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Chris wasn’t much of a thinker. He tended more towards acting first and then dealing with the consequences later, and that was his prerogative: to fuck around and find out. Those were words Chris lived by, not that that was really a choice for him. Sometimes he thinks he may have even been born with his foot already in his mouth. Maybe that would explain why it gravitated there so consistently. It wasn’t entirely implausible either considering how little space there must have been in his mom’s womb with three baby boys and all.
There must’ve been some other quirks he gained from sharing that space so closely with two other bodies. His crippling dependency on Nick and Matt probably fell into that category. Without them around to keep him grounded he probably would’ve literally exploded long ago, which is probably a dramatic way of looking at things, but their physical presence was the only thing keeping Chris from vibrating out of his skin most days. The sheer magnitude of energy his body produced was largely mystifying and occasionally frustrating.
Simply put: Chris lacked both calmness and tact. Still, it only took a passing brush on the shoulder from one of his triplets for him to settle into his skin. Their hands on him were like a balm to his restless spirit.
Infrequently, there were moments that simple contact wasn’t enough, moments where Chris was so discontented by the confines of his physical being that he wished he could carve out a space in Matt or Nick’s chest and spend the rest of his life tucked snugly away next to their hearts. He was certain that their rib cages could hold him much more securely than his own body ever could.
Chris was currently experiencing one of those moments. “Need to be closer,” he whined, shoving his nose into the crook of Nick’s neck.
“Sweetheart, there’s no way we could be any closer than this,” Nick’s reply was mumbled into the side of his head as the older boy tried to rub his back soothingly. Chris had been at this game since he flopped down on the couch next to Nick an hour ago, snuggling up to his side and slowly, persistently weaseling his way into Nick’s arms. Now, Chris was lying fully on top of him, while Nick hooked his chin over Chris' shoulder to scroll through his phone resting atop his brother’s spine.
“But it’s not enough,” Chris complained. Usually, it would be, but the fact that his brother’s touch was doing nothing to calm the unsettled energy tingling at the tips of his fingers and toes was very, very distressing. He felt Nick’s breath hitch as he slid his hand under the other’s shirt to palm at his sides. Chris stroked the skin there tenderly and hummed into Nick’s neck, “So soft, Nicky.”
“Yeah, cause I wear lotion you weird fuck. What is up with you today?” Chris felt Nick move to set his phone down. His chest constricted at the thought of having Nick’s undivided attention on him.
“I don’t know, okay? I just… I need this. Need you.” Chris' voice wavered with uncertainty as he lifted his head from Nick’s neck to meet his eyes. So pretty. So blue.
“Need me how, babe?” Nick asked softly as he cradled Chris’ face in his palms, “Gotta be more specific than that if you want me to help you.” Chris felt his heart flip and dive when Nick’s thumbs started to sweep across his cheekbones gently. It was nauseating how loved and protected his older brother made him feel, but it still wasn’t enough.
“I don’t know!” Chris was definitely visibly distressed now if Nick’s concerned eyes were anything to go by. He was gripping Nick’s sides desperately as if the answer was somehow contained in his skin—actually, maybe that could work. “Skin,” Chris declared, pushing back onto his heels and pulling his shirt off. After he was done with that, his eyes fell back to Nick, who was staring at him in confusion. “C’mon. You too.” Chris grabbed at the hem of Nick’s shirt.
“Dude, what the fuck?” Fingers wrapped around both of Chris' wrists, stopping him in his tracks. He tried to tug free, but Nick held firm. The energy in his body was starting to go haywire now. His arms and legs felt all floaty and prickly like he might die if he didn’t get up and run a mile. And Chris was so fucking tired of it actually, so frustrated and so upset that his vision started to blur as his eyes filled with tears.
“Please, Nick, I need it.” God, he sounded so pathetic and whiny, but it got Nick to comply. He let go of Chris' wrists and tentatively pulled his shirt over his head. Chris snatched the fabric out of his hands and threw it to the side before diving back into Nick’s arms.
“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” Nick’s voice was soft and thick with concern, and his hands were big and warm on the small of Chris’ back. He could feel the heat coming off of Nick's chest where it came in contact with his. It moved through him slow like hot honey in his veins pushing outwards from his pounding heart. The sensation calmed his unease and sporadically-firing nerves. He let out a large breath and felt his muscles slowly relax and settle over Nick’s body. Chris’ only response was a soft humming into Nick’s ear as he took in his next breath, inhaling the scent of vanilla and safety and Nick. “That’s not an answer, y’know?” Nick urged, bringing his hand up to massage Chris’ scalp. The younger boy made another soft noise practically purring into Nick’s hair. “Just like a little house pet sometimes.” Chris tensed a little as he felt his brother’s words stir up a new heat inside him that pulled at the restlessness sitting on the edges of his mind. He could tell his cheeks were absolutely on fire.
“Not a pet,” Chris mumbled indignantly, and altogether unconvincingly, into Nick’s ear. He felt the tremors from Nick’s laugh before he heard it. “I’m being serious,” he whined, pushing himself up to look at his brother’s amused expression. He let out a gasp as Nick reached to grab his cheeks and pull him in so that their noses were suddenly touching. Chris felt his stomach flutter.
“My pet,” Nick declared, rubbing his nose against Chris’ softly. Chris’s jaw went slack in shock as the warmth rushed back into his cheeks. He felt his heart hammering against his ribs, and his cheeks only flamed brighter when he watched Nick’s eyes make a brief detour over the surface of his lips before meeting his own. “My little puppy.” Chris felt something twist in his gut. Was he hearing him right? Did Nick really just say that? Why was it making him feel like that? It was stirring up his overexcited senses and bringing back the unrest in his limbs. This time, though, Chris knew exactly what his body was telling him to do.
Chris was shamefully familiar with the urge to kiss one of his triplet brothers on the mouth; however, he did try to keep those thoughts between himself and the darkness of his room at night. Right now, though, Nick was making it very difficult to not think about. What else was Chris meant to think about when his older brother was looking at him like that and calling him his and cradling his face like he was the most precious thing he had ever had the privilege of holding? Absolutely foul. And with all that soft, pretty skin exposed, which was definitely Chris’s fault. Shit. He’s so fucked.
Suddenly, Matt’s voice (When had he entered the living room? ) cut through Chris’ thoughts, “And what the fuck would you two happen to be doing right now?” Chris felt his body freeze and tense as if he had just been caught doing something terrible, like picturing what it would feel like to kiss one of his brothers or something like that. Chris’ heart and mind were racing at the feeling of Nick’s hands gently guiding his face back into the crook of his oldest triplet’s neck. The fingers carding through his hair were gentle and soothing.
“Taking care of our puppy,” Nick replied casually. Chris felt his breath hitch. What the fuck? Why did he say that so casually? That is so not casual. He heard Matt scoff as the middle triplet sat down next to them. Matt’s hand joined Nick’s in Chris’ hair.
“Our puppy?” Chris could practically hear the way Matt’s eyebrows were raised.
“Uh huh, look how sweet he is for us.” Nick’s voice moved hotly down Chris’ spine. He shoved his face further into Nick’s neck in an attempt to hide his flushed cheeks and wild eyes.
“What’s up, puppy?” Matt teased as he started scratching behind Chris’ ear, which totally didn’t feel good at all by the way.
Chris clambered off of Nick’s chest, which he used as leverage to push himself up so that he was now wedged between Nick and the back of the couch. He locked eyes with Matt, who was sitting precariously on the edge of the couch, hip pressed right up against Nick’s. “Nothing! Nothing’s fucking happening, you weirdo,” Chris barked while breathing heavily. He felt Nick’s fingers wrap softly around the wrist of the hand he was pressing against the oldest’s chest.
“Woah there, kid,” Matt joked, resting a hand on Chris’ waist, “I was just wondering if there was some kind of ‘no shirts allowed’ party you forgot to tell me about.” Chris swallowed thickly, suddenly hyperaware of Matt’s fingers burning through his skin and Nick’s softness underneath his own palm.
“No party,” Chris choked out, “Just… just stressed or something like that.” Matt hummed in response and thumbed softly at Chris’ exposed hip bone.
“That’s why you need to be taken care of, sweetheart,” Nick replied in a tone so sweet it had Chris flopping himself over again to burrow his face back into Nick’s hair. With Chris’ sudden shift, Matt’s hand now sat hotly against the small of his back, making him shiver. He was urged back up again by Nick’s hands in his hair and on his neck. When his eyes met Nick’s, the oldest triplet cooed, “Like a little puppy,” while running a finger down the bridge of Chris’ nose to tap lightly at the tip of it, “Our little puppy.” At the same time, Chris could feel Matt lightly caressing the birthmark on his back. The attention was making his body hot all over, and he could feel his fingers twitching with the urge to grab something. His hands crept up sneakily to feel the soft skin covering Nick’s ribs.
“Still not a dog,” Chris huffed.
“But you don’t deny being ours?” Matt chuckled. Ugh. Such an adorable laugh. Chris’ heart twisted at the sound.
“Of course he’s ours,” Nick stated plainly, “Who else’s would he be?” Chris couldn’t believe they could go on talking about him like this when he was literally right there. Regardless, the conversation was doing something to his insides. His head was spinning way too fast, and it felt like his heart was trying to escape his body. His fingers curled, nails digging at Nick’s sides, as he let out a frustrated sigh. “Oh, baby, what’s wrong?” Nick immediately reacted to the sound, bringing his hands back up to frame Chris’ face. There was so much concern swirling in his pretty eyes. So pretty. Had he mentioned how pretty Nick’s eyes were?
“Too much,” Chris answered. Of what? He wasn’t sure, but there was definitely too much in his body. He could feel it sparking in his limbs and tugging on his stomach.
“Too much what?” Matt asked, still tracing Chris’ birthmark with the pads of his fingers. They handled him so carefully, Matt and Nick. It made his heart swell up into his throat. “What do you need us to do?” And that was a question Chris just couldn’t answer. God, what did he need? Why did his skin feel like it just wasn’t fitting right today? But, then, looking back down at Nick’s face, at his sharp cheekbones and his blue eyes and his soft, pink lips, Chris made his decision. Fuck it.
Pushing himself up a little, Chris removed his hands from Nick’s ribcage so that he could slide them under Nick’s arms to hold himself up on his forearms. Once he was stable, he leaned down to press their lips together.
All at once, he felt Nick’s stuttered gasp against the pressure of his mouth and Matt’s hand stalling suddenly against his lower back. Oh God, maybe he had gotten this all wrong, maybe this isn’t what they wanted, and—
And then, Nick was kissing him back, and it was the best thing he had ever felt in his life. The soft slide of their lips was bleeding all the tension out of his body, and he could feel Matt lean over to kiss down his spine like he was thanking each vertebra for holding his little brother together. Is this what heaven felt like? Or was he dying? Pretty good way to go if you ask him, with both of his brother’s lips against his skin, lighting him up and cooling him down all at once.
Matt must have been growing impatient because his hand was suddenly in Chris’ hair pulling him away from Nick’s sweet mouth. Chris whined in complaint but was quickly silenced by Matt’s lips. He was sure the angle had to be awkward for Matt, who was basically folding himself in half to meet Chris where he was resting on his forearms, hovering right above Nick’s face, but Chris didn’t much care about that because he could feel Matt’s hand in his hair and Nick’s breath on his cheek and Matt’s tongue against his own. It was perfect.
“C’mon, it’s my turn with Matt,” Nick huffed, heating the side of Chris’ face.
Matt broke away from the kiss to look Nick in the eyes and taunt, “Oh, you want me too, huh?” His tone lit a fire in Chris’ stomach.
“Obviously,” Nick retorted, slipping his arms between Matt and Chris to grab the middle triplet by the neck and pull him into an aggressive kiss. The sudden movement almost had Matt sliding off the couch, but Chris quickly pulled him over so that they were hip to hip, laying side-by-side over Nick’s bare chest while their three sets of legs tangled.
And, honestly, scratch everything Chris had said made him feel warm before. All of that was nothing compared to the heat that shot through his veins at the sight of his two older brothers making out. If he hadn’t been turned on before, he definitely was now. Shit. He heard Nick chuckle against Matt’s lips. “You see something you like, babe?” Fuck, did he say that out loud? “Oh my God! Matt, look! The puppy is blushing.” Nick’s condescending tone curled hotly around his spine, and his hips jumped involuntarily.
“I think he likes that,” Matt smirked conspiratorially at Nick. Chris whimpered as he felt his dick twitch against Nick’s thigh.
“Oh, Matty, I can feel how much he likes it.” And that was just so not fair because you try having the two hottest people on planet Earth teasing you by going back and forth in front of you like you’re too stupid to speak for yourself, which—maybe they had a point about that because Chris still hasn’t said a word since before he decided he just had to get a taste of Nick’s lips.
“Wonder what else he likes.” The smirk was audible in Matt’s voice, and the teasing lilts to his brother’s voice were going to do him in. Rest in peace, Christopher Owen Sturniolo. He died as he lived: pathetically horny for his two older brothers.