Talking

[nerdbomb]

Once the both of them were settled in a booth at Evan's favorite burger joint, beers in hand, Jason raised his bottle to his friend. "Here's to good shopping, good food, and good company."

Evan grinned and clinked his bottle against Jason's. "Here's to getting to eat my burger and not have to try on any more girl shirts." He winked and took a swig of his beer.

"You should know that I bought you that tight black tee because you looked incredibly hot in it. Pair that with a jacket, and you're golden."

"Yeah, okay," Evan said, picking up his double bacon cheeseburger and taking a huge bite.

"Fuck, Evan," Jason laughed, "it's not trying to get away from you."

"Maybe not, but it's fucking good," Evan said, grinning as he chewed.

"Well, I'm glad to see you're feeling better," Jason said, picking up his turkey burger and taking a bite. "We can still talk, if you want to."

Evan shrugged. "Don't know that it really matters all that much."

"Hmm, are you sure about that? You were kind of being a pill."

Evan picked up a fry and bit into it. "I wasn't being a pill. I was tired of playing dress up."

"But what about the other stuff? You seemed kind of touchy."

"I wasn't being touchy," Evan said, frowning and taking another bite of his burger. "I just wanted to get out of there."

Jason put down his food and wiped his hands with a napkin before picking up his beer. "Did you want to get out of there or away from me?"

Evan paused. "Why would I want to get away from you?"

"I don't know. You got annoyed with my teasing. That's not like you."

Putting down his food, Evan sighed. "I'm sorry, Jase. I wasn't annoyed with you. You didn't do anything wrong. I just worry sometimes that I'm not fun enough to be with you guys."

Jason looked at Evan, blinking a few times. "Why would you ever think that?"

"Because I'm not into messing around with all of you or partying or drinking all the time. I'm just happy going to work, coming home, watching some TV with Will and then going to bed. What if that gets too boring for him?"

"Where is this coming from, man?" Jason asked. "You know Will's crazy about you, right?"

Evan smiled, thinking about the conversation he'd had with Will before. "Yeah, I do, but things can change no matter how much he loves me."

Jason sighed and shook his head. "Evan, I love you, but you're an idiot."

Evan started at the unexpected comment. "Please, Jase, don't hold back."

Jason laughed. "I only mean because you're not looking at the whole picture."

"What do you mean?"

"It's not just about you and Will. There are four of us in this relationship."

"Yeah, I'm aware of that."

Jason leaned forward. "Whatever it is you think you're not giving Will is most likely being given to him by either me or Dane. And vice versa."

"Really?" Evan asked, sitting back and looking thoughtful for a moment. "So it's like the three of us are able to give him everything he wants?"

"Yup," Jason said. "And we're also able to get everything we need from each other. I mean, we're not all here just for Will. Dane and I are in love with each other, and we both love you in a different way. I'd like to think that you get something from us, too."

"I do," Evan said quickly. "You guys are my family. Sometimes I'm sorry I can't love you the way you might like, but--"

"Evan, all you have to do is love me the way you want to," Jason said, suddenly serious. "I'd never ask for anything more than that. I think you're an awesome guy, and I love the way you love Will. I also love knowing that you've got my back and care about me."

Evan ducked his head, looking a little shy. "Hell, you're my brother, man."

"So, what's the problem?" Jason asked with a smile. When Evan couldn't give him an answer, he laughed. "You're such a dork. I can't believe that's what was bothering you."

Evan blushed a little. "I guess I figure there's no way I can compete with one guy he's loved forever and another guy who's so exciting. The safe guy might lose his appeal after a while."

Jason shook his head. "Man, you really need to have more confidence in yourself. Not just that, but you should respect Will more."

"I respect Will," Evan said, frowning.

"Then don't make it sound like he's some flake who'll bail on you if he gets bored," Jason said. "He loves you so much, and I'm not even sure you can see it sometimes."

"I know how much--"

"If you know how much he loves you, you shouldn't sit there questioning his commitment to you. Get over whatever insecurity you have and accept everything at face value. Okay?"

Evan sat up a little straighter and gave Jason a salute. "Yes, sir."

Jason burst out laughing and reached across the table to take hold of Evan's hand. "You're adorable but self-doubt is not a good look for you, sweetie."

Evan gave Jason's hand a squeeze and nodded. "Okay, I get it," he said softly. "And thank you for setting me straight."

"It's what bratty little brothers do, isn't it?"

Evan laughed and picked up his beer. "Yeah, it is."