I had gotten accustomed to the smell of metal shavings, oil-drenched wood, and something bubbling in a pot that always seemed to fill Meredi’s house. Today, I also smelled incredible pride.

  Cynthia came home early, unfastening her high colr as she walked through the door. She shot me a look of disbelief like she had already heard about my time at the gym.

  Valray followed soon after, dropping a duffel bag by the door and hugging Meredi with one arm, saying she’d be staying the night since she’d be going on a long patrol within a month. She wanted to get as much time in with family before then. Meredi hugged her back so hard I worried about Val’s spine breaking… and secretly wished it was me.

  Rave was the st to show. She looked like she came in ready to yell at me, but the second she saw Valray seated at the table, she lit up like we lived in a paradise free from worries and not this mana haze-choked pce.

  So yeah, a full house—the thing that always made Meredi so happy.

  “Champion’s Stew,” Meredi announced, proudly smming the pot down in the middle of the table. “Eat up! It’s loaded with iron, protein, and enough fvor to make a Saint shower us with blessings!”

  Meredi spped a bowl in front of me with a wide smile.

  “For Bastion Reach’s surprise fighter. Maybe I was worrying over nothing.”

  I took the bowl like it was sacred. “Your worries are the reason I always made sure to win and come back.”

  Meredi touched her cheek and let out an “Aww, you’re so sweet.”

  Cynthia eyed me across the table. “You cheated, didn’t you? I bet you drank something weird.”

  I sipped the broth and shrugged. “I always have something in my system.”

  “Mom! He admitted it!” Cynthia yelled immediately, pointing at me. “He’s drinking weird stuff and cheating!”

  “I’m not cheating,” I said, wiping my mouth. “It’s called supplementation.”

  “You mean illegal alchemical enhancement,” Cynthia said, scandalized. “Mom! Tell him!”

  Meredi giggled, still bright from earlier. “Cynthia, sweetie, we’re all taking supplements.”

  “Yeah, Cynthia,” I said. “Get on the Bear’s Paw lift.”

  She stuck her tongue out at me. “I don’t take Bear’s Paw.”

  “Yeah, believe me, it shows,” I said, turning my nose up at her.

  “Mom! He’s making fun of me!”

  Valray ignored us all, daintily thanking Meredi for the meal. She ate like a knight; mannerly, precise, spoon in the correct grip. It made me want to straighten up.

  Rave, chewing on a hunk of meat like a brigand, pointed her spoon at me. “So,” she said, “I heard it was Meredi too. She sparred too. ” She raised a brow. “Did that get you worked up, Tim?”

  My eyes narrowed. “Who knows.”

  Rave grinned. “Oh, I do. Saw her pying handsies with someone else and just snapped, huh?”

  “I didn’t snap,” I said, stiffly.

  Meredi sat down and let out a merry ugh. “Oh, he snapped. All those big guys thinking they were better than him, and then pow! Kick to the face!”

  Rave sighed and covered her face. “There’s no helping you.”

  It reminded me of the advice Ervon gave me. But still, it was warming the heart, seeing Meredi so pleased with life.

  The table was noisy in the best way. Laughing, chewing, teasing—everyone passing bowls around and clinking spoons. No Gloomspawn, no patrols, no heavy talk. Just comfort, warmth, and the sound of Rave threatening to fight anyone who said a bad word about Cynthia or Valray. She left me out of who she’d pick a fight for, to Cynthia’s delight.

  Eventually, the stew vanished and the dishes followed, clinking in the sink as Meredi washed, with me drying beside her.

  The others lingered around the table, chatting about Rave’s test merchant-reted compints and then listening to her compin about how troublesome getting stuff for me was. I was gd when they moved on to the big patrol route Valray was going to be setting off on within a month.

  Then, as things quieted and folks began shifting toward the sitting room—

  “Hey,” Meredi said to me, casually, like she wasn’t about to drop a bomb. “Are you staying over?”

  I blinked. “Uh. Yeah. Sure. I mean—if that’s okay.”

  “‘Course it is,” she said with a grin free from nefarious thought.

  “I’ll get the couch ready,” Rave announced way too quickly, already yanking Cynthia off the couch.

  Meredi didn’t even gnce up. “He can sleep in my bed.”

  Rave stopped mid-yank. “Are you sure?”

  She was trying very hard not to look at me.

  Meredi chuckled. “My bed’s big. And we’re family. It’s fine.”

  I cheered inwardly, praising Meredi’s—and Rave’s really—x bed culture. But then I cursed that notion of family. But then I settled down a bit here, because the goal was saving Meredi; not having a romance with her. Though, that would be a dream come true.

  Rave looked at me again with deep turmoil in her eyes. I gave her an innocent grin.

  She sighed, muttering under her breath. “Fine. If you’re okay with it—”

  “What?!” Cynthia howled, her colr still in Rave’s grip. “Don’t just accept it, Auntie Rav!”

  Rave shook the noisy out of Cynthia with a single rattle. “Hush. You’re too loud.”

  “Yeah, Auntie Rav,” Cynthia said, dizzy. Then she gred at me. “You better not do anything weird.”

  “Wouldn’t dream of it,” I replied.

  “I’m checking you for potions.”

  “Wow,” I said, deadpan. “Just tell me what you think of me, why don’tcha?”

  Eventually, the house settled. Doors closed, footsteps faded. Valray tucked in early. Rave gave me one st loaded gre from the hallway before vanishing. Cynthia dragged herself off to bed while grumbling about moral integrity and alchemist ethics. If only she knew there were no ethics when the moms were concerned.

  And then there was just Meredi and me.

  She came into the bedroom wearing an oversized tank and shorts, hair damp from a quick rinse, still smiling like it had been the best day of her life.

  She flopped on the bed, arms behind her head, and looked over at me.

  “You know,” she said, “that rope-jump punch thing you pulled today was crazy. And you did it so smoothly, like it was some signature move you’ve been doing your whole life.”

  I chuckled, ying down on my side, on the far edge. “I was all-in, fully focused.”

  “You made Ervon dizzy. I was so shocked!”

  “Right?” I grinned. “He could have thrown me into a wall. And through it! Did you see when he hoisted me??”

  “I did!”

  “I think I saw the next life.”

  She turned onto her side to face me, propping herself up with a hand. “You did so good today, Tim. I know I said it earlier, but—I mean it. I was so surprised.” She giggled as she held her neck. “I feel stupid, thinking about how worried I was… You were just so awesome!”

  My heart skipped a beat. I smiled and covered it with humor. “Guess I gotta keep fighting crazy gym guys to keep you impressed.”

  She snorted. “Nah. I like you just fine. But hey—if you do wanna take on more of ‘em, I got a list.” She started counting on her fingers. “That tall bruiser with the shoulder tattoos? The guy with the double nose ring who lifts like a behemoth? Even Rave’s old rival comes by now and then.”

  I ughed, then went deadpan. “Will you like me more if I take them on?”

  She ughed. “I can’t like you more than I do now… but I could definitely make you more stew!” Meredi knocked her bicep. “I can keep you in the fight.”

  “Thanks,” I murmured. “You’re… kind of incredible yourself.”

  She waved it off and rolled onto her back. “Nah. I just have muscles. I don’t think I can win once I’m not the strongest one in the match.”

  We y there for a while, side by side, technically close, but so far apart there might as well have been a valley between us.

  I could still feel the weight of Ervon’s advice.

  Just say it. Be clear. Be direct.

  But I couldn’t do it. If I told her now, I’d feel compelled to tell her about Rave, and that could torpedo the whole thing. I didn’t want to woo just one of them; I wanted all of them. That’s what Ervon didn’t know. If he did, maybe he would understand my hesitance.

  Instead, I said: “Thanks for the stew.”

  “Thanks for making me feel so proud,” she whispered back. “I’m gd I ran into you today…”

  “Yeah… It was a really full day, come to think of it…”

  “Say, what took you out there in the first pce?” she asked.

  “Actually, at first I went to see Otn’s wife, Mava. Do you know her?”

  “Oh yeah! Did you know she does fortune-telling?”

  I chuckled. “Yeah. That’s actually why I went to see her.”

  “Oh really?” Meredi said with a giggle. “I didn’t think you were the type.”

  “I want to study everything and anything… And actually, I think Mava’s fortunes are real.”

  Meredi hummed. “You think so? Maybe we should have our fortunes read too…”

  “Hey… I could invite them over for dinner some night. We could make it a thing and get everyone’s fortunes read.”

  Meredi giggled. “Yeah! Oh, I haven’t seen Otn in so long either! Yeah, that’s a great idea, Timaeus!”

  I grinned, happy with myself for getting the fortune-telling arranged. “Yeah… It’ll be awesome.”

  I y there staring at the ceiling, the ambient sounds of the city at night pulling me toward sleep. Everyone else in the house had long since tucked in. It should’ve been enough. I should have gone to sleep.

  But one thought was still in my head.

  There was still one piece of advice Ervon and Vallo gave that I hadn’t followed yet.

  I turned my head toward her. She was still staring up, lid drooping, rexed, a little smile on her face like she was reliving the moment when I smashed Ervon.

  “Hey, Meredi?” I asked.

  “Mhm?”

  “Wanna spar?”

  Her head turned instantly. Her eyes were open and her smile wider.

  “You sure?” she asked, already shifting onto her elbow. “You’re not gonna pretend you’re tired now, are you?”

  I could see it. That excited glint she couldn’t hide if she tried. Like I’d just whispered the most romantic sentence in the world.

  “I’m sure,” I said, already pulling myself up. “I can’t help but wonder how I would fare against you.”

  She let out a delighted little “Heh,” and got to her knees right there on the mattress, her hair swaying behind her.

  “Okay,” she said, cpping once softly. “I’m not really great at striking. I can wrestle, though.”

  Of course she could. What a goddess. I was moments away from entering muscle heaven.

  I got up on my knees too, watching her with an amused smile and a rapidly escating heart rate. “I’ll take you on in any arena you want,” I replied, focusing on her face.

  Facing her like this, the effect was… dizzying. Tank top tugging against strong shoulders, shorts riding up slightly as she shifted her weight, thighs pnted like marble. Her arms were rexed but coiled, and she was still smiling like she was eager for the chance to bring me back down to earth.

  Fear and arousal had never been such an intoxicating mix.

  “Ready?” she asked, raising her brows and curling her fingers.

  Oh, absolutely not.

  But I nodded anyway.

  The match began with a quiet beat.

  I lunged forward and wrapped my arms around her torso, trying to catch her off guard, aiming to roll us both onto our sides.

  Nothing happened.

  I tried—I definitely tried, but no movement happened.

  “You’re kidding,” I muttered.

  Her body didn’t move an inch. It was like trying to push over a rooted tree that had stood against the world for over a hundred years.

  “I’m really stable and never neglect my legs,” Meredi said proudly.

  “Well… Shit,” I muttered.

  She chuckled low in her throat and grabbed my shoulders.

  Her grip tightened with the sureness of twin vices. Her grip strength was unreal—this was not a woman who would ever need help opening a stubborn jar.

  Still holding me, she pushed—the bare minimum strength she needed.

  I felt my body shift despite myself, like I was being eased out of a wrestling ring by a mother moving her child out of danger.

  My gaze went upward and our eyes met. Her smile was transcendent.

  It was like looking up at a scarred deity who had found the pitiful mortal trying to take her down amusing.

  I was an ant.

  She cracked a grin. I kept going down gently, and with no faltering that would make me think I was actually putting up a fight.

  “No fair,” I murmured.

  My back hit the matress. She smoothly followed, pressing me down further.

  “Totally fair.”

  She straddled me with practiced ease, her knees pinning either side of my waist. Her weight settled down across my hips in a way that could only be described as spiritually compromising. Her thighs pressed in. Her torso loomed over mine, strong arms braced to either side.

  Then came the hair.

  Golden strands spilled around me like a curtain as she looked down. Her face glowed in the low light. She was breathing steady, but her cheeks were slightly flushed from exertion.

  She grabbed both of my wrists with one hand and slowly pushed them up over my head.

  “Wha—Hey—!”

  “Shh,” she said, smiling.

  My hands reached the edge of the bed. Her grip tightened just enough. I tested it once.

  I wasn’t going anywhere.

  My heart thumped. My breath was dying in my throat. She had me at her mercy.

  Then she moved.

  With her free hand, she ran her fingers down my chest, starting at the colrbone, slow and sure, until she reached my stomach.

  Her fingers lingered.

  I had goosebumps all over.

  She let out a soft sound. “You’ve gotten so toned,” she murmured, almost to herself.

  I saw her gulp.

  Then—like she remembered herself—she ughed and pulled her hand away quickly, pulling away a little more.

  I didn’t ugh.

  I didn’t say anything.

  I saw a vision of a delight that might have killed me with a heart attack at the end.

  She looked down at me and raised a brow. “You wanna give up?”

  I hesitated. Then I said it.

  “Yes ma’am.”

  She released me immediately and rolled off to her side of the bed. “We should sleep,” she said, still smiling, but her voice had a slight upward hitch to it now.

  I slid back to my original spot on the far side of the mattress, buzzing. There was only one thought in my head now.

  Sparring is awesome. Bless you, Gym Bros.

  We said our goodnights. Hers came out as heavenly as all her other words did. Mine came out like I was a concussed drunk.

  The bed cooled. Covers shifted. I stared at the ceiling again, barely aware of anything. I was so happy, I couldn’t even feel the mattress.

  …

  ..

  .

  Then I blinked.

  The ceiling was still there. Still night. My body buzzed with dream residue—I had been surrounded by the goddesses at a fantasy resort. Why had I been woken up from such a wonderful pce? It wasn’t fair.

  I turned to the side and woke up more. Meredi wasn’t beside me.

  I sat up slowly, heart kicking up a little.

  Probably just in the bathroom or drinking water.

  But then the thoughts started spiraling.

  What if she’s mad? What if I said the wrong thing? What if I actually hurt her during sparring and she’s hiding it? What if one of those crazy gym guys came back for revenge and she’s out there with her giant wrench ready to crack someone’s head open? Damn you, Gym Bros!

  I got up quietly. I was more of a shadow than Rave could ever hope to be. I exited the room and padded down the hallway.

  The bathroom door was slightly ajar, with light spilling out.

  I paused. That wasn’t so bad. She was just using the bathroom.

  And then I heard a sound. It was a small grunt. My panic returned.

  She’s hurt! She’s wounded! It’s internal bleeding! Or potion after effects! Wait, did I give her a potion!? No, what if she drank one from my bag thinking it was Bear’s Paw or something?! She’s addicted to Bear’s Paw and I have potions one should never chug!!!

  I stepped closer and peeked through the crack—

  And immediately froze.

  Meredi was sitting on the closed toilet, one hand on her breast, squeezing it tightly.

  The other—

  My spirit might have left my body.

  I sucked in a breath so hard my lungs protested. My vision blurred. I went invisible—the sheer desire to not exist turning on the power.

  My sinful eyes widened.

  She was beautiful. Every inch of her was beautiful. And every line of tension and softness and curve made my blood feel like it was born from the core of the Earth.

  I turned away, breath held, trying not to even creak the floorboards. If Invisibility had an upgrade, it had to be phasing because that’s pretty much how effectively I returned to the safety of the room.

  I slid into the covers, rolled to face the wall, and froze again.

  Moments ter, I heard her feet return. The door closed. The bed shifted. She sighed quietly as she settled back in.

  I tried so hard to not react to that sigh. It just sounded so lonely, like she had resigned herself to her fate.

  Shit, Meredi!

  My heart was drumming so loud, I was worried she’d hear it.

  No, no, no, there’s no route forward here. I can’t let one moment ruin the whole thing!

  I didn’t move. I didn’t say a word.

  Don’t get ahead of yourself. Don’t get impatient. Don’t get greedy. Don’t blow up such a good thing.

  She made no further sounds.

  Just sleep. Bro, do not expose her like this.

  I cursed myself for not being ready to capitalize on this… but I just didn’t want to hurt anyone because of my impatience.

  She made a small movement. Was she checking on me?

  Don’t do it. You think you can py it off, but you can’t. Don’t trust your body right now.

  I was sure I heard a hushed goodnight, and then was sure the unmistakable feeling of Meredi settling down followed.

  No, no, no, I’m not going to let you feel shame, Meredi. I am asleep. I am one with sleep.

  …

  ..

  .

  I still have the year… right? I can take it slow… surely.

  Sebas_Guzman

  [colpse]