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“At this point, you might as well consider me the third member of your relationship,” Charles chuckles, taking a sip of his beer. Erik and Magda laugh and then exchange an indiscernible glance with each other. “What is it?”
“Hmm, oh nothing.” Magda smiles at him, leaning sideways against Erik, who dutifully wraps his arms around her. “Now come on. What do you say? Movie date with us?” They’ve been asking him to accompany their dates more and more often recently. Charles doesn’t mind that much. In fact, he doesn’t mind at all, but that doesn’t stop the flutter in his stomach from rising.
Charles sighs, “I really should finish those reports…But I suppose I have free time on Wednesday. Fine. I’ll join you.” Erik and Magda exchange smiles before exchanging a kiss.
It has been like that forever. When Erik and Magda first got together, Charles had prepared to be shunted off to the side. Most people value romance more than friends, and he’d been prepared to be forgotten. Instead, they’d invited him everywhere they went. To theatres where he'd be sat between them, all of them leaning on each other. To restaurants where even though Erik and Magda made eyes at each other, they spent just as much time talking to Charles.
At first, he’d been a little bit weirded out. Most people don’t invite mutual friends on dates. Then again, Erik and Magda aren’t most people. After a while, a very short while, it became normal. Erik would ask Magda out on a date, and then not two seconds later they’d turn and beg Charles to drop his work and join them. Magda would buy Erik a little gift, tying the box with a ribbon and a heart card, and then she’d give Charles a gift too, just as thoughtful and full of love.
He shouldn’t have been surprised, he guesses. For as long as he can remember, it’s been the three of them together. As children, they’d played together and wailed whenever their parents had to separate them to go home. He’d been by Erik’s side when Erik’s pet rabbit had run away from home. He’d been by Magda’s side when she’d gotten her first period and needed a jacket to hide the blood on the way to the nurse. They had been by his side when Raven, the day after her 18th birthday, had left the home without notice. They’d been by his side when she’d finally sent him a letter two years later saying she was ok and that they should meet up. It's always been the three of them. Why would any of that change?
And really, he should have realised sooner.
But he hadn’t. Even when he’d thought of them as the prettiest people he’d met. Even when he gave up dating because none of his relationships could be as fulfilling as the one with Erik and Magda.
In hindsight, he really is fucking oblivious.
On Monday, Charles feels slightly nervous. He attributes it to the fact that the department head is getting antsy about funding for something, and seems happily content on taking the funding from Charles’ projects. In the morning, he spends an extra five minutes making sure his hair looks good. It’s absurd because he only has his scheduled lectures as well as a twenty-minute lunch period where he’ll scarf down his sandwich while simultaneously preparing a cup of tea to Moira’s neverending entertainment. When he realises he’s fussing in the mirror he deliberately pulls his hands away, stretches his fingers out and then relaxes his hand. “Enough,” he tells himself, though he’s not entirely certain what for.
Tuesday has Charles even worse. It’s a quieter day. He has a full hour to idly chat with Moira while eating lunch, so he’s even more confused when he catches the nervous flutter in his stomach. He drinks a cup of tea to remedy. Then another. Then another two cups before Moira forcibly cuts him off. “You’ve had four cups in this lunch hour,” she says as she places the tea bags back into the cabinet, “what’s gotten into you?” Charles could just move past Moira and take the tea, but he huffs and sits on the lumpy sofa installed there.
“I really don’t know,” Charles responds, fingers tapping nervous rhythms on the fabric. He should be heading to his next class. Instead, he sinks into the couch with a heavy sigh, closing his eyes with a groan.
Moira huffs a laugh, and he feels her pat his head. “There there, you big baby. I’m sure everything will be fine.”
Charles peers at her with a huffy frown, “it would help if I knew what’s worrying me.” He looks at the clock on the other end of the room. “Perhaps I’ve forgotten about something, or lost a paper?”
“I’m sure you’ll find it if you have,” Moira reassures him before clucking and tapping her fingers on her arm. “We should get going. Those students aren’t going to teach themselves.” Charles heaves a dramatic sigh that has Moira rolling her eyes before he pushes himself upright. The lines on her face soften as she rests a hand on his shoulder, “you’ll be alright. And if you do need any help, you can call me, ok?”
“I will, Moira, don’t worry. I’m sure it’s nothing really, just…” He sighs again uneasily before shaking off the unease, “in any case, I’ll be ok.” Moira peers at him for another moment before she turns down the hallway to her halls. Charles pushes down the nerves and turns to his class. Even though he tries hard to push down the nervousness, he notices his fidgeting persisting throughout the lecture.
On Wednesday he reaches breaking point. He only has a small practical class scheduled followed by hours of grading and whatnot, so there’s too much time for Charles to stew in his unease. It’s not a good combination, Charles and nervousness, so Charles’ productivity tanks swiftly as the day continues. He considers calling Erik or Magda to cancel so he can focus on grading, but he manages to get enough done to not end up calling them. It's a relief, except for the fact that he’s more jittery than a boy on his first date.
He gets home and flops onto his bed with a heavy sigh, periodically clenching and relaxing his fist. “Fucking hell, what’s wrong with me?” Charles rolls over onto his back, covering his eyes with his hands and just breathing for a moment. He calms down marginally, sinking into the mattress before he’s suddenly interrupted by the ping of a message on his phone. It’s Magda texting time and movie, some new superhero movie at 19:00, on the group chat they share.
Just like that, the nervousness is back.
He expends enough brainpower to shoot back an affirmative before he’s rolling back onto his front and shoving his face into the blankets. He’s getting a little tiny bit of an inkling of what’s happening, and he’s really fucking screwed.
He manages to eat something small to tide him over until dinner and get changed into nicer clothes for the movie when Erik and Magda knock on his door. He curses, halfway through brushing his hair, unwilling to leave them waiting at the door. This results in him looking rather harried with half-done hair and a smudge of toothpaste on his cheek. “Hi, yeah sorry. I just need maybe five minutes.”
“Maybe more?” Erik jests as he leans forwards and wipes away the toothpaste.
Charles rolls his eyes, his own hand coming up to wipe at his face, “you could’ve just told me, you know?”
Erik just laughs unrepentantly, letting go of Magda’s hand so she can tug Charles to the bathroom to help properly brush out his hair. She sits him down on the toilet, liberally damping and brushing his hair and occasionally even running her fingers through until she’s satisfied with the look. She hooks a finger under his chin, tilting his head from one side to another with a critical gaze before she smiles, “just perfect.” Charles feels his cheeks heat up and hopes that Magda doesn’t see it.
“Thanks, Magda,” Charles stands, following Magda back out to the hall where Erik’s waiting. He hurriedly shrugs on his coat and slips on his shoes. “Shall we?”
Magda complains about some asshole coworker that she’s been dealing with. Erik nods at the appropriate times when she glances at him but shares a look with Charles telling him that he’s been hearing this spiel for the past few days. “If he breathes another word about ‘teamwork and cooperation’ when he’s been stealing my ideas, I’ll-”
“Magda, love, you’ve told us twice already that you’ll eviscerate him.” Erik rubs her shoulder placatingly. She deflates a bit, bumping her head against Erik’s chin with a grin. “And if you don’t, I’ll do it for you.” He presses a small kiss against her hair.
“Ah, there’s my husband.” Magda laughs before turning to Charles, “I couldn’t be sure before then.” She shivers in the evening breeze, drawing her coat closer. “Now, you’ve been practically quiet as a mouse. What’s wrong?”
Charles fiddles with the pocket of his coat. “Oh. Nothing really. Some problems with students. You know how it is,” he says vaguely. He looks away, noting the brightly-lit shop front for stationery. “The dean’s an asshole, but what’s new.” Shaw was an asshole, but he hadn’t done anything egregious as of late.
“Cutting your funding again?” Erik asks, frowning
Charles hums, there were some rumours that it would be happening, but Shaw hadn’t said anything. “Well, a bit. He’s just…himself, you know?”
“Unfortunately. You’ll tell us if it gets worse. We can make his life worse, right Magda?”
Magda leans into Erik and smiles, perhaps a little too sharply, “of course. Only the best for you, Charles.” Charles chuckles nervously, glancing up at Magda before darting his gaze away. She leans toward him and places an arm on his shoulder. “Are you sure you’re alright? If you are busy we can just have a night in.”
Charles smiles convincingly enough and gently pats her hand, “nonsense. I can grade the reports later. Besides, I need to socialise a bit, isn’t that what you two are always saying? Moira says the same.” Magda shoots him an unconvinced look but relents, and turns back to Erik, tucking herself into his side. Erik obligingly wraps his hand around her shoulder, resting his cheek against her head as they continue. They look perfect together. They always have. He wants…
Charles tears his gaze away and focuses on the path, missing the pointed look Magda and Erik share.
They’re almost at the cinema. The bright signs and letters light up the street as they make their way there. Magda and Erik separate as they wait to get the tickets. Charles fiddles with his gloves, peeling them off slowly as the line inches forwards. He shuffles uneasily as Magda and Erik buy their tickets feeling some kind of fluttering in his stomach. Nevertheless, he buys his ticket and they go in.
In the darkness of the cinema, Charles allows himself to watch his friends as they idly chat about some restaurant. He watches Magda’s smile and Erik’s eyes and tries not to feel too guilty about it. As the movie begins, he tears his eyes and focuses on the film instead, jumping as Magda leans against him, the smell of her shampoo drifting his way. “I like your popcorn more,” she whispers in explanation, hand reaching out to grab some. He eyes the hand as it steals a handful, sighing in a vaguely disgruntled way, but saying nothing. “Thanks,” she says and kisses his cheek. At least in the dark, they won’t see his blush.
The movie is, well, enjoyable enough. It’s an action movie with romance and heavy makeout scenes that have Charles squirming in his seat in discomfort. He doesn’t mind most make-out scenes, but these are downright garish and offensive to watch. Erik glances at him and, because he’s so very kindhearted, lets out a laugh loud enough to have one of the other two people in the room turn and hush him. Charming.
“Yes, dear, shh,” Magda says, taking another bit of popcorn.
Erik chuckles, this time softer to not bother anyone. “It’s just that, you’re not much better with your groovy pickup lines.”
“I beg your-”
Magda sighs, eyes not moving from the screen, and shoves popcorn in Charles’ mouth, “spare me. The both of you.” Charles huffs and begins chewing his popcorn glaring at Erik who just leans back and stretches his legs with a grin. “And no, you’re not my favourite, before you say anything, Erik. I don’t have favourites.” Erik huffs but lifts their clasped hands to press a kiss against her knuckles.
“Of course, my love.” Her eyes slant towards him before she’s focusing back on the screen.
At the midpoint, Charles goes to the bathroom and when he returns, Magda and Erik are curled up together, whispering lowly. They stop as soon as he appears. Charles spares them a suspicious glance but turns to watch the rest of the movie.
It’s not the worst movie he’s watched. It’s not even the worst superhero movie he’s watched, but it is not that good. The ending had even Magda rolling her eyes.
She slumps against her seat as the movie ends. “That was…”
“Horrible is a word for it?” Erik offers, sweeping some popcorn kernels from his lap. He leans over and presses a kiss against her hair.
She smiles up at him brightly, turning to kiss him properly with a sweet smile. “Horrible certainly is a word for it.” Then she turns back to Charles. “And you? What did you think?”
Charles leans back in his seat. “Well, I’m certain I won’t be watching it again.” He picks up the coat draped over the seat beside him. “But it was fun to come out with you two.”
Erik offers Magda his hand before offering it to Charles as well with a lopsided grin, “milord.” Charles takes the hand, but he overestimates how awake his legs are and stumbles into Erik. He’s warm. And soft, so very soft. “Easy there, you haven’t even had anything to drink yet.”
Charles flushes and pushes back, “sorry, sorry. Legs are half asleep.” He shrugs on his coat as they leave the room, tossing the empty popcorn containers as they go.
“Speaking of drinking, would you like to go out for just a small drink with us?” Magda asks as she does up the buttons on her coat.
Charles checks his watch even though he already knows he can’t go. “I really shouldn’t. Reports to grade and all that.” Magda’s face falls, so Charles hastily tacks on, “but…this weekend I can maybe squeeze in an afternoon?” Her face lights up, thank god.
“We’ll message you then,” Erik smiles before he’s fiddling with a stubborn zipper.
“I guess we part ways for tonight,” Magda says. Charles nods a bit regretfully. She opens her arms for her customary hug and kiss on the cheek, tilting his head for it.
There's a miscalculation, and Magda's lips press against his, soft and perfect. He presses his own back against hers. Charles spends a moment feeling them, enjoying them, melting into them, before he’s jumping back. His hand reaches up in an aborted motion to press against them. “I…”
“Wait, Charles-”
“Shit shit shit,” Charles walks backwards and bumps into the quite solid Erik. Fuck. He’s fucked up before, but kissing his best friend who happens to be dating his other best friend takes the bloody cake. “I swear it’s not-sorry sorry,” he babbles as he slowly backs away. He wraps his coat around himself. “I’ll just go-” he says and leaves, ignoring as they call for him. He hears Erik call Magda away and can’t even turn to face either of the two.
He doesn’t cry on the way home, but it’s a near thing. His heart thrums frantically and he obsessively counts the beats. Even the familiar sight of his home doesn’t still the rapid beat.
Charles slams the door behind him and promptly sinks to the floor. He’d kissed Magda. In front of Erik. He’d just ruined two friendships and a relationship in one go. And a relationship that he’d supported. He’d even held up the chuppah with Edie, filming as Erik and Magda were wed beneath. He buries his face into his hands and takes in another shaky breath.
He’s ruined everything.
After wallowing in his misery on the ground for too long, Charles picks himself up and drags himself to the kitchen for a drink. He nearly touches his stash of alcohol, but he’s flirted too close with alcoholism to feel comfortable drinking casually, let alone drinking after fucking up so massively. Instead, he forces his hand away and turns on the kettle. Isn’t that what you do when you mess up? Make a cup of tea and stew in silence? Well, it’s what he’s doing.
He’d known, in that abstract way, that Magda was pretty. So was Erik. If, as they’d grown up, he had maybe crushed on them a bit, it didn’t matter anymore. Or it shouldn’t. They were together and Charles was their friend. If he’d maybe just slightly been a little destructive after they’d married, that was for him to know and no one to ever find out.
The kettle finishes boiling, and Charles rotely pours the water into a cup with a teabag. The silence is unbearable as he waits for the tea to steep. Suddenly the door bangs. Not open, but someone, probably Erik, is knocking on the door.
“Charles, open the door.” He sounds less angry than he should. Charles peeks his head down the hallway, spying the familiar figure at the door through the glass. “I know you’re there. I can see your shadow. I…We just want to talk.”
And even though Charles really really doesn’t want to open the door, he steps gingerly to the door. Looking through the peephole Charles sees Magda and Erik, both somewhat breathless and much less upset than he expects. “Can’t we just forget it happened?”
“No,” Erik says. “Please just open the door.” And so Charles does.
He hangs back as they enter, avoiding their eyes. He watches Erik’s hand where it’s grasped around Magda’s. A silence settles over them, one that Charles longs to break but doesn’t know how. “It won’t happen again, I swear,” Charles promises. “I don’t know how it happened, and you really shouldn’t be upset with Magda. Please don’t be upset with her. It wasn’t her fault, don’t leave her-”
“Charles, it’s ok,” Erik interrupts and Charles freezes. “Look at me, look at us.” He swallows and slowly lifts his gaze to Erik. “We’re not upset.”
“I don’t understand…”
Magda peeks around, “then let us explain.”
He looks between the two of them suspiciously. “Alright.”
“We, oh I don’t know how to start this,” Erik sighed, running a hand down his face. He takes in another breath and tries to explain again. “When Magda and I got together, we- oh you’re better at this, Magda, please.”
She gave the hand a gentle squeeze. “Right, well you see that it’s always been us three and we realised, when you said you might move, that we can’t imagine a life without you in it.” Her earnest eyes stared without an ounce of joking. “We’ve been, well, trying to…court you, because we realised that we,” she looked at Erik with a soft smile, “love you. It was an accident. The kiss, that is. But…I don’t regret it.”
“What?” Charles says intelligently. Truly the embodiment of the multiple PhDs he had.
Erik clears his throat, clearly largely uncomfortable. “You asked me why we invited you on our dates, remember?”
“Yes.”
“Well, the reason is that we love you as we love each other. It fulfils us, sustains us.” This must be the Erik that Magda fell in love with. The hidden romantic. Erik flushes, the tips of his ears and the points of his cheeks turning a fetching pink. “And you’re beautiful, you always have been.” What .
Charles blinks. “I…excuse me?” Is he hearing correctly? Perfect couple Magda and Erik want to…invite him? What is the world coming to?
“You might as well have been a third in our relationship before, but we’re asking you officially now.” She tentatively reaches out with her hand, her smile widening when he takes it gently. “And…we noticed you looking at us…” She trails off, smile falling. “Were we wrong?”
“No, what? I mean-” The hand in his squeezes gently and he takes a moment to settle himself before he cautiously slants his eyes at them. They don’t look upset at all. In fact, they seem almost…nervous. His gaze darts away and he swallows. “You weren’t wrong. I realised that I…liked both of you.” He sags against the wall, gaze carefully fixed on his and Magda’s entwined hands.
Erik steps forwards. “You like us. We like you. Do you want to give it a shot?” He offers his hand palm up.
Charles contemplates the hand. He does like them and realises in hindsight that he has for a very long time. He’s just been oblivious enough to not notice it developing over time. “Will we still be friends?”
“Of course. We’ll just do more things together. Go out together, stay over more often, have dinner…” Magda trails off. It’s all things they already do together. Just from a different perspective.
Finally, after a moment of consideration, he takes Erik’s hand. “Then yes. I’d like that.” Erik grips him back firmly and tugs him upright from where he’s been leaning against the wall. “But I’m not good at this. Relationships, that is. And I don’t want to ruin this and make you regret it.”
“We can take it slow, let it settle. But I think you’ll do better than you think,” Erik reassures him, tugging at his arm playfully. “Now, come here. Let’s see you smile.” Charles looks between them at their smiles. Erik’s grinning wide, relief and hope in his eyes while Magda’s smile is softer but no less happy. She pulls his hand too, her smile taking a playful edge.
“Alright,” He says and stumbles towards them, the tension finally leaving his shoulders as they wrap their arms around him in a strange embrace. He feels Magda place a kiss on his cheek, customary, but then she begins moving closer to her lips. Erik’s hand gently tilts his head and she kisses him properly.
It's nice. And he can savour the feeling too. She pulls back after a moment and tucks herself against him, relaxing against him with a sigh. Charles has little time to think before Erik turns his face back to him and presses his own kiss against him. It’s different from Magda's. His lips are much thinner for one, and he’s a bit more insistent, but it’s no less enjoyable. It lasts longer before Erik pulls back, grins, and proceeds to wrap his arms around the two of them, lips ghosting against Charles’ hairline.
“Thank you,” he murmurs against his forehead. “And thank you,” he says to Magda, pressing a kiss on the top of her head. Charles gently gets his arms free. He drapes one around Magda’s back and the other ghosting Erik’s side. This, he could get used to.
GerrySherry Sun 20 Aug 2023 05:29PM UTC
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