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Dragon and Chill

Yes, Commodore: Volume 4, Chapter 4

For TeryxC by DolphinSanity

###

Left in control of himself for now, Teryx decided upon a night swim in the Olympic pool on one of the less-busy upper decks. It seemed like another nice place to look for hosts that would meet Sir’s standards.

“We can’t swim within ninety minutes after eating,” Harry protested, a comically nervous tension in his voice. “We’ll drown, or… something.” The tiger seemed to half-question his own exaggerated fear.

Teryx elected not to watch Harry’s over-programmed brain keep grinding its gears. Snorting with a quiet draconic imperiousness, he countered, “That’s a myth. Besides, I never said I was in a hurry. We can take a few minutes to ourselves on the way. Just [i]act natural[/i].”

Harry seemed to pause, as might a person who was having a eureka moment. Rather than a raised finger and a cry of inspiration, however, all that followed was a slight slumping of Harry’s posture and a growl of grumpiness.

“You’re messing with me,” said Harry, vaguely, as if reacting to a joke Teryx hadn’t really made. The trigger phrase was doing its job, and Harry’s consciousness was reinterpreting reality and making the situation fit some unquestioned internal narrative. Surely, Harry hadn’t been nervous at all, but rather annoyed at some playful chicanery from the dragon.

If there was still any part of Teryx that could feel some horror at watching a person’s mental state twist like an NPC in a video game, that part must currently be asleep or ignoring the situation, because all Teryx got out of it was a sense of dominance and being in his rightful place. A bit of bleedover from the Commodore personality, perhaps… but, certainly, a pleasant one.

They took a meandering path toward their destination, pausing to take in the sounds of the lapping waves along one of the lower decks before gradually ascending. Outwardly, Harry continued to seem tough and aloof -- about like Teryx would expect from the man’s well-crafted persona -- but there remained subtle signs of the broken-down man underneath. He could feel it in the holding of a hand -- the unusually sincere squeeze of claw against scale. Some part of Harry wanted Teryx to lead and take care of him, perhaps protect him. It was a pleading, emotional submission, silently suggested but never stated.

For the dragon, it felt like being on a date with an insecure but warmhearted person -- a brand new friend, in some senses, given that his original experiences with Harry had been with his unbroken [i]macho[/i] facade. Even their more recent play-acting as boyfriends had featured a Sir-enhanced, mostly-dom-but-sometimes-switch version of Harry’s old persona, sort of adjusted to be more Teryx-compatible.

By comparison, dealing with [i]this[/i] man, who had had his mind broken repeatedly after finding out extraterrestrial life was real (and that it was here, in his head, manipulating him every day)... it was fresh, like the breeze of the ocean air. He was seeing Harry’s vulnerable side at length for the first time, and it was shockingly dependent in ways for which he suspected Sir wasn’t entirely responsible.

Then again, maybe the real heart of this was that Harry was broken long before Sir ever slugged his slimy way inside that ear canal. It just took a parasite to expose the hurt.

All along, behind Harry’s physically overachieving, assholish exterior, there had been something of a scared, untested heart of a man. True, Sir had broken that heart down into the submissive “kitty” that Teryx could call to the forefront with but a word… but, the heart itself must have already been there. As clever as their slimy masters could be, Teryx hadn’t yet seen evidence that the slugs knew how to create such an attitude [i]from scratch[/i]. They tended to hammer and chisel chemically at potentials that were already there. Not too surprising, really, given their seeming instinctive drive toward efficiency.

Teryx thought about this, knowing fully well that Sir was listening, and was mildly surprised when the slug made no comment at all. He wondered if his musing had given the alien something serious to think about.

Harry leaned in against Teryx as they took a moment by the railing. Teryx hugged him, low around the waist with one arm. There was a lot of him to hug, a rippling wall of tiger muscle, yet he was pliable for the dragon’s touch and relaxed at being held. Harry didn’t seem altogether conscious of that at first -- sort of staring out, stoic-faced even as Teryx nuzzled in a bit and gave him a slurp on the snout. Something about that seemed to soften Harry’s attitude with time. The tiger’s posture relaxed, and he let out a low, deep sigh as he seemed to contemplate the ocean view.

Teryx, for his part, was looking up a bit. The sky was a dark blue blanket overhead, a waxing gibbous moon illuminating through a sprightly criss-cross of cirrus clouds. The stars glowed and twinkled beautifully. Away from the lights of the city, so much more of it was visible.

Seeing Teryx doing that, Harry’s chin slowly rose as well, golden eyes peering toward the skies.

The heavens were a vast, wondrous place. Maybe it was a bit of a stereotypical rain-dragon thing, but Teryx was fond of the kinds of dynamics one could see when looking up at the sky -- the subtle haze of drifting clouds, the vaporous trails here and there.

“I wonder sometimes… which one they came from, you know?”

Harry was saying it. Quietly, and without enough context for it to mean much even if overheard, which was unlikely. He wasn’t even pointing at the sky, only looking up.

The dragon was surprised to hear him saying it at all. The notion seemed to have come to Harry spontaneously. Maybe Sir had never had the occasion to program him against mentioning such things.

“I’ve never really thought about it,” Teryx admitted. “It wouldn’t mean much, even if we knew.”

“Yeah, well…”

Harry trailed off, shaking his head. It seemed to occur to both of them that Teryx’s comment had been cynical in the same way Commodore was cynical -- but Sir had not made Teryx say it. At least, it didn’t seem so.

Teryx, for his part, felt a lingering sentiment of unease, which he doubted was fully his own. It was a stance, almost, of disdain toward whatever force out there in the cosmos and sent Commodore here. It wasn’t disdain toward the slugs -- but a fundamental disrespect for whoever or whatever had dropped him off on this world all alone, and with so little knowledge.

It wasn’t a thought Teryx had had before. It was like finding someone else’s sensitive and personal letter lying open and visible upon one’s bed -- accidentally glimpsing some important and emotional detail before realizing one ought not to pry.

[i]His original canister is in your packed belongings,[/i] Sir commented, referring to the tiny metal doodad from which Commodore had emerged in the ocean all those months ago.

Harry was grabbing Teryx’s free hand again and getting squeezed in return. To the slug, Teryx responded, [i]I didn’t pack it.[/i]

[i]You did. You don’t remember. I don’t know why this feels important, but you need to bring that canister for our newest batch of hosts to examine after we have budded into them.[/i]

[i]More of your instincts, huh.[/i]

[i]It is mission-critical. Somehow, I know. We must bring it to as many of them as we can, gathered into one place. Hosts and masters, all.[/i]

Teryx could feel the slug’s excitement and agitation. Calmly, he replied, [i]Come bother me once you have enough people. I’ll help.[/i]

Harry released his grip and sort of leaned away from the hug. “Guess I wish… they’d at least take me back [i]there[/i],” Harry finally added. “With them. Sci-fi style, you know.”

Teryx was caught momentarily off guard by the thought, given that his head-talk with Sir had been focused on people down here.

“Hmm. Sounds fun,” said Teryx after a moment, “but it’s not like they have the means.”

Harry chuckled. “Yeah. Well, we can dream, right? Like, if it’s gonna be this way, if they’re going to do what they do with us, and we don’t have any say in the matter… we should at least get [i]warp drive[/i] out of it or something.”

Teryx smirked. “We’re a long way from that.”

Harry rubbed at Teryx’s thigh, fingers grasping the flexed muscle as the dragon leaned in closer. “I have to dream, or I’ll go [i]crazy[/i].” Harry sounded weirdly euphoric as he said this, as though some aspect of Sir’s programming was looping him into a mindset of [i]this is fine[/i] when he might otherwise get more excited or freaked out.

Then, Teryx had to wonder. Was this real “acceptance” on Harry’s part? Or was it some sort of adulterated concoction -- a mix of programming, horror, and earnest tenderness? It was like Harry was trying to accept it, but the act of doing so was making him glitch internally, which in turn was triggering failsafes. What was he going to do with this man?

As he wondered this, Teryx felt an inner response: a surge of egotism and charm, the drive to seduce and to distract. It wasn’t necessarily the appropriate response, but it was a useful tool for the situation… a tool that the slugs knew Teryx had, and could easily use.

A compelling impulse followed, and the dragon’s maw opened up and spoke: “Just be crazy about [i]me[/i], and we’ll get along fine.” Sir Teryx smooched Harry decisively on the snout, eliciting a warm rumble and a closer embrace.

“That sounds good,” said Harry as he sniffed the dragon and pressed his face against the blue-scaled chest.

The sense of mental merging faded. Teryx was himself again… mostly. Not that he [i]hadn’t[/i] been himself in that moment, either, but…

Mm. He was in a sociable mood. He needed to get with people, all right. More hosts were needed.

* * *

The pool was moderately crowded at first, but its population cleared out over the course of the half hour that Teryx and Harry spent there, as the erstwhile swimmers moved on to enjoy the shipboard nightlife. Those remaining for the night swim were mainly from water-loving species, including a large extended family of more than a dozen otters, some orcas, and one mako shark. Off to one side -- on an elevated circular platform overlooking one of the deck’s corners -- was what looked like a hot tub, though it was currently closed off by a metal gate.

[i]You’re leaving me alone a lot more than I expected,[/i] Teryx eventually thought to Sir, while first splashing down into the cool water with Harry.

Sir’s reply was unusually polite. [i]Commodore’s message made his point. He would rather I not get too integrated with your psyche for now, and I see little to gain from trying. Besides, I wish to observe how he has been training you, until such time as we find a decent host.[/i]

Teryx dipped deeply under the water and kicked off the wall, doing a few streamlined dolphin kicks while feeling the cool of the water around him. [i]Only a [/i][b][i]decent[/i][/b][i] host. Are someone’s standards sinking since earlier?[/i]

The dragon was ribbing at Sir to try to get a rise out of him. Surprisingly, the slug did not respond at all, neither interfering nor complaining. Teryx had halfway expected momentary paralysis and a [i]real[/i] “sinking feeling” as punishment for the comment.

Sir seemed unusually… mission-focused at the moment, Teryx supposed. Either that, or punishment that could legitimately endanger the host wasn’t really on the table here. Maybe Sir doubted what might happen if his meddling collided too hard with Commodore’s neurological tripwires?

In any case, Sir wasn’t talking, and Teryx didn’t feel anything that might suggest the slug had done anything but accept the moment’s defeat. If true, it would be something of a growth of character for the normally more rebellious slug of the pair. Then again, by now, maybe Sir had also experienced the frustration of his own bud-clones trying to overthrow him.

Then, Teryx moved on from that thought. Seamlessly -- feeling quite confident, and more than a little frisky. The gates of his social curiosity opened wide, and with it came the urge to… “mingle.”

Host-seeking behavior. He could feel it. Sir was probably the one actively triggering it… but, it was one of those bits of programming that was so [i]fun[/i] to let play out without resisting too much.

Unworried about his current inability to get hard, Teryx took the opportunity to grope and nibble Harry in the dim light of the pool, but he kept their antics clean [i]enough[/i] for public. Their relationship aside, doing this to the tiger was mostly a warmup for what Teryx knew would come soon: wooing some other suitable warm body for Sir to inhabit.

Still, as he looked around… no one was really “clicking” for his brain. Sure, there were [i]viable[/i] hosts, but Sir would want better. Preferably someone with muscle and a member of the ship’s crew who had access to less-visible areas. Not just any crew, but someone to get down into the guts of the place…

So, for now, Teryx kept playing with Harry. The tiger played off the occasional underwater butt-pinch as horseplay between bros -- the same for when Teryx would occasionally tug him by the tail. Teryx was a little disappointed Harry wasn’t really tugging [i]his[/i] tail in return, but he conceded that came with the territory of the tiger’s status. He at least was reciprocating the other’s affections a little, acting the part of an affectionate but somewhat meek boyfriend, while at the same time still having a little of that “but don’t make it [i]too[/i] gay” attitude. This “realer” Harry was interesting to see, with the internal conflict playing out in each action.

Maybe that was part of what the “act natural” mindset was? An attempt by Sir to make a blending of Harry’s mask and his real self? The slug hadn’t been all too instructive about its purposes.

When Sir continued not saying much, Teryx opted to try poking the metaphorical bear. He smiled as he dipped under and made some underwater strokes and frog kicks.

This time, he opted to strike with something he knew Commodore would have hated: pleasantries based on unprovable metaphysical concepts.

[i]In my family, there is an expression that the soul of the rain dragon is the soul of all the waters,[/i] Teryx mused to the slug. “I think you and Commodore must have fascinating souls.”

His tone, unintentionally, had a slight seductive and horny bent to it, sounding a bit like the dragon thought the slug’s soul would be fun in the bedroom. This was unintentional, though it had some connotations that worked for the dragon. After all, a slug sliding into someone’s ear wasn’t so different from a lewd spirit slipping into a vulnerable vessel and taking control. Teryx could certainly enjoy a good spirit-possession fantasy now and then….

Teryx got to linger in that cloud of quiet lusts for several seconds before Sir finally responded. The remark arrived with force and derision, ignoring Teryx’s mood. [i]Your various concepts of ‘soul’ sound like poor stand-ins for highly refined command-flesh such as ours.[/i]

Teryx kicked off another pool-wall and glided past Harry, raking his fingers up the tiger’s leg as their paths crossed. [i]Interesting that you think so.[/i]

The slug sounded both entertained and irritated. [i]What is a soul but a thing which makes a proper flesh-puppet of an otherwise unguided vessel? Souls, [b]if[/b] you really have or ‘are’ them, must by their very nature behave much like us. To you they sound like airy-fairy magic, but to me they sound like controlling parasites, hosting themselves into flesh to accomplish their aims -- like us![/i]

[i]That’s one way to look at it.[/i]

[i]Thus I conclude that your people are [/i][b][i]perfectly[/i][/b][i] ready for our kind. I see no evidence for souls. If anything, I conclude that [/i][b][i]we[/i][/b][i] are the ‘ensoulment’ for which your aimless flesh has yearned for millenia.[/i]

Teryx came up for air and chuckled. [i]Good luck convincing the rest of the planet of that.[/i]

“[i]Hrrr[/i]uh?” rumbled Harry in response to the chuckle. He was leaning against the wall with his arms spread, as if trying to settle his nerves.

“Oh, don’t worry about it,” said Teryx, before a breezy segue: “So! Enjoying getting all wet?”

“I do kinda love swimming,” said Harry. “Always have.”

“It’s good for the soul,” said Teryx -- then turned his head and winked into the darkness just for Sir.

The slug went very quiet again, refusing to be goaded further. Still, Teryx felt like he had made his point… which was a good thing. It occurred to him that the eventual fate of their world might depend on how much he and the other hosts could help the slugs mature before they had the planet on a neurological chain. (The idea of trying to stop said chaining was not even on the table anymore. Teryx was quite sure he liked them far too much for that.)

* * *

Some minutes later, Teryx came up from a bout of deeper swimming to hear the sound of the gate to that hot-tub area being opened and the sound of something on wheels being rolled along the deck, but the ongoing mild crowd in the pool -- and some surprise interference from Harry -- distracted him from investigating further.

While the lifeguard was looking toward whatever the sound was, Harry grabbed Teryx’s rear below the water, giving it a firm squeeze and smiling as he ran one hand right up the dragon’s taint and against his balls. Teryx flinched backward and turned his head to grin at the tiger and grab under his left arm, stealing a smooch while it seemed like no one was looking.

Harry dipped his head and shoulders under the surface, grabbing and rubbing at one of the dragon’s feet, making Teryx laugh as he looked down into the water at the tiger’s antics. Harry came back up a second later, fondling Teryx from the front and smiling cutely as he settled back against the wall as though nothing untoward had occurred.

As stealth gropings went, it was pretty nice. In the lower than usual light, their antics weren’t too obvious, and it didn’t seem like anyone had even noticed. The teasing carried that special “boyfriend’s touch” chemistry and familiarity. Even though he was relatively lucid right now, Teryx could viscerally recall how much his other, more heavily memory-manipulated self was in love with this man.

The attraction and fondness were real, even if also engineered. Now that was an interesting complication to consider. It reminded him of arguing with Commodore about the nature of love and relating.

After going back under to finish his lap, Teryx’s next resurfacing was met with the unusual and unexpected sound: the [b]splock-splock-splock[/b] of a large number of ice cubes being poured into water. Not like filling someone’s drink, but dumping whole cooler-bags of them into a more substantial container.

Curious, Teryx poked his head up and approached the pool’s edge to listen in.

“That’s the last of ‘em,” said an orca as he turned and stepped back down to the main pool area. He was slenderer and younger -- not the same one from before. He was wearing only a speedo in the colors of the cruise line suggesting that he was pool or waterpark staff.

A deep reptilian voice answered, “Thanks.” Then there was the clinking, sloshing sound of someone stepping into a tub of ice water and settling straight down into it.

Someone willingly bathing in ice water. Definitely a rarity. His host-seeking curiosity was once again piqued.

Acting nonchalant for now, Teryx climbed out, dripping off and shaking himself to swoosh water from his mane. Harry followed suit, and would soon settle down on one of the poolside cots after dripping and toweling dry.

At his full height above the pool, Teryx could just make out a blue, scaly head in the low light, its eyes shut. That would be the one to whom the other voice belonged: a fellow water dragon. Judging by the color and choice of bath, an [i]ice[/i] dragon in particular.

Well, that might be someone worth meeting [i]regardless[/i]. Ice dragons weren’t common at all, even among the larger clade of water dragons, who were rare enough to begin with. He almost felt obligated by fortune to reach out.

Teryx ran his hands gingerly through his hair, wringing portions of it with just enough force to get the water to depart. He was more concerned with normalizing his ‘do than with the wetness [i]per se[/i]. As a rain dragon, water wasn’t exactly something that bothered him.

There was an iguana over there too, wearing a similar but less-revealing staff uniform -- kneeling beside the tub and looking over the ice dragon. The iguana’s body language gave off the vibe of someone who had a crush and didn’t know how to go about voicing their feelings. Meanwhile, that orca was rolling away a catering cart on which some emptied bags of pre-stocked freezer ice had been loaded.

“Cold enough for ya?” the iguana asked as if trying to make friendly conversation.

This was going to be good. Teryx drifted closer, moving past Harry to sit on a closer cot and eavesdrop, while the other sounds of the pool kept going.

The ice dragon wasn’t saying anything.

“So, uh, Mr. Khion,” the iguana said.

“Just Garthas,” said the deep voice. “Please.”

“Garthas. [i]Well[/i], I wondered, after you’re done here, would you maybe be up for catching the tail end of the concert together? There’ll be a lovely mixer below deck after.”

The dragon didn’t say anything for several seconds. Teryx understood this behavior: absolutely nothing about the man’s posture or face indicated any interest in being talked to right now, but the iguana was missing the obvious in the rush to half-assedly express his feelings by proposing that they socialize. The ice dragon, in contrast, looked burnt out and like he didn’t want to go [i]anywhere[/i] but this now-frigid tub.

When there was literally no answer for a full ten seconds, the iguana repeated, “Uhm. Garthas?”

The ice dragon’s eyes opened, and he exhaled slowly -- the seething sound of him suffering a fool not-so-gladly. Taking another moment to calm himself, the ice dragon blinked slowly and said, “I get that you’re new around here, so… here’s the thing: my blood is full of enough antifreeze to keep a car going in the arctic, but as far as I’m concerned you can take [i]all[/i] of your steamy-stuffy places and shove them [i]right[/i] overboard. I don’t even work in the engine rooms without [i]very good[/i] ventilation. The last thing I want tonight is a damn [i]mixer[/i]. Close quarters with everybody [i]breathing[/i] and steaming everything up. Always [i]way[/i] too many mammals. Nothing personal, it’s my burden to bear.”

The iguana flicked his tongue, taken aback by the thoroughness of the dragon’s reply. “Dude. Lighten up. I’m just asking.”

Deadpan and quiet, the ice dragon responded, “And I’m telling you why the answer will always be no, every time, from now until eternity.” There was a low, gruff rumble. “…In the hope that you won’t ask again.”

The iguana was taken aback. He also sounded like his crush was rapidly souring into rejection-fueled loathing. “I don’t get it. The boss said you’re super fun.”

“In the right contexts. Maybe you should ask him what those are instead of bothering me while I’m taking personal time.”

“But I wanted to ask [i]you[/i]!”

“And right now I want [i]cold[/i]. Give me my space and I’ll give you yours.” He sank himself up to the nostrils in the frigid water and sighed nasally, his contentment seeming to return as he did so.

The dragon’s eyes briefly met Teryx’s before closing again. Teryx supposed it was no secret now that he had been watching the exchange; the ice dragon seemed indifferent at worst. The iguana missed this, walking off in a huff and leaving the gate open behind him.

Teryx found the situation intriguing. On first impression, Garthas seemed like a very [i]dragony[/i] dragon: aloof, prone to aggression, and psychologically complicated, even if most of what he wanted was pretty basic at heart. Probably the only thing that could make this ice-tub gig better for him would be doing it in a fully private location.

The low temperature preference also made Garthas interesting for “other” reasons. Teryx had heard a few kinky stories here and there about what [i]fun[/i] low-temp creatures could supposedly create in the bedroom… giving their lover a cold touch in just the right places, at just the right times…

As someone who had never experimented much with thermal play, there was a potential novelty for Teryx to explore. Assuming he could put [i]just[/i] the right social moves on his fellow dragon, anyway.

But, he might be getting ahead of himself. He had no idea if Garthas was a suitable host -- for temperature reasons if nothing else -- and was supposed to be finding Sir a new meat-suit to inhabit.

While he pondered this, Teryx felt Harry’s hand reaching over to him, across the gap between their cots. Teryx grasped it, and Harry held on tightly, his feline forearm flexing as he looked over. There was a rumble of relief from the tiger, the contact with Teryx seeming to soothe him. Teryx smiled and nodded to him -- almost calling him “[i]good kitty[/i]” due to a social habit that Teryx didn’t realize he [i]had[/i]. Still, he probably shouldn’t trigger the “kitty” mindset right now.

[i]So,[/i] Teryx thought to Sir. [i]I assume from your silence you haven’t seen anyone here you like.[/i]

Sir’s voice came back in “detached alien” mode, devoid of his usual tone and host-mimicry. [i]Incorrect. We must talk to that dragon.[/i]

Teryx smirked. [i]The one that obviously doesn’t want to talk to anyone. You don’t ask much, do you?[/i]

[i]You were already thinking of doing it. I know how you feel about him.[/i]

Teryx gave Harry’s hand a squeeze. [i]Doesn’t mean it’s a guaranteed success.[/i]

[i]I could [/i][b][i]make[/i][/b][i] you do it, if you’d rather.[/i]

Teryx’s smirk flattened. [i]Please don’t. You’ll do it wrong.[/i]

Sir’s head-voice developed a testy edge. [i]Get me that dragon. I’m only being patient in deference to your primary master.[/i]

[i]Generous of you,[/i] quipped Teryx. Then, after sizing up the closed-eyed ice dragon for a moment, Teryx thought, [i]…What the heck, I’ll try it. You [/i][b][i]sure[/i][/b][i] you wanna get in a guy like that though? They run a lot colder than Harry and me.[/i]

Sir was unfazed. [i]We are fully functional down to comparable temperatures to his, and toward higher extremes as well.[/i]

[i]You’re [/i][b][i]sure[/i][/b][i].[/i]

[i]I know it instinctively. Temperature is of little concern.[/i]

Fair enough.

“Hey, Harry -- be right back,” said Teryx. He let go of the handhold and gave a confident thumbs-up before standing.

The tiger watched, tense, but didn’t move from his spot.

Teryx stepped up and passed through the gate to the ice-water pool, looking down into it and noting that Garthas was still sitting there in silence, not reacting to the approach.

Teryx suspected there was [i]a[/i] way to connect with this guy in a hurry, but it was an idea for which he would only get one shot. If he so much as flinched, it’d look all wrong. It would be like stepping into a giant’s glass of ice water, and Garthas’s dragon-ego was the metaphorical giant he needed to impress.

[i]Interesting,[/i] mused Sir, “overhearing” Teryx’s thought process. [i]You plan to engage him in his own preferred habitat. I wonder how well that will work out for you.[/i]

[i]Dunno. What’ve you got for cold tolerance enhancers?[/i]

Sir responded with immediate and clinical precision, [i]I can cause your blood vessels to dilate. It will make the cold less oppressive, but you’d die of hypothermia quicker with prolonged exposure.[/i]

[i]Do it and be ready for the swap. I’ll make this quick.[/i]

[i]Fascinating. You really [/i][b][i]do[/i][/b][i] want us to succeed.[/i]

[i]That never should have been in doubt. Not from you, at least. Your ‘dad’ and I settled that issue a long time ago.[/i]

There was no further comment from Sir. Teryx felt a rush of warmth and flushing under his skin, making him feel a similar kind of ambient warmth to being mildly intoxicated, but without the attendant mental impairment.

With that trick in play, Teryx stepped straight down into the [i]ohfuckcoldcoldCOLD[/i].

This was [i]a lot[/i] colder than he expected. The ice must’ve been deep-frozen before being plonked down in here, and there was still a lot of it intact.

Teryx forced himself to go in another step, and then another, feeling the neural jolts of distress yelling up from his feet to his brain. Sir was on top of it, quickly dampening the pain responses and making him feel… only mildly bothered. Though it was strange feeling all this heat rushing to his extremities while he was immersing them in something so distinctively frigid… he felt like a hot piece of candy being dropped into a cold drink, as if he was the conceptual opposite of an ice cube.

Down Teryx went… sitting, going all the way forward… but stopping at his chest. There was really no sense in going deeper than that. In truth, he was [i]going[/i] to, but Sir stopped him -- a helpful sanity check from his current alien overlord.

Garthas, only now, opened one eye and glanced over at him.

“Well,” said the ice dragon’s deep voice, “what Scale are you?” It was a term sometimes used among dragons to ask about their particular subtype.

“Rain.”

“Hmmm. Given the stunning rarity of fellow water dragons in the cruise business… I say howdy.”

“Same to you. I think I already know your type.”

“Sorta spelled it out with that little spat, didn’t I?”

It was clear he assumed Teryx had overheard the conversation. Teryx just nodded and smiled.

Garthas sloshed the ice water as he adjusted himself and sat up to match Teryx’s posture. The ice dragon was a little shorter, but only by a fingertip’s length or so. “You sure you’re okay in here? The only guy who hangs out with me here is a [i]penguin[/i].”

“Oh [i]my[/i],” said Teryx, not even trying to avoid sounding like he was implying something sexual.

“A penguin who’s [i]straight[/i],” Garthas clarified.

Teryx chuckled and winked, speaking in an obviously coy tone, “Well, after seeing you myself, I can’t imagine how that would make any difference.”

“Like [i]hell[/i] you can’t,” countered Garthas. “I saw you and your buddy fooling around when I approached. I can think of a total of [i]one[/i] reason why you would plop down in [i]my[/i] ice water without asking.”

“You seemed worth getting to know. One dragon to another.”

“Helluva lonely existence most times…” he eyed Teryx and looked at how much the rain dragon wasn’t reacting. “[i]Gods-damn[/i] do I respect what you’re doing… but get [i]out[/i], man, before you go into shock.”

“Nonsense. Pull me closer.”

Garthas’s reply was flat. “Seriously? You’re being [i]dangerously[/i] stereotypical.”

“Come on, [i]live[/i] a little. We’re probably the only two water dragons on this ship.”

“We [i]definitely[/i] are.”

“And what’s water if it won’t snuggle the next droplet over, hm?”

Garthas’s chest rumbled in agitation. He grumpily reached an arm out and wrapped it around the rain dragon’s torso, pulling him in close so that their heads were inches apart and Teryx’s mane was touching Garthas’s face. The ice dragon’s breath was encouraging crystals to form in the wet tips of the mane as he turned to look at Teryx more closely.

“So. Who’d ya get the [i]pretty[/i] genes from, your mum or your dad?”

“Why, [i]both[/i] of course.” Teryx grinned. “Mind if I lean in a bit closer?”

“Your funeral. I’m probably colder than the water at this point. Your scales might freeze to mine.”

“Oh [i]dear[/i], getting [i]stuck[/i] to a fellow water dragon, woe be it if such a fate were to befall me~”

Garthas squeezed him in closer. Teryx leaned into the embrace, putting their heads up side by side… nuzzling along him, brushing the mane against those frigid ice-blue scales… and then sliding ear-to-ear, [i]juuuust[/i] right.

Sir was ready; Sir was [i]quick[/i]. By the time Garthas was able to nudge Teryx away and swat a claw at the opening to his ear, the slug was already slinking its way inside. The girth of it made Garthas aware something was wrong, and he jabbed a claw-tip into the ear canal after it, but he got only a poke at his own skin as the slug wormed deeper.

“The fuck… my ear’s ringi…[i]grrrhhkkch!![/i]”

The irregular noise turned a few confused heads from the main pool area, but Teryx acted as if nothing was wrong, which was pretty easy in his current state of intense rewardedness. Putting a slug into someone else felt [i]good[/i].

Garthas twitched beside him -- sank his head momentarily underwater before flexing his legs and pushing back out again.

“Silly me, trying to inhale an ice cube,” said Sir Garthas as he played off what had just happened. Unlike with Commodore’s infestation of the canine earlier, there wasn’t as much of an initial neurological freakout with the dragon. Familiarity from Teryx’s brain must have gone farther with this one.

It also occurred to Teryx that he was starting to feel really… [i]weird[/i].

Right. He should… get out of the water now. Like [i]right[/i] now.

He climbed out and felt the coldness of the night air… so chilling, like the wind in a mountain pass… wait, the air wasn’t that cold; it was the water PLUS the air…

“Hey, use my towel,” said the ice dragon, nodding toward it at the cold-tub’s edge. “You crazy thing.”

Was Sir… just letting Garthas be himself for now? A quick memory wipe -- was [i]that[/i] the play? “Thanks,” said Teryx, quickly wiping off as much of the water as he could using the other dragon’s plush white towel. “It’s been nice meeting you.”

“Heheh, yup… [i]ahhh[/i]…”

There was an erotic edge to the ice dragon’s groan. His right shoulder started to make small motions as the right arm moved inward toward his torso. He was definitely touching himself, but it was hard to see his package because of the ice messing with what little light there was.

Nonetheless, Teryx got to watch as his fellow dragon’s eyes closed, breathing quickened, and arm began to make rhythmic stroking motions. Entirely casually, in an absolutely public place -- but, stealthily out of view of the rest of those down in the pool. The dragon’s blue eyes opened and stared up at Teryx, a kind of affectionate smile forming as horniness overwhelmed him, just jacking it without a care in his mind under the water.

Garthas was gazing at Host Zero and enjoying the view. Teryx could almost see the slug’s preferential imprinting being pushed through the new host’s brainways. Teryx was… highly desirable.

Teryx knelt over him, and Garthas reached a hand up playfully to touch Teryx’s chin. The rain dragon could feel that chilly hand quiver against him as the pleasure rose.

That moment of touch was all that Garthas dared to perform in view of others, but he kept looking up, the bliss and elation growing as the compulsive self-stroking continued. Garthas remained unable to peel his eyes away from his fellow dragon’s visage, arousal continuing to grow as he stared.

Then, in a quietly groaning series of spasms, it was over. Garthas’s eyes lidded, his jerking motions stopping as every muscle relaxed. Hidden in the icy bowl of the tub, a series of creamy, protein-rich threads emerged, their substances drifting up and clinging to the ice like liquid seaweed.

Garthas sighed peacefully and relaxed there, looking up at Teryx. His eyes opened, and he murmured softly, “Have a good night…” before closing them again.

Teryx smiled, left the ice-tub area, and shut the gate politely behind him. Harry was watching him with anticipation.

A glow of heat and discomfort was prickling through Teryx’s chest and extremities. Not exactly full-on hypothermia, but his body definitely wasn’t [i]happy[/i]…

“A fun fellow to meet,” Teryx told the tiger, winking. “Let’s head back.”

Harry approached with a nod, following Teryx tightly, just as he had done for Sir earlier.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Teryx and Harry were in their room, naked and snuggled up under the covers, after taking cursory rinse-off showers. Annoyingly, the “hot” water wasn’t all that warm at the moment -- Teryx blamed janky cruise-liner plumbing -- so they had opted for a quick rinse, blow drying, and snuggles.

Teryx still wasn’t getting hard. At the moment, he wasn’t sure whether that was due to Commodore’s neurological trap still being in effect, or perhaps a consequence of the slight chill that he still felt in the depths of his core.

On the bright side, there [i]were[/i] ways to compensate for his body’s disrupted internal temperature. Teryx rolled over against Harry and grabbed him from behind, spooning tighter against him.

“You are not the big spoon,” Harry pointed out, a little shyly.

“No time,” said Teryx. “Must snuggle tiger for warmth.”

“Grrrhfr…”

They folded the blankets cozily around each other. Harry curled himself tighter, achieving a sideways fetal position while Teryx’s hands groped his inner thighs -- because it was erotic, and because they were [i]really[/i], pleasantly warm. Who ever said cuddles couldn’t do double duty?

Nonetheless, Harry’s muscles felt… strangely tense. He also wasn’t purring or getting horny for the rubs like Teryx was hoping.

Interesting. Harry’s more natural mindset was currently active, so this presumably wasn’t tension associated with the character-roles Sir had made him play.

Though, Teryx had to wonder…

“Hey… what’s wrong, kitty? I was the one getting so cold I turned blue.”

The trigger word produced an immediate softening of Harry’s voice and demeanor. Even some of that felt tightness was relieved. “You’re [i]always[/i] blue,” Harry murmured.

Teryx smooched his neck, rubbing along a thigh as it relaxed. The “kitty” mindset was emotionally needy, but it seemed that it could get quite relaxed when Harry felt safe and protected by someone else.

“I got [i]so much bluer[/i] on the inside after what that impressively frigid man did with me,” commented Teryx. Feeling down along the tiger’s sack, he added, “Hmm… I’m feeling blue in other places, too. A pity, that.” He gave the balls a pointed slight squeeze, as if to emphasize his ache. Harry’s legs and tail twitched, in a sort of horny discomfort.

The faintest hint of Harry’s usual [i]grump[/i] entered his tone: “Your balls are always blue, silly. You’re a rain dragon.”

“True,” said Teryx with a smirk. He nudged his snout against the back of Harry’s neck and gave it a small slurp. Then, a tiny tongue-flick against the ear.

The latter action triggered a re-tensing of Harry’s body. For a fleeting moment, Teryx thought it might be from fear of imminent infestation, but what came out of Harry’s mouth countered the notion.

“I just… don’t feel safe without him,” Harry admitted, ear flicking. “Like, he’s [i]gone[/i], right? He might be gone forever. As scary as it’s been, now I feel like part of me left, too.”

Teryx spoke in a quiet, almost joking tone, murmuring right into Harry’s ear. “Oh, he’ll be back. They’re a real infestation, like cockroaches but worse.”

“That doesn’t help my problem.”

“Space cockroaches [i]from space[/i],” Teryx insisted. “You wait and see, your head won’t stay ‘empty’ for long.”

Harry cracked a strained smile and rubbed his backside against Teryx. “Yeah. I guess there’s that. Even if it isn’t him… one of them will come, I’m sure.”

For a moment it looked like Harry was starting to relax. Then, there was a sudden tensing of more than just his thighs. It was like he was going into fight-or-flight, apropos of nothing.

“The hell am I saying…” Harry started, shoving the covers open and pulling away from Teryx. “This is [i]crazy[/i]. I never should--”

His tone sounded like he might be going lucid in a dangerous way, so Teryx raised a finger and interrupted. “Now, don’t you worry.”

“I am a [i]bundle[/i] of worry, Teryx! This isn’t right, none of this is. That, that [i]guy[/i], you put one of them in him, and--”

“Be a [i]good kitty[/i],” Teryx told him firmly, the phrase hitting Harry like a slight pulse of electricity. “Your Sir requires that you be a [i]good kitty[/i].”

“I don’t…”

Harry blinked hard, a snarl forming and then abating. He then stared at Teryx, blankly, and sank back onto the bed in a demure posture. “What… I was being a naughty kitty.” He sounded sorrowful.

“Yes,” said Teryx, solemn, “but you can still prove you’re a [i]good[/i] kitty… relax and let me handle you…”

Harry nodded and calmed down, going passive and letting Teryx do what he would.

The rain dragon stroked up the tiger’s abs, amused by how helplessly puppet-like the man still was -- an absolute slave to Sir’s programming, even in the face of his conflictedness waking up like that.

Sir’s use of triggered states might be a little overdone… but, it could be beautifully erotic when it had the power to override someone in an instant like that. The Commodore-infused parts of Teryx’s own psyche had a strong appreciation for it. It was so… efficient, decisive….

This body… it was good for their collection. It was worth having. Orange and black, soft white underfur… ear empty and awaiting a master’s return… a worthwhile specimen.

Teryx didn’t notice the alien severity in his own gaze and touch, but Harry did. The fondling of his genitals and chest muscles soon led the tiger to a strong erection -- which Teryx enjoyed by squeezing firmly along it with either hand, alternating between them and letting the otherwise free one explore down along the big cat’s perineum and rear.

“That’s it,” said Teryx. “Now you’re a very [i]good kitty[/i]. You’re sparing no expense, using your own blood flow to help me warm up… pooling it all into this one [i]hot[/i] area~”

Harry chuffed, his chest heaving as he seemed to experience the briefest of internal conflicts. His hips bucked for Teryx, starting to do so in a way that looked outside the tiger’s conscious control. It was accompanied by un-tucking his arms and moving one backward to hold along the small of Teryx’s back, helping to ensure the dragon stayed close.

His voice low and breathy, Harry said, “Please milk me, Mr. Commodore… I’ll be a good kitty…”

Teryx grinned as he kept massaging the tiger’s penis, feeling the friction as more of the man’s programmed kink habits fired hard. Harry growled and groaned, succumbing to a feral but docile lust as he permitted “Mr. Commodore” to grasp him.

“You don’t know how much I need you…” Harry continued.

Teryx grinned. “Hmm… tell me.”

With his shaft twitching and pre leaking, Harry babbled, “You’re so much more attractive and smarter than I am… I’m a big brute with no direction in the world; my whole life has been this big front that I’m not even happy with living. At least you’re happy as the persona you’ve made…”

Teryx nibbled at the tiger’s ear. “Tell me more kitty. Let it all out~”

“I don’t know why… fuck, [i]gods[/i]… I feel so desperate, it’s embarrassing. This should be easy fun… it’s a [i]cruise[/i], but I feel so empty and alone, without you I’d be sinking…”

As the vulnerability and shame grew, so did the tiger’s arousal. His erection was in a rock-hard state with pre rapidly flowing, like some phallic statue that doubled as a lewd fountain.

“Gods, it feels so good… why am I…”

“Because you [i]trust[/i] me,” Teryx interjected, helping to head off the tiger from thinking about it too much. The sounds of his stroking of the tiger’s cock were getting wetter and slicker from the extraordinary amount of pre the man was producing, and their snuggles had a background soundtrack of [b]shlip, shlip, shlipl[/b] sounds.

“Oh, fuck… I’m gonna cum… get something or I’ll…”

Teryx didn’t stop. “Aww, kitty is concerned about making a mess in the sheets. He needs me so much he can’t hold any of his burdens back, including this one down here~”

Teryx used an index finger to prod rhythmically against the tiger’s frenulum while the rest of the hand kept up the stroking. Harry growl-moaned -- threw his head and shoulders back so hard that Teryx had to lean aside to avoid getting smacked -- and shuddered from the waist down as his climax arrived.

It jetted out of Harry amid fading growls and grumbles, with Teryx letting it shoot into the covers while steadily milking the ongoing spurts out of him. The amount and duration of the climax were both beyond the norm: Harry’s body had long been filled with the ideal balance of hormones and neurophysiological feedback to ensure maximum pleasure and production. It made Teryx smile to consider that such improvements might gradually happen to anybody hosting one of these slugs for long enough.

It also brought Teryx a quiet satisfaction to feel this meaty mauler of a man shaking and shivering for him -- cumming like the most submissive slut on land or sea. He felt so close to Commodore right now, even if Commodore wasn’t properly here. The well-worn tracks of his mental pattern… Teryx could feel them and enjoy them.

“Good kitty. Now sleep… tomorrow’s a brand new day, and we’re going to have [i]lots[/i] of fun together.”

Harry nodded and went quiet, shifting his posture slightly and relaxing into his afterglow.

Fondling idly at his own still-flaccid cock, Teryx wondered whether or not he’d be able to enjoy topping sometime during these upcoming slug-free days. He certainly hoped so… because plowing this tiger’s ass was sounding really nice right about now, and it was bound to feel even more so after sleeping on it and getting pent up. He hadn’t been kidding when he said he was feeling blue-balled.

For now, Teryx held onto his big, orange man-heater, soaking up all that cozy warmth as they drifted off to sleep together.