Teekay watched as Elkay put on his bedtime pyjama wraps then climbed into bed, murmuring to himself as he did so. Teekay never bothered with pyjamas now that he was a Decay Lord, he felt safe enough to just sleep in the nude, but he did understand why Elkay still wore wraps. When they were mortal, they were both important beings, at risk of being woken up at a moment’s notice. Heck, occasionally, Teekay used to wear leather armour to bed, and both of them had occasionally gone to bed in full armour, not just because of sheer exhaustion.
Today though, Elkay seemed very out of sorts. He seemed genuinely upset, but he hadn’t told Teekay why he was upset. That meant he was both embarrassed and being quiet and trying to go to bed and to sleep as fast as possible, to escape those embarrassing thoughts.
Teekay though didn’t want Elkay to go to sleep with those thoughts. They would cause him grief as he tried to sleep, they would give him nightmares. So Teekay decided to teleport on top of Elkay and try and cheer him up.
“You alright, babe?”
Elkay grunted. Teekay was a lot smaller than Elkay, but he was naturally armoured so he did weight more than expected.
“Not really.”
“How comes? Did someone call you a “mutant freak” again or something?”
More grunts. Elkay grunted a lot and did so even more when he was upset. “No. I am annoyed. And embarrassed.”
“Guessed as much. But you know I won’t ever judge you. However, I would like you to tell me why you feel embarrassed, so I can tell you that you are perfect as you are and that the embarrassment is always temporary, since everyone else forgets and you don’t.”
Elkay didn’t speak, and instead grunted and closed his eyes. Teekay remained on Elkay’s chest, and wriggled around, stopping Elkay from sleeping.
“Stop it.”
“No. You’re upset. Really upset. Someone was mean to you. So, to stop me from going out there and electrocuting someone, most likely Eksi, to find out the truth, you’re going to tell me why you’re upset.”
Elkay growled slightly, then relaxed and relented. “No, it was not Eksi who upset me today. It was Nyssi.”
“Really? That’s unlike her.”
“She does the same thing Eksi does, with random telepathic outbursts. While we were recovering from our blood donating session, she noted that I have slept with only one other Rethan, while having slept with quite a few Skyavok, and that made me feel embarrassed, especially as, for most of my life, I had almost no opportunities to be with another Rethan. But to make matters worse, Kayel then suggested I could sleep with more Rethavok and bring that number up to two or three, by sleeping with Kuta or Ret. I think they made some sort of bet about it but I got pissed off and teleported away before I heard the end of the conversation.”
“So…” Teekay thought for a moment. “Are you embarrassed that you have only slept with Litvir, or are you embarrassed that Kayel offered a solution and you don’t like it, or both?”
“Both.”
“Fair. Well, let’s talk about that first one, because, let’s be honest here, it’s not a competition and it’s none of their fucking business. I lost my virginity to a Rethan in my late 30s, but that’s no one’s business but yours and mine. And even then? You and I were fucked up by life, we didn’t have a chance to live a normal life and be an average person!”
Elkay sighed. “I guess. But I had chances-”
“Scant chances that were easy to miss!” Teekay exclaimed. “You’re a bastard Rethianos with wings who became the High General, I’m a forcibly aged super soldier who spent my life protecting the All-Ksa. It’s not easy finding time to go dating and to get laid. And, again, it’s none of their fucking business! I don’t have a go at Nyssi for fucking around when she was mortal, and Kayel said he was a prostitute for a bit, we don’t judge him for that!”
“True…” Elkay muttered. “Hmph. I have met two Kayels who were prostitutes.”
“All prostitutes are L-Class, prostitution is a common L-Class part time job when you’re out of work and Kayel is a very popular L-Class name. All-Ksa Kayel knew at least three other prostitute Kayels…” Teekay trailed off briefly. “But like, again, who cares? Nyssi was a bitch for judging you and it’s no one’s business but our own!”
Elkay sighed some more, clearly only somewhat convinced. Teekay realised that he was more upset at the potential solution.
“Are you annoyed that Kayel suggested you sleep with Kuta and Ret?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Seems wrong.”
Teekay blinked. “You do realise I ask you if I can do and fuck Eksi, Psiksi, Kaytee and occasionally Kayel on the regular, right? Because your libido sucks? If you want to sleep with them, it’s fine by me.”
“Really?” Elkay seemed hesitant.
“Yeah, duh. Plus, you slept with Litvir, you might as well go two for two and nab Kuta too!” Teekay smirked. “Same way I nabbed Eksi and Psiksi.”
“Yes but…” Elkay was still hesitating. “I know Kuta is into unusual things.”
“So? We do weird stuff too. You’re a shapeshifter!” Teekay exclaimed. “Seriously, Kayel’s right. If you feel bad about having only slept with one Rethan, alright, sure, Ret might not be interested but I am certain Kuta would want a piece of you.”
“And you are not bothered?” Elkay asked.
“Of course not. Just let me know in advance so I don’t get in the way or anything. I know you don’t like being interrupted or caught off guard.”
Elkay thought for a moment, then smiled weakly. He rolled over, knocking Teekay off his chest, then hugged Teekay tightly.
“I shall consider it then. You are right, as always! Thank you for calming me down, my dear…” Elkay relaxed as he settled down.
Teekay grinned and hugged Elkay back. “You’re welcome, my silly little angel. Now, let’s get some sleep. You look like you need it.”