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"You and I travel to the beat of a…"

"Different Drum" - Linda Ronstadt and the Stone Poneys

The trip continued on, just as planned, though that night in the Lugh family shed had changed everything for me. Vaira included or not, Star and I had made love, and nothing could ever be the same between us again. Right then, I couldn't decide if that was good or bad.

One of the smallest Lugh girls came out next morning to announce breakfast, right after the crack of dawn, and we all rolled out of the blankets and got prettied up in a hurry. For me, hurrying was good, because I had less time to wonder if the three of us had been loud enough last night to be heard by the family. Inside at the table, everyone was all smiles and, to this day, I don't know if they didn't hear, or heard and just thought we must be newlyweds.

I knew Star would have liked to give them something for their hospitality, but that would probably have offended their family pride, so we just said thanks, got our things together, and set off down the road with the children, led by Essie and Mischa, walking with us part of the way.

I enjoyed the cool, pleasant morning but would have been more than happy to stay in our makeshift bed until noon… as long as Star was with me.

He was in his usual good mood, with the occasional twinkle thrown in. Vai was all but smug. Me? I couldn't stop grinning. We stopped for a picnic lunch when the sun was high. The road passed through trees at that point, and I wondered if there was a nice little glade where we could take an afternoon nap… or something. We had no sooner brushed off crumbs, though, when a vehicle came along. I suppose it most resembled a small bus - or maybe a streetcar. It ran on six huge soft tires and was obviously powered by something that didn't burn fuel - some sort of electrical power, maybe. Many cheerful people of the male and female persuasions were already on board. There may have been a couple of medians too, but it was hard to tell because everyone was dressed the same, in pants and shirts similar to ours. There were a few floppy hats in evidence - some with scarves that covered everything but the eyes, though the day was warm.

The driver brought the "bus" to a stop and seemed to assume we were waiting for a ride. Star ushered Vaira and I in ahead of him and gave the driver a few coins, so maybe we were. The seats were mostly plain wood and all were big enough to seat three. No surprise there, I supposed.

We made our way down the central aisle, past people who smiled but didn't stare, and took the last seat in back. When we had stowed our things under the seat, the vehicle resumed its progress.

Inside, the people talked quietly among themselves, and no one seemed to question our appearance, though most everyone had hair that was brown or blond, not black, and no one's skin was as pale as mine or as dark as Star's. Of the three of us, Vaira fit in best.

Finally, one of the three people in the seat directly in front of us, a female I think, turned around and offered us some fruit from a woven basket. The globules were pale pink and about the size of grapes. The taste was tart, with a hint of mint, which we learned after Star accepted one and passed the basket to Vai and me. The males here seemed to take being the head of the family quite seriously, and he played the part well.

After a while, we came in sight of a town - or at least a group of buildings. The rows were arranged in concentric circles, as much as the landscape would permit. As we approached, the road became smoother, though still the gray/brown color of the surrounding soil. When we had passed through several streets lined with buildings of various sizes, our transport came to a stop in front of a wooden structure with enough windows for three stories. It was painted in shades of yellow and brown. Our fellow travelers helpfully informed us that this was the lodging house.

"I thought we were going to avoid the cities," I said in English, drawing a curious look or two from passersby but no lasting interest.

"Well," Star said with a smile, "this is a very small city." I shook my head; it was none of my business. I was only along for the ride.

Again, Star took the lead, and we lugged our packs inside. The female clerk assigned us rooms on the top floor - a bedroom with a large bed and a sitting room with a table and some soft chairs clustered in front of an unlit fireplace. To my delight, the little bathroom had a shower - or the Muiran equivalent: a circle of glass enclosed you, and jets of warm water shot out all the way around. We took turns in it, and I was glad to be clean again and to put on a change of clothes, even if the new garments looked exactly like the ones I took off.

Looking out the small high windows and watching as people went about their daily lives, I found myself intrigued, especially when I saw one lone figure slip into an alley. I knew medians didn't usually go running around by themselves, but I was almost as tall as Star and there wasn't a big difference in our builds. I figured no one would question my being on the street alone. I did wonder about the single person I'd seen; there had been rather a furtive look about him. I was beginning to have a sense of which ones were medians, and he fit the profile.

Before I could announce my intention of going walkabout, I felt a pair of warm arms slide around me and Star's soft breath in my ear.

"Vaira has lain down for a nap," he announced. "I thought perhaps you and I…"

He didn't get to finish his sentence because I turned round and kissed him. His response was all I could have wished for, and then we were moving away from the window. Before I knew it, our clothes were tossed on a chair, and we were on the rug.

Just being with him was enough to send me into ecstasy, but he took one of my hands and began to nibble his way up my arm, stopping to caress and lick each curve and pulse point along the way. Every touch added a level of arousal, until I thought I might explode on the spot. When he reached the ultra-sensitive area where shoulder meets neck, I had to stop him and return the favors.

Star tasted as good as he looked. From his fingertips on, each tiny bit of skin was a subtle variation in flavor and texture. Making love to Star was a feast for every sense, and anything outside of the sphere that was us lost all meaning for me. He sighed as I kissed the bend of his elbow, moaned when I nibbled his neck, and groaned when I took a perky brown nipple into my mouth. After paying proper attention to his other nipple, I made my way down his chest and belly until I found the sweet dip of his navel, and from there it was only a short journey to a fascinating monument that was standing tall, thick, and throbbing.

For a good part of my life, I had been content being mostly a bottom. Since my experiences with Star, I had discovered another side to my nature. I enjoyed any and every way of lovemaking and was now more than willing to take the lead. The only thing stopping me from moving to penetrate Star was the fear that he wouldn't want to give up that dominant position, and I certainly didn't want to fight over it. That said, I engulfed his manhood and sucked hard, happily listening to Star's ecstatic moans and whimpers.

When I felt him getting close, I backed off and lay beside him, gathering him into my arms, and kissed his soft, sweet mouth. My hands continued to caress the skin of his back and butt, occasionally moving up to stroke his silken hair. His hands were all over me, pulling me against him until you couldn't have slipped a thought between us.

My eyes had been closed, but I opened them when he pulled his mouth away from mine. "Evan," he said, breathlessly. "I want you so much, please…"

And that's when the door to the bedroom opened and Vaira was suddenly beside us. She laughed. "Naughty boys, starting without me."

If she was angry, she didn't let it stop her. Star let go of me, and suddenly Vai was there, pulling me toward her, lifting one leg over my hip and reaching down to guide me inside her. My erection had started to deflate the moment I heard her speak, but then Star moved behind me, and I felt his cock probe between my cheeks. That and his breath on the back of my neck kept me hard, and all at once all three of us were joined together, with me as the meat in the sandwich. Star's thrusts pushed me into Vai, and, as excited as I had been, I had to work at holding back until she caught up. Still, it wasn't long before her breathing sped up and I felt her sharp fingernails on my sides. I think she came first, but then my orgasm was upon me and I no longer cared for anything but Star's essence filling up all my empty places.

* * *

Afterward, I declined the offered nap, but Star joined her in the bedroom, which left me rather grateful for some time to think. I kept reminding myself that he was her husband and the dominant male of our party and I only the acting median, but I couldn't shake the feeling that Star had been about to ask me to fuck him.

* * *

No one on the street seemed to give a shit when I walked out the door of the lodging house. The building sat on the central street of the concentric circles, and small straight passages, some as wide as the main street and some quite narrow, connected the other circles, so the town resembled one of those games where you try to get the little ball through the maze and into the hole in the middle. The farther one strayed from the main street, the fewer vehicles and people there were, and in the very last circle I found the alleyway I had seen the single figure disappear into. I was cautiously peering down the dim space between two shabby structures, when someone opened a door not six feet away.

Both startled, we stared at each other. I smiled, and after a moment's consideration, he smiled too, a small person with shoulder-length light brown hair, dressed in the ubiquitous shirt, pants, and sandals.

"Are you alone?" he asked in a light tenor voice, seeming simultaneously shocked and pleased.

"Yes," I answered, smiling down into blue eyes so pale they were almost gray like my own.

He directed a pointed glance at my right hand, then looked around furtively and took my arm. In a moment he was leading me further into the alley, which led to a flight of descending stairs, and finally through two doors and into a large basement room. For all intents and purposes, it was set up like a bar, or perhaps more like an English pub, with a few small tables and some low couches along the walls as well as a counter with oddly-shaped bottles and glasses on shallow shelves.

There was no one behind the bar and only two other people in the room, seemingly intent on their drinks. Quickly, my companion drew us into a booth near the back of the room.

"I know we shouldn't be talking," he said, "but I'm not afraid of you."

My eyes widened. "I'm glad to hear that, but why should you be?"

He shook his head, impatient. "I don't believe what everyone says about unattached males," he said, "even though not many come here." He glanced at my hand again… looking for a ring? "Have you never been joined?"

It dawned on me that he didn't think I was median. Didn't they have some way of telling each other apart on this planet? If not, it must be really confusing. Of course, sometimes it was hard to tell one from the other on Earth, too.

He was certainly median, though. I wasn't sure what I was picking up on - voice or carriage or body type, but it was unmistakable. Would he believe me if I lied?

"Um, no, I've never been joined, but I'm median, like you." I hoped there wouldn't be a physical to prove it.

"Oh!" He drew back a little. "I'm so sorry. I guess it was your size that misled me." He glanced at the others in the bar - two more medians, as far as I could tell.

"You shouldn't be out before dark," he said in a quiet but urgent voice. "Is this your first time?"

Trying not to show my puzzlement, I agreed.

He relaxed a little. "Well, no harm done, as long as you got here safely. Do your parents know?"

I shook my head. "My parents are dead."

He placed a hand on mine. "I'm sorry. You live with other relatives?"

"I… uh… I'm new in town and staying with friends."

"Oh." He seemed to need a moment to think about that. "Well, they must be good friends." And finally he smiled. "I'm Meron."

"Evan," I responded.

He squeezed my hand. "I'm sorry I reacted as I did when I thought you were male."

"Um, that's all right," I said.

"No, no, it's not. I should have treated you the same even if you had been male. After all, the usual restrictions don't bother me. I'm a median-identified median."

He stated the last words proudly, but I had no idea what he was talking about. "Uh… what's that?"

He laughed, a pleasant low sound. "Why, it means that my mate is also a median."

I'm not sure what sort of expression I had. Two medians having sex together? This news went against everything I knew about Muiran social customs. Could there be an underground of sexual deviants here on Muir, as there was in many sexually restricted societies on Earth?

"Umm…" I said. "I hadn't heard about that."

His chin tilted up. "Well, if you came here to find a male, I suppose you will, but being with another median is far superior. My lover and I have been together for five years. I know of no median/male couples that can say that."

Then he looked at me more soberly. "It just doesn't seem to work for a male and median without a female… or the possibility of children."

Muirans might be secretive in the extreme about their social customs, but I had seen Muiran medical texts. Males had penises and sperm-producing organs similar to Terran species, and females had ovaries that produced eggs and womb-like organs to carry their young. But… medians had them all.

If you looked at a naked median, you wouldn't see much to differentiate "him" from a female, but if you looked closer you'd see he possessed a functional, retractable penis as well as an opening anterior to the anus that led to a small uterus. Inside the median were organs that produced their important contribution to three-way conception, but did they produce eggs as well? I had no scientific facts to back up my suspicions, but I could see no physical reason why a median couldn't carry a child.

All planets and peoples had creation myths, but I seemed to remember legends that the Muirans' ancient creator, in effect their god, was median. There were other stories about medians that claimed they could survive hardships that would kill anyone else, and they could even share their strength in some way. I'd obviously have to do more research. Maybe I'd return to Muir alone when this trip was over.

Even though I was enjoying the three-way sex, I had no illusions that Star and Vaira and I would be riding off into the sunset. Earth was not Muir, and no matter how close the three of us were physically, I still felt a gulf between us. He had chosen her years ago, and the two of them had made a commitment. They might be feeling generous enough to include me right now, but that didn't make me a true part of what they had.

I was still alone. I sighed.

Meron placed a small hand on mine. "Would you like a beverage?"

The barkeep had arrived, a tall lean specimen that I would have bet was male. He served and spoke to Meron pleasantly enough and only glanced at me. Was he perhaps into other males or only interested in females? On this crazy planet, I had no idea where any individual's interests might lie.

When we were both sipping something fruit-flavored but aggressively blue, I ventured to show my ignorance. "Meron, I'm from… a larger city. I thought every median bonded with a female and then they were joined with a male."

Rather than act upset, he merely nodded. "That's what we all thought, isn't it. Such a shock when it doesn't happen that way for you." He stared into his drink.

"Umm… were you ever bonded?" I said slowly, having no idea if I was overstepping the boundaries of propriety.

He shook his head. "We had chosen each other, but she died before we could have the ceremony. My parents pushed me to find another, but I just didn't feel that way about anyone else. I knew my parents loved me, but as an un-bonded median I was a constant source of worry and shame for them. When I became old enough to get a job, I left the city and moved here, thinking there would be less people and fewer moral judgments. I was right - people here are more open-minded, even if we still have to stay in the shadows. But… that must be why you're here, too." He looked up at me, forcing a smile.

"I'm afraid I knew nothing about this place," I said. "I guess I don't really understand why any people should have to hide."

He looked sad. "We're rebels, I suppose. We don't want to abide by society's rules, so we go where no one cares enough to judge us."

"Do females come here too, or just medians and males?"

He shook his head. "Lone females hardly ever come. They seem to tolerate living alone better than most. What's saddest is when a bonded pair loses their male before they have a child. Sometimes, broken pairs will come to places like this, hoping to find a male to help them, but it seldom works out." He sighed. "Even if they did succeed in having a child, they would probably be ostracized by their families."

I shook my head. "Why don't they just join with another male?"

Meron looked up, face contorted with shock. "You know that's impossible! Joining is once in life only. Surely you don't doubt the teachings!"

If those were the teachings, I certainly did doubt them. Was there no divorce on Muir either? Only one marriage per person? What horseshit. Still, I supposed that was easy enough to say for an outsider like me.

"So that's who comes to places like this one, broken pairs in search of impregnation and single people who have lost their partners or never had any?"

"Of course. Isn't that why you're here? Aren't you tired of being alone?"

I took a gulp of the too-sweet, too-blue drink. I certainly was tired of being alone, but I knew I wasn't a median, and whatever I was, I had no idea where to find my once-in-a-lifetime mate.

* * *

I spent the rest of the afternoon with Meron and his love, when he arrived - a stunning blonde who said his name was Eden. Personally, median or not, I would have been happy to find him under the apple tree in my garden. We chatted about nothing in particular, and when evening rolled around, I thanked them and promised to visit again, then made my way back to the lodging house and Star.