Chapter 2: Human Dating vs Miqo'te Mating
Summary:
2. Learn and respect your human mate's customs, even if you find them absurd!
Notes:
Questions that will appear in this fic were provided by the reader over on AO3, just to make it clear.
"Hey, Sen, I've been running corrections over the last entry when you were napping and I saw that someone posted a comment with a question for us."
"Huh? And...? Weren't we going to do Q&A at the end in that case? Unless... Is it a naughty one?"
"No, you shameless beast, but one I think is very partial to the topic of the next post we were supposed to work on. Hence, I thought you may find it interesting to answer before getting into the differences between human dating and Miqo'te mating."
"Oh... Okay. Gimme a sec, I'll grab a drink and we'll see."
"M'kay... Ready?"
"Mhmm, shoot. What's the question?"
From nervous human, to both: With how long-lived shapeshifters are, does that mean that any regular Human/Shapeshifter couple not get much time together (assuming humans live the average span of 60 to 80 years)?! (ToT - that's too sad for the shapeshifter, and poor humans wouldn't want their loves to be sad after they pass)... are Raha and Damon lucky that they have Allagan blood in them?!
"Ah, okay, I see why you say it's a valid one. And to you, Dear Reader, please don't be nervous! We don't bite!"
"..."
"I mean: I do, but only Raha, so you are safe!"
"...get on with it?"
"Okay, okay... So, to answer that, in short and if you're by any chance considering a mating to a fellow Miqo'te, the idea of mating to a human, other than for the Allagans back in the day, as we touched upon in the last entry, for Seekers and Keepers is quite new. Not unheard of, since our societies started to interact, but give or take thirty human years is a tad... little for us to say for sure, if so far, it's been proven that once mated - for duration of it, since in case of a normal mating it is not as permanent, but appears that humans stop aging. My brother, Hades, would be a better pick to ask about the gory details, since he's a tad of a nerd with this stuff..."
"I'm so going to tell him you said that the next time I see him."
"... please, don't."
"We can negotiate later the price of my silence, Senri."
"...oh? Interesting. As for Raha and Damon and their Allagan blood... It's we, me and Ares, that are the lucky bastards finding them, never doubt that! As for technical stuff, I hope this chapter will make the details clear. Ready, love?"
"Mhmm, go ahead. If... Since it was directed at us both, let me illiterate: if that was the case, I would HATE to ask Senri to watch me grow old and die, and I believe it's the same for Damon and Ares. If my beast didn't assure me that it's not the case after we got together, I don't think I would agree to mate to him. So, I feel blessed for my luck... And not only with the surprise of not actually being fully human. That, I hope, answers you question, Dear Reader? If you read it, and have any follow-up ones, feel free to ask! As for the chapter, let's start."
After they first got together, Senri was convinced that - in a sense - it was a 'sealed' deal.
For Miqo'te, the mating itself was a simple enough thing: you like each other's scent, you get together, mate, bite each other and that's it. The magic of the bond itself enforced monogamy and...
"Wait... 'enforced' how exactly?"
"To be crude? One, you can't stand the scent of anyone else than your mated partner, and literally... can't get it up for anyone else, either. And mated Miqo'te find the touch of anyone other than their mate... in certain areas unpleasant, let's say, if it's understatement."
"...oh. Neat."
...and assured proper breeding, if as mentioned before, after the loss of Allagan Clan and as if by Bastet's curse as punishment for that sacrilige, the inbreeding between Seekers and Keepers appeared impossible. Though despite the two Clans warring over the ages, there been few known cases of the mixed mating, but as to make sure to keep them apart, none bore fruit.
So, Senri and his brothers were the first known hybrids in a millennium, and born of the purest and most powerful bloodlines of both Seekers and Keepers, as one can imagine, when each reached the mating age - which, surprisingly appeared to happen considerably later in life of each than their 'pure-blooded' cousins - they didn't lack in offers.
Quite the opposite, however, with their family history and knowledge of their potential - his brothers raised Senri in a respect for the tradition and since he was a little kit, fed his romantic soul with the ideas of a 'proper' mating. While his peers - and even brothers - occasionally indulged in a more frivolous affairs, he was determined to wait for someone to quite literally move his heart...
"...God, but you're adorable... if, considering last chapter, it was exactly why I was so pissed that you didn't tell me how old are you, Sen."
"Thought last night you enjoyed your recompense, my prince."
"...that's beside the point. If now I have to say that the idea that you were over a hundred years old virgin sounds completely absurd."
"Again: we matured even slower than a normal Miqo'te do, babe. So, if you - as you said - thought I was about twenty years old, mentally you wouldn't be far off."
"...fuck. Now, again, I feel like robbed the craddle."
"...excuse me? I know at the time I believed it was a dream and all, but I don't remember complaints, babe. No, quite the opposite: think I recall you quite eagerly begging for my..."
"Finish that sentence and you're sleeping on the couch tonight, alone."
"..."
...until he quite literally 'sniffed out' Raha and it went from there.
Or, so he would like to be able to say, but the truth was that despite all of his eldest brother's warnings and his cute redhead's massive amount of patience, Senri - throughout the beginning of their relationship could not get it through his thick skull that during that period human-raised Raha thought they were ''dating,' while he thought them mated - which led to a number of misunderstandings.
To start of, let's say that after some stories about the human-Miqo'te matings, there was a reason why he was baffled to begin with when Senri heard that his eldest sibling chose a human male for a mate. Not as much about the fact that Damon was male in itself, but more so because this type of mating appeared quite one-sided. Since the Tail-less didn't have their own magic to talk about, the effect of that was, they didn't suffer the side effects of the bond, while pretty much reaping only the benefits.
Most notable, during their status as the mate to a Miqo'te, they would appear to stop aging, and while their partner by magic was bound into an inability to desire anyone else, they weren't affected by that. In short, it meant that in mating human could cheat on their partner and they where physically incapable of that.
In essence, Miqo'te bound themselves to the human, not the other way around - not to mention the 'deal' was far from equal...
"Ugh... I take that 'neat' from before back. Why, the fuck, would a Miqo'te even consider doing that, then?"
"Getting there... If, I think, you're not going to like the answer, babe."
"...?"
...however, the allure of certain humans was hard to resist.
Miqo'te, in essence, at the dawn of their existence were - so to say - downright genetically programmed to protect. They were, after all, meant to be the guards of Bastet and her temples. In their true form a massive, feline beasts, both Seekers and Keepers appeared to share certain weakness.
And, as before, that, too, could be tracked back to the Allagan Clan. As the story of them would have it: they were the Bastet's favored children between them all for their tendency to be - frankly - smaller and more petite than their brethren, electing even in their beloved deity's heart greater endearment...
"...you're fucking kidding me, Sen?! You're saying that it's not that you and Ares are suckers for... 'cute,' but your whole goddamn species is?!"
"In short...? Yeah, pretty much."
"...that's so messed up. So... you fell for me because I'm short?"
"Don't be ridiculous, Raha. I fell for you because you're kind, sweet and considerate. Not to mention: smell downright like sin. If, I admit, first seeing Damon, I definitely instantly knew why Ares was a goner at first sight..."
"Because he's as short as me...?"
"Hey, it's not about being 'short,' babe, but you two are... overall, unbearably adorable - for us. One look at you, love, and all I could think of was to coddle and pamper you."
"...just try and see what it gets you, asshole."
"...yeah, that, too, my fiesty little kitten. You're downright edible when pissed off, so how was I supposed to resist...?"
"One more word, Sen, and it's a couch for you for a week."
"..."
"Good. So, as for the chapter...?"
With Allag long gone, Seekers and Keepers in mating - obviously - turned toward their clanmates, but once they emerged from the shadows to deal with humans' nuclear threat, they discovered quickly that when they weren't watching, somehow the species that seemed like a plague upon their lands, in a sense appeared to grown smaller and weaker, spiking the Miqo'te's natural need to guard and protect. And once the things between their people settled down, unmated shapeshifters hugely preferred a human lover - if not as much in mating, for already mentioned reasons.
As for Senri, after the promised ass-kicking by his eldest brother, Ares set him down and proceeded to warn him about what to expect with his new, human mate - if both quite unaware of the sharp difference between Damon and Raha, apparently. His older brother, until that moment meeting his lover's younger brother only twice, when giving Senri pointers as with anything else before in the young shapeshifter's life, based them on his own experiences with Damon and their then over a year long relationship, unintentionally setting his younger brother to make assumptions and misconceptions that put him on the receiving end of his lover's temper...
"...it wasn't THAT bad, Sen, I just... didn't want to be 'coddled.' Or that you would think I'm weak and... such."
"I know that now, babe, but then... You WERE weaker than me and I couldn't understand why you were constantly getting angry when all I wanted was to take care of you."
"Hey, it got better now, yes...? On both sides."
"Mhmm, true, but that... period was difficult is all I'm saying."
The first real shock - and misunderstanding - for Senri arrived when his mate announced that, when his brother and Ares were bound to go back to the human world, Raha planned to leave with them and go back to his home in general.
To say the he didn't take that well... was an severe understatement! Taking that as a sign that his human mate rejected him, Senri, perhaps a tad... overreacted.
"More: your freaked, the fuck, out."
"...I did, yes."
"And you threw a ridiculous tantrum."
"...yes."
"You know, now we can joke about that, but at that very moment when you... freaked out, and dragged me back to your room, I was honestly scared there for a good moment."
"I was... upset, but I would never hurt you, babe."
"Nah, that I knew, but your brothers, I mean... They looked ready to really... more than kick your ass for that stunt."
"...they would kill me if you wouldn't pacyfy me, love, not kick my ass."
"...? But they love you."
"And because they do, they would be quick about that, Raha. I told you, babe, we're not human and with us it's literally all about consent. For my brothers it, correctly, looked like I was going to deny you the freedom to reject me, and they weren't wrong, either. If you would really want to leave me - for good - I would do the same thing, they would be forced to step in and I would fight them to keep you - hence, discarding my honor and right to live. They would grieve, but not regret doing that, either."
"...that's sooo messed up."
"It's the way it is, love. To spare me, no matter how much he loves me, Ares would show himself to be weak in face of our Clan and all of our people. As hybrids, we're stronger - in magic and physically - than the others. To show I disregard our way - when we were created by our goddess to protect - is to offend all we stand for. If I could think clearly at the time, I would HATE them if they spared me, love, if you truly wished to leave me."
"...God, now I'm really sorry for not starting that conversation WITH asking for your phone number."
"Eh, shit happens, right? It all worked out in the end, so, yeah..."
"Still... Ah, I'm sorry about that, Sen. It wouldn't have happened if I didn't let my... insecurities get in the way... and all. I thought that by stating that I'm leaving, I would find out... where exactly we're standing at. You know, we had... ah, amazing sex, exchanged 'I love you's' but..."
"Yeah, I know, babe. Like stated, you thought we're going to date, I thought that you want to leave me - again, shit happens, so don't beat yourself over that."
"Mhmm, just... Eh, I'll think of something to make up for that, okay?"
"Ah, that I never mind, so looking forward to it. Ready to go back...?"
"Yeah, okay. So...?"
In the end, he ended up trailing after him like a lovesick fool he was by then, and soon after was faced with other... wonders of human dating...
"And to make it plain for you, Dear Reader, let's say that saying that, Senri's making the exact same face as when I made the mistake of offering him a vegan version of beef."
"...just wait until your first Shift, Raha, and if Hades's right that it's going to make your senses as sharp as they should be, hm? Not only I'm a fucking carnivore, but... Bast, but does that shit smell foul."
"Okay, but was going out really such torture...?"
"...I did like making out in public, but otherwise, yeah. The noise, agglomeration of scents and lights, humans staring... It was like a constant cacophony for my senses, babe. I did however LOVE staying in your apartment and just... being together. Not only sex, but watching you write, watching old movies, talking or listening to your favorite music. It's still my favorite thing to do, too."
"Hey, I hated that part, too. If you would say you didn't want to go out..."
"I thought that I'm already on a thin ice, babe, and I was literally dying to please you any way you would let me."
"Yeah... I guess our biggest problem back then was not... talking about the important stuff. Like what we want or expected and such. I thought that after spending your whole life in your lair, then a few months as my pet... I would dazzle you with the human culture... Still, I have no idea why, since I hugely hated the way how insecure and miserable it made me. The way everyone... well, pretty much lusted after you. Not that I don't understand, but... you know. There's only so much jealousy you can take, right?"
"Mhmm, same here. Especially when you wouldn't let me... how did you put it? Get 'handsy' in public because humans are, oh, so oversensitive about same-sex matings..."
"Well... I am more than glad we have that behind us... If I'm still a tad sore that it was Damon who figured out that you're miserable and not me."
"He is brilliant... and has been far more experienced after... dating Ares, babe, so..."
"I know, doesn't mean that it was any easier to swallow, though, you know...? Especially when he's been really... crude about how much of a failure I was being as the shapeshifter's mate. First time in my life I saw him so upset, too. Good thing, though, since that... finally opened my eyes and all."
"...truly? I thought it was that... female when she climbed in my lap when you two walked off."
"Nah, it was Damon... that bitch was another matter entirely. She was lucky that I'm not in a habit of hitting women... though, I won't lie, it was a close one. All in all... Yeah, glad to have it behind us."
"Same here, Raha. If I did more than enjoyed the way you pounced on me when we came home."
"You always enjoy it, being insatiable beast."
"True."
"Anyway, want to wrap it up here...?"
"Ah, yeah, sure... What we have coming up next, though?"
"Let me see... 'Fashion and Accessories.'"
"Ah... that's the fun one, yeah...?"
"..."
"You promised, remember...? That's the one with the naughty bits and I've been looking forward to your blushes. So...?"
"God... You're as bad as Damon about that. Okay, alright, the next one is the one with... naughty parts. If, obviously, the form is going to be slightly different."
"Yay! Okay, let's wrap it up and order dinner. I'm starving!"
"M'kay, go ahead."
Overall, though he found that he didn't much appreciated the humans penance for going out on dates, there were parts of it that he did come to enjoy. Most of all, because despite the annoyance of the presance of other humans and general dislike toward the majority of their culture, he enjoyed every single moment spent with his redheaded wonder. Learning about what his mate liked and disliked, what made him smile, laugh or frown. And once they passed that... period of getting to know each other, it only got better from that point...
Well... mostly, but that is what we'll discuss the next time. For now, Dear Reader, and especially my Miqo'te brethren, a word of advice from someone who made that mistake:
Dating DOES NOT EQUAL mating and vice versa. If, by any chance you're going to find yourself in the same situation as we did at the beginning of our relationship, do explain to your human partner that our mating equals their marriage - and you'll save yourself a lot of headaches.