Campfire troubles

Bleu shifted awkwardly in her seat as she considered the situation. Dustin and the others had built this little campsite while she’d been looking for any signs of hostile life - and analysing the giants that Rye’s scanner had picked up in the deeper sands - but now that it was built, she wasn’t entirely sure what to do. Dustin had retrieved a bag of some kind of human sweet from the automat, and had then insisted they hold it over an open flame to partially melt and char before eating. It seemed a foolish thing to do, but as her lover was talking about it like some kind of big treat, she indulged.

Fire crackled in front of them as the slime woman held one of the spiked sticks Dustin had also retrieved - one for each of them - carefully so as to not drop her sweet into the blaze. The heat wafted over her as the evening breeze shifted direction; she was glad of the warmth. While her body could tolerate **** cold, the drop between the heat of the day and the cold of the night in what was essentially a desert was significant, and it wasn’t pleasant. Holding out her other hand to the fire to warm it, she monitored the slow charring on the surface of the morsel of food.

Dustin had shown them how to do it himself first - even Sammie, despite this being an Earth tradition. Bleu mused on that, and decided to chalk it up to the difference in backgrounds between the two humans. Sammie had grown up on a starship after all. “Ya alright bubbles? Look like ya spacing out there, and that's the way to lose ya marshmallow.” Rye’s voice cut across the medic’s reverie, causing her gaze to snap back to the bubbling sweet. Pulling it free of the fire, she blew on it experimentally before popping it into her mouth.

Sammie looked up from where she’d been reminiscing about her childhood with Dustin at the sound of a surprised moan of delight and grinned. “Looks like our doctor approves of toasted marshmallows, Captain” she said, carefully biting her own treat free from the end of it’s stick and giving a contented sigh. “It really does taste better toasted on a fire rather than just heated up in a microwave.”

Dustin stretched, then nodded to the pilot. “Well, yea. It’s an uneven cooking. That’s the problem with modern tech, according to Naera - it’s too predictable. Admittedly, she said that while she was running three different ovens, which I’m not sure even she could manage if modern tech wasn’t predictable - but who am I to argue with our chef.”

The four of them sat for some time after that, gazing into the flames and snacking on the soft caramelized delights until at last Bleu raised a hand. “As far as I can see, we’re clear to get to the ruins tomorrow from a ‘not getting eaten by the local wildlife’ point of view. So, with that in mind, what’s the plan?”

Rolling his shoulder, Dustin glanced skyward before he replied. “You, me and Rye will head to the ruins first thing. Sammie, I want you to stay with the shuttle in case we need an emergency evac. I doubt we will, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. We’ll spend the day there, then come back in the evening to decide if we need more time, a larger team or if we’re done and can head back to the ship. That work for everyone?” A round of answering nods indicated that it did.

It wasn’t much longer before Sammie stood, stretching in a way that drew everyone’s eyes to her bare abdomen before fixing Rye with a grin. “I’m off to bed. Come tuck me in, bun-bun?” The pilot said, at which Rye’s cheeks tinted. Bleu and Dustin exchanged a glance, before they too grinned. “Rye finally got her own nickname, huh?” Dustin said, a hint of teasing sarcasm slipping into his voice.

The Rabyth woman glanced between the three of them and gave a groan. “That is not my nickname. It’s just… what Sammie called me one time when she got drunk trying to out drink me and it kinda stuck. Anyway, the only nickname I’d accept as real would be one you gave me Dusty. C’mon Sammie, lets get you to bed - you gotta make it up to me for this embarrassment now.”

Judging by the way Rye was grinning as she dragged Sammie towards the shuttle, Dustin was quietly confident that his engineer wasn’t actually mad - and even more confident that he knew how Sammie would be making things up with the bunny girl.

With just the two of them left by the fire, Bleu slowly shuffled her seat closer - one marshmallow at a time - until they were shoulder-to-shoulder, the last of the sweet treats held out in front of them over the flickering flames. “This is nice.” Dustin mused, before taking the leap and asking “back on the Lievira world, you said you wanted to talk something through with me. We’ve not really found the time to talk since, have we?”

Bleu inhaled sharply, then nodded. “We haven’t, Dustin. And I do still want to talk it over with you - but bear with me as it is… difficult. No, that’s not true. I am difficult. I am… not always the easiest to read, I know that. And I struggle even with the help of all our lovers to show my emotions and desires.”

Dustin let her take her time, the slime woman staring into the fire before she spoke again. “I… do not mind adopting different forms for you and the others, you know? Teasing the ladies with my simulacrum of your cock is rather fun, and I understand why you enjoy fucking us all so much. And this form…” she ran a hand down over her breasts and gave a gentle sigh before she continued “…it’s got a lot going for it when you and I make love.”

The Queri medic returned to staring into the fire, seemingly unable to meet Dustin’s eyes when she spoke next. “But sometimes… sometimes I would like to feel what it would be like to be with you in my natural state.” The words were rushed, tumbling over themselves as if she was trying to **** them out before her fears could seal her mouth shut.

Reaching out, Dustin squeezed her hand. “You mean, when you’re in that kind of ball-like form? Bleu, that’s not a problem, if you want that…” His lover’s head whipped around to face him so quickly that if she’d not been made of slime he’d have been worried for the state of her neck.

“You really mean that, Dustin? I know how attractive you find me like this, and how much you enjoy…” she glanced away and coughed, her breasts swelling up for a moment before returning to their normal size “…some aspects of this form. I’m happy with what we have, and I wouldn’t hold it against you if…” Dustin leaned in and silenced her with a kiss, the startled medic’s eyes widening for a moment before she returned the gesture.

Breaking away from her lips as the fire crackled nearby, Dustin sighed. “Bleu, Rye calls you bubbles because you lost control of your lower half the first time we did it if you recall. I love you for who you are, not for what form you take. If you want me to fuck you as a sentient bucket of slime I’d do it, alright?” Then he frowned. “Probably not all the time though. There’s a number of ladies I know that would be really sad if you were in a form where they couldn’t taste you while we’re going at it.”

Bleu snorted, slapping his chest half-heartedly before turning and sinking backwards into his embrace. “Jerk. Our jerk, but still. And I’d rather still do it on a bed, so no buckets thanks… it’d just be nice to not have to worry about holding my form and really let go. When we get back to the ship, can we spend a night in my bunk - alone? I’ve got a date night saved up, if you’re worried about…”

Once more Dustin cut her off - this time with a reassuring and warm squeeze of his arms around her soft body. “I’m not worried, and I think if you asked any of our lovers they’d happily give you a night for something like this. As soon as we get back home, we’ll take the evening and I’ll make love to you any way you want me to.”

That earned him an appreciative hum and Bleu’s backside wiggling in tight against his trousers. “I’ll hold you to that, Dustin. The night we get back up to Sola, you’re mine. And I’m yours.” Then she rippled, her backside still pressing into his crotch as she reformed her upper torso so that she was facing him, before pulling him in for a rather serious kiss. “Also… I think that was the first time you said you love me that I can’t just write off as being words said because you were balls deep inside me at the time. So… umm…”

Dustin watched as bands of golden embarrassment flickered through Bleu like lightning strikes, nearly overwhelming her natural azure tone until she kissed him quickly on the nose, said “I love you too!” so rapidly it sounded like a squeak and hid her face in her hands, peering out between her fingers at the delighted and content smile that slowly spread across his face.