Chapter 11 Khur
Khur
Why did Furga have to say that? Things were going perfectly this evening.
Destiny was opening up to us, not only talking about her issues with her dad, but telling us about her life before Sanctuary, laughing and joking with us.
When she slipped her little hand around my arm and leaned against me, I felt like I could take off and fly as high as any Winged-One.
When she’d nuzzled my arm with her sweet pink cheek, I could have marched into any battle and came out victorious.
And when Furga pointed out she was drunk, I could have kicked myself in the ass. Of course she was drunk. Why else would such a gorgeous creature show me such unfettered affection?
I want to toss Furga in the frozen lake, but the damage is already done.
Destiny's lovely cheeks turn violently red as she excuses herself. I can’t let her leave, though.
Not only because she is drunk and shouldn’t be walking home alone, but because I can’t stand to lose her presence yet.
I wish I could say it’s simply chivalry volunteering to walk her home, but I am a weak male.
I can’t resist touching her again, so I gently guide her out the door with a hand on her back.
My hand sinks lower, to the swell of her round behind, as we step into the hallway. I jerk it back, but my hand already felt the sweet curve of her ass and woke my cock up. Thank goodness for these bulky, shapeless jumpsuits. They do have their benefits.
Though seeing Destiny’s purple sweater, the cleavage revealed in the deep V-neck, and the Crescive Moon nestling between her luscious breasts, I begin thinking the jumpsuits may not be that great after all. Destiny’s soft voice breaks me from my thoughts.
“I’m so sorry, Khur. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”
“You didn’t. Furga did,” I answer honestly.
“I was rubbing you like an animal in heat,” she whispers the last part, her cheeks reddening again.
I can’t resist running a knuckle over the cheek closest to me as we walk side by side down the quiet hallways.
“Why do your cheeks turn red like this? It’s absolutely charming,” I ask her, ignoring the words Furga used earlier.
Dhugarens joke openly about sex, hell about everything.
We're a loud, abrasive race. Destiny obviously isn’t used to that, though.
I’ll have to have a word with Furga about teasing my girl later.
Because now that I’ve felt her tiny hand in mine, her warm cheek pressed against my arm, she is mine. Even if she doesn’t know it yet.
The only problem is, I have no idea how to do that. It is obvious to me that Dhugaren ways will not suit her. She is too soft, too sweet.
“It’s umm… I’m blushing?” she says, turning even redder. “It happens when I’m embarrassed or nervous sometimes.”
“Blushing. Do all humans do this?”
My hand drops from her cheek, but my fingers itch still to touch her.
“No, not all. Most do, I think. Don’t ask me why, though. I’m no biologist.” She chuckles softly before peeking up at me from beneath her lashes. They’re long and dark, making her brown eyes pop against her pale pink skin.
“What do Dhugarens do when they get embarrassed?”
I can’t help but chuckle at that. “We don’t get embarrassed often. If you haven’t noticed we’re rather uncouth as a species.”
“No way! I hadn’t noticed a bit.” She giggles back and for a moment we walk in comfortable silence.
“I kind of like it, though.” She whispers so quietly I almost don’t hear it.
Then she places her hand inside my own and keeps it there.
We walk, hands linked, for a few more minutes before we’re in front of her apartment.
As we face each other, her hand slips from mine and I want to snatch it back, never let it go.
I’m not an animal, though, so instead I try to form words around the tightness in my throat.
“Thank you. For touching my hand. That was nice.”
“For… holding hands? Do Dhugarens not hold hands?” She sounds incredulous, like she can’t believe it.
“No, Dhugarens are not an affectionate people,” I say matter of factly.
It is true, though it is something we are all working on changing – with our children, at least. I have hugged my niece and nephew more in the last few years on this station than my father hugged me in my entire life.
Urzu meets with a mother’s group of mixed races to learn about how others parent their children.
They all learn from each other. Even Furga has taken to reading to them, tucking them close to her at night and letting them pick a book to read from on the datapad.
None of this would have happened on Dhugar, but we are Sanctuary citizens now, and we are all determined to give those kids a better life. History be damned.
“I think, comparatively speaking, that humans may be more affectionate than other races. We thrive on touch. Hugs, kisses, cuddles…”
Her eyes are trained on my chest, on my mane peeking out from the top of my jumpsuit, and I desperately want to pull her into it.
“And now I’m rambling. I think I am a bit drunker than I thought. I should go.”
She turns towards her door and before I can think twice about it, I grab her shoulder, spinning her back towards me and moving with the intention of pressing her face to my mane and cuddling her right into my chest. She has other intentions, though, and as I pull her towards me I see her face is tilted up, eyes closed and lips puckered enticingly.
Her expression puzzles me, but she’s already so close I simply pull her into my mane and press her face into my chest, nuzzling the top of her head softly.
Her hair smells of sunshine and rain and I can’t help but inhale deeply.
It takes me a moment to realize Destiny is sputtering and flailing her arms a bit. I pull her back to gaze lovingly into her brown eyes, but they're wide and a little wild looking.
She is the reddest I’ve ever seen her as she rushes towards the apartment door, flashing her wrist over the panel before I can stop her.
“I have seriously misread this situation. I’m going to bed now. Thanks for walking me home, Khur.” She says in a rush before disappearing behind the sliding door.
I stand there for several minutes, trying to figure out what the hell just happened, praying she will come back out the door and explain and maybe cuddle into my mane a bit more, before I finally give up and trudge back to my apartment.
Urzu, Furga and Gunnvall are still up when I get back.
I see they’ve abandoned cups for passing the bottle around between them.
They all try to convince me to join them in finishing it off, but I am not in the mood for company anymore tonight.
On heavy feet, I make my way into my room to lay down in my bed that still faintly smells like her.
The next morning, my spirits are not any higher, but I drag myself into the maintenance office anyways.
I have a long list of requests on my datapad to work through and I’ve never let it get as long as it is now.
I try to organize them by importance, then location, like I always do, but my mind keeps drifting.
What was she doing, puckering her lips like that?
Was she going to blow her breath on me? Is that a human sign of affection?
Abandoning my list, I click through resources in our Sanctuary database, but there is next to nothing on human behavior, and absolutely nothing on human courting behaviors. A heavy sigh escapes me as I lean back at my desk.
“What’s bothering you, my friend? It is not like you to be so morose,” Josep asks from his desk. His hands are steepled in that familiar way, like he has stopped working to provide me with his full attention. Perceptive bastard.
“I am not morose. I simply have a lot of work to do.” I huff, sitting back up in my seat and leaning over the datapad on my desk to illustrate this.
“Are you sure it isn’t over one of our new citizens?” Meshi chimes in, his tone full of trouble.
I glance over at his desk on my other side to see him watching me intently with a smug smile, probably listening for an elevated heartbeat with his sonar hearing. Lie detecting bastard.
“What do you know of it?” I growl at him.
“I know you almost beat the shit out of Shemo for insulting her.” Meshi taunts back.
I don’t miss the quick glance he shoots at Josep, though.
The Originem are very strict on hate speech here.
Even though Shemo pissed me off, I didn’t want him sent to rehab.
He’s a good male, if a little rough around the edges.
“Shemo forgot himself. I reminded him.” I say with a quick nod towards my winged colleague. I won’t call his brother out, even if they are both wearing my nerves thin lately.
“He felt terrible about it. You know how stupid he gets around Furga.”
“Yes I do. I wish he’d just claim her already,” I reply.
We both chuckle for a moment. His brother and my sister’s best friend have been dancing around each other for years.
I have a feeling they are both just waiting on the other to make the first move.
No one wants to be the first interspecies couples on the space station, though.
Furga’s intolerant uncle didn’t help the situation, either.
Now that is a male who could use a little rehab.
“Maybe he’ll follow your example. He told me you claimed your human. What was her name?”
“Her name is Destiny, and I did not claim her. I invited her to dinner. For Urzu.”
“That’s very kind, Khur. I appreciate your dedication to the community,” Josep chimes in.
For some reason that doesn’t sit right with me. I didn’t invite her for the community. I invited her because I wanted to spend time with her and get to know her, and strangely, I feel the need to share that with Josep and Meshi, even though I just said the opposite.
“She’s excited to be here and try new things. I wanted her to get a taste of Dhugaren culture.”
“Ah, so you want to claim her, but you haven’t yet. Shemo owes me a pound of cave shrooms.” Meshi cackles, ever the jokester.
“Whether I want to or not, I am not sure it matters, Meshi. I have no idea what to do with her. I can’t court her like a Dhugaren female and our databases have nothing on human courting rituals.
I’m not even certain she likes me back. Last night, she told me humans are affectionate as a species.
Maybe she held my hand and cuddled my arm because it is her nature. ”
“No, I don’t think that’s the case, Khur,” Josep cuts in before I could continue, “I am not as well versed on humans as some other Originem, but I know a few things about them. They are affectionate as a species, but usually only towards people they are close with. People they care about.”
He pierces me with a knowing gaze and something like hope flares in my heart. I almost leap across the desk in an effort to get more information from him.
“What else do you know? She tried to blow her breath on me last night, is that a human courting ritual?”
“Blow on your face? I haven’t heard of that…”
“Yes, I pulled her in for a hug and when I looked down she was puckering her lips and her eyes were closed. I’m not sure I responded in the right way and she left rather abruptly after that.” I recount. I imagine if Dhugarens could blush, I would be blood red right now.
“Oh, I know what that was,” Josep says with a smile. “She was trying to kiss you.”
“She mentioned that last night. Kissing. What is it?”
“Kissing is a form of affection that humans do. We haven’t seen it in any other races thus far.
I hope they all pick it up on Sanctuary, though.
It’s very romantic.” Josep gets a faraway look in his eyes before shaking himself a bit and schooling his features.
Behind me I hear Meshi snickering at our boss.
He’s always a fool for romance. It doesn’t bother me today, though.
“Go on then, explain it to the poor fellow before he combusts, Josep,” Meshi prods him.
“Yes, erm, kissing. It is when two people press their lips together. There’s more to it than that, I believe sometimes the tongue is involved. But I confess, I’ve never had the opportunity to try it so I don’t know much else.”
“Pressing their lips together?” I ask hesitantly.
My mouth is much bigger than Destiny’s, my lips are obstructed by my lower-fangs and make puckering my lips impossible. How will we be able to do this kissing thing?
“What else, Josep? Tell me everything you know about human courting. Please.”
By the time I leave the office, while I have very little actual work done, I at least have a decent plan in mind to start courting my girl.
Humans are strange creatures, but sweet, in their strange ways.
Their courtings are full of flowers and dancing and sweet treats, so very different from Dhugaren courting rituals.
I surprise myself with how much I am looking forward to it.
I need to do some research first, before I see Destiny again.
The next time we see each other I want to have a grand gesture ready, something that will really wow her and show her I mean business when it comes to making her mine.
I may not ever be worthy of her, and it made me a selfish asshole to admit it, but I have to have her regardless.
I’ll just spend as long as she’ll let me showing her how special she is and giving her everything this station has to offer.
But first, flowers. And there’s one person I know who knows flowers.
I head to Minnik’s office directly from work, rationalizing to myself that if I don’t make an appointment, I am not going as a patient, simply one citizen visiting another, seeking advice.
With these thoughts, I head into the main corridor, deciding to peruse some of the pottery I saw Destiny fawn over in the market yesterday.
Perhaps a small token would be a good gesture to start.