“Yeah, we were still dating at the time. I mean, not long after. Maybe he thought he could tell everyone this hilarious joke of his and that I would just be ok with it. And when we had to sort our shit out with HR, it came up, and there was a whole investigation into whether or not I had actually slept with my boss in exchange for the promotion. And at the end of it all, well. Companies don't really care about you. They care about not getting sued for the indiscretions of their other employees.”
I didn’t tell it right. There wasn’t humor or theatrics in my voice like there usually was.
I realize I'm clutching myself a little too tight, the quiet anger I keep at the back of my throat is bared on my teeth, dripping venom into my tone. The line is utterly silent. For a fearful heartbeat, I wonder if I've scared Khent off.
“Needless to say, I didn't get promoted,” I ramble on in the face of Khent's quiet, injecting some upbeat casualness into my tone. That is the punchline to this story, after all. “I figured if I got a job at Evil Inc., then at least they would be transparent about their priorities.”
“He should have –fuck.”
I don’t think I’ve ever heard an Orc swear quietly before, like he’s trying to smother the word. The effect of it undoes some of the knot in my chest.
I don’t think I could emotionally withstand Khent being protective of me, even if it’s a year too late. I can live with being horny, but being cared about might cross a line. There’s HR paperwork we would need to file for that.
“Um, when do I put the battery back in?” I mumble, hoping we can bury the subject with another one.
“Ah. Yeah, you can put it back in and turn it on,” he says, some remnants of emotion still in his voice. Clearly he hadn't expected to shift gears like that.
“Oh. It works fine now,” I say, as the screen lights up.
“Don’t sound so thrilled,” Khent chuckles through the phone.
I throw a sheepish look at my keyboard.
“It's called power cycling. Try it next time this happens.”
“Oh, but then I wouldn't get to annoy you about it,” I tease. I am starting to enjoy these little chats. Not because of the bond or anything, it’s just nice to have someone new to talk to.
He gives a soft laugh in response, and almost reflexively, I ask, “So... how are you doing with all this?”
A beat goes by before he replies. “Uh... you want the real answer?”
I scoff and sputter a moment, probably turning a bright, vivid red to complement his earthy green. Ok, maybe that’s a Not So Safe For Work kind of question. Maybe I want to know, maybe it’s not just because he’s the only person I know also going through this.
“I just meant, um, do you feel like it’s starting to clear up for you? Yet?”
I twist the phone’s cord between my fingers a little too tight, and I’m kind of worried he’ll say he’s just about gotten over his fever. The thought makes my heart sink a little. Because if he’s recovered just fine, then we won’t have any reason to talk to each other anymore.
And that does make me sad.
I don’t know why. Maybe this whole ordeal inflated my ego with the thought that someone could just be openly, earnestly and irrevocably in love with me. And that it could be a guy as nice and sweet (and broad, let’s be real) as Khent.
Maybe I don’t want him to be done with all this because I just don’t want to be the only one feeling this. Because it really has not changed at all for me. It’s starting to feel like I’m going to be like this forever.
“Uh, a bit, maybe,” he says, and my heart sinks a little further.
“Really?” I bite my mouth closed to keep from immediately asking for more details.
“Most likely because I’ve been visiting this sort of holistic place in my neighborhood,” he says, and my heart trampolines back up into my chest, possibly my throat.
I should be more excited at the prospect of getting over all this than I am at the thought that our accidental mating bond isn’t just fading away on its own for him.
I nod quickly even though he can’t see me. “Do you think– I mean, could I give that a try? Would that be weird or a bad idea?”
“Well, I’m not your doctor, clearly,” he goes on, like the coolest cucumber, like we’re not discussing how to stem the tide of Blood Fever. “But I've found it beneficial.”
“And it's not like medicines that have yet to be tested on humans that could have weird side effects, right?”
I can hear his chair creak as he leans back in it, considering my question. “I've seen humans and all kinds of monsters go. Usually for the novelty of the experience, less for medical needs.”