Part 10
"Ani's got things ready, and Sam will be along in a little bit with the treats. Come on. We've got a bit of a Drone House tradition." Jay's eyes crinkled with warmth as he gestured toward the main room.
Alex followed Jay in, Jane's rubber-covered form following close behind, the soft squeak of latex accompanying their steps.
"Ta da!" Ani yelled from the corner of the room.
Over by the display screen, a handmade "Welcome Alex" banner hung from the wall, slightly crooked and lower on the left, decorated with crude drawings of drones and hearts in permanent marker.
"It would have been hung right," Ani said, hands on hips, "but somebody wanted to greet you at the door, and I'm not as tall as you are, Jay."
"It's perfect as it is." Jay said, smiling. "It's got a bit of rakish charm. What do you think?" He asked, turning to Alex.
"It's lovely." Alex felt something warm bloom in her chest, realizing this was all for her. These people who barely knew her had made her a banner, planned a party. The collar around her neck felt especially warm.
"And now," Jay said, handing Alex a GameCube controller that looked well-worn from years of use, "in true Drone House tradition, we smash!"
"Smash?" Alex raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, but perhaps not the way you're thinking. This is our inaugural Super Smash Bros Melee tournament."
"Seriously?" Alex's face lit up with genuine delight.
"To start. Then a bit of Mario Party, little bit of Kart, some snacks. Sound good?"
"Sounds amazing! Are you serious?" The rubber of Alex's shorts creaked as she bounced slightly with excitement.
"We are going to game. We're going to play, we're going to joke, we're going to talk some smack, and we're going to roundly destroy you in Melee." Ani grinned wickedly. "Unless you've got some surprises for us."
"I... uh, used to make mods and play competitively." Alex shrugged and smiled at them. "So I hate to tell you, but I don't think this is going to be as easy as you think."
"A true challenger! See, what did I tell you kids? This one, she's a good egg, Jane!"
"I know," Jane said, her voice warm as she took off her visor and mask to join the rest of them for social time.
They sat on the couch, everyone fully engaged, controllers in hands, shoulders bumping into shoulders as the matches proceeded. The rubber of their various outfits squeaked and slid against the leather couch, creating a symphony of textures. True to her word, Alex was quite good, her fingers flying over the controller with practiced ease, but Jay gave her a run for her money, and Ani was surprisingly skilled as well. Jane was happy to be included but clearly wasn't in her element playing competitively.
"Hah! Suck it tall boy!" Ani shouted as their character landed a perfect combo.
"Ooh, time for snacks!" Jay announced as a figure appeared behind them.
Sam in her full gear, mask and hood on, walked in carrying trays of olives, cheeses, sliced meats, berries, and nuts, a beautiful charcuterie spread arranged with artistic precision. The rubber of her suit caught the afternoon light streaming through the windows.
"No good for a drone to go hungry, especially not on their off day," Jay said.
Alex gleefully made a plate, the salty olives and creamy cheeses a perfect contrast to the morning's rich breakfast. She snacked as she watched Jay and Ani go head to head in a match, then Jane get roundly trounced by Ani in the next set.
Her eyes kept wandering back to Sam, standing silently in the corner, utterly still except for the slight rise and fall of her chest beneath the rubber.
Jane leaned close. "What are you thinking?" she asked quietly, her head tilting toward Alex.
"There's something... there's something about having Sam here, but not here. It's like, I want my new friend Sam here at the party. But I can't get my mind off how hot it would be to be her right now."
"Mmm, well, I will tell you two things." Jane's hand found Alex's thigh, rubber gliding over rubber. "Sam is already quite taken with you as well and would love to be here at your party, but she's been a very good drone lately and earned her favorite reward, which is exactly what you see here. Sam wasn't joking earlier when she said service is pleasure. It truly is for her. She just wants to be of service and seen that way and used by all of us. It's her biggest thrill. Well, almost her biggest thrill... you'll see in a little while."
Alex watched as Sam's gleaming form walked back to the kitchen, returning with a round of drinks, a collection of mocktails Sam had lovingly produced. Each glass was different, garnished with fresh herbs and fruit, condensation beading on the crystal.
Alex tried them all, the different unique flavors bursting on her tongue, a mint mojito that was somehow both cooling and warming, a spicy cucumber that made her lips tingle, and one that tasted almost like orange whiskey but without the burn.
"Our little Sam here is a bit of a chemist," Jay said, taking a long sip of his drink.
"These are all technically electrolyte solution, good for hydration, good for the body, and none of those nasty carbs or alcohol."
"So you don't drink here at the house?" Alex asked.
"It's not forbidden, it's just not really necessary. We've got plenty of other ways to get high, if you know what I mean." Jay winked. "And the AI likes to have a bit more control of our mental states. None of us really mind. We don't miss it. How about you?"
"I don't know, never really drank much anyway."
"So there you have it. Let the euphoria come from other avenues... Speaking of—"
"YEAAAAH!" Ani yelled, beating Jane in the final round of Smash, jumping up from the couch, their full rubber suit squeaking with the movement. "Told you I was on top! Small but MIGHTY!" Ani yelled in an exaggerated tone that got a good laugh from everyone. "Just because you're tall does not make you better than me," Ani said, pointing at Jay.
"I never said it did!" He said, with a smile and an air of innocence that brought out the kiwi lilt in his voice.
"You literally said 'You're too small to hurt me' and 'sit down short stuff.'" Ani shot back, deadpan.
"Oh yeah, I suppose I did say that! Well, good on you. Good game!"
"Now, mini games!" Jay switched the system over to Mario Party, and the festivities continued.
As the afternoon wore on, their bodies seemed to rest more easily and comfortably on each other, the couch becoming a tangle of rubber-clad limbs. Shoulder touches and jostling turned into leans, then into a proper cuddle pile, Alex finding herself pressed between Jane and Ani, the warmth of their bodies transmitting through the latex, the constant subtle friction of rubber on rubber making her hyperaware of every point of contact.
"Well, Jane, that one's more your speed!" Jay said as Jane closed out the round of Mario Party as the victor.
"There's a bit more luck involved in that one," Jane said modestly.
"That's not true. You're good at those games. But meanwhile, I think it's time for the finale. And I believe I would like to relax. Anybody else?"
"Yeah, that'd be nice. I could use somewhere to put my feet up." Ani smiled wickedly at Jay.
"Oh Sammm," Jay called toward the back.
Sam walked forward, her movements precise and drone-like.
"Be a doll here and be a footstool, won't you?"
Sam shuddered visibly, her whole body trembling as the human command sent waves of pleasure through her. But it lasted longer than usual, deeper somehow. Alex felt it too, that sympathetic desire to be used, to be a thing. Sam was going to get treated like furniture by all of them.
Jay rolled something over from the side of the great room. It was a long black leather-covered bench with a raised center and plush padded rests for the arms and legs of whoever got installed into it. The leather was worn smooth from use, and there were subtle indentations where bodies had been positioned before.
"On you go," he said, helping Sam straddle it, positioning her arms and legs with practiced ease. The rubber of Sam's suit creaked as she settled into position, her breathing audibly quickening through the mask. Jay lifted a flap from the side and a long padded leather cushion laid across Sam's back and the back of her legs like a saddle, not totally obscuring her but sandwiching her down under the thick heavy leather padding. He pulled straps tight, locking her in place with metallic clicks that echoed in the room.
"And now you're not even a drone, you're just our footstool. Just a thing for us to rest our feet on. Maybe poke and prod a little. Nothing you can do about it. You're stuck." Jay said, with a mix of firmness and glee.
Alex felt a wave of utter arousal run through her, her nipples hardening against the rubber bra, heat pooling low in her belly. Holy shit. Well, I guess that's on my list now, she thought. Watching Sam treated that way, being gleefully objectified in an otherwise happy and fun environment, was an instant turn-on. The casualness of it, the way Jay spoke about Sam like she wasn't even there, made Alex's breath catch.
She sat up, shifted, and saw Jane's rubber-covered leg sitting right next to her. She looked up at Jane and ran her hand down Jane's thigh, gripping it tight, feeling the latex warm under her palm.
"Super hot, isn't it?" Jane whispered, tilting down toward Alex.
"Mmm hmm." Alex nodded, not trusting her voice.
"You want to be just like that sometime?" Jane asked, her hand covering Alex's.
"Mmm hmm," Alex said in a quiet voice, feeling her cheeks burn.
"Maybe we can arrange that. But for tonight, this is Sam's reward. Don't be afraid to give her a little bit of that 'Alex wickedness' I saw earlier."
Alex took a breath and nodded at Jane, understanding. They each took their turns being treated and rewarded, and they took their pleasure in giving each other what they needed. This is what Sam needed and deserved.
Jay handed them all controllers and fired up Mario Kart. They resumed their cheering and banter, each putting their legs up on Sam, resting them against her legs, her back. The weight of their legs pressed Sam down further into the bench, eliciting soft moans that barely escaped her mask.
It didn't take long before Alex saw Jane sneak her toes down alongside Sam's torso and poke and dig. Sam squirmed and moaned, the sound muffled but unmistakably pleasure-filled.
Alex caught on to the game, let her own foot slide along Sam's shoulder, down her bound arm. She lifted her toes up and into the area between the bench and Sam's chest, prodding gently at first, then with more pressure.
Then, while they were playing, Alex shifted and slid down onto her knees, resting her body and elbows on top of the Sam-footstool, treating it like just a piece of furniture. She let her weight flop over it, the leather cushion compressing slightly under her, Sam's body warm beneath. She even smacked on top of it when she lost a race, the impact drawing a deeper groan from Sam.
It's just a thing, just a piece of furniture, Alex told herself, feeling the thrill of the objectification from both sides.
Ani, never one to miss out on fun, saw Alex and joined in, sitting right next to Alex's elbows, directly on Sam's back. Despite their petite figure, Sam still let out a deep moan that turned guttural as they teased and pushed and prodded while they played. Sometimes they forgot she was there entirely, absorbed in the game. Sometimes they deliberately bullied and teased her, wiggling and adjusting their positions just to make her squirm.
Almost an hour passed. They'd run through two full circuits, the afternoon light now golden through the windows. Ani was yawning, and they'd all had their fill of games for now.
"Well, drones, that was about as wonderful a welcome tournament as we've ever had. Thank you, everybody." Jay stood and stretched, his drone suit creaking. "Alex, welcome truly. I hope you stay with us. We all quite like you. I hope this was your cup of tea."
"Oh, this was perfect," Alex said, realizing that strong emotions were just behind those words, a tightness in her throat she wouldn't let surface just now. She just smiled back at him, the collar around her neck feeling like a badge of belonging.
"All right, I'll clean up the trays. Jane, can you get the drinks? And Ani, you mind getting Alex ready for the next phase?"
"Don't have to ask me twice," Ani said with a grin, bouncing up from the couch.
"What about Sam?" Alex asked as they led her away from the great room, looking back at the figure still bound to the bench.
"Who's Sam? Never heard of her," Jay said with a smile in his voice.
"Oh, you mean the footstool. Ah, it'll be there in the morning. No need to put everything back where it belongs just yet. It's just a thing, after all."
He shut out the light in the great room as they all walked out, leaving Sam bound in the darkness, only the sound of her breathing and occasional soft moans marking her presence.