See You, Space Cowboy - 3/4
See You, Space Cowboy - 3/4
.Interlude: Satoshi.
Nino munched on the ice from his drink angrily. This year was simply not going his way. Sure, they had their FastPass back, and Kou-san hadn't found them out, but they'd returned from Beta Quadrant to different circumstances. All of Nino's posturing, all of his protests about going against Kou-san, had been for nothing.
He'd been a loyal employee and he'd even passed on wild sex with the crazy Zebra Queen to remain bounty hunter for his original boss. He'd done everything in his power to keep the status quo at Royale, and they'd come back to find Matsumoto Jun heading up a brand new project. A new payments system was now in effect throughout the space station to weed out undesirables. Kou-san's operation now took both physical credits and bank transfers, but everyone had to pay in advance before any services were rendered. It wasn't traditional for the trade, but clients seemed to be dealing with it well.
Regulars already knew what they would receive from their favorite guys or girls, so paying upfront was no trouble. And Royale had a good, clean reputation (compared to a free-for-all like The Zoo) so people expected to get their money's worth. But for Nino and Aiba, who had made their careers on chasing assholes who skipped out on their tabs, it meant their services were no longer required.
He'd gone up to Kou's office himself to complain, sitting for almost three hours in her sterile little waiting room and having a battle of scowls with Matsumoto, who was just as stressed as ever. The assistant was still in the middle of notifying far-flung customers about the payment switcheroo and negotiating with their marketing team to change all the thousands of Royale pop-up ads on the Net. And when Nino had finally gotten in to see Kou-san, clad in nothing but rose petals in order to "center her flower essence," she'd only rolled her eye at his concerns.
"Ah, but Nino-chan, you're not out of a job. I have so many wonderful things for you and Aiba-chan to do for me."
None of them, unfortunately, involved plucking each rose petal off of her with a set of tweezers. That was probably Matsumoto's job.
No, they had plummeted in importance. They still had their ship, but there was little to be done in terms of espionage and thievery now. For the time being (and mostly because of their FastPass), their new job was to escort guests. Some of the higher end clients didn't much like having to use their own ships to dock at Royale, especially if word got back to the wife. And so now Nino and Aiba would meet guests at neutral locations, shuttle them to Royale for their encounters, and then return them to their home planets and stations.
It was dull as fuck, and Nino almost regretted having turned down the Zebra Queen. Somehow her two lesbian underlings-in-chief had already found out about Nino and Aiba's sudden demotion, and he and Aiba had received a video message from Sugar and Spice that merely consisted of them pointing and laughing at the camera for seventeen minutes straight.
He was underworked and underpaid and underfucked, and all because he'd been more frightened of a woman with an eyepatch than a woman who dressed as a zebra. What had happened to his life?
Tonight was yet another dull night, and he found himself at Lalapipo, trying to make eyes at Nari. But unfortunately the bartender had guests in town, a trio of crossdressers with blinding, sequin-covered dresses who smelled like fourteen different kinds of perfume. It kept Nino from the bar, hidden in the back nursing his top-shelf liquor.
Aiba had a few days' vacation and was back home visiting family, leaving Nino alone to shuttle some of Royale's creepiest guests. Tomorrow morning he was due to pick up some government prick named Kaname who was totally, ridiculously hot but totally, ridiculously creepy. He paid a premium to sit in a room with five of Kou-san's best girls, jamming his nose into the thongs they held out to him and taking a whiff. Five girls and he didn't even fuck them. He was even entered in Royale's computer system as "The Panty Sniffer."
To each his own, Nino had always thought, but he'd be stuck with the guy for hours tomorrow, and it was going to be almost impossible listening to someone that fucking attractive discuss women's underwear and the benefits of cotton over lace the entire time.
He crunched down on another ice cube and sulked. The crossdressers cheered, Nari flirted with them and paid Nino not a lick of attention, and the hours went by, bringing him closer to his miserable day with The Panty Sniffer.
It was nearly closing time when he got up from his booth and headed for the exit. But he'd misjudged his timing, colliding with someone hard and ending up with a pitcher of Gamma ale down the front of his shirt and the shirt of the other guy.
"Oh shit," the guy whispered, looking at Nino sheepishly. "My bad."
Nino frowned. Like he needed anything else tonight. He sighed heavily, feeling the ale soak into his shirt and drip down to his slacks. He hated Gamma ale. Only idiots drank the watered-down bitter schlock, so he looked at the man in possession of the pitcher. The other guy had borne the brunt of it, soaked from chest to toe in the stuff. He was close to Nino in height, with sleepy eyes and a round, completely calm face despite their collision. Great, an unapologetic drunk.
The guy scratched at his head, holding the empty pitcher up. "I'm sorry, did I ruin your clothes, man?"
"You did, man," Nino said pointedly. He needed to get out of here, needed to get out of this icy underground shithole bar and into his shower.
"Like, I can get you a new shirt from my ship to replace yours," the drunk guy slurred, patting Nino on the shoulder. "Just come with me."
Nari was looking over from the bar, and Nino fumed when the bartender gave him a suggestive wink. Were his options really this bad tonight? The guy was kind of cute with his light spiky hair and gentle smile, but did he really want to hook up with someone who drank Gamma ale?
"I have clothes of my own..."
"No, man," Drunk Guy continued. "I insist. I totally killed your evening. Come on, with me."
Nino had little choice but to follow Gamma Ale from Lalapipo, taking the lift back to the hangar bay. They passed the promise of the Sobu Line, ending up in a much smaller hunk of junk tucked into the corner of the bay. 'Freestyle' was imprinted on the ship's hull, but from the number of loose cables sticking out from the ship's back end, it seemed like the Freestyle was not currently operational.
They entered the ship, and Nino shivered at the sight of hundreds of pairs of eyes. From floor to ceiling of the guy's living quarters were boxes. Some of those boxes were open, and within were carved figurines with big mouths and creepy eyes.
"You sell these?"
"I make them," the guy said proudly, closing the Freestyle's hatch behind him. "And then I sell them. Ah, pardon the mess, I've got a bit of a backlog right now on account of, you know, being stuck here. Warp drive's shot."
Nino figured the guy spent more money making his creepy figurines than maintaining his ship. They meandered around the box fort, passing a room that smelled oddly like women's perfume (a girlfriend? a co-pilot?) before arriving at the bathroom in the rear by the engine room.
"I'm Satoshi, by the way, sorry for spilling on you." He held out a sticky, ale-covered hand.
Nino kept his own sticky hands to himself. "Nino."
"I'll go grab you some clothes. Please feel free to use the shower."
Nino blinked at the guy. "Huh?"
Satoshi just smiled his lazy smile. "You don't want to clean up before putting on some new clothes?"
"My ship's just over on the other side of the bay, the Sobu Line. I can do that there. I'll just take the shirt, alright? Thanks for your generosity."
Satoshi shook his head, clapping his sticky hand on Nino's shoulder. "I insist."
The guy was pretty damn strong for his size, squeezing Nino's shoulder tightly. "Well, alright," Nino said. His top-shelf liquor, much as he'd tried to water it down and make it last, was catching up with him. He was just drunk enough to decide it was fine to shower in some weirdo sculptor's piece of shit ship. He remembered the encouraging look Nari had given him. Maybe Nino just needed to relax and let things happen.
Satoshi smiled when Nino entered the bathroom, shutting the door in his face. He frowned - the lock was broken. What part of this ship actually did work? He hoped there was at least warm water in the shower, and that the ice moon's temperatures hadn't frozen the Freestyle's pipes after sitting for so long.
He stripped down in a huff, upset at the loss of a decent pair of slacks and a well-fitted shirt. At least this Satoshi was the same size. He shoved his boots in a corner of the bathroom, flinging his wet, ale-soaked clothes in another corner. There was only a shower stall with a glass door, no tub, and he pulled it open. He couldn't help smiling at the bright pink shampoo and soap bottles inside the shower. Satoshi had rather girly taste.
He turned on the spray, and though the water smelled pretty funny (probably recycled one too many times on the crappy ship), it was good and hot and slowly the stench of Gamma ale started washing away down the drain. He pumped some of the girly soap into his palms, running his hands over his body. Hmm, not bad. He was just rinsing off when he heard the bathroom door open.
"Satoshi, just leave the shirt, alright?"
But then there was a whoosh of cool air as the glass door opened and Satoshi himself appeared. "Hello!"
Nino shrieked, twisting in the shower that was maybe built for one and a half but certainly not for two. Satoshi seemed unfazed with that calm look of his as he pulled the door closed, trapping them together.
"I'm sticky," the guy announced.
"I was almost done!" Nino protested, though he couldn't exactly keep himself from looking down and seeing the guy's body. He was short but kept himself in good shape, with a well-toned stomach and arms. Beneath a mound of dark hair, Satoshi's cock was already hard, perking up in time with Satoshi's own smile.
Nino scowled at him. "You...you spilled that beer on purpose."
Satoshi grinned. "You looked really miserable in that booth by yourself, man. But the spill really was an accident." Satoshi shut his eyes and sighed happily, letting whatever water didn't hit Nino glide down the smooth planes of his body.
Nino moved for the door. "Look, there's not a lot of room in here..."
"Plenty of room if I do this," Satoshi said, crouching down behind Nino, his feet squeaking against the bottom of the shower stall. He gave Nino a tap on his backside. "You have a nice butt."
Nino fumed, looking awkwardly over his shoulder as the water in the shower seemed to grow warmer, the steam starting to build. "Seriously, what the fuck is your deal?"
But then Satoshi's hands were firm, one on each of Nino's thighs, squeezing with a sudden sharpness that made Nino's cock twitch. "Nino, you talk a lot. Shut up."
This was not how Nino expected to spend his evening, but already Satoshi was reaching for a washcloth, smoothing it up and down each of Nino's legs, scrubbing him clean.
"I'm fairly certain there's no Gamma ale on the back of my knee..."
"Quiet, I said."
Nino didn't know why, but he found himself obeying this weird guy. He shut his mouth and let the guy wash him. The water in the shower was smelling odder and odder by the moment. He wanted to say something, but the washcloth was moving up and up, moving between his thighs. He found himself spreading his legs, even though seconds earlier the idea had seemed so preposterous.
He gasped, bracing himself with his hands against the wall of the shower stall, leaning forward and letting the spray cascade down his back. Though he was fairly certain there was no Gamma ale on the back of his knee, Nino was especially certain there was no Gamma ale around his asshole. And yet Satoshi was moving the cloth there, rubbing against his puckered hole with no shame.
"What...what are you..."
"Relax. You looked so sad in the club. Let me make you feel better."
Satoshi moved quickly, reaching a hand between Nino's legs and adjusting one of the taps on the shower and turning it up higher, making the bizarre scent all the more intense inside the small stall. And before Nino knew it, Satoshi was replacing the washcloth with his mouth. He gasped in all-too-happy surprise, spreading his legs as much as he could. He'd never been rimmed in a shower before and never by a stranger who drank shitty beer. This was the sort of thing Aiba came back to the ship bragging about, some random as hell encounter. Maybe now it was Nino's turn to brag.
He cried out, hands slipping a bit against the wall as he discovered that Satoshi had one of the most talented mouths in the quadrant. As the oddly scented water rushed down Nino's back, Satoshi kissed and sucked at him, using his fingers to squeeze and fondle his ass. The kisses were replaced with the swirl of Satoshi's tongue circling him over and over, licking back and forth across his sensitive skin, so hot and wet. He refused to stay in one place, licking a stripe from Nino's hole to his balls, licking and tasting him so perfectly he was slowly forgetting his really awful day. And slowly forgetting everything else, it seemed like.
"Touch yourself," Satoshi said.
Nino did as ordered, taking his cock in hand and stroking himself hard. Before too long he was keeping a rhythm going, working his cock in time as Satoshi arched up, moving his tongue in quick little thrusts into him. All he knew was the feeling of the sickly sweet water on his back and the feeling of Satoshi's miraculous tongue as he came.
-
When he woke, the water was gone and Nino was on his back, soft sheets under him. When had he gotten here?
He sat up, looking around in alarm. He was still on board the Freestyle. The room was completely cleared out save for the bunk and sheets he was lying on. "Ohhhh fuck no," he murmured, seeing his bundle of Gamma ale-stinking clothes balled up in the corner of the room.
He clambered out of the bunk, finding a neatly folded t-shirt, pair of jeans, and pair of boxer briefs at the end of the bed. He pulled them on quickly, rushing out of the room. Satoshi's bathroom was empty - no more pink bottles. The boxes and boxes of creepy figurines were gone. He stumbled out of the ship, hobbling across the hangar bay.
Even though he felt wonderfully rested, it didn't much matter. Because when he got to where the Sobu Line should have been, he discovered it was missing. An angry rant at the hangar bay crew and a visit to Nari later and he knew he'd been played.
Nari sniffed the air inside the Freestyle, wrinkling his nose as he drifted around the empty ship in his yukata. "You fucked this guy?"
"Close enough, especially after you gave me that stupid 'go ahead' wink," Nino complained, kicking at the bulkhead. "It was really damn good too, you'd have put out for him."
Nari grinned and went back to his sniffing. The sniffing brought him to the bathroom, and he turned on the tap in the sink. Nino hovered in the doorway, so angry he was ready to break something. Within seconds Nari shut off the faucet and turned around, his purple lipstick making his smile all the more irritating.
"Gamma gel. You fell for Gamma gel, you fucking amateur," Nari said, laughing hysterically.
"The hell is that?"
Nari came over, wrapping a protective arm around Nino's shoulder and ushering him back into what had been Satoshi's bedroom. "There are some strange planets on the other side of the wormhole in Gamma Quadrant. Strange people and strange shit they're into. I'd bet Lalapipo that your mystery man was from Gamma Quadrant."
"But what the fuck is Gamma gel?"
Nari sighed. "An aphrodisiac that comes in gel caplets, dissolved in a drink or some sort of liquid. Like, say, bath water. Depending on your genetic makeup, it'll make you extra...pliable. People from Gamma are pretty much immune to it so they've been known to come over here to find people to use it on."
"You're saying this asshole drugged me."
Nari nodded. "I'm saying this asshole drugged you."
One of the best encounters of his life, but this sleepy-eyed fuck had drugged him. One of the best encounters of his life, but now the Sobu Line was gone. One of the best encounters of his life, but now he had to find his way back to Kou-san. One of the best encounters of his life, but now Aiba would lord this over him for eternity. The only positive was that he'd avoid The Panty Sniffer.
Nino screamed in irritation.
.Aiba Masaki vs. the Space Plague.
Aiba hated going to the doctor. They poked you, scanned you. Told you not to work in dangerous career paths. He especially hated going to his family doctor on his home planet. But he was home visiting and his mother said that Dr. Johnny would be upset if he didn't stop in for a check-up. After all, it was Dr. Johnny who had gotten Aiba his job at Royale.
His last name was Kitagawa, but Dr. Johnny thought going by his first name would make him seem more caring. It just made him seem more creepy. He'd been ancient when his mother had brought Aiba to see him when he was a kid, and he was even more ancient now. He was pushing 90, still hobbling around his small practice tucked between a smoothie bar and a droid tune-up shop in the middle of their dusty desert town.
Inside the clinic he was surrounded by young and attractive male nurses, even though there didn't seem to be a need for so many of them when there were so few patients. Aiba sat uncomfortably in the waiting room, waiting for his test results. His mother had dragged him in the other day, and Dr. Johnny (who'd always loved poking with his needles) had given Aiba a blood test.
It had been almost five years ago that Dr. Johnny had returned from a holiday, a holiday spent on board the Alpha Quadrant's most notable space brothel. While there paying a special visit to the gents from Daruma IV, he had seen the job posting advertising for a jack of all trades, someone willing to do any odd job, and he'd mentioned it to Aiba. After saving up to get on board, that position became Aiba's current one, although now that he and Nino were back from The Zoo, it seemed that they were mostly just a fancy taxi service.
He tapped his feet nervously, waiting for Dr. Johnny to call him in. Finally one of the nurses called his name, and he moved into the little exam room in the rear of the clinic. It smelled like moth balls when the elderly doctor came in and shut the door. As usual, he eyed Aiba up and down, leering a bit. He was the creepiest person Aiba had ever met, and he'd met some creepy people.
"Masaki-chan, thanks for coming back. I would have called with your results, but I always prefer face-to-face meetings."
"Right."
Dr. Johnny's hands shook as he opened a medical file, looking at Aiba gravely. He had rough, wrinkly skin and thin hair that Aiba suspected was still black only because of dye or plugs. Aiba hoped Dr. Johnny's visits to Royale had stopped, if only because of how horrifying it would be to be stuck with him in an intimate situation. He licked his leathery lips and lowered his glasses.
"Masaki-chan, I regret to inform you that you have Alderaan Syndrome."
Aiba cocked his head. He felt perfectly normal. "What's that?"
And then his world turned upside down. As Dr. Johnny stumbled his way through an explanation, Aiba's usual cheer and upbeat attitude was thoroughly crushed.
Alderaan Syndrome was a disease that struck frequent space travelers, something about too many jumps through a warp gate messing with your blood vessels. In simple terms, Aiba's heart couldn't keep up with his busy lifestyle, and he had maybe two months to live. But he felt fine, perfectly honestly fine. Two months to live! Two months!
There was still so much of the universe to see, so much life to live. Dr. Johnny patted him on the knee. It would be quick, at least. Aiba would simply have a heart attack and die one day. He didn't need to be in the hospital, didn't need any treatment. Dr. Johnny's advice was for Aiba to go on normally, to simply live his life until his heart burst.
He stumbled out of the tiny clinic, horrified and upset. His heart was a ticking time bomb in his chest, and there was nothing he could do to fix it. He couldn't bear to tell his mother. The stress of knowing what was happening to her son would give her a heart attack of her own. And he couldn't even bring himself to send Nino a message. What could he even say? I'm going to die soon?
No, Aiba resolved when he got back to his family's home. He had another day before the shuttle was going to take him back to Royale and back to work. He got out a piece of paper and a pen and started making a list. Work diligently every day, he wrote. Be nicer to Nino, even when he is being an asshole and doesn't deserve it, he wrote. He folded up his list and kept it close to his heart.
But then that night he woke up, an odd thought coming to him. He'd gone his entire thirty years of life without having a threesome.
Sure it was probably low on the totem pole of things he ought to accomplish in his short life, but there it was. He turned on his night light and fumbled for a pen, frantically writing and turning his list of mostly normal "before I die" goals into a rather odd assortment of sexual desires to fulfill. Soon the "sex" list was twice as long as the original list.
He smiled and shut out the light. If he was going out, he was going out with a bang. Literally.
-
He made it back to Royale to discover that the Sobu Line had been stolen, and Nino was on Kou-san's shit list. After all the effort they'd made to get their FastPass back, after all the yelling Nino had done at Aiba for losing it, Nino had gone ahead and lost the entire ship this time.
But Aiba remained calm. After all, he was a dying man, and there were far worse things than losing a spaceship to a creepy alien from the Gamma Quadrant who was an incredible lay (Nari had sent a message along, letting Aiba know the true circumstances before Nino lied to him about what had happened).
Royale had lost a customer, the really tall and handsome Panty Sniffer guy, and Kou wasn't so quick to forgive that nor the loss of the Sobu Line. They still had VIP ferrying to do, and Kou was lending them a ship with an obnoxious tracking device that beeped every twenty seconds. But all their remaining hours were to be spent in indentured servitude, foregoing their pay to do odd jobs that were even beneath VIP ferrying. Kou-san had put the always busy Matsumoto Jun in charge of them until they made up for the loss of the Sobu Line.
Nino had been assigned the unfortunate task of "cold calling" about Royale at various stations throughout the Quadrant. This basically entailed him standing around and approaching people, trying to hand them business cards for Royale and drumming up business. He'd be stuck between plenty of other people touting their wares and offerings at marketplaces, and since he wasn't a sexy woman with large tits, it was going to be pretty hopeless. Matsumoto didn't seem all that concerned if Nino was a success or not, though.
Aiba was to remain on board Royale in the equally unfortunate position of assistant to the assistant, otherwise known as Matsumoto Jun's bitch boy. Though it put a damper on Aiba's goals to be sexually adventurous across the galaxy, it did provide him with the opportunity to cross one thing off of his list: fucking his boss.
Of course when he'd added it to his sheet he'd had Kou-san in mind, the thought of her on her back, legs spread, begging for Aiba to eat her out. Maybe she'd even blow him if he told her he was dying. It had been a rather detailed fantasy, but Aiba once again decided to make the best of his circumstances. Matsumoto Jun was now technically his boss too, and all Aiba had to do was seduce him before his heart exploded.
It wasn't going to be easy. Matsumoto spent the majority of his workday in that extremely unappealing waiting room, anticipating Kou-san's call every other minute. As Matsumoto's assistant, Aiba was tasked with helping him to monitor all the levels, to ensure that people paid, that guests were brought to their reserved rooms in a timely fashion.
Aiba spent half his nights jerking off at the thought of everything he'd had to watch that day on the monitors with Matsumoto at his side. The people on level 3 in the rooms with the elaborate sex harnesses, the Zero-G room on level 4 that had taught Aiba what semen looked like floating in a room without gravity (answer: really awesome until the gravity came back on and it splatted on the floor).
His chance finally came two weeks into his stint as Matsumoto's little slave. Kou-san was off to the salt caves down planetside to "reconnect with the spiritual side of her vagina," whatever that meant. What it really meant, however, was that her rooms were free for a blessed 24 hours.
When Kou was away, Matsumoto was in charge of the entire station, and it made him grouchier than ever, snapping off orders to all the other staff underlings. Which would annoy most people and turn them off, but Aiba Masaki was a changed man. A dying man, and after two weeks' planning to sleep with him, Matsumoto Jun's negative points were suddenly becoming positive ones.
He was stressed out and he needed to release it. Surely he could do that with Aiba's help.
It was t-minus twelve hours until Kou returned, and it was fortunately a slow day aboard Royale. No clients with outrageous requests, mostly regulars who dutifully paid and got all the dick and/or pussy they were seeking. It meant they didn't have to watch the monitors as closely. Hell, they could leave the room entirely for an hour or so, Aiba figured.
But how to float the idea to a workaholic like Matsumoto?
Aiba had worn his tightest pants that day, making sure he entered and exited Matsumoto's office with his best butt wiggle. Aiba was kind of on the skinny side and suffered from flat ass, but he still noticed the twitch of Matsumoto's nose every time he sauntered around. It had been ages since Jun-kun had gotten laid, he could just tell. Kou-san was probably a demanding mistress, and there was no doubt that Jun was called upon to please her on the regular (he had a set of lips on him that Aiba would have considered illegal), but from Matsumoto's constant temper and frowning faces, there was no way she was reciprocating.
Matsumoto was staring at one of his monitors looking glum, munching mournfully on one of his usual protein bars. Without Kou-san around to make him drape himself in faux fur or wispy fabric, he was instead in a tight-fitting shirt that showed off the broadness of his shoulders, his muscled biceps, his comparatively narrow waist. He was wearing some rather ugly jeans, but Aiba would soon see them gone.
He waited for Matsumoto's focus on the screen to glaze over a bit, mid-bite, before he walked over to the door quietly and typed in the lock passcode. Since Jun-kun was probably watching the double-thick dick level, Aiba doubted he'd notice they were locked in together until it was already too late.
Aiba made sure to lick his lips and tousle his hair a bit as he moved to the desk, leaning against it to stare Jun down.
"All clear?" Aiba asked, making his voice as husky as he could. The Zebra Queen had taught him the wonders of the human voice brought low and demanding.
Jun looked up, crumbs of his protein bar dribbling down his chin. "Yeah, looks like everyone's behaving."
Aiba tried for his sexiest glance, batting his eyelashes. "Perhaps we could...misbehave."
Jun raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"
Shit, that didn't work. Aiba cleared his throat, leaving the desk to circle around and lean against the back of Jun's chair. "I'm good at massages. You seem stressed all the time. When's the last time you had one?"
Jun jerked in the chair as Aiba brought his hands down, massaging his shoulders. "Get off me, what the hell are you doing?"
He tightened his grip, finding nothing but knotted, tight muscle. Jun was in desperate need of a long vacation, much less a good fuck. "Just watch the screen and relax."
Jun set the empty protein bar wrapper on the desk and sighed. But it seemed that Aiba's fingers were already working their magic on his shoulders because he didn't protest again, his focus remaining on the screen before him.
It was kind of frightening, if Aiba had to offer an opinion. The human body was an amazing thing. Somehow, evolution on Daruma IV had granted the men there penises of startling size. And yet somehow with a bit of lubricant, a human body could be taught to take one of them in, inch by inch. Aiba almost lost focus on his massage seduction, mouth dropping open as one of the Daruma men penetrated a female client from behind, the woman's eyes nearly bulging from her head at the obviously amazing sensation.
He looked down, could see Jun's hands fumbling in his lap a bit. He was clearly turned on by what he was watching, and now that Aiba was touching him, it was for once more than a voyeuristic experience. Aiba slowly worked the kinks out of Jun's shoulders and neck, feeling the man turn to putty beneath him while the two of them remained transfixed by the sex act they were watching.
Eventually the woman moved, and the Daruma prostitute turned over onto his back. As the woman climbed on top of him, slowly impaling herself on the massive cock, Aiba heard Jun moan quietly, leaning into Aiba's touch for the first time.
"Hey Jun-kun," Aiba whispered, leaning down to brush his lips against the other man's ear. "Let's go in Kou-san's room. Just for a minute, how about it?"
For the first time, Matsumoto didn't immediately shoot him down. "We shouldn't. She'd know..."
"But you're the best around here, right? You can have her room cleaned, she'd never know we were in there." Aiba slid his fingers up, stroking along Jun's jaw. When he wasn't cranky, he was really damn hot.
Jun's eyes were still on the screen in front of him. "I am the best..."
Aiba groaned when Jun turned his head, two of Aiba's fingers slipping into his mouth. He sucked long and hard on them, making Aiba's cock all the more eager to have some fun. So long as his heart didn't explode. Damn Alderaan Syndrome.
All it took was Aiba's other hand sneaking onto the desk, pressing the "Unmute" button on the control panel and all of a sudden the entire office was flooded with the sounds of people fucking. Women on women, men on men, and every combination in between. A deluge of people begging for it or being begged, the cries and moans of dozens of people in ecstasy. No wonder Jun watched this shit on mute. The full experience was too much.
"Ah, gods damn it," Jun mumbled, staggering to his feet. He moved over to the wall, entering the code to unlock Kou's boudoir. The sounds from the monitors followed them, as it seemed Kou's rooms had their own uplinks to all the feeds throughout the station.
Jun reached for him, crushing their mouths together, and Aiba learned just how dangerous those lips were. And yet Jun was very yielding, opening his mouth to let Aiba's tongue venture inside. He moaned as Aiba tore at his t-shirt, pushing it up to twist one of his nipples between his fingers. Jun had been so submissive to Kou for so long that it seemed he had no wish to take control of the situation. Which was of course fine by Aiba.
Kou's boudoir smelled like her usual orchids, a heady scent that upon mingling with the grunting and groaning from the crazy sex feeds made Aiba fully hard. He and Jun made short work of their clothes, and Aiba enjoyed the view as Jun crawled naked on his hands and knees across Kou's bed to find a bottle of lube and a prophylactic spray in her bedside table. Aiba lamented for poor Jun when he discovered the spray hadn't even been opened, that Jun had never been asked to use it.
"I shouldn't be in here without her," Jun was whining a bit, lying on his back and looking nervous. "She's going to fire me."
"Nah, she won't fire you. You're the only person who consistently does his job well. Look at me and Nino right? We're terrible."
Jun considered that for a moment, stretching out along the purple silken sheets. "You both are really awful."
But before Aiba allowed Jun to dwell on those true, blunt feelings of his, he joined him on the bed, crawling over to him. He lay atop him, feeling their hard cocks rub together as Aiba nibbled at Jun's collarbone. He was so sensitive and nervous, not used to being the center of attention. Aiba was really pleased with his "conquer Jun" strategy, thrilled with every roll of Jun's hips as their bodies lie flush against each other.
He grabbed hold of Jun's hand. "I want to watch you jerk off."
Jun did as requested, biting that plump bottom lip of his as he took hold of his hard cock and started pumping it like he probably hadn't done in the company of another person in some time. Aiba let Jun work himself, taking his time elsewhere. He spread Jun wide, hearing Jun's firm approval as he slipped a lubed finger inside him, working him open.
"What would you like me to do, Jun-kun? What would you like me to do that Kou-san won't do?"
"Fuck me," Jun answered, one hand working his cock while the other covered his eyes, as though he was blocking out the reality of what he was doing in his boss' bed. "Please fuck me."
He never thought he'd see this pain in the ass person beg to be fucked, but Aiba was thrilled to see this whole other side of Jun. He had to take advantage of it now - in a few hours he'd be panicked and irritating again, preparing for Kou's return. Aiba slowly inserted another finger into Jun's tight hole, hearing the man gasp. He was probably going to come soon.
"Let me know when you're ready."
But Jun could only let out a sigh, so far along and so close to coming that he wasn't much in the mood for chatting. Aiba quickened the pace of his fingers, trying to keep in time with the movement of Jun's hand on his cock. Jun came soon after, messily coating his abdomen with his release. Aiba took that as his own cue, hearing Jun moan at the sound of the spray can opening.
Once Aiba was ready to go, coating his erection with more lube, he pressed forward, kneeling and pushing Jun's legs until his knees were almost touching his chest. He was remarkably flexible, something Kou-san ought to take advantage of one of these days. He slowly pushed inside, swallowing Jun's groan with his mouth, kissing him hard.
Aiba knew he should make it count, make it last, but Jun was kissing back, rocking up against him and trying to take him deeper. With every thrust, Jun was desperately needy, begging for more and more. Aiba worried he was going too hard, going too fast but Jun was still kissing him, panting, making these hot little grunts he couldn't resist. When he came, he felt so good he wouldn't mind dying just like this, buried to the hilt inside the man beneath him.
Of course that would probably be horrifying for Jun, having someone die on top of him in the middle of his boss' bed.
They detangled, Jun moving off to get them cleaned up. When he returned, Aiba was lying back on the sheets, moving his arms and legs back and forth, relishing the soft fabric. He'd never slept on sheets like this before, and Jun sighed.
"Get off of there."
"Five more minutes," Aiba complained, fingers grasping at the silk. "Come on, Jun-kun, I doubt she lets you enjoy it."
Jun considered this for a moment before joining him, lying at his side. "You're right. She doesn't."
They lay in a blissful silence, breathing in and out as the sounds of people getting pounded elsewhere in the station piped in through the speakers.
"I'm dying," Aiba admitted.
"What?"
He blinked a few times. Matsumoto Jun didn't need another stressful thing in his life, having to post job ads for Aiba's eventual replacement. He could deal with that when it happened. He rubbed his eyes, yawning. "I meant, uh, that I've been dying to fuck you."
"Oh," Jun said, trying to sound indifferent, but Aiba didn't have to turn his head to know that Jun was blushing.
.Mars Power, Make-Up!.
It had been a full month of this shit, a month without the Sobu Line. He hated the clunky fuel guzzler of a ship that Kou-san was making him and Aiba use for transport purposes now. He knew the Sobu Line's controls better than he knew his own body. The new ship, the Galileo, had been Kou's last personal ship before she'd upgraded to her new one, the Galileo II. It was a massive thing, with extra cargo compartments and passenger accommodations for 10, even though Nino and Aiba were usually only moving one person at a time.
He and Aiba docked the Galileo at the Pretty Guardian Casino and Convention Station. They were transporting a famous husband and wife, Matsuyama Kenichi and Koyuki. They were regular patrons of the Cherry on Top, having made millions on their sensational Sex Yoga for Couples vids on the Net. Nino's personal favorite, of course, was the Upward-Facing Doggie Style vid.
But upon arrival there was a message waiting for them from the Matsuyamas: they were staying on Pretty Guardian for an extra day due to the 432nd Annual Alpha Quadrant Yoga Convention. Even as he and Aiba disembarked from the Galileo, the hangar bay was swamped with people carrying yoga mats. And unfortunately for Nino, Royale Tout Number One, a client delay meant he had hours free and was required to try and snag more as part of his indentured servitude.
Aiba left him as fast as his feet could carry him. His partner had been acting so strange lately. He looked like he was constantly run ragged and he always returned to their bunks on board Royale stinking of sex. Much more than usual. For his own part, Nino had taken a vow of temporary celibacy after the incident with that asshole Satoshi. If Nino wanted to focus on getting the Sobu Line back, he couldn't let the pleasures of the flesh distract him.
He gathered up his cards for Royale, the extra special ones with the vid screens embedded into the card stock. They provided an overview of the station and its various services. Nino hadn't gotten too many customers interested in the past few weeks. Soliciting was illegal on most space stations outside of trade market zones, which meant that Nino had to linger in those chaotic spaces. On most stations he found himself advertising kinky sex while some old granny selling vegetables in the stall beside him wiggled a daikon at him suggestively.
Pretty Guardian was one of those kinds of places. The Luna Marketplace mid-station was a flurry of activity as always, and Nino greeted his bored-looking friend Tadayoshi, the security guard at the entrance. "I need a solicitor pass for the day, Tada," Nino explained, showing his friend the cards.
Tadayoshi was tall and lazy, and Nino knew the only reason he still had a job here was because he was sleeping with someone in upper management. Pretty Guardian was under the control of five wealthy women, each with their own area of responsibility. One oversaw the marketplace, another the casino, another the convention center, and the other two whatever else needed attending on such a massive structure like Pretty Guardian.
Nino mostly steered clear of management since he'd once run afoul of Ayaka-san, the sadistic woman who ran the casino. Nino hadn't counted cards here in ages for fear of the cheerful woman shutting him up in another human-sized roulette ball and making him lose his lunch on the giant wheel again.
Tada sighed as though the process of handing Nino a pass was a difficult task indeed. He mumbled to himself, stamping the card and handing it over. "Second shift ends in three hours. You have to come back here if you want to do third shift."
Nino scowled. "Why don't you just give me two stamps on here?"
Tada rolled his eyes in reply.
Nino harrumphed, hanging the pass around his neck with the lanyard Tada limply held out to him. He was lucky to get in at all. Most of the booths were full as usual, meaning Nino wasn't likely to find one open even with the second shift mostly over already. He found himself a place to stand at the end of one of the massive aisles, thankfully next to a deaf-looking elderly man's booth. The old guy was sleeping while his futon-fluffer droids sat there rusting out as the minutes ticked by. Who the hell needed a droid that could only fluff your futon?
He tried his best selling points, shouting to the passing crowds about Royale's discreet nature, its commitment to safe sex. But the crowds kept walking past. It wasn't until he finally started shouting about the "Daruma dicks" that he got a bite.
A woman in a pink dress and a diamond tiara approached, pretty with curled dark hair and a rather serious face. Trailing her was an attractive man in glasses wearing a tuxedo, equally serious. Nino had always been sharp, and he saw the matching diamond tiara crest on the tuxedo jacket. The woman was one of the owners of Pretty Guardian, walking the marketplace with an aura of wealth and privilege.
She eyed his pass suspiciously, holding out her hand for one of the Royale cards. Nino dutifully held it out, but it was the man in the tuxedo who actually took it, holding it for the woman to watch. The man pressed the play button on the card, and together they watched the three minute advertisement in silence. When it was over, the woman simply nodded and Tuxedo Guy slipped the card into his jacket.
The woman smirked at him. "You work there?"
"Yes," Nino said quickly, a little frightened by the woman and her cold expression.
"Can we get a free trial?"
Nino then realized his mistake. Yes, it was true that he worked at Royale, but he didn't exactly "work" there. But this woman was way high up in the Pretty Guardian command structure, and if he said no to her, he'd never get to solicit on the station again. And he didn't want to know how Matsumoto would react to that. Tuxedo Guy was eyeing him now too, pushing his glasses up his nose.
"Traditionally Royale does not offer freebies, uh, and um, we keep everything in-house so you normally have to come visit..." he stumbled out, seeing the woman's expression quickly turn into a frown. "But given your, uh, your position here, I doubt you have the time to gallivant across the quadrant, so..."
"My lady, I'm fairly certain he's not from Daruma himself," Tuxedo Guy said.
"That's what you're looking for?" Nino blurted out, seeing others in the crowd turn around and stare.
This infuriated the woman all the more and she stepped up, grabbing hold of Nino's shirt with a well-manicured hand and pulling him close. "Would you keep it down, rent boy?"
"I'm not a rent boy, ma'am," Nino said. He was temporarily celibate. Except for the feelings now making themselves known below the waist at the woman's rough handling of him. She didn't seem the type who wasted time drugging her paramours. She got what she wanted when she wanted it, and if Nino couldn't deliver she'd find someone else who would. "And the gentleman is correct, I'm not from Daruma IV."
She released him, turning to walk away, and for some reason he already missed her suspicious expression, the forcefulness of her speech.
"But I...I've got a lot to offer."
Tuxedo Guy rolled his eyes, but the woman was back, hands on her hips. She looked around, waiting for people to stop paying attention to them. Then she circled Nino like a vulture, prodding at his chest, at his ass, and his chin before revealing a smile full of rather large teeth. "Sakurai-san," she mumbled to the guy in the tuxedo. "Please provide this man with my contact information."
With that the woman walked away for good. Sakurai-san did as ordered, bowing politely to Nino before handing him a business card. "When second shift is over," Sakurai said, eyebrow raised. "Please report here. You are free of disease? No space-transmitted infections?"
"Clean as a whistle," Nino replied, taking the card with shaking fingers.
"Sakurai-san, I want this droid for my futon!" the woman was complaining now, gesturing at the old man's booth beside them.
"See you later," Sakurai grumbled, following his demanding lady.
Nino took a glimpse at the card: Kitagawa Keiko, Manager - Pretty Guardian Convention Center. Office 86, Convention Level.
Well, this was going to be interesting.
Part Four
.Interlude: Satoshi.
Nino munched on the ice from his drink angrily. This year was simply not going his way. Sure, they had their FastPass back, and Kou-san hadn't found them out, but they'd returned from Beta Quadrant to different circumstances. All of Nino's posturing, all of his protests about going against Kou-san, had been for nothing.
He'd been a loyal employee and he'd even passed on wild sex with the crazy Zebra Queen to remain bounty hunter for his original boss. He'd done everything in his power to keep the status quo at Royale, and they'd come back to find Matsumoto Jun heading up a brand new project. A new payments system was now in effect throughout the space station to weed out undesirables. Kou-san's operation now took both physical credits and bank transfers, but everyone had to pay in advance before any services were rendered. It wasn't traditional for the trade, but clients seemed to be dealing with it well.
Regulars already knew what they would receive from their favorite guys or girls, so paying upfront was no trouble. And Royale had a good, clean reputation (compared to a free-for-all like The Zoo) so people expected to get their money's worth. But for Nino and Aiba, who had made their careers on chasing assholes who skipped out on their tabs, it meant their services were no longer required.
He'd gone up to Kou's office himself to complain, sitting for almost three hours in her sterile little waiting room and having a battle of scowls with Matsumoto, who was just as stressed as ever. The assistant was still in the middle of notifying far-flung customers about the payment switcheroo and negotiating with their marketing team to change all the thousands of Royale pop-up ads on the Net. And when Nino had finally gotten in to see Kou-san, clad in nothing but rose petals in order to "center her flower essence," she'd only rolled her eye at his concerns.
"Ah, but Nino-chan, you're not out of a job. I have so many wonderful things for you and Aiba-chan to do for me."
None of them, unfortunately, involved plucking each rose petal off of her with a set of tweezers. That was probably Matsumoto's job.
No, they had plummeted in importance. They still had their ship, but there was little to be done in terms of espionage and thievery now. For the time being (and mostly because of their FastPass), their new job was to escort guests. Some of the higher end clients didn't much like having to use their own ships to dock at Royale, especially if word got back to the wife. And so now Nino and Aiba would meet guests at neutral locations, shuttle them to Royale for their encounters, and then return them to their home planets and stations.
It was dull as fuck, and Nino almost regretted having turned down the Zebra Queen. Somehow her two lesbian underlings-in-chief had already found out about Nino and Aiba's sudden demotion, and he and Aiba had received a video message from Sugar and Spice that merely consisted of them pointing and laughing at the camera for seventeen minutes straight.
He was underworked and underpaid and underfucked, and all because he'd been more frightened of a woman with an eyepatch than a woman who dressed as a zebra. What had happened to his life?
Tonight was yet another dull night, and he found himself at Lalapipo, trying to make eyes at Nari. But unfortunately the bartender had guests in town, a trio of crossdressers with blinding, sequin-covered dresses who smelled like fourteen different kinds of perfume. It kept Nino from the bar, hidden in the back nursing his top-shelf liquor.
Aiba had a few days' vacation and was back home visiting family, leaving Nino alone to shuttle some of Royale's creepiest guests. Tomorrow morning he was due to pick up some government prick named Kaname who was totally, ridiculously hot but totally, ridiculously creepy. He paid a premium to sit in a room with five of Kou-san's best girls, jamming his nose into the thongs they held out to him and taking a whiff. Five girls and he didn't even fuck them. He was even entered in Royale's computer system as "The Panty Sniffer."
To each his own, Nino had always thought, but he'd be stuck with the guy for hours tomorrow, and it was going to be almost impossible listening to someone that fucking attractive discuss women's underwear and the benefits of cotton over lace the entire time.
He crunched down on another ice cube and sulked. The crossdressers cheered, Nari flirted with them and paid Nino not a lick of attention, and the hours went by, bringing him closer to his miserable day with The Panty Sniffer.
It was nearly closing time when he got up from his booth and headed for the exit. But he'd misjudged his timing, colliding with someone hard and ending up with a pitcher of Gamma ale down the front of his shirt and the shirt of the other guy.
"Oh shit," the guy whispered, looking at Nino sheepishly. "My bad."
Nino frowned. Like he needed anything else tonight. He sighed heavily, feeling the ale soak into his shirt and drip down to his slacks. He hated Gamma ale. Only idiots drank the watered-down bitter schlock, so he looked at the man in possession of the pitcher. The other guy had borne the brunt of it, soaked from chest to toe in the stuff. He was close to Nino in height, with sleepy eyes and a round, completely calm face despite their collision. Great, an unapologetic drunk.
The guy scratched at his head, holding the empty pitcher up. "I'm sorry, did I ruin your clothes, man?"
"You did, man," Nino said pointedly. He needed to get out of here, needed to get out of this icy underground shithole bar and into his shower.
"Like, I can get you a new shirt from my ship to replace yours," the drunk guy slurred, patting Nino on the shoulder. "Just come with me."
Nari was looking over from the bar, and Nino fumed when the bartender gave him a suggestive wink. Were his options really this bad tonight? The guy was kind of cute with his light spiky hair and gentle smile, but did he really want to hook up with someone who drank Gamma ale?
"I have clothes of my own..."
"No, man," Drunk Guy continued. "I insist. I totally killed your evening. Come on, with me."
Nino had little choice but to follow Gamma Ale from Lalapipo, taking the lift back to the hangar bay. They passed the promise of the Sobu Line, ending up in a much smaller hunk of junk tucked into the corner of the bay. 'Freestyle' was imprinted on the ship's hull, but from the number of loose cables sticking out from the ship's back end, it seemed like the Freestyle was not currently operational.
They entered the ship, and Nino shivered at the sight of hundreds of pairs of eyes. From floor to ceiling of the guy's living quarters were boxes. Some of those boxes were open, and within were carved figurines with big mouths and creepy eyes.
"You sell these?"
"I make them," the guy said proudly, closing the Freestyle's hatch behind him. "And then I sell them. Ah, pardon the mess, I've got a bit of a backlog right now on account of, you know, being stuck here. Warp drive's shot."
Nino figured the guy spent more money making his creepy figurines than maintaining his ship. They meandered around the box fort, passing a room that smelled oddly like women's perfume (a girlfriend? a co-pilot?) before arriving at the bathroom in the rear by the engine room.
"I'm Satoshi, by the way, sorry for spilling on you." He held out a sticky, ale-covered hand.
Nino kept his own sticky hands to himself. "Nino."
"I'll go grab you some clothes. Please feel free to use the shower."
Nino blinked at the guy. "Huh?"
Satoshi just smiled his lazy smile. "You don't want to clean up before putting on some new clothes?"
"My ship's just over on the other side of the bay, the Sobu Line. I can do that there. I'll just take the shirt, alright? Thanks for your generosity."
Satoshi shook his head, clapping his sticky hand on Nino's shoulder. "I insist."
The guy was pretty damn strong for his size, squeezing Nino's shoulder tightly. "Well, alright," Nino said. His top-shelf liquor, much as he'd tried to water it down and make it last, was catching up with him. He was just drunk enough to decide it was fine to shower in some weirdo sculptor's piece of shit ship. He remembered the encouraging look Nari had given him. Maybe Nino just needed to relax and let things happen.
Satoshi smiled when Nino entered the bathroom, shutting the door in his face. He frowned - the lock was broken. What part of this ship actually did work? He hoped there was at least warm water in the shower, and that the ice moon's temperatures hadn't frozen the Freestyle's pipes after sitting for so long.
He stripped down in a huff, upset at the loss of a decent pair of slacks and a well-fitted shirt. At least this Satoshi was the same size. He shoved his boots in a corner of the bathroom, flinging his wet, ale-soaked clothes in another corner. There was only a shower stall with a glass door, no tub, and he pulled it open. He couldn't help smiling at the bright pink shampoo and soap bottles inside the shower. Satoshi had rather girly taste.
He turned on the spray, and though the water smelled pretty funny (probably recycled one too many times on the crappy ship), it was good and hot and slowly the stench of Gamma ale started washing away down the drain. He pumped some of the girly soap into his palms, running his hands over his body. Hmm, not bad. He was just rinsing off when he heard the bathroom door open.
"Satoshi, just leave the shirt, alright?"
But then there was a whoosh of cool air as the glass door opened and Satoshi himself appeared. "Hello!"
Nino shrieked, twisting in the shower that was maybe built for one and a half but certainly not for two. Satoshi seemed unfazed with that calm look of his as he pulled the door closed, trapping them together.
"I'm sticky," the guy announced.
"I was almost done!" Nino protested, though he couldn't exactly keep himself from looking down and seeing the guy's body. He was short but kept himself in good shape, with a well-toned stomach and arms. Beneath a mound of dark hair, Satoshi's cock was already hard, perking up in time with Satoshi's own smile.
Nino scowled at him. "You...you spilled that beer on purpose."
Satoshi grinned. "You looked really miserable in that booth by yourself, man. But the spill really was an accident." Satoshi shut his eyes and sighed happily, letting whatever water didn't hit Nino glide down the smooth planes of his body.
Nino moved for the door. "Look, there's not a lot of room in here..."
"Plenty of room if I do this," Satoshi said, crouching down behind Nino, his feet squeaking against the bottom of the shower stall. He gave Nino a tap on his backside. "You have a nice butt."
Nino fumed, looking awkwardly over his shoulder as the water in the shower seemed to grow warmer, the steam starting to build. "Seriously, what the fuck is your deal?"
But then Satoshi's hands were firm, one on each of Nino's thighs, squeezing with a sudden sharpness that made Nino's cock twitch. "Nino, you talk a lot. Shut up."
This was not how Nino expected to spend his evening, but already Satoshi was reaching for a washcloth, smoothing it up and down each of Nino's legs, scrubbing him clean.
"I'm fairly certain there's no Gamma ale on the back of my knee..."
"Quiet, I said."
Nino didn't know why, but he found himself obeying this weird guy. He shut his mouth and let the guy wash him. The water in the shower was smelling odder and odder by the moment. He wanted to say something, but the washcloth was moving up and up, moving between his thighs. He found himself spreading his legs, even though seconds earlier the idea had seemed so preposterous.
He gasped, bracing himself with his hands against the wall of the shower stall, leaning forward and letting the spray cascade down his back. Though he was fairly certain there was no Gamma ale on the back of his knee, Nino was especially certain there was no Gamma ale around his asshole. And yet Satoshi was moving the cloth there, rubbing against his puckered hole with no shame.
"What...what are you..."
"Relax. You looked so sad in the club. Let me make you feel better."
Satoshi moved quickly, reaching a hand between Nino's legs and adjusting one of the taps on the shower and turning it up higher, making the bizarre scent all the more intense inside the small stall. And before Nino knew it, Satoshi was replacing the washcloth with his mouth. He gasped in all-too-happy surprise, spreading his legs as much as he could. He'd never been rimmed in a shower before and never by a stranger who drank shitty beer. This was the sort of thing Aiba came back to the ship bragging about, some random as hell encounter. Maybe now it was Nino's turn to brag.
He cried out, hands slipping a bit against the wall as he discovered that Satoshi had one of the most talented mouths in the quadrant. As the oddly scented water rushed down Nino's back, Satoshi kissed and sucked at him, using his fingers to squeeze and fondle his ass. The kisses were replaced with the swirl of Satoshi's tongue circling him over and over, licking back and forth across his sensitive skin, so hot and wet. He refused to stay in one place, licking a stripe from Nino's hole to his balls, licking and tasting him so perfectly he was slowly forgetting his really awful day. And slowly forgetting everything else, it seemed like.
"Touch yourself," Satoshi said.
Nino did as ordered, taking his cock in hand and stroking himself hard. Before too long he was keeping a rhythm going, working his cock in time as Satoshi arched up, moving his tongue in quick little thrusts into him. All he knew was the feeling of the sickly sweet water on his back and the feeling of Satoshi's miraculous tongue as he came.
-
When he woke, the water was gone and Nino was on his back, soft sheets under him. When had he gotten here?
He sat up, looking around in alarm. He was still on board the Freestyle. The room was completely cleared out save for the bunk and sheets he was lying on. "Ohhhh fuck no," he murmured, seeing his bundle of Gamma ale-stinking clothes balled up in the corner of the room.
He clambered out of the bunk, finding a neatly folded t-shirt, pair of jeans, and pair of boxer briefs at the end of the bed. He pulled them on quickly, rushing out of the room. Satoshi's bathroom was empty - no more pink bottles. The boxes and boxes of creepy figurines were gone. He stumbled out of the ship, hobbling across the hangar bay.
Even though he felt wonderfully rested, it didn't much matter. Because when he got to where the Sobu Line should have been, he discovered it was missing. An angry rant at the hangar bay crew and a visit to Nari later and he knew he'd been played.
Nari sniffed the air inside the Freestyle, wrinkling his nose as he drifted around the empty ship in his yukata. "You fucked this guy?"
"Close enough, especially after you gave me that stupid 'go ahead' wink," Nino complained, kicking at the bulkhead. "It was really damn good too, you'd have put out for him."
Nari grinned and went back to his sniffing. The sniffing brought him to the bathroom, and he turned on the tap in the sink. Nino hovered in the doorway, so angry he was ready to break something. Within seconds Nari shut off the faucet and turned around, his purple lipstick making his smile all the more irritating.
"Gamma gel. You fell for Gamma gel, you fucking amateur," Nari said, laughing hysterically.
"The hell is that?"
Nari came over, wrapping a protective arm around Nino's shoulder and ushering him back into what had been Satoshi's bedroom. "There are some strange planets on the other side of the wormhole in Gamma Quadrant. Strange people and strange shit they're into. I'd bet Lalapipo that your mystery man was from Gamma Quadrant."
"But what the fuck is Gamma gel?"
Nari sighed. "An aphrodisiac that comes in gel caplets, dissolved in a drink or some sort of liquid. Like, say, bath water. Depending on your genetic makeup, it'll make you extra...pliable. People from Gamma are pretty much immune to it so they've been known to come over here to find people to use it on."
"You're saying this asshole drugged me."
Nari nodded. "I'm saying this asshole drugged you."
One of the best encounters of his life, but this sleepy-eyed fuck had drugged him. One of the best encounters of his life, but now the Sobu Line was gone. One of the best encounters of his life, but now he had to find his way back to Kou-san. One of the best encounters of his life, but now Aiba would lord this over him for eternity. The only positive was that he'd avoid The Panty Sniffer.
Nino screamed in irritation.
.Aiba Masaki vs. the Space Plague.
Aiba hated going to the doctor. They poked you, scanned you. Told you not to work in dangerous career paths. He especially hated going to his family doctor on his home planet. But he was home visiting and his mother said that Dr. Johnny would be upset if he didn't stop in for a check-up. After all, it was Dr. Johnny who had gotten Aiba his job at Royale.
His last name was Kitagawa, but Dr. Johnny thought going by his first name would make him seem more caring. It just made him seem more creepy. He'd been ancient when his mother had brought Aiba to see him when he was a kid, and he was even more ancient now. He was pushing 90, still hobbling around his small practice tucked between a smoothie bar and a droid tune-up shop in the middle of their dusty desert town.
Inside the clinic he was surrounded by young and attractive male nurses, even though there didn't seem to be a need for so many of them when there were so few patients. Aiba sat uncomfortably in the waiting room, waiting for his test results. His mother had dragged him in the other day, and Dr. Johnny (who'd always loved poking with his needles) had given Aiba a blood test.
It had been almost five years ago that Dr. Johnny had returned from a holiday, a holiday spent on board the Alpha Quadrant's most notable space brothel. While there paying a special visit to the gents from Daruma IV, he had seen the job posting advertising for a jack of all trades, someone willing to do any odd job, and he'd mentioned it to Aiba. After saving up to get on board, that position became Aiba's current one, although now that he and Nino were back from The Zoo, it seemed that they were mostly just a fancy taxi service.
He tapped his feet nervously, waiting for Dr. Johnny to call him in. Finally one of the nurses called his name, and he moved into the little exam room in the rear of the clinic. It smelled like moth balls when the elderly doctor came in and shut the door. As usual, he eyed Aiba up and down, leering a bit. He was the creepiest person Aiba had ever met, and he'd met some creepy people.
"Masaki-chan, thanks for coming back. I would have called with your results, but I always prefer face-to-face meetings."
"Right."
Dr. Johnny's hands shook as he opened a medical file, looking at Aiba gravely. He had rough, wrinkly skin and thin hair that Aiba suspected was still black only because of dye or plugs. Aiba hoped Dr. Johnny's visits to Royale had stopped, if only because of how horrifying it would be to be stuck with him in an intimate situation. He licked his leathery lips and lowered his glasses.
"Masaki-chan, I regret to inform you that you have Alderaan Syndrome."
Aiba cocked his head. He felt perfectly normal. "What's that?"
And then his world turned upside down. As Dr. Johnny stumbled his way through an explanation, Aiba's usual cheer and upbeat attitude was thoroughly crushed.
Alderaan Syndrome was a disease that struck frequent space travelers, something about too many jumps through a warp gate messing with your blood vessels. In simple terms, Aiba's heart couldn't keep up with his busy lifestyle, and he had maybe two months to live. But he felt fine, perfectly honestly fine. Two months to live! Two months!
There was still so much of the universe to see, so much life to live. Dr. Johnny patted him on the knee. It would be quick, at least. Aiba would simply have a heart attack and die one day. He didn't need to be in the hospital, didn't need any treatment. Dr. Johnny's advice was for Aiba to go on normally, to simply live his life until his heart burst.
He stumbled out of the tiny clinic, horrified and upset. His heart was a ticking time bomb in his chest, and there was nothing he could do to fix it. He couldn't bear to tell his mother. The stress of knowing what was happening to her son would give her a heart attack of her own. And he couldn't even bring himself to send Nino a message. What could he even say? I'm going to die soon?
No, Aiba resolved when he got back to his family's home. He had another day before the shuttle was going to take him back to Royale and back to work. He got out a piece of paper and a pen and started making a list. Work diligently every day, he wrote. Be nicer to Nino, even when he is being an asshole and doesn't deserve it, he wrote. He folded up his list and kept it close to his heart.
But then that night he woke up, an odd thought coming to him. He'd gone his entire thirty years of life without having a threesome.
Sure it was probably low on the totem pole of things he ought to accomplish in his short life, but there it was. He turned on his night light and fumbled for a pen, frantically writing and turning his list of mostly normal "before I die" goals into a rather odd assortment of sexual desires to fulfill. Soon the "sex" list was twice as long as the original list.
He smiled and shut out the light. If he was going out, he was going out with a bang. Literally.
-
He made it back to Royale to discover that the Sobu Line had been stolen, and Nino was on Kou-san's shit list. After all the effort they'd made to get their FastPass back, after all the yelling Nino had done at Aiba for losing it, Nino had gone ahead and lost the entire ship this time.
But Aiba remained calm. After all, he was a dying man, and there were far worse things than losing a spaceship to a creepy alien from the Gamma Quadrant who was an incredible lay (Nari had sent a message along, letting Aiba know the true circumstances before Nino lied to him about what had happened).
Royale had lost a customer, the really tall and handsome Panty Sniffer guy, and Kou wasn't so quick to forgive that nor the loss of the Sobu Line. They still had VIP ferrying to do, and Kou was lending them a ship with an obnoxious tracking device that beeped every twenty seconds. But all their remaining hours were to be spent in indentured servitude, foregoing their pay to do odd jobs that were even beneath VIP ferrying. Kou-san had put the always busy Matsumoto Jun in charge of them until they made up for the loss of the Sobu Line.
Nino had been assigned the unfortunate task of "cold calling" about Royale at various stations throughout the Quadrant. This basically entailed him standing around and approaching people, trying to hand them business cards for Royale and drumming up business. He'd be stuck between plenty of other people touting their wares and offerings at marketplaces, and since he wasn't a sexy woman with large tits, it was going to be pretty hopeless. Matsumoto didn't seem all that concerned if Nino was a success or not, though.
Aiba was to remain on board Royale in the equally unfortunate position of assistant to the assistant, otherwise known as Matsumoto Jun's bitch boy. Though it put a damper on Aiba's goals to be sexually adventurous across the galaxy, it did provide him with the opportunity to cross one thing off of his list: fucking his boss.
Of course when he'd added it to his sheet he'd had Kou-san in mind, the thought of her on her back, legs spread, begging for Aiba to eat her out. Maybe she'd even blow him if he told her he was dying. It had been a rather detailed fantasy, but Aiba once again decided to make the best of his circumstances. Matsumoto Jun was now technically his boss too, and all Aiba had to do was seduce him before his heart exploded.
It wasn't going to be easy. Matsumoto spent the majority of his workday in that extremely unappealing waiting room, anticipating Kou-san's call every other minute. As Matsumoto's assistant, Aiba was tasked with helping him to monitor all the levels, to ensure that people paid, that guests were brought to their reserved rooms in a timely fashion.
Aiba spent half his nights jerking off at the thought of everything he'd had to watch that day on the monitors with Matsumoto at his side. The people on level 3 in the rooms with the elaborate sex harnesses, the Zero-G room on level 4 that had taught Aiba what semen looked like floating in a room without gravity (answer: really awesome until the gravity came back on and it splatted on the floor).
His chance finally came two weeks into his stint as Matsumoto's little slave. Kou-san was off to the salt caves down planetside to "reconnect with the spiritual side of her vagina," whatever that meant. What it really meant, however, was that her rooms were free for a blessed 24 hours.
When Kou was away, Matsumoto was in charge of the entire station, and it made him grouchier than ever, snapping off orders to all the other staff underlings. Which would annoy most people and turn them off, but Aiba Masaki was a changed man. A dying man, and after two weeks' planning to sleep with him, Matsumoto Jun's negative points were suddenly becoming positive ones.
He was stressed out and he needed to release it. Surely he could do that with Aiba's help.
It was t-minus twelve hours until Kou returned, and it was fortunately a slow day aboard Royale. No clients with outrageous requests, mostly regulars who dutifully paid and got all the dick and/or pussy they were seeking. It meant they didn't have to watch the monitors as closely. Hell, they could leave the room entirely for an hour or so, Aiba figured.
But how to float the idea to a workaholic like Matsumoto?
Aiba had worn his tightest pants that day, making sure he entered and exited Matsumoto's office with his best butt wiggle. Aiba was kind of on the skinny side and suffered from flat ass, but he still noticed the twitch of Matsumoto's nose every time he sauntered around. It had been ages since Jun-kun had gotten laid, he could just tell. Kou-san was probably a demanding mistress, and there was no doubt that Jun was called upon to please her on the regular (he had a set of lips on him that Aiba would have considered illegal), but from Matsumoto's constant temper and frowning faces, there was no way she was reciprocating.
Matsumoto was staring at one of his monitors looking glum, munching mournfully on one of his usual protein bars. Without Kou-san around to make him drape himself in faux fur or wispy fabric, he was instead in a tight-fitting shirt that showed off the broadness of his shoulders, his muscled biceps, his comparatively narrow waist. He was wearing some rather ugly jeans, but Aiba would soon see them gone.
He waited for Matsumoto's focus on the screen to glaze over a bit, mid-bite, before he walked over to the door quietly and typed in the lock passcode. Since Jun-kun was probably watching the double-thick dick level, Aiba doubted he'd notice they were locked in together until it was already too late.
Aiba made sure to lick his lips and tousle his hair a bit as he moved to the desk, leaning against it to stare Jun down.
"All clear?" Aiba asked, making his voice as husky as he could. The Zebra Queen had taught him the wonders of the human voice brought low and demanding.
Jun looked up, crumbs of his protein bar dribbling down his chin. "Yeah, looks like everyone's behaving."
Aiba tried for his sexiest glance, batting his eyelashes. "Perhaps we could...misbehave."
Jun raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"
Shit, that didn't work. Aiba cleared his throat, leaving the desk to circle around and lean against the back of Jun's chair. "I'm good at massages. You seem stressed all the time. When's the last time you had one?"
Jun jerked in the chair as Aiba brought his hands down, massaging his shoulders. "Get off me, what the hell are you doing?"
He tightened his grip, finding nothing but knotted, tight muscle. Jun was in desperate need of a long vacation, much less a good fuck. "Just watch the screen and relax."
Jun set the empty protein bar wrapper on the desk and sighed. But it seemed that Aiba's fingers were already working their magic on his shoulders because he didn't protest again, his focus remaining on the screen before him.
It was kind of frightening, if Aiba had to offer an opinion. The human body was an amazing thing. Somehow, evolution on Daruma IV had granted the men there penises of startling size. And yet somehow with a bit of lubricant, a human body could be taught to take one of them in, inch by inch. Aiba almost lost focus on his massage seduction, mouth dropping open as one of the Daruma men penetrated a female client from behind, the woman's eyes nearly bulging from her head at the obviously amazing sensation.
He looked down, could see Jun's hands fumbling in his lap a bit. He was clearly turned on by what he was watching, and now that Aiba was touching him, it was for once more than a voyeuristic experience. Aiba slowly worked the kinks out of Jun's shoulders and neck, feeling the man turn to putty beneath him while the two of them remained transfixed by the sex act they were watching.
Eventually the woman moved, and the Daruma prostitute turned over onto his back. As the woman climbed on top of him, slowly impaling herself on the massive cock, Aiba heard Jun moan quietly, leaning into Aiba's touch for the first time.
"Hey Jun-kun," Aiba whispered, leaning down to brush his lips against the other man's ear. "Let's go in Kou-san's room. Just for a minute, how about it?"
For the first time, Matsumoto didn't immediately shoot him down. "We shouldn't. She'd know..."
"But you're the best around here, right? You can have her room cleaned, she'd never know we were in there." Aiba slid his fingers up, stroking along Jun's jaw. When he wasn't cranky, he was really damn hot.
Jun's eyes were still on the screen in front of him. "I am the best..."
Aiba groaned when Jun turned his head, two of Aiba's fingers slipping into his mouth. He sucked long and hard on them, making Aiba's cock all the more eager to have some fun. So long as his heart didn't explode. Damn Alderaan Syndrome.
All it took was Aiba's other hand sneaking onto the desk, pressing the "Unmute" button on the control panel and all of a sudden the entire office was flooded with the sounds of people fucking. Women on women, men on men, and every combination in between. A deluge of people begging for it or being begged, the cries and moans of dozens of people in ecstasy. No wonder Jun watched this shit on mute. The full experience was too much.
"Ah, gods damn it," Jun mumbled, staggering to his feet. He moved over to the wall, entering the code to unlock Kou's boudoir. The sounds from the monitors followed them, as it seemed Kou's rooms had their own uplinks to all the feeds throughout the station.
Jun reached for him, crushing their mouths together, and Aiba learned just how dangerous those lips were. And yet Jun was very yielding, opening his mouth to let Aiba's tongue venture inside. He moaned as Aiba tore at his t-shirt, pushing it up to twist one of his nipples between his fingers. Jun had been so submissive to Kou for so long that it seemed he had no wish to take control of the situation. Which was of course fine by Aiba.
Kou's boudoir smelled like her usual orchids, a heady scent that upon mingling with the grunting and groaning from the crazy sex feeds made Aiba fully hard. He and Jun made short work of their clothes, and Aiba enjoyed the view as Jun crawled naked on his hands and knees across Kou's bed to find a bottle of lube and a prophylactic spray in her bedside table. Aiba lamented for poor Jun when he discovered the spray hadn't even been opened, that Jun had never been asked to use it.
"I shouldn't be in here without her," Jun was whining a bit, lying on his back and looking nervous. "She's going to fire me."
"Nah, she won't fire you. You're the only person who consistently does his job well. Look at me and Nino right? We're terrible."
Jun considered that for a moment, stretching out along the purple silken sheets. "You both are really awful."
But before Aiba allowed Jun to dwell on those true, blunt feelings of his, he joined him on the bed, crawling over to him. He lay atop him, feeling their hard cocks rub together as Aiba nibbled at Jun's collarbone. He was so sensitive and nervous, not used to being the center of attention. Aiba was really pleased with his "conquer Jun" strategy, thrilled with every roll of Jun's hips as their bodies lie flush against each other.
He grabbed hold of Jun's hand. "I want to watch you jerk off."
Jun did as requested, biting that plump bottom lip of his as he took hold of his hard cock and started pumping it like he probably hadn't done in the company of another person in some time. Aiba let Jun work himself, taking his time elsewhere. He spread Jun wide, hearing Jun's firm approval as he slipped a lubed finger inside him, working him open.
"What would you like me to do, Jun-kun? What would you like me to do that Kou-san won't do?"
"Fuck me," Jun answered, one hand working his cock while the other covered his eyes, as though he was blocking out the reality of what he was doing in his boss' bed. "Please fuck me."
He never thought he'd see this pain in the ass person beg to be fucked, but Aiba was thrilled to see this whole other side of Jun. He had to take advantage of it now - in a few hours he'd be panicked and irritating again, preparing for Kou's return. Aiba slowly inserted another finger into Jun's tight hole, hearing the man gasp. He was probably going to come soon.
"Let me know when you're ready."
But Jun could only let out a sigh, so far along and so close to coming that he wasn't much in the mood for chatting. Aiba quickened the pace of his fingers, trying to keep in time with the movement of Jun's hand on his cock. Jun came soon after, messily coating his abdomen with his release. Aiba took that as his own cue, hearing Jun moan at the sound of the spray can opening.
Once Aiba was ready to go, coating his erection with more lube, he pressed forward, kneeling and pushing Jun's legs until his knees were almost touching his chest. He was remarkably flexible, something Kou-san ought to take advantage of one of these days. He slowly pushed inside, swallowing Jun's groan with his mouth, kissing him hard.
Aiba knew he should make it count, make it last, but Jun was kissing back, rocking up against him and trying to take him deeper. With every thrust, Jun was desperately needy, begging for more and more. Aiba worried he was going too hard, going too fast but Jun was still kissing him, panting, making these hot little grunts he couldn't resist. When he came, he felt so good he wouldn't mind dying just like this, buried to the hilt inside the man beneath him.
Of course that would probably be horrifying for Jun, having someone die on top of him in the middle of his boss' bed.
They detangled, Jun moving off to get them cleaned up. When he returned, Aiba was lying back on the sheets, moving his arms and legs back and forth, relishing the soft fabric. He'd never slept on sheets like this before, and Jun sighed.
"Get off of there."
"Five more minutes," Aiba complained, fingers grasping at the silk. "Come on, Jun-kun, I doubt she lets you enjoy it."
Jun considered this for a moment before joining him, lying at his side. "You're right. She doesn't."
They lay in a blissful silence, breathing in and out as the sounds of people getting pounded elsewhere in the station piped in through the speakers.
"I'm dying," Aiba admitted.
"What?"
He blinked a few times. Matsumoto Jun didn't need another stressful thing in his life, having to post job ads for Aiba's eventual replacement. He could deal with that when it happened. He rubbed his eyes, yawning. "I meant, uh, that I've been dying to fuck you."
"Oh," Jun said, trying to sound indifferent, but Aiba didn't have to turn his head to know that Jun was blushing.
.Mars Power, Make-Up!.
It had been a full month of this shit, a month without the Sobu Line. He hated the clunky fuel guzzler of a ship that Kou-san was making him and Aiba use for transport purposes now. He knew the Sobu Line's controls better than he knew his own body. The new ship, the Galileo, had been Kou's last personal ship before she'd upgraded to her new one, the Galileo II. It was a massive thing, with extra cargo compartments and passenger accommodations for 10, even though Nino and Aiba were usually only moving one person at a time.
He and Aiba docked the Galileo at the Pretty Guardian Casino and Convention Station. They were transporting a famous husband and wife, Matsuyama Kenichi and Koyuki. They were regular patrons of the Cherry on Top, having made millions on their sensational Sex Yoga for Couples vids on the Net. Nino's personal favorite, of course, was the Upward-Facing Doggie Style vid.
But upon arrival there was a message waiting for them from the Matsuyamas: they were staying on Pretty Guardian for an extra day due to the 432nd Annual Alpha Quadrant Yoga Convention. Even as he and Aiba disembarked from the Galileo, the hangar bay was swamped with people carrying yoga mats. And unfortunately for Nino, Royale Tout Number One, a client delay meant he had hours free and was required to try and snag more as part of his indentured servitude.
Aiba left him as fast as his feet could carry him. His partner had been acting so strange lately. He looked like he was constantly run ragged and he always returned to their bunks on board Royale stinking of sex. Much more than usual. For his own part, Nino had taken a vow of temporary celibacy after the incident with that asshole Satoshi. If Nino wanted to focus on getting the Sobu Line back, he couldn't let the pleasures of the flesh distract him.
He gathered up his cards for Royale, the extra special ones with the vid screens embedded into the card stock. They provided an overview of the station and its various services. Nino hadn't gotten too many customers interested in the past few weeks. Soliciting was illegal on most space stations outside of trade market zones, which meant that Nino had to linger in those chaotic spaces. On most stations he found himself advertising kinky sex while some old granny selling vegetables in the stall beside him wiggled a daikon at him suggestively.
Pretty Guardian was one of those kinds of places. The Luna Marketplace mid-station was a flurry of activity as always, and Nino greeted his bored-looking friend Tadayoshi, the security guard at the entrance. "I need a solicitor pass for the day, Tada," Nino explained, showing his friend the cards.
Tadayoshi was tall and lazy, and Nino knew the only reason he still had a job here was because he was sleeping with someone in upper management. Pretty Guardian was under the control of five wealthy women, each with their own area of responsibility. One oversaw the marketplace, another the casino, another the convention center, and the other two whatever else needed attending on such a massive structure like Pretty Guardian.
Nino mostly steered clear of management since he'd once run afoul of Ayaka-san, the sadistic woman who ran the casino. Nino hadn't counted cards here in ages for fear of the cheerful woman shutting him up in another human-sized roulette ball and making him lose his lunch on the giant wheel again.
Tada sighed as though the process of handing Nino a pass was a difficult task indeed. He mumbled to himself, stamping the card and handing it over. "Second shift ends in three hours. You have to come back here if you want to do third shift."
Nino scowled. "Why don't you just give me two stamps on here?"
Tada rolled his eyes in reply.
Nino harrumphed, hanging the pass around his neck with the lanyard Tada limply held out to him. He was lucky to get in at all. Most of the booths were full as usual, meaning Nino wasn't likely to find one open even with the second shift mostly over already. He found himself a place to stand at the end of one of the massive aisles, thankfully next to a deaf-looking elderly man's booth. The old guy was sleeping while his futon-fluffer droids sat there rusting out as the minutes ticked by. Who the hell needed a droid that could only fluff your futon?
He tried his best selling points, shouting to the passing crowds about Royale's discreet nature, its commitment to safe sex. But the crowds kept walking past. It wasn't until he finally started shouting about the "Daruma dicks" that he got a bite.
A woman in a pink dress and a diamond tiara approached, pretty with curled dark hair and a rather serious face. Trailing her was an attractive man in glasses wearing a tuxedo, equally serious. Nino had always been sharp, and he saw the matching diamond tiara crest on the tuxedo jacket. The woman was one of the owners of Pretty Guardian, walking the marketplace with an aura of wealth and privilege.
She eyed his pass suspiciously, holding out her hand for one of the Royale cards. Nino dutifully held it out, but it was the man in the tuxedo who actually took it, holding it for the woman to watch. The man pressed the play button on the card, and together they watched the three minute advertisement in silence. When it was over, the woman simply nodded and Tuxedo Guy slipped the card into his jacket.
The woman smirked at him. "You work there?"
"Yes," Nino said quickly, a little frightened by the woman and her cold expression.
"Can we get a free trial?"
Nino then realized his mistake. Yes, it was true that he worked at Royale, but he didn't exactly "work" there. But this woman was way high up in the Pretty Guardian command structure, and if he said no to her, he'd never get to solicit on the station again. And he didn't want to know how Matsumoto would react to that. Tuxedo Guy was eyeing him now too, pushing his glasses up his nose.
"Traditionally Royale does not offer freebies, uh, and um, we keep everything in-house so you normally have to come visit..." he stumbled out, seeing the woman's expression quickly turn into a frown. "But given your, uh, your position here, I doubt you have the time to gallivant across the quadrant, so..."
"My lady, I'm fairly certain he's not from Daruma himself," Tuxedo Guy said.
"That's what you're looking for?" Nino blurted out, seeing others in the crowd turn around and stare.
This infuriated the woman all the more and she stepped up, grabbing hold of Nino's shirt with a well-manicured hand and pulling him close. "Would you keep it down, rent boy?"
"I'm not a rent boy, ma'am," Nino said. He was temporarily celibate. Except for the feelings now making themselves known below the waist at the woman's rough handling of him. She didn't seem the type who wasted time drugging her paramours. She got what she wanted when she wanted it, and if Nino couldn't deliver she'd find someone else who would. "And the gentleman is correct, I'm not from Daruma IV."
She released him, turning to walk away, and for some reason he already missed her suspicious expression, the forcefulness of her speech.
"But I...I've got a lot to offer."
Tuxedo Guy rolled his eyes, but the woman was back, hands on her hips. She looked around, waiting for people to stop paying attention to them. Then she circled Nino like a vulture, prodding at his chest, at his ass, and his chin before revealing a smile full of rather large teeth. "Sakurai-san," she mumbled to the guy in the tuxedo. "Please provide this man with my contact information."
With that the woman walked away for good. Sakurai-san did as ordered, bowing politely to Nino before handing him a business card. "When second shift is over," Sakurai said, eyebrow raised. "Please report here. You are free of disease? No space-transmitted infections?"
"Clean as a whistle," Nino replied, taking the card with shaking fingers.
"Sakurai-san, I want this droid for my futon!" the woman was complaining now, gesturing at the old man's booth beside them.
"See you later," Sakurai grumbled, following his demanding lady.
Nino took a glimpse at the card: Kitagawa Keiko, Manager - Pretty Guardian Convention Center. Office 86, Convention Level.
Well, this was going to be interesting.
Part Four