by
Shanny is messy and a bit of a hot mess all the way around, but he's got an amazing group of friends who have been more family to him than the one he was born into ever was, though he longs for someone special who won't mind letting him be the kid he never got to be. He thought that could be Tiny, but lately, his big friend has been nothing but frustrated with him and angry most of the time.
Tiny has been pining for Shanny for years. They live together and have had their fair share of friends-with-benefits moments, but when it came to taking it further, one or both always pumped the breaks. Lately, Tiny has been finding it difficult to keep his mouth closed while Shanny makes bad decision after bad decision, especially when he winds up hurt in the process. He wants to step up and be more, but he isn't a Daddy and that's all Shanny has ever claimed to want.
Riggs is a Daddy, a large, fiercely protective man with a soft spot for misfits. After being asked to watch over Shanny during a Little's movie night, he's found himself drawn to the little chaos gremlin and his close-knit group of friends. After being unable to prevent Shanny from injuring himself while showing off, he's made it his mission to ensure that he plays safely and knows that he doesn't need to be a daredevil to get someone to pay attention to him.
As Happy Holidays gives way to Happy Valentine's Day, the stockings in the window displays are replaced with hearts, can the addition of Riggs, be just the bridge Tiny and Shanny never knew they needed? Can the fierce pup and the boy he adores find the perfect person to care for them both, or will Riggs's heart prove to only be big enough for one of them?
Genres:
Pairings: M-M-M
Heat Level: 4
Romantic Content: 4
Ending: Click here to reveal
Character Identities: Gay
Protagonist 1 Age: 26-35
Protagonist 2 Age: 26-35
Protagonist 3 Age: 36-45
Tropes: Age Difference, Found Family, Friends to Lovers, Hurt / Comfort, Menage, Second Chances
Word Count: 54,213
Languages Available: English
A door burst open one flight above the landing where they stood, and from the speed of the footsteps heading their way, it was Ajay flying down them at breakneck speed, meaning Tiny moved to intercept him at the bottom to prevent him from crashing into Shanny.
“Door to the left is his,” Tiny said as he caught a squirming Ajay, who was just wearing a pair of boxers.
“What’s going on? Why were you yelling?” Ajay blurted as he tried to duck under Tiny’s arm.
“Shanny hurt himself and…” Tiny began. In hindsight, it was the wrong thing to say, as that meant there was no hanging on to Ajay. He got Shanny’s door open before the other guy could and ducked inside to turn on the light.
READ MOREShanny’s bed was a rumbled mess of blankets, pillows, and his favorite stuffed animal, a unicorn named Sparkles, which Ajay was already setting on his dresser by the time Tiny stepped into the doorway behind the big guy who was helping Shanny. Ajay started fumbling with the sheets to smooth them, but he was so busy pausing to gawk at his friend that Tiny eased around the pair in the center of the room to take over for him.
“Ajay!” Shanny squealed, his face lighting up with a big grin even as his glassy eyes struggled to focus on the room around him. Tiny just shook his head and huffed a little sigh as Ajay started fussing over him. “I fell.”
“I see that,” Ajay replied, already working the outfit off him so he could help Shanny into his sleep clothes. “Hi, Mister Riggs. Thank you for bringing Shanny home.”
Well, at least now he had a name for the guy, Tiny thought as he finished getting the blankets smoothed and the sheets untwisted.
“You’re welcome, though I would have preferred time spent with him that didn’t involve doctors and x-rays.”
“Really?” Ajay and Shanny replied.
Even Riggs’ chuckle was warm. Damn. It was hard to start hating someone when they looked at Shanny like his little friend had sprinkled glitter moonbeams all over the heavens just for him. Tiny recalled bits of the conversation he’d overheard between Shanny and Ajay one night when they were sprawled up on the roof. Shanny had been worried about making a bad impression on the man when he’d gotten sick at movie night and now here Riggs was, reassuring both Shanny and Ajay that wasn’t even remotely the case.
Tiny watched as Riggs reached across his body so he could gently stroke Shanny’s cheek and smooth his electric blue hair back from his face.
“Yes, really,” Riggs said, pausing and gently stroking Shanny’s hair like he wanted to be certain he had as much of Shanny’s attention as he could snag in the state he was in. “I’d planned to spend the evening hanging out with you.”
While Shanny beamed, Tiny finished getting the bed ready for him only to glance back over to see Riggs watching him.
“I was on my way over to him when he had his accident,” Riggs explained.
“Awe,” Shanny whined, though Tiny could tell that it was getting harder for him to keep his eyes open.
He was just about to reach out and gently extract Shanny from Riggs’ clutches when Ajay piped up.
“You can always visit here until he feels better,” Ajay offered. “We have games and streaming and stuff.”
“Please?” Shanny said.
“Of course,” Riggs replied as he helped Ajay pull Shanny’s pants up over his hips so he could get in bed.
“Let’s get you tucked in,” Tiny said, holding out his hand to Shanny who took it and let the three of them get him situated.
Tiny pressed a kiss to his forehead, as did Riggs before Ajay climbed into the bed beside him and curled up to hold their friend.
“I’ll get your phone and bring it down,” Tiny told Ajay. “That way you can text me if you guys need anything.”
“Thanks,” Ajay replied as Tiny passed Sparkles to Shanny and lifted the blankets enough that he could snuggle it to his chest. “Could you grab Animal too, please?”
“Of course,” Tiny replied as he pressed a kiss to the top of Ajay’s head.
“I’ve got Shanny’s meds and discharge papers as well as the follow-up instructions,” Riggs said. “But I’d like to talk to you for a moment before just handing them off.”
“Yeah, sure, no problem,” Tiny said. “Just let me get these guys situated first.”
COLLAPSE
