Jeremy shivers with cold in his dream. It is a chill he has never felt in the warmer climate of Nawatuwa. So he looks around in horror.
It's pitch black everywhere. There is not a sound.
"..."
Jeremy scrambles to his feet and reaches out to his side. He feels cold iron. Realizing what is happening, the middle-aged man speaks in an urgent voice to someone beside him.
"Miles, wake up, it's coming..."
He shakes the crouching body of the man, but it doesn't feel like a human body. It's heavy and hard against his fingertips. Jeremy pulls his hand away, startled, and looks around again. In the darkness, his eyes catch many human remains of men sprawled in the ditches.
"It's coming..."
There is desperation in Jeremy's voice. This dream again.
He knows it is a dream. And he knows what will happen next.
But even knowing that, the middle-aged man keeps trying to wake everyone up. Hard and cold, in the midst of what were once friends.
Thump, thump.
Jeremy knows what is going to happen next, but when it will happen is a different matter. So he counts.
One, two...
Before he reaches three, there is a loud boom and his surroundings suddenly light up. For a split second, dozens of haggard faces in the pit flash in the darkness. Their eyes are closed as if asleep, but Jeremy's mind thinks they are staring at him.
"Ah... No... No...! I... I, I didn't do it..."
Jeremy screams as acrid smoke billows in the distance and fire spreads. But his sobbing voice is drowned out by grenades and gunfire. He falters and stumbles backwards, his foot caught in a dismembered hand.
"Heukgh! No... no, no, it wasn't me..."
He mumbles apologetically, running his hand over his wet, dirty body. Jeremy thinks he is bleeding from his side; the throbbing where the bullet grazed is unbearable.
"Uhh, ugh...!"
Jeremy jerks violently awake, no longer feeling the cold desert air around him, no longer smelling the gunpowder. Instead, he feels a fluffy blanket and a soft pillow, and the hard body of...
Someone's hard body.
"...ughhh."
He can't hear the other person's breathing or feel their hot body. So Jeremy looks down to see a hand entwined in his own, and realizes it's the monster's.
"...Ah."
Jeremy should have been horrified that he'd fallen asleep tangled up in the same bed as the demonic monster, but for now it's comforting to know there's someone behind him.
Three in the morning. The flashing blue light of Jeremy's electronic clock pierces his blurred vision. The light makes him feel a little clearer, and slowly reality returns.
"..."
Yeah, it's all a dream, a dream.
Jeremy chews his lip, trying to shake off the lingering effects of the dream. He closes his eyes, but instead of becoming calmer, the horrors of the battlefield come flooding back. The pale faces of his comrades, the roar of gunfire and the shock along his back.
Thump, thump, thump.
The sound of his heart pounding right through Jeremy's eardrums. So hard it's driving him crazy. His palms and back are soaked with cold sweat.
"Ugh..."
A moan escapes Jeremy's lips. Grimacing in pain, the middle-aged man rolls over and then rolls back over, his eyes meeting Asterios' firm pecs. He knows that the person lying next to him is a monster, but he fumbles with his shaking hands and reaches for Asterios' body.
"Haa... haah..."
The jackal inhales slowly and deeply. He's not as warm as a human, but he's alive. Jeremy squeezes his eyes shut and tries to calm his trembling chest.
"Huh...?"
Somehow, the uncomfortable pounding of his heart begins to return to normal, and as he calms down, the sensations coming from his lower body become clearer. His lower back is stiff and his stomach hurts all over. His tits are swollen, a small accidental bump against Asterios' sends a tingling pain up his spine almost too quickly.
It's all because of this bastard.
Jeremy's senses slowly return. He begins to remember what happened in real life instead of his dream. The jackal had thrust into him with terrifying ferocity. He grabbed his thighs and pulled them apart, thrusting again while shouting orders at him. He rammed his c0ck into Jeremy with a force no human could ever hope to match, and each time he did, Jeremy's vision swam until he felt dizzy. His breath was racing, his ears were ringing...
It's strange. Jeremy is afraid of this monster, hates him, and yet look at him now. He clings to Asterios as if he would die if he let go of his hand. He can't bring himself to let go of Asterios' embrace. He feels like the moment he closes his eyes, the nightmare will begin again.
"...Mnn."
Jeremy rests his head on the creature's chest, trying to ignore the rumbling in his stomach. He's groggy from all the s*x, but he can't fall asleep. His mind and body are as glassy as water and oil.
"..."
Jeremy buries his head in Asterios' arms, deeper than he can smell his distinctive, rich body odor. A woody scent that is inherently different from the smell of human flesh. Somehow, Jeremy thinks, the scent of his body seems to soothe his tense nerves.
It's strange in this dark bedroom, not being able to see Asterios' face, only feeling his body. Except for his head, the rest of Asterios' body isn't much different from a human's. Jeremy had never thought of himself as small, but this creature is so big that he can almost sink into him. And it's nice to be held by his big, firm body. Like a baby.
"..."
But not only that, being in someone else's arms makes Jeremy realize how much he misses people. This island is a very lonely place. More than satisfying his libido, Jeremy needs someone to share warmth with.
Even if that someone is a monster.
Unconsciously, Jeremy tightens his arms around the jackal's body. This man is a ruthless demon, capable of acts beyond human comprehension. Just a few hours ago he had r*ped Jeremy, spreading his flesh, tearing at his insides, tormenting his body.
Jeremy should be disgusted.
But now he is confused. He is not as angry as he was this morning when he felt betrayed. Jeremy can't tell if it's because he's so alone now, after waking from a terrifying nightmare, or because their overwhelming power differential has left him feeling defeated.
Asterios' and Jeremy's stomachs are pressed together, causing a tingling sensation in the barcode area. Overstimulated, Jeremy reacts to the scent of the male holding him. Fortunately, it's only for a short time as Jeremy's body begins to lose strength. Once he relaxes, the erotic tingle is replaced by a subtle fullness.
The middle-aged man, drunk with lassitude, closes his eyes, tired of his many confused thoughts. Only the thought of someone next to him matters now, because it somehow lulls him back to sleep.
"..."
Soon the bedroom begins to echo with even breathing. After a while, the black jackal stirs and opens his eyes with a grunt. For the creature that has never slept, dawn is merely a playful time to mimic sleep.
He looks down at the figure in his embrace. He knows that Jeremy had a terrible dream. Then he woke up, drenched, thinking to himself before finally falling asleep again.
Asterios finds the cute little human amusing, thinking incessantly, like a bell next to him. So amusing that he just left him alone. The little human still hugs Asterios' waist and breathes out regularly.
Asterios wonders if he should give Jeremy nightmares to make him cling to him even more.
But there is something pitiful about the little guy, flailing in exhaustion. He looks even more pitiful than when he was begging for his life in the factory, so Asterios decides not to go that far.
Asterios leans down and presses his snout against the middle-aged man's neck, the distinctive scent of his body mixed with milk irritating his nasal passages.
As confused as the man was, the monster is just as confused. There are many ways to break this man, whether it is breaking his limbs or showing him hopeless visions over and over again. Yet he has done nothing.
He is stuck.
It is both frustrating and amusing to pry into the little human's thoughts, which are as dizzying as the ever-changing weather. Asterios wants to know what Jeremy really wants, and he wants to know why he does what he does.
In the end, the Jackal has to admit that he is fascinated by Jeremy. If he wants to better educate and communicate with humans, he certainly needs more preparation.