Deimos stared at his laptop screen, in shock. All his classmates around him were getting up to leave and hurry to their next class while Deimos sat there, staring at the final assignment for the semester, which was due in ten days. Which was a thirteen-page essay.

He wondered if his professor saw how fucking furious he was with him.

Who the actual fuck does this? Who the actual fuck drops such a big bomb like this so late into the semester? A thirteen page essay? You have to at least give a month’s warning. Deimos has ten days. Hell, for all the other stuff he’s studying for now, he probably has a solid three days to research, plan, write and proofread it. He felt nauseous even thinking about it.

Hotly, he slammed his laptop close and gathered his belongings. His professor was currently engaged in a debate with another classmate that seemed to also be having a problem with this sudden event, and Deimos passed the two of them to the door, giving the baddest death glare he could at the old man. His feelings probably got across. If it didn’t, then definitely when Deimos slammed the door.

Sighing, he ran his fingers through his hair. One moment ago he was completely fine and with one bold sentence showing the due date for his thirteen page essay, he was in a pit of flames. Was it even worth it trying? God, he wanted a smoke.

How could professors with a good conscious do this to their students?

Angrily, he stomped outside and headed for the library. Mira texted him earlier that Kalmin got them lunch at that one Chinese place near the university and he was above the clouds about it. Now he’s, just as he’s said before, in the pits of Hell. When he entered the fairly populated library, he spotted his girlfriend and boyfriend instantly, the two of them rays of fucking sunshine among books and couches and tables, smiling and laughing at each other, looking so damn good and Deimos wanted to drag them back to his place and make him forget about his homework and exams and just fuck him into oblivion.

Instead, he collapsed against his girlfriend and groaned. Mira and Kalmin were sitting on the same couch, and he could have easily collapsed against both of them, but it was crowded and this gesture was dramatic enough to attract eyes. He wouldn’t put Kalmin in that kind of embarrassing situation. He wouldn’t even though he desperately wanted to be petted and kissed by him.

“Hard day?” Mira chirped as she automatically wrapped her arms around his head. She kissed his forehead with a chuckle. Deimos grunted and wrapped one arm around her waist while the other one slid secretly to Kalmin’s arm to clutch and massage. His boyfriend’s arm relaxed in response.

“Guess who needs to write a thirteen page essay in ten days,” he grunted.

“Dear Lord,” Mira said instantly.

“Yikes,” Kalmin commented. “Is that legal?”

“I’m going to lose my mind,” Deimos groaned into Mira’s sweater that was technically Kalmin’s sweater. “It’s not like I have four other classes to fucking worry about.”

“I feel you,” Mira hummed. “Projects are sucking my soul.”

“At least they’re fucking art projects. You can argue an A+ on critiques. I can’t argue that my math problem is correct because it talks about my childhood trauma,” he snapped.

Kalmin sighed and rubbed his back. Deimos felt like crying because it was such a sweet gesture and he wanted Kalmin to rub his back for hours- but it stopped within ten seconds.

“Everyone is in a bad spot, but we can get through this,” he said sweetly. “We’re gonna kick Finals’ ass and then have an amazing Christmas and New Years together.”

“Don’t make me think about the holidays, I’m just getting more jealous of future me,” Deimos hissed. “He’s having the time of his life.”

Mira laughed and rubbed his scalp. He melted at her touch. “I guess I am in a better position than you guys.”

Deimos groaned and rolled his eyes. He sat up, frowning and shook his head. “No, I’m being an asshole, you’ve been functioning on three hours of sleep for the past few weeks. You’re trying very hard at every project and I’m being a dick.”

Mira smiled at him shyly. “You’ve been trying your hardest as well, I’m so proud of you for being able to handle the stress you’re under right now without having to resort to smoking a pack a day.”

Deimos blinked. “Wait, you noticed that?”

She beamed at him. “Yeah, and I’m very proud of you!”

“I am, too,” Kalmin interjected. Deimos decided to finally get off Mira and sit on her opposite side. “God, I’ve missed a lot since I’ve been away. Last time I checked Mira was getting a healthy seven hours of sleep.”

“That’s because you pressured me to sleep,” she mumbled sourly.

There was this sad little look on Kalmin’s face before he chuckled in response.

“How’s it going in the dorms, Kalmin?” Deimos questioned, curious about that look.

His boyfriend blinked at him in surprise and he leaned back, sighing.

“Oh, y’know, the usual stuff. You’d think drama between teammates would have died out in high school, but it still happens. I’m just waiting until we start playing, and Greg and the others can direct their hate to the opponents instead of their teammates,” Kalmin replied.

“That’s shitty,” Mira commented. “How’s Nikola and Theo?”

Kalmin shrugged. “Still very much a mystery. I offered to help them with their homework and both of them refused. I have been catching Nikola at the rink after hours, though, and talked with him a bit, but for the expense of a good night’s rest.”

“You’re such a mom,” Deimos joked.

Kalmin rolled his eyes. “I care about my teammates.”

“This is why I like boxing. I’m my own team.”

“Shut up, dork,” Kalmin laughed. Deimos smiled back at him and wrapped an arm around Mira, his hand reaching over to rub Kalmin’s neck. It was an intimate gesture, but hopefully not too suspicious to anyone. They’re just good friends. Good friends that honest to god want to spend the rest of their lives together. Or at least, Deimos wants to. And that fact was absolutely mortifying because how the hell was he going to go about that in the future?

“How much sleep have you been getting recently?” Mira chirped.

Kalmin winced at her question. “Y’know, three hours of sleep?”

Her eyes widened in surprise. “Kalmin! And I saw you judging me for not sleeping!”

“I wasn’t judging you!”

“I saw it in how you looked at me, I know that look! It’s the same look you give me when I drown my eggs in syrup.”

“That’s super gross, Mira.”

“You know what’s grosser- kale. Your damn kale and green shakes.”

“It’s healthy!”

“It tastes like rotten dirt.”

“Dirt can’t be rotten, it’s dirt.”

Deimos snorted and burst out laughing. God, he missed the banter between them. For once, his partners didn’t look like they were on the edge of death and had some life in them. He missed that. He missed this.

“Kalmin, you’ve got history after this, yeah?” He interrupted their fierce debate about eggs, syrup and kale.

Kalmin nodded in response. Deimos turned to Mira.

“And you’ve got sculpture?”

Mira nodded as well.

“Let’s just fucking skip today,” he said bluntly. “Let’s gather our goddamn Chinese food, go home, pass the fuck out together and worry about all this shit tomorrow.” He paused and spoke in a quieter voice, squeezing Kalmin’s shoulder and Mira’s thigh. “I just…miss this.”

This being them. Together. It felt like forever since he’s had all three of them in his bed.

Mira seemed to understand instantly, and nodded again, vigorously this time. On the other hand, Kalmin seemed hesitant. He nibbled on his lip.

“I don’t know, we’re going over some important stuff in history, and I had plans to work on some notes for biology,” he muttered.

Deimos rolled his eyes. “You have at least half the class that would gladly give you notes for history, and you can work on your notes after a solid five hour nap at my place. A nap that did I mention comes with a package deal consisting of a tired Greek boy and an even more tired Asian-Mexican girl?”

Kalmin smiled at his dumb joke. He sighed and shrugged.

“What an offer,” he laughed.

Mira grabbed the hem of Kalmin’s shirt and crushed their lips together. He giggled between kisses, unzipping his hoodie and wrapping his arms around her. With a tug, Mira fell backwards and took her boyfriend with her, both of them falling on the bed with a slight creak of the frame. Their teeth bumped together and Kalmin snorted, while giddy Mira kissed his pretty white teeth as an apology. Behind them, Deimos was slipping out of his tight jeans into his boxers as the two of them settled under his blankets, and looked up at them with a big smirk. In one big motion, he jumped onto the bed, flopping right on top of them and winding his partners. Both groaned in pain, cursing, swearing and pushing their heavy boyfriend off them. Deimos was laughing hard at their dramatic responses, apologizing between the giggles and little kisses he peppered across their faces. Kalmin messed up his curly hair in response, wrapping an arm around him and spooning him tightly. Deeply, he smelled Deimos, nuzzling his nose into his neck, locking himself in place spooning his boyfriend with a big smile on his face.

“Pervert,” Deimos joked as Kalmin kept smelling him.

“I’m recharging,” he replied bluntly, hugging him even tighter. “Need to cram three weeks worth of cuddles in a three hour nap.”

On Deimos’ other side, Mira rolled over and hugged him as well, her arms stretching beyond him and fingers sliding underneath Kalmin’s shirt to rub his waist. He jolted in surprise, commenting, “your hands are cold,” before doing the same to her. Kalmin’s hands were warm, though. Big and warm and soft.

Deimos had slender hands, but his knuckles were scarred and skin was tough. His hands held history of previous fights and destructive behaviours. Kalmin had big, knobby hands. They were hands of a hockey player, as he always had fresh blisters and ripped nails. They were big and strong, yet soft to the touch, gentle and kind. Both her boyfriends’ hands were tough, worn down by different experiences, but still held the same warmth that made her feel so fuzzy inside. She smiled into Deimos’ chest and clutched onto them harder.

Kalmin sighed from the other side and began to relax against his boyfriend.

“I didn’t think I needed this, but I do,” he mumbled, voice already drifting off to sleep. “God, I needed this.”

“You’ve been stressed lately,” Deimos murmured, leaning back into his boyfriend’s embrace. “Definitely don’t complain as much as Mira and I, but I can tell.”

Kalmin sighed.

“Thanks, buddy. Love you.”

Deimos chuckled and twisted around to kiss him softly. Kalmin smiled big into it, a sweet, dopey expression on his face.

Mira blinked. She knew Kalmin wasn’t at his best, but for the most part she thought he was doing alright. Was Deimos always this perceptive, or was he only like this with Kalmin? Her stomach twisted- in a good way. In a surprised revelation kind of way.

“You’ve changed a lot, Deimos,” Mira commented softly. “In a good way, of course.”

Deimos turned back at his girlfriend and cocked an eyebrow. Kalmin peeked over his shoulder as well, equally as curious.

“How so?” He questioned.

Mira smiled. “I don’t know. You’re just so much more caring and lovable now.” She paused, giggling to herself. “About a year ago, I caught sight of this really handsome guy in my art history class wearing a bralette. Few weeks later he was threatening to kill me if I ever told anyone what I had seen.”

“Wow, making me sound like such an asshole,” he commented dryly.

“You’re not! And you weren’t back then, sorry, I’m just super sentimental right now,” she spewed out, blushing. “I just mean, you used to be so guarded and quiet. But now you speak your mind, and I mean, you had no shame at telling people off, but I don’t know, just telling me you love me is such a new thing. You being…so perceptive with our feelings and working hard to keep this relationship together is just so fucking amazing.”

“I feel like Deimos has always been perceptive with our feelings, but I do think him being proactive about it is new,” Kalmin commented. “I like it. I like knowing you care and you do your best to fix a situation.”

Deimos’ face was red. Quickly, he hugged Mira and buried his face into her hair.

“That’s because I was just copying you both,” he grumbled. “B-Both of you put your life and soul into this relationship and I wanna give it my all as well because I love you both as much as you love me.”

Mira felt like crying. She smiled wide and grabbed Deimos’ face to pepper kisses over his red cheeks. “You’re so fucking adorable, fuck,” she laughed. “You’re the sweetest.”

Kalmin joined in the kiss-fest with a giggle, and Deimos groaned in embarrassment.

“You both are terrible,” he whined. Kalmin made loud kissy noises and Deimos snorted. Mira joined in the fun and Deimos was doubled over laughing.

“Fuck you both,” he chuckled, this glittering smile on his face. “I invited you both in bed to take a nap.”

Mira bit his ear and smirked at him. “Are you sure that was all you wanted?” She wiggled her eyebrows for added effect.

Deimos rolled his eyes. “Like you have the energy for sex.”

“I keep it stored in a separate place for situations exactly like this,” she joked.

Kalmin chuckled and rubbed her side. “I’m ok just sleeping right now. I’m tired. More tired than I thought I was.”

“Damn,” Mira said sarcastically. Deimos wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tight.

“You’re so impatient, we’ll fuck later,” he mumbled sourly. “Sleep now, banging later.”

Mira giggled and wriggled closer to him. Honestly she didn’t care for sex right now, the only thing she desperately wanted was this. Sleeping in bed with Deimos and Kalmin. She’d trade long amorous nights for cozy naps like this in an instant.