Story!
Okay. So I gathered my courage and instead of just reading other people's stories...I have decide to post some of my own. I'm kind of nervous, but also a little excited. At the very least I know my sister will read my post. :)
Title: Running Up That Hill
Genre: Original (part of an ever developing Sci Fi verse) slash
Summary: The first time Shay Dsong met Lowell Lee, they experienced an unsually deep connection. He's still waiting for their next meeting.
Running Up That Hill
His absence was intolerable.
Before meeting Lowell Lee, Shay Dsong had never before been in love. With the exception of his cousin Terre and his best friend Atticus, he had never before felt comfortable enough with another person to allow their minds to have contact never mind the all encompassing joining he had shared with Lowell.
Two weeks. Under the guise of recovering from the psyassault Shay experienced, he had lingered on the space station for two weeks past his scheduled diplomatic visit. The thought of parting from Lowell so soon after their joining was alarming, but he could not stay forever. Shay had cursed himself a fool everyday since then for not asking, begging, Lowell to go with him. Lowell was human and though he was a telepath his people viewed these things very differently from Shay's.
In the days since he'd left the space station, Shay felt himself becoming increasingly useless. The distance, combined with the lack of a response to his attempts to contact Lowell made food and sleep unappealing. Shay felt despondent, he felt wretched and pathetic. And lonely. That was the worst. The connection he had forged with Lowell was the most precious gift he had ever received. That it might be gone-
"Shay, are you listening?"
Shay turned away from the window and frowned at his cousin, embarrassed to admit that he had not noticed Terre enter his study, let alone that he was speaking.
"My attention wandered."
"A frequent problem of late. There is...concern that you are unwell...and that you are likely much worse then you let on. Is that true?"
Even if he had wanted to lie to his cousin, Shay could never fool Terre. "It is not entirely untrue," he admitted, "I drastically underestimated the depth of our joining. I did not think it would be so difficult to separate for a time. I feel bereft. And I'm worried about him. Why isn't he responding to my messages? Is he angry with me?
"He did not seem angry with you when you departed, only sad."
"I should not have allowed us to be separated. I feel an ache in my chest, like a tug pulling me towards him. And it is probably worse for him. Human telepaths are rare. They are not trained like us. He'd never joined with anyone before."
"Ever?"
"The humans teach their telepaths to remain secluded for each other and everyone else and value privacy above all else."
Terre winced, "I cannot imagine such isolation."
Shay closed his eyes briefly, "I must return to the space station. If he is angry, I must speak to him and do what I can to fix it. And if something else is wrong.... if he is hurt or.... I must go. Immediately."
"No!" Terre insisted, "You cannot go back. We have no idea who orchestrated the psyassault against you."
"Terre, I need him."
Terre was quiet for a moment, "This is worse than I thought. I am sorry I did not recognize that sooner."
"Terre, I-"
He held up his hand, "You cannot do anything rash. You have a duty to your people, your family and your position."
"But I-"
"Let me try to solve this. I think Atticus and I should look into it. You need to remain here until we have a better idea of who attacked you and why."
"I should hate for you to bother Atticus for this," Shay objected, "He gets to spend precious little time with Val-"
"I need you to trust me to handle this, Shay. Please. You are not in a rational frame of mind. You are not yourself."
Shay swallowed thickly, but nodded. Though every one of his instincts insisted that he leave immediately to find Lowell, Terre was right. He could not afford to act rashly. "I won't do anything. I'll let you look into it. I promise not to storm the space station and kidnap him."
Terre offered a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. Before leaving, he took Shay's hand and allowed their minds to brush on a low level, like a gentle hug. "It's going to be okay."
Shay did not see Terre for days after his promise to look into why Lowell wasn't replying to his messages. It was strange to go days without seeing his cousin, but with every moment that passed Shay was more deeply wrapped in concern in Lowell and less motivated to get out of bed. Was something wrong with Lowell? Was he angry? Had he been hurt? Had Shay's attacker taken revenge on Lowell for helping?"
Truly disturbed by that thought, Shay moved quickly for the first time since he'd returned home. Rushing from his bedroom, Shay nearly fell over himself in his attempt to find Terre.
"Shay."
Turning at the sound of his name, Shay nearly bowled Terre over in his haste to reach the other man. "What if the being who attacked me went after Lowell after we left?" He demanded in a rush.
"Lowell was able to protect you from that assault. I'm not concerned about his ability to protect himself."
"But-"
"Shay," Terre took a step back, his eyes widening in surprise, "Good God, you look wretched!"
Shay winced and, glancing down at himself, could not recall when he had last changed his clothes.
"Never mind that," Terre shook his head. "We found Lowell. Atticus tracked him down. He's gone to get him and they should be here tomorrow."
"Found Lowell," Shay repeated, "Track him down. He was not where you expected him to be?"
Terre hesitated, "No. Atticus had to get help to find him."
"But he found him?"
"Yes."
"And he's coming here?"
"Yes," Terre repeated. "Shay, you look like you are coming apart at the seams. Lowell being here won't do you much good if pass out from exhaustion."
"Atticus found him and is bringing him here?"
Terre frowned, "Shay, is it possible that when your minds were joined, you created some kind of tether?"
“I would never link or bond my mind to someone without their consent. I had considered- I thought to ask Lowell before I left but it seemed too soon. I didn't want to overwhelm him and I wasn't sure he'd understand. Human telepaths don't believe in tethers."
"I know you wouldn't," Terre said gently, "But tethers can happen spontaneously."
"The chances of that are astronomical."
"Perhaps Lowell created one?" Terre suggested
"I doubt he knows what a tether is."
"We'll know for sure once Lowell gets there. Now, go eat something. Get some rest. You don't look well. I'll wake you the moment he arrives. I swear."
Comforted by the promise and slightly ashamed at his unkempt appearance, Shay left and returned to his rooms to do as Terre suggested. He showered and asked for food to be sent to his rooms. Shay found himself sitting on the edge of the bed, waiting for the food to arrive. Determined only to rest for a moment, Shay leaned back and closed his eyes. Just until the food came.
Half asleep, Shay shifted under the covers and wondered if he was dreaming the snippets of conversation he half heard.
"I'm not sure which of us looks worse."
"It's the tether. I should have realized it sooner."
"Will it always be like this?"
Terre's response as inaudible.
"Thank you. Seriously, Terre. I can’t imagine how you did this, so it must have been extremely difficult. But thank you for bringing me here."
Shay felt warm hands on his shoulders and turned towards the source, "Lowell?"
"Yeah, I'm here."
Shay tried to open his eyes, but it was unusually difficult."
"No," Lowell said gently, “You need to rest. You're exhausted."
"Let me hold you, dearest."
Lowell laughed softly, "You're speaking Lotharian."
"Am I?"
"That was English. What did you say before?"
"I forget," Shay mumbled, managing to open his eyes enough to see Lowell's outline, "Come to bed." Moments later an arm looped around his waist and pulled him into a loose embrace and Shay feel back asleep smiling faintly.
Shay woke again, hours later, still sleepy but distracted enough by the form in his arms to remain awake. Lowell. Finally. Everything was in perspective, it was all clear again. Getting out of bed and going about his day did not seem like an awful, daunting task. Though Shay supposed he was content to lie abed with Lowell for as long as the other man would permit. How had he ever convinced himself to leave this behind?
"I am sorry I left."
The immediate reply startled him, "I am sorry I let you go. I was tempted to follow you, but I didn't want to intrude. Or be creepy."
Shay shook his head, "I wanted to ask you to join me, but I thought it too soon. It seems we were both overly cautious."
"Guess so," Lowell turned in Shay's arms and shifted back enough that they could comfortably look at each other. "I missed you."
Shay cupped his face, "Where were you?"
"Long story. I'll tell you later. I want you to know what I wasn't ignoring you. Terre told me you thought I was angry with you. I wasn't, so don't worry about that, okay?"
"Okay. You'll tell me the full of it later?"
"I will," Lowell promised, "But there is something more important we need to do first."
"Oh? What's that?" Shay inquired, barely managing to stifle a yawn.
Leaning forward, Lowell brushed the tip of his nose against Shay's before touching their lips briefly. "That's what this is, right?"
Shay smiled, "exactly right."
Title: Running Up That Hill
Genre: Original (part of an ever developing Sci Fi verse) slash
Summary: The first time Shay Dsong met Lowell Lee, they experienced an unsually deep connection. He's still waiting for their next meeting.
Running Up That Hill
His absence was intolerable.
Before meeting Lowell Lee, Shay Dsong had never before been in love. With the exception of his cousin Terre and his best friend Atticus, he had never before felt comfortable enough with another person to allow their minds to have contact never mind the all encompassing joining he had shared with Lowell.
Two weeks. Under the guise of recovering from the psyassault Shay experienced, he had lingered on the space station for two weeks past his scheduled diplomatic visit. The thought of parting from Lowell so soon after their joining was alarming, but he could not stay forever. Shay had cursed himself a fool everyday since then for not asking, begging, Lowell to go with him. Lowell was human and though he was a telepath his people viewed these things very differently from Shay's.
In the days since he'd left the space station, Shay felt himself becoming increasingly useless. The distance, combined with the lack of a response to his attempts to contact Lowell made food and sleep unappealing. Shay felt despondent, he felt wretched and pathetic. And lonely. That was the worst. The connection he had forged with Lowell was the most precious gift he had ever received. That it might be gone-
"Shay, are you listening?"
Shay turned away from the window and frowned at his cousin, embarrassed to admit that he had not noticed Terre enter his study, let alone that he was speaking.
"My attention wandered."
"A frequent problem of late. There is...concern that you are unwell...and that you are likely much worse then you let on. Is that true?"
Even if he had wanted to lie to his cousin, Shay could never fool Terre. "It is not entirely untrue," he admitted, "I drastically underestimated the depth of our joining. I did not think it would be so difficult to separate for a time. I feel bereft. And I'm worried about him. Why isn't he responding to my messages? Is he angry with me?
"He did not seem angry with you when you departed, only sad."
"I should not have allowed us to be separated. I feel an ache in my chest, like a tug pulling me towards him. And it is probably worse for him. Human telepaths are rare. They are not trained like us. He'd never joined with anyone before."
"Ever?"
"The humans teach their telepaths to remain secluded for each other and everyone else and value privacy above all else."
Terre winced, "I cannot imagine such isolation."
Shay closed his eyes briefly, "I must return to the space station. If he is angry, I must speak to him and do what I can to fix it. And if something else is wrong.... if he is hurt or.... I must go. Immediately."
"No!" Terre insisted, "You cannot go back. We have no idea who orchestrated the psyassault against you."
"Terre, I need him."
Terre was quiet for a moment, "This is worse than I thought. I am sorry I did not recognize that sooner."
"Terre, I-"
He held up his hand, "You cannot do anything rash. You have a duty to your people, your family and your position."
"But I-"
"Let me try to solve this. I think Atticus and I should look into it. You need to remain here until we have a better idea of who attacked you and why."
"I should hate for you to bother Atticus for this," Shay objected, "He gets to spend precious little time with Val-"
"I need you to trust me to handle this, Shay. Please. You are not in a rational frame of mind. You are not yourself."
Shay swallowed thickly, but nodded. Though every one of his instincts insisted that he leave immediately to find Lowell, Terre was right. He could not afford to act rashly. "I won't do anything. I'll let you look into it. I promise not to storm the space station and kidnap him."
Terre offered a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. Before leaving, he took Shay's hand and allowed their minds to brush on a low level, like a gentle hug. "It's going to be okay."
Shay did not see Terre for days after his promise to look into why Lowell wasn't replying to his messages. It was strange to go days without seeing his cousin, but with every moment that passed Shay was more deeply wrapped in concern in Lowell and less motivated to get out of bed. Was something wrong with Lowell? Was he angry? Had he been hurt? Had Shay's attacker taken revenge on Lowell for helping?"
Truly disturbed by that thought, Shay moved quickly for the first time since he'd returned home. Rushing from his bedroom, Shay nearly fell over himself in his attempt to find Terre.
"Shay."
Turning at the sound of his name, Shay nearly bowled Terre over in his haste to reach the other man. "What if the being who attacked me went after Lowell after we left?" He demanded in a rush.
"Lowell was able to protect you from that assault. I'm not concerned about his ability to protect himself."
"But-"
"Shay," Terre took a step back, his eyes widening in surprise, "Good God, you look wretched!"
Shay winced and, glancing down at himself, could not recall when he had last changed his clothes.
"Never mind that," Terre shook his head. "We found Lowell. Atticus tracked him down. He's gone to get him and they should be here tomorrow."
"Found Lowell," Shay repeated, "Track him down. He was not where you expected him to be?"
Terre hesitated, "No. Atticus had to get help to find him."
"But he found him?"
"Yes."
"And he's coming here?"
"Yes," Terre repeated. "Shay, you look like you are coming apart at the seams. Lowell being here won't do you much good if pass out from exhaustion."
"Atticus found him and is bringing him here?"
Terre frowned, "Shay, is it possible that when your minds were joined, you created some kind of tether?"
“I would never link or bond my mind to someone without their consent. I had considered- I thought to ask Lowell before I left but it seemed too soon. I didn't want to overwhelm him and I wasn't sure he'd understand. Human telepaths don't believe in tethers."
"I know you wouldn't," Terre said gently, "But tethers can happen spontaneously."
"The chances of that are astronomical."
"Perhaps Lowell created one?" Terre suggested
"I doubt he knows what a tether is."
"We'll know for sure once Lowell gets there. Now, go eat something. Get some rest. You don't look well. I'll wake you the moment he arrives. I swear."
Comforted by the promise and slightly ashamed at his unkempt appearance, Shay left and returned to his rooms to do as Terre suggested. He showered and asked for food to be sent to his rooms. Shay found himself sitting on the edge of the bed, waiting for the food to arrive. Determined only to rest for a moment, Shay leaned back and closed his eyes. Just until the food came.
Half asleep, Shay shifted under the covers and wondered if he was dreaming the snippets of conversation he half heard.
"I'm not sure which of us looks worse."
"It's the tether. I should have realized it sooner."
"Will it always be like this?"
Terre's response as inaudible.
"Thank you. Seriously, Terre. I can’t imagine how you did this, so it must have been extremely difficult. But thank you for bringing me here."
Shay felt warm hands on his shoulders and turned towards the source, "Lowell?"
"Yeah, I'm here."
Shay tried to open his eyes, but it was unusually difficult."
"No," Lowell said gently, “You need to rest. You're exhausted."
"Let me hold you, dearest."
Lowell laughed softly, "You're speaking Lotharian."
"Am I?"
"That was English. What did you say before?"
"I forget," Shay mumbled, managing to open his eyes enough to see Lowell's outline, "Come to bed." Moments later an arm looped around his waist and pulled him into a loose embrace and Shay feel back asleep smiling faintly.
Shay woke again, hours later, still sleepy but distracted enough by the form in his arms to remain awake. Lowell. Finally. Everything was in perspective, it was all clear again. Getting out of bed and going about his day did not seem like an awful, daunting task. Though Shay supposed he was content to lie abed with Lowell for as long as the other man would permit. How had he ever convinced himself to leave this behind?
"I am sorry I left."
The immediate reply startled him, "I am sorry I let you go. I was tempted to follow you, but I didn't want to intrude. Or be creepy."
Shay shook his head, "I wanted to ask you to join me, but I thought it too soon. It seems we were both overly cautious."
"Guess so," Lowell turned in Shay's arms and shifted back enough that they could comfortably look at each other. "I missed you."
Shay cupped his face, "Where were you?"
"Long story. I'll tell you later. I want you to know what I wasn't ignoring you. Terre told me you thought I was angry with you. I wasn't, so don't worry about that, okay?"
"Okay. You'll tell me the full of it later?"
"I will," Lowell promised, "But there is something more important we need to do first."
"Oh? What's that?" Shay inquired, barely managing to stifle a yawn.
Leaning forward, Lowell brushed the tip of his nose against Shay's before touching their lips briefly. "That's what this is, right?"
Shay smiled, "exactly right."