I paused, watching the scene from afar. I recognized the two as a fairly sexually active couple. Judging by the rings of bright pink and red in their feelers, they were currently in the mood.
That was fine. Except they were eagerly talking to Jaeyoung, and if I knew anything about the couple, it was safe to assume they wanted to rope him into their activities.
For some reason, that deeply annoyed me.
I dropped to a four-legged crouch and ran over to them. My chest buzzed with a weird, uncomfortable feeling.
As I skidded to a halt, Jaeyoung blinked at me. I saw relief in his wide, dark eyes.
“Linn’ar,” he said, surprised.
“Jaeyoung,” I replied.
“Greetings, sibling!” the taller Maeleon, Ske’rar, said. “We were just inviting the human to play with us.”
The shorter partner, Ran’nor, chimed in. “We’ve never had sex with a human before.”
A sudden sharpness in my chest. There it was again—that irritated discomfort.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Jaeyoung’s flustered expression. His brows furrowed and he stood stiffly, his body tense. It was a huge departure from his mellow, unguarded body language earlier, when his hands were on me. It was clear he had no interest in their proposition.
“Would you like to join us, Linn’ar?” Ran’nor asked.
Jaeyoung’s head whipped towards me. If he looked uncomfortable before, it was twofold now. Did he not want me tobe involved? If so, we were in agreement. I had no interest in a sexual tryst with other Maeleons.
“No, thank you,” I told the pair.
As soon as I replied, a visible wave of relief washed over Jaeyoung’s face. My hunch was correct. It pleased me to know we were on the same wavelength.
“Okay,” Ske’rar said cheerfully, turning to Jaeyoung. “Just the three of us, then?”
Spiky irritation bristled along my spine. But I arrived to the conversation late. Did Jaeyoung accidentally agree to a threesome while I wasn’t there? He didn’t seem like hewantedto be involved.
“What?” Jaeyoung blurted, his relief vanishing. “Wait, hang on, I don’t—”
The Maeleon couple looked confused. The normal Maeleon response to a sexual invitation was a simple yes or no. Jaeyoung’s flustered panicking must’ve taken them by surprise, but
I’d witnessed enough human behavior to recognize a cultural misunderstanding when I saw one.
I stepped forward, putting my hand on Jaeyoung’s shoulder.
“I don’t think Jaeyoung is interested in group sex right now,” I announced, glancing down at him. “Is that right?”
Relief flooded back across his face. He nodded vigorously.
“Ah, all right,” Ske’rar said.
Ran’nor asked, “Why didn’t you just say so?”
Jaeyoung looked too frazzled to speak, so I answered for him.
“For some reason, humans hide their feelings. They don’t communicate their wants and needs very well,” I replied.
The Maeleon pair took in this information, looking at Jaeyoung in a new light.
“We’re sorry if you felt pressured,” Ran’nor said. “We thought youwantedsex, since you were walking around with an open erection.”
I didn’t think Jaeyoung’s face could turn a darker shade of pink, but it was almost a brand-new color. He clenched his jaw, staring at me in a silent plea for help. I figured he was too flustered to speak.
