Chapter 8
~Tracey~
I could see the look in his eyes. Fear. I didn’t expect them to attack, but something told me that this was just a warning shot. I looked up at Jives, who seemed to be struggling. I came over, embracing him.
“Are you okay?” I asked him.
“Yes. I am fine,” he muttered.
I could see the truth in his eyes. He wasn’t fine. We needed to get out of here.
“Quit playing the tough guy. I know something is wrong,” I said to him.
He looked at me with an expression that screamed he wanted to argue with me on this, but he knew he couldn’t win. He knew that I was the one calling the shots here, and he just had to work with it.
“Don’t play the hero, Jives. I know you want to argue, but we should go back,” I told him.
“What about the place here?”
“We can deal with that later. For now, let’s go back to my studio,” I told him.
He tried to put up a fight. He could be such a stubborn bastard at times. But I lugged one of his arms over my shoulder, holding it there as I started to move out of the area. The trek was long, and I already knew that we’d have to talk about our future at this point. We got to the ship, and when we stood there, I turned to him with a look.
“Are you willing to drive?” I asked.
“I can.”
We got in, and I punched in the coordinates so that he didn’t try to pull a fast one. We got to the studio, and when we stepped inside, he looked at me, and I sighed.
“I know what you’re thinking. You want to go after him,” I stated.
“I do. I want to make that bastard pay,” he said.
“Don’t be stupid, Jives. You’re rushing into this far too fast, and I’m not going to let you get hurt. You and I both know that a plan of attack needs to be implemented. Your father is an asshole, yes, but it’s also important that you don’t work in the wrong direction. You need to think about this,” I told him.
“I know, but I’m worried about everyone. About the fate that we’re about to share. About you,” he said.
“Don’t worry about me. I need you to plan the attack, and I think it’s smart if we take our time here. You need to strategize,” I told him.
He was thinking about just marching in there still. I had to stop this.
“I know you don’t want this Jives. But think about it. if you attacked now, could you really win? You’re hurt, and you’re acting on feelings that you can’t control. I know that this isn’t easy for any of us, but I’m going to tell you right now, let’s focus on our plan of attack, and work to stop this war,” I told him.
He looked at me, and could see I was serious about this. It was then when he pulled me into his arms, and I squeaked. I didn’t expect him to suddenly show affection. But I liked the feeling, and I did the same. Both of us embraced one another for what seemed to be hours, but it was probably just a few more minutes. When he finally pulled back, he looked at me with a smile.
“Thank you. For everything,” he told me.
“What did I do?” I asked him.
“You saved me. You stepped in when the time was right, and I’m happy about that,” he replied.
I blushed. In a sense, I didn’t expect him to be like this. I mean, he seemed grateful for all that I did for him, and in truth, I was happy about that.
“I’m glad that you’re happy. I wanted to help you. I just always kind of feel like I never can. Because I’m a human, and you probably look down on me,” I said. I did wonder this.
Then, he turned to me, pressing his lips to my own, holding me there. The two of us let our lips move and our tongues dance with one another. It was a sudden, thrilling feeling, but I felt like all the issues that I had were gone in a flash. He pulled back, grinning at me.
“You worry too much, you know that?” he said.
“What do you mean?”
“What I mean is, I’m not going to leave you. Sure, I had a warped idea of what humans were like for a long time, but after meeting you, after being with you, after seeing how passionate you are about everything, and how everything seems to be right when I’m around you, I know for a fact that you’re the one that I want. I’m not going to leave, and I want to support you, just as you have supported me,” he said to me with a serious glance.
I blushed. “Thank you,” I said.
“You’re welcome. Honestly, I want to plan our next attack, but I don’t want to do it right away. Maybe the two of us should take some time to relax, since we probably need it,” he said to me.
I blushed, feeling slightly nervous about all of this. I knew for a fact that we both did have our own personal desires that seemed to press forward. But, as time started to pass, as everything began to change, I felt a bit happier, more whole, and much better about this.
“Yeah, let’s relax,” I said.
We sat down on the bench, looking at one another. I was a strangely intimate moment, and that’s when I felt his hand grasp my own.
“When this is over, I… I want you to work for me. I don’t want to rush into marriage or any of that crap, but I know that you’re the one I desire, and because of that, I want to see where this will lead, and where we’ll end up,” he said to me.
I shivered. I knew that this was definitely not going to be easy for either of us. There were a lot of things that we both knew, a lot that we definitely needed to figure out for ourselves. I didn’t want to rush into that either, but the idea of being with him did sit well with me.
“I’m glad we’re both on the same page, then. I was worried that we might end up how my best friend did. I don’t want to rush into marriage, into love, and into any of that. I want to be with you. I do love you a lot, Jives, I just… I want to get rid of the problems that we have, and I think it’s also important to stop this war and work on planetary relations first,” I told him.
He looked at me, seeing the determination in my eyes. “You know, I don’t give you enough credit. You’re smart, and you certainly know what you want. I admire the hell out of that, you know?” he said.
I flushed, feeling excited about everything that was going on. “Thank you,” I replied.
There was a bit of an awkward silence, and then, I felt him move closer to me. The two of us hugged, but I could tell that something was on his mind. When we parted, he looked at me with a blush, and I began to shiver.
“Say, there is something that I kind of want to try. If that’s okay with you,” he said.
I looked at him, a bit embarrassed by what he might ask me.
“What is it?”
He then stood up, looking at me with a serious expression. “I want you to paint me. The real me,” he said.
I looked at him, a bit unsure of what he wanted. I mean, why? I did paint him once before, the night he showed me his secret and it was embedded into my brain. I looked a bit nervous, but then he started to blush.
“It’s because… I want you to paint the real me. The monster underneath, but the monster that isn’t horrible. I am struggling to come to terms with that side of me. I’ve never shown it to anyone but you and Remi’s father when he found me, but now… I want you to showcase it. I want to become more comfortable with who I am, who I’ve become, and the person that I want to be,” he said.
That was a bit of a big request, but I decided to do it. “Sure. I’ll do it.”
After a moment or so he stood up, and soon he started to shiver. He then changed into the form that I knew of, his body becoming purple and veiny. He had the tentacles as well, and I began to also notice he was naked too. He probably thought that he looked like a total monster, but in truth, I actually loved this look to him. I loved the way that he stared at me, the way that he seemed to feel confident, when I knew that even he was struggling to be the best person in his own skin. I flushed as I looked at him, and that’s when I did it.
I moved towards my easel, painting the naked form there. Most people would’ve been turned off by this, like they were disgusted by the raw nature of this man, but I was aroused by it, completely turned on by this man, and whatever it was that he did. I liked the idea of painting him, in his full vulnerability. Of course, my eyes were looking at something else, but I liked that he trusted me enough to do something like this.
After a moment or so, he then turned to me. I was working hard on the picture. I didn’t want this to be the end. He then moved closer once I finished up, pulling me from behind. I was surprised by this, but the feeling of his soft, loving hands there and the way his breath was against my neck, made me feel both calm, and utterly happy.
“Thank you, Tracey.”
“For what?” I asked. I mean, I would’ve painted the guy anyway. But then, he nuzzled me hard.
“For being the person that I can show my true self to. I’m always the alpha, working hard to provide for everyone. But the fact that you’re right here, seeing this side of me, and you’re not ashamed… I love it. The truth is, I’ve fallen for you, and I’m doing what I need to do not only because I care about you a whole lot, but because I want to have a future with you. I want to be with you, regardless of whatever the hell happens next,” he said to me.
I blushed, realizing that he was right. We had to make the most of this. I didn’t want to lose him. But of course, I did feel the same way. I looked at him, sitting up and blushing.
“I feel the same way. I love you, too. I never thought I’d really fall for someone again, especially an alien. But I’ve seen your true colors, and I’m not scared. I’ve seen what you can become, and instead of running in abject fear, I want to embrace it, to be near it. To love it,” I told him.
He then moved closer to me, his naked form against my own. The tentacles were still there, and I felt his hands move up, one of them pushing the hair out of my face. I looked straight at him, and for a moment, it felt as if time had stopped. We looked at one another in a serious manner, but not before I spoke.
“I want to do something with you. Before you fight him. I want you once more,” I said.
“That’s the intent. I want to be with you as well. And, I want to go in there alone. I’m going to win, and I’ll make sure that you’re taken care of,” he told me.
Both of us looked at one another, blushing madly. We then drew in closer, both of us feeling the tension start to fade away. With all that was going on, we knew that this could be our final chance if we weren’t careful. But I believed that we’d make it through this. That we’d have the moment we’ve been waiting for, and we’d be happy together.
We just needed to stop this war, and he’d have to take out his father.
That was stressful to think about. Right now, the last thing I wanted to do was think about his father. Instead, I pressed my lips to his, kissing them passionately, and we stayed like this, letting our passions do away with the pain, and the desire for one another growing as well.