After trying on all the shoes Henry had brought, Mercy found a pair she was satisfied with. They were more of a hiking shoe than a work boot or running shoe, but they seemed fairly durable and provided enough comfort that Mercy could wear them without causing her feet to hurt. Since she had the digitigrade genes, the shoes were small, even compared to Reggie’s kid-sized boots. The midsole had a triangular shape to better support the natural angle that her feet rested at. 

The shoes were a few years old in terms of style, but it seemed like they were only worn a few times. The fabrics and midsole were black with some patches of warm gray and streaks of red reflective materials. There was a little bit of dirt or clay along the bottom, but Reggie doubted that Mercy cared. She hadn’t jumped around or started dancing, but there was genuine joy that radiated from her smile.

With a grunt, Henry rose from his seat and began packing stuff back into the shoeboxes.

“Alright, you look like a happy customer.”

“I-I just can’t explain how different this feels. It’s like I’m walking on a, uh, well, a mattress.” She began assisting Henry pack boxes. “Or at least what I remember a nice bed feeling like.”

“Well, hopefully they last a while, assuming you don’t do any more super speed jogs through the city again.”

“Good thing that’s probably not happening soon.” The two of them stacked the boxes into a single pile. “Assuming what you said before about this job being boring was true.”

“Oh don’t worry, you’ll see what a normal day is tomorrow.”

“Do normal days also involve you being late again?” Reggie couldn’t help but snicker while seeing Henry’s expression change as it set in that there was another smartass on the team.

“No, and I expect you to be here on time, especially if you don’t message either of us. Clear?”

“Clear.” Reggie felt a sense of accomplishment watching Mercy softly smile. “Thanks, uh… Captain?”

“It’s after hours. Just call me Henry.”

“Kay. Thanks Henry.” Mercy knelt down in front of Reggie. She began to reach toward her, but hesitated. Reggie extended her arms forward in a welcoming manner.

“You’re okay, Speedy. Go for it.” Reggie felt a surge of warmth as Mercy pulled her into a tight hug. If she was an actual cheetah, Reggie imagined she might be purring at that moment..

“Thank you, Reggie.” With a little squeeze, Mercy finished her hug and pulled away. “So, are you guys going to the “wake” thing the others mentioned?”

“Nah. I think Henry and I are getting too old to get toasted on a work night.” Henry picked up the boxes and began heading for the quartermaster’s office.

“Not to mention that I would like to get cleaned up.”

“What about you? You a party animal?”

“No, I… I don’t think so. Probably just head home.”

“You want me to call you a taxi? You had a pretty rough day too.” Mercy waved away the offer.

“I think I’ll be fine now that I have actual shoes… and maybe a little food in my system...” She sighed. “Is it weird that… that I’m nervous about being, I don’t know how to describe it, but nervous about being optimistic?” Reggie shook her head.

“I get it. You don’t want to get let down if things do go bad.” Reggie reached up and rubbed Mercy’s arm. “It’s good to be realistic, but it’s also good to just ride a good feeling for a while. Just try to sit in it for a little bit.”

“Yeah.” Mercy took a timid step back. “Guess I’ll… see you guys tomorrow?”

“You bet!” With a shy nod and a smile, Mercy headed out through the front double doors. Reggie took a deep breath and let out a long sigh. She could hear Henry approaching from behind.

“Guess it’s just us now. You ready?” She nodded.

The sun was barely above the horizon by the time they stepped outside. Reggie’s apartment was only a few blocks away, but she was already sweating by the time they had arrived. She had hoped that the rain would have cooled off the warm autumn day, but it just made it much more humid. Reggie peeled off her gray lightweight jacket before the two of them made it to the apartments, which had previously been a converted drive-in motel about a quarter century ago. After climbing the rusted metal stairs to the second floor, Reggie quickly unlocked and shoved open the door to her apartment. She didn’t even wait for Henry to close the door behind himself before she tossed her jacket on the bed and began undoing the belt for her pants. 

With an exhausted groan, Reggie was able to free herself from her work pants, letting them drop to the floor. Ready for the sweet embrace of cold air, she headed for the nearby fridge with boxes of beer stacked beside it. Each box was of a different brand she had gotten on sale, and each one had a different amount of beer remaining. Among the dustier boxes were the ones neither her or Henry were willing to finish. Opening the fridge, the familiar clinking of aluminum cans and artificially cooled air greeted her. Reggie plunged her face inside, letting the cold fill her lungs and dance across her skin. With a loud click, she knew Henry had closed the door.

“I swear, I don’t know how you can wear so much clothing with it being as warm as…?” She paused as she heard a large mass fall to the floor. Pulling her head out of the fridge, Reggie turned to the door where Henry sat, his back pressed against it with his face planted in his knees and hands covering his head. She sighed.

Guess I’m the emotional support panda today.

Grabbing two cans, Reggie closed the fridge with her tail while using her cerebral assistant to close the blinds. Standing in front of Henry, he didn’t say a word, but she could hear his unsteady breathing. Reggie gently pushed the cans against the back of his hands.

“Hey, think you can hold these for a sec?” He sighed and lifted his hands enough for her to place a can in each palm. Crouching down, Reggie reached out and placed her hands on Henry’s cheeks. “Can you lift up for a sec? I need to see how I’m gonna work my mojo.” Henry lifted his head, letting it limply bounce off the door. Reggie’s thumbs gently pressed and rubbed against his face, feeling small patches of singed fur on his right side. His fur was thick and could look gnarly when left too long between trims, but his undercoat always felt soft to Reggie. As her thumbs traced the areas beneath his eyes, she stared deeply into them. The way his robotic eye stared back gave her an uncanny feeling that made the fur on her neck stand on end, but she smiled. “You look like shit.”

“Says the lady with a black eye.”

“Lady? Heh, cute.” Her thumbs gently traced the scars on his face. “Alright, get undressed and head for the bathroom while I grab my kit.”

Reggie headed for the apartment’s built-in vanity. Grabbing a towel and basket full of grooming tools, Reggie went into the neighboring bathroom and set up her at-home barbershop. Laying the towel on the floor of the walk-in shower, Reggie grabbed a folding stool and step-stool to place on top. Once she had finished setting up, Henry took a seat, putting one beer on the floor and cracking the other open with a fizzy pop. Holding a can in his left hand, he took a swig and immediately winced.

“Why do you always buy this shit?” 

“Because I get it for cheap.” Reggie inspected her tools to make sure they were clean and charged.

“Because no one buys them.” He began examining the can. “Did these things expire?”

“And if they did? What? They’re gonna be slightly more fermented?” Satisfied with her inspection, Reggie tucked some of the tools into the waistband of her underwear before grabbing a large hand mirror. Stepping onto the step-stool, she reached over Henry’s shoulder to hand him the mirror so he could hold it up for her. “And despite all the complaining, you still end up drinking them.”

“Yeah, pretty incredible, huh?” Taking the mirror, he was well practiced enough to lift it to the exact position needed for his face to be in view for her. Reggie wrapped her arms around his shoulders and nuzzled his left cheek, but he didn’t reciprocate.

“You okay?’

“Huh?”

“You seem… I don’t know.” Reggie slid her face against his until they were eye-to-eye, but he didn’t look at her. 

“I’m fine, just… just got a lot on my mind.” Reggie motioned for the beer Henry was holding. He handed it to her and she took a few sips. Standing up, she affectionately squeezed his shoulder.

“Well, we’ve got some time.” She handed the beer back to him and retrieved her electric trimmer. “Why don’t you tell me what’s bouncin’ ‘round that noggin?”