✅ Project SETI Trilogy

Chapter Three - Part XXVII: Space Weed

          "Gabe," Nova softly called out to him. He'd been woken up by him thrashing about and trying to call out for help, and he knew right away that he was having one of his more intense nightmares. "Gabe, wake up..."

          "... help," he whispered hoarsely, like there was an imaginary hand crushing his throat. "Help...!"

          "It's okay, baby..." Nova leaned down so he could speak into his ear. "I'm here... it's okay."

          Gabriel woke with a dramatic gasp, and he immediately broke down crying. "God... I'm sorry... I'm sorry—"

          Nova shifted up to hold his head against his chest; he hoped that the sound of his heart would soothe him. "No, daddy... just breathe. You're safe now."

          Gabriel continued to shake and cry as the images from his subconscious mind replayed. Ever since he regained his memory, he'd been having recurring nightmares of the Temetor One, but the worst one by far was watching himself be tortured all over again—the actual details of the event were twisted differently each time, but the perspective was always the same. It was as though he was a ghost, stuck to the ceiling, cursed to watch himself be killed over and over again.

          Nova noticed that he was steadily calming down in the seconds following, but he could feel how hard Gabriel's heart was beating through his back. He moved his hand to rest over the left side of his chest and felt it thudding even harder, even with the lightest of pressure. "Are you okay? Your heart's beating really hard..."

          He sniffed and tried to release some of the tension he was still holding. "It's—it's just the fear response..."

          Nova began to tenderly run his hand across his chest. "Do you want or need to talk about it?"

          "... it was the torture dream again," he whispered after a beat. Nova held him a little tighter at that, and in combination with his heart lub-dubbing in his ear, he relaxed further. "But... it was different..."

          "Different how?"

          Gabriel let out a quiet sigh before he spoke again. "It—it wasn't Jarah doing it... it was... you..."

          "Oh, Gabriel..." he hugged him even tighter and held it for a solid ten seconds. "I would never, ever hurt you."

          "I know... it's just fucked up... I wish my brain wasn't like this..."

          "I wish that too," Nova said soothingly. He shifted up carefully to accommodate his immense belly as an idea struck him. "I think I know what might help you relax and fall asleep again though..."

          "Mm..." Gabriel mumbled questioningly.

          "Plug your nose," Nova commanded gently as he leaned down to press his lips over his mouth. He kissed him briefly and blew a slow, deep breath into his lungs.

          Gabriel internally plugged his sinus and reached up to play with the long hair that hung loosely off the top of his head while he continued to do so, and after a few consecutive breaths, he stopped breathing entirely and just let Nova do it for him.

          "... you weren't wrong," Gabriel said on exhale with a lighter lilt to his voice, "but... it's also turning me on..."

          "Of course it is," Nova retorted with a smile. "But there'll be time for that tomorrow... just try to sleep for now..."