Page 65 of I'm Not Your Pet

“Huu-goh, come,” he commanded gently. I did what he said, though I still felt off-kilter. However, that feeling quickly died when he pulled me snug onto his lap.

This was new for us.

He’d never done this before.

But it was…nice.

It wassupernice.

He was solid and squishy and huge. And honestly super fucking comfortable.

Once settled, I swallowed the lump in my throat as Roark wrapped one arm around me and reached to retrieve his plate from the nightstand with the other. His breath ruffled the hair at my ears as he leaned down and flicked what I assumed were ‘kisses’ with his tongue along my cheek.

“Thank you,” his voice rumbled quietly, and I shivered all over, suddenly lightheaded.

Mala observed us with a fond expression on his face. For what felt like a million years, but was probably only an hour or so, he and Roark chatted. Roark tried to include me, but he didn’t know enough English to translate what was happening. I appreciated the effort all the same.

It was nice to see him interact with a friend. Like I was getting to know another side of him. The way we sat snuggled together was even nicer though. He fed me some food and I chewed while he took a bite of his own. When our plates were empty, he set them to the side and Mala passed around donuts from the box.

They were different than the ones we’d eaten on F’ukYuu, but looked delicious all the same. Roark grabbed two and held one out to me. The powder on the outside was sweeter than sugar, and lighter, too. With a happy sigh, I lapped at it before sinking my teeth inside.

Gooey, creamy goodness exploded on my tongue, and Roark barked his amusement when I moaned happily around the treat. Uncaring of the audience I had, I shoved another bite in my mouth immediately, making a mess. Damn, I loved these things.

“Careful, Huu-goh.” he reminded me in his carefully annunciated tone.

I got the message loud and clear. Slow down. He didn’t want me to choke. I made my bites smaller but couldn’t help the wayI devoured the treat with quick efficiency. Mala echoed Roark’s mirth, eyes crinkling into crescents when Roark handed me the donut that was supposed to be his own.

“Are you sure?” I asked him, biting my lip. I didn’t want to take advantage of his kindness. I got the feeling he rarely indulged. He was kinda a robot. But I also really fucking wanted his donut.

“Huu-goh, eat.” Roark commanded.

I didn’t need to be told twice.

I devoured Roark’s donut with just as much enthusiasm as I’d eaten my own. Mala watched us both with a fascination I didn’t understand. It was nice, kinda. Like he’d never seen Roark this way before, and was…proud of him, or something. It was the same way Ushuu had looked at us when we’d had lunch together.

When the blue shark finished his last drink, he rose from the bed to his full impressive height, and gathered up our dishes and the empty bottles. He wasn’t as large as Roark was, and his colors weren’t nearly as striking. But I supposed he was alright looking.

His vibes were not nearly as serious as what Roark gave off.

More…friendly.

Mala and Roark exchanged goodbyes. When Mala paused in the doorway, Roark made a quiet inquisitive sound. Mala said something teasing, cocking his head toward the mess of parts I’d made in the corner of the room, before he smiled, even softer this time.

No doubt he was teasing Roark for the gift.

Roark’s spots turned fuchsia and I fanned my fingers along his forearm to soothe him as Mala finally left.

When I wiggled around to face him properly, he looked just as exhausted as he had before, though some of the tension he’d carried was gone.

“Thank you,” Roark repeated, cupping my cheek in one massive hand and leaning down till our breaths mingled. His tongue slithered out to skirt along the curve of my jaw, and my lashes fluttered as I smiled, tingling all over.

This had been a big step for him.

He had chosen to trust me.

And that meant…everything to me.

“Thank you,” I echoed. We both knew I wasn’t talking about the donut. I mean, I was, but…I was talking about everything else, too. The way he always seemed to know what I needed. The way he pulled me close when I felt my most scattered. The way he didn’t mind our differences. The way he was teaching me day by day what it meant to belong somewhere.

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