Heather slowly shook her head, coming out of her daze. She had been having a nice dream, running free in the forest. She didn't like being dragged out of it. She raised her head to the balcony and saw the small male Zoo worker.
"Oh, it's you. You were here yesterday. Don't they give you any time off?" grumbled Heather.
"It's good to see you too, Heather, " said John. "And today is my day off. I decided to spend it here with you guys."
"Oh, John, that is so sweet, " said Kim.
Heather rolled her eyes. "Jeez, give me a break. Are we done here? I have a busy day of staring at the walls ahead of me, " said Heather, indicating that she wanted Kim to release control of their shared body so she could drop down off her hind legs and back to the floor.
"Oh, don't mind her, John. She really is glad to see you. We both are. She is just being a little sourpuss, just like usual, " said Kim.
John stifled a laugh. It was funny to hear this fearsome beast being referred to as a sourpuss. But, then again, after getting to know them these past two years he knew that they were hardly a fearsome beast. They were just two nice girls who had an unfortunate accident and were trying to make the best of it.
"That's it. I am outta here, " said Heather. She didn't appreciate the laughter, and made another effort to reach the floor. She acted like a dead weight, and began to pull their body down. John could see that Kim was struggling to keep him at eye level.
"That's a shame. Then you wont be able to see what I brought you, " said John.
Heather instantly sprang back up, helping Kim to stay standing. "Let me see! Let me see! What is it?"
"I think it might be better if I go down there and show it to you, " said John with a wink. He moved to the end of the balcony, and descended to the ground on an elevator. He found Heather and Kim waiting eagerly, their tail wagging like a puppy. He had to stifle another laugh at the thought of the ridiculous comparison.
"Well, what is it? " said Heather impatiently. He knew that his present would put her in a good mood. Heather was less suited to confinement, and sought any way to break the tedium. Any diversion was a blessing to her.
John opened his tube, and produced several large sheets of paper from it. The papers were copies of pages from different fantasy magazines, blown up to ridiculously large dimensions so Heather could read them. It had taken John several hours to do, but he knew the result would be worth it. The pages included stories, illustrations, and even a few comics.
Heather snatched the pile of papers from him with her left claw without a word, then began to quickly rifle through them.
"I hope you like them. They look like some pretty good ones. I think there are even a couple about dragons, " said John. He knew how much Heather loved dragons.
She continued to scan through the pages, ignoring him. "I already read that one, " said Heather grumpily.
"I think what she means to say is 'thank you' " said Kim with a smile.
"Yeah, yeah. Thank you, " said Heather. "It was nice of you. Even though I know why you really did it."
John was about to protest his innocence when Kim spoke up.
"So what did you bring me?" asked Kim sweetly.
John held up his hand like a magician, and reached into his basket. He produced a large chunk of chocolate, as thick as his arm. Kim squealed in glee, causing Heather to roll her eyes once again, before resuming her reading. John carefully sat the chocolate on the ground, and took a step back. Kim's tongue darted out of her mouth, and teased around the chocolate, touching it with just the tip of her tongue so she could savor it. Finally, she could restrain herself no more, and Kim's tongue wrapped around the chocolate and drew it into her mouth. She ate the chocolate loudly, and greedily.
"Umm, dark chocolate. My favorite, " moaned Kim. She looked down and saw John staring at her strangely. Then she realized what a mess she was making.
"Oh, John, I'm so sorry. I made such a mess of your nice gift. Sometimes I just lose control. You must think I am such a pig, " said Kim with embarrassment.
"Don't worry about it, " said John with smile. "I know how long it has been since you had some. And I'm just glad it made you happy."
"Oh, how sweet, " said Kim.
Heather rolled her eyes and groaned. "My God, why don't you guys get it over with and get a room? Oh wait, I forgot. You can't. We are still contagious. I know - why don't you put on some protective gear, maybe a diving suit? You could even try a little spelunking. Care to do a little exploring, little man?" said Heather, as she lifted her tail and exposed their cloaca. "You will still probably be too small to do any good, but you might as well try. How else will you ever satisfy her?"
Kim and John dropped their heads and stared at the ground, careful to avoid one another's gaze. Kim looked a little bleary eyed. Heather realized she had hurt their feelings, and felt a little guilty.
Over the last few years she had gotten to know Kim pretty well, and she actually liked her. She had gotten over their feud regarding Kim's part in her confinement years ago. Kim had been pretty tolerant over the first few months, when Heather was rude and cranky. In the end, Kim's patience and kindness had won her over and she forgave her. In fact, she enjoyed her companionship, and without it she was sure she would have gone insane.
John was pretty nice, too. Although she resented him for working for the Zoo and helping to keep her confined, she really didn't bear him any ill will. Her gruff attitude towards him was merely a facade. She actually looked forward to his visits, too, and she appreciated the gifts he brought for her. His love for Kim was admirable, too. Not many men would be able to look past her monstrous appearance and see the sweet, lovable girl inside the monster.
Heather didn't taste the chocolate because she did not share taste buds with Kim, but she did enjoy the benefits of the chocolate in her stomach as it was digested. The chocolate now felt unpleasant in her stomach.
"Whatever, " said Heather, as she dropped their tail, and turned back to her pages of stories. She would never admit it, but she did feel really sorry. She felt the least she could do was leave them alone for awhile.
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Kim and John talked for several hours, enjoying one another's company. They shared stories - John about the outside world, Kim about the crazy things that Heather would do or say. Heather was napping again, asleep and dead to the world. John looked at her sleeping head, and yawned. He looked at his watch, and realized it was late.
"I hate to say it, but I probably better go. I have to work the night shift tonight, and I need to take a nap before my shift, " said John.
"Oh, " said Kim sadly. John could hear the disappointment in her voice.
"You know I would stay if I could. But if I fall asleep on my shift, they might fire me, and then I could never see you again, " said John.
"I know, I know, " said Kim sadly.
They stared at each other uncomfortably for a long while, unsure of how to say goodbye.
"Well, it was fun, see you again, soon, " said John, leaning forward to give her a kiss.
Kim leaned forward, too, ready to return it, when a loud Klaxon alarm sounded, and the room flashed red. The alarm woke Heather, and she saw what they had been about to do. Kim and John jumped back. They were both tired, and had forgotten the consequences that their kiss would have brought upon them. It seemed like a natural way to end a date, but Kim's contagious nature made it impossible. The technicians monitoring them had not forgotten, and they sounded the alarm to remind them of the danger.
Heather was perturbed. "Oh, for God's sake. It's obvious you guys both love each other. Why don't you just admit it? The only way you guys can be together is if he becomes like us, so why don't you just get it over with? We could use a man around here. If you are too shy to do it, I'll just do it myself, " said Heather, as she leaned in to kiss John.
The alarm blared again, and this time a blue light appeared on the collar around Heather's neck. After Heather's second confinement, she had once again proved unruly and difficult. The Zoo staff had originally used tranquilizers to keep her under control. But when they realized that Kim was actually nice and cooperative, they felt guilty about doping her up and punishing her for Heather's bad behavior. Their solution was to use something that would only affect Heather.
A large shock collar was placed only around Heather's neck. The collar had three bulbs, each of which would glow blue when lit. When all three bulbs were lit, a large electric shock was discharged to Heather's head. The voltage was quite high, and it proved very effective. The shocks would often leave Heather unconscious and drooling, and she quickly learned to obey when the collar reached one or two blue lights.
"Okay, okay. Take it easy, " said Heather, retreating her head away from John's body. "I was just joking. Can't you guys take a joke?"
Heather laid her head down in their lap, closing her eyes and trying to get back to sleep. John and Kim said their awkward goodbyes, and went their separate ways. John left the compound and returned to his cozy apartment for a nap in his nice large bed. And Kim resumed staring at the balcony, anxiously awaiting her friend's return.