Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The night was shining. The stars were out over the town. Everything was at peace. Nothing was making noise.

Except for a truck parked near the top of a lone hill.

On the back of the truck, there were blankets covering the metal of the truck. Cataloupe was laying down, his dress shirt open and exposing his big chest. Pawblo was laying on top of the older male. He wore his usual outfit, with his sleeves pulled up. One hand was feeling his lover's pecs. The other was wrapped around his lover's neck, as the two slowly kissed. They were both groaning in ecstasy.

Pawblo pulled away. "Your mustache tickles, haha!"

"It takes years to make THIS look perfect, sugar." Cataloupe curled his mustache with a finger as he chuckled.

"How did I even fall in love with you in the first place?" Pawblo wondered out loud.

"We met while we were in the army, remember? You were a little nervous around everyone, at least until you saw me."

"Weird how you were training us. I didn't expect to fall for you." Pawblo was blushing, looking up at Cataloupe's face. "And then we had those close calls, and that time in the shower—!"

"Let's not talk about that anymore, haha." Cataloupe was blushing a bright red. He was embarrassed about that time.

Pawblo decided to throw his shirt off.

"What's that for?"

"Oh, I dunno. Just felt like being you for a bit."

"How does it feel?"

"Pretty warm, but only because I'm on top of you."

Cataloupe wriggled out of his dress shirt, tossing it aside. He pulled his lover closer to him, the two of them now holding onto one another. Pawblo could feel the warmth of Cataloupe's body.

"Hey, uh, there's something I've always wanted to ask."

Pawblo nuzzled into his lover's fur a little. "Sure. Ask me anything."

Cataloupe coughed. "Very well, then. Um.....why me?"

"What?"

"Out of everyone in the army, out of all other potential men and women.....why me? The good general?"

Pawblo sat up, pulling his lover along with him. "I think it was just because......you're a good guy, you know? Kind, caring, tough, honest.....not to mention good looking, especially for your age." He rested his hands on his pecs.

Cataloupe chuckled. "I remember how nervous you got when you were near me or talking to me. You were adorable."

"Shut up, haha."

"It's true."

Pawblo buried his face into his fur. He felt a little flustered. "It's just that.....you cared about me when no one else did. And....you saved me that day. On the battlefield."

"I didn't want you to get hurt." Cataloupe smiled.

"Thank you. For everything."

"No problem, baby. Now, come on. We still have 10 minutes. Lets enjoy the night." He soon pulled him closer to his side as they both watched the starry night sky. Two people in love, their hearts blossoming with one another.

Chapter Text

Pawblo was in the gym, fixing some of the TVs as they had stopped functioning earlier. No one else was around him.

At least while I'm here, I get some peace and quiet.

He slightly smiled and sighed in relief.

Suddenly, there was the sound of the automatic doors opening. Pawblo turned to see Cataloupe, one of the best scouts in the entire army, walk in. He was wearing gym shorts and a tight shirt, with his moobs popping out.

Crap.

Pawblo ignored the fact that he was blushing and went back to repairing the TVs. Too bad that Cataloupe walked up to him to talk.

"Hello there. Pawblo, isn't it?"

He said my name! Did he? Pawblo was freaking out internally.

"Um-uh....y-yeah! That's me! Pawblo. Good ol' Pawblo." He scratched his neck.

"Well, I hope you don't mind me doing my daily workout routine. It's one of the only ways I can destress. Being a general is a lot of work, you know?" He curled his own mustache with his giant finger.

Pawblo looked away and focused on the repair, trying to ignore that a hot guy is standing right in front of him.

"I d-don't mind." He slightly smiled.

Cataloupe nodded and soon walked over to the benching press. He grabbed one of the weights on the rack and lifted it up and down with his left muscular arm.

Pawblo was mesmerized by his movement. The way his muscles flexed whenever he lifted the weight. His smile. How his shirt looked tighter as his pecs kept pressing against it. It drove him a little crazy. He kept eyeing him, but making sure that the bigger man didn't notice him.

Cataloupe knew that Pawblo was checking him out. He was a little older, but not stupid. In fact, he knew that Pawblo had been crushing on him for a while now. But as the good general that he was, he didn't want to say anything. Cataloupe did think that Pawblo was adorable.

He decided to make a move on him.

"Hey. Pawblo."

Pawblo's ears perked up. "M-me?"

"Of course you. You're Pawblo, right?"

Pawblo nodded.

"What's your dating scene looking like right now?"

Pawblo blushed and scratched his chin. "I'm just....waiting for the right person, you know?"

"Ah. Same here. Who wouldn't want to go out with you? You seem smart and attentive, not to mention attractive....." Cataloupe curled his mustache and winked at Pawblo.

The other ventrexian felt a blush on his face.

"Are you free tomorrow?"

Pawblo was shocked to hear him ask that.

"Uhhh.....y-yeah! I am, I am."

Cataloupe smirked. "I'll be taking a personal leave from the base. Perhaps you'd like to tag along? Maybe we could get lunch together."

The look on Pawblo's face said everything. He was blushing and fidgeting a little. "Uh....s-sure! I'd love to! Totally! Sounds....fun!"

Cataloupe nodded. "Alright. Meet me at my bunk. 10:30 AM. Bring some clothes for the weekend off. I'll be waiting." He winked before placing the equipment he used back in place and leaving.

Pawblo was left speechless.

"A....a date! Well how about that......The general wants a date with me....cool."

He went back to fixing the TVs.

Chapter Text

Pawblo was sitting at the bar counter. Everyone around him was either watching the game on one of the many TVs in the room, drinking their pains away, or chatting about something and whatnot.

The cornflower-blue ventrexian was fidgeting his phone. He kept staring at the dating app and messages that he exchanged with someone the night before. They planned to meet up tonight, as they had been getting along, despite only through texts.

Pawblo then heard the door, and saw a huge ventrexian walk into the bar. He was wearing a hawaiian dress shirt and army dog tags around his neck. His moustache was curled, and he seemed...a little older than in his pictures. He was also looking around the bar.

He blushed at the sight of how huge he was. The ventrexian began to feel a little nervous, and possibly regretting the whole thing in general. But he was in a bar. And everyone in here was pretty much toughing it out with their problems using words and alcohol. Pawblo affirmed himself, deciding to call him over here.

"Hey! You're Cataloupe, right? From PawsUp?" He waived his hand in the air.

The sound of his name being called got the big guy's attention. He chuckled and walked over to him, waiving his huge hand back and sitting right next to him at the counter.

"I'm gonna assume you're Pawblo." His voice was gruff, but calming. He lightly smiled.

Pawblo nodded. "T-that's right. I'm Pawblo."

"Nice to meet you."

"Same here."

They sat quietly, both men feeling nervous about what to say.

Cataloupe cleared his throat. "So....you from around here?" Pawblo nodded in response. "Yeah, I am. Lived here all my life. My mother raised me." Pawblo scratched his ear.

"I'm from Ventrexia. Was in the army, if you couldn't tell." He used his huge thumb to lightly hold the dog tags around his slightly wide neck. "Ex-General."

"That's pretty cool, man. Surprised you're even doing...." Pawblo pointed his fingers at himself and his phone. "....this. I seriously thought you were married or something."

Cataloupe chuckled. "No no. I never settled at all. I was always focused on making sure to train the very best soldiers for the battlefield. But now that I left I decided to try and get back into the game." He smiled lightly.

"That's pretty brave of you, actually. Especially for your age." Pawblo fidgeted his hands.

"I knew I really wanted to try dating again, especially after I saw your cute mug." He winked, making Pawblo blush a bright red.

"You're not so bad looking yourself....for an older guy." Pawblo laughed a little.

Cataloupe leaned against the counter, making sure the younger ventrexian got a nice view of him. "I'm guessing you liked what you see." The top of his shirt seemed slightly open. He winked again.

The two of them laughed together some more. Cataloupe ordered some beer for the two of them and they continued talking. Pawblo opened up to the older male about his life and what he worked it. Cataloupe talked about his life in the army and what he did leading up to that.

Pawblo saw something in Cataloupe. Despite him being older, he saw something in him. Most guys just jump right into....well, other stuff. But Cataloupe didn't seem to want that. He was the kind of person to listen first. He was paying attention to Pawblo as he talked, not interrupting even once. Pawblo also liked how huge Cataloupe was. It was rare that Pawblo paid attention to any of this stuff, but Cataloupe seemed to be sculpted perfectly, and he couldn't get it out of his head.

Cataloupe loved Pawblo's personality. He seemed nervous and shy, yet eager for anything. It started to grow on him. The last guy he hooked up with was a sleazy old toad, who only wanted the "experience". Pawblo didn't seem to want that. At least, right now. He enjoyed talking with the smaller yet mature ventrexian. He was cute, especially with his adorable fur.

"Hey, you know? I'm enjoying this." Pawblo spoke up. "I like talking to you."

Cataloupe nodded. "Same here. But....what about the age between us? Don't you think its odd?"

"If we're being honest right now, yes.....but you seemed younger on your profile. Yet....you're young at heart. That's a nice quality to have."

Cataloupe blushed. He quipped back. "Not as nice as your fur. It's gorgeous." He used his hand and caressed Pawblo's cheek a little. He was soft, and warm. It made him feel good inside. Pawblo was blushing, and didn't know how to react. Which led to this.....

Without warning, Pawblo jumped on Cataloupe, pressing his lips against the older ventrexian's. They smooched for about 5 seconds before pulling away, gasping for air.

They looked around the bar. No one saw them, as they were too busy watching the game or passing out due to the alcohol.

Pawblo nervously giggled and scratched his neck. "S-sorry, I uh.....I thought we were building up to something."

Cataloupe wiped his shirt, getting the wrinkles out. "No need to apologize. That was....good. It was nice."

Pawblo smiled at Cataloupe. The two ventrexians felt happy with being near each other. It was as if they were always bound to meet sometime.

"So.....got any plans after this?" Cataloupe smirked.

Pawblo took his wallet out and pulled a twenty, leaving it underneath their empty glasses of beer. "I got one right now." He smiled.

The two walked out of the bar, holding hands as the moon began to rise in the starry night. The stars twinkled brightly.

Chapter Text

Pawblo woke up from his sleep. He turned his head to see General Cataloupe, nude and snoring. Pawblo smirked and planted a kiss on his chest and his cheek before getting up from the bed. He grabbed a bathrobe from the side of the bed and walked out of the bedroom.

It had been a month since they slowly started dating. With Cataloupe being a general and Pawblo being the technician/soldier, they worried that it wouldn't work out at all. Especially if anyone asks about their age. But weirdly enough, everyone around the base was okay with their relationship. The commander was even okay with letting Cataloupe have Pawblo move in with him to his private home on the base. Everything was going great.

Pawblo tied his bathrobe as he walked into the kitchen. It was pretty quiet. He soon got the coffee brewing as he splashed water on his face from the sink. The sun was shining through the kitchen window. As he stared outside of the window, two huge hands wrapped around him.

"Good morning, Blueberry." He felt kisses being planted on his neck and shoulder.

"Morning, baby." Pawblo giggled as the kisses Cataloupe gave him were ticklish. He allowed his hands to stay on his waist, though. He loved how his big hands felt.

"What are you up to?"

"Waiting for the coffee to be ready. You?"

Cataloupe chuckled. "Feeling pretty good, especially after last night." He soon let his hands go a little lower.

Pawblo laughed as he turned his head to kiss him, only to notice that Cataloupe wasn't wearing a bathrobe. Or, any clothing at all.

"Babe! Wear something!" Pawblo blushed slightly as he covered his face with his hands and laughed. Cataloupe chuckled and nodded.

"Not even the speedo?"

"N-no! Get dressed, haha."

"Oh come on, you love it when I wear it." Cataloupe struck a pose where he had his arms up, hands behind his head, smirking. He swayed his hips a little

"Cataloupe! G-get dressed!" Pawblo was laughing hysterically as he blushed and turned around.

Cataloupe laughed and walked away. Soon, the coffee was done. Pawblo had slipped out of the bathrobe and into his regular outfit he wore around the base. His boyfriend soon walked back into the room, wearing his general outfit, complete with gloves on hands and medals on his vest.

"Looking good, old timer!"

"Hey, there. I'm not that old." Cataloupe chuckled.

"Whatever, heh." Pawblo soon grabbed the coffee pitcher and poured them into two thermos'. He shut them tight and handed one to Cataloupe, while passing him a quick peck on the lips.

The older male soon smiled and pulled his Blueberry closer and whispered in his ear. "hey......i'm wearing the speedo for later...."

Pawblo punched him in the shoulder. "Babe! What the heck?!?" He laughed out loud as he punched him in the shoulder with his free hand.

"Just trying to make you happy." Cataloupe smirked a little. "Come on, let's go." Pawblo rolled his eyes and followed his boyfriend out the door and towards the base, which was pretty nearby.

As the two men walked down, the smaller ventrexian held his lover's huge hand.

"Hey.....you know I love you, right?" Pawblo looked up at Cataloupe. His boyfriend gave him a somber look; a smile that anyone can see straight through his curled mustache.

"Of course I do. I love you so much, Pawblo. The age gap doesn't matter. All that matters is that.....I would go to the edge of the galaxy with you." He gripped Pawblo's hand a little more.

Pawblo nodded. "Same here. I love you, ya big lunkhead."

"The feeling is mutual, Blueberry."

They pressed their lips together before pulling apart and walking down the road, heading for their jobs.

Chapter Text

Pawblo was running laps around the open field nearby the base. Cataloupe was standing, a stopwatch in his hand. He eyed Pawblo as he was panting and running. As soon as Pawblo stopped in front of Cataloupe, the older ventrexian stopped the timer.

“20 laps in 10 minutes. A new record. Great job, soldier.” Cataloupe winked and gave a thumbs up.

Pawblo, gasping for air, gave a thumbs up. He kept panting and wheezing until he finally spoke up. “Thanks, sir! I appreciate your words of praise, sir!” He saluted before he fell onto the field grass, staring up at the sky.

Cataloupe smirked. “No need to be formal with me all the time, Cadet. You’re one of my favorites. Please, call me by my name if you want.”

“.....Okay…..(gasp) sir…...I mean (gasp) Cataloupe….” Pawblo blushed a little, yet he didn’t notice. He was too tired to do so, anyway.

Soon after, the two men walked back to the base, where Pawblo immediately ran to the shower room. Cataloupe patiently waited for him outside. A good 10 minutes later the smaller ventrexian walked out, all clean and wearing fresh clothes.

“Oh! Sir! I mean...Cataloupe! What are you doing here?” Pawblo was blushing. He shifted his fur tuft making sure it was perfect. Cataloupe shrugged. “Just wanted to make sure if you were okay. You seemed very exhausted after that workout. Maybe I was just too hard on you.” His arms were crossed.

“It’s not a problem, sir. You’re just doing your job as a General: making sure you’re molding us into the best soldiers we can be.” Pawblo nervously scratched his head. He smiled lightly.

Cataloupe nodded, taking the compliment well. “You’re too nice, soldier. I want to make it up to you, as a reward and an apology.” He soon pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Pawblo. “My address is on there, and it’s not too far from here. I’m having myself a barbeque dinner, and I’d appreciate the company of my star cadet…..” He blushed a little. “....if you’re available, of course.”

Pawblo took the piece of paper and read the address. “S-sure! I’ll come over, sir—I mean, Cataloupe! It’d be an honor.”

Cataloupe nodded. “I’ll expect to see you at my door at 4:00PM sharp. Also, wear something casual. And no formalities. It’s nice to get out of here every once and awhile, isn’t it?” He smiled.

Pawblo nodded and blushed. “It is, sir. I guess I’ll see you at 4.” Cataloupe nodded and walked away. Pawblo waited until he was gone to dance a little. He was happy that this happened. He thought quietly: “Okay, Pawblo. Keep it together. The guy you’re in love with just asked you to come over for dinner, and it’s not a big deal. Just make a good impression.” Pawblo soon noticed that he smelled funny again.

“Crap, I smell like sweat again.” He ran back into the shower room.

Later that day, it was around 3:50PM. Pawblo was outside of Cataloupe’s house. He was wearing a sweater that he liked, as well as jeans, and a pair of nice shoes that he had been planning on wearing for a while, but never had the chance.

The house was huge. It was painted a dark green out of all colors. The windows were kind of huge and had curtains. There also appeared to be a second floor. Pawblo walked up to the nice wooded door that was the main entrance to the house. He rung the doorbell.

The door opened to reveal Cataloupe, wearing an apron over a blue skin-tight shirt, as well as some beige shorts and sandals. He was looking quite attractive, as Pawblo always thought. But he snapped out of it before the older male could notice.

“Hey! I didn’t expect to see you until later.”

“I guess I just love being early to things. It’s a habit, heh.” Pawblo nervous chuckled. Cataloupe stepped aside so that Pawblo could walk in. As he stepped inside, Pawblo looked around the house. It was nicely decorated, with the living room displaying medals and pictures of Cataloupe’s accomplishments. There were also pictures of him and family members.

“You have a nice place.”

“Thank you. My father was a general here before me, so this house belongs to me now.” Cantaloupe walked into the kitchen and took his apron off. Pawblo noticed how his General’s pecs were pressed against the skin-tight shirt. His huge form made Pawblo very flustered but he ignored it.

Cataloupe led Pawblo to the patio in the back of the house, where string lights were lit up and the sun was slowly beginning to set. Pawblo stared in awe at how the table was set. It was a long table, but there sat two plates with barbeque ribs and fries. A cooler can be seen on the side, filled with drinks.

“You...did all this?”

“Have to treat the best cadet right.” Cataloupe winked. He pulled the chair open for Pawblo. He sat down and watched Cataloupe go to the cooler and pulled out two beers. Pawblo waived his hand. “Oh, can I get a soda, please? I don’t drink.”

Cataloupe was surprised. “You’ve never had beer before?” Pawblo shaked his head. “Almost everybody at the base drinks.” Pawblo shrugged. “I….don’t know, to be honest. Guess I always took the ‘good guy's advice’ and chose not to drink.” Cataloupe handed him the beer. “Well, how could you never know it’s bad until you try it?” He opened his can and took a sip. Pawblo looked away, trying to ignore the view he was being shown. He blushed a little.

But he did notice the beer can that Cataloupe gave him. Pawblo decided to man up and take the older ventrexian’s advice. He snapped the beer can open. “You know what? You’re right. Why not?” Pawblo wanted to impress Cataloupe, so he took a big gulp of the beer. When he slammed the can on the table, Pawblo coughed a little. He wiped his face with his hand. “Holy crap, that tasted bitter, sir.”

Cataloupe chuckled. “No need for the ‘sir’ stuff from work, Pawblo. We’re being casual now, you know.” He raised his beer can. “Anyway, yeah. That’s how it usually is when you drink for the first time. I should know, haha.”

Pawblo laughed. “Well, Cataloupe, that was….an experience. An experience, indeed.” He giggled, but it seemed to be a little more high pitched.

“Try another sip.”

Pawblo listened and picked up the beer can. He took one more sip and nodded. “Y-yeah! It actually doesn’t….taste that bad.” He chuckled and took another sip.

“Atta boy. You just gotta make sure to moderate yourself when you have beer. Now come on. The ribs are getting cold.” Cataloupe sat down and the two of them proceeded to eat. They chatted about their lives and childhood as they ate ribs and drank beer. By the time Cataloupe had barely three beers (and stopped), Pawblo was on his sixth, as he kept rambling about his own life and how he felt being in the army.

“Ssssure the army’s g-great and all, but DAMN n-not one sssingle person in that building gives a RAT’S ASS about me. Anyone thats not YOU (burp) doesn’t care!” He burped and stuttered as he was slumping on his chair.

Cataloupe was nervous about how Pawblo was doing. He eyed the beers that he had and realized that Pawblo really DID never have beer before. He noticed that it was pretty much nighttime. Pawblo would never make it home in this condition. Cataloupe picked up their plates and quickly placed them in the dishwasher. He then proceeded to help Pawblo up, as he was slumping. “Okay, I think that’s enough beer, Pawblo. Come on, let’s get you back to the base.” He raised Pawblo up but he couldn’t walk. He was wasted.

The older ventrexian had no choice but to carry him in his arms. As he picked him up and began to walk, Pawblo began to tug as his shirt with force, causing him to stumble. He fell landed on the couch, with Pawblo burping loudly and falling on top of him.

“You know….(hic)....I’vvveee had a thing for you since I (burp) j-joined the army. I can’t (buuuurrrrrrp) help but admmmmire you and your sexyyy mustache every time I’m n-near you….” Pawblo crawled up closer to Cataloupe’s face, who at the moment couldn’t believe what was happening. When Pawblo moved his hands and placed them on Cataloupe’s face, he blushed a little. He may have a little thing for this cadet, but he was a gentleman at heart. He pulled the smaller ventrexian’s hands off of his cheek.

“Pawblo…..you’re drunk. You don’t know what you’re talking about right now. You need to sleep. Maybe in the morning you could tell me how you really feel, but I don’t want it to be like this.” Cataloupe felt like he was doing the right thing. Pawblo was dumbfounded at what he heard, but he couldn’t really think as he was drunk. “Hhhhey, do you feel funny? Hahaha……” Pawblo soon felt sick and threw up on Cataloupe’s shirt. He then giggled a little and passed out, sleeping.

Cataloupe sat up and slid off his skintight shirt. He wiped Pawblo’s lips free of vomit, crumpled the shirt, and tossed it far. He looked down to see Pawblo, who was deep-sleeping, clinging onto Cataloupe’s chest.

The older male blushed at this, but soon smiled. “This….this is nice.” He smiled, and closed his eyes as he began to fall asleep alongside Pawblo.

The next morning, Pawblo opened his eyes and sat up, as he rubbed his head and eyes. What happened?, he wondered. He then realized who he was resting his hand on.

Cataloupe’s body.

Pawblo sat up quickly and noticed Cataloupe, who was still sleeping, right there next to him, topless in all his glory. The lavender ventrexian was blushing brightly. His memory was fuzzy, and he could not remember what happened yesterday.

Cataloupe soon woke up. He saw Pawblo and smirked. “Morning, Cadet. How are you feeling?”

“Uhh….what the frick happened last night?!?! Did we—?!?!”

Cataloupe sat up on the couch and waived his hands. “Take it easy. Nothing happened between us. You got really drunk after all that beer.” He chuckled. “Didn’t I warn you?”

Pawblo was quiet until he began to remember everything.

“....Oh my god. I am….I’m so sorry, sir! I thought I….jesus christ, I’m such an idiot! Did I say anything stupid?” He became a frantic mess.

Cataloupe curled his mustache nervously. “You….might’ve said that you….were into me.”

Pawblo’s face flushed. He felt stupid. “I…..I’m so sorry. I should just….I’m gonna head back, Sir. Don’t worry about taking me. I’ll just walk—!” As he got up, he felt Cataloupe’s massive hand grab his palm.

“Don’t go, Pawblo…...To be honest…..I feel the same way about you.” Cataloupe sighed. “You’re my favorite cadet because I love your determination. Your fur. Your personality. I can’t get you out of my head. I ignore it for obvious work reasons, but…..I love you.”

Pawblo could not believe what he was hearing. He blushed a bright shade of red. “Y-you do?”

Cataloupe nodded. “I know it seems weird, falling in love with a soldier you’re supposed to train and lead, but….I don’t care. I don’t care if our age difference seems weird or if we’re in a job relationship. I love you and I want to be with you….

Pawblo slowly sat down as he heard Cataloupe talking. He couldn’t believe it. The man that he had been crushing on for forever was confessing their love for him. He felt like the luckiest guy in the world.”

“....but I know that you have a choice in this. We’ll probably get hate or be looked down on at work or anywhere we go. But I don’t care if it means I can go anywhere with—mmmph!”

Cataloupe was interrupted by Pawblo, who suddenly pressed his lips against the older male’s. As they slowly made out, the big ventrexian fell on the couch and Pawblo ended up on top again.

When they pulled away for air, they started into each other’s eyes. Both of them were left wondering if that actually just happened. They both laughed out loud.

“Your mustache is ticklish, haha.”

“Your breath smells like beer and vomit. But I don’t care.”

Pawblo blushed a little, knowing that he was on top of Cataloupe. “Sir—I mean….Cataloupe. So….we’re a couple now?”

Cataloupe nodded. “Yes. I want to give this a shot. Though I do think we should keep it to ourselves. So that doesn’t mean special treatment! You still gotta keep up with my training, Cadet.” Pawblo smiled and saluted with his hand. “Yes sir! But…..what does that mean for outside of all that?”

“Well….that depends.” Cataloupe winked and smirked. The two of them blush as they both knew what that meant.

“......Do we really have to go to training today?”

Cataloupe wondered this for a minute. “Well…...if they call, they’re gonna get silence because my phone is dead.” He chuckled.

“Gotta make the most of it, then.” Pawblo smirked and soon pressed his lips against Cataloupe’s. They slowly made out as their hands went up and down. Cataloupe slid his hands underneath Pawblo’s shirt, as Pawblo traced his hands on Cataloupe’s massive form.

When they pulled away for air again, they smiled and blushed at what was happening.

“I love you, Pawblo.”

“......I love you more, Cataloupe.”

Chapter Text

The setting sun had given the moon a chance to peak over the horizon, and shine a new light onto the land. This allowed the quiet, and passive Pawblo, a chance to see his drawing with the help of, the light in the window. It was an unbearable silence, broken by only the sounds of his humming and pencil sketching, the other cots in his medical wing providing no help to the quiet.

This quiet however was interrupted by the door. The silence itself seemed to only get more quiet, to the coming of General Cataloupe. "It's lights-out soldier, why aren't you resting?" He addressed the sight of pawblo hiding his drawing under the pillow.

"Oh, G-General, sir. Good to see you, I was getting something out of my head and onto paper, makes it easier to sleep at night, sir." Pawblo laid down, trying to keep the attention away from his paper and hold the conversation.

"I find it hard to see how it can be easier to sleep with a bullet wound."

"I make the best of it, sir."

General Cataloupe nodded and lifted pawblo's head, taking the paper from under his pillow and examining the sketches he had made. "These look like me, and for whatever reason, carrying you."

Pawblo let a smile come over him for a sheer second, only to force it back down to respond. "I can't stop thinking about how you rescued me. I wanted to draw it to make it easier to sleep, sir."

"I find it easy to believe that, considering you were alone out there, nothing much else to think about. Just don't think about me too much. Its my job already to do likewise." Said the general, before he laid the paper onto pawblo's lap. "Now catch some sleep soldier." He ordered as he turned to leave. "And don't think about leaving until I dismiss you from recovery."

"Sir yes sir, I wont leave you." Pawblo spoke as he looked back to the paper, and continued where he left off, drawing hearts onto his original sketch.

General Cataloupe left the ward quietly, humming to himself as he walked the hall back to his post. In this time, his head was filled, memorizing the drawing he saw on the sheet of paper. "Pawblo really is something else." He commented to himself. Once at his desk, the method that pawblo had introduced to Cataloupe began to influence him, now he was drawing his own thoughts.

Back in the ward, Pawblo hadn't yet kept his word, only writing the words down instead. He was intrigued at his own thoughts, twisting the letters into their own shapes and changing entire sentences into pieces of art. In the end, his love letter to Cataloupe was left to be an intricate maze of lines, impossible to read, and hoping that it would be a reflection of himself. "Start slow Pawblo. He saved your life! He didn't ask you on a date."

By morning, Pawblo had several sheets of paper, full of scribbles and doodles of the general cluttered around his cot as he slept. Until, the industrial alarm on the wall blared its usual metallic ringing. This got Pawblo out of his slumber, and startling him enough to toss his papers halfway across the row of cots ahead of him. His injury left him incapable of leaving his cot, so he was only left to hope that the original, and only sheet of paper with his secret was still with him to hide as he quickly stuffed them into his pillow case.

Only seconds passed, and General Cataloupe was back in the ward to brief Pawblo on his assignment, that was, until he saw the new sheets of paper. "Soldier, where in the hell do you even get these, and how do you have the guts to disobey a lone order?" He interrogated Pawblo as he picked up the two missing sheets of paper, and inspecting them, now letting the reality set onto him and he glanced to Pawblo, who was cowering under his blanket. "Well?!"

Pawblo let the blanket go and sighed amongst the regret he was developing. "Im sorry, Sir. It's still a lot for me to think about?"

"The aftermath of a single incident, and the complexity of your own imagination?"

"Sir yes sir."

General Cataloupe crumpled up the papers and tossed them over his shoulder, then he pulled Pawblo out of bed and now carried him to the doors, leaving the ward with him. "Then I suppose you'll need to think about it while being more productive. Im relocating you to the fifth ward instead, so you can draw while you work uninterrupted."

Pawblo raised an eyebrow, allowing his curious mind to wander, and his physical one to rest onto the warm slope of Catalope's vest.

"Then I can carry you around as much as you want, and you might want to work on drawing hearts." He mumbled as he passed a busier hall, and once clear, he winked to Pawblo and went into an empty hall.

The words hit him almost as if he were getting shot again, and he quickly fell to embarrassment with the realization that luck hadn't been with him. But he knew he was better off being unlucky, taken the response he took from the General, and he smiled to himself now, more confident and comfortable with the general than before.

Weeks of retraining and working on paperwork in his cot, Pawblo was slowly but surely recovering from his injuries. At night, he would continue to draw his thoughts, even with permission, he hid them from Cataloupe. One day, he was able to move his chest without feeling discomfort, and he immediately got up and ran to Cataloupe's office.

"Im telling you sirs, Pawblo is as tough as nails, and obedient as a dog, well, despite being a ventrexian, on the contrary." Cataloupe chuckled as he spoke to two other generals about Pawblo. "He should be in working condition again any day now."

Just then, Pawblo bursted into Cataloupe's office with a grin on his face. "Sir, I'm ready for my first assignment!" Though his excitement was short lived, seeing the eyes of the three generals staring him down, and he slowly closed the door. "Well, that was a complete disaster." he stated to himself.

That same evening, Cataloupe assigned Pawblo to evening exercises in the field, together they were running through the field to retrain Pawblo's legs properly. "Now don't even think about slowing down or stopping, that'll be one hundred sit ups soldier!" Cataloupe called to Pawblo.

"Sir, yes sir, sir!" Pawblo exclaimed back, rather wheezed, as he was already exhausted of the running. Only seconds later, he tripped on a rock and fell to the ground, groaning in pain quietly and getting into position to start his sit ups.

Cataloupe got in front of Pawblo and held his feet down, getting on his hands and knees to help him. "Ready, go. One, two, three-" He counted Pawblo's push ups making eye contact with him every time he came up, a smile coming over him more and more each time. "....Nine, ten." He then leaned forward on Pawblo's 10th push up, giving him a kiss on the nose, and watching him go back down without coming back up.

Pawblo saw Cataloupe's smile getting bigger with each time he saw it, and he couldn't believe it when he got kissed. He laid back down onto the ground and stared to the sky, his face turning red and he definitely had to take a breather now. Though it was interrupted with Cataloupe pulling him up and started walking with him back to the base.

"Was it really that bad? I thought you had the hots for me, Blueberry." Cataloupe looked down to Pawblo, hesitant to hold his hand but he refrained. Especially since he was just called "Blueberry."

Pawblo was silent, until he finally regained his focus. "I, loved it. A lot, and its weird. I mean, I loved it, sir. But Aren't you much older than me? I feel that its strange, but I still enjoy the idea of us being together."

Cataloupe waited for a second to come up with a response, then he let Pawblo have it. "I agree, it is very weird to see a small and young ventrexian like you actually have any sort of desire for a guy like me. I'm going for it because I know that It might make you happy, and you're almost impossible to resist. We don't have to yet, or ever, but I would be happier if we did."

The recognizable silence surrounded them again, though it began to lighten as pawblo let his hand guide itself into the embrace of Cataloupe's. He gently squeezed his paw and shrugged. "Me too. Just...maybe nothing too cutesy yet. Let's keep it casual and quiet for now, and someday, it won't be as weird."

Cataloupe nodded, giving Pawblo another kiss on the cheek, which resulted in Pawblo giving a nervous laugh and a punch in the shoulder. "Casual, sir."

"You don't have to call me sir right now."

"O-okay.....Cataloupe, sir. I mean, C-Cataloupe." Pawblo nervously chuckled.

"You'll get used to it, handsome."

Chapter Text

A long day of training had come and gone, Pawblo feeling exhausted now as he went back to the base to get his evening routine started. The first thing on his list for the evening was to shower, so his first stop was the showers.

General Cataloupe was starting his shower already, being the first and only one in there after training as all the other generals and soldiers were in other buildings now. He heard the sound of the door opening to the room through the wall off his shower stall, though he remained awkwardly silent out of curiosity.

Pawblo heard water running, though normal to him, he didn't take much mind to it, and he went into the shower stall next to the one in use. "Finally some quiet, need some time to relax." He spoke to himself quietly as he undressed and got adjusted to the water.

"I definitely agree, Soldiers can be almost as bad as a class of children." Cataloupe unknowingly quipped at Pawblo, hearing a quiet scoff and further silence. "I recognize your voice. One of mine?"

Pawblo groaned quietly and pressed his head against the wall tile, already further exhausted by the awkward small talk. "Yes sir. Pawblo, sir. Under General Cataloupe. Knowing the voice, it's you, sir."

"Oh, Pawblo. No offense of my last comment, your an exception, and one of my favorites. No sweet talk." Cataloupe chuckled and started combing his moustache with the comb he brought, trying to make it look nice from what he saw in the fogged mirror.

The silence remained after Cataloupe made his attempt at a redeeming comment, and the two ventrexians continued to shower in peace, though a rather strange one. Minutes passed, and both of them finished at about the same time. They wrapped their towels around them and stepped out to get their things out of their lockers.

Out of instinct, Pawblo turned to Cataloupe as if to make conversation, but he made his mistake by even turning his head. Only one size towels were in supply to fit all, but they didn't fit a massive ventrexian like Cataloupe, who didn't seem to mind any attention, only continuing to fidget with his moustache and take his things.

The smaller ventrexian was a little embarrassed seeing the General like this. He knew he was fit at his age, but he was something. His chest was huge, and the pecs seemed to have been sculpted to perfection. Pawblo stopped thinking about what could be under that towel, as he felt more and more embarrassed just thinking about it.

Pawblo embarrassingly shuffled past Cataloupe to his locker and quickly took his things to get dressed, though in his rush, he managed to bump into Cataloupe on his way out, getting plenty more than what he asked to see. A massive blush formed on his face. He left before anything else could happen.

Cataloupe on the other hand was rather oblivious, only noticing pawblo when they bumped into each other and he had to pick his towel up, though he could tell something was wrong.

That evening, Pawblo laid restless in his bed, still uncomfortable with the vague images he swore to have seen, but a small part of him was unbothered by it, and almost felt as if it were fine. And by morning, he was asleep, but his mind grew numb to the embarrassment. Once training began, he kept his cool.

General Cataloupe was busy as usual, overseeing the soldiers in his unit and how they performed through their exercises and training. Near lunch, it was time for each soldier to get their afternoon agenda, and pawblo was assigned to assist General Cataloupe with ammunition checks, for plot reasons.

Once their task began, Pawblo and General Cataloupe were alone and busy together, loading weapons and checking their conditions. In the shooting range, it was hard to hear when they fired, but it was dead quiet when they were not. Cataloupe hated it. "Hundreds of loud kids running around every day and somehow, it's always dead silent outside of training."

"Silence is golden sir, it's good to have it when you can." Pawblo commented. "Though it's still nice to have company."

"You're right, and besides...the right company is nice."

"Yes, sir." Pawblo spoke, then returned to the silence he seemed to cherish.

"I'm sorry about last night, soldier—I mean, Pawblo. Though it wasn't my fault, I think you should know that I acknowledge if you aren't comfortable. If you want to leave, be my guest and hit the showers, or return to paperwork assignments."

Pawblo seemed surprised, and he even surprised Cataloupe by responding at all. "It's okay. I was uncomfortable, but after having some time to think....well, not saying I thought about it, but....everyone has a body. Despite some being huge, easy to see....fluffy....and hot...." Pawblo started rambling on about Cataloupe's appearance, clearly being attracted to it.

Cataloupe chuckled and pulled Pawblo away from the gun he was inspecting and he stared him down. "Get your head out of my chest and into the game. You're cute too, but you don't see me reciting every positive word in the books."

Pawblo could hardly believe what he heard. General Cataloupe called him "cute", and he hardly minded! He wanted to do more, so he jumped and held onto Cataloupe's shoulders, giving him a pitiful kiss on the chin.

Unamused, Cataloupe grabbed Pawblo by the waist and held him up instead. "Let me show you how it's done." He smirked and kissed Pawblo, much more effortlessly than how Pawblo had tried.

Pawblo loved their kiss, though he couldn't handle much more after Cataloupe's moustache began to tickle him and he had to pull away. "Holy cow, I love you", he stated quietly.

Cataloupe nodded and set Pawblo down. "After we finish, report to the showers for a.....continuation....of our chat."

Pawblo nodded, blushing brightly. "Y-yes, sir! I mean, Cataloupe, sir. I mean—!"

The general interrupted and pressed his lips against Pawblo's, one last time. He soon pulled away, smirking. "No need to get nervous. Though to be fair, you look adorable when you do. Now come on. Lets get this done so we can chat later."

"G-got it!"

The two of them blushed and kept quiet as they kept doing their tasks, both eager to give whatever just happened....another chance.

Chapter Text

The base was pretty busy at times, but it was never this wild as today. Soldiers were moving left and right to either their quarters or the gym or field to train. Executives and generals were holding meetings in boarding rooms and command centers. The medics were resolving any medical problem they were faced.

Everyone was doing their jobs or duties. All but two people.

General Cataloupe sat at his desk chair in his office. Pawblo sat on top of the older male. The two were making out, with Cataloupe holding him close by shifting his hands inside of the cadet's shirt. Pawblo was giggling a little bit, as his lover's mustache tickled against his face. Both men groaned in pleasure. They were happy. Nothing could ruin this.

There was a knock on the door.

Cataloupe and Pawblo jumped when they heard that. "Aw, bollocks", the older male cursed under his breath. Pawblo quickly got up from the chair and brushed his shirt so that it would look pressed, as well as adjusted his cadet badge.He then moved to the other side of the desk. Cataloupe fixed his own hair and wiped his mouth. He rested his hands on the desk. "Enter."

The door opened. It was General Purrito, standing at the doorway. Pawblo saluted him.

"General."

"General. At ease, Cadet."

Pawblo nodded and lowered his hand.

"I was just briefing Cadet Pawblo here, and talking up strategies for combat use.

"Yes yes. Cataloupe, remember we have a meeting at 5:00pm this afternoon before we all head home." Cataloupe nodded when he remembered this. "Absolutely, Purrito. I will be there."

"I shall take my leave then." General Purrito waved his hand, and soon left, closing the door behind them.

Pawblo and Cataloupe sighed in relief. They were lucky that they didn't get caught. Pawblo sat on the desk. "We got lucky this time, Pawblo." Cataloupe was scratching his ears. "Something tells me we should lay low here at the base for now."

The smaller ventrexian showed a face of concern. "I know, I know. It's just that...I wish we could just be more open about our relationship here." He hopped off the desk and sat on top of Cataloupe again. "I hate the fact that I have to keep quiet about it. It sucks!"

Cataloupe nodded as he placed a hand on Pawblo's shoulder. "It does indeed suck. Who knew that work relationships could be tricky?" He shrugged. "But I do it all for you, my sweet little crumpet." Cataloupe placed a kiss on Pawblo's cheek.

"Aww." Pawblo blushed a little. "The fact that we're even dating feels like a dream. A really good one. I just wonder sometimes....why me?"

Cataloupe was concerned now after hearing that. "Pawblo, you're not doubting this, are you?" The smaller ventrexian shrugged.

"To be honest.....I don't know. You were the top cadet of my division. That's what I saw in you. But since we started talking more and trusting each other....I've felt more alive with you than any other guy. You stand out to me because you're you. And that's enough." Cataloupe grinned.

Pawblo felt touched after hearing this from the older male. He was happy that he had met him in the first place. "I.....I love you, Cataloupe."

"I love you, too." Cataloupe soon pressed his lips against Pawblo's. They slowly started to make out again until Pawblo pulled away and got up from his lap.

"Hey, what gives?"

Pawblo rolled his eyes. "Stay casual. remember? Sir?" Cataloupe chuckeled a little bit. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

The blue-ish ventrexian nodded and soon walked to the door. Before he headed out, Cataloupe told him something.

"We're gonna finish this conversation when I get back to the house. You owe me, my little crumpet." Cataloupe shot a wink at Pawblo.

"You got it, babe." Pawblo winked back, smiled, and walked out of the office, closing the door behind him.

Chapter Text

“Hey, are you a magician? Because your magic is working on me…..” Pawblo was looking at himself in the mirror, smirking.

“That was bad. God, I’m so dumb.” He slapped himself on the forehead. And he was never usually this dumb.

Pawblo had been practicing pickup lines in front of the mirror for weeks. He thought it could possibly build up his confidence a little bit, especially since he had a thing for someone here at the base. But this was turning out to be pointless. He slumped against the restroom wall, frustrated.

“Let’s face it. You’re not attractive enough, man.” Pawblo talked to himself. It usually helped him, but not at all, really. He felt dumb. It was almost as if he tried this all for nothing. “And all that to just impress one guy.”

“Who are you talking to?”, said a voice. Pawblo turned around to see Cataloupe, walking into the bathroom and stopping in front of Pawblo.

“G-General! What are you doing here?” Pawblo stammered a little. Cataloupe twirled his mustache. “I was walking down the hall, and I overheard your little ‘training’, if you want to call it that.” He grinned. “Trying to impress someone?”

Pawblo blushed a little. He nodded. “Y-yes, sir. They’re here on the base, s-sir.”

Cantaloupe chuckled a little bit. “Ah, to be in love. I was quite the charmer in my heyday, cadet. All the men and women were hovering over me like nothing.” He fist bumped Pawblo’s shoulder. “Maybe I could give you some lines to sweeten your chances.”

“Y-you’d do that for me, Sir?”

“Anything for my star cadet.” He laughed. He then placed a hand on Pawblo’s shoulder and used his other hand to hold out one finger. Cataloupe was in full-on teaching mode. “Alright, cadet. The first thing that matters is posture. You’re slouching a little. You’ve got to stand up straight, and remember that body language matters.” Pawblo stood tall and straight. “Like this?”

“Not exactly like that. Remember the body language. You’ve got to show them how you’re feeling. Like this.” He soon put one hand against the wall and crossed a leg. He then smirked, winking at Pawblo. The smaller ventrexiian did his best not to blush at his actions. Cantaloupe soon returned to standing normally. “See?”

“O-oh yeah, yeah. Definitely.” He scratched his head. “What about…..you know…..asking them out? Do I do that with a pickup line? Or a card and flowers? Or something?” Cataloupe proceeded to explain. “You have to use a pickup line. There’s some good ones and there’s stingers. Those are the ones you want to avoid saying at all. Forever, to be honest.” He soon leaned his back against the restroom wall. “Come on. Hit me with one.”

“What?”

“Test one out on me. Try me.”

Pawblo nodded. “Oh. Okay, uh…..” He brushed his top fur and put his hands around his back. “.......Do you have a sunburn, or are you always this hot?” Pawblo smirked nervously, as he pointed a finger gun gesture. Cataloupe hummed. “Not bad, Cadet…..You almost won me over, but not really.”

The smaller ventrexian’s ears flopped. “Oh….okay. Thanks for the advice and everything, Sir, but…...I don’t think it’ll work.” Pawblo slouched a little. Cataloupe was confused. “Eh? Why not? You’re a star cadet. You’re adorable and serious. Not to mention a sweet and friendly person. What kind of mindset do you have that makes you think that it won’t work out with this?”

Pawblo looked up at Cataloupe. “It’s because…...the person I’m in love with just rejected me.” He chuckled a little, but it was more in a somber tone. Cataloupe blushed a light shade of red. He was surprised that a guy like Pawblo was interested in him. Heck, he was surprised that he interested in him at all. Cataloupe didn’t know what to think.

“Pawblo, I….I didn’t know.”

“It’s fine, Sir. I get it. You don’t want to tarnish your reputation or just not interested in dating me at all. I’ll just--!” As he turned to leave, Cataloupe used his massive hand to grab onto Pawblo’s hand. “Wait. Don’t go.”

“W-what?”

“Pawblo….I never knew you were into me. I really don’t know why, exactly, but….” He smirked. “.....I’m no photographer, but I can picture us together.” Cataloupe soon let out a loud burst of laughter. Pawblo laughed along with him. When they quieted down, Cataloupe continued speaking.

“That was bad, and cheesy. I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright, haha. D-definitely better than mine”

“Okay, I’m being serious now. Listen….if you really think I’m all that, then I’d be open to having a relationship with you.” Pawblo blushed. He began to stammer a lot. “W-wait! R-really?! Y-you don’t have to if you don’t--!” Cataloupe shushed him with a finger. “I insist. I meant all of those things I said about you earlier. You’re an interesting person, and I’d love to get to know you more. Over dinner, if you’d like.” He was smiling. “And that’s a promise.”

“A-are you serious, sir?”

“Call me Cataloupe, Pawblo. It’s okay. And yes, I’m serious.”

Pawblo was grinning. “O-okay! Alright sir---I mean...Cataloupe. Y-yeah….I’m all in if you are.”

“Well then, it’s settled. Now, one last thing…” He smirked.

“What’s left?”

“This.” Cataloupe soon lowered himself to press his lips against Pawblo. Their kiss was slow, and it seemed breathtaking to both of them. After their smooch, they exchanged contact info and planned a date for later that week. They soon both walked out of the bathroom and went their separate ways for the day, but not before Pawblo planted one last kiss on the General’s cheek.

They were both very happy. And happy they would be for the rest of their lives.

Chapter Text

The restaurant was full of people today. Waiters were moving around a lot, serving food and taking orders, and the chefs were busy making the food for the customers. All the people at the tables were busy conversing about their day, or how Karen took the kids, or other stuff like that. Cataloupe, on the other hand, was waiting for someone. He twiddled with his fingers on the table, growing a little tired of waiting. “I don’t think he’s going to show up”, he told himself.

Just then, someone walking in caught his eye. It was his date, and he looked confused as to where Cataloupe was. To get his attention, Cataloupe waived his giant hand in the air. The ventrexian took notice of this, and walked towards him. He then proceeded to sit down right next to him.

“Hey. I was getting nervous that you wouldn't show up, Pawblo.” Cataloupe chuckled, scratching his neck. The lavender ventrexian that just sat down with him smiled lightly. “Why wouldn’t I, sir--I mean, Cataloupe?” They both picked up an electronic menu and tapped on what they wanted. A little checkmark appeared on their screens and they soon slid the menus back under the table where they belong. “How’s it been, being a General and all that?” Pawblo was hesitant to ask. “I’m sorry if that’s dumb, it’s just that….it’s been a while, you know?” Cataloupe nodded. “It’s alright, Pawblo. Well, it was just another boring day. Meetings, meetings, and paperwork. Not to mention training, which is where I happened to see your cute face earlier today, cadet.” He smiled. Pawblo blushed a little, as it’s not everyday that you hear your General tell you that straight to your face.

“You do put us through some rough training, but it’s all good. You’re just trying to make us into the best soldiers we can be.” Pawblo soon looked around the restaurant. “This place seems pretty expensive.” Cataloupe waved his hand. “Don’t worry about it. It’s on me. I did ask you out after all. Gotta treat you right.” Cataloupe smirked and winked at Pawblo, who blushed in response.

Soon, their food arrived, and Pawblo and Cataloupe began to dig in. Wine topped off their meals, as they discussed their lives, personal stories about war, and past attempts at romance.

“Clarence sounded like an asshole, haha.” Pawblo was chuckling.

“At least he was good at one thing. Or two. But I doubt I can say that in public.” Cataloupe laughed a little. Pawblo blushed yet again. Caataloupe leaned in a little, looking down at Pawblo. “This….this is nice. I like spending time with you.”

“Really? To be honest, I didn’t really think you’d be into me, especially since I’m not as strong as you or as old as you or….not as brave. You’re the one who asked me out, not vice versa.” Pawblo looked aside, at the ground. “Who would ever want to date a guy like me?”

Cataloupe felt a little saddened to hear Pawblo speak so negatively. So he pulled out his wallen and placed the exact amount of money for the meal, as well as a tip. “Get up, soldier.”

“W-what?”

“Let’s go. I want to take you somewhere. That’s an order from not only your date, but your commander as well.” He smiled lightly.

Pawblo was confused as to what was going on, but he obliged.

They both walked out of the restaurant and into Cataloupe’s truck. He drove for a while, and Pawblo got a little nervous. “Uh, sir? I mean….Cataloupe? W-where are we going?”

“We’re almost there.”

Cataloupe soon drove up a hill and stopped the car, butting the brake on. When Pawblo saw where they were, he was amazed. It was the sun setting over the ocean. Seagulls were flying away. And the sea seemed to be as calm as ever.
“This is…..amazing. Why are we here?” Pawblo was enjoying what he was seeing. He turned to see Cataloupe, who was leaning against the steering wheel. “I brought you here because I wanted to prove to you that I like you. A lot. Who cares if you’re not as old or strong as me. You’re brave enough to even be open with your….feelings. Be who you are. That’s why I like you…..and maybe even love you.” Cataloupe’s tone was somber. He was speaking from the heart.

Pawblo felt happy. Happy that he found someone that felt the same way. Cantaloupe laned in and kissed Pawblo. The two of them began to slowly make out, with Pawblo getting to unbutton the older male’s vest before they pulled away for air.

“Whoof! That was….great.” Cataloupe was grinning.

“So…..we’re a thing now? A couple, or whatever?”

The older male nodded. “Yes. Yes we are.”

He soon noticed the vest that he was wearing now completely off, only leaving him with his undershirt. “If we’re gonna keep going, then maybe we should find a better spot.”

Pawblo laughed a little. “That leads us to another question. My place or yours? My place is small, but--!” Cataloupe planted a kiss on Pawblo’s lips once more. “Your place it is. I have to get used to going over there more often, anyway.” He winked, causing both of them to laugh. Pawblo held one of Cataloupe’s hands as he started the car and drove down the hill and back onto the road.

They didn’t know what to expect in this relationship that they had, but whatever the case, they would be ready for it.

Chapter Text

Pawblo was in one of the base’s all purpose rooms. He was all by himself. The ventrexian was tapping his feet as he stretched. He usually did this alone, and uninterrupted. It was a nice feeling.

Cataloupe was walking down the hallway and heard the music playing behind the entrance doors of the APR. He opened it slightly to see Pawblo, his star cadet, stretching to the rhythm of the song playing. He chuckled as he noticed how limber and focused Pawblo was. He soon walked in, opening the door and closing it right behind him.

“You dance?”

Pawblo jumped a little, recognizing that voice anywhere. “S-sir! You scared me. I was just...stretching.” He blushed a little, knowing that the man he admired was standing here, talking to him. Cataloupe chuckled. “At ease, cadet. I just happened to be strolling around the base and I happened to hear the music. I assumed you were dancing.”

The lavender ventrexian was scratching his ear. “N-no, sir. Just stretching. It helps me stay focused on things such as your training, sir.” He nodded. Cataloupe was swaying his hips and tapping his own feet to the beat. “Yes yes, soldier. Training is very important, but you should learn to live a little. Have fun!” The older ventrexian kept grooving to the beat. Pawblo was blushing as he saw the General swaying his wide hips and giant arms to the song.

“What’s wrong, Pawblo?”

Pawblo’s ear’s flopped a little. “I, uh….I can’t dance.”

Cataloupe was confused. “What? How can you say that? Everyone can dance!”

“But I don’t know how!”

Cataloupe hesitated a little, but soon offered his huge hand. “Come on. Join me.”

Pawblo was a little hesitant. But he knew a chance when he saw it. A chance to spend some time with the guy he had a thing for. He nodded and held his hand.

Cataloupe smirked as he quickly twirled Pawblo. “W-whoa! S-sir!”

“Don’t question it. Go with the flow.” Cataloupe beamed a smile at the smaller ventrexian. He soon began to move in circles with him. Pawblo was afraid of messing this up, but at the same time he felt confident. As the two danced, they began to laugh and have fun, following the beat of the song.

Suddenly, Pawblo slipped. He was about to fall on his back onto the ground. As he closed his eyes for impact, Cataloupe noticed and quickly used his big hands to hold onto him, as to prevent him from falling.

When Pawblo opened his eyes, he saw Cataloupe holding him. The two of them blushed a little. They stared at each other until Pawblo nervously pulled himself up and backed away.

“Uh….t-thanks for catching me, sir.” Pawblo nervously scratched his fur.

“Anytime….cutie.” Cataloupe winked, smirking as he did. Pawblo chuckled as he blushed. “Well, cadet, I’ll be out of your fur now.” The older ventrexian nodded and walked towards the door. He turned around one last time and spoke. “If you ever need a dance partner, just call for me. I don’t mind it at all.” He winked, and soon walked out.

Pawblo just stood there. “Holy cow, he just…..he just tried to hit on me.” He blushed until he realized what he was originally doing in the first place.

“Oh! I was gonna train. I’m an idiot, haha.”

Chapter Text

It had only been two weeks since the incidents of Pawblo’s recovery, and he was going on with the flow of his new normal. Wake up, Prepare for the day, say “Hello” to Cataloupe, and going to his training. Once he was at the training, Cataloupe was already there as usual, taking his own route to be early and address matters with the over Generals before they began their formal training.

Pawblo was still working on his limb strength, and regaining his mobility after his extensive recovery, so he needed help from time to time from Cataloupe. The general was going soft on him, but for more reasons than one. And nobody else had yet to know of it.

“O’Connor, Report!” Cataloupe called to Pawblo and waited. He was going to ask a few questions, then make off with him to address any made up problems, as a distraction.

Pawblo did get up, and he jogged over to stand in front of Cataloupe. “Yes sir, what do you need sir?” He looked up to Cataloupe and waited for his response, though becoming a bit nervous, seeing a cold look in his eyes and a serious tone to add onto the intensity of his stare. “You’re noticeably slower than normal today. Perhaps you should take some extra time out of training, and report to my office at once for reassignment.” Cataloupe stated, then looked back to the other soldiers.

“Sir yes sir”, Pawblo responded, sounding a bit defeated, though he had no hesitation to leave the grounds and return into the base, going straight to Cataloupe’s office as ordered for his, “Reassignment.”. Once he was inside of his office, he closed the door behind him and sat down in a chair in front of the desk in the middle of the room. He waited patiently for Cataloupe to arrive, and once he did, he felt the cold stare from behind him.

Cataloupe closed the door and locked it, then he walked up behind pawblo and placed his paw on Pawblo’s shoulder. “So tense Pawblo, you can relax. We aren't training, it’s casual time.” He chuckled and leaned down, planting a kiss onto Pawblo’s cheek.

Pawblo blushed and he relaxed, as if he were being told to. He was glad that the dismissal was not a punishment, rather it being a distraction. “Okay, so what are we doing no-woah!”

Cataloupe cut off pawblo’s question by pulling him out of his seat and carrying him around the desk and into his own seat. He sat down and placed Pawblo on his lap, facing him, so they were eye to eye and staring at each other. “We are taking a break. I’ll let you decide what we do, but keep it here.”

Pawblo took a moment to register their position, then he nodded and hesitantly placed his paws on Cataloupe’s hips, and leaned in to kiss him. He laughed quietly at first, with Cataloupe’s mustache still tickling him, but eventually the feeling subsided, and he was left to only acknowledging Cataloupe’s embrace, and the heat of their kiss.

Cataloupe was enjoying what Pawblo had decided on, allowing him to make out with him in their seat, and not holding back from putting his paws on Pawblo’s body. Once it started to get a bit lengthy, Cataloupe untucked Pawblo’s shirt and slid his Paws under, to graze his fingers against the bare fur of Pawblo’s chest.

Pawblo could feel Cataloupe touching his chest, and he felt every part of his face and ears burning with embarrassment and pleasure. He loved the affection, though before long, his thoughts began to trail. This felt a bit intense for their relationship at the moment. He pulled out of the kiss and took a moment to catch his breath, and stared into Cataloupe’s eyes. He was still happy of course, but he needed to say something. “H-hey, Whiskers. Let’s take a break for a moment.”

“Oh? Sure thing, Mr. Naughty.” Cataloupe chuckled. “What’s up? Is it the mustache?” He asked, then curled the end of his mustache around his finger.

“No, that’s fine. I just felt like maybe we should slow down for a moment. I came to think, we jumped into this a while back, and got used to it being normal, but we haven’t really done anything. So... I’d like to take you on a date.”

Cataloupe’s eyes widened a little, then he nodded and shrugged. “You know what, you are right. Except, I should be the one to take my little crumpet on a date.” He smirked and patted his paw on Pawblo’s shoulder. This caused Pawblo to blush again, but he stayed focused on Cataloupe. “Which is good timing to think about, because Tomorrow night is the Friday Squadron movie event. You know, after dinner time we go to the screening room and-”

“Yes sir- I mean, Cataloupe. We go to the screening room and watch films instead of planning an attack. We’ve done it a hundred times already.” Pawblo chuckled and nodded. “I suppose you’ll have me sit next to you and hold my hand in the back while everyone else is busy watching?”

“Precisely, my wise crumpet.” Cataloupe chuckled and kissed Pawblo’s cheek. “I suppose that’ll be it, and when we’re done there, We can go to my place and practice the afterdate.” He winked.

Pawblo’s blush returned, stronger than before. “Got it, follow you to your place after the movie.” He nodded. “Got it patches.”

“Patches? That’s a new one.” Cataloupe laughed and leaned back into his seat, bringing both of them to an angle for Pawblo to rest on his chest. “How are those drawings coming along by the way?”

The rest of their day had passed, and the beginning of Friday seemed to drag on. This amounted to Pawblo’s excitement, though he was quickly becoming impatient, wanting the evening to come faster. He was already missing Cataloupe.

Cataloupe felt the same way, despite Pawblo being in front of him almost the whole day. He just wanted their moments to be special, rather than only training. Though once the day was coming to an end, Cataloupe dismissed everyone early so they could prepare for dinner, their evening, and for him, his date.

Pawblo winked, and waved to Cataloupe as he walked off, and went to the showers to clean up and get changed. He wanted to look nice, but not too nice in case of raising suspicion.

Pawblo skipped dinner and went straight to the ward where he stayed. Despite not being injured, Cataloupe prefered that he stayed there for ease of access, and favoritism. He got dressed in Blue jeans and a green shirt, pulling his camo Jacket over his shoulders and leaving it unzipped to keep the formality, and he made sure his hair was brushed properly. He knew he was ready for his date, all he had to do now was be there.

Cataloupe did not have time to change, and to maintain his morale, he couldn’t anyways. He remained in uniform, and Went to the screening room to prepare the movie with the other assigned generals. He was early, just like pawblo, who waited patiently in a seat in the back row, smiling and waving again to Cataloupe when he saw him.

Once dinner was over, the other soldiers came into the screening room, not excited, but at least they were attending. Almost all the seats were filled, Pawblo was capable of keeping the one next to him available for Cataloupe, which he eventually filled, and held Pawblo’s hand as soon as he was able to.

Once the movie started, all eyes were on the screen, though Pawblo and Cataloupe occasionally looked over to each other and smiled, though their eyes returned to the screen after a few seconds each time. Once the movie had ended, everyone left as soon as they could, Leaving Pawblo and Cataloupe alone to kiss for a moment, then leave behind the crowd of soldiers ahead of them. As planned, they walked together to the parking lot, where they got into Cataloupe’s car and drove off to his house. Pawblo was excited to spend more quality time with the man he loved, but he was also curious of what was to come.

Once they got there, Cataloupe rushed out of the car and went around to open the door for pawblo. Though that wasn’t all, when he had the chance, he picked Pawblo up and carried him inside. He eventually let Pawblo go once they got to the couch, and they sat down together. That is, until Pawblo climbed on top of Cataloupe and began to kiss him, starting with his cheeks,a nd working is way to Cataloupe’s mouth. Mostly to tease him, but to also avoid laughing from being tickled too soon by his mustache.

Cataloupe smirked and put his arms around Pawblo like a hug, and he enjoyed their kissing session that Pawblo had started. He was starting to get the hang of it, and he even began to start a make out session while Pawblo was kissing him. They remained on the sofa together, relaxing and enjoying each other, until they got a bit tired of that and decided to change. “I think we should shower, it’s been a long day.” Pawblo noted.

Cataloupe nodded, then he smirked. “Water bill has been a bit high, catch my drift?” He winked to Pawblo and started to sit up, still holding onto Pawblo.

Pawblo only blushed in response and put his arms around Cataloupe’s neck to help support his hold. Guess the Afterdate would be much different than an actual date, to his surprise.

After their shower together, Cataloupe dried himself off and slid into a pair of briefs. Pawblo couldn’t take his eyes off of his lover. He was just perfect. It felt like a dream, being with someone like him. But it was reality. And he loved it.

Cataloupe took notice of Pawblo staring, and smirked. “See something you like?” He flexed his huge arms, making Pawblo blush a bright red, laughing. “Cataloupe! Stop, haha!” The older male soon walked over to the bed and slid under the covers. He soon held the covers up, winking at Pawblo. “Come over here and make me.”

Pawblo quickly pulled a pair of briefs on and slid into bed next to Cataloupe. They share a small makeout session before cuddling up with one another.

“Hey, Cataloupe?”

Cataloupe looked down at Pawblo. “Yes, my little crumpet?”

“....Thanks. For, uh, giving this….whatever this is…..a chance.” Pawblo nervously smiled. “I didn’t think you’d want a guy like me.”

Cataloupe planted a few more kisses on Pawblo’s head before responding. “I’m glad I did. You’re the most amazing guy I’ve ever dated.”

The two of them curled up into bed. They would fall asleep, embracing one another in their arms.

Chapter Text

Cataloupe took Pawblo out of the ammunition room and guided him to the showers in the main base. They talked as they walked, discussing matters of work in the hall, but instantly changing the topic to each other when they got into the empty shower room. They both undressed and got into their stalls, and started to shower, that's when it got quiet again. As if the water was silencing them, but they just wanted to get some peace, and avoid anything too awkward yet. That is until Cataloupe asked, "Could you help me scrub my back? I can't quite reach."

Pawblo's face turned completely red and he stared at the wall facing Cataloupe for a moment. "Y-You uh… Want me i-in there… With you?" He stuttered. He was nervous about it, and hesitant, but he wouldn't say no.

"Yeah, you don't have to, but I'm just asking if you don't mind giving me a hand." Cataloupe explained, trying to lighten the tension from the mood and relieve pawblo of any embarrassment.

Pawblo thought for a moment, then it turned into a couple of minutes, but he eventually stepped out of his stall and into Cataloupes, keeping his chin up and he began to scrub massage Cataloupe's back when he wasn't looking.

Cataloupe didn't hear Pawblo step into his stall, and he almost freaked out when he felt paws touching him. Though when he realized it was pawblo, he almost immediately began to enjoy the contact. Groans of relief and pleasure can be heard leaving his mouth. He kept himself turned around to avoid any eye contact, and held still for Pawblo.

Once Pawblo was done with his requested favor, he rinsed his paws out in the water, then quickly stepped back into his stall. His internal panic had already begun, but now he got to focus on it, and he stood there in shock quietly. "I can't believe that just happened." He thought to himself.

"I can't believe he actually did that." Cataloupe thought to himself, trying to readjust to the quiet again while he rinsed himself off. Once he was done, he turned off the water and put his towel on, then went to his locker to get dressed, but Pawblo stayed in his shower stall. "It's okay blueberry, I have my underwear on." He chuckled.

Pawblo was quiet for a moment, then the water turned off and he stepped out with his towel on. "N-no it's fine, I was finishing up." He gave Cataloupe a thumbs up as he walked by and to his locker. "So how has your day been?"

"You probably know, but to answer your question, good. Only got better when I got to see you again." Cataloupe winked to Pawblo and pulled his pants on, leaving Pawblo to blush and laugh as he also got dressed next to him.

"You too, you make every day worth it." Pawblo sighed and finished getting dressed. He was hurrying as usual, while Cataloupe took his time. He wasn't very embarrassed. "So what should we do later?"

"What we always do. We go separate ways for the evening and do it all again tomorrow." Cataloupe said as he closed his locker and started leaving.

"Wait! Is there any way we could, spend more time together tonight? I love spending time with you, and I kind of want to know you outside of work and small talk." Pawblo smiled nervously and rushed to follow Cataloupe.

"Hmm… Alright. You can come over to my house for a bit. But you need to be back at the base by midnight. I'll cook dinner and we can chill for a while." Cataloupe smiled and kissed Pawblo's cheek.

Pawblo nodded and chuckled, gently pushing Cataloupe away from his face when they got near the door. When they left the shower room, they went separate ways to finish their day, then when the sun began to set and Cataloupe was allowed to leave for the day, Pawblo met him at the front gate. They walked together to Pawblo’s truck, and he started taking the directions to Cataloupe’s house.

Once they arrived, Cataloupe and Pawblo walked inside, Cataloupe going to the kitchen, while Pawblo thought it would be polite to stay in the living room and wait. “So, what’s on the menu tonight sir- I mean, Cataloupe?”

“Just you wait Blueberry, I’ll make you something worth coming back for.” He winked and went into the kitchen.

“You don’t need to cook anything for that! You’re enough!” Pawblo called out and smiled, he was becoming more confident with his flirting, and he was sure it made Cataloupe smile.

Cataloupe came out of the kitchen with two plates of steak and mashed potatoes. The steaks were enormous, and smelled amazing, as did the servings of potatoes. “I hope you’re hungry soldier, we’re eating my kind of meal.”

Pawblo kept his mouth closed to avoid drooling, and he nodded when Cataloupe told him. “Got it. They look amazing si- Cataloupe. Thank you.”

“No problem Blueberry, go ahead and dig in.” He gave a plate and fork to Pawblo, and sat down next to him to start eating. “I think you’ll like it.”

Cataloupe was right, Pawblo was in love with the food, but he loved Cataloupe a whole lot more. And with his mouthful, he couldn’t say anything, so he gave Cataloupe a complement in the form of a Thumbs-Up. Once they were finished eating though, Pawblo sighed quietly, looking down to his half eaten steak, and seeing Cataloupe’s empty plate. He took the dirty plates and silverware from Cataloupe and got up to wash them. “I’ll do my part for us. Thank you for that amazing meal. If you don't mind, could I take the rest of mine back to the base?”

Cataloupe felt a bit guilty for letting Pawblo handle the dishes, but he decided not to say anything about it. “Uhh, sure. If you like it that much, then I won't stop you from taking it.”

Pawblo nodded and went into the kitchen, finding a plastic box to store the rest of his food in, then he started washing the plates. While he was busy, Cataloupe snuck up behind Pawblo and waited for him to finish. He was surprisingly quiet for his size, and when Pawblo turned around, he screamed, though it was quickly silenced when Cataloupe pulled Pawblo into a hug. He chuckled mischievously and started petting the back of Pawblo’s head. “Don’t worry Blueberry, I just like to mess with you.”

Pawblo pulled his face out of Cataloupe’s chest and stared up at him, unamused, but smiling. “I hate you.” He said playfully, then resting his cheek onto Cataloupe’s chest again. He didn’t want to move, but it was a bit awkward to hug and cuddle in the middle of the kitchen. “Let’s take this to the couch, so we can relax.”

“How about to bed instead then?” Cataloupe offered. This offer made Pawblo blush, and he nodded in approval. “That’s fine with me.” He said quietly, and walked with Cataloupe to his room. They got onto the bed together and continued to cuddle there, though they didn’t get too comfortable since Pawblo had to leave soon. “This is nice.” Pawblo noted as they cuddled.

“Yeah, I wish this could last all night.” Cataloupe responded. He yawned and stretched out, then he took off his shirt to get comfortable. This made Pawblo blush, despite seeing him naked before, he was still not used to being inches away from his bare chest. Though he thought it would be nicer to take off his own shirt to share the mood, and That is exactly what he did. He took off his shirt and dropped it off the bed, so he could cuddle bare chested with Cataloupe. “You’re fluffy, big guy.”

“Not as fluffy as you.”

“Wanna bet?”

“You know I do.”

“Well you are, so I win.”

“Which one of us is talking right now?”

Cataloupe chuckled and kissed Pawblo, though keeping it slow. Once they were done kissing, he laid on his back and let Pawblo climb back on top of him to rest onto his chest. “I’ll take you back to the base later. Let’s just relax here for a while.”

“Agreed.” Pawblo mumbled as he rested his chin into the fluff on Cataloupe’s chest, and he relaxed. Almost being lulled to sleep in an instant from the soft warmth around him. Though being awake now was a dream already.

About an hour passed, and soon Pawblo and Cataloupe had to break the embrace that they were comfortable with and get up from bed. They put their shirts back on, with Pawblo keeping the image of Cataloupe’s huge form in his mind for later.

30 minutes later, Cataloupe pulled his car over to the front of the army base’s entrance. “Well, Pawblo, this is where we part ways tonight. Shame, really. You’re starting to grow on me.” Pawblo blushed a little. “Well, it’s not my fault you’re the one thing on my mind now….Sir.”

Pawblo smirked as he grabbed onto Cataloupe’s collar and pulled him in for a kiss. The older ventrexian was startled but soon melted into the kiss. As they made out inside of the car, Pawblo felt Cataloupe’s huge hands trace against the fur inside of his shirt. He soon pulled away, with the two of them feeling embarrassed about what just happened.

“......Got any plans during your free time tomorrow?”

Pawblo thought about it for a second. “Nope, I’m free.”

“Let’s take temporary leave tomorrow. We can continue this…” He pecked Pawblo’s lips one last time. “.....at my place.” Cataloupe winked, then soon let out a chuckle.

Pawblo gigled and nodded. “Alright then. See you tomorrow, Whiskers.” He smiled and soon got out of the car.

Cataloupe drove away, feeling like the king of the world.

Chapter Text

Pawblo was working his usual shift, the usual mechanic work he did on a typical day, was his current objective. He was lifting the hood of people's vehicles, inspecting the engines, sometimes going under the vehicles to handle any extra requests. All a part of his job. He took note of the customers he was serving, who they were and what they looked like. Part of it being curiosity, the other being a personal courtesy. Nearing the end of his shift, after the sun had set and he was exhausted from his work for the day, he took one last customer to finish his line. Once the vehicle was inside, he closed the door to the entrance and locked up, then went up to the driver door to take notes of requests. "Thanks for coming, sir. My name's Pawblo, What can I do for you today?" He said as he glanced at the driver, though his eyes widened slightly when he saw the large driver. A handsome ventrexian, Light grey with small dark patches, a mustache, and very muscular. It was attractive to say the least, and the smirk that he was getting from the driver made it even worse.

"Good to see you tonight, Pawblo. Name's Cataloupe, and I'm just here for an oil change and Tire rotation." Cataloupe rested his elbow on the rim of the door where the window had descended, and he kept his eyes on Pawblo. He could tell Pawblo was either nervous or flustered, which made him smirk, thinking it was cute.

"Okay, Cataloupe. Oil change and Tire rotation." Pawblo said as he wrote down his notes onto his clip board. "That'll be Twenty three dollars, Tire rotation o-on me." He said as he quickly walked off to get what he needed for the job. He set his clipboard on a desk to get his hands free, and he was now ready to start the process.

Cataloupe watched Pawblo quietly, still having that sly smirk on his face, laughing to himself on the inside about how he got Pawblo flustered almost effortlessly. He was really cute, and pretty polite with the free tire rotation. "I like this one." He told himself, as he waited in his now still and off vehicle.

Pawblo was working under the vehicle, draining the old oil into a dish, though he occasionally slid his work bed forward to peek from under the door, glancing up at Cataloupe and admiring his looks. He was very handsome, Handsome enough to keep his attention. He felt the oil dripping onto his leg, which snapped him back into work and he cleaned up the oil on his leg. Once he was done with draining the oil, He got up to the engine and started putting new oil in. Though it became a process with Cataloupe suddenly wanting to make small talk.

"Busy today? You look tired, but at least you look good." Cataloupe gave a mixed question compliment, which threw Pawblo a bit out of loop, and he had to think of a response while he poured in the oil.

"Y-Yep! Busy every day, and yeah I'm tired. But I'm not letting that affect my work. How about you sir?"

"It's Cataloupe, But yeah. The base was busy like usual too. Glad I got enough time tonight to squeeze in a quick run on my truck though. How else would I have run into you?" Cataloupe winked to Pawblo, though with the hood up he couldn't see it. Yet.

Once the oil had been changed, the tires were next. Pawblo had Cataloupe leave the car, and he raised it to a good level to undo the bolts and switch their positions. Wasn't a long process for him, but It would be a few minutes. Just enough time for Cataloupe to keep getting some conversation in with Pawblo.

"So, Got any plans tonight? I'm just heading home to train and sleep." Cataloupe noted to Pawblo as he watched him work.

"No, just walking home tonight, eating dinner, and going to bed." Pawblo spoke as he got the bolts off the first wheel. "Nothing exciting."

"Well, what if I brought you to my place to Have dinner and chill? Wouldn't want you walking through the streets all alone at night." Cataloupe made it seem like Pawblo was some sort of charity case, though it was just the truth.

Pawblo blushed brightly in response to Cataloupe's offer, did he know? This was happening a bit too fast for him to comprehend, but he was enjoying it. "Uhhh... Sure. I wont say no to dinner. And My legs could use a break from all this work." Pawblo added, sighing quietly to himself as he continued. "What am I doing?" He thought. "Cataloupe is a total stranger. A hot one, but you can't just accept dinner from him yet!"

"Great. I'll obviously drive you there, then home when we're through the night. Since I already ate, You can pick what dinner is." Cataloupe mentioned, trying to stay polite and sweeten the deal on Pawblo's end. This made him blush slightly, despite knowing his own intentions. He wanted to know Pawblo better, he was everything he wanted.

All the tires had been rotated and inspected, and Cataloupe's truck was ready to go. Pawblo lowered the Truck onto the ground and allowed Cataloupe to get back in, while he turned everything off for the night and locked the doors. Once he was done closing up for the night, He got into the passenger side of Cataloupe's car and they drove off. Their first stop, the Gas station to get the tank filled.

"I could have filled it up for you for free." Pawblo raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Did you forget?"

"I was unaware I needed gas until just now." Cataloupe shrugged as he pulled up to a gas station pump. "I'll fill 'er' up, if you want you can run into the store and grab a snack or something. Y'know, you're an adult."

Pawblo nodded and got out of the car once it was stopped, and he went into the store. During this time, Cataloupe was at the pump, watching Pawblo, though he noticed something quickly. He saw an alien walking into the store behind him, clearly suspicious, showing no signs of trying to hide it. And he was right, The alien pulled out a blaster and aimed it at the cashier, Pawblo still in the middle, frozen in place. This made Cataloupe drop the gas nozzle, and he ran at full speed towards the glass doors. This wasn't going to end well.

"OKAY! NOBODY MOVE, AND PUT EVERYTHING IN THE BAG!" The Alien yelled to the cashier, tossing a bag to them and holding the gun to them, glancing to pawblo every few seconds. Though his glance was cut short, with a loud crash and a huge grey ventrexian herdling towards him. Cataloupe ran right into the alien, knocking the gun out of his hand, and sucker punching him square in the gut. The sudden surprise and force of the blow, sent the Alien backwards and right into a shelf, where he quickly fell unconscious, and the Cashier quietly celebrated while summoning the cops.

Pawblo quickly ran up to Cataloupe and he glanced at the alien. "That was incredible, how and why did you do that?"

"I'm a general in the military, and nobody touches my blueberry without permission. I-I mean, friend." Cataloupe blushed and rubbed his knuckles to relieve the slight stinging. "You're okay though, right?"

Pawblo's face turned bright red yet again, and his ears burned. Cataloupe never failed to fluster Pawblo at any given moment, especially now, but he forced himself to nod in response to the question. "Y-yeah, I'm fine. Let's just get out of here." He chuckled and started leaving the store with Cataloupe right behind him. The Cashier still keeping an eye on the unconscious robber and thanking Cataloupe as they left.

The ride to Cataloupe's house was awkward, with dead silence apart from the quiet radio, the low hum of the engine, and any other noises. To Pawblo, it was a bit stressful, considering he had to make up for the dinner offer already, now he also had to repay for Cataloupe saving his life. That would be a pretty difficult thing to return a favor to.

Cataloupe on the other hand, was taking the time to think about what just happened, and how he was going to play out the evening. He wasn't entirely sure what to do for Pawblo, but he wanted to make sure the night was special and comfortable. "When we get there, how about we cook together, and then we can get to know each other better while you eat and I exercise." He offered, giving elaboration to Pawblo about his plan.

Pawblo nodded, and relaxed slightly. "Sure, that's fine with me." He fell silent again, but only for a moment. "And, thanks for saving my life back there. I can't really think of much way to repay you, so how about free services on any vehicle you bring to me?" Pawblo offered.

"That would be nice, but no. You're a strong ventrexian, I can tell that much, so I know well that I didn't save your life. I just didn't want you getting hurt or being in that situation. It also doubled as a good distraction to get a free bag of chips." He pulled a small bag of potato chips from his coat pocket and tossed it into Pawblo's lap. "Enjoy."

Pawblo couldn't help but laugh, blushing a little to Cataloupe's reasoning. He thought it was nice, and he was amused by cataloupe taking the opportunity to steal something while being a hero. "You're pretty great." Pawblo commented as he opened the chips and began to eat them, offering a few to Cataloupe, who took some as well.

Once they got to Cataloupe's house, they went inside quickly to avoid the cold wind. They went to the kitchen and began cooking, working in unison. "What are we making?." Cataloupe asked Pawblo. "How about stir fry?" Pawblo asked, getting a nod from cataloupe, who went to the fridge. He got a pack of meat, then he went back to the stove and started frying the meat in a skillet, while Pawblo worked on cutting up vegetables. "So, what do you like to do outside of work, blueberry?"

Pawblo blushed at the nickname, and shrugged. "I-I guess the usual. Go home, play video games and wait for either death or retirement."

"That sounds like a plan rather than a hobby. I like to go hunting and build weapons outside of the base." Cataloupe told Pawblo his hobbies, in hopes to get Pawblo on the track of a different answer.

Pawblo nodded and set the food he prepared to the side, so he could assist Cataloupe. "That's pretty cool, I never learned how to do either." He shrugged and watched cataloupe cook the meat. "I suppose, I like to talk to some of my friends, and experiment with different vehicle parts. It helps me learn with what I'm working with."

Cataloupe nodded. "You'd make a great soldier, Organized and strong. Though I'm lucky you aren't, I'd have my eyes on you all day." He quickly blushed, letting the words slip out of his mouth. He didn't mean to say it, and he regretted it immediately.

Pawblo blushed, and grabbed the vegetable bowl silently, pouring them into the meat and nodded. "Yep, I guess that's how it works." He squeaked out embarrassingly.

Once the stir fry was finished cooking, Cataloupe turned off the stove and grabbed a couple bowls. "Well, I guess it was nice getting to know you a little better." He thought for a moment. "Sorry if I've been a bit weird, meeting you and having so many weird events in less than an hour." He shrugged.

"It's fine, don't worry. It's been kind of fun, and I don't mind anything that's happened. It's nice enough that you offered dinner." He smiled. "Maybe we could hang out more sometime, Im enjoying this, it's not everyday I spend time with a friend."

Cataloupe nodded and put servings of food on each plate, then left the rest in the skillet on the stove. "Sure, I'd actually like to see you again sometime." Cataloupe added as he handed the plate to Pawblo, then went to the table with him to eat.

It was a quiet and peaceful evening, the wind picking up from time to time and a quiet whirr whistled through the walls. "Sounds like it'll be windy tonight. I'll drive you home later, so you don't have to walk in it." Cataloupe mentioned. "But I probably would have ended up taking you home anyways, I'm fairly certain you live pretty far from here." Cataloupe chuckled.

"Yeah, I live a bit far from here, though not across town. Pawblo noted as he ate. Though the peace was cut short when he heard something. It also caught Cataloupe's attention. It sounded like car doors outside in the front, and when Pawblo noticed even Cataloupe wasn't sure, they both got up and went into the other room to look outside. That's when they saw the alien from before at the store, obviously injured, but with friends.

Cataloupe quickly pulled Pawblo away from the window, and upstairs. "Remember how I said I built weapons in my free time? Well, now's the time to use them." He smirked and opened a door to what should be a closet, but was instead stocked with guns and blasters. "There's five of them and two of us. I'll hide in the hall and wait for them to enter, you stay up here and go into the bedroom to surprise whoever comes in. If they come in up here."

Pawblo was in a bit of a panic, but he was taking in the orders from Cataloupe as they came. He grabbed a pair of pistol blasters, then quickly ran to the bedroom and stood behind the dresser, out of sight from both the door and window, now waiting for anything to happen.

Cataloupe closed and locked the weapon closet door, then he rushed downstairs to the hall like he said. This almost felt like a game to him, thugs attempting revenge. He was going to have his own fun with this.

Three of the aliens broke the front door down, rushing inside, both looking for Cataloupe and Pawblo, and stealing what they found valuable. They seemed to be a small gang, but it became even smaller with three gunshots. Cataloupe managed to get two of them from the side, and shot the last one as he tried to run out the door. Now he was waiting for the last two.

Though, they were on Pawblo's side. They broke in from the window of the bedroom, which startled Pawblo to say the least, and instead of shooting them, he threw his blasters at them, hitting one, and missing the other. He felt like an idiot, but he at least knew how to throw a punch. The aliens were not armed, but outnumbering Pawblo was a bit of an advantage, and their fist fight began.

The aliens both Fought pawblo at the same time, attempting to over power him and get him out of the way, their target being Cataloupe. They managed to get hits on pawblo's face and chest, but he was fighting back too, nearly knocking one alien out, but the fight paused when Cataloupe stormed into the room. The aliens cowered and backed away from Pawblo, stumbling into the blasters. Though it was a bit late, cataloupe already armed and pointing his gun at them. "Try it." He growled, which made them freeze, and both of them put their hands up. "In my dresser, top drawer, handcuffs. Get them pawblo."

Pawblo did as he was told, getting the hand cuffs and putting both the aliens in them. He was slightly worried of being attacked when he got close, but he made it quick. Cataloupe pulled out his phone and called a friend to pick up the two aliens, and to help clean up the small mess.

Finally, after about an hour of getting everything back in place, the bodies removed, and the aliens taken to the police, Cataloupe was still performing first aid on the minor injuries pawblo had. "Sorry I got you into this mess, But it was fun no?"

Pawblo shrugged, though smiling. "Yeah, being assaulted and nearly dying for real wasn't fun, but it was fun to do something different." He chuckled. "If you want, you can crash at my place until your door gets fixed."

"And risk some other freak show to walk in and steal something? No thanks. I was thinking, you stay here for the night instead, so I can keep an eye on you. For safety concerns." Cataloupe chuckled and gave Pawblo an ice pack for his already blackened eye.

Pawblo chuckled. "Sounds like a decent plan. I really owe you a ton more than just a lifetime of free mechanic work." He started thinking for a moment, then he had an idea. "This saturday, what if I took you out for dinner? Repaying you for dinner, then I buy you a gun, as another token of gratitude. Then maybe you can teach me out how to use one."

Cataloupe smiled and nodded, putting Pawblo's paws into his. "Yeah, so maybe next time something happens you don't throw your only defense at the enemy and risk being killed with it." He laughed.

Pawblo blushed with embarrassment, and nodded. "Yeah that was pretty stupid, but I've never had to fight like that before."

"I'll teach you, strong cub." He winked and kissed Pawblo's forehead. Though he quickly panicked and backed away. "I uh, mean, pawblo. You'll get bett-"

Pawblo pulled Cataloupe back and kissed him, he was both happy, and surprised. Once they parted from the kiss, He laughed nervously and put the ice pack back on his eye. "Sorry, but I assumed it would be a good time to try that."

Cataloupe nodded, and he stood from the couch, setting a blaster next to Pawblo's leg. "Well, I'm going to leave you to rest. I'll see you in the morning. He ruffled Pawblo's hair and went upstairs to shower.

Pawblo smiled, and picked up the blaster, inspecting it closely. "I guess the learning starts now." He told himself, and began to familiarize himself with the design and pieces to it.

Chapter Text

Pawblo was wrapping up his work day, Friday night couldn't go by any slower. Though he was about to close up his shop, until he saw Cataloupe driving up in his truck. He rolled down the window and poked his head outside. "Get in blueberry, I'm taking you to dinner."

Pawblo blushed and raised an eyebrow, resuming his usual process of locking the doors and turning off the lights, then quickly hopping into Cataloupe's truck so they could get to dinner. "I thought I was taking you to dinner, tomorrow night?"

Cataloupe shrugged and got onto the highway. "Plans changed, I have to leave the planet tomorrow for a mission, and It's not polite to make somebody else pay for dinner." He smiled. "So I'm taking the opportunity to treat you well before I can't."

Pawblo's face turned red again and he nodded, allowing Cataloupe to go on with his plan. Now knowing the conditions, he wanted to spend as much time as he could with Cataloupe. "So, off planet huh? What's it like in space?"

"Cold as hell, nobody to really talk to besides your team. They make great company, but I'd rather be around my favorite ventrexian." He looked over to Pawblo and winked, then back to eyes on the road.

The comeback only kept Pawblo's face red, and he smiled. Guess their relationship kicked off. "Thanks, I'd probably say the same thing if I were you. But you're my favorite of anybody."

Cataloupe blushed and chuckled quietly, going into the city towards the skyscrapers. "This will be a nice dinner, just us."

Pawblo quickly snapped out of his blushed daze and started feeling anxious. "Nice? I'm supposed to be paying you back, and I smell like oil. I'm still in uniform and I haven't showered since this morning and-"

"Relax blueberry. Sure you aren't dressed to even the fourth degree, but nobody's going to judge you. And if they do, don't mind it. I think you look fine." Cataloupe tried to reassure him. "Trust me, I went to this same restaurant with a broken rib and blood stained in my fur from battle, they only minded a little. So sweat, oil, and a black eye is nothing to worry about."

Pawblo felt at ease again with Cataloupe's explanation, and he felt his nervousness disappear. "I believe you. So, where are we even going anyways? I've never been in this part of town, couldn't even afford to look at it for too long." He chuckled.

"A fancy burger restaurant. They're famous for introducing some alien customs from other parts of the galaxy, to earth." Cataloupe explained. "I go about twice a year, only for major victories. I consider this date a major victory with you." He winked to pawblo again.

"Oh stop." Pawblo laughed. "My face is already red from all your other smooth lines." Pawblo explained.

Once they arrived at the building, Cataloupe parked his truck and got out, alongside Pawblo. They walked to the door and walked inside, greeted by a dimly lit mansion styled restaurant. The walls were blood red and hard wood decorations, complimenting the crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Every table was uniformly set with a perfect white cloth and candles, perfect for a fancy date. It was somewhat full, quiet conversation among dates and meets kept the simple ambience alive, and they became a part of it once seated and offered menus.

Pawblo looked over the fancy, yet plain menu, seeing close to a dozen burger options, and a few extra spaces for sides, drinks, alcohol, and desserts. "Now this is a restaurant I like, thanks for bringing me Cataloupe."

"No problem Pawblo, only the best for the best man." He winked, then went back to going through his menu. He already knew what he wanted, but assuming it would help if he tried to act a bit less knowing. "Feel free to get anything you want, I'll let you pay a fraction if you're obligated."

Pawblo nodded and set down the menu. "Thanks, I'm good to go then."

They ordered their food, and within only a few conversations, they had their food and drinks in front of them. A simple yet delicious burger and beer for Pawblo, and a strange three meat burger and beer for Cataloupe. They still had a slow conversation together while they ate, occasionally sharing a laugh or exchanging pickup lines. In the end, their dinner went well, Pawblo slightly buzzed, and Cataloupe paying the bill.

"Alright, let's go do one more thing Blueberry." Cataloupe said as he left a tip and got up, walking slowly to the doors.

Pawblo followed close behind him, he was wobbling a bit from the slight dizziness of his current state, but he could still pull off for normal. He followed Cataloupe into the truck and they drove off, though they were leaving the city now. "Hey, where are we going?"

Cataloupe hummed. "Surprise. Don't worry it's a good surprise." He chuckled and watched the road. Eventually, the buildings thinned from city to suburb, then to country. It was only a few more minutes, then Cataloupe turned into a country road to go through a field. Pawblo was watching closely, and Cataloupe casually draped his arm around The backrest of Pawblo's seat.

Cataloupe suddenly stopped the truck after a moment of driving away from the road, then he parked it. "Meet me in the bed when you're ready." He said, as he took off his seatbelt and got out, going to the back and sitting in the bed of the truck.

Pawblo waited a moment, thinking to himself in silence, then he followed Cataloupe out of the truck and into the bed, sitting next to him. That's when, Cataloupe put his arm around Pawblo, and laid down, bring Pawblo down with him, and staring up to the stars. The thousands of stars were like microscopic lights, glistening from every inch of the sky, no cloud or moon in the way to hinder their beautiful glows to illuminate a very low blue around the black emptiness between them. "That is space, You probably knew it already, but I'm heading out there tomorrow. If you ever feel lonely, just look up and know that I'm up there, waiting to come back to you." Cataloupe explained, as if it were some kind of story.

Pawblo smiled, he felt warm on both the outside and inside. It was Cataloupe all the way, with his body heat, and the comforting words getting through to him entirely, as if he were speaking to his heart. "Wow, the night sky is almost as nice to look at as you." Pawblo mumbled. "Thanks for that. I have a feeling I'll worry a little for you, but you're invincible."

"Not invincible, but you won't see me in the ground for another hundred years." Cataloupe chuckled, bringing Pawblo close. Now with Pawblo's cheek against his shoulder, their sides touching, and their legs slowly crossing into each other, they were sharing the moment silently and enjoying the warmth they could share. Though it was only about twenty minutes before the silence was broken by the quiet snores of Pawblo, who had dozed off to sleep and now rested closer into Cataloupe's body than before.

Cataloupe chuckled and kissed Pawblo's cheek, allowing him a few more minutes to rest in his position, then he carried him back into the truck, letting him sleep in his seat as he drove them home. He stayed quiet to give Pawblo his rest, though he had to take Pawblo to his house. "Can't believe he dozed off without telling me his address." He chuckled. "Guess we're sleeping together a bit longer." He chuckled.

Once they were back at Cataloupe's house, he carried Pawblo inside and upstairs to his bedroom, where they cuddled together for the rest of the night. He had a feeling that waking up would be hard, but leaving Pawblo would be even harder.

Once the morning came, Pawblo woke up before Cataloupe, who was still holding him in a hug, He was snoring a bit louder than Pawblo was, which wasn't too displeasing, but he was flustered by the warmth of his body and the amount of fur that was surrounding him. Even though he was awake, it was like a dream.He gently tugged his arm out of the tight space of his side, and he booped Cataloupe's nose to wake him up. "Wake up Teddy bear, your mission starts today."

Cataloupe's eyes opened almost instantly, and he let Pawblo go. "Oh, good morning Pawblo, you look like you slept well, thanks for waking me." He smiled and sat up, while letting Pawblo go. "I'll get ready, then take you home. Sorry for not asking for your address, you were already asleep, and you were so cute." Cataloupe blushed and smiled at his own reasoning.

"It's fine, It was nice to cuddle with you. I felt a lot safer." He smiled and got out of bed, stretching out and fixing his hair. "You don't have to worry about breakfast, I'm not hungry, and I'll make some for you while you're busy getting ready."

Cataloupe nodded and got out of bed, taking off his shirt and putting it in the laundry basket, then going to the bathroom to take a rushed shower. That left Pawblo alone to blush at the image of Cataloupe's bare chest, and the fact he slept a full night with him. Though he didn't take too long thinking about it, he had to get downstairs and make breakfast for him.

Cataloupe was only in the shower for about ten minutes, most of that time was spent making sure his mustache was perfect, and he was quick to get into his uniform, then rushing downstairs towards the smell of eggs and bacon.

Pawblo was in the kitchen he had just finished putting a massive bacon, egg, and cheese burrito on a plate and onto the table for Cataloupe to eat, while he was now busy cleaning the pans and putting everything back when it was clean. He wanted to make sure nothing was dirty when he left. "Nice uniform Cataloupe, you look good. Breakfast is on the table." He smiled and finished cleaning the last pan.

Cataloupe smiled and ruffled Pawblo's hair, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek while he walked by and sat down at the table to eat. "Gotta kiss the cook, it's good luck."

Pawblo blushed and chuckled, turning off the sinking and drying off the pan, before putting it away and sitting down in a chair next to Cataloupe, to rest his eyes and enjoy the quiet peace of the Saturday morning. "Normally, I would be pissed to wake up this early, but Waking up to you is the best thing ever, and no matter what hour it would be, would be the best morning."

Cataloupe gave a quiet "Aww." and blushed, continuing to eat quietly. "Thanks blueberry, you made my morning perfect just by being here."

Their brief breakfast break was quick, with Cataloupe rushing to finish, to get Pawblo home and back to the base on time. He didn't want to rush, but he couldn't risk it. He got into the truck and started driving Pawblo back to his house, following the instructions he was given to get there. "Okay, we're almost there. Thanks for taking me back."

"No problem, I kind of have too, and besides, I would have anyways as a courtesy." Cataloupe smiled and continued going. Though their trip ended after only a few minutes, with Cataloupe pulling into Pawblo's driveway to a smaller house that isn't near as nice, but it was home.

"Well, this is it. Thanks for everything, when will I see you again?" Pawblo reached over and placed his paw on top of Cataloupe's.

"In about a week, if not two. This mission is wrapping up a war on another planet, and victory is certainly in our favor." Cataloupe smiled and kissed Pawblo's cheek again. "I'll call you in a few hours to say hello."

Pawblo nodded and got out of the truck, watching Cataloupe quickly back out and drive down the street towards the Military base. He smiled to himself and got inside his home. "That was certainly a night to remember. I'll give him one when he gets back." He told himself and chuckled, thinking of ideas almost immediately.

Chapter Text

Cataloupe and Pawblo woke up to the sound of the doorbell ringing. They both sat up in bed and rubbed their eyes. The sunlight shined through the window.

"Who the bloody hell is here at this hour???" Cataloupe felt irritated. He soon felt a hand rest on his wide shoulder. Pawblo smiled.

"Don't worry, babe. You go make us breakfast. I'll answer the door." He nodded. Cataloupe chuckled and placed a few kisses on his head before getting up and slipping into a bathrobe. Pawblo blushed a little, seeing how attractive his boyfriend was. "You look hot."

"Oh? Someone's being naughty a little earlier than expected." Cataloupe chuckled before he walked out of the room. Pawblo giggled a bit before getting up from the bed and doing the same as Cataloupe. He slipped into a spare bathrobe he hand and walked to the front door. The person on the other side obviously never heard of knocking or ringing once.

Pawblo opened the door to look out and see nobody, but soon noticed a small grey green-ish man wearing goggles and worn out clothing standing there. He spoke up. “Is Cataloupe there?”

The cornflower-blue ventrexian was confused. “Uhh...hey, babe? There’s someone here to see you.” The small man was taken aback from hearing this new ventrexian use the name “babe”. He was probably just imagining things.

Cataloupe walked up to the door and was surprised to see who it was. “Clarence! How have you been, friend? Where’s Fox and Ash?”

Clarence shook his head. “It’s just me now. Can I...can I come in?” Cataloupe nodded. He opened the door a bit wider and soon Clarence was in the house, sitting down at the couch. “I was wondering if I could stay here for a while.” He smirked. “Given our...history...together, I figured you’d be okay with me dropping by so suddenly.” Pawblo’s ears perked up. “History? What history?”

Cataloupe felt uneasy with Clarence being here. “Clarence, what we had was...something...but that’s been over for a while. You should move on.” The small man was surprised to hear this. “W-what?! I did everything for us! I got us that reservation at the restaurant you like! Gave you whatever you asked for! And don’t forget that time in the—!” Pawblo covered his ears. “Nope, nope, nope! I figured it out! Don’t want to hear this!”

The big ventrexian pulled Pawblo closer to his side. “Besides, I moved on.This is my boyfriend, Pawblo. One of the finest soldiers I’ve ever trained. Maybe this is a sign that you should go put yourself out there, instead of pestering me.” The smaller ventrexian blushed a little, hearing the kind words that Cataloupe used to describe him. Clarence was in total shock. The man that he loved had moved on, just like everybody else.

The small man slowly got up and angrily walked out, yelling “I knew you were too good for me!” before he slammed the front door shut. Pawblo turned to face Cataloupe. “Babe, are you okay?” “I’m fine, Blueberry. Just….give me a moment.” The big ventrexian sat down on the couch and rubbed in between his eyes in a stressed manner. “Clarence was a nice guy, but he was sour. I’m glad that he and I were done for.”

Pawblo pulled his lover in for a hug. “Hey, listen to me. You can talk to me about anything, okay? If you need me, I’m here for you.” Cataloupe placed kissed on his boyfriend’s head in response. “Thank you, Pawblo. I’ll never leave you.” The two embraced for a little bit until Cataloupe pulled away, smirking. “How much time do you think we have before we go to work?”

“With you, time doesn’t matter.” Pawblo chuckled as he pulled Cataloupe in for a kiss, with the two of them falling back on the couch. They stayed there for a little while, imagining what the future could hold for them.

Chapter Text

The base had been quiet for a while now, with a few of the generals and their squadrons out on patrol and field exercises, the main facility was generally empty. Most posts remained filled for security, but as for every other low clearance room, it was empty and quiet. Except for the gym, where a lone Ventrexian soldier had been busy working out for the past half hour. He had his earbuds in as he lifted the dumbbells he picked out. Every now and then, he would pause and take out his earbuds in case something happened, but he never felt the need to leave. Though his silence was disturbed after a general walked in behind him.

“Soldier O’Connor! I see you’ve chosen to be productive with your free time, as per usual.” General Cataloupe unzipped his work out bag as he walked to a bench press. Raising an eyebrow when he received silence. “Soldier?”

Pawblo was yet to noticed Cataloupe, and still lifting the weight with his back turned to the door and earbuds playing his music, though when he took the moment to pause his music, he heard the metallic rattle of the press weights behind him. He looked over his shoulder, and saw Cataloupe laying down and lifting well over Two-Hundred pounds. He set the weight down and wiped the sweat drops off his forehead. “Oh, hey general! I didn’t hear you come in, sir.”

Cataloupe was slightly surprised to hear Pawblo talking to him finally, but he continued his set. “I could tell, I tried to say hi but got nothing.” He commented nonchalantly.

“Oh, sorry sir. I guess I had my music a bit too loud.” Pawblo chuckled and unplugged his earbuds. “The silence gets annoying when I train.” He said as he spooled the cord of his ear buds and placed them into the pocket of his bag.

“I understand, but you should keep an ear open for alerts or intruders. You never know what you could be missing, soldier.” Cataloupe retorted. “Don’t mind me though, I’m just getting some strength training done before the next block.”

Pawblo nodded and put the dumbbell back on the rack. “Yes sir.” He replied, then he got onto a foam mat and began a set of push ups, not spending much time to recover from the weight lifting session he had just finished. In his head he counted each push up, going for a new record. Eventually, only counted each ten, then his counting zoned off to the beat of the song he was listening to. Though once the song ended, he stopped and looked up, to see Cataloupe sitting on the bench watching him.

“You just did a few over two hundred and fifty push ups.” He commented. “Well, I only started counting two minutes ago, so make it three.” He chuckled and crossed his arms. “Color me impressed, soldier.”
Pawblo blushed, and took deep slow breaths, the exhaustion was setting in now that he knew how much he had done. “Thank, thank you sir.” He wheezed out, then he reached over and grabbed his water bottle, and took long slow slips to avoid dehydrating. The heat wouldn’t be as intolerable, but the dying air conditioning fan was on its final days, and barely providing any source of relief.

“Careful there, you should probably break for a while, that looked pretty intense.” Cataloupe added as he got up and walked over, kneeling next to pawblo. “You alright?”

Nearly choking on the last sip, Pawblo nodded and got up from sitting on the mat. “Y-yes sir, thank you.” He sat down again in the chair next to him, and continued to take slow breaths. “I’ll definitely take a break now.”

“I would have ordered you to take one anyway. I’ll stay here and continue my work out until I know you’re ready to leave. Just to make sure.” Cataloupe winked and got up, going back to his bench press, where he now started lifting the bar with his back and shoulders. He kept his eyes on Pawblo though, making sure to watch him, Just in case, just like he said.

Pawblo occasionally glanced over to cataloupe, his blush returning every time they made eye contact, and each time, he forced himself to look away to make things less awkward. The silence was killing him already, but the careful eyes of the man he looked up to, only seemed to kill him faster. “H-How was your day?”

“Decent, picking up after other people as usual, and making sure nothing got broken. Never been as easy as today though, with everyone gone, I was able to get paperwork done for once, and focus on my own division for the first time in forever.” Cataloupe chuckled, giving a low huff after almost letting the bar roll off his shoulders. “How about yourself?”

“Boring, nothing to do but rounds around the base and this. Though it’s nice to see you sir.” Pawblo didn’t think about his comment, until he heard, “You too.”, That’s when his face turned completely red, and he leaned back into his seat. The embarrassment was going straight to his head, literally.

After about twenty more minutes of working out, both Pawblo and Cataloupe had enough for the day. Though Pawblo was still quite visibly tired, so Cataloupe walked Pawblo back to his barrack. “Get some more rest soldier, you still look like you need some.” Cataloupe pat Pawblo’s back and walked away.

“Yes sir.” Pawblo responded, as he walked inside. He didn’t want to admit it, but he enjoyed the comfort of being cared for, especially by his own general. It felt nice, though a bit too nice for him at the moment. Maybe the feeling will go away. He thought to himself.

The next day, Pawblo was back in the Gym early in the morning. Cataloupe and a few other soldiers were in there already, getting their own daily exercise routine in. These were the soldiers that were out of commission, and had no duties for them. Cataloupe was only back to both stay in shape, and in hopes of seeing pawblo again. When he did see Pawblo, he smiled and eyed him, not making any conversation yet.

Pawblo went to the back of the room to the bench press section, and he started a light set. He didn’t have anybody to impress, and he was still tired, so he went slow now. He pushed and lowered the bar slowly, keeping the work out simple incase he had to leave.

A few soldiers left at the hour, leaving only a fraction of them left, among Cataloupe and pawblo. This gave Cataloupe the opportunity to get closer to Pawblo, and soon enough, he was bench pressing alongside Pawblo. “Morning soldier, didn’t think I’d see you here again so soon.” He commented quietly.

“Good morning sir. Glad to see you here, and thanks for the help yesterday.” Pawblo smiled and rested the bar on the supports. He had a hard time focusing on his work out while conversing. “Is there anything on our agenda today?”

“Not much, for today, continue your rounds and report to me by three o’clock with your observations of activity. That is, until anything comes up.”

“Yes sir.” Pawblo sighed quietly, he had only been off normal duty for three days and he was already sick of it. He hated the quiet empty halls, even more when he couldn’t do much about it.

“Don’t worry Pawblo, I’ll put you back in the field as soon as a position opens. Hopefully soon, and on good terms. Being one of the best soldiers in my division, means you’re a priority, so you may be here a while.”

“Saving me for last I suppose?” Pawblo hummed as he sat up. “But if i’m one of the best, shouldn’t I be out there fighting?” He glanced over to cataloupe, who was back to pressing a huge amount of weight.

“You’d think that, but the positions were filled already, and I’d like to save you for priority battles, rather than getting shot in a low priority scouting mission and sitting around for months.”

Pawblo nodded and looked around the dimly lit lit room, now noticing the small cracks in the concrete wall, and the quiet hum of the rusted old air conditioning fan. He didn’t notice these things before, lost in the world of his music and exercise, but now he was in the real world, and the small invisible cracks were suddenly visible to him. “I suppose being the best is like the wall. You can be preserved and stand, or get used and break down faster.”

Cataloupe chuckled and rested the bar on the supports like Pawblo did, and he looked to the wall. “Well, I guess that’s a realistic way to look at it, and you are correct.” Cataloupe sat up and gave Pawblo a smile, then he grabbed an elastic resistance band from the wall hanger and started stretching it apart. It helped to pop his joints in the morning.
Pawblo watched for only a moment, then he heard the quiet humming of the air conditioner fail, suddenly fading into a quick silence. This was a quick displeasure to everyone in the room, it was little help to begin with, but some was better than none. So, the rest of the other soldiers packed their bags and left the gym room, leaving Cataloupe to his resistance exercise and Pawblo in his observation. Despite being alone together, it felt like enough company for a party.

“You aren’t leaving? Figured, you’re a tough one. The heat doesn’t bother you much, no?” Cataloupe chuckled and glanced over to Pawblo, noticing that he was still sitting on his bench and examining the room, as if it were new to him.

Pawblo looked back to Cataloupe and nodded. “Yes sir, I’m fine with the heat.” He said as he got up and started doing stretches. They were his way of waking up, rather than an official work out. “But I’m not THE tough one, I just suppose that they have better ways of training than in a run down room with no support.”

“Well, I can’t fix the run down part of the room, but I’m here to support you, if you support me.” Cataloupe winked to Pawblo and continued spreading his arms apart. Every time, it was like he was aiming to snap the band into halves.

Pawblo blushed and nodded. “I’ll be here, sir.” He smiled and fidgeted with the end of his shirt. He was flustered with the energy Cataloupe was sending to him, but he liked it. He did not let it settle though, now he was back to training. He went to the bars and began pull ups, he needed to get more arm strength, to aid in his combat, and to maybe one day, be like his Predecessor, the general he was with now.

Minutes in the room felt like an hour to the two Ventrexians, despite having a functional clock in the room, eternity was describable to the heat. It became annoying to Cataloupe, and he was beginning to huff with every other set. “This is getting ridiculous.” He complained quietly, then he pulled off his shirt to relieve some of the heat from his body. It helped tremendously, allowing the fur on his chest to fluff out gave him the cool he needed for the moment.

Pawblo watched every second of it, and to him it was a slow motion movie. The shirt, the huge mass of fluff, and the impossible to ignore body figure the General had going was incredible. He was beginning to lose focus on his exercise, his eyes and mind getting lost in the sight. He was a soldier with weaknesses, and this was one of them.

The general paid no mind to it, only viewing pawblo as spacing out again, and he continued his own workout routine, making sure that he was awoken and ready for the day. “I’ll probably be back here tonight, if you’re planning to be here.” Cataloupe shrugged.

“Got it sir, Tonight. I’ll be here fur—FOR you.” Pawblo stumbled over his own words, and he let go of the bar to end his pull up session. His body wasn’t ready for the sudden landing, and when his feet hit the floor, sharp pains shot up his legs and he nearly fell over. He groaned quietly and held onto the support bar, rubbing one leg at a time to relieve the pain.

Cataloupe nearly jumped when he heard the sudden impact of Pawblo’s shoes, and the quiet groaning. He could tell Pawblo was in pain, so in sheer instinct, he set the resistance band down, and walked over to Pawblo. He picked him up carefully and carried him over to a bench press, and laid him down. “Relax, you’re overworking yourself.” Cataloupe advised Pawblo, then he kneeled next to him, watching him closely.

When Cataloupe picked him up, Pawblo could feel the warm and amazingly soft fur almost all around him, then he felt cared for. He looked over to cataloupe when he was laid down, his face turning red yet again, and a natural smile began to show. “Yes sir.” He responded quietly, as if he were falling asleep. Though he wasn’t, he really wanted to.

Cataloupe shook his head and smiled. “You can call me Cataloupe in here, I won’t mind. I think sir sounds awkward when we’re alone.”

“When is it not awkward?” Pawblo chuckled, the comment sparked laughter from Cataloupe as well, and eventually the distraction took Pawblo’s mind off the pain, and it eventually subsided.

“Well soldier, it’s getting quite late for us to be in here. I’m heading out to get ready, you should stay for a few minutes longer to recover, then report for duty. I’ll see you back here tonight.”

“Got it. It’s Pawblo by the way.” Pawblo smiled and gave Cataloupe a thumbs up, showing he understood. “Thanks for the help again, I’d probably be my own war accident without you.”

“You know it, you gotta stop overworking yourself. I’ll see you again tonight, Pawblo.” Cataloupe smiled and pulled his shirt back on, then he grabbed his back and left the gymnasium, heading to his office and preparing for the day, while Pawblo stayed behind, still in a slight daze from the comfortable feeling of being cared for. He didn’t know what to do, but he knew how he felt.

“I think I really do love him.”

The day went by smoothly after the morning had passed. Near lunch, Pawblo had been through a fraction of the base, checking locks and inspecting several reports he was given from higher up classified members, all the while remaining to his task, maintaining the security of the base. Cataloupe on the other hand, was assigned to Paperwork duty in the morning, and he was going to assist the Injured soldiers and teach in his assigned Physical Therapy sessions. He hoped that he wouldn’t, but he knew that he would, see pawblo in a session soon.

By the end of the day, Pawblo and Cataloupe had finished their assigned tasks and were unwinding in their rooms. Cataloupe was the first to get going back to the gymnasium, much like in the morning, while Pawblo was busy showering. He figured it would be nice to shower before and after for once. Once he was there, He saw Cataloupe treating the broken fan like a punching bag, attempting the physical way to get it started again. “Damn thing doesn’t want to- Oh hey.” Cataloupe leaned against the wall casually when he saw Pawblo, and almost on cue, the fan fell off the wall.

Pawblo couldn’t help himself, and he let a fit of laughter escape him as he walked past the scene and to his usual bench. “That was golden Cataloupe, I can see you got it to work.”

“Obviously.” Cataloupe rolled his eyes and went to his bench next to Pawblo. “Maybe one day I can get it to work again. It can’t be that hard.” Cataloupe shrugged and glanced over to Pawblo, who was placing his ear buds back into his bag. Breaking the old habit was a thing for him now.

“Yeah, i'm sure it just needs a touch up on the wires and a polish on the blades. I used to be a mechanic, so I could manage a simple repair like that in a pinch.” Pawblo smiled and grabbed a light weight dumbbell, though he placed an extra twenty on each side to impress Cataloupe. Big mistake. With only a few lifts, he was ready to drop it.

Cataloupe could tell just by watching that Pawblo was getting tired of the weight, so he casually reached over and took it, then he started lifting it himself, like it was nothing. “You’ll get there eventually, remember what I told you.”

“Don’t over work myself, I got it.” Pawblo repeated Cataloupe’s words and he hummed. “I just hope to be strong like you one day.” He thought to himself out loud, despite the comment being directed to Cataloupe.

“Aww.” Cataloupe thought, then he spoke. “Don’t worry about that Pawblo, lifting a ton of weight doesn't make you strong, being able to understand and know your limit is the true strength here.” He reassured Pawblo. “So being honest, you do need to train, but the training is also in your head.”

Pawblo thought out about Cataloupe’s words for a moment, then he nodded. “I guess I do need to learn my limits, and train my mind a bit more.I was focused on how much I could do, when the answer was right in front of me the whole time.”

“That’s a way to look at it, but don’t sweat it.” Cataloupe pat Pawblo’s back and smiled. “You’ll sweat enough with that damn fan being of use around here.” He tried to change the topic, and chuckled.

Pawblo nodded, and smiled again, going with Cataloupe’s comment about the fan. “That fan sucks so bad, you could say it blows.”

“Ha.” Cataloupe spoke a fake laughter, then removed the extra weight from the dumbbell. Once it was readjusted, he handed it back to Pawblo.

“Thanks Cataloupe.” Pawblo smiled and began lifting again, going slow to show that He was actually taking Cataloupe’s advice to heart. Right where Cataloupe was.

“No problem Blueberry.” Cataloupe smirked and laid down, Getting in position to bench press the bar above him. Being the last one to use it, it was already adjusted to his liking.

Pawblo froze for a moment with the nickname Cataloupe slipped in, he was in shock, glancing to his fur and acknowledging the cornflower blue, that seemed to faintly glow in the dim orange light of the room, and the more luminescent white of the other lights nearby. He never really figured much of it, but the comment made him realize something else. People could actually see him, and he meant something to people.

Cataloupe wasn’t thinking of his comment at all, only taking note of Pawblo spacing out again. Maybe it was the heat in the room, or the energy in the room. He knew something was distracting him, so he just had to wait to find out.

A few minutes passed, Pawblo now lifting the dumbbell again and Cataloupe still lifting the bar above his head. They were at a good peace. It felt nice to finally have silence, it didn’t feel awkward or dead, but enjoyable, and available. “Got any plans for your next day off, Cataloupe?”

“Nope, mind telling me what, a day off is?” Cataloupe chuckled and kept his eyes to the ceiling, making sure not to lose focus on the bar.

Pawblo shrugged. “Never had one, so you tell me first.” He hummed and put the Dumbbell on the rack, then he laid on the bench and started lifting the bar as well. He figured he could get some extra arm strength training done.

Cataloupe noticed, and he set his bar down to sit up. “Hold your horses Pawblo, you need to take a break before you do.” He held his paw out, as if to stop Pawblo from holding the bar.

Pawblo waited a moment, then he nodded, and set the bar back on the supports. “You’re right, I just figured that I could handle it. I feel fine.”

“But you never know when a cramp is coming up. Take it from me.” Cataloupe felt relief with Pawblo taking his advice, and he relaxed. “I know you’ll be fine, but I'm here to take care of you, and train you properly. You’re my soldier, not a ticking time bomb with a one time use.”

Pawblo frowned slightly, the words going straight to him. “Your soldier.” He thought. “He really does care.” Pawblo seemed to remind himself, already knowing that Cataloupe cared, but never really knowing how much.

Cataloupe smiled, trying to cheer Pawblo up. “Hey, I really mean it, you’re very strong Pawblo, and I know you’d do fine without me.” He slowly reached forward and placed his paw on top of Pawblo’s.

Pawblo felt his heart skip a beat, and he sat up. Cataloupe looked nervous, almost ready to pull his paw away, then Pawblo leaned towards him and kissed him. It was fast and silent, only lasting a second, then Pawblo pulled away and stared into Cataloupe’s eyes. Had he passed out from exhaustion before, or was this just a dream?

“Wow, I uh, was not expecting that.” Cataloupe blushed and smiled, scratching the back of his head. “But hey, it was nice.”

Pawblo was still nervous, despite Cataloupe saying that he liked it, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being impulsive. “I-Im sorry, I didn’t really mean to do that. I just, sort of lost myself for a moment.”

“I don’t want you to get lost, Pawblo. We can just call it an accident for now, and when you’re ready, do it for real.” Cataloupe winked and laid back down, returning to bench pressing, as if it never even happened.

Pawblo had to think for a moment, his thoughts were frozen, and he could only think of that one instant where he felt love. He grabbed his bag and got up. “Thanks Cataloupe, I think i'm gonna head out for the night. I’ll cya tomorrow.” He said, as he walked out.

Cataloupe felt a bit worried, but he didn’t say anything, and allowed Pawblo his exit. “God I hope I didn’t screw that up.” He thought to himself. “Please come back.”

The following morning, Cataloupe came to the gymnasium early, and he saw Pawblo in there, alone as usual and doing push ups with his earbuds in. He had just started, but he noticed a pair of feet at the door, so he glanced up out of curiosity and saw who it was. He took out his ear buds and smiled. “Good morning Cataloupe.”

“Morning Pawblo, I see you’re in early.” Cataloupe went to his usual spot, but his routine was cut off track when he felt pawblo tap his shoulder.

“Hey, I thought about yesterday, and sorry that was a bit crazy. But, I wanted to ask you, did you actually like it, or did you just say that?”

Cataloupe frowned slightly and turned around. “Pawblo, I did like it. In fact, I like you too. But, I won’t get onto anything if you aren’t sure, or ready. You’re one of the best soldiers I’ve ever trained, and one of the best people I’ve ever met, and I would hate for you to feel negative about anything. I can tell you feel negative about this, so rest assured, the decision is yours, and I’ll be happy with what you feel.”

Pawblo smiled and pulled Cataloupe into a hug, this was something he needed the most, acceptance. “Thank you Cataloupe, for everything.” He felt Cataloupe place a paw onto his back and hold him into the hug.

“If you want, this can be our little secret. And to answer your question from yesterday, maybe I can make plans for a day off, just the two of us.” He smiled. “How does that sound?”

“Great.” Pawblo smiled and kissed Cataloupe again, this time, he was sure of it, and he was doing it not of instinct, but of how he really felt. They had to let each other go now, before anybody else walked in, but plans were now set in place, and they could look forward to more time together.

Chapter Text

It was a sunny day at the moment. Cataloupe was wearing sunglasses and some swim trunks. He was laying down on a towel he had placed on the sand. "Ah, the day is feeling amazing so far." He wished that his temporary leave would last forever.

Pawblo was walking on the sandy sidewalk towards the beach, wearing a white t-shirt, swim trunks, and sandals. He had heard that today wasn't so crowded, so he took the chance to ask for a temporary leave. He had never really been to the beach before, so he figured this would be an experience.

As he walked down towards the beach, he saw a spot next to some random person that was perfect. Not too close to the ocean, but not too far. He quickly ran up to the spot, only to realize who the random person was. It was the General he secretly had a crush on.

Cataloupe lowered his glasses to see what was blocking the sun, only to realize that Pawblo was standing there. "Ah, Soldier O'Conner! What a coincidence!" He let out a chuckle. "I'm guessing you're taking advantage of temporary leave too, huh?"

Pawblo was a little distracted by the fact that Cataloupe was not wearing a shirt. He had never really thought about that kind of thing, but the General was definitely something. It made him feel flustered. "Uh...y-yeah! I am, sir. Just wanted to s-see what the beach was like." He blushed in embarrassment.

The General didn't take notice of this, as he put his sunglasses back on and stretched his arms, resting them behind his head. "If you'd like, you can place your spot next to me. Don't worry, I won't bite." Pawblo nodded and he quickly placed a spare towel he had onto the sand, next to Cataloupe. He soon proceeded to kick his sandals off and lay down next to him. They both stared up into the sky.

"So! How has training been? I'm not too hard on you, am I?" Cataloupe let out a chuckle. Pawblo shook his head. "N-no, not really. I think you're training has done some good. I feel alive when I'm near you—I mean, when I do your training! Your training. It's been...good, sir." He blushed a little and kept quiet.

Cataloupe didn't understand, but shrugged the thought away. "No need for the kind words. You're one of the best soldiers I've ever trained. And please, call me Cataloupe. We're outside of work, you know? Makes things feel weird to me, haha." He chuckled, curling his mustache.

Pawblo nodded. "Sure thing, Cataloupe, sir—I mean Cataloupe!" He blushed, and began to stammer. As he fidgeted on his spot, Cataloupe began to eye him. "What's with the shirt? This is the beach! Let loose! The sunlight feels great today." The cornflower blue ventrexian nervously rubbed his shoulder. "I've, uh, never been to the beach before. This is all new to me."

"No worries. Tera Con Prime doesn't compare to this, huh?" Cataloupe shrugged as he sat up. Pawblo blushed a little, seeing how huge Cataloupe's body and form was. His pecs and fit body looked like they were sculpted to perfection. It made him feel a little flustered.

Pawblo sat himself up, and spaced out while staring out at the ocean. It was a marvel unto itself. The waves and water seemed calming and cool. Cataloupe chuckled. "This really is your first time here, isn't it." "Y-yeah. It's....beautiful. I've never seen anything like this."

The bigger male got up from his towel spot and stood in front of Pawblo. He held out his hand. "Come with me. Let's go in together." His other hand was busy letting his mullet hair go wild by removing the band that held it together.

"I....I, uh, don't know...." Pawblo felt nervous. He didn't know how to react to his offer. "Don't worry. Nothing bad will happen as long as I'm around." Cataloupe's smile gave him a sign of reassurance. Pawblo nodded, and held Cataloupe's giant hand. He got up and, to Cataloupe's surprise, removed his white t-shirt.

The General was, in a way, impressed by his soldier's figure. It seemed that he was taking the training seriously. He felt a little strange eyeing him, so he looked the other way. Pawblo nervously chuckled. "Okay....I'm ready." He let go of Cataloupe's hand and the two of them walked towards the water.

Pawblo stood there, feeling the water touch his toes, and his feet sinking into the wet sand. It felt cold, yet calming. He wasn't used to it yet. A chill ran up his spine from the temperature. Cataloupe chuckled. "Cold, huh?" Pawblo nodded his head. He soon felt Cataloupe's hand pull him into the water.

At this point, the water was now at their waist. Pawblo felt it freezing, but was at peace thanks to Cataloupe. As they stood in the water, Cataloupe felt water being splashed on him, thanks to Pawblo. He turned to face him, with the blue-ish ventrexian laughing a little. "Oh, you think that's funny, don't you?" Cataloupe smirked and soon began to splash water back at Pawblo. The two of them laughed put loud together. They were both soaked.

Pawblo looked at his fellow ventrexian. Here he was, with the guy he couldn't stop thinking about since he joined the army. He was everything that he wasn't, and that's why he was in love.

Cataloupe couldn't figure his Soldier out. He never cared for anybody in his division before, which was a strange feeling to him. Pawblo was kind, and a tough guy, despite his physique. It made him feel happy, being with him. He didn't know if his Soldier felt the same way, but his suspicion kept growing.

“Get ready, Soldier.”

“Huh?”

Pawblo was soon caught off guard as Cataloupe picked him up and threw himself into the water, holding him. As they were in the water, Pawblo quickly got up, gasping for air. As he took a moment to realize what had happened, he forgot how scared he was. He began to laugh out loud, not noticing the General getting up behind him. The two of them at this point were drenched in water.

“Sorry about surprising you, I just wanted you to know that it’s okay to be scared and face these sort of things—!” Cataloupe’s words were cut off with Pawblo jumping up and holding onto him, pressing his lips onto his. At first he was surprised, but didn’t push away, supporting Pawblo’s weight with his huge arms and kissing back.

When they pulled away, Cataloupe finished his sentence.

“....head on.” He was in awe at what just happened. “L-like that just now.” He smiled and chuckled in embarrassment. Pawblo nervously put himself down and stood in front of him in the water. “Uh....s-sorry about that, haha. Bit I understand what you said. I’ve...been waiting to tell you about how I felt for a while.”

“Well, you have a nice way of doing it.”

They left the beach together, happy with each other.

Chapter Text

The small military town was at peace. A long day had rolled by, and an uncertain one at that. It was the final battle between the ventrexian military compound, and a militia terrorist group invading the region. The town celebrated its long awaited peace with a parade for the surviving soldiers, and reunions all around for the soldiers, fighting in the seemingly endless weeks they were separated from their families and friends. When the night fell, the after parties began.

Soldiers and generals taking one night off for themselves, and to celebrate their hard earned victory. Among these Soldiers was Pawblo. He was a common guard, dismissed and assigned to front line combat in the middle of the crisis, and he along with his squadron helped turn the tide of a war he was certain to die in. He already knew this was the only reason he needed for a good party. Once the time came, he took off his uniform and into the comfort of his casual clothing, a tanned cloth shirt and blue jeans. It was like a hug from a distant friend to him, no longer serious. No longer cold.

The cold feeling was soon to disappear even further when he got to the party he was invited to, at a large rental home outside of town, only over a couple of hills and barely visible from the rooftops of the civilian homes, sat the modern mansion of a party house, already filled with men and women who served. Once inside, he was greeted by several ventrexians he already knew and made friends with. “Hey purregano! Good to see you!” Pawblo smiled and patted the back of a smaller grey ventrexian, his short fur combed to perfection, as he liked it to be.

“Pawblo dude, hey! Glad to see you made it to the party, too.” Purregano snapped finger guns to Pawblo and smiled. “Feel free to make yourself at home, though mind taken rooms and limits on the alcohol, not sure what the side effects of being a hero is.” He laughed.

Pawblo nodded and laughed along with him, and it seemed to spread to a few others, though died out quickly, and he was off to the large bar table to get a drink, then to spend his evening celebrating. Once he got to the table though, he saw another grey ventrexian, similar to Purregano, but long hair and larger than him. He recognized the ventrexian standing next to him, nearly reaching for the same bottle of beer as him. It was General Cataloupe, a surprise to him that he was even a party guy. He was only his general for a few days, before he was rotated.

“Oh, sorry sir, go ahead.” Cataloupe smiled and stepped back, but when he noticed Pawblo’s blue fur, he was quick to recognize him and hummed. “O’connor, good to see you again.” Held his paw out to shake Pawblo’s.

Pawblo perked up when he realized that Cataloupe recognized him, and he smiled slightly. Out of all the generals he was assigned to serve, Cataloupe was the kindest, and cared the most. “Great to see you too sir! Congratulations on your wins, I heard about them from the radio.” He said as he put his paw into the palm of Cataloupe’s and shook it happily.

“Thank you, and please, while you aren't my soldier, it’s just Cataloupe. And for now, I suppose I should call you Pawblo.” He let Pawblo’s paw go and smiled, grabbing the beer he was going for and nodding. “I’ll be seeing you around Pawblo, and thank you for your service.” He said as he saluted to Pawblo and left.

Pawblo was dumbfounded, he was already making close friends with the general he enjoyed the most, which in his head was awkward, but he smiled and enjoyed the feeling of no longer fearing for one more person. Several thousand to go.

Once he had his drink and a place on one of the many sofas, he bounced his leg to the tune of the music he heard playing around him, and had some nice casual conversations with the other soldiers sitting with him. Sometimes, they would change out and he could start new conversations with new soldiers, or mourn the loss of people’s friends with them. It was an emotional roller coaster to say the least, and he may have gotten too lost in conversation, and by his second hour, he was on his fourth bottle. He only realized that he was getting buzzed from the alcohol, when he saw Cataloupe again. He felt the stupid smile, unbeatable urges to talk to him again, and eventually, he got up to speak with him again.

Cataloupe was standing near a wall, alone and nodding his head to the beat of the music. He wasn’t much of a dancer, but he was one to enjoy the energy of the party. It became even more enjoyable when the blue ventrexian he saw before had returned to him, of all people. “Pawblo, glad to see you again! What’s on your mind bud?”

Pawblo smiled and gave Cataloupe a thumbs up. “Hey, between the two of us, we should dance to this song. It has a catchy tune, and I think you’d dance great to it.” Pawblo held his paw out to cataloupe, an invitation to dance with him.

Cataloupe was hesitant, but he felt a bit more comfortable with Pawblo’s smile and accepting nature. He was sure to make a fool of himself, but all in good fun. He took Pawblo’s paw and walked with him away from the crowds of soldiers and started dancing together. Not many people even noticed them, none really cared, it was normal for people to dance now, and they were just having fun. Eventually, cataloupe was in his own zone of dancing, drowning out everyone around him, and just going with the flow.

Pawblo was in a similar state, but he was focused on Cataloupe. What he saw was both hilarious and incredible. Cataloupe was a bad dancer, but he loved it. He loved Cataloupe.

Cataloupe was getting to the finish of his dance, until he bumped into Pawblo. He suddenly snapped out of his dancing episode and suddenly the world was in slow motion. He watched Pawblo falling for only a split second, but he was quick to hook his arm around Pawblo and keep him from touching the floor, then he held him like that, at an angle, as if they were in a tango. The music stopped and changed to the next song, a couple people who were watching clapped for a brief moment, then carried on with their conversation or dance, and eventually Cataloupe and Pawblo were back to standing together, though in awkward silence.

“You’re a pretty good dancer.” Pawblo lied, and a blush gradually appeared on his face as the words left his mouth. “It was fun to watch.” That part was not a lie, he enjoyed watching Cataloupe dance, it was funny and enjoyable.

“You too, Pawblo. Though I think it was a bad idea. I should probably go.” Cataloupe was getting embarrassed rather quickly, and he also felt that he made the dance awkward for pawblo. “I’ll see you around.”

“Wait, Cataloupe. You don’t need to leave, unless you do. But I'm having fun with you.” Pawblo reached his paw out and took Cataloupe’s hand to stop him from leaving. “I’d like to dance with you again.” He mumbled and smiled.

Cataloupe wasn’t surprised that Pawblo wanted him to stay, but he was surprised that he wasn’t very embarrassed. “Al-Alright, but let’s dance somewhere a bit less noticeable.” He said as he walked pawblo to the stairs, going up to the second floor. This confused pawblo slightly, then it made sense when he saw a door leading outside, to a patio with only a couple other people there, who were already busy with themselves. It was quiet, and the music was still audible from the outside. That made it easier for Cataloupe and pawblo to get back into their setting for dancing, and eventually they were back to it. Swaying their hips, walking around to the rhythm, waving their arms. Eventually, their dances meshed, and pawblo was the one to take hold of cataloupe’s hands. They began stepping together, taking similar dance moves and occasionally making eye contact. To the drunken pawblo, it was funny, and to cataloupe, it was sort of embarrassing all over again. Perhaps it wasn’t the crowd of people potentially watching him that made him nervous, but maybe it was the fear he wouldn’t dance right for Pawblo.

The song came to an end, and Pawblo let Cataloupe’s paws go. He smiled and stepped away from their dancing spot. “That was incredible, we should keep going.” Pawblo took a break to catch his breath, and eventually he was ready to dance again. Cataloupe on the other hand, wasn’t ready to dance yet. He had fun dancing with pawblo, and he wasn’t as afraid, but he was still freaking out a bit. This guy was too cute for him.

“Alright, let’s skip this song and dance to the next one.” He leaned against the rail of the balcony and pretended to be a bit tired, to ease pawblo of any suspicion. This followed with pawblo acknowledging his exhaustion, and he danced alone to the song. Being drunk has that effect.

Once the current song ended, Pawblo was done dancing with himself, and during that time, everyone else had left to go inside. “Alright Cataloupe, let’s dance.” He smiled and held his paw out to him again. Cataloupe took his paw and nodded, keeping his promise, but he quickly regretted his choice when the song started. It was a slow song. Both of their faces turned red and they tried to keep it from being awkward, but already holding hands and starting a dance was making it impossible, they just had to go through it.

The dance to Cataloupe was nice, but he didn’t want to show it. It was even better that nobody else was around to witness him practically dancing with Pawblo as if he were his prom date, but he was fine calling it a regular date now. Despite having these feelings, he had a wave of relief wash over him when the song ended. “You really can dance to anything, no?” He complimented pawblo while he curled the tip of his moustache around his finger.

“Yep, I do a lot better with a partner, especially you.” Pawblo winked and continued dancing slow, until Cataloupe let go and leaned back against the rail. He watched Cataloupe curiously, and a growing concern began.

“You too, but I really should go now. I’m having fun, but it’s a little too much fun.” Cataloupe said as he looked to the sky, still attempting to avoid eye contact with Pawblo. “Thanks for dancing with me.” He said, a smile covering his face now, and he turned to leave.

Pawblo frowned slightly, but he accepted this, and walked with him. “We should dance again sometime. I loved it.” He commented, as he slipped his paw into Cataloupe’s again. There was a brief pause and silence, then Cataloupe turned to pawblo out of curiosity. When Pawblo noticed, he figured he should keep going. “A lot. It really takes my mind off of everything. It’s like, the universe is at peace when I’m with you, and it’s the greatest feeling ever.”

Cataloupe placed his free hand on Pawblo’s cheek, then he leaned in and kissed Pawblo. It was slow and passionate, but cut short when Cataloupe noticed the faint taste of alcohol on Pawblo’s lips. “O-oh, I see now.” He was disappointed quickly, now realizing Pawblo was just drunk, and probably out of his mind. “I’ll, see you around Soldier.” He said, as he slipped his paw away from Pawblo, and left.

Pawblo was oblivious to Cataloupe’s disappointment, and he was still head over heels from the kiss. It was a dream come true to him, feeling safe, accepted, and in love. He stayed outside on the balcony, watching cataloupe leave and waving to him when he had the chance. But he knew he couldn’t stay there forever, so he eventually went back inside and down the stairs, waiting outside with a few other drunken soldiers for a shuttle to transport them to the base safely.

The next morning, Pawblo woke up in his bed at the base. He felt well rested after being provided medication, and he was immediately getting into his uniform and rushing out of the building to get to the training site. He was still a bit groggy, and accidentally ran into a couple of other soldiers, the last one being Cataloupe. “Oh, i'm so sorry sir- sir! Good morning!” He smiled and looked up at cataloupe.

Cataloupe looked to Pawblo and smiled nervously. “Good morning Soldier. Watch where you’re going from now on.” He warned passively.

Pawblo nodded. “Yes sir, and about last night. Sorry for being so intimate sir, I had a few too many bottles at the party and I was completely filterless.” He remembered, and it was embarrassing, but being in a hurry, he didn’t allow it to bother him too much.

Cataloupe on the other hand, wasn’t expecting Pawblo to remember, but he was glad he did. His disappointment was invalidated, and he was now starting to feel better about the situation. He blushed and nodded in response to Pawblo’s explanation. “Everything is fine. And between you and me, I’d be glad to dance with you again sometime.” He winked. “Now get a move on, soldier.”

Pawblo blushed and nodded, quickly turning around and speeding off to the building he was going for. He was suddenly a bit happier, knowing that Cataloupe may have mutual feelings for him. Once he got to his training, he swallowed his happiness and began his usual routine.

His routine was cut short, when he was suddenly called to Cataloupe’s office later that afternoon. Despite not even being in his squadron at the moment. He got to Cataloupe’s office and closed the door behind him. He was naturally nervous, but he figured he knew why Cataloupe called him. “You needed to see me, sir?” Pawblo asked politely, stepping up to Cataloupe’s desk and staring him in the eyes. In return, he got what seemed to be a cold and serious stare, but it changed to a calm and relaxed one.

“Yes I did. Please, take a seat.” Cataloupe offered a seat in one of the two chairs in front of his desk, and Pawblo took the order, sitting down in one. “I called you here to discuss a few pieces of your training, then some slight adjustments to your schedule. First off, I put in a request form to have you assigned to my Squad for intensive training on your front line combat, primarily defensive strategies. I read a few of your medical reports, and two stab wounds are two too many Pawblo. Especially for me.” He paused and tapped the desk with the balled tip of his pen, creating an awkward silence between them. He cleared his throat and glanced back down to his note page. “Secondly, the request is for my Advanced course, so you’ll have my guidance through the rest of your defense training. This is because you have already excelled the basics, and are clearly ready for more.” He complimented.

Pawblo smiled, he was glad to hear of his achievements, but he was even more excited to be around Cataloupe more often. “Thank you sir, this means a lot to me.”

“Of course, how could I pass this up? And lastly, your time serving as one of my soldiers during the invasion was noted positively by both me, and several executive officers. Your ethic is remarkable, routine is commendable, and effort is all in. You’re the perfect soldier, and to me, the perfect guy.” Cataloupe chuckled at the last comment he made, and got back into his serious tone, before he managed to slip up even further.

Pawblo blushed and scratched the back of his head nervously, a smile growing. “Aww, thank you sir. You’re too kind, and probably, you’re the perfect guy here. I know I fall short of that.”

Cataloupe got up and walked around his desk, placing his paw on Pawblo’s shoulder. “Well, I know you’re perfect to me.” He blushed and placed a kiss on Pawblo’s cheek, though he was quick to let go and step away, afraid he was overstepping his boundaries.

Pawblo’s face turned red all around, the tips of his ears felt like they were on fire, and he rubbed the spot on his cheek where Cataloupe had kissed him. “W-wow, that felt nice.” He mumbled, and slowly looked over to Cataloupe. “I should probably get going sir, It was nice to know what’s going on, and thank you so much for everything.” He smiled, and walked up to Cataloupe, giving him a quick kiss on the lips. “Meet me after dinner, I have something for you.”

Cataloupe nodded, he felt the blush on his face growing quickly, spreading from his cheeks. “You’re dismissed.” He told pawblo, then allowed him to leave the room to resume his training session. Now he just had to wait for the evening.

One the day had passed, people were out celebrating again, though much smaller and more tame than the night before, it was still reasonable to celebrate the victory of the ventrexian army. Though Cataloupe and Pawblo had something else to celebrate. They met at the front gate of the base, where Pawblo was waiting for Cataloupe, who drove up in his truck and stopped, allowing Pawblo to get in. “Hey, I hope you’re familiar with town.” he said as he closed the door of Cataloupe’s truck and handed him a slip of paper, with a written address on it.

Cataloupe nodded and looked over the address, he was familiar with the area of its location, but the reason was unclear to him. He of course, drove off to the location of where Pawblo wanted him to go. It took a few minutes for them to get there, and when they got there, they arrived at a restaurant, a nice one at that.

“I got a reservation for dinner tonight, I hope you don’t mind.” Pawblo grinned and looked over to cataloupe. He could tell Cataloupe was amused, a quiet laughter coming from him as he turned the truck’s engine off. “Of course I don’t mind. Thank you Pawblo.” He smiled and got out of the truck, alongside pawblo. “This is probably way better than the food they serve at the base.” He said, as he followed Pawblo inside.

The interior of the restaurant was quite calming, dark blue walls and a light wooden floor, with quiet music playing from ceiling speakers, above the white clothed tables, checkered around the room. They both sat down at one, and picked up their menus. It was quickly obvious that Pawblo had chosen a fish restaurant.

Cataloupe hummed and picked his food rather quickly, then he closed the menu and smiled, watching Pawblo continue to think and occasionally glance up to him, meeting eyes. It brought a smile to both of them each time, and eventually, pawblo was finished with picking his food as well. It was only a few seconds before a waiter noticed them and took their drink orders, and food orders, then rushed to get them made.

“So, how long have you been at the base?” Pawblo asked curiously. He had known Cataloupe was there before he arrived, but he wasn’t sure for how long.

“About six years. I came when this town was a mess, and I helped fix it up to how it is today. It was also right after the base was founded.” Cataloupe mentioned proudly.

“Wow, so you’ve seen the place since the beginning, that is pretty interesting to think about.” Pawblo hummed and rested his elbows on the table, crossing his arms over one another to rest them.

“It is a bit strange, but it’s nice to see it hold up for so long without much damage done to it.” He smiled and thought about it for a moment. “Though with you around, it’s been much more pleasant.”

Pawblo blushed and glanced down to the table, taking the compliment. He was easy to fluster with Cataloupe’s smooth talk and his catchy pick up lines, and He loved it. “You do too, You’re probably the most enjoyable part of it all if i'm being honest.”

They continued to exchange cheesy compliments and pick up lines towards each other, until their food arrived.They inspected their food curiously, and only after a few seconds of making sure it was correct, they got to eating. It was pretty great for both of them, but only half as good as the company.

Once they were finished with their food, they stayed in the seats for a moment to settle their stomachs. “Thank you for the great dinner Pawblo.” Cataloupe smiled and looked into his eyes.

“No problem Cataloupe, you deserved it after everything you’ve done for me.” He smiled and took sixty seven dropnoids, placing them on the table. “There’s one last thing I would like to do with you, what do you say?”

Cataloupe nodded without any hesitation. He was curious, and he loved spending time with Pawblo, so he couldn’t resist. “Of course, I'm ready to go when you are Blueberry.”

Pawblo blushed, which was a normal thing to him at this point. He liked the nickname, and accepted it quickly. Once he was ready, he got up from his seat, pulling Cataloupe’s seat out for him, with an audible struggle, which made Cataloupe and a couple other people around them chuckle under their breaths, and he followed Pawblo to the truck. Once they were in, Cataloupe drove back to the base, and they both went directly to his office. It was quiet and empty in the rooms and halls around them, almost ominous, but the silence in the office was killed when the radio was turned on. They were dancing again.

Pawblo wanted to have a private dance with Cataloupe, to unwind and have fun again, this time, he wasn’t drunk, and Cataloupe wasn't scared. They both used what little space they had to enjoy the music they heard, and laughed at each other’s dancing. It was just like the party, but they were having fun on their own, together.

Once they had danced through a few different songs, they decided to pick one from Cataloupe’s computer, and play it out loud. It was another slow song, making them blush like usual, but they didn’t hesitate to dance together to the slow jazz rhythm of the song. Pawblo placed his paws on Cataloupe’s shoulder and hip, while Cataloupe did the same to hold him, while they slowly danced around. It was nice, peaceful, and probably Pawblo’s favorite dance of his life.

“Now this is the kind of dance I'm into.” Cataloupe mumbled to Pawblo. He wasn’t a fan of party dancing, being more civilized and classic was his way of doing it. And with pawblo, it was the only way he wanted to. Pawblo didn’t mind, he was happy just spending his time with Cataloupe, and this was the way he wanted. Nothing dangerous, just them.

“I'm into any kind of dance, as long as it’s with you.” Pawblo commented, giving a kiss to Cataloupe’s cheek as they continued dancing. “I love you.” He said, as he closed his eyes and rested his cheek onto Cataloupe’s chest. He could hear his heartbeat, which relaxed him even further than before.

“I love you too Pawblo.” Cataloupe smiled and watched Pawblo. For him, it was a sight to behold, the love of his life, resting with him, and enjoying their time together. Once their song ended, Cataloupe let Pawblo go and gave him one final kiss on the lips. “That was the best dance, I will never forget that one.” He smiled and turned off his computer again, then escorted Pawblo out of the office, and walked with him to his housing building.

Pawblo held Cataloupe’s hand the entire way to his building, Occasionally making eye contact and smiling. He considered this date a success, and he would be more than happy to have many more successes like this in the future. Once they were at the door, Pawblo gave Cataloupe one last kiss. “I’ll see you tomorrow, night Cataloupe.” He smiled and went into his building.

“Good night Pawblo.” Cataloupe responded, then he started walking back to his truck. “I think that was an even better party than yesterday.” He thought to himself.

Chapter Text

Cataloupe was sitting at a park bench. He was reading a light novel that he had brought with him to pass the time. He felt nervous, and his finger rapidly curling his mustache was obvious proof that he was. The cause of this was a little black box he kept in his shirt pocket. It was an important part of his plan, and he hoped that it would end with a success. After all, it's not every day that you decide that you want to spend the rest of your life with your romantic partner.

As he read the novel, he heard footsteps approaching him. His shoulder soon had a hand resting on it. His cheek was soon given a kiss by a certain ventrexian. "Hey, Whiskers." Pawblo giggled a little, smiling. Cataloupe turned and tilted his head down a little to see his lover face to face. "Hey there, Blueberry." The two of them laughed a little as they got closer to each other. Cataloupe put his huge arm around Pawblo, and the two of them sat there, watching the leaves fall.

"How was your duty as General today?" Cataloupe shurgged at the sound of that. "It went fine. I saw your cute face at lunch today. That made me smile, heheh." He winked, causing Pawblo to blush. "You know what made me smile? Feeling your big arms wrap around me while we slept the other night." They both let out a laugh, knowing that it was all fun and teasing. When it died down, Pawblo spoke up. "What did you want to meet here for, Cataloupe?"

Cataloupe smiled. "I just wanted to be here with you. The two of us. Just relaxing and breathing in the fresh air." Pawblo nodded and leaned his head on Cataloupe's arm. The two of them sat there in silence, peacefully watching the leaves fall down the tree. The big ventrexian felt like the king of the universe while sitting by the love of his life. They were at peace.

He soon felt the urge to promptly ask the big question.

“Hey.....Blueberry. We’ve....been dating for about a year, now. Correct?” Pawblo looked up at Cataloupe. “Yeah, we have. Did you forget? I sure hope you didn’t!” He let out a laugh. The big ventrexian chuckled. “Yes, I know it’s silly to ask, but....I just wanted to reflect on us. Remember how we first met?”

Pawblo nodded. “Yeah! I was at the base getting the final paperwork done for a position as a soldier and a mechanic. You just happened to walk in at some point and after that....I couldn’t take my eyes off you.” He blushed, causing him to look away in embarrassment. Cataloupe smirked. “The same goes for me. You looked gorgeous then, and still do.” He caressed Pawblo’s fur tufts on his cheek.

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Cataloupe spoke up again. “Look, I.....I just wanted to know if....you’re comfortable with me. Especially since you and I are apart, age-wise.” He looked down to the ground. “I...uh...I know I’m okay with it. I couldn’t take my eyes off you then, and I can’t take them off now.” He smiled lightly, as he blushed. “Apologies if I sound dumb, it’s just….you’re special to me, Pawblo.”

Pawblo smiled. His eyes seemed to be filled with nothing but affection. “You’re special to me too, Big Guy. And I’m definitely okay with our relationship. You’re my favorite person in the world, and that’s saying a lot.” Cataloupe nodded and soon stood up from the bench. He got down on one knee in front of Pawblo, making the two of them the same height, but Cataloupe being slightly taller. He pulled out the little black box and held it out with his big hands.

“Pawblo O’Connor. Ever since you set foot in the base, I have never felt more alive. You make me feel happy, and I never want to stop this thing we have. Sure, I may be older, but I want to keep getting older with you. You’re my Blueberry. And I will never stop thinking about you.” Cataloupe opened the box to reveal a silver ring. It had the ventrexian army logo on it, signifying where they met.

“Will you be my husband?”

The cornflower blue ventrexian was in shock hearing this. He didn’t expect any of this to happen. Angry was not the feeling he felt right now. His emotions were high, and his heart couldn’t keep them in. He cried a few tears of joy. “Cataloupe...I...I do. Yes! A hundred times infinity! Yes!” Pawblo jumped up and soon pounced on Cataloupe, causing both of them to fall on the ground. They shared a deep kiss before Cataloupe picked his fiance up.

Pawblo witnessed his lover slide the ring onto his finger. It shined. The leaves were falling around them. A light breeze was blowing. Everything was perfect.

“I love you, Pawblo.”

Cataloupe planted a kiss on his fiance's head. He was smiling. A blush formed on his face and stayed there.

“I love you too, Cataloupe.”

Chapter Text

Pawblo was aboard the Crimson Light. He was curled up in bed, exhausted of what he just experienced. Right next to him was his boyfriend, Cataloupe. The two of them had just spent their time together, as the big ventrexian took temporary leave from the army for the weekend. That gave them plenty of time to do what they wanted with everyone else busy.

"You were...amazing." Pawblo gasped, still trying to catch a breath. He chuckled, knowing that the crew may or may not have heard them. But he shook the thought away.

The big ventrexian curled his mustache as he sat up on the bed. "That was, indeed, quite exceptional. Glad you caught my eye back when we first met." He grinned in delight. The two of them sighed, knowing what would happen next.

"So, uh...you're leaving?" Pawblo felt sad, knowing that these happy moments don't really last long enough for him to enjoy and reminisce. Cataloupe nodded. "Yes I am, sadly. I do enjoy our meetups, as well as you, but I'm a general. I have my duties to uphold." He groaned as he got up. Pawblo's eyes traced from his lover's back down to his butt. He had good form, making him blush in embarrassment. No matter how many times he saw it, it always mesmerized him.

The cornflower blue ventrexian soon got up from bed as well. They soon got into their clothes, with Pawblo helping Cataloupe adjust his vest collar. "You look dashing like always, Whiskers." The older male chuckled. "Not so bad yourself, Blueberry." They were soon finally completely dressed.

The two of them walked down the hallway, holding hands. They found comfort in each other, no matter where they went. Pawblo grew fond of seeing this hunk of a ventrexian man every now and then. But he wanted to be with him all the time. He wanted more, and he felt that Cataloupe's feelings were mutual.

Cataloupe was happy with Pawblo. That day he met Clarence's "entourage" in the trenches, Pawblo immediately caught his eye. He was the most attractive man he's ever met. Not even his ex, Clarence, could surpass him. He was kind, tough, and not to mention hot. He wanted more out of this. He truly did.

When they reached the airlock, Cataloupe stood in front of the entrance to his personal military cruiser. He turned to face Pawblo, who looked a little heartbroken. "Well, I...guess this is goodbye for now." He felt his mustache droop a little bit. Pawblo shrugged. "Y-yeah, I guess." He pulled the huge ventrexian closer to him and planted a kiss on his lips. When they pulled away, he chuckled.

"Good luck with fighting the war." Pawblo smiled. He was happy for this, but sad for the departure. Cataloupe nodded. "Good luck with your crew's mission." As he turned to walk away, he stopped in his place. "You know...I don't want this to end. This...thing we have."

Pawblo was surprised to hear this. "W-wait, really?" He brushed his cheek fur with his hand. "I feel the same way, actually." He held the big ventrexian's large hands tightly. "You...you make me happy." He looked away. "But the way I see it, this can't work while we're in different places."

"Actually, I was going to suggest you come with me.”

“W-wait. What??”

Cataloupe shrugged, and looked away. He rested his hands on his hips. “Only if y-you want to, of course! You’d be my partner in battle, as well as a technician. Plus, we can bunk together in my quarters, and work together. B-but only if you want to. I don’t want to force you to leave your friends. I’ll respect your decision.”

Pawblo thought about this for a second. He felt happy with the crew of the Crimson Light, and they were pretty much family to him. But with Cataloupe, he felt like he could do anything. He was at peace.

“…Don’t leave. Let me talk with them really quick.”

Cataloupe nodded. “I’ll wait for your response then.” He stood there and watched as Pawblo ran down into the hallway. The big ventrexian stood there, leaning against the railing. It had been a good while since his lover ran back into the ship’s deck. He was beginning to lose hope, until he heard a voice.

“Wait!”

He turned his head to see Pawblo, clutching a duffel bag in his hand. He was blushing brightly, and smiling.

“I…I said my goodbyes. You still want me to go with you?”

Cataloupe felt happy. He was grinning.

“You know it, baby.”

Chapter Text

Cataloupe walked down the halls of the base. He was proud that he was able to help mold the place into what it was today. Pride filled his heart both ways. It made him feel good inside.

As he walked, he stopped at the entrance to the practice range. Cursing and yelling could be heard behind the door. He was curious as to who that could be, and soon walked in. The shots could still be heard as he turned the corner and saw the source of it all.

Pawblo was getting frustrated. He had been here for the past few hours and he still couldn't hit any of the practice targets. He felt a bit useless, knowing that he probably wouldn't last in battle. As he was about to leave, he noticed that General Cataloupe had entered the room, and was watching him.

"Oh! G-General Cataloupe! I didn't see you there, I...I was just getting some shooting practice in." He nervously fidgeted. The man that he had a small tiny crush on had entered the room. It made his stomach feel all queasy. "W-what are you up to, sir?"

Cataloupe shrugged. "Not much, soldier. Just making sure everything is in order." He walked closer and pointed at the practice blaster Pawblo was holding. "I see you're taking advantage of your free time." The cornflower blue ventrexian shrugged. "I guess I am, but I'm not doing well. I'm just bad at shooting.

"Nonsense. Anyone with a finger and a brain can shoot. I don't see how you can't." Cataloupe scoffed. He soon walked up and press the button on the side. It started the target practice range again. He then put his hands behind his back.

"Show me."

"Huh?"

Cataloupe pointed at the targets moving and popping out. "Show me what I'm working with here. Shoot the targets." Pawblo nodded and soon shot the targets one by one. He felt nervous with the General eyeing him, but he didn't lose focus. When he shot the last target, the buzzer rang out, indicating that the practice was over.

Pawblo turned to face Cataloupe, who was sternly looking at him with a smile. He felt like a failure. The cornflower blue ventrexian shrugged. "I get it. My aim is inexcusable. You can remove me off of the assault team if you want to, Sir."

The older male titled his head in confusion. "Nonsense. You just need to...Here, let me show you." Cataloupe stepped back and soon found himself placing one hand on Pawblo's hip, and the other hand lifting up Pawblo's arm. The ventrexian soldier blushed brightly at this, but ignored it.

"Try positioning yourself like this. Take a deep breath before aiming, but not too big. Aim through the notch on your blaster." Cataloupe stepped back, giving the soldier some space. Pawblo nodded, and soon the target practice mechanism was activated again. The soldier obeyed the General's directions, and soon he was hitting every single target.

When it ended, he put his blaster away, and looked up at the General. "I did it! Thanks for the help, sir." He was blushing a little. Cataloupe took notice and chuckled heartedly. "No need to thank me, soldier. Just doing my job." He looked away, curling his own mustache while he did. "I apologize for getting a little too close earlier. I hope I didn't make you uncomfortable."

Pawblo blushed nervously and began to stammer. "It's okay. I, uh, d-didn't mind it at all, actually." He instantly regret saying that. "S-sorry for sounding weird, sir. I'll just..." Pawblo soon began to walk out of the place. But suddenly, he felt Cataloupe grab him by the wrist. He turned to see that the man was blushing. He was embarrassed as well.

The General lightly smiled. "I didn't mind that at all." He winked, and soon let go of Pawblo's wrist. The two men blushed and awkwardly stared at each other until Cataloupe spoke up, clearing his throat. "Ahem. Uh, report to General Purrito for reassignment." Pawblo nodded and saluted. "Yes sir."

As he walked out, Cataloupe called out to him again. "Pawblo? Don't be afraid to ask. I wouldn't mind a date." He chuckled. Pawblo smiled widely as he heard that, and he soon began to skip in excitement.

Chapter Text

Earth is now home to thousands of alien species, all shapes and sizes, adjusting to the free world culture of the earth lifestyle. Humans were still common, but the second most populous species on the blue planet are ventrexians. Most are subjected to living lower middle class lives, in densely populated cities. Most didn't complain, or even fight for more. Humans weren't dominant in too many ways, but it was clear that they wanted the earth to remain their home, and alien competition isn't liked as well.

These interspecies judgements are some of the driving factors that put Pawblo O'Connor in the position he is in now. Looking for a home away from the trouble, and just to settle into the crowd of his people, to avoid the heat of anything different. He had been rejected from several places he wished to call home, and he was running out of options. He was now standing in the lobby room of a building he had written on his list. "This has to be the one. This paper only has so many names." Pawblo nervously mumbled to himself, as he double checked his list. He knew he only had 1 more option after this, and it wasn't a pretty one.

The receptionist was a golden haired ventrexian, exactly what Pawblo expected, it felt like home, and he liked it. "Welcome to The Purr Lofts. Long Term rooms are available right now for Twelve Hundred A month, are you here for those?"

"Yes, actually, I need a place to live. I just got to earth, and nobody else seems to be in my price range, or already booked." Pawblo fidgeted his paws inside his pockets, pulling his money into his grips and preparing to pay. It was barely enough, but at least he would have a roof over his head for a month.

The Receptionist pulled out a couple of papers, a key, and a paper list. "Here's the paper work, key, and list of registered numbers, such as this desk, and any mandatory utilities you may need. Feel free to go up and check it out, come back with the paperwork in an hour and it's yours." He spoke, sliding the papers across the desk to pawblo as he finished his explanation.

"Thank you so much." Pawblo smiled, taking the pieces of paper, and grabbing his briefcase, now going into the elevator to ascend to his future home. The elevator was quite nice, and it even had a working music speaker, killing the silence that surrounded Pawblo inside the elevator. Once he got to the ninth floor, he stepped out, and down the hall he trailed, counting doors and scanning their golden numbers, to find his own. Once he found the one he was looking for, he unlocked the door with his key, and stepped inside.

On the other side, fog blue walls and grey wooden floors awaited. As if he stepped into a much more comfortable hotel room, it smelled quite nice, and everything seemed perfect. Barren walls, A sofa, and a connected kitchen to the living room. The bathroom to his left, and the bedroom right next to it, the door to it only a foot past the bathroom door. A single foot of wall wasn't just that to Pawblo right now, it was a piece of his new home. He knew that he better get to filling out paperwork if he wanted to keep it all to himself.

Later that evening, Pawblo's mind was no longer racing, but now it was relaxing. Just like how he was, laying quietly on the couch, and staring at the smooth white ceiling. The window behind him, illuminated square patches on the floor, in a gentle pink of the city lights. It was gentle and comforting to him, the simple sight was boring him into a nap, until a knock on the front door caught his attention. He grumbled quietly and opened his eyes again, getting off the sofa slowly and approaching the door. Once he had it opened, he instantly saw a larger ventrexian right in front of him. He was wearing a sweater vest and khakis. Like he was a rich dad on vacation.

"Hey new neighbor, it's been a while since anybody else has moved in, on this floor. I live in the room to your left, the name's Cataloupe." He smiled and held his paw out, allowing a welcoming hand shake.

Pawblo smiled back and eagerly accepted it. "Thank you for the welcome, I appreciate being able to belong somewhere comfortably for once." He pulled his paw away once he finished speaking, and allowed Cataloupe to do as he wished.

"Well, I only came to check on you and welcome you to the building, but if you'd like, I'm having a small get together tomorrow with other people in the building, and some friends, for a football game. Do you think you'd like to come?" Cataloupe stepped back to signal that he was wrapping up the conversation.

"Uhhh..." Pawblo had to think for a moment, but he quickly blurted out, "Sure!" Before he had completely mapped out a plan. He had nothing to do tomorrow anyways, but he wanted to be safer than sorry.

"Great, I'll see you tomorrow at Three. No need to bring anything by the way, Just bring yourself and we'll have a great time." Cataloupe let out a hearty laugh as he began to walk back to his door. "Have a good night."

Pawblo waved and shut the door, then he paused, and kicked it. "Dang, I forgot to tell him my name!" He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Good introduction Pawblo. At Least you'll have a chance tomorrow." He reassured himself, as he went back to the sofa. Once there, he resumed his previous resting, of laying on the couch and aiming to doze off to sleep before he got hungry for dinner. He didn't want to waste money on food when he could skip meals for sleep, which is exactly what he managed to do for the rest of the night.

The next morning, Pawblo woke up somewhat early, he was pretty hungry from skipping dinner, so he decided to run out to grab breakfast. On his way out, he looked back to Cataloupe's door, a stray thought ran through his mind, but quickly escaped him as he continued to make his way to the elevator. Now he was off to breakfast.

By noon, he had breakfast, a few errands run, and groceries in his hands. He was back in his apartment, putting the food away, and trying to tidy up as much of the kitchen as he could. He wanted to have a clean living space for as long as possible. It made him feel a bit better about himself.

Cataloupe was in a similar manner, cleaning up and arranging his apartment to fit the needs of his party guests. He had chairs pulled into the room, and plenty of snacks on the table for everyone to enjoy, and he knew he would be more than ready, long before his party even started. And to his expectations, that's exactly how it went.

Pawblo was out the door, five minutes before the fourth hour, and he went to Cataloupe's door, so he could be just a bit early to the party. He figured it would make a good impression. After knocking a couple of times, the door opened and Cataloupe was the one to be greeted.

"Hey! Glad you could come, I hope you're ready for a good time!" Cataloupe smiled and stepped aside, allowing Pawblo to come in. "Go ahead and make yourself at home, you're a guest here to have fun, so let loose and enjoy the game, pal."

Pawblo smiled, and he walked into Cataloupe's apartment. There were a couple of others already there, a human and an alien, staring at the TV anxiously ready for the game to begin already. "Oh yeah, I nearly forgot to mention, My name is Pawblo." He turned to cataloupe and smiled.

"Oh, nice to know Pawblo. I suppose I forgot to catch it when we formally met yesterday." He repeated his hearty laugh like before, only quieter and much shorter, more like a single laugh of enthusiasm. "I'll be sure to remember that." He gave pawblo a thumbs up, and sat on the couch, ready with the others to watch and enjoy the game.

Pawblo looked around the room as he approached the couch with the others. He saw photos of cataloupe, some in fun locations with friends, others showing hints that he was a soldier. It was almost strange to pawblo, to be in somebody's home, when it looked so nice. Perhaps he could have something like this one day, a home that isn't empty, and memories to hold on the walls. He sat on the sofa and watched the previews to the game, and when it began, the energy in the room became a much livelier one. Everyone else seemed to be excited just by the sights of people on the screen, and pawblo could only chuckle and follow along with them. He hadn't watched football before, but he was sure to pick up onto it fairly well.

The game was hyped by the cheers of excitement from the four of them, a few groans of disappointment when the team they were cheering for failed, but always came back in their luck. All seemed well at that moment, everyone was happy, and the game was going great. Pawblo could even see the excitement on their faces, taking particular interest in Cataloupe. He was so happy to be with his friends, and it showed with his wide, excited smile. He was particularly out going, and he seemed to have feelings as big as he was. It was cute, as attractive as his outside.

By the end of the game, Pawblo was more focused on Cataloupe, and he hardly noticed anything else happening. His head was turned to focus on him, and watched as he leapt off the couch in celebration, their team had won their way into the earth's football championship, the super bowl. Pawblo laughed when Cataloupe picked up the human and laughed with him. Pawblo stood up and stretched out, joining in their celebration and having a brief conversation before they started leaving.

"Thanks for having me over Cataloupe, but I should head out to clean up my room. It's still dusty." Pawblo held his paw out to shake Cataloupe's again. Once Cataloupe met him halfway, he took a second to observe the room, and take notice of everything again. He remembered his own apartment, empty, and nothing like cataloupe's despite being the same. How long would it be until he had something like that. At Least now, he had a friend.

Cataloupe nodded and let Pawblo go. "Alright bud, I'll see you around. And hey, you can come back here for the big game in a couple of weeks if you'd like!" Cataloupe offered, Pawblo smiling and nodding in response, as he left the room. Once Pawblo was gone, Cataloupe hummed and looked around him, taking note of everything he had to put away and clean. "Parties are fun, but the after parties sure aren't."

Pawblo went back to his apartment quietly, like a switch in his mind flipped, and he was silent. Any sign of him being at the party was gone, as the reality started setting in. "I can't go to that party, I wont have rent money by then, and I need a job. But now I have to go so I don't disappoint him." Pawblo frowned and entered what he called home, laying back down on the sofa and imagining a party happening around him. It was a nice dream, but he probably wouldn't be able to achieve it any time soon. But again, his mind was focused on somebody, and not the bigger picture. Rather, the bigger ventrexian again, the one who made Pawblo smile, and gave him a reason to forget his misfortunes. Maybe he didn't want to have parties in his home, just Cataloupe would be enough.

Days passed by, and Pawblo caught himself a job as a mechanic, only down the street from the apartment building. He worked hard and long for the good paychecks he would get every week, and just so he could keep going home to see the excitable neighbor he enjoyed so much. He was certain he was developing some kind of crush on the Ventrexian. Even at work, he would imagine Cataloupe walking by the window and waving, just to make him feel better. It was strange, but Pawblo liked the idea of Cataloupe being around and just being himself.

One day in the second week, Cataloupe came over after Pawblo came home from work. Nothing scheduled or special, but as a courtesy. He knocked on the door, and smiled when Pawblo opened. "Hey Pawblo, it's been a few days since we've seen each other, just wanted to check up on you and see how you are."

Pawblo smiled and nodded, stepping aside to let Cataloupe in. "Thank you, I haven't had a friend check up on me before. Come in, make yourself at home." He smiled, and watched the ventrexian clumsily kick his shoes off, before walking in and sitting on the sofa, quickly noticing the emptiness of the room.

"Still moving in I see?" Cataloupe curiously looked over to Pawblo, who was closing the door now and making his way to his seat next to Cataloupe.

"I uh, yeah. The movers are still running behind, but it'll be home before I know it." Pawblo chuckled, lying between his teeth, as he sat down and stared ahead to the emptiness. Not even a TV to kill time with. Pawblo smiled and tried to keep a simple conversation. "So, how have you been?"

"Alright, things are pretty quiet around here, there typically isn't much going on. It's nice." Cataloupe responded. "It's nice to have a neighbor like you by the way. You aren't crazy, or rude, so that's a plus."

Pawblo nodded. "Likewise. You also seem like the kind of person to beat up the bad guys. So I feel pretty safe around you." He smiled and leaned on the arm rest to keep his composure, and remain comfortable.

Cataloupe blushed a little, but it quickly went away and he nodded. "I am in the military, off duty for a while of course, so I do beat up the bad guys a lot." He curled his moustache around his finger and smirked, as if he were showing off. "You look like the kind of guy who would beat up the bad guys and apologize unironically."

Pawblo laughed and nodded. "Maybe, I don't see myself hurting anybody, ever. That's not really my thing."

Cataloupe nodded, and he smiled, more of joy than of his ego. He found some kind of comfort in Pawblo's passive nature, it was cute. "Well, If anything ever does happen, just give me a call, and I'll beat them up for you. Whoever it may be. Nobody is a match for this Ventrexian."

I'd like to be your match, Pawblo thought, as he watched Cataloupe pull out his phone and open an app. That was Pawblo's cue to exchange his number to Cataloupe.

Once it was said and done, They had each other's numbers, and Cataloupe was back to his apartment, leaving Pawblo alone to day dream in silence. "I can't believe he gave me his number so soon. Does he like me too? Or was it just an accident?" Pawblo let thoughts flow through his mind, and ideas going back and forth. These thoughts bounced around inside of him for the rest of the night, and into the next morning. They continued, and everytime he got back to the subject, Cataloupe, he would smile and have a bounce in his step.

He was becoming more productive at work, helping his coworkers out more, getting work done faster, and he would occasionally text cataloupe on his break, just to have a fun conversation. It was nice to have a friend around almost all the time. He felt safer all the time, even having the confidence to do things outside of work, just walking the street felt better to him.

One day, after work, Pawblo was walking home like he had begun to, instead of taking a cab. That's when it happened. He was shoved into an alleyway by a ragged looking ventrexian, and he was cornered by a few others. "Give us your wallet, hairball." One of the ventrexians spoke sourly, drawing their blaster and loading it, as a warning. "Now."

"Y-you can have it, it's empty." Pawblo pulled it out and held it to the ones in front of him, they opened it and hummed. "Empty your pockets, and give us anything worth something." They decided to take everything, just to get something.

Pawblo was scared, he didn't even have time to text cataloupe for help, so he did as he was told, and gave them everything in his pockets, and showed them his wrists, that he had no jewelry. Once it was over, the other ventrexians ran off with what they took, leaving pawblo alone, and without his stuff. He was lucky, but he managed to get back to his apartment building, going straight to cataloupe. He knocked on his door frantically, and when Cataloupe opened the door, it was pretty obvious to him something was wrong.

"Pawblo, this is unexpected, what happened?" Cataloupe quickly guided Pawblo inside and closed the door, making sure to lock it. "You're safe in here, from whatever is going on."

"I was mugged. I mean, I'm fine, but They took my phone, and well, that's about it." Pawblo felt a bit embarrassed coming to Cataloupe for help when it was nothing, but it felt like an instinct to him rather than an idea. Cataloupe made him feel safe, and he needed that feeling right now.

Cataloupe sighed and pulled cataloupe into a hug. It was warm and peaceful, not too tight, and not rushed. Just enough to help calm Pawblo down. "I'm glad you aren't hurt. But they only took your phone?" Cataloupe raised an eyebrow and hummed.

"Yeah, it was all I had. My wallet is back in my place. I forgot it, luckily." He lied again. Despite his wallet being back in his pocket, it was empty. "I just didn't feel safe going back to my apartment just yet." He frowned and looked up to Cataloupe, as if he would have some sort of answer to his problems.

"That's okay, you can relax here for a while. Make yourself comfortable, and I'll give you my old phone for now. I'll call some pals of mine to get your phone back, can't let those jerks walk free like this." He said, as he waited for Pawblo to let go when he was ready.

Pawblo nodded, and slowly pulled out of the hug. He went to the couch and relaxed, trying to forget everything that happened. Nothing major happened, and he was glad about that. But he was still worried about it. He started feeling safe, then this happened. Maybe he shouldn't let his guard down too soon from now on.

Cataloupe left Pawblo to himself for a minute, going into the kitchen to call his friend. "Hey, Clarence, I need a favor. One of my friends got jumped by a street rat. If you can retrieve their phone, I'll get you something in return." He offered, as he searched around in a storage cabinet for his old phone. Once the call was over, he had clarence on the case, what he needed in hand, and he was back to Pawblo. He sat on the couch and lent him the phone for him to have for a while. "No need to worry blueberry, I have somebody helping now. You're safe, and it'll be okay." He smiled and pat Pawblo's back.
Pawblo smiled and turned his head to Cataloupe. "Thank you, I'm glad to have a friend like you. How can I repay you?" He offered, feeling the need to repay the favor.

"Just stay safe, oh, and accept an extra gift from me." Cataloupe said, as he got back up and went to his room, coming back only a moment later with a small blaster. "Learn how to use this, and Carry it around to protect yourself. I trust you with it, and I believe you'll be fine, but consider this a, just in case, sort of thing."

Pawblo accepted the blaster, and started looking over it curiously. "This might work out." He mumbled, as he nodded and put it in the sleeve Cataloupe had with it. "Thank you."

"No problem, hey, don't forget about the football game next weekend. I hope you'll be here." Cataloupe smiled, and sat back down. "You don't have to come, but I'd like you to." He turned on the TV, and let whatever show was on play as background noise, to break any more tension that Pawblo may have been feeling.

"Of course, I'll be there, you can count on it." Pawblo smiled and watched the TV with Cataloupe, he was finally calm again, and his confidence seemed to be returning. He knew he would be safe with a weapon, and with Cataloupe on his side.

Pawblo and cataloupe began talking more after that night, having simple conversations both over text, and in person. Most of the time, it was Cataloupe just wanting to have a nice chat with Pawblo. It felt nice to be cared about. They continued to have their chats, and the day of the big game came. Pawblo went over to Cataloupe's apartment like before, and had a similar time with him, except there were at least a dozen other people there. Nevertheless, it seemed that Cataloupe gave him more attention than others, even revealing that Clarence had found his phone. Well...
Clarence was at the party, and decided to return the phone himself. "Excuse me, you must be Pawblo." He approached the cornflower blue ventrexian, who stood out from the rest. "I'm Clarence, Polkawitz for you to know. I'm the one to retrieved your phone for you." He smirked and revealed the phone to Pawblo.

"Wow, thank you clarence! Cataloupe does have some pretty great friends." He smiled and glanced over to Cataloupe, who was chatting with a few of his other friends, some in their own military uniforms too.

"Oh yes, he certainly does." Clarence chuckled. "Oh, and one more thing. I put my number on there for you, call me sometime." He winked, and turned to leave.

Pawblo grimaced and opened his phone, quickly removing Clarence's number. "That can go. Forever." Pawblo thought to himself, as he walked over to cataloupe, showing him that he got his phone back. "Clarence returned my phone, thanks for helping me out." He smiled, handing the old phone back to Cataloupe.

"Anything for a friend. Besides, it was the right thing to do anyway." Cataloupe smiled and made room on the couch for pawblo to sit next to him. The game was about to start, and the room was packed with people, all having fun and anticipating the start of the main event.

The night went as planned for everyone, and their team won! Everyone erupted into celebration, and carried their cheers through the night as they went home. All that was left was Pawblo and Cataloupe now. "So Pawblo, what did you think of the game?" He asked quietly, as he turned off the TV and began cleaning up, with Pawblo helping of course.

"It was great, I'm glad I got to have some fun with you and your friends. They all seem really nice." Pawblo smiled and threw away any trash that he saw. "We should do this again sometime."

"Yeah, I think so too. How about dinner here tomorrow? Nothing special, just to hang out." Cataloupe offered casually. "If you're comfortable with that, of course. I know you have work tomorrow and you might be tired so it's okay if you don't want to."

"No way, I'd be glad to hang out. And plus, I bet you make some great food, eh?" Pawblo chuckled, holding back any extra excitement that he had on the inside. "So tomorrow at..?"

"Seven Thirty? I'll be home by then and we can eat by eight."

"Sounds good by me." Pawblo nodded and closed the trash bag he was filling. "Well, if you don't need anything else, I'm gonna head back to my place. I'll cya tomorrow." He smiled.

"Got it. And I can handle the rest. I'll see you then." Cataloupe winked, and continued wiping the kitchen counter clean. When he heard the door shut behind him, he knew pawblo was gone, and smiled. "Yes!" He celebrated to himself, he was glad to finally get a step towards having something with the smaller ventrexian.

Pawblo smiled and his face flushed red, holding it back was hard, and now he was free to let his mind go wild with excitement for tomorrow night. "I can't believe this is happening, I gotta make this just right." He began to think to himself, as he went into his apartment to start preparing.

The next night came up quickly, and pawblo was rushing home from work, so he could get to dinner on time. It was only six thirty, but he couldn't stop thinking about being late. He rushed up to his apartment and rushed into a shower. Then he began to slow down, realizing he only had to get dressed now and walk next door to be there. Now he spent the time in the shower thinking about everything he may need to do. He had been on dates before, but earth customs were unique to him, and he wasn't sure how to act during an earth date. So maybe he just needed to follow along. And maybe stop calling it a date.

Cataloupe was in a similar manner, not calling it a date yet, but he wanted to make sure that it was a good impression. He was making fish tacos for their dinner, since most ventrexians loved fish already, and he knew how to make them. By the time they were ready, there were only seven on the dot. He had time to find a good bottle of wine, and hope for the best.

Pawblo was at Cataloupe's door right on time, knocking eagerly, and smiling nervously. He wasn't sure what this dinner was supposed to be, but he knew it was a good thing. When the door opened, he instantly smelled fish, and his tail wagged. "Good evening Cataloupe. I can smell something great in there."

Cataloupe chuckled and nodded, stepping aside. "I may or may not have gotten ready a bit too early, but it's ready when you are." He let pawblo in and closed the door behind him, letting Pawblo walk into the kitchen to the table, where two plates of fish tacos, and glasses of wine waited. Pawblo couldn't help but blush.

"Wow, getting all this ready for me? That's nice of you, thanks." He smiled and sat down in a seat at the table, with Cataloupe quick to follow, and sit right across from him.

Cataloupe nervously laughed, and blushed as well. "Well, I figured you would like fish, and Wine is an earth custom to a formal meal." He did his best to deflect any observations, trying to keep it casual.

Pawblo and Cataloupe began to eat at about the same time, quietly enjoying the food and making small talk. Chat about work, their pasts, and interests came up. It became clear that they have very different backgrounds, but the same interests.

"Back in the wars, I knew people who were exactly like you. They made great company, all the time. Sometimes I wanted to get shot in the foot so I could see them again." Cataloupe laughed, then took a sip of wine. "Good people."

Pawblo nodded. "How old are you, actually? You don't seem that old, but the wars you speak of aren't exactly fresh." He hummed and raised an eyebrow of interest.

"About forty three, but I feel twenty every day. That comes with routine and responsibility." He smirked and waited for pawblo to share something.

"Oh wow, you look great for forty three. I'm only Thirty six, but some people think I'm younger than that too." He chuckled and brushed the fur fluff on his head. He wasn't expecting Cataloupe to be even three years older than him, but just a few extra wasn't too bad.

As the night went on, they learned more about each other, and by the end of their meal, they seemed to be as good as old friends. "You really know how to make a good meal, and make people feel right at home." Pawblo complimented. "Thank you, for the great meal."

"Any time, especially for you." Cataloupe winked, and finished the rest of his food, to break eye contact by leaving to clean his plate. He didn't want pawblo to see him blushing, but he knew he got himself, and pawblo to that level. It was funny, and embarrassing, and he hoped to get the chance to be used to it. Maybe he could pull that off.

Pawblo watched Cataloupe and smiled, finishing what he had left, and following him to the sink to wash the dishes with him. "Hey, tonight was pretty great, as a whole. Even though we didn't really do much, what if we did this again in the future?" Pawblo offered curiously.

Cataloupe sarcastically hummed, as if he had to think long and hard for an answer. "You know I can't say no to that. You're the best company I've had in a while, it would be stupid to skip another chance." He smiled, then kissed the top of Pawblo's head.

Pawblo blushed, then he set the plate in the bowl of the sink and crossed his arms. "Hey big guy, you missed." He smirked, and got on the tips of his toes, to peck cataloupe's lips, then he resumed washing dishes, like he originally planned.

Cataloupe had to stifle a laugh, he really wasn't expecting that from pawblo of all people, but he was glad he got it. Once their dishes were cleaned, Cataloupe took pawblo to the couch to lounge together, and watch tv to kill some extra time. "Anything you'd like to watch?"

"Just you, I guess." Pawblo smiled and nuzzled Cataloupe's shoulder, though he was quick to keep his distance, not to get too lovey so quick. He knew cataloupe wouldn't say no, but he didn't want to rush just yet.

"You'll have plenty of time to do that if you'd like to stay." Cataloupe smiled and gave Pawblo another kiss, just for good measure. With that, they knew they would stay together for the night, with Pawblo wanting nothing more than to be with Cataloupe, and a mutual feeling from the other would make that happen.

Chapter Text

College has put Pawblo in plenty of strange and unique situations; some in his engineering class, his robotics class, but this one was different. He was in his photography class, and his assignment was to have a scheduled photoshoot with the military entrepreneur Cataloupe. He had invented a new weapon of war, and Pawblo was assigned to do a formal interview for the campus magazine. Why such a strange interview? Cataloupe was attending the college part time, so this invention wasn’t big news to the campus, but Pawblo was still quite interested to meet him.

Cataloupe was at his dorm for the day, waiting for the reporter to arrive for the interview. He had been setting up all morning, cleaning up, and putting his weapon on the table, to display it for any photos. He knew the routine, and he was certain of how this would go, so all he needed to do was wait. Until, he heard a knock on his door. He got off the sofa, fixing his hair and clearing his throat, as he unlocked the door to see who it was.

Pawblo waited patiently, and when he saw Cataloupe in front of him, he instinctively smiled. He was quite handsome, more so in person than in a photo. “Good afternoon Mr. Cataloupe, I’m Pawblo from the Photography class. I'm here for your interview over your invention.”

Cataloupe nodded and allowed Pawblo inside. “Good afternoon, glad you could make it.” He smiled and closed the door behind Pawblo. “Please, make yourself comfortable. I'm ready to start when you are. Would you like a drink or a snack before we begin?” He asked, as he approached the kitchenette near the end of the room.

“No thank you.” Pawblo smiled as he sat down in a seat across from the sofa, and adjusted the settings on his camera. He pulled his phone out and got ready to fill out blanks in his pre-written notes. “Please state your name, age, and grade for the identity record.”

Cataloupe sat down across from Pawblo and nodded. “My name is Cataloupe. I'm 37, and I am a Junior Grade Student at the Ventrexian University of War and Technology.” He stated, almost proud of who he was. He had reason to be, one was sitting on the table between them.

“Wow.” Pawblo mumbled, he wasn’t aware of Cataloupe’s age before, but it wasn’t insane for a college student. “Thank you.” He said, as he finished typing the rest of the Identity form. “Now, tell me a bit of your invention. What makes it so unique, and how did you come up with the Idea?”

Cataloupe had to think for a second, glancing at the weapon, as if it had a script engraved in the metal. “This Invention is an Automatic Reloading Micro Blaster. The Concept originally came to me when my predecessor noted the many injuries involving malfunction in the weapons they used. So, I invented a blaster that fits in the pocket, and has an automatic reloading function, so it never runs out of ammunition. The Blaster Bolts are Plasma based, Taking solar energy and compressing it into superheated, fluid like material in the conversion chamber. Another Innovation of this blaster is the anti-jamming barrels. Blasters generally jam up when attempting to fire, and the rounds clog in the barrel. To avoid this, the blaster is equipped with 3 disposable barrel ports that can be manually removed and replaced in case of a jam. This avoids malfunction, and constant usage for long periods of time.”

Pawblo nodded and wrote down most of the details as Cataloupe spoke. This weapon truly was a marvel, two birds with one stone, and it would save lives. No wonder he was becoming so popular for this. “Are there any extra Ideas you intend to implement to the design, or quality of the Blaster?”

Cataloupe knew the answer to this answer immediately. “Yes, of course. There is always room for improvement. I’d like to design the barrels to be smaller for the future, to keep the blaster small, and add more usage to it for safety. I would also like to have it approved by the Military Council to be considered a super weapon one day. A second, stronger model has been in my mind for a while now, and perhaps I can create a weapon that can destroy entire ships with one shot.”

Pawblo felt shivers run down his spine with just the thought of a blaster being able to destroy a ship, with a single shot. How could he manage to create a ship destroyer that fits in his pocket? “How long did it take you to develop this weapon?”

“Only eight months. It may seem like a long time, but some weapons of these proportions take years to develop successfully.” Cataloupe added. “If I manage to follow through with my future Ideas, It may be a year or two before the final product is released for those.”

Pawblo nodded, slowly understanding Cataloupe’s mindset. He wanted to build and improve weapons to win the wars he may need to fight, rather than settle on what he had. He was the creative type, it suited him. “One last question. If you were to sell this weapon, how much do you think it would cost?”

“I have no intention to sell this weapon to the public, but each unit takes about three thousand dropnoids to assemble. The military buys them from me, their payment being a full scholarship to this college, and additional payments.” He smiled and held the blaster. “Now, I suppose you’ll want some photos?”

Pawblo nodded and put his phone away, preparing his camera and raising it. “Ready…” He spoke quietly, then took a photo of Cataloupe. A quick flash of white light illuminated the area, and it made the weapon shine like a gem. “Great, now could you hold it as if you were aiming to fire?”

Cataloupe obliged, and got into the position Pawblo requested. Once he was given the Okay, he froze and got his second photo taken. “Thanks for coming down here by the way. I’ve been excited to share this for a while.”

“It’s no problem! I’ve heard word about you for a while now, I was pretty excited to receive you as my assignment.” Pawblo blushed a little, while adjusting the white balance on his camera. “It’s really cool to see somebody putting so much effort and thought into stuff like this.”

Cataloupe chuckled and nodded, laying the blaster in his lap. “Yeah, I’ve been interested all my life. Weapons of course. I’ve been interested in you for the last five minutes.” He winked and looked down to the blaster to distract himself.

Pawblo blushed, and fell silent in quick thought. “I uh, thank you?” He chuckled and turned off his camera, having what he needed, he was ready to leave. “It was good to meet you, thank you for your time, Cataloupe.” Pawblo got up and looked back to Cataloupe again.

“Of course. Hey, if you’re as interested in me as my blaster, perhaps I could see you here again tonight, for dinner? We can call it a date.” Cataloupe chuckled at his own idea. “You’re too cute to pass up an offer to.”

Pawblo’s face turned an even deeper shade of red. He found Cataloupe attractive, and he wanted to get to know him. So perhaps dinner wouldn’t be a bad idea. “Sure, That sounds fine to me. I’ll see you at seven?”

“Good with me. I’ll see you then.” Cataloupe waved and grinned, as he watched Pawblo leave the dorm. “I can’t believe he said yes to that, I looked so stupid.” He laughed to himself, as he inspected his gun one last time, before getting up and going to his dresser, to place it back into the case. “Now to finish some paperwork and get ready for tonight.”

Pawblo finished the rest of his day as he planned, though with new plans ahead of him. Once he had his classes behind him, he was off to his own dorm to get dressed and ready for his date. He was excited, and a bit nervous at the same time. He didn’t want to disappoint Cataloupe, but he wasn’t too sure what to expect either. Once the time came for him to go, he was dressed in a grey button up shirt, blue jeans, and black hard sole shoes. He had worn that same outfit to dates before, and he seemed to find that it went well.

Cataloupe was anxious, he was worried of coming off as disappointing, compared to how he had met pawblo. Instead of an accomplishment being the subject, it was just him. Nothing special in his eyes. “Maybe he’ll just be fine with it.” He smiled to himself, then started getting ready.

Pawblo was back at Cataloupe’s dorm, and he knocked on the door again. Almost exactly like before, except Cataloupe had a nicer shirt on. A solid Navy Blue dress shirt and a tiny white bow tie around his neck. Pawblo blushed and looked up into Cataloupe’s eyes. “Hey, you look nice.” He had to hold back a chuckle when he noticed the bow tie. It looked way too small for a guy his size.

“Thanks, you look great.” Cataloupe smiled, letting Pawblo in, and allowing him to sit on the sofa. He closed the door and went to the kitchenette, grabbing two bowls of fancy looking soup. It was still steaming hot, and he placed both bowls on the table in front of the sofa. He sat down next to Pawblo and looked over to him. “Feel free to eat whenever you’d like, I was thinking we could go to the shooting range after this, to have a bit of fun.”

Pawblo smiled and nodded. “Yeah, and do you think I could grab my camera to get some shots of you using the new weapon?” He asked, while he grabbed the bowl of soup and began eating.

“Sure. And hey, thanks for coming back. I wanted to know a bit about you, since you learned some about me.” Cataloupe smiled and took his own soup to eat.

Pawblo blushed and smiled, it felt nice to have somebody take interest in him. “There’s not really much to me. I'm just Pawblo, I'm 31, and I'm a Sophomore here with a major in mechanics.”

“Nice, nice. But I know there’s more to you than that. You seem like a special guy with a lot of dreams.” Cataloupe complemented.

Pawblo hummed, thinking for a moment. “I’m from Tera Con Prime, and since a young age, I’ve worked with machines. I really wanted to become an engineer in my teens, and I’ve been working on getting a degree for it ever since.”

Cataloupe nodded, and continued to eat while he listened. “That sounds pretty great. Perhaps we could work together on my future plans, since you’re so smart with machines, you could help.” He offered.

Pawblo nodded, liking the idea pretty quickly. He started imagining himself with his own custom weapons, and being in the same position Cataloupe was in earlier that day. Being interviewed by another student of that very college. It made him chuckle. “That sounds pretty great, almost ironic.” He smiled.

Once they finished their soup and talked out their interest in machines and war, they were off to the Campus’ Communications building, to retrieve Pawblo’s camera. Once they were there though, there was a roadblock. Pawblo tried pushing the door open, but it was locked. “Damn, they must be gone already.”

Cataloupe hummed, then he began looking around. “Perhaps I can shoot the lock off that window and we can slide into the building from there? I have the silencer on the blaster, nobody’s around to hear it anyways.”

Pawblo was hesitant on breaking and entering after hours, but extra credit for his project was tempting him. Plus, it would be fun to have some strange adventure on his date. “Sure, Just don’t make it obvi—!”

Cataloupe was already at the window, and he blew the tiny lock off the window’s ledge. It was almost silent, a tiny metallic pang that sounded like a pebble hitting glass, was all that followed. “And now, we go.” He smiled, as he opened the window for Pawblo to climb in.

Pawblo chuckled and climbed through, watching his step as he entered the hall. Cataloupe squeezing in right behind him, almost getting stuck with his fur being too fluffy. “My class is just down the hall. We can be out of here in less than a minute.” He informed Cataloupe, as they started walking.

Once they were in the right room, Pawblo quickly grabbed his camera from his group’s table, and started leaving. “Okay, it’s charged and ready for some photos. We can use the door to leave, so you aren't getting stuck.” Pawblo chuckled.

“Oh hush blueberry, it’s not my fault i'm so big and strong.” Cataloupe flexed his arm to make Pawblo laugh again, and he closed the window as they walked by, Pawblo getting the door.

Now they were off to the shooting range. It was only three buildings away, and outdoors too. A good night for them to go too, clear star filled skies, and a slight breeze. Once they arrived, It was obviously empty, everyone at home or in their dorms now, and the only light was the horizon turned purple by the sun, and the moon rising on the opposite side of the sky.

“Okay, get ready.” Cataloupe announced as he raised the blaster to fire at a target in the distance ahead of them.

Pawblo pulled out the camera, turning off the flash to catch the glow of the plasma. “Go ahead.” He replied, taking a photo as the bullet traveled, hitting the target almost dead center. Pawblo whistled in amazement, the green glow looked perfect on camera, and Cataloupe was an amazing shot. “Nice job big guy, that was great!”

“I’m not done just yet.” Cataloupe smirked, as he continued to fire. He was getting nearly perfect each time, getting more and more excited with each shot. Though, Pawblo looked down to turn his flash back on to get a shot of Cataloupe firing it again, when Cataloupe was taking a fast break.

“Man, it’s kind of hot out here.” Cataloupe commented while Pawblo was adjusting some settings on his camera. “What do you mean? The wind is making it a little cold out here.” Pawblo raised an eyebrow as he raised his camera. “Ready?”

“Yeah.” Cataloupe raised the blaster and fired again, followed by a flash of light from the camera. And to Pawblo’s surprise, he couldn’t use that photo at all. Cataloupe had his shirt off.

His face turned red when he examined the photo on the display screen, and he chuckled quietly. “Hey, that was kind of a bad angle, could you turn a bit more towards me?”

Cataloupe nodded, turning more towards Pawblo, and he took another photo. “Nice, that's perfect.” He chuckled, this time a bit louder. Cataloupe could hear him now, and he raised an eyebrow. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing!” Pawblo looked up from the camera, and he grinned. “Just thought of a joke I heard a while back.” He lied, as he turned off the camera. “But I’m done taking photos, I’d just like to spend time with you, for fun.” He smiled, as he approached Cataloupe and held his free hand.

Cataloupe smiled and held the blaster out to Pawblo. “Would you like to try before we go?”

Pawblo hummed and took the blaster, nodding and aiming at the target. He knew the basics, but he wasn’t very confident yet. Lucky for him, he had Cataloupe there to help him with that.

Cataloupe stood behind Pawblo, his paws on Pawblo’s shoulders, and he was helping Pawblo through the process. “You have a clear shot, just pull the trigger, and keep your grip tight.”

Pawblo nodded, and did as he was told. There was a slight recoil, but he managed to hit the target. Nowhere near as good as Cataloupe did though. He was proud of himself nonetheless. “Thanks, that was about as easy as I thought! Though I have been trained before.” He chuckled.

Cataloupe nodded and allowed Pawblo to keep going. “Shoot as much as you want, remember, it has an endless supply of ammo.” He stepped back and watched as Pawblo continued to shoot at the target, getting it every time.

They started making their way back after a while, and they held hands on their way back to the dorms. “Thanks for taking me out tonight Cataloupe. I had fun.” Pawblo smiled and looked at him.

“Of course, anything for you, Blueberry.” Cataloupe winked, and kissed Pawblo’s cheek. He couldn’t see it, but Pawblo’s face was deep red again, and he could only remain silent as they walked. But it was the same for Cataloupe anyways. Once they reached the dorms, they made their way to Cataloupe’s door, and got the door open. “Well, I guess that’s it?” Cataloupe seemed to ask, as he stepped inside.

“I guess. I’ll cya around.” Pawblo smiled, letting go of Cataloupe’s paw, but he stepped forward and gave him a kiss on the lips. It was short at first, then Cataloupe returned one, longer than before. They almost began making out at the door, but they decided to step into the room before they did.

Cataloupe closed the door and chuckled. “Guess that isn’t it just yet huh?” He raised an eyebrow and watched Pawblo in amusement.

“Yeah, could we uh, spend the night? Together?” Pawblo asked, embarrassed, but he really wanted to.

“Sure, It’s getting late, you can stay with me for the night.” He smiled and motioned to a door. “The bedroom is there, you can go when you’d like. I gotta clean up the dishes and shower, then I’ll be there.”

Pawblo nodded, giving Cataloupe another kiss, then heading to the room. It was like the living room, but much smaller, and with a large bed. He got undressed and laid down, getting comfortable quickly, but doing his best not to fall asleep just yet.

Cataloupe didn’t want to keep Pawblo waiting very long, so he rushed through his chores, and he was ready. He got into bed next to the half asleep ventrexian, and gave him another kiss to let Pawblo know he was there. As if the sudden major weight change wasn't enough.

Pawblo smiled and cuddled close to Cataloupe, wrapping an arm around his neck and getting comfortable, pressing his chest against Cataloupe’s and humming happily. Warm and fluffy, the way to describe it, and Pawblo couldn’t ask for it any other way.

Cataloupe smiled and whispered into Pawblo’s ear quietly, “you’re my sweet little blueberry” He said, while slowly leaning close and planting a kiss onto the top of Pawblo’s head.

Pawblo began to purr, his half-absent mind was focused on cataloupe’s affection, and he couldn’t help himself but fall in love with it. He smiled and started drawing circles with his finger in the thick fluff on Cataloupe’s chest. “And you’re my favorite teddy bear in the whole universe.”

In the morning, Pawblo woke up, his fur was messed up, and he felt slightly dizzy. He was still cuddled close to cataloupe, who was sleeping soundly and in a similar state. Pawblo smiled and admired what he saw for a moment, then planted a kiss on Cataloupe’s cheek. “C’mon Cataloupe, it's time to get up, we have classes today.”

Cataloupe huffed quietly and gently placed his paw on Pawblo’s face, as if he were an alarm clock. “Five… more minutes.” Cataloupe mumbled, followed by a tired sigh.

Pawblo chuckled and kissed Cataloupe’s Paw pad, then he pushed it away. “We still need to shower, get dressed, and get to our classes on time. There's a lot to do.” He sat up while listing everything they had to do. “Come on big guy.”

Cataloupe groaned quietly and slowly opened his eyes, but he was quick to put on a smile when he saw Pawblo. “Okay, I'm up now, Blueberry. Don’t get yourself worked up, or else your legs might cramp.” He winked, and he was about to laugh too, but was interrupted with a pillow to the face as Pawblo playfully smothered him to keep him quiet. “Shut up! We never talk about that!” He laughed while trying to keep his tone serious.

In response, Cataloupe sat up and gave Pawblo one more kiss, before getting up and going to the bathroom, obliging to Pawblo’s list, and doing what he needed to do. Despite school being ahead of them, they had each other to look forward to at the end of it.

Chapter Text

—PART 1—
The training on the base was going as it usually had. Troops firing at false targets and taking notes from their Guides. They were already great, but for ventrexians, great isn't enough. Not even for Cataloupe either, despite having soft spots for certain things, and a certain someone, he was required to be cold on the job. "You're all the same as last time, no improvements. We'll be here until every single one of you shows progress." He spoke into his intercom, giving his message to the soldiers via their helmets. Nearly all of them were agitated by this new notice, a few not so much.

Pawblo was one to become agitated, however he found guilt within the statement. He was right, he hadn't improved much, although he was hitting every target, he knew he had to get better. That's exactly what he aimed to do, but he wasn't sure how. Until, he mistakenly shot a target out of his parameter, and a few took notice of that mistake. Pawblo immediately, everyone else after. "I-I'm sorry, I thought that was-", he was interrupted halfway by a new message.

"Finally, one of you gets it! You should be working together, as a squadron, sure you can handle what you can all day, but we're stronger in numbers, so get to it." Cataloupe smiled and watched as every guard now treated the training as a free-for-all, and every one of them being annihilated by bullets in nearly an instant. That's when the training was officially completed.

Now, Pawblo was in the barracks, doing some personal work on his own, hearing the commotion of other soldiers around him. He heard, "Did you see Clawrin's head shots?" "Maybe I need to get-" "Whatever happened to independence being the main tool of a ventrexian?" The last voice started pulling at Pawblo's attention, and he focused.

"Ever since I got here, that Cataloupe guy has been on and on about teamwork, and responsibility. Yeah we gotta be responsible, but we're born warriors, we don't need teams."

"Yeah, you got that right. It's like the stories of ventrexians weren't ever true."

These two ventrexians Pawblo was overhearing were the usual weirdos of the bunch. They showed up one day and started doing strange things. Showing up late, taking poorly of the leaders, and always going to the Lord Commander as a topic. These two are Purrbert, and Meownchkin.

Pawblo kept his head down, but he looked up at the ceiling's intercom speaker when he heard it buzz, the alert for an incoming message. The Voice was a different General. "Squadron X71, report to Auditorium 4 for briefing of your next mission." Then, the message ended, and every soldier began marching out of the barracks in single file.

They lined their way into a room filled with about 30 chairs, facing the front of the room, where Cataloupe stood next to a projector screen. Once everyone was inside and sat properly, The presentation began, and everyone fell silent in an instant to listen. "Welcome everyone. Today's briefing will be short and simple." Cataloupe began, then he clicked a button on a remote to move the slide show to the next page. This one showed a red alien planet, with a large rocky ring system being swarmed by ships. "Our next mission will be to Byrux-77. Located in the Carnelian Nebula, This planet is under the rule of the Lord Commander, and our troops are actively fighting against his forces. We're attempting to neutralize the threat of him gaining control of the planet's resources, permanently."

Everyone nodded in near unison, and began to take in the mission's objective. Pawblo had it all down already, Just survive and shoot the enemy.

"We'll be sending in 4 Squadrons in 7 units each, consisting of 6 soldiers. You will be assigned alphabetically, and given your proper gear upon take off. If you have any questions, please inform me now."

A couple of hands went up, and they began asking their questions when called upon.

"Is the Lord Commander present on the planet?"
"No, This target is expected to be a minor priority to him. Intel suggests that he is only after the asteroid metals and the exotic plant life for what we assume, economic profits."

"Why are we being sent on a low priority mission?"
"It is unknown what the Lord Commander wants the planet for, so we are assigning you all to this mission to both protect the planet, and learn about the Lord Commander's plans."

"How will we gain knowledge of the plans if the Lord Commander isn't there?"

"There are radio wave signatures in high concentrations on the planet, and on several enemy prime cruisers. They are receiving and sending information as we speak, we will find a way to take advantage of that soon enough."

"What are the number of enemy forces we will be handling?" Pawblo asked.

"Approximately seventy-thousand ground troops and five thousand armed ships. Most are not active at the moment and are located in the asteroids. We have discussed a plan for this, and we are expecting a seven to ten ratio of mortality by the time we reach the ground."

Pawblo hummed and nodded, feeling a bit more assured of the mission's success, but he was curious of the plan now. There was plenty more that the soldiers wouldn't be told.

Purrbert raised his paw. "What exactly is the plan for eliminating seventy percent of the enemy forces?"
"That is classified for Generals and Pilots as of now, but I assure you it will not fail."

That was the last hand raised, so Cataloupe moved on with the presentation. "We are also going to be moving bases soon, within the next planetary cycle, due to an expected eruption on the local star we are orbiting now. We can return to this base within the next century but the atmosphere will no longer exist, so we are asking everyone now to prepare for relocation within the next few days."

Everyone was a bit surprised by the news of a mass evacuation, but no panic started, just a simple assurance that everything was fine. Cataloupe almost sounded happy with the news, though he was expecting it already.

"On a brighter note, The ventrexian empire has successfully taken seventy two planets in the last twenty four hours. We are expected to have a total of ninety one systems in our control by the end of the evening, and one hundred seventy three by the end of the week. Be advised that you may be assigned to one of these planets in the next week to assist in colonization." As Cataloupe spoke, he continuously clicked the remote to show an animation of a map, being filled with green cat head icons, indicating a successful take over.

Once it was over, the screen went black, indicating the end of the presentation. "That is all for now. A brief summary, Have everything of yours packed before the mission and loaded onto your designated transport. For the mission, you will be on the ground fighting for control of the planet. And within the next week, you will be expected to be present on at least one extra mission after this one. With that said, You are dismissed."

Everyone stood and saluted, leaving quietly and making their own remarks amongst themselves, returning to the barracks to rest for the night. Pawblo returned to his bunk and laid down, thinking about the presentation. He enjoyed listening to Cataloupe, as usual. Something about his voice was calming, like his therapist, but more important to him. Like it was natural and not just meant to be. He closed his eyes, the tone of Cataloupe's voice echoing through his mind as he dozed to sleep.

Two days of packing and training passed, and It was finally time for everyone to abandon the planet, and go on their mission. Pawblo sat in a small ship, with 5 other soldiers and a pilot, listening to the gentle hum of the exterior turbines as they light folded towards Byrux-77. Everyone had their helmets on, and they were silent, so Pawblo didn't know who he was with, only knowing his squad mates with a colored mark on their helmet and uniform. Though, he was taken out of his observations when he felt a slight jolt of the ship returning to normal speed, and he heard the pilot speak. "We have arrived, T-Minus 80 seconds until descent."

Pawblo raised an eyebrow. "Eighty seconds? Why so long?" He asked, looking around in confusion, only receiving nods and shrugs. Until, a hologram appeared in the middle of them. It was Cataloupe again. "All Squadrons have successfully entered orbit of the planet. Proceed to phase two. Launch the Breakers."

The pilot nodded, pressing a few buttons on the console, then suddenly, bright flashes came from the ship's exterior weapons, and explosions began illuminating the asteroids ahead of them. They were igniting the asteroids. Meanwhile, Cataloupe had begun explaining. "Once there are no traces of any radio waves, assume global communication has been halted. The ground troops cant relay messages for help if the atmosphere is on fire."

It suddenly became clear, they were doing a blind invasion of the planet to keep the Lord Commander off their backs, and the fight as small as possible. Soon enough, the ship began speeding towards the planet again, and landed without much turbulence. The hatch opened and everyone stood, turning with their weapons drawn, and immediately rushing out to fight. In an instant, the silence was killed by blasts of weapons, explosions, and the rainfall of meteors hitting the ground around them. Most of the planet was desolate now, and on fire, but constant flashes of light from the blasters of both sides were illuminating every direction through the thick smoke.

Pawblo stayed with his partners, taking shots for them, and keeping his eyes peeled as they swarmed the area. He heard other ships flying overhead, some landing, but he didn't bother much to look. "I take it that there are about five hundred enemy troops in this area?"

One of the troops responded quickly. "I guess so! We just need to eliminate all of them, or at least until told otherwise."

Pawblo nodded, now taking a moment to look around when the fire seemed to cease for a moment. "I see more of us around, we have plenty of men around here. Why aren't we swarming the whole planet?"

"I don't know." The other Ventrexian continued to communicate with Pawblo. "Maybe the fight is localized, and we-" He was cut short by a blast, then many more. He had been shot right there, and the fight continued. Pawblo felt guilt in an instant, but it was quickly jaded for the sake of survival.

Once he got close to his partner's body, he tried to wake him up, but no response. Pawblo felt sick, but he took a sharp breath, and continued forward with the rest of his squad. They kept going, until they saw a concrete base with a large, damaged satellite. An asteroid skimmed the edge of it's dish, catching large amounts of sparks, before a small explosion near the fence of the base.

"That must be our objective, capture that facility and retrieve whatever we find." The Ventrexian in front noted. Pawblo nodded in agreement, he figured the same thing. And now they were running for it, avoiding meteors and craters, and shooting any enemies that were in the way. It was hard to see with streams of red dust and smoke being carried by the explosions, but they managed to get to the gate of the base safely. They broke down the doors, and stormed the inside, with two other squads not far behind them. It was dark, damaged tile floors and barren concrete walls made for a maze, and now the search for anything had begun. Pawblo and his partners could still hear the excitement outside of the base through the concrete walls, but it was enough shelter to muffle most of it. "Okay, I think we should be looking for a way to the satellite, or maybe a server room. Somewhere where their data is stored." Pawblo suggested. "Perhaps", his squad leader added. "It's best that we clear every room, and guard whatever else we can find." They both fell quiet when Cataloupe's voice came in. "Squad two fifty seven, Nine fifty two, and Three Eighty, evacuate that facility NOW! There is a dangerously sized asteroid entering the atmosphere in your general vicinity."

Pawblo jumped, and suddenly he and his group were running out of the building, along with the two other squads that had followed them. They managed to run about four hundred feet away from the building, before the large asteroid broke through the clouds, and made a direct impact with the satellite. It missed the building narrowly, but the ground impact sent a minor shockwave around the area, damaging the base dramatically, and pushing the troops backwards. Cataloupe chimed in again once the commotion had finished. "Okay, I want you all to remain where you are. I am coming now to retrieve you."

In only a matter of seconds, Cataloupe's ship broke through the clouds and landed only feet away from the cluster of soldiers. They all ran aboard the ship, and it quickly ascended off of the planet, now the three squads were unified under Cataloupe again. "Good news and bad news. The bad news, we've lost contact with several Squadrons, and the communications back on our home planet are down. Good news is, we have already secured the area we started in, and enemy forces are fleeing quickly. We have found bases similar to what you've found, and data collection has started, so we will be going to an alternate location on the planet, and I will fight alongside you."

Everyone felt reassured, the plan was working, and they had only lost one of their own all together. Pawblo felt like everything was going right, and now all he needed to do was work with Cataloupe. Once they got to their new location, They all ran towards a ditch and slid down, then they started shooting. Cataloupe was next to Pawblo, and he started making small talk. "These guys just don't know when to quit huh?"

Pawblo cleared his throat and nodded. "I- uh, yeah. We haven't lost a battle in ages, and they seem to be losing. They should just give up." Pawblo shot a couple of the enemies approaching them, then he continued. "How are things by the way, sir?"

"Doing fine, Everything is going successfully, and we can send in airstrikes in approximately three hours. The asteroid ring has deteriorated greatly, so we can send more in from space without any problem." Cataloupe spoke while shooting, he was getting way more shots than anybody else, he had between thirty and forty kills within the past minute already. Pawblo only at eleven.

"Oh, I meant how are things with you, sir?" Pawblo corrected, getting to the question he meant to ask. He was suddenly startled by a loud bang, and suddenly everyone was ejected out of the ditch, and through the air for a second. A huge asteroid had made an impact over the horizon, and the shockwave came, now a huge plume of dust was heading their way.

Cataloupe coughed up some dust and stood up. "Contrary to before, not very well. We need to get out of here now." He quickly paged another ship to come back and retrieve them before the wall of debris got them. And every soldier was scrambling back to Cataloupe. Some of them were injured and limping, however Cataloupe and Pawblo were fine, still pretty close together too. It was only a few seconds, and the distress call was answered, by a large ship filled with about fifty other soldiers and generals. Cataloupe and the soldiers who followed him now, quickly filed into the crowd of ventrexians inside.

Once everyone was inside, the ship began to take off, right as the debris wall got to the ditch, and they sped away from it as fast as possible. "Maybe destroying the asteroid belt was a bad idea?" Pawblo asked Cataloupe, unsure of how he was going to respond.

"Yes and no. It got the job done, but it was a bit destructive. However, the mission was a partial success, we know what the Lord Commander wanted the planet for. I'll make an announcement when we get out of here."

Pawblo nodded, then suddenly there was a feeling of unease. Everyone fell silent when one of the generals signaled their attention. "Everyone, I regret to inform you that two of the other evacuation ships have been destroyed. They were not able to escape their own disasters." That drew silence through the ship. "We are going to the planet that we had designated shelter to, where most of the other bases on the planet we came from are now sheltering." In only a moment, the ship lightfolded, and now they were on their way to their new home.

Once they arrived, They were face to face with a large green gas giant planet, speckled with lights of large floating bases, all over the planet. The ship came to a halt before they entered the atmosphere, and a large projection of The Lord Commander appeared in front of everyone. He had the same menacing smirk everyone pictured him with, and it almost drove panic into some of the soldiers. "I heard all about the Byrux Invasion. And I must say, I am impressed by your desire to learn about me."

Down on the planet, every base was receiving the same message. "However, I find it unforgivable that you desire to kill my armies, some of which are your own people. You are all just worthless heretics now, your true empire has fallen into my hands. You know that, so why are you fighting against it?"

It was true, the death of the reigning monarchs spawned a civil war, with Pawblo and Cataloupe in the smaller side, fighting for the Lost King, and against everyone who sided with the Lord Commander, the traitors. Just when the Lord Commander finished speaking, A ventrexian in a beige uniform stepped into view. It was Avocato, and he was almost as intimidating as the Lord Commander was. "Every one of you makes me sick. You fail to see the bigger picture, and you're fighting against what you should be fighting with. Power."

"So why don't we show you what Power you're fighting truly is."

Just like that, at least ten thousand of the Lord Commander's Heavy Incinerator ships appeared from Lightfold, surrounding the planet, and the few ships that were coming from Byrux-77. Though they were not targeting the ships, they all started charging their Primary Cannons, and all at once, fired at the planet. In a flash, the entire planet's atmosphere turned into a fireball, with thousands of explosions indicating the destruction of everything on it. The planet looked like a star now.

The Lord Commander cut through the gasps and sobs of the soldiers on the ships that were still there. "You attempting to ignite a planet, nothing short of a failed light show that got your own people killed. This, however, is what will happen to every planet you dare hide on. You want to bring a war, I say, bring it on. I'll be waiting for you to make your move." And the transmission ended there.

Everyone was panicked, either watching the Heavy Incinerators leave like nothing happened, or seeking the generals for guidance. There were few soldiers who were holding themselves together, Cataloupe being one of them. He stepped onto a chair and let out a fierce roar, to get everyone quiet. "Troops! We have lost our planet, our own men, and our safety. This is a failed mission, but nothing short of a normal act of war. Pull yourselves together, we must keep fighting! The Lord Commander killed all those people, so we will return the favor eventually. As for now, we will be going to another planet, and we can evaluate from there."

Pawblo had some tears in his eyes, but he wiped them away and nodded. Cataloupe was right. People die in war every second, and this was no different from that. They all had to continue fighting for what they wanted to accomplish, and this was just a test of that. They were going to kill the Lord Commander one day, they couldn't fail now.

There are twenty seven transport ships left, and they all Lightfolded to the planet Earth. They received permission from the infinity guard to have a temporary relief camp in the middle of a forest. Every ship landed in a clearing surrounded by trees, and they started sending distress signals to every planet they had conquered, to prepare for any possible threats from the Lord Commander's fleets.

Pawblo and a few other soldiers stuck around with Cataloupe, taking orders and guarding him. At least, until it was just Cataloupe and Pawblo. "Hey, I uh, are you okay?" Pawblo asked Cataloupe nervously.

Cataloupe sighed and drug his paw from his forehead to below his eyes, then he curled the edges of his moustache. "I'm fine, this isn't normal, but this is war. Besides, I've been trained to handle these situations well, and so has everyone else, despite the lack of proof to that. I understand the panic, but that's the exact opposite of what we need now."

Pawblo nodded. "That is true, I've tried to keep my cool through this whole thing, and I guess it's working, but I still feel like a wreck." He crossed his arms and sighed. "I also feel guilty for letting one of my partners die out there."

Cataloupe places his paws on Pawblo's shoulders and looked him in the eyes. "Listen, that wasn't your fault. At the end of the day, people will die, maybe a mile away or in our arms, but you can hardly control that. We stick through this together, so if you ever need something, come to me, tell the others, do whatever. We're all family." He let Pawblo go, and continued walking to the ship, to speak with the other general, who was waiting for him.

—PART 2—
Now that the Camp was set up, everyone was resting peacefully and regaining their strength and energy for the days ahead. Everyone was exhausted from a long day of fighting, and a colossal defeat from the Lord Commander. Pawblo was deep asleep now, having dreams about fighting. The dream seemed so real to him, everything was normal, but it came to an end in a bright flash, and he was suddenly woken up by the sound of thunder.

It was still dark outside, and a gentle rain was tapping on the roof of the ship. He figured it was still early morning now, so he laid in his cot and stared at the dark ceiling, pondering what was next. In his mind, he began to think. "Cataloupe has a plan. He will know what to do." He told himself, but his doubt was still there. Only time will tell now if he should be nervous or not.

He laid there for about half an hour, then he got up and went into the primary quarters of the ship, going into the kitchen and making a cup of coffee. Out the window, he saw lots of dark trees, other ships and several soldiers, all covered by a dark grey sky that rained upon everything. He rubbed his eyes and yawned, still thinking about Cataloupe. The thought of Cataloupe keeping his cool during the crisis kept him calm. It was an infectious feeling of assurance.

Several minutes later, Pawblo was sitting at an empty table, coffee in hand, and his mind still on Cataloupe. "There's so much about him I can't seem to get." He talked to himself, quietly sipping on his steaming drink. "Maybe I should talk with him more. He's really starting to grow on me."

A few long hours of waiting and lounging passed by and now, the soldiers were directed to rise and prepare for the day. Pawblo grabbed his uniform and got dressed, alongside the other soldiers, and as soon as the door to the outside began to open, everyone lined up in a uniform manner in front of their cots, square shouldered and serious. Pawblo and several others turned their heads to see who was coming. It was Cataloupe, General Clawsanova, and Several High Ranking Officers to escort them. They all stepped inside and into the middle of the lined soldiers.

Cataloupe was the first to speak. "Alright men, Today Is day one of Operation Reconstruction. Yesterday's failure has set our divisions back by several days, and now we need to rebuild our forces to continue fighting again. However, the Lord Commander knows of our whereabouts, so we'll need to press forward, carefully. So, I have brought in my colleague, General Clawsanova from Division Shadow-Four Gamma, The spies who kill."

Clawsanova stepped ahead of Cataloupe to address the soldiers. "Thank you Cataloupe. Now, as for all of you, your new training will begin today. From this point forward, you all will be trained like how my troops have been trained. You will learn to be stealthy, stronger, and solely Independent from your brothers and sisters. In the end, the goal is to have all of you ready for the strongest opponents in the universe, all by yourselves. For example..."

Clawsanova snapped his fingers and suddenly, a small, seemingly harmless ventrexian approached from behind them. "Agent Bell Pawper, Reporting sir!" He saluted, getting an aw, and a chuckle from a soldier, which turned all heads. Suddenly, Bell Pawper was at the soldier's feet, and he managed to flip the soldier over his head, throwing him to the ground. "I may be small, but General Clawsanova has trained me to have the strength of one hundred ventrexians!"

Everyone felt a bit uncomfortable watching the soldier scramble to his feet and back to his place, a not so threatening stranger just did that to one of their own. Maybe this new training would be a good thing for their future. And with that, General Clawsanova was in charge, leaving Cataloupe out of the picture for a while. "You'll be spending two weeks with me, nowhere near enough time for a full training seminar, but we will have to make dew and get a move on, let's get to it!"

For the Next two weeks, every soldier was being trained to enhance their agility and stealth, to be more like the spies of the Shadow-Four Gamma Division. The first three days were about everyone's jump strength. On average, everyone started jumping as high as three feet. By the end of the training, everyone was jumping nearly double their original height, even in gear and uniform.

The last four days of the week were reserved for training with tools and new uniforms that made them impossible to hear, and even harder to detect. They had black and grey, sleeker versions of their old uniforms that were hard to see at night. The fabric even absorbed artificial lights, so they caught light rather than reflecting it, unlike normal fabric and metals. Now they were ready to start the training in week two.

Week two was harder, they began working on their speed and strength, however, On the second day of the week, Several soldiers had gone missing, a few weren't showing up to training, and couldn't be found anywhere. On the Fifth day, Even Cataloupe had been reported missing. Many did not notice, due to Cataloupe being relieved of his normal duties, and everyone being together in one group, over eight hundred soldiers, with only twenty three going missing. The Generals noticed immediately, and Pawblo only knew when he overheard Clawsanova Talking about it with the other generals near their ship. That's when he started taking notice of things outside of training.

On the last day, Every soldier had improved dramatically, Pawblo even took notice of his incredible strength; he never thought he could possibly manage to get stronger than he already had. But through it all, he was still consciously worried about Everyone that was going missing. He wanted to believe that they were called for a special purpose, but if not even the other generals knew in private, then there was truly something wrong.

That night, he went to Clawsanova for answers. He went to the ship designated for the generals, and requested access via a signal from his personal communicator. The cargo door of the ship opened, and Clawsanova approached Pawblo from inside. "Evening O'Conner, you had a request to see me?"

"Yeah, I noticed recently that some people in our group are missing. Even Cataloupe? What happened to them? We're supposed to go back under his command tomorrow and he isn't even here."

Clawsanova kept a straight face, showing no sign of conflict or unassurance. "He's off on a special mission right now, and the missing soldiers you're talking about are accompanying him as we speak. They will return soon, but for now they will not be here. I'm glad to see you're more observant than most soldiers, given that you're the first to ask me of this."

Pawblo nodded, and carried on a casual conversation with the general, before turning and leaving, going towards the treeline to take some fresh air. He got close to the trees, then he stopped, hearing a faint voice nearby. He looked to where it was coming from, and he saw Meownchkin. He was motioning him to come over.

Pawblo felt a bit suspicious of this, but he decided to come over out of curiosity. When he got there, Meownchkin started walking into the trees. "Thanks for coming over, I was out for a stroll too, and figured it would be good to have a walking partner, y'know?"

Pawblo nodded and kept up with Meownchkin. "Yeah, I get it. I just needed to get some fresh air before we hit the sacks." He received silence, so he kept talking. "This planet is a lot nicer than Byrux, no fire, or explosions, but peaceful green trees with... Odd red sap on some of them?"

Meownchkin nodded and chuckled. "Earth has some unique and weird features to it." They kept walking together, for several minutes, and the "Red sap" was becoming more frequent, showing up on more and more trees. Pawblo was beginning to even smell that it was blood. He noticed some lights up ahead that looked like one of the ship's, and he followed Meownchkin to them. "Hey uh, where are we going?"

"To the ship, of course. Mine is over here." Pawblo suddenly made a connection, he wasn't supposed to go into a different ship than his own, so why was he following. And why would the ship be away from the rest of them? Meownchkin was hiding something, and the blood splattered trees should have been a dead giveaway.

Pawblo raised an eyebrow, and noticed somebody else in the ship, now he was certain that something was off, but he was gonna play along for a bit longer. Once they got to the ship, the hatch door opened and they walked inside. It looked completely normal, but it was empty, no beds or soldiers, and some of the lights were off. The hatch closed behind them, and another ventrexian, Purrburt came from a separate room. Now Pawblo was certain that something was wrong, he knew those two were bad news, especially together.

Not even a moment went by, and they drew their blasters, firing at Pawblo. Lucky for Pawblo, he actually stayed in the trainings and got faster, Unlike Meownchkin and Purrburt, who were two of the soldiers that were missing. He landed a suckerpunch to the side Of Purrburt's head, sending him into the wall of the ship, and Meownchkin backed up, dropping his gun.

Purrburt hit the floor, most likely unconscious from the heavy impact. Meownchkin tried to run, but Pawblo grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and body slammed him, drawing his blaster and pointing it right into his chest cavity. "Where are the missing soldiers?" He demanded.

Meownchkin chuckled, then coughed up a few drops of blood. "They're far away, The Lord Commander's lackeys probably have them now. And you can say goodbye to Cataloupe, he's the strongest of them all, he's been highly requested by our higher ups for days now. Kill me, and you'll never find them." He started laughing again, until Pawblo shot him, killing him instantly. "I don't need you, I'll find them myself." He looked to Purrburt, and hummed.

Now that Pawblo had control of the ship, he was flying off planet, and not looking back. He had thrown the two defectors out of the airlock while off planet, so they were gone for sure. But now he had to look for the soldiers, and Cataloupe.

Pawblo started checking the ship's coordinate logs, and he lightfolded to the last location the ship had traveled to. He arrived in dead space, no planet around, only distant stars, and a few ships in the distance. He knew he was in the right place now. He sped towards the large ships he saw, there were 7 of them, and they looked like the heavy incinerators that ignited the gas giant. He had to carefully sneak in behind them and get inside one of them. But which one?

He decided to go for the closest one, and he set an auto lock onto the ship, to maintain speed and direction while he wasn't piloting, and he put a suit on to get on the incinerator. He put on his jet boots, and climbed out of the ship, quickly flying to the incinerator, and landing on the surface. He began walking up towards an air exhaust vent, and walked inside. He was inside the large tunnel-like vent now, and it was dark. It started getting smaller as he went, going from about ten feet tall, to only two feet tall after a few dozen steps. He had to crawl to the nearest vent, which had a faint yellowed glow of the lower hall's lights.

He burst through the vent cover, and started running down the hall once he got down. He wasn't sure where to go, so he tried going upwards, he figured maybe he could get to a control center, to get a map and find exactly where the others were.

Pawblo ran into a group of guards at an intersection, and he ambushed them, by knocking a couple of them down, using a third as a human-shield and running into a fourth. There were three others, so he drew his blaster and started running, shooting behind him and weaving through the lines of fire. He shot four of them before turning the corner, and now searching for an elevator before he drew any more attention to himself.

He approached a large round room, walls decorated with lots of lights, wires, and circuit panels, that seemed to be several hundred feet tall, with a catwalk to a central tube structure that ascended and descended through the distant ceiling and floor. He walked the catwalk and approached the tube, where the doors opened and he stepped inside. The doors closed behind him, and ascended, watching through the glass walls as the bridge he crossed seemed to get lower and lower. It took a few moments, but he was soon to the top, and when the doors opened, he stormed out into the control room, where several guards, captains, operators, and pilots were doing their jobs, until he began to rain fire. The enhanced training really helped out, he was faster and stronger than anybody else, and the suit's armor was deflecting bullets and plasma bolts like it was nothing.

He managed to take control, and he killed everyone in the room, not too hard since only six of them actually had weapons. He sat in a chair and opened a map of the ship on one of the screens, and he began searching. He found a cell block on the first floor of the ship, and he saw a few names of soldiers in several cells. He was lucky enough to be on the right ship, and even luckier to have survived this long. Now he had to retrieve them.

He made his way back down the elevator, and he ran down the catwalk. By the time he was back in the halls, he had a map downloaded on his communicator, and he was running to the next elevator that would take him to the lower decks of the ship. On his way down the hall, the ship began going into lockdown. The other ships had received word of the breach, and the invasion. The lights changed to an ominous deep red, and the doors began automatically locking. Then suddenly, dozens of soldiers began swarming the halls. At Least twenty came into the that Pawblo was in, so he had to think fast. He noticed an air vent ahead, so he started running. The soldiers and guards saw him, and began firing. Pawblo took a few shots, but they only made dents and scratches to his armour. He made it to the vent before anybody else could reach him, and he dove right in. going straight down, until he fell face first right into the floor, where the vent changed direction. He was now three floors lower, and right above the bottom floor, all he had to do was go down one more, and find the soldiers to escape.

He managed to get down this new hall, and the doors were unlocked here for some reason, so Pawblo stayed cautious of any dangers. That was, until a door opened and he saw Cataloupe walk out. He was unarmed, and had a few bandages on his arms. "O'Conner?"

Pawblo almost dropped his blaster, but he kept a firm hold on it, and quickly ran to his aid. "Sir, you're okay! What happened?" He raised an eyebrow and pointed to the bandages.

"These guys around here did some work on me. I'm fine now. Infact, I'm even better." He grinned eerily, and his eyes started glowing a faint yellow, almost like the Lord Commander's eyes. Pawblo gasped and tried to back up, but Cataloupe delivered an uppercut, throwing Pawblo backwards, and to the ground.

He groaned in pain, and opened his eyes just in time to see Cataloupe running at him, pouncing over him to land a body slam, which gave Pawblo enough time to roll out of the way. Cataloupe hit the floor, and Pawblo sat on top of him, grabbing his arms to try and pin him down. "Cataloupe! You have to snap out of it, what is wrong with you?!"

Cataloupe growled and smiled, pushing Pawblo off of him with ease, and attempting to grab him. Pawblo slid off of Cataloupe's body and crouched to avoid the incoming hand, and he pounced right into Cataloupe's chest to knock him down again. Big mistake. Cataloupe wrapped his arms around Pawblo and began squeezing him like a hug, but he was trying to crush him.

Pawblo began running out of air, and he felt his ribs starting to give in, he clenched the handle of his gun and shot Cataloupe in the leg.

He growled and hissed in pain, letting Pawblo go, and clenching the wound with his paws. He still didn't come out of his trance though, so Pawblo had to run. He started running as fast as he could down the hall, with Cataloupe not far behind, chasing after him despite the major leg injury. Pawblo could out run him to the lower floor at least, to get back up from the soldiers.

He made it to the next elevator, and he ran in as fast as possible. He got in just in time, as Cataloupe clawed the doors to the room open, and started running towards the elevator shaft. The elevator doors closed and began descending to the bottom floor, but it was a bumpy ride with Cataloupe above, trying to destroy the elevator. Eventually, he succeeded, and the elevator started falling. It hit the ground after only a few seconds, and Pawblo stumbled out, falling to his knees a few feet away.

Cataloupe roared from above, and he jumped from the catwalk. Pawblo let out a short meow of fear, then he scrambled to his feet and began running out of the room. He ran out, and into the next room. He was expecting a hallway, but it was instead a large room with cells lining the walls. He didn't waste any time, he continued to run, and he saw several soldiers he knew behind the bars. They weren't being controlled, to his knowledge atleast, so he went straight for the far wall, where a large panel of buttons and controls were lining the wall.

He made it just long enough to look at the buttons, until he heard Cataloupe's claws clicking the floor, he was running across the room on all fours, and he looked pretty beat up from the fall. Pawblo ran out of the way just in time, getting Cataloupe to slide right into the wall. A few of the soldiers gasped and watched in slight horror, confused and afraid. Why was their own general attacking one of their own? And where was he the whole time?

Pawblo ran away from the wall, firing his gun at the panel, until it suddenly erupted in a fiery explosion. The blast flung him to nearly the middle of the room, and he groaned in a bit of pain. His chest was sore already from the extreme pressure Cataloupe put on it in his attempt to suffocate him. But with the Panel destroyed, the bars were raised and the troops fled their cells quickly, rushing to Pawblo's sides to help him. They all eyed the explosion to see if Cataloupe was alive. And much to their simultaneous fear and relief, They saw two golden glowing eyes through the smoke, and Out came Cataloupe, limp walking from the cloud of fire and smoke. He looked ready to drop down and stay, but he wouldn't.

There were now about fifteen soldiers against Cataloupe, the rest of the ones missing were already dead. Pawblo got some help to stand up, and they all charged at Cataloupe, every one of them piling onto Cataloupe to Subdue him. It worked, and now Pawblo could get face to face with Cataloupe. The fourteen other soldiers were strong enough to keep Cataloupe down, but he was starting to break free, so Pawblo had to think quickly.

"Cataloupe, I know you're in there, please listen! You gotta snap out of whatever this is and come back, they're screwing with you sir!" Pawblo tried to talk to Cataloupe, but it didn't seem to be working. He felt around the sides of Cataloupe's face, he figured they were controlling him with a device. He felt something on Cataloupe's cheek, so he pulled as hard as he could, pulling off a small metal chip with a yellow light on it. It was dripping with a bit of blood, and a mix of Yellow chemicals, that must have been what was mind controlling him. Though, Cataloupe didn't change back. He was still aggressive and his eyes were still glowing golden. He broke free of the soldiers on him, throwing them off of him, before letting out what sounded like a Lion's roar that echoed through the room, and bounced off the walls. It was like it was coming from all directions. Then, he fell to the ground again, seemingly unconscious.

The soldiers all got up, groaning quietly, then quickly rushed and huddled around Cataloupe. He was alive, but unresponsive, So Pawblo took the lead here. "It looks like we have a chance to get out of here. Let's do it."

Everyone nodded in unison, and five of them carried Cataloupe, the other ten stayed free to take out any further guards in their way, while they made their way out and back to Pawblo's ship.

Back on earth, Everything was pretty peaceful. Everyone was asleep, Except for the night crew, who spotted the ship coming back, and dropping down into an empty space in the clearing. Everyone who could, rushed to the ship to see what was going on, and when the door opened, they were all shocked to see some of the missing soldiers, along with Pawblo and Cataloupe.

The next morning, all of them were admitted to their own Medical Beds to recover. Most of them were fine, with minor burns and bruises, but Cataloupe had it the worst by far. He had broken a leg, shattered several ribs, and fractured his skull. Not to mention the burns, bruises, poisoning and dehydration. He was put under intense care, and the first one to see him was Pawblo. He had only broken a couple of ribs, so he was going to be okay.

He watched Cataloupe sleep through the glass of his recovery pod, and he placed his paw on the side of it. "Hey, I'm really sorry about everything that happened. I wish It could have been easier, had I known how they were controlling you, maybe you'd be okay." He frowned and sighed. He hesitantly leaned close and kissed the glass. "Please be okay."

In the end, Cataloupe spent nearly two weeks recovering, but he managed to survive, and aside from his broken bones, he was okay. He woke up in the afternoon, while a doctor was checking his vitals, and he informed The generals. They rushed in to help him and fill him in on everything that happened.

When Cataloupe heard the stories of the generals, all he could do was chuckle. "Oh I remember everything fellas. And let Pawblo O'conner know that he has done good work, he saved my life."

General Clawsanova Chimed in and waved. "About that, you can tell him yourself." He stepped aside and let Cataloupe see Pawblo in the corner of the room, who let out a sigh of relief when he saw him. "I'm glad you're okay."

"You too."

Chapter Text

Pawblo was quiet. He was waiting outside of the General's office, as he had been called there by him. The butterflies in his stomach only made him feel worse. Having a crush on a man like him does that to you.

"I-It's probably nothing, Pawblo!" he told himself. "Maybe he has new orders for you, or he just w-wants to check up on me." It had only been a month since he settled into the base. Pretty much everyone knew him already.

The door to the office opened, with Cataloupe opening the door all the way. "Ah, Soldier O'Connor. Come in." He waived his hand, motioning towards Pawblo. The cornflower blue ventrexian nodded and walked into his office. The door could be heard being shut behind him. Pawblo proceeded to sit down in front of the desk. Cataloupe went back to his office chair.

"Well then, I assume you're wondering why I called you in here." The big ventrexian curled his mustache as he pulled out an envelope. Pawblo sighed in relief. "Y-yeah, actually. What seems to be the problem?" Cataloupe chuckled, sensing how nervous Pawblo felt. "No need to be worried. This is more of a...reward." He smiled as he handed Pawblo the closed envelope.

Pawblo looked at it, and proceeded to open it in front of him. He pulled out a ticket from it. It allowed first class travel to a remote snowy mountain resort. "W-what is this?" Cataloupe smiled. "To celebrate getting your rank up so quickly, I decided to invite you out for my temporary leave up in the mountains next week. I own my own space in a penthouse."

"W-wait, really? Y-you shouldn't have. There are others here that have worked harder than me that totally deserve this more." Pawblo chuckled nervously. He didn't expect this generosity from the man that has been looking out for him ever since he arrived. Cataloupe looked away, trying to hide the blush that slowly formed on him. "Being honest with you, I've seen you grow as a soldier and as a person ever since you showed up. And I couldn't be more prouder to be your mentor and General." He smiled, closing his eyes and nodding his head.

Pawblo felt happy knowing that Cataloupe actually cared. It only made the feelings he felt for him grow stronger. "I'd be...I'd be honored to be your guest, sir." He nodded his head. Cataloupe smiled. "Great. It's a plan then. Meet me at the spaceport at 5pm this Friday. It's on the ticket. Now off you go!" Cataloupe watched as Pawblo nodded his head as he got up from the chair and left the office, closing the door behind him. The man sighed in relief, knowing that he only had one shot at this plan of his.

~TIME FOR THE TIMESKIP, BABY~

It was soon Friday. Pawblo was patiently waiting at the spaceport, clutching a bag in his hands. He was a little nervous about this whole vacation thing with the General. A whole week? With Cataloupe? Just the two of them? It made his tail all fuzzy just thinking about it.

"Ah, you're here."

Pawblo turned around to face Cataloupe, who was bundled up and carrying a duffel bag. He seemed all ready to go. "Oh, h-hey. Yeah, I am. How could I refuse?" The older man curled his mustache cautiously. "You know, I didn't...expect you to actually take the offer." Pawblo got confused, hearing the tone that Cataloupe was using. "It's not often I get to have some sort of company."

The soldier did nothing but smile. "N-no problem. You've trained me to be the soldier I've become today. The least I could do is repay that kindness you've given me." A blush appeared on his face, and he didn't mind.

Cataloupe took notice of this and grinned. "Aw, thanks. You deserve some time off after all that work, anyway." The two of them soon walked over to the boarding area and turned in their tickets. Pawblo eyed Cataloupe on the entire plane ride. He was calm, and reading a novel of some sort. When he fell asleep, Cataloupe took notice of this. He pulled his coat off and placed it on Pawblo, who didn't notice but smiled.

When the plane landed, Pawblo woke up to the turbulence the plane was getting due to the landing. He noticed that his head was leaned on Cataloupe's arm the whole time. He quickly sat up straight, and tried to hide the blush on his face. Cataloupe got up from his chair and curled his mustache. He chuckled nervously. "Uh...you fell asleep. Come on, chap. We're here."

The two of them walked out of the plane and into the airport. All Pawblo saw from the big windows was snow, and it looked beautiful. He was happy that he accepted the offer to come here with Cataloupe. Luckily he packed his camera.

"First time in the snow?" Cataloupe buttoned his coat up. Pawblo did the same as well. "Uh...y-yeah! It's amazing." He blushed, knowing that he was going to spend the whole week with this amazing man. "Well, we're just not there yet. Come on, Pawblo. This way." They walked to a bus stop where they rode a bus, until they arrived at a station near a small plaza.

The plaza was busy, with people moving around trying to have fun, shop, or take a walk. It made the two of them feel happy, seeing the small town up here all up and about. Pawblo smiled, knowing that it was probably a good idea to accept the invitation. He was happy to be invited by the one he had a crush on.

After walking around, they finally made it to the penthouse. As they entered, Cataloupe used an ID card and swiped it inside. That caused the elevator to slowly come down in front of them, allowing the pair to step inside and enjoy the ride upwards. Calm and soothing music began to play. The two of them eyed the small space around them. Pawblo felt a little nervous, knowing that he would spend a whole week with the man he deeply admired. Little did he know that the General felt the same way.

The two finally made it to the top floor. Cataloupe led his fellow ventrexian to the front door of his penthouse. He opened it, and the two stepped inside. Pawblo was in awe at how nicely decorated everything was. He gripped the handle of his bag. Cataloupe smiled at his reaction. "Your room is in the hallway, second door to your left.

Pawblo nodded, and walked down the hall. He admired the atmosphere, the decor, and even the smell. It was like a museum, he opened the door he was instructed to enter, and he saw his room. Dim, illuminated by the large window, emitting the white glow of snow, as far as the eye could see. In the room, A nice bed, neatly made, and with thick white blankets that matched the snow. A table with a Television on top of it, and a matching wardrobe next to it. On the neighboring wall, next to the door, a matching dresser. They were made of dark polished wood that shimmered in the white glow. Pawblo placed his bag on the bed and smiled.

"Like it? I figured it might be comfortable." Cataloupe did his own glancing around, making sure everything was in the right places. He was sure that it was fine, when Pawblo turned to face him, with a smile.

"Thanks Cataloupe, this is great! It is comfortable, and the view is awesome!" Pawblo looked back through the window, taking notice of other ships coming and going from below, and some travellers going down a nearby slope on sleds and skis.

Cataloupe nodded and watched with Pawblo. "I guess you've taken notice of the people down there. This resort also provides a high quality skiing slope, one of the best in this quadrant." He almost took that statement with pride, though he was proud to give Pawblo the best he could provide.

Pawblo nodded, and unzipped his bag to start putting his clothes where they belong. "Sounds fun, we should ski tomorrow. I've never done it before, but It looks like a lot of fun." He started taking out his folded shirts and he walked to the dresser, placing them in the drawers.

"Sure, I can teach you. There is a regional climate seminar coming up at the base, so I can give you some tips before it starts. Skiing will be good practice. I'll go make lunch." Cataloupe walked out of the room, and went to the kitchen to start cooking.

Pawblo hummed, and continued putting his clothes away. Every moment or so, he would pause to think. "This feels like a dream. A really nice dream at that." He smiled. Once he had finished, he put his bag in the bottom drawer, and flopped onto the bed. It was soft, and bouncy. He stared at the ceiling, letting his mind wander into the thought of skiing perfectly. He smiled, quickly acknowledging that it would not be as easy as he imagined.

Cataloupe broke his silent thought a few minutes in, by knocking on the door frame. "Hey, Lunch is ready. I made Soup and Fresh Tea. Both specialties of this resort, you're gonna love it." He walked back to the living room, to start eating on his own.

Pawblo got up and followed Cataloupe a few seconds later. He saw Cataloupe sitting on the sofa, with a bowl of soup in his hands, and another bowl on the table. There were 2 steaming cups of tea on the table too. He sat next to Cataloupe and started eating some of his soup. He had to admit, it was pretty good.

"They call it Chicken Steep soup. All the ingredients are from this planet." Cataloupe gave one last note, before he continued to eat in silence. He watched out the window, curiously, exploring the land he could see with his eyes.

Pawblo nodded, and he grabbed his cup of tea. He took a small sip, and nearly spit it out. It was disgusting, but he forced himself to swallow it. "W-wow. What a... unique, flavor... What is it?"

Cataloupe hummed, grabbing his tea and drinking it, seeming to like it. "It's an organic moss based black tea. It's a refined taste, but it's very healthy for the body." He chuckled and continued to drink it, with pawblo watching with slight concern.

They finished their soup, Pawblo passing on the rest of his tea, and now they were going over the pamphlets with the activities and features the resort had. "Looks like they have a sauna, a bar, and a restaurant downstairs." Pawblo mentioned. "Are they any good?"

"The sauna and bar, I've never been to those. The restaurant I went to once before, and it was pleasant. Though they don't do large meals. They do small appetizer-like meals for the skiers to energize before going out. For meals, we can just cook them in the kitchen, and if we need food, the reception will order some for us."

Pawblo nodded and continued to read. He looked at the skiing schedule, humming. "Hey, the skiing slope will be closed tomorrow. Wanna go later before it's too late?"

"Yeah, wouldn't want to miss out. We should get ready and head out soon before it starts getting dark. It is winter here, so the sun will set sooner." Cataloupe got up and started getting ready to head back out.

Pawblo was right behind him, he put on his boots, and went back to his room to retrieve his jacket. Once he was ready, he followed Cataloupe to the front door, and went with him to the elevator. On the way down, the elevator shook a bit. Pawblo was quick to grab Cataloupe's hand when it began, he didn't even think about it.

Cataloupe glanced at their hands, but he didn't say anything. Once the doors opened, He stepped out of the elevator first, breaking their connection and going out. Pawblo blushed, and followed behind him. "So uh, which way?"

Cataloupe hummed and looked around, then he saw a directory. He went up to it and examined it quickly. "Looks like we take the south doors and go up the stairs. That will take us to the slope."

Pawblo nodded, and began walking with cataloupe to where they needed to go. Once they got to the slope, they grabbed their pairs of skis from the stand, and geared up. They slid to the decline, it was pretty long, but not too high, so Cataloupe knew exactly how to teach Pawblo.

"Okay, this is similar to riding a bike, you gotta balance. If you want to go faster, crouch slightly and lift your poles to create less air resistance."

Pawblo nodded, and got into a proper position, then he went behind Cataloupe, watching him closely to make sure he got it down right. He liked it from the start, it was exciting, pretty hard to keep a balance but he was starting to get it already.

Cataloupe made it to the bottom of the slope, and he sighed quietly, taking in his new surroundings. He started to trek away, but Pawblo zoomed right past him, catching cataloupe's ski pole, and falling flat on his back.

Pawblo groaned and looked straight up at Cataloupe, who had a nervous smile on, quickly reaching down to help him. "Sorry about that, you looked like you had it down." Cataloupe apologized.

"I-its fine, im fine." Pawblo took Cataloupe's hand and pulled himself up. Now closely trekking with Cataloupe back to the building. He was shivering, a bit of snow got caught inside his clothing. Though he started feeling warmer, when Cataloupe put his arm around Pawblo. He wasn't sure why, was it obvious how cold he was, or was he limping? He blushed, and decided to keep quiet, as to not ruin the moment. He liked it anyway.

When they got back inside, Cataloupe took his arm off Pawblo, and they returned to their floor to warm up. Pawblo went straight for the couch, to spread out and relax, while Cataloupe went to his room to change. Pawblo hummed quietly, looking around and observing the room. It was cozy, almost like home.

Cataloupe came out of his, room and he sat down in a chair next to pawblo. "How long until we should eat dinner?", he asked Pawblo while reading a magazine.

Pawblo hummed. "I'd wait like, 2 hours? I'm not hungry yet" he stretched his arms over his head and yawned. "I might nap until then."

Cataloupe nodded, flipping a page and continuing to read quietly. As for Pawblo, he stretched out over the couch, and closed his eyes, now he was going to spend some time resting.

Cataloupe didn't mind, he stayed quiet and continued to read. After about twenty minutes, he noticed pawblo shift, so he looked. Pawblo was shivering, and slowly squishing himself to warm up. Cataloupe got up, and carefully scooped pawblo up, then he sat back down in the chair, laying Pawblo on top of him. He knew he was warm, and his sweater was soft, so he put his arms around Pawblo and continued to read.

Pawblo smiled and gently nuzzled his cheek into the fur at Cataloupe's neck. He was warmed up and comfortable for sure now. Cataloupe didn't even mind now, he smiled, and let Pawblo do his thing.

About and hour passed, and pawblo woke up. He had his arms around cataloupe's chest, and he had his face right under his chin. It was nice, warm and comfortable, he swore he nearly smelled cologne. Cologne...He suddenly realized where he was, and quickly tried to get off of Cataloupe.

"Woah, woah, good morning." Cataloupe was startled by Pawblo's sudden squirming, he even dropped his magazine. He allowed Pawblo off of him, and he picked his reading back up. "Everything okay?"

Pawblo's face was pretty red, but he quietly nodded and stretched out again. "M' fine. Just, didn't expect to be there. Why was I on top of you anyways?"

Cataloupe blushed. He had to think for a moment, quickly remembering what he had thought. "I noticed you were cold, so my first thought was to warm you up myself, and i guess my sweater was pretty soft, so i thought, you know." He shrugged. "Sorry if it was sudden, I sort of had no other ideas, and you looked pretty uncomfortable on the couch." He chuckled while curling his moustache.

Pawblo nodded, he understood, and he didn't think about it any more than that. "Well, I guess you were more comfortable than the couch, so I'm not complaining." He mumbled to himself. "What should we have for dinner?" He followed up, to change the subject.

"I was thinking about making more soup, since it's easy and just about all we can make with what we have." Cataloupe stood up, and walked with pawblo to the kitchen.

Pawblo and Cataloupe cooked together this time, to make a similar soup as they had for lunch, but with a different meat and new noodles to it. It wasn't long until their efforts had them back on the couch together, eating quietly.

Cataloupe glanced at the window, taking notice of how dark it was already, and that it had begun to snow again. "We should see how this weather is going." Cataloupe suggested while grabbing the remote, to turn on the television.

Once it was on and tuned to the right channel, they were met with a warning for a snow storm coming in. They watched for a moment, then Pawblo broke the silence. "I guess we'll be in here for a bit?"

Cataloupe nodded. "Yeah, good thing we have enough food left to last tomorrow. I'm sure they won't be delivering much outside of the building during the storm."

Pawblo nodded and continued to eat. The storm didn't look too bad from the predicting visuals that the weather channel had projected, so everything would be fine. He wasn't going to get very hungry anyways, and he had a few snacks in his bag, just in case.

After they finished dinner, they decided to watch a movie together. They didn't really have a lot of movies to choose from, but they decided on an action movie to keep them entertained.

They followed along with the movie for a bit, that was, until Cataloupe started paying more attention to Pawblo. He wasn't sure why, he just glanced over, and couldn't look away. It may have been the lighting, but he looked so handsome in that moment, he felt his heart skip a beat.

Pawblo glanced over to Cataloupe and hummed. "Everything alright?" He smiled, raising an eyebrow. "Something on my face?"

Cataloupe blushed a little, and he cleared his throat. "I- uh, no. You're fine. You just looked cute—I mean, I saw something out of the corner of my eye." He quickly shifted his attention back to the TV, avoiding Pawblo's gaze.

Pawblo was a bit shocked, his face turned red, and he looked back to the TV. "Cute, huh?" He asked quietly. "I mean, you're a lot more charming than me."

Cataloupe's blush grew, and he kept his eyes on the TV. He wasn't sure how to respond, but he was pretty embarrassed.

Pawblo smiled again, placing his paw on top of Cataloupe's. "Did you...really mean that? Like, do you find me cute?"

Cataloupe finally responded. "Alright, yeah, I do. I wanted to bring you onto this trip to spend time with you, because you seem to be the only person around at the base who really gets me. I like you a lot, and I've been really happy here with you." He let out everything he could, just to get it out of the way. He nearly went on, until Pawblo pressed a kiss onto Cataloupe's cheek. The ventrexian blushed in embarrassment.

"Me too. I've liked you from the start. I don't think I've ever been happier, or more accepted by anybody before you, so this has been really nice. And...I love you too." He smiled, and slowly climbed onto Cataloupe's lap to get eye level with him. The old ventrexian was blushing a bright shade of red. He couldn't believe what was happening. That's when Pawblo slowly leaned in to kiss him.

As they made out, Cataloupe put his paws around Pawblo's waist, and he enjoyed the moment quietly. Once their lips parted, he changed positions. He laid down and laid Pawblo in front of him, and they cuddled as they continued watching the movie.

"Hey." Cataloupe mumbled into Pawblo's ear. "We're gonna be stuck in here all day tomorrow, what should we do?"

Pawblo hummed, turning over to face Cataloupe, instead of the TV. "Well, I'd be happy doing this. Cuddling with you for a bit, relaxing and just killing time." He planted another kiss onto Cataloupe's chin. "What do you think?"

"Sounds good to me."