Upheaval

"Will you stop fucking fussing!!"
      Ry growled, shoved a hand through his mane, then gritted his teeth and stood up.
      "Fine. OK. I'll come back when you're in a better mood."
      He stalked to the door, ignoring the irritable hiss from behind him, and took off from the balcony, heading for the medcentre. At least 'raadiin wouldn't shout at him. Unfortunately.

Back in their apartment, A'lestrel heaved himself irritably off the sleeping platform and began to pace, tail lashing behind him. Miserably tired all the time because sleeping was difficult, unable to digest anything but Zh'leet's glop, ki lowered, and constantly bad-tempered - he hated this. And now he'd upset Ry...
      Lutra sighed and rose from the bed, wrapping arms and wings around his tense figure from behind and holding him still.
      *Hab'lan, come and rest. Ry will be back later - you haven't hurt him.*
      The prince twisted in her arms and cuddled into her. Tried to, at any rate: his belly was too swollen now for him to get very close. Another thing he hated... His shoulders drooped.
      *I'm sorry, zk'aida.*
      She tutted and dragged him over to the sleeping platform.
      *Don't be a... baka. This is hard for you - stop demanding so much of yourself!*
      He slumped down on the edge of the platform, dropping his head into his hands, relaxing under his bondmate's fingers as she kneaded his shoulders and back.
      *Mm...*
      She brushed aside the heavy plait and kissed the nape of his neck.
      *We're both tired.* And he was still trying to do too much, she realised, insisting on continuing his work at the corps - something she'd have to speak to the Ssii'iin about, she thought. *Let's rest, hab'lan.* She stroked his tail, raising a shiver, feeling heat gathering in her own groin and sighing half-happily, half in frustration: her own need for semen throughout her pregnancy had come as a pleasant surprise. *Though, if you could...*
      'lestrel smirked at her over his shoulder, carefully easing them both down onto the platform - then paused, an expression of comical dismay nearly reducing her to giggles. The bulge of their abdomens was now too big to allow him to enter her.
      A brief moment of panic flickered through him, followed by helpless anger.
      *Zk'aida...*
      She stared at him, the seriousness of the situation sinking in. She needed the protein influx, their child needed it. She knew that, instinctively as well as intellectually. And if her bondmate couldn't supply it...
      She froze, horrified.
      That meant someone else would have to.
      Unless... was there a way to 'milk' her hab'lan and somehow get the semen into herself? Vinas would know of a way, surely... As she thought it she knew she couldn't do it. The intimacy of the act was all part and parcel of this pregnancy...
      'lestrel was shaking, close to tears.
      "What are we going to do?"
      She nestled into his side, one wing settled protectively around him, hand resting on his belly. There was one way around the problem. She didn't like the idea one little bit. But if it was necessary...
      "What about Ry?"
      'lestrel's head jerked up, eyes wide and furious, and Lutra recoiled slightly, startled but guiltily elated to realise that the idea made him jealous! He scowled - then lowered his head, miserably.
      "I suppose we have no choice..."
      Lutra swallowed. She needed to think this through. Kissing 'lestrel gently, she urged him to lie down.
      *You're exhausted, hab'lan. Please, you must rest. We can think more about this when you aren't so tired.*
      He growled quietly, but allowed her to pull up the fur. Disturbed and distressed as he was, exhaustion was rapidly taking over. In a very short space of time he'd drifted into a restless sleep.

Wings drooping, Lutra slumped against the balcony, leaning heavily on her elbows as she gazed at the gardens without really seeing them. Would she really let Ry fuck her? Blinking back tears she ran a hand over the rigid bulge that started hard up against her ribs - there would be complications if she didn't. Did she have a choice though? The Saiyan's name had been the first to pop into her mind once the implications had sunk in but was there anyone else? The tenshi mentally reviewed the list and bit her lip. No there wasn't. Ry was the only one she would even consider, because... because why? Because he was her hab'lan's mate so in some twisted way that made him - barely - acceptable to her? She shuddered, even so the very idea of letting any one else near her was horrible. In tenshi-jin society it was a… dishonour for a mated female to have anyone but her mate touch her - but this was different, wasn't it? She wasn't being forced, for a start, and 'lestrel would be there as well… Lutra growled: he'd better not let her go through this on her own or she'd kill him herself…
The tenshi closed her eyes, letting her head relax forward until she felt the muscles in her neck pull. She dropped her head further, rounded her shoulders and tried to curl her hips forward, attempting to flex a spine that had been nigh near immovable since the foetal sac had formed. True she was nowhere near as big as hosting zn'hre, or a pregnant Saiyan, but she'd been this size right from the start and it was becoming wearisome. And she was going through one of those atypical moults so she couldn't even have the relief of flying!
Lutra sighed and straightened up, lifting her chin and shaking out her wings. She would do what was necessary without complaint, she would not give 'lestrel any more reasons to fret. Her mate was not enjoying the experience of hosting, he was cranky and uncomfortable and unwilling to let himself accept the cosseting she was convinced he needed. Lutra stalked back into their suite, growling softly to herself: stubborn eyana…

'lestrel was still asleep. He looked far too thin, she thought, and paler than he should. She sat beside him, stroking his mane, suddenly determined to force him to rest. She shivered and gritted her teeth as the thought occurred that Ry could help, there. The Saiyan was annoyed as it was that 'lestrel was doing too much. Both of them nagging him should work...

Ry let himself quietly into the private room where 'raadiin was sleeping. Seating himself on the edge of the bed, he took the cold hand resting limply on the cover, biting back tears as he gazed at the gaunt pale face.
      Vinas had been able to halt the cellular degeneration the radiation had caused, but hadn't been able to find a way to repair the damage it had already done. 'raadiin's digestive system had been affected - he could only digest glop, and not very efficienty: Vinas had him hooked up to a complicated-looking device that fed essential nutrients directly into his blood supply - as had his lungs: parts of the tissue had died, leaving him unable to absorb enough oxygen for any extended exercise. And his hosting chamber had been almost completely destroyed. But what irritated Vinas intensely was his certitude that 'raadiin could recover, maybe not completely but certainly to a large extent, if he'd only want to.
      But 'raadiin didn't seem to want to. Ti'ani said he was caught up in a *loop* of pain and self-hatred that the hybrid couldn't break without harming him. And no matter how anyone tried to get through to him, he remained sunk in this waking nightmare.
      Ry reached to stroke the soft hair. It was re-growing swiftly, tendrils silky around the thin face; to everyone's surprise there were golden streaks appearing as it grew out. It looked quite lovely. Ry didn't care. All he wanted was his zn'hre back.
      *Aijin... I need you...*
      He glanced over his shoulder as the door slid quietly open. Kiraz stuck his head through the door.
      "How is he?"
      "The same."
      Kiraz growled softly and moved to sit on the other side of the bed.
      "If it was anyone else I'd begin to wonder if he was stringing us along. All this attention, everyone running after him..."
      "Fuck, if only it was that simple..."
      "What're we gonna do?"
      "... I don't know..."

A'lestrel woke after only an hour, still tired, still irritable. Lutra was sitting beside him, hand resting on his mane.
      *You're still tired, hab'lan.*
      He grunted and struggled into a sitting position.
      *I'll rest later...*
      She pushed him back down.
      *When?*
      Glowering, he tried to rise again.
      *A little later.*
      *Really? You think you're going to have time between now and when our children are grown?*
      He stared at her.
      *Zha'haarak...*
      She raised an eyebrow.
      *You want someone else to look after them? That's not the way we do things on Maurilla.*
      He gaped, then frowned.
      *But we're not on Maurilla.*
      *That's beside the point!* she snapped, provoked into irritation by her bondmate's… thick-headedness. *You need to rest, hab'lan, and if I have to tie you down to achieve that then so be it! And it won't just be me tying the knots, either.* she warned him with a growl.
      His eyes widened angrily, and for a moment she thought he was going to fight. Then he slumped, hissing annoyance.
      *Oh very well. Since I obviously won't get any peace anywhere unless I do...*
      It wasn't the most graceful of capitulations but she wasn't going to argue. She beamed and snuggled into his side, stroking his abdomen and nuzzling his neck - making the most of their privacy...

A little later Ry arrived back, standing hesitantly beside the sleeping platform, eyeing the pair warily. Lutra managed a nervous smile.
      "Welcome back. He's in a better mood now." Though that probably won't last long once we start talking about what we need you to do...
      Half an hour later Ry was staring at them both, expression dismayed.
      "There has to be another way..."
      A'lestrel growled.
      "You don't think my bondmate is attractive enough for your tastes?"
      Ry snarled at him.
      "You know perfectly fucking well that's not what I mean!"
      Lutra rubbed one hand over her forehead, the other over her swollen belly.
      "Please... It's bad enough this has happened. Please don't make it any more difficult."
      Ry immediately calmed, taking their hands in his.
      "I'm honoured to be asked - even though I know we don't have a lot of choice. And of course I'll help." He swallowed, eyeing Lutra. "I'm sorry it had to be like this, Lutra-sama. I'll do my best to make it as easy as possible."
      She nodded, then coloured, lowering her eyes as heat gathered in her groin and the infant squirmed protestingly.
      "We'd better start now..."
      Nodding, eyes flickering to the quietly growling prince, Ry stripped off his bodysuit and knelt on the sleeping platform as Lutra - skin blushing brightly - shifted to her hands and knees in front of him. With one eye on 'lestrel, Ry very carefully eased into the tenshi, hands holding her hips gently.
      Hot... He was so hot compared to 'lestrel, his penis-beads a completely different pattern, his balls firm against her nub as he curled his hips upwards, seating himself fully within her body. Hating herself for the betrayal, she admitted, silently, somewhere deep in her mind, that it felt good...
      Ry was moving, swiftly and surely, working himself towards orgasm, eyes fixed on A'lestrel, trying to gauge the prince's uncertain temper. But 'lestrel was stroking his bondmate's face, *whispering* comfortingly to her, and after a very little while Ry gasped and pushed in, legs quivering as he came, hot, sustaining semen jetting into the slender body before him. He pulled out as quickly and carefully as he could, one hand resting on the small of Lutra's back.
      "Did I hurt you. Lutra-sama?"
      She shook her head, resting her forehead on her crossed arms but keeping her rear raised to give the semen time to be absorbed: Ry thought she looked deliciously erotic in the pose, and hardened again - which was helpful, since A'lestrel also needed to be fucked...
      Ry wondered, as he thrust sharply into the prince's chitsu, if he could get some downtime. He was going to get very tired very quickly servicing both of them.

*.... DWEEEEchirp....*
      'lestrel shot upright, gasping as one of his hostlings, not appreciating the sudden change of position, kicked him hard. Beside him Lutra and Ry were also struggling into sitting positions with varying degrees of haste and agility.
      "What the fuck was that?!"
      A'lestrel rested a hand over his belly for a moment, then grimaced.
      "That was one of your sirelings..."
      Ry gaped.
      "Well what sort of fucking *word* was that!?"
      'lestrel frowned for a moment, then smirked.
      "I think he was singing."
      "WHAT!"
      "Singing."
      "You have got to be fucking joking! No brat of mine would sing."
      A'lestrel shrugged.
      "You *speak* to him then."
      Ry scowled and *focussed*, raising his eyes after a moment with a distantly disturbed expression on his face.
      "He was... singing..."
      "Told you."
      "But... singing..." Ry was gesticulating helplessly. "Saiyans don't sing..."
      "But zn'hre do." 'lestrel was grinning broadly, enjoying Ry's mortification, Lutra could tell. "Be nice to have an artist in this generation."
      "Oh gods..." Ry covered his eyes with his hands, shoulders slumping. "I'll never live it down..."
      An hour later the prince's other hostling found his voice, and shortly after that Lutra's own joined in the little torrent of 'pathic communication - and from then on none of them managed an awful lot of sleep, as all three unborn were intensely curious about the world they were heading towards...

Deep of night and Lutra was snapped out of a deep sleep by a surge of energy. Fuddled as she was it took her a moment to focus by which time both 'lestrel and Ry had also been dragged from their slumber, alerted by the spike of fear in her scent.
      *Zk'aida?* 'lestrel was struggling to sit upright.
      Eyes wide Lutra clasped her hands over her rippling abdomen.
      *It's time, hab'lan.* she swallowed. *You have to break the membrane.*
       Ry was out of bed and pulling on a brief bodysuit.
       "Let's get you to the med-centre, torii-chan."
       "No time!" the tenshi fought down the panic. "Has to be now or he'll suffocate!" Tenshi-jin births tended to be short and sharp. Once the child had absorbed all the available nutrients in the foetal sac a hormonal change was triggered, essentially 'waking them up'. The infant's heartrate and brain activity increased but more importantly they started to use their lungs in preparation for the outside world. But, there wasn't much for them to breath inside the sac so it became imperative they get out.
      Lutra was on her knees beside her mate, thighs spread wide. Almost unnoticed by her Ry had slipped around to the other side of the sleeping platform to gently wind a strong arm around the tenshi's ribs, supporting her from behind.
      *Please hurry, hab'lan.* Lutra winced as her child started to struggle, kicking her, hard, from within. A'lestrel's eyes sparkled.
      *Very well…*
       The Zasshu eased his hand into her body, surprised to find the channel wide and soft. He blinked as the tips of his fingers encountered something that felt like warm, moist leather. It was thin though, he could feel the hard curve of his hina's skull behind it.
      *Now!* the hina whined, distressed.
      *Very soon, little one,* 'lestrel *soothed* the child then, taking a deep breath, sliced a strong nail across the membrane. It was tougher than he'd have thought but all it needed was a small nick and before he fully realised what was happening A'lestrel found himself catching a small, slippery, loudly protesting infant. Laughing weakly with relief Lutra slumped back against Ry for a moment before contracting her stomach muscles as hard as she could to push the remains of the sac out. The thing slithered free to land between her knees with a wet splotting sound and Ry wrinkled his nose.
      "These furs are going to need a clean." He helped ease Lutra to lie down next to her mate and child then padded off to the bathroom. "I'll get something to deal with that. Oh, and Vinas is on his way…"
      Lutra didn't hear him. She was gazing at the little creature her mate was cradling, not quite believing something so perfect had come from her. She gently ran her fingertips over the small body, marvelling at the silkiness of the child's midday-blue skin. She looked down; something soft was rubbing against her forearm. It was a tail! Lutra laughed at herself, of course he had a tail, they'd seen it on the scans Vinas had performed. Lutra smiled, stroking the miniature appendage wound around her wrist. It was a darker blue than his skin, almost the same shade as the shock of fuzz covering his scalp. The infant hissed quietly, with pleasure Lutra thought, bright blue eyes drifting half-closed.
      A'lestrel leaned forward to kiss her, his own bright-green tail looping over her waist.
      *Beautiful, ne?*
      *Oh yes,* she breathed, eyes misting with emotion. *Thank you, hab'lan.* She brushed a loving kiss over her child's forehead. *This makes it all worthwhile.*
      *No wings.* 'lestrel almost sounded regretful even though that was something else they'd known before the hina was born.
      *No, but…* Lutra ran her fingers over tiny shoulders, grinning as she found small symmetrical raised patches on each, something that wouldn't have shown up on the scanned images. *He has wing buds.*
       'lestrel blinked.
      *Wing buds?*
      *Yes, here,* the tenshi guided his fingers to the spot. *The wings will grow from there.*
      *You're not born with wings?*
      Lutra quirked an eyebrow.
      *Would you want to give birth to something with fully-formed wings?*
       The Zasshu smirked.
      *I see what you mean.* He stroked her cheek, smiling softly. *What shall we call him?*
       Lutra tilted her head to the side, considering.
      *What about Soraoi?*
       A'lestrel nodded slowly - literally translated from Saiya-go that meant 'blue sky' but it had overtones of freedom, of the joy of flying unhindered high above the land…
      *A'soraoi.* the Zasshu tested the name.
      *A'soraoi.* Lutra confirmed with a smile. *Perfect…*

The family were entranced with the first tenshi-zn'hre-Saiyan hybrid, and for the first few days it was rare for the new parents to have any time to themselves. Until 'lestrel finally lost patience and snarled at them all to just go away for a bit...
      Chuckling, the various siblings and parents left them in peace. For a day, anyway. Then 'lestrel went into labour...
      Ry swore, afterwards, it was because the hostlings were tired of *hearing* A'soraoi's exclamations of delight over the world outside and wanted to see it for themselves. However it happened, one moment the prince had been trying to force down a beaker of glop, the next he was doubled over as far as was possible, gasping and clutching at his belly. Ry grabbed him up into strong arms immediately, worried eyes glancing quickly at Lutra.
      "Medcentre. See you there..." and he was gone, smashing through the window in his haste.
      Lutra gathered A'soraoi to her and followed them, alarmed. They'd known that 'lestrel would have to have the hostlings surgically born - he was far too slender to give birth naturally to such big babies: the scans had shown they took after their sire, size-wise. But this was earlier than Vinas had conjectured the labour would be, and 'lestrel was in so much pain... she couldn't help but wonder if there was something wrong.
      She arrived at the medcentre only moments after Ry, and hurried to Vinas' special delivery room, where her already naked bondmate was half-lying back against Ry, gripping the Saiyan's wrists as Vinas injected something into his hip. Moments later the Feeodoreean raised a laser scalpel and glanced at Lutra.
      "You might prefer not to watch this."
      She scowled, and seated herself with deliberate calm on a nearby stool, and Vinas sighed.
      "Very well..."
      All in all it was surprisingly bloodless, she thought afterwards, and Vinas both skilled and efficient in the procedure: in less than a minute both hostlings had been safely delivered and the biotech was patching up the incision. But by then Lutra, A'soraoi, 'lestrel and Ry were too busy gazing at the new hybrids to really notice...
      Ry was grinning idiotically.
      "They're beautiful brats!"
      They were both blue-skinned and golden-eyed, but there the similarities ended. One of them could have been Ry himself as a newborn; the shaggy black mane and long strong long-furred black tail were purely Saiyan. The other.... the other curled up against his host, gazing up with big golden eyes from under a long vivid green fringe of soft hair, long slender tail coiling around A'lestrel's wrist. Lutra seated herself on the edge of the bed and gently stroked black and green manes, her eyes bright as A'soraoi tried to scramble off her lap and onto his sire's, small hands reaching for his new siblings. The tenshi laughed, picking ‘soraoi up and depositing him gently between them whereupon the unco-ordinated cub attempted to wind his tail around them both! Lutra looked up into her mate’s happy eyes and smiled.
      *We have our hands full, hab’lan.*
      The Prince’s smile faltered a little.
      *Does that include Ry?*
      Lutra glanced at the besotted Saiyan, noticing his arm around her hab’lan’s shoulder, surprised at her lack of response to the possessive gesture. What did that mean? The tenshi shook herself - it wasn’t important right now. She kissed her bondmate’s cool lips.
      *Yes, it includes Ry.* she kissed him again. *Love you so much, hab’lan.*
      *And I love you.*

Vinas eyed them, beautiful winged female on one side, hermaphrodite hybrid in the middle, and Saiyan male on the other side, the three infants safely enfolded between them.
If he'd only known what he'd be letting himself in for when he first came to Vejiitasei...

... He'd have demanded to have been sent here sooner.