Destination Phoenix Nebula (Key-Tokki & Gatichan)

[Key-Tokki]

Nathaniel walked in silece, though it may have been uncomfortable if he had been anyone else, he himself was used to it so didn't mind it. Glancing over he saw the reflection of himself dully in the ice, he looked worn out, physically and mentally and he was. Staying stuck up in those ships his entire life, he never had gone through such rigerous impacts on his body, as well as his mind, the psychiatrist had put ripped down his walls basically and Nathaniel had allowed it, but now, that same person had put them back up. He groaned inwardly when he looked up at the huge wall he knew the other was going to want to climb, reaching down he picked up the small creature and held it to him reassuringly, it looked from him to the opening then back, smiling at it he allowed it to bury it's way into his jacket and poke it's head otu of the back of it's collar. Bracing himself he nodded as he began to climb, at first because he was very small and nimble climbing wasn't so bad, but he could physically feel the energy draining from him, with each new kick at the wall he found it harder and harder to keep going, looking up he saw there were only halfway there and let out a dredful sigh as he slowly began climbing again, determined not to haul the other back down. But before he knew it, he looked up to see Ethan's worried eyes looking down at him, noticing how far behind he was now. Nodding grimly, Nathaniel resumed climbing, "I'm alright," He murmured softly, frowning when he felt a drop of liquid hit his cheek, reaching up he touched it gingerly, and realized from the color that Ethan who was directly above him must still be bleeding from the leg. They needed to get out, quickly, but after another few moments he called out, "Hey, can we rest a bit?" Just as he did that his hand missed the grip and he plumetted a good five feet, causing the rope to tighten around him painfully, as well as Ethan when the psychiatrist took the full weight of the techie. It only took him a few moments to reattack himself to the wall, breathing quickly he clung to the wall desperatly afraid to move now, even in this light he could now see how unusually pale he looked, and he saw the creatures tail sticking out of the front of his jacket, it looked like a dark gray now.Letting out a slow breath, he follwed suit of Ethan in an antagonizingly slow pace, until they finally reached the top.

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[Gatichan]

Nathaniel looked anything but well, even when he called up to say that he was fine. But Ethan could feel the rope tightening more and more and knew that the techie was getting tired. And even before Nathaniel’s grip slipped and he fell, almost causing Ethan to let go of his ice pick and foot holdings when the sudden, harsh jerk came, the psychologist felt more blood begin to ooze down his pant leg. Even though Nathaniel had tied him up well – had he even thanked his techie for that? – the force of his kicks and the strain he was placing on his leg were taking their toll. Biting his teeth together tightly as the muscles of his body strained to the limit, Ethan gripped onto the ice wall with all his might, willing for Nathaniel to get a hold of the wall again. For tense seconds that ticked by too slowly to bear, Ethan waited, waited…and then finally he felt the dead weight dragging him down lessen and the rope became less tight once again. Breathing out in relief, he looked downward. “You okay down there? Nathaniel, you’re doing great. I know you’re tired, but we can’t stop for a break here- it’s too dangerous. If you get too tired, just give the rope a tug and we can stop for a few minutes, but we really must move on. The sooner we send a signal to the Praxiteles, the better for us.”

 

Waiting for a reply, Ethan turned back to the front and fixing his eyes on the ridge that seemed so endlessly far away, he continued the routine he had set up. Kick, swing, hold, kick, pull. Kick, swing, hold, kick, pull. Saying this in his head like a mantra, Ethan mobilized forces he didn’t even know he had and finally, finally, even though it felt as if an eternity had passed, Ethan’s hand reached out and grabbed a hold of the precipice. “Nathaniel, we’ve made it!” he called down tiredly to his lifeline buddy as he dragged himself off the ice wall and fell flat on his face, panting in exhaustion. The rope tightened again and Ethan began to slip backwards. Stemming his feet into the ice, he turned around. “Nathaniel, don’t move anymore- I’ll pull you up the rest of the way- hang on!” Ethan called down and then, even though his arm muscles were burning, he began to tow Nathaniel up the ice wall. His face was red from exertion, but then Nathaniel’s exhausted face appeared and the psychologist hauled him over the edge. Falling backwards, his chest heaving, Ethan turned squinted out the corner of his eye when his watch beeped. “Hey! Hey Nathaniel! I’ve finally got a signal to the Praxiteles!”

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[Key-Tokki]

Nathaniel didn't want to anymore, he wanted to just stop. For a moment he actually considered allowing himself to just stop, and let himself hang there. But he knwe he couldn't, if he did then Ethan would have to haul all that dead weightalong with him. None of what the other said earlier seemed to matter anymore, he knew he couldn't stay upset, he really felt close to him, it was in these moments that he realized how much Ethan really meant to them. Stopped for a moment he almost laughed as he felt the creatures tail brush across his cheek, but found that he couldn't muster the energy to do it. The moment he saw Ethan disappear over the top of the wall he allowed his eyes to close, leaning his head against the ice he knew he couldn't anymore. Trying to pull himself up one last time futily but simply slipping back into place, almost begining to cry in frustration, he was so close, but couldn't bring himself those last few steps. He could feel his weight pulling him down but no longer cared, however he felt himself going upwards, one yank at a time. Looking up through hooded eyes he watched, as the top became closer and closer and before he knew it he was up, laying on the ground next to Ethan. Both gasping in the snow, the creature climbed out of the techie's coat before it nuzzled up to his cheek, licking at it, the small thing seemed to be muhc more energetic, however Nathaniel could barely move. He ehard Ethan exclaim about the signal he was getting nad felt happy for him, but couldn't manage to voice it. He shakily climbed to his feet but stumbled slightly, and fell against Ethan, reaching up he held onto the psychiatrists coat to keep himself, murmuring into he spoke, "That's great, can you call them?...I want to go home," His voice was soft, it sounded like how a sleepy child might say goodnight to there parents. Before he knew it, he couldn't stand anymore, the creature was nuzzling to Nathaniels feet as the young techie collapsed against the psychiatrist, his eyes shutting and body going limp as he fell.

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[Gatichan]

Ethan caught Nathaniel easily. Even though he was worn out, the fact that he’d reached the top of the seemingly endless ice wall had revitalized him. “Oh Nathaniel, I told you not to push yourself,” he sighed, carefully guiding the technician down onto the ice. Removing his hat and gloves, he used them as a cushion for the techie’s head. The fur ball daintily hopped up sit on top of Nathaniel’s chest, but Ethan shooed it away impatiently. The furry thing hissed at him, swiping its paw that suddenly revealed short, yet sharp yellow claws. It only just missed the psychologist’s hand, but Ethan didn’t step back. “Get off, flea ball,” he snapped, standing up and swinging his foot, pretended to kick the animal. It jumped off, hissing and spitting loudly, but at least it left Nathaniel alone. Ethan shook his head at it as he knelt down and began to pull out their tent, but then he turned around to stare at the animal again. Had it changed color? Ethan could have sworn that it had been white when Nathaniel had found him.

 

Once the tent was up, Ethan dragged Nathaniel into the tent. No matter how much the furry being hissed, tried to claw at his legs and sneak in, Ethan remained adamant and kept the being well outside his tent. Zipping it up, he turned around to see that color was returning to Nathaniel’s cheeks. Relieved, the psychologist unscrewed a small container containing soul and pressing the red button on the side, warmed it up. By the time he’d removed his and Nathaniel’s thick jackets and shoes, the technician had come round again. “Here- drink this,” Ethan smiled, checking his wrist computer again. He sighed. “I’m afraid we can’t be summoned back onto the Praxiteles from here- we need to be closer to the surface. But we’ve been sent a map. I guess tomorrow, after we’ve had a good rest, we ought to reach the right height after two hours,” he tried to cheer the technician up. After he’d tended to his leg, which needed new bandages, Ethan slipped into his sleeping bag, dog tired. Waiting until Nathaniel had laid himself down as well and turned off the lights, Ethan chewed his bottom lip indecisively. Things still weren’t right between the two of them, but he felt he had to say it. “I…I’m not interested in Cheryl that way, you know,” he admitted quietly, hoping that Nathaniel was still awake. “I…I’m actually attracted to men.”

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[Key-Tokki]

Nathaniel shifted lightly where he lay, the first thing he noticed was that it was so comfortably warm. Slowly, opening his eyes the hazy top of the tent came into view, frowning in confusion he glanced around, he was in the tent, what was he doing here, wern't they just in an ice cave? They, wait, then he stopped and considered where exactly the other person in the they was. He couldn't keep the smile from his face, they were okay, and warm, and together inside of the this tent, they were alone, no one else was in the way, no annoying doctor, no annoying ex girlfriend, jsut them. For a moment he was saddened, not seeing the little fur ball, he assumed it had run away. His disappointment about his new pet quickly disappeared when he felt the wamr liquid pressed to his lips, he couldn't help but drink from it greedily, it tasted like the best thing he had ever had. He sat, holding the warm cup as he watched Ethan lay down, very glad that it was dark now so Ethan couldn't see the blush that spread over his cheeks as the other mentioned that he was uninterested in females, he couldn't contain the warm feeling that spread through his cheeks. After a while of silence he spoke, "But Traci and you kissed, before we left, and you were not being discreet when you began to flirt with that girl, and you were talking to her, you didn't listen. You didn't listen t ome when I said there was cracking, because you were talking to her." He murmured softly, he jumped a bit when there was a scratching sound outside of the tent but it was just the bunny thing trying to get back in, it gave up and skittered back off. However, he was frightened and before he knew it, he had half shifted out of his own sleeping bag and was against Ethan, holding onto the psychiatrist tightly he pressed his face into the others shoulder."I might be like men too, "He murmured softly, shifting and clearing his throat, "I've never been kissed, never dated anyone, never done anything like that, so I don't know what I like or don't." What he spoke was true, he had never actually kissed anyone, well he had kissed Ethan that one time, but he had not been kissed back so did not count that. He was so warm, so comfortable right now, he couldn't keep a soft smile from his face, not feeling uncomfortable because he had been sleepign like this with Ethan lately anyway. As he laid there, he wondered what it would feel like to be kissed by a guy, by Ethan in particular, would it feel as good as everyone said?

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[Gatichan]

The sound of Ethan’s loudly beating heart was all that filled the tent, as far as he knew. But then again, maybe it was only his weak attempt at drowning out the screaming silence that filled the tent air between him, Nathaniel and his confession. Whatever in the world had driven him to say such a thing?? But it was true and…and Ethan wanted Nathaniel to know. And he hoped that it would mean something to the technician and that he would consider this knowledge the next time some muscle-packed Ryan the Guard dude came along to sweep Nathaniel off his feet again. When Nathaniel unexpectedly actually began to speak, Ethan jumped slightly inside his sleeping bag, his heartbeat erratically increasing, but then it gradually slowed down when he heard the techie’s question. He sighed. “Of course Tracy kissed me and I kissed her back. She was my first ever girlfriend. Being around her brings back old memories, you know- when we were carefree and studying at university together. I’d never considered liking men back then and when Tracy came along, it just felt right with her. She knows me well and anyway…I care about her a lot.

 

As for Cheryl- well…” Ethan pouted. “It was your fault- you were so busy admiring Ryan that I was jealous and that’s why I was trying to get back at you for having ignored me. I do find her attractive, too- maybe I’m bisexual?” he mused, scratching his chin, but then shrugged. “Women seem to like me, but the only relationship I can imagine at the moment is one with y- a man,” he hastily corrected himself, turning a little red, not wanting to give too much away. He was once again startled when Nathaniel suddenly turned around and hugged him tightly, quietly confessing that he believed he liked men, too. Hearing Nathaniel’s last whispered confession made Ethan’s body heat up. Was it possible that the technician didn’t realize the powerful meaning behind those innocent words? Or the fact that they made Ethan want to jealously hug Nathaniel to him and hide him away from the rest of the universe to be Nathaniel’s first. “Well,” he said quietly, slowly removing his arms from his sleeping bag to hug Nathaniel tenderly. Tilting the technician carefully onto his back, Ethan leaned over him, his eyes heavy-lidded. “I could easily help you cross the first part off your list,” he huskily added, lowering his eyes to Nathaniel’s lips and then his amber eyes. Craning his neck to nuzzle Nathaniel’s nose softly, Ethan tilted his head to the side, his eyes still wandering from the technician’s eyes to his inviting lips. “Nathan…” he whispered before his eyes fluttered close and his arms tightening around the younger man, Ethan lowered his own parted lips to Nathaniel’s to kiss him tenderly.

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[Key-Tokki]

Nathaniel felt himself freeze where he lay, listening to the other describe Traci. They had been lovers once then, and he said he cared about her a lot, did he love her, had they had sex? Just imaging it upset him, seubcontiousless, he tightened his grip on the other, wanting to keep him for himself. He almost spoke that he knew the psychiatrist pretty damn well himself, but kept his lips ceiled, simply closing his eyes and nuzzling his face closer to the other. If he was bisexual then that meant that Nathaniel could have a shot, did we want a shot, that would mean he really was gay, or bisexual at least, which was an idea that didn't really bother him. He looked up in confusion as he felt himself shifted, until he was securly in the others arms, looking up at that beautiful face that literally took his breath away. In that isntant he knew what he wanted, he wanted Ethan. Before he could react, he felt those soft lips press against his own, his eyes went wide and after a moment of shock, he melted. His body moved without his approval, slowly he reached up and braced his hands on the others chest, then trailing them up further, he cupped the covers face, his own cheeks were bright red as were his ears. His eyes slowly fluttered shut as he himself heated up the kiss, Ethan, he wanted Ethan to be his. However he had never kissed someone before so for a moment, was unsure of how to do it, and he had to break the kiss a moment to breathe, not having any clue how he was supposed to breathe in such a heated kiss. So leaning back he had to breathe quickly, his face was flushed with emberresment, his hai was toussled from laying on his, his lips were slightly pinkish and swollen a bit from the pressure and he hands had somehow curled into the others hair, looking up in confusion at what had just transpired.

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[Gatichan]

As he’d so often imagined, Nathaniel’s lip were softer than velvet. Even though they’d been forced to walk through the cold and had been hit continuously by the wind, Nathaniel’s lips weren’t rough or bristled. Ethan’s heartbeat picked up when the technician froze, for an instance believing that he’d completely misunderstood the atmosphere between them. But then Nathaniel slowly, cautiously, began to respond to his kiss, going so far as to reach up and wrap his arms lightly around Ethan’s neck. The psychologist sighed into the kiss, pressing his lips against Nathaniel’s with a little bit more force. Unhurriedly, wanting to give Nathaniel the opportunity of pulling back if he felt uncomfortable, Ethan gently pushed the technician’s lips back, parting them a little. One of his hands that had lain beneath Nathaniel moved up to run his fingers through latter’s white hair, where they lost themselves in them as Ethan’s tongue languidly to trace over the curving contours of the technician’s lips. The moment was so sweet, so heart-warming, but it broke as Nathaniel leaned back. His warm amber eyes looked up at Ethan, slightly overwhelmed as his fingers gripped onto the ends of the psychologist’s hair. Was it possible for someone to look so innocent, so virgin-like and at the same time so seductive? Yes, it was- Nathaniel was all that and more to Ethan. The psychologist shivered, burying his face against Nathaniel’s warm neck as his arms tightened possessively around the younger man. “Nathaniel…Nathan,” he corrected himself, his husky breath tickling the technician’s ear. “You know that I’d never force you into doing anything you wouldn’t like, right? But my feelings for you are threatening to overwhelm me. I just want to hold you and kiss you tonight…would that be okay? I promise I won’t go any further until you’re ready, but I…I want to be your special someone,” he admitted, his eyes wavering as they gazed into Nathaniel’s eyes with love. Leaning down again, Ethan placed a long, sweet, yet chaste kiss on the technician’s lips. “Don’t worry about breathing…let me breathe for you…”

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[Key-Tokki]

Nathaniel's head was spinning with confusion, he didn't know what to think, all he knew or recognized was a deep need for the others touch, for breathless clashing of lips, the need was sultry, and came from somewhere deep, almost primal within him. He looked up breathlessly at Ethan, his hair was toussled from the psychiatrists hands in his hair, his lips were now parted just slightly as he stared up at his Ethan, unwilling to release his soft grip on the others soft hair. When he felt Ethans head comfortably nuzzle into place on his neck, he closed his eyes and relaxed, it felt so comfortable, Ethans head fit in place perfectly against him, like it was meant to be there. He physically quivered as he felt the breathe in his ear, the way his name sounded rolling off of Ethans tongue rendered him helpless, he knew at that moment in time that he would do anything for the psychiatrist, he wanted to belong to the other, and to call him his own. He closed his eyes again, and tilted his head up into the kiss, his cheeks went brighter when a soft murmur of approval left his throat. There was an old movie he had watched, and he thought back to the scene in it that had made him rewatch it many times. The couple had fallen for eachother, and seemed to be entrapped with each other, he wanted to be the same with Ethan. So he gently pushed the psychiatrist back a bit, and slid out of his sleeping bad, his gaze kept low, to embressed to look the other in the eye. Before Ethan could question him, he leaned over and swung a leg over his tent-mates lap and sat up, so he was straddling the others waste. He couldn't bring himself to look Ethan in the eyes, afraid he would see disapproval there, reaching up he loosly rested his arms around the others neck and put his forehead to lean agaisnt the others, keepign his gaze on those soft, lips that he wanted to kiss so badly. "I want to be your special someone too, Ethan." He murmured out softly as he continued his confession, "I want you to want me by you, to need me with you, I want to be yours," He pressed his lips to the others before he finished, his face flushed in embressed, "Can I keep you?" Was the final line of the movie that he remembered, and he felt it fit the situation perfectly, he kept his eyes on Ethans lips for a moment longer before loosing his control and softly pressing his lips to the others.

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[Gatichan]

Ethan’s heart tuned into marathon mode when Nathaniel unexpectedly and boldly wrapped a leg around his hips, pressing the two of them closer together. Ethan, who earlier had wished the sleeping bag hadn’t been between them, was now happy that the barrier was there to prevent him from going too far. Nathaniel was still pretty knew to this and the last thing the psychologist wanted to do was to make him feel insecure or as if he were being taken advantage of. “Oh Nathaniel, of course you can keep me,” he breathed out passionately, crushing his lips against Nathaniel’s slightly swollen ones. What a sweet, innocent sentence that had been- exactly like his technician. “I’m yours, only yours. I don’t want or need anyone else.” Nathaniel replied more willingly with his lips, moving them against Ethan’s ones as the psychologist gently continued to probe with his tongue. The kisses remained chaste, but little by little, they were taking on a needier, a more desperate edge. Ethan wanted to kiss Nathaniel properly, but was unsure how the technician would react. Slipping his own hand out his sleeping bag, Ethan hooked his hand around Nathaniel’s leg around his waist and pressed him closer, groaning into latter’s mouth longingly. He couldn’t wait- he just had to, at least for a moment. Pushing his lips against Nathaniel’s, Ethan parted the technician’s lips further and, as slowly as he could, carefully slipped his tongue over Nathaniel’s bottom lip and into the technician’s mouth to touch his.

 

It was then that the blasted ball of fur threw itself against the tent with another hiss, startling the psychologist. Rolling Nathaniel over again and breaking the kiss before it could deepen further, Ethan sat up. Snatching his laser up, he aimed it in the direction of the small body that repeatedly kept trying to enter the tent, now going as far as to try and scratch its way inside. It kept hissing, becoming more and more desperate. Putting a finger to his lips, signaling that Nathaniel ought to keep quiet, Ethan wiggled out his sleeping bag, edging closer towards the tent flap. He was considering shooting the blasted thing when his sharp ears suddenly heard footsteps coming from outside the tent. His eyes widened and he turned back to Nathaniel, his mouth open. Before he could say anything, however, a voice spoke out to them, coming from a few meters in front of the tent flap. “Please come out. We can see you. There is no need for violence, so please put your weapon away. We would like to speak to you.” The voice sounded strange, mechanical even, as if whoever was outside was using a droid to translate for it. Heart in his throat, Ethan signaled for Nathaniel to remain where he was. His mind was threatening to overheat. Could it be that he was about to make contact with an alien race? Could he really trust them? What would they look like? Were he and Nathaniel in danger? Deciding to activate his camera function on his wristwatch, Ethan reached out for the tent flap with trembling fingers. He didn’t drop his gun, hoping that, should the alien voice have lied, he would be able to let off a warning shot at least. Unzipping the flap, he let out a yelp when that annoying fur ball jumped into him and then, still hissing, ran into Nathaniel’s arms, seeking comfort. Gulping audibly, Ethan poked his head out the tent and went outside.

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[Key-Tokki]

Nathaniel had no idea how to love someone, or what it was like to be loved, but he assumed this was somewhere close to it. Closer, he just wanted to be closer to Ethan, wanted to hold him close, wanted to hear Ethan murmur softly in his ear, he wanted it all. Did that make him selfish? For now, he didn't care, all he cared about was the moment. Pulled from his thoughts he shifted in confusion as he felt the others tongue slip into his mouth, he clung to the other, his face a mix of confusion as he felt Ethan prob around his mouth cautiously, he was being careful, treating Nathaniel like he was some kind of precious prize or a rare animal that might scare at the slightest noise. Though it was new for him, it was entracing, he wanted more, wanted to feel Ethan more, his tongue moved a bit towards the other, to try and reciprocate the provocative action, however before he could, a loud noise sounded, causing the white haired boy to practically jump out of his skin, wrapping his arms around Ethan reflexivly and holding to him tightly, then it hit, they were in the middle of a cave on a foreign planet, it was no time for merry making. Nathaniel shofted when he wass set down, panting softly as he caught his breathe from the kissing. His tousled hair hung in his face as he watched Ethan shakily unzip the tent. Once again he jumped as he felt the familar ball jump to him, once he recognized it he smiled wide, holding it to him tightly, as though it were a comfort. Holding the ball of fur to him as it nuzzled up against him, he crawled forward, making to stand but after a moment of light headed ness was forced to sit back down. Everything had just been so clear but now he was feeling foggy again, he assumed he just needed some rest after all that had jus transpired.

 

Nathaniel leaned forward and moved the tent flap to the side so he could peer out, but still remain inside. He saw a group of 8 hooded beings there hoods covering there faces. Each of them seemed huge, at least 7 feet tall,, his breathe left his as he gazed upon them. They were all focusing intently on Ethan, except for one in the back, who noticed him and reached up a hooded hand to wave as it spoke, this voice was softer than the other one that had spoke, "Hello there little white haired child." Nathaniel unsure of what to do, leaned back into the tent a bit, and chose to watch them, he did not want Ethan out there alone. The one in the front, the tallest, spoke next to Ethan "Welcome to our planet, though we must say, it seems that it does not get along with you very well. We have watched since you arrived, and it has been decided that we will help you with some advice. To get out of here, you will need to follow this tunnel, when you come to a large open body of water you will need to dive in, and swim up until you reach an opening, there you will be able to climb to saftey. Oh, and always rememeber,"Another of them started but as they did the creature in Nathaniels arms jumped out of the tent and ran at them, it's claws were out and it's tai lwas swishing, the figures screamed and jumped back, Nathaniel ran out from the tent, half ran half skidded past Ethan so try and scoop up the rabbit creature, however the moment he got close to one of the beings they raised a hand and made a slapping motion, though no contact was actually made with him, his world dimmed, and very slowly, as though he were being lowered by some invisible string he was laid back on the ground, the smallest of the beings spoke as the bunny like creature had once more dissapeared into the tent."He is fine, we could sense he seemed tired and ill so have put him to sleep, allow him, and yourself to rest for a few hours before you set out again. And remember this, sometimes not all is what it seems, some things should be left where they are found."As the figures finished they simultaniously turned to leave, the rabbit thing scampering out of the tent to once more jump onto Nathaniels chest and wrap its tail around itself, nuzzling up to the human. Nathaniel lay still, but his breathe was normal, and his face seemed more relaxed than it had in a very long time, making it clear that the actions of the beings was healing, not hurting.

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[Gatichan]

Ethan’s heart continued to beat wildly, even long after the hooded beings had left. They had been the very first aliens that the psychologist had ever seen, yet he still had no idea whatsoever they looked like because they had been hooded. As he went over the video that his watch computer had made, no matter how many times Ethan tried to zoom in on the faces that were shrouded in darkness, he attained no image. Still, as he turned his head to look at a still peacefully sleeping Nathaniel, Ethan knew that the beings had meant them no harm at all. Stupefied by the unexpected encounter, Ethan had remained there at the entrance of the tent, staring after the hooded figures as they’d shuffled away. It had only been when his wrist computer had asked him whether it ought to continue filming that he’d come to. Getting up to run to Nathaniel, Ethan once again got into a fight with the stupid furry ball, which had simply refused to leave Nathaniel’s chest. This time Ethan had attained a nice long gasp from it on his left finger, but in the end he’d won the tug of war and now Nathaniel was curled up once again inside his sleeping bag, sound asleep. Conferring with what the hooded beings had told him and comparing this to the plans he had received from the Praxiteles, Ethan saw that the aliens seemed to have offered both him and Nathaniel a shorter way up to the surface. Yawning and deciding to worry about this when he next woke up, Ethan crawled back into his sleeping bag. Shuffling over to Nathaniel so that he was lying right beside the technician, Ethan closed his eyes and was soon fast asleep.

 

When he next woke up, Ethan felt strengthened and revitalized. Even though his watch told him that he hadn’t sleep for that many hours, to Ethan it seemed as if he’d been in a coma for months and had resurfaced from it fully restored. Even his leg, which he’d hurt the day before, didn’t hurt at all anymore. Opening his rucksack to pull out the remaining coco, he gently shook Nathaniel awake. When the technician’s eyes fluttered sweetly open, Ethan smiled at him, leaning over to kiss him tenderly. “Morning, Nathan. Here- drink this. We’re going to have to go for a swim today, I’m afraid,” Ethan warned, standing up and beginning to pack up the things they wouldn’t need. Returning the folded up tent to his backpack, Ethan glowered at the stupid fur ball when it immediately hopped back into Nathaniel’s arms with a contented, arrogant purr. Once Nathaniel had finished his breakfast, Ethan pulled him up and gently ran a hand through latter’s hair. “Those beings we met yesterday showed me a way out of these caves. Here,” he said, passing Ethan a second oxygen mask. “As soon as we find that hole filled with water, slip this on. And swim as fast as you can up to the surface. If you get tired, turn around to look at me, okay? Show me when you’re tired- I mean it,” he insisted as he and Nathaniel began to make their way down the corridor. As predicted, the tunnel grew smaller and then, when they had reached the end, all they found was a small lake of water. It was obvious, however, that the expanse of water continued just beyond the ice walls. Nodding for Nathaniel to slip over his gas mask, Ethan waded into the water. Signaling that Nathaniel should go first, Ethan took one last look around the icy cave. He seriously hoped that he was correct in believing the hooded beings instead of following the instructions from the Praxiteles. Turning around when Nathaniel’s head disappeared beneath the water and his lamp went on, Ethan dived under and followed him.

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[Key-Tokki]

Nathaniel let out a soft groan as he felt himself being shooken away, his eyes fluttering open as he let out a low yawn. However any grumpiness that may have been lingering on him vanished when he felt those familar lips pressed to his own, he kissed back softly before raising a hand to rub the sleep from his eyes, a soft smile resting comfortably on his face instead of the usual impassive pure of his lips. He felt good, really good, he wasn't cold, wasn't tired or worn out, it would be nice, he thought, if he could wake up every morning to a kiss from Ethan, very nice. He was almost in a dreamy gaze as he sipped from the mug, holding it with both his hands watching watching Ethan bustle around. Climbing to his feet he helped the other clean up a bit, though his arms were holding the fur ball most of the time so he was not all that much help. He also snuck a piece of his food to the little thing, which it devoured with surprisingly sharp teeth. As they walked he thought about how he would explain his lack of swimming ability to the psychiatrist but figured he would face that when they came to it, though they managed to come to it very quickly. For the second half of the walk he had shifted so the animal was in one arm, and had it's claws dug into his jacket to hold itself in place so he could use his other free hand to hold onto Ethans. He allowed the other to secure his mask and began to waddle into the icy cold water, for a moment he was worried about the fur ball that he had decided to name Momo, but when he saw it leap into the water and swim around he assumed it could swim. Looking back he gave Ethan a worried nod before he dove under, immediately he began sinking due to his lack of swimming ability and for a moment he began t panic, inhaling the oxygen from the mask rapidly, however the fur ball swam up under him, and he grabbed ahold of it, watching as it began to lead him forward he sighed with relief. A few times he had to look around, seeing that they had been swimming for a while Ethan looked a bit tired, but Nathaniel was holding onto Momo so really hadn't swam at all. He was about to stop and try and pull Ethan along with him, but above him, he saw a light, and swam towards it, well more of was drug towards it, the small creature emerged first, popping out of the water with a squeak as he dragged the small boy onto another hunk of ice, he fell back onto the ice, out of breathe as he ripped the mask off. Then he noticed that few a few yeards in front of him, was the opening to what looked like a cave, they had emerged in the mouth of a cave. Reaching down, he took hold of Ethans hand and hauled him from the water as well, pulling the mask off the other he took the psychiatrists face in his hands and rolled it around, so he could make sure that he was alright. Closing his eyes in releif he put his forehead to Ethans and whispered, "We made it" His head titled slightly, as he went to press his lips to Ethans but Momo quickly jumped into Nathaniels lap and nuzzled up against him, causing him to laugh softly as he nuzzle it to himself.

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[Gatichan]

Swimming upwards into an unsure future had brought old demons back to Ethan. There in the near pitch-blackness, old, well-known panic symptoms had revisited the psychologist and the fear had resurfaced again that he had been tricked by the hooded figures into believing that this was the shortest way. Breathing became harder, his extremities began to shake and he became convinced that his vision became blurry as is heart rate picked up. Again, the water on this planet seemed to be much denser than the water on earth and it cost Ethan a lot of energy to move upwards. The only thing that helped was the fact that the stupid fur ball had been good for something: it had encouraged Nathaniel to grab a hold of him and had basically swum and dragged his technician all the way up, something for which Ethan was very grateful. Only gradually did Ethan see the faint light coming from above and it was with a marked difference in time that he eventually resurfaced, being helped along the last meter by Nathaniel, who pulled him out the water. Closing his eyes and enjoying Nathaniel’s fingers on his face, Ethan pouted slightly as he sensed that the technician was going to kiss him, yet that stupid fur ball came in between again an all the good points he had risen in Ethan’s eyes vanished at once. “Yeah, we made it. Thank heavens,” he agreed, glaring at the fur thing, which only hissed at him again.

 

Hauling himself properly out the water, Ethan pulled Nathaniel onto his feet again. Wondering who on earth Momo was supposed to be, he trudged to the opening of the cave and gazed out onto a white, freezing landscape that now seemed anything but charming and mystical as it had to him before. Holding up his wristwatch, Ethan let out a relieved sigh as he pulled Nathaniel closer. “I have a signal. The Praxiteles has picked up on us. At the moment they’re locking down on us and will beam us up,” he told Nathaniel, running a careful hand through the technician’s white hair. He smiled at the younger man, about to say something, but just then a blue light shot down from the sky, cutting through the white mist and swirling snowflakes onto him and Nathaniel. One instant they were standing shivering at the entrance of the cave, in the next they were back inside the Praxiteles, standing inside the teleportation station. The Captain, Second in Command, Bradley and Cheryl were already there, waiting for them, as was Ryan. “Ethan!” the two doctors and Captain called while Ryan let out a yelp and racing forward, engulfed Nathaniel in a tight, bear hug, sniffling emotionally. Cheryl threw her arms around Ethan and hugged him tightly, trying to kiss him, but the psychologist turned his face away, wrapping his other arm around Bradley. “Boy, am I glad to see you guys,” he smiled, his teeth clattering together from the cold. Just then, Cheryl let out a scream. “What is that!?”

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[Key-Tokki]

Nathaniel tilted his head slightly as he felt the familar hand brush through his hair, Momo watched Ethan and let out another hiss as it's fur went on end before nuzzling up close to his neck. The moment they were on the ship, Nathaniels lips were wabbly as he once more adjusted back to the anti-gravity that he was so used to. Everything happened in a blur, one moment he was beside Ethan and the next he was being lifted up and swung around in a chest crushing bear hug from Ryan, the man looked like he almost was about to cry, despite how much he liked the other, he still tensed up when he felt the contact. The man only released his death grip when he head a very loud hissing at him, looking down in confusion Ryan looked directly at the hissing and clearly unhappy furball. Nathaniel gripped the shaking ball of fur tighter to his chest as he heard cheryl scream, rolling his eyes are her girly action. "It's momo." He spoke, spoftly while the creature wrapped it's tail around his wrist and nuzzles up to him. "He is really warmed and cuddly, though he doesn't like Ethjan." He joked as Ryan reached out to pet it, but it only swatted at him with it's paw. "I think it only likes you, kid." He replied while taking the red scarf ad wrapping it back around Nathaiels neck. "My wife said you would come back, and to keep this warm for you when you did." He smiled that fatherly smile that Nathaniel felt like he hadn't seen in forever and accepted it with a smile. However one of the scinetists stepped forward and spoke, "So, it is an alien? Then we must examine it" He exclaimed, very excited as he reached out for the ball of fur, to which Momo only hissed and Nathaniel took a few notible steps back before looking over to Ethan for some help. "No it's mine. You don't need to examine it." He murmured out, tightening his grip on the hissing ball of fur in his arms, he looked like a child that didn't want to share his toy, but in this case the toy very much didn't want to be shared.

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[Gatichan]

Ethan was too busy letting the Captain fill him up in the adventures the rest of the crew had had on KELT-1 to pay much attention to Nathaniel just then. “After the two of you disappeared. mind you, in your case against my orders,” the Captain felt the need to remind the psychologist, who only offered a tight smile,” the rest of us decided to return back to the place where we’d camped. As it turned out, once the mist had cleared, it seemed that we’d set up camp on the edge of the lake and hadn’t even noticed it ourselves. It was impossible for us to make a way around the lake because the mountain was too steep and a terrible blizzard came up. We decided to send a message to the Praxiteles to pick us up. Life on that damn cold planet isn’t possible for us- at least not without extreme changes.”

 

Right then the hissing sound returned and Ethan let out an annoyed sigh. “Man, Nathaniel! Can’t you keep that fluffy rodent quiet?” he complained, shaking his head when he realized that Ryan also didn’t seem to have left behind a good impression. Seeing his technician’s pleading look, he turned to the others, letting Cheryl take his hand. “That was one of the creatures that we came across. After we’d resurfaced out of the lake, we found ourselves inside a maze of ice tunnels. It was there that we came across that flea ball.” The flea ball Nathaniel had baptized Momo hissed and clawed in Ethan’s direction. “F*** you too,” the psychologist returned, making Cheryl, Ryan and the Captain grin. “I think it’s the same creature that we encountered on your trek down the mountain. I’m pretty sure that if Nathaniel let you scan him, the Praxiteles would be able to find more of those beings hopping around the mountain. If anything, they could be used as food or as some annoying house pet,” he predicted. “Wouldn’t you say so too, Nathaniel?”

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[Key-Tokki]

Nathaniel held the squirming animal even tighter it went to hiss at Ethan. He lightly tapped it's nose in repremand, however all of the joyous feeling he had about being rescued was gone the moment he saw Ethan allow Sheryl to hold his hand. That is my hand, you said you wanted to be my special person, why are you letting her hold your hand. His mind whispered as he held the small creature tighter, it licked his cheek as comfort before returning it's gaze to Ethan and clawing in his direction. He found it rather comical that the animal seemed to be in sync with him so well. He almost squacked when he he heard that the animal could be used for food. "Ethan!" He yelled out, holding the animal tighter to him, as it once again let out a loud hiss at the psychiatrist. Glancing down at it though, he noticed that instead of white it was a dull gray color, he frowned in confusion before letting out a low yawn. He felt a hand on his shoulder and before he knew it, was being led down to the scientific research bay, where he allowed Momo to be scanned, to which it was none to happy about. Within 6 hours there were 200 of the furballs on the ship, they had been designated as moral boosters, to Nathaniels relief, instead of food. Though they had made much ground on the trip, Nathaniel had watched as Traci ran in and wrapped her arms around Ethan a few minutes after all the commotion of his arrival. Right after he saw that he had been taken down to the Research bay, so currently couldn't stomach seeing the other without risking getting upset at him. So he spent the day reorginizing his room, and getting the medical check up finished, then that night, made his way back to the observation deck, where he saw with the fluff ball in his lap, a steaming mug of coco, and a lemon bar that he had only taken a bite of, and momo was nibbling on the remainder of it. As he picked the cup up, he sat and back looking out at the vast starry sky. How things had changed so much in so little time. Ever since he met Ethan his life had been turned upside down and he still couldn't tell if it was for the better. Despite all that the went through in the caves, his pessimistic mind had once more convenced him that there was no way he would end up with the psychiatrist who was handsome, intellegent and could get any girl. While the only thing he really had going for him was a niave innocence that he figured most would find cute, not attractive. But that was fine, he had decided that he didn't need anyone anyway. Momo shuffled around in his lap before readjusting itself.

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[Gatichan]

Ethan watched from the bridge as Momo was scanned and then scientists began to debate whether it would serve for anything good. He guessed, now that he’d put a some distance between him and the spitting, hissing ball of fur, that his comment about using Momo and his kind as food could have been a tad exaggerated. But really, it had greatly annoyed the psychologist how overprotective the blasted flea ball had been towards his technician. Unfortunately, however, the little furry creatures, whom the scientists were fighting over which long scientific name they thought would fit it best, had only turned up having very little fat and the analysis taken from a probe had shown that its flesh would have been brackish. So in the end, Ethan saw with distaste as he made his way back towards his office to write the long report he had promised the Captain about his and Nathaniel’s adventures in the ice caves below, a large amount of horrible furry balls had been beamed onto the Praxiteles, which had continued its journey towards Phoenix Nebula.

 

Inside his office again, Ethan asked his computer to tell him how many patients he would be seeing the following day. His mood plummeted even further when he saw that he was over-booked and would only have about a half hour lunch break. Wondering why his mood was so bleak, Ethan found his eyes straying towards the window that allowed him the view of deep space on the right. It streaked by in a streak of endless stars, but all that Ethan could see after a while were Nathaniel’s eyes. The technician had disappeared after Momo had been scanned and even though Ethan had hung around the sick bay, waiting for Nathaniel to come appear after Ethan had undergone his medical examination, the technician had remained absent. Had something once again happened to distance him from Ethan? Try as he might, the psychologist couldn’t think of anything he’d done wrong. Frowning slightly as he tried to concentrate on the report he was supposed to hand in, Ethan gave up after another hour- it was basically pointless. Standing up and hitting off the lights, Ethan stepped out of his office. He meant to head towards his cabin, but as two children ran past, giggling as they cuddled baby versions of Momo, the psychologist suddenly felt a pull towards the observation deck. Making a short detour to fetch himself something to drink, Ethan smiled faintly to himself and the drink he had selected: it was warm coco, just like Nathaniel liked it. Taking a sip as he entered the deck, Ethan’s heart made a small jump when he saw that Nathaniel was actually also there. Lowering his cup, Ethan walked closer. “Mind if I joined you?”

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[Key-Tokki]

Nathanuek jumped slightly when he heard a voice behind him, but he didn't even need to turn around to know who it was and despite the fact taht he had resigned that he would not be with Ethan, it still made a smile cross his lips. He shifted slightly and glanced over his shoulder to look up at Ethan before nodding slowly. He lifted Momo from his lap so that he could shift over, and laughed when the determined little furball simply jumped back into it's place after a few seconds. The small rabbit like creature was a medium gray now, while Nathaniel was looking a bit green. He didn't feel ill, he just felt a bit worn out. Even though he had made sure to take it easy, somehow he still felt rather tired and the longer he sat there, petting Momo the more tired he seemed to become. He shifted a bit more and took a sip of his drink while Ethan sat down, all was quiet for a few moments, as a tired Ethan just stared out into open space. It was beautiful, and mystical and seemed to set the mood rather nicely. "It's been a long day, "He murmured softly as he leaned back and without any reguard to what he was doing, leaned over slightly so he could rest hsi head lightly on Ethans shoulder. The small ball of fur in his lap hissing its detest for it's owners proximity with something else. Possesivly it wrapped it's tail around Nathaniels wrist before sticking it's nose under Nathaniels shirt and wiggling it's way into it, so it looked like the techi had a shaking under his shirt. He let out a soft laugh before reaching up to pull it back out. "Hey now, behave." He murmured while reaching up to pet the small thing. He felt so warm, he had coco, the fur ball, and was leaning against Ethan, who seemed to be emiting a special kind of warmth. "Hey Ethan.." Nathaniel began to speak however found his eyes rather heavy, his body moved before his mind comprehended what he was doing, and before he knew it, he had reached over and taken hold of Ethans left hand with his right and held it loosly. Allowing his eyes to drift shut, he nodded off before giving Ethan the option of being his pillow.

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[Gatichan]

Ethan stared out into the diamond-splattered void of space, trying to keep his animosity in check. That pathetic little fur ball was still spitting and hissing odiously and it was all Ethan could do to not chuck his cup of steaming coco into its ugly face. He really wanted to, but Nathaniel would probably throw a tantrum and he would be right: the psychologist couldn’t really understand why he hated the furry creature so much. Yes, he was obviously jealous about it, but at the same time, there was something inside him that kept him from reaching over and trying to befriend the being. Since Ethan had usually got along well with smaller creatures on Planet Earth, this astounded him, but all the same, there was something about that creature that just felt wrong. Like for example how it continued to change its color the whole time- what was that all about? When Nathaniel leaned his head against the Ethan’s shoulder and took his hand, Ethan wanted to say something about perhaps he and Nathaniel heading to his cabin to spend some time alone, but then realized, not without some hurt, that the technician had fallen asleep. Blinking in irritation, Ethan glared at the self-satisfied purring of the rabbit-like creature. And then his mouth dropped open when the gray color changed further to become light black. Something akin to icy fingers wandered down Ethan’s spine and he jerked up, holding only onto Nathaniel’s head to prevent it from hitting the bench back. When the rabbit glanced at him this time, Ethan was overcome by a strong sense anticlimax. Raising his leg, he kicked out at the animal. It shrieked and jumped back, but arched its back in a most menacing way. Without wasting a minute, Ethan swept Nathaniel up into his arms and pretending to want to kick the animal away again, he jogged out of the observation deck, aiming for his cabin. Laying Nathaniel down on his own bed, Ethan hastily slapped the doors to his cabin shut when he saw the rabbit, now once again pale gray, speeding towards him at a ridiculous pace. Shivering slightly when he heard the animal hurl itself with all its weight at his closed door, Ethan shook his head. Something was seriously sinister about that flea ball.

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[Key-Tokki]

The small rabbit like creature chose to back up a bit, and once again throw itself at the door, and it continued for two more times before it realized that it would do no good. So in a very angry huff, circled around in a small circle before settling itself down just outside the door so it could await when it's master came out. It's tail flicked out in annoyance, it really hated that brown haired human that kept getting in the way. The smaller the children the quicker they were dropped, already a 6 year old that had not let go of there pet since they got it had past away. The small animals seemingly only liked children, or very kind females or males, one of the scientists that was studying one of them assumed they had a sixth sense for innocence. The small 6 year old that had dieds hair had gone shock white, while his animals hair had gone a very deep black. No one suspected yet that perhaps it was the animals doing, it was assumed that the child had died from shock to his body, assuming the lengthy articifial gravity and such had been to much for such a young body and the body had just given out. However within two hours of the first childs death, two more children had fallen into a coma, and only seemed to be getting worse, there two pets had not left there side, even as the children laid in coma the animals just sat on there small chests. It seemed that the small children were all begining to get ill, and were dropping like flies into a coma's, and even the older ones, seemed to be having a hard time funtioning daily. The rabbit like creatures were attracted to innocent souls, naive, virgin, optomistic type of individuals, the higher the innocence the quicker they seemed to be dropped. The many rabbits could be seen now, all of them different shades of gray as they hopped on, blissfully as the humans remained ignorant around them.

 

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.-. Sorry was so short

[Gatichan]

Ethan had expected Nathaniel to wake up after he’d laid him down onto his bed, but when he didn’t, the psychologist took a closer look. It was then that he realized with alarm that the technician seemed rather greenish-blue around the face. Pressing a hand to the technician’s neck, he felt for a pulse and found one, but only after a good while. Worried, Ethan tried to contact Bradley, yet to his extreme consternation, he found the doctor’s line busy. Estranged and agitated, Ethan changed frequencies and speed-dialed Cheryl. After the fifth ring, she answered. “Ethan, I’m sorry, we’ve got a situation here,” she replied, her voice breathless and confused. “I’m sorry to bother you, but I think that something’s wrong with Nathaniel,” the psychologist insisted, wanting to be heard. “He’s a little green around the gills and he’s fallen into a light sleep, but his breathing is…off.” Suddenly Cheryl’s voice sounded extremely loud in his ear. “What was that? Did you just say he’s having sleep apnea?” Ethan hastily scanned his brain for the equivalence in normal, non-medical language and nodded. “Yes. He’s breathing, but it’s becoming irregular- how did you know?” “Ethan, stay right where you are,” Cheryl commanded and in the background Ethan could hear her shouting for paramedics to immediately go to Ethan’s cabin to fetch the young technician. “I’m sorry to tell you this, Ethan, but those symptoms don’t spell anything good. We’ve just had a number of children dropping off into sleep and dying. At the moment, we have no idea what is causing this, but I’m afraid that Nathaniel might be…the next one,” she admitted as a loud knocking came from the door and the two paramedics entered to take Nathaniel away.

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[Key-Tokki]

AS they entered the small ball flung through the door way, and jumped up onto the small boys bed. Where it nuzzled up against him as the white haired boy was rushed off. A tall doctor walked into the room with his clip board in hand and took Ethan by the shoulder, lightly pushing him onto the edge of the bed. "Alright Sir, I need you to sit down and relax. We are going to take very good care of your friend. However will need you to answer a few questions." Reaching up he adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat before he continued, "There is a mass outbreak onboard of the ship, it seems a large number of children have dropped into a coma, as well as three adults, "He stopped and motioned for the other to keep quiet before bringing his phone to his ear to which all he said was a curt, 'Are you sure?' And 'I'll inform him'. After he hung up the phone he once again cleared his throat before continuing, "It seems now, four adults have also fallen into the same sleep coma, including your friend, two children have already died. We have to know what caused this, or there will be no way to stop it. Do you know if he has been exposed to anything unusual recently. Any kind of food or drink maybe, or anything like that?" He adjusted the clip board in his hands before scribbling a new notes down, waiting for Ethan to recollect anything that he could. "Also, only children, and emotionally pure adults seem to be under attack from whatever germ or epidemic this is, that being said do you think you would be at risk?" He added, his pen ready to jot down any notes. Up in the medical bay, Nathaniel had been rolled into a room with the other 3 adults, the doctor checked his pulse and sighed with relief when it was still there. However when she went to give him an injection of protein, the small furball laying on his scratched at her, causing her to jump with a start. Before she could try again, one of the small furballs that was laying on someone else, jumped down and began skittering around the room, trying to get out, it was pitch black. Not four seconds after that, the heart monitor went off for the man whom the fur ball had belonged to, it was a loud single beep, signally the mans heart had stopped and he had died. Frightened the doctor ran out of the door to find help, the small fur ball jumping up beside the other one that was resting on Nathaniel and nuzzled it's way in as well.

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[Gatichan]

Ethan wanted to slap the stupid fur ball away again, but the paramedics had bundled Nathaniel out the room in an opening and closing of the eye. When he tried to rush out after them, a doctor held him back, mumbling something about needing to ask Ethan some questions. Running a hand through his hair, Ethan tried to concentrate, but it became almost impossible when he heard that a fourth adult had fallen victim to the same strange symptoms that Nathaniel had shown and had died. Passing a hand over his face, trying to calm his breathing when the doctor looked at him, Ethan began to count off the things that came to mind. “Well, the only strange thing that Nathaniel’s come into touch with has been the climate back on KELT-1. But if it were something from that planet, then only the crew members who went down, including me, ought to be suffering from that. As far as I know, he came into contact with the water of that planet which, as it turned out, was really denser than the one on Planet Earth. Perhaps he accidentally drank some of it, but otherwise, I couldn’t imagine what he’d done differently from usual.” He pursed his lips at the second question. Pure and innocent? Yes, that described Nathaniel in a nutshell, while he, Ethan, wanted to taint that white innocence. He blushed, shaking his head. “No, I don’t think that describes me- I’m pretty sure Nathaniel and I shared everything together in the past couple of critical hours and I haven’t displayed any of his symptoms yet. Perhaps I’m immune?” he wondered.

 

The doctor didn’t look too pleased with this lack of information and stood up, preparing to leave, when he saw the sudden way the psychologist’s eyes widened. “What? What is it?” he demanded, opening his notebook again. Ethan pursed his lips, unsure. “Well, Nathaniel and I’ve eaten and drunken the same things, done the same things, slept in the same place. The only difference between us was that stupid fur ball: while we were exploring KELT-1, Nathaniel adopted one and hasn’t let it go since. And I did notice that Nathaniel’s fur ball kept changing color and that…” His eyes widened further as he stood up. “…I think Nathaniel began to already get rather drowsy on the planet when that thing showed up the first time. Maybe it’s that fur ball that’s doing all this!” The doctor snorted. “A tiny being such as that? Highly unlikely,” he scoffed, wondering why he’d even bothered listening to Cheryl and having wasted his time to come down to talk to this charlatan. But Ethan nodded his head adamantly. “Let me guess: all those who fell victim to these strange symptoms had one of those stupid pets, didn’t they?” he pushed. The doctor was about to tell him that this assumption was completely far-fetched, but when he realized that Ethan was actually right, he active his phone again. “Cheryl? Get all those fur balls out of the medical rooms. … Just do it…now!”

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[Key-Tokki]

The medical ward was a mess, each one of the little furballs were teleported back to the planet where they had come from, however as soon as they left, the patients began to wake up. Those who had been exposed longer however took a few days to recover, Nathaniel himself was the last to wake up due to the fact that he had had the most exposure, so it took him four days to open his eyes. Once he did though, he regretted it. He was the one that had brought the aliens on the ship, and had convienced everyone that they were good, and people had died because of it, people had died because of him. He was not in trouble for murdering anyone, all the higher ups knew that it was just a mistake made by a little boy, a little boy that had no buisness being on a dangerous mission anyway. The puff balls were gone and even though it had basically almost killed him, he wanted to hold it right now. It had been warm and fluffy and just over all very comforting,and now he felt alone and like yet again a killer. Ethan had been kept busy with grief counciling, on purpose, so he wouldn't interfer again when the higher ups were deciding what to do with Nathaniel. But all they had decided was that the next time there was a planet exploration, Nathaniel would not be permitted to go, as it was put to him, he was more of a 'hinderance than help.' It took another two days for him to be realised from the medical ward, to which it was actually night time and the first place he wanted to go was to Ethans cabin, where he knew the other would be. Thoughts rushed through his head, what if Ethan blamed him too and didn't want to see it? Had Ethan tried to come see him when he was asleep and just been refused? The thoughts ceased when he stood outside the others door, and then he knew that it didn't matter, he just wanted, no, needed to see his psychologist. He hadn't even removed his medical gown yet, his hair was tousled from having been sleeping on it, and his eyes were red from having been crying recently. Reguardless of how he looked, he let out a low breathe, reached up and knocked on the door to Ethans cabin and called out softly, "Ethan? I know it is late, i'm sorry but they finally released me and I didn't want to go to my cabin by myself so, can I come in?" He shifted where he stood, only then did he realize that he didn't even remember to put shoes on, sighing at himself as he realized he really was a mess without the other.

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Kk I was thinking since you wanted to be kidnapped, the next expidition that you get sent on is when you get kidnapped, since NAthaniel isn't aloud on it. Then he decides after you have been kidnapped to go down and rescue you. Does that work? o-o