Page 86 of I'm Not Your Pet

Huu-goh’s box of spare parts was scattered in the back corner like he’d been tinkering with them again. The set of tools I’d given him glinted between pieces of used-up metal. The broken translators sat to the side, shinier than before—but still unusable.

His little pile of toys had taken residence in the corner of the room since the day I’d given them to him. The box had to be nearly full by now, as he collected more and more from Ushuu each day.

The clutter should have bothered me but it didn’t.

Maybe once upon a time, it would have.

But it had been a long time since I felt that way.

We’d both had to grow a lot to cohabit the same space.

I had never been a messy person myself, but I found Huu-goh and his piles more than a little endearing. His piles of laundry. His piles of blankets. His piles of tools. Every time I saw them, it reminded me how sterile and bland my life had been before he came into it. It was nice seeing the evidence that someone else lived here.

His disarray was soothing, though admittedly I could tell he tried to keep it neat.

As wonderful and exciting as it was that he’d enjoyed my present, there were other gifts I was more curious about. The ones he’d been purchasing on his shopping trips with Ushuu, specifically. The ones that resided in a pile of their own on top of his old bed.

What had he picked?

Clothing?

More tools?

Frivolous, wonderful little things he’d never be able to find on F’ukYuu?

I hope so.

Every day a bag or two was added to the procession. Never too much all at once, always very practical. Ushuu found Huu-goh hilarious, and I couldn’t help but agree. Huu-goh was more careful with my money than I was, and that was saying something.

I had yet to see any of the items he’d bought out of their shiny bags. Ushuu had told me to be patient, and that Huu-goh had something planned. If there was something I usually never lacked, it was patience, though I was learning where Huu-goh was concerned, that wasn’t always true.

He’d said thank you about a hundred times, and I’d had to shush him when it didn’t seem the gratitude would ever end. It was flattering, to say the least. A far better use of my money than what it had been doing previously—growing stale in my bank account.

I was a little disappointed he hadn’t spent more, if I was being honest. I had wanted totrulyspoil him—for the sky to be the limit. But my little mate was a practical man, and he’d been dead set on not spending a penny above the amount I’d originally told him.

In hindsight, I should’ve predicted that.

It was poor planning not to give him a higher number. But when he’d asked me, I’d been blindsided. He’d looked so shaky and small. Unsure of himself. I would’ve done anything to see his smile again, and I hadn’t been thinking clearly enough to anticipate this problem.

I should have.

Huu-goh had come to me with nothing. Slaves on F’ukYuu certainly weren’t treated like people. And before that, I had no idea what his life had been like. I had no idea how long he’d been with A&R before his relocation. I couldn’t fathom what his life on Earth had been like at all. For all I knew he’d grown up the same way he’d spent his time as a pleasure slave. Penniless, beautiful, and alone.

I wanted to spoil him more, but I didn’t want to overwhelm him. I had plans for us on our date, and that would have to be enough for now.

This was the last stop on our journey home, and I could practically taste the salt in the air already. Osheania wasclose. Close enough my hearts throbbed toward it and I daydreamed about what Huu-goh would think the moment he stepped foot on my planet’s lovely pink soil.

“You are sure he will like this?” I confirmed, eyes narrowed at Ushuu. He hadn’t led me astray, thus far, so I wasn’t actually concerned.

I was, however,uncomfortable.

The stiff clothing Ushuu had insisted I wear barely let my surface breathe. My tendrils hissed unhappily beneath the fabric. They didn’t like being trapped, and I didn’t like the vulnerability that came with that either.

This event was a safe space so I knew there was no need to fret. The price tag to attend helped weed out the pirates that frequented the planet. There was no need for paranoia, but still, I struggled to reassure myself.

This particular event was being held in a ritzy hotel at the highest point of the planet. It was an area that was known for being high-end and anti-crime. On top of this, there would be security throughout the hotel at every entrance, and along the walls of the ballroom.

We would be safe.

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