Following Your Heart is the Only Way, Baby! (Space★Dandy)

Three: All Aboard the Aloha Oe, Baby!

I worked out the rest of my shift, despite the horrible sick feeling in my stomach. Even when working, I found it hard to think about anything but Dandy. Why did he care so much that we had crossed paths again? He wouldn't be tied down by me. He wouldn't be tied down by anybody. That was his dream, to be able to travel freely through space. It's not like in the long run, I would matter...

When everything was closed up, I was surprised to find Dandy waiting for me. My insides started knotting up again and I thought that if I got close to him, he would end up covered in puke. "W-what are you doing...?" I sort of mumbled.

" Hey, get in!" He called to me, motioning to his ship. I looked it over. The yellow paint wasn't very classy, or very Dandy, in my opinion, and it definitely looked like a male owned space vehicle.

After only a second, I shook my head. "I'm not going with you!"

He immediately looked confused. "What? Come on, why not?!" Surely he was screwing with me. Surely he didn't really think I was gonna leave with him.

" I refuse. I'm not going with you!" I restated. This time, Dandy seemed a little irritated.

"I just wanna talk, okay? Let me take you home," He said.

I stared at him for a long moment, wary, but eventually decided that I had nothing to lose and nodded. "Fine..."

He grinned and brought me over to his ship. I silently hoped that I wouldn't regret this decision while we walked straight past the main controls and into the most horrific room I have ever seen.

"WHAT IS THIS?!?! YOU PERVERT!!!" I screeched with utter disgust. With only a glance at the ceiling, I was met with a picture of a busty, overexposed woman. The floor, partly covered by a tiger-skin rug, was dusted with several adult magazines and a couple of videos I was scared to look at too closely. The scene made me shudder with disgust.

When I turned to him, Dandy had already started backing away from me. I lightened up on him, telling myself that Dandy was just another dumb member of the male species. And yet, suddenly, everything about him reminded me why I could never get emotionally involved with him again.

While Dandy was in the middle of justifying himself for reasons he didn't understand, I said calmly, "Let's just talk somewhere that isn't here."

"S-sure, baby, sure." The two of us left Dandy's bedroom of horror and sat at a table in the center of the ship.

I knew Dandy intended on asking many questions, so I wanted to speak before he got a chance. "I see you've been doing exactly what you wanted to, Space Dandy," I used the title in a mocking manner, remembering that he used to hope to be called such a name after becoming an alien hunter. "How has it been going so far? Everything you dreamed of?"

Dandy made a sound that was something like a scoff. "Oh, yeah, it's great. There are so many aliens out there, the woolongs just roll in," He grinned and leaned back in his chair, obviously trying to impress me for some reason.

My voice was blunt. "You guys are broke right now, aren't you?"

He sat upright, no longer putting on his act. "It's really hard trying to find aliens that haven't been registered already..." he admitted, almost in a whiny tone. I tried to be sympathetic, for I was sure he worked hard. This was something he had always wanted. And yet, I had to keep myself from laughing, simply because he had tried to come off as cool and failed.

"That's okay," I assured him. "I'm a bit tight on woolongs myself. That's why I'm working at BooBies." I had hoped it was obvious the only reason I'd taken such a job for the money.

"Didn't you want to be a...travel writer?" Dandy looked at me as though he was trying to remember exactly what I had told him so many years ago. To my surprise, he was completely right. For a moment, I could see young Dandy and I, envisioning futures of adventure and travel.

Eventually, I gave him a nod. "I did. But not all of us can just pick up everything and leave for space to pursue our dreams," I felt bad as soon as the words left my mouth. I hadn't realized just how jealous I was until he reminded me of the things I didn't get to do. It seemed that Dandy felt bad as well, looking away with guilt.

"You know I....didn't want to just leave you like that," he told me with a quiet, matter-of-fact tone.

His statement surprised me. "Huh...? But this is what you've always wanted, right?"

Dandy looked back at me. "Remember, I wanted to do it with you." The statement was surprisingly soft for someone with Dandy's confidence and general careless aura.

Something about his change of attitude allowed me to shed my bitterness a little and open up to Dandy. He asked me question upon question about the past seven years until my arrival home was no longer a concern.

"I guess it's late," He pointed out many hours into the night. "You can go ahead and crash in my room, if you don't want to sleep on the couch,"

I shook my head almost too quickly. "Um, the couch is just fine, thanks." Dandy nodded and got to his feet with some effort. Before leaving, he put a hand on my head and lightly, if not to be described as affectionately, gave my hair a ruffle, as if to say goodnight. I then watched him stumble off to his room with gentle surprise on my face.

Maybe....maybe Dandy wasn't so bad.