Not wanting to work him back up, Zef broke the kiss and burrowed their face into his neck, whistling happily as Bryce dragged three fingers up and down their spine. Lying on top of him, they closed their eyes and basked. They basked so long they nearly fell asleep, and they startled into awareness when Bryce started to snore.
They were about to fall asleep together, and it sent a thrill of exhilaration and anxiety through their stomach. There were many intimacies they had never shared with anyone before Bryce, but this one felt like the biggest one. Mantodeas did not share beds frivolously. They were not a strong species, physically speaking, and when they slept, they were at their most vulnerable. To allow another access to them in such a state was… special.
But Bryce was their mirror-soul, and if they could not share this with him, then who?
“Bryce?” they whispered, shaking him gently. “Bryce, wake up.”
With a snort, he roused, blinking lazily in confusion. “Huh?”
“I have something important to ask you,” they said as he rubbed a hand over his face.
“What’s up?”
“Will you sleep with me?” they asked, and he settled on the pillow, eyes closed again.
“I already was,” he mumbled.
With a huff, they scooted up his body and said, “Bryce!”
He jolted, eyes flying open wide. “What? What’s wrong?”
Ensuring they had his full attention, they repeated themselves. “Will you come sleep in my bed with me?”
Understanding dawned, and he cupped their cheek, searching their eyes. “You sure?”
They leaned into his palm. “Yes.”
A brilliant smile broke over his face. “Yeah, baby, I can do that.”
Belly tightening with anticipation, Zef crawled out of Bryce’s bed and took his hand, guiding him up after them. When he tried to retrieve his pajamas, they shook their head and tugged on his hand. Naked, he followed them through the house and into their bedroom.
“I prefer sleeping on this side.” They pointed to the side of the bed not against the wall, and Bryce accepted it, climbing in to take the other side.
He drew their pink sheets up and over his naked hips, then looked to them, like he was looking for confirmation or direction. They smiled encouragingly as they wriggled out of their underwear, leaving them pooled on the floor. This was, of course, not the first time they had been nakedwith him, but those nerves were back, flying around their stomach as they slipped under the covers too.
Since their night vision was not very strong, they left the lamp on as they scooted across the mattress until they were face-to-face with the human. He sifted his fingers through their hair, and they played with his prickly beard as they settled on the same pillow.
“May I share a secret?” Zef whispered, and Bryce nodded. “Mantodeas have two different words for sex. There is mating, to procreate, where genitals interact and fluids are exchanged in order to conceive. Then there is… English has no word. Sex, I suppose, though it is not right.
“For most species, those are interchangeable. The mechanics are, generally, the same. Sex for procreation and sex for pleasure and intimacy. You simply use or remove contraceptives.”
Too nervous to look him in the eyes, they traced the shape of his mouth as they continued. “For us, we have a word for sharing love and intimacy—athrum,though that is still not exactly right. It is like sex, perhaps, in the significance, though it is vastly different in mechanics and is not… sexual in nature. At least, not the way the connotation of sex is understood.”
They huffed in frustration at the lack of words to properly communicate what they meant. “What I am trying to say is—”
“You want to make love with me?” Bryce asked, quiet as the breeze.
Face flushed, they nodded bashfully. “Yes, I would like to thrum with you.”
Two fingers tapped the underside of their chin, and they answered the unspoken request. They lifted their gaze, meeting his thunderstorm, and he smiled at them.
“I won’t know how,” he said, swiping a thumb over their bottom lip. “Will you teach me?”
Emotion cinched their throat shut as they nodded.
“Okay. Depending on what happens, my body might react. I might get hard again,” he said, and they shifted even closer.
Their lips grazed his as they said, “That is alright. I will ignore it if you will.”
