Diplomacy Squared

by Sydney Blackburn

  "Yes." Portya nudged Diego's head with his chin and looked into his eyes. He spoke intent, pretty words in Antho, his voice even more sibilant than usual. The only word Diego thought he understood was lissande. It was impossible to miss the depth of emotion behind Portya's speech, though, and Diego's throat tightened. He would have to work harder on learning Antho.

  Portya's eyes crinkled a little as he nodded at Diego. Right, it was his turn. A flush spread across his face.

  "Portya," he paused, mouth dry. What had he been going to say? "Everything that I have, everything that I am, is yours. Mahal na mahal kita, body and soul." He rested his forehead on Portya's chin. When nothing further seemed to happen, he asked quietly, "What now?"

  "Now we have sex," Portya whispered.

  Diego jerked back so quickly, he might have broken their strange embrace but for Portya's strong grasp. He opened his mouth to protest hotly and realized Portya's eyes were deeply crinkled and a tremor of laughter was beginning to shake his body. "You are not funny."

  "You very funny," Portya replied, and licked a kiss on his nose.

  Nihla spoke for bit longer, they freed themselves of the ribbons and stepped out of the tub. Diego mimicked Portya, sitting on a stool and then starting in surprise when Portya took the towel and knelt to dry his feet. He returned the gesture, looking up a Portya with a sly smile as he knelt between his knees, earning an eye crinkle.

  The gathered witnesses cheered and those closest threw flower petals at the newly bonded couple.

  The rest of the day was all a bit of blur for Diego, his next moment of clarity not happening until they stood once more in front of the staging area, still barefoot, as Ambassador Karim had them "repeat after me."

  He slid the plain gold band on the middle finger of Portya's left hand and kissed it, and said, "I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and devotion."

  The exchange of rings was the only part of the ceremony Diego had explained in advance, and Portya's warm hand holding his, extra jointed fingers sliding the ring onto his finger felt every bit as significant as if Portya had been raised knowing the tradition. Portya kissed his hand too, and carefully repeated the words Diego had used, without prompting from Karim. "I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and devotion. Sessra mi."

  "I now pronounce you married!"

  Diego tilted his head. "Kiss me."

  "Just kiss?" Portya asked with an eye crinkle.

  Diego grinned back. "I love you, Portyacurialaysels."

  "I love you also, Diego Bahaghari," Portya said, voice deepening to a sexy rasp. "Always," he added just before their lips pressed together.

  EPILOGUE

  "You can do this," Diego said, wiping Portya's brow. "Everything will be fine." He shot a worried glance to where Dr. Filas stood between Portya's legs, pulled open by birthing stirrups.

  Filas wasn't an obstetrician by any stretch, but because Portya's baby was half Human, he had insisted on seeing the pregnancy through. Another Antho doctor, one trained in the matter of birthing babies, did most of the work, leaving Filas to nod reassuringly at Diego.

  Another contraction wracked Portya, his grip on Diego's hand tightening as if to separate all the bones in his fingers. Diego pulled Portya up, with help from an Antho nurse on his other side. "Gravity assist," he murmured encouragingly.

  Portya moaned something high-pitched and tortured, clutching desperately at Diego.

  "Just a few more pushes, Portya," said the doctor.

  Diego had never seen a birth before, and he would have been just as happy not seeing this one. He hadn't realized just what a horrible mess of blood and shit it was.

  "You lucky the baby is small," Filas remarked.

  "Small?!" Portya shrieked. "It huge!" He continued in an angry hiss of Antho that broke off with a howl as another contraction hit.

  "Hush, shh-shh," Diego said, rubbing Portya's back. "You're doing great, just push."

  Diego was very glad to be one of the half-people who would never be in Portya's position. He only wished he could do more than sacrifice his hand to support his spouse.

  Diego's mother had insisted they name the baby Rosa "if it's a girl" and neither he nor Portya had been able to explain that even if the child was a half-person with a female reproductive body, they still planned to use Syncrete's "he" until he was old enough to decide for himself. Otherwise, since they were raising the child on the Antho colony of Sillan, he would grow up without gendered pronouns.

  Portya's parents had been more reserved. Which didn't mean they hadn't been sending countless real estate links from Sillan. Homes with plenty of guestrooms and a promise to visit as soon as they were settled. A smile flickered across Diego's face.

  Portya stiffened, every muscle clenching as another contraction struck. He howled, blunt claws digging into Diego's shoulder. "Soon, lover. It'll be over soon," he murmured.

  The Antho obgyn and Filas started talking back and forth and Filas said, "The baby is—"

  Portya sagged in his embrace and the assistant on his other side began to lay him back down, so Diego followed. He swallowed, looking from Portya's exhausted face to the small, bloody bundle Dr. Filas was…handling. "Shouldn't it be crying?"

  "It fine," Filas said. He set the small lump on Portya's stomach, half-bared by the struggle of delivery. Diego could see it wiggling, clearly alive.

  "Portya," Diego said, feeling something like awe. "We have a…creature."

  His lips curled slightly. "I hold?"

  "Come here," Filas ordered, and Diego could only assume he was the one being addressed. "You cut."

  "What?"

  The other doctor had extended a hand holding a pair of oddly shaped scissors. "Cord," he said, not as proficient in Syncrete as Dr. Filas.

  "Now," Fila said.

  Diego took the scissors, wondering why there were making him do this without gloves. Why were they making him do it all? Thankfully, the alien obstetrician showed him precisely where to cut, and he gratefully gave over the scissors. Immediately the baby was scooped off Portya's stomach and taken away, leaving a bloody stain on Portya.

  "Diego?"

  He was immediately at Portya's side. "They're going to clean up our little creature, my love. Then you can hold him."

  Portya closed his eyes, then winced in pain and grabbed for Diego's aching hand.

  "Afterbirth," Filas explained as a big wad of—Diego turned away.

  "Sorry," Portya rasped, easing his grip on Diego. "I hurt you."

  Diego chuckled softly, and brushed strands of Portya's hair from his face. "It's just a hand," Diego teased. "I have two." He looked deeply into Portya's golden eyes, half closed now as his exhaustion began to overcome him.

  Their eye contact was broken as Filas abruptly dropped the baby, clean but still naked, on Portya's chest. Portya's eyes flew wide open and one arm curled protectively around the newborn.

  It was a funny looking little thing, with Antho fingers and Human legs, more brown than red. Its tiny face was scrunched up, except for its mouth, which was open. It made tiny mewling sounds and seemed to be looking for something, while it drooled copiously all over Portya's chest.

  "It's a weird little creature, lover."

  "Our weird little creature," Portya replied, his voice soft and raspy. His fingers spread across the baby's back.

  Diego put a finger in the way of its grasping little hand and gasped to find it caught in a surprisingly strong grip. In an instant, everything changed. "He's beautiful, Portya."

  Portya gave Diego a tired eye crinkle, guiding the tiny, impossible creature to his nipple. He'd been too tender for sex play for weeks, but insisted against Filas's instructions that regular sex happen. It had been fun to discover new positions and techniques that were baby-safe, though Diego wasn't sure he wanted to go through this again. That was a discussion for another day, though.

  Their baby, which should not exist, might indeed be a new dawn on Human/Antho relations. But to Diego and Portya,
he was—"Rosa-portyadiegos?" Diego asked softly, settling into the chair beside Portya's bed.

  Portya's eyes crinkled deeply as he tried to look down at the tiny body, neither Human nor Beresh, desperately trying to suckle. "Yes." He reached weakly for Diego's hand. "Sessera…love you."

  "Love you too." Diego pushed his chair back so he could rest his head beside Portya's on the pillow. "Pretty sure this is not what UEG had in mind when they told me and my crew to mingle."

  Dr. Filas placed a warm blanket over the baby, as Portya's eyes crinkled and a tremor of laughter went through his body. He moved his hand lightly over the warm bundle on his chest. "You not start war."

  Diego chuckled. "Maybe not. But we've got battles ahead of us, don't we?"

  Portya pulled their joined hands until they were both touching the tiny life they'd somehow made. "We together. All else is manageable."

  Diego could not agree more.

  FIN

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Sydney Blackburn has travelled coast to coast in Canada, but hasn’t yet seen it all. Having worked a variety of interesting occupations from cab driver to blackjack dealer, combined with a voracious appetite for research (writing all the while!); Syd delivers light, escapist fiction with fascinating characters in a variety of settings, perfect for the bus, train, plane–or a sick day at home with a cup of hot tea!

  You can find her at:

  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SydneyBee/

  Website: http://sbtales.weebly.com/

  Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13565391.Sydney_Blackburn

  Twitter: @blackburnsyd