Damn I’m fucked.

Justine and I are still in an embrace. Actually, to be more accurate, I have already let go of her and my arms are now just dangling at my sides. She hasn’t let go of me yet. She still has her arms wrapped around me and her head is resting on mine. I think she’s smelling me…Weird.

Every time I try to say something, she shushes me and holds me tighter. I get it, I really do. You want this Kodak moment to last forever. But come on, people are staring, many with their mouths open. It’s been, what, 1 minute? Enough already. This is getting embarrassing. Let me go. No, don’t hug me tightly into your boobs…huh, your boobs smell great. But you’re wearing your chainmail and it’s really hot from the residual heat of your flames. You’re going to melt my face off.

Ahem

Someone just lightly coughed to get our attention. Thank you. No idea who it was. Probably Volt. If not Volt, a Beast. I try to beg for help with my eyes. I’m sure my eyes are full of desperation right now. I make eye contact with a lizard-type Beast and mouth “Help…Me…” Why are you looking away? Are you…laughing? DAMN YOU!!! Help me!!!

AHEM

“Highness?”

“Silence. Do not ruin this for me.”

Fuck…Justine really does not give a damn, does she? Volt…Francine…someone help…me. Let’s try going limp. Huh. She still is managing to keep me upright. This isn’t working. I’m so fucked. How long does she want this moment to last? The moment is over! It’s done! You’re overdoing it now! Please!!! Let me go!! I’m not comfortable anymore.

Hey! There’s a piece of chocolate next to her. I bet I reach it.

I raise my arm and I stretch behind her. Damnit…so close…just out of reach. Let’s try moving. Come on Justine, move with me. Yeah, that’s it. Turn. Good. SCORE!!! CHOCOLATE!!! I pop it into my mouth and start to savor the taste.

“Are you eating right now?”

Uh oh. I quickly swallow the chocolate and notice that Justine has raised her head to look down at me. I can’t tell if she is angry or amused. Let’s try to be literal with my answer. I currently am no longer eating.

“Um…no?”

“Lie.”

I really don’t know how her bullshit detector works so…

“Yes?”

“Why?”

“Chocolate.”

Duh. Why else? Did you think I would just calmly and obediently remain here? I’m a human being with a mind of my own. Not some loyal puppy dog.

“…”

“I’m still hungry.”

“…”

“Soooo, can you let go so I can go eat?”

“…”

“Or I could just stay here and grab whatever is in reach if you prefer…”

“…”

“Okay seriously, this silent treatment you’re doing is really uncomfortable.”

“…”

“Really? Nothing? Stop looking at me like that, I am not a mind reader. I don’t know what you’re thinking.”

“…”

“Seriously? After all I just said, you’re still going to just keep staring at me silently…Fine. Be that way. I’m going eat food. So either let go of me or I’m going to eat in this position.”

“…”

“Suit yourself.”

I grab another piece of chocolate but before I could eat it, she leans in and eats the chocolate right out of my hands! Son of a bitch…

“That’s just mean…”

She laughs and finally releases me from her embrace but not before kissing me on the forehead. Sheesh, crazy lady. I may have made a huge mistake in making out with her. Oh well. I’ll deal with it later. First, food time. And clean up.

We made a hell of a mess of this kitchen and most of it was probably my fault…okay a lot of it was my fault. Overturn tables, pots and pans everywhere, spilled food, shits on fire…sigh, I’ll feel bad if I just leave and let someone else deal with this mess. I never understood the stories where the good guy fights a bunch of bad guys, crashes into some poor sod’s restaurant, wrecks the place and walks away like the mess has nothing to do with him. Cleaning up and repayments is someone else’s problem is probably what those people think. So rude and irresponsible. I walk over to an overturn table and flip it back upright. I look around and see that everyone still has not moved. They’re not doing anything at all except stare at me.

“Yo, you guys going to help me clean up this shit or am I going to have to do it by myself? And someone check on Jacque will you? I hit him pretty damn hard.”

About damn time you guys started moving. Sheesh. Beasts start flipping tables back upright and picking up all sorts of debris. Francine flashes me a smile as she carries out her unconscious brother. Others give me a thumbs up and begin washing dishes or sweeping the floor. Good, looks like we won’t be here all day. I think there are what, about 20 Beasts in here? While the kitchen is huge and we did cause a bit of a mess, with everyone working together, we can get this back in its original state before dinner. Well, almost. There is still the matter of the areas that Justine melted with that scary black fire of hers. What the hell was that?!

I feel someone clap me on the back. I turn around and see Volt smiling at me. In his right hand are what looks like coins. Must be our winnings.

“So, Linds, when I told you to make a move, I didn’t mean do it in front of everyone!”

“She wouldn’t have stopped otherwise. She was pretty pissed.”

DONK

“The hell? Justine did you just throw a spatula at me?”

“Yes. I am still angry at you.”

“…”

Justine walks over to pick up the spatula she threw. As she bends over she whispers softly into my ear so that only I could hear it.

“And as compensation, you will be in the bed with me tonight.”

Fuck. Looks like I’m not going to be sleeping again tonight. I have to find a way to convince her to let me sleep in a different room or at the very least, on the floor. If I tie her arms down first she won’t be able to use me as a body pillow. Hopefully she won’t argue…oh my god I sound like I’m planning to take advantage of her…I am a terrible person. Got to change topics.

“Hey Volt, how much did we win?”

“Around 500 creds.”

“Sweet! Is that a lot?”

“Well, according to them, we could buy a nice dinner for one person at a fancy restaurant.”

“So…we’re still poor?”

“Unless you suck up to Justine.”

“Are you pimping out your own little brother, you fucking ginger?”

“Obviously.”

“I’m telling Blake.”

“I’m sure she would approve.”

“You’re a terrible brother.”

“But an excellent husband!”

I roll my eyes at him. I really wish Blake was here to reprimand him on using his little brother to earn money through gambling on fights. Then again, she probably would reprimand me for fighting with Justine in the first place. Yet, she will take the money without a second thought. Kind of hypocritical if you ask me. Yes, I know you’re not asking me. I’m asking me. Shut up brain. Go away. Wait, no, don’t actually go away. I need you in order to live.

“Okay, honestly speaking, Volt, we need to figure out what to do about cash. We can’t keep asking favors from Justine.”

“I do not mind.”

I look over at Justine. She’s currently helping to wash some of the dishes that we had knocked onto the ground in our…disagreement. See, this is what responsible adults do. You make a mess; you help clean it up. Or at the very least, pay to cover damages. You don’t just walk away and go, “Okay, fights over. I won/lost. Someone else deal with this shit.” Nope, those movies and stories, the hero or the bad guy just walks away. Sometimes, they run away to get away from their enemies. I know I thought this to myself already but I can’t help it. It’s seriously a pet peeve of mine when I see them walk away. Rude.

Oh right, got to stop Justine from letting us use her like a free ATM.

“Justine, we can’t accept that.”

“Yeah, we were joking earlier. We actually would feel bad if we kept relying on you.”

“I do not mind. I already promised to be your guide.”

“Do you plan to be our guide forever? I would think that you’ll want to go back to your family. And wouldn’t you have princess duties to do?”

“Mother and Father have already instructed me to stay by you for as long as necessary. It will be fine. Every month I will get an allowance transferred into my personal account. It is fine. Think of this as a loan.”

She walks over to me and leans in again to whisper something.

“And you will repay every credit of it. By yourself.”

I shudder. I feel like I had signed a contract with a loan shark without actually signing anything. How the fuck does that work? I swear, Justine is part of a mob or something. If I don’t pay her back does that mean she’ll break my legs?? This can’t be good.

“Um…Justine, you beautiful, sweet-hearted princess…woman, how exactly did we manage to get on this blimp?”

“Oh well, it was not easy to convince the Hierarchs of the Tribes to let the four of us onboard their military vessel. We had to compensate them.”

“And…how exactly did you compensate them?”

“Credits.”

I look over at Volt who looks just as uncomfortable as I do. One of us has to ask the question but neither of us wants too. I raise a fist at him and place my other hand underneath the fist. There is only one way to settle this.

“Best two out of three or sudden death?”

“Sudden death. Let’s go.”

“On ‘shoot’?”

“Yes.”

I should throw paper. The most common thing that is thrown is always scissors. Volt knows this so he will naturally throw rock. But then again, he knows that I also know this so he will not throw rock. He knows that I will throw paper to counter his rock so he will throw scissors. But I know that he knows that I know he will throw scissors so I should instead throw rock. But he knows that I know that he knows that I know this so then he will counter my counter to his counter and throw paper at me. But I know that he knows that I know that he knows that I knows…fuck it I’m going to throw the end all win.

“Linds, what the fuck is that?”

“Ummm…papscisrock?”

“You just flashed the East Side gang sign…You lose.”

“Bullshit! It was all three! I auto win!”

“No, you auto lose. You get to ask her.”

“Fuck…fine. Justine?”

“Yes?” Don’t play innocent. Stop smiling at me like you don’t know what I’m about to ask. Don’t use your honey-like voice on me. It actually makes this worse.

“How much do we owe you right now.”

“Two hundred thousand credits.”

“WHAT?!?!”

“Two. Hundred. Thousand. Credits. Would you like me to write it out for you, little princess?”

“Why…why is it so much?”

“This is a military vessel and they do not normally take passengers. Food and lodging were also provided. And, with my status as the 4th Princess of the Daemon clans it was decided that additional security personnel should be required. The Tribes do not fall under Daemon authority so we paid for their services.”

“Why…didn’t you tell us?”

“You did not ask.”

“This is something that shouldn’t need to be asked, Justine!!”

She smiles at me mischievously as she responds with words I will never forget. “Captain Lindsey Shin, as the one in charge of your party, the debt only applies to you. Not to Volt or Blake.”

“WHAT?!?!?!”

“AWESOME!!!”

“FUCK YOU VOLT!!”

“You may take your time to repay Clan Gustof. But we do expect full compensation in credits and at an interest.”

“I hate you.”

“Lie.”

“Not a fucking lie. Truth. I regret kissing you now.”

“Lie,” she grins at me as she leans in. “And do not forget, you’re going to be my body pillow tonight.”

“It’s creepy when you say it like that...Justine, have some mercy on me. I haven’t slept in over 2 days!”

“And we will not be sleeping tonight either,” she seductively whispers into my ear.

I gaze Justine with perhaps one of the stupidest grins on my face as she turns and leaves the kitchen. Shit…I’m really turned on right now. But at the same time, I really want to sleep. Fuck…I think this is the first time I am actually considering turning down a girl. But…she’s really hot. Logic or hormones…who will win? Sleep, or sex. Sleep, or sex…

Damn I’m so fucked. Figuratively speaking.

“Volt?”

“Hm?”

“If you haven’t slept for over 2 days and Blake wants to have sex with you, would you chose sex over sleep?”

“Yes.”

“I thought so…I’m probably going to get laid tonight.”

“Good for you. Use a condom.”

“I don’t have any. Can I have one of yours?”

“Don’t have any. Guess you’re not having sex.”

“You’re a dick.”

“Well, I do have a dick.”

“…”

“…”

“How mad do you think Justine will be if I turn her down?”

“You’re not serious are you?”

“I am really tired and I don’t have a condom.”

“You sound like a woman in a shitty movie.”

“Shut up.”

“She might just do you anyways.”

“…Fuck.”

“You’re seriously complaining about having sex? Hold still while I beat the shit out of for all the guys back home.”

Volt raises his fists and pretends to swing at my face stopping just short of hitting me. He’s probably right, most guys would jump at the chance to have sex with a woman as hot as Justine. Plus, kinky hot alien sex. Who hasn’t fantasized about that?

We continue to clean the kitchen in silence. Well, not really. Some Beasts would come over to talk to us to either thank me for winning them credits or say how I surprised them for actually getting Justine to give up trying to beat the life out of me willingly. Some even expressed shock at how I would dare kiss a royal. Heh. I never saw her as a royal.

Soon, it was evening and the chefs start preparing for the dinner rush. To be honest, I am not that hungry since I kept snacking on random foods as I was cleaning the kitchen. Jacque at one point even came in to have a little talk with me. I thought he was going to threaten me again but instead, he actually apologized for not listening to me before attacking me. Like I thought, Jacque is a good guy. I basically just laughed it off and told him not to worry about it. After all, if I was in his boots, I probably would have acted in a similar fashion…maybe.

Justine on the other hand never showed up again. I have no idea where she went and any Beast that came in said that they have not seen her since some time in the middle of the afternoon. Her absence did make give me a lot of time to think though. I don’t know where we stand at moment and if I’m honest, I don’t want to get too involved…but at the same time, I really dig her and I do want to get more intimate…

What the hell am I doing? Well, I am nervous. Justine terrifies and excites me at the same time. But, I only have known her for 2 days. It’s a bit weird to suddenly be jumping into bed with her so quickly. Well, weird for me at least. I’ve only ever had one one-night stand and that was with Moletits. Not a fan of one-nighters. Feels great physically but there is no emotional involvement which is half the fun. Now friends-with-benefits, those are awesome. Have all the perks of being in a relationship without actually being in a relationship.

Man, why am I thinking about all this? Why do I even care? Fuck emotions. Emotions are stupid. I have only known Justine for 2 days and I already want to be with her? Fuck. That. Noise. I should run away. Yeah. Let’s run away. I don’t do well in relationships. Relationships are messy. And complicated. And I owe her money. This can only end in disaster. So yeah, let’s hide.

I head back to the rooms and I enter my siblings room. Volt is exploring the blimp, specifically, the gun turrets, and Blake is still tinkering with Sky in the room. She sees me and greets me with a smile before getting back to work. Sky turns its head at me and tries to speak but no sound comes out.

“Oh sorry Alpha, I had to deactivate your voice box. Here, try it now.”

“Testing. Voice box reactivated. Greetings, Captain Lindsey.”

“Hey guys. Blake, what are you doing to Sky now?”

“Analyzing all the data that Alpha was able to obtain. And you really should stop calling it ‘Sky.’”

“I refuse. So what have you learned?”

“Well, I figured out a way to detect the cores of those Contagions. We just need to reprogram the nanites in our system to give us the ability to see the cores.”

“How do we do the reprogramming?”

“Through Alpha. I am trying to help it set up a system to reprogram some nanites that will reenter our system and give the rest them the upgrade.”

“Sweet. That would definitely make the fight with those damn robots a lot easier.”

“I thought so too… You’re not still blaming yourself, are you?”

“Nah. Not really. Whatever they are now, they are definitely not my creations. But, if they never have landed here in the first place, this probably never would have happened.”

“Conflict will always happen, hun. Whether it is with these Contagions or with each other. It’s just how we deal with conflict that matters.”

“Yeah…I guess.”

“This isn’t your fault, Lindsey Shin.”

“I know.”

I stood at the doorway in silence contemplating about what she said. Blake is right, conflict would always happen, with or without my robots. Sentient life always has an ego and will find some reason to fight one another. Earth is a perfect example of that. It is full of conflict. Wars over territory, food, religion, politics, it didn’t matter. Conflict was and always will be there. But how we deal with it is within our power.

“So, hun. When you have sex tonight, try to keep it down, okay?”

“WHAT?! Did Volt already tell you?”

“No, Justine practically skipped here with the biggest smile I have ever seen on anyone. She came to me to tell me that you kissed her.”

“Wait…why would she tell you that?!”

“Because I told her about you and what kind of girls you like.”

“WHAT?!”

“She asked a lot of questions about you when we went hunting.”

“Hold on. You told her what exactly?”

“You like strong women, you like food, you like to crack jokes, you like to mess with people’s minds for your own amusement, and you hide your feelings fairly well.”

“So let me get this straight…We just met this alien lifeform who spent a good part of the afternoon whacking me in the balls and in my face with my own piss and you thought it was a good idea to tell her all sorts of intimate details about me?”

“Well, when you put it that way, of course it sounds bad. But she is a sweet girl. When you were knocked out, which, by the way, totally your own doing, she looked shocked at what she did and checked to see if you were still breathing. She introduced herself as the 4th Princess of the Daemon Clans and insisted we go to the hunting lodge to eat. She asked us where we were from and everything. She even told us about herself and Daemons.”

“You KNEW she was a princess and didn’t tell me???”

“Yup.”

“I don’t believe this. Sky, were you aware of this as well?”

“Affirmative.”

“You guys suck.”

“It all worked out didn’t it?”

“…”

“And you like her, don’t you?”

“…”

“Of course you do. She’s exactly your type. Strong, willing to talk back to you, tall, beautiful, and she bakes cookies.”

“…I do not approve of you meddling in my personal life.”

“It’s what I do as your older sister, hun.”

Stop smiling at me you conniving woman. Fucking ginger. I can’t believe this. My entire crew and family is keeping secrets from me. Unbelievable.

“You know, Justine at first said that she was very upset that you showed so little respect to her and how you are so crass when we were walking back with that animal I shot. But, I think she actually appreciated it. You saw how these soldiers treat her. Pure respect, awe and as a superior, not an equal. You’re probably a breath of fresh air and you let her truly be herself.”

“She’s a bitch.”

“She is not. You know that and you like her.”

“I’ve only known her for two days.”

“I liked Volt the moment I saw him.”

“So? You were 13.”

“And yet I married him when we turned 18.”

“Cause you guys were…lucky.”

“Relationships are unpredictable, hun.”

“Relationships are stupid.”

“But they are also great.”

“…Fuck.”

Blake is providing all sorts of good points and I am having a difficult time countering them. Points that I know I subconsciously want to hear but at the same time, I do not want to hear. Sigh. Fucking hell.

I honestly suck in relationships. All my past relationships were disasters. I either got fed up with the constant neediness of the girls or the lack of attention I felt I was getting. I hated having to text or call girls constantly and at the same time, I hated the ones who never reached out to me first. All my relationships were shitty in the end. I suck at feelings. Being single is awesome. I like being single. Being single makes more sense. I prefer being single. The single life is less complicated. You only answer to yourself. Want go see a movie? Go see whatever movie you want. Want to go hang out with friends? Go for it. Want to eat a cookie at 3 AM in bed? Nobody will stop you.

“I’m going to go tell Justine I don’t want a relationship with her. I like being single.”

“Okay. Be nice about it.”

“I will try. But I reserve the right to come here if she tries to kill me.”

“Sure.”

“Good luck, Captain Lindsey.”

“Thank you, Sky.”

Why are you smiling, Blake? Fuck it, don’t care. I turn around and I leave the Blake and Sky. Okay. I just need to go next door and tell her, “I am sleeping on the floor. That kiss was just a one-time thing.” That’s it. You can do this. Just open the door and tell it to her point blank. Don’t drag it out. Don’t be a wimp. You’re the Captain of a space mission. You’re badass. You can do it.

I open the door and walk in. Justine has just gotten out of the bathroom and is drying her hair with a towel…and she’s naked. Fuck. She’s really hot. No. No. Focus. Say what you want to say, what you should say. Don’t back down.

“Uhhh…Huh…Umm..Hee…You…Wow…”

Smooth. Really smooth, Lindsey. And now she knows she has a hold over you. Look, she’s smiling now. And she’s about to say something.

“Come here.”

Justine throws the towel on the ground and jumps at me. She grabs me and lifts me up to my tiptoes to kiss me directly on the mouth. Oh fuck her lips are soft…and she tastes good. Minty. I think she brushed her teeth just now. Her wings are enveloping us. Wow, they’re soft too.

She breaks off the kiss and throws me onto the bed. Her eyes are full of lust as she climbs on top of me and starts to take my shirt off. Her silver hair falls over her smooth purple skin in front of her chest. Her breasts are still exposed and her nipples are just begging for me to…I should put a stop to this. You didn’t come here for sex!

“Wait! Lis…”

She kisses me on the lips again, completely shutting me up. I feel her reach down to undo my belt and slides a hand under my boxers. She grabs me. Oh…that feels…amazing. Uh…I should push her off and stop her before…

You know what? Fuck it. I like this girl. I didn’t want to admit it but I’m admitting it now. I. Like. Justine. Fuck logic. Fuck everything. I’m going to go with the flow here. If I don’t end up being in a relationship with Justine, so be it. If I do, so be it. She wins. I can’t fight this. My body is stupid. Damn you, penis.

I push her up and gently grab her breast with one hand and her waist with my other hand, causing her to moan. She reaches down and slowly guides me inside, allowing us both to reach ecstasy.