Part 10: God Knows It's Been Fun

“I love you too, Toby!"

Mae's mechanical frame held Toby in a vice like grip. The little man in her palm loved her back. It was the kind of thing that only happened in folk tales, yet here she was. Her chin sunk into the crook of his neck. Metal fingers combed through his hair and savored its every inch. It was incredible to experience him on this scale, though something about it would always be incomplete. She had no throat to purr with. No tongue to lap at his skin. No nose to indulge in his scent. Those faculties existed elsewhere. Dormant in the stripy behemoth that slumbered on an enormous sofa to her left.

“That's what I look like to you?"

Mae had to break off their embrace just to nab a decent look at the creature. Its heaving chest was the only thing that made it look remotely like a person, rather than a statue. Yet it was supposed to be her. Toby was awestruck for entirely different reasons than her own. “Don't like what you see?" He entwined his fingers with hers. “I do."

He didn't just see some immense creature with unfathomable power over him. He saw the love of his life. Her voice box crackled out a laugh. Metal and wire couldn't emulate all the ways her body displayed affection, but the feelings she had for him didn't deplete. “It won't be easy, Toby. Things are complicated at sizes like ours."

Undisturbed by the implications, Toby left a heartfelt kiss on her cheek. “It's more fun that way." He drove the point home with a tap on her nose.

Massive hand claps echoed through the room, only stopping once the culprit tapped on her door sized yutri and engulfed her senses with a white flash. When Mae came to, her sight and hearing left her, but a flurry of scents bathed her nose. Her flesh and fur could feel again. Air rushed in and out of her lungs for what felt like the first time. Properly sized hands pulled the equipment off. This was the real world. Ko was back to normal, and pat along Mae's arms to check for signs of discomfort. While Toby was still stuck on the table and able to fit in her palm again. How unfortunate.

“How do you feel, Sis? Any side effects?"

Ko's voice was stern and analytical. She must have done this a thousand times, Mae presumed. “I feel fine, physically. But the world at that size? How could I ever become used to that?"

Ko grinned and pat Mae on the shoulder. “Don't worry. Most want to eject the second they see what you did, so I'd say you were a cut above." She laughed. “But still, what are you planning to do now?"

In one fell swoop, Mae's high evaporated and the cold reality set in. She didn't have a clue. Things like playing to a human crowd were always beyond her reach, and Cal-Gea's other restrictions disgusted her. But their smothering and callous label lent her opportunities unlike any she'd had before. Now, she only had Toby, her family, and her friends. Though perhaps they were all she needed.

“Wait! We can play the human settlement!" Mae gasped.

Naturally, Ko looked at her like she'd gone mad. Mae didn't blame her. The width of her drum kit alone would have made the idea infeasible before. Those dark days were over with the proxy in arm's reach, but it was clear to Mae her sister needed to be warmed to the idea. “Proxies can do so much already. I could have run or jumped or done anything I normally could in one. If that's true, then why would playing drums be any different?"

Mae's tail twitched behind her, as she looked Ko dead in the eyes. No clarity had come to them, but she had to keep going. “If Rij has told you anything about what happened in the café, or at the bar with Hare'ker, then you know how bad things are here. The humans need a bridge to the rest of Tebeish. What better way than a concert where everyone is truly welcome? Please, Ko."

“I don't know." Ko's head hung low. “I see what you're trying to do, but it takes days and days of training before most people are used to their proxy."

“Then I'll use it all the time!" Mae implored, gripping the back of her sister's hands.

One quick glimpse of Toby told her he was entirely on board. At least somebody was.

“There are people here who love each other, like me and Toby. But they're so scared of hurting each other that they'll never even meet. This is bigger than me, Ko, and I'll do a quarter's training in days if that's what it takes."

With a moment of trepidation, Ko's ears swiveled, as she considered her options. The wait, short as it was, could have killed Mae. Her sister relented all the same. “Alright. If you think you can handle it, then I won't stand in your way."

Ko's weary, acquiescent smile broke into shock when Mae hugged her sister tight. Licks scrawled across her orange cheek, making the bigger sister tense up in surprise.

“Thank you, Ko! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

“Don't thank me yet. You've got some favors to call." Ko warned, softening the blow by grooming the space between Mae's ears.

Her eyes looked over to the tiny human on the table. “And good luck, you little lovebirds."

--

A day had passed since Ko gave Mae proxy access. The wheels were in motion, and it was up to Toby to grease them. That was what led him back to New Alice Springs once again. The mock suburban house he found himself in was standard fare for the area, and its owner made no effort to mask it. Aside from a prehistoric, beer stained coffee table and scuff marks on the floor from a bass amp, the place was so spotless it was almost cutesy. Its lone tenant didn't match up. In fact, he became outright incensed, as Toby sat opposite him on the table.

“That's total bullshit! They can't fire you cause you wanted to help!" Andrew roared, slamming a fist on the table with a sober man's precision.

New friend or not, the sight of Andrew's balled fist was enough to put Toby into fight or flight. “Andrew. Calm." He insisted. “You think I want the whole world to know?"

Andrew grumbled and leaned his chin on an open palm. The other hand held a fork, still twirling and fiddling with a rapidly cooling batch of instant ramen. Not that its rancid odor happened to fade. “I get ya. Still, man. What's gonna happen to you?"

Andrew's concern seemed genuine, which Toby welcomed. Conversation in the winter afternoon certainly beat attempted maiming. Toby was here for a reason, though, and Andrew had given him quite the tee up.

“That's the thing. I have plans, Andy. Plans that you can help with."

Andrew reclined into the armrests of his seat. A gesture that may have been more dignified if he hadn't filled his living room with cheap patio furniture instead of anything decent.

“Only if you don't call me Andy again." He warned, but his attempt at seriousness deflated with the ensuing smirk. “For real, though. I still owe you, dude. So I'll do whatever."

He didn't quite know what Andrew 'owed him' for, but Toby wasn't about to complain. Lucy's Favourites were the only human musicians he had any ties to. The lone music store he knew of in New Alice Springs seemed to have shut its doors not too long ago, either. Andrew's word may well have been the lynchpin of their latest scheme.

“Right. Do you remember the proxies Mae brought up when she came here?"

“No shit, I do. Those mini-mechs really exist?" Andrew chuffed.

Toby nodded. His good mood was only partly soured by the ramen's waft. “Yeah, and me and Mae are gonna play a show here with one. Thing is, we kind of need a drum kit. Plus a mic."

Andrew's prior curiosity gave way to outright enthusiasm, causing him to sit upright in his chair. “And you want to borrow ours? Sure thing!"

Toby had expected much more haggling, so the way Andrew embraced the idea with open arms really made his day. He was beginning to think he'd massively underestimated his connection with the guy. Something more lay under the surface. “Really? You'd hand it over just like that?"

Andrew didn't mind him asking, much to his credit. “It's the least I could do after you saved my ass, dude."

That comment confused Toby even more. Andrew thinking he 'owed' him was strange enough. Saving him was a whole other league of baffling.

“Guess I need to explain, right?" Andrew said, having managed to pick up on Toby's cues. “My sister back on Earth, Eliza, she's been trying to help me go dry for years. I always used to shrug her off till you and I duked it out, but now? This shit was gonna kill me, dude. That's when I knew for sure, and I couldn't keep disappointing her anymore, y'know?"

Andrew sat back and had a long laugh at himself. It was amazing to see him already laughing at his failures instead of drinking over them. Toby threw himself down next to him. Blue poked through white as his hair dangled over his face.

“I think you saved me too." Toby told him, making Andrew gawk. “I'm not joking, man! I wouldn't be going out with Mae right now if you didn't fuck me up in that pub."

Toby nearly choked on his own tongue when Andrew pat his back. He was very happy with this, even if the way he showed it wasn't entirely pleasant to feel. “Woah, you told her? Congrats!"

Toby smacked Andrew's back in revenge, allowing him to breathe properly once again. “Yeah. Right. So, for what it's worth, I'm happy we had that fight, Andrew. Just don't do it again, deal?"

A hand came out for Andrew to shake, which he accepted without a hint of hesitation. Andrew was already well on the road to recovery, and Toby could sense that he wouldn't let this sister of his down.

“Deal."

--

Mae thought the green room was frightening at human scale, but a city like Da-hwinn practically became a world of its own. Walking talking buildings swept in and out of the mountainous café. Rij recommended that they come here the day after Andrew decided to help, and somehow managed to drag Kamh'sen and Ko along with her. They did snatch a few people's attention in the area, but Mae knew the venue didn't matter. A tiny robot standing on a minor celebrity's unconscious head happened to be quite the draw.

“Have a nice day!" Rij cheered, as some bewildered falashai walked away with a printed pamphlet.

Ko gave her wife glowing praise. She did so love Rij's energy. “Was that good? Do you think he'll come?" She asked them, excited as a child pining over a pet behind glass.

“Nice try, but don't quit your day job." Kamh'sen derided her, hand next to a pile of unclaimed pamphlets for Sixth Eye's upcoming show.

“Kamh'sen's just being a big bully, honey. Don't mind her." Ko scoffed at the dose of cynicism, before turning to Mae. “You've been in there a while, Mae. How are you finding it?"

Mae wrung her fingers as simply as she would have in her natural body. The ease of motion spoke for itself. “Same as ever."

Her sister picked up her meaning from her tone of voice, no mean feat with how much the prototype's voice box managed to mangle it. “It'll seem much more natural when you're in a human city." She said, enormous yellow eyes bearing down with sage-like wisdom.

Mae hoped she was right. Until now, the proxy only reminded her of the terrible things people her size could inflict on humans like Toby. Seeing their buildings at his scale, models turning to a real living city, she could scarcely imagine it. Though the proxy did have one keen effect. Her disgust for those who mistreated humans reached a record high. “And yet monsters like Hare'ker would still hurt them?" She spat, her would-be growl a sharp crackle.

Kamh'sen had no trouble growling, however. She must have recalled her own time with him. Given what he tried to do to Toby, him trying to hurt others wouldn't have been out of step for him.

“Did he try to hurt you? " Mae asked Kamh'sen.

“No." Kamh'sen told her flatly, “He just called me 'eye candy.'"

“Like he called me ra'hamiir?"

“Oh? Did he now? Funny, because I've seen him with his arm around a mixed breed girl or two. He likes to toss around words like that. Break people down. Control them. Sounds like you stung his pride, though. Must've wanted to hurt you back."

Disgust swept the area like a winter breeze. All this time she thought Hare'ker was candid when he showed disgust for her, just like her mother. It was almost worse that he threw around that kind of language just to hurt her. It was a disconcerting thought, certainly. One that Rij seemed eager to contest. “Girls? Want to hear a story?"

The others said yes, and Mae nodded along. Curious was the feeling, not knowing whether or not someone over ten times her size could read her. She had no trouble reading Toby anymore, but the others may not have been so fortunate.

“I and some soldiers were evacuating a human town. One of the humans was arguing with his wife. She wanted him to come with us, but he didn't care. He just- he ended up hitting her, right in front of everyone." Rij's fur bristled in anger at the memory. If she had any, Mae's would have done the same.

“Obviously, I couldn't intervene, but then another human smacked him back and said, 'We don't need people like you here'. And you know what? Nobody acted up after that." The tension in Rij's body left her, slowly but surely. “There'll always be horrible people, but when the worst of times call for it, better people will be there to help."

A story like that was just what Mae needed to feel better about the lot in life they'd all been given. For every person like Hare'ker, there must have been ten more like Toby. Good people who simply needed a push to improve the lives of others. Some could do it on their own, and she commended them. But it was far more feasible to face the darkness of the world with others. “And that's what we're doing today. Isn't it?" Mae asked them, eliciting a bit of a snicker from Rij.

“What, by handing out leaflets?"

Any lingering tension aired out in short order. Her friends and family, together, facing the world, and having fun while they did it. It stung to think that she'd missed out on this for so long but simpering over the fact simply wouldn't do. She preferred to cherish their presence, and she prayed that she would never be separated from them again.

--

It took them a few days to book it, but the rehearsal hall that Sixth Eye first started out in was now theirs. It was just about the only civilian building on Tebeish with proper human access, after all. Cymbal crashes and prototype RC robots aside, things hadn't changed a bit. He and Cass still fussed over the bass. Endi and Mae worked dutifully on the drum kit, and Saos's projection still watched their every move.

“You're really going to sing, Tobias? I don't know about this."

Saos had a point, Toby hated to admit. A Sixth Eye show without Mae's voice was a huge risk, if a necessary one. Even then, Mae's second body shot to its feet, eager to defend him as ever. “Toby has an incredible voice, Saos! I don't know if he's sung and played before, but it deserves to be heard."

The temptation to touch her burned inside of him, though her proxy self would barely feel it. Regardless, Mae pulled him over and leaned in close to whisper some words of advice, “Singing and playing is tough, take it from me. If you can do one without thinking, then you can put all your focus on doing the other. You can do it, my love."

Mae's advice would have been enough to reassure him on its own, but 'her love.' That was what cinched it. He could do this. Even if he was still left with a conundrum. He knew his parts to every song Sixth Eye played intimately, but only Mae knew how to pull off the vocals. He could only really think of one song that he could sing off the top of his head and play along with due to its simplicity. As long as Mae was ready for it.

“I'll need a basic kick snare pattern. 4/4, dancy tempo like this?" He clapped his hands rhythmically to demonstrate.

Mae acknowledged him with a nod and sent him on his way. Though before he could even mute his extra strings, she began to bang out exactly what he was looking for. Perfectly played, perfectly timed, and all in a body that wasn't her own. What he did to deserve a partner like her, he'd never know. He still had to step up to the plate. A driving, eighth note bassline slipped from his head to his fingers, melding with Mae's performance to form a hypnotic rhythm section, as lyrics descended from his throat.

Out where the river broke

The blood wood and the desert oak

Holden wrecks and boiling diesels

Steam in forty five degrees

Keeping up the steady attack of the bassline was surprisingly tough. It was written for pick play. Something he could emulate with his thumb in place of his meaty fingers, but it wasn't a style he was used to. He pushed on for two reasons. Saos' clearly impressed reaction, and Mae's spectacular work behind the kit. He had it easy compared to her. Thus he had no excuse not to match up. Instrumentally or vocally.

The time has come

To say fair's fair

To pay the rent

To pay our share

The time has come

A fact's a fact

It belongs to them

Let's give it back…

The fill that bridged the verses to the chorus did feel a bit empty without the brass behind it, not that Saos could tell. Toby wanted to really show what he could do. Give Saos and the others no doubts surrounding him or his ability to match up to Mae. Thus he didn't just sing. He belted.

How can we dance when our Earth is turning?

How do we sleep while our beds are burning?

How do we dance when our Earth is turning?

How do we sleep while our beds are burning?

The time has come

To say fair's fair

To pay the rent now

To pay our share!

Toby's hands left his bass and ended their impromptu cover. The hologram shimmering through Endi's yutri whistled and cheered for the strangest Midnight Oil tribute band that ever existed. Saos offered no specific praise, nor any long winded speeches or critiques. “If only they kept you on." was her lone comment.

Then she disappeared into the open air. Once again, Sixth Eye and their former techs were left to their own devices. Endi wore a wry, lonesome smile. Her gaze fixed upon a drum kit that she hadn't the slightest hope of touching without breaking. “Looks like you won't need us after this."

Mae bolted upright in protest. He could quite viscerally see the horror she felt, robot face notwithstanding. “What?" Mae pined. “We'll always need you! What kind of friends would we be if we thought we didn't need you?"

“She just means career wise, you dolts." Cass laughed.

It seemed he had broken off and reconvened around Endi's hands, while their backs were turned. “No reason why we can't stay in touch though, is it, Endi?"

Endi nodded, tail parsing the air behind her, hand outstretched for her charge to board. “We'll keep in touch. And besides, you need some time to talk about your love lives, no?"

Cass slipped himself into his guardian's hand, beaming with a freshly applied coating of smarm, when Toby began to rub his neck again. “Don't keep the lady waiting, Tobias!"

Not a moment too soon, Endi and Cass left. The Cass that he and Donny knew back in Uni was here again, and that was certainly worth celebrating. Still, taking Endi's advice would do them some favors. Their relationship was still young, and Mae had spent most of it in a metal cage. She was entirely right to feel proud of her mastery of the proxy. It was the sheer time she spent in it that worried him.

“You're gonna have to take a break soon Mae." He warned.

Mae stood completely still. Likely she was still trying to hide her emotions, much as he had. “I'm fine. Really. It's better this way."

Toby shook his head. It must have been a size thing. It was always a size thing. Just when they'd become comfortable with each other again, the proxy came along and made Mae want to change herself for him. It meant a lot that she cared enough for him to try it, but she'd already done a fine job not hurting him. Fine enough for him to fall for her, and certainly fine enough that she didn't need to chase solutions to things that didn't need fixing.

“That's the same thing I said to you, before Andrew nearly knocked my eye out." He reassured her and took a breath to steel himself. “Mae, you don't have to stay in this thing all the time if you want to be with me. I fell in love with you. Big, fuzzy, stripy you. That's not gonna change today. Or ever."

He punctuated the point with a kiss on her round metal snout. Timid, roughly welded fingers came to hold his, peculiarly warm as they weighed him down on the tightly tuned drum heads. They couldn't do this at their actual size, and it must have had her smarting.

“I don't envy humans at all, Toby. Certainly not the powerlessness you spoke of. But, there is a beauty to the world as you see it. To seeing you, like this..." Mae said, as she leaned towards him. “Hold me. I'll leave the proxy if you just hold me for however long I like. Please!"

Toby didn't have to be told twice. Once he shuffled himself over, he hugged her like it was the last chance he'd ever have to do so. A machine could never replace her thick, bushy fur, or the body heat that kept her kicking in the freezing cold. But it was Mae. As long as it had her mind and all her wonderful quirks, he would love it every bit as much.

“Tell me when you want me to stop." Toby crooned in her ear, planting a quick peck on her icy cheek.

Mae, of course, offered no response. She was perfectly content. He only held her tighter.

“I figured."

--

New Alice Springs. Sixth Eye's final gig, and far from the most glamorous they'd had along the way. Naturally, a human and a robot playing next to the settlement's open door was a unique pitch for a show, but the real draw for Mae and the audience were the people gathered just outside. They numbered in the dozens. The crowd, stretching as far as she could see, hosted a few recognizable faces. Her few friends and family, that oddly dressed arkatian from the diner, along with one dangerously red Kiori buried somewhere in the mix. They weren't quite as close as she'd hoped, but it was enough just to have the differing audiences within walking distance of each other. The amicability was there. She sensed it. All it took was the right atmosphere and a very good show to spin it off into something better.

“No jitters?" Toby asked her, stood next to the microphone that he'd deserved for so long.

Obviously the answer was no. Only her real body could jitter, and that lay slouched against the settlement wall. But Mae understood his intent. He was asking her if she was still anxious, and she greatly appreciated it. “None." She declared in the utmost confidence. “I won't tremble anymore."

Toby was very happy to hear it. Her nerves and insecurities were a weight she never asked him to carry, but he soldiered on. Never complaining, never straining. Toby was the furthest thing from 'small' to her now. He'd earned it. Thus he stepped forth to carry a burden never meant for him. Giving the speech that everything rode on.

“Thank you all for coming out tonight. Before we play, I have a little something to get off my chest. Now, I didn't come here with dreams of fame or success. I, like a lot of people here, came to Tebeish because I wanted to get away from the Earth that the Rynar left us with. I wanted to fade into obscurity and live something resembling a normal life again. But then, I met her."

Toby gestured to Mae with the broadest smile on his face. He exuded pride, and Mae was more than pleased to have been the source of it.

“I grew. I learned. I took my life back, all because of Mae'eliis Delphin. And right now? I fully believe that humanity is only as small as we want it to be. Every show we've done has demonstrated that, and I'm honored to be playing in front of human beings for the very first time tonight. This first track is called 'Hold On,' hope you enjoy it."

Already, the audience cheered them on. An excellent indicator of things to come. Faces big and small looked on eagerly, making it all the more satisfying when Mae scared them to pieces with the loud crash of her cymbals. How she loved those cymbals. Toby and Mae locked into each other, providing a fast and skillful combination of drums and bass. He kept in those higher ranges, hitting hopeful major chords to keep the audience invested.

The old days gone and dusted away

I reached out

And I didn't return the same

And now I stand by you today

I'm behind you

And I'll make sure no one forgets your name

Mae cued the chorus with a bouncy little fill, still careful enough not to break the kit with her mechanical strength. Toby sang his little lungs out. The way they made her pine for more nearly broke her concentration, but she held through despite it.

Let me hold on to you!

And we can traipse the land and sea

Let me hold on to you, my friend

And thus, Sixth Eye looped back to the pattern that they played the first verse in. Mae certainly made more use of the bells and whistles a Terran kit brought with it. Tasteful uses of her hi-hat and cymbals rounded the song out in ways previously untenable. It was a wonder they'd played without them for so long.

I could barely pull my own weight

I was stranded

Till you handed me the key

Gave me a debt I could never repay

And now I stand here.

Ready to tend to your every need

Now let me hold on to you!

As you always did for me

Let me hold on to you, my love…

Toby led the song into its final movement. Chords rose and fell like bellows of fire, his voice effortlessly emulating that energy. He had it at long last. His own voice, a crowd that wanted to hear him. She didn't slack. She matched his energy with everything she had available to her, crashing and resolving to lend every bit of potency the performance needed.

And I'll hold on to you

And say goodbye to the days of yore

You're what I came here for!

What I stay here for!

And I owe you so much more.

As their instruments rang out and echoed, uproarious applause nearly burst her artificial ears. Hundreds, human and non, all entertained and crying out for more. Mae never thought she'd see it on this planet, or even in her lifetime. Toby hadn't broken a sweat, and the proxy's infinite stamina would ensure that she could keep up. They'd only rehearsed a few tracks. All the more reason to make these performances the best of their lives. She didn't know if anybody was recording them, or if anybody would even remember this show in a year's time. In any case, one thing was very clear.

It was going to be a long night.

--

As Toby slung the bass off his back, he felt the most fulfilled he had in years. Not only had he played the best show of his life with the woman he loved, but, at long last, the people were talking to each other. Children ran over to see a certain trio of giant cats, petting their whiskers and taking hand rides under strict parental supervision. The adults weren't so willing to launch themselves at the aliens, however. They preferred to stand by them and make conversation, as sapient beings very much loved to do. Mae's proxy lay stone dead on the drum kit, while Andrew and his bandmates awkwardly tried to pry it off. Toby made himself perfectly still. An empty proxy could only mean one thing.

“Toby!"

A pair of padded hands came up from behind him, shoveling him onto his back to make way for the enormous cheek that buried him. Fur tickled and brushed against his skin. A rough, wet tongue softly prodded at him. And funnily enough, he had quite the view of the settlement from where he lay. Every person in town and their blurry faces. If this was what Mae saw every day, then he was almost envious. Almost.

“Do you think we made a difference, my love?"

He felt the question was fair. Even if her asking it meant that mixed size affections ended prematurely. Though as Toby soon learned, others were more than willing to pick up the slack.

“Charlotte!"

A tiny black haired woman found herself in a red furred kiori's hands, sharing a heated first kiss in front of all who dared to look. Charlotte and Vye-Shi. Together at last. A truly touching scene, and what Toby hoped was a glimpse of humanity's future.

“No." Toby told her, his good will not fading. “But they will."

At that moment, he was rudely interrupted by a buzzing yutri. Saos came out yet again, grinning like a madwoman and palpably satisfied. “Guess who just sent a bootleg of your latest gig to every label in the galaxy?"

Toby's jaw hit the floor, while Mae's nearly hit him. Sixth Eye might have a chance after Cal-Gea after all. Their final show may not have been so final anymore. All because of that crazy AI.

“You kids better not slack off!" She teased. “Once those callbacks start rolling in, you need to fight for them. Anyone who's anyone in this industry had to bust their asses before they hit it big, and you two are no exception."

Saos threw up a list of labels and names from across all of space. Labels from planets like Halashor and Ra'hamiir. Even spots with Universal and Warner music. They were well and truly spoiled for choice.

“Thank you so much, Saos!" Mae shrieked once she managed to digest the information properly.

“You're welcome." Saos smiled one last time. “And if I never see you two again, then I wish you the best. It's been fun, kids. God knows it's been fun."

Saos faded out once more. Never to be seen again. The air may have felt dead in other circumstances, but not tonight. New Alice Springs had never been more alive. He could feel it even as high up as Mae had taken him. Sixth Eye would survive and take greater strides, but their work was done for the day. Sparks flew on their own, all over this dead old town. So Toby offered three simple words. A farewell and a promise all at once.

“See ya later!"

And with that, Mae took her leave with him in hand. A standing ovation heralded their exit, one final affirmation of the good they'd done. People of all species parted reverently when Mae climbed to her paws. Pats and physical adulation buffeted her during her slow stride out the entrance. Yet even with a town's applause behind them, the claps and cheers dissolved into crunching steps through half molten snow. Toby, very close to her chest, tugged at Mae's shirt once more. They had a future again. It was only proper to ask her about it. “So, where do you think we're headed, label wise?"

Mae brought her hand in until his back touched her shirt. Close enough to feel and hear her heart drumming away in her chest. Toby would have stayed there all night if he could.

“I'm thinking the Neishor home world. I hear all species are treated well there." Mae suggested.

“Huh? Thought you'd have picked Earth. I promise we won't bite."

Mae's throat rumbled with a giggle. Adorable. Enormous. It was like Mae distilled into one wonderful sound. “Toby. We could be making albums in Rynar space for all I care. I just want to be with you."

Mae drenched him with a long lick across his torso, followed up with a possessive rub of her cheek against his body. He was hers, and everybody would know it. Her scent would forever mark him as her mate, and he was very happy with that. The sensation had numbed him to his surroundings. He didn't even realize they'd reached the tour vehicle before Mae clicked the back door open and moved through its empty hull. They'd have to return it to Cal-Gea soon. A good riddance, in his book. Even if the bed was still perfectly good for some alone time.

Mae set him down a foot or two below her collarbone, well within range of her breasts. Leaning in with a hand at his back, she enveloped his head in her best attempt at a human kiss. Black lips far larger than his made soft, sweet contact with him. Even here, he was far from powerless. The tip of his tongue lapped at hers. His fingers on her chin made her purr and chuff like nothing else. Separating only hammered the point home. They were made for each other.

“I can't go back to ralai after this, my love. You've spoiled me rotten." She confessed to him after her tongue lapped at his nose.

“You can't go back? How'd you think I feel?" Toby kissed her nose in return, far bigger than his own, and just as wet.

Loving her was messy work. He was absolutely drenched. Be it from her nose, mouth, tongue, or as he'd come to realize, somewhere else entirely. Her beautiful face had cracked into a sob. Tears of joy came from bright yellow eyes, full to bursting with her love for him.

“I'm so happy I found you."

Toby leaned down once again and met her lips with his. His own tears joined hers unashamed. They would receive no judgement. No unwanted attention. They only had each other, only wanted each other, and they always would.

“Me too."

Fin.