Chrysalis Corporation

by T. A. Venedicktov

  “Then come over here and kiss me, but only if you don’t mind me taking things to the next level,” Damion dared lowly.

  Requiem looked at him for a moment, his head tilting to the side. He honestly didn’t know what would happen if he did as Damion ordered. But as much as Damion didn’t think it was, it was that, an order. So he leaned over and pressed his lips to Damion’s, curiosity and maybe a little unknown fear filling his head. Not of Damion—never Damion—but of where this experiment would lead.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Damion

  DAMION WAS shocked that Requiem had actually kissed him. He knew this would change things, but no matter what happened, Requiem would always be his Core. The last of his moral barriers broke as he placed a hand on the back of Requiem’s head and began kissing him—truly kissing him. Damion slipped his tongue between the trembling lips while he dragged the thinner man even closer. He was fully aroused and not too hungover to know exactly what he was getting himself into. He had never had full-out sex with another man. There had been drunken nights of experimentation in boot camp, but never penetration.

  As Damion tucked Requiem under his body, he kept kissing him and threading his hands through the silky hair. It was as if a dam had broken and every hidden desire that Damion had felt for so long was bursting forth.

  Requiem seemed shocked when Damion’s tongue entered his mouth, and he began to pull away. Damion curled his fingers through his hair, impeding him. Hesitantly, Requiem slid his tongue along Damion’s, gently exploring his mouth. Requiem slowly placed his hands on Damion’s rib cage.

  Damion moved his lips from Requiem’s, down his pale neck and chest. He didn’t know what would please Requiem, so he licked at the left nipple first, waiting for a reaction.

  Requiem jumped slightly at the touch. “Strange,” he mumbled. He moved his hands from Damion’s side and back to the bed. “This is unexpected.”

  Damion gazed down and saw Requiem finally start to respond. Damion lightly scratched his nails down Requiem’s pale sides as he kissed his way back up his chest to those waiting lips. He tried to ignore the lost look on Requiem’s face. He supposed this was different from Requiem’s other sexual experiences because those times were rape—and this wasn’t. He hadn’t ordered Requiem to have sex with him. The problem was that Damion wasn’t sure what to order him to do.

  Damion rocked his hips down into Requiem’s, needing the friction of the silken pale skin. His cock was now hard as steel and aching for any sort of stimulation.

  “New. Never felt this before.” Requiem’s eyes widened as Damion’s hardness slid against his own, separated by mere cloth. Damion’s mouth and body held him gently against the soft bed beneath them.

  “My body. Warmth. Sensations.” Requiem gasped.

  Damion’s nails on Requiem’s tender sides, his mouth on Requiem’s chest, neck, and lips—everything caused his Core to tremble.

  “You okay?” Damion asked, feeling Requiem shiver as Damion began to pull down Requiem’s sleep pants with gentle but needy tugs.

  Requiem licked his lips and nodded, and the eyes that met Damion’s were wide and filled with ever-changing emotions. “It is… interesting. And also very perplexing,” he finally replied, his hands still gripping the bedding beneath him.

  “Not scared?” Damion had pulled the pants down and was about to touch Requiem’s shaft when there was a knock at their door.

  “No, not scared.” Requiem’s head slanted in response to the knocking, yet he did not appear worried. “I think the emotion could be identified as nervous, but I am not sure.”

  Damion tensed as there was another, more persistent knock.

  “Do you wish me to answer it?” Requiem asked. “This is an unfortunate interruption.”

  “No, no just…. Gods damn it, yes!” Damion got up from the bed and headed to the bathroom. “Just… find out who it is, but give me ten.”

  Requiem

  “AS YOU order,” Requiem said, suddenly cold from the lack of Damion’s warmth as he left the bed.

  Requiem took a deep breath, settling his body back into its normal state, and sat up. He blinked, seeing something odd. His penis was… well, doing something interesting that it had never done before. As he watched, it slowly seemed to… deflate, going back to the state that he knew was normal.

  “Huh,” he mumbled.

  Hearing the banging on the door again, he slid off the bed and pulled his sleep pants back up. He walked to the door and spoke the unlock code to allow it to open, tilting his head slightly as he saw a dark-eyed, bedraggled Juni at their door. Again.

  “Fighter Hawk is in the bathroom at the moment,” Requiem said, lowering his gaze.

  “Damn it.” Juni pushed past Requiem and walked quickly into the room. “Hurry up, Damion! I need to talk to you.”

  No words came out of the bathroom, only a deep grunt.

  Requiem keyed the door closed behind Juni, letting out a silent sigh at the other Fighter’s back before moving into the room as well. “May I get you anything?” he inquired softly.

  “No, no.” Juni shook his head, tapping his fingers against his leg in impatience or nervousness. “I just need to talk to Damion for a moment.”

  The bathroom door slid open and Damion appeared, looking equal parts pissed and exhausted. “What?”

  “You tired?”

  “What!” Damion’s dark eyes filled with fire.

  “I mean, do you want to leave now? I mean, I can’t relax.” Juni fidgeted, rocking from foot to foot.

  Requiem looked up at Damion and stepped back. He had never seen Damion look that angry before, except with Arkin, and that had been a different kind of fury. Arkin had been a feral, deadly, cold anger. This… this was blistering, somewhere along the lines of intent to strangle Juni, and Requiem was relieved that it wasn’t directed at him. At least, he hoped he didn’t cause it.

  “Perhaps, Fighter Juni, it might be a more logical idea to walk around your home. Fighter Hawk is very weary and not feeling all that well,” he suggested quietly. “Unless what you need to speak of is of high importance?”

  “Go to your room and deal with your Core and wash up. Don’t come back to this room for at least another three hours or I swear on my Zodiac I will beat you with the closest object I have available,” Damion said in a very low voice.

  “Uh… right. Okay.” Juni backed away from him with trepidation.

  Requiem stepped away from Juni and Damion, then ordered the door to open before Juni ran into it. Once Juni had left, Requiem gave a lock command and then he stepped back against the wall, watching Damion warily

  “He—he, I will kill with my own hands one day,” Damion growled, clenching his fists at his sides. “If he wasn’t competent in a Zodiac, I would wonder why he even joined.”

  Requiem stayed silent, continuing to watch Damion and keeping his back to the wall. Damion calmed down slowly. The rapid rise and fall of his chest ceased, and the flush of his face faded, but he was still angry and tired, and Requiem didn’t know where this anger had come from. Didn’t know if he had caused it or if Juni did, and he didn’t understand why Damion was so upset. So he stayed there, remained quiet, and waited.

  Damion looked up. “What?”

  Requiem opened his mouth to lie, to say that nothing was wrong, but his voice wouldn’t work. He could not lie to his Fighter. “Why are you so upset?”

  “Because he disturbed us. Because… because I just had to jack off in the bathroom like an embarrassed teenager with his mom at the door.” Damion sat on the bed. “Aren’t you frustrated?”

  Requiem stayed where he was, his gaze following Damion. “So… you are not angry with me, then? I did not upset you?” He ignored Damion’s question and decided he would ask later what this phrase “jacking off” meant.

  “No, no.” Damion shook his head quickly.

  “So you were merely angry at Juni for… stopping us?” Requiem tilted his head to the side.

  �
�Yes.” Damion sighed, his shoulders slumping forward. “It’s two steps forward and five steps back.”

  “I do not understand. Was there a time constraint I was not aware of?”

  “It’s hard to… keep it up, and even harder to get the mood back.” Damion tried to explain, his hands circling in the air in front of him with useless motions.

  Finally pushing away from the wall, Requiem walked over and slowly, hesitantly sat next to his Fighter, thoroughly confused. “I am sorry. I really only comprehend half of what you are saying, and I have a suspicion that asking you to explain will only result in you becoming more frustrated.”

  “It’s not your fault, okay? I’m sorry. I guess you didn’t have a problem with getting it to calm down, huh? I kinda figured you wouldn’t.” Damion gave him a weak smile.

  “Getting what to calm down?” Requiem asked with a slight frown, thinking, then connecting the dots. He opened his eyes wider. “Do you mean my penis?” Requiem asked bluntly, looking down to his lap. “I must admit, I was very intrigued. Are you saying that is supposed to happen? It has never done that before.”

  “Damn.” Damion covered his face with his hands. “Why am I not surprised you can say that so easily?”

  “Did I say something wrong?” Requiem asked, reaching out to grasp Damion’s wrist lightly.

  “No.” Damion laughed. “I just can’t shrug off a huge woody as easy as all that. And I can’t say… penis without being reminded of the health book they pass out at the clinics.”

  “But that is what the organ is called,” Requiem replied, realizing he was beginning to get a headache from the confusion. “Besides, I have already informed you that the chemical in the food Cores eat prevents us from experiencing sexual stimulation. Because 108 and I have begun to eat less than the prescribed daily amount, it is beginning to have certain effects on our bodies. Personally, it was unexpected that I reacted at all.”

  “I know that’s what it’s called, but most of us don’t call it that.” Damion wrapped his arms around Requiem and rested his head on the top of his Core’s.

  Requiem was silent for a moment, thinking, and then realizing he was uncomfortable in his current position. Moving slightly, he slipped out of Damion’s warm arms, trying to decide how he could attain optimal relaxation. He sat back down, but this time across Damion’s lap. “There are other names for it?”

  “Uh, yeah. Slang. When you can plug in again, just look for them,” Damion suggested as he wrapped his arms back around Requiem. “Better you learn that way.”

  “As you order,” Requiem replied quietly, laying his head on Damion’s shoulder and closing his eyes. “There is much I do not understand. I thought I understood a large amount, but I suppose there is still much I have to learn.”

  “You know a lot, Requiem. More than any other human when it comes to computers and the systems, but when it comes to everyday life, you are a bit behind, and that’s only because of how you were raised.” Damion brushed his hand over Requiem’s hair.

  “I was not raised, Damion. I was grown and then created, molded if you will. But I would not use the term “raised” in connection with my upbringing.” Requiem wrapped his naked arms around Damion, soaking in the warmth. It seemed he was always cold unless Damion was holding him.

  “All right, sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.” Damion sighed. “Want to try to sleep a few hours again?”

  “You did not upset me. I was merely correcting your misconception.” Requiem nodded. “Sleep, yes. As you wish.” He began to slide off Damion’s lap, already regretting losing the warmth.

  “Come back here,” Damion grumbled, grabbing his arm. “I want you to sleep next to me.”

  “I will not disturb you?”

  “No, not at all.” Damion tugged Requiem forward again.

  “Very well,” Requiem replied wearily, falling wherever Damion pulled him, suddenly too tired to move himself anywhere else. Cocooned in his Fighter’s arms, Requiem had never felt so safe and protected or fallen asleep so quickly.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Tuesday August 23, 454 MC

  1117 GMT

  Requiem

  “EVERYONE READY to go to the temple for offerings today?” Juni asked, walking right into Damion’s room.

  Requiem had examined Damion’s increasing agitation in conjunction with Juni’s and 108’s sexual activities. The more apparent sex they had, the more verbally disparaging Damion was toward Juni.

  “Think the Goddess would listen if I asked her to strike you mute?” Damion smirked.

  “Might I suggest using duct tape instead?” Requiem came out of the bedroom with Damion’s shoes and placed them on the floor next to his feet. “It is an ancient invention but still very effective to this day.” He opened his mouth to say more, then realized that what he was going to say might not be appropriate, so he closed it. Requiem believed that duct tape was more effective than sending prayers to a force that only existed in the collective minds of worshipers looking for an answer. An answer they eventually pulled from their own thoughts but insisted came from a higher power. He did not believe it was plausible.

  “You would miss me,” Juni said rather proudly.

  “Sure I would,” Damion answered dryly. “We’re ready. It should be interesting seeing a well-funded and established temple.”

  Requiem reached out and gently grabbed Damion’s wrist. “Is it proper for 108 and me to attend?”

  “Yeah, I don’t think it will be a problem.” Damion looked to Juni for confirmation.

  “They’ll just think you two are servants.” Juni’s smile slipped some. “But it is beautiful.”

  “If you believe so,” Requiem stated, reluctantly letting go of Damion’s arm.

  “Just stay close.” Damion’s common mantra came out naturally.

  “There’s a speeder outside waiting, so let’s go!” Juni clapped and rushed out of the room, probably to collect 108.

  Requiem followed Damion out the door. He had read about the temples and had to admit to some curiosity about them. But it was still more than a little nerve-racking to be leaving the sanctuary of the room.

  Damion put a comforting hand on his shoulder. “You don’t have to be so worried. Nothing happened the other day when we went out and looked around the neighborhood. The only difference is we’re going a bit farther in.”

  Not saying anything, Requiem placed his hand briefly over Damion’s before letting it drop. Damion had been so busy looking around at the tall, beautifully structured buildings that he had not seen the looks of contempt and curiosity that he and 108 had received from passersby. Contempt from the locals, curiosity from the servants walking around.

  Unexpectedly, the Cores had one ally within the house in the form of Matha, the head servant of the Mathis household. Matha had been the person outside their door the first night while Juni and Damion were out, apparently checking up on the Cores. Since then, she had discreetly left them sweets and other things when she delivered their clean clothes every morning. When they saw her in the halls or when she came to tidy the rooms, which the Cores kept nearly immaculate, she favored them with a smile and a wink. Requiem had been wary of her at first, as he was with anyone except for Damion and a few others, but 108 had assured him that she meant them no harm. He had begun to thank her, which seemed to please the middle-aged woman greatly.

  They walked outside, where a fancy and expensive-looking speeder waited beside the curb. Requiem knew Damion appreciated speeders, having seen him watching them in vids and remarking on the look of them. This one had a highly polished metal exterior and the silence of its engines was impressive as the transport hovered about thirty centimeters off the ground.

  “This yours?” he asked his friend while appreciating the black-tinted windows.

  “Nah, my dad’s. They refuse to buy me one since I wrecked one when I was fifteen.” Juni grinned. “It wasn’t my fault.”

  Damion let out a snort of disbelief. “Of course
it wasn’t. Who’s driving?”

  “Me of course!” Juni announced, running to the left side of the vehicle.

  “We won’t make it to the temple in one piece.” Damion gave Requiem a wry grin.

  “He has yet to run into the Zeus during sims, and a Zodiac is much more difficult to control than a speeder,” Requiem replied. “He is within the top class of Alpha Fighters. I am not concerned. Although, I would be even less concerned if you were piloting.” With a faint smile to Damion, he slid gracefully into the back seat.

  At Juni’s command, 108 sat in the passenger seat next to him. Luckily the darker Core slid his seat up, enabling Damion to stretch out his legs. Damion had a moment to look at the red-lit digital controls before he lurched forward.

  Juni sped off into the city abruptly, making Damion grab on to the door handle. “You drive like a madman.”

  “I drive like I have a purpose. Right now my purpose is to make it to the temple in under ten minutes.” Juni chuckled almost maniacally.

  Damion gave his friend a peculiar look. “How far is it?”

  “About twenty minutes away!”

  Juni laughed at Damion’s groan.

  Requiem was intrigued by Damion’s death grip on the door handle with one hand and the near crushing grasp on Requiem’s with the other. Damion was tense.

  Excessive velocity did not bother Requiem, nor the thought of death in a speeding vehicle. Perhaps the slight worrisome feeling was because Damion himself did not have control over the vehicle, because Requiem had seen Damion’s love and need for speed in the way he piloted a Zodiac. Requiem moved his free hand and placed it over Damion’s as he moved his gaze from Damion to out the window, watching the buildings pass in a blur of motion.