“What is this?” I ask, my voice carrying an undertone of discomfort and confusion. My eyebrows are raised, and I am turning the bottle over in my hands, examining it from every possible angle, yet unable to deduce its purpose.
With a swift movement, Leelee indicates the bottle, then points at my groin. A horrified understanding dawns on me. My skin flushes a dark gray as my horrified eyes meet with hers. She wants me to… urinate into this container? The thought is so primitive and horrifying that I can’t believe it at first.
“Are you serious?” I stutter as I stare at her. The bottle feels grotesque in my hands, my fingers itching to discard it.
Leelee, to my horror, nods earnestly, evidently missing or ignoring the outright shock and disgust creeping onto my face. I’ve faced a crashing spaceship, a hostile planet, and the chilling isolation of captivity, being tortured, but this… this is unacceptable.
I growl at Leelee. “I will piss on your floor before I urinate into this,” I announce flatly, handing back the bottle none too gently.
I expect the female to rear back and cower in the face of my ire. To my complete shock, Leelee laughs – a joyful, unrestrained sound. She wraps her arms around her middle and curls over her arms, laughing so hard that she starts to gasp. Her mirth is so great that I find myself a little amused despite myself.
Once Leelee finally gets her mirth under control – she laughed so hard that she’s wiping away tears – she murmurs some words and points down a hall. “Bafrum es deere.”
CHAPTER 22
Lily
My mind goes into overdrive, screaming at me that this is a terrible idea. Ravok is badly injured, and here I am considering letting him use the toilet. He’s not my first patient to balk at the sight of a bedpan. Images of potential disasters dance in my mind – a slippery fall or a reopened wound. This is madness. Yet a fleeting glance at Ravok… there’s something about his stubborn, icy gaze that compels me to help, to aid him in maintaining his dignity.
“This is a terrible idea,” I warn him. “Yes, you are healing at an insane rate, but you are very far from one hundred percent. What if we make it worse? Why must you be stubborn and not pee in the bottle?” Based on the defiant look on Ravok’s face when I gesture at the bottle, even if he could understand my words, it would fall on deaf ears.
Despite the screaming objections inside my head, I find myself pointing toward the bathroom. I mime with exaggerated gestures my intent to help him off the floor and down thehallway. “This,” I say, pointing at him – then my arms go around his tall form, pretending to lift him, “and that,” pointing down the hall that leads to the bathroom like it’s our shared goal.
Ravok’s bright glowy eyes fasten onto mine, and their intensity makes my heart flutter. His gaze flickers towards the bathroom and then back to me. I hold my breath, waiting for his response.
Unexpectedly, Ravok dips his chin, a single, sharp nod that speaks volumes. He trusts me to help. How the hell am I going to get his enormous ass off the ground without breaking my own back?
My heart races a little faster as I roll up my sleeves. “Please don’t let me regret this,” I mutter. I brace myself for what could possibly be one of the craziest things I’ve ever done, I look up at the alien once more.
“All right, we can do this. We’re gonna need to move slowly, okay?” I murmur, bracing myself against the hardwood floor. I move closer to him, squatting until I’m almost sitting on his lap. I wrap one arm around his bulky frame, feeling the ridges and grooves of his alien physique, so uniquely different yet familiar.
“Easy, buddy,” I whisper, securing my grip around his waist. He wraps his splinted arm around my shoulder and the other he presses against the floor. I count to three and with a surge of adrenaline, I try to lift him, each fiber of my being straining against the taxing effort. It’s like trying to lift a truck.
I grit my teeth, stifling a gasp as my thighs and back protest. But I refuse to give up. I lean back, pulling Ravok with the concentrated force of all my straining muscles.
With sharp grunts of exertion escaping from his gritted teeth, Ravok slowly, painstakingly starts getting upright. I’m panting now, sweat trickling down the small of my back and my vision blurring at the edges, but I hardly notice. The luminous-eyedalien getting to his feet, his muscles flexing under the artificial light, overshadows everything else.
“Just a little more, Ravok,” I grunt at him, readjusting my grip around his waist. Finally, with one last excruciating pull, I hoist him up, the sheer force of it having us stumble against each other. His face contorts with effort and pain, but he doesn’t seem like he’s re-injured himself.
Both of us are trembling by the time we get Ravok on his feet. But, holy shit, we did it.
For a moment, we stand there, gripping onto each other. As my heart thuds erratically against my chest, I can’t help but marvel at this shared accomplishment. I ignore the aching pain radiating through my arms, legs, and back. I’m too drained and adrenaline-wired to find it half as strange as I should.
“Okay, let’s do this,” I suggest. I’m worried that if we wait too long, we’ll use up his remaining energy before we can get him to the bathroom.
I tuck myself under his uninjured armpit and we make our way in slowing, mincing steps to the bathroom. When we get there, I leave him leaning heavily against the doorframe while I point to the toilet and give it a flush to demonstrate its use. Then, I show him the taps for the sink and point out the soap. I get the impression that these things are familiar to him.
As I turn back to assist him to the toilet, it’s then that it registers that Ravok is completely nude. The evidence is staring me in the face. We left the blanket back on the living room floor.
Holy third limb, Batman. I quickly avert my eyes from the club swinging between Ravok’s thighs, but the image of his dick has been permanently burned onto the back of my retinas.
“Uh, um, let’s get you set up in here,” I stammer. I hold out my hand, noting how my fingers tremble, for Ravok to take. I help him over to the toilet.
When he stands in front of it, I hesitate. “Do you need my help?” I cut my eyes towards his groin and then to the waiting porcelain bowl. I have no idea how to ask him if he needs help with this next part.
Ravok doesn’t answer me, but he does gently nudge me away. I turn my back and stand outside the open door, just out of sight. I’m not sure if I’ve ever been so mortified in my life.
Captain Awkward reporting for duty and offering to hold your cock while you pee.
