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Letting off Steam

Authors: Krato
Categories: Tony/Maya
Characters: Maya, Tony Verdeschi
Show Year: Y2
Rating: NC-17
Date: 2001
Tony doesn't cant to take Maya to the weekly film show on the base but with good reason. However, Maya's feelings run deeper than either of them expected…
Average Rating: 3.3/5 (based on 6 reviews)

It was dark and warm in the auditorium.

Eighty or so people were occupying seats, which was considered a good turnout. Saturday Night at the Movies, the name of the weekly event on Alpha, was a popular venue with the personnel. As it had been on Earth, Saturday nights were social evenings on the Moonbase and the recreation rooms were always full of men and women indulging in a range of activities. The larger of the two rec. rooms was always given over to the weekly disco and occasional Karaoke; the other for more sedate pastimes such as cards, board games and quizzes.

Tonight's film had proved to be a popular choice; 'Starman' with Jeff Bridges and Karen Allen was essentially a love story; warm and funny at times but also a thought provoking science fiction drama. Although almost everyone had seen it before, there was a feel good factor involved which appealed to most people and attracted a wide audience.

"Is there a difference between a film and a movie?" Maya had asked, thoughtfully. "Why do some people call it one and not the other?"

John Koenig had chuckled at that. "No difference. It just depends on where you learnt your English."

"Well, I learnt most of my English on Psychon so which one should I use?" she had asked innocently.

Those around her had laughed good-naturedly. "Whichever you feel most comfortable with Maya," John had told her.

"I'm just thankful we don't have pavements or chocolate bars on Alpha," put in Tony, at her side.

She had given him a most withering look before replying, "I'm not saying I don't understand the meanings of the words, I'm just wondering if different versions are used within different contexts."

Tony had bowed his head with a grin, lapping up her indignation.

"I think the 'movie' is about to start," she had said, deliberately choosing the opposite word Tony would have favoured.

A third of the way into 'Starman' and Tony was far from comfortable. He hadn't wanted to come in the first place but Maya had insisted, even though he had warned her that the content might be upsetting to her. She had told him not to be ridiculous and reprimanded him for giving some of the plot away. But now, Tony knew he had been right. His surreptitious glances revealed Maya's increasing agitation and a few minutes later, he quietly suggested that they leave. She seemed determined to see it through, unwilling to admit that she was uneasy with the film. He didn't try to persuade her but held her hand in his, feeling her fingers become rigid and her palm hot and slick with sweat. The scene where Jenny asked the Scott alien about his home planet seemed to have rather a dramatic effect on Maya. She wasn't usually emotionally effected in any significant way by the films she watched. There always seemed to be too much to study, too much else to take in and process about the environment and culture of Earth to analyse the feelings of the characters. But this was different. To Maya, the setting was irrelevant, the characters were everything.

She was crying but not just in the snivelling way of a woman moved by what she saw; she was weeping. Although she didn't move a muscle, it must have been the falling tears glinting in the light of the screen as they fell that caused Helena to turn her head. Sitting on the other side of Maya, she looked closely at her friend with a bemused smile playing on her lips. There was something in Maya's face that told her the Psychon woman was taking the film a little more seriously than maybe she should. After a few seconds, Helena leaned forward a couple of inches and caught Tony's eye. She discovered that he was watching Maya with concern although obviously pretending not to. Still with a ghost of a smile, Helena raised her eyebrows questioningly, darting a look in Maya's direction. Tony grinned and rolled his eyes and Helena felt mollified by his gesture. She supposed that the theme of the movie was particularly close to Maya's heart, given her relationship with Tony Verdeschi.

When the theme music began to play, signifying that they had reached the closing scenes, Maya appeared to be struggling to keep her emotions in check. She drew her hand away from Tony's and coughed shallowly against it. She sat with her fingers twisting nervously together until the auditorium lights finally came up and she abruptly got to her feet, running shaking fingers under her eyes in an attempt to dash away the evidence of her tears.

"I won't ask you if you enjoyed that," Tony smiled ruefully. He felt the need to put a placating arm about her shoulders but refrained, knowing she wouldn't want him to attract attention to her anxiety.

"Would it really be like that?" she asked, not able to look directly at him.

With a sigh, he put his arm casually about her waist instead and steered her towards the exit, John and Helena following behind.

"I knew this was a bad idea."

"I'm sorry, you were right."

"It was science fiction Maya, not fact."

"Mmm." She didn't sound quite convinced.

He thought he knew exactly what was going through her mind. It was the fact that humans could react that way to an alien species. It was unnerving to her to think that the race of people she lived with were capable of such xenophobic emotions.

"Still feel like going to the disco?" he asked, already knowing the answer. "Might take your mind off things."

Maya gave a quick shake of her head. "I think I'd rather just go back to my quarters, I'm not really in the mood for socialising."

"Am I invited?"

"It's still early, don't you want to go?"

"Not if you aren't there. Anyway, I don't want you sitting around brooding by yourself."

They were standing in a bottleneck of bodies at the doors.

"So you want to brood with me?" she asked, forcing a warmth into her voice.

A small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth and Tony leaned over to nuzzle into her neck, saying, "I can think of more entertaining things I want to do with you."

"Ah, I see. To take my mind off things."

As the queue began moving again, Tony turned to the Commander and Helena Russell who had now caught up with them.

"We're giving the disco a miss and heading off home," he told them. "Long day."

Helena nodded acceptingly. "Yes, long day. I'm just going to thrash John at chess and then we'll be going back to the cell blocks too."

"No stamina, these youngsters," grinned John.

"Oh, I don't think their stamina is in question. See you both tomorrow." Helena waved as she and John joined the stream of Alphans filtering into the rec. rooms. Tony and Maya continued down the corridor to the Travel Tube where it was standing room only. They found themselves standing shoulder to shoulder with Shermeen Williams and Eddie Collins.

"Hi!" chirped Shermeen. "Aren't you going to the disco this week?" The Travel Tube was taking them away from the recreational facilities. Before either of them could answer, she continued, "We're not going until later. We were working late and had to dash to make the start of the film so we're going for dinner now."

"It always takes a while to get going anyway," Tony pointed out, trying to avoid explaining their own reasons for not attending.

"So, did you enjoy the movie?" Eddie asked, his question directed at both of them but his eyes coming to rest on Maya.

"I preferred last weeks," she side tracked.

In fact, last weeks showing of 'Titanic' had been rather confusing to Maya. She had found it hard to get to grips with the time-scale. The Earth of the early nineteen hundreds had been a very different place from how it was depicted in most of the films she had watched.

"Did you cry?" Shermeen asked conspiratorially. "I cry every time I see it."

"It looks like the both of you were blubbing over this one," Eddie put in, laughing.

"Hey, me too," said Tony, his light hearted humour succeeding in drawing their faces away from Maya.

The Travel Tube made its next stop and Maya pulled away from the group as the door slid open.

"We're getting out here. Goodnight," she said with a quick smile.

"Bye," said Shermeen, wondering at Maya's eagerness to get away.

Tony bade them both goodnight and caught up with the Psychon.

"Hold on," he called as he rounded the corner of the corridor.

Maya slowed but kept on walking, almost at her quarters now. He stood quietly behind her whilst she tapped her key code into the door panel and then followed her inside. Unexpectedly, she turned and went to him, silently asking to be taken into his arms. Tony obliged her willingly.

"I'm sorry. Seeing that film has made me feel... strange, like there are questions I should be asking."

"So ask away."

"But I don't want to know the answers. It scared me Tony, I don't know why but it really scared me."

"Come here." He hugged her tightly. "That's never going to happen to you is it? You're safe here. This is what's real, not that film."

Suddenly, he felt a slight tremor in her breathing. "Come here, what's wrong?" he asked, gently pushing her away to look into her face.

"Nothing," she wiped a finger under her right eye and a tear fell heavily to the floor. "Nothing, I'm just being silly."

"It's really shaken you up hasn't it?"

Maya merely nodded, her eyes downcast.

"Okay, I'll make us a drink, put some music on and we can talk about it. Come on, sit down."

He left her on the sofa and keyed in a pre-programmed selection of music before busying himself with cups of synthetic hot chocolate in the far corner of the room.

"Here you go," he said, handing Maya one of the plastic beakers.

She sipped gratefully at the warm, sweet drink. Resting one elbow on the back of the sofa, Tony watched her, concern showing through his smile.

"Why are humans like that?" Maya asked, unexpectedly. "Why do they destroy when they could learn?"

"Not all of us."

"You come from a violent planet. Maybe the Alphans are more tolerant because they have to be, you have to work together or die. Maybe that's the only reason I'm alive, because you had to change when you lost your Earth," she accused almost goadingly.

Tony answered calmly, hating to see her upset like this. "I suppose that's possible, unfortunately. Everything came to a head with the Third War. It wasn't an ideal world to live in by the time we left. But don't forget, maybe our attitudes were different then because we didn't possess the technology and understanding that the Psychons had. Ignorance breeds fear of the unknown."

"It was unjustified hatred," she protested, referring back to the film.

Tony absently pulled a stray hair from across her face. "He wasn't hated, just hunted, by a load of faceless bureaucrats who got other people to do their dirty work for them. Earth had a history of it and we also had xenophobia in abundance. But you were watching a work of fiction tonight. Perhaps people would've reacted that way but you have to remember that it wasn't like that for you, for whatever reason."

"I don't mean to sound like I'm putting your race down because I'm not. It just makes me feel uneasy somehow. What if that's how everyone really sees me, deep down?"

Tony patted her thigh. "Whoa, that's paranoia, big time!"

She fell silent again.

"Now you see why I didn't want you to go tonight. Anyway," he said, leaning forward to press his lips against the side of her neck, "you're not all bad, otherwise I wouldn't love you as much as I do."

She gave him a sharp look. "Do you mean that collectively?"

"You know exactly how it was meant." he challenged.

With her free hand, Maya lifted his head and put her mouth on his, moving her lips softly, almost a whisper. Tony broke away first but Maya's eyes held his as she took his hot chocolate off him and put it on the side table with her own.

"You show me how much you love me," she said, reaching for him again, digging her fingers into his thick, dark hair and dipping her tongue enticingly into his mouth.

Surprised by her eagerness, Tony took a few moments to respond but when he did, it was with equal passion.

"Are you sure you want this?" he asked, a little taken aback by the sudden change in mood.

In response, Maya's fingers swiftly undid the buttons on his civilian shirt and peeled it back off his shoulders. The sight of his naked torso seemed to inflame her even more and straddling his lap, she ran her fingernails roughly down to his abdomen, kissing him hard as she slipped under the waistband of his trousers. This elicited a murmur of pleasure from Tony.

The Italian's hands slipped up under Maya's dress, sliding over her firm thighs, round to her buttocks, dragging his mouth away from hers to drop his head to her breasts. She wasn't wearing anything beneath the strappy, deep green dress and Tony could feel her nipples, stiff and hard through the material. He lifted away the long tresses of her burnished auburn hair, then, cupping the sides of her small breasts, he made her gasp by sucking hard at the left nipple through the slippery fabric. The wet patch he had made clung blackly. Maya tugged the dress off over her head and offered him the other breast.

"Ahh... that's so nice," she whispered as he tongued around the velvety brown hyper-sensitive aureole. She writhed upward and down onto his bulging groin, holding his head in place with both hands, urging him on. His hands left her breasts to yank off her shoes and in one quick movement, he lifted her up, legs fastened about his waist.

"Hurry up," she breathed. "I need you."

Tony carried her around the back of the sofa and through to the compact bedroom where he placed her on the bed and kneeling over her on all fours, immediately began to trail a series of wonderfully arousing wet kisses from her throat down to her navel. As his tongue flicked over the tiny, erogenous, brown bumps of pigment that formed a circle around the umbilical scar tissue, Maya clutched at his shoulders, eyes half closed in ecstasy. Through gently applied pressure, she was able to experience a form of orgasm that although not as sexual in nature as the real thing, offered a plateau of pleasure capable of being sustained for a few minutes at a time.

Tonight though, she wasn't interested in this tantalising aperitif. Her need was for something more substantial. Maya scrambled from under him and sat up to meet Tony's puzzled look.

"I need you NOW!" she supplied and pulled open the button and fly of his trousers with deft movements.

"What, you don't even want to sneeze?" he asked with a smile, their silly name for the turn-on she got when she found her 'plateau'.

Already, she was taking off her panties. All the more aroused for Maya's enthusiasm, Tony quickly rid himself of shoes, trousers and underwear before reaching again for his Psychon lover. With practised care, he entered her slowly and gently from behind and after a few moments was rewarded with the familiar warm surge of her oily lubrication. He now began to thrust more confidently, the fluid that her body produced in such copious quantities after penetration, spilling out between their joined bodies.

Maya let out a protracted, lustful moan at precisely the moment he felt her internal muscles spasm along the length of his penis.

"Already?" he asked, through clenched teeth.

It didn't normally happen this soon. Usually it was several minutes before her body reacted to his invasion. With incredible biological efficiency, her female genitalia was designed to virtually 'milk' the seed from her mate to ensure conception when the time was right. Regular contractions, gradually building in their intensity coursed through Maya to give Tony the bizarre sensation of being swallowed into her. It was like her womb was trying to ingest him, to suck him in and leave him dry. Maya took up the rhythm which he had had to stop.

"Woah, slow down," he pleaded, one hand on her hip, the other at her back, preparing to push her away. He knew his release was imminent and withdrew hastily to push her down on the bed with him.

"Are you trying you set some kind of a record?" Tony managed to laugh.

"I can't help it." Her legs wrapped around him as he rolled in between them. "I just feel so..."

"Horny," he finished for her, biting down tenderly into that sensitive spot between her neck and shoulder.

"I was going to say something more like 'emotionally charged'."

"Horny," Tony repeated.

Maya's brilliant blue eyes glittered dangerously, "Alright, horny, now shut up and do something about it."

Tony adjusted his weight slightly, giving him just enough room to slide his hand down between their bodies where he caressed her gently. Like some exotic fruit; smooth, darkly pigmented, rigid skin, the protective outer layer for the sweet, soft flesh within. Tony felt himself strain to be in her again but from this position, that was almost impossible. Ironically, the 'missionary' position wasn't conducive to their inter-species love-making due to the fact that Maya's Psychon genitalia was set a little further back than in the human anatomy, thus making sex quite uncomfortable for both of them. Neither was in the least concerned however as generally, their differences made for a far more varied sex life than most couples on Alpha. It had occurred to them that maybe, this was the way Psychons made love anyway. After all, wasn't the 'mounting' method the way all hot-blooded mammals satisfied their baser instincts? For Tony, sex had never been so much fun, so passionate and so all consuming and he couldn't imagine ever being completely satisfied with a human woman again.

No one else would ever compare. But the thought of another man having her; doing the things together that they had done... that heated his blood, made him unreasonably angry. He had steadfastly refused to discuss what he and Maya did with anyone, even Alan who he considered to be his closest friend When Maya had first arrived on Alpha, several personnel, both single and attached had expressed more than a passing interest in her. Tony knew that just because he was the recipient of her affections, didn't mean she was any less desirable.

She was almost purring as he kissed her ravenously, her hands roaming abstractly, fingers digging into his flesh.

"Don't stop," she cried as he pulled himself away.

"Well one of us has got to move if you're going to get what you want."

Quickly, Maya rolled over to straddle him, gripping his erection in both hands with lascivious greed as she prepared to mount him. Still using both hands, she leaned back a little and on her knees, guided her towering prize in slowly, inch by blissful inch.

She needed this. It was a physical release for her fever-pitch emotions. It was a way to feel loved. It was a means of escape.

"Oh, God," Tony groaned.

Maya looked down upon him, her senses elevated to magnificent heights. He filled her so completely that in the beginning, it had worried him that he could do her damage. Apparently, one of the many differences between her reproductive system and that of a human woman was the basic internal sizing. Tony's observations had been confirmed during a routine health check when Doctor Russell had pointed it out, mentioning the fact that as her womb was so small, so it must follow that Psychon babies were born considerably smaller than their human counterparts. But it was all irrelevant to Maya who was just happy that she and Tony were able to consummate their love like any other couple.

Again, that internal rhythm had begun like the ebbing and flowing of the sea along a shoreline; a tide made strong by the depths of her emotions, undercurrents of unrecognised fear and anger lending themselves to her sexual pleasure.

Tony's hands brushed over her hips, not to hold or direct but just to feel the silky smooth texture of her skin. As smooth as the skin in the crook of the elbow, her whole body felt soapy soft. In stark contrast was the rough, dark body hair that was Tony's Latin inheritance. With her hips still tilted back to accommodate him, Maya leant over to stroke her fingertips through his abundant chest hair.

"Haesardae." She murmured.

He tensed when her palms slid lightly over his erect nipples. "What's that?"

"It means, like an animal."

He smiled slowly. "Is that good?"

"Very good," she replied, beginning a languid rocking movement. The gentle motion was all that was necessary whilst her pelvic muscles did most of the work.

Several times, Tony stilled her body, knowing she was about to send him over the edge before they both were ready. Each time, unable to control her internal contractions, Maya would raise herself away to release his engorged shaft, giving him time to prepare for the next onslaught.

Suddenly, her contractions slowed and deepened and Tony knew it would only be a matter of moments now before her orgasm held them both in it's thrall. With his right hand, he traced the radiating patterns of brown pigment emanating from her belly button and watched her face contort into a myriad expression of ecstasy.

"Tony!" she cried out in a prelude to the blissful agony, which was all it took for Tony to loose control.

Maya fell back, hands clamping around his muscular legs, bucking savagely against the swollen shaft exploding within her. Her hair fell wildly about her shoulders in a cascade of red raw silk. Her body glistened with sweat, her eyes wide as she held tight to this source of orgasmic delight at the very core of her being. Tony moaned worshipfully beneath her, his fevered brain telling him that their flesh was fusing, melding, falling and tumbling into a black abyss where heaven and hell collided in a final, glorious explosion of ferocious want.

At last, both of them hot and sore, fell into one another's arms in a needy embrace. Whilst coupled together, they were unable to kiss, an aspect of their inter-species intercourse which they regretted; their anatomical design just didn't allow for it.

As they kissed now, infinitely tender in their thankful release, Tony felt a wetness trickle over the side of his face. He raised his head sharply.

"Have I hurt you?" he asked worriedly, holding Maya's face in his hands.

"No, I'm fine," she said, embarrassed that she had been found out.

"You're crying." He smoothed her hair away from her flushed cheeks.

"I just... I don't know... I feel better somehow. That expression I've heard people use... 'letting off steam'..."

"You certainly did that."

She giggled throatily and pulled the bed sheet up around them, the sweat beginning to dry on her body sending a chill over her. It was clear that her dark mood was lifting.

"I don't think it was just the film, Tony." Maya said more seriously.

"Why? Is something else bothering you?"

Maya lay with her head on his chest and from her tone, he got the idea she was happier not to be having to look him in the eyes.

"The only other experience I've had with Earth people was when Alpha was invaded to blow up the nuclear dumps. I know they were only pretending to be humans but they probably coloured my impressions of Earth."

"That's understandable but I suppose they were fictitious too, in a way."

Maya continued. "Before we knew what they really wanted, when you were all going home, I was so horribly jealous of the whole thing. We were all going to be split up and everybody else would get their lives back and I'd be totally on my own. Watching you with Guido, you were different, I almost felt I didn't know you anymore." She bit down on her lip, hearing the tremble rising in her throat.

Tony hugged her fiercely, knowing he had let her down, realising he had known it all along.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. I really am sorry. I pushed you to one side. I knew I was doing it but I just got so carried away..."

"I'm not blaming you, it was a natural reaction."

"Everything happened so fast," he tried to explain, guilt curdling deep in the pit of his stomach, "and when it was all over, it didn't seem to matter anymore. You seemed okay, I'd thought you were happy so I just left it. I should've talked to you. It's been preying on your mind all this time hasn't it?"

Hesitantly, Maya answered, "I think about it sometimes."

"I'm sorry," he said again. "Earth probably seems like the kind of place you'd go out of your way to avoid."

Maya sat up in bed and rubbed at the dark streaks lying either side of her face, something she was prone to do when tired.

"No, I think I'd like Earth, if I wasn't what I am."

Leaning up on his elbows, Tony said in disbelief, "Listen to yourself! You're not a monster, Maya. You're extremely intelligent and incredibly beautiful and you feel things just like anybody else. If we all see that, why wouldn't other humans?"

Maya coloured slightly at the compliments. Despite the intimacy of their relationship, Tony had always maintained the ability to make her blush, "But it was wrong to be jealous," she protested.

Scrambling up onto the pillow behind her, Tony sat with her hunched body between his legs and tenderly wrapped his arms about her. She relaxed a little, leaning against him and relishing the feeling of being enveloped in his love.

"Don't you think my attitude maybe contributed to your jealousy? But I swear to you, if you'd wanted to stay on Alpha rather than make that journey to Earth, I'd have stayed with you. You're more important to me than anything else in this world - or any other world."

This heartfelt statement caused her chest to constrict alarmingly. She twisted round and met his liquid brown eyes.

"I love you," he said simply as he pressed his cheek to hers, inhaling deeply of her warm and heady body scent.

Maya swallowed hard as her emotions once again threatened to get the better of her. She realised now that none of it mattered. The chances of them ever finding the Earth that the Alphans had once known were almost incalculable, even for Maya. Tony was right; all that mattered was the here and now. Alpha was her home but it was the people in it who made it her haven. And had things been the other way around and a ship bearing a group of Psychon survivors had come for her, wouldn't she have acted exactly as Tony had? Sheer euphoria would have blinded her too, would have rendered her oblivious to everything but the presence of her kind and her own overflowing soul. Her jealousy had remained with her until now like a deep malignancy that had turned out to be nothing more than a self-created phantom. Maybe tonight, they had exorcised that phantom together. Seeing the film, seeing her alien counterpart being hunted down my members of the same race that had saved her from her own father's lunatic ruination of their planet, it had been confusing, frightening. She had felt an affinity to the alien character that she had tried to resist. She didn't want to understand how he felt, hated admitting to the similarities between them. Her repressed feelings had risen to the surface tonight. 'Starman' had drawn her strangled emotions out almost forcibly and held them up to the light for Tony to scrutinise. Incredibly, he understood and that was probably all it had taken to alleviate her hidden pain. He had known all along and responded when it really counted. He had also known what the meaning of the film would dredge up for her and tried to protect her from it.

She felt his chin resting on the top of her head now, his arms, crossed over in front of her to lazily stroke down the length of her forearms in a soothing gesture.

"Okay?" he asked.

"Mmm," she smiled, the fog of contented sleep starting to creep over her. "I love you too. I think I'm lucky to have you."

Tony's chest heaved in soundless laughter and she felt the muscular contours, taut against her bare back. "Lucky isn't the word you're looking for, trust me."

"I know what I mean." She turned in his arms to cuddle into his chest. "I know exactly what I mean."


Copyright (c) 2001. Reprinted with permission.
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