Trey was more than surprised as he sat down at the counter table, watching him cook silently. He hadn’t dried his hair completely, but had the towel wrapped around his neck to avoid making a mess. That was another thing he noticed about Blaine, he was a neat freak to the point of obsession.

“You didn’t dry your hair again,” Blaine stated, coming around behind him and grabbing his towel. He gently rubbed his fingers against his head, using the towel to dry his wet strands.

“Oh my dove, if you keep doing these things I might think your spoiling me.”

“That’s because I am.”

Trey’s eyes opened wide, wondering why he was suddenly so affectionate. He wasn’t stupid, he had noticed a significant change in Blaine since the last time they had slept together. Something was different, but he couldn’t quite pinpoint what exactly.

“So, how did your meeting with Magnolia go?” Trey asked. He felt the uncomfortable tension coming from Blaine as soon as he asked. “Guess not well?”

“She is open to having you sire her a child, and offered it in contract for whenever you’re ready since I mentioned you weren’t keen on fathering a child so soon.” Trey laced his fingers into his and turned around on the stool, using his feet to pivot his body.

“I think the question is, how do you feel about this?”

“I’m not the one having a kid,” he scoffed.

“So you don’t mind me sleeping with her?” Trey questioned. Blaine’s irritation was clear, there was jealousy and something else he couldn’t recognize. Was he feeling protective?

It would make sense since he had raised them all himself, but the feeling made him question why Blaine was even discussing this in the first place?

“Insemination, actually. Of course I do, I don’t want to share you.”

“Then I won’t.”

“We need their acceptance.”

“Why?”

“To gain their support.”

“Yes, but why do we need it?”

Blaine clamped his mouth shut and went back toward the food, shutting the stove off and gathering it all together in a couple bowls. Then he got some tea set out and sat on the other side, beginning to eat.

“We need their support to sustain the business conglomerate we have.”

“Why is that necessary? My income can sustain us.”

“I’m aware, but you don’t think you’re going to be accepting contracts forever do you?”

“Godfather does, besides he turns to training the next generation and takes a commission from each job.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“I know what you meant, I want to know why you’re so hung up on their support.” Blaine fell silent and then rubbed his face before answering. Trey got the sense that he was hiding something, and not being fully truthful.

“Each of them deal in something lucrative that gives me the upper hand when doing business with other entities. Particularly in regards to my grandfather.” Trey paused his attempt to eat another spoonful and glanced at him.

“You’re grandfather? I thought he was retired, what right does he have?”

“Every right, since he’s still in charge technically. I’ve been avoiding his influence by using my own, but that will only last as long as I have the power to do so.”

“By losing your siblings support that means you won’t be able to avoid his influence, right? So what happens if you can’t do that anymore?”

“Then my grandfather will most likely take my siblings from me and use them as leverage to force me back into the work I was doing for him before. Worse case, he will just kill them and absorb everything they have as his own.”

Trey looked at Blaine, finally understanding a part of his agony in trying so hard to protect the ones he cared about.

“Do they know this?”

“No, I’ve gone to great lengths to keep them from him. I don’t want them going down the same path as me.”

“Blaine, you know they aren’t children anymore right? They can make their own decisions.”

“Oh, I’m well aware of this. That doesn’t mean I’m going to just serve them on a platter to a man who will do anything to see his empire flourish. I’m actually really concerned for Magnolia and Justine the most since he has a habit of selling the woman outright to forge partnerships.”

“It’s not uncommon in this line of work.”

“Again, I don’t care. This isn’t up for discussion.”

“I know, I’m not trying to argue,” he stated, placing his hand on Blaine’s.

“Well, I need to figure out something. She wants this and isn’t budging.”

“How about I talk with her next time?” Blaine didn’t like the idea of them being together alone, but he didn’t shoot it down right away.

***

“Well, this is a pleasant surprise. I didn’t think you would visit me at work,” Magnolia smiled.

She pressed the intercom and let her secretary know not to direct any calls or let anyone through. Trey looked at the various awards, wondering just how much she had accomplished so far.

“I got that trophy in college, I was an athlete while studying a business major.”

“That couldn’t have been easy.”

“It wasn’t, but it was worth it.”

“Because you’re so successful?”

“Partly, but mostly because Blaine always came to my matches and competitions. Having him there made a huge difference for me.”

“Is that why you’re so obsessed with him? Because he was always there for you as support?”

“One of the biggest reasons, yes.”

“Having his child seems a bit extreme.”

“You wouldn’t understand, you aren’t one of us.” Blaine glanced at her as she stared at the trophies longingly.

“Try me.” She let out a deep breath and returned to her desk chair. He followed her silently, watching her demeanor like a hawk for any signs of weakness.

“The very first thing that I learned about being a woman growing up, was that we were meant to bare children for the good of the family, that selling us off was the best way to find purpose for our existence. There was no education other than lashings for not acting properly as a damsel. Blaine changed that when he took over, he put me through school and helped me establish myself. Giving myself to him is the least I can do to pay him back.”

“It just sounds like you feel obligated.”

“I am, but at the same time, I also know how wonderful of a person he is. Why wouldn’t I want to share a child with a man as good as him?”

“Aside from the fact that he’s your brother and he has a dark history with bad habits, it sounds more like you put him on a pedestal to glorify him for your own view.”

“Well, I love him. That’s all that matters to me.”

“Perhaps, I’m not saying you’re wrong because you can’t help how you feel. However, you fail to consider how Blaine feels about this.”

“Then tell me Treyton, how does my brother feel?” In fact, how do you feel about all this?”

“Blaine doesn’t want to cross a line with you nor your other siblings.”

“That’s hilarious, considering he’s done it with Dean,” she scoffed.

“Dean is different, even I’m aware of that.”

“Oh? Is that jealousy I hear?” she smirked.

“Yes, I am jealous. They have forged a bond I can’t break. Knowing how they feel about each other bothers me greatly, but I care for Blaine’s happiness more than my own.”

Magnolia wavered at his remark, seeming to sincerely consider it as she looked through her desk for something.

“Well, you still haven’t really answered how you feel about this situation.”

“I’m not ready to have a child right now, there is too much that needs to be determined between Blaine and myself to bring in a child.”

“So, you’re not in love with him then?” Trey was a bit taken back by her accusation, not realizing he hadn’t said it out loud before.

“That’s not what I said.” She only offered him a brief smirk as she pulled out a folder and tossed it to him.

“That’s the contract. In there is a set amount of time you have to give me a child. Blaine wouldn’t agree if it was him, but wasn’t shutting down the idea of it being you.”

“That’s because he knows he doesn’t speak for me.” Her eyebrows rose at that statement and she shrugged.

“It’s up to you. I won’t give my support unless you agree to something. I’m getting older and the window is shortening for me to have children if I want any.”

“That’s why you’re pushing for this?” he asked.

“Partly, and because you’re his only weakness now.” Trey didn’t like how she was exploiting him.

“He does a lot more for you than you think, can’t you just support him without cornering him?”

“Treyton, the only way to get his attention is by cornering that man. The only way you can tell the difference is if he lets you do it himself. He hasn’t made any drastic attempts to dissuade me, so my assumption is that he’s letting this happen intentionally.”

“He needs your support for good reason,” Trey stated, making it known that it was the only reason he knew of.

“I know, and he will have it if you sign. You said it yourself, you put up with his relationship with Dean because he matters more. I don’t see why you can’t do that with me.”Trey wasn’t happy with her approach, but knew she wasn’t wrong. He grabbed her fountain pen and signed it after reading. He threw it down on the desk, a sickening feeling churning in his stomach at what he had just done.

“Good, now let me know when you’re ready and we can fulfill the contract. In the meantime, I will offer my support.”

“Wonderful,” he bit back.

Later that evening, after finishing his tasks for the day, Trey went home to Blaine. He tried to break it easily, but that didn’t seem to work out well.

“You what?” Blaine asked dumbfounded.

“I signed it.”

“Why the hell would you do that?”

“If I told you I did it for you, would you be mad?”

“Very.”

“Well, I did it for you.”

“Fucking hell Trey, are you seriously going through with this?”

“I have to now, I already signed it.”

Blaine grabbed a glass and poured some alcohol before downing it in one go. He groaned, unable to accept the outcome.

“I should probably mention that I’d rather get this over as soon as possible.”

“So, did you already tell her to come over then?” Blaine asked bitterly.

“I wanted to talk with you first.”

“What does it matter, you already signed it?” he snapped.

Trey walked over to him and wrapped his arms around his waist. He kissed his cheek as he took in the scent of the strong alcohol. Blaine wasn’t pulling away from him, so he knew he was simmering down enough to talk to.

“I can do it when I’m ready, when were both ready. We do have time, it was outlined in the contract and I have a copy for you. I want us to go official, so I couldn’t avoid this.” He felt Blaine freeze in his arms and peered towards him warningly in the glass cabinet’s reflection.

“You want to go official?” Blaine asked, a hard tone shaking him.

“Yes, I want to be with you, officially.”

“I thought we were going to be platonic?” he asked.

“I think we’ve past that point, especially since we’ve met each other’s family, right?”

Blaine was silent, thinking it over heavily before grabbing the whole bottle and breaking from his arms. He headed straight for his bed and flopped down before drinking some more. Trey looked at him from the doorway and wondered what was going through his head.

“Dean wants to know what you want from him,” Blaine stated, changing the topic.

If Trey had his way, Dean wouldn’t be in the picture at all. Still, he couldn’t deny how much it turned Blaine on. A turned on Blaine was a good thing for Trey. No, if he was happy, that’s what mattered most.

“Depends, what do you want me to want from him?” Blaine gave him a glare and returned to his drink.

“Let’s not beat around the bush and just answer the damn question.”

“Well, I wouldn’t want him fucking you without me there for starters. Not sure how well that would go though.”

“So you want to continue whatever were doing then?”

“Do you?”

“I can’t deny I have chemistry with Dean, but I can’t pretend that being with you is better in a lot of ways. Having sex with him isn’t a wise decision, but I’ve already violated that when we did it the first two times.”

“So you want me to make the final decision so you don’t feel bad?” Trey chuckled. Blaine let out a heavy sigh and rubbed his forehead.

“I shouldn’t be doing this with him in the first place.”

“But you did, and you liked how it felt to have your cock inside him,” he teased. A light blush covered Blaine’s cheeks, something that was a first for Trey. The look turned him on greatly. He proceeded to encourage it, wanting to turn Blaine on too.

“Didn’t you like it when he rode you and you thrust deep up inside him? Didn’t you like it when I put my own cock inside you while you were fucking him?”

“That’s enough, I know what you’re doing.”

“What am I doing?” he challenged.

Blaine’s glare told him he wasn’t in the mood for fucking right then. Trey sighed and then offered his actual thoughts on the matter, hoping it would satisfy him.

“Do you love him? I mean, not as your brother? If you can bear the thought of being without him, then probably not. If you feel like you can’t, then that’s okay. Your happiness matters most to me, and Dean is a part of you I can’t deny if I want all of you now is it?”Blaine was silent, suddenly speechless as he stared back in the darkness. There were all sorts of feelings swelling inside them tonight, dangerous feelings that would encourage Blaine to lose his head in the heat of the moment.

“I’m done for tonight, either sleep on the couch or leave.” His harsh tone made Trey feel like shit, but he didn’t want Blaine to treat him like that.

So he ignored his words and made his way into bed. The action seemed to make Blaine more upset, but he didn’t refuse or try to kick him out. So Trey cuddled into his side and closed his eyes, hoping Blaine would defuse by morning.

Blaine couldn’t focus at all with him attached to him like glue, so he set his drink down and laid back. This whole situation was turning out to be a bigger hassle than he thought. It really surprised him when Trey had said he wanted to be exclusive, because that defiantly wasn’t something he was ready for.

Dean was a part of him, something he couldn’t deny? Like hell he couldn’t! Still, Blaine kept thinking about Dean’s torn face, the pain of him being thrown away evidence that they both knew they had a connection. Yes, it was strange. Yes, it was unnatural. Yet, deep inside, Blaine knew the truth. Did he love him? Always.

It was different knowing you could cut strings with someone anytime, than accepting you wouldn’t be able to without tearing yourself apart. Blaine already knew he was in love with this idiot sleeping next to him, but he couldn’t quite accept it yet. If he did, would he be able to do what he needed to do in order to be with him? Would he be able to cut his strings loose, or would he bring them with him?

***