Chapter III: New Friends Part II
#4 of Outer Reaches Exploration Outfit
Chapter III: New Friends Part II
When Mark woke up, it was some time around 12:00 Central Time. Unfortunately, this didn't mean much for him, because back on Earth, it still should have been about eight AM, and a severe sense of jet lag lay over him. Fortunately, he had slept well, better then he ever did on earth. Taking a look at the mattress, he found a vertical slit cut into the bottom, about five inches wide. After a moment of questioning, he realized it was for the tails of whoever was sleeping on the bed, so that they could sleep on their backs, and not worry about having it lodged underneath them, causing discomfort. Marvelling at all of the technology, both simple and complex, that was designed for people like him, Mark chuckled as he left, wondering why he had been born on Earth, and not somewhere like this.
There were still some late risers, Mostly the few explorers who had decided to stop here for the night, and the three who remained from yesterday, but the dorm was mostly vacant other then those. Either way, Mark tread softly, his paws making next to no noise on the solid floor. After all, his was a race born for stealth... He walked to the door, which opened automatically, making almost as little noise as himself, and out into the hall. Turning left, he headed for the common area, and found a few of the base personnel eating lunch, though Sulath was nowhere to be found.
Joel sat at a table with Scott and Earl, and he motioned for Mark to join him, gesturing with a paw toward Mark and then the table he sat at. Mark padded over to join him, and as he approached, Earl slid over to leave him a seat on the bench, and Joel said with a laugh, "late riser, are you?" Mark laughed
"Well, you'll have to forgive me, I had somewhat of a rough day yesterday," he told the base commander, sliding into his seat and adjusting himself so he wasn't sitting on his tail. Scott laughed, and turned to Joel, who was sitting beside him.
"Joel, what did you do? God, can't you even wait one day?" he asked his "boss".
"Shut up, Scott," Joel said, playfully punching the cat in the shoulder. "I didn't do anything to him, he just fell out of thin air onto Deaon as he was walking toward the deployment area, and got himself landed in Medical Bay."
"Is that what the kids are calling it these days?" Earl asked jokingly, looking up from his egg-like lunch, "'getting in the Medical Bay'? See, back in my day, we just called it sex, but I'm almost as old as Scott, so things could have changed on me." Joel blushed slightly, though it was hard to see behind his reddish fur.
"Now, come on, Earl, I wouldn't dare have him inside of me," Joel retorted, "damn fool got himself irradiated with some cockamamie scheme at making a teleporter, he'd probably give me cancer, or worse, turn me into a female, and I'd end up having mutant sixty foot pups. Although I don't deny you're so old you don't even know what sex is." Earl growled.
"Don't forget, pup, I'm old enough to take you over my knee, and don't think I won't," he told his commander
"Now, Earl, be careful, I think Joel might enjoy that too much," Mark said to the eldest at the table.
"He probably would," Earl admitted. Joel was now on the end of the bashing
"And Joel," Mark added, "don't act like you wouldn't want me inside of you. If I whipped it out right now, you'd probably be unable to resist having it off with me." Earl and Scott both 'oh-ed' at the same time, and Joel's maw dropped.
"You inviting?" Joel said, standing up, and gripping the table in a mock-menacing way.
"You wouldn't," Mark chided, "You don't have the nerve." He was totally unaware that what then happened would actually transpire. Joel slid his way around the table, and grabbed Mark by the arms, before bodily flipping him onto the empty table beside theirs, arresting Mark's momentum at the last moment and setting him gently on the table.
Mark didn't even realize what had happened until he was lying on the table, and he felt Joel's body ever so close to his own, the only thing separating them being their clothes. Joel playfully nipped Mark on the neck, sending a shiver of pleasure up Mark's spine. He had long known he was bisexual, but he never actually had a male want to do him, much less of the same species, so it was a wholly unusual, but totally appreciated move on Joel's part.
When people heard the thump of Mark's body landing on the table, some of them turned to see what had happened, but, when they saw it was only Joel doing what they believed to be playfully wrestling, no one payed much heed to it, and most went back to their lunch without a second glance. Earl and Scott cracked up, and snorted into their plates of food.
Joel growled into Mark's ear, and said, "one thing you'll learn about me is that I don't like it when people say I don't have the gall to do things. I think you'll find that I am quite capable of doing whoever I want." Mark growled back.
"Ha, where I come from, this may be construed as sexual harassment," Mark whispered, his muzzle only inches away from Joel's.
"Want to report it? I'm the guy you'd come see," Joel said.
"Only if you don't do something to me," Mark whispered, leaning even closer to Joel.
Joel laughed, and rubbed the side of his muzzle against Mark's, whispering, "Not right now. Too many people here."
"Well, if you aren't going to do anything, get off me," Mark said, pushing Joel off him, and onto the bench with a thump. Scott and Earl, having not heard any of this conversation, laughed as they saw their base commander bodily dropped onto a bench.
"I like him," Scott said, gesturing to Mark.
"I agree," Earl said, "Can we keep him?"
Mark sat up, his legs hanging over the edge of the table, and spoke to them. "I might stay for a little while," he said, grinning. "I feel like I definitely want to get to know all of you a little better..."