Chapter 2: Love?

Cole and Nikolai get closer and closer. Ultimately culminating in them admitting their feelings towards each other.

He lightly shakes me awake. I open my eyes expecting to be back on the ship. Instead I’m greeted by the sight of his room. I close my eyes again to make sure it isn’t a dream. He shakes me again.

“Ugh, 5 more minutes” I murmur.

“You said that 5 minutes ago” He replies softly.

“Well clearly I need more sleep then” I reply in a sarcastic tone.

“Trust me you don’t” He replies.

I groan as I get up. I don’t want to get out of bed after the past couple of days. I swing my legs over the side of his bed and stand up. I stretch as soon as I stand up. 

“Ughhhh…. I smell horrible.” I groan.

He looks over as soon as I finish what I say and replies.

“Well… If you want to bathe. My restroom is just over there” He tells me.

He points over to a door nestled in the corner. He gets up after doing this. I never could tell how tall he was until now. He’s at least 7 foot plus in terms of height. He walks over to the door. He walks in and quickly closes it. I hear him drop his clothing on the floor. I stand there. Awkwardly. My body still is somewhat achy from the prior days. I look around taking mental notes of the room. I look out the window. I see the cliffs in the distance. I look on. I see ships and ice in the water. It’s a truly beautiful sight. I stand there for a few minutes. I let out a breath. 

“I know it’s quite beautiful.” An unrecognizable voice says.

I spin around. I nearly fall over while doing so.

“I believe we’ve never met. I’m Captain Salius. Commander of his majesty’s royal guard. Pleasure to meet you.” He says to me.

I stutter as I see the sight of a towering wolf. He’s bedecked in some kind of armor. It looks a kin to what a modern soldier would wear but more advanced. His visor looks straight out of a science fiction movie. 

“Pleasure to meet you as well, Sir.” I say to him in a respectful tone.

“What should I refer to you as?” He asks me.

“Cole. You can refer to me as that.” I reply in a confident voice..

“Alright.” He replies.

“Well, Cole. You’re probably still oblivious to why you’re here. Well… Though the exact reason is still unknown even to me. I can tell you that it is for a mixture of things. One, Presenting you and by proxy your species to Adrias. Also this is what I theorize… I think the Emperor is also trying to court you.” He tells me.

“What do you mean to court me?” I ask.

“Hmmm… Do you humans practice… Dating by any chance?” He asks me. I can tell he’s trying to use my answer to try to explain it to me.

“Uh…. Yes.” I say in an awkward tone.

“Essentially… He ran a program to determine what… Species or person.was most compatible with him. And somehow he found that you… Well you’re the most compatible with him.” He tells me.

I’m surprised at this. That I was brought here to effectively be a mate… Or boyfriend…. To an alien bear. And not only that I'm going to be representing the entirety of humanity on a galactic level. I dwell on these thoughts for a few minutes. I don't know which is worse. Or better yet which is more important.

“You alright?” Salius asks.

I snap out of my trance-like state and acknowledge his presence. 

“Y-yeah… Just thinking about what you said.” I say to him.

“It’s kind of hard to think about. I perfectly understand how you’re likely feeling.” He reassures me.

“Personally I never got the choice to come here. When I left my planet… I came here to undergo training. Training to become a royal guard. But due to a multitude of things. I was selected by the empress that preceded Nikolai to become what they refer to as a sentinel. Or as I prefer to be called. A royal guard. Either way I’m stuck guarding them until I retire inevitably” He tells me in a cold tone.

“Even then it’s unlikely I’ll leave this planet.” He says while looking down.

“Why do you say that?” I ask him.

“Well… How do I put this? Sentinels on this planet are marked. Those that have gotten off this planet have faced harshities that most can’t perceive. Oftentimes when one of us does get off planet we’re either forced to guard another set of royals or we become mercs. Yes… I mean mercenaries. Or in the worst case… We end up homeless or even dead. Either way we either fight or end up dying.” He tells me while holding his head low.

“Wow.” I say in a shocked tone.
“Anyways… Umm… See you around.” He says coldly while walking towards the door. He quickly draws his weapon and starts marching. His movements are almost robotic. I go back to looking out the window. I see the same sights as before. Then I hear the door to the bathroom open. I look over and see Nikolai. He’s wrapped in a towel. I quickly avert my gaze from him. 

“I overheard you and Salius’s conversation. Seems like you two get along well.” He tells me.

“Yeah. We do.” I reply.

“That’s great.” He says while smiling. 

“Hehe yeah.” I say while slightly chuckling.

“Also if you want to… You can use the bathroom now.” He tells me.

I quickly dart over to the bathroom. I close the door and strip naked. I get in the shower and awkwardly try to decipher the controls. 

“S**t uhhh” I say while testing one of the knobs.

A jet of cold water hits my head. I immediately turn off the water as soon as this happens.

“AAA COLD!” I yelp.

I try another knob. This time blistering hot water hits my head. 

“F**K!” I yell in pain.

I turn the knob again to turn the water off. I try turning each knob slightly. A pleasant stream of water hits my head. I relax. I look around for soap. I quickly find a block covered in suds. I pick it up and sniff it slightly. It smells like spearmint. I rub it against my body. Bits of fur come off on me. I quickly rinse myself and the soap bar off as soon as I feel this. I continue to scrub my body. The musk that had coated my body gradually starts falling off of my body. I stop scrubbing after a while. I put the bar back when I’m finished. I get out of the shower. I look around for a towel. My eyes fall on a neatly folded pile on a shelf that’s just out of my reach. I have to swallow my pride as I walk towards the door. I peek my head out.

“Hey… Nikolai?” I yell in an embarrassed tone.

One of his ears swivels towards me. He turns his head to look at me. 

“Yes?” He quickly replies.

“Can you grab a towel for me?” I ask him in the same embarrassed tone.

“Uhh… Yeah.” He replies while walking towards the door.
I quickly duck behind the door. I cover myself up as the bear walks in. He doesn’t look at me. He grabs a towel and hands it to me while looking away. 

“T-Thank you” I say to him. 

“You’re welcome.” He replies in a cheerful voice.

He quickly scurries out of the bathroom. As soon as the door closes again I quickly start to towel off. When I finish toweling off I stand there awkwardly. I look down at my shirt and pants. I debate on putting them back on and just accepting the smell. I decide not to. I wrap the towel tightly around my waist. I sling my dirty clothing over my shoulder. I walk out into Nikolai’s room. I keep one hand on my waist just to assure my towel doesn’t fall. Nikolai quickly looks at me. He’s a little shocked seeing me without my clothing. He looks away. I place my clothing down on the floor. I debate on what to do next. Nikolai sees me standing over my clothing. He coughs.

“What’re you thinking about?” He asks.

“What I’m going to do in terms of clothing. I’ve been wearing the same clothing for damn near a week and well… Just like how my body did. It stinks.” I tell him.

“Oh… Well I can always try to find you some.” He offers.

“No no you don’t have to.” I brush him off. I don’t want to come off as a burden to him.

“No, I insist. Consider it an apology for my many mistakes.” He says while raising his paws. 

“You sure?” I ask him. I don’t want to inconvenience him considering the fact he presumably has a lot on his plate.

“Yes. For the time being I can maybe try to find you a uniform. We have a whole plethora of sizes to fit all the different species here.” He tells me.

“I wouldn’t mind that” I reply.

He darts out of the room as soon as I reply. He’s presumably rushing to find me a uniform. I sit down on his bed while waiting for him. I sit there for what feels like hours. When he finally returns I see him holding a slew of uniforms. Different colors, Different patterns. Then my eyes arrive at the same kind of uniform he wore when he arrived. I’m still in awe of the sheer craftsmanship of their uniforms. He puts them down beside me. 

“Wow… You really weren’t kidding” I say in amazement.

“Kidding about what?” He asks.

“About you guys having uniforms.” I reply.

“Yeah… We have at least 5 or 6 different kinds of uniforms we wear.” He replies.

“How did you know my measurements? Some of these uniforms look tailored to me” I ask.

“Simple biometric scan I took while on the ship. When you were knocked out of course. Which now looking back on that. That sounds extremely creepy.” He says in a voice that’s a mix of confidence and awkwardness.

“Yeah it kinda does.” “Actually it sounds really creepy.” I joke with him.

 “I know.” He replies while trying to match my tone.

“So anyway.. On a more serious note. I suggest you wear the gray uniform today. Today’s a less formal day so.. Just put it on and wear the beret.” He tells me in a somewhat commanding voice.

“Yes, Sir” I say in the same joking tone. I take mental notes of what he told me to wear and quickly scurry into the bathroom to put the uniform on. It reminds me of putting on my uniform while on base. I remember the first time I put on my NWU’s. I was at bootcamp. I don’t remember the year exactly. But I remember the feeling when I did. It felt amazing. Knowing that I had survived the first week of bootcamp and was allowed to wear a uniform that I had seen so many times before. Be that because of my recruiter or because of my older brother. I stand there reminiscing about the good and bad times I had while on earth. And then I land on the question of if I ever will go back. Right now it seems likely. But there’s always the possibility something could happen that leaves me stuck on this planet. I go back to putting the uniform on. I button the blouse and put on the beret. I walk out of the bathroom as soon as I have done this. I pull my crotch slightly to avoid the pants chafing. Nikolai looks over at me. He looks at me in awe. 

“Wow… You look amazing” He compliments me. He’s clearly starstruck at the sight of me in a uniform.

“Thanks.” I reply while letting out a playful yet awkward laugh.

“May I ask?” “Do you guys have boots or something” I ask him
“I’m sorry.. Usually on earth we wear shoes of some kind when outside to protect our feet from stuff like dirt and trash.” I tell him.

“No… Ailurians and most species do not wear anything on our feet” He replies.

“Oh.. Well I should’ve figured that out when I saw you and Salius barefoot” I reply quickly. 

“Yeah.. I understand that it’s quite jarring for you considering what you said.” He says to me in a soft voice.

“Yeah. It’s fine.” “It’s just going to take me a bit to get used to it.” I say reassuringly. I take a small mental note about that fact. 

“Now if you wouldn’t mind. I need to get dressed myself.” He tells me.
“Oh s**t sorry for interrupting.” I apologize.

“No it’s my fault. I got a little carried away with finding you stuff that I forgot that I had to get ready as well.” He replies. 

I look on as I see him strip down. I turn my head while he’s completely naked. Although I can’t help but stare out of the corner of my eye. I see the sheer size of him. I catch my head drifting in his direction. I quickly wrench my head back. My head keeps drifting back to look at him. I can’t help but let myself. I mean it wouldn’t hurt to treat myself after all the s**t I’ve been through over the past week. I look at him. He locks eyes with me. A weird tension sets in the room. He slowly continues to dress himself as I look on. I see all of his mass. I’m kind of astonished by him. He finishes dressing after a while. He stands up fully. He towers over me. I stand back a bit. 

“Are you ready to go?” He asks me.

“As ready as I can be” I reply in a somewhat confident tone. 

He walks to the door and presses a button. The door slides open. Salius quickly marches up to Nikolai.

“Awaiting your orders sir.” He says in a confident tone.

“Can you help me give… Uhhh ""I never got your name actually” He tells me.

“His name is Cole sir.” Salius says.

“Ah… Well then. Would you mind helping me give Cole a tour of the grounds?” He asks Salius.

“Of course sir.” Salius quickly replies. 

“All units, Stand down for the time being. We’re giving the newcomer a tour of the grounds.” Salius says over his radio.

“Standing down.” A swarm of voices say over the radio.

We start walking around. I look around as we walk through the massive halls and rooms of the palace. I see all sorts of species. From wolves to vixens, bears to badgers. All of them dressed in viking esc outfits. I’m somewhat in awe of the sheer scale of this place. We walk around for hours upon hours covering seemingly every corridor and room of the palace. We finally arrive back at Nikolai's room around sunset. 

“Anything else sir?” Salius asks.

“Hmm… Nothing I can think of right now.” Nikolai replies.

“Alright. Well I’ll be standing watch just out here if you need anything. Have a good night sir. And also you Cole” He says in a polite yet slightly rough voice. I can tell this is a standard routine for him. Nikolai nods at him. Salius replies with a nod back. He walks off. Nikolai quickly opens his door. He walks in. I follow closely afterwards. He sits down on his bed. He lets out a massive breath. He falls down onto the bed back first. I can tell he’s exhausted. 

“Ughhh…. My paws are so f*****g soreee……” He groans.

He sits up on the bed. He begins unbuttoning his blouse. Gradually his belly is exposed. Barely contained by his undershirt. He lays back down. He stretches his arms out while curling his wrists slightly. I sit down beside him. I take off my beret and place it down. 

“Thank you for taking me on a tour.” I thank him.

“You’re welcome.” He replies in a soft voice.

I unbutton my blouse and toss it to the floor. I get up. I stretch a bit before laying back down. I lay beside him while looking up at the ceiling. I think of everything that’s happened within the past week. How I went from being stuck in California awaiting a deployment to being in a whole other galaxy. All it took was one night. A night that had the program never selected me would’ve likely never happened. The chances of that occurring are damn near zero. Let alone it happening in a way that would allow for me to end up not stuck in a prison of some kind. All though I do wonder. What’s everyone thinking on earth? What do my parents think? What do my friends think? Where do they think I went? I mean from what I remember of that night Nikolai didn’t break or destroy anything in my room. All that he took was…. Me. I continue to stare at the ceiling. My mind runs rampant with hypothetical scenarios of what could’ve happened. And then… Just like last night. He rolls over to face me. I crane my head over to look at him. 

“So uhh what are you uhh thinking about?” He asks in a calm voice.

“Nothing…” I say dismissively.

“Something’s clearly on your mind” He replies. 

“No seriously… I’m not really thinking of anything” I reply again in the same dismissive tone as before.

“You sure?” He replies with a slightly higher tone. 

“No I’m actually not…” I reply in a slightly saddened tone.

“Why’s that?” He asks.

“I’m just thinking of everything. Everything that’s happened within the past week… Hell, I don't know where to start. It just feels weird. LIke one moment I was on earth as a fairly unremarkable person. Then all of a sudden I went to being the representative for the entirety of the human race on a galactic scale. It’s just so much to deal with. That’s not even all of it” I say while trying to hide the pain that’s building up in my soul.

“Yeah… I understand how overwhelming it must be.” He replies in a soft reassuring tone. 

“Hell sniffle Also I’m thinking about what my parents must be going through right now. Hell no parent should hear about their son vanishing without a trace. I know that they’re likely fighting to find answers and stuff but I’m also worried that they’re completely in the dark about my disappearance.” I tell him as I struggle to hold back tears.

“Honestly… I could imagine how terrifying it must feel for them.” He replies.

Finally I break. I start crying inconsolably. I try to cover my face with my hands as I weep. Tears start to fall onto my undershirt leaving black damp streaks. Nikolai quickly pulls me into him. He gently strokes the back of my head almost as if trying to console a child. 

“Shhh… Shhhh… You’ll be alright.” He says in a soft tone. 

“Shhhhhhh” He shushes me as I continue to bawl.

“Shhh You’ll be fine” He comforts me. 

“B-But what if I don’t end up fine?” I ask while sniffling.

“Trust me you will” He reassures me.

I gradually stop crying. I continue to sniffle as I calm down. Nikolai continues to console me. When I stop sniffling he lets go of me.

“Are you feeling better now?” He asks.

“Y-yeah” I shakily reply.

“Are you sure?” He asks.

“No…. I still feel f*****g horrible. I miss everyone.” I say while trying to prevent myself from crying again. 

“Trust me… I’ll make sure you can see them again eventually.” He reassures me.

“Yeah.” I say shakily.

“Do you need me to get you anything?” He asks.

“No….” “Actually maybe something to drink….” I say in between sniffles. 

“Alright I’ll  be back in a bit” He says while pulling himself off of the bed. The bed shoots up as soon he gets off of it.

“Stay here” He says while looking back at me. 

I sit there alone with my thoughts for the next 10 minutes. I look out the window and see a crimson tinted sunset. I wish I had my phone. I wish I could take a photo of it. I continue to look out of the window. I zone out until my serenity is disrupted by a familiar sound. It’s Nikolai. He taps my back. I turn my head towards him. He hands me a mug full of a brown liquid. It has foam on top of it. 

“Here you go.” He says while handing me the mug.

“What is it?” I ask.

“Aureflos cider” He replies.

“The hell is an aureflos?” I ask.

“It’s a kind of fruit we use in a lot of dishes and drinks to add a hit of sweetness to them.” He explains in a cheerful way.

“Cool” I quickly reply.

I take a sip from the mug. Instantly I taste a very rich flavor almost reminiscent of vanilla mixed with maple. I take another sip to reinforce the flavor. This time I pick up a slight bit more of a sweetness to it. It’s a very pleasant taste.

“Wow… This is amazing.” I reply in astonishment.

Nikolai’s face lights up at this. I can tell that he wasn’t expecting me to enjoy it. I continue to drink it. I enjoy each sip more and more each time. I finish my mug after one final swig.

“Wow you really sucked that down” He replies in a joking way.

“Well it was good. I mean… Come on” I reply to him while trying to match his tone.

“Hey I can always get you more if you want some” He offers. 

“I would love more. But I think I’m good for the time being.” I reply while stretching.

I look over to the window again. It’s already dark out. I yawn. 

“I think it’s best we go to sleep soon” I tell him.

“Yeah, You’re right.” He agrees.

“Alright I’m going to get ready for bed.” I tell him. 

“Alright.” He replies.

I get up off the bed. I stretch a bit. I walk to the bathroom and swing open the door. I look around for something I can use to clean my mouth out. I find a bottle on the counter close to the sink. It has a spray nozzle. I place it down. I look around some more. I find a bottle filled with a deep green liquid. I open it and smell. It smells similar to mint but more muted. I cautiously take a sip. I swish the liquid around in my mouth. I spit it out into the sink. My mouth tastes like I ate a strong mint. I walk out of the bathroom. I close the door behind me with my foot. I look and see Nikolai sitting on the bed still awake. Almost like he had been waiting for me to get out of the bathroom. He immediately looks at me. I sit down on the bed with him. 

“Alright, the bathroom should be good for you to use now” I tell him.

“Alright” He replies.

“Are you alright?” He asks in a concerned tone.

“Yeah. Just still a little shook up from earlier.”

“If you ever just want to talk. I’m here for you.” He reassures me. 

“The same goes for you.” I reply.

I scoot closer to him. I bring my arms out and hug him. I bury my face into his fur. He’s tense at first but wraps his arms tightly around me.

“This feels nice.” I tell him.

“Yeah.” He replies in a soft tone.

I feel his chest rise and fall against mine. We stay in the hug for a good 10 minutes. I feel comfortable with him. More so than last night. This time it feels more clear. Almost like this was actually destined for me. Or at least I hope it is. When he finally lets go of me. I feel cold. Both physically and emotionally. I don’t know what has changed between me and him over the past couple of days. I don’t know why I’m starting to feel like I’m more intertwined with Nikolai. It’s almost like despite how we met… Despite the fact he effectively took me away from everything that I knew. I don’t feel angry at him. I look at him again. I wonder what Salius meant by the program found me the most compatible. 

“Hey uhh Nikolai?” I say to him.

“Yes?” He replies.

“Salius told me something earlier. About some kind of a program or something.” I tell him.

His face instantly sinks. He didn’t want me to find out about it. He stutters for a bit before speaking.

“Uh… What program?” He asks.

“Apparently according to Salius. I was selected by a program that you ran to find a lover or something.” I tell him.

He lets out a sigh. 

“Yeah…. I did. I just wasn’t expecting you to find out about it so quickly.” He tells me while holding his head low.

“I was expecting you to even find out.” He says while still holding his head low.

“I’m sorry” He says in a defeated tone.

“I’m not mad at you…” I reply.

“But I thought you hated me for everything that I did… “ He replies.

“I don’t.” I say again.

“It’s in the past now…. And hell you’ve proven to me already that you’re guilty about what you did. Which shows that you have a caring…. Quite possibly a loving quality about you that most people don’t have anymore. It also shows that you’re empathetic towards me. Which is a good thing. Hell, I would say that it’s a great thing.” I reassure him.

He looks at me. He practically body slams me against the bed with a hug. The wind is knocked out of me when he does this. He looks down at me smiling. I smile back at him. My heart starts to race. I feel like something is happening. Not in a bad way. In a good way. He continues to hug me. I feel the sheer weight of him on me. I try to wiggle a bit. But due to his weight I can’t. I hear him take a breath. He opens his maw to say something.

“I-I Think I… Deep breath L-love you Cole.” He says nervously.

I don’t mind him saying that. After all… I’ve seemingly been one of a few people that’s actually listened to him instead of using the “You’re the emperor figure out your own problems” line of thinking on him. He continues to hold me close to him. I feel my heart continue to race. I think I feel the same for him. I don’t know if it’s Stockholm syndrome or something like that…. But weirdly enough I’ve found myself falling for him. I’ve found myself falling for his goofy personality mixed with his supportive yet almost heroic actions. I debate in my head for a bit on if I should rush into a relationship with him.
“Should I?” I ask myself.

“No you shouldn’t” A part of me says.

“Why?” I ask.

“Because then you’re letting him win.” I say to myself.

Another part of me chimes in. 

“But he’s a good guy. Isn’t this what you wanted?” He asks the cynical side of me.

“Yes… But he feels too nice” He quickly replies.

“Yeah… I know.” He replies.

“But he’s damn near perfect for us” He says.

“F**k it… I think we should.” He agrees.

He keeps me squeezed tightly against him. I finally open my mouth to speak. 

“I love you too” I reply in a shaky voice.

I feel him pull me tighter against him. I can tell that by saying that it made him feel better. I can tell that he’s happy. I’m happy that he’s happy. He lets go of me slightly. 

“You do?” He asks in a soft tone while slightly smiling.

“Yes. Nikolai I actually do love you.” I reply while smiling.

He smiles at me. He pulls me back into him. I love every moment of this. When he lets go of me again I look at him. His face is one of worry. I can tell something’s on his mind. 

“What’s wrong?” I ask him.

“We can’t let Druis know about this. If he learns about me much less you being…. Interested in men. He may try to overthrow my power. Normally I would have control over stuff like that however due to my coronation being delayed by what feels like years at this point I don’t. Technically speaking I’m still considered a rising heir to the throne while the remains of my mother’s council still handle most of her duties.” He tells me.

“Wait? You’re not emperor yet?” I ask him.

“Yes. Unfortunately.” He replies.

“May I ask why?” I ask.

“Well… It’s a very very long story. Firstly my mother was the first empress in damn near 2 millenia. Which means that she had a lot of challenges as soon as she became emperor. Be that from groups that believe a position as high as that should be only handled by men. Or groups that believe that our royal family failed the entirety of Ailorian society. She never had it easy really. She was viewed as inferior to my grandfather who was perhaps the most… Militaristic of all of the emperors within the past 5 millenia. The reason why she wasn’t as militaristic as him was because she saw the amount of issues that had caused. Hell in fact some of the policies he enacted were so drastic that we nearly were knocked down to an Ambassador species. Had it not been some of the members of his cabinet we would’ve likely been knocked down. One of the only reasons she became emperor was because her brother was killed during a speech. Which means that due to him being heirless. She was chosen to become empress following her father’s death.” He tells me.

“What does that have to do with you?” I ask him.

“My mother had a rather abrupt death. In fact she died less than 5 orbits ago. Which left the throne up for contention. Because much like her I had an older sibling that was assassinated. Which again left the throne to me. Despite my father still being alive at the time. Which sadly almost immediately after she died. He followed suit. Which pretty much left her cabinet to pick up the pieces and help me take the throne as emperor..” He continues to explain.

“Wow.” I say shocked.

“What?” He asks in a somewhat bewildered tone.

“I’m sorry for your loss… Or should I say "loses”.” I say in a somewhat saddened voice.

“Don’t be sorry. They lived a good life. And hell they raised me as well as they could.” He replies with a bit of pride in his voice.

“Well I can definitely tell they did” I reply with a smirk on my face.

 I pull him close to me to hug him. I try to wrap my arms around his massive torso. I can’t. Instead I just squeeze myself against him. He wraps his arms around me once he realizes what I’m doing. He looks at me and smiles. 

“I love you, Cole.” He says in a gentle voice.

“I love you too, Nikolai.” I reply.

“We should definitely go to sleep.” He says to me.

“Yeah we should.” I agree.

He gets up. He takes his shirt and pants off. I turn red. I didn’t expect him to be so…. Open. He lays down next to me.

“What’s wrong?” He asks me.

“Uh…Nothing…” I say while looking him up and down.

“Do humans not sleep like this?” He asks me.

“Some of us do… While others, at least in my opinion, are weird.” I say to him while still looking him up and down.

“Well… Feel free to get more comfortable if you want to.” He says in a romantic tone. 

I get up shortly after he says this. I completely strip down and lay back down next to him. He rolls over towards me. I feel the heat coming off of his body. My heart begins racing as I feel him move closer to me. His massive body practically dwarfing me. He pulls me into him. He gently nuzzles his snout into my hair. I squeeze his paw as I fall asleep. 

“It’s going as planned.” 

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“Your path… It’s going as planned.” 

“Was my path to fall in love with Nikolai?” I ask into the void.

“Yes. And also more”

“What do you mean by more?” I ask.

“We can’t reveal that. All we can say is that… Keep a eye on Druis.”

Suddenly the same bird from my prior encounter with them appears in front of me. It stands there. I look into its eyes. I see the sights of flames and destruction. Suddenly it lets out a blood curdling scream. I’m sent down to my knees writhing in pain. I hear echoes of laughing. Every time getting closer and closer. Then I see a twisted shadow of what looks to be my mother.

“You’re such a pathetic f****r” She says while laughing.

“You fell for a f*****g alien.” She says while still laughing. Each time she speaks she sounds more and more like a demon.

“This is why your father never loved you” She says as her voice becomes more and more corrupted.

Suddenly she disappears. I start to hear someone crying. It’s Nikolai.

“Cole…. You’ll be fine. We’ll go to the mountains…. I’ll take you to the hot springs….. I’ll take you back to earth…. We’ll be back on earth…. Together…..” He says while crying. I feel horrible as I see Nikolai crying over my body. I put my hand on his shoulder almost to say that I’m there. He doesn’t respond.

“Please Cole….. Don’t go….. We’re supposed to get married…. We’re supposed to be together…. We’re supposed to grow old together….” Nikolai continues to cry. 

Suddenly I’m shaken awake.

“Cole?” Nikolai asks in a nervous voice.

I shoot up and hug Nikolai’s neck. I cry as I do this.

“I won’t go anywhere Nikolai… I won’t leave you” I cry.

“I want to grow old with you… I don’t want to leave your side.” I continue to cry.

Nikolai picks me up gently and soothes me. He wipes my tears with one of his padded fingers. I start sniffling when he does this.

“What happened?” He asks.

“I had a dream… A very bad one” I tell him shakily.

“What was it?” He asks in a caring tone. 

“I saw you crying over my body” I tell him shakily. I try not to cry again. 

“Oh…. Well that won’t happen alright?” He reassures me.

“Alright” I say in a quiet tone.

We both hear a knocking at the door. 

“Who is it?” Nikolai asks.

“Me, Sir.” Salius says.

“Come in” Nikolai says while the door slides open.

“Did I interrupt something?” Salius says awkwardly.

“No?” Nikolai replies awkwardly.

“Then why are you two naked?” He asks.

“We just woke up” He replies quickly.

“Hold up… Are you two together or something?” Salius asks.

“Close the door.” Nikolai orders.

Salius closes the door. Nikolai sets me down on the bed. He sighs. 

“Yes, me and Cole are together.” Nikolai admits.

“Kinda figured as much. At least considering the fact I heard Cole sobbing from the hallway.” Salius replies.

“Please don’t let Druis know” Nikolai pleads.

“Come on Nikolai…. You know how I feel about Druis. He’s a complete joke to me” Salius says in a somewhat cocky tone.

“That’s what everyone says about him” Nikolai replies.

“Why do you still have him?” Salius asks.

“I haven’t found anyone who could feasibly replace him.” Nikolai replies in a somewhat tired tone.

“Come on… I can name at least 3 people who could” Salius says in a sarcastic tone.

“Yeah and I’m guessing one of those people is you?” Nikolai asks in a somewhat snippy voice.

“You’re not wrong.” Salius replies.

“Anyways. Why are you here?” Nikolai asks abruptly.

“I was just checking in on you.” Salius replies.

“Why?” Nikolai asks.

“Because you missed breakfast” Salius replies. 

“Ah.” Nikolai quickly replies.

“Well me and Cole… We’re enjoying each other’s company today.” Nikolai tells Salius.

“Alright. Well if things get steamy you can always ask if I want to join in” Salius jokingly says.

“Hehe… No” Nikolai replies with a thunderous voice.

“Your loss” Salius says while walking out the door. 

When Salius walks out of the door Nikolai quickly trails behind him and closes it. He walks back to the bed and sits down beside me. He lets out a sigh. I look at him. We lock eyes. I move closer to him and place my hand on his thigh. I stand up on my knees and move to sit on his lap facing him. When I do this he starts to blush slightly. I pull his head in for a kiss. I place my lips firmly against his maw. At first awkwardly tries to lock his lips with mine. But after a bit he figures out how to kiss me. As our lips smack together I can feel his dick get hard. He doesn’t realize this as we’re kissing. He starts to fall back onto the bed. I get dragged down with him. He places his arms around me to prevent us from breaking the kiss. I land on top of him. We continue to kiss for what feels like hours. He slides his paws up and down my body. Both of them eventually ending up firmly gripping my a*s cheeks. I pull my head up from the kiss. 

“I love you Nikolai” I say in a pleasured tone.

“Mmm I love you too Cole" He replies.

He holds me against him. I put my ear down to his chest and bury it in his thick brown fur. I listen to his heartbeat. Each beat deep and strong. I damn near fall asleep listening to his heartbeat. When he sees me nodding off he lightly shakes me. 

“Don’t fall asleep yet… I have something planned for you” He tells me.

I crane my head up when I hear that. 

“I mean it isn’t exactly a plan… But it’s an idea." He tells me.

“What’s your idea?”  I ask him.

“Can’t say. It’ll ruin the surprise” He says in a joking tone.

He gets up while still holding me. He walks both me and him into the bathroom and sets me down before getting in the shower. I follow him in.

Author's Note

First draft of chapter 2 of Ailurios