Malcolm couldn’t keep from smiling as he headed toward the common room. A part of him was still caught on how she’d reacted when she’d first seen him as a demon, and how much of her reaction he’d shared with his own feelings.
It felt wrong for her to accept him. It felt like he was watching her go against long held beliefs and convictions, and in doing so, burning a piece of who she was. He was the catalyst for that, and the guilt Malcolm felt was real, justified or not.
“Space food isn’t as bad as I’d thought it would be,” said Tapestry. “Though obviously, it pales in comparison to what I could cook with a proper kitchen.”
“Of course,” said Malcolm.
She frowned at him, sensing his conflict, and shook her head.
“Quit feeling sorry for yourself,” she said.
“I’m not.”
“Then quit feeling sorry for me,” said Tapestry. “Whatever it is you’re feeling, get rid of it. We still have a mission to accomplish, and I won’t have you distracted.”
Malcolm shrugged. He ripped open a vacuum sealed plastic bag of dried vegetable chips.
“I’ll try,” he said.
Tapestry watched him for a couple of seconds. She looked concerned and worried. Malcolm wanted to yell at her, to make her understand that he didn’t deserve her sympathy anymore. He was a demon, dangerous, uncontrolled, and out of place.
He found it odd that he could have such a thought, as a demon. It was one of many oddities he’d noticed about his transformation. As far as Malcolm could tell, he wasn’t suffering any major memory loss. And unless it had happened while he was unconscious in the suit, he hadn’t suffered a breakout episode in the same way many other monsters did.
Second Wind turned into a sociopath when he became a demon and tried to destroy the world. Why am I not being pulled down that same path?
Malcolm wondered if it was because of the circumstances, or his personality, or perhaps a combination of both. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that he’d lost his abilities, and gone from essentially being a human at baseline directly into demonhood. He was still wondering when Tapestry reached a finger out and poked him in the cheek.
“Quit doing that,” she said.
“Doing what?”
“Thinking so much.” She sighed. “What we need to be doing right now is moving forward. Not getting stuck on the details of our less than perfect situation.”
They ate their food in silence after that. Malcolm wasn’t sure what time it was, or if that even mattered in space, but he was tired, and so was Tapestry. He hesitated after the meal instead of following her into the crew quarters, wondering if he should find somewhere else to sleep. Tapestry came to confront him at the edge of the connecting hatch.
“You’re such a boy,” she said.
Malcolm shook his head.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You don’t even have a clue.” She folded her arms, her eyes appraising him flatly. “Don’t you think I’d be able to tell if there was something fundamentally wrong, or broken in you, now that you’re a… demon?”
Malcolm felt his face flush at her words.
“Actually, I don’t think that,” said Malcolm. “And I don’t think it’s fair to assume that just because I’m controlled and collected right now, I’m always going to be!”
He felt anger rising in his chest, but it wasn’t for her, or even himself. It was vague and open, anger at the world. Anger at fate.
“And it isn’t about whether I’m broken or not,” said Malcolm. “It’s about what I’m putting you through. And all the ways I can imagine accidentally making you suffer, because of what I am now.”
Tapestry floated over to him. Her eyes never left his as she moved. Malcolm was suddenly aware of her again. He’d forced himself not to be after coming back in through the airlock, but he could see her now. Her body, her face. He could feel her emotions. He knew that she was going to kiss him.
And she did. Malcolm let her melt her body into his, and kissed her back. It was such a strange sensation in zero gravity, familiar but new. And along with it came a rush of emotion, none of them new, but all of them stronger than he remembered.
Is this what Rose felt when she kissed me? Are deeper emotions just part of being a monster?
If they were, Tapestry was also sharing in them. She had a stunned look in her eyes as their kiss ended. Malcolm realized that one of his hands had drifted to grope at her butt, and the other held her securely by the waist, as though he was planning to rip her jumpsuit to shreds, rather than taking it off her properly.
Tapestry blushed. Her eyes took on a curious quality, and she reached out to his face with her hands, her fingers tracing along the bumps on his skull.
“Do they hurt?” she whispered.
“No,” said Malcolm. “They don’t feel like anything.”
Tapestry floated up a couple of inches and planted a kiss along his crown. Malcolm took the opportunity to slide the zipper of her jumpsuit down a couple of inches, revealing the cleavage of her breasts.
He let his lips glide along her neck, and Tapestry let out a soft sigh. They kissed again, passion building as their bodies pulled together, grinding into each other. Malcolm unzipped Tapestry further and discovered that bras weren’t mandatory in space. He ran his thumb over one of her pink nipples. Tapestry shivered, her cheeks turning red.
A sudden rush of emotion clouded Malcolm’s senses. He kissed Tapestry again, pressing himself hungrily against her. He felt Tapestry opening herself to him, relenting in the face of his hot, sexual aggression. He slid her jumpsuit down further, pulling his own off, along with his boxers.
And then, his head bumped into the ceiling. Malcolm grimaced and rubbed the point of contact, temporarily distracted from the eroticism of the moment. Tapestry looked like she was holding back laughter.
“It might be tricky, if we’re both free floating,” she said. Malcolm watched as she pushed off from the ceiling, floating naked through the room and over to one of the tethered sleeping bags. “Care to join me?”
She slid into the bag, and Malcolm rushed to follow her. It was a tight fit, but that only served to reignite the fire of lust burning inside of him. Tapestry tightened the draw string, locking them both in, and within seconds, Malcolm was sliding the tip of his shaft into her.
“Oh…” moaned Tapestry. “Oh god!”
There was a dirty, guilty quality to her voice, as though she couldn’t believe what she was doing. Malcolm understood it on more than one level. She’d sworn herself off him after all the lies and deceit, and she also still held the values of the Champion Authority, her conviction in fighting against demons and sprytes.
Now a demon is fucking her. And not just any demon.
Malcolm felt his need urging him forward, but there was more to the encounter than just primal instincts. Tapestry was offering more than just her naked body to him. She was offering him absolution, in a sense. A second chance at proving that he was someone worth believing in.
The bag held them in place as Malcolm pushed into her, punctuating each rough thrust with a soft kiss. Tapestry barely had room to wrap her legs around him. It was a strange sensation, having her in that position, but not needing to support her weight. It let Malcolm take his time, and focus on what he was doing.
He let his hands trace over the contours of her breasts, grinding his shaft forward to stimulate her as much as possible. Tapestry was breathing heavily, soft gasps occasionally stealing past her lips. He kissed her neck, inhaling her scent as he enjoyed every inch of her body.
They were both moving, swaying back and forth in the bag like a wind sock wavering in a breeze. Tapestry was no longer making any attempt to control her moans. Malcolm groped at her breasts and kissed her deeply, pulling back right as they both reached their limits.