Fic: Insides - C/L, R/L (implied)
Title: Insides
Pairing: Cat/Lister, Rimmer/Lister (implied)
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I don't own Red Dwarf, despite my feverent wishes to the contrary. Ditto for making money off this.
Spoilers: Terrorform
Notes: A response, of sorts, to roadstergal's "Lies". Written as part of the fanfic100 challenge - my table is here.
Lister realized the Cat was in his bunk the moment he came into the room. He giggled to himself, and pretended to sneak his way into the sleeping quarters. The feline lay very still, propping himself up on his right elbow. He was entirely naked. When he was almost there, Lister stood on his toes, and whispered into those subtly pointed ears; “Hey… Didn’t see you there.”
The Cat purred, and moved one limber arm down to caress Lister’s face. His fingernails, which were tougher and harder than those of a human, scratched lightly across the surface of Lister's skin, and Lister shuddered. Hungrily, he leaned into the Cat’s offered kiss, thrilling as the feline’s coarse tongue scraped the insides of his mouth deliciously raw. Then, abruptly, the Cat broke contact and sat up in bed in one fluid motion, his lower body now hidden under the blankets. Lister blinked; it had happened within seconds. Eyes that reflected what little light there was in the dingy room regarded him thoughtfully.
“Wha…?” Lister managed, his libido raging from the almost violent kiss.
The Cat shrugged. “You tell me,” he replied, easily.
“Eh? Come on now…” Lister climbed the first few steps of the ladder, leaning in towards the naked, alluring form.
The Cat shook his head, and slunk further away. Lister frowned, and clutched his head in frustration. Grabbing his hat, he threw it at the feline, almost angrily. The Cat regarded the deerstalker with blatant contempt.
“What’s wrong?” Lister climbed a further step, and tried to grab the Cat’s hand, but it slid away from him before he had even begun to move.
“You smell wrong,” came the reply from the two glowing eyes at the back of his bunk.
“What? Are you saying I don’t wash? Have you been talking to…” Ah, but neither of them had seen any of Rimmer since the psi-moon incident almost a week ago. Lister swallowed. He’d been trying his best to forget all about that, especially his thoughts afterwards. He’d been having trouble sleeping. Dammit, he needed this!
“Not like that, ashtray-mouth!” Pointed teeth gleamed in the near-dark. “If I cared about that, do you think I would have let you do your thing as much as I have?”
“’Let me’?” Lister felt suddenly insulted. “You’re the one sneaking into my bunk at all hours when… When I’m alone!” And now he had been alone for days, but this was the first they’d seen of one another. Lister had felt something was amiss, but he’d stubbornly ignored it. He’d ignored a lot of things.
The Cat moved soundlessly to face Lister again. The human reached out for another kiss, but met an invisible barrier of “no.” The Cat watched him curiously, disapproval radiating from every pore.
“What!?” Lister almost yelled. “What is it I’ve done?”
“You don’t smell right,” the Cat repeated. His eyes nailed Lister to the spot. “This is getting too complicated. I don’t do complicated.”
“What d’you mean, complicated?” It was just a form of stress release, Lister had always reasoned. That way, he didn’t have to think of it as having sex with his cat.
“You and Mr. Personality. I don’t know what’s going on there, but it smells worse than two month-old haddock. And it feels funny.”
“What are you on about?” Lister said, knowing exactly what the Cat was on about. His eyes dropped, for a second or two, to the empty bunk below.
“Telling him you like him, then telling him you don’t… I don’t get it.” He frowned, deeply, nails scratching nervously at the blankets.
Lister scratched the back of his neck, where his hair was slowly growing out from the cut he’d given himself a few months ago. “We was just pretending, like. You remember, don’t ya? We had to, to get off that smegging rock. We all did it, even Kryten!”
“I didn’t.” The words fell like tomb-stones on exposed feet.
“Of course you did,” Lister, insisted, feeling sweat starting to coat his palms. “You said…”
“…That you liked him.” There was the distinct impression of an invisible tail, waving in the stale, re-cycled air.
“And that’s not a lie?” Lister flailed his hands desperately.
With a sound half-way like a mew, half-way like a sigh, the Cat jumped the floor, landing neatly on his feet. He turned to look at Lister, standing like an inhuman statue, nose twitching slightly. “Kryten thinks there’s something good in everyone. He got that from you. As for you…” Glowing eyes narrowing, teeth flashing, “I know what I saw.” He brushed one hand against Lister’s face, as though it was just a natural part of walking. “I know what I smelled. Can’t you feel it? In your insides?” A final, puzzled glance and he was gone; out the door before Lister even realized what was happening.
Feeling dejected, hurt, and not a little horny, Lister let himself fall down from the ladder, landing heavily, making his knees hurt. “Yeah, well,” he shouted in the direction of the door, “why’d you come here, then?” His face dropped several feet when Rimmer appeared in the doorway.
“Damned if I know,” the hologram muttered, pretending to lean against the frame, and failing slightly, as some of his uniform shirt meshed with the wall. He didn’t notice.
“Hey!” the word came out a little too enthusiastically, but Lister felt he needed to bring in the big guns. “There you are man; I wasn’t talking to you - the Cat just left.”
Murky-green eyes observed him wearily. “Don’t bother. I know the way out.” Rimmer noticed the arm suddenly, and made a half-hearted attempt at aligning himself correctly, before starting to turn on his heels.
“Wait,” Lister shouted, rushing forwards, stopping just before the other man’s face as he realized he still couldn’t touch; couldn’t console; couldn’t do anything but try to explain. But at least he could do that. “No, man,” he said, quietly. “Stay.”
Pairing: Cat/Lister, Rimmer/Lister (implied)
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I don't own Red Dwarf, despite my feverent wishes to the contrary. Ditto for making money off this.
Spoilers: Terrorform
Notes: A response, of sorts, to roadstergal's "Lies". Written as part of the fanfic100 challenge - my table is here.
Lister realized the Cat was in his bunk the moment he came into the room. He giggled to himself, and pretended to sneak his way into the sleeping quarters. The feline lay very still, propping himself up on his right elbow. He was entirely naked. When he was almost there, Lister stood on his toes, and whispered into those subtly pointed ears; “Hey… Didn’t see you there.”
The Cat purred, and moved one limber arm down to caress Lister’s face. His fingernails, which were tougher and harder than those of a human, scratched lightly across the surface of Lister's skin, and Lister shuddered. Hungrily, he leaned into the Cat’s offered kiss, thrilling as the feline’s coarse tongue scraped the insides of his mouth deliciously raw. Then, abruptly, the Cat broke contact and sat up in bed in one fluid motion, his lower body now hidden under the blankets. Lister blinked; it had happened within seconds. Eyes that reflected what little light there was in the dingy room regarded him thoughtfully.
“Wha…?” Lister managed, his libido raging from the almost violent kiss.
The Cat shrugged. “You tell me,” he replied, easily.
“Eh? Come on now…” Lister climbed the first few steps of the ladder, leaning in towards the naked, alluring form.
The Cat shook his head, and slunk further away. Lister frowned, and clutched his head in frustration. Grabbing his hat, he threw it at the feline, almost angrily. The Cat regarded the deerstalker with blatant contempt.
“What’s wrong?” Lister climbed a further step, and tried to grab the Cat’s hand, but it slid away from him before he had even begun to move.
“You smell wrong,” came the reply from the two glowing eyes at the back of his bunk.
“What? Are you saying I don’t wash? Have you been talking to…” Ah, but neither of them had seen any of Rimmer since the psi-moon incident almost a week ago. Lister swallowed. He’d been trying his best to forget all about that, especially his thoughts afterwards. He’d been having trouble sleeping. Dammit, he needed this!
“Not like that, ashtray-mouth!” Pointed teeth gleamed in the near-dark. “If I cared about that, do you think I would have let you do your thing as much as I have?”
“’Let me’?” Lister felt suddenly insulted. “You’re the one sneaking into my bunk at all hours when… When I’m alone!” And now he had been alone for days, but this was the first they’d seen of one another. Lister had felt something was amiss, but he’d stubbornly ignored it. He’d ignored a lot of things.
The Cat moved soundlessly to face Lister again. The human reached out for another kiss, but met an invisible barrier of “no.” The Cat watched him curiously, disapproval radiating from every pore.
“What!?” Lister almost yelled. “What is it I’ve done?”
“You don’t smell right,” the Cat repeated. His eyes nailed Lister to the spot. “This is getting too complicated. I don’t do complicated.”
“What d’you mean, complicated?” It was just a form of stress release, Lister had always reasoned. That way, he didn’t have to think of it as having sex with his cat.
“You and Mr. Personality. I don’t know what’s going on there, but it smells worse than two month-old haddock. And it feels funny.”
“What are you on about?” Lister said, knowing exactly what the Cat was on about. His eyes dropped, for a second or two, to the empty bunk below.
“Telling him you like him, then telling him you don’t… I don’t get it.” He frowned, deeply, nails scratching nervously at the blankets.
Lister scratched the back of his neck, where his hair was slowly growing out from the cut he’d given himself a few months ago. “We was just pretending, like. You remember, don’t ya? We had to, to get off that smegging rock. We all did it, even Kryten!”
“I didn’t.” The words fell like tomb-stones on exposed feet.
“Of course you did,” Lister, insisted, feeling sweat starting to coat his palms. “You said…”
“…That you liked him.” There was the distinct impression of an invisible tail, waving in the stale, re-cycled air.
“And that’s not a lie?” Lister flailed his hands desperately.
With a sound half-way like a mew, half-way like a sigh, the Cat jumped the floor, landing neatly on his feet. He turned to look at Lister, standing like an inhuman statue, nose twitching slightly. “Kryten thinks there’s something good in everyone. He got that from you. As for you…” Glowing eyes narrowing, teeth flashing, “I know what I saw.” He brushed one hand against Lister’s face, as though it was just a natural part of walking. “I know what I smelled. Can’t you feel it? In your insides?” A final, puzzled glance and he was gone; out the door before Lister even realized what was happening.
Feeling dejected, hurt, and not a little horny, Lister let himself fall down from the ladder, landing heavily, making his knees hurt. “Yeah, well,” he shouted in the direction of the door, “why’d you come here, then?” His face dropped several feet when Rimmer appeared in the doorway.
“Damned if I know,” the hologram muttered, pretending to lean against the frame, and failing slightly, as some of his uniform shirt meshed with the wall. He didn’t notice.
“Hey!” the word came out a little too enthusiastically, but Lister felt he needed to bring in the big guns. “There you are man; I wasn’t talking to you - the Cat just left.”
Murky-green eyes observed him wearily. “Don’t bother. I know the way out.” Rimmer noticed the arm suddenly, and made a half-hearted attempt at aligning himself correctly, before starting to turn on his heels.
“Wait,” Lister shouted, rushing forwards, stopping just before the other man’s face as he realized he still couldn’t touch; couldn’t console; couldn’t do anything but try to explain. But at least he could do that. “No, man,” he said, quietly. “Stay.”