Notes:

Yay, I finally got around to add some Tommy, lol.

But lately something's changed that ain't hard to define I'll play along with the charade There doesn't seem to be a reason to change

The best thing about Ollie's latest college drop out definitely was that the new college the Queens had bought him into was close enough to his that they had decided to get an apartment together.

An apartment the youngest Lance had decided to make her own ever since school was out, the private school's, they and now Sara had attended, summer break having started several weeks before their colleges' would. How she had managed to convince Quentin to stay with them was beyond him, but she somehow had, and he couldn't say he was mad about it. He'd missed their Shorty and having her around was always fun.

He was pretty busy with his classes though since it was the end of the term, so he didn't have that much time to hang with her, his dad would kill him if he screwed up his grades, an issue Ollie wasn't having, or at least, he didn't actually give a shit about his grades and his parents reaction towards them. So he was pretty sure Ollie was spending plenty of time with her, prioritizing keeping the eighteen-year-old company over his classes. Not that Sara wouldn't be capable of filling her time up by herself. Boredom was a word the young woman didn't seem to have in her vocabulary. She always found something to do to entertain herself.

Sara was a complete sweetheart though and not taking their hospitality for granted, baking snacks on the regular and making sure he got plenty of nutrition while studying. Yep, the blonde had always been the most nurturing one out of the four of them. As surprising as it might be at first glance. Sara cared about people deeply and loved fiercely, so it was important to her to know that the people who were important to her were properly taken care of, that included cooking for them. Plus, she had been taught how to cook by not only Raisa occasionally when they had refused to let her play with them when they were younger, but also during the months she had spent at the eating disorder treatment center. The staff there had put a lot of weight on cooking and food in general, obviously. And she had mastered that skill beautifully.

And Sara's cooking most definitely beat her older sister's, not that this feat was particularly difficult. Laurel was a disaster in the kitchen. His friend had many talents, but she was a lost cause concerning anything related to making her own food. It was so bad that even Quentin had thrown her out of the kitchen once or twice, and that man loved to spend time with his girls, no matter the activity, the only role she was now allowed in the Lances kitchen was that of chopping vegetables. Sara, on the other hand, was allowed free rein and given more difficult tasks while helping Quentin.

Laurel was about as stressed out about their end of term stuff as he was, and they talked on the phone regularly. Tommy was glad to have someone who got it and was in a similar boat as him, needing to have good grades and not fuck up his finals. He loved his best friend, but Ollie didn't get it. Not really. Robert and Moira might get angry at him, but it was an entirely different type of anger than his father's. The levels of anger and disappointment were about as many worlds apart as the Queens and his dad's definitions of punishment. This meant he needed to at least apply himself enough to pass all of his classes with a slightly above average grade. While Ollie was just more or less blowing it all off, being very nonchalant about it. The worst he was probably going to get was another 'we are very disappointed in you, son.' From Robert and a disapproving look and head shake from Moira, and possibly some empty threats.

And Sara, while she did care about school, more so than Oliver, she didn't let it stress her out and since she had just had finals and her graduation; she had decided she was done with anything school related until she started college in the Fall, understandably so. So talking to Laurel and sharing his struggles and worries with her was very welcoming. Plus, that woman knew all the tricks for proper preparation and the best way to study different subjects, she was also great at motivating him and keeping him going when he was ready to throw in the towel and just deal with the punishment his dad was going to come up with when he failed. Only Laurel wouldn't let him. She believed in him. It was nice.

Not that Ollie and Sara didn't, but it was just different. He didn't know why it just was.

He had thought nothing about the fact that Sara was crashing in Ollie's room and most likely his bed until he brought home a couple of his classmates for a study group one evening and his two roommates had bid them goodnight after a late dinner and headed towards Ollie's room, most likely to watch a movie without disturbing them. While Ollie couldn't care less about college himself, he did respect his study time and the fact that he was trying to, at the very least, pass all of his classes. Something he highly appreciated.

They'd asked him if Sara was Ollie's girlfriend, which had made him laugh out loud, to their surprise. The absurdity of that question was just too funny. It had been after he had explained that she was one of their best friends since childhood, and Ollie's girlfriend's baby sister that they had looked at him strangely and pointed out that the sleeping arrangement was a bit weird, and that they weren't sure they'd be okay with it if their significant other were sharing a bed with their sibling. Which, fair enough, but Ollie and Sara had been sharing a bed long before Ollie and Laurel had started dating, so not that weird, right? Or was it? Could he just not tell because it was normal to him? But the reason it was normal to him was because it was such a frequent occurrence. Besides, no one would think it weird if Ollie were a woman, too. It'd be fucking normal, even though there could still be something going on between two women, but no one ever questioned those types of sleeping arrangements.

It wasn't like there was anything going on between those two. They were just Ollie and Sara. Right? Whenever Sara crashed in Thea's room, nobody questioned it. This wasn't anything different, right?

Try as he might he just couldn't get that conversation out of his mind, and he had begun to watch them a little closer because of it, well, as much as he could while still putting most of his focus on school, and he wasn't sure. He might just be imagining things because of the thoughts his classmates had put into his mind. Nah, there was no way

Ollie loved Laurel. There was no way he'd be stupid enough to fool around with Sara. He might be an idiot, but not even he was that moronic. Starting something physical with his girlfriend's baby sister was a sure way to them being done, for good. Also, Sara was too important to him. There was no way he'd risk messing up their friendship and the sisters' relationship just for some casual hook ups. And Sara loved Laurel. There was no way she'd betray her sister like that. They might have their differences and their issues, but… no, just no. They wouldn't.

This was stupid. His classmates had no idea what they were talking about. They didn't get it. They didn't know them. And Ollie and Sara were just being Ollie and Sara. Nothing more, nothing less. Only he wasn't so sure about that anymore, not after having watched them more closely for the past few weeks.

Not that he had solid proof that something was going on between them. Just like he didn't have solid proof it wasn't. Except for the fact that they weren't acting any differently than they always had. Maybe more teasing than usual or a little more touch-feely than normal, but then again, they hadn't really been able to spend a lot of time together the last couple of months because of them staying in different cities and Sara having been busy preparing for her finals and college and stuff.

So, short of them openly making out in front of him, or him walking in on them, there was no way for him to say whether or not there was anything more than friendship going on between his two best friends. And even if it wasn't really his business.

Sure, it not only had the potential to fuck everything up, that was almost a certainty. If they were fucking behind Laurel's back, it would lead to some serious changes in their dynamics and probably majorly screw up all of their lives. Especially Ollie and Laurel's relationship. A relationship that had been more or less steady for the past two plus years, making it the longest relationship his best friend had ever been in, and people firmly believed that they would end up getting married. It was very obvious how much Ollie loved Laurel, sure he screwed up on the regular. Laurel did have the tendency to break up with him when he did, but she always took him back after several days of groveling and a lot of apologizing.

The two had been a lot more off and on over the last couple of months, Laurel being very focused on school and her future career, while Ollie was just as focused on blowing off school for partying and having fun. This led to them clashing on the regular, especially whenever Laurel learnt about Ollie's frequent infidelity.

He wasn't too sure what to make of the two of them. On paper, they looked like the perfect fit, the perfect couple; Laurel was everything Moira and Robert wanted in a daughter-in-law. Yet in real life they shouldn't actually work, their interests were too different and seemed to clash on the regular and he wasn't sure how they actually managed to work, but they did somehow, and it was very obvious how much they loved each other, so maybe that was why it worked, at least most of the time. Still, Laurel and Ollie didn't have that much in common. Even the plans for their future were not compatible at all. If he wasn't entirely mistaken, Laurel had a five-year plan that included a two-year engagement and a big ass wedding on top of graduating from law-school. Ollie had no plan whatsoever, except for avoiding working for his dad at QC, not even to graduate from college and he knew for a fact that his best friend had no interest in being married before hitting thirty at the earliest.

But then again, Ollie loved to make Laurel happy. So who knew how things were going to turn out, and maybe he was wrong and Ollie had changed his mind on the marriage thing? They hadn't talked about it in a while. And it wasn't like he was going to bring it up. The last thing he wanted was to risk losing his best friend to family life sooner rather than later. Better avoid the topic and hope his wingman was going to stay just that for years to come. And he wasn't going to settle down within the next five years, because he was pretty sure Laurel's ten-year plan included a couple of rug rats next to building her career as a successful lawyer.

His eyes strayed from his textbook to the open door leading to the living room and the couch that was currently occupied by Ollie and Sara, who were playing Mario Kart on their PlayStation. The way it looked, Sara was kicking Ollie's butt. Not surprising. She was a menace and wasn't above taking monumental risks in order to win, or to play dirty and distract however she could. Not that Ollie was much better. They never played fair and usual everything was allowed. He had to grin when he remembered that one time Sara took off her dress and ended up kicking their asses in nothing but her lingerie. That had been a really pretty set, and fit her perfectly. Yep, Sara wasn't above cheating, or using whatever means necessary in order to win. Ollie did too, but most of the time, Sara managed to outdo him.

His best friends were sitting very close together, which wasn't necessary. The couch was enormous and so was the screen they were using to play. Yet, their bodies were touching, and they were leaning into each other. Again, not really something unusual, but still… he just couldn't get rid of the nagging feeling in the back of his mind that something between the two blondes was different. Even if he couldn't tell what or why, he was convinced about it. It wasn't anything obvious. It was just… he didn't know, and he wasn't sure if there was really anything different or if his classmates had just gotten into his head. Probably the second.

It wasn't until after he was done with all of his exams and classes were out for the summer, and they had decided to stay at their place for now instead of heading home right away that the suspicion crept back to the forefront of his mind, now that he was around them almost twenty-four-seven.

He hadn't even considered it before his classmates had brought it up. Nothing had seemed different to him. They'd just been Ollie and Sara, as they always had been. He was just being stupid and let other people get into his head.

But the thing that was very weird was, Laurel had been out of school for a while now, too and she had yet to come visit Ollie, or Ollie had yet to head back to Starling to visit her. Had they had another argument he wasn't aware of? Something was up, he just didn't know what.

And what exactly it would mean for all of them.

But chances were he was just imagining things because of people who had no clue what they were talking about, yeah, that was probably it.

"Dude, what is up with you lately?" He looked at his best friend, not sure what the hell was going on or what he had been saying. He'd been spacing again, questioning Ollie and Sara's behavior.

"Merlyn spacing on us again?" the young blonde stepped into their view with a tray of snacks and drinks, putting them on the coffee table before letting herself plop into Ollie's lap, as she had taken up to do more frequently lately. Not that it was uncommon for her to do this. It just had never been such a frequent thing, but then again, they had never before spent as much time around each other, at least not just the three of them.

"Yep." The reply sounded a little strangled. Sara looked up into Ollie's face while shifting around on his lap to get more comfortable, he watched them for a moment before his eyes strayed up to his best friend's face too and the look he saw made him question everything that he knew about them.

He'd known Ollie for pretty much all his life. He could read him like a book, and the way he was currently looking at Sara was a mixture of affection, amusement, and desire. What the fuck. But then again, Sara was sitting in his lap and rubbing herself against him while getting situated and as far as he knew, Ollie hadn't gotten laid in a while, so one couldn't blame the guy for having a natural reaction to a very nice butt rubbing against his dick. Even if it was all innocent.

"You alright there, OJ" He switched his eyes from the man next to him to the young woman in his lap who looked at him with a raised eyebrow, a knowing smirk and just as much amusement as Ollie did at her, at her words.

"Yeah, wouldn't mind if you finally settled down, woman." His best friend was grumbling, but he still seemed in good humor, even if he appeared a little bothered.

"Why, something bothering you? Don't mind us if you need a moment alone with those magazines stashed in your bedroom." Sara was doing her best to look straight-faced and innocent but there was a serious crack in her facade and the smirk she was trying to hide was easily recognizable, as was the amused sparkle in her eyes.

"Funny." Ollie's deadpan look almost did him in and he couldn't help sniggering and just barely managed to keep from laughing out loud, especially when she blew him a kiss before turning towards the table and getting a couple of cookies before settling back down in his lap and leaning into his chest, while Ollie was just looking at her both incredulous and highly amused.

Tommy coughed in his hand to hide his laughter. He could easily relate to Ollie's plight, and this was a situation that had the potential to be very uncomfortable and highly humiliating, if it were with anyone else but Sara. And he couldn't say he'd never been in a similar situation with the blonde before. She was gorgeous, very attractive, and sexy. He wasn't blind, and his body reacted to those facts depending on the situation. That didn't mean he was interested in her in that way, or would ever make a move. Nope, it was simply his anatomy taking notice, especially if she was in the position she was in with Ollie now and he hadn't gotten laid in ages.

That was one of the things he liked most about Sara. She might tease and give you shit, but she never made situations awkward. Had it been anyone else, this could've turned seriously embarrassing. But not with their female friend. She understood their biology and how it worked and that they had little to no control over the effect actions like hers could have on them, depending on a lot of different factors. She just took note of it and moved on. It was one of the aspects of her character that made it so easy to have her be just one of the guys, even though she was very obviously a girl.

"Cookie?" She held one right in front of Ollie's face, his best friend simply leaning forward and taking a bite, instead of taking hold of it, wasn't what he had expected, both of his hands had taken hold of Sara's thighs and he slightly lifted them to shift her on his lap so she was lying across more sideways, her feet now draped across his own thigh and lying in his lap. He watched Ollie's hands squeeze them before moving one arm around her, drawing her close, and taking the offered cookie with the other.

Sara pushed one of her feet against his inner thigh harshly until he turned his attention towards her.

"The fuck, Tweety! What?" He looked a bit annoyed at her actions, which were sure to leave bruises. That had hurt.

"What's up with you lately? You're spacing on us a lot." The look she threw him wasn't one he liked. It was inquisitive, the type that made you feel she was looking right through you and solving a very difficult puzzle at the same time. Or as if you were one of her science projects that she was studying through the microscope. It was a look that usually let to her figuring out the reason behind their behavior, and this was something he really wanted to prevent this time around. Not sure how his friends would react if he brought up the conversation with his classmates and, truth be told, he really didn't want to find out.

"Nothing, just a lot on my mind. It would just be nice to not have to wait forever for the results and knowing whether I passed or not is all." That wasn't the entire truth, but it wasn't a lie either. He really wished he'd know his results. It would help with the decision on whether he should head home for part of the summer or just stay here. Not that his dad wouldn't come here and seek him out if he failed. But still. His dad would have to make the time to be away from the business for several days, and the likelihood of that happening was rather small. The company outranked him by a lot when it came to importance in his father's book. Just like most things, ever since his mom's death, before that family had come first for his dad but ever since… Tommy forced his mind away from those depressing thoughts. No need to drag the mood down right now.

"Yeah, that sucks. But I'm sure you did alright, Tommy, you did some serious studying." She smiled softly at him and squeezed his shoulder affectionately. Yeah, he hoped so, too. But until then, he just enjoyed the company of his two best friends. Hanging with them always managed to keep his mind from straying to his fucked up family.

The rest of the day passed in a blur, and it wasn't until later, when he was alone in his bed, staring at the ceiling, that his mind drifted towards the question of the statues of his two best friends' relationship yet again.

There were looks and touches they shared that appeared to be almost intimate, and he wasn't sure what to make of it. There were also moments he was pretty sure he had unintentionally interrupted something… maybe…whatever… at least it felt that way, but still he couldn't say for sure. They always brushed and laughed it off and he had no solid proof.

He'd been lying in bed awake for almost two hours now and it wasn't the first time it took him forever to fall asleep. And honestly, his bedroom was pretty close to Ollie's bedroom. If they were fucking, he'd know. For sure. He might not have while school was still going, since he'd spent hours a day in class while they were home alone and had plenty of time to screw. But now that he was home almost all the time too, or the three of them were going out on adventures together Ollie and Sara didn't really have any alone time, so the only time they'd have to fuck, was at night in bed, and if they were, he was pretty sure he'd hear them. Sara wasn't known to be quiet.

So, he was pretty sure they weren't.

Notes:

I hope I got him right, I was worried, haven't written a lot of Tommy yet. I love him but I want to do him justice and I hope this feels true to his character.

Let me know what you think.

Chapter title is from the song "Jessie's girl" by Rick Springfield.