by Delaney Rain
“Chew them?”
“Yes, to make a paste.”
“Okay.”
They took a moment to get Ty sitting in front of him, the babies—hatchlings, as Ty called them—split between the two of them and holding onto toes or tentacles, gently swaying. Eric bit off a mouthful of plants and chewed, relieved that it didn’t taste like much of anything. While he mashed it into a baby food consistency, Ty nipped off tiny chunks of fish belly into the palm of their hand.
It was the single most domestic thing Eric had ever done in his life when he and Ty then fed the hatchlings pinches of greens and bites of fish. Everyone was quiet as they ate their first meal, and Eric almost couldn’t handle the cuteness of their expressions as they tasted everything for the first time.
“I’m falling in love with your kids,” he whispered around the lump in his throat.
Ty gazed at him with a liquid expression that Eric tried not to name for the sake of what remained of his heart. Then Ty went and said, “I feel they are yours as much as mine. Had I chosen any other host, I know I would not feel the same, but… Eric, they are yours, too.”
Eric couldn’t speak, so he stole a kiss, and then Ty stole one back. Lots of wiggling caught Eric’s attention and he looked down to see the hatchlings smiling up at them, tentacles waving like they were happy, too.
After a while, Eric realized he was no longer under the influence of the elixir because he had to pee and he was hungry, thirsty, and waterlogged. Despite how much he didn’t want to get out of the water and leave the hatchlings, he had to.
“I’ll be back soon,” he assured all of them. “Don’t worry.”
Sextus wouldn’t let go of Eric’s finger, though, until Ty had a quick talk with them. If they’d been above the waterline, Eric was sure he’d be dealing with big fat tears and wailing denial. It was his first lesson in saying no and it shredded him, but he held firm and stood up. He felt like the betrayer of everything good in the world as he walked away, even though Ty said they were all fine and that he should take his time.
Eric didn’t take his time, though. He peed like it was a race, grabbed a chunk of cheese and a couple slices of bread to stuff in his face, and spied a roll of extra window screen in the corner. He stopped rushing as he had an idea.
What was one thing all new parents asked for? A playpen. Something portable and easy to setup that could safely contain the baby and let the parents not worry for a little while. Considering the world their kids lived in, he and Ty seriously needed one of those.
Eric thought about where his little playpen had to go, what it needed to withstand, and gathered his supplies. He put everything in a big sack with a couple bottles of water, a protein bar, a bag of chips, and a pull-tab can of tuna, and headed back down to the lagoon.
Chapter Seven
“They enjoy your processed tuna,” Ty said from the shallows near where Eric worked.
He looked up from securing two pieces of wood together with fishing line. Ty held the can of tuna in one tentacle while the rest formed a half-ring around the hatchlings. Tiny, pale hands reached up out of the water, clearly seeking another bite.
“I’m glad, but that’s for you, too.”
Ty put a piece in their mouth, but the face they made said loud and clear that they did not like the way it tasted.
Eric laughed. “I guess the kids don’t have the highly developed palate that you do. Give me a few more minutes, and then you can go hunting.”
“Your play-pen idea will make leaving much less worrisome.”
“That’s the plan.”
If it weren’t for the fact he actually couldn’t, Eric would be in the water all the time with the hatchlings. He figured the elixir had been the only reason he’d been able to stay in the water for eight days without any complications. He’d read about submersion being used in torture and how it affected shipwreck survivors. Water was not kind to the human body after a while. So if he was going to look after the hatchlings each time Ty hunted, he had to be able to know they were safe while he was on land.
After a while, he surveyed his craftsmanship on the grass. The whole thing was held together with fishing line to minimize sharp edges or poking bits, but that would also allow the octagonal structure to flex under pressure instead of snapping. He’d bound a few fist-sized rocks to the bottom supports to help keep it submerged and in place. While it probably wouldn’t survive a storm, it could definitely handle a few wiggly kids.
“Where should we put it?” Eric asked as he looked over this part of the lagoon. “Is there anything around here that they shouldn’t touch or something like that?”
Ty bent forward over the area where they already had the hatchlings contained. Eric saw them move a few bits of something away, possibly rearrange other things, and then they sat up again. “Here should do well.”
Carefully, they both maneuvered the playpen into the water. Ty used their tentacles to stick each hatchling against the sides of the playpen, and they held onto the window screening. From the expressions on their tiny faces, they were nervous, but they held on until the playpen stopped moving.
As soon as it was still, tiny Primus launched themselves from the screen as though they meant to reach the opposite panel about four feet away. But the minimal current was still too much, and they were pushed right back. Tertius and Cinqus walked along the screen, and the rest went down to creep along the rocks and sand on the lagoon floor.
“They need anchors,” Ty said. “They are not yet strong enough to propel themselves very far.”
“And this looks kinda boring now, too.” There was one rock with some plants growing off of it that looked a bit like what he’d chewed up earlier, but otherwise, it was barren. “Why don’t you get some rocks and shells and stuff, and I’ll get some branches?”
Ty smiled brightly. “Another excellent idea.”
Eric trotted up toward the forest’s edge and quickly found a thick fallen branch a little shorter than his forearm. He thought it might be from the banyan tree because it was heavy enough that it might stay put underwater. It had a multitude of smaller branches sticking up in different spots and all of them felt sturdy. He took it back down to the water.
They positioned rocks, shells, and the branch to make what ended up looking a bit like a tiny, underwater obstacle course. Ty had to hold Primus back from making another leap as they positioned the branch in the center of the playpen.
“That one’s going to be trouble,” Eric said on a chuckle as he nodded at their first born.
“I believe you are right.”
When Ty moved their hand away, Primus pushed off from the screen and shot out their longest tentacles to grab onto the branch. It shifted slightly, but Eric was quick to reposition a couple rocks to help anchor it. When the rest of the hatchlings mimicked Primus, the branch didn’t move. Soon, they were zooming around their playpen, using the rocks and branches to push off or pull themselves along.
“I feel calmer,” Ty whispered as they watched them. “I think I was anticipating what my parent experienced when they were finally forced to leave us so they could hunt.”
Eric didn’t want to imagine having to leave these little ones alone. “Yeah, I feel better, too. I was really scared I’d have to get out of the water for a while and miss that something bad was happening.”
Ty made a sympathetic noise and reached for him. Eric moved around the playpen and didn’t hesitate to let Ty pull him into the water.
“Everything is better with you,” Ty whispered as they wrapped arms and tentacles around him.
Eric held them in return and sighed. “You should go get some real food.”
“In a moment.” Ty leaned their head on Eric’s shoulder.
“How long has it been since you slept?” he asked, smoothing his hands up and down Ty’s sleek back.
“I have slept briefly from time to time since implanting the eggs.”
Eric clicked his tongue. “Ty, you need to sleep. What if y
ou’re out in the ocean and too tired to fight back or something? The hatchlings aren’t the only ones I worry about.”
Ty lifted their head, smiling softly, and kissed Eric’s cheek. “We process food slowly, so what I ate before has sustained me. We also do not require as much sleep as you seem to, so my rests have been enough as well.”
A blush heated Eric’s face. “So stop worrying and just enjoy the moment?”
Ty chuckled and nodded. “It is a good moment.”
After a bit more cuddling, Ty’s stomach actually rumbled, and Eric was adamant that they get on with their hunting. Ty agreed, and they both checked in on the hatchlings one more time. All of them were in a little pile under the branch, sound asleep. The sight caused a lump in Eric’s throat and his eyes prickled a bit. They were so darn cute.
Ty kissed Eric softly. “I will not be gone long.”
“We’ll be here.”
Eric watched Ty swim out of the lagoon and felt like it was a good thing that they didn’t look back. Looking back would’ve meant Ty was nervous, so not looking back meant they were confident. It helped him feel the same way.
He spent a few minutes staring down at that little ball of babies before he moved out of the water to sit in the shade and eat. But that made him realize the hatchlings didn’t have any shade of their own and maybe that was why they were sleeping under the branch. He got up and repositioned his umbrella so he could share it with them, covering about half of their playpen.
As he sat there, he looked around at the lagoon and his imagination kicked in. Maybe he could make some improvements that would let him spend more time down here than up at the house. A small deck, more shade, a hammock, or maybe a floating deck in the deeper part of the lagoon. Not that he’d abandon his house, but since he couldn’t spend all day in the water, he could make it easier to stay around it.
A tiny splash of wetness hit his foot, and he realized the hatchlings were awake. Laughing, he went to lean over them. “Splashing me was a good idea,” he said down at their upturned faces.
Primus pointed at their open mouth, and then the others followed suit.
“Okay, one second.” Eric retrieved the can of tuna and sat down in the grass. He could still reach them over the side of the playpen, so he put a flake of tuna in each raised hand. They were incredibly adorable as they held onto the branches and rocks, chewing their tiny bites.
“Will Ty bring food back for you?”
They all looked up at him and nodded. He liked that they knew things. It would make taking care of them a lot easier since he wouldn’t have to guess as much.
A few more flakes each, and then they decided to explore their playpen some more. Eric watched them, gleaning more information about their individual personalities.
Primus was brave and a little reckless. The others seemed to sense that they could wait and let Primus do it first, knowing Primus definitely would. But when Primus was too rough with a rock and it rolled onto their tentacle, they were quick to seek out comfort from Eric. Primus sat in Eric’s hand for a while then, that tentacle pulled up and hugged to their chest.
Secondus and Cinqus were the most cautious. They saw Primus and the rock and stayed away from the ground for several minutes. They didn’t go to the top-most branch or too high on the screens. When they did venture down to the bottom again, they seemed content to show each other little pebbles and bits as though they had deep discussions about each one. It was the cutest thing.
Sextus liked holding onto Eric’s fingers best. The smallest of them all, Sextus was the one Eric kept watching because when they did venture away from his fingers, the current caused them the most struggle. Sextus was determined, though, which was good to see. They didn’t give up.
Quatrus liked exploring Eric, something that intrigued all of them pretty quickly. He’d stick his face or toes or arm in the water, and they’d touch and poke and tentacle-walk all over him. They thought his hairs were ticklish and compared the lengths of their bitty little arms to his. They’d wiggle their tentacles like he wiggled his toes.
Tertius taught Eric all about poo maintenance.
Like fish, when they went it came out as a long thread, eventually broke off, and floated away. Well, in the playpen, that meant it stuck to the screen and went no further. He couldn’t just leave it there, so he used a leaf to press the tiny strands against the screen. Broken up, it floated away on the current. Since none of the hatchlings were thoroughly disgusted, he assumed that was just the way things were and adapted.
Eric heard something off toward the mouth of the lagoon and looked over to see Ty swimming toward him. “Hey! How’d it go?”
“I was successful.” They held up a fish with sort of red and white scales that Eric thought might be a snapper. “How are the hatchlings?”
“They napped, ate a little, played, and gave me the chance to learn how to get their poop out of the playpen.”
Ty laughed before kissing Eric’s cheek in greeting.
Eric lowered his voice to say, “I think they’re considering another nap.”
Ty chuckled and set the fish on the grass beside Eric before peering into the playpen. “They look wide awake to me.”
Eric looked in and saw that, yep, naps were no longer happening. “Who’s hungry?”
Little hands went up, smiles all around.
Chapter Eight
“How adorable is this?” Eric whispered and smiled at Ty in the twilight. Just beneath the surface of the warm lagoon’s water, Sextus was asleep in Eric’s hand and sucking their tiny thumb.
Ty grinned and swallowed hard, and Eric suspected Ty couldn’t speak past the lump in their throat. The trust and unconditional love from these bitty little babies had done that to Eric several times over the past few days, too.
Now, as he gently set tiny Sextus beside Cinqus, Eric tried to think of how to ask Ty to never leave him. He wanted to propose, basically, but how would that work with a Cecaelia? Nothing Ty had explained about his people sounded like they did anything resembling commitment. Ty had said they considered the hatchlings Eric’s, but was that enough to keep them all here as a permanent home?
“Will you sleep here again tonight?” Ty asked as they stealthily moved away from the playpen and toward Eric’s chair.
Eric nodded. “Yeah, I have everything I need down here.”
Earlier, he’d gone up and gotten more food and water for himself as well as the big citronella candle to help with the bug situation. He thought maybe he’d plant some garlic down here to do the job more naturally. Thankfully, the local insects didn’t seem to care about biting Ty at all and gave up on Eric after a while. He’d grabbed some cushions and planned to sleep on them either in his chair or stretched out on the grass. He couldn’t seem to leave the lagoon.
“Then come sit with me for a while,” Ty said with a smile that gleamed with wicked intention.
Even as he moved into the water, Eric had to ask, “What about the kids?”
“What about them?”
“What if they wake up and…see us? I don’t want to shock them or scar them for life.”
Ty maneuvered Eric into his chair, arranging him just how they wanted him. With his legs splayed, they moved in close and trailed tentacles and fingers all over his thighs and chest.
“They have my memories,” Ty said. “Remember?”
“Oh. Right.” Eric glanced over at the playpen, a bit unnerved to know those innocent babies might know how to…to…do the many things Ty now knew how to do to him.
Ty chuckled. “They have no use for such memories now, but will not be shocked if they see us.” They leaned in and kissed Eric teasingly. “You on the other hand…”
Eric grinned and stopped thinking about their hatchlings. “Are you going to do something scandalous with me?”
He almost couldn’t imagine what that might be. He’d already taken that huge cock up his ass; how much more X-rated could they get?
Ty quickly distracted Eric
from thinking about what might happen by actually doing all kinds of things. With both hands and tentacles available, Ty seemed to be everywhere at once while they kissed. There were fingers in his hair and pinching a nipple, tentacles wrapped around his thighs, shins, and ankles, and a pair of them were fondling his sac and stroking his cock. Eric had a fleeting concern that he couldn’t possibly pleasure Ty as well with so few appendages, but Ty didn’t seem to have a problem with that.
Suddenly, Eric shuddered all over and looked down even though he couldn’t see anything through the dark water and the tangle of their bodies. “Did you just… Am I inside—”
“Is it pleasurable?” Ty bit their bottom lip with concern. “I thought perhaps—”
“Yes. Yes! D-d-don’t stop.” Because Ty had managed to get Eric’s cock inside theirs and the tight, hot fit was like nothing he’d felt before. Ty’s cock seemed to be sucking him, the thick muscle tugging with a rhythm that was leaving Eric breathless. “Holy fuck, Ty.”
They chuckled at him and more tentacles wrapped around him, their movements mimicking that pulsing pressure all over his body. Eric was panting already, clinging to Ty’s shoulders, and losing his mind. Every inch of him felt so fantastically—
“Oh my god,” Eric hollered when one of Ty’s smaller tentacles went right up his ass like a thick finger. His back arched and hips pumped all on their own as he moaned at the stars above them. “Ty… Ty…”
“I so enjoy knowing I can give you so much pleasure,” they said, their voice a throaty whisper as they petted his hair back from his face. “Being with you is more… More… Just so much more than I ever thought I would have.”
Eric couldn’t speak, but he’d heard Ty and he agreed with them. What the two of them had together was so much more than he’d ever thought he’d have, too. More pleasure, yes, but trust and love. Oh how he loved Ty! Eric’s orgasm crashed into him, not letting him do more than holler Ty’s name in joy.
As Eric tried to catch his breath, he felt Ty withdraw only to lift that massive cock of theirs and position it between them. With a weak chuckle, Eric let Ty pull him close and clutched them right back. Ty held Eric’s head and kissed him deeply, tongue delving as they moaned, and Ty undulated against him, rubbing off on him. Eric reveled in the feel of Ty’s building excitement and how it felt like Ty needed him so desperately.