"Is everything alright?" 

He'd never seen Trever look so stressed out before. Granted, he hadn't known the guy for long, but he seemed like he generally had a good handle on his life. Even after Ravi had spontaneously jumped into it. 

"As far as work and things go, yes..." the man responded, making Wyatt tilt his head on his pillows as Blake snuggled in contently against his bare chest. 

They had been working on getting more comfortable around each other physically, and Blake had been adamant about there being no more clothes in bed. He definitely didn't mind the idea, but he didn't want to let the guy push himself too far too fast, so they'd compromised. They both still had boxers on. Smiling gently, Wyatt ran his fingertips along his man's smooth, warm back as he chatted. 

"Where is Ravi?" 

The last time Trever had called him he'd been snuggled up nice and comfortably with Ravi, but now... 

"He went to sleep in the other room," Trever said, clearly wanting to mumble but knowing that it would be rude. 

Wyatt frowned at that bit of information, but didn't judge. Ravi could be over the top sometimes, so it was perfectly logical to make him go sleep in another room if he got to be a bit too much to handle. 

"What happened? Was he too hyper?" Wyatt asked again, wanting to get a better understanding of the situation. 

Trever took a few moments to figure out what he wanted to say, then seemed to throw it all out the window on a sigh and responded with an exhausted expression. 

"He pinned me down earlier." 

Wyatt's mind blanked for nearly a minute as shock washed over his system. He had never, for even a single second, though that nervous little Ravi was a dominant! 

"I... what happened after that? Did you yell at him?" 

He knew that such a thing wasn't appropriate, so if the guy had yelled, he honestly wouldn't be mad, but when Trever replied, Wyatt couldn't help but become a little curious. 

"I didn't yell. I uh... actually didn't say anything. Neither of us really said anything afterward. He just got the pizza when it came and we ate in silence. I then got to work and he wandered off into the other room," Trever said as he glanced away from the phone for a second, then looked back at it. 

Wyatt thought through his explanation for a moment before he replied, "did you like it?" 

He knew that asking something so straightforward wasn't always the best route, but he was a very straightforward person. If he thought that something was okay to say, then he'd say without hesitation. 

As expected, though, Trever's eyes widened and his mouth opened slightly in surprise. 

"I-I... o-of course not!" he ended up saying, making Wyatt fight himself not to raise his eyebrows and immediately grin. 

Ravi saw something that even I missed. 

Granted, he hadn't been around the man nearly as much as him, but he was usually a pretty good judge of preference. Trever also didn't act like any kind of submissive he'd ever seen. Now Ravi, however, acted very submissive, so hearing that he'd actually pinned Trever down was quite a shock. 

"Are you mad that he did it?" Wyatt asked calmly as he continued to run his hand along Blake's back. 

Trever didn't hesitate to answer that question with an "of course I am." 

It made sense to be upset. Ravi shouldn't have done something like that without permission. 

"Are you going to yell at him tomorrow?" 

Trever quickly shook his head. 

"No, I won't. He's already punished himself by sleeping in the other room tonight. He knows that he wasn't supposed to do what he did." 

Understandable... but very lenient considering what he'd done. 

"So you're comfortable with how things played out? Are you still okay with him being there?" he asked, needing to make sure that Ravi was still in a good situation. 

Trever nodded right away. 

"I'm fine with it. I knew when I took him with me that he wasn't a normal guy. He just made a mistake, and he corrected it without needing to be told to. So, I think we'll be fine come morning," he said with a determined smile that Wyatt felt was a little too hopeful. 

It wasn't his place to burst bubbles, though. Perhaps the two could figure their situation out better than he could. Besides, he wasn't there and he didn't understand everything. All he was getting were bits and pieces whenever one of the two called him to check in. There was likely quite a bit more going on that he wasn't seeing. 

"Alright, well if there's ever anything you need, please don't hesitate to give me a call," he said before they chatted for a few more moments, then hung up. 

Not long after, Wyatt got snuggled in a bit better and tugged the blankets up over himself and Blake. They had a busy week ahead of them and they both needed some good rest. 

Hanging up his phone, Sage finally leaned back in his recliner and gave a content sigh of relief. His work day was over, but now that left him with another dilemma. 

My sweet bunny has a new man. 

Of course, he didn't mind, at all. Blake was amazing and Wyatt deserved to have a nice sub like him. It was just... 

"I want to squeeze them both and kiss them until they're breathless." 

It had already been a few days since he'd seen them and he was itching to go back to Wyatt's place. He honestly would have already be there after work, every single day, if the guy wasn't actively courting a new sub. 

I really need to find one for myself. 

Of course, he knew that such a thing was extremely unlikely. Sure, he could get most single subs to look at him easily, not to mention kneel before him and beg for attention, but he knew that actually keeping one would be a ton of effort. A lot of the people he met at the club were great, but whenever he tried to take a sub over the last few years, it all ended up the same way in the end. Him being single within a few months. 

It wasn't that any one of them were mean. And they all did like him, but after living with each and every one for a few weeks, he would begin to see changes in how they behaved. He was the master, the dominant, the person in charge. That's how it always was and that's what he'd made sure to tell anyone who wanted to be around him. 

Except, after a little while of living together, his subs would begin trying to take care of things that he could easily do himself. He didn't mind a little help around the house or with cooking, but the more he lived with someone, the more they began to baby him because of his disability. No matter how much he told them that he didn't want them to spend their time working around his blindness, they always ended up doing so anyways. 

Humming quietly, Sage pursed his lips as he listened to his surroundings. His entire apartment lit up in his mind, showing him every single nook and cranny. He could see just fine, and wanted to be with a sub that wouldn't continuously, yet unintentionally, point out his one true flaw. 

Setting aside his laptop, Sage got himself up and stretched his arms over his head for a moment, then relaxed as he looked toward the door. 

I want some ice cream. 

He'd just worked three doubles in three days. 

I deserve some ice cream. 

His bat was also hankering for some, even though wild one's normally only ate blood. It's system had become accustomed to small treats here and there. It could also eat normal less-sugary foods quite frequently, as long as it was still supplemented often with blood or iron pills. 

I need to buy it first, though, so you need to behave until I can sit down somewhere. If you shift again before I can even purchase our treat, we're going to go without again, he told it as he grabbed his coat and headed out. 

The walk was decently comfortable, and thankfully, their favorite ice cream vendor was stationed right outside the park. He felt his bat flapping around inside his head as he got closer. 

Behave, he warned it one final time before stepping up to the stand. 

The guy behind it gave a gap-toothed smile and pointed at the strawberry. 

"One scoop in a waffle bowl?" the man said, having already memorized his order from his previous trips there. 

Sage nodded and pulled out three dollars. 

"Yes, please. He's very excited for it today," he said with a chuckle as the man took his money, then scooped his treat up and handed it to him. 

"Tell him I said to enjoy." 

Sage grinned, making sure not to look at the ice cream in his hand. 

"I definitely will. Have a great day, sir." 

He quickly turned and left after speaking, needing to get somewhere that his bat could safely eat without being disturbed. Unfortunately, everywhere he looked there was either a stray cat, a bird of prey, or children. None of which were good for a tiny little bat. 

That's when he realized something. 

I'm pretty close to master Wyatt's home and it's Friday. Maybe he's home early and wouldn't mind lending me a plate and a safe place. 

The thought had him grinning as he hurried toward the man's home. It only took him about eight minutes before he got there, then headed up the stairs and knocked. His sensitive ears picked up footsteps inside, and when Blake answered the door, he offered the young man a smile. 

"Is master Wyatt home, by chance?" he asked.  

He knew that Blake wouldn't mind him coming in to simply eat some ice cream, but he didn't want to walk into another man's territory while he was courting someone that he also intended to court. It wasn't his turn, so being there alone with Blake, in Wyatt's own home, was definitely not something he was comfortable with. He wouldn't cheat his friend like that. 

"He is. He's just rinsing off in the shower before we make dinner. Come on in," Blake responded before stepping out of the way and holding the door open with a tired smile. 

Sage nodded and stepped inside, then walked over and grabbed a plate from the cupboard, then brought it to the table and set his now partially-melted ice cream on it. 

Two seconds later he was wiggling his fuzzy self out of his clothing with eager squeaks and chirps. 

"Here, sweetie," Blake  said as he knelt down and helped him free himself, then lifted him up to the table so that Sage could take a flying leap into his little pool of strawberry milk and sugar. 

He knew that Blake was probably trying to hold back laughter as his tiny bat literally swam through its melting ice cream, but honestly, that was fine. If he was watching a bat swim through liquid milk and sugar, he'd be laughing, too. 

As it were, he scurried up onto a big chunk of strawberry and began gnawing at the bright red fruit, shaking his head every few moments to try and dislodge the frozen treat that had gotten into his ears and fur. 

He was so engrossed in his dessert that he didn't even hear Wyatt come in, only noticing the man when he heard Blake address him. 

"I think he might need an intervention, master Wyatt," Blake noted as he walked a little closer. 

Nonsense... dang, this is the best strawberry I've ever had. 

"Okay, bud, you're going to drown yourself in there," Wyatt said, finally making Sage's ice cream-covered bat look up from its swimming pool. 

Before he could argue in squeaks, he was lifted out of the soggy waffle cone bowl and brought over to the sink. 

"Can you get the warm water going?" Wyatt asked as Blake appeared beside him. 

He immediately did as asked, then helped Wyatt squirt some soap onto Sage's tiny squirming bat so that they could scrub his fur free from the ice cream. 

"I didn't know Sage had such a sweet tooth," Blake said as he followed Wyatt's lead in where to add more soap as he gently scrubbed him with his thumbs. 

Sage didn't make it easy to clean him. His bat was miffed it hadn't even been allowed to finish its big strawberry, and he was kind of miffed because he really did love that fresh ice cream. 

"You can finish it in human form. I don't want you drowning in sugary milk in my home," Wyatt said as he easily wrestled his bat into submission. 

I chose the wrong place to eat, Sage thought stubbornly as he finally gave up and turned his attention to Wyatt's thumb right beneath his fuzzy little jaw. 

He flicked an ear as the other man gently cleaned it out, then tilted his head just-so. He felt him flinch slightly from his bite, but Wyatt didn't comment as Sage's bat quietly sucked on his thumb. He figured that the man was letting him get away with it because he had stopped struggling against him, but either way, he wasn't going to let his treat be spoiled without taking another one from his tormentor! 

A quiet laugh to his left had Sage glancing in that direction, but refusing to remove his tiny teeth from Wyatt's thumb. 

"His thoughts are pretty great," Blake said as Wyatt reached up and grabbed a few paper-towels, then wrapped them around Sage's bat, finally freeing his thumb from his fangs in the process. 

Blake, tell him he's being mean! This was my ice cream day! Sage complained as he was thoroughly dried between the four paper-towels like a white potato!

"You're a little cuter than a potato, but now I can't get that comparison image out of my head," Blake replied, a grin hiding in the tone of his voice that made Sage finally lose his patience and squirm until he shredded the white towels into damp bits, letting out a raucous squeak at the end of his tyrannical ordeal!  

When he eventually came down from his unwanted bath frustration, he looked up at the two men staring down at him as he sat perched on the edge of the sink. Of course, he didn't technically see either of them, but he was still making enough noise so that his echolocation worked well. 

You're both cruel. I came here for safety and acceptance, and you not only stole my ice cream, but forced me to take a bath in the sink!

Wyatt retrieved a clean dish towel and reached forward to pick up Sage, but before he could grab him, his little bat flew over to the couch and landed on a throw pillow. 

They seemed to decide to let him calm down a bit and started making an early dinner. Sage waited impatiently until they were decently distracted, then quickly flew toward the table, and his waiting melted ice cream! Unfortunately, Blake likely caught the slightest fraction of the end of one of his thoughts, because right before he could land in his pink waffle cone bath, the man caught his bat in mid-air.

"Dang, nice catch," Wyatt said as he quickly removed the dish from the table. 

Instead of throwing it away, however, he put the entire thing, plate and all, onto a shelf in the freeze. 

"We're going to keep it?" Blake asked, seemingly a little surprised. 

Wyatt shut the door, then turned to him with a smile for both himself and Sage. 

"It's honestly not mine, so of course I won't throw it away. Sage's bat just gets a little crazy for strawberry ice cream and he can actually hurt himself if he accidentally asperates it after it melts, so I'm really glad that he decided to come here to eat it," he said, making Blake hold the little squeaking bat against his chest protectively, much to Sage's split excitement and frustration. 

"Then he can have it for dessert once he shifts back," Blake added after a moment as he helped Wyatt get vegetables prepped while his love browned some ground chicken in a skillet. 

Sage dozed for a bit within Blake's shirt as the man worked on cutting up vegetables and mixing them together in a bowl with cream of chicken soup. The meat was added to it once done, then the entire thing was seasoned again before being added to a big puff-pastry-filled muffin tin. The two were making enough noise to tell him what was going on, and his sensitive nose made picking out most of the ingredients too easy. 

Wyatt had also gotten out a much smaller tin, one he was familiar with, and lined it with scraps of the pastry dough, then filled it with the leftover ingredients. After adding a quick layer of grated cheese on top of each, he got them into the oven and set the timer. 

"Now then," he said as he leaned over and stole a quick kiss, then looked down at the little fuzzy head now sticking out of Blake's shirt the slightest bit. 

"Let's clean up a bit since we have a guest for dinner." 

My babies are cleaning up and making dinner for me...

Maybe he would stop being upset about his ice cream now... besides, he could still eat it later. 

Thankfully, they had a pretty small apartment, and it didn't take them long to sweep up and put away the random books or clothing lying about. As they worked, they talked about the jobs Blake had applied for, making Sage perk up with interest. He liked the idea of the man staying in their area, even if he didn't eventually end up as part of his personal life. He still definitely wanted a friend position. 

They were just finishing up cleaning when the timer for their dinner went off. 

The little chime drew Sage's attention as everyone washed their hands, then Wyatt got their food plated and Blake brought him over to the table and set him down on a clean, folded hand towel. 

Before he had time to wander around, Wyatt brought over a little saucer plate with a miniature chicken pot pie muffin on it. 

"Here ya go, Peppermint. It's not ice cream, but I promise you can have some more if you eat a bit, alright? It's not good to have too much sugar in one go," he said as he offered the little bat a smile and Blake brought over their two much larger plates. Add two glasses of water and a little dish of it for Sage, and they all sat down to enjoy their peaceful family meal. 

(Sage kind of commandeered this chapter but oh well XD)