Jake finished marking something on a piece of paper and then looked around stealthily, making eye contact with Duncan on stage. He jerked his head, motioning towards the dressing room, and Duncan nodded. They both felt Emma’s worry. Jake didn’t know what to do, but he couldn’t think of anything he wanted more right now than to hug his best friend. He walked to the room and opened the door, looking in satisfaction at the sofa and the bottled water on the table next to it. Duncan’s costumes hung from the racks in the corner and the dressing room table mirror was lit and ready, opposite the couch tucked against the back wall. He felt a moment’s peace at the quiet then the worry about the bonding came rushing back in.
“Hey, man, what’s up?” Duncan walked in and shut the door behind him. He locked it. Jake flinched at the click.
“You know what’s up.” Jake sighed and dropped onto the old sofa. He felt the springs protest beneath him and winced, hoping that the worn cushions wouldn’t give out tonight. Duncan sat down beside him and put his hand on Jake’s neck, gently massaging the muscles until the tension began to dissipate. Jake pointedly ignored the spark of heat he felt at Duncan’s proximity. He wasn’t ready to deal with that yet, and Duncan was too smart to bring it up in conversation, especially now, what with the bonding and Emma’s freaking out. They could feel her from a hundred miles away.
“I know,” Duncan sighed then let his hand fall away. He rubbed at his eyes, breathing slowly in and out for a few minutes. Jake could feel the other man willing him to relax, and that almost made him panic all over again, but he knew that he had to get over it. He had the feeling that this was it, that this relationship with Duncan, and with Emma, his brain helpfully supplied, would be the last serious relationship he would ever have. And strangely, he realized that he wanted it. He wanted them both. He would just have to deal with the sudden and inexplicable attraction to a guy.
“Duncan,” Jake began, trying to think of a way to talk about what he was feeling before falling silent. He shouldn’t bring it up. Emma was still upset, and he had a feeling that if he opened that particular door they would need hours to talk, and they didn’t have the time. He needed to chill out and do his job so that the concert tonight ran smoothly. Then Duncan looked at him and smiled and Jake felt his heart stop for a moment. Jesus, he’s gorgeous, Jake thought, taking in the soft brown eyes and the traces of eyeliner smudged around them, leftover from yesterday. Duncan’s affection was evident in the way his eyes crinkled at the corners. His lips weren’t smiling, but Jake could see the telltale quirk on one side that said Duncan knew exactly what he was thinking and was amused. Jake pressed his lips together, realizing that Duncan did know, for real, and not just because they’d been best friends forever. Duncan could hear his thoughts. He smiled, sweet and sexy, and Jake felt himself blush.
Duncan’s eyes grew dark. “Jesus,” Jake breathed as the arousal built between. He had to shift position on the couch, let his legs fall open as his jeans grew increasingly tighter.
“Jake,” Duncan murmured, reaching forward to cup Jake’s cheek. He ran his thumb over his stubble, and Jake relished the gentleness of the gesture. It made him feel alive, made him think that this was real and that he wasn’t in it alone. Am I finally getting used to this? He closed his eyes and just breathed as he leaned into his friend’s touch. Duncan shifted closer and Jake’s cock jumped against his jeans so hard it made him fear for the fabric. When he opened his eyes, he finally let his arousal show on his face. Duncan swiped his thumb over Jake’s lips then took his hand back. “You know I’m not going to do anything you don’t want me to.”
“I know,” Jake said, dropping his eyes. He chuckled then reached down and adjusted himself. “I can’t deny what I feel, and I can’t hide it. This is like having a lie detector hooked up all the time, you know?”
Duncan laughed. Jake felt him resist the urge to just grab and couldn’t help smiling. His friend’s self-control was epic. “Yeah, I know,” Duncan said. Jake sent Duncan the spikes and sparks of his attraction across their connection before drawing back in an attempt to calm down.
“Even so—” Duncan started, his smile suddenly dropping away, but Jake interrupted, nodding.
“Yeah, even so, you’re still my best friend. We just have to figure out how to incorporate this into everything.”
“And what about Emma?” Duncan asked. Jake wondered what she was doing. He couldn’t tell really where she was, only that she was sitting down and she was absolutely exhausted after dealing with the debacle of the bonded students.
“And what about Emma?” Jake repeated, understanding perfectly. It wasn’t enough that he suddenly felt this thing for Duncan, oh no. He had to hook up with a third person, too. This is just how absurd my life is, he thought for a second, frustrated, before he caught Duncan’s compassionate look and felt his friend soothe away the edges.
“Stop it,” Duncan said, not unkindly. “She didn’t ask for this either and she’s scared out of her mind.”
“I know, I know, I’m an ass.” Jake let himself be comforted. He hoped Emma hadn’t caught his momentary panic but knew that she had. He sent a pulse of regret her way along with the equivalent of a mental hug. He felt her smile, faintly.
“This is really weird. I could feel you do that.” Duncan wrinkled his nose, and Jake tried not to think about how adorable that made him look.
“I know.” Jake laughed abruptly. “It’s not even difficult! How bizarre is this? It’s like the universe suddenly woke up and planted a great, big, honking love whammy on us.” He tried unsuccessfully to stifle his laughter.
Duncan shook his head, smiling unwillingly. “Look, I’ve got an interview in, shit, five minutes,” Duncan said, pulling his phone out of his pocket to check the time. Jake was already nodding. “Let’s just get through the rest of the night and take it as it comes, okay?”
“Yeah, except, you know Emma’s coming,” Jake said slowly. He didn’t know it would feel so strange to say it out loud, what they’d both been thinking for the past several days. Talking about it made it real, but Duncan just nodded.
“I know, and I think we should get some backstage passes to her.”
“How? We don’t even know where she’s sitting.” Jake stood and stretched to work the kinks out of his back. He felt Duncan watching him, and deliberately let a sliver of skin peek out between his low, tight jeans and T-shirt. Duncan smirked as Jake grinned at him. He might still be a bit uneasy with his newfound attraction to his best friend, but he always prided himself on his pragmatism. He refused to hide from the truth.
“I don’t know, but I think we should get one ready. Or two, actually. Most people don’t go to concerts alone, so she’s probably coming with that cute friend of hers, and yes, I know that you are an alien who likes to go to shows by yourself!” Duncan finished with a laugh before Jake could say anything. “And don’t try to deny it!”
Jake chuckled and looked around for his clipboard. There were a million details to work out before tonight’s concert. “Okay, I won’t. And I’ll get two passes together, give them to Dave.” Dave was their head of security for this tour and all around miracle worker.
“Maybe once Mizar starts playing we’ll be able to see where she is.” Duncan caught Jake’s skeptical look. “Hey, it’s possible! I know the place is huge, but maybe she’ll be close. And I’d bet that the closer she gets to us the better we’ll be able to sense where she is. So even if she isn’t close, I think we’ll be able to find her.”