Page 17 of Tis the Season for Tentacles
I’m a realist, while Kheph and Luna are dreamers. No doubt they’d tell me that it could happen despite the improbable odds, but the more cynical side of me isn’t going to take that bet.
Now, that’s not to say Felix and I can’t enjoy a brief and passionate affair together while he’s aboard the ship so long as it’s consensual.
The fact that we abducted him does make things a little tricky in that regard.
When I wake in the morning feeling frustrated and with a rock-hard erection, I vow to leave it to Felix to make the first move. If anything is going to happen between us, he’s the one who’s going to need to initiate it, just like when Kheph waited for Sasha to approach him.
After I clean up and take care of my rather insistent hard-on in the shower, I head to the canteen to forage for some breakfast.
I’m surprised when I find Felix there already, wearing my nightclothes and looking deliciously rumpled from sleep.
He smiles at me. “Perfect timing. I managed to find this room but I don’t know where you keep your food.” He looks around, confused.
I show him over to a panel on the wall that houses the food generator. “Do you eat oatmeal?”
He nods. “Sure.”
I tap the necessary instructions on the screen and the generator begins to work. “Good. I’m afraid our food generator cannot make most dishes indigenous to your world, but we can make similar things based on what we have on our home planet of Draveth.”
Felix stares wide-eyed at the generator as it makes his meal. “Wow. That’s so cool.”
The generator beeps and I pull out the bowl and hand it to Felix. “When Sasha arrived, we learned that a porridge from our world and yours is essentially the same. Ours possesses a higher amount of fiber and protein but has a similar taste. Try it.”
He blinks at the porridge and then takes it. “Uh, sure. Sounds good.” He yawns and gives me a sheepish look. “Any chance that thing can make coffee?”
I grin. “Give me a moment.”
I work my magic and the generator hums to life again. Within moments I have a steaming cup of kavga ready for him.
“We do not have coffee on our home world, but we do have a beverage calledkavga.” I lead him over to the meal table, where he sets down his bowl, and I hand him the steaming mug. “Try it and tell me what you think. Sasha likes it very much and tells us it reminds him of chicory-flavored coffee in your world.”
Felix arches an eyebrow but takes a cautious sip. He grins. “That’s pretty damn good.” He takes another drink and sighs with pleasure. “Please tell me this has caffeine too.”
“Of course.”
I quickly prepare the same breakfast for myself and join him at the table.
“You’re up rather early. Did you sleep okay?” I ask.
“Well, I fell asleep not long after you showed me to my room. I took a shower and then passed out pretty soon thereafter, so I got a solid nine hours.”
As he talks, my eyes keep roving over him, mesmerized by the sight of him in my pajamas. They’re a little too big on him, but I find the vision oddly compelling. Rationally speaking, I don’t know why, but I like seeing him in my clothing.
It’s confusing but I strive to ignore it.
Drinking my kavga helps as I try to corral my wayward thoughts. “I’ll get some more clothes for you after breakfast.”
He nods. “Thanks. It’s a good thing that you have some stuff that fits me.”
Luna pads into the room wearing a pair of black pajamas with neon cat faces printed all over them.
I narrow my eyes at her. “Where did you get those?”
She grins at me and heads over to the food generator. “Sasha got them for me when he was at the store yesterday. Aren’t they amazing?”
I sigh. “Thekmis, save me.” How am I the only sane person on this ship?
As if the divine goddess hears my call, Sasha’s cat, Jonesy, stalks into the room and lets out a loud meow, demanding her breakfast. Her six furry children follow, providing a background chorus of hungry meows too.
