The Captain's Heart CH 76

“You’re Heart isn’t joining us?” Litmir asked, as Gralgiran joined him and Lilmari at the restaurant’s table.

“He’s off with a couple of his friends at the reservoir.” A quick scan of the offerings and he placed his order.

“That must be a relief,” Lilmari said. “You were worried he wouldn’t be able to make any beyond that hunter you had looking after him.”

“The other’s also a technician. I’d like him to make friends outside of his work. People he can do different things with.”

The siblings exchanged a look. “We can organize a gathering. The two of us know a wide range of people, and if we make sure everyone also brings a friend, we might cover just about all the types on the ship.”

Gralgiran considered the offer, along with what it would mean for that gathering to be in private apartments, or a gathering room they rented for it. Disturbance laws didn’t apply within private locations. Which meant that so long as Lilmari and Litmir didn’t mind sex happening, and he knew them well enough to know they wouldn’t, it would. He could ask them to not, on account of Jeremy, and he thought they’d respect it, but it would also limit who came, which would go against the intent of having as much people as possible for Jeremy to meet. And wouldn’t ensure some inebriated attendee didn’t have sex, anyway.

“I’m going to wait and see how his outing goes. If he comes back disappointed because he couldn’t widen his circle of friends, I’ll let you know and we can see about helping him.”

His food and drink arrived, and the siblings made a show of being repulsed by the spicy scents.

“What’s your day like, then?” Litmir asked.

“Going to exercise with Brelen after this, then I have an appointment with Dresdiren for a massage. I’ll go see Alix, since I haven’t had a chance to just talk with him since he returned to engineering.”

“Not worried your Heart will get in the way of that conversation?” Lilmari said. “From what I heard, they don’t get along.”

“Your information’s either out of date, or Jeremy’s been lying to me. And don’t believe he’d bother after all the times he loudly complained about the kind of male he felt Alix was. It was mostly the two of them figuring things out, and while it’s not what he’d hoped to do, Jeremy’s accepted his role as technician, and Alix is trusting him with more responsibilities.”

“So they might become friends?” she said with hope.

“That might be asking for too much. They think too differently to be able to socialize. But after Dresdiren, me, Miretel, Toom and Crestol are watching the ballad her cub’s Learning Center pack are putting on. Brourner Sel Helrarnarik’s Defeat.”

“I remember putting on that one when I was their age,” Litmir said. “It’s a good one to teach cubs the danger of trusting too much in the gods’ Meddling.”

Gralgiran chuckled. “Only trust they will Meddle to complicate your life, never to help it.”

Lilmari smiled. “That’s an odd thing for you to say, considering someone Meddled so you’d find your Heart.”

His protest died as he thought it over. As much of a headache as Gezbiliam’s Meddling had been, Lilmari was right that he had gained from it. “Still, it’s dangerous to rely on the gods thinking you matter enough to them, they’ll make sure you always land in their bed.”

Unless one was named Xenial er Tal’halan. If it ever came down to a conflict between them, Gralgiran wouldn’t be sure of a victory until he had the male restrained, and off his ship. He would be someone else’s problem then.

But it was safer to tolerate him and have Xeniila Haran help him as well when he pulled the Quartermaster to his bed.

    *

He blocked, quickly stepped in for a jab, then stepped back, blocking again. Another exchange and Brelen’s attention slipped. He was under the attack, had a leg behind her and elbowed her off balance.

She stayed on the mat, panting. “I think I’m done.”

Gralgiran offered her a hand, panting as hard. “It was a good session. Showers?”

“I’m not leaving the gym with this smell on me. Do you have any idea of the kind of people who are attracted to the scents of exhaustion?”

“I’ve encountered a few. That kind of submission can be interesting.”

She grabbed his hand, and he pulled. “I don’t what someone moaning as they lick the sweat out of my fur. If they’re going to be licking, it’s somewhere that’ll get me moaning.”

“They get to that, eventually.”

“I’m not that patient.”

They undressed and entered a stall. They rubbed the water into their fur, then she turned, hands on the wall and he lathered her back.

“How’s sex with your Heart?”

“Interesting.” He chuckled at the memory of the first times.

“I’ve looked up their physiology. That looks painful.”

“Intense is a better word. But once it’s in, the sensations are very interesting, and nice.”

“And what are his opinions of Kelsirian penises?”

He turned her to lather her front. “He’s only had mine, and he was never with an Earther male, so he has nothing to compare to.”

“You think the difference would matter if he’d had one of their males?”

“I doubt it.” Jeremy would still only be with him. And he would find a way to make their sex just as good.

Done, he offered her his back. “And where did you get files containing images of naked Earthers? As far as I know, those aren’t public yet.” He groaned as she dug her fingers into his sore muscle.

“Oh, I know someone.”

“You know they can get in trouble for giving you access to that information, right?”

She chuckled. “Oh, I’d like to see you arrest him.”

The statement puzzled him until he remembered who had been on the ship until the last stop. “The ambassador is a good lover, isn’t he?”

“How did you know?”

He chuckled. “There isn’t anyone else who is outside my authority.”

She nodded. “You and him?” Then resumes lathering him.

“Once, I consider him a friend, although distance will strain that, I expect.”

“I wish he’d stayed. I thought he would.”

“It was best if he reported to Federation Ambassadorial quickly.” It was the most he felt safe telling her until he had a better sense of how vindictive the admiral might be. He might claim that anyone with information were accomplices. He hoped Toom heard from his contact in the back rooms soon.

Fully lathered, they rinsed, slicking the soapy water out of each other’s fur, then used towels to help the air cycle dry them. Dressed, he stopped by his apartment to drop his gym shorts in the cleaner and headed for his appointment.

    *

He moaned again as Dresdiren’s hands obliterated another knot exercising had given him.

“You’re my last client today,” the male said, hands moving lower, stopping on another sore point. “You want to come to my place for some sex?”

“Can’t.” He groaned under the pressure. “Going to Crestol’s cub ballad presentation.” More moaning. “Going back to Jer after that.”

Dresdiren chuckled. “Your Heart can really keep up with you?”

“Definitely.” Another benefit to Earther stamina, he’d realized. The intense sex hadn’t just been due to discovering each other’s bodies.

“Then let me know when you have enough of him. I’ll schedule you in.”

He chuckled. “I will.” But it was proving easier not to think of his friends for sex with Jeremy’s eagerness. It had been one element of only having sex with him that had concerned him. There were no ballads about Earther sex in the collection he had, so he hadn’t been able to get a sense of what he’d be missing, if anything.

Gralgiran didn’t consider himself anymore sexually active than any other Kelsirian, but he did enjoy it. It was nice to know he wouldn’t have to go without even with only having one partner.

    *

The cubs gathered in a semi-circle around the one sprawled on the stage. She was the largest of them, so it made sense she’d been picked for the role of Brourner Sel Helrarnarik’s, even if the character was male.

She raised an imploring hand and said, in the deepest voice a cub was capable of. “I honored you. Why abandon me?”

The character’s namesake stepped into view. The cub made to look taller by the thick-soled boots he wore. “I am not yours to command,” he responded. His voice not going anywhere as low as the female playing the ballad’s subject. “I made you, I give you my love, but I will not live for you. I meddled—” Crestol put her hand in her face, and he patted her leg. Who hadn’t said that word improperly at that age “—but you ignored me because it wasn’t the meddling you wanted. You made war when I set you to your Heart. You killed when you vowed to protect. You didn’t honor me, Brourner sel Helrarnarik. You did not honor my name. You hoped I’d serve you.”

The cub playing the god turned to face the audience of parents and friends. “I love you, and I honor you all, but never forget that gods live above you. We listen, and if we feel inclined, we meddle. But it falls on you to Live. It falls on you to see your Heart when one of us places them before you. It falls on you to protect each other. Do not blame us, when what you do only advances you, and we do not stand at your side.”

The room fell to darkness.

There were startled cries on the unseen stage, then applause rose. The lights return and the cubs rushed off the stage to their parents’ arms.

The cub playing his name sake hobbled his way in their direction; the boots making running difficult, and Crestol crossed the distance and picked him up. “You were wonderful,” she rubbed muzzle with him.

“You did much better than I did,” Toom said. “I forgot half my lines and ended up saying that I would have Meddled if he’d been nicer to me.”

Crestol’s cub looked at Gralgiran expectantly. “I wasn’t picked to be in the ballad, but I would have made a horrible god. I couldn’t have the presence you had.”

The cub beamed and looked at Miretel.

“I was the lightning bolt.” She sighed. “I stumbled and slammed into Brourner Sel Helrarnarik, instead of just touching him.” This time the sigh was exaggerated. “I have never set foot on a stage since.”

The cub giggled. And turned to his father, who took him from his mother and the four of them huddled, speaking and laughing.

Toom leaned against him, watching the family. “You think cubs are in your future?”

Gralgiran watched them and tried to imagine himself with them. He’d be Kreseric, since he didn’t see himself siring a cub, but even that didn’t resonate with him.

“I doubt it. I have my Heart, my friends—” he squeezed Toom against him “—and the hunts. Those are all I need. How about you?”

“I don’t know.” He was quiet for a few seconds. “Only if the one I want to build it with wants it, too.”

“You’ll find your Heart, I’m not worried.”

Toom laughed, attracting their friends’ attention. “I’m not waiting for my Heart. I’ll have someone to build a family with or without them.” He rested his head on Gralgiran’s shoulder, still watching the family. He looked at him and smiled. “How about we let them be and go to the leisure alley not far from here? It’s been a while since we’ve enjoyed each other.”

“I can’t. I’m heading to my apartment after this. Jer should be back by then.”

“Oh. Okay.” Toom’s expression clouded over.

“What?”

“Nothing. It’s just that—” he shook his head. “It’s nothing.” He smiled. “Lets congratulate the cub again.”

That had definitely been something, but Gralgiran followed his friend. Whatever it was, he’d tell him when he was ready.

Outline section 

nothing added

Addition 

More or less at the same time as Jeremy’s chapter. Gral hanging our with his friends. At least one sexual advance Gral turn’s down

A series of vignette to show that Gralgiran hasn’t turned into a recluse just because he has jeremy. I’d been intending to show him hanging out before, but keep forgetting.

Otherwise, this was mainly about showing his friends reactions to Gral turning down offers for sex

And by the time I was done writing the chapter, I realize I forgot about Alix.