Twenty-Eight

Joe

"We have returned!" Joe announced, letting himself and Kuro into Marie's apartment. No, their apartment. They'd decided to share this space, with a few subtle alterations.

Marie leaned back from the kitchen counter. "Excellent timing. I was just making dinner."

He and Kuro took their shoes off. Joe grinned as he slid his feet into his slippers, not the thin disposable slippers Marie kept around for guests, but his own pair of cushioned house slippers sized to his feet. Being with Marie added a different dimension to the way he and Kuro were living and so far, he was enjoying every bit of it. Even the little things. Especially the little things.

Marie had a tablet propped up next to her as she continued her cooking. It had two windows open side by side, with annotations on the text in one.

"All work and no play makes Marie a naughty girl," Joe sang into Marie's ear, setting his hands on her hips.

She leaned back into him, laughing softly. "I dropped by the Seattle Central Library to pick up the research Rensho has been doing for us. It's promising, so I wanted to review it as soon as possible. Rensho and I think we might have an answer. No eclipse required."

Joe turned his head and traded glances with Kuro. Nope. No idea why she was chuckling to herself.

She twisted her upper body so she could crane her neck and look from him to Kuro and back again. "She's a hawk by day, he's a wolf by night. Never can the two touch. Seriously, did neither of you boys watch that movie?"

Joe lifted his hands and shrugged. "No idea what you're talking about."

Marie groaned and blew out a breath, the puff of air lifting a stray lock of her hair from her forehead. "Honestly, moments like this are the only times our age gap seems to be an issue."

He took hold of her hips as she reached for her tablet, possibly to bring up some app to show them whatever it was she was talking about. All in the name of helping them understand the context of her research findings that day. Her focus was formidable.

"I am unreasonably turned on by your work ethic." Joe let a playful growl add texture to his voice. "What do you think, Kuro?"

His—their—lover's hands settled on Joe's hips, and Kuro's voice rumbled against his back. "I think if I don't distract you from distracting her, dinner isn't going to be ready anytime soon."

Joe pouted and nipped at Marie's ear. "But that would leave our love here to cook while we're having fun. Doesn't seem fair."

Kuro set his teeth into Joe's shoulder, making Joe gasp, then licked the same spot. "It'll give her incentive to finish so she can join us. This way, she'll give her eyes a rest from screen time, too."

Kuro gently pressed his hips into Joe, which pressed Joe and his very apparent hard-on into the curve of Marie's behind. Both Joe and Marie groaned.

"Rude," Marie muttered.

"Frustrated?" Kuro asked, chuckling.

"Maybe," Marie responded. "Happy you're both back. And I was hoping you'd share how your afternoon went, but if you'd rather get distracted without me, I'll understand."

"I'm all for continuing to distract you." Joe licked her ear and started to nuzzle his way down her neck, filling his senses with her.

Kuro reached around him, pulling Marie closer to them both. Obviously, Kuro agreed with him. Any resistance there might have been in Marie's body was quickly melting away.

The rice cooker sang at that moment, and Marie pushed back enough to dislodge them both. "There. Rice is done and I have a clear soup simmering in the pot, with spicy cucumbers on the side and kimchijeon already made. Dinner is ready whenever we are."

Kuro reached over to the stove and turned off the burner under the soup. "It'll keep."

"Agreed." Joe lunged at Marie and she dodged back with a cute squeal. Joe froze, lifting his eyebrows. "What was that?"

Kuro darted past him, catching Marie around the waist, earning a matching squeal for himself.

Then Marie laughed. "It's just a lot, you two. This is the first time you've both come at me at once, with this much enthusiasm."

There was no fear in her voice. Any tension in her posture seemed more about awareness of them both, not hesitation. As Kuro carried Marie into the sleeping area, Joe grasped the sliding door, then paused. "It's okay, you know."

Marie and Kuro both stilled on the bed, looking at him.

Joe dragged his fingers through his hair, chuckling to himself. How was he the one with the most self-control right now? This relationship dynamic was bringing out new things in all of them.

He met Marie's gaze. "It's okay to ask us to slow down, or stop, even. You don't have to let us sweep you off your feet if that's not what you want."

Kuro nodded, easing his grip on Marie to give her space. "True."

Marie smiled that slow, beautiful smile of hers that she had for them and no one else. The one that made Joe's heart expand almost painfully inside his chest.

"I know," she said softly. "Thank you for checking in with me. I honestly was just surprised and excited all at the same time and that's what came out."

Joe smirked at her and pulled the sliding door closed. "Well, then…"

Then he jumped on the bed with both his lovers, prompting another squeal from her. How was she this cute?

"All of us have too much clothing on." He followed up his statement with action, stripping down until he only wore his boxer briefs.

Kuro pinned him with a look and proceeded to take off every stitch of clothing he was wearing.

Joe ran his fingers through his hair again and chuckled. "Fine, then. Marie, will you help me, love?"

"Mmm." Marie turned to him and drifted soft kisses over his chest and down his abdomen. She paused to nibble at the inside of his hip.

He jerked, caught between being ticklish and wanting to press against any part of her. She finally hooked her fingers in the waistband of his boxer briefs and started to pull them down.

Kuro leaned over her shoulder and wrapped his mouth around Joe's cock.

Joe threw his head back, gasping in surprise. He started to lose himself in the sensation of Kuro's hot mouth, tongue working against his shaft, when Marie giggled.

"I'd get you completely naked, but I'm stuck under here," she said.

Kuro chuckled, the vibrations against the head of Joe's cock pulling a groan from him. Then Kuro pushed himself up without letting go, continuing to suck and work up and down with his tongue.

Marie shimmied out from under Kuro, still giggling, and finally pulled Joe's boxer briefs the rest of the way down his legs. Joe opened his eyes and watched her appreciatively as she slipped her own clothes off. Her face was flushed as she watched him watch her.

"Do you like watching us, Marie?" he asked. He knew the answer. He just liked how she blushed even more.

"Yes," she whispered.

He reached out a hand to her, and she took it, rejoining them on the bed. He pulled her to him until he could kiss her, reveling in the softness of her lips.

Kuro let go of him and Marie gasped into Joe's mouth. Joe smiled and nipped her lower lip. "We like the taste of you, Marie."

She whimpered and Joe looked past her shoulder to find his lover's head angled to feast between her legs.

"Tell me," Joe whispered into Marie's ear. "What is our lover doing to you?"

Marie panted. "He's…he's licking me."

Joe caressed her breasts, rubbed the pad of his thumb over a taut nipple. "Oh, I think you can be more specific than that."

A strangled whine worked its way out of her throat. "He's sucking on my labia and licking at my clit."

Firm lips and heat surrounded Joe's erection again. Joe groaned. "Now he's sucking my cock. His tongue is so fucking talented."

Marie nodded, dropping her head to his chest. "He put his finger inside me."

This was so hot. Joe loved getting her to tell him what they were doing to her. He loved the way her voice changed pitch mid-word. He loved her gasps and the way her voice lifted into a higher register as she lost herself.

Joe put his hands on Marie's hips and tipped her to the side carefully, giving Kuro time to adjust so neither of them hurt her. Kuro straightened up on his knees, the lower half of his face wet from his attentions to both Marie and Joe.

Joe climbed to his knees and leaned into Kuro for a kiss, tasting Marie on Kuro's tongue.

Then they both turned and looked at Marie lying on the bed between them.

"What do you want right now?" Joe asked.

Marie caught her lower lip between her teeth, looking between the two of them. "Both of you inside me, please. Not in my mouth. One in front and one behind me."

Joe smiled. He loved that she felt comfortable enough to tell them. Not just what she wanted, but what she didn't want in that particular moment. But she needed to get more specific. They had plenty of time to work up to that.

"Why don't you show us?" he suggested gently.

Next to him, Kuro nodded.

Marie sat up and reached for Kuro, tugging him down to lie on the bed flat on his back. She gave him a quick kiss on the lips, then climbed over him. Kuro set his hands on her hips to steady her and she turned to pull Joe close.

"Behind me," she whispered.

Joe wrapped a hand around his aching cock. "You want both of us at the same time. Are you sure you can take us?"

They'd done a little anal play, so she wasn't completely unprepared, but this would be a first for the three of them.

She nodded. "I want to know how it feels to be that close to both of you at the same time."

He looked at Kuro, and the hungry expression on his lover's face was enough for Joe to know Kuro was all for it.

Joe smiled. "Sounds fantastic."

He reached between Marie's legs to grasp the base of Kuro's cock, positioning Kuro for Marie. As she lowered herself on him, both of them moaned. It took her a minute and more to take his full length inside her. Joe sat back and admired the two of them.

Muscles rippled under Kuro's skin as he raised his hips up to meet Marie, the two of them slowly fucking each other. Marie was a vision and he drank in the sight of her. The curve of her lower back. The soft fall of her hair over her shoulders.

He reached into the nightstand drawer and pulled out the tube of lubricant, a condom, and a small washcloth. Carried them with him as he knelt behind her, straddling Kuro's legs. He dragged his fingers along the outside of Kuro's thigh, giving his lover's ass a brief squeeze as he reached up with his other hand to cup his other lover's breast. They both sighed.

He pressed a kiss to Marie's shoulder, right at the juncture where her shoulder met her neck. Then he set his teeth against the same spot and bit down gently. She whimpered.

"You're so good," he whispered in her ear. "So responsive. So perfect for us."

Her breath quickened and he gently pressed a hand between her shoulder blades, encouraging her to lean forward over Kuro. There was a sucking sound and she called out. Kuro must be enjoying her breasts. Good. Joe trailed kisses down her spine.

He straightened finally and rolled the condom over his length. Then he squeezed a generous amount of lube into his palm, making sure his erection was thoroughly coated. Finally, he used his fingers to spread more lube over Marie's hole.

"Joe." She whispered his name like a prayer.

"Hmm?" He pressed a fingertip against her, adding pressure until he breached the ring of muscle.

"Feels so…" She gasped. "You both feel so good. Need more of …you."

Kuro was keeping a steady, slow, deep pace with her. His eyes met Joe's over Marie's shoulder, half-lidded and so damned sexy. Joe grinned and reached down with his free hand, teasing the delicate skin under Kuro's balls as he continued to stretch Marie with the fingers of his other hand. Kuro's eyes rolled up briefly and Marie gasped as he thrust deeper into her.

"No more teasing," Kuro ground out.

That was fine with Joe. He was so hard at this point it hurt. The two of them were glorious, and he was desperate to join them.

Joe pulled his hands away and wiped his fingers on the washcloth before dropping it to one side. He palmed Marie's ass with one hand and lined himself up with her using the other. Another moan tore itself from Marie as Joe pressed into her slowly. Kuro paused, giving her time to adjust to the sensation. Joe eased himself into her with slow, shallow thrusts.

"I can feel you." Kuro forced the words out through gritted teeth. "It's so good. I won't last long."

Joe swallowed and nodded. She was so tight, so good. He wasn't going to last long, either. Finally, he was seated fully inside her. He held still, listening to Marie pant and feeling her body tremble as she was caught up in the sensation of having them both inside her at the same time.

"Marie, love, you okay?" Joe asked.

She nodded. "Yes."

Kuro reached up and caressed her face. "Take your time. We've got you."

Her breathing steadied and the tremors eased, her body relaxing into the both of them.

"This is…so full." She laughed, a little shaky, but still a laugh. "It's so intense."

Joe huffed out a laugh as Kuro chuckled.

"You can move now," she said. She flexed her hips experimentally. "I want you to move."

Kuro placed a hand over Joe's where he held her hip. Their eyes met over her shoulder and Kuro nodded.

Joe withdrew slowly. At the same time, Kuro pressed inside her. Then Joe slid into her as Kuro pulled back. They continued that way, slow and careful. They were all moaning now, groaning and sighing. The pleasure built and Joe savored every sound, every sensation.

Marie tightened around him and Kuro groaned, so she must be doing the same around Kuro, too. She called out, her head tossing back and her back curving even further.

" Fuck ." Kuro's hips jerked as he came inside her.

The movement inside Marie pressed against Joe and he couldn't hold himself back. He reached around to press his fingertips against Marie's clit and managed one more thrust before he came apart too, spending himself inside Marie as she wailed through her own climax.

Marie

Joe brought her tablet into the bedroom after they'd all managed to recover, settling himself beside her and Kuro. "Okay, show us what you and Rensho found."

Marie pressed a kiss on Joe's cheek, then settled the tablet in her lap so he and Kuro could both see the screen easily. "The hex was actually fairly complicated. It took a lot of power—drawn from the excruciating torture of multiple sacrifices, in this case—and a lot of preparation to ensure it could be cast successfully without some sort of object to attach to each of you as anchors to the spell. We honestly couldn't find enough information to re-create the spell. The knowledge for the exact steps might be something only those pain witches know, unless it was a part of a family spell book or grimoire. Not something we're going to find in any library system or archive."

Joe sagged next to her. "Not reassuring."

Kuro tightened his arm around her shoulders. "Go on."

"The thing any cook or baker or pharmaceutical researcher will tell you is that that can work in our favor."

Joe lifted his head, face scrunched up in confusion. "I wouldn't have ever related those professions in the same sentence. Please tell me how all of them would agree on a thing?"

Marie shrugged. "There's always a recipe, in a manner of speaking, and the way to keep a recipe a secret is to make sure only a very limited number of people know exactly what the steps are. The more steps, the more complicated the recipe, the harder it is to replicate. This applies in cooking, in baking, and in drug development. Trust me, I've had a few clients in the pharmaceutical field, and you pick things up as you design urban garden spaces for them."

Kuro chuckled. "And for you, all knowledge is valuable."

Marie shot him a sideways glance and allowed herself a smirk of her own. "Font of random information here. You never know when a piece of trivia is going to come in handy."

Joe wrapped a hand around her thigh. "Okay, so this works in our favor how?"

Marie tapped on the window with her notes of the various components for the spell. "Anything this complicated, with this many steps, has points of failure. A lot of them. Instead of trying to replicate the spell, Rensho and I figured out a way to consistently disrupt the hex at the point where it would be cast on the targets. It should be possible to incorporate into my wards and any wearable item you choose. We can make sure the spell won't be cast on either of you again."

"A ring," Kuro said quietly.

"Hmm?" Marie had to turn her head and tip her face up to look into Kuro's. "Is that what you'd like to wear?"

He leaned into her until he nose-booped her. "One for each of us. Yes."

Joe's hand tightened on her thigh. "Would you like that, Marie? Will you go choose a set of rings with the two of us?"

Her heart kicked into high gear. "I'm thinking there's a lot going unsaid in this moment, and I'm really, really afraid to read into this too deeply, because it could be very awkward. Could you both give me a little more clarity here? This feels like more than a thing to carry around a protective warding spell."

Kuro's gaze lifted and she looked between the two of them, watching something unspoken pass between them before Joe spoke again. "Rings, specifically, that we choose for each other. We don't want to rush you, and we don't have to get them, but I'd personally like a symbol of what's between us."

"I would too," Kuro added. "A promise, if not an engagement."

Oh. This was definitely what she was hoping it was. Her chest tightened, and emotions swirled without any place to go. Her eyes burned hot as tears welled up.

Joe pushed himself up to his knees, his brows drawing together in concern. "Hey, hey, hey. Please don't cry. We didn't mean to push you too fast. It's only been a short time, we know. It's just, we want you to know how serious we are about this relationship and about you. We want to give this thing between us a real commitment."

"No more moving around," Kuro said. "No more freelancing for Babel."

"Or any other shady contractors," Joe added. "Your friend, Thomas, connected us with one of the fixer teams who work with your consortium. We won't be a part of your cool ki—er, specific organization, but we'll be working with a group here specializing in damage control whenever there's spillover from supernatural events witnessed by humans."

"We'll be starting with the team that's going to follow up on Socrates Industries," Kuro continued. "They don't have the real amulet anymore, and you made sure the only lotuses left in the storage room were the Asian kind and not the Egyptian, so they won't be able to successfully carry out the ritual."

"It was a good thing you decided to leave the second replica at Socrates Industries," Joe said. "Because your teenage talent had to rush, it was actually identifiable as a fake. So no one had to die for the research team to realize the ritual wouldn't work anymore."

That had been weighing on Marie's mind.

"The fixer team managed to infiltrate that super secret security team we saw scoop up our walking dead guy in the first place," Joe continued. "So they've been able to confirm no other mythic items in the research lab. Just a couple of collectors' items from a pharaoh's tomb. Lots of symbology, but no real magic."

"Were we right about what they were trying to do?" Marie asked. "Were they trying to go into the afterlife to bring knowledge back to this life?"

Kuro nodded. "Yes. Death and rebirth. They were trying to make breakthroughs in medicine using experiences gleaned from going through the false door and wandering the worlds beyond, which weren't always the Egyptian afterlife. The blue lotus helped them travel through the false door and wearing the amulet brought the subject back into balance by ensuring the soul returned to the body with the dawn."

"Huh." Marie considered all of that. "The fixer team shared a lot of information with you."

"We provided a lot of intel to them first," Joe pointed out.

Marie smiled. "So we're all working together now."

"Not directly," Joe said quickly.

"No more conflict of interest." Kuro sounded pleased with the solution.

"And probably steadier work than freelancing anyway." Joe reached forward and wiped a stray tear from her cheek. "Is that okay? Is that what made you upset?"

She shook her head.

"Then what is it?" Joe asked, his confidence cracking as his hand dropped away from her face.

All those feelings started to well up inside her again, a fresh wave to overwhelm her. She caught his hand and reached for Kuro's with her other hand. "I just… Promise or proposal, or whatever, it just made me so happy I didn't know what to say. All the feelings boiled up and I…I don't… What are words, even?"

Joe stared at her, wide-eyed.

Kuro started chuckling.

Then Joe's surprise morphed into a bright grin, mischief sparking in his eyes. "We rendered you speechless. And it didn't even take an orgasm."

"Joe!" She tried to yank her hand back so she could whack him across the shoulder, but he kept hold of her hand and pressed his lips to the inside of her wrist.

"Rings, then," Kuro said as he tightened his arms around her. He started trailing kisses along her shoulder, toward her neck. "For all of us."

"Yes," she whispered.

"Good." Joe pressed a kiss on her leg, just above her knee. "Because you're ours now, witch."

She buried her fingers into Joe's hair as he continued to kiss a path up the inside of her thigh and reached for Kuro with her other hand, cradling his head as he found the sensitive spot just behind her ear. This felt right, so right.

She sighed happily. "And you're both mine."

The End