He had spent all of May on Alpha Centauri, at the demand of his Mom, with the deal that after that visit, he wouldn't have to come until Penny's birthday in September.
"I know you want to keep exploring Will, but I want you around for more than just a week. Is that so unreasonable?"
Will had rolled his eyes, but a part of him was happy to be around his family. He did miss them immensely on his travels. For one of his early expeditions when he was still thirteen, Penny had decided to join him. That trip only lasted two weeks, but it was by far one of the best ones Will could remember. They had explored a planet covered in snow and these small purple flowers. It was cold, but absolutely breathtaking. Penny and Will showed Robot how to make a snowman, and Robot ended up making a "snowbot" as Penny dubbed it. Penny had picked a bunch of the flowers and made a purple crown for Robot. They had a picture of him with it at their home in Alpha Centauri. It was one of his fondest memories with his sister, and one of his favorite expeditions.
His current expedition, in contrast, was probably one of his least favorite. Well, there was the one where he and Robot got hunted by these weird giant snakes, but still, at least Will had something to document on that trip.
He sighed as Robot opened the portal to take them to the neighboring solar system. He wished that this one would have something new.
Will grinned. His wish had come true. The blue planet that he had decided to start with in this new solar system looked promising. As they descended towards the ground, all Will saw was a vast blue forest and winding rivers cutting through it. It was lush and vibrant, and Will was excited. Robot walked into the cockpit and Will looked over at him. "Ready to find something new?" Robot looked at him, and his lights seemed to smile.
After landing, Will had the computers test the air quality of the planet and it was breathable. So, he and Robot stepped out into the clearing they landed in. Surrounding them on three sides were tall trees with blue leaves covering them. The fourth side was a rocky path lined with boulders that led down to a sparkling river. Will reminded himself to take samples of the leaves and soil before they left. But first, he wanted to look around. He grabbed Robot's arm and tugged. "Come on!"
Will was practically bouncing up and down in excitement. The air was crisp and clean, and after months of breathing recycled air, it was incredibly refreshing. Will and Robot started into the forest. Light trickled through the blue leaves, making shadows dance on the ground around them. The grass was soft and green, which kind of surprised Will given how blue the rest of the planet looked. Robot and Will spent hours exploring before the sun started to set, and the shadows got longer. This planet had no moon, so Will knew that it would be getting very dark very soon. He and Robot made their way back to the Jupiter, and they sat on top of it watching the sun set over the blue horizon.
Will woke the next day, excited for more exploration. Yesterday they had come across a few species of insects, but they had seen tracks that belonged to larger animals, and some that looked almost human; Will was hoping to find out what they belonged to.
He and Robot set out. A few hours into their exploration, they had entered a part of the forest which was denser and darker. Blue vines hung from the trees and glowing blue rocks were spread across the ground. He collected a few of the rocks, shoving them into his backpack. He went to grab some shears and a jar to collect a sample of the vines when Robot tensed up. Will, feeling Robot that something was wrong, immediately closed his backpack and got to his feet. "What is it?" Will hissed out in a whisper.
"Danger."
Will clenched his jaw. "Okay, I guess we sh-"
Will was cut off from his suggestion by a high pitched shriek. He and Robot immediately whirled around facing the direction the sound had come from. More loud cries followed. It sounded strangely human, and it sounded desperate.
"Something needs help! Let's go Robot!"
"Danger." The Robot insisted.
Will looked at it, "Yeah, but we help people, Robot." Robot's lights looked uncertain, but the continued desperate cries cemented Will's determination.
Will took off in the direction, leaving Robot no choice but to follow. The cries were getting close, when they were suddenly cut off. This made Will's gut roll in panic. Was he too late?
Will came to a halt, straining his ears in the hopes that he would hear something. Robot came up from behind him and continued forward, and Will immediately followed him, trusting Robot's instincts.
Finally, Will heard the faint sounds of a struggle. He ran towards it but what he saw made him freeze.
On the ground was a girl that looked shockingly human. She was short and had a head of wild, messy curls. The strange thing was that her skin was covered in glowing blue stripes, not unlike a tiger. She lay on the ground, purple blood leaking out of a gash on her leg. Her body was covered in what looked like clothing made from woven green and blue plants.
She was thrashing around, her legs kicking desperately, and Will realized that not all of the plants on the girl were clothing, but some of it was actually the blue vines that hung from the trees, wrapping around her limbs and torso, pulling her towards the tree they hung from. One of the vines was wrapped around her neck, squeezing. Multiple vines trapped her arms and legs. She was trying to shred them with what looked like claws, but with her limited movement and the multitude of vines, she was failing.
The girl's eyes met Will's, and Will was entranced by the brilliant blue glow that came from them, matching the glowing stripes along her body. She let out a choked cry, and he sprung into action. He grabbed the knife that he kept in his belt. He ran over kneeling next to her and cutting the vine wrapped around her neck and the ones grabbing her arms. There were more, but with her arms free, she was able to slash at some of them with her sharp blue claws. More tried to grab at her, but Will pulled her into his arms and scrambled backwards away from the writhing vines reaching towards them.
Suddenly, Robot appeared above them and blasted at the vines, now that the girl and Will were clear. They burned away and the remaining ones retreated to the tree they came from.
Will was breathing hard from his frantic run through the woods and then his desperate fight with the vines. The girl clung to his shirt, taking deep gasping breaths, cheek pressed against his chest. He held her to him tighter and rested his head on top of hers. They sat like that for several minutes with Robot standing guard above them.
The girl pulled herself away from Will's arms, staring at him with dazed blue eyes. The glow had faded, as had the glow of her stripes. They were still both a brilliant blue, and Will held her gaze with a feeling akin to awe filling him. She was small, but she looked roughly the same age as him. Will marveled at how human she looked, despite her stripes and claws.
She shook her head softly, and her eyes widened, their dazed look fading. She scrambled to her feet before wincing and letting out a cry of pain. Will then remembered the deep, oozing cut on her thing. She grabbed at it, face twisting with pain.
"You're hurt, here, let me help-" Will said, rising to his feet clumsily. She tensed at his movement and suddenly began glowing again, narrowing her eyes and letting a hiss out in his direction. Will froze, putting his hands out in front of him as if calming a wounded horse, as he had once watched Penny do. "It's okay, I won't hurt you, I promise."
She still glared at him with those fierce glowing eyes. She suddenly turned and sprinted into the forest.
"W-wait! Come back! You're hurt!" Will cried out taking a few steps forward. But she was gone.
He looked at Robot, Robot looked at him. Will sighed and looked back out into the forest where the gorgeous glowing girl had disappeared into.
"Let's head back to the Jupiter."
Will could not get the girl out of his head. After logging the samples he had taken (he purposefully did not get a sample of the blue vines, after seeing them try to strangle the girl) he ate dinner. Still, the image of the girl was at the forefront of his mind, and he kept remembering the memory of how her trembling form had felt in his arms. He was a teenage boy after all.
As he crawled into bed, clad in a soft gray t-shirt and NASA sweatpants, he glared at his ceiling. He groaned and threw his arm over his eyes. She was an unknown species! He had no idea what she was! And furthermore, she had only been in his arms because she had nearly died! What was wrong with him! He should not be so stuck on this!
Suddenly, Robot opened his door. Will jumped up, heart pounding, startled and very grateful that he had not given into any teenage urges. "Danger."
"What?" Will immediately jumped out of bed, pulling on his boots and grabbing his knife but not wasting time with his jacket. Will and the Robot rushed out of the Jupiter. That's when Will heard it. It was the same cries from earlier. It sounded exactly like the girl. She was in danger again, Will had to find her!
The lack of light pollution made up for the fact that there was no moon, as the vast amount of stars in the sky lit up the area. Will spun around, trying to figure out where it was coming from. He realized it was coming from down by the river, and he rushed down through the narrow gap in the boulders, Robot not far behind him. Once he got to the rocky beach he spun around. It sounded like the cries were coming from the left, where there were more boulders creating alcoves and paths. He rushed over, sprinting through the rocks. The cries sounded like they were coming from all directions. Will had the horrible feeling that something wasn't right.
"Danger Will Robinson" The Robot called out.
That's when Will saw them. Their shape reminded him of wolves, but their scales were distinctly reptilian. They had sharp teeth and yellow eyes. Their shiny gray scales made them nearly invisible among the dark rocks. They were the ones making those cries. Will stared with wide eyes. The reptile wolves surrounded them, blocking all the paths. Robot and Will were backed up against a huge boulder. Will clutched his knife and tensed his jaw. Robot raised his hands up.
Two of the reptile wolves lunged forward. Will shouted to Robot, and Robot backhanded one of them away. The other one lunged at Will, who threw himself to the side, but its claws caught his arm and tore the skin open. Will let out a cry of pain, and Robot grabbed the wolf and flung it at its brothers. The fallen wolves just got back up, scales rippling. Their yellow eyes narrowed. Suddenly, instead of the girl's cries, the air was filled with the sound of Will's shout. That's when Will understood. They mimicked sound. They had lured him down here with the girl's voice. They must have been hunting him.
The wolves started to press forward, and Will and Robot prepared themselves for a fight, when suddenly a glowing blue figure jumped down in front of them from the boulder. The wolves flinched back from the bright glow.
It was the girl.
She lowered herself to the ground, claws glinting in the dark, she let out a low, angry hiss. The wolves snapped angrily at her, and Will's mimicked shouts echoed throughout the boulders. One of the wolves lunged at her and she dodged before ripping her claws along its scaly side. A horrible scraping sound let out, and many of its scales fell away, purple blood gushing out of its side. The wolf let out a pained noise and fell back. She continued to hiss and glare at the reptile wolves, standing protectively in front of Will and the Robot.
The wolves decided that the trio wasn't worth it and turned tail and ran through the boulders. After several long moments, the girl straightened from her crouched position. Her glowing stripes faded. She turned towards Will and Robot. Will sat on the ground, eyes staring up at the girl. Her eyes were drawn to Robot, and her eyes widened in awe at him. Then her eyes moved to Will clutching his bleeding arm, and her eyes narrowed in on his wound.
The girl looked around and walked towards one of the boulders that had a strange plant with long flat leaves growing around its base. She ripped one of the leaves up before turning and approaching Will who hadn't taken his eyes off her. Robot stood protectively over him but had apparently decided that the girl was not a threat to Will.
She dropped to her knees in front of Will and held her hand out towards him. When he didn't immediately react, she frowned and let out an impatient noise, shaking her outstretched hand. This snapped Will out of his daze and he hesitantly lifted his bleeding arm out in front of him. When he looked at it in the starlight, he recoiled. The wound was not just bleeding, but the skin around it was taking on a dark green color. That was… not good.
The girl simply grabbed his arm and pulled it towards her. She frowned down at it before meeting Will's eyes. After a moment she gently moved her face down towards it. Will's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open as her lips met his arm. Slowly, she started to lick the bleeding wound. Will shuddered and let out a groan at the feel of her tongue and lips before biting his lip to keep from making any other noises. He closed his eyes before snapping them back open, wanting to watch her. For several minutes, she sat there licking his wound. Every few licks she would spit out blood and a dark green fluid from her mouth before continuing. The bleeding eventually stopped and the color of his skin returned to its normal pale tone. Finally, she was content. She grabbed the plant and gently wrapped it around his arm until the cut was covered. She hesitated, eyes meeting his, before setting another gentle kiss on the makeshift bandage before returning Will's arm to him.
They stared at each other. Will's eyes raked over her, looking for any remaining injuries from earlier that day. To his surprise, the cut that had been slashed across her thigh was completely healed. Will heard a cautious voice, and his eyes flew back to her face. She was looking at him expectantly. When he didn't respond, she said something but Will couldn't understand her. Her voice was a bit lower than he expected from her tiny body and high pitched cries, and he found that even though he had no idea what she was saying, he really liked it.
"Hello. I don't know what you're saying, but thank you for saving me and Robot," Will rubbed the back of his neck with his good arm. He was glad it was dark, because he felt his neck start to flush under her piercing eyes. Her eyebrows were pulled together and she squinted at him, clearly confused at his words.
"I'm Will Robinson. What's your name?" He tried. She glanced at Robot before her eyes went back to Will. So, he pointed to himself and repeated his name. He then pointed at Robot and said "Robot." He then pointed at her and raised his eyebrows in obvious question.
Her eyes widened in understanding and she nodded, "Elaiy," she pointed to herself with a small grin. He smiled at her and repeated her name. Her eyes widened and she looked away clearing her throat.
Then she stood and held her hand out to him. He grabbed it and was pulled up. She was stronger than he initially thought. They were standing very close to each other, and the height difference hit both of them as she tilted her head back to meet his eyes.
She took a step back, again clearing her throat and said something that he obviously didn't understand. He shrugged his shoulders in response and she took that as acceptance, nodding to herself before grabbing his hand and leading him through a break in the boulders.
"Uh, my ship is that way-" Will started, looking behind him, but Elaiy just continued to pull him along and he decided he really didn't mind as long as she kept holding his hand. Robot followed closely behind them.
After maybe 10 minutes of walking, they came across a gap in some boulders, opening into a cave. The ceiling and walls of the cave were covered in soft looking moss and beautiful green crystals that let off an ethereal glow.
Will walked deeper into the cave, ducking slightly to avoid the ceiling, while Robot stayed near the entrance where he could stand up straight.
Will looked around the cave and saw a couple woven baskets. In one corner was what looked to be some kind of woven mattress on the ground, and she led him to it before gently pushing him down. It was softer than he expected and he sank into it. He continued to stare at her as she went over to one of the baskets and grabbed something from it. She walked back over to the mattress and knelt down, holding something out to him. It looked a bit like a purple apple, but it was larger and softer. When he didn't immediately grab it, she brought it to her mouth and took a bite. The juice ran down her chin, and he stared at her lips as she chewed. She held the fruit out to him with raised eyebrows, and he felt his neck flushing as he grabbed it and quickly took a bite. It was not as sweet as he suspected, but had a cool tartness. She smiled, satisfied as he finished the fruit.
Once he was done, Elaiy gently pushed him down until he was laying on the soft mattress. She pointed at him, and closed her eyes, mimicking sleep. She opened her eyes and looked at him expectantly. He nodded, realizing suddenly just how exhausted he was. She stood with a smile and walked over to the far wall, sliding down and watching him. He held her gaze for a few minutes before his eyes couldn't stay open any more, and he fell asleep.
Elaiy The boy was strange. The shiny creature with the beautiful lights was strange. Elaiy was unsure if it was wise to save them, even more so to bring them to her home. But Will had saved her, and he had been so gentle, and when he had her in his arms, she had felt safe. It was a feeling that she hadn't felt since she was small, back before she was alone.
She liked it.
But still, that didn't mean it wasn't stupid of her to bring them here. Her home is where she is most vulnerable, where she sleeps and heals and eats. She shouldn't sleep in the presence of others, but she was so tired after getting attacked by some flying predators this morning, foolishly getting caught in the choking vines because she was distracted by her wound, running into Will and Robot, and then running away from them, and then healing herself, before going back out to collect fruit, which is what she had been trying to do in the first place. And then she couldn't stop thinking about the tall boy and his creature and how much she liked the boy's face, and those thoughts made her stripes glow bright in embarrassment.
Elaiy sighed, gazing at the handsome boy. She didn't even know what Will was, or what Robot was. The shiny tall creature with the deep voice and the sparkly face was unlike anything that she had ever encountered. And the boy… She crept over to where he lay on her bed. Her approach made the big creature stand up from its sitting position, and she immediately tensed up, staring at it with wide eyes and cautiously glowing stripes. It stared at her from its hunched stance, and she got the message.
I'm watching you. Do not hurt him.
Elaiy nodded, then looked away from it and back down at the boy. His shape was a bit like hers she supposed. Although his claws were very short and looked ineffective, and he was much longer and broader than her. His skin was plain and light, unlike hers. It reminded her of snow. He had dark hair, and it was short, unlike her long messy curls. She hesitantly reached out and touched his hair. It was soft. She ran her claws through it, gently brushing his scalp. He sighed in his sleep, content.
Elaiy smiled softly. She liked the noise he made, so she kept running her hand through his hair. He also had very, very short hairs covering his jaw. She brushed her other hand along those, careful of her claws near his delicate skin and pink lips. It was not soft like the hair on his head, it was rough and scratchy, but she found she didn't mind it. She liked how it felt under her finger tips, ticklish.
Her eyes fell from his face. He had strong arms, broad shoulders. He was young, but he was clearly not a child. She remembered how those arms had felt, pulling her from the vines, rough hands brushing her hair from her face, deep eyes staring at her, brow furrowed. Elaiy felt her breath hitch at the memory of those arms around her, and felt herself glow. She was glad the boy slept.
Elaiy bit her bottom lip, pulling her hands away from him. He frowned and shifted.
He had saved her life. And Elaiy had never felt as safe as she had in those arms. Hesitantly, she let herself lie down next to him on the mattress. She was careful not to touch him, but she laid on her side and watched him breathe. Eventually, her heavy eyelids slid shut, and she fell into her dreams.
_
Will woke up on his side, feeling very content. The woven plants below him were soft and cool against his skin, his arms were wrapped around something warm, and his face was settled on in a dip of whatever was in his embrace. He opened his eyes and pulled his head away realizing that in his arms was the girl, Elaiy. His face had been buried in her neck under her jaw. As he stared at her face bathed in the green glow of the crystals, he felt his neck flush, which was becoming too common an occurrence around Elaiy, even if he had only known her for twenty-four hours.
Elaiy was facing him, arms curled against his chest. Will felt their legs intertwined. He stared at her face. The tiger-like blue stripes that covered her skin were glowing softly, fading in and out with the rise and fall of her breath, the glow reflecting on his skin. Her lips were slightly parted as she breathed softly and Will wanted to touch them so badly, but he resisted. Her messy curls were brushed back behind her, revealing her full face. He stared at her for who knows how long. She was by far the most beautiful creature he had ever seen.
After what felt like hours, she shifted in his arms and let out a tired sigh. Her eyes fluttered open and she met Will's stare. Her eyes widened, and they spent several moments observing each other up close. Her lips crooked up into a little awkward smile. "Will," she whispered as a greeting.
"Hi, Elaiy," He grinned.
She started to pull away and he tightened his grip instinctually, before blushing and immediately releasing her. Her eyes widened and her glow flared for a moment as she cleared her throat, sitting up. She turned away from him, stretching her arms above her head, and letting out a little groan of satisfaction, which made Will's breath catch in his throat for a second, before his head fell back and his breathing became heavy.
She stood up and walked over to the basket. She pulled out two more of the same purple fruit she had fed him last night and walked back over to where Will had lifted himself up to a cross legged position on her bed, watching her. When she caught his eyes on her bare legs, her glow flared again and he felt a corner of his mouth lift with the realization that that was how she blushed.
She quickly sat down in front of him and thrust one of the fruits out to him. He immediately bit into it, eyes not leaving hers, and she glowed before quickly eating her own fruit.
After they both finished, they sat there awkwardly. Staring at each other, unsure what to do. Her eyes fell to his arm and his followed. The plant was still wrapped around his arm, and he realized that he hadn't felt any pain. His brow furrowed in confusion. It had been a pretty bad cut, and it should be hurting. Will suddenly remembered that he had never actually cleaned out the wound beyond her licking. Idiot. Judy would be pissed.
She reached out and gently unwrapped it. His jaw dropped in surprise as he saw that all that remained was a faint red line along his forearm. She gently lifted his arm to her face and pressed a soft kiss to the line, eyes meeting his, and his neck immediately flushed at the weight of her eyes and lips. She slowly lifted her head, but kept brushing his arm with her thumb.
Unable to hold back anymore, he gave into his impulse and surged forward, gripping her waist and pulling her towards him. Her eyes widened and she let out a little yelp, but it was cut off by Will's lips pressing against hers firmly. Will had never kissed anyone, and he had no idea what he was doing, but it felt nice. Her lips were soft and warm, and she tasted like the fruit they had just eaten.
She let out a soft moan and pressed closer and Will grinned, pulling her into his lap and wrapping his arms around her.
He tilted his head, and they suddenly fit together so much better.
After several minutes, he slowly parted from her. Their foreheads were pressed together, and they both breathed heavily.
He opened his eyes and smirked at her wide eyes.
"Hi."
She giggled and responded with something in her own language.
Over the next few weeks, Elaiy escorted him around the forest, showing him different animals and plants, all while teaching him bits of her language. They would swim in the rivers and climb the blue trees. Will felt like he had found someone...amazing. He felt so drawn to Elaiy, and he felt like they were connected similarly to him and Robot.
She was brilliant, and picked up on English surprisingly quickly, while he was much slower at learning her native language. Of course, she couldn't read or write, but she was good at mimicking the sounds he made, and it got easier and easier for them to communicate.
Will showed her everything on the Jupiter. She was fascinated by all the technology, and she stole one of his shirts, although it dwarfed her. She looked at him with a grin. "We same!" He laughed, and secretly really liked how she looked in his clothes. He told her stories of his adventures, and showed her the souvenirs that he had collected over his years in space. He told her about Earth and how sometimes he missed it, but that he was so much happier now than he ever had been. He told her about his family, and how much he loved them. He showed her videos and recordings, and music which she adored. One night he was playing one of his dad's rock playlists, and on an impulse, he pulled her up from the chair and spun her around. She let out a shriek of laughter. "Will!"
"It's dancing!" He shouted, spinning her and jumping around. Will wasn't a good dancer, but Elaiy seemed to love it.
One evening, Elaiy and Will climbed up a tall tree and watched the sun set over the blue trees. They stared up at the stars. "I love sky," she whispered to him. He looked at her with a smile.
"Do you ever want to go up there? Explore like me?"
He watched her, her lips pursed. "Maybe," she whispered, "so far. This is my home Will, even if I am alone. How could I leave it?" She spoke switching to her own language. She sounded sad.
Will, even though he didn't know everything she had said, understood the sentiment, and he nodded looking back up to the sky.
"I used to think that too, you know. I was so scared to leave Earth. I didn't feel like I was ready to go to space, I didn't feel brave enough. But I had my mom, and my dad and my sisters. Then I had Robot, and then I had Don and Dr. Smith, even though our relationship with her was kind of strained. I had my family, and I realized that while I was born on Earth, my home was wherever they were." He smiled, looking out at the stars, picturing his family out there on Alpha Centauri. He looked over at her. She was looking down at her hands in her lap. She looked sad.
Will wasn't stupid, he knew that something had happened to her, that she was alone for some reason. "What about your family?"
"Gone, Will." She whispered. "Long, long time. I was little. Mama and sister die, attack. Papa so sad, disappear. Me, alone long time Will. No family." She pressed the heels of her hands to her eyes, and Will's heart clenched in his chest, grieving for her loss.
"I'm sorry Elaiy."
She looked up at him with wet eyes, and gave a small smile. "You here now, Will. Not alone anymore." She reached over and grabbed his hand, he brought it to his lips placing a kiss against her palm. They sat with each other for a long time that night, watching each other and watching the stars.
And then of course, there was the kissing. Will really liked that. Will had never kissed anyone before Elaiy, and Elaiy had obviously never kissed anyone either. Their early kisses were clumsy and unsure, but they learned together, laughing and touching and exploring. He would hold her hips and waist, pulling her into his lap and she would hold the back of his head and neck, scratching gently with her clawed fingers, which always felt so good. He learned that she really enjoyed when he kissed her neck, right under her pulse point, and he loved the breathless little sounds she would make when his mouth was there..
Sometimes Will wondered if other people would think he was weird for kissing an alien, but his best friend was an alien robot, so how strange was it for his girlfriend to be an alien? And besides, he really really liked kissing her, so he decided that he didn't really care what anyone else would think. Penny would probably tease him when she found out, but as long as he got to kiss Elaiy it was worth it.
In what felt like the blink of an eye, nearly 2 months had passed and it was September. Will looked at his wrist calendar in despair. He had to be back on Alpha Centauri in a week for Penny's birthday or his family would all be worried sick about him. He had known this was coming, but hadn't wanted to confront it. He was so happy here with her. Will closed his eyes. He didn't want to leave, and he didn't want to tell Elaiy. He knew he could always come back, but she had been abandoned before and would just take this as a betrayal. What the fuck would he say?
But it didn't change the fact that he had to tell her.
He rose from his seat at his desk and walked outside. He walked through the boulders down to the river side and walked along until he got to her cave.
Elaiy was sitting on her bed, weaving together some long grasses that she had collected. She looked up, and her eyes lit up, lips spreading into a grin. "Will!" She set aside her grass weaving and stood up, rushing over to him.
"Hey El," He said with a weak smile, opening his arms as she dove into them and rubbed her face on his shirt.
She looked up at his face before noticing that he did not look excited. Her smile fell and concern filled her eyes. "Something wrong?"
"No, uh, not really. But I have to talk to you about something…" She looked at him expectantly. How should he start? When he just stood there awkwardly, she rolled her eyes, pulling him over to the bed. They sat down, facing each other. She grabbed his hands and looked at him.
Okay, Will could do this. He could tell her he was leaving. He just had to make sure she understood that he would come back and visit her. Fuck. That didn't sound great, even to him.
"Elaiy, I, uh, my sister's birthday is soon." She looked confused.
"What is birthday?"
"Oh, a birthday is like a celebration for a person that you have every year on the day that they were born." She still looked a bit confused, but nodded for him to continue.
"Well, I promised my parents that I would never miss one of my family members' birthdays. It was one of the conditions they had for me traveling with Robot. So I have to go back to Alpha Centauri." Will watched her, cautious.
She stared at him, usually he could read expressions pretty well, what with all his practice with Robot. It had been one of the helpful things when they were learning to communicate, but right now, he had no idea what she was thinking.
"When." She said, voice steady and devoid of emotion.
Will flinched, eyes closing. "Four days."
"No. Stay here Will."
"El, I can't just stay! My family-" She flinched back, and he cursed to himself. She lunged forward, throwing herself into his lap, his arms went to her waist automatically as she crashed her lips to his. He let out a surprised moan. She ran her claws through his hair and he clutched her waist pulling her closer. After several minutes, their lips separated. They sat there, wrapped around each other, breathing hard, lips only a hair apart.
"Stay Will. Stay with me. I love you. Please. Anything for you, anything. Stay."
He felt like his heart was ripping at the sheer desperation in her voice. "Elaiy, I-fuck-I wish I could, but I can't."
They sat there in silence for several minutes.
Will suddenly remembered that he had not in fact told her he would come back to visit. Fucking idiot. He opened his mouth to tell her when she suddenly ripped herself away from him and pushed his chest. He fell onto his back, arms falling away. He stared in surprise as she started to storm out of the cave.
"W-wait! Elaiy!" He staggered to his feet, rushing after her. He grabbed her hand and whirled her around before she made it out of the cave, "Elaiy, stop!"
She wrenched her hand away from him "No! You leave!"
"Just, please let me ex-"
"You already said! You must leave, so leave!" He stared at her, eyes wide with agony. Her stripes were glowing violently, and tears were falling down her cheeks. He made her cry. Fuck. Will made her cry. "Everyone leave anyway. Stupid, so stupid." She muttered to herself, rubbing at her eyes.
"El, I'll visit you again, I swear, after Penny's birthday I'll come back-"
"And then you leave again for next birthday and leave me alone, or go explore new planet and meet new stupid girl and forget me!"
"No! Fuck El, I swear, I wouldn't. I love-" he closed his eyes, grimacing, "I'll be back I promise. Please please-" She shook her head, choked sobs falling from her lips.
"No! No! Everybody always leaves me. They die or they disappear. I have been alone for most of my life. Why would you be any different. I'm so stupid. I never should have gotten to know you. I never should have loved you. I hate you Will Robinson. I hate you for making me love you and then leaving me. Argh! Just go." She shouted, he couldn't understand what she was saying with his weak grasp of her language and how quickly she was yelling. He cursed himself for not being as diligent as her in learning.
She shook her head and turned to leave, tears falling freely now.
Will feels a panic seeing her start to walk away again, and it hits him how much he loves her and how much he can't lose her. He's such an idiot.
He grabs her again and she lets out another angry yell, trying to pull away before he falls to his knees in front of her, wrapping his arms around her and burying his face in her stomach. "Please, please don't walk away, Elaiy. Please, I love you."
She stood there, eyes wide at his confession, unsure what to do. One minute, he was telling her he was leaving her, and now here he was on his knees begging her not to walk away, telling her that he loves her. She closed her eyes and gently brushed her hands against his head.
"Come with me, Elaiy. Come with me to my home, come with me and explore the universe with me and Robot and meet my family. I can show you new planets! I can show you the stars! We can be together-"
"What?" Her eyes fly open, startled at his request. "Leave? This my home, Will. All I know."
"I told you once that I was scared to leave my home, before I realized that home is wherever the people you love are. I love you, and I think you love me! So please," Will took a deep breath, staring up at her, "come with me."
She stayed quiet for a long time, staring into his eyes.
"You really love me?"
Will lets out a breathless, crazed laugh, "Yes."
"Come back one day?" She whispered quietly.
Will nodded, starting to feel hopeful, "If you want, I can bring you back here. I have the coordinates saved in the Jupiter. I'll fly you wherever you want to go, Elaiy, anywhere in the universe."
"Fly?" She sounded nervous. He laughed again, excitement filling him.
"Yes."
"You keep me safe?"
"Always."
A few more minutes of silence. She looked up at the glowing crystals and moss, and he looked up at her.
"Ok." She whispered.
"Ok? Yeah? You'll come? Really!?" He stared at her and she looked back at him and gave him a watery smile.
"Yes, Will Robinson, I will explore the stars with you."
He jumped to his feet, sweeping her into his arms and spun her around, whooping loudly. He set her down and kissed her deeply. She laughed against his lips, hands holding his face.
He pulls away with a grin, arms still on her waist. He looked up, and saw Robot standing in the doorway, awkwardly.. Will looked at him and threw his arms up, cheering again. Robot threw his arms up as well. Elaiy just stared on with a bewildered laugh.
Their final days passed by quickly. Will prepped the Jupiter for voyage, checking all the systems and fuel levels, and remembering to take samples of soil and plant life (remembering to avoid any blue vines). Elaiy did not have many possessions that she wanted to bring. Most of them were just for survival, and she wouldn't need them with Will. But she wanted things that would remind her of her little blue home while she was off exploring the universe with her Will. She created long chains of flowers and hung them around their Jupiter. Will made her some pots, so she could start a garden on Alpha Centauri, and grow her favorite plants and fruit. She also collected a jar full of small blue and gray stones from the river, she filled a jar with the blue river dirt that glowed in starlight, and she filled a jar with moss and crystals from her cave. She set all the jars on one of Will's shelves, and they smiled at each other. The only clothes that she had were the woven plants that she wore and the shirts she had periodically stolen from Will, so Will printed her some human clothing, but often she could be seen just wearing one of his large shirts.
The last night, they slept in Elaiy's home, she stared up at the glowing crystals. She cried, and Will held her. He didn't say much, just whispered sweet comforts. He understood how it felt to leave everything you knew behind.
That morning, he put Elaiy in a space suit that he made for her. It fit her well, but she didn't like the helmet, she said it cut off her senses too much. He told her she could take it off once in orbit, and she relented, letting him seal it to her suit after a final kiss. He grinned at her small pout through the helmet. She looked adorable, the orange of the spacesuit clashing with her blue stripes and eyes.
He warned her again about how bumpy entering space could be. She was nervous, and he squeezed her hand for a few moments after strapping her to the chair. He let go and sat in the Captain's chair. He booted up the flight system and called out to Robot that they were taking off.
Elaiy shrieked at the initial takeoff, knuckles white on the arm rests of her chair and stripes glowing brightly. Will chuckled and just called out a few words of comfort. She was not comforted by them, and would later swat him for his laughter.
But, once they were through the worst of it and were in orbit gliding smoothly above Ealiy's planet, she stared in awe at her small blue home.
"It's beautiful, right?"
"Yes." she whispered, eyes wide.
He smiled, eyes softening, "Are you sure you're ready?"
After a moment, she looked at him and returned his smile. "Yes."
His small smile spread into an excited grin. "Robot? Take us to Alpha Centauri."
And so they went.