Vok'Rul spent most of his time sleeping. It wasn't the still, barely breathing kind of sleep he had been in for the last five days, though. It was much easier to bear, now that the alien had regained consciousness at least once, even if it was for all of five minutes.

Viktor found the will to eat what was offered to him, and after Rukka had left, he curled up as tightly as he could so as not to bump into Vok'Rul and fell into the deepest sleep he had since he got here.

He woke up to murmuring voices. He cracked his eyes open, unfurling with difficulty - his wounds still ached - and rubbed his eyes viciously, trying to clear the last of the sleep from them. His mouth was dry, and his head pulsed, but what else was new?

He jolted as he remembered. He whirled around, pushing away the dizziness that came with not taking care of himself very well for five days, eyes landing on Vok'Rul.

The alien was still lying on the bed, but he had sat up just slightly, head turned to speak with Rukka and Kac, who were sitting at his bedside. At Viktor's sudden movement, all three turned toward him, their conversation stopping.

"Uhh," he said, voice gravelly. "Rohsh."

"Pora, Kohgrash'mrr," Vok'Rul said, lifting his arms toward him. A bit awkwardly, hyperaware of where he was putting each limb, Viktor slowly crawled up to Vok'Rul. The alien wrapped his arm around the human, pulling him up close to his chest. Viktor pressed his ear against him, hearing his weak heartbeat.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, pressing himself as close as he could to the alien. It should scare him, how attached he had gotten to Vok'Rul in such a short time. But it didn't.

Realistically, his attachment to the alien was probably unhealthy at best. Latching on to the only living being who had shown him the most kindness he had received in months, especially after he had been uprooted from his friends, probably wasn't the best idea.

But Viktor couldn't help it and lowering his defenses had been so appealing. Being able to relax, truly relax? After everything he had gone through? Yeah, it was no wonder he had gotten so attached to him.

He felt Vok'Rul press his cheek to the top of his head, pokey and warm, squeezing him slightly. His heart thudded with hope, hardly daring to believe that maybe he wouldn't be kicked out after all.

"Tas prosh, Kohgrash," Vok'Rul whispered, just for him. Alarmingly, he sounded a little choked up. Viktor, who didn't even know if these aliens could shed tears, sincerely hoped that the alien wouldn't cry, because he'd probably join him.

He heard Rukka say something, tone disbelieving and a little incredulous. Vok'Rul made a curious noise, pulling back to inspect Viktor. The human looked up, face half squished against the alien's chest.

"What?" he asked, lips curling into a small smile. "Got something on my face?"

He tried not to remember that he actually did have something on his face.

Vok'Rul said something, making a shooing motion with his injured arm. Kac and Rukka suddenly stood, chairs scraping loudly against the floor. It made Viktor startle, and he watched warily as they went to the door. Rukka did the gesture for come here, and Viktor's face twisted in confused fury.

Vok'Rul had just woken up, and they expected him to leave?

"Pora, Kohgrash," Rukka said commandingly.

He bared his teeth at her slightly, just to convey his irritation. His fingers wrapped around the scratchy material of Vok'Rul's hospital clothing. He glanced up at the alien, but his face was uncharacteristically impassive.

"Neyk," his voice wavered, belying his fear. "Kohgrash kor Vok'Rul. Kor!"

Vok'Rul rumbled a surprised laugh, arms tightening around Viktor. "Teyk, kor'kn mr, Kohgrash."

Viktor relaxed, watching as Rukka and Kac returned to their chairs with matching exasperated expressions. He knew only a few words that Vok'Rul had said, but he knew yes and stay. He could connect the dots from there.

Vok'Rul said something else, but it was to Rukka and Kac, this time. Whatever he said made them both scoff, glancing down at Viktor. Rukka spoke quickly, gesturing to him. He heard awshk, which he still didn't exactly understand, thrown in there a few times. Vok'Rul seemed like he wanted to protest, but his head just fell back onto the bed with a sigh.

Viktor squinted at the three aliens, feeling as though something important just flew over his head.

A doctor came into the room, then. It bowed lowly before Vok'Rul, who straightened up at the sight of it. It stepped closer, speaking to the three of them in swift, clipped tones. Vok'Rul, Rukka, and Kac were nodding along. Occasionally, the doctor glanced at Viktor, still curled up next to - practically on - Vok'Rul, but it said nothing.

It paused for dramatic effect (probably) before delivering news that made everyone in the room, aside from Viktor, sigh with relief.

"What? Something good?" he asked the room at large. Vok'Rul reached up with his uninjured arm - his right one ironically, now he and Viktor matched - and ruffled his hair slightly. Unbidden, a smile crept onto his face at the touch. Ugh, he had missed this guy.

The doctor left, leaving everyone in a good mood. Viktor could only assume that it had broken the news that Vok'Rul was on his way to being fully healed, which was pretty obvious, considering he was awake, now.

Vok'Rul let out a deep sigh, relaxing back into his bed. Viktor got comfortable as well, squeezing in between the alien's side and his right arm. He rested his head on the other's chest, already feeling his eyes beginning to droop. The light outside told him that it was late morning at best, meaning he had only managed to get a few hours of sleep before waking up again. He was tired.

He dropped off soon after, Vok'Rul's heartbeat and rumbling conversations of the others lulling him into a peaceful slumber.

***

Vok'Rul was asleep when he woke up again, this time well into the night. There was a large alien sitting in the chair beside the bed, and Viktor recoiled reflexively as the shadows shifted over Thruul's face to twist him into a demented version of the ringmaster.

The movement brought Thruul's attention onto him, and mercifully, he shifted into the light. Vok'Rul's arm tightened around Viktor's back in his sleep. Viktor gave a deep, relieved sigh, careful to not wake Vok'Rul.

He smiled at Thruul, who seemed a bit startled to see him so cheerful. "Rohsh," he whispered to the alien, trying to get up and out of Vok'Rul's hold. The alien muttered something in his sleep, flinging both arms over Viktor.

He froze, barely breathing, before looking at Thruul pleadingly. "Help?" he whispered. Thruul looked like he was choking back a laugh.

The alien reached for his belt, and the reflexive whimper of fear that came out of Viktor's throat was loud and unwilling. Vok'Rul grunted awake, blinking blearily in the soft light. "Kas tih, Kohgrash'mrr, tas kor'kn mr," he mumbled, seeming to realize that he was holding Viktor rather tightly. He sat up, releasing Viktor from his arms.

A bit reluctant, Viktor moved toward the other end of the bed, sitting cross-legged near the alien's knees and keeping his gaze on Thruul in the process. The alien had frozen in place at Viktor's distress, though he had quickly removed his hand from his belt. Now that Vok'Rul had woken up, he seemed a bit more awkward.

Interesting...

"Vok'Rul," Viktor called to him because he was sure the alien hadn't even noticed Thruul at his bedside. He pointed at the latter, "Thruul."

Vok'Rul made a noise of surprise, exclaiming, "Thruul!"

They chatted for a while. Viktor couldn't follow their conversation to save his life, but it was probably about the zoo trip, considering how worked up Thruul was getting. He reached again for his belt, slowly and deliberately this time, and pulled his phone out.

He tapped at it for a while before a shimmering video popped up. Viktor leaned in close to see.

It was a news station report. From the grainy feed, Viktor could tell that it was a video about the attack. Vok'Rul pulled him backward by the harness, shoving his arm into the mouth of the snake creature. Watching the video made bile rise in the back of his throat, and he had to look away and focus his attention on the alien in question lest his panic overwhelmed him.

"Please, don't ever do that again," he complained to Vok'Rul. "I'm literally immune to that thing. Look!" He shoved his sleeves up, pushing his bitten skin under the alien's nose. Vok'Rul grabbed his wrist tightly, exclaiming in shock when he noticed the puncture marks.

"Thruul!" he spluttered, pulling Viktor nearly off-balance in his haste to show the other his arm. "Kohgrash!"

"Vokkra'mrr," the other said, exasperated. He shoved the phone in his leader's face, saying, "keti," before playing the video again.

Viktor, who was almost entirely lying across Vok'Rul's stomach at this point and was still trapped by Vok'Rul's grip around his arm, craned his neck to watch. As he suspected, it was what had happened after Vok'Rul had collapsed. Whatever video Thruul had gotten this off of must not have been too wary of showing gory details, because all three of them watched of video-Viktor slam his fist repeatedly into the snake's skull. Vok'Rul made a growl of despair, fingers twitching around Viktor's arm.

He could see its skull crumbling underneath the weight of his punches, and when video-him had bit into its neck, its blood fizzled. Honestly, it was a little disturbing to see from this angle. It only seemed to upset Vok'Rul even more.

Thruul said something, rumbling his approval. He reached out and gently pat Viktor on the head.

"Yeah, yeah," Viktor grumbled, pulling his arm out of Vok'Rul's limp grip and pushing himself back onto his knees.

"Kohgrash!" Vok'Rul snapped back to his senses, gently grabbing his face and angling it toward him. Viktor felt the familiar pull of irritation that came with getting his personal space invaded, but it was muted and withdrawn. He was too relieved that Vok'Rul was conscious enough to annoy him.

It came back full force, however, when Vok'Rul started to pry his mouth open.

"'Ey!" Viktor shouted, voice muffled by the fingers squeezing his jaws. He slapped the alien's hands, but Vok'Rul didn't seem to notice, too busy moving his head in every direction known to man. "'Top it!"

Vok'Rul didn't seem to find anything wrong - Viktor could've told him that - and let him close his mouth. The human glared half-heartedly at him, trying to pull back from the alien's hands when Vok'Rul noticed the long scabbing scratch trailing down his face.

"Kohgrash..." Vok'Rul's voice was sad. He gently brushed his claw down it. Viktor winced, twitching slightly in his hold.

"It's fine," Viktor patted his hands, trying to reassure him. "I've always wanted a cool scar, anyway."

He had too many to count, but at least this one, he could say he had gotten something worth fighting for, instead of being forced into the arena over and over again against his will. Too many wounds have been given to him by hands he did not care about, by weapons he tried not to think about. But this one, this soon-to-be scar, was something to be proud of.

Plus, he'd look badass.

It was a very big plus.

Thruul and Vok'Rul went back to talking for a while longer after Vok'Rul reassured himself that Viktor was alright. Viktor tried to entertain himself by following along with their conversation, but he only knew a few words, and could barely string them together to make a coherent sentence. So, following along was pretty tricky.

Predictably, Vok'Rul's energy started to flag after an hour or two. He kept yawning, politely apologizing to Thruul, who would get such a sickeningly fond expression on his face that it was a wonder Vok'Rul hadn't noticed yet.

"You're so dense," Viktor said after the third yawn (which made him yawn in return, that stupid alien). "Also, I'm hungry. Norish?"

Thruul rumbled happily at the word, brightened up by the fact that Viktor was finally accepting food. He couldn't remember when his last meal had been. Nohkka had shoved that jerky in his hands a few days ago, and Rukka had given him some fruit the day before, but had that really been it? Thruul said something to Vok'Rul, fishing some jerky out of his pockets and handing it slowly to Viktor. He wondered if every alien just had random food stored on them at all times. Maybe their pockets were interdimensional or something. That would explain a lot.

Munching on the jerky, even if it tasted a little bit like clothing, Viktor heard Vok'Rul exclaim in dismay. He looked up curiously to find the alien staring at him with a heavy expression, full of guilt and worry. Viktor shrugged, a bit self-consciously, raising his free hand in a what can you do? gesture. It wasn't as if he had died of starvation, after all. He just... hadn't been hungry. There had been too many emotions in him to worry about stupid stuff like that.

While Vok'Rul sat back and slowly started to drop back into unconsciousness, Viktor felt energized. He had gotten some good sleep and now had some food in his belly. He carefully crawled over Vok'Rul's stomach, mindful of the alien's wounded arm, and lowered himself to the ground.

"Kohgrash?" came Vok'Rul's sleepy murmur. Both Viktor and Thruul were quick to reassure him.

"It's okay," Viktor said at the same time Thruul murmured a "Kas tih."

"Jinx," Viktor said, reflexively reaching out to lightly punch Thruul's leg. Both he and the alien froze. It seemed like minutes had passed before Viktor cleared his throat, forcefully dropping his shoulders. "You still owe me a soda, though."

As Vok'Rul fell asleep, and the sun slowly made its appearance over the horizon and into the small window of the room, Viktor paced around the room. He was reluctant to leave the room completely, considering he'd likely get super lost in the process and spend his dying days in the hospital. Also, the fact that not keeping Vok'Rul in his line of sight had panic clawing into his throat and crushing his windpipe.

Yeah, that was kinda debilitating. Viktor thought he was developing some sort of separation anxiety. He had had it when he had been a kid, right after his mom had passed away. Worried about being at school if something had happened to his dad, Viktor had had nightmares for weeks. He had gotten over it with his dad's, and some therapy, help. He had been really young, though, so he didn't remember much.

He had no idea how to cope with it, now. It wasn't like there was therapy on this planet. At least, no therapy for him. Like everything else he encountered that he didn't know how to solve, Viktor decided he'd ignore it for, now. It definitely wouldn't come to bite him on the ass later. For now, he would just try his best to stay near Vok'Rul.

Thruul had drifted off by the time the sun had risen, leaving him the only one awake. While he may not like the alien that much, his constant mumbling to both Vok'Rul and Viktor had been sort of soothing. Not to mention, his company was appreciated. Now, though, Viktor could hear his own heartbeat in the silence of his room.

The door suddenly opened, admitting a doctor and a very tired-looking Rukka. The doctor froze upon seeing him. Viktor tensed, eyes flickering to Rukka. The alien grunted something, irritated, at the doctor, who jolted back to itself, offering an apology. It stepped in, cautiously going around Viktor, eyes stuck on him the entire time he walked over to Vok'Rul's bed.

Viktor crossed his arms, stomach twisting with nerves as the doctor started fiddling with the machine. They had removed the tube from Vok'Rul's mouth in the time both he and the alien had been sleeping (which unnerved him to a degree that Viktor tried not to think about), but still opted to prepare his medicine in the machine. Instead of going through a tube, however, the liquid oozed out of a spigot, thick and brown.

Yuck. Viktor thought he'd prefer the tube instead. At least he didn't have to look at whatever they had been feeding Vok'Rul.

"Thruul," Rukka shook the larger alien awake, who moved with a suddenness that had both Rukka and Viktor flinching.

"Flakmmn," he mumbled, stretching languidly before standing up. He clapped Rukka on the back, saying a quick zhesh to both her and the doctor. Before he took his leave, he crouched in front of Viktor, sleepily rummaging in his pockets before handing him a handful (which was two for Viktor) of jerky. The teenager hastily accepted, backing up a few paces as soon as he had his treasures. Thruul left soon after.

The doctor followed not long after Thruul had left, whispering some words to Rukka, whose shoulders didn't drop until the alien had left the room. She sat heavily in the chair, smoothing out the light blanket resting over Vok'Rul's legs.

"Hey," Viktor whispered, stepping over to her. He put all his jerky into his sweater, lifting the bottom to create a pseudo-basket. He patted her leg comfortingly with his free hand. "Kas tih," he told her.

Rukka reached down to pet his hair, a bit stiffly. Viktor felt like there would be no way she was going to be comfortable touching him. He supposed that he was in the same boat. Still, she smiled at him. It had a bit too many teeth, and he would've been scared out of his wits if he had seen this in the dark, but it was still a smile.

"Good effort!" he encouraged her, lying behind his teeth. "Keep practicing, though!"

Viktor settled in his spot under Vok'Rul's bed, facing the doorway. He munched at his jerky, thoughts circling his head for hours. He was hungrier than he had thought because soon enough, his entire jerky stash had been depleted. Now, he was just thirsty. A request for awkma at Rukka had him getting a cup of water, though. Granted, the cup was absolutely huge in his hands, and she had only filled it halfway, but he appreciated the offer, nonetheless.

He threw his head back, staring at the ceiling. Now that Vok'Rul was awake at regular intervals, Viktor had thought there'd be less waiting around. At least most of his anxiety and guilt had been assuaged. He couldn't say the same for this newly developed mind-numbing boredom, though.

Oh well. If Viktor was good at anything, it was playing the waiting game.

***

All in all, they stayed in the hospital for ten days before Vok'Rul was deemed well enough to leave. Viktor had been going stir-crazy in the cramped room, but every time one of the aliens had suggested for him to come with them, he had gone on the defensive, regressing immediately into aggressive action. It scared him, sometimes, how easy it was for him to slip into a fighting stance. Even in the arena, he had retained some semblance of his humanity.

He desperately needed to talk to some human in a nice, calm, casual setting. Talking to his dad, while nice, had been shadowed by the imminent attack that had happened ten minutes later. He regretted cutting their conversation so short, especially after not having seen the man in ten months, but Viktor couldn't say he didn't regret going after Vok'Rul.

Even if it had been his fault the alien had gotten himself stuck in the hospital. He was sure the guilt would linger with him for the rest of his life.

Vok'Rul had been escorted out of the hospital by a small army of doctors, plus Rukka. The alien had been insistent on carrying Viktor out, despite both his and the doctors' protests. He supposed that Vok'Rul hadn't wanted him to get lost. He was sure he would've, had he been on the ground. These guys walked pretty fast.

They were back at the mansion in the hour. All three of them stayed in the car for a moment, breathing in each other's relief. It was peaceful.

Nohkka started knocking incessantly on the car.

He heard Vok'Rul give a sleepy chuckle - he was still tired but could stay awake for most of the day, now - as Rukka rumbled something. "Pora, Kohgrash'mrr. Byr lorka," Vok'Rul mumbled to him, holding him tighter as he opened the door and stepped out.

Viktor squirmed in his hold, unwilling to let the alien carry him any longer. He had held onto him the entire ride home, after all. He was getting pretty cramped. His stomach ached with all the pressure and contortion happening to it. His knuckles, which had thankfully healed a bit quicker than his stomach, arms, legs, and face, were still itchy. He had peeled the bandages off some time in his sleep. He had woken up, once, without them, but his knuckles had been nearly perfect, so he decided not to worry about it. He was just glad he hadn't broken them on the cage.

Vok'Rul dropped him reluctantly. Nohkka ran up to them both, holding onto Vok'Rul's hand as she started questioning him. Viktor heard Rukka scold her gently as he turned his head to face the sun, soaking up its weak warmth. He shut his eyes briefly, enjoying the slightly cold breeze on his skin.

He opened his eyes when he heard footsteps. Kac was there, now, dipping her head to Vok'Rul in greeting. Hanging off her arm was a large bag, probably full of clothing and stuff they needed to stay multiple nights. She, just like Rukka and Vok'Rul, looked pretty exhausted.

Nohkka, Kac, and Rukka said their goodbyes after escorting Vok'Rul into the mansion. Viktor waved at them, to which they looked back with blank bemusement. One day, he'd get them to wave back. Vok'Rul and he watched their car leave through the front gates.

Vok'Rul hummed, swaying slightly on his feet. Viktor pushed his side against one of his legs.

The alien looked down at him, fond and soft. He smiled back, hesitantly. "Pora," he spoke, starting his way toward his personal wing. Personally, Viktor wasn't sure if the alien could even make it up the stairs with how tired he looked, but decided that if he fell, Viktor could just say I told you so.

Vok'Rul took the stairs the same way he did; slow. Viktor actually beat him up the stairs. It worried him, slightly, but Vok'Rul was made of stern stuff. He was already much better than he had been ten days ago.

The alien collapsed on the couch with a sigh. Someone had been up here to clean up all the blankets, as they were neatly folded on the floor next to the couch. Viktor did a little jog before jumping onto the couch. He bit back a groan as the scratches on his stomach pulled uncomfortably, placing a hand over it. He was still wrapped up pretty well in bandages.

Vok'Rul said something to him at large, reaching over to press his claws lightly on his stomach. It didn't hurt, but it was kind of uncomfortable. Viktor quickly sat up, pushing his hand away. He peered up at the alien, not liking the speculative look on his face.

"Kohgrash, kor'kn mr?" Vok'Rul asked him. Viktor's face scrunched up slightly, trying to figure out the language. Kor meant to stay, and he was pretty sure mr meant me.

"Uhh, teyk?" Viktor said, tone traveling into a question. Of course, he was staying with the alien. He thought that was obvious. A fissure of uncertainty made itself known in his gut. Did Vok'Rul not want him to stay? "Vok'Rul kor'kn Kohgrash?" he asked, stumbling over the guttural clicks and syllables.

Vok'Rul smiled at him, eyes lighting up with a fervor that didn't quite belong to the situation at hand, and said, "Teyk," with such certainty that Viktor felt silly for even entertaining the thought of him leaving. He slumped further into the plush couch, letting out a nearly silent sigh of relief.

"Well, then," Viktor said to the ceiling. "That's good to hear."

***

Vocabulary:

awshk: smart, intelligent

byr lorka: go home

flakmmn: sorry, informal

kas tih: it's okay

keti: look

kor: stay

kor'kn: stay with

mr: me

'mrr: my/mine, usually added onto the end of someone's name (Kohgrash'mrr)

neyk: stop, no

norish: food

pora: come

prosh: good

rohsh: a friendly greeting, such as hello or hey

tas: you're

teyk: yes

zhesh: goodbye