It was something I just couldn't get out of my head. The kind of thing that kept me tossing and turning, staying up way too late for days, which made Mama Enna complain even more about how hard it was to get me up in the mornings.
And how was I supposed to just chill out? It was a kiss!
Look, I'm sure Mama Fiona has done this stuff before. Actually, probably lots of times. With different guys. With different women. Whatever. Right from the start, apart from being kinda intimidating and barely talking, I'd say Mama Fiona was definitely the most popular out of my three 'moms'.
Even when she dropped me off at school that day, random people who just happened to see her face totally lost it. Crowding around her, wanting selfies and asking for autographs.
But still ... I mean ... isn't that something you're only supposed to do with someone you're in love with?
Don't get me wrong, I love all three of my moms. They've kissed me plenty of times. On my forehead. On my cheeks. On top of my head. So... maybe this was just Mama Fiona's way of showing her loves?
Plus, like she said, the Marking process was supposed to hurt like hell. So maybe this was just one way to make the pain more bearable.
Even though it ended up making me feel a totally different kind of 'pain'.
"What's wrong?" Mama Fiona asked, tilting her head to the side.
Crap! I'd gotten way too lost in my thoughts and must've been staring at her forever.
We were doing our weekly Sunday morning physical training at her fitness center.
Right now we were in this special room with crazy high air pressure and the gravity cranked up to make everything heavier. Mama Enna had freaked out about it, saying it was dangerous for someone still developing like me, but Mama Fiona insisted I'd get way stronger training in tougher conditions.
Speaking of Mama Enna, she usually comes along, but it looks like she and Mama Fiona still aren't talking to each other.
"Tired already?"
I shook my head quickly. "No, no. I just..." I looked away, feeling flustered. My mind was all over the place again.
I heard Mama Fiona let out a sigh. "Let's take a quick break."
She walked over to grab a water bottle from the corner. While drinking, she said, "It actually painful, right?"
"Huh?"
"The Marking."
"It's nott."
"But?"
I scratched my cheek. "Not painful, just ..." I don't know. I couldn't even figure out how to explain it.
"My base power is called Transfer. It's not teleportation or anything because I'm not moving objects around, I'm moving sensations. Anything you can feel, I can 'take' from you and move it to myself or someone else."
I listened carefully, and when it hit me what she meant, my eyes went wide. "Wait, so the reason I didn't really feel pain was because ..."
"Not completely, but yeah, I took most of it onto myself."
That ... made no sense. "But why? Wait, are you hurt right now, Mama?"
But Mama Fiona just cut me off sharply. "Let's stick to my question, did it hurt or not?"
She always does this, changing the subject. It's honestly pretty annoying. So I said, a bit louder than I meant to, "What if we try it again?"
And Mama Fiona just froze. She almost dropped her water bottle. "What?"
"I just wanna be sure if this strange feeling is from the Marking or something totally different."
"Strange feeling?"
I sighed. I know all three of my 'moms' have seen every part of me, but saying this out loud still feels awkward.
"My pants got kinda tight, and... this area feels tingling" I pointed down toward my crotch, my face getting red.
Mama Fiona looked like she couldn't believe what she was hearing.
She sighed again and smacked her forehead. "You should be asking Lyrienna about this stuff. She knows way more about it." But then she clicked her tongue. "Actually, no, don't. She'd probably kill me if she found out about this."
I just waited.
"C'mere."
I did what she said. Taking quick, impatient steps until I was standing right in front of Mama Fiona, who had crouched down to bring her normally towering height down to my level.
"Closer."
Now I could feel Mama Fiona's warm breath on my face. She had these short gray bangs that hung down almost covering her eyes. The kind of bangs most people would call attractive, sexy. But they were actually hiding something way more captivating: those glowing purple eyes of hers.
They were sharp. Scary. Intense. The kind of look that focuses on just one thing, and right now that thing was me.
That warm feeling came rushing back to my chest and I felt like I couldn't breathe.
Mama Fiona seemed to notice me acting different and looked uncertain for a second before asking, "You sure about this?"
I gave a quick nod.
Then Mama Fiona kissed me. Right on the lips again. But that was it.
It was quick, dry, and ... didn't even involve tongue. I must've looked shocked. The moment our lips separated, I leaned forward and wrapped my arms around her neck, forcing us to stay connected.
We kissed again. This time it lasted longer, went deeper. I tried remembering the details from yesterday and started thinking about how to get Mama Fiona to open her mouth.
So I bit her lip.
"Ow." Mama Fiona pushed me back hard and the kiss broke off.
"Sorry."
"What were you trying to do?" It sounded cold, but I could tell when Mama Fiona was actually mad versus just confused. This was definitely the confused version.
"I just wanted to..." I swallowed hard. "Do exactly what we did yesterday."
Mama Fiona sighed. "You could be gentler."
"Sorry." I looked down, feeling genuinely bad this time.
"Women are delicate. We get hurt easily and we hate being hurt. Especially when we're supposed to be feeling good."
That made me feel even worse and I started to say "S—"
"Come here," Mama Fiona said again.
When I looked up, she was already sitting on the sofa at the far end of the room, right next to the portable AC unit.
"Sit right here." She patted her thighs when I got close enough, making it clear what she meant.
"Is that okay?"
"You do this with Lyrienna and Val all the time. Never with me. Makes me wonder if you don't like me or something."
"That's not it at all!"
Mama Fiona didn't say anything else, just laughed quietly. She actually laughed, which was about as rare as seeing a solar eclipse.
When I sat on her lap, she put her hand under my chin. "When you're doing this, you can't just rush into it. First thing is making sure your partner is comfortable with you touching them."
Then Mama Fiona started stroking my cheek. Softly. Carefully. Tenderly.
Before I knew it, her face was getting closer. Those purple eyes were looking right through me. They looked intense, dreamy, intoxicating.
"Make sure they actually ready to do this.'"
"I-I'm ready," I managed to get out, even though my heart was beating like crazy, which just made Mama Fiona laugh again.
"Not literally asking. That's just killing the mood."
"So what am I supposed to?"
"You know, sometimes eyes saying more than words."
Eyes saying more than words?
Without asking anything else, I think I started getting it. Especially when Mama Fiona moved closer and I got lost in those mesmerizing eyes, like I was drowning.
A soft touch brushed against my lips.
I caught my breath.
"Pay attention to how they reacts. Watch how they moves. Pick up on all their signals."
Mama Fiona kissed me again. This time she was savouring my lips.
She paused again and looked at me. There was a slight smile on her lips. I swallowed without thinking, and it was suffocating.
Mama Fiona kissed me again. Longer. We were tasting each other now. Her lips had this sweet flavor that made my head spin. Everything felt dizzy and my mouth opened a little without me meaning to.
Like that was exactly the signal she was waiting for, something else slipped inside. Wet. Bold. Soft.
Mama Fiona's tongue was moving around inside my mouth, touching the roof, brushing against my tongue. Not aggressive or anything, more like little teasing touches that made me want more, made me need more.
And I really did need more.
I put my arms around her neck, and Mama Fiona's breathing got uneven for a second. Maybe I surprised her.
I opened my eyes just enough to peek at her and I could see those purple eyes looking. .. a little shaken.
Something woke up inside me and I... I wanted to keep seeing that look. I craved it. So I kept going.
The sound of our saliva mixing, heavy breathing, and then Mama Fiona made this soft hissing sound. Almostt as quiet as a whisper, but it echoed anyway.
It was melodious, sultry seductive. Something that should never come from someone like her. Not from someone who seems so masculine.
When my hand started moving down, to her back, toward—
Her hand stopped me and she pushed me away.
Breaking off our kiss, leaving another long string of saliva between us. She was breathing hard, trying to keep her voice steady and calm as she said, "So was that pain, or something else?"
"It was ..."
I swallowed.
Mama Fiona's face was red all the way to her ears. Her quick breathing was hitting my face and sweat was starting to run down her exposed neck.
"Definitely something else."
Yeah, and I... I wanted to feel it again.