Sometimes it seems like I'm the one intruding on the two of them. It isn't easy. I was there from the start. I built a relationship with Tarrlok early. The idea of the head of Republic City's largest company and one of its most powerful politicians was an interesting idea, but I'd hardly expected to care for him so much. We'd been together for some time before either of us talked to his brother regularly. And Tarrlok never asked anything of me. I could see the way he watched Noatak, and I couldn't miss the way his voice always tripped over his name. I never had a sibling of my own, but it was easy even for me to tell that this was more than just a brother's feelings. But Tarrlok never asked me for a single thing.

I was the one to raise the subject. I was the one to ask whether we should invite him to our home for a late dinner or drinks. I was the one to suggest that we didn't need to prepare a guest room. I was the one to take the leap and put a hand on Noatak's arm. And when he let me do that, I was the one to reach out to Tarrlok and pull him over to us. That first night, they both turned to me, barely even looking at each other and not exchanging a word.

It changed after that. It was gradual, but unmistakable. The first time Tarrlok kissed him, Noatak paused, then leaned into his brother. They moved closer and closer with hands clutching at each other, kissing more desperately than they'd ever kissed me. I slipped from between them, then sat on the edge of the bed watching them cling to each other and gasp for air until they remembered to reach back to me.

Sometimes it can be difficult to remember that I'm still wanted. They both try to reassure me in their own ways. Noatak has never been one for open displays of affection, so it does mean a lot to me when he makes an effort to show he cares. I can tell that the unnecessary kisses and words and touches aren't something that come naturally for him. Perhaps it's because he can see that his brother doesn't need that extra affirmation, but he shows me more warmth than he does even for Tarrlok.

It's different with Tarrlok. He depends too much on my trusting the strength of what we had before. It took a long time for him to realize I might worry about things ending between us. It can be frustrating. But he's much more sensitive to the changes in my mood, much more likely to realize that I'm having a bad day and I need that extra bit of assurance that he cares. Noatak will encourage me when he thinks of it, but Tarrlok gives me his support when I need it most.

I don't know if I'll ever feel perfectly at ease, but there are happy moments to balance the bad ones. It was wonderful to be loved by one person, and it's even better to be loved by two. I think that when they realized anxious I felt, they talked together about how to make sure I knew they wanted me there. And though I worry they might prefer to be with each other without me, there's a simple pleasure in sitting back and watching the little looks and touches they exchange. Seeing that they can be so close and still want me there means more than all the little reassurances they try to give me.

It isn't a relationship like one I've ever known before, and it isn't a situation I ever expected to see myself in. I'd be lying if I said it was perfect, but even at the worst times I try to remember than any relationship would have had its own unique problems. And no matter how I might worry, I worry that they might want to leave me. From the start, I've never once considered ending things myself. As time passes and they continue to work together to be sure I'm content, I feel more and more secure. I'm sure that Tarrlok and Noatak would agree that these days, what we have just seems... natural. I think that I can safely say that yes, I am happy.