Xeno High Ch. 01

"Holy shit. I couldn't imagine living like that. You guys must be like sardines in a can."

"Sha'dee live in Colonies. It's like a big group of family and family friends. Some of them take up whole buildings. Mine's kinda small, we just have two floors." Tetra explained, as Ed pushed a bunch of shit off his bed and sat down, pulling up a custom array of augreal panels.

"That's fascinating. Do you have your own rooms, or what, bunk beds? Sorry about the mess, by the way. I didn't expect to have anyone over."

"Why would we?" She asked, puzzled, as she picked her way through the room and sat down next to him. "We share a nest with as many people as can fit."

"Doesn't sound like you get a lot of privacy." Ed observed, bringing up the programming window and setting the pi card down next to them, tapping it to connect it to the interface.

"That's not all that important to us, really. I guess Humans are just different that way." She explained, sniffing and peering around at the scent of a familiar smell.

"Interesting. I couldn't imagine sleeping with my whole family." Ed said, looking at her with concern. "Is something wrong?"

"No, no, nothing wrong. Do you smoke?" Tetra asked, pulling up her own augreal suite.

"I am something of a marijuana enthusiast, yes. You?" He acknowledged with a grin. She chirped in amusement at the turn of phrase.

"You could say that. There's not much else to do in the Stacks besides smoking pot and fucking around with cars. It's one of those drugs that works for most species, so it's cheap."

"We can smoke afterward, if you want." Ed offered.

"Hell yeah!" Tetra chittered. "Here, let me walk you through this. Did you save the place I stopped at?"

Ed found the blocks of code they were discussing, and Tetra showed him the modifications needed to make it work on the pi card. It was interesting to see how his mind grappled with the logic, and how he processed things.

Code came much more naturally to Tetra and her species than Humans like Ed, which only made it more amazing to her that they had invented it. Still, he was a quick learner. The adaptability of Humans was one of their main virtues, to Tetra's mind. It might take them a while, but once they figured something out they mastered it with surprising speed. When they had finished, Ed tested the pi card. The panel flashed green, indicating a successful initiation and run.

"YES!" Ed pumped his fist. "Who's your daddy!?"

Tetra chirped and gave him a hug. She could barely get her arms around his shoulders, but it felt good. He was solid and firm in her arms, and his body was so warm, much warmer than any Sha'dee she had ever felt. She wanted to linger there and not let go. He jerked in surprise and she released him, shying back and biting her lip. He stared at her for a moment in surprise. Had she done something wrong?

"I'm sorry..." Tetra apologized, clasping her hands across her chest. "I didn't mean to upset you... Sha'dee do that normally. Is there a Human thing I don't know about...?"

"N-no, I'm not upset... Just surprised. I didn't expect that. Humans are a little cagey about touching eachother. I don't mind it, though..." He reassured her, grinning.

"Really?" She asked, loosening her arms and leaning back in. He turned around to face her, and held out his own arms. She scooted in, and embraced him, feeling his strong arms coil around her slender torso. She could feel the slow, steady beating of his heart through his warm chest. She smiled, laying her head against his clavicle.

"You're cool..." Ed observed, squeezing her gently.

"I'm a desert creature." She purred. "My homeworld is hotter than Earth, so my body is cooler. Mmmmmm... You're strong..."

"Am I squeezing too hard? I know Sha'dee are delicate..."

"We're not delicate! You're just unreasonably tough!" She objected, teasingly.

He unhooked one of his arms and reached down behind the head of his bed, retrieving a large glass bong. She loosened her grasp and leaned back, staring at the piece hungrily.

"Here, hold this, let me get my grinder." He suggested, offering it to her. She took it as he dug around in his nightstand drawer, pulling out a resealable bag with the logo of a prominent drug store and a small silver herb crusher. He fished out a few buds and ground them up, while Tetra pulled the bowl off and handed it to him. He packed it and slid it back into the bong.

"You want the first hit?" He offered.

"Sure! You have a light?" She asked, sitting crosslegged on the bed facing him and eyeing the piece in her hands. She hadn't used one this size before, and was a little nervous. Humans had to have more lung capacity than Sha'dee, with their big chests and less need for oxygen. Ed smirked and reached out his hand, pushing his thumb against his forefinger. She blinked in surprise as the pad of his thumb slid down and a flame lept from the exposed metal underneath.

"Cybernetics." He explained. She wrapped her lips around the stem of the bong as he lowered his finger over the bowl and began to pull. The thing ripped hard, filling quickly. Tetra snatched the bowl off and tried to suck the lot in, but her earlier suspicion had been correct and it was too much for her. She leaned back and emptied her lungs, coughing and wiping her eyes, ears flicking reflexively with each cough. Ed snatched the piece quickly from her hands and inhaled the excess smoke, letting it out slowly through his nose.

"Ya alright there, Tetra?" The Human boy asked, exhaling luxuriously. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and beamed at him through watery eyes.

"I'm good... *cough* swear... Mmmmm... That hit hard..." She gasped, feeling the buzzing euphoria start to fill her body and mind. He giggled helplessly, and took a fresh rip of his own.

"That's kind of a stupid prosthetic to have." She giggled, nodding at his lighter thumb. He made a face at her playfully.

"The really dumb thing is, I didn't even need it." He grinned like an idiot, face flushed and eyes watering. "I just thought it was cool, so I had my hand lopped off. I've got some other gadgets too."

Tetra cackled, and reached for the bong. A few minutes later, the bowl was empty and they were both nice and stoned. Ed laid back on the bed and pulled up his augreal display, swiping a panel until it increased to movie-viewing size and minimizing the others. She snuggled up next to him, pushing her glasses up her nose and giggling as he reached over and pushed them down again. She slapped his hand away playfully, and poked him in the cheek. They laughed about that for a few seconds, then Ed turned back to the display and started scrolling through a popular video streaming site.

"Whadda yah wanna watch, Tet'?" He asked, propping his head up with a pillow.

"How about this?" She chirped, poking him in the chest where the logo on his shirt was.

"You a fan?" He asked, turning his head to face her.

"Am I a fan? Only since I was like 5!" Tetra exclaimed, wiggling closer to him.

"No way?! You know they're making another season, right?"

"Duh!" She giggled, beaming at him.

"You should come over and watch it with me when it comes out!" He suggested with a grin, leaning his head in closer to hers.

"I'd like that..." She purred, looking up at him and flattening her ears. They paused, staring at eachother for a moment, before he leaned in and gently planted his lips on hers. She blinked in surprise, and blushed a deep red, but pursed her lips back, trying to ape the way she'd seen Humans kiss on webshows and movies. They lingered for a few seconds, then broke apart. She opened her mouth to say something, but couldn't find the words. Suddenly, they heard the buzz of the front door.

"SHIT!" Ed exclaimed, clapping his hand over his mouth. "Quick, get under the bed! Damnit, I thought we had another hour!"

Tetra rolled off the bed and shimmied under it, burying herself in a pile of old clothes as the sound of heavy footsteps approached. She watched through the crack between bed and floor as the door opened. Her high faded almost instantly, and her blood ran cold at the sight of the plated legs of a suit of power armor stepping through it.

"Jesus, Dad, can you take off the helmet? You scared the shit out of me! Why do you have to wear that shit in the house anyway?" Ed protested, causing Tetra to sigh internally with relief. He had had the presence of mind to get his father's thermal capability away from him before he saw her through the bed.

"Cut me a break, Eddy, it's been a long day." The older Human chuckled warmly, as Tetra heard the hiss of his helmet seals disengaging.

"Yeah? I finished that SI project for school..." Ed replied, the bed creaking as he sat up.

"Awesome! I knew you'd figure it out. You're a smart kid, you just need to learn how to focus on school."

"Yeah, yeah, I know, Dad."

"Alright, fine, no more "life lessons" for today. I've got a shitload of paperwork to do for Kjorobos, would you do me a favor and run to the store? We need groceries, I'll text you a list and some credit."

"Uh, yeah. Sure!"

"Thanks kid, I appreciate it. You've been a big help lately, but I'm a little worried about you hanging around here all day after school. Haven't you met anyone your age to hang out with?"

"Uh... Actually, I did meet someone today. She helped me with the SI stuff, as a matter of fact."

"A girl, eh? What's she like?"

"Oh come on, Dad, don't be like that!" Ed groaned.

"Fine, fine, I'll leave you alone. Love you!"

"Love you too, Dad."

Tetra realized she had been holding her breath as Ed's father left, closing the door behind him, and she gasped for air. Ed hopped out of bed, and helped her crawl out from under it.

"You didn't tell me your dad was a Merc!" She hissed, planting an accusatory finger on his chest and glaring at him.

"I'm sorry!" He protested guiltily, backing away and holding up his hands in surrender. "I really wanted to get to know you better, and I was afraid you'd be scared off..."

"And I'm afraid of getting SHOT!" She whisper-shouted the last word, ears flat and fangs sliding out of her jaw. He swallowed and looked down, worrying his hands. He seemed legitimately sorry.

"He's not like that, I swear. He's a good guy. You don't understand, there's not any other jobs for a Human who didn't go to college. You either become a P-Sec or a Merc, that's just how it is..." Ed explained. "Look, I'm really sorry. I-I didn't think. But he'll be in his office for a while now, I can sneak you out and get you home on the way to get groceries."

"I think that's a good idea." Tetra said, quietly.

They slipped out of the apartment and hopped into Ed's car, taking off and heading towards the Stacks. Tetra punched in the location of her Colony's home, but beyond that they were quiet for most of the ride. Occasionally Tetra snuck a glance at Ed. He looked crushed, avoiding eye contact and hanging his head. Her lines could sense the mood of his bioelectric signature, and there was a definite sense of depression radiating from it. She felt bad for him. She knew he wasn't lying, that there was no malice in his actions and that he regretted them. And, somehow, she could tell that she liked him. A lot. But she was still shaken from her near brush with discovery, and terrified that further association with Ed, regardless of how much she wanted it, would be too dangerous. Yet, she couldn't get it out of her head. The feeling of being in his arms, of snuggling close to his warm, solid body. And the kiss... She wanted more, and her body did too. She could feel the warmth spreading through her groin and belly, and couldn't stop imagining what it would be like to kiss him again.

Or to do more. To feel his naked skin against hers, his big hands on her breasts... She tried to push the thoughts out of her mind, but they kept creeping back in. Would it be worth it? How much was her life really worth, as it was? Did she want to struggle through life, keeping her head down, without meaning or joy or purpose beyond survival? She would already be lucky to survive the next couple years, she had said it herself. Perhaps... Perhaps she should take this risk? Live a little, as it were. As she pondered these questions, Ed left the Human Quarter and dipped under the drone envelope. If he had gone through an official checkpoint he could have gotten his vehicle tagged as Human in the system, but Tetra's presence would have complicated things significantly. Better to just slip out and stay low. He guided the car through the Stacks, massive tenement complexes hundreds of stories high which housed the Xeno population. The buildings were in varying states of disrepair, some of them bombed out and abandoned, while others had been expanded on by the Sha'dee inhabitants until they coalesced into a massive, ramshackle hive. Other races lived in the Stacks too, but they tended to stay away from Sha'dee population centers. Even with their high mortality rate Tetra's race bred like rabbits, and expanded rapidly and tenaciously, hence the hives. There was a limit, naturally: expand too far on existing structures and corporate forces would firebomb them from the air, like exterminators destroying a wasp hive. Which was probably the origin of the bombed-out structures.

They reached Tetra's building, and Ed found a parking balcony that had a space or two still vacant. He landed the car between two others, highly modified skidboxes like his own. His type of racing, colloquially known as "canyon running", had started as a spiritual descendant of a form of landcar racing on Earth called "drifting". It had been developed in actual canyons on the frontier, but was extremely popular among Sha'dee living in slums like this, which replicated the tight turns and mazelike courses of a true canyon run. Their relatively light weight and extremely fast reflexes made Sha'dee naturally suited for it, and it had become deeply ingrained in the culture. While their original language and culture had been destroyed long ago when the Conglomerate burned their libraries and exterminated their intellectuals, you couldn't stop a species from developing unique culture, although not for lack of trying.

Ed popped the door locks, and Tetra climbed out, grabbing her bag and walking towards the entrance to the building without a word.

"Tetra? Wait..." She heard him call out. Her face crumpled and her ears drooped, but she forced herself to press on. She wanted to turn around more than anything, but she was too scared.

"Please? I just wanna apologize... I didn't mean anything by it, I swear... I just... You were interesting, and... I thought you were cute..."

The bag slipped from her hands and she turned. Ed pricked up as she approached him, and was about to say something more when she hauled open the door and tapped the parking lock, causing the steering yoke to retract into the dash. She leaned in, placing her hands against the seat on either side of his head and kissed him hard on the lips. He recoiled at first, then pushed back into it, embracing her and devouring her face. She broke apart from him, backed up from the car and tapped the magnetic zipper on her jumpsuit, letting it fall open and stepping out of it.

Ed gave a low gasp as she sauntered back up to him, full hips swaying in the low evening light. Tetra wished she had known this would happen, or she would have dressed better, but the dirty tank top and slender blue panties would have to do. She climbed into his waiting arms, straddling his lap and leaning in to kiss him again. She whimpered and her tail went rigid as his broad hands wrapped around the firm, soft flesh of her round butt. As they continued to kiss, she pushed the vest off his shoulders and reached down to lift up his shirt. He gave her cheeks a squeeze and then reluctantly raised his hands so she could pull the shirt off of him. His chest was broad, not rippling with muscle but not sagging either. She caressed him, nestling her head against his solar plexis and feeling the firm muscle under the soft outer layer. He sighed with happiness and went back to feeling her backside, sending tingles of pleasure along her skin as his strong fingers manipulated it.

"You're soooooooooo soft..." Ed gasped, chest heaving under her cheek.

"Mmmmmmmmm..." She purred, throat vibrating as she rubbed her face eagerly against his skin. "You're sooooo warm..."

"Are you sure you want to do this?" The Human asked, shifting in his seat to let her slide deeper into his lap.

"I don't care." She whimpered, grinding the wet, needy bulge of her sex against his groin and shuddering as she felt the pressure of his organ against it. "I want you."

"I won't complain about that!" He laughed, sliding his hands up her flanks and causing her to moan as he inadvertently brushed her sensitive electroneural lines. He pushed her top up her long, slender trunk, revealing her soft, deep red belly. "Damn, your tattoos go all the way down!"

She blinked in surprise, then realized what he was talking about, and burst into chittering laughter.

"What?" He asked, puzzled. She beamed at him and kissed his nose.

"Those spots aren't tattoos, Ed, that's just the way my skin looks."

"Wow... It's beautiful! I've never seen a Sha'dee with spots before..." He pushed the top higher, up over her pert little breasts. She chirped happily at the praise, and started unbuckling his pants.

"We're kinda rare. Stripy and solid Sha'dee are far more common, and they're slowly breeding us out. There's not many spotted Colonies left." She explained, stroking his chest and nibbling gently at the lobes of flesh under his strange, flat Human ears.

"That's too bad." He observed, reaching out tentatively to touch her breasts. "They make you look really pretty."

She blushed and bit her lip, then whimpered as his fingers brushed the velvety-soft skin of her little chest.

"Don't be so shy!" She chirped. "You can squeeze them if you want..."

"Sorry..." He blushed. "I-I've never actually done this before... Been with a female..."

"It's OK." She purred, beaming at him. "It's my first time with a male too."

"Really? You'd let a Human be your first?" He asked.

"You're letting an alien be yours..." She chirped in response, reaching down to push her panties to the side.

"I suppose that's fair." He chuckled, and wrapped his hands around her tits. They encompassed her plump little orbs fully, caressing and squeezing gently but firmly. Tetra's whimpers turned to moans as he massaged her tender chest.

"I can't get over how soft your skin is!" He gasped, grasping her flanks and leaning in to kiss her nipples, stiff and sensitive with arousal. She moaned at the sensation of his warm, wet lips teasing her nipple, and grasped his head in her hands, pushing his face into her breast. Tetra lifted herself up, partly so he didn't have to crane his neck as much to reach her tit, partly so she could work his pants down around his knees. Her tunnel was slick with juices and throbbing with increasing urgency, filling her with heat and desire. She needed him inside of her yesterday.

Ed shuddered and groaned as the alien girl reached a delicate, clever hand into his boxers and fished out his erect shaft. Tetra's eyes widened, and she started to realize she might not have thought this all the way through. Humans were big. Would he fit in her? Would it hurt? Well, there was only one way to find out. She lowered herself onto him, grasping his shoulders and curling her tail around his cock to guide it into her waiting lips. He leaned back against the seat and tightened his grip on her torso as she thrust herself down onto him. Tetra grimaced at first as her weight bore down on him, jamming his head into her tight slit. She was too tight! He wasn't going to fit! As she was about to panic, she felt his grip on her flanks intensify and he gently pulled her down, causing her to squeal as her flesh parted and he entered her. It hurt at first, like she was being torn in half, but pain turned to overwhelming pleasure at the sensation of his girth stretching her inch by inch and pressing hard against the nerve cluster that ran along the top of her canal.