Meant to Be, Ch 4
What's Meant to Be (pt 4)
©2007 comidacomida
Cory wasn't sure exactly when it was that he fell asleep, but as he began to awake, he relished the feeling of dwelling in the place between the dream world and the real world. He felt warm, for the first time he could remember, and wished the sensation would last forever. The buck didn't mind the hard wood upon which he lay, nor the poking itch of the straw. Cory was surprised to think that he was actually content.
Creaking one eye open, the buck's mind focused almost immediately as he realized that he wasn't in his cell. The events from the night crawled back into his brain, and he realized he still felt the rise and fall of Ackert's breathing against his back. He flicked one of his ears, and slowly rose his head a few inches off of the scaled arm upon which it rested. An icy chill struck just above his tail, and rose to the nape of his neck as he heard Ackert's voice, "It's still dark out... an hour until dawn... maybe more."
Cory had to swallow three times before his throat would work past the surprise, "It's not what it looks like!" he professed his innocence.
Ackert chuckled against his back, and Cory's body resonated from the powerful vibration, "You weren't helping me avoid hibernating?"
"I..." the buck paused, having to wait for his brain to restart at the comment from the alligator, "I heard you from my cell... you sounded like you were freezing." he offered helplessly.
"Relax, Cory." Ackert replied calmly. A powerful talon gripped one of the buck's arms above the elbow, and began squeezing it, first powerfully, then with much less force. The rhythmic pressure quickly pushed the stress out of Cory's bicep as Ackert continued speaking, "You're fine... I didn't think you were trying anything, and I know for a fact you wouldn't be stupid enough to try raping a 'helpless' alligator... so that leaves the obvious explanation that you were trying to help... and I appreciate that."
Cory remained tense for a moment until the scaled arm upon which his head rested slid further down around his chest, and the large alligator gave him a near-crushing hug from behind, "I don't have anything against males who love males. So long as you know your limits with me, we'll get along fine."
The buck felt weak in the knees, both from the alligator's words, and from the feel of the rock-hard arms encircling him as if he were a teddy bear. Cory's head spun as he closed his eyes, reveling in the feel of Ackert's embrace, fighting back the urge to giggle elatedly. Swallowing again, this time to stifle a titter, Cory spoke up, "Thanks... I was trying to help."
"I know." Ackert confirmed, "And don't worry about it... it's not the first time I've slept next to another male... believe me... if you're not as warm blooded as the rest of your company you get used to huddling together for warmth."
Cory took a deep breath as Ackert's arms finally released him, one returning to a casual drape over his ribs, and the other sliding back beneath his head, perfectly positioned as a pillow. The buck's head swam with images of big, burly soldiers clustered together beneath a single blanket, bodies huddled close to share warmth as-- and he shook his head, sliding his legs further together as he remembered quickly that he was completely naked, "I... uh... don't have any clothes." his ears blushed an even deeper red.
"Yea..." Ackert answered back neutrally before adding, "I... kinda noticed that too." the alligator chuckled. "You have nice fur, you know."
Cory paused at that, not having the slightest idea how to respond to the comment in a way that wouldn't offend the alligator, or seem too dismissing. Too many responses flooded his mind, everything from asking Ackert if he wanted to feel more of it, to asking if he could have a chance to see if the alligator's scales felt as nice, but, in the end, he remained much more conservative and simply nodded his response, "Thanks." he added.
Ackert rested his head down next to Cory's, and the two remained laying together for some time. Cory lost count of the minutes, or, rather, he didn't bother counting. The buck remained in the embrace of his fellow prisoner, relishing the feel of a protective force twice his size holding him close... even if he knew nothing could ever come of it. He let out a content sigh, being careful to keep the sound quiet, all the while hypnotized by the feel of the rise and fall of the alligator's stomach against the small of his back.
Cory couldn't help that his tail flicked invitingly... he couldn't stop the tingle in his groin at the sensations Ackert stimulated within him... he couldn't help but feel comfortable close proximity to an individual he would never have known had they never both been struck with such bad fortune. The buck gritted his teeth and clenched his eyelids as he felt his erection begin to slide free of his sheath, praying that Ackert wouldn't notice. Cory had never not-wanted to want something so badly. His concentration was broken as Ackert spoke.
"I led men into battle... I didn't do guard work." the alligator spoke up.
"What?" Cory asked, accepting any opportunity to focus on a subject other than their close proximity. He remained with his back to the alligator, responding over his shoulder.
"You asked if I'd ever arrested..." Ackert paused before finishing the sentence with a general, catch-all, "anyone. Well, I didn't... I wasn't a guard, and I didn't arrest anyone. Soldiers spend more time disrupting the peace and less time upholding it."
"Oh..." the buck breathed in response, "I... guess that makes sense." he twitched an ear as one of Ackert's breaths tickled the fur on its backside, "Then... why didn't you just mention it earlier?"
Ackert snorted, and slowly sat up, the motion making Cory scramble to grab hay to stuff into his lap. Seated on one of Ackert's legs, Cory gazed up and over behind himself, antler grazing Ackert's shoulder as he did so. The alligator didn't comment, and, in fact, the scratch from his antler didn't even seem to bother Ackert in the least.
"I didn't know if you thought I was another stereotype." the alligator cleared his throat, and transferred Cory to the wooden bed, standing up himself as he slowly paced across the stone floor, "There are a lot of stereotypes about soldiers, and there are a lot of stereotypes about the fanged... a lot of those stereotypes overlap... that if soldiers are bloodthirsty and if the fanged are bloodthirsty, then it stands to reason that any fanged who are also soldiers must be vindictive sadists..." he continued pacing.
"There are stereotypes about everything..." Cory offered.
"True, but not all stereotypes are true. What really scratches my scales is when your whole life is planned out for you because of what someone thinks is true when it might not be." Ackert leaned against one wall, "Like a king thinking he'd have mindless killing machines that would jump at any opportunity to tear flesh off of mutilated carcasses." The alligator's tail lashed back and forth, obviously agitated as he spoke. Cory didn't miss the faint hissing sound to Ackert's voice.
"I know..." the buck responded quietly, not about to interrupt his fellow prisoner, who obviously had some things that needed to be said.
"Some things in life get laid out for you... some things you get to choose." Ackert ranted, pacing again, "It's when the things that happen for you and happen to you start to outweigh choices you get to make. I'm tired of hearing people always saying to calm down, and that it's meant to be... sometimes I don't want to be 'meant to be'. We should get a choice."
Cory simply nodded, seated on the wooden bed as the alligator paced the cell in front of him.
"After training to become a soldier I met the most beautiful alligator in the world... I married her... we have hatchlings... those were choices... those were MY choices... but now, that... all of that... it's been washed away because the king decided I was meant to be a killer... he decided that someone or something in that temple had to be destroyed, and he sent me and my men to do it. Why does the king decide what's meant to be?" the gator slammed a balled-up talon into the wall.
"He doesn't." offered Cory after recoiling in surprise from the ferocity of the strike, "We decide."
Ackert looked back to the buck, the pupils of his eyes nothing more than mere slits, "You can say that after rotting in here for how many years?"
Cory lowered his head at that, pausing for a moment before looking back up at the alligator, "I can't control what the king decides, but he can't control what I decide either." he explained, "You chose not to attack a temple when the king told you to... that was a choice. I like males... I could have chosen to live out my life at my parents' tannery, found a doe that I could father some fawns with... played at the life that everyone thinks should be lived how they say it should be lived in ways they believe is right... but that's not me... I'm not THAT kind of a stereotype. I'm not a stereotype deer."
"So I get charged with treason and tossed into the dungeon, and you fall for some son-of-a-rat-fink snot-nosed noble kid who uses you like a tavern wench then throws you to the curb at the first sign of danger... are you telling me that's meant to be too?" the alligator countered with a venomous tone.
"No... that's bad luck..." Cory offered a half smile, and a half-hearted chuckle, "and some bad decision making on my part."
"So you're here because you made a bad judgment call? Is that what you think?" the gator retorted.
"Maybe." Cory shrugged, "To be honest, I'm here because I didn't want the life of a stereotype... isn't that why you're here too?"
Ackert paused in his rant, talons slowly flexing open as he focused on Cory. The pupils of his eyes widened slightly as he took a step closer, "Stereotypes be damned... I refused to siege the temple because I knew it was wrong to do."
"And so is pretending to be someone you aren't." the buck offered, "The married with children life isn't me... it's not who I am, and that was not something I was willing to do... no more than you would burn down the temple. Either of us COULD... but neither of us WOULD... the only thing about it that's 'meant to be' is that we are meant to be ourselves." he reached out and rested a hand on the alligator's arm, "We choose what we do in life... we don't always get to decide on the outcome and we don't always get to know what's going to happen as the result of our choices."
"I'm never going to see my wife again... I'm never going to see my offspring again... how can you say I'd choose this?" the alligator fell to his knees, tail slapping the floor with a resounding crack at the same time a sob broke the hard stance of his shoulders.
Cory rose from his seat, and crept closer to Ackert, kneeling as he wrapped his arms around the crying alligator. He rested his chin on his fellow prisoner's shoulders and held him. The buck didn't know how long Ackert cried, but, for a reason he couldn't explain, it did not feel awkward, or uncomfortable... it just... was.
"Ackert..." Cory whispered quietly, breaking the silence after the alligator had stopped crying, "If you could go back, knowing what you know now, and do the king's bidding... would you?"
Ackert was quiet for several seconds, breaths evening out after his sobbing. Taking a breath, Cory's fellow prisoner whispered in reply, "No... I wouldn't."
"Why?" the buck asked.
"It... just... wasn't right."
Cory nodded, "So, if you had to make the decision again, knowing what it would do to you, and what it would cost, you'd still not follow the order?" he slowly pulled back, standing up as he looked down into the yellow eyes of the alligator looking back up at him.
"Kinda fucked up, giving up everything I had, huh?" the alligator questioned.
Cory shook his head, "No... that's honorable... noble... the right thing. You made a bigger sacrifice than anything I could ever have done, and you'd be willing to do it again." he kneeled down and embraced the soldier, "That's a powerful choice... not even the king can take that away."
Ackert let out a sigh, leaning his head forward and resting it against Cory's sternum, "Soldiers always talk about sacrifice... you train with the idea of having to give up your life for what you're told to believe in... I guess they don't like the idea of you believing in something that they don't agree with."
"You're still alive." the buck offered.
"That doesn't mean my life isn't over." the alligator responded.
"I'd like to think it isn't." Cory answered back, "If you were already dead then I wouldn't have someone to talk to right now."
Ackert pulled away, disengaging from the buck, and stood, "To the world you may be one person, but to at least one person you are the world." the alligator spoke, as if reciting the phrase.
"Where'd you hear that?" Cory asked, remaining where he stood as Ackert climbed back onto the wooden bed.
"I don't remember." the reptile responded, letting out a sigh, "But... you're right. I'm not dead yet." and he lowered his muzzle to his arms, laying on his stomach as he stared at the far wall. Cory stood still for a few moments, then glanced back to the hole in the wall.
"I guess... I should give you some time alone." the buck offered hesitantly.
"Nah..." Ackert answered, not turning to regard him, "It's still dark... chances are it'll stay cold for awhile yet. We're better off together for now." The alligator didn't move, save for his tail, which fell to the side, sliding across the wooden bed to clear a space free of hay. "That is, if you don't mind sleeping next to me still."
Cory blinked. ~God... I'd do a lot more than that if I could,~ he thought to himself, but quickly dismissed the notion to avoid any unseemly embarrassments considering the fact that he was still naked. Returning to the wooden slab, the buck sat down, realizing that he was starting to feel cold again. The sun was not yet up, and the cell's temperature had been beyond notice while he had tended to the alligator's cathartic agonizations. Laying down, he slid up close to Ackert, who, with a sigh, slowly turned away.
The buck remained silent on the matter, resting his head against the gator's back as he embraced his fellow prisoner, arms wrapped as far as they could go around the reptile's massive frame. Warmth spread across his body. He wasn't sure how much time passed but, after awhile, he felt Ackert's breathing slow as the alligator fell asleep once more. Cory relished the feel of the powerful body, and the languid motion of each of his breaths. Pushing his smaller, thinner form against it, the buck took comfort in his fellow prisoner's physical strength. Closing his eyes, Cory ignored the fact that his member was hard again, and felt the thick folds of the alligator's loincloth against his exposed erection.
* * * * *
The sound of mumbled words awoke Cory; it was later, but not much later. There was still scarcely any light in the cell, but the buck did not feel cold. Pulled tightly against Ackert's body, Cory was chest-to-chest with the large alligator, resting atop the wooden bed, which, despite still being a hard surface, was much more comfortable than the freezing stone floor. The bed was beyond notice to the buck by that point, however, as the half-sleeping part of his mind slowly began to rouse, and Ackert mumbled again, hugging Cory tighter.
Carefully maneuvering himself, Cory adjusted his position so that he wouldn't risk being strangled by the sleeping gator, letting Ackert hold him across his back of his shoulders instead of the back of his neck. The buck rested his head along his fellow prisoner's sternum, looking to Ackert while the alligator continued to mumble in his sleep.
Feeling something move between their two bodies, Cory fidgeted quickly, recoiling in surprise at the movement. Sliding a free hand between them, his fingers searched for the source of the alarm, and his ears burned with embarrassment-- as his fingers reached the alligator's loincloth, Cory felt something stiff and hard beneath it, and he realized that Ackert was dreaming. From the firmness of the alligator's erection, it was a very good dream.
The buck closed his eyes, and gently pressed his hand more firmly to Ackert's loincloth. Cory's heart beat increased as he heard the alligator rumble at the touch, pulling the surprised deer closer to him. Closing his eyes, Cory inhaled deeply, holding his breath as the scent of the male gator lingered in his nostrils.
The inside of his right thigh twitched, and he felt his growing erection slide free of his sheath. Shivering, Cory gently slid his palm against Ackert's loincloth, fingers gently searching out and probing the dimensions of the alligator's flesh. A deep rumble in Ackert's chest, and his hips pressing closer to the buck made Cory's head swim... the gator was enjoying his touch.
The buck's hand, now pinned against their two bodies, remained where it was. Cory rested his head against Ackert's chest, breathing heavily in his muted excitement, trying to keep the sound of each breath quiet. He tried to calm himself, eyes still closed as he willed his body to relax... but mind over matter simply didn't work. Cory's tail flicked several times, his hips on the verge of humping more than once as his exposed erection was caressed by the fur on the back of his own hand, pinned between that and his soft, thick belly fur. He almost cried out in relief as Ackert's hips slowly eased back, releasing the buck's hand.
Cory finally caught his breath, though his heart still hadn't slowed. He remained with his side against the wooden bed, chest to Ackert's abdomen, and head resting on the alligator's chest. Cory slowly opened his eyes, looking up at the face of his fellow prisoner. Ackert remained asleep, eyes shut and mouth only slightly agape. The buck's mind was awash with thoughts, his previously trapped hand still resting at Ackert's hip, his other hand pressed to the alligator's chest. Cory gently traced the lines of the gator's underbody scales on the broad chest, while he gripped the belt around Ackert's waist.
Pulling back only a few inches, Cory slid his hand down the alligator's chiseled chest, admiring the feel of scale-covered muscle. He slid his hand back up, thumb following one or more continuous lines between scales until it rested on Ackert's collar bone. The alligator's maw parted a little more, and another mumble escaped it. For a half second,
Cory's whole body went rigid, and, for a second, he was afraid that the gator may have awakened... but Ackert made no further sound, and resumed his at-sleep breathing. Closing his eyes yet again, Cory mumbled, berating himself at his own foolishness and, calling himself a pervert, slid the hand on the alligator's thigh back to the front of the loincloth.
Caressing it, Cory slowly opened one eye, then the other. He glanced up to Ackert's face, which remained neutral and relaxed, though the alligator's broad, yellowish-pink tongue lay against his teeth, just its tip poking out of the side of his maw. Slowly, hesitantly, Cory's eyes began trailing their way down the other prisoner's body.
He committed each curve of scale, each bulge of muscle to memory as he slid his second hand down to join the first, still gently caressing the front of Ackert's loincloth. The buck's heart continued beating quickly, perhaps even a little faster as they rose up to the buckle of the alligator's belt. Shaky fingers still made quick work of the clasp, and the belt parted, loosening the loincloth.
Cory very-nearly peed himself as he felt something brush his lower leg. Looking down at it in the half-light, he felt his heart continue, having skipped a beat before he realized that it was Ackert's broad, scaled tail. Eyes returning to Ackert's face, he saw that the alligator's eyes remained shut, tongue licking the roof of his mouth as the end of his scaled tail created a faint s-curve in one direction before juxtaposing into curving in the opposite direction.
With as much self restraint as he could muster, Cory slowly slid both of his hands around either side of the loincloth, and gently pulled it from the alligator's waist. One peek, he told himself, and he would go back to bed. He'd always been enchanted with thoughts of the fanged and--
Cory tried hard not to bleat, managing to keep his muzzle shut as Ackert shifted, mumbling again as his tree-like arms pulled the buck close to him once again. Eyes wide, Cory's head was once again pressed against the alligator's chest, muzzle stretched up along Ackert's sternum. The gator was still asleep, but Cory was more awake than ever. Bodies close, the buck could feel Ackert's loincloth held in his left hand, no longer worn by the alligator. He felt something warm and slick pressed against his own stiff shaft, and an erotic spark of energy traveled to the head of his erection to the base of his groin, and shot from there simultaneously up his spine and down his legs. Ackert rumbled, and the alligator mumbled again, rocking his hips once against Cory's body.
If Cory would have had toes, he was sure they would have curled. The alligator's stiff flesh was far larger than his own, and he felt the tip of it slide through his belly fur as his own member was stroked along its entire length. Ackert's shaft continued, forcing the buck's testicles up against his own body as they were separated by the base of the alligator's girth pushing against them.
Cory did gasp at that point, but managed to do so silently. Ackert's shaft did not feel like his own... though it was smooth and slick, the flesh had an almost rubbery feel to it. It was stiff and pressed powerfully to his own, and the buck could feel each faint curve and contour of its every feature, making his tail almost vibrate in excitement. He licked at his muzzle, managing to keep himself from drooling at the experience, body shaking, feeling his dreams in all ways he never thought he would.
Enough... he told himself... you're going too far. Cory held himself still, swallowing powerfully to resist his own instinctual urge to thrust against the gator's erection, so infused with eagerness to spread himself and take-- but he would not. He could not. It wasn't right... he didn't know if Ackert thought of him as a friend, but he was certain that the gator wouldn't consider him a lover. The buck moved to pull back from the sleeping alligator, but realized again that such a thing would not be easy, as his bedmate was far too strong.
Cory let out another shaky breath, his tail twitching as he felt the alligator's heartbeat through his erection. Cory realized that he would not be able to pull away from Ackert, thus his best chance would be to slip free. Gently pressing his hands against either of the gator's elbows, Cory slowly began wriggling his way out, his body sliding down Ackert's. The gator's body shivered and his hips began rocking as Cory felt Ackert's shaft slide through his fur. His belly and chest wore trails of precum as the alligator's shaft worked against his form. Cory turned his head sideways to avoid having Ackert's erection thrust into the bottom of his jaw and, with one more shove, he was free of the gator's grip.
Ackert clasped his arms to his own chest, maw open wider, tongue lolling out the side as he breathed. His hips thrust two more times, his tail's s-curve undulating several more times before he began to calm. Cory looked down at his body, fur mussed in all directions, alligator fluid patching it together in spots, slicking it aside in others. Free of the compromising situation, the buck let out a breath, and inhaled... deeper... and deeper... deeper still as Ackert's musky scent made his head spin. Closing his eyes and cursing himself a fool, the buck sat down beside the sleeping alligator, allowing himself to enjoy the scent of his companion, but ordering himself to leave it at that.
Cory gazed to the corner, forcing himself to keep his eyes off of the sleeping alligator. He remained close, still feeling a faint amount of heat from Ackert as he flexed his hands, rolled his shoulders, and flicked his tail. The gator's scent was unlike anything Cory had ever smelled... it was not like Louis', nor like his own, nor his father's... it was male, like all of those had been, but it was more so. Ackert did not smell like fur, for obvious reasons, but the alligator's scales had a unique scent of their own. His nose slowly found its way back in the direction of the gator, and he inhaled deeply, head swimming in the scent.
Before Cory realized it, his nose hovered an inch from the tip of Ackert's bobbing erection. He closed his eyes again, refusing to focus on any sense but scent. Breathing deeply, the buck let the full force of the alligator's male scent wash through him, and he almost melted from the experience of the powerful musk. Gasping for air, Cory pulled back as Ackert's member bobbed, its tip striking him on the side of his muzzle. He pulled back, the scent intoxicating as it followed his movement, the slick fluid coating a streak of his fur.
Cory's teeth chattered in excitement before he extended his tongue and slid up and across his muzzle. The buck had spent several nights with Louis before he was discovered and, on occasion, had taken the ferret into his muzzle, but the taste was mild compared to the heady flavor of the alligator. Ackert's member bobbed again, obviously reacting from the sensation of touching Cory's face. Gritting his teeth and continuing to curse himself for his unbearable idiocy, Cory slowly extended a hand, knowing that, at such a point, his actions were leading to pure disaster.
The buck closed his hand slowly around Ackert's bared length. The alligator let out a deep rumble, tail practically curling in on itself as he pressed his hips upward, sliding more of his erection into Cory's grasp. The buck leaned forward, feeling his heart pound against his ribcage as his other hand pressed down against one side of Ackert's hips, steadying them as he softly stroked the alligator's member. Ackert rumbled beneath him as Cory slid his hand down to the base of Ackert's stiff flesh, pressing that hand against the gator's groin where his pinkish erection emerged from an encasement of scales.
Cory opened his muzzle, drawing the tip of Ackert's shaft into alignment, and slowly lowered his head, closing his lips around its tip. Sliding his tongue up against the pointed flesh, Cory closed his eyes, pressing his muzzle further down onto Ackert's broad erection. He felt the gator's hips and groin tense up at the sensation, and he caressed the flesh with his tongue, reveling in the sensation of Ackert's body responding so well to his muzzle. Cory pulled his muzzle back, and slid it down the alligator's member once again, feeling Ackert's hips shake with eagerness to plunge it deep down his throat. He heard the gator's tail thump against the wooden bed, and he froze.
"Cory..." his name spoken by Ackert sent a chill through him.
Pulling his head back and off of the alligator's erection, Cory was quick to backpedal, but slow to realize he was at the end of the bed. With a resounding thunk, the buck spilled onto the ground. Letting out a bleat of surprise, Cory slid back away from the bed as Ackert got to his feet. "I--" was all Cory could muster.
"What in the hell?" the alligator questioned.
"I-- I didn't mean to... it was---"
Ackert glanced around, and reached out to grab his loincloth from where it lay crumpled at the base of the wooden bed. He looked back to Cory, who looked away, clenching his eyes as he held his hands out in supplication, and to block his face from any forthcoming attack.
"Didn't we have an understanding?" the gator questioned, voice coming through the blackness of Cory's shut-eyes. He felt a powerful grip encircle one of his wrists, and pull him up to his hooves, "I don't like males that way, Cory."
"You... didn't hit me." Cory murmured, surprised by the response. The surprise quickly was washed over with a sense of self hatred... the alligator wasn't interested in him... he had pushed the exchange on Ackert without asking and without a chance for him to say no.
"I have every right to." the gator replied, returning to the bed and sitting, loincloth still in one talon.
"I know..." Cory responded, remaining where he stood. He paused for a moment, lowering his head. Ackert did have a right to hit him. The buck may as well have tried to force himself his fellow prisoner. That was rape as surely as anything the guards had done to him. He turned around, back to the alligator as he leaned against the wall with his shoulder, head still down, "You can if you want... I deserve it." he spoke, hoarsely.
"No," replied Ackert, "you've been here too long, that's all." he offered. His voice was neutral, and Cory couldn't tell if he was being condescending, or consolatory.
"I'll go back to my cell... that'd probably be better." Cory offered, thoroughly embarrassed by the situation, wishing for the first time that he had met Ackert that he would be able to curl up and die.
"Why?" the alligator asked.
"I don't want to do it again." Cory responded fatalistically. He knelt down next to the opening, moving against the wall past the block which remained next to the hole in the wall. He knew that the alligator despised him... he had tried to take what he had wanted from Ackert while he slept... that sort of thing would not easily be forgiven.
Lowering himself to the ground, Cory reached through the small opening. The stone was slightly less than three foot wide, and hardly two foot tall. It was a tight fit, even for the buck, but it was manageable, especially as it was the most convenient getaway... but Cory didn't escape.
A vice-like grasp took hold of Cory's ankle, just above his hoof, and pulled him back into Ackert's cell. The alligator picked Cory up off the ground, holding him with one arm, hanging upside down in front of him. Despite Cory's heart racing from the fright at being so easily manhandled, he couldn't deny the small pocket of perverse pleasure he received from it. He fought to look up at Ackert's downward gazing eyes, using his will to ignore the alligator's member, which, though no longer erect, still had yet to slide back into its protective sheath of scales.
"I just want to go." Cory wheezed, fighting back tears as he realized that, despite his shame at being so sexually focused on Ackert, he still couldn't avoid it.
"Why?" the alligator asked.
"Because I don't want to be this way with you... I don't want you to hate me." Cory slowly began to fail in his fight against the tears, which streaked his face as they fell towards the ground. Ackert slowly turned him right-side-up, and planted his hooves firmly on the floor.
"You've been in here too long, Cory... you just need to learn how to deal with others again." the alligator replied patiently, "I'm surprised, yes... and angry, yes... but if you say you won't do it again, I'll believe you." Ackert's pencil-line thin pupils gazed directly into Cory's eyes.
"I will... I can't help it." Cory answered, tears streaming as his body heaved, his voice crackling as he fought against the urge to vomit. He fell to his knees, looking away from Ackert's face, unable to meet his gaze. The room fell silent for several moments.
"Cory..." Ackert said quietly, breaking the silence after taking a big breath, "If you could go back, knowing what you know now, and knowing you'd be caught... would you?"
The buck swallowed a knot in his throat. He realized the irony of his own question during their earlier conversation being thrown back at him, and he knew what he would have to say to salvage any chance of camaraderie, but with his answer, he surprised even himself, "I want you."
The alligator didn't answer, and Cory didn't bother looking him. After a moment, Cory heard Ackert's heavy weight flop down onto the wooden bed. Slowly, the buck's face turned, hesitantly looking to the alligator. Ackert's elbows rested on his knees, tail curled to the side as he propped his muzzle up with his talons, "Things aren't ever easy for you, are they?" the gator asked once he saw Cory looking.
"I've dreamed about the fanged since I first started growing antlers." Cory spoke up, feeling the tears starting to well up again, "The first person I ever opened myself up to turned me in when he was tired of me, and walked free to do it again." the tears started coming, but Cory didn't stop, "I'm a good person, but they locked me in here just because I wanted to live life my way... I wanted what made ME happy... I wanted to be true to me and to love how I wanted to love. You didn't ask for what happened to you, and I didn't ask for what happened to me."
Ackert didn't respond, but Cory watched as the alligator looked away, wiping at his own eyes. The buck stood up, moving towards his fellow prisoner as he continued, "Yea... we've each made choices, but there are other things that aren't under our control... we do as well as we can with what decisions we are able to make, and we have to make new decisions when whatever else is meant to be happens." he fell to his knees in front of Ackert, who remained seated on the bed.
"Like you said... you're being true to you... you're making that choice. I have a right to make mine too. If you can respect my choice, then we'll be fine. I don't have those kind of relationships with males." the alligator spoke simply.
Cory slowly reached out and took one of Ackert's talons in his hands, "I've always felt this way about the fanged, Ackert..." he spoke softly, voice crackling, "and it's not fair..."
"I'm a fanged, but I'm not one from your daydreams." the alligator responded patiently, though he didn't pull his talon away from Cory's grasp.
"It's not fair, because you're a soldier... so many things about you... I'm imprisoned for life... why am I tortured too?" he rubbed his cheek against the back of Ackert's talon, tear stained fur pressed between the alligator's scales, and his own face.
"Cory--" Ackert spoke up, but he was interrupted.
"Please." the buck said.
Ackert did not respond, looking away from him.
"Please, Ackert..." Cory spoke again, embarrassed by the plea, body still shaking slightly, "The guards... rape me. I've been here for years, rotting, alone. No one needs me... no one wants me... I want to feel needed... I want to feel wanted... I want to be able to give something to someone... I want to do something for someone... let me do this." his voice trailed off to a whisper as he rested his chin on Ackert's leg, starting to sob again as he folded the alligator's fingers around his remaining horn, gripping the outside of the talon with both of his hands.
"Cory..." he heard Ackert's voice speak, but the alligator went silent as the buck strengthened his grip on the talon.
"Please... let me do this... if you can't let a buck... then let a doe." Cory pulled and twisted his talon sideways. A half-second of pain was all Cory felt as the already loose antler came off in Ackert's talon. There was no blood and no ache. Cory was glad to be rid of it.
The buck slowly rose from his kneeling position, letting go of Ackert's talon. The alligator slowly laid back across the bed as Cory drew closer. Wrapping one leg around the side of Ackert's body, Cory crawled atop him, shivering as his erection slid across the gator's belly scales. The antler-less buck kept his other leg on the ground for balance as he rested one arm on Ackert's chest, sliding his other hand back behind himself to caress the gator's firming flesh.
Cory blinked as the tears slowly left his eyes, and Ackert reached up with his free talon, sliding a finger across one of the buck's eyes to wipe the tears away. The alligator smiled up at Cory, who smiled back down, tail quivering as he felt Ackert's hard member rise up beneath him. Slowly lowering himself, Cory gasped for breath as he felt the alligator's pointed head slowly part his opening. The buck guided Ackert's erection into himself, allowing it into his body... the first time he'd welcomed such an intrusion in a long time.
Cory watched as Ackert closed his eyes and spoke softly, "Once... for you." Ackert opened his talon and Cory heard the sound of his detached antler hiting the stone floor.