Nautilus Than Perfect by K.L. Hiers

Chapter 11.

DAISY LOPEZwas immediately placed on leave pending an internal investigation, and Chase and Merrick both filed their statements and had them on the captain’s desk by lunch. Milo was grateful for Ollie’s translations and promised to keep them updated. Sloane called to check in but unfortunately had nothing new to share.

Other than that Loch was very disappointed in the quality of his shrine.

Merrick and Chase hit the streets to follow up on some of Jeff Martin’s previous addresses, his acquaintances, and even his dentist. They tried tracking down some of the other cultists that Milo had been able to identify and still nothing.

By the time their shift was finally over, Chase was exhausted and frustrated.

“Ready, partner?” Merrick said in what was probably his best attempt to sound casual despite the big smile on his face.

“Yeah,” Chase said, immediately perking up. He could be tired later. He had a date to prepare for. He frowned when he saw a big box of files in Merrick’s hands. “What’s that?”

“Some light reading,” Merrick replied.

“A giant box of files is light reading?”

“It’s everything we have on Slappy Romero, Jeff Martin, and their known criminal associates.” Merrick fidgeted. “I thought perhaps we could look through them again tonight.”

Chase honestly didn’t know if Merrick was being serious or if this was meant to be some sort of cover to deflect gossip. “Uh, yeah. Of course.”

“Good.” Merrick held his head high. “Then I will see you tonight. To go over these files.”

“You got it.” Chase resisted the urge to laugh, walking Merrick outside and parting ways in the parking lot. He still had to hit up the grocery store to get what he needed for dinner and maybe try to clean up a bit.

Okay, clean up a lot.

He knew he had nothing to eat at home, so he got all the ingredients for the meal, including a box of frozen garlic breadsticks. He opted for wine instead of beer, and he wondered if a god could get drunk.

Better get a few bottles, just in case.

After paying and packing the food away in the car, he hurried home to get ready. He put the cold ingredients up, cleared the sink, and ran the dishwasher for the first time in weeks. He swept and wiped down the counters before turning his attention to the living room.

It was still clean from the last time Merrick was here and had magically swept everything away, but Chase decided to dig some old bottles and trash out from beneath the sofa that had escaped the godly purge.

By the time he’d changed the sheets and made the bed, it was almost seven.

Fuck, when did he get so sweaty?

He took the fastest shower of his life, then jumped into a pair of sweats and a T-shirt because of course he didn’t have anything else clean to wear except his damn suits.

Sweeping his damp hair up into a knot, he hurried into the kitchen to start cooking. As he was pulling out the pots he needed, the entire contents of the cabinet decided to come tumbling out in a violent crash.

“Shit!”

He cringed at the noise and took a deep breath. His damn hands were shaking.

“Calm the fuck down,” he scolded. “It’s just dinner. Just fuckin’ dinner. Dinner for the man you’re madly in love with. Who is also a god… and now you’re talking to yourself. Fuck.”

Chase went for the wine, taking a sip right from the bottle to hopefully calm his nerves. He couldn’t recall the last time he’d been this jittery over a date. He never got nervous over stuff like this, not ever.

Merrick had been by his place before, but this time was different. It was the first time he was coming over as more than his partner, and Chase wanted it to be perfect.

He cleaned up the mess of pots and pans except the ones he needed, nearly jumping out of his skin when he heard a knock at the door.

After another big gulp of wine for courage, he went to answer it.

Merrick was waiting on the other side with a bottle of scotch in his hand and a dazzling smile on his face. He stared openly at Chase, stammering, “W-wow. You look wonderful.”

“Thanks.” Chase blushed, taking in Merrick’s snug blue polo shirt and fitted jeans. “You too. You look awesome.” He stepped back from the door. “Come on in.”

“Thank you.”

Chase wanted to kiss him. He’d been thinking about it all day when he wasn’t occupied by physical descriptions and fingerprint analysis and worrying about the world ending. Even though they’d literally been by each other’s side for the entire shift, it seemed like they’d been apart for ages, and all he wanted to do now was touch.

Despite his desire, he felt awkward, and he wasn’t sure if he should make a move.

Would that somehow be disrespectful to an all-powerful god?

He settled on leaning in to kiss Merrick’s cheek, and the bashful grin it earned him let him know it was a good choice.

“Um.” Merrick quickly presented Chase with the bottle. “Here. This is for you.”

“Wow, thanks. I had gotten some wine, but this is….” Chase paused as he read the label. “This is Honey Shepard’s scotch.”

“Yes.”

“This stuff is aged for, like, fifty years and costs, like, a couple grand a pop. How the hell can you afford this?”

“As a god, I have very few needs, so Merrick’s paychecks tend to gather in his account.” Merrick frowned. “Do you not like it? You seem to know a lot about it.”

“It just… wow. Beats the hell out of my shitty grocery store wine!” Chase laughed, walking into the kitchen. “We are definitely drinking this.”

“I am glad you are pleased.” Merrick stopped short, frozen in place as he looked around the apartment. “Oh!”

“What?”

“You cleaned,” Merrick said, not even attempting to hide his shock.

“Yeah, well. I picked up a little.” Chase shrugged. He managed to find two clean glasses to pour the scotch in, although one was a bat coffee mug and the other was a plastic fast-food cup he kept reusing.

“This is more than a little.” Merrick pressed into Chase’s space and chastely kissed his cheek. “I appreciate the effort. It’s very thoughtful.”

“No big deal.” Chase beamed, his chest swelling with pride. The kiss made his heart stumble over itself, and he hastily cleared his throat. “So, uh, you want the bat or the Burger Gal cup?”

“I suppose the bat is appropriate.”

“Here.” Chase opened the scotch and poured them some, offering the bat mug. “You never did say what you look like. Is it like that?”

Merrick made a face at the cartoonish bat leering from the side of the cup. “Close enough.”

“You know I could probably use my phone and look it up.” Chase pulled out butter and cream from the fridge. “The internet is pretty useful, you know.”

“I do not want you to know what I look like yet.”

“You really think I’m gonna judge you?” Chase took a small sip.

And then another.

Damn, that was smooth.

“I do not think you would intentionally be cruel, but yes, I do believe you would find my godly form unpleasant.”

“I don’t think my body is that pleasant either,” Chase reminded him. He set his cup down and placed a pan on the stove, cranking up the dial for the heat. “Just about everybody has some hang-ups about their looks.”

“I do not know why you do. I think you are quite beautiful.” Merrick stepped a little closer and gently placed his hand on Chase’s shoulder.

Smiling, Chase shook his head. “I’d gladly take bat wings over stretch marks and this extra fifty pounds I’ve been trying to lose since the nineties. I mean, if you even have those. The wings, I mean.”

“What if I did?”

“Well, I’d love those too.” Chase kissed him. It was soft, sweet, and he wrapped his arms around Merrick and pulled him against his chest.

Merrick gasped before melting in Chase’s arms, and he ran his fingers up into his hair. Thwarted by the bun, he mumbled, “I like your hair when it is accessible.”

“Totally easy fix.” Chase quickly undid the bun, groaning as Merrick dove into his wet hair to scratch at his scalp. He kissed him again, and their lips glided together until Chase was out of breath.

“Your… your pan is probably hot by now.” Merrick’s eyes had turned into black pools sparkling with stars, and he was smiling as they parted. “I did not mean to get so carried away.”

“Baby boy, you can carry me anywhere you wanna fuckin’ go,” Chase promised. He turned away to very casually adjust his thickening cock, clearing his throat. “But uh, it’s hard to have dinner together if I don’t make it.”

“Of course.” Merrick retreated back a few steps.

Chase put a stick of butter in the pan to melt while he minced some garlic. “You, uh….” He struggled to think of something to talk about that wasn’t related to work. “You like scotch?”

“I know you do.” Merrick smiled. “Mortal libations do not affect me.”

“Right.” Chase stopped chopping for a moment. “I mean, does anything?”

“What?”

“Affect you. Like, can anything hurt you?”

“Nothing mortal.” Merrick shrugged. “We gods can kill each other, but the damage must be quite extreme. Decapitation is very effective.”

“Ouch.”

“I can only assume. I have never had my head removed.”

“Good. I like it right where it is.” Chase added the garlic to the butter, and he grabbed a pot to fill with water for the pasta. He poured some salt in and then took another drink of the delicious scotch, and it prompted him to ask, “You don’t buy anything for yourself? Nothing?”

“I pay Merrick’s bills, donate a percentage to charity, and allow the rest to accrue interest. I do not require much, as I have said.”

“Huh. I guess you would save a ton of money not eating.” Chase paused to think about where a lot of his own money went and added, “Or drinking.”

“It can be quite expensive.”

“Who you tellin’?” Chase reached for a small carton of cream, then added it to the saucepan with a sprinkle of black pepper and onion powder. He noticed Merrick’s forehead was wrinkling up, prompting him to ask, “You okay?”

“I am sorry. I am distracted.”

“The case?” Chase drank the rest of his scotch, repressing a greedy moan at the awesome flavor. “What is it? We got fuck all in column A and fuck nothing in column B.”

“I do not know what these columns are, but yes, I agree we have nothing.” Merrick glanced at the scotch and took a dainty sip. “I still do not trust that Daisy was honest with us.”

“Maybe we can take another crack at her later.” Chase dropped the pasta into the boiling water. “The way she just happened to suddenly leave work like that? She was probably waiting for us.”

“She was expecting to be interrogated?”

“Would explain how she was able to beat a truth spell. She already knew what she was gonna say.” Chase stirred the sauce and began to work in scoops of grated Parmesan cheese.

Merrick tiptoed closer to the stove, watching Chase curiously. “It is certainly possible.”

“I still can’t believe we can’t find these dudes. It’s like they’ve disappeared.” Chase turned on the oven to preheat for the breadsticks and gave the sauce another stir to keep the cheese from clumping. He noticed Merrick staring and teased, “What? You never seen anyone cook before?”

“I have never seen you cook before.” Merrick smiled and took a polite step away to refill their glasses. “My intention is not to make you feel uncomfortable.”

“It’s fine.” Chase accepted his newly filled glass, turning to rest his hand on Merrick’s hip. “You can watch me cook all you want.”

Merrick leaned into Chase’s touch, his smile growing. “It suits you.” He kissed his cheek. “It also smells wonderful.”

“Gimme, like, fifteen more minutes and it’ll be ready.”

“I cannot wait.”

It was closer to thirty minutes by the time Chase was done because he kept getting distracted by Merrick. Having him close made it too tempting to resist stealing kisses and little touches. What was an innocent smooch turned into a heated up make-out session that ended with Chase pushed against the counter and nearly burning the breadsticks.

Dinner was served, their hands mostly stayed to themselves, and they ate together on the sofa, watching the first movie. Chase finished his plate and went back for more, much more relaxed now despite his earlier nerves.

The scotch helped.

Though the heat between him and Merrick had been reduced to a simmer, Chase knew it wouldn’t take much to crank it back up. The anticipation of what was to come was thrilling, and he was excited.

Not that he was expecting anything in particular to happen. He didn’t want to pressure Merrick, and he didn’t mind waiting.

Even if it felt like Merrick was about to pounce on him at any second.

Maybe it was just Chase’s imagination.

“You get enough to eat?” Chase asked, stacking his empty plate on top of Merrick’s on the coffee table. He leaned back, stretching his arms along the back of the couch.

“Yes,” Merrick replied, settling in against Chase’s side.

Chase slowly wrapped his arm around Merrick’s shoulders. “This okay?”

“Very much okay.” Merrick smiled up at him.

Chase couldn’t stop looking at Merrick’s lips, unconsciously leaning in. “I can get you more if you want.”

“No, thank you.” Merrick reached up to stroke Chase’s beard, eyeing his mouth as well. “It was delicious, and I am quite satisfied.”

“Are you?” Chase’s heart fluttered. It felt hotter in here now, and they were almost close enough to kiss.

“Well….” Merrick boldly dragged his hand down Chase’s broad chest. “There may be some other ways in which I would not mind being satisfied.”

“Oh really?”

“Without a doubt.”

“I’d be a pretty terrible host if I didn’t help you out.” Chase squeezed Merrick’s shoulder. “How about I work on satisfying you in some of those other ways?”

“I… I would like that,” Merrick said, his voice a bit breathless. He surged forward to kiss Chase, passionate and sweet, desperately fisting his hand into his shirt.

Chase tried to get him to slow down, but Merrick was far too eager. He gave in, letting Merrick kiss him as hard as he wanted to. He gasped as Merrick suddenly pushed him down on the couch and crawled on top of him.

Merrick’s tentacles were out, a few curling around Chase’s arms and another hugging his thigh. He was touching Chase all over, and he was kissing him so fiercely and fast that their teeth clicked.

The grinding of Merrick’s body was spectacular, and Chase could do nothing to hide how hard he was. Judging by the way Merrick zeroed in on his cock and pressed down, he could definitely feel it.

Chase hated how close he was already, and he didn’t want things to end this soon. Even with a god who could literally make him orgasm over and over without end, he still had his pride to consider.

Grabbing Merrick’s hips, Chase urged him to slow down. “Hey, hey, easy. Keep that up and this is gonna be over quick.”

“Is this wrong?” Merrick asked, cringing in embarrassment as he pulled away. “I do not know what I am doing.”

“That’s okay.” Chase kissed his cheek soothingly. “Neither do I. Not like this, I mean. There’s no need to rush, okay? Just tell me what you want to do, and we’ll do it.”

“I want….” Merrick’s gaze grew dark. “I very much want to be inside of you.”

Chase could feel his eyes trying to bulge out of his head, and he struggled to rein in his emotions. “Yeah, we, we can definitely do that.”

“Yes? I was not… sure….” Merrick trailed off, looking positively sheepish.

“What?” Chase snorted. “You think because I’m a big ol’ bastard that I wouldn’t, ahem, want you inside me?”

“I did not know the proper way to inquire about your… preferences.”

“You just gotta ask,” Chase soothed, “but I’ll save you the trouble by telling you I am one hundred and ten percent down with you being all up in me, okay?”

“You cannot technically have more than a hundred percent.” Merrick fidgeted. “But I understand that is hyperbole emphasizing a positive response?”

“Absolutely.” Chase rubbed Merrick’s hips. “We ain’t gotta jump right in, though. We got all night, okay?”

“I am afraid I am a bit impatient.”

“No shit.” Chase chuckled. He patted Merrick’s hips again, sliding his hands up his back. “Let’s start off by gettin’ into bed. Don’t wanna have your first time on my nasty-ass couch.”

“The location is irrelevant, but I can see how a bed would be more appropriate.”

“Come on.” Chase urged Merrick to get off him and led him by the hand into his bedroom. They got into bed together, and Chase found himself on his back with Merrick on top of him again.

“May I remove your clothing, Elwood?” Merrick asked politely.

“Yeah, I can—” Chase had grabbed the bottom of his shirt to pull it off, but there was no need. All of his clothes had simply vanished. “Okay, that works.”

Merrick sat back on Chase’s hips, rubbing his hands worshipfully over his round belly. He traced all the silvery lines that Chase despised, and he smiled as he said, “You are so beautiful.”

“You need your head examined,” Chase teased, trying to grin but soon faltering. He was totally exposed, and his body was torn between shame for its appearance and the arousal brewing from Merrick’s attention.

He was turning shades of red he didn’t think were humanly possible from the conflicting combination.

“I do not think so.” Merrick slid his hands higher, squeezing Chase’s pecs and working his thumbs over his nipples. He continued to play until each one was hard, and he looked especially pleased with himself.

“Just throwing this out there—” Chase cleared his throat, already breathless. “—but it’s only fair if we’re both naked.”

“You are deflecting.”

“Yes, yes, I am. But I’m also telling the truth.”

“Very well.” Merrick tilted his head, and his clothes disappeared. “There, are you happy?”

“Uh-huh.” Chase beckoned Merrick down for a kiss, and he wrapped his thick arms around his shoulders. He groaned quietly as they kissed, shifting his legs apart as Merrick settled between his thighs.

“I… I can get you ready for me,” Merrick panted. He sounded nervous. “If, if you are ready, that is.”

“Baby boy, for you, always,” Chase promised with another kiss, spreading his legs wide. He kept his focus on Merrick’s lips, ignoring the cringing thoughts of how much thicker his thighs were than Merrick’s or how his stomach felt so much bigger as they rubbed together.

None of that mattered. It shouldn’t. Merrick loved him, curves and all.

Chase’s ass suddenly felt wet, and there was a new pressure from within. He was being stretched without a single touch from either tentacle or hand. It was weird, kinda hot, and Chase let out a quiet moan.

“Does that… feel good?” Merrick asked, kissing Chase’s beard and nuzzling his cheek.

“Yeah. Weird, but good. Really good.” Chase ran his fingers down Merrick’s shoulders, taking a deep breath as the pressure grew, flirting now with discomfort. “Mm, easy.”

“My apologies,” Merrick murmured, the pressure backing off immediately. “I want to make sure you are prepared properly.”

“What exactly are you, uh, preparing me for?”

“Whatever you are willing to take.”

Chase took another deep breath to steel himself for what was to come. He’d seen what Merrick was working with, and wow, it was a lot.

The four givey-takey tentacles were already very intimidating, but those tentacle-cocks were in a class of their own. It was going to be equivalent to having his own personal orgy, and he was excited and already tingling with adrenaline.

The challenge of pushing his body to its limits making love to a god was one that he simply could not refuse.

“Bring it on,” Chase said firmly.

Merrick smiled in reply, and he leaned down to kiss Chase. More of his tentacles unfurled from his back, curling around Chase and holding him close, gently spreading his legs.

Chase kissed back passionately, groaning when he felt the first tease of a tentacle at his hole. The heat was pleasant, and he let out a very satisfied sound as the tentacle began to push inside of him. “Merry….”

“Elwood, I am… I am inside of you.” Merrick’s voice was a frantic whisper, and he moaned as his tentacle pushed in deeper. “By Great Azaethoth’s horns… you feel… you feel incredible….”

“So do you. Fuck, so do you.” Chase clung to Merrick, dragging his nails down his back as the tentacle thrust. It was erratic at first, clumsy, and Chase rolled his hips down to help set a steady pace. “Come on, baby… like that… just like that.”

“Oh, Elwood… I am so sorry… I am…!” Merrick cried out, shoving his face down into Chase’s chest as he suddenly came. “Ah, fuck!”

“Merr!” Chase gasped as he felt a rush of intense warmth inside him, pulse after pulse of thick come leaving him full and heavy. Even excited as he was, it wasn’t enough to push him over the edge to come himself, but damn if it hadn’t felt good.

Merrick withdrew the tentacle with a low whine, turning his head away in shame. “I am so very sorry. That… that was very unexpected. I did not mean—”

“Hey, hey, Merry!” Chase did his best to be reassuring even as he felt Merrick’s godly load leaking out of him, and all he wanted to do was beg for more. “It’s okay. It happens. It’s actually a compliment.”

“Surely you jest.”

“Look at me.” Chase turned Merrick’s face toward him. “It’s totally okay, and it’s very much a compliment. Kinda nice knowing I could make a god lose control.”

“Your body… you… you brought much more pleasure than I was expecting,” Merrick confessed, leaning into Chase’s palm. He still looked embarrassed, but he was smiling now.

“That’s what I’m talkin’ about.” Chase grinned. “And hey, we still got what, five more of those bad boys to play with, right?”

“If you still desire me….”

“Oh, without a doubt,” Chase swore, chuckling lightly as he pulled Merrick in for a much-needed kiss. “Mmm. So, does this mean you’re still the Untouched?”

“No.” Merrick laughed. “I should think not.”