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"Dropped?"
"Both physically to his knees and mentally to a headspace that wasn't entirely Carter."
Travis leans his head back against the seat and tries to remember how to breathe. "What did Maison do?"
"Stared at him, mostly. I stepped in. I-" Jake clears his throat awkwardly. "I may have stepped over a line. I apologize if I did."
"What did you do?"
"I used you."
That's… not what Travis expected.
“What exactly does that mean?”
"I told him how happy it'd make you if he took a nap. How happy sir would be."
Travis stomach flips. "And he did it?"
"Yeah."
"Fuck." Travis laughs softly. "I can't decide if I'm elated or devastated."
"It's okay to be both."
Travis nods, even though he's not sure he agrees. His throat feels tight. The world feels impossible.
He needs to get home to Carter.
Carter waits for the house to go quiet and calm before he ventures out for something to eat. He doesn’t want to make too much noise, so he settles for the cheese and sausage already pre-cut in the fridge and some crackers. There’s a freshly opened bottle of red wine that he decides to indulge in too.
When he goes to creep back to his bedroom with his pathetic feast, a flickering light in the living room catches his eye. His curiosity gets the best of him. Keeping quiet, he creeps around the corner and pokes his head in.
The light is coming from a dying fire in the fireplace. Someone is sitting on the cozy rug in front of it, a blanket draped over their shoulders. Carter can’t tell who it is, the light too low, the shadows too high.
“Can’t sleep?” the person asks softly, not looking away from the fire.
Carter winces. He knows that voice. Nolan.
He considers ignoring him but decides that’d be too rude. It’s not Nolan’s fault that he feels the way he feels. Lord knows if Carter had endured half of what Nolan has, he’d be a fucking mess. He should give Nolan props. Even if the guy is in love with the man Carter loves.
“I was hungry," Carter decides to say. He takes a seat beside Nolan, leaving a good distance between them.
“You’ve been skipping meals.”
“Yeah.”
Nolan looks over at him, his face cast in shadows. “Because of what happened in the laundry room?”
Carter groans. “Great. Does everyone know about that?”
“Pretty much, yeah.”
“Oh god.” Carter drains half his wine in one go, then groans again when he realizes - “Oh god, Travis is going to find out, isn’t he?”
He didn’t mean to say it out loud. The last person he should be discussing Travis with is fucking Nolan. But once it’s out, it’s out, and Nolan doesn’t give him a chance to try to take it back.
“I’m sure he already knows. Maison and Jake keep him updated on you.”
