First Kiss
#2 of Boston
Author's note: There's a prequel. It's not necessary to understand the story, but hey, if you want some background info...
"Hey, Nick, come on! I want to show you something." The sound of Boston's excited voice awoke me from my slumber. "Ugh, Boston, isn't it too early to-"I trailed off as I saw him standing in the doorway of my bedroom, an excited look plastered on his face. Well, I guess there's always time for a nap later. I follow Boston through the ship and out the front door, if you could call it that. A hatch, maybe? Whatever the proper name is, that was the last thought on my mind as I stepped outside. "Oh...wow."
Boston has landed the ship on some planet in some weird section of the galaxy. Ever since I taught him how to pilot the ship, he's always finding these wonderful tourist sites around the cosmos. Good places for tourist sites, anyway: usually there's not another living soul in sight. The atmosphere was thick enough to breathe, but thin enough that the sky looked almost black. There was no moon on this planet. Stars of all kinds twinkled, casting a soft glow on the terrain that I was threading on - which, by the way, was a beach that was sparkling and reflecting off of the dim light from the stars. The ocean could be seen, waves gently lapping onto the fine grains of sand. The scene was, literally, picture perfect.
"So, what do you think?" Boston's voice makes me jump. I had forgotten he was there, distracted by the environment I was standing on. "It's, uh...wow, Boston. This is really quite a sight. How did you find this place?" Boston tries to look modest and his ears droop slightly, the way he always does when he's embarrassed. "Oh, it was nothing. I simply used your holoprojector and the map of the galaxy to triangulate and pinpoint the best spot to see the stars, which is here. With a place we could stand on, anyway. The best one is actually..." I put a finger on his lips, stopping him from continuing. "That's fine, no need to explain. Let's just enjoy the view."
"Well, in that case..." his paw brushes slightly against my hand, as if wanting to take it but a bit shy to do so. I take the incentive and grab it. "Shall we?" With his other paw, Boston makes a sweeping gesture at the seemingly infinite horizon of the beach. Holding hands, I take a stroll along the shore with Boston.
The beach really is breath-taking. I could go on for hours describing it, but there just isn't a word in English, or any other language, that could give you an accurate depiction of the landscape that I saw that day. Cheesy, I know, but it really is that majestic. Boston and I stroll for a few minutes longer before he suggests sitting down, lest we get too far from the ship. With no moon, he said, the ebb and flow of the tides are less and we could sit right near the water's edge if we wanted. He gives a soft sigh. I know what he's thinking - after weeks cooped up on the ship, it must be a huge relief to finally be someplace else. Boston is like that, he doesn't like to be indoors all the time. I've never minded too much, though; the solitude gives me time to think. You could call me rather antisocial, I guess. It's why I took up this job on the ship, so there's no one to bother me. As for Boston being here? Well, that's another story.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Boston has both paws on me, one on each shoulder. "Oh, Boston, I was just thinking of the time I met you." I mutter airily, "This is so gorgeous, isn't it?"
"Well, I chose this place correctly, didn't I?" He nuzzles my neck gently, "There's no one around for miles. Just the two of us, sitting here, on the beach..." He lies down on the sand; I follow soon after.
"Yes...quite peaceful..." The early awakening and the planetary night-time when I had just slept through the night was confusing; I was facing some jet lag. The gentle whoosh made by the ocean was making me drowsy...
"Nick?" Boston's voice snaps me out of my nearly asleep state. "Huh? I'm awake, what's going on?"
"You almost dozed off back there." Boston stroked my cheek gently. Lying down was making me want to slumber, so I sit back up.
A little time passes before Boston speaks again. "You ever wonder what wonders all those star systems out there contain? I mean, in just 6 months I've explored countless planets with you; seeing more than anyone in my tribe has seen. This beach planet is wonderful, but it's only the best I could find using data at hand-" He looks at his paws- "Er, paw. When does it end, though?"
"One of the great mysteries of the universe, friend."
Boston sits back up. "I wonder if I'll ever find someone out there. So many people. Will I be able to find him?" He likes to think of the future a lot, though I prefer focusing on the here and now. To be honest, Boston and I are like chalk and cheese. Some people wonder why we managed to be friends. Maybe it's because of that exact reason, we complement each other like two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.
"I don't know." I give a slight chuckle. "All you can do is hope-" As if I had just come out of a trance, my brain goes into overdrive. I had been going over the words he'd said in my mind when something caught my attention. "Wait, why'd you say 'him'?"
He looks at me, then claps a paw over his muzzle as he realized what he said. "Oh, shit! Gah, how could I have been so careless?" He flops right back on the sand and turns his face away from me. I wasn't sure how to react. I mean, what were you supposed to say in these situations? So I just gently gave him a pat on his side.
"So I guess the secret's out, huh?" I couldn't see his face, but I could tell that Boston was upset - upset that he'd been so careless, upset that it had to be with me, of all people. Not just his best friend, but also his saviour and fellow crew member. We saw each other 24/7; it was inevitable in such a small space.
"Look, uh, Boston-" I choose my words carefully- "You know, I've got no qualms against that."
He turns back around to face me. "Wha-really? You're not just saying that to make me feel better?" I shook my head. "Why would I lie to you?"
"I've been meaning to tell you for the longest time, but your people seem to hate it with a passion. There's a lot of books on the subject in the ships' library; I browse through it when you aren't looking. The thought of your reaction terrifies me: you saved my life, we've been together for months - as crew members, I mean - what were you going to do if you found out? You've opened my mind to a whole new world that I never knew of. Before you came, I was just the awkward kid with no parents in a village." He takes a deep breath and sits up; talking about his parents wasn't an easy thing for him either. "Seriously, what if you sent me back to my tribe? I'm pretty sure I'll be executed on the spot by the chief." Oh yeah, I remember that. Long story. "Maybe you decide to just drop me off at the nearest planet, or just throw me out the airlock and not bother with waiting to land."
Okay, this was getting ridiculous. "Boston..." He keeps talking. "Boston! BOSTON!!" That got his attention. "Ugh. Sorry, I was rambling a lot, wasn't I?" He hangs his head, not wanting to meet me in the eyes. "I do that when I'm nervous."
"Boston, why would I ever toss you out of the airlock? You know I can't open it in space anyway." That was my feeble attempt at a joke. Boston opens his muzzle but I shush him, "And no, it's not the reason why I won't. I won't because you're my friend, and you'll always be my friend no matter what happens." I scooch over a bit. "Oh, and, uh, also because of this." I grab his paw and give it a quick kiss. It was only a small gesture, but Boston interprets my meaning. His eyes widen in surprise. "You?"
I nod. Now I was the one who couldn't look at him; this was an awkward situation. Not uncomfortably awkward, just...I did say I wasn't a very social person.
"Why didn't you tell me?" He groaned, "That would have saved us so much trouble!"
"Well, I didn't see a reason to! I mean, you weren't exactly making moves..." Oh wait - yes, he was. I just always took it as a sign of affection dogs did. "Wait, if you were worried about how I would react that what was with all those gestures?"
"What gestures?"
"Things like..." I reach up and gently caress his cheek; he stiffens but doesn't stop me. "...this."
"Oh...that. I thought it would be a good way to see if you were interested. I was pretty sure you weren't after a whole week doing that, but, uh, it never hurts to try." He gives a feeble grin. "You might think it was weird if I suddenly stopped. On the plus side, I did get to be in touch with you...moreso than usual."
"Well, shall we continue?"
"Continue with what?" He looks at me with a sly smile. I raise my eyebrow in a knowing fashion but he just looks at me, pretending to be confused. As if we didn't just have a conversation about it. He was daring me to make a move, I could tell.
"This, silly." I scooch even closer to him. Now we were practically touching shoulders .
"If you want to." He leans in close to my ear, barely a whisper. "I really hope your response is 'yes', though."
"Remember when I said that you'll be my friend no matter what happens?"
"What about it?"
"I guess that's no longer true, huh?"
"Eh?"
"You're getting promoted."
"Oh." He laughs as the meaning sinks in. "Remember when I wondered if I would ever find 'him'?"
"Mm-hmm?"
"I guess I just did." Says Boston as he takes my hands and brings me in a tight embrace.