They didn't spend a lot of time at Blacksmith's place in the next few weeks. The day after she had called Vok'Rul, they had gone over there for a short visit. It couldn't have been more than an hour. They placed the earpiece in Viktor's ear again - thankfully, it was much more comfortable this time, though it was still pretty cold and made his ear hurt after a bit - and flicked it on.

Viktor immediately noticed how quieter it had gotten. Whatever Blacksmith had done to the thing made the electronics inside less likely to make him go deaf in one ear. He appreciated that.

He was still a bit wary about Blacksmith, but he couldn't manage to find it in him to hold a grudge against her, especially since Pedro was so fond of her. He had apologized on her behalf, of course, and Viktor had easily accepted it. Still, he couldn't help but twitch, just a little, when she moved a bit too suddenly.

And at least Vok'Rul wasn't at her throat anymore. That was a relief for everyone involved.

They spoke gently to him, and the device in his ear immediately started to get a bit louder. Viktor had scrunched his face in preparation for another round of high-pitched squeals and whines coming from the device, but it didn't happen. Instead, it just made an odd fizzling noise and started smoking. Viktor quickly pulled it out of his ear, yelping at the hot metal against his skin. He dropped it on the table, where it charred the surface.

"Nothing?" Pedro asked him. He forcefully turned Viktor's head to look at his ear, much to his irritation. Vok'Rul had opted to let Viktor stay on the floor for this one. He, too, reached out to inspect the human.

Viktor gave a wordless groan, flapping his hands at the pair of mother hens. They both retracted, wearing similar sheepish expressions on their faces. "No," he bit out with a sigh. "Just hot metal."

Pedro made a grumpy noise in the back of his throat, defeated. He seemed to cheer himself up, though. "Well, kid," he said, almost cheerfully, "they always say Rome wasn't made in a day, don't they?"

"You're so cheesy."

But the phrase was founded in truth, after all. Viktor supposed that making a translation device was difficult by itself. The aliens didn't even know if they were sentient or not. Viktor secretly thought that Vok'Rul got the idea when he was drugged up on medicine in the hospital and it had taken root so firmly in his mind that he wouldn't be able to rest until he's at least tried.

And well, it was true. Eventually, if the device really was a translator, his ideas would be proven right. Beneath the excitement at the thought of being able to communicate for real, Viktor could feel some dread about how righteously smug Vok'Rul would be.

They left soon after that failure, though in much higher spirits since the first try. It helped that Vok'Rul hadn't almost attacked Blacksmith in her own home. Viktor waved goodbye to Pedro with a grin, who returned it wholeheartedly. They were both indescribably excited about this project, too.

However, in the face of the undetermined wait in between tests, Viktor could feel some of that excitement waning. He didn't know how long translators took to make, but it had been almost five days since the second test.

In the meantime, he had slowly worked on his worry about leaving Vok'Rul. It certainly helped that he had sort of successfully been away from the alien for a few hours at a time. He simply needed to... expand on that.

So, each day, he'd extend the time spent away from the alien. It wasn't too hard to convince Thruul, who was still trying to get on his good side ever since Lilac's visit (Viktor certainly enjoyed the cuts of meat he snuck him at mealtimes), to bring him outside while Vok'Rul worked on the papers and called other aliens on his phone. Viktor got to be away from the screechy ringtone that Vok'Rul insisted on keeping and spend some time outside.

Plus, he was able to climb trees without any hemming and hawing from Vok'Rul. In fact, Thruul seemed to encourage him to climb even higher. Whenever he threw fruit down to the alien, he'd keep it safe until Viktor clambered down. It definitely got Thruul some brownie points. He had tried to take the alien unawares by throwing fruit at him when he least expected it, but Thruul was eerily observant.

Luckily, it seemed that his arm hadn't been refractured after all. Even Vok'Rul seemed reluctant to take him back to the vet, likely wanting to avoid having to put Viktor under again. Still, he had poked and prodded at Viktor's arm. He had put up a show of acting like it didn't hurt him, despite the tears that wanted to spring to his eyes at the sharp pain. However, after some good food and rest for a few days, his swelling had gone back down, and his arm had gone back to normal. It was a bit more sensitive than usual, but he had full mobility with it, again. Much to his relief.

No more cast for him! Woohoo!

The next time they went back to Blacksmith's was five days after the second test. Pedro and Viktor greeted each other with a hug and a smile. Much like Blacksmith, he had spots of dust and dirt attached to him, plastered all over. It looked like they both ran through a mud puddle. Unfortunately, Viktor only noticed after they had hugged.

"Ugh! Dude!" Viktor exclaimed, brushing some of the mess from his sweater. It stuck to his fingers. "What have you been doing?"

Pedro had the decency to look abashed, though he did not diminish his grin in the slightest. He waved off Viktor's question with a nonchalant flip of his hand. "Doesn't matter, kid. I've got a good feeling about this one! Didn't even smoke!"

His excitement was palpable, and soon, Viktor forgot about the grease and grime on his sweater, too eager to test the new device.

Vok'Rul picked him up - carefully; Viktor swore the alien made a disgruntled expression at his appearance - and sat him on the metal workbench. Viktor swung his legs off the edge, drumming his fingers against the metal as he waited for Blacksmith to finish explaining to Vok'Rul what this version did. They both seemed rather hopeful.

They shoved it into his ear.

Quiet machinery. Cold metal against his skin.

They flicked it on. Slightly louder machinery, accompanied by buzzes and beeps this time.

The aliens spoke. Hesitant and quiet.

The buzzes grew staticky, and faintly - faintly -

"Cha-m-rash, mph-kaasss-oouu tih? Ka ta wor-" The whirring and buzzing grew loud, incomprehensible.

Painful.

Viktor quickly ripped it out of his ear with a strangled noise of discomfort. Pedro sighed in dismay, reaching up to offer Viktor his hands to help him off the workbench. Blacksmith and Vok'Rul were already poking at the translator he had dropped onto the table.

"Did you hear something this time?" Pedro asked, voice leaking hope.

Viktor offered him a grin and made a so-so gesture with his hand. "It was pretty messed up. The static was really loud."

"Damn," Pedro swore, looking up at the workbench with a frown.

Viktor and Vok'Rul departed with words of encouragement spilling from their mouths. Viktor wouldn't see Pedro again for another week.

The week was filled with monotonous days. Every day, Vok'Rul would wake him up, and Viktor would unhappily roll out of bed. There were nights when he stayed awake for far longer than he should, unable to switch his mind and thoughts off. Lately, especially after Lilac's surprise visit (to him, anyway. Viktor was sure it had been meticulously planned by Rukka and Vok'Rul), he's been plagued with nightmare after nightmare. He longed for the days when he'd be able to get a dreamless sleep.

His nightmares often followed the same pattern. Viktor would be sluggishly fighting some creature. More often than not, it was a mixture between Oorah and the coral snake creature. Sometimes, Vok'Rul would be there, lying still on the sandy ground, unable to defend himself. And always, always, Viktor would wake up with a start and a yell in his throat when the creature would lunge, for him or Vok'Rul.

Sometimes, though, he would dream he was stuck in his cell, all alone. There was no Pedro, no Nikolas, no Aiko or Ezekiel. And certainly no Vok'Rul. When he woke from those, shaky and frantic, he had to firmly remind himself that he'd never see the inside of those cells again. He was free.

Still, those ones wrought emotions out of him that were nearly overwhelming. It helped that Vok'Rul was always willing to hold him afterward, sleepy and warm, murmuring soothing, sweet nothings.

Sleeping during the day was a bit easier. Viktor decided long ago that sleeping schedules meant nothing on an alien planet, so trying to stress over where, when, and how much he slept was useless. And sleeping during the day managed to get rid of most of his nightmares.

Vok'Rul was concerned, he knew. After yawning too many times when the alien was trying to teach him to read (it still wasn't going anywhere), he pulled out his phone to alien-Google something. Viktor had leaned against his arm and watched, a bit interested but too tired to ask him what he was doing.

Amusingly, he must have gone onto a human help site, because all Viktor could manage to catch was a few words littered here and there (outside and sky, mainly) that were almost swamped by the sheer amount of human pictures. Most of them were of sleeping humans.

Whatever the alien had read seemed to soothe him, because he stopped trying to nudge Viktor awake when he drifted off. It wasn't often; Viktor always managed to catch up on most of his sleep during the night. He just needed a few two-hour naps here and there. Uninterrupted.

"Kohgrash'mrr'k," Vok'Rul called to him, softly. Viktor was underneath his desk again, enjoying the quiet space away from the glaring lights. He had the Rubik's sphere in his hands, fiddling idly with the different colors.

It had been a few hours since Vok'Rul had spoken - or even moved, really - so Viktor twitched slightly in surprise at the sudden noise. The alien was hard at work doing whatever it was when one ruled an entire planet or whatever.

"Hm?" Viktor responded, tongue between his teeth as he tried to make a criss-cross pattern on the sphere. Vok'Rul said something, and it took a moment before the words he could understand registered in his brain. "Yes! We should go outside."

Viktor was out from under the desk and out in the living room, sphere forgotten, before Vok'Rul even got up from his chair. He heard the familiar thump of his tail against the floor as it slid off the chair. He waited impatiently as Vok'Rul took his sweet time exiting the office. "C'mon, slowpoke. I need some fresh air."

Vok'Rul rumbled something at him, a small, fond smile playing on his face.

They caught Thruul on the way out of the mansion, and Vok'Rul managed to get him to come along, despite the fact that he was covered in what looked like blood. It was all over the apron he wore. Vok'Rul nor Thruul didn't seem to mind. Viktor tried to ignore the smell, too.

They were outside for a couple of hours, wandering the gardens. Vok'Rul and Thruul chatted idly. Sometimes, Viktor would hear his name thrown in, as well as Blacksmith's, and he knew that the taller alien was speaking of the little device they were working on. Thruul seemed willing to indulge him, unlike Rukka, who openly scorned the idea. He asked Vok'Rul questions, looking mildly confused.

Vok'Rul decided that it was time for an impromptu vocabulary lesson, then. Whether it was to show Thruul that Viktor could actually learn words or Vok'Rul was just gripped with the urge to teach him, Viktor didn't know. He was a bit miffed at the timing; he had just been about to sneak away to find a new fruit tree.

Vok'Rul picked up Viktor with ease, propping him against his side. Viktor automatically wrapped his arms around the alien's neck, minding the small horns on his cheeks. Despite his misgivings about being interrupted, Viktor dutifully parroted what the alien asked of him. Thruul seemed impressed, and he got the same look in his eye that Vok'Rul had been harboring for over three weeks, now.

Well, Viktor mused when the aliens had finished talking to him and he was left to his own devices, at least there was someone else on Team Sentience.

The gardens, something that Viktor had yet to explore the entirety of, thanks to worrywart Vok'Rul, were hiding new fruit trees. All the way in the back. These fruits, which looked like a deformed banana, didn't look ripe, however. They smelled bad and tasted even worse. He threw it down in disgust, sighing in defeat.

Not everything could be winners, he guessed.

A week after the third test, Vok'Rul and Viktor went back to Blacksmith's, this time accompanied by Thruul, who must have been curious about the device. It had been slightly amusing, if not a bit painful when Pedro had lunged for Viktor upon seeing Thruul's face. He had immediately gone on the defensive, pulling Viktor behind him while shouting at Thruul. The poor alien hadn't known how to react. But Viktor's amusement had quickly dissolved upon seeing Pedro's ashen face.

"Pedro, relax! Look, he's got no scar," Viktor grabbed the man's arms, which were half-raised. Pedro nodded sharply, then, lips pressed together. His whole body was heaving with shaky breaths. It took a few minutes, but the man eventually calmed down.

"How do you live with that?" Pedro asked, gesturing over in Thruul's direction. Viktor shrugged.

"It was hard, at first. But Thruul is nice. He gives me food," Viktor explained. "Sometimes, it's hard to not see him, though."

Pedro snorted, clapping his hand on Viktor's shoulder. "Food really is the easiest way to get to you, huh?"

Viktor spluttered defensively, but he was just glad Pedro was feeling a bit better. He noticed that the man definitely avoided looking at Thruul, though. Viktor couldn't blame him. He had been the same.

Vok'Rul scooped Viktor up not long after that, placing him gently on the workbench yet again. All three aliens were eager to see the device working. The earpiece, much sleeker in design this time, was placed in his ear once more. Viktor had to hold his breath to even heard the faint buzzing. When it was clicked on, there was a faint humming sound. It was the quietest Viktor's ever heard it.

"I got a good feeling about this one," he heard Pedro say. Viktor gave him a thumbs up.

"It's super quiet!" he informed the older man. Pedro returned his thumbs up with a grin.

Vok'Rul started speaking, then, and Viktor braced himself for loud static. However, other than an increase in the volume of buzzing, no ear-shattering static came.

"Champra-shh, can mp-yooou und-" the earpiece started to get a bit louder, then. Viktor's heart leaped into his throat as he started to pick out words.

"Pedro! Pedro, it's working!" he yelled, pressing his hand against the cool metal of the earpiece, as if pushing it further into his ear would make it work better. "Oh, my God!"

Pedro started clamoring excitedly, then, but Viktor tried to mellow his excitement out to focus on Vok'Rul's voice. It was super hard. Viktor felt like he was about to burst with excitement. It was weird, he was hearing the familiar grunts, growls, and clicks in one ear, and hearing semi-recognizable words in the other.

"Cho'- little one," he was saying, teeth bared in a wide grin. Viktor grinned back. Vok'Rul looked to Blacksmith, and said, "How ca-nskk mr trsk-talk-" The earpiece started buzzing a bit louder, but it was nothing unbearable.

"Sir-Sire-kkruss," Blacksmith said, words garbled in his ears, "Make ano-trrh cho mph-ooou."

"Tey-esss," Vok'Rul said, his hands finding Viktor's face. He cupped his face gently, beaming down at him. His eyes were alight with excitement. "How longgrkk?"

The longer the device was switched on, the clearer the words started to become. It wasn't perfect, but it was a start. Before long, though, the metal started to heat up uncomfortably, and the static kept getting louder and louder. So much so, that Viktor couldn't hear what the aliens were talking about.

"Mnnthh," he managed to hear Blacksmith before he was forced to take the earpiece out before it deafened him.

Viktor rubbed his ear, feeling almost high off of the success. Vok'Rul and Blacksmith were still talking over his head, though the latter had taken the earpiece that had clattered to the workbench. Viktor hopped to the floor.

"Pedro," he grinned, feeling as giddy as a kid on Christmas, "I could hear them! I could really hear them!"

"Yes!" Pedro shouted, startling the three aliens into looking at him with matching surprised expressions. Blacksmith had certainly never heard Pedro speak so loudly. "I know it, kid, I knew it! It knew it was a translation thing!"

Viktor shared his jubilation. He couldn't seem to wipe the smile off his face.

"Does Blacksmith test it on you?" Viktor asked curiously after the immediate high had worn off. Pedro made a negative noise.

"Nah. I think it's just for you. I'm not sure if that's 'cause it's fitted, or just because it was asked by your alien," he said. Viktor hummed in thought.

"Before it got too loud, Blacksmith said it would take another month to make one for Vok'Rul," Viktor said, looking up at the aliens. All three of them were hunched over the workbench, pointing and chattering quickly with one another. He had a feeling they'd be there for a while.

Pedro seemed to deflate at the prospect of waiting another month. He was sullen and quiet for a moment before he swung his arm over Viktor's shoulders, pulling him into his side. "Y'know, kid. It's almost been a year since we left Earth."

Viktor was suddenly glad Pedro was holding onto him because he would've lost his balance if not for the strong arm wrapped around his shoulders. "What?" he asked, mouth dry. He could hardly believe the words coming out of his friend's mouth.

Pedro hummed. "I haven't been keeping count, but I know it's been almost two months since Blacksmith got me from the pet store. Three since you were taken by your alien."

Viktor mentally counted up the days, and yeah - it was almost three months since Vok'Rul had adopted him. In about five days, if his math was correct. "Wow," he said, unable to come up with any other word that could describe how he felt.

A year since he had seen the azure skies of Earth, since he had breathed in the oxygen-rich air, since he had touched soft, green grass. A year since he had gone to school, of all things, or spoken with his friends, or slept in his own bed. Viktor... really missed his home.

"Look on the bright side, kid," Pedro said, flinging out his other arm to gesture at the three aliens huddled around the workbench. "We'll soon be home." And like that, Pedro and Viktor shared a smile, eager again.

"Yeah," Viktor said, excitedly. He squirmed out of Pedro's hold to peer up at the workbench. Vok'Rul obligingly lifted him up, giving him a better view. Husks of old earpieces were scattered all over the place, accompanied by wires, tubes, and screws, and if Viktor had thought Vok'Rul was messy, he had nothing on Blacksmith.

They stayed for hours, looking over plans and even beginning to work on new prototypes. Pedro and Viktor, unable to understand most of the spoken tongue and even less of the written, had grown bored after the first hour. They had retreated to the older man's living quarters, sharing some of the jerky between them as they talked.

They reminisced about Earth, eager to be home soon, and although it felt eerily like how they would speak in the arena, the hopefulness surrounding the pair was nearly palpable and was contrastingly different from how it had been in those straw-bedded cells.

Eventually, though, Vok'Rul, Thruul, and Viktor had to leave. Pedro and Viktor parted with hopeful smiles. They'd see each other in a month, and by then, Viktor and Vok'Rul would be able to communicate with one another. Hopefully.

***

Vocabulary:

'k: little, usually added onto the end of a name or object

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