“Yo,” I called as I entered their den, “if you want Levi’s half of the vegetables, you might have to—DUDE!”
I stopped as if I’d walked into an electric fence. I’d expected to see Jaeyoung and Linn’ar cooking together, like they always did. A sweet, wholesome moment. What I saw instead was a clip from an X-rated movie. Linn’ar’s broad back shielded most of the spectacle, but it didn’t stop the scene from being permanently burned into my brain.
Shielding my eyes, I complained, “Seriously, you guys? The feast is in two hours!”
“Oh, hello, Paz,” Linn’ar said brightly.
I sighed. It was hard to be annoyed when the dark green Maeleon was so freaking friendly. “Hi, Linn’ar,” I said flatly.
I didn’t bother addressing Jaeyoung. His mouth seemed... occupied.
“Two hours is plenty of time to take care of my filum’s needs before we begin,” Linn’ar explained. “Please don’t worry. We’ll be right on time!”
“Great,” I said. “Well... bye.”
I twisted on my heel and left before any more erotic images imprinted on my retinas.
I was no prude, even before crash-landing on Eukaria, and living among the sex-positive Maeleons relaxed any leftover Puritan ideals from Earth’s pearl-clutching society. That wasn’t the problem.
The problem was I was so fuckingjealous, it felt like my brain was going to explode.
I rubbed my temple, but it did nothing to soothe my simmering envy. The only way I’d calm down was if my very own special alien mate suddenly manifested in front of me.
Hey, if cis men could get knocked up by DNA-altering alien genitalia on this planet, why couldn’tmywish happen?
But it didn’t.
I sighed as I wandered the village aimlessly. I didn’t know what to do since my friends were busy and I was now responsible for my pair of potatoes. I glanced down at them.
“Maybe you two can be my friends,” I mumbled under my breath.
Tragically, the potatoes did not respond.
The sound of high-pitched, joyful laughter caught my attention. I turned to see a few Maeleons villagers playing games with Dai’zee and Kii’ran, the children of Levi and Jaeyoung respectively.
A smile broke out across my face like the sun after a rain shower. The delightful sound of their laughter never failed to brighten my mood. Those kids were like family to me—and so were the Maeleons babysitting them. The tight-knit village had grown on me faster than I’d expected, and now, I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.
I recalled with a snort how scared I was when we first crashed on this planet. I felt stupid thinking about it now. What was there to be afraid of? This place was paradise. The weather was gorgeous, delicious food was abundant, and there were no office cubicles sucking out your soul while a boss breathed down your neck.
Sure, the Maeleons were seven feet tall with horns, claws, and rows of sharp fangs, but they never used those for harm. They were all cuddly, horny flower-lizards.
I walked up to the group, feeling better already. “Hey,” I called. “What’cha doing?”
Friendly faces welcomed me. A ball made of thick woven grass lay between the kids, who batted it back and forth.
The closest Maeleon was Fhi’ran, the village healer and Jaeyoung’s mentor. His purple scales glinted in the afternoon sunlight as he faced me. “Working up an appetite for the feast. Are you hungry?” he asked.
“Always,” I said. Then the unbidden image of Jaeyoung and Linn’ar popped into my mind. They were supposed to be cooking, not screwing. “Actually, I can wait. I’d rather play with these cuties.”
I let the image wash away as I plopped down on the ground. My heart warmed as the kids lit up, happy to see me. Dai’zee slapped the ball with her little green hand, shooting it my way. I grabbed it like a goalie and gently rolled it back towards her.
I should teach them how to play football,I thought.But I guess they’re too young to be kicking balls around and yelling “GOAL!”
Another Maeleon named Tau’run crouched near me. They were tall with yellow-green scales, like an unripe lemon.
“Would you like to sit next to me at the feast, Paz?” they asked.
I smiled at the invitation. I usually sat near Levi and Jaeyoung during social events, but honestly, I could use some distance from my human friends and their constant uninhibited PDA right now. And besides, why shouldn’t I spend more time with my Maeleon buddies? They were my pals, too.
