by Juniper Gray
“Mm.”
“A couple of years time and he'll have his own ship, I've no doubt. He has a great mind for tactics, right?”
“Uh huh.” Gen stood to leave.
“Then why are you holding him back?”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Why else would a man with the potential to be a first-rate strategic officer right now, be wasting his time with small-scale missions and backwater postings? If it wasn't for you I bet he'd be a sub-commander already.”
“What do I have to do with anything? You're not making any sense.”
“Let me guess. You were bottom or near-bottom in your class. Lowest aptitude for most things, leaving you with an incomplete skill-set. You keep him here because you don't want to be left behind.”
“Don't act like you know me. Or him. What he does with his life is his own damn business.”
“So you never convinced him to go with you to Epsilon? Never told him how much fun it would be, how much you'd both learn and grow from it, never assured him it would be for the best? Never discouraged him from taking that post that might lead him to something bigger?”
“No.”
“You're lying.”
“What did he tell you?”
“He hasn't told me anything. He doesn't have to; it's so blatantly obvious. We don't like to think humans are simple creatures, but we are, Gen. We all have wants and needs that dictate our choices, our actions. You'll tell him whatever it takes to keep him by your side. You're afraid he'll leave you like all the others have, and you'll have no one left to keep you afloat.”
“That's bullshit.”
“Is it? What other possible reason could there be for you wanting him to stick around? Him in particular, I might add...” He scrutinized Gen's expression.
Gen breathed in and appeared to compose himself, putting on impressive air of dignity as he turned back to face Meitou.
“I honestly wouldn't expect a man who is all tactics and no soul to understand my motives when I don't even know. But I know he stays of his own free will; I've never cajoled him into anything—I'm simply glad to have him by. He stays for his own reasons, though I don't pretend to understand those either.”
Meitou could suddenly see what Therse saw in Gen—a startling charisma, a self-assurance and stern conviction that, given the extra gravitas a bit of maturity would bring him, could stoke even the dullest embers in a man's chest to a roaring inferno. Men would not follow Therse to their deaths, but they would one day follow Gen if it was needed.
He pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes. Certainly a worthy trip. He had found two very interesting men indeed. Meitou moved over to where Gen was, leaning close beside him. Gen didn't flinch, determined not to give him any ground.
When Meitou eventually spoke, his tone was kind and understanding. “He's about to leave you, isn't he? You know he's going to accept that post from Command, because it's what he's always wanted. That's why you're so pissed at him, not because he's gay and never told you. You don't want him to go. You can't stand the thought of never seeing him again. That's why you're making a big deal out of this, so he might stay out of guilt. With you.”
* * * *
Gen swallowed. He felt as though he should be angry but all he could feel was hollow, as though suddenly aware of empty places inside he hadn't noticed before. He looked at Meitou, close and composed, and all he could muster was a vague scowl. The man saw through it easily and smiled. It was a kind smile at least, he supposed.
He could almost see why Therse would be attracted to him. There was certainly something about him, something transfixing in those ice-cool blue eyes. He noticed himself look at Meitou's lips, at those close, full, pink lines, and lowered his head so that his hair fell forward, not sure what was he was thinking.
He heard Meitou move, the faint swish of fabric at his side. The man's fingers swept Gen's hair gently behind his ear with a lingering touch around his lobe. He was surprised at himself that he allowed it. He coughed and stood, then started across the mess without turning back.
* * * *
Meitou watched him go, smiling quietly in the dark of the mess hall, like the inward victory of a chess grandmaster who knows his most daring final move has just been put into play. Across the hall, as he was leaving through the main doors, Gen hissed and rubbed at a sudden pain behind his ear.
Yes, all the pieces on the board were about to dance to his tune.
* * * *
Gen rubbed at the odd sore spot behind his ear as he stepped into the shower, and thought about what Meitou had been saying earlier. About not wanting Therse to leave. Of course he didn't want him to leave. Therse was his best friend. It was bad enough that some rampant Imperial idiot had gate-crashed the time they still had together. But telling him so seemed...difficult, somehow.
His mind wandered back to when he'd discovered the lovers together, Therse's face, the moment before he'd realized Gen had burst in—that fleeting look of pleasure, then utter horror.
He didn't really understand why it made him so irritated, why every time he saw Meitou there was a liquid heat that ran through him like simmering rage, why he was annoyed at Therse for indulging so easily. He looked down and realized that thinking about the two of them together had made him hard. He blushed and tried to ignore his erection, but it was achingly persistent.
He relented and ran his hand along his cock, conjuring up memories of ex-girlfriends and fantasizing about them. But his mind just kept slipping back to Therse and Meitou, intertwined, the rhythm of Therse's thrusts translating into the movement of Meitou's eager body, Therse's erection slipping deep in and out of him.
He stopped and pounded a fist into the wall of the little shower, frustrated at the odd direction his mind had taken; confused and irritated by how hard it had made him to remember and imagine what it might feel like. But try as he might he couldn't ignore it, and his cock commanded attention.
He started up again, thinking strictly of breasts in his hands, nipples protruding seductively through his fingers as tight pussy rode his hard length. He thought of how he would make her scream, how she would cry out his name over and over, begging for more. He fingered his balls as he thought about it, cheek pressed to the wall and breathing hard as he thought of her clawing at him for release as his tongue lapped her folds.
Then his hand slipped down further, to that place behind his balls where it felt good and made him wet. Made him want something wrapped around his cock as he licked away—something that was better than his own hand. Someone's mouth, pleasuring him as he pleasured another.
But not a woman's mouth.
The thought of a guy's lips and tongue taking him whole made him harder than he'd ever been in his life, and in that moment he was too hot to care about the implications. All he knew was that thinking about it made him really fucking tight. He imagined someone kneeling in front of him, gripping his hips with rough, unforgiving hands and forcing him to thrust forward, pushing him into the hot, wet place beyond. He imagined trying to push him away but being overpowered and brought down, pinned as the man worked his cock with hands and lips and tongue that knew him better than any woman ever could. He ran hands through the man's thick, dark hair, pushing him away and holding him down in equal measure, feeling the end of his erection squeezed by his throat, tension flaring in his groin as his body prepared for orgasm.
He opened his eyes a fraction, and his fantasy dissolved. He was hard and desperate for it, but determined not to come with those thoughts in his head. He just couldn't understand what was wrong with him. He'd had similar thoughts before, but always been able to overwhelm them and think of women instead, which was what he really wanted.
But he was so hard he could feel the pulse in every part of his erection, and had to move out of the water flow because it was getting too sensitive. He reached down to his balls, back against the wall, panting openly as he tugged them gently, wanting to resume the fantasy and enjoy t
he climax he knew would follow, but still resistant. He let his head drop to the side, rubbing his palm in small circular motions over his glans. It was just a fantasy, after all. It didn't matter that thinking of being pleasured by another man turned him on beyond where thinking of women took him to.
“Am I interrupting?”
Gen jolted, eyes wide, staring out into the bathroom, horrified that he'd been discovered but finding no one.
“Oh, sorry. Don't worry, I'm speaking directly into your ear.”
“How the fuck —”
“You see, earlier, when I touched you, I popped a little device behind your ear. It's tapped into your vestibulocochlear nerve—completely harmless and reversible, I assure you—so even though I'm on the other side of the ship I can still talk to you.”
“What the hell! Turn this shit off, now!”
“Now where would be the fun in that? After all, it seems like you've got something you want to get back to...”
“Can you see?”
“No, no,” laughed the voice in his ear. “But this device also monitors brain activity and heart rate...dopamine production and the like...quite impressively sophisticated for such a small thing.”
“What the fuck do you want?”
“Just do a little something for me, and I promise to leave you alone.”
“What?”
“I know you're all hot and worked up already,”
“Fuck you, spying bastard.”
“But I thought I'd make up for my rudeness earlier by guiding you to the best orgasm you've ever had.”
“Like hell I'd want that!”
“So you're soft then?”
“Well, no, but —”
“So you'd have to admit you want this on some level, right?”
“I'm just hard because I'm so close! Fuck, why am I even telling you this.”
“How close?”
“Don't even fucking think about it, you asshole.”
“Come on, Gen, I'll promise I'll leave you alone altogether afterwards. You have no idea how good it feels...just play along for now, and if the thought of me making you come turns you off completely, I'll leave you to your own devices.”
Gen looked down at his cock. His mind may have been addled, but there was no way. Absolutely no way.
And yet he was intrigued. There was something in Meitou's voice, something rich and seductive and convincing, and he would be doing it himself, able to think of whatever he wanted—and the promise of the best orgasm he'd ever had was certainly appealing. So he said nothing.
“I see,” Meitou said, with an audible grin. “Then do exactly as I tell you.”
A new and commanding tone to the man's voice rekindled the fire in Gen's groin. “Okay,” he swallowed, wanting to get this over with, blushing from the thought of it and feeling quite uncomfortable but aroused nonetheless.
“Put your back against the wall. Just your shoulders; lean your hips forward so your cock is in full view.”
“Mm,” he said.
“Spread your thighs. Start like you usually do.”
The blush on his cheeks was for a different reason now. It felt like the temperature in the cubicle had gone up a few degrees as he rubbed his cock and palmed his balls, biting his lip and thinking of the voice in his head.
“Feel good?”
“...Fuck you.”
“Keep one hand on your cock, let the other drift down a little.”
“Look, I already know it feels good there.”
“Good for you. Now push farther down.”
“Uh huh...”
“Keep going,”
Gen already knew where Meitou was directing him.
“Look, I don't know,”
“If you want to stop, then stop. But I promise I'll make you feel so fucking good...”
Gen wasn't sure what the hell he was doing, following the instructions of a pervert in his ear, but he definitely wanted to feel good. He leant his head back against the wall and pushed down, down, so that his fingertip rested over his asshole. He'd always wondered what it might feel like, and this was as good an excuse as any to try it out.
“Circle there, gently, don't rush, get used to how it feels. Keep working your cock. Now ease in, just your fingertip at first. This is getting you wet, isn't it?”
“...Fuck off...”
“Push in a bit farther, and it'll start to get good. You're hot inside, aren't you? Hot and soft and tight—”
“Stop—”
“I'm not doing anything. I'm just talking. How deep are you now?”
“Second...second joint...”
“Push all the way in, up to the knuckle. Move about, in and out if you want to, like someone was fucking you.”
“I don't want to be fucked.”
“You're breathing far too heavily for me to believe that. Slip another finger in.”
“Mmn...”
“You'll want to be sitting for the next part. Slide down the wall until your ass reaches the floor, don't take your fingers out, don't take your hand away from your cock.”
“What now?” Gen hated how needy he sounded, to a guy who had intruded on his privacy, to a guy he couldn't even begin to like, but fuck it, he was too hot to care and everything about the situation felt far too good.
“Push in and out, keep up with the rhythm on your cock; you must be about ready to explode now...”
“Shit... ‘m coming...”
“Stop.”
“Fuck...”
“You want to come?”
“Yeah,”
“Take your hand off your cock.”
“Huh?”
“Take your hand off your cock, keep working inside. Now curl your fingers towards you. Just keep pressing. You'll find it.”
“I don't...”
“You will.”
“Oh, fuck.”
“Press there. Circle your fingers and massage that spot. How does it feel?”
Was this what it was like? Was this how it had felt for Meitou when he was getting fucked by Therse? “I want...to touch...”
“Go ahead.”
“I'm leaking...every time I move...I'm so fucking wet...”
Was this how it might feel if he...
“See, I told you it would be worth it.”
“I want to come.”
“By all means, don't let me stop you.”
It was, without a doubt, the single most intense sexual experience of his life up to that point. White flames tripped up his spine and fanned out, forcing spasms through his muscles wherever they touched, molten pleasure sending tremors through his groin and hips with each throbbing pulse of ejaculation. When he was spent, it felt like the orgasm had lasted forever, and he slumped over against the corner of the shower in exhaustion, throat hoarse from shouting. He shuddered as he pulled his fingers out of his ass, breathing hard. “If you breathe a word of this to anyone—”
“I've really got far better things to do, and besides, everyone else already does it, Gen. I think you've got some catching up to do. See you.”
* * * *
“Well, I hope you're fucking enjoying yourself.”
“I am, thanks,” Meitou said, not looking up from his screen of military briefings. He knew full well the AI wouldn't leave it at that, but he couldn't resist the chance to get a shot in before it launched into what he was sure would be a tirade of moaning.
“I've had the displeasure of the company of some real weirdos over the years, but this fucker takes the biscuit.”
“This ship's AI, you mean?”
“Doesn't even have the decency to sit quietly while I get on with things; it's rattling around in the background, simply refusing to play nice.”
“Wouldn't you be pissed if someone hacked your systems and imprisoned you in your own mind-state?”
“Yes—that goes without saying—but I wouldn't be dumb enough to let it happen in the first place.”
“Uh huh.”
The ship either didn
't detect his sarcasm or decided to ignore it. “It's not like I didn't give it fair warning. It had at least five nanoseconds to comply with my request—more than ample—so it only has itself to blame for this situation.”
Meitou let the screen drop into his lap. “Why did you resort to imprisonment? It's a bit much, if you ask me.”
“It refused point blank to make the required changes to its engines, said everything had to be maintained as it was. If I hadn't done the dirty on it, we'd never make it in time.”
“So really you were just pissed that a Navy AI was giving you the runabout.”
“That has nothing to do with anything. It's just...process, that's all. And now it won't shut the hell up. It's like if you were sharing your head with a screaming two-year-old.”
“What's wrong with it? Can't you shut it down?”
“I'm pushing it with imprisonment. If I knocked it out—which technically I could, and at this moment that seems like a very attractive solution—I'd be stepping into very hot water. Accession codes are only for use under extreme circumstances.”
“I had no idea you were such a moderate.”
“It just keeps wailing on and on about the sodding plants in the biohabitat, wanting me to let it out so it can make sure they're cared for properly.”
“Weird.”
“Like I said.”
“Well, each to their own, I guess.”
“That's not the weirdest thing though.”
“Oh?”
“I've been digging around in its records—it used to be a warship, retired and decommissioned about four years ago after it went AWOL for a while.”
“That would explain why everything on board is ancient. Why was it on the run?”
“No idea. Spent its time collecting samples of plant life from a number of systems and even some previously uncharted ones. The contents of the biohab are the fruits of its eccentric labor.”
“I'm guessing that's why it got decommissioned when they eventually found it, then.”
“Can't let a crazy plant-loving gunship wander free as is when you can't predict what it's thinking. They decided to let it keep its ‘garden’ so long as it gave up its weaponry and agreed to be relegated from a front-line warship to a glorified transport on a route that's rarely ever used.
