Tom stepped into the room, boots clicking softly on the marble floor. His dark cloak fluttered behind him, stained with the blood of gods and monsters alike.
He sighed, exhausted. "Finally, a moment of peace—"
"TOM!"
He froze.
On the left, Medusa stood with arms crossed, her serpentine hair hissing, her emerald eyes narrowed in suspicion.
On the right, Claudia leaned casually against the wall, twirling a dagger between her fingers, smirking like she owned the place.
Tom slowly turned his head between them. "Why… do I feel like I just walked into an ambush?"
Medusa jabbed a finger at Claudia. "Do you know what she just said to me?"
Claudia smiled sweetly. "I just might have mentioned that I'm going to marry you."
Tom blinked. "Excuse me?"
Medusa hissed, eyes flashing. "I'M your wife, Tom! I have seniority! This little brat thinks she can just waltz in and take my place?"
Tom raised his hands, exasperated. "I literally just finished killing Odin. Can I please sit down before you two start the next Ragnarok over my love life?"
Claudia grinned, unfazed. "Come on, Tom, admit it—you love the attention."
He gave her a flat look. "No. What I love is not having to break up catfights every time I walk into a room."
Medusa crossed her arms tighter. "Tell her, Tom. Tell her you're not interested in her childish fantasies."
Claudia pouted dramatically. "You wound me, Medusa. But honestly… Tom, between you and me, don't you think it's time to expand your royal harem?"
Tom's eye twitched. "I don't have a harem."
Claudia smirked. "Not yet."
Tom groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "You two are going to drive me insane."
Medusa stepped forward, her expression softening slightly. "Tom… you're mine. We've been through everything together. Don't tell me you're actually considering…" She trailed off, glaring at Claudia.
Claudia sauntered up, grinning. "Relax, Medusa. We can share."
Tom let out a strangled laugh. "Ha. Ha ha. Absolutely not."
Medusa suddenly leaned into Tom, brushing her fingers against his chest. "Tom… tell me you're loyal to me."
Claudia pressed in from the other side, smirking. "And tell me you're not boring and stuck in old rules."
Tom's face turned red. "W-Why are you both so close—"
Medusa grabbed his collar. "Because you're mine."
Claudia snatched his sleeve. "Correction: ours."
Tom yanked himself free, stumbling back. "Okay, NOPE. New rule: No one touches me until I am in peace."
Claudia tilted her head, teasing. "Aww, but you look so cute when you're flustered."
Medusa rolled her eyes. "Pathetic. He's already blushing."
Tom pointed dramatically. "You—! And you—! Stop ganging up on me!"
Both women burst out laughing.
He sighed, slumping into a chair. "I'm of the most powerful being in existence… and somehow, this is what breaks me."
Claudia leaned over, resting her chin on his shoulder. "Come on, husband~ you know you love it."
Medusa sat on his other side, resting her hand on his knee. "He'll survive. He always does."
Tom groaned again, burying his face in his hands. "Someone, anyone, just smite me now…"
But deep down, despite the chaos, the teasing, and the ridiculous tension—
He couldn't help but smile
The room was thick with tension.
Tom sat on the edge of the long stone table, fingers tapping anxiously on its surface. His dark armor was still stained with the remnants of battle, but none of that compared to the war he now faced.
Medusa stood near the window, her serpent hair hissing softly, arms crossed, eyes narrowed. Across from her, Claudia leaned casually against the wall, one foot propped up, smiling like she had all the time in the world.
Tom exhaled sharply. "Alright. Let's talk."
Medusa spun around. "Talk? Oh, we're long past 'talk,' Tom."
Claudia chuckled softly. "She's just mad because she knows she likes me."
Medusa's snakes coiled tighter, their yellow eyes glaring. "You're insufferable."
Claudia winked. "You're jealous."
"ENOUGH!" Tom's voice cracked like thunder, and the room fell still. His glowing eyes softened as he rubbed his temples. "Please. Let's not turn this into another fight."
Medusa's eyes flashed dangerously. "You're mine, Tom. Mine. I stood with you when you were nothing, before you were the God-Killer."
Claudia raised an eyebrow, playful but firm. "And I stood beside him after—when he was drowning in blood, betrayal, and war. You weren't there then."
Medusa hissed, her snakes lashing. "I have earned my place."
Claudia smirked. "And you think I haven't?"
Tom pinched the bridge of his nose. "Gods, help me…"
He stood, pacing. "Look, you both matter to me. This isn't about who was first or who fought harder. But Claudia… asking to be my wife… that's a big deal."
Claudia's voice softened. "Tom, I love you. I want to stand with you—not as a shadow, but as your equal."
Medusa clenched her fists, her gaze wavering for the first time. "I'm not… used to sharing."
Tom walked up to her, cupping her cheek gently. "Medusa, you are my heart. No one can take your place. But… Claudia has been with me through the worst too. She's earned something."
Medusa looked away, eyes glistening faintly. "It's not fair…"
Claudia approached, surprisingly gentle. "Medusa… I'm not here to steal him. I just want to stand beside you both."
Medusa's lips pressed into a tight line, her jaw trembling slightly. She looked at Tom, her voice a whisper. "Do you… want this?"
Tom let out a shaky breath. "I want you both. But only if you agree."
The room fell into heavy silence.
Medusa trembled, then slowly, reluctantly, nodded. "Fine. But…"
Claudia grinned. "There's always a 'but.'"
Medusa's eyes flicked up sharply. "I get to be the mother first."
Claudia burst into laughter. "Oh, we already talked about that!"
Tom blushed hard. "yeah, just few minutes ago."
Medusa crossed her arms with a sly smirk, her snakes flicking their tongues as she tilted her head. "Well, husband, are you ready to juggle two queens, or is that too much for the mighty God-Killer?"
Claudia snickered, resting a hand on her hip. "Honestly, Tom, I'm starting to think we run this empire — not you."
Tom let out a long, defeated breath, staring up at the ceiling as if praying for some divine escape. "I just wanted a quiet night… maybe conquer a few realms, take a nap…" He groaned. "Why did I think having one wife was survivable, let alone two?"
Medusa and Claudia exchanged a wicked glance, both grinning.
"Face it, Tom," Medusa said sweetly, "you're the one outnumbered here."
"Yeah," Claudia added with a teasing wink, "and you wouldn't survive without us."
Tom muttered under his breath, "I've defeated gods, destroyed worlds… but two wives might finally be the end of me."
Next morning--
Morning sunlight glinted softly off the icy branches, the frozen forest glowing pale blue under a cloudless sky. The old wooden house creaked faintly in the cold, a thin trail of smoke rising lazily from its chimney.
Tom stretched with a slow yawn, pulling on his thick black cloak as he stepped outside. His boots crunched softly in the snow. For a moment, he just stood there, breathing in the crisp morning air, enjoying the stillness.
Peace. Finally.
BOOM!
A blast of magic split the air to his right.
CRASH!
A giant chunk of ice slammed into the snow on his left, shattering into sparkling shards.
Tom's eye twitched. "…Of course."
He turned, expression flat, to see Claudia leaping between the trees, dark claws glowing with purple energy, while Medusa's vines lashed through the air, knocking down branches and sending up clouds of powdery snow.
"You call that a hit?" Claudia cackled, dodging under a whip of stone.
"At least I don't miss on purpose just to show off," Medusa shot back, smirking, her snakes snapping eagerly.
Tom sighed, rubbing his forehead. "I can't even have one quiet morning…"
Noticing him at last, both women paused, grinning.
"Oh! Good morning, Tom!" Claudia called sweetly.
"Perfect timing," Medusa purred. "We were just about to settle something."
Tom narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "…What?"
Medusa raised a brow. "We want to see how you handle a fight."
Claudia's grin stretched wider. "Yeah! Come on, Tom. Show us why the gods fear you."
Tom let out a long, slow breath… and then, unexpectedly, smiled. A small, sharp smile.
"Fine."
Both Medusa and Claudia brightened, excited sparks crackling in the air around them.
"Don't hold back," Medusa murmured.
"Wouldn't dream of it," Claudia whispered, her claws glowing.
As they launched forward together — two whirlwinds of magic and fury — Tom didn't even move.
Whoosh! A vine lashed toward his head — he tilted slightly, hands still deep in his pockets, letting it whip harmlessly past.
Slash! Claudia's claws sliced through the air, but Tom was already a step to the side, his breath calm, expression amused.
They came at him again, faster, more aggressive — vines, stone spikes, shadow claws, bursts of dark energy — but Tom just kept dodging, his feet gliding lightly over the snow, hands still buried in his pockets, his faint smirk never fading.
He didn't throw a single punch. He didn't cast a single spell.
And yet, they couldn't touch him.
Medusa growled under her breath, pushing her magic harder. Claudia narrowed her eyes, her movements sharpening.
But Tom?
Tom only smiling.