Milo/MC/Mal Fluff Piece

“I hate this.”

“Oh, come on, Mal, it’s not that bad.”

“Your foot is digging into my hip.”

“Yeah? Well your hip is digging into my foot. Two can play at that game.”

“I will toss you out of here, and you can freeze your balls off. I’ll gladly sit and watch.”

“Jokes on you. My balls are impervious to freezing.”

“I’d be willing to put that to the test.”

There was a splashing sound and the small grunt of a scuffle. Silently, I walked through Malcolm’s apartment, rubbing my hands up and down my arms. It was unnaturally cold in here, the window frosted over while ice came out as one long stream from the sink. When I got to the bathroom, every candle that Malcolm owned was lit, giving a small amount of warmth to the room. The claw foot tub that was situated in the corner was filled to the brim, water splashing over the sides while both Milo and Malcolm wrestled awkwardly from inside the tub.

I raised a brow, leaning against the door frame. “What exactly is happening?”

Both the boys froze, hands on each other's shoulders as they looked at me with a guilty gaze. Malcolm shoved Milo back, sending him careening down into the tub, his legs scrunching up and knocking Malcolm in the chest.

“Lamplight,” Mal said breathlessly. “How did you even get here? Isn’t the tunnel frozen over?”

“It is,” I said, taking another step inside the bathroom. Malcolm had plants strewn along the walls, creating a small tropical oasis. Now, they dripped with frost, wilting under the weight of the cold. “The Velvet Guard has been trying to create passageways through the market all afternoon. Everyone is out to try and keep the pathways from freezing over again.”

“Just surprised the way to my house is on that list,” Malcolm said.

Milo rolled his eyes. “Yeah, big surprise that they made sure the path to the Night Market’s favorite was free and clear.” Then, he looked at me, a lopsided grin falling in place. “You called in a favor, didn’t ya. You did the whole nepo baby thing and pulled a few strings.”

“I don’t think you know what the term nepo baby is,” I told him, not denying a single word he said. “Anyway, they are saying this is all a spell gone wrong. The entire market is in an uproar. Spice Market even closed for the day.”

Malcolm shoved at Milo again as he began stretching his limbs out, trying to invade his side of the tub. “Ask Milo who cast that wayward spell,” Malcolm snapped, glaring at our lover.

Milo sputtered, sitting up straight and pushing his wet hair out of his eyes. “It wasn’t my fault! I didn’t know that an ice bomb would freeze the entire tunnel. And I definitely didn’t know it would start stretching towards the rest of the market.”

“Why did you even have an ice bomb?” I asked, slightly confused.

“I was doing the guard a favor! I confiscated it.”

“And then brought it back to my place,” Malcolm interrupted.

Milo kicked his foot out harshly, catching Malcolm in the ribs. The only reason Malcolm’s breath didn’t leave him was because Malcolm caught him by the ankle before he could inflict too much damage.  “By the fucking land, you are so sensitive,” Milo groused to Malcolm. “Get over it.”

They were words that would certainly lead to another tousle and while I didn’t mind watching the two of them naked wrestle, the floor to Malcolm’s bathroom was going to be ruined by the water cascading over the side The tub did not contain the two of them even in the slightest and the water was rapidly running cool. When I had spoken was not designed for the two of them. That, and the guard had indicated it would be well over a day before they could get all this under control. Meaning, it was going to be a long road of two bickering men if this didn’t get solved now.

There wasn’t much I could do about the ice, but, I could do something about the tub.

Walking over to the two of them, I touched the water and closed my eyes. There was a gasp from Milo as the water began to heat up and the tub stretched around them. The claw foot tub suddenly became a large spa, comfortably fitting the two of them and providing room for more.

Malcolm sighed happily, sinking back into the water. “Joining us, Lamplight?”

“I’m not staying out here in the cold,” I told him. Quickly, I stripped off my clothes, slipping inside the water. Milo expectedly had grabby hands and reached for me, pulling our bodies together so he could plaster himself to my back.

“Ah,” he sighed. “Warm.”

I laughed as he rubbed his cold nose against the back of my neck. “I do really enjoy that the solution to the cold was to get naked in a tub together. I appreciate that about the two of you.”

“It was that or cuddle naked in bed,” Malcolm said. “And his feet were cold.” Malcolm was notorious for hating cold feet at night. Nothing got him more angry than when Milo and I sandwiched him from either side, sticking our toes beneath him.

“Mal,” Milo whined. “Come cuddle us.” He swayed my body back and forth in the water, waving me around enticingly. I let my body go loose in Milo’s arms, feeling the swish of water between us.

“Lamplight, you do not have to put up with him,” Malcolm said.

I reached behind me, bringing Milo’s head forward so I could place a kiss on his cheek. “I like putting up with him. He’s cute when he gets fussy.”

“Yeah. I’m cute,” Milo grinned.  “A decree from on high.”

“Don’t push it,” I whispered. He promptly shut up.

With a deeply put out sigh, Malcolm pushed himself forward, maneuvering himself until he straddled my lap, while I sat on Milo’s. “Happy?” he asked, though he was looking at me when he said it.

“Immensely so,” I told him. I leaned forward, pressing my lips to his. They were cold and chapped, but his tongue came out to brush gently against the seam of my lips. Beneath me, I felt Milo twitch in anticipation. “He’s so easy,” I told Malcolm with a little laugh.

Malcolm brushed his nose against mine, eyes open and alert as he gazed softly towards me. “I’m glad you’re here. I was worried about you out there. If this had gone on more than a day, I was tempted to make some ice skates and come find you.”

“Instead,” I told him, “I found you.” Not many people had found Malcolm. I was content in the fact that I had a good track record on that front.

Tipping his head forward, Milo tightened his arms around the two of us, brushing his lips against my shoulder. It was something I now recognized as a comfort move from Milo. The ability to freely touch me brought him a sense of calm. “You know, I’m kind of sad that the tunnel has a passageway to it. I mean, I’m glad because you’re here, darlin’, but damn would I love for it to freeze over. For at least twenty-four more hours.”

“Why’s that?” I asked, leaning back against him.

“Twenty four hours, just the three of us? No one to interrupt us. No one to ask for our help. No obligations? I would give my right arm for that,” he sighed.

The three of us were quiet, listening to the ice crawling along the vines of the plants and the drip of water from the faucet. 

“There’s a spell,” Malcolm said after a moment. “If you were interested.”

Milo’s eyes shot open, looking at both of us, hopefully. I could feel the hope running through him. The excitement. “After our bath,” I said.

Milo practically let out a whoop of joy, leaning forward to first kiss me, and then to press his lips to Malcolm’s. I watched the two of them, the little push pull that always came with their kiss. My belly fluttered with heat as I watched that particular dance. I now understood why Malcolm drew Milo and I so much when we kissed late at night. 

Milo’s joy was contagious, leaving me smiling warmly as I was pressed between the two of them. Twenty-four hours of no responsibility felt like heaven. We just would have to do something illegal to obtain it.

I couldn’t find it in myself to care.