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Time was fostering a toxic relationship with Curly at this point.
What day was it now?
When in space—where in time—?
It was all mangled, knotted, and confusing.
Or was he thinking of himself…?
Curly awoke to Jim hovering over him, sitting on a stool watching him. He leaned back just a touch when Curly’s eye locked on.
“Hard to tell when you’re awake,” Jimmy noted, a hint of a smile at the corner of his lip.
H̵a̶r̶d̴ ̵t̶o̴ ̷t̶e̶l̸l̸ ̶I̸'̴m̸ ̸a̷l̸i̴v̸e̴.̵
He went back to what he had been doing that woke him up in the first place. He seemed to be trying to clean Curly’s skin up. Water was scarce, so he was dabbing dry cloths along his wounds, pressing at the parts still somewhat bleeding when he would move. Curly recognized some of the shirts lying around as his own. That blue one was Anya’s, wasn’t it? Flowers… definitely Daisuke. Nothing he could recognize from Swansea.
A soft groan left him as Jimmy pressed into a tender spot on his thigh. He looked over at the sound, a pang of guilt pinching his eyebrows. He bent forward and kissed on the same spot.
He was being gentle again; not a great sign.
“It’s different when it’s just us. Like we’re in your room again, y’know?” Back when the flesh still hung upon his bones. Arguably he had been healing, but the pain had become the norm. He couldn’t tell where in the process he was—or if he even was. He supposed it didn’t matter anyway.
T̴h̴e̶ ̷o̷n̵l̵y̶ ̶w̵a̷y̷ ̷I̶ ̸k̸n̴o̵w̴ ̷I̵'̶m̵ ̵a̷l̵i̷v̸e̵.̶.̸.̴
The shuffle of Jim’s considerate hands on his thighs; the way the stretcher creaked as it took on extra weight—
i̵s̴ ̷p̴a̴i̸n̴.̸
Reaching his torched genitals, Jimmy frowned. He walked his fingers along his peeling dick, permanently flaccid from his injuries. Curly had a sense where he was on his body, and he made a vain attempt to lift his head to look at him. This didn’t go unnoticed.
Clearly thinking about what to do next, Jimmy removed himself from the stretcher and looped his arms under Curly, lifting him.
He walked with him, cradled in silence, the only sounds remaining in Curly’s ears were Jimmy’s footsteps and the blood flowing through his own veins. He recognized the path to their sleeping quarters, and in a way, he had missed that lumpy, defective mattress of his. The stretcher was a bitter reminder of what he had become.
How his failures created a monster.
That’s exactly where they went, too—right into Curly’s room. Jimmy put him on that uncomfortable bed, but he leaned his back into the wall so Curly could sit up. He didn’t really expect that position, and the unknown at this point was a terrifying prospect in Jim’s hands.
He watched as Jimmy removed his clothes completely down to that hairy, roughened skin of his, something Curly had only ever seen when they showered. There was a time, he realized, where this could’ve been their future. He would’ve done anything for Jim—he just had to ask—
But—
Jimmy’s eyes fell to Curly’s; he smiled; It made the bile rise in his throat.
The sound of functioning organs caught his attention. It was difficult to hide most ailments with the body Curly was confined to, however Jimmy didn’t look disappointed. He looked… eager.
And he was. Curly had to be ready for his medicine by now, he thought, and maybe—just maybe—he could bring them back to a better time.
Sitting beside Curly on the bed, Jim leaned back against the wall beside him, exhaling as if relieved.
“Do you know how hard it was to leave that night, Curly?” A moment of silence, followed by a soft laugh. “It’s okay… I came on pretty quick, but you really got into it. You liked it. The way you let me kiss you and grab you.” Jimmy’s eyes closed, the memory quickly gathering heat in his loins. “We jerked each other off pretty good; you came fast as fuck.” A crumpled laugh. “I’m glad it was good.”
Jimmy palmed at Curly’s thigh, a comforting gesture for an old friend. “We always made a good team. Didn’t matter where. The Tulpar, your bed…”
Digits moved like a spider along his disintegrated skin, crawling onto Curly’s dick to weave a caressing web. “Even now, right? Still compatible. Still functional. Two good men that deserve each other.”
Curly’s head tipped forward, his only operating eye fixated on Jimmy’s ministrations. It wasn’t responding; it couldn’t. Even if it could, Curly wondered how his body would react. He remembered that night with Jimmy with the utmost clarity. At first, it was awkward, but Jimmy was able to act as if nothing had happened. He almost seemed more… distant.
It made it easier for Curly, he had to admit it. He was so wrapped up in feeling tied down by his own fucking life that he couldn’t even manage to place Jimmy in the picture as a partner. He was there, but his image was faded.
He was looking over his shoulder; he was looking down.
Down the ladder.
Ah…
He really had failed him.
If he could cry… he would, but only a strained sob escaped him.
Jimmy was startled by the sound. He thought they were having a nice conversation! “Curly…” Then it clicked. Jimmy got to his knees and twisted until he was straddling his Captain. “You must be hurting. I’m sorry. I’ll take care of it. That’s what a partner does, right?”
Curly lifted his arms weakly. It exhausted his energy, but he could still move them. His wrists, mere stubs now, pawed at Jimmy’s chest. He wanted him to go away, but he knew there was nothing he could do about it. Jimmy was going to fuck him again. Make him feel good.
Jimmy’s lips marked every spot on Curly’s bandaged face he could reach. When that was no longer enough, he peeled the bandages off so he could seize more of him. Curly’s breathing dragged out. These sounds…
Jimmy could only beam.
He was feeling it. He was remembering.
“Just like that… That’s how you sounded in my ear that night.” He placed his ear next to Curly’s teeth, absorbing his breathing as if it were sun rays on a cold day. Every exhale told Jimmy he could still make Curly happy. He could give them everything if he just let him.
They wouldn’t struggle, not together. No… No, no, no, they were a team. They were…
Jimmy’s fingers drew Curly’s dick against his, a good tug to get them close enough without Curly having an erection. He’d make it work.
“When you said my name, Curly…That fucking moan in my ear—Fuck!” His cock twitched. “I knew then. I knew what we could be. I’d get my shit together, back on Earth, and we could build a fucking dream life together. I’d take care of you… you’d be free. We’d both be free. You wouldn’t have to think about escaping anything, right?”
Phantom hands drifted down Jimmy’s chest; It made him tingle, a ghostly trail leaving goosebumps in their wake. He had to look at Curly. He needed to see him.
Ah… those beautiful blue eyes, deep as the sea; he drowned in them. That platinum blond hair that made the women go crazy—made him go crazy. With his free hand, Jimmy cupped Curly’s cheek, that silky skin bristled with age, conquered by every second that died before that moment.
Jim pressed his lips to Curly’s, feeling the plush warmth of his mouth tilt into his, their tongues both trying to take the lead. Hands found Jimmy’s cheeks, pulling him in deeper, trying to show him who’s boss. … Hah. Jimmy loved those thick fingers calloused by years of labor that led him up to his grand position as Captain of the Tulpar.
But Curly had another think coming if he thought he would take the lead in bed, too.
“You’re really into this,” Jimmy muttered against Curly’s teeth. His wrists touched at Jimmy’s jaw, catching the saliva from their passionate moment dribbling down his chin. Helping Curly to open his mouth again, he continued the dance between their tongues, palming at Curly’s chest as he jerked them off even faster.
Curly’s moans were escalating; it was working. Jimmy grinned, tapping their foreheads together and laughing between heated gasps.
“Curly… fuck...”
Jim…
J̴͎̏̊͠i̶̻̎m̴͎̠͎̕.̸͍̦̓̐̚.̸̣̈́̍̊.̵͎́̋̍
With a swift halt, Jimmy leaned back from their mutual masturbation. Curly’s breathing was rapid; Jimmy’s was no different, but it almost made him cum right then and there.
Please… Fuck me, Jim. It hurts.
“I will,” he replied, kissing where he once had a sapphire gem in his skull. “It won’t kill you to be patient.”
It was time for Curly’s medicine.
Laying him back on the mattress, Curly remembered back when Jimmy had barged into his room. After the initial assault, he really had been gentle with him. When their shirts came off from the sweat and their nipples were rubbing in a tight embrace… the grinding between them before their cocks came out to play. As he grew near climax that night, he thought, for just a moment, that maybe they could take their pants all the way off; that he could tell him where he hid his lube, to fill him deep into his burning core. He thought about Jimmy sneaking in every night, rubbing his dick until he woke from his slumber. Kissing him; fucking him; physically enraptured as much as mentally, emotionally…
Wait…
What?
Who was enraptured…?
Where?
How?
When…?
When did he fall in love with Jim…?
…
W̸̤̆h̵̲͘ȳ̴̼ ̷̲̉d̴͎̓i̶̠̍d̶̡͆ ̶̮̑I̶̺̽ ̸̞̀p̵͙͐u̵̠͐s̷͖̽h̸͕̎ ̵̹̕h̴̳̀i̵̱͗m̷͎̒ ̴̡͒a̷̱̚w̵̺̉à̴̻ỹ̷̥?̶̫̅
But that time was gone—long gone.
Curly was brought back to the Tulpar with the pain of penetration. It was never going to get easier; he knew that much. Jimmy’s delusions were interminable—He was trapped without mercy.
Unlike before, Jimmy was embedding his cock into him with a bit more care this time. Ah, yes: Gentle Jimmy… Taking care of his Captain. A sweaty palm caressing Curly’s jawline stung his nerves with love.
What remained of Curly’s calves were pushed up to give Jim a better angle, and wasting no time, he thrusted into him, trying to strike his prostate gland to ease his pain. The cries from beneath were rings of elation in Jimmy’s ears; what else would they be in this position?
Curly’s arms tried to grab onto Jimmy’s, but there was little he could do to mimic latching onto him like they did back then. His hands had been blasted into space, perhaps bits of his fingers sealed in foam for prosperity. There was no real means of bracing himself, but he made every attempt to hang on.
Jimmy stopped deep inside Curly, strands of brunet clinging to the sweat on his brow, providing Curly with a view he would’ve truly been infatuated with in the right timeline.
Jim pulled his leg closer and slid his tongue across his left calf. Micro-thrusts poked at Curly’s gland, untouched by the fire, but nevertheless marked by discomfort. His eye rolled back, head twisting either way with each grievous impact from his ‘savior’.
Curly’s asshole gripped onto Jimmy’s dick, simultaneously rejecting and accepting him. It was fucking insane, but…
Curly was getting used to this.
He dropped both wrists to the bed, lifting and slamming them down with every pound into his ass. Biting his bottom lip, Jim paused to watch Curly squirm.
“More?”
Curly glared at him, a sharp, crippled sound leaving his throat—
“ J̶̥̲̯̲͉̹̮̩̀̂̃̽͂Ǐ̴̢̩̘̂̌̋́̓͝͝͝ͅM̴͚̻̩̦̥̞̦̭̈̿̂͋̐͑͑͝ͅ.̸̰̥̜͓̹͉̪̥̻̠̌͐̍̆̕͜͝.̵̢͖̯͉͍̜̹̹͙̪͆̏̌͑̋́̾͠.̵̡̠̳̹͚̻͉͋̉̏̕̕.̵̳͈̍ “
Jimmy’s eyes widened, stopping dead in his tracks at what he swore was his name hissing from behind Curly’s teeth.
Ah.
..AAh…
Jimmy closed his eyes and collapsed on top of Curly in a sudden heap. Curly cried out in pain from the body slam, but hardly did more than breathe deeply thereafter.
Jimmy remained still. Curly stared at the ceiling of his cabin, wondering how many days it had been since Jim seemingly died on top of him. That was it, wasn’t it? He just… was done? Gone? They were connected this way until he would inevitably die of dehydration?
Days… no, weeks—
Months just like this.
Just as he had been in his mind, all the while denying it.
The thoughts carried deeper into the crevices of his guilt.
Why did he rape Anya? Was it then? When he sent Jimmy away? The timing seemed right. It must’ve been.
Poor Anya… Oh, Anya.
A captain truly is no better than the worst of his crew, and that crew member was raping him as he probably had raped her.
F̴̡͇̪͉̱͖̲̈́̓̋̎̓͘͜ͅ ̶̞̠̗̯͖̼̹̞̥̰̿̍̈́̈́͑ͅÙ̶̲́̀̍͂͋̈́̿̽́ ̴̢̭̗͎̥͖̙͈̼͙̈́͊̏̇͐̉́C̷͍̳͖̼͔̻̠͎͙̥͆́͌͂̀̃̀͂̚͝͝ ̵͚̙̱͈̬͚̱̄̑̏̈͋K̴̥͎̼͎͑̔̚͜
Jimmy pushed himself up on his elbows, eyes glossy over Curly’s deformed face. It had only been a minute, maximum.
“Curly…” He whispered, throat clenching in agonizing sorrow. “Is this enough? To make it right?” Tears rolled over his lashes, dripping onto Curly’s near-exposed cheekbones. “Can I still make this right…?”
J̴i̵m̸.̸.̵.̴
Curly’s jaw loosened on its own, his tongue shifting over the bottom row of his teeth. Jimmy’s lips tightened, the bottom half quivering with remorse; his broken heart pushing all the blood into his face. Jim dove into his mouth, kissing Curly in the only way they had left. He had no lips to overwhelm him, and so they embraced their tongues.
This was the last time, Curly thought, that he would give him this.
One last kiss. A real one.
For what could’ve been.
For what they were now.
For all his transgressions.
For all his unadulterated commitment to this monster.
For only ever seeing the good in his green eyes.
For only ever seeing the memories of a friend in front of him.
For failing to see what he needed to see in the shadows behind him.
For everything, and everyone.
For them.
Parting tongues and locked eyes—They could only see their faces as they once were.
Their sickening, toxic love permeated through the Tulpar until it slaughtered everything in its path.
Jimmy closed his eyes and drew a long sigh.
“Okay, Curly… It’s time to fix this.”
He pulled out of him, moved away, and got dressed once more. It took him ages to turn back to Curly thereafter, and when he did, it was to lift him from the bed again. Curly’s arm bent to run along Jim’s, wondering where they were going now.
They walked into the hall. Down the corridor. Deeper, further…
Curly’s chest gripped at the sight of the cryopods coming into view.
All Jim had left in him—
“It’s time to go home.”
—was a rueful, but confident smile.