They walked back to Tracht’s quarters in silence. The short elevator ride was torture.
Once inside, Tracht immediately sat down on the couch and gave Alex a look.
Alex hurried to remove Tracht’s boots, carefully kissing each one. He pulled the socks off too, and kissed the arch of each foot separately, carefully.
He flinched when Tracht placed his hand on Alex’s head. The bloodied hand.
“Did I scare you, Alex?” Tracht asked.
“No,” Alex growled, because he wasn’t a coward. He looked up at Tracht and inched closer, laying his head on Tracht’s thigh. “But, uh, do you… do you want to do that to me?”
“Hmm.” Tracht continued to stroke Alex’s scalp. “I would enjoy it, I think. Seeing your back split open like that. But—” and here Tracht chuckled, “I have found, lately, that I would much rather keep you.”
He bent forward and cupped Alex’s face. “That’s twice now you’ve done me an immeasurable service. I think a much better man than I would offer to pay off your debt early.”
God, Tracht’s eyes were intense. Alex had to avert his gaze.
He tried to imagine not being here, on this ship, with Tracht. He wouldn’t have to do the horrible stuff. He wouldn’t get breasts, there’d be no risk of piercings or teeth getting pulled out, and no public humiliation.
Alex would just be stuck on one station, probably, doing a normal job. Or getting in trouble again. And Tracht would find some other bond servant, or a proper lover, or…
“You’re a dick though, right? So you’re keeping me.” Alex shifted upward and draped himself across Tracht’s lap. He caught Tracht’s chuckle and shivered when Tracht started rubbing Alex’s still-clothed back.
“That’s right. I’m a monster. A rapist.” Tracht kept petting gently, soothing Alex.
“Whatever.” Alex decided it didn’t matter, as long as Tracht wasn’t planning on cutting up Alex’s back or getting rid of him. He unzipped Tracht’s trousers and nuzzled in close.
Tracht was still half-hard, and he made an appreciative sound. “Ah, Alex. Keep going.” He spread his legs wider and Alex slotted neatly between them, using his hands to pull Tracht’s cock free of his underwear.
“Take your shirt off.” Tracht stroked himself lightly with his clean hand while Alex threw his shirt off, and then he guided Alex back to his cock.
The blood on Tracht’s hands had crusted and flaked, but it still felt grimy when Tracht grabbed Alex’s shoulder. Alex ignored the sensation—he’d had blood on his own hands too, and a lot more of it—and lightly licked the head of Tracht’s dick.
“If I could do it without breaking you,” Tracht said, “I would flay your skin open. Have you suck me off afterwards, just like this, blood running down your back.” He moaned and took hold of Alex’s head and thrust forward without any other warning. Alex panicked for a moment, cut off from air, but he reminded himself that it was fine.
Tracht wanted to keep him.
He gasped and sucked in a breath as soon as Tracht pulled back.
“You’d beg me to stop, and Alex, I might actually stop.” Tracht laughed. “Your cries would be so delicious, your tears so beautiful, and I might actually stop.”
The air in the room felt warmer, stickier, and Alex’s heart pounded in double-time. He got the feeling Tracht was saying something really important, only Alex was having a hard time thinking. He didn’t wait for Tracht to guide him; he leaned forward and choked himself on Tracht’s cock, wanting to show Tracht how Alex was definitely, fully on his side.
Tracht moaned loudly, and he stroked Alex’s ears lightly. Alex held for several long seconds, waiting until his vision almost whited out before pulling back and sucking in another breath.
“I am very, very glad I chose you that day,” Tracht murmured. His thumbs lingered on the corners of Alex’s eyes, rubbing at the tears there. “Now sit back a bit, open your mouth, and stick out your tongue.”
“I can keep going,” Alex protested, his voice a bit rough.
“I know you can. But I want to see your face dripping with my come.” Tracht pushed Alex back just enough, angling his face upward so that Alex was forced to look into his eyes. With his other hand, Tracht started jacking off.
Alex didn’t want to sit passively though. His chest was tight in a weird way, and his blood rushed to his ears, and he had to do something. So yeah, he opened his mouth and stuck his tongue out, and he kept his eyes on Tracht’s face, but when Tracht’s hold loosened lightly, Alex surged forward and licked the tip of Tracht’s dick, making sure to roll his piercing over it.
Tracht came immediately, come gushing and splattering across Alex’s lips. Some of it dribbled down his chin, and he made sure to keep his mouth open so Tracht could get the full view of it.
“Alex. Alex.” Tracht let go of him and slumped back onto the couch. “Come up here.”
Alex climbed up to the couch and sat down next to Tracht. He was immediately assaulted, pushed down and kissed violently, Tracht’s come passing between the two of them before Alex finally swallowed. Tracht kept stroking him all over, raking his nails over Alex’s skin. Alex wished Tracht were wearing less clothing, but he did what he could, getting his hands under Tracht’s shirt and holding on to him.
The kissing slowed, and eventually Tracht’s touches turned soothing. He settled against Alex, breathing deeply against Alex’s neck. “Thank you.”
“Huh?”
“I assume you had some mild attack of conscience, if only because you don’t completely detest Mr. Parsons. But thank you. For choosing me.”
Well, screwing over Tracht was bad for Alex. That was the only reason Alex hadn’t done it. And Parsons had brought it on himself by being an idiot.
At least, that’s what Alex told himself.
He kept holding Tracht.
===
They were having breakfast—fruit and eggs and crispy strips of bacon, a complete feast for Alex —when somebody pounded on the door.
Tracht looked at Alex, sighed, and got up from the table to open the door. Alex shuffled over to the couch and sat down behind it, so he was hidden from view from whoever was there. He didn’t want them to see him naked.
“Dr. Singh.”
Alex peered around the side of the couch, and yep, there was Singh, looking kind of pissed. She was kind of disheveled, actually, like she hadn’t slept well. Her hair wasn’t pinned as neatly as usual and her clothes were a bit rumpled.
Singh stepped past Tracht and looked around. “Where’s Alex?”
The door closed shut.
“Over there. Why?” Tracht pointed towards Alex, and Alex waved lightly.
“Oh, I don’t know. I was afraid I might find him also torn to ribbons.”
She must have seen to Parsons. Alex was kind of glad that Parsons hadn’t been bleeding all night.
“Well, as you can see, he’s fine. We were having breakfast, so if there’s nothing else…”
Singh’s expression morphed into fury. “Nothing else? Nothing else? Do not pretend that nothing is wrong, Tracht. Because that stunt you pulled with Parsons? That’s not what I signed up for.”
Oh shit. Alex hadn’t expected her to yell at Tracht. He looked back over to Tracht, thinking he’d be just as mad, but Tracht ended up sighing loudly.
“I lost control.” Tracht rubbed his brow.
“I saw that! And you know what Parsons said to me? Not to bother helping him, since you’d be flogging him all over again anyway.” She gestured wildly. “Tell me that isn’t true. Because I can maybe fix Parsons up before we dock in Cadmus, but not if you touch him again.”
“I won’t. I said that to scare him.” Tracht looked over at Alex. “Get dressed and leave. I need to talk to Dr. Singh in private.”
Uh. Alex hurriedly pulled on pants and a shirt, skipping underwear, and then stuffed his feet into sandals. He’d be uncomfortable and his ass would chafe but whatever.
He got out of there before Tracht actually did start to get mad.
As soon as he stepped off the elevator, he realized he had a problem. This was usually the time of day he and Tracht started making their rounds. He hadn’t really wandered around at this time on his own. He didn’t have his tablet with him, which meant he couldn’t just sit down and study, and honestly without Parsons he didn’t feel like hanging out in the lounge.
Oh.
Alex started making his way below deck.
He passed a few curious crew members on the early shift, one of who even asked where Tracht was. Alex shrugged and hurried on.
He got worried for a few seconds when he realized the door would probably be locked, but it slid open easily for him.
It shut behind him, and Alex fumbled to turn on the light.
Parsons was lying facedown on the cot, his back wrapped in bandages. A couple of them were tinted red where blood had seeped through. His skin shone with sweat, and the metallic smell of blood permeated the room. Alex hadn’t noticed it last night.
“The fuck are you doin’ here?” Parsons slurred at him. He struggled to lift himself up on his elbows, but gave up after a few second. Instead he glared, his eyes rimmed red and sunken low.
Alex got close and sat down, leaning against the beam in the middle of the room.
“Wanted to ask you some stuff.”
“Not in the mood.” Parsons answered. His voice was thin, but even so Alex could hear the anger.
Well, fuck him. He was the one who’d tried to screw Alex over. “Did you play me all along? Like, from the first day?”
Parsons laughed bitterly, which morphed into a cough. “I should have listened.”
“Listened?”
“To everybody. Every single person on the ship thought I was an idiot for trying to be nice to you.” Parsons turned his face away from Alex. “I thought, this poor guy. He’s getting tortured and demeaned and nobody is on his side.”
“What are you talking about?” Alex’s hands curled into fists. “‘This poor guy’? You were just pitying me?”
“Of course I was! Alex, it doesn’t take a genius to see that you have the emotional development of a three year old! I think Meilin is better adjusted than you are!”
“The fuck does that mean?” Alex stood, but his looming was lost on Parsons, who didn’t even look in his direction.
“It means that I thought I could help you! I thought you needed a friend to comfort you while Tracht terrorized you!” Parsons carefully adjusted himself so he was on his side, facing Alex again. “We were having normal conversations. And you seemed to like hanging out with me. So I trusted you. I fucking trusted you even though I should have realized you couldn’t change.”
“No! Fuck you, you can’t put this on me!” Alex bristled. “You wanted me to do your dirty work for you! Just like Nick! You thought it wouldn’t matter if I was your patsy for this, because why not screw me over some more? Who gives a shit if Alex gets hurt!”
Parsons winced but looked resigned. “The only person who matters to you is you. So just go away. I don’t care anymore.” He settled back down on his stomach and pointedly refused to look at Alex again.
Fuck him, fuck him. Alex had half a mind to beat him up some more. Tear the bandages from his back and just watch the blood trickle down all over again.
He felt nauseated three seconds later, and above all he really, really didn’t like how his eyes were burning.
Alex stormed out and was surprised to see Tracht and Singh waiting just outside the door. Tracht held an arm out to the side, and it took Alex a second to realize that it was an invitation. He stepped in and hugged Tracht.
“Did you get the answers you wanted?” Tracht asked, stroking Alex’s back.
“I never want to see him again,” Alex said. “Why’d you even let me in there in the first place?”
“Mm. An oversight, honestly. I forgot to remove the entry permission from last night. I’ll make sure to lock you out from now on.” Tracht sighed. “Dr. Singh has barred me from entry as well, for fear that my mere presence will cause Mr. Parsons undue distress.”
Alex saw Singh roll her eyes. “No, I’m doing it to prevent you from losing control again. I’ll take care of him from here on out. Don’t bother me for anything short of an emergency for the rest of the trip. I mean it. I’m still mad.”
She stepped around them towards the door. “Now get out of here, both of you.”
Alex watched her go inside and the door slide shut behind her.
“I guess you can count that as a reward,” Tracht murmured. “No visits to Dr. Singh.”
Not as nice as dinner and an orgasm, but Alex would take it. “Does it count if it wasn’t really you who gave the reward?”
“It’s all right. I have a better one planned for tonight. Now let’s get to work.” Tracht let go of Alex, put on his professional face, and started walking back towards the populated parts of the ship.
Alex took one last look at Parsons’ cell and then hurried after.