"Okay," Kerr agreed, gathering his belongings into a pile in his arms and heading away from the couch without having to be told twice. He didn't need a shower, of course; he needed a break. He was grateful that Ben recognised that and allowed him the reprieve.
Naturally, as soon as he got under the spray, thoughts of Jake and his conversation with Ben persisted. He soaped himself in the same places repeatedly while he tried to decide what Ben would get out of encouraging him to bed Jake. His first answer had been his most honest, Kerr thought; if you build up a relationship with him, he'll leave me alone. The spontaneity of that thought twisted Kerr's heart. Ben had gone on to sound manipulative and hope Jake left himself vulnerable to Kerr (which had malicious undertones that Kerr didn't love), but that first one had sprung innocently out of his mouth in the initial haze of his excitement.
Did Ben desire peace with Jake, in his heart? Was that really what this was all about? And he saw Kerr's potential intervention as a means to that end? It didn't leave as sour a taste in his mouth as the latter points had and Kerr acknowledged that, if he could build a bridge that would help Ben and Jake find common ground, he was open to it. He wasn't convinced fucking Jake was the right way to go about it but, as he stood under the spray, letting it wash over over his shoulders and back while he leant with his palms flat against the tiles and watched water swirl down the drain, he found the idea growing on him. The idea of doing what he could to heal Ben, anyway.
By the time he padded out of the bathroom, Ben was in bed, typing on his laptop. Kerr got in beside him, settling the covers around his naked hips and curling his right arm across the pillow above his head. Instead of continuing reading his book, he stared up at the ceiling and composed his question before asking Ben hesitantly. "Do you... want to make peace with Jake?"
