Archive of Our Own ^beta

Was he really doing this?

Alph glanced to the wide window of his apartment floor, seeing the verdant green on the horizon. On top of near every towering chrome building was topped with the fruits of his labor, literally. Six months after returning from PNF-404 Koppai was finally seeing relief from the food shortage, the price of juice had gone down astronomically... but housing hadn’t. This one bedroom apartment wasn’t cutting it at all, it was too cramped, and too loud, and he couldn’t even invite his family over to visit! But if he wanted to move he needed to cut back on costs.

So here he was, canceling his prescription for a medication he’d been taking for nearly two decades. sighing deeply at his personal computer he opened his accounting program, watching his budget soar with each season. Had his Estrous Dampeners always cost over 50 Citru or had inflation just gotten worse with the produce crisis?

Regardless this would be for the best, with all his savings he could actually move into a real house, not a tiny hole in the wall in a building housing thousands.

He’d been taking his dampeners since he hit puberty, as most Koppaites did that could afford it. Throughout all his schooling he was repeatedly warned that their species was originally prey before industrialization and thus had primal and archaic breeding instincts to keep the population afloat. His mother had told him that without his medication or a proper mate he’d die if he was alone during his first breeding season. Then again that was likely a ploy to get a picky child to take his medicine without drinking the family out of house and home.

Surely what his mother said about Koppaite sexual urges were just stories every parent told meant to keep the birth rate lower, and it failed at that. There was no way just meeting someone attractive could throw a Koppaite into estrous.

Alph had never gone through a real breeding season, especially not after he began transitioning. Now well into his twenties he was ready for the alleged horrors of a primary heat. Besides, he’d saved an entire planet, a rush of hormones would be nothing!

A week off of his dampeners, it became clear that the stories his mother told weren’t fake, his considerable low sex drive had skyrocketed as his system cleared the medication. Nearly every day he found himself losing focus and daydreaming about finding a nice guy to go at it with. With further studying he had found that Primary heats weren’t a myth in the slightest, and were rather the final stage of puberty for their species. It was a common occurrence for Koppaites to stay on dampeners till they got married and then share a primary heat with their spouse as newlyweds.

Generally it took between a week and a month for primary heats to begin, starting with an increased interest in sex, territorial behavior and abdominal pain with a feverish uncontrollable lust. Dammit, Alph might need to take time off work.

The next morning Alph woke in his bed in a full body sweat, it was way too warm in his bed, but rolling out of it seemed an impossible task, much less cranking his air conditioning to the max. However the Koppaite appetite was more powerful than any discomfort. And by the stars Alph was hungry.

Trudging out of his bed and tossing off his sleep shirt he meandered to his fridge, opening a ration of fruit juice and gulping it down. It was seed hive, the first of the fruits that they brought home to bear edible matter. He set the bottle down and wiped his mouth, not bothering to wash the glass just yet. He needed a shower before he got around to anything.

His bathroom was small, a toilet, sink, cabinet and the shower and bath. Alph grabbed a clean towel from the long rank and stepped in the tub, pulling the curtain closed before turning on the shower with the press of a button.

It was only once he was fully drenched that he realized he forgot to take off his boxers. Alph groaned and tugged the wet fabric down his hips, hissing at a sudden pleasure he got from the fabric scraping his t-dick. Wow that’s sensitive, maybe he should see a doctor?

And embarrass himself? No way, he was a planetary hero, he could handle hypersensitivity.

once he kicked off his boxers he got to lathering his freckled body in soap and rinsing off before he ran out of hot water. He only had a liter after all.

Once fully clean and wrapped in a towel Alph sat down at his computer, turning it on with a touch and swiping over to his email, there was a steady influx of messages from his grandfather and siblings, but what caught his attention was an update from Brittany on the state of the crops they retrieved from PNF-404.

Apparently some crops wouldn’t be able to bear fruit for a few years, and some would grow into such large trees they’d need to be planted on the surface and have their crops harvested with drones. And most importantly they needed a lot of fertilizer for all the newly planted saplings.

Brittany had stated she’d already made an order with the funds from the Koppai government and that the delivery would be brought by Hocotate Freight.

What a coincidence that the travelers that they had encountered would be coming to Koppai. Perhaps it was fate, statistically it was likely a coincidence.

The company’s best employee, Olimar had been a complete sweetheart after being rescued. He’d apologized on end for all the trouble he’d caused and for his partner’s uncouth behavior.

And his partner, Louie. what could Alph even say about the blond that wasn’t already obvious, he was quiet, unnervingly so, and seemed to cause trouble on every job he’d taken. He’d nearly doomed all of Koppai by stealing the Drake’s juice supply, and he had spent a week tied up in their ship. He was 2.5 centimeters tall, his eyes were a uncanny orange and his voice was shockingly low. His appetite was on par with Brittany and he was a completely fearless eater.

He was also handsome, with a smooth shaven face and a lanky figure that towered over Alph.

He smelled of ash and salt, mixed with what Alph could only guess was the Hocotatian’s natural musk. Alph wondered what his skin felt like-

What was he even thinking? Alph needed to get it together, he didn’t even know anything about Louie other that he was self-serving and a thief.

Brittany had stated that the fertilizer would be arriving later that week and that she wanted the rest of the exploration team to meet at the top of Brittany’s lab to greet their associates. Alph sent a quick confirmation email and sent it along, only realizing he’d be stuck in this state after sending the message out.

He couldn’t back out now...

“Alph! Hop in!”

Charlie called from the driver’s seat, a bright smile and a casual polo on his broad chest.

“Hey Charlie.”

Alph mumbled as he slid into the passenger seat, his kopad in his satchel over the tank top he was sweating through.

“Whoa, you doing alright?”

Alph buckled his seat belt wordlessly

“Just a little warm captain, I'll be okay, lets get heading out. don’t wanna get on Brittany’s bad side.”

Charlie hissed through his teeth at the thought and started the car.

They began down the road, floating up into the skyway to head to the botany institute. Alph slumped back in the seat, watching the rubber duck on the dash board, Alph remembered how much the captain loved that duck and how upset he’d been when it’d been stolen by Louie.

Louie. Why wouldn’t that Hocotatian leave his mind? The past week had been a nightmare of fevers, sudden arousal and so many sudden thoughts of the intern.

Hopefully it’d be just Olimar... even if Alph wanted to see the blonde again.

“Good, you made it Alph.”

Brittany greeted as the engineer stepped out of the car and onto the rooftop of the botany institute. The woman stood in her usual lab coat, expression as neutral

“Captain Olimar was wondering if you could look at the SS Dolphin’s engine when he lands.”

Alph blanked at that, his already sweaty body blanketed with a new wave of stress.

“I didn’t bring any tools, was I supposed to?”

“Calm down Alphie, Olimar will provide any tools, and he only wants you to check it.”

Alph breathed a short exhale and nodded,

“Okay, estimated arrival?”

Charlie came from the other side of the car, holding a picnic blanket that he set down on the floor.

“We have a good twenty minutes Alph, sit and take in the breeze,”

Brittany nodded,

“No reason to stand and work up an appetite.”

Alph sat down on the blanket and slumped, a little look at an engine wouldn’t be too hard, heat or not.

It only took a half hour for a familiar spacecraft to descend with a large haul trailer on it. The Dolphin descended slowly, landing on the marked shuttle parking. Brittany rose from the ground, dusting off her lab coat and placing her hands on her hips. The ship itself seemed in decent shape, nothing loose or smoking at least.

The hatch opened and a familiar man stepped out.

“Sorry we’re late! Had to take a small stop to secure the load halfway through.”

Olimar explained, antenna bobbing as he stepped out of the ship and landed with a thump.

We’re? could he mean?

“Let me get hauling for you.”

“No need, simply leave the shipments to the drones.”

Brittany insisted, Olimar rubbed the back of his helmet,

“Alright.”

Olimar blew his whistle sharply, calling out promptly.

“Louie, just open the bay door, we aren’t hauling it ourselves.”

The grunt that came from the back of the ship shot a wave of heat through Alph.

“L-Louie is here?”

Olimar nodded,

“The president insisted it was a two person haul, I’m sorry if it's rude, i told him to stay inside just in case.”

“N-No it's fine! So what did you want me to check Captain Olimar?”

“There’s a consistent thunk coming from the engine itself. I don’t have the expertise to figure out what’s wrong...”

Alph nodded,

“Brittany said you had tools prepped?”

“Right! just this way, it’ll be easiest to enter through the bay door.”

Olimar lead the engineer to the back of the ship, dodging the drones hauling out the crates and bags of fertilizer. A certain Hocotatian leaned against the wall of the hangar, his body doused in shadows and his shut eyes tracked on Alph.

The engineer shivered, Olimar patting Alph’s bare shoulder.

“Louie wont bother ya while you work, don’t worry.”

Oh what I’d give to have him bother me...

Olimar led Alph to the Dolphin’s engine, a box of standard galactic tools sitting by its access panel.

“It's been clickin’, she’s never done that before and I’m just worried. Probably nothing.”

“I’ll figure it out, don’t worry captain.”

Alph flashed a soft smile to the older man, the captain heaving a breath of relief,

“Ill be outside if there’s anything serious.”

Olimar raised a hand in goodbye and left out the room, spacesuit still on.

Now that Alph thought about it, Why was Olimar wearing his suit, but not Louie? Surely the ship was depressurized after opening up the bay door, could Hocotatians even breathe on Koppai?

Alph whipped out his kopad, frantically typing out a message,

Should Louie be wearing a suit? is oxygen okay for Hocotatians to breathe?

Olimar responded quickly,

Louie is an odd sort... he can breathe anything just fine, maybe a mutation from eating so many creatures on PNF404, he’ll be okay.

Alph breathed a little easier, huffing hard from the worry he’d balled his guts into by accident. He picked up a screwdriver and set his hands to opening up the engine so he could take a look.

The outside world and the burn of his body fell to a buzz in the background, all he cared about in the moment was helping the twining wires and components in need of an oiling.

“You smell different.”

Alph yelped at the sound, whipping his head around to see Louie looming over him. With his nose out of the engine he was hit with the musky wave of Louie’s scent. There was the salt of sweat, the danger in the lingering stench of bulborbs, the savory blend of sauteed garlic and onions.

It took Alph embarrassingly long to answer the Hocotatian, turning his flushed face to his work and ignoring the mess in his boxers at the smell.

“Do I?”

Louie moved closer, getting a proper smell of the man.

“Richer, like space rabbits in spring.”

The lack of space was overwhelming, Alph’s mouth was too wet, was he drooling?

“Smells like heat.”

Alph couldn’t take it, whipping around and grasping onto the blondes legs.

“I need you please- i cant take this!”

“Take what?”

Louie asked, Alph too desperate to bother unpacking his tone at all.

“This heat, I’m losing me mind, i want you to fuck me, please Please!”

“Oh. Okay.”

The response, the lack of gravity it held, threw Alph off kilter more than he already was, in a stupor even as Louie shoved down his slacks. Alph barely caught that the pant’s button and fly weren’t even done up at all. Reason sloshed in his brain like antifreeze that he should work on his own clothes, it's not like Louie could breed him with them on. Alph swallowed at the visceral enticing thought as he scrambled to tear off his own shorts. his shaking sweaty fingers caught on the metal button, Alph cursed himself for wearing such hard to take off pants. Louie’s fingers, pleasantly warm slid the button through its hole with ease. the hauler’s fingers dug under the fabric of his shorts, fuzzy hands splayed on his tummy and front. The fire in him burned double hot, Alph kicking his shorts off and ripping his boxers away from his sweaty form. A passing moment of clarity told him he probably shouldn’t fuck Olimar’s coworker in the engine room, but his lust quickly brushed that aside as Louie’s fingers wandered along his body, hands running under his shirt and grazing his lower nipples and top scars.

Then Louie’s tongue was on his skin, scratchy as it ran up his belly and the man’s hands tugged off his own clothes. The rapidly drowning rationality in his mind poked its head up to wonder the proper logistics of how the Hocotatian was breathing, then marveling over the scars littering the fuzzy body of the hauler. His mind promptly fizzled into mush as his eyes trailed lower, catching on the smooth skin of Louie’s cock, a seamed knot ringing the bottom.

Louie’s mouth parted from his flesh, replaced with the tacky skin of the man’s dick pressed flush to his thigh, inches from where he ached. The Hocotatian mumbled, turning up for his reaction

“Wha?”

“You have six. That’s weird.”

Before Alph could even blink the ravenous maw descended on his middle set of nipples, a fuzzy hand pinching at its neglected twin. Alph yowled at the assault of his sensitive mammaries, squirming pitifully to draw the foodie’s attention to where it was need most.

“Louie-Louie please!~”

He urged, tears gathering at his eyes,

“Mmn, don’t gotta condom yet.”

Louie mumbled against his nipple,

“Huh?”

“Rubbers, don’t know the word.”

“No... what are you talking about?”

“Protection.”

“Why would anyone need that? Just breed me already!”

Alph begged, burying his fingers in blonde hair, to his despair Louie pulled away, the open air on his scalding form torture. Louie shuffled in his peripherals, drawing tantalizingly close again, a packet of plastic in his hand.

“Don’t want to catch anything, or have kits.”

He spoke offhandedly, as if it was the weather and not a denial of everything Alph needed.

“but-”

Alph’s complaints died in his throat at fingers shoving into his hole, pressing with little intent, the man’s other hand busy pulling the strange covering over his length.

“sticky like fruit.”

Alph couldn’t even pretend masking how much the man sucking his slick off fuzzed fingers turned him on. The press of cool rubber against his hole and the shock of relief that came with the Hocotatian pushing in had him moaning shamelessly and his mind clearing. His approval was voiced in a drawn out keen.

Louie bottomed out a quick thrust, leaning over Alph and huffing a whiff of his scent glands.

“Smells good.”

The statement shouldn’t have had his face burning like lava, yet a few words from Louie left him in shambles. The blonde’s nose pressed insistently to the gland, sucking up his pheromones and pulling out in shallow drags, pushing back in with a similar laziness.

“Louie-ah~ faster, please.”

Oh he sounded so pathetic, voice cracking and tears pulling at his eyes.

“Mmm.”

Louie hummed, the unbearable itch finally prodded. Alph had needed this, needed Louie to fill him, to sooth the burning ache that had consumed him for days. his head spun with the weight of the thought, Louie, it was Louie doing this to him, it was the hauler thrusting into him, warm and heavy against his stomach. Some small part of his subconscious trembled, that buried herbivore terrified and more than dripping at the recognition of a virile predator, one that would bear hearty dangerous kin. Kin that would long surpass him in their survivability, Alph rolled his hips and moaned.

“Breed, breed me, please.”

His babbling was completely mindless, a pure instinct out in the open for anyone to hear, but only Louie was here. Only his mate.

His thoughts slammed to a standstill as pain nipped, literally, at his cheek.

"Loud."

Louie gave as reason,drawing his teeth away from Alph's now wet cheek.

His mate really was a good choice! Able to keep competition away by ensuring he was quiet.

Alph squirmed back against the man's thrusts, trying to be quiet but unable to truly silence his mewling gasps for more more More. The pleasure was resounding, bouncing through his body like a feedback loop of electric bliss.

The resounding pleasure ate at that awful heat, filling each ache till all there was was utter glee. This was what was meant to happen, this was wholly right and complete. Every sound and sensation, the weight and pleasing movement sang to his instincts. It was a symphony reaching crescendo, resounding and frighteningly beautiful.

And it thundered in his veins, lighting every nerve with satisfaction carnal and blinding.

This was right, this was triumph, victory over those in biological competition, he'd won and the slumping of his mate against his back was the trophy. He could rest now, fulfillment weighing on his eyes.

Alph woke in a bleary eyed state, sticky and alone aside from the engine and his tools, was it all a dream? Where was Louie?

He turned to engine to see it nearly fixed, but not his handiwork. Had Louie down that? The thought warmed his cheeks.

But why wasn't the man here?

He brushed the rising tensions in his heart as he dutifully tuned the engine, emerging to find it evening and the building top empty. Had everyone gone home? Should he? His work was done, and he was beyond tired. His bed sounded like heaven honestly.

So he set home, sending a message along to Olimar and his former crew mates, taking a shuttle to his apartment to sleep this befuddling mess off.

Alph had slept horribly, haunted by what had happened in the engine room.

Of how Louie had disappeared after everything, was the sex not as good for him as it was for Alph? If that was the case then would he never lay with Alph again?

Was this it? What if his estrous came again and he had to- no he didn't want to think about it, about the stinging thought that's he rather succumb than choose a different man.

There was so much unsaid, with only act it was terrifying.

Was the man still on the planet? Alph wasn't sure if he could handle knowing the man he'd taken as a potential mate was gone.

But the world still spun and clocking in was still expected.

It was pure habit that managed to pull Alph out of bed and on to work. If his heart had had any say in it, there was a chance he might've never moved at all : laying there, stewing in his growingly catastrophising thoughts, as if refusing to face the day could deny reality.

Returning to the rooftop to check on the progress of the drones he was met with the Dolphin completely gone, the only imprint in his memory.

Alas mourning what could have been wasn't on the timetable. The day went by in a blur, tasks keeping his hand busy while his thoughts became a steady, anxious hum.

Still he did his work, fixed faulty machines, redirected clogged pathways, ensured each sprout would get the proper amount of fertilizer.

It was only when he was preparing to go home, resigned to the thought of going back to his lonely little apartment, that there was a break in expectation.

As he was preparing to return to his abode and return his small workshop to a clean slate. Alph sensed a presence behind him. Before he was able to turn around to see, he heard footsteps. They were even-paced, confident, and they're gaining on him in the sunset lit workshop. Alph is not allowed the time to panic, as they catch up to him and suddenly there is someone standing shoulder-to-shoulder with him. They're close, too close, yet he doesn't feel afraid.

Alph instinctively turns to look at this stranger - and it's….Louie?

Louie is there, standing wordlessly. He's looking at Alph, with absolute fixation as though he had been the entire time, as if he hadn't left with olimar. Louie is also carrying a suitcase. And then suddenly holding onto his hand.

It's only when they begin leaving the complex together that it really registers what happened. Alph isn't all that alarmed, maybe this is the kind of thing that Louie doesn't say out loud.

That he was staying, if for a little longer, when Olimar had departed.

"Found a recipe, a good one."

Well, guess that means the sex was good after all.