The weather was bright and sunny, without any clouds in sight. It was perfect for the bustling city on a Saturday afternoon, where many people in cars and on foot roamed to explore its sights. But with this weather comes bad tides still, as the city spews sinister symphonies, the only instruments being car horns and swearing.

The only escape from this afternoon dirge was through a designated area in the city, the park. There, the only sounds that came were from the birds singing, the children playing, and the adults striking up pleasant conversations. Many types of groups have come to this park, especially in the form of loving couples. These romantic ones come often to this place, as the sounds of nature allow them to escape from all their troubles and focus on each other.

There were an abundance of these couples today, but there was one couple whose uniqueness knew no bounds, one couple that transcends all boundaries. This couple came in the form of Mario, a (mostly) male human; and Petal, a walking, talking female Russian Blue cat.

The couple came to the park on Mario's day off, when they could spend the entire day together. This time, the two interspecies lovers decided to go somewhere special, somewhere where their troubles would fade. They could be seen in the park holding hands and smiling, with Petal walking upright on two legs, and her front paw extended upwards towards her much-taller husband's hand.

There were very few others in the park who did not take notice of the unusual couple. But for those that did, their reactions were mixed. Many stared. Others took photos or videos with their phones. A few even laughed. Despite this, no negative reaction from other humans could tear this unconventional pair apart. As long as they were happy with each other, none of that mattered.

"It's so beautiful out here," Petal beamed, "this feels so romantic, dear."

"Indeed it does." Mario replied, "this is the first time I've ever come here with you. I really like this place, but I like it better now that you're in it."

"Oh, Mario! You're so charming!"

He couldn't help but blush as he softly caressed her paw. He was like a maze, yet she knew the way to his heart.

Suddenly, there was an unusual noise that caught the attention of Mario's inner child. He heard a melody that sounded like it came from an NES game. He and Petal came closer to it, and that was when he recognized what it exactly was.

"What is it, Mario?"

"It's an ice cream truck!" He exclaimed, "As if this date couldn't get any better!"

"Oh, wow! I'm going to have to get something! Just a small thing, though."

"Great, let's go!" He said as he bolted to be one of the first customers.

"Mario, hold on!" She exclaimed, struggling to keep up.

Unfortunately, they would be among the last customers. To the surprise of no one, all of the ones in front of them were children. Mario and Petal were browsing through the menu displayed on the truck, deciding which delectable sweet treats to order. The one in front of them, a 9-year-old boy wearing a Pikachu cap, got his treat and stepped out of the line. The interspecies couple were the last ones in line, and they could now order.

But unbeknownst to all of them, there would be trouble.

"Hey, kid!" Exclaimed a voice.

It was another boy, a 12-year-old. He marched towards the Pikachu-capped boy with the goal of bullying in mind. It is an unfortunate circumstance, and even more so that it happened in front of this couple.

"Nice Pikachu hat, dork!" He teased, "Did your mommy pick it out for you?"

The other boy remained silent.

"Answer me, dweeb!"

The other boy stayed quiet as he started eating his treat.

"You're such a weirdo! You have a lot of nerve!"

Dead silence.

The bully had had enough of his deafening silence. Without hesitation, he smacked the treat right out of his hand.

"You wanna go?" The bully exclaimed, grabbing the other boy by the shirt.

Petal had a motherly and protective nature. Whenever someone she cared about got hurt, especially Mario, her motherly instincts kicked in and she would do anything to protect them. In this moment, her instincts rubbed off on a stranger. Someone was about to get hurt, and she was not going to let that happen.

"Hey!" She yelled as she walked towards the two boys. They turned their heads towards her to not find a human, but a cat.

"You leave him alone!"

The bully immediately let go of his victim and turned his attention to the curious feline.

"Holy crap, it talks!" He exclaimed.

Petal crossed her arms. "What reason do you have to be so mean to him?"

"Why should I listen to you? You're a cat. Where's your owner, huh? Is that him?" He pointed to Mario.

"That's not my owner, that's my husband."

"HUSBAND?!" The bully was genuinely flabbergasted. "Is he blind?! That's so disgusting!! You're weird and freaky, and so is your ‘husband'!"

"It's not right to others just because they're ‘weird'! We're just like any other married couple you've seen, including your parents! I'd like you to apologize!"

"Make me!"

Petal knew she couldn't hurt a child, as much as she wanted to. So all there was left to do in that moment was try to yell some sense into him. But before she could do so, another voice came.

"AYDEN! Stop arguing with that cat and get over here!"

At once, the bully stepped away from the three, grumbled, and stormed off towards the origin of the stray voice. The threat was eliminated, but the problems were not all gone. Petal turned towards the Pikachu-capped boy, who was staring down at the ground solemnly and sighing. His treat was ant food now. Petal was then reminded of why she and Mario were at that place initially. She had an idea.

"Let's order for him, too." Petal told Mario.

"Absolutely." He agreed.

It then came time to do what Mario initially wanted to do. Together with his cat wife, they ordered two SpongeBob popsicles (one for him and the boy) and a mini ice cream cone for her. They received them immediately before the truck closed shop and headed off to its next destination.

With one popsicle in hand, Petal walked over to the boy.

"I'm terribly sorry about that," she told him, "here, we got this for you." The boy happily took it.

"Thank you so much, miss. And you don't have to apologize, it's not your fault."

"We were just trying to do the right thing." Mario told him, "I'm Mario, by the way."

"Mario? Like Super Mario! That's awesome!" He exclaimed. "Nice to meet you, I'm Liam."

"And I'm Petal."

"Petal? That's a nice name." They shook hands.

Liam continued, "Wow, I've never seen a talking cat before. That's amazing. I love cats."

"Most people indeed haven't," Mario told him, "but Petal's such an amazing cat." He put his arm around her and smiled.

"I can tell, after what she's done for me today." Liam smiled. "You two look so cute together."

"Thank you, dear." Petal blushed.

"Well, I better get going, my parents are probably wondering about me."

"Alright," Mario said, "you take care, Liam!"

"Goodbye, Liam!"

"Bye-bye, you two!"

At last, our special couple was alone together again. While they were eating their sweet treats, they continued walking through the park on this marvelous afternoon, conversing about their lives. They discussed their future plans for a bit, but nothing could ever distract them from the present moment of being together.

Eventually, they sat right next to each other on a bench in the shade. With the sun's scorching, radiating beams being blocked by the trees, they had the chance to fully focus on each other.

"Petal, I appreciate what you did today. That was so kind of you."

She laughed. "Well, it's in my nature to always help out those in need!"

Mario caressed her paw. "That's one thing I love about you, Petal. You always look out for everyone…me included."

"Of course! You are my husband, after all."

Whenever he gushed about her, he couldn't help but get very emotional. It was not long at all until tears of joy started streaming down his face. It was something that Petal had grown very used to, and she didn't mind it at all.

"Aww, Mario…" She cooed as she moved into his lap and hugged him. The warmth and softness of her fur on his face and body only intensified his feelings. He hugged back and started petting her head and back. Petal purred and smiled.

"I love you so much, Petal." He whimpered in a frail voice, unable to hold back tears.

"I love you too, Mario."

Without hesitating for a split moment, their faces grew closer together. It was not long until their lips met. There was nothing that could ever be done to split this special pairing apart. No stares, no laughing, nothing. Mario caressed Petal's face, and in turn Petal placed her paws onto his. They were inseparable. Invincible.

Their lips had to separate eventually, as much as they didn't want it to be over. When they did, they looked into each other's eyes and smiled, with Mario still shedding tears.

"I don't know what I would ever do without you," Mario cried, "you mean so much to me."

"I don't know what I would do, either. You have opened me up to a brand new world, and I wouldn't have it any other way."

"You truly are the most special cat I've ever met."

"And you're the most special human ever." They hugged once more, sinking into each other.

Though the two lovers come from different backgrounds and are different species, the love they have for each other is as real as can be. It truly is the most special kind of love, a love that transcends any and all boundaries and breaks established norms. The world may view their relationship in many different ways, most of them unfavorably, but this does not deter them at all from being themselves and shining bright in a world full of darkness. And as our loving couple sinks more and more into each other, their love becomes stronger, so strong that it transcends life itself, becoming forever immortalized in the universe.

Mario pulled his car into the driveway of his house. With a push of a button, the door to the garage opened, and he slowly maneuvered his vehicle into it. After he was satisfied with the position, he shifted gears into park and turned off the car. He got out of the car, closed the door, and sighed.

Mario had a bad day at work. As a data analyst, one is very prone to mistakes that make a difference. In the case of him, an incorrect statistical test made for a p-value that was off by a significant amount, thus changing the conclusion. And when it became known of his honest mistake, his boss was eager to belittle and berate him. He was normally such a mellow person, so Mario had never seen him be this angry.

The image of his boss losing his temper still lingered within his brain. But hopefully, that image would soon completely fade thanks to his beloved feline wife. He always yearned for her company, and now that he was finally home, his dream would come true. He eagerly opened the door that led into their home.

"Petal, I'm home!" He exclaimed.

He waited a few seconds. There was no answer. Normally, she would've responded by now.

"Petal?"

Weird. Is she taking a nap? Cats often took naps, so this wouldn't have been surprising to him. If she was ever tired, he was there to console and comfort her. Nonetheless, the silence in the house was deafening.

Mario walked further into the house...unaware that he was being hunted. Somewhere in the house, there was a predator, and he was the prey.

The absence of his wife only made the memories of the day linger longer. He sighed again. He sat on the couch in his living room. He just wanted to sink completely into the seats and never come out. He loved his job, yet sometimes he got tired of people telling him what to do. He wanted to always be creative, and his job at times didn't allow for that. He was just plain tired.

Suddenly, his phone vibrated. He took it out of his pocket. It was from his boss. Why now? Why after I've clocked out? His boss had already berated him quite a bit through text, so he didn't need to feel worse. He looked at the text.

"Oh, and by the way, I expect this mistake to be corrected BEFORE YOUR BREAK TOMORROW."

"In the meantime...tell your wife I said hello."

His boss was almost never angry, but when he was, Mario learned that he bites hard. He loudly groaned at the text. That text was enough for him to be very angry at his boss. Angry about his career.

What's wrong with me? What's wrong with the world? Several questions were buzzing through Mario's head, none of them good. He wanted to disappear from life at that moment. That, or take a permanent vacation somewhere far away, free from anyone who wanted to put him down.

Mario only had a tiny bit of energy to get himself off of the couch. He walked away from it until he was right up against the arm, facing away from the couch. He couldn't help but stare at the text and its implied arrogance. At that point, he wasn't sure if his boss would calm down the next day or stay mad. At last, Mario decided to put his phone down, so he put it back into his pocket and sighed once more.

Unfortunately, he was so caught up in what his boss told him that he completely forgot about something...more important.

"NYAAAAA!!"

Without a moment's notice, Mario heard a sound. He couldn't see what it was, but he suddenly found himself being pounced. He lost his footing with the ground and couldn't control where he would land. He was airborne for a few moments before he landed right back on the couch, this time on his back. It was then that he could finally see who was responsible for this sudden attack.

It was Petal. At last, he finally saw her for the first time since he came home. She was hiding, and waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. She was the predator, and she had finally caught her prey. Her face was right up against his as she smiled and giggled.

"Hiii, Mario~." She cooed as she started nuzzling his face and kissing it. Now that he was in her grasp, he was subject to her physical touch, her love and affection.

"H-Hi, Petal." He stuttered, unable to form a complete sentence at the moment. He was completely flustered, his heart beating out of his chest. This attack sure was surprising, but it took Mario's mind off of his temporary troubles. He needed this now more than ever.

Petal continued to nuzzle and kiss him, and caress his face with her paws. It would be a little bit before Petal was undistracted enough to ask him a question she always asked when he arrived home.

"How was your day, dear?"

It took a few seconds for him to answer, as not only would this not be a happy answer, he was still quite flustered.

"Well..." He cleared his throat, "Not great."

Petal's smile dropped.

"Oh, dear. What happened?"

"I made a mistake at work today because I performed a wrong test, and my boss yelled at me for it. I'm still mad about it."

"Gosh, he never seemed like the person to do that! I'm terribly sorry, dear." Petal then hugged him, and he blushed.

"It's fine," he assured, "I just have to correct it tomorrow."

"Well, it's no use for your boss to get mad about you for such a silly thing. You're giving it heaps, and that's all that should really matter. He should be lucky he has you on his team!"

That statement alone from her was enough to cheer him up more than he already had been.

"Thanks, Petal. I appreciate everything you do."

"Aww, anything for my darling husband!" She beamed.

At once, they drew their faces together again and made their lips touch. It was an action that many married couples do, but it was always enough to make Mario shed a tear of joy. They also do it for a relatively extended period of time. Petal is not a native user of the love language of physical touch, but with Mario in her life, she became fluent in it.

After their lips separated, Petal smiled. "Did I startle you~?"

"You did."

"I knew it! I just wanted to greet you in a different way than I normally do. It's very fun to mix things up sometimes."

"Yeah, occasionally."

"But I know you love routine. So, for dinner, I'm making your favorite patty melt!"

"Oh, wow! Awesome! With some broccoli salad and tater tots?"

"You bet!"

He hugged her tightly. "Aww, Petal, you're the best wife ever!"

She hugged him back. "And you're the best husband ever. I love you so much, darling."

"I love you, too."

They couldn't be locked in an embrace forever, so they savored every moment they could have. Together, there wasn't a single force that could break this unique married couple. Not passersby staring, not angry bosses, nothing. As long as they were one, they could tackle any challenge and solve any problem.

Petal eventually got up from the couch to cook her husband's favorite dinner. Mario stayed on the couch, too euphoric to get up. He was still shedding tears of joy due to the love that was shared between them. When she was a distance away, Petal looked back at him.

"My boss said hi, by the way." Mario said.

Petal playfully rolled her eyes. At this point, nothing his boss ever said even mattered.

What did matter, though, was their love. Their love was unbreakable. When faced with any challenge or hardships, they always had each other to lean on or support. When one was in danger, the other stepped in and saved them. In the end, part of what true love is about is looking after each other, no matter the cost. Though the unusual nature of this couple, with Mario being a human and Petal being a cat, prompted other people to look down upon them, they know in their hearts that they deeply love each other, and are willing to do anything to ensure that they are happy.

Mario shed one final tear as the smells of his dinner started to flood the house. His feline companion's help alone gave him the motivation necessary to make amends with his boss tomorrow. But, all things considered, why worry about the future when you can be focused in the current moment, in the presence of your soulmate?