"Yes, not a problem."

Fox grumbled as the sound of someone speaking met his ears. He didn't want to get up, though. He was comfortable and warm snuggled up with Amos.

"Ah, I've got to go. Call me if there are any other issues with the project," Owen said before he hung up.

Fox heard the door lock a moment later, then the sound of the guy slipping his shoes off.

He did finally open his eyes when he felt the back of Owen's cool fingers brush his forehead.

"Hey..." Owen whispered as he leaned closer.

Amos had shifted a bit as they'd slept and also got his head up onto the armrest while his arms wrapped lightly around Fox. One of his legs was nearly straight, stretching to the other end of the sofa, but his other one was a bit more brave and had nudged itself right between Fox's clothed legs. It was awkward when he first realized it, but freaking out wouldn't have done much, and once he'd calmed down, he found that he really didn't mind. Amos had been out cold, just like himself, so it probably had just been part of him readjusting his sleeping position a few times to get more comfortable.

"He's pretty clingy when sleeping in tight quarters," Owen said with a chuckle.

Fox smiled and reached up, gently settling his hand on the side of Owen's face. His skin was cold to the touch, clearly chilled by the winter air. He still had his heavy coat on, too.

"Can I kiss Owen?" Fox asked, no hesitation in his voice this time. He wanted to kiss Owen, so he would ask.

The question actually seemed to bring a pink tint to Owen's cheeks, but it was hard to see with the minimal light from the lamppost outside.

"Of course," Owen replied as he finished leaning over Amos' sleeping form to press his cold lips to Fox's warm ones.

The added chill made Fox shiver slightly, but he still loved the attention.

"I'm being a patient, good boy. Just saying."

Amos' sleep-heavy voice rasped beside him, drawing them away from each other so that him and Owen could look at the other man. He still looked really tired with his messy hair splayed out in every direction on the armrest. A bit of stubble also present on his jaw.

Must have missed it earlier... was distracted.

"Distracted?" Owen questioned, making Fox glance away for a moment as his face warmed.

Amos simply chuckled and nudged himself closer to Fox, snuggling in with a content grumble before he glanced over his shoulder slightly.

"We were just learning a bit, right Fox?"

He'd expected him to say that they were playing, but that definitely wasn't what had happened. Learning was a better description.

"R-right."

Owen tilted his head, but where Fox thought that he'd frown, he actually smiled and reached over to muss up Amos' hair. The random attention made Amos grumble again and nudge his head into Fox's chest awkwardly, his previous snuggling having made him remove his hands from Owen's face.

"Bite 'im, Fox. He's messin' up my beautiful hair," he muffled into Fox's bare chest. His request actually made Fox laugh quietly.

"But I don't want to bite Owen," he finally said once he'd calmed down, though the smile wouldn't leave his face.

"Just think of him as a bunny," Amos said, making Fox blink.

Considering what they'd said about bunnies earlier, Fox couldn't think of him that way. He definitely wasn't having sex like crazy, and he definitely didn't want to kill and eat him.

"Not the killing part, but the eating, yeah?" Amos said, then laughed as he saw Fox's face change to one of horror.

Decidedly done with the strange conversation, Owen grabbed the back of Amos' shirt and tugged him right off the couch before walking toward the kitchen, shrugging off and hanging up his coat on his way.

"How was school, Fox?"

Fox had hurried to follow him, ignoring a pouting Amos on the floor.

"It was good. I think I might have made a friend, and I didn't take the cigarettes," he said, just excited to have the man home once he'd managed to push the sleep from his mind.

"I'm glad that you knew better, and asked us, just in case."

Fox nodded, and when he realized that Owen was intending to cook, he quickly got busy helping him cut vegetables. He'd gotten pretty good with a knife and worked fast.

Once he'd finished getting the bell peppers and mushroomed chopped, he glanced around the corner to see that Amos had fallen back asleep on the floor.

"Stopping smoking took a lot out of him. He's going to be a bit more grumpy and tired for a while," Owen said as he looked at him from the corner of his eye for a moment.

Fox nodded and took a seat at the dinner table so that he could still talk to Owen, but stayed out of the way.

"He did say that he had a bad headache earlier. He'd been sitting in here with all the lights off when I got home. I accidentally walked right up to him and sat in his lap without even noticing since I was so distracted texting Noah."

Owen chuckled as he got the food together and ready for the oven.

"Not surprised. It's going to get a lot worse before it gets better, but he's a strong guy. I'm sure you randomly dropping into his lap for some education was a greatly appreciated distraction," he joked, making Fox rub at the back of his neck and blush.

"Yeah, he didn't seem to mind. We did uh... stuff, for a little bit, but then he got really tired and we both kind of fell asleep."

Owen slid the food into the oven, then walked over to sit in the chair next to Fox after he turned it a bit so that they could face each other. Fox gladly sat up straighter, his smile widening.

"You really like me, huh?" Owen said as he reached over and mussed up Fox's hair.

He didn't mind. It was attention from Owen.

He quickly nodded, then added verbally "yes, I like you."

Owen leaned forward, putting his arms on his knees as he looked up at Fox.

"What did you do with Amos? Are you comfortable doing it again with me?"

Fox felt his words fumble around in his mouth as he tried to answer, but no sound came out. Amos had constantly made it clear that he'd love any kind of attention, that wasn't someone trying to dominate him. Owen, however...

He was unsure how to act around him, honestly.

"Say what you think, Fox. I won't be upset," Owen said quietly, not wanting to wake Amos, who was snoring quietly on the floor still.

Fox licked his lips and looked down at his hands fiddling in his lap, but then forced himself to look up and meet Owen's eyes.

"I... I'm just, not sure what to do around you," he said nervously.

Owen raised his eyebrows, but caught himself before he started speaking and instead raised a hand to press fingers against his mouth, clearly thinking over his words.

"You just need to do, with him, instead of think about it," Amos said, drawing both of their gazes over to where he'd sat up on the carpet.

He was still mostly in the shadows, since Owen had dimmed the kitchen light, but they could see enough of him to know that he was plenty awake now.

"Don't put ideas in his head," Owen grumbled as Amos lazily got up and sauntered closer.

Fox watched Owen's body tense as the other man walked over with a sleepy grin on his face. When he walked past them, completely ignoring Owen and heading over to check what was in the oven, Fox glanced between the two, confused but curious.

"What did his face look like just now, my little Fox?" Amos asked as he shut the oven after taking in a deep, satisfied breath.

Owen glared at Fox, making Fox hunch and look away.

Shit.

Hearing the one word thought from Owen drew Fox's eyes up for a brief second before he glanced back down at his lap.

He heard Amos approach, then saw his sock-covered feet stop near his chair. When nothing else happened, he hesitantly looked up again, but Amos wasn't looking at him. Instead, he was staring at Owen with narrowed eyes.

They must be communicating through thought.

Since they were both busy, Fox waited quietly. It... was evidently a long conversation, because the oven timer sounded before either of them moved. Fox slowly got up to take the food out when neither of them reacted.

He scooped out a helping for each person into a bowl, then added spoons and brought them to the table. A few moments later and two cans of beer and a water had joined them as he sat back down and nursed his water silently.

It was another twenty minutes before either of them reacted, and it was to both sigh at the same time. Amos took a step away from the table and watched Owen, who was clearly still having a bit of an internal struggle. Eventually, however, he shakily stood up and took a step to the side, then lifted his wide eyes to Amos.

With a calm smile Amos dropped down into that seat, then scooted it in halfway, then looked up at Owen.

Fox watched with baited breath, confused but intrigued at the same time. He'd never seen Owen just do things like he was now.

What had they talked about for so long?

He didn't have much time to ponder the question when his mind turned into a jumbled mess. Owen had... he had sat down, in Amos' lap at the dinner table!

His entire brain was short-circuiting.

"Eat up, Fox," Amos said, breaking him out of his shock.

Blinking back to his senses, he slowly closed his mouth, having not realized he'd let it drop open a while ago. He almost let it fall again the moment he realized that Amos was smiling at Owen like a kid who'd just gotten the best birthday present ever... while Owen was simply, yet slightly awkwardly eating his dinner while sitting on Amos' lap.

I... am confused. But I'm hungry, too. So I guess I'll just eat, then maybe go cook myself, and my disturbed brain.

They ate in silence. Owen finished first, because Amos refused to touch his bowl until the other guy was completely done and had hurried back to the kitchen to do dishes. The happy grin never left his mouth even as he reached for his own food and began eating slowly.

Fox finished his food second and quietly slid out of his seat and went to hand his bowl to Owen. The guy took it, but before Fox could walk away, damp fingers wrapped around his wrist, stopping him and turning him back around.

"I'm sorry that I glared at you earlier. I'm conflicted and took it out on you. It was inappropriate."

Smiling, Fox shook his head a little.

"I accept your apology. Is there anything I can do to help?" he asked, honestly wanting to make Owen less stressed.

Owen seemed to think over his offer for a minute before replying with an expression that almost looked nervous.

"Take a bath with me?"

Oh hell yes! Cooking with Owen?

"Heck yeah!" Fox shouted with an excited hop before turning and darting toward the bathroom.

He could hear two different chuckles behind him, but who cares! He got to become a noodle with Owen!

Noodle noodle noodle.

The water was already running with a small layer of growing eucalyptus scented bubbles when Fox felt arms wrap around his waist and tug him back against a warm chest.

"Excited, hmm?"

Fox tilted his head back as Owen leaned down, their lips meeting for a long, calm kiss. He'd undressed awhile ago, and Owen clearly intended to not miss his chance to start running his hands along his smooth skin. He wasn't very handsy, but he did let his fingers slowly wander about.

Is it okay?

"Your bath is about to overflow," Amos noted as he nonchalantly walked past them and turned both of the knobs off.

When he straightened, Fox and Owen were staring at him. Not because he'd suddenly walked in, but because he'd decided to sit down right at that moment against the side of the tub, a boyish grin on his tired face.

He's going to fall asleep again soon.

"There's... not room for three people," Owen said awkwardly as he began to tug off his long-sleeved shirt.

Amos stretched out his legs, then arms, before replying on a yawn.

"All good. I just need a distraction. Probably going to pass out any minute, anyways."

He rubbed at one eye, making Fox want to reach out and nuzzle him.

"Wouldn't mind, at all, but I think someone else wants his time with you right now," Amos mumbled before yawning again, having clearly caught the thought that Fox hadn't meant to broadcast. He really needed to work on his control.

Fox looked back at Owen, earning a kiss before their eyes even met. He gladly accepted, though it was over a bit too fast for his liking as Owen walked past him and gingerly began climbing into the bathtub after removing the rest of his clothing and neatly folding it to set atop the back of the toilet.

"Holy crap, Fox. You aren't kidding when you say that you're cooking yourself," he said as he hissed and withdrew his leg, only to try and submerge it again, but retract it a second later.

Fox tilted his head and easily stepped in, then sat down.

Heaven.

He let himself begin to slip beneath the water, but both Amos and Owen reached out for him abruptly, each grabbing a hold of either of his upper arms to keep him above the water. They looked terrified.

Oh, right. I panicked the last time I went under the water when I was with Henry. He must have told them that I can't swim well and freak out.

Well, he used to. Or really, he wasn't worried because both of his... Amos and Owen were there to help him if he started to panic again.

"Sorry," he said as he carefully let them help him.

They released him and leaned back once he was safely sitting up. He expected Owen to try and get in again afterward, but when the guy just continued to kneel while Amos crossed his arms on the edge and rested his head sideways on one folded arm, he realized that he was probably the only one who could tolerate the temperature of the water.

Before he could say that he would drain it and add some cold, Owen smiled and leaned forward, petting Fox's hair before sitting back on his heels.

"Enjoy yourself, Fox. You've been working hard, too. I'll get in once it cools a bit."

Fox pursed his lips but nodded, relaxing back into the water, but being absolutely sure not to risk slipping down beneath the surface. He closed his eyes off and on, honestly having needed the chance to relax after the constant schooling on top of what he'd done with Amos earlier. He was getting a lot closer to the man, but he felt like he was lagging behind with Owen.

Everything that should happen, will with time.

Owen's voice drew his heavy eyelids open. The sight he saw immediately drew a smile to his face. Amos had, expectedly, passed out, still resting his head on his folded arms on the edge of the tub. Owen was gently running the fingers of his left hand through his hair while leaning on his right arm to wink at Fox.

That... definitely wasn't a gesture he saw from the man very often. If ever.

We had a talk earlier, when we got really quiet. I'm sorry that we couldn't have it out loud, but one day, if you really want to know everything that was said, I'll have the courage to tell you... but not yet. For now, just know that I'm going to try and be a little more understanding of my own emotions.

Fox moved closer, receiving a reward kiss for his action.

I've never been very good with handling my emotions, and my reaction to them towards others. I am going to work on that, little by little.

Nodding, Fox leaned closer, hinting that he wanted more attention. His gesture had Owen stifling a chuckle, not wanting to wake Amos. He still gladly leaned forward again and accepted the request with another kiss.

I'll help you with anything you might find me useful for. I love Owen, no matter how you are. You are a good boy.

The smile that lit Owen's face when they both leaned away for some air made Fox's heart melt, but the blush on the man's face that went along with it was even more endearing.

Shaking his head after a moment, Owen stood up and carefully climbed into the tub. The water had cooled a bit, but he still took a few moments to actually get seated. Fox was about to lunge into his lap, but caught himself at the last second and waited impatiently, his fingernails scratching at the bottom of the tub beneath the cover of bubbles.

Once Owen was finally comfortable against the back wall, he opened his arms in silent consent. He immediately got tackled with an enthusiastic hug. The sloshing of the waves and abrupt grunt from Owen had both of them remembering a certain someone, and both sets of eyes turned to a groggy Amos as he slowly lifted his damp head and ran a hand through his wet hair.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to do that," Fox said as he hunched against Owen, who simply patted his back with a chuckle.

"My bad. I got him too excited. Do you need help getting to bed?" Owen asked as they both watched Amos carefully stand up, his hand seemingly involuntarily going to his back pocket, where he usually kept his cigarettes. When it came back empty, he glanced toward the door and started walking.

"Nah... I'm good."

Owen and Fox both looked at each other once Amos disappeared out the door. Neither of their expressions were favorable.

"Go get him. Stop him from grabbing the pack of cigarettes he stashed in the nightstand on the far side of the bed," Owen whispered as he started lifting Fox out of the tub.

He didn't need anymore encouragement. Fox dried off lightning quick, then ran into the bedroom just in time to smack right into Amos' chest. If the other man hadn't dropped the pack of cigarettes he'd been holding and caught Fox, he probably would have stumbled backward into the hallway wall or tripped and hit the floor.

When Fox looked up to thank him for the save, he noticed Amos looking down at the pack of cigarettes on the floor. He seemed like he was about to reach for them when Fox wrapped his arms around the man and nuzzled his face against his chest.

"Come snuggle in bed with me? You smell really good today."

Amos looked conflicted when Fox looked up again, but on the third glance between him and the cigarettes, Owen showed up with a towel around his waist. He slowly bent down and picked up the little box, then looked up at Amos.

"I won't stop you if you feel like you really need one."

Fox hugged Amos a little tighter. He hated that the man was killing himself with those cancer sticks and the strong scent that clung to him after he smoked burned his nose if he stayed too close for long.

I want to be able to cuddle him without my nose itching.

It was clearly taking Amos a lot of effort to raise his eyes from the pack of cigarettes to finally meet Owen's. There seemed to be some sort of silent communication between them again before Owen gave an annoyed sigh and rolled his eyes.

Fox watched as he walked over to the trashcan and threw away the cigarettes. Immediately, Fox jerked his eyes upward, back to Amos, but the guy actually had a smirk on his tired face, which made Fox turn his attention back to Owen... just in time to watch him take his towel off from around his waist and swing it to hang over his shoulder as he walked.