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Yesterday’s rain had become today’s drizzle, and the slight cold had turned to bitter chill. The dull, gray afternoon wanted to sap all the remaining life out of the world; it was doing a fine job. It felt more like winter than autumn. It didn’t help that Jack’s coat was still missing in action. He did have an umbrella in the closet, but it would be awkward to stand out there in the parking lot that way; he couldn’t risk anything making this memory more uncomfortable than it would already be.

When the time came to mull it over in future rememberings, during those days of deepest regret and self-flagellation, he didn’t want more barbs stinging him than there needed to be. It was better to let his sweater get soaked again and deal with it. A trace of perfume weaved in between the smell of wet earth and dead leaves. The woman standing in front of him gave off the only color, wearing a blue coat and a sad smile. Jack leaned from side to side, his hands in his pockets for warmth. “I guess this is it then.”

“Yeah,” Allison said.

Awkward reminiscing inside past the morning over coffee became awkward goodbyeing outside. Really, what was there to say that wasn’t going to make things worse? It wasn’t just a matter of saying, but thinking as well. Jack tried to pick his thoughts as carefully as his words. Sad thoughts and regrets could wait till later, but a voice crack now would be too much.

There was one other hint of green in the bleak. He’d been so absorbed in his own thoughts he’d forgotten the kobold, standing off to the side in her brown coat. Lys had insisted on coming out to say goodbye. She kept balancing herself from foot to foot in an effort to keep the cold off.

“Call and text when you get in,” he said.

“I will,” Al said.

“And, you know, whenever.”

“I know.”

The wind pushed icy needles into his skin. It wasn’t goodbye; it was closing the chapter, maybe the whole book. He’d barely given her the time of day these past few months. He’d been busy. The interspecies girlfriend, his job, and a tangled web he was still sorting through. It made little difference now, and no excuse would buy him time. Life didn’t come at you fast; it came at you when you least expected it.

“Do you still have your Facebook?”

“I haven’t had that in ages. Don’t tell me you still do.” She laughed.

He didn’t, and he knew she didn’t. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched the green muzzle poking out from the brown hood, turning back and forth slightly with each exchange. Al started to lean forward, and the past played out before him: good times, bad times, and everything in between. He hesitated. Al smiled in that way that said she read his mind right down to the last letter. “You need to man up, Mister Walker.”

He laughed. It was an old insult, given when he was losing to her or freaking out about exams, or really any other molehill. Arms wide, he met her in a big embrace. “Gonna miss you,” he said.

“Going to miss you too. Take care of yourself, Jack.”

“I’m trying.”

She gave him a small peck on the cheek. It couldn’t have been more than ten seconds, but it would linger in his memory for years, making him wonder about what might have been. He didn’t like it, but there it was. Stepping back, he forced his smile and readied himself, but Al turned to the kobold, arms open.

Lys’s tail went stiff; the kobold pointed a claw at herself to be sure. Allison nodded, and Jack took a step back. Al whispered something to Lys. As if he didn’t have enough secrets to deal with already, especially since he intended to resolve the one Roddy had forced him to silence over, but it could wait, and he didn’t suspect that his best friend had anything too terrible to say.

“Take care of him,” she said.

“I will,” Lys said. She took her place by Jack’s side.

Al stepped back and eyed both of them. “I still don’t know about this; it’s weird, but…”

Jack shrugged and smiled. “But it works.” He knew she thought it was more than weird, but she wasn’t the kind to be petty. She’d have never even acknowledged Lys, let alone told her something in private, if that were so. Allison nodded and hugged him one last time.

“Alright… time to go.”

She wasn’t going to say goodbye; neither of them would. He waved and watched her go, step by step, to her car. Door closing, engine revving, pipe exhaust and trail rising into the air as she pulled out of the parking lot. He took a long, slow breath, and that was that. The steps never creaked so sharply before; each weatherbeaten slat offered its condolences. Lys followed behind, her toeclaws making light taps.

“Are you alright?” she asked.

Jack stumbled forward through a phantom stair. “I don’t know.” He opened the door for her, and she bolted inside, going right for the couch and rubbing her feet. She didn’t bother taking her coat off. He was going to have to do something about shoes. Jack stripped off his sweater and started cleaning up the living room.

The blue, oversized mug on the end table seemed diseased now. His favorite mug, but he’d given it to Al for morning coffee. If he didn’t pick it up, then she couldn’t be gone.

Stupid.

The half-drunk cup was cold now. She’d taken it with a little milk, unusual for her. The light-brown liquid sloshed from side to side. Perhaps, if he didn’t pour it down the sink, he wouldn’t be a thirty-something loser, and tomorrow he’d get up and head for class, and then they’d stay up ignoring their homework playing some Street Fighter while doing shots of bottom-shelf vodka.

For God’s sake.

The liquid hit the sink so hard that droplets splattered up onto the kitchen tile. He rinsed it all away until there wasn’t a speck left and set aside the mugs for later; it didn’t matter if they got put away.

Man up, Mr.Walker.

She didn’t need to take up any more room in his head, but it was good advice, and he could certainly use some right now.

“Jack?” A deformed group of punks chased Lys down a blurry street. Scenes of violence played out over and over in his head. He couldn’t hear her voice without seeing it. It hadn’t been enough that one of them got mauled by a dog; he wanted to make it personal. The kind of revenge that got people locked up for a long time. “You’re not alright.”

“No, I’m not.”

“I’m sorry. I know what it’s like when someone close leaves.”

“It isn’t that. Well, not just that.”

“What is it then?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

Her pointed teeth flashed at him in a sneer. “I will worry about it. I hate it when you say, 'Don’t worry about it.' Why the hell do humans always say, 'Don’t worry about it' when they’re miserable?” Her claws fiddled with the buttons on her coat while she spoke. “I’m not supposed to care?”

He smirked. “I’m not miserable. Sad, maybe, but not miserable.” Now he ought to be doing something productive, but at the same time he wanted to go back to bed and forget about the day.

“You could have fooled me.” Her eyes narrowed into yellow slits. “You’re still thinking about the other day, aren’t you?”

Bed sounded bad, maybe something on TV.

“Jack?”

The couch bowed under him slightly; he tapped the buttons on the remote at random, staring past the tube and into his revenge fantasy. Did he even watch this thing anymore?

“Jack?”

“So what if I am?”

“I already told you they got what they deserved.”

The remote bounced off the cushion and onto the floor. “You might have given them what they deserved, but I didn’t. Why didn’t you call me?”

Lys growled as she climbed up beside him. “I’ve already told you four times, and I’m not saying it again. It would have made things worse.” She’d been right about that. He’d learned the truth, and the truth hadn’t made him mad; it made him furious. Now these nobodies were eating him up inside on top of everything else going on.

“But I should—“

She touched his hand, still cold from being outside. “You're not going to do anything because if you do something stupid and get arrested, then I’ll be here all alone, and who knows what would happen then.” Her claw tapped him a few times. “Besides, you don’t seem violent.”

He jerked his hand away. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“What? All I said was—“

“And what’s that supposed to mean? That I can’t fight?”

“I didn’t say that. Why are you getting so upset?”

“That’s what it sounded like to me.” He stood back up. “Do you think I can’t protect you?”

She shrank back into the couch. “There was a whole group of them.”

“So you do think I’m a coward.” He flung out his hands. “It doesn’t matter how many there are.”

“I didn’t say that! Stop it. I had two of them chasing after me, and I’m not defenseless.”

“Okay, so you think I’m weak, is that it? I’m not a coward and it doesn’t matter how many there are. It’s my job to protect you. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“And I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Now you’re protecting me?”

“I didn’t mean it like that. Stop acting like a hatchling.”

“It’s my job to get hurt if that’s what it comes down to. Someone gets one good kick in, and you go flying. It’s not like I’ve never been in a fistfight before. They probably wouldn’t have even touched you if I’d been there, so think about that.” He started walking off towards the bedroom.

“Jack, wait. Oh, forget it.”

He heard her jump down off the couch and turned around to see her heading for the computer. Angry claws began tapping at the keys, and he watched her reach for the headset. Remorse set in before he could close the door. Her claw twitched and jerked the mouse about, and Jack realized he’d never actually watched her play anything besides Minecraft. Her pointed glare stayed fixed on the monitor, and some unfortunate Blu Team heavy met their end with a knife in the back. “Loser,” she muttered.

“Sweet, I…”

Two more unaware Blu players met their end before she got put to the torch. “Damn it!” She looked up at Jack with her teeth bared. “What? I thought you went off to—someone go medic already! Fine, I’ll do it!” she yelled into the mic. It was a side of his mate he hadn’t seen before, but if she wanted to be a streamer, she’d need to be familiar with all the various games. Team Fortress 2 seemed a bit old, but free was a good price and she’d insisted on him not spending anymore money on her. The kobold didn’t seem so reserved when it came to yelling at others over a game. Jack heard her snorting and the sound of her tail striking between the chair. She was full-on predator for this, and it made him question if this was such a good idea; it also made him feel out of the loop. Jack watched her chasing behind a heavy, a soldier, and a scout. Her swift movements let her switch between healing all three until the scout bolted off ahead. Soon, it was just her and the heavy, but a moment later she was dead—her teammate couldn’t be bothered to turn around to check on her. “Shit!”

“Lys—“

“Not now.” The tip of her tongue glided along the edge of her maw; her eyes darted about the monitor.

He shrugged her off. Maybe he needed to lie down after all. He hadn’t slept well, and the day was already a drain. Anything else he needed to say to her could wait. He was getting pissed again. The entire mattress shook with how hard he landed. “It doesn’t matter if you have claws and teeth. What matters is that I stand up for you and keep you safe.” He was exhausted, but worked up. “Both acting like children…” he muttered before he drifted off.

***

By the time he woke up, the gray sky had vanished. Outside the puny bedroom window, it’d already turned dark. “Was I really that tired?” He sat up in bed, not feeling much better than before. If he couldn’t sleep it off, maybe he could wash it off. The bedroom door looked foreboding, and he winced at the knob. “I’ll bug her after I get cleaned up.”

The sound of water striking the tub drowned out every thought except that he’d forgotten to grab any clothes. He stripped and got in anyhow, reaching for the soap, content to embrace the familiar scent of Irish Spring and self-pity, but he’d hardly gotten a good lather going before he heard a small pop at the door. He turned around in time to see the knob twist and then the presence of his mate along with the rush of cold air.

“Didn’t tell me you were awake.” She planted a claw on her hip and let her tail say the rest for her.

“No, but the empty bed, running water, and locked bathroom door should have been some clues. Besides, I didn’t want to bother the master gamer with my meager presence.”

Her tail made a quick graze of the floor. “I was mad earlier. You were trying to skin my hide over something I never said. Anyway, a dumb lock like that can’t keep me out.”

“Common courtesy and a shred of human dignity might.”

“I’m not human.” She beamed a smug smile and started peeling off her shirt.

“Think you could close the door before you invite yourself in? Getting cold in here.”

Lys tossed it aside. He looked her over. Nothing to see, but it was his nothing, and he liked it. “Give me a moment.” She pushed the door shut with her tail and started tugging at her shorts. “I didn’t mean what I said the way I said it earlier.”

“Well, what—“ The soap slipped out of his hands. “Exactly did you mean then, because it sure sounded like you said I was some kind of coward. Or that I’m not supposed to stand up for you.” The kobold’s shorts fell onto the floor, leaving her bare.

“What I meant was…suddenly feeling better?” She raised an eyeridge and let her tail flick a few times.

Jack had forgotten about the soap. “A little.”

She pointed. “More than a little.”

“You’re a dirty lizard.”

“And you’re a filthy human who gets turned on by dirty lizards.”

He smiled. “If I’m so filthy, then why don’t you come scrub me off then?”

Lys pivoted on her heels, showing her backside already glistening with the steam. “Don’t see why I should after how you’ve been acting.”

“How I’ve been acting? So, you snapped at me, broke in here, and undressed to tease me?”

The kobold turned halfway around. “Maybe I can be pretty cruel.”

He snorted. “You sure can.”

“Oh I can, can I?” She twisted on her toes, ready to dive in.

“You know what? I can manage on my own. Why don’t you get dressed, and I’ll talk to you outside when I’m done?”

“No, you won’t! I’m going to scrub you, and we’re going to be nice from now on. I’m sick of fighting.” She was already reaching for the edge of the tub and flinging herself over, but the slick surface made her slip. Jack reached out and caught her before she faceplanted.

“Are you sure we can’t be a bit naughty?” Jack watched her fight it with all her might; first her tail began to wag, and then she broke into a full smile. “Come on.” He held out a hand to her, and she took it, but not before making him wait.

“Pick up that soap and get down here.”

He bowed on the way down. “Yes, mistress.”

“This is one of those times where I really wish I was six feet tall.”

Jack handed her the bar and sat with his back turned. Tight, but far more comfortable than kneeling the entire time. “It wouldn’t be the same.”

“Maybe not, but a lot of things would be easier.” She pressed the bar to his back. “About earlier, what I meant is that you’re not a violent person, and I don’t want to see you be violent. I also don’t want you getting hurt.”

He closed his eyes and sighed, dipping his head forward to let the water run over his hair. He recalled past scuffles, few and far between. “If I see someone threatening you I’m going to bust their face in. It doesn’t matter how many there are. I’m not letting anyone hurt you, and it makes me furious that I wasn’t there to keep you safe.”

She went a bit lower. “I know, I just hate for it to happen. You’re calm and laid-back, and I like you that way.”

“I wouldn’t go that far.”

Jack felt those scaly arms wrapping around his neck from behind. “I would,” she said. “But something else is still bothering you; what is it?”

“Nothing.”

She growled. “What is it?”

“If I say it’s nothing, then it’s nothing; stop worrying about it.” He twisted about and hugged her arm, but she tapped him on the head.

“You’re going to start that again?” She went back to washing him down with renewed vigor, and Jack remembered she had points on the ends of those hands, sharp ones. “Arms up, higher. Ugh, how is it that you smell so bad under there?” Her hand slipped beneath his pits and worked up a lather.

“That’s a manly odor.”

The low rattle out of her throat said she thought otherwise. She didn’t let up for a good thirty seconds. Kobolds had a better sense of smell and this one wasn’t fond of body odor, but that just meant getting touched more, and touch, she did; her hands started drifting towards his chest. She went in a circular motion, “accidentally” letting the bar slip so she could rub his nipples a few times before she finally wrapped her arms around him in a hug. “I think you’re about as clean as I can make you from here.” She nipped his ear with the tip of her maw.

“Want to come around front then and make sure everything is clean from this side?” He took both her claws in hand and started rubbing.

“I don’t know…”

“Well, I could stand up, and you could wash my ass. Maybe a little tongue bath?”

“That isn’t what I meant, freak!” She tried to smack him, but he held her hands firm, so she resorted to bumping into him. “Isn’t it my turn? Let go of me.” She tried not to laugh.

“Speaking of freak, we could get a bit freaky while the water is still hot.”

“Hmmm,” she leaned forward, laying her head on his shoulder, “how freaky?”

“Let’s start small and work our way up.”

“I’m already small.”

He let go of her hands and pushed himself up off the tub. “Then I guess the only place left to go is up.”

“Woah!” He hoisted her up and pressed her against the bathroom tile, kissing her in the process. Hot water poured down over them both as he braced her legs and rear with his arms. “Feeling better about being small?”

“Maybe…you said you wanted a tongue bath, yes?” She leaned forward and gave him a lick across the cheek and then another. The kobold didn’t stop there. The tip of his nose, his chin, and before long his entire face were getting a forked tongue bath. Up and down one cheek, then the other, and back again. Her fingers toyed with his wet hair.

“That—mmmf—feels—mmmf—you’re licking my mouth on purpose.” Her thick tongue with its ticklish ends licked all around, then it went for his eyes. “Hey.” He closed them just in time, and he heard her giggle. Blind, she got him under his chin, around the neck, and across his nose. “Is that…hmmph!” And then she’d start again right when he opened his mouth to ask if she were done.

“—Mmmf!—” And then she kissed him, deep. He opened his eyes again to her smug expression pressing into his face. He wrapped an arm around her; little by little she drew back, doing that tongue slip of hers until it fell out of his mouth. Her smile turned to a pout.

“Wait a minute, why am I still cleaning you?”

“Hey, all I did was pin you against the wall like the dirty beast you are. You did the rest.”

“I should show you…no, your little tricks aren’t going to work on me. It’s your turn, so get to cleaning.”

“Kinda hard to keep you held up like this and reach down for the soap, and my tongue is nowhere near as exciting.”

Her tail brushed right between his legs. “Well, do something before I get nasty.” She leered at him, with her snout not even an inch away from his nose, and those yellow eyes of hers looking at him expectantly. Jack almost went cross-eyed looking at the turquoise marks on her muzzle, covered in droplets. Her breaths came in slow pulses, and all the troubles of the day were going down the drain with each one. His lips drifted over her snout, feeling the fine details of her scales, before he formed his mouth into a kiss.

“Did you just bite me?” She planted a hand on his chest.

“No, I grazed you.”

“What did you do that for?”

“I wanted to see how it’d feel and to see if you’d like it.”

“Maybe I should graze you the next time I kiss you. Get back to kissing and without grazing.” She rubbed her snout, but her smile said she’d liked it more than she let on.

He kissed her along the cheek, but he was stirring something fierce now, and that itch needed to get scratched. So, he went lower, along her neck.

“Is that all?” she asked.

“Gonna give you ‘that’s all.’”

“Aiee!” Instead of going lower, he slid her up. The wet tile squeaked with her hide and clacked where her horns touched. Skipping her chest, he went right for the belly, where she was softer. Meanwhile, she leaned over and held onto his head.

“Ahh, that’s better.” She made the cutest moans; they got louder as he went lower. As much as he wanted to drag it out, he also wanted to eat her out too. He rolled his eyes up for a glance. Lys was watching him slipping down further. She spread out her legs as little as she could for him; her being held against the wall made it tricky. Her tail brushed and swept along his chest, egging him on. He put his lips to her turquoise slit, ready to give it one hell of a kiss.

“Did you hear something?” she asked.

“No?” His tongue broke the threshold, and then she put a claw on his head.

“Someone is pounding at the front door.”

“No…” He heard it now too.

Lys tapped his head. “Sounds like they’re trying to break in.”

“I don’t care, and neither do you,” he said with his mouth still parked on her sex. Whoever it was had to be pounding it with force for him to hear it over the shower, and it was pissing him off. “Maybe if we’re quiet, they’ll go away.”

“If we’re lucky. You sure it isn’t important?”

“How would I know? Who the hell would it be at this time of night?” So close and yet so far. The noise stopped; he enjoyed the sensation of her slit on his mouth a moment more, and her scent. The pounding started again.

“God damn it.” He set her down and flung back the shower curtain, prying off a few hooks out of it in the process.

“Jack…it might be important.”

“Grrr…” He slammed his feet onto the cold floor, stomping into the bedroom while he toweled off. He wrapped it around himself and tried to peek out of the bedroom window to see who it was, but the front light wasn’t on and the window was so small that it was pointless. He gave the dresser a hard yank, almost pulling the entire drawer out. Sweats, a shirt, and a pair of socks would be good enough for whoever the hell had ruined his shower love. The thumping kept coming in erratic, heavy rhythms, like whoever was on the other end was in a panic. “Better be someone with a bag of money or a notice of a long-lost relative with a rich inheritance.” If it was Al because she’d forgotten something, he was going to feel like crap, but that didn’t seem possible. She’d have texted ahead, and it’d been well over half the day. His only worry was that it might be the manager with a notice, but that lazy sack never bothered anyone unless the entire complex complained. Probably one of the alkies trying to get into the wrong apartment. He stepped into the living room in time for his half-chub to fade and then he noticed—the knocking came from a low point on the door.

“Roddy.” Glaring at the thing, he flicked on the porch light and went for the knob. “I said to wait a few days; we haven’t even been to the laundromat.“ Jack flung open the door to a kobold , but it wasn’t Roddy. It was blue, wearing a dark gray hoodie with the top pulled over its head and holes cut out for the horns. “Can I…help you?”

It looked up at him with a pointed muzzle and orange eyes. They darted up and down, as if the bold were sizing him up. “Maybe. I’m looking for someone,” it said.

Female, for sure. The voice, but also her shape. Somewhat rounded hips, clothed in a pair of customized denim jeans with a hole for a tail that drifted so slowly that it seemed to be floating. She spoke clearly, as clearly as Lys, if not better, which made it all the odder. “Who?”

The blue kobold shifted to the side and then looked behind her. “A friend, I was told she was here.” Her claws sat in her jacket.

Jack shook his head slightly. “I’m sorry. Who told you someone was here?” He planted a hand on the doorframe.

The kobold frowned, and her tail began swishing back and forth in the light. The hood covered most of her face except for her snout. She’d done a great job with her clothes, much better than anything he’d made for Lys. “I was told that a green kobold was staying here. I’m her friend, and I’ve been very worried for her. Please!” Her frown turned to a pleading look. No stuttering, no broken speech, and she kept her eyes locked with his the entire time.

Where the hell did she come from?

Jack tried not to look too uncomfortable when all he wanted was this anomaly to go away. Squinting, he shook his head slightly. “What green kobold? Who told you? Are you a friend of Rodil’s?”

Her muzzle scrunched up. “Rod—yes, the yellow one, yes, yes! Is he here too?” She looked excited.

“No, Rodil doesn’t live here.” Jack started rubbing his face, trying to figure out what the hell to do. He turned away, glancing in the direction of the bathroom, wondering if it was time to get Lys. “Look, it’s pretty late; if you come back tomorro—oh holy shit!”

And then he saw the gun.

“Shut up and back up, human.” It was small, even for her claw, and shiny. It almost looked like a toy, but he wasn’t about to test that. His hands went into the air. It was too close to the holidays to be dying. What would Mom and Dad say? What would Lys say? He took several steps back, and the kobold invited herself inside, putting her back and tail into the door. “Now where is she?”

“Where is who?”

“Don’t play with me, smoothie. Unless you want to catch a bullet. Where. Is. She?” She kept pushing him back with the gun, all the way into the kitchen. She seemed to be enjoying it too. A slight grin crept over the left side of her maw.

Suddenly being shot seemed a small consequence to keeping Lys safe.

“Fuck you.” If only he could let her know, not that there was anywhere to go but through the front door. The blue kobold’s teeth bared in a snarl, and she leveled the pistol at his head. The room spun; it seemed strange to be dying after such a rough morning and to some unannounced lizard. Could try to lie, but he was a terrible liar, or rush her, or…

The bedroom door opened, and Lys stepped out wearing damp shorts and nothing else. “Jack? I thought I heard you yell…” Her eyes fixated on the other kobold.

The blue kobold turned to look, and Jack saw his chance. Snatching his favorite mug off the counter, he stepped in and smashed the heavy thing her across the head as hard as he could. Fragments went everywhere. She fell back towards the door, landing with a thud. The gun flew off, landing somewhere. The blue kobold lay on the floor, motionless.

“Mom!” Lys ran towards the kobold on the floor.

Mom?