The Flying Neko - 5. Mate's Concern

Lian curled up against Itumak, the neko snoring gently behind him. The guilt kept eating away at him, his mind forcing him to relive the failure of the day. And every other time he had said that word.

They hadn't had sex. For Itumak, that was almost unheard of. His wolf was always hungry for the touch of his mate. Yet that one little word had made him back off. He still poured affection and love on Lian, but that only made the Daknar feel worse. Like the neko had given up his enjoyment so Lian would be happy.

The neko grunted suddenly, wrapping his arms around Lian.

"Good morning…" he grumbled, yawning widely.

"It's morning?" Lian asked, surprised.

"Um… I think so?"

Itumak stood up, crossing the room to get his tablet.

"Yeah, it's four in the morning. Are… are you okay?"

"Yes Master."

It rose to his lips automatically, a preconditioned response to a question.

"Lian… be honest with me," Itumak frowned. "You know I'll listen."

"You… you didn't have sex with me last night… I didn't mean to upset you…"

Arms suddenly wrapped around the Daknar, Itumak holding him close.

"Your happiness means more to me than all the sex in the world," he said, kissing Lian's cheek. "Why don't we take the day off and I'll make it up to you?"

"You don't have to do that-"

"Maybe I want to," Itumak smirked tiredly. "Oh, and don't be afraid to ask for what you want. The worst that will happen is me telling you no, right?"

He was right. Lian trusted Itumak, and knew the neko had his best interests at heart.

"Why don't we think about it over a cup of coffee in the mess?" Itumak smiled, pulling on his clothes.

Lian nodded silently, already dressed himself. It was the one comfort he had. As much as he loved sex with Itumak, he didn't want the neko to just… take him while he was sleeping. Not that Itumak would ever do that to him. But this was a good precaution anyway.

Especially since most Daknar slaves didn't have clothes. It was another thing marking him as a free Daknar, bound only to the catwolf beside him.

His hands found Itumak's arm as they moved through the ship, a finger tapping on the inside of his wrist.

"I love you too Lian," Itumak smiled.

The mess hall was surprisingly full, Egaro ordering food from replicators or chatting with other fleeters. Itumak hadn't expected to see so many bangles and necklaces.

He wasn't sure why he was surprised though. The was the Egaran homeworld, and they were at one of the largest cities on the planet. Obviously a lot of Alliance traffic came through here.

The neko picked up a pair of plates, making sure there was no meat on them. Carrying them to where Lian was waiting nervously, the neko smiled.

"They had some of that salad from the restaurant. It won't have that handmade quality, but it should still be good," he said.

"You could have gotten meat," Lian said quietly.

"But it would have made you feel bad if I got one of those lobster things. Besides, maybe I wanted to try the salad," Itumak pointed out.

"Thank you…" Lian smiled slightly, starting to eat.

A pair of tigers walked by, frowning at Lian. Itumak stared them down, until they hurried away, intimidated by the short neko.

"I think we need to wash you again," the neko said, looking at Lian.

"Okay," Lian smiled, his heart warming slightly.

The Daknar enjoyed those days when he was washed with Itumak's essence, the werewolf claiming the dragon as his. There was a problem though…

"We'll have to work on our shower first though," Itumak added. "Egaro may be open, but I'm not sure how open they'd be to us using the communal bathroom for this…"

"A lot more open than you'd think. Assuming you're referring to peeing on your friend."

A white tiger sat down next to them, a black necklace dangling over her shirt.

"Mind if I join you two?" she asked.

"Uh… I guess not," Itumak frowned.

Lian shrugged, eating slowly. He never added much to conversations and Itumak didn't foresee that changing anytime soon.

"I've never actually seen a Daknar before. We always hear about freeing them, and taking the fight to the Empire, but who knows when that will happen?"

The tiger frowned suddenly.

"Oh, where are my manners? I'm Rhea… Cadet Rhea, I suppose.."

"Corporal Itumak. This is my mate, Lian," the neko replied. "You're in the science fleet?"

"Yes, I'm planning to go into physics," Rhea smiled happily. "But the fleet wants me to get a broader knowledge base, so I'm here learning about ships and engineering."

"Oh, perhaps you'd be interested in helping me out then? I need to get an engine into my ship."

Rhea nodded.

"Are you just looking for muscle? Pan might be better for that. He's lousy with wires though."

"There aren't any wires in an engine," Itumak frowned.

"Then Pan's your cat! One moment, I'll go see if he's busy-"

"Uh, we don't actually have the engine yet. It's one of the more expensive parts," Itumak added, stopping the tigress.

"Well, maybe he and I can help with your shower problem then," Rhea suggested, hurrying away.

"Eat quickly," Itumak muttered, wolfing down his food.

Lian picked up his pace, the two hurrying to dump their bowls in the recycler less than a minute later. Itumak dragged Lian back to the ship, letting out a heavy sigh.

"Shouldn't we let her help?" Lian asked quietly as the ship door closed.

"I don't like her. There's something off about her, even for an Egaro," Itumak grunted. "She was looking at you like an experiment."

"But that's better than how most people stare," Lian pointed out.

"Better is not good enough for my mate. You deserve only the best."

The neko grabbed Lian by the back of his neck, pulling him down slightly so he could kiss the Daknar.

"I… I feel like we were rude," Lian breathed against the neko's lips.

"Probably."

Itumak sighed.

"What do you want to do about it? Find her again so she can stare at you some more?"

Lian shrugged, a slight flinch to the motion.

"Fuck."

Itumak groaned quietly, stepping away.

"Well… it's up to you, I suppose. I'm going to work on the bathroom. If you want to help, you know where to find me."

Lian stood in the cabin, sorting through Itumak's clothes. He felt uncomfortable around the neko right now, and didn't want to get in his way. And he knew nothing about plumbing or ships. There wouldn't be much he could do to help his mate.

Sitting on the bed, Lian let out a quiet rumble, closing his eyes. Life hadn't been easier with Thaelin, far from it. But he still wished…

What, that he was enslaved with her still? That he hadn't met their other mate? No… no, he loved Itumak. Nothing would ever change that.

But maybe the neko was forgetting what he had once told Lian. The Daknar was his own being, and only he could be responsible for his actions.

Standing, Lian felt his stomach lurch slightly. He slowly made his way to the bathroom, finding Itumak bent beside a toilet.

The Daknar reached down cautiously, running a hand over his mate's unguarded back.

"Lynestra's tits!" Itumak yelped, spinning around. "Oh… Lian… are you okay?"

Lian shivered, stumbling back at the outburst.

"I… I want…"

He couldn't say it, he could not ask for it. The Daknar's courage fled as quickly as it had come.

He fled from the bathroom, body flushing deeply.

"Lian?!"

Retreating to the cargo hold, the Daknar ducked behind a barrier, sitting heavily.

How could he dream of suggesting such a thing? Itumak had never once made him think it would be acceptable.

"Lian? Damn it, where are you?"

He shivered as Itumak passed his hiding spot. The Daknar couldn't face him with such thoughts.

"Come on, don't do this to me. Talk to me, please," Itumak called, looking through a door. "I can't help you if you won't tell me what's wrong.

Lian shivered, the motion catching the cat's eye.

"There you are. Why did you run off like that?"

"It's… I can't tell you…"

Itumak's hand touched Lian's arm.

"Sure you can."

Lian gulped, looking at the neko.

"Can we mate?"

"Of course," Itumak chuckled. "You never have to be scared to ask that."

"But… I… I want to mate you."