“The flora dropped us into a tunnel network. We’re underground,” Roys explained, breathing a sigh of relief that I mirrored. “Something is blocking our commlinks down here.”
“No shit,” said Arana.
I leapt for Roys’ commlink. He tensed as if my touching his hand was somehow worse than having his cock in my mouth. Go figure.
“Arana, you shitstain, we wouldn’t be down here if you watched where you fucking stepped,” I shouted.
“Fuck you,” she spat, then laughed. “I’m glad you’re alive. We got some fancy laser diggers from the lab, but Zavir is still reading the manual.”
“I’ve almost got it,” Zavir’s voice came in. “And hello, I’m glad you’re not dead.”
My stomach flip flopped. I fell against the wall, feeling every ounce of fear leave me in a single moment. We really would not die down here. I might have jumped the gun by sucking Roys off, but stars was it fucking worth it to finally know what he tasted like.
Roys’ shoulders dropped, releasing a tension that actually smoothed the natural discomfort of his face. Then he raised the commlink to ask, “Iylene, did you receive my missed calls?”
“I did.”
“Good.”
I would have snooped, but Zavir turned on the laser, with a far too maniacal laugh, and the ceiling started shaking.
Okay, a slight chance of dying remained.
09
Flesh-eatingflorahadneverbeen a sight I expected to be excited by, and yet, relief flooded my chest. Arana tossed herself at me and nearly sent us down the hole the troop created using the laser cutter. The device created a perfectly man-sized hole all the way down, and a little further. Zavir was enthusiastic about the laser.
“Don’t scare me like that, you bastard.” Arana kissed my temple, then my cheek, then full on the mouth.
Good thing I washed my mouth out, but I still didn’t think she’d like to know where I was not that long ago. Or, well, no, she would love to hear the details while scrubbing her mouth clean.
“I should say the same to you. We could have lost you back there.” I returned the hug and gave Ryker, who stood behind her, a thumbs up. Lilea had her flamethrower out, ready to attack if need be, and Zavir hugged the laser like a newfound lover.
“I would have been a goner if not for you and the captain,” she said, with no idea why I really shot, and I wasn’t about to tell her. “The captain more than you, of course. If my face were burned, I would have eaten yours.”
“Noted.”
Iylene tended to the captain by using another med spray. I watched from between the hugs and back thumping from the group, seeing Roys' expression soften after the grueling climb out of that tomb. My stomach did a little back flip, relieved… oddly enough for the both of us. No one deserved to die like that.
Iylene brought half our troop, explaining the other half continued their duties, so we didn’t muck up our schedule entirely. Roys congratulated them on their quick thinking and ordered us to head back. Iylene brought the rover near the plant where we got separated, so we’d return to the habitat long before nightfall.
According to Arana, the flora that attacked us backed off ten minutes after we fell in. The fire exhausted it because, afterward, they approached the flora without it reacting. Actually, Arana pushed Lilea toward it; otherwise none of them would have got close. They returned to the habitat before nightfall, as Roys ordered, which I expected him to give me a harsh look for, but the captain hadn’t looked my way since I sucked him off.
Pfft, he was fine dirty talking down there, but now he got shy? Weirdo.
We returned to the habitat where the remaining troop waited. They barely gave me the opportunity to shower, wanting to ask a thousand questions I promised to share answers to after washing up and a hot meal. Over that meal came the questions, seeing as Roys wasn’t out there to join in.
Tareik, our senior medical officer, took Roys to the cradle, leaving me to explain the flora attack. Ryker reminded everyone that he already shared the tale. My story changed nothing, but he was a shit story teller. My rendition had the troop on the edge of their seats.
Yes, I embellished the tale of the giant centipede thing, and yes, I said the glow worms attacked us, and I saved Roys. He wasn’t thereto say otherwise, so tough luck. I left out the oral sex, although the details would have gotten plenty of them hot and bothered whether they wanted to admit it. By the time the tale ended, Roys wandered out of med bay wearing a shirt that—somewhat—fit him. The color returned to his cheeks, and he didn’t move as sluggishly as he had in the cavern.
“Sounds like you owe Lucky a drink, Captain!” soldiers called over their laughter and bickering.
Roys kept walking. “Don’t trust a word he says. He probably lied through his teeth.”
The barracks doors shut, and he was gone.
“You pissed him off again, didn’t you?” Ryker asked.
