Not Even Remotely Forgotten
"What are you doing?" asked Chel, stepping into the room. In the light of only the moon, so aloof and bitter as it hovered dully in the sky outside the window, sat Miguel.
He did not look up from the simple wooden table, nor did he otherwise acknowledge her presence. She slid onto the worn bench, seating herself next to him.
"You're awfully quiet, Miguel," she said, lifting a hand to put some of his hair behind his ear. The golden blondeness of it fascinated her. For someone who had been around so much gold, one would think this wouldn't be the case, but it was. Gold, she had learned from passerby outside of Eldorado, had a very, very impressive monetary value outside her city.
"What's going on out here?" Tulio asked, voice sleep-roughened as he entered the room, looking from one of his housemates to the other. "Not talking about me behind my back, are you?" he teased.
"We weren't really talking about anything," said Chel, looking at Miguel again for a moment.
Tulio came over to sit on the other side of Miguel. "You seem rather pensive."
Miguel looked up from the table, first looking at Chel, then at Tulio. "I'm thinking about Eldorado."
"I gave you a chance to stay," said Tulio with a shrug and a small smirk. "All regrets lie firmly on your shoulders now."
"I know," said Miguel with a bit of a sigh. "The town was so beautiful and the chief knew I wasn't really a god already, so there was no real danger . . . but I couldn't bring myself to leave the boat once I'd gotten on it."
"Well, we're glad you didn't," said Chel.
"Oh, is that so?" the blonde asked quietly, absently.
"Yes, that's so," insisted Chel.
Miguel crossed his arms, thinking. "I should have just stayed, shouldn't I have?"
"What do you mean?" asked Tulio, surprised.
"Why?" she raised an eyebrow.
"I practically crashed your romantic getaway."
"What?!" Chel laughed. "Oh, Miguel."
"What?" he said, looking at her, suddenly confused.
Tulio laughed as well.
"What's so funny?" he asked, a bit annoyed. "I was there, listening, you know. 'Let's say we forget Miguel.' Well thanks, Tulio. Thanks a lot," he said a bit poutily, leaning forward over his crossed arms, resting them on the table.
Tulio sent Chel a glance behind Miguel, and she returned it. They were both thinking the same thing, being reminded of another conversation they had had after the "Forget Miguel" one. They didn't want to scare Miguel away by mentioning it just yet, though. They weren't sure how he would take it. He could be a bit unpredictable.
"Well, we realized we need you after all," said Tulio. "I need you."
"Just not as much as you need Chel," he muttered under his breath.
"Miguel," Chel started.
His shoulders hunched forward as if he were set on ignoring both of them. Chel gave up and shrugged at Tulio.
"Miguel," said Tulio more sternly.
"What? Just tell me what it is already," Miguel snapped, turning to glare at him.
"No need to get short with me, Miguel," said Tulio.
"Is that a short joke?" he whined.
"What? No." Miguel was absolutely perfect the way he was—almost too perfect for words.
"Did you know that our bed can comfortably hold three?" said Chel, and Tulio shot her an intensely disapproving look, almost one of warning.
Miguel frowned in confusion. "Okay?" He turned to look at her.
"Well, then Tulio and I wouldn't mind at all if someone else were to come into our bed."
Tulio's jaw absolutely dropped. How could she be so forward about this? He nearly groaned.
Miguel picked at the fabric over his knee. "Okay . . . ."
"Miguel!"
"What?"
"We want you in our bed."
"What?!"
"You've been with Tulio before. I've been with Tulio before. Trust me, Miguel, being with you would not be a trying experience. Not in the least."
"We've talked about it," said Tulio, a bit reluctant to let the secret out, "shortly after the 'Forget Miguel' conversation—which I'm sorry about, by the way."
"Yeah, I'm quite sure," Miguel scoffed, muttering darkly.
"Well I am. You know how great things can be between us," he said seriously, and he lifted a hand and placed the blonde's hair behind the ear nearest to him, not having seen Chel do the same earlier. "We've had a thing for years, Miguel. I never should have expected that would have to change. I just got caught up in the novelty of everything. I like Chel. But I've always liked you too."
"Just not as much as Chel," he whispered into the night.
"More." Miguel found this hard to believe.
"Miguel, honey." Chel's delicate hand rested itself on his shoulder. "We've been discussing combining what I and Tulio have and what you two have always had. We were just having fun, but we realized we really hit it off."
"We complement each other," supplied Tulio, "just like you and I do," he said to Miguel. "Really, Chel's a bit of both of us."
"I think the three of us could make a perfect fit," said Chel.
Miguel seemed to consider it.
"Think about it," said Chel, and she pressed a kiss to his cheek before slipping off to the bedroom she and Tulio had been sharing.
"Yeah, Miguel," said Tulio. "I like Chel, but . . . it's not like the passion you and I have. Don't you still care for me?"
Miguel said nothing, chewing at his bottom lip as if considering a reply.
"I love you," said Tulio, quickly rising to his feet and slipping into the other room after Chel.
Miguel, a bit startled, sat and took in this last bit of information. Well. He could say the same to Tulio. Could . . . but would he?
Yes.
Miguel rose to his feet and slid into the pitch dark room. "You're sure it holds three?"
"Comfortably," cooed Chel, sounding very inviting indeed.
Miguel stood there for a moment, and then . . . "Okay!"
The mattress dipped slightly as the new figure slid onto it carefully. He settled in between the other two after a moment, laying down.
"You don't think we meant we were really going to sleep when you came in with us, did you?" there was a smile in her voice.
"Oh, definitely not," agreed Tulio. His voice had a dark and dangerous edge that made Miguel shiver.
Soon, all three lay lazily sated.
"Tulio?" Miguel said around a yawn.
Tulio grunted in reply.
"I love you too."
"Aww, my sweet boys," said Chel, and settled in between them.
Miguel flushed and smiled into the darkness. Almost reluctantly, so did Tulio.
