A gust of cold, wet air whipped up around me, cutting straight through my skinsuit and down to my bones. I shivered. Light glistened off the rooftop. Not the type of light that was welcome, like a warm sunrise, or a summer day at the beach. It was the light that my eyes darted back and forth to; the fires that ravaged Carpetree high-rises, apartments, and I watched as it blossomed into red flowers, sprouting orange pedals as they ripped apart the lives of the unfortunate souls unlucky enough to live here.

  “Fucking Gellys.” I took a swig of my beer. A synthbeer made of artificial ingredients. It tasted like pstic, but it was nice to catch a buzz on such a shit night. I was tired, exhausted, and just wanted to get drunk after a crap tier day. I tossed the empty can across the rooftop. It cttered into the eerie, silent sky, no one to compin otherwise.

  I grabbed another from the bucket next to me. Mist sprouted into the air as I cracked it open. I stared at the foam bubbling up over the lip. How many more beers would be left after this invasion? What was the point of the Gellys nding here anyway? They never came this deep into the Sol system, what changed now? And where were the damn authorities? Corpos even?

  I chugged away at my pstic beer, hoping to find an answer at the bottom of the can. I knew it wasn’t there, but it didn’t hurt to try. I let out as gasp of air as I finished, trying to hold back my gag reflex. I tossed the can again, watching it skitter across the rooftop into the ever-growing pile.

  “Do you need some company?”

  I could hear the boots stomping on loose debris strewed across the roof. Uwu was taking up a spot next to me, looking out over the destroyed city in front of us. The light hit his red fur extravagantly, highlighting his face, making him look serious and manly. A refreshing sight.

  I chuckled, receiving a look from Uwu. I was up here getting drunk in front of a burning city, and I still could only think about sex. I have a problem.

  I grabbed two more beers from the bucket, spping one down in his hand, “You are always welcome to keep me company.” I popped my top and held the beer high, “To taking this frozen rock back from the Gellys!”

  “Fuck yeah!” Uwu rose his can too.

  I smmed my beer into his and took a huge swig. “To killing every st invader, Corpo stooge, and asshole left on this frozen rock!” I chugged again. “To us not dying.” I chugged again, this time standing up, “And to us.” I stood in the dim firelight facing my lover.

  He smiled at me, holding his beer up in the air, “I can drink to that.”

  “To us making it out of here alive.” I chugged my beer and tossed the can behind me, not caring what happened to it. I went to take a step forward but my legs struggled to follow my brain, and I tripped up, falling forwards towards the ground.

  Captain Uwu jumped forwards and caught me in his strong arms. He cradled me to the ground and leaned up against the heating unit I was sitting on. I turned to look at him, staring deep into his eyes. I was just a little intoxicated, but I knew I loved this man.

  I smiled at him, “Did you spill your beer?”

  He ughed and kissed my forehead. “I think you’ve had enough.” He pulled me tighter and id with me on the ground. His soft fur was striking my cheek. I squirmed into him, getting myself comfortable in his warm embrace. The cold air stopped biting.

  The sirens and bursts of fme cut through the silence. I could hear shouts of pain and loss here and there. The emergency services would have been bunk now. The Gellys saw to that. There were probably dozens more if not hundreds of Gellys ptoons roaming the streets, cutting down any unfortunate soul left to fate. Tomorrow was going to be a terrible awakening for so many in Carpetree.

  “You’re worried.” Uwu’s voice drifted into my ear.

  “I am.”

  There was a moment of silence.

  “Me too.”

  My eyes were getting heavy. My breathing was slowing down and getting heavy. The beer was kicking in. “There’s too much that can go wrong. I don’t think we’ll get out of this. Well, maybe some of us, but not all. And that fact never leaves my mind.”

  Uwu let out a sigh, “I know what you mean. I think about it too. Every second I fear something will happen to you, or the crew, and all that comes down on my head. It is my choice to stay here and take this job. If anyone dies, their blood is on my hands.”

  His voice was stressed. He was in it just like the rest of us. “All we can do is our jobs. Stick with each other and we can get through it. I hope.” I didn’t know what to say. There was nothing to say. We had to just keep going forward. It helped to talk about it though. I could feel some of the stress melting away.

  I turned slightly to see Uwu, “I trust in you. We all do, Captain.” I kissed him on his cheek and closed my eyes.

  “I love you.” Uwu nuzzled his head next to mine, pulling me close.

  “I love you too.” I drifted off to sleep, forgetting where I was and what was going on around me, not knowing what the next day would bring.