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Feelings of fondness were very reasonable to experience after an intimate encounter, of course, due to the numerous changes in body chemistry brought about by the activities. Except Sazahk knew very well that the gooey ball had started before they’d even climbed into these caves.
Sex hadn’t caused his gooey ball. He rather suspected that the gooey ball had caused his sexual desire.
He sighed and crawled over to his pack and the copious number of samples he’d taken that day. His own feelings were complicated and difficult to objectively measure, especially given the extreme events of the past couple of hours. Better to spend his time studying the things he had instruments for. He’d deal with his emotions later.
Unsurprisingly, Sazahk made no progress with his emotions by the time Garin regained consciousness with a groan. He bit his tongue to keep from assaulting the man with a barrage of questions before he’d opened his eyes, and stayed bent over his microscope, afraid Garin might see his eagerness to engage with him in his gaze if he lifted it.
Instead, he settled on a neutral tone as he adjusted a focuser. “How are you feeling?”
“Good,” Garin murmured sleepily and Sazahk saw him sit up out of the corner of his eye and rub his face. “Really good. I must have—” Garin cut off and froze, his palm still sealed over his right eye.
“I assume from your posture that you’ve just remembered the events preceding your nap.” Sazahk sat up and turned to Garin.
Garin curled in on himself, not lifting his face from his hands. “Yeah.”
Sazahk sighed. He’d thought Garin’s inane need to cling to shame would clear up with his mental faculties. “And I assume you’re now reexamining the events in the worst possible light?”
Garin ran his hand through his hair and gave Sazahk a weak smile. “Something like that.”
Sazahk ignored how that sheepish half-smile increased his heart rate and shook his head. “I understand that the situation was upsetting and that our solution was unorthodox. Awkwardness is understandable, but unnecessary. I suggest we be grateful for the scientific discoveries made and the apparent lack of harm to either of us and move forward.”
Garin’s smile tightened in a way that made Sazahk’s stomach plummet for no discernible reason. “You’re right. Thank you for your help.”
“It’s not something you need to thank me for, but you’re welcome.” Sazahk watched Garin climb out of the sleeping bag, for once uncaring about his nudity, and pick his clothes up from the pile Sazahk had gathered them into.
Scars and sun damage met Sazahk’s curious scrutiny, just as he’d expected. Garin possessed a little body hair, but he wasn’t as hirsute as some other human men. He was lean, limber, long, and rangy, with tough sinewy muscles under his scarred skin.
“You have no tattoos.”
Garin glanced at him over his shoulder, revealing a hint of pink in his cheeks, before pulling his shirt on. “No, I don’t.”
“Why not?”
“Why would I?” Garin kneeled to tie his boots. “They’re expensive, permanent, and can hurt your job prospects.”
Sazahk cocked his head. “I understood them to be a common bonding tool among elite human military units, and your Vanguard unit certainly qualifies.”
“Ah, I see.” Garin sat next to his pack and pulled out their morning protein sludge, though Sazahk had lost track of time in their sunless surroundings and had no idea if breakfast was appropriate. “You’re not wrong. But they’re still expensive, permanent, and can hurt your job prospects, so…” Garin shrugged.
Had he considered getting one? Had he not bonded with his Vanguard unit? Had he not wanted to? And why had job prospects mattered so much, if he’d already had a job? Did it have to do with the military being a poor fit for him? Sazahk still didn’t think such a violent profession suited the man.
“Don’t you have samples or something to be studying, Sazahk?” Garin shifted as another blush stole up his throat and Sazahk realized he’d been staring.
“Yes, but now that you’re awake, I’d rather we continue on and collect more.” Sazahk turned away and packed up his microscope. He wasn’t here to study Garin. Garin didn’t even want to be studied, and goddess knows, he’d indulged Sazahk’s curiosity far more already than he was obligated to.
“Sure.”
Garin slurped down the rest of his breakfast and they packed up the haphazard pile of bags, tools, and a sleeping bag that had become their camp after the ordeal with the fungal spores. Neither of them said anything. Sazahk had never been good at social nuance, but he suspected the silence was awkward.
Was that better or worse than the tense, huffy silence they’d packed camp with earlier in their journey?
As soon as Garin tightened his last strap, Sazahk marched off in the direction he’d chosen while Garin slept. He might have discovered a concerning newfound fascination with all things Kevin Garin, but there was still a cave system of bioluminescent mycelium begging to be researched.
Garin trailed after Sazahk, keeping his mouth shut and his face out of sight.
He’d woken with the deepest sense of contentment and well-being he’d ever felt. Warm and sated and calm. That had lasted exactly three seconds. Then the memory of why he felt so sated overwhelmed him in a tidal wave of mortification.
Because Sazahk had given him the single best orgasm of his entire life.
