Chapter 20 #2
“Well, I know you said you were embarrassed about what we talked about, but we also kinda had a bunch of sex and then you stopped talkin’ to me as much.
” Now that I’ve started, I can’t stop. “And that’s like, that’s cool or whatever, but it also kind of makes me feel like maybe you regret it?
Or that you don’t want to do it again and you just don’t want to tell me? ”
Tavryn fully turns towards me, the movement unraveling the braid I’d been halfway through. I take in a deep breath, steeling myself to continue, when Tavryn jumps in.
“Banjo.” I quickly shut my mouth, looking down at him hopefully. I don’t want this to be over. That’s probably what I should have said instead of rambling. “Let me be clear. I don’t regret it, and I very much want to do it again.”
I flash him my biggest, brightest grin. It’s enough to get Tavryn smiling a little, even as he continues. “But…”
I deflate with a groan, collapsing back against the couch.
“I’m normally a big fan of butts, but I do not like that one,” I mutter, running a hand through my hair.
Even though I should probably be preparing for the worst, I don’t.
Tavryn said he wants to keep fooling around, and that’s enough to keep my optimism alive.
Tavryn shakes his head affectionately at me, his smile growing a little wider.
“But…”
I groan, and Tavryn glares at me when I interrupt him again. I wave my hand as a sign for him to go on.
“This may come as a shock to you, but I don’t typically get involved with others this way.” He rolls his eyes as I gasp in pretend shock. “I’ve only ever slept with the same being twice, including you, so I’m a little out of my element.”
“I ain’t never been in a relationship, so you got more experience than me.” That’s what happens when you’re gay in a very small, rural town. I wouldn’t have wanted to grow up anywhere else, but the dating scene was terrible.
“There were a couple of guys I hooked up with more than once, but it was only when I was in town. Weren’t no regular thing or nothin'.” Tavryn’s eyes narrow when I talk about my previous partners.
Someone is big jealous. I like it more than I’m willing to admit. “I’m cool with keepin’ things casual.”
“You’re returning to Earth,” Tavryn reminds me, as if I wasn’t aware of the elephant in the room. “It has to be casual.”
I blink as it clicks. Tavryn isn’t saying that he doesn’t want a relationship with me. He’s saying we can’t be in a relationship because I’m leaving. I may not be the brightest crayon in the box, but even I know those are two different things.
“Wait, do you like me?!” I exclaim. Warmth tingles all the way down to my toes at the thought. “Like, like like me?”
Tavryn furrows his brow, tail twitching on the floor near his thigh. “Now you’re just speaking nonsense,” he says with his signature huff. I grin at him. He knows what I mean. Probably.
Eventually, he sighs. “Fine. You’re tolerable. The rest is still to be determined.”
“Oh, you totally like me!” I crow, drawing an even louder huff from him. His tail is thrashing now. “You—”
Tavryn lunges at me before I can finish, cutting off my words with a scorching kiss. I make a small surprised sound, hands flying to his waist as he nearly tackles me back onto the couch. Well.
That’s certainly one way to shut me up.
The kiss lingers long enough to have my cock tenting the loose pants I’ve taken to wearing around the ship.
They’re comfortable, but they definitely don’t do anything to hide my arousal.
Hopefully seeing it—or feeling it—will encourage Tavryn to make a move.
Before any of that happens, though, I really want to finish our conversation.
“Hold on,” I gasp as I break our kiss. He chases after me, peppering kisses along my jawline until he meets my lips again. I somehow manage to resist giving in. “I wanna talk about sex real quick.”
That gets Tavryn to pull back enough to look at me, and he arches an eyebrow. “You realize I’m trying to have sex with you now, yes?” As if to prove his point, he grabs one of the larger hair ties and quickly throws his still damp hair up into a bun. “Are you sure you’d rather talk instead?”
No. Nope. I’d for sure rather be getting it on than talking about some of this stuff.
That’s not what I say though. “Yeah, it’ll be quick,” I promise him.
Tavryn lets out a grunt of disapproval, but otherwise doesn’t complain.
“First, if we’re gon’ hook up regularly, I want us to be exclusive, at least while I’m here. ”
Tavryn blinks at me before making a show of looking around the empty ship. I’m not sure what he’s getting at—until he replies. Slowly. “Who else am I going to sleep with?” A warm kind of affection sneaks into his tone. “I don’t plan on making any stops until we reach Dhamoirs.”
I shrug. “Well, there’s Stells, I guess. Y’all seem close.”
Tavryn stares at me for a long moment before he bursts into laughter. He tumbles off my lap and onto the couch, howling—I’m talking serious, belly-shaking laughter that has him clutching his stomach. Similarly loud cackling echoes from the speakers. Right, I forgot Stells was listening.
Whoops.
Color creeps across my cheeks even as I laugh along with the two of them. I’m not entirely sure what’s so funny, but since they’re both laughing, I can’t help but join in.
Then it clicks. “Oh right, Stells is female and you’re gay?” If that isn’t it, I’m really lost.
Tavryn sits up as his laughter trails off.
He wipes away the tears that gathered at the corners of his eyes and takes in a deep breath.
“Banjo, darling, you know that Stells is an AI, right?” I stare at him, mouth slightly open.
His expression gets more serious, all traces of merriment gone before I even really got to enjoy them.
“It’s important to me that you understand. Stells is a computer.”
“No,” I say slowly. Except…wow, okay, everything makes a lot more sense.
By this point, my cheeks are flaming. I can’t believe I didn’t realize that Stells isn’t a person.
“Tav! Why didn’t you tell me?!” I give him a good-natured shove that breaks through his stern expression, even though it barely moves him.
Tavryn is laughing again, and honestly, I don’t blame him. If I were him, I’d be laughing at me too. “Stars, Banjo, I didn’t tell you because I thought it was obvious.” He motions around the open space. “Where did you think she was hiding?”
The only answer I have makes me look even dumber, so I don’t say anything.
Tavryn’s expression softens. “I promise I won’t sleep with Stells.
” After I give him a look, he adds, “Or any other beings while we’re together.
Now is there anything else? Because I’m quite interested in getting into your pants. ”
Knowing Tavryn still wants to fool around with me even after all that has my smile returning in an instant.
“What about preferences? As you figured out, I like bottomin’ a lot.
” I subtly cross my fingers. Hopefully Tavryn prefers to top.
He’s so good at it, I can’t imagine him wanting to do anything else.
Not that I won’t bury my cock in him if that’s what he wants, because I totally will.
Tavryn nods a little. “I typically don’t top,” he admits.
I try not to look too disappointed. “You humans need so much prep. It’s incredibly annoying.
” Hm. He didn’t seem that annoyed about it the last time we were together, but I figure it’s in my best interest to not bring that up.
“I suppose I can make an exception for you, if you’re prepared to make it worth my while. ”
“I can do a lot of the work,” I promise him, grinning. Prepping myself isn’t a huge deal. Although I’d prefer my partner to do it for me, it’s not a deal breaker. “And I can top sometimes. It’s not the work that bothers me.”
Tavryn tilts his head, giving me a curious look. “Then what don’t you like about it?”
I chuckle and rub the back of my neck. If I didn’t want to talk about these things, I shouldn’t have started the conversation.
“I ain’t ever had a real satisfying orgasm without a little prostate action,” I admit.
It’s the entire reason I brought a dildo with me into space.
There was no way I was going to put up with below average orgasms until I found a partner.
“Oh.” Tavryn doesn’t seem bothered by this at all. In fact, there’s a gleam in his eye that I find somewhat concerning. Or exciting. It’s hard to tell right now. “That can easily be arranged.”
Huh. Well alright then. I’m not arguing.
He licks his lips, eyes roaming over me. “Anything else?” It’s super hard to concentrate on talking when Tavryn is looking at me like that. It’s like he wants to gobble me up.
“Um…oh, protection!” I say the word a little too loudly in the excitement of remembering. “We didn’t…do y’all have condoms? I mean, they tested me before I came to space, but I ain’t got none of the records to show you.”
Tavryn waves dismissively in my direction. “Humans and Daulkuns may be biologically similar, but we don’t share diseases as far as I’m aware,” he tells me. “Unless it's your preference, I don’t think they’ll be necessary.”
I nod. Good. That’s good. I haven’t ever gone bare with anyone before, but I definitely want to keep doing it with Tavryn. The way it felt to have his cum deep inside me…I shiver at the thought. That shiver quickly turns icy.
“And…you can’t get me pregnant, right?” Tavryn looks at me like I’m an idiot which yeah, maybe deserved. He’s not human though, so it feels like something I better ask.
“Unless you’ve developed the organs necessary for childbearing, no, I cannot impregnate you,” he assures me.
He predicts my next question, answering as I open my mouth to ask.
“And no, you can’t impregnate me either.
Daulkuns are typically either givers or receivers of genetic material, not both. Unlike the Aekzuks.”
That pulls me out of my very realistic fantasy of trying to knock Tavryn up. “Huh? Male Aekzuks can get pregnant?”
“I suppose you could say that. All Aekzuks are both givers and receivers. Many choose a neutral form of address because of it, but there are some that have a preference for being addressed as more masculine or feminine.”
I have a hundred follow-up questions that I’m pretty sure Tavryn isn’t interested in answering. Note to self: ask Stells. Now that I know she’s a search engine with a personality, it won’t be as embarrassing to ask her those kinds of things.
“If you’re quite finished, I believe we have more important matters to move to,” Tavryn reminds me, sliding into my lap again. I give his waist a squeeze, grinning up at him. Oh yeah. Lots of very important matters.
“You ready for me to prove I ain’t bothered by doing all the work?” I ask, sliding my hands around to squeeze his backside. Tavryn bites back a soft, needy sound, but I still hear it.
“Hm, I suppose,” he says with a sigh, like he’s doing me a huge favor. Honestly, he is. I’d do just about anything to get him out of his pants and into mine. “You can start by reminding me what that mouth of yours can do.”