Page 121 of Right Next Door
The moment they left the manor, resplendent in robes they’d picked out before the wedding, they had been caught by photographers.
The original image had Tsok looking stoically forward. His robes were brand new, since they knew he’d be growing after the rut. They’d needed to guess on the size, as they only had an approximate percentage of how much he’d grow, but they got pretty close. He’d chosen to wear green, in homage to the color of his mate’s eyes. Misty had transitioned to wearing a completely kreecharma style robe as well, though hers was black – matching his fur. Misty was relaxed in his arms, one hand onhis chest, her head on his shoulder, smiling ever so slightly, her eyes closed like she might be having a sweet dream. It wasn’t obvious in the photo how hard she had been trying not to laugh at the ridiculousness of being fucked so hard she couldn’t walk right.
The wind hit at just the right moment, pushing her hair from her face, sweeping the skirt of his robe dramatically. The picture had been rimmed by fellbud trees, their purple blooms acting like a frame to the image of him emerging from within the fine manor.
Just from an artistic standpoint, it was a beautiful photo. He had a large copy made to put up in his office. A precious memory, perfectly preserved.
It was that same photo that True Match had created a stylistic version of that he and Misty were looking at now. It had changed a bit though. The style was simpler, their faces completely gone, their persons replaced so that a brown furred male was carrying a silver furred female. But they were wearing the same color robes, it had the same fellbud trees, and it was very obvious what the picture was imitating.
And yes, the point of their wedding was to give the rest of Kree something to emulate, a way to get their own mates, and currently, True Match was the only way to do that.
But this image…
“Why are you not in it?” He grumbled, displeased as he glared at the silver female cartoon. She was offensive in his arms. It didn’t matter that the male was brown, it was still him. And he didn’t like that he was carrying this stranger.
Misty could only snicker at his displeasure. “Oh, leave it. It’s cute.”
“It’s not you.”
“It’s not meant to be me. This is for Kree. Most kreecharma are going to mate other kreecharma – so of course they’re going to use two kreecharma.”
“I don’t like it.”
“You’re being picky.”
Tsok made a face, glaring at the image. It was projected off his combot in front of them. They were both standing, leaning back against his desk. This design wasn’t really sent for their approval though, it was just Jeanie sharing because it had been based on their photo.
Good thing too, because he didn’t approve. He couldn’t say that Misty was wrong. This marketing was meant for his people, for the new changes taking place across the planet. Itshouldbe two kreecharma rather than a mixed species couple.
But still…
“I’m surprised,” Misty said, drawing his attention from the ugly poster.
“About?”
“How quickly it all happened. I mean, it hasn’t even been that long…”
Her hand moved over her belly. Tsok couldn’t help but lower his eyes. Watching enviously as she gently stroked the bump of their growing kit. He could – and did – touch her belly frequently, but he didn’t have his hands on her now. And that seemed a waste.
Misty’s belly was still rather small. The distinct rounding was rather on par with a mated kreecharma female’s belly after she gave birth. The kind of permanent rounding that Fia had. Misty had plenty more time to grow as their kit developed.
He rather liked the change. He fell asleep with his hand on her belly and often woke to find that he’d moved at some point in the night to rest his head right next to or on top of it as well.She found his fascination cute, which was fortunate, because he couldn’t stop.
It was an instinct to get as close to her as possible, and one that he wasn’t trying to fight.
In fact, he didn’t fight his instincts at all anymore. If he needed to do something for her, he did it, regardless of when or where or what else he was doing. Usually, it was just needing to put eyes on her, to assure himself that she was still safe and happy. Other times, he had to bring her food, touch her, kiss her, fuck her. He rarely resisted the urge, and Misty was never unhappy to see him.
His rational choices had always been wrong ones, but his instincts never led him astray.
She was right. Things changed very quickly after the wedding.
In the days following their emergence, the first weddings from the people began to pop up. They started with those who had been matched but hadn’t mated yet. Those who had been waiting, watching the two of them. They wanted to see how their ceremony went before they copied it. As those ceremonies were taking place, True Match saw an influx of new clients. More than that, they saw a rise in people comming them to ask for the contact information of their match. People that had been matched before but chose not to do anything asked to meet up.
The photo of Tsok carrying Misty was circulating everywhere. It was the kind of picture that would be in history lessons one day. The kind of defining moment that changed a generation. It heralded the beginning of a wave of weddings that were being planned and executed even now.
Boktare and Fia then surprised him by having their own wedding. They were already mated of course, so it wasn’t exactly the same. However, they joined together with vows that Tsokhad been asked to witness. A task he’d completed with pride and honor.
Their own ceremony had sparked an interest in those already mated to do the same. That was when the wedding boom really started.
