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Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romance, alternative
Universe: Marriage-verse
Characters/Pairings: Loanna, Michael, Jules - Loanna&Michael, Michael/Jules, Michael/Jules/Loanna
Summary: Negotiations in an unusual marriage
Wordcount: 2926
Notes: Something sappy that's been floating around my head. Contains alternate household arrangements. *smiles*
Claimer: All mine
The Arrangement
There was someone else's coat in her husband's closet when Loanna returned, tired and happy from her weekend away. A coat she'd never seen before. She studied it for a long time, thoughtfully, before reaching out and rubbing a finger over the smooth leather, smiling slightly when she recognised the texture. High-quality. This would be a present, then. From her husband to whoever had been staying here while she was gone.
She frowned a little. The man, whoever he was, must surely be missing this coat. She wondered why he'd left it. Surely he hadn't been in such a rush to leave as all that! Unless ... he'd hardly still be here, would he? Maybe they were finishing up, somewhere? The house was huge, and she hadn't seen Michael at all yet, after all. They could be here. It had never happened before, that one of them had stayed, but it was possible ...
She heard the footsteps behind her, was turning with the coat in hand as her husband walked into her bedroom, talking distractedly over his shoulder. He saw her just as she saw the large man coming in behind him, laughing softly, a lovely rumble of pleasure that she couldn't help but like immediately. The pair of them froze as they saw her.
"Lo ... Loanna," Michael stammered, and she watched with a frown as he stepped in front of the other man protectively, almost unconscious of the movement. It annoyed her, a little, but she ignored it to go greet him properly, happy to see him after the days away.
"Michael," she smiled, moving forward to take his hand gently in hers as he stood stunned, standing on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. "I missed you," she said softly, as her heels touched the ground again.
"I ..." he couldn't seem to find the words, an expression worryingly close to guilt on his face. She frowned.
"Michael?" She stood in close, resting her hand on his chest lightly, peering up at him in an attempt to divine his upset. He flushed, looking away, his hands clenching into fists at his side. Loanne couldn't fathom it at all, and turned to the stranger in mute appeal.
"I'm sorry," the big man rumbled, holding out a hand. She reached to take it, then realised that the hand she'd held out was the one holding what was presumably his coat. She flushed furiously, and turned aside to lay it over the bedstead so she could take his hand properly.
"Sorry, Mr ...?" she asked, still fumbling a little at her mistake. He smiled gently at her, eyes soft and sad, like he was waiting for something bad to happen.
"Jules," he answered quietly. "You can call me Jules, Miss Loanna."
She smiled up at him in delight, holding his huge hand warmly between two of hers. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Jules!" And she meant that. She really did. "I'm, ah ..." she dipped her head, self-amused. "I'm sorry about picking up your coat. I just didn't recognise it, so I wanted a closer look."
"It's not a problem," he assured her, still looking vaguely pained. "Miss Loanna ... I don't think I was meant to be here for your return." He said that sheepishly, dipping his head in shame. "I'm sorry." She blinked at him, then at Michael, who looked back with something approaching fear. And really, she'd had about enough of that.
"What is wrong with the two of you?" she asked, exasperated. "Michael, why are you throwing Jules out just because I'm home?" He stared at her. "Did you really think I'd have a problem with his being here?" Because if you did, she thought, we are going to have words, husband of mine.
They were silent for a long second, staring at her. Down at her, and it was times like this she really, really wished she had more than five foot nothing in height to her name. Not that it would have done her much good with the likes of Jules, who was six' ten'' if he was an inch.
"Miss Loanna ..." Jules started, frowning somewhere between confusion and fear. She blinked at him steadily, and he shut up again. The silence stretched out interminably, until Michael finally broke.
"I didn't think you'd want to endure the company of my lover!" he snapped abruptly, a brief flash of anger out of nowhere, that disappeared in seconds as she stared at him, drowned beneath shame. She blinked, watching as his head dipped until his chin rested on his chest, his fists clenching and unclenching uselessly at his side. Jules was at his side in a second, reaching out to wrap his hands around those fists, pausing only to send a pained and inexpressibly sad look towards her. She blinked, unmoving, stunned.
"Michael?" she managed, finally. He pulled in a breath like a gasp, and turned his face away, leaning into Jules, who wrapped his arms around Michael's shoulders, and met her stunned gaze.
"I'm sorry, Miss Loanna," he said softly, smiling sadly. "I think I really wasn't meant to be here when you returned."
Loanna paused, then, pushing aside the dozens of replies that came to mind, realising that she'd need to think this through a little bit before she broke her husband. If he wasn't too badly broken already. Looking at his shaking form, she wasn't sure if it wasn't already too late on that score. So she moved away from them a little bit, going to sit down on the edge of the bed. Their marriage bed, and maybe that hadn't been the best idea, on second thought, but dammit, she needed to be sitting down if they were going to have this discussion again!
"Jules," she said softly. "Bring him over here, will you?" The big man blinked at her, bewildered and wary, but complied, sitting Michael down beside her like he was handling a baby. He looked at her again for a second, probably wondering if he should retreat, but found a bit of stubbornness inside him and stayed where he was, kneeling at Michael's feet. She smiled at him.
"How much has Michael told you about me?" she asked him quietly, feeling her husband flinch beside her, a soft tremor. She reached out automatically, taking his hand in hers, and felt him gasp a little. She almost let go at the sound, but stubbornness got the better of her, and she held on.
Jules looked between them, studying the interaction carefully, and she saw something warm in him at her care for Michael. She liked that. She liked it a lot. So many of her husband's lovers in the past hadn't cared for him at all. One of them, she knew, had hurt Michael greatly. It was good to know Jules wasn't like that.
"Not very much, Miss Loanna," the big man admitted. "Only that you're his wife, that you married very young, and that you ... that you knew he was gay when you married him?" Strongly questioning on that last part, almost disbelieving. She nodded firmly.
"I did. It was part of why I married him." Jules stared at her, and she shook her head with a small smile. "It's the way of his family," she explained gently. "They would have forced him to marry someone, and I couldn't let it be some society woman who wouldn't understand." She looked fondly at Michael. "It's not his fault his family are traditionalistic morons."
"No argument here," Jules agreed, watching as Michael managed a small smile, stiff and pained though it was. She saw satisfaction flash in the dark eyes, and decided she really did like this man.
"Jules," she pulled his attention back to her. "I'm asexual."
He stared at her, honestly flummoxed, and she laughed brightly. Michael managed to regain enough life to glare at her a little, before his shame caught back up at him. She was tempted for a moment to try smacking him and be done, but restrained herself, looking back at Jules' stunned expression.
"Miss Loanna ..." he tried, and stopped, obviously having no idea what to say. She shook her head.
"Don't worry. I get that a lot," she laughed, then sobered a little. "But. It's something you need to know, if you plan on staying with Michael here. You need to understand our arrangement." She looked at her husband, who had raised his head to stare at her himself, and shook her head slightly. "And once you understand it, you can explain it to this damned idiot here!" she added.
"Loanna ..." Michael murmured, and she counted him regaining his voice quite the victory. "What ...?"
"Michael, my love," she smiled, fondly, exasperatedly. "You are an idiot. I told you. I told you years ago. We're married. I love you. But I know you love other people, in a different way to me. And I told you I didn't mind that."
"But ..." he frowned. "Loanna ... it's not the same, telling ... telling me that when we're young, and then ... and then having your husband betray you like ... like I have."
She surrender to her earlier urge, and slapped the back of his head, growling at him. He stared. "Betray my arse, Michael! You moron, have you been listening at all?" She glared at him furiously, until Jules coughed gently and she turned her attention back to him, blinking when she realised she'd almost forgotten his presence.
"I think, Miss Loanna, that he means we thought ... saying is one thing, but we didn't want to ... to rub your face in it, maybe." He shrugged expressively, smiling at her in apology. "We didn't want you to have to share your home, your time, with ... with your husband's side piece, as it were."
She snorted inelegantly. "If my husband had a side piece, that might be a problem," she disdained. "I'd have to have words with them. But my husband's lover is a different story." She smiled at them, shaking her head. "Especially a lover who obviously cares very much for him, and him for them." Jules blushed faintly, barely visible against his dusky skin. It was a beautiful look on him, and she found herself grinning at him, watching him dip his head like a little boy.
"Loanna," Michael wondered. "You ... you truly don't mind?" She shook her head, grinning, and gripped his hand tightly.
"You've had a lot of lovers over the years," she noted gently, politely ignoring his wince. "But none that you bring to our home so regularly. None that you step in front of to protect. None that get you so distracted, make you feel so safe, that you forget to get rid of them before I come home." She looked at Jules, smiling broadly at his baffled look of pleasure. "None that you ever seemed to care for, to love," she finished gently, watching her husband swallow heavily. "None like him."
"No," he managed, hoarsely. "None like him."
She smiled, her eyes shining at him, and held out a hand for Jules to take, tugging the big man's hand forwards to join hers and Michael's. Jules blinked at the pair of them, his eyes so very soft as he looked at Michael, something warm and gentle and a lot like love in that look. Loanna nodded approvingly, watching as they moved towards each other almost helplessly, pressing their faces together, not a kiss, more a nuzzle, a comforting physicality that had her repressing a barest twinge of envy. Yes. She did like Jules. She liked how he and Michael were together, liked the ease that he brought her husband.
But now ... now that she'd sorted that out, it looked rather like she was becoming superfluous to proceedings. She was ... mildly disappointed. Not hurt! Just ... a little disappointed. She been looking forward to having Michael for a while after coming home, holding him and being held, warm and safe. She had no desire for him, not like that, but ... she loved him, and loved being loved by him, and being shown that love through touch.
But he and Jules deserved the time, after the shock they'd had. She'd seen it, in Jules' eyes, that they'd thought she'd forbid them to see each other, or something else equally as foolish. They'd thought they would lose each other, for some minutes there. And now, they needed to reassure each other that they wouldn't, that it wasn't going to happen. They needed that. She ... well, she could get her own comfort later. They needed it more.
So she pulled back, gently disentangling her hand from theirs while they were ... distracted, smiling a little as they didn't even notice. She paused for a second as she slid silently to her feet, looking at them, together in her bedroom. Hers and Michael's. And now Jules', it seemed. She grinned a little, ignoring the faint regret, and decided they were going to need an upgrade if they were going to fit three people on that thing.
If ... if they'd allow her to stay, that was. While they were ... engaged ... she knew she wouldn't want to be present. It always ... took her strangely, seeing that. They wouldn't want her there for it either. But after ... she hoped they'd let her join them, after. She liked Jules. Liked how he looked at Michael, at her. She hoped he wouldn't mind sharing a little of his size and warmth with his lover's wife. Sometimes. Now and then.
Damn. She hadn't thought this through at all, had she? Michael loved her. He really did. But he loved Jules more fully, perhaps. And if Jules was part of their household ... she was going to have to get used to having less of him. But ... it would be nice to have someone else to talk to, to help keep an eye on Michael, someone to hold her hand sometimes, hug her, maybe ...
"Miss Loanna?"
She blinked, shaking herself out of her musings to find them watching her worriedly. Very worriedly, actually, and both of them. Jules too, and she felt warmed a little because he seemed to be worried for her, not only how she'd affect Michael. That wasn't bad, for ten minutes acquaintance. She smiled a little. Maybe there was hope, after all.
"I'm sorry?" she asked, smiling bashfully at them. "I was ... distracted." And confident enough that you were too, she thought. She was surprised they'd cut themselves off enough to notice her wool-gathering.
"Loanna," Michael said, quietly, and held out his hand for her to sit back down. She blinked at him, until he shook his head in an echo of her earlier exasperation, and nodded to Jules. Who, while she stared at him in shock, stood up and came over to enfold her in a giant bear hug. She squeaked a little, her feet coming off the floor, and clung to him on instinct, patting him awkwardly on the shoulder while Michael grinned at her behind him.
"Thank you, Miss Loanna," Jules whispered, setting her gently back on her feet, rubbing her back softly, smiling down at her. She opened her mouth, completely confused, and then had to shut it again when Michael appeared at his lover's side and scooped her up to kiss her on the mouth, smiling, pressing his lips to her forehead, the tip of her nose. She raised her hands, fluttering them around his shoulders in confusion, feeling horribly like they'd turned the tables on her. Bastards.
"Boys." She put out her hands decisively, pushing them both back enough for her to look up at them, glaring and confused. "What are you doing? I thought ..." She smiled a little. "Well, I thought you had other things to occupy your attention." They looked at each other, and it reminded her of the look she and Jules had shared over Michael's idiocy. She narrowed her eyes, putting her hands on her hips. "Boys?"
Michael looked at Jules, and handed the answer to him with a little bow. Loanna liked that little interaction. But then Jules was speaking, and she could only listen, her heart singing quietly. "Miss Loanna," he smiled. "I'm glad to join you, Miss Loanna. You and Michael. I hope ... I hope you and I can be friends." He looked down, bashful. "I'd like to be friends, at least."
She smiled, biting her lip. "You don't mind humouring the wife, then?" she asked, and it was only half teasing. But he took the question at face value, and took her shoulders in his great hands, shaking slightly, fine tremors of sincerity as Michael threaded his arm around his, and took her hand.
"If you don't mind humouring the husband and the lover," Michael whispered, his smile wobbling and hopeful. "If you don't mind ... being with us." He shook, pain flashing over his face. "I would hate ... I never wanted to lose you, Loanna. I still ... I still don't. I love you."
She blinked hard, tears springing to her eyes, and shook her head when words wouldn't come, before she gave up altogether and rushed them, pulling them both to her, burying her head in Jules' chest and her hands in Michael's hair, holding them close. "As long as you'll have me, Michael," she whispered. "And you, Jules. My husband. My loves."
Over her head, their eyes met and spoke in silence, and when they moved it was to bring her to bed, together, and wrap themselves around her for the night, and as many nights after as could be had.
And all in all, Loanna found herself liking that arrangement.
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