After Viktor had managed to gather his wits enough to stand up without feeling like he was one look away from being thrown over, he decided that he needed to see Vok'Rul. It wasn't the alien's fault that he has an awful association with what seemed to be a pretty common word. It was probably eating the alien up, and despite his distaste for this planet, Viktor found that he couldn't bring himself to go up the stairs and forget about how defeated Vok'Rul's face had looked.

The trip to the dining room had never been so terrifying, which was ridiculous, really, because he was just crossing an empty room. It didn't explain, however, why his legs felt like they were made of jelly. Maybe he had hit his head harder than he thought. He rubbed the back of his skull.

Viktor peeked out of the doorway, half-hidden behind the counters and wall. Vok'Rul was facing away from the kitchen but was situated the closest. Thruul and Rukka, who were sitting opposite of Vok'Rul at the dining table, were keeping up most of the conversation. Every time Vok'Rul ducked his head to stare at his bowl morosely, they exchanged a glance.

Well, Viktor thought, wiping his palms down the front of his sweater and stepping into the doorway. Hopefully, his presence would cheer Vok'Rul up.

He immediately caught the attention of Thruul and Rukka, who had a full view of the kitchen. Thruul opened his mouth to say something, but Viktor saw Rukka stomp on his foot. Ouch.

Vok'Rul looked up, but Rukka said something that made the other shrug half-heartedly, then go back to stirring his stew. Damn, Viktor felt really bad.

Viktor walked over carefully, keeping a shrewd eye on the two aliens watching him. Vok'Rul's tail was splayed out on the floor beside his chair. Viktor crouched beside it, lightly patting the lifeless thing. It twitched but did little moving besides that. Vok'Rul turned to look down at him, a tentative and hopeful look on his face.

Viktor smiled hesitantly at him, and when the alien didn't move after that, he stood up, carefully stepping over his tail. He sidled up close to the chair, patting the alien's arm comfortingly. "It's okay, Vok'Rul. Not your fault that the- that he was a big dickhead. You wouldn't have known," he nattered on, dropping his gaze from the alien's earnest face a bit self-consciously. He wasn't great at the whole comforting thing, even when the receiving party spoke his language.

Vok'Rul's arm pulled away, causing Viktor to look back up, a bit confused. Surely, he hadn't managed to offend the alien? But no, Vok'Rul merely patted his head lightly, smoothing back his hair and settling on the back of his head where it still smarted from suddenly meeting the floor. Viktor leaned into the touch. Vok'Rul smiled, and Viktor smiled back.

He heard Thruul and Rukka say something, but Viktor didn't pay them too much attention. He lifted his arms in Vok'Rul's direction, nonverbally asking to be carried. Vok'Rul seemed to get his spark back then, his face lighting up joyfully. He picked up the teenager almost effortlessly, and Viktor had to remind himself that he was doing this for Vok'Rul. His discomfort was temporary, and the alien liked holding him, for whatever reason. He could bear with it for a while.

Viktor got himself comfortable on Vok'Rul's lap, leaning heavily against the alien and soaking up all his warmth. It probably made it awkward for him to feed himself, but Vok'Rul didn't seem to mind. One arm was wrapped around Viktor, tight enough to prevent him from slipping off but loose enough that he didn't feel like he was trapped. His other arm was used to carefully bring spoonfuls of stew to his mouth.

The conversation resumed after that. Leaning against Vok'Rul wasn't unlike cuddling with his dad when he had been younger, hearing his heartbeat (though, oddly enough, it sounded like Vok'Rul's species had two hearts, or something similar, considering the triple heartbeat he was hearing) and words through his chest. It was pretty relaxing, especially after the frantic barrage of emotions he had experienced just half an hour ago.

There was a faint click from the other side of the table, and Viktor snapped open his eyes to glare at the offending noise. Rukka lowered her phone, saying something in a smug tone. Vok'Rul merely chuckled, patting Viktor soothingly on the back. "Hope you got my good side, Rukka," he mumbled.

Silence fell after his quip, and he frowned, furrowing his eyebrows. "What, something I said?" he asked after no one piped up. They looked pretty shocked, for some reason.

"Kohgrash," Vok'Rul said, along with a bunch of other words Viktor couldn't care to figure out. He pointed at Rukka and asked another question of him. Viktor looked over at her, then back at him.

"What? That's Rukka," he said, looking back at her. He squinted at her, wondering if they were playing some sort of trick on him. She merely raised her eyebrow ridges, widening her eyes slightly.

Vok'Rul pointed to his own chest and echoed the same question. He figured it was probably something along the lines of 'who is this?' Viktor leveled him an unimpressed look before saying, "Vok'Rul."

Thruul said something excitedly across the table, drawing everyone's attention. He was looking straight at Viktor, and he quickly glanced away, nerves still frazzled from earlier. The last thing he wanted to do was think of the ringmaster.

Vok'Rul pointed over at Thruul, and it was only then that Viktor realized none of them had really introduced themselves to him. Why would they? He was an animal in their eyes. Vok'Rul probably figured his butchered version of his name was what Viktor would say to anyone instead of it being a poor attempt at the alien's name.

Suddenly, Viktor found himself excited. This could be his chance to prove that they were more than just animals - or even intelligent animals, at that! "Thruul!" he said, sitting up straight. The alien in question clapped his hands, loudly, and Viktor didn't even flinch, excitement coursing hot through his veins. "Yes! All three of you! I'm sentient! I can think! I'm intelligent!"

They didn't know what he was saying, but that was alright. Eventually, they would definitely be able to, and they could have all the conversations they wanted. All day, every day!

Vok'Rul suddenly stood, swooping Viktor up in his arms quick enough that he barely had time to grab onto the alien before he was six feet higher in the air than he'd like to be. "Whoa! A little warning, dude." His words were whisked away when the alien suddenly took off, strides much faster than any regular walk. Viktor gripped the alien's clothing for dear life.

"Holy fuck! Slow down!" he yelped, looking frantically over at Rukka and Thruul for help. They seemed as bewildered as he did as they stood from their seats and followed Vok'Rul out of the wing. They shouted something after him, and Vok'Rul's rumbling response didn't seem to soothe them, though it did clear their confusion. Lucky them. Viktor was still confused.

They came to a sudden halt, and Viktor was shifted so that he was facing away from Vok'Rul. His tolerance for manhandling was quickly rising.

Viktor blinked at the bodyguard in front of him. The bodyguard seemed just as confused as he did, though it did have a better poker face than Viktor. It had probably seen some stuff. He wondered if he had tackled the paper alien. That'd be nice.

"Rohsh, Shul," Vok'Rul said quickly, then dissolved into a bunch of other words that Viktor couldn't follow. He heard his name somewhere in between the rush of grunts, clicks, and familiar syllables, but that was about it.

"Kohgrash," Vok'Rul said, barely giving the guard time to even digest what he had said, based on the way it was blinking. Rukka and Thruul came up behind Vok'Rul, looking apologetic. Vok'Rul repeated the same question he had when asking about Rukka and Thruul.

"Uhh," Viktor said, glancing over at the bodyguard. "Shul?"

Vok'Rul exclaimed happily, suddenly spinning in a circle. Viktor let out an involuntary yell that quickly dissolved into bewildered laughter. He gripped the alien's forearms tightly. Thankfully, he stopped after a few revolutions.

"You can't be serious. You just said his name!" Viktor laughed, still smiling even when Vok'Rul pulled him close to his chest and placed his spiky face on the top of his head. Rukka seemed to share the same sentiment, folding her arms and rolling her eyes when she spoke. Vok'Rul merely rumbled something, cooing at Viktor.

Ugh, Viktor thought fondly. They likely thought he was simply repeating their words, now. He'd have to think of other ways to prove the human race was intelligent.

After waving goodbye to a baffled bodyguard (they still didn't wave back at him, which was a shame), Vok'Rul took Viktor back upstairs. He told him to stay, frowning a bit when the word made Viktor twitch. Vok'Rul disappeared back down the stairs, likely to say goodnight to Rukka and Thruul.

Viktor stretched his arms, feeling stiff. He hadn't been able to do his stretches the past few days, too busy trying to stay still to lessen his headache. He rubbed the back of his head, a dull ache settling at the base of his skull. Hopefully, it'd be gone by the morning. Viktor has had enough of unwanted headaches.

By the time Vok'Rul came back up, Viktor finished stretching and was laying boneless on the soft carpet. Vok'Rul stood over him, tilting his head curiously. Viktor blinked at him. Their height differences were really apparent when he was laying on the ground like this.

"Rohsh," Vok'Rul whispered, expression fond. Viktor lifted his hand in a little wave.

It wasn't terrible here, he thought sometime later, watching Vok'Rul fiddle with some of the papers with renewed vigor. Sure, there were some things that reminded Viktor terribly of Earth, and his longing for it was likely never going to diminish until he could set foot on its soil once more. But as he reflected on the day's events, he realized that this place, specifically Vok'Rul, was letting him heal, slowly but surely.

***

The next day marked a month since he had been adopted by Vok'Rul. That had to be the only reason why Vok'Rul was in such a good mood today. Well, it likely wasn't the only reason, but he definitely hadn't cracked those papers yet. They were still sprawled on the desk in disarray. He still didn't know what was on them, and he probably wasn't going to, unless Vok'Rul told him. It made him wonder, though, if they were ever going to be able to communicate. Did these aliens have a translator chip they could give each other? Were there other intelligent planets that needed to do that?

Viktor was getting distracted.

Vok'Rul was in a good mood today. Which wasn't unusual, he supposed, as Vok'Rul was generally a cheerful guy and made sure to let everyone know. But today, Viktor saw him literally skip into the office where he slept. He had no idea that these aliens could do that. Surely, their tail would get in the way or something?

The alien was also humming when he entered the office, holding something behind his back. Viktor was immediately put on guard, bending his knees just a bit. He shook himself when he realized that he was subconsciously preparing to run or fight. Viktor straightened up.

Vok'Rul zeroed in on him, smiling brightly. "Rohsh, Kohgrash!" he said, a string of words Viktor couldn't comprehend following the one phrase he did. At the end of his little speech, Vok'Rul revealed what was behind his back.

A box. Viktor squinted at it a little bit before realizing that it had been the box he had bought at that marketplace where he had seen Nikolas again. "The box!" Viktor pointed at it. He had tried to find it after Vok'Rul had hidden it away, mostly due to boredom and not any real desire to know what had been inside it. He hadn't had any luck, though.

At least his curiosity would be sated, now.

"Open it!" Viktor said, stepping closer to Vok'Rul, who had crouched on the ground in order to speak with him. The teenager made a swipe for the box, but Vok'Rul kept it out of his reach with a chuckle. The alien opened it for him, showing him what was inside.

It was an odd little bracelet. Vok'Rul grabbed his arm gently, pushing up his sweater sleeve and putting it on him. There was a clasp on it that Vok'Rul turned, cinching it to his arm. It didn't irritate or pinch his skin, luckily. Viktor brought it close to his face to inspect it.

It was thick; the band of metal was about an inch wide. It looked like it was made of the same metal as most of Vok'Rul's jewelry, silver in color. There were small pink gems embedded around the bracelet that were probably worth more than his entire apartment by the way they caught the light. They alternated with a larger, red gem. In the center of the bracelet, an odd dancing script flowed across the metal, set into the material and outlined with gold.

His name, Viktor realized. Vok'Rul had gotten him a bracelet with his name on it.

"Thank you," he told him, a bit thickly.

The ringmaster would have never gotten him any sort of gift, no matter the price. The bastard probably thought that giving them the chance to live through their fights was gift enough. It was another stark difference between where he had been and where he was now.

Vok'Rul ruffled his hair before he straightened up and exited the room in a hurry. Viktor stood, still looking at the bracelet. When was the last time he had gotten a present?

He only looked up when Vok'Rul came back, carrying the harness and some new clothes. Interested more in the fresh clothes and less so in the harness, Viktor reached up to snatch them from the alien's hands. Vok'Rul pulled them out of reach, laughing at the affronted look on Viktor's face.

Eventually, he handed them over. The clothes were much fancier than what he was used to. They were dark gray in color and reminded Viktor of a suit, though it modeled more after Vok'Rul's type of clothing when he went out to do all his political business, pressed but still in that flowy style. If he squinted, it reminded him of a long-sleeved robe. Honestly, he was just glad he got to keep his comfortable pants on.

But Viktor was starting to get suspicious.

After he had managed to get everything on with only a little bit of struggle (Vok'Rul had to help him with some of the clips around his waist that resembled the belts that were seen on most of the aliens' clothing. Trying to clip everything in place when one of your arms was in a cast was surprisingly difficult), Viktor squinted up at Vok'Rul. "Where are we going?" he asked, suffering through the alien's ministrations. He made sure his bracelet was on full display before reaching up to smooth Viktor's hair down.

Listen, Viktor hadn't gotten hold of a brush since before he left Earth. His hair was tangled and a mess. There was no way it was staying down.

"Answer my question," he batted away the hand with a huff, not expecting one. He was proven right when Vok'Rul left the room. Viktor followed him curiously.

And got a face full of a slammed door for his efforts.

Viktor huffed at Vok'Rul's closed door, glaring at it petulantly. But when Vok'Rul opened the door a while later, dressed in the official garb he used for his political means, Viktor was glad the door had been shut. He did not want to see a naked alien.

Viktor followed the alien downstairs, wondering where they were going to warrant his own clothes. Maybe another school visit? Viktor couldn't say he particularly enjoyed little kids (he was way too awkward with them), but he had enjoyed the first visit, even if it had ended with a fight. Hopefully, this trip would be a little calmer.

By the time Viktor stepped foot on the kitchen floor, Vok'Rul was already in the dining room getting fitted with all his jewelry. Some of the servants assisting him noticed Viktor when he stepped foot into the dining room, but instead of ignoring him or shooing him away as that paper alien had done, they chattered excitedly to one another, gesturing to him.

"Uh," he said eloquently, glancing up at Vok'Rul. Vok'Rul was facing away from him, but he spoke to the servants, tone a bit icy. The servants seemed to reassure him in their answer because Viktor saw his shoulders loosen.

The one closest to Viktor, adorning Vok'Rul's tail with bands of jewelry in varying sizes, held out their hand toward him. Viktor squinted suspiciously at it. There was obviously nothing in its hand. He wasn't an idiot.

"Pora, Kohgrash," Vok'Rul called, voice gentle and amused.

"Neyk," he said, eyeing the aliens surrounding him. They didn't necessarily give him a bad feeling, but he wasn't going to risk it. He didn't recognize any of them, and he wondered if Vok'Rul had gotten new staff after the fiasco with the papers.

He heard one of them stifle a laugh at his declaration of no. Vok'Rul clicked his tongue behind his teeth at him, and Viktor fought the urge to stick out his tongue. The alien in front of him gave up on... whatever it was that it had been trying to do. Pet him? There was no way that was gonna happen.

After what seemed like hours of carefully watching the servants put jewelry on Vok'Rul but was probably about fifteen minutes, in reality, they were finally allowed to leave. Viktor nearly sprinted out of the wing in order to avoid the servants. He knew, realistically, that Vok'Rul wouldn't allow him to come under harm, especially with what had happened a week ago, but Viktor didn't want to be fawned over as if he were some cute dog, either.

So sprinting out of the wing was obviously the only choice.

He nearly ran into Thruul on the way out. Viktor had to swallow the scream of fright that rose in his throat when the alien turned around to face him. He placed his hand on his chest, feeling his heartbeat. "You scared me," he said breathlessly.

"Rohsh, Kohgrash!" Thruul said cheerfully, voice loud. Viktor grimaced but gave a little wave back. He continued talking, gesticulating wildly. Viktor surreptitiously took a few steps back, just enough that he was out of arm's reach.

Vok'Rul came up behind him, placing a warm hand on the top of his head. He said something gently to Thruul, who looked abashed. The cook lowered his arms and also, thankfully, his voice. The knot of tension loosened in Viktor's chest.

They left the mansion soon after Vok'Rul made his appearance. The last time Viktor had been in the limo was when they had gone to the school, and Viktor once again wondered what function needed his presence. Aside from their visit to the school, Vok'Rul usually left him back at the mansion. Though, now that he had been attacked by one of the former staff members, Viktor supposed he could understand the alien's reluctance to leave him alone, even if he had someone watching him.

Vok'Rul grabbed Viktor around the middle before he could even think of crawling into the limo. Cursing out the alien had little effect, much to his displeasure. Vok'Rul placed him on the seat of the limo and told him to stay. Viktor told him in no uncertain terms to go fuck himself, but it was lost in translation.

There was one plus of sitting on the seat, though, and that was the view. The windows were large, and Viktor saw everything. Everything consisted of large stretches of trees, much more colorful than he had seen them when he had been out in the gardens for the first time, many types of blooming flowers, and even some houses when they got onto the road. Viktor watched as the mansion disappeared, swallowed up by the curving roads and stretching trees. He sat back down in the large seat.

Vok'Rul was busy chatting with the driver, humming pleasantly when the conversation lulled in places. Viktor listened idly to the alien language, gazing out the window. His fingers fiddled with the bracelet around his right wrist, tracing the written language carefully.

***

Vocabulary:

neyk: stop, no

pora: come

rohsh: a friendly greeting, such as hello or hey