Starcutter - 9. Chapter 9

Since no one saw them return to the Starcutter, no one could comment on their looks. The duo simply walked into their rooms and changed into more comfortable attire, Gabe leaving his shirt off completely. With their new level of closeness, he didn't feel the need to wear a shirt at all since the time Ryle had pretty much spent all night sleeping on his bare chest.

“What are you smiling about?” Ryle asked and cuddled on the arm of the couch next to him.

“You. How nice it felt to sleep with you on my chest.”

Ryle turned a bit pink. “It was nice for me too. Gabriel?” Ryle was not quite looking him in the eye.

“Yeah?”

“Could we...push the beds together?”

Gabe grinned and got to his feet. “You'll have to help.” Watching Ryle zip past him and into the room was comical and cute. The bed moved with ease once the magnetic clamps were disengaged. “So...your sister, huh?”

“I never knew she survived. I mean I know my Foori didn't. Mooru was taken from me. Kyla...I still can't believe she's alive and doing so well.” Gabe led him back out to the couch, and he stretched out on it with Ryle laying on his chest. “It makes me wonder if I was simply the bad egg and was treated accordingly.”

“No. I don't know the Canari tongue, but I heard a bad tone in there.”

Ryle nodded. “She was a concubine for a master. The only one she'd had before Master Deacon. I don't know if she was treated as bad as I was. Maybe because she is prettier than I am, she was not beaten.”

“She is lovely, but I don't know about prettier. You are somewhere between pretty and handsome. At least you are to me.” Gabe heard Ryle coo with a bit of embarrassed pleasure.

Sometime after laying down, the duo fell asleep. They know they did as they were woken up by the sound of the engines being fired up and the ship lurching from its berth. Ryle jumped, digging his claws into Gabe's chest without breaking the skin. Even so, it was a bit painful.

“I'm sorry,” said Ryle, and kissed the indentations better. That simple act made Gabe gasp. “Did I hurt you?” Ryle asked, afraid he had done something wrong.

“No...not hurt.” It had felt very good, actually. The reaction was a noticeable tightening in his loins that Ryle felt grow beneath him.

The Cana giggled. “Oh.” He giggled again. “Want me to do it again?”

“Yes, but when I'm better. Right now, my ribs and back are too sore, and I don't know what my reaction will be. Virgin, remember?”

Ryle nodded and then got up to go use the wash room. Which was probably a good thing since there was a knock at the door. Gabe got up to look to see who it was. The Captain stood there. Hastily, Gabe opened the door. “Captain. Please come in.”

He strode in, his heavy boots' thundering becoming a thudding as he stepped onto carpet. “I see you left the ship while we were docked.”

“Yes. I went to see the station doctor for a more comprehensive check up than Meg poking at my ribs and saying 'Nope, ain't broke.'” She had said nothing of the sort, but the Captain nodded.

“And you look more clean cut.”

“I took the time to visit a day spa. With sore and cramping muscles being an issue, I felt it prudent to take advantage of the facilities.” Gabe saw Ryle standing in the door way of the wash room looking a bit panicked.

“Ah. And Ryle? Did he accompany you?”

“He did. I got him checked out at the doctor's. They had a Cana working, so it worked out for the best. He's becoming healthier under my care.” Gabe was trying not seem to fond of Ryle in front of the Captain.

“Good. Are you still upset with me concerning him? Be honest and stop being formal.” There was a hint of command in his tone.

“Captain, we get along very well now that we have come to know each other better. He sees I'm not out to beat him or hurt him, and I see that his past was the cause for his behavior.”

“Nice, but I asked for honesty and informality.”

Gabe had hoped his father would have accepted that as good enough. “Jeeze. Fine. He's a great person, and I love having him here. Keeps me sane and happier.”

The Captain grinned. “I'm glad. Seems I owe Meg. I didn't believe the two of you would last a month before one of you killed the other. I'm glad to be proven wrong. Stop hovering in the door, Ryle.”

The Cana made a small chirping sound and came around, dressed in only his simple underclothes. “I apologize, Captain. I did not wish to intrude.”

“This is your home.” He turned a discerning gaze upon Ryle, and the Cana did his best not to shrink away from it. It helped that the Captain did not feel threatening; his steady gaze was just that powerful. “You look far better than when you first came aboard. I am well pleased. Gabriel,” he said, turning back to the lad, “Cook has asked that you help him with the evening meals. He says your help has been invaluable so far and that you not being there has made feeding this lot a more difficult task. Ryle will be joining you.”

Gabe looked over at the Cana and he bowed his head. “We will try it out. If it is too much, or he gets harassed, he stays here or in the supply with Meg as she also offered to teach him some useful skills.”

“She did, huh? Well, I won't go back on what she said, although this is my ship. Still, Cana are nimble fingered. Perhaps it is better that he helps there. Less chance of problems as Meg will simply shoot the person who misbehaves in her shop.” He turned once again to Ryle. “This is not a punishment, Ryle. I believe it would be better for your own well-being to leave the rooms for a little each day. Familiarize yourself with the ship. That way, if anything happens, you know how to escape it in case of emergencies.”

“Your concern for my safety is an honor, Captain.” Ryle meant it too. He had heard many tales of this blood thirsty and deranged man. Yet meeting him, he did not seem either. Driven and possessing of a very strong presence, yes, but not the former.

“You are a member of this ship. It is my job to keep your safety in my thoughts. With that settled, Gabriel, please dress for you duties in the mess. For now, you will only help with the evening meals until the doctor on the ship says you are well enough to resume your other duties. After your month of suspension, of course.”

“Of course. Light duty will help keep me from cramping.” The Captain spun on heel and left without another word. Both let out a sigh. Gabe took Ryle into his arms. “This might be a good thing. Even though his reasons were not stated, I agree you need some time outside of the rooms.”

“What reasons were not stated?”

“He doesn't trust Darth not to harass you while you're still in here. So he arranged for you to be with someone else while I'm at my duties. It all comes down to my happiness.” Ryle wondered at that. “He doesn't have a clue what I want or how to make me happy, but he has found something in you that he can use to keep me in a better mood. If you're happy and safe, I'm happy. He sees that.”

“So, to make you happy, he wants to keep me safe and happy?” Gabe nodded. “You humans are so strange. Why not simply talk about it?”

“Do you see us having a heart to heart about what I want?” After a moment, Ryle shook his head. “Besides, I have what I want right here.” So saying, Gabe leaned down and kissed him softly on the lips.

* * *

The days passed. Two jobs were completed, and the crew was in a fine fettle. One was a simple pickup job. The only thing was the item to be picked up had been taken from her home, and we had to board the other ship to take her back, as she was some planetary noble's daughter. Gabe caught a glance of her while serving in the mess. She was tall, taller than even him, and lean. Her hair was made of leaves and vines, her flesh was smooth bark, and her eyes looked like light glowing through the foliage. The Captain escorted her everywhere for her protection.

“I require protection from your crew?” she has asked.

“We are a rough sort, and I do not want to see you come to any harm or insult.”

“Strange, but you are very polite, Captain.” She took only a large amount of water for her meal and simply laid what Gabe thought of as her hand into it. “The young on behind the serving area, he is your offspring, yes?”

“Yes. My son.” The Captain hoped Gabe had not offended her in any way. Her father was paying them a goodly sum for this rescue, and he would hate to have a reduction in pay fall on the lad's head.

“He is injured. Might I ask why?” The Captain told her, in simple terms, of Gabe's brawl. No sense in going into details. “He holds this Cana in high esteem, then?”

“He does. My son is young to be on this ship and has few friends among the crew. Ryle is becoming a friend.”

“It is nice to see someone who knows about honor. Your reputation is a dark one, Captain, yet it is known to be a honest and forthright one. Your offspring is an acorn that did not fall too far from the tree.”

“You are right. He has shown a strong character and a better sense of wrong and right than I. Quite a few times I find myself proud of his choices, even if I do not understand the motivations.” The Captain could see Gabe was listening intently as he stood only ten feet away. He would serve with a smile, but his attention was on the table conversation.

She nodded, the sound of her doing so like a breeze through branches. “Often parents do not understand the decisions of their offspring.”

Once she had been delivered to her planet, the Starcutter engaged its hyper drive to get to a small skirmish that was happening over a large and lucrative deposit of ore in an asteroid belt. The Orbital Station Ganymede had asked for all able ships in the area for assistance. The skirmish did not last long as the raiders were not equipped to take on a warship like the Starcutter whose gunning power was better than four of their ships and had better shielding. A dozen of the small fighter jets on board were deployed to protect the small defense fleet around the deposit.

The Captain took only three quarters of what they were planning on paying the ship. “Your facility needs repairs. Your workers need to feel secure.” The head of the facility was, of course, won over. When back on the ship, the Captain was rumored to have said, “I can be generous. They'll hire us often because of my generosity.”

Yet, all of this meant little to Gabe and Ryle. When the door was shut on their sanctuary, they were content to be in each other's arms. Quite often they would be stretched out on the couch with Ryle listening to Gabe's steady heartbeat. Through this contact, Gabe could stroke his bare back, even touching the scars left by his wings' removal. Ryle trusted him implicitly, as more often than not both were nude while they lay like this. Sometimes their reaction was strong, but neither seemed to want to push past this boundary into a more intimate relationship. Other times their reactions were comical and would result in laughter. Other times, it was just being close that made them realize how deeply they were coming to care for one another.

Each night they slept in their joined beds. Ryle would be held against Gabriel, his arm a pillow for the Cana. They showered together as time passed. Gabe could do it alone now, but he liked to feel Ryle's touch. Ryle would coo when Gabe rubbed the gel into his slender shoulders. They would share kisses so tender that poets could never describe the feelings. Still, as close as they were, Gabe did not tell Ryle he longed to make love to him. He would let Ryle take the lead.

Which was his mistake.