Gabe (unexpectedturn) wrote in worldsapart_ic, @ 2019-09-15 14:24:00 |
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Roman had a lot of really helpful information, great advice to give. And Ainsley understood the importance of dealing with things, she did. There was no point in dancing around the issue all the time, not if it was going to make things weird.
She’d figured out that she had feelings for Koa, romantically speaking. She liked the cuddling, she liked the attention, he made her tingly. And there was a big disconnect between if he was just being friendly or if it was something extra, something different. And she knew she was attracted to Gabe, who was hot like burning and she knew it. And the notion that they could all be something, the idea that it didn’t need to be one or the other, that was stuck in her head.
So she’d made a bunch of cupcakes, she’d iced them and then she’d thought she had way too much icing and she made cinnamon swirls to go with the cupcakes, and then she’d texted each of the boys on their joint thread (because they already had a triple group going on) to see if they’d come out to ‘hang out’ because that was easier than saying ‘we need to talk’.
No one wanted that text message, literally no one.
Ainsley cleaned, changed her clothes twice -because she might be too casual, then too dressed up and finally settled on comfortable but not slouchy, with minimal make-up because god, she needed to relax.
But now, she was waiting around for them to get there, trying not to overthink things.
Gabe had made good on his promise of finding a new innovative way of having his sunlight charm on him without potentially losing it, gone was the ring and in its place was a nipple piercing, a bar to be exact, but he was keeping that under wraps. That meant that when Ainsley texted about coming over to hang out it wasn’t that difficult of a decision and he’d swung by Koa’s to pick him up and take him over.
It just made sense to arrive together.
The vampire pulled up outside of Ainsley’s place, kicked out the stand, and then tugged his helmet off before combing his fingers through his hair. The engine was cut a second later and Gabe stepped off it, gesturing towards the apartment. “You head on up, I’ll be right up, soon as I’ve secured the bike.
Koa huffed out a breath and bumped Gabe’s shoulder with his own before he nodded and took the stairs to the front door two at a time. Extended periods of time spent with Gabe and Ainsley tended to make him feel quite excited; any time where he didn’t have to share their attention with anyone else other than each other was something that was quickly becoming one of his favourite things.
He scratched behind his ear, tightening his loosened ponytail a little (he always wore his hair back when on the bike because otherwise tangles, yuck) and headed up into the apartment building, legs making quick work of the stairs. He hoped there was pizza. He could really go for pizza today. Maybe they’d have to order in, but hey, pizza was pizza.
Mind firmly on various types of food - and pizza toppings - Koa rapped on the door, humming to himself as he waited for Ainsley to open up before remembering that she probably had the door unlocked so he just nudged the handle.
It swung open and he grinned broadly.
“You can relax,” he announced, “company has arrived.” It was accompanied by a dramatic bow and a wink. “Gabe’s just securing the bike, he’ll be up in a minute.”
There really was just something about Koa’s attitude that made it hard to stay too wound up, Ainsley laughing slightly as Koa appeared in her apartment. “Oh good, I was about to send out a search party.”
She hoped that her anxiousness was down enough from her clean spree, given that everything in her whole apartment was officially the cleanest it had ever been more than likely, but she was that give of worrier; when it built up, she cleaned everything.
“Do you want soda or juice, Koa?” She was still in the kitchen, fridge door opened trying to work out if she wanted a pepsi or some mango juice. “Or I can make smoothies?” Because obviously she’d try to stay busy, even as she was realising that Koa and Gabe riding in together would’ve meant Koa wrapped all around Gabe on the bike.
“Sodaaaa,” Koa replied, kicking off his converse and stretching his arms above his head. It smelt clean in here, a little bit like citrus cleaning products which was a bright and relatively inoffensive smell. Not like bleach. “Please,” he added a second later. “Smoothies later?”
That would be an adventure.
“You okay? Random loneliness that prompted a visit request aside?”
He glanced over his shoulder when he heard the sound of footsteps. “And here’s the man of the hour,” he grinned. “Toldya he’d only be a minute.”
Gabe smirked over at Koa before he turned a smile on Ainsley. “Hey.” He leaned down to unlace his boots and remove them once he was in the apartment. “The place looks great by the way.” You could tell she’d fully moved in and really made it her own.
His jacket came off next to leave him in a white v-neck t-shirt with not one speck of dirt or stain on it but then Gabe did look after his things.
He hung the jacket up on a nearby hook.
Ainsley had managed a short nod Koa’s question before Gabe came in, she could wait until they were settled to bring it up, she didn’t want to launch into things just because she had things on her mind. “Soda for Koa, how about you Gabe, you want something?” She knew he didn’t need it, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t offer to see if he wanted to indulge in something.
“You like it?” She’d bought blackout curtains after the weekend where Gabe had lost his ring, just in case, installed them in all her rooms, they helped her sleep late when she wanted to as well, so it was a good idea all things considered. She liked the somewhat modern and understated appearance her place had now. Although the desk was probably the obvious space she used the most, all her college gear ready to start making the rounds when classes started up. It was probably the most cluttered thing in the apartment.
“I made cupcakes,” and cinnamon swirls, but she wanted to wait until after the conversation to mention those, because if things didn’t go well she’d need them for comfort food, “And there’s netflix, or some music if you guys want, I don’t mind.” She hadn’t thought through the build up to conversing really.
“I can smell cinnamon,” Koa added with a little grin, pushing some stray hair back behind his ear, moving closer to Ainsley to help with the strenuous task of grabbing him a soda. Such hard work.
Also, baked goods.
“Do I gotta wait before eating cupcakes? Gabe? Cupcakes? Can’t say no to cupcakes…”
Her heart had slowly started to speed up a little, prompting him to throw a curious look in Gabe’s direction. He was better at people stuff than Koa was, despite his best, ever so earnest, efforts.
Gabe’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly when he heard the change in Ainsley’s heartbeat, catching the curious look being thrown his way by Koa. The shift was either as a direct result of Koa being closer or something else, nerves. Those had a very distinct scent which Gabe was learning, but what did she have to be nervous about?
“Soda’s fine for me and yeah I like it, it looks really good.” He’d noticed the blackout curtains and a soft smile touched the edges of his mouth because whilst they were no longer needed, it was still a lovely thought.
He gave an affectionate roll of his eyes as Koa asked about cupcakes and he moved closer, clasping Ainsley’s shoulders in his hands to squeeze softly and reassuringly for whatever was bothering her. “I don’t know, Koa. I think that’s up to our kind host.”
She wasn’t entirely surprised that they both ended up in her space, it was like a pull, she felt like they all just ended up orbiting each other really closely. But that was part of the problem -not problem, it wasn’t a problem, problems were for things you wanted to solve to stop, she didn’t want this to stop, she just needed to understand it better. “Sodas for two,” because she already had her glass of mango, but soda for the boys wasn’t a trouble, least of all when Koa ‘helped’.
“You can help yourself,” she had the tray slotted into the oven, where she kept it after the oven cooled so that they stayed out of the sunlight and nothing melted, iced perfectly with cute multi coloured cupcake sleeves snug around them. She pulled them out, placing them on the island before opting to find some kitchen roll so that fingers could be wiped.
It wasn’t a big kitchen, so there was a fair amount of shoulder bumping -just enough to be on purpose, and Ainsley leaning into Gabe any time she was nearby in her movements around the room. “You need to eat in the kitchen though, because I just cleaned and crumbs are evil.” She’d be finding them for days. Thankfully, she could pull off feeding and getting drinks for them without getting too anxious. Although with nothing else to do, she was left biting her lower lip, letting them tuck in while still maintaining some contact with each of them.
She was so stupidly worried they wouldn’t want to hang out with her after anyway.
Gabe snorted quietly as he carefully peeled away the edge of one cupcake wrapper. “It’s funny that you think with Koa around they’ll be crumbs left over.” And that wasn’t even an exaggeration. Koa could and did eat like he hadn’t been fed in months. He’d always been that way and thankfully he had a dragon for a dad so he was never lacking for food or somebody that could match his voracious appetite.
He gave Ainsley a playful nudge in the side and let his lips pull into a smile before he just tucked into his first cupcake.
“You might have a point there,” she was glad that there was still the air of teasing, the light atmosphere. She had a feeling they could probably tell that she was a little amped up, but maybe they’d just wave it off as her normal mood about people in her home.
And then Gabe smiled at her, soft and sweet and her tummy swooped again and her heart juddered and she was so screwed. “But that’s why we love him, right?”
Loaded question? Probably not, but still.
Koa was halfway through his first cupcake anyway, having hardly taken the time to appreciate the pretty colour of the wrapper or the delicate icing because he’d just wanted it to be in his mouth already. True to form, though he hadn’t spilled any crumbs - at all - he did have icing on the corner of his mouth and, somehow, on the tip of his nose.
“Fuck me, Ains,” he said, swallowing and licking frosting off his finger, dropping a kiss on her cheek as he brushed past her - and then Gabe - to the fridge to get sodas. “You could sell those.”
He pulled the door open, seemingly thinking better of his previous statement. “Actually, scratch that ‘cause then we’d have to share and that’s not really on the cards.” He grinned at Gabe. “We saw you first.”
Koa was a truly amazing person with a heart of gold but sometimes he really could be a total idiot as he might not have picked up on the slight… undertone in Ainsley’s voice but Gabe had and it was interesting that she’d chosen those particular words. Very interesting.
“C’mere,” he murmured with a roll of his eyes as he caught Koa’s arm and reached across to swipe his thumb over the wolf’s nose so he could remove the frosting. Not that it lingered for very long as he caught the edge of his thumb in-between his teeth, eyes fixed on Ainsley as he cleaned away the frosting with his tongue.
“One of the many reasons.”
Seriously?
Koa could be unintentionally adorable all the time, and Ainsley had gone from grinning bashfully at his sweetness to practically burning when Gabe made pointed eye contact and cleaned his thumb.
Koa had always made her feel warm and fuzzy, and when they’d met at first she’d entertained the notion of convincing him to stay and maybe they’d be a couple and it’d be cute and she could have a million cuddles all the time. But she sort of knew that he wasn’t ready to stop roaming right then and just put the box of potential away. At least until she’d decided for definite to go to Los Angeles.
But she wasn’t sure there’d ever been such suckerpunch reactions as the ones Gabe was constantly invoking. And she was sure he knew what he was doing, he couldn’t not at this point, right? And that was a good thing, right? Because if he and Koa were heading towards being a thing then Gabe wouldn’t do things like string someone else in and along, that would be too cruel. Gabe definitely wasn’t cruel.
“Right, yeah. Many, many. No sharing cupcakes. Mmhmm.” She needed to bury herself in her drink, taking far longer to sip it than needed just to get a grip on herself.
Koa just beamed when Gabe swiped the frosting off him with an apologetic little grin at both of them. He was an enthusiastic eater, which sometimes led to a little bit of messiness. He generally tried a little harder, though. But. Cupcakes. Come on. He couldn’t be expected not to just roll around in their deliciousness.
Besides, Ainsley had made them.
He licked his lower lip, catching the last of the frosting and running his thumb along just to make sure he’d cleaned himself up before he lifted an eyebrow.
“Not just cupcakes,” he told her sincerely. “We saw you first.” By which he meant that they’d befriended her first so that, as far as Koa’s logic was concerned, meant that they didn’t share her. She could have other friends, of course, but not other friends like them.
It was simple, really. Ainsley was like Gabe. Koa’s people.
Ah, there it was. That spike in her heartbeat, the change in her scent, the prolonged pull from her drink. It confirmed what Gabe had been suspecting for a while but hadn't been sure because his confidence had definitely taken a knock. It wasn't just Koa and that made him feel better because he'd been trying to gauge Ainsley's interests for a while now.
"I think what Koa is trying to say is that you can have other friends but not friends like us," Gabe murmured as he hooked his arm around Koa's neck and tugged the wolf closer until his chest was against Koa's back. "Right, Koa?"
All the while those blue eyes of his had not left Ainsley.
So she was getting a bit of a vibe, and as she licked her lips, still meeting Gabe’s rather intense gaze, catching his words, she figured it was about time to just jump in and take the risk. “I have something to tell you both,” okay, that sounded a little too ominous, “not like, oh no, I’m dying. Not that, I just mean that I’ve been thinking about something and I can’t really--”
Usually, talking wasn’t a problem for Ainsley, she was skilled with words, she could do epic presentations in front of thousands of people, she didn’t get stage fright at all. But she couldn’t really get her mouth to work with her brain in order to say this right.
“I have, I mean… There’s…” She probably should just spit it out, right? Looking at the pair of them, how comfortable they just felt, how she felt around them. “I think that I have feelings, well, I know that I do, for both of you, and I know that it’s a little messed up and I completely understand if it’s just a platonic thing for you both, I do.” Because they were just so close, and Koa was just so sweet and it was probably just all in her head.
“But I feel like I should get it out there, so that… So that everyone knows that I… feel this attraction, but I don’t want to mess something up, if you two are, y’know… exploring.” God, word vomit that probably didn’t make sense.
Maybe she could hide in the bathroom to let them put on their shoes before leaving rather than her having to uncomfortably watch them leave.
Koa felt Gabe nudge his temple with his nose which he took to mean that he was supposed to say something, but honestly, he’d been tugged into Gabe’s personal space - which had stopped his brain from working efficiently since they were about nine - and he was still half looking at the cupcakes on the counter and trying to work out if he could Jedi-mind trick one over without having to move from where he was quite comfortable thank you very much.
The reminder that something had been said that he needed to respond to had him quickly replaying the last few seconds for context, for something to respond to and he realised that Ainsley had been talking about feelings.
He was, quite honestly, allergic to those. Not in that he didn’t have them but talking about them was exceptionally complicated and stressful and it wasn’t an enjoyable experience for anyone involved so his preference was to just… not.
Apparently, that was coming back to bite him in the ass.
“Exploring?” Koa asked, looking a little confused. He tipped his head up to look at Gabe. “Are we exploring? I didn’t think we were exploring.” Because… uh, were they? Also, how was he supposed to react to Ainsley’s statement about feelings?
He really wasn’t good at this shit.
He reached out, wiggling his fingers for her to take them so he could tug her a little closer, hands resting on her hips once he’d drawn her in.
“This what’s been making you be all weird recently?” he asked, sincere and doing his best not to make a joke because it was on the tip of his tongue and he knew it wouldn’t be appropriate and would probably just end up with Gabe cuffing him upside the head.
Koa was not wrong. Gabe would in fact cuff him upside the head if he so much as thought about making a joke right now. It had clearly taken a lot for Ainsley to speak her mind, express her feelings and that was a level of vulnerability that he himself struggled with.
He leaned down to settle his chin on Koa’s shoulder as he watched the exchange.
Gabe did however reach up to tuck a stray strand of Ainsley’s hair behind her ear where his touch lingered.
Letting Koa grip her fingers and drag her in close, barely an impulse to tug away or maintain some kind of space between them, she just sighed as her awareness was just filled with that Koa&Gabe scent and feel.
Koa was always so warm, and it contrasted with the occasional chill Gabe had, the scorch where Koa’s hands rested on her hips and the brush of Gabe’s fingers at least not feeling like they were about to stomp out and tell her she was nuts. “I’m not being weird.”
Okay, so she probably didn’t hide anything well at all, and maybe she’d been weird since a little bit before Roman’s BBQ but that wasn’t the point. “You make me get weird swoopy feelings,” her voice was low and soft, because they were supernatural and she was so close she could probably whisper it and they’d hear it fine, “and I can’t tell if you’re just like this because you’re a wolf and I’m overthinking everything, or if it’s something else or …”
Or if Gabe and Koa were something bigger than she was aware of and they were just trying
to make her feel welcome and it was natural to still just be how they were with each other.
“Gabe gives me weird swoopy feelings too,” Koa confessed, like it was a secret that Gabe didn’t already know. “It’s annoying, huh.” His fingers flexed gently at her hips, and when she made no move to pull her away, he just tugged her in that little bit closer by letting his touch slide along to her lower back, hands resting gently in the curve, thumbs making idle sweeping movements on either side of her spine.
He wet his lower lip, “I would apologise but I’m kinda not sorry?” His lips tugged up into a warm smile and he turned his head to nose at Gabe’s cheek where the vampire was still resting on his shoulder. “I mean- unless you, uh, you want us to be sorry? I mean I didn’t- We’re gonna- I just-”
Fuuuuuuuuuuuuck.
He cleared his throat. “I’m not- uh- like this with everyone.”
“Good thing too,” Gabe muttered with a smirk as he tipped his head to grace Koa’s temple with a kiss. “Or it wouldn’t be quite as special as it is.” Of course after his encounter with Jeanine and his subsequent turning he had struggled in a lot of ways, mostly with where he fit and how he slotted into the life he’d been unceremoniously dragged from, and he was still working on that. Quite a bit in fact. Had Koa been the way that he was with everyone without much regard for who they were and how they fitted into his life then Gabe would definitely not still be here, he’d be long gone.
Maybe would have enjoyed a stroll in the sun without the precious charm that kept him from burning up, but that was one secret he kept very close to his chest, only Billy knew of his… ideations at times.
Best not to say anything, really.
Ainsley had a feeling that every person to look at Gabe got swoopy feelings for a second or more. His cheekbones, those eyes, that smile? Ainsley had never wanted to climb a man more than the instant her eyes locked on Gabe.
Koa’s hands were soothing though, pulling her in and helping her settle a little. Even if it just turned awkward between the three of them because of what she said, it was still promising that they were still there, letting her keep the space invasion going. “No, don’t be sorry.”
Being sorry would mean that it wasn’t meant to be like that, that something unwanted had come from whatever they were doing, and she wasn’t sure if she’d be able to deal with that. Gabe was right, it was special, and she really liked what she had with them. It was just that she didn’t know if she was supposed to push these feelings away or let them linger.
“It is special, I like this, I like the closeness.” She liked that some nights she went to sleep and still smelled like a mix of the pair of them. “I just… I’m not sure if what I’m feeling is okay.”
As much as Roman encouraged her that conventional wasn’t for everyone, and that something a little less traditional could be just what they were, she wasn’t sure if it was wanted.
Gabe could recognise the warning signs of inappropriate humour from Koa as easily as he could directions or when it would be a good time to feed would be and he decided that it was time to intervene lest he say something and make this entire situation even more awkward and uncomfortable for Ainsley.
“It’s okay,” he assured her with a warm inviting smile. “Koa and I have actually talked about this or rather about you so…” He trailed off and with a roll of his eyes he decided to take the plunge that they were skirting around.
He gently combed Koa’s hair through his fingers and then once he had a light grip or a healthy fistful - either or - he tipped his head back and caught his mouth in a kiss which might have started off cold (sorry, vampire, can’t help it) but it definitely heated up. And not to forget Ainsley, God forbid, Gabe pulled her in with a curl of his fingers in the front of her top and pressed a slightly less aggressive but no less passionate kiss to her lips.
Gabe pulled back after a beat and the corner of his lips twitched. “Really okay.”
Ainsley wasn’t sure if her brain was going to explode.
The notion of Koa and Gabe discussing her, in this general capacity and subject, or maybe just in a passing kind of ‘Ainsley is nice’ kind of way, was enough to turn her brain off a little. Because that meant at some point either the subject came up or one of them mentioned something about her.
And then Gabe kissed Koa, right there in front of her, and Ainsley was glad that she had Koa to keep her upright, she was almost leaning into him at the sight. Because honestly, it wasn’t just an attraction she had to both males, it wasn’t just her. They looked good together. And that was just proven right there in front of her.
Her heart leapt to her throat when Gabe tugged her in, her hands supporting her by clinging to Koa, her breathing hitching even as she pressed in against Gabe, letting her eyes fall shut to take everything in. She was still sort of leaning there as Gabe withdrew and reassured her that it was okay. Which she was starting to believe.
It didn’t stop the blush from colouring her cheeks, or her heartbeat racing for entirely new reasons, or the way she leaned in to press her face into Koa’s shoulder, trying to work through all the emotions right then.
Koa wasn’t sure - immediately - if he was jealous or really turned on by the sight of Gabe and Ainsley kissing. He decided that it was definitely the latter. He figured if he said something, he’d probably just make things worse when they were finally getting better, so as the kiss ended between Gabe and Ainsley and she leaned forward, pressing close, he let one hand trail up into her hair to bury into the blonde strands and hold her close, turning his head to press a kiss to the shell of her ear.
His other hand stayed pressed against the curve of her back for a few moments before it lifted and he reached back, curling his hand around the back of Gabe’s neck to keep him close, too. He could feel the rumble of a growl in the back of his throat and he took a breath to stifle it. Gabe might have been used to the werewolf part of him but Ainsley wasn’t.
“‘S really okay,” he echoed, kissing her ear again and leaning back into Gabe, taking her with him. “You alright? Didn’t, uh- didn’t break your brain or anything? His kisses have a tendency to do that.”
There was so much warmth from Koa’s chest just seeping into Ainsley that she was still feeling the heat all over, not that it bothered her in the least, not when it seemed like maybe she wasn’t off on her own page while they were reading a completely different book.
The light hint of a rumble in Koa’s chest gave her little goose bumps. “I’m totally broken, brain is off, might now come back on.” She nuzzled a little into Koa’s neck, leaning towards the kisses on her ear.
“You two are really hot.” But given that they were both supernatural, had heightened senses and there was no room between them, they could likely smell that she very much thought they were hot. And because she’d come to terms with how attracted she was to both of them she was able to fully enjoy the sight of Gabe’s slightly paler complexion all tangled up with Koa’s tanned one.
Feeling a lot bolder for the moment, she tilted her own head to catch at Koa’s lips, rather than the warm, soft press of his mouth to her ear or cheek like usual.
Koa chuckled, “You broke her brain, dude,” he teased, fingers flexing in Gabe’s hair. He might have said something else, but Ainsley was looking at him in a way that reminded him of the split second before Gabe kissed him, and, oh, yeah, there it was. Her lips pressed against his and he let out a happy rumble, teeth catching her lower lip gently as he kissed her, hand cupping the back of her head as she leaned up.
He nudged her nose in a little eskimo kiss when they parted and turned his head to steal another one from Gabe, a brief kiss followed by a nudge of noses, gentle and very specifically-Koa affection.
“You can’t call me a liar anymore,” he added, “y’know, since you broke her brain and all you did was kiss her. I mean, what hope do either of us have of ever doing anything intelligent ever again?” He grinned, “Well, I never had any hope but Ainsley had a bright brainy future ahead of her.”
Gabe watched them both rather intensely for a moment as much like Koa he was torn between two emotions but the one that won out was definitely arousal, distinct and present, before a rough chuckle escaped him in the second it took for Koa to lean up and kiss him. The nudge of his nose was followed by a slow smile before he leaned in to rest his forehead against Koa’s, that smile rapidly turning into a smirk as his gaze shifted over to Ainsley.
“Guess I’m just going to have to be really careful about when I do or don’t kiss you both.”
Simple enough, right?
He reached out to smooth his thumb over Ainsley’s cheek before his touch eased round to squeeze the back of her neck, skin much cooler than either hers or Koa’s.
“You’re going to make him not kiss us as much.” And that would be utterly terrible, those lovely, soft lips kept to themselves? Oh, no no. It was almost like a little rope had been untied, now that she was sort of given permission to touch openly, but Ainsley didn’t even try to keep it back.
She had a hand on Koa’s hip, her thumb tucking up under the hem of his shirt to catch at some skin, while she leaned in to the cool touch of Gabe’s hand. The coil of anxiety had definitely released with the come down from ‘the talk’, especially when they turned out oh so very well.
“Don’t listen to him, brains are so overrated.” She couldn’t help but grin through it.
“Well, I mean, I don’t need brains,” Koa pointed out with a lift of his shoulders. “You guys can kiss me whenever you want. But you better watch out for Ainsley’s brains… she kinda needs those.”
Holding them both close, as much as he could do, he just relished this moment where he was surrounded by his people, warm and content and- well, he probably needed a minute if Ainsley didn’t want to find herself pushed up against the counter. Or Gabe. Dealer’s choice right now. Especially since there were hands on his skin and- fuck.
Cupcakes. He wriggled free, picking up another cake and busying himself with the wrapper, taking a breath to calm himself - and his inner wolf that was suddenly feeling very possessive - down.
Gabe watched with some amusement as Koa finally wiggled free and proceeded to help himself to another cake. “I’ll be sure to kiss you both responsibly.” He smiled over at Koa before doing the same with Ainsley, wetting his lower lip and clearing his throat. “So, is that why you invited us round?”
Ainsley gave Gabe one of those smirking, soft expressions at him over Koa’s fascination with food. “It was the main reason,” she could admit it now, that she had an ulterior motive. “I figured it was something I should mention, talk about, get out there.”
The alternative was getting more and more awkward around them and making things bad. She decided not to mention that Roman had given her the advice, because then she might embarrass Koa about talking about a potential sex life with his dad -she’d understand feeling awkward.
“The plan was actually to feed the bottomless pit there, maybe have some casual time on the sofa, and work it into conversation, but I’m terrible with those things.” She shrugged a little, swaying towards Gabe to nudge him since Koa was stuffing his face like she knew he would.
“I really was thinking about just watching a movie or something, it wasn’t a ploy to get you guys here and then molest you.”
Gabe ducked his head in response to Ainsley’s expression and barely kept a smirk from appearing on his face, affection clear in the gaze that regarded Koa. “Makes sense,” he said with a nod of his head. “Honestly if you hadn’t I would have because well,” he reached out and casually draped an arm around Ainsley’s waist as he looked from her to Koa and back again, “I’ve definitely been getting some vibes.”
He reached up with his free hand and swept some of his hair back, touch lingering there as he nodded. “I could watch a movie.” Though how much of the movie they watched compared to how much of each other they explored was a totally different matter.
Perhaps they’d be on their best behaviour?
“Koa? What kind of movie are you in the mood for?”
“Can I have a cinnamon thing?” Koa asked, distracted from his food for a moment by the sight of Gabe with his arm around Ainsley. That feeling returned in his chest again, the one that wanted to do wildly inappropriate things with them both.
So better to focus on food. And- oh, Gabe has said his name.
“Huh?”
Since she was basically allowed to touch now, without worrying that she was overstepping something, Ainsley’s arms wrapped around Gabe, her soft smile at Koa and his question about the cinnamon ‘things’, making her giggle. “Yeah, you can have a cinnamon thing.” She’d fish out a few of them, let him demolish them, since she didn’t need to worry about stress eating because she ruined the one (or two) important friendships she’d made.
She’d probably anxiety eat later, due to the fact that they were vocally aware of a three way attraction and whatever that was going to entail and how to navigate it. And the only thing that would stop her making lists and charts tonight would be company or food.
“Gabe asked what you want to watch? Y’know, while you fill that belly of yours that most of us call a black hole?” It was something of a challenge for her to pull away from Gabe though, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek, like so many times that Koa did the same to her, but this time needing to stretch on her tip toes to make it, pulling the oven door open to get the tupperware with the cinnamon twirls off them.
“Pretty sure as long as he has food he’ll watch anything,” Gabe said with a fond smile in Koa’s direction before his head turned as Ainsley dropped a kiss on his cheek. He returned the favour by pressing a kiss to her temple before he let her go and watched as she wandered over to retrieve the cinnamon whirls.
He grabbed his drink and pushed away to head in the direction of the living room, bending at the waist to regard the selection of movies available to them.
“I’m feeling horror or action but I don’t know about anyone else.”
“Mmph,” Koa replied with a nod of his head, going so far as to have a plate (like a civilised person) though he knew the cinnamon whirl on it wouldn’t last the distance between the kitchen and the lounge. “Either works for me. I’ve got a netflix password if we need it.”
Movies, probably snuggles on the couch and a fair bit of making out.
This was shaping up to be a great day.