.5 Intermission 1 - Logan

All persons engaged in sexual activity are over the age of 18.

A little side journey, taking a look at how QT may play out a bit differently at some other home in Dallas.

Once again thank you to Corrupting Power for letting me and others play in the QT sandbox. Thank you to all the guys I the QT writer's room for editing, ideas, and moral support. And thank you reader, for following me on this crazy ride.

QT: DiD Intermission 1 -- Logan

******

September 20, 2020

Logan was worried. His dad had taught him to get work done first, then give air to your turmoil. But he'd gotten his work done. Logan had made his evening meal, tried to feed dad, and cleaned up. There was no work left to occupy his thoughts. And his thoughts were dark and worrisome.

He, his dad Daryl, his mother Carrie, and his sister Misty had locked down hard when the word came. They'd been careful bringing in deliveries. Disposed of boxes on the porch, not even bringing them inside. They sanitized the outer cartons of each individual item as they brought it in. When it became apparent that men were in greater danger, Mom and Misty did the shopping runs that couldn't be handled online. Which sometimes left Logan stir crazy. At least Dad let him go on jogs around the neighborhood, as long as he stayed away from houses and people. Misty and Dad started doing the same. Well, Dad walked, and only once a week.

Still, when the guy had come around to tell them there was a vaccine, but with some

really

weird consequences, Dad was already showing some breathing problems. He was still ok to sit and fill out the incredibly invasive questionnaire. He and Logan stopped multiple times to look stuff up. That was an awkward conversation to have with your dad.

Granted, Mom would be matched immediately to Dad, as an existing relationship, but there were going to be other women paired with Dad and the system needed data to make good matches. Misty would get her own pairing, and there should be someone matched to Logan by the end of the week. As the screening guy left with Misty and Carrie, he said there was a decent shot he would bring Logan a partner when he brought Mom back.

That was supposed to be yesterday. Mom was supposed to be back in time to heal Dad. He'd come up positive when the guy tested all of them. He had started coughing sometime last night, and it could have been anything. But. A few hours after Mom and Misty left, there were spots of blood in the stuff Dad brought up.

The test results confirmed the fear none of the four of them had voiced. Screening guy was very reassuring, or tried to be, that Carrie's return would be expedited, and they'd get priority for a second partner to help ensure Daryl bounced back.

Yesterday. Mom was supposed to be here yesterday. Yesterday morning, early, like first thing. It was now Sunday night. Logan had tried to feed Dad a bit of warm broth, but he couldn't take it. At the last time he'd checked, an hour ago, there were bits of dried blood around Dad's eyes.

Logan cleaned it the best he could. His hands were shaking though. That blood carried death. Yes, he was eighteen, and nominally safe, but only in terms of age. Except biology doesn't draw neat lines like engineering. Several people his age had dropped off social media, unresponsive to contact. Mostly guys, which got hit harder by this thing at any age -- the other reason Logan was nervous -- but there were a number of girls his age missing too.

The knock at the door had him moving in an instant. When he opened it, there was a soldier, his mom, and a cute little blonde, maybe six inches shorter than his 5'11". The pink roller case at her feet bore several stickers.

Carrie, Logan's mom, looked like a collie under restraint while a whole host of kids ran amuck. He noticed the other woman's eyes flicked up and down him before the soldier drew his attention back.

"Are you Daryl or Logan Hoskins?"

"I'm Logan, Daryl's my dad." Carrie pushed her way past Logan. The soldier reached to stop her, but resigned to the situation even as she halted the futile gesture.

"That's good enough to sign for both of them."

With both pages signed, the soldier grabbed the clipboard. "Ya'll have a good night." She gave Logan a little wink as she left.

Logan showed the young lady in and closed the door.

"So, Lacey, um, how about we ... talk a bit?" As much as he'd had trouble keeping his eyes off her earlier, he had trouble looking at her now. This woman that had just shown up on his doorstep was now ... his girlfriend? Or just a fuckbuddy? ... assigned by the government.

She nodded, then looked puzzled. "How --"

"The form had your name on it."

"Oh, right, duh." She tapped two fingers on her forehead with a self-deprecating grin.

Logan chuckled as he led her to a seat in the living room. That's when he heard the tortured wail that shred his heart in two. Lacey's hand flew to her mouth. Obviously, she had some idea what was going on. That made Logan feel a bit less of a heel as he sprinted towards his parents' bedroom. He already felt his heart ripping, knowing what awaited him.

His mother lay on top of his dad, sobbing hysterically. His eyes already watering, Logan forced himself to tread the path to stand at his father's bedside. He placed his fingers against his dad's neck, certain what he would find, but having to check anyway. He knew his mother had probably already done so. Cold, and no pulse. Logan held his fingers in place far longer than necessary, hoping for something. It never came. His dad was dead.

Life comes with tough times son. It's a man's job to stand tall then, be the rock his family needs to navigate the rough waters. Don't bury your feelings, that's unhealthy too. But sometimes, you have to tell them to shut up for a bit so you can do the things the people that rely on you need done.

Dad's advice came back to Logan as his mother keened over his dead body. That spurred Logan to action. Gently, he took his mother by her upper arms and guided her off the bed. Once she was standing, he led her out of the room. Logan took her to Misty's room so she had a bed to lie on. After getting her under the covers, he hugged her and kissed her forehead.

"Mom, I'm going downstairs to ... check on a few things. I'll be back up in a bit. Just rest here okay?" He had no idea if she registered a single word of that in her mind. As he passed his parent's bedroom door, He slipped his hand in and locked it. No one needed to go in there, and he worried his mother might try.

Lacey waited for him on the couch. "I ran out to stop the truck from leaving, but they were already out of sight."

"Thank you." Logan pulled out his phone and collapsed beside her. Lacey wrapped her arms around him. Well, as far as they would go. Her slight frame was dwarfed by his stocky build. He took comfort in her closeness.

"Did that cry mean what I think it meant?" The look on Lacey's face conveyed her sympathy, knowing the answer to her question.

Logan just nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

Lacey fished a card out of her purse. "Here, this is the emergency number they gave us to call if something went wrong and we didn't partner with the guy we were delivered to." She paused. "I know it sounds cold, but she needs to get paired quick. She got jabbed real early yesterday morning, but something happened and the whole place just shut down." In response to his unspoken question, she replied, "I had just gotten there when the lockdown hit. I didn't get the vax until late morning, so I'm a bit antsy, but not as bad off as your mom. We need to get her to somebody quick."

Logan dialed the number and tried to think through the words he had to say.

"Sergeant Thompson speaking."

"Sir, my name is Logan Hoskins. My mother was just dropped off here to partner with my dad. Dad ..." he caught himself for a moment. "My dad died just before she got here. I checked on him an hour ago, but he's dead, before she arrived. The woman that was brought to partner with me tried to flag down the truck, but it was already gone."

"Okay son, I'll get that truck turned around. Let me verify your address first, and then I'll get on the horn and send them back to ya."

Logan shared his address, full name and both parents' full names. He stumbled, but still managed not to choke or cry giving his dad's information.

"Okay, I'll get them to you shortly. And son? I'm sorry for your loss, but I gotta tell ya, you're holding together real well. Take pride in that."

"Yessir." Logan control slipped enough he slurred the two words into one. "Thank you." Then he hung up.

Lacey hugged him tighter and kissed his cheek reassuringly.

When he'd steadied himself again, Logan spoke. "He's calling the truck to turn around. Figure the time from drop off to now, plus maybe five minutes for the call and find a turnaround spot."

"Any store parking lot will do."

"If they're near a store parking lot when they get the call. They could have made it to the highway by now."

"Oh. Still, that's not terribly long. Would you like me to go talk to your mother?"

"No, I'll do that. If the truck comes while I'm with her, ask them what they intend to do about ... Dad's body. The guy on the phone never mentioned. I locked the door, but it's a simple pop lock and there's bobby pins in the bathroom."

Lacey arched a brow.

Logan rolled his eyes. "I have a sister that went to the vax center with mom. Obviously, she's pairing with someone else. I guess I'll have to --" he stopped to exhale hard once. "I'll have to break the news to her tomorrow. I suspect she'll text mom and then me when she wakes from imprinting."

He stood and went to his sister's room, opening the door carefully. "Mom?" Logan walked gingerly to the head of the bed and knelt with his rear to his heels, knees in the air. His mother's shaking had subsided. She opened her eyes and he saw the obvious red rimming and bloodshot whites of a woman in mourning.

Be her rock son.

He kissed her forehead and brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "I've called the truck back to come get you so ... so you can find a match."

A shiver went through her body and fear rose on her face. "Oh, Logan, I don't know if that's safe. I ... I ..."

"Mom, I know this is a big deal, but that vaccine will not let you go long without a partner."

Bawling, she blurted out, "You don't understand, it took time for both of us to build what we had. Daryl was a good dom, he knew just what I needed."

Logan didn't even register what she'd said at first, just acknowledging that she was in pain after a 25 year marriage was wrecked by some virus from hell. When it did finally unwind in his head, he was floored and filled with a serious amount of TMI about his parent's private lives. He might have also heard his dad chuckling. He struggled to find words in his mind that would help her.

"Mom, the survey you filled out. It will help them find you someone else right? Someone ..." shit, how to delicately walk down this road he did

not

want to be on. "Someone that will meet your ..." he winced "needs."

She nodded her head, tearing up again. She blew out a sigh and yawned. It had been a long and emotional few days. "I hope so, son. Some of the folks that get into this are not nice people." She put a hand on his cheek. "I'll be ok. I'll just be as careful as I can."

They stayed like that for a few minutes until the doorbell rang. They rose and went back to the living room. Before walking out the door, Carrie turned to Logan. She buried her head in his shoulder and wept while he struggled to hold himself together. She straightened again when the soldier quietly cleared her throat.

Carrie looked him in the eye, and with a shaky voice addressed her no longer little boy. "Son, this house is yours now. I'll be partnered with someone with their own place. I'll start the paperwork changes after I wake." They both started to lose their composure again, so Logan just nodded and she walked down the sidewalk to the waiting truck.

Logan caught the arm of one of the soldiers as she turned. "Um, what about the body? You're not taking him in the same truck are you?"

She pulled her arm away from his loose grasp. "No. We're only here to pick her up. We'll send someone else out, first thing in the morning."

Logan's eyes bugged out. "You're just gonna leave him here? Like that?!" Lacey put a hand on his arm. His voice was shaking with a whirlwind of emotion.

"I'm sorry, but that's the best we can do. We're the last truck out and this was our last run of the day. Just ... keep the thermostat low and don't go in there." She walked back to the truck and drove away.

The two returned to the living room and Logan sat back down on the couch. As soon as he did, Lacey brought her body up against him. She wasn't doing anything needy, in fact, it felt like support, a physical statement 'I'm here for you'. She let him just breathe for a several minutes.

Lacey gave him a gentle hug around the shoulders. "There's only so much you can do, and it sounds like you've done all of it."

"Yeah, but is it enough?"

"All you can do, is all you can do. Let yourself be enough, Logan."

He pulled his head back and looked at her quizzically. Thickly, he asked, "Did you know my dad?"

"No, why?"

"Sounds exactly like something he'd say."

She smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "Well, if two people are telling you the same thing, it's more likely to be true."

Logan snorted. "Have you ever watched the news?"

Lacey laughed. "Wow, okay, your profile didn't list sarcasm as a language you were fluent in."

"Profile? From the survey?"

"Yep. After I completed mine, I waited a bit and got a list of ten guys to choose from."

"And I was at the top of the list?"

"No, you were second actually. Something about the first guy's face didn't seem right. Not ugly or anything, just, not right. I almost skipped yours, since you're younger, but with a 92% match percentage, I decided to at least read the bio. I liked what I saw there. And you have kind eyes. I like that. So, here I am, 22 years old, about to fling myself at a man four years younger. My last two boyfriends have been five and six years older." She caught herself. "Oh, bad form right? How about you. District discus champion. Future civil engineer. Why engineering?"

"Transportation engineer to be specific. I like bridges. They connect things, bring things together. Not by physically moving them, but by lowering the difficulty of getting between two places."

"Mmmmm, a scientist and a poet." She brought her lips to his ear. "That's really sexy."

Logan sucked in a breath. Looking at her, he asked "You know a few things about me, but I know nothing about you. Except that you're ready to help the instant it's needed. And you're doing a pretty good job of helping me stay calm."

Lacey smiled. That smile reached all the way to her crystal blue eyes, which sparkled with the compliment. She bit her lower lip bashfully. It was incredibly cute. She was clearly a woman that paid attention to her looks, but maybe didn't obsess about it. Her hair faded from a medium ash blonde at her scalp, through honey blonde as it cascaded off her crown and past her ears, ending in sandy blonde as it descended below her jaw, then struck her shoulders and proceeded another six inches or so. Her medium sized breasts on her slight frame stood out nicely. She was fit and sleek. And Logan liked what he saw. Especially her face. That was something to make a man come home. Not just the features themselves. The

way

she looked at him. Maybe it was the serum at work on her. Does it even matter? They lived in a world where the serum was the reality. Whatever she was now, this is what she would be. And she clearly liked being here with him, handling ... this mess.

His face must have darkened a bit on that last thought. A look of concern crossed Lacey's face before the flash of an idea blew it away.

"I have an idea." She whipped her cropped t-shirt off and handed it to him and swiveled herself to straddle him on the couch. "Why don't you hold this," she quickly unclasped her bra and tossed it aside, "until you're ready to hold these, and I'll tell you about myself until you'd rather my mouth do something else." The impishly alluring grin she gave was merely the capstone on her very forward pass.

Logan just stared, surprised. He was no player, but he was not unfamiliar with the live, in person female form. He was used to having to work harder for it. This was literally in his lap.

"Hmm, let's see ..." Lacey said as she rocked slowly and seductively on him. "I just graduated from UT Dallas in June with a degree in visual arts,"

Logan snapped out of his stupor and tossed the shirt in the same direction as Lacey's bra. He brought his hands to her sides, low on her torso and began stroking up and down, softly, going further on each upstroke than down, so his big hands roamed up her body. Lacey beamed at him.

"... with some coursework in digital art. I'd like to do just character sketches and landscapes, but for steady paying work, I think I'll need to do digital imagery. At least thaaaaat--"

Logan took one nipple in his mouth and played with it with his mouth and tongue.

"... kind of work I can do from anywhere with a wifi signal." She brought her hands down lightly to his broad shoulders and roamed over them, running up his neck and playing with his hair as he explored her upper body.

Logan let one hand come around to her front and gently massage the breast whose nipple he'd just released. He began kissing the inner slope of the other breast. Lacey shuddered. She sucked in a breath.

"Okay baby, you have got me revved like the beginning of Indy 500. Take me to your room please. When you paint my insides white, I'm going to be out cold for like twelve hours, maybe more. I'd rather do that in a bed."

Logan led her to his bedroom, with an occasional glance back just to remind himself this was really happening. He opened the door and watched her saunter in, her hips and ass swaying like she knew he was watching. Those hips flared just so, not exaggerated, but pleasingly feminine, as was the curve of her ass. The skinny jeans she wore accentuated both features perfectly.

As soon as Logan shut the door, Lacey pounced him. She took command of his lips with hers as her fingers delivered a hungry grope to his crotch, over his shorts. She ripped his shirt over his head, pulling her face back just in time to yield space for the shirt to pass. Lacey moved to kiss him again, but his hand came up and caught her jaw. She let out a soft whimper. Logan stared into her eyes, then leaned in to kiss her slowly, firmly. Both of their chests heaved with yearning. Lacey's hands went to her own pants, releasing the buckle and button, and nearly tearing the zipper in her haste. She hooked her thumbs under her jeans and panties, then fell back onto the bed, lifting her legs in the air and peeling off her jeans in one smooth, prolonged motion.

Lacey tossed aside the last of her garments and lay on the bed, heels on the edge, butt not much further back, her face peering at him from between her separated knees. Logan shucked his cargo shorts and boxers in one motion, stepping out of them as they fell. Her eyes flared and her grin widened when she saw his erect organ.

"Hey stud, is that for me?" she purred.

Logan fixed her with his eyes as he leaned against the bed, letting his tumescence brush against her sopping wet slit. "Hmm, somebody's a little excited I see."

"Somebody's a wanton slut ready to get her brains screwed out of her skull. Slip that bad boy in here and take me to poundtown."

Her words, her motions, and her luscious body had Logan already leaking precum as he inserted himself into Lacey's waiting depths.