I cried in his arms for ten minutes before the tears stopped. Then I looked up at him and stroked his cheeks.
3000 years is a long time my love. Longer than the history of our current civilization, and you will live for another 2000.
Every moment with you washes away the loneliness of those years. Come, let us clean up.
I helped him out of his shirt, though it was less of shirt and more like a coat. I was roomy, with spaces for his wings to fit through. You know Mal'k helps to dress him in the morning and undress him in the evening. It's because he can't stretch his wings upward to put the shirts on or fold and unfold them to get the shirts off himself.
I will dress and undress you from now on.
I would like that.
He bathed me. It was weird being bathed at my age, especially when I'm healthy and fine, but he said he wanted to do it. To help solidify the image of my body in his memories. Despite his claw shaped nails, he was gentle. He took his time, like a craftsman working with delicate materials. To be honest it was arousing, but the awkward feeling gave way to feeling loved and treasured.
I do treasure you. Perhaps more than any other of my species would treasure their companion.
Why, because of how long you waited?
Your life is a brief moment against mine. I will have you for another 70 years, then I will be left alone to raise our children. That's 500 years without you Alei. Having known you now, the next 500 years of my life will be true torment.
I hadn't thought of how my death would affect him. I was always amazed by the length of his life, the things he had seen and the loneliness he endured. I only thought of us now and eventually with a family but never what would happen much later. I guess I was forgetting my humanity, we wouldn't be together forever, or even a really long time by his standards. In his entire life, our time together would be nothing but a fling.
That's not how I would describe it.
You said we are joined, that we'd be together after death.
Yes we will, in the sea of souls. But I cannot join you and leave our children without the guidance of their parents. I will not leave our children to suffer as Mal'k and I did. When they become adults we will go to the sea together.
"... Let me bathe you."
"Another time. Councilor Gor'n has joined Mr. Klein in demanding our room be breached. We should not tarry longer."
Gor'n...
"I am over it love. Let it go."
The shower blasted us with warm air drying us quickly, we stepped back into the room and retrieved our discarded clothes. Again, he insisted on dressing me, I blushed hard whenever his hands brushed against my skin. It really is a weird feeling being handled like a child, I don't even remember what those days felt like, but I doubt I felt this shy about someone else dressing me.
I watched him move about the room shirtless, his body was muscular, though his thighs and chest stood out as the most toned. They were so bulky it was unreal. I stepped into his path and ran my palm up from his abdomen to stop at the center of his breasts. Thoughts of us in the bed raced through my mind. Funny, ever since we had sex a few minutes ago, little things about him excite me, like it wasn't enough. I wanted him again, as many times as was possible in one day.
"No. I will have you again tomorrow."
"What if Klein stops us."
"Neither Mr. Klein nor Councilor Gor'n will stop me from having you tomorrow, and everyday after that."
I laughed, with his serious face I could not imagine him being so needy.
"I am not satisfied love, but I can hold myself until tomorrow. I will have you again and again until we are both satisfied."
He inhaled at my temple and exhaled a shaky breath.
"I love you Alei."
I gripped the waist of his trousers and pulled him to me.
"No love. Tomorrow is ours. The entire day will be ours."
"You better keep that promise."
He bared his teeth at me as he exhaled sharply. We wanted each other again, our chests were heaving with excitement as we thought of tomorrow. A loud banging on the door tore our attentions from each other long enough for us to redirect our thoughts. They were getting impatient, but this was one of those dreams I didn't want to wake up from...
Lao'k unlocked the door with me in the shelter of his arm. Mal'k, Klein, Gor'n, Ruiz and two of their guards were standing outside the door.
"Brother, sister, forgive the interruption. Sister, Mr. Klein has demanded you be returned to your vessel, councilor Gor'n supports this."
I looked Klein over and flashed Gor'n the harshest stare I could muster. I doubt it had any effect, he probably just considers me an ignorant child at this point, but I wanted it to be visibly clear I was angry. Maybe a rebuke would get under his skin.
"Mr. Klein is unfamiliar with the law, but you councilor are not. A couple must not be disturbed during their joining and mating."
Gor'n's brow twitched. Lao'k positioned himself behind me, holding unto my waist and kissed my temple. I felt his pride in me swell along with something else.
You are intoxicating love. Now that I've had you, it is hard to resist you.
"Ms. Bronwen."
"Mr. Klein."
"We need to talk."
Lao'k wrapped his arms across my chest holding me closer to him.
"You will not be alone in secret with my wife again."
My womb clenched and my stomach somersaulted, I gasped uncontrollably. My hands grabbed his thighs. There really was no limit to him arousing me today.
"Husband!"
-
"Your joining is incomplete."
"It...is enough...to suffice."
"Brother."
"Mal'k...take her."
-
"No."
Tomorrow love.
-
"Mr. Klein I do not know your intentions towards my wife, but you will not harm her."
"She is one of my people Councilor Lao'k."
Their physician advised our doc to administer a heavy dose of relaxant to me. He said, because our joining was incomplete I would be restless and aggressive. He wasn't kidding, the further I was from Lao'k the more I craved him and the angrier I was getting. The memory of his hands and lips was making me hot and flustered, the memory of him in me was driving me to insanity.
The doc had to keep me in restraints when he gave me the shot, I stayed in the infirmary over night. I didn't connect with Lao'k while I was asleep, I felt alone, wandering around looking for him. Many things crossed my mind while I slept, a lot of them foreign to me. I dreamt of strange places, some of them familiar from Lao'k's memories. The canyon of regrets is...a prison. It's where they put unpartnered people they believe have no chance of being reintegrated, their most dangerous criminals, Deviants.
I awoke heavily aroused, Lao'k's hands and mouth were on me. I was naked and lying in his bed. His hands were all over me, it felt like more than just two.
"Husband how many hands do you have?!"
"Good morning love."
"Good morning indeed."
We finished our joining in the morning and spent the most of the day lying in bed. Our joining should have been complete, we shouldn't have that insatiable hunger for each other. Yet I couldn't get enough, I wanted him an hour after we finished. I was never like this before, I feel like a sex maniac.
Your species' drive for sex is different. Typically a couple will desire mating atleast once in a century. But you humans...your desires are far more frequent. Perhaps it's the brevity of your lives. I do not mind, if you desire it, we can go again.
We did, until my body reminded me I hadn't eaten yet. But Lao'k was prepared for us to stay in the room undisturbed and needing nothing from outside. My rations as well as his meals were in the sitting area waiting for us. We sampled each other's meals. Our rations are food flavoured, dry, crunchy bars, my flavour today was pumpkin. There are specials we can order—real food— and everyone is limited to one special a week, but rations make up our main diet. His meal was real food, an huge prickly pear looking fruit, with horizontal lines across it's skin, called Aina. He twisted the top off, the inside was not purple like the outside but a bright yellow. Lao'k slipped his nail under the topmost line and pulled it out. Interesting, the fruit is already segmented you just peel off a section and eat.
He handed me the first peel, apparently the whole thing is edible. I took a bite out of it. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I can tell you, I was not expecting pineapple. I didn't think...I was prepared for any kind of weird flavour, the pineapple took me off guard. The familiarity of the taste shocked me, I burst into laughter.
"Your Aina tastes like our Pineapple."
"Your Pumpkin tastes like Gota."
We finished eating and sat in silence for a few minutes, staring at each other. It was weird, I felt like I was looking at myself, but I wasn't me. Thoughts began in my mind and finished in his, and vice versa. In those few moments, there was no Alei and no Lao'k, we were one being. I blinked and that broke the magic of the moment.
"Let's get married."
"Klein would never agree."
"He need not know until after it is done."
"I don't know anyone who can marry us in secret."
"One of your labourers, she is licensed."
"How do you know that?"
"She was worried you were going to cancel her contract that day we went to the bot bay."
I thought about how to approach the labourer without it being too obvious I was up to something. Klein would no doubt have Ruiz keep a closer watch on us. I could do one-on-one sessions with the labourers—
Take a few days to do your work. Your emails are still a concern and you can use the time to meet with your labourers. Mr. Klein may drop his guard in that time as well.
I still want to see you.
We can meet in the afternoon in the viewing room.
So that was the plan. I'd go back to my old life more or less, work like I was running out of time. Meet with the labourer, get her to marry us, file our marriage contract and all would be right in the universe. I can't wait to see Klein's expression when he realises we are legally married, by earth standards.
Be nice Alei.
I will.
Lao'k and I stayed away from each other for a week, I got all of the request emails out and was halfway finished with the reports. I met with the labourer, a quiet small woman, really soft spoken, her name was Fiona. She agreed to officiate our wedding for 300 Bits, that's three times the rate charged by a UEG official. She said her license had expired the day we left Earth and she was in her grace period to renew it, but she can't do that on-board. Our marriage contract would still be legal, but having her officiate it is not, if we're caught she would lose her license. I promised her we would not be caught.
Though I wasn't entirely sure how we'd go about it. I mean it would be easier to do everything in my quarters, Lao'k could teleport in just at the start, and he'd be gone before the Space Force guys got to the room, assuming they aren't nearby.
That would work fine for us. The contract needs only our vows and fingerprints.
Then we'll get married in two days55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZRxhqG2MVg
