The cast on his arm was uncomfortably tight against his skin.

His arm throbbed angrily whenever he even looked at it. He had no idea how bad the break on his arm truly was, but it still hurt like a bitch whenever he moved it. Even when he was stationary, huddled under a table with no company except his thoughts, the arm pulsed in time with his heartbeat. He picked at the black cast with his other hand idly, trying to distract himself from the ache.

The bruises he had suffered from his fall from the tree only hurt when he prodded them, thankfully. Along with a broken bone, it would have been unbearable to even move. The pill Vok'Rul had given him this morning had completely worn off.

"'Least I'm not hypothermic," he muttered to himself bitterly, eyes flicking over to the doorway and the bodyguard stationed beside it. Freezing his ass off on an alien planet wouldn't have been the worst way to go, but it still would've sucked.

The remark made him think about last night. Vok'Rul had seemed so worried about his well-being. He had obviously pulled strings to get the vet into the office to treat Viktor. The human let out a long sigh, watching carefully as the bodyguard shuffled on his feet at the noise.

Viktor just didn't understand it. Had Vok'Rul meant to hit him, earlier? It didn't seem like something the alien would do. But it would just be Viktor's luck to escape the arena and its abuse to find himself somewhere else exactly like it. His heart twisted the longer he thought about it. At least in the arena, he'd known what to expect. Don't fight fast, make it entertaining, and try to follow orders.

He knew how to be a fighter. But being some alien's pet? He didn't have a clue how to do that.

His stomach growled. He stared at the treats that had scattered on the floor in his haste to get away from Vok'Rul. He certainly wasn't hungry enough to eat them off the floor. Viktor pillowed his head on his arm, sighing once more.

It wasn't as though he were some filthy animal. Viktor understood wanting to keep animals away from your food, but he was a human, not some dog. All he had wanted was to try some of the food on the platter. It wasn't like he would've taken it all.

"Ugh," he groaned into his arm. It wasn't fair.

His sulking was interrupted by the alarm he had heard earlier. Buzzing faintly on the edges of his hearing, Viktor lifted his head to look at the door. As expected, the sounds of stomping and loud chattering filled the hallways as the school broke for class. They all seemed to be going in one direction. The sound swelled outside the closed door for a long time before it petered out.

Wanting anything to distract him from his thoughts right now, Viktor sullenly inched out from under the table. The bodyguard stared at him, looking a bit uncomfortable by his presence. Maybe he wasn't a human kind of guy, like how some people were more dog people than cat people? Viktor snorted to himself over the ridiculousness of that thought.

Viktor straightened up as soon as he got out from under the table, looking at the bodyguard shrewdly. The bodyguard awkwardly spoke up, saying words Viktor couldn't follow. The bodyguard made the gesture to come here, and Viktor couldn't help rolling his eyes. This guy was an idiot.

The bodyguard said his name, gesturing again. Viktor crossed his arms as well as he could with the cast on. The bodyguard let out a frustrated noise, opening the door and stepping outside it. He looked back in, gesturing again impatiently.

"You're insistent," Viktor grumbled, feeling his stomach flip with nerves. Most likely, the alien was trying to get him to follow him back to Vok'Rul. Did he really want to see the alien again, though? Did he even have a choice?

From the look in the bodyguard's eyes, he was about three seconds from marching back in and grabbing Viktor himself. "Pora, Kohgrash, pora!" The bodyguard said firmly, impatience seeping into his voice.

"Jesus, fine," Viktor griped, exiting the room and staying well out of the alien's reach. He was taking no chances with this guy.

Viktor was led down the hallways. The alien seemed satisfied he was following him, slowing his pace by a lot, allowing Viktor to keep up. Viktor wouldn't say out loud that he was thankful for this, not that the alien would understand him anyway, but he appreciated the sentiment.

Eventually, they reached a congregation of grown aliens. They were huddled in front of a doorway. Viktor could hear the loud chatter of aliens in the room, which made his heart stutter for a moment. The noise was too similar to the cheering of the arena, though it was much less rhythmic, having none of the chanting that often accompanied his fights.

The bodyguard pushed his way through the crowd of teachers and staff, obviously expecting Viktor to follow. He found his courage to do so when the noise within the room quieted down as someone - the principal, he recognized - started to speak. He took a steadying breath, hurrying after the bodyguard.

The room was large, almost as large as the entranceway of the mansion. It would've resembled a gymnasium, were it not for the large circular stage hovering in the middle of the room, and the similarly hovering stands that hosted the school's students. The bodyguard was walking into the center of the room. Heads turned to look at the newcomers curiously, following the bodyguard's movements up the floating stairs to the stage. Viktor was rooted to the doorway, unwilling, or perhaps unable, to go any further.

Vok'Rul was on the stage, some large screen depicting images Viktor didn't really care too much about behind him. He patiently stood beside the principal as the short alien continued speaking. He glanced at the bodyguard as he walked on stage, eyes immediately flitting to the floor. A small, almost imperceptible, frown marred his face as he noticed the empty spot. He glanced back at the bodyguard, who also looked down. He looked like he was about three seconds from cursing up a storm in front of the whole school.

Viktor would've laughed if he wasn't full to the brim with anxiety.

Vok'Rul's eyes landed on him after a furious, silent conversation with the bodyguard. His shoulders relaxed, and his posture loosened, offering Viktor a small, hesitant smile from across the room. Viktor merely stared, unsure if he should still be upset with the alien or not.

They were both brought back to the present when the principal finished talking, stepping back, and eliciting applause from the students. Vok'Rul stepped forward and began speaking, though he did occasionally glance over at Viktor during his speech.

Viktor's attention lulled, occupied with surveying the students on the floating stands. The younger students sat on the floor in bunches, while most of the older kids sat neatly on the stands. Almost all of the teachers and grown aliens stood near the edges of the bleachers. Viktor himself was pressed against the wall next to the doorway, slouched a bit to avoid drawing attention.

Still, he was considered an animal on this planet, and he had plenty of eyes from students who didn't care too much about this assembly on him. Especially the younger ones. He had seen a couple of teachers physically drag some younger kids back from where they had started inching over to him.

Viktor was distracted from his alien-watching when he saw the principal walk off the stage and make his way over to the doorway. He looked twitchy. Viktor frowned. He had looked pretty uncomfortable earlier in the day, especially when the bodyguards had made their appearance known. Right now, he was tapping vigorously on his phone, glancing around the room worriedly.

Viktor got an uneasy feeling in his gut.

He spent the rest of the assembly high-strung, waiting for something bad to happen. Nothing came to pass, however. Viktor figured he was just jumpy from earlier. The principal probably just had important calls or emails to take and was worried he'd impose on the speech. He rubbed his face with his hand, tired from the emotional whiplash he'd faced today.

Hungry and in slowly growing pain, Viktor impatiently sat through the rest of Vok'Rul's speech. When the tall alien had finally finished, there was tremendous applause. Despite the pain in his arm, Viktor's hands flew up to his ears to cover them. These kids were loud. Vok'Rul stepped off the stage, greeting some of the braver children who went up to meet him. It took him a while to reach Viktor's position at the wall, stopped by multiple teachers and others who wanted to speak with him, but eventually, the two were mere feet from one another.

Vok'Rul offered a smile, crouching down and slowly reaching out to Viktor. The human looked at him shrewdly for a moment. Vok'Rul's smile faltered, shoulders dropping just a little bit in defeat. Viktor immediately felt bad. He pushed himself off the wall from where he had been leaning and stepped within Vok'Rul's reach. The alien beamed, hesitantly patting him on the head. Viktor had to suppress the flinch.

Vok'Rul spoke gently, rubbing his hand side to side on Viktor's head. It reminded him a bit too much of Pedro; the older man and the others' absence burning a large hole in his heart. He hoped they were alright, wherever they were. He pulled away, relieved when Vok'Rul dropped his hand.

Vok'Rul straightened up, looking at the doorway. Throngs of alien children and adults were exiting the room. Apprehensive of getting trampled in that crowd, Viktor stepped a bit closer to Vok'Rul, despite his grievances with the alien. Vok'Rul looked down at him.

The bodyguard that had tended to Viktor in the staff room spoke up, placing a hand on Vok'Rul's shoulder. Vok'Rul murmured something to him before crouching down. Before Viktor could even think to step away, Vok'Rul grabbed him from under his arms, carefully minding his cast. He let out a surprised yelp, clutching at the alien's arms.

"Please don't drop me," he muttered, awkwardly trying to get comfortable in the alien's grasp. He had an arm supporting Viktor's legs, the other curling around his back. Viktor held onto the alien's clothing tightly. Any fall from this height would be uncomfortable. He tried to not look at the floor.

They swiftly made their way out of the large room after the kids had filtered out. Occasionally, they were stopped along the hallway, most kids trying to see if they could pet Viktor. The human had to continuously raise his feet out of their reach, trying (and failing) to climb higher and higher on Vok'Rul. Vok'Rul lightly scolded them, angling his body away so that Viktor was always out of reach. Whatever he told them, though, always made them look at him in sympathy. Viktor fought not to scowl at them.

Viktor never thought he'd be happy to see the ugly yellow sky, but here he was. He soaked up the feeble warmth of the weak sun, breathing in the fresh air deeply. The crowd in front of the school was less dense than inside the large room they had been in, which Viktor was thankful for. The hand on his back started rubbing up and down soothingly. He made a disgruntled noise.

From his position in Vok'Rul's arms, he could see over the alien's shoulder quite clearly. He saw one of the bodyguards get stopped by the principal, who had reappeared behind them when they had exited the school. He saw the bodyguard cross his arms and nod, clearly indulging the short alien. He saw the other bodyguard surveying the crowd, face marred with a frown and a serious expression.

He also saw a small van pull up to the side of the school, directly behind the principal. He noticed the principal glancing around nervously, still keeping one of the bodyguards occupied. Some aliens got out of the car, dressed unremarkably. One of them snaked through the crowds of people, coming up to the other bodyguard, shifting into something meek and timid. Thoroughly distracted, the bodyguards did not walk after Vok'Rul as he carried Viktor away, further from the crowd.

"I don't like this," Viktor said, slapping Vok'Rul on the shoulder incessantly, worry creeping into his voice. Vok'Rul grumbled, tightening his hold on the human, and continued walking. "Seriously, dude, stop! Your bodyguards are way over there!"

Screams of fright interrupted his attempts at getting Vok'Rul to stop. Vok'Rul whirled around to face the source of the screams. Viktor twisted in his grasp, cursing at what he saw. The small van had vanished entirely, driving off along with numerous other vehicles that were leaving the school. No one else seemed to notice.

Well, it wasn't like Viktor could really blame them. They were screaming for a reason. In place of the van was a giant, snarling beast. It looked crazy, eyes wild and mouth-frothing. It was the same species as Oorah, and Viktor thought it was him, but this beast was much darker in color and much, much larger.

And it was coming straight for Viktor and Vok'Rul.

The crowd of children and adults parted in a hurry, pulling one another back to safety. The beast had one target in mind, so it ignored everyone else. Unfortunately, the crowd also pushed back the bodyguards, who were fruitlessly trying to get through. Vok'Rul seemed rooted to the spot. Viktor could feel his hold on him tightening almost painfully.

Viktor bared his teeth at the beast as it got closer, snaking through the crowds and snapping its jaws threateningly. He felt adrenaline flooding his veins, his heart thumping in fear and anger. He twisted Vok'Rul's hand, digging his nails into the alien's tough skin. The alien, surprised at the sudden pain, reflexively let go of Viktor. Using the tall alien as a springboard, Viktor pushed off of his stomach and launched himself at the panther-like creature.

He let out a loud guttural yell, catching the beast off guard as he collided with it. He had gotten enough momentum to knock it to its side. Viktor wasted no time, his body already falling back into the familiar motions of fighting these creatures. Though this time, he intended on making it quick.

Distantly, he heard Vok'Rul yelling behind him.

The beast snarled viciously, tail whipping furiously as it sought to find Viktor's limbs to throw him off. Viktor didn't give it a chance, curling his right hand into a fist and bringing it down repeatedly on the beast's skull. The beast howled, which caused the crowd to shriek in fright.

Viktor let out a wordless yell as it tried to shake him off furiously. With one arm in a cast and the other raised, Viktor crashed to the ground in a heap as the beast thrashed and made him lose his balance. Viktor wasted no time in getting back to his feet, standing in front of Vok'Rul and baring his teeth threateningly at the beast.

The beast ignored him, trying to skirt around him to get to Vok'Rul. It tried multiple times to get to the alien, but Viktor lunged at the beast, forcing it to step back. It was bleeding from one of its eyes where Viktor had punched it. It looked between Vok'Rul and Viktor for a moment, growling and snapping its jaws. It gave one last lunge, stepping back when Viktor got in its way, swiping at it with his fist.

It must have considered this a losing battle, because before Viktor could even blink, it turned tail, running off and away from the crowd. Viktor gave chase, legs pumping to keep up.

Inside the arena, where the space was enclosed and small, Oorah seemed lightning fast, able to charge at Viktor with ease and twist around and change directions just as easily. Outside of the arena, Viktor could already see this creature flagging and slowing down. Even before it broke the crowd's boundaries, it was slowing.

Like a cheetah, he thought deliriously, sprinting as fast as he could after the beast. Adrenaline still lined his limbs, flooding him with energy and numbing his pain. He felt feral, like a predator hunting its prey.

It rounded the corner of the school. Unwilling to go too far, even if it was to run off the beast, Viktor slowed his sprint, jogging the last few steps before coming to a stop. The alien police would find it, he was sure. "Don't come back!" he screamed after the beast, heart pounding in his throat as he panted for breath. He watched it disappear behind the school before turning around to face the crowd. They were all staring at him. Some had their phones out, pointed at him, and he wondered, briefly, if there was a YouTube on this planet.

"Uhh," he said after he caught his breath. "Rohsh?" That was their greeting, right? "Something behind me?" He glanced over his shoulder but there was nothing except for parking lots and some brown grass.

Within the crowd, loud and harsh yelling broke out. Viktor could see Vok'Rul's head long before he broke through the mass of aliens. "Kohgrash!" he yelled, voice pitched up frantically. His bodyguards were right behind him, hands on his shoulders and arms, more than likely trying to get him back to safety. The tall alien had none of that, throwing them off with a fierce snarl.

"I'm okay," Viktor said, hurrying over to the tall alien. Vok'Rul dropped to his knees, grabbing Viktor as soon as he was within reach and holding him close. Viktor let out an oof as the air was forcefully expelled from his lungs. He groaned, extracting an arm to pat the alien on the shoulder. "Jesus, man, lighten up on the hugging." He felt like his organs were gonna get squeezed out.

Distantly, he realized that the crowd of teachers and kids were chattering, cheering, and clapping. A bit embarrassed, Viktor pulled away from the hug fruitlessly. Vok'Rul kept Viktor tightly embraced against him. "Ouch, ouch, ouch," Viktor said, tugging his cast free from Vok'Rul's chest. The pain was slowly filtering back in as his adrenaline faded. Vok'Rul made concerned noises.

Viktor patted the alien in reassurance, looking around. His eyes narrowed as he saw the alien from the van trying to sneak off with the principal.

"Hey!" he shouted angrily, right in the tall alien's ear, ignoring the flinch from Vok'Rul. The crowd's volume dipped as he shouted but soon rose again. He pointed over at the pair, yelling for the bodyguards to grab them. They didn't listen. Viktor watched in frustration as the principal escorted the van alien away from the crowd.

"Fuck," he grumbled, gritting his teeth. Unless this school had cameras, there was probably no way to even know that the beast had been deliberately planted. They'd probably think it was just some wild animal that had crossed paths with the crowd.

Vok'Rul stood up, carefully but firmly holding Viktor to his chest. The alien seemed unwilling to let him go, murmuring meaningless words to him. He even pressed his cheek against Viktor's head. Viktor just let him, having the feeling that the alien probably needed to reassure himself that he was unharmed.

"Not my first rodeo, y'know. I've fought two of those things, now. Multiple times, by the way. Not so bad," Viktor said, watching over Vok'Rul's shoulder as multiple decorated cars with flashing yellow lights pulled up to the school. He gingerly placed his chin on the other's shoulder, suddenly exhausted. He yawned, slowly relaxing into the other's embrace.

He thought, as the police swept through the crowd and surrounded them and the school, rounding the corner to go after the beast, that maybe he should give Vok'Rul more of a chance. Viktor had just thrown himself in front of a crazy animal for him, after all. Obviously, subconsciously, he sort of cared for the only alien who had shown him unprompted kindness.

The rumble of Vok'Rul's voice in his chest as the alien answered the police's questions and the soothing hand on his back made him slowly realize that maybe Vok'Rul cared for him, too.

***

Vocabulary:

pora: come

rohsh: a friendly greeting, such as hello or hey