Establishing Relations, Chapter 1

It was the fourth day since the tower explosion, and Natani once again sat at the table in the King's receiving room, deep in the basitin castle. He was alone, just him and the quietly steaming teapot, waiting for the King to show up. She was running late this time -- Natani had heard the bell ringing out the hour a few minutes earlier, for once catching the sound, usually too faint for his keidran ears, in the silence of the room. The King had never been late before, but doubtless something more important had come up. Even if these daily chats were her idea, every invitation still halfway backed by her initial cheerful threat of exposing his secret. Of revealing his... feminine features... to the world.

Natani shook his head. He didn't really think that she would do that, not since she hadn't already. Not with the way she practically radiated fair play. But he wasn't about to question it, either. And it wasn't like he had a whole lot else to do. He could only spend so long trying to charge his mana crystals each day before going insane, and what with the way Keith was spending his days doing basitin things, Natani couldn't really see him except for an hour or two before curfew. And even then, Keith never sought him out, though he never turned Natani away either. He was just...

Natani sighed. He hated seeing Keith miserable, and hated that there wasn't really anything he could do to help him. Still, the one good thing about being stuck on the island was that at least he could see him every evening. When he left, he'd just have to... hope that Keith was okay. That wasn't really a happy thought either.

But for now, he was stuck here, waiting for... hard to say what, exactly. For Flora to give up hope, probably. Trace and Laura had both died when the tower exploded, not even ashes left behind, and that was that. Keith had faced it head-on, but Flora... she insisted Trace had to still be alive. That she would know if he'd really died. The slaver was humoring her, and there were no other boats headed to the mainland any time soon, so... that was that. The King had offered to put Natani up at the castle, 'so they could more conveniently continue their talks', and, well... he hadn't even had the mana for his scent-masking spells at the time, so it hadn't exactly been much of a choice. He had at least been able to fix that problem after the first day, but... if he went back to the boat, then he'd have even less time he could spend with Keith. So here he still was.

And -- he had to grudgingly admit -- he didn't exactly hate talking with the King, especially now that they seemed to be past the initial rough patch. Mostly she still wanted to know about wolves, and keidran in general, but lately they'd talked about basitins as well -- and most importantly, every topic had stopped being somehow about him. When they'd started, the conversation had always seemed to circle back to gender, no matter what the context. The King, with varying degrees of subtlety, poking at Natani's story.

Eventually, Natani had decided to just tell her the real story, or at least some of it; how he'd been linked with his brother. He hadn't told her it still let him communicate with Zen -- mostly because she would probably have wanted to talk to him, and Natani didn't want to deal with his brother trying to flirt with her through him (Zen's indignant protestations of innocence had immediately confirmed his suspicions) -- but he had explained about the damage done to his soul, and how his brother's soul had helped to fill it in, and how that had changed him. How weak he had been before. And maybe that hadn't been because he'd been a woman, but it was still what he'd been like, and that was what his body still reminded him of.

She'd stopped pressing him after that, seemingly finally satisfied with his account. But she still had said 'But you -- or she, if that makes more sense -- still joined the assassin's guild, did she not?'

Because she'd been desperate.

Desperate how, the King had asked.

And... Natani hadn't really had an answer, not one that would have satisfied himself. There was something there, but... he didn't want to dig at it. The memories were too painful. Shameful. Weak. Best forgotten.

But... she had joined the guild. That was the absolute truth.

Natani shook his head again, grimacing. It wasn't like him to... ruminate like this. But this place kept reminding him of the King's words, and there was little to distract himself with while he waited.

Thankfully, he didn't have to wait too long before the door opened, letting in the low bustle of the corridor as King Adelaide strode into the room. She was wearing what she always seemed to wear when she wasn't in full armor -- that band of metal on her on her head; a red, embroidered cloak on her shoulders; a heavy amulet, and a top that covered her breasts, and nothing else, leaving her toned stomach on full display; and plates of armor hanging off her waist, on top of layered skirts of red and purple -- but in contrast to the last time he'd seen her, all of her bandages were gone. Her ankles were still wrapped, of course, and doubtless the base of her tail behind her. Natani surreptitiously checked his own ankles, just to make sure he was 'decent'. He didn't like wrapping them, but had taken to doing it to avoid trouble. At least his robe was already modest enough that he didn't have to worry about his tail, or any of the other requirements.

One of the King's guards closed the door behind her, leaving them alone and cutting out all noise from the corridor, at least to his ears. How did they get their doors to be that secure, anyway? Natani didn't know, but he supposed they needed to, what with how good their hearing was. The King started walking toward him, and Natani took the moment to wall Zen off from the link, just in case he decided to drop by. He didn't need the distraction.

The King arrived at the table, and nodded in greeting, then sat down across from him. Natani hadn't stood. She wasn't one for formality, which made her a lot easier to deal with than some of the other bigwigs he'd met in his life. And he'd finally started getting used to her size, too; she was easily over a head taller than him -- and that was without counting the ears -- and otherwise built to match. But he still couldn't help but feel on his back foot most of the time. She had a presence, and a directness, that made it hard for him not to be.

She took the tea pot, and poured for herself, then looked at Natani. He nodded, and she poured for him as well. Natani took the intricate porcelain cup, murmuring a slightly awkward "Thanks."

The King took a sip, and seemed to consider the taste, prompting Natani to actually look at what he'd been poured. It wasn't any of the previous teas; this was a dark liquid, almost like weak coffee, except the scent was nothing like that. He took a sip, careful not to burn his mouth. A hint of bitterness...

The King smiled. "Black tea. Not too bad once in a while."

He'd take a mug of strong coffee any day of the week, but... yeah, it wasn't terrible. Natani nodded. Certainly better than yesterday's...

... so was this because he hadn't liked that one?

The King took another sip, then leaned back in her chair -- though her posture was still perfect -- and put the tea cup back on the little dish it came with. She looked directly at him. "Keith Keiser."

Natani tried not to react, but he was sure his face gave something away. He just didn't know what.

"He knows your secret, doesn't he?"

Yes.

But... "Why are you asking?"

She smiled. "I won't use it against him."

Natani considered this for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah. He knows."

"You care about him."

"He's... a friend. A real one." And just about the only one he'd ever had.

"He cares about you."

A little jolt went through Natani at those words. Hearing them from someone else... and the King, no less... "We're friends."

"He was ordered to kill you, and disobeyed. Later, he drew a sword in your defense. In a courtroom." She took a sip. "These are not things a basitin does for a friend."

Then Keith wasn't a basitin, and good on him that he wasn't. But Natani couldn't exactly say that to the King. "Good friends, then."

Smiling, she took another sip of her tea. "Have you ever wanted more?"

That moment in the inn, when Natani had stopped Keith, then kissed him, flashed into his mind. "I... why are you asking me this?"

"It is good to understand a situation before one meddles. Or interferes."

That got Natani's hackles up, though he still tried not to show a reaction. "Meddles how?"

Another smile. "That depends on the situation. But I take it the answer is yes?"

Natani sighed, realized his ears were down, and tried to get them back up. She was so hard to deal with. "Maybe."

"You're not sure?"

"I have... at times... look. If I like him, I can't be sure it isn't just because of my body. And of... And if he likes me, I can't be sure that isn't because of my body, either."

"But your body is yours."

"Yes, but it's not me." He ran his fingers through his hair, somehow trying to work out the tight knot of frustration in the pit of his stomach. "It's hard to..." He sighed. "Look, you wouldn't even be asking me these questions if I had a male body. And that's how it is."

A smile. "Oddly enough? All else being equal, I would be."

That threw Natani. "Well.. okay then. But... it doesn't matter, anyway. I'm leaving. He's staying." And he's offered to pay my way. "That's all there is to it."

"Have you considered asking him to come with you?"

Considered, yes. Natani shook his head. "He's finally made it back here." Even if it wasn't exactly everything he'd dreamed of. "He's... got a place now. I have nothing to offer to him." And... Natani knew that Keith would have left for Laura. You don't want to hear that he wouldn't leave for you.

The King nodded. "We would be unfortunate to lose him." She took another sip, and after a moment, Natani followed suit, frowning. Did she really think Keith would go with Natani if he asked? Why?

The silence stretched a little longer before the King continued. "And have you no thought of staying?"

Natani shook his head again, more easily this time. "I have to get back to my brother." Especially now that there was a war on. But that was another thing he hadn't told her about -- though he suspected she had her own ways of knowing. "I never should have come this far in the first place."

The King smiled. "Well, I for one am glad you did. Things would have gone rather worse for us if you hadn't."

"Ah... yeah. Yeah, I guess... anyway, I do need to go. And even if I didn't... what difference would that make? I'm a keidran. He's a basitin. You have your laws."

Another sip. "Indeed we do."

To Natani's relief, the King then moved the discussion to safer ground. How did different tribes of forest wolves treat each other? Not well. Sometimes with open hostility, in the more distant regions, or if there was bad blood. Karne had different rules, because it was of all tribes and none. What were the relationships between the various guilds like? Whatever the relationships of the guild heads were like, really. Most of the time, polite, at least on the surface. Was it really true that keidran, even married keidran, were not sexually exclusive, or jealous? Mostly, yes. If you didn't mind two people enjoying each other's company, odds were you didn't mind them... well, enjoying each other's company. What were the marriage customs like? Well, he'd never been married, but...

So on, so forth. They finished their teas as they talked, Natani still wondering what the King had been driving at. He could have asked, but... that would have revealed an interest. Given her yet another edge over him. And so, he didn't.

Eventually, there came a polite knock at the door, and a short time later it opened a crack, one of the guards poking their head in. "General Keiser is here. Says he's responding to your summons, ma'am."

"One minute."

"Yes, ma'am. One minute."

The door closed again.

What was this?

The King looked at him. "I would like to speak with him without him being aware of your presence. If you would go through that door there, and leave it ajar..."

Natani raised his eyebrows. Fifty seconds left. Not exactly a lot of time for questions. But... it was hard to see the harm in it. And besides, he was a little curious to see what Keith the Ambassador was like. He shrugged, and went through the door the King had pointed at, somewhat surprised to find himself in a small bedroom -- well, small by the scale of the receiving room. Still had room enough for a literally-King-size four-poster bed and the rest of what you'd expect in a sleeping chamber. There was another door across the room, and he briefly wondered where that led. He was pretty sure the King's quarters were in a different part of the castle, but who else would need a bed that big?

Natani pulled the door almost closed behind him, but left a sliver to hear or see through. In the receiving room, the King had stood, and had positioned herself half-facing both doors. Natani nodded to himself. She'd thought this through... whatever her purpose was.

The minute expired. Natani heard the door open again, then close, and saw Keith as he approached the King, stopping far enough short that he didn't need to crane his neck to look at her. If Natani came up to the King's shoulder, Keith came up to maybe her breasts. On his tiptoes. He was wearing a typical basitin uniform, and today he just had his feet wrapped with cloth. Natani smiled to himself. Guess he'd finally decided the ankle coverings were silly. Or maybe he'd secretly agreed all along...

"Your Highness." The words were in Basitin, but it hadn't taken Natani long to learn those particular ones. It always felt a little weird to hear Keith speak in a different language, but it was good to hear his voice. Especially sounding that strong.

The King replied in Keidran. "At ease, Keith. This is not a formal situation. Quite the opposite." She smiled, and Keith relaxed a little, his ears lifting slightly. Maybe he'd thought he was in trouble. "Your injuries have healed, I trust?"

"Yes, ma'am." Following her lead, Keith had switched to Keidran.

"Good. That is good."

Natani thought the King would have went on, after one of her small pauses, but Keith jumped in. "Is there to be a challenge?"

The King shook her head. "No, not yet. I am sure you will eventually be facing more than one, but I expect you will have time to prepare. The requirements for your ambassadorship are such, and you so uniquely qualified to fill them, that it would take even someone clever and resourceful a considerable amount of time and effort to mount a challenge. Such people exist, but I suspect the prestige of your position is not yet such that it will draw their interest."

"And you expect that to change?"

"In time. As was often the case, it will take most of us some time to see what was obvious to young Nickolai."

Natani saw Keith's ears dip, and though he could only see his face from a quarter angle, it was easy for him to imagine the expression that passed over it. Natani's heart went out to him, but Keith quickly steeled himself. Quicker than if it had been Natani he was talking to.

Keith shook his head. "I'm afraid I'm one of those people. The only thing I understand for sure about my position is that I don't deserve it."

The King shook her head in return, and smiled. "A curious thing to say. It is not a question of 'deserve'. You will prove worthy of your position, and you will keep it; or you will not, and it will be taken from you by someone more fit to hold it. The proof is only in the doing. That is the basitin way."

Natani could see that those words affected Keith, in some basitin way that he didn't quite understand, but that he full-heartedly approved of when Keith nodded and replied "Thank you, ma'am," with real emotion in his voice.

She smiled again. "To honor his memory, I think, you should either work very hard... or do something else entirely. Either should serve."

Keith shocked Natani by laughing, a short burst, pure surprise at the King's words, quickly damped down into a clearing of his throat, and a hint of a smile. "Yes, ma'am."

The King nodded, suddenly thoughtful. "As it happens, we seem to have wandered onto the topic. It is in fact a certain detail of your position that I wanted to see you about today, and his touch is... unmistakable."

"Ma'am?"

"Have you familiarized yourself with the enumeration of your authorities? Thoroughly?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Paragraph sixteen."

Natani could see Keith's lips move silently for a few short moments while he thought it through, and then he began to recite. "Recognizing the diplomatic at times necessity of adhering to customs that are not ours, the Ambassador General is permitted, when dealing with heads of state, their representatives, or other persons of interest in matters of international diplomacy, to, at his or her discretion, break from strict personal adherence to a certain limited subset of laws -- fully enumerated in Appendix F, subsection eight -- that might otherwise at times unduly restrict his or her actions, to adverse effect to the realm."

"You see it?"

Natani sure as hell didn't.

Keith nodded, a little hesitantly. "Yes, ma'am. I did wonder. Will you... fix it?"

What were they talking about?

"That was my first impulse. But I am the King. All authority wielded by my generals also inheres in me. And so I grew... intrigued by the possibilities."

She paused, looking at Keith, who fidgeted a little. After a time, he cleared his throat. "Ma'am?"

"I am a head of state. You are my representative. And I propose..." She reached out to touch Keith's muzzle, index finger running up the underside, coming to rest under his chin, tilting his head up "... that we break from strict personal adherence to a certain limited subset of laws."

Natani's eyebrows went through the roof.

Keith's ears were full-up, and his tail could have cut steel. He swallowed. "Um... w-which ones did you have in mind?"

The King smiled. "All of the good ones."

For a moment, Keith just stood there, his tail quivering, everything about him screaming 'conflicted'. Then his ears lowered, and he reached up to the King's hand under his chin, pulling it away. "Your Highness, I'm... I'm honored, but..."

"Is there perhaps someone else you had in mind? A person of interest?"

Keith looked at her, then away, and Natani knew just how he felt, being read by the King like that. And the implication... his heart surged in his chest, almost painfully. Keith had never... not that... not that it could have mattered. But still...

Keith cleared his throat. "Could you... could you ask me again, after... after my friends have left the island?"

Oh, you poor sweet fool.

"And if it's now or never?"

"Then... then," Keith shook his head, "I--"

Natani opened the door. "Keith. Don't turn her down."

Keith turned slowly. "N-Natani?"

Natani grinned, and walked toward them. "I mean, look at her, she's gorgeous! You'd have to be some kind of an idiot to turn her down." Bluster through. "You guys were talking about sex, right? And not just, like, holding hands? Though I guess either way, really..." The King looked amused; Keith flabbergasted. Natani stopped near him. "Look, Keith... I want you to be happy. And that... that sounded like something that would do you some good. And don't tell me you don't want to. I saw your tail."

Keith blushed, and looked away for a moment, then back, pained. "Natani..."

There was more than one objection there, Natani knew. He put his hand on Keith's shoulder, and gave it a squeeze, willing him to understand. It's okay.

You deserve to be happy.

Keith swallowed and let out a strained breath, then looked up at Natani, a picture of frustration. "You really... want me to...?"

"Yeah."

Because it can't be me.

Keith looked at him for a moment longer, wavering, then sighed. "Then..." he turned to the King, a slight blush rising back to his cheeks. "I will trust your discretion, your majesty."

The King smiled. "Oh, just Adelaide for now, I should say. And here I thought I would just end up playing matchmaker..." She touched Keith's chin again, her thumb resting for a moment against his lips "... not that I mind being wrong. Follow me." She turned to move, leaving Keith's ears all the way up, then smiled at Natani. "And that goes for you too, 'person of interest in matters of international diplomacy.' After all... you'd have to be some kind of an idiot to turn me down, yes?"

Oh, I'm so many different kinds of idiot that it's hard to keep track sometimes. "I can't--"

"Just come along, for now. Perhaps you'll get to see something interesting."

And like that, Natani let himself be pulled along by the King's gravity, right back into the little bedroom to the side.

"This room is mainly for use during the season. And sometimes outside... just to rest, of course. It should serve us well today."

The King began to undress, first taking off her cloak, then unfastening the plates of armor from her waist and lowering them to the floor. Next she removed her skirts, revealing that underneath she had a... Natani supposed 'loincloth' was the only possible description, though it wasn't quite like any loincloth he'd seen before, being of clearly careful make and even adorned with the sigil of the Empire. She laid her stripped garments aside, then went to a dresser, her hair falling across her broad back, and took the band of metal off her head, placing it on the top of the dresser, followed by the heavy amulet that hung across her chest. That out of the way, she undid her top, then turned to face them.

Natani had not seen her bare breasts before, but they were every bit as heavy and full as he would have imagined. He glanced at Keith, but the basitin seemed unfazed -- or at least, not markedly more fazed than before she started undressing. Natani looked back at the King. "That's still considered decent for a basitin, right?"

The King grinned. "Correct, which is why I wasted no time. Why tarry on the uninteresting bits? And now..." She sat down on the bed, the wooden frame taking her weight without as much as a creak, and -- looking at Keith -- raised one of her legs off the floor "... would you care to unwrap me?"

That got a reaction. Keith glanced at Natani, blushing, and when Natani rolled his eyes in response, he carefully took the King's leg out of the air -- standing up, he was still a little shorter than she was sitting down -- then kneeled in front of her. The blush stayed on his face, and his tail would occasionally twitch behind him as he undid the wrapping, then slowly unwound the cloth, baring her ankle for the world -- or at least the three of them -- to see. After he was done with the first leg, the King presented the other and he repeated the performance, this time a little calmer.

The King shook her head, smiling. "Alas, not quite the reaction I was hoping for. I suppose living outside the islands has desensitized you." She smiled wider. "Perhaps we should work on that. Natani?" She turned her attention to him. "Would you care to provide him with more practice?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Natani could see Keith's ears stiffen.

Well... why not? That was harmless enough, and he'd rather be without the damn wrappings anyway. He sat down next to the King, once again very aware of their size difference. He pulled up the hem of his robe, revealing his own -- rather less skillfully wrapped -- ankles to Keith, and looked at him. Keith looked back, the basitin's ears still stiff, then looked at his ankles, and swallowed.

Oh.

Keith shifted to in front of him, then reached out and took one of his legs, very gently, and began to unwrap him, his fingers carefully teasing out the cloth, and smoothing the revealed fur. The blush went all the way up to his ears, and his eyes would dart to Natani's, making him catch the blush as well, then back to his hands as he worked, his tail slowly swishing behind him. Natani caught his own wagging in response, and after a moment, let it.

When Keith was done with the first, they switched legs, and Natani caught a glimpse of the rather considerable bulge in Keith's pants.

Oh.

The basitin was even more tender with the second one, his touch becoming slower and lingering as he neared the end of the wrapping, a small smile playing on his face, and strengthening each time they shared a look. At the end, he just held Natani's foot for a moment, thumb on top, fingers curling around to press against his pawpad, massaging softly.

When he was done, Natani wanted to put the wrappings back on just so he could do it again.

The King had been watching, and looked thoughtful. "How... very vexing. I'm not accustomed to coming in second."

Keith cleared his throat, opened his mouth -- then closed it again without saying anything. His tail was still giving the occasional little swish.

The King smiled at Natani. "Well, he helped us out. It's only fair that we return the favor, don't you think?"

Natani grinned in response. "Oh, absolutely."

They cajoled Keith -- very willing, but clearly self-conscious about what was going on in his pants -- into taking a seat on the bed, then kneeled down in front of him, each taking an ankle. Natani did most of what Keith had done, also taking his time and being careful, shooting him grinning glances, enjoying seeing the basitin blush and squirm under their combined attentions. But his eyes kept straying to the bulge in Keith's pants, as well, and it was that, and not the ankle business, that kept the blush on Natani's own face.

He both did and didn't want to see what lay under that straining cloth.

Natani ended the same way Keith had, holding the basitin's foot loosely and teasing at his pad, making Keith flex his toes and blush brighter.

"And now..." The King stood up, prompting Natani to move aside as she took a position right in front of Keith, looking down at him. "Could you help me with the next piece of clothing?"

Keith looked at her loincloth -- there was nothing else left she could have been talking about, excepting maybe the wrapping at the base of her tail -- and swallowed. He glanced at Natani again -- Natani nodded at him -- and then shifted closer to the edge of the bed. Closer to the King. Natani sat down as well to get a better view, a little ways down the bed.

With her standing and him seated, Keith's muzzle was at the level of her navel, and Natani could see his nose twitch as it drew close to the King's stomach. Keith swallowed again, and brought his hands to her hips, fingers dipping below the cloth at her waist, trying to tease out how the loincloth was secured. He lifted up the flap at her front, to get a better look, and his nose twitched again. This time Natani caught it too -- just a whiff of a new, potent scent that quickly fell into place in his mind as an aroused female basitin.

Keith finally managed to undo the garment, letting it slide off the King's hips and onto the floor, leaving her standing there completely in the nude. Keith's hands were still on her hips, and his muzzle lingered, mere inches from her sex and the slight hint of dampness there, the source of the scent that was tantalizing both their noses.

"Do what comes naturally."

Keith's ears twitched at the King's words, and then he dipped his muzzle lower, pressing his nose into her short fur, just above her clit. He shuddered, his eyes drawing closed and his ears falling back. Keith opened his mouth, tongue darting out to press against her flesh, bringing back the taste of that scent -- he swallowed, shuddering again, and then pulled his muzzle lower, tongue pressing hungrily against and inside the King.

Natani was mesmerized. That was not a position he had ever heard or thought of. Wouldn't that be almost as if... as if he was giving her a blowjob?

That impression grew even stronger when the King took one of her hands to Keith's muzzle, nudging at his angle, and keeping it steady as she pressed her hips forward. "Ah... you have good instincts. But you can get even deeper..."

Keith followed her guidance, pulling on her hips with his hands to keep himself tight to her, then feeding as much of his tongue into her as he could, then bringing it back to drink down her juices, or to change his angle, or to press it against her clit, making the King shiver and groan with his intensity, and to grind her hips back against his muzzle, almost as if thrusting.

What... what would it be like to have Keith between his legs like that? Natani was aware of his own growing arousal, and the slickness working its way into the fur of his inner thighs, coaxed forth by the display in front of him and the King's scent, growing ever stronger with Keith's efforts until it had matted the fur of his muzzle and was beginning to drip down his chin. Natani pressed his legs together and crossed his arms across his thighs, willing his body to behave.

The body refused, even making his eyes once again stray to the front of Keith's pants, and making him wonder what scents, what tastes, lay on the other side of that straining fabric.

No. No. Nonono.

The King nudged Keith's muzzle away, and he pulled back, tongue darting out to lap over his nose a few times before he drew a deep breath, opened his eyes, licked his lips, and swallowed.

"You show a lot of promise... just need to polish that talent. Practice makes perfect, after all." The King looked at Natani, raising an eyebrow. "Perhaps...?"

Natani could see Keith's ears twitch, and even though the basitin didn't look at him, Natani knew Keith's complete attention was on him. He swallowed, too, pushing back the thoughts. "N-no I'm... I'm good."

The King nodded. "Very well."

Keith's ears dipped, just a bit, but he didn't say anything, instead setting to wiping the King's juices off his muzzle. Natani was filled with an obscure sense of frustration; at Keith for just being disappointed instead of asking him, persuading him; at himself for wanting Keith to; and not least at the King, for being so... Kingy.

The King smiled at Keith. "Let's see what's under those clothes."

_ Kingy _.

Keith blushed, but didn't waste any time in getting off the bed -- a little awkward with the fit of his pants, but no longer putting any futile attempt into hiding it -- and starting to undress, taking off his shirt and leaving himself bare from the waist up. He wasn't as visibly muscled as the King -- or even Natani himself, for that matter -- but Natani knew that his small frame packed a deceptive amount of strength. He'd thrown Natani before, when they were sparring, and Keith hadn't needed a lot of his momentum to do it. Possibly wouldn't have needed any.

Didn't make him any less cute, though.

... maybe the opposite.

Down to his pants, Keith's bashfulness seemed to find him again, and he hesitated for a moment -- long enough for the King to kneel down next to him. And then continue straight down into a sitting position, since kneeling she had still been as tall as he was.

She smiled up at Keith. "It's only fair. You help me, I help you..."

The King unfastened Keith's belt, which caused his bulge to get even bigger as that pressure was relieved, moving the strain to his buttons. The King undid them, one by one, and the bulge was no longer in Keith's pants -- but in his underwear, the heart-patterned boxers Natani had laughed at a few times.

He wasn't laughing now.

The King hooked his fingers behind Keith's straining waistband and pulled, and Natani swallowed. He was... formidable. The tip was more blunt than a wolf's would have been, though still tapered, and basitins apparently didn't have knots -- he... might have... wondered about that, sometimes -- but the girth of the shaft was larger than Zen's, though of course less than his knot. The length seemed more normal, though it was so thick it tried to trick his eyes into thinking it was shorter than it actually was.

"Oh, yes." Natani tore his eyes away to look at the King, who was also examining Keith. "Quite the promising young man."

Natani cleared his throat. "Is that size... normal for a basitin?"

"He's certainly above average. And quite impressive for his frame. Wouldn't you agree?"

Indeed, he... he would have to.

Keith cleared his throat. "I'm right here, you know."

Natani looked up at him, blushing at where his attention had been. Keith looked... relieved, almost? Had he been worried that Natani would find him... repulsive? Because he was a basitin? Or because he was a guy?

Both reasonable fears, he realized. But not... not accurate. He smiled at Keith. "You look good."

Keith blushed. "Yeah?"

"Yeah." He laughed, relief at the moment of... well, not exactly normalcy, really, but connection. "Hells, I wish I had that thing."

"Oh yeah?" Keith grinned. "Wouldn't be too small for your frame?"

Natani shook his head, smiling. "No. I'd still be impressive. Might weird out all the wolf ladies, though."

Keith opened his mouth, then seemed to change his mind a few times before he actually spoke. "Then maybe... maybe you should try basitin guys?"

Was Keith... actually flirting with him? Natani blushed, his ears perking up. He had to admit that the confidence was a good look on the basitin.

If only... if only he actually had that equipment, and could have taken Keith up on that. Though, well... would he actually have followed through? Who knows, but for the moment, Natani actually felt like he might have.

"Or basitin women." Natani's attention was brought back to the King, still sitting beside Keith, looking at Natani with an amused smile.

Still looking at Natani sidelong as she started, she opened her muzzle wide and gathered up Keith's tip, then pushed lower on his shaft... swallowing it all, until her nose pressed up against Keith's belly, and her tongue against the base of his shaft -- only to push out even farther, dragging against his sack as it curled beneath.

Keith was transfixed, looking down at her with his mouth ajar, his tail stiff behind him, his hips trembling against the King's muzzle, those trembles occasionally building up into a stronger jerk, pushing against her.

She just pushed back in response.

Damn.

Surely, Keith had to reach her throat... but she showed no sign of discomfort, churning her nose against Keith's stomach for another moment or two before pulling off, lingering near the tip for a while, doing something that drew a slow groan from Keith, then letting him slip out of her muzzle with a smile.

Keith sat down on the edge of the bed, hard.

The King licked her lips, satisfied. "It appears I've still got it." She looked at Natani. "I don't suppose...?"

Natani raised his hands and shook his head. He wasn't even a little tempted, this time, even though... even though he otherwise maybe might have been. There was no way he was following that up.

She smiled at him. "That was perhaps poor form on my part; I may have gotten a little... carried away. There is no need to be that flashy. Anything you might happen to want to..." she looked at Keith for confirmation. "I'm sure you would not disappoint."

The way Keith blushed and didn't quite look at Natani, he... he thought maybe she was right about that. But he still shook his head, though now the temptation flared a little higher. If she hadn't just ruined him forever, then maybe...

No.

She nodded again at Natani, then turned to Keith. "Well then... get on your back."

Keith did, moving farther into the bed and settling down at the middle of it. The King made her way over to him, then straddled his thighs and pushed forward, until her clit was pressing up against the base of his shaft.

She looked down at Keith, smiling. "Perhaps this is a place where I should ask, since we are entering new territory. Do you have any objections?"

Keith looked at Natani, and Natani had to tamp down his envy to find a grin. "Hey, go for it. I know I would."

Though... he realized that, in that hypothethical, he would have looked to Keith first, too. Never knew how basitins could be... and Natani really, really didn't want to hurt this one.

Keith looked back to the King. "No objections, ma'am."

She raised an eyebrow. "I thought I told you to call me Adelaide... though if I'm being perfectly honest, I rather liked that."

Keith smiled. "Noted... ma'am."

The King lifted her hips, dragging up along Keith's shaft until she was over it, then used a hand to spread herself, and to press the tip in. Natani could see Keith's breath catch as he entered her -- or as she enveloped him, rather -- and as she pressed down, more and more of his thick shaft disappearing inside, spreading her wide. Finally, hips met hips, and the King let out a long sigh, echoed by Keith releasing that breath.

The King, staying hilted to the base, gyrated her hips, feeling Keith out, drawing another long groan from him. She sighed again, and under her normal cheerful demeanour there was a hint of deep joy. "Yes... yes, that does scratch the itch." She reached down with one hand, fingers spreading herself even wider, as if to better work some last tiny bit of Keith's cock inside, then briefly lingering on her clit, peeking out from under its hood. She shivered, touching herself, then removed her hand, moving both behind her, leaning back to brace herself against the bed.

And then she rode him. Never pulling off more than some tiny, unavoidable amount, she swayed her hips, forward and back, forward and back, and Natani could imagine how she was rubbing herself on Keith, thick shaft used to its utmost as she shifted her weight around it, pushing, pulling... her hips working in a rhythm that only she fully understood, the joy on her face steadily shining brighter and brighter as the facade fell away, subsumed in building pleasure.

Did it... really... feel that good? Natani had heard of this -- or something like this -- in guy talk, as a position to be lazy and 'let the woman do the work', but that wasn't what he saw at all. He saw her being in control, of her own pleasure and maybe his as well, Keith pinned to the bed and looking up at her with his eyes half-lidded, his lips parted with heavy, gulping breaths, tongue occasionally darting out to lick his lips... maybe to find some more of her taste.

And that too, when Keith had gone down on her... and even when she had gone down on Keith. Even in that situation, she had been in control.

Was she... was she trying to show Natani a... female role... that he wouldn't balk at?

If he... if he had seen this before his heat, he might have pulled Keith in from the corridor, pushed him down on the bed, and...

For a moment, he imagined himself in the King's place, and the echoes of his denied heat, not all that long past at all, rang through his body, screaming to be fulfilled.

Natani bit his lip, and fought it back, like he had so many times before, made much easier by the heat being past, but also much harder by what was in front of him, their abundantly clear pleasure, the smell of sex in the air...

He fought it back. What he wanted -- what he wanted, not his body -- wasn't to ride, it was to be the one being ridden. Imagining that for a moment, Natani being the one looking up, Keith the one looking down, lost in the pleasure of having Natani inside him, brought that truth back to crystal clarity. That would be something he wouldn't have to second-guess himself about.

Though, building on that image, if it was Keith -- not just somebody, but Keith -- then... yes, if Keith also wanted that, wanted to take him in turn... he would reciprocate, because he wouldn't want Keith to have to settle either. He couldn't expect something out of the basitin -- or anyone else, really -- that he wasn't willing to do himself.

But before you could reciprocate, you had to be able to actually do the thing.

With that, he managed to stomp out those reignited embers of his heat and remain in control, but being in control wasn't the same as being free of temptations. The King's ride had picked up momentum, the movements of her hips clearly driving toward something, until she leaned back on only one hand now, bringing the other back to her clit, her fingers pushing against her as she slammed her hips forward one last time, then held there, fingers still dancing, a tremble passing through her, then another, exploding into a series of jerks of her hips and thighs, grinding down on Keith in her throes, her eyes closed, her mouth open in near-panting breaths, her face a visage of sweet relief long due.

Finally, she stilled, then relaxed, settling her weight back on top of Keith and her arms behind her, and letting her head hang back, breasts heaving as she caught her breath, her nipples standing out as spots of dark amidst her fur, stiff with her excitement.

To be like she was... but Natani wasn't, any more than he was like Keith, under her. Stuck between two worlds, not fully part of either.

The King let out a very long, very satisfied sigh, then straightened up. She was somehow even more gorgeous in the wake of her release, and Natani smiled at the sight, at least happy for her if nothing else. Adelaide smiled back, and Natani thought it was the most true expression he'd ever seen from her. Not that she normally came across as fake, but... this was unguarded.

"Yes... that did hit the spot."

"More than one spot, it looked like."

The King laughed. "Yes. All of the spots. But..." she looked down at Keith, who had also gotten his breathing under control "... you didn't come yet, did you? Impressive. That may have been more for my pleasure than yours, but it's usually... sufficient."

"Ah..." Keith swallowed. "I..."

A flick of his ear, in Natani's direction.

"Ah." The King smiled at Natani again, looking immensely amused. "It appears young Keith here doesn't want to leave you out."

... Seriously?

Natani sighed. "You..." it was so, so Keith somehow. He leaned towards the basitin's face, looking at him. "How stubborn can you be?"

Keith's eyes dodged aside for a moment, and a small smile flashed on his face.

Very. The answer was very.

But damn, he was cute when he wasn't being miserable.

Well... he was always pretty cute.

But like this, he was dangerous.

Keith found Natani's hand with his own, resting his lightly on top, and looked straight at him. "Isn't there anything I-- we can do for you?"

Really dangerous. "Keith..."

The silence stretched for two beats, Natani trying to say wordlessly what he couldn't put into words, and Keith arguing back in the same manner.

The King sounded cheerful. "If you want to shut him up, you could always just sit on his muzzle."

They both blushed, and the tone of their silent conversation changed. After a few more moments, Keith cleared his throat. "... would you?"