"-And for you, my favorite little human, a flavorful dish of meat - Chorsl and Xrshak, y'know - some vegetables - I snuck some of the taproots from our lord's garden before we got onto The Conquest, don't tell him that, though - and topped with some little herb a human told me that tasted like... sill-ant-roh? I am not sure what they meant, if I am completely honest, little beast, but there were like, five humans nodding along, so I had to agree. You are scary enough, Kohgrash, but five humans? No, I did not want to try my luck. Earlier, when I was working the dinner rush, this human came out of nowhere, completely blended in with the surroundings, let me tell you, and I almost stomped on them! Thankfully, I am used to you being underfoot, not that you really go anywhere near my feet, of course, but you are just so small that I've gotten used to watching where I step. Anyway, I managed to get out of there without crushing any humans - oh, you're finished already?"

Viktor, who had actually been taking his time with the soup, nodded. Thruul talked a lot. It was odd that he was on the receiving end of it, though. Usually, it was all directed at Vok'Rul.

Speaking of which, the alien was making some headway with the calculations needed to make the trip. The entire crew in the cockpit looked stressed, but less so than before, and much more hopeful.

After Thruul collected everyone's dishes, beaming with the praises and compliments they showered him with, Ghhvresh collected everyone's attention in the cockpit.

"Everyone," she said loudly, spreading her arms out. "We have successfully figured out the calculation needed to make a safe trip to Planet Earth without harming our guests. We will do a small, short hop through the Drive to test our solution. Should it fail, the humans should feel slight discomfort. If it succeeds, no harmful effects shall befall them."

Vok'Rul looked put out, probably not happy with the fact that there was even the possibility of pain for the humans, but he didn't protest. The countdown started again, loudly announced by the intercom alien. Viktor sat up in his chair, bracing himself.

"3... 2... 1... Drive initiated."

There was an odd pressure around his ribs and neck. Viktor held himself so tensely that he was certain that any sort of touch would snap him in half. Instead of hot agony streaking up and down his body, Viktor felt the pressure ebb away.

"Test Drive completed," the alien announced, a slight waver in their voice that showed their nervousness.

"Are you alright, Kohgrash?" Vok'Rul immediately descended on him. Viktor gave him a thumbs-up, and they both ignored how his hand trembled.

"Yeah, all good," he reported.

"Much better trip than last time," Ezekiel chimed in. Pedro agreed with a nod, though he definitely looked a little queasy.

"Excellent," Vok'Rul breathed a sigh of relief. He patted Viktor's head before turning back to Captain Ghhvresh.

Viktor looked out the window. The black void of space greeted him. They were in the middle of nowhere; not a star, planet, or asteroid to keep them company. He was glad that he was inside the ship. One turn and he'd be lost out there with no way to come back. It was terrifying, but it filled him with awe. He was in space.

He. Was. In. Space!

"Wow, there's really nothing out there," Pedro hummed. Viktor heard the others shifting to look out the large arching windows, too.

"I cannot wait to see Earth," Nikolas said quietly. Viktor wasn't too sure about how he felt. He wanted to see Earth, sure, but this was cool, too! It didn't help that he felt nervous about seeing his home planet again.

Blue skies, green grass, lots of animals and bugs, and everything in between waited for them, there. Viktor just wasn't sure if he would fit into the mold anymore. He had been treated like an animal for a year. He wasn't a therapist or anything special, but he was pretty sure that that would leave a mark on someone.

He could see it in himself, too. When he felt scared, his mouth would start twisting into a sneer, displaying his teeth. It had been one of the only ways to communicate with the aliens. Sometimes, Viktor wondered if he could even call himself a human anymore.

"What's out there that's got you in its clutches?" Aiko asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. It only made him jump a little.

Viktor tore his gaze away from the window, offering her a small smile. It felt awkward on his face. "Just lost in thought," he said, hating the way his voice wheezed and whistled.

"Hopefully good thoughts?" she asked. He didn't answer, looking back to the window instead. She gave a little sigh, running her fingers through his hair. He leaned into the touch. He remembered waking up in the cage on their way to the vet to her playing with his hair.

"Did you like it there?" he blurted out. He wished he could take back the words as soon as he said them.

"No," she said simply. Her hand faltered in his hair, but she kept going after a second. "No, I did not."

Viktor's shoulders slumped. Aiko shoved him lightly and sat next to him in the chair, tucking him under her arm.

"I know it might not look like it," she began, words slow and quiet, "but we all suffer through the same things you do. Panic attacks, nightmares, that awful feeling in your throat after a shock from that collar, and everything else. We're just... better at hiding it."

Viktor frowned at his hands. "Won't you miss Carrot?"

Aiko gave a little sigh, "Karrosk is a kid. He saw me and Ezekiel as cool new pets. They already had that Flyhk, Star, with them. Ezekiel never fought against them, but I did. I didn't like looking at it. Karrosk tried his hardest for us to get along - his three pets needed to be friends with each other - but it just didn't work. I didn't want to be around the damn thing."

Viktor could relate. He still couldn't look at a Flyhk without feeling like he was three seconds away from getting attacked.

"I like Karrosk. He's kind. But he's just a kid. He'll forget about Ezekiel and me, eventually."

It didn't answer his question, but Viktor knew he hadn't told them everything about Vok'Rul, either.

"I hope I can come back," Viktor admitted. He didn't want to leave A1-308 forever.

"I'm sure you'll be able to, kiddo," she reassured him, squeezing his shoulder. "But for now, we should just enjoy what we can. We need to heal, Viktor, and we can't do it there."

She was right, of course. Viktor couldn't get over what he had gone through when he was surrounded by places and people that reminded him of it. Every tap of someone's claws against metal reminded him of being chased down hallways. Every brush against his neck had him spiraling. He still couldn't look at Thruul, sometimes.

They didn't speak anymore after that. He was okay with it, though. He didn't really want to talk about anything, anyway. He fell asleep slumped against her side. When he woke up, his neck and back ached something awful. He tried to figure out what had woken him up.

The pressure was back around his neck and ribs, only slightly diminished from before. He lifted his head with a small, quiet groan.

"Oh, sorry," Aiko whispered to him. "Did I wake you?"

"Mm," he denied, blearily looking out the window. It was still dark. There was no way to tell that they were moving through the Drive if he didn't have the pressure wrapped around him like a vice. "Moving?"

"Yeah," Aiko affirmed, smoothing his hair back. Her hands were cold. "You've only been asleep for a little while. Are you always sleeping nowadays? Feels like you should be tired of sleeping by now."

"Funny," he responded dryly, stretching. He heard his back pop in several places. "Where's..."

Everyone. The only people he could see in the cockpit were a few Vokkrus manning the consoles. He twisted around, but the seats beside them were empty. Even Ghhvresh wasn't around. His stomach did a little flip-flop.

"They went down to the living quarters," Aiko told him. She stood up out of the chair, pulling Viktor's walker in front of it. She gestured for Viktor to stand, and he obliged. No matter how much he'd like to go back to sleep, he definitely wasn't doing it here with only Aiko as backup. "They didn't want to wake you."

Weird, Viktor thought, gripping the walker unsteadily. Usually, Vok'Rul would just pick him up. "What time is it, anyway?" he asked as they shuffled toward the door. The Vokkrus guarding it bowed low to him, opening the door for them. Viktor smiled gratefully at them, but he was convinced it only made them a little uncomfortable, based on the odd little shudder they did.

Aiko shrugged, eyeing the alien skeptically until the doors shut behind them. "No idea, kid. They don't really keep track of time here. Haven't seen a clock since we left their planet."

Viktor supposed they wouldn't really need it. The only people that probably needed the time already knew it, considering they were also probably driving the ship. The trips only lasted a day or two, after all. Well, now probably five or six. Viktor wasn't really sure how fast they were going.

They got to the stairwell, and Viktor told Aiko to just put him out of his misery.

"I'll push you down the stairs," she joked. Viktor felt his mouth go dry.

"Just push him," Turrkn's cold voice slithered into his head. "He deserves it."

"Viktor?" Aiko touched the small of his back, and Viktor flinched. "You alright?"

"Yeah," he whispered, barely audible. "Just, uh... thinking. Let's go find the others."

It was clear Aiko didn't believe him, but she didn't say anything else. They made their way down the stairs. Viktor had to lean heavily on her. Without Vok'Rul to carry him and no stairlift to help him out, the stairs took a lot longer to tackle than they would have if he had working limbs. He tried not to feel the familiar burn of shame and anger burning under his chest. He tried to remind himself that he was taking the stairs; they were just taking their time.

When they got to the bottom of the stairs - Viktor wanted to curse whoever made the stairs so damn big - he had to take a breather. His legs were shaking, and he could feel his heart beating harshly in his chest due to the sudden, intense exercise.

"How about I go ahead and get Vok'Rul?" Aiko asked. Viktor mutely shook his head. He didn't want to be alone in this place. "Yeah, you're right. With your luck, you'd get kidnapped here, too."

"You're so funny," he sniped good-naturedly, giving her a small smile. His heart wasn't in it, though. His stomach flipped in fear at the thought of being nabbed again. Trembling fingers pressed against his neck. Even when Vok'Rul found them, still slumped against the bottom of the stairs, the fear lingered. It remained in his belly, a cold lump of dread, when they said farewell to Aiko and the others in the living quarters. It didn't lessen when he hugged his dad goodnight and retreated to Vok'Rul's room.

"What is the matter?" Vok'Rul asked quietly after Viktor hadn't spoken a word since they got there. "Are you upset? Is it because I lost my temper earlier? I am sorry, Kohgrash, I have just been under some stress-"

"No, don't worry," Viktor hastened to reassure him. "I'm just..."

Just what? Scared to death? Aiko was right; they couldn't stay on Vok'Rul's planet. At least, not right now. Even the thought of going into some public park with lots of aliens had him fighting panic in his chest. He didn't want to be that helpless again. He couldn't do a damn thing against Nhafka or Turrkn. Even the smugness he had felt when he attacked Turrkn trumped the overwhelming fear he had felt upon realizing they were trapped in a small room together. Even on klaxan.

Nothing Vok'Rul could say would reassure him, either. The alien seemed to understand this. He reached out slowly, brushing his claws against the top of his skull. Viktor tried, he tried so hard, not to think about Nhafka doing the same.

"I'm sorry," Vok'Rul said thickly. He sounded like he was going to cry. Viktor turned his head away.

"I am, too," he whispered back.

***

The trip to Earth was long.

Maybe it was because he was both incredibly excited and indescribably nervous to see his planet again, but time seemed to move at a snail's pace every day. The minutes barely crept by. It didn't help that his days tended to start pretty early.

He barely got three hours of sleep at a time. A new environment, no matter how stuffed full of familiar things, made him uneasy. He didn't like that he could hear other aliens, despite how quiet they were. It reminded him too much of the arena and the facility. He never fell into a deep enough sleep.

Vok'Rul and he shared the bed; it was certainly big enough. While it had been comfortable the first time Viktor had slept on it, it felt like a rock that first night. He blamed his uneasiness, though. The alien had tried to stay awake with him, chatting and talking to the air until his words started slurring. He dropped into sleep mid-sentence.

Viktor stared at the ceiling and resigned himself to a long night.

Thruul woke them up every morning with a sharp, short knock. It scared Viktor at first, heart in his throat at the unknown. The fear was quickly overwhelmed by angry irritation, though. Getting scared at a knock? Viktor really was a mess.

"Wakey, wakey, my lords," he called. Viktor could hear some scraping and beeping, and then the door unlocked. The large alien invited himself in with a cheerful smile. He didn't know how he was so happy in the morning. Or was it night? When the windows were always covered with the darkness of space, it was always hard to tell time. He had nothing to go off of.

Vok'Rul, grumpy as always, sighed loudly and rolled over, pressing his face into his pillow. Viktor had sat up at the first sign of Thruul, but he'd been awake for a few hours now, just listening to Vok'Rul breathe.

"Mornin'," Viktor told Thruul, watching as the alien stepped into the room and started messing with their stuff. Viktor tilted his head, leaning against Vok'Rul's shoulder. He felt the alien extract his arm from the blanket and wrap it around his waist, squeezing Viktor against him. "What are you doing?"

"Sleeping," Vok'Rul grumbled to his pillow. "Some people had a long first day."

"It is already mid-morning, my lord," Thruul informed him, pulling out a tunic of Vok'Rul's from the dresser. It was dark blue. To answer Viktor's question, he said, "I am simply assisting Rulshkka, Kohgrash."

Viktor stiffened, quickly looking between a stubbornly asleep Vok'Rul and a relaxed Thruul. Thruul almost never used Vok'Rul's full name. "What's wrong?" he said worriedly.

Vok'Rul lifted his head, then, blearily frowning at Viktor. "What? Nothing is wrong."

"Yeah, there is. Did you guys get into a fight or something?" Viktor asked. His worry made his voice rise in pitch. He looked over at Thruul, who was looking at him with concern. "Why did you call him by his name?"

Thruul looked confused, then accusatory. "My lord," he rebuked.

"What?" Vok'Rul turned his frown to Thruul. He looked confused.

"Didn't you tell him? He's been awake for weeks!"

"Tell me what?" Viktor demanded. Vok'Rul had gone a little purple, which alarmed Viktor until he remembered that they usually went that color when they were embarrassed. Vok'Rul cleared his throat, withdrawing his arm from around Viktor to sit up. He seemed to gather up all of his dignity before he said, with as much reality as he could muster.

"Well, to put it simply... Thruul and I are courting."

Viktor blinked before reaching out to punch Vok'Rul in the shoulder.

"Ouch! What was that for?" Vok'Rul said, wounded. He rubbed his shoulder, even though Viktor knew that he hadn't hit him that hard.

Viktor rolled his eyes. "I thought there was something wrong, idiot. I've only heard Thruul say your name once."

"He only does it in private," Vok'Rul grouched, finally getting up. The alien stretched languidly, trying to act nonchalant. "It is a rather recent... development."

"Glad you finally pulled your head out of the sand," Viktor huffed. "Thruul has been pining after you the entire time I've known you."

"I didn't think I was that obvious," he heard Thruul mutter to himself.

"Was he, really?" Vok'Rul said gleefully. Viktor had forgotten that he had the emotional range of a rock. "Thruul, did you, really?"

Thruul looked at Viktor like this was his fault. Maybe it was, just a little, but it was definitely their fault for not telling him sooner. He smiled innocently at Thruul and Vok'Rul.

He was happy for his friend. Thruul cared about Vok'Rul a lot, that much was obvious. Plus, he made a mean breakfast.

The dining hall wasn't that cramped today - which could be due to the sheer, unapologetic fact that it was early enough that the food stalls weren't even open.

"You said it was mid-morning," Vok'Rul accused Thruul.

"I lied," he responded cheerfully.

Viktor sat at a table, swinging his legs in the air idly as Thruul opened up his food stall. Vok'Rul stood close, arms crossed and trying to appear disinterested while he spoke with the cook. His tail gave him away, though. It twitched on the floor slowly, like a cat's. Viktor couldn't blame him. He was hungry for food, too. He wondered why Thruul was so determined to wake them up so early in the morning.

Well, it didn't matter much to Viktor. To him, it really was mid-morning. He had been awake for hours.

By the time Thruul had set up his supplies - which he had stuffed behind the stall beforehand - and began cooking, a few more Vokkrus and humans filtered in, yawning and stretching. They were cooks, too, as Viktor found out. A few humans wandered over to him while their alien counterparts set up, no doubt curious as to why a kid with a walker was sitting alone at a table.

"Hey, kid," one of them, a dirty blonde-haired woman said tiredly, smiling kindly at him. Her eyes flickered to his legs, squinting slightly in confusion. "We usually won't open till the bell sounds over the intercom. For future reference."

Viktor nodded, playing along. "Thanks for letting me know. I can't really tell the time here, even with the schedule on the back of those pamphlets."

The blonde woman nodded solemnly. "I know, right? I swear, these guys have something against clocks."

"Amelia," a Vokkrus said, approaching her. They were almost the exact same shade as Nhafka. Viktor bit back the noise of distress that wanted to come out of his throat. "I need your assistance with something - oh, pardon me, little lord." They bowed at the waist respectfully. Viktor's discomfort rose. His fingers curled around Korrashkka's claw that wasn't there.

"You're fine," he said awkwardly. "Don't let me stop you. I'm just... taking in the scenery."

The Vokkrus took their leave, chatting with the woman - Amelia - as they left. Viktor was hard-pressed to relax, especially as more and more people started to filter in. He should've picked a more secluded place to sit.

"Hey," Ezekiel yawned blearily, collapsing right next to Viktor. He nearly jumped out of his skin with fright. "Morning, kid."

"Uh, morning," he mumbled, trying to get his nerves under control. He didn't really know what it was about this ship that made him so nervous, but he felt constantly on edge.

"Sleep okay?" Ezekiel asked. Viktor nodded. Ezekiel hummed his acknowledgment, dropping his head onto his arms. "Wake me up when they got coffee."

"I don't even think they know what coffee is."

"As long as something has caffeine in it," he complained. Viktor patted him on the shoulder.

"I wonder what caffeine would do -"

"Caffeine?" a passing Vokkrus asked, voice touched with worry. "By the Spirits - Lord Kohgrash, you've ingested caffeine?"

"No," Viktor said, shifting his attention sharply to the alien. Why did they think they could all eavesdrop on his conversations? "Even if I did, it's none of your business-"

"Of course, little lord!" the alien hastened to say, bowing low. "But caffeine is an extremely toxic poison. If you find any, please let Vokkra know. Your safety is a priority."

"Uh," Viktor said, out of his depth. "Okay. Thanks."

The Vokkrus bowed low before hurrying to their destination. Ezekiel squinted after them before whirling around to face Viktor completely. He seemed to have woken up some more.

"What the fuck was that, dude?" he asked in a whisper, eyes flitting around to see if there were any other eavesdroppers.

"Hell if I know," Viktor grumbled. He looked over to Thruul's stall. Vok'Rul was leaning over the front, watching the cook... well, cook. "I don't even know why they call me 'lord.' Rukka is Vok'Rul's sister, and no one calls her lord, let alone bows at her!"

Honestly, it was starting to freak him out a little. Vok'Rul had explained it and everything, but it was still hard to wrap his head around. Part of the household? He was just a kid. Nearly grown, sure, but he was just sixteen, maybe seventeen. Definitely not old enough to be a lord! He didn't know how to drive, let alone do anything lord-y.

"Hmm," Ezekiel hummed, appearing to be deep in thought. "You could use this to get me some kickass perks on this ship. First class, baby, here I come!"

"I wish Aiko were here to smack you."

The others started to file in, all in various states of grogginess. Viktor was grateful for their presence; the Vokkrus were less inclined to eavesdrop and pester him when there were other humans around. For whatever reason, they seemed intent on keeping an eye on him. It made Viktor uneasy, but he reminded himself that Rukka and Vok'Rul had personally approved each and every one of them.

But, the thought pressed against his skull like it wanted to escape, there could be one that had slipped through the cracks. Just like the mansion, and just like Lilac.

No, he told himself, pressing his shaking hands against the cool surface of the table. He desperately tried to listen to the small conversation between Pedro and Nikolas about the schematics of the spaceship and where they thought they'd land on Earth. They were safe on this ship. He was safe on this ship.

His dad sat next to him heavily, making him nearly fall out of his chair in fright. Oskar chuckled at his expense, hand traveling up to cup the back of his neck before he dropped it onto the table when he saw Viktor's bandages. "Hey. What's got you so wired up today?"

The attention of the entire table went to him, and Viktor pulled in on himself. "I'm fine," he said defensively.

"And fine's got you lookin' like a zombie combined with a deer in headlights?" Pedro asked, raising his eyebrow. Viktor glared at him.

"Yes," he snapped.

"If you say so, kid," Pedro returned skeptically. No one at the table pushed him, though his dad looked like he wanted to. "You can talk to us, though."

He knew that. He would, eventually. His fears were just unfounded, that was all. They'd go away eventually. Or maybe they wouldn't. But it would be okay, because they'd be on Earth in a few short days, and everything would be fine.

Paranoia was a bitch.