A part of Odysseus doesn't trust his own words, but if love needs trust and trust grants love, then he's betting everything that Penelope is fighting, suffering, and longing just as much as him.
@glowinthedarkstars18 asked for a part two to Cate, Emma, and Marie against a very flustered reader so here we are!
The hot tub was, as Emma had promised, obscenely big.
Steam rose from the churning water in thick, billowing clouds, fogging the edges of the thick glass enclosure that looked out onto the snow-covered forest. The deck beyond was dusted in fresh powder, the trees standing like silent sentinels in the fading light, and the contrast between the biting cold of the mountain air and the enveloping heat of the water made your skin prickle with something that you couldn't give name to.
You had changed quickly, deliberately, in the privacy of the balcony room that Emma and Marie had insisted you take. The oversized swimsuit you’d brought, a practical, modest thing you’d grabbed without much thought, suddenly felt wholly inadequate as you stood on the heated tile outside the hot tub, watching the three of them already settled in the water.
Emma had claimed the corner nearest set of jets, her head tipped back against the edge and her eyes closed in bliss. She’d stripped down to a tiny, bright pink bikini that seemed to have more strings than fabric, and the sight of her like that, relaxed and glowing in the steam, made your mouth go dry.
Marie was beside her, her black bikini less complicated, but the way the water clung to her was doing something complicated to your ability to form coherent thoughts. She was watching the steam rise, her expression thoughtful, but her eyes flicked to you the moment you appeared.
Cate was closest to the steps, having positioned herself with a clear view of the entrance. She’d gone with a simple deep green one piece that complimented her eyes, and she was leaning back against the tiled edge, one arm stretched along the rim, the other holding a bottle of beer that she hadn’t seemed to drink from. Her gaze found you immediately, and that same unreadable look from earlier settled over her features.
“There you are,” Emma said, her eyes still closed. “We were starting to think you’d frozen to death in that room.”
“She’s been standing there for like thirty seconds,” Marie said, but she was smiling, and she shifted slightly, making room.
“Felt like longer,” Cate murmured, and there was something in her voice that made your stomach flip.
You descended the steps quickly, the water sloshing around your calves, your thighs, your waist, the heat a shock against your cool skin. You chose a spot on the bench opposite them, putting a few feet of churning water between yourself and the three women who were all, for some reason, still watching you with varying degrees of intensity.
“Come here,” Emma said, her eyes finally opening. She patted the water beside her. “The jets are better on this side.”
“I’m fine here,” you said, and your voice came out steadier than you felt.
“She’s fine,” Cate echoed, and there was that same teasing note from earlier. “She’s perfect.”
Marie snorted into her hand.
“That’s my line,” Emma protested, but she was grinning, and she pushed off from her corner, gliding through the water toward you with an easy, unhurried stroke. She stopped when she was close enough that her knee bumped yours under the surface. “Scoot over.”
“There’s literally an entire hot tub,” you said weakly.
“And I want to sit next to you.” She said it simply, like it was the most obvious thing in the world, and when you didn’t immediately move, she just settled in beside you anyway, her thigh pressing against yours, her shoulder brushing your arm. “See? Better.”
You were acutely aware of every point of contact, the warm slide of her skin against yours, the way her hand found the edge of the bench beside your hip, caging you in without quite touching.
Across from you, Cate took a slow sip of her beer, her eyes fixed on the space where Emma’s thigh met yours for a moment. “Comfortable?”
“Very,” Emma said, and she leaned into you slightly, her head tilting toward your shoulder.
Marie had moved too, you realized. She’d slid along the bench, closing the distance between her end and yours, and now she was close enough that her knee bumped your other leg. Her hand was on the bench, her fingers trailing lazy patterns on the surface, but every few seconds they would drift closer, close enough that you could feel the displacement of water against your own hand.
“How are you liking the cabin so far?” Marie asked, and her voice was soft, meant only for you despite the small space. “Really?”
“It’s incredible,” you said, and you meant it. “The view from the room is-”
“I know,” she said, and her smile turned shy. “I checked it earlier. To make sure the heat was working.”
“You just wanted to see her room,” Emma said, but there was no accusation in her voice. If anything, she sounded approving.
Your face was definitely red now, and the heat of the water was doing nothing to help you hide it. You opened your mouth to say something, anything, but no words came out.
Cate set her bottle down on the edge with a soft clink. The sound drew everyone’s attention, and she used it, pushing off from her side and gliding through the water with the same unhurried grace she seemed to do everything with. She didn’t stop until she was directly in front of you, her knees bracketing yours, her hands finding the edge of the bench on either side of your hips.
You were surrounded. Emma warm and solid on one side, Marie’s presence a quiet, steady pressure on the other, and now Cate in front of you, close enough that you could see the way her lashes clung together from the steam, the faint flush the heat had brought to her cheeks.
“You’ve been quiet,” Cate said, and her voice was lower now. “Everything okay?”
You nodded, not trusting your own voice.
“She’s just enjoying the view,” Emma supplied, and her hand found your knee under the water, a light, casual touch that sent sparks up your spine. “Aren’t you?”
“I-” you started.
Three pairs of eyes on you. Three points of contact, light but deliberate, grounding you in place. The steam swirled around all of you, fogging the glass, cocooning you in warmth and proximity and something that crackled in the air like static before a storm.
“The view’s nice,” you managed, and your voice came out breathy, embarrassed.
Emma’s grin widened. “Nice?”
“She’s being modest,” Cate said. Her fingers drummed once against the edge of the bench, a soft, rhythmic tap that you felt through the water. “I think she means exceptional.”
“Extraordinary,” Marie offered, and her thumb moved, just slightly, tracing a small circle on your knee.
“Breathtaking,” Emma added, and her hand slid up, just an inch, just enough to make your heart stutter.
Cate leaned forward, and for a dizzying moment you thought she was going to kiss you, but she stopped just short, her face inches from yours, her breath warm against your lips. “What do you think?” she asked, and her eyes dropped to your mouth for the briefest second before meeting your gaze again. “Are we making you uncomfortable?”
“No,” you said, too fast.
“Liar,” Emma murmured against your ear, and you realized she’d leaned in too, her chest pressed against your shoulder, her lips brushing the shell of your ear. “You’re shaking.”
You were. You could feel it now, a fine tremor running through your body that had nothing to do with the cold.
“We can stop,” Marie said quietly, and her hand stilled on your knee, her thumb pausing mid-circle. Her eyes were soft, searching your face for any sign of distress. “Just say the word.”
But you didn’t want them to stop. You wanted... god, you didn’t even know what you wanted, only that you wanted more of this, more of them, more of the way Cate was looking at you like you were something precious, the way Emma’s breath was hot against your skin, the way Marie’s fingers were trembling slightly too, like she was holding herself back.
“I don’t-” you started, and your voice broke.
Cate’s expression shifted, something tender threading through the intensity. She reached up, her hand cupping your jaw, her thumb brushing along your cheekbone. “It’s okay,” she said softly. “You don’t have to say anything.”
“We’ve got you,” Emma added, and her arm slid around your waist, pulling you against her side. “We’ve always got you.”
Marie’s hand found yours under the water, her fingers lacing through yours, squeezing gently. “Just relax,” she said, and her voice was a balm, smoothing over the ragged edges of your nerves. “Let us take care of you.”
You let out a breath you didn’t know you’d been holding, and the tension in your shoulders released all at once. Cate’s hand was still on your face, her thumb tracing slow, soothing arcs on your cheekbone. Emma’s arm was a warm, solid band around your waist, holding you against her. Marie’s fingers were intertwined with yours, her grip gentle but sure.
“There she is,” Cate murmured, and she smiled, soft and warm and nothing like the sharp, teasing thing she usually wore. “That’s better.”
Emma pressed a kiss to your temple, quick and light. “Told you she could take it.”
“She’s tougher than she looks,” Marie agreed, and she lifted your joined hands out of the water, pressing her lips to your knuckles in a gesture so sweet it made your chest ache.
You were surrounded and enveloped. The steam rose around you, the water lapped at your skin, and the three women who had somehow, impossibly, decided that you were worth their attention, their affection, their care, were looking at you like you were the only thing in the room worth seeing.
Cate’s hand slid from your jaw to the back of your neck, her fingers threading into your damp hair. “You okay?” she asked, and it was the second time she’d asked, but this time it was different.
You nodded, and this time it was the truth.
“Good,” Cate said, and she leaned in, her forehead pressing against yours, her breath mingling with yours in the warm, wet air. “Because we’re not going anywhere.”
thinking about how much happened in those 3 episodes. in 3 hours. they crammed SO MUCH IN. the finale is 2 HOURS. thats basically 2 whole episodes. WE STILL HAVE TIME. DO NOT DESPAIR.
