Bare feet spped against the cold floor for a moment before giving way to grass—real grass. After two weeks without feeling it, the softness underfoot almost startled him, a fleeting comfort in his rush. He rounded the corner to the cabin’s front, breath coming fast.

  J.H.’s wash tub sat out front, right beneath the big window. Ashe didn’t stop to question why; he bolted for the door and threw it open.

  Ashe burst in, words tumbling out before he could catch his breath. “Chloe isn’t doing too hot!”

  The words seemed to cut straight through something. Both men went silent—not the startled kind of silence, but the caught-in-the-middle-of-a-conversation kind. Their eyes flicked toward each other, then away, a silent exchange that made Ashe’s stomach tighten. Whatever they’d been talking about, he got the impression he wasn’t supposed to hear it.

  J.H. was lounging across the bed, one arm behind his head, looking almost too at ease for the situation. Pressed into the far left corner, the bed itself wasn’t huge, but the small space exaggerated its size—piled high with bnkets and more pillows than seemed necessary, easily swallowing a third of the cabin’s total floor space.

  Next to the headboard sat a small wood-burning furnace, its low fmes casting a gentle orange glow. Eli sat awkwardly in front of it, knees drawn up, half-turning to face Ashe in surprise.

  At the foot of the bed stood a toilet that looked slightly fancier than Ashe’s own bucket model, and above the bed, a floating shelf held a compact battery generator and a smaller green cube plugged neatly into it.

  The scent of cedar oil, soap, and an underlying masculine musk filled the space—warm, clean, and oppressively lived-in.

  J.H. started to speak, but Eli cut him off—surprisingly fast, and loud enough to draw an irritated gnce from the man on the bed.“She’s not too hot? That’s a good thing, right?”

  Ashe blinked at him. He couldn’t tell if the misunderstanding was accidental… or hopeful.

  Ashe spoke again, a little calmer now, though his voice still wavered.“N-no, she isn’t doing well—that’s what I meant. Her temperature was 103.2 degrees. I wasn’t even able to wake her up during the whole… event.”

  Eli’s face scrunched, the color draining from it. “W-we—” he stumbled, then started again, words tumbling out fast. “With a temperature that high, we need to get our hands on some fever medicine. Might even need to give her an ice bath. That’s the kind of fever that’d nd someone in the hospital usually…”

  Without realizing it, Ashe turned toward J.H. expectantly—like some part of him already trusted the man to have the answer.

  J.H. met his look, arms crossed, expression unreadable. “You know, I work hard for these credits,” he said ftly. “I can’t just go around giving them away for free… unless—”

  “Don’t worry, Ashe,” Eli cut in quickly, voice firmer than usual. “I should have enough saved up to afford some medicine. Let’s—let’s both go check my shop, see if it’s in stock.”

  He stood abruptly and guided Ashe toward the door, one hand on his shoulder. He didn’t even gnce back at J.H.

  Ashe, half turned, caught the man’s gre—a fsh of irritation that made the air feel heavy. He offered a small, confused wave before Eli pushed him out into the open air.

  What was that all about?Eli opened his terminal, fingers flicking quickly through the holographic tabs. Ashe leaned in a little, watching the shifting interface with quiet envy—Eli’s setup looked far more advanced than his own. Even his clothes looked normal, like something from before all this.

  After a minute, Eli froze, eyes narrowing at the dispy. “Here we go—medicine.”

  He scrolled down, then visibly winced.“Acetaminophen, 35 credits per dose,” he muttered. “But there’s also… Acetaminophen with Oxycodone—100 credits.” His mouth twisted. “Single dose too.”

  He hesitated, weighing the screen like it might change its answer if he stared long enough.“The regur one should help with the fever,” he said quietly…

  “But if she’s hurting too, the oxy mix would cover both. And with how out of it she is…” He grimaced. “I’d rather not cheap out if I don’t have to.”

  The words came out reluctant, almost pained. Ashe could see him mentally counting what that meant—how many meals, how many nights’ comfort that trade would cost.

  Then Eli’s expression shifted, a spark of guilty inspiration lighting his eyes.“Hey… Ashe.” He looked around, lowering his voice a little. “What if you put in a help request? I’ll stay right here at my terminal and grab it the moment it shows up. It’ll look like a system support call, not a normal transaction. We could get a decent discount that way.”

  He gave a sheepish half-smile. “It’s a little dishonest, but… you’d be saving me a good chunk of credits.”

  Ashe blinked, then grinned as the idea clicked. That’s brilliant! If it worked once, they could even trade requests back and forth—buying items at a discount together.

  He gave a sharp nod, smiling wide. “You’re really smart, Eli! Let’s try it!”

  Color crept into Eli’s face. “I-I’m nothing special,” he mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. “You’d have thought of it yourself under less stressful circumstances.” He coughed lightly, then added, “When you put in the request, toss in an ice bag or rag or something too, okay?”

  With a quick prance back toward his quadrant, Ashe opened his terminal and tapped through the order. No ice bag, but a washcloth will do!

  It only took a moment for the request to vanish from his queue—and for the nearest wall panel to hiss open, revealing a small sealed wrapper and the washcloth. A slip of paper sat neatly on top, blocky ink scrawled across it:

  E.V.+5 Influence Tokens

  Ashe didn’t mind. Eli was doing him a big favor, and he didn’t seem the type to be a peeping tom.

  Though now that Ashe thought about it… We’re all stuck in the same cube now.

  His smile faltered. How am I supposed to bathe in privacy?

  Then another thought hit—hard. Oh no. How am I supposed to use the bathroom now?!

  His face scrunched up, mortified. This could be a serious problem. He’d have to hope the shop stocked some kind of privacy gear—cheap ones, preferably. There was no way in hell he was risking anyone seeing the penalty device. He’d die on the spot.

  A short while ter, Ashe met Eli beside Chloe’s spot. He opened his mouth to thank him, but before he could speak, Eli lunged forward a little too fast.

  “Sorry—I forgot we’ll need this too.” He held out a mostly-full water bottle.

  Ashe flinched at the sudden movement, then rexed again, giving a bright, genuine smile. He was ridiculously lucky to be stuck with people this kind and thoughtful. “Thank you, El!”

  Eli froze for a second. His expression went strangely tight.“I… don’t usually like it when people call me that,” he admitted. Then, flustered, “B-but if it’s you, I guess it’s okay.”

  Ashe tilted his head, puzzled, then nodded softly. “Thanks, El.”

  That seemed to settle it. Eli gave a quick nod back and said, “Okay—let’s get her to swallow this pill. Go ahead and hold her head and neck up, and I’ll put it in her mouth and rub her throat to help her swallow. U-unless you’d rather do that part?”

  Ashe blinked. “Huh?”

  Eli’s ears turned pink. “Never mind. I’ll handle it.”

  Still confused about what was so awkward, Ashe just nodded, lowering to his knees and gently lifting Chloe’s head into his p. Her hair was warm against his thighs, skin cmmy beneath his fingers. Eli unscrewed the water bottle and got to work.

  With a bit of gentle coaxing and more than a little awkward maneuvering, Eli managed to get Chloe to swallow the pill.

  “That should kick in soon,” he said, exhaling. “With some luck, we won’t need another dose.”

  He turned his attention to Ashe. “Go ahead and dampen the rag, press it against her temple. I’ll drop off some cleaning wipes in a bit.”

  As he stood, his gaze drifted toward the thermometer still lying next to Chloe’s rump—like it was a weapon someone had carelessly left loaded.

  “I’m going to guess this hasn’t been cleaned yet, huh?” he said ftly.

  Ashe blinked, realizing his mistake. He must have made quite the face, because Eli chuckled under his breath.

  “Rex,” Eli said, reaching over carefully. “I’ll take care of it. Just keep an eye on her, okay?”

  He pinched the thermometer gingerly by the stem—keeping the end that went in as far from himself as possible—and disappeared behind the curtain.

  Huh, Ashe thought. I didn’t even realize there was a room back there.He gnced around again. For a cube, Eli’s pce felt surprisingly put together—warm light, organized supplies, upgrades Ashe hadn’t even known existed.Good for him, Ashe thought with a faint smile. At least one of us knows how to make this pce livable.

  The next stretch passed in retive quiet.

  Eli sat off to the side at his desk, focused on something scrolling across the screen, its pale glow flickering across his face as he typed. J.H. had slipped down the elevator a while ago, probably off on a job.

  Chloe felt a little cooler beneath Ashe’s hand. Ashe kept refreshing the damp rag against her forehead, watching for any changes in her breathing. She was going to need real care—at least until her fever broke.

  He sighed, realizing what that meant. Guess I’m not working today.

  That would hurt. His bance was already down to around eighty credits, and this week hadn’t exactly been generous. Between extra bathwater, the pricier meal packs, and a few small comforts he probably didn’t need, the number had been slipping faster than he liked.

  At least he’d already bought the trash-disposal port upgrade. Once his toilet liner hit its limit, that had stopped feeling optional.

  Out of the corner of his eye, Ashe saw Eli stand and order something from the terminal. When the delivery slot opened, Eli grabbed the item quickly, looking a little embarrassed. Ashe blinked—he’d apparently been watching Eli for a while without realizing it. Oops. No wonder the guy seemed self-conscious.

  Eli crossed back over and handed Ashe a packet of body wipes. “It’s probably best you wipe her down before J.H. gets back,” he said. “We’ll need to talk about who we’re voting for once he’s here anyway.”

  Ashe nodded, accepting the wipes. Eli looked around the room, thoughtful. “I’d let you two use my bathroom area,” he said finally, “but moving everything out would be a pain.”

  “Bathroom?” Ashe perked up, his face coloring. “Actually, I’ve been holding it in. I wasn’t really sure what to do... do you mind if I use yours?” He hesitated, then added quietly, “It’s complicated—you wouldn’t understand.”

  Eli’s eyes widened a little, as if something had finally clicked—something obvious he now felt stupid for missing. “Yeah… that makes total sense,” he said quickly. “Sorry, I hadn’t realized.” He rubbed his arm awkwardly, then gestured toward Chloe’s side of the room. “Go ahead and use it. I’ll move her over to her corner, and I’ll slide your tent next to her.”

  Ashe raised an eyebrow. “Why’s that?”

  “The tent’ll give you both some privacy,” Eli said. “Plus… it probably makes sense to keep you two together.”

  I guess I really am Chloe’s full-time caretaker now, Ashe thought. One step at a time.

  “Thank you, El. I’d appreciate that,” he said, before slipping behind the curtain.

  The small room beyond was tighter than his quadrant—barely enough space for a bath, sink, and toilet—but somehow felt cozy. “Looks like he’s got the upgraded 03 model too,” Ashe murmured.

  He sat down; standing was too awkward now with the device attached, so sitting had become habit. The toilet gave a faint hum—bagging and sealing waste automatically with each flush. Definitely an improvement over the old 02 design.

  A pleasant sigh escaped him. After a quick rinse of his hands, he felt a little more human again—and ready to give Chloe her sponge bath.

  When he finished wiping Chloe down—at least as much as he felt comfortable doing—she looked noticeably better. Her skin had cooled, her breathing steadier. Satisfied, Ashe noted that being her dedicated caretaker apparently came with a reward: the system announced he’d earned the right to vote on her behalf for the day. That would make the whole voting issue a little easier to manage.

  With that settled, Ashe decided it was safe to step away.

  “Knock, knock.”

  He leaned forward dramatically, tapping the air where Eli’s quadrant began. Since Eli had gone out of his way to divide the space with Ashe’s tent, it only felt polite to treat it like a boundary.

  Eli gnced over his shoulder from where he sat at the monitor. “Y-yes? You can come in, I mean…”

  Ashe chuckled softly at the nervous tone, stepping closer. “Mind if I sit next to you, El?”

  Eli blinked, flustered. “Do you two need me to buy something else?”

  Ashe tilted his head, puzzled. “No, just wanted a break—and, you know, some company. Is that not okay?”

  Eli rexed a little, shoulders easing. “O-oh, no, be my guest.” He shuffled aside, lifting the pillow he’d been sitting on and sliding it over, patting it once like an invitation.

  Ashe could still feel the tension in the air, thick and brittle, so he decided to break it with a joke.“Oh—no, you don’t have to. I’ve got plenty of natural cushion,” he said, giving his rump a pyful sp.

  Smack.

  The sound echoed off the walls.

  Silence.

  Eli froze, halfway turned toward the screen, expression unreadable.

  Ashe’s smile faltered. “A-at least, that’s what my friends used to joke about…”

  Great, he thought, nailed it. Totally lightened the mood.

  His stomach twisted as the realization hit. Wait… why did my friends always ugh so much when they did that?

  He gave his rump a small, uncertain pat. “My friends used to sp it when I made jokes like that.” A nervous pause. “So… is that a friend thing, or was my school just weird?”

  Ashe turned slightly, presenting his rear like an awkward peace offering.

  Eli’s frozen expression finally cracked. “A-Ashe?! What are you saying?!”

  Ashe froze, words tumbling out in panic. “S-sorry! You just seemed tense, so I was trying to cheer you up!”

  “Y-yeah, well, you’re making me way more tense!” Eli yelped, flustered. “Please get your butt out of my face and sit down!”

  Ashe looked down like a scolded child, voice shrinking to a whisper. “Sorry… I just wanted to be friends.”

  Eli threw up his hands, exasperated. “And how does me spping your ass correte to friendship?!”

  Ashe’s shoulders slumped, cheeks pink. “I just thought that meant people liked you… If you don’t want to be friends, t-that’s okay…”

  Eli took a long breath through his nose, pinching the bridge of it like he was holding back a headache. “Did you go to a single-sex school or something?”

  Ashe blinked, thinking about it. Well… yeah. It was an all-boys school.

  He nodded meekly.

  Eli sighed—like the answer somehow made everything make sense—and chose his next words carefully.“A-Ashe, thank you for the offer. It was… uh, fttering. But don’t ever offer that kind of thing to someone you just met, okay? That might’ve been normal back in your school, but it’s different out here.”

  Ashe’s shoulders hunched, his voice small but quietly defensive. “Did your friends not do that stuff to you?”

  Eli stared at him, expression completely ft. “No.”

  Ashe looked down. “Oh…” His voice trailed off like air leaking from a balloon.

  Eli studied him for a moment, concern softening the lines in his face. The silence was starting to sting, so he decided to throw Ashe a life raft—awkwardly shaped though it was.

  “Ahem… sooo… friends?” he said, voice cracking just a little.

  He stuck out his hand in a stiff, uncertain handshake, like he wasn’t entirely sure this was how humans did it.

  Ashe brightened immediately, a small, genuine smile breaking through the awkward air. He took Eli’s hand eagerly.

  “Friends. I promise I won’t sp your butt.”

  They stayed like that—half handshake, half hand-hold—long enough for it to become noticeable.

  Eli blinked, then sighed. “Ashe… you’re really bad at this.” But despite himself, a small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

  Ashe’s shoulders drooped. “Sorry,” he said quietly. “It’s been weeks since I’ve had a conversation this long.”

  Eli nodded, a knowing look crossing his face. “Same.”

  They finally let go.

  sUWUly