[Dedicated to groovystar for the lovely fanart above!]

WE CONCOCTED A PLAN THE next day which consisted of dangerous ideas and crazy manoeuvres. Not even Louis seemed too thrilled with the plan, which was of course the cliché alert, distract and run scheme. Who knew if it would actually work? Junites were pretty smart from what I'd previously witnessed, and none of us were getting our hopes up too much. It was a fifty percent chance that we would make it to the ship without being detected.

"I volunteer Jason," Louis suddenly said. "You distract them."

"Why me?" Jason asked, appalled. "I'm the newest member of this group, the least up-to-date with everything and not to mention, still a little in shock."

Louis shrugged nonchalantly. "Flora needs to stay alive so I can take her to Junito."

That appeared to grasp Jason's attention, for his head whipped round in my direction and his eyes narrowed accusingly. "You didn't mention anything about a road trip to the stars," he said. "Details, please? And what do you mean you need her alive? Does that mean I'll  have little chance of surviving if I distract them?"

I just cleared my throat and answered his first question, "He promised me an adventure."

"And being caught up in an alien invasion, slash return trip, slash suicide mission isn't adventurous enough?" he questioned, a brow raised. "Jesus, Flora."

"Well, you know me Jase, I'm all for adventure," I said. "And besides, how could one turn down a trip into space?"

"Easily," he stated. "Did you even consider your life at least once before agreeing to this?"

"Calm down, human," Louis cut in. "I can protect her when she's with me. Besides, I am royalty and my people have to obey me no matter what. If I want to take a human to my home planet, then that is my choice and nobody else's."

"So, you two are just going to run off to another planet after you take the ship?" Jason inquired, his tone incredulous. It was no surprise that the news agitated him - after all, it was most likely a mixture of shock, curiousness and jealousy that he was feeling.

I stood from my seat and headed into the kitchen. "Tea?"

"Vodka, I think," Jason muttered while Louis just nodded happily.

"Do you require some help?" Louis asked. I smiled at him over my shoulder and shook my head. He nodded before looking back to Jason. "Do you  need some help? You appear to be rather exhausted."

Jason just gave him a baffled look. "Rather exhausted? Listen here E.T., really listen to me. I've just found out that aliens exist and that there are several roaming my planet. So yes, I am a little knackered. And shocked. A little bit scared. And also in desperate need of alcohol."

"Alcohol?" Louis questioned, looking to me for help. "The stuff that makes people nasty?"

"Yep," I said. "Also the stuff I've told you to never drink. Who knows what it will do to you."

I'd always wondered about that - about what Louis would be like when drunk. Part of me thought he would be even more bubbly and curious than he was already but then it could always be the exact opposite - he could become moody and angry. Aggressive, perhaps? I wanted to know which, but that wouldn't be right. Besides, if he turned his nose up at pizza, alcohol would no doubt have a much worse effect on him.

Then again, it wouldn't hurt to let him try some.

"In fact, would you like some alcohol, Loudrix?"

He shot me an astonished glance before looking to Jason. He received a small shrug before asking me, "What one? There's a few isn't there?"

"Oh, yes," I chuckled. "I think we can start you off on something basic like beer."

"Beer?" he echoed. "I was told that beers are ferocious creatures in the wild."

"That's bears, you moron," Jason laughed before he stood to join me in the kitchen. "Are you sure you want to let him have some alcohol?"

I sighed, not entirely sure myself. "If he wants to try some, he's entitled to, I guess."

"Suit yourself, but what if he's like ... allergic to it? Or it has him running rampant through the streets?"

I just shrugged. "We'll tie him down."

After I poured three cups of tea and retrieved the bottles of beer from the fridge, I carefully placed them down on the table and handed Louis the bottle. He observed it curiously, squinting at the label and sniffing the liquid with a wrinkled nose.

"Smells odd," he commented before taking a small sip. His face instantly screwed up in disgust as he gulped down the liquid and couched straight afterwards. "Oh, no! That was absolutely foul! You people actually drink this volatile stuff?"

Jason and I just laughed as I passed him his cup of tea. "Thought you'd dislike it. I came prepared."

He took the tea and all but gulped it down to remove any trace of beer from his mouth. I watched in amusement as he continued to cringe and complain that he could still taste it in the back of his throat. Jason was giving me a look which almost read I told you so as he laughed at Louis' misfortune.

"Well, at least you've tried it," I said. "You'd never know otherwise."

"True," Louis muttered. "Still ghastly though."

"Wait til you try vodka," Jason added, raising a brow. "Pfft, that will probably kill you."

"Like poison?" Louis gasped, his eyes wide with shock.

"Not literally kill you," I cut in, sending Jase a glare. "Kill as in, it will really, really not appeal to you. Especially if you find beer so awful."

"Ah," Louis muttered. "I see."

As soon as we finished our tea and went over our plan once again, Jason headed home for the night, bidding Louis and I an exhausted sounding goodnight before the door closed behind him. Louis seemed to be growing more fond of him and I was glad about that. I loved Jason and I knew as soon as he found out everything about the aliens and Louis, that he potentially could have turned everything upside down and upset the original task of helping Louis get home. Thankfully, the pair of them were friendly enough.

Louis sat on the couch with his hand clasped around a mug. His eyes were glued to the television and he never said a word.

"Whatcha doing?" I asked as I slumped down beside him.

"Observing the film. It seems rather odd that these people can produce magic from sticks."

"Wands," I corrected. "Wizards, witches, warlocks and such are all different in stories. Just like aliens."

He looked at me with a brow raised. "Do you have any alien films?"

I thought for a moment, trying to remember if any of the DVDs in the attic fell into the alien category. After not being able to recall any, I just shook my head. "No, sorry. But I'll tell you what, when I'm shopping next I'll look around for some alien classics. Ones like the Alien films and E.T. and such. You'll love them."

"Will I?" he asked. 

"Yeah, as long as you're not afraid of horror movies. The Alien films are pretty creepy."

"Pfft, me scared? Please."

I'D NEVER LAUGHED QUITE AS hard before. Watching Louis hiding behind his blanket and yelping every few minutes had be howling with laughed beside him on the couch, unable to keep myself silent. It wasn't the fact that his screams were loud and shrilly like a little girl's, or the fact he was hiding his eyes - it was the complete irony of the situation.

An alien ... afraid of the film Alien.

"I don't like this," he complained. "It popped right out of his stomach!"

"Yes. Wonderfully gory, is it not?" I laughed.

"No! It's awful. No wonder you humans are so scared of the idea of alien life - look what you have made us out to be! We are not creatures of evil, or beings who harvest Earthlings. This is just ... well, a little cruel to be honest."

"You do know that they are only movies, right?" I asked, rubbing his back comfortingly. "None of us know what aliens are like so we have no choice but to use our imaginations. Luckily for me, I know that you're all big softies. Well, minus the Councillors of course - those lads are pure evil."

"Agreed." Louis shifted in his seat and glanced down at his hands. "I miss being my true self sometimes."

I frowned. Where had that come from? I looked at him to see his blue eyes half-closed, a sombre expression on his face. He suddenly looked miserable and I took his hand in my own. It was a simple gesture, but it went a long way. 

"There's nothing stopping you from being your true self - you can change if you wish, Lou," I told him. "In fact, go for it. I want to see."

"Can I?" he practically squealed before leaning towards me and unexpectedly wrapping his arms around me. The hug was short and sweet, and I just chuckled as he jumped up and held his hand out, palms up. 

I watched in fascination as he transformed into his true, sparkling blue form. He reminded me of when I'd discovered him with the small galaxy within his palm, the same beautiful swirls of bright colours now embedded in his skin, almost as if a galaxy were painted on him.

He release a big sigh before sitting down beside me again, smiling widely and seemingly more relaxed than before. The alien movie was forgotten as he embraced his true self fully for the first time in weeks. 

It warmed my heart to see him so happy. He was homesick, and for something so small to bring such a wide grin to his face had me grinning too. I was happy because he was happy. Louis deserved to be happy. He sure as hell deserved to go home. He also deserved everything he wanted in the world, and if his heart was set on his research then I wished all the best for him.

His sparkling skin illuminated areas of the house like a disco ball, his bright eyes looking around in awe. I copied him, realising that the little specks of light almost seemed to resemble a starry sky. It was beautiful, almost like having space inside my home.

Louis suddenly took my hand in his, and I jumped slightly at the unexpected contact. His skin was cold to the touch, his fingers lacing between my own. Slowly, he raised our hands into the air and watched them closely, like he was expecting something to happen. But what? When he untangled his fingers from mine, our palms continued to touch; my skin against his.

"Flora?" Louis asked, breaking the silence.

"What?"

"Can I try something?" he asked.

I just raised a brow. "What kind of something?"

"Um," he muttered, a pink tint spreading across his cheeks. I'd never seen him blush so hard. "I believe there is no easy way to ask this... May I touch you?"

I couldn't answer him for I was slightly shocked at his question. Touch me? In what way did he mean, was what I truly wanted to know and the longer I sat there in silence, the more he seemed to realise that he had not worded it in the best way. Then again, he was right about there being no right way to say it.

"Um, no wait. Let me try again. Can I explore your body?"

"That sounds worse," I blurted. "What do you want, Lou?"

He shrugged, apparently lost. He began to stammer, "I, um - I don't know how to - how to say it, Flora. Caress? Touch? I just want to try something-"

"Then go for it," I said, cutting him off. "I bet whatever the hell you want to do will seem much better without you speaking." 

He just laughed and nodded before raising his other hand. My heart was beating in my chest as he rested it upon my shoulder. Each move was slow and gentle, his fingers caressing over the bared skin and down my forearm. It seemed like he was afraid to apply pressure, like he thought I would shatter under his fingers. 

"You," I began, looking into his eyes, "literally did mean just touching." I laughed, watching his shimmering digits ghost across my skin. His touch didn't feel foreign, like one may think an alien's touch should be; instead it felt normal, human even. 

"Yeah," Louis muttered. "Just touch. I wanted to see how your skin felt."

"Like skin," I bluntly said with a small shrug. "Your skin feels the same as mine," I said before I reached up with my free hand and cupped his jaw. "Exactly the same. Perhaps not in appearance is all."

"I think you'd look just as beautiful with Junite skin," he whispered. Only then did I realise how close we were, sitting mere millimetres apart, holding hands as well as exploring the feel of each other's skin. Not to mention Louis saying I'd looked just as beautiful if I were to possess skin like his people.

I just cleared my throat. "Would I be blue?"

"Hm, I'm thinking more red," he teased, knowing that only the Council members were red. "You have that slightly evil yet fiery streak within you. And it would match your hair."

"Oh," I chuckled. "Why, thank you, Your Majesty."

"You're very welcome, Earthling," he replied with a smile. His blue hand trailed back up my arm and to my throat, his fingers tracing slow shapes across my skin. 

After that, we finished watching the movie in silence, neither one of us looking at the other, or speaking a single word. It was a comfortable silence, and our fingers remained interlocked until the credits rolled. 

"What did you think?" I asked.

"Awful," he said. "Portrays me in such a horrible way."

I just laughed and agreed with him before I locked the doors and made sure everything in the house was as it should be. I bid the alien goodnight before I headed up to bed, still able to feel the soft caress of his fingers lingering on my skin.

Thank you for reading! x
Space joke: How does the man-in-the-moon cut his hair? Eclipse it!
Cazza