bring tradition into our nontraditional union. But the reality is that I’m thirty-five and far too old for a second round of Pebble Gifting Season.
The roads are icy. It takes me nearly an hour to pick up the sushi and drive to the jewelry district where Lu’s house is nestled behind his family’s shop. After I park, I peer up at the windows of Cy’s apartment. I mostly want to avoid him because I don’t want him asking any uncomfortable questions, like what I’m doing here, or why I brought a fish-sharing tray and sushi. But also because of his scars. Why does Lu’s brother have to be in love with a sex god? Lu didn’t seem all that impressed by Cy’s scars either. Is sexual prowess an expectation?
With the fish-sharing tray in one hand and the sushi in the other, I navigate the slippery parking lot to Lu’s front door. But before I get the chance to knock, Lu opens the door. He’s wearing the blue sweater I bought him. The color emphasizes the white of his hair and deep blue of his eyes. They almost twinkle as he smiles.
God, he’s so beautiful.
He glances down at my feet, and his lips quirk up on one side. I follow his gaze and discover that I’m wearing mismatching shoes.
“I guess I got a little distracted?” I say.
“That’s alright. Come in.”
I follow him inside. “Fish-sharing normally happens on the bed. But we don’t have to do it right away. And by it, I mean fish-sharing. Not the other it. I mean, we don’t have to do that right away either, unless you wanted to do it right away.”
Lu searches my face. “Is everything okay? You seem nervous. Are you… having second thoughts?”
“No. Of course not. I’m probably not as… experienced as your other lovers.”
He smiles warmly. “Don’t worry about that. It doesn’t matter.”
“But I don’t have handcuffs or swings or piercings in my penis.”
Amusement dances in his eyes. “I don’t either.” He shuts the door and takes the fish-sharing tray and sushi from my hands and walks to his bedroom, setting them on the nightstand. “You could just ask, you know.” He steps closer to me and winds his hands around the back of my neck. “It’s really easy. ‘Lu, do you like to be handcuffed?’ Or ‘Lu, do you want me to get my dick pierced?’”
“Well, do you?” I ask.
He laughs. “No. To both. Although the swing could be fun. I don’t know. I’ve never tried anything like that before. I’m open-minded to it, though.”
“Some polar bear shifters are into something called Daddy kink,” I say, nervously. “Are you… I mean, do you…” My face grows hot with embarrassment.
He laughs again. “I’ve never wanted a Daddy. They tend to be bossy, like Cy.”
Cy would be a Daddy. That doesn’t surprise me at all.
“Then, what do you want?”
He gently brushes his lips against mine. “You.”
“Well, there has to be more to it than that—”
He presses his fingers to my lips. “Sex is emotional for me. Intimate. I just want to feel like I mean something to you. That’s the most important thing to me.”
Emotional intimacy has always been my favorite thing about sex too. It’s nice we have that in common.
“So then… you don’t have any kinks or things you like in bed other than standard anal sex?”
He scrunches up his nose. “Anal sex is standard?”
I open my mouth to answer that question, but he says, “Sorry. Maybe it is in your culture. It’s just, I like oral a lot too. It’s nice to take turns, you know? It feels good to give someone pleasure like that.”
The idea of Lu’s mouth on my cock makes me hard. I’d never ask for something like that from an omega penguin shifter. It would be considered disrespectful. But if Lu wants to do it…
“Will you teach me?” I ask.
His eyes widen in surprise. “Oral?”
“Uh, yeah. I’ve never… you know.” I watch him closely for a reaction. But he doesn’t seem disappointed. Just curious.
“Never? Not even once?”
I shake my head.
“Thank you for being open to it, then,” he says.
“I’m open to most things. I want to make you happy. I mean, I don’t think I could be a Daddy or… pee on you.”
He smiles. “Water sports isn’t my thing either.”
I try not to sigh too dramatically. I was so worried that Lu would want something from me that I couldn’t give him.
“Thank you. That makes me feel a lot better.”
He gives my cheek a quick kiss.