Chapter Text
You wake to someone gently shaking your shoulder. You open your eyes and smile when Cen’s familiar face comes into focus. You immediately notice that he has removed the wound clamp on his forehead. It probably wasn’t necessary; the wound looks healed. Although, he has neglected to put his mask and weapons back on. Maybe he forgot them? But that doesn't make any sense.
Cen extends some kind of aluminum wrapped package towards you. Sitting up, you hold out your cupped hands to receive it. Slim and rectangular— its about the size of a protein bar. Some kind of ration you presume. As you inspect it, Cen takes a seat next to you, holding a ration bar of his own. With sharp nails, he rips the package open. He inhales deeply, savoring the smell of meat. Then he widens his mandibles and devours the ration in one go, tusks and teeth snapping as he chews loudly.
You unwrap the aluminum and take a much more careful bite. It tastes like a mix of beef jerky and that freeze dried astronaut ice cream. The texture is a bit off, but hunger is the best spice as they say. You follow Cen’s initiative and devour the whole thing. Despite the small size of the bar, it leaves you full.
You feel the brush of Cen’s shoulder against yours and notice that he’s sitting awfully close; the body heat radiating of him is warm against your side. It gives you the urge to lean into his side. Sick of ignoring your whims, you do just that.
At first Cen stiffens at the contact, then leans back into you, his dreads falling over your head and shoulders. This close he’s even warmer. Instinctively, you lean your head on his shoulder. His arm moves around to cradle your torso. You share a comfortable silence, watching the space outside the windshield pass by in hyper speed and feel something you haven’t in many days. You feel safe.
At last you break the silence, “Thank you,” you whisper. “I would never have made it ‘outa there if not for your help, so thanks.”
Cen’s chest starts to heave as he clicks uncontrollably. You lift your head in alarm, but then you realize what it is. He’s laughing.
“No, thank… you…ooman,” Cen manages to say between clicking laughs. You grin. That’s true, you did take out a few canons on that Mothership and also help Cen avoid bleeding out. Some of the credit should rightfully be yours.
You knock into his side playfully. “Guess were even then.”
That reminds you of another thing: you should probably asses the damage to your own body. You untangle from Cen’s embrace—you ignore the fact that the loss of warmth makes you shiver—and stand. Beyond a few scrapes, everything feels fine: no broken bones, that’s important. You stretch your limbs above your head, the shoulders crack satisfyingly.
Cen shifts at the sudden sound, his eyes trailing up your arms and then down your body. They stop at the sliver of skin between your pants and your hitched up tank. Is he...checking you out? You scoff at the though, but when his eyes meet yours, the dilated pupils make it clear. The smoldering emotion in them is undeniable. They're bedroom eyes.
You feel your cheeks warming and you spin around. This was not the way you expected things to go! The skin on the back of your neck prickles under Cen’s unwavering attention. Shit. You don’t know anything about alien mating rituals!
But you do remember the way his muscles felt underneath your fingers. And the way his breath hitched as you touched him during the examination. Had that meant something other than pain? You sneak a glance behind you and Cen is still seated on the cot, watching you. His body language is open and inviting. Enticing.
This time it’s your eyes that are glued to his half-naked body. Cen is much bigger and stronger than you, if he didn't want you touching him, he could’ve easily overpowered you. Instead, he trusted you by letting you get that close. Another realization dawns on you: he didn’t forget to put his weapons back on, that was also him trusting you. Giving you control. Heat pools in your abdomen. Fuck.
Should you feel more conflicted about the fact that you find aliens attractive? Perhaps. But it’s far from the strangest thing that’s happened in the last 24 or however many hours since you left earth. And your pants are starting to feel really uncomfortable. What the hell!
You take one step closer, then another, until you are standing right in front of Cen. When he’s sitting, you’re at eye level with each other. This close, you can smell the musk wafting off him. Its a bit sour, like human sweat, but with a hint of sweet. Its not unpleasant. Cen’s fingers twitch at his sides, as if fighting back the urge to touch you. But he stays still, letting you decide.
Your fingers tentatively reach out to touch his face. A trail of goosebumps is created wherever you touch. A low hum resonates in his throat as you trace your fingertips along the curves of his mandibles. You continue to trace the pads of your fingers along his jaw and neck, down his torso with the now healed wounds and stop just before your reach the edge of his bulging loincloth. A wave of arousal pass through you at the sight of what just your touch is doing to him.
Letting your hand fall to Cen’s knee, you give it a squeeze and he spreads his legs. It lets you step between them to get even closer. You get the urge to praise him.
“Good boy,” you hum, leaning close to where a human’s ear would be. “So obedient for me.” His reaction is delicious.
You press your clothed chest against his and feel the thumb of his heart. Or rather hearts, as you feel multiple rhythms. It reminds you how alien this being in front of you is. It sends a shiver down your spine. Actin on an impulse, you lick a stripe along the side of his face and down his mandible. Cen’s breath hitches.
Your tracing his mandibles with your tongue. You desperate want to kiss him, but these sharp appendages are in the way. You sigh, frustrated, feeling denied. Cen cocks his head in confusion. You point to your lips, then to his mouth underneath the mandibles. Cen understands and widens the mandibles all the way, skin stretching to its limit.
You lean in until your lips make contact with his mouth. Its weird, totally unlike kissing a human. Really, it’s unlike anything you have ever felt before. Cen lacks any lips, but the skin around his mouth is soft and warm, and dizzyingly wet. You mouth and lick, the taste is addicting—you never wanting to taste anything else ever again.
Cen pushes back against your mouth and you’re kissing him at last. The kiss is chaste, lips against skin. It’s filled with emotion. With unsaid things. The rush makes you feel dizzy and your legs wobble.
Finally, Cen moves. His arms folds around you, holding you steady. You bury your fingers into the warm dreadlocks at the back of his neck, pulling very lightly. It earns you a guttural purr from Cen. Sharp mandibles locks around your face and presses your mouths impossibly closer. The sharp ends of the tusks digs into your skin, almost drawing blood. It should feel claustrophobic, being restrained, but all you want is more. It’s intoxicating. Your core throbs with arousal and you know you have to do something about it.
Panting, you pull your head back. The mandibles immediately release their grip on your face. Cen’s is also affected, taking deep breaths. Although, he recovers a lot quicker and, moving further up the bed, he beckons you with a finger to join him. You waste not time getting on the bed, settling between Cen’s fishnet clad thighs. He looks so delicious splayed out in front of you, muscular chest heaving and loincloth tented, waiting once more for your instructions. Its exhilarating, this alien hunter submitting to you so easily.
You pull of your tank, exposing your chest, before you climb on top of Cen. His eyes follow you, darkness eclipsing the yellow iris. Placing your knees on either side of his waist, arms steady against his chest, you grind down. At the friction your breaths stutter in sync. High off the pleasure, you continue grinding down against Cen’s crotch. His hips snap up, meeting you halfway. His still clothed erection rubs right where you need it.
You lean in for another kiss, Cen’s mandibles gladly welcoming you. They clamp around your face in a way that feels both familiar and alien. This time the kiss is sloppy, quickly devolving into obscene. A thin tongue flicks against your lips and you comply, letting the alien appendage explore your mouth. It’s long, longer than any human tongue, and forked like a viper. You moan around it.
While you’re distracted by the kiss, Cen trails his hands up your arms and over your chest. Scaled fingertips ghost across your nipples, making you groan into his mouth. The touch stops for a second, then the fingers continue their featherlight descent across your toned stomach, where they come to rest. You flex your abs and now it’s Cen’s turn to make an appreciative noise into your mouth. All the while you continue to grind, chasing the tightening coil of arousal.
Cen’s hands grip your thighs, preventing your from grinding down. You frown and lean away from the kiss. His thumbs strokes your thighs reassuringly, before letting go and moving to his belt clasp. You grin and unzip you pants and you discard your clothes and boots. Cen does the same, loincloth and belt landing with a thud on the metal floor next to the cot.
Hungry eyes rake across the new expanse of skin as you both take in each others alien physiques. Cen’s anatomy is surprisingly human, with more tube-hair forming pubes. Maybe you should say mammalian, as the big glistening cock has seemingly unsheathed itself from inside of him. It’s ridged and scaly. Familiar, but oh so very different at the same time. You long to have it inside of you, feel those ridges scrape against your insides.
You hand moves to grip it, fingers snaking over the bulbous head and down the slippery shaft. Cen shivers at the contact, melting underneath you. You jerk your wrist once; Cen spasms, back arching of the bed. Emboldened, your grip hardens and you start to jerk him off with fervor. Light green precum dribbles down the shaft, mixing with the slick from his sheath and making your fingers glide smoother. His hands dig into your ass, the prickle of claws a reminder that he lets you be the one in control.
As your hands pass over yet another ridge on his cock, a worry starts to grow in your gut. You haven't really gotten laid in a while and Cen’s cock is so much bigger than any toy you had at home. The lack of extra lube could also pose a problem, but you highly doubted it would fit even with the extra glide. You still your hand and burry your face in the crook of Cen’s neck. You whine. Did your human anatomy have to create problems at every turn?
Cen clicks a few times, it sounds soothing, then he picks up your head, cradling it. You feel like putty in his hands. Gently, he knocks his forehead into yours. Cen has done many gestures that has felt significant, but this one makes you dizzy. It feels intimate, even more so than the kisses you’ve shared.
You let Cen take the lead and he guides his cock between your legs. You tense up, unsure if it will fit inside of you. But he stops, only letting the cock rest against the inside of your thighs. He seeks your gaze for validation and you nod. Slowly he starts to move, the cock trapped by your thighs. The wet erection rubs against your front, then between your legs and along the crease of your ass. You moan as the ridges of his cock grinds against your hole.
Cen speeds up, thrusting harder as you grind down. It makes your eyes roll back. The friction is even better now that the slick is pouring out of his sheath. You grab for his hair, pulling on it as you clench your thighs. You want him closer, even if you can’t have him inside of you. Yet. Determination strikes, and you know that next time you will have him, no matter the stretch.
The thought makes your shiver and you drag your nails along Cen’s heaving chest, leaving long dark-green marks. He’s yours. Cen’s thrusts become unsteady and with a growl he buries his mandibles in your shoulder. The pain makes you gasp, but it quickly turns into a moan when he begins to suck on the skin. He’s marking you too.
The knowledge that he also wants there to be a next time between you, brings you to an unexpected release. Your mind whites out as your body writhes in ecstasy. Cen shudders underneath you, spilling his own release between your thighs.
When you finally come down, Cen is curled around you. His arm is slung across your chest, pulling you close against him. The feeling grounds you, slowing your rapidly beating heart. You glance down at the neon green mess between your legs and grimace. But it isn't worse than the blood and grime that already covers you.
A low purr emanates from Cen. It vibrates across your body and, like the purr of a cat, it starts to make your eyelids feel heavy. You drift away to sleep in his arms.
You wake up to the cabin lights brightening. You squint in confusion. The ship’s robotic voice announce your arrival at the destination as the ship exits hyperspace. You have no idea how long you slept for, but Cen is at least still curled around you this time. As you untangle from his limbs, Cen wakes, gazing blearily at you. You smirk, last nights activities must've tired him out as well. You give him a peck on the mandible before leaving the bed.
Your clothes are strewn across the floor and you fumble to pull them on. With your tank halfway pulled over your head, you freeze. There it is outside the window: Earth. Your home.
You walk closer to the windshield, gazing out in aw. It’s so different seeing it from this point of view. You can see the clouds drift past as the planet rotates, day turning to night as lights pop up across the continents. Suddenly dizzy, you clutch for Cen, but he isn’t by your side.
Turning away from the vertiginous sight, you find Cen pacing by the wall of weapons. He stands with his back to you, his hands clasped behind him – the picture of the soldier he is. He’s seemingly perusing the different knife blades with great interest. Sadly, the illusion is ruined by the fact that he keeps stealing glances in your direction. When your eyes meet, he quickly looks away, suddenly very interested in one of the knives.
You sigh. After all of this, did you actually want to go back to earth? To the mundane. Sure, it would be a lot safer, your few days in space had not been a vacation exactly. But how could you ever go back to your job when you knew what was out there. Who was out there. You trace the love bite on your shoulder and prepare to make the biggest decision of your life.
Cen turns to face you as you approach. He does nothing to hide his pleading puppy eyes. You ignore the question in them and instead push him against the wall, causing a few knives and guns to clatter to the floor. His hands fly up in defense, but you pin them to his sides. Staring at each other, waiting for who will crack first. It’s Cen.
“Stay,” he whispers. His human speech is slow and unpracticed, but it makes your heart melt. In that moment, you know you’ve made the right decision.
Leaning up to his face, you whisper, “You’re not getting rid of me that easily,” before kissing him.