In the cold of space you find the heat of suns

Spacer crews travel the Far Borders and the Fringe of occupied space, trading. Spacing is an ancient and honourable profession carved out by millenniums. Most spacers start out as fourteen-year-old boys seeking a future. Few survive a decade spacing.

15. Layers

Until the fox-boy had arrived, Jiraiya had found Sasuke Uchiha unrelentingly disappointing. He was superbly trained but cold as ice and while one could see him becoming an effective leader, it was hard to imagine him ever inspiring devotion.

But the fox-boy changed people. Shikamaru was less lazy, Ibiki cared and the change in Iruka was astounding. Kakashi’s deep wounds had started to heal. Even Sasuke was defrosting, but the rate of it was too slow for Jiraiya’s taste.

He looked down to the exquisite sight of Uchiha lips about his cock, the glorious eyelashes against the porcelain skin. He waited for the last moment before placing his hand on the boy’s head. He felt him submit, accepting that Jiraiya wished to climax in his mouth. It was small reward for a lifetime of service.

The trouble with Iruka was that he was too kind. Sometimes more than a gentle push was required.

“Make tea for me,” he instructed. “Use the equipment in the wooden box.” He watched Sasuke’s face as lifted the lid, the uncertainty in his obsidian eyes. “You do know how?” Jiraiya taunted and the youngster nodded. He knelt, sat back on his heels and then bowed forward from the waist. “I apologise, Jiraiya-san, that the venue is imperfect.”

Jiraiya did not expect the sudden surge of arousal. He moved into position and bowed in acknowledgement. He watched the beautiful youngster, no longer a boy but still not a man, weave his way through the elegant simplicity of the ceremony. Memories of being an honoured guest surfaced, flowed and drifted away. Mikoto had made tea for him. Fugaku had invited him to join them. Sasuke had his mother’s eyes. By the time the boy had repacked the box Jiraiya had made his decision and spoke. “Next time, you will make tea and then I will fuck you. You will accept it. You will not be ice as you were with Genma and Ibiki. You will be warm. You will climax as I fuck you. I have drugs to make you want it. You will remember every moment, every caress. This will happen, Sasuke, next time you come to me.”

Naruto was woken by the noises coming from Sasuke’s bunk: he was whimpering in his sleep again. More nightmares, it was the third night in a row. Naruto wondered if anyone else had noticed: the other bunks were well away; Sasuke never called out; noone else’s hearing was half as acute. The sounds changed, suggesting Sasuke had woken. They went on and on, tearing at Naruto’s heart.

He ran a fingertip along his new collar. Shikamaru had finally achieved what they had begun to think was impossible. They had tested it: Ibiki had blindsided Naruto while he was listening to Sasuke play. It had worked perfectly. He could go to Sasuke. Even if Sasuke attacked him, the worse that would happen would be that Naruto fell unconscious.

He swung down effortlessly and landed in a crouch at the bottom outside edge of Sasuke’s bunk. Sasuke always slept close to the wall. He was shaking. Naruto knew he was crying. Even in Tarrasade, Naruto had never seen Sasuke cry. He slid up the bunk and tentatively touched his back.

Sasuke turned into him, clung to him, buried his face in Naruto’s chest and wept. Naruto wrapped his arms about him. It felt right; as if all the growing he had done over the last two standards had been for this, so that he could hold Sasuke properly and comfort him. Gradually Sasuke stopped crying, relaxed and fell asleep. Naruto stayed awake. Sasuke was asleep on his chest and the sight was so amazingly beautiful. It was one of the advantages of being able to see in the dark.

It was morning but early when Sasuke’s eyes fluttered open. Sasuke almost smiled. Naruto wanted to kiss him but knew better. “Do you want me to go back to my bunk?” he offered. “Before anyone notices?”

Sasuke considered, then nodded. “Thanks, Naruto,” he whispered so quietly that Naruto needed his fox-ears to hear it.

It was weird. The lack of sleep should have made him sluggish but Naruto felt invigorated. That afternoon Sasuke turned up at his training session to watch and Naruto found himself willing and able to do moves he had been struggling with for divisions. He even managed to run up the wall and back flip onto his feet, something Kakashi had told him repeatedly that he should be able to do.

Kakashi acted as if Sasuke was not there and that Naruto’s confidence levels had not suddenly soared, just as he had ignored Naruto being in Sasuke’s bunk and the nightmares. He made an excuse and left the gym early.

Naruto draped a towel around his neck to absorb the sweat and went over to where Sasuke was sitting cross-legged on top of a packing case. He found himself standing closer than usual and hoped it was not too obvious.

“I want to put our bunks together.” Sasuke said suddenly, looking at some point above Naruto’s head.

Naruto heart was pounding. He willed his erection soft and was only partially successful. “Sasuke, I don’t think I can sleep with someone…” especially you “…and not want to do it with them.”

Smouldering dark eyes lowered and made contact. “I know.” Sasuke told him.

When Naruto entered the crew room the others were watching Sasuke reorganise the two bunks into a double. Naruto was impressed that Sasuke had chosen to do it just before the evening meal when everyone would be there. He was actually standing on the bunk arranging drapes; openly declaring that they were going to require privacy. Shikamaru squeezed Naruto’s upper arm. “Forget it being my night. You need to take advantage before he recovers and goes back to being Sasuke.”

Naruto smiled but Shikamaru had a point. It was rather sudden. There again, Sasuke had cried into his chest. For spacers, that was much more intimate than fucking.

Or that was what he thought until they were together, naked, in the small private world Sasuke had created for them. Naruto was acutely aware that Sasuke had never done sex-stuff with anyone other than for duty and, worse, that he had hated every moment. Naruto intended to go slowly. If they spent a division just kissing he would cope, somehow. Sasuke, however, appeared to think differently. He knelt, his skin luminous, his eyes pools of darkness and whispered, “I need you to fuck me, Naruto.”

Desire exploded at the core of Naruto’s being and coursed through his body. He threw back his head and howled.

Shikamaru prayed to a god he did not believe in that the new collar could discriminate between desire and rage.

Iruka clung to Kakashi’s arm, pleading with him to listen, begging him to think, reminding him that this was what they wanted.

Sasuke was motionless. He could control the urge to flee, which was good. Naruto did not fall unconscious, which was better. Naruto dropped onto all fours and flowed towards him. Silky fur brushed his knee, followed by stiff whiskers and then the tip of a very human tongue. They moved up his thigh, over his hip, teasing the sensitive hollow between his hipbone and his ribs before accelerating towards his nipple. Lips fastened and his nipple tightened: Sasuke’s breath hitched at the radiating jolt of pleasure. There was a small growl as Naruto began worrying the nub with his incisors. Sasuke flinched and Naruto responded with a soothing lick before moving on to the dip above Sasuke’s collarbone, along the tendon of his neck into the hollow below the angle of his jawbone. There he placed a tiny, sharp nip and then claimed Sasuke’s mouth as he gasped.

That first kiss was gentle, almost reverent. Sasuke wanted more. He leaned in, slipping the tip of his tongue between Naruto’s lips and sweeping it across his teeth. Naruto pulled away, lifting him from his knees and laying him on his back in an unconscious show of strength that left Sasuke quivering. Naruto was beside him, against him, holding him. Their mouths met and Naruto waited for Sasuke to resume their kiss. Sasuke’s tongue explored Naruto’s mouth, the smooth surfaces and sharp edges of his teeth, his long, pointed canines. Then Naruto responded, pinning Sasuke down, his tongue plundering Sasuke’s mouth, heralding what would follow, stirring into existence a vortex of lust, anticipation and craving that Sasuke had never known or imagined.

Naruto dove down and engulfed his erection. Sasuke’ desire surged at the wonderful, wet warmth while his mind shrieked its fear of fangs. He kept very still as Naruto’s tongue and then his mouth started moving. It was as glorious as it was terrifying. Occasionally he would feel a canine scrape the skin but then Naruto would lick, suck or hum, releasing another wave of sensation. A crescendo of pleasure shattered Sasuke’s control: only Naruto’s iron grip on his hips stopped him bucking as he climaxed.

When Sasuke’s mind reconnected with his body, he realised that a warm, wet tongue was licking him. Once he was clean, Naruto worked his way up the other side of Sasuke’s body via his nipple to his lips. Sasuke tasted his cum in Naruto’s mouth.

A firm hand lifted and spread his left knee, then Naruto’s mouth gently kissed, nibbled and licked its way up his inner thigh. Sasuke briefly wondered if he should speak before being caught again in the dilemma between pleasure and terror as Naruto’s lips and teeth reached his perineum and briefly scouted his balls before a sweeping, swirling tongue investigated his anus. Sasuke tried not to tense. He had no reason to be nervous: he was experienced and he had prepared himself well, but he could not keep the memories of being fucked by others at bay.

Then he was on his hands and knees, grasped at the hips, impaled. Sasuke gasped at the superhuman speed of it. In response, Naruto growled and nipped his shoulder, warning him to stay still. Once inside him, Naruto’s penis grew and, more worrying, changed shape. Sasuke whimpered. Naruto nuzzled his neck. Then Naruto started to move and Sasuke discovered what a foxy erection did as it was dragged across his prostate. He moaned.

Naruto growled and began thrusting in earnest. The more sounds Sasuke made, the more excited he became. When Sasuke screamed in orgasm Naruto climaxed, filling his mate with cum, and howled.

When morning came Sasuke was curled in the cocoon of Naruto’s limbs, still held by the knot of his foxy prick, safe.

Jiraiya smiled.

Sometimes a harder push was required.