Author's Note: (Sorry in advance for the long note)

Well, good news and bad news. The bad news is that, despite my best efforts, I have contracted COVID-19. Therefore, I will be spending the next two weeks quarantined at home. Thus far, I am feeling ill, but not unbearably so.

The good news is that, as long as my symptoms do not worsen, I now basically have two weeks of unlimited time in which to write. I am officially switching back from my NaNo project to continue working on this one, because, frankly, it's been a cruddy month, and this fic and this fandom bring me joy.

I hope this update finds you all well, and know that you all mean so much to me! I have not updated my tumblr recently, but have plans to do so, soon. Follow me at Swarthy-Warthog on tumblr.

Y'all are wonderful and beautiful and fabulous and loved. Please take care of yourselves out there.

ZzZzZzZ

"Bucky?"

Bucky jumped up from his slumped position against the sky blue bench. He was sitting in the lobby of the Z-Patrol Station in Downtown Seabrook. He had apparently dozed off, and his neck ached as he abruptly straightened up in his seat. Looking up, he saw a tired but bemused Qamar gazing down at him. He was still in his human clothes, though the dark blue t-shirt was ripped in a few places, and covered in stains from the grass and mud he had rolled around in the night before. And of course, he was still barefoot.

"Oh! Uh. Hey, Qamar." Bucky said, inwardly cursing his traitorous face as his cheeks burned. Bucky was partially relieved to see that Qamar seemed unharmed after his session guarding Charon, and partially humiliated that Qamar had caught him drooling on a bench.

The plan had been to show up and act as though he were simply there by coincidence, maybe by saying he was visiting his Uncle Dale or something. That way, Bucky could assuage his weirdly obsessive concern for the snow-haired alien without looking like a complete stalker. Unfortunately for him, he was exhausted from the overnight dramatics, and had apparently dozed off. His neck was throbbing slightly.

How long had he been sleeping on this stupid bench?

"What time is it?" Bucky asked, glancing around the clean, quiet lobby for a clock.

"It's a little after eleven in the morning. Mayar just came to take over guard duty for me, but she said you were out here, sleeping. Why are you here?"

So much for going with the "I was just visiting my uncle" plan. He was caught red-handed.

Bucky sighed.

"Okay, the thing is, I'm sure that you can handle yourself just fine." Bucky said, raising a hand as if to accentuate his point. "But this Charon guy is a real creep, and I just... I was worried, okay? I thought someone else should be here with you."

Qamar's eyebrows rose up, nearly disappearing in the disheveled locks of hair that had fallen from the bun atop his head.

"You came here, to the Z-Patrol station, and slept on a bench in the lobby, because you were worried about me?"

Bucky felt his shoulders tense. He couldn't think of a single way to come out of this looking even remotely smooth or cool. For one of the first times in his life, Bucky felt incredibly self-concious. He didn't like it.

"Ah... Yeah." Bucky replied, almost sighing the words in defeat as he nervously ran a hand through his hair. He was scrambling for a way to get out of this conversation with his dignity at least partially intact, when Qamar's face broke into a wide grin.

"That was... Really kind of you Bucky. Thanks." Qamar said, sounding sincerely appreciative.

Bucky felt his shoulders slump slightly in relief.

"But seriously," Qamar continued. "You didn't need to be worried. I am more than capable of handling Charon."

Bucky wasn't sure about that. He wasn't sure any of them were, by themselves. It had taken four of them last night to subdue the guy, plus Bucky's added kick to the head. But in any case, Qamar was safe now, and he felt pathetically relieved to see that the guy was alright.

"Well," Bucky said, steering the conversation resolutely away from Charon. "Since I'm here, do you need a ride back the forest?"

For a second, Qamar looked absolutely lost.

"A ride?" He said, tilting his head inquisitively to one side. Then, he seemed to understand, and he grinned again. "Oh, you mean in a car? I've never been in a car." His expression shifted from confusion to an almost child-like excitement. It was...well, adorable.

"Well, then," Bucky said enthusiastically. "Your chariot awaits." He gestured towards the wide glass doors that lead outside with a flourish of his arm and a slight bow.

Qamar actually laughed at this, but then looked slightly concerned. "Are you sure? I wouldn't want to inconvenience you."

Right, like driving a cute guy around was in any way inconvenient. Bucky thought to himself.

"No inconvenience at all," Bucky said. "It's practically on the way home, anyway."

It wasn't.

Bucky didn't know what was wrong with him, these past few weeks. Since when did Bucky Buchanan go out of his way to take care of anyone besides himself? Or occasionally his cousin, Addison. Was this what being a good person was like? Or was this something else entirely?

"Well," Qamar said. "Then yes, that would be great. I was going to take the tunnels back, but that would take a while. Plus, I'd like to see more of the Above during the daylight."

Bucky took the lead as they both walked together to the large glass doors that led outside. Sunlight streamed into the lobby, and Qamar squinted as they stepped into the daylight. Bucky recalled that the Lunites now had moonstone necklaces to keep them from getting sick in the daytime. In fact, he could see the leather cord of a necklace peeking out from his companion's torn shirt. But, he supposed, it must still seem impossibly bright in the sunny town of Seabrook. Especially after a lifetime of living in darkness.

They stepped through the doors and out into the bright morning.

The air was crisp and cool, but not unbearably so. Bucky had run home to shower and change after leaving the hospital, and was comfortably dressed in tan slacks and a mint green shirt. He also his cheer varsity jacket on, modified to say "President" rather than "Captain" on the back.

As they approached Bucky's car, which was parked just outside the station, he heard Qamar snort with laughter.

"Seriously?" Qamar chuckled, looking from Bucky to the vehicle and back again.

Bucky's car was, technically speaking, school property. It hadn't been easy to convince Principal Lee that the school president needed his own vehicle, but he had of course managed it. After all, image was everything in Seabrook. It wouldn't do to have the president of Seabrook High driving around in some boring, average car.

The little electric car had four seats and was a hatchback, so that cheer and presidential supplies could be easily transported, as well as other students on the council if needed. The vehicle itself was completely covered in a flashy pink and green holographic wrap, with a mighty shrimp logo emblazoned on the hood. Both sides of the vehicle had a large photo of a beaming Bucky on them, brandishing his trademark jazz hands. "SEABROOK HIGH SCHOOL PRESIDENT" was written in neat script below the images of Bucky's smiling face.

"That's... Quite a vehicle." Qamar managed, looking as though he were trying desperately not to laugh.

"It's not much," Bucky countered, shaking his head with slight disappointment. "I tried to talk Principal Lee into getting a limo with a full time chauffer, but she said that it was a 'ridiculous waste of taxpayer dollars.'"

Bucky had scoffed at that. He didn't agree with the sentiment that his transportation was a waste of the public coffers. After all, the real president was driven around in a limo all of the time. And Bucky was pretty sure that they basically did the same amount of work.

To his side, Qamar was now doubled over and shaking with muffled laughter. Bucky had no idea what that was about, but decided to ignore the alien's strange behavior. He was new to Seabrook, after all. Maybe all of the new sights and sounds were a bit overwhelming.

Bucky pulled the key fob from his pocket, unlocking the car with a cheerful chirping sound. Hesitantly, Qamar stepped towards the passenger's side door, placing his hand along the handle. After a short moment of studying it, he figured out how to work the mechanism, and pulled the door open easily. Then, from behind him, Bucky heard a familiar voice that made his stomach clench into an uncomfortable knot.

"Bucky!" Lacey's incredulous voice resounded up the mostly empty sidewalk, and he could hear the padding of her sneakers against the concrete as she rushed to catch up with him.

This was not good.

He briefly considered running into the car and speeding away, but he knew it was already too late to avoid her. She could seem a little air-headed at times, but Lacey had a keen sense of awareness, and would know if he blatantly ignored her. She would also know that he was giving someone of another species a ride in his car, a decidedly un-Bucky thing to do.

As Bucky turned to face her, he could feel his winning smile snapping rigidly into place. But inside, he was terrified. Just last night, he had promised himself that he was going to be a better person. That he wouldn't leave behind the same legacy of prejudice that his forefathers had left. He hadn't expected his new resolve to be tested so soon.

But even as his eyes met hers, he realized that this time, it was going to be different. He was going to be different. Bucky knew where he stood, now, and there was no going back. He was going to do the right thing, even if it meant social suicide. He gulped at the thought.

Here goes nothing.

"Bucky," Lacey said, looking from him to Qamar, who was frozen in the act of sliding into the car. "What... What are you doing? Is that one of those aliens that are all over the news this morning?" She said 'aliens' like it was a dirty word. She crinkled her nose delicately.

You can do this, Bucky. He told himself, and straightened his back.

"Hey, Lacey." Bucky replied pleasantly, tilting his head lightly to one side in greeting. "This is my friend, Qamar. He's a Lunite, and I'm giving him a little tour of our town."

Qamar arched an eyebrow, and then took a few short steps to stand beside him, extending his hand as though to shake Lacey's in greeting. Lacey looked at his outreached hand with the same enthusiasm one might show when being offered a live snake, and actually took a step back. Not looking surprised in the slightest, Qamar simply shrugged and dropped his hand to his side.

"Your... Friend?" Lacey choked out, eyes wide with incomprehension.

"Lacey," Bucky said, his voice sounding far more confident and haughty than he felt at the moment. "I'm Bucky Buchanan. Cheer Champion. School President. I can be friends with whoever I want. Do you have a problem with that?"

He stared down at her, like a parent challenging a petulant child.

For a moment, Lacey simply stood with her mouth hanging open, and her eyes still darting back and forth between the two men. Then, to Bucky's silent relief, her shoulders sagged in defeat.

"N-no, of course not. I just—"

"Great!" Bucky said, clapping his hands together to form a sharp hand clasp. "In that case, I'll see you tonight at seven for cheer practice." He offered her his most charming, yet threatening smile possible.

She nodded mutely.

"Pleasure to meet you." Qamar said dryly in his undulating voice, with a slight upward twist of his lips. For such a normally stoic guy, he sure was smiling a lot today.

"Um, You too?" Lacey squeaked out, sounding more like a panicked question than a reply. "See you tonight, Bucky."

With that, Lacey turned on her heel and walked back in the other direction, towards the group of shops from which she had just come. Bucky let out a relieved puff of air as he watched her retreat.

"She seems nice." Qamar said, voice practically oozing sarcasm.

"She's not." Bucky replied. "Let's go."

He nodded towards the little vehicle, and they both walked over and climbed into their respective seats without further started the engine, which was almost imperceptibly quiet. Checking his mirrors, he quickly and efficiently backed up, and then pulled away from the parking spot in front of the Z-Patrol Station. There weren't many cars out and about yet, but as he drove, there were more and more people, wolves and zombies milling about in the shops and restaurants.

"You know," Qamar said, after a minute of silence. "For someone who's thoughts I can hear, you surprise me quite frequently."

Bucky cocked his head to the side, sparing his passenger a quick glance as they reached a stop light. He still wasn't exactly sure how that whole mind-reading thing worked, and could only hope that the guy didn't know how often Bucky had been checking him out, lately. That would be a disaster.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Bucky asked, looking back to the road and pressing his foot down on the accelerator as the light changed back to green.

"Definitely a good thing." Qamar said with a nod, looking with interest at the many different stores and businesses as they passed. "Lunites are many things, but 'surprised' is not generally one of them." He grinned. "I like being surprised. Humans are turning out to be much more complicated than I gave you all credit for."

Bucky laughed a little at this. "Well, I guess I'll just have to keep surprising you, then."

Chancing another glance as Qamar chuckled, he could see that the Lunite's cheeks had changed from their pale pink to an odd, bluish tone.

"Are you okay?" Bucky asked, halting at a stop sign before turning right on the main road, which would lead out of downtown and towards the forest. "Your face looks, like, blue."

"I'm great." Qamar said quickly, his face flushing an even brighter shade of bluish-purple. Was periwinkle the right color to describe it?

"Bucky," Qamar said, apparently hoping to change the subject. "Why is it that you care so much about what the Aceys and other people think of you?"

This question stumped Bucky, and he pondered it for a moment before answering. It had never occurred to him to wonder why it was so important to be popular. He only knew that it was. He had spent his whole life being taught by his family and peers that being popular meant being successful. And being successful meant being the best. And wasn't that the point of it all, to be the best?

He wasn't so sure, lately. Bucky recalled himself shouting out to the cheer recruits many times that there was nothing better in life than to hear you're number one. But was it, really? Being the best sure felt awfully lonely, sometimes.

"Honestly?" Bucky said, not sure why he was being so candid with Qamar. "Because it's the only thing I know how to do. Being the best and most important person is the only thing I've ever cared about."

"So I thought," Qamar replied. "But the more I talk to you, the less I think that it's really true."

"What do you mean?" Bucky asked, cocking an eyebrow as he wound through the trees on the two lane road. He was taking the long route, because this one featured a particularly terrific view.

"Well," said Qamar, raising his hand and using his fingers to count as he spoke. "You love your cousin, and basically care for her like she is a sibling to you. You care about your cheerleaders, and their safety, or you wouldn't have helped the zombie students that day at the school. You care about doing what's right, or you wouldn't have stopped us from killing Charon last night."

Bucky winced slightly at that, recalling the feel of Charon's head connecting hard against his shoe.

"And," Qamar continued, "you care about being a good person more than you care about your reputation. Otherwise, you would have ditched me back at the station just now, the minute you saw Lacey. You're... a good person, Bucky."

Bucky was shocked into a surprised silence. He had no idea how to respond to those statements. Of all the things Bucky believed himself to be, caring had never even made the list. Handsome, cunning, athletic, sure. But... A good person? That was never something he thought would be said about him. And certainly never something he'd ever cared to try to be, until recently.

Bucky looked back over to Qamar to reply, but was distracted. For the first time, he noticed that Qamar was gripping the sides of his seat tightly, and his teeth were clenched together.

"What's wrong?" Bucky asked, taken aback by how at odds his posture seemed with the tone of his voice.

"Nothing," Qamar said, now revealing a slight strain in his voice. "Cars are just, ah, faster than I had imagined. Way faster than running."

Bucky laughed that this. "Well, that's saying something, because you can run pretty fast. But don't worry," he bragged. "I have an excellent driving record."

Bucky grinned as he reached the crest of the hill that sloped down towards the hospital, and the trees gave way to the spectacular view of the beach. The waves were crashing serenely, and a flock of seagulls were making lazy loops around the pier in the distance. Sunshine reflected down off of the water like a glittering mirror. The upper part of the beach was now covered in a variety of partially set up rides and booths. Shore day was in just two days, now.

"By the moon," Qamar gasped, leaning forward in his chair as Bucky slowed the vehicle, so that his passenger could properly take in the scenery. For a moment, Qamar was silent, and simply stared outward towards the ocean.

"This is the first time I've ever seen the sea." He breathed.

Bucky's smile softened. He couldn't imagine growing up and never having seen the ocean. He and Addy has spent many a day here, practicing cheer stunts on the damp sand, swimming, and collecting seashells. Nestled between the forest and the ocean, Seabrook really was a beautiful place to be.

"Do you want to see it up close?" Bucky asked suddenly. He knew that they both needed to get home and rest. But Qamar's awe of the beach was endearing, and he suddenly found himself wanting to show him more of it.

Qamar's face broke into a rare, genuinely happy smile, without a trace of sarcasm to be seen.

"Can we?" He asked excitedly.

"Sure," Bucky said, making a quick turn onto the road that led down to one of the beach's parking areas. "We can't stay long, but we can take a quick walk if you want. I'll even go barefoot with you."

Qamar laughed. "Sounds excellent." He was almost bouncing in the seat with anticipation, his apparent anxiety of being in a car having evaporated.

Bucky parked the car in a spot near one of the lifeguard's huts, and turned off the ignition. It was a little cool, and a breeze chilled him slightly as he opened the car door. But he could handle a little cold, if it meant spending a little more time with Qamar. Bucky slipped off his shoes, and set them in the back seat of his car.

Together, they walked briskly towards the water. To Bucky's surprise, Qamar reached over and took his hand, pulling him towards the ocean like a child trying to hurry their parent along.

"Come on!" He warbled. "Let's go!"