Things were much better after Tulio and Miguel had 'talked it out' and the three of them were beginning to settle into a comfortable routine.

Chel found herself fitting in with the two men as naturally and organically as if they had always been a group of three, hardly being able to imagine it differently anymore. She knew now that Tulio would have been miserable without Miguel and that loving the one meant loving the other and that was fine with her because Miguel was the easiest person to love and she found herself falling for him as much as she had fallen for Tulio.

Sometimes she still had a hard time believing that it had really worked out like that. When she had fled the temple with the golden mask in the hopes of making – and most importantly keeping – her life elsewhere she never would have imagined that mere days from that point on she would be riding into the sunset with two devoted lovers.

Well at least they were devoted to each other, she mused, smiling to herself. Fitting in or not there were still moments when she felt like an outsider. When they shared an inside joke, a certain grin, their weird-ass special handshake. How they knew each other's bodies inside out and the way Miguel looked at Tulio when he flew into one of his rants. When a glance was enough to know what the other was thinking or when Miguel could get Tulio to do almost anything by making The Face. (She didn't blame him. It was a damn cute face)

But there were so many other moments too, like the day Tulio had gone to fetch water and come back with her favourite flowers. The time when Miguel had innocently put his head on her lap while she was kissing their shared lover and then showed her the secret spot where said lover was really ticklish. Moments when Tulio would smile at her in the dopey way he only smiled at her. Moments when Miguel would see her questioning look and his eyes would lighten up and he'd excitedly tell the story of The Chick Pea Incident or What Happened In Cádiz or why they could never show their faces in Tarragona ever again.

'Seriously.', Tulio had said with a look of terror on his face before Miguel had even begun to narrate. 'Never. Again.' And he had rubbed the spot on his butt where a scar like half a hoof print was still faintly visible and when the tale was over and she knew why Chel had laughed for ten minutes straight until Tulio had to start kissing her just to shut her up. The horse had just kept on nickering. Things would be alright.

They were good lovers too, both of them. What Miguel was capable of with his tongue was only rivaled by what Tulio could do with his fingers and their combined efforts were usually second to none. Chel loved the way they were able to share her as freely and easily as she shared Tulio with Miguel and Miguel with Tulio. The three of them were equal partners in every sense of the word.

There were, however, times when it was perfectly appropriate for two partners to gang up on the third...

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„Ok I don't care if it's only noon. I'm done!", exclaimed Tulio after they had finally hacked their way through a particularly thick piece of rainforest, moved his arms into a cross and then swung them swiftly apart again in the universally understood gesture of Fuck No.

„Break. Now."

Chel and Miguel, who was leading Altivo, looked at each other and shrugged. They were not quite as wiped out as Tulio but then they had not fallen into the river (twice), been stung by numerous large insects (which for some reason only went for Tulio) or been hit on the head by a surprisingly heavy cocoa bean (monkey).

The small clearing they had reached looked good enough, water was nearby and it wasn't like they needed to be anywhere. There was what looked on first glance like a medium sized rock overgrown with moss in the middle of the glade; though upon closer inspection by Chel it turned out to be a stone square adorned with weathered writing and symbols of various plants and animals on it. What was still readable indicated some kind of signpost. Perhaps this had been a resting place before though it didn't seem to be in use anymore. Chel took it as a good sign anyway and so did Bibo the armadillo, who immediately made itself at home on it.

Tulio didn't care about any of this.

„Argh, what a day", he lamented and collapsed on the ground next to the stone, burying his face in his hands.

Chel and Miguel looked at him with pity and didn't ask him to help with anything.

Miguel went to collect some firewood for later while Chel took their makeshift saddlebags off of Altivo and fed him some fruit, before – to Altivo's disappointment – she put the rest of them out of reach. Then both of them went to refill their water.

After that there was not much else they could do for the time being, except perhaps search for more food. But if they were honest they didn't mind a break either. Thus they both plopped down on either side of Tulio, who had not moved from his spot the whole time Chel and Miguel were bustling around, and was lying there with outstretched arms and closed eyes. Chel nudged him gently with her foot and received a miserable groan.

„Oh come on, Tulio!", said Miguel cheerfully, leaned against the stone pillar behind him and closed his eyes against the midday sun coming through the leaves. „It can't be that bad."

„Did you fall into the piranha infested river? Twice? Got stung by whatever hellish bug got me? Had a monkey throw a cocoa bean at your head? No? Didn't think so."

„Well if you put it like that...", Miguel conceded and looked at Tulio sheepishly. He put a few stray hairs behind Tulio's ear and started slowly petting his head. It took Chel considerable effort to hide a giggle but then she followed suit with the petting.

„And we're lost.", said Tulio with a sigh and leaned into their touch.

„We're not lost, Tulio!", protested Chel. „We just don't know where we are! But that's half the fun, silly! It's an adventure!"

„Mhmm." Miguel nodded in vague agreement while he was playing with a wisp of black locks, carefully avoiding the slight lump stemming from the cocoa bean. Tulio shot them both a death glare.

„Well I'd like this adventure to get us somewhere. Preferably somewhere with gold and a bed and gold and proper food and gold and..."

„Oh shut up, Tulio!" Miguel rolled his eyes, though more amused than annoyed. „We just found a signpost! That has to lead us somewhere!"

„Well, what if it leads us to wherever Cortés is headed?", said Tulio and sat up abruptly, his eyes widening as he realized the terrible possibility. Here we go again, thought Chel as both she and Miguel and rolled their eyes at each other.

When they had encountered signs of Cortés army having come through they had made a point of walking in a completely different direction so while Tulio's worries weren't completely unfounded he was as usually making a mountain out of a molehill. They would need to find some kind of civilization sooner or later – unless they wanted to spend the rest of their lives living off the grid in a remote rainforest – but that didn't mean they were required to stay there.

„Tulio, relax", said Chel as he rambled on. „You worry too much."

She caught Miguels' eyes again behind Tulio's back. They suddenly had this particular glint in them. He jerked his head at Tulio and made a gesture with his hands that Chel didn't recognize at first. She frowned at him and he did it again, slower this time and waggling his eyebrows. When she identified the movement as sign language for 'massage' the maravedi dropped: Breaking into a sly grin of her own, she shuffled closer and signaled Miguel to move behind Tulio who was stuck in a full-on rant about all the horrible things Cortés could do to them and didn't notice anything that was going on around him.

Miguel slipped behind their friend, put his hands on Tulio's back and started to massage a particular spot between spine and shoulder blade with his thumbs. It stopped Tulio mid-rant.

„Oooh...ooh that is gooood...bit low-...oh yes", was all he could mutter as Miguel worked his magic, a ridiculously smug look on his face.

Chel used the situation to her advantage and quickly climbed onto Tulio's lap before he could protest. The legs needed sorting out a bit but after a few tries and with Miguel's help – Tulio being a useless puddle of pure pleasure by now – she managed to position her legs between theirs'.

„Are...are you guuuh guys...trying to...haaaa...shut me...uuuuh shut me up", Tulio asked, his eyelids fluttering open and closed as he gripped Chel's calves for support and tried to stay coherent enough to speak.

„Well, maybe a little bit", said Chel and leaned in, cupped his face in her hands and started kissing him; every slow, deliberate move of her tongue against his better than the one before.

Next to her Miguel purred: „Is it working?" into Tulio's ear and began to nibble on his lover's earlobe, an action that earned them a pleased sigh and more fluttering eyelids. „I'll take that as a 'yes'", said Miguel with a hint of amusement and moved his mouth down to Tulio's neck, sucking and biting it just so. His hands were now massaging the lower back, rubbing the pesky bug bite with a calloused thumb to Tulio's pure and utter bliss.

„Poor Baby", said Chel when she broke their kiss for a moment under slightly protesting sounds. „You had such a crappy day." She wriggled on him and stroked his head and face. „Miguel and I will make you feel better. Isn't that right, Miguel?"

Catching the twinkle in the blonde's eyes she leaned over Tulio's other side and started kissing and licking his neck as well, her hands stroking his chest. Tulio sighed contently between them. He was quite hard already, a fact that never failed to arouse Chel, as did the thought that Miguel was likely in this state as well. She could feel herself getting wet.

„Mhmm.", murmured Miguel against Tulio's skin in agreement. „Just relax", he said, stroking his arms and hands and massaging the palms, causing him to sigh and moan. „All you have to do is sit here and let us do the work." There were only incoherent sounds from Tulio.

Miguel caressed Tulio's shoulders and upper arms one last time and then switched to Chel, making use of the fact that she was pressing so close right now. She sighed when he lightly pushed her long hair aside to stroke her back with his fingertips and hooked them playfully into her top, dragging it down a little.

Her arousal rising she complied enthusiastically with the unspoken request and then they tugged Tulio's shirt out of his pants and yanked it over his head together, tousling the black wavy hair in the process. At last Miguel took off his own shirt as well and pulled Tulio towards him so he could lean his back against the other's naked chest and rest his head on one shoulder.

He frowned for a moment, then pushed a slightly confused Tulio back up again to be held by Chel, so he could open his pants, which she assumed were getting too tight by now. Chel was happily distracting Tulio until Miguel was settled by massaging his neck and rubbing her clit against his hardness in tiny circles. The movements left wet stains where her loincloth had gotten pushed aside and caused Tulio to whimper in desperation, hands running up and down her legs. Chel's insides fluttered with excitement at the sounds he was making and she felt herself getting even more wet and swollen than she already was. Meanwhile Miguel had managed to get rid of his trousers and tugged gently at Tulio's shoulders, snuggling up against him again once more.

„Aaah...much better", he sighed, nuzzled Tulio's neck with a grin and stretched out his hands to grope Chel's breasts. She smirked at them and pushed her hips forward, making both men groan with pleasure at the same time.

All this attention bestowed upon Tulio seemed to have had a rejuvenating effect on him for he grabbed Chel by the hips and thrust against her impatiently. She gasped with pleasure as this sent sparks of pleasure through her body.

Soon she was moaning even more when Tulio caressed her breasts with his hands and mouth, sucking and twirling his tongue around her nipples, while Miguel in turn snuck his hand between their legs, opening Tulio's belt with deft fingers and freeing his erection.

Both of them together swiftly rid Chel of the last bits of clothing. No words were needed. She was more than ready and so were they: With Tulio's hands wrapped around her butt and Miguel's fingers spreading her open she settled herself above Tulio's eagerly waiting cock and took him into her hot, wet cunt in one fell swoop.

„Oh yes!" Chel locked her mouth on Tulio's, steadying herself with one hand around his neck and rode him wildly. The hands on her hips were setting a fast rhythm. Closed eyes and rapidly quickening breathing; Tulio being pushed against an equally gasping Miguel who alternated between throwing his head back and biting Tulio's neck and shoulder. He would be blue and purple after this.

Chel took one of Miguel's hands which were caressing Tulio's chest and put it between her legs.

He knew exactly what she wanted; immediately starting to play with her clit in addition to Tulio moving inside her. She could tell from his groans that he wouldn't last much longer with her riding him and Miguel panting in his ear like this, hard prick squeezed against Tulio's backside. Neither would she.

Miguel pulled her in for a deep kiss and with her breasts pressing against heated skin and fingers burrowing in her hair she came hard, screaming and thrashing her hips about in ecstasy.

The sudden hot, twitching tightness of her climax sent Tulio over the edge too, cursing loudly he pushed deep one last time and spilled himself inside her.

Gasping for air they leaned on the other person as the aftershocks of their respective orgasms ran through their bodies, planting short kisses on each other's lips between hitched breaths.

Miguel gave them about a minute to collect themselves before he cleared his throat and pointedly rubbed his hard-on against his lover, reminding them that they weren't all finished yet. They chuckled apologetically and Tulio half turned around so he could kiss Miguel languidly and run his hands through sweaty blonde strands while Chel was by mutual agreement assigned the honourable task of sneaking her hand around him, taking Miguel in her hand and stroking him to completion. Miguel got to put his hands on whichever body parts were within his reach and he made quite good use of this opportunity.

Seeing as their performance before had him quite excited already it didn't take long for Miguel to come too, shooting hot seed all over Tulio's back with a satisfied sigh.

When the throbbing had subsided he leaned back and embraced Tulio who put his head on Miguel's shoulder and just tried to get his breathing even again. Chel who was still breathing heavily as well rolled off them and sprawled on the ground with her legs still lying vaguely diagonally over Tulio's. She looked over to Miguel from under long lashes and eyes crinkling with hidden laughter.

Miguel ran his hands over Tulio's torso and asked with a wicked grin: „So. Tulio. Feeling better now?"