“Um, can we talk for a minute?” Aura stammered as she stood and moved to grab Adan’s arm.

“You mean, like, elsewhere?” Adan asked as he looked back at her.

“Come on” she grumbled as she began leading him out of the bedroom, leaving Ilian to just look down at the floor awkwardly as the door shut behind them.

Upon arriving back in their own bedroom, Aura shut the door tightly. “Really?” she asked as she looked up at Adan with disbelief.

“Really what?”

She just gave him another look, “do you really think we need to quite make that kind of... guideline?”

Adan looked back down at her with a cross between mild amusement and caution, “What? He needs our DNA to stay not dead, right? You know, like he very nearly just was. And it’s not like we both haven’t already slept with him. Some of us more than others” he couldn’t help adding.

Aura gave him a rueful look, “so, you are mad then?” she asked, emotion choking her voice.

Adan just shook his head. “I don’t know if mad would be quite the right word.”

“You’re mad” she repeated hopelessly, taking a seat at the foot of the bed as she buried her face in her hands again.

Adan took a breath. “more like surprised. Extremely surprised, all things considered” he couldn’t help adding that either.

She just shook her head. “At first I just wanted to help him. Then I panicked. Imagine that. So, afterwards, I told him to just please let me try to explain it all to you.”

Adan furrowed a brow. “I already said I was cool with it. We had that very discussion. In multiple parts, Aura.”

She took another ragged breath. “I’m talking about before that. Or at least before our final discussion about it.”

“Hmm?”

She sighed heavily. “My second time with Ilian was actually...” she shook her head again.

“Yeah, I was wondering that. I mean, I know you and he did it in the bathroom. But not sure when you found time to get it on again. Especially in light of those six pills you chugged right after.”

Aura felt her cheeks reddening as she looked down. Gathering every bit of courage she could, she finished her confession. “The time in the bathroom was our second time together.”

Adan narrowed his eyes again as he tried to process her words. Finally, after a painfully long moment, “so, you slept with him, before I did?”

She let out another ragged breath, trying her hardest to keep from breaking down then. “Still gonna claim you’re not mad?”

Adan shook his head again, turning away as he continued to appear to be in deep thought. That didn’t make her feel any better, but at least he wasn’t yelling, or screaming, or storming from the room, so she tried to hold onto any hope she could. Even though she was feeling very real terror about having shoved a wedge between the two of them right then.

Not able to bear him just standing there, turned away from her as he still appeared to be processing any kind of reaction at all, Aura had to speak again. “I didn’t really plan for it to happen that way. But, after it did, it just seemed... easier to let you think that it was me just deciding to go along with your plan rather than...” she shook her head.

Adan finally managed to find his voice again, “so, I’m guessing this all was why you were so uncomfortable with whatever it was that he actually did this morning? Coming onto you or whatever?”

“Well, it was definitely unexpected. I mean... like I said, he didn’t even know what sex was before” she just shook her head again.

“And if you and he would have made love this morning, it would have been your third time with Ilian, apparently” he added more quietly, “and you and I have really only been...” it was then Adan who averted his eyes with a shaky breath.

Aura was silent, looking down guiltily for a long moment before speaking again, “did you really mean that you think we should only have like actual, literal threesomes now instead?”

Adan let out another slight scoff, “I thought I was maybe just protecting you from feeling uncomfortable being alone with him or something. I just didn’t know the real reasons you were so particularly uncomfortable about it this morning. Though, I do now” he added more quietly.

“Adan, I’m still getting used to being with one human lover alone. Let alone an alien one alone. But both of you at once?” she shook her head, “I mean, it sounds nice, in theory, but...”

“But?” he asked, finally looking back at her.

She took another breath. “It’s not about that, not really. And I’m not saying I may not consider that, at some point” she made herself admit, refusing to look up to see his reaction to that concession. “But, before I start doing that, I think I’d rather at least get used to, something more... or rather something less...” she shook her head again, her brain failing to even find those words.

“OK, summary though, you do still want to be with both of us? Is that still true?” he attempted, moving back toward the bed at last as he spoke to her. “Complete honesty” he added for weight.

“Yes, I’m still more than willing to do... things” she decided on, “with both of you. I just want it to be different I guess. Being with you and being with him. And if it got all mixed up together” she shook her head again, powering through the words, “I just still want it to keep being special with you, like it’s... special” she repeated, frustrated at her attempt to form her thoughts properly into words right then.

Adan then smiled as though he did somehow understand her fumbled attempts at explaining her own thoughts. He took a seat next to her, covering her hand with his. “So, you want romance with me, is that it?” he allowed a small grin.

“I’m not asking for candlelit dinners or anything, Adan” she told him, afraid to smile, or look directly at him. “I just want to feel like what you and I have is somehow different than what he and I have. I have to keep them different in my head. I don’t know why. I just do” she whispered softly.

“You just want me to know that I’m still your first choice?” he offered as he squeezed her hand.

She let out another breath. “I guess I do” another pause. “Cause then, maybe I could still believe that I’m your first choice too.”

Adan looked over at her then. “Aura, this is not about me talking about evening the score, so to speak, is it? That was just--”

“But you were with men before. Out in the real world” she reminded unnecessarily.

“And women too” he reminded with a wary grin.

“And isn’t guy-guy sex supposed to be like, more intense or something? Even when they’re both human?” she added under her breath.

Adan just bit back a chuckle. “Did you hear my last comment? About the women too? Who I do happen to enjoy quite a bit as well. Which I’m pretty sure you’re aware of” he chided.

“But I mean, if you’d rather--”

“Stop” he scolded her. “I think this is more about you trying to punish yourself than anything I actually want or feel. Isn’t it?” he coaxed gently.

“But I slept with another guy. And didn’t tell you as soon as it happened. Doesn’t that mean... I’m like a terrible person or something?”

“Pretty sure most of those rules no longer apply. Even without the DNA of it all. I mean, I never said you couldn’t be with anyone else, did I? Pretty sure that once we knew he was here, I kind of said the exact opposite of that, didn’t I?” he teased.

“Yeah but the fact that I didn’t tell you. I mean. That makes it wrong somehow, doesn’t it?”

Adan shook his head again. “It was only the third time you had full sex ever. Let alone the first time since me. The only time since me. And with a complete stranger. Not to mention, an alien. Pretty sure you had a lot of reasons for not telling me. And they probably all seemed pretty valid at the time, right?” He then gently cupped her chin in his hands. “Especially with how quick you tend to panic and jump to the worst possible conclusion ever, right?” he reminded her with another small smile.

“I just never would wanna do anything that would make you think that I could ever want anyone more than I want you, Adan” she whispered as she sniffled.

“I don’t think that will ever be a thought that occurs to me. I promise” he smiled again before moving to kiss her lips once more.

After another long moment, Aura’s worry forced more words to her lips. “I guess it’s actually pretty silly.”

Adan smiled over at her as he still sat close, an arm around her shoulders, a hand over hers. “Which thing is silly now?”

“Me ever thinking you’d even possibly be jealous. I mean, it just took me so long to ever get you at all, and even with practically the whole world gone, I’m still in constant fear of losing you somehow” she admitted sadly.

Adan let out a soft sigh. “I don’t know how much of a factor jealousy could even play in a world that is essentially only three people that kind of need to now share DNA in order for any of us to have a chance of surviving at all.”

She stifled her own sigh. “Like I said, silly.”

Adan gave her another soft kiss, “sorry if I made you think I was upset by you and Ilian. You know that’s not it. I’m just worried, same as you. I mean, that’s the same reason why Ilian has already tied my record with you, cause of how worried we both are, right?”

“There’s records now?” she repeated with a laugh and a blush.

“You know what I mean. Trust me, I’ve wanted to make love to you a hell of a lot more than two times this past month. Just trying, really, really, really hard” he smirked again, “to limit the amount of panic attacks you have a reason to have each hour, you know? And I was a bit surprised you voluntarily signed up for a few more, is all.”

She shook her head, “trust me, I am terrified of having any baby at all, let alone one that’s...fuck.. part alien” she shuddered. “but if he can’t develop a proper resistance, then anything about any of our futures is kind of a moot point, really. Isn’t it?”