Souvenirs From Dead Worlds

As they waited outside the Marshal's office the secretary's gaze lingered on them, and Sam wondered if she knew what they were there for. If she did know, was it because the Marshal was taking this seriously, or because what Sam planned to ask of the man was so unthinkable?

The moment Tristan entered, flashing a quick smile at their gathered group, the secretary pushed a button on her communication unit and spoke into it quietly. The Marshal must have told her to inform him when all of them were there, Sam realised. A moment later she told them to go in.

The first thing Sam noticed when he entered the Marshal's office was that there was a second person behind the desk, a woman at the later end of middle aged with short brown hair and friendly blue eyes. She and the Marshal stood as Sam, Kias, Diego, and Tristan entered the room.

"I'm sure you're all tired from all the excitement you had yesterday, so I thank you all for coming in so early," the Marshal said, as though he had been the one to request the meeting. "This is Chancellor Rowley," the Marshal continued, spreading one hand in the direction of the woman. "Her job is to overlook planetary security, so I thought it might be helpful to have her perspective on the matter."

The Chancellor gave them all a gentle smile. For someone with such a militarily minded job, she gave off a surprisingly soothing vibe. "I've heard a lot about your work," she said to all of them, and somehow it sounded like a compliment without her saying so. To Diego, she added, "And it's always a pleasure to see you again, Diego."

With a smile, Diego dipped his head in acknowledgement. "And you."

"Now," the Marshal said once they were all seated, "as I understand it, there's a young man you all feel should be brought back here. Perhaps you can explain the situation, Sam."

With all eyes on him, Sam shuffled awkwardly in his seat. "His name's Seba, he's fourteen years old, and he's one of the smartest people I've ever met. He asked me to teach him Global and Kias to teach him his language just because he loves to learn, and in just a few days he's made good headway into both. He can speak several languages fluently and even read and write in a few."

"So you think he would be a good individual to bring back because of his intelligence?" the Chancellor asked. She didn't sound judgemental, so Sam wasn't sure how to respond. Was intelligence a good enough reason? He wished desperately that all he needed to offer was that there was a kid in danger and they had the ability to help, but the sad truth was that there were millions of kids in danger and they couldn’t save them all. His inappropriate emotional investment in this one in particular was hardly a compelling argument.

"I think it's more than just him being smart," Tristan cut in. He glanced at Sam and then continued when he got Sam's nod of approval. "My team and I, minus Diego, were trapped in this prison. No weapons, not even my ring, nothing. My fault, of course."

"I heard a bit about that," the Marshal said, but gestured for Tristan to continue.

"So then the kid, Seba, he appeared out of nowhere and he was speaking Global and saying he was Sam's friend, and then he picked the lock and let us all out," Tristan summarised. "Anyway, my point here is that he's not just smart. He's also brave and resourceful and independent. Even if his world wasn’t about to be destroyed I’d be tempted to suggest at least offering to bring him here. I know he’s going to accomplished something great if he’s given half the chance.”

"And it sounds like he's owed a favour," the Chancellor added thoughtfully.

"If I may break silence on a matter of secrecy that may be of relevance here?" Diego requested.

The Marshal and the Chancellor must have known what he meant, because after exchanging a look between the two of them they both nodded for Diego to continue.

"Thank you," Diego said. "As we have almost completed the security systems to protect a new world and will, once a suitable world has been selected, begin installing said security system on said world and eventually inhabit it, it seems to me that the overpopulation of our world is set to become substantially less of an issue. Not, in my opinion, that a single individual here and there would make any significant impact regardless."

Sam's eyes had widened at the revelation that they were soon to colonise a new world. And safely! He hoped he would be allowed to go there one day. Perhaps Kias would prefer it to this world? It would be less technologically advanced. It would likely be very similar to where Sam had grown up...

"You said 'here and there,’" the Chancellor said to Diego, cutting through Sam's thoughts. "Are you suggesting this be more than just a one time thing?"

"Yes," Diego said firmly. "Though I would suggest it be done infrequently and that it be required to go through some kind of system of approval for each individual. While we certainly can't start shipping people through the portals en masse, preserving the lives of an occasional carefully selected individual would likely be beneficial. Relocating to a new world so different from one’s own is sure to be disruptive for anyone, but just think how many exceptional individuals we’re currently not even giving a chance."

"Well, we have already done this once," the Marshal said, turning to Sam. "Would you consider bringing Kias back a success?"

Sam thought for a moment over all of their challenges and all of their triumphs. It hadn’t been easy and it still wasn’t, but things that were worth it generally weren’t. "I certainly couldn't bare to regret it for long. At first I was just glad I hadn't let him die because he's a sweet guy. That's an emotional reason, though. Once we got out on the assignment, I found him to be a great asset. Having grown up in a similar culture to the one we were assigned, he was able to offer me insight into these worlds that I had previously lacked."

"Individuals we bring back could potentially serve many purposes," Diego added. "They could be trained to do our jobs and go out on assignments. They could also be of use in training since, as Sam has pointed out, there are some things it can be difficult to pick up on unless you were born on one of these worlds. There are also many different lines of research they could assist with. And of course these individuals would be selected due to their intelligence and other useful traits, so they would likely to be an asset to many other fields. Just think of all of the incredible people who are part of our own world’s history. Even transported forward in time, I’m sure most of them would have shone just as bright."

"Kias was an emotional choice, too," Sam put in. "I brought him back for no other reason but that he was there at the right time, and he's still more asset than hardship. I imagine someone like Seba, who is highly adaptable, intelligent, and eager to learn, would do far better."

The Marshal and the Chancellor communicated in subtle facial expressions between the two of them for a few moments before the Marshal spoke. "This is quite compelling, and we do think it's worth discussing amongst the Council. It will take a few days, though, and I cannot guarantee what their response will be or that it will come soon enough. I know that we can never quite know how long we have with these things."

Sam nodded grimly. It was impossible to tell how long it would be before the drones came to destroy a world, and the gap between when they arrived on a world and when the drones came seemed to be shrinking.

It looked like the meeting was about to come to an end when Sam remembered something. He reached out his hand in the direction of the Marshal's tablet sitting on his desk. "May I borrow this?"

Looking curious, the Marshal nodded.

Sam put the tablet in front of himself on the desk and turned it on before taking his ring off and placing it jewels down on the data input pad. A moment later the contents was displayed on the screen in the form of several folders. Sam opened the one labelled 'images'. It didn't take him long to scroll through the pictures and find the one he'd taken of Seba. Sam opened the picture of Seba up and slid the tablet back into the middle of the desk, twisting it to face the Marshal and the Chancellor. "This is who you'll be saving."

The Marshal and the Chancellor exchanged a look, then the Marshal turned back to Sam and gave him a strained smile. “We’ll let you know.”

After the meeting was over, there wasn't much to do but wait. At least the Marshal and the Chancellor hadn’t dismissed their request outright. There was something else that had caught Sam's interest during the meeting, though. He stopped Diego in the corridor before he could head back to his own apartment.

"You said something in the meeting," Sam said. "About a new colony."

"Mmm..." Diego glanced around the corridor cautiously. "Why don't the two of you come back to my place? We can have lunch."

"It's ten in the morning," Sam murmured, but he followed anyway.

#

Diego's apartment was neat and, for an on-compound apartment for a single person, unusually large. He had two bedrooms — three, if you counted the large study that was bigger than either of the bedrooms. Sam did. It was practically obscene.

"I would have liked to have told you sooner," Diego said as he switched on his fancy tea machine. "There are many people I would have liked to tell. It's been rather a matter of secrecy, though. That will be over soon, now that we're becoming more and more confident that we will succeed."

Sam watched the liquid swirling around inside the tea maker. "Do you think they'd let me go? Me and Kias?"

Diego placed the first mug under the spout of the tea maker and pressed the button to allow hot tea to pour into it. "I believe they would. As you were born in one of the previous colonies, I think you have more right than most to visit the new one. Kias is your partner, so if you were allowed to go, so too would he."

Sam wondered in what sense Diego was using the word 'partner', but decided it didn't matter. Both possibilities would be accurate.

"All of that is rather irrelevant, though," Diego continued as he passed the first mug over to Sam and began to fill a second. "I hold enough influence to ensure your passage."

"I—" Sam began, not quite knowing what he intended to say. "Thank you."

Diego just inclined his head in acknowledgement as he handed the second mug to Kias, who immediately took a sip and then stuck out his tongue when the hot liquid scalded it.

"It will be a mining colony," Diego said after he had filled his own mug and ushered them towards the small lounge room. "Very much like the one you were born in. I plan to take some time off once they've begun to set up, but that won’t be for a few years yet."

Though Diego's entire apartment was very well kept, his lounge room appeared hardly lived in at all. Sam knew that was because it wasn't. Of all the times Sam had visited Diego's apartment they had never once ended up in the lounge room. Usually the only question was whether or not they would stop in the kitchen on the way to Diego's study. The red material of the sofa Sam sat on was soft and unworn. Kias settled in beside him, taking careful sips of his hot tea. Sam didn't know whether to be surprised or not that Kias liked tea. On the one hand, he had never had it before as far as Sam knew, but on the other hand, it was Kias and beverages were almost like a kind of food.

"Maybe we'll come with you," Sam said to Diego, who sat in an armchair to the left of the sofa. "If you don't mind, of course."

Diego smiled, something gentle and real. "Of course not. Perhaps Seba would like to come too. He seemed like the curious sort, and the novelties of this world are sure to run out eventually."

Sam let out a sigh. He still felt tense over the Seba issue, even now there was nothing more he could do about it for the time being. "I just hope he'll be here to make that choice."

Diego tapped his chin with the knuckle of his thumb thoughtfully. "If you succeed in this, Sam, you will have done more than just save Seba. You will have prompted those in charge to put in place a framework to be used to bring back others in the future, and I believe that will truly make the history books. It will change the world in ways even I can’t predict."

"I recall that part being your idea."

Diego smiled. "A natural extension of what you were requesting, and not something I would have conceived of independently. I'll let you take credit."

#

Sam had explained to Kias that they would now have to wait for some important people to have a meeting to decide if they would be allowed to bring Seba back, and that until then all they could do was wait. He had also told Kias that there would be a new colony soon on a new world, but Kias wasn't quite sure what significance that would hold for them. Kias wasn't sure he wanted another 'new' thing, but Sam seemed to think it was exciting and good.

Kias had hoped that after the meeting was over Sam would settle down a bit, but he was still a nervous ball of energy. Visiting Diego's house had seemed to help for a while, but once Sam and Kias were back in their own room Sam had soon worked himself up again.

It wasn't that Sam was pacing around the room or anything; ostensibly, he was just sitting on his bed reading something on his tablet. It was the added sighs, frowns, and fidgeting that gave his tension away. Kias flopped down over Sam's bare feet like a loyal dog. It had the desired effect; Sam immediately looked down at him and smiled.

Kias didn't bother pointing out any of the obvious things such as that they'd done all they could do for now. Sam knew that already. Instead he stared up at Sam with wide blue eyes. "I'm bored."

Sam leant over to set his tablet on the bedside table, then bent forward and hauled Kias up with a hand under each of his armpits. Kias settled in half on top of Sam, half beside him. Before meeting Sam, he never could have guessed that being close to another person could feel so comforting. Even in the activities he had enjoyed with the other boys, there had always been tension, desperation. A sick need had permeated even innocent contact.

"We could go out," Sam suggested. "There are plenty of places I haven't taken you yet."

Kias made a sound of vague interest. He didn't particularly enjoy going out most of the time, but if he'd be willing to if it would calm Sam.

Sam's breath tickled over Kias' ear when he spoke. "Or we could watch a movie or play a game like we did in the shuttle. Or like I did, rather."

Kias stretched so that he was less beside Sam and more on top of him. "Mm."

Sam was silent and still for a long moment, and then his hand slid slowly up Kias' back. "Or maybe you have some ideas."

Kias pressed his grin against Sam's throat. He definitely had some ideas. Was there any better way to relieve general tension than to relieve sexual tension?

"I think I owe you one," Kias whispered into Sam's ear. He felt goosebumps form under his fingers as he ran them up and down Sam's arms.

"We're keeping score now?"

Kias let out a quiet laugh. "Maybe not. I was hoping we could both come out winners on this occasion."

Sam rolled Kias so that Kias was fully on top of him and grinned up at him. "I'd say we have plenty of time to ensure that."

From his new position, Kias could tell Sam was rather enthusiastic about this distraction. If Kias was honest, so was he. They now had the time and resources to do whatever they wanted. Well, Sam had said they had the resources, anyway, though Kias wasn’t sure their worlds would agree on what the task required.

"You have oil?" Kias asked, and felt Sam's dick twitch beneath him in response.

Sam hummed and nodded. For a long moment he hesitated, but ultimately he groaned in defeat and shifted Kias off of his lap so he could get up. After going over to the cupboard, Sam retrieved a box and brought it back to the bed.

"My secret stash," Sam told Kias as he opened the flaps of the box. He tipped the contents onto the bed.

The only thing that was immediately recognisable was blue and shaped like a dick. Well, 'recognisable' as in, recognisable as a representation of a penis. Still, Kias was fairly sure he could work out what its purpose was. He might have some fun with that some other time, but for just then Kias decided they already had enough dicks between them to get the job done and set it aside.

It took him a moment to figure out what the next item he picked up was for. It was made of metal and had two hoops linked by a chain. It wasn't until Sam took it from him, opened one of the loops, and clicked it shut around his own wrist that Kias pieced it together. They were restraints.

It was Kias' first instinct to be disturbed and discomforted by the idea of restraints used in sex. He wasn't entirely unfamiliar with such things. That, however, was until he started imagining Sam as the one being restrained. Yes, Kias could see the appeal there. Maybe they'd use them some day, but he thought it was probably best to keep things simple while they were still learning one another’s desires and limits.

There were small, brightly coloured square packets with something circular inside and Kias had no idea what they were for. Were they even for sex? Were they supposed to be opened? Ultimately Sam chuckled and took the one Kias was holding from him. Sam tore open the wrapper and pulled out something that looked like rolled up skin. If skin was bright pink, anyway.

Kias twisted his head to the side as though a new angle might provide more enlightenment. "What's it for?"

"Originally, to prevent disease and pregnancy," Sam said. When Kias looked unsatisfied at his response, Sam continued. "You roll it onto your cock and it provides a barrier during sex. When they were originally invented they were mostly used to keep women from getting pregnant and to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted infections. There are easier ways of doing both of those things these days, so now I mostly just keep them around in case anyone I bring home is easily grossed out by bodily fluids. They save on clean up, but they do cut down on sensation a bit."

Something sweet caught Kias' nose and he lifted the thing up to sniff it. "It smells like candy."

Sam glanced at the wrapper. "Cherry flavour."

Kias gave it an experimental lick. It didn't taste bad, exactly, but Kias would have preferred real candy. Or dick. He put those to the side too.

There were two bottles but Kias couldn't read the text, so he held them up to Sam for explanation.

Sam tapped the first, "Oil for sex," and then the second, "massage oil."

Massage oil was definitely something Kias could see them getting some use out of, but another day. The sex oil, though... Kias put that in his lap and set the massage oil to the side with the other discarded objects.

Kias had almost missed the last item that had been in the box. He held the clear, flexible ring up to Sam for explanation.

"It's a cock ring," Sam told Kias. "You put it around the base of your cock and it keeps all the blood in so you can stay harder for longer."

Kias hadn't noticed anything lacking in the degree or duration of Sam's erections, so he assumed it was for whoever Sam brought home. He couldn't imagine anyone else having difficulty staying hard around Sam, though, so it was a bit of a mystery. Definitely one for another day, because going through all of Sam's treasure had made Kias' pants uncomfortably tight.

Kias put everything but the oil back in the box and began to take off his pants while Sam put the box on the floor and pushed it under the bed.

When Sam was done with the box he shuffled in closer to Kias and brought a hand up to rub the back of Kias' neck as Kias kicked his pants off. "So, is there a plan this time, or are we just going to go for it and see where we end up?"

Kias chewed his lip indecisively for a moment before making his decision. "There's a plan."

"All right," Sam said next to Kias' ear. "Do I get to know what the plan is, or is it a surprise?"

Kias wasn't generally shy by any means, especially not about sex, but this was a little different. Still, he had to work together with Sam if this was going to work. "Remember when I said after I fucked you that maybe you could do me some time as long as I was on top?"

Sam pulled back to look at Kias, but his expression was indecipherable. "That's what you want?"

Kias gave an anxious nod.

"No, I mean is that what you want?" Sam persisted. "For yourself, I mean, not just because you think it’s something you ought to do for my sake."

Kias couldn't help but smile at how concerned Sam was for his welfare. "Yes. I have done it before, you know." When Sam just gave him a look that said 'obviously', Kias elaborated. "Voluntarily, I mean. It was about a year ago with one of the other boys. He was about the same age as me."

Kias didn't bother going into the full story of Isa. It still made him sad. As the two of them were the oldest they had been quite close and had often ended up fooling around with one another. Kias had only let Isa fuck him once, on Isa's birthday and with Kias on top.

About a quarter year later, though, Isa had begun to get into a lot of trouble. As damaging the boys was bad for business, punishment generally consisted of being locked down in the basement with no food, water, or light. There were rats down there and if you went down there you would almost always come back up with at least a few bites. Isa had gone down there more and more often until finally one day he assaulted a customer. Apparently the rats had chewed off half of his face when they were finally allowed to haul him up a few days later. Kias never saw the body.

Now certainly wasn't the time to be thinking about that, though. Isa would have wanted him to enjoy his body in any way that he could. That had always been his philosophy.

"Did you enjoy it?" Sam asked.

Kias pushed Sam down onto his back. "It wasn't bad, but it was a bit rushed and it hurt a little. I want to see if it can be fun if it's with the right person and I can take my time."

Sam's face was full of caution, but his dick was pressed hard against his pants. Kias reached his hand over and gave it a squeeze, causing Sam to gasp and then laugh softly at the unexpected contact.

"Just tell me what you want me to do," Sam said. "Or I could just lie here and you can do the doing. And if you change your mind at any point that's fine, we can do something else. Or nothing. Just… whatever you want."

Kias bit back a smile at how adorably careful Sam was being. It was reassuring to know Sam understood that this was a big deal for Kias, even if he was perhaps a touch too anxious about it. Wasn't this supposed to be something they were doing to relieve anxiety? Oh well. At least he was quite thoroughly distracted.

"Take your clothes off," Kias told Sam as he unbuttoned his own shirt, and moved back to give Sam room to comply.

For a moment Sam seemed far too distracted by the skin being revealed from beneath Kias' shirt to comply, but after a sharp look from Kias he hurried to tug his shirt off over his head.

He didn't need as much encouragement to remove his pants, which seemed to have become rather uncomfortably tight. By the time he was completely naked Kias was just easing himself out of his underwear, and Sam helped him drag them down.

Kias had gained a lot of weight, but he still couldn't match the leanly muscled plains of Sam's body. He wasn’t even sure his body type would allow him to match Sam’s physique, but he was fairly sure it wouldn’t look as good on him anyway. There was a reason Kias had been intentionally kept slender, and it wasn’t just that adult bodies didn’t sell as well. He snuggled in against Sam's side just to feel the wonderful sensation of skin against skin and the surprising sense of security of being naked with someone he actually cared about.

Sam kissed Kias gently on the forehead. "What now?"

Kias picked up the bottle of oil from where it lay on the bed and placed it on Sam's stomach. He hesitated for a moment, and then placed Sam's hand over it and pulled away just far enough that he could lean back and pull his knees up to expose himself.

"Do you want me to...?" Sam asked.

Kias nodded, but it didn't end up being as firm and confident as he would have liked.

"You want to tell me exactly what to do, or would you like me to take over for a bit?" Sam asked.

"You know how to do this?" Kias asked. He knew Sam did, but he wanted to hear it anyway.

"I know exactly how to do this. I'll make you feel good and I’ll make sure you’re nice and ready and relaxed.”

Kias gave him a nervous smile and pulled his knees up further. "Go on, then. Show me what you can do."

What Sam could do involved his mouth and his tongue and Kias' dick, and by the time Sam's fingers drifted anywhere near Kias' ass Kias was almost too far gone to care what happened next. Sam cared, though, and he stroked his oil slicked fingers up and down the crevice of Kias' ass several times before even beginning to push the first one in.

The penetration of the first finger was slightly uncomfortable but in no way painful, and with Sam's mouth still working on Kias' dick Kias could almost ignore the intrusion. Sam synced up the motion of his mouth and the motion of his finger, and Kias allowed the sensations to blend together.

He had been worried being penetrated at all would trigger another one of his ridiculous, embarrassing freak outs, that it would drag his mind back to the past against his will, but the experience was just too different. It didn’t hurt. He’d proven himself too much of a hair trigger to be confident that the next step wouldn’t cause him problems, but so far it was impossible to forget who he was with and why they were doing this. The most care anyone had ever given to preparing him had always had more to do with keeping their own dicks from chafing.

By the time Sam inserted a second finger Kias was ready for it, and he found the extra stretch added to his pleasure rather than subtracted from it. When Sam’s fingers brushed over that spot inside him, Kias didn’t hold back his moan.

Sam’s mouth slid off of Kias’ dick in one smooth stroke, but he kept up the steady motion of his fingers. "I can finish you off now if you like. Just being able to do this much is a big step, I think."

"No," Kias said. "I want to do it. Please, Sam."

"If that's what you want," Sam said, and withdrew his fingers as he sat up. Kias whimpered at the complete loss of stimulation, but managed to resist the urge to touch himself. That was Sam's job, and Kias was damn sure going to insist that he do it.

Despite not having any physical stimulation himself for several minutes, Sam was still completely hard. Kias had forgotten what it was like to see a dick and actually want to reach for it, but with Sam’s looking so needy it was difficult to keep himself from getting sidetracked with touching it.

"Lie down," Kias said as Sam rubbed some of the oil onto his dick, and Sam complied without question. Kias clambered over to straddle Sam's hips.

"Like this?" Sam asked, and Kias nodded. He shifted until he was positioned above Sam's erection.

Kias adjusted his position, took hold of Sam's cock, and then lowered himself down.

Kias' body immediately tightened up to resist the intrusion and when Kias, angry at his body's lack of cooperation tried to force himself down further, a burning pain seared through him. He knew that wasn’t right, but he didn’t want to pull away. Failure felt so final.

"Hey, go easy," Sam said gently in response to the wince on Kias' face. "You're okay. Do you want to stop?"

Kias shook his head. "No, just... just give me a moment."

Despite all of Sam's excellent efforts to prepare him, Kias was no longer in the least bit aroused. This hadn't been how he'd planned for things to go. It wasn't over yet, though. Sam was still hard and, if the strain of his muscles was anything to go by, still eager, and Kias hadn't responded so badly that he couldn't recover. Kias watched Sam's face as he focussed on evening out his breathing and relaxing his muscles. He had done this so many times before. Why did he feel like a complete virgin?

Slowly this time, Kias lowered himself further onto Sam, accepting more of Sam inside his body. It wasn't entirely without discomfort, but the slight burn was tolerable. Sam's hips twitched fractionally, but he managed to resist the urge to thrust.

"It feels really good," Sam told him, and ran a hand from Kias' knee up his thigh, then back again.

Seeing the effect his body was having on Sam was what turned the situation around. If all he had wanted to do was find ways to get himself off Kias would have quit by then, but discovering new methods to turn Sam incoherent with pleasure held far greater temptation. As Kias slowly rose up and then sunk back down again, he watched Sam's face.

Sam was clearly doing his best to remain a stationary tool for Kias to use in the exploration of his desires, but it certainly didn't appear to be easy on him. His brow was wrinkled with strain and his eyes kept squeezing shut and then flickering open again when he remembered he was supposed to be watching Kias' face in case he became upset. His breathing was fast and his hands were clenching the bedsheets.

Slowly Kias continued his motions, studying Sam's reactions rather than focussing on the sensations of his own body. Kias was acutely aware of every sharp intake of breath and every hip twitch from Sam. Kias bore down harder on one downward stroke and Sam made an involuntarily sound of pleasure before immediately looking guilty. It was adorable but, more than that, it was sexy.

While Kias had been focussing on Sam his body had been relaxing and becoming used to having Sam inside it. The pain had receded entirely, leaving only a feeling of slight discomfort in its wake.

Sam made another sound, louder this time, and it sent a surge of arousal burning through Kias. He found himself altering the angle of his motions, seeking out his own pleasure, and when he found just the right spot he let out a groan of his own.

He'd done this with the other boys so he'd known what he'd been seeking, but whenever he’d been on the receiving end as part of his job the thought of actually claiming his own pleasure had made him feel gross. Now he worked himself up and down with a desperate determination, his head dipped and his eyes squeezed shut, and for a moment Kias lost himself in it and Sam became the tool he thought he was.

But then Sam's hands were touching him gently, running up his thighs and grazing over his hips before taking the half hard flesh between his legs in hand. Kias blinked his eyes open and Sam smiled at him.

"Feels good?" Sam asked, sounding slightly breathless even though he was lying almost motionless.

Kias nodded quickly. "You can move a bit. If you like."

Sam let out a sigh like the words had given him great relief, but when he did start moving, thrusting up to meet Kias' downward strokes, his motions were hesitant and unsure.

"More," Kias murmured, and Sam's movements gained both confidence and enthusiasm. Though they both still retained a certain measure of careful control, they were starting to lose themselves to the sensations. Sam's hand was still wrapped around Kias, and he paced the movements of his hand with the movements of the rest of their bodies. There was nothing reluctant about Kias’ erection now.

Kias' whole body shook as he came, pleasure coursing through him in a way he'd never experienced before. He allowed himself to fall forward and gripped Sam's shoulders as his hips jerked and then, spent, fell forward onto Sam's chest. He thought he'd left Sam behind, but the raggedness of Sam's breathing and the last few jerks of his hips told Kias Sam had followed him over the edge.

Sam's fingers ran lightly along Kias' cheek, and then Sam kissed his neck. "Will you feel too trapped if I wrap my arms around you? I really want to hug you."

"Mmm," Kias said, and then realised actual words were required. "Yeah. It's fine."

Sam's arms wrapped around Kias to embrace him, and Kias sighed against Sam's chest. Kias was sated and warm and sleepy, and in that moment nowhere in any world was safer than right there in Sam's arms. He stayed there, breathing in Sam's scent, until they both fell asleep.