The Doctor is always in

5 – Changing

And once again, this chapter falls in the same basic time as the last two, all prior to the men being accepted as part of the crew.

Over the next few days, Duero continued to invite the small lower-class citizen to share his bed. It would prove to be the best decision he had ever made and as he pondered the iniquities of the small brunet, he began to notice even more questions surrounding the boy then he was able to get answers to.
Often, they would talk long into the nights, going over their versions of the day’s events.
Hashing through their thoughts and ideas about how and why things went the way they had or what could have been changed or done differently.
Hibiki told Duero of his childhood and the old man he called, ‘Ojiichan’. Explaining the things the man had told him and how he had come to the factory in the first place.
Duero told him of his early life and the demands placed on him by his parents, both elite and highly decorated for their time spent in the protection of their people.
They even talked about unimportant things, like favorite colors and their opinions on the way that the women of the ship dressed and acted.
Even more often, they would merely curl close and sleep.
Hibiki continued to have the dreams.
The men still came at him, tearing his clothing, holding him down, forcing him over convenient pieces of furniture, crates or Bangata parts in the factory.
They entered him roughly, often tearing him in the process and used him to sate their needs.
Hibiki had long ago learned not to cry out when dreaming the nightmares of his torment, for the cries often fueled them and they would take him again.
So he dreamt these horrors silently, not making sounds that would wake the man.
But, he had never been held like he was and his body hadn’t learned to control the twitching and jerking that his dreams caused for him.
These things the doctor recognized as post-traumatic shock syndrome and he would carefully ease his patient with soft words and gentle touches.
Hibiki’s dreams would fade and his sleep would deepen and he would never know that the man sharing his bed had aided with this.

Duero had continued his research, and now ruled out the boy as a subject of the experimentation, finding that all twenty subjects had been at least seven years older than himself and when they had reached the optimum age of sixteen years, had been encouraged to breed and the results had been disastrous.
The children of these men were malformed and without sex organs according to the documentation and all had to be destroyed. The men had been sent to the military to train and be sent to the front lines. Thereby loosing their lives for their world and solving the problem of their disposal.
Hibiki could not have been one of them; he was far too young. And this fueled the doctor’s interest even more.
He couldn’t explain the tattoo or the fact that the boy had been raised by a first generation.
And the more he spent time with the boy, the more attached he became.
It was not professional, but he was only a man and therefore, had needs beyond his work. Hibiki was slowly fulfilling one of those needs, the need to care for someone other than yourself.
Now, he needed to see if the boy truly reciprocated those feelings.


Once more Hibiki entered the cell and headed for his pallet. He had noticed that the temperature was off and now the ship was bordering on sweltering, once again.
“Damn Heat!” he growled as he pulled loose his bandana and began stripping out of his clothing.
His eyes came to rest on the larger pallet he had slept on the previous night and he sighed as he realized that the heat meant he would not be invited to share it this night.
“Damn stupid heat!” he complained more loudly.
“What are you yelling for?” Bart called from his side.
“It’s hot! How can I sleep if it’s this hot?” Hibiki cried in response not wanting to share his real issue.
“How am I supposed to sleep if you are yelling?” Bart answered dismissing the boy’s problem.
“Hmmmm!” Hibiki growled, dropping his pants and crawling onto the small pallet. His blanket was still on the larger place and he was too hot to want it anyway. So he just stretched out on the thin pad in only his Fundoshi.

Duero felt the heat rise in his part of the hospital and he groaned quietly.
Pai Wei didn’t hear him but as she was acting oddly again, he schooled his features to avoid her questions.
“Parfait?” he called into the communications unit. “Is there a problem with the climate controls again?”
“They aren’t responding. I’ll keep trying until I can get it cooled down. Go ahead and get some sleep. If I can’t fix it I’ll call for you.” She said dismissing him for the night.
“Well, I’m going.” He told Pai Wei. She looked up and nodded, not really caring if he remained or not since he hadn’t been paying her any attention, anyway.

Duero stepped into the cell and immediately noticed the sprawled out half-naked boy.
He watched as Hibiki slept, his mouth open and his left hand twitching slightly.
It hadn’t passed his notice that the boy had gone to the ship’s gymnasium again that afternoon and spent long hours working out on the various pieces of equipment there.
His sudden interest in fitness worried the man, and he hoped it was not something that would drive the boy to overdue things.
Once Duero had stripped down to his loin covering he stood between the two pallets and considered his options. He dropped onto his knees and laid a gentle hand on the boy’s shoulder.
Hibiki roused with only a few light shakes, to gaze up at the doctor from his place.
“You were working out today.” Duero stated, not really asking, but Hibiki nodded as an answer. “You must be sore.” The doctor added. “My pallet is softer.” He said, pointing to the open area as he climbed over to the far end and stretched out.
Hibiki watched him and his eyes followed every movement. When the man had settled, he climbed to his knees and crawled over next to him, stretching out near but not touching the other at any point.
Duero waited until Hibiki was no longer moving before he turned on his side and rested his hand against the closest shoulder.
“Why are you working so hard?” he asked, rubbing his thumb into the muscles there in a gentle massage.
“I want to get stronger. Bigger.” Hibiki answered.
“Why?” Duero asked, his fingers joining in the therapeutic movements.
“Because I am a man. That girl said I was like a woman. I don’t want to be like a woman.” The younger man said.
“Like a woman?” Duero mimicked. “In what way are you like a woman? A woman is very different from a man.” He added letting his hand move over the shoulder and down the flesh of Hibiki’s chest. “You feel like a man here.” He said spreading his fingers.
Hibiki drew a breath as the doctor’s hand flattened against his chest.
“Why?” he asked, his voice squeaking on the word.
Duero smiled at the barely spoken sound and his hand left the boys chest and moved lower. As he reached the only article of clothing the boy wore, he felt the quickening of Hibiki’s breath heart and he moved on, under the cloth to wrap his fingers around the awakening shaft. “You feel like a man here, also.” He said squeezing lightly.
“Duero-san?” Hibiki whispered, afraid that his voice would break the spell. “Why?”
“I’m sorry, Tokai-kun. I am a man, also. I haven’t been with another since before we left Taraak. If you aren’t interested, I will understand.” He said, giving the boy an escape.
“No.” Hibiki breathed. “Why, me?” he finished.
“Because you are strong. You have an inner strength that draws me. I would rather it be you, but if you say no, I’m sure Bart would be willing.” Duero said, throwing the boy a challenge.
“You mean it is my choice?” Hibiki asked, unaccustomed to being given such control.
“Of course. I am not a monster.” Duero said to the odd response. Suddenly, he realized what had probably happened and felt a need to confirm it. “Has someone forced you?” he asked, stopping the light movements of his hand on the slowly hardening organ.
Hibiki couldn’t answer; his mouth was thick with emotion and his throat wouldn’t loosen up for the quantity of emotion housed there. He managed to nod his head as the man watched and then, he was drawn into a warm strong embrace.
Duero held the boy tightly, trying to feed him assurances through his arms and fingers. His lips pressed into the soft dark hair and he placed lingering kisses there.
“Sleep, Tokai-kun. No one will hurt you here. And don’t concern yourself on what some women say. You are a man, and a very desirable one. If you wish to continue making yourself stronger, do so. But, only if it is what you want.” The doctor said.
Hibiki drew a deep breath and pressed his face closer to the tall man’s chest. Smelling the man’s scent and burrowing closer.
“Duero-san?” he asked and the man ‘hmmd’ a response. “Do you really want me? That way?” he asked.
“That way or this way. I enjoy having you around and wanted to get to know you better. Even if this is all we have, I am content.” Duero said, feeling the boy’s tight embrace and willing his body’s continued control.
“But you would like to have more?” Hibiki pressed him.
“Of course.” Duero admitted. “Tokai-kun, I am an elite. I have never before had to go without. Even among the crew of the ship I had many offers. I would be lying if I claimed that I didn’t want a physical relationship. But it has to be mutual. And if you don’t want me, I can handle that. As I said, I am sure that Bart has similar needs and could be talked into it. I am not ready to even consider a lifestyle change that involves the women, and I would truly rather it be with you.”
Hibiki sighed and shook his head. “You must know that I have been attracted to you, also. You are exactly what men consider the most desirable, even among the third-class world. I wouldn’t say no to you.” He admitted.
Duero smiled into the soft hair. “It was my hope. But for tonight, sleep. This can wait.” He said pulling the boy closer and tightening his arms around him.
Hibiki relaxed in those arms and began to drift off to sleep.


Thank you to all the reviewers on this fiction. I know that I have stepped into a highly uninhabited area, and with so few hits, to have so many reviews is a great compliment. I will continue this as I can. Again, it must fit into the tight parameters of the anime scenes and that means continual re-watching to catch slight contradictions that might make my fic seem au. It is, but I don't want it to seem that way. I wanted this to make you wonder if these things are happening in the background when you aren't around, see?

To Stormraven - thank you for your suggestions, and as I agree that working with a Beta requires a certain amount of appeasement by any author, I have to admit that I don't use one, and this is the way I like my stories formatted.
I call it 'book Form' and as I have read other stories where they are spaced out to make it easy for some readers to keep up, I don't care for it and will just keep going as is.
Thank you again, and I hope this does not discourage you from keeping up with my tale.

See everyone on the next chapter,

Much Love, ANNA