A Cereal Affair

CHAPTER 1 DREAMS

{Blackness surrounded his nightmare, the sea roared and crashed over the ship's deck. Lightening cracked across the sky and strobed the monstrous black ship behind them. That menacing red striped, black flag whipping in the brutal wind.}

Soft morning light faded his nightmare back into the depths of last night. He slept naked and loathed to think about getting out from under cozy covers, putting his bare feet on the cold wood floor. Instead, Captain stretched out across his bed then sat up to look out the window where ships sailed into the harbor with seagulls screeching around the masts silhouetted against an early morning pink sky.

Staying snuggled-up warm in bed, he lit a pipe and watched the red sun rise while he lazily shifted images of King in his mind. Slowly pulling smoke through his pipe he stroked his white blond mustache and thought about King, the nape of King's throat, that strong chin, his mouth..those soulful grey eyes. The battles he must have seen to give him such sad eyes. What he would do to make that sadness melt into hot distraction...

Fuck this. Enough. He put down his pipe. That party-bitch toucan would be by soon, stopping at his window to give him a play by play of the ridiculous partying at his club. Reeking of booze and sweaty cologne, he'd have the rabbit stoned and draped on his arm, or possibly that little cuckoo bird by his side. Who knew? It would depend on the night. Player.

Later by the window, the morning sun golden now, a freshly showered Captain wearing uniform pants and a fresh white tee, rested his strong navel man's arm on the windowsill and sipped coffee watching sun-speckles dance in the water around his good ship "Guppy". Again King drifted into his mind. He missed him. He missed the smell of him. King smelled like a man. Warm, earthy and sweet. Like rain cooling a sugar cane field on a hot day. He missed his body. His rock hard body from years of military training. He missed his lips.... Damn. Captain drank deep his hot coffee.

To his surprise, it was the rabbit alone and not the toucan who strolled up to his window. Trick's eyes were exhausted but happy from his night at the club. A five o'clock shadow gave him a disheveled, naughty look. Captain checked his pocket watch and scoffed. It's 6:30am and he's only now coming home? Was there anyone noble? Other than his beloved King?

Captain didn't mind Tricks though. His company was somehow comforting and he could always cheer him up a little. He had heard Tricks struggled with anxiety but never really saw it himself. Rather the rabbit talked with a calm, slow sureness that made him cooler than he ever looked, with his white scrawny arms and legs. Though Captain was glad it was Tricks, he wondered where Sam that player of a toucan was that morning.

Tricks leaned his elbow on the open windowsill, and fished a lighter out of his rumbled army green jacket & lit a cigarette, taking a long drag while eyeing Captain through half closed lids, a smile pulled at the corner of his mouth. Captain was the hottest thing on the shelf. What he wouldn't give to pull that white tee off and give him a military salute he wouldn't forget. But Captain was all about King. It was easy to see why.

"Rumor at the club has it that King's been spotted," Tricks offered. He saw the surprise and hope leap into Captain's face and chuckled at the love so clearly on him. He traced a finger affectionately down Captain's cheek then kissed it lightly, whispering into his ear. "You deserve the love, Horatio," he said using Captain's first name. "I hope he's home soon." He dropped his cigarette, and crushed it under his heel, wiggling his tail ever so slightly while keeping eye contact, then winked. Captain blushed.

"Slutty rabbit," smiled Captain to himself while he watched the rabbit walk away. His heart beat with the news.

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