Chapter Fourteen
Alex
The morning water is perfect—cool enough to be refreshing, warm enough that my body doesn't go into shock. We've been working since dawn, trying to finish Section G before the heat gets unbearable.
But somehow we've gotten distracted.
"We should be working," Vel'aan says against my mouth, even as his legs wrap around my waist underwater.
"We've been working for an hour," I counter, pressing him back against the floating platform support. "We deserve a break."
"Your definition of a break is becoming very specific." But his complaint is undermined by the way his hips roll against mine, creating friction that makes us both groan.
"Can you blame me? You're wet, practically naked, and glowing purple." I bite at his throat, careful of his gills. "It's like you're designed to drive me crazy."
His hand slips between us, palming me through my work shorts. "These need to come off."
"Here? In the fields?"
"No one's around yet." His bioluminescence is pulsing with need. "And I can feel how much you want to through the bond."
He's right. The bond is singing between us, amplifying every touch, every sensation. I can feel his arousal mixing with mine, creating a feedback loop that's making me desperate.
"Fuck it," I mutter, reaching for my waistband.
"Vel'aan! We brought breakfast!"
We freeze. That's Sar'na's voice, coming from the main platform.
"Shit," I hiss, pulling away from Vel'aan so fast I nearly dunk myself. "Your parents."
"Why are they here?" Vel'aan's colors are cycling through panic green and frustrated purple. "It's barely past dawn!"
"We thought you might enjoy a morning meal before the day gets too warm," Tav'ik calls out. We can see them now—all three of them, carrying what looks like picnic baskets.
I look down at myself. My erection is extremely obvious in these thin, wet shorts. Vel'aan's not much better off.
"Stay in the water," he mutters. "Deep enough to hide... that."
"Good morning!" I call out, sinking lower until the water hits my chest. "What a nice surprise!"
Kar'on is grinning like he knows exactly what he interrupted. Sar'na and Tav'ik look oblivious, already spreading out containers on the platform.
"We brought traditional morning foods," Sar'na announces. "To share with you both."
"That's... very thoughtful," Vel'aan manages, swimming closer to the platform but staying strategically submerged.
"Come, eat with us," Tav'ik says.
"We're all wet," I point out.
"You're aquatic farmers. We expected that." Sar'na pulls out something that looks like cushions but seems to be waterproof. "We can eat at the edge, feet in the water."
"Actually," Vel'aan says quickly, "why don't you hand us plates? We can eat in the water. It's... refreshing."
Kar'on definitely knows now. His grin is widening.
"If you prefer," Sar'na says, though she looks puzzled.
They pass us plates, and I get my first look at traditional Nereidan breakfast food.
There's something green and gelatinous that jiggles when the plate moves.
Something else that looks like hair but smells like the ocean.
A purple paste that has the consistency of mucus.
And what appears to be fermented kelp that makes my eyes water from three feet away.
"This looks... interesting," I manage.
"These are delicacies," Tav'ik says, watching me closely. "The gel is concentrated algae protein. Very nutritious."
I take a spoonful. It's like eating savory jello that's been left out too long—slimy, warm, with a texture that makes my throat rebel. But they're all watching, and I can feel Vel'aan's anxiety through the bond.
"Mmm," I say, swallowing with effort. "Unique texture."
"Try the fermented kelp," Sar'na suggests. "It's Vel'aan's favorite from childhood."
I look at Vel'aan, who is clearly trying not to laugh. The kelp looks like something that died and was left to rot. The smell is overwhelming—like low tide mixed with gym socks.
I take a bite.
It's worse than I imagined. The texture is both crunchy and slimy, and the taste is so intensely fishy-fermented that my stomach immediately protests. But Sar'na is watching with sharp eyes, waiting for me to spit it out, to prove I can't handle their culture.
I swallow. Take another bite.
"It's very... complex," I say. "I can see why it's a childhood favorite."
Through the bond, Vel'aan sends a wave of amused affection.
The purple paste is next. It looks like paste, feels like paste, and tastes like... actually, it's not bad. Mild, slightly sweet, with a normal texture.
"This is good," I say with genuine relief.
"That's dessert," Kar'on informs me, laughing. "You're supposed to eat it last."
"Oops."
The hairy stuff turns out to be some kind of seaweed that's actually quite pleasant—salty and crisp despite its appearance. But then Sar'na pulls out her pièce de résistance.
"Fresh cultivated slime pods," she announces proudly. "Very rare. Very expensive."
It looks like someone filled a translucent sack with green snot. When she puts one on my plate, it wobbles disgustingly.
"You bite the whole thing," Tav'ik explains. "The exterior pops and the inside flows out."
I'm going to die. This is how I die. Not in space, not from drowning, but from eating alien snot sacks in front of my boyfriend's parents while hiding an erection.
I put the whole thing in my mouth and bite.
It explodes. Warm, viscous liquid floods my mouth, salty and vegetal and with the exact texture of a terrible head cold. My body wants to reject it immediately, but four pairs of Nereidan eyes are watching me.
I swallow.
"Incredible," I wheeze.
"You like it?" Sar'na seems genuinely surprised.
"It's unlike anything I've ever had on Earth," I say truthfully.
"Have another!"
God help me, I eat two more.
By the time the breakfast torture is over, my erection is completely dead, murdered by slime pods and fermented horrors. The silver lining is we can now exit the water without scandal.
"I should get back to work," I say, moving toward Section G. "Thank you for breakfast. It was... educational."
"We'll stay and observe," Tav'ik announces.
Great. An audience.
But as I start working, something shifts.
Without the distraction of trying to impress them, I fall into the rhythm Vel'aan taught me.
Dive, assess, cut, surface. My movements are confident now, efficient.
I know which tools to use, how to read the zhik'ra's health, where to make cuts that will encourage regrowth.
"You've learned quickly," Tav'ik observes after watching me for a while.
"Vel'aan's a good teacher," I say, sorting salvageable pieces from waste. "And the work makes sense once you understand the patterns."
A farmer passes in the distance, raising a hand in greeting. I wave back, recognizing them as one of the morning shift regulars.
"You know the other farmers," Kar'on observes.
"We wave. Exchange storm warnings sometimes. That's about it." I dive again, coming up with an armful of dead growth. "They think it's funny that a human is farming zhik'ra, but no one's been hostile."
I work steadily for the next two hours while Vel'aan talks with his family on the platform. I can feel his emotions through the bond—frustration at their questions, embarrassment at their protectiveness, but also a warm affection for them despite everything.
When I surface from a particularly deep dive, I find all four of them watching me.
"What?" I ask, suddenly self-conscious.
"You work hard," Tav'ik says. It sounds like it costs him something to admit it.
"The zhik'ra needs tending."
"You could have chosen easier work."
"I could have," I agree, swimming over to them. "But this is what Vel'aan does. This is his life. I want to share it, not just visit it."
Something shifts in Sar'na's expression. "You truly mean to stay. To be a farmer."
"I mean to be whatever makes sense for us," I correct. "If that's farming, then yes. If Vel'aan wanted to go back to the compatibility program, I'd support that too. The point is being together."
"And you've eaten slime pods for us," Kar'on adds with a grin. "That's true dedication."
"Those were horrific," I admit, making him laugh.
"They really are," Sar'na confesses. "I wanted to see if you'd refuse our food."
"You fed me something you don't even like?"
"It was a test," she says simply. "You passed."
"By eating snot?"
"By not complaining. By not making faces. By respecting our culture even when it was unpleasant."
I look at Vel'aan, who is glowing soft gold with affection. "Your family is devious."
"You have no idea," he agrees.
"We should go," Tav'ik announces, standing. "You have work to complete."
As they gather their things, Sar'na pauses near me. "The fermented zhik'ra was impressively handled. Most vomit."
"I have a strong stomach."
"You'll need it. Vel'aan's cooking is terrible."
They leave with less formality than yesterday, and I can feel through the bond that Vel'aan is relieved but also pleased.
"They like you," he says once they're gone.
"They tolerate me."
"For my family, that's practically love." He swims over, pulling me close. "Now, where were we before they interrupted?"
"Oh no," I laugh. "The slime pods killed any chance of morning sex. I may never be aroused again."
"Really?" He presses against me, and despite my protests, my body responds immediately. "The bond says otherwise."
"The bond is a traitor."
"The bond is honest." His hand slips between us, palming me through my shorts. "And it says you still want me."
"I always want you," I admit. "Even when I'm traumatized by breakfast."
He glances around, checking the distance to other farmers. They're far enough away, focused on their own sections. "Here," he says, guiding me back to the platform support where we started this morning. "The angle hides us from view."
"You've thought about this."
"I've been thinking about it since they interrupted us." His bioluminescence is pulsing deep purple. "Being inside you while anyone could see. Trying to stay quiet. Trying to be careful when all I want is to take you hard."
"Fuck, Vel'aan." My hands are already pushing at his shorts. "When did you get so confident?"
"When I realized how much you love it." He stops my hands, pulling them away. "But not like that. Slow. We have time."
He kisses me, deep and thorough, nothing like the desperate rush of this morning. His tongue explores my mouth while his hands map my body underwater, relearning every line and plane like it's the first time.
"I love how warm you are," he murmurs against my lips. "Even in the water, you're like touching sunshine."
His mouth moves to my neck, kissing and biting, deliberately leaving marks. "Want everyone to see," he murmurs against my skin. "Want them to know you're mine."
"Your parents will see."
"Good." He bites harder, definitely leaving a bruise. "They should know how thoroughly I claim you."
His hands slide down, thumbs brushing my nipples, making me arch against him. The public setting, the risk of being caught, adds an edge that makes everything more intense.
"Tease."
"Patience." He kisses me again, deeper, his tongue claiming my mouth while his hands continue their exploration. I can feel his need building through the bond, matching mine.
He turns me gently, my chest against the platform support. "Hold on."
I grip the rough wood as he presses against my back, his hands sliding over my stomach, down to palm me through my shorts. I'm already hard, have been since he first kissed me, and he takes his time stroking me through the fabric.
"Vel'aan, please."
"Shh." He kisses the back of my neck, just above the water line. "We're being careful, remember?"
His hand finally pushes my shorts down just enough to free me, fingers teasing before moving lower. When he prepares me, he's patient, thorough, his fingers already slick with his body's natural lubrication.
"So wet for you," he murmurs against my ear. "My body always knows what it wants."
When he finally enters me, the size of him still makes me gasp. Even after days of this, the stretch is intense, overwhelming in the best way. The water makes everything different—the buoyancy, the temperature, the way every movement creates ripples.
"Breathe," he whispers. "Someone's passing to the east."
I look and see a farmer maybe a hundred meters away. Close enough to see us if they looked, far enough that they probably won't. The thrill of it makes me clench around him.
"You like that," he observes, starting to move in tiny, controlled thrusts. "The possibility of being caught."
"I like you," I correct, though he's not wrong. "I like how you feel. How careful you're being even though I can feel through the bond how much you want to let go."
"The bond makes it better," he agrees, one hand coming around to stroke me under the water. "I can feel what feels good for you."
He adjusts his angle slightly, and I have to bite my lip to stay quiet.
"Shh," he soothes, but I can feel his pleasure at my response through our connection. "Quiet, remember?"
The pace stays maddeningly slow, each thrust deliberate and deep. The farmer to the east dives, surfaces, continues working, oblivious. Another appears to the west, and Vel'aan stills completely until they pass.
"This is torture," I gasp.
"This is perfect." He speeds up slightly, still careful not to splash. "You eating horrifying food to impress my parents. Working hard despite their scrutiny. Taking me so well right now, staying so quiet."
"Vel'aan, I'm close—"
"I know. I can feel it." His hand speeds up, and his thrusts get slightly harder. "Come for me. Quietly."
The combination of his voice, his hand, the public setting, and the bond amplifying everything pushes me over. I come with a muffled whimper, and through the bond I feel him follow, his bioluminescence flaring so bright the water around us glows.
We stay there for a moment, both breathing hard, still joined. Then carefully, we separate and adjust our clothes.
"That was incredibly risky," he says, but he's grinning, colors gold with satisfaction.
"Worth it though."
"Definitely worth it." He kisses me softly. "Though we should actually work now. We've accomplished barely anything productive all morning."
"I'd say we were very productive."
"That's not what I meant and you know it."
We do eventually work, though we keep catching each other's eyes and grinning like idiots. Through the bond, I feel his contentment mixing with mine, creating a loop of satisfaction that makes even zhik'ra farming feel like foreplay.
Best breakfast ever, slime pods and all.