unmatched furniture and only one chair. Gilbert sat with his head in his hand. Despite having prepared a feast Francis found ridiculous, he didn't eat any. The out of character show bothered Francis and he reached over to pat Gilbert's hand. Their eyes met again; Gilbert shook his head. "He's a fucker I used to know is who. A bad memory, but that's it. A memory." He said that to convince himself, not Francis. Mentions of Ivan shook him up, but he started it. Why? "God, I haven't even thought about him in the better part of a year. Seriously, what were we up to?" Gilbert sounded exasperated. He went out of his way to sound it and he really was, but also tense, afraid.
Francis observed him as he spoke, and then a minute after. He so badly wanted to pry, but Gilbert worked like the surface of water—a soft touch let you pass through, but punch it and you just hurt yourself. Any other time, Francis would find the metaphor amusing or possibly innuendo. "Well!" Gentle touch, don't push. "Did I mention we were really drunk and you…I've never seen you drunk like that, so don't get mad at us. You flipped like a switch and started getting all sexy on us. All moaning and lap dancing and sexy sounding German. You ah…moaned his name before passing out on me. It was beyond sexy and…me and Toni had to amuse ourselves in your absence." He chose not to mention exactly how he and Antonio decided to amuse themselves.
Gilbert stared at Francis like he couldn't believe himself. Which was impressive considering these were his own actions. He snapped his head away, brightening dark red, red as only someone with so little skin pigment could get. "I hate myself sometimes," he groaned in all his usual flare. "Forget it ever happened!"
"But why?!" Francis cried. "Now that we've crossed this line together, I think we should go forward. You don't shove rain back into clouds! I didn't think you cared for my advances because you and me, we're alpha dogs-" Gilbert raised an eyebrow, making Francis nearly throw a baguette at him. He was a very alpha man most of the time. Tossing a wave of hair over his shoulder, he refused to answer the taunt. "I don't know why you never went after Toni, but that's not the point. You, Gilbert Beilschmidt, have a submissive side!" Francis exclaimed with a point of his finger. "So mon cher, do us all a favor and let me fuck you."
"I hate it when you speak French. Makes you sound more like a pompous poser than usual." Gilbert rolled his eyes. "Stop acting like you can say more than five words."
Francis gasped. "That's harsh! I can also ask you to take your pants off." Gilbert leveled him with a glare. Francis refused to be daunted by it though, just like he refused to be dragged off topic so blatantly. "You don't have to be embarrassed or ashamed. We're all friends here." Francis reached for him with what Gilbert dubbed 'pervy grabby hands'. Gilbert ducked them with a disgusted snort.
"That's the problem. We're friends."
Francis furrowed his brow. "That doesn't make sense. We already talk about our sexual conquests in graphic detail and you watch me and Toni without batting an eye. Now suddenly you're shy to share with us? That's a load of crap and you know it!" Shoving back his chair, Francis circled the round little table and leaned over Gilbert. Placing both hands on the seat edge, he caged the other man's body to whisper against his ear. "Unless you give me a good reason, I'm not gonna stop. Not today. Not tomorrow or in a month or a year. I'll pursue you and open you like a rose—petal," Hot fingers slid up his thighs. "By petal." A feral flash of teeth. "By petal."
Gilbert trembled under him, so faintly you needed to be as close as Francis to see. Breaths too fast, body too flushed. Francis crooned inside with victory even as he kept his smokey stare, until Gilbert broke it. He turned his head. The spell shattered and with it, Francis' victory. Gilbert looked no more like someone who won though, but rather like one forcing himself into a box. "You two are my best friends," he croaked. Francis pulled back. "I've never had friends like you. Hell, friends half as good as you. I like the balance we have. You don't understand, Francis!"
Hands grabbed desperately at the stunned blonde. "I don't want things to change. You and Toni aren't like me. The sort of lines you draw and don't draw. When I fool around, it's got to be a stranger. I just can't sleep with my friends!" Gilbert knew terrible things would happen if he did. Things none of them were ready for and he couldn't risk their friendship falling apart.
One heart beat felt like too long in Francis' chest. He felt it with clarity, hurting in such a strange way. He recognized the hurt in his chest, but not the reason for it. His eyes slipped closed. This had nothing to do with matters of love. Of course Gilbert was important to him and those desperate eyes and tightly clasped hands didn't sit well with him either. Could friendship hurt his heart to this degree? Yes, his heart jumped to supply. Their friendship mattered more than anything. Francis nodded and tried not to feel insulted when Gilbert looked shocked.
"Okay." Francis pulled back and strode to the other side of the kitchen then halfway back. He ran a hand through his hair as he tried to compose his thoughts. "But why didn't you say so before? You're my best friend too and I don't think with my dick like everyone says," he snorted. "I'd stop putting you in this position if I knew. I mean, I'm not promising I won't forget and start groping your pretty ass out of instinct…" He couldn't change his nature after all. Didn't want to try.
Gilbert shrugged and snorted back. That was so like Francis. A pervert and a total gentleman. He liked to play big brother and protect his younger friends because it gave him self-satisfaction. For once, Gilbert didn't mind it. "I guess I didn't think I minded it much until now. I panicked when I thought we crossed the line and I wasn't in a state to stop myself. I dunno why it's bugging me, but whatever. Can't we just go back to what we were before? Grope my ass or whatever…not like I hate it," Gilbert muttered.
Francis smiled. Oh he smiled and nodded because he respected Gilbert. But he couldn't help but think he acted a little immature. You can't put rain back into clouds, just like he said. "I'll try." He could promise no more. Their relationship already changed no matter how hard they ignored it.
The atmosphere hesitated in awkwardness for another minute before Gilbert shook himself and blinked the haze out of his eyes. "Um, I'm not hungry anymore. You and Toni can eat it all. I-I have homework to do." With that, he exited at a walk too fast to be natural, but at least not a run. Francis looked after him with sad eyes until the bedroom door closed. He waited another minute before raising his voice.
"Did you get all of that?"
"…Yes." Antonio considered not responding and pretending to still be asleep, but he decided it wouldn't do him any good. Instead, he rolled over so he could look into the kitchen. They shared a look, half serious, half exasperated. Drunken fun should never get this complicated and it never had until they met Gilbert and his drama, but still they put up with it. That damn friend got them promising forevers and living together and all sorts of things that the other two never guessed would be in their future. What else could they do but comply with his whims?
Francis sighed and Antonio said one of the most intelligent things he'd ever heard. "The cute ones are never easy."