#alexandraptor

anyway, fast forward to the white house years, during which lovett’s suddenly so busy that the mere idea of picking someone up while they’re out getting drinks on any given day makes him feel extremely tired. which is just as well, because it’s not like he really wants to walk around wearing his hang-ups on his sleeve, or get into any type of situation where he’d have to talk about it. this is fine – he can just throw himself into work, the same way everyone else around him is.

in a story like this i think the emotional core of the ot3 relationship has to be established first, because that’s important: lovett acknowledging the strength of jon and tommy’s bond over the years of their friendship but also burrowing his way into their lives and making a home for himself there. it’s not like the obama bros have become any less infuriating, but now they’re his infuriating obama bros, and he guesses he’s one of them, too. the runt of the litter, as it were. they spend so much fucking time together – jon and lovett out of necessity, because they’re working the same job most of the time, and tommy by choice. lovett doesn’t really understand why tommy would choose to pull late nights with them over lukewarm, mediocre takeout instead of just going home and crashing, but there’s a permanent indent in the shape of tommy’s butt on the couch in lovett and cody’s office, now, so maybe it’s better not to question it.

how they find out lovett’s a virgin is a little trickier, because i can’t really see lovett volunteering up that kind of information freely. but it’s like – jon and tommy know that lovett’s always been kind of weird about touching specifically and his body in general, and that’s okay. that’s just lovett, they’re used to his little idiosyncrasies by now. but maybe the three of them are hanging out at jon’s apartment one saturday afternoon, steadily working through a 24-pack of beer (”why are you guys so obsessed with sam adams? it tastes like piss,” lovett grumbles, cracking open his third bottle) and binge-watching action movies on TNT, and one thing leads to another and lovett ends up with his head tilted against jon’s shoulder, loose-limbed, head floaty. he doesn’t expect jon to kiss him, but that’s mostly because he didn’t know it was a thing jon would want from him until jon’s turning his head and actually doing it.

lovett’s kissing back before he can really think about it, tongue pressed against the roof of jon’s mouth. his entire body feels heavy and warm. tommy’s probably sitting on the floor in front of their feet, legs extended beneath the coffee table, and he turns around when he hears lovett make a muffled noise as one jon’s hands slides up his thigh to curl around his hip.

“oh,” tommy says, and lovett jerks back and looks down at him, wide-eyed. “we’re doing this right now? way to give a guy some warning.”

“what?” lovett says, trying to shake some sense into his head, fighting against how tipsy he feels. “doing what? what are we doing?”

the corner of jon’s mouth lifts into a sharp smile, and the expression makes something in lovett’s stomach drop. jon has always looked like someone who gets exactly what he wants, because he knows exactly what he wants. glancing back at tommy doesn’t really help, either, because he’s staring at lovett with a similar level of intensity. “what do you like?” jon asks, “what do you usually do?” and lovett draws away, scooches toward the other end of the couch and tries to make himself as small as possible.

he mumbles, “i, uh, don’t know. i haven’t before, actually.”

nobody says anything for a long moment, and then jon blurts out, “what -- that doesn’t -- you say things that make tommy blush all the time,” like he can’t believe it.

lovett snaps, “if the ability to make tommy blush is the litmus test for sexual activity, then 84-year-old helen who pinches his cheeks and always cards him at bullfeathers must really be getting some.”

jon chokes, and lovett feels faintly gratified, until tommy asks quietly, “you’ve never had sex with anyone before?”

lovett is pretty done with this conversation now, thanks. “no, i haven’t, so i’m just going to -- go now,” he mumbles, but before he can even shift his legs off the couch, tommy’s hand shoots out to grab his ankle, thumb tracing the bone restlessly. lovett shivers despite himself.

“that’s not what i meant,” jon manages, clearing his throat. “sorry, let me try again -- “

“it’s kind of hot,” tommy interrupts bluntly, and lovett’s head shoots up. it’s his turn to splutter.

“what?” he says, rolling his ankle against tommy’s grip. tommy doesn’t let go, and jon is moving closer again -- why is jon moving closer? “are you fucking with me?”

“tommy’s right,” jon says, and he’s smiling again, softer this time. “it is hot. it means we get to be the first people to touch you like this.”