Caged Among the Stars, Chapter 5 (Patreon)

“You liiiiiiike him.”

“Shut up.”

I’m in the gym with Tuck and the rest of our class, who despite no evidence to the contrary, is sure that I have feelings for Cadet Kaylin Zekram. Sure, he might correct, and maybe I am being a little too obvious with the way I’m watching him on one of the weight machines, but like hell if I’m going to admit that. Especially if he’s gonna act this annoying about it.

There’s also the fact that I promised Kaylin himself that I wouldn’t say anything about our... Well, I don’t know what to call it, exactly. Whatever this thing is that's developing between us.

Compared to the relative shitshow that happened on Mannot, the rest of the week has gone better. Not perfect, but better. After seeing that he was still just as capable as he was before (and sadly, more likely because I wasn’t stopping him from doing anything), most of our instructors began to acknowledge him again. Most, but not all.

It’s still clear that Kaylin is still being held back. He’s pretty good about dusting off his shoulder, but I can tell it’s really been getting to him. I just wish there was more I could do.

We’ve only hooked up once since our quick little tryst. It went down basically the same way, a hurried, out-of-the-blue moment two days ago, right after class. It still didn’t go further than oral, hair pulling, and a little ordering around with light praise, but at least this time I managed to not embarrass myself afterwards when he made to leave.

Truthfully, I don’t know what is really going through Kaylin’s head. I hate to say that Tuck is right, but I do like him. More than I thought I would, and I'm not sure those feelings are reciprocated. Maybe he’s just stressed and looking to blow off a little steam. That’s fine, we all need to sometime. But if that’s the case, I need to figure out where I stand in all this before I make an ass out of myself again.

“Whatever you say man...” Tuck finishes with a knowing smirk.

“Everything okay?” Kaylin asks himself, passing us on the way to the holo-treadmills.

“Yeah, Tuck’s just being a dick, like usual,” I cover with a roll of my eyes. I have got to get myself together.

Even though the hope is that we’ll never have to see an actual fight, we still receive combat training a few times a week. Between our blasters and personal shields, we’re well equipped to handle most threats, but we’re expected to excel in hand to hand combat as well. Because of that, it's become a sort of unofficial tradition for our cohort to end the week in the gym together, including some one-on-one sparring.

Or at least that’s how it usually goes, because for the last fifteen minutes, I’ve been watching Kaylin search high and low for a sparring partner, only to get told no over and over. When I see him across the room starting to get angry, I worry I might need to step in, but in the end he turns on his heel and comps stomping my way instead.

“What's wrong?” I ask, just getting off a weight machine myself.

“I can't find a sparring partner,” Kaylin angrily complains. “Everyone says they’re too worried about injuring me and pissing off my dom. Even the non-cabrians turned me down. I even asked Malprin, who just told me to go ‘practice my kneeling positions’ instead!”

“Shit.” I never considered that. “Do you need me to... Give them permission or something?”

“Yeah, because that wouldn’t be humiliating at all,” the sub grouses with a glare.

“I’ll spar with you,” Tuck offers from my side. “You don’t wanna fight Malprin anyways, I’ve seen toddlers punch harder than him.”

“Alright,” Kaylin answers after a moment of consideration. “But you better not go easy on me, Balock.”

“Wasn’t planning on it, Zekram,” Tuck replies.

I watch the two walk out to one of the empty sparring mats at the center of the room. I appreciate Tuck’s assistance, not just with lightening the mood, but his offer to Kaylin. I don’t think he would have agreed if I had asked Tuck to do it, or even offered myself.

I;m not the only one watching them either - multiple heads turn to watch the match that is about to unfold. Sady, I can read from a lot of expressions that some of them are hoping to see the sub get knocked down a peg.

The two combatants take their positions and begin to circle each other. There’s not a name for the style of hand to hand combat taught at the GUA. It's an amalgamation of several different types of combat, with different techniques cannibalized from combat styles originating from several of the GU’s member planets.

Kaylin is the first to strike, striking at Tuck with a punch he quickly dodges before returning with a strike of his own. Our sparring matches follow pretty standard rules. No weapons, no blows to the head or groin, and no intentionally causing serious injury. They typically go until someone taps out, or one of the combatants has been grappled for a sufficient period of time.

I’m not sure how this one is going to end. Things quickly get intense, with both Tuck and Kaylin coming at the other with seemingly their full strength. Tuck’s always been a bit of a musclehead, but Kaylin’s not slouching in that department himself, and whatever advantage Tuck might have is minimal at best. Kaylin certainly seems to have him beat in agility, twisting around his attacks with ease.

“That got serious real fast,” Astella comments on my left, having joined me as people began watching the match.

“I think Kaylin has something to prove,” I say offhandedly, watching the exertion on his face.

The two continue trade blows, dodging and deflecting like it's nothing as they dance around the mat. They’re both giving it their all, sweat flying in every direction just like they're limbs. They seem to be evenly matched, at least until Kaylin surprises Tuck and everyone else watching with a sudden trip attack. He quickly leaps onto Tuck’s prone form, twisting their bodies until he has the other man grappled in a submission pose beneath him.

“Fuck, I yield!” Tuck shouts as his arm is wrenched back.

Hearing that, Kaylin releases the slightly-larger man, rolling off and offering him a hand to stand. As the two spoke to each other, all around us the spectators can be heard murmuring about the match. Though I'm sure he can hear them, Kaylin ignores them. All I felt was impressed, and like I want a shot at him myself.

“You up for another round?” I ask Kaylin, the man sizing me up as I approach the mat.

“Sure,” he answers after a brief pause. “But you better not hold back either.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” I reply.

Tuck moves off to the side with our other friends, eager to watch himself (and probably hoping I embarrass myself at least a little). The crowd seems to have gotten larger, with some people now even openly rooting for the sub. While that makes me happy, I ignore them, focusing entirely on Kaylin as we both step into position.

That match starts and we begin to circle each other. Kaylin tries to strike first, trying to surprise me by coming at me head on. I take a page out of his own playbook and side-step him and attempt to trip him. But he’s ready for me, hopping over my leg and shoulder checking me in return. I can barely scramble to my feet before a fist comes flying in my direction.

Fuck, Kaylin’s got a mean right hook - the arm I took that punch to is gonna be sore tomorrow. Clearly even I underestimated his strength, and this is after he's already been in one fight today. I have to quickly respond with a punch of my own, just barely knocking his side with my fist.

We’ve sparred before, I have with all of my classmates over the years, and I don’t ever remember them being this intense. It's like a terrible dance, with him landing punch after punch to my torso, while constantly slipping just out of my reach. The more this goes on, the more frustrated I get. I’m getting sloppy. Hell, I’m doing even worse than Tuck did.

I try to correct myself, not slowing down but making more deliberate choices with my movements while I regain my footing. If Kaylin could sense my hesitation before, hes not showing it, and not letting up either. He’s more focused than I’ve ever seen him - or had I just not been paying enough attention?

I realize too late that he’s not actually giving it his all - he’s just matching me, waiting for me to make a mistake so he can pounce. And of course I do. I overextend myself, taking too short a step forward and aiming just short of Kaylin’s chest. When he sees the opening, I can’t blame him for taking advantage.

He starts with an uppercut to the arm I barely nicked him with, knocking me off balance. He follows this by quickly checking me in the chest, before tackling me the rest of the way to the ground. Before I can so much as wriggle, he’s got my left leg pulled back, the rest of his weight pinning me to the ground on my back.

“I yield!” I cry out after unsuccessfully trying to dislodge him.

Kaylin immediately releases my limbs and rolls free of my body as our gathered audience applauds our efforts. He gives me a moment to collect myself before offering me a hand up. I’m sore, and if I'm being honest, my pride is a little hurt - but I don't regret it.

“Losing to your own sub?” Of course, not everyone feels the same way. Like Cade Malprin. “How pathetic.”

“Think you can do better?” I challenge the dom. “Go right ahead. You have my permission.”

“I...” Malprin sizes up the sweaty but still raring to go Kaylin. “Nah. If you can’t put your own sub in his place, I don't see why I should do it for you.”

“Uh huh.” I make a show of rolling my eyes and turning away from the tool bag to face Kaylin. I can even hear some of those around us scoffing at the pathetic excuse. “You need more, or you're ready to get out of here?”

“I’m good to head out.” Kaylin nods with a smirk, not even looking in the fuming Malprin’s direction.

“That was great,” Kaylin tells me in the privacy of his room.

After a quick shower, we headed here to decompress. I also wanted to talk about what happened in the gym, worried Kaylin might be stewing like he did at the start of the week. Thankfully, he seems to be in good spirits about everything.

“Did you see the look on Malprin’s face?” he asks with a grin, handing me a cold aqua-ration.

“Which one: shocked at how you beat me, or scared at having to fight you himself?” I reply with a grin.

Fuck, pick one.” He finishes his own ration and tosses the empty container into the recycling chute. “I swear, seeing that was better than sex.”

“Well, I don’t know about better...” I tease, finishing my own water.

“Oh yeah?” Kaylin takes a sauntering step in my direction. “You got something to show me?”

“Maybe...” I reply with a grin. “But first, I think we should--”

I’m interrupted by someone knocking loudly on the door. Whoever it is is pounding loud enough to make us both jump. Kaylin gives me an apologetic look as he goes to answer.

“Who is--” He freezes as the door slides open to reveal a tall cabrian man in a suit on the other side. “D-Dad?!”

“So this is where you’ve been hiding?” The man pushes his way past his son and into the room.

“I-I haven’t been hiding,” Kaylin stammers as he follows the man. “I just--”

“Then you want to explain why I learned from the damned news that my own son is a sub?” He spits out the last word. “I’m the laughing stock of the entire firm!”

“I-- I--” Kaylin looked like a lost child in a crowd. “I wanted to tell--”

“I might be impressed, if I weren’t so disgusted.” Is this man ever going to let his son speak? “To think that I had a sub hiding under my own roof for all those years. If I had known, I would have had you shipped off to the Wrex Boarding School the second you were old enough.”

“Hey, that’s enough!” I shout at the man.

“Who the hell are you?” He finally acknowledges me, looking me up and down.

“D-Dad, this is--”

“Don’t tell me youre already bending over for someone.” He shakes his head in disgust. “Pathetic.”

“What the hell is your problem?!” I can't hold back my words any longer. “He’s your son!”

“He was my son,” he says without blinking an eye. “I didn’t raise a pathetic, sniveling, sub.”

“No, you didn’t,” I challenge him. “You raised a--”

“Save whatever speech you’ve been working up.” He holds a hand up in front of my face, turning to Kaylin. “I only came here to confirm the news, which I have. Don't expect an invitation home next Ugalnocht.”

“Dad, wait--” Kaylin calls out, but the man is already leaving the room without another word.

“Holy shit, what was wrong that guy?” I watch the door close in shock, the man having just uninvited his own son home for the holidays.. “How did you grow up--”

I cut myself off when I turn and see a wide eyed, fearful Kaylin still stuck staring at the door. “I-I’m sorry...”

“Oh shit,” I mutter to myself, barely able to move fast enough to catch Kaylin before his body crumples to the floor. This isn’t good - he’s dropping.

Sub drop is something that can happen to all submissives and some switches. While on the receiving end of someone’s dominance, should they experience something extreme or traumatic, there's a chance their hormones can become extremely unbalanced, pushing the sub into sub drop. It's not unlike a panic attack, though the only way to relieve it is to have the sub guided back up through subspace, which can take some time.

“Kaylin, can you understand me right now?” I gently ask the hazy-eyed boy in my arms.

“Uh-huh.” He nods, movements sluggish.

“I think you’re going into sub drop,” I start to explain.

“N-never r’lly dropped b’fore,” he slurs, his brow furrowing in worry.

“That’s okay,” I assure him. “If you’ll let me, I’m going to help you through it. Can I do that?”

“Okay, sir.” He nods.

“Good. That’s very good,” I praise him gently. “Would you like to kneel for me?”

“Okay.” I flinch at how hard his knees hit the floor, silently cursing at myself for not being more specific. In this state of mind, subs are incredibly suggestible.

“Good boy,” I praise, kneeling down to check myself if he’s hurt or not.

I reach for his desk chair and pull it over, taking a seat next to the kneeling boy. I gently guide him to rest his head on my knee while stroking my fingers through his hair. This really isn’t how I thought the night was going to go. It's also a great example of why we really need to talk about what our actual limits are.

Helping a sub through a drop is extremely intimate. It’s something you do for your partner or family member. Not the dom who you’ve been forcibly assigned to and know next to nothing about. He can barely even really consent right now. It's going to be hard enough to pull him out of this without knowing his limits. But I’ll manage.

“You were amazing in the gym today,” I praise. “You worked really hard and showed everyone just how capable you are.”

“Thank you, sir.” He nuzzles gently against my thigh, which is doing all the right (and wrong) things for me.

“You're a great sub,” I tell him next. “Any dominant would be lucky to have you like this for them.”

I spend the next couple of hours with Kaylin, petting and praising him through his drop. It's not hard for me to believe that this is his first, considering how hard it seems to have hit him. I make sure he stays hydrated, have him stand and stretch so he’s not on his knees for too long, and at one point I even consider getting dinner delivered to feed him, but he actually seems like he might be too tired for that. Just as I’m deciding to put him to bed, there’s another knock on the door.

“Hello?” I answer hesitantly, Kaylin sitting on the edge of his bed.

When I open the door, there’s another cabrian man on the other side. I don’t recognize him either, but he’s at least a bit closer to our age. He looks at me in confusion, before peering over my shoulder at Kaylin behind me.

“Can I help you?” I ask, annoyed and attempting to block his view.

“Can I help you?” The man replies, offended. “Mind telling me what the fuck you’re doing in my brother’s room?”

“Your brother?” My eyes go wide in realization. “Oh, you’re Kaylin’s--”

“Kaylin?” He pushes past me to his brother. “What’s wrong?”

“Len!” Kaylin said happily with a dopey. “It’s so good t’ see you?”

“Are you...?” He angrily turns to me. “Did you drop him?!”

“What? No!” I reply angrily. “You can thank your father for that.”

“Dad was here?” Kaylin brother looks shocked. “Shit, what did he--”

“He basically disowned your brother,” I try to say in as low a voice as possible. “It sent Kaylin into a tailspin and he dropped, hard. I’ve been trying to take care of him since then. I don’t think he’s ever dropped like this before.”

“He hasn’t,” Len confirms. “I helped him through a few smaller drops when we were younger, but--” He suddenly pauses. “Why am I telling you any of this? How do you even know my brother?”

“We’re in the same class, the officer’s program,” I start explain. “And as of last week, I became his custodial dom when the truth about his dynamic was revealed. We’ve actually been trying to get in touch with you for almost a week now.”

“I... I’m sorry. I was off-planet,” he tells me what I already knew. “But I’m here now. So thanks for stepping up, but I can handle things from here.”

“Look, I’m happy you're finally here, but I think we need to at least talk about what’s been going.”

“What I need to do is take care of my brother.” His tone started to get angry. “I don’t know who you think you are, but now that I’m here, you can fuck off to whatever it is you were doing before.”

“Who I am is the guy that took care of him while you were MIA!” I’m getting angry myself. “Maybe you could spend less time yelling at me and more--”

A distressed whine has us both turning to Kaylin, currently looking between the two of us with wide, confused eyes. Shit, two doms trying to out-dominate each other isn’t going to help him at all. And sadly, the truth is that he will probably be more comfortable with his brother right now.

“Look, I’m not the bad guy here,” I tell Len more calmly. “I just want to help Kaylin, same as you do. Can we talk - all three of us - after he’s more himself?”

“You’re right,” Len agrees with a sigh. “But for now, I’m sorry, but I think it needs to be just me and him until he comes back up from his drop. We can talk to morrow, okay?”

“Great.” I nod in agreement. “We can talk tomorrow.” I turn and drop to one knee in front of the still dazed Kaylin. “Kaylin, I’m going to leave you with your brother now. He’s going to take good care of you.”

“Okay.” He nods dazed, and I swear he almost looks sad that I'm leaving.

“You were a very good boy today,” I tell him, unable to pet my hand through his hair one last time. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“Talk to you tomorrow, sir.” He nods dopily.

With a final nod of acknowledgement to Len, I leave the room, barely making it halfway down the hall before I have to stop and lean against it as I process the events of the last few hours. This is not how I saw this week going. I’d be lying if there wasn't a part of me that enjoyed taking care of him like that, but I’m worried about Kaylin. If that’s what his father is like, what about his brother?