Sheraton Academy: All Grown Up

Good Morning, Starshine

Rating: PG. Warnings: very mild sexual innuendo (so mild you might miss it)

It was 2:00 a.m. Meara sat on the couch in the living room, sipping at a mug of coffee and watching an old children's movie he found on Netflix. Sometimes he wondered what it would be like to have children of his own someday, but with the weird poly relationships he was in and the way their house was set up, he wasn't sure anyone would let them adopt or even foster. He also wasn't sure he'd make a good father, anyway.

But that wasn't important right now. What was important was that Josselin and Danny would be home soon. They'd told him not to wait up, they'd be in late, but Meara wanted to greet his lovers. Morgan had tried to stay up with him, but gave up and went up to their bedroom and crashed just past midnight.

He put down his coffee and snuggled a little deeper into his blanket. He leaned back against the couch. His eyes slipped closed. Just for a moment, he could rest.

***

"Danny, shh!" Josselin whispered, putting his hand over his friend's mouth. "It's almost 4:00. Nobody's going to be up for at least three more hours!"

"Sorry." Danny chuckled and lowered his voice. He unlocked the house and he and Josselin entered, kicking off their shoes as Danny locked the door behind them. Danny undid his already loose tie and draped it over his shoulders, unbuttoning yet another button on his collar.

"You know, I wore ties for years as a fashion statement, but it's a lot different when you have to wear them for work."

Josselin laughed softly and pulled his sweatervest off. He threw it over his shoulder. "Well, I'm still wide awake, so I'm just going to go upstairs and change, and then I'm going to come back down for a cup of tea. Want one?"

Danny shook his head. "I have a warm bed and a warmer boyfriend waiting for me. Would've been two if you weren't here." But Danny was smiling, and his voice was teasing.

"Once I've had some time to settle I'll see if I can visit Dona for a weekend," Josselin said. "Give you three some time alone."

Danny smacked Josselin's back in a friendly manner and grinned. "Thanks, mate."

The two fell into companionable silence and headed into the living room. The TV was on, but it wasn't playing anything. The blue light bounced off Meara's face, curled up in a blanket on the couch, snug as anything. Danny and Josselin shared a fond smile and Danny shook his head.

"He tried to stay up for us," Josselin whispered.

"I've got him. He's a lot smaller than me." Danny gently wormed his arms under Meara's shoulders and knees and lifted him off the couch. Meara stirred and his eyes fluttered open. His brow furrowed in confusion for a moment, then he looked up into Danny's face and smiled.

"Danny!" The exclamation was soft and tired, but no less meaningful. "You're home! Is Josselin –?"

"Right here, love," Josselin said. He pressed a kiss to Meara's forehead. Meara sighed and his eyes slipped closed, smile still playing at his lips.

"I was going to take you up to your and Josselin's room," Danny said. "Make you a little more comfortable."

"I'm going to be up for a while, though," Josselin said. He gently brushed Meara's hair out of his face. "So if you want to sleep with Danny and Morgan, that's okay, too."

Meara curled into Danny's chest, nuzzling against his shirt. Danny and Josselin chuckled. That answered that question.

"I'll follow you up," Josselin said, "so I can see him to bed properly."

He turned off the TV and the three quietly made their way up the stairs.