3 years later...
Mim set down a heavy bag on top of the kitchen counter with a grunt, opening it up to reveal her old armor. She hadn't touched this in years, not since Sil gave it back to her. Pulled out one of the shoulder pads, she slowly turned it and gazed, remembering the times she wore it. Those times felt so long ago, so in the past, and yet she could remember those days like they were yesterday.
Suddenly, a blue and white fluffball leaped onto the kitchen counter, slipping and falling over onto the bag of armor with a loud chirp. Dropping the shoulder pad with surprise, Mim quickly scooped up the fluffball and raised it in front of her eyes.
With a squawk, Mim chuckled and said, "Hess! You scared the shi- ah, you scared me!"
The one year old fluffy t'vaoan in her hands chirped, waving their arms as it stared into her mother's eyes. Suddenly, McArthy came running into the room, panting a bit. Mim turned to him with a grin, tucking the baby into her arm.
McArthy let out a sigh of relief, then walked up to her and said, "I'm sorry, she just got between my legs! Even as babies, you t'vaoans are faster than I could ever be."
Chuckling, Mim leaned forward, nuzzling his cheek, then handed him the baby, "Don't worry, you'll get the hang of catching her soon enough. I mean, you'll need to with my little trip coming up."
McArthy sighed, then turned around, putting the baby, Hess, down. He pointed at her and said, "Don't jump on anything, Hess. I don't want you to hurt yourself."
The baby only chirped, then spun around and zoomed out of the room, disappearing down the hall, heading towards her bedroom. McArthy rose with a long sigh, then turned back to Mim and asked, "Are you sure you want to go alone? You're taking out that armor, that means danger. I don't want you getting into a fight, let alone without me with you."
Mim hushed him, wrapping her arms around him and holding his back, shifting a leg around him, then nuzzled his cheek and said, "I will have Sil, and it isn't even that dangerous. Just a little trip, the armor is just a precaution."
Placing his hands on her cheeks, McArthy rubbed her with his thumbs and asked, "Are you sure?"
Chuckling, Mim snaked her tongue out and began lapping at his lips. McArthy lightly laughed as he stumbled backwards, suddenly pinned to the back of the couch by the t'vaoan as she continued licking him. She drew back with a grin and said, "I am sure. I should be leaving soon."
McArthy let out a groan of disappointment as he wrapped his hands around her waist, then asked, "You sure you don't have time for at least one thing?"
Giggling, Mim nipped his nose and said, "I'm not in that kind of mood anyway."
McArthy only grinned, taking a moment to look down at her pressing her body against his on the couch, then looked back up at her and asked, "You sure?"
Looking down at the two of them herself, Mim crooned, rubbing his waist with hers for a moment, then said, "Okay, maybe I am now. But I unfortunately don't have time for that."
McArthy kissed her on the tip of her beak and said, "That's too bad."
Chuckling, Mim stared into his eyes and softly said, "Oh, what? Did you want me to hear me say, 'rut, rut, mate me~' today?"
She gave him a playful nip, then backed away and grabbed the bag with her armor. She turned her head to see McArthy scratch the back of his neck, then he let out a nervous chuckle and said, "Uh… maybe?"
Laughing, Mim draped the bag over her shoulder and said, "Don't worry, McArthy. We will have plenty of time for each other when I get back. But, things must be done. I know you would rather spend your day with me and our daughter than go work at the restaurant, but you have to go do that anyway. It is like this."
Sighing, McArthy nodded his head and said, "Alright, I get it. Just be careful for me. And if something happens to you, I'm killing Sil."
In one swift stride, Mim closed the distance between them, quickly licking his cheek, then skipped away and said, "I'd be disappointed if you didn't. I'll be back in a day or two! Don't overwork 'Oru! Take good care of Hess!"
Waving as she approached the front door, McArthy leaned against the couch and said, "I will! She'll be-"
He was interrupted as the sound of something shattering came from within the house, making his head whip towards the hallway. Chuckling, Mim stepped outside the open door and said, "Good luck!"
She watched in amusement as her mate scurried away into the house with a faint 'love you', then the door shut in front of her. She let out a sigh, then turned back and looked off her porch. Her gaze immediately locked onto the beach, leaving her to take in a deep breath.
Suddenly, the relative peace was filled with the humming of a phantom, making her lift her head and watch one begin lowering itself on the open beach not too far ahead. Tightening her hold on the bag, Mim bolted forward, running towards the phantom. Soon her feet hit sand as she closed the distance between her and the vehicle.
Mim watched as the doors opened, revealing Sil clad in her shining silver armor, as usual. Hopping into the phantom, Sil and Mim wrapped each other in a hug. After almost a minute of squeezing, Sil released her and said, "It's been a while! How is that little chick of yours? What's her name…"
Chuckling, Mim set her bag down as the phantom began moving and said, "It's Hess, and she's doing fine."
Nodding her head, Sil leaned against the wall, scratching her feathers, then asked, "Yeah, how did she end up… being anyways?"
"Well, the adoption center, of course. Apparently she was an egg left at their doorstep. It's a common occurrence, and they have a very simple method of dealing with said eggs, but apparently she was a little too far on for that. Fortunately, it was only a week later we came along."
Sil chuckled, then crossed her arms and asked, "So she nearly missed being thrown into the garbage disposal. Nice."
Mim nodded, "Yes, it's very nice. We honestly couldn't have asked for a better daughter, despite the chaos she causes. I mean, I guess that is the danger McArthy spoke of a while ago. Certainly keeps home life interesting."
Suddenly, Sil tossed something at Mim, the glint of the object catching her eye. Shooting her hand out, Mim caught the object, then brought it to her face. Opening her hand, she saw the object as McArthy's dog tags.
Looking back up at Sil, the pirate shifted and said, "Jacob Jay McArthy, father of officially deceased Jacob May McArthy, widower of Lila Bell McArthy. Currently located in a desolate motel in the human colony of Capella. We found our human, now it's time we made our way."
Staring at the dog tags a moment longer, Mim asked, "Do you know any details about him?"
Sil shrugged, then said, "All I know is official documentation. The only tid-bit of information other than what I said may be a court case where he was accused of domestic abuse by a concerned neighbor. He pleaded innocent, and his wife was able to convince them nothing happened, and he was determined not guilty. Though, given the history you shared, that isn't surprising."
Snarling, Mim tucked the dog tags away in her parka and said, "I will serve him a different sentence. One he deserves."
"I know you will, darling. But we still have quite the journey ahead of us. Should take two to three days for a round trip, depending on unexpected activity and such. This may sound sick, but I'm a pirate so I don't care, would you mind recording it?"
Mim shook her head, "This is for me, no one else."
Scoffing, Sil pushed herself off the wall of the phantom and said, "Fine. You're no fun."
It wasn't long until the phantom landed inside the battlecruiser's hangar, and almost immediately after the ship shuttered as it went into slipspace. As the doors to the phantom opened, Sil hooked her arm around Mim and said, "One thing I want to do before we do this is make sure you're still ready for a fight. I doubt there'll be one, but still, you've spent the last three years doing nothing but McArthy!"
Mim bit Sil on the beak, making her squawk and pull away, then said, "What I do with my mate is none of your business. And my aim is fine. My eyes are as sharp as ever, three years of not shooting a gun won't get rid of that fact."
Chuckling, Sil walked out of the phantom and said, "Whatever. If you feel like testing your skills, you know how to contact me. You need help getting to your quarters?"
Mim shook her head as she lifted her bag, then walked out as well and said, "I will be fine."
Before she could walk away, Sil raised a hand and said, "Wait, I got a surprise for you."
Turning behind her, Sil snapped at an approaching kig-yar who was carrying a long crate. Handing the crate over to Sil, she hissed at him, making him spin around and scurry off. Turning back to Mim, she held the crate out and said, "I thought you might want these."
With a little hesitation, Mim shifted her bag onto her shoulder and grabbed the crate. Cracking open the crate, four objects were revealed. Sitting on the bottom of the crate on foam was a shotgun, identical to the one she became very fond of years back.
Above the shotgun sat three pieces of armor. Two of the pieces were red armor for her forearms, and the last one was a red and black helmet, similar to Sil's own helmet. Walking up to her, Sil put her hand under the crate, then grabbed the helmet and lifted it out. She gave it a light tap, then Mim watched as the eyes glowed a red ring around the outline of the eye, while the middle of the ring was pure black.
Sil put the helmet back in the crate, then said, "I thought I'd give you some upgrades to your armor. As pointless as it seems, given how you don't fight, I thought I might as well. As it is, your armor is very basic. At least this will give you a tad but more protection, which I know McArthy will appreciate."
Glaring at the helmet, looking at the glowing eyes, Mim chuckled and said, "I now have more ideas of how to use this armor."
Tilting her head, Sil asked, "Mind sharing?"
Mim shut the crate, then turned away and said, "I do mind. I'm heading to my room. I'll see you in… whenever I get up."
Sil snickered as she watched Mim walk off, seemingly knowing where she was going. Shrugging her shoulders, Sil walked off herself, heading for her own had a bit of a journey ahead of them, she just hoped nothing would go wrong when the time of the mission came.
#
For a ship teeming with pirates, it was quiet. Too quiet, for Mim's taste. She rolled over in bed with a grunt, a small part of her hoping to find McArthy resting next to her, ready to be snuggled. Unfortunately, there was just more empty bed. Grumbling, Mim turned once again in the sheet, throwing them off as she curled up, trying to fall asleep.
Apparently, for her, without McArthy next to her, she was having a lot of trouble falling asleep. He was the only thing on her mind right now, her human. It seemed he was always the focus of her mind, though recently that has been changing now with Hess in their life. At first, some small part of her thought that having that child could ruin or stale their relationship, take up time they could spend together. But, after having her for a year, Mim realized she was very wrong. If anything, it made their love stronger. Something about seeing McArthy so easily father their daughter, stray so far from the only fatherly example he had, it only made her love him more.
Mim released a long croon in her bed as she rolled again, grabbing under her thighs to pull them closer to her chest. She was unconsciously nuzzling the pillow as she thought about her mate, her fingers squeezing her legs. Mim silently hoped missing his warmth this badly in one night wasn't a sign of something unhealthy, though she couldn't understand why being so attached to your mate would be considered bad.
With an annoyed snarl, she rolled onto her back, splaying her limbs out and pushing her snout into the pillow. Her lower digits twitched as a familiar feeling began moving over her body, a feeling she was used to having McArthy help appease.
Her feathers pressed uncomfortably against the pillow as she moved her head, making her growl and flip back onto her side. Feeling a faint breeze of cold air chill her bare body, she grunted and grabbed the sheets she had pulled off, lazily yanking it back over her body.
For some reason, thinking about her mate was only making her more awake. Suddenly, a knock came from her door, making her growl under her breath. She threw the sheet off of her body, then rolled off the bed and walked over to the door. The door slid open as she scratched her feathers, revealing Sil standing on the other side. Sil rose a finger, about to say something, then froze as she gazed at Mim.
Mim tilted her head, confused by her staring, then looked down at herself. She loudly squawked as she realized she was naked, then shut the door on Sil's face and leapt for her clothes. Once she was properly covered, she jumped back to the door and opened it.
Sil looked her up and down for a moment, then snickered and said, "You seemed moist."
Mim slapped Sil across the face, only garnering a louder fit of laughing from her. With a snarl, Mim asked, "What do you want?"
Chuckling, Sil leaned against the wall and said, "Don't be mad at me for you forgetting to cover yourself. Plus, you look good."
The pirate was met again with a slap against the face, making her laugh more. Once her fit of laughing stopped, she sighed and asked, "So, how are you sleeping? I assume not well, seeing as you're awake."
Grunting, Mim turned around, walking to the bed, then said, "You wouldn't be wrong. As it seems, I'm having trouble sleeping without McArthy."
Sil hung her head with a groan, then asked, "Really? You've never spent a night without him? You haven't sent him to the couch for being a bad male? Had to fall asleep knowing he wouldn't get home from work for a while?"
Mim shook her head as she took a seat on the bed, "I've fallen asleep without him before, but I always knew he'd come to bed at some point, even in my sleep his warmth can comfort me."
Chomping the air with her beak, Sil bobbed her head and said, "Is this what being a lovey dovey couple is like? Here, wanna cuddle with me for the night?"
Extending her arms, SIl began walking towards Mim. Mim shook her head and quickly outstretched her leg, planting her foot on Sil's face, keeping her afar. With a snarl, Mim said, "Don't even insinuate touching me like that."
With a huff, Sil gripped Mim's leg, shifting it away, then said, "We hug all the time, cuddling is just hugging on our sides."
Yanking her leg from Sil's grip, Mim hissed and said, "Don't get technical with me."
Chuckling, Sil sat next to Mim and said, "Well, since you can't sleep, why don't you and me go to the range, for fun."
Turning to Sil, Mim grinned and said, "I'll beat you."
Sil hung her head back with a hearty laugh, slapping her knee as she curled up a little. After a few seconds of her laughing, she cut herself off and spoke in a straight voice, "Fucking try me."
#
McArthy let out a long yawn as he held Hess in his arms, walking around their empty house as she chirped and squawked without pause. At this point he was doing circles around the kitchen table, trying to figure out how to calm her down. Until now usually Mim would've been on top of calming her before he even got the chance, and how she even did it was beyond him. She always seemed to quietly croon or chirp with her, and that seemed to work, but he definitely couldn't replicate those sounds.
He raised his daughter to look at her face, watching her stare back and simply continue chirping at him. She couldn't be hungry, he fed her less than an hour ago. Her diaper was fine, she was just squawking constantly. Softly patting her back, he paused to look out the glass door leading to the backyard.
Given the amount of space between the houses and how loud her chirping was, he guessed she wouldn't bother anyone if he walked outside. Maybe she just needed fresh air, anyways.
Walking up the door, it slid open, and he walked outside into their green backyard to gaze at the starry night. Making sure the door slid shut behind them, McArthy walked out onto the grassy yard and cradled Hess in his arms, turning his head to look up at the stars. For some reason, even though he had spent many months stuck in a ship, staring out at the infinite universe, looking up at stars from the surface never got old. It was particularly beautiful tonight, with faint clouds drifting while the stars twinkled brighter than he's ever seen.
As he gazed, something settled on McArthy. Turning his focus back to Hess in his arms, he realized she had stopped making any noises. Instead, her eyes were glued to the bright stars in the dark sky, her beak slightly ajar. He could see the stars' reflection in her eyes, then he raised his eyes to look as well.
Maybe this could become a thing for him and her, staring at the stars. He quite enjoyed the peace, and it seemed to keep her calm. With a sigh, he walked over to one of the chairs sitting outside and slowly took a seat, looking back down at Hess. She was still transfixed on the sky, though her eyes seemed to be slowly settling. Looking up with a sigh, he cradled the baby closer, softly rubbing her fluffy head with a thumb.
It wasn't long until Hess fell asleep, McArthy taking a minute to simply look at her sleeping in his arms. He didn't know it until she hatched, but baby t'vaoans had to be some of the most adorable creatures in the universe. Suddenly, a cold breeze passed by them, making Hess shiver in her sleep. With a grunt, he stood up from his chair and walked back into the house. He took her through the house, making it into her room.
The walls were painted a light blue, and sitting against the wall was a crib. He turned the light off as he walked in, then carefully set the sleeping t'vaoan in the crib. He put his hand on the head of the crib as he straightened himself, looking down at the baby. McArthy sighed, lowering down to her and kissing her forehead.
Turning back around, McArthy walked out of the room and silently shut the door. Relieved that she was asleep, he walked into his room and turned the lights off. Tiredly throwing the clothes he had on off, then slid himself into the empty bed and threw the covers on. He stretched his arm out, rubbing the empty side of the bed with a disappointed grunt. McArthy was too used to having Mim snuggle with him at night.
Rolling onto his side, he released a long breath and shut his eyes, ready to try and go to sleep, when his eyes were ripped open as a high pitched squawk rang through the house. He laid there for a moment, staring into the darkness of his room, then the squawking continued.
Swinging himself up out of bed, he walked back out of his room, ready to pick his daughter up and stargaze a little longer.
#
Mim attached her new forearm armor onto her new skinsuit, raising her hands to look at them for a moment. The feeling of her feathers being pressed down by the armor was annoying, then she turned to Sil and said, "This feels worse than I expected."
Chuckling, Sil waved a hand and said, "You get used to it. So, how are you feeling?"
Mim raised a roll of gauze she had Sil fetch for her, then unrolled it and said, "Anxious."
Sil nodded her head as she watched Mim begin rolling the gauze around the right forearm armor, before ripping it off and looking at the bandaging. Huffing, Sil leaned against the wall of the phantom and asked, "What's with the gauze?"
Still gazing at it, Mim said, "I remember it vividly. Back on the snow planet, I was hurt by a ruuhitian. They bit me in the arm, and he fixed the wound. I became… attached, to some degree, to that bandaging. No one had ever done something like that for me before."
Sil stared at her for a bit, then chuckled and said, "Maybe that's because you were a technician. Not a lot of injuries to get in that job."
Hissing, Mim looked back at Sil and said, "I'll have you know, being a technician can be very dangerous! I've seen an unggoy get their head filled with shrapnel by an explosion while fixing a wraith!"
Waving her hands, trying to calm her, Sil snickered and said, "Alright, I get it. You weren't used to someone being nice to you."
Turning towards the wall, Mim said, "Exactly."
She reached around her back and pulled her new shotgun out, leveling it in her grip and looking it over. Sil walked a little closer to her, gazing at the weapon as Mim loaded it. Mim gave the weapon a pump, then turned to the pirate staring at her.
Chuckling, Sil crossed her arms and said, "You don't see a t'vaoan using a shotgun very much, ya' know. Well, any kig-yar, to be exact. Maybe your short stack frame is better at handling it then the rest of us."
Grunting, Mim lowered the weapon and said, "You just like keeping your distance, you literally shot it fine at the range."
Sil shrugged her shoulders, then began picking at her teeth with a claw and asked, "So, I got another surprise I forgot to tell you about. Uh, given the fact that we are about to drop you on a human planet, I decided it would be beneficial to upgrade your armor with active camo."
The two stared at each other silently for a few seconds, then Mim lifted her helmet over her head and disappeared from sight. While it would fool most people, Sil has had to be invisible alongside her old friend enough times to see it as easily as a normal person. Her especially sharp eyes helped with that.
Mim appeared again, then giggled and said, "I had always wanted active camo."
Gesturing to her armor, Sil said, "Well, happy birthday or whatever. Not like you're gonna use it much after this."
Chuckling, Mim said, "Don't be so sure."
Suddenly, the pilot's voice spoke through the ship and said, "We are approaching the drop point. Our stealth tech has let us slip in undetected. Prepare for departure."
Placing her hand on Mim's shoulder, Sil asked, "You sure you want to go alone?"
Mim nodded with confidence, straightening her back, then said, "This is for me, and me alone."
Nodding, Sil removed her hand from her friend's shoulder and said, "He's in motel room number 7. Be careful."
Mim gave her friend a nod, then the hatch to the gravity lift opened. With a deep breath, she jumped into the gravity lift and floated downward. The lift deactivated, and she landed on top of a building with a grunt. She swiftly activated her active camo, then looked up at where the phantom should've been, but it was gone. She knew it was simply cloaked, like her, but her eyes never got too used to looking at cloaked people or vehicles.
Looking back down with a grunt, she moved to the edge of the building and looked down. She had been dropped right on top of the motel. It was a two story motel, with a long balcony holding doors to more rooms on the second floor. Now she just had to find the right room. She gripped the rim of the roof, then swung her body down and leapt onto the second floor over the railing.
Landing on her feet, she turned to the first door next to her. There was a number 20 on the door, then she turned her head to look at the following doors. The numbers were only increasing, so she turned to the railed and quickly vaulted over it. She landed, barely making a sound, then turned to look around the parking lot. It was empty of people, leaving her to more confidently look around at the doors. Even if people were here, they definitely wouldn't be able to see her, she just preferred there being no chances.
Soon, she reached the door with a number 7 attached to it. Mim walked up to the door, quickly testing the knob. It didn't budge, so she took the shotgun off her back and took a step back. Sucking in a deep breath, she stepped forward and shot her foot forward. Striking the door right in the handle, the door violently swung open, revealing the small and foul smelling room.
A man yelped and fell out of his bed, temporarily hiding the open door from his shot into the room, still fully cloaked, then grabbed the door and swung it back shut. She silently crept around the room, watching as the man leapt back up and rushed to the door.
Ripping the door open, he yelled, "Who the fuck just…"
He trailed off as he poked his head out through the door, seeing an absolutely barren outside. He stared a little longer, then slowly shut the door again. The door barely shut properly, but the chain lock still worked. Locking the door, he turned back around to lay back in his bed.
Rubbing his eyes, he moved to the nightstand and spoke to himself, "What the fuck do they put in that food…"
Mim stared at the man, nothing but pure hatred in her mind for him. She witnessed firsthand the pain simply saying his name brought to McArthy, and she wanted revenge. A deep protective part of her wanted to skewer this man for daring to hurt her mate, for destroying his childhood and scarring him for life. She slowly built this rage inside herself, to give her the strength to go forward and brutalize him. He deserved it, this man deserved to die, slowly, and she was going to enjoy it.
Suddenly, like some kind of sixth sense warning him, he turned his head to the left and watched Mim decloak, raising the shotgun.
"What the fuck!?" he yelled, ripping the nightstand open. He pulled a gun from inside of it, quickly pointing it at Mim. Before he could even shoot, Mim leapt right into his face. She whipped the pistol out of his hand with the butt of the shotgun, then used the shotgun to bend his arm back. The man loudly yelled, wildly throwing his fist against Mim, but her armor blocked any blow from striking her.
After a moment, a loud snap came from his arm, making him cry out in pain. Mim watched his left forearm limply fall over, broken, then threw his whole body onto the ground. She watched as the man groaned and crawled away from her. With a snarl, she walked over to him and kicked him over, listening to him grunt again and lie on his back.
Holding the shotgun by the barrel, she lowered herself and gripped him by the neck, hearing him wheeze from her grip. Moving towards the wall across the room, she threw him against the wall.
His head struck the wall with a bang, then he looked up at her with a groan and asked, "What… what the fuck are you? God damn-"
He was cut off as Mim shot him in the knee, making him howl in pain and grip at his blown apart leg. Fractured bone, flesh, and blood crashed onto the shot up floor beneath him. The 8 gauge had basically torn his entire lower leg off, only being held together by a few bloody tendons. Blood was quickly squirting out of the wound, so Mim knew she had only a certain amount of time before he bled out.
Raising a hand at her with desperate pain, the man wheezed, "Wait.. wai- ah! P-please! I- I didn't do anything!"
Pumping the shotgun, she aimed it at his other knee and fired, watching in satisfaction as lead tore through his leg. He howled in pain once again as even more bloody flesh was sent flying off his body, tears now streaming down his face. A small part of her felt like this was unnecessary, but that part was being completely drowned out by the satisfaction. To see tears run down his cheeks, to see him in pain, paying the price for all the physical and mental damage he caused all at once.
She took a step closer to the human, pumping the shotgun again, then he let out a painful, stuttered sob and said, "I-I-I don't u-understand! W-why me!? I don't want to-"
He was quickly silenced as Mim pressed the hot barrel of the shotgun against his forehead, then snarled and slowly said, "Jacob May McArthy. You made his life hell, and you have the gall to say you did nothing wrong?! Let me show you what hell looks like."
His lips quivered for a moment as she pulled the shotgun back an inch, then he said, "W-wait, Jaco-"
With a massive blast, buckshot tore through his skull, shredding the flesh and sending viscera and bone fragmentation at the wall behind his now dead body. Mim snarled and pumped the shotgun again, staring at the fresh corpse before her. The man's fingers twitched as his body slumped against the wall, the head almost fully blown off. Mim breathed in and out, almost panting from the feeling of this. It had been so long since she took a life, but this was the most deserving life to take, she would never regret this moment.
With a rasping cry, she flung her foot forward in a kick, knocking the corpse onto its side, making more blood squirt out and pool under the body. For a moment she thought about shooting the body, but she took one look at the brutal display and decided what was done was more than enough. With a final breath, she turned around and put the shotgun back on her back.
She was satisfied.
Activating her cloak, she swung the door back open and moved out of the room. The sound of her shotgun had certainly made quite the scene, there were now a few people panicking in the parking lot.
Making her get away quick, she walked out in front of the building and jumped upwards. In one high leap, she landed on the roof of the motel, silently creeping away from the roof edge towards where she was dropped off. Soon, the sight of a gravity lift appeared, leading into the cloaked phantom. Jumping into the lift, she looked back down at the parking lot, and could even hear distant sirens.
Once inside the phantom, the hatch shut and she felt the ship shift as it began flying off. She turned around to face the interior, then saw Sil tapped her armor. Tilting her head, Sil asked, "So, how was it?"
Mim stayed silent for a few seconds, then said, "As good as I hoped. But now, I just want to go home."
Chuckling, Sil leaned against the phantom wall and said, "Sure thing. One more night of sleep, then I'll have you back home with your cute little family. You're… not gonna tell him, right?"
Rubbing her arm armor, Mim said, "Of course not. As he told me, he doesn't care about his father, he doesn't want to hear about him. So there is no good reason to bring it up."
Sil huffed, then shrugged and said, "Well, let's just hope that's true."
#
McArthy slowly lowered Hess into her crib with a sigh, then gave her feathers a soft ruffle and watched her mumble a chirp in her sleep. He crept backwards very slowly, keeping his eyes trained on the cradle as he walked backwards. He stood at the doorway, watching her for almost a full minute, making sure she didn't begin crying out again, then released a sigh of relief and silently shut the door.
He rubbed his temple for a moment, then huffed and walked out to the living room and plopped himself onto the couch. McArthy stretched out his arms and legs, then settled into a relaxed position and turned towards the holographic screen on the wall. He was about to reach for the controls, then heard a light tapping at the door.
Wondering who would be up at this hour, then grunted and stood up from the couch. At least whoever was at the door had the decency not to ring the bell; That might've woken the baby up.
McArthy pressed the panel next to the door, then it slid open and revealed a fully armored, red t'vaoan. Before he could process the person, they leaped onto him, wrapping their legs around his waist as he stumped backwards. He was able to grab onto a table against the wall behind him before he fell.
The t'vaoan's throat rumbled as they nuzzled him with their helmeted head, but McArthy was caught too off guard to try and say something. Then, they said, "I'm home, hubby! Gods, I missed you more than I expected."
His body quaked with relief as it struck him, the t'vaoan was Mim. Letting out a chuckle, he pulled his face back from her nuzzling and said, "With that helmet I didn't recognize you! You scared the shit out of me for a moment!"
Giggling, Mim lowered one of her feet onto the ground and said, "I hoped so. How's everything been? Has Hess behaved? Did you not stress 'Oru out?"
Chuckling, McArthy said, "Well, I couldn't find a babysitter, so I just closed the restaurant until you came back and gave 'Oru paid days off for it. So I think that counts. And Hess has… been Hess, so she's been lovely."
Mim took her helmet off her head, setting it on the table, then licked his cheek and asked, "Is Hess asleep?"
McArthy nodded with a smile and said, "Just laid her down before you knocked. I did a lot better as a single father than I expected."
Mim chuckled, then said, "Try being one for longer than two days, then we'll see."
McArthy was about to say something, but he was hushed as Mim slowly ran her tongue across his lips, moving her hand to hold the side of his face. She pushed her snout against his nose, then said, "Well, seeing as she's asleep, we have the rest of the night to ourselves. I hope you've been saving yourself for me."
With a snicker, McArthy kissed the end of her beak and said, "Oh, I have. I didn't even-"
He was cut off as he felt Mim's hand grab his crotch, then she rubbed her beak along his cheek and whispered, "We shall see then, hm?'
Her mate could only nod, then she giggled and gripped the collar of his shirt, pulling him from against the table and into the living room.
Hey, guess what people. We're almost there. The next chapter will be the very last one, the epilogue. Wow, I never expected to finish this story this soon, but I did get everything I wanted in, and even some more. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, feel free to review and such, and I hope you have a good day or night.