Chapter 33
Jaime
A round of sex and a long nap later, the door chimes again.
“Ugh,” I groan as I stretch my arms out.
Although the mattress came rolled up in a bundle barely large enough to hold a towel, it’s big enough for both Adam and me and surprisingly comfortable.
Not that I’ve been putting it to much use, since I slept on top of Adam, practically passing out after fucking him again.
I love it, but I need to tell him I enjoy bottoming too, so he doesn’t think we have to stick to this position forever.
Meeting my eyes with his sleepy ones, Adam yawns, his maw opening so wide I can see the back of his throat and could count his numerous teeth if I wanted to. “Morning,” I mutter as I fight off a yawn of my own.
Adam’s reply is interrupted by Steven’s voice. “Jaime? Are you alive?”
“No! Go away!” I call back at him, ready to fall back into sleep, but my brother isn’t easily deterred. I don’t care what anyone says about younger siblings. It’s the older ones who are the more annoying.
“You can’t stay locked up in there forever. We need to talk.”
Adam, the traitor, agrees. “He’s right. Your treatment—”
“Gah. I was hoping to give you a morning blowjob, but guess not.”
Adam snorts. “No, you weren’t. You were going to fall back asleep and keep drooling on my chest. You need to talk to your brother.”
Damn this guy. “What is this, a league of older brothers? So annoying,” I grumble. I’m not a morning person. It’s probably not actually morning, but whatever. “Fine. I should probably dress first, though. And wash this cum off myself. And pee. And—”
“And talk to your brother,” Adam softly interrupts my rant. “Do you need help?”
“I don’t need it, but I’ll take it as an apology for siding with my brother. That’s just rude.”
Chuckling, Adam brings me over to the toilet in the corner of the room. It’s the only amenity here, and I think they left it because it hides inside the wall when not in use. Otherwise, Adam would probably have hurt himself trying to destroy it during his feral stage.
“Can I come in?” Steven calls from behind the door.
“Absolutely not!” Realizing he might think Adam isn’t himself again, I add, “Give us a few minutes unless you want to see something you won’t be able to unsee.”
There’s a muffled sound of gagging. “You’re incorrigible.”
“Me? Brother, the walls on the Supernova are really thin. The things I’ve heard from Lyri and your room… I recognize the sounds of spanking when I hear them.”
“Um. That’s—that’s not— It’s not like that. I-I wouldn’t hurt Lyri.”
I snort as I hastily wipe myself with the tissues. I really need a shower. “I never said it was Lyriana getting spanked, and I’m definitely not going to ask who tops between the two of you.”
Steven groans. “Let’s not talk about this ever again. Any of it. Rokesh is here too, by the way.”
Oh, great. Looks like we’re having a family talk.
That should be interesting. Adam seems pensive as he helps me put pants on and, as I struggle with a shirt, he steps into a Wehdi-sized jumpsuit.
It’s jarring to see him dressed, but he looks hot with the stretchy fabric clinging to his muscles.
He still looks nervous, though, so I force my mind out of the gutter.
“Are you okay with them coming here?” I ask, reaching for him.
Immediately, he scoops me up into his arms and takes a lungful of my scent. “I won’t attack them,” he says.
“That’s not really what I was asking, Adam. Or should I call you Rizven now? I basically forced that name on you.”
“I like Adam from you. If you don’t mind that the others keep calling me Rizven.”
“Professor Rizven,” I tease, wanting to lift his mood a little.
“I love that part. But really, are you okay with facing your brother? I’m not asking because of the feral fog thing, but because of what happened between you.
” I don’t think he’d snap and attack, but that doesn’t mean he’s ready for the meeting.
“I’m ready,” he says, not looking the least bit ready, but he’s an adult capable of making his own decision, so I don’t pester him.
Once we’re both dressed and the room is in some form of order that doesn’t scream “love nest” from a hundred miles away, I call Steven in.
He’s nervous as he enters, his eyes darting around the room as if assessing threats before landing on the biggest one.
Adam doesn’t move an inch as they watch each other until eventually, Steven nods, sitting down by the opposite wall.
He’s unarmed, unusual for him, and I’m unsure if it’s a sign of trust or just a security protocol he had to follow to enter.
Rokesh is even more nervous than Steven, though I assume it comes from a different source. Steven expects a physical fight; Rokesh fears a verbal one. Hopefully, it won’t come to either.
Awkward silence stretches until Adam takes in a deep breath. “Brother,” is all he says.
Rokesh’s breath catches and his shoulders twitch as if he’s suppressing a sob. “Rizven, I…”
Adam moves me off his lap and waits for my encouraging nod before standing. Slowly, as if worried about scaring him, he approaches his brother, who still struggles to speak. “I’m so sorry, Rokesh,” he says quietly. “I never meant to hurt you.”
“Galaxies, Rizven… I never blamed you. Never. When you took off and I realized what you planned to do, I… I know I should have heeded your wish, but I just couldn’t. I’m the one who should be apologizing. This,” he indicates his missing eye, “is nothing. It certainly isn’t your fault.”
“I…” Adam trails off, clearly unsure what to say or how to act. It looks like I’ll have to insert myself into the situation because both brothers are clueless.
“Well, I for one would really like a hug from my brother,” I say, looking meaningfully between Adam and Rokesh and hoping they’ll get the hint.
“A hug is the best way to end any arguments,” I continue, laying it on thick for their dense heads.
It’s funny. Adam showed almost miraculous emotional intelligence when it came to my needs, but dealing with his brother is clearly too much for him.
“I think all brothers should hug.” They’re hesitant at first, but soon they have their arms wrapped around each other, holding on as if the other might vanish any second.
“Subtle,” Steven laughs.
Feeling no shred of remorse, I shrug. “If it works… I do want that hug, by the way. Are you going to make me crawl to get it?”
“Of course not, I just wasn’t sure if your, um, boyfriend would try to kill me if I came anywhere near you.”
A valid reason, I suppose. Before I can say anything, Adam turns to Steven. “It’s alright. I have it under control.”
Steven shrugs, then swiftly crosses the room and pulls me into a tight hug. “Dammit, Jaime. I’m dying with worry while you’re getting dicked down by an eight-limbed lizard.”
I snort. “Jealous?”
“Of course not. Lyriana is the best person in the universe.”
Unable to help myself, I tease, “Does she spank you if you say otherwise?”
“I will not answer that question,” Steven grumbles. He pulls away a little but stays seated next to me. “We really should talk, though. We need to discuss what happens next.”
Sitting down on my other side, Adam throws an arm around my shoulders and another around my waist. “Jaime needs to get his treatment.”
“Agreed,” Steven immediately replies.
I frown at both. “I’m not leaving Adam.”
“Well, luck is on your side. We’re about to dock with the Salvere, the medical ship where you were originally supposed to go before you started gallivanting around alien moons chasing alien dick.
Anyway,” he continues before I can tell him he’s a dick, “we’ve discussed the situation with them and they’re happy to admit you both.
A whole slew of scientists is eager to get their hands on Rizven, and the Salvere crew aren’t far behind.
They’re already forming a joint team or whatever.
The point is, they’ll diagnose and treat you while they study Rizven’s miraculous recovery. ”
I’m cautious about giving it much hope because it sounds a little too good to be true.
“But will they let us stay together? What if they just lug Adam off to god knows where and start cutting him to pieces?” I might have watched one too many mad scientist movies, but it still feels like a valid concern.
“Do they even consider Adam sane enough to make decisions for himself?”
“At the moment, I’m officially acting as Rizven’s guardian,” Rokesh says.
“It is true that everyone diagnosed with the red fog is declared legally incompetent and assigned a guardian, but our people aren’t malicious.
Once they’ve tested Rizven’s mental capacity, I am certain the decision will be revoked, and even if it were not, they would never do anything against his direct wishes. ”
I want to point out that he went against Adam’s direct wish when he refused to let him end his life, but it feels like too much of a low blow. I can’t imagine making that decision for Steven, either.
“Okay, so…they do tests with Adam’s consent? No torture or autopsies?”
Rokesh looks so appalled that he’s rendered speechless, and Steven elbows me.
“You watch too much TV, Jaime. The Supernova crew vouched for the Salvere, basically claiming they’re a bunch of Mother Teresas, eager to help anyone in need.
I know it sounds too good to be true, but in this case, it seems genuine.
Also, it’s not a prison, though there will be some security measures your boyfriend will have to comply with.
Still, if you don’t like it there, you can leave at any time. ”
Definitely too good to be true. “Can Adam leave at any time?”
“I won’t be able to,” he replies promptly. “No individual suffering from the red fog is allowed to move freely. There are laws for that, and even without them… I’m too dangerous to be around people.”
“Bullshit. You’re okay!”
Tilting his head to the side, Adam nuzzles my hair. “For the time being, but there’s no way to say how long it will last.”
“I’m not letting you spend the rest of your life locked up like an animal!
Alright, that’s it. We’re not getting on that ship.
We’ll just go back to the Supernova. There we can—” The shadow of guilt flashing through Steven’s expression stops me mid-word.
“What? Don’t tell me they wouldn’t take us on board? ”
Sighing, Steven runs his hand through his short hair. “Jaime, they have a kid on board. A kid and two pregnant women. They’re just cautious.”
“Rightfully so,” Adam agrees. “I would not go there anyway. I love you, Jaime, and I want to be with you, but I can’t risk hurting anyone in case my condition suddenly worsens. I’m willing to spend the rest of my life under guard if it means the people around me are safe.”
“Well, I’m not.”
Adam’s expression falls. “Right. That’s understandable. You should…you should still at least get the treatment before you leave.”
Damn this guy! He’s like the ultimate martyr, always putting others before himself. “I’m not leaving, Adam. I’m staying with you. What I meant is that I won’t let them just lock you up and throw away the key.”
“This discussion may be premature,” Rokesh interjects. “Once the research team concludes their testing, they might deem Rizven stable enough to be set free.”
Everything inside me rebels against letting some stupid doctors decide whether my perfectly stable boyfriend is going to be locked up for good, but even as worked up as I am, I see the logic behind it. Kind of. I still don’t like it, but I understand it.
“Okay, that’s the goal, then. Convince a bunch of asshole scientists that you’re fine.
” Adam grunts noncommittally, reminding me that I will also have to convince him that he’s fine.
But I’ll have time for that. Hopefully. “I’d also like to remind you all that the doctors never promised to heal me.
They promised to look at me and see what they can do, so you should probably manage your expectations on that front.
” God knows I do. Aliens miraculously fixing me is a nice dream, but that’s all it is.
A dream. All I dare hope for is for them to stop, or at least slow down, the progress of my polyneuropathy.
I don’t expect to walk again, but I’d like to keep what’s left of my upper limb mobility.
Also, not dying in the next few years would be nice.
“You two are really perfect for each other,” Steven grumbles. “Worried for others, but not for yourselves. You are both getting better and that’s the end of the discussion. Once you have a clean bill of health,” he tells Adam, “you’ll be welcome aboard the Supernova.”
“Just like you’ll be welcome to join my crew,” Rokesh adds.
Adam looks genuinely taken aback by the offers, like it’s inconceivable that anyone would want him anywhere. “Thank you.”
I release a long-suffering sigh. “Alright. Let’s meet these mad scientists.”