In Search of Home

Chapter 57

Viktor and Vok'Rul left not long after that, and after a short goodbye with Pedro, they were on their way back to the mansion. As soon as they got into the limo, Vok'Rul insisted on cuddling him instead of letting him sit on the floor like usual. Viktor put up a show of being annoyed, but he could admit that it soothed some of the betrayal he still felt about Vok'Rul leaving him with Blacksmith. 

As much as he enjoyed Pedro's company, he sincerely hoped that he wouldn't need to go back to his place. Blacksmith made him uncomfortable. Very uncomfortable. 

Unfortunately, it was probably unlikely. Despite Viktor between his arms and limiting his movement significantly, Vok'Rul didn't let that stop him from looking up stuff on his phone. Viktor tried to follow along but without even realizing that they were looking at electronics until ten minutes of staring at the hologram, he decided that he probably wouldn't have much luck. But from the look of things, Vok'Rul's interest in whatever device they were building hadn't diminished because of Blacksmith's actions.

They made it to the mansion without any disasters happening - Viktor didn't like to think about car crashes, but when he was unsecured in a moving vehicle, he couldn't help but think of the worst - and Vok'Rul carried him all the way back to their wing. Some staff members trailed behind him, intent on removing his jewelry. They must have been waiting around for a while because they seemed to converge on the alien the moment he placed Viktor on the stairwell and told him to stay with a fervent eagerness that made the human a little wary. 

Still, they were staff members that would have surely been vetted thoroughly by both Rukka and Vok'Rul, so he tried not to worry. 

It was a little easier than it had been the day before. And while Viktor knew that he had other issues to work through, he did not want to deal with this separation anxiety anymore. It was nauseating. 

The next morning, he woke up with a plan in mind and determination to go through with it. Vok'Rul woke him up as he normally did, with a yawn and a pat on the head. Instead of immediately getting up and following him to the office, though, Viktor stayed in the bedroom, fiercely resolved to be separate from the alien for a few minutes. He had been away from him for hours; he could do ten minutes. 

He managed to count all the way to eight minutes before he started overthinking about the silence coming from the rest of the wing. 

The rest of the day was spent following the same pattern. He tried his best to stay away from Vok'Rul, which was a little hard considering they lived together, but he gave it his all. The alien didn't need to do any political dealings today, so he stayed primarily in his office, tapping his fingers against his desk while he studied the papers. 

Viktor had the brilliant idea of going to visit Thruul while the alien was working. It was hard leaving the alien at first, but if he wasn't safe in his office, where else would he be? As soon as he got down the stairs, it was easier to walk across the mansion. Thruul had given him a cut of meat (raw, unfortunately. Viktor buried it in the first plant he saw), and Viktor had made his way back to the office without any other issue. 

He cheerfully waved at the guards scattered around the mansion. They all just looked blankly at him in return. 

As the week ended, Vok'Rul had to go to yet another event. Viktor, who had been spending longer and longer stretches of time away from him, grit his teeth against the small panic threatening to swell into a much larger issue than it was. Thankfully, it seemed like Vok'Rul wasn't going to drop him off at Blacksmith's again, though he was watching him warily, likely for any signs of another panic-induced tantrum. 

But Viktor simply stood stiffly on the stairwell, watching other aliens line his body with silver jewelry. Whenever Vok'Rul glanced at him, he would smile, lips closed in a half grimace. It wasn't until the aliens left the room and Vok'Rul started moving that Viktor was off the stairs and by Vok'Rul's side in the blink of an eye.