42. Bambi
BAMBI
Flying like this is a heck of a lot better than being trapped inside one of those damn tin cans.
Period.
Anyone that says otherwise can fuck right off.
Settling myself in his arms, my body finally relaxes as all my worry fades.
Bikar isn’t flying fast, so the wind isn’t whipping my hair around my face—it’s more of a gentle caress, and the sense of peace it brings gives me time to think.
This man who’s confessed his love was nothing short of a perfect gentleman yesterday evening.
After we got done sucking each other’s faces on the couch, he took me back to the Scythe to gather up the rest of our belongings.
Between the rest of my clothes and all his techy stuff, it took a lot longer than I expected it to.
He also insisted on stopping by the plunderdome aboard the Zenith to pilfer some things for our new home.
Thankfully, he dug a hover cart out of somewhere to carry everything, or else it would have taken us forever.
The look on his brothers’ faces when we got back to the house, and they saw us using a hover cart… priceless.
Especially after they spent the later part of the day toting everything back and forth by hand, after they all eventually emerged from breaking in their collective beds. Thank God the rooms are far enough from each other you can’t hear everyone having sex.
Because I literally cannot.
Apparently, Bikar had told them previously that the hover cart was broken. It was not. The shenanigans that ensued as all his brothers tried to maim him made me and the rest of the girls laugh so hard we were crying.
Supper afterwards was a lively affair and a snapshot of what a real family is supposed to be like.
Laughing.
Camaraderie.
Love.
A shared meal.
It was everything I’d always dreamed of having.
Heather stopped by for a little while, which made a good evening even better.
What made it even more entertaining, though, was when Heather ratted Bikar out.
She dropped a verbal bomb by telling everyone Bikar absorbed all of humanity’s data before making a timely escape out the front door.
I’m not sure what Bikar did to piss her off this time, but it had to be pretty bad for her to rat him out like that in front of everybody.
Bikar was waiting for the right time to tell his brothers, mother, and sister since it’s a big deal, but Heather beat him to it.
The results of her revelation were a hot mess express deluxe.
Raised voices, exclamations, some mild threats, and growls filled the room as Bikar stumbled through an explanation of the who, what, when, where, and why’s. When he tried to leave out the part about almost dying, I kicked him in the ankle, so he backtracked and told the full truth.
After he was done, his family took turns trying to maim him for doing something so reckless and stupid before telling him how happy they were that he wasn’t dead. Shagar was exceptionally displeased with her second youngest offspring, and made it clear that he was never to do such a thing again.
Following that, Bikar spent the rest of the evening reprogramming multiple replicators, data blocks, tablets, and comms. The girls were super happy, but I could tell Bikar was tired by the time he finished with the last device.
Eventually we got the kitchen cleaned up—after ice cream dessert for us girls—before we all retired to our individual rooms, and Shagar took Atasha back to their cottage.
Bikar held my hand all the way to our private living room before leaning down to kiss me goodnight, told me he loved me, and went to bed.
Alone.
There was no cajoling, no pressure, no wheedling.
Nothing.
He didn’t try to seduce me at all.
I’m not sure how long I stood and stared at his closed bedroom door before I turned and went to mine. The entire time I was getting ready for bed, I kept thinking he would find a reason, or excuse, to come barge into my bedroom.
But… he didn’t.
Bikar was quietly waiting for me in the living area when I finally emerged this morning, ready to face the day and whatever we were supposed to do.
He waited long enough for me to make my coffee—he made sure a replicator programmed with human cuisine was in our apartment—before he started talking about taking me flying.
And now here we are. Soaring through the sky over lavender trees and blue grass, under a hazy sky illuminated by a yellow-green sun.
I’m not sure how long we fly, but eventually Bikar banks and takes us back home.
When the house comes into sight, he starts slowing us with hard downward flaps of his wings before nimbly landing.
It’s so graceful, I don’t realize we’ve landed until he’s lowering me to the ground, waiting for me to steady myself.
“Careful, little Starshine. Your legs may be asleep since I lost track of time. I am sorry if I have caused you any distress.”
Cupping his face between my palms, I pull him down. Meeting him halfway, I kiss him with all the enthusiasm I can muster.
Ending the kiss, I realize we’re both a little out of breath, and my lady bits are tingly. “Don’t you dare apologize. That was single-handedly one of the best experiences of my entire life.”
His crooked grin radiates happiness, and the sight makes my heart flutter with delight.