Jackson awoke with a yawn, rubbing sleep out of his eyes. It was still strange, to wake up feeling rested like this day in and day out. A scant two months ago, he never got a good eight hours' rest. He was forced to cut his sleeping hours short time and time again to meet his employer's outrageous deadlines and quotas. It was that or end up out in the cold.
But that wasn't a problem anymore. No more employers, no more deadlines, ever again. And the only price Jackson had to pay was his species' sovereignty? It wasn't like they did much with it anyway. What was humanity's greatest achievement as their own stewards? Conquering the Rinans? Developing a jump drive? Oh yes, such fearsome achievements. Enslaving a planet full of plushies and building insane tech that would explode if you looked at it wrong.
The Affini seemed to have it all figured out. They could reconfigure matter into any form they wished at the push of a button. Their personal shuttles were the size of Terran warships and far more powerful. Despite all odds, they had managed to straddle the line between expansionist imperial force and benign stewards of the universe.
Jackson just wished they'd lay off on the whole "collared pet" thing. He had spent his twenty-six years as a pawn in the games Terran corporations played, and he had no interest in being owned again, thank you very much. His species may have been better off as just another flower in the Affin Compact's garden, but Jackson Meadows was an independent sophont and planned on keeping it that way.
He clapped his hands twice and the heavy curtains over his bedroom windows slid open, bathing him in mid-morning sunlight. He blinked, thankful his bedroom faced away from the sun itself. Acer had been kind enough to reconfigure the entire Hab unit when Jackson mentioned how harsh the glare was in the morning. Now his massive bedroom faced north, and he could leave his curtains open all day without the sun's full fury searing his retinas.
Jackson crawled out of his massive bed on hands and knees, swinging himself down onto the floor and padding over to the closet. The Affini did have a way with needless excess; Jackson's bed could easily sleep six sophonts comfortably. His bedroom alone was bigger than any apartment he had ever lived in back on Terra, and the attached bathroom was almost as big. The first time he saw the size of his new quarters, he was stunned. This kind of opulence was accessible to only the wealthiest Terrans back in the Accord. On Gilreath, and apparently in the rest of the Compact if Acer was to be believed, luxury of this nature was the norm.
The young man stopped to look at himself in the mirror and smiled. Acer and his vet had accomplished more in two months than humans could in two years. His muscles grew more well-defined every day, his curves had straightened out and masculinized his form, and there was even a nice bush right above his pussy! Choosing to keep that was inspired. For as long as Jackson wanted to look like a guy, he never wished for a cock. He preferred to keep what the universe gave him between his legs, even if everything else could go for all he cared.
"Good morning, Jackson," the Hab AI called in a high singsong voice. "Mr. Maplestone has breakfast for you whenever you're ready."
"Great, thanks Patty," Jackson replied, continuing into his closet. He selected a pair of short denim cutoffs and a tight-fitting tank top designed to show off his arms. What was the point of all that working out and those trips to the vet if he couldn't flaunt his new form?
He brushed his shaggy brown hair out of his eyes, knowing full well it would be falling right back in his face within a minute. Jackson could tie it back or cut it short, but he liked it this way. It reminded him of the video files of so-called "boy bands" from the late twentieth century he watched on a loop growing up. He was more than willing to put up with bangs in his face if he could look like the man he'd dreamed of being his entire life.
Jackson strode out of his room, the bedroom door sliding open for him free of any input on his behalf. His room opened onto the massive living room, with enough couches, chairs, and assorted cushions to seat thirty sophonts. It was rare for Jackson to go a full day without seeing a minimum of five other beings in his home. He was always happy about it, Acer was just as much of a social creature as he was. Sometimes they would both shut their pads off when together just to have a break from the incessant message notifications.
"Good morning petal," Acer said. Jackson turned toward the kitchen eagerly to find his warden standing there. Deep down, he knew that Acer Maplestone, Fourth Bloom was technically his jailer, but stars, it didn't feel like that. He was more free as a ward of the Affini Compact than he ever was as a "free Terran." When he looked into Acer's sparkling silver eyes, he didn't see a conquering alien overlord intent on subjugating him. He saw a friend, one who wanted nothing more than protect him and care for him.
Well, Acer technically
was
a conquering alien overlord intent on subjugating him. Beneath the veil of bright green vines and autumnal leaves lay a suite of injectors loaded with xenodrugs designed to render him docile and obedient. He was lucky he ended up with one of the Affini who cared about human notions like "consent" and "boundaries." He knew plenty of Affini looked at Terrans and saw nothing but pets-to-be, despite any protests to the contrary.
"Morning Acer," he replied, giving him a bright smile. "What's for breakfast? It smells great!"
"Pancakes with homemade syrup and eggs benedict," Acer said, preening. Jackson rolled his eyes and punched the Affini playfully. His warden was derived from a maple tree, and his sap was multi-functional. He could lace it with xenodrugs and unleash it on an unsuspecting sophont, he could thicken it to make an effective bondage tool, or he could use it to make the most delicious syrup Jackson had ever tasted. He was rather proud of this capability, apparently food-grade sap was rare amongst Affini. Usually it had to be grafted on.
"A lesser Affini would have you domesticated for that," Acer said with a lopsided grin.
"In your dreams, plant," Jackson said, sticking out his tongue and climbing up into his chair at the countertop. If Acer was going to domesticate him for misbehavior, he would've done so long ago. They'd had "the talk" several times by now, and Jackson made it clear that while he cared about Acer and valued his guidance, he didn't want to be a pet. Acer also made it clear that he would happily collar Jackson if he ever asked for it, but Jackson advised he not hold his breath.
"Plant?" Acer gasped in fake shock, clutching his hands up to his chest. "I ought to go fetch your collar now, you ungrateful brat! After all I've done to support your independence, you refer to me as nothing but a mere plant!" He laid the back of his hand against his forehead and collapsed into a melodramatic pile of vines.
Jackson snickered as he bit into the eggs benedict, his eyes fluttering. Acer was plenty smug about his abilities in the kitchen, but he had every right to be. He insisted on making all of Jackson's meals himself unless he was at a restaurant, and the chestnut-haired Terran was grateful for it. If there was a Terran chef who made eggs benedict half as well as his warden, Jackson never met him.
Acer knit himself back into his usual form, the blanket of autumnal maple leaves draped across his body in the shape of a toga. It was hypnotic to watch, Jackson understood why so many of his species ended up as bewitched pets. The Affini moved with a certain musicality, in sync with what Acer described as a "biorhythm." Apparently all living beings had one, and Affini evolved theirs to be entrancing to other species. It made sense to Jackson, given that plants surely had to attract pollinators once upon a time.
"Very nice," Jackson commented, hurriedly redirecting his gaze when Acer smiled down at him.
"I'm glad you enjoyed my performance, little petal," Acer said, sitting down at a much larger stool at the countertop. "I never tire of amusing you. How's breakfast?"
"It's delicious," Jackson said through a mouthful of pancake. Stars, he swore Acer's syrup got better every time. It was the perfect mix of sweet and bitter, a flavor that no artificial Accord substitute could dream of replicating. "Did you change the syrup? It's incredible today."
"I change it every time, in fact," Acer said, scrolling through his pad and opening up a document full of notes. "Sometimes a little, sometimes a lot, depending on your verbal and physical reactions. Your biorhythm tells me a great deal about how you respond to a given formula. Today's is more bitter and a touch more viscous than most recipes I've created thus far."
"Well whatever you're doing, keep it up," Jackson said with a pleased hum. "This is amazing!"
Acer nodded and tapped more notes into his pad while Jackson wolfed down the rest of his breakfast. The Affini looked up for a moment and admonished him to slow down, warning that it was well within his rights as warden to take over feeding his charge his meals by vine if Jackson proved he couldn't feed himself safely. The Terran flushed bright red and looked away from his guardian.
"Stop smirking like that!" Jackson complained, trying to will his cheeks back to a less crimson shade.
"You're not even looking at me, starlight," Acer said, amused.
"I can feel it," Jackson grumbled. "You're looking at me like you want to make me some kind of stupid pet."
"Well, I do want to make you some kind of stupid pet," Acer replied as though it were the most natural thing in the world. "Specifically, I want to make you my stupid pet! Well, maybe less my stupid pet and more my happy, docile, pampered dog with nice floppy ears and a wagging tail."
"You're impossible!" Jackson exclaimed with a groan, hoping Acer didn't notice his little smile. The plant would make for a nice boyfriend if he weren't so hung up on the whole "pet" thing. The pair of them had established an excellent repartee over the last two months, and even when Jackson won his independence he couldn't imagine leaving Acer behind. Maybe they could be roommates or something?
"And you're adorable," Acer said, booping Jackson on the nose with a vine. "But as much as I would love to sit here and spar with you all day, there is an important matter at work that requires your attention."
