The Cadet and The General (Final Space)

Chapter Eight: Temporary Home

Pawblo stepped inside of Cataloupe's private house. He was surprised at how well the General had it made. It was clean and well organized. The living room had a large television, as well as framed awards and medals decorating the wall above the couch. The kitchen was clean as a whistle. There seemed to be an upstairs as well, presumably with bedrooms and a bathroom.

"You....You have a nice place, sir."

"Thanks, Pawblo. No need for formalities now. We're friends, and we're out from our jobs now." Pawblo nodded. "Okay then, sir—I mean, Cataloupe." He chuckled nervously before setting his bag down on the couch.

"Here are the rules: you don't invite anyone else over, and don't mess up. That's pretty much it. Got it?"

"Yeah, I do. Where will I be sleeping?"

"I recently converted the guest bedroom into a personal office, so that's one option ruled out. There's the couch."

Pawblo felt disappointed, not being able to sleep on a real bed for once. But since this was being offered to him, it was way better than the metal cot back in the base's quarters. "O-okay."

Cataloupe nodded. "Now then, it's pretty late, so I'm going into my office to finish up work. Anything else you need to ask me?" Pawblo shrugged. "Nah, I'm good. I'm sure I can figure it out. You go handle your General business. I'll probably just nap."

The older male chuckled. "Alright, then. I'll leave you to it." He soon walked up the stairs and disappeared into his office. Pawblo sat there on the couch, looking through his bag. He looked around it and made sure he had everything he needed for his stay. Pawblo pulled out his journal and began writing in it like usual. He wrote some deep thoughts that he had in his head for a while, but soon ended up feeling a little sleepy. He stuffed the journal back into his bag and grabbed his toothbrush.

Pawblo walked up the stairs. When he reached the bathroom, he opened the door and closed it behind him. He soon noticed the dirty laundry basket, filled with some dirty towels and clothes. "Guess he doesn't really have time for his own personal chores sometimes. Work must be rough." As he brushed his teeth, he began formulating some ideas in his head. They were minor.

When he walked out of the restroom, he decided to drop by Cataloupe's office. When he opened the door, he saw Cataloupe, slightly dozing off. "Sir?" The older male was startled and jumped a little. "Uhh, Pawblo! What's....what's up? Something wrong?"

Pawblo nodded. "No, nothing's wrong. Just came to check up on you. Tired, huh?" Cataloupe nodded as he rubbed his neck. "Yeah, I....I haven't gotten much sleep lately. There's just a lot of paperwork to be done." As he rubbed his eyes, he let out a yawn. "But I guess it is pretty late. I'm calling it a night now. Don't worry." He soon got up from his desk and patted Pawblo on the shoulder as he walked out.

Pawblo soon began to walk downstairs until Cataloupe called him. "Hey, you don't have to sleep on the couch. My bed's pretty big. I don't mind sharing." The older male soon blushed. "Unless you don't want to! That's fine. I'll just let you be." He soon walked into his bedroom.

As he repeated what the General offered in his head, Pawblo felt flustered. He didn't know what to do. Again, he was going to let his heart take the wheel. He walked into the bedroom, where Cataloupe has slipped into a simple tshirt and bed shorts.

"Ah. You're here. Pick a side. It doesn't really matter."

Pawblo nodded and simply kicked his shoes off. He got on the left side of the bed, and curled under a blanket. He made sure that Cataloupe had enough space, and soon he got into bed as well.

"Don't you...think this is awkward?"

"It's not awkward unless you say so." Cataloupe chuckled. "Don't worry. I don't bite. Unless it's on the battlefield." Pawblo laughed a little. He felt flustered being close like this, but he felt worried that this might be a little too close. Nonetheless, he shrugged it off. "Well, I'm beat. Sleep well, okay?"

"Y-yeah. You too." Cataloupe winked and soon turned his body the other way, quickly drifting off to sleep. Pawblo, on the other hand, stared up at the ceiling while thinking.

He had a plan for tomorrow.