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Your eyes squint from the intrusion of the early sun’s glistening rays, a painful moan escaping you as the alcoholic activities of last night catch up to your consciousness. You feel suffocated and unbearably warm as sweat pools onto your back while two weights press against either side of your body.
You attempt to sit up but are pulled back down by a pair of equally sweaty and hot arms. Your slightly hungover brain slowly registers that the weight pulling you down is none other than both of your lovely partners, whom you would love nothing more than to get away from because of the unbearable heat you all collectively generate.
“My dears… please…” you plead, your arms straining against their hold as they lovingly try to pull you back into their embrace. “It’s so hot and sweaty… and it’s still too early.”
While actively trying to escape their strong hold, you look back at Qifrey. “Aren’t you supposed to be preparing something for the girls?”
“They aren’t usually—” Qifrey grunts, trying with all his might to reel you back in. “—awake during this hour.”
Olruggio groans, attempting to pull you down further. “Jus’ come back to bed.”
“And… respectfully, it’s not like this isn’t our first time being hot and sweaty together,” Qifrey says smoothly, followed by Olruggio’s deep laugh that shakes the hanging bed, each tremble echoing throughout your very being.
As quickly as it came, that flustered state is cut short when another bead of sweat pulls you out of the lovely bubble you had been in.
“Okay— seriously, let’s get uUP—!”
You are quickly interrupted as Qifrey locks his arms around your waist and forcibly drags you back down.
Olruggio snuggles closer, his nose buried into the crook of your neck as he inhales contentedly at your scent, no matter how sweaty you may be. “Just stay. It’s rare that we get a quiet moment like this.”
Your own body betrays you as it starts to relax into their hold, your muscles seemingly melting into theirs like puzzle pieces.
…sssnap!
Your eyebrows furrow at the sound. You look around, eyes narrowing as you try to find the source of the noise. You spot it. One of the many ropes responsible for keeping the hanging bed well… hanging.
Your previously tipsy state vanishes as realization sobers you up.
“Um… guys?”
They both hum at the same time and at the same pitch before laughing at their synchronization. Moments like these always catch you a little off guard. The ease between them is effortless, years of history woven into tiny habits you aren’t always quick enough to follow.
From their heavy laughter, the bed shakes again and your eyes widen as the rope begins to…
…sssnap!
“Both of you stop moving, the bed is going to break,” you say hurriedly, desperately trying to get them to notice.
You’d think Olruggio, out of the three of you, would be the one noticing that his own bed was literally hanging on by a thread, but instead his tipsy state gives him the courage to make a joke.
“It’s not our first time breaking a bed.”
They both laugh and wheeze at the joke before a concerningly loud SNAP bounces off the walls.
Their laughter quickly dies down as their eyes snap toward the noise. You look up and a breath of relief escapes you as you realize you all have not fallen. One rope has snapped and landed on your torso while the remaining ropes still cling to the metal hooks nailed into the brick wall.
“Okay, now you guys notice? C’mon, what if we were actually in danger?”
Qifrey, ever the charmer, presses a chaste kiss onto your cheek. “We’re sorry, love.”
From your neck, Olruggio gives you a small kiss as well.
“Should we be worried about the other suspenders?” you ask as you point toward the remaining three intact ropes.
Suddenly, all three nails keeping the ropes secured snap from the wall, sending the three of you crashing onto the stairs below.
Olruggio lands flat against the stairs, you falling on top of him and cushioning yourself, while Qifrey desperately grabs onto the wooden frame of the bed in an attempt to steady himself, his legs sprawled across your body.
Qifrey, dazed from the fall, mutters, “Well… you’re out of bed now.”
You and Olruggio can only groan in response.
---
Olruggio lays on the couch, fingers pressed to his temple as he attempts to soothe the avalanche of a headache plaguing him.
In the kitchen, you and Qifrey prepare breakfast for the entire atelier.
You walk toward your hungover lover to try and soothe him, but he swats your hand away.
“I’m fine… dun’ worry ‘bout me,” he mumbles unconvincingly, his words slurring with every consonant.
You playfully roll your eyes. “We both know that’s not true. Now let us help you. You never accept me or Qifrey’s help!”
His brows knit together, one raised higher than the other. “As if you and Qifrey are any different!”
You laugh. It’s true. All three of you have a difficult time accepting help, but that refusal comes from not wanting to make life difficult for others. So the fact that he refuses for that reason only makes you want to help him more.
“You too! You are actively refusing our help in this very moment!”
Qifrey joins the two of you, hangover cure in hand. “Here, my star. Drink.”
Olruggio takes one good look at the cure and immediately turns away. “No. Is that the raw egg and milk cure????”
“The very same.”
“You’re trying to kill me.”
You and Qifrey laugh, Qifrey hiding his giggles behind his hand.
Your laughter softens as you watch them bicker so naturally. They move around each other with such ease that sometimes you feel a step behind without meaning to.
“I’m joking. It’s water. It’s important to stay hydrated when you’re hungover.”
Olruggio carefully inspects the contents of the glass, making sure it truly is water. After concluding that it is, he drinks it.
You notice the shift in his eyes after the first gulp, his Adam’s apple bouncing rapidly before he exhales in satisfaction.
“Wow,” you say, slightly surprised. “You must be really thirsty.”
“Of course I am! That drinking game was—”
“Did someone say game?!” a high-pitched voice exclaims.
All three of you look up to see Qifrey’s apprentices, all donning their in-house uniforms.
Richeh sticks her chin over the stair railing. “I want to play too.”
Qifrey’s eyes light up at the sight of his beloved students. “Good morning, girls!”
“Good morning, Professor Qifrey,” they all say in unison, though with varying levels of enthusiasm.
Qifrey notices the lack thereof from Coco and Agott and makes a mental note.
Sometimes it amazes you how quickly Qifrey and Olruggio notice changes in the people around them. You still feel like you are learning how to keep up with that quiet attentiveness.
“What happened to Master Olruggio?”
“He’s just feeling a little sick,” Qifrey explains as he stands up. “Now, who wants breakfast?”
Coco approaches Olruggio with genuine concern, asking what she can do to help him recover. Judging by the worried expression on her face, she seems to believe he has come down with an actual illness.
Meanwhile, Agott, Richeh, and Tetia exchange knowing looks amongst themselves, the true cause of Olruggio’s condition painfully obvious to the three apprentices who are already more than accustomed to their masters’ antics.
---
Olruggio is somewhat conscious on the kitchen table, still nursing his better-than-before hangover, his forehead resting against the hard wood.
Qifrey watches your figure as you silently hover over Olruggio’s somewhat conscious body. He sees you hesitate and carefully measure your actions as if even a small mistake could mean catastrophe, though he doubts you could do anything of that nature.
You slowly lift Olruggio’s head and place a folded towel where his forehead meets the table.
You glance back at Qifrey, whose hands are occupied with preparing lunch, though his attention seems elsewhere. “A pretty penny for your thoughts?” you ask.
“You don't need a pretty penny, you simply need to ask,” he replies. “I’m just thinking about how lucky I am.”
His hands skillfully continue preparing the lunch for today’s outing while his gaze drifts toward Olruggio.
You smile softly. “He’s such a lovely person. We are both lucky to have him as our partner.”
“Not just him.” He pauses as he caresses your cheek, forcing you to look at him. “You as well.”
You flush instantly. “O-of course! I knew that… you meant me too.”
You smile awkwardly at him. “I knew that,” you blurt again, more to convince yourself than him.
But alas, his all-seeing eye notices everything.
He gives you a look that clearly says he doesn’t believe you before continuing to pack the lunches into baskets.
“What, pray tell, is the reason for your…” He pauses, searching for the right word. “Apprehension.”
You shake your head while placing the prepared lunches into the basket. “I… perhaps I feel a bit insecure. You and Olruggio have known each other since you were children, I—”
You look down, your hands lightly gripping the table. “I just feel out of place sometimes, like I’m getting in the way of something.”
He moves closer to you, his head leaning against your shoulder while his hand slips around your arm before resting within your palm.
“You are not getting in the way. Me and Olruggio knowing each other for years does not make our relationship with you any lesser or insignificant.”
“In fact…” he murmurs against your ear, effectively sending a chill down your spine, “I find it quite nice. While we know so much about each other already, me and Olruggio really love getting to know more about you.”
His eyes drift around, searching for an object to compare the situation to.
“To us, you are like a magic textbook. Something thrilling to explore and study.”
“Your mind, the people you know, the magic you cast… every bit of it, we love to learn.”
He steps away, still close enough for you to feel his warmth but far enough for you to fully see his face.
“But…” A teasing smile tugs at his lips. “There are other things we enjoy exploring as well.”
His gaze slowly trails over you, affectionate and unbearably knowing.
Your eyebrows raise in surprise. You quickly shove the finished basket into his arms before running toward your personal chambers in a fit of flustered embarrassment.
You hear him chuckle behind you.
---
You and Olruggio sit shoulder to shoulder on the picnic blanket, eating the lunch you and Qifrey lovingly prepared.
As you lean into Olruggio, you admire the peaceful scene before you: Qifrey and his students practicing magic.
It’s really nice watching this, seeing both Qifrey and Olruggio so deeply in their element.
“I heard your conversation. With Qifrey.”
He starts suddenly, and you feel yourself figuratively shrink.
“And…?”
“Well— I agree with Qifrey, though I can’t explain it as eloquently as him,” he admits, scratching the back of his neck.
A long stretch of silence falls between you before he finally asks:
“Why didn’t you tell us?”
“I… I don’t really know. I just didn’t want to be a burden. I didn’t want you and Qifrey to have to change to accommodate me.”
He exhales softly, the hand that had been scratching his neck now wrapping around your shoulders.
“You are never a burden, alright? And—”
“Then maybe you should do it yourself!”
You and Olruggio immediately look toward the source of the argument and see Coco and Agott bickering while Qifrey attempts to de-escalate the situation.
Your feet instinctively carry you toward the trio.
“What’s wrong?” you ask as you kneel down to meet Coco and Agott eye to eye.
“Every time I try casting it, Agott keeps correcting me before I can even finish!” Coco exclaims, tears already welling in her eyes.
Agott immediately fires back, sparks practically flying from her mouth. “I was trying to help you fix it before it became dangerous!”
“See?! You always do that!”
You place a comforting hand on each of their shoulders.
“Both of you, breathe. We are letting our negative emotions get the better of us.”
You demonstrate by taking a slow deep breath, and eventually they follow.
You turn toward Coco first.
“Now, Coco, why don’t you tell Agott how her words felt to you?”
“Um…” She fidgets nervously with her wand. “I know you were trying to help… but every correction made me panic more.”
Her eyes squeeze shut.
“It makes me feel like I’m doing everything wrong.”
“But if I don’t point it out, the spell could fail completely,” Agott insists, looking toward Coco.
“But you always sound so annoyed when you talk to me!”
“I’m not annoyed at you! I’m frustrated because you keep doubting yourself!”
Your eyes flicker between them.
It’s clear Agott truly just wants to be helpful; she simply struggles to communicate it properly.
And Coco… hears the criticism louder because of her own insecurities.
Agott’s words only deepen those fears.
You look directly into Coco’s eyes, desperate for your words to truly reach her.
“Coco, being corrected does not mean people are disappointed in you. Agott was only trying to help you improve.”
Then you turn toward Agott, gently brushing her curls away from her face.
“And Agott, being helpful also means considering how your words affect others emotionally. I know you more than anyone understand how hard Coco works to catch up. So try being a bit gentler, okay?”
Slowly, Coco and Agott pull each other into a soft embrace, silently exchanging apologies.
Tetia immediately joins the hug while Richeh quietly tugs at both their sleeves, pulling them even closer together.
Coco lets out a tiny sniffle as Agott blushes furiously beneath the affection.
You stand back up, smiling softly at the sight of their reconciliation.
Qifrey walks up beside you, whispering a quiet “Thank you” before pressing a kiss against your cheek.
Before returning to his students, his eyes drift past you.
When you glance behind yourself, you notice Olruggio staring back at him.
For a moment, you feel a step behind them.
Did you miss something? Why were they sharing that look? What did you miss?
Olruggio walks toward you, his expression both serious and soft.
But his affectionate gaze goes entirely unnoticed as your thoughts spiral violently in your head.
What if you stepped in where you weren’t needed? What if you never truly fixed the rift between them? What if—
“Hey.”
Your head snaps toward him.
His hand rests gently against your shoulder, concern clear within his eyes.
“Are you okay?”
You quickly look away, blinking your tears back. “Yes.”
He pulls you closer immediately.
“You can’t hide from me.”
You say nothing.
“Did it look like he didn’t want you there?”
You still don’t answer.
What could you even say to that?
“[Name], listen to me.”
“You add so much to us, to our relationship with Qifrey and…” He glances toward the scene before him. It resembles the one he saw earlier with you. But it’s different now.
Because it has been touched by you.
He nods his head to point at the apprentices. “To the kids.”
You are then enveloped into a tight embrace. “You aren’t a burden, you never will be.”
“Now, like I said, I’m not as well spoken as Qifrey but–” He pulls away, staring deep into your eyes, much like you did with Coco. “Us adjusting to your needs, your wants, your life style? is the easiest thing we have ever done.”
You look into his tired eyes, eyes heavy from endless deadlines and late night work sessions. What you find isn’t exhaustion but the eyes of a man who loves you.
---
Just as the atelier is full of life in the early hours of the day, the atelier goes to sleep at the early hours of the night. (Due to Olruggio’s strict rules on the importance of a good sleep schedule.)
The girls had been sent off to bed together with their respective roommate, though not without complaints from Tetia, one last question from Coco, and Richeh nearly falling asleep at the dinner table from her food baby before Qifrey carried her upstairs himself.
Now only the three of you remained awake.
This has become an unofficial tradition for you three, to let go of the stress from deadlines, teaching and insecurity.
The golden magical light illuminated the room as you and Olly diligently work on washing the dirty dishes.
You dried dishes while Qifrey stacked them inside the cupboard specifically for kitchen appliances, and Olruggio stood at the sink washing the last few cups.
The rhythm between the three of you was quiet and practiced.
Comfortable.
“Agott pretended not to care about dessert again,” Qifrey mused absentmindedly.
Olruggio snorted softly. “And then took the biggest slice after everyone else grabbed theirs.”
“She thought nobody noticed,” you added with a laugh.
“She gets that from you,” Olruggio muttered toward Qifrey.
Qifrey gasped dramatically. “Excuse you? I am very emotionally transparent.”
Both you and Olruggio looked at him in silence. A look that read 'Come on now, look who’s talking.'
“…Cruel,” Qifrey sighed.
Your laughter filled the kitchen before slowly fading back into comfortable quiet.
You handed Olruggio another plate to dry, only for him to catch your wrist instead.
“Hm?” you blinked.
He brought your knuckles to his lips absentmindedly before letting go like it was second nature.
And maybe it was now.
For a moment, you simply watched them.
Qifrey humming softly to himself, Olruggio’s sleeves rolled past his elbows.
The soft clinking of dishes.
The occasional splash of water.
The familiar feeling of being gently bumped into whenever one of them passed by.
You smile, you could live the rest of your life like this.
---
Within the familiar walls of Qifrey’s room sits the three of you.
Olruggio spoons you from behind, your back pressed firmly against his chest, while Qifrey lies in front of you.
All three pairs of legs tangle together beneath the comfortable softness of Qifrey’s blanket.
“Today was perfect,” you sigh contentedly. “Nothing went wrong today.”
You pause thoughtfully.
“Well— other than our incident this morning and Olruggio being hungover.”
You hear a grunt from Olruggio and a chuckle from Qifrey.
Olruggio takes your hand within his and presses a soft kiss against it.
At the same time, Qifrey adjusts the blanket higher around the three of you, only for Olruggio to immediately tug it back down.
“You’re gonna overheat them again.”
“I control water, not body temperature.”
“Clearly not well enough.”
Their familiar back-and-forth makes warmth bloom within your chest before either of them notices your smile.
Sandwiched between your lovers beneath the blanket, you finally feel warm in a way that has nothing to do with the sticky heat from earlier that morning.
You exhale softly, the exhaustion of the day dissolving beneath Olruggio’s steady warmth and Qifrey’s calm, flowing presence, as though the two of them together could melt every worry away.
You close your eyes and simply exist within the moment.
No overthinking.
No comparing.
No wondering whether you belonged here.
You feel them shift around you occasionally, absentminded touches tracing along your arms and hands.
Olruggio reaches over your shoulder to steal one of Qifrey’s kisses meant for you, earning an offended gasp from him.
“That was for dearest here, how greedy of you, Olly!” Qifrey teases.
“Mhm. Don’t care. Shared resources,” Olruggio mutters sleepily against your shoulder.
Qifrey narrows his eyes before leaning forward and pressing another kiss against your forehead anyway, purely out of spite.
Caught between their quiet bickering, you can’t help the laugh that escapes you.
Their touches are soft and thoughtless now, the kind of intimacy born from habit, from love, from knowing exactly where to find one another even in silence.
At some point, without realizing it, you had stopped feeling like a guest in their lives.
You had become part of the routine.
Part of the home.
Held safely between them, you finally let yourself rest.