On our way home...

The demon kept noted how the touch seemed to help and started rubbing careful circles on Orion's back. "Not any place to play yet, but the school's hiring a choir teacher. I figured I could give it a go," he shared.

He sat a moment longer before standing. "You want something to eat? Grilled cheese, pasta and garlic?" he asked. He'd heard the rumble but didn't want to just call him out.

"Oh well that's a start then! It's dealing with music so that will be fun at least." Orion tried to brighten up but there was a grief that still clung to his heart, one that he hoped he could shrug off.

"Yes, that sounds great but no garlic. Apparently I'm allergic to it."

As much as Orion smiled though, the moment Mare left, it came crashing down on him again and he put his head into his hands and wept.

"I am, it's part of why I left Earth. Why I ran," he admitted.

"My parents confided in a friend of theirs about what I truly was. He was a hunter as well as a priest. He kept an eye on me growing up. Coached them on how to keep my powers and my hunger at bay. Then a few years ago, my mother and sister were killed on a hunt. My father killed himself shortly after. The guilt of losing them and not being able to stop it got to him. I...." He paused, trying hard not to let it feel like the room was closing in on him.

He was failing.

Each breath was uneven as the years that had been welling finally began to fall.

"I called pastor Jim for help, when Dad was gone too but.... He blamed me. Said I killed them. He was so sure I'd snapped. From then on I had hunters on my ass day and night. I got tired of hiding. Of running.... I'm sorry, Orion. That I never told you the truth. You deserved that much. I just didn't want you to be afraid of me too. Though....maybe you should be."

@thisisourstar

He pulled Landon in again for another warm embrace. He couldn't say anything just yet. There was too much in his head to think about. All he wanted was just to keep the one person who had kept him going safe and well. Gently he ran his fingers down Landon's back, drawing little circles in hopes of comforting him with this touch.

"You've told me now. It couldn't have been easy for you to tell me this because, it is a lot and the memories associated are just full of pain. Me, I mean, you heard about my story when we first met because I was so terrified. I was already used to being considered crazy so, I figured in our situation I couldn't be seen as any worse than that, especially when my body was trying so hard for me to be a casualty..."

Orion laughed gently before pulling back just a little to caress Landon's cheek. He gazed into his eyes as he said, "I stand by what I said, Landon. I love you. You don't have to go through this alone. Just please, don't try to battle everything by yourself. You are not alone and I promise, my love for you will remain until I am no more."

"Whatever your brain is telling you, you are loved. Look at your students. I doubt any of the the other teachers are as appreciated as you are. Those kids light up when they see you, they actually want to he in your classes," he said, placing a hand on Orion's back.

Mare was a song writer. He wove words into music, used them to express so much…but he wasn't good at expressing himself in conversation. He had a tendency to put his foot in his mouth and was wary expressing his emotions.

But Orion seemed to need him to be as blunt as he could be.

"And I care. You've done so much to help me. Given me a home, a friend, a place where…I finally want to maybe plant my roots. You're someone…someone who deserves the world," he said finally.

Orion listened quietly and just gave a soft nod of his head. A sliver of a smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he said, "Yeah but of course they like me. I'm an art teacher. My homework consists of fun stuff that involves drawing, painting, crafting... so of course they like me. I don't teach maths or science, not anymore."

The touch did a lot for Orion's fears and he found immediate comfort in it, so much so that he unconsciously leaned towards Mare as though just needing the reassurance that this was all real.

Tears welled in dark hues as he swallowed thickly. "Yeah....yeah it means I kill them. I try not to, but I get so hungry....and once I reach a certain level of starvation, I don't really have a choice. I try not to really let myself get to that point though, because then it's all instinct and no logic. There would be no discrimination so..... I try to go after those deserving of death," he muttered, reaching up to let his fingers tilt Orion's face toward him. He searched the blonde's gaze for a moment before he leaned in, pressing his lips to his tenderly.

When he drew back, he rested his forehead against Orion's, though his fingers moved to tug his silver cross out from under his shirt.

"I was raised by hunters. They kept me in line with things like this. Taught me to still be good. Taught me that I have a choice."

The kiss warmed Orion's heart and he tried not to smile when their lips touched. It was sweet though, and wonderful beyond what Orion could have hoped for and he knew that he wanted this. As Landon pulled back, Orion stole another kiss, deciding to be greedy for just a moment longer. Touching heads after was so perfect for this moment and his heart swelled with love for Landon with every passing second.

"That's good. And you do care. You don't just go after beings indiscriminately. You care. You always have. Remember how you were with me when we first met? I had wanted to be strong for you but I fell apart. You held me together."

Orion lifted his hand to gently caress Landon's cheek. "You don't have to be in this alone. I don't want you to starve yourself. No one should starve themselves."

One thought did trouble him though and it was one that shook him more than the thought of his beloved ridding the galaxy of beings most heinous. He pulled away from Landon just a little as his anxieties began to fill his mind with all sorts of things. He ran his fingers through Landon's hair before pulling him into a hug.

"Come on Orion, breathe. Fucking breathe!" He growled, forcing more energy to course through his veins.

"I didn't get to answer your question about magic, and if you live, I'll show it to you. I'll show you magic and all manner of things, but you have to be here for it! You have to be here to get us out of this or I'm as good as dead too!"

He wasn't angry. No. He was worried. Desperate.

It took a bit for Orion to come around. The memory of what had destroyed his galaxy and should have claimed his life had sent Orion into a void that he almost couldn't escape from. What he clung to was the sound of Landon's voice as it echoed in the fog like a lighthouse, drawing him closer and closer to safety until at last he opened his eyes.

"I'm sorry," Orion mumbled as he continued to lay down. "I, I don't know how long I was out but I hope I didn't cause you anymore stress. Nothing like becoming a casualty."

He slowly sat up and went to his bag. After rummaging around in it he found two bottles of fruit-flavored water. He offered one to Landon. "When we get out of this, let me treat you to dinner or something. I, I don't think I can, or should, talk about what happened to me. It'll just sound crazy. I have energy now, somehow."

The man with the futuristic outfit introduced himself as a teacher. He seemed earnest and sincere. Much like someone else she knew, he seemed to wear his emotions openly. As far the other man in the dark outfit, who introduced himself as a "Keeper of Books", odd was the word that came to mind. Using archaic language to describe what she reasoned to be a librarian or an archivist position was unnecessary. His language use was imprecise as well - while both jobs focused on books, they were different.

At the mention of thanking her for saving the planet, Eva's gaze sharpens. "You're mistaken."

Earth isn't saved from the Astrophage. Not yet.

In her mind, the title of Earth's saviors belong to the ones doing the work - the scientists pushing the boundaries of technology and innovation to eke out one more day for humanity's survival. The biologists working to ensure crops are hardy so that humanity doesn't starve. The engineers building and preparing for humanity's survival in the coming ice age. Those on the Hail Mary heading to Tau Ceti to find a more permanent solution.

But now that Eva knows they're not there to arrest her, that raises another question. If they're not there to arrest her, or to ask for any sort of political favor, then they're here for another reason - perhaps something personal? Regardless of her speculation, it didn't change the fact that they were looking for her, specifically.

Granted, it's not like she's entirely unreachable nowadays, but she did try to keep a low profile. As much as she could for a public figure under fire. To find her now in the midst of everything going on… the timing is a bit too convenient.

"Historians," said Gamma, who seemed to have kept his voice where Orion had shrunk back. "Why else would a teacher and a Keeper be here? We keep track of events like this, document it so we can store it in the galactic archive so that should another crisis like this occur on, challenged worlds, we can pass on the life saving information to them without damaging their development."

"That's one way to put it," Orion muttered before giving a nervous laugh. "Look, Ms. Stratt, we aren't politicians. We aren't the law. We're not even delegates. We were asked to come to Earth to check on how it was doing with its pest problem. We are here to also document things like when the problem was detected, how long it took to start finding a solution, all of those fun little things. And perhaps a dozen of other entirely unrelated questions that my students wrote down and made sure I would ask."

"He's not lying," said Gamma as he pulled out a notebook. "There's at least five pages worth of questions like, 'do giraffes really own toy stores and if not why not'." Gamma smiled at Eva. "I am a Keeper of Books which means that for my own society we keep records of events. While most are in digital formats, we keep a closer connection with physical books. So I might have been also asked if I could purchase a book or two."

"I'm good with digital art you know, but something like this? I couldn't even imagine. I wouldn't know where to start, and yes, you heard me right. You're a handsome bloke. I don't see any reason not to be honest about it."

This guy seemed sincere and honest. And it wasn't as though the other planet exactly had a far reach and could somehow drag Gamma back there again. It wasn't like they could do much and it wasn't as though Gamma was a criminal according to the law of any other respectable planet.

"I, I just can't, I'm sorry," said Gamma hurriedly as his eyes welled with sudden grief. "You, you don't know me or my past and while I want to believe I'm safe, I just can't believe it. Me being here, being alive here talking to you, shouldn't happen. I'm supposed to be dead, or dying. I, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"You're a great man, Orion. Kind to your core...." He sighed.

"I'm quite literally a monster. My kind are called many things. Demons, Nightmares.... Most notably I'm called an incubus," he explained, swallowing thickly. "I'm....I try to be kind, Orion, I do, very hard.....but to survive, I have to feed on people's souls through a rather intimate nature. So.....it's not always easy. I can promise I won't ever do that to you. I..... I care about you. Deeply, and so I can promise your safety. Though I understand if you change your mind about me after this conversation."

"What monsters are we then, who love the very animals we also kill to survive on?" Orion said after a moment. "I'm assuming that when you say that you feed on peoples' souls it means to kill them, right? At least that's the way it is in stories."

He ran his thumb over the back of Landon's hand before bringing his hand to his lips where he pressed a tender kiss to it. "It's, ah, complicated feelings at the moment, because I love you, Landon. Nothing, I swear nothing is going to make me not love you because... you bring so much joy to my life. What you've said to me couldn't have been easy, so thank you for trusting this with me. I am here for you, Landon. I, after this, after learning all of this, I actually feel very protective and scared for you. Like, I don't want anything bad to happen to you."

Orion put his head against Landon's shoulder and nuzzled against him, just needing to be close to him. "You're not a monster to me, but if you can only see yourself as a monster right now, remember that monsters deserve love too. And I love you."