Spliced: Part 3 - Chapter 7A

[flighty_dreams]

TITLE:  Spliced - Part 3, Chapter 7A
AUTHOR: flighty_dreams
WARNINGS: NC-17. slavefic. scifi setting. M/m. some het.
DISCLAIMER: They all belong to me! *insert evil cackle here* I'm just sharing them. *hug*
WORD COUNT:  3,864
SUMMARY:  Part 3, Chapter 7 - Alex's musings on the Matt situation.
NOTES:  The rest of this chapter should hopefully be up soon. I uhh have to write it still. :S But this had a natural stopping point.
FEEDBACK:  Always awesome and amazing.

 

Chapter Seven

 

“Are you ever going to tell me anything?”

The sudden outburst surprised Alex, making him straighten in his seat inside Ten’s hovercar. His eyes shifted from staring blankly out the window to his brother, who was beside him in the driver’s seat, letting the AGS guide the vehicle. “What?” Alex asked, too distracted to catch the words.

Ten muttered something insulting under his breath. “I was asking if you were ever going to talk. You’ve been brooding since I picked you up in Tingyl.”

“I’m not-” he stopped the lie before it made it all the way out. Glancing at Ten’s expression, the truth was further confirmed. “Sorry,” he amended. When he remained quiet after that, Ten sighed loudly and Alex looked over at him sharply. “What?”

“You’re still not talking.”

“Oh.” His thoughts were disjointed, and he slumped back in his seat again. The strangest thing was happening; ever since he dropped off Matt it felt like something was clawing at him inside, not physically but mentally. Like he’d missed a big fucking piece of the puzzle, and he had no idea what it was.

“Did you fuck him?”

“What?!” Startled by the question, Alex hit his elbow against the door as he jumped. “Shit,” he cursed, holding his tingling arm as his face flamed. Glowering at Ten, he retorted, “Lady’s tits, Sweet Dark and Flame all, why would you think that?”

His obnoxious brother laughed at him, a rich sound that seemed to float on the air itself. “Besides the fact that you just invoked three deities, and you’re blushing? I can tell you feel bad about something. So, did you fuck him?”

His glare menacing, Alex replied through gritted teeth, “No, I didn’t have sex with him.”

“Ah,” said Ten, his green eyes sparkling with amusement and a smirk curving his mouth, “but you wanted to.”

“Yes,” he hissed, realizing there was no point in denying it to his brother. “And I don’t get why. It’s not like it could ever work.”

Ten chuckled. “Your dick doesn’t care about that.”

“Obviously not. But I don’t know, I was still surprised at how bad I wanted to. And it wasn’t just about getting revenge on Muldane, although Flame all does part of me ever want to. It would be so satisfying,” he commented, an edge in his voice.

His friend’s tone was uncharacteristically sober when he replied, “You try to pass it off as Min and Alex being two different people, but they’re both still you. It shouldn’t be a surprise you’d both want someone.”

“But we usually want really different things,” Alex argued, thinking of the many differences between his two personas.

Ten opened his mouth to respond, and then snapped it closed.

“What?” Alex growled, wondering what Ten wouldn’t say.

His brother shook his head at him. “I can’t help you with this. There are some things you have to figure out for yourself.”

Frustration rose within him as he stared at his friend. The words he’d thought months ago as he looked at a troubled Nuit floated back to him:  Some things a man had to figure out for himself. Viewing it from the other end of the telescope wasn’t any fun though. “You see something,” Alex stated, “something I don’t.”

“Yes.” Ten paused, looking out the window at the streets passing by in a blur. Then his gaze swung back over to Alex. “I’m sorry, but you need to do this on your own.”

“Some hints as to what the hell you’re talking about would be nice,” Alex complained, irritated that Ten refused to elaborate.

Ten’s emerald eyes lit up again, and Alex knew the serious moment was over even before his brother spoke. “Are you actually asking me for advice?”

Alex’s dark eyes narrowed, and his next words were aggressive. “No, I’m pushing you to tell me whatever it is you think you know.”

Shaking his head again, Ten replied in a firm tone that ignored all argument, “When the right time comes, I’ll help you. Not before. That’s all I’m going to say about it.” Changing the subject, he asked, “What about Kate?”

Alex hated backing down, but he recognized that his brother wasn’t going to budge on this. Hell, convincing Muldane to regard slaves as equals would be an easier feat. Besides, he needed to discuss this new topic too. “I feel terrible. I’ve never cheated on her before—at least not as Alex,” he corrected. “I’ve looked but never actually done anything.”

All the other people he’d slept with since meeting Kate, he’d always been with as a slave, where Min didn’t have any choice in the matter. Not to say that he hadn’t enjoyed any of it; Min certainly had, but he’d never had the option to say no. This situation with Matt had been the opposite; all the control had been in his hands, and Alex had done something inappropriate. That weird feeling, still swirling within, suddenly made his chest tighten.

“Wait,” Ten drawled, drawing his attention, “are you saying something did happen with Muldane?”

Turning away from his smug, amused friend as his face reddened, Alex muttered, “Yes.”

“Couldn’t control yourself?” Ten asked, smirking.

Shaking his head, Alex said, “No, trying to prove a point. I uh really proved it.”

Ten snickered. “Oh I bet you did, brother.”

Shifting his head to scowl at his friend he retorted, “Ten, this isn’t funny. What about Kate?”

Expression sobering, Ten replied, “I know it isn’t. Has this affected your feelings for Kate at all?”

Baffled, Alex stared at his brother, wondering when he’d gone insane. “No, of course not.”

“But you still can’t be with her all the time,” Ten said pointedly.

“No, but that isn’t by choice,” Alex grated out.

Eyebrows rising, Ten stared him down. “So someone forces you to leave every six months?”

Upset by his sarcasm, Alex replied, “You know what the deal is. Do you really need to spell out my shortcomings?”

“No, I’m sorry,” said Ten, his expression softening. He laid a hand on Alex’s shoulder and added, “That wasn’t my intention. I just wanted to remind you, you started this arrangement a long time ago now. Don’t stick to the pattern just because it’s habit now. Be open to making adjustments. How you feel or what you need can change over time.”

“I don’t see much changing,” Alex replied, his mouth twisting. The Andorian needs weren’t going away soon, if ever.

“Lies. What about your attraction to Muldane? That’s a change,” Ten pointed out as he shifted away again, and Alex couldn’t help feeling embarrassed. Ten was right about that much. Continuing, Ten told him, “We aren’t the same people we were ten years ago, or even five years ago. Just remember that, and keep an open mind.”

Everything Ten said was true, forcing Alex to nod in acceptance. But a sliver of suspicion rose up within him, prompting him to ask, “Do all these words of advice have anything to do with what you refused to tell me before?”

Aha. He caught Ten’s guilty flush before his friend turned his head away from him. “Perhaps. That’s all you’re getting.”

“Fine,” Alex muttered grumpily, but inwardly he was deciding on the best method to pester Ten for more information.

“I don’t think you should tell Kate about your fooling around with Muldane,” Ten said, the change of topic effectively distracting Alex from further harassment of his brother.

“But I promised to be honest with her,” Alex told him hesitantly.

Putting a hand on Alex’s shoulder again and intently meeting his eyes, Ten said earnestly, “She already knows you’ll be having sex with the guy a month from now. I don’t think she needs to know this. If you told her it would be to make yourself feel better, not her. Trust me, it wouldn’t help her at all. She’s already spiraling over this. She knows you like the Kartan. That’s more than enough to make her feel insecure. Don’t make it worse.”

“Like him or not, I wouldn’t be going back to him if it wasn’t for Hayeston though,” Alex pointed out.

“We know that, but the fact remains you are going back. And even if there wasn’t the unpredictable Hayeston factor to consider, going back to someone else would still unsettle her. Yes, like she said, she feels it’s better than you going to a random person each time, but now there are new worries.”

“Like Hayeston grabbing me. Or that I’m going to leave her.”

Ten nodded, squeezing his arm. “Yeah, exactly.”

Sighing, Alex rubbed his hands against his face tiredly. “I don’t know how to reassure her.”

“You can’t, not completely. Not until you come back to her again. If you come back to her.”

Eyes narrowing suspiciously, Alex asked, “Why wouldn’t I?”

Ten raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. “I’m just saying, if something happened.”

Scowling at him, Alex wondered what he meant by that, since there could be a few different interpretations—physical, emotional or mental reasons for not returning. Normally he wouldn’t have thought much of it, but the strange things Ten had been saying, like his advice and asking if his feelings for Kate had changed—along with his own stupid lingering desire for Matt—were making him consider alternate meanings. But he still chose the primary one—such as physically being unable to return due to imprisonment or death—as his interpretation. “That’s real comforting, Ten.”

Turning away from his brother, he focused on what he should do about Kate. He needed to make sure she knew where she stood. He’d do that for her, as uncomfortable as he was with expressing his feelings verbally. He hated making himself vulnerable; it was part of the legacy slavery had left upon him. Showing weakness was avoided at all costs.

After a few minutes he summarized the story of what had happened with Muldane for his brother, including the details of the deal they’d made. Recalling Matt’s derisive attitude made him angry all over again, and he ranted about him to his brother. Ten wasn’t pleased with the man either, which made him a sympathetic audience.

Once they’d finished talking about Muldane, they drove on for a while in comfortable silence, gradually leaving the city and heading into the countryside. As they approached his brother’s remote house, where Kate was waiting for them, Ten reminded him, “Remember, don’t tell her.”

Glaring at his friend, Alex muttered, “I know. I won’t.”

She looked happy to see him, glad he was all right, and he hugged her after he got out of the hovercar. She was wearing her customary pants and a tight shirt that clung to her curves. An image of Matt as he’d last seen him, sleeping on that hotel bed, flashed through his head and a twinge of guilt ran through him. He pushed it away and kissed her, using her familiar, eager body to distract himself.

“How did he react?” she prompted after they pulled apart, her breaths still harsh and fast.

His mind and body filled with the feel and smell of her, it took him a couple moments to focus back on the conversation, and by then he realized what he’d done. Furious with himself for having used her to drive away the memory of Matt, he shifted his anger onto a new target. Remembering Muldane’s various reactions to him and to the situation, a wave of ire crashed upon the shores of his mind. “He was an ass. I wanted to shoot him.”

Tenril let his puzzlement show in his voice. “I thought you did shoot him—twice.”

“And the rest of the time I was on the verge of shooting him. Those two shots weren’t satisfying enough,” Alex chuckled darkly as they walked into Ten’s modest house.

“I guess it didn’t go well then. He refused?” Kate asked worriedly, looking up at him.

“No, he agreed.”

“Oh.” Kate frowned, glancing over at him as they entered Ten’s living room. “Now I’m really confused.”

Alex sat beside her on the sofa, with Ten seated across from them. “He agreed, but only because he had no choice. It was either that or I disappear. He didn’t really understand my explanation about Min and me. He thinks a slave is a slave, period. I tried to make it clear to him, but I could tell he didn’t really believe me. He still just thinks of me as his property, whether I’m Min or Alex. It doesn’t matter to him.”

His eyes met Ten’s worried gaze. “Do you think he’ll break the deal?”

“If I read him right, he’s planning on it,” Alex replied.

“If you think he will, then you can still back out. It’s not too late,” Kate told him anxiously, her hand reaching for his.

Stubbornness welled up inside him. “No, we need to discover who Hayeston is, or whoever he’s working for. Who knows how many of them there are.” Thinking grimly of Matt’s accusations, he added,  “Besides, it would show Muldane that he was right about me, that I’m just a coward who runs away when things get tough.”

“That’s not true at all,” Ten said firmly. “He doesn’t know you.”

“It’s what he thinks, and I won’t prove it for him. So no running.”

Ten sighed but didn’t protest, because he knew drawing out Hayeston was too important.

On the other hand, Kate wanted to know more. “What did he say to you exactly?”

“A lot.”

“Any examples? Sound bites?”

Alex recapped some of it, the memory of Muldane’s words leaving him as surly as a Tamrikan bear. “That I don’t deserve my freedom, because I stole it by running away. I didn’t earn it, so I have no right to it.”

“Fuck him,” Kate grated out instantly, which made Alex chuckle happily at her support.

“Bastard,” Ten added, shaking his head. “He really has no idea.”

“No, he doesn’t, which worries me. Not just whether he’ll honor our contract, but also what he’ll do to Min when he arrives. He’s going to bear a grudge over this.”

“On top of you running away in the first place,” Ten replied uneasily.

“That too. It’s going to be bad.”

“How bad?” Kate asked worriedly. “How far would he go? Are we talking maiming, scars?” She placed a concerned hand on his knee.

“No,” he reassured her, pretending to be more confident than he actually felt. “He’s not that sadistic. It will be more standard stuff, but it’s going to hurt a lot.”

He hoped he was right. He’d never pissed Matt off anywhere near this bad, not even that day when they fought over the books. That was the maddest he ever saw Muldane, and even then Matt had been careful not to scar him and made sure he healed properly. But the fact remained that Muldane had been infuriated enough over one sarcastic, disrespectful comment. How much worse would he punish him for running away, and then shooting and abducting him? And keeping him chained up?

He’d written into the contract that Matt couldn’t punish Min for Alex’s actions, but how could that really be regulated? Matt was free to be angry over whatever he wanted to be angry about, and he could just call it another punishment for running away, even if he was really thinking about what Alex had done. Min couldn’t exactly call him on it. It would be totally out of his control and into Matt’s, which made him shudder.

His life was going to be hell in a month or so, and who knew how long it would last, or how far Matt would go for revenge. What if he really did maim me? Cripple me? Why didn’t I make that one of my conditions, that he couldn’t do any permanent damage to me? He knew why though; he’d never had the option before to control something like that. He’d still been thinking like a slave, that the master had the power to do whatever he wished to his slave. Flame all, I screwed up a perfect opportunity. Now he had to rely on the fact that Matt would be reluctant to damage his own ‘property.’

Suddenly he realized Kate was studying his face closely. Over the years as he gradually relaxed his expressions had become less guarded, and his ability to hide his thoughts had degenerated. Min still protected his thoughts like a lockbox, but Alex had changed greatly. He hoped that she hadn’t gotten too much out of him just now. “What?” he asked her innocently.

He watched resolve tighten her features. “Ten is going to watch out for that too, and get you out if Muldane becomes dangerous.”

“We need to find Hayeston and his people,” Alex insisted.

“Not at the cost of you being crippled or killed, idiot!” yelled Ten.

“No, of course not!” He wasn’t that crazy. Fixing them both with his gaze, he continued, “From what I remember, he has a hot temper yes, but he doesn’t get careless physically.” At least not when it came to anything really serious; Muldane certainly didn’t mind shoving him against the wall and leaving bruises. Idly he wondered what the look on Matt’s face would be like if Min shoved him right back the next time he did that. Probably identical to the shock on his face when he realized ‘Min’ could read, he thought with a grin.

Drifting back to the present again, he saw Kate watching him, bewilderment and hurt in her eyes. “What’s wrong?” he asked, wondering what he’d done to upset her.

“You’re thinking about him fondly.” He blinked in confusion and she added, “You were smiling.”

“Oh,” he exclaimed, laughing now. “I was remembering how shocked he looked when he found out I could read. Affection had nothing to do with it,” he assured her, even as a part of him deep inside acknowledged that affection or understanding from Muldane would actually be welcomed, not rejected. Shit, why did he care what the bastard thought of him?

“I’ll already be there watching for Hayeston to make a move, so of course I’ll watch Alex’s back too, Kate,” Ten interjected, drawing them back to the main topic, a sheepdog guiding the flock. “And I’ll be a good judge of whether he’s gone too far.”

Scowling, Alex stared at his brother. Ten certainly had the experience for the job, but something in his tone seemed to imply that he—Min—wouldn’t be able to judge the situation on his own.

“Oh stop frowning like a Matron of Talisar,” Ten chided him, referring to Calnith’s religious zealots. “Muldane could piss you off and make you insanely stubborn. Enough to make you stupidly refuse to leave just to prove a point.”

“That doesn’t sound much like Min,” Alex protested, “that’s more like me.” Min was more careful, he was the survivor.

Green eyes glinting with the sharpness of knives, Ten replied, “Min’s always pretended to be a dumb Andorian before. For the first time, he won’t have to. You won’t have to,” he emphasized.

Confused, Alex’s brows creased. “What are you-” he halted, unsure of what he really wanted to ask. He understood that the circumstances would be different from before, since Matt knew so much more about him now. But was Ten really implying what he thought he was? Nah, he couldn’t be…

“Don’t worry about it,” Ten said, giving him one last loaded look before dismissing it and turning to Kate. “It’ll be fine. I’ll stay in Alister, work on a new book and keep an eye on the situation until Hayeston makes a move.”

“Now I just hope you remember our lessons in stealth,” Alex told him sardonically. Ten muttered something sarcastic in response, but Alex’s thoughts drifted away again.

The events with Matt yesterday had certainly proven interesting. It had been exhilarating to exert power over a man who’d owned Min. There was definitely a feeling of satisfaction in shocking the Kartan who’d grossly underestimated his Andorian slave. The expression on his face when he’d realized his abductor was Min was priceless, and his helpless rage and arrogant demands for release had been so entertaining. It had been difficult not to laugh even more than he had. Yes, many interesting things had happened, he mused, and his thoughts uncontrollably turned to the memory of a simple kiss becoming a heated exchange. A flame of heat flickered inside him at the memory of having Matt helpless beneath him, filling with desire.

No, he told himself fiercely, I should forget that ever happened. It was so much easier to keep things simple—Kate for Alex and Matt for Min. Keep his two lovers restricted to one side of him; crossovers would overcomplicate everything. His desire to sheath himself inside Matt and teach him a lesson would have to remain unfulfilled, however satisfying both the bit of revenge and the act itself might be.

He shifted restlessly, staring off at the horizon outside Ten’s living room window as that spark of heat in his stomach shifted lower. Forcing thoughts of Matt away, he looked at Kate guiltily. He should be focusing on her, not on that infuriating man. His eagerness for vengeance on Matt seemed a personal failure; he should be a better man than this, and he should be glad enough that things had worked out. They’d resolved the Min situation, and he knew where he’d be going in a month or so. That had been his mission, and fulfilling dark desires had not been part of it.

Catching Ten’s eye, he noted his friend was exasperated with him again. He supposed he was doing what Ten considered brooding, again. Alex leaned forward and concentrated on their conversation about the book Ten was finishing soon.

Later as they sat on lounge chairs looking out at the beautiful fields surrounding Ten’s rural home, Alex briefed Kate on the conditions of the contract, including Matt’s stipulation that they keep in contact once every old Earth week. Kate grimaced slightly at the news, but said surprisingly little. He also gave them more information on the events that had transpired, but as promised didn’t mention his tryst with Matt.

After he was done, they sat for a while enjoying the pleasant evening air. Days were unusually long on Festun due to its slow rotation, so even though hours had passed since he left Matt, the darkness was just falling now. The scents of flowers blew towards them on the wind, and Alex let himself relax after his stressful encounter with the Kartan.

They had dinner about an hour later; he and Kate would spend the night and head back to the ship the next morning. After they’d finished eating, Alex turned to his brother. “Mind if I use your comms? I need to call Kret.”

“Oh, are you gonna have him help you secure your calls to Muldane?” he asked, following Alex’s train of thought precisely.

“Yep.”

“Sure, go right ahead.”

Chapter 7B

Comments

[e-witness.livejournal.com]

Oh dear, I am now incredibly worried about Kate. She's so lovely and tough and amazing with her own history and baggage and experience, and the last thing she deserves is to lose the love of her life who she's already sacrificed so much for. I'm going to have blind faith that she and Matt stumble into each other at some point, the sparks fly, she teaches him a lesson or two about caring for other people, he teaches her a bit of self-confidence, and we can end with a neat, happy threesome.

With Ten guiding the entire flock. Because he's clearly the awesome-est.