Ryo grinned. "Thank you, Yash! Can I hug you – like a friend?"
Yash smiled against his will and gave him a quick bear hug that took Ryo's breath away. But the Xi-kongian immediately controlled himself and smiled boldly, offering his hand for a high five. They were a team, not a couple.
***
After joining the main colony of Andromedans, Ryo helped fix one of the short-distance shuttles, since they weren't much different from his home planet's flying cars. They'd had to adapt the engines to a different kind of fuel and Ryo even suggested they built something with an electric motor, since the low-tech solar panels and a waterfall up in the mountains gave enough electricity for the whole village and the technological building inside the cave.
To test it worked, Ryo invited Yash for a ride and a visit to the other settlements. Christal gave him directions to go back to the Hills of Dreams, since Shushila had been driving when they'd reached the Valley of Life.
"Shushila will direct you to the Coast of Hope, and then you can visit the Plain of the Future," Christal said before they left. "You should be back soon enough... And then we can work on that electric motor! Enjoy your trip."
"How come you know so much about engines?" Yash asked, impressed, as the landscape flew by their windows. He seemed more relaxed now that they were on their own again.
"I did races." Ryo grinned. "With flying cars and motosonics. All bets were on me."
"And did you always win?"
"Not always. When we met, I had beaten that gangster in the latest race. He couldn't believe such a weak man was a better driver than him and he thought he'd put me in my place if he raped me with his friends."
"You weren't going to let him." Yash smiled. "You looked like a fury. They must have been very scared of you."
"It's mostly because I'm a mob boss's son." Ryo shrugged. "They knew it. Hence they planned on raping me and leaving me dead, so I wouldn't run to my father and tell him who did that to me." He smiled at Yash's shocked face. "Yes, you and Birgit saved my life, thank you."
"Well, you saved mine by bringing me here." Yash frowned and averted his eyes. "I wonder how Birgit is doing."
"She's fine, I'm sure that cop didn't bother her too much. We're the survivors, Yash, not her."
The Hills of Dreams weren't too far and by sunset they reached the other settlement. Shushila welcomed them back and was very happy to see they had learned to speak her language. At least now they could have a conversation and Ryo asked her about the little boy with black-blue hair and almond-shaped eyes who was always by her side.
"I had him with a Drilling," she answered, taking them to the spare house for visiting guests where they'd already spent a few days upon reaching the windmill settlement.
"We're starting a vineyard, maybe in a few years we can have real wine," she said proudly during dinner at her house and before letting them go to bed.
"What is wine?" Yash asked.
"Alcoholic beverage? Fermented grape juice?" Shushila answered.
"Didn't you ever drink on Ypsilanti?" Ryo teased.
"I'm an athlete," Yash reminded him with a smile. "Healthy food and lifestyle."
"Bo-oring!" Ryo rolled his eyes. "I'll have to get you drunk as soon as Shushila serves us the first bottle."
Yash stared at him, amused.
"Will you really be able to corrupt him?" Shushila asked.
"I doubt it," Yash replied, asking for another serving of Shushila's salad.
We'll see, Ryo thought. Maybe one day...
"There is so much to explore," Ryo said as he and Yash went to bed. "We could spend years up and down this planet!"
"It's a beautiful planet," Yash said, dreamy. "I'm glad we're here."
"So am I." Ryo smiled in the darkness. "Good night, Yash."
They could explore together. And then who knew... maybe Yash would forget his trauma and allow Ryo closer...
Since he'd done all the driving, Ryo drifted off to sleep and dreamed of him and Yash in a flowery meadow, alone and happy under a colorful rainbow.
***
Months flew by as Ryo and Yash explored the planet. One day they went back to the remnants of their crashed starship with the Andromedan hackers and took everything they could recycle. To find the ship they had to use the shuttle's sensors, since it was buried under the vegetation.
The Andromedans didn't know much about starships either – they'd been convinced to live in a city on a planet for generations – but some materials could be used to build more means of transportation. Yash and Ryo silently said good-bye to the stolen ship, avoiding to tell their new friends about their adventure.
Vreena was bigger than both their home worlds, but it was terraformed and perfect for Humanoid life. Sometimes they wondered how long it would take the ten thousand Andromedans and the unnumbered Vree-nahua and Drilling to populate it and create the civilization that Nelson met – five thousand years in the future.
"We won't live that long anyway," Yash said as they sat on a rock, watching a sunset, back at the Valley of Life. His hair had grown and now curled up on his shoulders.
"And we probably won't have descendants either," Ryo said with a sigh. His black mane had kept growing and now reached midway to his back. He usually kept it in a ponytail or a loose braid, but at the moment it covered his shoulders like black silk. "Have you ever considered it? I mean, not having children at all? When you were on Ypsilanti, I mean?"
Yash smiled and the red light of the setting sun danced on his clean-shaven face. "What I wanted back home doesn't matter anymore. We're on a new world, with a brand new life, and we can be whoever we want to be. There are no elders telling us what we're supposed to do with our lives."
"True, the Andromedans got killed at fifty to avoid overpopulation in the starship asteroid, so the oldest of them is fifty-six!" Ryo chuckled. "But I think the Vree-nahua are much older. Will you mate?"
"I don't know." Yash shrugged. "Maybe one day I'll pick a woman and have a child. Or two. Not sure it's what I want, though. I didn't want it on Ypsilanti, because I knew what would happen if it was a son. But here is different, so... we'll see."
"We've been here for almost a year," Ryo said, thoughtful. "I daresay that portal took us to a wonderful new world! I don't even miss Xi-kong anymore!"
"I thought you were happy to have escaped from there," Yash said, a little puzzled as the last ray of sun vanished behind the mountain looming over them.
"I was, but I missed a few things." Ryo sighed. "My sister. My few friends. The guy I wanted to take to my bed – who of course would have never agreed, but one can dream, right?"
"Right. Have you found someone among the Andromedans? I don't want you to feel you need to stick to me. Nelson has given up his attempts on me, so I can take care of myself."
Ryo laughed. "Yeah, I made sure to let Nelson know I'm so much better than you in bed!"
"You what?" Yash stared shocked at him.
"Well, I'm not on a chastity vow – or asexual like you – so I thought... why not? We parted amicably, he's probably going to move away soon, since there's nobody for him at the village."
"Oh. So it didn't really work out."
"Nah. He's too much of a woman for my tastes. What about you, fancy anyone?"
"No. Still too upset."
"Man, that woman really screwed you up! Did she tie you to the bed or what?"
"She didn't need to. She could scare or intimidate me into an erection and I was helpless to fight back, even if I was physically stronger than her."
Ryo shook his head. "The long term effects of rape are quite damaging," he muttered, unhappy. "You look more serene, though. You were really depressed when I met you."
"I'm feeling slightly better," Yash replied. "I don't feel threatened anymore. Yes, I was approached by a few women and a couple of men during the past months, but none of them ever tried to force themselves on me, so... I've given up the idea of suicide."
Ryo gasped. "You wanted to kil
l yourself?"
"Why do you think I asked you to drive us to certain death?" Yash asked with a smile. "But now I'm glad we survived and the portal – or whatever it was – brought us here. I can finally sleep peacefully, and... I'll be all right, eventually."
"You should have told me," Ryo grumbled.
"You couldn't do anything more than what you did, Ryo," Yash said patiently. "Stop worrying about me. I'm alive, I'll be all right. And if you feel you found someone worth spending your life with among the Andromedans, go for it. I will be very happy to see you with someone. Might help me start looking for someone myself."
Ryo frowned but didn't say anything. He shivered in the cool night air. "Shall we go back?" he suggested, standing on the rock and looking for the bonfire of the village that wasn't too far.
Yash nodded and went first. He knew the paths better than Ryo and could follow them even when the sun was down.
***
Ryo and Yash had spent their second winter on the planet. Ryo had built a sort of motosonic – a two-wheeled motorcycle with electric batteries. It was useful to go up canyons and to nearby valleys or just down to the first town down in the plains without walking for miles on mountain paths. Of course Yash still preferred walking – or jogging when the terrain was not too bad – but Ryo's two-wheel also allowed them to go farther from the village in the Valley of Life.
They had followed a canyon still filled with the water of melting snows, reaching another, unexplored valley, and had spent one night under the stars, when they discovered Vreena was not completely without dangers.
The valley had been carved by a river that came from the snowy mountaintops above and was almost clear of forest. There were fir trees on the slopes, but the bottom was mostly grassland and reeds. Yash said he'd love to build a cabin on the lake shore and Ryo was about to agree when something bit his calf, making him scream in pain. It felt as if a million spines had planted themselves in his leg that gave way under him.
He collapsed on the ground, shivering, and passed out.
He came back to his senses with a moan. He was still lying on the grass, but the sky had darkened and the sun was setting. He had a backpack to sustain him in a half-seated position, but his head spun.
Yash leaned over him, but his worried look turned into a smile as Ryo focused on him.
"Yash, what happened?" he asked weakly. He had a pounding headache and doubted he could sit up, let alone drive back. They'd probably have to spend another night in the open. With whatever had attacked him still lurking around, probably.
"I had heard about this little monster from Nigel," Yash replied, showing a tiny scaled monster, holding it by its truncated tail. It was obviously and thankfully dead, but Ryo wondered how such a small creature could do so much damage. "It tracks its prey, which includes other monsters of the same kind and, well, us. It attacks with spines and toxic bites. Luckily they don't travel in packs, so I killed it while it was still busy poisoning you." He put down the little corpse. "And then I had to clean the wound on your calf and take all the spines off your leg." Yash sighed. "But I managed to save you, although you'll probably limp for some time."
"I don't really feel my leg at the moment," Ryo said, trying to touch it to make sure it was still there. It was. "Thanks. How did you know what to do with a toxic bite?"
"There were poisonous snakes around when I went running in the countryside of Ypsilanti. So I was taught what to do if I ever got bitten – or if my friends were. I didn't always go alone, you know."
"Oh, that's a surprise, mister lone wolf." Ryo smiled weakly.
"Well, I did have friends back home," Yash replied with a grin. "Now I'm going to set up camp for the night. Don't move."
Ryo nodded and stayed where he was.
"Can I lie down?" he whined, feeling uncomfortable.
"No, your wound must below the level of your heart," Yash answered without turning. "Stay where you are or the poison will spread."
This got Ryo's attention and he remained still. His headache was receding and his leg was beginning to hurt. He watched Yash build a low fence around them, made of reeds and rocks – so if another monster tried to attack them during the night, it shouldn't be able to pass it – and gather wood from low bushes to make a fire.
"I don't want to eat that thing," Ryo warned, seeing Yash opening up the scaly monster to see what was inside. Whatever organs hid behind the scales, they were jelly-looking and stank so much that Yash threw everything away with a disgusted look on his face.
"I'll see if I can find something edible," he said rising and hopping over the fence. Ryo watched him walk towards the fir trees, probably looking for birds. Birds tasted good. Ryo pulled himself up on his elbows and slowly sat up, trying to keep the fire alive as the sun vanished behind the peaks.
Yash came back with a small quadruped. "I hope you're not too hungry, 'cause I couldn't find anything else."
"We're going back to the village tomorrow anyway," Ryo shrugged. He tried to move his injured leg. "Although... I'm not sure I can drive, this ankle is still too wobbly."
"Does that mean I get to drive?" Yash asked with a smile, quickly skinning the animal to roast it.
"I don't really trust you, but I have no choice," Ryo replied, frowning with worry.
"Ryo, I had my Star Nations driving license. I can't drive starships, but that's a motosonic, so we're good."
"Sorry," Ryo grumbled. "I don't know why I keep underestimating you."
"Because you think I'm a harmless Ypsilantian man who can't take care of himself," Yash replied. "Which is what I was. But not anymore."
Ryo felt a lump in his throat. He'd done his best to ignore the growing attraction for his friend, but he'd noticed the change. Yash was even more gorgeous now that he had some self-confidence than when he was a scared accidental murderer running away from home. But they never talked about feelings, and Ryo tried not to think about them when he was with Yash.
The smell of cooked meat made his stomach rumble. Yash smiled and offered him the whole animal. "I'm not hungry. You need to recover your strength. Even if I'm driving. You did lose a lot of blood."
"How much did you suck away yourself?" Ryo tried to joke. "Have you become a bloodsucker?"
"Yes, it was very tasty," Yash replied with a dazzling smile.
"I sure hope you're joking, or you'd be dead by now." Ryo glared at him, unhappy with the implications of the joke.
"Of course I'm dead, that's what the bloodsuckers are," Yash insisted.
"Yash, you're not funny..."
Yash burst out laughing. "Don't worry, I didn't suck out the venom! I wanted to save you, not to die with you."
Ryo gulped his surprise as Yash's hand caressed his cheek. The Ypsilantian was serious now and stared at him in a different way.
"Yash, wha-at..."
Yash's fingers stopped on his mouth, silencing him. Yash's hand slipped on his neck to pull him closer. Ryo gasped before their lips met. He'd wanted a taste of Yash for almost two years – he couldn't believe it was finally happening. His heart thundered in his chest and he explored Yash's mouth with his tongue. Yash squeezed him in his powerful arms and Ryo pulled away, panting for breath.
A quick glance at Yash's smile and he threw himself at his friend again with no coherent thought in mind. Yash had saved him – and he was now willing to be more than just a friend. Ryo felt exhilarated as they rolled on the grass, entangled, stopping against the low palisade as the fire slowly died out, untended.
***
Yash never thought he'd enjoy kissing and touching someone. But when Ryo had crumbled, shivering with poison coursing through his veins, and almost died in his arms, he'd finally understood. He wanted to spend his life with Ryo – if Ryo survived.
He hadn't realized how used he was now to Ryo's presence. He remembered dreams of him and Ryo getting intimate. He thought about the sun caressing the dragon tattoo on Ryo's naked torso – which had stirred some kind of reaction in him a few
days earlier.
He was feeling attraction for someone for the first time in his life. He wanted to touch and taste someone, and be with him – except that someone was passed out and maybe dying at his feet because of a little monster's attack.
Thus he'd done his best to keep him alive, ripping the pant leg before the wound started to swell, positioning Ryo so the bite was below the level of his heart, cleaning the wound and dressing it, and using sticks on either side to keep the calf still.
The hiker's nightmare had finally come true, and not because of a snake bite. And they were alone in the wilderness, with no hospital to go back to. Yash doubted the Andromedans had antivenom or other medicines, so the best he could do was to get Ryo as comfortable as possible and wait for the venom to leave his system.
And when Ryo had come back to his senses, Yash had almost hugged him, relieved. Going to hunt for dinner had allowed him to calm down, sort out his feelings and come back to the camp knowing what he wanted.
He wasn't afraid anymore. He actually craved the intimacy. He wanted to discover what Ryo had to offer. He was certain Ryo would know what to do, even if he had no idea.
He only wanted to hold Ryo tight and cuddle him and...
Goddess, he almost didn't recognize himself, his thoughts, his feelings! When had he changed? When had Ryo become so important to him?
Ryo had been more faithful than Shahid, he'd stuck to him through the good and the bad. Ryo was much more than a friend. Yash had heard him masturbate quite often, and once or twice he'd glimpsed Ryo getting intimate with an Andromedan, but he knew Ryo was in love with him.
But Ryo would never touch him, knowing his past, therefore he must make the first move. As he watched Ryo eat, he felt warm inside. For the first time in years, blood rushed to his sex and he realized his desire. He wanted Ryo, wanted to hold him and touch him and taste him.
Ryo's passion was overwhelming. Ryo's adoring stare put butterflies in his belly. Ryo's tender kisses and caresses gave him his first true orgasm. Non-penetrative sex for the first time in his life, and he came with moans of pleasure.
And then he felt the need to return Ryo's caresses and touched him everywhere, enjoying every moment of it. The mutual exploration made them fall asleep under the stars, holding each other tight.
Yash and Ryo Lost in the Milky Way Page 6
