thehauntedfrequency

doggone

[In the time following his departure from Tabito and Manabu's company, the alias "Grey" has wound up sticking.

Not that everyone calls him that, he's used a few other aliases since then, but it's what he's wound up thinking of himself as. If Grey had taken the time to think about it a bit more he might have picked something with a little less connection to Rezo's name, but it's still leagues better than thinking of himself as "Rez- wait, no, just a copy." And maybe that's why he's felt significantly calmer since he left Sairaag.

By his own standards, Grey has been laudably well-behaved; sure, he's been mostly doing under-the-table psychic work, often on behalf of criminals, but! He's been trying to keep a low profile so it's usually things like clairvoyant spying rather than anything violent, and he's been making a point of not doing anything that directly impacts the galaxy railways.

It would be extremely awkward if Manabu Yuuki had to try and arrest him, after all.

He's found himself frequently thinking about Manabu, much to his annoyance. He has no serious expectations of ever seeing Manabu again, so it's simply a waste of mental bandwidth to find himself wondering what Manabu is doing right now or where he is, or to reminisince over their incredibly brief acquaintanceship. Grey can only suppose that because Manabu was the first reasonably normal person he got to know after leaving Sairaag that Manabu is going to stick out in his mind for a while.

And it's probably because of the real estate that Manabu is hogging in Grey's mind that he's been very aware of every mention of the SDF that crosses his path. He hasn't exactly been tracking the SDF's activities deliberately, but he does pay attention to the news and the SDF frequently winds up in there, even if Manabu's name in particular isn't normally dropped.

Until the day it does.

SDF Officer Taken Hostage By Pirates]

* * *

[It's taken several weeks of investigating, but Grey has been able to track down The Huntress's client, a Dr. Parish and associates. It must be a small galaxy, because Dr. Parish is someone Grey knows. Sort of.

Rather, Dr. Parish was a colleague of Rezo's who collaborated with the man on chimera research (and other unsavory things) in the past. Not only that, the man was an ardent admirer of Rezo's superior psychic prowess, and desperate to improve his own meager abilities.

He'd had quite a shock when Grey approached him in town, but after the initial surprise it had been sickeningly easy to convince Dr. Parish that he was the real Rezo. Grey can only surmise that the man wants to believe too badly to let himself be properly suspicious. It had only taken a day for Grey to be invited to tour Parish's laboratory.

The lab's located on the grounds of a former Marquess's estate, a ways out of town and secluded by trees, a high wall, and a long drive. Grey's done a little recon before, but actually being here is different, especially since he has to navigate by cane at the moment. Grey is doing his best to politely nod and smile as Parish guides him from room to room, explaining their work and occasionally handing him things to examine himself.

But evidently Parish realizes that "Rezo" isn't entirely interested, because he stops partway through an explanation of some stem cell experiments he and a few others have been working on to say "Of course, the really interesting specimens are kept in the basement floor."

Grey already knows this. He hopes his expression seems the right sort of eager.]

Interesting?

["Something along the lines of what we did in the past. Would you like to see them?"]

Nothing would please me more.

[Grey can practically hear Parish's delighted grin. To soothe the surge of irritation, Grey reminds himself that he's going to kill this man before the end of the day and allows Parish to guide him out into the hall and to the basement entrance at the back of the building.]

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Haah-

[Grey breathes a harsh sound and his stomach twitches as ripples of pleasure wash through him. Manabu feels so good, he looks so lovely, he smells amazing...]

God!

[Once Manabu starts moving properly, he can't hold himself back anymore. Grey begins to move in tandem with Manabu, not just jerking him off but also bucking his own hips- pulling back when Manabu lowers himself, then thrusting up whenever Manabu raises his hips.]

[conversation breaks down as far as words go, but their bodies pick up the slack. Manabu's stuttered moans - stuttered by Grey lunging back up against him - speak to how crazy Grey makes him feel. the way he writhes into his hand speaks to the urgent need for more; the way his grip digs into his shoulders speaks to how hard it is to keep this up for too long.

he moves faster, urgent, desperate, trapped between pleasure points and the drive of instinct to keep moving until something finally gives.]

[Grey fucks Manabu with the same urgency that Manabu expresses in turn. His grip is probably too tight, his thrusts are too hard, his moaning too loud and harsh. Right now, he can't bring himself to care. Grey plunges up into Manabu over and over, pumping Manabu's cock mercilessly, while his ears echo with the sounds of flesh hitting flesh and of Manabu's staccato moans.

At last it all becomes too much, and Grey finally bursts; he sees stars, he can't think, can only grab Manabu's hips with both hands and hold him down while he comes into Manabu. It's a hard, lengthy orgasm that leaves him groaning and panting and jerking his hips intermittently as it slowly fades into the aftershocks.]

Guh-! Nnh-hh--!

[he's first, thankfully, because Grey's not going to keep stroking at him forever. Manabu sags, bouncing more through Grey's force alone than any effort of his own while coming (all over the place, nasty), yelping in surprise when he's grabbed in the midst of it and--

y'know. he's not sure he could come up with a way to describe that sensation to himself, filled up as he is. still addled and in the midst of his own orgasm, it sure as hell is an experience.

he's still awash in it, uttering a sound with each errant jerk that jolts him out of any sense of easing out. hypersensitive to each throb, pulse, and ache, he shudders, arms trembling and still locked at the elbow as he sags over Grey, gripping his shoulders.

it takes a bit of time for his eyes to flutter open and back to focus on Grey.]

...Hh, hey...

[The high slowly fades, leaving Grey with his mind feeling fuzzy. He's wet and sticky- both of them are, and he can feel the warm weight of Manabu pressing against him. Grey's breathing hard enough that Manabu will rise and fall a little with each breath, a much gentler echo of the way he'd been bouncing Manabu on his cock only a little earlier.

When he finally hears Manabu's voice Grey twitches, and then glances over.]

Manabu...

[Grey eases his grip on Manabu's hips and raises his arms to loosely embrace him. He wants to stay like this, holding Manabu close, for as long as they can get away with it.]

[there's not much give at first - not until Manabu fidgets and pulls free from Grey's cock, a process that is visceral enough to give Manabu even more pause to relenting to the embrace. ultimately, he needs the weight of Grey's arms to anchor and stabilize him after such intensity.

settling into the hold, Manabu finds his throat getting tight and eyes stinging. it has to be weird to suddenly want to start crying, right? Manabu's fairly sure it's weird, so he tries his best to not do that and make things weird. he gulps, closing his eyes and inhaling the consolation of Grey's scent.

returning to reality is always bittersweet.

eventually, when heartrates have leveled out:] You okay?

[He feels bereft when Manabu pulls free, the air outside is so much colder. At least Manabu stays in his arms for a little longer, letting Grey hold him and listen to the sound of him breathing. Gradually going from uneven to something more stable.

He considers Manabu's eventual question for several solid moments, attempting to evaluate his own state of body and mind.]

...That was intense.

[Which isn't a "no" but it's not a "yes" either. The intensity of his orgasm and the fraught underlying emotions are something he's struggling to grapple with.]

I didn't get carried away, did I?

[It's a roundabout way of asking if Manabu is okay.]

Uhh, huhhh...hahah... [it's a nervous kind of laugh.] I, I mean, I don't think I broke anything. So probably not.

[...he's mostly sure nothing's broken.]

[Grey furrows his brow slightly. "I don't think" and "probably" aren't as definitive as he would like.]

Mm. Here.

[Grey sets a hand on Manabu's lower back, where his spine transitions into the tail, and sends pulses of healing energy into Manabu's body. It'll help numb any soreness, if nothing else.]

[Manabu bristles, having forgotten this aspect of Grey's superpowers (it kind of gets overshadowed by flying

and murders).

after a twitchy tail swish, Manabu exhales.] That...that does help. Thank you.

[It's certainly not an aspect that Grey cares to advertise, no matter how easily it comes to him.]

It was merely a trifle.

[Grey closes his eyes and tilts his head against Manabu. He has a notion that they ought to clean themselves up (Manabu has left quite a mess on Grey's stomach) and get redressed, but it's hard to take that next step knowing it will lead to the next one, and the next one.]

[Manabu isn't apt to filling the silence or moving the clock forward...but his stomach is. his face flushes scarlet as hunger rumbles, prompting him to exhale with an embarrassed little laugh.]

I, uh...I guess we can't expect running water in an abandoned building, huh...

[hindsight is extremely rude for that one.]

[Grey opens his eyes and reluctantly straightens, giving Manabu a soft little smile.]

I think we can wipe off the worst of it with some spare towels and things, and we'll find a public restroom to clean up a little more in.

[He idly strokes Manabu's lower back.]

Though I would prefer to clean you up in a proper shower, if I could.

[And wind both of them up and do this all over again- but with their safehouse compromised they have neither the facilities nor the time.]

[missing the subtext, assuming a dig on his own capabilities, as usual:] Hey, I know how to clean myself! [indignant tail-swish. that's different than the pleased tail-swish that was brought on by back strokes.]

[Grey's smile turns into something more teasing.]

And deny me the pleasure of touching you further? [How fortunate for Manabu that Grey is willing to turn the subtext into text, right?]

[with a touch of fluster:] W-we'll never get anything done at this rate! [the realization is hitting even as he says it, prompting him to rub at the side of his face.] Auhh, I, jeez...If we weren't in such a pinch, that'd be one thing, but...gah...

[Grey laughs gently, but there's a certain melancholy undermining it. A pinch indeed.]

Well then. Can you stand? [Another thing they probably should have considered before doing this.]

[Manabu climbs up onto his feet, grimacing. not out of any real pain, but rather...that feeling of fluid leaking out of his ass. it's disconcerting, even when he knows the reason behind it.

from there he gets to redressing.]

Hopefully there's somewhere close with a public washroom...

[Grey lingers on the floor for a bit longer, watching Manabu putter around. May as well drink in the sight of him while he still can.

After indulging in that lingering stare Grey turns and begins gathering up his scattered clothes, and the process of making himself... certainly not respectable, but at least not likely to get arrested for public indecency.]

I'll take a look from here. I don't think it's wise for us to wander.

[Manabu doesn't argue, instead letting Grey get to it and himself...pacing around. there's not a lot to pack up when it's packed up - no way they're taking this scuzzed-up sleeping bag, right? that's going in the nearest dumpster for sure. but the rest...

right. the data stick. Manabu double-triple-checks to make sure he's got it safely pocketed. all that takes about...say...two minutes?

which leaves the remaining time for him to sit cross-legged in front of the mind-wandering Grey, staring at him, etching that expression and his features to memory. any sense of shame or silliness at doing so is earnestly sidelined in favor of just...looking. and feeling sad about it.

he...he weirdly hoped Grey would change his mind. or say he'd not go away. but that wasn't realistic.

still. he hoped, in some foolish, childish way, that he would.]

[One thing Manabu might find while repacking and checking their supplies: The cheap ballcap from the konbini that Manabu bought Grey back on Tabito. Even during their hasty escape last night, Grey had still taken a moment to make sure he brought it along.

Grey doesn't remain seated and absent for terribly long. Maybe that's a good thing, since Manabu doesn't have to spend so long sitting in sadness, or maybe it's regrettable that Manabu has that much less time to memorize Grey's face- that much less time to spend with Grey, period. Either way, it's less than twenty minutes before Grey opens his eyes again.]

Manabu?

[Manabu's face is the first thing he sees, and Grey nearly forgets what he's doing. He looks so terribly forlorn and Grey feels ashamed, like maybe if Grey had done a better job fucking him then he could have made Manabu happy again. But of course it's not that simple.

One step at a time. Grey shifts a little and tries to refocus on their next step.]

I found a place. Some sort of breakfast diner. It's only about a ten minute walk away.

[one step at a time. things are disposed of - things that aren't necessary if they're not going to be camping empty spaces anymore - and they climb their way out of the building. Manabu has to keep a hand down on the hat covering his ears while they descend, eyes squeezed shut. he wonders if he'll ever stop getting nauseous when moving up and down or too fast at all, forgetting how it's still too soon to be fully recovered from anything he's gone through.

the discomfort of having his tail tied down, the general unease of being hungry, being sad...this just isn't the way Manabu's used to living! it makes him antsy, anxious, searching for a way to move forward, make things better...

...up until he's sat down in front of omurice. then it's all food-brain, practically inhaling the stuff. no dig on his own cooking skills, but this is heaven by comparison.

when he surfaces to breathe, he laughs a little.]

I didn't notice...you hold your utensils kind of daintily. Haha...

[Grey remains quiet and sour faced throughout the proceedings. Being out and about is putting him on edge- he half expects every random person they pass by to reveal themselves as an enemy. At least getting to clean up a bit more helps him feel, if not more human, at least like he passes for more human. He isn't properly shaken out of his broody stupor until they finally sit down to eat, and Manabu starts blatantly stuffing his face.

He's taken aback enough that it slows down his own eating speed, leaving Grey picking lightly at his own food in between giving Manabu concerned looks, half-expecting the other man to start choking at any moment. Miraculously, this doesn't happen and Manabu gathers enough breath to... comment on how Grey holds his utensils?

Grey glances down at his hands, at the fork he holds hovering over some hashbrowns, then gives Manabu a haughty frown.]

I made sure to learn proper table manners when I was younger.

[Unlike certain SAVAGES vacuuming up their omurice.

Of course, technically it was Rezo who was careful to learn and Grey just inherited that knowledge, but. Nevertheless.]

I can handle a formal dining situation if necessary. Though I wonder how well you would do.

Huh? [he wipes at the corner of his mouth with a knuckle, unconsciously punctuating the point.] I've had to sit at fancy meals before... It's not that big of a deal.

["fancy" is relative here; sure, he's escorted planetary president-types around in a train, but he's never wined and dined. his idea of "fancy:"] The platoon and I went to a fancy, traditional-style inn once, and that was fine.

[Manabu, please...

Grey would like to tease Manabu a bit more about his lack of housebreaking, but teasing is for the moment waylaid when Grey needs to take a moment to work out what Manabu's referring to.]

A traditional- [Grey's brow briefly furrows, then smooths out as he realizes what Manabu would probably consider "traditional."] Oh, like a ryokan? I got to stay in one of those too, recently. In between when we met and when I heard about your... situation.

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they're gonna have a hell of a cleanup after this

the scrub of shame

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