Author: 唇亡齿寒 / Lips Gone, Teeth Cold

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 35

“Spider, can the ‘Dream of a Cold Night’ depart now?” Joanna walked into the control tower of Milantu’s spaceport, her leather boots making a crisp sound on the metal floor.

Spider Maxim followed her. “The Dream of a Cold Night? Don’t you already have the Lady of the Night?”

“I need to take care of some business in the Empire Capital in a few days. Using the Lady of the Night would be too inconvenient.”

The Lady of the Night was known across the galaxy as Joanna Begrel’s ride. Even without identifying the ship’s number and name, its darker-than-night appearance was enough to reveal her identity. Taking it to the capital would be like wearing a sign that said “I’m Joanna” into a police station.

Before Joanna acquired the Lady of the Night, her flagship was the Dream of a Cold Night, a destroyer with an ice-blue hull. It was an excellent ship at the time, though inferior to the Lady of the Night, manufactured by Neo Athens. During the retreat from the Federal Army, the Dream of a Cold Night was heavily damaged by artillery fire. The mechanics at Milantu repaired it, but it hadn’t sailed since then.

“Do you really intend to take the Dream of a Cold Night?”

“Of course. Start checking its systems immediately, backup Leo’s data to the ship’s computer, and load sufficient supplies. This mission is extremely dangerous, and I need to finalize the crew list.”

“How many people will you take?” Spider asked, as this would determine how much supply to load.

“As few as possible. No more than twenty.” Joanna stepped onto the lift, heading up the control tower. “By the way, please take care of my dog.”

“Oh.” Spider watched her ascend, feeling an inexplicable sense of loss. “So, no need to bring dog food?”

Titia chewed her gum nonchalantly as she opened the door, turning to gesture at Alois. “You’ll be staying here from now on.”

“Pirates get assigned housing? That’s pretty luxurious!” Alois examined the two-story metal house. It wasn’t large, about 150 square meters including the backyard and balcony. The first floor was a living room and kitchen, and the second floor had bedrooms. The furnishings were extremely simple, which made sense given that Milantu’s artificial gravity was only three-quarters of Earth’s gravity and could be turned off for various reasons. Simple furnishings were safer.

He hesitated for a long time, not daring to enter, only casting a questioning look at Titia. “You can sleep on the street if you prefer,” the female pilot said, puffing out her cheeks.

Joshua shrugged, walked inside, and casually dropped his luggage on the floor. “Am I sharing this place with Alois?” He tested the stairs’ stability and then headed upstairs.

“The captain said family members should live together, and it also saves resources, doesn’t it?” Titia pushed Alois inside and bowed theatrically. “My brother and I live across the street. Come to us if you need anything.” She smirked and closed the door.

Alois checked the lock, confirming it couldn’t be opened from the outside. This place is fantastic! he thought happily. Living with Joshua! Eating, sleeping, waking up together every day—it’s just like newlyweds!

“Don’t think I don’t know what you’re imagining.” Joshua’s voice came from upstairs. “There are two bedrooms. Give up your delusions and sleep peacefully.”

…Who designed this shitty house?! Damn it!

For the next hour, they busied themselves unpacking. Many neighbors came to visit. Some were colleagues from the Lady of the Night, while others, unfamiliar faces, were fleet members who stayed in Milantu. The most memorable for Alois was the chef, Celia. She brought a plate of delicious, golden-brown grilled fish to their door.

“Welcome to Milantu. Just a small gift, for your cat.” The pretty girl smiled while handing the grilled fish to the tearful young man, adding, “Don’t steal any!”

“Can you believe it, Joshua? These days, cats eat better than humans!” That night, Alois complained to Joshua on the balcony. Milantu’s rotation was extremely slow. A planetary day equaled four standard days, making night four times longer than standard time. For those living in space, adjusting to such a time difference was meaningless. So, Milantu’s inhabitants abandoned the day-night cycle, living two standard days per day. Here, day and night made little difference because even at night, the red giant star’s cosmic material left bright red streaks in the sky, resembling a river of blood. The other star dominated the night sky, outshining other stars like the brightest gem in a crown.

Milantu’s night needed no artificial lights. The stars’ brilliance always illuminated the planet.

Joshua glanced at Schrödinger, who was enjoying the delicious food. “Oh, I believe it.” He grabbed a fish from the black cat’s plate and stuffed it into his mouth. “So we need to change our situation.”

“Meow!” Schrödinger howled angrily, its tail bristling. Joshua glared at it, and the black cat immediately lowered its tail, quietly eating its fish without making a sound.

“See?” the assassin said smugly. “That’s the law of the universe, survival of the fittest.”

“You’re bragging about stealing food from a cat? Pathetic.” Alois’s voice lowered. Milantu’s red star shine illuminated the assassin’s hair, giving him a dark purple glow, like an ethereal being from a fairy tale, both dreamy and unreal. For a brief moment, Alois wondered if the Joshua before him was an illusion. He reached out, gently stroking the assassin’s silver hair, feeling its silky smoothness, then kissed his cheek. Feeling the warmth of the skin, Alois sighed in relief. The Joshua before him was real.

“What’s wrong?” Joshua sensed the unusual atmosphere. He returned Alois’s kiss, deepening it involuntarily. Since his confession in Neo Venice, their relationship had grown more intimate, spending almost every moment together, and even their intimate moments had increased significantly. Though they had never fully consummated their relationship, Joshua felt their current state was the most natural and intimate for lovers. He didn’t want to go further, afraid of breaking this delicate balance.

Their passionate kiss quickly excited both of them. Alois impatiently started to undo Joshua’s pants.

“Not here.” Joshua leaned against the balcony railing. “Someone might see.” Titia’s family lived across the street!

“They won’t. I asked Ibb. There’s an optical camouflage around the house. No one can see in from outside.” Alois knelt, pulling down Joshua’s underwear and taking his already aroused member into his mouth.

The warm mouth and agile tongue made Joshua inhale deeply with pleasure, then slowly exhaled. Looking down, he could see Alois sucking his cock. The young man’s expression was so focused, as if nothing in the world mattered more than this.

This made Joshua feel a pang of guilt. To be honest, he loved the sensation of deep throating—the hot and tight touch gave him intense pleasure, which made him reach his peak instantly. But he hated performing oral sex on others, so he had never reciprocated for Alois. Although Alois claimed not to mind, Joshua still felt uncomfortable, like he owed something.

The pleasure from below intensified. Almost time. Alois, while sucking Joshua’s cock, reached into his own pants, starting to pleasure himself.

Joshua gently pressed the back of his head. “I’m about to cum,” he whispered, giving a few shallow thrusts before releasing into Alois’s mouth. The young man narrowed his eyes, swallowing all the liquid, quickly finishing himself shortly after.

After climaxing, they faced each other in silence. Schrödinger had long since retreated to the house with a fish in its mouth, not daring to witness the explicit scene.

Milantu’s starry sky was silent. The brilliant starlight illuminated the small balcony. Under the starlight, Joshua saw the flush on Alois’s face and his exceptionally bright blue eyes. In the young man’s eyes, he saw his own reflection—a single second, but it was enough. In that moment, Joshua admitted he was hopelessly smitten.

“It’s cold at night. Let’s go inside.” Joshua averted his gaze.

“Okay.”

Alois got up from the ground. His knees were sore from kneeling too long on the hard, cold metal floor, causing him to stumble several times before finding his balance.

“Knees hurt?”

“Yeah.” Alois nodded. Before he could voice his complaint, Joshua scooped him up.

“What are you doing?” Alois was surprised.

“Taking you to your room.”

Joshua indeed took him to a room, but it was his own. He tossed the young man onto the bed, pulled the curtains to let the starlight in, then undressed.

“Don’t get the wrong idea.” He climbed into bed, commanding the expectant Alois. “Close your eyes and sleep. No funny business.”

“We’re sleeping together?” The young man was both surprised and delighted.

Joshua wrapped an arm around his shoulder. “Together.”

“Aren’t you afraid?”

“I’m trying to overcome it!” The assassin, slightly embarrassed, pressed Alois’s head into his chest. But the latter wriggled free, asking, “Should we leave a light on?” Joshua usually kept a light on while sleeping.

“No need. The starlight is bright enough.”

A bit too bright. Alois snuggled into the assassin’s embrace, closing his eyes to immerse himself in darkness. He tried to calm his racing heart, but his thoughts were already soaring. He remembered when they first met, Joshua would get angry even at a kiss. Who would have thought they’d be sharing a bed now, with Joshua initiating it!

His heart grew even more jubilant. Wild thoughts raced through his mind, but soon he felt exhausted and fell asleep.

Hearing the steady breathing from his arms, Joshua calmed down as well. For many years, he had gotten used to being alone. If he had to share a room with someone else, he would surely suffer from insomnia. He often woke up in the middle of the night, startled by nightmares from the past, and even had to keep a gun under his pillow to sleep peacefully.

‘Being my roommate must be a torment,’ Joshua thought. ‘It’s also a torment for me.’

But now, Alois had already fallen into a deep sleep, and the assassin knew it wasn’t an act. He forced himself to close his eyes and sleep but couldn’t succeed. Hours passed, and Joshua still felt no hint of sleepiness.

Alois turned over in his sleep. So the assassin carefully adjusted his position, holding the young man even tighter. The body in his arms was so warm, it felt like it was melting both his body and soul. This feeling was very strange, soft and sweet—a warmth he hadn’t felt since he left the sunlight of Old Earth.

It was like a light shining, like a fire burning.

When the ruling star of the night sky moved to the center of the zenith, Joshua finally couldn’t resist the sleepiness and fell into a deep sleep. Like every night before, he dreamed. But this time he didn’t dream of the laboratory on Old Earth, didn’t dream of parting with Kester, didn’t dream of the dark journeys in the universe, and didn’t dream of the desperate days and nights on Benjamin Star.

When he realized he was dreaming, Joshua found himself standing in the cell of Hecate Prison. Right, this was where he first met Alois. At that time, if there had been a brick beside him, he would have undoubtedly picked it up and smashed it on this obscene guy in front of him.

But this was a dream. Joshua saw Alois sitting on the bed nonchalantly. “It’s all your fault, Joshua Planck,” he blamed. “It’s your fault for being too beautiful, making me have evil thoughts.”

Although he said this, his eyes weren’t evil, nor were they impure. Among all the people Joshua had seen, none had eyes as clear as his.

Clear and blue, like the sky and ocean of Old Earth.

In his eyes, Joshua saw his own reflection. Only for a brief second. But he admitted that, in that second, he had hopelessly fallen for him.

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