Weeks later, Miguel and Alejandro arrived home with a small stack of resumes. Thanks to the influx of customers that had come as news spread about their revamped menu, Mr. Kaminski had expanded their outdoor seating and was looking into lengthening the restaurant's hours so they could meet the demand. More customers meant more work for the staff, so for the first time since Miguel was brought on, Mr. Kaminski was hiring more chefs.
It hadn't been lost on Miguel that Mr. Kaminski had started looking into hiring more chupacabras right after his injury had forced him to spend less time cooking, but his boss had been quick to assure him he wasn't being replaced. Quite the contrary. He'd more than proven that having more people like him could only help the restaurant.
Getting applicants was the hard part.
"Another wise guy." Alejandro crumpled up the resume he'd been reading and threw it in the trash. "Certified goat sucker, my ass. Don't they have anything better to do than waste people's time?"
"This one's a joke, too. Coyote Pack..." Miguel snorted. "Packs never name themselves after animals, only plants."
"Who names the pack, anyway? Do you all vote on it?"
"The founder picks the name. That's why so many packs are named after stuff that grows in Mexico. Lots of desert plants."
The idea of forming a pack of his own still felt foreign to Miguel. Male leaders were uncommon as it was, but with his bad leg, he'd have an even harder time than most convincing anyone to join him, much less defending his position from challengers.
But Alejandro still cared about him. Somehow, despite all the stress Miguel had caused him, Alejandro still shared his home and heart with him.
Miguel just needed to find the right moment to ask him to share something even more, something bigger than either of them.
He smiled as a familiar name greeted him at the top of the next resume, "Looks like Agave Pack is more open to mingling with humans than Saguaro Pack was. Rosa applied."
"She's the one who comes with her partner a lot, right? Seems like she'd definitely make her voice heard in the kitchen."
Miguel chuckled. That was one way to put it. With how assertive she was, it wouldn't surprise him if she tried to lead Agave Pack someday. "Definitely. And that male's her mate now, by the way."
"Good for them! No wonder she looks so much happier these days. No more sneaking around."
They put her resume in the Yes pile. José's resume soon joined hers, with Miguel speaking highly of the young chupacabra's devotion to his family.
The final candidate was a surprise.
"No pack name and a background in customer service. I've never heard of a chupacabra with that sort of job," Alejandro said.
"He's packless, and I don't think he's using the word 'service' in the way you're thinking." At least, Miguel seriously doubted Luis was involved in what most humans would consider an acceptable day job.
"You mean he... That's not something people normally put on resumes. He sure knows how to sell himself, though." Alejandro flushed as he realized what he'd said. "I mean, his skillset sounds good. Attention to detail, interpersonal skills, time management."
"He knows good food, too. Treated me to some very nice pho after I slept in that horrible motel. I just don't know if he'd be the best fit for the kitchen." If anyone ever found out he'd been the one to get Miguel to start using venom suppressant, things were bound to get ugly.
"Maybe he'd be a good fit for the waitstaff? We could always use a hand with that sort of thing, and it's more in line with his... experience."
They jotted down that note on Luis's resume before setting aside the meager handful they'd be recommending to Mr. Kaminski. With that out of the way, they could finally get settled on the couch and enjoy their dinner.
Or try to, at least.
"Do you feel up to talking about what happened?" Alejandro's gaze was as warm as the chicken tortilla soup they were eating, but that didn't stop Miguel's stomach from tightening. He'd been hoping Alejandro would drop the issue. Just thinking of how badly he'd upset his Moonbeam sent a wave of guilt rippling through him.
Best to get it over with. The more he put it off, the more it would hurt.
"Ready as I'll ever be," Miguel said, the words catching in his throat even worse than his medicine always did.
Alejandro swirled his soup, watching the tender meat falling apart in the broth. "That was one of the scariest days of my life," he said quietly. "Seeing her tearing into you..." He squeezed his eyes shut, his voice trembling. "You wouldn't stop screaming, not even after I scared her off."
"I didn't realize I was doing anything." All he remembered was pain. Searing, endless pain. Nightmares filled with fangs sinking into his flesh, refusing to release their grip. "I had to talk to Isabella. She never would have considered accepting The Crimson Goat's aid if I didn't offer it in person."
Not that it had done much good. Almost nobody from Saguaro Pack had come to the restaurant despite Isabella giving them her blessing, and those that ventured inside acted as if they were entering another pack's territory. Heads down, spines standing on end.
As uneasy as Miguel felt now.
"So you weren't going to her for help with your illness. You lied to me." It wasn't a question, but a statement. Pain dripped from Alejandro's every word as he pinned Miguel with a gaze shining with tears. "Why did you do that?"
"I thought if you knew what the venom suppressant was doing to me, you'd make me stop using it." And Miguel would have to admit to himself that he couldn't provide for Alejandro no matter what he did. How could he be a good partner if he couldn't kiss his Moonbeam?
"Of course I would!" A sound as short and sharp as a coyote's bark burst out of Alejandro as he wiped his eyes. "I'd never want you to hurt yourself, especially not because of me."
Stars, he'd upset him again. He couldn't even try to explain himself without making Alejandro cry.
"I'm such a terrible partner." Miguel's eyes burned from holding back tears. His body shook so badly he had to put his bowl down to keep from spilling his soup. "There's so much I can't do for you, Moonbeam. You deserve so much better than I can give you."
"You're not terrible," Alejandro said firmly. His hand found Miguel's on the couch, fingers stroking his scales. "You can give me plenty. I just don't want you to hurt yourself."
Miguel shook his head. "No, I can't. I can't kiss you or show you how much you mean to me like a human can. You've done so much for me, and I can barely do anything for you." With each reason he gave, Miguel's throat tightened until it hurt to breathe. Sobs tore out of him as he finally let out all the doubt and pain that had been weighing on his heart.
Forget forming a pack with him. Miguel didn't deserve Alejandro at all.
Alejandro cupped Miguel's cheeks with his hands, gently moving his head. His lips brushed away Miguel's tears with a series of soft kisses. "Just because you can't kiss me back doesn't mean I can't see how much you care about me."
"I've seen more than enough human couples to know how important kissing is for you." Miguel's claws curled against his knees, the sharp points one flex away from breaking skin. "You didn't even tell your family what I am. Were you ashamed to tell them you're dating a chupacabra?"
"Did you think I was?" Alejandro didn't wait for him to answer, just pulled him closer until Miguel's head rested on his chest.
"I don't know." Miguel's voice came out as a hoarse whisper as he burrowed his head against Alejandro. Even now, his familiar lavender scent eased Miguel's hammering heart, but this all hurt so much.
Alejandro pressed a kiss against his forehead, stroking his spines until they lay flat. "I'm so sorry. I never meant to make you feel like that. I was just really nervous because last time I was in a relationship..." Alejandro bit his lip. "I know how it feels to force yourself to do something to try to make someone else happy. I'd never wish that on anyone."
"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to—"
"I'm not talking about you, although I will absolutely break up with you if you ever hurt yourself on purpose again." The scent of blood reached Miguel's nose as Alejandro's teeth dug deeper into his lip. "Did Ralph ever tell you why we broke up?"
"He said it wasn't his place to say."
"When we were together, I forced myself to do things I wasn't comfortable with. He was so upset with himself for not noticing sooner. We tried to make things work for a while after that, but he was just so scared even though he's one of the only people who's been okay with me being..." Alejandro swallowed. "I've never told anyone besides him and my family, and not all of them reacted well."
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," Miguel said gently. Whether Alejandro chose to tell him or not, he'd still want to hug him until that beautiful smile of his was back where it belonged.
And it was, for a moment. "That's very sweet of you, but I need you to know this."
If Alejandro truly believed that, then Miguel was more than ready to listen.
"I'm ace." Alejandro tensed as if he was a rabbit that had just heard a coyote howl.
"I don't know what that means." Miguel had only ever heard that word used to talk about playing cards, but he doubted that's what Alejandro meant.
"Asexual. Not sexually attracted to anyone." Alejandro's smile was different this time, strained at the corners as if it alone was holding back a wave of tears. "Some ace people are fine with having sex or even enjoy it, but..." His breath hitched as his voice dropped to a choked whisper. "I just wanted to make him happy. Instead, I ended up making us both miserable."
So that was what had driven them apart. Miguel sat quietly with that knowledge, not quite sure what to make of it. Or even if he should make anything of it. All he knew was that Alejandro had trusted him with something deeply personal, and he'd never breathe a word of it to anyone.
"I'm so sorry you went through that," Miguel said at last, nuzzling Alejandro. "I didn't realize humans have a word for not feeling the urge to mate. I guess I'm ace, too." The word felt warm on his tongue, as natural as his venom.
But even with this new, beautiful word for what he and Alejandro both were, Miguel couldn't ignore how similar their relationship was to the one Alejandro had shared with Ralph. Two loving partners with one hurting themself for the other's sake, only to harm them both.
Perhaps this was Alejandro's way of ending things with him gently.
"Do you still miss the other things you used to do together?" Things Miguel could never, would never do for him.
"Sometimes," Alejandro admitted quietly, "but I don't want to be with Ralph or anyone else. I want to be with you. I love you."
Three words. Three simple words were all it took to erase any doubt lingering in Miguel's mind.
A chirp flew out of his throat, high-pitched and full of glee. "I love you, too," he said as heat rushed to his face. He'd never expected that noise to come out of him, yet another chirp soon followed the first.
"That's even more adorable than your purring." Alejandro covered Miguel in kisses that made his chirps echo through the apartment. "I love you so much," he murmured. "Promise you'll let me know if I ever do anything that makes you not believe that."
Miguel hugged him close, struggling to speak through his thrumming. "I promise."
After finishing the last of their dinner, now lukewarm but still delicious, they curled up together on the couch. Alejandro leaned back against Miguel's chest with his knitting needles clicking away. Miguel wrapped his arm around him and held him close.
It was now or never.
"Moonbeam?"
"Hm?" Alejandro's gaze was so full of loving contentment that he nearly sent Miguel chirping again.
"I've been thinking," Miguel began, each word as tentative as a hatchling's first steps out of their egg. "We live together and love each other, so m-m-maybe we could form a pack together."
Alejandro stopped knitting. "Is this why you've been so nervous lately?"
"You don't have to if you don't—"
"I'd be honored." Alejandro snuggled up against Miguel, tilting his head upward to kiss his chin. "Did you have a name in mind?"
"Not yet. I wasn't sure you'd say yes," Miguel said sheepishly. Even now, he almost thought he was dreaming. Him, a pack leader with his dear Moonbeam by his side. Not long ago he wouldn't have even imagined it, yet it was all so close.
"We'd better start brainstorming, then!"
And that was that. No more worrying that Miguel couldn't be the partner Alejandro deserved or fearing what others would think of them. There was only the two of them nestled against each other as they talked about their future.
Together.