Just a bonus stand-alone story today! Enjoy!

- - - -

After a week spent in the ass-crack of nowhere tracking a hellbeast through a bug-infested swamp, Shadow couldn't wait to get back to civilization so he could have a meal he hadn't cooked, sleep in a proper bed, and have a bath that didn't leave him smelling like a bog. Shadow and his compatriots had spent all of yesterday tromping through the muck to get back to the only paved road that traversed the swamp, and most of today riding out of it.

It was late afternoon when they crested the last hill and the posting inn - a massive three-story building with a dark roof, and whitewashed walls - came into view.

"Thank the gods," Shadow muttered.

"You said it," Ballister grumbled. "C'mon," he kneed his tired mount into a trot, and Shadow, Arryn, and Teela followed suit.

Posting inns were expensive, but the fee they'd earned would more than cover the extra expense. And unlike a 'regular' inn, no one here would look sideways at a filthy group of mercs recently in from the field.

They dismounted in front of the inn and led their horses around back to the enormous stable yard. The head groom, a cheerful looking woman of mixed elvish ancestry came out to meet them in the stable yard. "G'd'evenin'," she said brightly in a broad rural accent. "Plenty o' rooms 'vailable if ya don' mind th' price."

Ballister gave her a winning smile. "Which is?"

"Two gold per room."

Shadow grimaced. "That include stabling for all our horses?"

"It does," the groom confirmed.

Ballister looked to his companions. Arryn and Teela looked just as unhappy about the price as Shadow was, but when no one complained... "We'll take two rooms," he said. "Bath house is extra, I assume?"

"Ha'silver each." The groom's expression became sly as she looked at Shadow, then gave Arryn and Teela a pointed once-over. "Bathing facilities are gender-segregated."

Shadow, who hated the near-universal assumption that he was romantically involved with one or both of his female compatriots, clenched his teeth against the rude remark that he wanted to make.

Teela, meanwhile, ignored the nosy groom's patent curiosity. "I'd pay twice that to get the smell of swamp out of my hair," Teela grumbled.

Arryn nodded in rueful agreement.

"Y'can settle up 'nside then."

"One more thing." Ballister said gruffly, patting the tarped bundle slung across the back of his horse, Marlena - a gigantic roan nearly the size of a draft horse. "Make sure no one opens that, or you'll cause a panic among the horses."

"A'course, sir. We c'n keep it with th'specialized post if t'aint anythin' 'xplosive-like."

"Nothing like that. It's just a very dead, very smelly monster."

"Right, then, sir. We c'n take care'o thet."

Ballister tipped the woman a half silver, which Shadow didn't grudge her - the carcass was heavy and damned awkward.

They removed their packs and tromped inside, where Ballister paid for all of them, on account of the fact that he was a giant, built like a brick shit-house, and had the several-times-broken nose that marked him clearly as someone who was Not To Be Fucked With. It was a trait that Shadow badly envied, as his delicate features and slender figure seemed to make people think he was an easy mark.

At least until they saw him wielding his greatsword.

"Why does it bother you so much when people assume we're together?" Teela asked as they were hauling their bags up the stairs, clearly amused by Shadow's annoyance with the groom.

Arryn's green eyes twinkled mischievously as she tossed her long sandy-brown braid. "You're not ashamed to be seen with us, are you?"

Shadow knew she was joking, but that didn't stop the blush that spread across his face, which would be all too obvious against his pale skin and blond hair. "No," he said defensively. "It's just... It's insulting. For you, I mean. You're both young and attractive, and I'm nearby and a man, so we must be together, right? And half the time they assume you two are fighting over me, which is even weirder, and... it's a lot to put on someone you don't know."

Surprise flashed in Teela's red-brown eyes. She exchanged a look with Arryn, who got a shit-eating grin on her face.

"So what I'm hearing is that you think I'm attractive," Arryn said sweetly.

"He thinks we're both attractive," Teela corrected smugly.

Shadow turned red up to his hairline as he flushed so deeply that his skin felt crisp and painful. Of course he thought they were attractive - who wouldn't? Anyone who liked women would have to be blind not to think so.

Arryn had the kind of gorgeously feminine face that looked sweet until you got to know her and realized what a troublemaker she was. Her figure was slim and graceful, and she always moved like she was dancing to music no one else could hear. Teela, on the other hand, moved like the brawler she was. Her powerful frame was softened by her waist-length black hair and pretty features, which - combined with her large chest - made men tend to underestimate her. (Not that Shadow would ever make that mistake. He'd known her too long for that.)

Shit. He'd taken too long to say something.

Both women were laughing at him now, and he knew that any denial he made wouldn't be believed... "No comment."

He pushed past Teela and stomped down the hall to his assigned room. His face was still burning as Ballister came in a minute later. "Forgot to ask if laundry's included," Shadow grunted as he pulled his last set of clean clothes out of his pack.

"It is," Ballister replied cheerfully, then shook his head. "For this price, it'd better be."

Shadow grunted and started making a bundle of his dirty clothes.

Ballister looked set to do the same, then hesitated. "Everything good, man?"

"I'm fine." Patently untrue, but Ballister wisely let it pass

 

- - - -

 

Shadow took his time getting clean, and ignored the guy who was clearly trying to catch his eye as he got dressed. He was handsome enough, but right now all Shadow wanted was to have a decent meal and crawl into bed. After a week of not sleeping more than an hour at a time because of biting insects, he was exhausted.

Teela and Arryn were nowhere to be seen when Shadow and Ballister got to the common room for dinner, which was a plain but hearty stew with real wheat bread instead of cheaper barley, and a generous dollop of actual butter.

Ballister, who had been a merc nearly ten years longer than anyone else in their party, naturally spotted someone that he knew halfway through the meal. A grandmotherly looking woman in the austere robes of a traveling mendicant order gestured to her companions - a group of similarly attired women - before smiling and waving at Ballister.

Ballister lit up as he waved back. "I know those gals."

"You know everyone." Shadow mumbled around a mouthful of bread.

"That's because I actually talk to people," Ballister gibed.

Shadow snorted and said nothing.

"Sure I can't convince you to join us? Maybe relax a little and have some fun?"

Shadow knew he was at his most curmudgeonly and didn't care. Every fiber of his being just ached for rest. "I am going to relax. In bed. To sleep."

"Suit yourself." Ballister clapped a massive brown hand on Shadow's shoulder, then rose and carried the remainder of his meal to the other table, where the mendicants happily made room for him.

Shadow finished his meal and slumped up the stairs to his room. where he didn't bother to do more than remove his shirt and kick off his boots before literally falling into bed. He'd just closed his eyes when there was a thump on the wall from Teela and Arryn's room.

Annoyed, Shadow opened his eyes and stared into the dark.

He'd just concluded he'd imagined it when there was a second, louder thump, followed by the distinct sound of a feminine moan.

Was that...

More moaning, and yeah, that was definitely Arryn's voice. And... he was pretty sure the other voice was Teela's.

Should he have known that they were now more than just friends, or had they been trying to keep it a secret? Not that he cared, but they were getting louder, and wall-thumping sex wasn't exactly something he could sleep through. So he sighed. Sat up. Put on his shirt without tucking it in. And padded out into the hallway to tap politely on Teela and Arryn's door.

No response.

So he tapped again. "Teela? It's Shadow."

There was a hushed argument from inside the room that lasted several seconds before Teela raised her voice and called out, "one second!" Her hair was very clearly bed-rumpled when she cracked open the door a half minute later. "Yes?"

Shadow kept his expression studiously neutral. "I don't know if what you're up to is supposed to be a secret, but you might want to keep it down if you don't want Ballister giving you shit about it in the morning."

Teela's eyes went wide with dismay. "O-okay. Sorry to disturb you."

"Good night," he said shortly.

There were no further noises from the neighboring room, and Shadow quickly fell into a dark and dreamless sleep.

 

- - - -

 

It took another five days to get back to Tinora City. On the second-to-last day of travel, they pressed on after dark so they'd have an easier ride in the morning. Shadow ended up tending to the horses with Teela while Arryn and Ballister set up camp.

"Have you ever had a... girlfriend?" Teela asked out of the blue. "Or, you know. Boyfriend? Partner? Whatever?"

Shadow shook his head and kept his eyes on his task. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm not great at opening up to people."

He'd expected a crack at his expense, or a snarky reminder of some embarrassing incident from their shared childhood growing up in the slums, which made Teela's response all the more surprising. "Would you ever want one?"

For reasons that were entirely opaque to Shadow, the question filled him with a vague sense of dread. "I don't know," he mumbled. Which was true enough. People always seemed to think a relationship would fix what was wrong with him, even if he himself didn't think that was possible. "I don't... want the same things as everyone else, and that makes it confusing."

"How so?"

He shrugged. "Sex is nice. I don't think I'm cut out for romance, though. Talking about feelings isn't exactly my strong suit."

"Mm. That's true."

Her calm acknowledgement of his deficiency stung, though she obviously hadn't intended it as a jab, and It took effort to keep the defensiveness he felt out of his voice. "Why do you ask?"

"Just curious," Teela said with a shrug and a quick smile. "Technically we've known each other a long time, but you don't talk much about what you got up to before we reconnected."

The years when Shadow had fought in a mercenary company, until he grew sick of all the blood and death. "Yeah. Well. I don't like thinking about it," he grunted, determinedly pushing away the memories that tried to surface.

"Sorry to bring it up, then," Teela said softly.

Shadow nodded, and they finished their work in silence.

 

- - - -

 

There was a job waiting for them when they got back to Tinora, and thank the gods, it was an easy one - escorting a professor from the Wizards' College to a dig site in some ruins two days away. So after turning over the carcass and collecting their bounty, they went to see Professor Aldershine in her office.

The Professor, an elderly gnome with a cane and a sun-weathered face, didn't balk when they named their rates, which was always a good sign. (Then again, their fee would come out of the College's purse, not the Professor's.) "I've got some experiments that need to be wound down, so I'll need a day or two to get ready,"she said cautioned.

Translation: two days minimum, and possibly three, because wizards with tenure are easily distracted.

"Not a problem," Ballister said amiably. "But if it's more than two days, there'll be a fee to cover the expense of not working."

"Entirely fair," Professor Aldershine replied. They shook hands all around, and the Professor paid them the agreed-upon advance before shaking a finger up at Ballister. "Now! I understand we have an acquaintance in common!"

Ballister perked up. "Oh?"

"Aldershine is my married name. I was born a Deepfield."

"You're Mellie's aunt!" Ballister exclaimed delightedly. "How is she doing?"

Shadow shot a long-suffering look at Teela, who rolled her eyes. "We're going to go get dinner, Ballister," she said loudly.

"I insist that you stay and eat with me, Ballister," Professor Aldershine proclaimed, and immediately started bustling around the room to clear the massive stack of books and papers from the room's only other chair.

Arryn was giggling as they left. "How does he know so many people?"

Teela shook her head in amused disgust. "Because that man will talk to anyone. Now. What are we feeling like for dinner?"

Shadow shrugged. "Wizards pay well," he pointed out. "And the Professor didn't even bargain. Might as well get something a bit nicer than pub fare if we're headed right back on the road."

"What about that Orcish place? It's not too far from here. Plus they've got a nice patio, and it's a lovely evening."

"I could murder a good roast," Teela said.

Shadow shrugged. "Sounds good to me."

 

- - - -

 

The meal was excellent.

Orcish portion sizes were big enough to feed three normal-sized humans (or one-and-a-half Ballisters), so they shared an order of roast ox and fragrantly stewed root vegetables, which came with a massive basket of flatbread. Arryn and Teela were in high spirits, and didn't seem inclined to rush the meal, which was fine with Shadow.

Back when he'd first teamed up with Teela, Ballister, and Arryn, this sort of unscripted social setting would have been excruciatingly uncomfortable for him. Now, several years into their working partnership, he'd gotten to know the two women well enough to be comfortable being himself around them. And while he'd never dazzle anyone with his sub-par conversational skills, Teela and Arryn never minded when he couldn't scrounge up anything to contribute. The fact that he enjoyed their company was enough.

Shadow was feeling pretty content by the time they paid their tab and started walking back to the rooming house they all stayed at - a rooming house that catered specifically to mercs and adventurers.

"It'll be great to get two or three nights rest in my own bed," Shadow sighed.

The two women made quiet noises of agreement.

He snorted as a thought occurred to him. "So. You two. Been going on for a while, yeah?"

Teela made a non-committal noise, while Arryn looked distinctly uncomfortable.

Dammit. He'd put his foot in his mouth again, hadn't he? "Look, I get why you want to keep that separate from work," Shadow said, holding up his hands in a conciliatory gesture. "I just asked because, you know. All this time I thought you were rooming together to save money for something. You know, build up a nest-egg for retirement."

He was relieved when Arryn started laughing and elbowed Teela. "And they were roommates," she said to the other woman.

Teela joined in, laughing delightedly at something that was obviously an in-joke between the two of them.

Shadow was struck, not for the first time, by the fact that Teela was always pretty, but when she laughed like that, she was drop-dead gorgeous.

He didn't think he'd been obvious about it, but something must have showed on his face, because Arryn poked Teela hard in the side. "Do it now," she hissed.

"Why does it have to be me?" Teela hissed back.

Arryn's grimaced anxiously. "I can't! And you've known him longer!"

Shadow had no idea what was happening. "What's going on?" he asked, alarmed.

Teela gulped and straightened her shoulders. "Look, we're all out as friends right now, and this is very much not a work thing, right?"

Well that wasn't ominous at all. "Right..." Shadow said slowly, instinctively taking a half-step backward.

"Then." Teela visibly steeled herself. "Um. Would you-- I mean, If you say no, there won't be any hard feelings and we don't have to talk about it, but... How would you feel about coming back to our room and watching us have sex?"

Could you die from blushing? Shadow felt like he might die from blushing.

"It's alright if the answer is no," Arryn added when he opened and closed his mouth several times without any sound emerging.

"You're... you're not shitting me are you?" he finally managed in a high, squeaky voice.

Teela shifted uncomfortably. "I've always been attracted to you. But as you say, you don't do feelings, and I'm someone who needs to talk about things. But then at the posting house, when you said you were attracted to us... Arryn and I talked about it, and... Well. It turns out we want to see what some strictly-no-feelings sex would be like. If you're interested, that is."

Shadow's cock instantly proclaimed its enthusiastic endorsement of this proposal. "To be clear," he said slowly. "You're inviting me to watch you have sex, and not to actually have sex with you."

Teela nodded, apparently entirely serious about the shocking proposal. "Yes."

Fuck. Now both his face and his cock were on fire. "Then... yes?"

He was grateful when Arryn, who sometimes didn't know when she'd taken her teasing too far, just clapped her hands together happily. "Alright then!"

 

- - - -

 

Kelsh Bloodhammer, their landlady and a formidable woman of dwarven and orcish heritage, was reading a book in the common room when they came in. "Welcome back, you three! I take it Ballister found himself some old friend to catch up with."

Shadow hung back and let Arryn and Teela handle the talking, far too preoccupied with hiding his prodigious erection to be able to make polite conversation.

Arryn laughed. "You know it."

"That boy," Kelsh snorted, rolling her eyes fondly. "He should have been a bard. How about your gear - anything that needs mending?"

Teela grimaced. "One of the straps on my jerkin is starting to crack. We're heading right out again, though, in two or three days."

"That's alright." Kelsh said dismissively. "You lot never ask for much. Bring it down at breakfast and I'll make sure Jonatan takes care of it."

"You're a saint," Teela said gratefully, leaning forward to give their landlady a quick hug.

Kelsh laughed. "Go get some rest. You look like you need it."

Shadow was relieved to finally escape the painful encounter, but felt awkward as he followed Teela and Arryn to the second floor and into their room. It was bigger than his, with a proper sitting room and books stacked on nearly every available surface. (Novels for the most part, whereas Shadow collected mostly histories.)

Teela and Arryn sat down on the overstuffed couch, leaving the comfortably battered armchair for Shadow.

Fuck. What was he supposed to do now? "I don't--"

"So there are some rules," Teela said sternly.

Shadow nodded gratefully. Rules were good. He could follow rules.

"Namely - if you get uncomfortable at any point, you can leave and we'll all pretend this never happened. If you stay, then you'll stay in that chair with everything inside your clothes, and you won't say anything."

"Moaning is okay," Arryn added impishly.

Teela twinkled at that. "Moaning is okay," she echoed.

Unsure whether the prohibition on speaking was already in effect, Shadow nodded, which seemed to be acknowledgement enough.

Teela smirked as she turned toward Arryn, and Shadow watched, enthralled, as her lips met Arryn's, then parted. Arryn tilted her head to correct the angle and carded her fingers through Teela's long black hair as they exchanged slow, unhurried kisses. At first, they cast lots of small glances in his direction, but when he remained still as a statue, they grew relaxed enough to fully focus on one another.

Shadow hardly dared to breathe when Teela started undoing the ties on the front of the dress Arryn had changed into for dinner. She pushed it open, and he discovered that Arryn apparently hadn't been wearing a chest-wrap underneath when the lovely pink swell of a naked breast was exposed. Teela lightly fondled one pert nipple, and Arryn broke off their kiss with a gasp.

"Shirt off," Arryn demanded.

The operation was more work for Teela, who had to first peel out of her sleeveless jerkin before she could pull the thin linen shirt she wore underneath over her head. Too impatient to wait for Teela to remove her chestwrap, Arryn simply pushed it up and out of the way so that her lover's large breasts fell free before bending pull one into her mouth.

The throbbing in Shadow's cock was now distinctly uncomfortable. Teela hadn't said that he couldn't touch himself through his clothes, but then. She hadn't said that he could either. He tried to be surreptitious as he moved his hand to rub himself through his trousers, but Arryn noticed immediately.

"I think Shadow is enjoying himself," she murmured before switching to Teela's other breast.

He froze as Teela briefly made eye contact, then dropped her gaze to his crotch, where the thick ridge of his erection was starkly visible. "Good," she groaned.

Shadow had to bite his lip to keep from moaning in response. This was their show, not his, even if it was the hottest fucking thing he'd ever seen... had ever been part of in his entire life.

"Why don't we give Shadow a better show?" Arryn purred, clearly excited by Teela's reaction.

As Teela removed Arryn's dress, Shadow was surprised to see the tell-tale bulge of a cock hidden beneath Arryn's pretty pink skirts. Was that why Arryn had been so nervous? She certainly seemed nervous as she looked over at Shadow to gauge his reaction. Still bound by the prohibition on speaking, he just shrugged, hoping she could tell how very unbothered he was by the discovery.

Arryn's answering smile was teasing as she pushed down her smalls to reveal a cock very different than the ones he was used to. It was slender, and... pretty, without the rough veininess of the masculine cocks he was used to handling, and Shadow was surprised by the strength of his sudden desire to have it in his mouth.

Arryn positioned herself with her back against the arm of the couch as Teela hurriedly shucked her trousers, revealing powerful thighs and a large muscular butt perfectly proportioned to balance her considerable breasts. "Come here," Arryn said, tugging on Teela's hand.

And... gods, Shadow had never seen anything as gorgeous as Teela straddling Arryn's lap, her generous ass pressed against Arryn's thighs, their breasts pressed tightly against each other. Arryn's hand traveled teasingly up Teela's thighs, and then she was parting Teela's folds to slip a finger inside her. One finger turned into two, which she pumped teasingly inside of Teela as the other women bucked impatiently against her hand.

"I want you inside me," Teela whined impatiently.

"Then lie back."

Teela eagerly scrambled to comply, stretching out onto her back and spreading her legs to make room for Arryn to cover her. Arryn's movements were gentle as she guided herself to Teela's entrance and slowly slid into her lover with a groan. She buried herself completely, then held herself there a moment before starting to roll her hips.

Shadow's hand was moving steadily against his cock now, stroking himself as best he could through two layers of fabric without removing his belt. He couldn't have said when he'd started, but his mouth was dry from panting, and his heart pounded in his chest as he watched the two women fuck.

A ragged moan fell from his lips as his pleasure started to peak. And--

Gods.

His fantasies could never have done the scene before him justice - Teela's legs were wrapped around Arryn's waist, her eyes rolling back with pleasure as the other woman thrust into her... And he was part of their pleasure.

Teela was starting to lose the rhythm as she captured Arryn's lips in a mess kiss. "Fuck, I can't..." She looked at Shadow, and whatever she saw in his face was enough to push her over the edge - she cried out, shuddered, and came, and Shadow had to pull his hand away as he almost came himself.

Arryn's chest and neck were flushed with arousal as she continued thrusting through the aftershocks. "You're so sexy," she groaned, dropping her forehead to Teela's shoulder as she picked up the pace. Her balls were slapping against Teela as her breath came in short, sharp gasps. And then she cried out, gave one spasmodic thrust, and clutched at Teela as she came.

Shadow was unprepared for the strength of his reaction as he tumbled over the edge, crashing head-first into a shattering orgasm that left him trembling and gasping. When he finally managed to open his eyes, Arryn had her head cradled on Teela's breasts, and both women were watching him.

"I think it's safe to say he liked it," Teela said with a tired grin.

Shadow looked down, mortified by the wet spot now visible on the front of his trousers. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to--"

"It's fine," Teela interrupted. "You followed the rules we gave you. And honestly..."

"It was really hot," Arryn finished fervently.

There was a long awkward silence. And then Teela stepped in to save him from his own awkwardness. "Good night, Shadow."

He nodded jerkily. Rose. Then, because it seemed rude not to say something. "Thanks," he mumbled, and fled to the safety of his room.

 

- - - -

 

Aside from a few errands, Shadow spent the following day hiding in his room.

The day after that, the four of them met with the Professor to discuss travel arrangements before getting dinner at a nearby pub.

Arryn and Teela said nothing about their revelatory encounter, but Shadow couldn't shake the feeling that either they were being weird, or he was.

 

- - - -

 

Despite his attempt to keep things strictly professional, things were even weirder between them as they set out from Tinora with the professor. Shadow rode behind Ballister and Professor Aldershine for the first hour, stewing miserably as they swapped stories of people he'd never met and probably never would.

Gods dammit all, this was exactly what he'd been afraid of. He'd obviously done something wrong, broken a rule that no one had told him about. Because that was always what happened. Except this time he'd gone and fucked things up with his two closest friends, whom he relied upon to make a living.

Finally, he couldn't take it anymore, and reined in his horse to ride next to Arryn and Teela.

"Look," he said bluntly. "I guess I did something wrong, because you two have been weird, and I wish you'd just tell me what I screwed up so I can fix it. You said if I left, we'd pretend it never happened, but I didn't. And I thought we all had a good time, but now we're pretending it didn't happen anyway? And I don't know how to be about it, and I feel like whatever I do, it's going to be wrong, because that's how it always is for me. It's why I've never had a relationship. But this isn't a relationship. We're friends and we work together, and this sucks."

Arryn and Teela both looked thoroughly embarrassed by the time he was done speaking.

"You're right," Arryn acknowledged guiltily. "We've really unfair and I'm sorry." She sighed and looked down at the pommel of her saddle. "I've had really bad experiences with men fetishizing me because I have--" she glanced at Ballister, gulped, and shook her head. "S-so I wanted to see if you were going to be... like that? Or. If you'd feel, like, entitled to doing it again? Or to doing more? But I should have just told you what I was worried about instead of testing you like that."

"I'm sorry too," Teela added quietly. "We've known each other a long time. I should have trusted you."

Shadow was swamped with a wave of relief so profound that for a moment he couldn't speak. "So. We're good?" he finally managed.

Arryn and Teela nodded and gave him matching sheepish smiles. "Yeah."

"Good."

When he would have dropped back to take up the rear, Teela laughed. "That's it?"

Shadow shrugged. "We're working."

Teela laughed. "Fair enough."

 

- - - -

 

The wizards at the dig site were excited when they arrived two days later, as it appeared they had an artifact they wanted to send back to the College for closer examination.

"Need some time to prepare it for transport, though," the dig supervisor said apologetically. "If you don't mind staying over, we can have it ready tomorrow. Only thing is, it might make you a tastier target for monsters. Hard to say by how much, that's why we want to study it."

"Same price as coming out then?" Shadow said with a shrug, looking at his compatriots to gauge their opinion.

"And you'll cover our costs if something succeeds at taking a chunk out of us," Ballister added.

Everyone seemed to feel this was fair, so the supervisor went off to write them a promissory note, which the Professor added her signature to.

Unsurprisingly, as there was nothing else to do this far from civilization but drink, the wizards got raucously, spectacularly drunk that evening.

Ballister was the only one of their party who seemed right at home. Shadow was immediately uncomfortable, and Arryn, too, started to look overwhelmed when the wizards started creating illusory fireworks.

"Come on," Teela said, rolling her eyes. "Let's get out of here. I found a nice quiet spot earlier."

"Don't have to tell me twice," Shadow grumbled.

No one noticed as they slipped out of camp.

Teela led them to a small goat path that led beside the river, saying that their destination was a few minutes walk.

"So," Arryn said casually once they were out of earshot. "Feel like joining us for a bit of fun? And maybe taking a more active part this time?"

Shadow blushed. "Um."

Teela, grinned at him over her shoulder. "Technically, we're between jobs at the moment."

"Then. Yes," Shadow said stiffly, looking down at his feet. "But only if things won't be weird this time."

Arryn surprised him by giving his hand a gentle squeeze. "How's this," she said softly, her eyes full of warmth and understanding. "If I'm weird again, you can tell me, and I'll stop."

Shadow had to swallow against the sudden lump in his throat. "Okay."

Nothing more was said as they trooped up and over a hill and into a small copse of trees, where two sets of blankets had already been laid out on the grass.

Shadow gave an amused snort as he sat down. "Figured I'd say yes even before I asked, did you?"

Arryn grinned and shrugged. "Teela and I would have come out here anyway, but we did assume that you'd want to join us."

Wanting to avoid any repetitions of their earlier awkwardness, Shadow took a deep breath and steeled himself for a moment of terrifying emotional honesty. "I need you to tell me what we're doing. And if I do something that makes you uncomfortable, I need you to tell me to stop."

"That's fair," Teela responded, tilting her head inquisitively. "As for what we're doing... what would you think of me watching you two?"

Shadow blinked. "Me and Arryn you mean?"

Teela nodded. "You looked like you enjoyed watching the two of us, and I was curious."

Heat spread across Shadow's cheeks. "I've never. Uh. Fucked, or been fucked by someone with a..." He trailed off nervously, unsure of how to respectfully describe Arryn's anatomy. "But I've given blowjobs before."

"That sounds nice," Arryn said cheerfully. "What if you suck me off, and then I'll suck you?"

Shadow's flush deepened as he nodded.

"Well then." Arryn undid the laces of her sorcerer's robe, pulled it over her head, and tossed it to the side, leaving her clad in just a chest-wrap and the close-fitting trousers she wore underneath. Then she leaned back on her elbows and glanced down at her crotch. "Get to it."

The teasing, so like their usual dynamic, strangely helped to settle his nerves. He snorted and shook his head as he scooted closer to unbutton her trousers, only to find that they were too high-waisted to allow convenient access to her cock. "Gonna have to take these off," he grunted, nodding at her boots.

Arryn just quirked a challenging eyebrow and lifted her foot.

"That's how it is, then?" Shadow grumbled, a stubborn smile pulling at the corner of his lips.

"You're welcome," Arryn said pertly.

By the time he'd pulled off both boots and her trousers, he was feeling bold enough to make a demand of his own. He hooked his thumbs in the waistband of her smallclothes, then settled his hands on her hips. "That too," he said, nodding at her chest-wrap.

"You first," Arryn said with a teasing grin. "It's no fair if only I'm naked, and I want to see you."

It was an entirely fair request that nonetheless caused Shadow's nerves to reassert themselves. He knew he was attractive - people generally found him pretty, and his profession necessarily kept him fit and muscular. But this kind of unrushed undressing for a lover was a first for him. He felt awkward and completely unsexy as he removed both his jerkin and the shirt underneath, but neither Arryn nor Teela seemed to have any complaints. Rather the opposite, in fact - Arryn looked like a cat who had gotten into the cream as she exchanged a smug glance with Teela.

Shadow flushed, overwhelmed by their predatory interest, though he couldn't deny that it was turning him on. "Trousers too?"

"I'd like it if you took them off," Arryn replied carefully. "But if you're not comfortable with that..."

Shadow ducked his head, hands already on his belt buckle. "It's fine," he mumbled, not knowing how to explain that he'd just needed to be told it was okay.

There wasn't any way to seductively remove traveling boots, so he didn't even try. Nor did he try to make a show of removing his trousers and smalls. His cock, which was more than half-hard, bobbed free as he shucked the last of his clothing, not quite hard enough to stand at attention, but well on its way.

Both women were staring at him with expressions he was too overwhelmed to parse. "Is it... okay?" he asked nervously, hating the way he could feel his ears burning.

"It's better than okay," Arryn said, speaking at the same time as Teela, who breathed, "you're gorgeous, Shadow".

Arryn shook her head, sat up, and pulled off her chest-wrap, and Shadow felt his cock stiffen further as he took a long moment to admire the gentle swell of her breasts.

"Will you come here so I can kiss you?" Arryn asked, crooking a finger at him.

Shadow swallowed. "Here?" he asked in a small voice, feeling stupid for needing to ask what she meant.

"Either on top of me, or next to me," Arryn replied, nodding at the empty space to her right.

On top sounded incredibly appealing, but Shadow didn't have the faintest clue how to achieve that position in a way that wouldn't be weird and off-putting, so he settled for scooting up recline next to Arryn instead. Teela, meanwhile, moved back to lean against a tree as she watched them both with raptor intensity.

"You're so pretty," Arryn murmured as she leaned forward slowly.

Shadow flushed with pleasure and only barely kept himself from replying 'so are you' - which was an understatement so vast as to be insulting. And then her lips were moving against his, soft and sweet, and her tongue sliding between his lips and...

Kissing, proper kissing, was nice, he realized. There was a brothel in Tinora that he favored where a few of the courtesans probably considered him a 'regular'. They didn't tend to do much kissing, though. And the men Shadow sometimes picked up at the bath houses... well, those encounters were usually too rushed and frantic. Sometimes guys fucked his face with their tongues, but that wasn't at all the same.

They'd been kissing for about a minute, during which Shadow studiously kept his hands to himself, when Arryn broke the kiss. "You seem tense."

He grimaced. Shrugged. "I don't know what to do with my hands."

"What would you like to do with your hands?"

"I'd like to touch your breasts."

"That sounds nice." Arryn replied, her patience a balm for his anxiety.

Movement caught his eye - Teela shifting to slip a hand into her trousers, and... fuck. Shadow couldn't help but moan as Arryn's lips met his. He moaned again when Arryn blindly groped for his hand and placed it on her breast, which was deliciously soft against his sword-callused hand.

"Gods," Arryn gasped when he started lightly pinching her nipple. "Can-- can I touch your cock?"

Shadow glanced over at Teela, whose hand was still in her trousers, fingers moving rhythmically as she pleasured herself. The surge of arousal he felt knowing that she was literally getting off on watching them was electrifying. Powerful. "Yeah. Can I touch yours?"

"Mmhmm."

Arryn's hands were the hands of a spellcaster unused to manual labor - her hand was soft and gentle against his cock as she grippled him and dragged a thumb through the liquid leaking from his tip. He reciprocated, discovering as he took her in hand that the skin of her member was as silky smooth as it looked. When he gave her a few tentative strokes, she threw her head back and gave a whole-body shudder. "Gods," she groaned, bucking up into his hand.

"Can I suck you now?" Shadow asked, now desperately curious to know if she'd feel as good in his mouth as she did in his hand.

"Nnnnn," she moaned, the noise a definite affirmative.

Needing no further encouragement, Shadow repositioned himself so that he was laying across Arryn's legs and wrapped his lips around her. Her cock was almost buttery in his mouth, without the usual bitter/salt flavor he was used to, and its smaller size meant he could fit her entire length into his mouth quite comfortably. He would have described the mouthfeel as 'soothing', were it not for the fact that her incredible noises went straight to own member, and--

Honestly, he could do this forever.

Shadow experimented with technique, varying pressure and rhythm until he found what she liked most. Time went away for a bit as he lost himself in the arousal of pleasing her, and he didn't realize that her moans had taken on a frustrated edge until she let loose with a blistering curse. "Fuck! It's so good, and I'm so close," she sobbed.

"I've got you, love," Teela murmured.

There was the sound of movement, and then Teela's long hair brushing his face as she bent to suck one of Arryn's breasts.

"Gods, yes. Like that," Arryn gasped, thrusting up into Shadow's mouth. He felt her member twitch and thicken a moment before she began to wail with ecstasy and spent a surprisingly small amount of thin, sweet-tasting fluid into his mouth.

When collapsed limply against the blankets, Shadow sat up, grimacing at the discomfort of the throbbing in his cock.

Teela, who was now topless, was looking at him hungrily. "That was so hot," She murmured, bare breasts jiggling enticingly as she bent to kiss Arryn.

"Nnn," was the only response the sorcerer could muster.

Teela straightened and turned her attention toward Shadow's cock, which twitched as she looked at it. "Looks like Shadow liked it too."

Shadow's answering blush was as much from arousal as embarassment.

She tilted her head to smile prettily at him, and Shadow's mouth went dry at the way her waterfall of black hair tumbled over her perfect breasts. "Since you did too good a job with Arryn, how would you feel if I rode your cock instead?"

The noise that emerged from Shadow's lips was decidedly undignified. Still, he pulled the tattered shreds of his dignity about him as he said, "only if Arryn's okay with it."

Arryn's attempt at speech was incomprehensible, so she flashed a tired thumbs up instead.

"You've got a contraception charm, I assume?" Shadow asked cautiously.

"Five year tattoo three years ago," Teela answered, twisting to show him the familiar spell-glyphs on the back of her shoulder.

"Then yes."

Teela quickly kicked off her boots. "Lie down," she ordered as she started wriggling out of her tight leather trousers.

Shadow stretched out next to Arryn, figuring that she'd appreciate the view, then waited patiently for Teela as she finished stripping. Once naked, she crawled over to him like a panther and moved to straddle his thighs.

"You like being told what to do, don't you?" she asked as she lightly fondled his balls.

Shadow shivered, his nerves fading away at her clear enjoyment of being the one to take charge. "Yeah," he said roughly. Being told what to do felt like being taken care of. Which was a stupid thing to say, so he kept it to himself.

Teela just nodded, raised herself on her knees as she guided him to her entrance, and slowly sank down onto him with a long, low moan. Once she'd taken his entire length, she took his hands and placed them on her thighs. "Hold on. Either to my thighs or my butt, whichever you like, or whichever's easiest."

Unaccountably, Shadow was swamped by a sudden rush of emotion that caused his eyes to prickle. He wanted to fuck Teela since they were both twelve and he'd accidentally touched her breast while they were hiding in an alley from some street toughs. He'd always assumed he'd never get the chance because... well. Given the choice, why would anyone as gorgeous as Teela want to be with a blockhead like him?

And yet, here she was, completely bewitching in the dusk's golden light, with her powerful thighs astride him and his cock inside her, because she wanted it there. Because she knew about him being a broken, loveless automaton, and didn't care.

"Hey," she said quietly, splaying her hands across his chest. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Shadow said gruffly. "I'm good." Then, because she deserved a better explanation, even if he couldn't give it to her, "I'm really, really good."

"Good." Teela twinkled at him as she rolled her hips, wringing a moan from both of them. "Do you want me slow and gentle, or hard and fast?"

"I want whatever you want," he said, hoping she wouldn't think he was giving her a cop-out response.

She fucked him hard and fast.

And, gods but she felt incredible. Almost immediately, it was right on the edge of too much. Not just the drag of her warm, wet inner walls against his cock, but the delicious noises she made, the slap of her thighs against his, and the way her tits bounced as she fucked him--

Shadow suddenly realized that he'd never been fucked by a woman he wasn't paying before. He had no idea how long it was 'normal' for a man to last with a woman, and was desperately afraid that she'd be disappointed in him when he didn't last long enough. But trying to hold back his pleasure was like trying to stop the tide with nothing but his hands.

"Fuck. Sorry, I'm--" he gasped as his orgasm loomed over him. "I can't--"

Teela's fingers were moving furiously on her clit as she shushed him. "Do it. Come inside me."

Unable to resist any longer, Shadow sobbed as he gripped her thighs and spent into her.

She was still moaning and rocking her hips on his cock when his orgasm had passed.

"Shit. I'm sorry, Teela," he mumbled.

"Don't apologize," she said brusquely. "Just grab my tits."

Shadow obligingly lifted his hands to squeeze them, earning a low, deep-throated moan.

From beside him, Arryn's spoke softly as Teela began to tremble all over. "Come for me, love."

And she did.

 

- - - -

 

Teela was just as destroyed as Arryn had been. She flopped sideways into Arryn's waiting arms, gasping for air, and for a moment both women were so preoccupied with each other that he wondered if this was the part where he left.

"We still good?" he asked nervously.

"Still good," Arryn confirmed, which was echoed somewhat incoherently by Teela.

Shadow nodded jerkily and propped himself up on his elbow, intending to push himself to his feet.

"You don't have to go," Teela said breathlessly.

Shadow looked skeptically at the two women as Arryn pressed a multitude of tiny kisses against the top of Teela's head. It looked pretty damned romantic to him. "I don't?"

Teela managed to flop her head to the side so she could make eye contact. "Afterglow cuddling is one of the best parts of sex. You should get to enjoy it."

Shadow considered this. He tended to treat his trips to the brothel as more of a transaction, and had honestly never thought to try to cuddle any of the courtesans he'd bedded. Maybe cuddling would be something he enjoyed as much as kissing. "And if I stay, it doesn't... mean anything. Like. Romantically."

When Teela shook her head tiredly, Shadow quirked an eyebrow at Arryn, who smirked. "No. It really doesn't."

Shadow weighed this new information, then got up anyway. "If we do this again in a proper bed, then... probably. But the bugs are coming out now that the sun's down."

"Reasonable," Teela chuckled, though she made no effort to move from her current position.

Shadow got dressed and went straight to the tent he'd been assigned at the dig site, where he lay awake for a long time thinking about everything that he'd learned.

 

- - - -

 

They completed their delivery, though Ballister got lightly mauled by a night-drake who got the drop on him. Literally - it fell onto him out of a tree as he was gathering firewood for camp.

Thankfully, they were close enough to Tinora City when it happened to use the charm that would magically summon aid from the College. The charm had cost them dearly, as did using it, but you couldn't spend gold when you were dead.

Even so, Ballister looked suspiciously gleeful as they were doing their best to clean his wounds.

"What are you grinning about, you madman?" Shadow grunted as he held Arryn's mage-lantern in place to illuminate what she was doing.

"The College is going to fit the bill, remember? And I reckon I'm going to need a few days in the infirmary."

Teela laughed. "Well, sounds like you'll be living in the lap of luxury on someone else's copper, then. And all it took was a night-drake trying to eat you."

"I lived," Ballister chuckled. "And the lads love a set of scars that come with a good story."

 

- - - -

 

A group of medical wizards arrived in the morning to take Ballister back to the city. Shadow, Arryn, and Teela broke camp and returned to the city, with Ballister's enormous mount following meekly on a lead.

By the time they'd stabled their mounts and stowed their gear, Ballister's wounds had been seen to, and he was resting comfortably in the College infirmary. "They want to keep me for two days," he said cheerfully. "Found two fangs in my shoulder when they were stitching me up." He held up his hand and gave Arryn a stern look before she could apologize. "Not your fault. Damned Archmage who created them designed them that way."

"Well, enjoy eating them bankrupt while you heal up," Teela said cheerfully, giving Ballister's ankle an affectionate squeeze. "We'll drum up our next job, and in the mean time I'm sure you won't lack for visitors."

"I'm sure I won't," Ballister chuckled.

 

- - - -

 

Thankfully, their well-established reputation meant that they didn't need to be too diligent about job hunting. After stopping to put up a notice on the board in the market, the three of them bought since sausages from a street meat vendor and found an out-of-the-way spot to eat and early lunch.

They only just started eating when Inzana - an old friend and courier for the Merchant's Guild found them. "Hey, there," she called out, waving the bill they'd just posted. "If no one else has hired you yet, there's someone at the Guild who wants to meet you in the morning."

Teela grimaced at Shadow, her mouth too full of food to answer.

"Not a problem if we can't go out right away, is it?" Shadow asked. "Ballister's laid up for a couple days. Nothing too serious."

"Heard about that," Inzana said, shaking her head. "I don't think that'll be a problem, and if it's what I think it is, it'll be an easy job with a big payout."

"Then we'll take it," Teela said cheerfully.

"Grand," Inzana said, pocketing their bill. "Thanks for saving me a lot of hassle. Present yourselves at the Guild when we open in the morning and ask for Serenvald."

Shadow saluted with the remains of his sausage, and Inzana cheerfully headed back the way she had come.

It was a hot day, so they grabbed drinks from a juice seller to sip at on their way to the rooming house.

"So... is it okay for me to ask about what happens next?" Shadow asked quietly. "Not with work, but... you know. The other thing?"

Teela raised her eyebrows. "Do you have any thoughts about what you'd like?"

Shadow looked nervously at Arryn. "Promise not to tease?" he said in a small voice.

"Cross my heart," Arryn said solemnly.

Shadow inhaled. Exhaled. "The sex was good. Really good. Way better than with myself, and better than most of the sex I pay for, honestly. But it hasn't changed my feelings about relationships. I don't think I want one, with you two or with anyone, really. The part of me that everyone else has that makes them want that is... missing. You're just good friends that I like to fuck, and that's it. So. I'd like to keep doing this... you know. Whatever this is, and I'm happy for you to tell me to piss off whenever you don't want me around. I don't mind."

Arryn and Teela looked... relieved. "You were right before," Arryn said cautiously. "We're friends and we work together, and it's important to make sure we don't ruin that. But... doing more of what we've been doing sounds good to me."

"Me too," Teela said simply.

Well. That was one hurdle cleared. Now for the second, much larger difficulty...

"The only thing," Shadow began stiffly. "Is. I need, like, rules. Explicit ones. I don't understand all the unspoken rules that normal people know how to navigate instinctively. I don't even perceive them most of the time until someone gets mad at me for doing something wrong. I need to be told what I can and can't do."

Teela laid a hand on his arm. "We can do that," she said warmly.

"Okay," Shadow whsipered. "I mean, thank you."

He retreated into his drink, and the two women left him mercifully alone until he had mostly settled himself.

"Well," Arryn said when the rooming house came into view. "Since we've got the rest of the day to ourselves..."

Teela grinned and leaned toward Shadow. "How would you feel about fucking me while Arryn fucks you?"

Shadow liked the sound of that. He liked it a lot. But what actually came out of his mouth was, "I don't know. I've never done anything like that before."

It was the wrong thing, and he knew it as soon as he said it, but neither of them got annoyed with him for being obtuse.

"Want to try it and find out?" Arryn asked impishly. "We can do something else if you don't like it," she added quickly.

Shadow's answering grin was decidedly goofy. "Yeah. Okay."

"Okay then!" Arryn exclaimed.

She and Teela grabbed his hands and started pulling him down the street, and Shadow laughed from pure happiness as he realized that just then, everything in his life felt pretty fucking perfect. 

----

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