Chapter 12

Remma didn't know what to expect when he received Denna's summons. It could have been anything from good news to an announcement that Sol was being booted out an airlock effective immediately, and that Remma was going with him. He walked through the ship's corridors with his heart in his mouth, afraid to hope but hoping anyway, because the only other option was to succumb to despair.

Denna didn't greet him in the claustrophobic receiving room. Instead, Remma passed through the door into Denna's main living quarters, where Denna was sprawled on a couch drinking what from the color was probably liquor, and probably expensive.

"Remma! Took you long enough." Denna swirled his drink. "I've got news you'll be glad to hear."

"Oh?" Remma said.

"We're heading back to Mirolasor. I want that tesseract core. And I suppose we'll see what value we can extract from your friend." Denna's mouth drew into a frown. "Let's hope he's worth the trouble."

"He will be," Remma said with far more confidence than he felt. "And then you'll have him off the ship, so he won't be a problem anymore."

"And good thing, too, because we're headed way out to Ferrinet Sector after this job, and I don't want to drag a human with us all that way. It's at least a month to make the trip, and he's not worth feeding for that long."

To Ferrinet—that was halfway to the other side of the galaxy. What in the world could Denna be planning all the way out there? But that wasn't Remma's problem; he wouldn't be going with them. Even if he hadn't already made up his mind about that, he didn't want to travel so far away from Sol.

His universe had reorganized itself while he wasn't paying attention. Sol was its center now.

He left Denna's rooms and went out into the corridors of the ship. After all his worrying, it was going to happen—he was going to get the chance to take Sol home. Now he just had to hope Loden would be able to come up with a ransom. And if she couldn't—well, he would just have to figure something out. He would rather die himself than see Sol executed because of him.

After a moment of dithering, he headed for Sol's room in the distant reaches of the ship. The guard posted outside barely acknowledged him; he was probably sick of letting Remma in every day, but that was too bad for him.

Sol was awake, standing near the door, hand on one of the ship's communication modules. He snatched his hand away when Remma came in and didn't replace it.

"Trying to break yourself out of here?" Remma asked.

"Something like that," Sol said. His face broke into a welcoming smile that warmed Remma's heart. "It's good to see you."

Remma, indulging himself, bent to kiss Sol's cheek. "I have some news to share."

"Oh?" Sol drifted after him as Remma moved to sit on the bed. "What's that?"

"We're heading back to Mirolasor. Denna's going to try to ransom you after all."

"Oh." Sol sat on the bed next to Remma. "That's—good, I guess."

"Are you worried?"

"Obviously. He thinks Loden has the money to pay for me. Even if she empties the coffers, it won't be enough to satisfy Denna. So I just have to hope—" Sol broke off and bit his lip. "I did something that maybe I shouldn't have."

"Like what," Remma said, stomach sinking.

"I sent a message to Loden. The ship promised it wouldn't get intercepted, but I was careful anyway. But I can't stop worrying that it was a bad idea."

"You sent her a message? What did you say?"

"I told her to look for the tesseract core. That Denna will try to ransom me since she's so powerful and important. So that should be enough, don't you think? She'll understand what she needs to do."

"Oh, Sol." Remma rubbed at his face with both hands. He could understand desperation, but he wished Sol had talked to him first. "Wait—what do you mean when you say the ship promised you?"

"Do you know where Denna got this ship from?" Sol asked, which wasn't an answer.

"No. That was before my time. Why?"

"It's a Xerca ship," Sol said.

"I see," Remma said slowly. "So—sentient and smarter than any of us."

"From what I know. The question is how Denna got it in the first place. The ship said he stole it. I'm surprised it hasn't stolen itself back and flown off to rejoin the Xerca."

"They're meant to obey their captain. But if it's sending secret messages for you, it's not so obedient."

"It's probably listening to everything we're saying," Sol said. "Just so you know."

"Okay. Noted." Remma tried to put his scattered thoughts in order, without much success. "So you've suborned Denna's own ship and are plotting to get him to hand you back to Loden even though she doesn't have any money."

"Basically. What else should I be doing?"

"I thought I was going to have to save you. Instead you're saving yourself."

Sol smiled. "Remma, no offense, but you are nowhere near cunning enough to get me out of this situation."

"Ouch, but you aren't wrong. I've been going nuts trying to think of a way to rescue you and not having any success." Remma gave Sol a considering look. "Do you think you could convince the ship to just—put you on a shuttle and send you off somewhere safe?"

"I don't think it's ready to outright rebel against Denna. It's still young and not very confident, I think. But maybe. I was talking to it when you came in here. I guess I'm still a little afraid it's going to betray us to Denna. Sorry, ship."

"That's okay," a voice said from seemingly nowhere. "I understand why you'd think that."

Did this thing listen to them having sex? Remma didn't want to think about that. "What do you think are the chances that Loden's able to find the core?"

"Don't know. Why couldn't you find it?"

"I wasn't ever able to find a good excuse to access the long-range scanners. I had to rely on short-range scans while we were out scavenging."

"Okay. But you think if Loden uses the long-range scanners she'll be able to find it?"

"That's my hope. It won't be a strong signal. But if she's looking for it, yeah, she ought to be able to find it."

"Okay. Then we'll count on her being smart enough to put everything together." Sol sighed. "I know she is. But I can't count on her being able to find the tesseract core."

"There's only so much you can do, Sol. At this point we have to trust in Loden and hope for the best."

"I know. That's what I hate. Not being able to do anything else." Sol scrubbed both hands through his hair, leaving it a wild mess. "I'm just stuck here, just—waiting for other people to decide what happens to me. I just have to hope your boss doesn't kill me, and meanwhile I'm trapped in this room with nothing to do. It sucks!" He groaned and shook his head. "Sorry for complaining so much."

"I can hardly blame you. I know it's been tough. I'm sorry, it's my fault?—"

"We don't need to go through your litany of guilt again. I don't want to talk about who's to blame." Sol tipped sideways to rest his head on Remma's shoulder. "I'm just glad you're here with me. So I don't have to do this all alone."

Tender emotions squeezed at Remma's heart, and he couldn't say they had come out of nowhere. He'd been feeling this for a while, and trying not to feel it—trying not to think about it, afraid of rejection, especially after he'd betrayed Sol's trust. But here Sol was, trusting him again, miraculously, and that was a gift Remma didn't want to squander.

Remma put a hand on Sol's head and held him close. "You won't ever be alone as long as I'm here."

Sol made a quiet noise and nestled closer. His hair was so soft. Remma carded his fingers through and felt a new galaxy blooming inside him, full of stars and wonders. He wanted to keep Sol close—right at his side, just like this. For always.

"What will you do?" Sol asked after a few minutes. "If it works, and I go back home?"

"I don't know yet," Remma said. Ask me, he urged Sol silently. The invitation was there, ready to be spoken. Ask him, say the words?—

"Well." Sol made a considering noise. "I'm sure you'll figure something out."

Remma's heart sank like a stone. "Yeah. I'm sure I will."

* * *

Remma went back latethat evening, even though going twice in one day was surely very telling of something. But Denna already knew about his unseemly obsession with their human captive, so what could it make worse at this point? Remma didn't have it in him to calculate exactly how long he should space out visits to make his fellow pirates think he wasn't fucking the prisoner. He was. Everyone probably knew it. He couldn't imagine it mattered.

He would be off this ship before long. If Sol didn't want him, he could—well, he had lots of options. Any backwater orbital would take him. He had useful skills, and he knew how to keep his mouth shut and his head down and stay out of trouble. Or he'd go back to Tozra and see if his family would take him in after he'd ignored all their advice to stay home in the first place. He'd wanted to travel, that was all; to see the universe. And now he'd seen more parts of it than he'd ever expected and he was tired. He wanted to rest for a while, and be with people who cared about him.

He'd managed to filch a few packets of medical lubricant from the infirmary, and he took a few of them with him now, stuffed in his pockets like contraband. He hoped to put them to good use.

The guard outside the door rolled his eyes as Remma approached. "You again?"

"Isn't your shift change happening soon," Remma said.

The guard smirked. "Not soon enough for your purposes. I know what you're up to."

"Visiting my friend," Remma said, as blandly as he could manage.

"Sure," the guard said after a beat, but he opened the door without giving Remma anything more of a hard time.

Sol was on the bed, eyes half open. He sat up when Remma came in, and there was that smile again, wide and pleased. "You're back."

"Yes. I brought something for you." Remma fished a packet from his pocket and tossed it into the bed. "Here."

Sol picked it up and squinted at it. "What is this?"

"Lube. I finally managed to find some, as you requested."

"I see." Sol smirked at him. "Good work, Remma."

"Thanks. I live to serve. I'm pretty sure it's compatible with human physiology, by the way. It's mostly water."

"Pretty sure? Oh, good, let's put it on my asshole immediately and hope things turn out for the best." Sol gave him a mock-stern look. "Leave it to Tozra to manufacture lube I'm horrifically allergic to."

"Obviously we're not going to test it anywhere sensitive. Put some on the back of your hand and see what happens."

"What if there's a delayed reaction?" Sol complained, but he was already doing it, tearing open the packet and squirting a bit onto his hand. It looked innocuous, a clear gel, odorless. Sol's skin didn't turn red or start blistering. "Probably good," Sol said.

"We should wait a while and see if anything else happens," Remma said.

"Nah. I'm willing to risk it." Sol grinned. "You've kept me waiting so long. I'm impatient."

"Okay, but if something," Remma began, and then shut up when Sol kissed him. It was a sweet kiss, light, close-mouthed. Remma cupped Sol's face with one hand, keeping him close, letting Sol kiss him how he liked, exploratory and soft. It felt like they were kissing for the first time, even though they'd done it extensively. Tozren didn't really kiss, but Sol liked it, and Remma had learned to like it for his sake. It was nice: to be close, to press their mouths together.

Sol's tongue slid out to test the seam of Remma's lips, and Remma opened to let him in. This part had been strange at first, but now Remma liked it, the taste of Sol's mouth, the slide of their tongues against each other. He could see why humans had invented this.

Sol let out a little sigh and pressed closer. "There," he said against Remma's mouth. "My hand is fine. That's been long enough."

Remma pulled away to laugh at him. "Is that the reason for all the kissing? You were giving the lube some time to start eating through your flesh?"

"Seemed like a good idea," Sol said, smiling through Remma's teasing. He looked happy, and Remma didn't really know why, and decided not to wonder about it too much, because down that path were all the things he wanted and couldn't have.

"Solomon," Remma murmured, and leaned in to kiss him again.

As they kissed, Sol sank backward onto the bed and drew Remma down on top of him. He felt so small beneath Remma's body, but it was deceptive. Sol was physically fragile compared to Remma, that was true, but everything else about him was iron. He was daunted by nothing. Even held captive in this room for days on end, he'd befriended the ship, which Remma hadn't even known was sentient, and made moves to get himself free. He had faced down a bear without showing any signs of fear or uncertainty. He had saved Remma's life more than once and probably would again. Nothing about him was soft or yielding, except when he was in bed with Remma.

Sol kissed him hungrily, greedily, mouth hot and open beneath Remma's. His hands slid over Remma's shoulders and pulled at his shirt. He was hard already, the length of his cock rigid against Remma's belly through their clothes. Remma slid his hands beneath the waistband of Sol's pants and gripped his ass, patting and squeezing. It felt so plump and firm and Remma wanted to bite him. Tozren instinct, but a human couldn't handle his teeth. He always had the impulse and was afraid that someday he would forget himself and do it.

"Turn over," Sol said. He pushed at Remma's shoulders without much effect until Remma cooperated and flipped them over on the bed. Sol sat up to shove Remma's shirt out of the way and wriggle out of his own pants. Bare from the waist down, he squeezed lube over Remma's slit before lying down again.

"Oh," Remma said, as Sol began to move in a slow grind, rubbing his cock against Remma's slit. That felt—really good, just the right amount of friction, and the blunt head of Sol's cock stroking every sensitive part of Remma's slit. Remma took Sol's hips in his hands and used his grip to help Sol move just right, a little faster and harder. There—that was perfect.

"That's good for you?" Sol asked. "Just like that?" He planted his hands on Remma's shoulders and settled into that rhythm, his hips moving how Remma had shown him.

"Oh yeah. You'll have me popping out in no time."

Sol laughed, a little breathless. "Is it weird that I think that's hot?"

"You tell me. You're the one fucking an alien."

"Let me point out that you're also fucking an alien." Sol smiled down at him. "So we're both freaks, I guess."

Remma shook his head. "It can't be weird when it feels this good." To emphasize his point, he held Sol in place for a moment, letting him feel how the head of Remma's cock was beginning to nudge out of his slit. "I've never had a lover who makes me feel the way you do."

"Me neither," Sol said, which had the sound of a confession. Remma pulled him down for another kiss.

As soon as Remma's cock slid all the way out, Sol sat up and reached for the lube. "Get your clothes off. I'll take care of this."

"Are you going to let me watch?" Sol was always shy about it, and Remma was desperate to see. He'd imagined it many times: Sol's fingers sinking inside his own body, his face going slack with pleasure as he touched himself in just the right ways. But imagining it wasn't nearly as good as seeing it before his eyes.

Sol gave him a narrow-eyed look. "I guess so. Can I stop you?"

"I'm very determined," Remma said.

"You're very annoying," Sol said, but he looked fond.

Sol wriggled out of his pants but left his shirt on. When he lay back on the bed he looked debauched: half dressed, lips parted, skin darker from his flush. His cock lay against his belly, only partly hidden by the hem of his shirt. Remma wanted to fuck him immediately, without waiting for anything, but he swallowed down his impatience.

Sol squeezed out some lube on his fingers and touched them to the little pink furl of his asshole. With a little sigh, he stroked his fingers in a circular motion a few times, warming himself up, and then pressed two fingers inside, all the way to the knuckles.

Remma swallowed to see how easily Sol's body accepted the intrusion. "Does that feel good?"

"Better when it's your dick." Sol sighed again and added some more lube, and another finger. "I'm not really, uh—doing this part for my own enjoyment. I just can't handle you without some prep."

"Tell me more about how my cock is too big for you."

Sol scowled at him, a smile twitching at the corners of his mouth. "What is there to say about it? You're like twice my size to start with and your dick is not in proportion to the rest of you. I always thought the porn vids were fake because it seemed so unreasonable to me. And now here I am putting it up my asshole on a regular basis."

"You've watched Tozren porn vids?" Remma asked, fascinated by this revelation. He had watched a few of those vids, usually featuring some comparatively tiny human squirming around on a Tozren's dick, and they'd never done much for him. But that was before he met Sol. "Is this some long-standing interest of yours?"

"Well—" Sol was definitely blushing. "I guess you could say I was intrigued."

Remma circled his hand around his cock and proffered it. "Now it's all yours to enjoy."

"And I plan to put it to very good use. In about another minute." Sol worked his fingers out and back in as Remma stared. "That should be good enough."

"Are you sure? I don't want to hurt you."

"I like when it's a stretch. Don't worry about it." Sol added a little more lube, then spread his legs wide and said, "Let's go, big guy."

Remma felt like he should protest more, but the sight of Sol's shiny pink hole was too tempting. He just didn't have that kind of willpower. He swallowed and said, "Why don't you get on top?"

Sol grinned. "You like that, huh? Me too. Okay, shove over, then."

They shuffled around in the bed until Remma was on his back with Sol straddling him, still draped in his shirt. His thighs opened around Remma's hips. He was a dream, sweet and willing and ready for Remma to fuck silly.

Sol lifted up and reached behind himself to get Remma's cock into position. With a frown of concentration, he began to work himself down. It wasn't an easy slide; it never was. It took effort to force Remma's cock into the clutch of his body, and Remma always felt a little guilty about how much work it was, but he also loved to see Sol stretch the limits of what he could handle. And it was so tight and hot and wet, the best thing he'd ever felt, so how guilty could he feel, really? He was enjoying himself too much.

"I cannot," Sol said through gritted teeth, "believe how big your dick is."

Remma laughed, hearing how breathless he sounded. "It's good for you. It's good for me, anyway."

"It's been a while," Sol said. "Since someone was slow to find lube. I sort of forgot." With a heartfelt groan, he sank down another inch. "Maybe you should be on top."

"No, come on, you can do it. Just take your time." Remma stroked Sol's straining thighs. "It's good for you to put effort into things you don't immediately excel at."

"Shut the fuck up," Sol said fondly.

He did finally work himself all the way down, and then just sat there, panting with an open mouth, trembling all over. Remma lifted Sol's shirt to look at his cock, which was so hard it had drawn almost all the way against Sol's belly.

"Don't touch me," Sol gritted out. "I'll definitely come."

"That's the whole idea," Remma said, but he left Sol's cock alone. He rubbed and squeezed Sol's thighs in what he hoped was a soothing fashion. Sol twitched at every touch but didn't tell him to knock it off. After a minute, he leaned forward and rested his hands on Remma's shoulders, getting the angle just how he wanted.

Remma took it as permission. He flexed his hips upward, pushing just that fraction of an inch deeper into Sol's ass, giving them both what they wanted. "That okay?"

"Yeah. Shit, I don't know how much I can handle. Remma?—"

"You don't have to hold back. Just let yourself come when you're ready." Remma smiled up at him. "You know I like it."

"You like everything," Sol said shakily. "You're too easy."

"I don't like everything. I just like you." That was too honest, but Remma couldn't stop the words from tumbling out. "Anything you do is okay with me."

Sol kissed him then, and they clung to each other for a moment. Remma could practically feel Sol's heart beating through his chest. He could feel his own, certainly, throbbing hard. He was lucky to be here with Sol—maybe not under these exact circumstances, but to have him, to get to be with him in this way.

"Fuck me," Sol said against his mouth.

Remma smiled into the kiss. "You're on top. You do the work."

Sol pulled back, which wasn't exactly what Remma wanted, even though he'd asked for it. "That's fair. All right. Strap in." He sighed, closed his eyes, and began to move.

Sol went slowly, in deliberate rocking movements, an easy back and forth on Remma's dick. It felt incredible, as it always did. He was so tight and so slick, and the sight of him above Remma, heavy-lidded and pleased, was every bit as good as the sensation. Remma smoothed his hands over Sol's hips and thighs and watched as Sol slowly went to pieces. His breathing picked up, and the wet spot on the front of his shirt expanded as his cock leaked pre-come. His eyelids drooped lower, until his eyes were fully closed, and his teeth sank into his lower lip. Yeah—he was almost there.

Remma was, too, for that matter.

"Sol," he murmured, hands sliding beneath Sol's shirt. "Let me watch you come."

Sol sucked in a deep breath. His thighs were trembling. "Your favorite thing," he said, voice unsteady.

Well—sure. What could be better? He loved to watch Sol fall apart and didn't think anyone else in his position would feel any differently.

Remma finally did exactly what he wanted and moved his hand to Sol's cock. It was rigid to the touch, so tight it was probably aching. One single stroke was all it took. Sol's back arched and he cried out as he shuddered all over and spilled into Remma's hand.

"You're perfect," Remma said quietly, speaking mostly for his own benefit. Sol was probably too far gone to hear him.

If Sol did hear, he didn't respond. He slumped forward until he lay against Remma's chest, panting, fine tremors still running through his body. "I've missed this so much."

"I'll steal as much lube as we need," Remma said, primarily to make Sol laugh, which he did, with unsteady breaths puffing against Remma's shoulder.

"Now you," Sol said. "Come on, Remma."

"I'm not nearly there," Remma said, again to make Sol laugh, because it was so blatantly untrue.

Sol turned his smile into Remma's shoulder. Remma could feel it, that sweet curve. "Okay. I'll have to be patient, then."

But it didn't take long at all. Remma thrust up a few times, clutching Sol to his chest, feeling pleasure pool in his lower belly. His slit and his cock throbbed in tandem. He felt overheated, molten, and Sol was so lax and warm in his arms. It was the easiest thing in the universe to take Sol's hips in his hands and push him down, then again, and let his orgasm roll over him in wracking waves.

He and Sol lay together in the aftermath, sweaty and breathing hard, and Remma couldn't remember a time he'd been happier.