Sleepy time head scratches

Sam finished his note taking, and clicked his pen closed with a sense of dramatic finality. "You've given me a lot to think about, Roy. I'm going to have to put all of this into my previously collated data. I don't see us using the RTMD for some time; it seems like the whole process is far more dangerous than my colleagues on the temporal physics forum implied."

Despite every ounce of his being wanting to give Sam a hard time for taking scientific evidence from strangers on the internet, Roy bit his tongue. "Do you think I'll be okay, then?"

Sam shrugged, but didn't look particularly worried. "I imagine you'll need some time for your brain to reconcile all the new information it's currently ingested. Rest here for now, and if you need me or Gwen, just text one of us."

Roy nodded, slowly this time, and slumped himself back down into a supine position on the bed. He wouldn't mind a nap, if he was being honest, although he had to try his best to ignore the fact he could smell Gwen's natural fragrance on the pillow.

Sam left the room and closed the door quietly, only to run into Gwen in the hallway. She had the same worried look on her face that she had before. "Is Roy going to be all right?" she asked him, concern tinting her words.

"Don't worry, he'll be fine. He's needs to rest for a bit. The cascade effect caused his memories of the multiple timelines to sync up," he explained.

Gwen nodded, her anger from before having been replaced with worry long ago. "Yeah, alright. Wait," she said, as she grasped his words, "does that mean he remembers me now?"

Sam smiled. "Yes, it does." Gwen tried her best to hide her elation at the situation. "There, you see?" Sam continued. "I knew this would work out. Now, I'm going to be in my room for a while, collating the new data. If Roy needs anything, he'll text one of us, okay?"

Gwen smiled at him. "Yeah, sure. I'll be around."

*

Roy woke up some time later. He couldn't remember what he'd just been dreaming about, the fleeting images of his thoughts already lost to his mind, but when he looked over at the face of the girl slumped next to him, he could easily believe he was still asleep. Gwen was sitting there, in her chair, her head and arms resting on the bed in front of her. She must have been keeping a bedside vigil for him, same as she did before. The only difference was, this time, she had fallen asleep herself. Roy could tell by the dim light in the room that it must've been past sundown by now. He had to wonder, how long had she been sitting there?

He watched her for a moment, appreciating just how cute she really was. Her ears twitched occasionally, and her tail stuck out behind her, reminding Roy that no matter how she looked, she wasn't quite human. Her lips were slightly parted, and while they weren't the plumpest specimens, he absentmindedly wondered how they tasted. He had to mentally shake himself again. He knew it wouldn't do him any good to get his brain all twisted with lustful desires.

And yet, he couldn't help himself. She was a vision of beauty, a natural beauty. No makeup, no lip gloss, no accouterments speak of. There were probably thousands of girls who looked prettier than her in this city alone. But in that moment, in this room, she was the most wonderful creature he'd ever set his eyes on.

And then he noticed her ears, or rather, her lack of them. Where before the side of her head was hidden behind a mass of hair, now with her new cut he could see clearly; where he expected to see human ears, he instead saw smooth skin. And her skin looked wonderful. Soft and slightly tanned, likely from all the time she spent outside, he absentmindedly reached out a hand to touch it.

As soon as he did, she stirred, and he brought his hand back in surprise. Surprise not just at her, but at himself. What was he doing? He couldn't remember ever feeling this way before, not in any of the timelines he had jumbling around in his dome. But still, the feeling was there. He looked at her ears, and the way they stood up proudly on her head. Once again, curiosity got the better of him. He reached out and began scratching softly behind one of them, at the base of where the ear met her head. Her hair was soft, and now that he was examining them so closely, her ears were quite large. She squirmed a little under his touch, but as her eyes were still closed, carried on. He could feel her body heat next to him. He could see her puppy tail wagging. The whole experience was... for lack of a better word, stimulating.

He kept at that for a few moments, focusing on her ears, before anything broke the silence. But when something did, Roy certainly wasn't prepared for it.

"Are you just going to keep doing that all night?" Gwen asked, her eyes still closed, but obviously awake.