Chapter Four | Insight
"Oof", I blurted out as Derek slammed into me.
I stumbled backwards a bit, but before I could fall he stuck a leg out for balance and grabbed my hip and shoulder in one quick motion. He pulled me upright so I could stand up on my own and released me.
"I'm so sorry, I - I wasn't paying attention...", he stammered.
"Heh, obviously.", I laughed nervously.
I was once against conflicted in my emotions. Seeing him brought back horrible memories, but him being here must mean maybe his life wasn't so great either. Feeling his naked body slam into mine also caused a stir. If I hadn't just relieved my sexual urges twice in one day I'd probably have gotten hard.
He gave me an uneasy smile. I melted a little inside as I tried to override my defensive response.
"So, where were you off to in such a hurry?", I asked, trying to break the awkward tension.
"The amphitheater. I wasn't sure how long it'd been since I got the message.", he admitted while rubbing the back of his head.
"Must've been having a good time.", I teased.
"Heh, yea... I always wanted to go to Disney World..."
I couldn't believe how innocent that sounded. It was not what I was expecting.
"I ran for the exit of Magic Kingdom a bit before I realized I could just stop the Sim.", he admitted, obviously embarrassed.
"Ah, i got really caught up in my Sim too. I kept forgetting we were in space.", I tried to assure him by relating.
"We've got plenty of time though, it wouldn't hurt to get there early.", I added, with a motion that insisted we get moving.
"Yea, for sure...", he agreed as we started walking towards the staircase in the center. "... so what'd you do in your Sim?"
"I... uh.. oh, I went to Paris. It was pretty cool."
"Heh, you would. Did you go to the Louvre? I could see you getting lost in all the art."
I was taken aback by his retort. How did he know I liked art? I didn't think he paid any attention to me.
"Of course, it was the first thing I did ... well, after getting a haircut.", I ran my fingers through my hair, partly to make sure it really was cut. I half-smiled as I did because I caught Derek glancing up at my new look.
"I noticed, it looks good man."
"Thanks", I strained as I forced myself not to gush at his compliment.
We walked in silence for a bit as we took a left in the center at the spiral staircase to head down a wide hallway toward the stern of the ship. The amphitheater was located at the opposite end of the center ring from the cafeteria. It occupied a massive alcove as well. The hallway we were walking down opened up at the very top of the seating and you could work your way down toward the front from there. Derek finally broke the silence about halfway down the hall.
"So.. what do you think so far?"
"Of.. being on a massive starship full of hot men? ... It's... different... but I kinda like it. Much better than my previous situation.", I replied, trying not to imply that he was part of the situation I didn't like. "You?"
"Um... yea, I like it. I would've been a sci-fi geek if my dad allowed it... I would've been a lot of things...", he trailed off as he finished. I knew hardly anything about Derek, but that last sentence told me that we probably had a lot more in common than I expected.
We spent the rest of our brief walk in silence as we approached the massive doors to the Amphitheater. There were huge marble statues of men on either side that were posed as though they were putting on an ancient Athenian drama. They each had polished gold laurel wreaths and were, of course, nude as they day they were born.
The doors slid open slowly and with the sound you'd expect slabs of heavy polished stone to make when rubbing against each other.
The amphitheater was mostly empty, there were a little more than a dozen people seated near the bottom waiting for the captain. A few of them looked back as the doors made a final booming thud when they came to rest. At the far side of the theater, behind the stage, was the same massive circular window that surrounded the public atrium. Instead of brilliant white light, however, it was pitch darkness in the center. The streaks of light emanating from the bow of the ship would converge and fade here before reaching this void. The larger streaks would encircle the void almost entirely like the corona of the sun during an eclipse before vanishing. I imagined the theater was put here for a reason. It was a haunting scene, very dramatic.
"Mind if I sit with you?", Derek asked as I was taking in the surroundings.
"Huyea, of course!", I stammered a little. I don't know why I didn't think he'd want to. I also hadn't thought that far ahead.
"Cool"
We walked down the steps and found a spot three rows back. I hesitated as I took a seat, thinking the gray marble would be cold. I put my hand down first to test it and just like the tile in the shower they were comfortably warm.
Once I sat down Derek took the spot next to me. He shifted himself a little closer to me so that our arms were barely half an inch apart. I could feel his body heat and immediately thought of my shower earlier this morning. I tried to distract myself but soon after I realized I could smell him as well. It was a mixture of the body wash from our showers as well as, I assume, his natural musk from spending the evening at a theme park.
I took a couple deep breaths to calm myself and tried looking around the room. Of course, it was full of nude men whose asses I had a perfect view of from our spot. I felt the rush of blood starting to inflate my cock and quickly put my hands over myself. Derek was doing the same while looking straight ahead into the void.
"It's so... eerie, but... beautiful.", he commented.
I was glad he brought my attention to something else. I looked at him, then toward the massive window.
"Yea... no doubt", I agreed.
"...
I love No Doubt...", he added, and then started singing `Don't Speak' quietly. I was completely floored by this.
"You and me... we used to be together... everyday together alw-"
He stopped when I started giggling uncontrollably. He looked and me and grinned, feigning shock.
"What!? You got a problem with it?", he demanded.
"No no no, I just- I dunno. I like No Doubt too, but I never got to listen to `em much."
"How?! That song is always on the radio!", he was genuinely shocked then.
"Uhh, well, my foster siblings and I were forbidden to listen to `unholy music'. I'm sure my adopted father would have a few choice words to say about the singer too."
"Oh man, Gwen? I used to pretend I was into her as an excuse for liking their music. Had a poster of her in my room. It was her brother I really had the hots for, Eric.", he admitted, getting red in the face.
I chuckled again at his admission. I knew by now that he liked guys since he was `rescued' as well. I felt giddy from actually hearing him say it out loud.
By this point a several dozen more guys had made their way in and a few more were findings seats. Some had made their way in from either side of the stage via the atrium.
Once the shuffling had settled down it seemed like there were about two hundred guys in the amphitheater. The row Derek and I had chosen was getting pretty crowded. In response he shifted himself closer to me so that our arms were actually touching. His skin felt so soft against mine. I could feel myself getting flustered and anxious. I tried taking slow deep breaths so he wouldn't notice. He glanced over and me and smiled. I had no idea what for, but it was a bit reassuring.
Suddenly a very tall very lean man with a gorgeous dark complexion came walking down the steps toward the stage. He was wearing golden bracers, a baby blue cloak draped across one arm, and leather sandals adorned with golden wings. The wings had an unearthly motion, almost like heavy fabric underwater. Between his legs was one of the largest flaccid cocks I'd ever seen. My jaw dropped as I took in his appearance. His entire outfit and presence screamed authority figure.
He made his way down to the stage and as expected took position front and center, facing the crowd. The murmuring of the crowd quickly died down in response.
"Good evening gentlemen!
Welcome to Starship Talaria. I'm your captain, Hermes.", he flashed a stunningly perfect smile. The outfit was fitting considering his name.
"I'm sure you all have a million questions and I'd like to try and address some of them.
You all know by now that you've been brought aboard as essentially refugees because of who you are and the unfortunate situation you found yourselves in.
One question you all may have is what happens on Earth in your absence. I take no pleasure in telling you that you've all been replaced with identical inanimate replicas. Each with varying causes of death so as not to arouse suspicions."
I looked at Derek, shocked by this revelation. He was looking down at the floor at that moment.
"I'm deeply sorry for those that might find this unsettling. It's an unfortunate but necessary precaution.
We will not be openly disclosing the details of your earthly demise, but the information is stored within our data should you feel the need to find out.
You may also be wondering why we do all of this. That story is too long to recount at this time, but I can share some information.
The refugee transports began well over a thousand years ago with the decline of the Ancient Greek civilization. Cultural shifts deemed certain behaviors as a deviance and it became necessary to create a haven for men like yourselves. We make this journey every three years and in the interim we observe Earth in search of new candidates. Hundreds of thousands of men have been brought to Olympia, and you will be our newest citizens.
In two days we will dock at a space station orbiting Olympia where you will register to become a part of our civilization. From there you will be shuttled down to the surface and begin a new life, free from judgement."
My heart jumped at the thought of the freedom to be myself. I wondered if they had any good art schools. Then assured myself that they had to. This ship itself was a work of art.
"You will receive more information about integration into your new home when we arrive at Olympia.
I realize I've left a lot of information out, but as always, you can defer to Athenus to provide the wisdom you seek.
Please feel free to take full advantage of our amenities. Think of this as an all expenses paid cruise.
I wish you all a pleasant stay as we continue our journey. I will occasionally take the time to step away from the bridge and socialize with you all in our public space. I look forward to meeting you face to face.
Thank you so much, and have a great night!"
Hermes gave a stoic wave as he finished his short speech then took his leave in the same graceful yet authoritative manner, up the stairs then out of sight.
The murmuring in the amphitheater picked back up as people started shuffling to their feet
"Probably could've just done this on an intercom or something.", Derek quipped as we started leaving our row.
"Yea probably... maybe the captain just wanted it to be more personal.", I added. He seemed a little tense at this point.
"... or he just wanted to show off his massive dong!", he joked, adding a half smile and a quick glance at my reaction. His southern accent surfaced a bit in his excitement.
"Hah! I wasn't gonna say anything, but yea... that was unreal. If he wasn't so charismatic I would've been too distracted by it to listen!"
We both chuckled at our exchange as we finally made it to the stairs leading to the exit. The dozens of naked men surrounding us had me struggling to stifle my arousal. A quick glance down at Derek's groin told me he probably wasn't as anxious about it. His cock was both thicker and longer than I had seen it before. I felt tension in my cheeks and realized I had my jaw clenched. I resolved to relax a little and accept my hormonal state.
Once we made it to the top everybody spread out a little and I felt as though I was finally able to breath.
"I don't know how I'm gonna get used to all this nudity. I feel like I'm constantly fighting a boner.", I admitted to Derek. I wanted to know how he was handling it all.
"Hahaha, yep. I fought it at first, but then I saw a few guys just rockin' their wood and figured it was no big deal."
"Oh yea? I can't help feeling a little embarrassed. It's a reflex, I guess.", I replied shyly while rubbing the top of my head and looking down.
"You hungry? I kinda wanna try the cafe up here. The medical scientist who gave me a tour, Remnas, told me they actually cook there.", Derek asked.
I honestly wasn't all that hungry but I wasn't about to turn him down.
"Sure! I could eat. I didn't know they did. What's the point though?" I insisted. "The synthesized food tastes perfect to me."
"Hah, I asked the same thing. He says it's about each meal having character or something, instead of being identical. He also said it's more of a social thing, since you've gotta wait."
"Hm, ok, I'm down.", I agreed. I never got many restaurant experiences growing up. On rare occasions we'd go out with the congregation after church on Sundays but I never enjoyed them. The cafe in Paris was easily the most memorable, and it wasn't even real.
By this point we had already made it well past the two massive statues at the amphitheater entrance. We made our way down the fairly long hallway to the large city square like center of the ship in relative silence. At one point I mentioned the duck confit I had in at the Parisian cafe. I got a little excited when he mentioned that he'd like to try it. We agreed that I'd have to show him where it was.
We'd eventually made our way across the circle to the cafe and stopped at the host stand to be seated. I hadn't noticed it before but it was called Cafe Caduceus. I felt like all the references to the messenger god were getting out of hand. I thought of how narcissistic the captain must've been to think so highly of himself.
We were just starting to look at the menu posted outside when the host approached us and asked if it would be just the two of us. We both nodded and he lead us into the cafe. He was of course, very attractive. Derek and I both caught each other checking out his ass as he brought us to our table. We exchanged devilish grins as we sat down.
"Here are your menus, aaand your server should be here shortly. Enjoy!", the host recited while divvying out their list of options, then promptly turned around and left.
Derek and I started looking over our menus when he furrowed his brow in confusion.
"Why would a cafe have a medical symbol?", he asked.
"Oh.. the caduceus? That's actually a symbol for commerce and trade, no idea why it gets mixed up."
"Huh.. ok... I guess that makes more sense. Didn't realize it had a name.", he admitted, still sounding a little unsure.
"Yep, the captain clearly has a theme going here."
Derek looked up from his menu and raised an eyebrow.
"The staff is a symbol for Hermes, the greek god, and the ship's named after his winged shoes. Seems like the captain is either full of himself, or is a big fan of his namesake."
".. or he's actually a greek god. I mean... you saw his cock!", he added, laughing at his own remark.
"Haha, yea... right.", I rolled my eyes and chuckled.
We paused our conversation while looking over the menus. The cafe had a diverse assortment of entres to choose from. There was a mixture of Italian, Greek, and French foods with a few other styles from all over Earth thrown in. As we were browsing our waiter approached.
"Good evening gents, I'm your waiter for the evening. Can I get you boys something to drink?"
He was gorgeous. Completely blonde all over, and quite tall. I realized in that moment that I had never seen someone with blonde pubes and instantly knew I was into it. I struggled to concentrate on his request briefly as his uncut cock was less than two feet from my face. Thankfully Derek spoke up and broke the spell.
"Could I get a pale ale? I'm not picky about which."
I hadn't even gone over the drinks portion of the menu. I looked down at it real quick and realized they had alcoholic options. They all had mostly unrecognizable names with the exception of their type.
"For you sir?", the waiter turned to me.
"Uh, I guess I'll try whatever he's getting.", I nodded my head toward Derek.
"Excellent, I'll be right back to take the rest of your order. My name's Donte if you need anything in the meantime."
With that he took off toward the small bar situated in the back of the cafe. I went back to perusing my menu but Derek sat his down.
"What are you thinking of getting?", I asked him.
"The Cajun Fish Tacos sound amazing.", he replied.
"Oh man, that does sound good. I had tacos for breakfast.", I admitted with a grin.
"What about you?", he returned the inquiry.
"I think I'm just gonna get the Mediterranean salad. I had two heavy meals already today."
"Fair enough, I'm super hungry. Disney's food sucked."
"Haha I bet."
After a bit of an awkward silence Dante returned with our drinks. I had only tried beer once before and wasn't impressed. It was some cheap brand that Mike used to drink before he went crazy on religion.
"You boys ready to order?", Dante asked with a cheerful smile.
We both nodded and Derek gestured toward me to imply that I should go first. We gave Dante our order and he walked off toward the kitchen. Derek and I both paused to admire his furry ass as he disappeared to the back. We exchanged devious grins when we realized we had both been entranced by his peachy mounds.
I took a drink of the ale, expecting it to taste as bad as I remembered. Fortunately this one wasn't so bad, it actually had a decent flavor behind the bitterness.
"Mmm..", I half-pretended I liked it.
"... so farm life wasn't all that great?", Derek probed after he took a sip.
"... uhhh ... you could say that. Why?", I responded, unsure of where this was going.
"Well, it's like Captain Hermes said, we're here as refugees. I assume, not just because we're gay."
Another admission of his sexuality that sent a fluttering sensation deep within me. I never thought he could be one hundred percent gay. He had so many girlfriends through the years.
"Yea, I guess. My foster parents weren't exactly model Christians. We were forced to do chores all the time.
Mike, my foster dad, threw away my CalArts acceptance letter and was gonna force me to go to a school for theology...", I sulked as I told Derek my story. "What about you? I honestly always thought you had it made. A hot popular star athlete with decent grades."
"Hot eh? heh, well, that was just me at school. Honestly I wasn't happy. My dad forced me to be an athlete. He also beat my mom senseless, especially if she stood up for me. I hate that I'm not there to protect her..."
Derek looked away, his eyes glossed over. I assumed he was fighting back tears.
"... I'm sorry ... what made you choose to leave then?"
Derek cleared his throat before continuing.
"... well... the night we were taken I got in a big fight with dad. He'd gotten drunk and started beating on my mom. He turned on me when I pulled him off. ... He told me I was a disappoint because I turned down a football scholarship. I don't remember why, but I told him that I'm gay. He punched me.. hard... and told me to leave. Didn't even let me grab clothes..."
"Shit...", was my only reaction. I had no idea.
"Yea... it was nuts."
"Where'd you go?"
"I had a tent in the shed, I took it out to the woods behind our house and stayed there. That's when I had the dream that lead me here. Luckily the doctor was able to heal my bruises...", he smiled sheepishly as he rubbed his left cheek bone.
I rubbed my face where Mike had backhanded me the day before.
"Mike hit me pretty hard yesterday... I snapped at him for throwing away my letter... I honestly thought about killing myself before I ended up here...", I admitted.
"Yea? Same... I had some nylon rope with me from the shed... I'm guessing that's what they did with my copy... I hope it's my fuckhead dad that finds me and not my mom."
I just sat there looking into his eyes. I could finally see all the hurt behind them. It was hard to hold a grudge against someone whose life was just as bad as my own.
"... I'm sorry for all the shit we gave you guys in school...", Derek added after our silent exchange.
I looked away nervously for a second, then back at him. He was giving me the most sincere look at that moment.
"Don't worry about it, you're not the one that should be apologizing. I always had a feeling that you weren't into it."
"No, but I didn't stop them... I hated those dudes to be honest..."
"What, really? ... then why hang out with them?"
Just as I asked the question Dante returned with our food.
"Mediterranean Salad for you! And Cajun Fish Tacos for you!", he exclaimed as he handed out our dishes. "Can I get you gents anything else?"
"No thanks!", we both chimed in.
"Alright! Enjoy!"
Derek and I took a moment to admire our meals before we began to dig in. He took a bite out of one of his tacos before he continued.
"... I guess mostly to try and hide who I was.. Err.. am. Plus they stuck to me like glue. Always insisting that I go to their lame-ass parties."
"Haha, I gotcha.", I assured as we continued our meal.
The rest of dinner was pretty uneventful. We only spoke a little bit here and there as we ate. Derek told me a little about his trip to Disney, he apparently decided to go during one of their famous `Gay Days'. I had no idea Disney did such a thing. I then shared some of the less risque details of my time in Paris. We made plans to try out the Sims together tomorrow. The thought of that had me excited beyond belief, though I knew we'd have to start a new instance of Paris if we decided to go to that cafe.
By the time we were finished my head was swimming. Not only because I had finished my beer and had two martinis less than two hours ago, but because of everything I had learned about Derek and the connection we had. In the back of my mind I was really hoping he'd invite me to his room, but we both agreed that we were exhausted from such an interesting and long day. After we left the cafe we made our way up the staircase to our individual apartments. Apparently he was only two rooms down from mine. Before we separated he turned to me.
"Hey, thanks for keeping me company tonight."
"No problem, likewise.", I chuckled in response to his gratitude.
To my complete surprise he grabbed my hand and pulled himself toward me. He leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. I'm not entirely sure what expression I wore in that moment, but I imagine it was a mixture of shock and joy.
"Goodnight.", Derek grinned as he turned away and walked to his apartment.
"Goodnight", I replied, a little stunned.
I walked to my room, feeling as though I was floating. I just had the best day of my life.
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