The days that followed Viktor's venture into consciousness were... interesting to say the least.

He struggled to stay awake for more than a few hours after waking up for the first time, but as the days progressed, he was able to get into a regular sleeping schedule. It wouldn't be too bad if he wasn't confined to the bed under everyone's strict orders.

"Viktor," his dad said imploringly after Viktor had tried to get up to stretch his legs and almost fell onto the floor, "You've been in a coma for a month; your body needs to get used to moving again."

Viktor threw his head back onto the pillow in a huff. The collar scraped against his throat. "So bored," he complained.

His dad patted his shoulder, squeezing it slightly. Viktor smiled at him. He had missed him and his shoulder squeezes.

While his dad stayed with him for most of the days he was stuck in bed, Vok'Rul only visited hourly. Much to his dad's consternation. The alien often brought some little trinket for Viktor they had gotten at the festival, and by the time the first day had nearly come to a close, the bedside table was overflowing. After the fifth time Vok'Rul had come in that day, dropped a small snow globe on Viktor's lap, and left after asking about his wellbeing, his dad spoke up.

"You were his pet for four months?" he asked, nose wrinkling in disgust as the alien's tail slipped from view.

Viktor frowned at him, feeling defensive on Vok'Rul's behalf. "So?" It wasn't like Vok'Rul knew he was sentient back then. Plus, he never mistreated him, either. "You were in a zoo."

His dad scoffed to himself, reclining on the overly large chair. He was silent for a moment, lips pressed together in thought. Viktor shut his eyes, feeling a bit of a headache settling beneath his brow. "Why do you want to stay in this place? We can go to one of the shelters after you recover. You can get away from him."

Viktor sighed heavily. This was the third time his dad suggested getting away from Vok'Rul today. It was like he had been the one who got tortured by aliens.

Well, he tried not to think about that. Even a second on the topic made him feel like he would throw up.

"I don't want to, Dad," he said for what felt like the hundredth time. Speaking made it difficult to breathe, and he kept having to pause to take in more air into his lungs. It was annoying. "Vok'Rul is my friend."

His dad looked pained. Slowly, he got up from the chair, taking Viktor's hand in his much larger one. He squeezed it slightly as he said, slowly, as if he were speaking to a wild animal, "You've probably got that Stockholm Syndrome, Viktor. It's completely normal for someone who's been through what you have-"

Viktor interrupted him with an angry hiss of discomfort, "What I've been through? You don't know anything of what I've been through!"

"Because you won't tell me!" his dad threw up his arms in dismay, getting a constipated look on his face as he abandoned his gentle approach. "No one will tell me anything! I wake up in the zoo one morning, and by night, I'm told my son's in a coma, the aliens that abducted us know we're sentient, and that we're all free to go!"

Viktor's bottom lip trembled before his eyes hardened dangerously. His body stiffened like he was about to run. He struggled to force words out of his throat, but when he did, they were quiet and cold, "I don't have to tell you anything."

"Why not?" his gaze was beseeching, pleading. "I should know what happened to you! It's all that alien's fault, I know it."

"Stop," he said, coughing, but Oskar kept going.

"Some alien made you, what, fight all those animals? Locked you in a cage? And he only found out after seven months. That's all I know from what you told me. I don't even know what kinds of animals you fought, or even why you fought them. I just want to know what happened to my son," his dad pleaded.

Viktor managed a, "I- I don't wanna-" before his throat seemed to close up entirely. Trembling fingers reached up to his neck, and instead of finding scarred, bumpy skin, the cool metal of his collar met his fingertips. He could scarcely breathe.

Someone was shaking his shoulders, and despite the fatigue and the tremor in his left arm, Viktor lashed out. His fist met hard muscle and agony raced up his arm. He needed to get on his feet.

He rolled out of the bed, tugging at the tubes and wires attached to him. They were going to dose him with delria, he realized with a panicked fervor. He needed these out of his skin!

His feet met the floor, and then his knees, and then his hands. He powered through the pain that accompanied his fall onto the cold ground, stumbling back to his feet with effort. He grabbed the first thing he could find, hand feeling alarmingly empty, and chucked it at the first thing that made noise.

Glass shattering followed the movement, along with a short, startled yelp. Viktor felt himself list to the side, feeling his chest burn with pain at all the movement he was doing. His throat felt tight, and he knew the collar was going to start choking him with electricity soon. His body tensed with anticipation.

Claws clicked against the tile, and Viktor flinched, fingernails scraping against anything he could find. Nothing else fell into his hands. There were no more weapons for him to hold. He was defenseless. His body trembled with each jerk of his limbs, and he knew that he wouldn't be able to throw another punch if it came down to it.

"Please," he whispered hoarsely, the sound barely able to go past his lips. Hot tears were already forming in his eyes, and they streamed down his face without preamble. "No delria." He couldn't do it again.

"My little Kohgrash," Vok'Rul's voice came to him in a murmur, and Viktor let out another hoarse, scratchy sob. They had already dosed him with it. He pressed his hands to his eyes harshly, digging his nails into his face. "You are in our home. There is no delria in your system. You are safe."

"Liar," he choked out. His hands traveled up to grip his hair. He felt like there were snakes burrowing into his skin. Large claws gripped his wrists, and despite his best efforts, he could not dislodge them.

"I am not lying," Vok'Rul's voice promised him. His claws clicked against his bracelet, twisting it around his wrist. "I found you, took you, and now you are safe. Breathe."

Viktor sucked in a shaky lungful of air. Something warm slid down his arms, and he felt extremely dizzy. He looked up, staring at Vok'Rul intently. He looked real. His face wasn't shimmering and when Viktor blinked, he stayed put, wearing the same expression of concern each time.

"I'm sor-" he muttered. Vok'Rul cut him off with a low grumble.

"Don't apologize," his voice was gentle. His hands slowly slid from his arms to pick him up, gently depositing him back on the bed. He grabbed a few tissues and started wiping away the blood on his arms. The way he had ripped the tubing out of his body left him aching and shaky. Already, he could feel that the pain medication - whatever it was - was wearing off. His chest hurt. "Let's just clean you up, okay, Kohgrash?"

He cooperated the best he could. Exhaustion clung to him like tar, heavy and sticky.

An alien he hadn't seen before entered the room, a small cart rolling in behind them. They were professional when they had to reattach the wires and everything that he had managed to rip out, unflinching when Viktor twitched, jerked, and protested. Their claws were gentle yet firm, and they didn't hurt him. Still, it was hard for Viktor to relax. Another alien slipped into the room, cleaning up something on the floor.

"Stay put this time, little champion. Your Majesty, might I suggest visiting hours for his friends and family? I believe that rest is what Kohgrash needs right now, and his... companions are inhibiting that."

Vok'Rul looked thoughtful, turning his gaze on Viktor. The teenager felt like he was two feet tall under both of the aliens' eyes, pinned to the bed with the weight of it.

"What do you think, my little Kohgrash?" he asked. Viktor thought that, if he hadn't developed a size complex by now, he definitely would soon. He wasn't little. These aliens were just freakishly tall.

The pain medication must be working, he thought muzzily. His thoughts were hard to hold on to.

He hummed, feeling his vocal cords vibrate oddly. They felt thick and immobile in his throat. "I think..." he looked at his hands, flexing his fingers. His fingernails were getting pretty long. He'd have to clip them.

"Kohgrash," Vok'Rul called. Viktor looked up, smiling slightly at him. "Would you like visitors?"

"The increased dosage must work quicker than I had thought, Your Majesty. For now, I will prohibit visitors for the rest of the day. I believe a few in the middle of the day may work best until Kohgrash has gained a little more strength. I recommend avoiding topics of conversation that may upset him," the doctor - vet? Viktor thought with confusion - suggested, tapping on the many machines he was hooked up to. "I will take my leave now, Your Majesty. Everything seems to be in order. Please contact me if anything urgent arises."

Vok'Rul answered in the affirmative. Viktor relaxed as the unfamiliar alien left the room, sinking into the soft bed.

A slow, lazy thought entered his mind and wouldn't leave. "Where'd my dad go?" he murmured, cracking open his eyes to look at Vok'Rul. The alien was straightening the side tables, lining up the snow globes, his Rubik's sphere, and all the other things he had brought him throughout the day in a neat line.

"He was politely removed from the room," Vok'Rul responded, voice a little frosty. "What did he say to upset you so?"

Viktor frowned, trying to recall. His stomach churned uncomfortably. He reached up to tug on the collar anxiously. "When can I get this off?" he asked instead, voice rising a little in pitch.

"Soon," Vok'Rul whispered, reaching out to brush his hair back. "I will speak with someone tomorrow. Just rest. I'll stay right here."

Viktor nodded, content to just watch Vok'Rul putter around the room. Delria wouldn't make the alien do something so mundane as that. It had been dark, violent, and scary. This wasn't scary. His fingers twisted the bracelet around his wrist. He was safe.

***

They were set to remove the collar the next day.

The bed, surprisingly, had wheels, and Viktor was carted off to some other room that looked slightly similar to his. It had way more medical supplies, though, complete with a giant light that spun on a pivot in the center of the room.

"What's all this for?" he asked nervously, coughing through the words. He didn't know exactly what was wrong with his throat - Vok'Rul had been vague, explaining it away with electricity affecting his ability to speak - but it was getting on his nerves. It was hard to breathe, speak, and even swallow.

His dad, who managed to convince Vok'Rul he was allowed to tag along by posturing and telling him of Earth laws, reached up to pat his shoulder. It was a little awkward since Viktor was raised rather high to accommodate the alien wheeling his bed into the room.

"It's okay," his dad said. He hadn't yet apologized for upsetting Viktor, probably too wrapped up in his bid to gain knowledge of what happened to him, but he knew that his dad felt terrible for sending him into a panic attack. He had the sneaky suspicion that Pedro had chewed him out because he hadn't brought up the topic since. "They've just got to cut it off."

"What?" Viktor asked, voice high. Cut it off?! "Doesn't it latch? Here, at the back?" His fingers trembled as he reached up to feel the latch, aware that tampering with it always led to a nasty shock.

Claws intercepted him, and he couldn't help but jump in fright.

"They used electricity at a higher voltage than the collars can handle," Vok'Rul said quietly, pushing his hands down. "It has fused to your skin, and the latch has nearly melted shut. That is why we were concerned about removing it. The less damage to your neck, the better."

Viktor felt as though he were free-falling. This damned collar was probably the reason it was so hard to eat and speak. "How will you..." he trailed off. He didn't want to get the collar sawed off. It felt like an accident waiting to happen.

"We can put you under," Vok'Rul said lightly, stepping away as the doctor alien stepped forward to still the bed's movement. He was right under the bright light. He had to hunch a little or knock into it. "Or you can stay awake. It will be frightening for you, I will admit that. They are going to be cutting off small sections of the collar. Occasionally, it might activate, though we are certain it will not."

Viktor looked up fearfully at him. He just wanted this thing off. "Can you put me under?" he asked in a small voice. He didn't want to get shocked. He didn't want to see a saw coming toward his neck.

"Of course," Vok'Rul said gently, raising his hand and twisting it. Someone new came in, carrying a long canister. They hooked it up to him with efficiency. "I'll tell Thruul to make you something nice when you wake up."

"The honey stew," Viktor mumbled, feeling his eyes slip close. His body fought against the anesthesia, but it soon overpowered him.

He woke up, and the first thing he did was reach up to feel his throat. Scratchy bandages met his fingertips, and he wilted with relief. He jumped in fright when a bowl landed on his lap.

"Little Kohgrash! We can finally speak with one another again! I knew you were smarter than you looked, little beast, so when my lord told everyone you mammals - excuse me, humans - were intelligent beings, I said to myself: 'Ha! I knew it!' Of course, it did help that we had spoken once before. I was a little skeptical, then, though, I won't lie. My lord had been more than a little... involved with Trosk's inventions lately. Perhaps she had made him something he'd like to hear, you know?" Thruul chattered on and on. "Anyway, I made you this little soup! It's got some vegetables in it. Apparently, you can eat those! Like a Chorsl! It surprised me that you can even eat that fruit. I mean, you're such a tiny little thing, where do you put it all? Anyway, try it, try it."

Bemused and a little disoriented, Viktor picked up the spoon and scooped some stew into his mouth. It could've used some salt.

The vegetables - whatever they were - tasted like potatoes and crunchy celery. The soup was meaty and savory. It was delicious.

"Yum," he hummed gratefully, smiling at Thruul. It occurred to him that he'd have to get used to actually talking to the aliens, especially since they could talk to him back. "Thank you. Your food is always good."

Thruul beamed. "Well, thank you, little beast. I'm glad you enjoy it. I can make you all sorts of dishes now, and get your feedback on them! What a concept."

Viktor nodded slowly before the muted sensation of pain started at his neck and he stopped. The room was empty except for them. "Where-"

"Thruul, do you know where- oh, Kohgrash! How are you feeling, now?" Vok'Rul said, stepping into the room. His arms were full of papers, and he looked rather frazzled. "The collar came off rather easily!"

He set the papers on Viktor's legs to free his hands, which he used to rake his claws through Viktor's hair. He leaned into the touch, scooping another spoonful of stew into his mouth. He was hungry. They had taken out the tube that fed him while he slept, thankfully. He couldn't imagine how uncomfortable that would've been. It left his throat feeling rawer than it had been, though.

"Thruul talking your ear off?" he joked. Thruul rumbled his amusement.

"No such thing, my lord!" the other assured him. Viktor smiled behind his spoon.

"Where's my dad?" he croaked at Vok'Rul. The alien sighed slightly, reluctantly drawing his hand away and picking up the papers. Viktor felt oddly bereft without its weight on his legs.

"He is with your other friends," he said, voice strangely polite. Viktor grimaced.

"I'm sorry if he's said anything-" he started. Vok'Rul made a noise.

"Don't you worry about it, my little Kohgrash. Just focus on resting, alright? I need to get started on these," he shook the papers in his hands, "or else Rukka will have my horns."

Viktor still didn't know if he was pulling his leg or not. Still, he nodded sagely, slightly sad to see him go. Vok'Rul left as quickly as he came. Viktor stared at the doorway, soup forgotten.

"You should eat it before it cools," Thruul said suddenly.

Viktor jumped out of his skin, slightly spilling the soup on his lap. He cursed, "Fuck! Jesus Christ. You scared me."

Thruul rumbled, pulling out some of the tissues and mopping up the spill. They didn't get it all, and the blankets would probably stain, but it was the best they could do for now.

"Sorry, little beast. I always seem to frighten you," he apologized, voice a bit sad. Viktor frowned, carefully reaching out to pay the alien's hand. It brightened him up.

"You just look like someone. Quite a bit." Talking about the ringmaster was hard enough even when his throat didn't feel like it was clogged with cotton.

Thruul simply nodded, and thankfully, they didn't speak more on the subject. Viktor kept looking over at him. Out of the corner of his eye, he looked too much like the ringmaster for what he was comfortable with. Thoughts of delria were fresh in his mind.

The alien took his leave - and his bowl of soup - after Viktor had finished his meal. He told him that he'd be back in the evening with some more food and left with a cheery wave.

Viktor sunk into the pillows with a sigh. His fingers rubbed his throat, scratching at the bandages. Now that he was awake and fed, he realized with chilling clarity that he was suffering from the worst thing in the entire world - well, the universe.

He was bored.

Every time someone passed his doorway - which wasn't often; wherever Vok'Rul had stashed him, it was definitely out of the way, even for most of the staff - he hoped that it'd be someone willing to have a conversation with him. That wasn't the case, though. And as the hours passed by, Viktor had to find other ways to amuse himself. He got bored of shaking the snow globes rather quickly - not that he had the strength to shake them in the first place. His Rubik's sphere had been worn down so much over the past few months that he was struggling to find new ways to solve it.

Just as he was contemplating practicing his walking, Pedro, Ezekiel, Aiko, and Nikolas strolled in. They seemed way too happy to see him, but Viktor supposed that he had been asleep for nearly a month.

"Sleeping Beauty finally awakens!" Ezekiel crowed. Viktor grinned despite himself.

"Hi, guys," he rasped. Ezekiel gaped at him for a second before Aiko elbowed him in the stomach.

"Ouch! All I was gonna say was he sounded like he smokes - Ow, Aiko! Okay! Damn. It's good to see you awake, kiddo."

The four of them filled him in on what he missed during the last month. Vok'Rul had done his best summarizing, but getting into the details of what the humans were going through hadn't been his priority at the time, so Viktor wasn't able to ask him all the questions he would've liked.

The announcement had come on every channel on the TV. Nikolas had told him that Sonja hadn't believed it at first, completely set in her views that he was a simple animal. But she had gotten a phone call, and immediately ushered Nikolas into her car. Apparently, Vok'Rul had demanded every human be brought to a single location where translators had been passed out. It had taken hours upon hours, well into the night, but eventually, every human and alien in attendance had gotten to speak with one another.

Ezekiel and Aiko had gone to a gathering like that a week after the announcement had been made. They said it probably took weeks to find every human they could to get them translators. They were probably still searching.

"And who knows how many died before then," Pedro said with a frown. Nikolas nodded, lips pressed together. Viktor felt guilt squirm in his gut, even though he hadn't had anything to do with anyone's deaths.

Well, except for Zorrash. He stared at the wall until Nikolas's voice brought him back.

"Sonja told me about this planet. It is called A1-308, and it is almost the same size as Earth. But most of it is uninhabitable. There are only a few hundred million aliens."

That made sense, Viktor supposed. Vok'Rul couldn't possibly manage and rule over billions of people, even if hundreds of millions was a lot.

Vok'Rul walked in while they were still talking, stopping in surprise at the sight of them gathered around Viktor's bed. He quickly recovered, quipping a"Hello, Kohgrash's friends!"

"What's up, big man?" Ezekiel said cheerfully. Vok'Rul looked bemused.

"Hello, Vokkra," Aiko said respectfully, shooting a glare at Ezekiel and hissing, "Be nice!" under her breath. Ezekiel gave her a glare in return, a smirk playing on his lips. Viktor rolled his eyes and looked toward the alien, smiling at him.

"Hi," he waved. Vok'Rul returned it with a smile.

"I just came to tell you that Nohkka and Rukka are on their way. Nohkka has a present for you," Vok'Rul told him secretively. Viktor squinted at him.

"Good present or bad present?"

"Good, I promise. You are sick, after all," the alien said. Viktor scoffed at him.

"I am not," he said bitterly, wishing he could get up and walk around. Vok'Rul hummed noncommittally. He quickly bid them all farewell, claiming he had other things to get done. Viktor watched him go with a little frown on his face. He missed him.

The five of them chatted for a little while longer before Rukka and Nohkka showed up. Rukka settled next to Viktor's bed, setting down a bag. Nohkka was delighted that there were four extra humans in the room, and quickly went around introducing herself. "I'm Nohkka!" she declared, forgoing a handshake to pat their heads instead. They all bore it with matching grins.

"I apologize for her," Rukka said with a slight tinge of embarrassment in her voice. Viktor suddenly remembered how flustered she had been when she realized he was intelligent. It must be odd having to fight for an animal's rights only to have them discovered as an intelligent species. "She is having a hard time reconciling that your species is an intelligent one. She took to Kohgrash like a Glouglossus to the air."

"That's okay," Pedro said. "She's a cute kid."

"Thank you," Rukka said slowly as if she wasn't sure whether it was a compliment or not. She turned to Nohkka and pinned her with a stare. "Nohkka," she started, tone stern, "Why don't you show Kohgrash what you have?"

"Okay!" she agreed cheerfully, abandoning her attempt to finger comb Aiko's hair to trot over to her mother's side. Rukka grabbed a small box - for her, anyway; it was probably the size of a shoe box for Viktor - from the side table and handed it to her. Nohkka dutifully bounced over to Viktor and set the package on his lap. "Open this, Kohgrash."

When he failed to get started right away, Nohkka opened the lid for him. A bit bemused, Viktor watched as she pulled out a plain, maroon book.

"Book?" he questioned.

Nohkka hummed the affirmative, climbing onto the bed easily. She ignored Rukka's hissed reprimands and carefully slotted herself next to Viktor. He didn't mind; she wasn't tugging on any of the tubes or anything, so he wasn't in any pain. She reached over and flicked open the cover. They both watched as a holographic image flickered above the book.

The image was of much better quality than the one Vok'Rul had shown him. It stayed in one place without wavering and buzzing out of focus. The color was clear and vivid, not muddled in the way Vok'Rul's book had been, hazy with age. The image was of Viktor and Vok'Rul.

It was back when they had been nothing more than human and alien, unable to understand each other. Some of the pictures were ones he had seen in Rukka's folder when she had been speaking for human rights at the council, but the others were new ones. Candid pictures of them interacting at the festival, grinning at one another. Viktor, covered in dirt, on top of a dismayed Vok'Rul. Vok'Rul offering him a piece of fruit. The two of them on the couch, half-asleep.

"Who," he rasped, and he was suddenly glad he could blame the emotion in his voice on his throat, "took all these?"

"Thruul and I," Rukka said with a slight smile on her face. "You two are not very observant when it came to the two of us. It was rather easy to sneak in pictures."

Viktor flipped through the pictures, smiling at them. "Thank you. I love them." He felt nearly overwhelmed with emotion.

Ezekiel leaned into his personal space, peering into the holograms with interest. "Ha!" he said, pointing to the picture currently visible. It was a rather blurry picture of Viktor chucking one of the shirts at Vok'Rul's face. A grin came to his face as he remembered that night. "You were always so good at throwin', kid."

"I'll still trounce you in dodgeball," he bragged, nudging Ezekiel back when the man shouldered him lightly.

"You wish. When we get back to Earth, I'm taking you up on that offer. I love dodgeball."

That reminded him. He turned back to Rukka, who was watching their interaction with unabashed curiosity. "When is that ship gonna be ready?"

"I wanna go on a ship!" Nohkka said suddenly, abandoning her interest in the pictures at the chance to travel off planet. Viktor wondered if she had ever done so. Based on Rukka's expression of discomfort, the answer was probably not.

"We'll talk to your mother about that, little one," she said in lieu of an answer. To Viktor, she said, "I believe it will be ready in a week or so. You should be on your feet by then."

That was slightly hopeful, maybe even a bit too hopeful. It had only been two days since he had woken up, and Viktor still felt weaker than he'd ever been before. It was hard to imagine he'd be able to walk by the time a week passed by.

Still, he nodded to her, appreciating her truthfulness. He loved Vok'Rul, but the alien was more than vague and even more forgetful about important stuff. He took it with an aching fondness, though. The alien had a soft spot in his heart, after all.

It was long after the lights had been dimmed and the others had left him for the night that Viktor still flipped through the photo album. His eyes got blurry and his shoulders shook, but he still clutched it tightly in his hands. When Vok'Rul came in to tell him goodnight, the alien didn't say anything. He simply pried the book away from his hands with care and carded his fingers through his hair.

"Real," he choked out. It was really real. He was safe. It finally sunk in.

"Yes," was the whispered response. "Yes, it is."