Research
'raadiin petulantly kicked the cushion out of the way, crossed his arms back over his chest, and continued pacing tightly, growling under his breath. Ti'aasaan sighed and gazed at his hostling - slightly up at his hostling, it looked as though the young warrior was going to take after his sire, height-wise.
"I can't get away from him! Everywhere I go, he's there!"
"Have you spoken to him?"
"Spoken to him, shouted at him, hit him, done everything but ki-blast the h'k'vierch! You'd have thought he'd get the message by now…"
Ry seemed to have made it his mission in life to court the zn'hre warrior, despite 'raadiin's continual rejection, and for twenty days or so had insisted on paying him every attention he could think of. Kiraz, of course, found it hysterically funny and egged the Saiyan on, suggesting more and more outrageous ways of proving his devotion. Ry's covering himself from head to foot in yardle syrup and presenting himself to the zn'hre was one of the more extreme, especially since 'raadiin wasn't that fond of the sticky confection - not to mention that it took the young Saiyan two days to get the syrup out of his tail fur…
"Should I have Zorun speak to him?"
"Gods no, maazi! I don't need other people to fight my battles for me! I just wondered if you had any suggestions as to how I could get it through his thick skull I'm not interested."
Ti'aasaan frowned.
"Zvi'ch, tell me how this all started."
'raadiin gave a long-suffering sigh and scowled at his host, but dropped to sit on a floor cushion, brusquely detailing everything from the first tug on his plaits right up to last night when Ry had presented him with a large and fragrant alien blossom in one hand and a beautifully worked golden hair-band studded with small green gems in the other. ('raadiin had thrown them back at the Saiyan - which hadn't seem to deter him in the least but which had left the zn'hre feeling vaguely guilty.)
"And this has been going on for how long, now?"
'raadiin frowned, calculating.
"On and off, for about eighty days."
Ti'aasaan's eyebrows rose.
"Eighty days?!"
The hostling nodded. The little zn'hre inclined his head, a wry half-smile on his lips.
"Well, he's either extraordinarily thick-headed - which I would not expect of a young elite, or Zorun's brother - or extraordinarily dedicated… Or it's some sort of joke."
'raadiin blinked.
"A joke?"
"Yes…" Ti'aasaan remembered certain… 'incidents'… and Kiraz' fondness for practical jokes against his friend. 'raadiin's sense of humour was not particularly well-developed, and he had a tendency to take himself very seriously.
"I don't find it in the least funny."
No, thought the little zn'hre to himself. You wouldn't. And if this is Kiraz' idea of a joke, he's not going to enjoy it when you find out…
Ry was frustrated. It was very difficult to be with 'raadiin all the time, sleeping and bathing in the same set of rooms, training together, eating together, and forcing himself to be coolly attentive, to respect Zha'raadiin's 'space', to not touch…
That last was very hard, and made even more difficult by the physical training they had to undertake every day. Retasu usually teamed them with another young elite, chosen at random (no one would actually volunteer, the three of them took their training very seriously and they were becoming by far the most adept of the intake), but Ry did everything in his power to be partnered with the zn'hre. If nothing else, it meant he could enjoy fleeting touches of the lizard prince's cool, incredibly smooth, spicy-fragranced skin - purely in combat, of course.
It wasn't just lust, he told himself, though that was a large part of it. He'd seen the jealous glances their peer-group gave him: 'raadiin was the only zn'hre warrior in the onworld military at present, and he was without a doubt the subject of many an erotic daydream. Ry quickly came to appreciate how lucky he was to be so close to the object of so many others' desire.
Even if 'raadiin was a foul-tempered, vicious little kusoyaro.
But Ry was also determined and persistent, and capable of great patience if he thought the end result was worth the wait. And where 'raadiin was concerned he most certainly did think so. So he put up with the volleys of invective, the harder-than-necessary blows when sparring (though mindful of Kiraz' advice he tried to give as good as he got, hampered somewhat by not wanting to cause the zn'hre any damage), the snubs, the glowers, 'raadiin's ignoring him…
There'd been a subtle shift, too, in his relationship with Kiraz. To start with Ry had believed everything the prince had told him - after all, Kiraz had grown up with 'raadiin, with the whole family - but after the yardle syrup episode he'd started thinking for himself. And he wasn't stupid, or completely gullible: he'd come to realise that Kiraz had been leading him on with his talk of supposed zn'hre behaviour. 'raadiin was resisting his advances not because 'raadiin found him attractive but because 'raadiin simply wasn't interested. At which point Ry had smirked to himself and decided he'd just have to convince the gorgeous creature to become interested…
He'd eased back a little, his attentions to 'raadiin becoming much more subtle, assiduous without being servile. Ry was older, and while he hadn't had the benefit of the princes' liberal upbringing, his family was large, with plenty of cousins of various ages; he was familiar with a wide range of behaviours - and more importantly, how to deal with them. Which was probably why he didn't attempt any kind of retaliation for Kiraz' misdirection. Right now anyway. Though he wouldn't vouch for what he'd do after he'd achieved his goal.
Of course, Kiraz had been honest in one thing he'd said; 'raadiin respected strength. And he was powerful - nowhere near as much as his sire, but still quite a bit stronger than Ry. Ry would have to do something about that… It would also be useful to find out what sorts of things 'raadiin liked - other than fighting, that is. No use asking Kiraz, he'd just spin another tale. It would be more sensible to ask one of the zn'hre's siblings.
But who? Ry wasn't a frequent visitor to the palace, and the other hostlings didn't visit barracks: although the lizard king insisted on them all having at least minimal training ('raadiin had mentioned, dismissively over mid day meal, that his sire wanted everyone to be able to take care of themselves in a fight) Raditts'-sama took them for private sessions in one of the smaller arenas. And the younger recruits were only allowed out of barracks with special permission and for specific purposes: Ry could hardly request leave to visit the Academy!
Then Kiraz mentioned, in passing, that two of 'raadiin's siblings spent a lot of their time outside the palace, 'selaan at the medlabs and 'leesaan at the library. Getting to the library would be difficult - it was hardly the sort of place a young elite warrior would need to go - but he could, he was sure, engineer a visit to the medlabs…
His opportunity came a few days later. They'd been training for several hours in the main open arena: it was stiflingly hot, Kiraz, Ry and Yuzu were drenched in sweat, and even 'raadiin was tiring. Ry mistimed a move - and ended up slammed against the low wall, landing awkwardly and feeling something give in his wrist. Grimacing, cradling his arm with the other hand, he dragged himself upright and limped over to his companions. Retasu joined them, frowning down at the young Saiyan.
"What's the damage?"
Ry gritted his teeth.
"Not sure, sir. Think I might have broken something."
The burly warrior growled irritatedly.
"Get to medlab - get it treated. And then report to my office. Landings that sloppy are inexcusable."
Ry glanced at 'raadiin, who was scowling angrily - more because calling in another warrior to replace Ry would interrupt the flow of the session than because he'd been responsible for the injury, the Saiyan was sure. Sighing, Ry took to the air and headed towards the medical complex.
Jabiliko was on general duty. The dour Saiyan checked his wrist and hand , brusquely announced nothing was broken but he should keep it immobilised for a couple of days, then applied a light dressing and vanished into his office to write up the report, leaving Ry waiting in the open treatment area.
And as luck would have it, 'selaan arrived, accompanied as usual by the pretty silver-haired Hassinan - Pirum, that was her name. The zn'hre, cool, fresh and spicily fragrant, glanced at the dishevelled, bruised and sweaty Saiyan and shook his head.
"I am so glad I'm not a warrior."
Ry smirked ruefully.
"Your brother's quite something."
'selaan eyed him narrowly.
"Are we talking about his combat skills - or something else?"
The Saiyan blinked - then to his intense irritation, blushed.
"Don't know what you mean."
'selaan smirked.
"Of course not…" He nodded, and would have walked on, but Ry reached out a hand - not daring to touch the zn'hre, not after 'raadiin's reaction, but enough to make 'selaan pause.
"D'you think I could have a word? Just for a moment." He eyed Pirum, who glanced at 'selaan: at the zn'hre's nod she reluctantly moved back and headed off towards the research labs. 'selaan crossed his arms over his chest and inclined his head curiously, waiting for Ry to speak. Which Ry now found very difficult to do.
'selaan raised an eyebrow.
"You want to ask me something about 'raadiin…?" he prompted.
Ry swallowed and nodded.
"Yeah… I was wondering… d'you know what he likes?"
"Other than 'fallon, fucking and fighting?" 'selaan pursed his lips. "Not a lot, I'm afraid… although… he's very proud of his hair…"
Ry half-smirked wryly.
"I'd kind of noticed that." It was true: 'raadiin hated not having his hair in the complex plaited style that only 'fallon seemed able to create - something else he apparently blamed Ry for.
'selaan was frowning.
"And… I'm not completely certain, but I have an idea he likes jewellery."
Ry blinked.
"I've never seen him wear any."
"He wouldn't while training. But…" 'selaan shrugged. "I'm not going to swear to it. But you could try something… bold. Not delicate, I mean."
The Saiyan frowned.
"What, like an armband or something? The sort of thing Raditts'-sama wears?"
'selaan shrugged.
"It's worth a try."
Ry nodded slowly, then grimaced.
"But I can't get out of the palace compound to look for anything like that."
The zn'hre twinkled.
"Ah, now there I may be able to help…"
Ry was late getting back to barracks. Retasu wasn't happy, but between Jabiliko's report and a brief note from 'selaan explaining that the zn'hre had requested the Saiyan's assistance in some (carefully unspecified) task at the medlab he didn't take the matter any further. He had some choice words to say on the subject of carelessness in combat, however, and Ry left his office flushed with humiliation. Kiraz smirked at him as he stalked into their quarters.
"Good bawling out?"
Ry flashed him a crude hand gesture and dragged off his battered clothes, heading for the bathroom - to find 'raadiin relaxing in the tub, head back, arms stretched to either side, eyes closed and lips slightly parted…
Oh fuck… Ry turned his back to the bath to hide his sudden erection, standing under the hot spray to rinse off the day's grime and taking the opportunity to ease his discomfort, pumping hard and fast and gritting his teeth as he came. Sluicing away the evidence, he moved to the tub and knelt down.
"D'you mind if I join you?"
One large golden eye half opened.
"S'your quarters as well."
Ry grinned and slid into the bath, sitting opposite the zn'hre in silence for a few moments. Then he took a deep, silent breath and tried his luck.
"Would you like me to try plaiting your hair for you?"
'raadiin's head came up: he stared at the Saiyan.
"You can't plait."
Ry shrugged.
"You'd be surprised what I can do."
'raadiin scowled at him for a moment or two, obviously undecided as to whether the offer was genuine… But he really, really hated the simple, single plait he'd had to put up with since he'd been living in barracks… and if the Saiyan pulled - or made a mess of the job - he'd have the pleasure of pounding him into the wall…
"Very well."
'raadiin climbed from the tub - an action that Ry had come to relish, since it gave him a chance to surreptitiously ogle the zn'hre's groin - and frowned back over his shoulder.
"Well?"
Ry hurried after him, going over in his head everything 'selaan had shown him earlier that afternoon…
Retasu frowned as the three made their way to their usual table. He hadn't given them permission to return to the palace. Glowering, he strode to their table, acknowledging their salutes brusquely, then pointing at 'raadiin's head.
"Who did that?"
Ry saluted again.
"I did, sir."
The officer blinked.
"You?"
"Yes sir!"
Retasu glared at Kiraz.
"This true?"
Reluctantly, the Saiyan prince nodded.
"Yes sir. I watched. Dunno where or how, but he learned."
And it was, even 'raadiin would admit, a creditable job. Not as complex as he liked, but certainly more to his taste than of late. He'd even, very grudgingly, thanked Ry; the Saiyan had nodded dismissively with an "any time, 'raadiin-sama", grateful that the zn'hre couldn't scent his elation.
With any luck, he'd now be unofficial hair-plaiter for the lizard prince - when 'fallon wasn't available at any rate. And if 'selaan were able to find an appropriate piece of jewellery… Ry smirked to himself. Things might go his way yet!
Pirum and 'selaan, after much discussion, had finally selected their subject for the second phase of the research project.
Kiraz.
The young researchers were confident the Saiyan would be willing to lend himself to their cause but they couldn't be too subtle about asking him – Kiraz could be a bit dense sometimes.
"I want you to fuck me."
Kiraz' eyes went wide.
"You want what?"
"I want you to fuck me." There was no mistaking the hostling's earnestness, it shone from his face and permeated his scent.
"Uh – all right." Kiraz smirk wasn't as knowingly smug as he would've liked.
'selaan quietly led the Saiyan off to one of the side rooms; Pirum followed.
"Why're you here?" Kiraz glowered at the Hassinan as she shut the door behind them.
"I'm curious," Pirum gave him a small smile, "Don't worry, you won't even notice me."
Kiraz was uncomfortable, and he had the distinct impression he was being set up for something but he didn't get another chance to voice his suspicions because 'selaan had dropped to his knees in front of him and was delving carefully into his brief bodysuit. Pirum intently watched Kiraz' reaction as 'selaan curled his long, flexible tongue around the prince's inkei, making him groan and bringing him instantly erect.
"Do you know how to shift?" 'selaan looked up at the Saiyan, tilting his head enquiringly. Kiraz nodded – well, he knew the theory anyway, he hadn't had the chance to practise it. Yet.
'Good.' 'selaan grinned, standing up smoothly and peeling off his bodysuit. Kiraz stared at the hostling as he settled himself on his back on the bed, slender thighs spread invitingly. 'selaan's pale-blue skin was so... smooth, he didn't have 'raadiin's musculature, and his hair shone like new, green leaves. He was beautiful, Kiraz realised with a start – he'd never noticed before. Kiraz felt at a loss for a few moments, then growling impatiently he tugged off his bodysuit and advanced purposefully on the hostling. 'selaan smiled in welcome as the Saiyan settled himself between his thighs then slid carefully into the hostling's cool body.
Pirum, fascinated, sidled closer to the pair - the better to observe their reactions, of course. Kiraz held still for a time, eyes closed and teeth gritted in concentration as 'selaan, lips parted, gripped Kiraz' hips and made small, writhing motions beneath him. The hostling gave a gasping moan and convulsed suddenly: Kiraz' eyes flashed open and he smirked triumphantly as 'selaan quivered underneath him.
"You can – you can move now," 'selaan huskily prompted Kiraz, who immediately started thrusting. The hostling's coming had been almost unbearably arousing and the only reason the Saiyan hadn't come at the same time was because he'd been concentrating so tightly on shifting.
Pirum was mesmerised; 'selaan's beautiful skin was flushed a slightly darker blue than normal and Kiraz... Kiraz looked so strong, so... male. Pirum licked her lips, flushing in unconscious empathy. Unable to resist, she stroked her palm down 'selaan's smooth chest, intrigued by the subtle play of muscles under the cool skin and the heat she could feel from Kiraz. 'selaan groaned quietly as Pirum's long fingers wrapped enquiringly around his inkei, experimentally kneading the yielding firmness, but his reaction was anything but quiet when she slid her hand between their bodies and gently rolled his nub between her fingers. The hostling came again with a low cry, his back arching as he dragged a startled Kiraz along with him.
The young warrior slumped over 'selaan, trapping Pirum's hand between them and squishing the hostling's semen all over his belly. Kiraz slowly pulled out of the zn'hre's body and flopped tiredly onto his back.
"Oh fuck."
Pirum peered at the wide smear of 'selaan's ejaculate, dipping her fingers in the pearly fluid then tentatively licking some of it from her hand.
"Sweet!" She was surprised into speaking aloud.
"Yes," 'selaan's eyelids drooped languidly.
"I'd heard it described as that often, but I didn't think it really was that sweet." Pirum gestured towards his groin. "May I?"
"Of course," the hostling obligingly parted his thighs and Pirum carefully worked two fingers into him, not entirely unaware of his reaction to her touch.
Hm, cool and moist, but not wet – not surprising – his body was probably already absorbing Kiraz' semen and utilizing its protein...
"So how was it?" Having finished checking the evidence of his body, Pirum began the next phase of data gathering. Kiraz, she noticed, was doing a poor job of hiding his interest in the answer.
"Very pleasant," 'selaan said after a moment, golden eyes twinkling at the indignant noise from the Saiyan. "No, much more than that. Very enjoyable. I can see why people do it so often."
Pirum nodded thoughtfully, mentally sorting her notes.
"Kiraz, how about you? What did you think?"
"None of your fucking business!"
Pirum raised an eyebrow – going by the Saiyan's languid sprawl and overall attitude of relaxed satiation, fucking 'selaan had at least been 'all right'.
'selaan rolled onto his side facing Pirum.
"I think you'd enjoy it too."
"Potentially," Pirum agreed, looking past her body's immediate reaction to the thought. 'selaan grinned and winked at her.
"Kiraz, don't you think Pirum's pretty?"
There was a moment of silence behind him then the answer was drawled:
"Pretty enough for a brat, I guess."
"Oh, Pi-chan's not a child, Kiraz, haven't you noticed?" 'selaan reached out with a cool hand and tugged at her robe, pulling the silky material tight against her chest and outlining breasts that were already taking on their adult shape.
Pirum glanced inquiringly at 'selaan: it was obvious he was attempting to get Kiraz to view her as a potential sex partner, but to what end?
She flashed a curious look at the Saiyan; Kiraz was contriving to look uninterested but his tail was a dead give-away, the tip of it twitching agitatedly against his thigh. She looked down curiously at 'selaan as the hostling's hand slid up underneath her robe and stroked along her leg towards her groin. Pirum and Buahan had been experimenting with each other for ages, learning what gave them both pleasure. Naturally, Pirum had discussed this at length with 'selaan so of course he knew exactly where to touch her. Pirum drew in a shaky breath as his fingertips grazed delicately over her sensitive nub.
"You've never had a male before," 'selaan murmured up at her, "can I be your first? Unless..." He glanced back over his shoulder at Kiraz who had sat up and was watching the scene, nostrils twitching as he scented Pirum's arousal. Pirum gave the hostling a small, admiring smile. Very clever, it was unlikely Kiraz would be able to resist the temptation to best 'raadiin at something; 'raadiin, after all, had only had sex with 'fallon - if Kiraz fucked both 'selaan and Pirum it would put him one step ahead of his best friend and rival. For a brief moment Pirum almost felt sorry for Kiraz being manipulated this way. But was she ready for this? By Hassinan standards she was still a child but Pirum had read the Feeodoreean research on her people and according to that, physically at least she was only two, maybe three Hassinan years from sexual maturity. Pirum bit her lip – the decision was hers, ultimately.
"Kiraz –" Pirum faltered, blushing at the Saiyan's smirk. Pirum admonished herself to ignore the potential for embarrassment and focus on the research potential. If 'selaan could do this, so could she. She squared her shoulders and looked Kiraz in the eye, feeling a modicum of her self-confidence returning as he flushed and looked away.
"Kiraz, I'd like you to fuck me."
The warrior audibly swallowed then shrugged nonchalantly.
"If you want."
"Yes." Pirum nodded decisively and wriggled out of her robe. 'selaan grinned and slid out of the way giving the Hassinan a unobstructed view of Kiraz' stirring inkei. It was her turn to swallow; now that the Saiyan's anatomy had taken on more relevance to her she couldn't help but notice his relative size. 'selaan apparently hadn't had a problem taking Kiraz but then he was zn'hre and their bodies were noted for their accommodating nature. Well, Pirum steeled herself, there was only one way to find out. She made to lie down but 'selaan put a hand on her forearm.
"It might be better if Kiraz lies down and you are on top. That way you can control the depth of his thrusts." Pirum nodded, secretly glad of 'sel's clinical treatment of the situation, feeling steadied by his competence.
"I'm not going to hurt her." Kiraz growled.
"Not deliberately," 'selaan was serious, "but you're much stronger than she is. This is simply a precaution until you both have a better idea of what to expect."
Pirum wasn't at all sure she cared for her research partner's implication that she and Kiraz would be doing this more than once. It wasn't as if she and the young warrior really liked each other all that much.
Kiraz scowled and stretched out on the bed, tail to one side.
"Well, come on then."
Ridiculously nervous, Pirum edged towards him.
"You'll have to – um – " she gestured at his half-erect inkei. Kiraz' eyebrow shot up and he smirked infuriatingly.
"Why don't you?"
Pirum's silver eyes glinted. Was he challenging her? Well then... The Hassinan knelt between his thighs and starting at his neck she slowly began to run her hands over Kiraz' firm body, trying to emulate the light, arousing caresses she'd observed the adults use on each other. She grinned; it seemed to be working, Kiraz was erect again and his cheeks were flushed, but just to make sure... Pirum lowered her head to his groin and delicately licked up the side of his inkei. Emboldened by Kiraz' groan, Pirum did it again, firmer this time and ending the lick with a tentative swirl of her tongue around the tip. Kiraz quivered, his fingers clutching at the sheets as he grew even harder. Pirum smirked – this was easy!
She squeaked in surprise when she felt 'selaan's cool fingers stroking along her labia: she'd been so focused on Kiraz she hadn't noticed the hostling move.
"I think you're both ready," 'sel observed quietly after slipping a finger into her. Pirum was oddly disappointed – had 'sel only touched her like that to check if she was wet enough? It'd felt quite nice, she'd have to tell him - later. Stomach clenching with nerves, Pirum straddled Kiraz' hips, positioning herself over his inkei.
With 'selaan's help she slowly pushed herself down onto the Saiyan.
Pirum's eyes opened wide – oh, now this was interesting, very different to anything she and Bu-chan had done, and not as uncomfortable as she'd anticipated. Pirum moved experimentally, intrigued by Kiraz' reactions as she played with him but not paying much attention to her own body's responses until 'selaan's cool hands slid around to cup her small breasts. Pirum smiled and leant back against the zn'hre, incidentally changing the angle of her pelvis in relation to Kiraz and producing a deliciously different sensation within. For the next little while the Hassinan forgot to check Kiraz' responses as 'selaan gently played with her nipples and brushed careful kisses over her shoulder and neck. Then she felt something oddly familiar between her legs and she looked down to see Kiraz' tail tip rubbing softly over her mound. The Hassinan was impressed, she hadn't thought Kiraz had been paying enough attention to the other Saiyan's sexual practises to know what to do with his tail… then her thinking became a little muzzy as she slipped over into a climax that was comfortingly familiar yet strangely different. She was peripherally aware of Kiraz' fingers digging into her hips as he gritted teeth and thrust hard up into her, and of the sudden feeling of wet heat as he pulsed inside her.
"How was that?" 'selaan murmured into her ear once her vision had cleared; the hostling was still playing with her nipples. Pirum swallowed and smiled weakly.
"It was... good. Different."
Kiraz was watching her through half-lidded eyes.
"Yeah, it was all right." he conceded with a dismissive sniff.
"Then you won't mind staying?" 'selaan grinned at him, "There's lots of things we can try..."
Pirum snuggled contentedly between her two young lovers, weary but satisfied. It had been a profitable few hours for research as well as just plain fun. The Hassinan thought she'd like to do this again sometime; 'selaan would be happy to go along with that, would Kiraz? The warrior was dozing, cuddled into her back, his tail coiled around her thigh. Kiraz had shown a – to her – surprisingly deft hand sexually, so to speak. He could do with some refining of his techniques naturally, they all could, but generally he showed a lot of potential. Pirum giggled quietly to herself – and stamina, the Saiyan had a lot of stamina; that could only get better with practise...
Later that afternoon, after they'd all showered and snuck out of the side-room to rejoin the family before the evening meal, Pirum and 'selaan were deep in quiet discussion, while Kiraz sat aloofly separate but completely unable to stop himself sneaking glances at them. Buahan, Peyaru, Kobis and 'haabron returned from a council meeting soon after.
Buahan greeted her friend with the customary kiss on the cheek, then she pulled back sharply and regarded the Hassinan through narrowed eyes.
"I want a word with you."
Pirum hesitantly followed the princess into the room they shared, having no doubt at all what this 'word' was going to be about.
"Are you insane?!" Buahan hissed. "Kiraz?! 'selaan?! Your sister is going to explode if she finds out!"
"Well I'm not going to tell her." Pirum smirked. Buahan glared up at the Hassinan – Pirum was still taller than her – and folded her arms huffily across her chest.
"Well I won't either, but – "
Pirum shut her friend up by the simple and well used expedient of kissing her.
"Stop fussing," Pirum grinned, enveloping the little female in a warm hug, "I'll deal with 'rayne if and when the time comes."
Buahan grumbled inarticulately into Pirum's shoulder, then tilted her head to smirk at her.
"So? How was it?"
"Interesting. Fun." Pirum grinned, "I can show you if you like." She stroked her palm down Buahan's spine to the base of her tail.
"How?" the princess shivered under the touch.
"'rayne's toys," Pirum ruffled her finger nails through Bu's thick soft fur, "give you some experience before you decide you're ready for Peyaru."
Buahan flushed.
"I can't do that!"
"Why not?"
"Because – because it wouldn't be fair to 'ru-chan. This should be something we experience at the same time."
"He could join us?" Pirum suggested slyly, jumping back out of the way with a giggle from Buahan's half-hearted swipe.
"You're incorrigible!" the princess smirked, laughing. "Come on, it's time to eat."
Kobis stood just inside the balcony door, watching his aijin. 'haabron was leaning forwards against the railing, one hand stroking absently at the wealth of pure white, fragrant small flowers cascading over the edge as he gazed into the distance…
Kobis sighed, his heart full. 'haabron's hair was loose for once, flowing down his body to his thighs, and he'd grown recently: he was now about the same height as 'raadiin, although a little less muscular. And his resemblance to his sire was becoming more pronounced every day, it seemed.
'haabron smiled over his shoulder, golden eyes soft and loving, and extended a hand.
**Come join me, zkai'da**
The Saiyan moved to stand behind his zn'hre, resting his chin on a cool strong shoulder: much to his delight, Kobis was still taller than 'haabron and showed every sign of continuing to grow. It looked as though he was going to take after his grandsires rather than his parents, which pleased him: he loved being able to stand protectively at his aijin's back, the way Rad-chan stood behind the Ssii'iin…
'haabron leaned against the warm solid body at his back, turning his head to kiss the Saiyan's jaw.
**It's beautiful, isn't it?**
And indeed it was, the gardens lush and fragrant in the late sunslight, a faint golden haze shimmering across the compound and the hills beyond. Kobis hugged his zn'hre tightly.
*We won't be giving it up, not for good, and not for long. Both worlds will be our home.*
'haabron nodded. After today's council meeting, Zha'haabron had taken the princes aside and announced that they would be travelling to R'ren'nkh'ia after the cold season, to spend some time with the council there. 'haabron had nodded: he'd been expecting it, but it had taken Kobis a little by surprise.
"Will you be coming too, my Ssii'iin?"
Zha'haabron had nodded.
"Myself and Rhoi'i'dat'hzziu, yes, and any of your siblings who would like to make the trip. I wish you two to stay on after we leave, however."
'haabron's eyes had widened.
"Papa?"
The king smiled gently and rested a hand against his sireling's face.
"You are my heir, zk'vissin. I wish our people to recognise that. Don't worry, Gh'heegonan will retain his post as Regent, and stand for me while I am absent."
Kobis had felt the shiver of anticipation that ran through his zn'hre's slim frame.
"I will do all in my power to be worthy of you, papa."
Zha'haabron smiled and kissed his brow.
"I know, zk'vissin. I have every faith in you."
It was going to be exciting, they agreed - but they were both going to miss Vejiitasei. A little - Kobis recalled the almost fierce affection he'd felt for R'ren'nkh'ia's heat-hazed deserts and rocky outcrops, and knew he was going to enjoy himself there.
But for now 'haabron wanted to soak as much of this damp green world into himself as he could, as though he could carry a little of it with him in his soul. Kobis nipped very lightly at his neck.
*Come with me, zkai'da?*
'haabron turned into his Saiyan's embrace, holding him tightly.
**To our pool?**
*Of course…*
Kobis *called*: seconds later Merica and Jagung appeared, ready to escort and stand watch for the princes. And as the suns slowly slid towards the distant ocean 'haabron held his bondmate close, trembling as Kobis moved within him, filled and *filled* and fulfilled - and with the future stretching out before them. A shared future. An exciting future…
© 2003 May 19th Joules and Amanda
