Operation -9

Disclaimer: All characters are 18 or older.

Content Warnings: Huge penis, excessive cum, dog-girl.

Chapter 2: Things Change

Emily squirmed, uncomfortable in her metal chair, her eyes downcast. She tried to keep her focus on the tray of food in front of her, and ignore the rest of the mess hall. She was dressed normally, a white tank top over a gray sports bra, with clinging camo running shorts that hugged her generous hips. And yet, somehow, she felt ...exposed. Naked. She could feel the eyes of the other soldiers on her. The looks of disgust, the furtive glances, the shameless stares, the hungry leers. She felt them all roaming her body as she squirmed in her seat, from her plump backside, squished against the steel seat, to her peach-sized breasts, firm and perky within her bra. Her cheeks burned as she tried to ignore it and focus on her food once more.

Even on the best days, the food was barely decent, and most agreed it was better if you didn't look at it too close, something Emily was reminded of as she poked a shapeless gray-green lump that was supposed to be a vegetable with her fork. She shook her head, her ponytail swaying behind her, honey-brown with a thick black stripe running back from a palm-sized patch just above the middle of her forehead. Her pointed ears lay back against her head as she speared the vegetable lump and brought it to her lips, advertising her emotions in place of her tail, currently pinned between her plump backside and the back of the chair.

Even worse than the looks were the whispers. They'd haunted Emily since she'd visited Brennan, just far enough away to be inaudible to a human, cutting off whenever she looked in their direction. What few snippets she'd managed to catch certainly didn't add up to a pleasant story. Apparently someone had overheard her and Brennan together, and rumors were spreading like wildfire. Some weren't that bad, saying they were together in secret, or even that they had been for a while. Others claimed one of them was taking advantage of the other. Some called her some very unpleasant names. Some promised unpleasant repercussions for Brennan. Some speculated on her 'availability', including one comment about her being 'broken in' and 'open for business'. Her cheeks burned even hotter, just thinking about it.

Honestly, Emily wasn't really sure what the truth was. She certainly liked Brennan. Loved him, even. And he liked her. Or, he SAID he did. Did he really? She swallowed as the scene in the medic station flashed through her mind. He'd certainly seemed... eager... But were they a couple now? How would you know? She didn't feel any different. He DID confess his feelings, though, and they kissed... Was that all it took? They hadn't been friends since childhood, they hadn't been on any dates, but they had gone on adventures together... Everything was all out of order. She'd heard all about love. It was on TV, in movies, on the radio, in books, and all over the internet... But until now, she'd never realized just how vague it all was. Her emotions were all mixed up. She kinda...kinda wanted to have sex with him again. But she didn't NEED him like she was supposed to. She loved him, but was she in love? Was her love for him different than the love for everyone else?

Back in the old neighborhood, all the zver'doch had been extremely close. They'd grown up doing everything together. Their families were friends, they played together, they went to the same schools... They'd relied on each other, called each other 'sestra'. It was them against the world, and there was plenty of world against them. They passed secrets and notes between them in russian, they stood up to the bullies side-by-side, and fought back-to-back when things got rough. A lot of them experimented with each other, just kissing, at first, and then more, exploring each other and themselves. Emily had loved them all, but she'd never been into girls, so while she never went beyond kissing, she was still aware of what the others were doing. Some of them had become couples, but most just... loved each other. No expectations, no titles, no betrayed feelings... Just love, pure and beautiful and simple.

Emily had found something very similar here, among her fellow marines. But here, there was no bitterness. Marines weren't forced together. They didn't join together out of fear. They joined by choice, and they supported each other by choice. Now, the people she relied on, and who relied on her in turn, the people she trusted and loved... most of them were men. Fit, masculine men. Perhaps a bit rough around the edges, but definitely attractive. She'd tried to ignore it all before, but now she'd slept with one of them, and there was no denying it any longer. She knew how they looked at her, how they felt about her. Everything was going to change, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. The prospect loomed over her like a great weight, ready to crush her. She felt trapped, confused, and scared.

As Emily sat poking at her half-eaten half-edible food, a familiar voice called out from across the room. "Hey, Deedee!" The petite dog-girl looked up, snapping out of her funk to see Cannon approaching the table. His expression was subtle as always, a small grin on his lips as he walked up, empty tray tucked under one arm. He shot her an upnod as their eyes met, jerking his square jaw forward and up.He was dressed for the weather, camo shorts and a light, sleeveless undershirt, baring his broad, tanned shoulders and muscular arms. He stepped up to the table, across from her, leaning forward and planting his hand on it casually, without a hint of the judgement or nervousness that had been following her around the past few days. "Puttin' together a quick ball game, three on three. A couple army guys think they can take on the marines. You want in?"

Emily blinked, her train of thought abruptly derailed by the unexpected offer. "Me? Don't you want Johnson for this?" she asked. "I don't play that much..."

Cannon shook his head. "Johnson ditched." he explained, simply. "Come on, I know you got the game. Besides, I know these guys, getting dunked on by a girl's gonna really piss them off."

Emily hesitated. She wasn't actually all that good at basketball. But he'd come to her, and it was a chance to embarrass some macho army punks... It was worth a shot. A small smile crept onto her face as she looked up at cannon. "Alright, I'm in. Let's show 'em what we got." she replied, then paused. "Just, ah, let me finish this real quick." she added, hastily turning back to what was left of her food and wolfing it down.

Cannon's grin widened a fraction, and with a nod, he turned and walked off toward the exit, ditching his tray on the way out. As soon as he passed through the doors, Johnson practically ran into him. "Hey, man, what's this I hear about a game? You know I'm down to show those army punks what the score is..." Johnson began, energetically.

Cannon shook his head. "Team's full, man." he replied, flatly.

Johnson's eyebrow arched. "So? Un-fill it, man!" He replied, as though stating the obvious. "You know I've got more game than anyone on base, and I got nothin' better to do than whup army ass up and down the court!"

Cannon's large hand came up, taking Johnson by the shoulder as he reached into his pocket with the other. He fished out a twenty-dollar bill and pushed it pointedly into Johnson's chest with two fingers, his grip tightening a fraction. "Do me a favor, get off base for a little while. Catch a movie." He suggested, rather firmly. Johnson blinked, ready to object, then stopped himself when he saw the look on Cannon's face. Silently, he took the bill and slunk off across the base like a kicked puppy. Cannon sighed once he was out of sight. Maybe it wasn't the smartest call, but as the mess hall doors opened behind him and he glanced back to see Deedee approaching with a smile on her face, he knew it was the right one.

-----

The match was intense, the marines taking the lead only for the army to snatch it back again all through the game. Between the brutal heat, the gritty, windblown sand and the punishing glare of the sun, every player was soaked with sweat as they played their hearts out on the improvised half-court. Emily could barely keep up with her more experienced teammates, even Cannon's powerful build darting this way and that with surprising agility. With the honor of their respective branches on the line, everyone played hard and fast, down to the very last moments. The game was nearly lost, seconds on the clock and the army in the lead, when Emily sank a three-point jump shot from out of nowhere, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat, putting the marines up by one as the buzzer went off.

The crowd cheered their champions and jeered the losers as all six players dragged themselves off the court, thoroughly exhausted. Cannon panted as her dropped to a seat amid the empty, stacked crates that served as improvised bleachers, leaning back against one and letting his head fall back until it was in the shade, his eyes closed. Emily moved to join him once the high-fiving and back-patting was over, flopping onto the next crate over and letting out a deep sigh as she finally got to relax. The two sat in near-silence for a long moment as the crowd dispersed, before Emily finally spoke. "Thanks."

Cannon glanced in her direction as he continued to breathe deep. Her softly-tanned skin glistened with sweat, and his eyes couldn't help but trace the contours of her body that the sunlight highlighted, roaming from her face down to her supple neck. The tanktop had turned transparent from the sweat, revealing the soft gray band of her sports bra more clearly as her chest rose and fell with deep, slow breaths, her peach-sized breasts rising and falling hypnotically. The shirt had ridden up a fraction at the bottom, and he could see a sliver of pale skin and tight abs. He swallowed, throat dry for more than one reason. "What?"

"Thanks." Emily repeated, rolling her head to the side, her sparkling hazel eyes looking into cannon's chestnut brown orbs, the corners of her lips pulled up into a smile. Even exhausted, her face seemed to glow, lovely and adorable and more than a little sexy. "For inviting me." she clarified, after a moment. "Everyone's been treating me different lately. I really needed to be just one of the guys for a bit." she added, rolling her head back up to look at the sky. She raised an arm to shade her eyes from the sun. "Just wish I coulda done it inside, with air conditioning." she added, wryly, her free hand gripping the neckline of her top and pulling it out to let the air flow through.

Cannon didn't say anything, but he didn't look away, either. His eyes wandered the supple female form beside him, entranced by her glistening skin. Deedee occupied a strange place in his mind. She was a fellow soldier he served beside, she was a little sister he wanted to protect, a puppy he wanted to cuddle, and the cute girl next door he had a crush on, all at once. And now, he was hearing all sorts of rumors about her. Rumors that painted her in a very different light... He swallowed again, eyes lingering on her chest thoughtlessly.

Emily's nose scrunched cutely, and a mysterious look crossed her face. She closed her eyes and it scrunched again, this time, with an audible sniff. Her already flushed cheeks glowed a fraction brighter, and she seemed to stiffen in place. Cannon realized he was staring, hurriedly tearing his gaze away. There was a moment of silence as the two sat, frozen in uncertainty beside each other. Finally, Emily drew in a deep breath and turned to face Cannon again, this time her expression was nervous, shy, almost embarrassed as she spoke. "Um... Cannon..." she began, then stopped, sitting up and and looking around the now-nearly-empty basketball court. She swallowed, and looked back to Cannon once again. "Um... can you, just, um, come with me for a second?" she asked, quietly.

Cannon blinked, confused and stiff with uncertainty for a moment, but eventually, he nodded. Emily pushed herself to her feet and he swiftly followed suit, the smaller girl taking his hand in hers and tugging him along behind her as she led him across the sandy compound. She said nothing as they walked, never looking back, her eyes fixed straight ahead until they finally came to a storage shed near the outskirts of the base. She quickly glanced around before pulling the door open and leading him inside, shutting the door swiftly behind them.

There was a click and an electric buzz as flickering fluorescent bulbs hummed to life overhead, illuminating a mostly-forgotten storage space. The room was filled with tall shelves stacked with crates full of waterproof tarps, winter blankets, mosquito netting, rubber boots, and other thoroughly useless equipment that would likely never see the light of day until the base was disassembled. It was hot and stuffy, as one would expect a windowless building with no insulation and almost no ventilation to be after being baked by the desert sun all day. Cannon looked around nervously for a moment, taking it in. It smelled of dust.

Emily stood still for a moment, with her back toward Cannon, her tail down between her knees. Suddenly, she turned to face him, a look of determination on her face, despite her still-red cheeks. "Cannon..." she began, hesitantly. "Do... Do you think I'm pretty?" she asked, suddenly.

Cannon blinked for a moment, stunned by her sudden directness. "I..." he began, struggling to form an answer that didn't make him sound creepy. "I... I think... You're... You're very pretty, Deedee." he finally managed, as cautiously and reassuringly as he could manage.

Emily huffed in annoyance. "Not like that!" she objected, shaking her head and taking a step closer. "I mean... Do you... Do you think I'm..." she struggled, fidgeting, her gaze going down to the floor for a moment before looking up into his eyes as she managed the last word. "Sexy?"

Cannon's heart skipped a beat, struck with the full force of her cuteness, her big, glistening, puppydog eyes piercing deep into his soul. It was a look of almost saccharine sweetness, nervous, curious, and just the tiniest bit hopeful, her full, soft lips bent into a subtle pout. The innocence of the look was sharply at odds with the decidedly impure urges it inspired. Cannon swallowed, his mouth dry. How could he answer that? How could he NOT answer it? "I..." he stalled. "I... think... a lot of the guys think you're... attractive."

Emily's eyebrows furrowed as she pouted more intensely. "I didn't..." she began, then stopped, the words dying on her lips. Her eyes slid off, down and to the side as she took another step closer, until she was just inches away from him. Silence hung in the air for a long moment before she spoke again, muttering just barely loud enough to be heard. "I didn't ask about... about OTHER guys..."

Cannon swallowed again, mouth even drier, if that was possible. He was cornered. "I... I..." He stammered, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water as his muscular body froze, tense, rooted in place. His mind whirred, trying to come up with a line that would maintain his innocence without hurting Emily's feelings, but each new lie tasted foul on his tongue when he went to speak. He just... couldn't bring himself to hurt her. He slumped in place, shoulders sagging as her visibly surrendered to his fate.

"...I do." Cannon finally admitted, his voice quiet. "I think you're pretty. And cute. And sweet, and innocent, and adorable, and beautiful, and lovely... And sexy, too, on top of it all." He confessed, the words pouring out of him as the dam broke. "I just... I just want to grab you and squeeze you tight and keep you safe... but I also want to... to..." he explained,a meaningful pause hanging in the air as his arms fell limp at his sides and he hung his head. "...I don't want to be the one that hurts you." He concluded.

Cannon's eyes squeezed shut, bracing himself for Deedee's reaction. Would she scold him? Turn her back in disgust? Slap him on the way out the door? Or worse still, laugh? He was not prepared for her to whisper softly to herself. "...I knew it." she muttered. His eyelids parted a tiny fraction, peering through his lashes to see her still standing there, just inches away, her head down, ears laying flat against her skull. Suddenly, his eyes went wide when he felt a delicate hand come to rest between his legs, tenderly cupping his package through his shorts.

"...I can smell it, you know." Emily began after half a moment's pause, her voice soft. "I didn't know what it was, until... Brennan. But I could smell it around me. All the time." she continued, still not looking up as her delicate fingers curled slightly, softly squeezing Cannon's impressive bulge. "But now I know what it means. I know how... how everyone looks at me. How they feel about me." she continued as his package twitched, swelling slightly against her palm. "I... I should probably feel uncomfortable. Disgusted, even. But... I don't. I feel... scared. Not because any of you might... do something. Because.... because we can't ignore it anymore. Because everything is going to... to change." she rambled, slightly, nervous.

Emily swallowed, looking up suddenly, her hazel eyes glistening as she looked into Cannon's. "I... I love Brennan. I want... I want to be with him." She explained, and his heart sank, even his his manhood continued to react to her touch. "But...I love you too." she added, her free hand coming up to rest lightly on his broad chest. "And I love Stevens. And Williams. And Twitch, and Roddy, and Lee..." she continued, listing off familiar names as Cannon grew more and more confused. The hand on his chest closed, clutching a handful of his shirt. "I love all of you... And I don't want anyone to think I don't, or that I love one more than the others, or that I don't want any of you..." she tried to explain, her voice cracking with emotion as she spoke.

Emily paused for a moment, taking a deep breath and looking down once again. Cannon's arms rose, jerkily, hesitant and mechanical, not sure what to do with them, but possessed by the urge to comfort the small girl before him. She looked up once again, determination on her features, and he froze once more. "I want things to be... fair. Balanced. I don't want anyone fighting over me. I don't want to... to belong to anybody. Brennan... Brennan and I have a... an extra connection, now. But I'm not his, and he's not mine. I want things to be balanced, I want..." she paused, cheeks flushing slightly. "I... I want you. I want to... to love you. I want to... love everyone." she explained, cheeks burning brighter, her eyes shifting to the side with embarrassment. "I've, um... wanted... for a while. I even.... imagine, sometimes, when I... Um..." She elaborated, trailing off.

Cannon was at a loss for words. The object of months of conflicted feelings was just inches away, confessing to... quite a lot. His heart was pounding, waves of turbulent emotions battering him this way and that. He felt bliss, knowing that Deedee loved him in return. Lust, knowing she wanted him. Relief, at not having to hold back his feelings anymore. Jealousy, wanting to keep her to himself. Envy, knowing Brennan had been with her first. Confusion, wondering how this would work out. But one impulse cut through the cacophony, and drove him to action. He wanted her, she wanted him, they were alone, she was so close, and she smelled so good... His arms shot forward, wrapping her petite body tightly in a warm embrace as his manhood lurched in her tender grasp. The rest could wait until he had time to think about things properly.

Cannon pulled Deedee close, his strong arms engulfing her smaller frame as it flattened against his rugged, muscular torso. She gasped in surprise, looking up at him wide-eyed. His smile was warm and genuine, but his eyes... his eyes were hungry. She swallowed, her heart pounding in her chest as she felt his member grow, pushing against her palm. His arms held her so tight, one down around her lower back the other around her shoulders, squeezing her against his body. The difference in their heights meant he nearly lifted her off her feet, her toes barely scaping at the ground. The shed was still oppressively hot, and their bodies were still soaked with sweat after the game, but neither one cared, they just wanted to be as close as they possibly could. Her grip on his shirt tightened, and she gave his growing package an encouraging squeeze.