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I was totally getting fired.

My co-worker had just told me that our supervisor wanted to see me in her back office, and all I could think about was this is it. Had I called out sick too many times? No, that didn’t make sense. I barely called out as it is. Had I been late coming back from lunch enough times for her to snap and want to get rid of me?

I got up from behind the massive circular desk and made my way towards the left side of the building, where the backrooms were. No, I couldn’t be getting fired, I suddenly realized. I barely called out sick, I always came back from lunch early. I wracked my brain the entire way to my supervisor’s office about what I had possibly done to warrant being sent to her office.

Then it hit me. The hookup I’d had last month. That’s what this had to be about. I’d been flirting with this patient here at the center, drawing his blood for analysis, and he’d flirted back. Charming words and deep laughs had been exchanged, and then next thing I knew, my pants were around my ankles as he fucked me in one of the bathroom stalls .

I’d been found out. Someone knew it had been me. Despite how careful I’d been and now I was going to be held accountable for my actions.

I was totally getting fired.

Knocking on the door, my supervisor’s sweet voice came from within and told me to come on in. With a hesitant demeanor, I tried to give her a widened grin that failed to cover up the massive flashing guilty sign I felt burning a hole in my forehead.

Babs was kind, a beautiful woman with dark skin and blonde hair that was pulled back in a ponytail, per usual. Her green eyes were wide and friendly, but they did nothing to ease my concern as I sat down in front of her mahogany desk. Babs sighed and my heart lurched. I’d only been working at the blood center for a few months now, ever since I had lost my last job due to lay offs. I really didn’t want to have to go back on the job market.

“Thanks for stopping in,” Babs said, her sweet voice even and unreadable. “Before I start, this isn’t anything bad. I’m not firing you or anything.”

Unable to stop myself, I exhaled the breath I hadn’t noticed I was keeping in until it all came rushing out. I laughed a little and wiped my hand over my face. “Oh thank god. I was really nervous.”

“Why?” Babs laughed, then her face soured, turning serious again. “Have you done something that you could be fired for?”

“Of course not.” I assured her, the thoughts of the hot bear and our bathroom rendezvous flashing through my memory. “I’m just naturally neurotic.”

Babs grinned again. “Well, the reason I asked to see you is actually because I was hoping you wouldn’t mind being moved to the Orb wing.”

My relief turned to confusion as her words danced across my face. This was about the Orb wing ?

At the blood center, we mainly did blood work for humans, transfusions if needed, that sort of thing. That’s what happened here on the human wing. But in the Orb wing, we tended to the non-human beings that depended on blood in order to survive.

It’d been twenty-two years since the creatures had come out of the shadows and announced themselves to the world, claiming to only want to live harmoniously with humans. There were all kinds of creatures, with various appearances and things that made them unique. Some of the humans that had first witnessed the creatures and their “coming out” had said they looked like creatures from another realm, though they claimed to be living amongst humans on Earth for millennia. That’s what we referred to them as en masse: Orbs. It stood for Other Realm Beings. The nickname had stuck, and even the creatures themselves referred to each other by the collective moniker.

“The Orb wing?” I asked hesitantly. Surely she had other people who’d been here longer that were better suited to be Orb attendants. “Me? You’re sure?”

“I know you’ve only been here a couple months but I’ve been watching you work. You’re one of the best I have. And I hope you don’t have the same aversions to Orbs that some of your co-workers do.”

Ahh, so that was it. She’d asked other people and they’d refused. Human and Orb relations weren’t necessarily as good as they could be, but ever since Orbs had been signed into society and awarded the same rights as everyone else, things had been peaceful. Well, as peaceful as I could remember anyway. I was only six when they’d announced themselves to the world.

I never had any issues with Orbs or thinking that they were anything less than humans. If anything, I thought they were more interesting than humans. The ones we served here at the blood center, the Orbs dependent on blood, were always nice from what I was told. I’d never interacted with one, since I only ever worked on the human wing.

I guess that was about to change.

“I’d be willing to give you a pay increase.” Babs went on, trying her best to really sell the idea of me transferring over to the Orb wing. “I can offer you two more dollars an hour.”

“And people refused this?” I said incredulously. “I mean, the other people you asked before me?”

“You’d be surprised how quickly prejudices are evident when people are pressed enough.” Babs shook her head. “So does that mean you’ll do it?”

“Of course I’ll do it.” I said with a chuckle. “I don’t have any problems working with the Orbs.”

“Fantastic.” Babs looked ecstatic as she started typing away on her computer. “I’ll start drafting up the paperwork and have it ready for you by lunch. Then you can sign the new job offer and we can get you started first thing Monday morning, if that’s okay.”

That would give me the weekend to chill and prepare for being one of the Orb attendants, so I didn’t see any reason to refuse. I nodded, and Babs furiously went back to hammering the keys of her computer’s keyboard.

“Thank you, Bas.” She said. “I really appreciate it. That’s all I need for now, unless you have any questions.”

“No, I’m good.” I beamed, standing up from the chair. “Just come get me when the paperwork is ready to sign.”

“Will do. Thanks again.”

I headed out of my boss’ office, thrilled that I was about to make more money, and I’d get to see some of the Orbs up close.

More importantly, I wasn’t getting fired.

“You’re gonna be working with Orbs now?”

Later that night, I was retelling my day to my roommate before he had to get ready to go to work. We were on the couch scarfing down some Chinese food in our apartment.

I nodded at his previous inquiry. “Yeah! I’m really excited. Plus I’m making more money, which is awesome.”

“That’s great, Bas!”

I smiled at Thayer. Thayer and I had been best friends for over ten years at this point. I’d first met him at a coffee shop that had been right around where’d I’d been staying at the time. We’d bonded over our mutual love of manga, coffee, and Taylor Swift, and he’d asked me if I wanted to grab coffee sometime. The rest was history. We’d been living together for almost as long and we’d been practically brothers ever since.

“Thanks, Thayer. I can’t wait.” I shoveled in a bite of my general tso’s chicken as Thayer got up from his seat.

“I need to start getting ready,” Thayer nodded. “I’m doing my cowboy routine tonight.”

I shook my head with a smile as he retreated to his bedroom. Thayer was an exotic dancer down at this mostly Orb club. Orbs from all over came to watch humans dance for them, and it paid really well and Thayer didn’t seem to mind the attention. He certainly had the body for it. And as long as his half of the rent always came through, I didn’t care what he did. I’d come by the club unannounced to watch him a few times. He was pretty good. He always had high concept themes and executed them well.

I started laughing when Thayer came out a few minutes later in a sparkly blue cowboy outfit, complete with fringe and star patches galore. He looked good, but he looked so out of place against the backdrop of our off-white living room interior.

“Hey, I look hot.” Thayer smoothed his hands over his chest and stomach to prove his point.

“You look great, it’s just a lot.” I chuckled.

“Well the Orbs are gonna love it. They always end up paying more for human history sort of stuff.” Thayer nodded, picking up his lo mein and being careful not to get it all over his work outfit for the night. “Are you gonna chill out this weekend?”

“Oh, I have plans.” I said, reaching for my iPad on the end table next to the couch. “I just downloaded the second book of that gay demon romance series I was telling you about.”

Thayer guffawed with a smirk. “Oh, geez. Don’t tell me you’re just gonna lounge around reading all weekend. Again.”

I shook my head. “Not all weekend. I’ll probably do some gaming at some point. And catch up on some YouTube videos.”

Thayer always chastised me for staying in all weekend, but in all honestly, that’s how I preferred my weekends. I loved being able to do what I wanted when I wanted, surrounded by my favorite things at the apartment. I would go out on dates every once in a while and the occasional hookup every now and then, but for the most part, I preferred keeping to myself.

Unlike Thayer, who had a rolodex of women that he would entice over the weekends. Thayer was a major flirt, a good dancer, and a terrible boyfriend. So naturally, he was always busy with someone. I just didn’t have much interest in long term dating. I was open to it for sure, but I hadn’t met anyone that enamored me enough to want something more.

Taking his Chinese food with him, Thayer grabbed his keys by the door after pulling his boots on, causing me to roll my eyes. Of course he had custom cowboy boots to match.

“Just promise me you’ll do something fun with me soon. Like maybe we can go to Gossamer some night.” Gossamer was the hottest club in Piper, mainly because it was one of the few places people felt comfortable enough to congregate whether they were human or Orb. Most places weren’t segregated on purpose, but businesses had a way of letting one or the other know that they weren’t welcome. Gossamer wasn’t like that. It was for anyone and everyone.

“Okay, fine.” I waved him off, already turning my iPad on so I could get some reading in while I finished my food. “One weekend soon, we’ll go out to Gossamer.”

“Hell yeah,” Thayer said, shoving a forkful of noodles in his mouth before stabbing the fork in the rest of his food while he carried it out with him. “I’ll be back late. Enjoy your night, Bas.”

“Make those Orbs sweat, dude!”

He laughed as he closed the front door to the apartment. I refocused my attention to the book on my iPad, and I finished my food in perfect solitude in hopes that this weekend would be the perfect recharge before starting at the Orb wing come Monday morning.