The aircraft was a surprise, but Lee supposed it shouldn’t have been. With their wealth and status, it only made sense that Eral and Ronet also owned a private aircraft.
They’d just never mentioned it.
But there it was, the morning they were to leave on their vacation, just parked in front of the house. A proper ship, with sleek wings and prominent engines. It wasn’t a huge ship by any means, but certainly large enough for two Dresht and a Human.
Lee couldn’t help but gape at it as he was led forward by Eral’s hand, Ronet following with the majority of their packed luggage. The ship was nicer than anything Lee had ever flown, clearly built more for luxury than intensive, long distance travel, but thosewereC-54-2X thrusters on the underbelly of it, to Lee’s eye. Which meant the ship was capable of interstellar outings.
Eral and Ronet had had a space-faring ship all along, and Lee had never known.
“It’s not our fastest or most powerful ship,” Eral explained, making Lee’s head spin with possibilities offasterormore powerfulships within reach. “But since it’s your first time traveling a greater distance, we wanted to use one of our most comfortable models, just in case.”
“It’s not an overnight flight,” Ronet put in, “but there’s sleeping quarters in case you get bored.”
Bored? Lee couldn’t imagine being bored while in the air again. He was wearing all hisjahinat the moment and couldn’t speak, but he didn’t need to in order to convey his pleasure. He beamed at his mates and darted in to nuzzle under Eral’s chin before turning back to the ship.
Eral laughed fondly. “You like it then?”
Lee nodded, making a pleased sound around his gag. He’d known they’d be flying to the Falls—Eral had said it was severalhours away even by ship, but he hadn’t realized it would be a personal ship.
Maybe Lee would even be able to ride up front, near the controls. Just to see everything from a pilot’s view again. To properly experience being in the air.
The thought had him tripping forward eagerly as he was led up the walkway and into the ship, his eyes going everywhere all at once. He’d been in the small, more local vehicles, and their technology wasn’t anything that out of the ordinary. This space worthy ship was more of Lee’s area of expertise. It had been so long since he’d been in a ship, and he wanted to look at everything.
Eral let him explore the belly of the ship as he and Ronet talked over where to set the luggage, and Lee was hit with a wave of both nostalgia and gratitude as he glanced back over at his mates. Because it was true that Lee missed flying. He missed the exhilaration and exploration.
But he didn’t miss the freedom flying had once given him. Not when he had Eral and Ronet, giving him everything he could ever want. Belonging to his mates meant safety and pleasure and comfort in a way Lee had never experienced before. He wouldn’t give that up for anything. Being grounded and ending up on Dresht had been the best thing that had ever happened to him.
Which wasn’t to say that he wasn’t excited to be flying. That he wasn’t excited for this trip. He’d thought, before seeing the ship, that he’d at least enjoy the scenery as a passenger. That he’d finally get to see more of the Dresht planet than their neighborhood or downtown.
But this—this was so much better. He would see… he would seeeverything. And now knowing that his mates not only owned a ship but several? Lee had so much more potential to fly.
He knew they’d give him anything he wanted. He just had to ask.
Eral came to find him as Lee was poking around the sleeping quarters. “Alright sweetling,” he said, bending down and scooping Lee up. “Time to get settled in.”
Lee trilled in happiness, turning into the Dresht and curling his padded hands around his neck. At this angle thesenchrinside him shifted up to rub insistently against his prostate, and it sent wonderful warmth through him. He was still wet and open from their coupling this morning, and he was grateful they’d made the time before leaving. Anticipated excitement of the trip would have had him fussy and needy the whole way there if they hadn’t indulged him.
Eral carried him to the front of the ship where there were three pilot chairs, two larger ones clearly meant for Dresht, and a smaller one set between them.
Eral took his own seat, then arranged Lee on his lap.
“Of course we had the ship adjusted for you when you came to us,” Eral said, nodding at the Human-sized chair. He smirked knowingly at Lee. “But I have a feeling for this first trip you’d rather spend it in our laps, wouldn’t you?”
Lee was quick to nod his agreement and then push back into Eral’s chest. The Dresht’s arms came around him and he nuzzled at Lee’s neck. “You only really need your own seat for when we leave the planet's orbit. Safety and all that.”
Lee nuzzled Eral back, then watched fascinated as Eral reached around him and began hitting buttons on the dash. It came alive as messages on the screen flew by. Lee cozied himself into Eral’s lap and didn’t interrupt, taking it all in.
Ronet returned to them before long and took the other seat. He looked over Lee with a smile before turning to the controls.
“Everything’s ready,” Eral said.
Ronet let out a pleased rumble. “I guess we're off then. It’s officially the start of our vacation.”
Lee couldn’t tell them how much he was looking forward to it with thehumshusfilling his throat, but he felt the flush of joy anyway. He nuzzled back into Eral again as the engines started to boot up. He could feel the acute rumbling of the energy, and then the gravity shift as the aircraft lifted off its landing gear.
Then they were flying.
***
