“I take the dangerous runs because they are the only thing that makes me feel like I am still contributing something of value. That I am not just hiding and waiting to die.” He pauses. “And because if I am going to die anyway, I might as well die doing something useful.”
Jitters makes a distressed sound at that, turning agitated orange and patting both our ankles with urgent gentleness. Apparently blob creatures don’t appreciate talk of death.
“I don’t want to lose my purpose,” I admit quietly. “I don’t want to be just... bonded alien’s partner. No offense.”
“None taken,” he says. “I would not want to be ‘bonded safety inspector’s accessory’ either.”
Despite everything, I laugh. It comes out shaky but genuine.
“We’re quite a pair,” I say. “The disgraced gladiator and the compromised inspector.”
“The Golden Viper was never disgraced,” he corrects with surprising intensity. “He walked away from false honor and corrupt systems that valued spectacle over genuine combat. There is no shame in that.”
“And the inspector?”
“The inspector is not compromised,” he says firmly. “She is adapting to unexpected circumstances while maintaining her core values. There is no shame in that either.”
The words settle into my chest like balm on a wound I didn’t know was still bleeding.
“We need to figure out the parameters,” I say, because focusing on the technical aspects is the only way to avoid dissolving completely. “The bond. How it works, what the limitations are, what we can expect.”
Something in his expression shifts, becomes more hopeful. “You wish to... study it?”
“I’m a safety inspector, Crash. When I encounter something dangerous, I document its properties so people know how tohandle it safely.” I gesture at the chaos of readings surrounding us. “Right now, we’re the safety hazard.”
He nods, understanding immediately. “What do you need to know?”
“Start with the basics.” I pull Jitters back onto my lap because his warm, purring presence is oddly grounding. “Range limitations, duration, side effects. And don’t sugarcoat it. I want worst-case scenarios and best-case scenarios. Full risk assessment.”
“The bond creates a connection between our biochemistries,” he begins, settling back slightly as he shifts into explanation mode. “Physical separation beyond approximately ten feet causes severe discomfort. Prolonged separation can lead to fever, nausea, disorientation, and potentially...” He pauses. “Potentially fatal complications if maintained for extended periods.”
I make a note, keeping my voice clinical. “Define severe discomfort.”
“Like being slowly poisoned while someone drives heated spikes through your major organs.”
“And the shared sensations?”
His skin flushes darker. “Enhanced awareness of each other’s physical and emotional states. Heightened sensitivity to touch, scent, temperature changes. Some... some bleed-through of sensory experiences.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning if you touch something, I will feel an echo of the sensation. If you experience pleasure or pain, I will be... aware of it.”
The implications of that hit me like a freight hauler. “So if I’m injured, you’ll feel it?”
“To some degree, yes. And if you experience... other sensations...” He trails off, the golden flush spreading across his skin like liquid embarrassment.
“Other sensations like what?”
“Like... like anything that might cause elevated heart rate, increased blood flow, heightened nerve sensitivity...”
I stare at him as the full scope of what he’s describing sinks in. “Are you telling me this bond includes shared arousal responses?”
“Among other things,” he admits, and his voice comes out strangled. “I am very sorry. This was not... I would never have chosen to impose such intimate awareness on you.”
My face heats as I process the implications. Bad enough to be biochemically bonded to someone I barely know. Worse to discover that the bond includes involuntary sharing of physical responses that should be private. “Is that reversible? Can we... I don’t know... turn down the sensitivity?”
“I don’t know,” he admits. “I’ve never been bonded before. The medical literature suggests the intensity might decrease over time as our bodies adjust, but...” He gestures helplessly. “We’re in completely uncharted territory. Velogian-human bonding is rare enough that there’s virtually no research.”
