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Leon stepped into the stall.

Casey had already moved into the second section and started the water running. Leon was surprised to see the wolf didn't bother to wait for it to warm up. The android stood directly under the showerhead and let the cold water blast him in the face.

With a grimace, the crewmate hesitantly removed his used towel and stepped up behind the wolf.

He hadn't really thought about it previously, but Casey was quite tall. The android must've been nearly half a foot taller than his own 5'10".

Here in the confines of the shower stall, the difference was quite imposing.

He stood awkwardly staring up at the wolf for a moment, before finding his voice.

"Uh… so… what do you need me to do?"

The android spoke without turning to face him.

“I must saturate my fur, then you may assist with lathering."

“Oh… sure."

Leon remained at the rear of the stall, fidgeting with his fingers as he watched Casey work the water through his fur.

After what felt like an eternity, the android seemed satisfied and turned the water off.

Hesitantly, the human questioned what the wolf was doing.

“Um… don't you, uh… don't you need the water on?"

Casey looked back over his shoulder to regard the crewmate.

“I will require it for rinsing, however lathering will take some time and so it is more efficient to turn the water off."

“Oh, makes sense. If you're not gonna use it, could we… you know?"

He gestured timidly, trying to indicate he wanted to switch places and get under the shower to warm up.

Casey turned to face him properly. Once again, Leon averted his gaze, making sure to only look at Casey's face.

“Do you wish to switch places, crewmate?"

“Uh, yeah. It's a bit chill like this."

“Of course. I do not wish for you to be uncomfortable."

“Too late for that."

Casey moved to stand up against the side wall, leaving room for Leon to get under the showerhead.

“Uh, thanks."

The android merely watched as the crewmate moved past, his unflinching gaze unnerving Leon.

So much so, the nervous human wasn't paying attention as he lifted the mixer tap to start the water again. He failed to notice it was positioned all the way to one side.

Leon cried out as he was bombarded by cold water.

“...AIIEE! HOLY FUCK, THAT'S COLD!!"

It seemed Casey had opted for a cold shower, his synthetic nature leaving him unaffected by the temperature.

Leon instinctively flinched at the unpleasant sensation, trying to jump back. Unfortunately, the wet tiles provided no grip and so he lost his footing.

Like a movie cliche, time seemed to slow as he fell back towards the floor. He flailed helplessly, trying to grab something to stop himself.

Casey had reacted the instant he slipped. The big wolf lunged to put himself between the crewmate and the floor, before securely wrapping his arms around Leon.

The pair landed with a wet thud.

Without letting go, Casey spoke up.

“Are you injured, crewmate?"

It took Leon a moment to process what had happened. He was resting with his back pressed up against Casey's chest.

“Wuhhh…"

Casey repeated his question, calmly but firmly.

“Crewmate Leon. Are you injured?"

“Uh, no. I'm… I'm fine.

“I am pleased to hear that."

The crewmate let out a tense breath.

“Phew… fuck, that was scary."

“Indeed. Injuries sustained in the shower can often be serious."

“Yeah. Uh, are you… you're not hurt, are you?"

“I am undamaged."

“Oh, that's good. And, uh… thanks for… you know… catching me."

“You are welcome, crewmate. It is my duty to protect the crew from harm."

As his heart rate slowed back to normal, Leon's attention turned to the next matter. He became increasingly aware of his position atop the wolf.

He felt heat rush to his cheeks at the close contact between their bare bodies, in particular the intimate part of Casey's anatomy that his backside was resting on.

He thrust his hips forward, trying to separate from the wolf's crotch. Despite this, the wolf did not appear to be in any hurry to let him go and the grip around him remained firm.

“Casey… you can let me go now, yeah?"

“Are you confident you have recovered from the shock and adrenaline, crewmate? I do not wish you to risk accidentally injuring yourself."

“Uh, yeah. I'm good."

“As you wish."

The wolf slowly released his grip on the crewmate.

Leon didn't waste any time, hurriedly picking himself up whilst trying to avoid any further unnecessary bodily contact.

It was an awkward affair. He was mainly focussed on getting his butt away from the wolf's crotch as quickly as possible. He flailed his arms to help sit himself up from Casey's chest. However, he couldn't ignore the feeling of Casey's member briefly squashing against his buttocks as he moved to a squatting position, straddling the android's crotch. With the floor still slippery, he had to use the wolf's chest for support as he heaved himself up from atop Casey.

The android seemed unbothered by the contact to his erogenous zone and remained where he was until Leon was clear, not wanting to accidentally trip the crewmate over by moving.

Once the human was up, Casey rolled to his stomach and gracefully pushed himself to his feet.

The crewmate stared awkwardly at the floor and fiddled with his wet hair abashedly.

“So… that was pretty… well, horrifically embarrassing. Can we never talk about that again… like, ever?"

“I promise to only disclose this matter as required for legal reasons."

“Well, that's reassuring."

Leon rubbed his face and let out a tense breath.

“...ok, change of subject. You take cold showers? Like, the temperature doesn't bother you?"

“Not unless it exceeds my minimum or maximum operating limits."

Leon gave a snort.

“You know, you don't have to be such a robot all the time, Casey."

Despite the criticism, Casey's expression remained neutral.

“I do not understand, crewmate. I cannot change my artificial nature."

“No, not like-...eugh."

The human rolled his eyes in frustration.

“...I mean when you're talking. You don't have to get all technical."

“I must disagree, crewmate. It is often critical to use the correct technical terms when dealing with the ship's systems."

“Well… yeah, alright. Maybe when you're working, it is. But, like, right now…"

He gestured dramatically at the naked wolf.

“...look at us. We're standing here naked in the shower. Would you consider this a formal setting?"

“I believe this would qualify as a casual setting."

“Right. So you think you can dial back the formality?"

“I will attempt to adjust-"

Leon interrupted Casey before he could spew more technical terminology.

“Uh-uh. No more jargon."

The wolf hesitated. It seemed that being forced to use simple language actually taxed his processing power.

“I… will try."

“That's better. Now, let's try this again."

The crewmate turned his attention back to the shower, which was still running.

He went to adjust the temperature. He hadn't even stepped under the water, but the spray bouncing off the floor and hitting his leg kept him from getting close to the tap.

“...damn, that's cold."

He stood for a moment, before shyly turning back to Casey.

“...hey, could you turn the temperature up a bit?"

“As you wish."

Without hesitation, Casey stepped into the cold stream and adjusted the tap to a warmer setting.

The wolf waited a moment before turning back to Leon.

“...it should be a comfortable temperature now, Leon."

“Thanks."

Leon moved to step under the shower, but stopped halfway. His brow furrowed as he turned to give Casey a sidelong glance

“...you just called me by my name."

“I did."

“You've never done that before."

“I was trying to be less formal. Should I not do that?"

“No-no, it's fine. It's actually… you know, it actually makes you seem a bit more friendly."

“Is that desirable?"

“Yeah, keep it up."

“I will."

“Alright then…"

Without further ado, Leon stepped under the shower.

“...ooh, that's nice and warm. Ok, let's get you lathered up. Where do you want to start?"

Casey faced his back to Leon, glancing back over his shoulder to provide instructions.

"In the caddy to your left, there are two bottles of fur care product. Please apply 20 millilitres from bottle 1 to my mane."

Leon looked to the caddy and spotted the two numbered bottles, but no way to measure it out.

"Um… how the hell am I supposed to measure 20 mil?"

"Four pumps of the nozzle should be sufficient."

"Ohhh. Ok, I can work with that."

He did as instructed, pumping four times to dispense a handful of product into his palm. It had a surprisingly fruity smell to it.

For space travel, pleasantries such as a nice smell were generally pushed aside in favour of cost effectiveness and functionality. As such, it was unusual for any hygiene products to have an aroma. Any that did were typically considered luxury items… and came with a matching luxury price tag.

"...uh… this smells kinda nice. Is it expensive?"

"It is five times more expensive than the complimentary crew shampoo you are provided, hence why I am not permitted to leave it in the storage cupboards."

"Five times?! Damn, lucky you. And the captain's willing to pay that?"

Whilst replying, Casey dispensed a palmful of product for himself and began applying it to his chest.

"She was the one who negotiated that price with my manufacturer."

"What, it's meant to be more expensive?"

"At recommended retail, it is eleven times more expensive than your shampoo."

Leon stood there gobsmacked.

Noting the lack of action or response, Casey glanced back over his shoulder at his crewmate.

"...please take care not to spill any on the floor, if possible."

In his stupor, Leon had almost let some of the premium product spill out of his hand, until he was brought back to reality by the android's voice.

"Whoops, sorry."

He quickly rubbed the product into Casey's mane, working on getting a good lather going.

“...uh, is this ok?"

“That is adequate."

He continued with the conversation about the shampoo price.

"So, this stuff is ridiculously expensive. And I'm guessing you need to use a lot more of it to cover your body, right?"

"Correct. However, I also need to shower less frequently, so it balances out."

“Oh, yeah I guess so."

He was a bit distracted thinking about the cost of the product and his efforts to lather up the wolf petered off. Casey's voice interrupted his thinking again.

"You can be firmer with me, Leon. For best results, the product needs to reach the base of my fur."

"Oh... yeah, of course…"

He increased the amount of force he was using to work the product through Casey's thick mane.

As he did, he noticed the android's tail began to wag.

"...you, uh… seem to be enjoying this."

"The tail wagging is a preprogrammed response to stimuli such as petting. I have no control over it."

"Heh… the big bad wolf is just a big softy, huh?"

Casey looked back over his shoulder with a concerned expression.

“Have I done something wrong?"

“What? No. Why would you think that?"

“You called me bad."

“Oh, no-no. I didn't mean it like that. It's just… you have this look about you. Uh…"

He hesitated. Despite Casey being an android, he instinctively didn't want to anger a wolf.

"...look, don't take this the wrong way, but… you're kind of intimidating."

“I do not mean to frighten you, Leon."

“You don't. I'm just saying, you have this sort of vibe. But the tail wagging is the complete opposite. It makes you look kind of cute."

Casey's ears then folded back, as if embarrassed.

“...ok, that's really cute.

"My ears pivot back in response to positive feedback."

"Huh. Didn't know that."

Leon kept massaging the fur, before voicing a thought.

“...you know, I don't think I've ever seen you do that before. Is that like a recent change, or have I just not noticed it?"

"No, that has always been part of my programming. However, it is rarely triggered."

Leon quickly deduced what that meant.

"You mean no-one gives you, like, compliments?'

"As I said, it is rarely triggered."

"Jeez, that's pretty cold…"

He was about to get upset at his crewmates, until he remembered that group included him.

"...damn, now I feel like a bastard."

"There is no need to feel that way, Leon."

"But it's not right. You do all this stuff to help us and we just take you for granted."

"I do not mind. It is my purpose to assist you and the rest of the crew."

"No, come on, you deserve some recognition. I mean, I really appreciate you always helping me out. It's nice having you around."

The wolf's ears folded back again and his tail kept wagging.

"Thank you, Leon. I appreciate you making the effort to acknowledge my work. Likewise, you are a valuable member of the crew and I am always pleased to assist you."

Leon couldn't help but blush at receiving a compliment of his own. When he thought about it, he wasn't much better off than Casey in the tally of compliments received. Most of the crew tended to just focus on getting their jobs done.

"Um… thanks. It's nice to hear that once in a while."

"You are welcome. And you have completed lathering the most difficult part of my mane. Thank you for your assistance."

"Uh, yeah… you're welcome… I guess."

Leon stood there awkwardly, unsure whether he should leave or stay.

Casey made the decision for him.

"If you are willing to continue, I would still appreciate your efforts."

"You… you want me to keep going?"

"I do."

"Uh… sure, why not?"

"Because it was making you uncomfortable."

"That was meant to be rhetorical, Casey."

"Apologies. I have noted this for the future."

He gave the android a friendly pat on the shoulder.

"All good. Learning every minute."

"I find opportunities to learn new information are much rarer. However, I appreciate you trying to teach me."

"Yeah, um… happy to help."

He kept lathering up the wolf's mane, following up his neck to the top of his head. Funnily enough, he found it somehow relaxing. It even reminded him of something from back home.

“...hey Casey, could I… err… oh, nevermind."

“What is it, Leon?"

“No, you'll think it's stupid."

Casey turned once more to look back over his shoulder.

“I assure you I will not judge any questions you have."

Leon gave a sigh.

“Alright. Can I… can I pet your ears?"

The wolf remained motionless, apparently not having anticipated Leon's question.

It took a moment, but Casey's reply was simple.

“You may."

The android turned to face Leon fully, leaning his head down and waiting for the crewmate

Hesitantly, the cremate reached for the top of the android's head. He ran his hand along one of Casey's ears, gingerly at first.

His hesitation slowly faded, as the familiar sensation of petting put him at ease. He quickly worked up to full scritching.

The android slowly closed his eyes and started leaning his head towards the hand rubbing his ear.

Leon was a bit concerned about the unusual behaviour. He stopped petting for a moment.

“Um, you okay, Casey?"

Casey stood back upright.

“Am I allowed to be technical?"

“Well… I guess if you need to."

“I believe I do. I have increased tactile sensor density around several areas of my body. With appropriate stimulus, the increased sensor data partially overwhelms my neural net processor, in turn compromising my motor control."

“Um… riiight. So… it feels so good you lose control?"

“That would be a highly simplified explaination of the phenomenon."

“Is it… I dunno… like… enjoyable? I mean, can you actually feel enjoyment?"

“This is a complex question. In humans, enjoyment is related to a release of neurotransmitters which then lead to your perception of positive emotions such as happiness. In my case, my creators experimented with replicating a similar process in my neural net. Through testing, they created what they believed to be a euphoric response to certain conditions. This was then…"

Leon stood there, listening to the android's rambling. Whilst he came from a technical background, his grounding was in more practical matters, and so the highly complex theory behind an android's neural processing was mostly lost on him.

Eventually he interrupted the wolf.

“Ok, I'm gonna stop you there, Casey."

“But I have more to explain. Do you not wish to know-"

“No, it's good. Very… uh… detailed. But if I'm honest… I didn't really understand most of it."

For a split second, Leon thought he saw a frown on Casey's face.

“I apologise for not being able to adequately explain the matter."

“It's not your fault. I think it's just a bit above my level. Let's dumb it down to a simple question. Does it feel good?"

“As I mentioned, it triggers a simulated euphoric response."

Leon stared bluntly for a moment.

“That doesn't… nevermind. Would you like me to do it again?"

“I would."

“Alright, so you do enjoy it. Or at least, your version of enjoyment."

“In simple terms, yes."

“Was that so hard to admit?"

“No. Do you wish to continue petting?"

Leon almost thought he saw a faint hint of eagerness amongst Casey's neutral expression.

“Uh… look, not right now. Petting wet fur isn't actually that great."

“Perhaps later when I am dried."

“Uh… yeah… later. Anyway, I think I've got your mane all done."

"Thank you. If you are still willing, you could also lather my tail."

Leon gave an exasperated huff.

"Jeez, you gonna make me do your entire back half?"

“If you are willing, I would appreciate the assistance."

Leon's expression fell to a grumpy scowl as he gave a sigh.

“That wasn't actually meant to be an offer, you clueless wolf."

He got to work.