As the serpent had promised, she took care of Nilian; holding him in a snug and warm embrace, letting him rest on her soft body, along with some more promiscuous acts, though these would take a little longer to explain. Still, as the doctor came down from the heightened sensations of the cobra's venom, he felt warm affection from his alien partner. She planted soft kisses on his forehead and slowly ruffled through his hair with her long, slender claws. Occasionally, she ran her palm over the scratches on his back and the small punctures in his shoulder where she had bitten him. Nilian, still impossibly sensitive, shuddered at the sensations, eliciting a small huff from the serpent.

"Sssshhhh, just calm down, you'll be back soon enough," Amira assured him once more and let him see a warm smile on her wide lips.

Nilian lost track of time, the shifting of her coils, as the winded over him like an animal trapped and about to be constricted, provided insulation and trapped the warmth of their combined afterglow in between Amira's glassy smooth scales. The powerful muscle beneath squeezed deliberately and very gently, pulling him tightly against her. He basked in the overwhelmingly pleasant sensation of having her scales rub over his skin and feeling where they coiled a little more tightly to make sure he was heated in every spot.

Eventually, he felt the ability to move his body return, as they tingled with tiny needles as if his every muscle had fallen asleep. It started at his toes and fingers, as he wiggled them experimentally. Amira noticed this and loosened her coils, propping the human up against the back of the couch. Nilian, stiff in his envenomed muscles, sat straight like a doll and could only move his head and eyes as the serpent made sure he wouldn't fall over.

"I'll get you some water, you'll be able to move in a few minutes," she explained and slithered to the kitchen.

Nilian watched, still so very enamored with the endlessly swaying and fluid motions of her tail. The experience that night had formed a very warm and extremely deep feeling in his heart and mind. Amira, this viper, once made for the subjugation of humanity, hunting for humans like him that retreated into the wild, and she had shown him an experience he never could have imagined.

Lisa, the woman who had garnered the doctor's attention back half a decade ago. Well, he wasn't a doctor back then, just a scrawny teen with a problem with keeping his nervousness out of his mind. His first crush, teenage love, nothing more. It was an experience many boys had in these times, as everyone was very close to one another and one could easily form bonds with someone who had even remotely similar interests and stories. But it was over quickly, he had to make a choice between joining the Xcom ranks or staying in the camp; a camp that had lost most of its inhabitants only a day prior.

He had defended the camp but was only part of the last defense line, as the attackers got to him, the families, elderly, and sick or wounded, their ranks had been thinned down far enough that they proved little challenge to evade or take out. Xcom showed up as soon as they could have, it was a brutal and planned ambush, and got there only to clean up. They helped with aiding the wounded and burying the dead, letting life go on for the survivors. Then the offer came.

'Whoever wishes to avenge their families and loved ones, and is of experienced age, may join us. The alternative is joining other camps, they are ready to take anyone in and allow you to continue a regular life.' A heroic speech? No, many were discouraged and scared of what lay in Xcom's war. An offer that appealed to people who might make quick, irrational decisions? Yes.

And so, the young man, filled with the desire to prove his worth in a world so devoid of it, abandoned Lisa. Joining Xcom at an age of seventeen, he was now amongst grown, battle-hardened, and sometimes ruthlessly efficient men and women. His first mission proved no threat, as there were no combatants even present. The next had troopers that were all killed before they could shoot back. Only once after that had Nilian participated in a firefight. A sectoid dodged a shot that should have hit and gotten around his flank, where he was then shot in the leg by its plasma wrist blaster. It was dispatched before anything more could happen and the mission ended successfully.

There, in the sickbay, he met Julius Karn. The man was treating his injury when Nilian attempted to make conversation. He tried his best to not stutter and stammer but failed to do so with little grazes. The topic was about what plasma did to the body, not signing it, rather, turning it to vapor and liquid in impact zones.

Nilian, who had only ever heard of plasma weapons, was infatuated with this medical side of the conflict. And, a little more disillusioned by the lack of impact his presence was having, he asked the doctor if he took students. Karn was surprised by someone actually wishing to leave the battle in the stead of carrying around medical supplies. In a way, the memory served that, every time he just ignored the constant worry in his head and just go for something, he would succeed in whatever he tried to achieve. Wheater that is becoming a student of Xcom's lead medical expert, or asking out a member of an alien species because he had couldn't get her out of his head.

Speaking of.

Amira rounded the corner again, that lovely curving body, her figure lithe and muscular. Still also nude, the man could not help but take her every form into view, eating up the visuals in his mind, swearing to never forget them. She was holding a glass full of water, keeping it uncannily steady despite her shifting movements.

"Can you talk clearly?" She asked as she arrived next to him, propping herself up next to him, then pulled him close again for a backward hug.

"A little," Nilian slurred out.

"Lean back," Amira instructed. Nilian pulled his cheek up and opened his mouth. Slowly she poured water into him, a steady flow that paused for him to swallow. It felt refreshing and nice in his throat, clearing his mind a little also.

"Feel better?" She smiled and grabbed the glass with her tail, placing it on an adjacent nightstand without moving away from him.

"Yes. And…wow," the doctor just let his eyes drift to the ceiling in the serpent's embrace.

She pulled him a little tighter against her chest, crossing her arms over his chest and gently nuzzling her snout into his clavicle. Her tail pulled over his legs and wrapped snugly around his lower body, providing warmth and a comforting pressure.

"Wow?" Amira rumbled against him, as she propped her chin against the top of Nilian's head.

"I never thought…This was very fun and something that I wouldn't even have been able to imagine before. Did you enjoy it, too?" Nilian had to focus on pronouncing words very deliberately, as his lips weren't quite there yet on their mobility.

"I…got a little carried away toward the end, I hope I didn't hurt you too badly," she apologetically ran her hand along his markings.

"It…added to everything," Nilian resigned, feeling a flush of red at his admittance.

"Oh, you liked it? You're excited by a bit of roughness, aren't you?" There it was, the sultry, teasing, knowing tone of the serpent she so masterfully employed. Nilian felt a soft but deliberately firm claw press against his skin and run down the length of his spine. He shuddered and let out a shivering exhale as Amira huffed behind him. She paused and returned to hug him, then leaned close.

"I'll be sure to remember that," she whispered sensually into his ear, her warm breath brushing against his skin.

"I look forward to it," Nilian smirked like a dumbass.

"Oh, don't get too eager about the next time, this one is not over yet," Amira replied in a low rumble.

"How so?" The man inquired.

"Well, we still have to clean up. And tomorrow, you will wake up in my coils and, well, we'll go from there, won't we?" Amira laid a heavy teasing tone into her voice, one that promised the doctor something — though he didn't know what.

"Do I want to know what you've planned or is it a surprise?" Nilian felt his mind becoming more and more clear.

"Oh, as much as I think it would be a fun surprise, I think it would be better to know if you actually want it." She brought her stretchy neck in front of Nilian's face and let him gaze into her thin, black pupils.

"Then tell me, chances are I'll say yes before you even finish, if the past 'experimentations' are anything to go by," Nilian said, recounting how easily he had agreed to Amira's previous exploits.

She leaned down next to his ear and whispered the question. So promiscuous, so forthcoming, and spoken without shame that Nilian couldn't believe his ear. What she asked? That's a secret.

"Y-you'd do that?" Nilian stammered out, almost choking on his own spit.

Amira grinned widely, revealing the pink of her gums. "Then you'll have something to look forward to in the morning. But you'll need to disable your alarm for the best effect."

Experimentally, the human lifted one arm and found most of his muscles still rather numb but responsive enough. He slowly ran his fingers over the viper's hands, massaging her smooth scales. He let his head lean back against her hood and nuzzled his way below her long neck. Amira continued to clutch his lower body in her coils, holding him securely as his body slowly but surely regained its ability to move.

It took another five or so minutes until Nilian felt confident that all his limbs followed his command again and he tried to stretch. But was halted by the seatbelt-like hold his lover was entrapping him within.

"Amira, I think I can move now, you can let go," he informed her, assuming she had simply not noticed, as she breathed very relaxed and had closed her eyes.

"I know," she replied without opening her eyelids. "Do you wanna leave?" She peeked out from one.

"I suppose this is more comfortable than any blanket I own, just that I feel very sticky and tired. If we stay here much longer I might just fall asleep right here," he mused, though the idea wasn't a terrible concept.

Amira sighed deeply, then slipped out from behind the man. Her tail unwinded from his legs and she drooped onto the floor. Nilian helped her move away by shifting his body, then got up as well. Standing naked in the middle of the apartment, they stared at one another, both their gazes unashamedly traveling to the contours and shapes of the other. Nilian gawked at her taut muscles, the shapely hips, and tightly sitting breasts. While Amira continuously shifted from below his waist to his stomach and finalized by gazing into the man's eyes, where their views met.

"You are beautiful," Nilian said without shifting from her green eyes.

"Are you just saying that cause you can see my tits?" Amira smirked.

"Have I not said as much with you fully clothed?" The doctor countered.

"I suppose so. Wanna fool around some more in the shower?" The serpent offered without changing tone.

"I…" The man blinked rapidly, still so easily thrown off by her abrasiveness.

"I'll take that as a yes," Amira wrapped her tail around his forearm and slithered to the bathroom with her human in toe.

Nilian, infatuated with the shimmer of her black and silvern scales, covered in the results of their night, followed her without protest. The thought of having the warm water run down his body while they enjoyed each other was building anticipation in not only his mind but also his loins. Embarrassed as he might have been about it, he had a hard-on as they arrived within the tiled room.

The serpent flicked her eyes over to him, catching a glance but playing it off as if she hadn't noticed. With a hidden, satisfied smirk, she turned the water on then pulled the man under the stream with her. Immediately, her body winded up his legs, restraining him and causing him to fall over into her awaiting arms.

Nilian didn't even try to catch himself anymore, knowing that the viper was deliberate in her tripping. He let himself fall into the embrace of her long tail and strong upper body, now being held sideways.

"You're already all worked up for me. How generous of you," Amira sneaked her tail along his thighs and let the tip graze his member. "How about I take care of this and you just relax?"

—

Half an hour later, both were cleaner than before, if not by a large margin. They made their way into the man's bed, forgoing getting dressed and simply slipping beneath the blanket. Amira coiled herself around him in a loose fit, resting her head on his bare chest. Nilian grabbed the wrist-mounted device on his nightstand and turned off the alarm, as Amira instructed. The morning to come would be a new experience, a way he had never dreamt someone would ever wake him up.

"Excited?" The viper inquired.

"Of course," the man admitted, looking down into her deep eyes.

"Then sleep tight and I hope you will like it as much as I will."

—

And sleep well he did. Maybe it was the residue venom, maybe just exhaustion, but the man slept throughout the entire night without interruptions. The warmth of his serpentine partner brought comfort and her weight all over his body felt so assuringly nice that he couldn't imagine how he had ever slept without her.

Dreams of Xcom, of operating on soldiers, dissecting dead aliens, and learning about the various new forms of flora brought onto earth by their occupiers flowed into the doctor's mind. Then it became strange. A viper, black, white, and silver, entered the headquarters inside his dream. Following the lack of logic of any other dream, no one questioned her presence, even as she took off all her armor and slithered confidently toward the young doctor.

Nilian suddenly couldn't move anymore and was forced to stay put as the viper lowered herself in front of him, right there in the middle of the room. And, just as illogical and sudden, his pants had vanished within the blink of an eye.

He stared as she parted her maw, letting saliva hang in strands between the jaw like melted cheese strings. Hot breath impacted his nethers and it took no time at all for him to become erect. Then, she pushed her open, pink gums onto his shaft.

At that moment, the man awoke.

Warm and moist, Nilian felt the continuous pressure and internal movements of Amira's mouth. His eyes opened to the sight the serpent promised the previous day. The long snout of his reptilian lover was pressed against the base of his pelvis, where his dick disappeared into her sucking jaw. Her tongue had coiled around his shaft and was massaging it alongside her powerful, swallowing mouth.

Sounds of wet sucking and shifting on the mattress entered his mind as he finally came to his senses properly. The snake, absorbed in her work, looked up with a satisfied smile. When she confirmed that he was indeed awake, she drew his length out at a torturously slow speed, running her tongue along his swelled glans sensually. More and more until he left her warm insides, where she finished with a loving kiss atop his member.

"Morning, dear," she said in a rumbling manner, grabbing ahold of his member with a scaled hand.

Nilian was beyond speech, letting out a groan as she stroked him up and down at an excruciatingly slow pace, spreading the leftover saliva all over him. Amira looked straight at him, lust in her serpentine eyes, as she began playing around with his tip.

"Had any fun dreams?" She inquired and watched in delight as her human twitched between her long fingers.

"I dreamt of you," Nilian managed to groan out as she pressed down more tightly.

"Oh?" The viper raised an eyebrow. "And what was I doing in that dream? Give me some ideas," she added playfully.

"Well, you...Uhm, you just sucked me off in the middle of my old workplace," the man said with a reddening expression.

"Ah, I see. Then let's fulfill that naughty mind of yours," she smiled and opened her maw.

Nilian stared with scrunched features as her jaw hung open for him to see down her gullet. She gave him a deliberate view of her pink gums, strands of saliva hanging from the halves. Her pearly white fangs peeked from the roof, as she lowered her head slowly overtop his standing cock. Her hand lined up his shaft and held him steady as she hovered above his swelled glans.

Deliberately and with a hiss, she breathed steamy air onto his exposed flesh. Then, again without breaking eye contact and ensuring that the man was able to see everything, she let her tongue slither from the sheath in her lower jaw. Wetted with thick saliva and already slippery by nature, she trailed down and lightly traced his glans. Her stroking had seized, now she was only holding him still as she coated his erection in copious fluids. Her split-tip tickled around, lapping at his length with deliberate and accurate licks.

"A-ah," Nilian let out as she formed a cocoon around his tip, engulfing his glans in a tight seal of hot, undulating flesh.

A bead of precum leaked from the tip, which Amira greedily lathered all over him, adding to the lubrication of her saliva. Then, she moved the tunnel down, excruciatingly slow, watching in delight as the man turned red and gripped onto the bedsheet. She savored his reaction as his sleepy mind was overwhelmed by the soft but firm pressure her tongue was exerting.

'I will wake you up with your cock in my mouth.' Is what the serpent had promised Nilian the previous night. The doctor could barely believe that all this was really happening to him, an alien offering to swallow him in her tight passage.

"Ready?" Amira raised her scaled eyebrow, gazing into the human's features.

Nilian stammered out a response and immediately she dropped her mouth down onto him. The warmth and tightness enraptured the man's thoughts, as they flowed out of him in an unsuppressed groan. She, thanks to an apparent lack of a gag reflex, took his length in one bob of her head. She slid past his sensitive skin, continuing lower and lower until…Nilian gasped as she met his pelvis with her snout, his dick meeting a wall of flesh — her throat.

There, in this squeezing, impossibly wet and slimy tightness, she kept him. A low rumble emanated from the massive serpent, feeling the man reflexively thrust upward, hoping to get movements out of her. She put a clawed hand on his stomach, the other on his thighs, then pushed down firmly. She, still with his entire shaft consumed in her serpentine face, looked up at the man with a disapproving, scolding look.

"S-sorry," Nilian calmed himself, finally drawing another breath.

In response, Amira began slowly shifting her tongue again. Nilian gritted his teeth as she did, feeling how the thick organ wrapped around so tightly, attacking the spots that Amira knew would cause a reaction. He twitched and once again wanted to increase the pace at which his member was being stroked, by pushing his hips upward. But the snake was ready this time and pushed him back down into the mattress. She gazed up at him sultrily and rumbled her throat in disapproval.

Nilian was simply overwhelmed as she worked his shaft mercilessly from base to tip, sucking tightly around his glans with both her impossibly soft gums and feverishly licking tongue. She was trying hard here, that much was obvious. Using every trick she had learned during their other interactions to turn the doctor into a mess of heavy pants and forced moans.

"I-if you keep going like that, I'll— " the man's warning was drowned out by a deep groan as the serpent squeezed her throat around him tightly and let it vibrate with a rumble.

Knowing the man was barely holding on in hopes of prolonging the pleasurable torture made Amira much more adamant to have him finishing down her gullet. She squeezed her throat tightly, swallowed as if trying to wring him of his seamen with force alone, while quickly stroking his length with her tongue. She felt him throb and twitch, his eyes closed and, with a gasp, Nilian gave into her beckoning request.

He pushed upward against her grip in vain, as Amira continued stroking through the man's orgasm. Her head bobbing stopped as she met his pelvis one last time, leaving the man to cum into the deepest part of her throat. So incredibly wet, hot, and still constantly teasing out another spurt from his member that traveled down her throat into her long neck. Nilian, through his pleasure, heard her audibly swallow every time he felt another gush of seamen shoot from his tip.

One of his hands was suddenly taken by one of the viper's long, slender, and softly scaled palms. She interlocked her fingers with his, though hers were almost double in length. Her eyes shifted upward and, even though he was still enraptured in the throws of orgasm, demanded Nilian's attention. A deep, satisfied, and loving stare into her slitted pupils said more than any words either could muster.

Finally, he felt his dick softening and Amira promptly released her tongue from his shaft and eventually from her throat. Still pressing down her mouth on his sensitive flesh, she withdrew his member as if trying to make sure no trace of his climax remained. Finally, as he passed the serpent's long, thinly scaled lips, her tongue gave one last, teasing flick against his glans.

"Did you like it?" She asked sensually after a short while, while running her tongue along her lips.

"I still can't believe you suggested that. And yes, very much," Nilian smirked.

"I'm sure you'll get me back for it soon enough, but we should probably get up," Amira informed the man.

"Yeah, I'm sure I will, too."

The snake let him slip out beneath her and they made their way to the kitchen. Nilian made them both coffee as Amira retrieved her clothing. Nilian changed into his work clothes and sat down at the table with his lover. The doctor noticed that, as they were sipping their coffee, she seemed preoccupied with her cup, while her tail brushed the floor.

"Excited for your new work?" Nilian asked the distracted viper.

"Worried," she replied briefly and seemed to snap back to Nilian.

"Why? I figure it's less stressful than getting shot at," the doctor mused.

"For you, maybe. I would rather have the threat of a bullet than have to disappoint Penny, especially after she gave me this opportunity."

"Don't stress yourself out over things that are unlikely. She likes you, you're a great cook, and I cannot see how anything bad could happen," Nilian assured.

She paused for a moment, contemplating his words. "I suppose you're right… I guess I will just have to see." She settled with a smile.

The doctor returned the expression and finished his coffee," I am sure it will be fine." He looked down at his wrist monitor " I should get going now, though."

"Yeah, should I leave and maybe go towards the inn already?" Amira also emptied her cup.

The man tapped on a few options on his portable computer, then a ping emerged on the viper's device. "You can stay here as long as you want, I gave you access, meaning you can come and leave whenever you please."

She stared at him in disbelieve but he got up before any concern could be voiced.

At the door, she followed him and waited as he strapped his boots. Then, as he came back up, she lurched forward and cupped his cheeks, planting a loving kiss on his lips. He still tasted the coffee, and a little bit of himself on her, but it all blurred into his mind as utter affection from the snake. He smiled as they disconnected and saw the same expression on her long snout looking back at him.

"Nilian," her voice sounded lower, more serious. "Thank you. For everything."

The doctor felt warmth in his chest, as a pleasant smile pulled at his cheeks. "Nothing to thank. I am happier with you than I have been in my life before. I just hope to do righty with you."

She paused for a moment, her tongue slipping out flustered, staring into his eyes with the emerald-like globes. "I… I am happy that I have not messed this up, yet," Amira spoke uncharacteristically uncertainly.

The man chuckled at the sight and way she sounded, then reached down and took both her hands into his, pulling them up to chest level. "Even if either of us does something…unwelcome on accident, I have no doubt in my mind that we can work it out," he assured.

She glanced down onto their interlocked hands, on her claws. "Promise me that you will tell me to stop if I do something stupid."

Nilian huffed, then brought one of his fingers to her snoop. "I will be sure to," he said and lightly booped her snout.

—

The taxi was quick to report in, so the doctor hurried a little more with his satchel in arm. But, as he rounded the corner, he pause in surprise. He recognized the car, the turquoise metal, tall but receding toward the front and back front, and the smooth edges that indicated how recent this must have been manufactured. But most importantly, as the window rolled down, he recognized the serpentine face of a familiar viper. She smiled broadly as she spotted the human.

Nilian stared for a moment, then stepped into the open door and entered the spacious interior. The viper started the motor, then turned back to face him.

"Surprised to see you again, though I'm no less glad," she greeted the man.

"Yeah, same here. We never introduced ourselves, my name's Nilian," he replied as he set the satchel down next to him on the leathery seat.

"Lissirn, nice to finally meet you," she reached through the gap and extended a hand. Her orange, yellow, and white coloration informed the doctor that she had been around for a while.

Nilian took the reptilian's hand and shook it. "Just a coincidence that you're picking me up or…?"

"Well, both and the second option. I recognized your ID and I happen to be close by. I wanted to thank you for what you suggested yesterday," she sounded cheerful.

"Oh?" The man raised an eyebrow. "Did it go well?"

"He… he said he felt the same way about me, just never found the courage to ask me out. But, now that I laid out my feelings toward him, he wants to have a date with me. I-I never thought it was possible."

"Then I am very happy you found someone and wish that it works out for you," the man smiled.

"And I am very happy that I made conversation with you. And in turn, your…friend that had — and still has you, by the way — smelling like that," her eyes trailed over the doctor while her tongue flicked out

Nilian grew aware of how he must smell to her, but also the remaining, slight sting in his shoulder. "I hope it's not offensive to you."

The viper cracked with laughter and turned to face the road. "Offensive… That's cute. No, in fact, it makes me very excited for my date tonight. Nilian, if you do not mind, and it is perfectly fine if you do, but… do you like it? With her, I mean." Her voice was immensely flustered, such a stark contrast to Amira's provocative tone and unapologetic teasing.

The man blinked, debating if sharing something like that would be ignorant to his lover's privacy. But all he could think of is how much he would have valued someone telling him that it would all work out, it would have helped calm his nerves. Strangely enough, he saw himself in the viper driver. "It is very…different than with a human. She is far stronger and bigger than me but she is gentle and caring, letting me move and dictate what happens to me. So, if you are worried, I doubt that, if there is passion involved, you won't be satisfied."

He caught Lissirn's red eyes in the rearview mirror, her slitted pupils met his eyes and she scrutinized his statement. "I am scared I will hurt him," she admitted.

The doctor, not having expected to give a new viper 'the talk,' was stunned for a moment. But he reminded himself of how Amira was so careful their first night and the morning after, how she tried to make sure he was alright. Even yesterday, as their love-making had become quite intense, he always felt how tenderly his viper treated him - as if he was some fragile piece of artwork.

"I am sure you will manage. Just keep your claws in mind and don't squeeze him too harshly. Maybe he'll like it, I know I do," he lightened the mood and immediately saw her features lifting.

A moment passed in which she silently thanked the man. Then, suddenly, she snapped her head back to the road and started the electrical engine. "I-I am so sorry. This is so inappropriate if my boss finds out that I — " she began scrambling.

"No one will know, my lips are sealed. I am just glad that more humans are opening up about the future of the earth." Lissirn looked back with gratitude, then pulled into the relatively open road.

—

As the cab pulled into the driveway of Karn memorial, Nilian thanked his driver and wished her good luck once more. Lissirn waved goodbye through the window and said it was likely they would meet again, and how she would like to meet his 'girlfriend.'

Girlfriend. Lover? What were they?... Questions for later, now, the doctor had to do his job.

The reception was once more manned by the friendly visage of Kelly. She greeted but seemed more occupied with her computer, probably managing appointments or reading emails. Nilian looked over at the waiting room and found it uncharacteristically empty. Still, he had other things to do other than taking care of visitors.

Going up the staff elevator, he logged into his tablet already and started his desktop remotely, so that it would be ready once he arrived. But, as the elevator rose, it stopped a few floors before his office. The door slid open and Nilian froze for a moment, as a large, purple-scaled viper slithered into the enclosed box. Her outfit, a long dress-like uniform with a red cross on her shoulder betrayed her to be a nurse, her name tag reading: Misery.

She didn't seem to pay attention to him and simply poured her long body into the elevator, making sure to give the man enough space. Then she pressed a button to a few floors above where Nilian would have to get out on. The doctor tried to avoid eye contact at all cost, knowing that it was likely his scent — or rather Amira's — would soon reach the snake's sensitive senses.

The doors shut and he was now in a rather tight space. Her body was longer, her shoulders a little broader, and her snout seemed less pointy and more flattened than Amira's. The purple along her back and arms faded into light grey at her palms and the front side of her tail. The man stared intently at his tablet, hoping that the elevator would somehow speed up.

From the corner of his eyes, he spotted exactly what he had dreaded, the Viper's tongue flicked out. And, as soon as it went through the slit in her snout, her posture changed. Quickly after, her tongue slithered out again and wiggled up and down, as if making sure she hadn't been mistaken. Nilian couldn't stop himself from balancing from one leg to the other out of pure nervousness.

He heard the viper's tail shifting below, her posture turned toward him and he felt an intense gaze on his head. She was trying to get him to look at her, acknowledge that her senses hadn't betrayed her. But the doctor held out, only one more floor and…

—Ding—

Immediately, the man stepped out and briskly walked across the portal into the hallway before the doors had even fully opened. He breathed a sigh, but only for a moment, as he heard the signature slithering of a viper, directly behind him. His heart nearly stopped beating as he turned over his shoulder, seeing the massive figure in the hall. Her burning eyes met his, a gaze he could simply not identify. It was not malicious, not angry, simply… 'Oh no.' The man recognized a part of the expression, a similar, sultry gaze that his lover had given him so many times.

The hallway was empty besides the two, which was a given considering the time, but she filled the entire width. Nilian stopped in his tracks and turned around, the viper coming close enough to make out the interlocking segments of her orange scales.

"Excuse me, but is something the matter, nurse?" He put on his best formal tone, speaking with the authority he actually held.

Her head cocked to the side, her tongue zipped in and out, definitely smelling that the doctor's confidence was fake. "That smell," her voice was filled with a knowing undertone, dragging the vowels. "Doctor, do you know what it…does to my species?" She flared her eyes at the man and got even closer.

Nilian blinked and stepped backward, "I am unaware of what you're talking about. I need to get into my office, excuse me." He tried to disengage and spun around, seeing his door at the end of the hallway. But the viper wasn't letting up.

"Doctor, you must know, you would not act this way if you didn't. I just want to know… is she your lover, or your mate?"

Nilian gulped down a lump in his throat. This was bad, if his scent was this distracting, then he would seriously consider how he was showing up to work. "Why is that relevant?" He spoke without looking back, reaching his door and turning the handle.

Suddenly, he felt a long, thick tail wrap around his ankle, just making sure he felt her close to him. He turned and came face to snout with the nurse, who had lowered herself and was staring at him intensely. "Because, doctor, I have seen humans coupling with vipers. And I am jealous, I want it for myself. So I will ask again, do you feel purely attracted, or are you attached to her?"

This couldn't continue, must not escalate further. At that moment, Nilian's mind was clear on what Amira meant to him. Even if this viper was offering herself to him, he didn't want her. He didn't feel the same way about her as he did his cobra, he did not want anyone besides Amira. "She is the only one I wish to be with. And I will not continue this and will ask you to back off." He matched hr eye contact and spoke firmly. He knew that this viper was much stronger than him, and the thought that she could have him if she truly wanted to, but he also knew the authority he held, she was essentially his employee. Still, he hoped he wouldn't have to resort to extreme measures.

He felt her uncurl from his ankle and pull backward, giving him space. She shook her head as if trying to fend off flies, then lowered her vision. "I…apologize. I do not know what I was thinking."

"Then go back to your station and we can both forget about this," the man offered.

Immediately, she spun around and left for the elevator without another word. The doctor, halfway through his door, just stood there for a moment. 'Di—did I just almost get sexually assaulted by an alien reptile because of my acts with my partner?'

He slipped into the office and closed the door behind him tightly. Right after, he pressed his back against the door and sunk to the bottom. Nilian buried his hands in his hair, letting the situation set in. Was this going to happen regularly? Vipers coming after him? Why didn't he ask Amira about this or how to cover his scent. He just failed to think of it as he was too busy indulging her. He needed to talk to her, soon, make it clear how he has being affected. But what if she took offense to it? Thinking he wasn't interested?

'What the fuck happened to me?'