Post by Scribe on May 10, 2011 16:34:01 GMT -5
The Outpost
February 2171
At their favourite watering hole, Stark was enjoying a drink at the bar with Mason, since this had been a spur of the moment thing and he hadn't time to set up anything special, like a private room with all women who were more than happy to entertain a doctor and a grifter all night. The place hadn't gotten busy yet, with a few unoccupied booths here and then. Hunter was holding court, tending bar, keeping an eye on things and under his watchful gaze, there wasn't any trouble. While he didn't command the sheer intimidation that Seth Yuskovski did but he had a 'dont' fuck with me vibe' too.
"So do you hear from that girl you like?" He asked Mason, curious to see the reaction if nothing else. Hey, Stark liked his kicks where he could get them.
Feeling like he got punched in the balls, Mason winced, not expecting that question, random, out of the blue. An annoyed look, half the time wondering if their getting even with one another over the holidays was turning more into this long term love/hate family feud, the Grifter muttered, "No. She won't return my texts or calls." And he tried. God above knew Mason tried.
He reached forward towards the good doctor with his hand up, fingers curled in to expose the under-belly of his wrist for Sparks inspection. "Would you like me to slit it so you can pour salt in the wound, Doc?" Damn Stark sometimes. Another sucker punch. "Or are you going to try and either, A. Get me drunk, laid and forgetting. Or B. Remind me of everything I've done wrong?" Sometimes it was hard to tell who's side Tennyson was on... other than his own.
"I was going for A but I could do B if you're really partial to it," Stark smirked, about to take a sip of his drink when suddenly, his bottle froze before it got to his lips. "Okay," he swallowed thickly, feeling an emotion he seldom displayed. Fear. "A woman just walked into the room. Whatever happenes, you do not let me leave with her."
The woman in question was five five of blond hair, perfectly manicured nails, wearing a tight fitting black dress and heels that emphasized perfectly tanned legs. Stark watched her come over like she a mixture of heaven and hell and he hadn't worked out which she was yet.
"Um... okay," Mason studied Stark's face, wondering if this was some kind of joke and he was going to end up the butt of it. Turning around to see where Stark's paled features were staring in a twist, he looked at some civilian looking office desk woman. A raised brow, he had to admit she was one hot broad and glanced back at Tennyson. "The suit?"
"The dress," Stark replied, seeing the woman saunter towards him, her lips curling into a little smile. "The black dress. Legs. Heels. Not the suit." Stark drained his glass and ordered another.
"Well, I mean the dress. She looks like she's a Suit." He put emphasis on it and looked back at Stark before looking at the woman. "Um.. hi. Lost?" It wasn't exactly a diversion but Mason was trying to buy Tennyson time.
"Oh not at all sugar, I just seen who I want. Hello Tenny, its been a long time." She smiled at Stark with those perfect features that Stark had since called her Kiss of the Spider Woman smile.
"He's kind of busy at the moment... Miss... " Mason was trying.
"Charlene Prescott soon to be Walker," she smiled, extending a hand towards Mason. "Tenny aren't you going to introduce me to your friend now?"
Stark winced. "Charlene, this is Mason, Mason this is Charlene, my ex-wife." He said looking at her. "What do you mean soon to be Walker?"
Giving her hand the formal greeting, Mason's eyes near bugged out of his head when Stark mentioned this was his ex. Clearly not his last ex, Vera the baby-killer (shut up Mason), but the other one who was the bitch from ice planet X. The one who took him for all he was worth, if Mason was remembering the brief story with any clarity. They'd been drinking when he heard it. "Oh." It was all he could say and retained his cheery composure. "Well, nice to meet you."
She was getting remarried and from the sounds of it, Stark wasn't happy about that.
"You're getting a divorce?" He asked looking at her suspiciously, wondering why she was here with such news.
"Yes," she sighed dramatically. "I caugth Stanley with the maid. The maid no less!" She looked at both Stark and Mason with a pout on her lips. "I kept thinking what a pig he was and then I remembered all the good times we had."
Stark blinked, "the good times?"
"Yeah honey," she winked, "the good times."
Oh yeah the sex. The sex had been fucking incredible. It was half the reason he'd stayed in it for as long as he did. In fact, when it came to sex with Charlene, Stark had no will power whatsoever. "Just hold that thought," he replied and motioned Mason to follow him. Once they were at minimum safe distance, he hissed. "Do not let me leave with her, whatever you do."
"What the hell is going on?" He felt like he walked into a twightlight zone. "She's your ex, Stark. Why are you even giving her the time of day? These two ex-wive women ruined your, remember?" It didn't add up and since when did Stark want his help with women? The good doc had always managed to get Mason women and keep him semi-out of trouble. Not the other way around (as the Kimberly situation dictated).
"Because the sex is fucking incredible okay, its like doing it with a gymnast who can suck the chrome off a Gryphon!" Stark replied. "I've just never been able to say no to her."
That almost sounded interesting and Mason found his gaze going back to Charlene. "Really?" Now he was looking at the structure of those legs.
"Hey!" He looked at Mason. "Focus."
"Starkie," she sang out, "come on baby. I just thought we could have a couple of drinks?"
"Oh Jesus," Stark shuddered and walked forward, almost against his will. "Charlene, really? Are you sure about this? I know you're pissed at Stanley."
"Hush," she put a finger to his lips, "I don't want to talk about him. I want you to buy me a drink so we can have a good time."
"He gave up drinking!" Mason snapped out of mental winter slumberland and rushed forth, putting himself between the two. "Tonight." A glance at the alcohol at the table, he gathered them up. "We're here and I'm here out of tough love." Both their drinks in his hands, Mason wondered why in the hell he was doing this for Tennyson when half the time Mason tried to be 'good', Stark was there like the devil turning him in whatever direction he chose.
A wicked you-better-fucking-go-with-this-or-else glare at Stark, Mason added, "Right? Starkie?"
"Yeah," he nodded. "I gave up drinking! Sober as a judge." Stark insisted playing along with the charade.
"Really?" Charlene smiled and leaned forward on her tippy toes, capturing his mouth in a long, deep kiss with lots of tongue. Stark would have pushed her away but it was Charlene. She tasted just as good as he remembered. Even better in fact than the memory. She pulled away a second later and licked her lips. "I think you need to try harder Mason. I can taste the scotch."
Damn. All Mason could do was stand there and watch. He could see why Tennyson was getting hooked in because he stood there and gawked like a wanting teenager. Almost feeling that on his lips, dammit. "Right." He actually smiled at her, "Right." Knock it off! "Right!" He slung his armaround Stark's shoulder. "You were going to help me get my girl back tonight, right ol' buddy ol' pal ol' charm?" What are you saying Mason? "No time for this nonesense with Charlene when she clearly..." Clearly what? "Wants you only because she was dumped." Was that trying harder? He gave Charlene an almost victorious and half apologetic look.
"Yeah," Stark shook his head as if clearing it. "Sorry Charlene, I think you tapped me out during the divorce." He reminded.
Her lips puckered into an 'o' of dismay. "Why Starkie," she took a step back towards him, her body pressing against him, ignoring the fact that his friend was right next door to him. "You're not afraid of little ol me are you? Besides," she gave Mason a sly smile. "Bring your friend along, I'm in for a threesome." Her hand stroked Stark's thigh.
His lower jaw dropped every so slight and he simply stared at Charlene. Stark'd always shared before. Always. Especially here at the Outpost where Charlene was into them both or willing to try and Mason found himself slipping into old, comfortable spaces. He was running out of reasons in his head to say no. And if Stark was afraid of how good Charlene was, some part of curiosity that would kill them both in Mason wanted to know. It was horrible. "Yeah?" Mason knew what Tennyson asked him to originally do but Bethany had requests also in the past and some forces were more powerful than he. It's not like we've never done something similiar to this before...
In his uncontrolled way, Mason's mind slipped to what they'd do in the back room as he watched Charlene grind against Stark with him so close. He could stand there and she could go down on him. Stark could take out his divorce-you-screwed-me-so-now-I'm-going-to-screw-you-anger and take her from behind. What a wonderful submissive picture it could be for Tennyson, to be punishing her from behind (which door he choose to use on her was irrelevant), while she was on her hands and knees, naked, sucking Stark's best friend. The movie in Mason's mind was beautiful. Poetic Justice.
Oh shit, Stark thought to himself, unaware that virtually the same filthy thoughts that he was entertaining in his head was repeating in the mind of his best friend. Charlene was always a take no prisoners kind and as her hand shifted from his thigh and wrapped around his length, he was running out of reasons to say no. It didn't matter that they were in a public place, Charlene always knew how to get what she want. He shuddered under her touch, waiting for Mason to say something and then shifted his gaze to his best friend while attempting to stave off the desire to surrender, to see the contemplation on Mason's face.
Jesus Christ, he thought as he saw Mason's eyes and felt Charlene lips on his neck. They were so fucked.
It wasn't Stark Mason wanted to touch and he let go of the good doctor's shoulders, the need and desire for their back room came to the forefront. In meeting Tennyson's eyes, a very odd and brief meeting, Mason switched his gaze down the hallway. They'd done this before, back there, although the guy-to-girl ratio was a much different dynamic. With a raise of his hand, the pilot reached up to caress Charlene's skin where the back of her dress exposed spine and soft flesh. He wouldn't look at Stark anymore, not if they were going to do this, because while Stark liked to watch him, Mason was pretty certain it wasn't the other way around. To date, that type of scenario hadn't come to fruition.
"Oh baby likes that I see," Charlene smirked. "I knew there were still the old Starkie left." She switched her gaze to his friend and traced a finger across Mason's chest, using the hand that wasn't otherwise engaged.
Not certain where this was going to go, Stark cleared his throat. "Well, let's take this somewhere else then, Charlene." He replied huskily and the three of them moved towards the back room, for whatever this evening was going to offer.
There were many curses that zoomed through Mason's head but none stuck and with the reciprocation of his partners in crime, he didn't think anymore. Didn't do anything but follow Stark and Charlene towards homebase. He was reaching for the door, to open it for the pair that were obvious the dominate mating couple (Mason was okay with seeing what it was like to be leftovers) and glanced at movement back by the bar. Hand about to wave over the sensor to open, it was Mason's turn to freeze.
Brown hair. Long brown hair on a shorter, slender body. Her beautiful face was hidden, positioned away from his gaze, but that hardly mattered. What more had him was he'd never, ever, seen her at Outpost and suddenly what he was about to do, what Stark begged of him to not do, snapped into place. Mason's hand reached up and grabbed Charlene's, the one that was guiding Stark's lower region and yanked her grip free. Pushing her back with a force he never would have given himself credit for in a million warp years. "No!" There was a protective fury about the pilot as he stepped in-between the vixen and the prey. December 20th was burning bright in his mind and Mason did now what he should have done late last fall. "Get out of here. He doesn't want or need you!" Mason almost spat the words with his determination.
Like a splash of ice cold water, the fugue his mind had been cleared away, blown away by the gust of Mason's almost indignant exclamation. Charlene's eyes narrowed, stepping back. "Is that what you want Starkie?"
Stark sucked in his breath. Yeah, it was what he wanted. "Don't call me Starkie," he suddenly found his own spine, thanks to his friend. "I always fucking hated that."
They say hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, well they probably were thinking about Charlene when Stark answered her. Her features so beautiful, immediately took a darker turn and she stepped back. "Fine," she hissed. "You and your faggot friend can get it off without me! I don't need to roll in the dirt with yesterday's news."
"Better than rolling in the dirt with a bitch." Stark retorted, remembering in full force what she had put him through.
"Fuck you!" SHe spat and turned on her heels, leaving.
He was standing there more in shock when Stark took over again, regaining his senses. Which Mason was secretly glad for. He watched her storm off, watched her spitting like a mad cat in heat as she exited and she passed the brown haired beauty, who turned around. Mason's expression changed to almost a sickening feeling before falling a bit. That's not her. Blue eyes. Almost ugly to the face in comparison. He was proud of himself at first but now Mason simply felt shame, anger and stupidity. Jerk. He came so close to going through with this. Moving away, not looking at Stark, once Charlene was long gone he too headed towards the exit of Outpost. "We're never to talk about this." He was resolved on that one fact. "I don't ever want to do this again, come close to thinking about it or anything!" The left over images of what almost was sort of sickened Mason and being called a faggot put more than he cared to admit into a self reflection.
"No problem," Stark sighed with relief. "Its not a memory I want to cherish either." Charlene almost left of a trail of smoke behind her. "Well, there you have it, my wife."
Quite shaken, he busted out the front doors and kept walking, fast. His long legs taking him someplace although Mason wasn't sure where he was guiding them. Certainly not back to a bar. "She's fucking sick man." Or was that me? Or Stark?
Following Mason who seemed kind of shaken, Stark could sympathise. "Yeah," he nodded. "She is. I'm sure she'll go trolling for some poor bastard and then go home and make that poor bastard she married, pay for fucking someone else."
"How did you ever fall in love witht that?" Mason kept walking, his boots guiding him in the snow. "No sex could ever be that good." Hypocrite.
Walking alongside Mason, his hands digging into his pockets, Stark sighed as he studied the tracks in the white slush. He thought back to the past when he had met Charlene. "Back then, times were different you know? Colony was just becoming habitable, she was exciting, made you forget the shit we lived in everyday. She was a nurse at the hospital I interned. It was about having fun but I never knew she had an agenda."
"I guess," was the only response Mason could come up with. Glancing up, he stopped in his tracks. "Shit." He had headed towards Gaia's training base. "I'm going home." He did a one-eighty.
"Hey," Stark stared at his back, guessing that there was more going on than a run in with Charlene. "What's up?" He asked. "And don't give me any shit about my ex. What's eating you?"
The struggle to say wasn't quick. "I almost did that today Stark. What's WRONG with me?" He looked at him, "Am I diseased? Just tell me, in your medical opinion, am I just a head case?"
"What because Charlene got to you?" Stark rolled his eyes. "Jesus, if you think you're diseased because she actually made you consider a threesome, I'm no better. Charlene's like that. That's why it took me that long to see her for what she was. She's got that kind of effect on men, always has."
"No," This had been on his mind for months now. "Because I'm... I can't say no. Ever." His thoughts plagued him, "There are people that are... Addicts." Mason couldn't say the exact phrase he was thinking. "In your medical opinion, am I... Maybe... Sick in the head?"
Slipping into doctor mode almost effortlessly, Stark gave the guy a small smile. "No you're not," he replied. "You're just not ready to settle down and you said no back there." He regarded the Outpost. "Thanks for getting me out of that by the way. I mean Charlene is hard to resist and you did, so you're not sick in the head dumb ass. Look, you might meet someone one day, that will make all the others pale in comparison. Don't beat yourself up because it hasn't happened for you yet."
Nodding, Mason wasn't sure what to make of it but he felt slight better. "Thanks I sometimes just... wonder." He ran his hand through his short hair. They were quite the pair.
"Well what made you stop in there?" Stark asked, feeling that Max might need some reinforcement. "I mean you were all good to go with Charlene and the backroom? What made suddenly put the brakes on?"
"I thought I saw my mechanic." Ex-mechanic, but Mason still held her in a special place. "It was stupid, I know." More ammo for Stark, dammit.
"The girl you like?" Stark clarified, resisting the urge to smirk. This was serious. "You thought you saw her in there and that made you get off the Charlene bandwagon?" He asked for confirmation, wondering if Mason could see he had the answer to his supposed fear within reach already.
"The girl I fucked for nine months," Mason corrected, not liking where the conversation was going. "The one I lied to and never told I was engaged." Okay. How did that make it sound better?
"Did you do anyone else in the mean time?" Stark inquired, surprised. "I mean during those nine months?" Stark tried to remember if Mason had fasted.
Stark was such an asshole. "Bethany." Mason wasn't walking anymore, looking towards the flight school training building.
"Other than Bethany?" The doctor rolled his eyes. "Bethany's kind of an obligation."
Mason stood there, thinking long and hard. "Justine," but she hardly counted in his mind because it was a one nighter. Bethany was putting his back against the wall on getting engaged. Maxy wanted to tell Bethany it's over so he could be with Chanah, but Kay-eww came and told him she was leaving for flight school. Which meant he'd hardly see her as rookies were shipped deep space. So when Justine approached with offers of stress release... "There. See? Is your theory done and over now?"
"Yeah, you got nothing to worry about." He said with a grin and started walking again.
"Motherfucker," the loving curse was growled under his breath and the Grifter pilot turned from the training facility. Followed the doc.
Stark chuckled. "So after all that? What are we doing? Back to barracks or go check out Beasts."
He was going to go crash at his parents but knew that brought bad memories for Stark. "Enterprise." Mason was done for the night. He hadn't been joking about that. "Let's just go back."
"Killjoy," Stark snorted but didn't press. Truth be told, the encounter with Charlene left a bad taste in his mouth even if her kiss had been magnificent.
"Not my fault you married psychos." Given that he was given a clean bill of health from the NX's CMO, Mason had every intention of trying her via PM on the padd (he expected to be ignored again) before slipping into bed and exhausting himself to sleep.
Thinking on Charlene and the crazy night, the pilot patted Stark on the back. Hard. "And you're welcome on earlier. No worries."
"Hey," Stark considered what Mason had said about the girl, "maybe you should tell her that you just want to be her friend." He suggested.
Heading towards Bravo, Mason shook his head. "Tried that route. The first six months since I met her. Can't dip into the same ink well twice." A sigh and he tried to shake it off, "Besides, she won't answer anything I send." Both hands came up and he smeared them across his face. "And she didn't trust me before she and I hooked up so... It's just... I've got nothing Stark. After the night of Bethany... it's all over." He wished Tennyson was there to see that utter look of betrayal so he'd stop pestering him on this one. A fucking bulldog that smelled a treat and didn't let go.
Stark remained silent but somehow, he suspected the girl was hurt and probably need space. "Then don't try and contact her. Let it go for awhile, give her space."
"Yeah," Mason hadn't since reached out since the new month started. The whole situation sickened him when he thought about it.
He supposed he didn't have to PM her tonight, but he'd at least remember her. Moving into Bravo, Mason signed out a shuttle and boarded, waiting for Stark.
“If you really like her,” Stark added finally, “don’t give up on her and give a reason to trust you again.” He suggested and then shrugged. “Oh whatever, what the fuck do I know right? Look what I married?” He laughed bitterly.
"Charlene was something. I'll give you that." Once ready and cleared, Mason took them home.
End