Page 91 of Brick's Geeks

Ezra poked his head around the corner from the top floor. “Brick, your bedroom is perfect. You even have your own bathroom!”

I chuckled, remembering how important my own space was. I definitely needed some room that was just mine, and after a few months of sharing the house, the guys had started to tease me about the mess I always left in the bathroom. Of course, I usually didn’t let the teasing go on for more than a minute without exacting some steamy revenge.

By the time we’d all finished circling the place, we had invented plans for just about every nook and corner there. It wasn’t until we stepped into the back yard, though, that my eyes truly lit up.

“It’s just like you described,” Irving said, grabbing my hand.

“I guess it is,” I answered. The yard was big, even bigger than it looked in the photos, with vines growing along the fence and a large work studio tucked up against the end of the driveway. I knew Bruiser would love it as much as we did and was glad to see we could let her run around without a leash immediately. I could picture the goofy look on her face, her tongue flopping around as she sprinted in circle.

I understood the feeling, actually. I could just about run laps myself, looking at that gorgeous yard.

Ezra grabbed my other hand, nuzzling up close. “That work studio will be perfect for you, too. You can hang a punching bag, and work on your truck, and blast your horrible music…”

I chuckled, throwing my arm over his shoulder. “And tie you up when you get out of line,” I added, only half-joking. “You sure you two won’t mind if I make that place my own?”

“Not at all,” Irving answered. “With Ezra’s drawing studio and my office inside, we’ll all need our own spot to focus on work. And I know for a fact that you’ll start getting itchy the second you feel tied down. Instead of pretending like we’re a traditional married couple, it just makes sense to make sure we each have our own space and our own needs met.”

I nodded, glad to hear the reassurance. We’d worked out all the details before setting up the viewing, but it still felt good to hear Irving lay the situation out so practically.

“God damn,” I said. “Who would have thought?”

“We worked so hard,” Ezra said, squeezing my hand. “We deserve this. And it’s not even a stretch on our finances, not with your classes at the gym bringing in a little extra money.”

“And the illustration gigs you’re picking up,” Irving added. “We’re all pulling in a little more these days. It’s the perfect time to stop paying rent on two different places and start investing in our actual future together.”

That’s what it was, I realized. It was our future. It wasn’t a life anyone else had handed us, but the life we were making, on our own terms. It was complicated, and it could get messy, and not many people understood it, but who cared about that?

How could I care about anything else, in fact, when I had a beautiful home with a fenced-in yard and Ezra and Irving by my side? I always thought I was such a strong man, but until I met them, I hadn’t been strong enough to believe this life was possible. I hadn’t been strong enough to believe I deserved it. But god damn if they didn’t keep knocking on my door until I answered anyway, showing me what was true.

They were my guys, and this was our life together. No matter what it had cost me to get here, I was just happy that I had arrived and that they had cared enough to make me stay.

“I love you both,” I said, pulling them closer.

“Us, too,” they both answered in unison. And then we turned on our heels and stepped back into our house, ready for whatever the next chapter would bring.

The end.