COLIN

Taylor has been missing from his cell all day. Everybody heard the announcement over the intercom yesterday, so it's no secret that he's somewhere in the Robotropolis torture chambers. I don't want to even imagine what those bastards are doing to him right now. Ever since we met, I've always looked out for him -- galvanized him to a world of derision and closed-mindedness. But it's not simply a matter of pride anymore; it's a matter of life and death, and there's nothing I can do to help him.

To make matters worse, the condition of our cells has been gradually declining. The most significant problem is the heat, or lack thereof. Somebody turned the thermostat down. Maybe Robotnik saw his electric bill this month and flipped a cog. Regardless, the open window in the bathroom certainly doesn't help things much. It's winter outside, and it's fucking drafty in here.

As a result, Lisa and I have taken to spending most of our time in bed with the covers on. In separate beds, I mean. Not together. Anyway, since there are only two of us, we've taken the blankets from the two unused beds, effectively doubling our insulation. At the moment, Lisa is bundled up in the bed across from me; I use a bottom bunk during the day so we can face each other when we're talking.

She sighs. "You ever get tired of laying around and doing nothing?"

"Well, it's not so bad. Sure beats the hell out of... eh. Something. I'm not creative enough to find a parable right now."

"Heh. Parable. That's a good word."

"Isn't it?"

"I think you mean 'parallel,' though."

I sit up. "No, I think I mean 'parable.' Like an analogy, right?"

"A parable is basically a story that has a moral at the end of it."

"You sure?"

"If we had a dictionary here, I'd prove it to you. But yeah, I'm pretty sure."

I laugh. "Yeah, I guess you're right. My mistake."

"But hey, we can pretend 'parable' means 'analogy' if you want."

"Aw, shuddup."

"Well, at least it's fun to say. It's like 'parabola,' only different."

Jeez, it's been forever since I've taken math. "I always hated geometry."

"Actually, it's an algebraic term."

"Well well well, we're just a wealth of knowledge today, aren't we?"

She giggles. "Yeah, sometimes. When I'm in the mood, I guess."

"Parabola," I say. Then, savoring each syllable, "Puh-RAH-bowl-uh. You're right, that's fun. Parabola." I laugh and flop back down in bed. "We are so totally bored."

"Wait wait," Lisa says, sitting up, "let's try something." She grins. "Puh."

I raise an eyebrow. "Huh?"

"No no no. Puh."

Oh, I get it now. "RAH."

"Bowl."

"Uh!"

We both crack up.

"Or 'paradigm,'" Lisa says.

"Parachute?"

"Paradise."

"Para...graph."

"Paradox!"

"Good one. Parallelogram."

"Paragon."

"Paranormal. Ha!"

"Not bad, not bad. Paralegal."

"Parallax."

"Paramour?" Oh god. That one just slipped out.

Luckily Lisa doesn't miss a beat. "Parakeet."

"Paranoia."

"Hey now, that's a bit close to home. Paramecium."

"Damn! Para...medic."

"Paraphernalia."

I toss my hands up. "Ya beat me. What can I say."

She's still laughing. "But hey, that wasn't too bad. You're pretty good with words."

"You too. I mean, yikes, what do you do all day, read the dictionary or something?"

She makes a little smirk and brushes the hair out of her face. "Or something."

Uh oh. She's doing that adorable dovey-eye thing again. I look away to avoid it. "Yeah, well. Damn, wish the heat would come back on."

"Guh. No kidding. It's like an ice box in here."

I glance to the neighboring cell and notice Taylor's empty bunk again. I feel myself deflate almost instantly. "I hope he's alright," I mention quietly.

"Yeah. Me too."

The room is silent for awhile. Lisa tosses off her blankets and heads for the fruit bowl. "I haven't eaten today. Want something?"

"Sure, might as well."

"Banana?"

"Yeah, that's good."

She frowns. "They feel a bit mushy."

"Ew. Really?"

"Yeah. Guess we can stop counting on fresh fruit, from now on."

"Jeez. Guess so."

"Still looks edible, though. Want one anyway?"

"Nah, keep it. I don't eat soft bananas."

LISA

I get the joke, but it's not really that funny. Or maybe I'm just not in the mood to laugh anymore.

"Well," I say, picking up a couple of bath towels from the floor, "I think I'm gonna take another shower. At least we still have that. It's too damn cold in here."

"Fair enough."

Tossing the towels on my bed, I start to undress. I'm really not sure why I do this out in the open when I could just as easily go into the bathroom and do it. Maybe it makes me feel better better to know that somebody is nearby -- a sort of psychological comfort. Or then again, maybe I'm just hoping he'll look at me naked.

I catch a glimpse of his eyes in the mirror. Did he just look away? It's probably my mind playing tricks on me, but one can always hope. With the mirrors in this place, though, it's impossible to tell who's looking at what. We're trapped inside a gigantic optical illusion.

God, I'm so pathetic. In fact, I should be ashamed of myself for even thinking like this. Robotnik's minions are doing who-knows-what to Colin's boyfriend in the torture chamber, and here I am wondering if he's admiring my ass.

Even so... there is something undeniably attractive about him, and I can't quite figure it out. Perhaps it's because he's so completely different from any other guy I've known. He's smart and sensitive, true, but he also has a personality. Not to mention a nice torso.

I stop before heading into the shower. I'm becoming gradually aware of a faint scent around me. It's subtle... a bit like perfume, but not quite. It's a vaguely floral smell. I sniff the air, but I can't locate where it's coming from. I glance over at Colin; he's asleep again. Maybe it's just me.

COLIN

I pull the blankets over my shoulders and turn over, trying to keep the cold out. I'm also trying not to look in Lisa's direction. I don't know why I'm always tempted to watch her undress, but it's not healthy, especially not today. I should be thinking about Taylor. I should be worried sick about him. I should be crying or afraid or unable to speak, not laughing and playing word games with my cellmate. I shouldn't be watching Lisa undress or suppressing an erection under the covers. There are a million things I should be doing right now -- praying for Taylor or planning an escape or contemplating my fate or something -- but no. I'm thinking about her. I can't help it.

What's worse, I don't even understand why I feel this way. I've never been attracted to a woman before in my life. But there's something about Lisa... her smile, her energy. I feel instinctively that she would make a terrific companion. Of course, for the sake of argument, you could say that there are any number of factors contributing to this. We're trapped together in an alien environment, so it's only natural that we would seek each other for comfort. Would we have given each other even a second glance if we had met back in Knothole?

Fuck it. I'm sick of rationalizing it. I hate this place, and I hate being subjected to this situation. It's unfair. If I had my choice, I'd be in that torture chamber with Taylor now, and we'd go through it together.

I'm almost at the brink of tears... but my thoughts are pulverized by an ear-splitting scream from the bathroom.

LISA

I'm in the shower for no more than a couple minutes, and the water starts running ICE COLD. I shriek and back up against the wall away from the stream.

I hear Colin yelling, "What's wrong? Is everything alright?" He bolts into the bathroom, probably on impulse, and his eyes suddenly go wide as he sees me. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry! I wasn't thinking... oh god." He darts back outside. I shut off the water and grab the towel that I left over the sink.

COLIN

I only caught a split-second glimpse, but I saw plenty. She was wet and naked with hard nipples, and she looked... well, like she had just jumped out of a cold shower.

I feel a warm tickle between my legs. You have got to be kidding me. I sit down on the nearest bed to avoid the embarrassment.

"Colin? It's okay, I have a towel on now. Come here."

"No no! I'm fine, really!" I cross my legs. It'll pass, it'll pass...

"Well, I think you should have a look at this."

"Ahem. What is it?"

"The shower."

"Ah, that's nice."

"Colin!"

"I'm sorry, is there something unusual about the shower?"

"I don't know, you tell me!"

Exactly what the hell do I know about showers? "Well, I'm pretty sure Robotnik turned off the hot water. That seems to make sense, seeing how he's turned everything else off."

"Colin, get your ass in here before I come out and drag you."

LISA

He enters the shower walking backwards. Sometimes I just can't figure him out.

"Alright, Colin, take a look." I point to the shower knob. Previously, there had been a "C" and an "H" engraved into the metal plating around it, obviously signifying "cold" and "hot." But now the "H" is missing entirely. It doesn't look as though somebody had simply polished it off, either; it looks as though it had never been there to begin with.

"That is weird," Colin says. "You're sure it was there before?"

"Positive."

"Heh. Well, you'd know. You spend enough time in here."

I hit him in the arm. "Cut it out. The point is that Robotnik is really going out of his way to make us go crazy here. And quite frankly, I've had enough of it." I turn and gesture to the barred window above us. "Think you can lift me high enough to reach it?"

"Well, I guess I can try. Worth a shot."

"We've been cooped up in this cell for too long, and I'll be damned if I can't even see what's going on outside."

Colin glances around nervously. "Should we be talking about this so loudly? What if somebody hears us?"

"The cameras don't record audio, if that's what you mean."

He gives me a skeptical look. "Zat so? How do you know that?"

"Think about it, Colin. There are probably a zillion fucking cells in this building. How are they going to listen to all of us at once?"

He blinks. "You know, I never thought of it that way..."

"Here, lift me onto your shoulders and I'll try standing up."

"Okay."

He puts his back against the wall and lifts me up by the waist, allowing me to sit on his shoulders. Of course, my crotch is conveniently in his face, but what's a little pussy between friends?

When he speaks, his voice is a little muffled. "Sho, uh... how you gonna shtand up fruh here?"

"Well, I'm still thinking about that."

COLIN

My face is between her legs. All she's wearing is a towel. Needless to say, this is a bit awkward.

"Alright, Colin. Idea. Try pushing on my butt and I'll scale the wall until I can stand on your shoulders."

I follow her instructions. At least she can't see the bulge in my pants.

"Almost there. Stand still! Your knees are buckling."

"Cand helb id."

Without warning, I start lose my footing; the tiles are wet underneath me. I guess that's what we get for trying this in a FUCKING SHOWER. My feet slip out from underneath me and we collapse onto the floor, hard. She lands on top of me.

"Ooof. My back."

"Ow. Damn. I guess that was a bad idea, huh?"

"You think?"

When I sit up, I notice that her towel has begun to slip off. In fact, it's remarkable that it stayed on for this long. She's rubbing her forehead with one hand and clutching her loose towel in the other. And she's still in my lap.

"You okay?" I ask.

"Yeah, fine." She sighs, laughing a little. "Maybe we'll try this again sometime when the tiles are dry."

"Heh. Sure, I'm game."

"How's your back?"

"Oh, it's great right now. Won't be so great in the morning."

She flashes me her cattiest grin. "You always this sarcastic, or just when you're around me?"

For once, I don't have an answer. There's something about this moment that feels so... convenient. Too convenient. I notice a strange, almost tropical scent in the air, and I start to wonder where it's coming from.

I'm interrupted by her gaze. She has that look again. My heart is beating a little faster. Before I even realize what's happening, she leans forward onto my chest and kisses me. Her lips touch mine only briefly, followed by the slightest little lick of her tongue.

Our eyes are locked. Her hands slide from my torso to my shoulders, and I shudder. By now my softish erection is poking into her thigh. Wordlessly, she positions herself over me and draws me into another, deeper kiss. She reaches for my zipper.

This is wrong. I can't do this -- yet somehow I can't stop myself. As I return the kiss, my hands are around her waist, working their way up. I run my fingers along her back and cradle her head, letting my mouth slide from her lips to her neck. Lower still, my tongue moves across her nipples as she carefully guides my erection between her legs.

LISA

He's holding me securely but gently. When he pushes inside of me, I gasp and clutch his shoulders, letting him lay me down onto the cold, wet floor. I wrap my legs around his waist. My hips are rising and falling with each soft thrust. Our breathing is quick and rhythmically paced (this is wrong) and gradually speeds up (I can't do this) as he moves in and out, and I feel my body tighten and tingle and burn (yet somehow I can't stop myself) as we come closer to our inevitable climax (YES).

He's not aggressive or dominating like the others. We are equals who are sharing a single, wonderful experience. When we blast off, it's a simultaneous explosion of unity and euphoria, and we hold each other tightly until it's over.

This is the warmest, most affectionate sex I've ever had.