Thanks everyone for reviewing, it made me really happy!
I've been asked whether there will be a scene in which Luca is crying and Ulgar comforts him. To be honest, I don't know! I don't really plan ahead much. I'll see whether I can think of something like this but I make no promises.
Somebody was talking. "Why do you like to drown so much? Seriously, I won't let you go anywhere near a body of water again." Luca's voice, Ulgar determined. Opening his eyes, he found himself in a rather comfortable bed in a room that seemed to be fit for a king. His duvet and the carpets covering the floor and walls were richly embroidered with golden motives and the furniture appeared boasted countless elegant carvings.
As he sat up, memories flashed up in Ulgar's mind. His hand reaching out to Luca's, failing to connect. The acid water burning his skin, rendering him unable to act. "Where… are we?"
There was no window, Ulgar noted. No way to determine their location. The light that illuminated the room came from mysteriously glowing flowers that had been strategically placed at the sides of the room. Not Astra then.
"We're with the Nemesians", Luca replied not particularly worried. "By the way, they also dried your clothes for you." He pointed to a chair next to the bed. He had enjoyed the view of Ulgar's naked upper body and was looking forward to his embarrassment.
"Get out NOW!" Even though his lower body was still covered by the duvet, the black-haired teen could not believe how Luca was boldly invading his privacy. "What are you even doing here?"
"The Nemesians gave us this ointment to heal our skin", Luca explained innocently, pointing to a tub on the bedside table. "I was just re-applying it to you."
"You were touching me?!" His face was dark red. This was wrong on so many levels.
Ulgar's reactions never failed to amuse him. "I wasn't", he explained finally. "You were like this when I woke up, honest. Well… I was worried about you so maybe I touched you just a little bit."
"Which one is it?!"
Luca did not answer his question. "Do you want to put cream on me in return?", he asked instead.
Ulgar hated how appealing he found the thought. "Just get out!"
At least Luca was alive, Ulgar thought after the purple-haired teen had finally left the room. The Nemesians must have taken them prisoners after saving them from the river. An action that did not make much sense, even less so when Ulgar found his gun and the teddy's claw amongst his clothes.
After Ulgar had dressed, he was surprised to find a large lounge outside his room, as luxuriously decorated as the bedroom. Kanata and Aries were sitting on one of the sofas admiring the detailed carvings. Luca was looking into the different cupboards and cabinets, opening their doors one by one. There were two more doors leading away from the room, one being half open and revealing another bedroom. The other was tightly closed. Locked, Ulgar assumed.
"I'm so relieved you're alright", Aries greeted him. "We were so lucky the Nemesians were there to help us."
It was the people of Nemesis that had caused the accident in the first place, Ulgar thought. "What happened to us?"
"I'm not sure myself", Kanata began. "Aries asked the Nemesians to save you guys and they did."
"They said it was all a misunderstanding", the girl added.
The ambush and the spears, a misunderstanding. Fairly hard to believe. How could Aries even tell? "You understand their language?"
"Not at all!" Aries shook her head with an inappropriate cheerfulness. "But that's what they said."
"It looks like they see us as guests rather than prisoners", Kanata pointed out referring to their generous rooms. "For now, let's go along with them and see what happens."
"So where are we now?", Ulgar asked, seeing that the others were adamant that the Nemesians were a friendly species.
"We seem to be underground", Kanata replied. "We climbed down through a hollow tree and went through a maze of corridors until we reached this place."
"Who would have thought there were people living right under our feet…", Luca commented, opening the doors of yet another cabinet. To his disappointment, it was empty as the others. As he heard the look turning, the lively teen quickly stepped away, pretending to look at a picture.
The door fully opened, revealing an unassuming man. A Nemsian, an alien. Not threatened by mortal danger this time, the group could examine his features more closely. Grey-haired and of slim stature, his clothes were more refined than those of the guardsman behind him as well as their previous attackers. His similarity with humans was astonishing, he would not have stood out if he was walking through the streets of Mousanish District. While his words were a melodic assembly of incomprehensible words, his gestures revealed that the Caird high-school students should follow him.
The corridor they entered was like an extension of the room. The floor, the walls, and even the ceiling were covered by carpet, its colours changing from red to blue and richly embroidered. In regular intervals, there were expensive-looking vases with glowing flowers that were the sole source of light. Silently following their captors, the space travellers found themselves in front of a large gate.
Ulgar grabbed Luca's hand, surprised how natural the action felt by now. His other hand rested on the gun hidden in the layers of his clothes. Whatever was waiting for them, he would not fail to protect his friend a third time. Even if he had to shoot the Nemesians, even if he had to disobey his captain. However, the black-haired teen was completely unprepared for what awaited them behind the gate.
"It's a party!", Aries exclaimed as soon as the gate had opened. "I wonder if that's their way of welcoming us?"
Behind the gate was an enormous hall. The ceiling high above them looked like a starry sky and massive stone pillars flanked the hall, the glowing flowers growing along them like vine and providing light. In its centre, tables had been placed with about fifty Nemesians already being seated. As the group entered, their chattering stopped and all eyes were on the students.
As they were led to a table away from the main area, Luca wondered about Ulgar's action. Never before had the other grabbed his hand. Why had he let go already? Sometimes the mind of his friend was like a puzzle with only blank pieces.
"This is just like Astra", Aries remarked looking at the food after they had sat down. There was bread and a large roast placed in the middle of the table. Various bowls contained salads, potato-like vegetables and sauces. A servant filled their cups with an unassuming fluid. In their half-starved state, the meal looked irresistible and the abundance of food was surreal. "We'll need to ask the Nemesians to give us some to take away for the others."
Ulgar tried not to let the feast distract him. It was all too suspicious. There were too many similarities between them and the Nemesians. And how did the initial assault fit with the friendly welcoming party? He watched as the Nemesian leader talked to the audience from his throne on an elevated gallery.
"This is good", Luca nudged him with his cup in his hands. "You should try some, Ulgar."
"Don't drink that! What if it's poisoned?" Admittedly, there was no reason to set up a banquet to poison them but everything was possible on Nemesis. Looking at his own cup, its content turned out to be wine. "And you shouldn't be drinking alcohol anyway!"
"But it's really good", Aries, sitting on Luca's other side, urged him.
"Captain, tell them not to be so careless", Ulgar replied directed to Kanata.
"Who me?", the addressed teen responded with his mouth full. On his plate, a small mountain of meat told Ulgar more than he needed to know. "Seriously, you should try the roast!"
"I don't think we're supposed to eat yet", Aries whispered suddenly realising that all eyes were on them. Nobody had started to eat or drink yet, everyone had patiently listened to the leader's speech. The girl smiled awkwardly at the Nemesians. "I'm sorry", she tried to save the situation although nobody could understand her.
"It's all because someone made a fuss about the wine", Luca whispered as the speech continued.
"I wasn't - !" Ulgar stopped mid-sentence as he felt the Nemesian's attention shifting back to them.
When the speech had finally finished after what seemed like an eternity, the food had already gone cold. Not that it stopped them from indulging. After having lived off food rations, the Nemesian food tasted like heaven. "We'll definitely have to take some back", Aries repeated. "The others will love this."
However, the servants were already busy removing the food and moving the tables around. What had been a banquet became a dancefloor with food playing a secondary role at the sides. Soft music came from one of the niches between the pillars. The Nemesians still occasionally gazed at the students but stayed amongst themselves, either dancing or chatting.
Ulgar decided to seize the opportunity and find out more about their captors. There were two entrances to the hall, each flanked by a group of guards. Of course, they would not be allowed to leave that easily. For a while, Ulgar just watched the scene; he spotted Luca and Aries dancing and Kanata at the food buffet. None of that surprised him.
He turned his attention to the gallery from which the presumed leader still oversaw the celebration. Perhaps in his forties, by human standards, the man gave off the aura of a king rather than an elected president. Ulgar noted the man who had led them to the hall, who was not trying to hide that he watched the group. Their gazes met and the black-haired teen quickly looked away. Being watched meant that there was still a possibility of the party being a trap.
"What are you doing all by yourself?"
Completely focused on the Nemesians and their ploys, he had not noted Luca approaching him. "You shouldn't drink this stuff", he replied nodding towards the cup in the other's hand.
"It's water, Mr Killjoy." Luca failed to understand why Ulgar had chosen this particular evening to start acting like a parent. "We'll leave tomorrow morning so we might as well enjoy ourselves tonight, don't you think?"
"And convince them to let us go how?"
Why was Ulgar such a pessimist? "Aries has gone to befriend the Nemesians. Do you want to dance with me instead?", Luca asked, switching topics seeing that the other would not relax without a distraction.
"No!" Yet despite his reply, Ulgar reluctantly followed his friend to the dancefloor.
"Closer!", Luca complained as Ulgar tried to mimic the dancing poses of the Nemesians. He pointed to his waist. "Put your hand here."
This was not how Luca had danced with Aries, nor did it resemble the form of the Nemesians, Ulgar noted as he obediently followed Luca's instructions. With his right arm wrapped around Luca's waist and his left hand connected with Luca's, there were only a few centimetres between their bodies. As they moved, he could feel his friend's breasts brushing against his chest. The desire to move his right hand grew overwhelmingly strong; he wanted to touch Luca's back, his neck, his everything.
Luca wondered whether he would ever be able to get this close to Ulgar without the pretence of a dance. Being held by the other, he enjoyed their intimacy and the accompanying feeling of safety. Unsurprisingly, Ulgar's dancing skills were as non-existent as his sewing skills, but Luca did not mind. The Nemesians, the banquet even the music faded into the background as his eyes were focused on Ulgar's. Almost like they were an ordinary couple enjoying the party.
Then the music changed. The soft and cheerful tones grey into darker, deeper sounds. It was an illusion, Luca realised, outside the dancefloor, their relationship was that of friends. He lived a dream that would cease to exist as soon as the last tune was played. "If I was a girl, would you see me differently?", he asked regretting his words as soon as they were spoken.
Ulgar struggled to focus on his footsteps rather than Luca's body. But there was another feeling, even stronger than sexual desire. Knowing that Luca was safe and the comfort of their intimacy. Forgotten was the danger, if this had been the set-up of a trap, then he would gladly run into with no remorse. He heard Luca whispering, picked up the pain in his voice. Lost in the dance, gender had no meaning to him. "I'd still be here with you", he replied struggling to form a coherent sentence.
"I see…" Luca did not know what else he had expected. Fancy music and some dancing did not mean that Ulgar miraculously understood how he felt or even reciprocate his feelings. But there would never be a better time than now to break down the invisible barrier between them. "Ulgar, I like you. A lot."
The black-haired teen did not reply. What was he supposed to say? He was not even sure about the meaning of Luca's words. He opened his mouth but the words floating in his mind failed to form a sentence.
In this moment, the music stopped and the magic that had held them together fell apart.
