Friday comes faster than Brendon expected. Before he knows it, he's waiting impatiently at noon, trying to decide what to do in the meantime. He finds himself in this exact situation every time Friday comes around.

If he was going to his mom's, he'd pack a bag full of everything he would need for the weekend, but he's only going to be their house for one night, and he definitely didn't want to bring a bag full of everything he needed at the retirement home to Tyler and Josh's, because they'd have questions he isn't willing to answer.

He'll come back to the apartment tomorrow morning to grab everything.

For now, he passes the time by rearranging his record collection, maybe getting a little high too.

***

Brendon leaves early once more, his excuse is to beat any traffic on the way, but truthfully, he just wants to see Josh and Tyler already. His cinnamon graham crackers sit in the passengers seat the whole ride there, he's ready to eat s'mores. It's been so long.

By the time he arrives, the sun has nearly settled once more. There's a cold breeze, but no rain, thankfully. He'll just have to keep warm by the fire.

Brendon takes a few deep breaths as he gets out of his car, crackers in hand when walking across the small path leading to their door.

This is a routine he could get used to.

His knuckles hit the door a few times, softly. Jim, of course, still picks up on this and barks immediately, his roaring voice getting closer the longer he stands there.

This time, Tyler opens the door.

"Hey," they mutter, leaning down a bit to hold Jim so he wouldn't run outside.

"Hey." Brendon smiles.

"Come in." Is all they say, walking away from the door and letting Brendon close it himself once he's inside. He watches them walk into the livingroom, deciding to follow suit after a few moments, Jim right at his side with a fast wagging tail.

"Where's Josh?" He asks when seeing his lack of presence.

Tyler's sitting crisscrossed in the corner of the couch. "Him and Jim just came back from a run. He's showering."

Brendon hums, carefully sitting down as well, leaving plenty of space between the two of them. He sees Tyler grab a notebook beside them, opening it to a certain page that seemed to have a lot written in it.

They pull out the pen tucked between the pages, hand leaning down to carry on where they had left off.

Brendon dismisses this, alternately observing them like he always does.

Tonight, they're comfortable. It makes sense. They're wearing gray sweatpants and a thin white top, which really wasn't hiding anything at all. He could see practically everything, and that thought alone makes him look away, boring his eyes into the television instead.

It's a show he's never seen, he forces himself to find interest.

He pets Jim too, who's laying beside him on the couch.

This is alright. The silence isn't dreadful. The sound of Tyler's pen working against the paper is soothing in a way, and so is the small noises Jim makes simply because he's pleased. He could also hear the shower running, which reassured him that Josh would be around soon.

Tyler pauses, looking up from their notebook momentarily, eyes glued to Brendon.

Their head tilts.

They continue writing.

Brendon purses his lips, Tyler likes to examine him a lot he's noticed.

"What are you writing about?" He questions quietly.

Tyler doesn't look up again, they're too focused. "You." They shrug.

Brendon's eyes widen. "Me?" He sounds distraught; he is. Why would they be writing about him? What's there to write about?

He hopes it's nothing bad.

"Yeah. You." They chuckle to themself, finally meeting eyes with Brendon. They look happy, and he's so not used to this. Has he finally gotten past the barriers they had built up? Is this what Josh had been talking about, or is there more?

"Oh. . . Why?"

Tyler's chest rises and falls. "Writing helps me get my mind off things. I just write whatever has been on my mind the most." They tell him easily, playing with their pen.

The realization that Tyler thinks about him the most out of everything else in their life dawns on his quickly.

"You-you think about me the most?" Brendon gulps.

Tyler shrugs, again. "Yeah."

Brendon wants to be surprised by this, but then he remembers how much he thinks of them. Constantly. All the time. Them and Josh are the only two people he ever thinks about anymore, whether he's worrying, or just happy to have them around, they're always there.

"Nice things, right?" He asks consciously.

Tyler's amused. "No. Horrible things."

Brendon knows they're kidding, he still frowns.

"Of course good things." Tyler mumbles after a moment, reassuringly.

It's at this time when their attention is led to the stairs, watching Josh come down with wet hair and clothes just as comfortable as Tyler's. Brendon feels like he might have missed something; he's in jeans and a simple t-shirt.

"Babe, we should probably--" Josh stops when seeing Brendon. He smiles. "Hey, sorry, I hope Tyler gave you enough company."

Brendon then turns to Tyler, nodding.

"Definitely." He whispers, more to himself than anyone else.

There's a pause.

"Should we start the s'mores then?" Josh claps.

Tyler hums, closing their notebook after tucking the pen back in between the pages, leaving it on the couch as they stand. Brendon and Jim both follow them into the kitchen, where all the chocolate, marshmallows, roasting sticks, and so on, were laid out on the counter.

"I brought cinnamon graham crackers." Brendon pipes up.

"My favorite." Josh grabs them from out of his hand, he and Tyler holding everything they needed. "Let's go."

All three of them-- well, four, including Jim-- make their way to the backyard. The cold breeze is still strong, and so is the shivers racking up his spine.

Tyler lays everything down on the small table beside the chairs.

"I'm gonna get a sweater, I'll be right back." They usher, walking inside.

Brendon nods again, hesitantly sitting down on one of the chairs. Josh is too busy trying to start the fire to do the same, and Jim has ran off into the darkness of the lawn.

"I'm really happy you're staying over tonight." Josh grins.

"Me too," he replies. "It's really boring at my apartment." Brendon sighs.

Josh tries multiple times to light the match before it finally catches fire. He throws it into the pit, watching the flame erupt onto all the wood. Finally, he sits back as well, curls in his face.

"Speaking of," his shoulders move a bit. "When will we get to come over?"

Brendon's eyebrows furrow, shocked. "Uh, well, um, I don't know." He's thought about it, but not very much. What would they do? At their house, they have a telivision, and food, and a firepit, and Brendon has nothing. All they would be able to do is sit around his livingroom and talk. "There really isn't much we would be able to do. . . Why would you guys come over?"

Josh chuckles. "Because, Brendon, we've shown you our home. Maybe it's time you show us yours."

Brendon huffs. "I guess. . ."

"I mean, if you're not comfortable with that, it's alright, but it just seems like time." He shrugs, watching Tyler come back out with not only a sweater on, but a blanket around them too.

"I know," Brendon mutters. "I'm just not sure what we'd do, really."

"What we'd do for what?" Tyler asks while sitting down, getting comfortable.

"If you guys came over to my apartment." He answers.

"Oh," They trail off. "Well, maybe we could just have dinner. Cook for us for a change, hmm?"

Brendon chuckles, shaking his head. "I don't cook for a reason."

"I'm sure you aren't as bad as you think. Cooking is easy." It isn't helpful; Tyler's great at cooking, of course it's is easy for them.

"I guess you'll just have to come over to find out." Brendon tests, he supposed the two of them coming over could be a good thing. It will force him to clean his apartment, it will push him to cook something that isn't from a box.

Josh makes a small noise. "So when, then?"

"Next Friday." Brendon breathes, this might be too much for him.

"Next Friday, then." Josh agrees, grabbing the bag of marshmallows once it goes quiet between the three of them.

Brendon is absolutely terrified. He doesn't know what to cook, he doesn't know what to do, he doesn't know how to be a host. He doesn't even have enough chairs for all of them to sit together at the table.

He's frustrated thinking about it.

"Here," Josh hands him a roasting stick with a marshmallow at the end.

Brendon tries his hardest to not worry about all of this right now, he needs to live in the moment.

So, instead, he leans further into the fire to roast his marshmallow, and keep himself warm. It's cold, too cold for his liking, and shivers make his body tense each time he shakes. He almost can't sit still.

"Are you cold too?" Josh asks.

Brendon looks up from the fire. "Yeah, a little." A lot.

"I'll get you a sweater." He mumbles, setting everything aside and standing.

"What? No, no, it's okay."

Josh rolls his eyes, waving him off dismissively and walking inside.

Brendon sighs, focusing on his marshmallow again. He has to make it perfect. He only would eat them if they were golden, having them burnt was disgusting.

Jim suddenly comes back with a toy in his mouth, laying down at Tyler's feet as he busies himself by chewing on it. Tyler, though, is bundled in the blanket with one arm out to roast their own marshmallow.

Brendon can't help but watch the way the fire lights up their face, eyes dark but the flame brightens them up naturally. They blink, lashes long, face appearing soft for once. It's a subtle change, and yet Brendon notices this quickly.

He kind of wants to hug them again.

Before he knows it, Josh is laying a hoodie into his lap. "It's mine, so it should fit." He says. Brendon's never exactly realized until now how thin Tyler is, but the more he looks at them, it's clear their clothes would most likely not fit him.

They're taller, but more thin than him. He and Josh are the same height, and as he slips on the hoodie, he'd say the same size.

"It looks good on you." Josh nearly snickers.

Brendon doesn't blush this time, he just smiles.

When Josh sits back down, Tyler's quick to snuggle into his shoulder. "Could you make mine?" They question him.

"Yeah." Josh takes Tyler's marshmallow and makes their s'more for them, the chocolate slowly melting once he presses the cinnamon graham cracker on top.

When he hands it back, Tyler whispers a thank you and kisses his jaw. Soon after, they take a bite, moaning at the taste and licking their lips for any crumbs.

Brendon almost forgets about making his own.

"Want me to make yours too?" Josh laughs at Brendon's blank stare.

A wide smile slowly forms, he nods carefully.

"Come over here, then." He cocks his head to the side as a gesture. Brendon slowly sits up from his seat and scootches the chair until it's right beside Josh's instead of across from his.

Then, he's making Brendon's s'more just like he did Tyler's.

Jim whimpers at the lack of attention he's receiving, sitting up and staring at Tyler with wide eyes. They purse their lips at him, shoulders lifting. "You can't have any."

Jim whimpers, again.

Tyler lets out a deep breath, finishing the rest of their s'more. They pat their lap a few times, and Jim takes this chance jump up into their lap and sit down. Tyler emits a struggled groan at his weight, but soon enough gets used to it.

"Here, Brendon." Josh gives him his s'more.

Brendon thanks him, definitely not kissing him though.

Josh finally starts roasting his own marshmallow, petting Jim's head while he does so. Tyler's still leaning into his side, eyes visibly heavy. They always seem to be tired.

Brendon takes a bite of his s'more, more than pleased with the taste.

He takes another bite, and then another, oh, and another one, until it's gone.

He clears his throat, slightly embarrassed by how fast he had eaten it. Tyler definitely had noticed this too, because he can hear the airy chuckle coming from them.

"You have it all over your face." They murmur, eyes closing softly.

Now, Brendon blushes.

He licks around his lips just like Tyler did in hopes to clean up the mess.

"That didn't help much," they say, sitting up more in their seat. "Josh, give me a napkin." He does as told, handing Tyler a napkin absentmindedly, attention going right back to the fire.

Tyler gestures him to come closer.

Brendon swallows harshly, nonetheless leaning into their hand.

They begin wiping all the chocolate and marshmallow from around his mouth, concentrated on his features. Brendon can feel his heart beating faster, anything Tyler does makes him flustered. He doesn't know why.

Brendon looks into their eyes and they look into his.

They smile.

They smile.

There's no time to breathe, his heart misses a few beats. Brendon's body is going so unbelievably hot he feels like he might be burning. He couldn't believe it, he couldn't. Tyler's smiling at him with delicate cheeks and crooked bottom teeth.

Brendon smiles too.

Wishes really do come true.

"There you go." They whisper, biting their lip as they pull away.

Brendon can barely control his breathing; he's shocked, he's ecstatic. He's in utter disbelief. Does this mean Tyler feels comfortable around him? Does this mean he should feel comfortable around them? He didn't know, he's too caught up on the fact that they finally smiled around him, and Josh is right, their smile really is nice.

They should do it more often, he thinks.

His thoughts, though, are interrupted by Josh, who now has a s'more of his own, and is grabbing Brendon's hand heedfully.

He bends over a bit to whisper, "That was a big thing for them."

Brendon's trembling hand squeezes Josh's reassuringly. "I know."

He does know, and that's what makes it so much more important to him. It's more than just a smile; it means they're going to let him in. That's the biggest step there is to their relationship.

***

The three of them stayed outside until the fire died down, it was getting cold anyways. Brendon helps Josh and Tyler bring whatever was left inside, packing them away in the kitchen.

"We need to get out the airmatress," Tyler says to Josh, leaning against the counter.

Josh hums, nodding.

"Airmatress?" Brendon's eyebrows pull together.

"Yeah. The couch is nice, but I wouldn't want to sleep on it." They shrug.

Brendon's thankful he won't have to sleep on a couch tonight, he definitely doesn't miss that. His back is so tense from the one at the retirement home, still aching after a week. Maybe he should invest in an airmatress for when he goes to his mom's, it might just help.

"Help me clear out the livingroom." Tyler looks to Brendon momentarily before walking away.

Of course, he follows, he always does.

Tyler throws the blanket aside, as well as the sweater they had been wearing, and are now back to the thin t-shirt that might as well be invisible. Brendon tries to ignore this, but it's hard.

"Let's push the couch back, and we'll move the coffee table." Tyler guides.

Brendon fixes his glasses before helping them move the couch further back until it nears the entrance, giving the middle of the room enough space for the airmatress. Tyler slides the table to the corner, standing up straight with a huff.

Josh comes back downstairs with the mattress and pump in hand, Jim trailing behind him curiously.

"Sleeping in here is okay, right?" Tyler questions after a moment once Josh started laying out the airmatress. "I didn't think you'd want to sleep with--"

"It's good." Brendon assures, yawning.

They all are tired, it's evident. Tyler can barely keep their eyes open, and Josh is slowly moving to get things done. Even Jim is already laying down on his chair, paws tucked underneath his chin to rest.

After the air mattress was inflated, Brendon begins taking off his shoes, getting ready for bed.

It's then, though, when he pauses, eyes wide.

"I didn't bring anything to sleep in," he groans.

Tyler and Josh don't seem nearly as worried, Josh actually snickers. "Brendon, you're wearing underwear, aren't you?"

The latter looks down at his jeans, then back up at the two of them. "Well, yeah."

Tyler seems amused again, their brows lift. "Sleep in your underwear." They say it simply, but Brendon finds this to be intimidating. He never really sleeps in his boxers, not even at his own apartment by himself. He liked to be covered.

"Okay, uhm, I guess." He says, standing up from the couch. "I'll be right back. . ." He mumbles, walking down the hall where he remembers the bathroom to be.

Maybe Brendon is nervous for the wrong reasons, he's just not sure if he feels completely comfortable being in front of them close to naked on his bottom half.

Tyler definitely didn't have a problem with it, that shirt told the whole story.

He sighs, unbuttoning his jeans and pulling them down his legs.

It's not that big of a deal, he tells himself. Being in his boxers around them should be the least of his worries pursuing this relationship, especially after everything he's learned about them.

He bites the inside of his cheek once standing tall in only his boxers and Josh's hoodie.

Brendon walks back out into the livingroom hesitantly.

There's a comforter on the air mattress now, as well as a blanket and pillow.

"You know you didn't have to go to the bathroom just to take off your pants, right?" Josh smiles, hair dry now, but still just as curly.

Brendon swallows, nodding.

He feels vulnerable standing in front of them like this; he smells like Josh and marshmallows, and his knees are wanting to buckle. He should lay down already.

"Is there anything else you need?" Tyler asks.

"No, it's okay."

They hum, silently grabbing their notebook from the couch while Josh is busy turning the lights in the kitchen off. "What time should we wake you up tomorrow?" Their eyes are travelling down his body carefully.

Brendon clears his throat. "Uh, around six."

He watches them lose their focus on him, instead setting an alarm on their phone.

Josh comes back into the livingroom at this time, instantly wrapping himself around Tyler. "If you need anything, just come and get us, okay?"

Brendon nods, finally sitting down on the mattress.

He sees Josh kiss the back of Tyler's neck, whispering something to them before pulling away. He looks over to Brendon. "Goodnight, Brendon." He smiles softly, tiredly.

"Goodnight," he mutters quietly.

Josh walks out of the livingroom, this time walking upstairs, leaving Tyler alone with an exhausted, not-fully-conscious Brendon.

He has now gotten comfortable, glasses off, laying on his side and looking up at Tyler who's still on their phone. He has his head pressed into the pillow, eyes blinking repeatedly to stay open for a little while longer.

Finally, Tyler slips their phone into the pocket of their sweatpants.

They turn to Jim, who's in the same state as Brendon.

"C'mon, Jim. Bed time."

Jim doesn't move, he stares at Tyler with a huff.

"Jim, bed time."

Still, he stays still. This time, closing his eyes to ignore them completely.

Brendon sees Tyler roll their eyes, turning to face him. "Is it alright if Jim sleeps down here with you?"

Brendon nods sleepily, closing his eyes longer than normal.

"Okay." They breathe, looking around the room to check if there was anything else that needed to be done before they could go to bed themself. There's nothing. "Well, goodnight. I'll see you in the morning, and we'll have breakfast."

It's that which reminded Brendon of something, he quickly reaches for Tyler's hand as they start walking away.

Tyler looks down at him, confused, hand being held.

"Tyler," he murmurs.

"Yeah?"

"I cracked an egg one-handed on my own the other day." Brendon informs, still proud of himself for such a little thing.

It takes a moment to process, but once they do, he watches their cheeks slowly lift, and Brendon gets to see them smile for the second time that night. It's everything he needed to sleep soundly.

Tonight had gone so well.

"Awesome." They whisper.

Brendon hums in agreement, closing his eyes again.

"Goodnight." They run their thumb along his knuckles before letting go of his hand, turning the light off in the livingroom. It's nearly pitch black as they walk upstairs, the only light coming through being the moon.

Jim slowly migrates onto the airmatress with Brendon, snuggling against him with heavy breaths. He runs his fingers through his fur slowly, finding solace in the warmth he's giving.

"I really like them," he mutters absentmindedly, talking about Tyler and Josh.

Jim only licks his face, Brendon laughs airily.

"I'm happy." He then states. He's talking to Jim, but it's more of a discussion with himself.

Brendon stays quiet after that. He is happy. He knows how big of a step this night was for each of them, especially Tyler, and Brendon couldn't express how grateful he is that they found it in themself to trust him with that kind of liability.

He falls asleep quickly, content knowing Tyler and Josh were just a few steps away if he needed anything.

Brendon hoped it could stay like that.