It's me, Arala again...
Did you miss me? Of course you did.
I know you are probably still reeling from whatever wet and wild disaster happened in the previous chapter. I can hear it, you know. Not your thoughts, but the noise. The literal noise vibrating through the ventilation shafts of the Xeca.
If you listen closely, past the hum of the gravity generators and the soft whir of the life support systems, you can hear shouting. It sounds like Chef is murdering someone in the simulation deck. Or maybe she is cooking someone? With Chef, the line between murder and culinary preparation is always a bit blurry. I heard Navi screaming something about fire and ice, and then a loud thud that shook the floor plates under my feet.
Usually, I would be running down there. I would be peeking through the door, hoping to see some giga-giga action or maybe steal a leftover snack. I love watching the twins fight. It is like watching two hurricanes made of sex and violence collide.
But not tonight.
Tonight, I am hiding.
Well, not hiding exactly. I am seeking sanctuary.
I am currently sitting cross-legged on a bed that smells like vanilla and antiseptic. It is a small room, much smaller than mine, but it feels cozy. The walls are lined with plushies that look like internal organs with smiley faces. There is a smiling kidney on the shelf, a happy liver on the desk, and I am currently hugging a giant, plush heart that feels suspiciously heavy.
This is Xecta's room.
And Xecta... my best friend, the Shorty to my Private, the Arararan to my... wait, she calls me Arararan. I am the Arararan to her Shorty. Anyway, she is sitting on the floor across from me, leaning against the wall.
She looks terrible.
Not ugly-terrible. Xecta could never look ugly. Even with red, puffy eyes and messy hair, she looks like a tragic doll that you just want to pick up and squeeze until she makes a squeaky noise. But her aura? Her aura is all guba-guba. It is dark and heavy.
She just came back from Prof's lab.
I know she did. She smells like ozone and those weird chemicals Prof uses to clean her test tubes. Lately, Xecta spends more time in that lab than she does in her own bed. Every time she comes out, she looks like she has run a marathon while carrying a sack of bricks. She looks drained. Empty.
I want to ask her. My tongue is itching to say, "Hey, Xecta! What is Prof doing to you? Is she turning you into a cyborg? Is she making you milk exotic space cows?"
But I don't.
I promised myself I wouldn't be the annoying little sister today. I promised I would be a good friend. A supportive friend. Besides, if it was something cool, she would tell me. If she is not telling me, it is probably boring science stuff. Or maybe it is something sad.
And I hate sad things.
So, I decided to ignore the elephant in the room. Or rather, the sad rabbit in the room.
"Do you hear that?" I ask, breaking the silence. I squeeze the plush heart tighter. "Chef is definitely killing Navi. I think I heard a sizzle. Do you think she is making Navi-steaks?"
Xecta looks up. Her big ears twitch slightly. She offers me a small, tired smile. It doesn't reach her eyes, but it is better than nothing.
"They are just training, Arararan," she whispers. Her voice sounds raspy, like she has been screaming into a pillow for hours. "Chef is trying out a new serum Prof made. Something about stamina."
"Stamina?" My ears perk up. "Like... sex stamina?"
Xecta giggles. It is a weak, watery sound, but it is music to my ears. "With those two, is there any other kind?"
I lean back against the pillows, stretching my legs out. My skirt rides up, exposing my thighs to the cool air of the room. I don't bother pulling it down. It is just us girls here.
"I bet Ranyan is watching," I muse, staring at the ceiling. "He loves watching them fight. He says it is 'educational'. I think he just likes seeing them sweaty."
At the mention of his name, the air in the room shifts.
It gets heavier. Warmer.
Ranyan...
My big brother. My Captain. The man who can make my purupin do backflips just by walking into a room.
"I miss him," Xecta says softly.
She pulls her knees to her chest, burying her face in her arms. Her rabbit tail gives a sad little twitch.
"He is right there, Xecta," I say, rolling my eyes. "He is probably in the gym right now, laughing at Navi getting her butt kicked. He is not dead."
"I know," Xecta mumbles into her knees. "But I miss... him. The real him. Not the girl version. Not the one who smells like lilies and looks prettier than me. I miss Capt. I miss his big hands. I miss the way he smells like musk and trouble."
I sigh, letting my head fall back.
She is right.
Don't get me wrong. Female Ranyan is great. She is soft, she smells nice, and she is an excellent pillow. I loved cuddling with her on the observation deck. It was sweet. It was furufunfun.
But...
My body craves the clak-clak.
It has been too long. Days. Weeks? It feels like years. My skin feels itchy, like I am wearing a sweater made of cactus. I need friction. I need his weight. I need that rough, demanding touch that only Ranyan can give.
"Me too," I admit, my voice dropping to a whisper. "I miss the hama-hama. My gusi-gusi feels empty. It is like... like having a stomach ache, but lower. Much lower."
Xecta lifts her head. Her eyes are shimmering with unshed tears, but there is a spark in them now. A spark of shared hunger.
"Do you remember?" she asks. "Do you remember what it feels like?"
"Of course I remember!" I sit up, hugging the heart plushie between my legs. The pressure feels good. Dangerously good. "I remember everything. Every touch. Every thrust. Every time he made me see stars without even looking out a window."
"Tell me," Xecta whispers.
She crawls over to the bed. She moves slowly, like a predator stalking prey, or maybe just a tired girl looking for comfort. she climbs up next to me, resting her head on my shoulder. Her hand lands on my thigh, her fingers tracing idle patterns on my skin.
"Tell me about your best time," she says. "Make me remember, Arararan. Make me feel it."
I look at you, reader.
I see you sitting there, waiting. You thought this was going to be a quiet chapter, didn't you? You thought we were just going to cry about our feelings and maybe braid each other's hair.
Wrong!
We are Melitos. We don't just cry. We burn.
And right now, sitting in this vanilla-scented room with my best friend, I feel a fire starting in my belly. It is a slow burn, fueled by memory and longing.
I close my eyes. I let the image of Ranyan fill my mind. Not the girl Ranyan with the red hair. The real Ranyan. The one with the broad shoulders and the mismatched socks. The one who looks at me like I am the only tasty snack in the universe.
"Okay," I whisper, leaning my head against Xecta's. "I will tell you. But you have to promise not to get too jealous. Because my best time? It was giga-giga wild."
Xecta nods against my shoulder. I can feel her hot breath on my neck.
"Promise," she breathes.
I take a deep breath, inhaling the scent of vanilla and desire.
"It was before," I start. "Before everyone knew. Before the DNA test. Back when it was just a game. Just a naughty little secret between a Captain and his new recruit."
I pause, letting the memory wash over me.
It was a Tuesday. Or maybe a Friday. Time doesn't matter in space. What matters is that we had just come back from a recon mission on the Moon. Ranyan was hyped up. He had punched a Krall scout through a crater wall, and the adrenaline was practically leaking out of his pores.
He came to my room.
He didn't knock. He just overrode the lock and walked in. I was changing. I was wearing nothing but my panties and a tank top that was two sizes too small.
"Arala," he had said, his voice low and rough. "I need a recharge."
I open my eyes and look at Xecta. Her pupils are dilated. She is listening with every inch of her body.
"He didn't want the Mech Titan," I tell her, my voice trembling slightly as the sensation comes rushing back. "He didn't care about the Melios. He just wanted me. He looked at me like a wolf looks at a lamb chop."
I shift my hips, grinding down on the plush heart.
"He pushed me against the wall," I continue. "His hands were shaking. He ripped my tank top. He didn't take it off. He just tore it open. The sound of the fabric ripping... it was the loudest thing I had ever heard."
Xecta shivers against me. Her hand on my thigh squeezes tighter.
"And then?" she whispers.
"And then," I say, a wicked grin spreading across my face. "He showed me why he is the Inquor."
I look at you again.
Are you ready? Because I am about to take you back to that room. I am about to describe exactly how Ranyan made me forget my own name. I am about to tell you how he turned my room into a splash zone.
Get comfortable. This is going to get slippery.
I can feel my purupin twitching just thinking about it.
"He said he wanted to feel everything," I whisper to Xecta, leaning close to her ear. "He said he wanted to paint my insides with his colors."
Xecta lets out a soft moan.
"Go on," she begs.
And so, I begin.