The Captain's Heart CH 75

Jeremy breathed slowly, trying to calm his nerves, hands on the waistband of his newly printed swimming trunks. Of course, today, the first

Jeremy breathed slowly, trying to calm his nerves, hands on the waistband of his newly printed swimming trunks. Of course, today, the first time putting them on, would be the day he decided to do this.

“You don’t have to do this,” an amused Thuruk said, putting his pants in the locker and showing far too much of himself, as far as the part of Jeremy still steeped in human thinking cared for.

“I don’t know,” another guy said, sounding just as amused. “I’m curious what the captain gets to enjoy in his bed.”

 “Why are you here, Quartermaster?” Prertiros demanded. “Don’t you have a long list of people to bed?”

“I need a break from my duties too,” the man replied.

“But why are you taking that break with us?” Thuruk asked. “Aren’t we rather lowly for you, Tal’halan?”

“Leave it,” Jeremy ordered and pushed the trunks down. Fuck feeling the cool air down there did not feel natural. He reached for the box, and stopped. He hadn’t needed it for a while now, and he wasn’t sure he needed it now. This wasn’t him being manipulated into feeling this way. Or no more so than any other part of the social contract that built a society. And he was part of a society where nudity was considered normal under specific set of circumstances, of which going swimming was one.

He put the trunks in his locker, closed it, and turned. Thuruk was glaring at Xenial er Ta’halan, who looked Jeremy up and down and gave a nod.

That was it. Just a nod.

He’d at least expected a comment, based on the stories of the man’s sexual exploits.

The nod had felt more like an acknowledgment that he’d looked than a statement of what he thought of Jeremy’s look, and that make him feel surprisingly better about the man.

Like Thuruk, he didn’t know why the Quartermaster was there. He’d reached the undressing room at the same time they had with a smile that made it clear it hadn’t been by accident, but hadn’t said anything. Just simply stayed with them, and Jeremy hadn’t had a reason to send him away.

The man had behaved…civilly any time they crossed paths, and his two gifts seemed to be without strings. He now knew what the Quartermaster had meant by being Halan, which was what Kelsirians called their pirates, and why that caused him trouble. And why Thuruk was suspicious of anything he did. But Gralgiran wouldn’t let him stay if he was a real threat.

“I’m ready,” he said, trying not to look Prertiros over as he turned to head for the exit.

He was lean; the brown striping in the black fur going down to his groin and legs. He only really had his Heart to judge cocks by, but his looked longer. He had purposely avoided the sex ballads when he’d come across them in the catalog.

Then he was looking ahead, his two friends and the Quartermaster at his side.

The light blinded him, and he cursed himself for not printing the glasses he’d promised himself he would, and by the time he could see, he kind of wished he couldn’t as everyone standing stared at him.

His hands were over his crotch. Of course they’d stare. He was the only human they’d seen. The only human they could see naked.

The box was so tempting to deal with his discomfort, but this was his. He had to own it, and deal with it. He moved his hands away, squared his shoulders, and stepped onto the hot sand toward the water.

The stares didn’t stop. Every new person who noticed him looked. Some openly leered. A few of those stepped in his direction, but Thuruk interposed himself. There was a commotion behind him, and he looked over his shoulder to see the Quartermaster sending a muscular man down to the sand.

The Quartermaster smiled, dusting his hands as he straightened. “I explained that you wouldn’t be interested, but he insisted that as soon as you knew his short name, you’d follow him home.”

“Thank you.” He wasn’t sure what else to add.

“You’re welcome.”

Not even an implication he did it because they were friends.

Either the Quartermaster was playing a long game, or the stories about him were completely wrong.

The man broke off to whisper something to a woman, who swooned and nodded. He returned sporting an erection, and a smile filled with pride.

Well, at least partially wrong.

The water was as refreshing as he remembered it, until his balls touched it. Then it felt ice cold. How did having fabric covering them change the water’s temperature? He dunked himself and having his cock floating freely was another odd experience.

A good one.

Maybe too good.

It wasn’t floating about anymore.

He’d have to avoid standing for a while.

“I hear,” the Quartermaster said, sitting next to him, “that you can hold your breath for quite a while.”

“Tal’halan,” Thuruk warned.

“You should have brought your mate. If you’re so needy you think we’re all looking for sex at the moment.”

“Not all, just you.”

With a smirk and a roll of the eyes, the Quartermaster motioned to the water around them. “I’d just like a demonstration. Five minutes sounds like someone boasted.”

“More like an impossibility,” Prertiros said. “I don’t mean you lied, Jeremy, but your lungs don’t look that much larger than ours.”

With a shrug, he held his nose closed and leaned back until his head was underwater. He had to raise his legs to keep from floating and he was certain he looked ridiculous, but it served as a demonstration.

He figured he’d crossed a minute when he people gathered. Two minutes when the noise of them being impressed turned to dismay. He didn’t think he’d crossed three when the sounds grew concerned. He batted the hands away before they could pull him out.

He pushed himself until his lungs clamored for air before sitting up and gasping.

“Six minutes, three seconds,” someone whispered in awe.

A personal best, if he said so himself.

“I’m sorry for ever doubting you,” Prertiros said.

“I’m thinking that story about how you stopped that reactor wasn’t an exaggeration,” Thuruk said.

“You thought I’d made that up?”

“I thought you were trying to impress an alien you’d only recently met, so he wouldn’t question how you went about repairing the reactor.”

“What story?” the Quartermaster asked.

“He reached into the anti-matter holding chamber to pull the container out,” Thuruk said before Jeremy could. He wouldn’t have made it sound like such an impressive thing.

“I’m not sure I get it. The anti-matter was still in its container, right? You pull that out, and the reactor has nothing to react.”

“The reactor was in an overheating spiral,” Jeremy said with a shrug. “The container would have melted if I didn’t do something and then…well. Boom.”

“Didn’t they install a shutdown switch?” the Quartermaster asked, dismayed.

“It was my experimental design. I counted on the scientists using common sense when using it for their experiments. I should have known better.”

“That,” Prertiros stated, “is why the Engineer doesn’t let anyone touch his reactor.”

Jeremy pushed himself forward so that when he stood, his junk remained underwater. “Well, I didn’t come here to talk about work. I’m going to swim. You guys are welcome to have your own fun.” He paused in turning and looked at the Quartermaster. “I’m not speaking on your behalf if you do anything that gets you arrested.”

“I would never get caught doing something like that,” he replied.

“Then how is it you always end up in a cell?” Prertiros asked.

“Because I like it there,” the Quartermaster replied smugly.

    *

“And then,” Xenial er Tal’halan said. “The dumb brute of my cousin just stands there, that blade through his arm, as if nothing had happened and slaps that Taournian across the room.”

The others chuckled as they ate, which told Jeremy he lacked the context to understand the humor. But he was too surprised by the realization what somewhere along the day in the water, him showing them his in-process weight machine and now them at the restaurant, enjoying a meal, the man’s title had gone away from how he thought of him.

Which meant he considered him more than an acquaintance now.

“And what about you, Hunter?” Xenial er Tal’halan asked. “What has any of your pacts done that is stupidity masquerading as bravery?”

Was that what had made the story humorous.

“Hunters don’t act stupidly,” Thuruk replied with enough offense Jeremy was concerned this would escalate, but then he grinned. “But, there was this pack mate, on my first deployment on the front lines. We were fresh out of training, and I still think the only way he was allowed to leave the training grounds was that the Betas there had grown bored with him in their bed. That, or Danirag’s in love with him and made a deal with your namesake, Tal’halan, because he would walk into the most dangerous situation, utterly oblivious to them, and walk out as if nothing had happened.”

The disdain that had marked his friend’s use of the name had gone away by the time they’d left the reservoir.

“How do you think he’s finding the Forest?” Xenial er Tal’halan asked.

Thuruk shrugged. “Last I hear, a Beta had taken a fancy to him and made him a very personal assistant.”

“Wait,” the quartermaster said, “a hunter taking advantage of their position?”

“We’re as flawed as anyone else. Don’t let the fact my Alpha is such an honor to his namesake make you think all hunters are without fault.”

“And how is your Beta treating you?” Jeremy asked with a grin. “Just as well as that old pack mate?”

Thuruk groaned. “Don’t I wish. It’s been hours of going over battle recordings when my shift in engineering is over. Evaluating them, how I would have handled them. If not that, it’s reading files and having to give my opinion on the kind of hunters they are, what pack they should be in. What kind of deployment would best fit them?” He rested his head on the table next to his plate. “I just want to hunt,” he implored.

“The father to us all has higher aspirations for you,” Xenial er Tal’halan said, and received a glare in return.

“How common is it for someone to be named after a god?” Jeremy asked.

“Not that common anymore,” Prertiros answered.

“It’s more common among hunters,” Thuruk said. “We are the gods warriors, so we tend to come from traditionalist families. Those who want to protect Kelser, but aren’t that inclined toward the gods, join the military.”

“You’ll also find a lot of them among the halans,” the Tal’halan said. “But with us, it’s because we’re trying to incur the gods’ favor.”

“Which clearly works,” Prertiros said, looking at the man pointedly.

He laughed. “Don’t take me warming my namesake’s bed to be how it is with all of them. I wasn’t the only one my mother named for him. I didn’t see any of them when we encountered my family. I know how to please Xeniila Haran. I don’t just expect him to look after me for no reason.”

“So the fact that among my small circle of friends two of them are named for a god, it’s not that unusual?”

“Of course not,” Thuruk said, while Xenial er Tal’halan stared at Jeremy. “You have to have friends like us in your life.”

    *

“Xenial er Tal’halan,” Jeremy said, as they exited the restaurant, making the change in status official. “It was nice having you hang out with us.”

The man smiled. “You know you can shorten it some more.”

“Take what’s offered and be grateful for it, before I go back to calling you Quartermaster. And you can call me Jeremy Bradshaw.”

The man places a hand to his heart. “I will honor the privilege you bestow on me.”

“Just don’t get any ideas. I have heard what you said about getting me into your bed.”

“That was a me who didn’t know you, Jeremy Bradshaw. A me who would have mourned the friendship he’d have thrown away for the simple pleasure of sex.” He gave a quick bow. “But speaking of that. I did promise this female I met on the sands I’d visit her today. Have an enjoyable rest of the day.”

He turned and left.

Jeremy waited until he was well out of earshot. “What do you think he’s planning?” he asked his two other friends.

“I don’t think he plans,” Prertiros replied. “He just counts on his namesake to Meddle.”

“I have no idea,” Thuruk admitted. “From what I’ve heard of him, he delights in aggravating your Heart. But doing that through you will land him in the Forest much sooner than he, or his namesake, might plan. The thing is that if there is one thing the halans excel at, it’s self-preservation. So I don’t think there is an ulterior motive for what happened today. At least I hope there isn’t. He’s not horrible, of a halan.”

Jeremy nodded. The man was indeed not as bad as the stories he’d heard.

Outline section 

nothing added

Addition 

Get Jeremy to swim with his friends, other hanging out.

There was an entire outline for this chapter, but I ended up using it early when Thuruk brings Jeremy to the massage parlor.

The only piece of it that caught my attention when I looked it over to see if there was anything left I could use was the comment about Jeremy being uncomfortable having see more of Thuruk than he’d ever wanted.

Don’t ask me how, but that made me think if Jeremy, naked at the beach. Which inspired the line I’d work from, and having written that, I made it jeremy hanging out with friends to establish he has more than one, and to move Xenial up on that chain of status.