Used, Rare and Custom Jobs II: Proposal

By Chris Owen

Des gave him a smile. "Wyatt has missed you rather a lot."

Archer blushed ever so slightly. "I've missed him, too," he admitted. "It's not that Dave and I haven't enjoyed our time together, but I've grown pretty fond of Wyatt. I trust he's been well?"

"He's been very well." It was, more or less, Desmond's job to make sure that Wyatt was well, so he was sure about the fact. "It's not as if you haven't spoken with him, though."

"No, I know." Archer nodded and picked up his own glass, taking a sip before continuing. "We've spoken frequently. It's just not the same as seeing him, you know?"

"I know," Des agreed with a knowing nod. "I've spoken with Dave regularly. I still miss him." He laughed softly and shook his head. "Listen to us. Talking as if we haven't seen them in weeks when it's only been a matter of days."

"Sure, but you have to admit that the time we've spent together has hardly been full of fun and laughter." Archer leaned close, his arms folded on the table. "Not that things have been horrible, don't get me wrong. But quick conversations, stolen kisses, and the occasional football game on the TV isn't exactly what the four of us had intended for each other, is it?"

"No, it isn't." Des nodded and leaned forward as well. "That's one of the things I wanted to talk to you about."

"Just one of the things?"

Again Desmond nodded. "Time, and quality of it. One of the reasons why I wanted to meet with you and not with all four of us is that I thought perhaps you and I could reach some sort of agreement for the next while and how we're going to manage things like time, sharing, and what we're doing."

Archer looked both intrigued and a little wary. "That sounds rather secretive," he said cautiously.

"I don't mean it to," Des told him. "Perhaps it's my dominant sensibilities coming into play. Wyatt will do pretty much whatever I tell him to do, and Dave is so laid back and easy going and I'm never quite sure if he's doing what he wants to do or if he is just making everybody happy. Perhaps those two things are the same, for him."

Archer nodded ruefully, his blond curls moving slightly in the p class="stdp"eeze. Sunlight was glinting off them, making his hair shine even more than normal. Of the four of them, Archer was the one who looked most like the poster boy for all-American charm. There was a devil hiding in his angelic looks, however, which was one of the things that Des liked most about him. He was a rogue wolf who looked like a lamb.

Picking up his sandwich again, Archer said, "Dave is his happiest if everyone around him is happy," he agreed. "But he's no pushover, thank God. Okay, how about this. You just tell me what's on your mind, and we'll see how things go."

"Okay. We have a few hours at least, don't we?" There wasn't really that much to discuss, but Des had found that once he started talking about Wyatt, Dave, their complex relationships and how he envisioned things going, he could talk for a long, long time. Thankfully, Wyatt was a good boy and never seemed to mind listening from his position on his knees next to the couch.

"Are we going to need hours and hours?" Archer gave him a long look, and then a p class="stdp"oad grin. "You really don't watch a lot of football do you? The games aren't that long. Three hours, maybe."

"I seem to be watching more and more of it as my sex life becomes more and more complicated."

Archer laughed at him, and the man at the next table turned to stare. "That's what you get for sleeping with football players," Archer informed him wisely. "Take it from me, give in and learn all you can so you can follow along. Or you could just find a comfortable chair and a good book -- they won't mind, either way."

"I suppose," Desmond agreed with a sigh. "The payoff is lovely, however, so I can deal with the football games."

Archer leered. "You're telling me."

"At least you understand them and the game."

"That's what I'm saying -- and I'm sure that someone would be happy to teach you."

"We are really getting off topic," Desmond said with a roll of his eyes. "Can we please just talk about our men?"

"I'm always happy to do that." Archer winked at him and gestured for Des to continue. "You have things on your mind."