Dio's Choice

Author’s Comment: The anime series ’Last Exile’ inspired this pairing fic, and fans of anime in general, and slash-able yaoi in particular, should seek out this series’ 26 episodes and watch them all. Especially the interactions between Lord Dio and Claus, which are especially ticklish and cute. That aside, the series stands as a masterpiece of science fiction and animation technology, with flight scenes and backgrounds that continually amaze, as well as a plot rich in detail. Please enjoy this humble offering intended to bring people’s attention to this remarkable series.

Dio’s Choice………by Samayel

Dio Elaclaer paced the length of his tiny cabin. There were many things about life aboard the Silvanna that were vexing. The lack of basic amenities, the veiled hostility, and other minor irritants had worn on him since his arrival, but it was Immelman that simply drove him mad. Luciola had made ready for bed in the little stateroom that had been allotted them, but Dio was far too restless for sleep.

This was his Natal Week, and his time was almost up. A decision had to be made, and it was one that he had avoided almost his entire life. His sister Delpine ruled House Elaclaer with an iron fist, and she would not wait much longer for his return. The Guild was not just an organization of families with access to the benefits of technology…it was a philosophy…a way of life. Dio had come to realize that he did not want that way of life…not with the price that came attached to it.

Dio was an heir. The Guild’s rules were built upon necessity, but they weighed heaviest upon those from powerful houses. If he returned now, he would have to fight his own people…other heirs like himself…and kill them, just to win the right to live and lead the Guild. The Rite was ancient, and guaranteed that there were no competitors left alive to trouble the newly chosen Maestro. Delphine had done it, and she would not rest until Dio had done it as well. She didn’t care if he lived or died, but the rules had to be observed, and she would not lightly bear the shame of a missing heir from her own house.

He didn’t want to kill anyone. Was that so terrible of a thing? It wasn’t as if he wouldn’t, only that he preferred not to do so. It was one thing fight in the skies, a contest of wills and skills, but it was another thing entirely to crudely hack away at others until only one remained. Dio wanted to experience life. All of life, not just the parts deemed fit for him by his sister. The peoples of the world were an open book, each page a mystery, and he wanted to read them all. Most of all, he wanted to understand Immelman.

It was obsession…perhaps, but Dio liked what Dio liked, and he liked Immelman. There was something about the young pilot that had enchanted Dio long before he’d seen the handsome, boyish face of his rival. His flight skills were superb, far in excess of his years, like Dio himself. Immelman did not flinch in the face of danger…he existed in the mad rush of the instant, casting his lot with whatever came his way, reckless, trusting to skill, luck and the mercy of fate. What courage! Yet Immelman was a silent creature, scorning the company of others most of the time, and despite less than subtle hints that Dio admired him, he barely responded at all. In Dio’s memory, not one person had ever been so unimpressed by him before. It was quite vexing, and more than a little confusing.

The Lord of a significant house in the Guild was always accorded a certain respect, but among the crew of the airship Silvanna, which had declared war upon the Guild, Dio was just a pale ghost that others passed in the halls. There were other former Guild members here, like the Chief Engineer, or Gabe the mechanic, but they had adapted to life amongst these lesser peoples, while Dio had been among them for only a few short weeks.

The Guild’s technology made so many things possible. They were truly a breed apart, dwelling solely in the sky aboard ships that were like cities, the last inheritors of the technology the Founders had brought from some other world ages ago. Generations apart from ground-dwellers had changed the peoples of the Guild, mostly in obvious ways that set them apart. There was the paleness of their skin and hair, pure white in Dio’s case, and the absence of unnecessary body hair, as well the attenuated peaks at the top of their ears, which the ground people described as ‘elfin’. In Dio’s case it lent him a certain genderlessness in appearance, as much girl as boy…until, of course, his clothes came off. This illusion was enhanced by the expensive kohl and other cosmetics with which he lined his eyes. More subtly, the differences of culture separated them from others. Guild members were long lived from the benefits of medicine and hygiene, universally well-educated, and shockingly libertine compared to the stodgy people of the earth. While others grubbed about for survival and made war over necessities like land and water, one who was of the Guild had the time for leisure, and they tended to enjoy whatever leisure crossed their paths. Dio had always done just that.

Luciola was truly his. Not so much in a romantic sense, though one might guess that it was so. Luciola was given to him by his sister when they were just children, and his role was to serve Dio, attend and guard him against harm, amuse him when he was bored, which was quite often, and to in all ways ensure Dio’s safety and contentment. Luciola’s family was from a very minor house, and they were fortunate to have a son in the service of one of the great houses. The other young man’s fidelity was absolute, but while Luciola was faithful and handsome to look at, he was often stiff, predictable and boring.

They had been friends since they were very small, almost as soon as Dio had gotten the somber little boy to talk, and now they were young adults, far from home, each the only comfort upon which the other could depend. Their relationship might have seemed complex to one who wasn’t from the Guild, but it was actually quite simple to Dio. Luciola was his friend, his servant and protector, and his companion. That sex was included amongst their activities was merely a benefit. It had also been a relief, given Dio’s state of agitation lately. Luciola knew his every desire, and fulfilled them expertly, and that had a certain value…but it wasn’t nearly enough.

Luciola was very handsome. Lean and fit, he was taller than Dio by several inches, with skin that was just a few shades darker and close-cropped hair that was more blond than white, a sign of the lowly station of his family. He rarely smiled, and never laughed, even when Dio found something very amusing or made an exceptionally humorous observation. Despite this inclination to sobriety, he was completely trustworthy, which was rare enough in the Guild, and wonderfully competent, both as a pilot and navigator, and as a lover. Dio was a creature of comfort and pleasure, not entirely dissimilar from his sister Delphine, and when he needed to be distracted and thoroughly sated, Luciola always ’rose’ to the occasion.

But then there was Immelman. That wasn’t even his real name, but Dio had named him for the impressive combat turn he’d seen the young man make in flight, and he simply refused to think of his rival by any other sobriquet. Claus Valca sounded so formal and alien, but Immelman sounded like the famous pilot of legend, whose tricky turns had become the hallmark of skill in the air. For a creature of the earth, Immelman was truly exceptional, and a source of endless fascination for Dio.

He was Dio’s own height, which was a bit shorter than average, but he carried himself with a distracted confidence that was intoxicating. Immelman wasn’t swayed by petty things, and seemed manifestly ignorant of the meaning behind Dio’s interest in him. He had a youthful face, and skin that was pink and healthy, if often a trifle smudged by engine grease. His hair was a very light brown, or perhaps an ash blond, something only seen among the people of the ground, and it was frequently untidy, and yet still fair to look at. How artful, that he could scarcely care for his looks, and still remain so attractive. That he seemed completely unaware of his impact upon others made him all the more endearing.

Perhaps Immelman did not like other boys, though guessing by the way the mechanics teased him, it was safe to assume that he knew about such things. The one called Gabe was attracted to Immelman as well, and everyone knew it, but Immelman had never done more than blush when it was mentioned by others. No outrage or disgust, just a nervous look and a sudden desire to change the subject. It was clear that Dio, who had very little time left, needed to ‘force’ the matter…in his own way, of course. Immelman would make up his mind one way or another…tonight!

Dio slipped into his one-piece bodysuit and quickly threw on his outer cloak. Luciola looked up, a strange expression on his face. “Where are we going? I thought it was time for bed. There is a mission tomorrow, and you should rest.”

Dio answered with an imperious tone. “We are going nowhere. I am going out for a little while. Don’t concern yourself. We’re aboard the airship Silvanna…the safest place in the world other than home. I’ll be ready tomorrow, but tonight…I need to see Immelman. You will stay here.”

Luciola’s face was blank as always, but something flickered in his eyes. “As you wish.”

And Dio was out the door and gone. He had to know. If he left the Guild, he would have no place to go, no purpose, nothing. But…if there were something…something worth any price, then leaving the Guild and his sister behind would be so very easy…almost a relief. Something alien fluttered in Dio’s heart, and he had no name for it, but it was there just the same. More than mere desire, greater than any petty physical need he had ever felt, an insistent call that led him on his way.

This late, the halls of the Silvanna were empty. It was actually a magnificent ship in its own primitive way. Dio loved the small vanships and huge warships of Disith and Anatoray. They were crude and sluggish, inelegant and completely dependant upon the Guild for their engines. Without the Claudia Units that were leased from the Guild, only tiny vanships like Immelman’s would fly the skies. The Silvanna possessed an unregistered Claudia generator, allowing it to operate independently of the Guild. The Chief Engineer was another refugee from the Guild, though he was very old and rarely had time for more than an occasional game of chess. As crude and ugly as the ship itself might be, the Silvanna was the most powerful airship in the skies not owned outright by the Guild, and it was the only place Dio could ever hope to hide from his sister for more than a few minutes.

The Silvanna was nominally at war with the Guild, but Dio knew that it was really the captain of the Silvanna’s private war against Dio’s sister Delphine. As the Maestro of the Guild, Delphine’s fickle nature had outraged even her own people, but few dared to defy her, since she always acted swiftly and decisively when dealing those who opposed her. Even now, the Silvanna’s mission, the mission he would soon be a part of, was to seek out the ancient mothership Exile, the craft that had brought people to this world long ago. The secrets of Exile held much of the Guild’s power, and destroying it would force the Guild to deal fairly with the smaller nations of the earth. Delphine would stop at nothing to prevent such a thing from happening, and everything hung upon the little girl that Immelman had brought to Silvanna with him. Al. The quiet little girl was a link to Exile, and she alone held the power to access Exile’s long defunct powers. A little girl who could change the world, and she was only alive and safe because of Immelman.

Immelman’s door. Like most of the small staterooms, it couldn’t be locked. Dio had no intention of crudely pounding until someone opened it…he simply turned the handle and slipped in, quietly closing the door behind him.

He was asleep. Curled on his side, wrapped in blankets and clutching a pillow, and snoring very faintly. Immelman’s mechanic and friend, Lavie, was staying in another stateroom these days. They were like brother and sister, and as they’d grown older the relationship between them had been subtly changed by the moods of adolescence. This was clear enough to Dio, though the two of them had not yet worked out their differences. Lavie was very fond of Immelman in her own way, and it had pained her to see how many people were drawn to the handsome boy who had once only noticed her. Still, this worked well for Dio, who was glad that Immelman was conveniently alone.

“Immelman.”

Nothing.

“Immelman. Wake up. I want to talk.”

Unlike Luciola, Immelman was a heavy sleeper, and obviously had no reason to listen for an order from Dio. Dio’s impulsive nature overtook him quickly. The cloak and bodysuit slipped to the floor, and with a few spare movements, the blankets were pushed back and the pillow was plucked from Immelman’s arm. Dio slipped beneath the blankets, fitting comfortably in the place once occupied by the pillow. Immelman was still in underclothes of cheap linen. Dio found that curious, as he had always slept naked, as had Luciola.

It was nice. A very gentle arm was wrapped around him, and Immelman was close and warm behind him, breathing softly onto Dio’s neck. Immelman smelled of engines and Claudia fluid and healthy sweat. Chemical cleansers and well-worn clothing. No Guild member that Dio had ever known had such scents. It was all around him, drowning Dio in the soft, musky aroma of another for the first time. The arm around Dio tightened, pulling him closer. Even though Immelman had no idea what he was doing, it was still immensely pleasurable. Dio’s only lament was that his body had responded to the stimuli, and there was nothing he could do about it at the moment.

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Claus Valca rarely woke from his sleep until late in the morning, and even then he was groggy for some time afterwards. His day had spent making the ongoing repairs to his own vanship, as well as making pre-mission checks of the one he would be flying tomorrow. Lavie would not be his navigator…his navi…when he entered the Grand Stream tomorrow. It would be Dio, who was normally a pilot, but had accepted the request of the Silvanna’s leaders and agreed to act as a navi for Claus’ vanship during the mission.

The Grand Stream was an atmospheric condition that made fast travel between continents possible…if one survived. Only the sturdiest ships could survive the ferocious currents of wind, and vanships had to be piloted with incredible caution, lest they be flung about like toys. Claus and Lavie’s fathers had been killed in the Grand Stream, trying to deliver a message of peace between warring nations. Claus had lived for this day ever since. Tomorrow he would conquer the Grand Stream, taking his place among pilots twice his age, acknowledged as a pilot of skill, just as his father had been. Lavie should have been with him, but tomorrow…Dio would take her place.

Dio was…interesting. Weird, but interesting, and a little scary. He’d initially refused to take the mission, especially since he was a pilot…not a navi. Dio had come around surprisingly easily after the birthday party the crew had held to honor his Natal Week, and had immediately started making adjustments to the vanship they’d be flying, as well as spouting advice while he tinkered with the controls. Claus had listened intently to every word, soaking up any and all knowledge that might help him succeed tomorrow.

Claus listened to and watched a lot of things, but kept his silence much of the time. So much of his life had been about survival, about accomplishing goals that were desperately necessary, that he‘d barely had time to concern himself with subtler things. His and Lavie’s survival had depended on their ability to keep their old vanship operational, and on their ability to take messenger jobs as often as possible at an early age. Vanship couriers were the only means of fast communication between cities and nations, and the pay was solid, but maintaining a vanship was expensive and a lot of hard work besides. So Claus had listened, and watched, but rarely spoke beyond what needed to be said.

Dio. The pretty boy from the Guild alternately charmed and terrified Claus. Sometimes, when they were doing something routine, like working on vanships, they slipped into a comfortable partnership where words weren’t necessary and Claus could concentrate on what was needed. Dio was an excellent pilot, very nearly Claus’ equal, and his advice was always sound, if sometimes unneeded. Other times, the Guild boy would smile and tease Claus gently, standing closer than was really necessary, or popping up and addressing Claus while only inches from his face, speaking in a breathy, amused voice that implied things Claus didn’t really want to think about…yet. Those times always left his face hot and skin prickly, and it made it hard to concentrate on his work, which was just as frustrating as the effect it had on his dreams.

Claus had thought about girls as much as he thought most young men would, and he was perfectly at peace with that, but when Dio crept into his dreams…and sometimes into his idle fantasies while he worked, it was very unnerving. Not that other people couldn’t do that kind of thing if they wanted to, but Claus had never had those kinds of thoughts. Until now. Dio was…Dio was strange. Sometimes when Dio was in a certain mood, he acted and seemed more like a pale and beautiful girl than a boy. He acted the way girls sometimes acted around Claus…like Dio wanted attention and was hinting that the attention he wanted should come from Claus. When that attention didn’t come, he acted stand-offish and vaguely irritable, and Claus often felt like he was trapped, playing a game he didn’t know the rules for, when he had never asked to play in the first place.

The dreams didn’t help. Weird, fluttering images of pale skin and softness, closeness and warmth that stole his breath away and made his head spin. Aching with a need he hadn’t known he was capable of until it had happened, pulse pounding in his ears until he woke, suddenly aware of the sticky moisture in his clothes. It was furiously embarrassing, and since that kind of thing had started years ago, he’d slept separately from Lavie. Sleeping curled together had been fine when they were children, but it became a bit more complicated when Lavie began to ‘develop’ as a woman instead of a girl, and Claus had become aware of the changes to his own body as well. Claus had slept alone ever since, but dreams still forced the things he tried so hard to dismiss back to the front of his mind.

Claus had gone to bed exhausted as always, after working until he was nearly nodding off with the wrench in his hand, and even a ticklish and almost palpable sense of something being ‘wrong’ hadn’t immediately woken him. His dreams seemed very real this night, and in them, someone slender and soft was wrapped in his arms. A musical, laughing voice was lapping at his consciousness, then faded while he pulled that soft warmth closer to himself. He was painfully hard, and he pressed himself against that pliant shape, imagining Sophia, who had kissed him once, or Tatiana, who had been so hostile to him at first, and then seemed fonder of him after their time the desert, crashed and surviving for days by almost pure chance. And then there was Dio. Pale and smirking wickedly, full of promises that would come true if Claus would just say something to make them real.

Hanging on the precipice of orgasm, Claus’ mind shifted gears, and he became cognizant of his surroundings very suddenly. There was someone in the bed with him. That part wasn’t a dream, it was real! Claus’ eyes snapped open like shutters, and he gasped loudly in the silence of the dark stateroom. His arm was draped around a slender waist, and his face was pressed against a slim neck. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, it became clear that the neck was so pale as to be nearly white. Dio.

Panic flooded Claus’ senses, and he fought the urge to leap up or push Dio away. Claus wasn’t cruel by nature, and not mean spirited at all. He tried to be polite in every circumstance, but how was one supposed to deal with fantasies that come to life…especially without any invitation to do so?! Lavie was pushy sometimes, but she’d known him since they were toddlers…Dio was just…just weird. And naked. Dio was naked!

“Dio.” It came out more of a tremulous whisper than he’d intended. Mostly because his face was so hot it felt like it would melt and he couldn’t believe he was about to have this conversation. Claus’ tongue felt like lead.

Dio shifted his weight a little, mumbling quietly while he arched back into Claus’ arms. “Immelman. Mmm. You’re very warm.”

“I know that. Why are you in my bed? I was sleeping and…well…you woke me up.” Claus was not ready to mention anything related to the nature of his dreams.

Dio stretched his legs like some lazy cat, but his backside was still pressed snugly against Claus. There was a small yawn before Dio answered.

“I like you, Immelman. If I’m going to be your navi, we should be closer. Don’t you like me, Immelman?”

Claus would have hated that nickname if it hadn’t been such an inherent compliment. It still felt weird being called by any name but his own, but being referred to by the name of one of the greatest vanship pilots who ever lived still made him blush. Dio was quiet and still, waiting for his answer, and Claus opened and shut his mouth a few times before he could compose himself.

“That…that has nothing to do with this. I know you’ll be a good navi…but what does that have to do with you being…in my bed?!”

Dio rolled from one hip to the other, and instead of staring at white hair and a smooth neck, Claus found himself staring into Dio’s eyes. Dio looked hungry and full of questions, like he was trying to see through Claus’ skull and divine the answers to questions that hadn’t even been voiced.

“Immelman. Why do you think I’m here…aboard Silvanna?”

Claus closed his eyes, suddenly feeling like prey instead of predator. Something very real and absolute was hovering in the air, about to be spoken between them and made concrete.

“You don’t answer. You know, don’t you? It was about you. I like the way you fly. In battle, or in that race. I knew I had to see you again, fly with you again, know your name. Claus Valca is my Immelman. My sister would be angry if she knew what I’ve been doing. I stayed here for you…to be near you, but you don’t answer.”

Claus stammered, painfully aware of the heat and pressure in his own face. “I…I..”

Dio moved his head closer suddenly, a pale cheek brushing against Claus’ own, and his words made soft puffs of breath against Claus’ ear. There was something tremulous and frightened in Dio’s voice. Something more real and less playful than anything Claus had ever heard before.

“I will have to go. Home...soon, but…I would stay…if there were a reason. I want to stay with you. I could be your navi, and we could fly together forever. I don’t want to go back. I would leave all of that, forever, if I thought you wanted me here. I would be for no one else but Immelman, if you just answer me. Please.”

Claus was by no means as astute or as perceptive as some people, but neither was he blind or stupid. Dio was a Lord in his own right, and from the highest placed family in the Guild. No one had heard Dio use the word ‘please’ since the day of his arrival, the day he and Luciola had towed Claus and Lavie’s vanship back to the Silvanna. That strange act of kindness between rivals made perfect sense now. Dio was humbling himself, speaking what he felt openly, because that and only that would move Claus. Flattery or jealousy, subtle hints and games were things that Claus avoided or ignored completely, but honesty…honesty was different. This was not the spoiled Guild noble that everyone saw each day, and others often wondered why Dio saw fit to slum amongst the common people of the earth. This was Dio, without title or trappings, as naked in his speech and intention as he was physically.

The last of Claus’ reserve broke. His nervous hand found its way into the pale, silky hair that hung loosely from Dio’s bangs. Dio relaxed almost instantly, curled against Claus and limp as if boneless, breathing softly, the fingertips of one ghostly hand on Claus’ chest.

“Stay. With me. It isn’t just me. We all want you here. Lavie likes you, you’re a good mechanic, a great pilot and a great navi too. I…I like you too. Alex…the captain…he’d let you stay if you asked. We could fly together…and you wouldn’t have to go anywhere you didn’t want to. Okay?”

Slim arms slipped upwards suddenly, around Claus’ neck, and Dio’s head lifted quickly, his mad, beautiful smirk suddenly back in place. He was only an inch from Claus’ face. Claus felt his heart leap with panic, suddenly more than a little frightened by the reality of what he’d just said, and what he suspected was about to happen. Admitting that he was fond of someone…and cared for them…was fine, but he had the terrible suspicion that Dio meant to celebrate that confession with something more than a handshake.

“Thank you, Immelman.” It was whispered happily, Dio’s breath ghosting against Claus’ lips before the kiss came, and then they were together, Dio’s mouth over Claus’, lips working softly while a darting, pink tongue hinted at promises Claus hadn’t yet imagined. Claus was wide-eyed with mingled terror and apprehension, suddenly conscious of the way his body was responding…this time NOT in his sleep, helpless to the whims of dreams, but very much in direct response to the slim, pale youth who was pressed against him. Dio was so close that he couldn’t possibly help but notice the twitching bulge in Claus’ shorts. Claus whimpered nervously into Dio’s mouth, frightened by what he was doing, but too far gone to stop.

Dio’s mouth moved down Claus’ jaw and neck, and Claus gasped for breath. Sophia’s kiss had not been anything like that. His head was spinning and his body seemed as tight as a bowstring, shivering with tension he couldn’t control. Then Dio’s hand slipped under his shirt, pushing the cloth up, exposing the smooth expanse of Claus’ stomach to the night air, and Claus took a final deep breath before haltingly whispering a plea for patience. This was…it was too fast. Too much.

“Dio. Dio…I…I haven’t…ever…we should…”

“Shhh. I know what to do. I know what you will like. You don’t have to do anything. I will make you very happy that I am here. I promise.”

“But…”

“Shhhh.”

Claus lost the will to fight, and in truth, he didn’t want to anymore. His quiet detachment from others was rooted in a mother that had died before he was even old enough to know her, and a father who had been taken from him by the Grand Stream. Even Lavie, whom he loved as much as a natural sister, had been kept at a certain safe distance. He was tired of distance, and Claus melted while Dio’s soft lips moved down his chest and stomach, moving inevitably toward a place that trembled in anticipation. Dio’s hands had no calluses, the result of a life of comfort and ease, and they glided like silk across Claus’ hips while the last of his underclothing was peeled away. Claus bit his lip, eyes clenched shut while his entire body shivered. Maybe he wasn’t ready for this, but his entire life had been made up of surviving day by day, making choices on the fly, and he’d made it this far intact. Sometimes the only thing to do was to just live the moment and let things happen around you. This…this seemed like such a moment. A Grand Stream of the soul, buffeted by currents of emotion and sensation, struggling to stay aloft and alive. He would conquer this Grand Stream too.

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Dio was on fire, within and without, almost frantic to close the gap between himself and Immelman once and for all. He was awash in sensations and stimuli he’d never known before, and each was utterly fascinating. Immelman possessed an intoxicating scent; young, male and healthy. There was a small trail of downy hair that started just beneath Immelman’s bellybutton and continued down into his shorts. Dio kissed that trail, enamored of the differences between their bodies. Luciola, like Dio himself, had no body hair save that of eyebrows and the hair on their heads. Immelman was far darker skinned than either of them, but still pale compared to some members of the crew. His lips worked their way down to the curve of Immelman’s hip, while Dio crawled backwards slowly, finding the right position for taking things further still.

Immelman’s eyes were clenched shut, and he was biting his lip, which Dio thought was both funny and beautiful. How strange, to be with someone who seemed so unready for what they were doing, and yet, if the swollen flesh straining against Immelman’s shorts was any indication, so eager for more. Dio’s hands made short work of the single button that obstructed his view, and with a few quick movements on his and Immelman’s part, the last of the underclothing was done away with.

It was a fierce looking thing, as serious and simple as Immelman himself. It was both longer and thicker than Dio’s or Luciola’s, but not ridiculously so. Dio was erect and had been for some time, and his curled ever so slightly upwards, a slim and pale wand of flesh with a pink tip peeking shyly from within a fold of paler flesh. Immelman’s was broader across and straight as an arrow, the foreskin already sliding back a little to reveal a reddened and glistening head. Dio touched it reverently, still wide-eyed with curiosity, never having touched another save Luciola’s. Most different of all, when Dio touched it, Immelman responded with a moan, shifting his body nervously, responding in ways completely different from Luciola and his silent reserve. As quiet as Immelman often was, at a moment like this he seemed to have abandoned all pretense of calm stoicism.

Dio slithered his hand around the thing, brushing against the flesh of Immelman’s stomach, savoring the ticklish sensation that came of moving against the downy fur that surrounded Immelman’s groin. He stared in fascination at the milky droplet that leaked slowly from the tip of Immelman’s erection, then moved on a whim, steadying Immelman’s penis by wrapping his own hand around it firmly, and dipping his head down to dare a taste. Luciola had always been so quiet and still, never offering more than a faint gasp as a sign of approval. Immelman’s entire body seemed to tremble, and Dio had never felt more powerful or more certain of his ability to please another. His tongue darted out, swabbing lightly across the tip, bringing the slightly salty, weirdly sweet flavor of Immelman’s come to his lips. Immelman himself whimpered with pleasure, and Dio closed his eyes and rubbed his tongue across the roof of his mouth, head tilted back while he savored the memory of a taste that was purely, uniquely Immelman’s.

That was the end of waiting. When Dio opened his eyes, Immelman was staring at him with mingled fear and awe, and Dio offered one last gentle smirk before bowing again, this time enveloping the whole of Immelman’s manhood with his mouth in a single, quick motion. There was an explosive gasp from Immelman, and Dio could hear his own name being spoken reverently, but he was completely occupied with the foreign sensation of finding his nose buried in soft fur, and he was privately thrilled by the way his mouth and throat were completely filled with Immelman’s flesh, as well as the way his palate was entirely dominated by Immelman’s scent. Only one pleasure had ever been greater than this, and that was flight itself. Now Immelman was his craft, and Dio was its only master. It was headier than alcohol, and Dio was almost giddy with delight. Every small movement he made left Immelman breathily praising him, and warm hands were wound through his hair, alternately clutching reflexively or gently caressing the hair away from his eyes.

Dio moved back, allowing himself the room he needed for more intimate manipulations. His tongue slithered its way around the head of Immelman’s penis, while his hand pulled back the flesh that guarded that sensitive organ. Then his lips could form a tight little ‘O’ that would serve his purpose, and he began to bob his head ever so slightly, letting his hand match the tempo of his head. Immelman’s reaction were like music to Dio. So many small sounds of satiation. No one had ever done this for Immelman, and who could have done these things as well as Dio did now? Immelman was his, utterly and completely, and before Dio was finished, no one would be able to take this person from him.

Immelman didn’t last long, and hadn’t the experience to communicate the nearness of his orgasm, and so Dio had only the faintest of signs to warn him before Immelman cried out, arching forward suddenly, hands clenched in Dio’s hair, trying to pull Dio’s working mouth away from his sensitive flesh. Immelman’s seed poured across Dio’s tongue, and Dio fought off the attempts to move his head, hungry for all that Immelman could offer, intent on making Immelman remember every second of this first night between them. There was much more than he had expected, since Luciola had always been modest in that respect, and even when he thought he could pull away safely, final droplets still jetted, clinging to his lips and chin while he took a breath of his own.

Immelman was boneless and shuddering before him, teary-eyed and overwhelmed, and Dio felt a fierce pride that was only overshadowed by his own desperate need to come. Lapping the last drops from his lips, Dio crawled forward and seated himself comfortably on Immelman’s sated member, steadying himself with a hand on the center of Immelman’s chest. Rocking back and forth on the softening erection beneath him, Dio closed his eyes while he pleasured himself, relishing the way Immelman’s scent and taste were still ever present. It took just a minute of swift manipulation, given that Dio was savagely hungry for release, and then he was shuddering and laughing softly to himself while sticky rivulets of seed trickled over his knuckles and dripped onto Immelman’s stomach.

Dio licked his own hand clean, a habit he’d enjoyed since he’d first been old enough to need to do so, and he stared intently at Immelman, who watched in awestruck silence while he did so. Dio relaxed completely, sated for the moment, and slid down onto Immelman’s sweat dampened chest. There would be time for more and other things later. Immelman was his and his alone. They would explore everything in time. They would fly together forever, and find new pleasures whenever it pleased them to do so. Dio had made his choice, and he did not regret it. He would have the rest of his life to peel away the mysteries of Immelman’s heart, and let Immelman peel away Dio’s own.

“My Immelman. You liked it, didn’t you? I told you I would make you very happy. Are you glad I am here?”

Immelman’s smile was like the sun. Even in the dark of the little stateroom, Dio felt the warmth and sincerity behind Claus Valca’s answer.

“Yes…yes. You…you’ll stay won’t you? Here…with me?”

And Dio’s answer was a kiss in the dark, before he curled into his Immelman’s arms, whispering his promised devotion in the night.

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Luciola wept quietly for the first time since he had been very small. The last time he had wept, it had been because the little boy named Dio, the boy he’d been given to as a terrified servant, had promised that they would be friends. What friend would do what Luciola had done?

It was necessary. He had just saved Dio’s life. He had to believe that this was true. It had not been because of Claus Valca. It had not been anything so petty. Delphine’s rage would be insatiable if Dio did not return. Luciola knew what was in Dio’s heart. It had been building for over a week, and Luciola feared that this time would come. If Dio did not return for his Natal Week and for the Rite Of Passage, Delphine would come, and she would not show mercy. Dio would have died if Luciola had not just tripped the location signal in their vanship. Delphine would come, but she would assume that they had signaled their desire to return before the Ceremonies. She would leave Dio alive. Dio might not forgive Luciola for this, but he would be alive.

Claus Valca would someday be forgotten, and the Silvanna would be no more than a dim memory. It had been necessary. The life of the only person ever to have called Luciola ’friend’ was safe, and that had been all that mattered…hadn’t it? Soon. Delphine would come, and Dio’s momentary weakness would come to nothing. He would understand someday that this had been necessary, and by then, Luciola’s last tears would long since have dried.


THE END