My own personal theory/idea about how the Gid 'verse triad got started:
“Amanda, I need to discuss something with you.”
Her head came up and she frowned just a touch. She’d been deeply engrossed in the drawings they were building from, and she’d just nearly managed to figure out how to work a particularly difficult bit when he’d spoken, and now the idea was fading so she jotted down “ch l to up l x to rt at wt” and hoped she’d remember what that meant. “Is something wrong?” she asked softly.
He gave her a patient smile. “Wrong? No. I just thought… perhaps we could discuss Zep.” He seemed almost, dare she think it? Nervous.
“Oh. Yes.” She shifted in her seat a little, letting her right foot swing in the air. “What would you like to discuss about Zep?” She wasn’t going to lie, she’d been a touch horrible about him at first, but she was warming up to the man.
“How do you feel about him? And about the things we discussed last time? I don’t want to upset you, Amanda. You know how important it is to me that you’re happy.” And that was the real problem wasn’t it? Because Amanda being happy was, for some reason, almost TOO high on John’s priority list. At least in her opinion.
“He’s… nice. He still manages to not make a sound when he’s walking around, so I often jump when I realize he’s there. But he’s actively trying to make me comfortable, I think. And yes, I know you want me to be happy. “ She paused, smiling a little. “I AM happy, you know. You do know, don’t you? How I feel?”
“I think that you make it very clear, yes.” And was that a touch of amusement she saw? She thought it was, but she wasn’t sure. “I do think one of my favorite things about you, Amanda, is that you are seldom coy about how you feel.”
It WAS amusement. She laughed, shaking her head, “Yeah, yeah, I’m a mouthy little wench. We both know this.” She took a moment to gather her thoughts. “I think, that if Zep makes you happy and you want him in your life, I’m more than happy to accept him. Your happiness is important to me too, you know.”
He nodded, once, then turned to his drawings again, and Amanda assumed this meant the subject was adequately discussed. She buried her nose back in the drawing, making a light sketch of the area she’d been working with, drawing in the chain crossing from the upper left to the right waist. That might just work.
They worked in companionable silence for a time before John sighed and rubbed his eyes. Amanda immediately looked up to see if he needed anything, but when he smiled, she went right back to what she’d been doing.
“I’d like you to join us tonight, Amanda,” he said and she dropped her pencil, hearing it clatter to the floor.
“JOIN you? Like… like a threesome?” She wrinkled her nose a little.
“Don’t make that face. I’m serious.” And if it wasn’t her imagination, he sounded a touch hurt. “I do not wish for some sexual liaison. I care very deeply for both you and Zep. I thought perhaps the three of us…” He faded off, a small blush crossing his face.
“You thought what?” she said softly, and she was positive her mouth was hanging open just a touch.
“I thought perhaps the three of us could make a life. Together.”
She blinked again, “You mean like being in a relationship?” Her voice was hesitant.
“That’s exactly what I mean,” he nodded. He stood, moving beside her and touching her cheek softly. “It is perhaps selfish of me, but I don’t wish to give either of you up. And just as selfishly, I don’t wish to divide my time.”
She nodded slowly, then shifted her face into his hand so he could cup her cheek fully. “I’m willing to try. Not tonight though, okay? Give me a few days to really wrap my head around it?”
The kiss told her he agreed. Just as hers back said she would honestly try.
-----
Over the next few days, Amanda made a point to engage Zep in real conversation. And she went out of her way to see that he was comfortable whenever possible. She even asked his opinion on several of the things she was working on.
It was late at night four days after she’d promised to try to wrap her mind around it, and she was working on another difficult part of the diagram. When she looked up, John was missing, and it was simply herself and Zep in the room. Instead of feeling a sense of worry, as she had so often (thoughts about which of them should go to bed with John and who’d be left to fend for themselves, wondering what he was thinking about her, wondering if he could hear how she thought about HIM… well, those worries always tended to flare up when it was quiet and they were alone), she smiled.
“I’m going to get some water. Do you want anything?” she asked, reaching out to touch his arm, more to be sure she had his attention than anything. But as she moved, so did he, and her hand touched his softly, her fingers wrapping his in a way that felt natural.
“W-water would be fine,” he said, “I can go get it for us. Sit, Amanda.” He moved to stand, and looked down at their hands, almost as if surprised she hadn’t moved hers away yet. “I don’t mind. I’m good at doing things for others.”
“Hey, I offered,” she said, stepping back, but keeping her hand in his. In fact, she shifted it so she could wrap her fingers around his. “We could both go. Then no one is serving anyone.”
“Oh. Okay,” he said, still watching their hands. “You don’t have to do that,” he said, almost like he didn’t realize he was saying it. “You don’t have to touch me, if you don’t want to.”
“And if I do want to?” she asked, because suddenly it’s all she DID want to do. She wasn’t sure if it was because he seemed vulnerable in the pale light or if it was the way he expected her to not want to. She was always big on not meeting people’s expectations.
“Do you?” he asked, his voice seeming a little startled. “Why? Don’t you think I’m a freak? Everyone thinks I’m a freak.”
She stepped closer to him and tilted her head up, looking him full in the face. “No, I don’t think you’re a freak.” She took a chance then, and kissed him, vaguely surprised when he returned it.
“Are you just doing this to make John happy?” he asked, looking away from her once they’d drawn apart.
“I kind of thought I was,” she said honestly, “and just so you know, I would have been okay with that. But I’m not doing it just to make him happy. It’s a part of it, of course, but another part of it is to make me happy. And to make you happy too.”
“Me?” he asked, looking toward her again, finally.
“It would seem so,” she said, smiling. “So, I guess what I’m really saying is this: I want to try, for us. For all of us.”
“Think it’ll work?” he asked, a tiny smile pulling his lips up.
“Only one way to find out,” she said, squeezing his hand.
-----
“Mmm, love, don’t stop,” she said with a low moan, her toes curling a little.
“That’s just… very unfair,” John said, with a look that said she was going to get it later.
“What? It’s the best massage I’ve had in my entire life, I’ll have you know. My back’s sore as hell from carrying Sera all over the market, and Zep promised he’d spoil me rotten if I remembered the whole list.”
“Which she did,” Zep grinned, nuzzling her neck and staying that way for a long moment to simply inhale her scent. “Don’t worry, John, your turn is next.” He wiggled his fingers toward the other man with a smile.
Amanda smiled too, though hers was playful and almost wicked. “And I get to watch.”
Her head came up and she frowned just a touch. She’d been deeply engrossed in the drawings they were building from, and she’d just nearly managed to figure out how to work a particularly difficult bit when he’d spoken, and now the idea was fading so she jotted down “ch l to up l x to rt at wt” and hoped she’d remember what that meant. “Is something wrong?” she asked softly.
He gave her a patient smile. “Wrong? No. I just thought… perhaps we could discuss Zep.” He seemed almost, dare she think it? Nervous.
“Oh. Yes.” She shifted in her seat a little, letting her right foot swing in the air. “What would you like to discuss about Zep?” She wasn’t going to lie, she’d been a touch horrible about him at first, but she was warming up to the man.
“How do you feel about him? And about the things we discussed last time? I don’t want to upset you, Amanda. You know how important it is to me that you’re happy.” And that was the real problem wasn’t it? Because Amanda being happy was, for some reason, almost TOO high on John’s priority list. At least in her opinion.
“He’s… nice. He still manages to not make a sound when he’s walking around, so I often jump when I realize he’s there. But he’s actively trying to make me comfortable, I think. And yes, I know you want me to be happy. “ She paused, smiling a little. “I AM happy, you know. You do know, don’t you? How I feel?”
“I think that you make it very clear, yes.” And was that a touch of amusement she saw? She thought it was, but she wasn’t sure. “I do think one of my favorite things about you, Amanda, is that you are seldom coy about how you feel.”
It WAS amusement. She laughed, shaking her head, “Yeah, yeah, I’m a mouthy little wench. We both know this.” She took a moment to gather her thoughts. “I think, that if Zep makes you happy and you want him in your life, I’m more than happy to accept him. Your happiness is important to me too, you know.”
He nodded, once, then turned to his drawings again, and Amanda assumed this meant the subject was adequately discussed. She buried her nose back in the drawing, making a light sketch of the area she’d been working with, drawing in the chain crossing from the upper left to the right waist. That might just work.
They worked in companionable silence for a time before John sighed and rubbed his eyes. Amanda immediately looked up to see if he needed anything, but when he smiled, she went right back to what she’d been doing.
“I’d like you to join us tonight, Amanda,” he said and she dropped her pencil, hearing it clatter to the floor.
“JOIN you? Like… like a threesome?” She wrinkled her nose a little.
“Don’t make that face. I’m serious.” And if it wasn’t her imagination, he sounded a touch hurt. “I do not wish for some sexual liaison. I care very deeply for both you and Zep. I thought perhaps the three of us…” He faded off, a small blush crossing his face.
“You thought what?” she said softly, and she was positive her mouth was hanging open just a touch.
“I thought perhaps the three of us could make a life. Together.”
She blinked again, “You mean like being in a relationship?” Her voice was hesitant.
“That’s exactly what I mean,” he nodded. He stood, moving beside her and touching her cheek softly. “It is perhaps selfish of me, but I don’t wish to give either of you up. And just as selfishly, I don’t wish to divide my time.”
She nodded slowly, then shifted her face into his hand so he could cup her cheek fully. “I’m willing to try. Not tonight though, okay? Give me a few days to really wrap my head around it?”
The kiss told her he agreed. Just as hers back said she would honestly try.
-----
Over the next few days, Amanda made a point to engage Zep in real conversation. And she went out of her way to see that he was comfortable whenever possible. She even asked his opinion on several of the things she was working on.
It was late at night four days after she’d promised to try to wrap her mind around it, and she was working on another difficult part of the diagram. When she looked up, John was missing, and it was simply herself and Zep in the room. Instead of feeling a sense of worry, as she had so often (thoughts about which of them should go to bed with John and who’d be left to fend for themselves, wondering what he was thinking about her, wondering if he could hear how she thought about HIM… well, those worries always tended to flare up when it was quiet and they were alone), she smiled.
“I’m going to get some water. Do you want anything?” she asked, reaching out to touch his arm, more to be sure she had his attention than anything. But as she moved, so did he, and her hand touched his softly, her fingers wrapping his in a way that felt natural.
“W-water would be fine,” he said, “I can go get it for us. Sit, Amanda.” He moved to stand, and looked down at their hands, almost as if surprised she hadn’t moved hers away yet. “I don’t mind. I’m good at doing things for others.”
“Hey, I offered,” she said, stepping back, but keeping her hand in his. In fact, she shifted it so she could wrap her fingers around his. “We could both go. Then no one is serving anyone.”
“Oh. Okay,” he said, still watching their hands. “You don’t have to do that,” he said, almost like he didn’t realize he was saying it. “You don’t have to touch me, if you don’t want to.”
“And if I do want to?” she asked, because suddenly it’s all she DID want to do. She wasn’t sure if it was because he seemed vulnerable in the pale light or if it was the way he expected her to not want to. She was always big on not meeting people’s expectations.
“Do you?” he asked, his voice seeming a little startled. “Why? Don’t you think I’m a freak? Everyone thinks I’m a freak.”
She stepped closer to him and tilted her head up, looking him full in the face. “No, I don’t think you’re a freak.” She took a chance then, and kissed him, vaguely surprised when he returned it.
“Are you just doing this to make John happy?” he asked, looking away from her once they’d drawn apart.
“I kind of thought I was,” she said honestly, “and just so you know, I would have been okay with that. But I’m not doing it just to make him happy. It’s a part of it, of course, but another part of it is to make me happy. And to make you happy too.”
“Me?” he asked, looking toward her again, finally.
“It would seem so,” she said, smiling. “So, I guess what I’m really saying is this: I want to try, for us. For all of us.”
“Think it’ll work?” he asked, a tiny smile pulling his lips up.
“Only one way to find out,” she said, squeezing his hand.
-----
“Mmm, love, don’t stop,” she said with a low moan, her toes curling a little.
“That’s just… very unfair,” John said, with a look that said she was going to get it later.
“What? It’s the best massage I’ve had in my entire life, I’ll have you know. My back’s sore as hell from carrying Sera all over the market, and Zep promised he’d spoil me rotten if I remembered the whole list.”
“Which she did,” Zep grinned, nuzzling her neck and staying that way for a long moment to simply inhale her scent. “Don’t worry, John, your turn is next.” He wiggled his fingers toward the other man with a smile.
Amanda smiled too, though hers was playful and almost wicked. “And I get to watch.”