Love Nest
by Cyberchao X

CCX: I did say I had switched around to an OT3, didn't I?

Like most couples' beds, the bed contained four arms—two male, two female—and four legs—again, two male, two female. There were, however, three heads.

Okay, this wasn't entirely true. Emi Ibarazaki did have legs, although they ended just past the knees, and Rin Tezuka did have at least some vestiges of arms. But it was undeniable that the only member of the trio in possession of four whole limbs was the lone male, Hisao Nakai.

Emi and Rin had met during their first year at Yamaku Academy, the private school that catered to students with physical disabilities. The housing department had decided that a girl missing half of her legs and a girl missing almost all of her arms "complemented each other well" and had placed them in rooms across the hall from one another, and despite the former being a driven athlete (a runner, ironically) and the latter being a laid-back, often spacey artist, the two became fast friends. Close friends. Very close. Emi kind of viewed Rin as a little sister, in a way—Emi was actually a year older than her classmates, as the accident that had taken her legs also caused her to miss nearly an entire year of school.

Rin's feelings towards Emi were perhaps not exactly the same as Emi's feelings towards Rin, even from the beginning. Rin saw the world a bit differently from most, so it shouldn't be a huge surprise that when she loved, little things like gender were of no issue. Emi, perhaps out of innocence or perhaps because she didn't want to believe that Rin had ulterior motives—that Rin, the girl who always seemed to have her head in the clouds, was capable of being disingenuous—so she unquestioningly performed services for Rin that, if she'd stopped to think about it, were actually quite intimate. Helping her with bathing, or when she had her period. Emi loved Rin as well, even if it wasn't necessarily in that way.

Hisao had transferred in during their third year. Somehow, the young man had made it almost all the way to adulthood without an underlying heart condition flaring up even once, but once it had made itself known, he'd had to transfer to Yamaku when he was discharged from the hospital. Completely by accident—literally—Emi had met him first. Once she found out the reasons for his arrival, she instantly hated the way they'd met—namely, with her crashing into him while running in the halls. But it hadn't done any harm, unlike when she'd inadvertently drawn him into a race after her friend and confidant, the school nurse, had enlisted her to help get Hisao in better shape. She'd instantly grown worried about him, and they'd set up a plan to get Hisao in better physical shape. And she'd also invited him to lunch shortly after that, along with her best friend Rin—who, it turned out, Hisao had already met. More than once, actually. He'd been helping her out with her project for the school festival. Emi was quite pleased with this, actually, and the trio ended up spending the festival together, Emi taking the lead, of course. It would be easier to keep an eye on both of them if they were cool with each other. And they certainly did hit it off. Hisao ended up joining the art club after the festival. Emi was thrilled, because she liked Hisao, and he had given her the early-morning running partner she'd long desired.

But eventually her joy turned to jealousy, because she'd really come to like Hisao. And while he had been getting somewhat close to her, he seemed truly interested in Rin. She thought she could be happy, seeing her two best friends together, but she found that she'd misjudged things. Rin, in all of her bizarre Rin-ness, hadn't given Hisao enough indication that she felt the same about him. And one day when it was just Emi and Hisao up on the roof at lunch, she'd said something about the two of them and he'd said that as far as he knew they were still just friends, and Emi confessed. And Hisao…didn't exactly reject her, but he still continued to be Rin's support. He helped her through a very tough time in her life—better than Emi thought she could've done. And Rin finally managed to express her feelings to Hisao. And this, more than anything, threatened to crush Emi.

Except it didn't, because Rin had mentioned how close the two had been. That they'd slept in the same bed before. And perhaps…perhaps Rin wanted Emi, too. Emi wasn't really sure what to make of it, when Rin had asked her to come to her room, only to find both Rin and Hisao naked when she got there, but that night, she'd found herself involved in a threesome with her best friend, someone she'd been as close to as a sister, and the boy that she was in love with. And it somehow felt…right.

That was where their unconventional relationship started, that night shortly before their graduation from high school—five years ago, now. Obviously there would be no marriage, because that would constitute polygamy in some way. Is it really polygamy if it's a triangular union? Emi knew that if Hisao had to choose just one, it would probably be Rin…but they both knew that Rin wouldn't let him make that choice, because Hisao and Emi were equal in her heart. So they didn't marry. They just lived together—all three of them.

Usually they slept with Hisao in the middle—the arrangement that pleased the most people—though occasionally Rin would insist on being in the middle. On this night, it was the former arrangement. Of course, Hisao was turned towards Rin, his arms wrapped around her—not because she was his "favorite"; the two were both his beloved girlfriends, and even though the practical scientist did find more joy with the dreamy artist, he loved Emi too much to ever let her feel like she was second-best. It was Hisao who had helped her figure out what to do with her life, since running could only get her so far. She'd never bothered thinking about that. What could she do, besides run? …It didn't matter. She could run, and she had been able to run within a year of losing her legs. The path was obvious. Who would be more qualified to help others who were thrown into the same situation? And so she pursued a career in physical therapy, specializing in those who had lost the use of their legs.

No, when they were "in bed" together, Hisao gave equal attention to both of his ladies. The reason he gave Rin more attention when they were merely sleeping rather than sleeping together was because she seemed to be the more fragile of the two. Emi was strong; Rin was a little wisp of a thing who often tended to run cold. Not that Hisao was the sturdiest specimen himself, with his weak heart.

A soft moaning from behind him alerted Hisao that it was time for a change of plans. Well, Emi was physically the strongest of the trio, anyway. She still had nightmares, though, relating to the accident that had claimed both her legs and the life of her father. "There, there, Emi," Hisao whispered. "I'm here for you."

He heard a rustling from behind him again and turned his head, still not turning his body away from Emi's. Rin got out of the bed, circled around, and got back in on the other side. Hisao gently moved Emi over so that Rin could fit on the far side of the bed. Tonight, Emi needed her two pillars. Tonight, it was her turn to be flanked by two people who loved her. The nightmares subsided, and soundly she slept.

Emi was a bit surprised when she woke up, feeling warm bodies on both sides of her. "Rise and shine, Hisao. Time for our morning run."

"Mmm…I'm tired. Can we not?"

"Heh…can't let you do that." Emi reflected on the unexpected situation. "Wish I could. It's my fault you didn't sleep much, isn't it?"

"Come on, you know that insomnia is a side effect of my medication."

"Is Rin sleeping next to me instead of next to you also a side effect of your medication?" she teased. "I know I had another nightmare last night. And you both were there for me. …Thanks."

"…Can we get our morning exercise a different way?" Hisao gave Emi his best smile, then tried to adopt the same expression she'd used on him whenever she wanted something from him.

"The puppy-dog eyes don't work on me. I made the puppy-dog eyes." She gently shook Rin. "Hey, Rin, you want to come with us on our morning run? We'll slow it down for you, and I promise you won't regret it if you do."

"That your compromise?" Hisao asked. Emi nodded.

Rin yawned. "What time is it?"

"Time for us all to get physical together," Hisao said. Rin gave him a quizzical look—at least, Hisao thought it looked quizzical; it was hard to tell because she was still half-asleep. "Emi's suggestion. She's up for some 'morning glory', but only if you're willing to join us for a light jog."

Rin considered this. "Think I can do that. Maybe sleep later." As an artist, Rin lacked the set hours that her two loved ones had, setting her own schedule and working from their home, so if she decided that she'd sleep later, then she would. Unless their morning jog inspired her, in which case she'd probably end up painting as soon as they got back, possibly even forgoing the three-way if the itch was bad enough. "I don't own a sports bra."

"Hmm…that could be problematic," Emi said. "I'd lend you one of mine, but it probably wouldn't fit you. I guess you'll have to use a regular one for today; we'll have to get you one later."

"'Kay."

CCX: That was…surprisingly banal. I might continue it, or I might not. Only decided on how long after the game to set this as I wrote it, even though much of this was premeditated. And, yes, this is basically a composite of both girls' routes, though much closer to Rin's than Emi's since none of Emi's H-scenes happen. Though since Hisao does become healthier, it seems as though it goes through "Proper Exercise" and "Is Carnival!" rather than "Creative Pain" and "Clouds in My Head". Hope this was enjoyable. This is Cyberchao X, signing off.