In Search of Home

Chapter 60

Waiting a month - well, less than a month, now - was torturous. First of all, he had no idea how long this planet's month was. Earth's was simple: a month was as long as the Moon's orbit. Viktor was no scientist, but he was pretty sure a moon that flew across the sky a couple of times a night probably wasn't a good thing to measure time with. 

Viktor decided to count the days, instead. 

It was surprisingly difficult to keep track of them. He often forgot to keep track of them, too busy trying to find something to entertain himself. Nikolas had been the designated timekeeper back in the arena for a reason. 

The day after they had gone to the park, Nohkka was taken home by Rukka and Kac (who actually spoke to him, this time). Unfortunately, with Nohkka's departure, Viktor's entertainment also left. He may not have liked her rambunctious nature at first, which was sometimes still a bit overwhelming, but Nohkka wasn't afraid of looking like an idiot when playing with all the toys Viktor had scattered around. It certainly bolstered his own enthusiasm for using them. 

He had actually managed to teach her how to play catch before she left. After tossing the color-changing ball back and forth a couple of times, they had managed to rope Vok'Rul into playing, as well. 

(Viktor may or may not have just kept throwing the ball at his head, forcing the alien to catch it or get smacked right in the face until he relented.)

Now, though, he was sprawled out hopelessly on the floor, waiting impatiently for the month to crawl by. There were only a couple of days left, but it was easier said than done. At least, Vok'Rul wasn't acting all weird anymore, which meant that his days were simply filled with normalcy. 

Vok'Rul, as usual, was sighing and growling over the papers. He looked particularly frustrated today, however. His mouth was twisted into half a snarl, teeth slightly visible. It didn't make Viktor feel on edge, though, like it would have maybe a month ago. He was just concerned about his friend. 

"Hey," he called, looking at the upside-down alien. The Rubik's sphere lay uselessly on his chest. He had fucked around with it enough to make various X's scattered along it in different colors. "We should do something. To pass the time. It doesn't look like you're having any fun, either," he wheedled, eyes beseeching. 

Of course, the alien did nothing other than glance up at him briefly. Ugh, he was a tough nut to crack, sometimes. 

Vok'Rul's phone decided it was a good time to go off and Viktor groaned, slapping his hands over his ears.

"Can this be classified as abuse?" Viktor complained after Vok'Rul answered it. He pulled his fingers out of his ears, but he could still hear them ringing. Sheesh. 

"What abuse?" Pedro's scratchy voice from the phone called. Viktor froze in excitement before leaping into action, nearly taking Vok'Rul down with the force he used to clamber onto the alien to see his friend. 

"Pedro!" he cheered, grinning widely. It had been weeks since he had seen him last! "Oh fuck, you look like shit." 

Pedro snorted. In between the waving lines of the holographic image (Viktor was convinced that Vok'Rul just had a shitty phone considering Rukka's was much clearer), Viktor could see that his hair was mussed as if he had fallen asleep wherever he possibly could. His clothes were rumpled, tiredly drooping off the man's body. His eyes were the complete opposite of the man's tired appearance. They were lit with excitement, unable to conceal Pedro's happiness. 

"I could say the same to you, kid. The bags under your eyes are huge. Not sleeping well?" 

Viktor waved him off with a dismissive grunt. He opened his mouth to ask him what was going on but was rudely interrupted when Vok'Rul clapped his hands over the human's jaws, muffling his words. Vok'Rul spoke eagerly to Blacksmith, both of who were ignoring Pedro's hysterical giggling and Viktor's irritated but muffled cursing.