"I hope hating me is enough to make you climb out of the well you're drowning in."
Buster was kneeled down in the center of the dazzling mass of bodies in front of Zed Steadman. He had to focus on talking, but he still felt bad that Kayla and all the rest were exerting themselves and he wasn't.
He couldn't see through the people surrounding him, but he could see the glare of the headlamps abruptly fade as the Anole turned. Feel the seismic thudding of its footsteps. More than anything, he knew Buka was gone when he heard the defeat in his voice.
Still he knelt down and the crowd continued circling around him until Petro's voice let him know that Buka had reached his ship.
"Alright, we got his ass!" Buster called out, triumphant.
The crowd stopped to a standstill with a sigh of relief and began to space out. There was nervous laughter and celebratory chatter between groups.
Buster stood, wearing only his combat boots and a pair of black boxer-briefs. As Kayla broke from the crowd and walked over, she almost thought he was naked because of how well they blended into his natural coat. Great flaps of fur were hanging from his arms and legs like the webbing of aquatic reptiles she had known. The fur of his stomach bunched up and spilled over the waistband of his underwear like a baggy tucked-in shirt. It was inspiring but also eerie, seeing someone wearing the skin of the person they used to be.
Kayla was brave enough to march up to the Anole's cannon with nothing between it and her but the brim of her hat. But she had opted to wear her pajamas under the poncho, with strips of white electrical tape adding noise to the worn black fabric. She had slipped on a mask to hide her face, and was breathing deeply as she was freed from it.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
"Thanks to you all, Kayla's going to her new home tomorrow and Buka is going to have to eat shit. Nakuna isn't going to be bothering us for awhile, and I'm going to be keeping an eye on Buka so if he ever comes back we'll be waiting for him." the panda didn't lift his voice, everyone still had their headsets in, "For the rest of the day, everything's on the house at Zed Steadman. You guys deserve to celebrate: you scared off that loser without even firing a shot. Come back to base and I'll be frying up mushrooms in no time!"
The panda began to look around and scurried over to a pile of pink fabric off to the side. He picked up the discarded scrubs and began to put the pull-away snaps back together so he could get dressed. Watching him squat down, the fur of his belly hung forward like an apron.
"You know, they have surgery for that. The extra skin, I mean." she said without thinking.
"I know. I like it. It keeps me soft no matter how strong I get. And whenever someone is really mean about fat people, it's fun to lift my shirt up and be like 'if you have a problem with fat people, you're talking to one.'" He gave a pleased little bleat, riding high on the plan coming together.
Petro's voice spoke up on the communicator. "We have liftoff! Buka is on his way out of the atmosphere as we speak. I've got him flagged so, if he turns around we'll know. But I doubt it."
Kayla gave an excited pump of her arm. This was really happening. The pilot that was going to be taking her to Alia tomorrow was right there in the crowd, fighting for her with all the others. They were someone she could trust.
Buster had pulled on his shirt and had kicked off his boots, wriggling his legs into his pants. "You did great. He sounded so pissed when you were talking to him, you're a natural."
"Well, I had a lot of practice on the pseudonet before I met you." she bragged as she joined in fetching her own discarded clothing.
Kayla didn't see much of Buster for the rest of the day. He was usually in the kitchen cooking or fetching a new bottle of pandabrau, always on the periphery. She felt a little bad for him, but he didn't seem to mind. So she busied herself getting to know the people who had helped save her.