Out in the Blac

Well, here it is: the final chapter & the epilogue. Thank you so much for joining me on this journey. It took longer than expected but, well, 2020.

I sincerely appreciate the ratings and the comments. Each time I felt like I should just quit, it was you all that kept me going.

We're going to leave Rusty & Matt and the crew of the

Marzi

here for a while. I'll be back in the new year with something different, but we'll check in with our guys again at some point in the future.

Once more -- thank you for reading!

=====

Between physical therapy and my workouts, I was almost fully recovered by the time we were half a tenday out from Mars. Even with the setback provided by my pity party after the shit with Kells. And if I'd known how much of a difference saying the "L" word was going to make, I might have gotten over my bullshit faster. Well, probably not. But now that I was telling him how I felt instead of sniping at him, Matt spent a hell of a lot less time working at night, which meant more time in bed with me.

"Shoulder bugging you again?" he asked.

"Huh?" I looked up from my handheld. I'd been watching the latest vid from Scrap. The kid reminded me so much of myself at his age. Adrenaline was thoughtful and deliberate while Scrap generally went with whatever he felt like doing in the moment. I was pretty sure the contrast between the two feeds made each one even more interesting than it would have been alone.

"Hello? Control to Rusty."

"Shit. Sorry. What?" I dragged my eyes away from the screen and dropped my tablet onto the table. Matt repeated his question about my shoulder. Until that moment, I hadn't realized I'd been doing the thing. Even though my injury was healed, my shoulder tended to be stiff and I would rotate it forward and back repeatedly when it got bad. Usually I was aware of it, but I'd been more sucked into Scrap's footage than I thought.

"Go on," Matt said, standing up from his console and stretching. "Shirt off. Lie on your belly." I did as I was told and Matt crawled up beside me, grabbing a bottle of oil and pouring a generous amount directly on my back because he's a dick.

"Cold!" I yelped, flinching. The captain chuckled and started massaging the slippery liquid into my skin. It warmed up quickly. Over the last while, he had learned where and how deep my aches usually settled, and I sighed as his hands moved confidently over my muscles, digging in along the edge of my shoulder blade and on my side under my armpit. Luckily, I wasn't ticklish. Long minutes later, I was starting to doze, having become a Rusty-shaped puddle on the bed. Matt reached my lower back and kept going, pushing my shorts down under my ass so he could massage my glutes. He hit a tender spot with his thumbs and I jerked.

"Sorry," he mumbled, digging into the same spot with the heel of his hand.

"Fuck me," I groaned as the pain spiked and then receded, settling into a dull ache that began to almost feel like pleasure while he kept working it. When he had finished, I wasn't surprised that Matt lay down next to me, lifting himself up to brush his lips against the base of my neck and send shivers down my spine. This wouldn't be the first time a massage led to sex, after all. What I wasn't ready for was the feeling of his fingers, slick with a fresh coating of oil, playing along my crack.

"What are you doing?" I rasped.

"I am going to do as requested, my love," he said softly, right into my ear. He kissed the sensitive spot just behind it, his fingers exploring deeper, and my dick jumped to attention. Well, it tried. Since it was trapped between my body and the mattress, it stiffened at an uncomfortable angle. Matt tugged on my shorts and I lifted my hips to let him pull them off, using the motion to allow my erection to spring up against my abdomen. Matt straddled me and I felt his dick nestle between my cheeks. I bit back a moan when he leaned over me again, pressing his dick harder against my ass.

"I am going to pound this gorgeous ass and make it mine," he purred. "I'm going to wreck you, Rusty, and make you feel so good." Anxiety coiled in my belly. Sure, I'd been fucked plenty - hell, even once by the guy on top of me - but always as part of a transaction or in a desperate attempt to relieve the painful need that consumed me after each of my nightmare episodes. Outside of that, I was always the one who did the penetrating. Never had I considered trying to receive for pleasure; nothing about a dick in my ass had ever been about feeling good.

But this was Matt. I trusted him completely and, if he said he was going to make it different, I had to believe that he'd try.

Memories of past experiences had me tensing up when he once again lay at my side, his finger slipping deeper between my legs to brush my opening. I twitched, both in pleasure and anticipation of pain.

"Let me in, baby." His finger made circles against my hole while his other hand gently rubbed my back. "Trust me, sweetheart. Relax." Though I wouldn't admit it in a million years, I loved it when Matt called me stuff like that. He'd been doing it a lot lately and I'd caught myself giving him a dopey grin once or twice, so I was sure he knew exactly what he was doing to me. Anyway, it worked. I spread my legs farther apart and took a deep breath, forcing my muscles to relax on the exhale.

He worked his way in slow, taking his time until his entire finger was in me and he was fucking me at a steady, unhurried pace. Then he withdrew and I surprised myself by letting out a whine of protest. After a moment, it became clear he had applied more oil when two very slippery fingers breached my ass.

"Fuck," I groaned. Matt stroked his fingers in and out, stretching me, preparing me. Then he twisted his wrist and curled his fingers to hit my prostate and my body convulsed, my dick leaking into the sheets.

"Yes, love, just like that," he breathed. His fingers hit my spot again and again until I cried out, begging for mercy. Matt pulled his hand back and moved between my legs, tugging gently on my hips to get me in position. "Are you ready for me, baby?" I could only moan in response.

The head of his dick rested against my ass, waiting until I had relaxed in his grip. I breathed deeply and kept my eyes shut. The fingers hadn't been bad, but I had plenty of experience with this part and knew it hurt. Still, it was Matt. If he wanted my ass, it was worth a little pain. At least, that's what was going through my mind; my body had other ideas. Matt pushed his hips forward just a bit and as soon as my ass felt the added pressure, it clenched shut tight. I groaned in frustration, but Matt took it in stride.

"It's okay sweetheart," he soothed. "We'll go slow. Just relax, baby. That's it." There was a burning stretch and then he was inside. Just the head, but his grip tightened and I heard his breath catch. "Oh fuck, Rusty. God you have the most amazing ass." Apparently, it was also susceptible to flattery because I felt some of the tension go and more of him slid inside. Like he had with his finger, he worked his dick into me slowly, telling me how much he loved my ass the entire time.

"Christ!" he gasped when he bottomed out. "You are so fucking tight. And hot. Fuck." Matt's voice was husky with desire and my dick started to harden again. That had bothered me at first; I couldn't remember losing my erection when he fucked me last time, or in any of my bar hookups. He was showing me such loving tenderness and my dick deciding to go soft concerned me more than a little. Then I was feeling too good to worry about it. His hands stroked my back and sides and ass and legs, and everywhere he touched me, I glowed.

After a pause to let us both adjust, Matt put his hands firmly against my hips. "I am going to fuck you long and slow, my love." He suited his actions to his words, pulling out until only the very tip remained inside and then pushing his entire length back into me, forcing a moan from my mouth. "That's it, baby." He did it again with a similar result. "Your amazing, tight, perfect ass is going to be well acquainted with every inch of my cock." He kept moving smoothly as he talked. "You're going to cry out your pleasure again and again and beg me for release." If things kept going as they were, that wasn't going to take long. "I'm going to take you to unknown heights of bliss and, just when you think you're going to topple over the edge, I'll take you higher."

"Ah! Fuck, Matt!" I cried out as his last word was accompanied by a change of angle that made him hit my prostate the next time he thrust forward. He tortured me then, keeping his pace slow, his rhythm steady, as I writhed against him, desperate for more stimulation.

"Yes, love," my captain moaned. "You feel so fucking good." His breath was harsh and uneven, betraying the strain of holding back.

"Baby, please," I begged. My own dick was throbbing against my stomach, leaking nonstop. "Please," I said again, not even sure what I was asking for. Matt increased his pace, driving into me faster and harder. It felt fan-fucking-tastic, but it still wasn't enough. Words were beyond me at the moment, so I shoved my hips backward, incoherent noises of need spilling from my mouth. Taking the hint, he sped up even more, his hips slapping rhythmically against my ass.

"God, you're so hot," he panted. "I love you so much." Joy spread from my heart, crashing into the pleasurable heat that was centered on that bundle of nerves being pummeled by Matt's dick and igniting an inferno that quickly consumed us both.

"Matt," I gasped. "I need - " His fingers wrapped around my dick and he stroked quickly as he continued to pound my ass. I was suddenly incapable of speech as rational thought fled, everything in me focused on my impending eruption.

"My love," he moaned. "My heart. My everything." My balls tightened and I cried his name as my climax hit. Matt slammed into me once more and held me close as I clamped down around him and my dick pulsed in his hand. With a loud groan, he joined me in release, his dick swelling in my ass and filling me with his hot load. Feeling that forced another shot out of me.

"That was - just - wow," I said later, still somewhat out of breath. "I didn't know it could feel like that."

"What?" he asked with a grin, propping himself on an elbow to look down into my face. "You've fucked me until I've screamed hard enough to lose my voice. More than once. Did you just think your cock was that special?" The organ in question twitched feebly at the reminder, still too spent to think about doing anything more.

"No, it's not that." I waved a hand vaguely as I tried to find the words. "I thought it was me." Matt raised an eyebrow. "Shit, this isn't coming out right. I meant me who was off. That it couldn't feel good for me."

"Oh, babe." He dropped a kiss on my forehead. "I'm sorry you felt that way. Why didn't you say something?" I shrugged a shoulder. "Wait," he said, eyes widening in comprehension. "You didn't think it was going to feel good but you still let me do it?"

"I trust you," I replied. "Even if I couldn't enjoy it, I knew you wouldn't make it hurt worse." His wounded expression told me I hadn't explained myself well yet again. "Look, Matt. I'm just saying it always hurt before. I thought it had to hurt at least some."

"God, Rusty," he groaned, wiping a hand down his face. "I'm sorry nobody ever took their time with you before. That

I

didn't take my time with you before."

"No, baby. Matt. Look at me." He did, reluctantly. "That time before? Gentle was not what I needed from you." He shook his head, eyes darting away. "I promise what you did was exactly what I wanted that night." I could tell he still didn't believe me, so I pulled him down into a kiss, hoping I could convince him of my sincerity.

After I'd moved in with him, we started talking about my past. It was just a little bit at first, snippets of conversation here and there. Then it became the subject of bedtime conversations. When he expressed worry about triggering an attack, I explained the revelation I'd had that night on the Ring. I didn't think I was over it, not by a long shot, but the things I did to survive growing up in the Bottoms no longer held such power over me.

"I love you so fucking much," I murmured against his lips.

"How did I get so lucky?" My captain pulled back and looked me in the eyes.

"I'm the lucky one," I insisted. He declared we would have to agree to disagree and his mouth descended on mine once more.

Bailey smirked at me when I lowered myself carefully into a seat at the galley table the following morning. "Not a word," I said, cutting him off when he opened his mouth. The pilot snorted and went back to his breakfast, shaking his head. Matt had taken me twice more that night. He was a considerate lover, but tissues that were not used to that kind of activity were bound to complain no matter what. He also made me come harder than I thought possible, which was more than worth a little soreness.

When I woke up in the early hours of the morning to find him hard against me yet again, I moaned and rocked my hips back. "We can't," he mumbled, still half asleep. "You'll be sore."

"Don't care." I reached back and put a hand on his ass, holding him tight against me as I ground against his erection.

"Rusty - " he warned, fully awake by that time.

"Fuck me, Matt." He groaned and quit arguing, instead getting us both nice and slippery before sliding his dick home. After our two previous sessions, I was a bit tender, but not enough to want him to stop. We lay on our sides and he plunged into me from behind, reaching around to stroke me. I don't know what it was about that position, but I felt my orgasm approaching more quickly than seemed possible. "I'm close," I gasped in warning.

Matt jerked out of me and rolled me onto my back, diving between my legs to take my dick in his mouth. He licked and sucked and stroked and within moments I was calling his name as I exploded down his throat. Grinning, he crawled up to kiss me and I could taste myself on his tongue as he pushed my legs up and thrust into me again. Being able to see his face as he fucked me was hot as hell. Watching the bliss overcome him as he pumped his seed inside me put me over the edge again and I pulled him down into a deep kiss, my release hot and wet between our bodies.

"Okay," Bailey said in an odd voice, "I'm just going to go now." I blinked up at him and realized I'd been staring down at my breakfast, lost in memories of the night before. From the look on his face, my own expression had been pretty transparent. As he went through the door, he glanced back at me and his eyes flicked down. "Jesus," he muttered, and fled. I didn't have to look: I could feel how hard I was. Since I'd neglected to get completely dressed that morning - opting to slip out and feed my growling stomach before it woke the captain - there was no hiding what was going on in my shorts. Shrugging to myself, I began to eat, knowing it would go away eventually. And if it didn't, well, there was that beautiful boy in our bed who might be willing to give me a hand.

:::Epilogue:::

"It's been just over a quarter since the attack on the Ring," Rusty said, looking directly at the camera, "and your generosity still knocks me on my ass. Shit, can I say ass?" This last bit was directed off camera and was answered with a quiet laugh. There was a jump cut and once more the engineer was staring into the lens. "I've been informed that, since this is our feed, I can say ass. And shit, apparently. Basically, whatever the hell I want. So." He cleared his throat and his eyes darted to the side and back. "I just wanted to say thank you once more from the bottom of what passes for my heart." Another muffled laugh was audible off camera and Rusty grinned. Even with how many times I'd watched the vid, that grin made my heart leap.

The camera picked up a voice but the words were unintelligible. Rusty rolled his eyes. "My boyfriend is convinced I'll forget if I don't do it now, so I'm letting you all know that the Lower Decks Foundation is officially official." Another jump cut and Rusty's face was flushed as he laughed. A third edit had him more composed, though a smile still flirted with his lips, and I was sitting next to him.

"Since my boyfriend here refuses to take this seriously, I'll do it," I said, feigning irritation. Rusty pulled a face. Though it wasn't visible on camera, I was holding his hand as I smoothly stated the focus of the foundation, how the aim was to put community centers like the 184 Rec on the lower-income decks of other stations as well as opening additional centers on other floors in the Bottoms. The LDF's mission was to increase access to health care, education, and other services for the least privileged citizens of the system. I ended with an explanation of our donation goal and a plea for the support of our viewers.

"There you have it," Rusty said once I'd finished talking. "How can you say no to that face?" He reached over and squeezed my cheeks, making my lips pooch out in a rather unattractive manner. I tried to pull away, but he instead used his grip on my face to pull me in for a kiss. It started silly but soon became something else, and Rusty reached out a hand to cover the camera. I'd been concerned about that last part, worried that we would alienate some of the more conservative colonies, but I was overruled.

"Well? What do you think?" I asked the Rusty who was watching over my shoulder. I had wanted him to see the final edit before we released the vid.

"I don't know," he mused, rubbing his chin. "'Boyfriend' still sounds so weird." It was true, we hadn't been using the word all that long. Neither of us agreed on who started saying it, but it had stuck.

"What would you prefer? Partner? Lover? Fuck buddy?" I teased, turning to face him.

"Hmm." Rusty pulled me to my feet and looked down at me with those incredible dark eyes. "How about husband?"

I gaped up at him for a moment before I had a heart attack and died.

Well, maybe that's a slight exaggeration. It did feel like my heart stopped beating, though. My fingers tingled and my face went numb. "Breathe, baby," Rusty commanded, shaking me a little. I sucked in air and the darkness around the edges of my vision receded.

"Did you - what did you say?" I could barely force any sound through the tightness in my throat.

"Matthison Carolinas," he said, squeezing my hands, "I love you more than life itself and I want you to marry me." He released one of my hands to brush my hair back from my face. "Marry me, Matt." His eyes met mine and I could see everything he was feeling. Hope and fear mingled together and all around them was love. A deep, fathomless love that took my breath away. How could I ever have thought this man incapable of caring?

"Baby?" he asked, and I realized I was still standing there, staring into his eyes. And that I hadn't yet given him an answer.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him hard. He made a muffled noise of surprise, but his arms went around me without hesitation. I broke away and grinned at him. Pacing quickly, I started ticking things off on my fingers. "We'll have to go to Earth, I can't do this over a vid. And Luna, of course, for Leelee's family. And then there's Kells but I don't even know where she is, so you'll have to let me know so we can plan that trip out as well."

"Babe? Baby? Matt!" Rusty shouted my name and I whirled to face him, eyebrows high. "Is that a yes?"

Shit. "Of course it's a yes!" I cried, throwing myself into his arms. I planted kisses all over his face while he laughed and tried to push me off. He finally managed to capture my lips with his own and kiss me thoroughly enough I almost forgot what had just happened. Almost.