words like divorce and infidelity in mock horror as they gossiped.
“To involve elders would be seen as a lack of skill in ending a pair bond successfully.”
“I can't argue with that.” Max added a weak chuckle. “But we need to avoid tangling tentacles because humans want forever. Ending a pair bond usually includes screaming and blame and much damage.”
“Clarify. Emotional damage or physical damage?”
“Both,” Max said. “Well, most of the damage is emotional, but it is not unusual for the violence to turn physical.” Max edited out the part where people even killed over pair bonding from time to time. He had already made humans sound like psychopaths, but he didn’t want to make it worse.
“Max is never stagnant-bad even if we are stagnant-unchanging,” Rick said.
Max ran his fingers over one of Rick’s larger tentacles. “That is the nicest thing anyone has said to me in a long time.”
“Clarify. Long time.”
“Years,” Max said. “You are kinder than anyone I’ve known for years.”
Rick shimmied. “I understand your warning of danger inherent within human pair bonds. I still wish to pair bond.”
“I don't know that it is safe for us to pair bond.” That was not technically true since Max knew full well it was unsafe. He had too many tangled emotions. Maybe that was the isolation or the children. Or maybe his feelings for Rick, but if this relationship went sideways, Max would be screwed in the unfun way.
Instead of withdrawing, Rick curled more tentacles around Max. “I am smart. I am knowing that humans have dangerous instincts. I am knowing Max is dangerous. I still want pair bond.”
Max sucked in a fast breath. “I would never hurt you. I don't care how bad our relationship ended. I don't care if you dropped me on a planet on the far side of the universe. I would not hurt you.” Max's guts roiled.
“Okay.”
Max frowned because he had no idea what that meant. “I wouldn’t,” he said.
“I believe.” The wrinkles around Rick’s eyes deepened.
“I’m not afraid for you. I fear I will hurt if you choose to swim away. Me.”
Rick didn't answer for a long time. They sat on the edge of the bed and Max felt like they were teetering on some tipping point. He had already agreed to stay on the ship, so he wasn't sure why Rick was pushing for sex. “I like Max's stagnant water,” Rick said so slowly that the translation computer had to pause between words. “I like Max's stories. I like Max keeping offspring safe. I like Max keeping me safe. I like Max happy and making strange mouth noises.”
“Clarify. Laughing. Those mouth noises are laughing,” Max said.
Again, Rick was silent for a significant amount of time before he responded. “I like Max laughing.”
Max's defenses were crumbling faster than he could shore them up. He wanted a connection. That made it hard to stick to his stoic celibacy. He shrugged. “That’s not the worst reason to pair bond.”
“Query. Max pair bond Rick.”
Max knew he should say no. He should retain some semblance of independence. He just didn't want to. He was tired of being alone, and that feeling was much older than getting lost in space. He whispered his answer. “Yes.”
Rick's tentacles quivered before curling around Max’s torso.
Almost immediately, tentacles crept up and under Max's shirt. It wasn't an unusual response to accepting a proposal, but Max didn't know what to do with his hands. He stroked a tentacle, but he had no idea what passed for an erogenous zone on an alien. “I don't know what to do,” Max admitted. He hadn't said that since he was twelve years old and had discovered porn. Porn had given him a lot of bad advice, but at least he was doing something, even if it was the completely wrong something for the situation.
“Tangle tentacles.” Rick curled a tentacle around Max's wrist. All of those mini tentacles along the underside tangled around Max's fingers. Max stretched his fingers and then closed his fist. Rick shivered.
“If that's what does it for you, I can tangle some tentacles.” Max shifted to the right so that he could lean back and pull his legs up. He caught one of Rick’s tentacles between his two legs and then locked his ankles together in a wrestling move. Rick gave a full body shiver.
Then Rick was pulling at the shirt so hard that Max feared having underarm bruises. “Hey, don't tear it. It’s the only one I have.”
“We fabricate more. Many more.” Rick blurted