November

Jesse found out when he got home. Vichy wouldn't talk, just laid silently in the dark, awake and thinking of him. He and Jesse went to bed without speaking.

In the morning, Vichy was better, although he slept through Jesse leaving for private counseling and only woke up when he returned at almost noon.

~:~

Alone in his bedroom, Havar was struggling. His head hurt again, the third time in six days, and he had awful cramps. He'd woken up damp and slipped a hand between his legs. It came back red. He got up and washed himself, scrubbed the sheets, scrubbed his blankets, tried to scrub clean everything in sight. He stared a long time at his hands. His stomach started to ache. He curled up on his bed. He felt like dying. He played sick; didn't go to drills. That day would be his first mistake.

~:~

Ortega woke up at six to someone licking him. Still sleepy, he mumbled his disaccord and put up a hand to push James away. James went easily. James had fur. He opened his eyes.

Above him, his husband was smiling tightly, holding a bright-eyed, droopy eared black and white puppy up to his face. Ortega couldn't stop himself from smiling back. James's face relaxed; had his expression meant he was worried? Tega sat up and reached out with both hands to take the wriggling ball of fur with four dangling spotted legs.

"He's mine?"
James laughed and sat down on the bed next to him.
"He's yours. If you want him. I honestly didn't know whether or not you even liked dogs."
Ortega gave James his best serious look.
"I love dogs."
James chuckled.
"Well, I thought you might like a little company. For when I can't be here."
Tega shrugged, lifting each of the puppy's ears one at a time as the puppy tried to catch his fingers.
"I'm not lonely. I have Andy. And Cris."
"I know, but I also thought you might like to play with someone your own age." James teased him and Tega laughed.
"I am not that much younger; Cris is only twenty-six."
James shrugged and Tega made a face as the puppy caught his finger between sharp milk teeth.
"How big will he get?"
James looked the puppy over. He'd specifically asked for the hardiest-looking one of the bunch.
"Maybe knee-high. Not so big."
"Oh."
The puppy had grown bored of Tega's finger, and was looking around between the pillows for something new to chew on.
Tega picked him up and he snuggled into his arms. James stole a kiss. Tega flushed and, checking James' expression, moved to set the puppy on the ground.
"No." James stopped him and Ortega looked back, alarmed. "I - it's OK. I just wanted a kiss."
Ortega glanced at him, unsure, but James seemed focused on something else entirely. Ortega sat quietly across from him.
"Have you been sick lately?"
Tega shook his head no.
"Hmm." James mused over this. "They said it was expected for a carrier of your age and size."
Tega just shrugged again, but inwardly, he felt a little flash of hope - maybe they'd been wrong? It had been so early when they'd checked...
James was watching him play with two tiny spotted paws.
"What are you going to name him?"
Tega furrowed his brow, his adorable brown eyes looking thoughtful and concerned. James couldn't resist kissing him again. Tega pulled away, eyes flashing with idea.
"I will call him Torreón."
"Call him anything you like, just don't forget to feed him in the mornings."
James got up to leave the room; a thought occurred to Ortega.
"James, where will he stay? I don't think they'll let me keep him at the center with me."
James paused in the doorway, turned back to look evenly over his shoulder at Ortega.
"He can stay here, with you."
Tega just looked at him for a moment, a bit stunned by the statement. James frowned, turned back around to face him.
"You didn't think I would let you stay at the Centre forever?"
In his head, he supposed, he hadn't really thought about it. He hadn't wanted to think about it.
"No, but - "
"It's just until the wedding."
Tega's heart skipped a beat. He hadn't even thought about the wedding yet. His grandmother - his mama - would want to come. He had to call her. He put the puppy down. James regarded him with concern.
"We'll be back and forth, you know. Between here and there. As soon as I fulfill my requirements, we'll be go more between here and the house in the mountains. Maybe a little time on base, every eight months or so."
Ortega realized then that he'd never even talked to his husband about the minutiae of his own new life. He didn't even know his own home.
Suddenly, desperately, Ortega started to cry. The puppy, disturbed from its daynap, got up and climbed into his lap, then out again. James came and sat by his side.
"I'm sorry, Tega." he could hear him saying, like grey noise in the distance, "But it's the way things have to be."