Wednesday Briefs - Trouble Comes in Threes chapter 6.2

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Welcome to the Wednesday Briefs flash group (click to go to the site). The short stories have a maximum of a 1000 word count plus links at the bottom to the other flashers. If interested in joining us, drop me a line and I'll tell you how. :)
Prompts this week are:
 “Even in death my life sucks." 
“What time did you say it was?”“I am not eating that.”“That's a likely excuse.”“Have you been dating a vampire or what?”“What are you growling about now?”“Shut the front door.”"Color me stupid.”"Panic first, then what?”“I don’t just play for the other team, I’m their fucking captain”“Hit me where the sun don’t shine, baby”or use a UPS driver in your storyor use: candy, soap, duckor rub against someone by accidentor have a character running lateor use: gas, cart, sodaor have a character burn dinner.
Just a heads up. Another month and I'm going to pull this. Kirk, Tal, and Dolf will mate first, though. I've written ahead, and I see now this is going to end up being novel length. Getting Kirk mated isn't the main problem Dolf and Tal are going to face. Prejudice against humans will be. Even humans that have been mated to shifters. 



Chapter 6.2

Tal sat on the other side of the bed. “You are Dolf’s mate, that’s correct. And… you are my mate too. You belong to both of us.”
More silence.
“I see.” Kirk blinked, then blinked again. A slightly horrified look crossed his face. “I’m dreaming, aren’t I? I’m still unconscious and laid out there in the snow and ice, right? This is all a hallucination. The whole paranormal thing, mates… I must be freezing to death right this very minute.” Kirk threw his hands out encompassing the room. “And there we go, that explains everything. I’m dying right this very minute.” Kirk dropped his head in his hands. “Even in death my life sucks.”Tal shot Dolf a concerned look. “Ah, no. You aren’t unconscious and freezing to death, Kirk. This isn’t a hallucination, and paranormal being do exists. You are my mate and Dolf’s. You belong to both of us.”“I-I…” Kirk’s head snapped up, and he started shaking.“Kirk? What’s wrong?” Tal frantically bounced on the bed. “Dolf, is he having convulsions? What… what do we do?”Dolf wrapped his arms around Kirk. “Hold him, Tal. That’s what we do.”Tal leaned against Kirk’s back. Both he and Dolf snuggled their human close as minutes passed. More minutes bled into half an hour and still they held each other. Dolf had said hold their human, and that’s what he was doing to do. He wasn’t going to let go. Kirk was his, and he refused to let go. Both he and Dolf gently ran their hand over Kirk, slowly calming him with touch. An eternity passed, but eventually Kirk stopped shaking. They still held the human, rocking in tandem, no one speaking. Instead, a deep rumbling surrounded them, the sound low. Tal breathed deeply, the sound relaxing him. Dolf was trilling, a peculiar chuffing noise in his throat, that was a feline call to his mate, or in this case, mates. It was something he did when Tal was upset or scared. It calmed him immediately. Bad thing was it made him horny too. Not that having Kirk in his arms wasn’t already sending his desire spiral out of control. “Tal,” Dolf mumbled softly. “Sweetheart, I can smell you.”“Sorry,” Tal whispered across Kirk’s shoulder. No doubt his arousal said clearly what was on his mind. “He just smells so good.”“Smell good?” Kirk snorted suddenly. “Man, are you kidding me? I stink.”Tal’s nervous laugh echoed in the room.“Well, someone seems to be feeling better,” Dolf said in response to Kirk’s remark. He leaned back to face Kirk. “I, ah…” Kirk wiggled until Dolf then Tal released him. “Don’t know if ‘better’ is exactly the right word here. I don’t get this whole mate thing you guys are talking about.”“A mate is a person who is perfect for us, a cherished life companion. They are our balance—the other half of our souls.”“You’re talking about soul mates.”“Basically, yes,” Tal said. “We call them another name.”“I don’t believe in Fate, or soul mates, or love at first sight.” Kirk scooted back on the bed until his back was against the headboard, and he could face the other two men. “Look, I’ve worked all my life. Couldn’t afford college. Never really dated much, was too busy working. Mostly did the hook-up thing. Then I met someone.”Dolf growled softly at the mention of another.“Not long after that, I opened my own business. Of course, opening a business just cost me my partner. I wasn’t spending enough time with him. Imagine that. I’m so broke it isn’t funny. Everything I had went into the business. I’m barely making ends meet, and then my house, and everything in it, just… fell apart. Love? Right. I haven’t had time for love. Anyway, how do you know your mate?”Tal reached for Dolf’s hand. “We know by a certain smell. It’s the best smell ever. You smell like honeysuckle. This scent also makes us… horny. Very horny. It’s almost unstoppable, that need to mate.” Kirk hiked an eyebrow. I-I don’t what to say about scents and stuff, but I do find you both attractive, it’s just… this is a little much to take in. Maybe if we just…” Kirk waved his hands at Dolf and Tal. “We need to take our time and get to know each other.” 
TBC

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