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Lucanis sighed in frustration as he gazed at his reflection in the mirror. He tried to look on the bright side, but it was completely impossible for him. Naked from the waist up, his dark eyes scanned every millimetre of his physique over and over again. His abs no longer stood out so clearly on his once-defined torso, and his chest, sprinkled with scars, was covered in a fine layer of hair which, to make things worse, saw his thick black hair interspersed with a growing number of grey strands.
“If you’re looking for Spite, I think he’s too engrossed in listening to Vel on the guitar,” murmured a sleepy Alecto, stretching out on the bed like a cat. “Though I’d ask you not to be in a hurry—the show’s a delight to watch.”
He let out an exasperated grunt. "Yeah. Really funny." He saw her looking at him from the other side of the mirror, puzzled by his bad mood. "Sorry, amor, it’s not your fault."
"What? What are you on about?" Alecto asked, lying on her stomach without getting up.
“It’s just—” Lucanis was frustrated, very much so, even more so as the words wouldn’t come out, and he pointed at his own reflection. He found it hard to talk about his insecurities, even with the two people he loved most. She twisted the corner of her mouth slightly, tilting her head, her gaze asking him a question. “Look at me. I’m getting old, Ruiseñor. Look at all this hair… ugh!” He stared in disgust at his chest and arms. “Besides, I’m losing my shape. I should train more, I should—”
“You should stop talking nonsense,” Alecto declared. “Lucanis, cariño. When you came back from imprisonment, you were just skin and bones—with plenty of muscle, granted, but that isn’t necessarily a good thing. You’re infinitely better off now than you were then. You eat way better than both Cuervo and I put together, you exercise, all that sort of thing. You even drink less coffee. You’re healthy, my love—that’s what matters.”
Lucanis shook his head. “That’s easy for you to say when you look like a desire demon yourself.” He was being honest. Alecto, true to her long-standing habit of sleeping naked, looked to him like the very embodiment of temptation. Her black mane cascaded over her shoulders, and even lying face down, the curve of her breasts beneath her body was magnetic to him. “It’s the same with Cuervo. You’re an incredible couple, committed to a man on the wane.”
The older Crow bowed his head, hurt and ashamed by his own words, but that did not make them any less true. He felt that his best years had faded away, lost forever in the depths of the Ossuary, whilst his two companions retained the beauty and strength of youth. Alecto’s hands made him lift his face to meet her purple eyes.
“Lucanis Dellamorte,” said Alecto, in that firm yet sweet tone with which he would never be able to refuse her anything. “You’re a bloody attractive man, whether you realise it or not. Anyone with eyes in their head would notice.”
Blushing and stammering, Lucanis tried to look away, but she wouldn’t let him.
“We’ve got a bit of a history, haven’t we?” she replied mischievously. “I feel obliged to remind you how you seduced a poor girl on that very same sofa, under the pretence of soothing her sore neck. How you fill my mind with utterly indecent images just by watching you fasten a button on your shirt.” Lucanis hesitated for a second, allowing Alecto to draw close enough to whisper in his ear, “How you make my body beg you to mark every inch of it just by hearing your voice, even if it’s just to say good morning.”
She kissed his cheek gently, sensing Lucanis holding his breath. She smiled to herself, aware that his dark thoughts were quickly being replaced by far more gratifying ones. With a little chuckle, she leaned back, savouring the effect a few words had on her partner, and narrowed her eyes as she heard footsteps approaching.
“But if you don’t believe me, let’s get a second opinion.” She bit her lower lip and, before Lucanis could reply, she was already by the open door, wrapping her arms around Cuervo’s neck.
“You’re even Spite’s favourite, Nightingale, though I can’t blame him.” The demon purred as he pressed his invisible lips against Alecto’s back, ever so attentive towards her. The devotion he had shown her from the very start was something not even Lucanis would have expected, though it was understandable, on the other hand.
Velasco looked from one to the other, frowning in puzzlement, but clearly delighted by the welcome. For his part, he leaned in to kiss Alecto first, and then Lucanis. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”
The unspoken question was quite clear. Alecto smiled and sat down on the bed, covering herself partly with the shirt Lucanis had left there. “Yes, but nothing good, at least not at the moment. Lucanis was criticising our taste in choosing partners; apparently, he doesn’t consider himself up to the standard of the Maker knows what.”
The man in question blushed to the tips of his ears and let out an uncomfortable grunt. “I’m not saying that.” He lowered his gaze slightly, sulking. “I just mean… I think that… Ugh, damn woman, always twisting my words.”
Alecto’s soft laughter made him blush even more.
“The same doubts again?” She nodded, pressing her lips together. As their problems had become more mundane, Lucanis’s worries about anything that didn’t concern his own survival had multiplied, even more so with the wedding so close. “Luca.” Cuervo remained patient, but his lover’s habit of belittling himself was beginning to exasperate him a little. “We’ve discussed this a thousand times.”
“And you’re still wrong!” The sharpness of her voice startled everyone present, including Spite. “Why won’t you see it? Why won’t you realise?”
“Because maybe you’re the one who’s blind!” The way he turned away from him made Cuervo feel particularly hurt. “Or maybe that’s not it. Maybe you’re looking for an excuse to sabotage your own happiness, to back out!”
An argument seemed inevitable. Spite shifted uneasily, unsure how to react to such a whirlwind of emotions. Both men seemed on the verge of anger, of tears—perhaps both at once. Something had to be done to avert disaster; something had to be said—anything at all.
“I don’t deserve you either.” Alecto’s words made them both turn abruptly towards her. “Look at yourselves. Two incredible men, strong, brave, handsome to the point of madness. Two people who’ve loved each other and lived together for more than half their lives. And suddenly—poof!—I show up, out of nowhere.”
Her tone was strangely light-hearted. Lucanis looked at her, torn between remorse on the one hand and curiosity on the other, but unsure what to say. She continued.
“I can’t help wondering why I have what I have, every single day. There are incredible women out there—sophisticated, elegant, with a beauty I could never even dream of.” Cuervo knew exactly who she was talking about, but he didn’t say anything. “You two, moreover, are nobles, so to speak. I’m nobody. And yet, here I am.”
Spite let out a soft, sorrowful groan and wrapped his ghostly arms around her, but it wasn’t comfort that Alecto was seeking. She turned slightly towards him, smiling faintly. “No pasa nada, cariño.” The spirit seemed to calm down, though only partly. “There are a thousand things about myself that I don’t like, but that doesn’t stop me from seeing just how bloody lucky I am that you love me the way you do. And you can be absolutely dead sure that I’m not going to lose that.”
The sparkle in her eyes revealed the sincerity of her words and the happiness she felt. Cuervo was immensely proud to see her making such progress – always plagued by doubts and the fear of abandonment, Alecto had often broken down, anticipating events that would never happen. To see her like this, sure of herself and confident, aware of her own ramblings, filled his heart with joy and made them forget the tension that had been palpable just a few seconds earlier.
“It’s a moment for revelations, eh?” He lay back on his back on the bed, joining in the relaxed atmosphere. Lucanis still seemed hesitant; perhaps he could ease that burden a little further. “I’m not going to say there are better-looking men out there because there aren’t—least of all ones whose scars suit them this well.”
“Cocky,” Alecto hummed, unlike Lucanis, who said nothing but looked at him, raising an eyebrow.
“But if I have to point out a flaw, it’s how I deal with negative things.” It was something he was ashamed of—his lack of control over his own emotions. “I’m impulsive and I overthink things far too much—so much so that sometimes it stops me from seeing the light in front of me.” He stroked Alecto’s cheek, and with his other hand beckoned Lucanis to come closer, gesturing for him to sit on his lap. “I live in constant fear of hurting the people I love, and that leads me to make stupid decisions.”
“No me digas” replicó Alecto, poniendo los ojos en blanco. “No voy a admitirlo jamás en voz alta, pero esa estupidez tuya es una de las cosas que te hacen más encantador”
“Cheeky creature,” he murmured. He turned to Lucanis, who was still reluctant to take things less seriously, “and now, would my wonderful partner like to share with me what it is that’s making him frown?”
Lucanis seemed reluctant, even embarrassed. Spite, on the other hand, had no such inhibitions.
“Lucanis thinks. He is not handsome. He is… old,” explained the demon, making sure everyone present could hear him. “He feels weird. Not sad. Not envious. But weird. When he hears Cuervo and the Nightingale together. Being happy”
Both of them fixed their alarmed gaze on Lucanis, who was mortified, his face purple all the way up to his ears.
“It’s not—” he tried to explain. “I just feel that… that… mierda!” The words got stuck in his throat. He gestured to indicate he needed a few seconds to compose himself, but once again Spite beat him to it.
“He feels. Happy. For them! Not bad. But he fears. They do not want him anymore. For being less phys-physs-physsical.”
“Spite, that’s enough!” Lucanis sounded desperate, so much so that Spite hid behind Alecto, pouting.
Fortunately, before any further misunderstandings could arise, Velasco understood the situation. “Darling, I know your needs and mine are different; they always have been.” He took his hand, trying to calm him down. “In that respect, Alecto and I might be more alike, but that doesn’t change a thing.”
She moved closer in turn, calmer now that she understood everything. “Darling, Vel’s right. There was a time when you two even had an agreement on that matter.” She caressed his cheek affectionately, smiling as she saw Lucanis lean into her touch. “My being here doesn’t change a thing. Cuervo loves you. I love you.”
“SPITE LOVES YOU. ALL OF YOU,” said the somewhat sulky spirit. “SPITE WILL. LEAVE LUCANIS ALONE. SO NIGHTINGALE AND CUERVO MAKE HIM KNOW”
He vanished from view before anyone could say a word, a sign that he’d preferred to stay out of the situation—though it wouldn’t last long. Lucanis tried to think of something to say, but the situation was clearly getting the better of him and he couldn’t find the words.
“Shit,” he muttered. “I don’t mean that. It’s just that… I see myself and I can’t help thinking…”
“Lucanis Dellamorte,” Alecto said his name in a tone that made both men stand to attention, as if a telling-off were imminent. “I’m going to say this just once, so I want you to be absolutely clear about it.” Lucanis swallowed hard, even more so when Alecto stood up to face him. “If neither of us has bricked up the door to this room with the three of us inside, it’s because we have a wedding to celebrate and obligations outside this place; because as far as Velasco and I are concerned, there’s no one in this world who attracts us more than you.”
Before she could finish speaking, she framed his face with both hands and kissed him intensely and hungrily, so much so that he couldn’t suppress a hoarse moan from the very depths of his being. Much to both their regret, their lips parted, but only so that Cuervo could repeat the same gesture, running his fingers through his partner’s still somewhat tousled hair.
“Does that clear up your doubts?” Alecto was caressing the area that, until a few minutes ago, had been the main source of his insecurities. Watching her trace invisible lines across his chest was mesmerising, with that scorching touch. He needed more. Much more.
“It seems our Nightingale has left you speechless, hm?” Cuervo wasn’t wasting any time either; he already had his face buried in his neck and shoulders, nibbling gently at them. Lucanis, overwhelmed by their combined attentions, trembled as he sat on Velasco’s lap, squinting his eyes and letting them have their way with him.
He felt Alecto’s lips on the scars across his chest, showering them with kisses, and, driven by instinct, he slid the shirt – his shirt – that covered her body back down. A sweet giggle confirmed that he’d done the right thing, and straight away he felt Cuervo’s fingers unbuttoning his trousers, causing that mounting tension to be released all at once. Then she pulled him forward, causing him to fall onto the bed on top of her, whilst their tongues entwined in a passionate kiss, thus also giving Cuervo the opportunity to join them in their nakedness.
Lucanis wasn't the same man they'd imprisoned in the Ossuary for a long time now, but neither was he the one who'd escaped from there. No. That man would never have allowed, not even in his wildest dreams, the love of his two partners to dispel any doubts in a matter of seconds.