Stars Dancing [Dreams-To-Lovers Romance]

RORY

"Dad talked to Pop-pop Peydran about it, Rory, and he thinks it shouldn't be a problem," Mom explained over video.

"In his view, a second augment is just another piece of tech to control, but since the cyberneticists in general don't know that people are hacking their relays and going beyond the designs of the tech, they don't realize everything the augmented are capable of. That's probably why Dr. Marks on Uno is willing to do this surgery. Because she knows what people are already doing, and that their minds are ready to take on more than what is scientists consider possible."

I nodded. "As far as we know, Muller will be the first to have two augments. It sounds like the biggest risk isn't that he's already got a metal arm, it's the cancer."

"I'm so sorry, sweetheart. This is such a big, messed-up situation, and for this to be how you and Slydar start, well, Rory, if you two can make it through this together, then you'll be unstoppable."

I wanted to hug her. "Thanks, mom. Love you. Tell Dad 'hi.'"

She rolled her eyes, "Oh you know how he is: 'Rory will call after dinner, Ashten; you can count on it. And dammit, he was right! He's just so f'ing smug about it all the time."

I laughed at her. That was always what it was like with my parents: Dad being overly dramatic, mom making fun of him, both of them loving every minute of it.

"Call us when you need us, sweetheart. We love you."

"Sunshine, Mom."

I closed the video and looked out over Nineton. My favorite thing about Uno was the way the crisp air smelled. The atmosphere was only slightly different from my home world of Shurwinn, just 2% less oxygen rich, but it always smelled like a Granny Smith apples to me. Fresh, bright, and new.

And cold. It was fifty degrees, and I was bundled in sweatpants and a sweatshirt sitting on the balcony of our hotel as the sun sank low, and soon, it would be too cold to sit outside. But this was the height of summer. Yeah, eight weeks of summer on Uno was still colder than anything I'd known on my home sphere desert planet of Shurwinn, and the winter (which was almost the whole year) was just snowy tundra, wind, and bitter cold.

Doesn't sound like a great place to live, does it? It's all a matter of perspective. If you wanted to build a colony, be successful, but curate who lived there, then you picked a place that was mostly ignored by the rest of the galaxy. If it seemed undesirable, then only the quirky would be interested in your colony.

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

And that's what Borden and Annika Sloan had done with five mostly-frozen spheres. The short summer had a quick growing season, but the indoor farms were productive all year round, so life was sustainable, just different.

I'd been here twice before to visit, but never for very long, and I wasn't exactly sure what I was doing. It had just been a reaction, hadn't it? And I was here with Syldar, definitely not going to leave him, but unclear on what I'd be doing in the months ahead.

It was easy to manage my life at a distance; I didn't need to be on Shurwinn to finish Uni or do my two jobs. All I needed was my pad and the stream, so no problem there. But, what about everything else? People weren't so easily managed.

My lips curved into a soft smile as I felt molasses pouring down the back of my neck and over my shoulders. The balcony door slid open. I turned to look, then laughed at the gorgeous man in nothing but a towel, standing and wrapping my arms around his neck.

"Mom said Grampa Peydran thinks it'll be no problem for your dad to control his new metal foot. He thinks it'll be as natural as everything else, and since he hacked his own relay fifty years ago, I believe him."

Nodding, "Cyn definitely agrees. No one's really worried about that, even though the scientists don't recommend two augments, that's not the worry. Cancer tests all frickin' day tomorrow." He shook his head, "Can't think about it anymore tonight, babe." His mouth devoured mine.

I pushed him back through the door, and he pulled the curtains closed. The towel came off. So did my clothes.

Rory! Fuck, I need you.

I pushed him back on the bed, and his eyes rolled into the back of his head when I smoothed lube up and down him. He pushed against my hand, but that wasn't enough. My lips found the base of his cock, and I sucked, fingers stroking his balls, hand gripping his tip.

I tried not to smile as he writhed and moaned, but I loved seeing him helpless while I stoked him into madness. He smiled too. He was happy to let me play my game, his hands in my hair, my mouth where he wanted it. When I felt him at the edge, I stopped and backed away, just looking at him.

Fuck, baby. Fuck, Rory. Oh fucking hells, what you do to me.

He glowed from the inside out, so proud of me 'cuz I'd figured out how he liked to play. Tease, taunt, get your lover crazy, then wait for them to pounce. On my knees between his legs, I ran lubed fingers down my own body where I wanted to be touched, and my eyes closed as I gasped in relief.

Slydar groaned watching me, and that was all he could take. I was on my back, him sliding into me, both of us lost, body and soul. Whatever we'd been talking about was long forgotten as we moved in sync, smiling, chests heaving, ecstasy rising.

I needed more. I needed him harder. He felt it and complied.

You need me to fuck you tonight, Rory? Good, 'cuz that's what I'm gonna do. You make it last, baby, hold it as long as you can, and make it good for us both.

Fuck you, Slydar. You're a crazy bastard, so you better fuck me so hard. You talk to me like that, you better fucking deliver.

He laughed, grabbed my hips and jerked into me, hard and short, grunting and taking me exactly like I wanted. Exactly what I needed. Then we broke, triumphant, and finally sated. Slydar turned us over, cradling my languid body against him.

I love you so much, Rory. I'm so sorry I ghosted you.

I've already forgiven you, babe.

I'm still an idiot.

How long're you gonna carry on about it?

Laughter. Joy. Grief.

You're scared about Muller?

Nodding.

I snuggled closer against him because all I could offer Slydar was comfort. I hadn't known much about cancer, but I'd learned in the last few weeks that recurrence, a second bout, was a bad sign. Muller might survive, but he might not, and that's what we were all bracing ourselves for.