“You all knew you were gay by, what, tenth grade?”

The guys looked at each other with a laugh. “Or bi, or whatever,” Josh answered Oscar with a wave of his hand. “Anyway, we kind of accidentally found each other before we were out. But we all came out around the same time.”

“Safer that way,” Dustin said.

Roman met Blane’s glance with one of his own. They were both remembering Dustin back then, the scrawny nerd in the group, as he still was today. He’d certainly been safer around them than most of their Tennessee classmates a decade ago.

Very few kids dared pick on the guys built like a brick outhouse: Roman, Blane, Josh, Nico, and Tyler. Give or take fifty pounds and a few inches, they’d looked like an evenly-matched football offensive line compared to most high schoolers.

Even today, they weren’t small guys. Roman hung out in the gym, Blane lifted heavy animals at the zoo, Josh owned a dude ranch, and Nico was a park ranger in the Smokies. Tyler was lighter than the rest of them now, a deliberate choice for a driver, but kept the muscle tone he could without gaining too much weight.

Dustin, now a forensics geek, had always been the one squeezed into the middle seat of the car, or the one they boosted through an open window when someone forgot his house key.

“I bet,” Oscar answered, glancing around at them. “And… significant brothers?”

“Ah, I was just getting to that part,” Josh laughed.

The story never got old: turned away from a high school prom for going without girls as significant others, they’d come up with the retort, “What about significant brothers?” The name had stuck.

Oscar was just as delighted to hear the story behind the name as Deen and Falcon had been, not too long ago on either count. “That’s awesome. I wish I’d gone to your school.”

“Next round’s mine,” Roman announced, to the delight of the rest of them. He took orders and headed to the bar.

Oscar trotted to catch up to him. “You’ll need a hand or two carrying all that.”

Roman grinned and slowed down, almost reaching out to put a hand on his back before he remembered where they were. “Yeah. Thanks.”

“So, when did you know?” Oscar piped up.

Roman smiled at Oscar’s fascination. “That I’m gay? Oh, early on. My parents thought so but weren’t really sure. They only knew the Will & Grace kind of gays, you know?” he chuckled.

Oscar grinned. “You weren’t the high-heels type? I was. Mom loved it.”

From his choice of words when they’d talked about Oscar getting the rest of his stuff from his parents, and this phrase, Roman could guess his dad hadn’t been a fan. “Your parents weren’t together?” he questioned instead, carefully.

“Back then they were. They split when I was seventeen,” Oscar told him with a careless shrug.

“Sorry.”

“It’s fine. They’re happier this way,” Oscar insisted. “When I went off to the conservatory, I think it gave them the chance.”

Roman nodded, rubbing Oscar’s shoulder before he was even conscious he was doing it. “Mine are together, just outside Nashville. Boring suburban family. I don’t talk to them a lot. Growing up is weird.”

“I know,” Oscar agreed. “I’m kinda glad I don’t have to. Except Mom. I email her once in a while, and she comes to performances if they’re in Tennessee. That’s about it. She’s pretty busy with her own business.”

“Oh, that’s neat.” Not for the first time, Roman felt staid in comparison—standard middle-class guy with a pretty tame, if slightly inconvenient, job, and a couple married parents who held office jobs. “Think you got some of that independent spark from her? Ever planning to settle down?”

“Probably,” Oscar smiled. “Settling down doesn’t seem so bad sometimes. Boring right now, but that’s because I can’t do anything.”

Roman patted his back and looked at the bar. The service was damn slow tonight. Then, he realized they were at the service end and nudged Oscar with a laugh. “We’d better get around the corner to get served.”

Oscar realized their mistake, too, and laughed. “Easy to get caught up…” he trailed off.

Just talking to each other, I forget the rest of the world’s around. Roman felt a dizzying rush of realization but pushed it away and strode around the corner of the bar, squeezing between two empty bar stools.

Oscar joined him in the narrow space, leaning on the counter but close enough their thighs touched. It distracted Roman enough that he missed what Oscar said, and had to replay it in the part of his brain that was used to storing and dealing with transmissions from air traffic control and other pilots.

Something about how often we do this? “Oh, every week or two if we can. Less often if we’re busy. It’s pretty flexible. Usually not all of us can make it—mostly me.” Roman chuckled. “But you could come along pretty much anytime if you wanted. Might keep you busy while I’m away. If you wanted.”

Oscar relaxed, shooting Roman a grateful look.

“You’re that bored you wanna hang out with us?” Roman grinned.

“My colleagues from the company… aren’t really staying in touch,” Oscar said, then flagged down the bartender for their order.

With that, they didn’t have a chance to continue the conversation, but the comment lingered on Roman’s mind as he and Oscar took turns carrying the round of drinks back to the table.

Oscar had insisted on calling them an Uber each way and Roman was allowed to drink tonight, so he enjoyed a few beers that much more.

Maybe some of the extra enjoyment came from having Oscar pressed into his side in the booth, his hand sometimes resting on Roman’s knee. Oscar flirted and laughed and joked, but the tension between them was growing harder to ignore.

It was no easier watching Nico and Deen kiss or Falcon touch Blane’s back affectionately. Roman almost ached to do the same with Oscar, but they weren’t there yet. If ever.

But there was no way he could resist Oscar tonight, blossoming friendship or not, and judging by Oscar playing footsie under the table, he was feeling about the same. When they finally rose to leave, Blane caught his eye. Roman pretended not to see the questioning look.

“We better get going. I have some stuff to do tomorrow before I’m Europe-bound,” Roman excused himself, leaning in for back-pats and half-hugs and handshakes around the table.

The Uber arrived mercifully quickly, but the evening wasn’t so cold it could justify how close they stood as they waited.

“That was fun. Your friends—brothers—are great,” Oscar told Roman, leaning into him.

“I know. They like you, too.” Roman wrapped an arm around his waist for a moment. When he reluctantly dropped it, Oscar turned, picked up his hand, and pirouetted to wrap himself in Roman’s arm again, draping it over his shoulder. Roman laughed and didn’t resist. “Bold little thing, aren’t you?”

“Little?” Oscar challenged with a grin. “You know better.”

“You are all muscle,” Roman amended, then let his gaze flicker down. “And other things.”

The black car pulled up before Oscar could say anything, but he flicked his tongue out for a moment before he ducked into it.

Little twerp. Roman slid in beside him and buckled up automatically. Oscar’s hand found his in the darkness between the seats, and they played with each other’s fingers and palms on the drive home.

The impatience was an inferno under Roman’s skin now, making him fumble to get his keys in the door when they finally reached his house.

“Distracted?” Oscar teased, running his hand up Roman’s arm to his shoulder and rubbing the back of his neck.

Roman tried to slap away Oscar’s hand with a laugh. “Give me five seconds.”

“No. I want you now,” Oscar said simply, and this time, his hand ran from the back of Roman’s neck down his spine, slowly, toward the curve of his back and his ass.

Roman almost fell through the front door as it opened, pulling Oscar after him.

They barely made it to the couch. Roman led the way, more certain in the dark, steering Oscar by the hand. When he sat, he pulled Oscar down sharply to sit next to him and they collapsed together, laughing.

With his eyes adjusting already, it was easy to see the curve of Oscar’s smile in the semi-dark. Roman’s gaze lingered on it, and then he leaned in, curling his hand around the back of Oscar’s head and pulling him in for a slow kiss.

They kissed like it was their first time exploring this sharp-edged new thing together. Even if it was a familiar tension between them by now, it felt strange, perhaps because it was continuing now when it usually didn’t last past one night.

“Since you’ve invited me in, I should return the favor.” Oscar’s smirk was nearly audible.

“Slick, aren’t you?” Roman teased.

“Takes one to know one.” Oscar’s hand found his in the darkness, their fingers lacing tightly.

Roman grinned. “My brothers called me Mr. Slick. Still do sometimes.” It was weird, too, that he hadn’t been able to find cheesy pickup lines or smooth tricks to get what he wanted. He didn’t have to. It just seemed to naturally happen.

“Convenient. I want you leaving me slick,” Oscar whispered.

Enough of this thinking shit. He leaned in to kiss Oscar again—harder, this time. Oscar melted into him, sliding an arm around his shoulders. His other hand crept up Roman’s thigh as he walked his fingers up. Every press of Oscar’s fingertip against skin made him tingle, even if there were too many clothes in the way.

There was a sharp intake of breath as Oscar felt how hard he was just from kissing him and being so close. Then, Oscar grinned against his mouth and nipped his lower lip. He didn’t say anything, but he slowly pulled down the zipper.

Roman fumbled for Oscar’s pants to return the favor, pressing feverish kisses until they were gasping for breath into each other’s mouths.

Carefully, they helped each other pull their pants down, hands wrapped around hardening flesh. Their bodies crushed close together in the darkness, they panted into each other’s mouths.

Still, neither of them said anything, following pure instinct. On Roman’s part, at least, he felt like saying anything might break this moment between them.

Oscar squeezed him tightly and Roman shivered with the desire building under his skin, thrusting his hips up into Oscar’s tight hand. It took all his focus to keep caressing Oscar in return. Rubbing his palm over the head, twisting his hand on the upstroke, made Oscar’s hips jerk up off the couch, and he made a mental note of that.

Conscious thought slipped away as Roman pressed closer to Oscar, rubbing the heads of their sensitive shafts together.

Still silent except for quiet gasps and stifled moans, they finished one at a time, leaving the sticky evidence of their passion streaked across both of their stomachs as they shifted their hands to each other’s hips and sides instead.

Roman pressed his forehead against Oscar’s, shivering at the hot breaths across his cheek as Oscar caught his breath. Still, he didn’t say anything as his brain kicked in again.

That wasn’t very platonic.

The itch under his skin to hold Oscar close that night was far more disconcerting than any other attraction to him could be. Roman finally let go of Oscar, pressing one more kiss against his lips.

He really had to get his ass to bed before he said something he’d regret. Roman pushed away slowly from Oscar to stand up, grabbing handfuls of tissues to clean himself up and pushing some into Oscar’s hand.

Roman couldn’t see Oscar’s expression well in the dark, but he didn’t seem surprised when Roman raised a hand and stumbled for his room and bed.

It was the right thing to do. He wasn’t going to try to romance a guy who didn’t want his attention, and had every reason to think of him as someone who’d just break his heart. It was better to let Oscar find a man who could be what he needed.

I’d never be that guy. For all Roman knew, he would break Oscar’s heart if he tried to build some kind of relationship with him.

The word lingered in his mind for a long time as he tried to drift to sleep: relationship.

Blane was dead on, as always. It was easy to stifle his own feelings with others around, to hide his desire for a white picket fence and a dog and a boyfriend who made dinner when he came home from work behind his love of sex… but it was a lot harder to lie to himself when he was alone in the dark, waiting for sleep.

What if he could have it all?