Trill was nodding. “That makes sense.”
“At least insofar as any of this makes sense,” Yannoma muttered.
Which was fair enough. This was definitely not what Trill had been expecting.
Molun had agreed to be their test subject, insisting that the last of his healing could be done once they figured out how to do it without touching.
“How else are we going to test this?” he’d wanted to know. “We can’t do it on the Prince. Who’s going to let anyone else here injure themselves so they can heal it?”
They’d all exchanged glances, and couldn’t argue. No one wanted their loved one to be hurt.
“That’s what I thought,” Molun had said smugly. “My leg feels so much better already. I can definitely wait a little bit longer and have a viable way for you to test what you’re learning. It’s the most sensible solution.”
Arvus and Brannal insisted on being there, too, to support—and probably to put a stop to things if needed.
Perian explained in more detail what he’d been thinking and feeling as he’d tried to heal the Prince the first time. There’d been nothing logical about it. It had all been emotion-based.
He had, Trill realized, built his own connection between them. Not one of touch but one of feelings, that directed the energy where it was supposed to go.
Trill didn’t know the Prince that well, which was a different issue, but Molun? Trill had so many feelings for Molun.
He’d been thinking before about the process, bogged down in wanting to get the energy to the right place but not knowing how. His focus had been wrong. He’d been trying to send the energy with thoughts, not feeling the emotions that would allow the connection to form.
So he refocused on Molun and thought about all the things that Molun wanted to be able to do again. He thought about Molun being pain-free. He thought about all the activities that he and Molun and Arvus could do together when that happened. He thought about how amazing it would be when one of the men he cared so much about was healed.
He hadn’t even realized he’d closed his eyes. But he could hear the smile in Perian’s voice as he said, “Yes, exactly like that.”
“This really is amazing.” That was Molun, and Trill’s eyes popped open to look down at Molun’s leg.
They’d agreed it would be easier to see the scarring and be able to watch its progress, and of course Molun hadn’t minded being half naked in front of them. (He’d volunteered to takeeverythingoff, but Trill and Perian had agreed that there were some distractions that wouldn’t help with their healing. Molun had pouted but kept his underclothes on.)
Focusing on the scars, Trill could feel the connection, just like when he healed by touch, his energy responding to his request to make the man in front of him whole again.
It would probably have made more sense to pace themselves, but Perian was a force of nature, and Trill was happy to be pulled along in his wake. After seeing what Perian had done for Yannoma, Trill was entirely certain that together, they could definitely heal what was left of Molun’s injuries.
Sure enough, as they watched, those ropy scars—already so much better than they had been when Trill first met Molun—grew less and less pronounced, until they began to fade back into smooth skin.
A few moments later, Trill was filled with the sense that the healing was completed, but he realized that Perian was still sending energy. This was the step he wasn’t always good at, Trill remembered. He committed so fully to sharing his energy, putso muchemotion into it, that maybe he didn’t know how to stop.
Rather than tugging on the energy like Trill had done last time, he tried to do some teaching of his own.
“You’ll never stop loving Molun,” he said. “So the feelings don’t stop. But the need to express those feelings in this way has diminished. Do you feel it? You did exactly what you said you would. You loved him to full health. Now can you let this part of the connection fade, no more energy needed between you?”
Molun pouted, clearly wanting to make a joke, but he evidently realized the seriousness of the moment because he didn’t actually say anything. Fortunately, Perian had his eyes closed and didn’t notice.
“Oh,” he said, brow furrowing a little. “Yes, I see. Um…” There was silence for a long moment, Brannal hovering anxiously like he was ready to interpose a shield between them at any moment.
Trill felt when Perian figured out how to pull back. Perian blew out a breath and opened his eyes. He looked down at Molun and the leg that looked as good as new, and then he flung himself at the man, who wrapped his arms around him and held him close. Arvus wrapped his arms around both of them, and thenBrannal came to hug Perian from behind as well. One of Molun’s hands—just about all that Trill could see in the cuddle pile—beckoned at Trill, so he came to latch on to them as well.
Yannoma said, “You’re all ridiculous,” and wandered out of the room.
The hug went on for rather a long time, but it seemed to be exactly what all of them needed.
And then, of course, Molun wanted to prove that his leg worked, and Trill couldn’t help but point out the best way for him and Perian to recover.
This was definitely a group that was happy to have sex at all times of the day and night.
Molun ran up and down the stairs three times just because he could, the expression on his face one of such joy that neither Arvus nor Trill tried to stop him.
