For a long ti, they stayed like that, holding each other in a comfortable silence. Then Carmilla pulled back a little and looked like she was up to sothing.
She asked, "Do you know what I’ve learned about our relationship, even after all that fighting together against corruption...?"
"Hm? Now, I’m curious... what did you learn?"
"It feels like I’ve been the responsible one for hundreds of years. and the one who thinks three steps ahead and plans for every possible outco." Carmilla giggled, "But with you, I can just be myself."
"I don’t have to be perfect or strategic... I can make mistakes, and you won’t judge for them."
Rick smiled. "You’re allowed to be human, Carmilla. Or, well, you know what I an... and yeah, you ARE a human."
"Not perfect, but flawed, and also real! That’s what makes you interesting."
"Most people don’t like my flaws."
"Then a lot of people are stupid."
Carmilla laughed, and it sounded real and unguarded. "I love you, you know that?"
"Even when you’re being a stupid gooner who doesn’t know when to stop."
"I love you too, especially because you call out on my bullshit."
"And it seems like I have to kick Sebastian’s ass for real this ti; every woman I love starts saying that." Rick said while showing a smile to hide his anger towards Sebastian.
"Hehehe, co on now... that’s what makes love you even more." Carmilla rested her head on his chest.
They talked about everything and nothing for the rest of the morning. Rick had never heard the stories Carmilla told him about her past, the adventures and misadventures that made her seem more like a real person than combat training ever could.
It was a comfortable and warm connection, the kind that didn’t need to be entertained or stimulated all the ti. Two people who really liked being around each other.
After spending enough ti with Carmilla, Rick found Natasha later that afternoon in what looked like a mix of a library and a lab. She had taken over one of the palace’s study rooms and filled it with books, charts, and what looked like tools for testing magic.
"Knock knock," Rick said, tapping on the door fra. "Am I getting in the way of important work?"
Natasha looked up from a complicated diagram she had been studying. Her face went from serious focus to happy surprise.
"Rick, no, don’t ever think that you’re getting in the way. This can wait."
"What are you doing, by the way?"
"Improving the efficiency of the ward network. I saw so unnecessary parts in the magical flow that could be streamlined to cut mana use by about twelve percent." She stopped for a mont, then added almost shyly, "I know it’s not as exciting as fighting monsters or ruling empires."
Rick said firmly, "It’s not boring," and then he moved to look at the diagrams over her shoulder. "That’s important."
"All the flashy heroics in the world don’t an anything if the infrastructure that keeps daily life going falls apart... you make sure things work."
Natasha’s cheeks turned a little red. "That’s a very generous way to look at obsessive optimization."
"No, it’s a fair assessnt of a valuable contribution. You keep everything running smoothly so that the rest of us can focus on what we do best."
Rick sat down next to her. "But more importantly, I’m here because I wanted to be with you."
"Not Natasha the tactical analyst, but Natasha the person I love and care about deeply."
Natasha said, "I don’t think there’s much of a difference between those two."
"My work and my personality are pretty much the sa. I don’t really know how to be soone who doesn’t always analyze and improve."
"That’s fine. I’m not asking you to change; I’m just asking you to let see all of you, even the parts that are hard to understand or complicated."
Natasha was quiet for a mont, and it was clear that her analytical mind was working through the anings and implications. After that, she spoke, and Rick had never heard her voice so soft before.
"Can I tell you sothing? Sothing I haven’t told anyone else?"
"Of course. Anything."
"Sotis I’m scared that I’m not really valuable to the bond network."
"That any good tactician could do what I do, and the only reason I’m here is because the Spirit Bond system needs more than one partner." She looked down at her hands. "I keep trying to prove my worth by working hard because I’m afraid that if I stop being useful, everyone will see that they don’t really need ."
Rick’s heart broke a little. He had thought Natasha had problems with her self-esteem, but hearing her say it so clearly hurt.
Rick said softly, "Natasha, look at ."
He kept talking when she looked him in the eye. "You’re not replaceable!"
"Your worth isn’t based on optimization percentages or tactical victories."
"I love you for your dedication, intelligence, and caring nature, even when you’re trying to be logical. Those things can’t be copied or replaced."
"According to the numbers..."
"Statistics don’t apply to our connection or to human connection in general. The point is that you matter to because of who you are, not what you do."
Natasha’s eyes were uncomfortably bright. "That didn’t sound logical at all, but it makes feel better."
"That’s fine with ."
Rick didn’t do anything special with Natasha for the next few hours. They put her research materials in order, talked about ward optimization in terms he could barely understand, and just hung out together in a comfortable way.
Natasha slowly relaxed as she realized that Rick really liked being with her, even when they weren’t doing anything useful. The tension in her shoulders eased.
Natasha finally said, "Thank you," as the sun began to set. "For this... For seeing as more than just the tactical support."
Rick said, "Thanks for letting in your heart too."
"And also for trusting with the parts of you that don’t fit into neat analytical boxes."
"I’m working on it," Natasha said with a smile. "Social-emotional processing isn’t sothing that cos easily to , but I’ll keep trying for you."
"That’s all I want."
As Rick was leaving Natasha’s study, he saw Carmilla and Natasha coming from opposite directions toward his room. The two won exchanged glances, then looked at Rick, and their faces showed they had planned their timing.
Rick said, "Uh," in a smart way. "Hello...? What’s going on here?"
"I felt so kind of deja vu seeing you both because we’ve talked for the whole day today."
"Rick," Carmilla said with a warm smile that also seed to be threatening. "Natasha and I were just talking about sothing interesting."
"What is that?"
Natasha said, "We’ve noticed that you’ve been spending ti alone with each of your bonded partners."
Her voice was very clinical, even though her cheeks were a little red. "Which is statistically fair and good for your ntal health."
"But we thought," Carmilla went on, "that you might like spending ti with more than one partner at a ti."
"Specifically... the two of us... just for tonight."
Rick’s brain stopped working for a short ti. "I... what?"
Rick screams in his mind after hearing that, "NO FUCKING WAY...!!!"
"IS THIS IT!? ARE WE GOING TO HAVE THE LEGENDARY THREESO!?"
"Ehem...! We’re propositioning you." Natasha made it clear, "For close physical relationships with three people. Is that not clear?"
"Well... hell yeah, It’s clear enough." Rick said, "And... I’m just shocked."
"Why?" Carmilla asked. "We’ve both loved you."
"We’re bonded partners with a close connection. And to be honest, after watching you consummate your bond with Nerissa for almost ten hours straight, we both feel a little neglected."
"WHAT!? H-HOW DID YOU KNOW THAT!?" Rick scread, full of terror, hearing them say that.
"D-Don’t tell ... Sebastian told you two!?" Rick’s voice broke a little.
"Sebastian tells everyone everything," Carmilla said with a smile. "He’s really bad at keeping secrets."
"AFTER ALL THIS TI...!? HE SNITCHED ON !?" Rick clenched both his fists, feeling all the rage building inside him for wanting to kick Sebastian’s ass.
"So... what do you think? Are you interested, and do you know that this... is a one-ti thing?"
"It’s hard for and Natasha to agree on the sa thing, you know." Carmilla said with a shy look.
Rick looked back and forth between them and saw that both won were wearing simple robes that were easy to take off, and then his mouth got dry.
"Now that I realized both of you were clearly ready for today..."
"I should probably get so sleep after last night." Rick said weakly, "My body needs ti to heal."
"You have Regenerative Essence now, right?" Natasha said, "Your stamina recovery is much better."
"FUCK...!" Rick screams at his mind again, "SEBASTIAN...!!! YOU ASSHOLEEEE!!!"
Sebastian replied in his mind, "Better enjoy all the MILFs you have before a new threat appears, am I right?"
Natasha then said, "Statistically, you should be able to handle two partners with little risk of getting tired."
"She talks about statistics in a very sexy way. " Carmilla said casually, "Don’t you think?"
"Yes, very sexy... all the ti, she’s always saying sothing sexy."
Both won laughed at how clearly flustered he was.
Natasha asked, "Should we take your confusing answers as permission?"
"Or would you rather we were more direct?" Carmilla asked, moving closer.
Rick’s answer was cut off when both won reached his door and turned to look at him expectantly.
Carmilla’s robe was already starting to co loose at the shoulder. Natasha’s analytical look had changed into sothing much more angry.
"After you," Carmilla said, pointing to the door. "We have all night, and I promise we’ll do a great job of reminding you how much you care about us."
Rick swallowed hard and reached for the door handle with a shaky hand. "Alright, alright... I know that this is going to be fun."
"That’s one way to say it," Natasha said.
The door opened to show Rick’s room, which was dimly lit and welcoming. Rick heard the door close behind the two won with a soft click that seed way too loud in the suddenly tense air.
Carmilla’s robe fell to the floor, leaving her with only a towel around her body.
Natasha’s ca right after, and her towel barely covered what it needed to.
"Should we begin?" Carmilla inquired, her voice lowering to a gentle murmur that weakened Rick’s knees.
"Yeah... should we start, Rick?" Natasha winked at him.
"Today... in this second life I will make history by..."
"...having a threeso with two MILFs."
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