McArthy woke up to darkness, his face buried deep within the t'vaoan's red tipped plumage sticking out from the back of her head. He pulled his head back slightly before yawning and slowly drifting his eyes down to see her head asleep and nuzzled into his bare chest. The sound of the storm still passed in the background but was easily drowned out by the sounds of her soft breathing, her rhythmic rising and falling nearly petting his skin. Mim laid soundly against him, her arms tucked in between their torsos and her knees sandwiched between his.

He smiled at the sleeping avian, so peacefully laying beside him, before he bent down and placed a soft kiss on her temple, awakening her from her slumber as she looked up dazed at the human. Mim blinked for a few seconds before releasing a happy coo, pressing her beak forward to meet with McArthy. They kept their mouths together for a few seconds before he pulled back, rubbing the back of her head with a hand.

"Morning love dove," he said with a smile, stroking her feathers, "How are you?"

She nuzzled his neck before releasing a soft croak, "More than perfect."

He tightened his hold on her a little more, taking the time to just enjoy the moment.

"So, what's the plan for today hun? We're snowed in for the time being, and it seems like you are perfectly content with just lying in bed together," McArthy asked, looking down at Mim as she traced a talon down his chest.

"No plan, just spend time with mate."

He chuckled, closing his eyes and resting his head atop hers, "I can get down with that."

They cuddled for a while longer until a shiver ran down the human's spine. He briefly pulled away from her embrace sitting up and stretching. She groaned with disappointment before he leaned over and placed one final kiss upon her snout, getting on his feet to pick up his clothes.

McArthy walked over to the messy pile that his clothes made, taking a second to bend over and pick them up. He briefly paused, taking a moment to smell his body before coughing in disgust.

"How do you stand it Mim?" He asked, looking over his shoulder at her nude form watching him upon the mattress.

"Hm?"

He picked up his clothes and put them atop a nearby table, taking a moment again to stretch before looking back at Mim. He didn't know what to think about her- certainly nothing negative- but he never really considered just how beautiful she was, both inside and out. It warmed his heart just having the opportunity to be next to her.

"I'm going to go take a shower hun, I'll be out in a few minutes."

She dismissively threw her hand as McArthy walked through the sliding doors.

#

McArthy let the water warm up before stepping into the stall and closing the curtains behind him, allowing the steam to subtly warm the shower. He sighed as the water ran down his body and pooled on the tiled ground, the dirt he had accumulated settling in the edges of his heels.

He squirted a bottle of body wash that was sitting in the shower onto his hands before rubbing the undersides of his arms. He was interrupted by the sound of the curtain sliding open and close, turning around in time to watch Mim wrap her arms around his waist.

Chuckling, he wrapped his arms around her back as she nuzzled into the side of his face, and asked, "Couldn't wait a few minutes, huh?"

Mim crooned as she rubbed into him, her throat vibrating, "Like I said, spend time with mate."

"And I thought you said you would shower after me though. Not that I'm complaining."

He watched as the water ran down her body, her feathers being pressed against her body. He ran his hands up her back, softly massaging into her as her fingers faintly traced his sides. He felt as she squeezed herself closer into him, shifting her feet on the wet tile to get every part of her closer.

"Let's say I wanted to conserve some water," she responded with a chirp.

He briefly looked to the dead spartan lying against the wall, her eyes peering forever more at the ground rather than the lovers embracing. She was long dead, her features and decomposing stench hidden by the armor, but it still was quite unsettling to McArthy to have a decently intimate moment soured by a corpse. The body did nothing to ruin Mim's mood, not even bothering to bat an eye.

With a happy sigh, McArthy rested his face against hers, "Do… do you think we'll ever get out of here?"

Crooning, Mim pulled one of her hands back, running it up her own body until she rested it on his hand, then squeezed it and said, "I know we will. And if we do not, all I need is you."

He chuckled, "I meant the shower, seeing how," he looked at the body once more, "Nice... this is, but that too."

With an amused chuff, Mim lifted her face, nipping the tip of his nose, "You did not mean the shower."

His smile widened with a laugh, then he nodded, "Yeah, you're right."

Her right thigh shifted to get between his legs as she leaned herself closer, still squeezing onto his hand. McArthy rotated his hand so their fingers could interlock, feeling Mim once again lay her head against his shoulder, nuzzling his neck.

With a heavy sigh, McArthy looked down at his avian lover and asked, "What would we even do if we got away from here? I don't know any planet that would possibly be okay with us."

Mim cooed from his shoulder, "We will find somewhere… safe. But worry about that later. Now, think about us."

He softly chuckled, "That's what I am thinkin' about. But, you're right. We can worry about finding somewhere later."

Raising her head from his shoulder, Mim licked at his chin, making him chuckle and move his hand to rub her head through the wet and matted feathers.

"You know what? What if we just settled down somewhere, in a warm home, nice and comfy," McArthy suggested, running small circles in her plumage as he looked down at her.

A shiver ran down her spine from the sensation, trilling before adding onto the suggestion, "And safe."

"Definitely that… relatively."

"Relatively?" She asked, rubbing his hand with a digit, "What do you mean by that?"

He giggled, "Well, you gotta have a little danger every once in a while to spice things up."

She nibbled on his nose, eliciting a playful yelp as he instinctively jumped back, slipping and falling to the floor, the t'vaoan still in his arms. They were quiet for a moment, Mim laying on top of him as the water peppered their eyes.

McArthy stared at her, wide eyed, "Are you alright?"

She stared at him a while more before playful caws began resounding from her throat, not too dissimilar to a laugh.

He chuckled as well before shifting his waist around slightly, "Ha… that hurt my ass…"

She held his cheeks, hand on his chin as she scrunched up his mouth with her talons, "We've had enough danger together. No need for more."

"Uh I don't kno- ee ake a -retty good ow-er co-le."

"A what?" She said, releasing her hand.

"We make a pretty good power couple. When we double teamed that hingehead? We are a force of nature- destined for some very great things," he removed his hands from her, waving them as though he was pitching the next blockbuster hit.

Giggling, Mim flicked his nose and said, "The only great thing we're destined for is getting off planet, getting somewhere safe, and being together."

McArthy snickered with a wide grin, "Oh? How about we spice it up with a family then, huh? Nasty inlaws will give us some real danger."

Chuckling, Mim shook her head to rustle her feathers under the running water, "A little one to keep us up at night? Sounds fulfilling."

"I personally think you would make a great mother, plus 'Mom' and 'Mim' aren't too different," he said before placing a peck on her beak.

She flicked his nose once again before resting her head on his shoulder, "A little hope goes a long way McArthy. And if you are worried about it, you will be nothing like your own father."

There was a pregnant pause between them, the sound of the water hitting the tile and their skin filled the stall.

After a few seconds, McArthy softly asked, "Do… Do you think I'd be a good father? I..."

Mim crooned, hushing him, "You will be the best. I know you. So tender and caring; Any chick would be lucky to have you father them."

McArthy's cheeks reddened, before he had a brief moment of understanding, then he lightly chuckled, "Ah, you guys use chick in a very different way than we do."

She tilted her head slightly, frowning with confusion before McArthy continued his explanation, "It's human slang to refer to attractive women."

Suddenly, Mim wiggled her waist on his with a small giggle and said, "I see, so I am your little chick, hm?"

Chuckling again, McArthy laid his hands on her sides and said, "Slow down there, hun! Knowing how you guys use that word makes that sound wrong!"

Mim released a huff of amusement, "You love to overcomplicate things."

"You seem to love me in general," he retorted, pursing his lips and pressing them against the tip of her beak.

She opened her mouth slightly to allow her long tongue to slip out and meet in his mouth, taking the time to cuddle their tongues together. McArthy slid his hands down her back to rest them on her bum, kneading it as she let out an excitable trill.

McArthy broke away for a moment, moving his head to look around her body and at his hands, laughing, "I think if we stay in here any longer I'll turn into a raisin."

"Why don't we have some fun before then…" Mim insinuated, slowly moving atop of him.

"O-oh, alright…"

#

They stared each other down, looking each other in the eyes as their ferocity was full bore. In their hands was a piece of hunted meat, pulled from the bases' deep freezer, freshly cooked and still steaming from it's time roasting over a fire.

"I don't need to explain the rules to you again, do I?" McArthy asked, waving the piece around in circles.

Mim gazed at the piece before returning it to his face, "When the contest begins, we try and eat as fast as possible. Full piece of meat."

The human smirked, "Alright, we start when that," he gestured to an alarm clock on the floor, "Goes off in a moment."

"You ready?"

She nodded, "I am ready."

That sat in silence for a few seconds, watching eachother with mischievous intent before the alarm rang out.

BEEP BEEP BEEP

McArthy frantically began tearing at the meat, it's juices staining the edges of his mouth as he bit into it. He pulled off a sizable chunk before chewing and subsequently swallowing it.

He regretted looking up, as despair stuck deep into his heart. Mim only opened her mouth and slammed it down on the entire piece, swallowing it soon after. She wiped her beak clean with a claw before diverting her gaze to him.

McArthy looked down at his food, not even a third of it eaten as he returned his eyes to a very smug t'vaoan.

Crossing her arms, Mim lightly chuckled, "It appears you lost."

McArthy sighed as he lowered the meat down, then nodded, "Appears so."

Uncrossing her arms, Mim put her hands on the ground between them, leaving forward towards him, "Now you must share everything about me you find appealing."

Tapping his leg, McArthy shrugged and said, "Well, that doesn't seem too-"

Mim interrupted him as she pushed her face in front of his, whispering with amusement, "Everything. Don't leave a detail out."

The two stared at each other for a few moments, then McArthy grinned and said, "Well, then, you just want to hear about yourself, huh?"

Chuckling, Mim backed up a bit and said, "Just tell me already."

McArthy raised his hands defensively, "Alright, alright. I'll stop stalling. Um…"

He took a moment to stare into her eyes, his grin growing a bit, then he said, "What I Love about you. Well, you are so protective over me. While that may complicate things, it just tells me how much you care about me, and with so few people in my life who actually cared, I just couldn't go on without it.

"Another thing is how soft and… patient you are with me. I'm not a good teacher, and I haven't been in the best condition on this planet, but you didn't complain or get mad at me for being slow.

"You're just understanding, and I'm grateful for that."

A silence settled on the two again, making Mim nod her head to prod him to say more.

With a sigh, he lowered his head a bit.

"And… I love your eyes. So predatory and intelligent, yet so soft and caring. I can read your emotions with them and I can't help but get lost in their amber glow.

"And...uh… I love your feathers, honestly. The soft tickle of them against me, the natural beauty you have with them, sometimes I'll catch myself just gazing at your exotic form, awestruck."

With a chuff, Mim chattered her beak, "I bet those are not the only features of my form you like."

McArthy nodded his head with a quiet chuckle, "Yeah, you're not wrong. I… ugh it doesn't feel right just saying this out loud, I feel like a-"

He felt as Mim moved her hand to hold his, squeezing it. He looked up at her, expecting her to say something, but instead she chuckled, "You lost the game, now you must keep going, no matter what you sound like."

Letting out a small groan, McArthy squeezed her hand back and said, "Fine. I, uh... I like your very, very nice legs. Nothing like a human's, but so… I don't know, nice, heh. Alright, you also have a great ass… and hips.

"You're just… so… attractive to me. I've long gotten over you being an alien, and I don't care. Every part of you works so well to create a figure that can take anyone's breath away. And it just so seamlessly pairs with such a caring and loving person. I couldn't feel luckier."

Mim trilled as she scooched herself closer, moving her head to rest on his shoulder. Nuzzling into his neck, she whispered, "Now I feel bad… despite how much you like to squeeze it you looked so uncomfortable talking about my… ass."

Chuckling, he combed his hand through her feathers, rubbing her head, and said, "Maybe you should've just lost then. I mean, you certainly don't seem like the type to get embarrassed when talking about stuff like that."

Thinking for a moment, Mim rumbled and said, "For carrying me all the way back to the base, I'll take a turn."

Snickering, McArthy slyly stated, "I thought you already repaid me for that."

Squawking, she nipped his ear and said, "That was for everything, I want to repay that specifically."

With a smile, McArthy pressed into her nuzzling and said, "Well by all means, if you want to, go ahead."

Almost with a cackle, Mim kept her head on his shoulder and began, "You are the nicest person I've spent time with. You say you are not a good teacher, yet you taught me anyway. You were patient in your own right, and you were willing to sacrifice your own comfort to keep me comfortable.

"You put me before yourself, something I never really experienced much of before, despite us only knowing each other for so long. And the longer we did know each other, the more you were willing to sacrifice for me.

"I realized I wanted you back when you pushed me out away from that ghost some time ago, almost killing yourself!"

She heard McArthy grunt, "Oh, so… was all that… getting close to me and displaying yourself… flirting?"

Mim couldn't help but laugh, pulled her head back to press the tip of her snout against his nose. "You really were a bit dense, hm?"

Stuttering a bit, McArthy tried to defend himself, "I mean, I-I didn't know much about ja-kig-yar customs! I didn't want to assume anything wrong and get lashed out at!"

Giggling, she pulled her body closer to him and said, "It is fine. We're together now, that's all that matters. Now, where was I? Oh yes, and after being able to really see you, there so many things about you I love. Your perfectly toned body, your soft skin, your impressive penis-"

She heard an audible gulp come from him and watched his face redden. Chuckling, she nuzzled his cheek with a sigh, "Oh calm yourself. You know how to treat me, how your hands run across my body make me giddy. You… you work me in all the right ways."

Nervous chuckling escaped from her human, "O-oh, so I'm doing a good job then?"

Holding him tighter, she crooned, "The best job."

He rubbed the back of her head before a question panged in the back of his mind.

"So you ate that meat earlier in one bite, bone and all, so does that mean you can digest bones or do you have to spit it out later?"

The human yelped as Mim nipped his nose again.

#

"D-do you everrr wonder… 'what thhe fuck am I doing', ya know?" McArthy slurred, laying with his back on the ground and his eyes to the ceiling.

"Mmm… squawk."

"I know right!"

McArthy shifted around, bumping his head against her's. They both laid down with the tops of their heads touching each other, their bodies in line with each other as they stared at the ceiling lights. A few inches away was a tipped over bottle of scotch, however there was no liquid spilled on the floor.

It's contents were currently being digested by the couple.

They had found it locked in a cabinet in the secret basement of the base, along with some other snacks such as stale potato chips and chocolates. Deciding to relieve themselves a little, they took to splitting and ultimately downing the entire thing.

He scratched his chin, "When I lived… with my pants, stupid stupidfuckers, I worked. At a fast food joint down the way by the other thing. I forget."

"Crawt?"

"Type of e-eating place. Make food quick, sell quick, burber," he explained drunkenly.

"Cr-rawt?"

"Sandwich. But back to whats I was saying, I worked the grill and at times I would see like… a bajillion orders get ordered and I would be like, 'Man, screw this- what am I even doing here?' so then I left."

Mim sat up and looked him in the eye, taking a bite of chocolate and spitting it back out, before yawning, "Sq-squawk?"

"Man. Then I went to jump outta space ships. Now I's here. Kissin' you."

McArthy drunkenly reached for Mim, pulling her close and kissed her beak. She trilled before sitting on top of him, straddling his stomach before nudging her forehead against his.

"Caw~"

"I, burp, love you too."

She nuzzled him a little longer before falling over to the side, clearly confused over her own condition. McArthy giggled, running a hand up her side and behind her back as he kissed her again.

"Hold on, lemme just- ah," he said, standing up with a stumble.

He grasped her hand, helping her up and placing his free hand on her hip. He pulled her close, looking into her slightly dazed eyes, "Th-this is what us humans call… slow dancin' hun."

He began swaying his hips from side to side, spinning around slowly with the t'vaoan at his side. She squawked in jest as she tried to drunkenly dance along, tripping over her own cloven feet as she mirrored his movements.

"Duh da dut dut, duh da dut dut, dah da dut dut, daah da dut dut," McArthy tried his best to voice a tune from his memory, but he ended up having to repeat the same phrase as he couldn't remember the rest of it.

She laughed as they spun around the room, occasionally hitting furniture and other devices along the way. They got to the edge of a table, McArthy pushing her atop of it so she was sitting with her legs wrapped around his legs. He pressed his lips against the tip of her beak, rubbing the back of her neck with his hand and petting her feathers.

"So, what'd you think of me singin'?" He asked, pulling away while looking her in the eyes.

"Quack."

He tilted his head in disappointment, "Mediocre? Wells that mean. Appreciate the hon-hon-whatever the word is, though."

She chuckled and pressed a talon to his nose, pressing her beak back to his face. McArthy returned the favor before pulling away again.

That's when she began convulsing slightly, bringing him back to his senses momentarily as he watched Mim seemingly choke on something.

"Uh, Mim, you alright sweetie?" He asked, draping a hand by the side of her face.

"Bleh."

The human looked down at his clothes, now covered in vomit, a single bone slowly dripping down his shirt and onto the floor. Mim looked at him dumbly for a moment, blinking a few times before her eyes went wide as she looked him up and down.

"I'm so sorry! Please, let me help you clean it up," Mim squawked, running to grab a towel.

McArthy only took off his shirt, looking at the bone on the ground with mild curiosity.

"Huh. I guess she couldn't digest it."

#

Mim laid down in the darkness next to McArthy, being held closely by him as she found respite in the crook of his neck. His warmth overwhelming and the subtle weight of his arms making her sleepy.

She shifted a little so that she faced her human taking the moment to look in his drowsy eyes.

"I had fun today," she stated with a trill.

McArthy pulled her closer before kissing her, "Glad to hear that. Let's make sure every day together is like that, alright?"

She nodded before cuddling back into his embrace.

"Goodnight my mate."

"Goodnight Mim, I love you."

Mim nuzzled him even more.

"I love you too."

It wasn't long before the two of them dozed off.

#

McArthy woke up with an irritating headache, softly groaning as he opened his eyes. He was expecting to see and feel Mim right up against him, though he only found empty air. With a grunt, he leaned himself upward to see Mim standing at the doorway leading outside, dressed in her armor, pushing snow away from the door.

Turning towards the window, he saw the snow had gathered so high it almost blocked out the entire window, only a sliver of sunlight being visible shining through over the pile. Though luckily, the storm seemed to have passed, and now Mim was trying to clear the way outside.

Letting out along yawn, he sat himself up and asked, "Mim, what's up?"

With a croon, she turned away from the doorway to him and said, "I'm getting breakfast. A lot of snow is in the way, though."

Her leg suddenly whipped out in a kick against the wall of snow, then the whole pile fell apart, clearing the way outside. She turned to it with a surprised squawk, making McArthy chuckle.

Lightly chuckling herself, she turned back towards McArthy, striding to him. She crouched next to him, then held him by the shoulders and nuzzled his cheek. Smiling, he planted a kiss on her cheek, eliciting a chirp from her.

"I will be back soon. I promise, and this time I will keep it."

McArhy sighed with a grin as he moved his hand to hold the side of her face. She pressed into his hand with a rumbling throat, softly crooning, then he said, "I know you will. But you sure you don't want me to come?"

She licked him up his cheek, watching him chuckle some more, then trilled, "I will be fine. You look like you need a break."

Letting out a small laugh, McArthy leaned back against the wall and said, "I'm a light-weight, I can't help it."

"I hope I'm not too much of one on your lap, no?" Mim stated coyly, swaying her hips side to side.

The two lightly snickered as she moved back, then she grabbed her plasma pistol and said, "I will not be gone long."

She bit at the air with a smile as McArthy gave her a wave, then she ran out the door, it shutting behind her with a hiss. The ODST lowered his hand with a sigh, watching Mim pass by the window as she left the base. His headache still irritating him, he let out another yawn as he lowered himself back onto the mattress. He might as well sleep the headache away, and hopefully Mim will be back once he wakes up.

Though they've only been 'together' for two days, there was nothing he'd rather do than just spend the day doing anything with her. Without her, he had nothing, so he was going to make sure he savored every single soft, intimate, loving second he spent with her.

With a soft sigh he slowly let himself drift off again, hoping when he woke up his headache would be gone and Mim would be back.

However, when he woke up, only the headache was gone. Leaning up from the mattress with a grunt, quickly scanning the room and not seeing her. With a shrug, he decided he might as well get up anyway, he couldn't just stay on the bedding and wait for her.

Stretching his arms and legs with a groan, he yawned again and finally picked himself up from the mattress. He walked over to a counter, putting his hand on it for support as he walked down towards the conference table, where his backpack was sitting.

Once he turned around the counter towards the table, he froze, staring at an object sitting right in front of the table.

An egg.

He lost all senses as he stared at the egg, his brain shutting down for a second. After a few seconds of silence, he quickly approached the egg, confusion dominating his mind.

Did Mim lay this egg? Of course she did, what else could've just left an egg this size in the middle of the base. More importantly, how did it happen?

"Oh my… that isn't… how did… is this why she brought up a child?"

Carefully grabbing the egg, he lifted it up and felt its weight, too many thoughts running through his mind too quickly for him to make sense of them. He naturally held the egg in a cradle, suddenly walking in circles as he asked himself a thousand questions.

Was the child actually his? Could they even take care of a kid in these conditions? Why didn't she tell him about this? What did baby skirmishers even look like!?

#

Humming softly, Mim dragged her recent kill through the base's fence and towards the front door. Excited to spend the rest of the day with her mate, she blissfully opened the doorway, only to see a nerve wracked McArthy pacing around the off center conference table.

His head spun and faced her as his body froze. She could see the confusion on his face, making her equally confused, then she looked down and saw the egg cradled in his arms.

"Oh."

Pacing up to her, carefully staring at the egg, McArthy asked, "Mim! Why didn't you tell me you laid an egg!? That seems like a big fuckin' deal! Holy Jesus I have so many questions, I'm so nervous, when will it hatch? Wa-how did this…?"

She silently chuckled as she moved to the back of the room with the prey, placing it in the now powered deep freezer, then Mim softly tsked as she held out her hands. McArthy softly placed the egg in her hands, then looked up at her. With a light giggle, she gave his nose a quick nip, then turned and walked back outside.

With a sudden gasp, McArthy followed after her. "Mim! We can't take the egg outside! It's too cold! We gotta keep it warm! It's mine, right? I don't know… how-"

Mim walked out into the courtyard in front of the base, then turned around to face the base and McArthy. He walked to her, about to ask another question, then Mim drew her arm back and chucked the egg at the bases' wall with zero hesitation.

She watched with surprise as McArthy yelled and leaped for the egg, though far too late to save it as it hurtled and smashed against the bases' wall, the yellow yolk and egg whites running down the wall.

Looking up from the ground, he looked up at the dripping egg, seeing no sign of a child, in any stage of development. He stood up, staring at the egg in confusion, then a sudden wave of realization struck him.

With a loud groan, he placed his hands on his face, "How the fuck did I not think of it!"

He felt Mim wrap her arms around him from behind, moving her face over his shoulder and pressing her beak against his cheek.

With a light giggle, she licked his cheek and said, "Though I appreciate how much you cared about our 'child', you and I could not conceive one even if we wanted to."

With another groan, he hung his head back and said, "I realize that now. How did I not think of you guys being able to lay unfertilized eggs? I jumped the gun and forgot about basic biology."

Moving him forward a bit towards the base, Mim chuffed, "Let's go inside now. It is chilly."

Slowly walking forward as Mim still held him from behind, he gestured to the splattered egg and said, "You could've told me in a less traumatizing way. I thought that was our actual kid!"

Chuckling, Mim nipped his ear and said, "But that's no fun! Here, I will make it up to you today."

With a huff, he turned his head to face her with a small grin, "And how are you gonna do that?"

As they walked into the base, the door shutting behind them, Mim licked his ear and quietly said, "There are many ways."

McArthy's face reddened, then she gripped his arms and pulled him with her as she basically threw herself onto the bedding. He flew down with her with a yelp, Mim laughing as they fell into the mattress together.

#

Sitting on the mattress, his back against the wall, McArthy was looking down at his helmet, tinkering with it's internal bits. Their last fight apparently messed something up, either that or it was what they just did, but he'd rather remember it being the fight to blame. Either way, his HUD stopped working, and now he was trying to fix it.

Cuddling on his side, arms wrapped around him, Mim rested her head sideways on his shoulder, watching him tinker and studying the components. Though human technology was strange, it was far more basic than the Covenant's, so it wasn't too hard for her to figure out how systems worked.

She watched as he toyed with a wire, then she quietly said, "That one looks like it is for the communications, not the HUD."

Grinning, he stopped touching the wire and asked, "How can you tell?"

"This," she answered simply, tracing the wire across the exposed insides. "It does not lead to the visor. Plus, this small box it is plugged into resembles a com unit."

Turning the helmet back around, he gestured at another wire and asked, "So, it would be this one?"

She gave him an affirmative squawk, then watched as he traced the wire himself. Mim had already found the problem, but she stayed quiet, wanting McArthy to find out on his own.

After a minute of staring, McArthy quietly gasped, then grabbed the wire where it plugged in near the visor. The wire had been knocked out of the socket a bit, disconnecting, then he carefully plugged it all the way back in. Quickly flipping the helmet around and putting it over his head, he watched as the HUD turned on, working again.

He took the helmet off with a wide grin, then laughed, "Look at that, I actually figured it out!"

Mim giggled as she nuzzled his cheek, "I knew you would. You know human tech much better than me."

Laughing, he put the helmet in his lap, draping his arm over her shoulders, and said, "Oh hush, I know you figured it out long before me you cute genius."

Mim trilled as she lifted her head to face him. He turned to look at her with a grin, then kissed her on the end of the beak. She crooned and pushed into his kiss, opening her beak ever so slightly to allow her tongue to slip out and snake into his mouth.

The couple scooted closer together as they continued kissing, pausing every now and again for a breath or nuzzle. McArthy felt as Mim's arm wrapped around his right side reached for his hand resting on the mattress, then flipped it over so their digits could interlock.

They were deaf to the world as they were lost in each other, then their intimacy was interrupted as the sounds of static escaped from McArthy's helmet. They both paused and opened their eyes to stare at each other for a few seconds, then separated and turned to the helmet sitting in McArthy's lap.

McArthy grunted as he picked it up, "Cock blocked by my own helmet."

Mim nipped his ear and said, "It might be important, it is on an open channel."

Nodding, McArthy put the helmet over his head and listened in on whatever was being said over the coms. It only took him a second to recognize it as Covenant, but he couldn't understand the language.

He took the helmet off, then offered it to Mim and said, "I don't speak your language, so you should probably listen."

Mim tilted her head, taking the helmet curiously, "Why would the Covenant send a message on open channels?"

She raised the helmet to her ear, listening to the message. She recognized the voice as the ultra, Bota, the one who let her escape. Listening to the whole message, her eyes and beak widened, an expression that made McArthy equally curious and nervous.

His avian lover lowered the helmet from her ear, a shocked expression still plastered to her face, then McArthy asked, "So… what did you hear?"

She slowly turned to him, handing him back the helmet, then said, "They… they are ordering an evacuation of all bases in this sector. The artifact has been extracted… they… they are going to glass us!"

This was a very enjoyable chapter to write! Fun fact, the drinking scene was actually a dream my buddy, The Quackster, had, and I liked it, so it's in! lol Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, I know I did! I don't really have much else to say. If you want to, feel free to review, fav, follow, the whole thang, and have a good day or night!