Chapter Text
Orange embers flow in the covered fireplace, and Charlie stares at the flames, his heart in his throat.
He's waiting.
Scared to death, but he's waiting.
For Babe to get back.
Hopefully with Willy.
He needs them both in their house right now.
Especially after the conversation that prompted Willy to take off in the first place. Charlie sent Babe after him because Willy wasn't as upset with him.
~~ ~~ ~~ ~~
"Do you seriously think I'm lying?" asked Willy as he looked at Charlie in disbelief.
"What am I supposed to think?" asked Charlie incredulously as he threw his arms in the air. "You spend all your time cuddled up to Babe. Am I seriously supposed to believe that you want me too? Honestly? It seems like you two would be happier without me here! So, just tell me the truth!"
"How could you say that?" Babe injected himself into the conversation, hurt lacing his voice.
But Charlie couldn't listen to him, not when the past three weeks are cemented in his mind. Every single time they pulled away from him to curl together instead, sharing kisses with each other more than with him, driving together without him, leaving without him.
There were too many instances.
Too many moments where he normally would have been included.
But he wasn't.
"You know how," snapped Charlie as he body trembled with the hurt and anger and confusion he felt. "You two don't even hardly touch me anymore, Babe. What am I supposed to think. Honestly? I would love to know what I'm supposed to fucking think because I'm dying inside trying to understand how the two people that I love more than I could ever love anyone else seem to want nothing to do with me anymore."
"We love you!" yelled Willy as he throws his arms out wide, tears sliding down his cheeks. "We've been planning a fucking surprise for you because it's your birthday tomorrow, Charlie. We're not trying to push you out of the relationship. How could we? How could I? It was you and Babe long before I was involved, and it would be you two long after I lost usefulness."
"You do not have to be useful to be loved," huffed Babe seriously as he reaches out a hand to touch Willy, holding his wrist with a gentleness that Charlie hasn't felt in weeks. "We love you as you are. You know that."
"Do I? Because Charlie is accusing me of trying to steal you from him," sneered Willy harshly as he tugged his wrist back.
"No, I'm trying to understand why it feels like I'm losing the two people I fucking love," snapped Charlie angrily as his voice cracks with the tears that are pouring down his cheeks. "I love you, Willy, just as much as I love Babe. I just don't feel like either of you love me anymore, and I don't know what the fuck I did wrong."
"You've done nothing!" Willy's voice raised another octave before he visibly shut down, taking a step back. "You won't believe me anyway. I said we were planning a surprise for you, and you still think we don't love you anymore. You think I don't love you anymore. I fucking love you, Charlie. But you know what? Maybe you're right. Maybe we do need space, so let me be the one to fucking walk away."
Willy stormed out of their house, Babe calling after him to no avail.
"Charlie, we both love you. How could you ever question that?" asked Babe as his brows furrowed.
"I pointed that out already," snapped Charlie as he crouched down, wiping his face of the tears that wouldn't stop coming. "Just go after him. Bring him home. We will talk about it after we've had time to cool down. But he does not need to leave. If anyone needs to walk away, to leave, it will be me. He deserves our bed, the comfort of our home. I can crash somewhere else."
"No one is leaving once I get him back here," said Babe seriously as he walked over and knelt next to him, wrapping him in a tight hug that sent more warmth through Charlie than he'd felt in a while. "I understand why you think we're growing distant, but it's because of the surprise. I swear, tomorrow, you'll understand. Just— Please, we both love you so much it's been killing us trying to hide this from you. You can ask Jeff and Kenta; they both know what's going on."
"It doesn't matter right now," replied Charlie quietly to hide the way his tears are screwing up his voice. "Go bring Willy home, Babe."
"Okay, Papa, I'll bring him home," said Babe quietly, pressing a kiss to Charlie's head before he stood and walked away too.
~~ ~~ ~~ ~~
Charlie did call Kenta, and Jeff.
He got enough vague information to understand how important this surprise is to Willy specifically because it's something he's been putting together for longer than Babe has actually known about it.
He still doesn't know what the surprise is, and he doesn't want to. Not until Willy shows him.
But he feels guilty for losing his head like that.
He texted Babe a few minutes before he sat down on the floor in front of their fireplace.
Just telling him to message if Willy doesn't want to see him before they get home so he can make himself scarce.
He got no response.
But now his phone is buzzing.
Charlie blinks, tears slipping down his cheek, and he pulls his phone out.
Mama: He doesn't want to see you because he's still pissed, and he wants to have this conversation when he's not. But he said he'll be more pissed if you don't sleep in the house tonight.
Charlie sighs.
He's still upset too, but he does understand why they pulled away.
With how much work Willy's been putting in, he's probably been pulling away for longer.
Now, Babe knows, so Willy doesn't have to keep pulling away.
It still hurts, but he'll do what he has to do.
Charlie stands, plates the food that he was attempting to make before things exploded, then he packs the rest away before climbing the stairs. He doesn't bother responding, or bringing his phone, he just heads for a storage room and tugs out a sleeping bag after locking the door.
He won't leave, but until he hears the bedroom door shut twice, Charlie won't leave this space either.
Charlie settles in the sleeping bag, his back already aching, and he hears the door open with a creak and shut with a thud shortly after. He lets his eyes close as he listens.
Murmurs don't quite reach him from this distance, but he can hear the scratch of the chairs sliding across the floor, the clinking of silverware to the bowls, the light creak of the fridge opening and the thud that follows when it closes.
Words don't need to greet him here.
They aren't supposed to.
But he can hear the sound of them eating, drinking, and then the stairs creak under the weight of their feet.
He holds his breath as they pass the room he's in, heading for their bed.
Charlie knows that Babe will fall asleep holding Willy. When he does that, Charlie will make his way downstairs to sleep on the couch instead. He's always the first person up, so he can hide when they wake up in the morning.
He will hide until he's told that he's wanted again.
At least, with his phone downstairs in open view on the table, they know that he didn't leave.
Silence weighs heavy on him after the sound of their bedroom door opening and shutting. He waits, patiently, for enough time to pass for him to escape to the couch where he'll sleep more comfortably.
Except, right as he wakes up from the light doze that had started in the dark room, the door near his head creaks open slowly. He stiffens but stays quiet. He keeps his breathing normal, as it should be.
"Charlie, why would you sleep in here?"
His breath catches at the sound of Willy's voice.
But he tries to hold the facade as quiet steps wade towards him.
"Charlie," whines Willy as his cool hand presses to Charlie's forehead. "Angel, why are you laying in a sleeping bag? We have a whole guest room. You should've gone to lay in that bed instead."
The zipper moves, Willy unzipping his sleeping bag steadily, and Charlie tenses in surprise.
Willy was supposed to be asleep.
He was mad earlier.
He shouldn't—
Cool hands slide under his back and legs as soon as the sound of the zipper stops, and Charlie about yelps as he's carefully lifted into Willy's arms.
"Huh—" whispers Charlie as his eyes fly open to find Willy watching him softly in the glow of the barely visible moon coming through the window. "Willy? What are you doing?"
"Taking you to bed," replies Willy softly as he adjusts his hands, fingers pressing deeply, a claim that makes Charlie whimper quietly.
"You didn't want to see me," murmurs Charlie gently as he wraps his arms around Willy's neck. "I was going to go to the couch when I woke up again."
"I was still angry, but I don't like the idea of you not being in bed," replies Willy quietly as he leans in and presses a kiss to Charlie's nose before heading out the door. "I wanted to get you while you were asleep. Babe wanted to stay awake too, wanting to come with me, but you know how he is. But I was determined, so here I am. Will you let me take you to our bed, or do you really want to lay on the couch?"
"Oh, I'll let you take us to our bed, but only if you actually want me there," murmurs Charlie quietly as he leans up and presses a kiss to his jaw. "I do want to apologize for the way the conversation happened and grew into something that was all anger. I think you understand how it came off, so I won't apologize for reacting to what I was seeing, feeling. But I am sorry for making an accusation instead of asking about it and listening to what you both had to say about it."
"I'm sorry that we made you feel like we were falling out of love with you," replies Willy gently as he looks at him, eyes soft but filled with hurt and guilt. "But I do love you, Charlie. I couldn't ever lose that love for you. I need you to know that. I never meant for you to think you didn't belong. I was the one that came last, and I would be the one to leave. I told you then, and I'll tell you again. I could never be with just one of you. I'd rather walk away than break you two apart."
"You will never leave us," says Charlie seriously, voice strong with a demand more than anything. "Babe will never leave us, and you will never leave us. I understand why you pulled away, why he pulled away. I get it. It hurts, but I know I would do the same because we are too intertwined not to distance for the chance to surprise each other."
"I'm still sorry we made you feel that way," murmurs Willy as he walks them into their bedroom where Babe is grumbling in his sleep. "But I forgive the accusation because I know what it looked like. I should've asked to talk about it rather than reacting too. We both get a bit explosive."
"We definitely do," Charlie chuckles as Willy carries him around to his side of the bed and sets him carefully in the space he'd been laying before. It's still warm. "Do you want to be in the middle tonight?"
"No, I think this is a Charlie in the middle night," replies Willy seriously as he nods his way to where Babe is grumbling and reaching out towards them.
Charlie slides his way over, slow and careful, and Willy settles in the spot next to him, tugging the blanket over them as Babe's arm reaches to lay across them.
Forgiveness settles over them like their blanket, and Charlie sighs as Willy twists to wrap an arm around him and Babe.
Tomorrow, he's going to kiss his partners.
He's going to curl up with them in front of the fire.
Tomorrow, neither of them are leaving his side.
"You don't have to do anything tomorrow, right?" asks Charlie softly as he turns his head towards Willy whose face is buried in his neck.
"Not a damn thing," replies Willy as he presses soft kisses up Charlie's neck until he has to pull back to kiss him once, twice, three times before hiding again. "I'm gonna make sure we spend most of the day in this bed reminding you how much we love you."
"You're gonna trap me, huh?" asks Charlie with a chuckle as he looks at him, brows hiked high.
"Yup," replies Willy as he kisses him again, biting at his bottom lip before pulling away. "So, you better get some sleep because you're gonna need it."
"Tease," Charlie chuckles as he leans down to kiss Willy once, twice, then a firm hand turns his face until he's kissed. "Mm, Mama, did we wake you?"
"Someone stole all the covers," mutters Babe as he leans over and kisses Willy too before settling firmly against Charlie's side, burying his face in his neck. "Now, let's get some proper sleep because no one is leaving this bed tomorrow."
"Hey, what is it with you two and wanting to hold me hostage in our bed?" asks Charlie in amusement as he looks between them.
"We deserve a day together. Just the three of us, in our bed," replies Babe seriously as he tugs the blanket over himself again, snuggling in even closer until there are two arms wrapped around Charlie's waist. "We'll be reminding each other who we belong to."
"Oh yeah?" Charlie's murmur is soft, lips curved into a grin as their breaths ghost across his throat.
"Don't think I won't start something right now," says Willy as he lifts his head up to look at Charlie.
"No, nope, we need sleep," huffs Babe seriously as his arm moves so he can gently shove Willy's head back down. "Last time we started this in the middle of the night, all of us were passed out by ten in the morning. We start when one of us wakes up, not in the middle of the night after a fight. Go to bed."
"Well, that's just rude," huffs Charlie with a pout before he presses a kiss to Babe's hair. "You do have a point though. Let's get some sleep."
Willy grumbles incoherently against his throat, but sleep comes with ease.
Charlie can't wait to spend all of tomorrow reminding the loves of his life that they're his.