one

A shiver runs down Caelum’s spine as a gust of wind steals his breath away.

He hikes up the scarf around his neck for warmth, but scrunches his nose when he finds dried leaves weaved into the fabric.  As he walks on the pavement, he pulls out a few of the leaves.  A soft noise of frustration leaves his lips when they crumble and leave behind twigs that poke his skin.  Resigned, he lets them be and instead focuses on making it home before his step-dad throws a prissy fit.

It’s getting late.

The sun is setting and the orange glow painted on the ground is turning darker with each ticking second.  

As the night draws nearer, the air turns colder.  His breath is a cloud of vapor and the tip of his nose is tinged red.

The fall has never been so biting before.

And it’s when he reaches a green light that his hasty steps falter.

The fear inside his chest grows the longer it takes for the light to change.  He doesn’t understand why it has to take so ridiculously long when there’s barely any cars passing by right now.  No matter how many times he presses the little button on the pole for pedestrian crossing, the light just won’t turn.

He’s so dead.

Suddenly, a thunderous noise captures his attention.

Caelum’s brows furrow as he looks around.  The streets are empty and he’s tempted to jay-walk.

Except there’s that noise again.

It’s accompanied by a soft whine of agony and Caelum’s heart clenches at the sound.

He searches around and finds something akin to smoke rising from the alleyway to his right, but he can’t see anything.  It’s dark and the dumpsters obscure his sight from anything that could be behind.  

He bites his lip, debating on investigating what that was or wondering if he should continue his trek home before he gets the beating of a lifetime.

His hands curl into fists as his heart gives way and he hurries toward the alley, the grocery bag with that night’s dinner clutched tightly in his clammy hold.

Light honey eyes peer around one of the dumpsters.  The closer he gets, the stronger the stench of rotting garbage wafts toward his wrinkling nose.

“Hello?” He calls out, voice wavering as he steps deeper into the dark alley, “is anyone there?”

Silence.

“Hello?” Caelum tries again.

But when no reply comes, he turns to leave, maybe it was just his imagination.

At least that’s what he tells himself until, “em pleh.”

Caelum stops.

He looks back and his heart nearly stops.

The bag in his grasp falls in his terror.

His eyes grow wide and his breathing grows erratic.

The person– no the thing , is at least seven feet tall.  Its red rimmed eyes are wide and dark as coal, but glistening with stars.  Its skin is almost grey-ish in color with hints of yellow.  The monster’s lips are thin and there’s no definable nose aside from two small nostrils.  It’s head is round and tapers down into a pointed chin.

Long spindly fingers reach out to him and Caelum stumbles back, falling pathetically against the concrete.

A terrified whimper leaves his mouth as the being approaches him.

He holds his breath.

But nothing happens.

Slowly, carefully, Caelum opens his eyes and finds the being hunched over and whining in what he thinks is pain.

It’s then that Caelum sees one of its thin and gangly arms wrapped around itself as if to protect itself. 

A bony(?) hand is pressed against its chest and Caelum can see something ooze and seep between its fingers.  It’s blue and purple and Caelum belated realizes it’s blood.  Blood?  

“Oh,” he breathes, “you’re hurt.”

Instincts kick in.

He crawls toward the massive thing which cowers at his approach.

“I-It’s okay,” Caelum assures softly, hesitantly, “I’m not going to hurt you.”

Caelum reaches out, scared to touch, to feel the smooth scaleless skin foreign and grey.

However, the instant his fingers touch the spindly hand covering the gaping wound, the skin begins to change.

Before him is no longer a monster.

It looks human, certainly shorter than before and appearing just a shy older than him.

The thing (regardless of its appearance) slumps forward and lands atop of Caelum, crushing him with its weight.

Caelum feels trapped, what should he do?

two

Caelum paces the length of his room. Eyeing the being (monster, creature, alien thing?) in his bed. Its sleeping, but the gaping wound just below its chest is more than unsettling even as it rises and falls with each labored breath. At least its still alive.

But that’s the problem.

The purplish colored blood is steadily turning into a dark inky color. It’s thinning and not at all coagulating. Caelum kneels by the side of the bed and changes the second towel in the past hour already soaked through.

The pallor of the very human skin is turning white, lips graying with the kiss of death. He reaches for the bottle of rubbing alcohol and uses a small towel to clean the edges of the wound. The skin is inflamed and raw, the sight almost makes Caelum sick.

He then reaches for one of those thin bed sheets and grabs some scissors to rip up strips. As carefully as he can, he wraps it around the being’s chest. He watches slightly fascinated and slightly horrified at the sight of black ichor being soaked up immediately.

“Struh,” the (whatever it is) moans, lips moving deliriously in words Caelum can’t make out.

“I’m sorry,” Caelum whispers, “I’m sorry, I don’t know what to do.”

He reaches for the bowl of iced water hidden under his bed and shivers when his fingers wrap around a soaked rag. He dabs away at the sweat gathered on the monster’s fevered forehead. And Caelum knows it can only mean one thing, the starts of an infection.

“Please,” he begs softly, voice wavering, “please don’t die.”

It’s to those words that the thing’s eyes open to slits and Caelum can see hints of purple looking back at him. He doesn’t know why, but he holds his breath.

“Uoy era ohw?” The being hisses weakly.

“Wha-What?” Caelum squeaks.

“Uoy era ohw?” It repeats.

“I don’t understand,” he explains helplessly.

But before it can reply it closes its eyes again and its breathing becomes labored, worse– as if it hurts to stay conscious. Just saying those few words seem to have tired the thing out.

Caelum panics, “No, no, no you’re not allowed to die.”

He looks around his room, searching for something, anything that could help. But it’s useless. For a brief moment he pauses and wonders if he should let the thing die.

As soon as those thoughts enter his mind, he shakes his head.

No.

He can’t.

It’d be too cruel.

But when he looks at it again, he can see the agony written on its pallid face and something catches his attention.

“What?” he breathes.

He quickly takes off the makeshift gauze only to discover black spider-like webs resonating from the wound and spreading across the bony chest, even crawling up its neck.

The being sits up before leaning over the side of the bed, startling Caelum.

Caelum falls on his bum and presses his back to the wall across the room. His eyes growing wide as he watches it heave and throw up on the wooden floor of his room. Black bile splattering about.

“Nosiop,” the thing coughs weakly.

“No-Nosiop?” Caelum stammers terribly.

It groans in pain as it flops back on the bed.

And the helplessness returns.

“I don’t understand you,” Caelum huffs, annoyed with himself.

He presses his fist to his head and thinks.

“Struh…”

What should I do?

He looks at the thing, but even he can see that it’s deteriorating– growing weaker.

Slowly, he stands and with a sigh goes in search for a mop.

There’s nothing he can do.

His steps are slow and careful, afraid of rousing his parents.

He’s not supposed to be up. He’s not supposed to be out of his room after being grounded because he was a little late with the food. But he couldn’t leave the thing to die in the dumpsters. Not alone.

He tenses when his stomach growls loudly.

He looks down pathetically, the hunger finally making itself known.

He grabs the mop and as a second thought swipes the plate of leftovers that should’ve been his dinner. Quietly, he takes everything to his room. He knows he’ll get a beating in the morning, but he couldn’t care any less.

He sneaks back into his room and quietly cleans up the mess on the floor. He then sits on his bed beside the dying creature and takes a bite of cold rice.

“Struh…”

Caelum swallows thickly, crawling toward the thing and offering a spoonful of bland mash.

“Com’on,” he insists.

Finally, the thing opens it’s thin lips and takes the proffered bite.

Caelum smiles a bit, at least the thing won’t die hungry.

He’ll count this as a win.

Even as he watches the poison spread throughout its system.

three

Caelum talks to the thing.  He tells it things he’s kept hidden deep inside from everyone else.  He sometimes hums and sings to himself, forgetting about the being all together.  It’s a presence that makes him feel safe, calm, and always at the back of his mind.

It’s been three days since he found it and the thing has been… surviving for lack of a better word.

It still agonizes, still mutters words that don’t make sense, things that Caelum can’t decipher.  And it breaks Caelum every time he realizes he can’t do anything to help it.

Regardless, he tries to do something about the fever.  He dabs away the sweat on its brow and just when he thinks the fever is finally going down, it spikes and becomes worse than before.  

It’s a battle.

He cleans and dresses the wound, hoping to keep the infection at bay but realizing it’s really a losing battle as the black deadly veins continue to spread like wildfire.

Some days Caelum is ready to throw in the towel.

Other days he holds onto hope.

It’s on the fourth day that he gets surprised by his step-father.

The man arrives in the middle of the day unannounced as Caelum makes lunch for himself and his comatose guest. 

The man looks angry, completely pissed off and it causes Caelum to cower upon his sight.

“You little brat,” the man hisses, approaching the boy and twisting the front of his shirt.

“Da-Dad,” Caelum stutters terrified.

“I’m not your dad,” the man sneers, “you stupid brat, think you’re so smart.  You thought I wouldn’t find out huh?  You stupid piece of shit, you think you can just skip school scot free?  Didn’t think they’d call me to ask about your fucking whereabouts for the past three

fucking days .“

Caelum flinches.

He hated school, he could never truly fit in and spending time with the thing made him forget about the hell that’s his home and the hell that’s his school.

He hadn’t meant to.

But he did, he skipped school because he’d much rather spend time with something that could kill him than sit in a place he loathed.

Apparently it was the wrong thing to do.

He brings up his arms to cover his face as soon as the first punch is thrown.  He’s a little too slow and the blow lands against his nose.  His teeth bite down on his lip until it’s busted and his nose is dribbling blood.

He falls and cries, whimpering and begging for the beating to stop.

He gets no respite, not for the longest of times.

And when the man finally stops, tired and heaving breathlessly, Caelum can barely move.

“That,” the man begins, “is for thinking you could disobey me, for thinking you could go against me.”

“I’m sorry,” the boy sobs.

The man lands one last kick Caelum’s stomach before heading to the master bedroom and slamming the door in his rage.

Caelum breathes deeply, wincing at the ache in his lungs before he drags himself up and limps toward his room.

He tenses when he hears the man just before he can lock himself in his room.

“If you skip tomorrow I swear you’ll regret it, you little bastard.”

He manages a weak, “Yes, sir,” before slipping inside.

He’s tired and achy and he sniffles painfully as blood continues to trickle down his nose.  

He wipes it away with the sleeve of his shirt as he climbs into bed, ignoring the body next to his.  He curls up into a tight ball and cries.  He cries until his throat is sore, until he can’t anymore.

He cries until he falls asleep, the phantom touch of someone wiping away his tears the last thing he feels.

And even then, the kind touch is still too much to bear.

four

The next day Caelum sneaks into his parents room and grabs his mother’s makeup.  With every dab of foundation and brush of powder that hides the bruises, a grimace of pain contorts his face.

But changing is worse.

Every time he stretches his arms above his head to slip on his shirt and later his hoodie, tears well up in his eyes.  It even hurts to bend down and tie his shoes.  Everything hurts.

And still, he hesitates.

He debates on staying and watching over the thing, afraid of leaving only to find it dead when he finally returns.

His eyes trace over its body, it’s thin and frail and human.  Its face is pale, lashes dark as they fan across sunken cheeks.  It certainly looks human, but Caelum know better.

And he knows its dying.

He bites his lip carelessly and a flood of salty iron soon fills his mouth as the cut reopens.

Despite the painful reminders urging him to go and obey the promised threats, he can’t move.

He’s too scared of what could happen if he leaves.

He approaches the bed and looks at the thing before whispering firmly, “you can’t die, okay?  I’m just gonna go for a little, but I’ll be right back. Just… you can’t die.  You’ve survived this far, right?  So, no dying.”

He feels a little ridiculous, but he can’t help it, “You just can’t.”

He grabs his bag and steps out his room, heart hammering inside his chest with each step he takes away from the closed door.

He doesn’t look back.

He knows that if he does, the urge to stay will only increase and he’ll find himself with another beating.

That doesn’t mean he pays attention in class.

He can’t concentrate, his thoughts always stray to the thing alone and in pain and dying .

That thought makes him want to go back, to sneak out of school and just skip.  Damn the consequences.

But he doesn’t, because deep down he knows he’s afraid of the man that’s his step-dad, of what that man can and will do to him (and has done).

So, he sits in his desk with his foot tapping incessantly and simply zones out.  His eyes stray outside the window more than once, but he doesn’t stop himself.  His teachers drone on and on about parabolas, limits, Beowulf, sulfuric acid, one thing or another.  It’s all a gumble.

And the urge to leave only seems to grow the longer he stays away from his house, his room.

It comes as a wave of relief that crashes over him when the final bell rings.  He hurries through the halls as invisible as ever and practically runs out the building.

The taste of freedom is so good.

There’s a nervous excitement running through his body at the prospect of going home, of making sure the thing is still alive.

But he stops in his tracks, panting breathless as he stares at the thing before him.

It still looks human, of course it does.  But it’s awake and moving .

“Uoy,” it says, taking rattling breaths.

At the sound of its croaky voice, Caelum approaches it, quickly snapping out of his trance.

“What are you doing here?” He asks panicked.

The thing leans against him as soon as he’s within arms reach and Caelum takes its weight without question.

“Uoy,” it repeats.

Caelum’s heart is beating rapidly, so hard he can barely think, “Why are you here?  Why aren’t you back home?”

“Emoh?”

“No,” Caelum frowns as the weight gets heavier and heavier, “no, no, no.  You can’t just come out here and faint.”

He drags the thing as best he can, struggling to walk with the added weight until they make it to his house just like the first time.

“Uoy knaht,” it grunts as Caelum places it on his bed.

“I’ll take that as a thank you,” he pants softly, dropping his bag on the floor, “now wait here.”

He rushes back downstairs and makes some tea and PB & J sandwiches.  It’s not much but he has a feeling the thing is hungry after not eating anything while he was gone.  The tea will hopefully help with the thing’s croakiness and sore throat.  He also read that it might reduce any inflammation so maybe it’ll help them both in that department.

Soon enough, he grabs the plate of sandwiches and makes it work with the cups of tea.

When he reaches his room, he notices the thing laying in bed, eyes closed and breathing harshly.

“I’m back,” Caelum whispers softly, closing the door with his foot and setting down their food and drinks, “can you sit up?”

It takes a while, but after a few tense minutes the thing manages to sit up, its back resting against the headboard.

And Caelum knows it can understand him.  Caustiously, so as not to startle it, he hands it a cup of tea and he watches amused as the thing looks at it weirdly.

“I know,” he snorts softly, “it’s blue.”

Cautiously, it takes a small sip with a hum following right after.

“Slow down,” Caelum smiles, handing it a sandwich next.

The thing devours the food ravenously and Caelum scarfs down his own in pure hunger.

“Uoy knaht,” it says before frowning.

Caelum is about to complain about needing to learn how to communicate before it clears its throat and tries again, “Thank you.”

Its voice is still rough with a hint of… not human, but its words are clear and English.  Caelum was not prepared and he can’t help but gawk in surprise.

“You… talk?”

It gives a tentative nod, “and you, are human.”

Caelum splutters, “Of course I am, what are you?”

“I…” it pauses briefly before taking a deep breath, “I am what your kind calls an alien.”

five

“Alien,” he breathes, repeating it just to make sure he heard right, “you’re… an alien?”

“Sey,” The thi- alien nods, shaking its head before correcting itself, “yes.”

It takes a while for the information to really sink in.  Caelum knew that the thing wasn’t human, obviously, he just didn’t think it was… an alien .

He doesn’t say anything, simply grabs their dirty dishes and walks out the room.  A thousand thoughts are spiraling inside his mind as he wraps his head around the idea that the thing inside his room is an alien.  

“They’re… real…” he whispers to himself, flinching when the plate slips from his hand and lands inside the dishwasher with a loud clank, “holy shit, they’re real.”

At the sound of footsteps pausing just behind him, he turns and looks at the alien in confusion.  The alien is leaning against the wall for support, panting softly with brows crinkled in pain.

“Perhaps it was wrong of me to confide in you,” it says.

“What?  Wait, where are you going?” Caelum asks as it tries to head toward the door.

“To find my crew.  It’d be best if you forget about this.”

The next step it takes leads to it’s collapse and Caelum barely makes it in time to stop the nasty fall.

“You can’t go anywhere, you’re still hurt,” he argues.

“You do not want me here,” it states.

“Says who?” Caelum counters, flushing slightly under the intense gaze focusing on his face.

“Are you not… you know..” the alien trails off.

“Scared?  Yeah, terrified actually.  But you’re hurt and you’re… lost.  I know what it’s like to be hurt and alone, it’s frustrating and much more scary.  I also know that you can barely move without aggravating your wound, so stay.  Just until you get better,” he begs.

“I do not believe I will get any better than this,” the alien grunts, showing Caelum the black veins he’s seen countless of times before, “this is why I need to go.”

“What is it?” Caelum asks, his worry and fear increasing.

“Poison,” comes the quiet reply.

“Poison?” Caelum bites his lip, a nasty habit he does when he becomes stressed (one he really should stop).

“I’ve seen many of my kind perish under this poison, a poison that comes from your planet.  It’s the only thing that weakens and kills us without the effort of ripping our hearts out.”

Caelum flinches at the harsh words, he feels foolish but still says, “I don’t understand.”

“War,” the alien growls, “a war we are now losing because of you and your kind.”

“Whoa, wait a minute,” Caelum interjects defensively, “I haven’t heard of any aliens coming around looking for poison.  You-You’re the first alien I’ve ever met.”

“Really?” The alien scoffs in disbelief, “because your scent says otherwise.”

Caelum’s brows furrow, “What?  What does that mean?”

The alien doesn’t reply, instead its breaths come in heavy heaves and Caelum can’t help but notice how hot it feels against him, “You’re burning up.”

“Aliens have a higher body temperature than humans,” the alien supplies.

“No matter how high your body temperature normally is, this is not normal,” Caelum says, pressing the back of his hand against the alien’s warm forehead.

The alien leans into his touch, subconsciously humming in what sounds like pleasurable respite.  Caelum briefly wonders if he feels cooler to the alien than he actually is.

He pushes his questions to the back of his mind and leads the alien back to his room, “Come on, back to bed.  Once you get better you can go back and fight your war or whatever.”

“As I’ve stated before, I do not believe I will get better.”

Caelum doesn’t say anything, mostly because he doesn’t want to believe that’s true.  There are more questions than answers at this point and it’s leaving him frustrated and cranky.

But his curiosity finally  gets the best of him and he breaks, “And why is that?”

“There is no known cure for this poison, no antidote,” the alien explains, “In actuality, I should already be dead.”

Caelum tenses at the admission, “But you’re not.”

“Indeed, I am not.”

“Why?”

“I am not sure,” it sighs, a whoosh of breath escaping it when it’s finally in bed again.

“Did–Did they know you finally caught on?  The ones you’re fighting with.”

The alien turns to look at Caelum, a contemplative look on its face, “No, we were careful.  There is no reason the Atabilefens would have known we were coming here.  Unless there was a traitor…”

“Or,” Caelum adds softly, “they were running out of the poison and needed more.”

The alien looks at him questioningly and Caelum indulges him, “You always need a certain amount of anything to make it work.  For humans, you need a certain amount of toxicity of a poison to kill someone, but that amount typically depends on how strong the poison actually is. So if they were running out, they were coming here for more.”

“If what you say is true,” the alien begins, “then why attack if they barely had poison coating their weapons?” 

“Maybe because they had just enough to incapacitate you,” Caelum assumes, “it would be enough to slow you down while they snatch some more.”

“What is it?” The alien demands when Caelum hesitates.

“You’re right,” Caelum whispers, “sometimes even though there’s not enough poison to kill you, there’s just enough to weaken you… enough to drag out your death.”

“Explains why it feels like I am in a limbo of fire and ice.”

Caelum stands at that, “Let me take a look.”

With his help, the alien removes Caelum’s burrowed shirt and the younger boy unravels the dirty makeshift gauze.  The wound looks nasty and infected, no sign of healing and that’s truly worrisome.  But he puts up a front and makes to clean the wound regardless of how discouraged he feels now that he knows some of the truth.

Just as he’s about to dab it with a towel soaked in rubbing alcohol, the alien grips his thin wrist tightly.  Almost to the point of bruising and crushing.  Caelum, although scared, holds his breath and waits patiently.  

A pink tongue darts out to lick dry lips before releasing him and nodding and Caelum understands that the alien was steeling its nerves.  With the first wipe of the towel, the alien barely holds back a scream.  It burns, it feels like its raw skin is sizzling .

Caelum winces, tears welling up in his eyes.  Every time he’s done this the alien had been in the throes of fever, always unconscious.  And although he felt it tense beneath his touch, it’s entirely different to actually see it awake and react so violently to pain.

“I’m sorry,” he whimpers beneath his breath, “I’m so sorry.”

“Do not apologize,” the alien says through gritted teeth.

Caelum finishes up as quickly as he can and redresses the wound again.

He can’t help but whisper, “I’m sorry,” one last time as the alien pants softly, eyes closed and falling into a light sense of sleep.

six

As the sun falls and the sky darkens, Caelum finds himself wide awake.  He can’t sleep and he’s tired of counting sheep.  His mind is numb with exhaustion from the endless thoughts bouncing inside his head.  But he just can’t give in.  It’s hard to close his eyes and just… rest.  It’s too hard to quiet his shouting thoughts.

So, he sits by the window sill and stares outside, eyes drawn up toward the few scattered stars.  He wonders what’s out there, wonders about the other worlds still undiscovered.  He wonders about the stars and endless planets sustaining life.  Most of all, he wonders what it would be like to travel through space and time, wonders if he’d still be as miserable as he is here.

He puts a stop to those particular thoughts and tenses when he feels eyes at the back of his head.

Without looking he knows the alien is awake, is staring at him.  He doesn’t make the effort to turn around and face it just yet.  He simply rests his cheek on his hand and rearranges the throw blanket over his legs.

After a few seconds, he asks softly, “Do you miss it?  Your home, I mean.”

“Sey,” the aliens answers sincerely, just as quietly.

Caelum smiles, “Do you realize you do that?”

For a moment, it stares at Caelum in confusion as it asks, “Do what?”

“Switch languages,” the human says, “it’s your native tongue, right?”

The alien doesn’t answer right away, but there’s no point in denying it, “Yes.”

It’s then that Caelum finally returns the creature’s gaze, “when we first met… you were different… when I touched you it was like you changed forms…”

“It’s a defense mechanism of sorts,” the alien explains, “it’s to change appearance into something more fitting in order to protect ourselves.  Although we can change our forms at will, the automatic reaction I displayed in our first encounter is more useful for an alien that is injured because their form will change subconsciously in response to the situation and stress.  But as you can see, only my appearance has changed.”

“What about your voice?  I thought it was due to misuse but it doesn’t sound like a sore throat.”

“That, I can change as well.”

Caelum gapes as the raspy deep voice gradually changes into one of an old man.  It’s the complete opposite of the picture of the young man sitting sleepily in his bed.

“Change it back,” he whispers, “I prefer your normal voice than a grandpa’s one.”

The alien complies, but changes the pitch just so it won’t sound as grating as before, “How about this?  Is this more fitting?”

“Much more,” Caelum nods, because it’s true, it almost sounds human now, “Do all aliens do that?  Camouflage?”

“No,” the alien says, “just two species from two very conflicting and different planets. The Atabilefens and the Aixatarienos. “

“And you are..”

“An Aixatarieno,” it divulges.

And that’s something that’s been bothering Caelum lately as well.  The fact that the being before him is an alien, but in his mind its an… it .  And it’s wrong, it feels wrong to continue viewing the alien as some thing and not some one .

“I don’t mean to sound rude,” he begins as politely as he can, “but as a shapeshifter and all… well even without that capability… what are you?”

The alien’s confusion grows at that and Caelum realizes belatedly that he probably worded it wrong, “I mean, what… What I’m trying to ask is.. are you a guy or a girl?  You look human, and you look like a guy, but that’s not quite right, is it?”

“You are very perceptive,” the alien laughs, the sound odd yet comforting in its new tone, “I am neither and yet I am both.  Alien biology is nothing like yours.  I can be considered as having both sexes, I know that some even have three.  It’s much more complicated and too difficult to set up a system like yours.  It’s why we prefer not to place labels upon ourselves.  Thus, we separate sex from gender.”

“So, what about pronouns?” Caelum asks,   “How do you refer to one another?  It feels wrong to refer to you as an ‘it’ and not a person or… you know.”

“I’m well aware, eno elttil,” the alien smiles, “with me you could refer to me as he.  However, if it makes you feel any better, you can simply use the pronoun xe.  Either is fine.”

“Okay,” Caelum agrees before his cheeks heat up and he’s struck by a second thought, “I’m Caelum by the way… Caelum Novak.”

“Aerglo, I am Captain Aerglo Halcyon.”

seven

Caelum rests his head against the glass sleepily, but finds it hard to actually close his eyes and give in.  Behind him, Aerglo is fast asleep with light snores escaping xem.  He’s almost envious that Aerglo can sleep, but then small whimpers of pain escape xem and guilt washes over him.

“Are you not sleeping, eno elttil?” Aerglo asks, voice rough. 

Caelum jerks, his heartbeat skyrocketing at the sudden sound of xyrs voice, “I thought you were sleeping.”

“Are you not going to sleep?” Aerglo repeats.

“I… I’m not tired,” he lies, hating the yawn that falls from his lips contradicting him.

He hears the bed creak and he turns to watch Aerglo approach him.  Xe’s gait is slow, xyr eyes droopy and face flushed with a returning fever.

“What is wrong, eno elttil?”

Caelum shrugs, choosing to ignore the odd nickname bestowed on him, “I just can’t sleep.”

“Why is that?”

“I have a sleeping disorder, it’s called insomnia,” he whispers, “and it’s hard to sleep most nights.”

He omits the part that the best nights of sleep he’s had thus far, were by xyrs side.

Aerglo takes a seat beside him and turns to look at the sky.  There’s a look of contemplation on xyrs face and Caelum can’t help but stare.

He knows that this isn’t xyrs true form, knows that to anyone else xe looks human.  But he still finds xem otherworldly.

And after stealing glances of the alien, Caelum notices something.

“Aerglo,” he whispers.

The alien tilts xyr head curiously.

“Look,” he points urgently.

Caelum gets on his knees and crawls toward the alien before he pulls down the neck of the t-shirt Aerglo is wearing.  His fingers trace the deadly veins gently, eyes filled with excitement and relief.

“They’re fading!”

Xe looks down where Caelum’s fingers touch xyr skin reverently.  Xe stares just as amazed at the new discovery. 

Caelum, in his giddiness, nearly topples off the alien.  Instinctively, xyrs hand reaches out to land on Caelum’s hip, steadying the human before he can fall and hurt himself.

An embarrassed blush overtakes the small human’s cheeks as he apologizes with a stuttered, “So-Sorry.”

“It is alright, eno elttil,” Aerglo assures, “and thank you.”

“What for? I didn’t do anything,” Caelum argues weakly, still awkwardly poised over xem.

“You have helped me when you did not have to, and because of you I will soon be able to find my comrades and hopefully, return home,” the alien counters.

Caelum gives xem a sad smile, “I did what I would’ve wanted anyone to do for me.”

Aerglo frowns at that, feeling the emotions of the boy much stronger than before.  It’s almost overwhelming, the sadness that rolls off of him.

“Eno elttil,” xe coos distracting him from whatever it is that’s making him sad, “Truly, thank you.”

Caelum nods, feigning a happier smile, “You’re welcome, Aerglo.”

eight

Caelum looks at Aerglo, who is still curled up and fast asleep.  He takes a peak under the bandages and notices that although the wound is still open, the black oozing has stopped and the veins have almost completely faded.  Without the poison inhibiting the healing process, Aerglo will be able to recuperate in a matter of days.

And Caelum tries hard not to feel sad about that.  He’s become attached to the alien, there is no how or why.  It simply happened.  The nights he spent curled up against Aerglo and feeling xyrs warmth, the times he let himself vent out to someone else and show his vulnerability are engrained in his mind.  The feel of the alien and xyr kindness, xyr gratitude, are something Caelum has craved and he never even noticed.   But he also knows that Aerglo has to go.  Xe needs to go back home, needs to find a cure for the poison and needs to help end the war between xyrs kind and the Atabilefens.

Caelum knows this, yet it still doesn’t stop hurting because in the end he’ll be alone again.

Carefully, he covers the alien and tiptoes out of his room.  The door closes behind him softly and he makes his way toward the kitchen where he snatches some toast and a bottle of water.  He’s finding it harder and harder to eat nowadays, the insomnia getting bad as his thoughts keep him up at night.

With a small sigh he heads out the door.  It’s another day and he needs to go to school even if he wants to fall asleep in his warm bed and doze off.

He’s really out of it.

He barely pays attention to his surroundings and idioticly crosses the street without noticing the light.

“Caelum!”

A warm hand wraps around his and yanks him back just as a car zooms by, honking angrily at him.  He stares wide eyed, heart racing in his chest at the prospect of nearly dying.  He looks up and finds Aerglo panting softly, chest heaving, and eyes panicked.

“Aerglo,” he breathes.

“Are you alright?” Xe asks.

“Yeah, thank you,” he sighs, briefly closing his eyes.

Aerglo soon begins dragging him away, away from the street and away from his destination.

“Aerglo?  Wher-”

“Home, room, bed,” Aerglo says, “you’re exhausted.”

“Aerglo I can’t go back home, I need to go to school.”

The alien doesn’t respond, simply tightens xyrs hold on Caelum’s hand and pulls him along.

Caelum halfheartedly fights back, but lets himself be dragged back home.

“Sleep,” xe orders once they’re in his room.

Caelum looks at the alien then at his bed, inviting and warm.

It isn’t hard to give in with how exhausted he feels.

He takes off his shoes and slips into his bed, forgoing changing his clothes for something more comfortable.  Immediately his eyes begin to droop, breathing becoming even.

The bed dips with Aerglo’s weight as the alien joins him.  He curls up next to xem, stealing xyrs warmth.  He feels an arm wrap around him, their legs tangling under the sheets.

And he falls asleep.

He manages to have a dreamless sleep, no nightmares keeping him up.

No insomnia, just blissful sleep.

He falls into a sense of security and safety, until the door downstairs is opened.

The sound of it slamming against the wall wakes him up hours later.

He jerks in Aerglo’s arms, still groggy but awake he hears an angry shout, “Where the hell are you, you little bastard!”

Caelum looks at the time and his heart sinks.

He struggles to get out of bed, a soft whine of displeasure falling from Aerglo’s parted lips as he stumbles out the room and closes the door behind him.

His step-father is already at the end of the hallway looking red faced.

“You little brat, you like testing me don’t ya?  I warned you what would happen if you disobeyed me again.  You thought I was joking, didn’t ya you little bitch.”

“No!  I meant to go to school, I did! But I-” Caelum can’t even finish his sentence.

And in his mind he hopes Aerglo doesn’t hear, doesn’t step in.  The last thing he needs is his step father seeing a complete stranger in his home.

Please, please don’t come out , he begs silently, even as tears roll down his cheeks and sting the scratch etched into his skin.

“You stupid brat!”

“I’m sorry!” Caelum screams, sobbing.

Aerglo clenches xyr hands into fists on the other side of the door.  A strong desire to go protect the defenseless terrified human fills xyrs chest.   But xe hears Caelum’s fear filled wishes and xe holds xemself back.

“Hold on, eno elttil,”

nine

Caelum can’t help but cry as he falls into Aerglo’s arms, the alien having been waiting impatiently for the cruel human to leave.

“Are you alright?” Xe asks softly, breath tickling Caelum’s ear.

Caelum nods weakly despite the pain rooted deep inside his bones.  Aerglo frowns, helping the small human carefully into bed.  Once Caelum is sitting xe looks around the small room in search for the things the boy once used to heal xem.  Xe finds the rubbing alcohol and something called Hydrogen Peroxide.  Caelum takes both bottles from xyrs hold and grabs a few cotton balls.  He begins cleaning the cuts and scratches left on his skin.

With every wince and whimper that falls from the boy’s lips, Aerglo’s rage increases.  He’s never felt so protective of something (of someone) as now, not even back home.

“Let me,” xe says, taking a soaked cotton and gently dabbing it onto Caelum’s skin.

Caelum grimaces at the sting, but forces himself to relax.

They don’t speak.

Not for the longest of times.

“Thank you, Aerglo,” Caelum whispers.

“Hm, you are welcome, eno elttil.”

The younger boy grabs a clean cotton and some alcohol, ready to return the favor by treating the alien’s wound.  

But Aerglo shakes xyr head, “I am fine, eno elttil, you should rest.”

Reluctantly, Caelum agrees but not without insisting that Aerglo join him.  Caelum, slightly disoriented from a harsh blow to the head, cuddles against the alien.  The warmth radiating from the extraterrestrial is like a furnace keeping the cold at bay.

The alien furrows xyr brows.  Aliens are not typically cuddly, nor do they show more than friendliness toward their comrades and family.  Although they show concern, they’re mostly indifferent.

Unless, it’s toward someone they trust with their lives and develop something akin to (human) love.  

Unless, it’s their mate.

Aerglo carefully wraps xyr arm around Caelum and without a second thought, pulls him closer.

Xe closes xyr eyes and takes a deep breath.  When xe opens them, xe reveals bright purple eyes glistening like galaxies, swirling with stars.  The pupils dilate with the human’s intoxicating scent, soft and sweet, filling xyr senses.

“Eno elttil, em ot gniod uoy era tahw?”

ten

A soft ringing wakes Aerglo from xyr deep slumber. Xe blinks blearily around the room, brows furrowed as xe tries to locate the sound. Xe finds it on the bedside table beside something called a clock brightly lit with numbers reading 6:33.

Reluctantly, xe shifts and shakes the human awake gently.

“Huh? Wha?” Caelum mumbles sleepily, completely out of it.

“A device is screeching,” Aerglo whispers grumpily.

Caelum stretches over the alien and reaches for his phone. He squints against the bright screen and answers the call, effectively cutting off the annoying sound.

“Hello? What?… Oh… oh… No it’s okay, I know… yeah, it’s fine mom. Okay, bye.”

He hangs up within a minute and places it back before slumping against Aerglo.

Aerglo looks at the human a bit lost.

“That was mom,” Caelum explains tiredly.

“Mom?”

“Yeah, mine… it’s the uh.. person that gave birth to me?”

Recognition lights the alien’s eyes, “your bearer.”

“Yeah… that?” The younger snorts, “on earth we call them mothers.”

“Where is xe?” Aerglo asks, “does xe not know about the cruel human?”

Caelum winces, “She’s working… actually she’s always working.”

“And… she is aware of–”

“No,” he shakes his head solemnly, “she doesn’t, and she won’t.”

“I do not understand, a bearer must love xyr offspring and protect xem from any harm.”

Caelum smiles sadly, sitting up in bed and hugging his knees close to his chest despite the pain, “she does love me, I know she does. And so did my dad.”

“Dad… your sire?”

“Yeah, he uh.. he died when I was little.”

“Little?”

“Littler,” Caelum sighs rolling his eyes at the playful attempt of cheering him up.

He sobers quickly though, “she remarried a few years later and she loves my step-dad. I don’t know if he loves her, but I know she is happy.”

“But you are not,” Aerglo grits, hands clenching into fists.

“I’m happy she’s happy,” Caelum says.

“Then is that true happiness?”

The young boy shrugs, “I don’t know. Probably not, but I love her. I know she doesn’t mean to hurt me or neglect me. I understand what she’s been through after dad’s passing, I loved him. He was my dad and he was suddenly gone. It was hard on her, on the both of us. But she has a bit of happiness back and I can’t be as cruel as to take it away. I’ve managed to survive on my own and escape from that man’s wrath alive. Even when I wanted nothing more than to have him be proud of me, to be called his son, I knew it would never be the same. He is not my father and he never loved me, never even remotely liked me. I can’t force someone to change their mind. Trust me, I’ve tried. So, I’m done trying to be the perfect son. I obey out of fear, not respect. That is one thing that man will never have from me.”

Aerglo stares amazed at the small human, so fragile yet so strong. It astounds xem.

“You are quite remarkable, eno elttil,” xe says, “very admirable. We do not deal with as many hardships such as you humans. We try to understand instead of berate and belittle. But I must admit we are not as resilient and tolerable as you are, you are amazing. The fact that you survive your sire’s passing is just as incredible as well, and to stay strong after all this time is really something.”

Caelum blushes under the praise, but he notices that last part and it leaves him confused, “What do you mean survived?”

“Aliens are more fragile, emotionally speaking. We seem cold and indifferent, to you perhaps even robotic because we want to protect ourselves. It is hard to show affection, but you have no trouble showing affection to a stranger such as myself. You become attach to one another and when one of you dies, you become stronger if it is even possible. In the rare cases we become attached to someone we truly love and care about (such as family or mates), once they pass we mourn for them. Unlike your kind, as we mourn we become weaker. Our mind becomes too fragile to the point we simply wish to forget the feeling of ever even meeting them just to stop the agonizing pain of loss. And in a sense, we are reborn. We simply cannot cope any other way and forget what we ever felt for that person. The memories are erased, everything is filled with a distant sense of surrealness. We are reborn, remade into someone else.”

Caelum frowns, “Why? If you love that person, why would you want to forget that feeling? If they’re gone, it’s the only thing you have left, why get rid of it?”

“Because the void in our hearts cannot be replaced so easily, it is pure agony to keep remembering that they are gone and you are not. It is torture. Some may say, a fate worse than death.”

The boy grimaces, “yeah it does suck, but I don’t think I’d ever want to forget the person I love or forget my own feelings. The time I spent with that person, however long, should be treasured and precious and it shouldn’t be forgotten. I know it’ll hurt to think about them, because it always does… But, I want to hang on to them and not let pain cloud what I once felt because they were the person I loved and I don’t want to continue living knowing that a piece of my heart is literally missing because I chose to forget about my feelings. I dont want to be that weak. That’d be to cruel, for their memory and for myself.”

Aerglo smiles, “some of us are not as strong as to think that way, but others can choose to be reborn when it gets too much to bear. If such a case were to happen, that I’d lose the one I loved most, I thought I’d be too weak to prevent ever forgetting, but your passionate words have really changed my mind.”

“I think it’s worth it,” Caelum whispers, “and I think they’d be proud to know you were strong enough.”

“Indeed,” Aerglo agrees, “humans are truly enlightening.”

eleven

Caelum draws a warm bath for Aerglo.  

The alien is sitting silently on the toilet lid while they wait for the tub to fill.  Xe watches the boy hum as the water runs over his hand, droplets creating ripples on the settling water.

“You can step in if you want,” he announces, standing up from where he was crouched to fix the temperature knobs.

Aerglo undresses without a qualm, stripping Caelum’s borrowed clothes off nonchalantly. 

Caelum turns to face the alien not expecting xem to strip so casually and right in front of him.  The sight makes his cheeks burn bright, his eyes widening and mouth gaping in surprise.

Aerglo looks at him with a raised brow, “are you alright, eno elttil?”

Caelum snaps his mouth shut, knowing how rude he must seem, “ye-yeah… sorry.”

He averts his eyes, closing them briefly as Aerglo steps into the water.  A small moan escapes the alien when xyr settles, the warm water enveloping xem.

Caelum bites his lip and he shifts in his spot to relieve the pressure suddenly in his pants.

When there’s no more splashing, he gathers his courage and takes a peak.  He finds Aerglo with xyr eyes closed, tensed muscles relaxed.  He can’t help but take a seat beside the bath, thankful that the bubbles cover most of xyr dignity.

“Your wound is healing,” he notes, voice soft yet echo-y in the bathroom.

“It appears so,” Aerglo agrees, running xyr finger near the scarring tissue, “Typically when we heal, there’s not even a trace of any wounds.  No scars or discoloration, but this will leave a mark.”

The sad frown on Aerglo’s lips tugs at Caelum’s heartstrings and it sobers him up, “I think it looks pretty.”

The alien looks at the small human in surprise and Caelum’s forced (by his own embarrassment) to quickly add on, “I mean, it’s something to be proud of right?  It means you survived.”

“Like the marks on your arms?” Xe asks.

Caelum’s eyes widen, heart stuttering in his chest. 

He didn’t think Aerglo would see them and his cheeks flush in shame as he tugs on the sleeves of his shirt to hide them, “No, these are not scars to be proud of.”

“Why not?”

“Because I made them,” he whispers ashamed, “I intentionally hurt myself.”

Aerglo sits up, water sloshing about as xe reaches for Caelum’s wrists, “Why?”

“Because I was hurting and I didn’t have anyone to turn to.  It’s really pathetic but I took it out on myself, on my body.  It was only a few times, I stopped when I cut too deep and the bleeding wouldn’t stop.  It took a while but eventually the bleeding stopped and nobody ever found out.  I didn’t want to die… I just wanted relief.”

“Then you are a survivor,” Aerglo states firmly, thumb rubbing soothing circles over a raised line, “you survived the hurt and the loneliness.  You are a survivor and you should be proud.  These marks do not define you, they are a part of you and you are truly amazing, beautiful, and breathtaking.”

Caelum’s cheeks turn a rosy hue at the alien’s words, but he still shakes his head and he pulls his arm away, “a person like me can never compare to someone like you.”

“No, because you are so much more and it is I who can never compare to you.”

Caelum can’t help but smile, a small huff of a laugh escaping him as soon as the alien splashes him to bring light into those eyes again.

He splashes right back just to get the satisfaction of seeing the alien splutter about in shock.  Immediately the somber tension diffuses and he relaxes again, finding himself completely at ease with Aerglo.

It’s then that he takes the opportunity to grab the shampoo and cover the alien’s hair.  A shout of indignation comes from Aerglo’s lips, but Caelum doesn’t stop.  He lathers the soft greasy hair until bubbles and suds coat xem and his hands.

His breath hitches as he leans even closer, noticing his face mere inches away from the alien’s.  His heart starts racing and he can’t explain why– no, he knows why.  He knows he is so dangerously close to falling in love.  

In just a few days, in just a few weeks, he’s become so attached.  His heart clenches and aches and he can’t stop the feeling.  

But reality sinks in and he realizes he can’t love Aerglo, can’t love an alien.  He’ll only get his heart broken when xe leaves. 

“Close your eyes,” he whispers.

Aerglo does as told and Caelum uses his hands to cup water and wash away the soapy mess, wash away the feelings inside his heart.

Aerglo blinks up at him, wiping away the water dribbling down xyr face, and xe notices the slight hurt and resignation in Caelum’s eyes.

“Eno elttil,” xe coos.

“I’m okay,” Caelum smiles a bit strained, not sure if he’s reassuring xem or himself when he says, “I’ll be fine.”

twelve

Caelum offers Aerglo a towel and averts his gaze when xe stands up, water sloshing around xyrs form and dribbling down xyr body.  Caelum looks at xe when xe is covering his modesty with the fluffy towel. The alien looks completely adorable, hiding half xyr face in the softness with hair messy and wild and soaked.

With a smaller cloth, Caelum gets on the tips of his toes and dries xyr hair until water is no longer getting into Aerglo’s lilac colored eyed.

“There,” he hums.

“Thank you,” Aerglo mumbles.

Xe follows the boy to his room and Caelum offers xem boxers, sweats, and a graphic tee. After Aerglo has his pants on, they dress the wound in silence and it’s only afterwards that xe puts on the shirt.  And Caelum can’t help but smile when the alien puts it on, giggling to himself at the irony.

“Is something the matter?” Aerglo asks.

“No,” Caelum snickers, “just the shirt.”

Aerglo looks down to discover a little alien cartoon printed upon it. Xe should feel offended, xe looks nothing like the little monster. But xe can’t be mad, not when Caelum’s smile brightens the dim room.

“Wait here,” Caelum says, “I need to shower too.”

The small human disappears into the bathroom and Aerglo follows him with xyr gaze, frowning when xe can’t see him anymore.

Caelum turns on the shower, the water pounding and drowning out all other noise.   He undresses as fast as he can and steps under the cold spray with a flinch. 

He’s almost done when the door opens and Aerglo stares wide eyed at the lithe body in the shower, completely unaware of the other’s presence.  The shower head turns off, but xyrs cheeks still turn red and xe can’t help but clear xyr throat.  Caelum jumps in surprise at the sound and he faces Aerglo like a deer caught in headlights.

“My apologies,” Aerglo croaks weakly, handing a clean towel to the boy, “You forgot this.”

Caelum takes it with trembling hands, teeth chattering as he manages a weak, “Thanks.”

Aerglo provides the boy the sense of privacy xe received as Caelum pats his body dry.  And xe can just see the scars on the boy’s thighs.

When xe notices Caelum struggling to step out, xe reaches out and helps the boy, steadying him before he manages to slip.

“Thank you,” he breathes again, subconsciously leaning into the alien’s warmth.

The alien grunts and xe trails after the younger being into the room.  Xe closes xyr eyes as Caelum changes quickly and when he’s done, dressed and squeaky clean, he tugs on xyrs shirt to grab xyr attention.

“You can open your eyes now,” Caelum mutters shyly, “Are you hungry?”

Aerglo is about to shake xyr head when xyr stomach growls in hunger.  Xyrs cheeks heat up in embarrassment, but Caelum only smiles.

He wraps his hand around Aerglo’s and drags xem out his room and toward the kitchen.

“So,” Caelum begins casually, “mates.”

Aerglo glances at the human, “yes?”

“What are they?” He asks curiously.

The alien trails after the petite boy twirling in the kitchen.  Xe watches amused as the human cooks for both of them. 

For once the house is completely to them and Caelum is comfortable enough to wear a t-shirt with short sleeves in front of Aerglo.

The scars that litter his arms glint in the light and Aerglo couldn’t be prouder of the small human.

“Mates are the equivalent of significant others to you humans.”

“But different?” Caelum states.

“Sey,” Aerglo nods, reaching for something the boy can’t quite touch even on his tippy toes, “they are more.”

“Thanks,” Caelum huffs, grabbing the condiments and tossing them into the sizzling spaghetti sauce.

“Mates are the ones we trust with our lives, the ones we are willing to give everything for. They are like our soulmates as you might know them.”

“So.. do you date?” Caelum wonders.

“Date?”

“As in go out, like go to the park or movies or whatever you do for entertainment and you know.. spend time together?”

“Like courting?”

“Yes, that.”

“We do, we experiment and get to know each other.”

“So you’re not limited?”

“No,” Aerglo laughs, “we are not. It is only after we mate and make the promise to love one another and only each other do we stop this so-called dating.”

“Then how do you know?”

Caelum turns off the gas and faces Aerglo, completely intrigued by the topic. He finds the alien right behind him, arms soon caging him in against the counter.

Xe grabs one of the boy’s hands and places it on xyr chest, right next to xyr heart and says, “we just do.”

Caelum stares into those lilac eyes, breath catching in his throat.  His eyes fall close as warm lips press against his. It’s a little awkward, their noses brushing against each other’s and teeth clanking together.  It takes a little while to get the hang of it, their lips slotting together seamlessly and perfect after a few minutes.

It takes his breath away.

Caelum doesn’t know what to do, not until Aerglo’s arms wrap around his waist and lifts him up effortlessly.

And when they part, a sliver of saliva connecting their kiss-swollen lips, he can’t help but lean in again.

“Does this mean,” Caelum pants softly, trailing off, “that we’re…”

“I don’t know,” Aerglo breathes, “But I’d like to find out.”

thirteen

Aerglo finds humans… interesting.

They sleep for hours on end or not at all. They get colder much faster and vibrate when they do (“We shiver,” Caelum explains with a little snort of amusement). Not to mention that they “sneeze”. It’s completely involuntary and sometimes almost violent, but completely adorable. Especially so when Caelum gets frustrated and his cheeks tinge red (another odd feat that intrigues xem).

Xe has never taken much interest in humans before and of course xe has learned some about them, along with all the life outside xyr planet, but experiencing the small quirks xyr eno elttil has is new and fascinating.

Xe especially likes when small bruises form on xyr eno elttil when xe kisses and sucks the smooth skin, ripping small moans and gasps from kiss swollen lips.

Xe enjoys those little sounds of pleasure, but what xe enjoys most is Caelum’s happiness.

The human tugs xem along toward the back of the house and to the backyard.

There are little flowers dying from the cold Autumn air and dewy frost that covers them each morning.

But there’s something more peculiar than anything xe has ever seen before.

Dancing lights.

Xe reaches out, flinching as a small creature lands on xyr hand and lights up.

“Fireflies,” Caelum whispers, a little bug on the tips of his own fingers, “it’s getting colder so we don’t seem them that much anymore, but in the summer there’s hundreds of them flying and lighting up.”

Xe stares at Caelum in surprise, admiring the look of nostalgia on the human’s face.

“Fire… flies? As in a flame that floats?”

Caelum giggles, “No, as in little bugs that light up in order to attract mates. I guess you can say this is their way of courting.”

“Interesting,” Aerglo hums.

“Yeah,” xyr eno elttil agrees, breathing deeply.

Aerglo releases the small specimen and wraps xyr arm around Caelum, pulling him closer into xyr warmth as he shivers.

“Are you alright?” Xe asks.

Caelum nods, “yeah, I’m okay, it’s just a little chilly.”

Aerglo has no problem sharing xyr warmth with Caelum, and xe only tightens xyr protective hold on him to keep the cold at bay.

Caelum snuggles against xem contently, eyes wandering to the night sky and a sadness clouds his eyes. It takes a while for Aerglo to figure out why, but xe feels the way the newly formed scar tissue pulls as xe stretches xyr arm.

Xe is almost completely healed, the traces of poison circulating in xyr system slowly disappearing. Day by day xe regains a bit of xyr strength back and xe knows xe’ll have to leave soon.

Too soon.

So, when they get back inside and cuddle in bed, xe doesn’t stop the little human from straddling xem. Their languid kisses turn heated, bodies pressed flush together and those little sound that drive xem crazy fall from Caelum’s plump lips.

Caelum is scared and nervous, he’s never been with anyone. His only relief has been his hand and fingers.

“More,” he whimpers, back arching, “please.”

Aerglo hesitates.

Humans are fragile and more delicate, it’s in the back of xyr mind that xe could hurt Caelum so easily and it’s slightly terrifying.

But Caelum is placing his trust in xem. His lithe body begging to be touched.

Weeks of hiding their attraction for each other, weeks of holding back, surface like a flooding dam.

And Aerglo knows Caelum is xyrs. Xe can feel the way the younger’s heart beats in sync with xyrs.

It’s exhilarating.

But xe needs to be sure.

“Caelum,” Aerglo breathes, panting against the boy’s ear huskily.

“Hm?”

“I need to make sure,” xe begins, “that this is what you want.”

Caelum stops grinding his hips against Aerglo’s, and breathlessly looks into the alien’s eyes.

“If we mate,” Aerglo warns, “we do so for life. You will be mine, as I will be yours. Even if we’re stars away, I will always be with, I will always find you. This bond will not be severed easily, and you will always carry me in your heart but only if you wish so.”

The younger boy bites his bottom lip, “I want to carry you in my heart. I want to feel my heart beat faster at the thought of you. I want to wake up beside you. I want to be with you. I want to know who you are and be your mate. I want to be yours.”

“Even if I part?” Aerglo asks, “if I leave with my comrades?”

“I’ll wait for you,” Caelum whispers reassuringly, “always, even if you don’t come back and even if you forget me. I’ll be yours.”

Aerglo’s hands rest on slim hips before giving in.

Xe devours Caelum completely, feels the tight heat surround xyr aching cock as it’s sheathed inside the boy. Xyr little one takes it all, he whimpers and moans and cries.

And xe tries to hold back as xe thrusts inside the boy’s warmth.

Caelum melts into the pleasure, letting their bodies rock together until a choked yelp falls from his throat. Aerglo groans, burying xemself to the hilt.

“Ow,” Caelum whimpers at the sudden building pressure in his entrance.

“I am sorry,” Aerglo grunts.

“Wha-What is that?” Caelum pants, hips still canting.

“We live a long time,” Aerglo huffs, “nearly a thousand years, so procreation is difficult. Our biology has given us a helping hand in which the base of the shaft expands to lock us inside our partner to ensure conception.”

Caelum stares at the alien, at his mat e, in a daze and he wonders if the pleasure hasn’t completely overwhelmed his thinking, “as in a baby?”

Aerglo nods, cheeks aflame, “It’s always difficult to conceive regardless of our biology. And it’ll be even more so with us being so… different. To be honest, no one from my home planet has ever interbred with another species and with male humans, it’s improbable to ever conceive because the equipment is rather lacking.”

Caelum frowns arms wrapping around the alien as xyr hands cup his swelling belly full of xem, “and you’re okay with that? Mating with someone who can never give you a… a baby?”

“If you are my mate,” the alien smiles, nuzzling his neck, “I don’t care if I never become a sire.”

Before Caelum can argue and stop xem, Aerglo bites the juncture of his neck and shoulder as xe continues to pulse and spill inside. Oddly, the pain pushes him over the brink of another orgasm and everything whites out for a split moment.

He feels hot, body aching and sweaty and heart beating fast inside his rib cage. His heart beating to the strong rhythm of the alien’s, of his mate’s.

“With this,” Aerglo mumbles, licking a dribble of blood, “I seal my promise to love you and only you.”

fourteen

Aerglo stares out the window, xyr ears ringing with a familiar sound calling for xem, but xe’s reluctant to respond.

Xyr eyes land on Caelum, the boy fast asleep and cuddling the pillow xe occupied moments ago, soft puffs of breath escaping the young human.

Xe is torn.

The sound is becoming unbearable and xe needs to reply, to tell xyr crew that xe survived the attack (though barely).  Xe needs to go and find the poison so they can figure out a cure.  Xe needs to go, even though xe doesn’t want to.

Warm brown eyes look up at xem, the stars glistening in them, “You need to go, right?”

Aerglo stares back at the boy.

“I can hear it too,” Caelum rasps tiredly, wincing as he sits up, the sheet slipping off of his debauched body, “go.”

Aerglo doesn’t move.  The urge to go is prominent, xe doesn’t belong here.  However, the need to protect xyr mate is stronger and can’t even compare to whatever else xe might feel.  Caelum has become xyr everything.

Xe walks toward the bed and slips beside the human, wrapping an arm around the boy’s body.  Xe buries xyr face in the crook of Caelum’s neck and breathes deeply.

If xe goes, Caelum will have to stay.

Xe’ll need to focus on xyr mission and make xyr planet safe again before xe can even consider bringing Caelum home.

But that could take years.

“Go,” Caelum mumbles, arms wrapped around the alien tightly and contradicting his words to leave.

“Cael,” Xe huffs in frustration and reluctance, “I do not wish to leave you-”

“I know,” Caelum sighs, “but if you go, you get to save your people and end a war that’s been causing so much destruction.  Me?  I’m just one person who doesn’t have val-”

“Do not finish that statement, eno elttil,” Aerglo growls, “You are so much more to me, you are my mate, my strength, my everything.”

“I… I know and these past few days have been so amazing, Aerglo, and I… I love you.  But you need to go and I always knew that.  I can’t and I won’t hold you back.  You’re important, you’re the captain of a freaking ship, you command and lead and you’re just… you’re amazing.  And they need you.  I-I survived many years without you.”

“That is not how it works.  Regardless of how long we’ve lived without the other, of how much you’ve endured, you are my priority and the one person I’ve vowed myself to protect-”

“I know that,” Caelum assures, grabbing Aerglo’s thin heated hand and placing it on his chest, “I feel it here.  I know you want to protect me, but you made a promise with your people first.  I’m simply telling you that it’s okay for you to go, because I love you and I will wait for you.”

Aerglo leans down and presses a kiss to plump lips, stealing the boy’s breath away, “I will return.”

“I know,” Caelum smiles.

“I love you,” the alien whispers.

“I love you too, Aerglo.”

Caelum stares as the alien begins to dissolve and turn into what seems like star dust.  The small particles soon disappear with a flash of light that nearly blinds him and he’s left alone in his room, in the darkness of the night.  He scrambles out of bed and rushes to the window but he can’t see anything.

All he can do is look up at the sky and hope Aerglo is safe and reunited with xyr comrades. 

With trembling hands, he touches his fingers to his tingling lips and revels in the fading feeling of warmth left behind from his mate.

He can feel the absence of Aerglo, the emptiness inside his heart making it constrict and ache for xem.  Tears well up in his eyes, but he holds onto the notion that he did the right thing.

He doesn’t move for a long while and when he does, his sore stiff legs barely carry him to bed where he plops down and buries himself in blankets and pillows.

He holds Aerglo’s pillow tightly in his hands and buries his face in it, breathing in deeply and finding the remnants of Aerglo’s scent.

And as he curls up in bed, hating the cold and the loneliness that seeps into his bones, he whispers, “hurry up, Aerglo, and come back safe.”

If he falls asleep with a few stray tears soaking the pillow beneath his head, he doesn’t notice.

The last thing he does feel, though, are warm fingers running through his messy hair.

“I love you, eno elttil.”

fifteen

Two months without word of Aerglo and all Caelum can do is hold onto the belief that he’ll see his mate again.

However, he’s finding it harder and harder to hang on. 

There are many what if’s and so many more thoughts that scream at him otherwise.  If Aerglo doesn’t come back…  Caelum doesn’t know what he’ll do.  But these heavy thoughts are slowly taking a toll on his body.  There’s a constant sadness surrounding him and he’s always tired, always sleepy and rarely hungry.  He can’t bring himself to eat and when he manages a bite, he rushes to the bathroom to throw it up.

It sucks.

He’s always achy and tired and he misses Aerglo so freaking much it hurts.

He curls up around what used to be the alien’s pillow, but xyrs scent has long since faded.

The insomnia grabs a hold of him and he finds himself staring out the window, staring up at the sky for hours on end. 

When he finally falls asleep, just before the sun rises, he doesn’t wake up.

Some days are better than others, but the one day that it’s not, he gets an unpleasant wake up call.

His step-dad is screaming at him to wake up and when he doesn’t respond, the man wraps his hand around Caelum’s ankle and yanks him out of bed. Caelum lands on the floor with a loud and heavy thud, sore body bruising easily with the harsh impact.

Blearily, he looks up at the angry man who then grasps a handful of his hair and makes him stand up.

“I’ve been calling you for the past 20 minutes you little brat, you think you can just oversleep and skip school?”

Caelum frowns, “I haven’t skipped school.”

“No, but you sure as hell arrive late every fucking day! You know what it’s like to get a phone call to work saying that your so-called-son is arriving late and if there’s a fucking problem at home?”

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to, but I just can’t wake up,” Caelum whimpers.

“Then I’ll make sure you wake up,” the man snarls.

Caelum struggles when his step-dad drags him toward the bathroom where ice cold water is slowly filling the tub.   His eyes open wide in panic just as his head is dunked forcefully into the freezing liquid. Caelum doesn’t even have time to hold his breath and when he breaks the surface, he spews and splutters. There’s barely any respite before he’s breathing in water once more.  His nose, throat, and lungs burn with each dunk.

“Are you awake now, you stupid brat?”

“Y-Yes!” Caelum coughs weakly.

The man lets him go and he collapses on the floor, breathing harshly and trying to get enough air into his aching lungs.  The door slams closed with his departure and Caelum is left shivering on the bathroom floor huddled in the corner, squeezed between the tub and the sink. His teeth chatter, jaw tensed, and body trembles.

He gathers himself and slowly stands up, steadying himself against the wall.

He briefly looks at his reflection in the mirror.  His hair is dripping wet and sticking to his forehead. There are dark bruises underneath his eyes. He looks pale and just utterly exhausted.

“Please come back soon,” he whispers, “please, Aerglo.”

Sluggishly, he trudges back to his room and changes, huffing when his pants fit a bit snug around his hips.

He thinks nothing of it, sucking in his gut as he zips up and finishes getting dressed before going to school.

And the days drag on until it’s been four months.

Four long and painful months of nothing, except the slow expansion of his belly.

He stares down at the pudginess.

He doesn’t eat enough to gain so much weight and he should be concerned with all the nausea, vomiting, and dizzy spells.  However, he finds that he can’t be.

His mind races to the first time he and Aerglo mated and his heart flutters in his chest, a small nudge from the inside of his belly responding to his thoughts.

A clammy hand cups his bare belly and he admires the taut skin in wonder.  

Could it be?

Another nudge, stronger than before, confirms his suspicion.

He laughs a bit wetly, tears filling his dark dull eyes and making them just a hint brighter.

He lets out a rush of breath and closes his eyes.

All the times of abuse he went through these past few months put a damper on his happiness, but he promises he’ll protect the little life inside him.

“I promise,” he whispers, “I’ll protect you, little one.”

sixteen

Caelum is curled up on his side almost protectively over his belly.  He breathes deeply and evenly, but still can’t find sleep.  His heavy eyes are staring out into the abyss as he shimmies under the covers trying to get comfortable.

Slowly, his eyelids grow heavy and he’s just on the cusp of sleep when a bright flash of warm light bathes his room for a split second.  He’s a bit disoriented as he sits up, looking around and breathing harshly, any trace of sleep completely gone and replaced by a jolt of adrenaline.

It takes even longer for him to process what just happened.

But when he does, he’s out of bed and rushing toward the familiar figure smiling crookedly at him with wide opened arms.

“Aerglo,” he breathes softly, tears stinging his eyes and body pressing tightly against the alien’s.

“Eno elttil,” Aerglo coos softly.

“You’re back,” Caelum whispers, “you’re really here.”

“Sey,” xe nods.

Aerglo pulls away first, eyes drinking in the image of the small human.  Caelum is haphazardly wrapped in a thin blanket already slipping off a shoulder, pale face becoming rosy.  He’s practically glowing .  But xe finds that xe can only focus on the sight of a forming bruise on Caelum’s chin, a cut on his bottom lip, and dark circles under tired eyes.

Any pain Caelum might have felt, however, melts away with a single caress of xyrs warm hand.

“Eno elttil, yako uoy era?”

Caelum tilts his head a bit confused before the alien flushes and clears xyr throat, “Are you okay?”

“Yes,” Caelum smiles, eyes becoming little crescents of happiness and relief, “I’m okay.”

But it doesn’t help to reassure Aerglo that xyr little one is actually fine, “did that hu man hurt you?”

“It hasn’t been so bad,” Caelum shrugs, “this was the first time in weeks that he raised his hand at me.”

“That does not make it right ,” Aerglo growls, ready to march out the room in search of the pathetic human who dares hurt xyr mate.

“Aerglo,” Caelum squeaks, blocking the alien’s path as he holds his breath, “I’m okay, really.”

Aerglo deflates before staring into dark brown eyes intently, “come with me, eno elttil.”

A few beats pass by before Caelum finally asks, “What?”

“Come with me, back to my home where I can protect you,” xe repeats.

Caelum looks down, heart hammering inside his chest before he shies away from Aerglo.  He rearranges the blanket so it covers his belly before shaking his head.  He knows he’s being selfish, but he doesn’t know how Aerglo will react.  They barely touched upon the surface of the topic and he’s scared of rejection.

Aerglo’s frown deepens and xe tries to reach out only for the younger boy to take another step back.

“Is it because of the child you carry that you are rejecting me, eno elttil?” Aerglo asks.

Caelum’s breath hitches, hand cupping his belly, “how did you…?”

“I felt it,” Aerglo answers, tentatively reaching out once more and placing xyr hands on the warm bulge of Caelum’s belly, “when I held you, it pressed against me and I felt the forming aura.”

Caelum looks down where their hands are joined, heart soaring, “and you’re okay… with this?”

Aerglo huffs a small laugh, “Of course, eno elttil.  I am not sure how this is possible, but I can feel the child, our child, growing inside you.”

“What about your people… there has never been a mating between your kind and mine… and our baby?”

“What they say does not matter to me for I chose you and I will continue to choose you and our child,” Aerglo assures, “so, please, little one,” xe begs, “come with me.”

He doesn’t need to hesitate anymore and Caelum wraps his arms around Aerglo tightly, “yes, please, yes.  I don’t want to be here anymore, I… I want to go with you.  Being so far from you was torture and I… fuck, Aerglo, I missed you!”

Aerglo smiles, breathing in relief as xe presses a kiss to Caelum’s lips.  A swipe of xyr tongue on the small stinging cut heals the split on Caelum’s bottom lip.

“I will protect you, both of you,” Aerglo promises.

Caelum smiles brightly, pressing his forehead against Aerglo’s as he peers down at his swollen belly, “there’s really a baby here.”

“Yes,” Aerglo smiles, “a child, the product of you and me.”

Caelum jumps in surprise when something cold wraps around his insides and a soft glow emits from his stomach, “what the-”

“It’s our child,” Aerglo says, kneeling down and pressing xyr ear to the bulge, “and our child’s heartbeat.”

The light pulses to the rhythm of butterfly wings before it fades and nothing is left aside from warmth and heat.

“Is it… are they okay?” Caelum asks.

“We’ll make sure in the ship, but right now we must go,” Aerglo says, voice becoming urgent.

Xe feels the furious aura behind xem and when Caelum peers over Aerglo’s shoulder, he tenses at the sight of his step-father staring at them with narrow, angry eyes.

“You little sl-”

Aerglo immediately stops the raised fist aimed at xyr mate, xyr face turning red with anger.

The older human looks on in horror as Aerglo grips his hand until bones break.

Caelum thinks he’s going to be sick when small metacarpals pierce the skin until blood oozes from the punctures.  The man himself turns an ashen color at the sight and when the alien let’s him go, he stumbles back.

“Aerglo,” Caelum calls a bit weakly and nauseous.

Aerglo turns with a small flare, facing Caelum and grabbing a hold of xyr mate just before he can fall.

“Its alright, eno elttil,” Aerglo assures, “he will not hurt you anymore, either of you.”

And with that, both alien and human disappear with a bright flash of light.

neetneves

Aerglo carries xyr mate through the ship with xyr head held high.  Many stop and stare, giant aliens gaping at the sight of their captain seemingly human and carrying one in xyr arms.  The tiny human is unconscious and wrapped in a cloth like a babe.  But Aerglo isn’t bothered by the shocked whispers or the gawking stares following them.  Xyrs priority is to get xyr mate to the doctor assigned to the humans that work around the ship and its engine.

Xe doesn’t even bother to knock when xe arrives at the doctor’s quarters.

“Captain Aerglo,” the weary man greets, graying hair slicked back and thin framed glasses placed precariously on the tip of his nose.

Caelum stirs in xyr arms and peers over the edge of the blanket, silently and timid.

“My mate,” Aerglo says, “I seek medical attention for him.”

Aerglo gently places the small human on the cot, the blanket slipping just so to reveal Caelum’s swollen abdomen.

“What seems to be the problem?” the doctor asks.

Caelum doesn’t say anything, simply tensing when withered hands feel around his baby bump in concerned curiosity.

Aerglo tries really hard not to get protective over xyr mate and child, especially when Caelum sucks in a sharp breath at a particular touch.

“He is with child,” the alien grits, hands clenching into fists.

The doctor pulls away slowly, staring at his captain and waiting for the punchline that never comes.

“With child?”

Aerglo nods, clearing xyr throat a bit embarrassed as xe admits, “my child to be precise.”

“Oh,” the older man breathes, “interesting.”

“Yes,” Aerglo huffs, “do you believe you can check them over?  Make sure they are both alright and well?”

“I– Yes, I believe I can,” the older man nods, reaching out for a portable ultrasound machine and bringing it to life.

“Thank you, Dr. Vega,” Aerglo sighs, feeling relief inside xyr chest cavity as the doctor gets to work.

Finally the doctor turns to Caelum with a kind smile, “Can you lift up your shirt a bit and tug down your pants?  This is going to feel a bit cold.”

Caelum does as told and flinches when the gel touches his warm skin.  However, he bears with the icy sensation and relaxes when it warms up as a probe travels across the expanse of his swollen belly.

He watches with bated breath and blindly searches for his mate’s hand, grabbing onto it when a grainy image appears.

Aerglo stares at the image just as transfixed, brows knit together in concentration as xe spot the little being stretching and yawning.  Yawning

!

“I’m not well versed in pregnancy, human or otherwise, but the foetus appears to be along 18 weeks and healthy, if just a little on the small side.”

Caelum can’t seem to tear his eyes away from the screen, only focusing on healthy and breathing softly in complete awe, “that’s our baby.”

“Our child,” Aerglo agrees, choking just a bit as well, “is the child… is our child human or an Aixatarieno? “

“It’s hard to tell,” Dr. Vega admits, “however, the foetus appears to have human characteristics.  Perhaps because your mate is human and is the one carrying it.  Maybe the child even has the ability to shape shift as you do, sir.”

Aerglo nods, still amazed and not at all fazed.

The machine shuts off and Dr. Vega gives Caelum a small towel to wipe off the remnants of the gel.

When he’s composed once more, he looks at the doctor as his face heats up, “how will uh… how will the baby be born?”

Dr. Vega stares at the couple with furrowed brows and deep concentration, “conception occurred naturally, correct?”

“Yes,” Aerglo nods, “but it should have been improbable, even impossible.”

“I’d need to conduct further testing, perhaps perform an X-ray,” Dr. Vega hums, “but from the ultrasound, there is definitely a womb that holds and nourishes the foetus along with the placenta.  Essentially, your body is fully equipped to carry the child to term.  From the look on your face, however, I’ll assume that you were never meant to have a womb.”

“No, I never… I’m a guy..” Caelum frowns.

“Is there anything you can remember as anything odd happening to you?”

“You mean aside from meeting Aerglo?” Caelum asks.

Aerglo bristles, but let’s it go when xe notices the small playful smirk on xyr mate’s lips.

“Before your encounter with Captain Aerglo, yes.”

“I… don’t know… I… Aerglo said I carried the scent of another alien or alien species when we first met, but from what I know, he’s the only one I’ve ever encountered,” Caelum answers.

“Is there a certain period of time you don’t remember?  Any missing memories or, consider the opposite, any memories that you don’t remember ever happening?”

“No… well… just, when I was seven, after my dad died I began having nightmares, but when I woke up I never remembered what they were about.  It became so bad that I even became insomniac… What I do remember from my first nightmare was the sense of dread, pain, and heat… It felt hot, so hot.”

“Where?” Dr. Vega asks, writing everything down.

Caelum looks down at his belly with furrowed brows, hand carefully cupping the underside of the swell, “here.”

Aerglo tenses beside the cot where Caelum sits, xe body stiff and fists curled tight.

“Captain?”

“Eno elttil,” Aerglo grits, “You were abducted when you were young.”

“I.. what?”

“Yes, it does seem like a probable explanation and if this is true, then these aliens experimented on you and were successful,” Dr. Vega agrees.

“But what would they gain from doing this?  To me? To anyone?”

“The motive is certainly unknown.  Our concern now, however, is focusing on you and the child as I am sure you were marked.”

“It does not matter if Caelum was marked,” Aerglo growls, “I will protect them and the mark is nonexistent at this point.”

“Of course, sir.  For now, this is all I can offer.  We can track the foetus development and keep both of you healthy.  I would like to see you often to make sure everything is going smoothly, perhaps even get that x-ray done during your next visit.”

Aerglo shakes the human’s wrinkling hand before scooping up xyr mate, a quick “thank you” thrown in as a second thought.

Caelum wraps his arms around Aerglo’s neck, burying his face in the alien’s broad chest, “you’re mad?”

“No,” Aerglo answers, tone just a bit clipped.

“Liar,” Caelum whispers.

“I am not mad, I am concerned” the alien sighs, “Who knows what else they did to your biology, eno elttil, how our child will be born or if you will be able to carry and deliver safely.  I am worried.  For you and our child.”

“I know,” Caelum mumbles, “I am too… I’m a bit scared too.”

“I will make sure,” Aerglo assures, “that you and our child are both safe, and that nothing will happen to you.”

Caelum breathes deeply, settling in Aerglo’s hold and pressing his forehead against the alien’s shoulder, “I love you, Aerglo.”

“Likewise, eno elttil,” Aerglo chuckles, a bit of tension seeping from xyr body, “I love you as well.”

neetthgie

Caelum is uncomfortable.

Aerglo is usually always busy, always commanding the ship and making sure everything is running smoothly.  This means that xyr mate is almost always alone, but Caelum doesn’t mind.  He knows Aerglo is needed, xe is the captain after all.

What does crush him inside, however, are the looks he gets whenever he wanders out their room.

The first day he went exploring nearly gave him a heart attack.

Giant aliens seven to eight feet tall thundering through the ship’s halls, their chattering coming to an abrupt halt at the sight of the trembling human sticking close to the wall, belly round and heavy.  Their eyes always piercing and as cold as coal, pitch black and harsh.

Completely different from Aerglo’s soft and tender gaze.

They scowl at him and talk about him in their language, he knows by the sneers he gets.

And then there are the few humans on the ship that work in the small crevices that the giants can’t fit into or the engines they refuse to fix because they rather not lower themselves to the level of a puny human.  They look at him funny, some looking at him in disgust when they catch a glimpse of him cradling his belly.

It irks him and he tries really hard not to let it get to him.  He has to survive an entire month in a ship full of judgement.

But one day he just can’t help it.

One of the engineers makes a crude comment clearly about him and he loses it.

He doesn’t know how or where he gets the strength from, the man is practically twice his size, but Caelum growls at him and grabs the front of the oil stained shirt.  His face is flushed red as he demands for the rude man to repeat what he said.

“I said,” the man scowls, grabbing the boy’s hand in a tight grip, “you are a disgusting freak rolling around in bed with a monster an-”

He doesn’t even finish when Caelum throws the first punch.

A few passing aliens freeze at the commotion, staring in shock at the puny pregnant human who snarls at the older one.

One of them is smart enough to snap out of it and go in search of Aerglo.

“You stupid little bitch!” The engineer growls in rage, ready to fight back only to be pushed away from the smaller boy by the only woman on the crew.

“What the hell Ange!”

“He’s pregnant!”

“He’s a fucking freak!”

Aerglo is within ear shot when xe hears that and xe roars in rage.

The male engineer freezes, immediately turning pale.  Xe changes within an instant, bones cracking and rearranging until xe’s a large intimidating alien.  Caelum watches with wide eyes as xe snarls at the man, picking him up easily.

“For your trespass against my mate, you shall be expelled from my ship, immediately upon arrival,” Aerglo growls, tossing the human toward a nearby guard.

“Wait! Captain Aerglo!” The engineer calls in near desperation, “my apologies! I’m sorry! I-”

Aerglo doesn’t bother to turn toward the struggling human, just waves xyr hand to the guard to get rid of him, to throw him bellow deck where they keep prisoners or traitors until they arrive home.

Then, the giant alien kneels down beside xyr mate, xyr focus solely on him and their child.

“Are you well, eno elttil?”

Caelum nods, slightly panting, “We’re okay.”

Aerglo frowns, pressing xemself closer to xyr mate and making sure that what Caelum is saying is true.

Caelum giggles a bit breathless, pushing the alien away, “We’re okay, promise.”

“I would feel better if we went to Dr. Vega,” Aerglo insists, voice gruffly and thick.

Caelum rolls his eyes, “you’re such a mother hen.”

“Mother… hen?”

“It’s an expression,” Ange explains, the woman offering Caelum an encouraging smile, “but you should go, our captain will be a mess otherwise.”

Caelum returns the small gesture with a blushing smile, “okay, thank you…”

“Ange, or Angie, whatever floats your boat kiddo,” she grins.

“Thank you, human Angie,” Aerglo says in gratitude, dismissing everyone around.

Aerglo doesn’t change to human, instead xe leads Caelum away from the crowd, hovering over xyr mate.

“We’re okay, you know that right?”

Aerglo huffs, knowing that what xyr mate is saying is true.  Xe can hear the gentle beating of their child’s heartbeat, but xe can’t help worrying.

“Okay,” Caelum sighs when he gets no verbal reply, “fine, we’ll go to Dr. Vega.”

neetenin

Caelum doesn’t say anything, there’s nothing to say.

He watches amused as Aerglo slips into bed, still in xyr original form as a giant and intimidating alien.  However, the sight of his mate and xyr weight dipping into the mattress is anything but intimidating.

“My apologies,” xe slithers, eyes staring at him unblinkingly.

“For?”

“Being a… mother hen,” Aerglo huffs, not at all amused at xyr mate’s little giggle.

“It’s okay,” Caelum snickers, opening his arms for his mate, “we’re okay.”

Aerglo slumps against him with a rush of air, face burying against Caelum’s swollen belly.

“And how is our little one, eno elttil?”

Caelum grins, reaching for Aerglo’s hand and pressing it on his belly.  Aerglo stares at the small mound intently, holding xyr breath as xe waits and waits.

Tense minutes tick by and xe is about to give up when xe feels it.  A small nudge against the palm of xyr hand, greeting a shy hello.

“That’s… That’s our little one,” xe gasps in surprise.

Caelum nods, smiling brightly.

He’s felt little flutters for days now, weak nudges against his palm as he rests it against his belly, a subconscious habit.  And he’s never been happier that Aerglo can now feel their little one move and stretch inside of him.

“I promise,” Aerglo vows, “that you and our little one will be safe.”

Caelum nods, eyes straying to their hands interlocked on his baby bump.

Dr. Vega hasn’t been able to confirm anything.  No amount of studies can determine how his body will continue to handle the pregnancy, how he will be able to give birth.  All they know as of now, is that this pregnancy is high risk because he’s male and it’s slightly terrifying.

Aerglo can practically taste the heavy bitterness of apprehension and fear coming from xyr mate’s scent.

“Eno elttil?” Aerglo asks.

Caelum sighs, breathing deeply before offering his mate a small feigned smile as he changes the topic, “What does that mean?”

Aerglo tilts xyr head, “What does what mean, eno elttil?”

“That,” Caelum huffs, completely butchering the pronunciation as he tries, “e-eno el-elttil.”

“It means little one, my little one,” Aerglo answers, lips stretching into a thin teasing smile, “an endearment I find quite fitting.”

“Are you making fun of me?” Caelum asks, poking his mate’s side.

Aerglo laughs, chuckling deep from xyr chest, “of course not.”

Caelum doesn’t believe xem for one second, but he’ll give xem the benefit of the doubt regardless.

They quickly lapse into a comforting silence.  A thin membrane closes Aerglo’s eyes as xe nuzzles against Caelum’s side lovingly.  They lay in bed, their bed, but there’s still something niggling the back of his mind.

“How long until we get there?” Caelum asks quietly.

“Three weeks,” Aerglo responds, xyr body slightly tensing.

“What… What’s going to happen when we get there?”

“Many things,” xe sighs honestly, looking up at xyr little human, “but everything will be alright,” Aerglo assures.

Caelum nods, trying hard to believe xem, to believe his mate.

Aerglo knows Caelum is uneasy and xe adds softly an earnest, “I love you.”

He finds that he can’t answer right away.  There’s a heaviness settling in his chest and in the pit of his stomach like a boulder of worry.  It almost feels as if something bad were about to happen.  Suffocating is the only way he can truly describe it.  Caelum doesn’t know what to do except trust his mate.

Aerglo presses xyr lips against the warm taut skin of xyr mate’s belly before kissing Caelum’s lips properly.  

And Caelum melts into the reassuring touch, for a brief moment he even forgets about the crushing weight of reality, “I love you too… we love you.”

Aerglo smiles, because looking at Caelum is like looking at xyr entire world.

●•●•●

A/N : Sorry I haven’t updated recently 😥 I’ve been taking a mini break but I’m back!  For how long? I don’t really know.  Hope you enjoyed regardless.

^^^

Aerglo’s alien form

The Becoming of Aerglo- Pronouns

Hello!

This isn’t an official update, sorry.

But I think this will clear up some things that might or actually have confused people while reading this story thus far.

So, a bit of background:

Not so long ago I made the story Paint Me Blue .

Writing it and exploring the different characters I made definitely opened up a few doors for me (I think it even made that story more realistic).

With that story, I made a personal connection to my character Reese, as through him I found myself (quite literally in many aspects).

This made me realize that I don’t really have to conform in writing in regards to anything and thus I’m Glad You Found Me happened.

I really wanted to make an atypical character and of course, in making it, the complete opposite of Paint Me Blue was the result.

While creating this atypical character, I thought of raising more awareness to something not taught too well and that is…

Pronouns.

That’s how Aerglo Halcyon(?) happened.

For Reese I had to dig a bit and figure things out, so logically I did the same for Aerglo.

Dx:

In Chapter Six, Caelum asks what Aerglo likes to be referred as (pronoun-wise) because he was uncomfortable seeing someone seemingly human, but referring them as “it”.

Aerglo in turn said he didn’t particularly care, it was whatever Caelum was comfortable with.

However, throughout the story, Aerglo is clearly referred as xe, xyr, xem, xemself.. etc.

These are his pronouns, or the pronouns of his race (Aixatarieno).

And they’re real pronouns that may be used by someone who is under the Trans umbrella.

Of course there are many pronouns someone can use depending on how they identify, but for Aerglo, xe/xyr/xem just stuck out and I happened to like it.

It’s definitely confusing and it took me a while to figure out which is which so I had to use a few charts in the beginning as a guide.

BUT, I eventually figured it out,

I adjusted, and now it just flows. I don’t even think about it when I write, the pronouns just stick although I admit that sometimes I do make mistakes.

Continuing with the story, later on you might notice that Caelum uses he/him/his when talking about Aerglo. Technically he’s not wrong, Aerglo did say that it was fine with xem/him.

This, though, will get him into a bit of trouble soon enough spoiler.

So yes, this story is confusing and maybe frustrating depending on your POV.

Not many people know that there are more pronouns/genders out there so it’s definitely baffling and sometimes intimidating.

They/Their are also considered pronouns and can be used as singular and not plural 😲, surprise!

All in all, I know I’m a bit late on the explanation part, but here are the resources I used for I’m Glad You Found Me and Aerglo’s pronouns:

https://liberationbound.wordpress.com/2011/11/12/30/

And

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/non-binary-pronouns-why-they-matter_us_5a03107be4b0230facb8419a

I hope this cleared up a few things.

I suggest that if you’re interested, please do some research (I know it helped me lots) and please don’t disrespect anyone for who they are and what pronouns they chose to identify as.

If you have any questions, feel free to comment or PM me. I’ll try to answer to the best of my abilities 😊.

Because you made it to the end of this update, here’s a treat:

^^^ Caelum ^^^

^^^ Aerglo (human form)^^^

Bonus:

The following are the suggestions of YaoiGirl111 & how they picture Aer and Cael as humans.

ytnewt

Caelum is in bed with his feet propped up as he reads a book, completely wrapped in a cocoon of blankets he’s sure Aerglo scrounged the ship for.  He’s just about to reach the climax of the story when the door opens rather abruptly, a giant alien stepping through the threshold with a none too pleasant expression on xyr face.

Caelum closes his book.

“Captain Aerglo has left me in charge of you,” the alien sneers.

The young human sighs, muttering endearingly under his breath, “he’s such a worrywart.”

It’s those simple words that seem to trigger the alien as xe growls at him.  Caelum stares up at the alien in surprise, flinching away when they grasp the front of his shirt.

“Never reduce our Captain as someone of your stature, xe is not lesser and should never be referred as how you humans call one another.  Xe is more than you puny human and I will never understand how someone as great as Captain Halcyon was tangled with something as pathetic as you !”

The alien is breathing harshly, eyes glowing with danger and hate that makes Caelum curl away in fear.

“Pathetic, disgusting, human .”

Caelum feels powerless and for the first time, an incapacitating  fear .

He’s absolutely terrified.

The alien can very well crush him with a squeeze of xyr hand, kill him with a single thought.

The way the gangly hand wraps around his shirt and pulls him closer, lips pulled back to reveal sharp teeth that snap in his face, make him think he’s going to die.  Makes him think he justly infuriated the alien.  But the thing that destroys him most… the thought of never being good enough for Aerglo.  That the alien before him is right.  He’s weak and pathetic and helpless and disgusting.  He’s human .   And their baby will be just as hated as him, because they’ll be half him , half human.

Caelum thinks he’s going to be sick.

He manages to break free from the alien’s hold and rushes off the bed and toward the nearest trashcan where he expels everything in his stomach until he dry heaves.  The alien sneers at his hunched over state, towering above him and spitting at him before stomping out of the room.

Caelum doesn’t move for the longest of times.

Tears rolling down his pale cheeks as he shudders in shock.

Oh god.

Oh fuck.

He curls in on himself, closing his eyes tightly as shivers uncontrollably.  His little baby kicking weakly inside him and he can’t help but apologize.

“I’m sorry, so sorry baby, I’m sorry,” he chokes out.

The edges of his vision begin to swim black.

The adrenaline that coursed through him slowly receding to the back of his mind now that threat is gone.  But the feeling is still there.

He knew some had their reservations against him, but he never knew how despised he was for being human, how he was seen as lesser than their kind for something he can’t help.

And he thinks, how did Aerglo ever fall in love with someone like him?

eno-ytnewt

Caelum manages to regain consciousness before Aerglo gets to their room. He gathers himself and tries not to puke again from the blinding headache making his head feel as if it were stuffed with cotton.

He takes a deep breath and focuses on his surroundings.

He feels disgusting.

He gets rid of any evidence of throwing up and takes a quick wash in the small bathroom adjacent to his and Aerglo’s room.

He doesn’t feel any better.

He’s tired and achy and confused and just… exhausted.

The door to the room suddenly opens and Caelum panics.

He’s thinks it’s the alien again, thinks they’re not done intimidating him and the panic overwhelms him.

He slips, placing his hand out to stop himself from hurting his baby but resulting in all his weight falling on his hand and hurting his wrist.

The pain is instant and intense, but the sound of heavy footsteps approching him throws him into a fit.

He suddenly can’t breathe.

He’s on the verge of a panic attack, hyperventilating and cowering away from the alien as tears gather in his eyes and blur his vision.

He whimpers, begging the alien not to hurt him.

He’s terrified.

Until warm arms wrap around him.

He almost thinks he’ll be smothered but they just hold him there, lifting him up and cradling him. He sniffles, burying his face in the broad chest.

“It’s okay my little one, you’re okay…”

Caelum’s brows furrow.

He knows that voice.

He cleans his face on the sleeve of his shirt like a little kid and peers up at the alien holding him, the alien’s eyes filled with concern and reflecting his fear.

“Aerglo?” Caelum whispers hoarsely.

Aerglo nuzzles against him, wiping away a stray tear with xyr thumb.

“You’re okay my little one,” Aerglo coos.

Realizing he’s safe, in the warmth of Aerglo’s hold, Caelum melts. He slumps forward and buries himself in Aerglo.

Aerglo doesn’t say anything regarding his panic attack, not until he’s breathing properly again and his heart isn’t skyrocketing anymore.

“Better?” Aerglo asks.

Caelum nods, but the alien knows better. Xe knows xyr mate better.

Caelum can’t even look at xem, too afraid to have another violent reaction. What kind of a mate is he? He couldn’t even distinguish his own mate over a stranger.

He thinks he’s going to be sick again.

He scrambles out of Aerglo’s hold and hurries to the bathroom where he proceeds to dry heave.

Aerglo frowns and xe changes form on instinct, without xyr own consent.

Xe doesn’t even notice xe’s changed forms as xe steps inside the bathroom, rubbing Caelum’s back soothingly.

“Are you alright?”

Caelum rests his head on the rim of the tub, nodding exhaustedly.

Aerglo still doesn’t believe him.

“Want to talk about it?” The alien probes.

Caelum sniffles, nodding but finding the words getting stuck in his throat. Tears well up in his eyes and spill down his cheeks, taking a weak shuddering breath to try and calm down again.

But he can’t.

He whimpers pathetically and the small broken sound prompts Aerglo to pick him up.

Aerglo pauses when xe sees xyr reflection, finding xyr human form staring back at xem. Xe doesn’t say anything, not when Caelum is slowly falling asleep in xyr arms.

But xe knows that someone hurt xyr mate and xe’ll find out who.

owt-ytnewt

Things are tense between them and Aerglo doesn’t know why, doesn’t know how to help xyr mate.  Caelum shies away from xem, and xe is lost.

Caelum can’t bring himself to tell Aerglo what happened.  He doesn’t know why, doesn’t know what’s holding him back, but he just can’t.  He sleeps with his back to Aerglo, his mate wrapping xyr arms around him until a warm hand rests on his swollen belly.

He can’t help but smile sadly when he feels their baby turn and kick and wiggle about at their sire’s touch.  He should be happy.  He is.  He’s so incredibly happy, but he’s also so scared.

And the closer they get to Aerglo’s home, the more his irrational fear grows.

Aerglo sighs, pressing xyr forehead to Caelum’s back.

“Please, eno elttil,” Aerglo begs, “please talk to me.”

Caelum bites his lip, letting a tear sink into the pillow beneath his head.

He doesn’t talk, doesn’t say anything.

He does slip his hand in Aerglo’s hand, their fingers twining and hands grasping at each other atop his baby bump.

It’s all he can bring himself to do and Aerglo accepts this, respects xyr mate and his wishes even as xe worries for him and their child.

“I love you, Caelum,” Aerglo whispers.

“Love you too,” Caelum breathes softly, eyes fluttering closed as he lets himself fall asleep.

And while he sleeps, xe rubs xyr mate’s swollen belly, raising a brow when the baby rolls and kicks at xyr palm yet again.  Despite xyr worry, it brings a small smile to xyr face.  The baby stretching in there, cozy and warm and safe.  Another kick and a small hand reaching out and pressing against xyrs.

Aerglo doesn’t change forms.

Xe stays as human as xe can for xyr mate’s comfort, until Caelum is finally ready to tell xem who hurt him.

•●•●•

Caelum paces nervously, six months pregnant and feeling bloated and just generally big and uncomfortable.

“It will be alright,” Aerglo assures.

Caelum faces his mate, biting his bottom lip.  He trusts Aerglo, of course he does.  He just can’t explain it.

Aerglo seems to be under constant scrutiny, especially after refusing to change into xyr original form and instead maintain the pretense of being human.  It has irked many on board, many who detest humans for how weak they are and it’s truly given both Caelum and Aerglo insight on the ship’s opinions.

But Aerglo had stood firm and they bowed to xem regardless.

Now Aerglo looks all the more affirming despite being heads shorter.  Xe almost looks regal and Caelum wonders if Aerglo is really just a captain.

Those thoughts, however, disappear when a knock to their room interrupts them.

An alien, the alien that had antagonized Caelum, appears.

Caelum falls silent, head bowed and eyes downcast as they step through the threshold.

Aerglo notices and xyr jaw ticks.  So this is the one who has hurt xyr mate.

“My captain,” the alien bows, “we have arrived.”

Aerglo nods, coldly saying, “dismissed.”

The alien looks at xyr captain in surprise before bowing once more and stomping out the room.

“It is xem, is it not,” Aerglo states when they’re finally alone again.

Caelum’s bright eyes look up at xem in his own surprise.  His lips part but he doesn’t negate it.

“What did xe do?” Aerglo demands.

“No-Nothing,” Caelum lies.

But Aerglo hears the lie in the way xyrs mate’s heart skips a beat.

Xe approaches xyr mate and sighs, “if xe hurt you, I must know.”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Caelum mumbles, hand cradling his underbelly, “not right now… we’re here right, so we should go… I… I’ll tell you later, after you help your people and-”

“And I would feel better if my mate would tell me now,” Aerglo interrupts, but xe understands, “I respect your decision, but if anyone or anything upsets you, please do not hesitate to tell me, love.”

Caelum nods, pouting as he stares at the floor, huffing when he can’t see his feet.

Aerglo, resigned, presses a kiss to plump pouty lips.

An incessant knock interrupt once again and they know they can’t stay here any longer.

They’re waiting.

Aerglo takes off xyr cape, and clasps it over Caelum’s thin shoulders.  Wide eyes looking up at xem and making Aerglo smile at the adorable sight.  Xyr cape nearly swallowing Caelum’s frame and effectively hiding his baby bump.

They open the door and walk hand in hand until they reach the corridor filled with aliens and humans alike.  All just a bit ansty and awaiting for the main ship’s door to open.

Caelum squeezes Aerglo’s hand tightly.

“Will it hurt?” Caelum asks.

“It’ll be difficult, it might even burn, but you’ll get used to it.”

“Okay,” Caelum whispers.

And he can’t help himself as he hugs Aerglo tightly.

“I’ll find you as soon as I’m done reporting,” Aerglo promises, “and I’ll show you my world, show both of you to my world.”

Caelum smiles at that, “we’ll wait for you.”

Aerglo hesitates, but xe lets go of Caelum and makes to stand at the head of the procession with xyr closest comrades and soldiers.

And breathing one last time, the doors open revealing a bright white light.

eerht-ytnewt

It hurts.

It burns to breathe.

And he’s blinded.

His eyes ache from the strain, so much so, that he’s forced to shut them tightly.

A warm hand is placed on his back, rubbing soothing circles and gently coaching him to breathe.

It takes a while, long drawn out minutes that feel like hours before he can take in a deep breath without it feeling like his lungs are burning and drying out.

And the light dims until it’s bearable to look out.

He’s left in awe at the sight.

Aliens of different shapes and sizes, of varying colors and standing, gather around them.

It’s in the vibrancy of the crowd that he loses sight of Aerglo and a few other aliens, the ones closest to the Captain of the ship.

An elbow to his side draws his attention and he stares wide eyed as aliens bow to them, to him .

“I.. wha?” Caelum manages a bit hoarsely.

“After any mission, they bow to us humans,” Angie says.

“Why?” Caelum asks curiously.

She smiles, “because we do our job and everything in our capacity to ensure the ship runs smoothly, ensure that their loved ones return home after a long excursion.”

Caelum’s gaze flickers out to the applauding crowd.

“They’re not like the ones aboard.  They’re kinder and appreciative of our existence.”

Caelum looks up at that, “… They’re… kinder?”

“It’s all about the divide,” Dr. Vega adds as the graying doctor stands beside them, “the divide between the wealthy and the poor.  Much like on Earth, those who have less appreciate everything they’re presented with, even the people who offer help.  Likewise the rich, the ones who are privileged to explore other worlds, take everything for granted and believe they are bigger than anything else.”

And that explains so much, like why the ones on the ship regard them as so little, as filth.  But… What does that make Aerglo?  Xe’s captain, so even here xe must be important.

And they must see it written on his face because Angie says, “Aerglo seems to be a bit of an exception.”

Caelum knows.

Aerglo was… xe was so kind, so open.  Xe even fell in love with someone like him.  But if xe’s important, why is xe so different?

“Why?”  Caelum manages to ask.

“Aerglo is humble,” Dr. Vega answers, “because life was never easy on xem.  Xyrs mother died when xe was a considerably young age.”

“What about his dad?”

“Xyr sire was nonexistent and xyr bearer had given xyr life for xem.  But xe grew weak and died.”

Caelum frowns, placing his hand on his swollen belly.  He didn’t know.  There’s so much he doesn’t know.

“Without explanation, the Ruling House of the Aixatarienos took xem in and the Royal Sire of All made sure Aerglo grew up fighting, training, to be the best soldier on the guard team.  Xe never went easy on Aerglo.  No favoritism.  In fact, xe was harsh and disciplined Aerglo with an iron fist.  It became worse when the Bearer of All passed away.  And on Aerglo’s coming of age, xe had immediately instructed xem to go on the mission to discover and bring back the poison that has killed so many in the ongoing war that I’m sure Aerglo has mentioned.”

Caelum nods.  He knows about the war.  He just doesn’t know why it started, why it’s still raging on.

“But Aerglo doesn’t seem so… so bad,” the younger says.

“Because despite being mistreated by everyone, despite being crushed and beaten by the weight of responsibility, Aerglo has always had a kind spirit.  But when xe’s angry, when you get can going,” Angie says, “xe is a force to be reckoned with.  Xe’s the youngest Captain and Head Soldier of the guard team, but Captain Aerglo is one of the most dangerous and deadly guard to exist.”

“If I’m correct,” Dr. Vega adds, “Aerglo is now just as dangerous, if not more so, than the Ruling Sire of Atabilefens.”

Caelum’s lips part in surprise as a shiver runs down his spine.  He doesn’t know how to feel, what he does know is that it’s all too much.  Everything is so new, so different, and everything he’s learned from the being he loves is a bit overwhelming.  Not to mention that he feels sticky and clammy, ankles swollen from standing so long.

Angie notices, “Come on.  We have strict instructions to show you to your rooms.”

Caelum wants to breathe in relief.  And he nearly does, until he sees Angie leading him to the biggest, most extravagant, palace ever erected in the universe.  The palace belonging to someone of power.  Someone like the Ruling House.

He gulps and only now realizes they are being escorted by a regiment of soldiers to said palace.

•●•●•

The doors open before Aerglo and xe strides in like xe commands the place.

Everyone stops and stares, many gaping in awe.  Xe knows xe exudes power, it’s how xe was raised.  And xe knows xe is the center of attention.

Without waiting for their ruler to acknowledge xem, xe takes out a plant with a gloved hand. 

An innocent flower.

A deadly floret.

ruof-ytnewt

Caelum looks around the room in awe.  It’s huge, enormous, fit for a king.  The drapes shimmer in silver with the rising moons, the king-sized bed looking comfortable but too cold and empty.  He sighs, hand rubbing his belly as the baby moves.

His steps echo as he approaches the bed.  His nimble fingers struggle with the clasp of Aerglo’s cape, but he manages to shrug it off, the expensive silk cloth pooling at his feet.

With a small huff of exhaustion he leans down to pick it up.  He folds it neatly and places it on foot of the bed and it’s then that the door opens.

His heart skips a beat, expecting to see Aerglo, but finding an unfamiliar alien step through the threshold.

The alien bows at him before carrying in a tray of food.  The tray is placed on top of the desk by the large window letting in the moonlights.

“Enjoy,” the thin alien rasps.

“Th-Thank you,” Caelum says.

With another bow, the alien leaves and the door closes with a click.

Caelum wanders curiously toward the desk.

The tray is piled with food.

Meats cooked thoroughly with a dark red sauce, grains and veggies still steaming and hot.  Beside the meats are plates of fruits, of grapes and slices of what seem like apples but sweeter, juicier, and seedy.

He’s skeptical to try new food, food so foreign and out of his world.

But his belly grumbles and his nose twitches with the sweet yet savory smells.  His mouth practically waters at the sight.

“Hungry?”

Caelum jumps in surprise, wide eyes turning to face Aerglo.  The alien looks weary and exhausted, skin a bit pale, but xyr smile genuine.  He hadn’t even heard xem come in.

“Aer!”

Xe laughs as Caelum hugs xem tightly, “are you alright, my little ones.”

“We’re okay,” Caelum nods, burying his face in xyr broad chest, “we just missed you.”

Aerglo’s arms tighten around him before xe let’s him go.

Xe pulls out the chair for Caelum, going in search for another.

Caelum watches as Aerglo’s arm bulges when xe drags a seat right next to his.  The top buttons of xyr collar undone and hair a bit messy, as if xe’s pulled at it in frustration.

“Are you okay?” Caelum asks gently.

“Hm? Yes, I am fine,” Aerglo nods.

Caelum looks at his lap, or what he can see of it, and waits for Aerglo to dig in.  He’s suddenly not that hungry.

He just knows that whatever is bugging his mate is because of him.

Aerglo sighs, “eno elttil, look at me.”

Caelum obeys and looks up at xem.

“Nothing is wrong.  It’s just the sudden realization that this war is almost over, but until it is, I will always worry for you and your safety.  Both of you are my world, and I can’t risk losing you, either of you,” Aerglo admits.

“There’s something else… right?”

Aerglo laughs, leaning in and kissing his forehead, “you know me too well, love.”

“I do,” Caelum blushes.

Xe sighs softly, “Despite our mission being a success, the Royal Sire isn’t too happy with me.”

“Why?  You did everything they asked of you, you found and brought back the poison.  You nearly died because of it!”

“Deep breathes, eno elttil,” Aerglo smiles, “the Royal Sire simply dislikes that I’ve taken this form, xe believes that this is a sign of weakness and thus, this is what we’re presenting to our enemy.  Weakness.”

“All because you’re…” He trails off.

Because

you’re

human , is left unsaid.

Caelum breathes deeply then, “You can change back.. maybe you should change back.”

Caelum closes his eyes when Aerglo begins to change into xyr original form.

His eyes flutter open and his heart skyrockets at the sight.  When Aerglo reaches out, he flinches.  He can’t help it.

Aerglo coils back as if burned and frowns. Xe knows Caelum is still afraid.  Whoever hurt him leaving a scar of fear in his mind.  It angers xem.

And xe is about to switch back to xyr human form when Caelum slowly reaches out with a trembling hand.  His hand is warm, skin soft, as he cups Aerglo’s cheek.

“I’m okay,” Caelum whispers, “we’re okay.”

And Aerglo has never been more proud of xyr mate, of xyr strong little mate.

“I love you,” Caelum continues softly, “whether you’re in this form or another, I will always love you.”

Aerglo purrs, smiling at Caelum, “I love you too, eno elttil ym.”

evif-ytnewt

Caelum wanders the halls of the palace, humming softly to himself with his hand on his belly and feeling the baby kick against his palm.

He stops at a giant window, the scenery different from the view in their room.

Outside he can see people walking about the palace, some seeming like they’re paying respects while others search for guidance.

He sighs.

He woke up alone in a cold and empty bed, Aerglo gone and in xyr place a little note of apology.

He only managed to wander the palace after throwing up, after eating breakfast by himself, with his only company being their baby sleeping inside of him.

At least he managed to eat something like oatmeal, more earthy but sweeter, and to his surprise, he managed to stomach it.

“Kcab thguorb sah Aerglo namuh eht era uoy, os.”

Caelum looks up at the alien startled.

The alien is old, xyr age showing through few laugh lines and smiles and more through crinkles of stress and worry.

Xe scrutinizes him and he feels small, smaller than before.  He immediately tries to cover his belly with the cloak he stole from Aerglo, his mate’s scent still woven into the soft fabric.  But he’s not slick and the alien notices.

Xe’s eyes widen in surprise, lips drawn down in displeasure.

Caelum stops breathing.

“A child,” the regal alien finally speaks, “ You

carry a child… xyr

child.“

Caelum doesn’t know how to answer.  He can see the displeasure on the alien’s face and he’s struck by fear.  Hadn’t Aerglo mention their baby?

“Citehtap, sselthrow, namuh,” xe spits.

Caelum doesn’t need to know what xe says in order to understand that it isn’t anything good.  He almost wants to cower from xyr angry eyes.

“Caelum?”

Caelum looks behind the Royal, breath hitching when he finds Aerglo slightly breathless.

Aerglo is fast to approach them, to step between them and protect xyr love and child.

“Diputs os eb uoy dluoc woh?” The royal demands angrily.

Aerglo frowns.

“ Namuh a etam ot sa diputs os!“

Caelum flinches, hiding behind Aerglo and gripping xyr shirt tightly in fear.

“Who I chose to mate and love is none of your concern,” Aerglo states firmly.

There’s no need to hide what’s being said, Caelum isn’t stupid and Aerglo values him and respects him too much to speak about him as if he’s not there.

“You took me in and I will always be grateful for that, but your opinion on who I mate is none of your concern.”

“It is when a child is involved!”

“ My child,“ Aerglo grits, hands turning into fists, “my child is not a ploy and I’ll be damned if you ever lay your hands on them.  They will live free without your scrutiny and harshness.”

“A child so weak will never survive here.  You’ve made a grave mistake mating a huma n and thinking you could conceive a child with it.”

“ Him ,“ Aerglo stresses, “he is a person and his name is Caelum.”

Caelum peeks over Aerglo, wide teary eyes glistening in the sunlight streaming from the windows.

The royal growls and finally settles on, “this is your mess, you fix it.”

Xe turns with a flourish of a long rich red and gold cape trailing behind xem.  One of the guards that had accompanied xem, following right behind, lips sealed, mute but hand on xyr hilt.

And when it’s just them, Caelum feels like he can breathe again.

“Are you alright?” Aerglo asks.

“Hates me,” Caelum whispers in shock, “they all do.”

“Hate no, perhaps they feel confusion and displeasure.  I’m not trying to provide xem excuses, but you must remember, my little one, that relationships other than the ones within our own kind are taboo.  And the conception of our child was unexpected and rare.  You must also understand that xe… that there’s misconceptions about humans, about their weakness.  Xe believes you make me weak, you are a liabity and in this time it’s not something we need.  But you are not that.  You are not my weakness, but my strength.  I love you, I always will and I’ve vowed and will continue to do so again and again, to protect you. Always.”

Aerglo bends down on xyr knees and presses a kiss to Caelum’s round belly before hugging him tight.

“I’m not as strong as you,” Caelum admits softly.

Aerglo smiles, “no, you are far stronger.”

Caelum blushes and rolls his eyes, but cups Aerglo’s cheeks tenderly, “I’ll protect you too, Aerglo.”

And when they kiss, it’s like kissing for the first time again.

xis-ytnewt

Caelum stares out the window of their room, feet propped up on a small mountain of pillows.  He’s sleepy, tired, and wants nothing more than to nap.  But he can’t sleep.  The baby kicks restlessly in his belly and he tries humming softly to them, to try and get them to sleep.  It doesn’t work.  They wriggle and turn and kick and stretch.

He sighs.

The sun is dipping into the horizon and bright stars are beginning to twinkle in the distance.  Aerglo has been busy and each night he’s been coming home later and later.

Caelum doesn’t even think about going out of their rooms again, not even to go in search of his mate.

He’s resigned to spend his time locked in their room, just until their baby is born, until he feels safe.

“Cael?”

Caelum’s face brightens at the sight of Aerglo, his heart skipping a beat as his mate approaches him.

“You’re here,” he breathes, smile wide.

“I am,” Aerglo grins, pressing a kiss to Caelum’s unsuspecting lips, “the Royal wants us to join xem for dinner.”

“O-oh,” Caelum stammers, lips still tingling from the kiss.

So, he’ll have dinner by himself again.

His smile falls and Aerglo notices, “my eno elttil, xe wants us to join xem.  You and me.”

“Re-Really?”

Aerglo nods, “yes.”

Caelum looks lost.  The Royal wants to have dinner them them? With him ?  He doesn’t even have anything to wear aside from Aerglo’s clothes which are starting to fit too tight on his baby bump.

“Are you sure?” Caelum asks.

“Yes,” Aerglo repeats, gently pulling Caelum from his perch.

Caelum relies solely on Aerglo’s help, too heavy and achy at seven and a half months pregnant.

“Thank you… But I… I don’t know what to wear..”

Aerglo smiles at him, pulling him toward the closet.

The door opens easily and Aerglo grabs something Caelum can’t quite see.

He’s speechless, however, when be finally catches a glimpse of the soft fabric.

It’s simple, but at the same time looks so soft.  A dark blue tunic is paired with black stretchy pants resembling leggings and a blue-gray cloak embroidered with silver is clasped over the shoulders.

“Is.. That’s for me?”

“Yes,” Aerglo grins, “it is.  It’s for your comfort and not as constricting like my own clothes are starting to fit.”

Caelum traces his fingers over the soft fabric in awe, “I… okay.”

Aerglo watches as Caelum shyly changes, revealing soft pale flesh bit by bit.

When he has to take of his shirt he gets shy, but Aerglo doesn’t mind.

Xe stands and reaches for Caelum’s shirt, tugging it gently off of his body.

Caelum’s breath hitches when Aerglo kneels before him, lips kissing his rounded belly, just on a few red stretch marks peeking through.

“You are beautiful, so breathtaking, and so mine .”

Caelum gets flustered at the reverent comments and lets Aerglo help him change, although Aerglo prefers viewing Caelum’s supple flesh.

“Thanks,” Caelum blushes.

Aerglo fastens the clasp of the cape and stands back to drink up the sight of xyr gorgeous mate.

“I… we should go… right?” Caelum whispers.

Aerglo nods, but makes no move toward the door, not until xe pulls Caelum close, “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Caelum smiles, cheeks a healthy rosy hue.

They walk hand in hand toward the dining hall, both ignoring the stares they get as they pass through.

The guards posted on either sides of the double doors open them and they cross the threshold with a quiet thank you.

Aerglo bows to the head of the table were the Royal waits and Caelum does the same a bit clumsily.

His heart skyrockets when he realizes they’re going to sit right next to the Royal’s place.

Aerglo pulls out the chair for him and he takes a seat, giving xem a grateful little smile.  Aerglo sits in between him and the Royal. 

The Royal notices.

“So glad you could join us,” xe says causally, eyes boring into Caelum’s.

Caelum’s gaze flits between Aerglo and Royal Canopus before he coughs a bit awkwardly, “uh, thank you for having me?”

That seems to be the right answer because before he knows it, the room fills with lively chatter.

Caelum tears his eyes from Royal Canopus when he feels a light squeeze on his thigh.  He takes a deep breath and tries to calm down his racing heart.  He’s okay, they’re okay.

But they’re not.

He doesn’t know what possesses him to look up, but when he does, he finds xem .  The alien from the ship.

He tenses.

Xe is looking at him, glaring at him, and he shrinks back.  He doesn’t want to cause a scene, he doesn’t want to panic.  He’s safe, Aerglo’s right beside him.  They’re

safe… right?

“Shall we begin?”

The food is brought out in an instant, human servants bringing out plates upon plates.

Caelum can’t help but stare, especially when he catches sight of a little girl helping with a tray of drinks.

She trips over herself and without thinking he reaches out, steadying her with an easy smile and taking the tray from her little hands.

An adult approaches them, bowing and apologizing profusely for the spill.

The alien across from him sets down a cup before him.

Caelum looks at xem surprised.

“They’ll bring out more to replace the spilled ones.  So, please have mine,” xe explains easily, offering a small smile that doesn’t quite reach xyr eyes.

“Thank you,” Caelum whispers.

The Royal begins, eyes sharp as xe notes the stiff interaction between them.

Aerglo notices too and xe just knows xyr comrade is the one who hurt xyr mate.

But xe won’t say anything, won’t do anything, not yet.  Right now xyrs focus is on Caelum.

Xe gives Caelum’s thigh another light squeeze, one of reassurance and love.

Caelum looks at Aerglo, relief flooding through him and he quickly tucks into his food, humming around a forkful of juicy and savory meat without another thought.  It tastes like home.

He gives Aerglo a reassuring smile before reaching for his cup.

But it barely touches his lips before Royal Canopus stops him.

“Your cup,” xe says, standing up with xyr hand outstretched, “hand it to me.”

Chattering fills the room, whispers of curiosity and surprise following the order.

Caelum reluctantly stands with Aerglo’s help before waddling towards the head of the table and giving the Royal the cup of fruit infused water.

The Royal takes a sip and sits back down, motioning for a servant to hand Caelum another, “sit, eat, enjoy.”

Caelum nods.

He’s confused just as everyone else is.

And no one seems to notice the alien’s wide eyes of shock and fear.

No one, except the Royal.

neves-ytnewt

When the Royal finishes xyr drink, xe sees the blue flower sunken to the bottom.  Xe doesn’t say a word, simply watches how Aerglo and Caelum interact and xe knows xe did the right thing.

●•●•●

Dinner went better than planned if only a bit awkward at the beginning.

But both Aerglo and Caelum are more than glad to return to the privacy of their room.

Aerglo kisses Caelum, slow and sweet. It’s a bit awkward with the height difference, but they make it work.

And when Aerglo presses Caelum to the large window, he loses himself to the touch, to the feel of xem. He gasps and moans, whimpering as Aerglo devours him so completely.

He’s lost in pleasure.

In the moment.

He’s missed this, missed being so close and intimate with his mate. Even being in the same room it still felt as if they were miles and stars away.

“Love you,” he chokes out, “I love you Aer.”

“I love you too, evol ym,” Aerglo whispers, voice low and raspy, full of adoration and sincerity.

It makes Caelum cry as he orgasms.

•●•●•

Three days later and everything changes.

Aerglo frowns in xyr sleep, brow scrunched up when loud knocking sounds at their door.

Xe sits up, gaze landing on Caelum who snores softly beside xem.

Xe thinks xe’s dreaming until the knocking persists.  Urgent and loud.

Carefully xe slips out of bed, tucking Caelum in so nobody can see his debauched and thoroughly pleased body.

Xe opens the door wearily and comes face to face with a royal guard.

Xyr face is stricken with panic as xe pants breathless, “Royal Canopus is dying.”

Aerglo freezes.

It’s like cold water was poured of xem and xe can’t breathe.  It doesn’t make sense.

Is… what?

It’s Caelum’s hand tugging at xyr arm that snaps xem out of it.

“You’re supposed to be sleeping,” Aerglo says dumbly.

“Who could sleep when Royal Canopus is dying,” Caelum replies softly, trying to keep his voice down.

Caelum had woken up to the bright light of the sun and the missing weight of Aerglo’s arm around his waist.

Those words weren’t meant for him to hear, but when he had seen Aerglo tense, seen xem shut down, he had to act.  He barely covered up before he approached Aerglo and grabbed xyr arm.

Now they follow the guard to the Royal wing of the palace, Caelum trying to keep up with the brisk pace as he waddles.

In any other time Aerglo would admire the sway of his hips, but xyr heart is still racing and xyr mind is numb and blank.

The doors open to the Royal chambers and in bed is Canopus, skin ashen and body becoming frail and bony.  The stench of death drenching the room.

Caelum stops, slightly breathless with swollen ankles aching.

“You came,” Canopus whispers, voice raspy.

Aerglo nods, voice seeming to fail xem.

Xe’s never been open with the Royal.  Xe’s grateful that xe was taken in, of course, but they were never on great terms.  If anything, Aerglo only felt like a pawn.

“As you can see, I do not have much time left,” Canopus begins with a nasty cough.

Caelum peers around Aerglo, wincing at the rales that shake through the Royal’s chest.

“I need to,” xe pauses with a shuddering breath, “I need to tell you something.  I need to apologize.”

“Apologize?” Aerglo whispers confused.

“To your mate,” the alien nods, “and to you, nos ym.”

Aerglo freezes, xe tenses at those words and Caelum wishes he knew what xe said.

Aerglo gives a small disbelieving laugh, “Nos?”

But the sick Royal isn’t laughing and Caelum missed the punch line.

“Yrros ma I,” Canopus says, shame coloring xyr dying voice.

“You’re lying,” Aerglo accuses.

Caelum can’t help but elbow Aerglo.  You just don’t say that to someone who’s dying .

Aerglo spares him a glance, eyes full of tears.  Of anger.  Of hurt.

“Yrros os ma I.”

“No,” Aerglo says in horror, “this is all a cruel joke.”

“Hsiw I,” Canopus rasps, “I wish I hadn’t hurt you so.”

“You can’t be,” Aerglo grits, “my bearer-”

“I loved xem,” Canopus admits, “but-”

“Xe wasn’t your mate, your royal companion,” Aerglo finishes, “and you tossed xem aside.”

“I didn’t,” xe insists, “I had offered xem everything, I loved xem.”

Caelum is starting to piece it together, bit by bit, and his heart breaks.

“You abandoned us!”

“Xe left!  Xe left with your existence hidden from me!  And when I finally found you, when I finally learned of you, it was too late .”

“So you thought you could make it better by taking me in?  By treating me like your pawn and using me!  By being harsh and cold when all I needed was my sire and not a cruel stranger!”

Canopus flinches as another cough wracks through xyr body.

Caelum squeezes Aerglo’s hand tight and that helps ground xem, helps bring xem back.

Immediately the fight leaves xyr tense body.

“I did all that to train you, to prepare you for life,” Canopus reasons.

“You only managed to push me away, to make me lose respect for you.  My bearer had said so much about you, had adored you, and would’ve painted you the moons and stars.  But xe died because of you.”

“I wish it hadn’t come to that.  I wish I hadn’t lost xem either,” Canopus admits.

“But you couldn’t just stop make-pretend with your late Royal Bearer,” Aerglo huffs, “In the end you chose to forget my bearer in exchange for your wealth and power.  Typical.”

“ Y

rros ma I,“ xe stresses, “but whether you like it or not, you are my rieh .”

An alien steps through the door with documents in hand and it’s then that it become too much, too real.

Aerglo wishes the next words wouldn’t have come out of the Royal’s, his sire’s, mouth.

“Upon my death,” Canopus states, “you will become Royal Halcyon and your mate will rule beside you.”

thgie-ytnewt

Aerglo buries his face in the crook of Caelum’s neck, taking in a deep shuddering breath as xe tries to calm down.

They wait in silence, Aerglo holding onto Caelum a bit tighter.

Caelum doesn’t complain, he simply holds xem through the storm raging inside xem, warm hands running through soft hair.

And when the bell rings…

Once.

Twice.

Three times..

Caelum feels the first hot tear land on his skin.

Royal Canopus is dead.

Xe’s gone.

Caelum can’t help but swallow past the lump in his throat. He knows Aerglo is hurting. It’s so unfair, so cruel to do this to xem.

Aerglo cries.

For a moment xe shows weakness and all Caelum can do is wrap his arms around xem, hold xem closer to his heart even as the baby kicks between them.

Aerglo cries, until xe can’t.

Until xe feels numb.

A knock lands upon their door when the sun is long gone, but neither make a move to and eventually they leave.

“He was poisoned,” Caelum whispers, “wasn’t he?”

“Sey,” Aerglo nods.

Caelum frowns, “that was meant for me…”

Aerglo doesn’t answer but they both know.

“I’ll find xem, the ones responsible,” Aerglo promises.

Caelum sighs, pressing a kiss to Aerglo’s warm forehead, “we’re okay, we’re safe.”

•●•●•

Aerglo reluctantly accepts the role of Royal Sire, but this means more work, more planning and tactics. This means that Caelum and their baby are far from safe, especially when the traitor escaped to who knows where.

It also means there’s instability between the realm with the shift in power, many questioning Aerglo simply because xe is mated to Caelum.

Xe doesn’t let the comments get to xem and neither does Caelum.

Aerglo admires Caelum as he sleeps peacefully on his side, belly round and heavy with their baby, shirt stretched over the warm full mound.

“Stop staring,” Caelum mumbles tiredly.

Aerglo smiles, hand resting on the nine-month bump. He’s due any day now and Aerglo can’t help but worry despite the excitement. Caelum feels the same.

“You are breathtaking,” Aerglo whispers reverently.

The soft praises of love and adoration make Caelum blush, cheeks tinting red as he gives Aerglo a small smile.

“Are you coming back early?”

“The spies are returning and I have a meeting with the elders and generals. I’ll try to come back soon,” Aerglo explains.

Caelum sighs, “I know you’re working hard, I know we’re so close to ending this, but sleep, rest. Come back to me when you’re tired and exhausted, it’s not good to push yourself.”

“Likewise, eno elttil ym,” Aerglo nods, nuzzling his neck, “rest and take care of yourself.”

Reluctantly, Aerglo slips out of bed and changes. Xe has taken xyr human form, refusing to change back and he’s used to the sight of his mate, human or alien, xe hasn’t changed.

Aerglo leaves without breakfast and finally Caelum can breathe.

His back aches, but he chalks it up to sleeping wrong. Except it gets worse and slightly unbearable as the hours drag on.

It’s to the point where each new wave of pain leaves him breathless and panting.

But he keeps quiet.

He muffles his whines of pain and hides the grimace that follows.

He hides it until he can’t, until his legs give up and warm liquid soaks through his leggings.

He stares in shock, heart racing.

It’s… It’s really happening.

He stands up on trembling legs and barely manages to reach the door, hand shaking so bad as as he yanks it open.

The guards posted startle in surprise, eyes widening when they take in the appearance of their Royal Bearer, pale and clammy.

“Get Dr. Vega,” Caelum chokes out, “hurry.”

The guards act fast.

One bolts in the direction of the medical wing while the other helps guide him to bed where the bedding is ripped off to expose white sheets.

“Thank you,” Caelum gasps, practically writhing.

The alien looks a bit lost, a bit pale, and a bit terrified. Xe looks exactly like Caelum feels.

“I’m okay,” he reassures, “we’re okay, just go-”

He stops for a moment, breathing through a harsh contraction, “go tell Aerglo, go tell him he’s about to be a dad.”

The alien nods, hurrying out the room as soon as Dr. Vega steps through.

“Ready to meet your little one?” He asks.

There’s only one answer Caelum can give, “yes.”

enin-ytnewt

A/N: Hello everyone! Quick question, does anyone have suggestions on the baby’s gender or want to give a suggestion on a name?  If so, please leave a comment!

I know it’s short, but I hope you enjoy! 🤗

●•●•●

Beads of sweat roll down Caelum’s brow as he pushes, he’s tired and achy and just plain exhausted.

But the contractions don’t stop, they’re one on top of another and he hurts

.   He just wants to close his eyes and sleep.

“One more,” Dr. Vega insists.

Caelum whimpers, he can’t.

He slumps against the pile of pillows and sobs.  He wants Aerglo, wants his mate.

“Caelum,” Dr. Vega panics.

“Want him, want my mate,” Caelum whispers hoarsely.

It’s then that the door bursts open against the protest of many.  Aerglo strides in and hurries to Caelum’s side, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

“I’m here, evol ym,” xe reassures.

Caelum reaches for xyr hand, squeezing it as he pushes.

Aerglo bites xyr lip.  Xe knows xe broke tradition by entering the room, but Caelum needed xem.

“You can do it, love.  You’re so close to holding our baby,” Aerglo praises, “you’re so amazing.”

With another push he feels the baby slide out.  He’s left panting and sweaty with teary eyes shut tightly in pain.

And they hear it.

A small wail breaking the tense silence of the room.

When Caelum looks up, he can just make up the sight of their baby being swaddled, little fists refusing to stay down as the baby curls up.

They’re cold and angry and hungry.

Caelum, weak and pale, reaches for the baby.  The first tear of many rolling down his flushed cheek.

They’re so tiny, so perfect.

But something’s not right.

“Aer,” he calls hoarsely

Aerglo sits beside him, carefully taking the small bundle in xyr arms.

Xe admires the round little face, red and scrunched up.

Xe is about to tell Caelum how much xe loves him when xe notices Caelum’s shallow breathing, a puddle of red slowly growing around him.

Aerglo panics as xe shakes Caelum.

Caelum can’t keep his eyes focused, but Aerglo looks good with their baby in xyr arms.

“Stay with me,” Aerglo says.

“’m tired,” Caelum mumbles, “Want to sleep.  I know you’ll take care of our baby… I love you…”

“No!” Aerglo shouts, “Caelum!”

Dr. Vega immediately returns, wanting to help with the hemorrhage but not knowing where to start.

There’s so much blood and the baby begins crying, wailing inconsolably as Aerglo watches in shock as xe loses xyr mate.

ytriht

Aerglo is too afraid to hold the baby, afraid of losing them like xe nearly lost xyr mate.  But the baby is demanding, tiny hands outstretched and begging to be picked up as they cry softly.

A tired and pained groan from the bed immediately draws xyr attention.

Aerglo can’t help but breathe in relief.

He’s been gone for too long, comatose as his body healed the worst of the damage.

He’s tired and disoriented, but aliv e.

And Aerglo can’t help but hold him close, hug him tight.

“Aer?”

“They’re here,” Aerglo whispers.

Caelum knows.  Aside from feeling so empty , he can hear the little sounds of indignation and anger coming from the white bassinet pressed by their bed on his side.

He wants to look, to hold them, but he doesn’t want to let go of Aerglo just yet.

He doesn’t want to stop when he knows Aerglo is so scared of letting him go.

“I’m okay,” he whispers, “I’m sorry, Aer, sorry I scared you.”

“’s okay, you’re okay.”

Aerglo closes xyr eyes, xe can still see Caelum, growing weak and pale, breathing slowing to a stop as he bled out.  It was a sight xe never wants to remember.

Losing him…

Xe’s lost too many people.

Aerglo shakes xyr head from those memories, and forces xemself to let go.

Immediately, Caelum misses xyr warmth, but he can’t help but peer over the laced edge of the baby cot. 

Inside, he finds the tiniest of newborns, kicking and whining, bottom lip trembling and close to tears.

Caelum looks up at Aerglo, “can I hold them?”

“Yes,” Aerglo nods, “of course you can hold him, evol.”

Aerglo is still scared of picking up the baby, still scared of hurting him, but the light weight feels good.  Like it belongs there.

Caelum’s own arms ache.

“He hasn’t eaten,” Aerglo informs, “hasn’t wanted to eat, but Dr. Vega says he’s fine.  Small but healthy.”

Caelum frowns.  He’s so light, so tiny.  The sight makes his heart ache .

Aerglo helps Caelum maneuver the baby, carefully slipping off his shirt until his chest is exposed.  They help their little one latch on and he eats hungrily, tiny fist curled on his chest as he nuzzle and drinks.  Aerglo sits behind Caelum until xyrs arms help hold the baby when Caelum gets weak.

“Halo,” Caelum whispers suddenly, “his name.”

Caelum looks behind him, quietly searching for Aerglo’s gaze, for xyr approval.

“Halo Novak-Halcyon,” Aerglo smiles, pressing a kiss to his head before kissing Halo as well.

Royal Heir Halo Novak-Halcyon.

eno-ytriht

Halo isn’t even a month old when Aerglo needs to leave, needs to go to the Atabilefens in hopes of ending the war once and for all, especially after xe discovered Crucis’ whereabouts.

Caelum frowns at the news, he doesn’t want to let go of Aerglo, not when their baby is still so little, so young.

But he realizes he can’t put a stop to it because as a Royal, Aerglo has to put everyone’s safety first and foremost.

“You’ll come back.. right?”

“Yes,” Aerglo smiles reassuringly, “we are not the only ones going through a power shift, and the new Ruler of Atabilefen wants to meet.  Xe and xyr people are tired of the war as much as we are.”

“New Ruler?”

“The old Ruler retired and appointed xyr crowned heir as the new commander, new Royal.”

“Do you know anything about them?  Are they nice or… or cruel?  How can you be sure it’s not a trap or lies?” Caelum demands.

“I only know as much information as our spies have gathered,” Aerglo admits.

“But that means you’re going in blind!”

Aerglo hugs him tightly, or as tight as xe dares with their precious bundle in Caelum’s arms, “I promise, I will be safe.  I will come back.”

“What if things don’t go as planned?”

“Then at least I can try Crucis for treason.”

“Crucis?”

“The alien that hurt you, that tried to poison you and our baby, xyr name is Crucis.”

“That means that they’re… they…”

“They fled to Atabilefen,” Aerglo nods, “once the situation is explained, I’m sure they’ll let me bring back that traitor so we can try them and give the correct punishment for killing the Royal.”

Caelum doesn’t like that, doesn’t like the idea of Aerglo anywhere close to that alien.  But he needs to realize that Aerglo is more than capable of taking care of xemself.

“When do you leave?”

“Tomorrow,” Aerglo answers, voice sheepish.

The answer comes like a blow, “so soon…”

“I know, my eno elttil,” Aerglo whispers, cupping Caelum’s cheek, “But the sooner the better.”

“Okay,” Caelum sighs, “yeah, okay.”

●•●•●

The following day is torture for Caelum as he watches Aerglo pack.  The sun hasn’t even risen yet and the only light is that of the moons.

He should still be resting, recovering, but he’ll be damned if he doesn’t get to see his mate off.

“You shouldn’t be up,” Aerglo reprimands when xe notices Caelum.

“I wanted to see you go,” Caelum frowns, “I wanted to say goodbye.”

“It’s better if you stay, if you rest,” Aerglo sighs.

Caelum’s heart breaks a little but he concedes with a small nod, “okay.”

Aerglo’s own heart constricts at the sight and xe leans down to kiss Caelum with everything xe has, “I love you.”

“Promise you’ll come back?”

“I promise.”

And when Aerglo leaves, he feels nothing but emptiness.

Halo begins to fuss in his cot and Caelum gladly takes the distraction, choosing to tend to their baby to fill the sudden hole in his heart.

“Don’t worry,” he murmurs gently, rocking Halo after changing his diaper, “your sire will be back soon.  He promised.”

owt-ytriht

Many follow the arriving party with untrusting eyes.

Aerglo is unbothered.  Xe is used to it, has grown up in the eyes of judgment.

Silently, xe approaches the Ruler Thuban with xyr head held high, both sharing nods of acknowledgement when they’re finally face-to-face.  Xe immediately notices that the space beside Thuban is empty.  But xe can’t help but notice thay xe’s good, has become and matured into a fine ruler.

Thuban gives xem a once over as well before leading the tired party inside the extravagant palace.

The meetings barely last three days.  Three days of their councils arguing with each other, back and forth without a sign of any form of agreement.  The hope of ending The war diminishing with each day.

Finally, Thuban puts a stops to it.  It’s ridiculous, childish, and time-consuming.  Xe can see Aerglo is tired as well.

So the last encounter stays solely between Aerglo and Thuban in the privacy of the throne room.

“I’m aware that you want to end this war as much as I do,” Thuban says.

“I do.”

“Are you willing to meet the demands of my people?”

“It’s been many years, centuries upon centuries, since our ancestors have fought this senseless war.  But even I know when it’s time to admit that we were in the wrong.  My own people will have to make do with our decision, so long as the fighting stops and we have a truce.”

“My people’s demand is the following: Reparations for the damages caused when they were enslaved,” Thuban says.

Aerglo agrees immediately.  After all the bullshit they’ve been through because some aliens felt entitled?  It’s only fair and it’ll probably never be enough, it’ll never truly right the wrongs that were done.

“Objections?”

“None, but I do need something in return.”

Aerglo knows xe’s treading on dangerous territory.  It’s been decades since they’ve seen one another, the last time they were even together was the day they saw each other in a different light.  There was hurt and betrayal, above all else, there was loss.  Aerglo doesn’t know, doesnt recognize, the person before xem.  Just as Thuban doesn’t know the hu man before xemself.

Regardless, Thuban gives xem the go ahead.

“There was a traitor among my court, someone who was unhappy and decided to do the unthinkable.  The power shift in my realm is unstable as you well know, and that is because it was sudden.  Royal Canopus was suddenly gone.”

“Traitor… do you mean..”

“Please, consider handing me the traitor that killed Canopus”

Thuban freezes.  Canopus was murdered ?

“Your sire?”  Xe frowns.

“Xe was many things, my sire was not one of them,” Aerglo mumbles bitterly.

The frown doesn’t leave, but xyr heart clenches for Aerglo, “xyr name?”

“Crucis.”

“We heard snippets of what happened and I’ll gladly hand the traitor over,” Thuban assures.

This should be enough, enough to satisfy both realms if only marginally for now.

In exchange for reparations, Aerglo gets the alien that killed their previous Royal, the alien that ruled with an iron fist but managed to keep the war at a stalemate with defense.

And suddenly Aerglo remembers, “The poison-”

“Is no longer in our possession,” Thuban admits, “I brought it here, but I’ve made the order never to use it again as warfare, especially when there was the hope of a truce.  It’ll be drawn up in our treaty and the plant is off limits whenever there’s an expedition.  It’s too dangerous, especially when there’s no antidote.”

“Thank you,” Aerglo breathes in relief, already thinking of destroying the garden infested with the flowers, “I’m glad we could agree on something.”

Things are still tense between them, their past still in their present, but for now it’s enough.

And when Aerglo leaves with a traitor in chains, xe doesn’t even notice the little stowaway stumbling onboard.

eerht-ytriht

Caelum shouldn’t be at the platform waiting for Aerglo among their people.

But he is.

He shifts his weight from side to side, waiting anxiously for xyr arrival.

He feels everyone’s curious gazes on him, many whispering excitedly when they notice that their heir was born.  And, to his surprise, they even form a little protective shield.

He gives them a small shy smile and he swears they coo .

It’s then, though, that the jet arrives with a gust of cooling air.

Caelum watches as the jet settles on the ground, small compared to the other crafts, but fancy and spacious inside.

Fit for a Royal and a handful of their Council.

And when the doors open, Caelum can’t help but hurry up the steps.  He hugs Aerglo tightly, surprisimg his mate before those arms embrace him back.

“Missed you,” Caelum mumbles.

“Barely a week and I missed you just as much if not more,” Aerglo grins, “where’s our little one?”

“Inside, sleeping,” Caelum smiles.

Their little reunion stops short when Aerglo steps in front of him as the others step off the ship.  His eyes are drawn to the alien in chains being tugged off.

Crucis doesn’t look up at the disapproving and hateful faces of the people xe betrayed.  Xyr head is down in shame, face colored red.  Xe knows xyr fate.

“We have reached the beginnings of peace,” Aerglo states, eyes glaring into the back of Crucis’ head, “a formal statement will be given tonight!”

The people can’t help but rejoice.

The promise of peace is becoming a reality!  No more war, no more blood shed!

“The battle at the northern border?” Caelum asks softly.

“Ruler Thuban and I have sent messengers, they should arrive by tomorrow’s sundown and we shall have our soldiers home by next week.”

Caelum breathes in relief.  It was one of the more gruesome battles, one that Aerglo was tempted to step in.  He’s glad that it’ll be over now.

But that’s when he catches sight of movement.

He frowns, “everyone is off the ship… right?”

Aerglo looks at the disappearing group of soldiers and council members pushing Crucis inside as people throw rotten food at the traitor.  Xe counts quickly and nods.

Then who was in the ship?

Caelum leaves the safety of Aerglo’s arms and explores the surrounding area of the jet.  The platform is built into the one of the gardens.  Greenery and exotic flowers and foliage grow here.

And in a puddle of mud from last night’s rain, covered by little leaves turning golden and red, he finds a little boy. 

Cyan eyes wide as tears roll down chubby cheeks.

His little shoulders shudder with his wracking sobs and Caelum’s heart clenches.

He approaches him cautiously, steps crunching on a few fallen twigs.

The sound draws the little boy’s attention, but he only cries harder.

“Dada!” He cries inconsolibly.

“Oh,” Caelum mumbles sadly, “are you lost?”

He gets no reply, just more tears.

Caelum is afraid to pick him up, but he finds it easy to do so.  The little boy immediately wraps his chubby arms around Caelum’s neck as he holds him, flushed face buried into Caelum’s sensitive chest.

Aerglo looks at them curiously, eyes straying to the strange boy in xyr mate’s arms.

“He’s lost,” Caelum whispers.

Aerglo carefully reaches out with a warm hand and ruffles the little boy’s soft baby hair.

The crying seems to stop and those blue tear filled eyes stare up at xem.

“It’s alright, little one,” Aerglo coos, “we’ll find your family.”

The little boy nods unsure and the crying stops.

“What’s your name?” Caelum asks.

“Luc,” he hiccups softly, “m’ name ’s Luca, but daddy call me Luc.”

Caelum and Aerglo share a look as Luca rests his head on Caelum’s shoulder.

ruof-ytriht

Caelum is with Luc and Halo in the garden, carefully bundled up as they walk through the path carved into stone.

Luc had stopped crying and had slowly opened up the first night in Aixatarieno.  His sadness practically melted away when he saw baby Halo sleeping in his cot.  There was a giddiness inside him that only managed to grow when Halo sleepily wrapped his little fingers around Luc’s thumb.

It was precious and within a week Luc had nestled into their home as Aerglo appointed soldiers to search for his parents within their realm.

But despite all their efforts, there was nothing nothing.  No one had lost a child, no one was looking.

And it’s around the time their soldiers should be arriving home when something happens.

Something not good and Caelum is unaware until it’s almost too late.

•●•●•

Aerglo is outraged when he finds out the battle in the north had never stopped.

However, fear soon replaces that anger when soldiers upon soldiers appear at the palace doors.

Aerglo doesn’t fear for xemself, xe fears for Caelum and their child, their little ones.

Xe goes in search of them, heart racing when xe can’t find them in their room.

Xe does what xe can and orders xyr guards to protect the palace entry, protect their people.

Blood begins to spill and Aerglo is helpless until xe finally finds Caelum.

Caelum’s arms are full with their little bundle, Luca hanging onto his leg as they chatter about the “pwetty flowers”.  Seeing xyr family fills xem with relief until a sharp knife is pressed to xyr throat.

“Give me my son back,” Thuban orders, voice filled with desperation, “tell me where he is.”

Aerglo stops breathing, stops moving, “he’s over there.”

Thuban looks at where Aerglo was staring at moments before.

Xyr heart swells at the sight, Luc chatting up a storm and giggling when the stranger ruffles his hair.

“Luc?”

And Aerglo can feel when Thuban tenses at the soft voice of a newcomer.

It’s then that Caelum turns around and faces them, heart hammering inside his chest at the sight.

Of Aerglo being held back with a knife digging into xyr throat by a stranger that can be none other than Thuban, the ruler of the Atabilefens.

He wants to focus on Aerglo, but his eyes are drawn to the human.  To the obviously pregnant human waddling towards them.

He looks down at Luca who tugs at his arm, wanting to let go.

But Caelum doesn’t know if it’s safe, if he can trust them when his mate has a knife to xyr throat.

On instinct Caelum pulls Luc back, hiding him away from the approaching stranger.

“Arun, don’t!”

The pregnant stranger stops at the call of his name.  Arun ?

“Please,” Arun says, eyes begging Caelum, “please let me see him, let me see my son.”

“Daddy!” Luca shouts, peering around Caelum’s leg.

Arun drinks in the sight of his precious baby boy, healthy and most importantly unharmed

, safe.

“Luca!”  Arun cries.

Caelum looks down at Halo as he fusses and the panic he’d feel of losing him overwhelms him.

He let’s go of Luc’s little hand and watches as he toddles toward Arun, toward his daddy.

Arun falls to his knees, engulfing his son in a tight hug with tears rolling down his cheeks.

“Luc, you’re in so much trouble,” he sniffles.

“Sowwy daddy!” Luca apologizes with his own tears.

Thuban let’s go of Aerglo then, and quickly approaches xyr mate and child, hugging both when xe is close enough.

“Papa!” Luca shouts in excitement.

Aerglo coughs a bit, holding xyr neck to stop the bleeding from the superficial cut.

Xe’s not worried about xemself, xyr focus is solely xyr mate.

Xe glances across the garden to find Caelum shaken but relieved and safe.

Thuban looks at the boy with the baby in his arms.  The fussing growing into crying, the soft wail drawing xyr attention to the little bundle.

“Just as you would do anything for your mate and children, I would too.  So don’t you dare approach them,” Aerglo hisses, shifting into something big, something Caelum has never seen before.

Thuban gives Aerglo a small nod, quickly pulling xyr family away.

With a low growl and xyr tail, Aerglo nudges Caelum away from the reunited family.

Thuban looks at Aerglo sheepishly, “we… I apologize.”

“You should’ve realized I would never harm your offspring, with or without the knowledge that they were yours,” Aerglo snarls.

The sound is low, deep enough to rattle the surrounding structures.

The sounds of fighting stop and Aerglo hides Caelum and Halo away from their sight as xe leads them inside, growling at anyone who gets too close.

“Are you okay?” Caelum asks, tentatively reaching out to touch the healing wound.

Aerglo doesn’t answer, simply licks Caelum and their child, smothering them in xyr scent.

“You found us, we’re okay,” Caelum reassures, “They didn’t hurt us.”

DNE

Caelum looks at the older boy with Luc in his arms.

He’s curious, he never thought he’d see another alien mated to a human and vice versa. From what he’s heard, humans aren’t wanted.

But even he can see Arun’s mistrust of the aliens guarding them.

“Hi,” he greets with a shy smile, “I’m Arun, Arun Saros.”

Caelum finally brings himself to relax around Thuban’s mate, “I’m Caelum Novak-Halcyon.”

Arun’s smile softens, “Thank you for watching over Luc, for taking care of my little troublemaker.”

“I’m glad we found you, or well, you found us. We we’re searching for his parents, but guess we were only looking in the wrong places.”

Luc rests his head on his daddy’s shoulder, a soft yawn escaping pink lips.

“Hope that your little one doesn’t turn out like this one,” Arun snorts.

“I’ll definitely keep an eye on him,” Caelum nods, “how, um.. how far along are you?”

“Five months,” Arun answers easily, “bloated as ever.”

“Tell me about it,” Caelum mutters.

“Hard pregnancy?”

“Difficult birth,” he admits, eyes straying to his baby boy, “but I wouldn’t trade Halo for anything in the world.”

Arun smiles at the sight, “I know the feeling.”

Soon Caelum takes a seat in order to feed Halo. He does so with a blush high on his cheeks, but Arun doesn’t say anything and their guards turn away for their comfort and privacy.

Arun gladly takes the seat across from Caelum and runs his hands through Luca’s messy hair.

“You think they’ll come to an agreement?” Caelum asks after a minute of silence.

“I hope so,” Arun nods, “Thuban promised.”

They continue watching the closed doors in hopes of fixing this misunderstanding.

They hold onto the possibility of a new friendship, of hope for new beginnings.

And when the doors open, it’s to small smiles of agreement from both parties.

Caelum can’t help but sigh in relief, especially when Aerglo bends down to kiss him.

Thuban and xyr family leave shortly after with promises of visits and friendships.

Caelum’s relief only multiplies at that.

“So… no more war?”

“No,” Aerglo smiles, “no more.”

Caelum grins, “really?”

“Yes,” Aerglo chuckles, “after Thuban’s stunt, I made xem consider open trade and safe travel back and forth between our realms. I proposed to demolish the borders separating us in order to create a connecting passage. It’s been years, decades, since we’ve last seen each other. We’ve gotten along despite the divide among our people, and I told xem I’d like to reconnect, to invite xem to our home and open our doors in sincerity and alliance just as they’ve opened their doors for us once.”

“And Thuban agreed?”

Aerglo smiles even more.

Xe can still see the small grin twitching on Thuban’s lips. The laid back expression reminding Aerglo of the little brat xe used to be.

The little brat that was kind to xem. The brat that has matured into a great ruler, but above all else, a great person.

And even back then, they both new they’d be the change, the catalase that would finally set everything right.

“Xe agreed.”

Caelum beams at xem, his smile radiant.

And Aerglo knows xe would be lost without xyr seno elttil.

Xe can’t even contemplate a world without them.

“I’m glad I found you,” Aerglo admits.

“I’m glad you found me,” Caelum whispers breathlessly, “I’m glad you found us.”

The End.

A/N : We’re actually at the end 😀! Sorry for any misspellings forward or backward. And thank you for reading this out-of-the-world story.

Many will ask for an epilogue but for now I’ll give you information that might be even better:

1. There will be a prequel focusing on Aerglo and Thuban’s past along with Thuban and Arun’s story.

And

2. I’m considering a sequel which will probably focus on the kids… or maybe focus more on Caelum’s new home and life with Aerglo as xyr mate. Maybe it’ll be a mix of both.

Honestly there is so much more that needs to be said in/about the story, but the war is over even though there’s many open ending questions, and they have a happy ending.

That’s all that matters… right?

Thank You!

Last night I had a wonderful surprise and I owe you, as my wonderful readers, a big thank you!

This book, I’m Glad You Found Me, won the Holiday Prize done by BookClubE (BCE).  I was genuinely surprised and I certainly didn’t expect it.

I’m glad you enjoyed this story just as much as I loved writing it despite the blocks I may have experienced along the way.

So, thank you!

Thank you for your support and your kindness.

And thank you BookClubE for doing something great for writers.  Hope you keep doing this for others and start a new holiday tradition.

On another note… The name of the prequel (Thuban & Arun’s story) is Where I Belon g.

Keep a lookout 😊