Downsized Hero 2 Ch 7

"So what exactly did you two discuss while you were out?" I asked as I settled down on the couch, curiosity finally getting the better of me.

Cate and I had joined Zoya in the front room. Zoya was snuggling into place on my right side with her legs pulled up under her. Cate sat to my other side, and she leaned her body against me, taking hold of my hand and placing it in her lap. She idly stroked my forearm with her other hand, glancing over at me every once in a while in silent acknowledgement of our kiss in the kitchen.

"Just a sec," Zoya reached around to her bag nearby and pulled out her phone. "I wrote out our rules while you two were having your 'talk'. Here it is." My phone chimed in my pocket, and I pulled it out. Zoya had sent me a link to an online doc. She wriggled her athletic body into place around my upper arm as I held up the phone.

I looked over at her with a disbelieving face. She stared back at me.

"What?" She tilted her head.

Cate covered her mouth with her hand and turned away.

"This is not what I pictured group sex to be like." I said, scrolling through the bulleted list of points. Thank god it was a short list.

"Well, this is real. You know, consent is sexy and all that." Zoya shrugged, and my shoulder was drawn deeper between her soft breasts. Cate leaned in to examine my phone screen, her slim body fitted against my side, subtler in its softness than Zoya's but no less distracting. It took me a moment to remember how to read.

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> 1) The group is one guy (Arty) with women approved by the group: currently Zoya, Cate, and (provisionally) Iter.

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> 2) Arty is the focus that everyone in the group is officially dating

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> 3) No relationships outside the group

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> 4) Open communication and consent

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> 5) Free to leave the group at any time

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> 6) The group is separate from the Party (though each knows about the other and the Hero stuff)

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"We need a better name for it than 'the group'" I muttered out loud.

"That's what I said!" Cate interjected.

"'The group' is functional. Oh, I know!" Zoya looked at me, pursing her lips in suppressed laughter. "We can make it an acronym!"

"Absolutely not!" both Cate and I said in unison. Then we looked at each other, and back at Zoya, who had erupted in giggles.

"It's a placeholder," Cate headed off further discussion on the topic.

"Okay, I have one more to add." I took a breath. "We need to respect that we all have things we want to keep private. Not everything needs to be shared." I leaned back between them so I could see their faces. "But we have to trust each other to bring them forward if they impact the group. Geez," I rubbed a spot in the middle of my brow. "Even saying 'group' out loud is off-putting. I feel like we're writing bylaws for a home owner's association."

"A sexy association," Zoya remarked, typing it into the doc on her phone. But she looked a little deflated when I talked about not sharing. I could tell she was thinking she was going to be left outside of my conversation with Cate in the kitchen, and it bothered her.

"And if someone is feeling excluded," I added to help her out, "they bring it up as part of open communication."

"I mean, this is all very logical," Cate chimed in. "But I think it's going to be harder to put into practice with actual messy feelings involved." Her tone was calm and serious, but her hand was rubbing along my thigh. Zoya must have noticed, as I felt her hand start to massage my other thigh as well.

"Open communication, respect, and trust are going to be putting in work, that's for sure. But yeah, simple doesn't mean easy," I grinned at Cate in self-deprecation, and she gave a wry smile back. "We need to watch out for each other." Both women pressed closer, their smiles filled with affection. That gave me the strength to step into the silence. "Which brings me to the first thing I need to share."

I paused while they both turned to look at me, still caressing my legs gently on either side.

"Before you both came back from getting pizza, I was chatting with our resident dragon. It told me some worrying things about heroes and how our connections tie into fighting demon lords. We'll need to discuss it tomorrow. Draco was adamant the bonds don't affect your thoughts or your choices. But if anything ever feels off, tell me."

Zoya looked thoughtful at this information, but I saw Cate's brow furrow. She hadn't directly experienced our connection as of yet, so it would need a little explaining.

After I saw no one had any questions, I looked down. I stared at the phone in my hand, gliding my finger along the crack it had received in my accident outside Complyze.

"And second," I gritted my teeth and dove all the way in. "I ... am blaming myself for breaking up my family. I haven't spoken to my mom or sister in years." I swiveled to look at Zoya more fully. "Cate knows about it. I'll give you the details later, Zoya. But I want you to know why I might act weird about relationships at times." I tried to smile at her to cut the seriousness, but it came out lopsided, and I looked down and away to hide it.

"Okay." Her hand had stopped on my leg as I spoke, but she gave it a small squeeze. The concern was clear on her face. "When you're ready."

Cate looked worried and moved her hand from my leg to rub my shoulder above my collar bone.

"It's not something we can fix right away, and I think I'm dealing with it all right. I mean, both of you are distracting me pretty effectively right now." This time I smiled in genuine gratitude.

Zoya groaned in affectionate exasperation. "Look, I know I was the one who started all this, and yeah, it is supremely important to talk about it all and for everyone to know what's what." She looked back and forth between us, lips pressed together tightly. "But can we just fuck now? Cate, we still good? I'm so goddamn horny I'm about to explode!"

Cate nodded quick and shallow, a flush on her cheeks as she shot a shy look in my direction. "Uhm, this time, I'd like to watch. I heard from Zoya that Iter watched you at first, so I'd like to start there, too." The blush further bloomed across her face and neck, but her smile was expectant.

I stood eagerly and assisted both women to their feet. "I am on board with this plan."

"No shit, Arty," Zoya snickered. "'Oh I do declare, two sexy as fuck ladies want to shove my cock into all their holes. Whatever shall I do?'"

"All I heard was that anal is on the table." I laughed and avoided Zoya's playful smack. At least, I hoped it was playful. She was catapulting refrigerators earlier today. "Gimmie a sec, I'll shift Draco out of the bedroom."

"Hmm. That gives me an idea." Now it was Cate's turn to grin impishly. "Maybe I'll have a little chat with Draco someday."