Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Barracks ❯ Part 33 ( Chapter 33 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: chayron 
Anime/Manga: Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Adventure / Hentai / Sci-fi / Angst | Type: Yaoi | Uploaded On: 08.16.2011 | Updated On: 08.16.2011 | Pages: 7 | Words: 7.6K | Visits: 270 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Adventure / Hentai / Sci-fi / Angst | Type: Yaoi | Uploaded On: 08.16.2011 | Updated On: 08.16.2011 | Pages: 7 | Words: 7.6K | Visits: 270 | Status: Work In Progress
Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z – it belongs to its respective owners. This fan fiction is not a commercial project, and I am not making any money from writing it.
Warnings: Alternate Universe. Yaoi (male x male). Goten x Trunks and vice versa. Other pairings.
A/N: Starcut’s crew members:
1.Captain
2.Backup Captain
3.Master Sergeant
4.Navigator - (Adriel)
5.Communications Specialist - (Sildara)
6.Programmer - (Rokunda)
7.Gunnery Sergeant - (Monteira Fawa)
8.Arms Specialist – (Hazel)
9.Arms Specialist – (Mandro)
10.Flight Officer - (Reyn Dueri)
11.Flight Officer - (Jadenas Ealt)
12.Head Engineer - (Nohail Ofura)
13.Maintenance Technician – (Mirun)
14.Maintenance Technician
15.Doctor - (Tamahi)
16.Medic - (Yereli)
17.Head Cook
18.Cook
19.Soldier - (Edesha)
20.Goten
Barracks
by chayron (lttomb@yahoo.com), beta-read by quatreofdoom
Part 33
Goten tossed a potato into the water bucket where it sank with a splash to join the rest of the peeled potatoes. This was his fifth bucket today. They had kiev cutlets with mashed potatoes for lunch, and now were going to have steak with roasted potatoes for dinner. The chef had put him to good use at once. Despite this, the third-class didn’t complain – this way, at least, he could contribute to Starcut’s life.
As far as Goten had been informed, he was going to substitute for the cook for the next three days. Although it was only his first day, and he started off with lunch, he could see that the chef didn't appear to be a talkative person. Goten was bored. As the third-class wasn’t very good at striking up conversations with people he wasn’t familiar with, this resulted in a rather uncomfortable silence. Goten had tried to break the ice by asking what his daily routine in the kitchens was going to be. The chef explained everything to him in five sentences, and since everything was clear to him, there was nothing Goten wanted to comment on. In hopes that the chef would feel more at ease around him, the third-class resorted to telling the man about his kitchen duty on the base, and the dishes they used to make. This had him and the chef exchange a few tales and recipes, but they exhausted the topic about twenty minutes later. The third-class felt that it was mostly his fault as he couldn’t remember the exact details concerning the dishes, or food preparation in general; he mostly used to do the chopping, slicing, and peeling.
Goten finished peeling the potatoes and took the buckets towards the sink. He poured the potatoes out of one bucket into the basin. He rinsed out the bucket and started washing the potatoes, throwing the clean ones back into the pail.
“…’s som…ne … see …u.”
Goten shut the tap off and turned his head towards the chef who was stirring sauce on the stove. “What?”
“I said Reyn came to see you.”
“Huh?” the third-class wondered, turning toward the counter separating the kitchens from the canteen. “Oh. Reyn?”
“Hi. Having fun?”
Goten wiped his hands on his uniform and leaned against the damp sink. “What?” He grinned challengingly. “Came to bask in my misery? I must disappoint you, though, - I’m pretty content.”
Reyn’s eyebrows rose. “Oh? Bitchy, aren’t we? And here I wanted to offer my help…” He turned to go. “See you.”
“Hey! Hey!” Goten called after him, slapping his palms on the metallic sink. “Kidding! Kidding! Oh, gods, help me out,” he wailed, wringing his hands theatrically when Reyn turned around, “or I’m going to die of boredom!”
Reyn grinned widely. “That’s more like it. Now beg me some more.”
The third-class wagged his finger admonishingly at the flight officer. “Don’t push it.”
“Can’t you just humor me?”
“How about I punch you one instead?”
“Why so aggressive?” Reyn chuckled, rounding the counter and then walking over to the sink to take a look at it. “So what are we having for dinner?”
“Steak and roasted potatoes.”
The flight officer motioned at the sink. “Need help chopping them?”
“Umm… Would you?” Goten wondered.
Reyn’s right eyebrow rose at the third-class. “Hey, I did tell you I came here to help you out.”
“Now you’re making me suspicious…”
“You’re freakin’ annoying,” Reyn said, looking around for a knife. He spotted two on a rack for washed utensils near the sink and reached out to take one.
Goten widened his eyes and gasped in disbelief. “And just yesterday you said I was engaging!”
“When you’re drunk. Drunk, Goten. When sober, you’re annoying as hell.”
Goten rolled his eyes. He watched Reyn grab a clean bowl; it seemed that the man was serious about helping him out. Goten didn’t feel like pestering him about it; he more or less thought he knew the reason anyway: he had joined Reyn in his toilet duty, and now he was coming to realize just how much Reyn hated to feel indebted.
“So, how is your hangover?” the flight officer asked, sitting down on a bench and pulling the bucket half-full with washed potatoes closer to him.
Goten lifted a second bucket towards the sink and poured the potatoes out. “It’s not too bad,” he said. “It wasn’t so good in the morning, but it’s almost disappeared now.”
“Pity.”
The third-class turned to scowl at him. “You’re pretty annoying yourself,” he noted, opening the tap. He hoped that whatever comeback Reyn had would be drowned out by the racket. It didn’t work as the flight officer simply raised his voice:
“I’m glad our feelings are mutual. How about a spar after we are done with this?” he asked, lifting the knife and the potato he was cutting into smaller pieces.
Unconsciously, Goten touched the fading bruise under his right eye. He started at his wet and cool fingers, becoming aware that he had traced the shiner. “Um. Alright.”
“Does it still hurt?”
Shaking his head, Goten lowered his hand back into the sink. “No, it doesn’t.” He raised his hand again as Reyn was about to open his mouth. “Just don’t say ‘pity’ again.”
“I wasn’t intending to.”
“Liar.”
Reyn chuckled. “Damn, you think me too simplistic.”
Goten snickered softly at the sink. “Do I? I don’t even dare think what you think of me.”
Reyn laughed, amused.
The third-class finished washing potatoes and then joined the flight officer on the bench. “Aren’t you supposed to be on duty, on your way to…?” Goten wondered. “What is it called again? Astar… Estar…”
“It’s Estarde. I asked Jadenas to switch with me for the rest of the evening.”
“Ah. And the good guy that he is, he agreed at once.”
“Hey, now you make me the bad guy.”
“Well, aren’t you?”
Reyn conked Goten on his forehead with a potato. While the third-class stared at him in stunned indignation, he explained: “Estarde is an MIRG 258.” Reyn sighed when the third-class’s face remained one big frown. “Meaning that it is a very small passenger spaceship; Jadenas will be back in about two hours. He was pretty glad to be trading places.”
“I know what an MIRG 258 is. There’s absolutely no need to try and beat it into my head.”
“You’re kinda easily upset.”
“You bet I am.”
“I hardly even touched you.”
“Then don’t touch me.”
Reyn rolled his eyes, his face a pure expression of annoyed torture. “Whatever, your highness.” He snorted. “I think your impression of Jadenas is a little bit off. Despite what you think, he isn’t a pushover.”
“I didn’t think he was a pushover,” Goten denied. “He’s just…helpful? Too helpful sometimes.”
“Aren’t you two pretty similar in that respect? Only that you bitch and moan a lot more than him.”
Goten glared at him. “Are you certain you want to piss me off right before going to spar?”
“My, my, aren’t we too full of ourselves?”
Goten glowered at the potato in his hand. Had he known that Reyn would be so bent on pushing his buttons today, he wouldn’t have stopped him from leaving the kitchen. Usually the flight officer avoided saying anything which could spark off a conflict between them. In fact, he had never noticed Reyn getting on the nerves of anyone else in the crew. It seemed that he had chosen Goten to be his scapegoat for diffusing his frustrations. Whatever they were. At this point, Goten couldn’t care less.
“I don’t think that Jadenas and I are similar at all,” the third-class said several minutes later.
Reyn shrugged. “I have known Jadenas much longer than you, but isn’t the mildness of his temperament the reason you like him? Jadenas poses no danger and, as you find it hard to deal with assertive types, you rather like sticking around him. This is where you’re similar. You’re very territorial, though. Well, it’s not as if that’s a bad thing.”
“Uhh…” Goten drawled, taken aback by the litany of presumptions about his character. When he gave it some thought though, Reyn appeared to be very accurate. Goten wasn’t aggressive by nature and was indeed attracted to males with mellow characters. The same was with Kyon. Even Edesha. The ones who posed no eminent danger. He considered whether the prince fell into the same category. Not in the least. The man was too whimsical for his taste. Too stubborn too. And maybe too arrogant. And somehow too pushy.
The knife stopped moving in Goten’s hand. What in the world did he like about the man, then?
The flight officer watched various emotions display themselves one after another on the third-class’s face. “Listen, you’d better forget Jadenas,” he advised seriously. “The twins will kill you. They are crazed enough to do that.”
“What? Oh, no,” Goten said, waving his hands in embarrassment, causing Reyn to shift away from him in case the third-class cut him with the knife he had obviously forgotten he was holding. “You misunderstood.”
“Did I?”
Goten nodded.
“So how are things with Edesha?”
Goten tensed up. “How do you… Haaahhh…” he trailed off with a sigh while lowering his head in defeat. Starcut was a very close community. Everybody knew everything about each other. “Awkward,” the third-class admitted, shifting on the bench uncomfortably. “I’ve kinda been avoiding him since then. I think it’s the same for him.”
Reyn shook his head in compassionate disbelief for the soldier. “Damn, he screwed up royally.” Edesha was pretty picky about his partners and, since he went for Goten, it meant he really liked the youngster. Goten rejecting him must have left a bitter taste in his mouth, not to mention the blow to his ego. “I wouldn’t have guessed you’d mind him so,” Reyn continued. “Or was it something he did wh-”
“Can we not talk about it?”
Reyn chuckled. “Sure.”
“I don’t think I am territorial,” Goten declared a minute later. “I, somehow… Do you think that because of my cabin? It’s the first time I've had my own space after such a long time, so I might be a little too overzea-”
“That too, but I rather meant it in a different way. I mean, you draw a very clear line concerning what is and isn’t allowed to happen to you. You also tend to keep an eye on your friends, don’t you? You seem the type, at least.”
Goten raised his eyes from the potato he had been cutting to look at Reyn. “Huh?”
“Don’t ‘huh’ me.”
“Well, maybe,” Goten agreed. The third-class had presumed that Reyn was bad at judging people’s characters, however, it only took a week for Reyn to know an awful lot about him. This was disconcerting. “I do try,” Goten mumbled. “The thing is, however, that nobody else gives a damn what is and what is not supposed to happen to me.”
Reyn grinned at him. “Look at Edesha. He certainly gives now. Me too. I do know not to annoy you too much as you’re a ticking time bomb.”
“I am not.”
“You are. You can go off at any given moment.”
“Certainly not!”
“Oh, but you can. Who broke my nose just because…”
“Gods, Reyn, leave the damn kid alone before he breaks it again!” the chef spat over his shoulder while seasoning the meat on the cutting board. “Just stop it!”
“Hn.” Reyn grinned. “See? He thinks you’re a ticking time bomb as well.”
Goten sighed. He stood up and went to wash the rest of the peeled potatoes. By the time he washed them and returned to the bench, Reyn had already finished chopping the potatoes he had.
“Man, this is some tedious work,” Reyn complained at the sight of the third bucket.
“You’re free to go any time.”
“Hey, don’t be such an ungrateful bastard; I am doing you a favor.”
“Really? By amusing yourself at my expense? Thanks a lot.”
“What a delicate flower you are!”
“I’ll gut you. Then stuff you with these potatoes and serve you up for dinner.”
“That’s some sick, twisted mind you have.”
“Indeed. I will seek out help as soon as possible.”
“It might be too late already.” Reyn looked at Goten. “If I win the spar, you will clean my cabin. Deal?”
Goten’s eyebrows rose. “And what if I win?”
“Hmm…” Reyn drawled. “Just think of something.” He felt no danger giving Goten the freedom of choice as he had noticed that the boy lacked imagination. Another thing was that the newbie was bound by his own morals. Whatever Goten would think of, it wouldn’t be too bad. Unless he consulted Adriel or Sildara. That would probably result in him dancing in the canteen for dessert after dinner. Naked. The two had one-track minds.
“Umm… Okay. Let’s say then… If I win, you will stop helping me out in the kitchen.”
Reyn gave him a look, then grabbed at his chest with a torturous wail. “That hurt. Here I came with my best intentions to help a friend in need, and you…”
The third-class rolled his eyes. “What did actually happen to the cook?” Goten had asked around, but everyone had been vague. They ahhed and ummed and, in the end, different people told him different diagnoses. The doctor didn’t tell him anything at all as, according to him, one’s illnesses were a private matter. Goten couldn’t agree more, but he was certain that he would feel much more at ease if he knew that those illnesses could not invade his own privacy. And there were always some pretty nasty diseases to catch.
“He’s a drug addict. He overdosed.”
“Reyn!” the chef growled, turning away from the stove to face the flight officer. Reyn merely glanced at him. “What do y-”
“He’ll find out sooner or later. Besides, Goten doesn’t tattle. Right, newbie?”
The third-class watched the angered and reproachful chef’s face. Goten was aware why Reyn had told him – it was best to be prepared for things like an addict crew member who would suddenly not show up for work, or worse, keel over on the spot. Reyn had a no-nonsense approach to things like these. He probably wasn’t too happy working with an addict either.
“I’ll keep my mouth shut,” Goten promised. As long as the cook was making food and not launching ki attacks, the third-class wasn’t interested in him. Adding too much or not enough salt wasn’t really a problem. Missing one’s target and hitting another was, though.
“That’s a good boy,” the flight officer complimented him.
The chef still looked gloomy and distrustful and Goten decided to ask Reyn for more details when they were alone. They finished cutting potatoes in silence, and Goten headed for the toilets, leaving Reyn to wash buckets and bowls and clean their workplace.
The chef leaned on the counter, absently watching Reyn mop the floor. “You know,” he said in a minute, “you’re going the wrong way about it.”
“Hmm…” Reyn hummed without lifting his eyes off the dirty floor. “Am I?”
From the floor which he was currently washing, Goten lifted his eyes to look at the man. “I am washing the floor, sir.”
Reyn snorted at the obvious.
Monteira looked at the flight officer, who was sprawled on his bed watching Goten work, obviously taking much pleasure in it.
“Is he still bullying you?”
Goten blinked at the gunnery sergeant, then met Reyn’s eyes. “So that’s what you’re doing!” he exclaimed. “Bullying me!”
“Hey, I’m not bullying him!” the flight officer denied. “Well, maybe a little. Just a tiny bit.”
“Goten, you can submit a written complaint to the captain and it will b-”
“Uhhh, sir. I just lost a bet. That’s all.”
“He doesn’t understand jokes,” Reyn explained to Goten. “I’ve been living with him for the last five years and he hasn’t got any sense of humor. You have to be unambiguous with him.”
“Thank you, Reyn, for your priceless clarifications,” Monteira growled. “Goten, why is your left eye black and swollen? Again.”
“That’s because we’ve been sparring, sir,” Goten answered.
The gunnery sergeant searched Goten’s face thoroughly for some enlightening signs which would tell him whether the youth was telling the truth but found nothing. With a barely discernible nod, he moved towards his bed and sat down on it.
Great, Goten thought, now I will have the two of them watching me. He was also certain that now, besides thinking that he was an idiot, Monteira would also think that Reyn was bullying him. Well, in a way, he was.
“So what was the bet?” the gunnery sergeant asked.
“We had a spar,” Reyn answered.
“So you won this time.”
“Yup.”
Monteira’s eyes followed Goten’s journey to the bucket, then watched him wash the rag. “The kid’s only eighteen,” he muttered. “Ten years younger than you.”
“Yeah. Impressive, isn’t he?”
Perturbed, Monteira ruffled through his hair. “I’d say ‘scary’. I have never seen anything like this. And I have seen quite a lot.”
Expressively, Reyn motioned at the third-class, who was wringing the rag into the bucket. “In a few years, I’ll be no match for him.”
Monteira just shook his head in disbelief.
“His fighting style is hard to see through. He’s got excellent reflexes and good intuition. His power level is probably pretty high as well.”
Goten was surprised. Why was it that when there was someone else around, Reyn had something good to say about him? When they were alone, the older male either said nothing or kept on picking on him.
“Looks good while washing the floor too.”
Goten turned his head to meet Reyn’s amused eyes. The flight officer winked at him. “Just so you won’t get too cocky.”
The third-class laughed softly. Still grinning, he went on washing the floor. The gunnery sergeant, who had seen this exchange, relaxed completely. This, indeed, was a mutual agreement. Their spars were beneficial for them both as well – the workout allowed them to release their tension and, being of nearly the same level, it honed their skills, making them stronger, faster, and more nimble.
“So have you decided about tomorrow?” Monteira asked.
The silence in the cabin lasted for too long and suddenly Goten understood that the question had been addressed to him. He lifted his head. “Huh? Tomorrow, sir? What about tomorrow?”
Reyn and Monteira met each other’s eyes. So nobody had told him.
“It’s Alignments.”
“Umm… Don’t tell me you still perfor-” Goten fell silent at the looks Reyn and Monteira were giving him. “So you do.”
Reyn nodded. Goten dropped the rag onto the floor. Squatting, he rubbed his forehead with his wet hands. He could feel a headache starting. “Alignment” was an ancient ritual which was performed approximately every four years when Vegeta-sei, the Moon, and the Sun aligned. It wasn’t so popular anymore and only a few still practiced Alignment as it tended to cause tension and many feuds. It used to be practiced by very small settlements where there was a very real danger of incest. A certain location was chosen by a few tiny settlements and, once every four years, they came there to enrich their genetic pool. More commonly, such events were called orgies.
Just before Goten was born, it was completely abandoned by the people of his village because, a few months prior, someone had killed someone else because he’d slept with the wrong person. The village chief had had enough of that.
Goten couldn’t understand why Starcut would need to practice it. It didn’t make any sense. Even now, Starcut creaked and moaned every evening like a tortured ghost. Besides, there was only one female on board and she’d bite the nuts off anyone who just tried to get close to her.
Reyn burst out laughing at the uncomprehending look on Goten’s face; he found the reaction unbelievably amusing. “It’s just for fun, Goten. And nobody’s going to force you to take part in it. I think usually it’s only five to seven regulars who participate anyway.”
Monteira grinned at the look of relief passing over the third-class’s face. “You’d definitely be popular though.”
Reyn snickered softly while Goten cleared his throat and picked his rag again. Monteira seemed not to have heard anything about Edesha’s recent exploits concerning Goten. If he knew, he wouldn’t have mentioned that.
Goten pulled his boots off, undid the buttons of his uniform, and flopped onto his bed. The spar with Reyn, washing the dishes and the kitchen, then cleaning Reyn’s cabin had all left him exhausted, too tired to even take his uniform off. He groped around his bed to find a plastic water bottle and drank half of its contents at once. The flight officer was a real slave driver.
“Lights,” Goten said, capping and lowering the bottle back onto the floor with a soft thump. Enjoying the eye-pleasing darkness, he settled into the bedding. A minute later, he was already asleep.
A loud thumping on his door forced his eyes open again. He was disoriented at first, then realized that it was already time to go to the kitchen and start getting ready for breakfast. He had overslept and the chef had specially come to fetch him.
“Lights!” Cursing under his breath, the third-class rolled out of the bed and pushed his feet into yesterday’s socks and then his boots. “Coming!” He opened the door to meet Reyn’s reproachful face. “Huh?”
“Don’t you ‘huh’ me. Here I offer my help at the kitchen and you readily think I’m going to replace you altogether. Nuh-uh.”
Yawning, Goten rubbed at his eyes. “What was that?” he mumbled, closing the door.
“Nothing, just get your ass to the kitchen.”
“Aren’t you overdoing this?” Goten wondered while they were on their way. “It’s five in the morning! Just go back to sleep, you idiot.”
Reyn chuckled. “A ship is on our radar. The captain ordered me to search it. Edesha and I are off in twenty minutes.”
“Ah, how naïve of me,” Goten muttered, rubbing at his left eye. His fist suddenly froze, his feet rooting to the floor. Inside, the third-class started as if he had been struck by lightning. His hand shot out to grab the flight officer’s uniform.
Reyn turned around as a sudden tug at his jacket made him stop at once. “Huh? What?”
“What kind of ship is it?”
The flight officer gave him a once over. “What’s with you and ships? You’ve been obsessed recently.”
Only now did the third-class realize that he hadn’t been aware of check-ups taking place during sleeping hours. They were obviously rare as he hadn’t noticed them before, but now the horror of how he had no control over them sank in.
“I was just thinking that I wouldn’t mind taking part in one of the inspections,” Goten said, letting go of Reyn’s jacket. “Just to get acquainted with what needs to be done.”
Reyn shrugged and continued walking down the hall. He snorted. “Only that? I can give you the manual to study.”
“Don’t be an ass. I’m serious. I can learn ev-”
“Goten.” Reyn turned around to give the third-class a look which made Goten close his mouth. “Listen, there’s no way you’re getting outside this ship. You’re untrained, unqualified, and inexperienced. That’s all I have to say about your idea, and that’s all the captain will have to say about it. You stay on the ship. If you want to feel useful, just do what you’ve been doing up until now – help prepare food, clean, try to jolly up the atmosphere.”
All this was said in a serious, authoritative tone, and it was clear to Goten that the discussion was over. If Reyn didn’t agree, there was also Jadenas to ask, but there was also no point in going with Jadenas – it had to be Reyn’s party. The captain might allow him to go on an inspection or two but, as Reyn would not want him in his party, he would be assigned to Jadenas.
“Fine. So what’s the ship’s name?”
Reyn wasn’t fooled by Goten’s quick retreat. He rolled his eyes with a sigh. “You’re going to try talking to the captain, aren’t you? Just forget it.”
“Just tell me what the ship’s name is and let’s leave it at that.”
“Fuck you,” Reyn spat, pushing Goten through the door into the canteen. “Go and make me a sandwich or something.”
Whirling around, Goten brushed the flight officer’s hand off his shoulder. “Hell, Reyn, can you tell me what the fucking name is or not?”
“Don’t you fucking raise your voice at me!”
“What is the damn ship’s name?” Goten growled out in a hiss. He and Reyn were standing in front of each other, their faces now almost touching. Somewhere at the back of his head, the third-class was astonished at how quickly the situation had gotten out of hand. He could feel the tightness in his jaw, the fur on his tail was bristling, and he was perfectly aware that Reyn was also showing similar signs of aggressiveness.
“Argonian Star. MIKL 252!” Reyn yelled at him. “If you don’t get your ass into the kitchen…”
“Reyn?”
Goten and the flight officer turned to see Edesha standing in the doorway. The soldier appeared to be worried. He gave Goten a questioning look.
“What’s all this noise about?”
The third-class’s attention returned to the flight officer. “I just wanted to know the name of the ship you’re going to.”
“It’s Argonian Star,” Edesha said. “Anything else?”
“No.”
The soldier turned to Reyn. “What’s the problem?”
Reyn gave him a rather unfriendly look. “No problems at all.” Trying to relax his muscles, he watched Goten walking off in the direction of the counter separating the kitchen and the canteen.
“It’s best you keep away from him,” Edesha warned softly. “He’s only a kid, but you two are of similar strength, skill, and possibly even power levels. It’s only natural his very presence provokes you. Only that we can’t afford to have your little fight for dominance here; you’d tear the ship apart.”
Reyn snorted derisively. “You think I don’t know that? This past week, I’ve been trying to be on my best behavior. I have to tell you that it doesn’t really work. But you know what irritates me most?”
“What?”
“That he doesn’t realize a fucking thing. He just has that confused air about him.”
“Well, he doesn’t seem to be competitive, so maybe that’s why.”
“Or maybe he’s just an idiot,” Reyn threw over his shoulder before walking to the table to sit down.
“Nah, you don’t think that.” Edesha watched him getting comfortable with a suppressed grin. “I’m sorry to say this, but while you were running around in search of Goten and then arguing with him, the time for breakfast was cut short. We gotta go.”
“Fuck it!”
He was also seething about somebody having sent his profile to Adriel. What the hell for? To warn them? To inform them? That didn’t make much sense – he wasn’t a psychopath going around killing people. As long as nobody tried to insult, beat, or kill him, he was an absolutely peaceful guy.
Adriel was probably lying about the profile being sent to him anonymously. Or maybe nobody had sent it at all. The prince had mentioned something about an acquaintance in the Air Force. Maybe he had meant someone from the ship itself? He should have asked. Was it Adriel? Or had his profile come from the outside? From those who put him on this ship? Why was he on this ship at all?
Yet another thing was Kyon’s cookbook. How in the world was he going to return it to Kyon with that lovely death threat from the prince? How many people on Vegeta-sei were named “Trunks”? Probably one or two! Was the prince an idiot? Sure it was kind of pleasant and stuff, but also completely senseless, and now he was going to have to tear the page out and get rid of it. And he rather liked that page!
And he badly needed to cut his toenails because his feet could hardly fit into his boots anymore.
Even if the third-class wasn’t taking part in the ritual, his imagination was going wild. He could also hear Jadenas and the twins behind the wall. They were trying to be quiet, but muffled grunts and moans wafting through the steel wall could be easily picked out by a Saiyan ear. It didn’t seem that they were going to stop anytime soon and Goten didn’t feel like interrupting them either. Especially not today.
On his way to the showers, Goten’s senses pricked up and it seemed to him that he could hear different ahhing and oohing here and there. It was probably only his overactive imagination though.
Just as expected, the showers were empty, and Goten chose his preferred stall at the end of the room. He undressed and hung his clothes and underwear with the towel on the hooks next to the stall.
The ship recycled water: it was gathered from the sewers and cleaned by boiling it. Then the vapor was gathered and heated again, repeating the process until the water became crystal clean. Due to this cycle, the ship’s reservoirs never emptied. However, the crew was encouraged to economize water in case of an emergency.
There was more sense in showering after, so Goten didn’t waste time and turned all of his attention to his unruly lower part. He touched himself carefully, then ran his fingers across his half-hard length. Taking hold of the base, he started stroking lightly. He drew his left hand over his chest, brushing his nipples lightly. Enjoying the sensations, he closed his eyes.
There wasn’t enough lubrication and Goten groped around the container which hung on the side wall, away from the shower head. He found a bottle and squeezed out a few drops of gel. It was universal washing liquid used for everything: hair, skin, and tail. The third-class rubbed it over his length. He started stroking himself until he brought his cock to full erection. He cupped and rolled his balls in his left hand, then lifted his hand to stroke his chest and tweak his nipples lightly. A soft moan escaped his lips.
Goten’s hips were following the motions of his fist. His breathing had become quicker, shallower. He had supported himself with his palm against the wall as his legs were becoming shaky under the pressure of delight. Goten was close, his wrist working relentlessly to bring him relief.
The third-class lowered his head, the tip of his tongue darting out to wet his dry lips. His mouth was slightly open now while he was gasping with every stroke. He could feel it coming, the precome steadily oozing out of the slit. He was constantly rubbing it with his thumb. Almost, almost there.
Goten’s mouth locked in a soundless cry, his hips unmoving, but his fist still working, milking out everything till the last bit of pleasure.
With a quiet exhalation, Goten let go of his quickly softening cock. His stomach and the wall were covered in droplets and, still lightheaded, he moved away from under the shower head and turned it on. The water warmed up quickly, and he moved back under the stream to wash himself. The hot water felt wonderful on his skin and Goten planted his hands on the wall in front of him, offering his back to the pleasant treatment.
He was completely relaxed when somebody smacked him on his ass. Startled, with an ear-piercing shriek, Goten jumped sideways. He slipped and hardly managed to catch his balance on the wall in front of him. His head snapped around, his body still in the middle of making a turn. Water was in his eyes, and he blinked rapidly, trying to see who was there. The running water covered all sounds around him. An arm snaked around his waist and he pushed against the invading body in front of him with all his might. The motion got rid of the attacker but it also made Goten slip on the wet floor. His left foot went forward while the rest of him went backwards and then sideways. He started waving his hands about, trying to stop the inevitable fall. The third-class’s head conked against one of the metal hooks, making stars and pain explode. He grabbed at the sore spot. That distracted his attention from his boots arranged next to the stall. He stumbled over them and went down with a crash, knocking his forehead against the cistern of hot water. He fell to the wet floor like a felled tree.
Adriel and Sildara were still helping Edesha to his feet, after Goten had sent him flying into the opposite wall, when a crash made them look over to see Goten thumping against the floor.
They stared at him, confused. “What the…”
“You alright?” Sildara asked Edesha, who was still dazed and huffing while standing up.
“I’m fine, fine.”
“Shit!” Adriel cursed. He moved forward, pulling Goten away from the hot cistern. He pressed his fingers to the side of Goten’s neck to check his vital signs. “What the hell happened?”
“I knew this was a bad idea…” Edesha said, walking over. He stared down at the very naked and very unconscious Goten. “His forehead’s bleeding.”
“His pulse is normal and everything. He’s breathing normally,” Adriel said with a note of relief.
Edesha turned around. “Shut off the damn water,” he said to Sildara. He looked at Goten again. “Let’s get him to the medical room.”
“Tamahi’s in the meeting hall with the rest of the creeps,” Adriel reminded him. “He won’t c-”
“What the fuck are you doing?”
Adriel started at Reyn’s demanding voice. The flight officer had stepped into the shower room unnoticed and was now staring at all of them with an angered look on his face. He pointed at Goten in the middle of the floor. “What’s this?”
“Um.” Adriel suddenly found himself fidgeting guiltily. “Well… It was supposed to be a prank. We just wanted to scare him a little.”
Reyn looked at Goten lying on the wet floor. “Well, I must tell you that your plan was one hundred percent successful. He was so afraid that he started bleeding from his forehead and then blacked out.”
“Err…not really. I’m not certain. I think he slipped and knocked himself out.”
The three crew members seemed to be as bewildered and lost as Reyn was and the flight officer found himself believing them. He relaxed and walked over to the shower stall to take Goten’s towel off the hook. He dropped it over the younger male’s midsection. He squatted down to gather him up into his arms. The thought that this was somehow familiar crossed his mind. “So what the hell did you do?”
“Well… he was showering a-”
Standing up, Reyn hefted Goten up into his arms. “I know very well that he wasn’t showering.”
“Well, okay, he was jerking off, the showering came later. All I did was smack him on the ass.”
“While he was masturbating?”
“After. I’m not lying!”
“Well, in any case, I see why it would make him skittish.” Reyn held out his palm when Edesha opened his mouth. “And I don’t even want to know what you were doing with these two clowns. Grab his clothes,” he said to Sildara with a motion of his head. “Have you no shame?”
“It was just an innocent joke!” Adriel argued.
The flight officer glared at him. “Your only hope is that he doesn’t have a concussion or he might want to write a report on you for sexual harassment. And he would be right. Hell, if he has a concussion, I will write a report on you myself.”
Goten stirred, moaning softly.
“He’s coming to,” Sildara noted.
“Yeah.” Reyn watched the youngster turn his head sideways. He lifted his arm to look closer at his face, but Goten’s eyes were still closed. Now Reyn was becoming painfully aware of the bare skin of Goten's upper back and thighs touching his arms. The faint scent of come was still lingering in the showers and he felt himself getting hard.
While he was carrying Goten to his cabin, the youth opened his eyes. Dizzily, he lifted his head to look at Reyn. Confusion flashed over his face.
“What…?” he rasped out, turning his head this way and that. Gray metallic walls were passing before his eyes.
“It appears you’ve knocked yourself out against…a wall?” Reyn half explained and half asked.
“Huh? A wall?”
“I don’t know how, but you seem to be really good at this,” Reyn said, smirking down at him.
Adriel punched Reyn on the shoulder. “It was the hot water cistern. I’m sorry,” the navigator apologized to Goten.
The third-class started, only now noticing Adriel walking a few steps behind Reyn.
“I only… I didn’t think you’d…well… I’m sorry. It was just a joke.”
“I don’t… I don’t think I remember…” Goten lifted his left arm to touch his forehead. A painful lump was forming on it. He lowered his arm and brought his fingers in front of his eyes. They had traces of blood on them. The third-class stared at it until the soft ping of his door drew him out of the trance.
The flight officer carried Goten into the cabin and lowered him onto his bed. While he had been doing that, the towel had rumpled and slid down the third-class’s hips. Reyn reached out to fix it. His hand slid over the side of Goten’s thigh, lingering there before straightening the towel.
“How do you feel?” he asked Goten.
“I think I might have a light concussion,” the third-class said. “Once again,” he added with a roll of his eyes.
“I’ll go and check how Tamahi is doing,” Reyn said. “Or rather if he finished doing it.” He gave a look to Adriel. “Behave while I’m away.” The navigator scowled at him. The flight officer’s eyes drifted over the other two men who shuffled their feet guiltily.
TBC
Converting /tmp/phpHdmEDt to /dev/stdout
Warnings: Alternate Universe. Yaoi (male x male). Goten x Trunks and vice versa. Other pairings.
A/N: Starcut’s crew members:
1.Captain
2.Backup Captain
3.Master Sergeant
4.Navigator - (Adriel)
5.Communications Specialist - (Sildara)
6.Programmer - (Rokunda)
7.Gunnery Sergeant - (Monteira Fawa)
8.Arms Specialist – (Hazel)
9.Arms Specialist – (Mandro)
10.Flight Officer - (Reyn Dueri)
11.Flight Officer - (Jadenas Ealt)
12.Head Engineer - (Nohail Ofura)
13.Maintenance Technician – (Mirun)
14.Maintenance Technician
15.Doctor - (Tamahi)
16.Medic - (Yereli)
17.Head Cook
18.Cook
19.Soldier - (Edesha)
20.Goten
Barracks
by chayron (lttomb@yahoo.com), beta-read by quatreofdoom
Part 33
Goten tossed a potato into the water bucket where it sank with a splash to join the rest of the peeled potatoes. This was his fifth bucket today. They had kiev cutlets with mashed potatoes for lunch, and now were going to have steak with roasted potatoes for dinner. The chef had put him to good use at once. Despite this, the third-class didn’t complain – this way, at least, he could contribute to Starcut’s life.
As far as Goten had been informed, he was going to substitute for the cook for the next three days. Although it was only his first day, and he started off with lunch, he could see that the chef didn't appear to be a talkative person. Goten was bored. As the third-class wasn’t very good at striking up conversations with people he wasn’t familiar with, this resulted in a rather uncomfortable silence. Goten had tried to break the ice by asking what his daily routine in the kitchens was going to be. The chef explained everything to him in five sentences, and since everything was clear to him, there was nothing Goten wanted to comment on. In hopes that the chef would feel more at ease around him, the third-class resorted to telling the man about his kitchen duty on the base, and the dishes they used to make. This had him and the chef exchange a few tales and recipes, but they exhausted the topic about twenty minutes later. The third-class felt that it was mostly his fault as he couldn’t remember the exact details concerning the dishes, or food preparation in general; he mostly used to do the chopping, slicing, and peeling.
Goten finished peeling the potatoes and took the buckets towards the sink. He poured the potatoes out of one bucket into the basin. He rinsed out the bucket and started washing the potatoes, throwing the clean ones back into the pail.
“…’s som…ne … see …u.”
Goten shut the tap off and turned his head towards the chef who was stirring sauce on the stove. “What?”
“I said Reyn came to see you.”
“Huh?” the third-class wondered, turning toward the counter separating the kitchens from the canteen. “Oh. Reyn?”
“Hi. Having fun?”
Goten wiped his hands on his uniform and leaned against the damp sink. “What?” He grinned challengingly. “Came to bask in my misery? I must disappoint you, though, - I’m pretty content.”
Reyn’s eyebrows rose. “Oh? Bitchy, aren’t we? And here I wanted to offer my help…” He turned to go. “See you.”
“Hey! Hey!” Goten called after him, slapping his palms on the metallic sink. “Kidding! Kidding! Oh, gods, help me out,” he wailed, wringing his hands theatrically when Reyn turned around, “or I’m going to die of boredom!”
Reyn grinned widely. “That’s more like it. Now beg me some more.”
The third-class wagged his finger admonishingly at the flight officer. “Don’t push it.”
“Can’t you just humor me?”
“How about I punch you one instead?”
“Why so aggressive?” Reyn chuckled, rounding the counter and then walking over to the sink to take a look at it. “So what are we having for dinner?”
“Steak and roasted potatoes.”
The flight officer motioned at the sink. “Need help chopping them?”
“Umm… Would you?” Goten wondered.
Reyn’s right eyebrow rose at the third-class. “Hey, I did tell you I came here to help you out.”
“Now you’re making me suspicious…”
“You’re freakin’ annoying,” Reyn said, looking around for a knife. He spotted two on a rack for washed utensils near the sink and reached out to take one.
Goten widened his eyes and gasped in disbelief. “And just yesterday you said I was engaging!”
“When you’re drunk. Drunk, Goten. When sober, you’re annoying as hell.”
Goten rolled his eyes. He watched Reyn grab a clean bowl; it seemed that the man was serious about helping him out. Goten didn’t feel like pestering him about it; he more or less thought he knew the reason anyway: he had joined Reyn in his toilet duty, and now he was coming to realize just how much Reyn hated to feel indebted.
“So, how is your hangover?” the flight officer asked, sitting down on a bench and pulling the bucket half-full with washed potatoes closer to him.
Goten lifted a second bucket towards the sink and poured the potatoes out. “It’s not too bad,” he said. “It wasn’t so good in the morning, but it’s almost disappeared now.”
“Pity.”
The third-class turned to scowl at him. “You’re pretty annoying yourself,” he noted, opening the tap. He hoped that whatever comeback Reyn had would be drowned out by the racket. It didn’t work as the flight officer simply raised his voice:
“I’m glad our feelings are mutual. How about a spar after we are done with this?” he asked, lifting the knife and the potato he was cutting into smaller pieces.
Unconsciously, Goten touched the fading bruise under his right eye. He started at his wet and cool fingers, becoming aware that he had traced the shiner. “Um. Alright.”
“Does it still hurt?”
Shaking his head, Goten lowered his hand back into the sink. “No, it doesn’t.” He raised his hand again as Reyn was about to open his mouth. “Just don’t say ‘pity’ again.”
“I wasn’t intending to.”
“Liar.”
Reyn chuckled. “Damn, you think me too simplistic.”
Goten snickered softly at the sink. “Do I? I don’t even dare think what you think of me.”
Reyn laughed, amused.
The third-class finished washing potatoes and then joined the flight officer on the bench. “Aren’t you supposed to be on duty, on your way to…?” Goten wondered. “What is it called again? Astar… Estar…”
“It’s Estarde. I asked Jadenas to switch with me for the rest of the evening.”
“Ah. And the good guy that he is, he agreed at once.”
“Hey, now you make me the bad guy.”
“Well, aren’t you?”
Reyn conked Goten on his forehead with a potato. While the third-class stared at him in stunned indignation, he explained: “Estarde is an MIRG 258.” Reyn sighed when the third-class’s face remained one big frown. “Meaning that it is a very small passenger spaceship; Jadenas will be back in about two hours. He was pretty glad to be trading places.”
“I know what an MIRG 258 is. There’s absolutely no need to try and beat it into my head.”
“You’re kinda easily upset.”
“You bet I am.”
“I hardly even touched you.”
“Then don’t touch me.”
Reyn rolled his eyes, his face a pure expression of annoyed torture. “Whatever, your highness.” He snorted. “I think your impression of Jadenas is a little bit off. Despite what you think, he isn’t a pushover.”
“I didn’t think he was a pushover,” Goten denied. “He’s just…helpful? Too helpful sometimes.”
“Aren’t you two pretty similar in that respect? Only that you bitch and moan a lot more than him.”
Goten glared at him. “Are you certain you want to piss me off right before going to spar?”
“My, my, aren’t we too full of ourselves?”
Goten glowered at the potato in his hand. Had he known that Reyn would be so bent on pushing his buttons today, he wouldn’t have stopped him from leaving the kitchen. Usually the flight officer avoided saying anything which could spark off a conflict between them. In fact, he had never noticed Reyn getting on the nerves of anyone else in the crew. It seemed that he had chosen Goten to be his scapegoat for diffusing his frustrations. Whatever they were. At this point, Goten couldn’t care less.
“I don’t think that Jadenas and I are similar at all,” the third-class said several minutes later.
Reyn shrugged. “I have known Jadenas much longer than you, but isn’t the mildness of his temperament the reason you like him? Jadenas poses no danger and, as you find it hard to deal with assertive types, you rather like sticking around him. This is where you’re similar. You’re very territorial, though. Well, it’s not as if that’s a bad thing.”
“Uhh…” Goten drawled, taken aback by the litany of presumptions about his character. When he gave it some thought though, Reyn appeared to be very accurate. Goten wasn’t aggressive by nature and was indeed attracted to males with mellow characters. The same was with Kyon. Even Edesha. The ones who posed no eminent danger. He considered whether the prince fell into the same category. Not in the least. The man was too whimsical for his taste. Too stubborn too. And maybe too arrogant. And somehow too pushy.
The knife stopped moving in Goten’s hand. What in the world did he like about the man, then?
The flight officer watched various emotions display themselves one after another on the third-class’s face. “Listen, you’d better forget Jadenas,” he advised seriously. “The twins will kill you. They are crazed enough to do that.”
“What? Oh, no,” Goten said, waving his hands in embarrassment, causing Reyn to shift away from him in case the third-class cut him with the knife he had obviously forgotten he was holding. “You misunderstood.”
“Did I?”
Goten nodded.
“So how are things with Edesha?”
Goten tensed up. “How do you… Haaahhh…” he trailed off with a sigh while lowering his head in defeat. Starcut was a very close community. Everybody knew everything about each other. “Awkward,” the third-class admitted, shifting on the bench uncomfortably. “I’ve kinda been avoiding him since then. I think it’s the same for him.”
Reyn shook his head in compassionate disbelief for the soldier. “Damn, he screwed up royally.” Edesha was pretty picky about his partners and, since he went for Goten, it meant he really liked the youngster. Goten rejecting him must have left a bitter taste in his mouth, not to mention the blow to his ego. “I wouldn’t have guessed you’d mind him so,” Reyn continued. “Or was it something he did wh-”
“Can we not talk about it?”
Reyn chuckled. “Sure.”
“I don’t think I am territorial,” Goten declared a minute later. “I, somehow… Do you think that because of my cabin? It’s the first time I've had my own space after such a long time, so I might be a little too overzea-”
“That too, but I rather meant it in a different way. I mean, you draw a very clear line concerning what is and isn’t allowed to happen to you. You also tend to keep an eye on your friends, don’t you? You seem the type, at least.”
Goten raised his eyes from the potato he had been cutting to look at Reyn. “Huh?”
“Don’t ‘huh’ me.”
“Well, maybe,” Goten agreed. The third-class had presumed that Reyn was bad at judging people’s characters, however, it only took a week for Reyn to know an awful lot about him. This was disconcerting. “I do try,” Goten mumbled. “The thing is, however, that nobody else gives a damn what is and what is not supposed to happen to me.”
Reyn grinned at him. “Look at Edesha. He certainly gives now. Me too. I do know not to annoy you too much as you’re a ticking time bomb.”
“I am not.”
“You are. You can go off at any given moment.”
“Certainly not!”
“Oh, but you can. Who broke my nose just because…”
“Gods, Reyn, leave the damn kid alone before he breaks it again!” the chef spat over his shoulder while seasoning the meat on the cutting board. “Just stop it!”
“Hn.” Reyn grinned. “See? He thinks you’re a ticking time bomb as well.”
Goten sighed. He stood up and went to wash the rest of the peeled potatoes. By the time he washed them and returned to the bench, Reyn had already finished chopping the potatoes he had.
“Man, this is some tedious work,” Reyn complained at the sight of the third bucket.
“You’re free to go any time.”
“Hey, don’t be such an ungrateful bastard; I am doing you a favor.”
“Really? By amusing yourself at my expense? Thanks a lot.”
“What a delicate flower you are!”
“I’ll gut you. Then stuff you with these potatoes and serve you up for dinner.”
“That’s some sick, twisted mind you have.”
“Indeed. I will seek out help as soon as possible.”
“It might be too late already.” Reyn looked at Goten. “If I win the spar, you will clean my cabin. Deal?”
Goten’s eyebrows rose. “And what if I win?”
“Hmm…” Reyn drawled. “Just think of something.” He felt no danger giving Goten the freedom of choice as he had noticed that the boy lacked imagination. Another thing was that the newbie was bound by his own morals. Whatever Goten would think of, it wouldn’t be too bad. Unless he consulted Adriel or Sildara. That would probably result in him dancing in the canteen for dessert after dinner. Naked. The two had one-track minds.
“Umm… Okay. Let’s say then… If I win, you will stop helping me out in the kitchen.”
Reyn gave him a look, then grabbed at his chest with a torturous wail. “That hurt. Here I came with my best intentions to help a friend in need, and you…”
The third-class rolled his eyes. “What did actually happen to the cook?” Goten had asked around, but everyone had been vague. They ahhed and ummed and, in the end, different people told him different diagnoses. The doctor didn’t tell him anything at all as, according to him, one’s illnesses were a private matter. Goten couldn’t agree more, but he was certain that he would feel much more at ease if he knew that those illnesses could not invade his own privacy. And there were always some pretty nasty diseases to catch.
“He’s a drug addict. He overdosed.”
“Reyn!” the chef growled, turning away from the stove to face the flight officer. Reyn merely glanced at him. “What do y-”
“He’ll find out sooner or later. Besides, Goten doesn’t tattle. Right, newbie?”
The third-class watched the angered and reproachful chef’s face. Goten was aware why Reyn had told him – it was best to be prepared for things like an addict crew member who would suddenly not show up for work, or worse, keel over on the spot. Reyn had a no-nonsense approach to things like these. He probably wasn’t too happy working with an addict either.
“I’ll keep my mouth shut,” Goten promised. As long as the cook was making food and not launching ki attacks, the third-class wasn’t interested in him. Adding too much or not enough salt wasn’t really a problem. Missing one’s target and hitting another was, though.
“That’s a good boy,” the flight officer complimented him.
The chef still looked gloomy and distrustful and Goten decided to ask Reyn for more details when they were alone. They finished cutting potatoes in silence, and Goten headed for the toilets, leaving Reyn to wash buckets and bowls and clean their workplace.
The chef leaned on the counter, absently watching Reyn mop the floor. “You know,” he said in a minute, “you’re going the wrong way about it.”
“Hmm…” Reyn hummed without lifting his eyes off the dirty floor. “Am I?”
ooOoOoOoo
“What the hell are you doing?” the gunnery sergeant asked Goten as soon as he stepped into his cabin.From the floor which he was currently washing, Goten lifted his eyes to look at the man. “I am washing the floor, sir.”
Reyn snorted at the obvious.
Monteira looked at the flight officer, who was sprawled on his bed watching Goten work, obviously taking much pleasure in it.
“Is he still bullying you?”
Goten blinked at the gunnery sergeant, then met Reyn’s eyes. “So that’s what you’re doing!” he exclaimed. “Bullying me!”
“Hey, I’m not bullying him!” the flight officer denied. “Well, maybe a little. Just a tiny bit.”
“Goten, you can submit a written complaint to the captain and it will b-”
“Uhhh, sir. I just lost a bet. That’s all.”
“He doesn’t understand jokes,” Reyn explained to Goten. “I’ve been living with him for the last five years and he hasn’t got any sense of humor. You have to be unambiguous with him.”
“Thank you, Reyn, for your priceless clarifications,” Monteira growled. “Goten, why is your left eye black and swollen? Again.”
“That’s because we’ve been sparring, sir,” Goten answered.
The gunnery sergeant searched Goten’s face thoroughly for some enlightening signs which would tell him whether the youth was telling the truth but found nothing. With a barely discernible nod, he moved towards his bed and sat down on it.
Great, Goten thought, now I will have the two of them watching me. He was also certain that now, besides thinking that he was an idiot, Monteira would also think that Reyn was bullying him. Well, in a way, he was.
“So what was the bet?” the gunnery sergeant asked.
“We had a spar,” Reyn answered.
“So you won this time.”
“Yup.”
Monteira’s eyes followed Goten’s journey to the bucket, then watched him wash the rag. “The kid’s only eighteen,” he muttered. “Ten years younger than you.”
“Yeah. Impressive, isn’t he?”
Perturbed, Monteira ruffled through his hair. “I’d say ‘scary’. I have never seen anything like this. And I have seen quite a lot.”
Expressively, Reyn motioned at the third-class, who was wringing the rag into the bucket. “In a few years, I’ll be no match for him.”
Monteira just shook his head in disbelief.
“His fighting style is hard to see through. He’s got excellent reflexes and good intuition. His power level is probably pretty high as well.”
Goten was surprised. Why was it that when there was someone else around, Reyn had something good to say about him? When they were alone, the older male either said nothing or kept on picking on him.
“Looks good while washing the floor too.”
Goten turned his head to meet Reyn’s amused eyes. The flight officer winked at him. “Just so you won’t get too cocky.”
The third-class laughed softly. Still grinning, he went on washing the floor. The gunnery sergeant, who had seen this exchange, relaxed completely. This, indeed, was a mutual agreement. Their spars were beneficial for them both as well – the workout allowed them to release their tension and, being of nearly the same level, it honed their skills, making them stronger, faster, and more nimble.
“So have you decided about tomorrow?” Monteira asked.
The silence in the cabin lasted for too long and suddenly Goten understood that the question had been addressed to him. He lifted his head. “Huh? Tomorrow, sir? What about tomorrow?”
Reyn and Monteira met each other’s eyes. So nobody had told him.
“It’s Alignments.”
“Umm… Don’t tell me you still perfor-” Goten fell silent at the looks Reyn and Monteira were giving him. “So you do.”
Reyn nodded. Goten dropped the rag onto the floor. Squatting, he rubbed his forehead with his wet hands. He could feel a headache starting. “Alignment” was an ancient ritual which was performed approximately every four years when Vegeta-sei, the Moon, and the Sun aligned. It wasn’t so popular anymore and only a few still practiced Alignment as it tended to cause tension and many feuds. It used to be practiced by very small settlements where there was a very real danger of incest. A certain location was chosen by a few tiny settlements and, once every four years, they came there to enrich their genetic pool. More commonly, such events were called orgies.
Just before Goten was born, it was completely abandoned by the people of his village because, a few months prior, someone had killed someone else because he’d slept with the wrong person. The village chief had had enough of that.
Goten couldn’t understand why Starcut would need to practice it. It didn’t make any sense. Even now, Starcut creaked and moaned every evening like a tortured ghost. Besides, there was only one female on board and she’d bite the nuts off anyone who just tried to get close to her.
Reyn burst out laughing at the uncomprehending look on Goten’s face; he found the reaction unbelievably amusing. “It’s just for fun, Goten. And nobody’s going to force you to take part in it. I think usually it’s only five to seven regulars who participate anyway.”
Monteira grinned at the look of relief passing over the third-class’s face. “You’d definitely be popular though.”
Reyn snickered softly while Goten cleared his throat and picked his rag again. Monteira seemed not to have heard anything about Edesha’s recent exploits concerning Goten. If he knew, he wouldn’t have mentioned that.
ooOoOoOoo
When Goten reached his cabin, it was already past twelve. Reyn had insisted he clean every nook and cranny of his and Monteira’s cabin. Only when the third-class pulled the flight officer’s underwear out of his wardrobe and started waving it joyously in the air like a flag did Reyn send him the hell away.Goten pulled his boots off, undid the buttons of his uniform, and flopped onto his bed. The spar with Reyn, washing the dishes and the kitchen, then cleaning Reyn’s cabin had all left him exhausted, too tired to even take his uniform off. He groped around his bed to find a plastic water bottle and drank half of its contents at once. The flight officer was a real slave driver.
“Lights,” Goten said, capping and lowering the bottle back onto the floor with a soft thump. Enjoying the eye-pleasing darkness, he settled into the bedding. A minute later, he was already asleep.
A loud thumping on his door forced his eyes open again. He was disoriented at first, then realized that it was already time to go to the kitchen and start getting ready for breakfast. He had overslept and the chef had specially come to fetch him.
“Lights!” Cursing under his breath, the third-class rolled out of the bed and pushed his feet into yesterday’s socks and then his boots. “Coming!” He opened the door to meet Reyn’s reproachful face. “Huh?”
“Don’t you ‘huh’ me. Here I offer my help at the kitchen and you readily think I’m going to replace you altogether. Nuh-uh.”
Yawning, Goten rubbed at his eyes. “What was that?” he mumbled, closing the door.
“Nothing, just get your ass to the kitchen.”
“Aren’t you overdoing this?” Goten wondered while they were on their way. “It’s five in the morning! Just go back to sleep, you idiot.”
Reyn chuckled. “A ship is on our radar. The captain ordered me to search it. Edesha and I are off in twenty minutes.”
“Ah, how naïve of me,” Goten muttered, rubbing at his left eye. His fist suddenly froze, his feet rooting to the floor. Inside, the third-class started as if he had been struck by lightning. His hand shot out to grab the flight officer’s uniform.
Reyn turned around as a sudden tug at his jacket made him stop at once. “Huh? What?”
“What kind of ship is it?”
The flight officer gave him a once over. “What’s with you and ships? You’ve been obsessed recently.”
Only now did the third-class realize that he hadn’t been aware of check-ups taking place during sleeping hours. They were obviously rare as he hadn’t noticed them before, but now the horror of how he had no control over them sank in.
“I was just thinking that I wouldn’t mind taking part in one of the inspections,” Goten said, letting go of Reyn’s jacket. “Just to get acquainted with what needs to be done.”
Reyn shrugged and continued walking down the hall. He snorted. “Only that? I can give you the manual to study.”
“Don’t be an ass. I’m serious. I can learn ev-”
“Goten.” Reyn turned around to give the third-class a look which made Goten close his mouth. “Listen, there’s no way you’re getting outside this ship. You’re untrained, unqualified, and inexperienced. That’s all I have to say about your idea, and that’s all the captain will have to say about it. You stay on the ship. If you want to feel useful, just do what you’ve been doing up until now – help prepare food, clean, try to jolly up the atmosphere.”
All this was said in a serious, authoritative tone, and it was clear to Goten that the discussion was over. If Reyn didn’t agree, there was also Jadenas to ask, but there was also no point in going with Jadenas – it had to be Reyn’s party. The captain might allow him to go on an inspection or two but, as Reyn would not want him in his party, he would be assigned to Jadenas.
“Fine. So what’s the ship’s name?”
Reyn wasn’t fooled by Goten’s quick retreat. He rolled his eyes with a sigh. “You’re going to try talking to the captain, aren’t you? Just forget it.”
“Just tell me what the ship’s name is and let’s leave it at that.”
“Fuck you,” Reyn spat, pushing Goten through the door into the canteen. “Go and make me a sandwich or something.”
Whirling around, Goten brushed the flight officer’s hand off his shoulder. “Hell, Reyn, can you tell me what the fucking name is or not?”
“Don’t you fucking raise your voice at me!”
“What is the damn ship’s name?” Goten growled out in a hiss. He and Reyn were standing in front of each other, their faces now almost touching. Somewhere at the back of his head, the third-class was astonished at how quickly the situation had gotten out of hand. He could feel the tightness in his jaw, the fur on his tail was bristling, and he was perfectly aware that Reyn was also showing similar signs of aggressiveness.
“Argonian Star. MIKL 252!” Reyn yelled at him. “If you don’t get your ass into the kitchen…”
“Reyn?”
Goten and the flight officer turned to see Edesha standing in the doorway. The soldier appeared to be worried. He gave Goten a questioning look.
“What’s all this noise about?”
The third-class’s attention returned to the flight officer. “I just wanted to know the name of the ship you’re going to.”
“It’s Argonian Star,” Edesha said. “Anything else?”
“No.”
The soldier turned to Reyn. “What’s the problem?”
Reyn gave him a rather unfriendly look. “No problems at all.” Trying to relax his muscles, he watched Goten walking off in the direction of the counter separating the kitchen and the canteen.
“It’s best you keep away from him,” Edesha warned softly. “He’s only a kid, but you two are of similar strength, skill, and possibly even power levels. It’s only natural his very presence provokes you. Only that we can’t afford to have your little fight for dominance here; you’d tear the ship apart.”
Reyn snorted derisively. “You think I don’t know that? This past week, I’ve been trying to be on my best behavior. I have to tell you that it doesn’t really work. But you know what irritates me most?”
“What?”
“That he doesn’t realize a fucking thing. He just has that confused air about him.”
“Well, he doesn’t seem to be competitive, so maybe that’s why.”
“Or maybe he’s just an idiot,” Reyn threw over his shoulder before walking to the table to sit down.
“Nah, you don’t think that.” Edesha watched him getting comfortable with a suppressed grin. “I’m sorry to say this, but while you were running around in search of Goten and then arguing with him, the time for breakfast was cut short. We gotta go.”
“Fuck it!”
ooOoOoOoo
The lack of sleep and the conflict with Reyn had made Goten irritated and he stayed so throughout the entire morning. He even had malicious thoughts to just leave everything as it is – why the hell should he even try to save that irksome bastard’s ass? Well, of course, it wasn’t as if he had any idea in the first place how he was going to prevent the dream from turning into reality, but it was still an entertaining thought to just do nothing.He was also seething about somebody having sent his profile to Adriel. What the hell for? To warn them? To inform them? That didn’t make much sense – he wasn’t a psychopath going around killing people. As long as nobody tried to insult, beat, or kill him, he was an absolutely peaceful guy.
Adriel was probably lying about the profile being sent to him anonymously. Or maybe nobody had sent it at all. The prince had mentioned something about an acquaintance in the Air Force. Maybe he had meant someone from the ship itself? He should have asked. Was it Adriel? Or had his profile come from the outside? From those who put him on this ship? Why was he on this ship at all?
Yet another thing was Kyon’s cookbook. How in the world was he going to return it to Kyon with that lovely death threat from the prince? How many people on Vegeta-sei were named “Trunks”? Probably one or two! Was the prince an idiot? Sure it was kind of pleasant and stuff, but also completely senseless, and now he was going to have to tear the page out and get rid of it. And he rather liked that page!
And he badly needed to cut his toenails because his feet could hardly fit into his boots anymore.
ooOoOoOoo
For the most part, Starcut was quiet in the evening. Goten was surprised that there were almost no signs of Alignment. If not for the captain announcing that the crew could have the meeting hall for their needs after 8 pm, one wouldn’t even suspect it was performed at all. The third-class couldn’t help but be curious as to who was taking part in Alignment. Edesha and a few others from the last party he had attended were first to come to his mind. He was probably wrong though.Even if the third-class wasn’t taking part in the ritual, his imagination was going wild. He could also hear Jadenas and the twins behind the wall. They were trying to be quiet, but muffled grunts and moans wafting through the steel wall could be easily picked out by a Saiyan ear. It didn’t seem that they were going to stop anytime soon and Goten didn’t feel like interrupting them either. Especially not today.
On his way to the showers, Goten’s senses pricked up and it seemed to him that he could hear different ahhing and oohing here and there. It was probably only his overactive imagination though.
Just as expected, the showers were empty, and Goten chose his preferred stall at the end of the room. He undressed and hung his clothes and underwear with the towel on the hooks next to the stall.
The ship recycled water: it was gathered from the sewers and cleaned by boiling it. Then the vapor was gathered and heated again, repeating the process until the water became crystal clean. Due to this cycle, the ship’s reservoirs never emptied. However, the crew was encouraged to economize water in case of an emergency.
There was more sense in showering after, so Goten didn’t waste time and turned all of his attention to his unruly lower part. He touched himself carefully, then ran his fingers across his half-hard length. Taking hold of the base, he started stroking lightly. He drew his left hand over his chest, brushing his nipples lightly. Enjoying the sensations, he closed his eyes.
There wasn’t enough lubrication and Goten groped around the container which hung on the side wall, away from the shower head. He found a bottle and squeezed out a few drops of gel. It was universal washing liquid used for everything: hair, skin, and tail. The third-class rubbed it over his length. He started stroking himself until he brought his cock to full erection. He cupped and rolled his balls in his left hand, then lifted his hand to stroke his chest and tweak his nipples lightly. A soft moan escaped his lips.
Goten’s hips were following the motions of his fist. His breathing had become quicker, shallower. He had supported himself with his palm against the wall as his legs were becoming shaky under the pressure of delight. Goten was close, his wrist working relentlessly to bring him relief.
The third-class lowered his head, the tip of his tongue darting out to wet his dry lips. His mouth was slightly open now while he was gasping with every stroke. He could feel it coming, the precome steadily oozing out of the slit. He was constantly rubbing it with his thumb. Almost, almost there.
Goten’s mouth locked in a soundless cry, his hips unmoving, but his fist still working, milking out everything till the last bit of pleasure.
With a quiet exhalation, Goten let go of his quickly softening cock. His stomach and the wall were covered in droplets and, still lightheaded, he moved away from under the shower head and turned it on. The water warmed up quickly, and he moved back under the stream to wash himself. The hot water felt wonderful on his skin and Goten planted his hands on the wall in front of him, offering his back to the pleasant treatment.
He was completely relaxed when somebody smacked him on his ass. Startled, with an ear-piercing shriek, Goten jumped sideways. He slipped and hardly managed to catch his balance on the wall in front of him. His head snapped around, his body still in the middle of making a turn. Water was in his eyes, and he blinked rapidly, trying to see who was there. The running water covered all sounds around him. An arm snaked around his waist and he pushed against the invading body in front of him with all his might. The motion got rid of the attacker but it also made Goten slip on the wet floor. His left foot went forward while the rest of him went backwards and then sideways. He started waving his hands about, trying to stop the inevitable fall. The third-class’s head conked against one of the metal hooks, making stars and pain explode. He grabbed at the sore spot. That distracted his attention from his boots arranged next to the stall. He stumbled over them and went down with a crash, knocking his forehead against the cistern of hot water. He fell to the wet floor like a felled tree.
Adriel and Sildara were still helping Edesha to his feet, after Goten had sent him flying into the opposite wall, when a crash made them look over to see Goten thumping against the floor.
They stared at him, confused. “What the…”
“You alright?” Sildara asked Edesha, who was still dazed and huffing while standing up.
“I’m fine, fine.”
“Shit!” Adriel cursed. He moved forward, pulling Goten away from the hot cistern. He pressed his fingers to the side of Goten’s neck to check his vital signs. “What the hell happened?”
“I knew this was a bad idea…” Edesha said, walking over. He stared down at the very naked and very unconscious Goten. “His forehead’s bleeding.”
“His pulse is normal and everything. He’s breathing normally,” Adriel said with a note of relief.
Edesha turned around. “Shut off the damn water,” he said to Sildara. He looked at Goten again. “Let’s get him to the medical room.”
“Tamahi’s in the meeting hall with the rest of the creeps,” Adriel reminded him. “He won’t c-”
“What the fuck are you doing?”
Adriel started at Reyn’s demanding voice. The flight officer had stepped into the shower room unnoticed and was now staring at all of them with an angered look on his face. He pointed at Goten in the middle of the floor. “What’s this?”
“Um.” Adriel suddenly found himself fidgeting guiltily. “Well… It was supposed to be a prank. We just wanted to scare him a little.”
Reyn looked at Goten lying on the wet floor. “Well, I must tell you that your plan was one hundred percent successful. He was so afraid that he started bleeding from his forehead and then blacked out.”
“Err…not really. I’m not certain. I think he slipped and knocked himself out.”
The three crew members seemed to be as bewildered and lost as Reyn was and the flight officer found himself believing them. He relaxed and walked over to the shower stall to take Goten’s towel off the hook. He dropped it over the younger male’s midsection. He squatted down to gather him up into his arms. The thought that this was somehow familiar crossed his mind. “So what the hell did you do?”
“Well… he was showering a-”
Standing up, Reyn hefted Goten up into his arms. “I know very well that he wasn’t showering.”
“Well, okay, he was jerking off, the showering came later. All I did was smack him on the ass.”
“While he was masturbating?”
“After. I’m not lying!”
“Well, in any case, I see why it would make him skittish.” Reyn held out his palm when Edesha opened his mouth. “And I don’t even want to know what you were doing with these two clowns. Grab his clothes,” he said to Sildara with a motion of his head. “Have you no shame?”
“It was just an innocent joke!” Adriel argued.
The flight officer glared at him. “Your only hope is that he doesn’t have a concussion or he might want to write a report on you for sexual harassment. And he would be right. Hell, if he has a concussion, I will write a report on you myself.”
Goten stirred, moaning softly.
“He’s coming to,” Sildara noted.
“Yeah.” Reyn watched the youngster turn his head sideways. He lifted his arm to look closer at his face, but Goten’s eyes were still closed. Now Reyn was becoming painfully aware of the bare skin of Goten's upper back and thighs touching his arms. The faint scent of come was still lingering in the showers and he felt himself getting hard.
While he was carrying Goten to his cabin, the youth opened his eyes. Dizzily, he lifted his head to look at Reyn. Confusion flashed over his face.
“What…?” he rasped out, turning his head this way and that. Gray metallic walls were passing before his eyes.
“It appears you’ve knocked yourself out against…a wall?” Reyn half explained and half asked.
“Huh? A wall?”
“I don’t know how, but you seem to be really good at this,” Reyn said, smirking down at him.
Adriel punched Reyn on the shoulder. “It was the hot water cistern. I’m sorry,” the navigator apologized to Goten.
The third-class started, only now noticing Adriel walking a few steps behind Reyn.
“I only… I didn’t think you’d…well… I’m sorry. It was just a joke.”
“I don’t… I don’t think I remember…” Goten lifted his left arm to touch his forehead. A painful lump was forming on it. He lowered his arm and brought his fingers in front of his eyes. They had traces of blood on them. The third-class stared at it until the soft ping of his door drew him out of the trance.
The flight officer carried Goten into the cabin and lowered him onto his bed. While he had been doing that, the towel had rumpled and slid down the third-class’s hips. Reyn reached out to fix it. His hand slid over the side of Goten’s thigh, lingering there before straightening the towel.
“How do you feel?” he asked Goten.
“I think I might have a light concussion,” the third-class said. “Once again,” he added with a roll of his eyes.
“I’ll go and check how Tamahi is doing,” Reyn said. “Or rather if he finished doing it.” He gave a look to Adriel. “Behave while I’m away.” The navigator scowled at him. The flight officer’s eyes drifted over the other two men who shuffled their feet guiltily.
TBC
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