by Brian Clark
Flitter took his arm and tucked hers through it. “Well first Spike wanted to see you and run some tests on both your implant and the treatment. For the implant it is to ensure it is operating as expected since the Captain activated it. For the treatment it is to ensure that it is healing your heart correctly.” She leaned against him lightly and smiled.
As they were walking to medical Ray kept getting looks from the crew. One or two of the expressions made him want to hide. Yes he had seen animals in heat and understood all the technical aspects. Having humanoid dogs look at him with both desire and lust simply because he was male was disconcerting.
Flitter could feel his discomfort but he was doing a decent job of dealing with it and not showing it. As the various crew members came up and said hello he was being very polite as well. “Ray just so you know when they brush up against you that is normal. It doesn’t matter if we are in heat or not we enjoy the physical contact.”
Ray rolled his eyes. “I think I understand but it is not something I am used to. As I mentioned earlier I was told from early on to be careful with physical contact. Much of it was simply because what would be a mild infection or illness to a healthy person could be dire for me. I am most definitely not used to random strangers rubbing against me.” He gave her a wry smile. “That isn’t even beginning to mention only seeing females and being the only male aboard.”
She gave him a light hug and nuzzled his ear. “I could feel just how frustrated and angry you were. It made sense when you put it that way but it still doesn’t mean you don’t want or need the contact. Also you aren’t the only male, just the only human male.” They finally walked into medical and one of the staff came over and greeted them.
Ray almost twitched away from Flitter’s nuzzle since he didn’t want his ear nipped again. It did feel good though the whiskers tickled his cheek. The mention of other males on board did catch his attention but he didn’t get a chance to ask before they walked into medical.
“Good morning Mr. Johnson and I am pleased to see you up and about. You had us really worried yesterday when we brought you aboard.” The tech came over and gave him a good hug before showing him to a table. “I need you to retract the uniform so we can scan you.”
When they did walk into medical and he got another random hug he had to blush. This female looked like she was based on a stocky heavy set dog and her coloration made him think of a pit-bull.
He flushed when she mentioned their being concerned. “Sorry about that but since I was randomly kidnapped to be a paid boy toy I blame it all on ya’ll.” Just for good measure he winked at her and then twitched when Flitter nipped his neck.
The ship suit retracted while they were talking and he didn’t manage to stop the automatic reaction to cover his groin with his hands. “Grr, this suit is going to drive me nuts. First it gooses me and then vanishes randomly. What do you need me to do?”
Silent Strength had to cover her mouth as she tried not to giggle at his comments. “Go lie down on the table there and place your hands by your side. A cover will come down over you during the scan.” She took one arm with her hand and led him to the table and helped him up.
When the cover came down Ray relaxed. “Well at least I am semi-covered up.” Flitter snickered at him and he growled back. She was getting way to much amusement out of his reactions. One thing he was starting to notice was in public she was very calm and quiet but in private she showed her sense of humor. Ray had to wonder if it was related to her job as his assistant or her personality.
Once the cover was over him he could both feel and hear a quiet humming and above him a 3-d image of his chest started forming. That was very fascinating to him since it was in real time and color coded. He could tell the veins from the arteries, see his heart beating, and his lungs moving. He had seen similar images but they were on 2-d screens so even if 3-d didn’t have the same quality.
Spike walked in about then and smiled at him. “Hello Ray and thank you for starting the scan Silent Strength.” The tech smiled at her as the two of them walked over to Ray. “Well it is looking good Ray and the hole is sealed shut. It will take some time for the tissue to grow together but the nanites will keep it sealed till that is done.”
As she was talking she was using the comm. implant to manipulate the image and zoom in on where the defect had been. “The dark spot is the nanites that have plugged the opening. They are also going to form the basis of a mesh that your cells will use to seal the hole with tissue. I did take a look at your DNA and it does not appear this is a congenital defect so you don’t need to worry about passing it on to any children or pups you might have.”
Ray watched the image and nodded as she explained what was going on. It was fascinating and he had to wonder what other uses the nanites were used for. After she mentioned it not being congenital he greatly relaxed. That had been a concern since he had really noticed girls. “Thanks for checking and letting me know Doc. I am glad to know that.”
Eventually Spike finished with them and released him with a full bill of health. “Depending on your decision you will be back here tomorrow either to have the few memories locked or for additional work on the implant.” She smiled at him and gave him a kiss. “I know which I would prefer Ray but it is your decision.”
~~~
The rest of the day was much the same but as the day went along Ray began to pick up undercurrents to the actions of the crew. They were excited to see him and he figured much of that was simply the drive to mate and try to get pregnant. There was also a feeling of almost desperation as well.
Knowing what he did he understood and contemplated what the Captain had said during the day. The only thing that had distracted him was the viewport in one of the lounges that showed earth. That had been overwhelming.
When they walked into the lounge that was the first thing he had noticed. Some of the women had started to come up to say hello but he barely noticed. He started towards the view screen and stopped in front of it and pressed a hand against it. “Oh wow, that is a lovely sight. I have seen pictures of the earth like this before but to actually get to see it? For this alone I am grateful for being kidnapped.” As he was standing there he wasn’t thinking when he wrapped his arm around Flitter and urged her to his side. “Thank you for showing me this Flitter.”
They eventually continued walking around the ship and Flitter showed him a game room, a second lounge that felt somewhat like a bar with a dance floor. The room that really fascinated him was the holodeck. He had flashbacks to one of the Star Trek series and almost shuddered. A number of those dealt with the holodeck coming to life and that idea made his skin crawl.
~~~
Eventually they did make it back to his room after eating dinner and getting more greetings. When they made it back to his room he collapsed on a sofa that was in there and let out a deep sigh. “I am so going to take you up on your offer of a massage.” He looked at her. “I am also going to tell the Captain that I am going to accept. I don’t like the idea of being forced to forget everything or have the memories but not able to talk about them. I will help though.” He held his arms out to her.
She gave him a smile that lit up her entire face. “Oh thank you Ray. I was really hoping that you would accept.” Flitter moved over to him and straddled his lap and leaned against him and gave him a good kiss. “Thank you so much.” She turned a bit pink. “I was really hoping you would accept so I could stay with you while you are aboard and serve you.” Flitter nuzzled his neck and extended the tip of her tongue and delicately licked his ear in pleasure.
Ray damn near died on the spot with her obvious happiness. It was such an uncontrolled reaction from her and really showed who she was. Yes she did show her feelings but was reserved about it. Flitter came across as so calm and comfortable. Now it showed a bit of where she had gotten her name from. When she straddled his lap he slid his hands around her waist and stroked her back and bottom through the suit. “Well in that case you can serv
e me by giving me a good shower and then a massage… Ahhhh.” He tried to hold in the reaction to her tongue but darn it that tickled.
“Death by Inu!!!” He stuck his arms out and waved them around in apparent horror only to get a giggle from her. “If you sit here like this to long your Captain might not get first dibs on the new human.” He kissed her and rested his head on her shoulder. “I did mean much of what I said this morning and especially when it comes to the boy and girl things. I try not to let it get to me but sometimes…” Ray closed his eyes and simply held her.
Flitter had to giggle and delicately ran her tongue around his ear again just for good measure. “So you do admit I am female and maybe attractive huh? That is nice to know and as I said we will discuss that later. Right now I think that for you it would be better that we start as friends and you getting comfortable with having me in your life and bedroom.” When he mentioned that he had been serious she cupped his head with one hand and her other around his back.
“I know Ray since I could feel it this morning. I can’t say that I will ever truly understand how that makes you feel. Just the idea of knowing that any moment can be your last simply due to a medical problem is rather horrifying.” Flitter kept nuzzling his neck and face to comfort him. “And to be told to stay away from people to keep from being hurt or causing hurt. That is wrong. We will all die at the allotted time and the best we can do is live life to the fullest.”
She finally leaned back and though she kept holding him encouraged Ray to look at her. “Ray please trust in me. Trust that I can help you deal with this. This is one of the things I have been trained for and in a way is what I live and breathe for.” Her hands slid around and cupped his face. Her thumbs were stroking his skin as she talked. “When an assistant, we are called Liraque’s, accepts a client, a Liraqua, it is for many reasons. It can be because they are comfortable with them. Maybe we can feel a bond with the other and a need to be with them till our services are no longer necessary. I had one Liraqua who was severely injured and my job was to get her back on her feet and to prove to her that she was still a beautiful and lovely woman. Her face was badly damaged.”
“In you I feel the bond between the two of us and felt it when I touched you while you were in medical. I can also feel many of the emotions and feelings you have which are similar to what she had as well. I want to help you and I want to be your assistant. Will you accept me as your Liraque?” Liraque didn’t have any direct translation in English. It ranged from mistress, servant, healer, and far more.
Ray let her hold him and she was doing something since he was starting to relax again. He did have to agree that for the moment it might be best if they stayed friends without benefits. “You are a lovely and sexy woman but I think I agree with you short term. I might have said yes to helping but I am sure there are going to be times in the beginning where I am going to need to have someone I can simply relax with. Someone where there isn’t going to be an expectation of sex. If it happens then it happens since it will be right for us at that point.”
When she started stroking his cheeks he closed his eyes and enjoyed the contact. “I do…” He had to smile. “That is what we say when we marry someone and it just sounded a bit wrong. I do accept you as my Liraque. I accept what you bring to this and will give you what I can back.” He leaned forward and kissed her. “Now that we have dealt with that go get the shower and massage stuff ready… Your master feels the need of getting clean and relaxed.” He tried to sound haute but ended up collapsing against her laughing.
Flitter had to smile. “I do accept you as my Liraqua.” When he mentioned marriage she snickered. “Well in a way it is sort of like that. So should I call you Master or Husband?” When he pretended to order her to go and take care of the shower and massage Flitter lightly bopped him on the shoulder. “Brute, I might have to reconsider.” Flitter slipped off his lap and almost danced across the room to the bed and pulled out a thick sheet and set some oils out. “So are you going to shower in your suit?”
He laughed at her teasing and had to appreciate the way she moved across the room. Her entire body showed her pleasure at being accepted and the way she moved did look like she was flitting. “I think your name is more appropriate than you realize. When you dance like that you do seem to flit from one spot to another.”
Flitter paused and smiled at him before dancing in place for a few moments. As she was dancing her uniform pulled back to the bracelets and then she danced towards the bathroom. When she reached the door she gave him an arch smile. “Well Master you did want a bath didn’t you?”
Ray had to smile. “That dance made me think of you trying to catch the last ray of sunshine before darkness settles in. It made me feel warm and happy.” For some reason when she did the little dance it made him think of the happy dance that Snoopy did in the cartoons.
When he told her what the dance felt like to him she blushed slightly and looked down. She might be a Liraque and for some time but that didn’t mean she wasn’t female and couldn’t appreciate a compliment. “Thank you Ray.” She really appreciated his interested in her.
He stood and walked over and tried to tell his uniform to go away only to run into the wall since he wasn’t looking where he was going. “Okay, who put that there darn it. It wasn’t there this morning.” Trying to look like he had intended it he walked around it into the bathroom. He glanced down and the uniform had vanished. “Great, I have to run into a wall or get a woody to do things with my uniform.”
She laughed at him before starting the water. It didn’t take very long thanks to the nanites and then he settled on the sheet for the back massage. He was in for the surprise of his life since it was a full body massage and he was pink by the time she was done even though she had avoided certain parts. She could tell that he was feeling far more relaxed than earlier.
“Thank you and let’s crawl in since I have a feeling I am going to fall asleep for at least a short while.” Ray stretched and yawned. “The Captain might be a bit put out with you when she shows up and I am snoring.” He crawled in after Flitter had removed the heavy sheet and was asleep before she had even crawled in.
~~~
Before the Captain came in this time she sent a comm. request to Flitter and waited for her to answer. When she did the Captain asked her to come outside for a moment.
Flitter took a moment to pull on a robe in case Ray woke. Even though he was asleep and sleeping well she knew that it was going to take time for him to get used to random nudity. In bed was one thing since they had sheets and a cover but walking around the room was different for him.
Vyra stepped over and gave her a good hug. “You feel very content Flitter. I take it you asked and he accepted?” When Flitter gave Vyra a beaming smile that was answer enough. “I am pleased for you. So what can you tell me about how he is doing? I was concerned with his reaction this morning.”
Flitter nodded and took her hand and led her into the room and closed the door. Even though she was going to use the comm. link this was still a conversation that needed to be done in private. *First he has accepted your request. I think part of it is because he knows what it is like to live knowing that one day he was going to simply not wake up. Though we have fixed his physical heart his emotional heart has been badly damaged.* She simply couldn’t sit still at the moment and stood up and paced back and forth.
*Being told to avoid people and relationships has made him a very lonely person. He has filled some of that with these ‘pets’ he is a doctor for but he misses the human touch. I don’t think he really understands that or has buried it so he doesn’t have to feel it.* She sighed since she felt sad for him. *I am going to focus my efforts and energies on healing that aspect of him. If anything else happens it will be as the goddess dictates. Right now he needs a friend to talk to and not another potential sex partner.*
The Captain could tell that he was having a deep impact on the Liraque. That was one of the reasons they had allowed her
to come along unassigned. She was getting older, even if it didn’t show, and was starting to feel the drive to find a home and a family. It wasn’t something that happened to all of the Liraque but some it did.
Vyra had been given very strict instructions on what to say to her and how to handle her. *Then be a friend to him.* She stood and walked over and gathered the older woman to her. *Allow him to be your friend as well. Not just a Liraqua but a friend. Now about his engaging in sexual activities any recommendations?*
Flitter leaned against the Captain and enjoyed the embrace and comfort she was giving. She knew that her senior had some concerns though what they were she didn’t know. *I will do my best Vyra. I do have to admit I am feeling… In need of something.* Flitter rubbed her face against her Captains chest and smiled. *I would have to say take it slowly and let him set the pace. We didn’t talk details but I gathered that his encounters have been very few and very controlled. Avoid assigning anyone to him that might be aggressive in bed since I think that would be more than counter productive.*
She looked over at the sleeping man. *I am going to continue showing him around the ship and gradually introduce him to some of the crew that I think would work. For the next week or two maybe let him have some say in it since I have a feeling he isn’t and won’t be a wham bam thank you Ma’am sort. I think he will at least want to have some sort of connection even if it is just having talked to them.*
Vyra listened and nodded. *We will take care of you as well sweetie. You keep us stable and we protect and love you. Let’s go to bed and when he wakes is soon enough.* She rubbed her nose against Flitter’s before leading her over to the bed. After withdrawing her suit gently slid in and curled around Ray. When he moved a bit closer to her and mumbled something she had to smile. “Sleep Ray and we will talk later.”
Flitter crawled in and since the Captain was spooning Ray she curled up with her back to him. She felt him wrap an arm around her waist and pulled her close. “Warm… Tired…” He mumbled and fell asleep again.
