*—Kathunk.*

  The automated sliding door shut firmly behind Zurii as she headed back to her office to review charts and graphs. Most of the paperwork was already pre-fabbed—she just needed her verification ID and the signatures of the involved parties to process everything, making whichever decision official.

  *Click—clack—click—clack.*

  Happy hunting, Mr. Dixion. Do my girl proper, would you? Zurii thought as she stepped onto the platform.

  Tiffany could still hear the echo of Zurii’s boot heels down the empty hall. She stared at the door as if someone were still standing there, her ears twitching subtly, still catching the fading rhythm of Zurii’s steps until she reached the maintenance transport pod (or elevator, to put it in earthier terms).

  “Hey—”

  Her ears perked up and swiveled toward the voice behind her. She turned slowly to see her waiting partner. A toothy grin spread across her face, her tongue lolling out slightly as she absentmindedly licked her protruding canines.

  “Easy, girl—I’m not a snack,” Nick joked.

  She looked at him, then padded slowly over to the window, where a water-filled pitcher sat beside an empty glass.

  “That’s debatable…” she mumbled with a poker face, trying to hide her excitement and happiness. Her swishing tail wasn't having any of that subtlety and was airing her emotions in full, gloriously happy display—earning a small chuckle from Nick as she placed the flowers in the pitcher and brought them to his bedside.

  His eyes drifted over the beautiful array of colors and shapes. A light, sweet scent—something like honey and roses—emitted from the bouquet. His gaze shifted to the crushed stems, realizing Tiffany must’ve had them in a tight grip when she ran into Zurii.

  “Where in the world did you get that dress?” he asked, noticing the slit in the back where her poofy red tail poked through. It gently thwapped him in the face as she turned to move the chair. He caught a whiff of her scent as she did—like warm sunshine in an orchid of cherry blossoms. Her presence, mingling with the flowers, breathed life and comfort into the sterile, robotic stillness of the infirmary room.

  “I got it from Mrs. Dorris’s shop after they made me leave your side to give you time to recuperate...” Her ears flattened, tail drooping as she remembered being dragged from his bedside by the two strongest hands on the ship. It had been an embarrassing moment for her.

  “Had to tell her it was for a very large relative,” she added with a sheepish grin. “Came with this really nice hat too!” She tilted it to the side, her ears twitching happily as she showed it off.

  “She was so glad to see me—said to tell you thanks again and hello. It... took everything I had not to cry when she said that,” Tiffany said, her eyes beginning to mist as she adjusted the floppy, human-sized hat.

  “You look beautiful—you should wear clothes like that more often,” he said, giving her a faint smile.

  Her ears burned with embarrassment as her face flushed to a soft whitish pink. She began clicking her index claws nervously as she looked at the floor.

  “So... what did you and Ms. Zurii talk about?” she asked, nervously clicking her index claws together.

  Nick blinked, then glanced toward the window. “Could I please get some water?”

  She looked at him, then at the pitcher she was holding—now filled with flowers. Her gaze drifted to the empty glass by the windowsill, the one she’d taken the pitcher from.

  “Um... yeah... sorry about that. I’ll send for more,” she said, handing him the pitcher instead.

  He took it, studying the strange colors and designs, the familiar scents. “Are these toxic?” he asked, rotating the pitcher to inspect the flowers.

  She tilted her head, puzzled. “They should be safe—why wou—”

  Before she could finish, he plucked one of the bright blue blossoms that smelled like honey and bit off a petal.

  Her eyes widened comically, muzzle frozen mid-sentence. Then came the snort—followed by a fit of laughing sneezes as she tried to stifle herself, hand over her muzzle, failing completely at the look on his face as he spat out the bitter petal.

  “Just because it’s not poisonous doesn’t mean it’ll taste good!” she wheezed, finally regaining control.

  “I’ll make a note of that. Wow, that tasted nothing like honey.”

  She smiled warmly as he placed the pitcher between his broken legs atop the silver blanket.

  “So... why did you do that?”

  He shrugged, then tilted his head in a way that mimicked her curious posture—ears flicking, though his couldn’t.

  “Just wanted to break the tension. You’ve gone through a lot while I was gone... which reminds me—Glitchet didn’t do anything to my CD collection, did she?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

  Her muzzle dropped, hanging even lower in disbelief. “Ho—how did you even know about that?!”

  Nick fought to keep a straight face at her cartoonish shock. “Well, I couldn’t communicate with you guys, but in some instances I was aware. I appreciate you being there for me. And also... it’s okay. I’m alive.”

  He leaned over, placing a hand gently on her arm. Her tension eased, as did her mind.

  “Just... next time you get excited like that, promise me you’ll go a little easier?” he said with a grimacing smile.

  Sadness crept back into her eyes.

  “I’d still like some water though... maybe a refill on this coffee Zurii ordered me, please?”

  Any trace of sadness or self-pity snapped away as Tiffany called to Serbal, the ship’s onboard computer that controlled the service droid. The same droid flickered to life, detaching from the wall and hovering over to her. She made the request, and it buzzed off through the door toward the mess hall.

  *Thunk—Whoosh—Kathunk.*

  “Yes, we sent her off on her route. All of your belongings will be as you left them. Also...” she said, as her eyes drifted to the floor, claws nervously clicking again. “...I’m sorry—I’m not really experienced in the romance department, so I don’t know what happened. And I’m sorry I ruined the experience for you...”

  Nick couldn’t help but grin. He handed her the flowers to place back on the window ledge, which she did. Then he motioned for her to scoot closer and hunch down. When she did, he leaned in, wrapping both arms around her neck in a tight squeeze. With one hand, he gently removed her floppy hat and laid it on the bed, still holding her close.

  She wrapped her arms around him, hesitant, afraid of injuring him further. One of his hands drifted through her mane, working its way to the top of her head. As she leaned in, his fingers danced around her ears, sending shudders through her body. She melted beside him, her face resting gently on the bed near his shoulder, not quite touching him. From behind her chair came a soft, rhythmic thump—thump—thump as her tail gently beat against the low section of wall before it formed the window ledge.

  “I told you I’m fine. And I enjoyed every bit of it... except the broken bones—which I don’t blame you for. You just don’t know your own strength. So stop pouting. Let’s try and forget this mess happened. Besides—Zurii said you had something to talk to me about?”

  Her eyes lulled open, reluctant to move from his bedside as he continued rubbing the base of her ears. Her tail kept beating mercilessly against the wall behind her—until he stopped, her tail slowly drooped in a sad arch. She sat back reluctantly, eyeing him with a small pout, then mentally shrugged it off and fumbled in her front dress pocket, producing the vial.

  Sigh “This is something Alice concocted... she took a sample of your blood and mine, refined it with enzymes and genetic rewriting, and somehow found a way to make us compatible...”

  Nick looked at her, puzzled by her defeated posture and downcast expression.

  “That sounds like good news... even though I have no idea what any of that means—sooo, why are you so depressed?”

  She tried to smile, but it barely held. “There’s still a chance if you take this... you could die.”

  He grinned mischievously. “Wouldn’t be the first time.” He shrugged like it was no big deal.

  “That’s not funny!”

  “It kinda is!” he said, bursting into laughter—then winced as pain shot through his body from the jostling. Her sudden, stern expression only made it worse.

  “Hahaha... aaaah, that smarts! Don’t make me laugh like that, please. But—seriously, what does all that mean... being compatible?”

  She reached over, placing a clawed hand on his. It dwarfed his in comparison.

  “It means... that if you accept this gift—because we’re compatible—you’ll gain some of my strength, speed, and regenerative abilities. In a sense, we’ll be two bodies sharing a bond. It’s... it’s a symbol of marriage among my people. A binding contract.”

  “So, why would I die?” he asked, cutting straight to the hard question.

  She shrugged, unsure how to explain the specifics, but did her best.

  “The Dark Ones tried to use our blood to gain immortality. They used everything they could gain access to—magic, enchanted artifacts, and the scraps of science they could understand. Nothing lasted. So they kept hunting, trial and error, bleeding us dry... until they themselves began to die out. But not before nearly committing genocide against our species.”

  “Our bonds don’t mix well with others... You’re a different species entirely... So that doesn't help.” She hesitated. “Genetics was how Alice put it, which surprised both of us when she ran the lab samples and my blood didn’t cause yours to decay.”

  He looked at her curiously, his thoughts interrupted by the door.

  *Thunk—Whoosh—Kathunk.*

  It was the same droid—this time with friends. The one from the room flew over, grabbed Nick’s saucer and mug, and handed him a fresh replacement. Another brought a pitcher of water and a clean glass. A third, to Tiffany’s surprise, offered her a cup of coffee. Her look of surprise never failed to make Nick smile.

  The room drone redocked on the wall as the others buzzed off back to the mess hall.

  They sat in quiet comfort. Tiffany added a packet to her drink; Nick sipped his straight. She set hers aside, got up, and poured him a glass of water.

  “So even with everything you said, you’re saying I may still die?”

  Still pouring, eyes averted, she nodded.

  “It’s always a possibility when mixing species with Lupas. If you want more specifics, you’ll have to ask Alice if you see her... Even though the risk is low, it’s still there. I think, according to tests and records archived over generations, we have about ten hours—your time—for side effects to show, good or bad. Specifically cellular decay. It's normally detectable by then.”

  Nick again just shrugged at the idea as she handed him the glass. He downed it in one go, handing it back to the slightly stunned wolf.

  “My, you were a thirsty one.”

  “Always when you’re around,” he joked. Even so, she blushed heavily at this.

  “So why even do this? Why not just fix me up and send me back home?”

  She looked at him, head tilting slightly as her left ear spasmed.

  “We still can,” she said, sipping the slightly bitter drink. “But you’ll be the same as you were before—weak, human. And I’d... be afraid of losing you again. Forever.”

  He smiled warmly at her.

  “Isn’t that part of life, though?” he asked with a grin.

  Her mild expression shifted into a faint, unpleasant scowl.

  “Doesn’t mean I have to like it,” she grumbled, lapping at her drink.

  “But you’re offering something that could kill me... because you don’t want me to die?”

  “I wouldn’t offer this if it were high risk,” she said softly. “But yes, you’re right. It’s not one hundred percent foolproof. I just wanted to give you the option. I’m sure Zurii laid everything out already?”

  He nodded, sipping more. She cradled the small-to-her mug in her clawed hands and looked intently at Nick—her stare, under different circumstances, especially when they first met, would have made him extremely nervous.

  “So—take my feelings out of the equation, regardless of how I may act...” She tilted her head as she looked down and to the side, her sulking expression creeping in for a few moments. “Or how well Ms. Zurii feels she knows me—which, at times, is painfully accurate—I’m a big girl. I can move on if need be.”

  “We can still finish the main mission without doing this. But my question is—what do you want to do after this?”

  Her last words pricked at him more than usual.

  “You mean... travel with you? In space?”

  She closed her eyes and nodded, sipping her drink as he did. He looked at his mug, thinking...

  “What do I do about the land, house, and everything else? Should I just... sell it?” he asked, growing quiet as he stared into the swirling contents of his mug. She sat nearby, stealing glances, trying to read him as they both enjoyed the quiet moment between them, sipping their drinks.

  “That’s up to you... I still have my house on Theos-179. My grandfather keeps any possible vagrants away. Even though it’s an undeveloped planet, there’s still a chance of unwanted visitors—even a curious grizmonger. He messaged me a while back before planet-fall, just to check on me and say he’s been keeping my speeder clean. If anything, maybe hire a caretaker for your estate—if you want.”

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  “Everyone keeps asking what I think about you and how I feel—how do you feel about me?”

  Nick wished he had a camera to capture the moment. Her muzzle hung slightly open, like she’d been caught mid-sentence. She must’ve realized it, because she quickly shook her head side to side, erasing the shocked expression before her usual poker face returned.

  “On a biological standpoint... you’ve—you’ve already imprinted on me. It would be a chall—Hey! I thought I said take me out of the equation!” she pointed out, slightly flustered, a surge of emotions flickering across her face.

  He looked at her calmly, gently waving his hand palm-down in a soothing gesture.

  “If the equation is us building a life together, *YOU* are a huge chunk of the relationship. So... how do you feel about me—across the board?”

  Still flustered, she looked to the side, sipping her coffee as she avoided his gaze.

  “I love you,” she mumbled into her drink.

  “Huh? Sorry, I didn’t catch that,” he teased, looking at her flatly.

  “Fine! I—love—you! You’ve imprinted on me in a way no one else has or could! Forgetting about you would be near impossible, no matter how hard I tried! Why do words have to be this hard?! Aaaaggghhhhh!!!” she exclaimed, roughly wiping a hand down her face in frustration before she slightly calmed down after venting. Nick just smiled and shrugged, covering his mouth with his mug.

  “Why so dramatic?”

  “Look, you! You wanted to know, so I’m telling you! I also feel partially responsible for what happened to you the other night! There! I spoke my mind and said it!”

  Nick smiled at the exasperated Lupas from behind his mug, watching her simmer for a moment before speaking again.

  “Only partially?”

  That flared her up—then, just as quickly, the emotion faded into sulking.

  *Sigh.* “You’re right. It was my fault...”

  “You know I’m just giving you a hard time, right?”

  She nodded, still pouting with her mug up to her muzzle. He could hear her slowly lapping at the liquid, eyes slitted in annoyance.

  “That being said... I feel the same—”

  She looked at him in utter disbelief, her mind blank, the logical side of her brain frozen and dumbfounded.

  “I... love you too. And no matter how hard I try, I’d never be able to forget you or the short time we’ve had together. I enjoyed every moment—minus the broken bones, of course. So yes, I humbly accept you, and your gift. So, if you’ll take me as your husband, I’ll take you as my wife.”

  They both smiled, misty-eyed. He reached over, patting her hand, then gently—reverently—took the vial from her, studying it.

  “Sooo... how does this work?” he asked, rolling the vial in his hand.

  She smiled coyly, tapping a claw against her protruding canine.

  “Would you like to seal it with a kiss?”

  “Wait... wha—?”

  Before he could finish, she plucked the vial from his hand, popped the top, and threw the liquid back like a shot. Muzzle full, she leaned in smiling, her tail tapping against the wall again. Nick paused, then understood. He reached up, placing a hand on each warm, fuzzy cheek, inviting her to follow through. She puckered and leaned in.

  They kissed—her tongue slipping past his lips, letting the warm, copper-metallic liquid flow down his throat as they embraced. For a long, quiet moment, Tiffany forgot all about the ritual. She simply melted into his warmth, savoring the kiss she’d longed for—one that felt like an eternity in the making. What made it so intoxicating was that he was willfully reciprocating the feeling. The moment felt like pure bliss—something she never wanted to end.

  *Thunk—Whoosh—*

  “Oh!—I take it you... didn’t need the IV drip?”

  They both froze mid-embrace, expressions like someone caught mid-lick to a frozen pole in winter. Their eyes darted to the tall, white rabbit standing halfway in the doorway, one long ear flopped to the side, pink nose twitching slightly as her red-and-teal eyes widened in surprise. She held a small container of tubes and an IV bag. Tiffany broke away first, flustered.

  “Alice?! Why are you here?!”

  “One, my shift is over. Two... I wanted to make sure my bestie’s mate was okay,” she crooned, waggling her brows at her friend in a mischievously seductive manner, making Tiff flush with embarrassment.

  *—Kathunk—*

  She cheerfully bounded in and set the supplies down, then excitedly padded over to Tiffany, wrapping an arm around her neck in a playful chokehold, ruffling the top of her head with stubby claws.

  “I’m sooo glad to see you finally un-barricade yourself from your room! I was beginning to think I’d have to get Splicer with a plasma torch to persuade the door open!”

  “Ack! Alice! Come on—not now!” Tiffany growled, swatting at her friend’s paw.

  “Awww, but I missed my bestie,” Alice cooed, giving her neck a final squeeze before bounding over to the holo monitor readouts projected on the wall.

  “I’m guessing you took it orally?—Gosh, that must’ve tasted awful,” she said, trying to keep a straight face, having a blast with the reactions she was receiving from the new couple.

  They looked at each other, then back at her, nodding in unison like they’d just been caught in some kind of shenaniganry.

  “Wow, could you two look any more guilty? Hehe—gosh, you guys are adorable!” she said, pulling out a small device and aiming it at them.

  *Click.*

  “Aaand that’s a keeper for the holo wall!” she announced, smiling and chuckling as she pocketed the device.

  “Anywho, shouldn’t matter... I’ll just bring the other stuff back—And you!” she squeaked, looking at Nick, her nose twitching excitedly as she padded to the bedside with an outstretched hand.

  “Finally get to meet the guy my bestie’s been drooling over ever since that party you two met at!” she exclaimed. As the bundle of energy that she was, Alice’s chaotic charm was a force Nick clearly hadn’t braced for. She seemed to keep him in a state of awkward embarrassment—much like Tiffany looked throughout the exchange.

  “I’m Alice! Pretty sure Tiffany’s mentioned me by now. If not—shame on her.” She bobbed playfully with her paws on her wide hips, her dark blue one-piece jumper highlighting every curve, shimmering as she reached over to enthusiastically shake his hand. She stuck her tongue out and squinted at her flushed friend.

  “I’m right here, ya know...” the Lupas huffed, crossing her arms in front of her chest and eyeing Alice.

  “And buns, that’s why I said it!” she huffed with mock grumpiness, crossing her arms in front of her chest like Tiffany as she blew a raspberry at her friend.

  “Don’t mind grumpy-grump—she gets in her feelings... a lot,” Alice said, winking a red-and-teal eye at Nick, making him smile warmly at her. He nodded, still trying to wrap his mind around the energetic bestie.

  She ruffled a paw through his bedhead, then bounded to the other side of the bed, giving Tiff a big hug before gathering her things and checking the monitors one last time.

  “Nick, I’ll be back in a millicycle. Tiff, try to give the poor boy some space and rest. We’ll regroup after that to check his status.” She scooped up the unneeded container of medical gear and, with a bounce in her step, padded out the door to return the supplies, whistling a tune almost as energetic and happy as she was—sounding like a metallic-pitched synthesizer that, suspiciously to Nick, sounded like Sandstorm by Darude.

  *Thunk—Whoosh—Kathunk.*

  “Wow, grumpy-grump... she sure is a bundle of energy. And why does that tune sound oddly familiar?” Nick said with a straight face, mumbling the last part.

  “Yeah, she’s defin— Hey! I’m not a grumpy-grump!” Tiffany barked, placing her hands on her hips and frowning at him momentarily. “Oh... you know I can’t stay mad at you right now. Come here,” she growled playfully, pulling him into a warm embrace. “Also, it probably is—because I made a copy of your music collection and sent it to her to archive. My guess is she really likes it.”

  “Well, she certainly sounds... fun. What’s a millicycle?” he asked, looking from the door back to Tiffany.

  “Yeah... she’s a real friend. Definitely not afraid to embarrass you in front of a room. She helped me through so many rough times. As for a millicycle—that’s about eight and a half hours Earther time. She’ll be back next shift to check on you.”

  He nodded, still in a bit of a daze, then perked up slightly, cocking an eyebrow at Tiffany.

  “Mate?”

  She looked at him for a moment and nodded. “That’s a blunt way of putting it, but... yeah, you kinda are now.”

  He shrugged. It didn’t bother him. He figured it was an odd thing to be called, but he’d been called worse over the years—and this, this he considered a compliment.

  “Guess that means you need to be going soon.”

  “I’m not going anywhere...” she said, getting out of the chair and setting her hat on the window ledge. She dropped to all fours and plodded to the foot of the bed, circling a few times on the cold tile floor before finally curling up. The chill made her fur bristle.

  “Hey! No! You’re not sleeping on the floor—you could catch a cold!” A hidden grumble from the foot of the bed was the only response he got for a brief moment.

  “Tiff? I mean it,” he said with a firm tone.

  “Hmf! I’d like to see you make me, leg-o-less one,” she barked in a huff.

  “No—I’m Nick. Not a pointy-eared archer,” he said, poking fun at her not getting jokes like this when they first started working together.

  He clearly hit her funny bone, judging by the growling snorts he heard from the foot of the bed.

  “Tell you what... when I’m not so leg-o-less and not stuck in this bed, how about you show me your cabin you were so fond of while I was stuck here? You know... help me settle in?”

  The room went dead silent. The only sound was a low hum emanating from the walls from unseen machinery. He watched as her large, floofy ears poked over the foot of the bed. Her green eyes slowly peered over, staring at him like he’d just told a bad joke she didn’t find funny.

  “Really? I’d have you all to myself... willingly... in my quarters?”

  Nick smiled sheepishly, shrugging. “Well, that would sound appropriate, given we’re now—married, as you put it.”

  Her head shot up over the bed as she sat upright, giving Nick a mild chuckle at her reaction.

  “Really?!” Her face dropped into quiet suspicion, making him question his offer.

  “This isn’t one of those wiggle-room promises like you made that Pharose girl Moyra, is it?” she asked, hunching down and nuzzling her muzzle under the blanket. Her dark emerald eyes watched him intently, peering up from above the blanket, reading his face as her left ear twitched spasmically.

  “Why would I do that to my career and relationship partner?” he asked sternly.

  Her eyes moistened, staring warmly at him. Her tail said the rest without a word*—thump-thump-thump-thump*.

  “Fine... I’ll go back to my quarters,” she said, relenting with a huff. She slowly got up, pulling a small square device from her floral-patterned dress pocket and handing it to Nick.

  “What’s this?” he asked curiously, flipping the small square. To his surprise, he pulled on a corner and it unfolded into a rectangle. Inside was a picture of Alice and Tiffany smiling enthusiastically, waving at whatever took the photo.

  “It’s our standard communicator. You’ll get your own later. For now, you can borrow mine. If you need me or anything, just say Snuggie and it’ll call my cabin.”

  He nodded his thanks, then paused, cocking an eyebrow at her.

  “Wait... Snuggie?”

  At that, the device activated—and a very exasperated image of Tiffany naked in the shower, covered in soap suds and turning around in shock, popped onto the screen. Scrolling glyphs Nick couldn’t read yet spelled out cabin.

  Tiffany lightly palmed her forehead, wiping the front of her face at the embarrassing moment. “Alice got ahold of it, changed it to that, and now I don’t know how to set it back...”

  Nick tried not to laugh, but a few bits of glee slipped out at the nickname—and the embarrassing yet undeniably sexy picture. He waved the image at Tiffany, teasing her.

  “When I get my own com... can I get a copy of this for my background?” he asked with a cheesy grin.

  Unamused, she reached over and flicked him lightly on the forehead before walking off.

  She stepped to his bedside, gently hugged him, gave him another long kiss, and followed it up with a playful lick before bounding off to her room.

  “We’ll see when the time comes. Make it through the night—then we’ll discuss my bestie’s photography talent,” she called over her shoulder.

  “Serbal, lights off. Keep an eye on his vitals, please.”

  “Acknowledged—Snuggie,” the system replied.

  She growled as she walked out the door, mumbling something about pulling Alice’s ear hairs out with a pair of tweezers.

  *Thunk—Whoosh—Kathunk*.

  Nick slid under the covers, drifting into a deep sleep, imagining what wonders tomorrow might hold in his new life—until he finally slipped into the darkness of dreams.