The stuff they had bought arrived before they had. Either Vok'Rul had asked for a scenic route or the car their stuff had been in was driven by speed demons. It was funny to think of the latter, so Viktor decided that was the only possible explanation.

He wrangled himself out of the harness after they had gotten back into Vok'Rul's rooms. Rukka and Kac must have already retired because it was just the three of them. Nohkka was still sleeping rather soundly. The sun quickly set in the time it took for Vok'Rul to have staff members take some of their goods upstairs.

Eventually, what with all the noise and rustling, Nohkka woke up again. Excited and seemingly energized by her nap (which couldn't have been more than an hour. These aliens probably needed less sleep than humans did), she started taking out some of the sweaters. Viktor squinted at her suspiciously.

Thankfully, Vok'Rul managed to hold her off for a while, and Viktor was left in peace. The staff members left after Vok'Rul thanked and dismissed them. Viktor crept out of the relatively safe office (he had been watching from the opposite end of the room, looking out of the open door. He didn't particularly like having a bunch of aliens he didn't know very well in his space, thank you very much) and watched as Vok'Rul started to sort through the items.

He had gotten a lot of bottles. Viktor wouldn't be able to tell anyone what they were for, exactly, but he had a good idea since they went into the bathroom. There were some hairbrushes in that pile as well.

Viktor had immediately pounced on the blanket when it was revealed, wrapping himself up tightly. Nohkka petted him on top of the blanket, but that was alright. It was pretty soft.

As soon as they had gotten to their little clothes pile (which was still ridiculous he thought. In fact, he thought all of this was ridiculous. There wasn't any need to buy him all this junk, but he couldn't tell them that, so he tried to enjoy the consequences and not let the guilt bother him too much), Viktor had snagged the socks. Unfortunately, they were wrapped up pretty well, so he had to hand them back to Vok'Rul so the alien could slice them open.

They were a little big. They went up all the way to the bottom of his calf if he pulled them taut but otherwise settled around his ankles. They'd probably end up slipping off sometimes, but he couldn't find himself caring that much. New socks were nothing to sneeze at. Plus, they were blue! And matched his sweater!

Vok'Rul took his old ones, probably to throw them away. Viktor wouldn't miss them.

There was a whirring noise behind him, distracting him from his newly acquired socks. He turned around, a bit awkwardly since he was sitting down, trying to put on the socks. Nohkka had a strange little device in her hands. Vok'Rul looked up from his pile, rumbling something at her. She quickly got up, rushing over to him. Viktor had to reel backward to avoid getting smacked in the face by whatever she was holding.

"Sheesh," Viktor muttered, quickly pulling on the other sock before standing up and wandering over. He almost stepped on Vok'Rul's tail in the process.

Vok'Rul opened the package for Nohkka, rumbling at her squeals of excitement. The item that popped out of the package - from what Viktor could see before Nohkka quickly snatched it up - was probably the weirdest thing he's ever seen.

It reminded Viktor of the cars that they use here; flat at the bottom and a little domed at the top. But that was where the similarities ended. As Nohkka turned it all on, Viktor realized that instead of using whatever engines the real cars of this planet used this one was propelling itself upward with air.

Nohkka drove it around a little bit in circles using a small, circular device that he would probably be unable to understand, ever, before she twisted it in his direction. It hovered almost a foot in the air and was hurtling toward him with an alarmingly fast speed. Viktor took a few steps back and this time, he did step on Vok'Rul's tail. And trip over it, in the process.

He yelled in alarm as he landed, feeling the floating car hit his leg a second later. He heard Vok'Rul give a little sigh before helping him off his tail, hoisting him up with ease. "Nohkka," he said, giving her a look. She adopted a perfectly innocent expression.

When Nohkka let him look at the little car (with the occasional jerk forward, just to startle him. She was an evil little kid), he saw that it had cute little windows plastered on it, accented with white stripes around them. The entire thing was black in color, but the underside glowed green when it was moving forward and blue when it went skittering backward. It looked nothing like any of the cars that he had used in Vok'Rul's care.

"Kohgrash," she pleaded with him for some reason, racing the little floating car in circles. She repeated some words, hopping in place.

Viktor glanced at Vok'Rul, who was half paying attention, more intent on sorting and now moving the piles of stuff into their correct places. Clothing, bottles of liquid, hairbrushes, the blanket he had picked up after Viktor had left it on the ground, that really shiny leash, some little bracelet... things, and some bags that suspiciously looked like treats that Viktor would've immediately started tearing apart if it weren't for Nohkka, they all started to be taken away into various rooms. Most of it went into Vok'Rul's room, namely the leash and his clothing.

The alien dropped the blanket on Viktor's head as he passed, and Viktor would've tripped him if he could've gotten out of it before he had passed.

The human sighed heavily, dramatically, pushing the blanket off him before turning his attention back to the child. Nohkka cheered and started to race the car around the room. He cautiously stepped after it, wondering what exactly the child wanted him to do.

She would slow the car down just so that he could catch up with it in haltingly, slow steps, then speed it up again before he could reach it. He picked up his pace, trotting after it. By the time Vok'Rul had come back out from his room, Viktor was nearly running after it, trying to catch it in between his hands.

Nohkka, for all that she was tiny, loud, and a little irritating, could really drive this thing. Every time he got close, she would sharply turn the car, hit the brakes, or simply accelerate. She always did it when he was on top of the blankets they had spilled all over the floor, making him lose his traction and almost slip. It delighted her so much she fell into giggles each time. He found himself grinning.

He tried to tell himself that it was a little odd to be finding this much entertainment in chasing after this little toy, but Viktor couldn't muster up the energy to really care. It was something new, something fresh, and he would enjoy every little bit of it.

It came to a stop some ten minutes later when Nohkka drove the car too close to Vok'Rul, who was still going in and out of rooms, and turned it again. Viktor, needing to catch this thing at least once, anticipated this move. He pivoted on his heel right before she turned the car, grabbed it tightly in one hand, and promptly collided with Vok'Rul's tail.

He was sent head over heels, the car still gripped in his right hand, before coming to a sudden stop as he crashed into the wall.

"Fuck," he laughed dizzily. The car was blowing hot air onto him as he sat up. It quickly shut off.

He looked at the wall, quickly assessing it for any damage. He had been running pretty fast. But it had no damage at all. He breathed out a little shaky sigh of relief.

"Kohgrash!" Vok'Rul said worriedly, leaning over him. He asked a question, but Viktor just grinned at him happily. He held up the car.

"I got it!" he crowed his victory. It was short-lived, however, when the alien plucked it out of his hands. "Hey!" Nohkka made a similar noise of protest, but the taller alien was having none of it. He tucked it away where neither he nor Nohkka could reach. Spoilsport.

Viktor collapsed back onto the ground, sprawling his limbs out. His heart beat wildly in his chest from the sudden exercise. His whole body vibrated with the need to move, and it was no wonder. For almost a month, he had basically become sedentary after almost nine of doing nothing but moving. The delay in the need to move had likely been due to his new environment, though. Going into a new place had always left him cautious and wary, unsure of where to go and how to act, even on Earth. On this planet, it was amplified.

Viktor sat up, positioning himself so that he was sitting on the backs of his legs. Nohkka pouted on the couch, face screwed up in an expression of disgust and irritation. Vok'Rul ignored her, finishing up putting away all the things he had bought, sans the blanket, which Viktor promptly crawled forward to grab.

"Tor'Rul," she whined piteously. She said something else, likely needling him to give back the car.

"I second that. Give the car back!" Viktor shouted suddenly, making the taller alien jump.

"Kohgrash," Vok'Rul shushed him, finally finishing up with the shopping. He collapsed onto the couch next to Nohkka, slightly launching her up into the air due to physics and whatever. Viktor sighed, mourning the loss of the car. Hopefully, it would make a swift return. Maybe he could chase around one of the guards or something, just to scratch that itch.

Vok'Rul switched on the TV, much to Nohkka's delight, who apparently forgot all about the toy car as soon as it turned on. Traitor.

The alien gestured for him to come here and Viktor really thought about turning his back, just to be a dick. He hadn't forgotten about the car. But then the evil mastermind grabbed something from his pockets (Viktor was proud to say that he didn't even flinch when the alien reached for his waist) and shook it enticingly. Those pear treats.

"You're a bastard," he mumbled scornfully, clambering to his feet with haste. He almost tripped a couple of times on the way over there before he bundled the blanket up so that he could safely move his feet. He hopped onto the couch (with a little help from Vok'Rul, who easily grabbed his blanket and hoisted him up) and immediately went to snag the bag from the alien's clawed hand.

Unfortunately, he was too quick this time, and the bastard actually managed to keep it away from Viktor. Short of discarding the blanket (which he didn't want to do) and climbing all over the alien (which he definitely didn't want to do), Viktor had to wait patiently for Vok'Rul to hand him some.

He whipped out his best puppy eyes - the ones that always worked on his dad, especially when he had been younger - and was rewarded when the alien sighed his defeat, dropping a few into his open palms. Viktor hurriedly shoved them into his mouth, situating himself comfortably on the other end of the couch. Nohkka was curled up against the taller alien, pointing and chattering at the TV.

They ended up putting some sort of movie on. It was three-dimensional again, and Viktor felt like he was at an IMAX show with the way the images jumped out at him.

It felt like a horror movie. He couldn't understand any of the dialogue, but the jumpscares still got him, loud and sudden in the quiet atmosphere. Nohkka shrieked and screamed at all the right places, which made Vok'Rul rumble, setting her off into teary little giggles, as well. As the movie rolled to the end - Viktor had the basic gist of what had happened; amusingly, it kinda reminded him of all the werewolf movies back on Earth. Some alien had gotten infected and transformed into a grotesque beast, intending to hunt down their friends - Nohkka chattered both Vok'Rul and Viktor's ears off, gesturing wildly as she spoke.

Idly, Viktor wondered if the standard for kid-friendly movies were much more intense here than on Earth. He could still see the creature when he shut his eyes. Spooky.

Then, her tone turned plaintive and imploring. Probably begging Vok'Rul for another movie. Her effectiveness was cut in half when she yawned, and Viktor blinked in surprise. He didn't even know they yawned! Unfortunately, it seemed that yawning was still contagious, even through alien species, so he yawned as well.

Loudly.

Vok'Rul swiftly stood up, taking Nohkka with him. He swung her around in his arms for a moment before pressing his forehead to hers, tenderly.

"How sweet," Viktor teased them from his position on the couch. Throughout the movie, he slumped further and further down, to the point where his legs were dangling off the edge, his top half completely laying down on the cushion. They were really big cushions. Plus, super comfy.

Nohkka reached out to him, demanding something of Vok'Rul, who set her down swiftly. The girl quickly ran up to him, tail wagging to express her glee. Viktor barely got to sit up before she was grabbing his face, albeit carefully, and pressed her forehead against his.

"Uh, thanks?" Viktor mumbled his confusion after she pulled away. She swiftly went back to Vok'Rul, demanding to be held again. He obliged her.

Vok'Rul went into his room and reappeared a few minutes later without Nohkka, gently shutting the door behind him. Probably put her to bed, Viktor mused, relaxing against the end of the couch.

"Well, where are you gonna sleep?" Viktor asked the alien. It was far from the time he usually went to bed. The sun had been away for a few hours, but Vok'Rul tended to sleep when it was nearing midnight at least. He had a hard time imagining Vok'Rul waking up his niece in the middle of the night. "You can't have my bed. Sorry, not sorry."

His suspicions were confirmed when he started making up the couch for the night. He dropped a few pillows on the opposite end of Viktor, fluffing up some blankets and placing them on the couch, too. He stood back with a pleased expression before leaning forward to tap something on the couch.

Viktor yelped in surprise as the couch started to move underneath him, lengthening and widening in turn. It took only a few seconds, but soon, the couch had turned into a sizeable bed. Vok'Rul, and all his lengthy appendages, would likely dangle off, but it would do for a night.

"We could've watched the movie on a bed," he moaned, thinking of his longing to stretch out his legs during the damn thing.

Vok'Rul smiled at him, all teeth. Viktor rolled his eyes.

"Pora, Kohgrash," the alien said before snaking his hands under the human's arms and lifting him from the bed with ease.

"Way to give me a choice," he huffed his protest, quickly grabbing onto the alien's clothes. Vok'Rul began walking, and he grew stiff as the alien purposefully started toward the bathroom.

"Neyk," he hissed, hitting the alien harshly on the arm. It surprised him, but Vok'Rul only tightened his hold.

"Teyk, Kohgrash, tas drrsk!" the alien rumbled beneath him. An affronted gasp wrangled its way out of his throat before he could help himself.

"You better not be telling me I stink. You're not a pile of roses, either. The soap you use reeks!" Viktor growled, some of his good mood evaporating at the realization that he wouldn't be able to get out of this easily.

Vok'Rul dropped him on the sink counter, just as he had been the first time he had been given a bath, and began rummaging through the cabinet for a moment. But a moment was all Viktor needed. As quick as he could, he pushed himself off the counter, landing heavily on the floor. He deftly dodged Vok'Rul's attempt at catching him, who had frantically dropped the bottle he was holding right into the sink.

He didn't, however, account for the alien's tail, which was still lingering in the doorway threshold. The air left his lungs as it connected solidly with his chest, pushing him back into the bathroom. He was knocked to his ass, gasping for air. He heard the bathroom door click shut, and he morbidly thought of his cell doing the same.

"Ow, you bastard," he wheezed, rubbing his chest. Damn, that had hurt. That thing was pure muscle. Viktor shot a glare up at Vok'Rul, who seemed like a skyscraper from this angle. He looked apologetic but firm, and Viktor's shoulders slumped.

The alien was much bigger - and stronger - than him. While he was certain Vok'Rul would never hurt him, Viktor knew that trying to squirm his way out of this wouldn't end well for him. Still, he wasn't going to sit back and make it easy for the alien.

Vok'Rul set the bottles on the edge of the tub, which was massive, really. Viktor could probably swim around in it. Viktor stepped closer to the edge, eyeing Vok'Rul suspiciously. He was spared a glance before the alien went back to wrestling with some sort of plastic sheet. Viktor, noisily and as obnoxiously as possible, pushed the bottles into the empty tub.

Vok'Rul turned, face twisted into a frown. It wasn't quite the angry expression he had been subject to under the ringmaster's gaze, but it still made Viktor's stomach jump, just a little. "Kohgrash," he sighed at him. "Neyk."

After fishing the multitude of bottles out of the tub (Viktor seriously didn't even know what they were for. He just hoped they weren't toxic. That would suck, he thought), he began filling it up with water. Viktor was getting a little frantic, now.

"Listen," he told the alien, back plastered against the door and as far away from the rushing water as possible. "I love baths and showers and all that. What I don't like is an audience. You can leave, and I'll get myself clean, pinky promise," he waved his pinky at the alien for emphasis, who was steadfastly ignoring him. "We'll get to spare each other the embarrassment when you find out I'm sentient and all that junk." His awkward laugh echoed in the room, competing only with the rushing water and Vok'Rul.

The alien was humming, soothingly. Abruptly, he turned toward Viktor, who nearly jumped out of his skin at the sudden motion, his arms jerking forward to cover his head but stopping halfway through the gesture. Vok'Rul cooed at him, trying to offer comfort. It wasn't working.

"You're gonna ruin a perfectly good day like this?" Viktor demanded, edging away from the alien's hands when he crouched down in front of him. But there was nowhere to go.

The last time he had been undressed, he was nearly incoherent under some powerful sedation drugs. Going into a lukewarm bath had been exactly what his hypothermic, freshly broken body had needed, and he hadn't the presence of mind to complain at all. But now, he did. And he complained. Loudly.

He slapped the alien's hands away, which had worked at first, but they both realized that Viktor was unwilling to hurt him, which made his attacks pretty much useless.

His face was probably permanently red. He was going to be a tomato for the rest of his life.

Mercifully, Vok'Rul made the bath as quick as possible, despite all the gunk he poured over Viktor. It had soon turned the water into some blue, bubbly concoction that Viktor might've enjoyed if he weren't in it.

Viktor could admit, though, when he was out, dry, and most importantly, clothed, that he had been a little rank. He missed private showers, though.

"We're never talking about this again," he said mutinously, mercifully allowed to pull on his own clothing (with just a little assistance for his cast). The clothing he had on was some of the new stuff they had bought today. The sweater, which was a pale red that looked almost pink and had some white text dancing across it, was a little big, just like the socks that he had wrestled on. Another clean pair of gray sweatpants followed.

He frowned at his feet. Now his socks didn't match. He looked like a sad Fourth of July popsicle.

Cool water dripped down his neck, and he shuddered audibly. Vok'Rul attacked his hair again with the towel, which Viktor didn't particularly enjoy but had no choice in the matter, before attacking it again with a soft-bristled hairbrush. The pink one that Nohkka had gotten, ironically enough.

At least he didn't have knots in his hair anymore, Viktor thought with a sigh. All of the humans in the arena had quickly given up on keeping their hair in order. Finger-combing had only gone so far. The most they could do was hope the animal they were fighting didn't have the intelligence to bite their hair. It would've been an especially easy target to grab hold of and keep their hold.

He shook the thoughts of the arena away, trying to focus instead on Vok'Rul. The alien seemed satisfied with how he looked because he quickly placed the hairbrush back on the sink and said something cheerfully to Viktor.

Viktor glared, but he was pretty sure the effect was diminished due to the jaw-cracking yawn he let out in the next second. Vok'Rul cooed at him again, brushing his claws down the side of his cheek with care. Ugh, what a sap. Viktor had to hide his smile behind his hand, opting to scratch his nose.

He opened the bathroom door, letting all the warm air out and the cold air in, much to Viktor's shivering disgust, and went into the office. Viktor begrudgingly followed, damp but feeling clean, at least. With two entire blankets now, he would truly be living in the lap of luxury. He couldn't wait to go to sleep.

Vok'Rul veered toward the closet, opening the door wide. Viktor frowned at his back. "What are you doing?" he said heatedly, watching as the alien grabbed his plush bed and dragged it out of the small space. "That's my stuff!"

He jumped onto his bed in order to stop the alien from dragging it to who knows where, but all that did was give Viktor a ride to who knows where.

And that was outside the office and into the living room. Vok'Rul stopped pulling the bed when it was right next to the couch-turned-bed. Viktor watched curiously as he threw one of the many blankets gathered around it over the edge of the couch, pulling it over his bed to make a little blanket fort.

"Sick," he whispered, enveloped in darkness. The lights were still on, and the seal wasn't perfect, so there were some spots where light trickled in, but it was still a passable fort. Still, he preferred his closet.

He poked his head out of the fort, squinting at Vok'Rul, and said, "This won't be a regular occurrence, mister. I like my closet, thank you."

Vok'Rul reached down and bopped him on the nose. Pride ripped to shreds, Viktor hastily retreated back into the fort petulantly.

He fell asleep almost immediately, clean, happy, and safe. Vok'Rul's shuffling and soft breathing lulled him further into unconsciousness. It was one of the best nights of sleep he's ever had in his life.

***

Vocabulary:

drrsk: dirty

neyk: stop, no

pora: come

tas: you're

teyk: yes

tor': uncle, usually followed by the person's name