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My hair is a disaster. Not that I’ve ever cared about my hair before, and I’m pretty sure none of the carain care, either. A non-zero amount of them think I’m just a kit who was maimed in a horrible science experiment. That was a weird documentary.

I could cut it on my own but the best I’ll get is a buzzcut. Maybe Tyu could help, however, the thought of her with a razor anywhere near my face is terrifying. Kess or Marruk, maybe, they’re pretty stylish.

I could almost do a ponytail now, a little one, that would probably look sad. My mom used to say I looked better with it shorter, but she would say ‘You look so handsome!’ no matter what. Hmm. Yeah, I should cut it soon.

Reminding myself Marrow won’t care, I step away from the mirror and finish getting dressed, I think I have time to grab a snack and some caf before meeting Paytr. With my maintenance jacket on I don’t think Tyu will spot me. I can’t get sweaty before lunch.

I look both ways down the hall just in case. One blissfully short walk later and I’ve got a cup of caf and a small bowl of oats. Opening my monitor I double-check when and where Paytr wants to meet, I’m glad he chose first thing in the morning. Not sure I’ve ever said that before.

Firstly because I’m, er, a little pent up, second so I can spend the rest of the day planning exactly how I’m going to ask out Marrowyn and what we’re going to do on a date. With encouragement from Tyu, Marruk, Kess, and even Tyr I’m choosing to be optimistic!

Another thing I’m not sure I’ve ever said.

Marrow will agree to our date and we’ll have a wonderful romantic evening together aboard the Ikoriod-2. I giggle to myself in my seat. Hehe. Or my heart will be crushed into a thousand tiny pieces and I’ll throw myself out the airlock. Probably not that, though.

What else do I need… Ah! Flowers! Actually, do carain even do flowers? Hmm. I’ve seen a lot of vegetation on the station, but I’m not sure they do flowers. I could write a card in carain, he would love that. I should ask him out in carain!

My oats and caf are gone in a few eager slurps and bites. I’ve been told the ‘nod and smile’ thing I do at passersby makes people uncomfortable, but I can’t help it this morning. I’m in such a good mood!

I can’t wait to see his f– “Ooof! Shit, Sorry I–” Oh. I walked into a door. No one saw me, at least. I collect myself and start making my way to Paytrs lab, I’m glad he agreed to meet me there instead of Marrowyn’s lab.

I don’t think I’d be able to focus on a sex-ed lesson given by Marrowyn, and if the others are right Marrowyn wouldn’t be able to get through it either. I bite my lower lip imagining a more paws-on lesson.

Heart, each one of his paws is almost as big as my entire chest. But he’s so gentle, so sweet, what will it feel like when he touches me? Not like a doctor touches their patient, but a more intimate touch?

I stealthily adjust myself as I step into the elevator. I could go for a physical from him, that’s for sure. I shake my head and scrunch my nose. Really, Tucker? Cheesy porno scenarios? It has been way too long since I’ve gotten laid. Shit, I’m out of practice.

He’s probably huge too, will I be able to handle all that? I’m guilty of stealing glances at him when he’s in nothing but his underwear. There was that one time he was scrounging around for something in a low drawer, a book he wanted to show me I think, and the way his tail swished over his absolutely gigantic, round ass, and god his balls are–

“Tucker! Good morning, what are you doing up here today?” Marrowyn stands before me as the elevator door opens.

“Marrowyn, good morning. I, uh, just need to… grab some… things.” Like your balls. No! Stop!

He follows me down the hall. “Are you alright? Your heart rate is elevated.”

“F-fine.” My voice cracks and I try not to think of him naked.

A massive paw grabs my shoulder. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, of course, I, er, walked up a bunch of stairs.” His paw is so warm I can barely stop myself from resting my cheek on it.

Marrowyn frowns and withdraws his paw. “But you just came out of the elevator,”

“Marrowyn I’m toooootally fine.” Just thinking of how I creepily stared at your ass that one time. “Um, but I gotta get to work, yes! I’ll come see you for lunch though, I promise.”

A low whine crosses his muzzle and I feel like I just kicked a puppy. “If you don’t want to you don’t have to.”

My incredibly persistent and uncomfortable erection defies me to hug this darling man. “I will, I’ve missed you. We haven’t spent enough time together lately.”

His ears perk up. “Great! I’ll make sure my schedule is clear, and find a place in my lab we can talk and eat. Maybe we could practice the alphabet, how have been doing learning Coraynn alone? I could make up some slides–”

“I can’t wait Marrowyn, and don’t forget, I have a surprise for you.” I smile up at him and my grin grows wider when he blushes and his tail begins to wag.

“Great! Wonderful!” Marrowyn hovers a paw over my head, and only when I nod does he briefly pet me. “I’ll see you later, have a great day Tucker!”

His tail thrashes around madly, causing his lab coat to flap around. I wince when his tail catches another, shorter, carains arm and knocks a stack of papers from their paws. Marrowyn Senno, you’re too big to be that cute.

I wave while Marrowyn crawls around the hall collecting the papers he sent scattering. He’s so considerate, but I turn away before I stare at his ass. When I get around the corner I pump my fist in the air.

Oh shit, oh fuck, he has a crush on me. How do you even flirt with a carain? How do the carain flirt? Was that Marrowyn flirting? Marrowyn would think going over the alphabet is romantic.

Heart, what if I actually get to see him naked? Wait! Focus! You have to cum in a cup, Tucker! Then you can cum in–

FOCUS! Don’t get ahead of yourself!

First things first: Paytr and one uncomfortable doctor's appointment. I arrive just a moment late and spot Paytr impatiently tapping his foot. He smiles at me, but there’s something about it that makes me nervous.

“Tucker, how’ve you been? Sleeping well? Eating properly?” He asks in a suspiciously calm tone.

“Yes…?” I know he worried I didn’t get enough food, but that problem’s been solved.

“Making friends? Exploring the station?” Paytr’s smile grows more threatening.

“Y-yes?” I don’t like this.

“Enjoying your peaceful, quiet new quarters?”

“Ye–”

“Because I haven’t enjoyed any of that.” He jabs a finger into my chest. “Get in the lab.”

“Is everything ok–”

“GET IN THE LAB!” Paytr growls.

Once inside he directs me to an examination table where I nervously watch the grouchy little carain collect various tools and summon one of those floating light screens. I sputter when I see the contents.

A naked carain man, built very similarly to Marrow, fully nude, I try to ignore it. “Thank you for meeting me h–”

“I didn’t do this for you .” He says as he walks around to the front of the screen with a thin silver rod in his paw. “‘ Paytr , do you think Tucker is doing okay?’, ‘ Paytr , did you see Tucker today? Is he well?’, ‘ Paytr , do you think Tucker is making friends?’ and my favorite ‘ Paytr , would you go check on Tucker for me? I want to be sure he’s eating enough.’”

“I’ve barely gotten anything done for an entire MONTH.” He swings the silver pointer through the air like a rapier intent to draw blood, he gently prods my nose with it. “ You did this.”

“Come on, it can’t be that bad, Marrowyn just–”

“No?” Paytr retracts the pointer and opens his monitor, turning it toward me.

I lean forward and… Wow. That is a lot of messages, and while I can’t read most of the words I can make out that my name is in the vast majority of them. Void, Marrow…

“That’s not even the worst of it! He’s more irritable in the lab, clumsy, making mistakes that he’s never made before. He’s distracted . Worse than when you first arrived!” Paytr pinches his forehead and sighs. “Demanding later hours and more work for all of us , some of my best assistants have submitted transfer requests and I’m a tails-breadth away from joining them.”

My heart sinks. “I didn’t mean–”

The pointer extends and threatens my nose once more. “But that’s okay, Tucker. At least you’re considering the health risks. We’ll start with a lecture on male carain anatomy and genitalia,” Paytr says.

“Why not female anatomy?” I ask.

Paytr raises his eyebrows. “Afterwards, you will ‘deposit’ a sample and inform Doctor Senno of your feelings, and he will finally, Heart willing, stop barking up my ass. Now, I think would be best to discuss the primary differences first like the function of the sheath–”

How can all of these carain tell I’m gay?! Besides that now I’ve made my feelings on Marrow clear, but before that, how?! Paytr never gives me the chance to protest, he removes the earpiece that translates English to Coraynn and goes about his lecture without acknowledging my indignant huffs.

A full mark passes filled with big, throbbing, carain cock on a screen in front of me. I haven’t been turned on by scientific diagrams since high school biology, but every image or diagram becomes Marrowyn in my mind.

I barely absorb any of the actual information though. I keep thinking back to my interaction with Marrowyn. How could I have not noticed before? Not only that he returns my romantic feelings, but I hurt him so badly by moving. He seemed so happy for me.

I’m such a jackass. I should have talked to him first and explained myself better than ‘I just need space.’ He was crushed! Not to mention I feel awful about how he’s treating his assistants and how I’m impacting his work.

A cold small point prods my nose. “Hey!”

“I hope you were paying attention,” Paytr holds out a cup.

“Uhhh–”

“For your ‘sample’ Tucker.” He swings his rapier-tip pointer to the other side of the room at a door. “I left, shall we say, a visual aide in the bathroom for you.”

Stress and Paytr’s anger killed my arousal so maybe a ‘visual aide’ will be helpful. I don’t want this to take any longer than it has to. I step into a small square bathroom.

Clever, Paytr. On the counter in the room is a magazine, I can’t read the cover, but it’s clearly for those who enjoy… Full-bodied men. A carain built similar to Nocce with just a little bit of extra cushion lounges seductively on the cover, his junk obscured by one of his paws.

Kind of surprised they have physical magazines, I’d have figured everything was digital.

When the door is shut, I unbutton my pants and sit. I flip through the pages until I find a carain I can easily imagine as Marrowyn. He’s just so huge , and he has so much fur.

What will he feel like? I’d love to sit in his lap, rub his belly, and explore all of his body while he explores mine. I can imagine his paws on my bare skin, I allow my hand to dip below my waist and start to stroke myself. My skin against his soft, luscious fur.

He’s hugged me before, but there was always this anxiousness like he was afraid to cross a boundary. I hope he abandons that when we get in bed together. I want to feel him touching me everywhere .

I look at the picture on the page and focus on his gut and his low-hanging sack. Will Marrowyn be bigger? Thicker? The thought gets me hard in seconds, Marrowyn pushing me to my knees and running his fingers through my hair as I taste him.

“Fuck, Marrow…” The model has a big, thick, pink knot at the base of his cock. I bite my lip and imagine Marrowyn’s belly resting on my back, a reassuring and gentle paw stroking my skin as he slowly, gently, presses into me.

I hear noises in the adjacent room, but I’m focused on my fantasy.

Would he grab my hips and hold me in place so he could take me? No, I bet he’s gentler. That thought, that image, drives me to the brink. Those warm paws on my back, my stomach. That fat knot pressing into me.

Heart, I imagine him moaning my name as he fucks–

“Tucker! Tucker are you okay?! I could hear you all the way out in the hall!” The doorknob jiggles and I kick the door shut as it creaks open.

“Fuck! M-Marrowyn!" Void! Agh! I grab the cup just in time, awkwardly positioning it as I use one leg to keep the door closed. My legs tense, I bite my lip to suppress a moan, and with surprising accuracy, I fill the cup. "I’m– O–one second! A-almost done!”

“Are you sure you’re okay?!!” Marrowyn asks and the door knob turns again.

“I’M FINE. ONE SECOND.” Heart preserve me…

“Paytr! I told you not to do any tests or administer any more vaccinations without my express approval!” I hear Marrowyn walk away from the door.

After washing my hands I hold the ‘sample’ behind my back and open the door. “I’m okay, Marrow, really.”

Paytr is unfazed by Marrowyn’s glare. “I’m sure Tucker will be more than happy to give you another sample.”

Paytr… “I–”

“I am personally responsible for collecting any samples from Tucker! You should have asked me, first.”

Marrowyn, please stop talking, please. “Marrow–”

“Why would you ask Paytr instead of me?” Marrow turns toward me. “I would have been happy to take care of it for you, whatever it is.”

“All future samples will be your responsibility.” Paytr nods. “You’ve just been so busy, Tucker didn’t want to bother you.”

“R-right.” I look around the room for a place to discreetly place my ‘sample’, but Marrowyn crosses the room and traps me. I hide the cup behind my back.

“You're never a bother, Tucker." Marrowyn reaches out to me but stops just short. "Are you okay? Your skin–” He hesitantly puts a paw on my cheek. “And your heart is beating at an extremely high rate! Tucker, are you sure you wouldn’t have been more comfortable with me?”

“N-next time, Marrowyn, I uh, I–” I squeak. Oh God, oh Heart, he has no idea what he’s saying.

Marrowyn leans down and sniffs my neck and face. “What’s that smell?”

Heart, preserve me. “I, uhhhhh.”

Marrowyn scowls and turns to Paytr. “Paytr, what kind of tests are you running? He’s a wreck! Just look at his fur, it’s all out of sorts.” He turns back and pats my head, trying to straighten my messy hair.

“It was more of a lecture,” Paytr says.

“About what?” Marrowyn regards Paytr and crosses his arms expectantly. “Did you pressure Tucker into this? I told you, I’m responsible for his care!”

Paytr smiles at me and I shiver, but there’s nothing I can do to stop him. “Carain sexual anatomy, I was also taking a semen sample.”

Marrowyn’s mouth hangs open and a low croak fills the room.

I try to will myself to stop existing, but I am doomed to persist.

Paytr wears a Cheshire grin. “I was just about to explain to Tucker what a knot is, Doctor Senno, he’s been so curious about Carain biology lately, haven’t you Tucker?”

Is it me or Marrowyn groaning? Both of us, probably.

“I decided we could take the time to check for more allergies and administer the vaccines you approved while I have him here.” Paytr looks up to Marrowyn. “But I think you might be able to give him a more engaging education, so I’ll leave the rest of our lecture to–”

“Haha! Haaaaa, yes, g-good joke, Paytr.” Marrowyn’s face is pink. “I trust you on th-the matter. B-but please inform me of any future vaccinations and examinations, thank you. I don’t want a repeat of last time.” He bounds across the room, I’ve never seen him move so fast. “A-and around the 17th mark today could you handle–” He lingers in the door.

“Of course, Doctor Senno,” Paytr says.

“B-bye Marrowyn, see you at lunch.” I shuffle over to the examination table and sit with the cup of my shame in my hand.

Marrowyn’s eyes wander up and down my body before bulging from his head. “Bye!”

Was he just checking me out? Oh. He probably just saw the cup of cum. Wonderful.

“Any questions?” Paytr asks once the door shuts.

I shake my head.

“Good, I’ll take the sample and get the results back to you by midday tomorrow.” He says. “Before you go, I gathered some other things you might need if your ‘date’ goes well.” He points to a desk.

I walk over to the desk and look inside the bag. “Oh, uh, th-thank you.” Lube and condoms. That’s… Actually, it’s kind of thoughtful and I’m glad he thought of it.

“Mhm, you’re free to go.” Paytr waves. “Oh, and Tucker?”

“What?”

“You’ll be great for him.” Paytr smiles and I find myself smiling with him.

“Thanks, Paytr.”

I skulk through the halls until I find one of the closets Rhoun showed me that leads into the walls of the station. I need a nap. I check my monitor and, thankfully, no one needs anything from me, and if they do… Eh.

I’ve got a couple of marks before lunch with Marrowyn. I’ll need to grab that surprise from my room, but that will take just a few minutes. Shit, I need to calm down. Marrow would be able to hear me through the walls if he was nearby.

I set my backpack on the ground and lay down. Rhoun warns me when they get new hires so I should be safe to nap here today. That poor girl jumped out of her fur when she found me asleep down here. At least she didn’t quit like those other guys.

Could I really be good for him? I’ve always felt like such a burden on him and the others like I’m just some idiot they have to take care of all the time. That’s probably at least part of the reason I wanted to move. I don’t want to be in the way any more than I already am.

Shit. I was in such a good mood this morning and with one thought I’ve killed it. I lie on my back and stare at the ceiling. Just nap it off. I’ll wake up in a mark or two and be calm.

My sleep isn’t exactly restful, but it is relaxing.

“B-bud?” A voice. “Tucker?”

“Mmm… Marrowyn, not yet…” I pull my backpack close to my chest.

“No, it’s me, Rhoun.” Rhoun presses a finger into my cheek.

“And Mylo!”

I open my eyes to see Rhoun and Mylo smiling down at me. “Mmmf… What Mark is it?”

Mylo checks his monitor. “The 14th mark.”

Stretching like a lazy housecat, I stand and sling my bag over my shoulder. “How far are we from the gardens?” I ask.

“It’s a f-few floors away, not far,” Rhoun says. “Why?”

“I’m going to get Marrowyn some flowers,” I reply.

Mylo and Rhoun share a confused expression. “Why?” Rhoun asks.

“To ask him on a date.”

“You need flowers to do that?” Mylo asks.

“It’s a human thing.” I shrug.

“Wh-why, though?” Rhoun asks again.

“Which way to the garden?” When Rhoun points I start that way. “A token of affection, I dunno, it's just a thing humans do. Sometimes. It's kind of old-school these days.”

“Aww,” Mylo says. “Humans are so cute.”

“That’s nice, b-bud.” Rhoun follows. “What kind of flowers are you getting him?”

I stop as Rhoun points out the flaw in my plan. “Uh, I don’t know. I was just going to grab something colorful.” The last time I touched a random plant in the gardens I got a rash...

“Cap! We should help Tucker!” Mylo bounces in place.

“W-we have stuff to do, Mylo,” Rhoun says. “I don’t think he needs help w-with flowers, anyway.”

“Come on, how much of that do we really need to do today? You promised Tucker you'd relax.” Mylo pleads, but I'm not sure how I feel about him invoking my name to get out of work. “He needs help with his human stuff!”

Mylo is by far the most invested in my little human things. He’s always trying to shake someone's paw to practice his ‘human greeting’. Anytime I see him he asks me to tell him something new about Earth. It’s sweet.

“Thanks for the offer, but I think I can get flowers on my own, guys,” I say.

“Aww…” Mylo kicks the ground.

Rhoun has his paw in his muzzle, clearly lost in thought.

“How long is the walk to the gardens, Rhoun? I wonder if I have enough time to cut my hair.” I run a hand through my unkempt hair.

Rhoun turns toward me. “Hm? Uh, n-not far. We can help.”

Mylo lights up. “Poggers! Did I say that right?”

Perhaps the greatest consequence of my single experience with carain booze is how I’ve ruined Mylo’s vocabulary. “Yeeeeeeaaaahhhh… G-good job, bud.”

“I know a shortcut,” Rhoun says and begins to follow a path unseen to everyone but him, I know by now to trust him when it comes to navigating the station's innards.

Mylo matches my pace and we both follow Rhoun. “Didn’t you just move out of Doctor Senno’s room?”

“Yeah, but I’m starting to think that was a mistake,” I say. “I was worried he’d react badly if I told him I, uh, like him.”

“Why? I’ve only seen you two together a couple of times but his tail is always wagging when you’re around.” Mylo says. “Aww… You two are gonna be a cute couple.”

I blush. “Dunno, just getting stuck in my head I guess.” I pivot to follow Rhoun down an unexpected corner.

“Can you explain the flowers thing again?” Mylo asks.

“Sure, there’s not much to it. You just get some flowers, red and pink roses are popular, maybe write a little note and give it to the person you’d like to pursue a relationship with.”

“I wish someone would give me flowers.” Mylo is beaming and I find myself smiling too, he never tires of listening to me talk about Earth. It’s nice. “Humans sure like to give people gifts. Christmas, Birthdays, just because…”

“Yeah! Well, sometimes. We do have a lot of holidays about gift-giving, I guess. And food.” I hope the carain don’t think that humanity is too commercialized, but I’m not going to bring up ‘The War on Christmas’.

“Oh, is this a holiday?” Mylo asks.

“There’s a holiday about giving a person you care about or love a gift. Valentine's Day.” I try to compare the time that’s passed here versus how long it might have been on Earth, but I only succeed in making myself a little depressed. Good job.

“Valentine’s Day.” Mylo works his jaw as if he were eating the words. “Valeeeennnntiiiiiness…. Daaaaaaaay. Valentines Day! That’s poggers.”

“It… It sure is, Mylo.” Whenever humanity and the carain make first contact my name will be stricken from the annals of history for my crimes.

“Are you telling Marrowyn how you feel because of Valentine's Day ?” Mylo asks.

“Not really, no, I have no idea if it’s even close to Valentine's Day on Earth.” I shrug and nearly walk into Rhoun as he unexpectedly stops at a crossroads.

“Th-this way,” Rhoun speeds up. “Almost there.”

Mylo and I can’t keep up our chat and make pace with the hastened Rhoun. Here I thought I wouldn’t have to run around today, I hope I don’t get too sweaty, I doubt I have time to shower before meeting Marrowyn.

Rhoun stops just a few minutes later and moves a bundle of wires and cords hanging on the wall to reveal a door, well, it’s more like a hatch. He opens it and crawls inside.

Mylo groans and follows. I give him a moment to get through before I step inside the hatch, I’ve learned to appreciate how much more space I have in here than most of the carain do. But once I’m through I’m pleasantly surprised to find we won’t be crawling for long as the hatch opens into another, albeit more cramped, corridor.

Rhoun and Mylo are nowhere to be seen.

“Rhoun? Mylo?” I shout.

“D-down here, bud!” Rhoun peeks around a corner. “We’re here.”

When I get around the corner I feel a wave of fresh air accompanied by still-unfamiliar floral scents. Rhoun is holding open a door. I shield my eyes from the lights and cross the threshold into the large open space.

I love the garden. The air here feels fresher, probably because of all the plant life, and besides that one particular shrub that gives me a gods-awful rash I enjoy walking or reading in here when I can.

“Are there any flowers here that represent, I dunno, love or something?” I ask as I gently touch a bright green and blue flower. This better not give me a rash.

Rhoun is once again lost to us, his paw covering his mouth and his eyes fixed on something far away.

Mylo is sitting under a nearby tree catching his breath. “Get him pink ones…Like… Earth…”

Not a bad suggestion, I guess. Does Marrow like pink? Hmm…

The gardens aren't roofed like the rest of the station, instead, a huge transparent dome covers it and grants a view of the system. Looking up, I admire the view of the stars and the planets and moons of Alrain. This place is so romantic. I mean, it fills me with a sense of extraordinary dread if I think about the gigantic glass dome above us cracking or a meteor smashing into it, but that’s stupid.

If a meteor hits any part of the station we’ll all die, so, it’s dumb to just think of it when I’m in the garden.

Otherwise, I love how this place feels more natural than the rest of the station. An explosion of color and life in an otherwise sterile space station. I don't know how much time passes as I evaluate all the flowers and plants. I jump when a paw grabs my shoulder.

“B-bud, here,” Rhoun says, in one paw is a bundle of flowers. I can’t tell if there was any reason behind his selection or if it was just random, but it looks gorgeous.

“Thanks, Rhoun!” I take the bundle from his paws and examine each flower. The bouquet is mostly comprised of white and pink flowers, but there’s one bright yellow one with black fringes at the center, it reminds me of Marrow's eyes. “This is lovely, Rhoun. Thank you.”

Rhoun’s tail wags once and he blushes. “G-good luck, bud.”

I give him a half-hug, careful not to damage the flowers. “This means a lot to me, seriously Rhoun, thank you.”

Rhoun smiles wide and his tail wags a few more times.

“Hey, Mylo, what time is it?” I ask.

“Uhhh… Almost the 16th mark.” He says.

“Damn, already?” I say. “I better go,”

“I’m h-happy you’re finally g-getting a boyfriend, bud!” Rhoun says.

“Finally…?” I don’t have time to ask what he means, I need to get ready. “I’ll see you guys later! Have a good day at work!” I wave, leaving the two carain in the peaceful gardens.

I hold the flowers close to my chest and get several strange looks in the hall, they’ll just chalk it up to a weird human thing. Which I guess it is, kind of. I mean, today I told people I wouldn’t be available because of ‘human stuff’.

I mostly just lied to get a free day to ask Marrow on a date. It’s a great excuse since only a handful of carain know anything about my anatomy, but it doesn’t work if I have to work with Marruk, Marrow, Rhoun, or Paytr.

I guess it works on Marrow sometimes . I think he has a hard time saying no to me. Speaking of, I’m pretty sure he’s the one who's been blowing up my monitor for the last quarter of a mark.

Marrowyn: I prepared some material for us to go over.

If you want to, I mean

We don’t have to do anything!

I’m so excited to see how your Coraynn is coming along

I’m sure you’re doing great

I hope things went well with Paytr

It wasn’t really a semen sample, was it?

Oh Marrowyn. I send him a message confirming I’ve had a good day, and I’ll be on my way to see him soon. I look in the mirror and wish I could cut my hair, but it can wait until before our date. In the meantime, I practice a special bit of Coraynn, just for him.

After I’ve brushed my hair to look at least somewhat presentable I grab the flowers and gift. I look like a proper gentleman and realize I don’t think I’ve ever asked a guy out like this. My mom would probably think I look like a dork but in a good way.

‘If he doesn’t appreciate the effort you put in, he’s not worth it anyway.’ She’d probably say.

I smile sadly and my eyes feel heavy for a moment. She would be proud I’m asking him out, my parents always thought I should take the initiative instead of just waiting for things to happen to me.

Well, here I am. All it took was being whisked lightyears away and having no agency or control for months but if that didn’t kick my ass into gear nothing would have.

Inhale. Exhale. Okay. I’m ready now.

Actually, no I’m not. I send Marrow another message, asking if we could meet in his room instead. That way, if he says no I can hang out in there and cry for a while instead of crying in the hall. Yes, that will dull the sting of rejection.

With all the confidence I can muster I swagger down the hall, probably looking way less cool than I think I do. I don’t care. I’m asking a guy out on a date! And he will probably, no, he'll definitely, say yes! And I’ll die on the spot if he doesn’t! Woo!

In the elevator a carain who looks like a terrier cowers away from me, either because I’m ‘the alien’ or because I look like a psychopath the way I’m smiling. Actually, my face kind of hurts, I could afford to dial it back.

My monitor continues to beep, all of the messages are from Marrowyn. Well, most, Tyu is sending me encouraging ASCII art, which surprisingly helps me stay calm. I reach the door to the executive suites and head inside.

Most of the carain who live on this level are used to me, I’d lived here for the bulk of my time on the station. I wave at the ones I know, ignoring their confused looks at the flowers in my hand.

“Tucker!” Marrow stomps down the hall. “Ahem. Tucker, how are you?” His tail swings around like a helicopter blade but his expression changes to confusion when he sees the flowers and small box in my hands.

Deep breath in, and out, I try to keep my heart rate steady so he doesn’t think anything is wrong. “I’m great!”

Marrow opens the door to his room and I step inside the familiar space. Right away, I feel at ease, like coming home. I guess I haven’t really settled into my new quarters yet, or maybe I just missed Marrow more than I thought.

The saint seems to have forgotten what I’m holding as he excitedly sets up the materials he’s prepared for our impromptu language lesson. I step back from him when his tail slaps my chest. I sit on the bed and shelter the flowers from his mighty tail.

“M-Marrowyn,” I had so much confidence walking through the halls, but it’s all gone by the time I finish saying his name.

“I’ve prepared some materials on Coraynn phonetics and sentence structure, but first we’ll review the alphabet again.” He sits next to me on the bed. “Here, I made a workbook for you!”

“Marrow, uhm, I–” I feel so sweaty. I adjust my grip on the box and hold the flowers up to my chest.

Marrow, of course, picks up on my sudden discomfort. “Tucker? What’s wrong?” His eyes widen and he places the workbook to the side. “Is something happening? Your heart, I– Are you going into cardiac arrest?!”

I shake my head, unable to form words.

He crouches to eye-level with me. “Tucker! What’s wrong? Tell me, please, am I doing something wrong?” One of his impossibly soft paws grabs my cheek and he tilts his head in worry, causing his ears to flop. Holy Shit. He’s so cute, but he looks so sad.

I’m such a fucking asshole, he thinks this is his fault. Now or never. My heart is pounding as I open my mouth and offer the best Coraynn, or Iyeoan, or whatever it’s called, accent I can. “Marrowyn… Senno–”

I don’t think Coraynn is meant for a human’s mouth. I stumble over the words, and I think I confuse the word for ‘flowers’ with something else, but I hope my the flowers clue him into my meaning.

It feels like my mouth is full of mud and my tongue fights the syllables and bends in bizarre ways to accommodate the language, it becomes a physically taxing process to create and pronounce the words. I speak slowly as I try to remember the proper syntax and vocabulary.

Maybe I should have let him give me that lesson first.

Marrow's kind yellow eyes grow wider with every word. I hope I’m saying all this right. I gesture for him to take the flowers and open the box, it contains a book. It’s his favorite, at least according to Tyr. I could only find an old copy, the cover is kind of plain and worn.

By the end, my jaw is sore and my face is red, I’m sweating like I just ran a marathon, and I’m beginning to think Marrow was right, I might be having a heart attack. I–I think I got it out right. I look up at him and brace myself for the worst.

He just stares at me awestruck for what feels like minutes but is probably much less. Slowly the stunned look melts away. He coughs and stands, taking off his half-glasses, tucking them in his coat pocket, and setting the flowers on the bed opposite of me.

Shit. Fuck! I fucked up, didn’t I? He’s going to say no, or think I’m the worst, or a creep, or something else terrible! Did I get the words wrong? Did I even make any sense?! WHAT IF I ASKED HIM FOR SEX?! What if instead of 'like' I said 'hate'?! This was an awful idea! Tucker! You dumbass!

I can’t take it. I reach up and touch my face, oh, I’m crying. Cool. My lip quivers and I clench my fist hard enough to dig my nails into my skin. I shake my head as Marrowyn kneels in front of me.

Snot runs down my nose, I look like a fucking goblin. “M-Marrowy-wyn, I’m so-sorry I–”

“Tucker,” He grabs my hands. “Can you say that again, uh, in your language?”

I sniffle. “M-Marrowyn Senno, I got you flowers a-and a b-book. W-would you read it to me? I like you a lot. Would you like to go on a d-date with m-me?” It’s not much easier to say in English.

I whine at the sudden absence of his warmth when he releases my hands. Before I can have a full meltdown, I’m crushed into the scruffiest part of Marrowyn’s neck and the sound of his tail swooshing through the air is obvious.

“Tucker I… I thought I drove you away.” He holds me in the air at arm's length with my legs dangling before leaning in and sniffing my hair. “I’m so happy you…you...? You’re crying!” Marrow gently sets me on the bed. “No! No, no don’t cry!”

I lunge forward and wrap my arms as far around him as they’ll go, which isn’t far.

He rubs my pack and holds me there while I calm myself. “I thought you were tired of me, or bored, I…I was afraid I made you so uncomfortable you had to leave…”

I just shake my head, marring his shirt with snot.

Marrow pats my head. I missed that. I’m not sure if it’s more for me or him, he would do it after getting home from an extended shift. It doesn’t bug me, I like how his paw feels.

“O-okay. Uhm, are you free tomorrow evening?” I wipe my face. “I–I g-got it all pl-planned.” A sad sniff undermines what should have been a very sexy, very suave, flirtation. But instead of pity Marrowyn’s bright-yellow eyes are full of care.

“I can be! What time?” Marrow asks as his tail thunders through the air behind him.

“The 25th mark? We c-can meet here.” I catch a glimpse of my reflection on a nearby shiny surface. By the Heart.

Marrow lifts me from the ground and squeezes me tight. “I can’t wait, and your Coraynn! It was really good! Except you said you got me ‘lamp’, not flowers, but I’m so proud of you!.” He sets me on the ground and ruffles my hair.

I doubt my Coraynn was anything other than a broken mess, but it’s sweet of him to say, and it might be indicative of some daddy issues that I feel just a little turned on because he said he’s proud of me.

“Okay. Tomorrow, 25th Mark, uhm, d-dress casually.” I clear my throat.

“I will Tucker,” He straightens his jacket and almost dances in place. “I–By the Heart! I can’t wait! Could we meet earlier, maybe the 24th or 23rd mark?”

I smile. “Alright, 23rd mark. It’s a date.”

“A date!” Marrowyn grabs me and hugs me one more time.

When he lets me go I linger against his belly. Mmmm… Soft… An accursed beep interrupts our sentimental moment. I check my monitor. Paytr? What–

Paytr - Still waiting on the rest of the results, but you can safely ingest carain semen!

Just take an antacid afterward.

Congratulations.

“Tucker?” Marrow looks down at me. “Are you okay?”

I close my monitor. “Yeah, uh, I should go.”

“Oh… Already?” Marrowyn frowns. “I–I still have time if you wanted to review…?”

Review… Ah, of course, the workbook. “I guess I can stay a bit longer.”

Marrowyn grabs the workbook and sits on the bed, patting the space next to him. “Let’s quickly review the alphabet and then we can start on something more interesting, like compound sentences!”

I lean into his arm. “Sounds perfect.”