Chapter 4 - 4

"Lieutenant," Ryan greeted. "I'm glad we're finally able to meet one another under better circumstances. Adam speaks very highly of you."

"Thank you," Jack answered, with a near-indiscernible touch of sarcasm. "The same to you."

Ryan led him to the pool room, where Adam was sitting cross-legged on one of the soft red chairs eating a warm slice of apple cake. He stood up the moment he saw them come in, smiling so brightly when he saw Jack that Ryan was almost jealous.

Jack's eyes went to Adam's belly almost involuntarily out of sheer surprise. As far as he knew, androids weren't able to gain weight; excess energy from food consumption was lost as heat. (After enough trips to android repair centers, he came to know this kind of thing.)

He glanced away, not wanting to make Adam uncomfortable, and resolved to ask him about it when they had a moment to themselves.

It took ten minutes of agonizing small talk before Ryan was interrupted by a supposedly important phone call from an investor. When he left the room, Jack and Adam were finally alone for the first time in two weeks.

"So you want to stay another week," Jack started awkwardly. "And you and Mr. Volkov here are..."

"He just needs to finish up observing a few last changes," Adam filled in helpfully.

Jack's mind flickered through easily a dozen questions he wanted to ask, but he pushed them aside, fighting to keep the uneasiness he felt around Ryan to himself.

"You put on a few pounds," he observed.

Better to just get it out of the way.

Adam nodded, still a little self-conscious. "I store unused energy from food consumption much in the same way that humans store fat. It's an experimental project of Ryan's."

"You call him Ryan now, huh," Jack mused. "First name basis."

And Jack could feel himself getting bitter-- thinking of things he shouldn't say, things he should be firing at Ryan, but his emotions came bubbling to the surface faster than he could push them away.

"Ryan's a creep. He's turned you into a fat housecat. Relaxing by his pool, feet up on the table, eating cake for breakfast-- it's not like you."

Color flooded Adam's cheeks again. "My ability to consume food functions similarly to the way it does in humans. He knew I wanted to be more human, and he gave me that," Adam answered defensively.

"I don't like the way he looks at you."

"I don't know what that means," Adam answered.
There was a coldness in his voice that reminded him of when he and Adam had first met, and he let out an angry breath.

"I don't know what to tell you, Adam. I want you to make your own choices. You're free to do that. But I also want you to know you can call me, okay? If Ryan tries anything... I'll come help you out."

Adam nodded.

"Thank you, Jack. It won't be necessary."

---

It was four in the afternoon, and Adam was peacefully in stasis on Ryan's bed, one arm wrapped protectively around his overfed tummy. His late lunch of butternut squash ravioli had made him pleasantly sleepy, and Ryan had coaxed him easily into the bedroom-- though not before licking a stray fleck of sage cream sauce from the android's lip when they kissed.

Ryan's focused attention lost its disturbing edge when Adam was so placated by food. Two weeks at Ryan's house meant that Adam had worked up a generous amount of pudge, and Ryan had watched eagerly as Adam's trim figure softened.

When Adam blinked slowly awake, Ryan was sitting on the bed next to him, rubbing slow circles on his back. The lights in the room were off; it was lit solely by the afternoon light filtering through the blinds. Seeing Adam lying so peacefully on the bed, deliciously vulnerable, sent a jolt of arousal straight to Ryan's core.

The dappled light on Adam's plump, exposed thigh was nothing short of the work of the devil; what god would create something so tempting? Ryan licked his lips, grateful for a moment that Adam was facing the other way-- grateful that he would not look up and see how intent his creator looked on devouring him.

Ryan's attention was addictive; his cool blue eyes were pale in the half-light of the bedroom, and Adam swore he could feel the intensity of his creator's desire like a physical sensation: warm and staticky. There was something intoxicating about being so clearly wanted. He leaned into Ryan's touch.