Rating:

Explicit

Archive Warning:

No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories:

F/M, M/M, Multi

Fandom:

Game Changers | Heated Rivalry - All Media Types

Relationships:

Kip Grady/Scott Hunter/Carter Vaughn/Gloria Grey, Kip Grady/Scott Hunter/Carter Vaughn, Kip Grady/Scott Hunter, Gloria Grey/Carter Vaughn, Scott Hunter/Carter Vaughn, Kip Grady/Carter Vaughn, Kip Grady/Gloria Grey, Eric Bennett/Kyle Swift, Kip Grady & Kyle Swift, Eric Bennett & Scott Hunter, Eric Bennett & Scott Hunter & Carter Vaughn

Characters:

Kip Grady, Scott Hunter (Game Changers), Carter Vaughn, Gloria Grey, Eric Bennett, Kyle Swift

Additional Tags:

Open Relationships, Queerplatonic Relationships, Platonic Kissing, First Time Blow Jobs, Blow Jobs, Anal Fingering, Vaginal Fingering, Coming Out, Bisexuality, Book 4: Common Goal (Game Changers), Bisexual Carter Vaughn

Language:

English

Series:

Part 4 of hypotheticals

Stats:

Published: 2026-06-27 Words: 7,393 Chapters: 3/3

tiptoeing past so many stages (but what the fuck is patience?)

Summary

“Gloria and Carter want to come home with us after,” he says and Kip makes a pleased little sound and nods.

“Yeah, of course.”

“Is there…” Scott doesn’t really know how to ask the question without ruining the surprise, and he wants Kip to be surprised, wants to see it on his face, that little moment of disbelief turning into excitement turning into smugness the way it usually goes when Carter wants something from Kip, not just from a man, but from Kip specifically. “Is there anything you don’t wanna do tonight?”

-
Kip gets the birthday special.

Notes

Loosely follows the events of Common Goal (though the timeline is a mess now with the changes in the show so I’m heavily winging it). My facecast for Eric is just Eric Dane at 40 (x, x), because I’m not very imaginative sometimes and that’s what my brain gave me when I read the book.

Chapter 1

Scott has become surprisingly terrible at keeping secrets. Specifically from Kip. Not that he ever really had any from him to begin with, but it’s the principle of the thing. He had so much practice in the past, he should probably be better at it. Alas.

“You’re never gonna believe what happened,” is the first thing he says when he calls Kip that night. They’re back in New York by tomorrow evening, but this can’t wait.

“Hi,” Kip says brightly. Scott can hear soft music and the sounds of various kitchen activities in the background, so Kip must be making dinner.

“Benny is bisexual,” Scott blurts out and Kip laughs.

“Wow, okay! Are you on a quest to turn the whole team?” he teases. “Because it’s going really well so far.”

“Oh God, with how he said it, I thought…”

Eric isn’t direct like Carter, he probably wouldn’t have outright asked Scott, but the way he’d been sitting on Scott’s hotel bed next to him, telling him he’d like to try being with men – it wasn’t exactly an outrageous assumption to make, given Scott’s recent track record. And what did Kip say? Confused straight boys just find you? (Well, not that Eric is confused, apparently, but the point still stands.)

“Wait, wait, wait,” Kip says, sounding – maybe a little excited? Scott wouldn’t blame him. After Carter opened the floodgates, he has sort of let himself look at his friends from a different perspective sometimes. Respectfully and all, but – Eric definitely got more than one look.

“No,” Scott quickly replies. “No. He didn’t – it didn’t turn out that way, not like Carter.”

“Too bad, could have expanded your little club.” Scott can hear the smile in Kip’s voice and feels his cheeks go warm.

“Ours, if anything.” He pauses, considering. “And I’m not really supposed to tell you, but…”

“You can’t start a sentence like that and then actually not tell me,” Kip complains, and Scott immediately folds.

“No, I know. But you can’t – you can’t say anything to Kyle.” Oops.

“To Kyle?”

---

“Man, I thought that was my thing,” Carter whines to Scott after Eric lets him in on the more or less open secret as well. “Is everyone a little bi now?”

“More than a little, by the sounds of it.”

“So, what’s the move, does he – ?” Carter gives Scott a meaningful look.

“No, why is everyone asking me that?” Scott interrupts before that idea can take hold. He’s been – not thinking about it. Very consciously not thinking about it, because Eric is in a vulnerable phase right now and doesn’t need anyone pushing and pulling at him – or, well, at least not Scott and Carter. Probably. “No, he’s got someone.”

“Really?” Carter’s eyes light up. He clearly only got the abridged version from Eric. “He got a guy?”

“Yeah. Well, kind of, I think. But I’m really not supposed to say…” 

“I’ll just ask him,” Carter interrupts before Scott lets something slip again. “I was worried, with the divorce and everything, and then he had that kicked puppy look turned all the way up at your engagement party the other day – but this is great news!”

“I didn’t tell him – well, I didn’t tell him anything. About you, or us, or any of that,” Scott says carefully.

It’s the one downside to the whole thing with Carter and Gloria, as much as he enjoys it: more secrets in their friend group. And maybe, Scott thinks, maybe they haven’t really been the best of friends to Eric lately anyway. Scott has been so wrapped up in his own life since the spring, with his relationship finally being out in the open and everything that entails. And then, him and Kip have been seeing a lot of Carter and Gloria, of course. Scott always used to dislike it when friends disappeared like that, only spending time with other couples because everything was suddenly a double date. Is that what him and Carter have been doing to Eric?

“Hey, stop brooding. We don’t have to tell him. I mean, I’m cool if you are. But it’s, you know. It can be private.”

“No, tell him,” Scott says. “If you want. I – I don’t want this coming between us. I’m done with all the secrets.”

“Yeah, all right,” Carter says gently.

“And it might be helpful, I guess?” Scott has no idea what Eric actually needs from them right now. Nothing, by the looks of it, but that doesn’t seem right. He just isn’t the type to say anything; he’s much like Scott that way. “He can probably relate more to your experience than mine.”

“This is so exciting, man. Give it a year or two, the whole team’s having an orgy.” Scott knows he probably looks kind of stressed out by that and Carter just laughs.

---

The guest list for Kip’s birthday party at the Kingfisher has received a slight update, compared to previous years. Among the usual suspects (Elena, Maria, Shawn, and Kyle) and various NYU classmates as well as friends dating back to highschool and undergrad, Gloria Grey sits, looking like she’s holding court for a group of party guests who are hanging on to her every word. Kip is friendly with a few film and theater students, because apparently arts-adjacent types just sort of flock together, and of course they have a million questions for her, but at least seem very respectful about it. She looks relaxed anyway, and Carter bumps his shoulder into Scott’s where he’s standing by the bar, nodding towards her.

“Well, we’re officially not the most popular people in this place anymore.”

“Did I miss that time that we were?” Eric asks.

He had seemed a little surprised when Scott invited him to Kip’s birthday party – they’re friendly, but nowhere near as close as Kip is with Carter (for obvious reasons). But Kip has been scheming a little bit to move things along with Kyle and Eric, and this seemed like a good opportunity. And as little interest as bars and clubs usually hold to Eric, he’s always seemed at ease at the Kingfisher when he’s been here with Scott, so Scott figured it couldn’t hurt. He hasn’t seen Eric and Kyle actually speak to each other yet, but there have definitely been looks. 

“Yeah, that never happened,” Scott agrees.

“Speak for yourselves,” Carter says, “I’m still fun and hip and cool. My girlfriend’s just cooler.”

“Well, that’s true.”

Scott kind of knows how Carter feels, too: He’s watching Kip be the center of attention (not always Kip’s favorite role to play) and everyone wanting to talk to him, give him their gifts, have a drink with him…it’s good, seeing Kip so loved. He introduces Scott to many people whose names Scott immediately forgets, but it matters less and less as the night wears on, the music gets a little louder and everyone gets a little tipsier.

Kip isn’t working tonight, and neither is Kyle, but they make their own drinks anyway and Kyle always seems to have something special set aside that he’s mixing for Eric. They go and sit together at a little table in the very far corner of the room at one point, and Scott and Carter exchange a knowing glance. Kip’s plan seems to be working.

Right after Scott only narrowly escapes a conversation with one of Kip’s classmates who sort of monologues at him about something called neoclassicism that Scott isn’t sure he could even spell, much less define, Gloria finds him. She leans into his side and Scott’s arm comes up around her waist automatically in a loose side-hug.

“I’m on a secret mission,” she tells him, “and I need to enlist your help.”

“I think that’s my favorite thing you’ve ever said to me,” Scott replies, and Gloria laughs.

“It’s a sexy mission, Mr. Bond,” she fake-whispers and bats her eyelashes at him. “Involving your boyfriend – oh, fiancé!”

That really hasn’t gotten old yet.

“Carter would like to give Kip an extra birthday present later. A special one, if you know what I mean.” Scott can guess what she means anyway, going by the suggestive look she gives him. “But I think he’s nervous. And not entirely sure it’s – you know, wanted?”

“Oh.”

Scott never really took Carter’s little joke that he made a while ago about sucking Kip’s dick too seriously. He thought it was a joke anyway, especially because that’s one thing Carter had explicitly said he wasn’t interested in in the very beginning – well, technically he said he wasn’t interested in that with Scott. Maybe that makes a difference.  

“But he’s sure?” Scott asks and Gloria nods.

If he thinks about it, Scott is kind of glad it seems to be something Carter wants to try with Kip. The boundaries of their friendship have stretched very comfortably so far, but there is probably a limit somewhere, and the thought of anything more than a mutual handjob feels a little too intimate in a way that Scott can’t really describe. But it makes sense that Carter would feel the same way about it; they’ve been on the same page about everything else so far.

“He’s been practicing,” Gloria says, like she thinks that’s the most endearing thing in the world.  

Scott frowns. This is news to him. “What, like – with a zucchini or something?”

“With a – no.” Gloria laughs, covering her face with her hands until she’s collected herself enough to continue. “No, honey. With me. Do you, uh – do you know what a strap-on is?”

That takes a moment to compute in Scott’s brain, but when it does – “Shit. Really?”

“He just kind of gets too distracted and then ends up eating me out instead. It’s definitely time for the real thing.”

“I, uh –”

Scott is speechless for a moment, still hung up on the idea – the image in his head of Gloria wearing a harness, and then Carter – and also, why is she just saying stuff like that to him in public, talking about Carter going down on her like that’s in any way something you can just say – well, you probably can. Clearly you can.

“Are you okay, Scott?” Gloria asks, still looking extremely amused. “Was that too much information at once?”

“No,” Scott says, huffing out a little laugh, “no, that – that’s fine. So what’s, uh, what’s my job in the sexy mission?”

“Okay, part one – make sure it’s okay with Kip.”

That one is easy. Scott is certain it’s going to be very, very okay with Kip, but he’ll find a subtle way to ask and confirm just in case.

“Part two, kind of ease Carter into it? I think it might be best if we start out watching like last time and then you can let him take over, show him what Kip likes…”

“Yeah. Sure, okay,” Scott says, his voice coming out more roughly than expected. He won’t pretend that doesn’t sound appealing.

And Carter really must be a bit nervous about this, if Gloria is the one doing the talking. He’s not usually one to shy away from awkward conversations (see also: steam room, approximately six weeks ago).

They make plans for everyone to come back to Scott’s apartment after the party and Gloria has an excited little sparkle in her eyes when she presses a kiss to Scott’s cheek and then goes off to the bar.

Scott is…slightly overwhelmed and more than a little turned on. He looks around for Kip and finds him talking to Maria and Shawn, who knowingly roll their eyes when Scott whisks him away to “get some air”.

They do get air though; Kip gets about two whole seconds of fresh December night air in the alleyway behind the Kingfisher before Scott has him pinned against the brick wall beside the service entrance and is kissing him senseless.

Kip gasps into it, surprised by the intensity, but he immediately gets with the program: one hand in Scott’s hair and the other on his ass, letting Scott lick into his mouth and slide their tongues together. Kip tastes like lemon and alcohol, and Scott isn’t sure how much he’s had to drink but his eyes look clear when Scott pulls away, their breath forming little white clouds between them in the cold air.

“Wow,” Kip says softly, still pressed close, smiling. “Okay. You a little worked up?”

Scott just shrugs; it doesn’t really matter. Kip can hear the whole story later. He fights himself trying to keep it together because all he wants to do is go down to his knees right here and get his mouth on Kip. But that’s for later. It’s kind of the whole point that that’s for later.

“Gloria and Carter want to come home with us after,” he says and Kip makes a pleased little sound and nods.

“Yeah, of course.”

“Is there…” Scott doesn’t really know how to ask the question without ruining the surprise, and he wants Kip to be surprised, wants to see it on his face, that little moment of disbelief turning into excitement turning into smugness the way it usually goes when Carter wants something from Kip, not just from a man, but from Kip specifically. “Is there anything you don’t wanna do tonight?”

“Uhm.” Kip seems to think it over, then shakes his head. “I mean, we’d probably need to have a bit more of a conversation before anyone actually fucks outside their relationship, but other than that…”

“Okay,” Scott says and kisses Kip again, slow this time, but it’s hard not to want more with the way Kip sighs and melts against him, all breathy noises and wandering hands, cold fingers slipping under the hem of Scott’s shirt. They keep kissing until Scott feels Kip shiver (they probably should have brought their coats out) and they do the responsible thing and return inside; hand in hand, sharing a secretive little smile over their excitement for the rest of the night.

Chapter 2

By silent agreement between Scott, Gloria, and Carter, everyone is immediately on Kip the moment they walk through the door to the penthouse. Kip laughs, looking delighted and also little overwhelmed with all the attention; Carter kissing him on the mouth, Scott going for his neck, and Gloria pulling his coat off, then his shoes and his jeans, and Scott helps with his shirt, hands all over him.

“What are you doing with me?” he asks, cheeks pink and a big grin on his face when Scott lifts him up, as if he doesn’t know that he’s being carried straight to the bedroom.

“Birthday special, baby,” Scott replies, not mentioning that is really has to be the bedroom this time, because Scott and Carter both have a set of knees that is, at this point in their careers, not technically suited anymore to giving head on hardwood floors like they did last time. But that’s the less sexy explanation.

Kip stretches out when Scott deposits him on the bed, arms over his head and his muscles flexed, and Scott makes a low sound in his chest. It feels right – here in his bed is the man he loves, and everyone is going to help give him pleasure tonight.

“Well, don’t just look at him,” Carter says, coming to stand beside Scott with a hand on his shoulder.

“You want something, Vaughny?” Scott prompts, raising his eyebrows, and watches Carter swallow, his eyes traveling over Kip’s body.

“Yeah,” he says quietly. “Yeah, I do.”

Gloria uses their momentary distraction to slip by on Carter’s right, kicking off her shoes and joining Kip on the bed. He smiles and puts an arm around her, and Gloria cuddles into his side, one hand on his chest, and whispers, “happy birthday, honey,” before she kisses him.

After getting over his little confusion in the beginning, Scott really likes watching them kiss now. There is something very gentle and calm about it, kissing just for its own sake, and Kip’s hand looks so big when he cups her cheek, but – he has a mission tonight and he intends to complete it.

He motions for Carter to sit on the bed and then follows, sliding his hands up Kip’s legs and spreading them apart, enjoying the little moan it draws out of Kip, full of anticipation. Kip is half-hard in his boxers, just starting to strain against the black fabric a little, and Scott just wants to bury his face there, to smell him and taste him and touch him forever.

Carter places a hand on Kip’s knee, almost careful, and Scott decides to move things along. He’s here to help and instruct, after all. He wraps his fingers around Carter’s wrist and drags his hand up the inside of Kip’s thigh, checking in with him with a quick look and then slowly inching it higher, Kip and Gloria now watching.

Both Carter and Kip draw in a breath when Scott moves Carter’s hand to cover the bulge in Kip’s underwear. He can tell Kip is trying not to move, not to push into it right away, but Carter isn’t shy now that he’s done this with Scott before and grinds the heel of his palm against him, feeling the shape of him through the cotton.

With Carter right where he needs to be for now, Scott can focus on other, equally important things, like licking over Kip’s abs, one hand coming up to pinch a nipple and make him squirm, the other dropping between his legs, two fingers pressing against his rim through the fabric just to tease a little, and Kip makes a very lovely little noise.

“You’re all – oh God.” Kip moans and Scott looks up to see Gloria’s hand on Kip’s other nipple, copying the same thing Scott is doing. “You’re all trying to kill me.”

“We haven’t even started yet,” Carter says, because he loves to mouth off even when – especially when he’s a little nervous, and it makes Scott smile. And it’s true, they haven’t even really started – he keeps his mouth and his tongue on Kip, his chest and stomach, and starts pulling his boxers down one-handed, but Carter is there to help, and a moment later they both look at where Kip’s cock lies heavy against his lower belly, fully hard now, and the tip deliciously pink and a little wet.

Scott can practically feel his mouth water, he feels starved for Kip now, wants to make him beg and shake and come, and suddenly almost doesn’t want to share, but only almost. Carter wraps his fingers around Kip’s cock, stroking him slowly, and Kip lets out a shaky breath, tilting his hips up, following the motion of Carter’s hand.

Scott lifts his head and their eyes meet for a moment, Kip flushed and gorgeous, his chest rising and falling with heavy breaths. He sees nothing but yes on Kip’s face, nothing but please, and he puts his fingers on Carter’s wrist again, stilling his hand, and wraps his lips around Kip’s cock, sucking the head into his mouth.

“Oh,” Kip breathes, so quiet, almost like he wasn’t expecting that to happen, and Scott licks over him, greedy for Kip’s taste on his tongue. Carter’s hand falls away and Scott takes Kip deeper, feeling everyone’s eyes on him and then – Gloria’s hand on the back of his neck, firm, her nails scratching a little bit as she drags them up his scalp and into his hair.

He moans around Kip’s cock in his mouth, nearly losing his rhythm, but Gloria pushes him back into it, fingers twisting into his hair a little painfully, and he looks up briefly to see Kip staring down at him, his eyes dark with want, watching Scott let her – what exactly, Scott doesn’t know, but watching him let her.

Scott has never been turned on by a woman’s touch in all his life, so it’s all a little confusing, but she clearly has him figured out, what he likes, and maybe it doesn’t matter who delivers it when it feels this good.

Gloria releases her grip on him, stroking her fingers over his cheek and then withdrawing her touch completely and Scott pulls off of Kip, sucking in heaving breaths. He turns to Carter beside him, who looks like he’s definitely having a moment with all that, and Scott pulls him into a kiss, searing and hungry, because he’s so worked up by now that doesn’t quite know what to do with himself, but there was a plan here, there still is. So they can do that.

He locks eyes with Kip and then places a hand between Carter’s shoulder blades, the gentle pressure more of a suggestion than anything else, but Carter doesn’t need it anyway, his hand already back on Kip’s cock and guiding him into his mouth. He makes a muffled sound and pulls back almost immediately, too enthusiastic on the first try and taking him too deep.

“Easy,” Scott mutters, looking at Carter now, and where he expects Carter to roll his eyes at him, he finds his face open and a little uncertain. Scott doesn’t have to be a mind reader to know what he’s thinking; he wants to be good at this, to impress Kip, to please him. “Take it slow, enjoy it.”

He thinks maybe a little demonstration is in order, and leans back in. Kip makes a strangled sound in his throat when Scott sucks one of his balls into his mouth and – no, actually, much too advanced, he just got distracted. He looks at Carter and shakes his head ever so slightly, and Carter gives him a skeptical look like he rightfully doesn’t trust Scott’s approach to teaching so far.

But it’s fine, he just needs to focus. Scott starts at the base and licks all the way up the side of Kip’s cock, dragging the flat of his tongue over the head, licking around it and slathering Kip in saliva, making him squirm and twitch.

“Okay, yeah,” Carter says quietly and then copies Scott, only taking it more slowly, his tongue exploring Kip’s cock in careful licks, all the little edges and ridges, tracing the veins and then pressing the tip of his tongue just under the head, and Kip gasps and kicks his leg out. Scott looks up at him and finds him with his eyes half-lidded but observing intently, and next to Kip, Gloria, curled into his side with her head on his shoulder, mostly just watching Carter, so much warmth in her eyes.

And Scott thinks – why the fuck not, is what Scott thinks, and he joins back in, tongue all over Kip, licking over the head. Carter catches on immediately and he’s right there, one hand on Scott’s shoulder and it’s not – they’re not kissing, exactly, but their tongues are sliding together, Kip’s taste shared between them, breath mingling, the eager little sound Carter makes feeling like it came out of Scott’s mouth, and maybe it did.

“Holy shit.” Kip sounds breathless, and Scott puts a hand on his hip, grounding. “Oh my God.”

Scott pulls back a little and watches Carter, taking his time now and going from small laps of his tongue to sucking just the tip of Kip’s cock into his mouth, more careful this time.

“Doing great, cover your teeth,” Scott reminds him and Carter follows his instruction, lips wrapping around Kip and taking him just a little deeper, gently bobbing his head.

“Yeah,” Kip breathes, “that’s so good, keep doing that.”

And Carter does, enthusiasm growing when he seems to gain confidence with it, like he’s figured out the angles and mechanics of it all and now it’s just a matter of putting it into action, of chasing it towards a clear goal.

It’s a beautiful sight, too, Kip now with his eyes closed and his head tipped back, Gloria with a hand on Carter’s shoulder – not pushing like she did with Scott, just providing an anchor, and Carter moaning softly around Kip’s cock.

Scott is always good at spotting room for improvement though, and he goes for their bedside table to grab the lube, enjoying the way Kip whimpers and pushes back against him when he presses a slicked-up finger against his rim a moment later.

“Oh fuck, please,” Kip babbles, lifting his head to look at Scott as he slides his finger inside, curling it and putting pressure right where he knows Kip needs it. Kip moans so very prettily in his pleasure, one hand in Scott’s hair and the other reaching out blindly, landing on Gloria’s thigh.

It seems to give him an idea, even a little gone as he is right now, and he looks at Gloria, almost flustered, almost uncertain, and asks, “Do you want…?”

“Oh.” Gloria seems surprised, and then her lips stretch into a sweet, pleased smile. “If you’re sure? This is all about you, you know.”

“Yeah, no, just – show me what to do?” Kip says, a nervous little laugh and then another high moan when Carter seems to do something very, very correctly.

“I got it,” Gloria says, “you just focus on them. These two are going to eat you alive, honey.”

Scott finds that he has to agree with that assessment. He adds another finger, giving Kip a grin when he looks back down at them. He knows how to keep Kip’s attention if he needs to.

Carter is briefly distracted by Gloria taking her pants off and pulls off, breathing heavily and checking in with Kip.

“Okay?” he asks and Kip nods and smiles, his eyes soft.

“Feels so good, you’re doing so well.” 

Carter nods, shoulders dropping a little bit, clearly happy with the praise. He looks at Scott for a moment, at his fingers inside Kip, and then back at Gloria, who has kicked her jeans off and is guiding Kip’s hand under the waistband of her panties.

“Lot going on,” Carter says, turning big eyes on Scott and he wants to laugh because it’s actually kind of adorable.   

“All right, Vaughny?”

“Yeah. Hell, yeah.”

He nudges his shoulder against Scott’s and gets right back to it, taking Kip into his mouth and drawing a shaky moan out of him. Kip closes his eyes again, lying back against the pillows and looking blissed out as Carter sucks him, Scott working his prostate in slow circles, aiming for leisurely waves rather than the sharp, white-hot pleasure he knows he could give him. That fleeting feeling from earlier of wanting Kip all too himself couldn’t be further away, now that Scott is in the moment like this, with Carter by his side like he was always meant to be there, both of them working together to take Kip apart.

Scott watches Gloria arrange Kip’s hand, very deliberate in where she places his fingers, covering them with her own on top of her underwear. And Kip really doesn’t do anything, probably wouldn’t be able to focus on learning new skills right now anyway. He’s just letting her hold his hand in place and press his fingers down to grind up against, slow rolls of her hips and her eyes still on Carter.

Kip looks so lost in the moment, so gone on it all and perfectly at ease, every breath out now a soft moan and his thumb stroking over Scott’s cheek and jaw absently, almost unintentionally, his fingers twitching along with the rest of his muscles. He’s given his body over to all three of them completely, to receive pleasure and to give it, or rather let himself be used for it willingly, because that’s what he’s giving Gloria; and it tugs at Scott’s heart suddenly, how perfect it all is, how safe Kip must feel with them to do this.  

“Oh, oh, I –” Kip is trembling now, thighs flexing, and Scott can feel him start to clench around his fingers so he presses in harder, in and up over and over again.

“Carter,” Kip says urgently, and surely Carter knows what that means – but, no, there’s that determination, that little streak of stubbornness, and Scott already knows Carter is going to see this through, even if he maybe hasn’t thought it through.

Kip groans and his hips arch off the bed, fingers now digging into Scott’s shoulder as he comes. Carter makes a muffled noise that sounds a little frantic, but he stays with it, mouth on Kip, hands on his thighs, until Kip’s breathing slows and his body goes all loose and relaxed.

Scott withdraws his fingers, gentle, his other hand on Kip’s waist, keeping the connection. He looks at Carter, who seems – stressed, his eyes a little wide, and then he visibly swallows, which could potentially be hot, but –

“Oof.” Scott can tell Carter tries not to pull a face but he’s very expressive anyway, and to Kip’s credit, he just laughs.   

“Didn’t have to do that your first time, you know,” Kip says, all sated smile and drooping eyes. “I’ve been drinking and I’m super dehydrated, that, uh – wasn’t gonna be good.”

Carter shrugs and Kip turns to Gloria by his side, who looks a little amused as well, but is mostly still busy getting herself off on his hand. Which is more than enough to divert Carter’s attention from recent new experiences.

“Baby,” he says quietly and Gloria bites her lip and grins and then kisses Kip in the filthiest way Scott has ever seen from her, and Carter makes a strangled sound in his throat. Kip, still a little orgasm-drunk, gives back enthusiastically, free hand now squeezing Scott’s, and Scott reaches over to palm Carter through his jeans as he watches.

“Fuck,” Carter mutters, gripping Scott’s forearm as if to keep him in place and pushing into the touch, and then Gloria breaks away from Kip, throws her head back and moans, shaking, rolling her hips against Kip’s hand and her own as she rides out her orgasm. It looks – intense. It looks like she’s having a good time.

Scott almost doesn’t care anymore how he gets off, with Kip and Gloria now looking soft and satisfied there together, and Carter vibrating out of his skin next to him; he just knows he needs it soon. He lets go of Carter and unzips himself where he’s still up on his knees between Kip’s spread legs, pushing his jeans and boxers down just far enough. And the last couple of times he followed a weird impulse worked out pretty well tonight, so he does it again.

“Hey.” Carter looks at Scott, his instant reaction to that specific tone of voice so deeply ingrained into his body that he’d follow it in his sleep, and Scott enjoys it, smirking at him. “Race you.”

“Oh, fuck you,” Carter replies, laughing, watching Scott wrap his fingers around himself, and pushes his own pants down to do the same.

“Boys,” Gloria sighs, but smiles at them, and Kip just says, “yeah”, sounding a little breathless, with his eyes dark and fixed on Scott.

Kip likes it sometimes, when Scott fucks him after he’s already come, pliant and relaxed and a little overstimulated, and he’s looking at Scott like he wants that now, like he wants Scott to hook his legs over his shoulders and push inside, fuck another orgasm out of him, sobbing and shaking until he gets there.

Scott makes a helpless little sound in his throat; he’s so fucking hard just imagining it. But it feels like too much, too intimate to share right now, and he knows Kip trusts him to make that decision for them both.

“Love you,” Scott tells him under his breath and Kip smiles at him, so gorgeous, and he understands. His eyes drop to Scott’s hand instead, pumping his cock furiously, and he licks his lips.

Carter is breathing hard next to Scott and he has his left hand free to pull Scott into a kiss by the back of his neck, messy and all teeth and tongue and fuck, it feels good. Scott can feel it building low in his belly, coiling tight with heat, and he looks back at Kip just long enough to make sure he’s still watching. Yes, he is. Scott breaks away from Carter, panting, and then comes all over Kip’s lower belly. Painting thick, white spurts over his spent dick, catching in the hair below his navel, and Kip moans softly, stomach rising and falling with fast breaths.

“Jesus,” Carter says, sounding choked, and then he’s angling himself into Scott’s side, following right after and adding to the mess on Kip’s skin.

Nobody says a word for a moment, though Scott feels like maybe someone should be – but then Gloria blows out a breath and shakes her head.

“Holy fucking shit, guys. Okay.”

Carter is still catching his breath, still leaning against Scott and he gestures towards Kip, sounding a little meek when he asks, “was that, uh, allowed?”

“Yeah,” Kip laughs, giving Carter a sweet smile, reassuring. “Maybe a little surprising but absolutely very much allowed.”

“Oh man, all right. I got a little carried away.”

Scott clasps Carter’s shoulder and gets up off the bed to go and find a towel for Kip, leaning in for a kiss before he makes his way to the bathroom. Kip meets him eagerly, a satisfied little hum against his lips and Scott smiles into it.

When Scott returns with a wet towel a few moments later, he finds Carter cuddled between Kip and Gloria, clearly feeling like the happiest man on the planet with Gloria holding him and stroking his hair and Kip kissing him all nice and slow.

“Oh, that’s how it is?” Scott asks and receives nothing but a big grin in return when Carter comes up for air.

Kip turns to Scott and he quickly wipes him off before joining them on the bed, stripped down to just his shirt and boxers like Carter has, too, and curling into Kip’s side, head on his chest. He closes his eyes, letting himself drift for a moment with Kip’s lips pressing to the top of his head, fingers carding through his hair and his heartbeat steady in his ear.

“Can’t believe Benny probably got there first.” That is what Carter chooses to break the comfortable quiet that was just beginning to settle over the room.

“Where exactly?” Scott asks.

“Well, you know.”

“Didn’t get to me,” Kip supplies helpfully.

“You know what I mean!”

“You’re all way too competitive,” Kip says and Gloria nods fervently. “Not that I’m currently complaining, but…”

“Yeah, but it’s fun.”

“I’d imagine you’d have a lot of catching up to do with Eric by now anyway. I can’t see Kyle wasting any time with someone that hot. Just saying.”

“Dude, your friend group is really doing a number on this team.”

“Or the other way around,” Kip argues. “Technically you guys keep coming into our places of work and, like, flexing your muscles and making some poor customer service worker swoon on company time.”

“Is that what Scotty did?” Carter looks at Scott kind of like he wants to pinch his cheeks.

“He wore those really tight shirts that you can kind of…”

“…see his nipples through?” Carter and Kip finish together and start laughing.

“Hey. It’s a compression shirt. Perfectly normal to work out in,” Scott offers.

“Sure, baby,” Kip says, placating. “So that worked pretty well.” 

“Clearly.” Carter grins. “But anyway. My point is, why isn’t Benny telling us this? No one ever really tells me about their gay sex when I ask, it’s so rude.”

“You ever thought maybe asking is what’s rude, babe?” Gloria tries, but she’s smiling and Carter just shakes his head and angles for a kiss that he immediately receives.

“And you haven’t told him yet either, right?”

“Oh, that’s it,” Carter says. “I need to go first. Quid pro quo and all. Set the mood for a comfortable exchange of new insights.”

Scott strongly doubts that Eric will find this comfortable or want to participate in the exchange, but you never know. Carter sometimes has a magical way of making these things happen.

Chapter 3

Christmas comes and goes, everyone mostly wrapped up in their family events, and Scott enjoys having Kip free of university obligations and all to himself for a few days after that. They’re still in bed having a very late morning when Kip answers his phone with a sleepy “hey, Kyle”, and Kyle’s reply to that is loud enough that Scott can hear it even without speakerphone on.

“You’re a greedy ass little bitch, Kip, you know that?”

Scott bristles, some switch in his brain flipping that has him ready to fight. Fight Kyle. Through the phone. Somehow. Kip notices and puts a hand on Scott’s thigh, soothing, his face very clearly communicating to Scott to stay out of it.

“What washed-up old bear crawled up your ass and died last night?” Kip asks calmly and Scott’s eyes go wide. Kip is the sweetest person alive about 98% of the time, so Scott often forgets that he can be catty as hell if he wants to be. And that this is how he sometimes talks to his friends. (He still remembers the first time he heard Kip call Elena a bitch right to her face and briefly prepared to take shelter from her impending rage, but she just called him a bitch right back and they both laughed.)

“You know exactly which one,” Kyle replies, still loud enough for Scott to hear, “and he’s not – that’s not the point. These hockey bros gossip worse than – well, us.”

Kip presses a kiss to Scott’s cheek and then gets out of bed, taking his phone call to the kitchen. Scott gives him his privacy, trying not to worry about it too much. He’s always suspected that Kyle sort of has a thing for Kip, though he’s pretty sure Kip doesn’t actually know that. And even if he’s with Eric now (kind of?), maybe some of these feelings are coming back up and making everything a little complicated?

Sometimes being closeted and chronically single had its advantages, Scott thinks: absolutely zero relationship drama. Not that he’d ever trade what he has with Kip now for the world.

It takes about twenty minutes or so for Kip to return and he collapses face-first onto the bed with a deep sigh, making a happy little sound when Scott curls his body around him and strokes his fingers through his hair.

“Everything okay?” he asks cautiously and Kip turns his head to the side, blinking up at him. “Are you fighting?”

“No…I think – no, we’re not. Carter told Eric about our whole thing and then Eric thought he was doing a good deed telling Kyle, in case he wanted to get in on it? Because Eric’s afraid he’s tying Kyle down and stealing his youth or something? Anyway, Kyle was a little, uh, surprised. To hear that about me from, well, Eric. So, I get why he’s, you know.”

“Oh,” Scott says. That sounds…complex. “Can I do anything?”

“No, it’s fine. We’ll – we get into it sometimes, but Kyle’s a sweetheart, and he’s a great friend. We’ll figure it out.” Kip shuffles around on the bed until he’s back under the covers, his feet cold where they press against Scott’s shins.

“Though he did ask me since when I need two to three famous athletes and a movie star kissing my ass all the time –” Ouch, Scott thinks. “ – and I told him no one’s even done that in ages.”

“Oh?” Scott asks, fingers trailing down Kip’s side and then playing with the waistband on his boxers. Seems like he’s found something he can do about that situation, at least. “That sounds like a gross oversight to me.”

“Glaring,” Kip agrees, lifting his hips so Scott can push his underwear down his legs. “Critical. Unacceptable.”

But fortunately, also very easily remedied.

---

A little change of plans seems appropriate, and after Kip and Scott and have thoroughly exhausted the percentage of a day two people can spend in bed without going a little stir crazy, Scott invites himself to Eric’s house for dinner.

Surely it doesn’t count as meddling when he just wants to be helpful, he tells himself.

Eric looks a little embarrassed, already aware of the drama he caused (through no fault of his own, really.)

“So Vaughny told you, huh?” Scott starts, because he’s not very good at being subtle.

“Yeah. Uh.”

They just sort of look at each other for a moment and Scott can see in Eric’s eyes that both of them find the situation highly awkward. Between Eric being married for so long and Scott being in the closet, they never really talked about sex or relationships at all. Eric coming out to him was maybe the longest conversation of that kind they ever had at all.

“We really didn’t mean to exclude you or anything, I know Vaughny and I have been living in each other’s pockets a little bit lately, and, I mean, that’s not why, but it’s also a little why – ” Scott has no idea where he’s going with it and is grateful when Eric puts a hand on his forearm and motions for him to breathe.

“I’m really not offended that I wasn’t immediately invited into your little…swingers club thing? I’m not even entirely sure I’d be into all that. It’s kind of a lot.”

Not the first time Scott has been called a variation of that. He’ll take it. It’s probably true enough.

“But you would have done it if Kyle wanted to?” Scott asks cautiously, because that part sits a little wrong with him.

“Yeah, I guess I just – he’s so damn young. What does he want with me? He should be doing – something like that. Probably has. So I thought, maybe if I can offer him something more exciting…I don’t know.”

“Hey. Benny, come on. If he wanted a circuit party, he’d be there.” Scott recently learned from Kip what that is and is proud of his efforts to casually insert gay culture into conversation. Not that Eric is necessarily the right audience to appreciate it, but they can both learn together. “But it sounds like he’s with you more often than not.”

He really should have called Carter in. Or Kip. Or literally anyone who’s more qualified at giving advice on this than Scott feels right now. But he knows one thing, and that is that being around Eric is so calm and grounding and comfortable, that he has such a big and gentle heart that it’s absolutely no wonder Kyle would like him, that anyone would like him. Eric just sometimes doesn’t see himself that way.

“I mean, he’s free to do whatever he wants.” Eric shrugs. “I’m not trying to tie him down.”

Scott tries not to make the obvious joke, but it must show on his face, because Eric laughs and it thankfully lightens the moment a little.

“That what you do with Vaughny and Gloria, huh?”

“Uh, no, actually. That’s just…uh. Other times.”

Eric raises his eyebrows at him and tilts his head. “Fun.”

“So, anyway,” Scott quickly carries on. “What I’m here to say is, we got your back, one way or another. We’re both here for you. And you’re obviously welcome to any, uh, experiments any time if you change your mind.”

Gloria might appreciate it, actually, Scott thinks, to have someone else there who likes women that way. He can sort of imagine Eric being very generous and attentive – not that he’s imagining anything. Maybe a little bit.

“Or not. No expectations or anything. And whichever way things turn out with Kyle, he’d be lucky to have you. I hope you know that, right?”

“I think you’re just trying to butter me up to get into my pants,” Eric says, face perfectly straight and Scott huffs out a surprised little laugh. He finds he likes this new side that Eric is showing him. He really does.

“Vaughny’s the instigator, you know,” he says. “I never did any such thing.”

“Oh, I know, because you’re not doing it very well.”

Now that – that’s just mean.