Cross Bones

by Editor Anne Regan

  The games eventually took on a friendly, comfortable feel, and Sag grew confident enough playing to relax and start talking during the game. All of his stories were related to his job: wounds he’d treated, illnesses he’d seen, funny stories about difficult patients, and every once in a while he would casually mention non-humanoids he’d worked on or with in some capacity. It was as if he had never had a personal life, never dated or gone on vacations or even grown up with a family. He mentioned his mother enough that Audacity knew Sag had family somewhere, but that was pretty much the extent of it.

  “You have nightmares,” Sag said in the middle of the game. It was late in third shift, most of the crew was asleep, and somehow Sag and Audacity had met unexpectedly in the mess. Audacity did have nightmares, which was how he often ended up haunting the middle of third shift, but he did not talk about it, even to Carthage. He gave Sag a suspicious glance.

  “Carthage didn’t say anything. I check the environmentals daily, to make sure everyone’s vitals are in range. Yours spike nearly every night. I know what a nightmare looks like from the heart and brain readings.”

  “You’re spying on us?” Audacity sat back, stunned.

  Sag stared at him quietly for a moment. “You’ve never flown a ship with a licensed doctor on it before?”

  Audacity had, of course, in the military, but he was not about to mention that so he kept his mouth shut.

  “Even if you did, I suppose you would not know the routine. I’ve never worked a spacefaring vessel before, of course, but we had the same protocols at Sector General. Everyone is mapped and tracked, so any health anomalies can be discovered early and dealt with. Deep in the void is not the time or place to develop high blood pressure or appendicitis.” He shrugged and looked back at the board. “Carthage has been doing it herself, but she’s not a trained physician. She can run the stats on the numbers and graphs and spot deviations, but she does not know what they mean. The numbers might look similar, but there is a huge medical difference between a heart attack and masturbation.”

  Audacity shot up from his chair. “What the hell?”

  Sag looked confused.

  “You don’t need to be spying in on that kind of thing!”

  “It’s all there anyway. Carthage records everything,” Sag said, still looking confused.

  “Carthage doesn’t care!”

  “I’m a doctor; neither do I. We’re trained to be the holders of secrets. That’s a major aspect of our responsibility to our patients.”

  Audacity shook his head, aroused by the idea that Sag knew when he had been jerking off and repulsed by the fact that his private time was being broadcast by Carthage to the one person he did not want knowing about it.

  “Fuck.” He walked out, heading to his bunk.

  He figured Sag would write it off as some kind of petty squeamishness, which Audacity had to admit it was, and while he was not proud of that, he figured he had a right to be a little put off by the idea of Sag going over the stats of Audacity’s masturbation routine. He flopped on his bed, determined not to give Sag more stats to review despite his dick’s own thoughts on the matter. It was late, and he needed to be asleep anyway.

  There was a knock on the door.

  “Go away, Sag.”

  “I would like to talk to you first.”

  Sighing in defeat, Audacity sat up so his nascent hard-on would be better camouflaged and hit the button to unlock the door. “Come in.”

  Sag walked in, standing awkwardly after closing the door behind him. Even as a bridge officer, Audacity only rated a small bunk with no guest seating.

  “I don’t want you to think that I spy on you or the crew for cheap thrills,” Sag said formally, clasping his hands behind his back and looking off to the side.

  “I know you don’t; it’s just part of your job. I know that’s what onboard doctors do, I just hadn’t… put two and two together. My fault.” He waved his hand around, hoping Sag would take the hint and leave.

  “But it bothers you.”

  Audacity stared at Sag, who refused to look at him.

  “Not really,” Audacity lied, because he was good at that.

  Sag finally glanced over. “Because you’re ashamed of your sexuality, or because the idea turns you on?”

  Audacity rubbed his face, cursing Sag’s far-too-smart brain. “You looked like shit when you came up to me on Down Disco. I don’t know what hell Kyoto put you through, but I’m sure he was a bastard about it. I’m not the kind to back people into corners over this kind of thing, so just let this go, okay? I’m not bothered by it. It’s your job, and that’s all it is.”

  Sag didn’t move, turning his attention to the floor between them.

  “Doc, seriously, let’s not get into this. Just go.”

  “Kyoto was a bully,” Sag said quietly.

  “Yeah, that’s part of his job description. I’m sure he made your life a living hell once you said no.”

  Sag shrugged. “I have a lot of experience with bullies; medical school is not too far removed from the schoolyard.”

  Audacity nodded in agreement, at a loss as to where Sag was taking the conversation.

  “Not that I found him attractive, because I didn’t at all, but I think his case would have been better served by some restraint.” Sag took a deep breath. “But I’m used to dealing with outsized egos and megalomania; it’s damn near a requirement for any doctor trying to make it up the career ladder, especially at Sector General. I was not very good at it myself, but I learned a lot about circumnavigating the politics. Kyoto made Down Disco even less appealing than Sector General, not because of his sexual interest in me, but because of the atmosphere his leadership generated. I went there to get away from that kind of insanity, not rise to the top of it.”

  Audacity nodded again, surprised by the revelations and uncertain if his understanding of what Sag said was right. Sag moved forward, sitting down on the edge of the bed, only a few inches between them, but he kept his hands on his thighs.

  “Ironically, it’s been on Carthage that I think I’ve found what I was looking for.”

  Audacity stared at him. “What?”

  “I just want to practice medicine, have patients who respect and listen to me, and a job where I can… be myself.” He moved a hand over to Audacity’s thigh but continued staring at the floor.

  Audacity did not move, could barely breathe. “Okay. Okay… do you want this, or do you think this is the only way you can stay on the crew roster? Because you honestly hold the cards here—Carthage wants a licensed doctor on board, no matter how I feel about it, and she’s the captain. You don’t have to do this to stay.” He pointed at Sag’s hand on his leg.

  Sag finally looked directly at him. “I already accepted her job offer. I thought this might be more along the lines of a perk?”

  Audacity’s mouth dropped open with a curse at Carthage for holding out on him.

  “So when I asked if you were bothered by my knowledge of your masturbation times, it was, admittedly, a selfish question. But if it really does bother you, if….” Sag gave him an uncertain look, his hand slowly dragging off Audacity’s leg.

  Audacity slapped his hand on top of Sag’s to keep it there. “No, no, no, I’m not bothered at all. Fuck.” He surged up haphazardly onto his knees, shoving at Sag until they both tumbled onto the bed together. Sag was under him, looking up with a mixture of amusement and surprise. Audacity tipped his head, going in for a kiss, touching his lips softly to Sag’s. He dropped to his elbows to get closer, straddling Sag’s hips but up on his knees. It was an awkward crouch, but the kiss was warm and comfortable, almost friendly at first. Sag’s hands came up to grab Audacity’s biceps, gripping them with the strong fingers that Audacity had been lusting after for many shifts by then. He gasped and the kiss turned dirty quickly, all teeth and tongue, Audacity diving in to get at Sag’s taste.

  Sag groaned, propping up one knee to rub the inside of Audacity’s thigh. There was a flurr
y of hands as they undressed, trying not to break the kiss or crack a tooth as they wrangled out of shirts, pants, and shoes. With full nakedness achieved, Audacity sat back on his heels to take in the vision of Sag spread out under him. Audacity was not celibate, enjoying the pleasures of a safe port as much as the next crew member, but it had been years since he had taken anyone in his own bunk or let himself think about trying to build a relationship. He wanted that with Sag, though, so he settled down, Sag’s thighs trapped between his, and rested his hands on Sag’s stomach. It was not chiseled with muscles, but Sag was as solid and firm to his touch as he looked.

  “Something wrong?” Sag asked after a few moments of stillness, moving his hands to lightly clasp Audacity’s wrists.

  “Carthage explain things to you?”

  Sag raised his eyebrows, clearly surprised by the change of topic. “Yes.”

  “About us? What we… do?”

  “She was clear about the piracy matter, if that is what worries you.”

  “And?”

  “I already accepted her job offer, and I’m naked in bed with you. Is there a reason we are discussing job descriptions right now?” Sag smiled uncertainly, his hands shifting to Audacity’s hips.

  Audacity rubbed up Sag’s torso to his nipples and pinched them lightly. Sag arched a little under him, his eyes fluttering but not closing.

  “I don’t usually shack up with anyone on board ship. If this is a one-off for you, I’d rather skip it.”

  “Your methods of convincing me are effective.”

  “Give me an answer.” Audacity sat back again, crossing his arms over his chest.

  Sag took a deep breath, using the moment to study Audacity’s face. “What do you want me to promise? We’re practically strangers. I like you; I like this.” He motioned between the two of them. “You’re one of the main reasons I accepted Carthage’s offer, because believe it or not, I never intended to run off and become a bloody pirate any more than I wanted to join the circus. But what we have, it’s good. I’m not throwing away any more of my life on what I should do. I want to be here.”

  Smiling, Audacity slid down until he was lying on top of Sag completely and started kissing him again. Sag’s hands shifted to his ass, squeezing and massaging, his fingers lightly dipping into the crack between Audacity’s cheeks. Audacity was willing to roll over for him, just not yet. He shoved his fingers into Sag’s thick head of hair, holding him in place to kiss him even more thoroughly. Sag whimpered, a small, hot sound from the back of his throat which set Audacity off. He pushed his hips down and rolled his body, shoving his tongue into Sag’s mouth.

  Sag sucked on his tongue as if giving head, groaning into it while his own body rolled to meet Audacity’s. Their cocks were trapped in the heat between them, which was not quite slick yet and full of the friction from skin-on-skin. Sag’s hands roamed up over Audacity’s back and down again, softer this time, as if mapping out muscles with his hands.

  “Sag… yeah, you are hot.” Audacity broke off the kiss and whined into Sag’s shoulder. Sag chuckled. They stopped moving for a moment to catch their breath, holding each other quietly.

  “Audie,” Sag whispered, nosing into his ear.

  “Hmmm?”

  “Take me.”

  Audacity blinked, collecting his thoughts even as his dick pulsed with interest. He had expected things to be the other way around, given Sag’s fascination with his ass, so he propped up on an elbow to look at him. “That’s what you want?”

  Sag grinned. “I want a little bit of everything, but this is a start.”

  Audacity bit his lip.

  “You don’t top?” Sag frowned at him.

  “Oh I do, I do! I just… you held off from Kyoto so I thought—”

  “Kyoto was an ugly, boorish thug. My answer to him has nothing to do with what I like to do.” Sag’s eyes narrowed.

  Audacity responded with a long, deep kiss. He shifted to move his legs in between Sag’s, slowly scissoring his legs wider and wider until Audacity was nestled between his thighs. Sag lifted one leg to wrap around Audacity’s hip while they kissed and teased all the skin they could reach. Audacity’s dick had a goal, though, so after a few minutes of making out, he sat back again, reaching for the small side compartment where he kept lube and condoms. Sag watched him with dark eyes, keeping one leg hitched up on Audacity’s hip.

  Smiling, Audacity coated his fingers with the lube and gently slid them down behind Sag’s balls. Sag sighed, closing his eyes and lifting his hips. Instead of pushing in, Audacity let his fingers play around the delicate entrance of Sag’s hole before leaning down to take the tip of Sag’s cock in his mouth.

  Sag gurgled, an indelicate and surprised sound, when Audacity began to suck. It was familiar work for Audacity, because he loved giving head, but the taste of Sag, of someone he knew and liked who was in his own bed, made it completely unique for him. He responded by laving his tongue over the underside of Sag’s cock, just below the head. Sag squirmed, moaning, grabbing for Audacity’s hair. He smiled as he took Sag’s cock back into his mouth, sucking it in slowly and with as much suction as he could create, making Sag inarticulate with grunts. Audacity had to push Sag’s hips down before he bucked them off the bed completely.

  Sag’s cock was not huge or intimidating but was more than Audacity could take in, so he worked on the head as he dragged his mouth back up, using his tongue to flick at the skin of the crown. He finally began pushing one finger gently into Sag, breaching carefully although Sag was not as tight as he had feared. He gave the tip of his cock a small kiss and looked up at him as he pushed his finger all the way in with a slow slide. Sag rumbled more than he groaned, arching up.

  “You like this.” Audacity grinned.

  Sag huffed, possibly trying to sound annoyed but failing. “I do. Now get on with it… oh….”

  Audacity felt wicked as he twisted his finger, Sag’s warmth wrapping around him. He pushed in a second finger, which was a tighter fit but only caused Sag to start rolling his hips. He looked wanton and shameless, his legs spread wide for Audacity, who finally could not hold back.

  “I need to fuck you. Tell me you’re ready.” He kept at loosening Sag up but could not hide the pleading note in his voice.

  “I’m good; not a virgin here, get on me!” Sag waved him up impatiently. Grinning, Audacity covered his dick with a condom and tucked Sag’s legs up on his shoulders as he leaned over. He watched, fascinated, as he penetrated the other man slowly, his cock disappearing into Sag’s body. It was so hot, he figured he would not be good for a long ride, just a hard one.

  “That’s… oh damn, thank you, yes, move….” Sag’s hands sprang around as if he could not decide how to hold onto Audacity until finally settling on his upper arms, grabbing so tightly that Audacity figured he would bruise from it. Not that he gave a damn right then.

  “Bossy.” Audacity laughed, shoving in hard at the last until he was sunk all the way in.

  Sag replied with another inarticulate grunt, pushing his hips up demandingly. Still laughing, so turned on he was breathless, Audacity pulled out and thrust back in, repeating the motion over and over until Sag was whining. He was going longer than he’d expected, but the sensations were ripping up his spine warningly.

  “Sag, come on, baby, do it.” Audacity stared down at Sag, who was glassy-eyed and flushed red from his chest up. He managed to let go of Audacity and grab at his own cock, stripping it hard while Audacity gave up and pounded into his own orgasm. He reopened his eyes, shuddering through the last of it, in time to watch as Sag’s mouth turned into a grimace of pleasure. Sag stretched out as he came, tipping his head back and arching his hips to take Audacity in deeply.

  He did not remember collapsing but figured he must have as he heaved for breath against Sag’s chest. His cock softened slowly, still charged from sex and adrenaline, but he pulled out before it became uncomfortable for Sag.

  Sag rubbed his back. “That was one hell of a welco
me aboard party.”

  Audacity laughed, half rolled on his side, still sprawled over Sag, and feeling truly sated for the first time in years. “I thought you weren’t interested in rough trade or adventures.”

  Sag blinked at him slowly, looking just as pleased as Audacity felt. “I never said that. I said I wasn’t made for it. In fact, as a boy, I wanted to grow up and become a pirate.”

  Audacity laughed even harder. “Long way from that to medical school.”

  “You’d be surprised.” Sag sighed. Audacity reached up and cradled his face as the mood changed between them. Sag’s eyes were full of affection and something else that Audacity could not name, although it looked like fear.

  “What are you looking for, Sag?”

  Sag stared back for a long moment before replying. “Would it bother you if I said ‘I don’t know’?”

  “No.” He continued petting Sag’s face. “As long as it doesn’t bother you.”

  Sag shook his head with a small smile. “Maybe I’ve found a little bit of what I was seeking.”

  “Is that fancy doctor talk for telling me the sex was good?”

  Sag gave him another slow blink. “That’s fancy doctor talk for telling you that I’m ready for some adventure.”

  “Yeah, baby, I’ve got your rough trade right here.” Audacity grinned wickedly and pushed his hips into Sag’s thigh. Sag laughed loudly, rolling on top of Audacity with a wicked grin of his own.

  COOPER WEST lives in Florida and wishes the weather was more like the Pacific coast, or maybe Hawaii, but is in graduate school to become a sexy librarian so is unable to make that real just yet. West has a cat and a lot of books and spends too much time reading slash fan fic when not riding a bicycle or doing yoga or napping.

  Visit Cooper at http://www.cooper-west.com. You can contact Cooper at cooperwest.wtr@gmail.com.