“Well, I think we all had dates yesterday!” Nyssi laughed as she headed downstairs, where Retvik was lying dozily on the sofa, and Tenuk was eating a bowl of porridge and honey. Kayel was sitting in the kitchen, switching between his communicator and a yellow, portable games console.
“I wouldn’t call my regular meetings with Talok a date…” Tenuk grunted with some vague annoyance. “But I do enjoy teaching her things. Talok’s so sweet but she just never had the chance to be normal. Like, Talok doesn’t really understand movies, so I sat and watched a movie with her. It was really cute when she realized that movies could just be fun.”
Kayel shrugged. “You’re doing good, mate. Dates can be perfectly asexual, it’s just you spending time with a friend. Although, speaking of cute, holy fuck Kass is way cuter than I ever imagined. She’s a real sweetheart, which is weird since she’s also a vicious gladiator. Still utterly cute though.”
“I am cute…” Retvik muttered. Both Kayel and Nyssi turned to Retvik, who hadn’t realized he had said that out loud.
“I bet you are cute in bed!” Nyssi teased.
“I also bet you had a really nice time with Kuta!” Kayel added. “You’re tired but satisfied. I recognize that look.”
Retvik frowned, but quickly relented. “You are both right. I had a nice time. I also got over a couple of my, uh, hang ups, I guess.”
“Got in touch with your feminine side, eh?”
“Yes, actually.”
“Did Kuta get in touch with it as well?”
Retvik eyed Kayel, but, again, he relented. He’d experienced something new, something he liked, and he didn’t really have anyone he could talk to about it. Sure, Kayel and Nyssi were prone to being vulgar, but they’d understand.
“It was enjoyable, being the submissive receiver. I have always felt uneasy being more feminine, because everyone sees me as masculine and expects me to be masculine, and I felt I had to keep that up. But Kuta convinced me that I can be both, and that it does not matter so much what others think.”
Kayel smiled, then got up and sat down next to Retvik. “Dude, I’m happy for you! You finally realized you’re allowed to use your vagina.”
“That… is a really weird way of putting it…” Retvik blinked.
“Yeah but it’s true though.”
“Was it nice having a dick in you and being the one to not wear the condom for once?” Nyssi asked.
Retvik blinked some more. “Uh… I still… wore a condom…”
“GUYS!” Tenuk suddenly interrupted. “I’m EATING BREAKFAST HERE!”
“Sorry but…” Nyssi blinked back, obviously confused. “I… don’t get why Retvik would need a condom if he was being the female in a sexual encounter…” Nyssi then turned to Kayel, who, thankfully had an explanation.
“When a Rethan orgasms, most of the time, they ejaculate too. Because the clitoris and the penis share the same nerve endings.”
“What part of “I’m having breakfast” did you all not here?” Tenuk hissed. “Yes, I am kinda a horny teenager right now but I don’t want to hear about the guy I look up to as my best friend and big brother being fucked! It’s weird and sounds wrong to me!”
“I feel like I should have just shut my mouth…” Retvik muttered.
Kayel crossed his arms and tutted. “That’s the thing, Tenuk. That’s what Retvik’s been struggling with. Everyone sees him as a big buff dude with a mile long dick and can’t imagine Retvik also being a big buff lady with a vagina that longs to be filled. Sure, Retvik uses male pronouns, but we all forget that he has the option to be JUST as feminine as Nyssi is. Retvik is intersex, he has every right to use both sides of his body, without being judged!”
“It’s… sorry… I just…” Tenuk stuttered. “I just don’t get it.”
“Most folks don’t…” Nyssi tried to explain herself. “People accept that Skyans are male and female, because they’ve got way more open personalities and are nearly as sexually flamboyant as us Temthans are. Rethans are, on the outside, cold and strict and, because they’re big and muscular and scary, in pretty much everyone else’s eyes, they fit the tropes of being masculine. So when a Rethan says they want to be feminine, we all get confused. That’s why that Rethan gladiator who genders herself female, Kayess-En, acts like a bitch all the time, because she is subconsciously fighting the same battle Retvik is. Still, I have my own question. Kayel, you said Rethans ejaculate when they orgasm, regardless of the orgasm, does the same happen to Skyans?”
Kayel shook his head. “Nah. We can control when we ejaculate.”
“Why is there not tons of Skyan porn then?” Nyssi asked.
“Um… because there’s not that many Skyavok in general, and prostitution is both legal and recommended. We have easy access and a strong attitude to good, safe sex, thanks to the L-Class. But also, well, sure, Skyans want to see Skyan sex, no one else does. It’s ugly.”
“It cannot be that bad!” Retvik grunted. “It cannot be any uglier than Rethan play times!”
Nyssi thought for a moment. “There’s no Rethan porn either though. Like, Retty, you were single for fucking years, did you jerk off to anything? Actually, Tenuk, do you even jerk off?”
Tenuk stared blankly at Nyssi, then put his bowl of porridge down. “Ugh… I hate how I am particularly teenager-y today. Yeah, I have to, sometimes. Mostly for health reasons. I’m royalty, I have to make sure I have healthy sperm, and that means relieving myself on the regular. But, like… there’s not much that interests me, you know?”
“That’s fine. You’re allowed to be asexual!” Kayel smiled. “Same way Retvik is allowed to be fucked, and Nyssi is allowed to get a strap-on and fuck a guy.”
“I’ve always secretly wanted to do that!” Nyssi also smiled. “Anyway, sorry for ruining your breakfast, Tenuk.”
Tenuk rolled his eyes, then sighed. “It’s fine. I need to grow up sometimes. It’s just sex, and I get annoyed that I both don’t want it, do want it and also can’t quite legally have it yet unless I find someone else who is also 55-60 years old. But I mostly lean towards not wanting it because, well… I just don’t care.”
“Maybe you just haven’t found the right guy or girl yet?” Kayel suggested. “But yeah, you’re still young, I get it. Even if you’re older than us.”
“… Guy? Do you think I’m gay or something?”
“Uh… no, that’s just my overly genderfluid Skyan mouth running off again. You do you, girl. And if that means you’re asexual forever? Fuck it, who cares?”
Nyssi nodded in agreement. “We need a lot more “fuck it, who cares?” in this universe. The Skyans managed it, us Temthans managed it, the Ksithans are nearly there, the Rethans managed it even if you’re all rather quiet and shy about things. And while the Lanex are restrictive about cross-species sex, they’ve been pro-LGBT+ among themselves for centuries.”
“The Torr are stuck in the dark ages though.”
“Only the Torr elite!” Nyssi countered. “I think the common Torr would be just as liberal as the rest of us if they had the same outspoken voices we have. Anyway, I’m gonna take a shower, then get dressed. Timik wants to meet up again and I can’t wait!”
Nyssi headed back upstairs, waving as she did so. Everyone else waved, then fell silent, with Tenuk returning to his breakfast. However, Kayel remained sitting next to Retvik, and patted him on the shoulder.
“Hey, dude?”
“Yes, Kayel?”
“I’m proud of you.”
Retvik tilted his head to one side in confusion. “Why are you proud of me?”
“You overcame a fear of yours, stretched your horizons and tried something new. And you put your trust fully in Kuta, who genuinely seems like a great guy who clearly loves you. It’s hard to do that, sometimes.”
“I… I guess…”
Kayel patted Retvik some more. “You’re on to something good. We all are. Things are great right now. Don’t ruin it, alright?”
“I will not ruin it…” Retvik smiled. “It is nice that we are all happy now.”
“Yeah…” Kayel turned his attention to Tenuk. “Anyway, you got any plans today, or we just chilling?”
Tenuk shrugged. “I am happy to just chill. It’s been a busy week, could do with some relaxation.”
“Awesome!” Kayel grinned. “I love to chill…”