Chapter 18

Serval

Serval had already come to understand that, when it came to dressing herself, his mate had no concept of the passage of time. Minutes were a small unit of time measurement on Earth. A mark was approximately two Earth hours, which meant that thirty minutes would only be a quarter mark. And twenty was less than that. It didn't even take him the full twenty minutes to get changed and have all his combots set up in his rec room. He had a blank screen set up so that the background could be swapped out as desired. He also had a few props including a chair, a mat, some flowers – edible, synthesized from his food maker – and a pair of mating rings in the human style.

He had all of that set up and ready to go and Sophie still hadn't returned.

It was a full quarter and a half a mark later when his female finally sauntered in.

But, great ocean spirits, was the wait worth it.

The dress he purchased for her use was simple, in a very pale blue, just a few shades darker than his skin. To match his olules. It wasn't form fitting, but it still sat perfectly on every curve. The loose, off the shoulder sleeves, seemed to almost tease at pulling down at the deceptively loose bust. Like it would be so incredibly easy for the dress to just fall off of her. It swirled with each step she took, her adorable, tiny human feet completely bare.

She had her bangs swooped over in her signature fashion, but he would swear that the waves to the brown locks were looser, freer, than usual. She had them tucked behind one ear and had chosen to forgo any jewelry.

He approved. There was nothing to distract from her.

"Absolutely beautiful, lov'alel," he praised, raising a hand for her to take.

She did so, smiling at his required daily adulation. "Thank you. You're pretty handsome yourself, amor."

Her eyes traveled appreciatively down his body.

He had chosen to wear brown, to compliment her as she did him. His pants were hung low on his hips, and the tan of his shirt flowed around his torso, fully open at the front. He had only a single bit of adornment, which was a leather necklace with a simple, stone ring around it that sat right in the middle of his chest. His olules weren't tied back, but he had rubbed some oil into them to make them shine and look better under the lights of the cameras.

Sophie's appreciative gaze returned to his face, then became thoughtful. "No makeup?"

"No. My people don't typically wear makeup. Never was a very popular choice on Wav'aii. Probably because my people spend so much time underwater."

"Yeah, but you're not underwater now," she pointed out calmly. "And you're about to be on camera. You should wear something."

"I never have before."

"Yeah, but this isn't a story you're reporting from the battlefield or at the big bust of some drug running cartel-"

"You watched that?"

"-this is an ad campaign. We've got to look enticing. We need to be two beautiful people deeply in love, so lost in each other, we don't even realize we have True Match stamped across our foreheads – or wherever they're putting it. I don't know. Come here. Sit. I'll do your makeup for you."

Serval thought it was a bit foolish – even when he did a formal piece, not on a battlefield or at an active arrest site, he didn't bother with makeup.

But Sophie wouldn't hear any disagreements. She demanded that he sit while she ran back to her room to grab her makeup bag. His eyes widened at the enormous thing she rolled in. A suitcase worth of makeup products.

"What is that?" He asked, shocked. Surely, she didn't wear all of that on her face.

"Some are personal purchases, some are brand deals, some are gifts," she shrugged, unconcerned as she picked up the bag and put it on a table before opening it. "Your skin is really white, with just a hint of blue in it, so my foundations won't work on you. However, I have some blue themed pallets and white highlighters in here that I think will work just fine. Let's get a little crazy. But first! Let's prime my canvas."

Very quickly, Serval began to understand why it took Sophie so long to get ready.

She had paints and potions and powders for every different part of his face. The sheer amount of product she began putting on his skin made him concerned.

"Why am I more made up than you?" He finally asked as she dragged her brush over his brow.

"You're getting way less than me," she laughed.

"You're barely wearing anything."

She sat back, giving him an indulgent look, like a mother whose child just said something adorably naive and foolish. "Oh, my sweet summer child. I have more paint on my face right now than the Sistine Chapel."

"The what?"

"Unimportant. It takes a lot of product to appear natural." She held her head high. "Especially on camera. Cameras capture every possible flaw and enhance it until it's the only thing people see. Every pore, stray hair, and discoloration on my face has to be gone or it will be the only things that people focus on."

Serval's expression was one of dull disbelief as she used a different powder to stroke silver across his cheekbones. He didn't know why. His skin wasn't silver.

"You're lucky," Sophie continued, head cocked as she worked, extremely focused. "You don't really have any pores. Is that a you thing or an allowee thing?"

"My people have very smooth skin. Suits us better underwater. And I don't have fur like you, so there's really no need for pores."

"Lucky ho," she grumbled. "But your skin is so bright. Compared to mine, you'll be like a blank sheet of paper. That's not a good look. So, we have to give you some definition here on your cheekbones, at your temples, and your jawline. Some gray for shadows, some silver for highlight. I've actually got a really great blue lip liner; we can sharpen that line where your olules meet your skin. Give that some definition too."

"It sounds like you're just remaking my face."

"Of course. Editing can only go so far, and people are attracted to beautiful people. Especially if these are going out on Earth, I need you to look, just, A+."

"That's rather vain."

"That's showbiz, baby," she held out her hands, brush in one, two different powders in the other. "It's a medium that's solely visual, so you have to make sure that one sense is fully satisfied. I've done photo shoots for brand deals before, and I have to spend a few hours in hair and makeup even when I'm just trying to appear ‘natural'. And since I do my own videos too, I also have to be able to make myself camera ready at all times. It's just a part of the job."

Serval fell silent, letting her concentrate on her work. Thinking over this new information.

It wasn't about vanity. That wasn't why she spent so long on her looks. It was important to her profession. The same as researching or editing or filming. One that he largely neglected because, really, his stories didn't need him to pay that much attention to his looks. There had been stories where he had been reporting literally covered in mud because that's how things were unfolding.

"And voila!" Sophie finally declared, sitting back with a proud smile. "You know, this was a great ‘eyeshadow palette only' challenge. I should do that for a video. Oh! And we can do an ‘alien boyfriend does my makeup' video. That's a great twist on a classic. But that's for later. Until then, what do you think?"

She snatched up a mirror and held it up. Serval's eyes widened with surprise as it took it from her, turning his head from side to side.

"That's incredible," he breathed, looking at himself from all angles.

It was still obviously his face, but as if he had been painted to perfection. His cheekbones were prominent, his lips were soft, but his usual, natural pale blue skin seemed to glow. His brown eyes were rather plain usually, but she had done something subtle around them that made the ordinary color appear golden.

He had watched her put so much on his face, he could feel it sitting there, but it really looked as if there was nothing.

"I do makeup challenges sometimes," Sophie said, setting aside her brushes and powders. "It's not usually stuff that fits on my channel, but I usually give it a candy theme. I did peppermint one year for Christmas, and I did an all brown, chocolate challenge for Valentine's Day one year. I did a whole makeup palette colab with a beauty influencer once. Point is, I'm not really the best with makeup, but I think I did well. You like it?"

"This is wonderfully done, lov'alel," Serval admitted, setting down the mirror. "If it's not too much to ask, would you be able to do this for me during my other shoots? The ones when I'm not live on the field, of course."

Sophie looked surprised, then delighted. Like she couldn't believe he wanted that. But he couldn't deny the quality of her work. It would definitely look good on camera. And if he had time to dress up for his videos, then he had time to let her touch up his face.

"Yes!" She yelled delightedly, throwing her arms around his neck. "Of course, I will! Leave it to me. You're going to look so good."

He smiled, returning her embrace. She put a lot of thought into her videos. They weren't as serious as his, but that didn't mean she didn't put just as much effort and work into them.

"Shall we?" He asked, leaning back, not wanting to smudge his makeup. Would it wipe off if he was careless? He wanted to be careful because he didn't know how fragile it was.

Sophie did not have that same worry. She moved back, confidently setting her hair back into place as she moved to the photo area.

"Let's start with some solo shots," Serval said. "We'll do you first. Then me. Then, we'll do the couple shots. That work for you?"

"Let's do it!" She declared, turning quickly, making her hair twirl, smiling at the combot in front of her.

He had his fleet out. Capturing her from all angles as she went through a few poses of her own, mixing them with his suggestions. She had one with her hand in her hair, hands behind her back, leaning forward with a bright smile, one with the synthesized flowers in her hand, smiling down at them so that she wasn't even looking at the camera. He had her pose with her hands over her heart, one of the fake, gold mating rings on the proper finger – making note of which one it was. He also had her spin again, this time making her skirt flare out, getting a great action shot.

Then, they switched, and he posed. He stood with his hands on his hips, elbow back, almost leaning in for one shot, then crossed his arms for another. He did his own shot with the flowers, and one with the mating ring similar to her pose, using only one hand over his heart. He got a few close ups, some with his olules free, some with them bound back.

Sophie had him pose laying down, arms over his head. Then again against a wall, leaning on it with his forearm overhead, the camera between him and the wall as he looked into it like they were her eyes – which was very difficult to imagine.

"Are you sure human females like this?" He asked, feeling silly as she had him pose in a doorway next, hands bracing on the top.

"Trust me," she purred with a wicked grin. "They go feral for this stuff. Now, hold out your hand like you think I'm about to give you something."

She was having fun posing him. And the grin on her face as she bit her lip made him think that it wasn't all for the ad campaign.

When she came back, this time for the couple's shots, she had him immediately repeat the doorway and wall leans, but this time with her in the place of the camera. Which felt a lot more natural and right when he could sweep his arm around her waist or, when asked, use a single finger to tilt her chin up to look into his eyes.

That move made her burst into excited, nervous giggles, her face burning red. He smirked, enjoying the power that one simple motion had over her.

They posed with the flowers again. She held them in her hands, smiling into their vibrant, blue green petals, as he approached her from behind, slowly wrapping his arms around her. He did one variation around her hips and kissed her temple. He did it again, but moved his arms up, wrapping them around her waist, and kissed her cheek. Then, he did it one more time, his arms around her chest. He slowly nuzzled the side of her head, curling around her, as a slow smile pulled at her cheeks.

They lingered there for a moment. He didn't quite kiss her, but he caressed his lips around the curve of her cheek.

They changed to their next pose. She tossed aside the flowers. She put her right hand over her heart, had him put his left hand, the one with the human mating band, over that, then put her left hand over his, making sure their rings glinted in the light next to each other.

Serval used his free hand to stroke up over her belly, pulling her tighter against his chest. She made a sound, so soft and gentle he might have imagined it, as one of his olules stroked through her hair to touch the back of her neck. It was a quick sting, a whisper of a touch, but it made her jump, her head falling back against his shoulder, mouth falling open.

The pose was far too sexual for an ad campaign, but it was fully natural. It was her genuine reaction to his touch. He chuckled, letting her go. She gave him a look that was meant to be a glare, but there was a gleam of desire in it.

They switched to a new pose. This time, they stood face to face, holding hands. They did it with her holding his hands, and with him holding hers. Sudden inspiration made him lift her hands, one at a time, and kiss her knuckles. Then both at the same time. She broke into a wide smile the moment he lowered them back down, pleased with his choice.

So, she did the same. She kissed each of his hands before kissing them together. He didn't let her lower them, however. When she finished, he twisted his hands free and took her face in his hands. He stroked down her cheeks, then back up towards the back of her neck.

They lingered there again, her neck in his hands, her eyes foggy and lusty. He yanked her forward, pulling her into an embrace. Cupping the back of her head, then sliding a hand down her hair, down her back. He raised his eyes, catching sight of the cameras. Sophie wrapped her arms around his torso as an idea sparked in his head and he smirked.

They lingered there for a moment before switching to the next pose.

The rest of the couple shots went by quickly. They did a few sitting down, her in his lap, between his legs, facing each other and facing away. They posed back-to-back – sitting down and standing. They got a few action shots of her running at him and him lifting her in the air – a few with his hands around her waist, a few with him scooping her up in his arms. Sometimes, he spun her around as she laughed, her legs curling up in the air. They did one where they ran at each other, ending in an embrace where she laughed, clinging to his shoulders.

"Any other ideas?" She asked some time later, when they had gone through as many as they could think of. They had more than enough to send to True Match. Enough they could make multiple ads of them on various planets. For now. Serval fully expected that they'd need to do something more interview style later. Maybe do a full, formal commercial.

But for the photo ads, they had enough.

However, he said, "Actually, I got a few solo ideas."

"Yeah, sure, hit me with it," Sophie beamed, straightening her dress.

"Go sit on the pad," he jerked his chin, stepping out of the view of the cameras.

"Oh, like a dreamy, laid back pose? That's cute," she chuckled, dropping back. She took a second to straighten her skirt, making sure it fell just right. She leaned back on her hands, one leg up, one leg out, she smiled at him, smiled at the cameras, tilted her head a couple different directions. Doing everything to make sure she got the best shot possible.

A consummate professional.

Serval's cock was hardening already.

"Run your hand through your hair," he ordered. Starting small.

She didn't hesitate. She shook her head, getting some of her hair over her shoulders, just so that she could push it back. Head moving so that her neck stretched, her eyes all heavy and half lidded, her smile turning into a sultry enticement. Like she was begging the males on the other end of the camera to sign up for True Match just for the chance to meet her.

But they would never meet her.

Sophie was only his. The universe might get to witness her on camera, from a distance. They could admire her and envy him, but no one would ever get to touch her again.

The rush of possessiveness made his fingers twitch as the urge to rush her now, shove her down, and cover her body with his almost overwhelmed him.

Almost. He wanted to play his game first.

"Switch legs."

Again, she obeyed immediately. As she was adjusting her skirt a bit, trying to get it to lay perfectly again, he gave her another order-

"Pull it up."

"You sure?" She didn't even look at him. She was focused on her skirt, on the way it lay over her thighs. She hesitated just a bit, but she pulled it up. She wasn't as sure this time as she leaned back again, posing as she should. "How's that?" She asked, tossing her hair.

Perfect. She obeyed him so perfectly.

"Looks good," he said, struggling to hide the huskiness of his voice as need curled in his belly. "Lay all the way down on your back."

Oblivious to anything happening, she did so. She ran her hands up her own belly, used one to pose by her head, smiled at him, before raising both overhead, smiling up at the combot floating right over top her. Catching her beauty from all angles.

"Good," he purred, heart pounding, salivating with need. "Now, open your legs."

She froze. Her eyes immediately darting back down to him. The air between them hummed with strain and silence as what he was doing finally registered in her brain. As she thought about what he said. As she considered the action.

Briefly, her gaze darted to one of the combots, then right back to him. Knowing that they were actively taking photos. Even now. Thousands of still images over the last mark of just the two of them posing and teasing each other.

And now, of him commanding her body. Just as she had posed for him for her pleasure with the door and wall leans, only now this was for him.

She licked her lips, her eyes sparkling, cheeks flushing.

And spread her legs.