"They're both incredible, okay? Both of them. Ash, yours is..." Remi paused, his voice catching slightly. "Yours tastes like coming home. It's warm and comforting and perfect in this way that makes me want to close my eyes and just... savor it. Like everything I didn't know I was missing."
Ash's expression softened, a genuine smile replacing his earlier smugness. "Remi..."
"Don't interrupt me, I'm not done," Remi said, holding up a hand. "And Theo, yours..." He turned to face the taller man, his flush returning full force. "Yours is pure temptation. Bold and exciting and it shouldn't work but God, it does. It's like... like a revelation. Every bite is this perfect surprise that makes my heart race a little."
Theo's grin widened. "Dangerous, huh?"
"Yes, dangerous," Remi said firmly. "Because it's the kind of good that makes you forget about everything else. Both of your sandwiches are like that. They're both perfect in completely different ways, and that's why I can't choose between them because it would be like choosing between... between security and adventure, between comfort and excitement, between..."
He trailed off, realizing how his words might sound, especially given the way both men were looking at him now—with an intensity that had nothing to do with sandwich competitions and everything to do with the subtext that had been building between the three of them for months.
"Between what, Remi?" Ash asked softly, stepping closer again.
Remi swallowed hard, his heart racing. "Between... between two things I want equally but for entirely different reasons."
The kitchen fell silent except for the soft hum of the refrigerator and the sound of three people breathing a little too quickly. The sandwiches sat forgotten on the counter as the weight of Remi's confession settled between them.
"Well," Theo said finally, his voice rough with something that might have been hope. "Maybe you don't have to choose."
"Maybe," Ash agreed, reaching out to gently touch Remi's wrist, "the best things come in combinations you never expected to work."
Remi looked between them, his face still flushed but his eyes bright with possibility. "Are we still talking about sandwiches?"
"No," they said in unison, and suddenly the kitchen felt charged with a different kind of electricity entirely.
"Oh," Remi whispered, and then, more boldly, "Oh."
The sandwiches could wait. Some hungers, it turned out, were more important than others.
***
The living room was bathed in the soft glow of the television, some forgotten show playing in the background as the three of them settled into the comfortable quiet that had become their normal. Ash was stretched out on one end of the couch, Remi curled up in the middle, and Theodore sprawled in the armchair across from them, long legs extended.
The earlier tension from the kitchen had settled into something warmer, more intimate. The kind of atmosphere where words carried more weight, where glances lingered a beat too long.
Remi fidgeted with the hem of his shirt, gathering courage. "I want to go on a date."
Both men looked at him, but he pressed on before he could lose his nerve.
"With both of you," he said quietly, his voice barely audible over the TV. "I want you both to take me on a date. I don't care how we make it work, I just... I want it to be special."
The silence stretched for a heartbeat. Two. Three.
Theodore's face broke into a slow, pleased smile that made Remi's stomach flutter. His dark eyes practically gleamed as he looked between Remi and Ash. "Okay," he said, his voice warm with satisfaction as he turned to Ash. "What do you think?"
Ash met Theodore's gaze, something passing between them in that look—understanding, agreement, maybe even relief. After a moment, he nodded. "Yeah. Okay."
Remi's heart hammered against his ribs. "You both still want this? Want us? Just as much as Teddy does?" He looked directly at Ash. "Right?"
Ash's expression softened, and for once, he didn't hesitate. "Yeah, sweetheart. I do. We do."
The smile that spread across Remi's face was radiant. Without warning, he shifted, laying his head down on Ash's thighs and stretching his legs out playfully toward Theodore. His bare feet, toes painted a soft lavender, wiggled teasingly in Theodore's direction.
Theodore caught one of Remi's feet in his large hand, thumb brushing over the delicate arch. The simple touch sent electricity shooting up Remi's leg, making him gasp softly.
"You've got some pretty feet, sugar," Theodore murmured, his voice dropping to that register that made Remi's toes curl. "So small and perfect."
Remi's face flushed pink, a breathy laugh escaping him.
"Shut up!" Ash grabbed a throw pillow and launched it at Theodore's head, but his own cheeks were tinged with pink. "Don't be weird about his feet."
Theodore caught the pillow easily, grinning. "What? I'm just appreciating the view. Besides, look at him—he likes the attention."
"I do not," Remi protested weakly, but his blush betrayed him.
"You're such an ass," Ash muttered, but there was no real heat in it.
"Maybe," Theodore said, still holding Remi's foot, thumb now tracing lazy circles around his ankle. "But at least I'm honest about what I want." His eyes flicked to Ash with a knowing look. "Unlike some people who get all flustered when someone notices how gorgeous they are."
"I don't get flustered," Ash said, but his voice cracked slightly.
Theodore's grin turned wicked. "No? Not even when I tell you how much I love that little crease between your eyebrows when you concentrate? Or how your ears turn red when you're embarrassed? Like right now?"
Ash's hand flew to his ear, which was indeed turning red. "Theodore—"
"Or how you bite your bottom lip when you're thinking hard about something," Theodore continued, clearly enjoying himself. "It's incredibly distracting, you know. Makes me want to—"
"Oh my god, stop," Ash groaned, covering his face with his hands, but Remi could see the smile he was trying to hide.
Remi was grinning openly now, watching his boyfriend melt under Theodore's attention. "He's not wrong, you know. You do bite your lip when you're thinking."
"Not you too," Ash mumbled through his fingers.
Theodore squeezed Remi's foot gently, drawing his attention back. When their eyes met, something shifted in the air between them. Theodore's playful expression grew more serious, more intense.
"You know what I love most about you, sugar?" Theodore said softly, his voice meant only for Remi even though Ash could hear every word.
Remi's breath caught. "What?"
"How brave you are," Theodore said, his thumb still moving in those maddeningly gentle circles. "Asking for what you want. Putting yourself out there. It's beautiful."
The sincerity in his voice made Remi's chest tight with emotion. This close, with Theodore's hands on him and Ash's fingers now threading through his hair, everything felt possible. Electric. Perfect.
"So," Remi said breathlessly, "about that date..."
Both men laughed, and the sound filled the room with warmth and promise.
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