It did not go by quickly.

Viktor was bored out of his mind. It was about the same level of boredom he'd often find himself during mandatory school pep rallies. He, who had never much been into sports aside from supporting his friends who were, seemed to always suffer the most during rallies. The always too-hot, too-crowded gymnasium of his high school was a specially designed sort of hell for him.

At least, with his old high school, there was some level of excitement that got his blood thrumming. It was only when his principal or some other teacher or adult got up on the podium to talk did his brain shut off and fill up with maddening levels of boring.

This, though, this meeting was... horrifically underwhelming.

He was sure it was invigorating to those who actually knew the language. Oftentimes, as the meeting progressed, some aliens got loud (at least, louder than normal. Viktor didn't think anyone would quite be able to compete for Thruul's level of loudness. That alien was on an entirely different level) and animated, gesticulating wildly before calming down.

But Viktor didn't speak the language, and he was just as lost as he would be if someone explained rocket science to him.

The floor, while being as comfortable as a floor could get, got boring after the first ten minutes. The carpet wasn't anything special, simply brown in color. If it had been tiled, he could've traced some designs with his finger for a while. He tried to fiddle with some of the bands on Vok'Rul's tail, but the alien had twitched, giving him a look. Viktor lifted his hands in surrender.

Rukka suddenly stood, grabbing a sheaf of papers off of Vok'Rul's area. The alien didn't look upset, nor did any of the others when Viktor glanced over at them (though, Viktor could only see about two from his place on the floor. He wondered if he could steal a chair or something), so it must have been a normal occurrence.

Rukka started talking, and she didn't stop. Viktor watched her, eyes a bit wide. It was the most he had ever heard coming from her. With Vok'Rul, she was mostly gruff, her attitude being one of take no shit. But now, she was animated, expressing what she felt with her eyes, her tone.

He noticed that the aliens didn't smile too much to each other. Vok'Rul smiled frequently at Viktor, and he had to wonder if it wasn't because of his trying to mimic human behavior. The only smiles Viktor could remember Vok'Rul offering to other aliens were tight-lipped, barely pleasant ones.

Now, though, Viktor could see that Rukka's mouth was stretched over her teeth in what could be called a smile, in the barest definition of the word. She seemed passionate about whatever subject she was speaking about. The alien started passing out papers, even handing one to Vok'Rul, who had apparently seen it before. Viktor delightedly took the paper when it was offered to him, despite not being able to read it. There were pictures on it, though, and he realized with a jolt that they were of him.

Pictures he hadn't even known had been taken, which was uncomfortable for him to admit. Yes, Viktor was relaxing, slowly but surely, within the confines of the mansion, but outside of that... he always tried to be on the lookout. It was ingrained into him from months of fighting in the arena.

There were, he realized with a slow dawning sort of horror, pictures of him in the arena. There were blurry pictures of him, sleeping, eating, and fighting. Some were taken through what seemed to be a surveillance system, and Viktor kicked himself for not realizing there had even been one. The other pictures, or more specifically, the ones that showed him fighting, were taken by someone in the stands. His stomach flipped as he laid eyes on the arena, something he had never thought he would see again.

Horrifyingly, there were pictures of almost all of the injuries he had sustained during his stay. Bite marks, scratches, bruises... even the ringmaster's beatings, they were all documented, oftentimes with a pair of clawed hands reaching out to him.

Lilac, he realized, grip tightening on the papers enough to crinkle them. She had been documenting their whole stay. She must have had some hidden camera on her, considering the poor camera quality. Viktor couldn't remember seeing anything on her person, though. Granted, he had never even seen a camera until yesterday. It had to be discrete enough to surpass the ringmaster, after all.

There were pictures of the others, too, though to a much lesser extent. They had never suffered too terrible of injuries, except for abject exhaustion. Viktor had always been the plaything.

As he flipped through the papers, though, fighting back the bile that rose in his throat, the background started to change. There was one picture of when they had been at the vet's for the first time, right after getting taken away. His malnourished form was seated on the examination table, eyes half-lidded and glassy. His neck was a mess, bloodied and skin shredded like ribbons. Almost unconsciously, his hand traveled up to the bumpy mess of scar tissue encircling his neck.

On the next page, Viktor's grip on the papers tightened even more. There, situated in neat rows and columns, were his friends. Pedro, Ezekiel, Aiko, Nikolas... the pet store must have advertised their stock of humans. He wondered if anyone was still there, or if they had all been sold. He hoped that they were doing okay. At least he knew for certain with Nikolas. He drank in their faces, eager for the reminder of what they looked like.

The pictures were taken while they had been unaware. Likely, they hadn't even known what a camera had even looked like. There were some pictures of them, specifically Zach and Skylar, looking at the camera suspiciously. Viktor couldn't blame them. The aliens they had first been in contact with had been less than kind.

Rukka was still speaking, earnest and demanding. Maybe she was a human rights activist, he mused, flipping to the next page reluctantly. He heard the others in the room grumbling under their breath.

It was pictures of him again, this time at Vok'Rul's place. Rukka must have been there the first day he had gotten picked up, because there were a few pictures of him, wide-eyed and snarling, in the carrier. A massive wall of text was written underneath the picture. Viktor slowly flipped to the next page, leaning against Vok'Rul's tail as he started to relax. It curled around him, clinking lightly.

Times were better, he reminded himself firmly. He wasn't in the arena anymore. There was no one around him that could easily vent their frustrations onto him. He wasn't fighting for his life every single day.

The last few pictures were of him, domestic and happier. There was a still from the news about his fight with one of Oorah's species, locked in combat. Another picture followed, him falling asleep in Vok'Rul's arms. There were a few pictures taken in Vok'Rul's mansion, though the alien was always a subject within them. The taller alien didn't take too many pictures, he figured. Viktor had hardly even seen him use his phone unless it was to call someone.

The papers ended there, thick and heavy in Viktor's hands. It was a little weird, he thought distantly, to see his life on this planet laid out in pictures like this.

Air was struggling to make it into his lungs. The pictures had thrown him off-kilter. He felt as though he were about to crumble under the weight of them. Their meaning. His abuse, his trauma, it was all laid out in front of him. He couldn't deny it, and now, everyone in this room knew about it. They thought he was an animal, just something to be pitied.

But when they proved their intelligence, their sentience, and their time on this planet was documented for history, other people would know. His friends, his dad, they would all know what he went through.

And there was no way he could avoid it, he realized, feeling his lungs beginning to burn. Vok'Rul was an obviously important figure on this planet, and Viktor was his pet. His experiences were going to be broadcasted everywhere.

A warm, heavy hand settled on his head, and it shocked him enough to suck in a startled breath of air. He looked up, feeling the hand move with him. Vok'Rul was watching him with a complicated expression, but he couldn't misread the kindness etched into his face. His heart was thumping almost painfully in his chest, and he had to wonder if he would end up dying of heart failure after all this stress.

It would be alright, he told himself firmly, dropping his gaze onto the papers. No one outside of this room (plus the humans in the ring, he supposed, but that was alright) knew about this. It probably wouldn't be shared for a while. There was nothing to worry about it.

Still, the uneasy feeling in his gut lingered. Viktor ducked his head out from under Vok'Rul's hand after letting it sit on his head for a moment longer. The alien regretfully pulled away. He grabbed the papers from Viktor, and the human hesitated for a second before letting him take them. He didn't really want to look at the pictures longer than he had to, even if there were some of his friends in there.

Shortly after, Rukka finished speaking, her voice steady until the end. Wanting to focus on anything other than the squirming anxiety in his stomach, Viktor started to pay attention to the meeting. He was impressed, and a little jealous of Rukka's ability. He had always been pretty bad at public speaking.

Vok'Rul spoke up after she had sat back down in her chair. His face was determined, tone a little bitter and self-deprecating. He occasionally said Viktor's name, causing him to look up. Viktor frowned up at him. It wasn't his fault. None of it had been his fault.

Viktor quickly got to his feet, pausing only to stomp his foot on the floor a couple of times to wake it up. Vok'Rul, as well as a few other aliens in the room, looked over to him as he moved, but the taller alien quickly continued his speech. He gave a small comment while looking at him, his voice filled with the tone of someone who was trying to make a joke. The others in the room gave little chuckles.

Viktor grabbed his arm tentatively, aware that this was one of the few times he initiated contact with the alien. He had to reach up to grab it, and his sleeve slipped down, revealing the ragged bite mark. He only glanced at it for a moment before meeting Vok'Rul's eyes. The alien hesitated for a second before moving his hand to push back Viktor's hair. The human closed his eyes against the touch.

The small noises of wonderment and adoration made him open them rather quickly, unused to an audience. Vok'Rul continued his speech as if nothing had happened, but there was a shift in the room that Viktor could physically feel. The other aliens in the room seemed more receptive to what he and Rukka had to say, and Viktor wondered if he had unknowingly played a part in that.

He easily pushed it out of his mind, deciding that it didn't really matter too much. The meeting came to a close after that, which Viktor was thankful for. It had been a long two hours. The meeting wrapped up with the aliens raising their hands and nodding in what seemed like a vote. A little weirded out and confused, Viktor squinted at them all, hands wrapping around Vok'Rul's wrist to pull it away from his face.

The aliens all got up from their chairs simultaneously, which made Viktor jump in short-lived fright. They filed out of the door after bowing again to Vok'Rul. After a long few minutes, only Rukka, Vok'Rul, and Viktor were left in the room. And of course, the group of bodyguards they had come in with.

Rukka and Vok'Rul immediately began talking, more excited than Viktor had even seen them. They said his name a few times. Rukka looked delightedly confused at him, and Viktor simply smiled back, just as confused.

"What happened?" he said aloud, dropping Vok'Rul's wrist as the alien stood up. He deftly dodged the large hands wanting to pick him up (and to his relief, the alien didn't pursue him) but allowed the alien to bend down and pat his head instead. To his delight, he reached into his pocket and grabbed a small bag of treats.

Unfortunately, he gave it to Rukka.

"What gives," he mumbled, eyeing her and the bag of food in her hands. Rukka may not be as loud as Thruul, but the times he had been within her arm's reach had been once, and he had just gotten his head slammed into hard tile. Repeatedly.

Vok'Rul rumbled his amusement, probably at the look of skepticism on both of their faces, although Rukka was doing a better job of suppressing it. It probably helped her case that he had apparently helped whatever she had been talking about. She still looked like she was in a good mood. Vok'Rul said something disparagingly to her, and Viktor heard her sigh and mumble in acquiescence.

She dug her hand into the bag with some difficulty, pulling out a few pellets. The bag was green, meaning it was pear-flavored. Delicious, Viktor thought, some of the wariness leaving him when he thought about how much he wanted the snack.

"Fuck," he grumbled to himself. He hadn't eaten too much this morning. He hadn't thought they'd be going anywhere today. Why would he? He literally just recovered from a concussion. Viktor thought it'd be another slow, boring day.

Rukka crouched on the ground, which was just weird. She was shorter than Vok'Rul, but Viktor had never seen her do anything except sit neatly on a chair or stand ramrod straight. She shook her hand, open-palmed with the snacks visible, and called his name.

Viktor frowned at her, carefully creeping forward, "You two are bastards, using my hunger against me." Despite knowing that Rukka was not cruel, nor would Vok'Rul let any harm come to him when he was right there, Viktor's heart was still beating out of his chest as his instincts screamed dangerdangerdanger! at him.

Hands trembling, though he told himself that they were not doing that, Viktor quickly swiped the treats from her hand. He looked at the bag of treats held loosely in her other hand out of the corner of his eye. Quickly wetting his lips, he shoved his open hand with the treats under Rukka's face.

Confused, the alien looked down at his hand, which was exactly what he wanted. Distantly, he heard Vok'Rul say something, but the human paid him no mind. He pivoted on his heel, quickly turning around and grabbing the bag from her grip as he went.

"Ha!" he crowed triumphantly, waving the bag in the air. He dodged the feeble, half-hearted attempt to retrieve the bag that Vok'Rul gave, baring his teeth in an animalistic grin. "Fooled you both with the same trick," he boasted, shoving some of the round puffs into his mouth and chewing.

They talked for a while longer after that, voices quickly becoming background noise to Viktor as he continued eating his fill. Their tones were less excited than they had been at the start but still fervent. He wondered what was getting them all riled up but quickly decided that he didn't want to know. It was probably some boring political stuff.

Boring political stuff aside, Viktor was glad that they had gotten out of the manor, and that, for once, nothing had gone wrong. The day was still young, but Viktor had a good feeling. Feeling optimistic.

Eventually, the aliens finished talking - or at least, talking in this stuffy old room (it had gotten boring after Viktor had managed to circle it for the fifth time without seeing any lull in their conversation) - and called for him to follow. Eager to get out of there, Viktor feigned long-suffering when Vok'Rul reattached the leash to the back of his harness.

After tackling the stairs, Viktor was led out of the entrance they had come in. No one bothered them on the way out, thank God. Once outside, he was immediately distracted by the flying statues. He had no idea how they worked. It probably didn't even make sense in physics, but Viktor was no scientist, so he simply enjoyed the view. They probably lingered for longer than necessary, but Viktor had been dragging his feet all the way back to the limo.

Rukka didn't ride with them, much to Viktor's pleasure and Vok'Rul's disappointment. She said something that perked him up, though, and made him look at Viktor excitedly, speaking to him excitedly.

Viktor, as fluent as a rock in this language, merely stared at him. He couldn't wait until he could understand their language. It was wishful thinking, though.

"Rohsh, Rukka," he said, anyway, because he was trying to learn their language. He just couldn't keep up with their pace. He waved goodbye as he was ushered into the car by Vok'Rul. Both of them chuckled in their growl-y sort of way.

"Zhesh, Kohgrash, to zhesh, ney rohsh," Vok'Rul told him, smiling a little as Viktor's face contorted in confusion. He picked apart the sentence, picking out what he knew. Rohsh was the greeting he heard often. Ney was similar to neyk, which he knew to be some sort of 'no,' so it must be 'not' or something similar.

And zhesh must be goodbye, then. "Zhesh," he repeated, stumbling over the pronunciation. Vok'Rul's face lit up.

"Teyk! Kohgrash, teyk! Ta ka awshk, cho'k," he said delightedly. Rukka scoffed.

"I have no idea what any of that means!" Viktor responded brightly. Maybe teyk was 'yes,' since it sounded so similar to neyk, but Viktor was grasping at straws here. He only recognized his name and the pet name that Vok'Rul used for him sometimes.

Impromptu language lesson over, Rukka took her leave, and Vok'Rul and Viktor went back to the manor. Viktor's clothes had been washed in their absence, and he reveled in the soft and slightly scratchy feeling of the fabric against his skin. Predictably, Vok'Rul returned to his desk to look at the papers some more, but he seemed in a much more hopeful mood this time around. Maybe that meeting had been invigorating? Viktor shuddered at the thought.

The rest of the day found Viktor stealing naps in his closet and trying to steal bits of paper and some writing utensils from Vok'Rul's desk. The alien likely thought he was trying to mimic what he was doing, but Viktor wanted to make a little list of all the words he knew, just to have them all together. The alien wouldn't budge, however, and eventually, he got kicked out of the office.

"Your pencils probably suck, anyway!" he said to the closed door, a little annoyed but not really.

Fine, he thought, turning around to the empty living room. He'd just figure out how this TV worked instead.

***

Vocabulary:

awshk: smart, intelligent

cho'k: endearment, usually meaning little one, love; usually used for pets or small children

ka: is (are)

rohsh: a friendly greeting, such as hello or hey

ta: you

teyk: yes

zhesh: goodbye