“Ew, Dadi,” Gem said, appearing at his side. “We’ve talked about the dad jokes. They’re embarrassing.”
“They’re funny. Rusty thought so,” Gem’s father said with a blinding smile at Rusty.
Not wanting to disappoint the kind man, Rusty nodded. “Yeah, it was funny.”
“Traitor,” Gem hissed at him before he leaned down and pecked his father’s cheek. “Thank you for saving Rusty from the feral children.”
“They’re not feral,” Hyl chided, still holding Rusty’s hand in his weathered ones. “But the poor boy did look in need of rescue.”
“Yeah, because they’re feral,” Gem said, taking Rusty’s other hand and leading him toward the door where the tall Araknis woman waited.
Hyl walked with them, hand patting the back of Rusty’s paw. “Welcome to our home, son. I insist you help yourself to anything you might need. If you can’t find something, just ask. Any friend of Gem’s is family to us.” He winked one tiny eye at Rusty as he simpered. “Anyspecialfriend of Gem’s, I should say.”
“Oh my gods, Dadi, stop!” Gem wailed. “You’re so embarrassing. Maman, makeDadi stop right now.”
“Hyl, darling,” the woman said, and Hyl turned to her with an adoring smile.
“Yes, my flower?”
Gem pantomimed throwing up, and Rusty snorted, hiding his chuckle in his shoulder as Gem’s mother shot her son a reprimanding glare with several eyes. With her other eyes, she focused on Gem’s father.
“Let’s not embarrass Gemae quite yet. We don’t want to scare the Pyclon off before he’s even made it over the threshold.” Ushering them inside, Gem’s mother took Rusty’s hand from Hyl’s grasp and gave it a squeeze. “I’m Dierdri, Gemae’s birth mother. It’s good to finally meet you. Gemae talks about you all the time.”
“Not all the time,” Gem denied, cheeks darkening in a blush. “Just some of the time.”
Dierdri sent Rusty a wink. “It’s all the time.”
“Oh em geez, what happened to not embarrassing Gem?” Gem snapped, and Dierdri smirked.
“Well, he’s over the threshold now, isn’t he?” she retorted as she circled Rusty’s shoulders with an arm and guided him further into the house.
The mother Gem called Mymi was the next introduction. She was shorter than Dierdri by an inch or two, but that did nothing to stifle her intimidating presence, given her sharp buzz cut and thickly muscled physique, clearly honed through hours at the gym. She introduced herself with a firm handshake and a gruff voice. “I’m Mal. Nice to meet you, son.”
Bryn—who Gem called, Yma—was the shortest of the three mothers, taller still than Gem’s father, but not by much. She was the first to hug Rusty, her arms loose but sure. She smelled like incense and something sweet Rusty couldn’t name.
“Welcome, welcome,” she said, voice breezy and calming. “It’s so wonderful you’re here.”
Surprising even himself, Rusty hugged her back, fisting his hands in her shirt. She didn’t smell like his mom or feel like her. She had nothing in common with Ireyna Róisyn, but there was something so familiar about the way she held him. Or maybe he just hadn’t been hugged by a mother in far too long.
Like she sensed how much he needed it, Bryn sighed and tightened the embrace, not letting go until Rusty stepped back with an embarrassed sniffle, clearing his throat. “Um, hi. It’s nice to meet you.”
“It’s a joy,” Bryn said with the sweetest smile. “A simply wonderful joy.”
In the living room, there were even more people, and Rusty swallowed the anxious nerves fluttering up his throat and fortified himself. He could feel Gem watching him closely, like this was some sort of test Rusty hadn’t studied for—a test he refused to fail.
So he tried to remember names as people converged on him, shaking his hand or giving him hugs. There were endless siblings and numerous partners and too many children to count. Most were Araknis, but there were a few in-laws of different species. A Coccyn and a Scorpia, a Reptyl and an Equyn. Rusty was the only Mammylion, but no one treated him differently. In fact, they were all really kind and welcoming.
Gem’s sister Tria was the only one to give Rusty shit, but it wasn’t because he was a Pyclon.
“Did you mark him up everywhere, or did you just gnaw on his neck?” she said with a disgusted grimace, and Gem squeaked, slapping a hand over the bruise he’d tried to cover up with makeup.
“Tria, shut up! That is highly inappropriate.” Gem stomped his foot childishly as Rusty scratched awkwardly behind his ear.
“Why? Is this, like, a secret?” She motioned between them. “Because, bro, he is literally doused in your pheromones.”
“Is that so?” Rusty asked blandly, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Oh, don’t look at me like that.” Gem copied his stance. “I didn’t purposefully douse you. It’s a natural consequence of… things.”
