Henry had been given a tour of the new starship, and he had been told expressly that he could go to sickbay, the gym, the mess hall and the captain's quarters without permission. Everything else was off limits.
He sat on the edge of Lorian's luxuriously appointed bed, sipping champagne and looking out at stars whirring past the window. He was half-terrified to be in a tin can flying through warped space, but he had always wished for a more interesting life. It seemed to him that wishes came true, just not in the way one expected.
He wasn't sure what he was going to do about T'Mir's offer, but he was going to help himself to more champagne when the door slid open and in strode Lorian. He wore the gold-adorned uniform of an Imperial Starship Captain, and he grinned at Henry. Henry stood up to greet him.
"You look amazing," said Lorian. "You looked good this morning, but you…" Lorian stopped talking.
Henry held his head high. The irony that as a slave, he had eaten better, slept better and was dressed better than he'd ever been was not lost on him. He was still afraid. He still missed his mother and his friends. He also remembered what Lorian's sister had said, but for now, he resolved to make the best of his situation.
Henry swallowed. "Umm…how was your day?"
Lorian took a deep breath and he sat down on his bed and began to unstrap his boots.
"Being the captain of a starship flying along a known trade route to a known colony under imperial guard is not very eventful, but I enjoyed the tasks that were mine."
Henry nodded, and he stepped forward. Boldly, he moved to sit on Lorian's lap, putting his arm around his neck. Lorian made no move to stop him, he just looked at him for a few moments before leaning over and kissing him. Henry was aggressive, thrusting his tongue into Lorian's mouth. Lorian moaned in response.
"I want to do my job," whispered Henry. "My job is to please you."
Lorian stopped their kisses, and he caressed Henry's face. "I want to take care of you," he replied. "I want to keep you safe."
Henry melted inside. He hardly knew this young man, but he thought maybe he was falling in love with him. That seemed so foolish given Henry's situation. He should have jumped at the chance to plot escape, but for some reason he couldn't bear the thought of leaving Lorian's company.
"Well," said Henry softly, "it's settled." With that, Henry began to unbutton his new shirt, quickly casting it aside. He then unzipped Lorian's uniform jacket. He fumbled awkwardly, not quite understanding the clasps of the uniform, so Lorian began to remove it himself. Henry stood up and removed his pants, shoes and underwear. For the second time in twenty-four hours, Henry stood naked under Lorian's admiring gaze. This time was different, however, as Henry felt no fear or shame, and he was fully aroused. On top of that, he had every intention of seeing Lorian in the same state.
He knelt down and pulled off Lorian's boots, and then helped him slip out of his clothes. Lorian's body was beautiful and sculpted. Henry felt his cheeks get warm as he looked at his erection.
Lorian seemed to catch him staring, and he laughed softly, taking Henry's hand as they crawled together on the bed.
They kissed for awhile, wet sensuous kisses. Eventually, Lorian became the aggressor, running his hands over Henry's body as he pinned Henry to the bed. Their eyes met for a moment, and then Lorian flipped him over.
"Oh," gasped Henry.
After that, things became a delicious blur for Henry, with Lorian's firm caresses and kisses relaxing Henry's body. Slick fingers penetrated him first, but Henry found himself begging for more. He wanted everything, and Lorian gave it to him. It was painful at first, so that his eyes watered and he cried out, but there was pleasure too. Henry dissolved into a dream-like state, as though he could feel Lorian's pleasure in his own mind. Release came to both of them, with Lorian spilling inside Hank's body. Lorian whispered in Vulcan, and strangely, Henry thought he understood.
Henry looked out at the stars as Lorian held him, and Henry began to sob. He wasn't sure why, but the previous days had been so overwhelming. He couldn't help it. Lorian tried to pull away.
"No," mumbled Henry, pulling Lorian close. "It's not you. You're wonderful…"
Lorian held him until the crying subsided, stroking his hair. "I sent a message to your mother like you asked, and you may write her as well. I'll have the message sent by subspace," he eventually said.
This almost made Henry's tears come again, but he held them back. He had no right to complain. He'd committed a crime, and he should be dead. He should count himself lucky. He was, however, very surprised at how aggrieved Lorian seemed to be for him. Lorian, a prince of the Imperial family, seemed to feel guilty for keeping a slave. It was strange, but then Henry remembered what Lorian's sister had said.
"Your sister offered to help me escape," said Henry softly, "if I helped her escape."
Lorian closed his eyes. "What did you say?"
"Nothing," replied Henry, "but she says Vulcans don't believe in slavery. They think it's wrong." Henry watched Lorian's face, and he saw guilt there. Henry knew Lorian was more Vulcan than human, and he instinctively knew that Lorian shared this value.
Lorian swallowed, and he looked into Henry's eyes. "If you were to try and escape on Vulcan, you could. The law would be on my side, but very few Vulcans would return you to me. They'd help you go wherever you wanted. T'Mir, however, would be seen as betraying her duty and risking Vulcan lives by endangering a treaty."
Henry sighed. He had no idea what to do. He had no idea what he wanted. He stayed silent, but he settled into Lorian's arms and felt safe there.