Mated by Twilight (True Match)

Chapter 10

Leah

It was like they couldn’t stop touching her. Leah wouldn’t say that either brother was inappropriate, but they kept reaching for her. If one had to step back or lean away, he’d turn her attention onto the other brother until he returned. Making sure that she was never alone or ignored. They were so good at it, moving around her and coordinating with each other without a word, she was hypnotized. They handled her like they’d been trained.

The galley – it was a ship, so this wasn’t a kitchen as she’d been so dutifully informed – worked remarkably like a high school cafeteria. There was a line where you picked up a tray at the beginning then worked your way down. But instead of a buffet full of food trays and dubiously clean tongs or bored lunch ladies scooping food for you, there were a series of machines that created synthesized food. Fully synthesized, she’d been informed – nothing was grown or slaughtered for their food.

She had already done it once for lunch earlier with the others she worked with, and they’d shown her how to get her food. Going through with Tillos and Sollis, however, she didn't even have to hold her own tray. Tillos and Sollit got their trays, then kept her between them, asking what she liked, if there was anything she couldn’t have, if there was anything she wanted to try, then choosing things to put on their trays for her.

For lunch, she’d just grabbed something one of the other girls had picked. Which had resulted in what she thought was a bowl of noodles but turned out to be a bowl of worms. That was when she’d been told the thing about them being synthesized, not alive, but that didn't matter when she was looking into a bowl of slimy, pink, segmented worms. They might not be alive, or have ever been alive, but she did not care. She also hadn’t wanted to be rude, so she couldn’t bring herself to throw them away and try something else.

Slimy worms tasted like vitamins and were the absolute worst texture on the tongue. She didn’t know why the other girl stomached them, but Leah very nearly didn’t want to try dinner.

But with Tillos and Sollit stepping in to take over, not a single worm found its way onto either one of their trays. There weren’t any human recipes loaded into the synthesizer, however there were a lot of avanava style foods, which they were eager to get for her.

They picked a table in the corner of the cafeteria and put her in the corner, Tillos and Sollit each to one side of her. They pushed their trays close so that she could take whatever she wanted, as they picked up their utensils.

The forks were longer than she would have expected, and they only had two tines - like she was eating with a wide fondue fork. The spoons, however, were deeper than she was used to. Almost like she was drinking from a tiny bowl. These were the Standard utensils used by the Coalition, they were designed to accommodate as many species as possible. And every species was larger than humans, so they had bigger mouths.

Still, it took a bit of time for her to get used to it as she poked and picked at everything the males had chosen for her. They pointed out what each thing was, what it was made of, and even described what it tasted like so she’d get no surprises – though after the lunch worms, she didn’t think it would get much worse.

Turned out, she was wrong.

Avanava were a reptilian people. Their scales, compared to a species like, say, the ratchi, were much smaller and more delicate. They seemed almost like skin with a scale pattern, though she could feel the difference whenever they touched her. They tended to be omnivorous, as they explained to her, though their people had a fairly large vegetarian population.

However, a staple of their entire diet, to her horror, was bugs.

Insects, they explained, had been domesticated in the same way as farm animals on Earth. And, like the farm animals on Earth, the domestic versions weren’t the same as the wild ones. They were bigger, meatier, and bred for both taste and nutrition.

And they were bugs!

Leah grimaced at the round, fried beetle-like bug on the end of her fork. She’d initially picked it thinking it was like a meatball or a hushpuppy or something else fried. No. Turns out, it was boiled – the bug just looked breaded, brown and bumpy.

“It’s good,” Sollit assured her, chuckling at the face she was making. “It tastes kind of rich and meaty. Boiling it seals all the flavor in the shell.”

“It’s also quite good for you,” Tillos added. “That particular insect is beneficial for digestive health.”

“Look,” Leah sighed. “I know you’re right. I’m not saying you’re not. But humans don’t eat bugs.”

“At all?” Sollit asked, cocking his head.

Leah opened her mouth to insist that, of course not! But the words died before she could vocalize them. Because saying no would outright be a lie. A lot of people ate bugs – either because that was the best source of protein available, or because they enjoyed the taste. But not her people!

Oh, but was that another one of those prejudices? The ones her parents had instilled in her. Hadn’t she made a promise to herself to overcome those?

Sollit smiled. “At least try it. You might like it.”

Leah lifted the bug to her face, but she couldn’t bring her lips to part. It didn’t really have a smell that she could detect, which was annoying. At least if it smelled bad, she could use that as an excuse for why it would definitely taste bad.

“Are you allergic or are they somehow dangerous to your health?” Tillos asked curiously.

“Well, no…” She admitted, deflating as she sensed her impending doom.

“Then, your only objection is that it is an insect?”

“Yeah…”

“Come on, Leah,” Sollit smiled, leaning towards her. “It’s really good. You should definitely at least give it a chance.”

Her eyes darted back and forth between them. They looked so hopeful. She’d eaten a salad at the diner on Holotulle, which was also avanava style. But she hadn’t noticed any bugs there. However, just the fact that they kept giving her avanava style food told her that it was important to them that she liked their food.

They both just looked so hopeful and eager for her to taste something that was part of their culture. And if she had a chance to share something she loved, like a brownie or pizza, with them, wouldn’t she be just as excited? And wouldn’t she be bummed if they refused to even try?

With that nagging voice in her ear, she brought the meatball – it was a meatball, that’s all it was – up to her mouth. Then, before she could talk herself out of it, she tossed it into her mouth.

It was textured like a hushpuppy, but when she bit into it, it cracked open like a glass bubble. The hard outer shell gave way to a soft, chewy interior that was, as promised, rich, meaty, and surprisingly flavorsome, considering it was only boiled, not spiced.

Because these insects had been bred to be tasty, bred to be food for people. They didn’t need anything else other than cooking.

And part of her cried out in despair, because it was really good. She couldn’t quite describe what meat it tasted like, but it was slightly gamey, very flavorful, and tender like the best cut of beef. Even the shell didn’t bother her as much as she would have expected. It broke like sugar glass, not cutting or harming her, but crunching pleasantly between her teeth as she chewed.

When she finally swallowed, focusing back on Tillos and Sollit. They were smiling at her, anticipating her reaction. And she had to be truthful-

“It was good,” she said sheepishly.

Both of them chuckled, pushing something else towards her.

“Try this,” Sollit said. “They’re a sweet kind of insect. Tastes really good by the handful.”

Personally, Leah felt she’d reached her bug quota for the year, if not more. However, she found herself helpless to that smile and used her spoon to scoop up a few of the shiny, dark bugs, curled up like dead millipedes, dark blue like blueberries, and hard like dried fruit.

They crunched, breaking to pieces when she chewed, but their flavor was sweet and tart – like a strawberry, though not the same flavor.

And her males looked so pleased with her, with her reaction, again. They were dangerous. Did they even realize the power those gorgeous faces had over her? They had to, because they kept encouraging her to eat more delicious bugs and she kept doing it .

Sollit would tell her how delicious they were, giving her the most praise for eating something new. Tillos focused more on their nutrition and how they would benefit her skin, her vision, her immune system. He was the most encouraging to try something new.

She was being tag teamed. And the more she realized that, the more withdrawn she became. But it didn't take long for them to notice. The moment they did, they sat back, giving her space literally as well as metaphorically as they ate their own food.

They didn't discuss it or seem bothered by her need for breathing room. They just gave it to her. And they didn’t even punish her for it by lapsing into silence and giving her dark looks for not appreciating their choices. They instead started talking about the play and how they couldn’t wait for her to see them perform. They helped clean up the meal, then walked her back to their room, all with smiles on their faces. It was nice. Much nicer than she was expecting.

They left her there, in their room, before saying goodnight. She couldn’t bring herself to think of it as her room, despite the fact that she was staying in it by herself.

She had unpacked yesterday, but it didn't feel like she made herself at home. The big bed was super comfy, but unfamiliar. She wished she could say that the bug meal sat heavy in her belly, but she was pleasantly full as she got ready for bed.

It had been a busy day – learning a lot and meeting so many people – that she didn't even realize how tired she was until her head hit the pillow and she was out like a light.

Next thing she knew, her combot was ringing – telling her it was time to wake up. She was going to learn how to clean and set up the backstage area today. It was her last day of work before a couple days off. The show was tomorrow, and the others insisted she enjoy the show instead of work. It was her first zero-g play, her first time seeing her mates perform, and her first alien story she’d heard. They wanted her to enjoy it, and the time afterwards.

She fully expected to do more, honestly. Robots really did make the labor easier. Even when she did something, everyone was careful not to give her anything too taxing or intensive. They seemed quite concerned about her size and strength. And considering she’d seen some of them deadlift things she couldn’t even tilt up on one side, she couldn’t really argue.

Besides that, there wasn’t as much of a work culture here. Work to break time seemed to be about fifty/fifty in terms of hours. Not even including sleeping hours. So, what she considered to be a half day’s work, they called a full day’s work.

Were they much more relaxed than humanity, or had humanity just not yet caught up to where the rest of the universe was? She really didn’t know, but she did feel extraordinarily lazy only being expected to work a few of her waking hours.

Leah was excited to do things though! Cleaning wasn’t particularly exciting or glamorous, but it was familiar. Even though it was significantly higher tech here in space, wiping dust could really only be done a certain number of ways. She had been told growing up that cooking and cleaning for her future husband was the most rewarding thing she could aspire to achieve, the only real job a woman should hope for. She didn't believe that anymore, at least, not really, beyond that initial, knee jerk reaction her parents had trained into her. But it still felt familiar and good to keep things tidy.

With everything else changing so drastically around her, was it any wonder that she threw herself into basic chores with such enthusiasm?

Aside from where she was working today, the chores were very similar to yesterday. The people she stayed with were the same. The tools she used were more familiar to her now. She was a bit more cautious picking lunch, but otherwise, it was a nice day with her new friends until her new mates showed up. And that was still not something she was used to stating, even to herself.

But it was fun. And it was easy. More than anything, it felt stable and safe.

Then, came the day of the show. She was told not to worry about cleaning. Instead, Sollit and Tillos showed up that morning to pick her up. She was going to be following them around as they got ready just to get the full experience.

She wasn’t sure what full experience people meant initially. It was nice to eat breakfast with them – there were only a few bugs this time – and it was certainly nice to get to know them a little bit better, but she doubted the audience got this as part of their experience typically.

Then, they changed into their costumes.

The costume room was run by a single male who was only slightly taller than her, making him very short for a domini male. But what he lacked in height, he more than made up for in attitude. He snapped at Tillos and Sollit when they walked in, barking orders at them immediately, and with great annoyance, as he pushed them towards a single changing room. It happened so fast, Leah was too surprised to move. She froze further when, the moment the twins were out of sight, the short male locked his eyes on her.

“You!” He leveled a finger at her – claws glittering brightly and shortened to near non-existence. “I don’t have your measurements.”

“Oh, I’m not-”

“Here!” He snapped, pointing to a stool in front of a mirror.

“But I’m not-”

“I didn’t stutter! Come. Now.”

He grabbed her wrist when she didn’t move and pulled her forward. He might be short, but he was still strong. She had no choice but to be yanked over and onto the stool. She blinked at herself in the mirror, surprised, as the short male – who hadn’t even introduced himself – moved around her, snapping orders at his combot as it slowly rotated her, scanning her with a blue laser light. It took a stunned moment to realize it was his measuring tape.

“What is this you’re wearing? Rags?” He asked, lifting her sweater. “You’ve got a nice body under this. Why aren’t you showing it?”

“Hey!” Leah, gasping, jerked the hem back down when he pulled it up over her belly button.

“Ugh,” he made a face, glaring at her. “I’m not interested! But the fact that you drape yourself in trash is disgusting. Where’s the color? Where’s the form? Where’s the personality!? ”

“I’m comfortable.”

“ Ugh! ” He repeated, head dropping back. “Was there ever a more insulting word to the world of fashion and good taste as ‘comfortable’?”

Leah frowned. “I’m not one of the actresses.”

“Of course, you’re not,” he sneered, picking at her loose chinos. “Actresses have presence . Where is your presence? You have none. You’re like wallpaper. No one looks at you, and the ones who do don’t find anything to care about.”

“Hey,” she pulled away from him, stepping off the stool. “That’s not nice.”

“You want nice, go buy something. Salespeople will be happy to lie to you.” He stuck his nose in the air, looking down on her.

“You can’t just talk to people like that,” she muttered, backing away from him.

“You wouldn’t be upset if I was wrong,” he countered through pursed lips. “You know you have no presence. You’re doing it on purpose.”

“Wha-”

“You think I can’t tell? These eyes miss nothing,” he said, gesturing to the three eyes on his face. “No one can hide who they are when they dress. And the harder they try, the more obvious they become. You want to have a presence? Come back to me. I’ll have something for you.”

Leah very nearly told him that she wanted nothing from him. That she certainly wasn’t going to be coming back. But before she had the chance, the door to the changing room opened and Sollit and Tillos walked out.

Any thoughts and protests flew from her mind when she saw them. Her mouth dropped as they strutted back into the room.

Tillos was wearing armor – obviously not real, meant for decoration, not combat. But she didn’t care. Shiny silver armor plates highlighted the muscles of his chest with golden filigree decoration along his flanks. One arm, from shoulder to knuckles, was covered in heavy armor, while the other arm had a beautifully patterned long sleeve in gold and yellow. White leggings tucked into armored boots. A sword was strapped to one hip. His long, white hair had been pulled back into a single, thick plait with golden bands interspersed randomly along the strands. Attached to his tail was a shiny, chrome finish silver blade alongside a single, golden feather.

Sollit wore a robe in brilliant, vibrant blue with white and gold embroidery in leaf-like designs along the bottom hem that separated with each step. He wore strappy sandals on his feet, and a golden chatelaine dangling from his robe belt. One arm was bare, as that half of the robe had been dropped, but the other was covered in a long, billowing sleeve. His chest wasn’t fully bare, however, as it was wrapped in bandages like he had been wounded. His hair was unbound and straightened from it’s usual, light wave. His tail had golden rings around its tip with a dark blue gemstone hanging from them that flashed as he walked.

They were both gorgeous. They didn’t look real. Instead, it seemed to her that she was watching master cosplayers strutting on a perfectly edited video.

The domini male was already moving around them, pinning some things in place, loosening others, fixing them up as he mumbled under his breath.

“Shorvi, were you being rude to our mate?” Tillos asked, his voice dangerously soft.

“Bah,” the domini male, Shorvi, scoffed. “I was giving her much needed advice.”

“Shorvi,” Sollit smiled, something dangerous glinting in his eyes. “Leah is not here to please you. I would ask that you not speak to her rudely again.”

Shorvi sent him a look, but he didn’t give him any backtalk. He just kept moving around them, adding some make up, some accessories, fixing them up until they somehow looked better .

Leah almost forgot how unpleasant the little domini male was, she was so entranced by the two as they looked at her. Approval and an unmistakable male pride shined in their smirking eyes, but she couldn’t bring herself to fault them for it.

Especially when they approached her, even the graceful way they moved seemed hypnotically perfect and unworldly.

“Leah?” Sollit leaned towards her from one side, putting a hand on her hip. “If you would indulge us for a moment?”

“Huh?”

“We have a question for you,” Tillos continued, holding her other hip, lacing his fingers through hers and bringing her hand up to kiss the side of her palm. “If you would be so kind.”

Her head darted back and forth between them as they got closer. Crowding her in a way that somehow wasn’t overwhelming. At least, not how it had been when she first met them. She found herself craving this warmth and closeness. She almost didn’t even hear their words.

“Can you tell us,” Sollit whispered in one ear.

“Which of us is which?” Tillos finished, whispering in the other.

She shivered. Way too much stimulation. There were women that wanted this? To feel like she was surrounded. Like she couldn’t think. Like her heart was going to burst through her chest. It was too much, but she also didn’t really want it to end. Like a rollercoaster, ripping through the tracks. She couldn’t catch her breath, but she wasn’t really concerned about breathing.

“Leah?” They whispered at the same time, and she had to bite her lips to avoid making an embarrassing sound. They were still in public, for crying out loud!

“Erm…” She forced herself to focus back on their faces and not her reaction to them. “I don’t… understand the question?”

“You don’t know?” Sollit cocked his head.

“You can’t tell?” Tillos cocked his head.

“What? No, of course I can,” she frowned. “You’re Tillos. You’re Sollit. I just don’t understand why you’re asking me…”

“How do you know?”

“Did you guess?”

“No, I know.” Her eyes darted between them, even more confused. “ You are Tillos. You are Sollit. I’m not wrong.”

They both smiled. The same, identical smile. Though she didn’t know why. She couldn’t point to a single difference between them, except their outfits, but somehow, they were still distinctive. That was just so obviously Tillos’ smile, and that was just so obviously Sollit’s. She didn’t even have to think about it.

“You can tell,” Tillos said, and it wasn’t even a question. He just sounded so pleased.

“Of course.” She frowned. “Am I not supposed to?”

“No one else would,” Sollit nuzzled her knuckles.

They wouldn’t? She didn’t see how. Tillos and Sollit looked the same, sure, but even when they were dressed identically, there was just something so inherently Sollit about Sollit, and the same for Tillos. She couldn’t imagine mixing them up.

“You’re a fool, huh?” Shorvi’s unpleasant voice interrupted the moment as he glared dolefully at her while folding a long piece of fabric.

“Shorvi,” Sollit said warningly, his voice chipper and all the more menacing for it.

Shorvi shrugged. “I’m still not wrong. You’d think she would have read up on the species she’s mating. No one can tell avanava males apart at all times except their mate. It’s how their species recognizes such things.”

“Oh,” Leah breathed softly. Was that why they looked so happy about it?

Of course, neither of them looked happy now. They were glaring at Shorvi as if trying to decide if they were going to punish him for his rudeness.

But Leah tightened her grip on their hands and pulled their attention back to her.

“Come on,” she said, choosing to ignore the unpleasant domini male. “Let’s go. I’m really looking forward to the show.”