Late-Night Memory

My grip around the handle tightened as I felt myself get jerked around by the shunting and zigzagging of the craft. I struggled to maintain my footing.

"Could you be a little easier with this?" I asked. "I can't grippy-perch the floor the way you would."

He hummed quietly, clearly self-confident and in control. He knew well what he was doing. Still, he couldn't seem to help blithely making a sharp, sudden dodge that made me lose my grip and faceplant right on top of his stomach.

I sputtered, spitting a few feathers out of my mouth. "Hey! What did I just say!"

"Gotta hold on there, friend."

I clutched his feathers, waiting for an opportune moment to pull myself back off of them. Well, maybe he deserved that for the less-than-smooth ride. But from my point of view, where I was now was probably safer than up there with the dumb handrail anyway. Plus, in a way, he was like a big airbag, the kind commonly found on those older-style vehicles when transportation standards were far more primitive.

Basically, a safety feature.

"Careful there," he said with an admonishing tone. "You're gonna rip those out."

"Sorry, I'm not trying to. I just, uh..."

He peered down at me as I sat splayed out over his warm, plush form. His feathers were remarkably soft. I would be lying if I said he wasn't comfortable, now even less inclined to retract my earlier "pillow" remark.

He kept his focus nonetheless, intent on his maneuvering throughout the asteroid belt. Then the ship steadied, leading me to believe the worst of it was probably over. Again, my gaze drifted down to the dimly-lit recesses of the footwell, watching his large foot continue to grip and steer the craft.

I took a deep breath, then looked back up at him. "Er. Sorry about all that." I started to pull myself off of him. "Good job getting us through the belt, by the way."

"Hm."

"What?"

He thought for a moment. "You know what? We've still got a ways to go yet, and it's more cramped in here than I thought. Maybe having you stand here isn't such a good idea. Why don't you stay down there instead? That might work better." He hummed some more, pointing into the footwell with one of his clawed fingers.

"What? You mean--"

"Mmhmm. Captain's orders. For your safety, and all that." He gave a cheeky-looking grin.

"But... aren't we through the worst of it? Uh, besides, I don't think I'm going to fit either..."

Gently, he used his hand to guide me off of his feathered body and down into the footwell. I was a little too stunned to react appropriately, finding myself slowly slipping down into the chamber and ending up in a seated position.

"There. Nothing in regulations against riding down there. Not explicitly, anyway." His voice was a bit more faint this time while the hum of the ship engines were more prominent. "Wow, it's a lot roomier in here now too! Don't have to worry about bumping you with my elbows anymore."

Glancing over, I could see his large foot still wrapped tightly around the joystick to my left side. Uneasy, I pressed myself further against the rear of the footwell, bringing my knees up to my chest slightly.

His foot then loosened its grip around the joystick. Slowly, the toes uncurled and released it, the talons splaying out beside it along the metal floor.

"Anyway, like you astutely pointed out, we're through the belt. Should be an easier ride now. I'm gonna stick this thing on autopilot. Just uh, try to relax down there! Heh heh."

Glancing nervously at his foot, I felt cornered. What was he really trying to say? I started to worry about what he was thinking. Besides, that thing looked ready to strike. The shiny talons occasionally clicked against the floor, constantly reminding me of their presence.

They were dangerous. And frightening. And inexplicably curious, exotic, even alluring. I took a deep breath and shuddered, trying to manage the anxiety I was feeling as well as the other stranger, uncomfortable stirrings that were welling up inside me.

How much longer was this trip anyway.

I could hear him tapping the touchscreens on the navigation console above me. The ship banked slightly to the left, then to the right. Then, maybe he meant to, maybe not, but he eventually, lazily dragged his massive foot closer to me, pressing its bulk right against my chest.

Really? Oh, come on, did he already forget I was still down there--

"Hey, watch your fucking feet!"

He didn't budge. I gulped. My face flushed.

Now face to face with his sharp talons, my hands trembled as I reached up to clutch the sides of his massive foot. It was bulky and powerful, the scales rough to the touch. The toes gently, idly flexed, as if smugly well-aware of the raw, predatory strength that lay inside them--inside those claws and the cruel, iron grip they were capable of.

I felt my erection jump again under my pants. Oh, God. How did I get talked into this...

Tensely, I clutched his foot in my fingers. No, he knew I was like this. He knew what he was doing. Why was he doing this to me. Why did he have to tease this out of me.

Damn it. I hated him for this.

Well I would show him. He wasn't going to push me around. Quickly, yet careful not to cut myself on his long talons, I dipped my head down to mouth repeatedly against one of his thick toes. I pressed my lips against its side, feeling its rough texture against them while sliding my tongue along the length of its underside. I spent a few moments doing this, suckling on his long toe, the time seeming to slow down.

"That's uh, kinda distracting, you know," he said with a sly tone in his voice.

Briefly, I pulled my lips back. "I thought you were using autopilot."

"Shh. Maybe you shouldn't talk anymore."

Slowly, he dragged his other foot up. The backs of his talons slid against my chest, threatening to slice the shirt fabric, before they ended up underneath my chin. Then they trailed up even more. I watched the points of his talons slowly creep their way up my face.

I pursed my lips as his foot snaked it way upwards. "Mmmph." The big ball of his foot pressed against my mouth while he splayed his long toes against my forehead.

Completely pinned now, I gave into his insistence and pressed my lips against it. I kissed its rough skin as hard as I could while shutting my eyes tightly. A single tear rolled down my face and I couldn't suppress a soft whimper.

Reaching forward, I clutched underneath his thick ankle with one hand just above his heel talon and gripped the side of his massive foot with the other. I slid my tongue left and right across the scaly ball of his foot, then pressed its tip against it and moved it around in small circles.

It was as if my tongue was involved in a battle of wills with that meaty thing, aiming to heroically drive it away via repeated, incessant probing. And while it was horribly outmatched, it would keep prodding against its bulk anyway, vainly searching for any weak spot whatsoever. Hopefully, of course, before its resolve waned and it tired itself out.

"Mm, we're just coasting to our destination now. Can sit back and relax." He leaned back and shoved his feet in my direction even further.

Fuck. I couldn't see his fucking face from down here at all--only his stupid big feet and toes that sat draped over my eyes, though I could still hear his smarmy, shit-eating tone over the low hum of the engines too.

I squirmed and rolled around uncomfortably in the footwell, my erection straining against the front of my pants. The heel talon on one of his feet sat just a few inches below it, keeping me on edge.

Now clutching the sides of his foot in my hands, I rubbed and kneaded it, pressing my palms into its thick, muscular structure. His talons dangled in front of my face as his toes curled, loaded with potential energy. As if to say, "I'll let you do this--for now."

As if to acknowledge that, I gently leaned forward to kiss them on the backs of their curves, high enough up to not get poked by them.

Another tear rolled down my face. It was so warm underneath that console. I could still see his feathered body occupying the seat, though his face was well out of sight.

Feeling an urge to explore further, I lifted his foot up and began kissing along his instep now. My tongue slipped out again, sliding along the ball of his foot. It was too wide for my tongue to reach the opposite side, but I pressed it as far over as it would go before slowly dragging it back. His toes were curled and relaxed at this point, but flicked here and there, giving occasional signs of life.

But as my tongue worked its way down the length of his instep, toward his heel that that wicked rear talon extended from, he slowly extended and splayed his foot again. Watching it was like observing the petals of a flower opening--a dangerous and sharp one at that.

And in its opened state, I couldn't help but think it resembled a giant trap that, at just the right trigger, would quickly, mercilessly snap shut around its hapless target. Not to mention, its massive size made the footwell feel even more crowded, like I had even less room to work with down there.

But in any case, I couldn't help myself. Whimpering again at what this nightmarish desire was driving me to do, the danger it was compelling me to recklessly throw myself in, I worked my tongue back up the other direction, mouthing along his instep toward his three toes. And then, despite the obvious risk, slipped my face back to directly face his sole anyway, slowly and methodically licking its broad, lengthy surface.