Note: The characters depicted in this story are consenting adults. Gaige is 32 and Syren is 30.
Note 2: Syren is a species of alien (Nynryll) that are all the same sex and possess both breeding capabilities. As such, they don't have a concept of "male", "female", or of gender in general. Syren will be referred to by they/them pronouns. Any negative comments regarding their use here or by people in real life are unwelcome and will be removed.
Enjoy!
A Friend In Need
Gaige had not experienced true concern for a long time. In all of the years that he had worked at the repair station, Syren never missed a single shift. So it was strange enough that his work partner had failed to be there for three consecutive days.
Syren was good at their job, easily one of the best. An elite in that neck of the star system. If anyone at the station was dealing with a particularly troublesome craft, they would be the one to come along and know the exact course of action. It was almost scary sometimes. Annoying at others.
They were a talented, devoted mechanic and quick to snatch up any overtime. But there was such a thing as being too married to a job and Gaige figured that Syren was finally paying the price. A little sickness might inspire them to slow down.
That was until he was approached by his boss on day three and told that Syren would be on sick leave for the next little while. Sarah couldn't give any details other than that they would be leaving for Nynryllad in the morning. Gaige felt his stomach drop then; whatever this was, it was bad enough that Syren was going home.
There was no way that Gaige was letting them go without answers. Without at least seeing them. Not when they could die of whatever illness they had on their homeworld and never return. His heart took up an anxious rhythm as he walked to the worker's quarters after his shift.
Gaige blew past the entrance to his own room and stopped at Syren's a few doors down. He was instantly knocking on the cool metal. There was no answer for long enough that an image of Syren splayed unconscious on the floor sprang to mind. But the door finally slid open, revealing the tall alien with a slightly pain-pinched face.
They leaned with one hand on the door frame; not with their whole weight, but certainly bracing themself. Their amber, feline eyes lightened somewhat.
"Hm...room service?" Syren said far too casually. They were shirtless, sweat dotting their neck and chest.
"Syren, what is going on?" Gaige pleaded, severely not in the mood.
"I guess I should have expected you. Come in?" Syren offered, gesturing back into the room with a tilt of their head.
Gaige followed them inside. He paused just inside the door, watching Syren make their way to the bed. Their pace was slow and they moved while curled slightly over their abdomen; which looked noticeably swollen when they turned to sit on the edge of the mattress.
"Are you hurt?" Gaige asked.
Syren huffed. "Just my pride."
"Please, I'm just trying to understand. Sarah said you're taking sick leave. What for? How bad is this?"
"It's nothing to get yourself all twisted over," Syren said with a dismissive wave of their four-fingered hand. "I'm just going for a routine procedure."
"Proceβsurgery?" Gaige's shoulders sagged. "That sounds exactly like something to get 'twisted' over."
"Routine surgery. Just...embarrassing that it's come to it."
"What do you mean?"
"I...need to get my eggs removed."
"Eggs." Gaige blinked. "You're pregnant? Whoβ?"
Syren chuckled. "You know, asshole, I have offered to explain the anatomy of my species to you before. No. No, I'm not pregnant. Nynryll bodies make unfertilized eggs that need to come out at the end of the month whether to make kits or not and it kind of slipped my mind. I'm dealing with a two-month backup and...coaxing them out myself is impossible at this point."
It was a lot of information for Gaige to process and his face heated once he came to its conclusion.
"By 'coaxing'," he began. Syren looked him in the eye and he suddenly had to clear his throat. "You mean...?"
"Jerking off," Syren supplied plainly.
"Oh."
"Yeah, 'oh'. Or lack thereof in this case."
The silence was unbearable.
"So...you can't get yourself off. That's the problem?" Gaige finally asked.
Syren nodded. "Because of the backup, everything's too sensitive. I get weak just from touching myself and have to stop before I get there...hence the surgery."
Gaige stared at Syren, initially surprised at how openly they spoke of their...personal sessions. But the way their legs shifted didn't escape his notice. Or the way their hands kept absently tracing over their upper thighs, drawing back from travelling between them as if suddenly remembering that Gaige was there.
It hit him at once was Syren was experiencing. Discomfort, but also something else undeniable. They were horny. He could only imagine; unintentionally edging themself for days trying to get rid of those eggs. An endless loop of unsatisfied desperation. Something stirred inside Gaige and a question burst out of him before he could think about stopping it.
"What if you had help?"
"Maybe. But I don't have a partner," Syren said. "On the station or elsewhere. And I doubt anyone here would be willing toβ."
"Me," Gaige interjected. "What if, uh, what if I helped you?"
One of Syren's long ears twitched. "You'd do that?"