Binary Love (18+)

Finders Keepers

It had been two days since Amaruq had woken up.

Two days since Nova had learnt that Mark might be the reason her workshop had been broken into.

After the meeting in the lab, Nova had hurried away back to her workshop, hiding away in her dark little hermit kingdom. Mark had dutifully followed, quietly keeping pace behind her.

Neither one of them had spoken much since.

For Nova, it was because she needed the space to help her decide her next move. Torn between denial and her practical nature, her internal debates about what to do next were repeatedly hindered by unknown factors.

Also, what she wanted to do and what she felt she should do were entirely different things.

She wasn't sure why Mark had been quiet though. Perhaps he was just giving her space? Or was he starting to want some privacy?

Since getting back, he had taken up residence in the room that housed his old recharging station. Small and dark, he had somehow gotten his paws on some bedding to make the place more comfortable - it was his own little man cave.

Or a wolf den, if she was being pedantic about it.

Occasionally, while she was working on the Sheila Squeals bot, she would catch glimpses of him lurking around the workshop. At first he just seemed to randomly rearrange items, but when she paid closer attention she realised that he would mainly touch new equipment. Then she noticed how he would occasionally rub his body against doorways and entrances, developing a little routine.

It took a while, but in the end Nova finally realised that Mark's sense of smell was coming back, and it was triggering him to mark his territory. The only place he hadn't marked was her bedroom. She guessed that her scent must be strongest there, and he probably viewed it firmly as her territory.

After two days of only basic conversation, Nova was ready to grab the bull by the horns, so to speak... Or the wolf by it's tail?

With a deep sigh, she pushed herself away from the work station, pulling off her rough work gloves and tossing them onto the table top. As she rummaged around, creating more mess on her already cramped work space, Nova dragged her goggles onto her forehead, helping to keep some of her straight black hair out of her face.

It took her far to long to find a spare sterile needle and blood test tubes. She left what looked like a warpath of mess all across her workshop just trying to find it all. No doubt the clutter would mysteriously be cleaned by tomorrow though; Mark still seemed to compulsively clean the chaos she left, coming out at night to rearrange everything to an unknown specification she still hadn't figured out. 

Armed with her needles and medical equipment, Nova casually strolled up to Mark's little room and knocked on the door with a sharp rap of her knuckles. From inside she heard rustling, along with a deep, tired growl. The sound of claws gently tapping against the hand scanner came through the door.

With a soft woosh, the electric sliding door began to open before being forcibly stopped halfway by a large hand, shooting out of the dark with a speed that startled Nova. A pair of glowing blue lupine eyes stared at her from the shadows, more pronounced in their opacity as black fur, dark as space, framed them. The contrast beautiful and haunting at the same time.

It wasn't just his appearance that made Nova pause; his presence and scent also washed over her, making her skin shiver and insides melt into something she hadn't felt for a long time. His seven foot frame loomed over her, forcing her to look up at him, her eyes slowly trawling up his strong physique. When she gasped, she breathed in a deep and dark masculine fragrance. It was powerful and robust, matching his rugged body and demeanour.