Ari swiveled indignantly to stare agape at his companion. “You are disgusting!”
Reclining in his seat, Orin slid his pelvis to tilt in Ari’s direction at the edge of the bench, a deep sound of approval rumbling in his chest.
“Love it when you talk dirty to me, baby.”
Ari pushed away from the cabinet, face burning as he sped down the corridor to scramble for his door panel. He rushed through the narrow opening before the door had finished sliding open.
Ari stood in the middle of his room with clenched fists, occasionally scrubbing against the tears running down his face. He didn’t know how long he stood in such idleness before stumbling into his en suite.
Water trickled slowly into the tiny basin; Ari cut the flow after a few ounces had collected. Water was precious this close to the Verge.
He bent in half over the sink to rinse his swollen eyes, cupping the cool water in his palm and blinking into it, lashes brushing the skin at the base of his thumb.
He had begun to repeat the procedure on the other side when he heard a knock at his door.
Leaving the water in the basin, Ari walked the short distance to his door panel and stared at the controls until another knock sounded, fainter than the first.
He sighed and slapped the panel, then turned away to wipe his face against the sleeve of his shirt as the door slid open.
Big boots clunked into his berth as the door hissed closed again.
When Ari turned, Orin was standing as far away as the limited space allowed, head still ducked from entering the room.
He had tucked his hands away in his front trouser pockets, broad shoulders folded in toward his chest.
Ari held his wrists behind his back as he lifted his chin to wait.
He didn’t wait long.
“Shit, I’m sorry, Red.”
Aristotle sniffed disdainfully. “I’d prefer to receive your apology without expletives.”
Orin’s mouth formed around another filthy word of frequent use before swallowing it back. He compressed his full lips into a thin line before speaking again.
“I’m sorry.”
Aristotle nodded and moved to sit on the edge of his narrow bunk. He plucked at a loose thread in his sleeve.
“I know you didn’t mean anything by it, truly. It’s simply that, he’s my brother, and I miss him dearly. I won’t hear an unkind word about him, not from you or anyone else.”
Orin approached, his bulk filling the meager space of Ari’s chambers.
“Wasn’t meant to be unkind, but I know it wasn’t respectful. I won’t talk like that about him again, alright?”
Ari nodded, then leaned into the rough palm that lifted against his cheek.
“You been crying, beautiful?”
Rather than reply, Ari turned to brush his lips against the thick pad of Orin’s thumb.
Orin bent down, eyes on Ari’s lips, but Ari jerked away, pressure rising in his chest.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have implied that I was seeking physical intimacy. I’m afraid I’m not going to be good company right now, and—”
Orin’s finger was gentle against his lips, the careful tenderness contrasting beautifully with the roughness of his skin.
“Hush now. It’s alright. We don’t gotta do that right now.”
Ari shook his head, and Orin stepped closer, tucked Ari’s face into his shoulder with a wide palm over the base of his skull.
Ari stiffened, but Orin just shifted until he was held more securely in his arms, face pressed against the warm, worn linen of his shirt.
He raised his hands to Orin’s back, clutching the fabric over his shoulder blades tightly.
The first sob took Ari by surprise, both of them freezing as it seemed to echo across the metal panels of his bunk.
The second and third began a tidal wave that pulled Ari under helplessly, quickly soaking the fabric over Orin’s shoulder as he shook violently in his arms.
Orin only stepped closer, wrapping Ari so tightly his heels left the floor, making soft shushing noises as he pressed his cheek to the top of Ari’s head.
Ari had never felt so simultaneously terrified and utterly safe.
The terror had been a constant from the moment he’d discovered his brother had disappeared.
It was the sensation of safety that he feared could prove the most dangerous.
Chapter Eleven
Ari stretched across the bed, tensing as his fingers met nothing more than cold sheets. He cast about the room for any sign of Orin but it was as though he had never been there, everything neatly in its place. Ari’s clothing had been carefully folded and stacked next to his boots near the door.
He blushed to think of Orin folding his underthings and then blushed harder when he considered exactly why that was the height of foolishness.
A muffled thud and clanking sounds came through the door, and Ari hurried to get dressed enough to investigate. He poked his head through the door to squint into the corridor in his shirtsleeves and trousers, stocking feet peeking out beneath.
The muted sounds were coming from his lab.
Ari slapped the entry panel and peered warily through the door to find his pilot had pried open a random selection of the cabinet panels built into the wall, rummaging inelegantly through his lab supplies.
Ari’s hackles rose as he drew himself to his full height before rushing to halt the desecration of his inner sanctum.
“Just what do you think you are doing?” he demanded in a tone that was completely authoritative and not at all shrill.
Orin tossed an unconcerned smile over his shoulder, holding meticulously labeled parcels of laboratory equipment in each enormous fist.
“You keep your med supplies in here, right, professor?”
Ari nodded, mouth working around words that refused to manifest beyond an indignant squeak as Orin shoved the parcels back into the cabinet before yanking open the next panel.
Ari shoved past his broad shoulders and plastered himself with arms spread wide against the once sacred wall of lab storage.
“Stop this at once!”
Orin cocked one eyebrow at him before reaching nonchalantly over Ari’s head to pop open another storage panel and pick through the contents with absolutely no concern for Aristotle’s organizational systems.
Ari reached up and wrapped his fingers around one thick wrist, ignoring the odd tingle in his stomach as both of his hands were required to complete the circumference. He looked up at Orin, eyelids fluttering with dismay.
“Please.”
Orin’s mouth slid open, staring down at Ari as he hung stubbornly from his wrist. An unexpected wash of color spread across the crest of his stubbled cheeks before he lowered his arm and took a step back, clearing his throat.
“I’m just searching for your jabs, assumed you’d have the deluxe set somewhere on board. You seem the type to be overprepared.”
Ari released his grip at the roll of muscle beneath his fingertips, glancing down to watch Orin clench and release his hand restlessly against his thigh. Ari then turned to begin setting things to rights, resigning himself to reserving time in his lab schedule for a complete reorganization. He gestured to the panel closest to the doorway on their right.
“The med kit and any other medical supplies are stored in there. I suppose I should have informed you of their whereabouts in case of emergency.”
He whirled in place at a sudden thought. “Are you injured again? Do you need my assistance?”