Jaime
Wakingupinthearms of the male I love has become the highlight of my days. That, and falling asleep in his arms. And having sex with him. Talking to him. Watching odd alien entertainment and educational shows that don’t make any sense to me. Simply being with him. We’ve been aboard the Salvere for ten days already, and after being forced to spend the past five days apart, it was a relief to have him next to me again.
The truth is, we weren’t exactlyforcedto be apart. Everyone is very keen on consent here and they’d never do anything against our wishes. Seeing how long it would take for the red fog to takeover Adam’s mind if we were separated was a test, one we both agreed to. I did so very reluctantly, if I may say.
They linked a live feed from Adam’s cell to my datapad, and I spent most of those five days glued to the screen, watching Adam read, sleep, pace the room, and later destroy the spartan equipment when he slipped into his rage. It took four days before he started lashing out, but he still managed to calm himself down between episodes. On the fifth day, he lost himself completely. It was painful to watch, and I almost demanded they stop the test right there, but Adam had agreed to stay that way for however long it was necessary for the scientists to collect the data, so I held back. He was doing everything he could to help his people, and I had to respect that.
When they finally let me go to him, it went pretty much the same way as on Rokesh’s ship, except Adam recovered even faster. A few cuddles, a quick round of sex, and voila! Professor Rizven was back. If the situation wasn’t so serious, I’d demand the Wehdi praise me for having a magical dick.
They ran a massive amount of tests on us and asked a ton of weird or downright intrusive questions. I absolutely don’t understand what my “waste expelling habits” have in common with Adam’s condition, but since he asked me to help, I played along without complaining. Well, withoutmuchcomplaining.
While they scanned Adam’s brain approximately a million times over, they only did mine once. I tried hard not to take it personally. They also took samples of pretty much every part of my body, including skin cells, tears, and, yes, sperm. Combined with what “my” science team was taking from me, they could probably build another Jaime from spare parts by now.
I’ve had my own set of tests, none of which were as exciting as Adam’s. None of my doctors asked me about my waste expelling habits. They didn’t even want a sample of my sperm. They just took my blood, scanned my body, and then told me they’d tell memore once they have gone over the data. In the meantime, they set me up for grueling physiotherapy with a Karetelan lady who is meaner than a common drill sergeant.
I’m no newbie to physical therapy. I’ve been in one or another pretty much ever since I can remember, and while the therapists tended to be direct and demanding, this lady would eat them alive.
As I try to roll onto my side, Adam, still half asleep, helps position my legs before wrapping himself around me again. With a contented sigh, I melt into his embrace. The bed is too comfortable to leave just yet. Besides, we have nothing pressing to do except laze around our room until we’re called for more tests.
The Salvere is massive. I’ve been told it’s battleship-sized, though I don’t really know what that means. However, I haven’t seen much of it since Adam and I aren’t permitted to leave our room without clearance from one of the science teams and an armed escort. Well, Adam isn’t permitted to, and I won’t explore without him.
Our rooms are luxurious, at least. Apparently, Adam has a shit ton of money, but his government is paying for everything as a thank you for cooperating with the research team. We have everything we could think of except freedom.
I don’t mind much, not really. I grumble a bit, yes, but in reality I’m just happy I get to spend so much time with Adam. It’s like a honeymoon on a cruise ship, except we don’t get off when it stops. The only part I truly hated was being apart, but other than that, it’s manageable. In the short term, anyway. I’m not sure I could spend years like this.
A beep from the datapad placed on the nightstand announces an incoming message. Curious, I reach for it. “What do you think? Mine or yours?” I ask, referring to our running game of “who’s up for the next round of tests this time”. He usually wins.
“Mine,” he replies confidently.
I open the message and frown. We both lose—or win?—this time, because it’s from the heads of both our teams at once, inviting us to a meeting. “Odd. Do you think my doctors have bad news and yours will be there to study your reaction?”
Adam rolls his eyes. “You’re so morbid. What if they have good news?”
“Yeah, sure,” I reply sarcastically. I’m normally an optimist, but in this case I can’t afford to be. The disappointment would destroy me. “Let’s get ready.” Best to get it over with as quickly as possible.
With my new hoverchair, I can do a lot on my own again. Honestly, not having to crawl everywhere feels almost too easy. Still, some things are easier with Adam’s help, and he never hesitates to assist me whenever I ask for it. Just like he never hesitates to laugh at me as I struggle with something I was convinced I could do on my own and stubbornly refused help with. I’ve been worried that with his returned intelligence—and damn, he’s one smart cookie—he’d become annoyed with caring for an invalid, but that never happened. He’s as attentive and sweet as ever.
“Carry me?” I ask as we get ready to leave the room, accompanying the question with my best puppy dog eyes.
Chuckling, Adam scoops me up and holds me to his chest. “Always.”
Hovering wheelchairs are fun and all, but being carried by a four-armed lover is so much better.
Waving the hand in front of the door control panel, we give the guards outside signal that we’re ready. It only opens from the outside, turning our nice hotel suite into a proper prison cell. Only one guard is waiting for us today, which is a big change. We started with a whole dozen of them, armed and armored. Then it was six, then four, two, and now just this one bored guy wholooks like he’d rather be anywhere else. He’s so distracted even I could probably take him down before he could defend himself. I hope it’s a good sign that the Wehdi no longer consider Adam dangerous and only the rigid laws prevent them from letting him move around freely.
He leads us to a small meeting room where my doctor, a lovely Xy named Tvr, and the head of the red fog research team, a Wehdi named Vailun, are waiting. The Xy are sweet and gentle, and also actual empaths, or so I’ve been told. They make great doctors and therapists, though they sometimes empathize with their patients’ suffering a little too deeply. They also have super weird names. There’s one doctor who ran some tests on me whose name was just Gr. I’d say it’s ridiculous, but that would be culturally insensitive, so I just laugh to myself while keeping a straight face.
“Is something wrong with the hoverchair, Mr. Collins?” Tvr asks, smiling because he already knows nothing is wrong with the hoverchair. He knows I just like being carried by Adam.
I usually joke that it’s probably a broken wheel, but today I’m too nervous to do anything but ask straight out, “What’s going on?”
“Straight to the point, then,” Vailun says. She’s ancient and a bit bitchy. Well, she’s very bitchy, but Adam claims she’s the most experienced specialist on the red fog his species has, so we’re forced to deal with her.
I fix her with a stare, determined not to show weakness. She’s not really a bad person, just an arrogant one, and the way she sometimes treats Adam as if he were nothing more than a set of test results to analyze raises my hackles. If Tvr could give her some of his empathy, they’d be a dream team. “Yes, straight to the point would be ideal.”
“Very well. We’ve determined that you and Professor Rizven are, indeed, fated mates.”
I bite my tongue to stop myself from telling her we’ve been saying that since the beginning. I suppose it makes sense they’d need proof, though how anyone proves the existence of a mystical soulmate bond is beyond me.
