“Not that I think the staff wouldn’t actually do it—” Trill said uncertainly, suddenly realizing this might be really insulting.
Fortunately, Molun was laughing. “No, no, I totally understand. You always worry a tiny bit that it will get stuck in someone’s pocket and they won’t actually remember to send it. Did you want company?”
Trill shook his head. “No, no, I can handle being on my own for an hour or two.”
Molun pouted. “An hour or two?”
Trill pressed a quick kiss to his lips, no more than that because Arvus wasn’t there.
“I’ll be back, promise. You’ll get more reading done without me.”
Molun made a huffy sound, but Trill could see that he wasn’t actually that upset. With a last squeeze to his arm (and thread of energy, since it was basically second-nature now), he bundled up in his borrowed coat—his own coat had not been deemed warm enough, and it had been far easier not to argue—and left the castle on his own.
He posted the letter first. There was a chance that Yannoma wasn’t even going to answer when she saw that the return address was the castle, but having met the Prince, Trill felt compelled to try.
Then he swung through a few pubs and weaved his way through as many occupied dance floors as he could find, drawing in that sweet desire. They weren’t as full during the day as they would be at night, but there were still enough visitors, vacationers, and those who were unemployed or retired or just didn’t work during the day. Trill made himself go slowly and carefully, ensuring he didn’t pull too much from any one person. He was hungry right now, but this was the first skill Yannoma had taught him, how to go unnoticed. Now was not the time to get carried away and accidentally make someone faint.
It took longer the cautious way, but it was definitely smarter. Finally, feeling warm and complete and full of energy, Trill made his way back to the castle—where he encountered a problem that he’d not anticipated.
Molun pouted as soon as he saw Trill. “Were you having sex without us?”
“What? No, of course not.” Trill was confused. “Why would you think that?”
Molun gestured at him. “But that’s sex body.”
“What?”
Molun gestured again. “All of that. Sated. Happy. Sex body!”
Oh.Oh. Trill didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Molun wasn’t right, but he wasn’t exactly wrong, either.
“I didn’t have sex,” he promised. “I just went out dancing.”
There was a furrow in Molun’s brow. “You’re allowed to have sex with other people. No one said you couldn’t have sex with other people. Do you miss having sex with other people?”
Trill climbed into Molun’s lap and hugged the man. After a long moment, Molun hugged him back.
Quietly, Trill confessed, “I don’t miss having sex with other people at all. I don’t miss it so much that it scares me a little.”
Molun’s fingers tightened around him, and he was still clutching at Trill when Arvus returned. He seemed immediatelyto recognize that this wasn’t just normal cuddles, because he hurried across the room and sank down beside them.
“What’s wrong?”
“I went out dancing on my own,” Trill explained. “I don’t want to have sex with other people.”
“I don’t want him to have sex with other people,” Molun mumbled.
Arvus was awesome and understood them. “Come here, shift over.”
They rearranged so that Arvus could be on the bottom, then Molun and Trill could basically sit one on each leg, but Trill had his legs over Molun’s good one, and Arvus’s big arms wrapped around both of them.
“Is it time for that conversation?” Arvus asked.
“I know you like to have sex with other people,” Trill said. “I’m other people.”
“You are other people,” Arvus agreed calmly. “But we’ve never had this much sex with a single other person before.”
Trill peered up at him, then looked at Molun, feeling something light and hopeful bubble in his chest. “You haven’t?”
