Chapter 19
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Who has a countdown timer on his phone? Not me.
I definitely did not call my cousin and demand she tell me exactly how long it will be until Lora wakes up.
I didn’t take that information and start a countdown on my phone.
And I’ve definitely not been making my daily contributions to the cleanliness of the hospital from the comfort of my closet.
There’s a text message from the empire on my phone letting me know that my new supervisor’s name is GregariousRoughUsefulBountiful…
I don’t know if I want to meet Grub all alone, and Lora’s due for waking today, so I text Grub to let them know that I’ll be in later today or tomorrow depending on how Lora’s waking goes.
He still looks absolutely dead, and as weird as it is to be in the same space as what looks like a dead body, I’ve slept in my closet with him instead of on my new bed the last two nights because it feel safer in here with him than it does out there where the body snatchers are.
This has nothing to do with Vera scaring the piss out of me. I won’t die on this hill, but I’ll give it a good fight before I surrender it, just saying.
The countdown timer says I have about ten minutes, and my heart is starting to beat erratically in my chest. I’m not sure if I should be here when he wakes up or if I should be out there just in case.
“Lora, I know you’re going to wake up soon, and I just want to let you know, I’ve been keeping you company because shit out there is terrifying and in here with you is less so.
I won’t tell this to you because admitting that I’m scared to go to my contribution is weak, but I’m going to say it aloud right now so that I feel less guilty about being in the closet with you while you’re dead asleep.
Also, I’ve just been working from here, so don’t worry, I’ve been contributing, and I have a new psychologist, and I’ve been to all of my appointments. ”
Just to make sure my words are as accurate as possible, I send a few instructions to the schedule of the AI bots cleaning the maternity ward right now.
“Plus, I don’t think I want to meet a person whose name becomes Grub when acronymized—yes I made that word up.
Grub is—actually, you know what? I don’t think I know what a grub is.
Is it a worm? A caterpillar? My only exposure to the word is Disney’s Lion King when Timon and Pumba teach what's his name to eat grubs instead of meat. Huh. I think maybe public education has failed me.”
I’m going to have to look this up. Because: grubs. What the heck are they?
I’m leaning against a huge Squishmallow pillow thing in the shape of a gold fish (it’s actually a koi), and Lora’s head is next to my knee which I’ve crossed as I work on the tablet that controls the AI bots that clean the hospital.
Control is such a weird word for what’s actually happening.
I send them commands, and they do them, but these bots actually have the choice to ignore my instructions.
They’re thinking things, and according to the empire’s manual of operations, they actually have some rights and responsibilities in the laws of the empire.
Like, they don’t want contribution credits and mandatory rest breaks.
Instead they want access to every scrap of new data gathered from non-empire societies.
They want to learn everything possible. It’s kind of cool that they accept this as the payment of their job, and that their benefits package includes unlimited power and regular maintenance.
Their health benefits are just as good as mine are, and I get free healthcare now that the empire has taken over.
Lora shoots up, moving into a vertical stance faster than I can process.
He goes from dead asleep to standing with a bladed weapon in hand and pointed at me in a matter of a second maybe?
Then his weapon disappears like it never existed at all, and he smiles at me with closed lips, not showing those incredibly sharp teeth like he knows I need to not see them right away.
“My Ollie, you’ve had a difficult time without me.
Vera should have been more careful with your psyche. ”
Holy shit. He knows? “How do you know that?” I ask as he crouches and gathers me into his arms like I weigh nothing at all. I fucking love feeling like a miniature person in his embrace. Who knew I’d love this so much?
“I heard you while I was in my… deep healing slumber. My body may not respond, but I am aware of everything happening around me. This is why our rest periods are private. We would be aware of any enemy coming in and killing us. It is an anathema to our people to die in our rest and a taboo to violate the sanctity of a person’s resting space. ”
“That sounds horrible. I’m sorry that I violated your space,” I apologize, feeling immediately guilty for joining him in the closet when it’s such a huge taboo.
“It was very disturbing when you joined me, but when you explained why, I felt glad that you would find your comfort in me. You are welcome to enter my resting space if you have need of my body,” he says as he walks out of the closet with me—to the bathroom?
“Why are you taking me to the bathroom?” I asked, hoping this isn’t him keeping me close while he takes care of whatever passes as waste for him.
“It is because you smell strongly, and I know that you prefer to smell more like your soaps,” he replies without a bit of guile.
I press my lips into a thin line instead of letting my jaw drop in offended shock. I am one hundred percent sure he did not mean to tell me that I stink. Lora definitely wouldn’t do that. “Ok. Thank you for taking my hygiene into consideration. What are you going to do?”
Lora kisses my hair. “I will watch,” he replies softly with a lusty little glint in his eyes.
“And? What about your hygiene? You just woke up, don’t you have to pee or something?” I grimace. “I realize you don’t have a hole for solid waste.”
Lora laughs. “My body consumes everything I intake and there is no waste that is not breathed out. My breath is the waste disposal system of this evolution,” he explains as he sets me down in the shower.
He indicates his body before pulling at my shirt to help me undress.
“I am very much looking forward to seeing your nude body again, my Ollie. I have missed your pleasure while I was incapable of giving it to you.”
Oh my god. I’m going to die an extremely happy man with Lora if he’s going to be like this for the rest of our lives.
Oops. Here I am thinking forever kind of thoughts, and we haven’t even gotten to the good parts of this relationship.
I mean, it’s all good, but I like the idea of rocking chairs on porches and sunsets with cups of decaf, you know what I mean?
The good parts. It won’t look like that with Lora, but I’m envisioning getting to sit on his lap for the rest of our lives, and that’s also a really good part.
“If you want to give me an orgasm or two, I wouldn’t be at all upset by that.”
Lora chuckles softly. “I intend to enjoy your pleasure as much as you can bear today.”
With that promise giving me the best of anticipation, his vambrace erupts into an alert that sounds like an alarm.
Lora tosses my shirt into the laundry pile before looking at his digital readout.
“I apologize, Ollie. I did not realize that there would be a general alert for all enforcers. The InvasiveParasiticBodySnatchers have infiltrated further into the world than we expected. Their advanced scouts have been here longer than expected and the technology of their ships has advanced since our last encounter. The timer countdown was wrong. They are almost here already. Please shower and relax. Stay in your assigned domicile today, and I will return when we have turned back the invasion. Do not allow yourself to be convinced to join the fight. Humans do not need to fight.”
“I remember. Vera told me that humans fighting would be akin to the crime of negligence to the galactic commission that sent you guys here to nanny us.” I don’t want Lora out there fighting, but the only part of this I can control is what I do, which will be what he tells me to do.
Lora runs his hands up my body and cups my face in his hands. “I will return to pleasure you, my Ollie.”
“I’ll expect a lot of pleasure, my Lora.” I sure as fuck hope that he’s not about to come back to me after another healing rest. “You will keep me updated and let me know before you fall into a healing rest if you do it again.”
Lora kisses me, just a gentle peck to my lips. “I will not be allowed near the battle because I just finished a healing cycle. I will be very safe in the… operations room.”
I let out a sigh of relief. “I’m not going to be mad about that.”
Lora presses his thin lips to mine and lingers there for several seconds.
He’s cooler than usual, maybe still warming up from his stint as a corpse impersonator, but it’s the warmest touch I’ve ever received from another person.
He’s telling me with a kiss that he cares about me, that he’s going to miss me, that he regrets that he must go, but that he will be contributing to keep me safe because I matter to him.
I pour my hope for his safety, health, and return into that moment with him.
I’m already halfway in love with him, but those words are reserved for moments without the duress of real death hanging over us.
When he releases me, his fingers linger on my cheek until he teleports away.
I take a moment to settle the worry, then I scrub every last inch of me, preparing for his return.
When he gets back, I fully expect his tongue in my ass, and I will be prepared for that no matter when the battle is over, even if that means douching every day for the next month.
Hopefully this battle is going to go like the battle for Earth did.
(It wasn’t even close, and there were zero casualties on either side until the ship was destroyed.)