Mated by Twilight (True Match)

Chapter 12

Leah

Zero-g plays were so much fun!

She wouldn’t say they were exactly like theater. The acting was dramatic and extremely expressive, and the special effects were a combination of real props and holographic ones. The result was a show that was high energy, high drama, and high production.

She easily got swept up in the story. She knew it wasn’t about Tillos and Sollit’s characters, but she couldn’t help but feel bad for them when they died together. Two best friends, dying as they lived. It was poignant and beautiful. She found herself crying, even as the rest of the audience was cheering for Skara’s character and her victory.

The auditorium was not really what she expected from a theater either. It was circular with the stage in the center, rather than fan shaped with the stage at the base of the ‘fan’. The seating area was separated in half. The half closest to the large exit doors she remembered seeing from the other side in the entry chamber were rows of seats like a stadium. However, the other half were boxes – like those elevated and out of reach of the others in an opera house. They were, of course, more expensive tickets, but they offered privacy and better food and beverage options.

The box she had been placed in to enjoy the show was permanently unavailable for purchase as it was only for those in the troupe who wanted to catch the show. Today, that was Leah and Corvidair. The four-armed male wasn’t really company, however, as he was watching the show with a critical eye to make sure it was performed perfectly. He occasionally tapped out messages to the crew for notes and adjustments, but it was easy to ignore him.

Especially when the curtain call came – for as such as it could be called considering there was no curtain – and the actors all came together to form a ring in the air, accepting their adulation with grace. Corvidair got up then and left. Leah was alone, beaming, wiping at her eyes, cheering as she stared at her guys. She wasn’t surprised to see them looking back at her. Tillos smiled. Sollit winked. They were cute.

And they were hers.

It was still weird, okay. There might come a day at some point in the future when she wouldn’t consider it odd that two men wanted her equally and she was allowed to want them equally. But it didn’t really seem panic inducing anymore. That was progress.

Turning, she ran from the box, downstairs into the backstage – the understage. The actors were coming back. Going for the dressing rooms, rushing quickly. Except Sollit and Tillos. They came to meet her with smiles on their faces.

A smile she found herself returning as she held out her hands. They both took one.

“Did you enjoy the show?” Sollit asked, beaming.

“I did,” she sniffed, knowing she must look a mess after crying. “You two were so amazing.”

“We’re glad,” Tillos kissed her knuckles sweetly. “We have to go meet the fans. But we want you to wait in our dressing room for when we get back.”

She nodded quickly. “Yeah. Totally. Erm, I’m just going to need a moment. Sorry.”

They chuckled as she released their hands to wipe her eyes.

“Don’t apologize,” Sollit beamed.

“It was just so sad!”

“You’re very sweet,” Tillos caressed her head gently. “Take the time you need. We’ll meet you back there. You remember the way?”

She nodded quickly, waving them off. Smiling. She took a step back, getting out of everyone’s way as she calmed herself down. It took a few minutes, but by the time she gathered herself, the actors had all moved outside and were in the atrium, chatting with the audience. The twins’ dressing room was empty when she walked in.

Well, not empty. There were a whole lot of flowers and presents that hadn’t been there before. She poked around them but didn’t pry too deep. They weren’t hers after all. She didn’t restrain herself poking around their vanities, however. She was curious about their makeup.

That’s where they found her a short time later, testing swatches on her skin. The formula didn’t really blend well on her, but it was made for scales, not flesh. The colors were also in a much different shade range considering they were both lavender in color.

Tillos and Sollit walked in as she was coloring her forearm with what she imagined was some kind of foundation – or the scaley equivalent – and rather enjoying the way the purple looked on her skin. She turned as they entered and smiled.

“Hey, you’re back,” she beamed.

“Playing with our makeup?” Sollit asked, taking her hand and observing the marks she’d made all over her arm and the back of her hand.

“I wished you would have waited for us,” Tillos frowned, grabbing a wipe from his vanity. “We don’t know if you might have a reaction to anything in those pigments.

She watched as Sollit held up and turned her arm for Tillos to clean. She had no idea what cleaner that was, but it completely removed everything with a single swipe and left behind a rather nice, sweet fragrance that was subtle but pleasant.

She didn’t even have to put in any effort. Sollit and Tillos did it all for her. They just took care of her. Like it was the most natural thing in the world to treat her that way. With absolute devotion and care. And, honestly, that was probably just as baffling as the two of them wanting to share her.

But she let it happen, rather entranced by the way they moved. When they finished and her skin was sparkly clean, Sollit kissed her palm and Tillos kissed the soft skin of her forearm. Their lips were rougher than she expected, but not unpleasant. Where they touched, her skin tingled. It was such an unfamiliar sensation, it stole her breath away.

“Erm…”

The sound escaped her mouth before she gave it permission to do so. Both of their eyes snapped up to hers, though their heads didn’t lift from her arm.

“I was thinking… erm… Can we try a, er… a kiss?” Her voice shook as she made the suggestion, but she didn’t want to take it back.

“A kiss?” Tillos asked as a grin stretched across Sollit’s face. “Is that what you wish from us, aevea ?”

“Mm-hm,” she muttered so softly, she might not have spoken at all. Even just asking for that much was making her heart race painfully in her chest. “I just… I just want to try. To see. Erm, how is that going to… I mean, how do we decide who…”

Sollit chuckled, sliding in close to her side. He put his arm around her waist, using his other hand to tilt her head up towards him.

“Don’t think so hard, aevea ,” he told her as Tillos kissed his way up her arm until he was standing on her other side, his arm wrapping around her belly so they were both holding her. “I’ll claim our first kiss.”

“I’ll claim our last,” Tillos whispered in her ear.

“I’ll introduce you to us.”

“I’ll get you comfortable.”

They were whispering back and forth. Driving her crazy with the sheer stimulation of having two males on either side of her, each trying and succeeding in claiming her attention one at a time. How could she be nervous about the way Tillos was stroking along her lower belly when Sollit was rubbing his nose along hers? How could she freak out about Sollit getting close to her lips when Tillos was stroking his lips down her earlobe, making her shiver?

Whenever her fears and concerns threatened to rise, one of them would touch her, distract her, and focus her back on them instead.

“But you should know, aevea ,” Sollit said reverently. “There is no distinction.”

“You kiss him, you kiss me,” Tillos pressed a kiss to the side of her head. “Sollit and I are individuals, but we are also one being. There is no separating us. I will feel his desire as my own, as he will feel my pleasure as his.”

“Don’t think of who you’re kissing first,” Sollit took her chin and tilted her head back. “It’s both of us. We adore you equally. So be as free with us.”

Both of them. They were both hers.

Tillos held her from one side. He kissed the back of her head. Sollit held her from the other, and it was his kiss that claimed her first.

His lips were stiffer than her own and smooth from the scales. Her own lips, soft and fleshy, molded against him as they moved together. He was slow, but thorough, kissing her like they had all the time in the world to get used to each other. His lips were warm, and the scent of him, so close, was spicy sweet, like cinnamon vanilla ice cream.

She reached up, the tips of her fingers brushing against his cheeks. The texture of his scales was so fascinating. She just wanted to run her hands all over them. They were soft, but the lines between each individual scale was still distinct.

The kiss was over too soon. Sollit pulled back, smiling between her hands, teal blue eyes twinkling merrily.

Before she had a chance for any thoughts to enter her head, Tillos was reaching around. He took her cheek and turned her head, facing her towards him. She released Sollit, reaching for him instead. One of her hands went around Tillos’ neck, the other resting on his shoulder, as he claimed his turn on her lips.

It wasn’t the same as kissing Sollit. Tillos applied more pressure, took more control. He wasn’t as soft or slow, allowing her the time she needed to explore and get used to this new sensation. But his control meant she didn’t have to react – he was doing what he wanted. Taking her lips, claiming the kiss, as he desired.

He was spicy too – but hot and intoxicating, like spiced rum. It made her shiver.

When Sollit pressed his lips against her shoulder, she jumped. But Tillos grabbed the back of her head, keeping her focused on him as Sollit nuzzled and nipped at her neck.

She shivered, one hand reaching back for Sollit, the other staying around Tillos’ neck. And that somehow felt exactly right. Like she was meant to be right here. Savoring the warmth of them both pressing in on either side of her. Four separate hands stroking her. Two mouths kissing her. Two bodies covering her.

Tillos used the grip on her head to turn her, offering Sollit the next kiss. Which he took, much more eagerly now that she was lost in it. He was enthusiastic and eager as Tillos moved her hair to kiss behind her ear.

Sollit’s tongue darted out, stroking her bottom lip.

It was such a surprise, she drew back. Not far, just enough to break the kiss. Sollit and Tillos both pulled away as well. Enough to give her space to gasp, to think. Which she needed desperately. She was panting, dizzy from the effort of holding her breath.

“You okay?” Tillos asked, gathering her hair, running his fingers gently through the strands.

“I, er…” She licked her lips. Tasting both of them. Spiced rum ice cream float. “I think I need… a little time...”

Sollit smiled, leaning back. Tillos did the same. But both of them kept their hands on her until they were sure she had the strength to stand on her own. Which might very well be a real concern, considering how weak her shaky knees were.

But now that she wasn’t actively being kissed, her old anxieties and nervousness were rushing back in to twist and twine with the unfamiliar ache of desire.

“We got you a gift,” Tillos said, distracting her again as he stepped away.

“A… gift?” Her brain was still trying to jumpstart.

Sollit smiled, nodding at her. “We did. It’s a traditional courting gift from home.”

Tillos returned, bearing a box in his hands. It was one of those from the pile of fan gifts, so she had assumed it was for them. Both of them stood before her, offering the present with happy smiles. While they held it, she took the lid off with a smile, revealing a pair of golden bracelets. Two of them, thin and delicate, with beautiful, intricate carvings along the inside.

Before she could touch them, Sollit and Tillos both took one. Tillos set the box aside and they gently grabbed her hands instead.

“Our proof of our dedication to you,” Sollit said, holding up the golden ring.

“And your proof of your dedication to us,” Tillos finished.

At the same time, they both slid the bracelets over her hands. They weren’t heavy, but they were beautiful, shining in the light. A gift from them to announce their intentions towards her.

Beaming, she brought her hands close, holding the bracelets to her chest.

“Thank you,” she breathed, excitement and joy rushing through her, driving out the remainder of her kiss induced anxiety.

Maybe it was shallow, but this felt real . A man back home would have offered her an engagement ring as proof of his devotion. Probably very early in the courting process, before they ever kissed or even spent time alone together. And no matter how much she was trying to expand her thoughts and grow as a person, part of her would always default back to the way she had been taught to think growing up.

And for that little girl, a man offering a ring was valuable. It had meaning. Intention. She didn’t think it meant exactly the same to the two of them as it did to her, but having their rings on her, even on her wrists, told her that it was real.

They were real.

Their intentions and words were real.

She was being courted by two males that wanted to share her equally. Males that had no jealousy, who only wanted to be with her. Especially because it’s what the other wanted too. Their choice to want her together wasn’t a compromise.

This dynamic, this situation, was exactly what they wanted. The only thing they would have chosen. A relationship between the three of them with her at the center.

Oh. Center.

That’s why they called her that.

She beamed, eyes wet again for nothing that had to do with the play as she crossed her hands over her wrists, holding both bracelets at once. “I love them.”