This had been going on for two months and every night was the same. Capa wakes up in a cold sweat roughly around three o' clock in the morning, panting and disoriented from a dream he can no longer remember even if he tried. It's always the same noise. Faint, almost barely there, but undeniably THERE. Capa wonders how a noise so small could wake him so violently and chill him to the bone at the same time. He could blame it on his over active imagination mixed with his increasing nightmares but he knows better.
Icarus makes noises all the time. Distinctive ones. She creaks, groans, and beeps but there's a sound about Icarus that doesn't quite fit with the others. Capa can't quite place it as it's a mixture of sounds all at once rather than simple solitary ones. One of the noises is a soft thud that repeats itself in an uneven cadence, sometimes sounding far away and other times so close that Capa believes it's right outside his door.
The others are more difficult to describe, like unintelligible imitations of natural human noises. It wasn't ghostly moaning and broken screams like in campfire stories where a lost soul was calling out from the other side. The sound was a low gasping that blurred the line between breathing and wind, resounding eerily through the long metal hallways of Icarus, causing her to groan in response.
The gasping was usually accompanied by slithering and it was one of the worst things Capa has ever heard even in his darkest nightmares. There were no precise words Capa could use to explain nor justify it. Imagine a bucket of five thousand worms and maggots squirming and slithering against each other, hissing their discontent as you tried to fall asleep. That plus the gasping and low thud was enough to unnerve Capa on nights like this.
Everything seemed to go quiet just then, stopping right at his door. Capa slowly sunk back into his mattress, curling into a ball and throwing his blanket over his head. He lied awake that night, holding his breath to concentrate on the sound that was no longer there, but Capa felt cold. Something felt wrong. It was too quiet, like the depth of space. So quiet that Capa could only hear this faint static noise his eardrums made to compensate for the lack sound.
He knew IT was out there just beyond his bedroom door, waiting intently for Capa to poke his head out. He knew better. Capa was curious but not suicidal and going outside was suicide. But that... thing... was always there waiting for him, hoping that one night Capa's curiosity would get the better of him but that wasn't about to happen anytime soon. He didn't know what it wanted exactly, but there was no denying that it had ulterior motives, none too pleasant either.
If only Mace had stayed the night with him, then he would've felt safe wrapped in his strong arms. Capa could fall asleep to Mace murmuring in his ear and kissing his neck, tickling the back of it with his he soon had to accept the fact that no matter how often Mace came to sleep with him, he'd still hear that horrible thing standing outside his door.
Soon after Capa started hearing things outside his door he began to see things around the confines of Icarus too. Impossible things. Things that, by all rights, shouldn't be there. Shapes and figures that seemed harmless when given a glance but the same ones turned into something horrific when studied closely. And after you've seen it once there's no way of getting it out of your head.
At first there were flickers of movement out of the corner of Capa's eye but then the thing started to make itself known, growing bolder and more fond of Capa by each day. He told himself that nothing was there but that reassurance was shot to shit when he was able to get a good look at it. When he did see it he couldn't exactly believe what he was gazing upon.
It had, for all intents and purposes, the features of a man. He was slender and abnormally tall, approximately eight feet tall, maybe more, but the thing that separated this thing from any garden variety man was his face. Or lack thereof. It was like a pale orb of white propped up on slender black shoulders with no facial features to behold. Not so much as a cheekbone was pronounced on that blank face.
It liked to lurk the hallways Capa was walking in and he would often spot the thing in an adjoining hallway whenever he walked past one. It would stand just around a corner so only half of it's body was visible. You know, just enough to remind Capa that he was there and always watching with his eyeless face. And it seemed to get closer each time, making Capa feel unsafe. He started staying around the crew more and more after that.
No one seemed to notice the change in Capa's behavior, if anything he was just more jumpy but then again they'd been in space for a long time. It played on all of the crew from time to time. Even Mace didn't notice the paranoid way Capa darted his eyes around a room before entering. Capa was beginning to lose it more than Mace, but Capa's problem was impossible to believe and if he told anyone he'd surely be called insane.
Searle could help but even as the scenario of spilling his guts to the psych officer played out in his head it still ended with Searle ruling him out as crazy with a capital "C". He was sure most of the crew would react the same way, except maybe Cassie. But she'd make him see Searle and if he didn't she'd tell him herself. It was a vicious circle. Mace was the only one that could understand and yet... Capa couldn't bring himself to tell him what he's been seeing and hearing.
He was alone, stuck in a metal tube in the middle of space where a creature with no eyes was stalking him. And there was nothing he could do.
"Am I hurting you?" Mace panted as he stopped his movements to look down at Capa's flushed and sweaty face.
"No," Capa reassured smoothly, wrapping his legs around Mace's waist to pull him back inside of his body, moaning as he did. "I'm fine."
"You kinda spaced out there for a moment. Are you sure you're alright?" There was concern in Mace's voice even as he wanted nothing more than to thrust deep inside of Capa.
"Yes! Now fuck me already," Capa complained indignantly. But he was lying. He wasn't alright.
Even through the sounds of their love making Capa could hear that distinctive low murmur of a sound. He tried concentrating on Mace, watching his face crease in pleasure as he thrusted shallowly into his body and the way his arms flexed every time he gripped Capa's bony hips tightly. But as appealing as the sight was, it didn't help. So he tried closing his eyes (which made the sound even louder).
He started moaning loudly on purpose and it in turn spurred Mace on even more, making him thrust harder and faster into Capa. For awhile Capa was able to detach and actually enjoy what Mace was doing, humping himself down on the engineer's cock enthusiastically. Wanting more. Mace fit inside of Capa so perfectly and it was fucking beautiful.
Capa threw his arms above his head and let go to enjoy the ride in peace. He still had his eyes closed but he could feel everything Mace was giving to him. Capa clenched and unclenched around Mace's cock in rhythmic patterns, eliciting moans from above him. Capa loved the way Mace sounded in the throws of passion.
One of Mace's hands left Capa's hip to wrap around his hard cock, stroking it in time with his thrusts to bring the physicist faster to his release. They way Mace big hand handled him should've been illegal, it was so glorious and the thrusting against his prostate was pleasantly tortuous. Capa was practically climbing the walls like a cat in heat.
Capa was so far gone that he hardly noticed it when Mace went quiet. Capa let his legs drop away from Mace's waist to plant his feet into the mattress, gaining more leverage to angle each thrust just right. He almost felt like he was on the verge of coming but his brain started to think and over analyze things again.
The sounds of his moaning filled the air but Mace felt different than he did before and the distinctive dip of their joined weight seemed lighter than before. Mace felt different inside of him and the hand that had been stroking him didn't feel like a hand anymore. It felt wrong. It felt inhuman.
Capa made the worse choice by opening his eyes and to his horror Mace was gone. He was replaced by the monstrosity that had been haunting his every waking moment. Capa tried to scream but the breath to do so was stolen from him as he froze up in sheer terror. He couldn't move or make a sound as this thing ravished him.
The thing with no face looked down at him in what could've been fascination and leaned forward slightly to reveal a set of six tentacles, two of which were already working in and on him. The other four came around and slowly slithered along the contours of his body, making him shy away and flinch in disgust as they mocked a loving caress across his face. Capa felt like crying despite the undeniable pleasure he still managed to feel.
It wasn't fair. It was forced out of Capa. All the moans and bucks this creature drew from him were disingenuous, false. Mace had been there moments ago. This couldn't be happening. It just couldn't. Capa tried to work through the logic of this to stave off his orgasm, tried to explain this thing that couldn't be real, but it was no use.
This thing was intent on destroying him both physically and mentally.
Capa turned his face away from the tentacle-like appendage and squeezed his eyes shut, wincing as another appendage joined the one already inside him. Capa moaned despite his best efforts, more because of the pain that barely masked the pleasure he didn't want to feel anymore. It didn't help that one of those things was slithering and twisting up and down his hard length, teasing his weeping tip on each up stroke.
So here he was, having two tentacles fuck him into the mattress while one stroked him as the other three slithered over his body. He was disgusted in himself, but not disgusted enough to stop his orgasm. He was utterly ashamed of himself when he felt his orgasm nearing closer. And when he finally found his voice he screamed out one distinct word:
"MACE!"
The tears came streaming down his face and he choked on his sobs, hating himself. Hating this thing.
"Mace! Mace! HELP ME! Please!"
It was a mantra Capa repeated over and over again until his throat began to burn and his voice went hoarse, but it was too late. No matter how much he kicked or screamed, he knew he couldn't be saved from this. In all his shame and disgust, Capa finally let go of his last shred of constraint, letting his body go numb with the forced pleasure. Stars exploded behind his closed lids as he came. His body shook with aftershocks, trembling from the thrumming that spread througout his skinny frame.
When he opened his eyes again everything was gone. His room, the mattress, that thing... Everything. His pupils dilated within his icy irises as he stared up into blinding white light. Capa was lying down on his back fully on a cold hard surface and his body felt stiff. He rose a limp arm up to block the light out until it was obscured by the crew of Icarus II that seemed to huddle around him.
Without even thinking, Capa shot up and hopped off the table only to have his legs give out and let him crumple to the ground. Mace caught him in his arms, wrapping them safe and warm around Capa with concern. Capa struggled to get out of the embrace, disillusioned by what had just happened, but it wasn't happening. Mace wasn't letting go anytime soon.
"What the hell is going on?!" Capa screamed hoarsely, darting his eyes skeptically around the room of familiar faces.
"Calm down, Capa. Everything's fine," Mace reassured, swabbing Capa's forehead to soothe him.
"But... but... that thing... it was just here! It-"
"Shh, it's okay."
"It's not okay, Mace!" Capa insisted, clinging to Mace's arms and chest as everyone stared at him in bewilderment. "Listen, this creature- this thing- has been stalking me for the past two months and it- it just- oh my god! Mace! Help me!"
"Shh, it's okay," Mace repeated, rubbing Capa's back slowly up and down. "It'll be fine. I promise. It didn't happen."
"No," Capa said defeated, shaking his head. "It did... and it'll happen again."
"Capa..."
Capa raised his head to look Mace in the eyes with his own stormy blue ones, hiccuping from sobs. Mace looked dead serious and perhaps a little shocked by Capa's words, like he was speaking like a crazy guy. Only now did he realize that he was in the med room, wearing fatigues and surrounded by his worried crew. This was scarier than what had just happened to him.
"What's going on?" Capa asked, wiping away his tears roughly after he calmed down enough to slow his breathing.
"You've been in a coma for two months," Mace said slowly, letting it sink in as Capa looked horrified at him, waiting for him to continue. "The railing in the payload gave way and you fell and hit your head pretty hard. You almost died, but luckily you were in capable hands." Mace smiled softly, sparing a thankful glance to Searle.
Mace cupped Capa's face, shooing away the rest of his tears that tumbled out. It was so jarring that Capa felt light-headed and dizzy from this information, hoping that it was true. And it was. This felt real and Capa was safe in Mace's arms again with his concerned friends around him for comfort.
"You were dreaming, sweetheart. But you're awake now."
Mace tightened his arms around Capa's lithe, trembling frame to crush him to his chest protectively. Capa's face was buried in Mace's shoulder as he wept tears of joy, murmuring the words "thank you" over and over again to no one in particular. He had been saved from his nightmare. Capa had beaten it.
Because it didn't exist.