Written Wonderland

Jaz watched with soft eyes as Ren grabbed the fruit and cheese plate and settled against the wall on the other side of Chris with his legs stretched out toward Nick and Jaz, not touching anyone. He took a sip of his drink, set it on a shelf, and popped a grape in her mouth. One corner of Jaz's mouth quirked. She was happy. She was really happy.

"What does it usually mean to you," Ren said, leaning a little toward Chris, "to draw cards?"

After a few moments, Chris also set his drink down and gathered the deck of cards from beside him.

"I guess... it's sort of like... a touchpoint?" Chris said. Jaz felt him fidget a little behind her. "Like, it's something I put into play for the evening. If I'm not sure about something, I can return to it. Maybe it's kind of meditative, in some ways, I guess. I haven't really put any of this into words before, to be honest."

Jaz nodded, impressed with Chris' description.

Chris continued, "Have you... I mean... is this weird to you?"

Ren chuckled dangerously, and Jaz couldn't help the little spike of fear that leapt down into her belly. She squeezed Chris' thigh, back down toward his knee again, in surprise.

"It's not unfamiliar," Ren said, lowering his eyes as he crossed his arms. "But it is uncomfortable, I'll be honest."

Jaz looked down, not turning her neck but still attentive to Chris through another pause. This seemed to be going well, but...

"Well, it's okay with me if you don't want to draw a card. Or if you just want to share a memory and like, not have it in play, I guess? I definitely didn't mean to make anyone uncomfortable."

Ren looked at Chris, his smile loosened somewhat. "How about I go last and decide what I feel comfortable with then? I'd genuinely like the rest of you to do what you feel called to do," Ren said. He then looked at Jaz and Nick, which perked Jaz right up. "Sound good?" She felt Chris nod behind her.

"I like it," Jaz said, relinquishing Chris' thigh and contemplating how to pull both Ren and Nick closer to her. She didn't like that she wasn't touching either of them. But she and Nick still had drinks in their hands. And it didn't really look like Ren wanted to be touched. Not yet, anyway. Hmm.

She took one more sip of her drink, looked at Ren, and asked, "Is this my tequila or yours? It's good," before reaching behind Chris to put her drink on the shelf, too. Jaz then turned around to kiss Chris' chest before rolling over one of his legs toward the inside edge of the bed. She then lay down behind Nick with her head near Ren's feet and wrapped one hand around Ren's ankle. From this angle, she could see how red Chris was, on the spot now with the cards. She nodded, ready to draw.

Nick sipped patiently at his drink while Ren and Chris talked. He hadn't been entirely sure what the tension earlier had been, and it made more sense now, hearing them both speak a little bit more about the Tarot cards.

"I like it," Jaz said when Ren offered his proposal and looked to her. His eyes shifted to Nick, and he nodded.

"Is this my tequila or yours?" Jaz asked Ren then. "It's good."

"Yours." Ren replied with a casual shrug.

Jaz reached behind Chris to set her drink down, kissed his chest, and then started maneuvering into a new position. Nick shifted to accommodate, partly just making sure he had a good handle on his drink. To wit... everyone else had set theirs down. Lest Nick be the first to finish his drink again, he scooted over to set his down on a shelf as well.

By the time he'd done that, Jaz was laying with her head by Ren's feet, her hand on his ankle, and Chris was fanning out cards on the bed. Nick wanted to touch Jaz again, but felt shy, and settled for sitting cross-legged between Chris and Jaz' feet--hopefuly, she could reach his leg with her foot if/when she wanted to initiate some contact. Past that, Nick paid attention curiously to what Chris was doing.

---

Okay. So, they had a plan. Chris shuffled the cards a bit, partly just working through some of his fluster from Jaz's brief kiss on his chest. He felt really happy about it, but also battled with embarrassment, for some reason. He genuinely had thought he'd been on board with all this--meeting her other partners, hanging out with them--and, he still was, but, well, apparently he had way more to work through about it than he realized. Hopefully he was doing okay, though. Even though there had been some tension, it seemed like everything was still going about as smoothly as it could, right?

Finally, Chris sighed, and fanned the cards out on the middle of the bed, setting the small booklet down beside it.

"Okay," he said, but lacked further proclamation. He'd been thinking about asking who wanted to go first, but thought better of it, and instead, just went ahead and drew his card, picking one from a denser part of the fan a little to the left of the center.

"Two of cups," he said, placing the card face up on the bed - two cups standing next to each other with two colored roses crossing paths above. Then, he opened the booklet to find the entry. "Connection, love, romance," he read aloud, his face regaining what shades of red had managed to fade moments before. "Alas, the much adored two of cups." He read softly, a little bit mumbling, but determined to get through it. "When this card appears, you can anticipate new love to be heading your way. And, yes, this usually means romance... but sometimes it points to the birth of a dear and lasting friendship. Either way, the connection between you will be pure, honest, and solid. Open your heart and get ready."

With a loud exhale, Chris closed the book and set it back down on the bed, chewing a frown briefly as he gathered his thoughts.

"I guess, I want to share a little bit about that." He let stand a pause, but was too shy to actually look at anyone. Presumably folks would raise objections pretty obviously if they had any. He doubted anyone would. Mostly he was just nervous. "I guess, specifically, it's not like... like, I don't think of this like a fortune, exactly. More like... advice. And, I mean, I know I've been awkward, but, I am here to connect with you guys. And, whether that's dear and lasting friendships is, whatever. Like, if it happens, it happens, and if it doesn't, that's fine. Tonight, we can be honest and solid and open with each other. I'll aim to be, anyways. Hopefully that all makes sense."

"Yeah, it does," Nick offered. Chris mustered the courage to raise his gaze to him, and Nick nodded and gave him an encouraging smile. Chris did feel hopeful about Nick. He seemed really chill. Chris tried then to muster the courage to look at Ren, but he just couldn't. Especially knowing that Ren was already some level of uncomfortable with what they were doing, he really didn't want to put the guy on the spot.

"So, uh, who wants to go next?" Chris asked between Nick and Jaz, though his gaze was even a bit shy to look at Jaz. "You don't have to share anything, or even read the entry, if you don't want to. Like Ren said, just whatever you feel called to do."

((OOC: Credit to the Wild Unknown Tarot deck. That may or may not be 'canonically' the deck Chris has, but it seemed a good inspo deck to draw from.))

Jaz felt a little thwarted when Nick moved to set his drink down, but that was only fair. Once he was settled again, though, she wasted no time nudging her foot under his leg. Gods, but now she missed Chris. Ugh.

"Yours," Ren replied with a shrug, and Jaz flashed him a satisfied smile. At least she had picked the tequila right this time.

Chris sighed, drawing Jaz's attention back as he fanned the cards out onto the bed in front of him. "Okay," he said, hesitating. After a moment, he pulled a card. "Two of cups," he said, placing the card so everyone could see. Two cups and two roses, their stems crossed. Chris was turning red again. Oh, this is going to be good, Jaz thought.

She waited patiently as Chris found the entry in the booklet for the deck and read it aloud. "Connection, love, romance," he said, and Jaz's smile could have lit up the room. Brilliant. "Alas, the much adored two of cups. When this card appears, you can anticipate new love to be heading your way. And, yes, this usually means romance... but sometimes it points to the birth of a dear and lasting friendship. Either way, the connection between you will be pure, honest, and solid. Open your heart and get ready."

Jaz had to stop herself from laughing. It couldn't have been more perfect. Well, maybe if there had been four roses instead of two. But, still. She looked at Ren, trying to gage his reaction. Was he impressed? Amused? Jaz was floored. What a glorious card to come first.

Chris exhaled loudly, sounding a little exasperated, or maybe just embarrassed. He frown and chewed on the inside of his lip. Cute, Jaz thought.

"I guess, I want to share a little bit about that... Specifically, it's not like... like, I don't think of this like a fortune, exactly. More like... advice. And, I mean, I know I've been awkward, but I am here to connect with you guys. And, whether that's dear and lasting friendships is, whatever. Like, if it happens, it happens, and if it doesn't, that's fine. Tonight, we can be honest and solid and open with each other. I'll aim to be, anyways. Hopefully that all makes sense."

"Yeah, it does," Nick said before Jaz had really put her own thoughts together. She was so proud of Chris. For how nervous he had been--and still was--all this was... remarkable. And adorable. Jaz reached over the cards with the hand that wasn't on Ren's ankle and stroked Chris' foot a couple times, smiling happily.

She was just shy of saying, "It's perfect," before Chris moved on.

"So, uh, who wants to go next? You don't have to share anything, or even read the entry, if you don't want to. Like Ren said, just whatever you feel called to do," Chris said.

Withdrawing her hands from Chris and Ren, Jaz sat up a bit, leaning on one elbow, and said, "All right. My turn."

She chose a card that was sitting a little more askew from the others and held it up close to her face so the others couldn't see. "Oh, interesting," she said without thinking. It was the ace of cups: a goblet in the center with linked diamonds in blues and yellows in the background. With the two of cups already drawn, this felt like an auspicious card already. Jaz knew that ace cards were all about beginnings, too. And cups were the suit of water and emotion. Yes, very interesting.

Jaz placed the card out in front of her and grabbed the booklet, reading in a plain voice that enunciated her syllables, "Aces mark the beginning of exciting new phases. Since the suit of cups deals specifically with love and emotion, you're in for a real treat. Expect to enter a blissful time of health, joy, and friendship. A new love could be on the horizon. Just go with it and allow this feeling to revitalize your spirit."

Jaz hummed and closed her eyes, unconsciously holding the booklet to her chest for a moment. Opening her eyes, she sat up straight and crossed her legs, pulling them up to her chest, looking at the cards rather than anyone in particular. "To be honest, having the three of you here. It's... new. It's special. I never really thought this would happen." She looked at Ren, another "thank you" in her eyes. "It matters to me, and it really is... filling my cup." She blushed a little, laying her head on her arm for a moment as she started to tear up. As though to shake off the emotion a little, she straightened up, closed her eyes, and added, "Even if you do think I'm crazy."

She wanted to pause for a moment to see if anyone would respond, but she didn't wait too long before she turned toward Nick, nodded, and said, "Your turn," to shift the spotlight.

Nick was really, genuinely happy with this. He hadn't really known what to expect, but he liked the direction it was going. Chris' card and especially his share about afterward filled Nick's chest with a gooey excitement, which shimmered down into his stomach as Jaz read her card's entry. And then her share... she was so emotional, and so happy, and Nick felt it, too. He felt the ways that he and Jaz had talked about being family, of being the same sort of species, and he felt their family growing--or at least, the possibility. It made him really happy to think about.

As Jaz started to tear up and bury her face in her arm, Nick felt his eyes getting a little watery, too, though not quite enough to want to hide his face about it. He leaned over to rub his hand warmly across the back of Jaz's shoulders, then looked at Chris and Ren in turn, really trying to touch eyes with them. Chris was still beat-red, and while he offered Nick a small smile when their eyes touched, he quickly blinked down to the cards on the bed, shyness overtaking him. Ren had picked his drink back up for a sip, and while he met Nick's gaze, his expression was a little bit terrifyingly inscrutable. Just what did he think of all this? It had been his idea to get them all together, right? So... surely he was open to all this? Nick hoped so, even if he kept it close to his chest.

Then Jaz collected herself and added, "Even if you do think I'm crazy."

That got Chris to chuckle, and Ren's eyes to alight with a smile, his gaze shifting to Jaz with something subtle but sharp. Nick was fascinated by the piercing energy between Jaz and Ren. Maybe he was jealous, but mostly he just... felt drawn to it? Not exactly that he wanted Ren to look at him with the same sharpness, but maybe. More, he just wanted to know more about it, to see more of it unfolding around him.

"Your turn," Jaz said, and Nick blushed as Ren's gaze returned to him, and he realized he'd been staring at Ren that whole time. Hopefully it wasn't actually as long of a moment as it felt. Surely. Nodding, Nick looked at the spread of cards before him, and contemplated which one he wanted to pick.

He went for a card on top of the bottom section of the fan. It felt like it had stepped out when he began to look, calmly and confidently parting the cards above it to ensure that Nick would see it. He pulled it close to him much like Jaz had, shy to reveal it too suddenly. What he saw first was colorful strings around gears--pegs--pulleys? Circles. Circles in the shape of a cross, the strings winding through and around them. It made him think of...God's eyes? Is that what they were called? Craft projects he'd seen as Chrismas ornaments, though he had a notion that they were Native or maybe Hispanic in origin. Maybe he'd look it up later.

For now, there was an entry to find! But first... he supposed he would share the card. He gingerly set it down face-up in front of him, taking one more moment to admire the patterns the strings wound through the face of the card.

"The four of pentacles," he stated, finally putting together that that's what the circles were. Then, he reached for the booklet. When he opened it, he blushed a little bit deeper at the words his eyes read. Possession & control. He wondered if Ren was looking at him, and didn't dare look up to see.

"The four of pentacles firts suggests material gain and stability," Nick read calmly, apparently skipping over the subtitle. Maybe the part of him that was too shy to read it aloud convincing the rest of him that he'd already read it. "Only good news for your bank account and home." He paused just long enough to let out a soft, airy hint of a chuckle, something about the utterly mundane reality of a bank account striking him as humorous in this context. He sobered as he kept reading, though. "Yet underneath the surface this is a card of warning: do not become possessive or controlling. Holding on too tightly to the material world will leave you rigid, stagnant, and displeasing to others. Wealth is a concept."

Nick blinked at the entry a moment or two in silence, his mind spinning with what he had read. Finally, he set the booklet down, and looked at the card again, trying to form some kind of a reaction to it all. Unhelpfully, his mind just kept wondering why the strings were predominantly colors that made him think of the trans flag?

"To be honest..." he finally spoke up, though his eyes remained on the card, "I'm not totally sure what to make of all that. I may have to chew on it. I think the pattern on the card looks pretty cool, though."

He felt bad not having more to say, but it genuinely felt like he'd be bullshitting, or maybe babbling, if he tried too hard to find words.

Ren didn't let the silence stand for long at all before he calmly reached for the spread of cards. He dug around near the bottom of the deck, tugging out a card that had seemed to Nick like it might have been hiding. He held it up in front of his face for a long time, and Nick watched utterly enrapt, trying to read any hints Ren's expression might give. If he wasn't just staight-up projecting guesses onto Ren, he thought maybe there was some hint of surprise and relief. Gentleness, perhaps. Nick sent a warm wish for Ren to be happy with the card he had drawn.

((OOC: Happy to post again, but wanted to pause there just in case Jaz had any responses that seemed worth sharing at the moment. And/or let me know if you think she would have interrupted Ren's action at all lol.))

Chris had intended to try to offer Nick some thoughts about his card, or maybe just ask some questions, when Ren went ahead and reached for his. Chris supposed he was glad that Ren wanted to participate, but he looked back to Nick to check whether Nick seemed disappointed or cut off. Nick was paying close attention to Ren, his eyes intent with interest, so Chris let it go. He could always talk with Nick more about his card later, if it seemed appropriate. He wasn't even sure what he wanted to ask or say, anyway. It'd come to him if it was meant to.

After a few moments, Ren finally set his card face down beside him, and then reached his hand calmly out toward Nick. Nick startled a little, realizing he'd set the booklet down quite close to himself, and passed Ren the booklet with a sheepish smile. Chris looked at Jaz, raising his eyebrow slightly as if to ask, you're seeing this, right? He wasn't necessarily irritated, just... feeling out of the loop again. Or maybe a bit crazy.

Ren made a small "hm," sound as he closed the booklet and set it down near the spread of cards. Then, he picked his card up and looked at it for a long moment again, before finally reaching forward and setting it face up next to the others.

The Star.

"Serenity." Ren said with a calm, contented smile. "I can lean into that tonight."

Chris and Ren turned to look at Nick, who blushed fervently at the attention. Or maybe... Ren's attention? Interesting.

Nick looked at the cards and chose one in the middle of the deck. He stared at it by himself for a few moments before setting it out in front of him.

"The four of pentacles," he stated, picking up the booklet. When he opened it, Nick went several shades darker in color.

"The four of pentacle first suggests material gain and stability," Nick read, his voice soothing. "Only good news for your bank account and home. Yet underneath the surface, this is a card of warning: do not become possessive or controlling. Holding on too tightly to the material world will leave you rigid, stagnant, and displeasing to others. Wealth is a concept."

Nick blinked at the card as though trying to make sense of it in context, but Jaz felt like she understood. They were all meant to be sharing with each other here, right? Although, Nick seemed to have the least problem doing that. Hmm.

"To be honest..." Nick said, still staring at the card, "I'm not totally sure what to make of all that. I may have to chew on it. I think the pattern on the card looks pretty cool, though." Jaz wanted to say something encouraging, but she was thoroughly distracted when she saw Ren reaching for the cards. He pulled out a card Jaz didn't even realize was there and held it up close for a while. Jaz snuck a glance at each Chris and Nick. Nick looked like he was going to fall off the edge of his metaphorical seat, and Jaz laughed a little, silently.

Ren reached toward Nick, and it took Nick a little while to notice that Ren wanted the book. Nick nearly jumped in startle but passed the book to Ren with a quiet, adorable smile. Chris met eyes with Jaz, and he raised an eyebrow. Jaz erupted into a smile and shrugged, unsure what else to give Chris. Now didn't seem like the time to say that Nick and Ren had technically already slept together.

Finishing with the booklet, Ren made a small hum of a sound and set the book down. He picked up his card where he had set it face down and looked at it again before setting it with the other three.

It was the Star. Probably the most auspicious card in the deck, Jaz remembered. "Serenity," Ren said with a satisfied smile. "I can lean into that tonight." Jaz smiled, tempted to pick the booklet up and read the rest of the text on his behalf, maybe just to tease him a little. But she was potently aware of just how much she already felt in Ren's debt tonight, and she didn't want to push it.

Instead, Jaz looked over the four cards, trying to shake off whatever was making her feel... young. Or maybe just vulnerable. Her eyes liked drawing similarities between the cards in the colors and the numbers, the shapes and the textures. All in all, it was a good reading. She was grateful she had backpedaled, grateful Ren had pushed Chris a little, and grateful Chris had brought the cards in the first place. Jaz let out a contented sigh. They had done it.

She took the four cards and arranged them against the far wall in the room, propped up so everyone could see them easily. She set them up in the order they were drawn. Chris', Jaz's, Nick's, and Ren's. Even more symmetry there, somehow.

Some part of her wanted to urge them all onto the next thing--whatever that was--but she decided to pause for a few beats. Maybe they each had more they wanted to say about all that. Jaz walked over to reach for her drink, sipping pleasantly, enjoying having some height on her boyfriends for the time being.

Ren picked his drink up again from the shelf, leaning back contentedly against his pillow and sipping as he watched Jaz look the cards over. He was so fucking relieved about the card he had drawn, glad that he wouldn't have to be batting away other people's insistence on ill omens all night. Chris' and Jaz's had thankfully been pretty fun, too. He also wasn't sure what to make of Nick's, but that was fine. There was always bound to be a dud. Ren was hopeful that Nick wasn't the sort to let it get to him, and that Chris and Jaz weren't the sorts to rub it in his face.

In general, he was feeling hopeful about tonight. Chris was a prickly one, but Ren was starting to get a feel for him. And Nick, well... On a whim, Ren flashed the boy a sly smile over his drink. Nick took half a moment to realize, but as soon as he did, his cheeks regained a shade of red, his eyebrows raising. To Nick's credit, though, he held Ren's gaze without looking away, a delightful glimmer of interest twinkling in his eyes. Ren was surprised by how quickly certain possibilities were growing palpable in the air, though he wasn't sure how Chris might factor in to them.

Before Ren could pull his gaze away from Nick to spy on how Chris was doing, Jaz sighed and got up off the bed, pulling his attention with her. She carried the cards they had drawn with her and set them down propped up against the wall on display. Then she walked back toward the bed to collect her drink, and they all spent a beat letting the activity breathe. In that space, Ren followed through on turning his gaze to Chris.

---

Well, The Star seemed like a good sign. Chris felt like something had relaxed in Ren upon seeing it, and Chris felt some relief at that. Still, there was something weird going on between him and Nick. He almost wanted to just outright ask if they'd already met--he was a little annoyed at having thought they were all meeting for the first time (other than Jaz of course), but getting the impression that might not be the case. He wasn't sure he was going to like the answer if he forced the question, though.

Ren tossed Chris a sidelong glance in the quiet beat after Jaz set the cards up on display, and, while Chris felt shyness and anxiety trying to tug his gaze away, he swallowed and stubbornly held his eyes on Ren, one eyebrow raising to silently ask his question. At least to let Ren know that he was onto something, as it were. For good measure, he blinked just briefly but pointedly toward Nick before returning his gaze to Ren. Ren's shoulders rose in a tiny, subtle shrug, his smile annoyingly cocky.

"To new beginnings," Ren said then, his smile softening as he held his glass out toward the middle of the bed, though his eyes lingered on Chris for a moment before shifting to Nick with a soft nod. Nick nodded in return and happily clinked his glass with Ren's.

"To serenity," Chris said with a sigh, trying to bid his own shoulders to relax. "And openness." Then, he clinked his glass as well.

From where Jaz stood, she could easily watch Ren's face, and the man sent a downright wicked smile directly over to Nick. Jaz could only imagine the blush that must have inspired in Nick and wished she could see it. But she could see Chris, who nodded toward Nick briefly and blinked in question to Ren. Ren only shrugged. Jaz should probably have told Chris about the night Ren and Nick spent together, but... they had all been intoxicated, and it hardly seemed like it counted. This meeting was what counted.

But that didn't mean there wasn't still history between them.

Jaz swayed a little, dancing back and forth a bit with both hands around her drink. She was quite intoxicated already. Given her shot in the kitchen, the quickly downed drink in the living room, and half of the one she was holding, Jaz was pleasantly dizzy. Her movements adjusted in time to the instrumental music, and happiness burst into her chest like a firework.

"To new beginnings," Ren said, his smile soft and beautiful. Nick and Ren clinked glasses.

"To serenity," Chris said, rolling his shoulders down a little and reaching to meet the other two glasses. "And openness."

Jaz thought about what she might like to offer into the circle, coming around to face Chris again. She wanted to say something related to her card, but her drink was making her head a little too fuzzy to remember. She looked back at the cards. Right, ace of cups. She smiled at Chris, then clinked her glass toward the rest of them, deciding not to say anything. For now.

She took a small sip. Time to start pacing herself on her drink.

Walking to set her drink back on the shelf, she then got on her knees on the bed, touching Nick's cheek and jawbone with her thumb and forefinger sweetly before climbing behind Chris. She moved him as she needed and straddled him to begin rubbing his shoulders. She stretched her leg out to touch Ren. Gods, Chris was tense. It made digging her thumbs in especially satisfying, though.

Jaz hummed happily near Chris' ear and kissed down one side of his neck, a heat building between her legs just behind Chris. Her foot eagerly searched for connection with Ren, dragging it softly across his leg. And then her hands wrapped around Chris to massage the edges of his pectoral muscles, craning just a little to nibble one of his ears.

From where Jaz stood, she could easily watch Ren's face, and the man sent a downright wicked smile directly over to Nick. Jaz could only imagine the blush that must have inspired in Nick and wished she could see it. But she could see Chris, who nodded toward Nick briefly and blinked in question to Ren. Ren only shrugged. Jaz should probably have told Chris about the night Ren and Nick spent together, but... they had all been intoxicated, and it hardly seemed like it counted. This meeting was what counted.

But that didn't mean there wasn't still history between them.

Jaz swayed a little, dancing back and forth a bit with both hands around her drink. She was quite intoxicated already. Given her shot in the kitchen, the quickly downed drink in the living room, and half of the one she was holding, Jaz was pleasantly dizzy. Her movements adjusted in time to the instrumental music, and happiness burst into her chest like a firework.

"To new beginnings," Ren said, his smile soft and beautiful. Nick and Ren clinked glasses.

"To serenity," Chris said, rolling his shoulders down a little and reaching to meet the other two glasses. "And openness."

Jaz thought about what she might like to offer into the circle, coming around to face Chris again. She wanted to say something related to her card, but her drink was making her head a little too fuzzy to remember. She looked back at the cards. Right, ace of cups. She smiled at Chris, then clinked her glass toward the rest of them, deciding not to say anything. For now.

She took a small sip. Time to start pacing herself on her drink.

Walking to set her drink back on the shelf, she then got on her knees on the bed, touching Nick's cheek and jawbone with her thumb and forefinger sweetly before climbing behind Chris. She moved him as she needed and straddled him to begin rubbing his shoulders. She stretched her leg out to touch Ren. Gods, Chris was tense. It made digging her thumbs in especially satisfying, though.

Jaz hummed happily near Chris' ear and kissed down one side of his neck, a heat building between her legs just behind Chris. Her foot eagerly searched for connection with Ren, dragging it softly across his leg. And then her hands wrapped around Chris to massage the edges of his pectoral muscles, craning just a little to nibble one of his ears.

When Chris looked up at Jaz after he made his toast, she was swaying happily to the music, looking downright adorable. He sighed again, this time letting something go and turning up a soft smile, which brightened with a soft blush as Jaz smiled at him and clinked her glass with the rest of them. For the joy she was exuding, all of this discomfort was well worth it.

Chris' moment of bliss faded quickly, though, as Jaz climbed on the bed and touched her hand tenderly to Nick's face. The intimacy of it surprised Chris, and he couldn't help tensing up again, if only out of sheer uncertainty. He watched with a building blush as Nick... fluttered? His eyelids, Chris supposed, just subtly. It ended as quickly as it had begun, as Jaz withdrew from Nick and climbed over to Chris. In his utter bafflement, Jaz gently pushed and cajoled him to maneuver with her so that she could sit behind him, her legs on either side of his hips. A warm excitement bubbled up Chris' torso as the feeling of her against his back settled in. To his horror, he heard Ren chuckle beside him.

Chris immediately got ahold of whatever his expression had been doing and tossed Ren a frown. Ren, meanwhile, was tossing Jaz a wicked sort of smile. Chris swallowed, suspecting with some anxiety that that look was related to the reason that Jaz liked to talk Ren up as a little bit threatening.

Then Jaz started rubbing Chris' shoulders. He flinched for half a breath before catching himself, sighing out his surprise and anxiety in favor of, well... openness, and serenity. What was wrong with shoulder rubs? Nothing, Chris hoped. He wanted them to be okay. So, he did his best to relax into it, deciding to trust everyone there. To take a leap of faith, really. He wanted this.

His resolve wavered, though, when Jaz kissed down the side of his neck, and he stiffened when Jaz nibbled his ear. Not that it didn't feel good, and, on some level, not that he didn't want it, but... the leap felt too big. He got scared. He clenched his jaw, and looked at Ren. Right wrong or indifferent, Chris had to know what kind of expression was on the guy's face.

---

Ren was, on some level, fascinated by the conflicting feelings ricocheting through his chest. He hadn't been able to see much of Jaz' gesture toward Nick, but he was intrigued by Chris' apparent fluster about it. Not just embarrassment, no, but interest, too. Maybe there was a path.

But did Ren want to take it?

He watched Jaz settle in behind Chris, and he couldn't help letting out a chuckle, humor bubbling up about her methods, about Chris' fluster, about the comical nature of her audacity, perhaps eager to cover over the bitterness that gnashed at his chest, threatening to send Jaz or Chris or the both of them a warning glare. He managed to throw Jaz simply a sinister smile--sharpening as she begin to massage Chris' shoulders, but a smile still. This was the game they'd need to be able to play, and he trusted she knew that potently. It certainly helped when her foot reached out to find Ren's leg, seeking contact with him as well, even while her fingers massaged another.

Satisfied for now, Ren checked in with a glance to Chris. He was relaxing into the massage, and Ren had to grant that that was a good thing. He was relieved to see Chris relax, and grateful that Jaz had found a way to help him. So, he moved his attention on quickly to Nick. Nick, with his interested eyes, blinking between Ren and Chris until they caught Ren's gaze, and remained. At least until a moment later, when Ren heard Chris' breath hitch softly, and Ren's eyed returned to Chris and Jaz with haste.

Jaz was nibbling at Chris' ear, and Chris looked a bit stiffer, his eyes opening to find Ren's with a tense expression. The way his dark brows furrowed together and his nose flared slightly, one might call it a glare, but Ren decided to take a chance and read it a little differently--more shy than grumpy. He offered Chris a gentle smile, before returning his gaze to Nick and giving Chris a moment of privacy. Nick was plenty fun to look at, anyway.

---

Oh, gosh. Between the drinks in his belly and the weight of Ren's sharp looks, Nick had already been starting to drift into an altered state. Then Jaz climbed onto the bed and caressed his jaw, and he fluttered. He might have kissed her, or at least begun leaning in to test the waters, but she moved on quickly, her gesture leaving him a little bit breathless as she moved on to Chris. Chris looked surprised at first, as Jaz maneuvered into place behind him and began to rub his shoulders. But then he relaxed, and Nick smiled, though a flicker of nervousness faltered it as he shifted his gaze to check in with Ren.

Ren was tossing Jaz another one of his sharp smiles, and it made Nick's head swim as he swayed forward slightly, almost in awe of the expression. It softened after a moment, and gained a little warmth. Nick glanced over to Jaz and Chris, curious what prompted the change. Maybe just Ren also glad that Chris was relaxing, whatever else that shapness had been. Jealousy, Nick imagined. He blinked between Ren and Chris for a moment, before Ren met his gaze and held it, nearly pinning Nick with the weight of feeling seen.

After a moment, Ren turned looked at Chris again, and Nick's eyelids fluttered, his gaze taking the chance to lower and take in the muscles of Ren's crossed arms. Then he felt Ren's gaze on him again, and began to blink up to meet it, but was distracted by movement in front of him--where Ren's foot subtly wiggled its toes inside its sock, beckoning gently. Nick lifted his eyebrows, surprised himself, and held his hands out not quite touching Ren's foot, his eyes returning to Ren's one more time to silently ask for confirmation--or reassurance, maybe. Ren nodded, his smile just dark enough to be thrilling, and Nick swallowed, mustering the bravery to grasp Ren's foot between his fingers, thumbs beginning to dig in to his arch as his bravery grew.

He glanced up to Ren again after a moment, checking in, and saw that Ren had closed his eyes, relaxing a little bit himself. Nick returned his gaze hastily back down to Ren's foot, summoning a focused expression to keep himself from grinning ear to ear as he settled into providing a massage.

---

Chris felt terribly thrown off by the warmth of the smile Ren gave him. He'd been braced for something more like Ren had been tossing to Jaz, he supposed, but instead what Ren gave him seemed genuinely friendly. Gentle, too, as he moved his gaze on to face Nick, leaving Chris blinking through hot blush at the side of Ren's face for a moment. Some brief series of gestures led to Nick massaging Ren's foot, and Ren let out a soft sigh, leaning back contentedly against the wall and closing his eyes. Chris couldn't help relaxing a little himself, leaning just softly back against Jaz, perhaps to remind himself how pleasant it was to have her nestled behind him while he sorted through the lingering anxious flutter in his chest.