Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Nate. I'm gonna level with you. I've heard this song many a time, and I had no idea the high pitched part at the beginning was saying 'feel good.'"

"Uh, yeah. What did you think it was?" He asked, flicking on his blinker and turning into Mark's street. I hesitated.

"...Hoo-hoo."

"You thought it was hoo-hoo?" He strangled a laugh in his throat.

"Don't make fun of me. It's been a long time since I heard it!" I protested.

"Nah, I'm gonna make fun of you for that. Hoo-hoo hearing-ass."

"Whatever. You know what song I miss? Smoke Baby. I keep getting it stuck in my head and forgetting to listen to it."

"Mm, Hawksley Workman?"

"Is it? Is that in your realm of knowledge, music man?"

"Mmhm." He hummed.

"Sexy song." I commented.

"So sexy," He agreed.

"Destructive habits are soo hot."

"Sexy drug addiction. I'd put it on for you, but we're out of time. Remind me on the way back tomorrow?" He pulled into Mark's driveway.

"I'll try. So, do you have any idea what to expect?"

"Nope." He took a deep breath. I squeezed his hand and got out of the car. I took Nate's hand as we approached the door, and knocked.

"Ma-ark, someone's he-ere!" Came an exaggerated childish voice from inside. Nate and I looked at each other.

"Ethan." We said in unison. Mark opened the door with a smile.

"Hey guys, come on in."

We found Ethan sprawled out on the couch. He sprang up like a Golden Retriever.

"Ethan, this is my partner-" Mark started. Ethan leapt forward to shake my hand.

"So nice to meet you!"

"Nice to meet you too!" I smiled. I'd heard about him from Mark, and besides, any friend of Mark's was likely to become my friend too.

"And this is Nate, my, um...boooy-" Alarm passed over Marks' face as he realized we hadn't actually discussed what they were to each other.

"Boyfriend," Nate offered, along with his hand, with a surprising confidence.

"Boyfriend," I agreed.

"Boyfriend," Mark concluded, with relief and a firm nod. Ethan's eyebrows shot up for a mere moment, then he shook Nate's hand.

"Nice to meet you, Nate! I've heard great things about the both of you," He looked to me, "But I didn't know you were all... together," Ethan gave Mark a funny look. It was a confused look, but more of a "why didn't you tell me?" Confusion, and not a "what the hell is this?" Confusion. Mark flushed red in embarrassment.

"Well, we do be." I reached out to pat Nate and Marks' shoulders, trying my best to move past it.

"That's cool," Ethan said, and giggled, "I mean, I've got questions, but-"

"Don't." I shook my head. I figured the likelihood of those questions being of the sexual nature was too high.

"So how are the videos coming?" Nate asked, clapping his hands together.

"Oh, they're..." Mark made a variety of unsure sounds. Ethan joined in at a higher pitch.

"That good, huh?" I asked with a laugh.

"Well, they're something. And they'll either get better, or worse from here." Mark said brightly. His positivity was one of my favorite traits of his.

"Well, based on the pictures, I can't wait to see them," I said.

"Pictures?" Nate asked.

"Oh yeah," I pulled out my phone for him and opened my messages from Mark. Oops.

"Oh, HELLO," Nate said, looking wide eyed between Mark and the all-too revealing image on my phone.

"Oh, not that one," I said, casting a sheepish look towards Mark and swiping to the previous picture. Mark laughed, and Ethan, either guessing the nature of the picture or simply not wanting to be left out, laughed along. After showing Nate the picture of Ethan and Mark crouching in front of a bathtub with empty salt bags littering the floor, I put away my phone and looked expectantly at Mark.

"Oh, right," Mark blinked, then settled into a new demeanor, "Gather around, oh beloved guests," He purred out his dramatic announcer voice, rich and inviting, "For it is time, now, for the very first viewing of the first video... of Unus Annus." Maybe this project of his wouldn't be so bad, if I got to hear that voice of his more. The idea was that he and Ethan would make a video every single day for a year, thus the name- Latin for One Year. It would feature an emphasis on making the most of your time and the inevitability of death. That, and whatever ridiculous video ideas they'd have to resort to as they ran out of ideas. If nothing else, it would certainly take up a lot of Marks' time. Mark motioned for us to sit. Ethan started the video with a loud click as the rest of us settled onto the couch, my boys on either side of me. Ethan squeezed in next to Mark.

More than once throughout the video about cooking breakfast with sex toys (I don't know what I expected, but it certainly wasn't THAT), I slowly turned my head to give Mark a baffled look. It was a strange feeling, watching one of your best friends/partner combine a power drill with a dildo and use a flogger as a whisk. It wasn't entirely uncomfortable, but most of it was. In addition, it was funny as hell. I doubled over and scream-laughed into my lap at the "mixer" effectively whisking eggs, and when it was over Nate stared blankly ahead like he was traumatized before asking where the drildo was now, "for a friend."

"Nate, no, please, I Do Not want you to have that in your possession." I begged.

"This isn't about you. What about MY needs?" Nate asked, "You're SO selfish," He said dramatically. Ethan laughed nervously, not knowing Nate well enough to know that he was joking, or that he was very good at committing to jokes without breaking. I pressed my lips together to try to hold back a laugh, but it burst forth out of my mouth, making a fart-like sound as it made its' escape.

"There is no universe where the drildo leaves my house." Mark said firmly.

"Fine, you're just inviting unsavory acts into your home, under your roof." Nate said matter-of-factly. He laughed, then he asked, "So when's the hentai episode of Unus Annus?"

"We'll see. It's hard to schedule. " Mark shrugged. Ethan let out a shrill laugh.

"That's not the worst idea we've had." Ethan said.

"...Excuse me? Care to elaborate?" I asked with a giggle.

"Oh, what, is this no longer a safe space?" Ethan took on a offended and high pitched tone that made the rest of us laugh. After getting some more laughs out and realizing how late it was getting, Ethan excused himself and we stood up. "It was nice meeting you two! I'm glad you liked the video."

"Nice meeting you, too! If that's how you're starting, I honestly can't imagine where this year is going to go for you. Good luck!" I hugged him goodbye. We'd only met a short time ago, but it already felt like I'd known Ethan for a while.

"See you," Nate waved. The comedic inertia he'd gained from the Unus Annus video was waning, and now Ethan was a stranger to him, someone he wasn't sure how to act around, like coming down from a high and realizing you don't know where you ended up. I hooked my arm around his and pulled it to my chest. Mark took his spot on my other side and pressed a kiss to my head. His hand settled on my waist, comfortably wedged between me and Nate.

"Drive safe, Ethan. See you tomorrow, after I kick these two out before they can find the drildo." Mark chuckled. Curiosity flashed in Ethan's eyes as he looked at the three of us, clearly impeding his departure. He lagged in the doorway for a moment, before thinking better of lingering.

"I'll leave you to it. Bye, guys!"

Chapter Text

I tucked my feet under me on the couch next to Ethan. Mark and Nate were milling around the kitchen, occasionally slapping each other's asses and saying "Bro, have you been working out?" and maybe, in theory, cooking dinner as well. Ethan looked at me and giggled as Nate flirtatiously asked "Babe, have you been doing squats?"

"FINALLY, you noticed," Mark responded in a matching tone.

"I've never been a fourth wheel before," Ethan said, and cracked open a cold one. I laughed. Mark and Nate weren't much for drinking, but they were ok with me getting tipsy on occasion, preferring to keep an eye on me when I did, much like cool mothers of teenagers. I took a swig of my own drink, finishing it. It left me feeling pleasantly buzzed.

"It was really close to just being Nate and me, I'm really glad Mark confessed. I hadn't thought that 'both' was an option beforehand. Though, if he hadn't, you might not have been an extra wheel now."

"Oh, I wouldn't want that," He said, as we were interrupted by an audible slap from the kitchen.

"Ok, that one hurt," I heard Nate say.

"Aw, I'm sorry, want me to kiss it better?" Mark teased.

"Well I'm not gonna say NO," Nate said.

"Hand me the spoon," Mark laughed. I could imagine him shaking his head.

Ethan suddenly started laughing. I tilted my head at him.

"Sorry, I just like, I imagined you and Nate were getting busy and Mark walked in, and just shrugged and joined in and that's how it happened,"

"Not even close," I laughed, opening another drink. Nate made a disagreeing tone, appearing for a moment in the doorway with a dish towel slung over his shoulder.

"Isn't it, though?"

"No! We weren't fucking!" I insisted. Mark took Nate's place in the doorway, arms crossed.

"Damn right you weren't fucking. We don't fuck in this relationship, we make love," Mark said in a firm but joking tone. Ethan started laughing uncontrollably.

"So, you were making love?" He asked, wiping a tear from his eye.

"We were cuddling," I said firmly, "Which, I mean, physical touch is a love language, so in a sense-"

I was cut off by the sound of a kid shrieking outside. It was followed shortly by the bouncing sound of a basketball hitting pavement. Most of us could safely assume there wasn't any threat. Mark's smile faded as he looked back into the kitchen.

"Nate?"

I got up quickly. Nate was standing in front of the sink, gripping the counter with white knuckled. He stared blankly at the drain.

"Nate? Hey, it's ok. We're at my apartment." I stepped forward, placing my hand over his. He swallowed, blinked, and looked towards me.

"I-" He said shakily, "I can't stop picturing it,"

"It's okay. It's over now. You're safe. You're just making dinner with Mark. It's all very domestic. Look," I said, picking up a spoon of dumpling sauce. I gave him a taste and set the spoon down. Nate sighed and pulled me into a hug. His heart was pounding.

"Sorry about that. I mean- thank you," He murmured.

"Of course. There isn't a world in which I wouldn't help you." I said, cupping his head. I stepped back. Ethan was hovering behind Mark in the doorway, looking concerned. I walked over to the others. Mark leaned over to murmur in my ear.

"How did you do that?"

"I've talked myself through a panic attack or two. And we're kinda wired the same." I said quietly. He furrowed his brow and nodded, gently grazing my cheek with the back of his hand before he went back to Nate. He hugged the other man and gave him a firm squeeze before kissing his forehead.

"Do you want to take a break? I can steam these by myself," Mark said.

"Yeah, I think I will," Nate said. Mark patted his back.

"We should really be in therapy," I said as Nate joined Ethan and me as we headed back to the living room.

"We could start a new type. Poly couples group PTSD therapy." Nate said. For a moment the only sound wasyuh Mark cooking. Ethan was still regarding Nate with a worried look. Nate sighed. "Did Mark tell you how we met?"

"No..." Ethan said.

"Did he tell you about when he worked at Fazbears?"

"I know that he used to work there."

"Yeah," Nate paused. I took his hand and squeezed it. "Well, long story short, the three of us were in there the night it burned down," Ethan's mouth fell open, "Mark had only started working there that week. I had just been brought back in after quitting. Y/N, well, they just got swept up." He took a deep breath, "People died. We barely got out."

"What?" Ethan asked in disbelief, "That's so fucked up. You were there?" He pointed out the window, to the empty lot where IT had once stood. I nodded and took a sip from my drink. "Holy shit. Are you ok?" Nate sucked his teeth and widened his eyes in response.

"As ok as we can be, I guess." I said, "Nate saw a lot more than I, or even Mark did. I can't even imagine what it was like."

"Fuck," Ethan said concisely.

"Yeah," Nate agreed. Mark appeared in the doorway again.

"Food's ready." I led the way to the kitchen, where we took our share from a bowl piled high with dumplings and arranged them on rice. Ethan, in an effort to feel less like a fourth wheel, told us all about his girlfriend Mika. Mark assured us that she was cool, just in case we thought Ethan was lying. I said I'd love to meet her, and Ethan beamed. Mark was pleased we all enjoyed the dumplings, though he insisted they were better when his mom made them. When we had finished eating, I nabbed the dish towel from Nate's shoulder, and Ethan and I started dishes, now both decently tipsy, until we were cut off from the kitchen entirely by Mark after I almost dropped a plate.

"Out with you," He said, snatching the dish towel.

"You made dinner, come on, let me help. They're my dishes anyway." I pouted. Mark raised his eyebrows and gave the towel a threatening swirl, turning the harmless rag into an improvised whip. I let out a scared squawk and bumped into Ethan in my hurry to escape. Nate helped corral us into the living room as Ethan giggled profusely. I flopped down on the couch, and Nate lay with his head in my lap, his legs dangling off of the arm rest. I suspected his main goal was to keep me out of the kitchen. Ethan found himself in the armchair and finished his second beer.

"How does it work?" Ethan blurted out, looking between me and Nate with eyebrows raised. His face flushed.

"The wha work?" I blinked. I found my fingers weaving their way through Nate's hair, having trouble focusing on much else.

"Sexxx," Ethan hissed, as quietly as he was able to. It was my turn to flush. Nate looked up at me, amused.

"Yeah, how does it work?" He teased. With Mark being responsible in the kitchen and me pinned to the couch, he seemed more at ease than before. Yapping about taboo subjects was a pretty harmless thing to do while drinking, and he wasn't eager to tamper with our safe choice.

"Whatever you're thinking, not that," I sputtered, "It's not just a big threesome fuckfest. Pervert," I said. Nate made a small 'ow' sound and I quickly disentangled my hand from his silky hair, not even having realized how tight my grip had become.

"Hey I'm just curious," Ethan said in a high-pitched, defensive voice, "You're in an interesting kind of relationship, I wanna know how it works!"

"I get that, but you are prying into my sex life. How's YOUR sex life, Ethan?" I demanded.

"S'great," He said.

"Mine too," I leaned forward to high-five him, "We're still figuring it out ourselves, but it's going good," I beamed down at Nate to find his face reddening. I let out a laugh.

"Soooo," Ethan said, leaning back, "Who has the bigger peen? Is it true what they say about the quiet ones?"

"I'm gonna stop you there," Nate piped in, "Change the topic."

"Sorry," Ethan held up his hands in defense, "Ummm, so doesn't it kinda suck being with two dudes? I mean, they seem like cool dudes, but that's still a lot of testosterone, right?" He asked, sounding like a girls' girl.

"Nahh, maybe if they weren't the best dudes in the world. I chose the best possible night to have the worst night of my life." I said. Nate squeezed my arm softly. When I looked down at him, I found his expression, too, was soft. "It's usually that Mark wants to go out and do things and Nate and I just want to vibe. It's not like I get ganged up on," I laughed at the thought, "The only thing is, they both work out. They're gym buddies. I'm not in on that."

"I don't see you complaining about the results," Mark said, leaning on the doorway to the kitchen. I jolted.

"How long have you been there? And PLEASE put that towel away!" I said, spotting the offending article draped over his shoulder.

"How badly has he hurt you?" Ethan asked incredulously with a peel of laughter.

"It left a mark," Nate said seriously. Mark disappeared into the kitchen, returning a few seconds later sans towel. He held up his hands in apology and squeezed his way in next to me on the couch. He pulled my head toward him and planted a kiss on my cheek.

"I am sorry about that, I didn't think a towel could hit that hard."

"And yet you still threaten me with it," I said, and leaned my head on his shoulder.

"How else should I threaten you into doing fewer chores?" Mark asked in amusement, "Knife? Gun?"

"Are you sure you're safe? I should get going soon, but do you need an adult?" Ethan asked me, with a slight laugh.

"He doesn't scare me," I said, reaching over to grope Mark's knee.

"You should be scared! I killed a guy!" Mark protested, his accidental-almost-manslaughter a mere inside joke at this point. Despite his words, he placed his hand over mine on his knee.

"You ALMOST killed a guy," Nate corrected, on cue, "He's fine now."

"I'm just gonna order a ride," Ethan said awkwardly, tapping away at his phone.

"Let me know if you get home," Mark said.

"If?? Not when?" Ethan asked in confusion.

"You never know what kind of psycho is driving your Uber," Mark said, and ruffled Nate's hair. Nate scoffed. We said our goodbyes and Ethan left not long after. About twenty minutes later, Mark giggled at his phone. "He wants to know how we slow dance."

I let out a little gasp. Nate got up and offered me his hand. I graciously accepted and we took up a typical hands to shoulders/ hands to hips dance as Nate hummed. Mark stepped in. Nate pulled me to his chest with one arm and extended the other to Mark. I wrapped my arms around Nate's middle and rested my head on his shoulder. Mark put his hand on my other hip and put his other hand on Nate's shoulder. We couldn't so much do steps, finding ourselves more in a shuffle from side to side that devolved into swaying. We found a semi-functional dance position, and I was looking forward to finding more.

Chapter Text

I found Nate and Mark curled up in bed, cuddling when I came out from my shower. Nate was the big spoon, gently stroking Mark's arm. Mark's eyes were closed, completely relaxed, and I was glad to see it. I got the feeling that Mark had rushed into this relationship, not wanting to be left behind as Nate and I got closer. He hadn't fully thought out his feelings on being in a polyamorous relationship with another man. I don't know if there would ever be a sexual aspect to their relationship, but Mark had warmed to affection.

This was apparent by his falling asleep in Nate's arms. We all felt comfortable when Mark was comfortable. Nate and I knew our own feelings, and we'd give Mark all the time he needed to figure out his. Nate looked up as I came in.

"Hey, love," He murmured.

"Hello, dear," I crawled into bed behind him and curled up against his back, "Is he asleep?" I asked. Nate was quiet for a moment to listen to Mark's breathing.

"Yeah." Mark wasn't the sort to let us believe he was asleep if he wasn't. He would've said something, were he conscious. "Why? Need something?"

"No, let him sleep," I said, pressing my forehead between his shoulder blades, "Nate? Can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"Are you happy?" I asked. He exhaled through his nose in amusement.

"Of course. I'm in love."

"The two aren't mutually exclusive." I murmured.

"I am happy," He paused, "Are you?"

"I am. I'm the luckiest person in the world. I just worry.. Does it bother you that Mark doesn't..." I trailed off. Nate let out another amused breath.

"Put out for me?"

"Yeah." I said. It wasn't the wording I was searching for, but it conveyed the message. He was quiet for a minute.

"I've never been with a man before. And I'm curious, and I'm interested in trying it, but no, it doesn't bother me. If he's not interested in going that way with me, that's okay," He chuckled, and turned to face me as much as he could while his arm was trapped under Mark. He pressed his forehead to mine. "You're enough for me. I thought this would be a good opportunity to experiment, but it's up to him."

"Ok. Do you think you're bi?"

"Personally, I won't know until I try. I like kissing him, and I think he's gorgeous, and that's all I know for now."

"I get it. This is new territory for all of us, in different ways. I can't pretend to be questioning my sexuality though. Been through that already."

"You have?"

"Sure, well, less questioning, more realising. Something we can both agree on: girls are hot, Mark is hot." I said. Nate chuckled.

"Yeah," He kissed my forehead, "Hang on," He frowned, leaning his head back to he could look me in the eye, " Do YOU think you need to put out for me?"

"No, of course not," I sputtered, realising too late that my response was louder than it should have been. Mark shifted and my face reddened at the thought of him waking up to this conversation. I was embarrassed that Nate had reached that conclusion from my question, but I supposed it wasn't an 'off-the-rails' assumption. "I want to do intimate things with you." I said, in a more hushed tone.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that. But I would still love you and want to be with you if you didn't. You are under no obligation to put out just because we're dating, or because Mark won't." I felt a lump form in my throat.

"Mark won't what?" Mark slurred in sleepy speech. He lifted his head to look over at us.

Nate reclaimed his arm from under the other man and shook it as he said "Put out," much to my distress. Mark's face furrowed in confusion.

"Oh, for youuuu," Mark realised, "What, is that a problem?" His frown deepened.

"Not at all. That's what I was saying," Nate leaned over to give Mark a reassuring kiss on the cheek. Mark set his eyes on me and smiled, looking glad for a distraction.

"You're so pretty when you're blushing," He leaned across Nate to put his hand on my hip and press his lips to mine. I accepted the kiss but let out a huff of indignation. "What's got you all red in the face?"

"I- ahh, it's dumb." I tried to keep my voice level around the lump.

"It's not," Nate disagreed.

"Nate was telling me that we don't have to have sex for him to want to be with me, and I didn't realise how much that meant to hear," I said, "Not that I intend to follow through on that, I just... Not everyone's like that." I fixed my gaze on the sheets.

Mark carefully crawled across Nate and I to cuddle up to my other side.

"Hey," Mark said, "I'm sorry someone put you through that," He stroked my head, my hair still damp from the shower. I leaned into the touch, letting out a shuddering breath and trying not to cry. "You are more than your body. I would never ask more of you than what you gladly give."

Nate planted a few soft kisses on my shoulder as I sniffled.

"We've got you," Nate said, and I couldn't hold back anymore. The tears were hot as they trickled down my face. I buried my face in the crook of Mark's neck. The two men sandwiched me in embraces, back rubs, and gentle kisses.

Mark handed me a tissue from the box on his bedside table. "We love you,"

"I love you two, too," I dabbed at my eyes, then my nose, "Ugh," I groaned at how snotty the crying ordeal had become. Mark crawled over me and layed down, smushing me into the mattress. My breath came out all at once. "This weighted blanket is heavier than I remember," I wheezed. Mark lifted his weight off me. "Thank you," I said. He pressed his forehead to mine.

"If we're talking about putting out," Mark looked down at Nate, looking him up and down. "I'm not against it, you know." He smirked. Nate's cheeks reddened under the sudden attention. Ah, not so keen to be on the receiving end of teasing. "You're also pretty when you blush," He leaned down to touch a delicate kiss to Nate's lips.

"Hey, that's- I'm the- you-" Nate floundered, and took a breath, "What are we doing for lunch?"