Path: newsspool2.news.atl.earthlink.net!stamper.news.atl.earthlink.net!stamper.news.pas.earthlink.net!elnk-nf2-pas!newsfeed.earthlink.net!newshub.sdsu.edu!border1.nntp.dca.giganews.com!nntp.giganews.com!news-xfer.newsread.com!yellow.newsread.com!news-toy.newsread.com!netaxs.com!newsread.com!POSTED.newshog.newsread.com!not-for-mail Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative.erotica.moderated Approved: ascem@earthlink.net Organization: Better Living Thru TrekSmut Sender: ascem@earthlink.net Message-ID: From: "Nick" MIME-Version: 1.0 Mailing-List: list ASCEML@yahoogroups.com; contact ASCEML-owner@yahoogroups.com Subject: N2U TNG: "The Anthropology of Love" P/Q [NC-17] 1/3 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Lines: 594 Date: Thu, 30 Dec 2004 15:55:07 GMT NNTP-Posting-Host: 209.198.142.218 X-Complaints-To: Abuse Role , We Care X-Trace: newshog.newsread.com 1104422107 209.198.142.218 (Thu, 30 Dec 2004 10:55:07 EST) NNTP-Posting-Date: Thu, 30 Dec 2004 10:55:07 EST Xref: news.earthlink.net alt.startrek.creative.erotica.moderated:86514 X-Received-Date: Thu, 30 Dec 2004 07:55:09 PST (newsspool2.news.atl.earthlink.net) Author: Nick (plan 9 channel 7 at witty dot com)=09 Title: The Anthropology of Love Series: TNG Rating: NC-17 Codes: P/Q Part: 1/3 Archive: wherever, as long as my name stays attached. Soon at my=20 website at http://www.geocities.com/pompadour_slim/pq.html Summary: Q convinces Picard to take a holiday with him on an alien=20 Website: http://www.geocities.com/pompadour_slim/pq.html Beta: Retrofit=20 Note: This was written for the SAC, and because of that is a lot=20 mushier than *anything* else of mine. In fact, it's completely angst- free. I know, I know.=20 "Q, is this really necessary?" Jean-Luc's voice garbled out from=20 behind a thick purple muffler. His arms jutted inelegantly through=20 the sleeves of a bulky, drooping robe that bundled and bunched around=20 his waist; he felt smothered, enormous and ridiculous under layer=20 after layer of alien undergarments.=20 "You want to blend in with the locals, don't you? Stop=20 complaining; I'm trying to decide if there's anything that would do=20 your figure more justice." Q cocked his head and snapped his fingers.=20 A scaly, blue-checkered coat and a pair of heavy white pants with a=20 form-fitting underlining replaced the man's robe. Dark brows=20 crinkling, Picard tugged his muffler down to huddle awkwardly under=20 his chin. "Locals? You didn't say anything about there being locals."=20 Circling the man, hands clasped theatrically behind his back, Q bent=20 at the waist to inspect his backside.=20 "Much better. Mmm? Don't fret, mon amour=85 these particular=20 locals bit the big one more than a thousand years ago." Squinting=20 over his shoulder at the immortal entity who had taken to squeezing=20 the seat of his pants experimentally, Jean-Luc frowned.=20 "All at once? And what's so significant about this particular=20 world at this particular time as to make all of=85" Jean-Luc gestured=20 half-heartedly, still frowning. "=85 this worthwhile?" Picard pulled at=20 the collar of his coat, finding that the extra padding was beginning=20 to make him uncomfortably warm in the moderate climate of his=20 quarters. How had the man let himself be talked into this little=20 holiday of Q's? He felt like a child whose mother had bundled him up=20 so tightly in preparation for a day of playing in the snow that he=20 was hardly likely to be able to stand upright, much less accomplish=20 any serious play.=20 "Yes, all at once. They're having one of their winter=20 festivals. Tr=E8s romantique." Q straightened up and snapped again,=20 clothing himself in a sleek, ankle-length moss green overcoat and a=20 pair of pants that were, aside from their purple color, identical to=20 Jean-Luc's.=20 "I don't know how romantique I'm going to feel under fourteen=20 layers of thermal insulation." Running a hand over his scalp, the man=20 narrowed his eyes as he surveyed his lover's attire. "Speaking of=20 which, you seem to have escaped that particular fate." "I'm not going to get cold, am I?" The entity shrugged=20 airily. Jean-Luc couldn't resist a faint smile; it had taken some=20 doing, but he had finally convinced Q to accept that he didn't like=20 to be automatically spared the physical hardships of being=20 human. "Besides, it'll be more fun this way; like undressing fourteen=20 different people." "Are you that bored with me, Q? Do you wish I were fourteen=20 different people?" Q's sensual mouth turned up at the corner as he=20 wormed teasing fingertips under the hem of Picard's coat. The gesture=20 was no less stirring for the man's inability to feel it through=20 layers of clothing.=20 "Fishing for validation? Mon Capitaine, that's so unlike=20 you." Feeling dopey under the weight and heat of his alien costume,=20 Jean-Luc grinned. His own fingers followed a light path along Q's=20 high cheekbone and into the entity's soft, dark hair. "Does that mean you're going to refuse me?" Q twined his=20 hands in the bulky material of Picard's coat and drew him in for a=20 soft, wet kiss that was brief but reluctantly so. The man's tongue=20 had just left his mouth to explore more interesting places when Q=20 withdrew and trailed provocative kisses up the length of his jaw.=20 "You're the only human I can stand. Sometimes you're the only=20 anything I can stand," the entity murmured against the tender flesh=20 of Jean-Luc's ear before he pulled back. "How's that for validation?" "Schmaltzy, even for you, but touching nonetheless." Q=20 smirked, his dark eyes glittering promises as he raised his hand. "All set, Johnny?" With an indulgent snort, Jean-Luc nodded.=20 Snap. -- The capital city of Malon's industrial state was a teeming,=20 snow-choked metropolis. Squat, rounded buildings huddled in clusters=20 like brightly painted, white-capped beetles among winding, well-trod=20 streets. The Malons themselves were a narrow people and largely=20 humanoid, with thick skin tending toward orange hues and an apparent=20 lack of body hair. Their ears were thin and angular, and it was=20 difficult to tell whether they were larger than those of humans or=20 the absence of head hair made them seem more prominent. Jean-Luc observed all of this from the busy street corner Q=20 had wished them onto. Their clothing did indeed seem to be=20 appropriate, though it was hardly enough to conceal the glaring=20 differences between their physical composition and that of the native=20 inhabitants. As the man watched, a Malon of indeterminate sex=20 shuffled past on wide feet, staring openly at them and cradling a=20 slim, Malon child in its gangly arms. Unconsciously gravitating=20 closer to Q, Jean-Luc, murmured, "Q, tell me these people are warp capable." "Of course, Jean-Luc. I brought you here to enjoy their=20 festival, not to disrupt it by making first contact." The man=20 relaxed, nodding slightly and giving himself greater permission to=20 observe for the pleasure of observing.=20 The street they were on was a wide thoroughfare, with fifteen=20 or twenty Malons stamping by at any given moment. Most of the=20 inhabitants were bundled up much as Jean-Luc was, in bright, scaly=20 coats and overcoats, and their boots, though wide and flat --=20 presumably to accommodate their wide, flat feet -- were much like=20 Jean-Luc's.=20 "Their feet are like snowshoes," the man noted with pleasant=20 amusement. Despite the cold, he was beginning to genuinely look=20 forward to whatever his lover had planned. Very little in the=20 universe gave him more pleasure than experiencing new cultures=20 intimately, and the fact that this particular 'new culture' was long=20 extinct didn't affect his enjoyment at all. Q tugged at the sleeve of=20 his coat, but it took him a moment to notice through his layers and=20 layers of clothing. "You can write up a report on their feet later. Come on,=20 we're going to be late." Looking around with quiet wonder at the=20 intricate, colorful patterns decorating the buildings on either side=20 of the street, Picard let himself be led by the arm. He wondered=20 dimly what they were going to be late for. Q hurried him across=20 through the crowd toward a building that was significantly larger and=20 grander than the others. Its rounded shell was painted in greens and=20 golds, with a sinewy web of blue splitting the other colors into=20 small, irregular sections. Jean-Luc was craning his neck to see more=20 of the structure as they approached, finding that it reminded him of=20 stained glass, when he collided with a Malon headed in the same=20 direction. It had a large bundle stuffed awkwardly under one of its=20 long arms, and, though its hands and neck were orange, its face was=20 yellow. The man blinked, stepping back and opening his mouth to=20 apologize, when Q interrupted him with a strange gesture. The entity=20 tapped his chest with the tips of his fingers and brushed a long=20 thumb up the corner of his mouth. Jean-Luc tried to look as though he=20 knew what Q was doing, and was relieved when the Malon smiled=20 graciously. "I acquit you," it said with a nod. Returning the smile and=20 the nod, Picard watched the creature amble away. He was just=20 formulating some sort of thoughtful comment on the event when Q=20 tugged at his arm again and hustled him inside the building.=20 Broad double doors led into a deep hall crowded with Malons=20 and lit subtly by glowing yellow orbs that dangled from the high=20 ceiling. Over the heads of shuffling natives, Jean-Luc caught=20 tantalizing glimpses of rich blues and elegant purples swirling=20 uninhibited across the high, curved walls. Along the back wall was a=20 delicately carved relief of a large Malon with a headdress extending=20 its arms and cradling something radiant in its cupped hands. Before=20 it knelt ten or fifteen (Picard couldn't see well enough to count)=20 smaller Malons whose faces were rapturous as they gazed up at it. The=20 murmuring of Malon voices was rich and tuneful around him, and Jean- Luc had a soft smile plastered hopelessly across his face when Q took=20 his hand and skirted them gracefully along the outer edge of the=20 crowd to the far side of a low platform at the head of the building.=20 "That's where the action's going to be," Q murmured, nodding=20 toward the platform and, as if on cue, the lights illuminating other=20 parts of the hall dimmed considerably. Picard spared his lover a=20 suspicious glance, but the entity fluttered his eyelashes innocently.=20 When a large Malon with rich red skin stepped onto the platform=20 wearing an elaborate, leafy headdress, the hall fell silent. Though=20 it first appeared to be especially tall, Jean-Luc soon noticed that=20 wide boots several inches higher than the others he had seen=20 supplemented the being's height considerably. In contrast to the way=20 most in attendance were dressed, the performer wore very little aside=20 from its boots and a wide blue sash around its narrow waist. After=20 raising its arms in acknowledgement of the crowd, the Malon hunched=20 over and hobbled around in a slow, staggering circle.=20 "Is he ill?" Picard whispered out of the corner of his mouth, feeling=20 as though he were without a program at an opera he'd never seen. "Extremely," Q whispered back. Soon, two bright yellow faces appeared=20 from behind the platform, and then the orange bodies they were=20 attached to crept nearer. The newcomers wore dull brown sashes and no=20 boots that Jean-Luc could make out, though he had to stand on tiptoes=20 to see everything. They skulked downstage and circled the first=20 performer in wide, opposing orbits before they met again behind it.=20 While the red Malon mimed leaning heavily on something, the others=20 whispered between themselves and wrung their hands fretfully.=20 Finally, one yellow-faced performer drew a long, angled blade from=20 its sash and took slow, almost regretful steps toward the being in=20 the headdress. Its partner raised a narrow, yellow chin and overtook=20 it, snatching the dagger from its grasp, and strode on toward the=20 first performer, who hung its head and feigned obliviousness.=20 Picard's dark brows knitted together as the unarmed yellow Malon=20 followed quickly, grabbing the sickly one from behind. "What are they doing to him?" As the first performer=20 struggled, it cried out. The noise was haunting, echoing widely=20 through the otherwise silent hall, and Jean-Luc could see the=20 audience shift in his peripheral vision.=20 "What does it look like?" Q's lips were close to his ear and=20 it made him feel warm despite the apparent lack of central heating in=20 the performance hall. The armed yellow Malon brought its broad=20 forehead down to touch that of the red being, though it had to pull=20 back quickly when the creature whipped its head from side to side as=20 it fought to free itself. Closing its eyes, the yellow-faced=20 performer raised the blade with an air of ceremony and a regret that=20 resembled its companion's.=20 "It looks like they're murdering him." The blade fell once,=20 and then again, and then a final time, and the second yellow-faced=20 Malon stumbled backward as its victim folded from its grasp.=20 "That's what they're doing." Dropping its blade, the yellow- faced murderer knelt beside the red Malon and bowed its head=20 reverently. Its companion did the same, though with less grace, as=20 its long-fingered orange hands trembled visibly.=20 "I should have known a murder festival would be your idea of=20 romance." Q snorted softly as the two performers flattened their arms=20 beneath their victim's body and bore it up slowly, lifting with their=20 knobby knees. "Whom did they murder?" A stirring in the corner of his=20 eye made Picard glance distractedly at the rest of the audience.=20 Throughout the hall, Malons were clutching themselves restlessly,=20 their round, dark eyes trained raptly on the action atop the low=20 platform.=20=20 "Prime Minister Tephemus. He lived four hundred years ago.=20 Well, relatively speaking it was about two thousand years ago, but=20 you get the idea, I'm sure." When the man looked back at the stage,=20 the yellow-faced performers were carrying the red Malon toward the=20 edge.=20 "Was he a tyrant?" The headdress shifted with a discreet push=20 from one orange elbow and tumbled to splay out across the smooth,=20 neutral ground. There was a collective gasp from the audience as the=20 article landed. "No, they loved him." Jean-Luc frowned, squinting as the=20 murderers draped the body of their victim across the floor at the=20 foot of the platform, seeming to take great care in the way they=20 situated it. They spread its limbs wide, like a star, and rolled its=20 head to the side. "And now they're celebrating his murder." The yellow-faced=20 Malon who had wielded the blade retrieved the headdress and placed it=20 on the ground above the victim's head. It pulled at the leafy fronds=20 until they fanned out broadly to form a sort of halo.=20 "Apparently." The Malon's partner produced something from its=20 sash and Picard craned his neck to see what it was. When it knelt=20 below the body's outstretched arm and extended its hand, he thought=20 he could make out a gourd-shaped black vial.=20 "Are they going to pour poison into his ear?" In his=20 peripheral vision Jean-Luc saw Q look at him for the first time since=20 the performance had begun. Those dark, intelligent eyes caught more=20 dim light than seemed to be their share and he couldn't help=20 shivering under his many layers. On the platform, the kneeling=20 creature emptied the vial of some imaginary substance, taking care to=20 anoint the deceased's entire body.=20 "You'd like that, wouldn't you?" There was so much lewd=20 insinuation in Q's soft hiss that Picard had to wonder whether it had=20 anything at all to do with his dry question. The man leaned=20 discreetly against his lover as the yellow-faced murderers shuffled=20 offstage, heads bowed, flat feet slapping against the smooth=20 platform.=20 "I'm sure you'd think he deserved it for his arrogance." The=20 lights dimmed further, shrouding even the platform in darkness. Q's=20 full lips skimmed across the flesh of Jean-Luc's earlobe, making him=20 shiver again. "I'm sure he did," the entity breathed, withdrawing as the=20 lights brightened again throughout the hall. The platform was empty=20 and the Malons were stamping their wide feet in subdued applause.=20 After a moment, Picard tapped his own toes against the ground,=20 smiling faintly. Gradually the applause died away and the audience=20 began to shuffle around, gathering up their young and talking quietly=20 in small groups. The concentration of Malons near the broad double=20 doors at the back thinned as the less social attendees began to=20 trickle out into the snowy street. "Well?" Jean-Luc turned to find Q=20 posed dramatically with his hands on his hips. The corner of the=20 man's mouth twitched upward slightly. "Interesting, but the romance continues to elude me."=20 "Not for long, mon amour. Do you want to meet them?"=20=20 Gesturing behind him, the entity indicated a small door set=20 discreetly to the left of the platform, along the back wall. It had=20 been propped open and, as Picard looked, a broad-chested Malon=20 carrying the headdress prop gingerly in large hands disappeared=20 through it. Q smiled winningly and Jean-Luc knew he wouldn't have=20 been able to resist even if he had wanted to.=20 "The performers? Why not?" Q's eyes smoldered and he took=20 Picard's hand once again to lead him on. The man felt himself grow=20 increasingly curious as to how any of what he had seen related at all=20 to romance. All joking aside, he knew that if Q insisted the holiday=20 would be romantic it would be, and his lover had chosen this time and=20 a place specifically, so it must be significant somehow. He was still=20 frowning thoughtfully as they wove their way through a series of=20 hallways in the bowels of the building. The walls were painted=20 brightly, as everything seemed to be, and though some of the color=20 combinations seemed counterintuitive to Picard, he found most of the=20 decoration pleasing to look at. Even those configurations which did=20 not immediately please him made him think, made him wonder whom they=20 might please and whether he couldn't learn to appreciate them given=20 time and greater understanding.=20 Q stopped at a set of two doors, narrow and together occupying the=20 space Jean-Luc might have allotted for one. They were trimmed in a=20 thick, winding gold pattern, but were otherwise indistinguishable=20 from the other doors they had passed along the way. Surveying the=20 trim carefully and feeling strangely pleased when he noticed the way=20 tiny particles shone amid the seemingly solid strokes, the man took=20 only the vaguest note when Q pressed a flat button on the left side=20 of the doorframe, eliciting a low, airy whistle from inside. As the=20 doors hissed open, though, Jean-Luc wrested his attention from the=20 trim to straighten and step back respectfully. Q, on the other hand,=20 was striding across the threshold almost before the doors had cleared=20 a place and the man was quick to follow, realizing that he couldn't=20 be certain when and how the doors would close again.=20 "To please my eyes! If it isn't Lorec the Stagemaster, I've died and=20 gone to see Tephemus," Q purred at the orange Malon who stood near=20 the center of the room rubbing absently at patches of red paint=20 across its thick skin with a bunched cloth. The Malon gave a deep,=20 musical chuckle, and Picard found it difficult to decide whether to=20 concentrate on their host or on the rest of the room, which was=20 vibrantly decorated and full of comfortable-looking furniture and=20 sweet-smelling edibles. The chamber itself was not particularly=20 large, but the configuration of articles inside it seemed to maximize=20 the amount of useable space in a way that had the man marveling at=20 both the artistry and efficiency of its decorator.=20 "You flatter my humble self as always, Q. I was not aware that you=20 would be in attendance. Your presence, too, flatters." Lorec nodded=20 graciously, depositing its cloth on a high, round table and smiling=20 toothily at Jean-Luc. "I see you have brought a companion." Picard=20 nodded politely and allowed himself to give in to the warm smile that=20 itched at his lips. It was all so beautiful and interesting. The more=20 he thought about it, the more he realized that the fact that the=20 Malons were extinct in his own time made it more fascinating to be=20 able to see them living and creating in front of him. How many times,=20 as he had fondled the artifacts in his collection, had he fantasized=20 about seeing them put to their intended use by those who had used=20 them? "This is my mate, Jean-Luc Picard. It is his first experience of the=20 pleasure of visiting Malon." At the sound of his name, Jean-Luc=20 looked up, realizing that he had let his attention roam wonderingly=20 across the room, nearly forgetting that he wasn't alone in some sort=20 of anthropological holo-book. He smiled again and tried to imitate=20 the gracious nod the Malon had given him. "It certainly has been a pleasure. The d=E9cor is exquisite and your=20 performance was very moving." Lorec's large ears shivered and the=20 creature looked exceedingly pleased as it gestured toward a plush,=20 powder blue divan set against the right wall. "Your mate is as you are, Q, though I would expect no different. In=20 truth, I am surprised to learn that your kind mates. But, please, do=20 not let my curiosity distract you from taking comfort." The man=20 couldn't help snickering inwardly at the thought that there was a=20 corner of space and time where people considered Q to be courteous=20 and pleasant company. And yet, Q had indeed acted that way thus far.=20 Certainly Jean-Luc enjoyed Q's company, but it was rare that anyone=20 else did, and he found it lovely to be able to be with his lover=20 without having to stifle the urge to apologize for his behavior. Q=20 moved aside so that Picard could seat himself first, giving the man=20 an almost imperceptible wink as he did so. Smiling softly at the=20 entity's discreetly intimate display, Jean-Luc sat on one end of the=20 divan, careful to avoid marring the soft upholstery. Once Q had=20 joined him, sitting closer than the man might have thought=20 appropriate if they had been in a place where he had any idea of the=20 appropriateness of anything, Lorec sat some distance away from them=20 on the other end of the sofa. It smiled and its ears fluttered again=20 as their comfort with the accommodation showed on their faces.=20 "It is not customary for Q to mate, you're right. Jean-Luc is=85=20 special," Q said, leaning back against the piles of powder blue=20 pillows behind them. The man cleared his throat softly and fought=20 back the urge to roll his eyes as a rosy flush tinted his cheeks.=20 "It was my understanding that all Q were, as you say, 'special',"=20 Lorec rumbled wryly. Picard relaxed instantly at the promise of=20 mirthful intelligence in those round, sparkling eyes. He was couched=20 in luxurious softness, the side of his thigh pressed lightly against=20 that of his lover, and his senses were filled with the strange beauty=20 of their host's room. Beyond that, the orange creature's tone was one=20 he understood and enjoyed and he let go of the worry that he might=20 have a difficult time keeping up with whatever etiquette the=20 conversation would require of him. Still, he couldn't help wondering=20 at the sudden addition of wry insinuation underneath the formal=20 politeness. Had it been there from the start? Could he have missed=20 it?=20 "How right you are. However, Jean-Luc is not a Q, and he isn't this=20 kind of special." Q grinned faintly and snapped his fingers. Jean- Luc's eyes made an instinctive, lightning-fast circuit of the room to=20 see whether anything had been altered, but it seemed that his lover's=20 gesture had only been a visual aid. Lorec knitted its long fingers=20 loosely and showed its elegantly jutting teeth. "Is it always so=85 polite?"=20 "Not always, no, but he is a diplomat, among other things. I'm sure=20 there's plenty he'd like to say but thinks might offend you."=20 Chuckling softly, Jean-Luc shrugged his concession as Q's dark eyes=20 glittered at him.=20 "Is this so, Jean-Luc?" The Malon's thick tongue clacked awkwardly=20 around the man's name, but Picard respected the boldness of its=20 attempt. He crossed one leg over the other, relaxing more by the=20 moment, and turned slightly to face Lorec. "I find that in most cases where I am concerned, if Q says it is so,=20 it is so." Q leaned back further into the pillows so that Jean-Luc's=20 view of the Malon was unrestricted and the corners of his mouth=20 twitched upward.=20 "Indeed? Then I must assume that you concede being, as it=20 says, 'special', though you gave the appearance of discomfort at its=20 assertion," Lorec murmured, its forehead drawing down. The man=20 studied it for a moment, even as a flush warmed his cheeks again, and=20 tried to determine whether there was a teasing exaggeration in the=20 being's expression or it was only a trick of his wishful imagination.=20 "If it did not make me uncomfortable I don't think he would have much=20 cause to say it." Tapping at its mouth with the side of a long=20 finger, Lorec smiled faintly, and there was an unmistakably wry glint=20 in its round eyes. Jean-Luc found himself sitting up straighter,=20 found his feet flattening on the floor in anticipation. Challenging=20 banter never failed to excite and amuse him, and there was the=20 promise of it in the Malon's expression.=20 "Do you say it enjoys making you uncomfortable?" Lorec exchanged a=20 discreet glance with Q, who was sprawled unself-consciously across=20 the blue pillows, smirking and nibbling daintily on the nail of his=20 human little finger. His lover's pose sparked a rich warmth in Jean- Luc's stomach that threatened to migrate lower and the man shifted=20 his gaze quickly back to their host. "There is no doubt that he does, sometimes." "Not in this case?" Picard smiled softly, daring another glance at Q.=20 The entity pouted his full lips and Jean-Luc forced himself to look=20 away before his lover did something dangerous like lick them. He=20 tried to focus but it was becoming more difficult not to obsess over=20 the idea of getting Q alone somehow. Suddenly the pressure of Q's=20 thigh against his was almost unbearably hot through his thick pants.=20 "Not in this case. If he extolled my virtues and I agreed with him, I=20 wouldn't deserve the extolments in the first place. I think he does=20 it to delight in my humility." A wry grin tugged at the corner of=20 Picard's thin, chiseled upper lip. Lorec laughed a rumbling, musical=20 laugh and its ears shivered. "Ahh, now I can see you are not a Q. I do not believe the Q value=20 humility in themselves. In others, of course, but not in themselves."=20 Q rolled his eyes so dramatically that it seemed almost audible, and=20 neither Jean-Luc nor Lorec failed to notice and grin. Q himself was=20 grinning once he'd tired of crinkling his features into the expected=20 contemptuous scowl.=20 "I think I'm beginning to like your friend, Q," Picard murmured,=20 exchanging a glittering glance with the orange creature on the other=20 end of the divan. Q smirked and ran a hand up the inside of Jean- Luc's thigh indecently. His eyes widening, the man instinctively=20 tried to scoot away but found that his only escape was off the edge=20 of the divan and onto the floor. Instead, he glared at his lover in=20 what he hoped might be a discreet way.=20 "I knew you would, and I'm sure you'll be even more fond of each=20 other in the morning after you've gotten to talk a bit more." As the=20 entity leaned forward and braced himself to stand, Picard hazarded a=20 look at Lorec, but the creature seemed far from discomforted by Q's=20 behavior. The Malon smiled knowingly and rose, prompting Jean-Luc to=20 do the same to avoid the awkwardness of being the only member of the=20 party to remain seated.=20 "As your mate is not a god-thing, perhaps you will appreciate our=20 hospitality tonight." All sarcasm was gone from Lorec's expression,=20 and from Q's as the entity nodded deeply. Picard allowed himself to=20 relax somewhat. Perhaps his lover's gesture would not be considered=20 inappropriate here. The culture did not seem overtly sexual, but it=20 was possible that their attitudes toward propriety differed from=20 those the man was accustomed to.=20 "If you will deign to offer it." Smiling toothily, the Malon clasped=20 its orange hands together. "Have I ever failed?" Q wrapped long fingers around Jean-Luc's bicep=20 and the multitude of layers that covered it and gave their host a=20 serene smile. "No indeed." Its ears shivering with delight, Lorec nodded and went=20 to a panel along the far wall, where its fingertips tapped out a=20 complex pattern, making richly colored lights flash on and off in=20 irregular shapes.=20 "I have summoned the caretaker. It will find you outside and show you=20 to your accommodations."=20 -- As soon as the doors of their room hissed closed, Jean-Luc=20 was thrown bodily against the wall as Q kissed him hard. The man had=20 intended to reproach his lover, once they were alone, for not at=20 least mentioning that overt displays of 'affection' would not be=20 considered inappropriate here. Had he been warned, Picard imagined he=20 most probably would have been able to stifle his innate reaction to=20 public intimacy, but under the circumstances he couldn't help=20 thinking that the entity had set him up to look foolish. But a=20 reproach and the probable result -- an argument -- disintegrated from=20 his agenda when Q's hot, wet tongue entered his mouth. His blood=20 surged and the memory of the way his lover had looked splayed across=20 Lorec's blue pillows made him growl and spear Q's tongue with his=20 own. The entity groaned and sucked him in, his eyelids fluttering as=20 he clawed clumsily at Jean-Luc's blue-checkered coat, finally=20 wrenching it open and off of his shoulders to reveal a thick, long=20 sleeved undershirt.=20 "I hope you were warm enough under here, Johnny," Q snarled=20 as he yanked on the undershirt, ripping it at the shoulder seam but=20 failing to remove it. Tilting his head back and clenching his teeth,=20 his mechanical heart laboring furiously, Jean-Luc struggled with the=20 garment until it was partially over his head and stuck there. "Get these off=85 I don't care how you do it, Q, but get these=20 damn things off!" His voice was hoarse and muffled from inside the=20 thick cloth confinement. "Are you sure?" the entity panted, ceasing to pull at the=20 shirt. It was only Q's hesitation to employ his powers that made Jean- Luc realize his lover had completely forgone their use since they had=20 arrived on Malon. The thought made him warm and desperate and tender=20 at the same time, and the form-fitting underlining of his Malon pants=20 were beginning to feel as tight and maddening as a cockring without=20 being nearly so much fun.=20 "I've never been so sure of anything in my life!" Picard's=20 arms continued to flail for a moment after the resistance=20 disappeared. In fact, all of his clothes had disappeared, as had Q's,=20 and he felt as though he had lost his balance. He thought he was=20 going to fall, but then Q's weight was pressing down on him and he=20 realized that they were both sprawled across an impossibly soft bed=20 with a thick, dark purple dressing. Brown eyes glittered at him as=20 the entity shifted, brushing their cocks together and making him=20 groan. Jean-Luc was so hard he was dripping and some part of his mind=20 worried vaguely about the mess they were sure to make of a bed that=20 was not their own.=20 [Continued in 2/3] ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ASCEM messages are copied to a mailing list. Most recent messages can be found at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ASCEML. NewMessage: Path: newsspool2.news.atl.earthlink.net!stamper.news.atl.earthlink.net!stamper.news.pas.earthlink.net!elnk-nf2-pas!newsfeed.earthlink.net!newshub.sdsu.edu!border1.nntp.dca.giganews.com!nntp.giganews.com!news-xfer.newsread.com!yellow.newsread.com!news-toy.newsread.com!netaxs.com!newsread.com!POSTED.newshog.newsread.com!not-for-mail Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative.erotica.moderated Approved: ascem@earthlink.net Organization: Better Living Thru TrekSmut Sender: ascem@earthlink.net Message-ID: From: "Nick" MIME-Version: 1.0 Mailing-List: list ASCEML@yahoogroups.com; contact ASCEML-owner@yahoogroups.com Subject: N2U TNG: "The Anthropology of Love" P/Q [NC-17] 2/3 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Lines: 400 Date: Thu, 30 Dec 2004 15:55:09 GMT NNTP-Posting-Host: 209.198.142.218 X-Complaints-To: Abuse Role , We Care X-Trace: newshog.newsread.com 1104422109 209.198.142.218 (Thu, 30 Dec 2004 10:55:09 EST) NNTP-Posting-Date: Thu, 30 Dec 2004 10:55:09 EST Xref: news.earthlink.net alt.startrek.creative.erotica.moderated:86515 X-Received-Date: Thu, 30 Dec 2004 07:55:11 PST (newsspool2.news.atl.earthlink.net) For header info, see part 1/3. "It's all right, Jean-Luc=85 we can come all over the sheets, or the=20 furniture, or the walls if we're feeling really adventurous. They=20 won't mind. I promise." The man was never certain when Q was or=20 wasn't reading his mind, and he had even experimented a bit with=20 being allowed to read parts of Q's mind; in this instance, though, it=20 seemed more likely that his lover simply knew him well enough to read=20 his expression.=20 "Nor will I, I expect," Picard rumbled, tangling his fingers=20 in soft, dark hair and dragging the entity's head down for a hot,=20 enveloping kiss. Their hands were everywhere, caressing heaving=20 chests, pinching tight, straining nipples, clawing at shoulders and=20 enjoying the play of muscles under the soft skin of tight biceps.=20 Jean-Luc lost track of which limbs were whose, of which tongue=20 belonged to him, of whether he was on top and thrusting his cock into=20 the join of his lover's leg or whether he was below and pinned by=20 sturdy weight as his cock sought friction against his lover's=20 stomach. Were his cries raspy and rumbling, or silky and whimpering?=20 He only knew that he strove, and Q strove, and they were so close=20 that not being inside each other was becoming increasingly=20 intolerable. Q's lips were warm and full, swelling fuller as they=20 pressed roughly against his (or were his warm, full lips swelling=20 against Q's?), and soon Jean-Luc was clutching his lover's ass=20 urgently. "I know this is supposed to be a=85 romantic getaway, Q,=20 but=85" he panted distractedly, blinking and trying to hold onto his=20 ability to form complete sentences.=20 "But you'd like to get on with the fucking?" Q's voice was a=20 silky purr, husky with desire, and it made the man shiver, made the=20 man's cock weep.=20 "God, yes." His mind reeled with all of the things he wanted=20 to do to Q and wanted Q to do to him. He would take any one of them,=20 or anything else his lover might have in mind, if only he could have=20 it now. With an impish smirk, Q shifted gracefully until he was=20 straddling Jean-Luc's thighs, poised some inches above the man's=20 body. He wrapped long fingers around the base of his lover's=20 erection, eliciting a hoarse moan and an unrestrained thrust of=20 muscular hips. "Good, because I've been wanting to do this for hours." Q=20 didn't break eye contact, though his lids drooped heavily, as he sank=20 down on Picard's cock, engulfing it inch by inch in slick, tight=20 heat, and ending with a delicate whimper as their hips met. Jean-Luc=20 saw stars and his ears hummed with his own blood as it rushed to his=20 groin, making his cock harder, thicker, making it fill Q completely=20 until it could only be that Q's ass was the mold from which his cock=20 was made. He shuddered and fought to keep his eyes open so that he=20 could watch the entity begin to move. Q arched back, stretching his=20 long body longer, and sweat shone on his pale chest in the dim=20 light. "Ohhhh, Jean-Luc=85 you're lucky I didn't=85" The entity=20 swallowed, closing his eyes and riding out a gentle shudder as his=20 hips rocked. "=85 throw you down in=85 the performance hall and=85 ride=20 your cock right there." Moaning softly, the man met his lover's=20 thrusts with as much restraint as he could summon. Jean-Luc's painful=20 erection told him to surge up and throw Q onto his back, to pound him=20 through the alien bed and on through the floor, to hear his screams=20 as he came and came and came in the way that only Q could, but the=20 rest of him overruled its suggestion; seeing that beautiful face echo=20 every sensation his cock elicited inside that writhing, luscious body=20 was perfect and part of him never wanted either of them to come. He=20 wanted Q to ride him forever. But a little faster couldn't hurt. "Do I feel good, Q?" Picard didn't have the composure to keep=20 the lust from roughening his voice and he didn't try, though he used=20 every ounce of concentration he had to achieve the steady, sing-song=20 rumble he knew his lover couldn't resist.=20 "Yesss=85 oh=85 ohhhh yes=85" Q moaned, his rhythm increasing very=20 slightly as he began to draw himself further off of the man's cock=20 with each upstroke, making the downstrokes heavier, deeper.=20 Desperately resisting the urge to grab the entity's hips and pull=20 them down as he thrust again and again into all of that tight=20 strength, Jean-Luc dug his fingertips into Q's lean thighs and held=20 on. His lover's inner muscles groped at his cock, massaging it, and=20 lying there with relative passivity seemed, at that moment, like the=20 hardest thing he'd ever had to do. Without really knowing how,=20 though, the man knew it was what Q wanted, and so he made himself do=20 it. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew, too, that it would be=20 so much better this way. Q groaned through clenched teeth, tossing=20 his head back and bracing his splayed fingertips against Picard's=20 lower stomach for leverage as he fucked himself on the man's=20 straining cock. "You're so big=85 I can't believe=85 you fit, but=85 you=20 do=85 like you were made to be inside me=85 Ohhhh, Jean-Luc=85" Jean-Luc=20 clenched harder at his lover's thighs as Q's throaty voice washed=20 over him, bathing him in sex and need and love and relief. He was=20 going to lose it if he didn't hold tightly enough; he was going to=20 empty his aching balls inside those hot, gripping muscles and that=20 was going to be the end of it. But he held on because, more than he=20 wanted to come, he loved being the instrument of Q's pleasure, and=20 watching as Q's body strained and shook with the tension of their=20 maddeningly slow build.=20 "Q=85" Picard growled softly, with one hard thrust for=20 emphasis, as his thighs began to tremble. Q's eyes widened as the=20 man's cock touched him so deeply inside, and he fell forward across=20 his lover's body with a strangled whimper. "You're so beautiful=85"=20 Jean-Luc choked, losing his mind with the feel of Q's muscles=20 squeezing him and Q's body touching him everywhere, Q's hands=20 clutching at his shoulders and Q's hard cock rubbing against his=20 stomach. "I've spent half=85 ohhh, God, Q=85 half my life exploring=85 and= =20 you're the most=85 beautiful thing I've ever seen=85" When Q moaned=20 loudly in response, his hot breath singeing the fine hairs of=20 Picard's earlobe in a way that was impossibly erotic, the man lost=20 control. Grabbing hold of the entity's ass with both hands, he guided=20 Q's body down to meet his thrusts, each one harder, faster, and=20 deeper than the last. His planted feet were sliding out from under=20 them along the soft bedspread with the force of their rhythm and his=20 fingertips slipped repeatedly from Q's sweaty skin, but it didn't=20 matter. Jean-Luc was arching back into the bed and his cock was doing=20 all of the thinking, plunging itself remorselessly into the tight=20 heat that was Q, and the rest of his body did what it had to do to=20 maintain and heighten the dizzying friction.=20 "Jean-Luc=85 Jean-Luc=85" Q's moans were strangled and his body=20 was trembling tightly as they slid against each other over and over=20 and over. Bright stars popped in Picard's eyes, vibrant alien colors=20 swirled around him, and the sound of his lover's helpless rapture=20 buoyed him above and outside of himself. He felt light and free and=20 for a few seconds as though he had existed in no other place or time=20 or situation, as though he had been born into Q's body, and onto this=20 strange bed, in this strange room, with no other purpose than to make=20 love to the beautiful creature in his arms. He hovered, seeing the=20 light and resisting it with gentle serenity, waiting. "Oh=85 Oh, Jean- Luc=85 Jean-Luc, I'm=85" Q arched against him, shuddering deeply and=20 crying out with a husky, choked sob. As the entity's nails dug into=20 his chest with mindless cruelty, as he felt the first hot spurts=20 between their stomachs and the first spasming clench of his lover's=20 muscles around his cock, Jean-Luc came. Q's ecstasy was like food and=20 fuel and the man groaned out his bliss as he emptied himself into his=20 lover's body. Shuddering again when Picard came inside him, Q=20 whimpered, his flushed, swollen mouth open, his dark eyes black and=20 staring. Their bodies were reluctant to part with such perfection, so=20 they clung together, moving tenderly until there was only stillness=20 and warmth. -- Q rarely slept in any sense, although he sometimes wrapped=20 his vast consciousness in Jean-Luc's slumber and felt the emotionless=20 nothingness of it. At first it had terrified him; nothingness was an=20 almost universal fear among Q, being so contrary to their natures.=20 Jean-Luc's surrender to nothingness, though, seemed both courageous=20 and honest. He longed to match his lover in those qualities, for his=20 lover's benefit and for his own sense of self-worth, and so he let=20 his human body lie helpless and essentially unconscious while he=20 experienced the man's sleep. But sleep was not the only experience Q=20 now relished despite having disdained it before meeting his human=20 starship captain; he allowed the warm, faintly throbbing soreness to=20 remain in the depths of his human body as a delicious reminder of=20 what they had done together. He left them sticky with drying sweat=20 and semen, something he would have found vulgar and disgustingly=20 mortal such a short time before, and he did it because he knew Jean- Luc would regret its absence. More than that, though, he did it=20 because his love for the man made him want, beyond all rationality,=20 to emulate him. When Picard stirred gently beneath him, Q pulled back=20 into himself and his human eyelids fluttered open to reveal the=20 dreamily content face of his lover only inches away. Jean-Luc smiled=20 softly, the expression tugging at Q's heart with the way it seemed to=20 take twenty years off of his age. The entity had not yet had the=20 nerve to broach the subject of what they might do to circumvent the=20 man's impending mortal death, but he would. Soon. "Good morning, Darling," Q murmured, grinning against the=20 soft skin of Picard's shoulder.=20 "It can't be morning already; I feel like I closed my eyes=20 five minutes ago." The man's silky baritone was thick and rougher=20 than usual, but his immaculate diction suffered hardly a whit from=20 the recent nap. It made Q shiver, and he decided to exert some effort=20 toward tamping down his superhuman Q-stamina. This was supposed to be=20 a romantic holiday, not a debauched screw-fest.=20 "In the scheme of things you might as well have=85 but you're=20 right, it isn't morning." Jean-Luc grinned with knowing indulgence=20 and tangled lazy fingers in his lover's dark hair. "I know, I know=85 my entire lifespan is five minutes in the=20 scheme of things. Philosophy aside, how long did I actually sleep?"=20 Pressing into the man's touch, Q brushed full lips against the inside=20 of his lover's wrist and stretched along the length of him, loving=20 the way his human muscles burned and trembled.=20 "An hour. Your internal clock is such a bother, you know. If=20 you're scheduled to be sleeping you're out in ten seconds and up=20 before the alarm, and if you're scheduled to be awake I can't put you=20 down for more than two hours without a massive dose of sedatives."=20 Jean-Luc's dark brows crinkled as his thin, chiseled lips twitched,=20 and Q could tell he was weighing the pros and cons of an ironic=20 rejoinder. Yawning languidly, the entity smirked, waiting. "I'm not scheduled to be awake at the moment, but I am. It=20 probably has something to do with what a waste it would be to sleep=20 through having a beautiful, naked immortal stretched out against me=20 in bed." Q's dark eyes glittered and his lips smacked lightly against=20 the man's shoulder. "You know you can have that whenever you like." The warm,=20 vibrating pleasure of Picard's rumbling chuckle rocked Q and made him=20 unconsciously squirm against the man. "Did you really drag me off for a romantic holiday on a far- flung planet so that you could downplay every amorous thing I said to=20 you?" Q shifted on top of Jean-Luc, craning his neck just enough so=20 that their mouths met, and kissed him. Their lips parted slowly but=20 without reservation, and the kiss deepened. Though most of the=20 lovers' immediate hunger had been sated, they felt the unguarded=20 candor born of knowing that the most intimate parts of themselves had=20 been coaxed open and shared. There was nothing to tease with, nothing=20 to keep back or hide.=20=20 "Mais naturellement, Mon Capitaine," Q murmured, pulling away=20 to regard the man with playful affection. "All the better to glean=20 further endearments, my dear. And besides, that particular comment=20 was less amour and more d=E9sir." Snorting fondly, Jean-Luc held his=20 lover more tightly against him. "You speak more French than I do, mon amour." "And better. I'm just trying to make you feel at home."=20 "My home is the USS Enterprise." As he spoke, the man grinned=20 faintly and let his sleepy gaze wander over their alien=20 accommodation. Q could see the way his hazel eyes sparkled with=20 curiosity and appreciation, the way his chin shifted in time with=20 some private speculation, and it pleased the entity intensely.=20 "Of course it is. That's why I call you 'Captain'." Looking=20 back at his lover, Jean-Luc nodded with an exaggerated air of long- suffering tolerance, but he failed to prevent a warm twinkle from=20 dancing in his eyes.=20=20 "While we're on the subject of your bizarre and questionable=20 motivations, my most beloved of nuisances, what exactly are we doing=20 here?" Q couldn't resist the urge to pout until Picard gave in and=20 petted his hair more earnestly, affecting an apologetic frown. It was=20 a ritual to which neither gave more than a passing thought anymore.=20 "I told you; we're here to enjoy the Malons' winter=20 celebration." Though he tried to sound dismissive, the entity was=20 secretly glad that Jean-Luc had brought the conversation back around=20 to their reason for being on Malon. He mentally rubbed his Q-hands=20 together in anticipation. The man stretched against him, one knee=20 caressing his thigh with lazy pleasure as intelligent eyes glinted=20 idle promises. "I know what you told me, Q. I won't deny that these people=20 are charming and that their=85 aesthetics are enjoyable, to say the=20 least, but I still want to know why, of all of the places and times=20 at your disposal, you chose to haul me to the other end of space and=20 time for a murder festival." Q looked mysterious, glancing across the=20 room for effect. "Don't pretend you don't want to know why they're celebrating=20 the murder of one of their most beloved patriarchs, Jean-Luc." Even=20 without his human peripheral vision, Q could detect a rise in those=20 dark brows, could detect a thoughtful jut in that strong jaw. Taking=20 advantage of Picard's momentary distraction, the entity slithered=20 down his body to plant wet, sensuous kisses over his lover's compact,=20 muscled chest. "You were all but bursting out of those Malon pants=20 from the moment we got here," he purred, swirling an agile tongue=20 around one dimpled areola before taking the nipple gently between his=20 teeth. Jean-Luc gave a soft, helpless moan that was laced with just=20 enough irritation to make Q smirk. The man greatly valued his ability=20 to think and rarely appreciated having it stolen from him without=20 notice, and so of course Q endeavored to do it as often as possible,=20 for his own amusement and their mutual satisfaction. "And it wasn't=20 just my sexy coat, either," he went on against the delicate skin of=20 Picard's collarbone. "It was all these pretty colors, all these=20 foreign things you can't quite wrap your mind around. Exploration=20 makes you hard, Jean-Luc. You've been in some sort of intellectual=20 heat all day." The man's body shook with hearty, rumbling laughter=20 even as it arched against Q's teasing fingertips and warm, hungry=20 mouth.=20 "I never=85 mmmm=85" Jean-Luc paused to enjoy the way his lover's=20 tongue flicked back and forth along the length of his ear. "I never=20 said you didn't have my number, Q; I'm not sure why you feel the need=20 to dangle it in front of me." Q opened his mouth to breathe something=20 sexy and teasing about other things he might dangle in front of the=20 man instead, when Picard wove the fingers of both hands into his hair=20 and turned his head to kiss him. Closing his eyes, the entity fought=20 back a moan of pleasure and sent his tongue to war with Jean-Luc's,=20 determined to claim the man's mouth in a clear victory. This was his=20 seduction and he wasn't going to give it up without a fight. In the=20 end, his lover accepted him, grinning into the kiss to show that he=20 had only aggressed to provoke the entity into overpowering him.=20 Picard's equivocal submission inflamed Q, challenging him and filling=20 him with the power to meet the challenge. He growled, narrowing his=20 eyes and nipping at the man's lower lip. Jean-Luc tilted his head=20 against the soft, dark bedding and gazed up at the entity with dreamy=20 lust sparkling in his eyes, but when he spoke again his voice was=20 almost infuriatingly steady. "If I've had this intellectual erection=20 for hours and hours, why not take pity on me and do something to=20 relieve it?" Grinning wickedly, Q trailed his fingertips through the=20 gray-black hair dusting the man's chest and along the downy trail=20 that led past his navel and lower.=20 "Are you sure you don't want me to take care of this first?"=20 the entity murmured as he wrapped a lithe hand around Jean-Luc's=20 rapidly swelling cock. The man grimaced with the pleasure of it and=20 his thighs parted invitingly. "First? Yes=85 I'm sure=85 although you're omniscient and all- powerful=85 I imagine you could manage both at the same time." "You want me to tell you the story of the murder of Tephemus=20 while I jerk you off? Holy sexual perversion, Jean-Luc! What a dirty=20 little thing you are! I thought I was being at least partly facetious=20 with that whole 'exploration makes you hard' thing, but it really=20 does, doesn't it?" "I'm not arguing." Q's dark eyes blackened and his nostrils=20 flared as he squeezed the man's desire gently, feeling the way it=20 pulsed and twitched in his grasp. It was hot and kinetic, a rod of=20 bright, hard light in his Q-vision.=20 "It really is quite a long story, and your cock is=20 practically jumping in my hand. Are you sure you can last?" Picard=20 shivered, a smirk ghosting across his chiseled lips as he tucked his=20 hands behind his head and got comfortable.=20 "I'm certainly game=85 unless you think my cock jumping in your=20 hand might be too much of a distraction." Narrowing his eyes, Q=20 gripped the man's erection more firmly, duly satisfied when Jean-Luc=20 clenched his teeth and thrust against him with something like=20 defiance. The man could control himself now, and it was delicious to=20 watch him approach the task so confidently, but Q didn't plan to let=20 that go on for long. Picard would be writhing and coming all over=20 himself long before the entity finished his story, a suitable=20 punishment for issuing a challenge to an immortal demi-god.=20=20 "Of course not," he said as airily he as he could manage with=20 Jean-Luc's cock slithering over his palm. Q lay down beside the man,=20 resting his weight on one elbow as he stroked slowly, keeping the=20 pressure light at first. He was going to win without=20 cheating. "Tephemus was a sort of warrior priest who united the=20 various states on Malon with a combination of tough love and=20 diplomacy." Q kept his eyes locked on Picard's as he spoke. With the=20 obvious exception of his cock, the man's eyes were the most telling=20 gauges of his arousal; his pupils would begin to dilate and his=20 expression would grow hazy. He might tremble just before he came, or=20 he might remain perfectly still, he might cry out or he might remain=20 utterly silent, but there was no doubt that his eyes would widen and=20 stare helplessly at nothing just before he filled Q's fist with his=20 hot, wet defeat.=20 For now, though, Jean-Luc's expression was irritatingly lucid, and=20 altogether too smug for the entity's liking. Q worked his thumb=20 gently along the underside of the man's erection as he spoke again.=20 "The governors hated him, of course, but the people loved him. He=20 worked some of the local authorities into political corners and=20 forced them to resign or ally with him, and they went to war against=20 the rest. Remarkably Q-like in his approach, really. Anyway, servants=20 betrayed masters, assistants leaked secrets to the enemy, guards=20 abandoned their posts=85" Q trailed off to lick his lips and watch=20 Picard's eyelids flutter as the man shuddered very faintly. His=20 erection had begun to weep and Q gathered the moisture to smooth it=20 along the firm, veiny length of him, earning a pained sigh for his=20 trouble. The entity knew he was pressing his own cock into Jean-Luc's=20 thigh, but he ignored it; the last thing he needed right now was to=20 get caught up in his own desire for the elegant creature stretched=20 out in front of him. He was in control, damn it, and he was going to=20 stay that way. "Are you sure you don't want me to just make you come=20 right now and finish the story later?" the entity purred, his dark=20 eyes dancing with smug menace as he drew his hand smoothly up and=20 down the length of Picard's quivering cock. "Quite sure." Though the man writhed a bit and his toes=20 curled, his deep voice was steady enough to almost make Q angry.=20 "Well, as long as you're sure." Q altered his approach,=20 dipping soft fingertips down to fondle the sensitive, tender sac=20 below Jean-Luc's erection. The man whimpered softly, his dark brows=20 crinkling together in a way that made Q want to forget everything and=20 draw those strong thighs over his shoulders. He cleared his=20 throat. "Tephemus understood people=85 well, he understood Malons, and=20 he understood how to give them what they wanted. He made his citizens=20 feel as though they were free and in charge of their own piteously=20 brief lives and they made him Prime Minister." Teasingly, Q danced=20 his fingertips along Jean-Luc's skin until they encountered the hot,=20 tight entrance to the man's body.=20 [Continued in part 3/3] ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ASCEM messages are copied to a mailing list. Most recent messages can be found at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ASCEML. NewMessage: ath: newsspool2.news.atl.earthlink.net!stamper.news.atl.earthlink.net!stamper.news.pas.earthlink.net!elnk-nf2-pas!newsfeed.earthlink.net!newshub.sdsu.edu!newshosting.com!nx01.iad01.newshosting.com!yellow.newsread.com!news-toy.newsread.com!netaxs.com!newsread.com!POSTED.newshog.newsread.com!not-for-mail Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative.erotica.moderated Approved: ascem@earthlink.net Organization: Better Living Thru TrekSmut Sender: ascem@earthlink.net Message-ID: From: "Nick" MIME-Version: 1.0 Mailing-List: list ASCEML@yahoogroups.com; contact ASCEML-owner@yahoogroups.com Subject: N2U TNG: "The Anthropology of Love" P/Q [NC-17] 3/3 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Lines: 361 Date: Thu, 30 Dec 2004 15:55:11 GMT NNTP-Posting-Host: 209.198.142.218 X-Complaints-To: Abuse Role , We Care X-Trace: newshog.newsread.com 1104422111 209.198.142.218 (Thu, 30 Dec 2004 10:55:11 EST) NNTP-Posting-Date: Thu, 30 Dec 2004 10:55:11 EST Xref: news.earthlink.net alt.startrek.creative.erotica.moderated:86516 X-Received-Date: Thu, 30 Dec 2004 07:55:13 PST (newsspool2.news.atl.earthlink.net) See header info, etc in part 1/3. "Q!" Picard snapped, obviously struggling to keep his hips under=20 control. "Are you going to tell me why they=85 celebrate his murder or=20 are you=85 ahh=85 are you going to cheat until I beg you to fuck me?" Q's=20 eyes glittered up at his lover. "Cheat? Mon Capitaine, I would never. I'm sure you'll be=20 begging me to fuck you at some point, but I promise to have the=20 boring stuff completely out of the way by then." In answer to the=20 incredulous grimace on Jean-Luc's face, the entity trailed his=20 fingers higher and once again wrapped them around the solid, living=20 heat of the man's erection. Picard swallowed thickly and nodded his=20 approval. "Better? Good. Where was I? Oh, yes=85 He was Prime Minister=20 of Malon for sixty years, which is a long time for a Malon to be=20 anything other than alive. Their life spans were seventy, eighty=20 years if they were lucky, and by then Tephemus was one hundred=20 three." Q stroked Picard gently as he spoke, and although the man's=20 breathing remained relatively steady, his hips had begun to undulate=20 gently. The entity reveled in the way tight muscles stood out and=20 strained against each other to keep Jean-Luc from surrendering to the=20 pleasure his lover's hand brought him, but he had to withdraw himself=20 from his appreciation quickly, before it distracted him. "He started=20 to waste away. Cruelly, I guess, his mental faculties remained=20 largely intact as his body shriveled, and in spite of his infirmity=20 he showed no signs of actually beginning to die. It was like he was=20 being sucked through a vacuum tube that was far too small to take him=20 all at once, and so he went, little by little, with the end seeming=20 very far off." Panting now, Picard turned his head so that one side=20 of his face pressed into the purple bedding. Q stroked him more=20 firmly, almost losing his composure when the man's cock began to leak=20 a steady, slick stream of precum from its tip. Jean-Luc wanted him=20 and Q could almost taste his hunger, whether he went on trying to=20 rein it in or not.=20 "And=85?" Jean-Luc choked softly, his words muffled by his own=20 tight bicep as his lips pressed against it.=20 "Tephemus was miserable and his people could feel it. It made=20 the whole world sick and sad. His time had arrived and yet somehow=20 refused to come, and they were all wasting away with him. They tried=20 to convince him to take his own life, they told him that he had=20 taught them enough and given them enough history to manage without=20 him, but he refused." Picard arched, moaning softly and clasping his=20 hands above his head as Q dipped a slick hand down to massage his=20 balls gently.=20 "Why?" he gasped, trembling and digging his heels into the=20 bed.=20 "Being a mortal, I'm sure he was arrogant enough to think his=20 children couldn't get along without him, but his excuse was that the=20 gods forbade suicide, which was true." Rolling him tenderly in a long- fingered hand, Q smirked fondly down at the pleasure-filled face that=20 tightened as the man struggled to maintain his focus.=20 "They=85 they all do=85 it's bad for=85 population density=85"=20 "Of course, and the more awkward, primitive beings you have=20 on your favorite little planet, the more awkward, primitive=20 worshippers you have. Well, theoretically." Q went back to stroking=20 Picard's erection, his hand gliding easily over the natural=20 lubrication the man's arousal had provided for him. His gaze blurred=20 and his own body responded achingly as he watched Jean-Luc shudder=20 and widen his eyes. This was it; the man was going to come, finally.=20 He had held out longer than Q had expected, but now he was going to=20 shoot all over himself while the entity drank in every detail of his=20 bliss. Suddenly, though, another hand covered Q's and pulled it away,=20 smashing it against the trembling, sweating skin of Picard's chest. "No=85" the man panted, his hazy eyes blinking up at the=20 ceiling as he took a deep breath. "Just=85 just finish the story=85 and=20 then fuck me. Please, Q." Swallowing and allowing his hand to relax=20 where it had been placed, although the man's skin burned him with=20 need, Q groped for a way to maintain control. He pouted.=20 "You just broke my promise, Jean-Luc." Hard eyes, shimmering=20 with unshed tears of frustration, whipped away from the ceiling to=20 bore into him with an exasperated plea. Nodding, the entity gathered=20 himself together and averted his gaze. If he wasn't careful about=20 where he looked he was going to lose it and just take the man right=20 there, without giving him what he wanted first. In fact, he might not=20 even get inside him at all; he might just shudder and come all over=20 Jean-Luc's hip -- an unacceptable and humiliating possibility. "All=20 right," he murmured, shifting higher on the bed so that he could=20 cradle the man's head against his chest as he spoke. Picard encircled=20 him with strong arms and continued to tremble slightly, full of=20 bright, sparking sexual energy.=20 "Thank you."=20 "Of course." Q toyed chastely with Jean-Luc's earlobe and=20 their legs slithered together even as each was careful to keep his=20 erection from coming into more contact than was necessary with the=20 warm, provocative skin of his lover. "Where was I?" "You did get distracted," the man rumbled mirthfully against=20 Q's chest, squeezing his sensitive hipbone for emphasis. Q rolled his=20 eyes out of habit, knowing that Jean-Luc couldn't see him do it.=20 "Not as distracted as you got." "I had a hand around my cock; what's your excuse?" "I had a cock in my hand." They snickered together, caressing=20 each other's skin without realizing what they were doing and gasping=20 as their erections met by chance. "I'd better hurry," Q breathed,=20 clutching at Picard's shoulder and hoping it would anchor=20 him. "Really, where was I?" "He refused to throw himself out of the proverbial airlock." "Yes, right. When everyone who was thought to have any=20 influence over him had come back empty handed, his top attendants got=20 together and tried to decide what to do. The obvious solution was to=20 kill him --" "The obvious solution?" Jean-Luc snorted and, rolling his=20 eyes again, Q pressed a finger to the man's lips. "Hush, this is my story. The obvious solution was to kill him=20 and sacrifice their own places in the afterlife for his. He couldn't=20 off himself without suffering the gods' wrath, but that wasn't his=20 concern, really. His main concern was that it would be a betrayal of=20 their belief system, and since he was an ideological hero, his=20 attendants didn't really want him to do that either. They had only=20 tried to convince him to commit suicide because they couldn't stand=20 to see him, and, by extension, their world in misery. You can=20 understand that, can't you Jean-Luc?" "I suppose so, but=85" "But nothing. Let me finish." Picard grumbled but remained=20 otherwise silent, so Q continued. "They yanked on their little Malon=20 ears and paced on their wide Malon feet trying to come up with an=20 alternative, but there wasn't one. Really, Jean-Luc, it was like a=20 room full of you trying to figure out how to save the universe with a=20 wire and a piece of string." The man snorted against Q's chest, but=20 he ignored it. "Ultimately, they accepted the necessity of killing=20 him, and they went about planning it. They chose their martyrs from=20 among themselves -- " "How?" "Oh, I don't know! They drew lots! I thought you wanted to=20 hear the story. Here, let's give you something to keep your mouth=20 occupied." Grinning crookedly, Q pressed the tips of his first two=20 fingers against Picard's lips and when the man laughed he slipped=20 them inside. Sharp teeth threatened to close around them, and he=20 shifted to give his lover a stern look of warning. Jean-Luc rolled=20 his eyes and relaxed, scrunching his brows in a way that communicated=20 his whole-hearted feeling of absurdity. "Right, then. As I was=20 saying, they chose their martyrs from among themselves and said lots=20 of sing-songy Malon prayers while they tried to go about their normal=20 attendant business. If Tephemus got even the tiniest inkling, he'd=20 have to have them all strung up or risk complicity in his own murder,=20 which would have amounted to assisted suicide." Picard mumbled=20 something from around Q's fingers and the entity tapped his tongue=20 impatiently. "Those two you saw murdering him were called Felor and=20 Pim. Felor was Tephemus' personal assistant, I suppose you could say,=20 and Pim was something like a political analyst. They were chosen, or=20 they volunteered, or they drew the short lots, or whatever you like=20 to imagine, and they were given the privilege of going down in Malon=20 history as the two most appalling villains the world would ever know." "Mmnnlls?" Frowning, Q pulled his fingers out of Jean-Luc's=20 mouth and made a face and as he wiped the man's saliva across a=20 convenient patch of bedspread. "Villains?"=20 "Oh, yes. The entire world was in on it, in a sense. It had=20 to be a *real* murder or it wouldn't work. Once Felor and Pim were=20 chosen, they planned the event on their own so that none of the other=20 attendants could be faulted for failing to prevent it. The gods would=20 know if they were just going through the motions, you understand, and=20 the whole thing would become a sacrilege. As it was, Felor and Pim=20 were the only ones who would be held accountable in the afterlife."=20 When Picard shifted onto one elbow and furrowed his brow, Q could=20 fairly see the neurons bouncing around inside the man's brain.=20 "What happened to them afterwards?" "They were apprehended and executed publicly. Their faces=20 went into history books and their names became epithets." Jean-Luc's=20 frown deepened, and Q had to keep himself from giggling excitedly.=20 Very little made his Q-heart flutter harder than Picard did when he=20 was puzzling over something. His human heart was making a nuisance of=20 itself as well, but he was largely able to ignore it in favor of=20 watching his lover think.=20 "Let me see if I understand you. The Malons' beloved=20 patriarch and ideological hero became gravely ill, and they hadn't=20 the technology to cure him." "Mmm." "When it became clear that he was in terrible pain and that=20 his pain was affecting the world at large, they tried to convince him=20 to take his own life." "They did." Q smiled sweetly and nodded once. "And he refused." "He did." "On the grounds that to openly defy their gods that way would=20 be an unforgivable betrayal of their belief system." "Right." Brushing a knuckle under his nose, Jean-Luc opened=20 his mouth, closed it, and then opened it again, seeming to have=20 reconsidered his original thought. "So his=85 command staff, as it were, decided to kill him, thus=20 sparing him a harsh judgment in the afterlife and their people a loss=20 of faith in their sort of prophet prince, while still solving the=20 problem of his deterioration and their world's deterioration with=20 him." "Right again. You're good at this game, Jean-Luc." Picard=20 frowned. "Well, that much makes sense to me, I suppose, and perhaps=20 even the fact that they had to carry the charade through to the end,=20 to execute the murderers=85 but I'm not sure I understand why they had=20 to go on demonizing them when it was so obvious that their intentions=20 were honorable and their sacrifices heroic."=20 "If they'd all thrown up their hands in praise the minute=20 heads rolled, the sacrifices wouldn't have meant much, would they?=20 Particularly not to beings who don't see mortal death as the end of=20 existence."=09 "Perhaps not, but they were already giving the murder a wink and a=20 nod by initiating it in the first place. That the other attendants=20 didn't know when or how it was going to happen didn't alter the fact=20 that it'd been their idea, and telling their children that Felor and=20 Pim were terrible villains didn't stop them being heroes. How thick=20 did they imagine their gods to be, to be taken in by such a=20 transparent farce?" "Assume a virtue, if you have it not=85 For use almost can=20 change the stamp of nature," Q purred, grinning serenely. Jean-Luc=20 slapped his forehead and his eyes rolled back in his head. "Really, Q!" "If your beloved Shakespeare says it, you must believe it,=20 mustn't you?" The entity's human eyelashes were batting. He could=20 feel it, but he couldn't stop it. Picard scowled. "Of course not! And anyway, I hardly think this was the=20 situation he had in mind."=20 "Not specifically, no, but isn't that what you adore about=20 him? That his themes could be so universal despite their archaic=20 trappings? Besides, Jean-Luc, who are you to judge their gods or=20 their particular method of devotion to them?" "It is, among other things, and you're right, I'm no one."=20 Exhaling deeply, Jean-Luc laid back into the soft bedding and=20 squinted up at the ceiling. His eyes followed some unseen thought=20 pattern as they wandered, sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly, always=20 seeing nothing but the inside of his own mind. "But I do want to=20 understand," he murmured, still half engrossed in private thoughts.=20 "I know. It's a contradiction, like everything else that's=20 interesting in the universe. And that's not a coincidence, either;=20 contradiction is what *makes* things interesting," Q breathed,=20 lowering his lips to kiss that beloved chest, smiling as the gray- black hairs tickled his nose. Picard arched languidly against him,=20 sighing. "So I'm just supposed to accept that it's a contradiction?=20 That there is no answer other than that it worked for them?" Licking=20 a slow path through the recess between the man's pectoral muscles, Q=20 made his way toward Jean-Luc's neck. The man's skin was almost as=20 delicious as his thirst for understanding, and the entity shivered=20 slightly under the dual onslaught.=20 "What more do you want?" Picard tangled his hands in the Q's=20 soft, dark hair and tilted his head back, exposing his throat to=20 warm, wet kisses.=20 "I suppose=85 I want to understand, from their perspective, why=20 it was the only solution." When Q raised himself on his arms to look=20 down at his lover, Jean-Luc made a rumbling, inarticulate noise of=20 disappointment and slid his fingertips down to press imploringly=20 against the small of the entity's back. Q shivered again and licked=20 his lips playfully. "That doesn't seem to be the only thing you want. Anyway,=20 Jean-Luc, assuming we can manage to tear ourselves away from this bed=20 at any point in the next week, I'd planned to show you around. You=20 might find that it all makes more sense in context." Light flashed in=20 those impossibly shrewd hazel eyes and dark brows shot up for a=20 second before crinkling down again. "You planned all of this=85 this place, this=85 puzzle. For me."=20 Clearing his throat innocently, Q leaned down to press his mouth to=20 Picard's neck again. "I may have," he breathed against the sensitive, exposed=20 skin, reveling in the way the man squirmed beneath him. The entity=20 was tugged gently but firmly away from his prize, though, by a hand=20 in his hair that drew his gaze up until it met Jean-Luc's. Looking so=20 earnest that Q had to bite his tongue to keep from giggling, the man=20 caressed his cheekbone with a tender thumb.=20 "It is quite possibly the finest gift anyone's ever given me.=20 Thank you, Q." The entity felt his human face flush and his Q-self=20 tremble and sparkle with energy so warm and intimate it was almost=20 painful. He wanted to tell Jean-Luc that he was able to give such a=20 thoughtful gift because he knew the man so well, and that he knew him=20 so well because he loved him more than he'd ever loved anything.=20 Despite his vast intellect and his nearly infinite vocabulary,=20 though, Q couldn't think of anything to say that didn't sound trite,=20 fall agonizingly short of the mark, or lose its meaning in a swirl of=20 melodramatic hyperbole. Actions, then, would have to suffice.=20 With the immeasurable grace of familiarity and sincerity, Q eased=20 himself between Picard's loosely parted thighs and kissed his lover=20 in one smooth motion. The man's mouth opened almost instantly, and=20 Q's tongue filled him full of gratitude and pride and adoration and=20 everything else he felt for the strange mortal who had somehow=20 managed, through his own quest for personal improvement, to alter the=20 entity's exceedingly jaded and self-centered view of the Universe.=20 Jean-Luc's legs twined around his waist as easily as he had=20 positioned himself between them and soon the lovers were so lost in=20 each other that it was difficult to tell exactly how Q managed to=20 enter him. Q himself was not aware of making the attempt to do so,=20 only of the fact that, at some point, he found himself surrounded by=20 slick, welcoming heat. Picard was moaning softly into his mouth and=20 pressing him closer, and they moved together dreamily, feeling=20 nothing so specific as love or lust, but simply enjoying their=20 intimacy and the soft, fuzzy pleasure that enveloped them. When Jean- Luc's sleepy eyes flew open, wide and staring, Q was jarred into=20 realizing consciously that they were making love. They were here, on=20 an alien planet, long ago, pressed into alien sheets already once=20 anointed with their passion, and his beloved starship captain was=20 about to lose his mind with bliss. The thought of what was going to=20 happen to the awkward, mortal body he worshipped rolled Q's human=20 eyes back into his human head, wracked his human body with a deep,=20 convulsive shudder, sent his human seed rushing out of him and into=20 the man groaning and coming beneath him. That man, with his=20 curiosity, his need to understand, his integrity and everything else=20 that made him Jean-Luc Picard, was, Q knew, the finest gift anyone=20 had ever given him.=20 [The End] ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ASCEM messages are copied to a mailing list. Most recent messages can be found at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ASCEML. 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