Melissa is having a tough time getting used to space travel, between a cramped spaceship and a lack of things to distract her from her own anxiety. Thankfully, her partner Psy has some ideas for how to make the place feel a little more like home.

This story was commissioned by  PsyChuan, thank you once again for your patronage!

If you're interested in receiving something similar for your character(s), you can find my commission info here:
https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/10665286/

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To most people, traveling through space is an exciting opportunity like no other. There’s nothing quite like seeing a star up close, or peering into a distant nebula. With no end to it all, and thus no end to the discoveries that can be made. And that's to say nothing of the potential destinations, worlds, and vistas perhaps unknown to anyone else in the galaxy.

But to Melissa, space was not exciting. Perhaps it was because the Rena-synth had spent the majority of her life voyaging through the void, but she was not fond of it at all. Her feelings on interstellar travel varied from day to day, though they never strayed too far from negative. Usually it was anywhere between "mild annoyance" and "overt enmity".

Today, as the synth looked out into the cosmos, her opinion was at a solid "disdain". Even if she didn't like space, at least counting stars gave her something to do. The Dragonfly had run out of things to entertain her, curse her fast-thinking circuitry and eidetic memory. The only thing interesting on board at this point was a certain punk housecat, but she couldn't be with him all the time; the last thing she wanted to do was spread her anxiety to him.

So here Melissa was, reminding herself of all the reasons she hated being in space. There were no nearby stars or nebulas in this sector, just dots of light in the unreachable distance and the occasional asteroid. The size of it all meant the next encounter of interest could be in a few minutes, or a few years, and she had no idea of which it would be. And as for other worlds...would they truly find any? Even if they did, would history just repea-

"Melissa? You in here?"

The synth's train of thought was interrupted by a familiar voice. Her large ears perked up, swiveling a moment before her head.

Psy was peeking his head through the door into the bridge. After a moment, his sharp eyes locked on to Melissa, and he smiled. "There you are! Do I need to fix the intercom in here again?"

The synth quirked a mechanical eyebrow. "intercom?"

"Yeah, I've been trying to holler at you for a little bit now. Wanted to tell you dinner's ready." The cat strolled into the room fully, walking up next to his partner. "What're you up to in here anyway?"

Melissa looked back to the window, seeing nothing in particular. "just...watching. looking at it all."

Psy nodded. "Yeah? Guess you spaced out a bit then, huh?"

The cat waited in anticipation for the synth's usual playful laugh or groan, but it never came. Instead, Melissa kept her cyan eyes glued to the stars.

"Uh...love? You okay?" Psy asked, concern creeping into his tone.

When Melissa yet again didn't answer, the cat put a soft handpaw on her shoulder. That at least got her to look at him again.

"Hey, let's go eat, yeah? If you want to talk about it during dinner, I'm all ears."

Melissa hesitated before nodding. Psy was the far more experienced of the two of them, maybe he'd know a way to help cheer her up. And, more importantly, he obviously wanted to help her. He did always have a way of doing that.

Taking Melissa's handpaw in his own, Psy guided her through the ship. As he did, he updated her on what he'd been up to that 'day'; mostly doing some regular upkeep with the guns in his workshop. The synth nodded along, not adding much except her presence. She tried as best she could to stay present, but her mind kept drifting back to that window, and right out it into the endless vacuum.

Their short walk came to an end as the couple walked into the galley...which was really just a stovetop, refrigerator, and microwave built into the center of their living quarters. The Dragonfly was originally a corporate shipping vessel, so the lack of personnel amenities wasn't surprising, but that didn’t make it any more comfortable. Both synth and cat often found themselves thankful they were the only two on board.

Psy opened a pot that was simmering on one of the burners. The space quickly filled with the scent of synthesized meat and vegetables. "Beef and veggie stew!" he announced. "I went into storage and it was the first edible thing I found, but I did throw a little spice in there."

Melissa nodded, automatically retrieving bowls from a nearby cabinet and serving the both of them. Despite not really being hungry, she made a show of eating a bit, barely tasting the bland broth as it washed down her palate.

Psy only got a few spoonfuls into his dinner before finally speaking up. "Alright Melissa, really. What's the matter?" His tone was strong, but kind, gently prying.

The synth hesitated before responding simply. "...space."

"Space?" the cat asked.

Melissa nodded. "i...don't think i like being in space."

Psy tilted his head. His partner had talked to him a bit in the past about her anxieties. About them never quite finding a home to settle on, or some critical engineering flaw on their refurbished ship rearing its head. But never before had she mentioned space itself as the primary culprit.

After a moment to gather her thoughts, the synth continued. "i've read about so many wonderful worlds, and you've told me about them too. worlds covered in green. worlds where there's room, but small places to hide away at the same time. and all the things people on those worlds pursue...their cultures, their games, their stories. but I don't get to see any of that. there is none of that out here, which means it…feels more like fiction than fact."

Melissa's gaze dropped into her stew. "i...s-sorry, i know you're doing your best..."

Psy shook his head, stretching out his arm to touch her shoulder. "No, nothing to be sorry about. God, I had no idea."

"I guess because I actually saw some of the less wonderful sides of people and planets, being out in space like this has been kind of a break for me. But I would definitely hate it if you weren't here with me, Melissa. Can't imagine doing...really anything without you."

Melissa couldn't "blush" per say, but the change in her voice definitely gave her feelings away. "me neither. i just wasn’t sure how to tell you..."

Psy squeezed her softly. "Whatever the reason, I know now! And that means we can get started on making things right." The cat leaned back in his seat a bit, taking on a thinking posture. "So what can I- we do to make you more comfy here? Besides stumble upon some random hospitable planet in the next 20 minutes?"

That finally got a smile out of Melissa, though it didn't last long as she started thinking about the situation. "um, well, i guess this ship doesn't really feel like...home? i know it’s just temporary but..."

"But you should still feel like you're at home here." Psy finished as she trailed off. "I had a few years of getting used to this place, and of course since I fixed it up it's got a whole lot of stuff I like built in. But I've never really thought about stuff you might like..."

Finally, the cat's expression brightened as he leaned forward again. "Alright, I got it! I know how we're gonna make this place feel like home."

Melissa snapped to excited attention from ears to tail. "oh?"

"I’ve been meaning to clean up storage...how about we put some of the stuff in there to good use?"
***
The next day, the Dragonfly's storage chamber came open with a mechanical hiss. Inside was row after row of various boxes, air-tight containers, and other storage units sorted by their contents. It was noticeably darker and colder here compared to the crew quarters. Despite the space being compact, there was a little bit of everything here...if one knew where to look.

Psy led the way, gaze jumping between the shelves and a tablet in his handpaws. "Alright, according to records there should be a 3D printer in here, along with some material. If we can dig that out, we can make pretty much anything we want!"

Melissa nodded, eyes curiously darting between the shelves. She was already reading some of the labels. "does it indicate where they might be?"

Psy shook his head. "It does, but I've moved this stuff so many times, I doubt any of it's in the same place..." After a moment, he turned back to his partner. "Probably best if we split up to find it, yeah?

"can do!" Melissa broke off from Psy at the next break in the shelves, taking a left and heading deeper into storage.

The synth didn't want to say anything out loud, but a part of her was a bit nervous having Psy go alone. Her sensors indicated the air was thinner in here; likely because the life support system wasn't powered like it was in other parts of the ship. It was morosely inconvenient that the one part of the ship where the crew wasn't expected to be was also the largest.

As she pondered that, she continued to passively read the containers around her. If this place was ever organized, it certainly wasn't anymore. "Microchips" sat within one clear plastic bin. "Hazmat Cleanup Material" was the label on another. "Seeds" was scrawled onto a cardboard box-

Melissa's entire body froze. The synth felt an electrifying buzz throughout her system, and that energy immediately turned into a flourish towards the container. She pulled it off the shelf before, with the gentlest touch she could, peeling back the tape.

While she worked slowly, Melissa read the printed label on the box. Apparently it contained a variety of seeds for decorative plants to be delivered to some planet she'd never heard of. It even came with a bit of potting soil, enough to get them started. The seeds had never gotten to their destination, obviously, but if the date on the label was accurate, these seeds weren't that much older than the synth herself. Maybe...

Inside the box were manufactured packets. The top one had the brand logo for one "MiriGrow :tm:" company, as well as a see-through portion that showed the tan and black seeds inside. They were labeled in several languages, all of which Melissa internally translated to "aloe".

The synth stared at the box in reverent silence, only snapping out of her stupor at the sound of a loud crash. Her ears swiveled towards the noise, and her entire body immediately followed in a sprint. It didn't take long to find Psy, who was standing in the middle of a mess of wires, plastic pieces, and a few lightbulbs that luckily hadn’t shattered. He held a single box high above his head as he looked down on the mess.

After a beat, the housecat noticed Melissa and gave her a cheeky smile. "I uh...found the printer! And some plastic for it!"

Melissa gave a nervous laugh before setting her box on a shelf and helping Psy out of the mess. The two collected the spilled materials, placing them back in their boxes. Before she was even done working, though, the synth was telling her partner the good news.

"psy, i found seeds! unsprouted seeds! if they're still alive then maybe..."

"Seeds? Like plant seeds?" the cat asked.

Even after Melissa's nod, it took Psy a moment to internalize that. Finally, his face lit up. "Oh, great! If they’re still alive maybe we can get some actual food worth a damn."

Melissa hummed hesitantly. "maybe, but based on the packaging, it seems like mostly succulents. even still, i think it'd be really nice if we had some plants growing around here!"

"Would it, perhaps, help you feel more at home?" Psy asked.

The synth's expression said it all.

"Let's do it then!" Psy smiled, shifting the printer box into one handpaw just so he could point at Melissa with a cheeky finger gun. "We could probably make some little pots for 'em or something...although there might also be some around here, and we only have so much filament..."

The two spent the rest of the morning looking through the storage unit, seeing what all they could discover and rediscover. Before long, they had a solid idea of exactly what renovations they'd be making. They made sure to move a few boxes they knew they definitely wanted to go through outside of storage, just to make sure they wouldn’t get lost in the chaos again.

The first place the two headed after a well-earned lunch was Melissa's room. The space was small, only accommodating a cot, a desk, and a few drawers built into the wall for storage. Melissa had done her best to make it her own; a row of lights along the wall lit up the room instead of the overhead lights, and there were a few extra pillows decorating the cot. Despite the lack of space, the designers had apparently found the room for a window gazing into the great beyond at all times. The synth couldn't help but frown at it as she walked in.

Psy picked up on her disposition almost immediately. "Wait right here, hun," he said before turning around. A few seconds later, he was back with a large sheet between his handpaws. With a little effort, the housecat managed to cover the window with a poster. It was for a synth rock band he was a fan of, the three members all drawn like 1990s cartoon characters.

"Not quite your cup of tea, I know, but better than you having to look out there," he said with an assuring grin.

"but that's your poster," the synth meagerly protested. "don't you still want it?"

"I do, but I want you to be comfortable a whole lot more, Melissa," Psy explained. "And I'd give a lot more for that than just this scrap of paper."

Melissa’s face lit up. That little bit of kindness, in addition to it remedying her biggest problem with the room, overwhelmed the synth, and she couldn't help but hug her partner. Psy, though caught a bit off guard, reciprocated, and they both spent a moment just appreciating one another.
‘"I'll get it back once we get you a wall decoration more your style, yeah?" Psy said just before breaking apart.

"yeah!" Melissa agreed before turning to look at the rest of her space. "i also wanted a shelf, and some books to go in it. a nicer bed too, but i don't know where we'd get that..."

"Eh, probably in storage. I found a kitchen sink down there last week," Psy joked. "The shelf we can print, and the books...didn't you have some laying around here?"

The synth nodded before walking over and opening one of the storage drawers. Inside were a few thick novels, all entries of the Culture sci-fi series.

"You finished all of those? One is as thick as my arm," the housecat pointed out.

"it isn’t like i’ve had much else to do," Melissa said. "but like you said, there’s got to be more to read in storage, and that’s what this shelf will be for!"

"Guess that makes sense...it's like an organizational thing," Psy recognized, rubbing his chin. "Well at the very least I probably have some gun manuals I haven't shown you yet, and they just take up space in the workshop."

Melissa's ears perked up at the idea of new knowledge, and she nodded excitedly.

"Alright, that's this room. Let me take the dimensions of the desk and then I’ll get the printer going. In the meantime...you remember that really big box I left right outside storage? Bring that to the calm room for me."

***
The "calm room" was what the pair had come to call a small closet in the center of the ship with no apparent purpose. It was too thin for both Psy and Melissa to stand in side-by-side, though it stretched a few feet deep. A part of the far wall was shaped to accommodate the adjacent engine, and that made for a comfortable seat.

The reason they'd deemed this the calm room was because it (until a few minutes ago) was the only room in the ship with no view of space. Between how deep it was into the ship's hull and its position next to the engine, the entire thing was basically removed from what was going on around the rest of the ship or outside it. If either of them needed somewhere safe to rest, think, or be alone, this was it.

Melissa carefully walked up to it, doing her best not to drop the box Psy had mentioned. It was hard to lift not because of its weight, but because of the sheer size of the thing. Thankfully, the synth managed to get it there in one piece, and only once she had sat it down (and noticed it definitely wouldn't fit inside the small room) did she bother to read its label.

"'Bedding'..." she read aloud. Why hadn't Psy wanted this in the bedrooms?

A few minutes later, her partner entered the hallway and made his way over. "Printer's doing its thing. In the meantime, how about we get this open?" Melissa stepped back as Psy walked up to the box and unsheathed a claw on his middle finger in a practiced motion. Once the tape was cut, the box nearly burst open from its contents.

Inside were blankets, pillows, and sheets, all with the same earthy color scheme and patterns that resembled various animal furs. The material itself was synthetic as far as Melissa could tell, but it was still wonderfully soft to the touch. The synth took her time examining each and every piece while Psy began taking some into the calm room.

"Oh, and if the records are right, there's something special at the bottom," the cat teased.

Melissa immediately dug through everything, eventually grasping a more tactile material. It was soft, but in a way where she could feel near every grain of fabric against her hands. Pulling it out, she felt a weight within it shift, and a loose heft dragged it down.

"A...weighted blanket?" the synth asked, equal parts confused and surprised.

"Yep! Whoever put that in here definitely had us covered, huh?" He responded, laughing at his own joke.

Melissa was amused by the quip, and all the more amazed by the surprise. She gathered the weight of the blanket before hugging it to herself. Something about the way it pressed against her was grounding, a bit comforting even.

After a few moments of enjoying the sensation, she spoke up again. "this is so nice...why isn't it going to the bedrooms though?"

Psy strode out of the closet, dusting off his handpaws. "Well it can, but I thought it'd be a better fit here. Take a look."

Peeking inside, Melissa saw a completely new calm room. One with lovely colored sheets hanging on the wall and pillows on the ground. A blanket softened the seat carved into the far wall, and a portable lamp Psy had apparently snuck in lit up the entire place in dim, placating light.

"So, what do you think? Calm Room 2.0, now a lot softer!"

For the second time that day, Melissa failed to resist the urge to grab Psy into a hug. This time, the blanket added an extra layer of softness and warmth between them.

"I'll take it you like it then!" the cat laughed.

"i do. a lot. it's...exactly what i need." Before, the calm room had been serviceable at its function, but the complete darkness and hard metal was definitely not preferred. Now that was all fixed.

"That's what I like to hear!" Finally the two broke away, and Psy flicked off the lamp before walking out and closing the closet door. "Alright, we had one last thing planned for today, yeah?"

The last idea brought them back to storage, this time to a corner lacking in large shelves. Instead, a few racks sat within glass cases bolted to the wall, apparently for carrying smaller and more fragile packages.

The couple were able to clear one out quickly, finding an alternate place for its contents. Afterwards, Psy retrieved some of the electronic parts he had spilled from earlier. While Melissa worked on the seeds, he set up the lighting system.

Psy managed to connect the bulbs to wires and hang them on the racks, turning the case into a makeshift greenhouse. The setup was definitely messy, with wires drooping loosely, but assuming they could get a power source the housecat knew it would get the job done. He finished just in time for Melissa to return with the seed packets, as well as three mugs with cool water rippling inside each.

"i'll start with one pack for now," the synth said as she sat the mugs on the bottom rack (and the only one not covered in wiring). "according to the instructions, we should soak the seeds for about a day before planting them in another medium. thankfully, whoever ordered this also ordered a bit of soil." On the way to get the water, she had thought about the possibility of there being something wrong with that old soil. But she’d managed to get off that negative train of thought on her own; after all, everything else so far had turned out great. This would too.

"Sounds good. As for the lights...I got 'em rigged up but I don't know where to connect them. No outlets around here." Psy scratched his head. "Maybe there’s a battery bank somewhere in storage?

Melissa thought for a moment, looking at the unit around them. Her eyes danced the racks at their feet, the racks, up the wall, and eventually settled on something she'd almost forgotten about: an old camera. The thing wasn't powered, and it hung dead about a foot above the both of them.

"there has to be a way to route power to that device," the synth pointed out. "what if we took it out and connected the lights to that?"

Psy tilted his head. "Oh, that thing. Sure we could I guess. But then we'd be down a camera."

"what...do we really need that for, though?" the synth asked earnestly. "this isn't a corporate shipping vessel anymore. we don't have workers to watch or cargo to secure, right?"

The housecat nodded slowly, starting to understand what his partner was really saying. Melissa worked quickly to position a few sturdy looking boxes against the wall, using them as a makeshift stepladder. Once complete, she bounded up them to get within range of the camera.

"so then we can reclaim this, like we've reclaimed everything else here." The synth reached up, barely managing to grab the body of the device, and worked it out of its socket. Her movements were careful but decisive, like a knowledgeable engineer on a mission.

Once the camera was extracted, Psy passed her the wires for the lighting. With a bit of jerry-rigging and a lot of precise rewiring, Melissa ended up with something that just might work. Once she stepped down from the boxes, she gave a well-earned sigh before gesturing towards her partner. "can you power it from here?"

"Let's see.." the housecat said as he pulled out his tablet. After a bit of fiddling, he looked up expectantly at the light display. Melissa followed his gaze.

It took a moment, but a spark of energy lit up all the bulbs on the rack at once. It flickered for a few moments, but finally, a bright shower of continuous light fell over the mugs. Melissa couldn't help but cheer seeing her labor already bear some fruit.

Psy chuckled at her. "God, you're cute when you're excited. Don't forget about getting the seeds in there now."

"how could i!?" Melissa immediately rushed forward, ripped the top seed pack open, and poured its contents into her hand. As she did, she took a moment to behold the little beginnings of life she held so effortlessly. They were tiny now, but if she took good care of them...

Melissa placed the seeds in the mugs one by one with the most delectate touch she could. One at a time, watching with wonder as they slowly floated to the bottom of the mugs. Eventually Psy came up beside her to watch along. He let her do the seeding, just content to watch his love experience something new.

Once the seeds had been completely divided between all the mugs, Melissa took a step backward. She sat with the gravity of her action, with the excitement for burgeoning life, and with a completely new feeling; anticipation for tomorrow.

"So, that's three renovations done! Feels like a good time to call it a day, huh?" Psy said, interrupting her thoughts with his cheery voice and expression.

"i...psy, i have a query," the synth announced.

"I have an answer."

"is it...odd that i want to go to bed as soon as possible, just so i can wake up tomorrow a little sooner?"

***
Melissa woke up the next day largely confused. It felt like she was waking up somewhere unfamiliar but...in inverse. This place was too familiar.

This wasn't the room she stayed in aboard the Dragonfly. It was her room. It had a lamp in the corner casting vital, warm light over the walls. There were books on a shelf within arms reach, books she didn't recognize. She was swaddled in plush blankets, and as she turned her head, she rolled onto a patterned throw pillow. A poster for one of her partner's favorite bands shone in the lamp's glow.

Psy. Of course, he must have done this. But when, while she was asleep?

After getting out of bed and getting ready for the day (in a much cleaner private bathroom than she remembered), Melissa strode out of her door, set on finding that housecat. She didn't expect to almost trip over him as she exited her room.

Psy managed to recoil back in time, not even spilling a drop from the cup of coffee in his handpaws. "Woah, good morning to you too!" There were fairly obvious bags under his eyes, but he tried to cover them up with a wide smile. "You like your new room?"

"like? i love it!" Melissa exclaimed. "it's so...it's..."

"You?" Psy suggested.

"yeah! me! it's not exactly what i had in mind, but compared to what it was before..."

The housecat chuckled before taking another sip. "Well, I'm happy I got at least some of it right then. How about I show you the other thing I've been working on?"

Psy guided his partner through the ship's condensed corridors. Her handpaw found a way into his fairly quickly. As they passed through the bridge, Psy made sure to pick up the pace to avoid Melissa having to look out into space. But today, the void didn't seem to perturb the synth as much. She gave it a passing glance before continuing on her way.

The two ended up in storage once more, and Melissa immediately noticed something different about the space. The atmosphere felt thicker, as if full of both air and life. Some of the shelves looked a bit more organized than she remembered, and the path towards the makeshift greenhouse was no longer covered in boxes.

And as for that greenhouse corner of the room...where could she begin? Psy had set up a pair of beanbag chairs, along with a collapsible table, two gaming controllers atop it. Elevated by a few boxes was a TV, apparently powered by the same power outlet as the growth lights. Some sort of console was precariously but safely balanced on top.

Melissa was at a loss for words, legitimately shocked at what had become of the place. In just a day, they'd carved out a homely corner in this previously unwelcoming room. Their personal piece of heaven in unwelcoming space.

"how?" Was the word she finally settled on. Psy only smiled wider and grabbed her closer.

"Turns out, all I needed was the right motivation to go through all this mess. You." The look on his face made it obvious that whatever amount of work he'd been through, Melissa's reaction made it all worth it.

"I really am sorry that it took this long for me to realize how bad your anxiety was. But I hope this makes up for it. And I hope this place feels like the home you deserve, Melissa."

The synth nodded rapidly before hugging Psy tight and speaking in an awestruck whisper. "it does, psy. it finally does."

The two held each other in that hug for a long time, neither wanting to let go. And so, they didn't. They instead wordlessly maneuvered over to one of the beanbags and fell into it together. Their bodies pushed against one another, caressing and embracing like two lovers falling in love all over again.

Psy, with the precious synth that continuously gave him a reason to keep bettering himself and the world around him.

And Melissa, with the home that no longer felt like some unattainable dream.

They weren't waiting to find their life together; it was right now, and tomorrow, and every day forever.