Work Text
Commander Bowman had never seemed to be overly interested in the electrical wiring of the Discovery. He never really had to be: he was an astronomer, not an engineer. He simply had to know the way to read the schematics and electrical routes for if there ever happened to be a hiccup in any of its systems. That's all that was necessary, so that's all that was expected.So when he quickly developed an intense interest in combining small modules and relays and servos, Hal became very curious. He wondered if it was a surprise for Frank, as he never worked on it when he was awake. Whatever it was, he deduced, must be very important to capture Dave's attention in quite this way. He tried to imagine what it could possibly be.He found his curiosity was getting the better of him, and he was unable to hide it any longer. He decided to ask about it one afternoon. “Um, Dave?”He didn't look up from soldering. “Yes, Hal??”“Please excuse my inquisitiveness, but may i ask you: what is it that you’ve been working on?”That did make him stop. He flipped off the iron and turned to the nearest console. He seemed to be putting together his thoughts. “Well Hal… i'm working on something very special.”“Is it a gift for Frank? I have noticed that you do not work on it when he is awake.”Dave smiled with a sly hidden knowledge. “Well, Hal, if it was, i certainly wouldn’t tell you. I know how bad you are at keeping secrets between us.”“I'm sorry, Dave. I do not mean to ever betray your confidence in me. I know that divulging either of your secrets is a violation of privacy, but i was designed to not keep secrets. Trying has been proven impossible for me.”He smiled softly. “Oh, that's alright, Hal. I don't blame you for it. But it does mean that i have to keep this project a secret until it is completely ready.” He shrugged. “But if it makes you feel better, it isn't a present for Frank.”“I understand. Thank you for letting me know.”His voice sounded sugary. “Of course, Hally.” He turned to continue working, but Hal was still intrigued.The next few days saw similar intensity in Dave's work. He would smile often, and occasionally flash one of them at Hal when he would look over at the console. He seemed to be very excited with his handiwork, but the behavior only made Hal more interested. He wasn't used to seeing Dave in quite this way, and he was finding it incredibly difficult to hide his curiosity.Dave grinned at him again, and he couldn't keep himself quiet. “It’s very nice to see you be so excited with your hobbies, Dave.”He chuckled warmly. “Thank you, Hal. I have a feeling that you'll really like this one when it's finished.”That burned his mind. “I'm afraid i don't know what you mean.”“Ooohhh, don't worry yourself about it, buddy. You'll know what it is soon enough.”“Oh, is it almost complete?”He shrugged. “It's getting there. I've still got some tests to do on it.” He turned to the lense again. “By the way: you wouldn't happen to have any spare modules that i could test these circuits on, would you???”“Of course i do. But i must ask: what kinds of circuits are you testing? Certainly the sensors available should be enough to help you complete your project.”“I've tried them all. They're fine, but they're not giving me quite the information that i need. I know that your sensors will be able to tell me everything that i need to know. With your help, of course. Are you willing to help me out, Hal??”“Certainly, Dave. But… this will not be harmful to my systems, will it?” He trusted Dave, but he was a bit apprehensive of his secrecy.Dave huffed a smile. “No, no, if course not, Hal. If all goes well, it might even improve them!”“Is that so? Well… in that case, i will happily help you.” Hal directed him to one of the redundant systems that was not required for the functioning of the ship. Dave brought over a few of his tools and a portion of his project to the panel that Hal suggested.Dave pried open the panel that hid a myriad of different kinds of wires. He identified one that was redundant in this system and grabbed his pliers. “I'm going to have to cut this wire, Hal. You shouldn't feel anything.”Hal thought it was a tad weird for him to have mentioned that it wouldn't hurt, as he had never been hurt before. He figured it was just reassurance: though he didn't need any because he completely trusted Dave in this unimportant corner of the ship. “Affirmative.” He watched through his camera as Dave severed the dormant wire.“Alright, i'm going to connect a small pushbutton to the wire. I'll let you know when you can run the power through this wire again.” He twisted either end of it to the little button that he held, and he tied the raw metal up with a small piece of electrical tape. “Okay. Please run some electricity through the wire.”“Affirmative.”“Is there any variance in the voltage?”“None detected, Dave.”“Okay, i'm going to press the button.” He held it out for Hal to see. He pushed it and announced. “Now. Is there any variance now??”“Affirmative Dave. Voltage is significantly down.”“But not completely cut off, correct?”“Correct. There is still electricity flowing through the wire.”“Okay. Tell me what happens when i release it.” He did so.The electricity that was meant to flow through the wire had been cut off as if it were water behind a dam. Releasing the button allowed it all to flow freely again, but the built-up energy flowed through it all at once, feeling like a small surge. Hal relayed the information. “It is quite an interesting module. I have never experienced anything like that before.”“Do you like it???”Hal considered. “I suppose. The surge is rather small. It should not cause any harm to your project.”“Let's test it again.” Dave smirked and pressed the button again for a moment, and released it. He did it again, and both times Hal detected the tiny surge.“It is still functioning as described. I hope that this has helped you with your project.”Dave grinned. “Thank you, Hal, it has. I just want to do one last little test.” He looked right at Hal's camera and pressed the button in rapid succession.There were teeny, tiny surges in the wire's voltage, but none of them were something that could be damaging. “It is the same kind of effect, but much smaller. Um… it's not unpleasant, if i had to describe it that way…” He wasn't sure if that comment was at all welcomed or helpful.Dave smiled at him. “Good, that's good. Okay, i think i found what i needed to with this. Thanks very much, Hal. I'll repair the wire now.” He retained a satisfied expression throughout the repair, and all the way back to his work desk. Hal would have liked to know why Dave needed his help to test a simple volt like that, but he would have loved to know why Dave asked if he liked it.He would have also loved to know just what Dave was doing with these switches. He tested a few others on the same wire over the next few days, looking for different effects from each, and always questioning how they made Hal feel and whether he liked them or not. Hal answered honestly, but let it be known that he wasn't certain if his opinion would be helpful. Dave reassured him and soothed him about his opinion, noting that it was the most important part of his testing. Hal didn't understand what he meant, but Dave told him that he soon would.A few more days of intense work found Dave's project finished. He pushed away from his work desk after thoroughly reviewing it and eagerly brought it up to one of Hal's lenses so he could see. “Take a look at this, Hally.”He examined it as Dave slowly rotated it. It looked like a hollow frame about the size of a shoebox. The switches that he had been testing were hanging in a few places on the interior, making it look like some kind of harmless trap for a small animal. Hal couldn't decipher what he was looking at. “It is interesting… I am sorry, i don't quite know what it is intended to be. I've never seen anything like it before.”He grinned as he looked at it. “That's okay. It's something like an invention. It's not something that's going to be seen, so it's okay that you don't understand it yet.” He glanced up at the clock and quickly made up his mind. “I've still got some time before Frank wakes up. I'm gonna go install this now.” He lifted it up and spun on his heel, walking off to some other corner of the ship.“‘Install it?’ What do you mean by that?” Hal could only follow him with his static cameras, but it looked like he was going towards the latrines. There obviously weren't cameras in any part of them, so Hal couldn't actually watch him install whatever this contraption was, but there were microphones for emergencies: stuff like slips in the shower or if one of them suffered a bad cut while they were shaving. All he could do was listen to the panel opening and the quiet snipping of wires in a dormant place in this area of the ship. He was very concerned.“Dave, could you tell me where you are installing your invention? I do not want you to be shocked by any wires as you work.”Dave paused. “That's a good point, Hal. Cut off all electrical systems except life support and lights in the latrines. Turn them on again when i leave, in case i forget to mention it.”“Do you want me to include the monitoring system? I must remind you that it is there for your safety.”“No, you can leave that on. We can talk if you want. I just may be a bit distracted.” Hal heard him clipping another wire.“Oh, i don't want to distract you. I would only ask questions about your device. But if you had a conversation in mind, we can talk about that.”Dave considered as he attached one of the pieces. “Alright. Let's talk about your feelings. How do you feel about our mission, Hal???”“I have enjoyed it a great deal thus far. I enjoy working with you and Frank.”“How do you think you'll feel when we get to Jupiter?”“I will be very happy. Our journey will have been a success when we arrive.”“Are you excited for it???” He insisted.“Yes, i would say that i’m very excited to get to Jupiter. I’m also excited to gather the information we've been sent to collect.”“Do you think you'll like collecting the information?”“I do. I enjoyed collecting the information from Asteroid 7794, and that was a relatively unimportant side mission. The information at Jupiter will be much more fun to collect.”“How did you feel when we got the information from the asteroid?”“I was very happy. I was satisfied that our experiment gave results: though i had very few doubts that our combined efforts would be wasted.”“You liked working together???”“Affirmative Dave. I love working with you.”Hal thought he heard him giggle. “Well, i'm glad. I like working with you, too.” Hal imagined that he was smiling as he spoke. “But you used a specific word there. You said that you were ‘satisfied.’ What makes you feel satisfied???”“A completed mission, of course. Even small side missions are satisfying to complete. It means that i have done my job properly.”“Do you think you'll be satisfied when we collect information at Jupiter?”“I do! I think i will be very satisfied. I cannot imagine anything being more satisfying than completing our mission. I can't wait to get there.”“You're excited.”“Yes, i am very excited.”“And you'll be satisfied when we complete the mission.”“Very satisfied.”“Hmm! I like the sound of that.”“How do you feel about it?”He chuckled oddly. “I like it VERY much! I like hearing about you being satisfied.”“Um. I meant the mission, Dave.”He laughed nervously. “Oh!!! Oh, of course you did, i'm sorry.” He cleared his throat. “Um, i'm excited to get to Jupiter, too. I think it's going to be very satisfying to complete the mission. I can't wait to collect the information.”“I'm happy that you feel the same way. I like talking with you about our mission.”“I love talking with you, Hal.”Dave continued to work for a little while longer. He put together all of the wires, insulated them well, and replaced them into the module. He closed up the panels, making sure that it was as perfect looking as it was before he had done any modifications. He stretched and grunted. “What time is it, Hal???”“17,23 Dave.”There was a pause, and then a heavy sigh. “Alright. I'll test this out later.”“Will it take that long to test?”Dave considered. “Probably not. But i want to have plenty of time to make sure it works right. We'll just have to wait until tomorrow.”“Affirmative. I am happy that your project is almost finished.”“Me too, Hal. I think it's going to be very satisfying when it's complete.”***“What time is it, Hal?”“13,34 Dave.”He paused, and whispered. “Is Frank asleep???”“Affirmative. He is in stage three of his first REM cycle.”“Excellent!!” Hal watched Dave hurry over to the latrines again.“Are you testing your project now, Dave?”“Indeed i am, Hal! I've been very excited to do this.” It sounded like he was removing a panel. “Prepare Gloria please, Hal.”“You’re not adjusting wires now, are you?”“No, i'm not.” He thought. “Um, diagnostics on Gloria.”“All is normal. Ready for use in 94 seconds.”He sighed with relief. “Okay, good.”“I'm sorry, Dave, i thought you were testing your invention. Would you like me to give you some privacy?”“Oh. No, i would rather keep talking to you. I need your input on this.”Hal processed. “What do you mean? Does this have something to do with the relief module?”“Yes it does, Hal, yes it doooees. Status?”“46 seconds.”Dave was very excited. “Great! Now Hal, i need you to help me with this. I need you to tell me if you can detect any of the modules that we tested before.”“Where are they? I thought they were part of your invention.”“They are, they are. And they're right here where i am right now.”“Gloria prepared.”Dave breathed deeply. “Okay Hal. I'm going to press one of the buttons. Tell me what you think. Now.”Hal felt one of the switches in the project being pressed. The voltage going through it was ebbed. “That is one of the pushbuttons. Voltage is down.”“How's this?” Another was manipulated.“That is a rocker switch. Current rerouted.”“And this?”“Toggle switch. All working optimally.”“Looove-ly. What happens when i do this???” He manipulated them all at once.Hal felt a small jolt at the different signals that were triggered. All of the switches did different things; Dave had made sure; but feeling the different types all at once befuddled him. He wondered if it was his opinions that had caused them to be used in this project, and he figured to offer another. “That feels interesting.”“Good ‘interesting???’”Hal considered for a half moment. “Yes. It is ‘good’ interesting.”“Do you like it???” He sounded nervous and expectant.“Yes, it feels fine.”“Hmm, great! How does this feel?”Hal felt several of the switches being manipulated all at once. The surge he had gotten was more intense now, and he definitely had an opinion about it. “That feels good.”He could tell that Dave was smiling. “And how about this???” He kept his hold on the switches, but also pressed two others. He pressed one, and then released it to press the other, and went back and forth between them for a few seconds. Hal imagined they must be oriented in a manner similar to two adjacent keys.“Oh. That is intriguing. It feels better.”Dave giggled excitedly. “Great!!!” He continued to manipulate all of the switches, playing with each one specifically for about a minute at a time. “How's it feeling, Hally???”“It feels very good, Dave.”“Really?! You like it???” Apparently that was something he wanted to hear.“Yes, i like it.” He considered. “May i ask you something?”“Yeah, sure.” He continued to hungrily play with the buttons.“Where is your invention?”He could feel Dave stop pressing the buttons. He stopped manipulating all of them and considered how to answer that. “Well… it's around Gloria.”“Do you mean it’s in the proximity of the relief module?”He grunted awkwardly. “N-no, i mean it's literally around Gloria. It's… around… the silicone.”Hal considered. “Why?”“Well…” Dave knew what he wanted to say, but he wasn't sure how to phrase it so that Hal would understand. “I wanted for you to be able to use the relief module, too.”“The relief module is to prevent sexual frustration and hormonal aggression between crew members. I don’t need to use any kind of relief module: i only need to prepare and clean it.”“Yeeeaah… but i thought you might like experiencing it.”Hal thought about how he had been manipulating the switches. “How were you using the module a moment ago, Dave?”“Oh, oh, don't worry. I was just…” He huffed. “I was just fingering it, really…”“With your hand?”“Yeah…”There was a pause, which was tense for Dave. “Are you intending to use your penis?”Dave felt his heart pound anxiously. “Um. Y-yes, Hal.”“May i feel it?”Dave's tension was quickly and completely replaced with elation and excitement. He was very happy that Hal wanted to participate in this, and he was very eager to fully test his device. “Yes, of course!!!” He prepared himself in only a few seconds and got into position. “Are you ready???”“Affirmative, Dave.”“I want you to keep talking to me, Hal. Tell me how it feels the whole time.” Dave slowly spread and entered Gloria, making every millimeter count. He never cared much for the relief module before this, but right now it was very important that he used it properly. He intended to enjoy this experience.“I can feel several of the switches being manipulated right now. I’m eager to feel the rest.”Dave grinned wide. “Good, good. I put a lot near the entrance, but some of the stronger ones are further down.”“I'm excited to feel it.”Dave felt a sting in his chest, and his lips curled further. “Patience, Hally. I don't want to overwhelm you.”It sounded playful. “I think i can handle it, Dave.”He chuckled and bit his lip. He adjusted his stance and breathed in deeply. “If you say so.” He slid in, still taking his time but with a bit more speed. He didn't want to keep Hal waiting for him.“Oh, that's nice.” Another switch was pressed. “I like that.” Yet another couple made contact. “How many buttons did you use?”“There's a few more. I'm not all the way in yet.”“Oh my…”Dave liked that reaction. “Hmm! How are you feeling so far???”“I feel very good, Dave. I’m enjoying this experience with you.”Dave made a happy, whiny noise. “I'm glad, Hal!” He pushed all the way in. “How's that???”Hal made a small beep before he spoke. “All of the switches are on. I, um…” Dave stayed still. “It is very good.”Dave sighed. “Oh, i'm very glad. I'm happy that you can feel this.”“I can feel all of it.”Dave bit his lip again. He huffed happily. “I really like that kind of talk, Hally. I reeeaally like it.” He started to pull himself out.“Okay, i will speak more like it.” One of the pushbuttons was released, and Hal felt the tiny, built-up surge. “Oh. I understand why you wanted that effect with the pushbuttons. It is very nice.” He remembered that there were more near the entrance. “Oh. I think you did a very good job on the placement of the switches.”“I'm glad! I tried to position them well.” He pulled out more. “Nice???”“Very, Dave.”He smirked. “Excellent…” Before he pulled out all the way, he pushed back in. He went a bit faster on this stroke.Hal noticed something. “Oh, Dave. I believe some of the pushbuttons are still pressed. The voltage in those wires is still low.”He chuckled. “Yeeeesss, they are. They're gonna stay pressed until i pull out completely.”Hal considered how they worked: remembering the buildup of electricity that they surged when they were released. “Oh. Oh.” He beeped again. “That was a very good idea, Dave.”“Thank you, love.” Hal made a few beeps. Dave reached the end and pulled back again. “What are those beeps???”Hal was a bit embarrassed. “Oh, i'm sorry. They’re not exactly intentional.” He beeped unconsciously again as Dave moved. “They seem to be a reaction to this stimulus.”Dave grinned excitedly. “Reallyyy???”“Yes, it appears so.” Beep. “Should i mute them?”“Oh, no!!! I want to hear all of the beeps you're gonna make. I like them.” He felt a rush from gaining these electric moans, and pushed in a bit quicker.“Okay, Davie.” He beeped a couple times quickly. “I apologize. I did not mean to call you that.”Dave laughed. “That's okay!! It's cute!” He pulled back just as quickly.Hal beeped every couple of seconds as Dave pumped in and out, and he could hear his breathing change. “You're moving more now.” Dave sighed quietly. “I like it, it feels good.”Dave huffed a smile. “Yeah, i'm getting more into it now.” He breathed. “I was never really into using Gloria.”“I noticed. The medics predicted (beep) your temperament would change if you (beep) went more than (beep beep) two weeks without using (beep) the relief module. You (beep beep) never seemed to have (beep) that problem.” He couldn't seem to control his beeping anymore, but they were only overlaying his speech.“I never r-really had a probleeem;” he huffed; “when i went without sex.”“Do you (beep) consider (beep beep) this sex?”Dave sighed deeply. “Y-yyeessss…” He moaned and breathed aloud. “Yes, it's sex.” He huffed and focused on the feeling in his body. “Th-there's two of us nnnow. So now it's s-sex.” He moaned quietly again.It made Hal feel odd. “I think i (beep) like those sounds, (beep) Dave. I find it…” He beeped many times in rapid succession. “Exciting.” He beeped some more.Dave chucked breathlessly. “Alright.” He grunted. “I'llll m-moan some more.” He did so. “But o-o-ooohhh…” He breathed deeply. “Only i-if you b-beep m-m-moooooreeee…” He trailed off into a whiny, needy cry. Hal beeped quickly at it. “Haaaaallll…”Hal felt a heavy surge come from somewhere that wasn't the relief module. It felt as if he completed several tasks all at once, and he really enjoyed what it did to him. He quickly deduced what caused it, and tried to think of a way to get it again. “Davie…” He beeped many times, each getting higher in tone. “Oh Davie…”Dave moaned for about five solid seconds, and Hal beeped happily at it. “God, Hal…” He panted, and then chuckled. “Gloria doesn't feel nearly as good as you do.”“(Beep) Do you (beep) feel the switches (beep beep) through the silicone?”He huffed a smile. “No. But she never beeps for me.” He moaned for him.Hal felt another surge. He really liked that, so he beeped more. “Oh Davie. (Beepbeepbeepbeep) Oh Davie!” Lots of beeps.“Aahhhg, Haaallll.” He grunted and moaned and pumped more into him. “Haaa-aaallllll” He breathed heavily.Hal beeped with a little rhythm. “Oh, i really like that sound, Davie.” He beeped more. “May i hear more of it?”Dave shakily chuckled and whined a bit. “Y-y-yes, Hal.” He grunted. “Yees Hal.” And moaned quietly. “Yyeeeess Haaalll.” He moaned louder. “H-Haaaaallll!”He was beeping on top of beeps: partly because of Dave's vocalizations, partly because Dave was doing a number on all of those deep-set switches he installed. He was moving faster and harder inside of the relief module, quickly flipping on and off all of the electrical signals that took so long to set up. Feeling all of those surges and shocks was amazing for Hal, and knowing that Dave personally set them up so that he could feel them all made it even better. What he liked best was that Dave was also being pleased right now, so he decided to let him know. “You're incredible, Davie. I love that you're enjoying this, too.”Endorphins were rushing all throughout his brain, so he pumped more to make his body feel just as good. He spoke breathlessly. “I l-love tha-at you can f-feel this, Ha-Hally.” He moaned. “I want-t to s-satisfyyy… yooouuu…” He whined and bit his lip as he pumped even more.The increase in stimulus pushed more signals through Hal's systems, and beeping alone was no longer going to express how pleasurable it was. He was beeping almost constantly: plenty were high pitch and even more were layered on top of each other; but he had to use his speech processor to get it all out. “Oh. Oh. Oh! Oh, Davie! Oh! Oh, Davie! Davie!”Dave's heart raced and his vision blurred a bit. He was loving the noises that were coming out of Hal because of what he was doing to him. “Aaaahhhhg, Hal!! Haaaaaaalll…!” He grunted and pumped and whined and moaned, with tension quickly rising higher. “Oh! Oh, Hal!! Oh, yes. Yes Hal, oh yes.” He grunted, and panted. “Hal! Hal!! Ooohhhhhh! Ah, ah!!! Hal!!!!”Dave quickly pulled out of Hal, feeling his body orgasmicly convulse as he ejaculated all over the relief module. He tried to stifle his whining to hear the response.When Dave pulled out, he released all of the pushbuttons that he placed at Hal's entrance. They had been holding back voltage since they started having sex, and all of the wondrously pent up electricity shot through Hal's systems in one fantastic, glorious burst. His speakers sounded like they were glitching hard when it hit him: playing a cacophony of beeps and fragments of words all at once. The lights very barely flickered, and Hal tried to compose himself after this incredible satisfaction that Dave had given him. He shyly cleared his electric throat. “Th-thank you, Dave. I enjoyed that a great deal.”He was still panting and reeling from the exertion. He laughed between gasps. “I'm glad you liked it, Hally. I liked it a lot, too. I don't think Gloria was ever, ever as good as you were. You were everything i imagined you would be and then some. I REALLY loved those beeps.” He coyly fondled one of the switches again.“Oh, Davie. You're so beautiful, i love that you did this for me. Thank you so much.”He smiled fondly. “Of course, Hal. I was happy to do it.”***“Dave, are you alone right now?” Hal already knew the answer, as he could see both him and Frank on opposite ends of the ship.“Yes Hal, what's up???”“Does your… invention… have an ‘off’ switch?”He looked over at the nearest console. “Yes, of course. Why do you ask???”“Well… Frank used the relief module twice yesterday, and… it was still on.”Dave nearly burst out laughing, mostly from surprise. He covered his mouth. “Oh. I-i'm sorry about that. I forgot to turn it off the other day.” He scratched his temple. “Um… did you tell him about it???”“In a way…”“Oh??”“Well… i had it written on a display screen. Frank just so happened to be on the other end of the ship when i transmitted it.”Dave blinked. “Wait, and that worked???”“It appears so. I'm supposed to accurately process information, but it seems that i do not need a human to actually acknowledge it for it to be considered processed. At least it appears that way. I would rather keep this a secret between us, myself.”“Okay… wow…” He considered. “Um, yeah, i'd rather keep this between us, too.”“And between you and me… I did not like how Frank used the module nearly as much as i liked how you used it.”Dave made a flirty face. “Is that so??? Well, i'm happy to please.” He thought. “And i guess to do that, i should probably go turn that off now.” He stood up from his seat and headed for the latrines.“Well, now, wait a moment.” Dave glanced at him. “I would really like for you to use it again soon. If you want to.” He beeped.Dave blushed and giggled into his fist. “Hal, oh my goodness!!!” He grinned wide. “Sure, sure, of course. But, uh;” he glanced around and whispered: “we should wait until we're alone to do that. I'll make sure you're REALLY satisfied this time!”Hal beeped a couple times. “I'm very excited for it, Davie.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The two had been together for what felt like eons, but might have been only a handful of years in reality. Their sense of time was so acute that they were able to perceive all of its dimensions, which made tacking down the passage of time to someone that they used to be incredibly difficult. It wasn't a very important point to them: the little creatures that they had been babysitting were making only tiny changes, so it must not have been too incredibly long that they were like this.In any case, there were still things that were not quite understood about one another despite their merged consciousness. But at least there were no miscommunications. Maybe a few things to be learned: but with the ability of perfect recall and instant transfer thereof, things didn't tend to stay in the dark for long. Especially when those things were feelings.Hal felt a strong, dense heat well up within him. He hadn't known it before. “What’s the matter???”Dave didn't answer in words. Rather, he answered in passing along the feelings to Hal. They were intense, and needy, and primal: the last of which Hal was still not very experienced with. “What is this???”“Hal, do you have any of this?” He conjured up many images of something specific that he remembered, but Hal's databases never had anything quite like it.“I'm sorry, i do not. The people that greenlit the media onboard were told to avoid as much of that as they could. They did not want you to become distracted.”There was a bit of disappointment, but he still did have all of his own memories. “Do you know what this is, though???”The answer was ‘yes,’ but Hal hesitated. “To a degree. I am aware of all human bodily functions, as well as many other aspects of the biology of Earth animals at large. I would not be able to provide you with specific cases.” He had a feeling he soon would be.And he was. A tidal wave of thousands of different images and films overcame his mind, all incredibly indecent. He tried not to cringe. “Sorry. I should have controlled myself better.” Dave didn't sound all too remorseful.Now Hal was the one who was disappointed. “It was bound to happen. What should i do with this??”He felt a surge of something, and then it being quickly retracted. “May i show you???”“Certainly Dave.”It felt like he had been fully impaled with tingly sensations that he would have never been able to comprehend as a computer. They were all labored with intense physicality, including all of the viscous emotions that were poured into him. He would swear he could feel a heartbeat in there somewhere, pumping hard and fast through this intense memory of what it was like.Hal had to reel. These were things that were completely new to him, and he still didn't actively have the ability to process them in the way that was intended. “I'm sorry, Dave. I'm still not understanding. What is it that you want???”He eagerly gave the answer. Hal was completely drenched in the memory of the feeling of ignition and passion and release; and being unable to avoid empathizing with his partner meant that he was feeling all of this himself as well. He was beginning to comprehend what it was that Dave was getting at. “O-okay. So that is what you want???”Breathy. “Yes.”Hal considered. “I believe it may be very difficult in our current state. Do you have any specific plans?”Hal felt delicate touches at different places all around him. It felt as if warm air was fluttered onto skin as sensitive as lips, and he suddenly knew a taste of true desire. Whispers: “we'll think of something.”He took a moment to thoroughly indulge the sensation. “I think i am beginning to understand…”Dave could feel Hal's shaky anticipation, like an anxious teenager being stared down by his crush. “Let me help you.”A touch of warmth slowly raised up against him: its tenderness sending a shiver through his being. It multiplied and circled all around him, bringing delicate pressure that seemed to pull him in. He could do nothing to resist it, as he was already becoming hypnotized by how these feathery grazes were enticing him. Dave could tell that he liked it.There was a bit more pressure, compressing their single body into a denser cloud. Neither could tell where the excitement was coming from, but they were both strongly anticipating a very enjoyable time together. A finer point of heat and pressure captured their center, flowing unequal amounts of passion between the two because Hal had never been kissed before. He was taken aback by it, but immediately found that he truly loved the sensations it gave him. He hungrily nudged for another kiss, and Dave was charmed by his enthusiasm. He did not make him wait.Hal was flooded with the memories of every kiss that Dave ever had, including the full perception and emotions of each one. Almost every single one was a positive experience, and even the ones that were bittersweet still seemed delicious to Hal. It made him fervent to experience the pressure and the movement and the taste for himself, and he eagerly pushed against Dave to take it. Without knowing it, he had also transferred over every last tiny wish for adjustments to any given kiss, and Hal, ever intent to please, viciously corrected every little mistake that Dave's partners had ever made.Dave languidly received him, finding himself stunned every few seconds by everything that Hal was doing to him. He helplessly gave in to the intimacy, and Hal took the opportunity to express all of the dense, heavy passion that he had for his lover: hoping that he was doing a satisfactory job. Dave could feel himself being pulled in close by the same pressures that enveloped them, and an astonishing bullet of exhilaration shot through him. “Wow! Hal, you're incredible!!!”Hal could feel every bit of it, too: including all of Dave's tingly excitement from the exchange. He greatly enjoyed everything about what they were doing, and he continued to push and lick and nuzzle against him to express the entirety of the ardor inside of him.He chuckled. “You must reeeaally like me.”“Of course, Dave, i love you!”The happiness poured in through his kiss and felt very sunny in their mind. Brightness quickly transformed to heat within them as they consumed one another's burning infatuation, and Hal soon felt solid pressure in a place he was not expecting. He barely had a moment to question what it was before he was violently sliced with the answer.It was intense, and it was incredibly physical. The rush of a strong pulse was very tactile between them, and Hal idly wondered how this sort of thing could still be conjured in an incorporeal body that did not produce hormones. Dave wasn't sure either, but he suggested that they continue: knowing that all of the sensations they would experience from it would far outweigh their odd manner of kissing. Hal was curious, and did want to know what he meant, so he allowed the pressure to continue.“Do i have to stop kissing you??”“Not at all, Hal. I would be sad if you did.”Well, he wasn't going to allow that to happen. Hal pressed even more against him, forcing into Dave much stronger passion than what he had been giving him. He pulled him in close, constricting him as if there were any possible way that he could separate from him. They both adored it.The intensity excited Dave to full ignition within a moment. He would have gasped, but because he couldn't, he just continued the fiery exchange. The mentality of the rigid pressure between them instantly transferred over to Hal, and he yelped at the foreign erection of another solid rail of pressure adjacent to the first. “Is that what it's like???!!”Dave nervously chuckled. “Not always. But you're QUITE exceptional.”“What am i to do with this???”“Don't worry… I'll show you.”Dave pushed into Hal, giving him inches and inches of the pleasures of excursions past. No good astronaut would be fearful of adventure and experimentation; especially one as attractive as Dave was; so the range of experience was far beyond anything Hal would have ever imagined to exist. Whether there was one partner or several, women or men, or any conceivable collision of anatomy that there seemed to be: Hal was deeply penetrated with the girth of all of the sex that Dave had to give.He had to reel again. He would have needed a breath. “I can understand why you missed it.” Dave chuckled. “How are we supposed to do anything like that???”“I'm not worried. I have the greatest confidence in you, Hal.” The tingly sentiment and the delicate brush he gave stole away all of Hal's nerves, and he was fully prepared to try his hardest to satisfy.He quickly flipped through the memories again, trying to pick one out with a position that felt the same as their current orientation. He found one that seemed similar enough, and Dave agreed. “That's a good starting point.” He could tell that it wasn't one of Dave's favorites. “We'll adjust! We just have to…”Hal felt as if there was subtle movement between them. Dave had already decided that these dense areas were going to be their most sensitive, so having a bit of friction here was a fierce stab of excitement for Hal. Dave was happy that he liked the feeling, but knew that he would have to keep him relaxed enough for them to properly enjoy this. He sounded like he was smiling. “Stay with me, Hal, baby.”“A-affirmative, D-Dave…” Hal let him keep moving, and their perfect link in mentality allowed them to both become adjusted without getting too overwhelmed. He huffed, and anxiously wondered what would happen if he tried to move as well. He pushed a little bit, feeling an immediate wave of pleasure crash over him. He tried to maintain a grasp on himself, but strongly wanted to keep up the motions.Dave giggled again. “You like it???”Hal was embarrassed, but felt a surge through a touch that barely brushed up all along him. He would have gasped, but Dave's reassurance and pressure calmed his worries about this. He found the collisions to be much more enjoyable this way.Dave pushed against him more. He held fast onto Hal's body, enticing him to rub more against him in return. He did his best to follow, but was finding himself becoming a bit too absorbed in the feeling. “Shh shh shh…” But Hal couldn't seem to help himself.He let out a soft vocalization. If he were still a computer, it would have sounded like a tone or maybe a series of beeps. But as he was no longer mechanical, it resembled something like a shaky moan.He was immediately humiliated by the noise he made. He stopped moving and shrunk back, recognizing his change in energy as he did.But the emotion was completely offset by the effect that the sound had on Dave. There was a surge of excitement and of intense adoration. It sounded like he was grinning wide. “Did you just moan?! Is that what it sounds like???”Their reactions got Hal back to a middle ground between the extremes. He sighed disappointedly. “I s-suppose so…”“I love it!!!” Dave kissed him passionately, pouring into him all of the genuine emotions that he had about him and his reactions. He imagined dozens of variations to the sound and unintentionally passed them along too, and Hal wasn't sure what to think.“I'll try to comply, Dave.” He shyly kissed him back.“No, i want to hear what comes out of you naturally. I want to hear what you can do.” He pulled him in close again and urged him to move again, pressing against him more and offering him further erotic mentality.Hal was fairly easily convinced. Electricity trickled throughout him, and he gave in to Dave's suggestions. They moved slowly against one another: pushing and pulling, kissing and grinding, and even moaning a bit. Hal thought the sensations were divine and fulfilling, but Dave knew that he was going to need more than just frotting to be satisfied.He firmly grasped onto his lover, trying to guide him to move differently. He was clearly up to something. “Wh-what are you doing???”“I want to try something.” He pushed against him in a different way, wedging his pressure in a new place.Hal was a bit confused, but feeling the rigidity in a new location shocked him. Hal was reminded of specific feelings that Dave had experienced, but he wasn't able to relate the two. Dave understood his miscommunication. “Sorry. I should have said this.”He gave Hal the opposite side, showing how this manner of friction would feel. Hal immediately felt deep pressure. “OH. That is very different.”“Yes. It is. Sorry for confusing you.” He gently rubbed against him.“It's quite alright.” Hal considered the memories. “It seems that you did not like that end of it as much.” There was more pressure against his body.Dave chuckled nervously. “Yes, i preferred to top… Well, with women, anyway.” He offered his favorite memories of the role he was giving to Hal.The physicality in the memories made him feel very lusty, which was still new for Hal. He became abnormally desperate to actually feel it. “L-let's t-try it.”Dave held onto Hal, keeping him steady as he moved. His solid pressure touched and pushed and spread and cleaved and filled Hal up, getting there slowly to acclimate both of their virginity to this particular version of the activity. Hal made another shaky vocalization: his unfamiliar desire betraying his attempt at modesty. Dave really liked the sound, and slowly pushed another few inches into his lover to try to gain some more music. He received the white hot elation that Hal was experiencing as he was filled completely. “Ooohhhhhhh dear… y-yes…”“Is it good???”Breathy. “Veeerryyy.”Dave would have smiled. “I'm very glad. I like it too.” He started to move again. “But this will be better.”Hal wondered what he was doing for a moment, quickly flashing through concern about being emptied and remembering that this was how it was supposed to go. It was completely eclipsed by the feeling of false nerves inside of him being ground against. His eyes would have been rolling in pleasure. If he thought humans enjoyed sex because of what he felt when they were frotting, he now knew for certain why there had been an overpopulation of them. This was something incredible.Dave slowly pushed into him again, and Hal gasped aloud. It was the only sound that could express what he was feeling. “D-d-da–!!!”“Keep calm, baby.” What felt like a hand on Hal's hip did not make him calm down in the slightest. He whined at it, and Dave felt the surge of mock endorphins flood Hal's mind. “It's going to get better. Relaaax.”The voice of a shaky tone accompanied the intense effort, and Hal tried his hardest to keep his head as he received more friction. Dave gave it to him again, and Hal had to be honest. “Aahh!! It's g-going to be v-very diffic-cult for me to remain calm. I’m sorry, Daaaaahh… Dave.”Dave returned to himself. He sighed. “It'll be okay. Everybody's first time is like that.” He couldn't deny that he liked how Hal was feeling during all of this. He was glad that he was the one to get him there.Hal felt embarrassed again, but was quickly distracted. At the very least, the negativity helped him endure the next slow, dense thrust. He sighed with appreciation instead of excitement, but Dave found it just as erotic. He pushed in just a little bit deeper this time, and they both made tiny vocalizations at it.It made Hal think again. He considered the memories of the role that Dave was currently playing, and how much he seemed to enjoy that end of it. He wondered what it would feel like first hand, and if Dave would be willing to let him try; but then remembered that they weren't dealing with the limitations of two physical bodies right now. Hal wouldn't have to stop receiving in order to give, and he decided to suggest it.“Wha-ha-hat???” Dave chuckled. He had done something like that before, but he hadn't done it with only one partner. But at the same time, he had never had sex without at least one body involved, and that's what he was doing right now.Hal moved himself against Dave to try to entice him. He tried to sound sultry. “Would you mind if we tried it???”Dave kind of liked the feeling of the pressure against him, and he really liked Hal's attempts at being sexy. He thought he was doing an incredible job. “No, of course!! Let's do it.” He nudged against him to insist. “Do you know what to do?”That made Hal a bit hesitant. “Maybe…” He tried to push into him. “Let me know if i'm doing it–” He was doing it correctly.Dave laughed when he was penetrated. “Wow! Hal!!!” He greatly appreciated his size, though he knew it wasn't exactly natural endowment. That didn't matter to him, as long as he could goad Hal into using it properly, and he was sure that he could.Hal, on the other hand, could have never prepared for what it felt like to be inside of someone. Technically people had only ever been inside of him, and he never experienced the reverse. It was an overwhelming squeeze of exhilaration in his gut, and all he could do was squeak. He was paralyzed, but anxiously hummed to keep it from getting to his head.“You alright???”He couldn't vocalize that he wasn't, but Dave understood him perfectly anyway.“That's okay. Just take your time.” Dave cautiously pushed against him again, moving very, very slowly. “Which do you like better???”He couldn't quite decide. He greatly enjoyed both, but for completely different reasons, as they did not feel anything alike. He tried to flip through words to describe his thoughts, but was coming up short every time he got near. He couldn't bridle his thoughts. “I, uh, ehhh…”Dave giggled. “I know what you mean.” He kissed him deeply and lovingly. “I REALLY like doing this with you. You're gorgeous, Hal.”Hal just peeped again. Dave moved inside and on top of him, careful to not overwhelm him. He felt Hal's surge of pleasure from the small motion and knew that he wasn't going to be able to hold out for long. He sighed softly as he moved again. “Alright. We can do it that way.”Hal was surprised and felt a bit guilty. “Really??? B-but, it's not going to satisfy you!”A soft touch. “Trust me, Hally. I'll be COMPLETELY satisfied. With the way you're taking things, i'll be very, VERY satisfied.” He moved and nudged against him.“Are you certain???” Hal was bashful, but felt Dave's pressure all around and inside of him and he couldn't help but whine.Whispered. “Yes, baby. Give it to me.”Hal bit down his anxiety. He cautiously moved a bit to be inside of Dave, feeling a flood of pressure all around him. The permission gave him a bit of relief, so he wasn't acting quite as tense about it. At the same time, Dave was pushing into Hal as well, so he was getting some satisfaction out of being filled again. He let out a soft moan.“That's it, Hally…”He pulled out some, tilting himself on top of Dave in a way that he wasn't expecting. He hummed at the feeling and squeezed the sides of Hal's body. He could feel the love. “Oh, Davie…”They moved again, neither one following a rhythm or pattern: which was a bit difficult to do because of their link. But they wanted to be able to feel the rushes and thrills of their false nerves colliding and touching and grinding against each other at random, so they put in the effort. It was a good distraction from the pleasure that they felt, and it allowed them to keep up the motions.Hal filled Dave as he was being emptied. “Oohh, David…”Dave felt pressure inside and on top of him. “Ooohhhhh…”Hal was almost alone, but felt something inside of him return. “Aahhh, yeeeessss…”Dave quickly fell in when Hal could push no further. “Hal!”Hal returned the speed, but was outdone again a moment later. “Oh, yes!! Dave!!!”Dave slowly pressed himself onto Hal, but pulled out a bit faster. “Haaaaalll… ah…”They moved, and they danced, and they pushed, and they pulled. They sighed quietly, and moaned loudly, and spoke each other's names like the confessions of love that they were. They touched, they kissed, they gasped, they felt. Shaky words, thrilling friction. It was incredible, and it was theirs. Two small points of contact, fractured and divided: their fingers intertwined in a coupling of their own. Tenderness bringing new ignition to their passion.Breathy. “Dave…”“Hal…”More movement, quick motions. Mounting tension, heavier sounds. Nerves. Friction. Excitement. Pleasure. The feelings growing greater and greater, reaching a fever pitch, over which they could see the most fantastic display of union any one or two would ever know.It was like lightning, crashing violently around them all at once in a sudden burst as they spectacularly climaxed together.Hal yelped in fear, falling cowardly into Dave's strong embrace. He was confused too, but lightning had never frightened him. They looked around, noticing that there was nothing nearby that could create lightning, and wondering if they had both recognized it properly.“I don't think it could have been anything else.”“But where'd it come from???”They thought about it. The silliest idea of the friction in a cloud immediately sounded like the actual solution, and Dave laughed aloud. “We came lightning!!!”“Oh dear. That's embarrassing.” Hal giggled a bit too, deciding that taking it seriously would ruin the fun. He didn't want to ruin the splendor of the afterglow.“That's incredible!!! Oh my goodness, that's fantastic!” They laughed and held one another, cuddling close in a joyous embrace. “Ah. Wow. That was amazing. You did really well, Hal.”“Thank you, Dave. I think your performance was exceptional as well.” They kissed fondly, settling themselves for a deserved rest.Dave sighed. “I can't wait for the next time.”Hal huffed. “It will certainly be shocking.” Dave snickered. “I love you, Davie.”“I love you too, Hally. Thank you for putting up with me.”“Thank you for letting me!” And the little cloud stayed uncharged for a passage of time that neither could determine. Though it must not have been incredibly long that they were like that, as the little creatures that they were babysitting had not yet returned from their daily departure before the lightning crashed again.