Their Little Beauty (MxMxM+)

Chapter Seventy-Four: Reflection, Decisions & Playtime

Briar hated it. The tension. It was beginning to stick in his mind like gum to a shoe, driving him to near insanity as he fixated on what he could- or should- have done differently.

Devon and he had not spoken more than necessary for a little over a week. Not for lack of trying on Devon's part- he had tried on multiple occasions to discuss the disagreement (argument, really) that had taken place between them. But Briar always found some way to avoid both his lover, and the conversation needed to be had.

And while Briar knew for a fact that he was not the sole person responsible for the new rift between himself and his master, he couldn't deny any longer that his refusal to talk out the issue was escalating things.

The reason he avoided any and all discussions relating to Shane would seem incredibly childish at face value; it was because he didn't want what Devon said to be true. Not that Briar believed his therapist held romantic interest towards him in the first place, but now that the idea had been planted in his mind, it grew like a weed until it wrapped around his every thought. So, he avoided the subject.

Not very mature of him, but it was all he knew to do.

The reason the situation upset him so much was that Shane was the first person Briar had opened up to and tried to befriend on his own initiative. Stephen had been introduced as a client, and things progressed from there. Jesse had just sort of wedged their way into Briar's life and brought Quinn and Devon along for the ride.

Mistress Eve, Poppy and most of his friends at Tryst gravitated towards him in the beginning because they knew Briar was a lover of their dear friends and fellow club members. And although he loved them all in their own ways, it didn't change that they were all brought into his life by others, even if indirectly.

But Shane... Briar chose to approach him in a friendly manner and try forming a sort of bond together. Shane was the person helping him gain back his independence and freedom, and made the crushing moments of backward progression bearable with his comedic remarks or witty quips.

It seemed natural to Briar that the idea of unrequited romantic feelings making their current dynamic murky, was upsetting to him. Yet, Devon hadn't thought of that when he essentially tried to dominate Briar into a decision. The young man knew it was not done solely out of jealousy or the need to covet him, but out of genuine concern for his wellbeing. 

Still... Briar was angry at having been treated as though his thoughts hadn't mattered in the face of his lover's discomfort. If there was any truth to Devon's claims then fine, he would deal with the situation like a sensible and mature adult. Friendship or not, he was not so mindless that he would put Shane before his relationship. If needed, he would cut his new friend out of his life.

But if Devon's claims were indeed wrong, as Briar felt they were, then he would need to assess things from another angle. Talk with his master and make a decision. Either Devon would just have to accept that for the time being, Briar was going to keep attending his sessions with Shane as his therapist and friend... Or the boy would need to ease his lover's worries and seek a new therapist, even if it cost him a friendship. 

This attitude led Briar to wake up determined and with a game plan. He would go to his late afternoon session and just grab the topic by the horns, ask Shane outright what his intentions were, and deal with the outcome.

But first, breakfast.

"W-what... isss... that?" He asked a little shakily, speech always a bit on the slow side after waking up. Unfortunately, it was just a side effect he would have to deal with for the foreseeable future.

"The canteen called it 'Monday Surprise'. But I call it 'Surprise- it's Diarrhoea!" Jesse grimaced as they placed the tray on the young man's bedside table.