“More like our captain’s piss.” Raul again. “Here, hand me the vodka. If I’m going to suffer, I’m going to suffer wasted.”
Liquid pouring, chuckles, and clinking glasses sounded as his crew’s camaraderie continued. Maybe he wasn’t the only miserable one.
“What about you, Alexa? You want another drink?” Raul asked.
“It’s on the house,” Pigeon added with a chuckle.
“I think one a night is enough for me,” she answered with a laugh.
Hysterian crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.Good choice.His crew could say whatever shit they wanted to about him, but he cared about what Alexa said and did. She was new to life out in space. It was so obvious, it was sad. A little cute, but also sad.
He found himself intrigued.
“Aww, come on. You always only have one drink, and it’s never stiff enough for you to let the load off. Relax for once,” Raul whined. “We’ll make sure you get tucked in safe and alone in your bunk tonight, I promise.”
“Don’t listen to him. He’s slurring his words.” Pigeon laughed. “We’ll need your help getting him into his bunk—alone.”
“We might find him curled up with one of those female aliens you got caged if we don’t,” Horace rasped. “Or you, Pigeon. We know you’re in need of something to hold onto at night that isn’t a teddy bear.”
“Hey! It was a gift from one of my grandkids!”
Alexa let out another laugh.
Hysterian wished he could see her face.
“Fuck you guys. I’m not slurring my words,” Raul said. “Alexa, hand me that bottle.”
“Don’t! We’ll find him with that big horny male locust instead,” Pigeon warned.
“Shut your trap. Drinking is the only way to get to sleep on this ship. For being brand new, it sure has loud fucking pipes! And who cares if I end up with the animals? I don’t.”
You deserve the animals.Hysterian sneered.
“Here,” Alexa said. “You can make your own choices.”
“Thank you, Dear. You’re a princess.”
She coughed then guffawed. Hysterian lips twitched up.
“I’m not a princess,” she stated, sounding offended.
“You’re my princess,” Raul cooed.
“Then what does that make you, Raul?” Pigeon asked. “You can’t just give up her secrets without repercussions. She may have wanted to keep her princess status on the down low, you fool!”
“I’m just a lowly frog that wants her to kiss me!”
Hysterian tensed. A cacophony of laughter filled his audio. The wires seized inside him, pulling his body taut. Raul’s words were too close to the mark, and a strange needling of dread wormed its way through Hysterian’s systems.
But it was the picture of Alexa kissing Raul that rocked him. Waves of red washed over his vision.
“She’ll never kiss you, Raul, so get those thoughts out of your inebriated head,” Horace taunted. “But a fucking frog you are. Maybe you can get one of the cleaning bots to kiss you, ‘cause that’s the only thing on this ship that will.”
“Let’s change the subje—” Alexa started to say.
“Oh, I don’t know,” Raul quipped. “I think I’m more enticing than that. This is our third date, is it not? And a third time’s a charm. But I can wait!” Raul quickly added. “Twelve time’s a charm too or even the twentieth.”
Red burst in Hysterian’s eyes like wildfire. He pushed off the wall and stepped into the lounge.
