The Science of Love (Zombie_In_A_Box and Clover)

[クローバー (Clover)]

"After everything that just happened, all I want to do is rest, so I do need help drying." Zane said. "And this facility has gym equipment somewhere?"

Zane slowly started to feel more and more comfortable under this man's care. Despite the fact that he had basically been kidnapped off of the streets, that little detail seemed to become less and less important as time went on. However, the prospect of getting close to his captor simultaneously frightened Zane. After all, there was a diagnosis for the psychological phenomenon of a captive growing close to their captor called Stockholm Syndrome that he had read about in a psychology class. The idea of anybody befriending or falling in love with someone who had kidnapped them repulsed Zane, but at the same time, the danger thereof excited him. Also, Martin was an actual scientist who worked for a real company doing real studies to put out real products to sell to real people for real money. He knew that he was in safe hands for the moment.

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Martin nodded and took a towel, gently beginning to dry the other off. Just like with washing, he was very gentle and soft, not even rubbing it too hard. The man made sure to dry every last bit, just so Zane wouldn't catch some cold. "You see, I'll get you anything you want here. If you want to excercise, I will get you a place to excercise in." The raven said with a small smile before picking the other up into his arms. Martin set him down on a fluffy armchair and began changing the bed sheets. "Do you also need help dressing up?" He questioned, tossing the dirty sheets to the side and got some new ones out. The scientist could really be caring, even if in a sort of twisted way... He was a twisted man, there wasn't much else anyone could expect.

[クローバー (Clover)]

"You'd really get a set of gym equipment for me?" Zane said, his eyes lighting up. "That would be great! I'd really like to keep up my endurance training while I'm doing this study."

The promise of a gym really seemed to reach Zane. Before the study, he had been seeing a personal trainer to help overcome his physical weakness. Before college, he could barely break 20 minutes in his PE classes' infamous mile run without passing out half-way in. However, after his first year of actually working out, he managed to get it down to 15 minutes. After Zane got busier with his studies, his trainer gave him a folder with every workout they did and how frequently to do it, leaving him to do it on his own time when they couldn't meet.

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Martin smiled warmly and nodded, gently running a hand over Zane's hair. "I can get you the equipment, and if you'd like a personal trainer, I will work it out as well." The raven said with a small smile playing on his face. As the other didn't say anything about dressing up, the scientist decided that he may as well help out. After picking out some comfortable underwear, pants and a long-sleeved shirt, the man dressed the younger one up. After that, he made his bed and layed the teen on it. "Do you need anything right now?" The man asked as he sat down on the edge of the bed, lightly running a finger over Zane's cheek.

[クローバー (Clover)]

"I... I want you to stay with me until I go to sleep." Zane said. "I used to have night terrors of being raped, but I'm recovered for the most part."

 

Zane was internally facepalming at how creepy his request was. Since when did he need some total stranger to watch over him while he slept? This was not something he ever expected to need after passing through adolescence. However, the part of him that trusted Martin was overpowering his logical self, it seemed. However, the other half seemed to make itself present in the nagging voice inside his head telling him that he was going insane and would become one of those Stockholm syndrome cases his psychology class talked about. However, for the moment, he tried to silence the argument going on in his head and focus on getting enough rest. He only wore a pair of silk briefs to bed as he got under the covers.

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Martin was definitely surprised by the request, but nodded neverthless. "Alright, I can stay." He said softly before turning around to grab himself a book. He couldn't just sit there and watch Zane sleep, after all. "Anything else?" The man asked as he looked at his "guinea pig" with a sweet smile. "You should definitely try to get lots of sleep. Tomorrow's tests will not be as pleasant as today. We have some medicine to test, but before that, we'll have to induce the symptoms they treat. Most of them aren't exactly nice." He sighed out softly before reaching out to gently run a hand over the teen's hair. "But you shouldn't worry too much. Your body will not be damaged in any way." The raven promised as he stroked the other's cheek before pulling his hand away and opening the book.

[クローバー (Clover)]

Zane gulped. He knew that eventually he'd have to test something not so nice in the future. He felt nervous, but at the same time reassured that Martin would be administering the test. Hearing that it wouldn't damage his body also aided in easing his nerves. However, considering his weak constitution, he had no idea if the symptom inducers would be more severe than if they were in a normal person. He tried to shake those thoughts from his head, but to no avail. He looked up at Martin like a lost child.

 

"Could you come here and stroke my head gently? I think it'll help me get to sleep faster." he asked.

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Martin didn't get to read the book at all when he heard the request. Letting out the softest sigh, the man stood up and went to sit down on the edge of the bed. "If you need anything during the night, just hit that button and someone will come." He muttered softly before gently running his hand over Zane's hair. He felt as if he was taking care of a child... His child. He liked that feeling. With a small smile gracing his face, the scientist slowly stroked the teen's hair, sometimes softly brushing a few fingers over his cheek, hoping to calm him down at last.

[クローバー (Clover)]

Slowly, but surely, Zane began to drift off into sleep. His mind felt at ease, feeling Martin's hand gently stroking him. To know that Martin would be there for him when the tests would get less pleasurable was reassuring. He could only hope that his body could cope with the effects of the simulated effects of real diseases. Since he had a weak composition, he easily became ill when he was growing up. Other boys relentlessly bullied him for his weakness, but he didn't let it get to him, since he knew that not every man was meant to be kicking a ball across a field. He gently settled into his bed and quietly fell asleep.

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Martin waited to make sure Zane was really asleep before finally leaving. He had others to take care of too... One of them was too weak to take care of himself after an exhausting day of tests. That one was found on the floor, having peed themselves after trying to get to the bathroom and failing. With soft whispers, Marting began calming his "child", putting them to bed after washing up as well. Like that, he went through all of his test subjects. Sometimes he liked calling them pets. He fed them, cleaned them, trained them... They were like his own obedient puppies.

[クローバー (Clover)]

Zane woke up the next morning, a feeling of dread washing over him after he remembered what he was supposed to do today. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and proceeded to the bathroom to freshen up for the day. Once he was out, he anxiously awaited Martin's return. He quivered like a child about to get a shot. The idea of having a disease simulated in his body scared him. All he could think of was that something could go horribly wrong, actually get him sick, and end up killing him. He could only hope that Martin would see that everything went smoothly.

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Martin had barely slept through the night, as one of his pets held him up all night long. It wasn't that he wasn't used to it, but coffee he still disliked. The raven was in a groggy mood as he made way to Zane's room after an hour-long nap on the couch. He yawned before opening the door, holding the coffee in one hand. "Good morning. Get ready, the you're going with me." He murmured softly, trying to appear at least somewhat not-tired. He couldn't risk his pets, after all. Not their trust, not their whole selves.

[クローバー (Clover)]

Reluctantly, Zane got himself ready, dressing and putting on his shoes. He held Martin's hand, squeezing it slightly from fear. He knew that this next test would not be very pleasant for him, but he had to do it as long as he was in the study. The fact that he'd have to simulate a real life sickness kept weighing on his mind, but he tried to look somewhat okay in the presence of Martin. He figured that it wouldn't be easy for the person conducting the study either.

"G-good morning..." he said, nervous.

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Martin quickly finished up his cup of coffee and tossed the plastic cup away, gently squeezing Zane's hand as if to reassure him. "Let's go." He muttered out as he began leading the younger male out of his room and through the halls of the company. "Now listen to me. You won't feel anything pleasurable. What we use to give you the disease is quick, but painful. The effects will come soon, but you will have to communicate with me. I'll want to know everything. What hurts, what feels wrong, then we'll give you the medicine... And I can't promise it'll work."

[クローバー (Clover)]

Zane simply looked at Martin, the look of a scared kitten in his eyes. He did understand what this meant, and the risks that were involved, but something in him was telling him to keep pushing forward through his study. After all, it seemed like the drug he tried first gave him a pleasurable result. Hopefully, he would be able to survive this and live to see a more pleasing test. He could only wonder what kind of disease they were going to test.

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Martin managed a small smile as he patted Zane's hair, slowly combing through them. "I'll make sure you get the best care, okay?" He murmured, pressing a kiss against his forehead before pulling away. "Now go into that room. Get showered, don't dry yourself. Be careful and don't touch any surface. A door will open and you will step into another room. You'll be dried there, then we'll inject you with the disease. Everything must be as sterile as possible, we don't need any bacterias from outside." The man explained as he stepped towards the door opposite to the ones Zane was to go through. "You will be able to see me once you've showered."

[クローバー (Clover)]

Zane simply nodded, trying to keep himself from crying when the time came. He slowly went into the room Martin indicated and showered, purposefully taking a long time to do both things. He really did not want this to happen, but if it would help others, he supposed that it wouldn't be too bad in the end. Once he was done washing up, he went into the next room, which he discovered when he heard the sound of the door automatically opening. As he was dried, he waited in anticipation for the injection, preparing himself for the worst. Even though Martin was right there, he knew that he wasn't accessible due to a massive glass pane separating the scientist from the infectious disease he was studying.

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Martin observed his new pet cautiously, noting his nervousness. The man let out a soft sigh as he reached out and turned on the microphone which allowed the two of them communicate. "Don't forget, tell me every pain you feel." He reminded the other and let out a small, soothing smile. He watched as a man came up to Zane, covered completely in a suit and a syringe with the disease. Carefully taking the young man's arm, he injected the contents and quickly left the room, sealing any contact with the outside other than the glass. The expected symptoms of the disease were sharp pain in the right side of the abdomen, dizziness and confusion.

[クローバー (Clover)]

The symptoms hit Zane like a brick wall. He fell to his knees, clutching his right side in pain. The dizziness set in pretty quickly too, quickly transforming into nausea as he struggled to keep his footing from faltering and his food from coming back up. It hurt immensely, but it was in the name of helping this man out. Tears began to stream down his face as the symptoms seemed to intensify, causing him to vomit on the floor. After that little surge, Zane started to question his logic in staying in the study, but the experiment with the aphrodisiac stuck in his mind. His better judgement would've told him to leave, but that particular memory seemed to make him pause. He wasn't sure why and couldn't be bothered to think about it with the pain that he was going through at the moment.

 

"H-hurts... It hurts..." he sobbed.

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Martin flinched slightly when his pet fell down on his knees and puked. It was never nice to see his precious ones hurt... "Zane, talk to me. What hurts, describe the pain." He spoke into the speaker, lightly biting the inside of his cheek. "You're doing great, just talk to me. I know it hurts, I know it's bad, but I need specifics..." The man spoke, trying to get Zane to listen to him. If the other didn't cooperate, this would all go to waste. "I can promise you I'll take care of you after this, so just focus on that. Don't give up." Martin continued speaking, watching Zane with a pained expression on his face. He felt bad about making it hurt so bad, though a small part of him was enjoying this. He enjoyed inflicting pain to others, he enjoyed their suffering...

[クローバー (Clover)]

"My right side... It hurts most. I... can't stand up. I'll throw up... again... if I do..." Zane managed to say. He tried to roll away from his own vomit, but the stench was so terrible that it almost made him throw up again. He remained on the floor, crying and wanting it all to be over. What if something went wrong? Would he die if it did? Why did he trust Martin in the first place? He tried to bear with the pain as much as he could, but he found his resolve weakening as time went on.

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

"Sounds like the symptoms are as we planned... Now the medicine. Hear that, Zane? The pain is going to go away now." Martin spoke, even though none of them could be sure it really did. As a man in a full suit came in again and injected a different syringe, the scientist found himself holding his breath. If it worked, they could start testing it out on people with the actual disease. "Zane... Does it feel better?" Martin asked after a while, clearly impatient and anxious. He wanted to take care of his precious pet already. He may have had a twisted personality, but there was still some humanity left in him.

[クローバー (Clover)]

One last violent heave later, and it seemed like everything, the disease and all, had been flushed out of him. The other syringe didn't even feel like anything as it entered his arm. It kind of sweetened the whole ordeal, taming his stomach and recalibrating his sense of balance. The sour taste of vomit lingered in his mouth, though. All he could do was thank the stars that it was all over and he hadn't died. He knew that this was necessary under the terms of the study, so he tried not to question anything, but in his head, he felt conflicted. Certainly, Martin had shown him a good time the first day he brought him here, but to see a man be able to be so loving, yet so unfeeling at the same time confused him. He wiped the sweat off of his forehead and a speck of vomit from his knee and got up.

 

"It's better now." he replied. "T-thank you..."

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Martin rose his eyebrows in surprise. Why did the symptoms go away so suddenly? That wasn't supposed to happen. The medicine wasn't magic, it couldn't work like that. "Zane, be careful." Martin spoke suddenly, fear creeping into him. This situation didn't mean anything good. The symptoms could come back, and then... He didn't know what they would use to make him better again. Perhaps they would just wait it out, as uncomfortable as that would be. As it wasn't an actual disease, it would be flushed out of the system in approximately eight hours. Surely, that was a long period to experience pain, but... It was for the sake of others.

 

"Are you sure you feel okay?" Martin asked carefully, leaning closer to the microphone to see Zane better through the thick glass.

[クローバー (Clover)]

Just as he thought things were okay, he felt pain resurface, this time inside his head. This one was more familiar, a migraine. He had had them in the past, and he knew all the tell-tale signs that one was happening. The bright lights of the hall were almost painful to be under, and staying upright was becoming more of a challenge by the minute. He tried to walk away from the mess of vomit from earlier, but he threw up again.

 

"I think I'm having a migraine. Could you take me out of the bright lights?" he asked.