“Landon said Gregory barbeques a lot,” Jack said, ringing the doorbell at Gregory’s house. Callum was pressed against his side, practically vibrating with tension because Jack still hadn’t allowed him to come.

He hadn’t been joking when he told Callum he didn’t do pain, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t come up with new and creative ways to torture him.

“Cool,” was the only reply Callum could manage.

Landon answered the door, smiling broadly with a half-empty beer in his hand.

“Hey!” he greeted, waving to Callum specifically.

“Hey, Landon,” he replied.

Landon tilted his head and gave Callum a knowing look. “Don’t let this be weird, okay? I thought it would be at first when I met Gregory’s friends, but it was fine. And it’ll be fine for you too. I’m not your boss here, okay?”

“Sure,” Callum answered, a little stiff.

Jack laughed, knowing the majority of Callum’s awkwardness was a result of his horniness, not his discomfort at fraternizing with his boss.

“Get your bartender a drink, Landon,” he said, pushing Callum in through the doorway.

Landon glared at Jack then rolled his eyes, tipping his head toward the backyard which was visible through the house.

“There’s a fridge on the deck. Everyone is out back.”

Jack took Callum’s hand and led him to the sliding glass door in the back of the house. There were a handful of people there that he recognized. Landon of course, and Gregory, Justin and Micah, Verity, and not surprisingly, Aaron.

Justin saw them first and waved, coming over and embracing them both into a hug.

“Are you excited for your first day of work on Monday?” Justin asked.

“It’s been nice having some time off, but I’m definitely ready to get back to work.” Jack cracked his knuckles.

“Are you ready for him to go to work?” Justin asked Callum with a knowing laugh.

“I feel like he just got here. It’ll be hard to see him with our schedules, I think. We’ll see.” Callum shrugged.

“Sometimes it’s nice to have alone time,” Micah shared, joining the group and passing beers to him and Callum.

“You’re on thin ice, boy,” Justin snapped.

Micah chewed his lip between his teeth and said nothing.

“I’m sorry,” Callum blurted, “but what’s going on with you two? You’ve been the steadiest couple I’ve seen at Rapture for years now and then that curly-haired friend of yours vanished and it’s like you can’t stand to be in the same room. It sort of breaks my heart.”

Callum pressed his body against Jack’s, wrapped his arms around his waist, and held him. Tight. Secure. Steady. Jack patted Callum’s hands and kissed his forehead softly.

“Keith,” Micah said. “His name is Keith.”

“Ah. I’m good with faces, but names take a while to stick and I don’t think I ever caught his,” Callum said.

“I may have waited too long to let him know he was important to us,” Justin interjected. Micah rested his head on Justin’s shoulder, his earlier anger dissipating.

“You gave him a collar,” Jack reminded him.

“It’s fine,” Micah said sadly. “He made his choice.”

Micah looked up at Justin and cupped his cheek in a surprisingly affectionate gesture. Justin looked back down at him with such fondness it stole Jack’s breath away.

“Even when I’m mad at you, you’ll still always be mine,” Micah promised. “You’re my choice. Always.”

“I’m sorry things didn’t work,” Justin whispered.

Jack turned away from them, taking Callum, who was still firmly wrapped around his waist, with him.

“That seemed private,” he said in way of explanation.

“I love you that much,” Callum said, looking up at him with bright eyes. “We don’t say it a lot because it’s new, but it’s not new, you know?”

“I’ve loved you for a very long time, kitten.”

“I love you too, Daddy.” Callum smiled and reached up to his tiptoes, pressing their lips together in a kiss that Jack quickly escalated. He dipped his tongue into Callum’s mouth with a groan, licking his way around the hoppy taste of his lips.

Callum’s cock pressed against Jack’s thigh and he sighed into Jack’s parted mouth. “I can’t wait to marry you.”

Jack pulled their mouths apart and reached between them, tracing his finger against Callum’s chest where he had that constellation of freckles.

“I’m going to spend the rest of my life trying to deserve you,” Jack promised.

“Save it for the ceremony,” Verity hissed in his ear, startling them both.

Callum stepped back, unsuccessfully shielding his crotch with his beer bottle.

“Don’t worry. I’ve seen erections before,” Verity assured Callum with a roll of their eyes. Callum’s entire neck and throat flushed red and he looked over his shoulder, embarrassed.

“Where’s Aaron?” Jack asked with a teasing edge in his voice, hoping to shift the attention off Callum’s growing erection.

Verity waved their hand in the air haphazardly. “Somewhere.”

“When are you going to admit that you like him?” Jack pressed.

“I’m gonna…go,” Callum pointed over his shoulder before walking away uneasily.

“He’s gonna go beat off in a bathroom is what he’s gonna do,” Verity said with a laugh.

“Oh, he’s not. I assure you.”

“You’re a malevolent thing, aren’t you?” Verity teased, resting their head on Jack’s shoulder.

Jack slid his arm around Verity’s waist and held them up with his hip.

“You can’t deflect with me. I’ve known you too long.”

“The things I told you about before are still there. Nothing has changed, Jack.” Verity sighed.

“Why are you being so stubborn?” he asked, turning Verity and pressing their foreheads together.

“I didn’t come for a lecture,” Verity warned.

“And I’m not here to give you one. I just…don’t you think it’s time to take a chance?” he asked, cupping his hand around the back of their neck.

Verity was silent, but eventually answered with a tiny shrug.

“What are you scared of?” Jack asked. “Tell Daddy what’s wrong.”

Verity scoffed and rolled their eyes, lapsing back into silence and, for the first time Jack could remember, not correcting him about being their Daddy.

“Everything.”

Verity shook themself free of Jack and forced a smile.

“Let’s not talk about such boring things on the eve of the eve of your wedding,” they remarked.

“Wedding?” Aaron ambled toward them with an eyebrow raised inquisitively.

“Fuck,” Jack breathed out.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want people to know, he just didn’t want them to know yet. He wanted to have this with Callum for just the two of them for a while. They’d gotten their marriage license Thursday and they’d both eyed the appointment window for ceremonies, but Jack had begged Callum away from it, reminding him about wanting to marry him under the stars like he’d promised.

“Are you and Callum tying the knot?” Aaron asked.

“Would you shut it?” Verity snapped, squinting their eyes at him.

“Verity doesn’t believe in marriage,” Aaron said to Jack matter-of-factly.

“I’m aware,” Jack mused.

“Did you know that for being a switch, Verity is also surprisingly resistant to topping?” Aaron offered a thin-lipped smile.

“What Verity does in the bedroom hasn’t ever been my concern,” Jack assured Aaron, taking a step back.

“You’re being disagreeable, Aaron,” Verity warned.

“Even when you’re angry, I love how my name sounds on your lips.” Aaron narrowed his eyes at Verity and held their stare.

“I’m not going to come around until all of you get your shit sorted out. Jesus.” Jack shook his head. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Landon is the most reasonable out of the whole lot of you right now.”

Verity looked at him apologetically and opened their mouth, but Jack silenced them with a raised hand.

“You’re fine. I need to go catch up with Callum.” Jack tipped his beer bottle against his forehead toward Aaron and retreated, searching the yard for Callum and finding him sitting cross-legged on the deck talking to Landon.

Jack went first to the fridge, grabbing three new beers, then joining Landon and Callum near the grill. He realized as he approached that they were engaged in conversation with Gregory.

“It’s hard to explain,” Landon said to Callum. “People say it’s like flying, but I don’t know if that’s entirely accurate. It’s more like this incomprehensible feeling of vastness.”

“That makes zero sense,” Gregory said.

“Well I wouldn’t expect you to understand,” Landon told him with a roll of his eyes, “You don’t have a submissive bone in your body.”

Gregory chuckled and flipped some skewers of meat on the grill.

“What’s going on over here?” Jack asked, thankful to have escaped the tension of the other two couples in the yard. He passed beers around.

“I was trying to tell Callum about subspace.”

Callum looked up at him with sparkling and devious eyes. “It sounds so cool.”

Jack hummed an agreeable sound in his throat.

“It’s not an every time kind of thing,” Gregory said, nodding his head toward Landon. “It’s easier for some people than others. I think the goal should be enjoying the time you’re spending with your partner.”

“Do you?” Jack asked, eyes intent on Callum who shifted and re-crossed his legs.

“You know I do.”

“Then be happy with that,” Landon told him.

“I am happy,” Callum said, looking up at Jack.

“Good.” Gregory slid some skewers off the grill and onto a platter. “How are you settling in, Jack? Did Justin come through?”

“Oh, definitely. I start Monday actually and I signed a lease on a house in Silverlake. We’re just moving in now, but it’s coming together.” Jack held his hand out for Callum and pulled him up to his feet.

“We?”

“We,” Jack reiterated, slanting a brief kiss against Callum’s mouth.

“You’re moving in together?” Landon questioned.

Jack turned Callum in his arms so Callum’s back was against his front then whispered so quietly into his ear, “More than that.”

“We are,” Callum choked out.

“Isn’t that soon?” Landon asked further.

“Landon,” Gregory warned.

“Our relationship is built on communication, Landon. We spent months talking before I came out here. He knows me as well as, if not better, than you do,” Jack chastised, unamused with Landon’s line of questioning.

“Favorite color?” Gregory prompted.

“Teal,” Callum and Landon answered at the same time.

“Movie?”

“Vertigo,” Callum answered without hesitation.

“Season?”

“Spring in New York.” Callum again.

“Fear?”

“Spiders.”

“Regret?” Gregory chuckled.

Callum and Landon both hesitated so Jack answered for them.

“Taking so long to get here.”

Callum rested his head against Jack’s chest and exhaled deeply.

“Food’s done,” Gregory said, handing off a platter to Landon with a smirk.

“Really?” Callum asked him, that raspy voice cracking as he struggled to ask the question.

“Really,” Jack assured him.

“Do you know his favorites?” Gregory asked, handing another platter of food off to Landon.

Jack scoffed. “Red. Tombstone. Fall. Being alone.”

“And the regret?” Gregory pressed with a haughty lift of his eyebrow.

“Letting him take so long to be here,” Callum answered.

“You two make me want to throw up,” Verity interjected, stepping up onto the deck and taking a seat at Gregory’s picnic table. Aaron sat beside them, their thighs touching and Jack noticed Verity didn’t push him away.