See You, Space Cowboy - 4/4
See You, Space Cowboy - 4/4
Sakurai-san opened the door to office 86 a few hours later, still eyeing Nino with suspicion. It was a sumptuous office with a large glass window offering a fine view of the stars. Keiko-san's other walls were full of bookshelves. The woman herself was perched on her massive oak desk, legs crossed while she paged through an account ledger on her lap.
The room's other adornments included a handful of plants, a tan sofa, and a framed photo of Kitagawa and four other women (presumably the other Pretty Guardian managers) standing with the Emperor. This was a powerful woman, perhaps even more powerful than Kou-san. And now Nino was offering her whatever type of "free trial" she was looking for.
"Good, you're here," Keiko said, uncrossing her legs and setting the ledger aside. "We've seen you in Luna advertising before, and I've heard my share of things about Royale both good and bad. I'd go to The Zoo to satiate myself, but I am not the type of girl to put myself on display. Should you please me today, I may consider a visit to your station."
"I'll do my best, my lady," Nino said, catching a nod from Sakurai-san that it was the correct way to address her.
"Don't get me wrong," Keiko-san said, looking to Sakurai with shimmering eyes. "Sakurai-san is usually more than enough to keep me happy. But sometimes a girl needs more than one man at a time, don't you think so?"
Ah, now Nino had figured out why Sakurai had been giving him the stink face from the moment Keiko-san had approached him. The guy was jealous, upset with himself that he couldn't give his mistress all that she required.
"Sakurai-san, my accessories," Keiko announced sharply, and Sakurai sprung into action.
Nino stood aside, waiting nervously while Keiko hopped off the desk. He shifted from foot to foot, feeling slightly out of place as Sakurai removed the tiara from Keiko's hair, gently removed her earrings and jewels, and then pressed a kiss to her shoulder before unzipping the back of her pink dress and leaving her standing there in only her red lace panties and high heels.
She was thin with small, perky breasts, a tiny waist, and long, shapely legs. What she lacked in voluptuousness she easily made up for with those eyes, the way she watched Nino and licked her lips as Sakurai busied himself with gently placing her dress on a hanger and perching it on one of the bookcases.
"What's your name?" she finally asked him.
"Nino is fine."
She nodded, smiling at him while Sakurai-san removed his tuxedo jacket, draping it over the back of Keiko's chair. "Very good, Nino. Now you watch while Sakurai-san touches me."
Still clad in his white dress shirt, waistcoat, bowtie, and slacks, Sakurai moved around the desk to approach Keiko from behind. Nino inhaled sharply as the man moved Keiko's hair aside, pressing his rather plump, gorgeous lips against the back of her neck.
Sakurai's gentleness turned suddenly rough in an instant. Keiko kept smiling, gasping slightly when Sakurai pulled her back against him, one hand coming around to squeeze her breast while the other slipped inside her panties. Nino didn't know if he was supposed to sit down and wait or remain in place, so he opted for remaining in place. They were both watching him, Sakurai's sharp, jealous eyes full of arrogance behind his thin wire frames as his fingers roughly rubbed against his mistress. Keiko was clearly enjoying herself and grinning, smiling at Nino and at Sakurai's rough handling.
"I'd like to be kissed now," Keiko said quietly, and Sakurai obeyed, his hand moving up from her breast to tilt her face, kissing first along her cheek before capturing her mouth. Her fingers slipped low, covering Sakurai's hand where it moved within her panties, urging him along.
They went at it a little longer than Nino thought was necessary given that he was in the room watching, growing uncomfortably hot as she bucked herself against Sakurai's hand, moaning against his mouth. Finally she broke away from her lover, servant, whatever Sakurai was to her, wiping at a bit of saliva on her lips.
"Desk now. Get me ready. Nino, you can help with this."
Sakurai's hand slipped from her panties, and he turned her around with a swift sort of precision that even impressed Nino. He found himself wondering if Sakurai had gone to some school to learn what he did. Sakurai cleared off the desk, knocking photo frames, a jar of pencils, and other papers to the floor, clearing a space for his lady. He lifted her into place easily, pushing her onto her back so she was leaning on her elbows. He then rolled up his shirt sleeves and snapped his fingers for Nino.
He hurried over to the desk, unsure of what he was supposed to do. Sakurai was sliding Keiko's panties down her long legs, maneuvering them off and around her black heels. He tossed them aside and snapped his fingers again, pointing at the woman's chest.
"Ah, okay," Nino said, getting the sinking suspicion both people in the room could snap their fingers and have him killed just as easily. "I got it, I got it."
Sakurai neatly removed his glasses, setting them down on one of the bookshelves as he tugged open one of Keiko's desk drawers. Nino was of course required elsewhere, and Keiko moaned in approval as he moved to the side of her desk, leaning forward to lick teasingly at her nipples. He couldn't help keeping his head sideways, eventually seeing Sakurai roughly push Keiko's legs open to start lapping at her clit with his tongue.
One of Keiko's hands found Nino's head, her sharp fingernails scratching at his scalp. Nino tried to make himself useful, running his fingers along Keiko's abdomen as he suckled her. She was soon crying out from whatever wonders Sakurai's mouth was doing down below, screaming her approval, screaming for someone named Sho. Nino imagined that was Sakurai-san's first name, something saved only for the moments when he pleased her the most.
Mere seconds later Nino heard the squeeze of a bottle, looking over to see Sakurai coating his fingers with lube, most likely getting his mistress ready for a two-man show. Nino was getting harder the longer this went on, circling Keiko's nipple with his tongue while he listened to the slick sounds of Sakurai's fingers driving into her. He was efficient in his work, and Nino listened to Keiko's pleased little grunts as Sakurai's palm thumped against her ass as he slid his fingers inside her.
"I'm ready," Keiko was breathlessly moaning minutes later. "Gods, I'm ready."
Nino grumbled in pain as Sakurai flung a bottle of spray at him, the thing hitting him hard in the leg. He tore himself reluctantly away from Keiko's breasts, straightening up and picking the bottle up from the floor. Keiko started to twist her own nipples between her fingers, her hips rocking as Sakurai expertly penetrated her ass with two fingers, his mouth returning to lick aggressively at her clit.
Nino stripped down, hoping that his own erection would be enough given that he really wasn't from Daruma IV. It was difficult to look away from Keiko's happy writhing on top of her desk. "Couch, Nino," came Keiko's moaned order.
He moved over to the tan sofa, stroking himself a few times before giving the bottle a shake and spraying on his coat of protection. It was risky and rather mean-spirited, but he flung the bottle back in Sakurai's direction, beaning him in the ass with it.
Sakurai turned around to scowl at him, picking up the bottle with a gruff little growl that was hotter than it should have been. He held out his hand for his lady, helping Keiko to sit up, and he led her over to the couch.
"Stay right where you are," Keiko ordered Nino, finally slipping out of her shoes and climbing onto the couch, settling herself on top of him with a knee on either side of him. Suddenly she was close, so close he could smell her perfume, the fragrance of her shampoo as her hair fell all around him. He received no warnings or punishments when he lifted his arms to wrap them around her. She buried her small face against his neck, kissing him with her hot little mouth.
She was dripping wet, ready for both of them. He groaned as the head of his cock slipped inside her, letting her rock back against him. "Very nice," she whispered against his skin, and he sighed in contentment, suddenly very grateful he'd given up on his mission of celibacy.
Nino enjoyed a full blissful minute with her on top of him, feeling her so wet and warm as she bounced playfully against him. But he looked over, seeing that Sakurai had put his glasses back on but had taken off the rest of his clothes. Perhaps Keiko preferred the glasses on him for aesthetic purposes. Nino felt a little embarrassed about his soft belly, seeing the firm muscles and well-defined abs Sakurai had been hiding under that tuxedo. But he was pleased to discover Sakurai didn't have a monstrous cock so at least they were on an even playing field there.
Nino thrusted up into Keiko a few more times as Sakurai grabbed the bottle of lubricant from the desk and came over to the couch. He slowed his movements, shutting his eyes when Keiko kissed him almost sweetly. Most likely because she knew she was about to get what she really, truly wanted.
Sakurai finally got onto the couch, positioning himself with with one leg between Nino's and the other between Nino's leg and the couch cushion. Nino stopped moving, letting Keiko slowly move back and forth atop him while Sakurai got himself into place. Keiko moved, bracing herself, and Nino's view changed to the sight of Keiko's bouncing breasts as her curtain of hair fell around him. He licked his lips, doing his best to keep from slipping out of her as Sakurai's fingers found her ass again.
The sound of complete and total happiness Keiko made when Sakurai's cock started pushing into her was one Nino wouldn't forget for some time. It was a low, eager moan, and Nino could only imagine how good it must have felt. She started to move, slowly at first, but when Nino tilted his face up, letting his tongue graze against her breasts and nipples as she moved, she gasped. Nino could feel the whole couch groaning with their combined weight, and he could sense Sakurai's movements within her too.
Keiko, who seemed so business-like and prissy in the marketplace, was loud and appreciative behind closed doors. "Yeah, more," she was begging the both of them. "More." Sensing that she was as comfortable as she was going to get in such a position, he started to move again, his thigh brushing a bit against Sakurai's leg as he rolled his hips, thrusting into her repeatedly and feeling her squeeze him tight as Sakurai filled her ass with his own cock.
She could barely keep herself up, her arm moving to wrap around Nino's neck, clinging to him and gasping, her other hand slipping a bit awkwardly between them. He was almost deafened by her shout then as she rubbed her fingers hastily against her clit, bringing herself off in mere seconds. Now he was mostly competing with Sakurai, who kept pumping into her as her whole body shook with her orgasm.
Keiko seemed on another plane of existence, words having clearly deserted her. All she was doing was gasping now, shuddering with the effort of holding herself up as her fingers continued relentlessly against her clit. Nino groaned at the sudden low moan that emerged from Sakurai, feeling the whole couch move in his last ditch efforts to please his mistress before he came. Keiko sighed in contentment, humming as Sakurai slowly, gently withdrew from her body.
That left Nino for last, and he felt rather pleased with himself for lasting longer than Sakurai. He felt a weight lift as Sakurai left the sofa, giving Nino all the room he needed to show off and earn Royale some future business from Kitagawa Keiko. He knew it wouldn't be much longer now, and he grinned as he greedily put his hands on her ass and squeezed. She chuckled softly, sitting up and bracing her hands on his chest. She gave him a wink that would have made Sakurai-san fume if he saw it. He realized that she wasn't scary now. She just knew what she wanted, and he'd be sad to leave her.
From there she rode him hard and fast, smiling even as he came, arching up and into her until he was completely out of it. He lay there, satisfied, not even rolling his eyes as she climbed off him and headed straight for Sakurai, who'd gone to sit in her chair and sulk until they'd finished. She ruffled his hair affectionately, pressing a kiss to the man's sweaty, pretty face.
"Nino was just at a better angle," she murmured. "You felt so good, the both of you."
Sakurai still looked disappointed in himself, allowing her to kiss him once again before he got up. "I'll fetch some towels," he mumbled before heading through another door beyond Keiko's office.
Keiko came back over to the couch with slow steps after their rather rough handling of her, chuckling to herself and obviously feeling no shame about walking around naked in front of a stranger. "I may have to pay you a visit at Royale the next time I get a craving for something like that."
Nino laughed. "I wonder if I'd get commission then."
She gave him a little tap on the nose with her finger. "Now that's the sound of a good businessman."
.Interlude: Satoko.
Aiba Masaki was tired. He probably only had weeks to live, and he'd barely made a dent in his "people to do before I die list." He'd been able to check off 'boss' thanks to his time with Jun. And then a subsequent time with Jun had allowed him to accomplish 'blowjob in the turbolift at Royale' although Aiba would have preferred to be on the receiving end for once.
Even if he had already hit more than 20 checkmarks on the list, it still left so many things, and he was already getting worn out from his existing achievements. For a dying man, he was doing pretty damn good, but he wanted to do so much more. But would his body hold out long enough?
At least being docked at Pretty Guardian usually lent itself to some sort of mischief. Of course the last time he'd been on the station had been that unfortunate situation with Daigo-san. Aiba was happy to know he was still touring in the Beta Quadrant and would be doing so indefinitely to make up for all the credits Aiba and Nino had snatched away from him.
There were still hours before they were due to transport the Matsuyamas to Royale. He supposed that 'zero gravity sex' wasn't a possibility here, nor was 'fuck a head of state and/or planetary governor.' He wandered Pretty Guardian's casino level, eyeing the folks sitting in front of the slot and pachinko machines or at the baccarat tables. Maybe he could at least find someone who met one of his physical description requirements. He still had 'little person' on his list, having decided that 'midget' was inappropriate terminology. There was also 'big person,' which he could fulfill in a number of ways if push came to shove.
But after hours of listening to the machines pinging noisily and patrons cheering at various tables, he slunk his way over to the large keno room at the middle of the level. Unlike the rest of the casino floor, blessed with stunning views of the stars, the keno room was notorious for its darkness and privacy. Here was where people went to conduct shady business. Here was where you met someone for a good time.
It was closed off with a single red velvet curtain, and a friendly woman stood outside beckoning for gamblers to enter. You could do whatever you wanted, but you had to buy a card to enter, and they weren't cheap. Aiba was a betting man, and he hoped the keno room could deliver today.
The woman outside, Mikako-chan, raised an eyebrow at the sight of him as he approached. She was usually smiling and cheerful to most gamblers, but she'd always been able to tell when someone was coming in for a different sort of score. And she'd always been able to read Aiba like a book.
"Aiba-san," she said politely, inclining her head. "How are you doing today?"
I'm dying, he could have told her. "Waiting for passengers," he replied, slipping his hand in his pocket to pull out a handful of credits. He glanced up at the entry fee sign posted beside the curtain. 500 credit buy-in for one card. One card!
"The Pretty Guardian Keno Room is always thrilled by your patronage," Mikako said, her little black ponytail bouncing as she pulled the curtain back. "Pervert."
He chuckled as she allowed him through anyway. He knew that Mikako served as both hostess and cleaning coordinator for the room. Aiba didn't envy her that. Some people were rather inconsiderate.
He nearly tumbled into someone else as he entered, a gruff looking businessman heading out with his briefcase. There was very little light in the place. There was the buy-in booth where you slipped your credits into a machine and it spat out your card, your twenty numbers out of eighty you hoped would get chosen. There was a tiny light next to the credit slot. And then there was the number bank, the set of screens visible from anywhere in a room that lit up in a dark orange to call the numbers. If you won any of the keno rounds, you left to claim your credits elsewhere in the casino. Most likely because nobody actually wanted to sit on duty in the room and overhear something they didn't want to, whether criminal or carnal.
Aiba fed his coins into the machine, sighing. He'd have had better luck with pachinko, but he had needs as a dying man that sitting in front of a pachinko machine couldn't fulfill. The machine pushed out his card with his numbers noted, and he took one of the small little markers from a cup on top of the machine to hopefully mark off some winners.
From the entryway, the rest of the room was cloaked in shadow. Three levels of booths sunk down into the floor, each of them with a curtain that could be drawn if necessary for privacy. Of course the people playing the round for real left them open so they could see the number banks, but as Aiba followed the dim emergency lights down to the middle row of booths, he saw that more than half had curtains drawn.
He could smell cigarette smoke and hear hushed tones coming from some of them. Business deals, illegal activity. And then from others he could hear laughter, moaning. The oh so obviously faked orgasm noises of Pretty Guardian's best cabaret girls. It reminded Aiba how fortunate he was to have access to Royale. Most people couldn't afford it and settled for the hush of a keno room.
At the end of the second aisle he found an empty booth, settling down inside against the dark leather cushion. The number bank lit up before him announced that the game on his card, Game 41378, would be starting in ten minutes while Game 41377 was already in progress. He glanced down at his numbers and rolled his eyes, setting the card down beside him.
He went with the usual protocol, sliding the heavy black curtain halfway shut, an open invitation. He'd already decided as soon as he bought his card. He had 'complete and total stranger' on his list, and it was time to check it off.
He watched the clock tick down on the number bank. Seven minutes until his game, then six. And then finally there was movement in the aisle, and a head poked around the side of his curtain. "Need some company?"
In the glow of the number bank he could see it was a slender, short woman with long, curled light hair. She had a round, childish face and was dressed in a long coat and knee-high boots. The only odd thing about her was the giant handbag she was toting around. It looked like it weighed as much as she did.
But that was neither here nor there. He merely held out his hand, beckoning her forward with his finger. She politely slid the curtain closed after her and set her massive bag down with a thunk on the floor of the enclosure. Aiba heard something fall out of the thing and brush against his shoe.
He bent down, retrieving it. The woman pulled out a pocket light from her coat, turning it on. "Ah, I'm sorry to have dropped that, man."
He took his first good look at her as she set the pocket light down on the cushion between them, leaving it on. A deeper voice for a woman and Aiba would have described her face as boyish even with all the makeup she was wearing. But she unbuttoned her coat, revealing breasts with a bounce Aiba knew meant they were real. She held out her hand, gesturing for the item that had fallen from her bag.
It was one of the strangest things he'd ever seen, a tiny little carved figurine with massive features - big expressive eyes, a large nose, huge teeth. It was mostly head with a tiny body. He handed it over to her and she slipped it back in her handbag. Aiba noticed that the bag was full of the odd figurines. "I sell these," she explained. "Well, I make them too. Girl's gotta eat. It's hard out here for an artist, you know?"
"Right," Aiba said with a nod, hoping this wasn't just a sales pitch. He'd already blown 500 credits on the card for the keno game he was going to be missing.
"I'm Satoko," she said by way of introduction.
"Masaki."
"It's nice to meet you, Masaki," she said, and Aiba almost believed her. "How long you here for?"
He held up his keno card. "One round in here. Another day at the station altogether though. You?"
She tugged a vendor's lanyard from around her neck, shoving it into her bag. "On my way in a few hours. Nobody in Luna was biting today. I swear, man, you spend hours and hours pouring your whole life into your art and what does it get you?"
He thought the way she spoke was a little odd, but maybe she wasn't local. Maybe Gamma or even Delta? He wondered if he could also check off 'foreigner' on his to do list. "Well, we have to do what we can with the time we're given."
She laid a hand on his shoulder. "That was, like, really profound, Masaki." He felt cheered by her presence. She was rather laid-back and friendly, and he liked her immediately. She pulled a water bottle from her bag and uncapped it, taking a long sip before holding it out. "Thirsty?"
He gratefully accepted. They both knew where this was going. He could tell from the twinkle in her eyes as he rudely downed the rest of the bottle. It was good to be hydrated in advance. It tasted a little funny, but maybe it had just been in her bag a while.
"Why don't you unzip your pants? I'll take care of you."
Aiba didn't need to be told twice, obeying her immediately. He sighed when Satoko's small, but kind of rough little hand pulled him out from his boxers and started pumping his cock. The friction was kind of nice, almost like a guy's hand, but her nails were painted and she smelled distinctly feminine.
It wasn't long before he was hard, trying not to lift his hips and buck himself against her hand. He didn't need it to be over that quickly. He heard her body move against the cushions, felt the warmth of her breath against his face. She placed cute little kisses against his ear, against his neck, humming quietly as she worked him with her expert hand.
"It's been a rough day," she mumbled against his skin. "Do you think we could do something a little more...?"
"I...I don't have any..."
"Not to worry," Satoko whispered, licking him along his jaw. "I said I'd take care of you."
And so she did. Aiba's eyes grew heavy, and he struggled to keep them open even as she stripped out of her coat and pulled a bottle of spray from her handbag. She made quick work of it, coating his erection swiftly before hoisting up her short black skirt to reveal her lack of panties. Whatever sense was still left in Aiba's head packed its bags and headed south at the sight of her firm ass and the cleft between her legs.
She left her boots on, placing a kiss on his nose before pushing him back against the cushion and confidently turning her back on him. She unbuttoned her blouse and slid it from her shoulders, tossing it aside with her coat. Positioning herself with one booted leg on either side of his, she slowly sank down on his cock, chuckling a bit merrily when their bodies were fully together. Or maybe he was hearing things.
He now had a limited view of the curtain of her hair, instead opting to look down. He put one hand to either side of her, keeping her steady while she began to rock herself back and forth. Underneath that big coat she'd been hiding a rather expert pair of hips. He couldn't look away from the hypnotic rolling motion, hearing her gasps of delight as she rode him.
Aiba heard the soft pinging noise signaling the start of the next keno round. Just as he turned to look for his card, Satoko slipped off his dick, moving to slide the curtain open just enough to view the board. Before he could even protest or yell for her to pull it shut again, she was snatching up the card from the cushion and settling herself right back down on his hard cock.
"I'll check your numbers while you fuck me, okay?"
They were almost entirely exposed, this strange woman with her bag full of bizarre figurines bouncing on his cock while he moved his head aside and tried to keep her long curls from getting in his mouth. He had to admit that the potential for being caught was making him feel even better. He was really surprised by how into it he was, given that they'd only met minutes earlier, but he felt like he was entering some sort of sexual trance, watching her move as the orange numbers popped up on the board.
"Oooh, twelve. They just called twelve," Satoko announced. "You're so good!"
Aiba didn't know if she was referring to his keno numbers or his cock, but he was growing so hypnotized with the feeling of being inside her that he decided to switch things up. "You watch the numbers, alright?" he said, and she agreed with a quiet little nod.
He adjusted them, pulling her back against him. Her head settled just beside his, and now he could see her breasts. Instead of having her ride him, he rocked his own hips, hearing her gasp as he quickly pounded into her. The keno numbers started to blur. Everything was growing fuzzy. All he knew was the intensity of feeling Satoko was eliciting from him. It didn't matter that they were strangers. It didn't matter that anyone, even poor Mikako-chan, might walk by.
Maybe he was close to death this time. Maybe this was his last hurrah.
"Oooh, Masaki, they just called 64!"
He thrust up and into her faster and faster, watching her tits bounce. He wanted her, he wanted her so badly. She cried out, much louder than the keno room really allowed for when he slid his hand south and started to rub her clit in time with his movements.
She was still calling out numbers when he came, collapsing against the cushions and hoping his heart would hold out. She didn't move, watching the board and pushing his fingers aside so she could touch herself. Even as she came, just as noisily, she still seemed way more coherent than him. He felt as though he could fall asleep right there. Nino would be totally mad if he couldn't find him later...
He barely registered her moving out of his lap, the odd touch of her handkerchief as she mopped his brow. "I'm sorry," she whispered, but maybe he misheard her.
-
When he woke, Satoko and her bag full of creepy figurines were gone, and Aiba felt very well-rested. He was still there with his pants unbuttoned and his limp cock hanging out, but at least Satoko had disposed of his condom. She'd even left one of her ugly figurines behind as a farewell gift, the hideous thing left right at his side on the booth cushion. But, he discovered, growing more and more awake and alert by the second, his keno card was gone.
He hurriedly buttoned up his pants, grabbed the figurine, and flung the curtain open. His card had been for Game 41378 and they were already on 41394. "Ohhhh fuck no," he mumbled. Though he couldn't remember much about his short time with Satoko other than the height of pleasurable experiences, he vaguely recalled her shouting out number after number while he was fucking her.
Oh shit, maybe he'd won the jackpot.
"Damn it!" he shouted, racing uncomfortably through the keno room, hurrying back through the red velvet curtain to find Mikako-chan still there.
She took in his disheveled appearance with a quirk to her lips. "Your friend isn't back yet, is she?"
"Huh?"
Mikako held out her hand next to her head. "Same height as me, long hair, giant bag?"
"You saw Satoko?"
Mikako was stifling a laugh now. "She said she was going to cash in your ticket for you." She leaned forward, poking him in the chest. "I guess that was a lie, hmm?"
He groaned. "You're not helping!"
It was at that point that Nino came swaggering by past the blackjack tables, looking happier than a pig in slop. It seemed like they'd both gotten laid that day on board Pretty Guardian, but Aiba was the one out a jackpot.
"Nino!" Aiba hollered, hurrying over to his partner. "Nino, someone took my keno ticket. And she left this behind. We need to go to the marketplace and see if she's still there."
All of Nino's happiness seemed to fade in a second, his eyes widening at the sight of the figurine in his hand. "Where did you get that?" he howled.
"The woman who just screwed me over," Aiba whined, stomping his feet. "Hurry, she said she was leaving soon."
Nino smacked Aiba in the face, using the distraction to snatch the ugly figure out of his hand. "Where did SHE get this?"
"She makes them," Aiba explained mournfully, rubbing his cheek. Nino was rougher than he needed to be, as usual. "She makes and sells them, why? Does it really matter? She took my keno card!"
"She?" Nino was mumbling, pacing back and forth, turning on his heel sharply as other casino patrons wandered by, staring at them. Even Mikako-chan was convulsing with giggles back by the red curtain. "She? How can it be a she?"
"Her name's Satoko. Do you know her?" Aiba inquired.
"Sato...ko?"
"Yes," Aiba said, linking his arm through his partner's. "Sa-to-ko, and she is on my shit list right at the top!" Could he even count this incident for his to-do list now? It certainly hadn't ended well...
Nino took off running, screaming his head off, shaking the hideous figurine over his head as he headed for the turbolifts. Aiba wondered if Nino had some kind of subconscious fear of figurines. What was going on with him?
They made it to the hangar bay, Aiba steering clear as Nino continued muttering angrily to himself, holding the figurine in a death grip. But before Aiba could worry any further, he saw it, plain as day.
She'd even chiseled off the name. 'Freestyle II' was now imprinted on the side of the hull but there was no mistaking it. It was the Sobu Line, docked right here in Pretty Guardian's hangar bay. Satoko was there, smiling cutely and counting out from a bag nearly overflowing with credits as some lovestruck hangar worker hauled another bag of her ugly figurines back onto the ship.
"You!" Nino screamed, pointing at Satoko. "It's you!"
Satoko looked up and shrieked, turning to run into the open hatch, shoving the poor worker out of the way. But Nino was too quick for her, and Aiba was a fast runner and oddly curious about this whole bizarre turn of events.
Before Satoko could close the hatch and lock them out, they both boarded. Aiba nearly protested about being rude to females as Nino tackled the woman and her high-heeled boots to the unforgiving floor of the Sobu Line. The ship, their ship, was full to bursting with figurines in various stages of completion.
"Hey, hey, wait a minute, Nino," Satoko protested. "Wait, I said!"
But Nino was tugging at her hair. "Is this a wig? You big liar!"
"Ow, hey!" Satoko complained.
Aiba approached, holding his hands up cautiously. "Nino, don't be so rough with her."
"She's not a her! She's a him!" Nino cried, still tugging on Satoko's long hair. "This lying asshole is not Sa-to-ko but Sa-to-shi, who apparently likes to drug people and rip them off!"
Realization dawned. The guy who'd stolen the Sobu Line...he'd drugged Nino. And then Aiba remembered the water bottle, the funny taste, waking with his keno card gone...
"But...but..." Aiba mumbled. "She has a vagina."
Nino turned on him. "He has a dick!"
"I know what a female's body looks like, Nino, and she has one!"
"There was a dick! I saw it with my own eyes!"
"You guys," Satoko tried to interrupt.
"Those boobs are real, and they're quite nice actually!" Aiba found himself saying despite his anger.
"This is a man!" Nino screeched.
"YOU GUYS!" Satoko shouted, and this time when they turned, they saw someone different. Same clothes, but the long hair had vanished, replaced with a light colored spiky mess and a bit of fuzz on his chin. No more "quite nice" breasts either.
Aiba nearly fainted.
Nino somehow seemed proud of himself. "See. A man."
"Actually," Satoko-Satoshi noted, voice deeper and rather manly now. "Both."
They both turned, mouths gaping.
Satoko-Satoshi smiled. It was the same exact smile, the same round face. Just...on a man. "I'm a shapeshifter. From Gamma Quadrant. So, like, I'm both alright? No hard feelings?"
If he expected them to be pacified by this revelation, he really didn't know Nino well at all. "You stole my ship, you shapeshifting piece of shit!"
And then the fight was on, Aiba stepping back with a sigh as Nino pounced on the shapeshifting alien, knocking him down to the floor again, but having a much harder time now that he was tugging on shorter hair. Aiba simply looked around, frowning at all the boxes full of figurines. Did the guy really think people would buy these things?
"You drugged me! You drugged my partner!" Nino complained.
"Hey, man, come on, that hurts," Satoko-Satoshi mumbled, not all that concerned about the magnitude of what he'd done. Gamma Quadrant was a strange place.
"I'm going to airlock your skinny little ass!"
"I'm just trying to make a living!"
Finally, Aiba hauled Nino off the small man, holding him back. Aiba pursed his lips. "What if I let you keep the keno money? You keep the money, take your stuff, and leave us alone for good?"
Satoshi frowned, rubbing at his sore head. "You had twelve out of twenty numbers. It was going to be enough for the fuel to fly home..."
"He's a liar," Nino complained, struggling in Aiba's arms. "Let me kill him!"
But Aiba stood his ground, seeing a new sincerity in Satoshi's eyes. He remembered Nino's story from when the Sobu Line was initially ship-jacked. That Satoshi's original ship had been completely busted, and he'd probably been stranded on the ice moon for months. And now he was here trolling the keno room looking to scam tickets since it was pretty obvious he wasn't making any money off of his actual business venture.
"I thought you were just selling figurines," Aiba said. "Why do you want to go home?"
"I left Gamma Quadrant to be an artist. They don't let us do that on my home planet, be creative, you know? So I ran away." Satoshi looked down. "But now my parent's sick..."
"Mother? Father? Or is that a 'both' situation on your planet too?" Nino spat, and Aiba poked him hard.
Satoshi's eyes filled with tears. "I don't like being a thief, you know. I try to at least make people happy before I steal from them. I've been trying to get home for so long...I don't even know if she's still alive, but I have to get home. I'll do whatever it takes."
Nino sneered at Aiba. "You believe this crap? Come on, Masaki, he's going to drug us again if we don't turn him in right now."
But Satoshi's parent was ill, maybe dying. Aiba knew a little something about dying now. He stepped aside, hauling Nino out of the way. "We're taking our ship back," Aiba said quietly. "Please keep the money and take all your stuff with you. Buy yourself a ticket home, okay? And promise not to hurt anyone else."
Satoshi was crying openly now, which looked a little odd in the long coat and high-heeled boots, but he seemed really happy. Relieved, even.
Nino looked away, but Aiba happily accepted a hug from the cute shapeshifting thief before he departed from the Sobu Line, waving farewell. They watched him hand over some credits to pay the way for himself and his endless boxes of crap onto another ship in the hangar bay.
"He's still going to fuck people and then fuck them over," Nino gritted out.
Aiba merely grinned, seeing Satoshi's smile of joy as he disappeared up the gangplank of another ship. "I'm not so sure."
.Aiba vs. the Space Plague Part 2: Electric Boogaloo.
The Sobu Line was back! His FastPass was back! And thankfully Ninomiya Kazunari's time as an unpaid marketing lackey had come to a close. Of course Aiba had always been a big softie, letting that shapeshifting jerk go crying home to mom. A thief was a thief, no matter how good they were at tonguing your asshole.
He was even back in Kou-san's good graces, having not only regained his ship but having brought in a new, high-paying client. He'd ridden the turbolift with Keiko-san and Sakurai-san the other morning, seeing the woman's confident smile and the man's look of tightly-controlled rage and jealousy.
The only thing still up in the air was Aiba himself. He'd been quiet and mopey lately, wandering throughout Royale, taking the turbolift up and down with sadness in his eyes. Maybe he'd even fallen for that weirdo Satoko-Satoshi in that keno room, who knew? But Nino didn't much like his partner being out of sorts, or being quiet period. What he loved about Aiba was his positivity, his pure heart. Nino considered himself a person with a pessimistic outlook on life. He considered Aiba the opposite. Much as Aiba could annoy him, it made them good partners. Black and white, yin and yang.
Something was seriously wrong with his best friend.
As a rule, Nino kept out of Aiba's business where it didn't fall under job business. Aiba could do what he liked, do who he liked, and it didn't matter to Nino so long as it didn't interfere with business. But now it was interfering. They'd ferried a guest the other day, and Aiba had been nearly teary-eyed the entire trip, sniffling at his navigator console.
If something was wrong, he usually would have said something. He was a straightforward guy. But he was definitely hiding something, and Nino was determined to find out. He waited one night until Kou-san was down planetside for another one of her strange spa sessions. Usually on those nights now Aiba snuck off to go bother Matsumoto at the top of the station.
Instead of sleeping, he turned on the light in their shared room, taking a deep breath before delving into business that wasn't his own. It only took him a few minutes to find it, stashed under Aiba's mattress where he usually kept his porno mags. It was a small bundle of papers full of Aiba handwriting, a list of some sort that had most of the items crossed off.
Nino's eyes widened as he went down the list. He soon figured out that Aiba was having some sort of contest with himself, some sexual scavenger hunt. But Aiba had always been down for anything, as he liked to cheerfully remind Nino whenever he was trying to keep down his breakfast. Why did he need a specified checklist? Why did it matter?
He turned the pages over, his breath catching at the very last page. He then went back through the others, seeing that everything else had been checked off. There was only one thing left that hadn't been accomplished.
Nino stared down and saw his own name written there with 'best friend' in parentheses after it.
Was that why Aiba was acting so weird lately? He'd gone through all these sex requirements and he only had Nino left? They'd been partners and friends for so long that it just wasn't something that had ever even come up before.
Not that Nino hadn't thought about it. Nino thought about everything at least once, considered it, weighed the pros and cons, and then moved on with his life. Sex with Aiba, sex with the best friend he ever had, sex with the only person he really trusted in this universe (dumb and annoying as he could be) had been marked 'con' and discarded years back.
But why? It wasn't like it would do much long-lasting harm. Aiba was good-looking, maybe sexy even so long as he kept his mouth shut. The opportunity had simply never arisen - they worked together, spent hours and hours together, even lived together. Hell, Aiba probably jacked off in that same room when Nino was asleep.
Apparently Aiba was upset because he didn't know how to broach the topic. Nino did have a tendency to shoot down most of his ideas, if only because he liked it when they argued. He was upset because maybe he thought Nino would turn him down. He was upset for a bunch of stupid Aiba reasons.
Well, he decided, if fucking Aiba Masaki would help get him out of his weird funk, then he'd do it. What else were best friends for?
-
Nino didn't consider himself romantic, but if Aiba had gotten through everything and only had one thing left to check off, it was best to make it memorable. He waited another night until lights out and he heard Aiba come in from checking on the Sobu Line for the night, listening to his feet against the floor as he moved to climb the ladder to the top bunk.
"Masaki," Nino said, trying to stay calm. It wasn't weird, not really, but he simply wasn't used to thinking of his friend as anything but.
"Yeah?"
"I had a bad dream," he lied. "I'm scared."
"What?" Aiba asked, incredulous. "Should I try and connect to your mom on the Net? Have her tell you everything will be alright?"
"Come here, you big idiot," he snapped back, unable to control himself. He tried softening his voice. "Please."
He could hear the hesitation somehow, could sense the wheels turning in Aiba's head. Was it going to count for his list if Nino made the first move? Did Aiba even want to do this, even if it was on his list? Finally he heard Aiba's quiet little sigh, then heard the rustling of his blanket as Aiba moved to get into the small bottom bunk with him.
Nino pressed himself back against the wall, laying on his side as Aiba slid in beside him, all long legs and arms. It was dark save for the blinking red light near their room's Net screen. Unlike most nights, Aiba had come back smelling like Aiba, not like Aiba plus someone else's dick.
Aiba turned on his side too. "I'll stay here if you really need me. Although you're thirty years old and a grown man, so it's kind of weird."
"Be quiet," Nino mumbled.
They lay together in silence for a moment, Aiba rustling a bit under the covers. When Nino couldn't bear the silence between them another second he leaned forward, finding Aiba's face with his fingers.
"What?" Aiba asked, though this time Nino heard a bit of a tremble in his voice. Good, he wasn't running away at least.
Nino answered him with his mouth, finding Aiba's and pressing their lips together. He was warm, as though his body ran hot all the time. Any lingering weirdness about what Nino had just done after more than ten years of comfortable friendship evaporated as soon as Aiba's leg came up over Nino's thigh and he moved closer.
For all that Aiba spouted a lot of nonsense, he was a great kisser. He was aggressive and even though Nino had made the first move on the path to making Aiba's dreams come true, Aiba soon took the offered lead. He slid his tongue along Nino's lips before pushing forward and deepening their kiss. Aiba's hand came up, found the side of Nino's face, stroked teasingly along his cheek.
Aiba shifted them, turned them so Nino was under him. Nino moved his legs, allowing Aiba to fit more comfortably between them. It was almost odd how well they fit together. Why hadn't they bothered to give this a try before? But he didn't much mind, smiling now as Aiba moved away from his mouth, pressing hot little kisses against his neck, rolling his hips up against his.
Nino groaned quietly as Aiba's attentions grew rougher, his mouth sucking a bit at the skin of Nino's neck. He tugged at the bottom of Aiba's shirt, pulling the fabric up and dragging his fingers along Aiba's back. He'd always been lean, skinny even, but he was strong. He wasn't allowing Nino to tease him back, moving Nino's hands away, pushing them up and over his head, holding Nino's wrists with one of his hands, grinding his hips against him all the more urgently.
"Aiba-san, I'm feeling much better now," Nino whispered, feeling Aiba's grip on him tighten. His friend was unashamedly hard, and he could feel his erection pressing against him through the thin fabric of the trunks he usually wore to bed. But he was held in place, could only roll his own hips up, rubbing against him.
"Nino, I..."
Aiba's words were suddenly interrupted by noise from their Net screen. Who the hell was trying to get a hold of them this late? Nino sighed, feeling Aiba stiffen up above him. He tried arching his hips up. "Leave it," Nino pleaded. They'd come this far already. "Just let it go to the mailbox."
"Incoming alert, high priority, from Dr. Johnny Kitagawa," the Net screen announced.
Nino became desperate, trying to wrap his legs around Aiba's torso, to keep him in place but he was already moving away, off the bed, filling the room with light as he scrambled across the room and pressed the Net screen's power button.
Nino almost hissed at the sudden, blinding light, pulling his pillow out from under him and settling it over his face. "That doctor better not be writing to tell you that you've got a space-transmitted infection!"
Seconds later, presumably after he'd finished reading the message, Aiba let out the most ridiculous scream of joy Nino had ever heard. Even through the pillow it was loud, and he ended up flinging the thing across the room. "You are killing my boner!" Nino howled, knowing this whole thing was too good to be true.
But Aiba turned, looking slightly demonic because of the screen's glow. "Nino," he said, looking ready to burst in happiness. "I'm going to live forever."
"You know, I don't think medical science has advanced that far..."
Aiba moved back toward the bed, yanking his trunks to the ground and revealing his rather nice, hard cock, stroking it in anticipation. "Nino, I'll tell you later."
-
When Nino found out what all the fuss was about the next morning, he pushed Aiba out of his bunk and onto the floor, hearing him cry out in pain.
"You've been fucking dying for two months and you didn't fucking tell me?!"
Aiba, naked as the day he was born, lay flat on his back on the floor, staring up at him. "How do you tell someone that, huh? How?"
"You just fucking tell them! What if you fucking died while flying the Sobu Line? What if you killed us both, you idiot?"
Aiba's smile gleamed. "Aww, Nino, you'd be sad if I died, wouldn't you?"
He rolled his eyes. "I can't believe I had sex with you, and now you tell me that you had a prognosis of death looming over you for two months and that you've only just discovered your elderly senile shit of a doctor had the wrong chart and that you are in fact not dying. So you just spent two months desperately fucking anything with a pulse for nothing!"
Aiba merely shrugged his shoulders. "Mistakes happen. I'm particularly happy about this mistake. It means that, you know, if you want, we can have sex whenever we want now. Because I'm not dying any time soon so I can be more selective. And since I know you fairly well, I'd select you without reservations. I think it'll make us better friends, what do you say?"
As always, Aiba Masaki's sense of logic was warped beyond anything resembling normal. But Ninomiya Kazunari couldn't think of a better partner. And to be completely honest, Aiba was as eager and enthusiastic in bed as he was about his job, and Nino appreciated simple things like that.
He moved from the bunk, returning once again to the bottle of lubricant in their bedside table drawer. "One more time, and after that how about we table it for a future discussion when I get over how angry I am with you for not telling me you were dying but not really dying?"
Aiba pondered this for a moment before nodding. "I can live with that."
A few minutes later Nino was on his back once again with his legs spread wide, biting his lip hard as Aiba's hard cock filled him again and again. It was almost better this time, having Aiba inside him, knowing that this time they weren't doing this because of some silly "before I croak" scavenger hunt. This time it was because Aiba was no longer living on borrowed time. It was because they simply felt like it, and sometimes that was enough.
Soon they'd be back in the Sobu Line, off for another boring non-adventure transporting clients to and from Royale. Kou-san would find ways to keep them from doing anything fun like bounty hunting. Bureaucratic red tape and inefficiency would keep the queues at the warp gates longer and longer even with FastPasses. Nari would overcharge for drinks at Lalapipo. Sex-obsessed shapeshifters from Gamma Quadrant would sell bug-eyed figurines. Little boys would be born on Daruma IV with dicks to be reckoned with.
Nino grabbed hold of his cock, stroking himself while Aiba sweated and moaned happily above him. It wasn't a really bad way to start the day, all things considered.
Sakurai-san opened the door to office 86 a few hours later, still eyeing Nino with suspicion. It was a sumptuous office with a large glass window offering a fine view of the stars. Keiko-san's other walls were full of bookshelves. The woman herself was perched on her massive oak desk, legs crossed while she paged through an account ledger on her lap.
The room's other adornments included a handful of plants, a tan sofa, and a framed photo of Kitagawa and four other women (presumably the other Pretty Guardian managers) standing with the Emperor. This was a powerful woman, perhaps even more powerful than Kou-san. And now Nino was offering her whatever type of "free trial" she was looking for.
"Good, you're here," Keiko said, uncrossing her legs and setting the ledger aside. "We've seen you in Luna advertising before, and I've heard my share of things about Royale both good and bad. I'd go to The Zoo to satiate myself, but I am not the type of girl to put myself on display. Should you please me today, I may consider a visit to your station."
"I'll do my best, my lady," Nino said, catching a nod from Sakurai-san that it was the correct way to address her.
"Don't get me wrong," Keiko-san said, looking to Sakurai with shimmering eyes. "Sakurai-san is usually more than enough to keep me happy. But sometimes a girl needs more than one man at a time, don't you think so?"
Ah, now Nino had figured out why Sakurai had been giving him the stink face from the moment Keiko-san had approached him. The guy was jealous, upset with himself that he couldn't give his mistress all that she required.
"Sakurai-san, my accessories," Keiko announced sharply, and Sakurai sprung into action.
Nino stood aside, waiting nervously while Keiko hopped off the desk. He shifted from foot to foot, feeling slightly out of place as Sakurai removed the tiara from Keiko's hair, gently removed her earrings and jewels, and then pressed a kiss to her shoulder before unzipping the back of her pink dress and leaving her standing there in only her red lace panties and high heels.
She was thin with small, perky breasts, a tiny waist, and long, shapely legs. What she lacked in voluptuousness she easily made up for with those eyes, the way she watched Nino and licked her lips as Sakurai busied himself with gently placing her dress on a hanger and perching it on one of the bookcases.
"What's your name?" she finally asked him.
"Nino is fine."
She nodded, smiling at him while Sakurai-san removed his tuxedo jacket, draping it over the back of Keiko's chair. "Very good, Nino. Now you watch while Sakurai-san touches me."
Still clad in his white dress shirt, waistcoat, bowtie, and slacks, Sakurai moved around the desk to approach Keiko from behind. Nino inhaled sharply as the man moved Keiko's hair aside, pressing his rather plump, gorgeous lips against the back of her neck.
Sakurai's gentleness turned suddenly rough in an instant. Keiko kept smiling, gasping slightly when Sakurai pulled her back against him, one hand coming around to squeeze her breast while the other slipped inside her panties. Nino didn't know if he was supposed to sit down and wait or remain in place, so he opted for remaining in place. They were both watching him, Sakurai's sharp, jealous eyes full of arrogance behind his thin wire frames as his fingers roughly rubbed against his mistress. Keiko was clearly enjoying herself and grinning, smiling at Nino and at Sakurai's rough handling.
"I'd like to be kissed now," Keiko said quietly, and Sakurai obeyed, his hand moving up from her breast to tilt her face, kissing first along her cheek before capturing her mouth. Her fingers slipped low, covering Sakurai's hand where it moved within her panties, urging him along.
They went at it a little longer than Nino thought was necessary given that he was in the room watching, growing uncomfortably hot as she bucked herself against Sakurai's hand, moaning against his mouth. Finally she broke away from her lover, servant, whatever Sakurai was to her, wiping at a bit of saliva on her lips.
"Desk now. Get me ready. Nino, you can help with this."
Sakurai's hand slipped from her panties, and he turned her around with a swift sort of precision that even impressed Nino. He found himself wondering if Sakurai had gone to some school to learn what he did. Sakurai cleared off the desk, knocking photo frames, a jar of pencils, and other papers to the floor, clearing a space for his lady. He lifted her into place easily, pushing her onto her back so she was leaning on her elbows. He then rolled up his shirt sleeves and snapped his fingers for Nino.
He hurried over to the desk, unsure of what he was supposed to do. Sakurai was sliding Keiko's panties down her long legs, maneuvering them off and around her black heels. He tossed them aside and snapped his fingers again, pointing at the woman's chest.
"Ah, okay," Nino said, getting the sinking suspicion both people in the room could snap their fingers and have him killed just as easily. "I got it, I got it."
Sakurai neatly removed his glasses, setting them down on one of the bookshelves as he tugged open one of Keiko's desk drawers. Nino was of course required elsewhere, and Keiko moaned in approval as he moved to the side of her desk, leaning forward to lick teasingly at her nipples. He couldn't help keeping his head sideways, eventually seeing Sakurai roughly push Keiko's legs open to start lapping at her clit with his tongue.
One of Keiko's hands found Nino's head, her sharp fingernails scratching at his scalp. Nino tried to make himself useful, running his fingers along Keiko's abdomen as he suckled her. She was soon crying out from whatever wonders Sakurai's mouth was doing down below, screaming her approval, screaming for someone named Sho. Nino imagined that was Sakurai-san's first name, something saved only for the moments when he pleased her the most.
Mere seconds later Nino heard the squeeze of a bottle, looking over to see Sakurai coating his fingers with lube, most likely getting his mistress ready for a two-man show. Nino was getting harder the longer this went on, circling Keiko's nipple with his tongue while he listened to the slick sounds of Sakurai's fingers driving into her. He was efficient in his work, and Nino listened to Keiko's pleased little grunts as Sakurai's palm thumped against her ass as he slid his fingers inside her.
"I'm ready," Keiko was breathlessly moaning minutes later. "Gods, I'm ready."
Nino grumbled in pain as Sakurai flung a bottle of spray at him, the thing hitting him hard in the leg. He tore himself reluctantly away from Keiko's breasts, straightening up and picking the bottle up from the floor. Keiko started to twist her own nipples between her fingers, her hips rocking as Sakurai expertly penetrated her ass with two fingers, his mouth returning to lick aggressively at her clit.
Nino stripped down, hoping that his own erection would be enough given that he really wasn't from Daruma IV. It was difficult to look away from Keiko's happy writhing on top of her desk. "Couch, Nino," came Keiko's moaned order.
He moved over to the tan sofa, stroking himself a few times before giving the bottle a shake and spraying on his coat of protection. It was risky and rather mean-spirited, but he flung the bottle back in Sakurai's direction, beaning him in the ass with it.
Sakurai turned around to scowl at him, picking up the bottle with a gruff little growl that was hotter than it should have been. He held out his hand for his lady, helping Keiko to sit up, and he led her over to the couch.
"Stay right where you are," Keiko ordered Nino, finally slipping out of her shoes and climbing onto the couch, settling herself on top of him with a knee on either side of him. Suddenly she was close, so close he could smell her perfume, the fragrance of her shampoo as her hair fell all around him. He received no warnings or punishments when he lifted his arms to wrap them around her. She buried her small face against his neck, kissing him with her hot little mouth.
She was dripping wet, ready for both of them. He groaned as the head of his cock slipped inside her, letting her rock back against him. "Very nice," she whispered against his skin, and he sighed in contentment, suddenly very grateful he'd given up on his mission of celibacy.
Nino enjoyed a full blissful minute with her on top of him, feeling her so wet and warm as she bounced playfully against him. But he looked over, seeing that Sakurai had put his glasses back on but had taken off the rest of his clothes. Perhaps Keiko preferred the glasses on him for aesthetic purposes. Nino felt a little embarrassed about his soft belly, seeing the firm muscles and well-defined abs Sakurai had been hiding under that tuxedo. But he was pleased to discover Sakurai didn't have a monstrous cock so at least they were on an even playing field there.
Nino thrusted up into Keiko a few more times as Sakurai grabbed the bottle of lubricant from the desk and came over to the couch. He slowed his movements, shutting his eyes when Keiko kissed him almost sweetly. Most likely because she knew she was about to get what she really, truly wanted.
Sakurai finally got onto the couch, positioning himself with with one leg between Nino's and the other between Nino's leg and the couch cushion. Nino stopped moving, letting Keiko slowly move back and forth atop him while Sakurai got himself into place. Keiko moved, bracing herself, and Nino's view changed to the sight of Keiko's bouncing breasts as her curtain of hair fell around him. He licked his lips, doing his best to keep from slipping out of her as Sakurai's fingers found her ass again.
The sound of complete and total happiness Keiko made when Sakurai's cock started pushing into her was one Nino wouldn't forget for some time. It was a low, eager moan, and Nino could only imagine how good it must have felt. She started to move, slowly at first, but when Nino tilted his face up, letting his tongue graze against her breasts and nipples as she moved, she gasped. Nino could feel the whole couch groaning with their combined weight, and he could sense Sakurai's movements within her too.
Keiko, who seemed so business-like and prissy in the marketplace, was loud and appreciative behind closed doors. "Yeah, more," she was begging the both of them. "More." Sensing that she was as comfortable as she was going to get in such a position, he started to move again, his thigh brushing a bit against Sakurai's leg as he rolled his hips, thrusting into her repeatedly and feeling her squeeze him tight as Sakurai filled her ass with his own cock.
She could barely keep herself up, her arm moving to wrap around Nino's neck, clinging to him and gasping, her other hand slipping a bit awkwardly between them. He was almost deafened by her shout then as she rubbed her fingers hastily against her clit, bringing herself off in mere seconds. Now he was mostly competing with Sakurai, who kept pumping into her as her whole body shook with her orgasm.
Keiko seemed on another plane of existence, words having clearly deserted her. All she was doing was gasping now, shuddering with the effort of holding herself up as her fingers continued relentlessly against her clit. Nino groaned at the sudden low moan that emerged from Sakurai, feeling the whole couch move in his last ditch efforts to please his mistress before he came. Keiko sighed in contentment, humming as Sakurai slowly, gently withdrew from her body.
That left Nino for last, and he felt rather pleased with himself for lasting longer than Sakurai. He felt a weight lift as Sakurai left the sofa, giving Nino all the room he needed to show off and earn Royale some future business from Kitagawa Keiko. He knew it wouldn't be much longer now, and he grinned as he greedily put his hands on her ass and squeezed. She chuckled softly, sitting up and bracing her hands on his chest. She gave him a wink that would have made Sakurai-san fume if he saw it. He realized that she wasn't scary now. She just knew what she wanted, and he'd be sad to leave her.
From there she rode him hard and fast, smiling even as he came, arching up and into her until he was completely out of it. He lay there, satisfied, not even rolling his eyes as she climbed off him and headed straight for Sakurai, who'd gone to sit in her chair and sulk until they'd finished. She ruffled his hair affectionately, pressing a kiss to the man's sweaty, pretty face.
"Nino was just at a better angle," she murmured. "You felt so good, the both of you."
Sakurai still looked disappointed in himself, allowing her to kiss him once again before he got up. "I'll fetch some towels," he mumbled before heading through another door beyond Keiko's office.
Keiko came back over to the couch with slow steps after their rather rough handling of her, chuckling to herself and obviously feeling no shame about walking around naked in front of a stranger. "I may have to pay you a visit at Royale the next time I get a craving for something like that."
Nino laughed. "I wonder if I'd get commission then."
She gave him a little tap on the nose with her finger. "Now that's the sound of a good businessman."
.Interlude: Satoko.
Aiba Masaki was tired. He probably only had weeks to live, and he'd barely made a dent in his "people to do before I die list." He'd been able to check off 'boss' thanks to his time with Jun. And then a subsequent time with Jun had allowed him to accomplish 'blowjob in the turbolift at Royale' although Aiba would have preferred to be on the receiving end for once.
Even if he had already hit more than 20 checkmarks on the list, it still left so many things, and he was already getting worn out from his existing achievements. For a dying man, he was doing pretty damn good, but he wanted to do so much more. But would his body hold out long enough?
At least being docked at Pretty Guardian usually lent itself to some sort of mischief. Of course the last time he'd been on the station had been that unfortunate situation with Daigo-san. Aiba was happy to know he was still touring in the Beta Quadrant and would be doing so indefinitely to make up for all the credits Aiba and Nino had snatched away from him.
There were still hours before they were due to transport the Matsuyamas to Royale. He supposed that 'zero gravity sex' wasn't a possibility here, nor was 'fuck a head of state and/or planetary governor.' He wandered Pretty Guardian's casino level, eyeing the folks sitting in front of the slot and pachinko machines or at the baccarat tables. Maybe he could at least find someone who met one of his physical description requirements. He still had 'little person' on his list, having decided that 'midget' was inappropriate terminology. There was also 'big person,' which he could fulfill in a number of ways if push came to shove.
But after hours of listening to the machines pinging noisily and patrons cheering at various tables, he slunk his way over to the large keno room at the middle of the level. Unlike the rest of the casino floor, blessed with stunning views of the stars, the keno room was notorious for its darkness and privacy. Here was where people went to conduct shady business. Here was where you met someone for a good time.
It was closed off with a single red velvet curtain, and a friendly woman stood outside beckoning for gamblers to enter. You could do whatever you wanted, but you had to buy a card to enter, and they weren't cheap. Aiba was a betting man, and he hoped the keno room could deliver today.
The woman outside, Mikako-chan, raised an eyebrow at the sight of him as he approached. She was usually smiling and cheerful to most gamblers, but she'd always been able to tell when someone was coming in for a different sort of score. And she'd always been able to read Aiba like a book.
"Aiba-san," she said politely, inclining her head. "How are you doing today?"
I'm dying, he could have told her. "Waiting for passengers," he replied, slipping his hand in his pocket to pull out a handful of credits. He glanced up at the entry fee sign posted beside the curtain. 500 credit buy-in for one card. One card!
"The Pretty Guardian Keno Room is always thrilled by your patronage," Mikako said, her little black ponytail bouncing as she pulled the curtain back. "Pervert."
He chuckled as she allowed him through anyway. He knew that Mikako served as both hostess and cleaning coordinator for the room. Aiba didn't envy her that. Some people were rather inconsiderate.
He nearly tumbled into someone else as he entered, a gruff looking businessman heading out with his briefcase. There was very little light in the place. There was the buy-in booth where you slipped your credits into a machine and it spat out your card, your twenty numbers out of eighty you hoped would get chosen. There was a tiny light next to the credit slot. And then there was the number bank, the set of screens visible from anywhere in a room that lit up in a dark orange to call the numbers. If you won any of the keno rounds, you left to claim your credits elsewhere in the casino. Most likely because nobody actually wanted to sit on duty in the room and overhear something they didn't want to, whether criminal or carnal.
Aiba fed his coins into the machine, sighing. He'd have had better luck with pachinko, but he had needs as a dying man that sitting in front of a pachinko machine couldn't fulfill. The machine pushed out his card with his numbers noted, and he took one of the small little markers from a cup on top of the machine to hopefully mark off some winners.
From the entryway, the rest of the room was cloaked in shadow. Three levels of booths sunk down into the floor, each of them with a curtain that could be drawn if necessary for privacy. Of course the people playing the round for real left them open so they could see the number banks, but as Aiba followed the dim emergency lights down to the middle row of booths, he saw that more than half had curtains drawn.
He could smell cigarette smoke and hear hushed tones coming from some of them. Business deals, illegal activity. And then from others he could hear laughter, moaning. The oh so obviously faked orgasm noises of Pretty Guardian's best cabaret girls. It reminded Aiba how fortunate he was to have access to Royale. Most people couldn't afford it and settled for the hush of a keno room.
At the end of the second aisle he found an empty booth, settling down inside against the dark leather cushion. The number bank lit up before him announced that the game on his card, Game 41378, would be starting in ten minutes while Game 41377 was already in progress. He glanced down at his numbers and rolled his eyes, setting the card down beside him.
He went with the usual protocol, sliding the heavy black curtain halfway shut, an open invitation. He'd already decided as soon as he bought his card. He had 'complete and total stranger' on his list, and it was time to check it off.
He watched the clock tick down on the number bank. Seven minutes until his game, then six. And then finally there was movement in the aisle, and a head poked around the side of his curtain. "Need some company?"
In the glow of the number bank he could see it was a slender, short woman with long, curled light hair. She had a round, childish face and was dressed in a long coat and knee-high boots. The only odd thing about her was the giant handbag she was toting around. It looked like it weighed as much as she did.
But that was neither here nor there. He merely held out his hand, beckoning her forward with his finger. She politely slid the curtain closed after her and set her massive bag down with a thunk on the floor of the enclosure. Aiba heard something fall out of the thing and brush against his shoe.
He bent down, retrieving it. The woman pulled out a pocket light from her coat, turning it on. "Ah, I'm sorry to have dropped that, man."
He took his first good look at her as she set the pocket light down on the cushion between them, leaving it on. A deeper voice for a woman and Aiba would have described her face as boyish even with all the makeup she was wearing. But she unbuttoned her coat, revealing breasts with a bounce Aiba knew meant they were real. She held out her hand, gesturing for the item that had fallen from her bag.
It was one of the strangest things he'd ever seen, a tiny little carved figurine with massive features - big expressive eyes, a large nose, huge teeth. It was mostly head with a tiny body. He handed it over to her and she slipped it back in her handbag. Aiba noticed that the bag was full of the odd figurines. "I sell these," she explained. "Well, I make them too. Girl's gotta eat. It's hard out here for an artist, you know?"
"Right," Aiba said with a nod, hoping this wasn't just a sales pitch. He'd already blown 500 credits on the card for the keno game he was going to be missing.
"I'm Satoko," she said by way of introduction.
"Masaki."
"It's nice to meet you, Masaki," she said, and Aiba almost believed her. "How long you here for?"
He held up his keno card. "One round in here. Another day at the station altogether though. You?"
She tugged a vendor's lanyard from around her neck, shoving it into her bag. "On my way in a few hours. Nobody in Luna was biting today. I swear, man, you spend hours and hours pouring your whole life into your art and what does it get you?"
He thought the way she spoke was a little odd, but maybe she wasn't local. Maybe Gamma or even Delta? He wondered if he could also check off 'foreigner' on his to do list. "Well, we have to do what we can with the time we're given."
She laid a hand on his shoulder. "That was, like, really profound, Masaki." He felt cheered by her presence. She was rather laid-back and friendly, and he liked her immediately. She pulled a water bottle from her bag and uncapped it, taking a long sip before holding it out. "Thirsty?"
He gratefully accepted. They both knew where this was going. He could tell from the twinkle in her eyes as he rudely downed the rest of the bottle. It was good to be hydrated in advance. It tasted a little funny, but maybe it had just been in her bag a while.
"Why don't you unzip your pants? I'll take care of you."
Aiba didn't need to be told twice, obeying her immediately. He sighed when Satoko's small, but kind of rough little hand pulled him out from his boxers and started pumping his cock. The friction was kind of nice, almost like a guy's hand, but her nails were painted and she smelled distinctly feminine.
It wasn't long before he was hard, trying not to lift his hips and buck himself against her hand. He didn't need it to be over that quickly. He heard her body move against the cushions, felt the warmth of her breath against his face. She placed cute little kisses against his ear, against his neck, humming quietly as she worked him with her expert hand.
"It's been a rough day," she mumbled against his skin. "Do you think we could do something a little more...?"
"I...I don't have any..."
"Not to worry," Satoko whispered, licking him along his jaw. "I said I'd take care of you."
And so she did. Aiba's eyes grew heavy, and he struggled to keep them open even as she stripped out of her coat and pulled a bottle of spray from her handbag. She made quick work of it, coating his erection swiftly before hoisting up her short black skirt to reveal her lack of panties. Whatever sense was still left in Aiba's head packed its bags and headed south at the sight of her firm ass and the cleft between her legs.
She left her boots on, placing a kiss on his nose before pushing him back against the cushion and confidently turning her back on him. She unbuttoned her blouse and slid it from her shoulders, tossing it aside with her coat. Positioning herself with one booted leg on either side of his, she slowly sank down on his cock, chuckling a bit merrily when their bodies were fully together. Or maybe he was hearing things.
He now had a limited view of the curtain of her hair, instead opting to look down. He put one hand to either side of her, keeping her steady while she began to rock herself back and forth. Underneath that big coat she'd been hiding a rather expert pair of hips. He couldn't look away from the hypnotic rolling motion, hearing her gasps of delight as she rode him.
Aiba heard the soft pinging noise signaling the start of the next keno round. Just as he turned to look for his card, Satoko slipped off his dick, moving to slide the curtain open just enough to view the board. Before he could even protest or yell for her to pull it shut again, she was snatching up the card from the cushion and settling herself right back down on his hard cock.
"I'll check your numbers while you fuck me, okay?"
They were almost entirely exposed, this strange woman with her bag full of bizarre figurines bouncing on his cock while he moved his head aside and tried to keep her long curls from getting in his mouth. He had to admit that the potential for being caught was making him feel even better. He was really surprised by how into it he was, given that they'd only met minutes earlier, but he felt like he was entering some sort of sexual trance, watching her move as the orange numbers popped up on the board.
"Oooh, twelve. They just called twelve," Satoko announced. "You're so good!"
Aiba didn't know if she was referring to his keno numbers or his cock, but he was growing so hypnotized with the feeling of being inside her that he decided to switch things up. "You watch the numbers, alright?" he said, and she agreed with a quiet little nod.
He adjusted them, pulling her back against him. Her head settled just beside his, and now he could see her breasts. Instead of having her ride him, he rocked his own hips, hearing her gasp as he quickly pounded into her. The keno numbers started to blur. Everything was growing fuzzy. All he knew was the intensity of feeling Satoko was eliciting from him. It didn't matter that they were strangers. It didn't matter that anyone, even poor Mikako-chan, might walk by.
Maybe he was close to death this time. Maybe this was his last hurrah.
"Oooh, Masaki, they just called 64!"
He thrust up and into her faster and faster, watching her tits bounce. He wanted her, he wanted her so badly. She cried out, much louder than the keno room really allowed for when he slid his hand south and started to rub her clit in time with his movements.
She was still calling out numbers when he came, collapsing against the cushions and hoping his heart would hold out. She didn't move, watching the board and pushing his fingers aside so she could touch herself. Even as she came, just as noisily, she still seemed way more coherent than him. He felt as though he could fall asleep right there. Nino would be totally mad if he couldn't find him later...
He barely registered her moving out of his lap, the odd touch of her handkerchief as she mopped his brow. "I'm sorry," she whispered, but maybe he misheard her.
-
When he woke, Satoko and her bag full of creepy figurines were gone, and Aiba felt very well-rested. He was still there with his pants unbuttoned and his limp cock hanging out, but at least Satoko had disposed of his condom. She'd even left one of her ugly figurines behind as a farewell gift, the hideous thing left right at his side on the booth cushion. But, he discovered, growing more and more awake and alert by the second, his keno card was gone.
He hurriedly buttoned up his pants, grabbed the figurine, and flung the curtain open. His card had been for Game 41378 and they were already on 41394. "Ohhhh fuck no," he mumbled. Though he couldn't remember much about his short time with Satoko other than the height of pleasurable experiences, he vaguely recalled her shouting out number after number while he was fucking her.
Oh shit, maybe he'd won the jackpot.
"Damn it!" he shouted, racing uncomfortably through the keno room, hurrying back through the red velvet curtain to find Mikako-chan still there.
She took in his disheveled appearance with a quirk to her lips. "Your friend isn't back yet, is she?"
"Huh?"
Mikako held out her hand next to her head. "Same height as me, long hair, giant bag?"
"You saw Satoko?"
Mikako was stifling a laugh now. "She said she was going to cash in your ticket for you." She leaned forward, poking him in the chest. "I guess that was a lie, hmm?"
He groaned. "You're not helping!"
It was at that point that Nino came swaggering by past the blackjack tables, looking happier than a pig in slop. It seemed like they'd both gotten laid that day on board Pretty Guardian, but Aiba was the one out a jackpot.
"Nino!" Aiba hollered, hurrying over to his partner. "Nino, someone took my keno ticket. And she left this behind. We need to go to the marketplace and see if she's still there."
All of Nino's happiness seemed to fade in a second, his eyes widening at the sight of the figurine in his hand. "Where did you get that?" he howled.
"The woman who just screwed me over," Aiba whined, stomping his feet. "Hurry, she said she was leaving soon."
Nino smacked Aiba in the face, using the distraction to snatch the ugly figure out of his hand. "Where did SHE get this?"
"She makes them," Aiba explained mournfully, rubbing his cheek. Nino was rougher than he needed to be, as usual. "She makes and sells them, why? Does it really matter? She took my keno card!"
"She?" Nino was mumbling, pacing back and forth, turning on his heel sharply as other casino patrons wandered by, staring at them. Even Mikako-chan was convulsing with giggles back by the red curtain. "She? How can it be a she?"
"Her name's Satoko. Do you know her?" Aiba inquired.
"Sato...ko?"
"Yes," Aiba said, linking his arm through his partner's. "Sa-to-ko, and she is on my shit list right at the top!" Could he even count this incident for his to-do list now? It certainly hadn't ended well...
Nino took off running, screaming his head off, shaking the hideous figurine over his head as he headed for the turbolifts. Aiba wondered if Nino had some kind of subconscious fear of figurines. What was going on with him?
They made it to the hangar bay, Aiba steering clear as Nino continued muttering angrily to himself, holding the figurine in a death grip. But before Aiba could worry any further, he saw it, plain as day.
She'd even chiseled off the name. 'Freestyle II' was now imprinted on the side of the hull but there was no mistaking it. It was the Sobu Line, docked right here in Pretty Guardian's hangar bay. Satoko was there, smiling cutely and counting out from a bag nearly overflowing with credits as some lovestruck hangar worker hauled another bag of her ugly figurines back onto the ship.
"You!" Nino screamed, pointing at Satoko. "It's you!"
Satoko looked up and shrieked, turning to run into the open hatch, shoving the poor worker out of the way. But Nino was too quick for her, and Aiba was a fast runner and oddly curious about this whole bizarre turn of events.
Before Satoko could close the hatch and lock them out, they both boarded. Aiba nearly protested about being rude to females as Nino tackled the woman and her high-heeled boots to the unforgiving floor of the Sobu Line. The ship, their ship, was full to bursting with figurines in various stages of completion.
"Hey, hey, wait a minute, Nino," Satoko protested. "Wait, I said!"
But Nino was tugging at her hair. "Is this a wig? You big liar!"
"Ow, hey!" Satoko complained.
Aiba approached, holding his hands up cautiously. "Nino, don't be so rough with her."
"She's not a her! She's a him!" Nino cried, still tugging on Satoko's long hair. "This lying asshole is not Sa-to-ko but Sa-to-shi, who apparently likes to drug people and rip them off!"
Realization dawned. The guy who'd stolen the Sobu Line...he'd drugged Nino. And then Aiba remembered the water bottle, the funny taste, waking with his keno card gone...
"But...but..." Aiba mumbled. "She has a vagina."
Nino turned on him. "He has a dick!"
"I know what a female's body looks like, Nino, and she has one!"
"There was a dick! I saw it with my own eyes!"
"You guys," Satoko tried to interrupt.
"Those boobs are real, and they're quite nice actually!" Aiba found himself saying despite his anger.
"This is a man!" Nino screeched.
"YOU GUYS!" Satoko shouted, and this time when they turned, they saw someone different. Same clothes, but the long hair had vanished, replaced with a light colored spiky mess and a bit of fuzz on his chin. No more "quite nice" breasts either.
Aiba nearly fainted.
Nino somehow seemed proud of himself. "See. A man."
"Actually," Satoko-Satoshi noted, voice deeper and rather manly now. "Both."
They both turned, mouths gaping.
Satoko-Satoshi smiled. It was the same exact smile, the same round face. Just...on a man. "I'm a shapeshifter. From Gamma Quadrant. So, like, I'm both alright? No hard feelings?"
If he expected them to be pacified by this revelation, he really didn't know Nino well at all. "You stole my ship, you shapeshifting piece of shit!"
And then the fight was on, Aiba stepping back with a sigh as Nino pounced on the shapeshifting alien, knocking him down to the floor again, but having a much harder time now that he was tugging on shorter hair. Aiba simply looked around, frowning at all the boxes full of figurines. Did the guy really think people would buy these things?
"You drugged me! You drugged my partner!" Nino complained.
"Hey, man, come on, that hurts," Satoko-Satoshi mumbled, not all that concerned about the magnitude of what he'd done. Gamma Quadrant was a strange place.
"I'm going to airlock your skinny little ass!"
"I'm just trying to make a living!"
Finally, Aiba hauled Nino off the small man, holding him back. Aiba pursed his lips. "What if I let you keep the keno money? You keep the money, take your stuff, and leave us alone for good?"
Satoshi frowned, rubbing at his sore head. "You had twelve out of twenty numbers. It was going to be enough for the fuel to fly home..."
"He's a liar," Nino complained, struggling in Aiba's arms. "Let me kill him!"
But Aiba stood his ground, seeing a new sincerity in Satoshi's eyes. He remembered Nino's story from when the Sobu Line was initially ship-jacked. That Satoshi's original ship had been completely busted, and he'd probably been stranded on the ice moon for months. And now he was here trolling the keno room looking to scam tickets since it was pretty obvious he wasn't making any money off of his actual business venture.
"I thought you were just selling figurines," Aiba said. "Why do you want to go home?"
"I left Gamma Quadrant to be an artist. They don't let us do that on my home planet, be creative, you know? So I ran away." Satoshi looked down. "But now my parent's sick..."
"Mother? Father? Or is that a 'both' situation on your planet too?" Nino spat, and Aiba poked him hard.
Satoshi's eyes filled with tears. "I don't like being a thief, you know. I try to at least make people happy before I steal from them. I've been trying to get home for so long...I don't even know if she's still alive, but I have to get home. I'll do whatever it takes."
Nino sneered at Aiba. "You believe this crap? Come on, Masaki, he's going to drug us again if we don't turn him in right now."
But Satoshi's parent was ill, maybe dying. Aiba knew a little something about dying now. He stepped aside, hauling Nino out of the way. "We're taking our ship back," Aiba said quietly. "Please keep the money and take all your stuff with you. Buy yourself a ticket home, okay? And promise not to hurt anyone else."
Satoshi was crying openly now, which looked a little odd in the long coat and high-heeled boots, but he seemed really happy. Relieved, even.
Nino looked away, but Aiba happily accepted a hug from the cute shapeshifting thief before he departed from the Sobu Line, waving farewell. They watched him hand over some credits to pay the way for himself and his endless boxes of crap onto another ship in the hangar bay.
"He's still going to fuck people and then fuck them over," Nino gritted out.
Aiba merely grinned, seeing Satoshi's smile of joy as he disappeared up the gangplank of another ship. "I'm not so sure."
.Aiba vs. the Space Plague Part 2: Electric Boogaloo.
The Sobu Line was back! His FastPass was back! And thankfully Ninomiya Kazunari's time as an unpaid marketing lackey had come to a close. Of course Aiba had always been a big softie, letting that shapeshifting jerk go crying home to mom. A thief was a thief, no matter how good they were at tonguing your asshole.
He was even back in Kou-san's good graces, having not only regained his ship but having brought in a new, high-paying client. He'd ridden the turbolift with Keiko-san and Sakurai-san the other morning, seeing the woman's confident smile and the man's look of tightly-controlled rage and jealousy.
The only thing still up in the air was Aiba himself. He'd been quiet and mopey lately, wandering throughout Royale, taking the turbolift up and down with sadness in his eyes. Maybe he'd even fallen for that weirdo Satoko-Satoshi in that keno room, who knew? But Nino didn't much like his partner being out of sorts, or being quiet period. What he loved about Aiba was his positivity, his pure heart. Nino considered himself a person with a pessimistic outlook on life. He considered Aiba the opposite. Much as Aiba could annoy him, it made them good partners. Black and white, yin and yang.
Something was seriously wrong with his best friend.
As a rule, Nino kept out of Aiba's business where it didn't fall under job business. Aiba could do what he liked, do who he liked, and it didn't matter to Nino so long as it didn't interfere with business. But now it was interfering. They'd ferried a guest the other day, and Aiba had been nearly teary-eyed the entire trip, sniffling at his navigator console.
If something was wrong, he usually would have said something. He was a straightforward guy. But he was definitely hiding something, and Nino was determined to find out. He waited one night until Kou-san was down planetside for another one of her strange spa sessions. Usually on those nights now Aiba snuck off to go bother Matsumoto at the top of the station.
Instead of sleeping, he turned on the light in their shared room, taking a deep breath before delving into business that wasn't his own. It only took him a few minutes to find it, stashed under Aiba's mattress where he usually kept his porno mags. It was a small bundle of papers full of Aiba handwriting, a list of some sort that had most of the items crossed off.
Nino's eyes widened as he went down the list. He soon figured out that Aiba was having some sort of contest with himself, some sexual scavenger hunt. But Aiba had always been down for anything, as he liked to cheerfully remind Nino whenever he was trying to keep down his breakfast. Why did he need a specified checklist? Why did it matter?
He turned the pages over, his breath catching at the very last page. He then went back through the others, seeing that everything else had been checked off. There was only one thing left that hadn't been accomplished.
Nino stared down and saw his own name written there with 'best friend' in parentheses after it.
Was that why Aiba was acting so weird lately? He'd gone through all these sex requirements and he only had Nino left? They'd been partners and friends for so long that it just wasn't something that had ever even come up before.
Not that Nino hadn't thought about it. Nino thought about everything at least once, considered it, weighed the pros and cons, and then moved on with his life. Sex with Aiba, sex with the best friend he ever had, sex with the only person he really trusted in this universe (dumb and annoying as he could be) had been marked 'con' and discarded years back.
But why? It wasn't like it would do much long-lasting harm. Aiba was good-looking, maybe sexy even so long as he kept his mouth shut. The opportunity had simply never arisen - they worked together, spent hours and hours together, even lived together. Hell, Aiba probably jacked off in that same room when Nino was asleep.
Apparently Aiba was upset because he didn't know how to broach the topic. Nino did have a tendency to shoot down most of his ideas, if only because he liked it when they argued. He was upset because maybe he thought Nino would turn him down. He was upset for a bunch of stupid Aiba reasons.
Well, he decided, if fucking Aiba Masaki would help get him out of his weird funk, then he'd do it. What else were best friends for?
-
Nino didn't consider himself romantic, but if Aiba had gotten through everything and only had one thing left to check off, it was best to make it memorable. He waited another night until lights out and he heard Aiba come in from checking on the Sobu Line for the night, listening to his feet against the floor as he moved to climb the ladder to the top bunk.
"Masaki," Nino said, trying to stay calm. It wasn't weird, not really, but he simply wasn't used to thinking of his friend as anything but.
"Yeah?"
"I had a bad dream," he lied. "I'm scared."
"What?" Aiba asked, incredulous. "Should I try and connect to your mom on the Net? Have her tell you everything will be alright?"
"Come here, you big idiot," he snapped back, unable to control himself. He tried softening his voice. "Please."
He could hear the hesitation somehow, could sense the wheels turning in Aiba's head. Was it going to count for his list if Nino made the first move? Did Aiba even want to do this, even if it was on his list? Finally he heard Aiba's quiet little sigh, then heard the rustling of his blanket as Aiba moved to get into the small bottom bunk with him.
Nino pressed himself back against the wall, laying on his side as Aiba slid in beside him, all long legs and arms. It was dark save for the blinking red light near their room's Net screen. Unlike most nights, Aiba had come back smelling like Aiba, not like Aiba plus someone else's dick.
Aiba turned on his side too. "I'll stay here if you really need me. Although you're thirty years old and a grown man, so it's kind of weird."
"Be quiet," Nino mumbled.
They lay together in silence for a moment, Aiba rustling a bit under the covers. When Nino couldn't bear the silence between them another second he leaned forward, finding Aiba's face with his fingers.
"What?" Aiba asked, though this time Nino heard a bit of a tremble in his voice. Good, he wasn't running away at least.
Nino answered him with his mouth, finding Aiba's and pressing their lips together. He was warm, as though his body ran hot all the time. Any lingering weirdness about what Nino had just done after more than ten years of comfortable friendship evaporated as soon as Aiba's leg came up over Nino's thigh and he moved closer.
For all that Aiba spouted a lot of nonsense, he was a great kisser. He was aggressive and even though Nino had made the first move on the path to making Aiba's dreams come true, Aiba soon took the offered lead. He slid his tongue along Nino's lips before pushing forward and deepening their kiss. Aiba's hand came up, found the side of Nino's face, stroked teasingly along his cheek.
Aiba shifted them, turned them so Nino was under him. Nino moved his legs, allowing Aiba to fit more comfortably between them. It was almost odd how well they fit together. Why hadn't they bothered to give this a try before? But he didn't much mind, smiling now as Aiba moved away from his mouth, pressing hot little kisses against his neck, rolling his hips up against his.
Nino groaned quietly as Aiba's attentions grew rougher, his mouth sucking a bit at the skin of Nino's neck. He tugged at the bottom of Aiba's shirt, pulling the fabric up and dragging his fingers along Aiba's back. He'd always been lean, skinny even, but he was strong. He wasn't allowing Nino to tease him back, moving Nino's hands away, pushing them up and over his head, holding Nino's wrists with one of his hands, grinding his hips against him all the more urgently.
"Aiba-san, I'm feeling much better now," Nino whispered, feeling Aiba's grip on him tighten. His friend was unashamedly hard, and he could feel his erection pressing against him through the thin fabric of the trunks he usually wore to bed. But he was held in place, could only roll his own hips up, rubbing against him.
"Nino, I..."
Aiba's words were suddenly interrupted by noise from their Net screen. Who the hell was trying to get a hold of them this late? Nino sighed, feeling Aiba stiffen up above him. He tried arching his hips up. "Leave it," Nino pleaded. They'd come this far already. "Just let it go to the mailbox."
"Incoming alert, high priority, from Dr. Johnny Kitagawa," the Net screen announced.
Nino became desperate, trying to wrap his legs around Aiba's torso, to keep him in place but he was already moving away, off the bed, filling the room with light as he scrambled across the room and pressed the Net screen's power button.
Nino almost hissed at the sudden, blinding light, pulling his pillow out from under him and settling it over his face. "That doctor better not be writing to tell you that you've got a space-transmitted infection!"
Seconds later, presumably after he'd finished reading the message, Aiba let out the most ridiculous scream of joy Nino had ever heard. Even through the pillow it was loud, and he ended up flinging the thing across the room. "You are killing my boner!" Nino howled, knowing this whole thing was too good to be true.
But Aiba turned, looking slightly demonic because of the screen's glow. "Nino," he said, looking ready to burst in happiness. "I'm going to live forever."
"You know, I don't think medical science has advanced that far..."
Aiba moved back toward the bed, yanking his trunks to the ground and revealing his rather nice, hard cock, stroking it in anticipation. "Nino, I'll tell you later."
-
When Nino found out what all the fuss was about the next morning, he pushed Aiba out of his bunk and onto the floor, hearing him cry out in pain.
"You've been fucking dying for two months and you didn't fucking tell me?!"
Aiba, naked as the day he was born, lay flat on his back on the floor, staring up at him. "How do you tell someone that, huh? How?"
"You just fucking tell them! What if you fucking died while flying the Sobu Line? What if you killed us both, you idiot?"
Aiba's smile gleamed. "Aww, Nino, you'd be sad if I died, wouldn't you?"
He rolled his eyes. "I can't believe I had sex with you, and now you tell me that you had a prognosis of death looming over you for two months and that you've only just discovered your elderly senile shit of a doctor had the wrong chart and that you are in fact not dying. So you just spent two months desperately fucking anything with a pulse for nothing!"
Aiba merely shrugged his shoulders. "Mistakes happen. I'm particularly happy about this mistake. It means that, you know, if you want, we can have sex whenever we want now. Because I'm not dying any time soon so I can be more selective. And since I know you fairly well, I'd select you without reservations. I think it'll make us better friends, what do you say?"
As always, Aiba Masaki's sense of logic was warped beyond anything resembling normal. But Ninomiya Kazunari couldn't think of a better partner. And to be completely honest, Aiba was as eager and enthusiastic in bed as he was about his job, and Nino appreciated simple things like that.
He moved from the bunk, returning once again to the bottle of lubricant in their bedside table drawer. "One more time, and after that how about we table it for a future discussion when I get over how angry I am with you for not telling me you were dying but not really dying?"
Aiba pondered this for a moment before nodding. "I can live with that."
A few minutes later Nino was on his back once again with his legs spread wide, biting his lip hard as Aiba's hard cock filled him again and again. It was almost better this time, having Aiba inside him, knowing that this time they weren't doing this because of some silly "before I croak" scavenger hunt. This time it was because Aiba was no longer living on borrowed time. It was because they simply felt like it, and sometimes that was enough.
Soon they'd be back in the Sobu Line, off for another boring non-adventure transporting clients to and from Royale. Kou-san would find ways to keep them from doing anything fun like bounty hunting. Bureaucratic red tape and inefficiency would keep the queues at the warp gates longer and longer even with FastPasses. Nari would overcharge for drinks at Lalapipo. Sex-obsessed shapeshifters from Gamma Quadrant would sell bug-eyed figurines. Little boys would be born on Daruma IV with dicks to be reckoned with.
Nino grabbed hold of his cock, stroking himself while Aiba sweated and moaned happily above him. It wasn't a really bad way to start the day, all things considered.