Breaking Through Limits (Larry Stylinson)

Chapter 7

"Hey, faggot!" The mess hall was crowded with cadets in their black Academy jumpsuits sitting at long tables and it took Harry a minute to realize that the slur was directed at him. He was alone for once since Tomlinson had second lunch and he had third. They had different classes too —Tomlinson was in advanced flight dynamics and Harry was still working through the first-year basics.  He was glad about that— he spent enough time with his partner as it was, in his opinion. Still, it might have been handy to have the tall, indomitable cadet at his back right now. Instead he had no one.

"I said hey, faggot!"

Harry turned, the metal tray filled with what the Academy considered lunch clutched in his hands, and found himself staring at the red face and bulging china blue eyes of the cadet who had been shouting at Tomlinson in the corridor on his first day at the Academy. What was his name again? Oh yes, Burns.

"Yeah, faggot, he's talkin' to you." One of the other cadets with skull-cut hair, obviously one of Burns' group, grinned at Harry challengingly.

Harry felt his jaw tighten but there were five of them and only one of him. Besides that, they were in the middle of the crowded mess hall and he didn't need a bunch of demerits on his record during his first week at the Academy.

"Look, I just got here a couple days ago. I don't even know you so why don't you leave me alone and let me eat my lunch?" he asked, addressing Burns since he was obviously the leader. He tried to step around them but Burns quickly moved to block his path.

"You may not know us but we know you, Styles. You're a Needler, right?"

"Yeah, I am." Harry nodded at the insignia on his uniform. "You jealous?"

"Oh sure, real jealous." Burns grinned at him, an ugly, reptilian grimace that spoke more of hate than any good humor. "In fact, we heard they paired you with the Falcon. Is that right?" The way he said Tomlinson's nickname made it sound like a curse.

"Yeah, that's right." Harry squared his shoulders. "So what?"

"So you're his new gunner, right?"

"Yeah, so?" Harry shrugged but instead he was beginning to feel sick to his stomach. 

"So that means in the Needle, he gets to be behind you." Burns was grinning even wider if that was possible.

"I haven't been in a Needle yet." Harry avoided the question but the sickness inside him was growing. "I need more training first."

"But he does get to be behind you," Burns asserted. "So here's my question, Styles. Has he got you taking it up the ass yet or are you just sucking his cock? You know -for training purposes?" His question was met by a burst of trollish laughter from his group and quizzical looks from some of the other cadets sitting nearby at the long mess tables.