"God, they're boring tonight," he thought.

Joey had agreed to go to the Japanese restaurant that JC had suggested, even though he hated sushi, and hated even more that he had to watch JC and Chris eat it.

The decor of the restaurant was interesting enough. The waitresses were in colorful garb -- their waitress wore a black silk kimono with an almond blossom print. The place had a "harem" feel to it -- tapestries were draped all over, and they had been seated around a short table surrounded by pillows that looked too nice to sit on.

"Joe, are you listening to me?" Chris asked. No, he hadn't been listening. He had been the outsider in conversation from the moment their orders were taken.

JC and Chris could get so absorbed in each other. They tended to talk and talk like no one else was around. Joey sighed. "Sorry Chris, my mind was wandering." he said.

"I was just asking if you wanted to try some of this eel," Chris said. He offered a chopsticked portion up to Joey's mouth.

"Uh, not really," Joey said. "You know I don't like sushi."

"That's cuz you've never had it," JC said, and stuffed a piece of something that looked like shrimp into his mouth.

Joey rolled his eyes. Of course JC would just have to have a point, now wouldn't he. "If you want me to try some, I will. But I'm not responsible if it comes flying back out of my mouth and hits one of you," he said.

Chris smiled and pushed the eel closer to Joey. Joey opened his mouth slowly, all the while thinking about illnesses he could catch from raw fish. His mouth closed around the morsel, and he chewed.

"Not unpleasant," he said, still chewing. "But not something I want to have again."

"Eel is too salty anyway," JC said. "You should try some yellowfish, or some tuna."

Chris took this moment look at JC, almost lovingly. Something that Joey didn't fail to notice.

Joey felt the heat creep up into his face. It certainly wasn't the time to get jealous -- he had been drinking wine quite liberally, and felt little in the way of inhibitions.

"So, you guys, is there something you... maybe... wanted to tell me?" Joey asked.

Chris looked at Joey, surprised. "Like what, Joe?" he said.

Joey looked back and forth between JC and Chris. "Like, how long you guys have been fucking," he said.

JC coughed on the water he was drinking, and Chris just stared with his eyes wide open.

When JC recovered, he scrunched his eyebrows at Joey and said, "What makes you think that we are?"

"I've seen the way you two look at each other," Joey said. "And you've been talking to each other like I'm not around."

JC put his hand on Joey's arm. "I'm sorry, Joe. I didn't know you were feeling left out?"

JC scooted closer to Joey, and gave Chris a devious, arched eyebrow look. He leaned in to Joey' ear. "So now that you know, do you want to join us?" he whispered.

Joey's back stiffened. Again he looked back and forth between JC and Chris. Chris wore a big grin and nuzzled Joey's leg with his foot under the table.

"You know what a sex addict I am Joe," JC said, still close to Joey's ear. "We've been trying to find a way to ask you..."

Across the table, Chris licked his lips -- much too slowly, to Joey's delight. He felt a hand slide up his thigh, and looked down to find JC's hand over the growing bulge at his crotch.

"I see how you get jealous when Chris and I are together," JC said. His hands played with the zipper on Joey's pants. "What I want to know now, is which one of us you have the crush on."

"I... I don't know," Joey said, obviously confused, obviously in need of a cold shower. "Do I have to pick?" His voice was loose and the words trembled.

"No, Joe, you don't have to pick," Chris said. He made a motion to the waitress to bring the check.

Joey closed his eyes, mind overloaded with the scene that was unfolding before him. He had wanted both of them.

Chris signed the receipt for the check, then stood up, reaching for Joey's hand. "Let's go," he said.

Joey stood up, JC still clinging to him. He smiled for the first time since they had gotten to the restaurant.

End.

Originally written as an *Mprov on 10/22/00 with the words kimono, harem, narcolepsy, sex addict.