Tallest Purple's attitude changed for the better ever since she gave him that little peck on the cheek. Tenn would find a flower on the bedside table every morning; throughout the day, a service drone would bring her tasty snacks and presents such as chocolate boxes and candies; their conversations became more frequent and less tense or awkward, and Tallest Purple was particularly cuddly at night. Tenn put up with those gestures of affection, no longer stopping to wonder if they were genuine or not. What mattered was that he was loosening up, which meant that he was falling for it.
And yet, Tenn would be lying if she said she didn't care about their interactions; she learned more things about her husband, not all of them bad. He turned out to be a decent cook; sure, he was a bit rusty, but he had a tasty plooka recipe, which also happened to be secret. Tenn found herself eating lots of it, not only because they were tasty (they were delicious, though), but also because it made Tallest Purple happy.
She had to thank Lena and the Gaz-hyooman for their lessons. Thanks to their tips and advice, especially from the former, soon she learned how to behave in a way that got her mate to react as she wanted. Tenn learned to read his corporal language and tell his mood from tiny signs such as lekku position, tapping on the table, amongst other things such as sounds. Tenn learned what words and gestures to use and which lines she should never cross, especially since Tallest Purple was a bit... sensitive on certain topics.
The more he starts acting nicely, the sweeter you must be to him. You don't have to be all lovey-dovey. Just... be yourself and act as if you were with Dren.
As if she were with Dren... How could she? Dren and Tallest Purple were nothing alike. Dren respected her and always treated her like an equal; Tallest Purple always asserted dominance and reminded her that he was superior in both height and rank at every chance he got. Dren trusted her judgment and never forced her to do anything she didn't want to; Tallest Purple always wanted things to go his way and had already forced Tenn to do many things against her will. In short, these profound difference made it hard to pretend that Tallest Purple was Dren.
That put aside, Tenn couldn't deny (as much as she tried to) that Tallest Purple was actually... pleasant to be around when he was in a good mood. When not making her feel like a trophy wife, he was funny, entertaining, and she might even say charming- No, no, what is she thinking?! Get those thoughts out of your head.
On the bright side, her acting soon bore fruit. Tallest Purple reduced her 'sentence' from solitary confinement to being allowed out of their chambers for a limited time, always accompanied by female Imperial Guards. Tenn couldn't help rolling her eyes at this last part; was he that insecure that he didn't trust her to be around any males? Didn't he learn anything from their time together? She wanted no one by her side, but... Tenn pushed the thought aside.
The past few days, all the crew of the Massive was fascinated and intrigued over the indokuro egg; she casually passed by the labs and saw a whole team of scientist drones running tests and monitoring the embryo's development on the Tallest's orders. During dinner, she heard Red and Purple constantly chattering about all the things they could do with an indokuro. This prompted Lena to remind them that they couldn't do anything with it without proper information as to how to train the animal.
"Still no word from Ilk?" Tenn asked, changing the subject before it grew into another argument.
"I sent her fifty voice-mails*; she ought to hear them anytime soon." Tallest Red said.
"Fifty?"
"The ones that you counted, actually," Tallest Purple murmured.
"What about the egg?"
"It seems to be very sensitive to temperature changes. The scientists had to adapt a smeet pod and turn it into an incubator."
Tenn excused herself for bed early, not feeling in the mood to chat. Unfortunately for her, Tallest Purple followed suit soon after.
"You okay?" he asked, visibly concerned.
"I'm fine. Why?"
"You've been quiet today, my dear. That's unlike you."
Tenn twitched a lekku. "What's so 'unlike me,' as you call it?"
"Um... Well, it's been half a day, and you've yet to snap at me or get mad over something." This time, her eye twitched alongside her lekku.
"Do you mean that being calm and trying to get along with you means something's going on with me? Is that what you're implying?" Tallest Purple paled a bit. Tenn had to turn away with an angry huff to hide the corners of her lips twitching upwards.
"Nonono, that's not what I meant in the least!"
"Right, just like you didn't mean to almost get me killed at my previous mission?"
"Oh, come on! I thought we were over that!" This time, Tenn did glance back at him from the corner of her eyes. This gesture meant she was only kidding.
"I never said that, did I?" She smirked lightly. It made Tallest Purple relax.
"You're right, I'm sorry. I just... Well, I kind of miss our arguments. Fighting with you is funny...*" Tenn raised an eyebrow. "I m-mean, not that I like fighting...!"
"You're so cute when you stutter, you know," Tenn said, taking advantage of the comment to laugh a bit and release some of the amusement she so desperately tried to contain.
Tallest Purple's eyes lit up. "And you're cute when you laugh. How come you don't laugh much?" Tenn let her smile waver a bit.
"I haven't had any reason to laugh these past months."
"Hey, I can be funny!"
"Come on, your idea of 'fun' is pummeling Invaders for not wanting to do a puppet show."
"Oh, come on! Must you bring that up now?" Tenn decided to torture him a bit more and went right into bed, hiding under her covers. "Hey, what did I say?" She didn't reply. Seconds later, she felt Tallest Purple's weight on his side of the bed and his arms wrapping around her. "I'm sorry!"
Tenn felt a shiver down her spine at the uncomfortable proximity; she still wasn't used to him touching her in such an intimate manner. Unfortunately, Tallest Purple seemed to interpret this as her liking the closeness and he pulled her even closer to whisper into her lekku.
"You know I'd never really hurt you, my dear." Tenn swallowed hard. The idea to elbow him on the ribs to get him to back off was very tempting, but instead, she forced herself to snuggle into his embrace.
"I'll take your word for it."
She sensed Tallest Purple tensing up a bit. She glanced back and saw his face had turned a deep shade of pink; he hadn't been expecting this.
"The bed's a bit too cold tonight," Tenn whispered. "Do you mind warming me up?"
She swore she could imagine the grin on his face. "I certainly don't, my dear."
**SoP**
Next day...
Ah, life's so beautiful!
Throughout the meeting with the generals to pick the target planets under Sobrekt control, the preparations to receive the captured Sobrekt hybrid, the progress reports from the Invaders, and the report on the Indokuro egg's development, Purple was in a surprisingly good mood. He didn't throw as many people out of the airlock as usual, and he didn't pay attention to whatever anyone told him; he just sat on his seat with a goofy grin on his face as he ate gallons of donut ice cream.
"Looks like someone's certainly in a good mood. I guess things between you and Tenn are going smoothly, then?" Red commented next to him.
"You have no idea!" Purple chirped. "All of my hard work is paying off! She's finally accepting me! I'm so happy! You, bring me something to drink!"
"Well, I do admit that it's almost been a week and you haven't received a slap, that's a record."
"She let me cuddle with her last night! At this rate, it won't be long before we can try..." He stopped himself from finishing the sentence. "Anyhow, still no word from Ilk? Did you already send the three hundredth voice-mail today?"
"Haha, very funny. What if something happened to her?!"
"My Tallest..."
"She's probably busy working on her master plan to bring the Sobrekt to their scaly knees, and maybe it would be easier for her if you gave her a break."
"Are we going to argue over that again?"
"S-Sirs..."
"Come on, Red, she's not a smeet anymore."
"She's my smeet!"
"Yeah, I can see that, considering you put a tracker on her without her or Lena knowing." Red made hurried hushing gestures.
"I did it because I love her!"*
"My Tallest-!"
"Besides, you're the last person with the right to judge me when you nearly put one on Tenn!"
"That's different!"
"On what sense? That you didn't hold her as a tiny smeet in your arms?"
"My Tallest!"
"WHAT?!" Purple yelled at the comms officer in unison with Red. He usually found it funny when the victim either fell back from their chairs or jumped into their neighbor's legs from fright. This one, however, didn't even flinch. Oh, right, he's the head Comms Officer. What was his name again? Pack, Jac?
"Incoming transmission from Sobr." He said simply.
"Why didn't you say so before?! Send it through!" Red turned towards the screen. "Hi, sweeti- Holy Irk!"
Purple spat the soda inside his mouth as he saw the state his niece was in: her undressed body was covered in bandages, and she looked like she hadn't slept for a very long time; her right lekku had a small tape wrapped around the stem, meaning it has been bent or broken and was in a healing process. Even DIR had a few bumps and scratches as it rubbed more healing ointment on Ilk's back.
Red instantly reacted by sending all the soldiers and crew members within the bridge outside; the sanctity of Ilk's body before anything. Purple couldn't say he didn't blame him; he didn't want any peeping eyes on his lovely Tenn either.
"Hey, dad," Ilk greeted, wincing a bit.
"WHAT ON IRK, ILK?! ARE YOU ALRIGHT, DO YOU NEED ANY MEDICAL ASSISTANCE?!" Purple smacked the back of his co-Tallest's head to make him calm down. "Thanks, I needed that. Ilk, who was responsible for this?! I swear, I'm going to hunt that bastard down with all the weight of the Irken Empire!"
"No, Dad, I'm fine!" Ilk piped in. "Since the Armada wiped out a considerable amount of Sobrekt troops, the Shuryo called in a planet-wide Conscription*; all civilians over two years old and able to lift a weapon must take an active role in the war against the Empire, and I couldn't refuse without raising suspicions."
"So, the reason you didn't pick up our calls was that you were out in the field?" Purple inquired.
"Communications are heavily monitored, especially on the battlefield. I couldn't risk the Sobrekt tracing back your calls to the Massive, that would have been the end of it." Ilk smiled a bit. "You could say it helped, though. I found a way to send you their battle plans."
"That doesn't exactly explain why you are in such a state."
"Oh, that... Um... My ship was shot down by a Spittle Runner. They must have thought I was a regular Sobrekt pilot." Purple imagined Red already sending a message to the Shipmasters to identify the pilot of such vessel. Then they would send him to the Massive so Red could personally throw him out of the airlock. "Anyhow, I was sent back to Sobr for recovery. Thankfully they didn't send me to one of their regeneration clinics, as I didn't lose any limbs."
"Don't scare me like that, sweetie! We've been worried about you!"
"Sorry, dad."
"My Tallest, I just skimmed through your messages, and I couldn't help but notice you mentioned something about an indokuro egg." DIR piped in. "You have in your possession?"
"Wait; what? Do you have one of those? They are impossible to get outside of Sobr, as far as I know." Purple was the one to explain to Ilk how they acquired it, given that he was the one who found it even if by pure coincidence. "Oh, my. The Shuryo is going to be so happy; I can imagine his face when he learns the eggs are being sold at restaurants. He's capable of burning Foodcourtia to a speck of intergalactic dust to keep them from falling into enemy hands."
"Do you have any information on those eggs, Ilk? Or how to train them?"
"That information is classified for the Indokani, the branch of the military that directly works with Indokuros... Although..." Ilk averted her gaze thoughtfully. "There is someone who might be able to provide me with the information. He's a renown indokani and he... holds me in high regard.*" Purple blinked. Was it just him, or did Ilk blush? "I may ask him about it. What I do know is that the person supposed to train the indokuro must be the first thing they see when they come out of the egg so they'll imprint, thus making the training easier."
"Excellent, sweetie!" Red laughed. "Is there anything you need? You know, I still got your favorite snacks in stock if you want one."
"No, Dad, I'm fine in that sense... Although you could help me with something else."
"Name it, Ilkie."
DIR took it from there. "A position in the service of Dr. Scylla, chief scientist of HybGen and Sobr's best geneticist, is vacant and she said that whoever can bring her the DNA of Hitorken Zim will get it." This time it was Red who spat out his drink... right at Purple's face.
"What?!, Zim?! Our Zim?! Why on Irk would she want his DNA?!"
"I did mention that the Sobrekt see Zim as a powerful warrior due to the things he's done to the Empire before, even if they were unintentional. Naturally, Scylla wants to make a creature with Zim's genetic code in hopes of harnessing his... knack for destruction."
"So, you need Zim's DNA to get into that lizard's service and get the mother cell you need for your plan?"
"Yes. I'd get it myself, but I cannot leave the planet right now since I'm supposed to be in deep recovery and the competition will be hard. I wouldn't be surprised if my 'rivals' have already departed to look for Zim's whereabouts."
Red smiled at her. "Then consider it done, sweetheart. We'll contact you as soon as we have a word with Zim."
Purple took a sip of his drink, making loud sounds as he slurped from his straw. He wasn't going to be the one who asked Zim for DNA.
**SoP**
Tenn found herself alone on the morning of the day before the deadline. There must be an emergency or something like that; at least that's what she thought until she found a gift box on her bedside table; it wasn't too big, but not too small either. Tenn warily picked it up and shook it; her lekku twitched; it didn't sound like something heavy. She ripped the box open and found a bright mauve dress matching her own eyes. What is this?
As she took a look at the piece of clothing, she noticed a small note attached to the box's cover.
A little present for tonight, my dear. Meet me in the observatory at eight. Don't be late!
A shiver ran down Tenn's spine as she imagined what he was planning to do. The last time she had to wear a fancy dress like this was on their wedding day. This thought lingered throughout the day; her dread became stronger as she wondered if he'd want to... Tenn swallowed hard. Whatever it was he was planning, she had to be prepared for it.
Time passed slower that day. Ten minutes before the appointed time, she put on the dress before making her way to the elevator leading up to the observatory. Tenn inhaled and exhaled to calm down her nerves.
You can do this, Tenn: play nice for one more night, and you're done.
As the doors opened minutes later, Tenn rubbed her eyes to see if she was dreaming. Instead of the observatory, she found herself on a beach with azure sky, sea, and even sand. It must be a holographic projection of some sort, but a very advanced one. She could feel the sand in the soles of her feet and smell the salt from the water. Hell, she even felt a cool breeze against her skin.
"There you are, my dear," she heard Tallest Purple from up ahead.
Tenn froze. He was on top of a canopy bed decorated with flower petals and actual aromatic candles placed around it in a circle; her squeedly-spooch churned as she realized what he wanted, especially when she noticed that he was wearing a silk robe instead of his Tallest armor.
"I took you by surprise, didn't I? I figured the beach would be a nice place to relax and get... comfy."
Tenn quickly slapped herself mentally. "Frankly, yes. How did you get a whole beach in here?" She inquired as she took wary steps towards the bed. She knew how, but she had to divert his attention away from her current body language.
"Red and I installed holographic panels and projectors here when we became Tallest. We could pretend we were back on Irk or a particular spot we liked from conquered planets."
"I understand the projections, but why do I feel the sand and the scents as if I were really on a beach?"
"Well, it wouldn't be a beach if you couldn't, right? These projectors, in particular, are spliced with Vortian reality simulators to make everything feel real."
Tenn tentatively joined him in the bed. "Even the bed feels real."
Tallest Purple chuckled. "Because it is, silly. You can't lie down on a holographic bed." He took two glasses from a levitating tray and offered her one. "General Kar sent a present from Kazana."
"The Sobrekt colony world?"
"And the provider of forty percent of food and supplies of the Sobrekt Armada. The sweep cleaners* found plenty of these," Tallest Purple held up a bottle and poured a dark cyan beverage on the glasses. "Sobrekt green wine. Very expensive, and this particular brand is said to be served to the Shuryo himself."
Tenn accepted the glass and took a sip. Her eyebrows furrowed as she crunched up her face. It was very bitter. "It needs sugar."
"Indeed, and what better way to infuriate our pal the lizard than ruining his favorite beverage?"
Tenn tried the drink again, this time with twenty-five sugar packets added. The taste was more tolerable but still wasn't enjoyable.
"So, you only have the beach in your projectors?"
Tallest Purple snapped his fingers. The landscape shifted into a tropical jungle with pink and blue bioluminescent lights and fireflies. Tenn found it familiar.
"Where have I seen this...?"
"It's from Pandora, the Na' vi homeworld*. Those blue mammals might be hopeless primitive and retrograde, but their planet is visually stunning. We sent an Invader there to turn it into a hunting resort."
"Hunting? As in...?"
"They got a flying creature with cool orange and black colors that would make a nice trophy."
"Great Leonopteryx, known as Toruk in their language."
"How do you know that?"
Tenn shrugged. "I paid attention during xenobiology."
They spent the next hour and a half testing the different ambients programmed into the holo-projectors; Ikana 72's crystalline deserts, Lazulios's coral reefs, Siranna's mountainous ranges, amongst others.¡; Tallest Purple even put on the ambients of the planets Tallest Red had personally conquered back on his days as an Invader before the organic sweeps burned them to ashes. Tenn wondered why those planets had been terraformed in the first place if they were that visually attractive; guess Tallest Miyuki had her reasons. She wasn't the type of Irken to throw someone out of the airlock just because she had nothing better to do*.
When the latest scenery, a broad valley with square meters of lakes, changed into a boreal forest covered in snow, the temperature dropped considerably. Tenn instinctively sought body contact with the nearest heat source, which happened to be her husband; she didn't realize her mistake until she felt his arms wrap around her to pull her closer. Tenn gathered every single fiber of willpower inside her body to not push him off. Instead, she relaxed and leaned in further into Tallest Purple's embrace, resting her head against his chest.
"You're warm."
"And you're so hot," he whispered into her lekku as she felt him pulling the zipper of her dress down. Tenn reacted in pure instinct and moved away; mentally cursing herself, she tried to think of something quickly when she saw his confused expression.
"Can you at least do something about the temperature first?" She blurted out, rubbing her forearms. "Or do you expect me to be comfortable with being naked in this cold?" Thankfully that seemed to do the trick.
"Oops," Tallest Purple chuckled nervously and snapped his fingers. The projections changed again, this time into a beautiful nebula-dominated sky with swirling purple colors. Tenn recognized it as Byzantium Junction. "Better?"
"Much better," Tenn said in awe at the beautiful scenery before she was pulled back into her husband's embrace.
"Now... where were we, my dear?"
In later years, Tenn would think of this night as the one that changed her life, and perception of her husband, forever. But for now, she just carried away with the ultimate sacrifice to ensure she had Tallest Purple wrapped around her finger enough for her to make her escape.
With that in mind, Tenn made the first move. She turned around and leaped right towards Tallest Purple, pressing his body against the mattress as her lekku intertwined with his, sending delightful sensations down her spine and throughout her body. She caught him by surprise, as he took a bit longer to realize what was going on; Tenn pulled away from the 'kiss' and looked into her husband's blushing face with the best hungry eyes she could muster.
"It's about time you asked."
Tallest Purple's eyes lit up as she said those words; he pulled her into yet another passionate lekku-kiss as his hands began exploring her body. Tenn felt a shiver down her spine as she remembered their 'wedding night', which he seemed to interpret as pleasure. This time, however, she not only allowed his hands to touch her; she returned his caresses and love bites as she intertwined both lekku with his. This masked the other physical sensations with the extreme pleasure this caused, especially as Tallest Purple pinned her into bed to change position, preparing to go to the next level as he tore through the dress's fabric while she undressed him.
As his eyes were closed, he didn't notice the single tear rolling down Tenn's cheek.
I'm sorry, Dren.
**SoP**
*Yeah, that's Red's overprotective dad mode.
*Reference to a Disney movie... I don't remember how it was called, but it involved a mother and daughter with a rocky relationship switching bodies due to a fortune cookie. Anyway, the younger brother said something similar when asked why he enjoys bugging his sister so much.
*Callback to Lost, in which Red gave a similar argument, and ICarly.
*In Sobrekt culture, this is a direct order from the Shuryo, usually saved for 'emergencies' after a significant loss of troops. This means they have found their match in military combat, so you could say it's an honor for the Sobrekt to recur to this.
* I wonder who could that be ;)
*After an Organic Sweep takes place, special troops are sent down to the target planet to capture any survivors(if there are any) or look for salvageable technology. These troops are known as Organic Sweepers.
*My headcanon is that Tallest Miyuki didn't throw people out of the airlock for fun like Red an Purple do. In fact, she didn't apply this at all unless someone really deserved it.
To those who MIGHT want to crucify me: it wasn't r*** this time around. Tenn doesn't like having sex with Purple yet, but he didn't force her this time. Let's not forget that she's an Invader, and she's used to having to do certain things to ensure the success of her Mission.