Eta #10: puppet on a string (Behave Yourselves Ladies by Lob)
Title: Behave Yourselves Ladies
Author: Lob
Fandom: Starfighter
Pairing: Cain x Abel
Theme: eta #10: puppet on a string
Rating: Adults because the fandom is an explicit adult webcomic
Warning: language, more sexual harassment, frottage
Summary: Abel meets with Commander Bering. Part 4/30
Disclaimer: Starfighter belongs to Hamletmachine.
After entering Commander Bering’s office, Abel saluted then remained standing at attention. He cursed his rotten luck as Othello and Heathcliffe took up positions on either side of him. There didn't seem to be any easy way to lose these guys. Now, if he asked Bering to give him different escorts while the two fighters were in the room, he'd sound like a spoiled diva.
Abel tried to flex his shoulders without being too obvious about what he was doing. All the tension there was making his muscles ache. It almost made him wish he was back out in the battle instead of facing this potential field of landmines.
Bering, surrounded by assistants, handed some papers and a tablet to his secretary. It all felt a bit chaotic to Abel, with one assistants after another approaching the desk to answer a slew of questions from Bering before leaving again. Abel recognized only one of Bering's assistants. While at breakfast, Abel had looked up the Tiberius fighter's task name; it turned out to be Praxis. Abel had heard of the Tiberius’excellent reputation in combat while at the academy, but he had not been aware of the task names of its crew until today.
Praxis leaned down to whisper in Commander Bering's ear when the secretary and the other assistants left the office. Bering frowned, shaking his head before ending the conversation with a curt "Dismissed." To Abel, it looked as if Praxis was prepared to argue further, but he eventually followed the others out of the office.
Bering lifted his chin slightly. "Escorts dismissed. Report to the duty officer for your next assignment." The fighters left with a crisp ‘Yes sir’ before each executed a proper about-face.
"See you later, Kitty." The softly spoken words directed at him made Abel want to shudder. When the office door finally closed, Abel breathed a small sigh of relief; it was good to know those two would not be waiting for him. In fact, he would ask Bering to assign Praxis to escort him out of this level and back to the relative safety of central command when the meeting ended. He was already making plans to head to the medical bay so he could see what could be done to make his scar less noticeable.
"At ease, Abel."
"Thank you, sir." And he was damn thankful for plenty of things right now. Abel tamped down his wandering thoughts and kept his eyes focused on the wall behind the commander, yet he could hear Bering's chair creak slightly as the older man settled back in it. Using just his peripheral vision, Abel was aware of the commander staring at him, assessing him.
"Do you know why I called you here?"
"No, sir."
"You displayed great bravery and ingenuity during yesterday's battle. Your actions saved a fighter's life and a valuable ship. Theo's parents are grateful also because their son will be laid to rest with a proper burial."
"Thank you, sir." Abel's shoulders relaxed for the first time since leaving the mess hall. This visit was obviously nothing more than a quick interview with the Commander. To top it off, Bering would likely write up something positive for Abel's service record.
"I think you'll agree the Alliance cannot afford to waste man-power or resources at this time. Certainly not when the Imperial Dominion is attempting to strengthen its hold in this system.
"Yes, sir. I... sir, permission to speak --"
The next moment a hand gripped his left shoulder in the exact place where Cain had bitten him last night. Gasping in pain, Abel whipped about to hit the person who had surprised him. Cain brushed aside Abel's fist with ease and smirked at him while leaning in close to his face. Abel drew back, fearing Cain would kiss him right in front of the commander.
"You'd never make it as a fighter."
It was then Abel noticed the clothes Cain was wearing. Why was he out of uniform? Cain also smelled of stale sweat and smoke. Had he been off screwing around somewhere when Bering summoned him? Abel couldn't say he'd be surprised if it turned out to be true, but it was annoying him for some reason.
"Fuck off. I can out fly your fat ass any day." he whispered before facing Commander Bering once again. However, the sound of steady clapping made him turn once more towards Cain, only to realize the noise was coming from somewhere beyond Cain. By leaning to his left, Abel caught sight of a fighter standing in a narrow doorway. The doorway had not been there earlier and Abel surmised it must blend in with the wall when closed.
The man, who was diminutive by fighter standards, winked at Abel while continuing his obviously fake applause. His cruel smirk rankled Abel, so Abel flipped him the one finger salute and said, "Aren't you a little short for a fighter?" Cain seemed to find it all very amusing.
Abel steadied himself, expecting to be reprimanded for his rude behavior, but the commander said nothing. When Abel finally looked back at Bering, the commander's solemn gaze shifted from Cain to Deimos and then back to Abel. Abel, standing at attention again, was certain Bering had already figured out what happened in the shared room after the battle. Or maybe Cain had told him. The son of a bitch would probably brag about getting some ass to anybody, even the high command.
"I ordered you, Cain and Deimos to appear before me at this time because you three are no longer assigned to this starbase as members of the Federated Alliance."
"What!" Leaning forward, Abel panted and sputtered like he couldn't get enough air. "Sir, why? What did I...? When?" A sharp pain made him grimace and arch away from Cain when Cain punched him just below the ribs on his left side.
"Shut up, Sweetheart. It's going to be okay."
"How the hell can this ever be okay? My whole life --"
Cain waved his hand as if to brush away Abel’s concerns. "It will be okay. Now stop the drama so Bering can finish this already."
Abel bit his tongue. Part of him wanted to keep shouting because the only thing Bering could say to make any difference would be that this “meeting”was all a sick prank. Once the office was quiet again, the commander spoke in his deep, even voice.
"Cain has been given all the information needed to begin your new mission."
"But you said we weren't --" Abel fluttered his hands about, gesturing at nothing in particular in the office.
"This isn't through official channels"
"No" Abel's hands dropped as his guts felt like they were painfully twisting into a dark lump. He couldn't accept what he was hearing.
"When you signed on with the Alliance, Ethan, you promised to do everything within your power to protect it."
Abel shivered at the use of his real name. He had been very happy to leave that part of his life behind him, to start anew in some small way with the Alliance. Bering, as one of the main officers in charge, had access to the true identities of all military personnel on the starbase. This likely meant Cain knew Abel’s family name also.
"Of course you were sincere," the commander continued, "because your psych profile shows you believe the Alliance to be morally right." Bering picked up a tablet to glance at the screen before setting it back down. "I do not know all the details of this mission, only how Cain will begin the process of contacting the intelligence officer that will be handling you three. The mission is vital and will provide a significant advantage for the Alliance if you are successful."
Abel lunged towards the Commander's desk, but never made it as Cain's hand latched onto the collar of his uniform and pulled it tight. For a moment, Abel struggled to breathe until he took half a step back. "If we're successful? IF we're successful! What the hell happens if we aren't?" I didn't sign up to be a... a... SPY, sir! I have always wanted to be a navigator. I am the BEST on this starbase. THAT'S how I want to contribute to the Alliance."
He twisted his shoulders, trying to free himself, nevertheless Cain held tight. "If I liked to deceive people or to pretend to be someone I'm not, then I would have followed my father's career path."
The lines around the commander's eyes seemed to grow deeper as he stared back at Abel. Without looking away, Bering picked up the tablet he had been holding only a moment ago, setting it gently in a stand at the edge of the desk before turning it to face Abel.
"Tap the screen three times, Abel"
Abel stepped forward with Cain in tow and did as he was instructed. The vid started right off, and he only had to watch a few seconds to realize what it contained. The action was clear. His own face and body were easy to identify while the superb audio captured their conversation or what little there was that might pass as a conversation.
Right then Cain eased his grip on Abel's collar to scrape his fingertips down the back of his neck. Abel's cock twitched from the possessive touch. And damn it, that was the very thing which got him in trouble in the first place. He'd been so foolish, so desperate, to spread his legs for Cain. He hadn't even considered the possibility of the room being under surveillance.
As the vid continued to play, every grunt and whine he had made while Cain sucked him filled the otherwise quiet office. Abel reached out towards the screen, hoping to clear the vid before it could get to the moment where he begged Cain to put it in him.
He flinched when Deimos grabbed his wrist. How long had short-shit been standing next to him? Now it was clear the fighter used considerable stealth and speed to make up for the lack of height and bulk. Deimos watched the rest of the vid with obvious fascination while trying to intertwine his fingers with Abel's. Deimos’hands were only a little larger than Abel’s, yet they were strong and their calluses scraped Abel’s more pampered hands. Abel shook him off eventually, none the less he was certain Deimos could have broken all of the fingers of his right hand if he had wanted to.
Bering cleared his throat before speaking. "This vid could be released anonymously on Terra-web or to any organizations that might be interested in news about the only son of a well known politician. A politician who has gone on public record by voting against sending financial and material aid to the Federated Alliance." Abel heard Cain mutter something to Deimos just then, however he was too focused on Bering to really catch the words.
Abel wanted to scream at the commander that he did not give a damn about his father's ambitions or what might happen to his political reputation on Earth. Same sex marriages were legal there and generally accepted by all citizens, but politicians were usually expected to stay on the conservative side if they wanted to stay in office.
It was his mother he worried about because he didn’t want to cause her embarrassment. He didn’t want her to end up as the focus of insults, snubs and news barbs. Cain and Deimos were watching him now, probably waiting for him to say something along those lines, but Abel kept his mouth shut. Most likely they already thought of him as a mama's boy.
Cain slung his right arm across Abel's shoulders before squeezing him hard enough to make Abel’s joints pop. If it was meant to comfort Abel, it was having the opposite effect. His body was shaking and his attempts to step away or even wriggle out of Cain’s hold failed miserably again.
"Don't worry, sir. Princess has her panties in a twist, but she'll settle down when she gets laid again.” Cain’s left hand skimmed across Abel’s belly before dropping to grope Abel. When Cain leaned closer, his breath tickled Abel's neck.
That was it. Abel, fed up with the harassment, pushed Cain's chest with an adrenaline fueled rush of strength. Cain tipped, but to Abel's dismay Cain easily took him along too. Now Abel found himself wishing a hole would open up below them and they would disappear into oblivion. Instead, Cain twisted like a cat in mid fall so Abel ended up smashing his own shoulder against the floor. The pain only spurred him on.
Cain laughed at him as they wrestled on the floor of Bering’s office. “What is so damn funny, you bastard?” Abel shouted. In addition to all that, Deimos' wolf-whistle served to drive Abel's fury higher. Abel thrashed his legs, throwing wild punches and slapping at Cain's upper body even though his shoulder hurt. “You’ve ruined everything!” For a moment he imagined repeatedly pounding his fists into his father's face.
Although he managed to jab Cain's neck with his elbow, the thrill did not assuage the desire to keep fighting. His life, which had been near perfect about an hour ago, was now a twisted, burning wreck thanks to Cain.
The pathetic fight ended abruptly when one quick move from Cain pinned Abel on his belly with his face smashed into the floor and his right arm twisted up behind his back. The pain shot through his shoulder, traveling down his spine to the rest of his body. To add insult to injury, Cain pushed Abel's thighs apart before settling between them.
"This what you need, isn't it, Sweetheart." Rug-burn was making the right side of Abel's face sting as Cain rocked his hips against his ass. Rage colored Abel's world a deep red and yet he was nearly hard now from Cain pressing down on him. "Bet you've been thinking about me all morning." Cain thrust one last time before letting go of Abel's arm. A groan of relief mixed with lust escaped Abel's mouth. It was despicable of Cain to stand up with so little effort as Abel dropped all the way onto the floor, sprawling there until he could press himself back up with shaky limbs. The commander must think they were both crazy now.
"Sir, I can't ..." Abel started to say.
Cain took hold of Abel's jaw, squeezing until Abel felt tears well up. With merciless strength, he turned Abel's head to force him to look into Cain’s dark eyes.
"You can do this, Ethan," he whispered, "because I'm the one who will be telling you where to go and how to move." Abel stumbled backwards when Cain shoved him towards the narrow door.
"Good day, gentlemen," Bering said. He took the tablet out of the stand and proceeded to tidy up his desk as if Abel and the other men in the office no longer existed.
Cain darted through the narrow door with Deimos close on his heels. It was at that very moment Abel realized he had seen Deimos pass by in the corridor when Abel had been asking Praxis about Cain.
Deimos must be the reason Praxis had run away at the first sign of Cain's shadow. Fucking hell, Praxis could have warned him back then by giving Abel some hint of what was about to happen. He could have helped Abel to avoid this trap or at least allowed Abel to face it on his own terms.
The whole convoluted, shitty mess was giving him a headache, yet there was only one thing to do now. With a sigh, he took his first reluctant step forward.
Next
Author: Lob
Fandom: Starfighter
Pairing: Cain x Abel
Theme: eta #10: puppet on a string
Rating: Adults because the fandom is an explicit adult webcomic
Warning: language, more sexual harassment, frottage
Summary: Abel meets with Commander Bering. Part 4/30
Disclaimer: Starfighter belongs to Hamletmachine.
After entering Commander Bering’s office, Abel saluted then remained standing at attention. He cursed his rotten luck as Othello and Heathcliffe took up positions on either side of him. There didn't seem to be any easy way to lose these guys. Now, if he asked Bering to give him different escorts while the two fighters were in the room, he'd sound like a spoiled diva.
Abel tried to flex his shoulders without being too obvious about what he was doing. All the tension there was making his muscles ache. It almost made him wish he was back out in the battle instead of facing this potential field of landmines.
Bering, surrounded by assistants, handed some papers and a tablet to his secretary. It all felt a bit chaotic to Abel, with one assistants after another approaching the desk to answer a slew of questions from Bering before leaving again. Abel recognized only one of Bering's assistants. While at breakfast, Abel had looked up the Tiberius fighter's task name; it turned out to be Praxis. Abel had heard of the Tiberius’excellent reputation in combat while at the academy, but he had not been aware of the task names of its crew until today.
Praxis leaned down to whisper in Commander Bering's ear when the secretary and the other assistants left the office. Bering frowned, shaking his head before ending the conversation with a curt "Dismissed." To Abel, it looked as if Praxis was prepared to argue further, but he eventually followed the others out of the office.
Bering lifted his chin slightly. "Escorts dismissed. Report to the duty officer for your next assignment." The fighters left with a crisp ‘Yes sir’ before each executed a proper about-face.
"See you later, Kitty." The softly spoken words directed at him made Abel want to shudder. When the office door finally closed, Abel breathed a small sigh of relief; it was good to know those two would not be waiting for him. In fact, he would ask Bering to assign Praxis to escort him out of this level and back to the relative safety of central command when the meeting ended. He was already making plans to head to the medical bay so he could see what could be done to make his scar less noticeable.
"At ease, Abel."
"Thank you, sir." And he was damn thankful for plenty of things right now. Abel tamped down his wandering thoughts and kept his eyes focused on the wall behind the commander, yet he could hear Bering's chair creak slightly as the older man settled back in it. Using just his peripheral vision, Abel was aware of the commander staring at him, assessing him.
"Do you know why I called you here?"
"No, sir."
"You displayed great bravery and ingenuity during yesterday's battle. Your actions saved a fighter's life and a valuable ship. Theo's parents are grateful also because their son will be laid to rest with a proper burial."
"Thank you, sir." Abel's shoulders relaxed for the first time since leaving the mess hall. This visit was obviously nothing more than a quick interview with the Commander. To top it off, Bering would likely write up something positive for Abel's service record.
"I think you'll agree the Alliance cannot afford to waste man-power or resources at this time. Certainly not when the Imperial Dominion is attempting to strengthen its hold in this system.
"Yes, sir. I... sir, permission to speak --"
The next moment a hand gripped his left shoulder in the exact place where Cain had bitten him last night. Gasping in pain, Abel whipped about to hit the person who had surprised him. Cain brushed aside Abel's fist with ease and smirked at him while leaning in close to his face. Abel drew back, fearing Cain would kiss him right in front of the commander.
"You'd never make it as a fighter."
It was then Abel noticed the clothes Cain was wearing. Why was he out of uniform? Cain also smelled of stale sweat and smoke. Had he been off screwing around somewhere when Bering summoned him? Abel couldn't say he'd be surprised if it turned out to be true, but it was annoying him for some reason.
"Fuck off. I can out fly your fat ass any day." he whispered before facing Commander Bering once again. However, the sound of steady clapping made him turn once more towards Cain, only to realize the noise was coming from somewhere beyond Cain. By leaning to his left, Abel caught sight of a fighter standing in a narrow doorway. The doorway had not been there earlier and Abel surmised it must blend in with the wall when closed.
The man, who was diminutive by fighter standards, winked at Abel while continuing his obviously fake applause. His cruel smirk rankled Abel, so Abel flipped him the one finger salute and said, "Aren't you a little short for a fighter?" Cain seemed to find it all very amusing.
Abel steadied himself, expecting to be reprimanded for his rude behavior, but the commander said nothing. When Abel finally looked back at Bering, the commander's solemn gaze shifted from Cain to Deimos and then back to Abel. Abel, standing at attention again, was certain Bering had already figured out what happened in the shared room after the battle. Or maybe Cain had told him. The son of a bitch would probably brag about getting some ass to anybody, even the high command.
"I ordered you, Cain and Deimos to appear before me at this time because you three are no longer assigned to this starbase as members of the Federated Alliance."
"What!" Leaning forward, Abel panted and sputtered like he couldn't get enough air. "Sir, why? What did I...? When?" A sharp pain made him grimace and arch away from Cain when Cain punched him just below the ribs on his left side.
"Shut up, Sweetheart. It's going to be okay."
"How the hell can this ever be okay? My whole life --"
Cain waved his hand as if to brush away Abel’s concerns. "It will be okay. Now stop the drama so Bering can finish this already."
Abel bit his tongue. Part of him wanted to keep shouting because the only thing Bering could say to make any difference would be that this “meeting”was all a sick prank. Once the office was quiet again, the commander spoke in his deep, even voice.
"Cain has been given all the information needed to begin your new mission."
"But you said we weren't --" Abel fluttered his hands about, gesturing at nothing in particular in the office.
"This isn't through official channels"
"No" Abel's hands dropped as his guts felt like they were painfully twisting into a dark lump. He couldn't accept what he was hearing.
"When you signed on with the Alliance, Ethan, you promised to do everything within your power to protect it."
Abel shivered at the use of his real name. He had been very happy to leave that part of his life behind him, to start anew in some small way with the Alliance. Bering, as one of the main officers in charge, had access to the true identities of all military personnel on the starbase. This likely meant Cain knew Abel’s family name also.
"Of course you were sincere," the commander continued, "because your psych profile shows you believe the Alliance to be morally right." Bering picked up a tablet to glance at the screen before setting it back down. "I do not know all the details of this mission, only how Cain will begin the process of contacting the intelligence officer that will be handling you three. The mission is vital and will provide a significant advantage for the Alliance if you are successful."
Abel lunged towards the Commander's desk, but never made it as Cain's hand latched onto the collar of his uniform and pulled it tight. For a moment, Abel struggled to breathe until he took half a step back. "If we're successful? IF we're successful! What the hell happens if we aren't?" I didn't sign up to be a... a... SPY, sir! I have always wanted to be a navigator. I am the BEST on this starbase. THAT'S how I want to contribute to the Alliance."
He twisted his shoulders, trying to free himself, nevertheless Cain held tight. "If I liked to deceive people or to pretend to be someone I'm not, then I would have followed my father's career path."
The lines around the commander's eyes seemed to grow deeper as he stared back at Abel. Without looking away, Bering picked up the tablet he had been holding only a moment ago, setting it gently in a stand at the edge of the desk before turning it to face Abel.
"Tap the screen three times, Abel"
Abel stepped forward with Cain in tow and did as he was instructed. The vid started right off, and he only had to watch a few seconds to realize what it contained. The action was clear. His own face and body were easy to identify while the superb audio captured their conversation or what little there was that might pass as a conversation.
Right then Cain eased his grip on Abel's collar to scrape his fingertips down the back of his neck. Abel's cock twitched from the possessive touch. And damn it, that was the very thing which got him in trouble in the first place. He'd been so foolish, so desperate, to spread his legs for Cain. He hadn't even considered the possibility of the room being under surveillance.
As the vid continued to play, every grunt and whine he had made while Cain sucked him filled the otherwise quiet office. Abel reached out towards the screen, hoping to clear the vid before it could get to the moment where he begged Cain to put it in him.
He flinched when Deimos grabbed his wrist. How long had short-shit been standing next to him? Now it was clear the fighter used considerable stealth and speed to make up for the lack of height and bulk. Deimos watched the rest of the vid with obvious fascination while trying to intertwine his fingers with Abel's. Deimos’hands were only a little larger than Abel’s, yet they were strong and their calluses scraped Abel’s more pampered hands. Abel shook him off eventually, none the less he was certain Deimos could have broken all of the fingers of his right hand if he had wanted to.
Bering cleared his throat before speaking. "This vid could be released anonymously on Terra-web or to any organizations that might be interested in news about the only son of a well known politician. A politician who has gone on public record by voting against sending financial and material aid to the Federated Alliance." Abel heard Cain mutter something to Deimos just then, however he was too focused on Bering to really catch the words.
Abel wanted to scream at the commander that he did not give a damn about his father's ambitions or what might happen to his political reputation on Earth. Same sex marriages were legal there and generally accepted by all citizens, but politicians were usually expected to stay on the conservative side if they wanted to stay in office.
It was his mother he worried about because he didn’t want to cause her embarrassment. He didn’t want her to end up as the focus of insults, snubs and news barbs. Cain and Deimos were watching him now, probably waiting for him to say something along those lines, but Abel kept his mouth shut. Most likely they already thought of him as a mama's boy.
Cain slung his right arm across Abel's shoulders before squeezing him hard enough to make Abel’s joints pop. If it was meant to comfort Abel, it was having the opposite effect. His body was shaking and his attempts to step away or even wriggle out of Cain’s hold failed miserably again.
"Don't worry, sir. Princess has her panties in a twist, but she'll settle down when she gets laid again.” Cain’s left hand skimmed across Abel’s belly before dropping to grope Abel. When Cain leaned closer, his breath tickled Abel's neck.
That was it. Abel, fed up with the harassment, pushed Cain's chest with an adrenaline fueled rush of strength. Cain tipped, but to Abel's dismay Cain easily took him along too. Now Abel found himself wishing a hole would open up below them and they would disappear into oblivion. Instead, Cain twisted like a cat in mid fall so Abel ended up smashing his own shoulder against the floor. The pain only spurred him on.
Cain laughed at him as they wrestled on the floor of Bering’s office. “What is so damn funny, you bastard?” Abel shouted. In addition to all that, Deimos' wolf-whistle served to drive Abel's fury higher. Abel thrashed his legs, throwing wild punches and slapping at Cain's upper body even though his shoulder hurt. “You’ve ruined everything!” For a moment he imagined repeatedly pounding his fists into his father's face.
Although he managed to jab Cain's neck with his elbow, the thrill did not assuage the desire to keep fighting. His life, which had been near perfect about an hour ago, was now a twisted, burning wreck thanks to Cain.
The pathetic fight ended abruptly when one quick move from Cain pinned Abel on his belly with his face smashed into the floor and his right arm twisted up behind his back. The pain shot through his shoulder, traveling down his spine to the rest of his body. To add insult to injury, Cain pushed Abel's thighs apart before settling between them.
"This what you need, isn't it, Sweetheart." Rug-burn was making the right side of Abel's face sting as Cain rocked his hips against his ass. Rage colored Abel's world a deep red and yet he was nearly hard now from Cain pressing down on him. "Bet you've been thinking about me all morning." Cain thrust one last time before letting go of Abel's arm. A groan of relief mixed with lust escaped Abel's mouth. It was despicable of Cain to stand up with so little effort as Abel dropped all the way onto the floor, sprawling there until he could press himself back up with shaky limbs. The commander must think they were both crazy now.
"Sir, I can't ..." Abel started to say.
Cain took hold of Abel's jaw, squeezing until Abel felt tears well up. With merciless strength, he turned Abel's head to force him to look into Cain’s dark eyes.
"You can do this, Ethan," he whispered, "because I'm the one who will be telling you where to go and how to move." Abel stumbled backwards when Cain shoved him towards the narrow door.
"Good day, gentlemen," Bering said. He took the tablet out of the stand and proceeded to tidy up his desk as if Abel and the other men in the office no longer existed.
Cain darted through the narrow door with Deimos close on his heels. It was at that very moment Abel realized he had seen Deimos pass by in the corridor when Abel had been asking Praxis about Cain.
Deimos must be the reason Praxis had run away at the first sign of Cain's shadow. Fucking hell, Praxis could have warned him back then by giving Abel some hint of what was about to happen. He could have helped Abel to avoid this trap or at least allowed Abel to face it on his own terms.
The whole convoluted, shitty mess was giving him a headache, yet there was only one thing to do now. With a sigh, he took his first reluctant step forward.
Next