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Everyone was already sleeping when Isaac went to the kitchen for a last bottle of rouge.
He had been working earlier and didn’t want to be interrupted when Amy had offered him food earlier, promising to pick some himself when he was done.
At least everyone ‘should’ be sleeping, but when he approached the dining room, he heard voices and laughter.
Peeking inside, he saw Arthur, with Reina sitting on his lap, sharing drinks and snacks.
Recently, Isaac felt strange whenever he saw the two of them together. It was like a mix of happiness and dissatisfaction that, at first, he couldn’t comprehend. But recently, with the approaching Valentine’s Day, Isaac had slowly realized the truth about the dissatisfaction. He liked Reina, but she was dating Arthur.
Unfortunately, there was no chance for Isaac to turn around and lock himself back in his room. Not when they had already noticed him.
“Newt, old boy! Come join us.”
Arthur practically slurred the words. Isaac wanted to just turn and leave, but Reina stood up, smiling at him, and Isaac got a little distracted while she and Arthur approached before he could react.
“Join?” Isaac finally diverted his eyes. Having both so close was bad for his heart, but he tried to act normal. “What are you even doing here in the middle of the night?” And drunk, of all things.
“I couldn’t sleep, so we’re having a little Valentine’s celebration a little earlier.” Reina giggled. “You can eat with us.”
Anyone else would find it easier to say no. Vampires didn’t need food. Isaac had to be the only one who couldn’t take his blood without food.
Valentine’s day was for couples. Did that mean that they… No. It was obvious Reina was also drunk and didn’t know what she was talking about. He had no right to join them.
“I do-don’t want to intrude.”
“But we want you to, Newt.” Arthur wrapped an arm around Isaac’s shoulder, pulling him closer. “You came looking for food, didn’t you? Won’t it be more fun to eat with us?”
“Maybe if you stopped calling me that.” Isaac tried to sound mad, but Reina had also gotten closer and he was practically sandwiched between the two of them.
If vampires could spontaneously combust, Isaac was sure he would have.
“It would be more fun for ‘us’ to spend some time with you, Isaac.” Reina put a hand lightly on his arm. “Arthur means no harm.”
“No harm? Arthur is always going out of his way to annoy me!” Isaac couldn’t help but protest.
“You’re just too cute. I can’t resist.” Arthur called him cute?! And he was snuggling up to him?! “I actually love you a lot.”
“Both of us do.” Reina added, her arm now hooking around his waist.
Isaac stiffened, both at the slurred out words and at Arthur nosing at his neck. All of that was only happening because they were drunk, right? There was no way they meant any of it.
Isaac was getting quite overwhelmed by the two of them, so close and the intimate way they were touching him.
Arthur pulled his head away, and Isaac caught his eyes. He had such a soft smile that Isaac had only seen discretely directed at Reina before. But the eye contact was brief as Isaac quickly looked away.
The beating of his heart was deafening, and Isaac’s senses were being overtaken by the familiar hunger but, at the same time, different from anything he’d experienced. He didn’t just want blood, he wanted ‘their’ blood.
Isaac knew why that was. Vampires had a very specific desire for the blood of someone they loved. That was the reason he’d been spending less time with Reina, under the guise of working on a new theory - which wasn’t a lie, but he usually would at least take some breaks with her.
But didn’t that mean he liked Arthur too?! That couldn’t be true!
No matter if it was true or not, though, Isaac needed to get away from them before he lost the remnants of his self-control, especially considering Arthur and Reina were drunk and especially affectionate.
“Y-you shouldn’t say things like that while you are this drunk?”
“Do you think we don’t mean it?”
“I’m not that drunk.”
Both of them laughed.
“But we’ll give you some time to think, okay?” Reina kissed his cheek, then both said goodnight and left, to Isaac’s relief.
He hurried into the kitchen for some Rouge. It wasn’t what he was craving, but it would sate him.
Then Isaac returned to his room and tried to sleep, but his mind kept returning to the scene in the dining room, and he could feel his body warm wherever Arthur and Reina touched him.
His mind wished the couple would forget all of it happened in the morning, but his heart wished they meant what they said. But why would they?
‘They’. Isaac couldn’t believe he was including Arthur in that. Most people would expect him to hate the guy. Isaac thought he did. He wished he could. But as annoyed at Arthur’s teasing as Isaac always was, he never did.
Isaac felt heat in his cheeks again when he remembered how Arthur had called him cute. Not many guys would like being called cute, but it made Isaac feel strangely warm.
Trying to escape these wild thoughts and weird feelings, Isaac tried to go back to work, but he couldn’t concentrate for long. Isaac was tired, but the image of soft smiles, the sensation of warm touches and the memory of sweet words still haunted him whenever he closed his eyes.
Going back and forth between trying to sleep and trying to work, Isaac barely noticed when morning came, until someone knocked on his door.
“Isaac, breakfast. Can I come in?”
Amy. Not the person Isaac wanted to see the most at a moment like that. He had no doubt she would pick up that he hadn’t slept and make a fuss.
On the other hand, she could help solve his dilemma about last night. She knew Reina since they were kids and was very good at reading people. If Amy could tell him Arthur and Reina were just drunk and didn’t mean any of that, and that Isaac himself was mistaking his pleasure at hearing their words for actual love, at last towards Arthur, he could simply forget it happened and go on with his life like he always did.
But what if she said they didn’t mean it, but that he was really in love with them? Or if she said they actually meant it?
“Isaac?”
He nearly jumped when a hand touched his shoulder.
Since he hadn’t answered and the door was unlocked, Amy had let herself in and set a tray with Rouge and a couple of sandwiches on the table before he ever noticed.
“You don’t look like you slept much. Were you working that late last night?” Isaac wished he was working rather than dealing with the confusion that was the last night. “Or did something else happen? You’re blushing and very distracted.”
“Sorry. Thank you for bringing breakfast. I didn’t feel like going down to eat.”
“Avoiding Arthur?”
Sometimes Isaac hated how perceptive Amy was, almost as much as Arthur - she easily but not happily admitted that, if there was a competition, Arthur would win.
“How do you…”
“He and Rei are a little hungover, so they likely stayed up late drinking. In fact, Rei told me he made a careless comment about her drinking abilities and she challenged him.” Amy shook her head and sighed. “You were also working late, so you told me you would eat something before going to bed. Considering how you’re acting, I think Arthur said something to you that went a little over his usual teasing. Do you want to talk about it?”
Isaac still felt torn if he wanted to ask her or not. He knew if he didn’t want to, she would leave him alone, but that wouldn’t solve his problem.
Still, he was afraid to know the truth. And the chances of Amy being right in whatever she told him were between ninety-two and ninety-eight percent - mostly because, according to Amy’s sisters, she never told people anything she wasn’t at least ninety-eight percent convinced of.
Isaac sighed. Better get it over with already or he would puzzle over it for a long time yet.
“So they didn’t tell you anything about last night?”
“I doubt they remember much, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
That was a little of a relief. If he wanted, it would be easier to pretend nothing happened.
A little nervous, Isaac told Amy what had happened last night.
“... and none of this makes sense.” He said after. “How can I be in love with two people? With a man? With Arthur?!”
“That is the problem, isn’t it? Arthur. But love isn’t supposed to make sense, Isaac. You cannot find patterns or anything in it. In fact, the same applies to people in general, and any kind of relationship.”
And that was why Isaac had never seen any need for personal relationships in his life before and the ones he had now had been sudden and he didn’t have an explanation for yet. What Amy was saying was that he wouldn’t find one, no matter how much he tried.
“So you don’t find it strange?”
“Life is strange. Strange doesn’t mean bad or out of place, just unexplainable. Novelty. Usually interesting. And you shouldn’t be afraid of taking a risk and exploring these things, Isaac.”
“But…”
“That’s a suggestion, of course. I know it’s hard to change.”
Isaac nodded. That kind of encouragement was expected from Amy.
“Do you think they meant it, then? That they could love me too?”
“About Arthur, I can only guess, but I think that’s likely. As for Rei, I know she loves you. I see the way she keeps to her best behavior around you. That, and she is a very honest drunk.”
“Why me? And when they already have each other. Is that one of these things that doesn’t make sense?” Because he saw no other explanation as to why they would be interested in someone like him.
To his surprise, Amy pulled him into a hug, chuckling.
“Don’t be silly. Love doesn’t have to make sense, but most of the time, there is a reason people fall in love. It just isn’t always apparent. And you are very lovable, Isaac. I love you like a brother, and I’m sure the others like you as a brother or friend, too. And if they don’t, it’s mostly because you haven’t given them the chance. Rei and Arthur just love you differently.”
Although blushing at the contact and compliments, Isaac leaned into her embrace. The idea that she saw him as family made him feel all warm inside, too. In fact, he felt like crying. Since when he was so starved for affection?
“I think I am going to ask Reina about yesterday.” Isaac finally made his resolve.
“That’s the spirit.” Amy let go of him and mused his hair. “Love always takes a little courage to take the first step. Running away never helps. I learned it the hard way.”
“Thank you, Amy. I feel better talking to you.”
“That’s what step siblings are for.” She laughed. “Good luck.” And she left, giving him a playful wink before closing the door.
At first, Isaac thought of waiting until the next day. To let Reina and Arthur have their Valentine’s date in peace. But if he did, he might lose the little courage the conversation with Amy had given him.
That’s how he found himself, after having breakfast, knocking on the door to Reina’s bedroom. She was inside, but her voice, inviting him in, sounded like she’d been sleeping.
“Sorry. Did I wake you?”
At least she was dressed, so Isaac closed the door behind him.
“No. I was getting up already. My head is a little better, and I was going to check on Arthur.”
“Oh. You can go if you want to. We can talk later.” He started walking away, but Reina spoke before he could.
“Don’t worry about it. What do you want to talk about?”
Isaac blushed as he thought about the previous night and didn’t dare look her in the eyes as he spoke.
“Do you remember last night?”
“Not much.” Reina gestured for him to sit by her side on the bed, which he did, but kept a little distance. “I ended up challenging Arthur to a drinking contest, even though it was supposed to be an extra celebration for Valentine’s. Pretty stupid, I know. Did I do more stupid things?”
“Well… not stupid. But I saw you and Arthur… you wanted me to join you two and you didn’t seem to mind it was Valentine’s.”
He cast a side glance at the woman, while searching for the right words to broach the subject, only to see she was blushing too, but looked him in the eyes with a nervous smile.
“Did I…” She gulped. “Did I tell you why I wouldn’t mind?”
Isaac wasn’t the only one nervous about this. The thought made him feel a little better, but he still couldn’t look in her eyes for long.
“You said it was because you loved me.” His voice came out weaker than he expected.
For a while they stayed in silence, then Reina started laughing.
“What a way to confess.” She took a few deep breaths to calm down. “Sorry. It’s just… that’s not how I expected you to find out. Arthur and I have been trying to decide how to approach you about it, only for us to… wait! What did Arthur say about it? No. You can tell me later.” Reina startled Isaac when she suddenly held his hand. “I should say it properly.” In her eyes, there was the same tenderness of the night before. This time Isaac didn’t look away. “I love you, Isaac. Love you as much as I love Arthur. And I would like you to be my boyfriend, too.”
“So I turn my back for a moment and you’re already asking another guy out?”
None of them had seen Arthur walk in. Despite his words, his voice sounded playful. And was Arthur blushing?
Was that how Isaac looked to Arthur when he was embarrassed? Because he also found Arthur looked quite cute like that.
“Don’t give me that, mister!” Reina also pretended to be mad. “Like you weren’t planning to do it either.”
Arthur stepped closer to the bed, a small smirk on his lips this time.
“Hey! You didn’t have to tell him?”
“Really? Because I was about to ask Isaac, but I think you told him yourself yesterday.”
Arthur took a step back and looked at Isaac with wide eyes. Diverting his gaze, Isaac only gave him a quick nod in confirmation.
“Oh, what a shame I don’t remember the look on your face.” Arthur laughed and sat on the other side of Isaac. “So, what will you do with that information, Newt? Because Rei and I would love to have you as ‘our’ boyfriend, but that’s up to you.”
Isaac couldn’t believe how Arthur was being so gentle with him and realized he’d always wanted a little of that tenderness.
“If you only want one of us or none, we’ll respect your decision.” Reina’s grip on his hand tightened a little, but not enough that he couldn’t pull away if he wanted. “But we thought a lot about it, and we think we would be even happier with you. What do you want?”
What did Isaac want? His only reason to go see her was to know the truth. Of course, he knew what his heart wanted. Would it be okay for him to ask for it?
His heart was practically screaming for him, too. He’d come this far, and there was no way he could look at any of them and reject the love they were offering him.
“I love you both, too.” Isaac whispered, blushing, but looking one, then the other in the eyes with strengthened resolve. “Sometimes I don’t know why I do, or why any of you would love me, but I want to try figuring it out.”
Isaac stiffened when Reina, smiling softly, pulled him closer for a hug and gave him a kiss on the cheek, and even more when Arthur warped his arms around both of them.
“We’ll make sure you won’t regret it, Newt.” Arthur placed a soft kiss on Isaac’s temple.
“So you’ll stop calling me that?”
“For today, okay?” Arthur laughed. “But I’ll make it up to you.”
Isaac sighed, not wanting to really ask how Arthur planned to ‘make it up’, but relaxed in his new lovers’ embrace. It was surprising, but he really enjoyed their warmth.