Space Ship Boys

Here is another chapter in my epic gay space soap opera, hope it's enjoyed. As always, comments and feedback appreciated at erikritler@yahoo.com. I always respond to emails. Don't like story? Use the find function in your browser to search for xes, and you will skip to the hotter scenes. It's cheating, sure, but I'll allow it.

To recap the story so far, Devon is a sarcastic and witty college kid who finds himself on a space ship on an 18-year voyage to a new home planet after the destruction of earth. The mass majority of the passengers on Devon's ship are guys from the boy's college he attended. Being in this highly male population makes Devon slowly realize he's gay, something that bothers him at first, but as he opens up to his closest friends he begins to worry less, and eventually the pieces begin to fall into place. He confides his sexuality to his best friend Patrick, who is very open and accepting of it. Devon asks Patrick to talk to his other best friend Reid, but that doesn't seem to go so well. In the meantime, Devon and Charlie decide to become sex buddies and Devon and Conner become closer friends.

Time passes and things start to see routine. Things with Reid are awkward and Devon and he drift apart, but Devon is happy to be developing a deeper friendship with Conner. And then there's Charlie, who now admits he's mostly gay, although he and Devon feel they'll never love each other like that. It doesn't stop them from wanking and sucking at every opportunity, though. And now these two want to form a club -- they believe if they get together the potentially gay guys on the ship they can have some fun, and maybe find love.

And that brings us up to chapter seven. Enjoy!

Space Ship Boys

Chapter 7 -- Info or Actions

i

SHIP FUNCTIONS: NORMAL ENGINES: 94/94 ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROLS: OPTIMAL EMERGENCY PROTOCOLS: NONE

FLEET UPDATES: SHIPS IN NETWORK: 8794 SHIPS IN FLEET / OUT COM: 1311 SHIPS UNKNOWN: 47

NOTICES: MILO THOMMESSEN, MESSAGE; ZANE FLYNN, MESSAGE; EDEN STRANTON, FLEET COM DATA PACKAGE, MARK FERRMAN, MESSAGE...

And on and on the data board cycled; I couldn't help staring at it any time I was eating in the lunch room, which I didn't do too terribly often since I worked in here and tended to grab a bite in the back, but Charlie wanted to eat together today and I was in the mood to oblige him, hoping he'd be in the mood to oblige me with other things later.

It was rather mundane information that changed very infrequently. The ship was functioning fine and both of our massive Rolls Royce fusion engines were outputting at 94% efficiency -- right where they were supposed to be to maintain a constant speed that was very nearly, although not quite, as fast as light. They didn't have to work too hard now, of course, space travel was really just a long boring drift from one place to another.

More importantly, the board always listed fleet information, which also rarely, but sometimes, changed. By now most all of the escape space ships had brought their communications online despite some problems with the general system. There were still about thirteen-hundred that were flying silent, but they could see us and we could see them. We knew which ships they were and where they evacuated from, but their passengers were not on the census and could not communicate with us.

And then there were forty-seven vessels whose location was unknown. Many had been damaged or destroyed in the escape from earth -- an unfortunate reality in a mass exodus -- but some had been functioning fine until they unexpectedly dropped off the radar. These ship might have experienced critical failures of some sort -- maybe they just exploded one day (a discomforting thought that now crossed my mind whenever I thought about those two massive engines we were strapped to), or maybe they had a systems problem requiring them to stop and make repairs. If a call was received there was a system in place to go back for stranded ships, but otherwise we didn't know what happened to them. In fact, the escape vessel that most of the student population at Bribadge Third Level Uni, the girls' school across town, had been called back to respond to a distress signal from a ship that had left from Phoenix. This meant making a big u-turn and backtracking to rendezvous with the distressed ship, which wasn't all that dangerous, but it also meant they'd be out of contact with us for a while, messages between two vessels traveling near the speed of light in opposite directions being tricky.

Shortly before EV5977 (the Bribadge ship) had left, we also got the capability to send data mail between ships. I, of course, contacted my parents and any friends I could track down and even my seventh grade English teacher, and most everyone was deluged with mail. It had been a great moment on board, at least until Allie, my former girlfriend began writing me. Whoops. So you end up escaping from the destruction of earth and discover you're gay and then your girlfriend manages to cross time and space to track you down and start writing you love letters. Well that's awkward. As it turned out, she looked my name up on the census and assumed the minimal ten character message we were allowed to write was aimed at her. I'd written iokcu18lvD. This went over really well with Allie, a bit to my dismay. Argh. Well, I have some time to think about that one and in the meantime I wrote her a couple of times, just about life on the ship and stuff like that. She always wrote back about stroking my thighs or taking her bra off in front of me. I wasn't grossed out by girls or anything -- my time with Allie had been fun and I really did love her. It was just weird to know what to say about all this. I could have written a love letter back, sure, but that would feel weird since I was currently on the patrol for a boyfriend and/or other promiscuous male sexual partners. Sigh, another typical day in Devon's world.

This brings me up to Charlie and today's conversation, which he was obviously feeling was lacking my attention since he was sitting across from me at the table snapping his fingers in my direction.

"Hello, earth to Chasen, earth to Chasen. Come in Lieutenant Daydreamer," he was saying in a somewhat annoyed voice (although mercifully he wasn't tossing any of his food in my face).

"Yeah, sorry, what?" I reply, snapping back to the real world.

"Good lord, if I didn't keep you focused we'd never get anywhere."

"Sorry, I was just thinking," I say apologetically, piling my empty dishes on top of one another to indicate that I'm done eating and ready to return to the topic at hand.

Charlie quickly retorts, "Yeah, I know you were thinking. If you had half a chance, you'd daydream your way to Vega. As I was saying, I think AJ would be an ideal candidate for tending the wheat. I mean, really, we can't go wrong there. I'd have to ask him a couple of questions, but I think he'd be high on my list."

I roll my head back in frustration and groan. "Jeez, Charlie, do we have to talk about this here? The walls have ears, you know? It's kinda embarrassing."

It had been two weeks since I'd agreed with Charlie that bringing together some guys to try and start some sort of informal sex club was a good idea. Well, maybe it was a terrible idea, but it was one that got both our hormones in such a boil that it sure felt like a good idea. My agreement had had both good and bad repercussions.

On the one hand, I kept thinking back to the half-naked poker game I'd had with my flatmates the day of the heat wave. It had been hot (both literally and figuratively), and it was even hotter in my imagination when I replayed the event and it ended with us all dropping our briefs for a simultaneous wank. In fact, sitting here in the cafeteria I start to plump a little at the image. And yes, I think Charlie is right that if I'm ever to locate a boyfriend, or at least someone to have sex with that would be more than friends fucking (as Charlie and I were), locating the other gay guys on board was probably one way to narrow my list of prospects. Another benefit was that, indeed, it would give Charlie the chance to find another jerkoff buddy or boyfriend or whatever he wanted. He says he feels `mostly gay', which is kind of annoying and ambiguous, but given the situation (being stuck in space on a ship with mostly college age guys), I can tolerate a little indecision from him. Whatever Charlie was, I knew he was worried that if I ever found someone and fell in love he'd be left out, and I know that our tumbles together meant a little more than friends helping each other out, even if they didn't quite mean we were soul mates.

On the other hand, I was finding that Charlie was definitely a little less amorous with me lately. We still got together quite frequently, but he wasn't in the mood as often and even turned me down once or twice. He was busy with work -- keeping the scrubs in line -- but there was something else to it, something I didn't really press him on. I figured he was trying to keep a little distance from me. We'd talked about not falling in love and staying friends, and our friendship was open and honest for us to both feel comfortable with where the other one was at, so I was sure he wasn't starting to fall for me or afraid that I was falling for him. I guessed he probably wanted to tone things down a little, either because we weren't going to be romantic lovers no matter how many times we rubbed off on each other, or because he didn't want to depend on that from me too much, knowing a day would come when I'd find the guy of my dreams and skirt off to his bed every night.

Charlie was also a little annoyingly gung-ho about the wank club. We'd decided on discretion, but he was so into the idea that sometimes he forgot to tone down the volume in public. I'd at least got him to start using code words, one being `tending the wheat', an expression he'd come up with in honor of our moderately hot encounter in the farm. I wasn't sure his code was all that great, but the images the memory conjured gave me a boner every time.

He was rather adamant about the subject tonight, and I could tell I was going to have to commit to an extended conversation, I just didn't want to do it here.

"I don't know what you're worried about, no one can hear us if we keep our voices down and it's not like anyone cares about `farm duty schedules' anyway. What could happen?" Charlie responds to my concern.

"What'cha guys doin'?" Jason comes up behind Charlie, eyeing his notepad suspiciously. Jason was one of the scrubs, a group of middle school kids that had ended up on board with little to no supervision, at least until Charlie had been put in charge. Jason had a penchant for turning up whenever you didn't want him around, and his overly large green eyes had a particular talent for noticing anything you didn't want him to see. One night he'd wandered into our flat, and upon entering the living room instantly noticed that Chris was watching porn on his wrist screen, this despite the fact that Chris was twenty feet away and the screen was like one inch square. We'd praised him for being so astute, although it was then annoying to spend three days avoiding questions about `dirty pictures'.

"Uh, we're just working on some of the farm crap. What are you doing up here? I thought the scrubs had the field in bottomside tonight." Charlie had managed to get them weekly time on the football field, he'd insisted they should get two hours a week, which all the older guys disagreed with, but in the end Eden had approved a designated time for the middle-schoolers.

"My night out of rotation. Usually I watch, but I wanted to hang out with you guys. Hey, are you going to start working with AJ? He's pretty cool. But I thought he was in tech."

Jason was looking at Charlie's pad, where he'd scribbled AJ's name on the `wheat tending' list. I arched my eyebrow at Charlie, silently conveying the comment that this was exactly why I didn't want to talk about fucking other guys in the open cafeteria.

"Uh, no," Charlie lies, "he's not working with us. Devon needs him to check one of the wheat beds. For some reason, the grass keeps getting tramped down. We think it's the watering system coming down too close to the ground."

I arch my eyebrow further, not really appreciative of Charlie's story involving the grass he very well knows is flattened because he and I often trample it together when making out in the farm. I don't like him lying to Jason, not because I care, but because I suspect that a twelve year-old can always instinctively tell when an adult is not telling them the complete truth and Jason already follows us around enough.

"Hey," I interject, "if you don't want to watch the game, Reid and Patrick are working on some schematics in our room. I know they'd let you help, if you're bored. Charlie and I have to go do some work, but we'll be up there later." This wasn't a lie, per se. Reid and Patrick were totally swamped doing some schematic work, and Patrick adored Jason. Something about the really smart kid brought out the older brother in Patrick. So he always liked having Jason around and would be happy to let him help with their work tonight, even if he hadn't specifically asked me to sic the kid on them. Jason was smart, but being five years older I was a little smarter still, and I knew he would almost certainly jump on an opportunity to go hang with the cooler `older kids'.

"Really?" Jason jumps for the bait excitedly, his green eyes opening to a seemingly impossible width. Yep, I'm still smarter. Still, his grin immediately changes to a look of slight skepticism. "Really, I mean you're not lying to get rid of me are you?"

"What? C'mon Jason, when have I ever lied to you? Call Patrick on your wristcom if you want. I swear, they got off work a half hour ago and told me they'd be up late doing the scheme stuff. I'm not totally sure they'll stay in our room the whole time, but if you go up there now you can catch them for sure."

And it wasn't a lie, although Charlie was smiling at me wryly for my slyness. But it works and Jason hurries off, but only after promising that we'll join them later. We'd planned to, but possibly not for a while, and we tell him that we'll be up eventually.

The incident with Jason convinces Charlie that talking in the cafeteria isn't the wisest idea, and although he makes me promise to resolve the issue of our `invitation list' tonight, he agrees to do it walking through some of the less crowded areas of the ship so as to not be overheard.

We leave the cafeteria and make our way down to the commons main lobby, which will of course be packed this time of night, but I have a pretty good idea where we can go. I lead Charlie to the rear of the lobby and under the decorative arch that marks the beginning of the hallway leading to the rear observation deck. It's the perfect place to have a covert conversation, really, long and usually empty, you can see someone coming up on you from a hundred yards away and you can pace up and down if you need time to talk. Besides, I like the murals.

We walk about a quarter of the way in silence. Charlie shifts his notepad from hand to hand. I know he's eager to talk about this, but he also doesn't want to push me. We'd agreed on most of the details -- we'd make a list of at least three other prospective guys - guys we thought were either gay or would be open to experimenting, then we invite them to a poker night in Charlie's unoccupied flat. A little alcohol, Charlie gets me to tell a dirty story, we get the other guys horny, then (hopefully) before you know it we have a circle jerk. Uncomfortable awkwardness follows, everyone goes home, and the gay ones accept an invitation the following week, now knowing what they're in for. It wasn't the most complicated plan, and we'd kind of pieced our idea together from a bunch of erotic stories we'd pulled up on the net, but I thought it had a shot. Well, as long as the invite list was well chosen. And that's where we were now.

We'd immediately eliminated all our flatmates, at least the ones we bunked with. If things didn't work out and went sour, at least then we wouldn't have to go home to awkwardness. So Reid and Patrick were out, as well as Beck and Charlie's bunk mates. Well, Chris was never on the list. Definitely hetero, and exactly the kind of personality we were looking to avoid (angry, prone to punching things and/or people). But Charlie had mentioned AJ, who lived in our flat but a different room. It was against the rules, but AJ sure was cute.

I decide to break the silence and open the conversation. "I don't know about AJ. I mean, he's hot. Hotter than hot, but what we said about guys in the flat..."

"I know, I know," Charlie cuts me off, "Momentary weakness. He's just too cute, you know? I caught him in a towel in the bathroom the other day. Only it had slipped way down his waist. The guy is super-smooth and has the best abs. And man, those eyes are so fucking hot. But I know, no one in the flat. Sorry."

Charlie was right. AJ was in A-room in our flat, and he was a hottie. We didn't know him that well -- he was a little older and usually hung with Reagan and Ben, two of his roommates. But of the five guys in that room, he was the best looking. Well, to be honest the other guys in that room all looked a little dorky, and AJ was probably one of the hottest guys on the ship. Thin and really tall with perfectly brown skin. His ears were a little large, a flaw, sure, but whereas my big ears stuck out of the side of my head and made me look a little nerdy, his somehow acted as markers drawing your attention to his huge, beautiful dark eyes. And man were his eyes hot -- expressive and intense, they seemed to cry out to you `come to me, touch me, love me'. And to top it all off, we rated AJ eight stars (on a scale of ten) as to being gay and/or experimental. Dang it, now Charlie has me wanting to break the rules and invite him too.

"Nope, no flatmates. Bad idea, definitely not," I blurt out a little too adamantly, more for my benefit than Charlie's. He jumps as my voice booms down the empty hallway.

"God, Devon, ok. I agreed for fuck's sake."

"I know," I reply, pinching his butt and running around a pylon onto one of the moving sidewalks at the last minute so that I took off, leaving Charlie standing on the regular path. "I just like it in here when someone talks LOUDLY!"

My voice echoes in the emptiness and Charlie giggles, picking up a fast walk to catch up with me. I help him out by walking in the opposite direction of the moving sidewalk so that my position remains stationary. He comes up alongside me and leans on the railing while I shuffle along.

"So, anyway," Charlie rolls his eyes at me. Mostly I like getting a rise out of him, especially if it's the part I'm thinking of doing the rising. "Back to the topic at hand."

"I know. And I know you think I didn't do my homework and now you have to spank my poor little scrub ass," pretending I was a scrub and Charlie was the stern administrator had become a joke I rather enjoyed, and I'd considered maybe it would be a good game for the bedroom, but I didn't propose it because we weren't really into playing quite like that. "But I did. I made a list, just like you wanted."

"Ok," Charlie replies suspiciously, not sure if I'm serious or about to give him a ridiculous list of made up names. I consider the latter, but I don't want to piss him off tonight. I really need to get off, and if I cooperate I think he'll indulge me.

"So, first off, you remember how I told you about Sean and Dog? I think they're natural candidates. I mean, we know they jerk off together, and maybe more. If we got them a little drunk, they'd either do it with us or not mind. I'm sure they wouldn't be grossed out, and I'm definitely sure they won't blab to anyone even if they don't end up joining in."

"And you think you can get them to come?"

I laugh and take the softball Charlie has pitched, "I'm Devon, last gay boy from earth, I can get anyone to cum." And with that I reach over the rail and playfully grab at Charlie's crotch. He giggles. I may not be taking this one-hundred percent seriously, but as long as I'm mostly on topic he'll be happy. I let the walkway start carrying me through the tunnel again and Charlie begins walking to catch up.

"Ok, so that's two for you. I have a guy in mind. We were friends back on earth. I mean, not really close, but we had a couple of classes together."

"Is he cute?"

"Oh yeah. I never saw him totally naked, but he's pretty well defined for a skinny guy. Well, I mean he has that boyish physique like me where the muscles aren't quite there yet, but it's not like he's twelve. Anyway, I can't say that he's gay, but he has a, hmm, feel about him. Quiet, soft spoken. And nice. He may or may not play with us, but I don't think he'd go crazy if things got sexy. I mean, we definitely have to give these guys an `out' so they can leave if they don't like what's happening."

"Totally," I agree. "So who's this boyish-not-quite-manly friend of yours?"

"Uh, his name is Mike. Mike Albers. He works down on..."

"What?!" I interrupt loudly. Mike Albers was the cute guy I'd caught jerking off back when I was into spying on guys through the vents.

Charlie looks at me confused. "What? What'd I say?"

"Remember how I told you I used to roam the emergency access tunnels trying to spy on guys? One afternoon I totally caught Mike in his room whacking it. And I mean really going at it. Oh yeah, you can invite him. If you think he'll come."

Charlie knew about my spying, and I'd given him some details, but I hadn't told him the names of who I'd caught doing dirty stuff until I'd filled him in on Sean and Dog, and that was only to explain my rationale for inviting them.

"What, Mike was that guy? No freaking way."

"Yep, totally," I smile a little in triumph, as if spying on the guys somehow gave me points in some bigger game, "and unlike you I did see him naked. All the way naked. He is cuter than cute, and you want to know the best part?"

Charlie swallows without answering. I don't need a reply; he always wants to know the best part.

"He has this adorable dick that curves out and upwards, like some cute little arrow. It's totally hot, and he gets off by pulling it down and letting it spring back up. It's soooo hot. You wouldn't believe it."

Charlie makes an elaborate motion out of putting Mike's name on his gardening list. "Ok, then. He's on the list. And that's five of us. That should be good."

"Not just good, totally hot." The wank club was Charlie's thing, but it got my motor running too. The guys we'd listed were all cute and known to be open-minded, and I would not mind playing with them at all.

By then we'd reached the end of the tunnel and entered the darkened observation deck. As normal, the lights were kept off to maximize stargazing potential, and like normal the massive room was totally empty. Except that it wasn't.

Seated across the room against one of the giant clear panels that looked out into space was a solitary figure. I could see their silhouette against the outside light. I continued into the room curiously, and Charlie followed. It wasn't uncommon for two or three guys to congregate in here, mostly people came to reminisce about earth. After all, it did look out into the great infinite beyond behind us, ever reminding us what all we left behind.

I didn't recognize that the solitary figure was Conner until we were within ten feet of him -- the room was pretty dark. When I did, I said hello.

"Oh, hey Devon, what's up?" he asks. He looks beat.

"Not much, we were just getting away from the noise in the cafeteria, and the scrubs. This is my friend Charlie," the two shake hands. I never thought about it, but I guess they don't know each other. These days I tend to hang with Charlie or Conner, but never together. Weird. "So what are you up to?"

Conner stretches and yawns. "Ugh, nothing. Eden has this whole council security meeting thing in our flat and I was tired after work so I thought I'd come down here. It's always quiet. My room is a little chaotic these days."

"Yeah, no kidding," I agree. Since winning the election, Eden had been working around the clock to improve things on the ship. And he'd really taken charge. As promised in his campaign, he formed a janitorial staff comprised of anyone on probation after brig time. They'd be required to serve six months after getting out, and to make his point he put his electoral competitor, Steve Caine, on that staff. Now like forty guys were working full time doing shit detail stuff. It wasn't all of it, it wasn't even most of it, but everyone on board appreciated that their load was a little lighter. Well, everyone except Steven and his douche bag friends.

Mostly Eden worked out of an office he'd taken in the commons, but there were also a lot of late night meetings at Conner's place.

Charlie and I chatted with Conner a bit. He filled us in on all the political stuff going on, which bored me but interested Charlie. Eden was thinking of proposing a security force -- guys to train as a kind of officer's corps so that they'd eventually replace the existing crew. It was a good idea, and one many ships were implementing. I mean, we didn't want to get five years in and have our captain keel over with no one knowing how to fly this thing. Then Conner asked about my work, as well as Charlie's efforts with the scrubs. Charlie tells him about Jason and his covert capabilities, without of course telling Conner why we didn't want Jason around.

"Well, you're not doing a very good job dodging him, here he comes up the tunnel now," Conner informs us.

Charlie and I both spin around in a motion that almost makes us both fall over and also threatens to send our skulls careening into one another. I expect to see little Jason grinning at us from the light of the tunnel, but the room is still totally empty except for the three of us. We look around at Conner questioningly.

"No, ha, I'm just kidding. He's not back there."

"Oh very funny," I tell him, feigning anger. Charlie laughs, though. After a while we decide to head up to our room -- it's late and both Charlie and I are getting tired. We invite Conner to walk back with us, but he declines and says he wants to stick around a little longer.

Once we get about halfway down the tunnel, Charlie begins talking. "What about putting him on the list? He's pretty cute. Do you think he'd go along?"

"Conner?" I ask. "I don't know, maybe. But he's straight. And older than us. And a really good friend. No, I don't think it's a good idea."

It's not like I couldn't develop a crush on Conner, but I didn't want to ruin a friendship because of a stupid wank club. It was a hot idea, but not that hot. I'd done my due diligence and gone through my list of close friends, and no one came to mind. But Sean, Dog and Mike would do. It's not like there was an abundance of hot possibly gay guys on board. That we knew about. But hey, there was one I'd forgotten.

"Hey, what about Zane?" I ask Charlie. Zane was a little older than us -- twenty I think -- but he always admitted openly to being bisexual. And he was adorable, if not predictable. I'm not sure why I hadn't thought of him before, except that I didn't see as much of him now that we worked the same job in separate parts of the ship.

"Zane? Really? You think he'd be open to it?"

"Open? The guy is open to everything. He announced to our entire training class that he's slept with both guys and girls, and on more than one occasion. He'll do anything if he thinks it's fun, and he makes most things fun."

"Really?" Charlie thought about Zane for a minute. He knew him a little, and so he knew what he looked like. But Zane was boisterous and unpredictable. I knew Charlie was mulling over the risks of having someone like that on board versus the reward. Zane would almost assuredly push the night in a more sexual direction if he wanted to, but would he want to?

"And hey, he's got that floppy brown hair," I point out one of Zane's more desirable attributes. I know Charlie likes longer hair -- he keeps telling me to grow mine out.

"Yeah, if you think he'll come. He'll be like three years older than any of us, but if he'll come I'd be totally into that."

And so it was decided. After two weeks of pestering me, Charlie and I had come up with our list. We'd designate a night, invite Sean, Dog, Mike and Zane for some poker and liquor, get them drunk and maybe a little high, then see if we could get the zippers to come down. The plan was set in stone, and Charlie and I agreed there was no going back on the deal.

ii

The next morning, I went back on the deal.

Well, I didn't go back on it exactly. Mostly I just caught Charlie in the bathroom and told him not to send invitations because I was nervous and didn't want to do it any longer. Ok, ok, so I went back on the deal.

This resulted in two things. First, by lunchtime I got my balls back and messaged Charlie that I was in again. Secondly, it pissed Charlie off to no end and he didn't talk to me for two days. Whoops. While I waited for him to come around, I made some preparations of my own. We'd decided to hold our poker night in the unoccupied flat we used, just not in the room Charlie had set up because that was like our private space. Besides, we didn't want things to seem too contrived. So I went about setting up b-room in the flat, which happened to be where I'd jerked Charlie off while he was sleeping several weeks back. Sigh, I have such fond memories of that bed.

Anyway, I felt bad about pissing Charlie off, so I wanted to go the extra mile in setting up. I spent an entire afternoon reading the 400 page instruction manual for the mattresses to try and figure out how to do it, but eventually I figured out how to change the programming on the inflatable polymer so that I could make different shapes. This allowed me to drag five or six mattresses into the middle of the room and `inflate' them so that they formed a cushioned circle that almost looked like recessed seating. Or a beanbag catastrophe. Either way, they were set up so that we could sit comfortably in the middle of the room and play cards (and do whatever else).

I figured Charlie would take care of the liquor, so I left that to him, but I did dig out some porn and hide it strategically in the room. Who knows, maybe we'd find ourselves in a situation where Charlie or I needed to rummage through a drawer and came out with some dirty vids. Then we suggest we all watch for the novelty, and one thing leads to another. A cheap ploy, but hey, whatever works, right?

In doing all of this I felt like such the little schemer. It made me hard, to be honest. Like really, really hard. All the time. And maybe it was partially the sexy furniture layout or the hidden smut, but it was mostly the secret secondary part of my plan, something I hadn't even mentioned to Charlie. Yep, I was a sexy little schemer all right.

The thing is, twice before I'd been spied on by this mystery guy. Once he watched me jerk off Charlie in this very room through the vent. Oh very clever. Later he'd snuck up on me in the scanning room in the hospital and wanked me off while I was in the CMR machine. I didn't see his face either time and had no idea who he was. All I knew what that he was hot, into me in some way or other, and had a tattoo of a black flower on his hip. Well, and I knew that he liked to watch. And maybe he liked to watch because that was his thing, albeit a little weird and creepy, or maybe he was too shy to let me know who he was. Either way, I'd decided that he should be invited to the wank club.

To accomplish this, I posted notes in the emergency access tunnels in two or three of the main junctions. They were simple and ambiguous: `Group fun, place you first watched me watch him sleeping. Aug 6, 8ish. Come hang, or watch if you like. D'. I figured if he still patrolled the tunnels he'd find one, and really no one else was supposed to be in there since the surveys had all been completed, so no one else would see the notes. I still had my key, though, and I figured he had his as well. Then on the other side of the vent in b-room, I left a little joke for my phantom. There I placed a single white sock -- the same sock (I think, they all look alike) he'd stolen from me to clean up the first night and then left with me in the medical bay. I still wasn't sure if the voyeurism was creepy or not, but I felt like it was kind of a turn on to invite the mystery guy.

Once Charlie came around and started talking to me again, we got our act together and decided to do things sooner rather than later (he said because he was a little nervous, but I'm pretty sure it was because he thought I'd change my mind again.) We did discuss the list again, and I have to admit we thought about taking Mike off. He seemed kind of young and shy -- he was the one guy I just wasn't sure about having over. In the end, I gave Charlie the ok to include everyone we'd discussed, and he sent out an invite on his wrist com for Friday night. It didn't take long to get a positive response from everyone -- Fridays were boring and we were on a space ship. Poker and booze always sounded like a good idea.

iii

Friday came and I got jittery about the whole thing. Jittery and horny. I had to serve food for a couple of hours in the afternoon, and I was constantly trying not to show wood.

After work I headed up to the flat and Charlie was already there, making final preparations. When I entered the room we'd be playing cards in, he was arranging bottles on a shelf. I noted that he'd brought out some of his better liquor acquisitions.

"Hey, Devon," he said kind in a kind of happy, nervous stammer that was decidedly unlike Charlie.

"Hey," I replied, "you look all ready for, well, for something." It was true. Charlie was looking pretty hot tonight, dressed in a moderately trendy button down shirt. He'd even brushed his hair, which was always cute either way.

"Thanks!" he exclaimed earnestly.

Charlie went on to explain the `game plan', which I'd left mostly up to him. We'd play cards for a while, and he'd let the booze flow freely. He'd even laced one of the vodka bottles with ViCia, which was a mild over-the-counter drug that was supposed to help you get frisky. Most guys our age didn't need help, and I said as much to Charlie, but he thought it would help things turn amorous.

He was a little bossy, to be honest. I think it was nerves. All he really wanted was for everyone to end up jerking off together and enjoying it enough to do it more regularly, and I didn't think that required too much over planning, but he'd thought of everything, or so it seemed. We'd let the guys take things in a sexual direction. If they didn't we'd push the evening in that direction, probably by Charlie suggesting something and me saying it was lame. This would allow us to gauge reaction to see if we should go further. Charlie ran like forty scenarios by me -- what if they went along, what if they didn't, what if one did, what if I got sick to my stomach, what if time stopped, and so forth.

Eventually Mike arrived -- he was a half hour early, but it shut Charlie up, which I was glad for. Mike Albers was, as always, a real cutie. Short chestnut hair and big brown eyes. Tonight he was dressed casually in a t-shirt and jeans, but I also noticed that he was wearing a beaded necklace, which I thought was rather hot.

We chatted about his duties on the ship. He worked as an admin for one of the higher ups, work that he said he enjoyed. He shifted around a little when he talked, folding his arms this way then that. I got the sense that he was a little shy and felt a little awkward being here, although he seemed happy to have been invited at all.

Sean and Dog arrived next, together as usual. The time I spied on them was really a sexual awakening for me, and although I'll never tell them that, every time I see them I have a little nostalgia about `my first time'. And it makes me a little hard. Dang it, I skirt over to the couch and plop down so that I can soften up.

Zane arrived last, and slaps me hard on the back upon entering the room, greeting me affectionately. He's in his work clothes, and I assume he just got off. Well, this is Zane. To be honest, he might have been wearing them since yesterday afternoon. I'm glad he came. I wasn't sure he'd come hang out with us since we're all a little younger, but he's here and that's cool. Especially if things work out. Zane is a hottie, and his floppy brown hair sticking out from under his ballcap in all directions doesn't disappoint tonight either.

There isn't anything remarkable about this gathering, other than the fact that Charlie and I keep exchanging nervous glances, then quickly looking away so that no one else notices. It's just a typical Friday night on the ship, and we tell stories and drink and play cards like any group of rowdy teenagers. We play for two or three hours, Charlie refilling everyone's glasses when appropriate. I notice that he eventually switches to the sneak vodka bottle when mixing drinks and even tries to slip one to me. I arch my eyebrow at him and he passes that one to Mike.

xes

Eventually the guys start to get tired of cards. They're all a little tipsy, and the game gets dull. Zane creams me and Charlie, but Mike sneaks a big win and captures a pile of chips. As things wind down, Charlie and I keep looking at each other. We'd considered raising the stakes to a game of strip poker, which seemed erotic and exciting in concept. Now it feels awkward and weird, like maybe it's something that should remain in silly erotic fiction stories.

Charlie makes a motion to me, which I take to mean he wants me to say something. I shake my head. He looks at me annoyed. Hey, this is his party. If he wants people to take their cocks out, he can be the one to ask.

But then Zane does our work for us.

"Well this is getting lame," he announces, eyeing his tiny pile of chips. "Hey, have any of you guys ever played info or actions?"

We all had. It was a simple enough schoolyard game -- you took turns and challenged the player of your choice to info or actions. They chose info, you got to ask them any question and they had to answer it honestly. Action and you challenged them to some feat of daring.

"Dude, that's lame," Charlie chimed in. Info and actions was well known as a game that often led to sexual mischievousness, and I think Charlie's objection was a ploy on his part to try and get us all to agree to a game.

"No, no man, it's like I don't know any of the guys here that well, well except Dev here," I'm sitting to his left and he slaps me on my leg. Ouch. "It's a good way to get to know people. And it's a hell of a lot better than strip poker, which is where I'm gonna end up if I keep playing like I have been. You're a fucking card shark over there, Mikey."

Mike flushes a little at the mention of his name and looks shyly to the huge pile of chips in front of him.

"Yeah, I'm up for it. Poker's getting kinda boring," I chime in. Whew, all of a sudden I'm a little flushed. I haven't had that much to drink. Maybe that bastard gave me the ViCia after all. I'll have to ask him later.

Sean and Dog, who tend to be pretty quiet guys, also give their consent. Mike looks uncertain.

Zane doesn't wait for further discussion and tells everyone to toss the cards and chips aside. We do and pull into a tighter circle. The pillow formation I'd designed is working brilliantly, I note. It forces us to sit in a small circle with about two feet between us. I'm between Zane and Charlie, with Charlie on my left. Then Mike, then Dog, then Sean.

"Ok, I'll go first," Zane dictates, "Let's see. How `bout the guy I know the least -- Mike, info or action?"

Mike sits up straighter and looks a little more awkward. "Uh, info," he says quietly.

"Ok you little bastard, what I want to know is this. How the holy fuck did you pull that fourth ten out of your ass?" Zane laughs. He's referring to the hand Mike decimated us all with.

Mike laughs, clearly relieved he's not going to have to reveal some deep secret, at least not yet. "I don't know, dude," he responds, "I guess I'd say sometimes you're hot, and sometimes..." he nods in Zanes direction, indicating that Zane's luck had run a little cold tonight.

"Ha, that's too true, I sucked the big one tonight," Zane replies. He looks over to Charlie. "Your turn, Charles."

Charlie challenges me, and asks me to tell about the drunkest I've ever been. I think he's referring to the night we hooked up, but that wasn't the drunkest I'd ever been and I don't tell that story. Then Mike asks Charlie about who he liked back at school and Dog asked Zane about where he grew up. Everyone chooses info for quite a while, and we talk about typical boy stuff. What we like, what we hate. Funny stories. Farting. Drinking. Our best score at our favorite games. We laugh. We listen. We bond.

But like all rounds of info or actions, there was a slight sexual tension to the game and it wasn't long before the game became sexual in nature. It was Zane that did it, of course, and I should have guessed it would be him, if anyone. The guy talks about sex half the time, so it's no surprise that he uses his next turn to steer the game in that direction. He looks mischievously from guy to guy. I know him well enough to know he's about to do something very `Zane', so I'm kind of hoping he won't call on me. The guy has no boundaries. On the other hand, that may turn to our favor considering what we want to get up to tonight.

"Ok, hmm, let's see...ok, Dog -- info or action?" Dog squirms a little and flushes, also obviously aware that being called on by Zane is potentially the most embarrassing situation in this game. His questions, with the exception of the first one, have all been a little personal.

"Err, um, info," he replies. A good choice, I'm not sure anyone would want to be dared to an action by Zane.

Instantly, as if he'd been absolutely prepared for this round and knew who he was going to call on and what they'd request and what he'd ask, Zane proposes his challenge, "Ok, I want you to tell us in detail -- and I mean in detail -- about the hottest sexual experience you've ever had."

My ears perk up, and I can see Charlie shift a little out of the corner of my left eye. Ok, so here we go, this is certainly more promising than some of the previous turns. Maybe the alcohol and ViCia was starting to take effect, or maybe it's just Zane's nature to take this in a sexual direction. Whatever the reason, I'm eager to hear what Dog has to say. I know about one particularly hot sexual encounter he's had, but I'm not sure this is the one he'll choose considering it would mean revealing that he and Sean are sex buddies. He thinks about it for a minute and then starts telling his story.

"Uh, well, so back at school I develop this HUGE crush on this girl called Caryn." A girl? Dang it, I was hoping we'd get a better story than some sorority chick he'd banged. Well, fair's fair, and sex stories can be hot either way, so I settle to listen. "She had these huge blue eyes and killer legs and all, and all I could ever do was think about her. Eventually we started dating, right? And so I'm like totally in love with her right away and she's all I can think about, and I guess all I ever talk about too." Sean rolls his eyes and nods in agreement. They'd been best friends at school, and I could immediately picture him bored by a thousand Caryn stories.

"So anyway," Dog continues, "my friends don't really like Caryn for whatever reason. Like one of my oldest friends, Laura, hates her, and all I ever want to talk about is Caryn and all she ever wants to talk about is not talking about Caryn. Then the guys aren't that cool with her either. I don't know, in retrospect I guess she was kind of a bitch with great eyes.

"One day, I'm in my room with my friend just babbling away about Caryn, as usual, and I have my back turned folding laundry on the bed. I guess the Caryn stories ran their course or whatever, because all of a sudden, uh, she grabs me from behind, which kind of startled me at first obviously, but she spins me around and tells me to shut up. Before I know it, my pants are around my knees and I'm getting my first blow job. The thing is, Caryn and I kissed, but she was totally frigid, or maybe conservative or something, because we'd never done anything in bed, and so all of a sudden all that pent up sexual energy was finding an outlet and I was totally in heaven, even though I figured it was a bad idea to let my friend suck me off. But you know how it is, once your dick is in someone's mouth it's hard to say stop, and it was awesome. The hottest thing ever."

Dog stops the story there, and I'm about to take my turn when Zane chimes in, clearly not yet satisfied with the extent of the story, "Wait, wait, wait. I said in detail. So, did you finish?"

"Yeah, well, you know...yeah, of course..." Dog replied. He can't help turning a little red and smiling sheepishly at Zane's follow-up question.

"And?" Zane asks, waiting a second for Dog to elaborate before he continues questioning him, "And when you `yeah, you know, of course' finished, was it like in the mouth or not, and was there spitting or not?"

"Dude, that's kind of gross, don't be such a pervert!" Mike chimes in, laughing, the shy guy unexpectedly taking on the alpha personality of the group. He realizes this right after he blurts it out, and he's now probably afraid it's earned him Zane's attention on the next go-round. Zane flashes him an evil smile that tells me that's exactly what will happen. Well, nice to know you, Mike - next round you're screwed, that's all I can say.

"Well, it's not a detailed sex story without the money shot," Zane replies to Mike, a little more than snidely.

Dog isn't reluctant to continue, and although he's a little flushed from the tale, I can tell that he's enjoying sharing his sexual conquest with the group. Well, I guess in this case a sexual conquest of him, not by him.

He continues, "I, uh, well the first time someone does that you, uh, well you don't really know what they'd think about spraying them in the mouth. So I pulled out and finished myself." Zane arches his eyebrows, a cue Dog picks up on to mean even more elaboration. He finishes his story talking about three times faster than he had been, "Ok, ok, so I came harder than I ever had before in my life and I totally sprayed all over my friend's chest, and it was hot, ok? Totally hot to be sucked off, and totally hot to see my spunk dripping all over bare skin. But it was also a little awkward. Well, at first, but eventually I dumped Caryn and things with my friend worked out and in the end everyone was happy Caryn was gone. The end. No more story, unless you want to ask me about other sexual adventures later on, which I will say there are some, but you asked about the hottest, not all of them."

Zane laughs, "Yeah, yeak, ok, that's all I wanted to know. Where you sprayed. Sexy, but you stayed courteous. Way to go, man." Dog blushes a deeper shade of red.

But Sean is blushing a little too, nothing overly overt, but something I pick up on because I know about the history between these two. It dawns on me that Dog has phrased his story a little oddly -- never specifying if the Laura he mentioned was the person who had sucked him, and although he hesitantly used the pronoun `she', I have to wonder if he wasn't altering the facts a little. And then there was his minor slip. It seemed somehow more likely that Sean, and not his friend Laura, would be bare-chested in the dorms on a Saturday afternoon, although when he said he blew on a naked chest I'm sure he could have meant she took her shirt off. Still something about the story was off. I had a feeling we'd been treated to the first sexual encounter between these two guys -- a jealous Sean becoming more and more annoyed by Dog's obsession with Caryn, a jealousy that eventually pushed him over the edge and led him to jump on an oblivious Dog's pole one boring afternoon. Now that was hot -- a daring move by Sean that was destined to end one relationship or the other. Well, Dog was sitting here with him and not Caryn, so apparently the gamble paid off.

I could test my theory, of course. It was my turn, and I could call on Dog and outright ask him who the mystery sex partner was. I considered that this might introduce a homosexual aspect to our game, which could go either way. It could get everyone a little hornier and more comfortable, or it could scare everyone off. It might also piss Sean and Dog off - I'm not sure they'd want their relationship, whatever it was, revealed. But everyone seems relaxed and a little tipsy, although not outright drunk, so it feels like a good time to take things up a notch. Well, and then there's Mike, who has been drinking regularly and weighs like forty-seven pounds, but doesn't seem buzzed at all, and is fidgeting around nervously. Poor guy, he was the one person Charlie and I weren't sure would be ok with the plan tonight, and I feel kind of bad that this all seems a little hard on him. I consider that maybe I should end the game, but on the other hand Mike's grown up enough to leave if he gets too uncomfortable. But maybe I can make an effort to make things as non-humiliating on him as possible.

And that presents option number two for my turn. I know that Zane will be gunning for Mike next round, and although a lot could happen in the next five turns, I figure that no one is really going to be daring enough to go after Zane, who is, as it turns out, apparently the ideal Info or Action player. Well, that is unless I go after Zane, somehow deflecting his revenge towards me, and maybe, hopefully, humiliating him a little so he's not so overtly aggressive. And that's what I decide to do.

"Ok...Zane -- info or action?" I ask. He smiles in surprise, probably not thinking he'd ever be called on since he's obviously up for pretty much any challenge.

"Action, my man, action. Always action," he replies.

Hmm, I had kind of expected him to choose info since that was what everyone was doing so far, in which case I was going to ask him to tell an embarrassing story. Now I'd have to think up a challenge that would be somewhat embarrassing and make him feel a little exposed. Hey, that's it.

"Ok, Zane, your action is that you have to take off your shirt and pants for the rest of the game."

I figure if he's in his underwear he'll be a little less unruly, which was probably a mistaken assumption on my part, but as it turns out that's something we'll never know.

"Hey, no problem. I can lose my kit for you," Zane smiles at me evilly. Well, that part of the challenge worked. There's little question that I'll be the target of revenge on his next turn instead of Mike. Zane stands up and with great panache peels off his grey t-shirt. As much time as I've spent with the guy, it's always been at work and I've actually never seen him topless. My first impression is that for such a slacker he has a great body. His torso is compact and totally well defined -- he must spend a lot of time in the gym to have his rounded shoulders, sculpted pecs and that tight abdominal v-shape that thus far has completely eluded me.

For the first time I notice just how adorable Zane is. There's a bit of a primal quality to him, with his big brown eyes and ever-mussed curly chestnut hair. His largish round ears stick out a little from his head, and that combined with his big pink lips that are perpetually stationed into a mischievous grin have always made him look a little like a monkey to me, but a cute monkey. This is emphasized when he's shirtless, his arms are long and muscular hanging down at his side, and a dusting of downy chestnut fur splays across his pecs, culminating in a thin trail that leads the way downward into his jeans. I'm also a little shocked to see that both of his nipples are pierced with small gold rings, the metallic shine offset by the perfect pink hue of his nipples. Dang, the guy is hot, and I try to control an involuntary shudder that threatens to head down my spine in reaction to Zane standing over me undressing.

He wads his shirt into a ball and tosses it behind him, taking his time and clearly wanting to put on a bit of a show for us. I can tell that Sean and Dog are definitely checking him out, although trying to be subtle about it. Mike is kind of staring off to the side, and I consider again that it might have been a mistake to invite him. Zane then unzips his jeans and in one sweeping motion pulls them down and over his already naked feet, tossing the pants in the same direction of his discarded top. There, now he'll have to hang out in his undies for the rest of the game.

Except that he isn't wearing underwear.

It takes me a second to register this fact, since I'd expected a really goofy pair of boxer shorts to adorn him under his jeans. But no, as it turns out he wasn't wearing anything at all under there, and now he's standing in front of the group totally naked with the exception of his trademark dingy ballcap, a soft pendulous penis hanging low over generously proportioned balls, swaying slightly between his muscular thighs.

Almost nothing in the world can make people uncomfortable faster than a naked dude, and there's a kind of buzz in the room as the other five of us simultaneously blush, look away and take on a general air of embarrassment. "What?" Zane asks us, "Devon said no pants and no shirt, and that's what I did." He flops back down into the circle, and I imagine that I hear his dick slap against his body when he sits. He's within twelve inches of me, completely nude, and apparently completely unfazed. God dang it, somehow the round has totally backfired. He's not embarrassed and uncomfortable, everyone else is.

The game progresses, me trying to ignore the nude Zane and Sean and Dog clearly sneaking glances from across the circle. Eventually I even catch Mike checking Zane out a little, attention that Zane is clearly comfortable with. Some guys would cross their legs or try and hide it a little, but Zane is sitting with his legs protruding into the center of our circle, his manhood proudly on display and flopped over his left leg. It's pointed at me, actually, and I alternating between trying not to look at the plump brown tube and thinking about reaching out and grabbing it.

Charlie's turn is a little weak -- perhaps he's thrown by naked Zane, and he ends up asking Mike a moderately inane question about the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to him. Mike responds with a really funny story that indeed is really embarrassing, although not sexual in nature, and I wonder if the game will go nowhere despite the flagrant nudity introduced in this round. It's Mikes turn next, then Dog and then Sean, and I don't think any of them will get sexy with their challenges. But Mike surprises me, calling on Zane and getting the immediate response that he'll take action.

"Ok," he smiles, his thin brown eyebrows arched coyly, "tell me all about your hottest sexual experience ever."

"That's not action, that's info," Zane chuckles in response.

Mike smiles back, "No, the action is that I want a naked guy tell me about the hottest sex he's ever had. The story-telling is the action" Charlie giggles at this lawyerly bending of the rules, and Dog taps Mike on the shoulder, giving him a silent `low five' on the side. Zane could probably protest this interpretation of the info or actions rules, but he doesn't. That seems menacing somehow, like he knows he could turn anything to his favor.

"Ok," Zane begins, "So, let's see, the hottest sex ever? Hmm, tough one. You want Zane-on-girl or Zane-on-boy?"

"Uh, um," Mike stammers, turning red and not really knowing what to say. Dang, Zane is good at this. He can even make you squirm when you're the one challenging him.

He leans back, rubbing his pecs with both hands in a definitively manly manner. "Or how about a little something for everyone? This is a pretty hot one. Ok, so this one time I was in my room back at JDU and I had this girl Amanda with me. She was the hottest girl from Bribadge, or at least I thought so. But a little weird, you know? Well, my dates need to be a little weird, right? So anyway, she was like model-hot, and I'd been into her for a while. We'd finally gone out, gotten a little drunk, and were back at my place about to get it on. She did a sexy strip tease, then I did a sexy strip tease. I was juiced, you know? And then, just as she's about to go down on me -- and I mean her lips were like two inches from the tip -- my fucking roommate Thom walks in!"

The room exclaims horror in unison, Charlie laughing and stating how bad that situation would suck. Zane was a born entertainer -- he had us all instantly enrapt in his tale. It was even almost easy to forget he was telling it naked, other than the fact he gestured a lot with his hands, and the motion sometimes sent his dick flopping from one leg to the other.

"So anyway, in comes Thom, and I'm not shy, I mean obviously," Zane grabs his dick and waggles it a little at the circle. I'll give him that, he's not shy.

"But I was really into this chick and REALLY horny. Thom sees us and all apologizes and goes to leave, but Amanda calls him back. Like I said, the chick was weird. She wanted him to strip off, seeing as how he'd seen her naked. He refused at first, but she was really persuasive. Long story short, he gets naked and starts watching while she gets my motor going again. I figure `cool, let him watch', but she's not done there. Oh no. She calls Thom over to the bed, and although he doesn't want to, he's getting hard, and you kind of do whatever you're told when hard, right? She tells Thom that I'm totally in his hands tonight, and comes up with this really twisted game, and you're never going to believe this. She tells him that I've been dreaming of a blowjob from her for weeks (which was true), but that she was going to make me earn it. She has him stand up next to us and tells him that she'll do to me whatever I do to Thom, and that she'll give me as good as I give. It's a wacky situation, yeah, but Amanda knew I was bisexual so it wasn't that over the top."

"So anyway, if you think this ends up drawn out and awkward, nope. I wanted it bad by then, and so I take Thom in my mouth in about two seconds. He was a little small, but he tasted good and I gave him the best head I'd ever given. Amanda must have know I would, because she sucked me off better than anyone ever had. I blew in her mouth and Thom blew in mine. It was hot, clearly." Zane points to his cock, which is about a quarter erect from the memories he's sharing. Charlie fidgets in his seat, and I can tell by his body language he's getting a boner.

"The funny thing is," Zane finished his story, "Amanda was hot, but not quite my type. We never did it again. But Thom and I hit the sheets together like twenty times after that. That's what makes it hot for me, the fact I ended up sex buddies with someone else. Unexpected fucking is some of the best fucking to be had, mark my words."

The story charges up the sexual energy in the room. Well, the story or Zane's cock. I can see why he's into sex. He's got a pretty good piece of meat hanging between his legs. I've stolen enough glances to estimate that it's pretty long even soft. I'm hoping his chubbiness holds so that I can figure out something to ramp things up further on my next turn. As it turns out, I don't have to wait.

Dog challenges Mike, who must be into this despite being shy, because he chooses action.

"If you're going to ask everyone about their hot sex, we should be able to tell whether you like the story or not. Strip down to your undies."

Mike complies, although he seems a little nervous. Man, why the heck is everyone picking on the kid? Maybe because he seems like the easiest target. He turns around to strip off his pants and shirt, down to a pair of white boxer briefs. He plops back in the circle. Mike doesn't have anything to be shy about. Sure, he's a little underdeveloped and slight, but it's not like he doesn't have any muscles. In fact, he looks better built than I remember him, with some slight definition to his flat abs. Either he's been working out or he's growing up, but he's way hotter than he was when I spied on him through the vent. He doesn't have a boner, but he fills his shorts well enough. And his beads complete the picture, making him ten times as sexy.

"Nice," Zane tells him. "Good abs. We should work out together sometime."

Mike smiles appreciatively at Zane, who can be a truly nice guy despite being a terror at info or actions. Without really waiting, Sean takes his turn, challenging Dog. Charlie and I exchange a suspicious glance. Why would he challenge his friend?

Dog picks action, and Sean tells him that if Mike has to be in his undies, so does Dog. Dog rolls his eyes and strips off. It's the first time I've seen him naked since I'd spied on them two months ago, and it was really getting me going having all these objects of my lust in the same room. And Dog didn't disappoint. Thin and lanky and boyish, his floppy hair and sweet tummy were as much a turn on as ever. Man, I kinda envied Sean. Dog was hot.

So there we were, one nude guy and two guys in their briefs. Mike alternated between crossing his legs shyly and sticking them out in the circle like Zane was. I could tell that he was happy his little compact body was getting attention, but that fact wasn't totally overriding his bashful nature. Dog was in blue briefs, and seemed about as comfortable to be mostly nude as could be.

And then it was Zane's turn.

He eyes Mike directly, a harsh stare boring into him. Mike instantly goes back to protective stance', pulling his legs together. "Oooooooookkkkkkkkkk," Zane draws it out, torturing the kid, let's see, Devon."

He turns to me, smiling. I can't help but show surprise that I didn't expect him to call on me. He smiles, and I swear under my breath. Ok, Devon, don't back down. "Let's see, Zane," I state smarmily, "why don't you choose for me. Info or action, I don't care."

"Ha ha," he laughs, obviously happy about my attitude, "very good. Ok, I'm gonna have to say action."

Oh wonderful.

"I see you sitting over there being a little `looky-loo' ever since you had me strip off." I flushed, busted.

"How about this? For your action, for thirty seconds I want you to stroke the part of me that you're most interested in."

It's an outrageous challenge, clearly mired in sexual innuendo. Sean and Dog smile at me, curious if I'll take the bait. Mike still looks uncomfortable, but relieved that this isn't his challenge, which it very well could have been. Still, he's distracted enough by the somewhat dirty dare to have returned to his full underwear display position.

I consider grabbing Zane by the dick, which is clearly what he either wants or wants me to refuse. I scoot over to him, although it's not a very far scoot. Our legs tough and I reach over to him, slowly moving my hand towards his crotch. There is a palpable tension in the air. We're all buzzed, and I'm sure becoming hornier by the minute. Still, a challenge is a challenge, and I decide to take Zane's on honestly and with gusto.

When my hand is about four inches from his dick I change direction and move it upwards towards his head. He shifts a little in surprise, but I keep going, pulling off his cap and tossing it aside. Zane has beautiful hair, and I have always wanted to feel the longish curls that flop down around his ears and over his forehead. I'd love to feel that gorgeous dick too, but if I'm going to be truthful this is his most attractive part to me.

I run my fingers through the soft curls, feeling the way they twist. Zane's hair is messy and unkempt, but it's softer than imaginable. I'm not sure if I take thirty seconds or thirty minutes, but I feel his part and tug on the hair that falls over his forehead. He looks up at my hand as I play with his locks, his expression rather goofy. Lastly, I run my hands through the hair at the back of his neck, twisting it slightly as I go.

Oddly, this causes a profound reaction from Zane. He closes his eyes and gasps a little, his chest rising and falling a little more rapidly. I tilt my head curiously, was twisting the long hair on the back of his head causing him to act like this? I do it again to find out, this time grabbing more in a fist and running it through my fingers. Zane's breathing becomes a little more ragged and shallow, and he leans back in his seat. I hadn't really noticed, but his dick had been getting fatter and fatter this whole time, and now that I looked down it was pretty impressively engorged, still sitting across his left thigh but arching its way up towards his navel. Whatever it was about playing with his hair, he was also tensing his stomach muscles and his well-defined abs were putting on quite a show. Well, you learn something new every day. Zane's hair isn't just sexy, it puts him in the mood for sex.

Eventually I stop, aware that the group is watching something sexual start between the two of us. I'm getting rock hard in my pants, although I'm not sure anyone can tell. I look over to Sean and Dog, and they seem content to watch the challenge and not the least bit embarrassed, although there's no more than the usual bulge in Dog's azure pants.

Mike, on the other hand, had begun tenting his shorts. Poor guy, I knew he pointed out and up, and I'm sure even the slightest erection was noticeable on him. He didn't seem to mind, though, and was smiling.

Zane's breathing slows when I stop touching his hair, and he opens his eyes again, looking down and his increasingly hard dick. "Dang it," he says, with the same intonation one might use when discovering a flat tire or that they stepped in dog poop, as if he had no idea the erection had crept up on him. I shrug at him, as if to say `sorry about the boner, dude'.

Ok, you know what?" Zane sighs, "You all get to see my stiffy, I should get to see yours. Pants off, boys."

Charlie objects, stating that it's in fact my turn, and besides, Zane can only challenge one person at a time. Zane counters that we can either flash now, or he'll challenge us one at a time every round, and that his challenges will be worse than a simple reveal. I have little doubt he's right about that.

Since it's actually my turn in the game I feel like the decision whether to break with the literal rules or not should fall partly on me. I shrug my consent and stand up in the circle, peeling off one sock then another. Zane had asked to see our boners, which didn't necessarily mean getting entirely naked, but I figured if I did everyone would follow suit, and this game would definitely get more interesting with everyone nude.

I slide down my pants and underwear, leaving my shirt for last. It's long enough to cover me, although I'm totally hard and pointing straight out. Suddenly I feel a little shy. We're all guys here, and most of us haven't quite developed the musculature of manhood all the way yet. However, Zane is pretty buff, and Mike has awesome abs. Sean and Dog are both tan and smooth and brown, with tummies that curve just the right way. It makes me feel a little inadequate, to be honest, and I blush as I go to remove my shirt. Oh well, in for a penny, in for a pound. I take it off and stand naked, all eyes on me. Suddenly I'm not so shy anymore, and shake my hips a little, letting my boner swagger back and forth.

"Nice," Zane comments. I blush a little deeper.

My stripping gets the other guys going, and they all remove their kit. Well, all Dog does is slide his shorts off. He's not completely hard, although it's snaking his way up his body. I remember that when it's erect it lies flat against his body, something I thought was cool. Sean takes off his shirt and shorts and sits back in the circle, also about half hard. Charlie is done stripping off by then and I look over to notice that he's almost completely soft. Weird. For a guy that wanted to do this so bad you'd think he'd be more excited. "I said hard, dude," Zane says, nodding at his crotch. Charlie looks sheepish and reaches down, stroking it a little to encourage growth.

Mike waits until everyone else is naked to do anything. I consider that maybe things are getting too intense for him. It is a little weird to have five guys watching you so they can see your prick. He smiles and stands up, though, pulling down his shorts in one quick motion. His adorable boner springs free, its full length arching out and up from his body in a curve. It's as cute up close as it was last time I saw it, which was from pretty far away. Clearly I'm not the only one that likes it.

"Whoa, awesome boner, dude!" Zane exclaims, for some reason impressed by its shape, I guess.

Mike smiles happily and shrugs. "Thanks?" he says, unsure how to respond to the compliments.

"No seriously, that's wicked the way it curves like that. Has it always done that?" Zane has been slowly stroking his cock throughout all of this, either to keep it hard or because he's turned on. It's a funny picture, the naked and erect Zane asking these questions of the shy and demure Mike. His tone is almost scholarly.

"Yeah, I mean, that's what it does," Mike answers, smiling.

Charlie has also managed to get a full erection, and we all sit in the circle, six naked guys openly checking each other out. Like I've said before, it was only recently that I realized dicks could be so different, and I am still impressed by the diversity. Zane's is long and thick and tan, his balls hanging snugly beneath. Mine sticks straight out and has a bright reddish/pink helmet at the end -- the reddest of the group. Charlie's is long and pokes at that alluring 45 degree angle, his head pink and cute. Mike's, the curved schlong that has apparently enthralled Zane, looks serious, like it has somewhere to go and something to do. Dog's five and a half inches lies flat against his stomach, as if snuggling with his tummy. And Sean's sticks straight outward from his body, the tip curving slightly upward at the end.

I decide to get the game going again before someone gets soft or decides to get dressed. I challenge Zane to show us how he likes to hold his when he strokes off, and he demonstrates an underhanded method I'd never tried. The other challenges retain the sexual theme, and we're all fidgeting in our seats and occasionally touching ourselves. Mike will accidentally brush the tip of his dick with his hand and it will make me throb, instinctively reaching out to touch myself. This will be noticed by Sean or Dog and they'll smile, pressing a fingertip against their own cocks. Ok, so Charlie was right. Tricking six guys into a group wank isn't impossible.

When we come back around to Zane, I dread his challenge, but he calls on Mike. Mike boldly chooses action, clearly no longer meek or shy about anything that's happening here tonight.

"Ok, dude, I'm sorry, but that is like the coolest boner I've seen in a long time. I mean, the way it curves up like that is wild. My challenge is that you should go around the circle and let everyone feel it. I mean, it's so cool." It's yet another step in this crazy game, and Mike looks confident but also a little uncertain.

Charlie must pick up on this because he scoots over to Mike. "Yeah, Zane's right. It's awesome." He reaches out and takes Mike's erection in his hand, running it up and down the curved shaft. Mike gasps deeply, clearly enjoying the sensation. He doesn't pull away or flinch. Not that I blame him, Charlie is good with his hands, and I can tell he's trying to get Mike riled as well as feel him. Not that he has to do much.

After a few seconds Charlie stops. Mike is panting, his adorable tummy heaving up and down. Sean and Dog are enrapt by this phase of the game, and I can see that Sean is starting to precum a little. Mike doesn't have to be prompted to continue the challenge and stands up, walking over to Dog. I'm happy to get a view of his cute little bubble butt, but sad I can't see what Sean is doing to his dick. Mike is fondled for a few seconds, stepping over to Dog, who takes a short turn.

When Mike steps over to Zane, Zane has this wild childlike look in his eyes. I can tell he wasn't just flattering Mike, he was really interested in his dick. He takes it in both hands and feels the curve of it. Like Mike had done with the previous three gropers, he gasps a little in pleasure.

"Man, I don't know what it is. The curve of this thing is so cool. And how it comes out of your sack like that..." Zane fondles Mike's balls, eliciting another gasp. Zane takes his time exploring, running his finger over the head and down the shaft. At some point we're going to have to call this a handjob rather than a light feel, but Mike ain't complaining. And neither are Sean and Dog, who have both started stroking themselves slowly. Charlie is grinning at me -- he's pretty sure his plan has worked (and I am too).

Eventually Zane removes his hands from Mike's endowment and I get my turn. Now here's the thing, I'd had an opportunity to spy on Mike jerking off. So I knew that he liked to pull his curved boner all the way to the floor and let it spring free. He'd done that like five times just before cumming when I'd spied on him. I figured I could just feel him up, which was an alluring notion in and of itself. But I also figured I could give him a treat, which is what I do.

I take Mike's erection in my hand and feel the virile tenseness of the shaft. It's curved, but it's not wobbly at all, it's like a curved piece of stone. It's getting a little slick, and how can you blame him? Every one of the five guys that have felt him up has experience jerking another guy. If Mike likes handjobs, he's wandered into the right poker game. He's standing in front of me, smiling down at his fifth molestation of the night. Without giving him much notice, I pull his boner downward and release, letting it spring back up and slap his tummy. I do it a second time for good measure and he gasps in complete and utter surprise. I half expect him to come -- I might have -- but he doesn't. Instead he shudders a little, as if the sensations have made him incapable of standing. A big glob of precum leaks out his tip the second time his erection thwomps seductively against his chest, and I decide to leave it there. No reason to make him blow a wad early.

He returns to his seat, smiling goofily and obviously in some serious lust. Everyone else is openly rubbing themselves at this point, and I don't blame a single one of them. I'm kind of sad, though, it had been fun having something to play with, if only for a moment, and I decide I'm not done feeling up my friends.

I reach over towards Zane. He sees me coming and smiles, moving his hand aside. I take his shaft in my fist and stroke it up and down a couple of times. It's thick -- thicker than me, Mike or Charlie, and hot to the touch. And he's so tan. And fuzzy. I can't resist feeling the downy fur along his abs, and I even move a hand up his chest so that I can pinch a nipple ring between my finger. Any pretense that this wasn't a sex game is long over.

To my left, Mike reaches over and takes Charlie in his hand. Charlie gasps and lets the cute boy fondle him. Sean and Dog smile at each other, as if they've stumbled upon the best poker game ever, and reach over to grab one another's engorged dicks. I guess this isn't a circle jerk, after all. It's a total mutual wank off.

This isn't the last time the group will meet and do this, not by a long shot, but the first time is the most thrilling, and the tenderest. Everyone scoots closer to the center of the circle so that we're as close as possible. The smell of men is distinct, and I can distinguish between Zane on one side and Charlie on the other. We all take turns exploring one another, each boy feeling each of the others. The erections are all hot and hard and beautiful to me, each distinct, and each a wonderful new toy for me to play with.

Zane gets up and scrunches between Sean and Dog so he can fist them both at the same time, and they happily oblige. Mike moves over to Zane's spot and spontaneously starts ministering me. His hands are small and cute and my eyes roll up in the back of my head in pleasure as he strokes his fingertips over my helmet. Charlie crawls under us so that he's lying on the floor below. He slowly strokes his dick, looking up at me and smiling. I smile back -- success!

And it goes like this for a bit longer. At first we're feeling one another, getting used to these new cocks in our hands. Then we're trying to make the other person feel good, and it's working. Then someone grabs you and ecstasy washes over. Each touch is different, each smell a new and exciting sensation. I run my hands over Mike's butt and abs. His muscles are young and smooth and hard beneath the skin, and his toned stomach makes me shudder, another stream of precum leaking out and slicking my dick.

Speaking of which, the entire group is now getting significantly `squishier'. The slosh and slorsh of hands on wet skin grows louder than the moans and gasps, turning me on even further. Zane's remains moderately dry, where Charlie is leaking buckets. I get a little daring and run my fist roughly over Charlie's cock, scooping up as much precum as I can and then slathering Zane with it. His entire body immediately tenses at the new sensation of being completely lubed.

"Erg, oh my god Devon!" he exclaims, grunting and gasping. I smile, happy to have brought the adventurous Zane to his knees.

It isn't long before things climax. Not long after I slick up Zane, Dog begins grunting in short, sharp breaths. Every man knows what that sounds means, and about three seconds later he's cumming, straight up into his face and over his chest. This sends Sean over the edge and he sprays on Dog. I'm about to cum just watching these two, but I'm also determined to do my duty and bring off both Mike and Zane, I have each of them in a hand. I pull down on Mike and let his boner spring up, rubbing the head in a swirling motion as I do it. With my more dexterous hand I go to town on Zane, flogging his slimy cock as fast as I can. They both gasp and moan and grunt and stutter, reaching orgasm almost simultaneously. Mike's cock shoots out with tremendous force, unexpectedly hitting me in the cheek. Zane gives a rather loud holler as he blows, his cheeks flushed and damp with sweat. His load doesn't shoot far, but there's a lot of it and it pours copiously out and over my hand.

Charlie is still on the floor and is finishing himself. He begins making those wonderful Charlie chirping noises and all of a sudden is spraying everywhere. I kind of wanted Mike or Zane to finish me, but the sight of my friend coming and all the lust in the room sends me over the edge without me even touching myself. I double over and start blowing, unloading on the unsuspecting Charlie beneath me. Jesus, that was hot.

"Holy shit, Devon. You do that psychically?" Zane asks, referring to my orgasm with no touch.

"Erg, argh," I groan, panting and finishing, unable to speak. Zane laughs and slaps me hard on my naked ass. It's hot, and it almost makes me need to jerk off again.

Everyone sits back, looking content and not at all awkward about what just happened. Throw guys in space for months on end and I guess that's what happens. The circle jerk was a welcome relief.

"Whew," Zane pants, sweat rolling down his face and nose. "That was hot. Same time next week?"

Mike laughs at Zane's joke, but everyone else nods. Hell yeah same time next week.

"Cool. Last one in the shower stinks!" Zane proclaims, standing. Yeah, we are all a little gross. Mike giggles and takes the challenge seriously, running for the bathroom. Sean and Dog follow. Charlie and I make to leave when Zane quietly calls us over.

"Hey," he says in a hushed tone, I just wanted to thank you two for setting this up. Very awesome."

Charlie plays coy, "The poker game? No problem. Just cards on a Friday night, you know."

Zane looks at Charlie and then me, an incredulous smirk on his face. "I'm not an idiot, guys. I mean, c'mon. You two have been going at it for weeks, right? You invite all the gay and bi guys over here. Then free liquor, boner pills? Poker? You were going to suggest strip poker, right?"

We smile sheepishly. Busted.

"But, hey, it was awesome. The only thing you get for the cheap ploy, by the way, is that I expect a tumble with each of you."

That's enough to make us both blush. Zane is a goofy guy, and he's hot, and everything he does is somehow funny and sexy. And he's especially sexy standing all nude and buff in front of you with cum drying on his abs. We don't say anything but both nod, like naughty schoolboys who have just been told we get detention later.

"Cool." And then he kisses Charlie on the cheek, slapping his ass and spinning him around, pushing him toward the shower. He gets the hint and heads off. I don't move.

"And you, Chasen, you may get more than one." He moves to kiss me and I offer my cheek, but he changes telemetry at the last second and kisses me full on the mouth. He's unshaven and his stubble is prickly and tickling and sexy against my face. I melt immediately and start instantly daydreaming, at least until Zane tweaks my balls, a little painfully.

"Owch!" I yelp. He smiles evilly.

"And don't get the wrong idea. No falling in love with me, k? But I might teach you a thing or two about being a respectable gay boy."

Dammit, what is it with the whole `friends with benefits' on this ship?

Zane puts his shoulder around me and we walk into the bathroom together, friends who have now grown closer for having fucked around. The other guys are all rinsing off, and it's a hot scene. Hot enough that we all go for seconds right there in the shower before wrapping things up and heading off to our separate quarters.

Charlie and I are the last to leave, having remained behind to clean up. We get dressed and head out -- I get about fifty feet down the hall when I remember something.

"Oh, hey, wait. I'll be right back." I tell Charlie. He makes to come with me, but I tell him I just forgot something. I jog back to the empty room. I'd forgotten about my phantom friends. There had been no indication he'd been behind the vent at any time during the evening, but he'd always left me a souvenir before. I open the hatch and no one is inside, nor is there a sock or any other sign that someone was here. I'm a little disappointed. Don't ask what my deal is, I just got access to four new boners and for some reason I'm sad my mystery friend didn't show up. I rip my cryptic invitation off the wall and make to toss it when I notice something in writing under my scribbles.

"Thanks for the show. Owe you one crusty sock."

Damn that sneak! He was in there at some point, and obviously he just wanted to watch. Will I ever find out who he is?

I laugh, it's the laugh of a boy that just had awesome sex and feels the world is at his fingertips. I run back down the hall and rejoin Charlie. He asks what I forgot, and I tell him I thought I left a sock but was wrong. We head back to our flat, I kiss him on the cheek once before we get there and we giggle. Our plan had worked, and I loved my friend more than ever.