Written Wonderland

Jaz looked at Chris, trying to gage his reaction to what she had said. He was blushing, that was for sure, but he also looked like he was genuinely thinking about it. He didn't start teasing her or try to pass in any other way, at least.

She looked at Ren, wondering if she had gone too far, but he was looking at Chris with his eyebrows raised almost kindly, like he was trying to remind Chris that he could always back out.

But Chris didn't. He was still thinking hard about it by the looks of it.

He took a deep breath and said, "It's... cute when you're a slut with Nick." Jaz started, moving backward in her seat a little. It wasn't at all what she had expected. He seemed... genuinely uncomfortable saying the word. And here Jaz thought he was sort of taking after Ren. Well, maybe not in that regard. But, she was grateful that Chris thought she and Nick were cute. That was good.

Chris seemed to look both at Nick and Jaz as though in an apology, his face open and anxious, before he continued, "I... want to touch your thigh... slut." He had his arms crossed over himself like he was trying to hold himself inside somehow, and Jaz genuinely got worried about him. Somehow, she hadn't expected this reaction at all. She wanted to give him her thigh, if only because she felt bad about turning him inside out by asking him to say all that. Twice. But, that probably wasn't actually what he wanted. He surely didn't want her pity.

Chris then covered his face and sank back into his chair, almost mirroring one of Nick's earlier gestures, albeit with less giddy fluster.

"I'm flattered," Jaz said, smiling, "You'll have to dare me first, I suppose." She winked at Chris, hoping he might catch it. She wanted him to feel held and seen. He didn't need to play those games with her.

"Your turn, then, Chris," Jaz said, scooping up her drink.

Nick was surprised to be skipped, though in some ways, he was relieved; Ren's dare to Jaz had rather put Nick in the spotlight as well. He appreciated the breather to sip on his drink, nibble on some fruit and cheese while Jaz issued her dare to Chris.

"I dare you... to call me a slut. Twice. In a sentence."

He felt a little bad for Chris... or maybe just worried. It seemed like he was thinking hard about this, which he was sure had probably not been Jaz' intent. Granted, Nick wasn't sure what he would have said, either.

"It's... cute when you're a slut with Nick." he finally said. Nick was mid-bite on a piece of fruit, a smile erupting despite the awkwardness of finishing his gesture through it. Chris glanced his way only briefly, almost apologetically, and Nick couldn't help giggling softly, covering his mouth with his hand, to ensure his fruit remained where it should if nothing else. He was happy! He hoped that came across to Chris.

"I... want to touch your thigh... slut."

Awww! It was Nick's turn to find Chris cute, though the way Chris covered his face and sank down into his chair after made Nick a little sad. Was it weird to want to go give Chris a hug? He looked to Jaz, curious how she was reacting.

"I'm flattered," Jaz said, smiling. "You'll have to dare me first, I suppose." She tossed Chris a wink, and he let out a boisterous "Hah!"

When Nick looked back to him, Chris was smiling crookedly, which seemed hopeful, even if his arms were crossed tightly again over his chest.

"Your turn, then, Chris," Jaz said, scooping up her drink, and Nick swallowed. Chris nodded, his eyes on his drink in thought for a moment. Admittedly, Nick might be a little sad if Chris skipped him again... though, then again, in that case, then maybe Jaz or Ren would call on him after, which was a thrilling thought. He supposed either way would be fine, then. After a moment, Chris did raise his eyes to Nick, and Nick met his gaze bravely, a tiny thrill buzzing in his stomach.

"Nick," Chris said, "Truth or Dare?"

"Truth." Nick said without hesitation. He hadn't exactly known what he was going to pick ahead of time, but, he'd really liked the question Chris had asked Ren, and it seemed like the group overall might be ready for a Truth, anyway.

Chris nodded thoughtfully again, his eyes flicking to Ren. Nick also braved a glance Ren's direction. He was looking at Chris--he'd been looking at Chris a lot, to be honest. He looked... gentle. Kind. Though, in that particular moment, something about him sharpened in response to Chris' gaze--an eyebrow raised in an angular sort of way, maybe. Nick supposed Chris' gaze was kind of... scrutinizing?

But then Chris returned his eyes to Nick, and Nick's stomach buzzed more dramatically, suddenly remembering that he was the one receiving the next challenge, not Ren. Chris kept looking at Nick silently for a long moment, and Nick wiggled his toes, his eyes blinking away with a shy smile as he played with his fingers in his lap.

"What is it you like, exactly, about... being teased?"

Nick giggled airily, one hand reaching up to rub a little at his hair. A million different answers came to mind--though several used rather different definitions of teased. Chris wasn't asking about a particular sexual thing, though; he was asking about the context they'd all agreed on together in this gathering tonight. While it was all nebulously defined... there was a consistency to it, in the consensus among them all. So Nick tried to crystallize that, and focus his answer within it.

"It's... welcoming?" he said tentatively, letting out antoher soft, airy giggle before bravely returning his gaze to Chris, his eyebrows furrowed in a way that acknowledged that there seemed to be something contradictory about that. The bravery of his gaze didn't last long--Nick quickly let his eyes roam again, taking in the half-eaten fruit and cheese plate and the chips and guac and what little was left of his drink in front of him. Mostly, though, that was to give himself space to think.

"Like... I guess, I often feel kind of shy and flustered anyway, most of the time, to be honest. But usually I feel like I shouldn't let that show--or, maybe 'shouldn't' is too strong, but just like... I'm not sure if I want to, in most situations. Unless someone teases me, and then it's like... an invitation, I guess. Like they're really actively welcoming my shyness and fluster, making it feel welcome."

He knew his cheeks must be bright red with how warm they were, his smile plastered wide. Those things only intensified as he built up the courage to share his closing thought. He wiggled his toes in his socks, and kind of rubbed his feet over each other on the floor, his hands clasping and rubbing each other nervously but lovingly in his lap.

"I feel... very welcomed, by all of you, tonight. So, thank you."

Nick bit down on his lip, feeling the urge to curl up in his chair and hide his face again, but wanting to fight against it in this moment. Maybe, he wanted them to see his face, red and nervous and smiley as it was, even if all his eyes could focus on was the treats on the coffee table. He could feel everyone's gazes on him, warm and tingling.

"Yeah," Chris said after a moment, his voice a little airy. Nick braved a glance up to him. Chris blinked away then, his own expression red and bashful as well, one hand rubbing at his luscious dark hair. Nick really genuinely thought he looked beautiful. He wanted to reach across the coffee table and cup Chris' cheek.

"It is... cute," Chris added after another pause, bringing his eyes back to Nick with a look that was uneblievable gentle, his lips soft and parted just-so. Nick thought he looked like an angel.

((OOC: We can keep going, but that seemed like a good stopping point))

Jaz watched Chris carefully over her drink, nervous about if she had tilted their interactions back into a danger zone, but Chris was smiling, even if his arms were still crossed tightly. He even seemed a little... proud of himself if Jaz had to guess.

Before long, Chris turned to say, "Nick, truth or dare?"

"Truth," Nick said quickly, and Jaz was grateful. It was honestly more effective to get to know each other through truths, right? Although the dares had been illuminating as well...

While Chris thought about his question--looking periodically to Ren in the process--Jaz closed her eyes and tried to calm her body. Given the dizziness from the alcohol, the tension in her stomach, and her craving for more touch after what she had done with Nick, her body was demanding some attention. She adjusted on the chair and set her drink back down on the table, beginning to run her fingers through her endlessly tangled hair.

"What is it you like, exactly, about... being teased?" Chris asked Nick, and Jaz looked over at the two of them, her face immediately lighting into a smile. Chris deserved an award for his questions tonight.

Jaz wondered what her own answer to that question would be, especially given that she had just asked--no, dared--Chris to call her a slut. She supposed she had explained her desire for it out on the balcony with Chris.

Nick giggled and rubbed at his hair. After a moment, he said, "It's... welcoming?" Nick giggled again, seeming to search the room for the rest of his answer.

"Like... I guess, I often feel kind of shy and flustered anyway, most of the time, to be honest. But usually I feel like I shouldn't let that show--or, maybe 'shouldn't' is too strong, but just like... I'm not sure if I want to, in most situations. Unless someone teases me, and then it's like... an invitation, I guess. Like they're really actively welcoming my shyness and fluster, making it feel welcome." Nick's answer made Jaz's chest ache, but she wasn't immediately sure why. Maybe it was just that she wished there was some way for Nick to feel welcomed in without him needing to be made fun of.

But, the knot loosened as she clocked Nick's blush. He was fidgeting, feet rubbing against each other while his hands practically cuddled each other in his lap. Gods, they needed to get out of these chairs, or Jaz and Nick were both going to do something rash.

"I feel... very welcomed, by all of you, tonight. So, thank you." Jaz wanted to kiss Nick as he bit his lip. She wanted to give his anxious hands and feet something to hold onto.

"Yeah," Chris said in short order, a little wistfully. Chris was blushing, too, though Jaz couldn't quite understand why. Maybe he was still recovering from the dare she had given him? But, no... it seemed to be something more than that.

"It is... cute," Chris added, his lips parting. Oh my gods, Jaz thought, they're all falling in love with each other, aren't they? Or maybe it was just the drinks.

Jaz had an urge to shake things up--maybe drag them all back to the bedroom, or at least onto the floor--but then again, Nick might ask Ren a question, and she didn't want to miss that.

Chris was still presenting quite the puzzle to Ren, but Ren was making a bit of a game out of trying to figure him out. He seemed almost stubbornly against receiving any kind of guidance from Ren, which was a little hard not to take personally, but he was endeavoring to let it roll off him. It helped that it did seem like Chris was an incredibly honest person. Ren definitely preferred honesty to friendliness, overall, and it did give him a sense of respect for Chris.

Even if it was a shame that Chris didn't seem to enjoy the game of calling Jaz a slut. Alas.

Ren figured Chris would go to Nick next, though he had no idea what Chris would ask Nick. Seemed Chris himself was a little uncertain about it, as he took a while to come up with something--and even looked at Ren while contemplating. Not for guidance, though--quite the opposite, Chris seemed to be trying to figure Ren out. Ren supposed that was fair, but he couldn't help sharpening under the guy's gaze, a wall instinctively going up. He didn't particularly like feeling scrutinized, and a certain sort of defensiveness flared about it being Nick's turn, not his.

"What is it you like, exactly, about... being teased?" Chris finally asked Nick, and Ren relaxed, glee blooming as he turned to look at Nick, excited to hear his reply. He supposed that Chris was trying to figure them all out, which was only fair.

"It's... welcoming?" Nick giggled and rubbed at his hair, eyes searching the coffee table for more to his answer. "Like... I guess, I often feel kind of shy and flustered anyway, most of the time, to be honest. But usually I feel like I shouldn't let that show--or, maybe 'shouldn't' is too strong, but just like... I'm not sure if I want to, in most situations. Unless someone teases me, and then it's like... an invitation, I guess. Like they're really actively welcoming my shyness and fluster, making it feel welcome."

Ren couldn't help swelling with pride as Nick spoke, and affection. Ren did rather enjoy coaxing that side out of people like Nick--and Jaz, when he could manage it. Hell, he'd enjoy coaxing it out of Chris, too, but Chris seemed to enjoy that significantly less.

"I feel... very welcomed," Nick continued, "by all of you, tonight. So, thank you."

He was beat red, his toes and fingers fidgeting and his wide smile stiff with nervousness, but he didn't hide his face, and Ren gladly took in the sight. It felt a bit like an offering, and he felt honored by it.

"Yeah," Chris said airily, and when Ren chanced a glance his direction, he was looking to the side, rubbing at his hair, cheeks full of blush. "It is... cute," Chris added, returning his gaze to Nick with quite a lot of softness, if not outright affection.

Ren had been wondering this whole time whether Chris was queer or not... he still wasn't positive, but that moment gave him a little more hope that he might be. Not that he was terribly invested either way, other than it was always nice to know more queer men. Especially in metamours, he supposed? Or, imagined, at least? He shook his head a little, trying to pull back from that particular rabbit hole.

"Well," Chris breathed after another moment, "Your turn, then."

"Mm!" Nick closed his eyes suddenly, his grin still wide but his body tensing. Ren couldn't help a smirk. This would be Nick's first time calling on someone. It made perfect sense that he was a bit thrilled and terrified all at once.

"Ren!" He nearly squeaked, his eyes still shut and his hands balled up tightly on his knees, perhaps straining not to cover his face. "Truth or Dare?"

Ren was quiet for a moment, calmly watching Nick's face. The boy wrinkled his nose on and off, and after a moment finally let out another soft hum of a squeak. It was fucking cute.

"Dare." Ren replied, offering Nick a nice velvety voice. It seemed that was finally too much, so to speak, and Nick's hands finally covered his face, his throat letting out something awfully close to a whimper. His toes wiggled up off the floor and then down again in his socks, all at once at first and then alternating feet in quick succession. Finally, Nick gently curled one hand inside the palm of his other in front of his mouth, drawing in a deep breath as he glanced Ren's direction, though was too shy to actually meet him in the eye.

"Mmm... I dare you to..." Then, he got too shy again, and his hands spread back over his face. Then he erupted with another sort of energy, and swung his feet over the arm of his chair closer to Ren. "Mmm--massage my feet!" he nearly squealed, and then giggled, his feet swining nervously in the air. Ren smiled.

"How long?" He asked patiently as he slowly stood from his chair. It might have been tempting to tease Nick about his boldness, but in truth, Ren was pleased with Nick's choice, and was happy to go along with it.

"Ah! Um, one minute?" Nick replied, bashful disbelief a beautiful color in his voice, even muffled as it was behind his hands.

Ren flicked his eyes between Jaz and Chris. "Jaz," he settled on her with a gentle voice. "Time me, please."

Nick let out another soft squeak from behind his hands as Ren knelt down beside his feet. Ren flicked one more gaze to Jaz before he touched Nick's feet, ensuring she was ready to time him before he began.

Sure enough, before long, Chris looked at Nick and said, "Well... your turn, then." Nick made a sound and closed his eyes, his body tensed--but not, Jaz thought, unpleasantly.

"Ren! Truth or dare?" Nick looked like he had been bursting with the phrase all night, and maybe in some ways, he had. He squeaked again while Ren looked at him, and Jaz smiled. It really was going to be nice that Nick knew exactly who Jaz was talking about now whenever she next mentioned Ren to him.

"Dare," Ren replied, his voice like rose petals. Nick dove behind his hands again and squirmed all over.

"Mmm... I dare you to..." Nope, Nick couldn't do it. But then both his foot swung all the way over the arm of his chair, closer to Ren. "Massage my feet!" Nick squealed, giggling. Well, well! Jaz thought and giggled a little herself. Was Ren actually going to do that?

Ren just smiled and asked, "How long?" That's a yes? Jaz thought, floored and flaring with jealousy. Her eyebrows rose in disbelief, but she was grinning.

"One minute?" Nick asked, stuttering a little. He didn't sound like he expected Ren to go through with it either. Damn, yeah. Brave.

Ren looked over at her in that moment, and Jaz was suddenly positive that he knew exactly how jealous this was about to make her.

"Jaz," Ren said, sending sparks from her head to her toes. "Time me, please."

Gladly, Jaz thought, raising her eyebrows again as she rummaged for her phone. I want to know exactly how long I'll be enduring this torture.

By the time she had it set up, Ren was already kneeling beside Nick, although the two of them weren't touching yet.

Playfully, Jaz said, "Begin."

Chris watched a little slack-jawed as Nick made his bashful, giggly dare of Ren. Honestly, he was... incredibly cute.

Chris sobered, though, as Ren stood and regarded both him and Jaz. Before he had time to realize why, Ren addressed Jaz, asking her to time. Chris grabbed his drink from the table to sip on as he watched Ren kneel down by Nick's nervously fidgeting feet.

"Begin," Jaz said, and Nick hummed with excitement as Ren gently clasped one foot in each hand, thumbs pressing into arches. Chris honestly marveled that this was happening. Well, to be honest, he hadn't played many games of Truth or Dare in his life, but the ones he had played had been... stupid? Meaningless? Something about all this felt real, he supposed. For all of them. And while that was kind of scary... he was appreciating it.

Nick melted quickly, transforming from a tense ball of hums and giggles into a serene drape of sighs and, well, deeper hums. His hands slid down onto his chest, his head on the arm rest offering Chris and Jaz lovely views of his blushing, blissful expression.

"Nick," Ren said softly, sending a tiny jolt through Nick's otherwise limp body. Chris couldn't help tensing in response. "I want you to look Chris in the eyes while I do this."

Chris did instinctively look at Nick, and watched with a storm in his stomach as Nick opened his eyes, his eyelids heavy and fluttering as he met Chris' gaze. Chris blinked at him for a long moment, fascinated by the tingles that danced over his scalp as Nick fought against a temptation to close his eyes or look away. Something Ren did prompted another warm hum from Nick's throat, and Chris let out a soft sigh, his own gaze finally blinking away, overwhelmed and feeling like his chest might burst.

"Look at Jaz, now." Chris said, hopeful that Ren wouldn't contradict him given whatever their no-teasing alliance was. Sure enough, Ren made no protest, and continued rubbing Nick's feet as Nick tilted his head up enough to look at Jaz, albeit upside-down from his angle. He smiled wide to her, blissful and happy, and he reached a hand out over his head toward her, palm open and inviting.

Chris’ chest felt warm like hot cocoa or a cozy fire. He liked it. He felt happy. He marveled a little at that, one hand gently massaging his sternum without entirely realizing it.

Jaz could not help that her mouth salivated the moment Ren took Nick's feet in hand, using his thumbs to massage Nick's arches. Nick's body slackened, splashed as it was across the armchair. Nick's hands slid down onto his chest... and he vibrated with sound. Jaz was certain a moan was close in Nick's throat. She swallowed, unable to tear her eyes away from every movement the two of them made, not even to check how much time had already passed.

"Nick," Ren said, and Nick jolted, coming to attention. "I want you to look Chris in the eyes while I do this."

Jaz looked at Chris, who was already looking at Nick. She couldn't read him. It seemed out of the scope of Nick's dare, but...

Nick's eyes fluttered open and determinedly met Chris' gaze. All at once, Jaz felt incredibly left out, and coils tightened in her chest. She was just sitting here with her phone, with the timer, watching all these men be intimate with each other. But, like, wasn't that what she wanted? Well, she certainly had thought she would be more at the center of things, but... warmth pooled around the coils in her chest, and she squirmed a little, uncomfortable with the dissonance.

Jaz hadn't realized she had started staring at the floor when Chris said, "Look at Jaz, now." At first, Jaz looked to Ren, thinking Chris was giving Ren a command, but then Nick broke eye contact with Chris and stared at her.

Gods, he was beautiful, so blissfully sinking under Ren's touch. Is that how Jaz looked when Ren touched her? She imagined so. His head was upside-down off the headrest, trying to get a good angle. Adorable. Jaz was about to worry about Chris--if he felt left out, that would be several times worse than whatever she had felt just a moment ago--when Nick smiled wide, reaching his hand toward her. Another flare of worry for Chris shot into Jaz's throat as she thought about accepting the gesture. Jaz looked at Chris, and he was massaging his sternum. In pain? She couldn't tell.

But it was only going to be for one minute--less than that, if the timer was anything to go by. Allowing herself to sink in to Nick's bliss, Jaz took his hand and met his gaze with the warmth she could muster, her eyebrows pulled together a little.

She drank the sight of him in, all of it--where Ren touched him, knowing that Chris was watching, Nick's adorable tilted expression--and she was happy. In some ways, this all felt even more intimate than sex would be. Sex, somehow, felt less vulnerable than all of them openly exploring the breadth of what was possible between each and all of them.

Jaz thought about extending a hand out to Chris, too, connecting all four of them through touch, but she looked briefly down at her phone, which had gone 15 seconds past one minute.

"Oh, it's time," Jaz said, pulling back her hand to mess with her phone. She pulled her legs close to herself again, tucking her hair behind her ears. She wasn't going to make it much longer without touching anybody.

"Would it... would it be too presumptuous for us all to head back to the bedroom? Or like, lay on the floor at least?" Jaz closed her eyes for a moment, her alcohol catching up with her. Opening them again with a pout, she added, "I'm in a room with all of you and feel like none of you are very physically accessible."

Ren's one lament was that it was difficult to see Nick's face from this angle, but he contented himself with watching Chris and Jaz. They were both quite taken with what was happening, it seemed, and pride radiated happily in Ren's chest. Granted, he certainly had to credit Nick with getting them into the present situation, but he enjoyed feeling a bit like a conductor even kneeling at Nick's feet.

"Oh, it's time," Jaz said, and Ren had the distinct impression that it was in fact past time. He tossed her a sharp grin as he gave Nick's feet both one last squeeze before standing.

"Would it..." Ren stopped short of returning to his chair as Jaz spoke up, and he opted to stretch lightly as he offered her his attention. "Would it be too presumptuous for us all to head back to the bedroom? Or like, lay on the floor at least?"

Jaz closed her eyes for a moment, and did look positively lonely curled up as she was in her chair. Opening her eyes again with a pout, she added, "I'm in a room with all of you and feel like none of you are very physically accessible."

Ren looked at Chris, eyebrows raised in a friendly inquiry--or at least, that's how he hoped it would come across. He doubted Nick would have any objection to returning to the bedroom; Chris seemed like the relevant wild card here. Ren felt somewhat ambivalent himself, so he was genuinely prepared to back up whatever Chris wanted.

Chris met Ren's eyes only briefly before his gaze flicked off to the side. He was damn hard to read, but Ren was hopeful that he saw more simple bashfulness than actual reticence in his expression.

"Sure," Chris said after a moment, "We can go back to the bedroom."

That decided, Ren gave Jaz a gentle nod, and then reached down to pick up his drink and knock back the rest of it.

Jaz watched anxiously as Ren looked toward Chris, and Jaz glanced over as well. Had they ironed out whatever kinks Chris had felt earlier? The conversation on the balcony was starting to get hazy in her mind from the drinks, but she was fairly certain that things had ended well. And certainly, their most recent interaction was going famously.

"Sure," Chris said after a pause. "We can go back to the bedroom." Excitement leapt from Jaz's stomach all the way up the back of her throat. Ren then nodded as well, and she grinned widely, standing up rather impulsively. Nick wasn't going to object. She looked around, making sure she had her phone, and picked up her drink. She finished the little that was left, not wanting to feel tethered while they were all laying about the bed.

Walking back into the kitchen, she put her glass near the sink and steadied herself against the counter as a wave of giddiness hit her. She giggled quietly, letting some of the energy out. It really was amazing to have all three of her boyfriends here.

She turned around, heading toward Nick's chair. He was likely still in a bit of a haze after all Ren had done to his feet. Jaz enjoyed peering down at him for a minute, taking in every slackened muscle in his face, jaw, and neck. She bent down in front of him and stroked the side of his cheek sweetly, her eyes full of welcome. And then, she kissed him square on the lips. The kiss itself was sweet but intent, and Jaz licked Nick's bottom lip lightly in what felt like a promise of more before she pulled away from him.

She wasn't going to let Ren and Chris have all the fun with him.