Remember that this Fanfic has the tags "#SLICEOFLIFE" and "#ROMANCE" (at least where I originally post it, on Webnovel)? Well, I remembered it too LOL. The chapter doesn't have much action, but it's a foundation for future relationships, and I really enjoyed writing Wendy, she became one of my favorite characters. Anyway, here's the chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my OCs, and this is my first fanfic. English is my second language. I welcome constructive criticism, but please be kind to me!
֎֎֎֎֎֎֎֎֎֎֎֎֎֎֎֎֎֎֎֎֎֎֎֎֎֎֎֎֎֎֎֎֎֎֎
3rd Person POV
'Let's start from the beginning, then.'
Max picked up the card with [Shadow-Verse Connection] and, without hesitating, used it.
The card turned into a light that entered his body. Right after, he felt a strange connection with something, almost as if a sixth sense had just woken up.
After getting used to the sensation, he tried imagining himself entering the shadows that formed under his own feet.
Slowly, he sank into his own shadow, as if it were quicksand, going deliberately slowly to get used to the strange sensation. A few seconds later, the room he was in was empty. Not for long, though, a few more seconds later, Max came back out from there.
He felt like a fish in water inside the Shadow-Verse, but he also heard sounds of creatures that seemed to be far away. He decided he wouldn't go adventuring in there anytime soon. He would only use it the way Darkwing II did, as a quick access route.
'Good escape method, but I hope I never need to get to that point.'
He then moved on to the next power, [Teaching Presence]. Unfortunately, he couldn't test its effectiveness right now. That would only show itself with time.
Next came [Skin Customization Perk]. Max immediately changed the color of [Turbo] to red, matching the new hero suit.
He tested it right after, running around the Sanctuary room.
'Good. It can also be used to disguise certain powers if I ever need to.'
Then came the turn of [Unparalleled (Immortal Beauty, Top-notch Charm)]. Before using it, he went to a mirror so he could notice the changes afterward.
In front of his own reflection, he activated the card. A few small but significant changes happened. He was already handsome after all the training and all the accumulated assimilations, but those subtle adjustments seemed to transform his very presence, giving his face a symmetry so perfect that he himself stayed admiring himself in the mirror for a moment.
'Now I understand those cultivators who tried to kidnap Han Jue. This level of beauty would be a serious problem if I were an ordinary person.'
Max decided to reduce the effect of that passive, which altered much more than just the physical, it was a kind of spiritual charm, and the Gacha gave the option to adjust the intensity.
'There. Now people will think I'm handsome, but I won't become the center of attention for everyone on the street.'
He planned to use the full effect only in specific moments, when he needed to activate the Mero Mero no Mi, or if he wanted to recreate that classic cliché of a handsome character lost in thought, oblivious to everything around him, while someone watches from hiding, enchanted, without the courage to approach.
'Speaking of Mero Mero no Mi.'
He picked up the card and used it right away. Another power he couldn't use right now, and that he also didn't want to test on subordinates or friends for the time being. He would find the right moment in the future.
He then looked at the last power card, [Orc Forbidden Arts - It's All the Orc Dick's Fault]. He decided to keep that one stored for now. Without knowing exactly how much Nano could help control the effects, it was better to have a solid foundation in the Hercules Method first, to better master his own body before risking it.
'Okay, now, assimilations!'
He had already decided he would assimilate Ferris Bueller, Neo, Best Tiger, Glasses and Cryptosporidium, in that order. After that he would summon BT-7274 and Floch Forster together.
'What's Floch's reaction going to be when he sees a technological metal titan? After all, he's going to be the pilot.'
Aurora would be summoned last. A girl who had gone through experiments of that level needed different care than giving to people or machines used to war, so he would call someone to help with that process.
Max then looked at his own status screen.
[ <1/4> ]
[GACHA]
Gacha Points (GP): 1
- General Gacha
- In-setting Gacha (Invincible)
- Specific Gacha Mode
[ <2/4> ]
[STATUS]
Name: Maximus Alexander Ferrari Ferreira
Race: Human
Character Assimilation
Fully Assimilated:
- King - One Punch
- Turbo
- Goblin Slayer
- Lucius Wagner
- Jason Voorhees
- The Team
- Package: Frank Horrigan
- Hakase Shinonome
In Progress:
- [Ferris Bueller - 67%] [Neo - 14%]
Characters Summoned:
- Rein Kashiwagi
Powers/Abilities/Perks:
- Copy [+]
- Voice of All Things
- Semi-Useful Powers [+]
- Shadow-Verse Connection - Invincible
- Teaching Presence
- Skin Customization Perk
- Unparalleled (Immortal Beauty, Top-notch Charm) - Top Tier Providence
- Mero Mero no Mi - One Piece
Items:
- Batman's Utility Belt
- Pip-Boy 3000 Mark IV
- Guild Seal
- Nano Machine
- One Ring
- Universal ID Card
- Coalition Scan Pad - Invincible
- Space Bike - Invincible
- Beriache's Underclothing – Overgeared
- 8 oz. of sweet Mexican black-tar heroin - Cards Against Humanity
- Tuxedo - The Tuxedo
- Gay-o-meter GLS Plus Tabajara (pink) - Casseta & Planeta
Inventory (Pip-Boy) [-]:
- Blueprint: HEV Suit
- Holy Man Moral Cultivation Code
- Authentic Shaolin School Book
- Water Polo Carbonated Fist
- Mauler Twins Technology - Invincible
- Bio Therm Discs - Invincible
- Inhibitor Collar - Invincible
- Telepathic Neural Implant - Invincible
- Nolan's Book Collection - Invincible
- Scourge Virus - Invincible
- The Hercules Method - The Strange Talent of Luther Strode
- Diverse Materials
[ <3/4> ]
[NON-USED CARDS]
Characters:
- Best Tiger - Invincible
- Glasses - One-Punch Man
- Package: Cryptosporidium - Destroy All Humans
- Floch Forster - Attack on Titan
- Aurora - The Legendary Mechanic
- BT-7274 - Titanfall 2
- Goddess CPU Blue Heart - Sonichu Series
Items:
- None
Powers/Abilities/Perks:
- Orc Forbidden Arts - It's All the Orc Dick's Fault
Consumables:
- Weakness Removal Card x01
- Background Customization Card x06
- Power Boost Card x04
- Shonen Setting Travel Ticket (Low-Tier / One Week)
[ <4/4> ]
[CYOA STORE OPTIONS]
CYOA Store Points (CSP): 56 (A/N: The CSP value changed because the Nattō-flavored Umaibō boxes were bought in the Convenience Store CYOA, for 1 point each, leaving him with 55 before the gacha.)
- Convenience Store CYOA
- Semi-Useful Powers CYOA
'Damn, am I going to have to read all of this to know what I have? In a year isn't this going to become impossible to keep track of?'
Hearing the complaint, the Gacha answered.
[Valid complaint registered. As an immediate solution, an organize button will be added, including the function to hide items. A more complete alternative will be implemented as soon as possible.]
'Oh, the Gacha is dedicated today. I thought she was colder than that.'
He then started organizing his own system better, hiding the cards he didn't need to see for now and rearranging some items, simplifying the screen and removing that visual clutter.
Ferris had already started high, being an ordinary teenager, but with a lot of social skill.
'67? That seems familiar, but I can't quite remember what it is.'
Neo, on the other hand, started at 14, a number Max liked for no particular reason.
He thought it might be so low because the power of the Chosen One from the Matrix was more of a technopathy, something Max still didn't have in the scope of his own powers. He only had something similar thanks to Nano in his body, but that was it.
'Alright, time to create brainless clones to be mercilessly massacred while I train the Hercules Method, assimilate my characters, and summon a few more subordinates.'
With that, Max spent the following days busy building machines in the laboratory, training his own body to the limit with the new method, absorbing each character in progress little by little, and organizing the Sanctuary to accommodate the new summons that were about to come.
.......
Marie POV
On the night I told my parents my powers had manifested.
I was in my room, unable to sleep, thinking about how my life was going to change from then on. I felt a nervous flutter in my stomach mixed with genuine excitement about the future.
I started remembering the conversation my father had with me when I was still a child. The two of us were on top of the roof of the house, at night, when he started telling me about our origins.
"Okay, sweetheart, bear with me… This is gonna be a little awkward for both of us. You may have noticed that I'm not like normal dads. Your mother and I think it's time you knew the truth. We think you're old enough for me to tell you where I really come from."
He told me about a distant planet, millions of kilometers away, in the middle of deep space, called Viltrum. A bluish oasis, alone in a solar system similar to ours. That was where he was born. The Viltrumites were very similar to humans, except for the fact that they could fly, move at absurd speeds and possessed immense strength. When his people reached adulthood, they left Viltrum and spread across the galaxy, using those abilities to help less developed worlds. He had volunteered to come to Earth as the planet's solitary protector. That was how he met my mother… and, eventually, they had me.
"I know this is a lot to take in at one time, but you're half Viltrumite, sweetheart, and you're getting older. Things are gonna start to change for you in a few years as you hit puberty. Your body's gonna go through changes, cramps, mood swings, all that fun stuff girls your age go through, only a bit more intense for you. You'll start developing superpowers of your own. Just like me, super strength and speed, flight, the whole bit. Do you understand?"
I stood still, absorbing all of that, with only one question spinning in my head. I stood up excitedly and asked my father.
"I'm gonna be able to fly?"
"Yes, sweetheart, you're gonna be able to fly…"
Remembering that now, I made a decision.
"I'm gonna be able to fly."
I got up quickly and went through the open window of the room, standing on top of the roof in just my pajamas. I went to the edge and started trying to convince myself.
"Whew. Don't look down… Stop looking down! I'm not going down. I'm gonna fly up, because I can fly."
I hesitated a little, took a few steps back.
"What if I can't yet? No, no, no, okay. Dad always said it was like a reflex, so if I don't want to fall, I won't, and even if I do, maybe it won't even hurt, or maybe…"
I closed my eyes and, with a sudden resolution, made the decision.
"Ah, screw it!"
I threw myself off the roof, eyes closed, waiting for the fall that never came. When I opened my eyes, I felt incredible, as if my childhood dream had finally come true.
"Haha! Whoo-hoo!"
The feeling of achievement mixed with a sensation of total freedom as I flew higher and higher into the sky.
"Whoa… oh, crap. Whoa! Oh, god…"
I did a few clumsy somersaults in the air, trying to get used to it, and as soon as I managed to stabilize myself, I climbed even higher without looking back.
"Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!"
Flying had already become my favorite activity, but suddenly I heard a noise and looked to the side.
"Ugh!"
It was a plane coming straight at me. I couldn't react, panicking on the spot.
"No, no, no, no, no…"
It passed scraping by my side, and the wind generated by its speed threw me even higher.
"AAAAAAAAH!"
I kept spinning uncontrollably for a while, until I stopped and realized how high I was, and that I could no longer breathe properly.
The air kept getting thinner and thinner. My breathing sped up in a silent panic, choking, trying to pull air that simply wasn't coming, until everything started to slow down, the sounds of the world below gradually disappearing.
My consciousness darkened from the lack of oxygen, until I blacked out completely.
When I started recovering my senses, I felt a wind that was far too strong, and the strange sensation of falling out of my bed. I opened my eyes and remembered what had happened.
"aaaaaAAAAAAHH!"
A low scream escaped my throat, growing louder and more uncontrolled as I realized the speed of the fall.
I was in free fall, already too close to the ground, without knowing how to stop.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!"
The scream became one continuous high-pitched sound, until the impact came with everything, a dry boom of asphalt cracking, dust rising, the sound of the street itself giving way under me.
"Ahw… shit."
I had just opened a small crater in the middle of the street. I didn't even really know where I was, I only recognized that I was still inside my own neighborhood.
After that fall, I didn't get hurt very badly for real, but it was the first time I felt that kind of pain, as if I had been squeezed whole.
'I need to get home soon. A hot bath and a bed, that's all I want right now.' Every step hurt a little, but I quickened the pace anyway, anxious to disappear under the covers before anyone saw me in that state.
After that, I ran home, took a bath and fell into bed. I woke up to the alarm going off nonstop, insistent, the beeps repeating in sequence while I was still far too exhausted from what I had done during the night.
"*Tiririri* *Tiririri* *Tiririri* *Tiririri* *Tiririri* *Tiririri*"
I muttered softly, my voice still pasty with sleep, and silenced the phone alarm, burying my face in the pillow for a few more seconds before starting to get up, very slowly.
I let out another mutter, this time of effort, already sitting on the bed, waiting for the laziness to pass.
My father entered the room.
"Put some pants on, and let's get in the sky, kiddo."
After he said that, I got out of bed still a bit groggy and walked past him. He clearly noticed my tiredness, already imagining, and probably correctly guessing, what I had done at night.
"I'll… put some coffee on."
After that, he taught me how to fly for real, the fundamentals of how our species did it, plus a small sparring session that ended with me taking a punch right in the middle of the stomach, which scared me quite a bit.
It was the first time my father had really hit me in training, and I was caught completely off guard. Other than that, my days at school and with my friends didn't change that much.
.....
3rd Person POV
A few days before the Gacha
"Hey Marie! Want to go to Burger Mart today? I also wanted to play Clash Crash tonight, what do you think?"
Wendy arrived, accompanied by Max, talking to Marie at the end of class.
"Sorry, I need to help my dad with some things today. I already promised him."
She said goodbye quickly and left in a hurry.
"Hey, don't you think Marie has been really happy lately? It started since you saved her from Todd. Do you think she has a thing for you?"
Wendy asked Max. Actually she was wrong, Marie had been like that because she had gotten her powers around the same period, and the coincidence of dates just gave Wendy that wrong impression.
'Ah~ would she give me a little of her royal Viltrumite blood for me to analyze properly if I asked nicely?'
"I know I'm very handsome, but I don't think she's that superficial. But every time you invite us to Burger Mart she comes up with the excuse that she needs to help her dad. It must have something to do with that."
"Yeah, what could she be helping with? Her dad is a science fiction and adventure writer, but I don't think she likes writing that much."
"Well, she likes comics, and her dad's books have action too. She must be learning from him to create her own comics, that's why she must be so excited."
"That makes total sense! Knowing her, that must be it!"
Wendy spoke as if she had understood the entire situation.
'This one knows too much, hahaha.'
That was what Max found funny. He wondered if Marie would tell them about her powers before they went to Upstate University, where a ReAnimen would appear for the first time. That could happen because Max had already told them about his own powers, which might make Marie more open, plus she had already realized that Wendy knew how to keep a secret when it was important, something that might have been a barrier in the original story.
"Ah~ but it's not as fun when it's just the two of us, and the other girls already have things to do."
She said, a bit down for not having her friend along.
"Wow, thanks for calling me boring without saying it to my face."
Max pretended to be offended.
"That's not what I meant, dear. You're an excellent trophy husband."
Wendy hugged Max's arm while making the joke, which made him laugh.
'I know she's joking, but is there a grain of truth in that? Or does she feel so comfortable making this kind of joke because she already friendzoned me a long time ago? Or is she a lesbian?'
In that case, the story would follow closer to the comics, where William stayed in the closet for a good while.
'It could be that. Maybe it's also a way of provoking jealousy in Marie with this closeness. But that I can't really say, because even being gay, the William from the comics and the animation never hits on Mark. Would the female version act differently?'
Max started building hypotheses in his head.
'But without a real gay-dar there's no way to be sure. And there's no way the Gacha would give me something so useless and specific like that.'
He ended up forgetting that useless line of thought in a not-too-distant future.
"Hey Max, you said you can kind of fly, right? What do you think about, instead of going to Burger Mart, you taking me flying a little? Just a little bit! I promise I'll behave."
Wendy made a pleading puppy-dog face, wide eyes and pout included.
"Hum, no problem. Since you accepted being my subordinate, I'll indulge a few of your whims when I feel like it."
Max said, in a magnanimous way.
"Yes, yes! By the way, what am I going to have to do in the future? You're not going to take advantage of me, right?"
She went back to joking, even though the question was relevant.
"No, you'll be more of a secretary. I don't think you have the profile of a soldier or a fighter, but of course, if one day you want to learn how to fight and get stronger by training, you can ask me and I'll help."
Wendy thought for a bit before answering. She also didn't see herself as a fighter. She already went to the gym and walked, but only to keep her body healthy. She had never imagined herself training to fight crime.
"I prefer being your secretary for real. Earning a good salary, buying my cosmetics, new clothes, that expensive perfume I only smell in the store and never take home…"
"Actually, that reminds me that I have a power that converts fat into energy to create various objects, and also a technique that can reshape your body however you want."
He was talking about [Creation]. Women, in general, care much more about their own appearance than men, so just that would already have enormous appeal for her.
'If I managed to develop something more to help with that in the future, it would be even better.' Max thought quickly, already considering possibilities, but kept that thought to himself for now.
When she heard that, Wendy seemed to turn into a different person and clung desperately to Max.
"MAX!!! I NEED THIS!!! GIVE IT TO ME, PLEASE!!! I'LL DO ANYTHING!!"
Wendy was clinging to Max, looking desperate, catching him off guard. The problem was that the two of them were still at school, surrounded by people.
"What's this? Did they break up?"
"Poor thing, he must be some bastard she fell for."
"What does she want so desperately? Is it drugs?"
"Don't those two hang out with another girl? Is it a love triangle that just came to light?"
"Oh my God, is she pregnant?"
"Guys, is it blackmail? He must have something she really needs."
It had been a while since Max last felt this kind of embarrassment from being judged. He quickly grabbed Wendy's hand and pulled her out of there.
"Come on, Wendy, why do you always shout in public like that? You need to learn to control yourself."
Max got slightly irritated. His reputation at school took a small hit, and even though that didn't really matter, it wasn't pleasant having people talking behind his back.
"Sorry, Max, but eating as much as I want without getting fat has been my dream since I was a kid, especially being able to create any object. Can't you give me something similar?"
"I can, but in your case only the effect of not getting fat would be available. The part about creating objects requires the person to know the molecular structure of what they want to make, and without meaning to be rude, I don't think you know that."
"Aw, you're right, but just not getting fat would already be enough."
Already in a more secluded area of the school, the two managed to have a better conversation.
"You don't have to settle for so little. Over time I can teach you a technique that improves memory, so you can remember those molecular structures with precision."
"Really? You're the best Boss!"
She got excited again, her eyes shining as if she were already imagining the closet full of clothes and cosmetics she could one day create out of nothing.
"By the way, you wanted to fly, right?"
.....
"THIS IS SO AWESOME!!!"
There was Wendy, finally fulfilling her wish to fly, on top of a platform made of the same alloy combining Gatelinium, Australium and Nth Metal, which he had decided to call Omnialloy, since he planned to add more metals he got from the Gacha to that alloy.
"Yes, and it's really beautiful, but we're not going any higher. The air gets thinner and you might get sick from the cold."
Max was behind her, holding Wendy's waist so she wouldn't lose her balance, flying with [Wave Motion] while using telekinesis to lift the platform Wendy was on, since that method was easier to maintain than using telekinesis on himself or directly on Wendy.
He also used [Barrier], which he had gotten at the Shie Hassaikai, to stop the wind from hitting their faces hard because of the speed.
"I wish Marie were here too. She would definitely love this!"
"Whoa, calm down, calm down, two is already too much for me."
Max said, tired just from imagining having to do twice the effort to lift both of them.
If he were standing on the ground it would be easy, but while flying, the effort to carry someone else along was more than double. Not that he couldn't do it, it would just be a much shorter flight.
"Hã~? I thought you wanted to get both of us at the same time?"
Wendy made the provocation, and for an instant Max imagined himself in that situation, but quickly recomposed himself.
"That's not what I wanted… you know what? I accept your offer. Can I have a little taste of you right now?"
Max was going to give a normal answer to that provocation, but decided to double down. Worst case, he could just use the infallible trick of saying it was irony afterward. So, holding her waist, he started tickling her.
"Hyaaaah! Calm down, tiger! HAHAHAHAH! Stop! HAHAHAHA!"
Of course Max wasn't going to kiss her or grope her, irony has limits after all, but that didn't mean he would stay without reacting after that provocation.
"Hum~ looks like now you've gotten all soft."
"Hehehe~ don't do that again, I almost peed myself."
After that little moment, the two continued the flight in comfortable silence, the wind cutting their faces while the city got smaller and smaller below.
.....
Marie was arriving for another day of class, thoughtful.
'Hero name, hero name… Omni-Girl? No! I want my own name, I just need to think more.'
She was walking through the hallways normally when she started feeling uncomfortable for some reason, until she noticed why.
'Why are they looking at me like that?'
She realized the students were looking at her and trying to hide it, whispering something, and it wasn't just one or two, it was several groups doing it.
'What happened? Did they find out something about my power? But how would that be possible? I know I wasn't careless, and I haven't even told Max and Wendy yet!'
She started getting worried. Before even becoming an official heroine, would she be unmasked? She didn't even have a uniform or a name yet.
She quickened her pace to her own locker, where she found her friends.
"Max! Wendy!"
She called their attention, and when they heard her voice, the two looked in her direction.
Their expressions were a mix of confusion and embarrassment as they faced Marie.
"What happened? Why are you like that?"
'Do they already know people are talking about me?'
"Marie… you noticed these weird looks they're giving us, right?"
Max spoke to Marie, who looked around and saw that the gossip seemed to have increased. Realizing it wasn't just about her, she relaxed a little.
'Thank goodness they didn't find out about me, but what happened? Why are they looking at us like that?'
Max then continued, with a serious tone.
"So, Marie… something happened between me and Wendy yesterday…"
Marie got a bit confused, but after a few seconds her face started turning red with embarrassment, and she shrank a little.
Wendy, who was beside him, gave a strong elbow to Max's waist.
"Don't say it like that, with that serious face, idiot! Marie, let's talk. First, this is my fault, don't blame Max."
Wendy spoke seriously, without realizing that her own sentence also sounded like quite the confession.
Marie continued with many things in her head.
'Are they dating? How did that happen? I only started training with my dad a few days ago. I thought her flirting was just jokes.'
A strange tightness took over her chest, a mix of anger and sadness that she didn't know how to name properly. It had only been a short time since she had noticed how good she felt near Max, even imagining, without admitting it much even to herself, some future between the two of them. And now this?
'Damn! I lost before I even started playing!'
"Wendy, you weren't clear either."
Max then took Wendy's hand and Marie's, leading the two of them somewhere far from the other students' eyes.
That seemed to set the rumors on fire even more.
"Oh my God! He took both of them!"
"Wendy stole her best friend's boyfriend, and even blamed herself for it!"
"Did you see how red Marie got? I think she was about to cry!"
"One day it's with one, the next it's with both. Is he really like that?"
"Poor Marie, what if she didn't even know anything?"
"Guys, was it a low blow? Like, did Wendy know Marie liked him?"
Several different versions of the story started appearing, a game of telephone that stretched so far that none of the theories even came close to reality. It was basically a bunch of gossiping teenagers scripting, in real time, an entire season of a Netflix teen drama, complete with imaginary dramas that would be easily resolved with a conversation, emotional crises and several plot twists that no one had asked for.
"Damn, I wish I was Max! I need to ask him for advice!"
The girls who were gossiping looked at that last guy with pure hatred, ready to excommunicate him right there from the gossip group. The guys, on the other hand, perfectly pretended they hadn't thought exactly the same thing a second earlier, looking at the ceiling, the floor, anywhere that wasn't each other's eyes.
Far from there, Wendy and Max were explaining what had happened to Marie.
"So… Wendy really wanted that power so she wouldn't get fat, and ended up shouting at you in an ambiguous way that made it look like the three of us were having an affair in front of everyone?"
"Yes. But in her defense, I think she was going to shout that anyway. It's just that, because of that time at Burger Mart, she decided not to talk about powers out of pure reflex, and ended up making everything even more ambiguous."
Max couldn't blame Wendy for that. Not even in all the endless loops of thought and worry he usually had about possible future problems had this kind of teenage drama entered his radar.
"Hum, did I think about that in my subconscious without realizing? That makes sense." Wendy turned to her friend, a bit cornered. "Sorry, Marie! Now it looks like we're in a relationship."
She made the joke with no intention of playfulness in her tone, but no one cared about that, because when she said it, she looked like she was almost actually crying, genuinely blaming herself for putting her friend through that situation.
"W-well, it's okay, Wendy, it's not your fault."
Marie hugged Wendy's head against her own chest and changed the conversation to Max.
"M-max, what do we do now? Do we… break up?"
She asked, making a joke to lighten the mood, insecure about which decision to make in the face of all that, trusting that he would know how to solve it.
"Ah~ if we try to do some kind of 'breakup' now, with everyone knowing we noticed the gossip, it will only intensify. We've already become the official school entertainment. The only thing that would really work would be to completely stop meeting here inside. But if someone saw us together outside of school, the rumor would catch fire again, even stronger. And if, for some reason, we really stopped seeing each other for good, maybe over time they would forget. Only, honestly, I don't want that to happen. I really like being around both of you."
Max said that with complete sincerity, without fully realizing the weight of his own sentence. His logic was simple, publicly denying it in a situation like that would only confirm everything they were already thinking, so it didn't make sense to fight against the current. But in the middle of all the strategic reasoning, the last line slipped out loose, too true, too direct, without any calculated filter behind it.
Marie felt her face heat up, a strange mix of embarrassment and a happiness she didn't know how to explain properly. She knew, deep down, that if she really wanted to make the rumors stop, the obvious solution would be to stop seeing Max completely. But hearing that, she realized with a knot in her stomach that that was not, by far, an option she wanted to take.
"G-good, I also don't want to stop seeing each other. And what do you think, Wendy?"
"Boobs."
"Hum!?"
Wendy was red-faced, still resting between Marie's breasts, and seemed to be enjoying it quite a bit. Max and Marie just stayed watching the scene in silence.
"…"
"…"
"Boobs… hum?"
Wendy seemed to regain consciousness when she noticed the two of them judging her silently, and recomposed herself right away.
"S-so, guys, what do we do? I also don't want to separate from you."
Max let out a bit of air through his nose, almost a little laugh, as if he had just reached some important conclusion. Marie and Wendy stopped to listen.
Shaking his head, Max said:
"There's no way around it. I think the three of us are going to have to start a throuple. I promise I'll make both of you happy."
Marie and Wendy just stayed looking at him while he said that with a monumental straight face, without his voice trembling even a little.
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Hello folks. I just started a Patreon. This is both to keep me motivated to write and to help me make some side income while I'm studying. If you want to read ahead and support my work, you can find me on Patreon searching for WorldHunger.
Lastly, please send me your ideas for Characters, Items, Perks, Gacha Mechanics, Powers/Abilities/Skills (Especially this, I need it), Consumables, and Worlds (for Travel Tickets). Even semi-useful powers are welcome!
Thanks for reading this far. Now, give me your Power Stones! They were promised to me 3,000 years ago! (And remember, everyone gets a free stone daily, for those who don't know).