Last Exile Fan Fiction ❯ Soft Options ❯ Self Realization ( Chapter 2 )

Soft Options

 

Rating: NC17/X

 

By: AZ

 

Chapter 2: Self Realization

-

Mullin Shetland had been having a bad couple of days since his little misadventure with Lavie in the tackle shed. Since that night, he had been unable to look her in the eye, or speak with her. He also found it hard to be around her without getting embarrassed to the point where he was red as a beet and sweating bullets. Lavie didn't seem to be acting any different toward him, but he was sure that the girl was snickering to herself every time he passed her field of view.

Fortunately for the young man, his obsessive need attach himself to a girl had transferred to the next girl already. Not that that girl knew - or cared - that he existed. Right now, the young musketeer was leaning on the broom that Godwin had shoved into his hands, watching the girl brief her pilots in preparation for the upcoming engagement with the Urbonis instead of working it across the deck like he was told to. His daydreaming was rudely ended by a not so gentle shove to his side.

Catching himself before he could fall, he turned to see Ethan and Kostabi bracketing him. “So, it's our princess who has caught your eye now, is it?” taunted Ethan. Kostabi's oddly-colored eyes assessed the young musketeer.

“What happened to your interest in Lavie, Mullin?” asked the bald man. Mullin could feel his face heat up at the thinly-veiled accusation.

“Lavie's…she's just…well, she and Claus are together!” he tried to defend himself and throw off the two at the same time. Ethan smirked at him.

“Came on to her and got shot down, huh?” he sneered at him. Mullin tried very hard to forget the `came on' part of their disastrous encounter.

“Lavie is far too much for a green boy like you to handle, true enough.” agreed Kostabi. “But our fair princess is even harder than Lavie.” he cautioned the young man. Inclining his head, he pointed Mullin's attention back to the young girl giving the briefing. “I'd have to advise you to pass on this one, Mullin. You can get hurt playing with the ice princess.” said the man quietly, before moving off.

Mullin considered what the oddest of the odd people aboard the ship had just said to him. Watching the girl nearly eagerly give orders for the battle strategy, pointing out the vulnerable points of the enemy ship, explaining the battle order and contingency plans. “She seems eager.” he muttered.

“Yeah. She's eager, all right.” came the voice of Ethan. “Maybe too eager.” he said before clapping his hand on Mullin's shoulder. “Get back to work, Mullin.” he said, grinning at the man with evil enjoyment. Sighing, Mullin resumed the sweeping up of the mechanic deck of the Silvana.

His attention was diverted to the briefing again when he heard Tatiana assign Claus as her navigator. Turning to look at the small group, he noticed that Tatiana was staring at Claus as if her naming him as her navigator was a declaration of war. Alister started to protest the assignment, but before she could finish, the leader of their two-man Guild party threw in his two cents from the gantry next to the elevator.

“This wouldn't be your way of trying to get back at Immelman, would it?” guessed the young man called Dio. Tatiana turned to glare at him, but he seemed unfazed by it. “That's really very petty, you know.” he noted. Tatiana bared her teeth.

“When I want to know your opinion, Guild boy, I'll ask!” snapped the girl. Dio hummed noncommittally and moved off.

“Looks like I won't be flying today.” he called back. It was almost a taunt.

“Um, Claus, are you sure…?” began Lavie, standing to the side of the group with Al. Claus watched Tatiana turn to stare at him again.

“I'll be fine, Lavie.” he said, maintaining Tatiana's stare with his own. When Tatiana finally looked away, he turned to smile at Lavie. “Don't forget, Lavie, we both know each other's normal stations, right?” he assured her. Lavie snorted, absently hugging Al closer to her side.

“Yeah, Claus,” she agreed, “but you suck as a navigator; that's why you fly.” she teased him. Claus was just fine as a navigator, and when push came to shove, Lavie could handle a van ship from the pilot's seat with surprising skill, though each of them had preferred jobs: Claus flew, and Lavie navigated, exactly as their fathers had once jokingly suggested they do. Teaching yourself had some advantages, after all.

“Be careful, Claus.” came Al's high, soft voice. “She's in a bad mood again.” she warned him. Claus smiled at them both.

“I'll be fine!” he repeated. “I'll be back before you know it.”

“Promise?” asked Lavie softly, catching his eye. Claus nodded.

“Promise.” he agreed. Just then, the alarm sounded. The `welcoming party' from the Anatory Navy had been found. It was time to fly.

-

Claus sighed as he mentally reviewed the mission. It had not gone as Tatiana had planned for it to go. First, there were more Urbonis­-class cruisers than they had thought. Then, the ships had driven them into an ambush, rather than pursue them as Alex had planned. During the combat, Tatiana had decided to switch from scouting to direct attack after her smoke screen proved to be ineffective, and on the third pass, musket fire had brought them down. But worst of all, they had seen the Silvana, anchored to a cruiser and about to be rammed by another, slip beneath the clouds, entangled in the falling boulders from the dragon fangs that Alex had blasted with his heaviest weaponry.

Now, he and Tatiana were stuck on the ground, her crimson van ship one shot to hell. Claus had initially thought that she had been hit, since she made no move to control their descent, but once he realized that she had just frozen up, he tried to do all he could to shake her out of it. Nothing had worked, so he went to work with what controls he had to try to keep them from dying in the wreck. Miraculously, he had gotten them down safe; hell, the landing was less violent than when he and Lavie had crashed into the Silvana.

While Tatiana had sat in the pilot's seat, stunned by how things had gone down, he had managed to get out and check the ship over. His initial assessment was that it was fucked. And not in the good way, either, he mused to himself. “Maybe Lavie could do something with it, but not me. And certainly not with the emergency tool kit alone.” he thought out loud. A thought occurred to him. “Hey, Tatiana, you wouldn't happen to know anything about van ship engines, would you?” he asked, turning to look at the winglet where she had been slumped since changing out of her Claudia-tainted flight suit and into his coveralls.

Not getting an answer, he realized that she must have wandered off while he was trying to find a solution to their problems. Hopping down onto the sand, he glanced at where the girl had been, seeing footprints leading over the dune the ship had lodged in and into the tract-less wastes. Sighing, he checked the sun, already touching the horizon. “Great.” he muttered, moving off after the girl. The last thing he wanted was to have to chase the girl high and low with the sun about to set.

It had been dark about an hour and half when he finally caught up to the girl. “Tatiana!” he yelled her name, quickening his stride. As he closed in on her, he could feel the ache in his legs from the effort it took to pursue her through the sand. “Hey! Tatiana! Stop, damn it!” he yelled, finally close enough to grab her arm, spinning her around to face him.

“Leave me alone, Claus.” came her lifeless voice.

“Why? So you can wander off and die?” he asked, feeling irritation begin to give way to anger.

“What does it matter?” she said blackly. “I'm a failure. The Silvana's gone. I wish I had died in the crash!” she said. Claus reacted before he had time to think about it.

With a sharp smack!, he slapped her. Her eyes, previously dull and lifeless, widened in shock as her own hand covered the reddening patch on her cheek.

“Why…?!” she began. Claus cut her off.

“That certainly seemed to do the trick.” he said evenly. “Tatiana, I don't know why you are ready to give up and die, but I'm not.” he said, holding her gaze under the starlight. “And as long as I am alive, I won't let you die!” he promised her.

“It doesn't matter any more, Claus!” screamed the girl, tears beginning to fall from her eyes. “They're all dead, Claus! Alister, the Vice Captain…all sunk with the Silvana!”

“We don't know that yet, Tatiana.” countered Claus firmly. “We saw them go down, but that does not mean that they are dead. I made a promise to Lavie and Al, and I keep my promises. You should at least do as much.” he challenged her. Tatiana's eyes narrowed.

“As much as your girlfriend does? Maybe I should black out?” she spat. Claus's eyes hardened.

“Lavie black out, yes.” he agreed evenly, suddenly stepping into her so they were nose to nose. “But she never freezes up.” he whispered. He pressed a little harder against Tatiana. “And she wasn't the one flying the ship when she passed out.” he hissed. The anger in Tatiana's eyes went cold.

He's right, you know, came the voice of her conscious. It was your job to fly that ship. You are the one that should have gotten us down safe. “I…I'm sorry.” was all she said. Claus eased back slightly.

“You should be,” he agreed reasonably, “but that is the past. We need to figure out what to do about the present.” he noted.

“What can we do?” she asked, her voice tired. Claus stretched.

“I don't know right now, but for the moment, we need to get back to the ship. It has the only water and shelter out here.” he said. Tatiana nodded.

“Ok, Claus.” she said. Reaching out, he took her hand in his, not seeing the color that touched her cheeks. Together, the two made their way back to their busted van ship.

-

“Lavie! Lavie!” came Al's voice, the concern turning to panic as the girl tried to wake the girl. The two had just decided to leave the mechanical deck to seek somewhere safer when a tremendous explosion had hit the ship, throwing them off their feet and to the armored deck. As they had flew through the air toward the hard, unforgiving deck, Lavie had managed to grab Al and wrap her up securely in her arms to protect her from fall.

Now, Al was trying to get free of Lavie's grip, but the older girl was unconscious and unresponsive. “Lavie, wake up!” she shrilled, tugging on the mechanic's uniform the girl wore. There was no response from the girl.

“Hey, what's wrong, Al?” came the rough, yet calm voice of Godwin. Behind him, Mullin and Ethan came jogging up, and from farther away, Kostabi was running toward the two girls. Al looked at up the gruff head mechanic.

“Lavie won't wake up!” she cried, still clutching the shoulder of Lavie's tunic. “Why won't she wake up?!” begged Al. Godwin glanced at Ethan.

“Get the doctor. Now.” he murmured before kneeling next to the two girl. Kostabi arrived and knelt opposite Godwin, the two carefully prying Al out of Lavie's surprisingly strong grip. Godwin scooped Al up, smiling at her soothingly. “Lavie's just taking a nap, Al. She'll be ok.” he reassured her.

Kostabi was swiftly checking the young girl over. Looking up at Godwin, he swiftly showed him the tips of two fingers. Red blood smears were visible for a split second before Kostabi covertly wiped them off on his trousers. “Got clipped by a spall from that hit.” he said tersely. “Looks like she caught her head on the landing, too.” he added, keeping his voice low to try to keep Al from hearing him. Godwin nodded once, quickly.

“Anything broken?” he asked. Kostabi shook his head.

“Not that I can find.” he assured the man. Godwin breathed a sigh of relief. Looking at Al, who he was still holding in his arms, he smiled at her.

“Al, Lavie is going to be just fine. She just got roughed up a little in that big explosion, that's all.” he promised her. Al calmed down slightly. Ethan jumped down the last five stairs, staggering once before sprinting to the group of mechanics around Lavie's form.

“Doctor is busy with casualties from the gun deck and forward magazine.” he reported, breathing hard since he had run up all the stairs; the elevators were locked down under combat watches to prevent both accidents and enemy infiltration by the shafts. “Vice Captain said to get her to her bed and she would check on her as soon as she could.” he added, taking a large breath. Godwin nodded.

“Kostabi, Ethan, you two sweep the deck area for any fires or casualties, then report to the chief engineer for emergency duty. Mullin, grab Lavie - carefully! - and follow me.” he barked out, spinning on his heel and moving for the stairs. Mullin gingerly picked up Lavie, surprised at how light and small she was, before moving after Godwin and Al. On the way down the stairs to the cabins, they ran into Alister and Gale, moving up the ladder, the navigator in her flight suit.

“Godwin, I'm taking out a ship to look for Claus and Tatiana.” she said. Godwin shook his head.

“Flight deck's inoperable and the van ships are all trashed from that little stunt that…” he began, but the PA interrupted him.

“All hands, brace for collision!” came the loud, but steady voice of Sophia. “Repeat, collision!”

“Fuck!” snarled Godwin, looking around the cramped corridor. “Alis, Gale, brace Lavie!” he snapped, dropping down to wedge himself securely cross-wise in the narrow stairwell, cradling Al to himself. “Al, hold on tight, sweetie!” he gritted. Glancing at Lavie, he found Mullin mimicking his position, with Alis wedging herself tight to the girl from one side, Gale on the other. He barely had time to nod in satisfaction before the Silvana slammed into the side of the base of the Dragon Fangs, making the battered warship rattle like a children's toy.

What seemed like minutes later - but was in reality less than ten seconds - the ship settled at about a ten degree list, the plates and keel still groaning as steam from the main engines escaped from emergency relief valves. As the sounds died away, the ship was dead silent. Godwin slowly relaxed, then stood. “Get her up,” said the mechanic to the other three. “and let's get her to her bed.” he said, voice low. Quickly, the other three got up and the party made their way to the cabin that Claus, Lavie and Al shared.

At the door to the room, Al wiggled free of Godwin's arms and opened the door. “That bed is Lavie's.” said the girl, pointing. Nodding, Godwin quickly turned it back before making room for Mullin to set Lavie down on it. Gale waited outside the cabin. Once Lavie was lying on her bed, Godwin had more orders.

“Gale, go find the Vice Captain and tell her that Lavie is in her room. Mullin, come with me.” he said, moving for the door.

“But…!” began Mullin. Godwin turned his head, his baleful gaze affixing the younger man.

“There is work to be done, newbie, and we're the ones that are going to do it, so move it!” he snarled. “Al and Alis will stay with Lavie until the Vice Captain or doctor can check her over more thoroughly.” added the man. Mullin sighed, shoulders slumping, and followed the huge mechanic out of the room. As soon as they were gone, Al closed the door.

Alister was looking at Lavie's clothes. They're pretty dirty and ripped, she thought, and the doctor will need to get them off her before he can treat her. She nodded to herself. “Al?” she asked the young girl who had stopped beside her, silently watching Lavie's shallow breathing. The blonde girl's pale grey eyes found her own. “We need to get Lavie's work clothes off so the doctor can check her for any injuries.” explained the navigator. “I need you to help me get her undressed.” she explained. Al nodded. Together, the two carefully undressed the unconscious girl.

Alister was surprised at what she saw. Lavie wasn't a large girl, but she was perfectly proportioned. Her skin was beautiful, even with the small scars here and there, and her slim build in no way detracted from her beauty. She's really pretty. realized Alister. Claus is lucky to have a girl like him as his partner. That thought brought to mind another thought. I wonder what he thinks of me, compared to her? Her thoughts were interrupted as the door opened and the Vice Captain stepped into the room.

“Alis, what is the situation with her?” asked the older woman, though she herself was still a teenager. Alister saluted the woman.

“Bruising, some small cuts, and a possible concussion.” said the navigator. First aid was a required course in the Military Academy, and both she and the Vice Captain had excelled at those courses. Sophia nodded.

“I see.” said the woman, gently pushing Al into Alis's arms and both of them away from the edge of the bed. Leaning down, Sophia quickly checked the girl over, confirming her heartbeat, her breathing and temperature before running her hands over the girl's body, searching for any signs of broken bones or swelling that would indicate internal bleeding. Other than some superficial cuts on her back, the only worrisome thing that Sophia found was a scalp cut up in her hairline, and the fact that when she peeled back Lavie's eyelids, the pupils were slow to react to light.

“Vice Captain?” prompted Alister, hugging Al as the other woman straightened from her examination. Glancing at the deck, Sophia realized that the ship's tilt was not helping Lavie any.

“Concussion. She's in a coma right now.” murmured Sophia. “For now, all we can do is let her rest and see what happens.” said the woman, looking around for small items to prop under the bed frame to make it level and sturdy. As she did, she paused to kneel in front of Al. “Alvis,” said the woman, maintaining eye contact with the clearly worried girl, “I need you to stay with Lavie and take care of her. Can you do that for me?” she asked. Al nodded.

“When is Claus coming back?” she asked. Sophia hesitated.

“He'll be back as soon as he can, Al.” she dodged the question. “But, until he's back, you are going to have to take care of Lavie until she wakes up.”

“Ok.” agreed the girl resolutely. Sophia caught Alister's eye, minutely inclining her head toward the door. Silently, the two stepped outside the small cabin.

“Alis.” said Sophia, leaning against the door to make sure that it was closed. “The Silvana is - for practical purposes - sunk. We can't move right now, and the van ships are unable to launch, so I'm pulling you from flight duty and assigning you to help Al take care of Lavie.” said the Vice Captain. Alis saluted.

“Ma'am.” she said simply. Sophia went on.

“We don't know how bad the concussion is. If Lavie doesn't wake up within a few days, there is the chance that she never will.” said the older woman. Alis softly sucked in a breath, realizing the ramifications of that statement.

“If she doesn't…” began the girl. Sophia shook her head.

“Worry about than if it happens.” instructed the Vice Captain. “Just be ready in case…” she trailed off, knowing that Alis was following her line of thought. Alister was silent for a bit, then had to ask a question.

“Do you…think she'll make it?” asked the navigator. Sophia considered that reasonable question.

“I think she will. She and Claus are tougher than most people I know, after all.” she said. Let's hope that they are tougher than even I think they are, she prayed.

-

“Cold?” came Claus's voice, interrupting the thoughts of Tatiana. Flinching, the girl turned to look at Claus as he sat beside her, hugging himself under the thin emergency blanket the two shared.

“Uh, maybe a little.” she allowed, barely able to keep her teeth from chattering. Tatiana was cold. Hell, I'm practically frozen! she thought irritably. The thin coveralls were fine for when the sun was out and the temperature was in the triple-digit zone, but once the sun was gone, the desert turned c-o-l-d. Claus's military flight suit was doubtlessly an over in the day, but would be warmer in the night than his coveralls, which Tatiana currently wore.

“Who would have thought it would go from baking to freezing?” offered Claus, smiling slightly. Tatiana smiled slightly.

“Actually, in the Academy, they had classes on survival, and in those classes they taught us about the temperature differential in the desert.” she admitted. A shiver ran through her body. “But I didn't expect it to be this cold.” she confided. Claus nodded.

“It is pretty cold, isn't it?” he mused. Suddenly, he smiled. “I have an idea, Tatiana.” he said, turning to her. “Let's see if we can keep warmer.” he said, pulling the blanket away from his chest. “Move over here.” he directed, spreading his legs.

Tatiana blinked at him. `Move over here'? Is that his come-on line?! she wondered, shocked. Seeing her look, Claus clarified his instructions.

“Sit in front of me and lean against my chest. I'll wrap the blanket around you, and we can share our body heat. As it is, we're both too cold to sleep.” he explained. Tatiana felt her cheeks heat up.

“S…sure.” agreed the girl, scooting over and settling between Claus's thighs. I thought he meant…! the girl thought, embarrassed. Why did I immediately take it that way?! she wondered. Claus wrapped the blanket around them both, his arms settling over her shoulders. Tatiana found the position uncomfortable and awkward. “Claus, this is awkward.” she said. “Hold me under my arms and let me hold the blanket.” she suggested.

“Ok.” agreed the young man calmly, moving his arms under her own and wrapping them around her chest just under her breasts. His hand settled on her stomach as she folded the blanket snugly around their shoulders. As the minutes passed, she began to feel warmer, and about a half hour later, the two were snuggled up comfortably against the wheel cowling of the van ship, lightly dozing.

As the two slept, they instinctively adjusted to get more comfortable and to seek greater warmth from each other. Claus's subconscious mind moved his hands to cup Tatiana's breasts, Lavie dancing in his dreams, while Tatiana gradually moved sideways until she was perpendicular to Claus's body, her arm around his back while her free arm held the blanket close to them. Beneath them, their legs were intertwined and half-buried in the cool sand.

By morning, the two were tightly mated together. Tatiana awoke first, finding Claus's hands on her breasts, her arm around his body, and his morning wood pressed to her hip. Blinking, she started to move away from him, but stopped. Claus is asleep, and it's still cold, so I'll just stay here and keep up both warm. she decided, relaxing back into his embrace. Besides, if he wants to feel me up, who am I to complain? she remembered morosely. As the minutes ticked by, she became aware of the chafing that the heavy zipper on the coveralls was doing to her breastbone.

I don't want to get rubbed raw, so I should probably do something about that. decided the girl, moving her free arm away from the blanket and to the heavy tab just under her throat. Grabbing it, she pulled it down, carefully working it down to her navel. Once it was at her bellybutton, she stopped and took a deep breath, feeling the cool air infiltrate her borrowed clothes, her nipples - already semi-erect from the minute movements of Claus's hands on her breasts - springing to full hardness at the touch of the air.

Feeling that, Tatiana knew that she now faced a different problem: her sensitive nipples were being rubbed against the suit material and would soon be either raw or too sensitive to bear. That's why I don't wear one of the tops under my flight suit. she thought, wondering what to do about the issue. Maybe, I should just move the cloth aside. she considered. Deciding that that was the best choice, she gently pulled Claus's hands off her breasts and shrugged her shoulders to move the cloth out of the way.

Other than some indistinct sounds, Claus didn't react to her actions. As soon as she released his hands, however, she felt him once more cup her proud breasts in his palms. “Lavie.” he breathed. Tatiana froze. Carefully turning to look at him, she confirmed that her belief that he was asleep was correct.

He thinks I'm Lavie? she wondered. Or, does he mean that he wants me to act like Lavie? Of course, he could just want me to be a substitute for Lavie. she realized. Tatiana sighed softly. If that's what he wants from me, then I'll be his substitute Lavie as long as he wants me to be; it's the least I can do. she decided dejectedly. And if Lavie does this with him, then so will I. vowed the girl. She looked at him again. “He is pretty cute.” she murmured to herself.

Claus's hands cupped her breasts as the young man slowly neared waking, his fingers randomly moving around her bare breasts. Tatiana fight to suppress a series of soft moans and gasps as his fingers created sensations in her like she had never felt. Before she knew it, she was writhing around in his arms, trying to get his fingers to touch her hard nipples. At her groin, she could feel herself growing wetter and hotter.

“Tatiana?” came Claus's sleepy voice, freezing the girl in place. His hands didn't leave her breasts, though. “Why were you moving around so much?” he wondered, absently giving her breasts a gentle squeeze.

“Uh, good morning.” managed the girl. He's awake now! she thought, panicking for an instant. What does he think about me rubbing against him like that?! Tatiana became aware of two things simultaneously: first, she became aware of her soaked panties, and secondly, she became aware of a hard object pressing against her lower back. Blinking, she realized what it was. It's his…could he find me…attractive? she wondered.

Claus yawned, still half asleep and mildly miffed that his dream of Lavie was left unfinished. As he became more aware of his surroundings, he was surprised to realize that his hands were cupping warm, soft female flesh. Blinking, he peeked around Tatiana's shoulder and saw that his hands were inside the girl's unzipped flight coveralls, cupping her tits. Did I do that in my sleep? he wondered, feeling the girl's quickened breaths as he held her in his arms. I wonder if Tatiana is upset? he mused. “Hey, Tatiana…?” he began, turning toward her, his head still over her shoulder.

Tatiana's lips met his, her head twisted back to let him kiss her. For an instant, Claus was shocked. But then, his instincts - guided by his dreams of Lavie - took control of him, one hand moving from her breast to her cheek, caressing it as he returned the kiss. Tatiana sighed softly, her lips parting to let her tongue get into the act. He's kissing me! she thought deliriously. Claus is kissing me! Another thought came to her a few heartbeats later. I…I like him kissing me! A soft moan escaped her throat as she shifted in his arms, turning to get a less severe angle for herself as she sought to deepen the kiss.

Claus felt her shifting in his arms, and regretfully released her other breast, his hand moving up to caress her other cheek as the girl turned to kneel in front of him, her hands on the sand by his hips. Several moments later, Claus broke the kiss. “Tatiana.” he breathed, getting a lungful of her scent as he did so.

“I'm right here, Claus.” murmured the girl, breathing fast. “I'm right here.” she repeated, pressing another kiss to his lips. Claus let his hands slide from her cheeks to her neck, then along her collarbone, under the flight suit. Tatiana felt his hands moving the suit off her shoulders, and sucked in a nervous breath, breaking the kiss. Feeling Claus pause, she looked him in the eyes and slowly shook her head. “No, Claus. Don't stop.” she whispered to him. I'm right here, Claus. she silently added, shrugging her shoulders, the suit - already large on her - falling slack down her sides.

Seeing Tatiana shrug her shoulders, causing the suit to fall to her waist, Claus inhaled at the sight of her breasts. Pale, like Lavie's, her were somewhat larger, though not by much, the nipples hard and a deep, rich red color. Reaching out, he cupped them again, exploring them reverently as she kissed him once, more, he own hands moving to the heavy zipper of his military flight suit. Fumbling a little, she soon had the tab in her fingers and pulled it down, revealing Claus's bare chest. As she reached the bottom of the track, she felt her fingers brush over his erection, causing shivers to run through her.

Breaking the kiss, Claus looked into Tatiana's light grey eyes, seeing a look in them that he had often seen in Lavie's eyes in this situation. Reassured that she was as eager for this as he was, he moved his hands off her tits and down her sides, pausing at her waist to explore the crests of her hips, the flight suit slowly slipping over her hips to crumble at her knees, exposing her thin, sheer black panties. Running his hands over them, he realized that though they covered more than Lavie's simple white panties did, they were thinner than the cotton ones that Lavie wore.

Tatiana felt his hands on her hips, ass and lower belly, and the warmth of his hands sent tendrils of electric pleasure arcing through her body. Eagerly, she got her hands inside the military flight suit that he wore, touching his bare chest for the first time, realizing as she did that he was more muscular than she had initially thought, though his was the wiry kind of muscular rather than the bulky kind of muscular. Neither of them noticed the sun making it past the half-way mark, nor the loss of the chill in the air, signaling the start of the hot, hot day.

Dipping his fingers between her legs, he found her panties soaked with her arousal, and stroking her wet sex, he could feel her hard clit sticking up. Circling it with his fingertip like he did with Lavie, he felt her shiver in his arms, a high, soft squeal coming from her throat. Smiling slightly, he moved his hand up to the top of her panties and slipped them inside, preparing to pull them down.

Unexpectedly, Tatiana pulled back. Seeing his look, she gave him a reassuring smile. “Just want to make this easier.” she explained, getting to her feet and stepping out of the baggy suit before hooking her thumbs in her panties and tugging them off her. Claus suddenly understood what she meant, scrambling to his feet and struggling out of his military flight suit. When he had the suit off, he tugged down his boxers, revealing his hard dick to the startled girl. Seeing her expression as her eyes fixated on his hard length, he frowned.

“What?” he asked her, unsure why she was staring at him with such a surprised look on her face. “Is something wrong?” he wondered, more to himself than to her. It's just my dick. Lavie never reacted to it like that. Maybe something is wrong with it? he worried. Looking down, he didn't see anything wrong with it. Looks the same as always. he confirmed. Tatiana's cool hands closed around it.

“I…” she trailed off, slowly rubbing her hands along the hard length, surprised that something so hard could be so silky soft to her touch. “Beautiful.” she breathed. She had never really seen a dick like she was now seeing Claus's member. Licking her lips, she trailed her fingers over the wide, thick tip, a small trickle of pre-cum dribbling from the slit in the tip.

Wetting her fingers with the pre-cum, she tentatively brought them to her lips, her pink tongue slithering out to delicately touch the slippery fluid. It doesn't really have a taste. she realized, her tongue going back for seconds on its own. Slightly salty, but not much else. she mused. She and Alister had heard many a talk about sex and related issues while in the academy, and in fact, they had roomed right across from one of the most promiscuous girls in the entire academy, and were often regaled with her tales of her exploits. It had been her stated goal to sleep with every instructor before she graduated, and as many of the students as she could manage or found attractive.

With that to go by, she and Alister had certain expectations of what sex would involve. But now, she was finding that information to be somewhat biased, if not flat out wrong. Maybe his sperm will taste more like she said it would. decided Tatiana. Looking at his aroused member, she was struck with the realization that Claus was far bigger than she had initially thought. Can I even get him in there? she worried.

Her worry was cut short by Claus's hands on her shoulders, gently guiding her down and around, ending up with her kneeling on the discarded flight suit and bracing her palms against the tire cowling. Claus moved behind her, settling directly behind her and spreading her knees wider apart. “Tatiana?” he asked her, his tip settling at her wet entrance. Without looking at him, she nodded once. Claus's hands settled on the crests of her hips, and his fat tip pressed into her slick folds, causing Tatiana to gasp in surprise.

Claus paused, but when she didn't say anything after the gasp, he resumed his penetration of her soft, slick nest. “Ugh!” he grunted softly, pulling back on her hips. God, she's tight! he thought. Lavie was tighter than this, though, when we first did it. he recalled, easing back before pushing forward a bit harder. Not that she is any looser now. he amended the initial thought. Lavie was smaller than Tatiana, so it made a certain kind of sense to the young man. The thoughts of Lavie caused him to grow more eager to bury himself in Tatiana's promised comfort. He pushed forward harder.

Covered by her abundant lubricating fluid, he finally managed to push his crown all the way into her, the invasion wringing a soft cry of heated passion from the girl. Looking down at her toned back, Claus could feel his own needs growing stronger. Getting a better purchase on her slim hips, he eased back slightly, then pushed forward again, his shaft disappearing bit by bit into her sex. Before he knew it, he was buried in her full length, his tip tight to the entrance to her womb. Leaning forward over her back, he cupped her breasts with his hands and began a steady, relatively shallow, thrusting rhythm into her pleasure-wracked body.

Tatiana was consumed by the feelings and sensation radiating out from her nearly-painfully stretched groin. She had never felt anything like this; ever. So good! her mind babbled incoherently to herself. Not only was the heat, friction and pressure in her pussy stimulating her, but the feeling of Claus's smooth, hard chest against her back, his warm hands on her breasts, his breath blowing over her neck and short hair and the passion-filled grunts, groans and gasps emitted by him were driving her lust into overdrive. God, don't stop, Claus!! her barely-functioning mind begged him silently.

Claus was nearing the end of his control, the need to find release in the girl who's pussy was currently trying to squeeze his dick off consuming the last of the control that practice with Lavie had given him. Knowing that he was close to the end, he reluctantly released her tits and straightened behind her, pulling her shoulders back as he did so, increasing the angle and tension in her hips and legs. With his body straightened, he was able to hammer into her with full-length strokes, his hips meeting her taunt ass with a wet sound at the bottom of each stroke. Tatiana was gasping and kneeing as she teetered on the brink of her own orgasm. Feeling his sack suddenly tighten, Claus roughly grabbed her and pulled her back with him, falling onto his back, Tatiana bottoming out on his hard dick as the first wave boiled from his tip, which was currently pressed painfully tight to her cervix. “Tatiana!” he screamed hoarsely, feeling his release continue to wash into her like a tidal wave.

Tatiana couldn't hear him yell her name, since her own orgasm was pulling all the mental resources she had. Sitting on his hips, legs splayed to either side of his body, her entire body shook and trembled as she felt his searing-hot seed flood her. Never had she felt anything so deep in her; and never had she felt an orgasm this intense. It quite literally took her breath away. As the last of the tsunami of pleasure washed through her, she limply fell forward, barely catching herself on her forearms, panting and feeling hot, slick sweat covering her bare form.

Minutes passed as the two recovered. Gradually, Tatiana managed to pull herself back upright, feeling Claus's softened member shift in her overflowing passage. For some reason she couldn't understand, she found herself smiling happily as she felt him moving under her. Groaning at the effort it took her, she managed to get off him, a pout flickering across her lips when his tool slid out of her sheath, before taking a staggering step to the winglet and leaning against it, still tired from her orgasmic expenditure. “Claus?” she said, her voice stronger than she currently felt.

“Yeah, Tatiana?” came his reply. He sounded almost as winded as she was, though he was rapidly recovering. Feeling her own strength returning to her double what it had been before, she took a deep breath. Turning her head, she smiled at him as he struggled to sit up.

“Thanks, Claus.” she said honestly. Claus gave her a blank look.

“Thanks for what, Tatiana?” he wondered, clearly not following her thoughts. Tatiana froze for a second, wondering how he had taken her thanks.

“Thanks for…accepting me.” she said softly, looking away from him. “Thanks for being with me. And thanks for saving my life.” she whispered. Claus's face brightened.

“Oh! Well, you would have done the same for me.” he replied, standing. Tatiana couldn't respond to that. No, I wouldn't have, she admitted to herself. At least, not the me I was before yesterday. she corrected her earlier admission. Peeking back at him, she saw him gathering his shorts and the military flight suit. Dropping her eyes a little, she saw his dick was already at half mast, glistening with their mixed juice.

“Do you want to…” she broke off, blushing, suddenly aware of how she must look, stark naked, leaning against the winglet, “I mean, if you want, we could…go again.” she offered. Her pussy throbbed, but she was willing, even eager, to give herself to him again if he desired it.

“Not right now.” came his reply, his voice calm and even; as if she had asked him if he knew what time it was. “I kind of need to pee.” he explained unnecessarily. Tatiana's pale grey eyes widened slightly.

“So that's why…!” she murmured, sneaking another look at his semi-erect dick.

“Why what, Tatiana?” wondered Claus, moving toward the top of the shallow dune the ship was wedged in, his clothes in his arms.

“Nothing, Claus.” assured the girl, suddenly aware that her own bladder had some ideas about what she should be doing instead of watching Claus's bare ass descend behind the crest of the dune. Stooping over to grab her borrowed clothes and her panties, she felt another twinge from her tender pussy, as well as a wet seepage from her groin. Wincing slightly, she moved off toward the other side of the van ship. Tender. she thought to herself, though the smile on her lips was distinctly smug.

-

Alvis held the bowl steady as the cook poured some soup into it. The ship was still inoperable, but the crews were putting in round-the-clock work on it, and the latest information had it that the chief engineer was sure that they could manage to get back into the air. Al didn't care about that, though. Her only concern was the still unconscious Lavie.

Giving the tattooed cook a warm, bright smile, the girl turned and scampered off, careful not to spill the soup. Swiftly making her way past working crewmen and tools strewn all over the decks, she arrived back at the cabin that she shared with Claus and Lavie. Closing the door behind her, she looked up to see that Alister was asleep in her bed, the navigator having been helping her care for Lavie, since the van ships were still unable to launch. Sitting in the cloth-and-wood chair by Lavie's bedside was Mullin.

“Mullin?” questioned the girl, making her way to Lavie's side, checking the girl carefully. The small woman showed no signs of recovering - exactly as she had for the last two days. Sighing in disappointment, Alvis perched herself on the edge of Lavie's bed and began to slowly eat the soup.

“I came by to check on Lavie and found Alister asleep in this chair, so I set her in the other bed and took over watching Lavie.” explained the former musketeer. I sort of owe her that for what happened between us. he thought, fighting off a blush. “She looks so peaceful and beautiful when she's sleeping.” mumbled the young man. Al considered that.

“I don't think so.” disagreed the younger girl. “Lavie looks best when she is with Claus.” she pronounced with great certainty. Mullin sent the young girl a stricken look.

“You mean, she and Claus are…together?!” he gaped. Al gave him a curious look.

“Together? What do you mean, Mullin?” she asked, unsure of what he was suggesting. Realizing that he was talking to an eleven-year-old girl, he bit his tongue.

“It's nothing, Alvis.” he assured her, waving the topic away. Alvis shrugged delicately and returned to her meal. Eventually, the soup was consumed, and Alvis stretched her arms over her head.

“If you're tired, I can watch her for a while.” offered Mullin, seeing the girl rub her eyes. Alvis considered that for a bit, then turned to touch Lavie's cheek with her palm.

“I'm going to take a nap, Lavie.” she said to the unconscious girl. “Call me if you need anything.” she added, hopping off Lavie's bed and stepping over to her own and tugging off her tunic before crawling into her bed, snuggling up to Alister and quickly falling asleep. Mullin watched Lavie's recumbent form, wondering if she would awaken while the other two were asleep.

His thoughts soon turned to daydreams. Reaching out her, he brushed some of her short hair back from her cheek. If she woke up, what would she say, seeing me here, watching over her so devotedly? he wondered. Would she thank me? Maybe kiss me? he wondered. In his mind, he imaged her waking to find him watching over her.

As he was dreaming of her throwing herself into his arms and kissing him passionately for his devotion to her, he realized that his pants were getting tight on him. Grimacing a little, he reached down and rearranged himself. Glancing at the other two occupants of the small cabin, he found them to be asleep, Alvis tucked face-first into Alister's chest, one arm clutching her stuffed ram, and the other over Alister's side. Both were obviously asleep from their soft breathing and relaxed facial expressions.

Looking back at Lavie, Mullin nervously licked his lips, recalling all to well the feel of her silken skin from the incident in the gear shed. His dick got harder in his pants, making him uncomfortable once more. Once more, he tried adjusting himself. Looking at Lavie's still form, an idea formed in his mind. Looking once more back at Alister and Alvis, his slowly, tentatively, reached for the sheet and blanket covering the girl.

He knew that this was not a good idea, but his surging hormones drove him onward. Slowly, he brushed the covers back, revealing first her neck and shoulders, then her bare breasts. His breath caught in his throat, and his dick jerked in his pants at seeing the small, shapely mounds, tipped with warm, pink nipples. Nipples that were currently soft and relaxed. Oh, god! thought the young man weakly, not realizing that his hand was working on his pant's fastenings. They look just like I remember!

Reaching out, he carefully touched the soft mounds, hissing in pleasure as he felt once more the pliant yet firm texture of her breasts. Looking at her bare charms, he saw that the nipples were stiffening. Could she be…? he dared to hope. Maybe she wants to give me another chance! He nearly panicked at that thought, recalling the disaster that was his first attempt with her.

With trembling hands, he pushed the blanket and sheet farther down, revealing her flat, toned stomach and then her bare sex. Eagerly sitting forward in the chair, he managed to get his hard length out of his pants, his hand stroking himself as he reached down to touch her bare pussy. When his fingers brushed over her mons, it was like a static electrical charge leapt from her naked form, to his fingertip, down his arm, along his spine and to his drooling dick, causing an instant eruption.

“Gah!” he gasped, dismayed. “Not again!” he whimpered, his load decorating his uniform and some landing on Lavie's exposed form. Panting, he wondered what to do next.

“Mullin?” came the sleepy voice from behind him. “What's going on?”

Hastily, Mullin jammed his dick back into his pants, frantically struggling with the zipper and button; it was not the most pleasant feeling he had ever had. “Ah…nothing!” he desperately tried to come up with an excuse. “I…just thought that…Lavie…I mean, I should check on Lavie!” he finished lamely, reaching down to pull the blanket and sheet back up to her neck.

“Is she all right?” asked Alister, slowly easing away from Alvis and moving off the bed. Mullin could feel his face lose color as she prepared to stand.

“Fine!” he replied hastily. “I…uh…have some work to do!” he bolted for the door, nearly falling flat on his face as his foot caught on the chair leg. “S…see you later!” he called back, the door clanging as he vanished.

Wincing a little at the harsh noise, the half-asleep Alis glanced at the door before turning to check on Al, who - other than a twitch in her sleep - remained asleep, clutching her ram. Tucking the young girl in snugly, Alis turned to check on Lavie. Pausing, she sniffed the air, faintly smelling a strange scent. Shrugging, she straightened the chair and sat down, leaning forward to touch Lavie's forehead.

“Still with us, Lavie?” she whispered in Lavie's ear. “Claus would really be disappointed if you are still sleeping when he gets back with Tatiana.” she suggested, carefully pulling the sheet down to check on Lavie's wounds. Her hand met some hot, wet substance on the sheet. Frowning, she saw that there were some small drops of something on Lavie's belly. Bringing her finger closer to her nose, she carefully sniffed, wondering what that smell was and why it seemed vaguely familiar.

Her eyes widened suddenly as she realized what it was. A look of disgust crossed her face. “Mullin!” she whined in dismay.

-

Claus stretched, glancing at the sun as it touched the horizon in preparation to slide behind it. After their morning piss break, the two had found themselves forced back to the larger issue facing them: their broken van ship. Claus had a few ideas, and had spent the day slaving over the engines in the ship, cannibalizing parts from the shot-up engine to repair damaged parts in the other engine.

As Claus had worked, Tatiana had mostly been his silent helper, handing him tools, or reading indicators for him as he did the work. Periodically, the two had taken rests under the winglet, sometimes talking, sometimes kissing and lightly petting each other, and sometimes just waiting for the heat to dissipate. It was simply too hot to do anything more strenuous than kiss and pet each other.

As the sun began to sink, Claus had returned to work on the salvageable engine, and when he finally quit work for the day - due to loss of sunlight in the engine compartment - had was relatively certain that after some tests the next morning, they could try starting the engine. Much of their future would depend on rather or not they could get the ship mobile again.

“Rough day?” came Tatiana's quiet voice from beside him. Claus blinked, realizing that he had been immersed in his thoughts about the mechanical condition of the ship. Glancing at her, he saw that she was sitting next to him, the borrowed coveralls unzipped to just below her bellybutton.

“Not as rough as some.” he admitted. Feeling how dry his mouth was, he reached over to the soft canteen that Lavie had pressed into his hands before the start of the battle, and took a single mouthful, slowly swallowing it before handing the canteen to Tatiana. “Only a single swallow, Tatiana.” he warned her. Slowly, she nodded.

Handing the canteen back to Claus, she watched the shadows grow longer. Her silent moment was interrupted by Claus's voice. “Tatiana, you're nobility, aren't you?” he said, looking at the girl beside him. Tatiana blinked.

“Yes, my family is noble.” she confirmed. “But, we're what you'd call `abandoned nobles'.” she elaborated. “Our family was minor nobility, and as the more powerful, wealthier families moved up, we were forced to stay behind. As more time passed, our holdings, fortune and markets shrank. Now,” she gave him a wry smile, “we're hardly any different from commoners.” she sighed. “What about you?” she asked.

Claus leaned back against the blanket, spread out to serve as their bed. “Not much to tell, really.” he said. “My father came to Norkia to pursue his passion for van ships, and almost as soon as we moved there, he met Lavie's dad. They teamed up to fly van ships, and before you knew it, we were like family.” he said. “As Lavie and I got older, our dads started to teach us about van ships, flying and navigating. Mom took care of Lavie and her dad, Lavie and I were like siblings, and we had a modest house in the fields on the border of Norkia.” Tatiana smiled as she imaged the life he must have led.

“Then,” continued Claus, his smile fading some, “our dads called us together and showed us a mission cylinder with ten stars on it. He said that they were going to fly the Grand Stream and deliver the message to the leader of the Disith. It was the last time that we saw them.” he said. Beside him, Tatiana's eyes were huge with shock.

“Claus Valca?!” she blurted. “Lavie Head?!” she continued. “Your parents were Hamilca Valca and George Head?!” demanded the stunned girl. Claus nodded, frowning.

“Yeah. How did you know their names?” he asked her. Tatiana laughed giddily.

“Claus, every van ship pilot knows their names.” explained the girl. “No one has ever come as close to flying the Grand Stream as they did.” she continued. “In the academy, the instructors talked about the skill those two exhibited in difficult missions, and we were even taught some of their basic maneuvers in the introduction class of the flight school.” she said. A thought occurred to her. “Claus, you're noble as well. Did you know that?” she asked him.

Claus frowned. “Well, I heard mom say once that dad was from a noble family, but I never really thought about it.” he mused. “Why the interest?” he asked her. Tatiana waved the question off.

“Just wondered if you knew, that's all.” she deflected. Claus is noble as well! The Valca family is smaller and poorer than the Wisla family, but they have a far better record than us. she mused. In fact, they are one of the key seven families! If the two houses joined, then it would make us nearly a match for the smaller houses like Hamilton. She mentally shook herself. Who am I kidding? she thought. Claus has more options open to him than me, and from the sounds of it, Lavie is at the head of his list. This thought was not encouraging to her previous line of thoughts.

A shiver reminded her that she had other concerns at the moment. The sun was just a rapidly fading glow on the horizon, and it was getting cold. Turning to look at Claus, she saw him frowning slightly as he stared at the boom of the busted ship. “Claus?” she said softly, touching his shoulder. Jerking, he turned to look at her.

“Yes?” he asked her, almost guiltily. She smiled at him in the deep shadows.

“Let's get read for bed, ok?” she suggested. Nodding, Claus turned and began to smooth the blanket out. Beside him, Tatiana shrugged off the coveralls and her panties before moving onto the blanket and reaching for Claus's flight suit zipper. Ignoring his surprised look, she swiftly worked the one-piece suit off him. Setting it aside, she pulled him down on top of her, flinging the other half of the blanket over them both as she settled him between her legs, hugging him to herself as she got comfortable. Against her lower belly, she felt his dick stir.

“Tatiana,” said Claus softly, his hand touching her short hair, “why are you…?” he began to ask, only to have her kiss him. When she released his lips, she answered him.

“Because I want to, Claus.” she said softly. Because I need to, Claus, went unsaid. “Don't you…want to?” she asked him, apprehension in her voice. Claus slowly nodded.

“Yes, Tatiana, but I am surprised that you want to; I mean, you seemed so cold and distant.” he clarified. Tatiana was silent as she considered what to say to that. Eventually, she spoke, unconsciously hugging him a little tighter, her legs hooking over his own as if she was afraid that he would suddenly leave her.

“I…was.” she said softly. “But, since Alis volunteered to be your navigator, I have been…well, let's just say that things don't look like I thought they did.” she admitted. “I failed, Claus.” she admitted frankly. “Ever since the crash, I have been wondering if I failed because I was so cold and distant.” Silence followed that admission for several minutes. “Claus, I want to stop being so distant and cold. Will…you help me?” she whispered in his ear. For several terrifying heartbeats, she thought that he was asleep and she would have to summon the courage to admit to it all again the next morning, but then, Claus's lips touched her own.

“Ok, Tatiana.” he said quietly. “I'll do what I can to help.” he promised her. Lavie is going to be a bit of a sticking point, but I think she will warm up to Tatiana if Tatiana shows that she can change. he mused, yawning. “Tomorrow, let's see if we have a working engine, ok?” he yawned again, snuggling a little closer to her warm body.

“Sure, Claus,” agreed the girl, her tone warm and affectionate, “whatever you say.” Barely ten minutes later, the two were asleep, holding each other close.

-

Alis ran her fingers through her hair as the water for the newly-repaired shower washed over her. Beside her, Alvis stood under the spray as well, humming softly as she likewise rinsed her hair free of the shampoo that Alis was sharing with her. “I'm glad the shower is repaired.” said the young girl, wiping water from her eyes as she looked up at Alis. Looking down at the girl, Alis smiled.

“Me, too, Al.” she said. “I was beginning to feel pretty ripe.” she admitted. Reaching over to her small basket, she pulled free her bar of soap. One of the advantages of being partnered with Tatiana was that she could share Tatiana's soap. Instead of the hard, harsh soap that the Anatory navy issued, she and Tatiana used soap from a small shop that custom-made soap for noble families and the royal family. It was softer and didn't make your skin raw when you scrubbed with it, but it cleaned just as good as the hard, harsh soap that was military issue.

“Here, Al, you can go first.” said the navigator, offering the soap to Al. Smiling happily, the girl took it and began to lather herself up. As she meticulously cleaned every inch of her skin, Al thought about another girl.

“Alis? Do you suppose that Lavie wants a shower, too?” she asked her older friend, finishing up and carefully offering the bar to Alis with both hands. Alis scooped the bar out of her hands and began to clean herself. As she did, she answered Al's question.

“I'm sure she does, Al. But since she is sleeping right now, how about we take the shower to her?” suggested the older girl. Al looked up at her with those grey eyes, obviously not following her meaning. Laughing softly, she explained what she meant. “When we get done here, we'll get a large basin, fill it with warm water, and take it back to the room. Then, we can give Lavie a bath even if she is still asleep.” explained the girl, simplifying the process considerably. Al smiled happily.

“Lavie will like that.” she said confidentially. Sharing a smile with the shorter girl, Alvis moved down her body with the soap. Methodically scrubbing away, she flinched when Al spoke again. “You're pretty, Alis.” said the girl.

“Thank you, Alvis.” she said. It was not often that anyone said that to her, and it made her feel both happy, and embarrassed. Come to think about it, Claus said that, too! she recalled. On the mountain side above the old, crumbly building where Alex had met with Vincent, while she was taking some readings to fix the position accurately, Claus had said that he thought that she was beautiful.

“You're bigger than Lavie.” added the girl casually. “And you have hair down there.” she noted, looking at the small, neat patch above the other girl's nest. Alis froze for a second before resuming her activities.

“Well, I am a little older than you and Lavie.” she noted. Alis was intently studying her groin. “I'm sure that you and Lavie will fill out soon enough.” she assured the girl. Al absently nodded.

“What does that feel like?” asked the girl, pointing to the small patch. Alis pursed her lips, debating how to explain it to the girl.

“Well, it's kind of hard to explain…” she began. Alvis looked up at her for a moment.

“Oh.” she said, looking back at the small patch of hair. “Can I feel it?” she asked the older girl. Alis blinked.

“I guess…” she replied tonelessly. Al immediately reached out and carefully touched the hair. After running her fingertips over it briefly, she had another discovery to share with the older girl.

“It's kind of rough; not like your other hair.” she noted, abandoning the small pubic patch and touching the wet wheat-blonde hair that rested against Alister's back to confirm it. “Yep, not as soft.” she rendered her verdict. “Maybe Lavie doesn't have any hair because Claus doesn't want to get hurt.” she wondered to herself. Her words instantly grabbed Alis's attention. “If that's true, I'm glad I don't have any, either.” she said to herself, smiling innocently.

“Al, what did you mean by that?” wondered Alis, kneeling to look the girl in the eyes, her hands on the shorter girl's shoulders. Al blinked at Alis.

“Lavie told me that Claus's dick is very sensitive, so she had to be careful when they were together. Since your hair is rougher down there, she must be glad that she doesn't have any hair down there to hurt Claus.” explained the girl without any signs of discomfort.

“Lavie…talks to you about Claus's…about sex?” wondered Alis. Al nodded eagerly.

“When I first saw them together, I thought that they were fighting, but when I asked Lavie, she assured me that they were not fighting; in fact, she said that they had been getting closer to each other.” came the eager response. Alis wasn't sure what to think of that.

“Al,” she said slowly, her mind busy, “what all has Lavie told you about her and Claus?”

-

“Claus! You're amazing!” exclaimed Tatiana, scrambling out of the cockpit of the van ship. It was early afternoon in the desert and they had just established that the port motor worked. It hadn't been able to maintain itself, but it had started and run, so they knew that the repairs were good. Now, all they had to do was find a way to make it run at a useable level and they could search for a way out of the sand and heat.

“Not really,” denied Claus, catching Tatiana as she threw herself in his arms. “I just did what Lavie would have done if she was here. Compared to what we've had to do to fix our ship, this was almost easy.” he demurred. Tatiana kissed him.

“It's far more than I could have done.” she said. Feeling the heat pound down on them both, she inclined her head toward the shade of the make-shift cover they had fashioned. “What say we take a break now? The heat is really something.” she added. Her clothes were a light brown; nearly a khaki, while Claus's were a deep charcoal and black. Tatiana knew how hot those suits could get.

“Sure, since I can't think of a way to get the Claudia fluid level high enough to make the engine run right now anyway.” he agreed, moving under the shade of the cloth propped over the fuselage and winglet of the plane. Even though it was cooler under the shade, that coolness was merely a matter of relative coolness. Seeing his red face, Tatiana offered him the canteen.

“You should take a drink, Claus.” she said. “You were in the sun much longer than me, and you look like you are nearly done for.” she said. Claus considered that for a moment before taking a single mouthful from the canteen. It did make him feel better. Tatiana had her suit unzipped to her panties, and now, she shrugged the top completely off, the sweat-slick skin making her feel cooler in the shade. “Hey, Claus,” she said, stretching. “You should take off your flight suit. It feels much cooler without it on.” she said.

Looking at Tatiana's bare chest, Claus could feel his dick harden. Knowing that his erection would make the suit very uncomfortable, he reluctantly agreed, peeling the suit down to his waist as Tatiana lay back on the blanket. Patting the blanket beside her, she invited him to lie down beside her. Doing so, he let his hands fall to his sides, where they met Tatiana's hands, the girl swiftly clasping his hand in her own.

Looking over at her as he felt her fingers close around his own, he quirked an eyebrow at her questioningly. Seeing that, she shook her head. Claus's eyes went back to the sky past the edge of the winglet. Tatiana watched the sky as well. Eventually, she spoke. “What's the deal with you and Lavie?” she asked quietly. Claus frowned.

“What do you mean, what's the deal?” wondered the young man. Tatiana bit her lip, wondering if she should be asking him about his girl while substituting for that very girl.

“I mean, what is your relationship with her?” she pressed recklessly. “Are you two just friends? Partners? More?” she asked the last bit in a very soft voice.

“Lavie and I…” he trailed off, unsure of how to explain their relationship. “She's Lavie.” he finished awkwardly. “All our lives, it's been the two of us.” A pause, and finished his thoughts on the short-haired girl the fiery temper. “I can't imagine being without her.”

So, does that mean that he and Lavie are lovers? Or does it mean that they are more brother and sister? fretted Tatiana. Claus and I are both from nobility, while Lavie isn't, so if this were a normal situation, I'd have the advantage, since our parents would want us to marry others of noble descent. But, this isn't a normal situation, so Lavie might have the edge on me. she digested the situation. “Claus, do you…” she broke off suddenly, deciding that what she had been about to ask was a bad idea.

“Do I what, Tatiana?” he asked her, turning to look at her. His eyes ended up on her young, proud breasts, the rich pink nipples semi-erect. His dick stirred. Tatiana thought fast, adapting her original question to a more innocuous one.

“I was just wondering what you and Lavie would do in this situation, that's all.” she replied. Claus smiled slightly, thinking of his Lavie.

“Well, if Lavie were here, she's probably have finished those repairs yesterday and had the ship flying today; I'm a lot slower than she is at repairs.” he admitted candidly. Tatiana swallowed the small lump that she felt in her throat at his words and tone.

“And what would you two do if she were beside you right now?” she asked quietly, half eager, half in dread of the answer. Claus looked at the mostly naked girl beside him. His dick had plenty of ideas, and his mind really had no plans to argue the point, so he leaned over and kissed Tatiana.

As he broke the kiss, he smiled at the girl. “Let me show you.” he said, his voice lower and slightly rougher than usual. Before she knew it, Tatiana was moaning as Claus assaulted her breasts with his tongue and lips, his fingers caressing her slick skin from her collarbone to her bellybutton. Tatiana wrapped her arms around his head as her nipples snapped to attention and her groin mimicked a volcano.

“Claus!” she squealed in pleasure. His attention on her breasts was divine, but she could feel the dramatically increased heat from his body being so close to her own in the hot, dry air of the desert. I don't know if I could handle him lying on top of me in this heat.. thought the girl, keenly aware of how hot she got when he was fucking her mind out. Fortunately for her, Claus had no plans to mount her right then, since he was aware of how hot it was when they were pressed together like they were while having sex.

“Tatiana.” he breathed, giving each nipple a lick before moving down her body toward her bellybutton, his hands easily stripping off her panties and the flight suit as he went. “Have you ever done this before?” he wondered, freeing one of her feet from the suit before raising it with his hands, moving it aside so he was kneeling between her legs. Seeing her exposed sex, already wet with her arousal, he licked his lips as he moved in, eager to taste her.

“Done what?” panted Tatiana, feeling him spread her legs. Raising her head, she looked down just in time to see him lick his lips and press his face between her legs, his lips meeting her lower lips. “Ah!” she cried out, pleasure exploding outward from her wet sex as she was invaded by his tongue. I head about this, but never…! she lost her trail of thought as Claus settled in and began to work on her hot, slick sex in earnest. Odd sounds and cries came from Tatiana as he orally explored her sex, his fingers helping his lips and tongue to get into every nook and cranny of her drooling pussy.

Lavie had always liked this kind of thing from the very first time that the two of them had tried it, so Claus had a lot of practice at eating a girl out. He didn't mind, since he, too, liked to tend to Lavie. As the two had found so many times before, they fit together perfectly. Lavie had experimented with blowjobs and gotten good at them, eventually getting Claus's entire rod in her mouth and throat, but if they could only do one thing that didn't involve intercourse, Claus and Lavie would both pick the same thing. And that would be Claus orally worshipping Lavie's sex.

Working on another woman for the first time, Claus found that he liked exploring the minute differences between Tatiana's sex and Lavie's sex. He preferred Lavie's sweet taste, but could easily see himself enjoying Tatiana's bolder taste for hours. Working on Tatiana's clit, he found that it was longer than Lavie's clit, which was more a button, as opposed to Tatiana's longer clit. He supposed that it was a reflection of their relative size, since Tatiana was larger than Lavie, but he didn't particularly care. Both were very much to his liking.

Tatiana was lost in a sea of modest - but constant - orgasms as Claus introduced her to a new world of sensations as well as a new kind of sexual experience. She wasn't sure when her hands cupped her breasts, heatedly rubbing her breasts and tugging gently on her nipples, and she couldn't tell when her hands eventually settled into Claus's hair, holding his lips to a particularly good spot at her drenched groin. She was aware in a tiny part of her mind of her juice seeping down to cover her ass and pool on the blanket, and she was aware of Claus's hands gripping her hips, his arms curled under her thighs and holding her hips at the crests. Other than that, she was simply lost in the ecstasy.

When Claus felt her hands limply drop from his hair, he paused before taking one final lick from her sex, from the bottom of her soaked slit, all the way up and over her clit before raising his head from between her legs. Before him , he saw a sight he had come to appreciate seeing, only with Lavie: the girl nearly comatose before him, panting and completely sated. Seeing his girl in that condition and knowing that he had done that to her was one of the things that he liked best about eating Lavie out. I hope that Tatiana and Lavie can make friends with each other, he thought to himself, feeling his dick throb with need. He really didn't want to give up Tatiana, and there was absolutely no way that he would even consider giving up his Lavie.

Seeing Tatiana's eyes flutter, he leaned forward, over her sweat-slick body, and kissed her deeply. Claus usually finished up this way with Lavie and saw no reason to change it now. It took the woman a moment to react to his kiss, but then, her lips parted and his tongue slithered into her mouth. Beneath him, Tatiana's eyes opened wide as she tasted an unfamiliar taste in the kiss. That's right! He was licking my pussy…! She tried to break the kiss, but couldn't get her body to agree to her mind's demand. In fact, her traitorous body deepened the kiss, tasting more of her juice. It's…not so bad. she thought a few moments later, feeling his hands touch her cheeks as he braced himself on his elbows. I could get used to this… she decided, weakly wrapping her arms around his neck.

When the two finally did break the kiss, Claus smiled at her. “That's what Lavie and I would do. I take it you liked it as well?” he asked her, smiling fondly at her. Wordlessly, she nodded. A poke at her belly reminded her that they weren't finished yet.

“Claus, do you…want me to return the favor?” she asked him hesitantly. Claus looked into her grey eyes.

“Have you done it before?” he asked her. She shook her head.

“No. But, I can learn.” she offered him. Claus recalled the difficulties that Lavie had had with it at first. Of course, those were mostly because we didn't know what we were doing. he admitted. Sensing his hesitation, she moved forward. “If you prefer, I'm certainly wet enough…” she led him. I hope he doesn't want to right now, admitted the girl to herself, I'm really tender down there because of his attention and it wouldn't feel that good to have him in me right now.

“Lavie always says that if I eat her out as long as I did with you, she's too sensitive to enjoy sex, so you probably are too.” he said, tenderly touching her cheek. “If you want to try sucking my dick, I'd like it, but you don't have to.” he said. Tatiana's cheeks colored at the course description, but nodded immediately.

“I want to.” she blurted. Rather he says so or not, I think it's only fair to do it for him. she thought to herself. Claus gave a curious little half-shrug.

“If you're sure, Tatiana.” he said, carefully rolling off her and onto his back. Sitting up, Tatiana looked over at him as he freed his erection, which stood up straight and proud. Claus looked over at her, seeing her wide-eyed look.

“You know, you don't…” he began to repeat, only to have Tatiana interrupt him.

“I want to, ok?” she reminded him. “I just don't know what to…do first.” she finished. Claus realized that what he took for reluctance might just be hesitation.

“Well, you could start by touching it, you know.” he suggested playfully. Seeing Tatiana acting that way reminded him of the first few times with Lavie. She had been unsure as well; not that Claus had any experience either, but between him and Lavie there was a deep bond that allowed them to lean on each other and the trust that they had built between them allowed them to overcome all challenges. Fortunately for Tatiana, she would be gaining the advantage of Claus's experience with Lavie.

Reaching out to his hard member, she gently caressed it, feeling a thrill pass through her at the silk-and-steel feel of his dick. Claus sighed happily as his dick finally got some relief. After several moments spent feeling his dick out, Tatiana looked back at Claus for further directions. “You should move down some, so you don't have to crane your neck.” he supplied, gently guiding her into a more comfortable position for her. Tatiana's face was right next to his rampant dick.

“Uh, how do I start…things?” she wondered, smelling the scent from his pre-cum and feeling her arousal grow, in spite of her recent relief. Claus smiled at her, instinctively touching her short platinum-blonde hair.

“Lavie usually starts by licking it. She says that it makes it easier to get in her mouth.” he explained. Tatiana nodded nervously.

“Right.” she said, eyeing his length and the wide, spongy tip. Sucking in a breath, she leaned forward, gingerly touching the tip of her tongue to the silky skin of Claus's penis. As the wet tip made contact and sent back the results to Tatiana's brain, her eyes widened. It's so warm! And soft! Kind of salty, but not bad! she discovered to her surprise. Her tongue began to explore his shaft like his had explored her wet folds. Before she knew it, his dick was completely covered in a mix of her drool and his pre-cum.

Guessing what came next, she moved up to the tip of his dick and kissed it before beginning to stuff it into her mouth. Almost immediately, Claus jerked and grunted. “Tatiana, be careful with the teeth!” he gritted out. Tatiana jerked her mouth back off his tip, blushing. Of course! How could I miss thinking of that?! she thought in embarrassment. How should I make sure that I don't catch him with my teeth? I can't open my mouth wide enough to make sure that they don't touch him, so…!! Of course! I'll just cover them with my lips! she realized the most expedient solution to her problem.

With her game plan decided, she moved her lips back to his tip and tried again. With her lips curled over, it was a tighter fit to get his tip in, but she realized a few things nearly instantly. First, the tip - though wide and large - was spongy and would conform to the space available. Secondly, when the tip was in, she was more than half-way there, since the shaft was of smaller diameter than the head. And third, she realized that the length of his dick would push the tip into her throat if she were to try and take it all in her mouth. Wiggling her mouth around, she managed to push his tip into her mouth, causing a small spurt of warm, slick pre-cum to coat her tonsils.

“Mmm.” That simple sound sent a shiver down her spine. He likes it! she thought, relived and excited. I'm able to give him some pleasure, even though I've got no clue what I should be doing. Carefully, she began to try and work more of his length into her mouth, swiftly discovering that her gag reflex was causing trouble. After having to snatch her lips off his dick to keep from dry heaving, she wondered how much Lavie could take in her mouth.

“Tatiana.” came Claus's quiet voice. Turning her head to look at him, she saw him smiling at her. “Take it easy, Tatiana.” he said. “You just have to get used to it. Relax and just go easy.” he suggested. Tatiana returned his smile.

“I…I will, Claus.” she said, absently pumping her hand on his slick shaft. Moving back to her project, she resumed her experiment, quickly losing track of time as she discovered new ways to return the pleasure that Claus had given her. Before she knew it, she felt his nut sack tighten in her hand, and Claus said something she couldn't make out. An instant later, her mouth was flooded with his cum. Jet after jet flooded her mouth, and she instinctively swallowed some, but choked on the rest, her coughs sending a mix of cum and drool flying from her mouth.

By the time that she got her coughing under control, she found herself being held by Claus, who was rubbing her back with one hand, his other supporting her. “You ok, Tatiana?” he asked her. With her throat still feeling the tickle sensation of an immanent cough, she nodded. “Um, the same thing happened the first few times with Lavie.” offered Claus sheepishly. “Once she learned how to swallow it, it got a lot easier for her.” he added. Tatiana, feeling that she had gained sufficient control over her coughing, looked up at him.

“Swallowing it? How does she do that?!” she wondered, slightly out of breath. Claus shrugged.

“Actually, I haven't a clue.” he admitted. “You'd have to ask her.” Tatiana's lips dropped into a frown.

“I don't know that she'd tell me.” she said quietly. Claus considered that for a moment. “I…didn't make a good impression with her.” reminded the girl. The two reflected on that as the sun touched the horizon.

“True. But Lavie is tougher than you might think.” he allowed after reflecting on it. “If you were to try, you might find that she can forgive a lot.” Silence reigned for a while, then Claus spoke again. “Will you try to become friends with her, Tatiana?” he asked the girl.

Eventually, she replied. Still held in his arms, naked and having just given him her first blowjob, Tatiana gave him her answer. “I'll try, Claus.” she promised.