{"sf1_id":1421780,"sf2_id":"AnKOZj0n","title":"Payment in Kind","author":"comidacomida","words":1005,"posted_at":"2019-02-18T04:34:17.000Z","tags":["Human","M/M","Massage","Sci-Fi","Sheath","Short","Space Travel","Wolf","Writing group challenge"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/1421780-payment-in-kind","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/AnKOZj0n","image_url":"https://cdn.sofurryfiles.com/submissions/thumbnails/eb/2a/eb2a593b-cf01-4bf9-be00-eebb69777ab4","description":"Here is the second piece of writing practice based off of a prompt provided in the telegram writing group in which I take part.  \n(Interested in joining us? You can find it here: [https://t.me/joinchat/CPoeZhclggenrOEh0yYwvg](https://t.me/joinchat/CPoeZhclggenrOEh0yYwvg) )  \n  \nThe goal is to do a first-person narrative of \"around 1000 words\" (personally I am for that-or-under). This story is 1000 words and is based off of the writing prompt:  \n  \n\"You struck a bargain years ago and now you're being asked for a favor to balance the scales and clear your debt.\"  \n  \nWithout further ado, my writing practice submission:","content":"Payment in Kind  \ncomidacomida copyright 2019\n\nI'd always loved the idea of space travel.\u0026nbsp; After completing college with a minor in comparative biology all I could think of was getting assigned to a fringe space exploration outposts but my major in massage therapy wasn't exactly the same as xeno-medicine or even physical therapy.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; One of my friends made all the difference.\n\nPete wasn't Human but, seeing as a lot of my education involved the genetically altered animal people I didn't really look at him any differently than I would a Human; we were all from the Sol system after all, and our genetic structure was a lot closer than compared to some of the alien species.\u0026nbsp; Besides, we were from two drastically different backgrounds so there were plenty of other things to focus on than race and the fact that he looked like a humanoid King Shepherd wasn't even a consideration in my mind.\n\nPete's folks had received a huge financial windfall after the company responsible for creating genetically altered species closed.\u0026nbsp; As part of the settlement to all genetically engineered individuals, the corporation provided a few million credits and, since both of his parents were first-generation subjects\u0026nbsp; they doubled up on their reparations... which meant that Pete never wanted for anything.\u0026nbsp; My parents, on the other hand, were blue collar workers-- my dad died when I was a teenager in an asteroid mining incident and my mom did cleaning at a station hotel circling in low orbit around Europa.\n\nWe both went to the same university but Pete was there because his folks wanted him to get an education; I was there thanks to the payout my family received since my dad died on the job.\u0026nbsp; Still, toward the end of my time there I was starting to think that I'd chosen the wrong major, but Pete wasn't about to let me give up; we'd talked a lot about going to deep space as part of a corporate project and, yet again, he had a leg up because a recruitment team made it a point to employ non-humans which he was-- and me, being Human, was not.\n\nCorporate representatives showed up and spoke to the graduates about their newest installation in the Tau sector. Tau Delta was a space station circling the fourth planet in the primary system and they needed a combination of workers for military, industrial, and civil functions.\u0026nbsp; Pete got snatched up right away but my approval was delayed almost two weeks and at that point\u0026nbsp; I learned that my position on the station was actually financed by Pete himself.\n\nI was so pissed at the time and I went to confront him.\u0026nbsp; He let me rant and rave and shout for the better part of an hour but his explanation was simple: he was investing in my enterprise.\u0026nbsp; Not only had Pete secured a spot for me in the civilian corp, he'd also reserved a storefront for me to serve as a massage therapist for staff and crew when they were off duty.\u0026nbsp; I apologized, of course, but right after that we sat down and talked business; if he was investing then I needed to know the terms.\u0026nbsp; He kept things simple.\n\nI was going to run a proper business offering services onboard Tau Delta I'd be responsible for my own expenses and, since I was part of the civilian corp, other than a small living stipend I didn't technically get corporate employee pay which meant I'd have to make my own way.\u0026nbsp; That was all fair, of course, and made sense.\u0026nbsp; Pete also said that he expected the investment to pay out. The term on board was a ten year service agreement and, based on my projections I figured I'd be able to get him paid back after three.\u0026nbsp; Plus interest, I'd promised.\u0026nbsp; Things didn't quite turn out as expected.\n\nThe cost of doing business so far from core space wasn't something I was anticipating.\u0026nbsp; Although the overhead for a massage therapist aren't all that bad when a lease is paid for there are other costs like oils, ointments, herbs, and, as it turned out, a maintenance fee paid for my spot on the station.\u0026nbsp; I realized by the end of the second year that, even though business was booming, I'd be hard-pressed to pay Pete back.\n\nSix months later I'd cut my own expenses back as much as I could and did everything I could to keep my schedule filled with appointments, which was not difficult since I was the only massage therapist on the station who accommodated all patients.\u0026nbsp; I had regulars, some of whom came to see me three or four times a week-- Pete included.\u0026nbsp; It was during one of those appointments when we finally had the talk; with five days to go I had to tell him that I would still be a few thousand credits short.\n\nHe just smiled and nodded before I heard his tail thwap out a soft beat on the massage table.\u0026nbsp; \"Yeah... the way you've been avoiding me lately I figured it was something like that.\"\n\nHis statement made me even feel more horrible and, although I tried to convince him that it wasn't anything like that I was pretty sure I failed; I certainly didn't succeed in convincing myself.\u0026nbsp; But I also didn't want to make excuses-- I wanted to find solutions.\u0026nbsp; \"How about an extension for a few months?\"\n\nAlthough his smile was friendly it was also the kind you'd expect to see on\u0026nbsp; a business-minded Dog.\u0026nbsp; \"Nah, man... gotta pay on time.\u0026nbsp; That was our deal.\"\n\nI knew I didn't have a right to DEMAND more time but I also didn't know how he expected me to pay him back if I didn't have the money.\u0026nbsp; \"But I--\"\n\nMy wandering mind halted when he removed the towel on his crotch, revealing his thick sheath with his first few inches of bright red peeking out.\u0026nbsp; His smile widened.\u0026nbsp; \"It's possible to find other forms of payment, bud.\"","series":{"name":"Writing Practice","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/1418741-regret-is-a-funny-thing.json","next":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/1426074-you-get-what-you-give.json"}}