Chapter Text
The pod fell to earth in the middle of a rainstorm, dropping like a stone in a bright flash like lightning. It was an anomaly appearing so mundane that not a single soul took notice. The container cracked upon impact, and after some time passed and the rain finally settled, a three-fingered hand broke through the sharp metal shrapnel and glass. The creature--no larger than a human infant--crawled out languidly, not caring as the sharp bits scraped along its pillowy, malleable flesh. It stumbled from the pod and fell into grass. After shaking off the impact, he yawned.
He was no more interested in trees and birds than the cold emptiness of space, but tummy growling and growing boredom drove the creature forward. The tall, rectangular structures in the distance looked strangely promising, and so he waddled in that direction.
The creature quickly got used to the screams. It was a little amusing at first, to pop his head out of the garbage and coming face-to-face with another intelligent biped like himself. But these people already seemed so simple. Sometimes just a rustle was enough to send one of them running.
The trash could sustain him, but it wasn't particularly appealing. And kicking cans around could only be so entertaining, especially when bothersome humans came around with their rakes and brooms to shoo him away, thinking in the dark that he was only a raccoon.
He searched yet another alleyway, hoping for something more, but found himself already thinking he would've been better off if he'd been dropped on some other planet.
It started off as a terribly boring day, just like any other. Reo was nearly sweating through his suit jacket, continuously adjusting the itchy strap of his satchel bag, and fumbling around with his cell phone. He grumbled at his singular bar and the buffering gps.
People could only plaster on a fake smile for so long... and Reo had enough of it for today. Bumping into some female classmates on the sidewalk last week had oddly put him on edge. Their giggling was grating, and it had been very difficult to come up with an excuse to get away. It echoed in his head. "How'd you like to study at my place instead? Just the two of us?" Fat chance. Somehow it seemed too much to ask for his phone to guide him along a quick alternative route home.
Of course he wasn't a fan of the potential of getting lost, but it was worth the risk of talking to one more damn blushing bachelorette. He turned into an alleyway and held his phone to the sky. His eyes were locked onto his phone right up until some rustling coming from a dumpster in his path brought him back to earth. It caused him to stop in his tracks.
Surely, it was just a rodent. He could get past it. Slower, phone still in hand and without connection, he came closer to the dumpster. Unobscured by an open lid, he froze again at the sight of two large, glossy, grey eyes--freaky enough if they weren't inside a bulbous, obviously alien head--but they were unblinking, and shined from the light bouncing off of them from Reo's cell phone. He almost excused it to be a creepily realistic Halloween prop, but when three-fingered hands reached up from the side of the container, Reo let out a yelp, and his cell slipped from his fingers.
The alien suddenly lunged from the garbage in his direction. He fell backward along with his phone. Reo closed his eyes, anticipating a horrifically gruesome impact, but the only one he got was his back to the ground. He didn't even hear his phone fall. When he opened them, he found the little alien sitting next to him, holding the device and poking at it with its long, gooey fingers.
It appeared to be mesmerized--eyes wide and glowing. It continued to poke at the screen even though it made no changes. It turned the device around in its little hands, and its little mouth popped open in surprise when fiddling with the volume buttons made the phone vibrate and buzz.
Reo lifted himself up to his elbows and chuckled nervously, "You like that thing, huh?"
The creature did not look in his direction. It tried different methods of swiping and tapping and button pressing to make the screen change, but it did not. It made a little distressed whine.
"You need...some help? I can help you play with it." He offered his hand, hoping it would hand back his phone, but instead, the creature curiously reached out an empty hand and made gentle contact with his fingertips. Its fingers were so soft they were almost amorphous...he thought, but as it continued to feel around his hand, they seemed to firm up. He watched the curious feelers in awe. After some time, the alien returned its hand to the phone screen and was able to scroll around on the stalled gps map.
“Wow.” His mouth hung ajar. His cheek tingled with heat. His stomach fluttered. Heart floated. This creature was the most incredible thing he’d ever seen. A miracle from the heavens. And oddly cute, in the way a kitten is. It rolled around on the dirty alleyway ground and kicked its little stubby feet as it navigated the device, exploring different apps and making soft hums of amusement.
His mind was jumbled and fuzzy, with no clear idea of what to do next. He only knew that he wanted him. Or it. The growing smile on his face wasn’t plastered for show, but he hoped it would help him with his proposition anyway. He shifted up into a squat.
“Hey…little guy. How would you like to come home with me? It’s much better than the dumpster.”
The alien did not look at him. It didn’t appear that it even heard him. Or at least it didn’t react. He scooched a little closer.
“I promise that it’s nice. Warm food... I can give you baths. And lots more stuff to play with. Whatdaya say?”
Speaking so close to its personal space, it only looked at him and tilted its head. Reo huffed, a little exasperated. He was silly for thinking that it would understand him. But he wanted it. He could be patient. He could teach it.
First, he pointed to himself. “Reo.”
The creature coughed, but its soft, unused voice was able to croak out a copy. “Reo.”
He giggled and clapped. Then he pointed to the phone, still firmly planted in its hands. “Phone.”
“Phone!”
“Yes! Yes!” Finally, he pointed to the creature itself, hovering close to its chest, and waited.
“N-Nagi." That was what he was called, he thinks. Or maybe he’d made it up. It had been too long. Nobody ever really cared to address him. Not even back home.
“Nagi!” Reo cried out, thrilled to be able to give the little guy a name. “So how’s about–”
Cut off by footsteps cutting across the alleyway on the sidewalk far behind him, Reo’s heart rate skyrocketed. Who knows what other people would want to do to this poor little creature? He had to get him back to his apartment, but there wasn’t exactly much time for convincing. He removed his suit jacket and scooped Nagi up, enclosing the little guy in a firm embrace, and took off. With his phone useless and still in the hands of an alien, Reo jogged home blindly.
Finally on the other side of his apartment door, Reo allowed his legs to collapse underneath him and slid down to the floor. He released his fingers clutching the suit jacket and let his arms fall to his sides. As his heart rate and breathing settled, relief washed over him.
Nagi made no effort to move, and sat on Reo's lap as he continued to experiment with the cell phone.
Although Reo's thoughts were still somewhat jumbled, they did gain some semblance of coherence. He couldn't believe he'd brought a live alien into his apartment. Was he really going to try to take care of this thing himself alongside going to school? There's no way he could tell anyone about Nagi. People would want to kill him, or experiment on him, or worse –-take him away from Reo. His thoughts could only be halted by his cell phone being shook in his face.
"Reo… phone…" Nagi whined.
The screen was dark. When Nagi allowed him to take hold of it and hit the power button, he was presented with the empty battery symbol.
"It's just dead," he sighed. He brought Nagi along with him in his arms as he returned it to its charger.
Despite his tired body and mind, there was an unrestrained growing giddiness. The task of being a caregiver for an extraterrestrial would be difficult, but fun-–unlike anything he's done before in his lavish, sheltered life.
That evening, he didn't let Nagi out of his sight. He cooked and spoon-fed him a dinner, hoping that would help to gain his trust. He bathed him for a long while, washing away the stink of an untold amount of time living in garbage. And at the end of the night, he brought Nagi back to his bedroom, the entire time worrying himself to death over whether he was doing the right thing and meeting Nagi's needs properly...if he even had needs at all.
Reo was overcome with the urge to rub his head, forgetting already from their escapades in the bath how slimy and untextured his skin was. He only did it for a few seconds before becoming uncomfortable and pulled away the instant that Nagi made an unidentifiable murmur.
Nagi rolled and got himself up. Reo’s soothing rubbing almost put him to sleep. He wanted some more. But when he grabbed Reo’s hand and placed it back on his head, Reo only gave him a pat.
“Haha...yeah. You’re a good boy...Nagi.”
If Reo didn’t get what he wanted from that, there were other things Nagi could try for him to understand, but he was only willing to make one more attempt. Nagi pinched his mouth tight into an ‘x’ to express his annoyance as he was forced to put in some thought. The purple strands coming out of Reo’s head looked silky and interesting to touch. Just like that, Nagi was climbing up onto Reo’s shoulder.
“Hey, Nagi! What are you doing?” but Reo hesitated in his protest. At this point, there wasn’t much reason to believe Nagi would–or even could hurt him.
All of these purple threads came together in layers, connected on top of Reo’s head. They hung down like curtains to compliment his pretty face. To get a good feel for it, Nagi ran his thin fingers all around Reo’s scalp. Once he was ready, he climbed back down onto Reo’s lap and hung his head as he concentrated all of his energy.
Reo could only watch in amazement. Follicles formed and hairs as white as his skin sprouted from Nagi’s head and grew out in seconds, albeit unevenly. One clump in the front hung well past his bulbous eyes. Reo reached out to touch it. All around it. And continued rubbing even after his shock settled. It felt so real.
Nagi let out a yawn so large that tears formed in his eyes. The food was delicious. The bath made him smell nice. Reo smelled nice too, and the head rubs were wonderful. Reo and his bed were also very warm. Nagi was more comfortable than he’d ever been. So that’s the moment he knew he had been wrong. This planet wasn’t so bad.
He wanted to stay in this exact spot forever.
Alas, such wonderful things can’t last forever.
Nagi was disturbed bright and early both by Reo’s alarm and by Reo himself swinging out of bed. As Reo ran around getting himself ready for the day, it seemed whimpering wasn't enough to get his attention. When Reo had himself together enough to grab his going-out items, a burst of energy propelled Nagi to call out his name and grab him by the pants leg.
Reo's eyes bulged as if he'd only just noticed him. As if he'd only just realized last night wasn't just a dream. If Nagi was stopping him, he must've realized he was leaving, and didn't want him to go.
"Yes?" He beamed.
Nagi pointed up to his pocket. "Phone?"
"Oh, so that's all you wanted..." His face dropped but his smile lingered. He kneeled down to Nagi's level. "Sorry Nagi, I kinda need to keep this with me, but..."
He picked Nagi up and placed him down on the couch. With the remote, he turned on the TV. Soccer was still on from the last time he'd watched. He handed off the remote. Nagi's eyes glowed much like they had at his cell.
"I promised I'd keep you entertained." For a second, he glanced over at scarcely touched game consoles. "I'll show you more things when I get the chance, but for now, I really have to go."
Instinctively, he leaned down to kiss Nagi on the head, but engrossed as he was in another shiny new device, he wasn't sure that Nagi noticed. Reo left with the worry of how Nagi was doing alone in his apartment never leaving his mind.
It wasn't long before they found themselves in a routine. Reo would head off to his business college classes in the early morning, study on campus at the library, and run errands until the late afternoon. When he finally arrived back he would make himself and Nagi dinner and bathe him.
But every day with Nagi was different. Or more precisely, every day by the time Reo got home, Nagi looked a little different. When Reo wasn't there to help him reach something high up that he wanted, he grew a little taller. When his three-fingered hands made playing video games difficult, he reshaped them to be more like Reo's. He was starting, bit by bit, to look–-and even sound–-more human. Watching television for much of the day seemed to help him develop his speech much faster than Reo could ever teach him. Nagi was almost constantly entranced by some kind of screen, especially when he found something he particularly liked. Like romantic comedies.
"Another?" Reo posited after he gave the television a glance. The weekend meant a day off of classes, so he was using the time to clean up around the apartment. "I'm surprised you're so interested in romcoms, Nagi. What is it that you like about them?"
Nagi's eyes were glued to the screen. His trance would not break, but he thought about Reo's question. The feelings romcoms stirred in him were unique. In everything he had learned about the human experience so far, it was the only thing that he felt connected to, like it was strangely familiar. Of course he'd never experienced a heartfelt confession or kissed someone in the rain, but the characters always dragged him into the story so deeply that he almost felt like he had. And he liked it. The idea of loving someone so deeply spoke to him, made him feel warm, and sparked...a curiosity.
"They're special," is all he ended up saying.
Reo snorted. "It'd be nice if you elaborated on that."
The characters on screen passionately collided. Nagi's bulbous eyes grew impossibly large–-even more so than usual.
He pointed to the screen. "Does Reo kiss anyone like that?"
Reo leaned in from the doorway to give the screen another glance and was taken aback for a moment. "No," Reo chuckled. "I've never really been in a relationship."
"Why?"
Reo almost automatically gave him the answer he always gave. Instead, he took a breath and thought about it. "I used to always say that I was busy focusing on school, but really...I guess I've just never found anyone I was interested in."
Nagi's eyes suddenly broke from the screen and shot to Reo. "You're not interested in me?"
Reo blushed at the sudden attention, and laughed awkwardly and apologetically. "It's not like that, Nagi! I am interested in you. In a different kind of way, you know? Those kinds of relationships are just for humans. Adult humans. You're an alien, and–-" His face scrunched up in concern. "Do you even know how old you are?"
Nagi shook his head. "I stopped keeping track."
Reo shook his head as well, in disbelief of such a strange answer. He figured that meant Nagi was at least older than he seemed. His serene smile was still firmly planted into his handsome features as he spoke, "You truly are an alien."
Nagi frowned. His eyes fell back on the screen. The two lovers were huffing and snuggling in bed, recovering from their engagement in the human mating ritual. They looked content and comfortable. It was all anyone could ever ask for , Nagi thought to himself. But if he was understanding Reo correctly, he could only have that if he was human.
He looked down at his new five-fingered hands. They were human-like in shape but smooth, without all the divots and creases. He could do better. But it would take up a lot of his energy. He frowned deeper.
Reo went on slaving away. He hummed as he finished up sweeping and unknowingly gave Nagi a full view of his gyrating hips as he bent over to dump the dustpan.
"Would Reo like to be in a romance? If he was interested in a human?"
Reo wiped his forehead with his arm and dramatically fell backwards onto the couch beside him. "Sure." He took a moment to stretch out and sink in before continuing. "I mean, it would be nice, but…" His eyebrows turned up sullenly, "I can't see it happening anytime soon. I still have you to take care of. So don't worry about me leaving you behind! That stuff will just have to wait."
"Hmm...I guess."
He shouldn't have to wait long. Nagi could transform himself completely in a few hours if he really pushed himself. First though, there were some things about how human bodies worked that he didn't fully understand. He would have to do some research. It sounded like a terrible pain, which he definitely didn't want to do right now. When Reo hooked an arm around his shoulder, he was all too eager to halt his train of thought and cuddle into his side.
With his free hand, Reo picked up the remote. "I heard that sex scene from the other room. Goddamn. How about we change this for a little bit, hm?"
"Okay." He said, eyes closed, ready for a nap. "I want a blanket."
Never one to deny Nagi's desires, Reo swiftly swung a throw over the both of them. He flipped through the channels, but found nothing that interested him, and turned it off instead. His favorite thing to watch was right in his lap.