I'll have to hand it to Ryanna, despite my misgivings about her, the woman could cook. Of course, the many staff they had on hand did help, but Ryanna expressed the joy she had at making food.
"Don't get me wrong, the staff does really well, and I'm content with letting them make meals most days, but I can't help my love for cooking. Adding that flair to a meal has a certain appeal to it, so most weekends, I handle the cooking." She said, looking quite proud of herself.
I was glad she was speaking so animatedly, because it helped break up the awkward silence that had fallen over the dining room prior. Liz and Nadia just looked towards the ground with red faces, while Thad seemed to be trying to have a staring contest with me, and he was definitely winning.
This was all before Ryanna and the staff began bringing out the food, it did help drain the tension in the room. It was an absolute monster of a pot roast, cooked to absolute perfection. The meat melted in the mouth, and the flavors of the many vegetables as well as the potatoes in the bottom of the pot mixed together to make an absolutely divine meal.
I glanced over at Thad to find he was definitely eating his fill, but that didn't mean his gaze ever left me. I was sweating bullets by this point, as he no doubt knew why the girls had wanted to talk to me. He wasn't alone, as I was still dumbfounded by what they told me.
Not only did they both express their interest in dating me, but they both wanted to date me at the same time. No matter how many times I pinched myself, everything remained the same.
Could this really work out? Can I be with two women and make them both happy? They were both incredibly beautiful, and very sweet girls, yet both had qualities that set them apart from the other. Did I even deserve this opportunity? Being a straight man with a functional penis, it seemed like a no brainer, but it was much more complicated than that. Relationships like this were not commonplace, and yet here I was, being offered just that. Am I overthinking this?
"So, how did your conversation go?" Ryanna asked, drawing me from my thoughts, although that question was definitely not helping matters.
"Yes, Sid, I too would like to know how this conversation went." Thad added, causing my brain to malfunction.
"Uh... it was... well, it was..." I said, stuttering over my words.
Thad must have understood my plight. Ryanna must have told him that this was not my idea, and he obviously could see how the situation had made me feel because he sighed before looking at his wife.
"Honestly, out of all the things you've done, and the ideas you've concocted, this has to be the most ridiculous one yet." Thad said, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
Ryanna huffed and puffed, which was honestly adorable, even given the circumstances.
"I love our daughter, and I think she deserves to be with a good, strong man. I also love Nadia like she is my own daughter, and I want the same for her. They both like Sid, and he is exactly the kind of man I mentioned. It was the only solution I could think of that would make them both happy, and they both even agreed to give it a try. I don't see the problem. Sid is a handsome and respectful young man. I'm sure he could handle many women." Ryanna said matter of factly.
Liz and Nadia's faces were crimson, but I'm sure they had nothing on me. I wouldn't have been surprised if steam was wafting off of my face at this point. How did I go from a shut in gamer to this?
Thad looked at his wife. He looked at her as if she had reached new levels of insane, but he also didn't say anything. Whether he was truly thinking over what she had said, or merely couldn't even comprehend it was anyone's guess. I sure as fuck didn't have anything to say. I was not mentally equipped to deal with this situation.
Not that I was against it. The more I thought about being with both of the girls, the more I found myself agreeing with Ryanna. Thad was the reasonable one of course, as this situation was absolutely wild. Polygamy was not at all common place in the states, but I've always had an open mind when it comes to things like this. I just never thought in a million years it would happen. Why the hell would it?
Thad seemed to sag in defeat before turning to Elizabeth. He breathed in and out slowly.
"Elizabeth... you are a grown woman, and one I am very proud of. You are free to make your own choices, especially when it comes to matters of the heart. All I ask is that you truly, and I mean, truly consider what you are doing. If you still feel the same way, then I cannot stop you from doing what you wish." Thad said, giving a gentle smile.
I think I actually might have fallen in love with this man. I'm not sure what I expected him to say, but this sure wasn't it. The fact that he values his daughter so highly was touching. The fact that he left this decision to her even given what was happening was a testament to his character. My heart raced with the possibilities going through my mind. I have always been a very open minded person, and currently, that was being tested to its limits.
"I have thought about it and I've spoken with Nadia about this at length." Elizabeth said, breaking the silent moment, "I really like Sid. Nadia really likes Sid. Neither of us could do something to make the other unhappy. When we spoke to mom about it, she said there was only two ways it would go so we didn't upset each other. Either, we both got with Sid, or neither of us did. As you can tell, we chose the option that we both felt was the right option."
Elizabeth's face was red the whole time she spoke, but I could tell she spoke from the heart, and she meant every word. Elizabeth smiled at her father.
"I appreciate your concern for me, but this is what I want." She said.
Thad was a little surprised, but as he gazed at her, his face softened. He surprised me by nodding, and then casually going back to his meal. Ryanna seemed equally as surprised by his acceptance, but she had that smirk on her face that said, "I win," on it. Truly, my life has definitely taken a turn, but I wouldn't say it's a bad one, not by any stretch of the imagination.
We continued to eat in a more companionable silence, and I once again couldn't help but marvel at how good the food was. I wouldn't be surprised if magic was somehow infused into this. Her cooking was even better than my mom's, but I wouldn't tell her that. Either of them.
Once dinner was wrapped up, maids and butlers came in to collect our dishes. I thanked them as I patted my now bulging stomach. I had no doubt they could make some good dishes as well, but topping this dish would be a tall order.
Ryanna clapped her hands together.
"Oh Siiiiid." She said, enlongating my name in a sing song voice. I tensed and coughed.
"Uh, yes ma'am?" I asked.
"How about we practice for a little bit? You need to learn how to control your mana better, and I want to try a few things." She replied with a smirk.
"Sounds... awesome." I said, failing to sound enthusiastic.
Thad could only shake his head and grin. He also stood to his feet. He gave me a stern look that told me we would be talking more about this later, but then he relaxed smiled at me.
"I am going to go and whip you up a new enchanted item real fast. Just, please, try not to break this one, okay?" He said, and I just nodded.
"Yes sir." I replied.
He waved off my words.
"Just call me Thad." He replied, and I inwardly wooped.
I was already calling him that to myself, so this works out perfectly for me.
I stood up, but then my body tensed as a pair of arms went around my left bicep. It was Nadia, and goddamn she smells good. I almost passed out when Liz wrapped her arms around my other bicep.
"No fair, we have to share, remember?" Liz said, pouting at Nadia.
Nadia just giggled and squeezed my arm tighter.
"Uhhhhh..." Was my eloquent response, and both girls burst out laughing before relinquishing my arms.
"Sorry Sid, we just wanted to see your reaction. It was worth it." Nadia teased me.
"I turn red, but you literally look like a cherry with white hair." Liz pointed out, and that only caused the burning in my cheeks to intensify.
"A big sexy cherry." Nadia purred, and it was at this point that I was only conscious through sheer force of will. These girls are going to give me a heart attack.
"Girls, stop teasing Sid before he explodes." Ryanna said, though she couldn't hide her laughter either.
"You are all a bunch of brats." I said, but that only made them laugh even more. Truly, how did my life get like this?
Randall sat stewing in his quarters, still not having gotten over the embarrassment and shame that fucking man put him through. Who does that bumpkin think he is? This was only made worse due to the fact that, despite him obviously being beneath him, he was strong.
Randall seethed because of this fact. A promising magic user like him was beaten by someone who barely understood how his own power worked, but it was great enough overcome his hard work and dedication. How was that fair?
"God damn it!" Randall said, slamming his fist on the desk he was sitting at.
Randall refused to just let things be as they were, but what could he do? How could he bridge the gap in power to put this man, Sid, in his place? How could he prove to Nadia that he was the man she needed if he couldn't beat a simple nobody in a fight?
"You....seek....power...." A disembodied voice said, causing Randall to jump in surprise.
Mother and father were out currently on business ventures, so it couldn't be them. His older brother said he was going out with some girl and left only a short while ago, so as far as he knew, no one else was home. Randall shook his head.
The voice sounded real enough, but was it? Or was he just hearing things? Either way, he wasn't going to lie, it was kinda freaky.
"You... aren't... hearing things." The voice said again, and this time, Randall fell out of his chair, his eyes wide.
"Who's there??" Randall asked, his voice and body shaking.
This time, the silence that met him scared him more than the voice itself, but he felt an unnerving presence around him that made him shudder.
"That was so much fun!" Ryanna said as Liz healed her broken hand with a sigh.
Ryanna wanted to see if she could hurt me, so I merely stood still as her fist crashed into the side of my head. I was fine, but her fingers crumpled and her wrist snapped from the kenetic force as her fist met my immovable face. She didn't even yelp in pain, she just stared at her limp hand before nodding in satisfaction. I was pretty glad that Liz didn't seem to take after her mother in this regard.
After that, Ryanna helped me through some mana exercises. That turned out to be a tougher issue than we anticipated due to the fact that I didn't need to gather the ambient mana around us into my body, as I just produced it myself. Thankfully, after we crossed that hurdle, everything else was practically the same.
Channeling my mana through my "pathways" as they called it, was pretty straight forward. It was made even simpler since I kept getting visions of me doing the things I was trying to do correctly, which lead me to figure it out pretty quickly.
"That's odd..." Ryanna said, curiosity clear in her tone. "You said this happened when you learned how to fly as well?"
I nodded, and she put her hand on her chin and hummed in thought.
"I've heard of abilities that grant future sight, but obviously, that's all it is. Stories of it happening, although, I can't argue with the results." She said, her face looking more excited by this propect.
I just shrugged, as I honestly had no fucking idea. Any ideas or theories about it sounded just as good as anything else I've heard at this point, and to he honest, I was feeling pretty tired after the day's events, so my brain wasn't really up to the task for this kind of magic fuckery talk.
It didn't take me long to begin to understand my abilities, and within the span of only a few hours, I felt like Emperor Palpatine as I channeled my mana threw my hands and threw lighting out of them. The training dummies we used quickly became training ashes, and everyone had wide eyes watching me do all of this with no clear end in sight. I felt like my power never went down, and given my basic understanding taught to me by Ryanna, eventually most mana casters felt a drain on their bodies as they were only able to absorb so much mana to use in a day. Ryanna said that even she would have had to have stopped by now, but I still felt like I could keep going.
"Christ, what the hell have you all been doing in here?" Thadwick asked as he walked in and joined us in the training room.
"Just watching Sid be a badass." Nadia said, a proud gleam in her eyes.
I just shrugged nervously. Given how my brain has been recently, I did not really need that kind of encouragement.
"Well, Mr. Badass, I'm finished. Here you go." Thadwick said, holding out his hand.
In his hand, was a ring, and once I got closer and seen it, I groaned, because of course it had a lightning bolt on it. Thadwick just chuckled.
"A bit on the nose, don't you think?" I muttered.
"It's a bit strange to be starting a relationship with my daughter and her best friend simultaneously, don't you think?" Thad responded.
I held up my hands in surrender.
"Oh, it must be Christmas already. I love it. Thank you, Thad." I replied.
He chuckled.
"You're welcome." He said.
"Since when did you become so snarky, dad?" Liz asked, her cheeks a deep red.
"Have you met your mother?" Thad asked.
That caused Ryanna to double over laughing, tears leaking from her eyes.
"You should have seen him back in the day. Always so serious. I loved him even then, but seeing this side of him never hurts." Ryanna said, still laughing.
Thad just shook his head, but the man couldn't hide his smile. Honestly, it didn't seem like it at first glance, but these two really seem made for each other. I also just really appreciated what they have been doing for me even though they haven't known me for super long. And to top it all off, not only was I going to start dating my crush from work, but her best friend as well? Seriously, what the fuck is my life?
It was getting pretty late at this point, and I don't make it a habit to stay out for too long, although if I was being honest, part of me didn't even want to leave, but I knew I probably had to soon. This was confirmed for me only a few moments later as Thad yawned.
"Well, I used up a lot of mana making that enchantment. It should last longer, and I made it to be stronger, although with you, I don't know how it'll hold up in the long run. That being said, I'm exhausted, so if it's all the same to everyone else, I'm going to get some shut eye. I'll be in bed waiting for you, dear. Sid, be well, and drive safe." Thad said, before he turned around and began walking towards the exit of the training room.
"Yeah, you too. Night Thad." I replied, and he gave me a casual wave from the back as he headed out.
It took my brain a moment to realize what he said, and once I did, I grimaced.
"My car is fucked. I won't be driving anywhere." I sighed. At least I could fly now, but I wouldn't accidentally want someone to see me.
"Hmm..." Ryanna mused, then she clapped her hands together. She really liked doing that it seems. "Just use one of ours. We have far too many."
I tried to shake my head, to tell her that was far too generous, but she wasn't hearing any of it.
"Oh no you don't. My daughter's boyfriend will not be caught flying around and risk being captured by some shady government organization to be tested like some lab rat for years on end to try and harness your powers for some scheme towards world domination." Ryanna scolded me.
"That's... ominous... and very convincing." I replied, feeling properly chastised. I did enjoy my freedom, so I nodded.
Ryanna smiled at me.
"Good." She said, then she pulled out her cell phone and put it up to her ear.
"Jacoby, it's Ryanna. Can you grab one of our unused vehicles for Sid to use? Yes? Any one of them from section D should be fine. Thank you." She said, then ended the call.
"You're all set. I'm going to go and join my husband. Have a great night Sid, please come back soon. You are a sweet boy." Ryanna said. I blushed, she cackled, and then skipped away, leaving me alone with Nadia and Liz.
"Well, I... should probably head home too. It's getting late and I don't wanna impose." I said, and both girls seemed a little sad when I said that, but they both nodded.
"Yeah, I'm sleepy too. I got up early today." Liz said, and she stretched and yawned. This motion drew my eyes as it exentuated many of her delicate curves.
"Uh, y-yeah. Me too. Sleepy, I mean." I said in a less than eloquent fashion
Liz didn't seem to notice what had distracted, but Nadia sure did, as she cracked a grin at me bedore bursting out into a giggle fit. This set my cheeks on fire as I was no doubt caught in the act.
"I think I'll sleep here tonight, if that's okay with you Liz?" Nadia asked as she calmed her laughing fit.
"Of course. I don't know how long I'll be up, but I don't have anything going on tomorrow, so we can sleep in." Liz replied.
"Well, then, shall we show our... boyfriend to the door?" Nadia asked, and the way she referred to me was like she was testing out how it sounded.
At least Liz didn't leave me being the only red faced person.
"Y-yes. We should do that. Show Sid, uh, our boyfriend, to the door." Liz replied almost as smoothly as yours truly.
I walked forward with them both as they chose to walk beside me. About halfway to the front door, they acted in unison, wrapping their arms around my biceps. Nadia to my left, with Liz to my right. I tensed as we made contact, but as I took slow even breaths, I actually had to admit, it was nice. Their soft chests pushing into my arms aside, their contact against my body was... comforting.
I could tell from these simple gestures, that they not only wanted to do this, but they weren't doing this to tease me. They just wanted to be close to me before I left, and I felt much the same way. I was developing feelings for these women way too quickly than was normal, and it seemed that the attraction went both ways. Both girls had flushed cheeks, yet they both looked happy and content.
I had never been close to a woman like this before, and by that I mean not in a romantic sense. Most of the time I was either quite intoxicated, or not interested in that kind of sense, but not for a lack of trying. I'm just not good with people, let alone building a relationship. And now, here I was, in the first stages of dating two of the most gorgeous women I'd ever met. It was all going so fast, and yet, something about it just felt right.
Suddenly, my vision flashed, but only for a second, perhaps even less. I only seen a still image of what I could assume was my future given how these have played out thus far, and I saw Liz, Nadia, and myself all cuddled up together asleep in a huge bed. I didn't even recognize the room, but I couldn't really make out any details because the vision left as quickly as it came.
I stopped, stunned by what I just saw.
"Sid, are you okay?" Liz asked me, concern in her tone.
"Huh? Oh... yes. Yes I'm fine. I'm... actually great." I replied, and truly, I was.
The image of us together like that had me smiling in spite of myself. It seemed like it was far too early for something like that, but I could feel how happy I was in that image. How long had it been since I had been truly happy?
We arrived at the front door before I knew it, and when Liz opened the door, my jaw dropped. A man stood outside next to brand new fucking Cadillac sedan, and he smiled at me as he walked towards us, and held out the keys to me. My hands shook as I reached out and grasped the keys like I was receiving a gift from God himself.
"Oh, that old thing. It has rarely been driven." Liz said, and she almost sounded bored.
"This old... what the fuck?" I said, still unable to comprehend how much wealth these people have.
Nadia just laughed.
"She's spoiled, so she wouldn't understand. I mean...I kinda am too, but not like this." She said, and I just nodded dumbly.
"Well, Sid, thank you for coming over today. It was nice having you over for so long... and, what you did was really good. You're like a real life superhero." Liz said.
I really had to get better at this because I was goddamn sick of my face feeling like it was on fire. I was so distracted that I didn't notice Nadia taking my phone out of my pocket, but I noticed when she handed it back to me.
"I put my number in your phone. So we can... well, talk more." She said, and the flirtatious kitsune actually looked meek. It was goddamn adorable.
"Of course. I uh, better get going. I'll see you girls again...soon?" I both said and asked.
"We could... go out to eat or something tomorrow?" Liz asked in a soft voice.
"Yes!" I answered without hesitation, and her eyes went wide at me before she just smiled at me like a lovestruck teenager. I surprised myself with that confidence, but I was gonna go with it.
"Before you go..." Nadia said, and the way she said it had my full attention.
I turned to her and she looked up at me with determination in her eyes. Then, she got up on her tiptoes and planted a quick kiss on my lips. I was so glad I didn't have to shit, because my pants would have had to be washed pronto.
Her soft pillowy lips had both myself and my penis's full attention, and the latter was caused by the heat I saw in her eyes after the brief kiss ended. I almost had to physically close my mouth with my hand, but eventually I was able to pick it up off of the ground.
"I... that... what?"
Well, I thought I had composed myself, but my mouth had other plans apparently. Nadia's face was so red I wondered if she was part demon. Do demons exist too? Either way, I did not expect a kiss so soon, and it catching me off guard was the understatement of the century.
Thankfully, my awkward idiocy did prove to be a good comic relief for the gorgeous woman, as a smile lit up her face and she began to giggle. I guess laughing at me is going to be a favored activity amongst these girls... well, my girls. Jesus, that sounds weird just thinking about it, but my ego approved.
"Wow... that was better than I thought. I felt a jolt through my whole body." Nadia said as she bit her lip.
"Uh... yeah. Me too." I responded, and I really contemplated kicking my own ass when I got home. I was not good at this at all.
"Perhaps afterwards, you can come over to my house. I want you to meet my parents." Nadia said, and once again, anxiety filled me.
Nadia must have noticed my shift, because she grinned at me while giving me a wink. My penis really appreciated the last part upon noticing the desire in her eyes, but I decided to leave that part out. Definitely not the time.
"Um..." Liz said, and I turned to give her my full attention.
She was red in the face, but I saw determination in her beautiful green eyes as stared at me. More importantly, she was staring at my lips, and took a shuttering breath.
"I... want one too." Liz said, inching closer to me.
Honestly, the fact that I was still standing right now was commendable, as my knees had never felt this weak in my entire life. Soon, she standing so close to me that I culf feel her body heat emitting off of her, and the smell of a spring meadow clouded my senses. She peered up at me, and I met her gaze, as my eyes had never left her form.
Her plump pink lips just begged for me to claim them, and from how she was hesitating and flushing from embarrassment, it seemed like I would have to do just that. I steeled my resolve. I had kissed plenty of women in my life, so why was this so hard? It was different because of the relationship we had, but it's not like I had never done this before.
I gently placed my index finger under her chin, and tilted her head up. Her eyes widened as I leaned down, but then they closed and she pursed her lips. When our lips met, it was like the world outside of our little bubble paused. Her lips were soft, warm, and inviting. The kiss wasn't chased either, and we held it longer than I thought we would.
When we broke apart, both of us were panting heavily like we had just ran 16 miles. Once again, I was grateful that she was just as bad at this as I was. It was incredibly cute. A radiant smile bloomed on her face, and even though the color in her cheeks continued to intensify, it didn't take away from the moment at all. If anything, it only added to it. Besides, I'm sure my face wasn't much better.
"That was... really nice " Liz said, looking and sounding perfectly content.
"It was. I promise you both, I'll do my best to be the man you both deserve." I said, feeling a little sappy all of a sudden.
Both girls smiled with delight as they both hugged me tightly. This is going to sound strange, but having two beautiful women's faces buried into your chest was kinda neat. I had no complaints, and I just hugged them back.
We broke apart after a short moment, and it was at that point that I felt like I should probably get going, as much as I really didn't want to.
"I'll see you both tomorrow, yeah?" I said as I made my way towards the Cadillac.
Both girls nodded emphatically as they waved me off.
"Have a good night, Sid." Both girls said to me at once.
"Have a good night, girls." I replied as I opened the car door and got in.
Giving a final wave, I drove off, and soon, I was past the front gate and heading home. My hands shook as I drove, the excitement still coursing through my body.
"Holy... fuck." I said as the day finally caught up to me in my alone time.
I had saved people during a bank robbery, learning how to fly, found out I have even more abilities than I thought, ate and trained with Liz's family, and now?
"I'm dating two women. Me. TWO!" I exclaimed, laughing the whole way home.
Seriously, how the fuck did my life become this awesome?