The woman in question turns to me sharply, her brow an angry slash, “don't talk to him like that.”
I'm surprised at the vitriol in her voice towards me. Maybe humans have different concepts on filial relationships. Who am I to make such assumptions? I open my mouth to apologize when I look up at her father and see he is visibly upset, looking guilty in a way that transcends species.
He shuffles on his feet and looks anywhere but at me and his daughter. His daughter who was missing last night and he didn't even notice. The thought makes me see red. What if Furga and I hadn't been there? What if she'd met someone with unsavory intentions instead? The thought alone has me staggering.
“You are brand new to this station. What if something had happened? How long would it have taken him to notice you were gone and report it?” I ask Destiny, not trusting myself to talk to her father at this moment.
"I thought Sanctuary Station was a safe place. We were told the crime rates are nearly non-existent,” she spits back, hands balled at her sides.
“That's not the point!" I practically bellow at her. Dhugarens are loud, emotional beings and I know other species are often intimidated by our gruffness. I should reign it in, I don't want to scare her.
To my surprise, though, she isn't scared at all. Destiny looks livid, her face screwed up in a glare and quickly turning red. She points her tiny finger at my chest, glaring up at me, and I almost want to laugh. She's so short she has to crane her neck up to glare at me. The sweet, soft thing from last night apparently has teeth.
"You have no clue what you're talking about. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."
She turns to her father, who is still shuffling in the corner of the room. “How are you feeling today, Dad? Want me to make you something to eat?"
The elder human looks chagrined but nods meekly.
“That would be nice, dear," he says before turning to me, staring at some point on the floor between us, “thank you for taking care of my daughter and bringing her home."
It's clearly a dismissal from both of them, and I'm obviously out of my depth in this situation. Are humans that different, that parents do not take care of their children but instead the roles are reversed? I will need to do some research, perhaps Josep knows of some human data vids I can watch.
I nod curtly at him before turning to Destiny. She is still fuming and it's absolutely adorable. She juts her chin up at me in a clear challenge and I can feel my cock rising to the call. I'm desperate to see her again, but if she's anything like a Dhugaren female she won't be receptive to anything right now except perhaps a fight. And I won't fight this tiny,fragile creature. She's too soft, too perfect. I couldn't live with myself if I marred that smooth, pale skin.
“Destiny, it was lovely to meet you. Perhaps we will see each other around the division.”
There's so much more I want to say but instead I turn around and exit the apartment before I do something I might regret, like lay into her lazy father.
I know where she'll be this afternoon, after all. Perhaps I am in need of a few supplies.
With renewed vigor, I make my way to the maintenance office, “late" for work. Even though we have no prescribed schedule, I always arrive at 8th hour every morning, for the first time since I took the position.
Perhaps I could be a little more lenient with my schedule. After all, the first time I ever took off early, I ended up meeting her.
I can't stop thinking about her. The enticing juxtaposition of her soft hands, soothing me last night, and her anger just now, with her finger pointing at me threateningly. She is unlike anyone I've ever met and I am desperate to know more about her. I keep trying to remind myself that I want to find someoneelseto protect her, but I can’t think of anyone I trust to do the job better than myself.
8
Destiny
The nerve, the absolute gall of that busybody alien. I could have wrung his neck for how insensitive he was towards my dad. Admittedly, I was pretty hurt when my dad said he hadn’t even noticed my absence, but that is my problem, no one else's.
And to think…I was actually starting to soften towards the growly, overbearing lug.
My dad is sick. He’s depressed and traumatized from the last few years and I can’t blame him. Just when I thought he was starting to get over my mom leaving, the floods came and washed away the world as we knew it.
I can’t imagine how hard this all is for him. I know I certainly could never have managed the weight of my grief if it weren’t for the therapy they provided on the satellite station we were on up until a few days ago. I wish he would have joined some of the grief groups with me, but I understand it’s a process. I can’t rush him. All I can do is support him until he’s ready to take that next step.
“Dad, I’m so sorry. Khur should never have butt in like that.” I make my way over to him, guiding him gently into the kitchen with a hand on his shoulder.
“No, muffin, I’m sorry. He’s right. I should have been paying more attention.” He looks so small and ashamed, my heart squeezes painfully for him.
“Like I told him, I can take care of myself. And I can take care of you, too, until you’re feeling better. Come on, I’ll make you some breakfast before I head back out.”
He looks like he is going to argue for a moment, but then his shoulders slump even more and he deflates like a sad parade float, slumping into a chair at the dining table. The furniture is just a bit too big, like those at Khur and Urzu’s place, and his feet hang just above the floor. When I realize he isn’t going to respond to me, I keep talking, to fill the dense silence surrounding us.
“I got a fulfillment position already, if you can believe it. I met a few friendly Dhugarens… and Khur, of course.”
