[PLOT] Three's a Crowd [FINISHED]

[Daisicle]

Daisicle

Things were progressing smoothly since Rho and Tirzah had decided to go steady in their own way, or as smoothly as these things went. It'd been long enough that they figured it was about time to start being a bit more open with the whole thing. It wasn't that they were hiding their relations per say, but they also weren't super lovey-dovey in the public sense. He'd yet to introduce her to his parents or grandparents, or really formalize anything to their growing group of friends.

It only made sense that, if they were to start doing so, they'd begin with the one who'd met her the same time as him. So they'd figured out an afternoon Mena had off and had invited him to come and chill. Tirzah had suggested a picnic up in the Branches... but after some strong objection, they'd settled on Rho's place instead. Tirzah would be here soon with some tea leaves and snackies, so he was just doing the last of the tidying.

Menelie

Tirzah had been uncharacteristically worried about how Menahem would take this news. Rhoea seemed completely oblivious to Mena's crush on him, or at least pretended to be, and Tirzah herself had no idea what may or may not have gone on between them in the past, but it was clear to her at least that there was more to their relationship than met the eye, and she was deeply concerned that poor Menahem would just be crushed. So she'd procured the best tea for a heart-to-heart (the tea curator assured her this was so) and an assortment of sweets. She knocked softly on Rho's door and then let herself in, as was her custom.

Daisicle

"Hey babe, how's your day been?" He asked as he set about lighting some firewood to boil water and opening a window to let the smoke out. He then came over and looked over her goodies. "Dang, now don't these look hella nice."

Menelie

"I hope so," said Tirzah, setting the things down on the table. "I talked to that tea curator for long enough..."



Menahem had accepted Rho and Tirzah's invitation for tea at Rho's place.....suspiciously. Normally if they were going to hang out they'd do so at like, the pub. This just had the vibe of We Need To Talk, which made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. But, dutifully, here he was. He knocked on Rho's apartment door, with his own offering in hand: a small pot of honey.

 

[Daisicle]

Daisicle

"Fingers crossed." Rho nodded as he took the tea leaves with him to the back to put in a strainer and add to the near-boiling water, his ear flicking as he heard a knock on the door. Bit weird of him to still be knocking, but whatever. "Yo Tirzah, can you go ahead and get that? It's prolly Mena." In the meantime, he got three mugs and readied them to add tea to.

Menelie

Tirzah went to the door and opened it, smiling as she saw Menahem. "Hi," she greeted him, opening the door further to let him in. "C'mon in! Tea's almost ready."



Menahem nodded and came in, his eyes flicking around looking for...any kind of clues about what this conversation was going to be about. His smile broadened as his eyes landed on Rho. "Hey bro," he said, crossing the room to him for a fist-bump greeting. "Brought some....honey...?" he said, offering the small pot to Rho. The unspoken question there was: "tea? really?"

Daisicle

Rho turned to call out a "Yo!" to Menahem as he came in, and was waiting a bit longer for the tea to brew when he returned the first pump. "Yooooo, thanks bro. You can put that wherever." A few moments later, he pulled out the strainer and started ladling some drink into each of the cups. He then handed one to Mena with a shrug and a quiet, "Tirzah's idea, I swear - I said we should just meet at the pub like usual."

 

[Daisicle]

Menelie

Menahem made a "mm" noise and flicked his eyebrows upward, then set the honey on the table and sat down.



Tirzah sat across from Menahem and tried to keep her expression light. "How's work?" she asked to try and get things moving.



Menahem shrugged. "Work's work. It's always there and there's always something to do. Vegetables to chop, soups to make, dishes to wash."

Daisicle

Rho brought over Tirzah's mug and placed it next to her and then sat down next to her. "The crop this year's pretty good amirite? When was the last time you had such good produce?"

Menelie

"That's true," agreed Menahem, nodding. After a short pause, "So, uh, what's the occasion? With the, uh, tea and all?" he lifted his mug slightly as he spoke.



Tirzah glanced at Rho. They'd agreed he'd be the one to break the news, him being Menahem's friend and all.

Daisicle

Rho just sipped on his tea as he tried to pretend Tirzah wasn't looking at him. Honestly, he didnt -really- understand why they needed to make a big deal of this anyways. But whatever. So he casually shrugged as he just put it out there, "So Tirzah and I decided to start, like, actually dating."

 

[Daisicle]

Menelie

Tirzah cringed internally but managed to keep her face neutral. So much for delicacy.



And there it was. Menahem, somewhere in his heart, had known this had to be coming. And he was happy for them--really, truly happy. They made each other happy and that's what Mena wanted for his best bro, more than anything. But at the same time Mena felt like his little daydream fantasy of them being together had been punctured and was deflating quickly. Was it ever going to happen in the first place? Of course not, and he knew that. But somehow Rho being in a committed relationship made it more real. He also tried to keep his face neutral, even positive, and managed a somewhat mangled smile. "That's great. That's....really great." He reached across and put his hand briefly on Tirzah's. "So happy for you two."

Sensing he wouldn't be able to hold it together much longer he stood up abruptly. "I'm just gonna get some more, uh, tea." And went to the kitchen. I need a friggin drink.



Tirzah's eyes got a little wet watching Menahem's face journey. Poor dear. She looked meaningfully at Rho and made a small gesture to Menahem's full teacup, which he'd left on the table. "Go talk to him," she whispered, nudging Rho's side with her elbow. "He loves you."

Daisicle

Well that went pretty smoothly Rho had to say. That said, something seemed a bit... off... about the smile. It was just a bit weird, and it made him feel a bit weird to see it. He was about to follow up with a, "But your drink's full bruh," before Tirzah cut him off. "I mean yeah, he's my best friend." Somewhere, he kinda knew that's not what she meant, but he didn't feel like thinking about it. "Besides, what do you want me to say?"

 

[Daisicle]

Menelie

"Artemis defend me," said Tirzah quietly, casting her glance upward briefly.



Menahem took a moment in the kitchen area to compose himself, then splashed a little cool water on his neck before coming back to the table. He sat down somewhat stiffly. "Um, congratulations again," he said softly, hands in his lap. "Was there, uh, anything else?"



Tirzah looked from Menahem to Rho and back a couple times before throwing her hands up. If you wanted something done, it seemed, you needed to do it yourself. "Will the two of you please stop acting like children and discuss your feelings like men?"



Menahem's eyes got as big as saucers. He wasn't sure what kind of ideas Tirzah had about how "men" discussed their feelings, but in his experience it was typically that they didn't.

Daisicle

Rho was mouth-open, about to say nah and thoroughly change the subject, when Tirzah burst. He blinked and closed his mouth, somewhat taken aback, somewhat thinking about how hot it was for a woman to take charge. Not the time Rho. He glanced over at Mena, then back at her before tilting his head. "Men don't do that."

Menelie

Tirzah was beginning to regret having gotten involved in this, but she wasn't going to know peace until they sorted this out. Men don't do that? Well they'd better start. She rubbed her temples. "By the Roots below us...." she muttered, then sat up straighter and put on an encouraging smile. "Alright, then, I'll get you started." Tirzah took a sip of her tea. Her demeanor was light but had a distinct vein of Not To Be Trifled With. "We'll start with what I suspect is the wild boar in the room that nobody's looking at. Mena," she turned her body toward Mena as she spoke. "You've got feelings for Rho and you've both been pretending not to notice. Now, before I get serious with Rho, you two have got to sort that out, because honestly, you were here before me, Mena, so you've got more claim to him than I do."



Menahem felt as though his face might light on fire. "I, uh, well, that's complicated..." he stuttered, fidgeting with his teacup and not really looking at anyone until that last thing Tirzah said. More claim to him? He chanced a look at Rho. They'd had a conversation about this already, if incredibly obliquely, but of course Tirzah hadn't been present for that. "Well, uh, Tirzah, he and I have already talked about this, so I really don't see the need to do it again." He could practically feel his ears warming the ambient temperature of the room. "It's, uh, a situation of, um, incompatibility, shall we say." Earthmother's hooves, he wished this tea were booze.

Daisicle

Rho coughed as he choked on his tea, and he set down the mug quickly so as to not spill it. His own face was flushing pink, though it was anyone's guess if it was from the coughing or the topic, and he looked over at her to nod. Furiously. "Yup, we already had this conversation more or less. Once was enough."

See, Rho was conveniently interpreting this as Mena having a purely sexual interest in himself, which wasn't a bad thing. Heck, when he was female, the feeling was mutual. But that was easy enough to deal with on one's own.

Menelie

Tirzah blinked flatly at them both, folding her arms over her chest. "Uh...huh...." she said slowly. Why couldn't they just open up? Why couldn't they see how much better they'd feel once everything was in the open and resolved? She looked between the two of them, wondering why she seemed to be the only one in the room who could see what was going on.

Or was she missing something?

"Did something....happen....that I don't know about?" Tirzah asked, leaning forward in her chair slightly. She was envisioning a fight or something that they thought they'd put behind them. She was aware of how deeply uncomfortable they both looked but for some reason she just couldn't quit digging her hooves in.



Menahem breathed a curse word that he'd really rather not have said outside of the kitchen. He folded his arms over his chest and put one hand, closed-fist, over his mouth, knuckles resting on his lips. "I--mm, nope," he cut himself off, shaking his head. His chest felt swollen and tight, and he jiggled his leg nervously. He looked like he might burst. After a moment he just couldn't take it anymore. "Alright, Earthmother's ears, alright. Look, you clocked me. I'm in love. Congratulations for figuring out my big secret. But it's not worth bringing up, it's not gonna happen, he's happy with you, you're happy with him, I'm thrilled for both of you." He stood abruptly and started for the door.

Daisicle

"Nothing that you need to know about." Rho's interjection was immediate - there was very little he wanted less than to have this conversation. Again. Still, he wasn't used to seeing Mena looking so uncomfortable, and it made him feel a certain kind of way. He frowned lightly at this unexpected reaction, and was about to tell Tirzah to lay off it when Mena spoke up.

Instinctively, he moved to grab Mena's wrist and stop him from leaving. "Yo fam what the ********? You never said any of that." Not exactly what he might have meant to say, especially in that manner. But like... what the ********>

 

[Daisicle]

Menelie

Menahem's breath caught in his throat when Rho grabbed him and he froze. His heart leapt in his chest, pounding so loud he was sure the whole world could hear. His gaze locked with Rho's. "I....I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I thought...I thought you knew. I never pressed it because you've made it pretty clear you don't," his voice cracked a little. He cleared his throat and continued. "You don't see me," he squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. "You aren't into guys. I never...I never expected it to work, Rho, but it's hard not to keep holding that candle for you." He offered a weak smile.



Tirzah, wisely, kept still and quiet. She realized, belatedly, that she had pushed too far. She would apologize to both of them--later.

Daisicle

Rho raised a brow, "Wait, so this whole time you just thought I was an a*****e?" That was the natural conclusion if he'd known this whole time. And anyways... He looked over at Tirzah with a conflicted expression. He wasn't sure if he was angry or upset or just frustrated right now. "How did...? DID you know? The ********, was THAT why you wanted to make a big deal of telling him?" Might have been a bit of an unfair question, but he wasn't really thinking about that right now.

Menelie

Menahem looked wounded. "I've never once thought that about you, Rho. I've known the whole time you aren't into guys and I figured you were politely ignoring my very poorly hidden crush on you for the sake of our friendship, which, by the way is more important to me than any of this."



"I thought you knew," said Tirzah in a weakly defensive tone.



Menahem suddenly put the pieces together about this whole conversation. Tirzah hasn't been trying to force anything; she had been trying to do him a kindness. His expression softened.

Daisicle

"Of course I didn't know!" His voice came out louder than intended, so Rho glanced away, then between the two of them, hand still on Mena's wrist, as the mental cogs slowly started turning in his head, as the little nuances of their communication started falling more into place. "Is that...?" No, there's no way that could be true. Rho didn't - couldn't - believe it. If it was, Mena would have looked for him when the lights went out on the mountain, just as he and Tirzah had. He wouldn't have been so preoccupied with getting laid when they could have all been in danger. He would have said something more intimate when they were intimate. No, this was just a lingering physical attraction that had bled over from then.

He shook his head and gently let go of Mena's wrist, then looked down and away from both of them. His brows furrowed slightly, then softened as he bit his lip for just a moment.

Menelie

Mena flinched slightly when Rho let go, reaching out and brushing his hand with his fingertips. "Rho, I--" He bit his lip. "I always tried to be so careful to not let you see any of this. I didn't want to make you uncomfortable and, if I'm honest, I didn't want to have to hear an actual rejection." He chuckled awkwardly, and paused before continuing. "But after....what happened....I couldn't help but hold onto a little ember of hope that there might be something."



Tirzah turned in her seat and quietly interjected. "I could step out if you'd like some privacy," she offered.

Daisicle

Rho's ears flicked as he frowned and looked over at Mena, then back to Tirzah. He probably shouldn't say this, especially not like this, but he was going to. He was feeling a lot of feelings right now. "Say two Pae accidentally sleep with one another, circumstances not really mattering, and they both get all awkward and s**t about it, but it's whatever. Then something happens were they both could be in serious danger. Pae 1 goes and looks for Pae 2 because they're incredibly worried about their friend, but Pae 2 is too busy trying to find a hook-up for the night to give a s**t about Pae 1. The two Pae have a talk later, issue gets dropped. They move on. Now Pae 2 suddenly says they have feelings for Pae 1. How tf is Pae 1 supposed to believe any of that? Even a friend would have given more of a rat's a**" He took a deep breath through his nose before adding on in a deadpan tone, "Hypothetically, of course."

Menelie

Menahem folded his arms over his chest defensively, but chewed on his thumbnail anxiously. He didn't have a good response to this. He knew he was in the wrong, here, but he couldn't explain what had happened. The whole truth was that his memory of that day (and subsequent night) was hazy at absolute best. Like, not even the kind of hazy you get from being drunk, but like, more than that. "I don't know," he said quietly after a long silence. "But, hypothetically speaking, there was a lot of ******** weird magic going on. I, uh, I don't actually remember a lot of what happened." He paused here. His breath caught in his throat. "I wish I did," he continued, his voice tight with emotion, "so I would have at least something to say for myself. But I don't, and I'm sorry."



Tirzah shrugged somewhat at Rho. "He's right, there was a lot of strange magic. Consider what happened to us. It's just as likely he was under some kind of enchantment." She fully wanted this to work itself out. "I also don't think one incident can erase years of friendship," she added gently.

 

[Daisicle]

Daisicle

Rho huffed a little as Mena answered instead of Tirzah, and then she backed him up. What they said made logical sense - it probably was due to the same magic that had started this whole mess in the first place, and not Mena's fault. But he wasn't in a logical mood. He didn't want to hear any of it. He didn't want to own up to the fact that he was certainly being the a*****e right now, especially dragging them both into this. This is why he didn't do 'feelings'.

He pouted and mumbled in a bit of a mean-spirited manner, "How convenient for you. I wish I could just forget too."

Menelie

Menahem was sorely tempted to cross the room and plant a kiss on Rho. That'd shut him up. He chuckled softly at the thought but ultimately decided against it. Probably wouldn't help defuse the situation. He nodded a little and rubbed his jaw. "How can I make this up to you? How can I earn your forgiveness? You know me, Rho. I'll do whatever it takes." He met Rho's gaze and took a step toward him.



Tirzah, who after having dug her hoofs in now desperately wanted to butt out and give these two some privacy but found herself unable, decided to speak up again. After all, she was already tangled up in this; why not go further? "Rho, you seem very upset about this....what's going on?"

Daisicle

Rho blinked, a bit caught off-guard. All that pissy fit of momentum seemed to escape, almost deflate, him as he reached up and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "I uh... Didn't think that far ahead bro." It seemed he'd calmed down at least a bit, which made him feel very self-aware a d very awkward about this whole thing. By Earthmother, now Tirzah knew too. And she was probably getting the wrong idea since he never implied Mena was female at the time. Oh no. Oh hell no. He looked at Tirzah with a very serious expression. "Just so we're clear, he was female."

Menelie

"I'm sure he made a very fetching faunness," said Tirzah in a distinctly that's-nice-dear tone. Personally she didn't understand how anyone could not be attracted to men, after all everyone in her family was. Except Uncle Enki, but he only really came around for holidays.



Seeing Rho deflate somewhat gave Menahem hope--hope that they could make this right. He didn't actually want to hold a grudge, his feelings were just hurt and he wanted someone to know. Mena took another step forward, feeling an eensy bit more confident. "You better think of something then, bro. I need to know."

Daisicle

Rho crossed his arms and nodded twice, still a somewhat neutral, but serious and perhaps even stoic, expression on his face as he agreed with Tirzah's speculations. Yes, he'd made a fine faunness indeed - and Rho was man enough to admit it.

Before he could say something else in this line of thinking, or realize it probably wasn't the best thing to be saying to your girlfriend, he was caught off by Mena. "******** man, I dunno. I'm s**t at this stuff." Like father like son, apparently.

Menelie

Tirzah stood slowly from where she was sitting, sensing that Rho was having trouble with feelings again. Ooh, he could be so stubborn. She wished she could help instead of being a third hoof. Rho's whole body language was hurt and simultaneously threatened and aggressive. She didn't have lots of experience with men, but she was fairly experienced with this one in particular, and "being into women" seemed like something he was proud of and made him comfortable. Tirzah wondered if going and being very female in his direction would help.



"Mena, a moment, if you would." She crossed to Rho and drew herself into him, speaking in low tones to keep their conversation as private as possible. "My darling, I can see how difficult this whole situation is for you, so I want you to know that I, personally, will find it very sexy and manly for you to find a way to forgive your friend. I know how strong you are and I believe in you." She dropped a little kiss on his jaw and drew away slowly and back to her seat, throwing a little wink at Menahem.

Daisicle

Rho was caught off-guard as Tirzah came closer in a deceptively-sexy manner, his eyes flicking to Mena for just a moment before back to her, practically oozing awkward discomfort. It felt excessively unpleasant to show this kind of PDA with Mena, like, right there. "But...!" He tried to responding in a hushed tone before she pulled back.

He looked between the two of them, honestly just feeling really awkward right now. "But like, ********, I legit don't know. I don't even really care - let's just move on and put this all behind us. Like hella behind us."

Menelie

Menahem wondered what Tirzah said to him but put it out of his mind. She was obviously trying to help, which he didn't quite understand since she must view him as a threat, but all of her actions so far pointed to her wanting this to work out? He took another step forward, slowly closing the distance between him and Rho. "No? You don't care? This is the second time you've brought it up, bro, and always when we're talking about us." He pointed back and forth between himself and Rho. "So it seems like you do care, Rho, you just don't want to admit it." Another small step forward. "I've laid it all out for you today, man," he said, making an open-armed gesture. "You could at least do me the same courtesy."



"Yeah, and if not, we should probably find Menahem someone else so he can put you out of his mind," added Tirzah casually, pretended to be distracted by examining her fingernails. "What's the expression? 'Best way to get over a guy is under another one?' Mm, something like that. I'm sure I've heard someone say that in the dining hall." She was probably going to be in so much trouble with Rho later, but she was pretty sure she knew how to make it up to him.

Daisicle

Rho instinctively took a step back as Mena took one forward, as if he knew this was getting into dangerous territory and he could just physically separate himself from it. If he just had a moment, he could neatly package all this up and set it aside to be dealt with later. Or not at all. Probably that. They weren't giving him time to do that though.

He distinctly frowned at Tirzah's suggestion, the idea of it displeasing him far more than it had any right to. "Look, Ive never ******** with guys..." A pause as he furrowed his brows and then redirected to Tirzah, "Why are you hella invested in this anyways?" Wouldn't she, hypothetically-speaking, stand to lose the most out of this?

 

[Daisicle]

Menelie

"Me?" asked Tirzah, looking up. "I'm invested because I care about you, Rho, and I want you to be happy and satisfied. Menahem obviously means a lot to you and I don't want to stand in the way of whatever's meant to be. But I'd also be happy to--what d'you call it?--'wingman' and find Mena someone else. Ooh--Mena, what about that friend of yours? Gaspar?" She'd only heard about Gaspar once or twice and tossed the idea out on a whim. She looked back at her fingernails. "Then again, I don't mind sharing, if it comes down to it."



Menahem started to say something but then stuttered and did a double-take, turning toward Tirzah. "Wait, what?"



"You heard me," she said sweetly without looking up. Honestly, there was enough of Rho for both of them, should he choose to do that, and Menahem definitely wasn't unattractive either, despite her not being his "type". Would she have extended the same generosity to another femme? Absolutely not. But this seemed different.



Poor Mena was thrown completely for a loop. He spluttered and fidgeted, his ears and cheeks turning pink and then red. He looked back and forth between Rho and Tirzah, unsure of what to make of any of this now. He'd just started to feel a little more confident, and now here he was feeling like a whole teenager. His whole body language changed, his shoulders hunched a little and he folded his arms over his chest, resting his knuckles on his lips the way he always did when he was nervous.

Daisicle

Rho was becoming more distinctly aware of how he didn't like the thought of Mena getting with someone else when Tirzah dealt the final blow. He coughed (thank goodness he wasn't drinking) and blinked as he let her words sink in. Wait. Had he heard that right? Based on Mena's reaction there was no doubt. She wanted to... share him? With his best friend...? Whew lad that was something.

"But I don't..." he began to out out there, but then stopped. What did he actually stand to lose with this sort of offer, especially when it was his own girlfriend proposing it. Heck, it might get her more into in, and that was hot. He'd have preferred if she was suggesting another female, but still...

He crossed his arms and closed his eyes, brows furrowing and relaxing as he seemed to internally debate, before opening them with a serious expression. He held up one finger. "We try this one time, and ONLY cause Tirzah suggested it. But--!" He looked over at Mena, "If I'm going to try any of... this... with you, it's only reasonable if you try it with a faunness too." The implication here being that faunness could be Tirzah, if she agreed.

Menelie

Menahem couldn't believe his ears. He rapidly turned bright red. "R-Rho..." He started to cross the room to embrace him, but then the other hoof dropped, and it was Mena's turn to splutter awkwardly in gay panic. "But I...she..." He looked over at Tirzah and said apologetically, "Nothing personal of course..." He went through the same whirlwind of emotions that Rho probably just had, judging whether it was worth it. Ultimately, Menahem decided, Rho was worth any price. Besides, this wasn't even that steep, and Rho was right that it was only fair. He ran a hand through his hair and laughed, feeling euphoric and a little unhinged. "That's a deal."



Tirzah rolled her eyes and laughed. "Blessed Artemis, if I'd have known this was all it was gonna take to get you two to figure it out I'd have suggested it weeks ago." She stood up and went to Menahem and took his hand, tugging him toward Rho's room. "We'll be waiting when you're ready, love~" She said sweetly to Rho. Then, in a low voice to Mena, "C'mon, before he changes his mind." She was pretty sure if either of them left before "this one time" they'd lose their nerve and all this would've been for nothing. And this way everyone could regain their composure a little.

Daisicle

Rho's face went bright red and any semblance of brevado he'd maintained broke down as Tirzah grabbed Mena's hand and started to pull him to his room. His voice was easily an octave higher. "Wait, right NOW?!?" Much like a fair maiden, this was all so sudden and his heart wasn't ready. He tried to make eye contact with Mena - surely he would back him up and want to do this later. When they were fully ready. Whenever that was.

Menelie

"T-Tirzah wait," stuttered Menahem, turning bright red all over again. He was far too shaky to be any kind of lover--right? "Tirzah what are you--" he tried to protest but found himself powerless and walking toward Rho's room. He looked at Rho with a helpless expression. Save me...



"Yep!" Affirmed Tirzah cheerfully. Once they were inside Rho's room she closed the door behind them. "Hey, just take a few deep breaths alright?" She said, her voice returning to normal. "You won't even notice I'm here. I mean, unless you want to," she teased.



Menahem laughed nervously, scratched the back of his neck and tried to calm down. He thought about Rho and what it would be like to be with him--while they were both totally sober. He allowed his mind to wander a little, now that things weren't as fraught. The way Rho had caught his wrist earlier made his heart flutter.

Daisicle

And then they were gone with what Rho was definitely imagining a smug sort of grin on Tirzah's face. As the silence settled in, he was left digesting the fairly hectic time prior and wondering how their initial conversation had led to this. What was it - Tirzah and him were just gonna let Mena know they were dating? And now BOTH of them were in his room?

He looked down at the table decorated with now-cold tea and took a drink from his. After all he'd said, now that it was very clearly going to happen, he was nervous. It was one thing when they were drunk, and it was, well, a standard pairing. Man he wanted a drink right about now.

He sighed, set down the mug, slapped his cheeks, put on his game face, and followed on after them.

Menelie

When Rho came into the room, Menahem was sitting on the edge of the bed, trying (and failing) not to look super nervous. His heart pounded in his chest and he stood up when Rho came into the room all the way. He smiled in the dim light (Tirzah had thoughtfully drawn the curtains) and walked slowly toward him. When they were close enough to touch, Menahem, bolstered by this being potentially his one and only chance at it, tenderly cupped Rho's cheek with his hand and went in for a kiss.



Tirzah had been holding up a wall, and while all that was happening, she quietly closed the door behind Rho and then approached him from the side, putting her hands on his waist as she circled behind him, dropping small kisses on his back and shoulders.

 

[Daisicle]

Daisicle

Cue the metaphorical curtains closing on our dear trio.

End Scene.

Begin Epilogue.

If there was such a thing as a cigarette in the world of Telrunya, well, Rho would be taking a long drab from one right about now, or at least be fantasizing about it. He found himself rather comfortably sandwiched between his girlfriend and his... best friend (?) as he stared up at the ceiling. Well, that had certainly been a very eye-opening experience.

Menelie

Tirzah, as was her custom after...strenuous activity...had curled up on her side with her head on Rho's chest and one arm draped over his belly, hair going in all directions after it had come loose from its braid...and promptly fell asleep.



Menahem would have preferred to also be lying on his back next to Rho, but with three in the bed it made for a bit of a tight fit. So he also lay on his side facing Rho, but more of a lounged position. He couldn't get a very dopey grin to leave his face. It had been even better sober. And Tirzah was right; he hadn't noticed her much. He had, obviously, been focused on the apple of his eye. Mena softly bonked Rho's head with his affectionately. "A coin for your thoughts?" he asked softly.

Daisicle

Rho glanced over at Mena following the bonk, way too zen'd out over the recent ...strenuous activity... to be bothered with how close he was to make a big deal of it. Would have been a bit late for that. He offered a bit of a cheeky smirk as he answered a question with a question, "You still gay?"

Menelie

Mena chuckled and gave Rho a cheeky grin right back. He was sorely tempted--again--to kiss that smirk right off Rho's face, but--again--decided against it. "Oh, very much so," he responded, reaching up to touch Rho's cheek softly. He couldn't help himself. He always got cuddly and affectionate after...strenuous activity. He wanted to do more, but he restrained himself. Returning his hand to his side, he smirked and raised an eyebrow. "You still not?" Mena couldn't help but wonder what the next days would bring. Sure, they'd resolved one kind of...tension, but he still had more questions. He didn't want to overwhelm Rho, of course, but he couldn't get what now? out of his head.

Daisicle

Rho figured as much. He reached over and affectionately tussled Mena's hair before running the same hand through his own. "Nah, women are way better." He glanced away and scratched his cheek before shrugging. "But this wasn't so bad. I might be willing to give it a second chance, Tirzah willing."

Translation: he'd enjoyed himself, but was too proud and stubborn in his identity to say so outright.

Still though, from one mess right into another, huh? This was not how he'd planned on the day going at. all. And now he was too tired to want to think more about it

Menelie

Menahem grinned like a lovesick teenager when Rho reached up and ruffled his hair, then settled down a little more, tucking his head into the space between Rho's neck and shoulder. "Fair enough," he conceded. "I'd be willing to do this again too. She wasn't too bad." He wondered if it was just his body that was the problem, or him as a concept. "And even if we don't, this was still lovely." Mena dropped a little kiss on the side of Rho's neck. Being cozy cuddly like this, and also from the...strenuous activity...was beginning to make him sleepy. "Mm, and I'll still love you no matter what," he said, then yawned and snuggled down a little more. He reached down and laced his fingers through Rho's as he started to drift off...

Daisicle

Rho grinned smugly and nodded at Mena's assessment - yeah, Tirzah really was something special. He was lucky to have met them both.

He was quickly becoming drowsy himself, his eyelids becoming heavier, as Mena's kiss prompted him to shift slightly into a more comfortable position. He gave his hand a small squeeze as he felt their fingers interlace, and lazily contemplated how rougher men's hands were as he drifted off.