Mated by Twilight (True Match)

Chapter 3

Tillos

Sollit’s joy was indescribable and infectious. It was warming Tillos’ chest, even as it clashed against and amplified his own, stunned excitement.

They were only a day away from meeting their mate. She was in subspace now, meaning they could no longer communicate with her. That was fine, she seemed frustrated by messaging communication. She kept saying there was a translation error on her end, though they were able to read her messages just fine. He wished they could simply talk to her, but she only had her language imprint done right before going into subspace to travel, so that was impossible until she arrived.

But that was exciting in its own way. He didn’t want to have any important conversations with her over combot anyway. Her ship was scheduled to land early tomorrow morning, so he and Sollit were sitting in their hotel restaurant, enjoying third meal, as they eagerly waited for her arrival.

The hotel was a nice one, with a bed large enough for all three of them. They’d splurged a bit, but it would be worth it. Their female deserved only the most tender and loving care.

After getting the message that they had their match, Tillos had gone to Corvidair and requested time off to go to Holotulle to retrieve her. The massive ringworld was the center of the Coalition and would be the meeting point for the human females coming from Earth. Corvidair had, of course, eagerly given his permission and promised they’d have a welcome party for the newest troupe member when they brought her back.

Until then, they were putting on a show that Skara would lead on her own. It was her turn to pick, and she’d chosen an epic from the domini people of a female commander that had unified the various tribes of her people. Normally, Tillos and Sollit would have played the parts of her generals or something, but without them, the other actors would fill that position instead. At least until they got back.

They didn’t even regret losing this chance to perform. There would be many shows in their future. But there was only one female that would complete them. Waiting for her, knowing she was this close, was even harder than the yearning of searching for her without knowing who she was.

Now, it was just a matter of waiting. Something neither Tillos nor Sollit were good at. But Tillos could at least keep it contained while Sollit paced nervously around their room when they got back after eating.

It was a nice room. More than big enough for the three of them – including the bed. Tillos and Sollit had shared a bed as long as they had been alive. From the womb to the grave they’d eventually be buried in, they were always together. They could only hope their new mate would like it as well.

“Humans require time to be comfortable mating,” Sollit said, reading from the human information packet they’d received from the Coalition embassy around the human homeworld. “We should get another hotel room. Just in case she wants to sleep alone.”

“Nonsense,” Tillos countered, a rush of protectiveness rising in his chest that Sollit chuckled at feeling.

“Really? We haven’t even met her yet.”

Tillos ignored the inane statement. “If we must, you and I can sleep on the sofa or the floor, but we cannot allow our female to sleep alone and unguarded. What if she needs something in the night?”

“You have a point,” Sollit nodded thoughtfully. “That’s a much better plan. Anyway, it says that humans must be courted, and their affections earned.”

“Not so different from avanava females.”

“A little different. Courting takes much longer with humans.”

“And you’re sure that humans will mate in numbers greater than two?” Tillos asked, frowning.

Tillos couldn’t imagine mating without Sollit. That included both the bonding of their souls with hers, and the actual, physical act itself.

Tillos wasn’t turned on by Sollit – of course not. Even the thought was laughable. Not because they were brothers. It was like imagining looking in a mirror and being turned on by the sight of himself – silly and ridiculous.

At the same time, there was no one he was more comfortable around sexually. If one of them was horny, the other very quickly got caught up in that same feeling. It was inevitable. And while they weren’t turned on by each other, they weren’t turned off either.

Which was just part of being mated to the same female. Tillos would enjoy watching Sollit mount and mate whoever she was, just as he knew his twin would appreciate the same in turn. It was exciting, imagining the ways they could claim her together.

He didn’t even know who she was yet beyond her name and a photo sent by True Match, but he was already hungry for her. The nervously smiling female in the picture was beautiful. He had been in a state of near arousal for days. They had both already taken their cocks in hand, just imagining what it was going to be like when she got here.

But there was also a sense of hesitancy. Uncertainty.

Because she was human. Because her species was monogamous – at least, that’s what the information packet said. And that complicated things.

Would she be okay with them together? Would she find it too strange? Would the fact that he and Sollit yearned to share her, to watch each other fuck her, to claim her between them as she cried both their names, be too much?

And that was just the emotional side of it. Humans were supposed to be capable of interbreeding with all species, but would it work the same in regard to how they could inseminate her separately or together? Would their seed and saliva still affect her the same way? Would their purr even work?

If the data packet knew, it didn’t say anything. Which was infuriating. They couldn’t even search for the answer on the subnet since they were, apparently, the first avanava to be mated to a human. There were a lot of unknowns, and Tillos didn’t like that. It meant he couldn’t be properly prepared.

He wanted her so badly, but Tillos felt like he was navigating a particularly difficult performance. He had to play this exactly right, or it could all go very badly.

“It says it’s rare for them,” Sollit read off, frowning. He could feel Tillos’ concerns, even if he didn’t share them quite as deeply. “But it’s not unheard of. So, she’ll be familiar with such things. Besides, she already knows there are two of us, so she will have already gotten over the shock.”

Somehow, Tillos wasn’t quite reassured, but he couldn’t exactly argue that logically. So, he had to give it up for now.

They went over, again, the checklist of things humans needed. They were a fleshy species, so they didn’t need scale polish, but flesh creatures had a great many lotions and potions and oils that could be rubbed into their skin for various benefits. He and Sollit had taken the time this morning to go throughout the shopping centers of this district and buy as many varieties and scents as they could find, just to be prepared. They got skin safe soaps, and a bunch of products for her hair. Humans had claws, but they were very thin and delicate, so they had to buy claw tending kits for infants; their own claws were thick and durable, so they couldn’t use their tools on her. They didn’t know what kind of clothing she liked, but they bought plenty of bedding materials for her that would be pleasing for her soft skin.

Now, they were finishing their studies on what their human mate would need emotionally. They were determined to be prepared. Surely, they’d stumble a bit. Human females, they’d heard through rumors and the testimonies and articles of those who’d already mated them, were often surprising and strange. A human female could be incredibly stubborn but also perfectly malleable depending on her mood. Since no avanava male had mated one before, there was some mystery about how she would react to them, but they were an incredibly adaptive, sexual species, so Tillos too wasn’t worried.

Well, he was worried, but only because he didn’t want to mess up. They’d bought supplements for her, treats, and wound care kits in case she hurt herself. Humans were not only notoriously soft, but their skin was so thin you could see the vessels beneath it. Avanava were scaled, and while their scales were softer than most species, they still weren’t that soft.

There was a lot to consider, a lot to be careful of.

They had already consulted their fathers, calling them the day after they got the message that their mate was human. While their fathers were mated to an avanava female, they were considered to be superb males for how well they took care of her. Tillos and Sollit had grown up watching and learning from them, so they had been confident they could do the same. But having a human for a mate made them uncertain of how exactly to proceed, so they sought their advice.

The four of them together had formed a plan for taking care of her. Females must be tended, after all. Everything from the way they fed her, to how they would rub their cum into her skin, to the way they purred for her was all very important. Their fathers had been the ones to search for all the possible skin creams they might need as they traveled to Holotulle. The suggested list was ready for them when they arrived, and they’d dutifully purchased everything.

Of course, their parents were foremost excited about their sons’ mating. Their mother had cried excitedly, requiring her mates to tend her until she calmed down again. She begged that they come home soon, once she was comfortable with them, so she could meet her. Or, she said, she’d be happy to travel to them. Their fathers insisted they keep in touch frequently so they could figure out the best way to care for her together.

After all, two males known for how well they cared for their mate couldn’t have sons that didn’t do the same. It would surely be a disgrace deserving of a physical fight. That was a threat from the sterner of their fathers as he warned them that having a mate from another species was no excuse to fail in their duties.

“What are you thinking about that has you so amused?” Sollit asked, interrupting his recollections.

Tillos grinned, looking away from the window. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to stop listening. I was just remembering father’s warning.”

Sollit only needed a moment to remember, and he laughed as well. “I might be insulted if we weren’t the ones who asked for their help first.”

Tillos grunted in agreement. “I have the tickets booked to get us back to the Star the day after tomorrow. We’ll have enough time to take our female out to eat and do some more shopping to get her anything else she might need.”

“Perfect. Where is the troupe heading now?”

“Jin-Raun Station.”

“Oh, yeah? We haven’t been back to Jin-Raun in a while. That will be a nice place to be with our female.”

Tillos grunted in agreement. He had been similarly pleased when Corvidair sent them the coordinates for the Twilight Star’s current heading. Their acting troupe traveled every so often, going between space stations to offer live entertainment. The people who lived on space stations appreciated the diversion and the chance to see something new. The troupe enjoyed traveling and being able to buy supplies and food from the different stations. It also made it easier for those who had to travel to come see them. One station might require four or more different transport vessel rides to reach, while others might be accessible after only one, depending on where you started traveling from. Not everyone had access to their own, private starship, and not everyone who owned a starship could also afford a subspace generator that allowed them to travel faster than light.

The Twilight Star was the starship used by the Twilight Troupe. It served as their home and their stage. They moved it every few tendays to let them greet a new audience. It was, to Tillos’ way of thinking, a benefit of living on a starship.

He could only hope that their mate felt the same.

He’d already taken steps to make sure their female would be comfortable there. He’d sent Corvidair a list of things he needed purchased and changed in their room. He and Sollit had shared a bed all their life, curling together for warmth and comfort, but they needed a bigger bed so that they could curl around their mate instead. She also needed an expanded bathing chamber as humans needed to bathe more often than avanavas. They also had to send him recipes for the food synthesizers. Nutrition was an important part of health, so they had to make sure she’d have only the best to eat.

There were also other, smaller things besides. A lot had to be changed to make way for the female in their life. But the changes would be worth it.

“What are you thinking about now?” Sollit asked, interrupting his thoughts again.

This time, Tillos didn’t turn from the window. “Our mate.”

“You’re feeling this way about our mate?” Sollit seemed surprised, touching his chest as he experienced Tillos’ hard determination. “Why?”

“Our mate is human.”

“I know. I’m excited. We’ve been getting messages all day full of envy.”

Yes, because humans were considered the most sensual, sexual species related to the Coalition. It was something to envy if someone was able to claim one. The females especially were considered prizes that few would get to treasure.

But that came with the trade that humans were also extremely delicate. Their ability to tolerate temperature extremes was low, they had thin skin, breakable bodies, and were, on average, smaller than every other sapient species. It made them attractive, but fragile.

Conversely, they were also the only species capable of creating hybrid younglings. Human females were extremely fertile, especially paired with alien males. Though it came at the cost of a very traumatic birth. Their labors were long and painful, and that was why they were so highly protected. The risk of something happening if they were taken advantage of was too high.

Tillos was already worrying over her potential labor, and he hadn’t even met her yet. His anxiety and determination to protect this precious creature was clawing in his and Sollit’s throat.

His brother came over and sat across from him on the window seat. He offered him a smile, always more relaxed than Tillos could be.

“Don’t worry. It will be fine,” Sollit promised. “We’ll pick her up in the morning, she’ll be overjoyed to see us, and we’ll have a female to tend to and treasure for the rest of our lives.”

“She’s human,” Tillos repeated, voice soft.

“Do you not approve?”

“It’s not that. I’m just concerned. We never go to any space stations that have bad crime rates, but that doesn’t make them safe. Not completely. Not like home.”

“You’re thinking about going home?” Sollit’s eyes widened.

Tillos clenched his jaw tight. They had already agreed that, when it came time to retire and settle down in one place, they wouldn’t go back to their homeworld. They had planned on living the rest of their lives somewhere on Holotulle. But their homeworld might be safer than the Coalition capital. “I’m not saying we should. I’m saying I think we should, at least, consider it.”

Sollit frowned. “But we love acting.”

“We do.”

“Acting is what is going to let us take care of her.”

“We have enough credz to last for years. If we’re smart with the way we use it, we can make it last us the rest of our lives.”

“We have years before we were ever going to consider retiring,” Sollit frowned. “And maybe our female will enjoy the lifestyle. We can protect her, Tillos. You know we can.”

Tillos let out a short breath. “Right. You’re right. I know that.”

Sollit smiled. “Mother and fathers would eagerly welcome us home, I know, but not until we’re ready. I already told our female that we’re zero-g actors. We can hardly end things now without even showing her what we’re good at.”

Tillos frowned. “Did you explain to her what a zero-g actor is?”

“Huh? Should I have?”

Tillos sighed. “Sollit, humans don’t have zero-g technology yet. How is she supposed to know what a zero-g actor is?”

“Oh… Huh…” Sollit laughed sheepishly. “Maybe that’s why she was saying she didn’t understand the things I was messaging her.”

Tillos laughed, long tail smacking his leg playfully. “We’ll explain it to her tomorrow. It will be a nice surprise for her, I think, when we clear up that misunderstanding.”