Fury

“What kind?”

“I know it isn’t true. I can’t smell Fury on you besides the faint, lingering scent that comes with living inside the same home with someone. It’s just that since he brought you to his house, some have presumed you and Fury are breeding.”

“Breeding?” Ellie’s eyebrows shot up. “You mean the gossips think we’re doing it?”

A chuckle escaped Breeze. “Yes. That’s the term. Doing it.”

“But we aren’t. I mean, we talk and then he avoids me as if I’m the plague.”

“The plague? Is that a religious fanatic group member?”

Ellie laughed. “It’s a deadly disease.”

“Oh.” Breeze grinned. “We’re still learning some English we weren’t exposed to inside the testing facilities. I hadn’t heard that word yet.” Breeze’s smile faded. “It is…gossip…that you and Fury are breeding. Doing it,” she corrected. “Not everyone is happy about that. There have been some problems with humans who work at Homeland over it. I think Fury is afraid for you.”

“He’s heard that crap being rumored about us?”

Breeze nodded. “Everyone has heard.” Her gaze flicked around the living room to the TV. “Is your television broken?”

“Television?” Ellie gasped. “It’s on the news?”

“Yes. Some of the employees must have heard and told some of the…what did you call them? Media vultures? They don’t know your names but there are media vultures saying a New Species and a human are living together.”

Oh crap! Ellie’s shoulders slumped. “No wonder he has refused to allow me out of the house when I mentioned leaving Homeland to go job hunting. I mean, how long can I live in the guy’s guest bedroom and mooch off him?”

“Mooch? What does that word mean?”

Ellie smiled. “It’s a term when you live with someone and take something freely from the person who has to work for it. It’s not a good thing. It’s hard to explain that one. I guess I could describe it as I’m a burden to him.”

“How? He already had a room you could have.”

Ellie struggled with her thoughts. Some words were hard to explain. “Yes. He did but usually you don’t live with someone unless you are a couple. Then it is acceptable if you share food and a home. If you aren’t, then both parties are supposed to work, similar to a partnership, be equal. I am not his girlfriend or his partner. He provides a home and food for me while I give him nothing in return. I’m a mooch.”

“I think I understand.” Breeze smiled. “And you are not a mooch. He doesn’t know what one is so therefore you can’t be what he doesn’t know exists.”

Ellie laughed. “I guess you got me there.”

“You should do it with him and you will feel better. You’ll give him something in return to avoid being a mooch.”

Ellie was glad she hadn’t taken a sip of the soda clasped in her hand or she would have choked. She gaped at Breeze. “Uh, you shouldn’t do it with someone unless you are in a relationship and care about them in a special way. If you do it with someone for food, money, or a roof over your head, that’s called prostitution. That’s bad.”

“Your world is too complicated.”

“Yeah,” Ellie agreed, taking a sip of her soda. “It is.”

“You should still do it with him. He likes you and I think you like him. He is very manly and sexually appealing. We all think we should do it with each other if we are mutually attracted. We had meetings about it.”

Ellie put down her drink. “You had meetings about sex?”

“Of course. We once didn’t have choices. We had to do it with whomever we were forced to be with. We hold all kinds of meetings where we discuss things. Doing it was one of those topics. We can do it with anyone we desire to do it with if they want to do it back.”

Ellie rubbed her hand over her mouth, trying to hide her smile. “That’s acceptable too.”

“We thought so. We even discussed doing it with you after the rumors started.”

“Fury and I were the topic of a meeting?” Shocked, Ellie knew her voice had risen. A blush warmed her cheeks. The NSO discussed me and Fury having sex? Dear God!

“Not you and Fury exactly but it was brought up about doing it with your people and ours.”

“Oh.” She relaxed as relief washed through her. Thank God. “How did that go?”

Breeze shrugged. “We don’t know if it will work. We have watched your people doing it on DVD’s and we do it different.”

Ellie tried not to laugh. She had to compose her features to hide her amusement. “You watched pornos? Is that what you are saying? Pornos are videos of my people having sex together.”

“Yes.” Breeze smiled. “We watched those.”

“Uh…” Ellie eyed Breeze. “Those videos are kind of…” She was at a loss. “Well, they don’t really, well, they aren’t really…” She sighed. “I don’t have sex that way.”

“You don’t? What is different?”