While the carrier was still in route to its likely station in the blockade and before things rapidly changed, Casey Jones and Timothy Chakat found themselves with a fairly large amount of time. Sammy had told them that they would need to help with regard to cleaning up after what the scientists and lieutenants had created, regardless of whether or not things actually exploded into all out war, but while they were sailing, that wasn't too much of an issue that was on their minds. Neither Casey Jones nor Timothy had any real military experience or family serving in the military. That left them to explore the parts of the ship the American sailors allowed them to explore. This included the mess halls, which to their surprise served a wide variety of foods, ranging from fairly simple rations to things that neither expected being served on a warship, the gym, a library, and a recreational room, which had various televisions and covered various things ranging from the news to sports to other television programs.
"Would you like to get something to eat?" Timothy asked to the Dinokat one evening after entering the room that shi had been given to share with Casey Jones.
Casey Jones looked up from a magazine shi had borrowed and felt a low rumble in hir stomach. Shi then looked over Timothy, who stood politely in the doorway. Sammy was likely eating with hir father, and while they were waiting to get to their target, Casey Jones felt a bit of cheer in hir heart as shi looked to the Komokat. Shi remembered what had been done to hir in the East Coast Outbreaks and the fact that shi had eaten hir own fiancee in a blood-lust, but shi had been recovering thanks to hir talks with Elise and with Brent. Meeting Timothy, however, had actually made things even easier to recover. This was largely due to the fact that Timothy seemed to be recovering from hir own mistakes. They were recovering together, and Casey Jones found hirself falling in love with the Komokat because of it.
"Only if it's a date," Casey Jones gave a playful smirk.
"It can be," Timothy smiled back.
Casey Jones then set the magazine done and slid off the bed onto hir feet. Since it was approaching seven thirty PM (local time) it was approaching a time for a fairly early dinner date. The two of them slowly made their way toward the ship's extensive cafeteria. Both were still amazed by the size that it was.
"Where would you like to sssssssssssssssssssssssit?" Timothy asked.
"Preferably a place where we fit," Casey Jones commented, and sighed, "I liked booths... but this butt won't fit in them anymore."
Casey then pointed a clawed finger to the back part of hir taur body and the long tail behind hir.
Timothy did nod, but also spoke, "It isssssssssssssssssss a very niccccccccccccccccce butt though."
Casey Jones caught the playful smirk on Timothy's face and answered, "flatterer."
That only made Timothy smile more, "I'll find a ssssssssssssuitable table for usssssssssssssssss."
Casey Jones nodded and the two then moved along through the various lines to pick out different items. Shi ultimately picked out a few pieces of fried chicken and what smelled like an instant set of mashed potatoes. After also picking up a soda, shi found Timothy waiting for hir at a lone table in the center of the cafeteria. Timothy had already moved the chairs and settled down with a plate of spaghetti.
"Sssssssssssome placccccccccccccce for a date, eh?" Timothy asked as Casey Jones set hir plate down.
"There are worse places," Casey Jones quipped as shi glanced to see other sailors either eating or going to or from their tables. "And I'm more than willing to put up with a little gawking at us so long as the one I'm with is you..."
Timothy could almost feel hir eyes twinkle at the compliment. It made hir feel good and shi could feel hir love grow. It was a strange thing. Part of hir initial reason for becoming a Kat had to deal with the highly sexual nature that Kats had. Shi had seen hir soughter, Maurice, and Snowy trade some highly sexual flirtations between each other in a rather casual manner. And they weren't the only ones, but what Timothy hadn't realized that while yes the interaction was highly sexual, it came from a very strong romantic love. A Kat's sexual nature wasn't all they were, and now Timothy could feel that bond forming between hirself and Casey Jones. It grew stronger the more the two of them interacted and Timothy actually began to wonder why shi'd initially wanted to impress Janace so much. Shi was finding the Tyrannosaurus based Dinokat to be far more beautiful.
"Thank you," Timothy eventually said weakly, "That meansssssssssssss a lot, coming from you."
Casey Jones only smiled back. Shi had also grown to love the Komokat. Timothy had allowed hir to fully recover from what happened after hir initial transformation, and shi wanted Timothy to always be with hir. The two of them ate quietly, with Casey Jones easily crushing the chicken bones in hir jaws and Timothy twirling the spaghetti in hir fork. As they ate, their eyes never left each other. They found themselves smiling as they did so. Both could see a happy future for both of them, and what they saw generally each other together in those futures.
"So... I suppose you'll walk me "home" now?" Casey Jones quipped as they finished their respective meals.
"Only if you wisssssssssssssssh me to," Timothy answered politely, "If not, I'll take you wherever you wissssssssssh to go."
They quietly got up, deciding not to have dessert, placed their dinner trays in a designated spot and began to walk along through the carrier's passageways. They occasionally had to stop and actually cuddle up to each other so they could allow other crewmen to go about their business. Both Timothy and Casey Jones found their hearts fluttering as their bodies made contact with each other.
Sssssssssssssssso, where would you wisssssssssssssssssssssh to go?" Timothy asked.
"Let's just walk for a little while," Casey Jones answered, "and enjoy being together... we're going likely into a war..." a lump formed in hir throat, "...we may not get out of this..."
"Don't ssssssssssssssssssay that," Timothy urged, "we'll make it through thissssssssssssssssssssssss and will be together for a long time... and I will lay your eggsssssssssssssssssss."
"Eggs...?" Casey Jones gasped.
Timothy only blushed, "Yessssssssssssss... Casssssssssssssssey Jonessssssssssssssss... I love you and I know thisssssssssssssssssss isssssssssssssssssss fasssssssssssssssst, but I want to marry you and have your children."
"Oh... Tim..." Casey Jones responded and reaching with hir hands, shi pulled Timothy up into a passionate kiss.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"Darling," Marsha commented, "why did you urge people to stay Kats?"
"Our happiness is not determined by our species," Jake answered, " we could have still loved and mated as different species... and we could have been happy, even if we weren't the same species... but many victims may just decide to go back because they felt happy as they were..."
"Some could say the same of me for deciding to be a Kat," the Jaguar based Chakat answered, "That I was being silly and trying to do something I didn't need to do..."
"So, why did you become a Kat?" Jake asked, "You'd said you'd prefer to remain human... and said it rather firmly."
"I did, didn't I?" Marsha chuckled, "but then I am allowed to change my mind, correct?"
Jake slowly walked over and hugged hir.
"Of course," Jake answered.
"And anyway," Marsha continued, "while this may be a bit small of me... did you wish to remain a Kat?"
"Personally, yes, it'd allow me to be like my family," Jake answered, "But you are my true love and if you wished me to be human... I'd be human to make you happy."
"And why should you give up your happiness?" Marsha answered, "I love you and my love isn't determined by what you look like. And it would be wrong of me to force you to be human to make me happy... It'd make me selfish."
"So you became a Kat for me...?" Jake continued.
"Not just for you, but for me too," Marsha answered, feeling some warmth in hir checks, "This may be a bit silly and is probably perverted... but how do you think we'd mate if I remained human?"
"Well, as a Kat I still have my penis," Jake answered, "I could lay on my back and you could ride it or I could mount you while you are on your back..."
"With my face buried in your first set of hips," Marsha commented, glancing to where Jake's torso met hir taur half, "and even if you raised yourself so that you weren't smothering me, we couldn't kiss, we couldn't hug, we couldn't do anything else that we had done in the past. All I'd be to you is a living blowup doll and all you'd be to me would be a living dildo."
Marsha then pulled Jake into a kiss, difficult because of their muzzles and navigating their tongues around their canine teeth.
"And I'd rather be able to make love to you," Marsha then finished. Jake only smiled and kissed hir back.
"But then why would you be opposed to people staying Kats?" Jake asked.
"Because that takes their choices away by making it seem as though being a Kat is the only way to be," Marsha answered, "I chose to become a Kat. The people on the East Coast, should they want to be human, shouldn't be told they should be Kats..."
"I did say they would have the choice..." Jake commented.
"But urging people not to make that choice can take the choice away, in a way," Marsha countered, "Let people choose their own futures... and besides... we're both younger and the President only had two years left on his term... with the outbreaks over... now and forever... we can soon go home and contribute to raising the Kat population on our own."
Jake found hirself smiling. Technically the threat of outbreaks wasn't truly over, as there could be some incident that would raise the issue again, but the chances of this were next to nothing. The only remaining sources of the Virus were being demolished and destroyed or being loaded to take back to Janace. Provided there was no insane thief in Janace, the Virus would die and the only way people would become Kats was if they wished to.