Cuddlefish - 13. 13

Excited to have returned home with a mate and a new friend, Pip was the first to dismount and rushed through the open hangar, burying his toes in the beach sand that began a few yards from where he had landed. The fine, white sand shimmered in the warm sunshine like a swath of crushed diamonds worn smooth by millennia of pounding surf. Pip closed his eyes and took a large breath of air, tears brimming in his eyes at the familiar feeling of being home.

"Well, well, if it isn't Pipolphi ets Dejunsi of the Sepida in the Waters…" an aggravatingly familiar voice called out. Pip didn't need to open his eyes to recognize it. The voice clearly belonged to his most persistent bully, Galieth ets Amunve. The two of them were close in age and Pip had been grouped with Galieth in their school and play. More than any other Sepida, Galieth had tormented Pip while they were growing up.

It went all the way back to some hatchday celebration when they'd been little. Even that long ago, Pipolphi remembered that Tilbei had been there at his side, defending him. When Pip was alone, he'd always felt open to attack, vulnerable. Pipolphi was too big, stuck out too much, never felt fast enough or clever enough. Galieth had always seemed to take joy in reinforcing his insecurities. Seeing the smaller Sepida immediately upon arrival when Pip had been so excited about coming home seemed to make the shining sun dim and to take away the sparkle from the sands.

"Crawling back home again, eh?" Galieth taunted. "Space too much for you to handle? Figures."

When Pip opened his eyes, he realized that Galieth was flanked by his usual accomplices. Gal's cousin Munklad, and their two friends Setrahl and Arolby. Though Galieth was the biggest threat amongst all of them, it did not ease Pip's concern to see them all before him.

Galieth was absolutely lovely in the eyes of the Sepida. In fact, he was considered the most beautiful out of their entire generation. He was adorably short, a mere 3'8" (111 cm), and a vast difference to Pip's 5' (152 cm). The smaller Sepida's resting color was a light pink hue all over with slightly larger eyes that were a golden yellow. His hair tentacles reached down to his ankles, even while in the slight waves of mischief that currently sent them curling and shifting like a living cloak down the rose-colored Sepida's back.

Galieth's three companions weren't as short. All three of them were between 4 and 4'2" (121-127cm), which was the range of height for nearly all Sepida. Though Munklad was Galieth's cousin, their only resemblance was in the same hue of their golden eyes. Mun was a muddy blue hue all over. Setran was a boulder-grey with blue eyes, and Arolby was a moss-green hue with lighter green eyes.

Pip had a theory that Galieth had surrounded himself with friends that were naturally camouflage-hues so as to hide himself from all the Hasserack that he attracted. Gal had never been the best at shifting colors during dire situations. So, Pip had seen him hiding behind his friends on more than one occasion. Pipolphi had never said so out loud except perhaps to Tilly, saying that a Sepida couldn't hide was one of the worst insults for their kind. Even if it was true and though Galieth tormented Pip, the tall Sepida could never bring himself to say such a thing. Pipolphi had always preferred avoidance of conflict, hiding, and running. It had never worked well, but Pip had tried.

The turquoise Sepida gritted his teeth and forced himself not to hunch to appear smaller. Pipolphi was tired of it, tired of hiding from everything.

"Not that it's any of your business, but I met many new friends in space," Pip replied, feeling a touch more bravery after what he and his new companions had survived. Not to mention that his beloved human and his friend Louie were also on board behind him. "And together, we took down a whole Hunnar ship."

"Ha! Well, talk about illusions of grandeur," Galieth mocked as he walked around the taller Sepida, circling around him like a hawk. "Who'd ever believe that such a gangly Sepida such as you would take down one Hunnar, let alone a whole ship?" He hissed as he quickly reached out to grab a handful of Pip's hair tentacles and tugged them down so sharply that taller Sepida's head bent backward. "Besides, other than that annoying Nubra, who'd become friends with someone as ugly as you?"

A pleased sneer formed on Gal's face when Pip's turquoise eyes glared right at him. The pink Sepida relished whenever he managed to gain the tall Sepida's complete attention. He shoved Pip hard enough to make the taller man fall to the ground and was about to pin him down. But, the moment was short-lived when a deep voice yelling in a foreign language startled him.

"Hey! Just what do you think you're doing, you little brat?" Zane called out as he rushed over to them.

The three other Sepida had wide eyes on their faces, and their necks craned upwards to gape openly at the immensely tall foreigner.

Galieth turned white with shock, which was quickly replaced with a pitch black of fear as he was lifted up effortlessly and held over the huge man's shoulder. {"OW! What the cosmos do you think you're do- OW! Stop this at ONCE!} He cried out as he felt a large hand coming down on his backside over and over again. It wasn't terribly painful, the shock and mortification hit him harder than the slight sting. His black hue bled quickly into an orange as he tried to decide whether the tall beast was dangerous or not. Every time that large hand swatted his butt cheeks, he flashed a mustard hue of pure embarrassment.

"Little girls should behave and treat others with respect," Zane grumbled as he continued to spank the little feminine Sepida. His movements began to slow down just as loud gasps were aimed at the blue swirls that began to overtake Galieth's orange hue. The human downright blushed when he felt something quite hard poking against his shoulder. Once again, he had judged incorrectly. It wasn't a little girl that he had been disciplining...it was apparently a young man.

{"I will never forget this, you big oaf! You tall troll!"} Galieth huffed as he shoved the human's hands away after he was let down. By then, he was a solid mustard hue all over, and his arousal could no longer be hidden. His hair strands moved in all directions in agitation. {"Congratulations, Pip! You've managed to find a foreign friend that's even taller and uglier than you!"}

{"He's big and strong and wonderful,"} Pipolphi shouted, hands clenched in fists. His skin swirled with reds and oranges punctuated with flashes of white; he could feel the challenge display thrumming in his skin. {"And he's not ugly! He's the most amazing, beautiful thing I've ever seen! And he's like that on the inside, too. Not like you, you're so dark inside."} Pip's shoulder's slumped, but Zane was there wrapping an arm around him and the Sepida straightened. {"It's so sad. Doesn't it hurt you, Galieth? Don't you want to feel soft and warm inside?"}

As the taller Sepida spoke, Galieth's mustard yellow hue began to shift from color to color. It was briefly an olive green of sly contentment when Pip began to shout back since he had managed to get a rise out of him. But, then the green turned into a yellow-orange of confusion. But, finally, his hair tentacles drooped straight down as he took on a deep brown hue of downright depression. He was dark inside? That's how Pip had thought of him all this time?

Munklad rushed forward to place a hand on his cousin's shoulder. None of them had ever seen Galieth turn that sad hue before. Mun flashed a vibrant pink of concern when tears began to fall from the shorter Sepida's golden yellow eyes.

{"Muuuuuuuuuuun,"} Gal whimpered as he buried his weeping face in his cousin's chest. {"Am I really that dark inside? A-all I wanted was for him to-"} A sniffle so loud that it sounded like the sound of a French horn followed. {"To like me. B-but all he cares about is that stupid N-nubra and th-this mean, un-cultured g-giant!"}

Though he spouted petulant and childish jabs, the solid brown hue was the truth of how upset the tiny Sepida truly was. Pip was right. Galieth was definitely hurt.

"Is he going to be alright?" Zane whispered. "I didn't think I hit him so hard for him to cry like that…"

"Didn't hurt him," Pipolphi whispered back. "Not sure what is his major malfunction." Pip sighed and stepped cautiously toward the upset Sepida. {"Tilly isn't stupid, and Zay isn't uncultured. If you really wanted me to like you, you wouldn't say things like that. I don't know what game you're playing now. What are you really sad about? It definitely can't be because I don't like you. You've never had a kind word for me. You hurt me, play mean pranks, and say terrible things. You've always made it perfectly clear how you feel about me, and it's pretty far from anything friendly."}

{"You know what,"} Galieth retorted with a sniffle. {"Fine! Believe what you want! I DON'T like you, and I n-never did! Go be happy with your unruly Giant and uncouth Nubra, see if I care!"} The tiny Sepida then ran off dramatically. The brown hue had never wavered.

{"Gal, wait!"} Munklad cried out as he chased after him. Their other two friends reluctantly followed.

"What was that all about?" Zane wondered aloud.

"No idea," Pip said, looking bewildered. "We grew up together. Galieth always mean because I'm too tall, blue like I'm happy-horny all the time, clumsy. Never nice."

Zane frowned. "I'm starting to think he deserved that spanking," he grumbled. He then glanced towards the ship. "Should we bring Louie with us to meet your parents, or should we leave him on the ship?"

"Leave, Louie?" Pipolphi asked, shocked. "I want Louie to meet the parents. Ahn, unless Louie doesn't want to come?"

"No, I just remember how he scared you the first time…" Zane pointed out. "Would he be scary to your parents?"

"Mnn, yes. But can't leave him. No one gets left behind or forgotten. Can talk to parents first, warn."

"Alright, if you're sure," Zane agreed. He then whistled for Louie to join them.

The two of them looked on, Pip in confusion and Zane in horror, as Louie tried to drag a recently-soiled large Mr. Teddy with him.

"Oh no, you don't...it's one thing to introduce you to the in-laws. It's a different thing entirely to have them see you fornicating with a bear. Mr. Teddy stays in here," Zane stated adamantly.

Louie's ears and tail dropped, but he dropped the teddy bear and padded over to them. The canine sighed as the ship's hatch closed, bumping Mr. Teddy the rest of the way inside. The Irish Setter perked up when Pip hugged him. The dog walked next to Pipolphi as they ventured across the sand toward a group of shining domes in the distance.

Louie liked having Salty Pup between himself and Zane. The waves and beach reminded Louie of home, but it was still a New Place and should be treated cautiously in case any bad things might be about. Later, Louie would try to patrol for Men with Hats and Beards to assure himself there were no obvious threats about.

As they walked, Pip explained in his best English who they would be meeting and why Louie and Zane would have to wait outside for a few minutes when they got there. The Sepida felt himself turn a guilty salmon color as he told Louie that his people would probably be afraid of such a big-toothed predator, remembering Pip's own awful initial reactions to the sweet dog.

"Don't worry, he won't hurt them. He'll be a good boy, right Louie?" Zane reached down to pat Louie's side. "No biting, ok?"

Louie turned to give Zane's hand a few licks. No biting. Got it. No one had forbid licking, however. Louie's tongue lolled in a doggy grin, looking forward to it.

As they approached the domes, more Sepida and Nubra were about. Most Sepida looked at Zane and Louie with wide, startled eyes before darting away or disappearing with camouflage. The Nubra they came across watched warily, sometimes stepping in front of the Sepida near them and glaring at the strangers. Pip sighed and kept walking, trying to convince his coloring to reflect calm. He thought he did alright until they reached Pip's childhood home. Nervousness prickled through Pipolphi sending flickers of orange across his skin.

When the Sepida neared a familiar dome, his feet seemed to lead him toward it without direction from him. Similarly, his hand lifted and stroked down the door to set off the chime within. A moment later, a huffy and recognizable Nubra was at the door. At first, Zane wondered why Tilbei's face seemed upset. But, then he caught sight of not one, not two, but three penises in different stages of emergence.

"Ahh! I can't unsee that!" the human whined as he covered his eyes with his hands. "I get it, already! Tilly's like 110% male!"

Tilbei raised an eyebrow at the tall human's antics, unsure of what was wrong with him. {"Sorry...Jas and I were...hold on, give me a sec,"} he relayed to Pip before rushing back inside to make sure that his beloved half-Polkin was dressed. Tilly himself didn't really care about such things as nudity or others seeing his arousal. But he cared enough about Jasper to want to honor his wishes.

When he opened the door a second time, his privates were once again concealed, not that Zane ever looked down at them again after what he had seen. He was still a little flushed with embarrassment, but Tilly didn't seem to be bothered in the slightest. As they walked in, neither Jasper nor Tilbei gave any reaction to Louie and Zane, since they had already been acquainted with them both.

{"Everything okay?"} Tilbei asked after setting two bowl-like glasses of water out for Zane and Louie to drink. Zane immediately set Louie's bowl on the ground for the canine to reach. A quick scan at the dietary machine showed that both species were a bit dehydrated and could safely drink their water.

{"We're on our way to see my parents,"} Pipolphi explained. {"Had a run-in with Galieth and his goons. I think he's maybe lost his mind."} Pip grinned. {"But Zay saw Gal pushing me around and, you wouldn't believe it, Tilly, he spanked Galieth."} The Sepida leaned in, guilty delight flashing in sparks white, lime, and salmon pink. {"And Galieth turned blue. Very, very blue."}

{"Blue? That had to be super embarrassing for that little punk,"} Tilbei responded with a snicker. He placed a hand on Zane's shoulder. {"Well done, man!"}

Zane didn't know what Tilly was trying to say, but the Nubra seemed pleased.

"Tilly said 'job well done' with Galieth," Pip translated. The Sepida blew out a breath. {"We have to get him a chip and mine updated to his language. I hate not being able to communicate."} He looked down at Louie, who was dripping water from his muzzle. {"And I speak none of poor Louie's."} Pipolphi looked thoughtful. {"Isn't there still that place near the Interworld Embassy that takes trade, Tilly? I don't have nearly enough credits to buy two chips and upgrades, but if I could trade…"}

Jasper stepped into the room, cheeks flushed and hair tousled. {"Oh, hi-hi.} He smiled and gave a little wave before tucking himself into his Nubra's side. He blinked down at Louie. {"Why is our Kaynen friend drinking off the floor?"}

Louie's head lifted straight up at the sound of Jasper's voice. He walked over to the hybrid and leaned slightly against Jasper's leg as if to beg for scratchies.

Tilly lifted a brow at the sight. {"Well, the place near the Interworld Embassy is still there. Are you sure you wanna go that far as to trade...that?"} He questioned as he subconsciously held Jasper closer to him and began to stroke his side.

The rabbit hybrid didn't seem to be able to keep himself from reaching down to run his fingertips through the silky fur behind Louie's ears. Jas petted the canine as Tilly frowned at Louie before looking back to Pip.

{"It's fine,"} the Sepida said, though he looked a bit uncertain. {"Zay will go with me, I'm sure. He'll make sure no one takes undue liberties with my person."}

Zane peered at his beloved Sepida at the sound of his name, but he still couldn't make out a lick of what anyone was saying. He knew he was involved though since his name had been called. No punches were thrown, so it probably wasn't any bad news, in any case.

{"Oh, is that the real reason?"} Tilbei questioned as he motioned towards Pip's curling tresses. {"Or is it that you want him there to watch?"}

Pipolphi squeaked and flashed bright blue then an embarrassed mustard and back again.

{"I, well…So, we came by to ask if you'd join us to meet my parents."} Pip said quickly, not caring how obvious the subject change might be. {"I thought they might be calmer with a Nubra there. And they can meet Jasper at the same time."}

Tilly nuzzled the top of Jasper's head. {"What do you think, Jas? Should we go with them to give them some support?"} He asked.

{"Oh, sure,"} Jas agreed easily. He looked down to where Louie was nearly falling over with happiness from Jasper rubbing under his chin. {"And why am I feeling like I really need to tell Louie he's a good boy like I am talking to a little kit?"}

Louie let out a pleased gruff as he licked Jasper's fingers.

Almost immediately, Tilbei lifted Jasper into his arms bridal style. {"Pip, your Kaynen friend is being too forward with my mate."} He huffed.

{"Ah, I'm sorry, Tilly!"} The Sepida said quickly. {"I really don't think he means anything by it. Louie licks me all the time. At first, I thought he was tasting me to see if I was good to eat. Now, I think it's how he shows affection. He licks Zay, too. He seems to like hands the best. He's never tried to do it anywhere naughty."}

{"It's probably just a cultural difference with Kaynen, Bei. I don't think Louie was getting fresh."} Jasper hugged the Nubra, kicking his feet slowly as he looked down at Louie, who looked utterly dejected. {"Aww, look how sad he is. Don't be sad, Louie. Who's a nice Kaynen? Who is? Yes, you are! Louie's a good Kaynen. You just can't hold your licker. No, you can't, can you?"}

Louie briefly turned around in place in excitement as if he knew that he was being called a "good boy."

Tilbei downright pouted. {"I would still prefer to be the only one allowed to lick you, love,"} he all but whined.

Jasper grinned and nuzzled up to his mate's ear, whispering softly, {"I can think of a few places I'd like you to lick me. Maybe you'd give me a turn to lick you, too?"} The half-Polkin's soft tongue darted out to tease a spot just behind Tilbei's jaw.

Tilly felt a shiver rolling down his spine at the prospect. {"Definitely, as soon as we get back,"} he vowed. {"So, are we doing this? Do you wanna stop by my mom's first for practice? She's been wanting to see you, too. She already met my Jasper."}

{"I want to,"} Pip said with a sigh. {"But if they found out I went to see them second I'd never hear the end of it. Maybe after?"} The Sepida made a rude noise. {"I might need her hugs if they give me one of their prepared speeches about what I should be doing with my life and bend my knees so I don't look so damn tall or I'll never find a mate."} Pipolphi's shoulder sagged.

Zane immediately placed a hand on his shoulder. "Everything okay?" he asked, concerned.

Louie also walked over to lick the Sepida's knee.

"Yes," Pip said, leaning into the touch and patting the top of Louie's head as he forced a smile onto his face. "Time to hit the road. Jasper and Tilly are coming, too."

They made quite the stunning group as they walked over to the dome that belonged to Pip's parents. However, with the addition of Tilbei, the other Sepida and Nubra around merely stared in curiosity as they walked past instead of trying to flee or fight.

The walk was too short for Pip. He found himself wanting to wander around a bit before having to see his parents. It wasn't that he didn't love them or they didn't love Pipolphi. Pip had been the only surviving hatchling of any clutch his mother had ever laid. Their devotion to their child was absolute and often overwhelming. They were determined for Pipolphi to live the life they believed he should have and knew with utter certainty what their boy needed to do in order to achieve it.

It was exhausting for Pip. He let out a deep sigh as he opened the door of his childhood home, nodding at his companions to let them know that they could wait for a few minutes in the tiled entry while Pipolphi talked to his parents and prepared them to meet Zane and Louie without them inking in fright.

{"Mom? Dad?"} Pip called as he walked further inside. {"Are you home?"}

Almost immediately, an aquamarine blur latched herself onto the taller Sepida. {"Come down here and let me see you,"} Xihiet, Pip's mom, trilled as she dragged his face down with her hands to inspect him with her vibrant blue eyes. Hues of lavender and green rolled down her petite form. {"Are you ok? No broken bones?"} She questioned as she began to inspect every strand of hair on his head.

{"Son! Do you have any idea how worried we were when we heard no further messages from your ship?"} Palosau, Pip's father, stated sharply as he emerged, though his purple body was rapidly bleeding into a pink of concern. His teal eyes, such a similar shade to Pip's own, were tight and filled with authority. He reached over to tug Pip's head onto his shoulder as he wrapped his other arm around his body. {"Thank goodness you're safe."}

{"I'm seriously contemplating never letting him go off-planet ever again!"} His mom huffed. {"Tilbei was with him and yet, still, these things happen. I just don't like it."}

{"I'm fine, everything's fine,"} Pip promised. {"We ran into a little trouble but we figured everything out, and it all worked out. I'm not a hatchling anymore. I love you, but I can't just hide in the juvenile pools surrounded by Nubra."}

Xi's lips drew into a thin line, but she held back from voicing all of her thoughts. {"You're safe, and you're here, and that's what matters,"} She decided.

{"Agreed."} Palos gruffly responded.

{"Ahmm, yes. And I made some new friends while I was gone. They're just…they're wonderful. Louie and Zay."} Pip gulped, his gills flaring slightly, willing his chromatophores to behave. {"Zay is…special to me. He's taken care of me, protected me. Louie, too. But Zay…he's strong, smart, gentle, protective, patient… "} Pip trailed off with a soft, dreamy trill.

{"Protective?"} Pip's mom squealed. {"Is he a Nubra? Why haven't you introduced him to us before?"}

Palos gave a small grunt of approval. {"Yes, in lieu of a Sepida, a Nubra would be an equally as acceptable mate."}

{"Hnn, well, he's not exactly a Nubra. Neither is Louie."} Pip nibbled his lip nervously. {"Though they share some of the best characteristics of a protecting Nubra. They're very strong and are fierce in their defense of others."} Pipolphi fought down a bubbling giggle as he thought of his human spanking Galieth blue.

The two older Sepida glanced at each other. If it wasn't a Sepida or a Nubra, just who had their son brought to them? Surely, it couldn't be a Hunnar!?

{"Sweetheart, just who have you brought home with you?"} Xi questioned hesitantly.

{"Wonderful people!"} Pipolphi said, a bit too enthusiastically, startling both his parents. Pip tried not to fidget as he softened his tone. {"I didn't know what Louie was, at first. Tilly said he's a Kaynen, but I don't really know anything about the species."} Pip's mother and father both frowned but the younger Sepida forged on. {"Louie is maybe just a little scary when you first see him. He looks like a predator, but I promise he is very gentle and sweet. He won't hurt you or me. He seems to have a cultural habit of, umm, licking hands and faces as sort of a greeting or something. So, don't let that startle you. He's not trying to eat you, I promise."} Pip sighed. {"I can't wait until Zay and Louie have language chips so we can communicate better."}

{"Language chips? If they can't understand you, how can you know that they don't feel abducted?"} His father questioned, finally realizing that his son brought foreigners with him. {"Are they even aware of where they are?"}

{"Are they foreigners?"} His mother asked, echoing her partner's thoughts.

{"Well, I may have possibly accidentally ended up on Zay's planet, Earth, after a little oopsie. He's something called a human,"} Pip said quickly. {"He had an extensive audio-visual library I was able to have the ship analyze to upload into my chip. It's not a comprehensive translation. But it was enough to allow communication. They chose to come with me. They wanted to."}

His parents didn't look all that convinced, but Pip thought up a different tactic. {"Tilly came across his mate while on a Hunnar ship, and they escaped together!"} Pipolphi quickly summarized. {"I'll introduce Jasper first, and with Tilly here, you'll see there's no reason to be afraid!"}

He then stepped out of the room and came back with Tilbei and Jasper in tow. Tilbei kept an arm around Jasper's waist and stopped a few feet in front of Pip's parents before giving a nod of greeting.

{"Good to see you again,"} the Nubra greeted. {"This is my mate, Jasper."}

{"N-Nice to meet you, Pip's parents,"} Jasper all but squeaked as he hugged Tilly closer as if to hide against him somehow.

Both Xihiet and Palosau seemed to melt just a little at the sight. {"It's a pleasure to meet you as well. Jasper, was it?"} Palos responded.

When the half-Polkin gave a hesitant nod, Xi smiled. {"We don't know the circumstances behind how you've arrived. But welcome to our planet. Tilbei's the finest Nubra of his generation, so he's a keeper,"} she praised.

Hearing such praise made Tilbei's orange spots glow in embarrassment.

Seeing his parents handling Jasper so well gave Pip a bubbling hope. {"Ok, with Tilly here, I think it's time to bring in Louie!'} He announced as he did just that.

Then, Louie barked a greeting and walked forward to sniff and lick at their feet. Pip's parents took a step back at the sight of the supposed Kaynen. {"Is he a carnivore?"} Palos asked warily as he stood in front of Xihiet as if to protect her.

Pip reached down to absently stroke the top of Louie's head. {"No! I mean, yes, but he eats special food in small quantities…"} He tried to explain.

{"Louie's a small warrior,"} Tilbei added. {"He's a good guy, believe us."}

Pip's parents glanced at one another again. They were still tense at the sight of Louie, but they also trusted Tilly to protect them.

Pipolphi straightened back up, his fingers curling and uncurling as he wrung his hands in nervousness. {"Mom, dad, I think it's time you finally meet my Zay,"} He decided. "Zay can come in now," he called out in English. "It's showtime!"

The tall human made slow movements as he walked in. But, the fact that he had to duck at the entrance until he was able to stand upright at the higher points of the ceiling made him all too intimidating. Bands of black and pink rolled down the bodies of both of Pip's parents.

All of their colors then seemed to be chased away like a drop of dish soap dispersing colors in a bowl full of milk. The two of them stood there, white as snow from head to toe, staring up at the tall man in pure shock.

The gymnast made as if to move in order to shake their hands, but he changed his mind. He didn't want to scare them. "Nice to meet you?" He greeted, instead.

Pip rushed about until he got cushions for everyone. Zane noted that they almost felt like large bean-bag chairs. He didn't hesitate to sit down when his lover shoved him down onto one and then sat on his lap, taking hold of his hand. Feeling just how tense his Sepida was, the human frowned slightly and began to gently rub Pip's back with his free hand.

{"I love, Zay,"} Pip blurted, clinging to his human's hand. {"When he has a chip, and we can communicate more fluently, I'm going to explain my feelings fully and ask him to bond with me as my mate. Permanently."} He fiddled with Zane's fingers nervously, then wrapped his arms around the gymnast's toned forearm. {"I'm not sure how we'll do the bonding ceremony without him drowning, but we'll figure it out. I want to be with him, forever."}

Both of Pip's parents sat down in one of the plush chairs as they shifted from white to a sickly grey tinged with the occasional pink. Their gazes had not left the very tall alien whom their son was currently sitting on. The flesh was a strange peachy-pink hue all over. He had what looked like light patches of fur on his arms and legs. The hair on top of his head looked dull and dead. But, it was those slate-hued eyes that were the strangest. So much smaller than theirs, and with a tiny dot of black in each similar, if much smaller, than the eyes of other beings they had seen.

A long moment of silence stretched so awkwardly that it made everyone in the room feel stiff, even Tilbei and his mate.

Palosau and Xihiet jumped when the sudden sound of Zane clearing his throat startled them.

"I know that you can't understand me right now," the human explained. "But, I am in love with your son. I would like nothing more than to have your permission to court him to my best ability. I will do my best to perform anything that you ask of me for your culture's version of our union."

Pip's hair tried to braid itself at Zane's declaration. The Sepida was able to keep his hair tentacles from knotting up in a display that would be simply mortifying in front of his parents. It would be like humping Zane while they watched. Ick.

{"Zay said that…that he loves me and he wants your blessing to begin the steps of bonding with me."} Pipolphi's skin rippled with vivid greens from the deep, true emerald of grass to the palest lime.

A change came over both parents at the sight of Pip turning all shades of green. They bled to a lavender hue of relief. Their son was always cheerful and sweet despite the fact that he struggled with a height that was far out of the norm in Sepida society. But, even though he had a positive disposition, it was quite rare to see him genuinely green with joy.

It made their multiple hearts ache.

{"Oh, sweetheart...if he really makes you happy, we won't stand in your way,"} Xihiet immediately cooed, urging Palos with a nudge to agree.

Palos took a deep breath, a slight frown still on his face. {"If what you've said is true, about him being a protector, and if he really is willing….then, we'll let it be your choice on whether you truly wish to bond to him or not."}

{"Thank you!"} Pip said, wiggling with happiness. He trilled and chirped in delight as he turned in his lover's hold. "They say yes! We can go steady! Make out under the bleachers and go to the drive-in!"

Zane felt like laughing and crying all at once. "I'm so relieved," he replied. "I'm glad they approve."