Friday, Apartment, Morning

Getting out of bed couldn't have been easier as sunlight slipped through the artist's bedroom windows. The yoga session that he and his friends participated in the previous night under the guidance of Beli had relieved the man of the stiffness he had been feeling.

A warm shower and a fresh set of clothes were enough to get the man to wake up as he slipped his belt into his pants whilst walking into the kitchen. He wasted no time in making the breakfast that he had yearned for yesterday, pouring the strawberry-mixed pancake batter into the burning hot frying pan. Michael placed his phone beside the stovetop, the screen facing up as he awaited the call from his cuckoo clock of a friend.

The wait was long, almost too long. It was starting to get to the point that Michael nearly forgot to flip his pancakes over, after catching himself focusing intently on the phone's screen, awaiting that picture of his friend to pop up.

"That's different…Maybe he's sleeping in." Michael prepped his plate whilst he pondered the reasons why Haric would possibly miss making one of his morning catch-up-calls. The missing phone call didn't bother the man too much as he carried his plate to the table, starting to scroll through his social media as he took a bite of his long-awaited strawberry pancakes.

The flavors of his platter all mixed perfectly; the saltiness of the apple-smoked bacon mingling with the sweet and savory flavor that the pancakes provided. The lightly buttered toast would help provide a bit of energy for the day as Michael took bite after bite with a soft smile on his face.

As he devoured his breakfast he thought about what he had scheduled for today and following the typical exercising schedule that he and his friend had created, today was a resting day. This was perfect for him since he was almost finished with creating his price sheet for his commissioned work. His breakfast didn't last too long as he finished the last forkful of food, leaving only crumbs in the wake of their creator's morning hunger. Once he had satisfied yesterday's breakfast craving, the dishes were cleaned and put away before moving to his room to finish his preparations for work.

The glow of the drawing tablet in his eyes was similar to looking into a cell phone late at night, causing him to squint his vision for a moment to get reacquainted with that all-too-familiar glow that the tool radiated. Pushing his glasses up his nose, he donned his glove and headphones and reopened the canvas of Kyu that he had been working on yesterday. Most of the work had been done, all that needed to be done was to color the final image that displayed the full price of the colored commission.

Colors flooded the canvas as the skilled artist expertly drew the details onto the piece, taking a moment every few minutes to shift the canvas and detect the faults with the work. Michael was so deep in his work in fact that he nearly noticed the pink flash that had appeared near his bed, the light reflecting off of his windows and monitor for a split second. Taking off his headphones, he looked over to find the fairy standing beside his chair with a grin.

"What's poppin' my man?" She was certainly closer than he had initially expected, the man blinking as he adjusted his position to better suit where she stood.

"Personal space, my lovely friend. Personal space." Michael said as he poked her exposed belly. She giggled, playfully smacking his hand away. The duo had known each other for a while so being in close vicinity was to be expected, but that didn't mean Michael didn't appreciate having his space during their meetings.

"Sooooo how'd it go?" She sounded like a highschooler wanting to hear the juicy details that Michael withheld from her until now.

"I think you'll be surprised to hear that the date went pretty well." Michael saw Kyu's lips rise into a bigger smile than what she previously wore.

"Ayyyy that's great to hear dude! Did acting weird around her help you out?" She asked as she ruffled the man's silky smooth hair.

"Ah-Kyu..!" Michael whined as he swatted at her hand, trying to remove her digits from his golden locks.

"I'm just getting more impressed with you each time I see you!" Kyu sounded like a proud parent. Her client fixed his hair before adjusting his glasses, which were knocked off center thanks to the jostling of his head.

"Well…I would be lying if I didn't think that some of the tips you and Haric gave me for dates helped." He smiled, making the love-fairy smile even more.

"So? Is she as boring as I thought she was going to be?" Her phrasing had Michael shake his head as he remembered the fun that he and Nikki had at the arcade.

"Pft, no way Kyu. Last night was more fun than you could think of." He stated.

"Oh? What happened while I was gone?" She asked, her tone clearly hinting towards the more sexual as what most of her responses were.

"Nothing like that. Like you said, I can't just whip it out. ESPECIALLY with her." Kyu nodded her head in agreement.

"Of course! The girl's like a turtle. Once you get her out of that shell though, she'll be all soft and velvety on the inside." Michael rolled his eyes as another one of Kyu's trademark sexual innuendos graced his ears.

"Do you ever run out of innuendos?" He asked, Kyu nodding her head as he turned his eyes back to his tablet, resuming his coloring.

"Nooope! I've been around for a while so I've got jokes for days. If you don't like them, too bad!" She poked the side of his head as she moved to observe his drawing process. There she goes again, vaguely mentioning her age to the man. His curiosity was getting the better of him and her response was the straw that broke the camel's back.

"You know Kyu, you're always saying that you've 'been around for a while', but you haven't even told me your exact age once." Michael commented, not taking his eyes off his screen as the fairy spoke back.

"That's because you never asked. I ain't a mind reader." She had a point there. If he was oh-so curious about the age of the fairy, he should've just cut to the chase and asked her.

"You got me there." He felt Kyu rest her head on top of his. At this point he wasn't sure if she was messing around with him or what, but he didn't care now. It was pointless to tell this fairy to stop doing something without encouraging her. Instead of swatting her head this time, he relented and let her do what she wanted, using his head like a tabletop as she watched him from above.

"So how old are you then anyway? You don't look any older than me." Kyu giggled at his statement, taking mild amusement in the ignorance he had of love-fairies.

"Oh my sweet little virgin~ I'm roughly 384 years old." Before Michael could retort to her 'statement' he was blindsided by her announcement of her age. He didn't move aside from setting his pen back into its holder. Tilting his head up, his movements would cause Kyu to hover above him and look down at him, giving him a clear look of her features.

"Are you serious..? 384?" His question earned a giggle from the fairy as he reached a hand up, brushing a thumb against one of her cheeks. The morning light filling his room helped accentuate Kyu's youthful features. Her skin was flawless, not a bump or hair to be felt or seen upon her shaven visage. She looked just as old as Michael was, maybe even younger if he put his thought into finding the minor differences but that was pointless.

"Surprising right? All the people from my world look this young." She smiled as Michael's hand brushed against her cheek. For a man, his hands were surprisingly soft aside from the calluses on the base of his fingers. Looking at those emerald eyes of his, Kyu couldn't help as her grin grew.

"Getting braver huh? I don't think I remember you touching my face before." Kyu grinned as Michael held her cheek.

"I guess I'm just loosening up a little bit around you." Michael responded. Getting temporarily sidetracked, he blinked and returned back to what she said previously.

"So are you from another planet then?" The more questions he asked, the more he realized just how little he knew about the fairy woman. He just now found out that she was more than ten times older than him but looked no older than he did.

"Yep; Sky Garden! You can just imagine it like your planet, but the sky and clouds are pink." The description of her home world had Michael chuckle as his hand slipped down from her face and back onto his desk.

"Really? That's it? Just a pink sky and clouds? No land or anything?" His plain description of her planet made Kyu put a finger against his forehead, keeping his head tilted up to look at her as she locked green eyes with his.

"Didn't I just say to imagine your planet too, bitch?" She jokingly asked. Her humorous tone and touching his forehead made Michael shake his head to be rid of her finger.

"Sorry, guess I wasn't listening since I'm still wrapping my head around you technically being an alien." The barebones definition was something that belonged to a foreign region, making Kyu an alien; an extraterrestrial even.

"And this alien is helping you get the women of your dreams." She reminded him, having already gotten with two of the cutest women he had the pleasure of meeting.

"If that's what you think you're doing." He smirked. Kyu puffed her cheeks out and bopped his forehead again. The mentioning of aliens brought the thought of Celeste to the forefront of his mind as he resumed his work, not wanting to be too distracted from his canvas.

"Speaking of aliens; how is that lady from Tendricide doing? Did you see her yesterday?" Kyu asked as she took her place floating above the man again.

"I didn't get to see her, no. I plan on spending some time with her this evening though." His evening plans had Kyu grab him by the shoulders, shaking him around shallowly, much to his protests.

"That's my Mikey! Not even letting interplanetary borders get in the way of the cooch!" Kyu cheered. She couldn't see it but her explanation had his cheeks turning red. That was exactly what he was doing huh?

"You just can't find a way to delicately word things can you?" He sighed, erasing the mistakes that her shaking had caused him on his canvas.

"Nope. I say things how they are! That's why I'll tell you this; be careful with those Tendricidians dude." She leaned down and whispered into his ear, saying it as if Celeste would be able to hear her if she wasn't careful.

"Why say that? And why so close to my ear?" He used his shoulder to keep her away from getting too close to his ear.

"Because I've seen what those girls can do and dude, she'll milk you dry." Her vulgar description helped put into perspective what Celeste could be like if she were to get into bed with him. She'll turn into a beast.

"...It is an alien…" Kyu's ears perked up, thinking Michael would have tried to remind her of using delicate language only for his advice to fall flat.

"Are you into that?" She saw his eyes widen as he looked at her again.

"N-No..! It's just…she's nice and not from around here…" His reasoning wasn't helping his case in the slightest. Kyu looked on with a smug grin, patting his shoulder.

"It's okay to be curious. I'd get balls deep in that too if she was in my bed. Hell, not even in my bed. I'd rail that in her space ship too." Michael shook his head, resuming his coloring of his work. He was almost finished with the shading. Thank god he was as efficient of an artist as he was, otherwise these conversations would result in no work getting done.

Half an hour would pass before Michael would be finished with his sheet. After one more look-over, he rendered out the sheet and posted it to his social media. He took a moment to lean back in his chair, taking his glasses off and rubbing his eyes.

"God Kyu…Has anyone told you that your conversations are more of a distraction than your dress?" Michael's words stung, but not enough to get under the fairy's skin. She instead giggled.

"Yup. But that's the joy of it. I don't think you'd have half as much fun if I had the personality of a cardboard box." He would be lying if he said that he didn't find their talks mildly amusing, despite how raunchy they could get at times.

"True, you got me there." That was when the familiar call tone of his phone started going off. Ceasing his rubbing of his eyes, Michael turned his slightly blurred vision towards his phone and grabbed it. Smiling, he brushed some hair from his ear before answering.

"I thought I lost you there, Haric." Michael joked. He could hear the sound of rustling fabric through the line, meaning that his friend had just gotten up. He could only imagine the condition of his hair as he explained himself.

"I know Michael, I'm sorry! One of our newer models called me last night and I got a bit busy!" His friend told him. With Kyu listening in on the conversation, she started making the hand gesture for having sex and pointing to his phone. Michael nodded his head, knowing Haric had 'gotten busy' last night.

"Uh-huh, got busy is right." Michael's reply had Haric sighing, knowing he had been caught.

"Hey Haric, it's fine. I've been sleeping in too recently for…obvious reasons…" It would be hypocritical of him if he judged his friend for getting some and sleeping in since the last two times he himself had done the same thing.

"Thanks man…Oh, by the way, do you think you could come up to the Overlook today?" Haric asked. Him asking Michael to come to that beautiful overview of the city meant almost one thing every time.

"I don't know man, I'm kiiiind of busy right now." He was lying, having just finished his announcement on his QuickiePic. It was fun to mess with his modeler friend from time to time to keep him on his toes.

"I'll buy us luuuuunch~" Haric sang back a tone similar to his. This was a dance that required two people, and they had been doing this for years. There was a pause on the line for a moment as Michael looked to Kyu as if to get permission from her.

Giving him a thumbs up, he turned his eyes forward again, giving Haric his response.

"I'll get my stuff." He decided to make more of a joke of it, making himself sound more begrudging and deflated.

"Great..! You better bring an empty stomach!" Haric told him. After saying their goodbyes, Michael hung up and looked to Kyu with a plain face. Staring at her smiling face, his lips couldn't resist curling up and a snicker leaving his lips as Kyu laughed along with him.

"Man he sounded like he fucked up!" Kyu commented as her client regained his composure.

"I know. I'll make sure to tell him that he's okay when I get there." He said as he got out of his chair, stretching his back. Stepping away from his desk, he moved towards his closet and fished out his camera and gear, preparing himself for another afternoon of photoshoots.

"So what's your plan for the day?" Michael asked as he slipped his tripod over his shoulder. That made Kyu hum, bouncing one of her feet as she floated around his room.

"Hmm I think I might hit up the beach today. Maybe ogle at some of the babes while catching some rays." The more she thought about it, the more she was setting it in stone. This city did have a fair amount of good looking women and men, and the weekend was the perfect time to see these gorgeous people in action.

"You don't have any clients to help or anything?" Michael asked.

"Not right now. They're on their own for now, so that means I'll be around the city more to help you out! All you gotta do is give me a holla." She told him.

"Alright. Don't get burned and for the love of god don't get caught. The last thing I'd want on my record is being an accomplice to a serial peeping Tom." Michael said as he was fully set up with his gear for his shoot.

"Uh dude; love fairy remember?" Kyu pointed at herself, flapping her wings and reminding him of her fantastical nature. It didn't surprise Michael as much as he thought it would, making him only blink as he went to the doorway and slipped his shoes on.

"Then just don't get burned. Or something. Whatever happens to fairies in the sun, don't get that." Michael said before slipping out the door, not giving the fairy a chance to respond.

"That dork…" Kyu sighed as she floated in his room for a moment. Checking the clock, she readied herself for the beach and popped out of his room in a flash.

Friday, Scenic Overlook, Afternoon

Michael sighed as he carried his equipment up the various stairs that led up to where he and his friend typically hung out. He could see in the distance that the very same man waving at him from the top, perched up against one of the hand rails, watching his friend instead of stepping down to help him.

"You know you could help me with this, you know!" Michael called out as the strap on his tripod slipped from left to right on his shoulder. His equipment wasn't heavy by any means. The proper term would be cumbersome as it wagged with each step he took up the stairs.

"And dirty the shirt that is one of the many coming out on our new line? No thanks!" Haric's joking tone had his friend groaning dramatically, making his steps seem heavier than they actually were.

"To think I was going to forgive you for sleeping in!" He finally reached the top and that was when Haric decided to help him, slipping the tripod off his back and pulling it from its bag.

"I'm already buying us lunch dude..!" Opening up the tripod with a satisfying snap, Haric sat it beside his friends kneeling form as he fished out his camera, preparing it for another day of shooting.

"And besides I'm sure that walk made you hungry." Michael looked up at Haric as he fiddled with the legs of the tripod.

"Was that the best reason you could pull out of your hat? So I could be hungry?" He arched an eyebrow at his friend, catching a grin so smug he wanted to smack it off his face. He was right though, the walk from his apartment to this place did make him slightly peckish.

"Think of it as a preemptive measure, my man." Patting his shoulder after setting up his tripod, Haric walked over to a bench and took a seat, opening his arms up and draping them over the backrests and revealing the decorative black and white design that decorated the shirt.

"Is that what you call it? You should be grateful I'm doing this for you again." Michael spoke, a small smile forming on his lips as he took his camera and tripod and positioned himself at an angle. Their friendship had grown to the point that they could banter back and forth to each other and still have the ability to call the other a friend at the end of the day.

"Hey, I'm paying you back after this! So it all works out!" Haric raised his hands, crossing one leg over the other. Once fully set up, Michael kneeled down to the level his camera stood and began snapping pictures, capturing the shirt's simple yet effective detail while Haric's likeness remained a secondary priority. Haric made sure to change poses every so often, ensuring that every detail of the shirt was taken.

"Sooo Haric…" Michael broke the silence, his friend's eyes locking with the lens of the camera as if it were a third eye to his photographer.

"You told me that you met up with someone new last night?" Haric nodded, changing his position so that he had his legs resting on the bench.

"Yeah. She's only been working with us for a couple of months but she almost immediately got the hang of things." Haric cut off his own sentences and silenced himself so Michael could take his pictures, giving him brief moments to change his angle before continuing.

"She's definitely got an interest in modelling; always wanting to model for different things whether it's clothes, shoes, hats, even glasses. And to add onto that, she's the leader of a band!" Michael arched an eyebrow, looking over his camera at his friend.

"A model and a rocker? Sounds like a recipe for stress. Did you scout her out yourself?" Michael could only imagine how full that poor girl's schedule must be, with the inclusion of modeling she would also have to manage her band which came with its own list of needs to keep it running. Merely thinking about it made him exhausted.

"Uhhhh kind of..?" Haric shrugged his shoulders.

"What do you mean kind of? Did you bother her until she said yes or something?" Michael asked, standing up for a moment to adjust the height of the tripod.

"Wha-No! I just happened to find her band performing while at a bar. After their set she approached me and asked if I was in one of the magazines I helped model for." Haric's explanation started to make more sense. He was known in the city for being a fantastic model and it didn't rule out the possibility that somebody would notice him eventually.

"She modeled for some indie brands on the side and I decided to put in a good word to my boss. Aaaaaand before I knew it she was modeling with the other girls in the company." Haric could see Michael's expression change from behind the camera, grinning at the face his friend made.

"No way she got the job the same week. Isn't your boss super picky when it comes to models?" From his friend's accounts, he had seen very few ladies join the group due to his boss's standards. To become a model for a company as big as Stay Black in less than a week of introduction was surprising to him.

"It isn't a hop skip and jump normally. I got lucky with my contract. Must've been the chestpiece she has." Haric shrugged once again. Tattoos on models weren't uncommon, but he was certainly an outlier as almost his entire body was covered in ink.

"I'm starting to think that your boss has a thing for people with tattoos." Haric chuckled, running his fingers through his hair right before the picture was taken to add flair to the look.

"He does tell me that I'm every goth-girl's dreamboat." He said.

"I won't lie, those tattoos add some spice." Michael began packing his equipment after a few more poses were taken, ensuring that the clothing modeled were the best they could be. Unlike last time where Haric elected to not help his friend, he was seen folding up the tripod and tucking it into its carrying bag. He even went so far as to sling it over his shoulder.

"Weren't you worried about getting those clothes messy?" Michael asked as Haric previously didn't want to help carry his equipment up for that reason. Despite his joking tone from earlier, Michael could understand why he didn't want to help; the brand was expensive and he didn't want to damage the goods.

"I don't want to dirty the clothes before the shoot. After the shoot we send the modeled clothes out anyway for cleaning so it doesn't matter if it gets dirty now." He said.

With the gear properly packed away, the duo strolled down from the top of the Overlook down to the base where a familiar food stand was. Michael could remember it from his first date with Aiko and the stir fried food that went along with the smiles they shared. Being the man of his word, Haric for whatever his friend wanted as payment for the help on such short notice.

Michael and his best friend sat at the base of the stairs leading up to the Overlook with their containers seated in their laps, enjoying the flavors of their chosen foods. Although the stir fried vegetables were great last time, Michael instead elected for a grilled beef sandwich. The bread crunched after each bite was made, crumbs falling into the container as melted cheese hung from the bite. Haric had chosen a sandwich of similar caliber, but with the addition of a sunny side up egg and scallions to be sprinkled inside.

"So what's the new girl like..? Sounds like she'd be stressed constantly with the band and modeling." Michael's comment got Haric agreeing, some crumbs were blown by the wind towards Michael. Closing the cover on his container to prevent any crumbs from spraying into his own food, he awaited his friend's response..

"You say that…and yet she's surprisingly relaxed for all the shit that she has going on." Haric's hint at the girl's attitude got his interest, wanting to know more.

"Is that so? I guess she has a good head on her." He arched an eyebrow, reopening his container to continue eating. The model nodded, brushing off any food on his lips before continuing.

"If she heard you say that then she'd make some kind of dirty joke out of it." Michael realized what his friend had said and sighed, shaking his head. Swallowing his mouthful he looked to Haric with taught lips.

"Dude, are you telling me that you've already rubbed off on the poor girl?" He asked jokingly. Haric couldn't help but laugh at the way his friend spoke, covering his mouth with a hand as he had his chuckling fit.

"She made jokes the moment I met her..! Don't blame me for that..! Besides, you've made a ton of bad puns too." Haric said, pushing a knuckle against the artist's shoulder in a mock punch. He had gotten Michael there; due to their friendship that spanned years at this point it would be inevitable that they'd rub off on each other.

"I think you two'd hit it off great if you two met. You both have something in common as well!" The blond man arched an eyebrow, staring at his tattooed friend.

"Like what?" He asked.

"You two are passionate! You've got your art career and she has her band and modeling." Michael couldn't make that judgment yet due to not having met this woman yet, but he's been hearing nothing but good things from his friend so far.

"She sounds like a delight. Almost like you're describing yourself. Minus the band." He would comment, taking the last bite of his sandwich while Haric talked. He could see how this woman got the job with all of the positive comments he's heard.

"You aren't wrong, she kind of acts like me. But she's good. Maybe if you decide to take up some work as a photographer for us in the summer I can introduce you." Haric's offer was met with repetitive tilts of his friend's head as he contemplated it.

"If she's a second then I think it'd be a pretty good time." He spoke after finishing his food.

"Trust me dude, once you two hit it off she'll be in your bed in no time." Michael narrowed his eyes at his friend upon hearing him, a grin on his face.

"I'm not just some man-hoe you can tell your girl friends about. That's why you're here." He fired back.

"What do you mean..?! I'm not a man-hoe. I just know how to get around." Haric puffed his chest out, pointing a thumb to himself.

"Which explains last night's sexcapade?" Michael asked, leaning towards his friend with a smirk on his face.

"Like you're one to talk. You already slept with two of the ladies that we were doing yoga with last night..!" As Haric spoke Michael got a bit red in the face at how loud his friend had spoken. He could swear he saw people looking at him, to which he turned his face away.

"See? I gotcha there." Haric boasted.

"Shush…" Michael huffed.

After a few more minutes of talking amongst each other and allowing their food to digest, Haric and Michael stood up and dusted off their pants.

"Thanks again for coming out here on such short notice again dude. I really appreciate it." Haric said as Michael adjusted his equipment that hung off of his shoulder.

"It's no problem, Haric. And thanks for getting us lunch." Michael gave his friend a reassuring grin.

"I'll make sure these pictures are sent to you when I drop my stuff off at home." He added.

"Oh, you aren't holding yourself up in your apartment today?" Haric joked.

"No, not today. I'm gonna head to the boardwalk this evening and just walk around. Take in the ocean breeze." He wouldn't know how his best friend would react if he told him that he was going to visit an alien on the beach. So with a high-five and fistbump the two men went their separate ways.

Michael was a man of his word, and so once he returned home he had found the place was void of the love fairy he spoke to this morning. She did say she was going to the beach for the afternoon, but with a quick peek at his phone, he saw that she was instead at the fitness center.

"Guess the sun was too much for her." Michael shrugged.

Loading the photos he took onto his computer, he quickly compressed them into a folder and emailed them to his friend. Once loaded he waited for the message saying that he had gotten them before putting his equipment back into his closet. After a quick change from simple sneakers to sand-appropriate flip flops Michael was out the door once again.

Thanks to the late afternoon lunch Haric had bought for the both of them, he wasn't too hungry but as he approached the boardwalk and the thoughts of the sweet foods covered in powdered sugar had him swallow down some saliva. A little dessert wouldn't kill him.

Friday, Turtle Bay Beach, Evening

By the time he had arrived at the boardwalk the sun was already at the horizon, its glow weakened by a curtain of passing clouds. The warm wind coming from the sea blew bits of powdered sugar off of the funnel cake dessert that Michael had elected to get whilst on his way to the beach. The smooth sands on the shore were mostly clear of people, minus the straggling individuals packing up for the day. Perfect for him to meet with a certain cosmic beauty.

Biting off a small chunk of his funnel cake, the artist stepped onto the warm sands and felt as the grains slipped under his feet. It took a moment for him to remember where he first met her, but once he found the changing area that they first met at he leaned up against a palm tree and stared out at the ocean.

"Man…you can never get tired of a view like this." Michael spoke out to seemingly nobody as the sound of the rolling waves played against his ears.

"Isn't that right, Celeste?" He waited for a second in silence. But that silence only seemed to grow the longer he stood there. Peeling his eyes from the ocean, he looked towards the back of the changing booth with the expectation to find the alien woman only to find nothing but sand. Arching an eyebrow, he pulled out his phone and checked to make sure that he didn't make a mistake. Nope. The HunieBee said that she was indeed at the beach. But where?

As Michael walked down the shore, he couldn't help but berate himself for trying to play it cool in him meeting Celeste again.

"Man…I should've made sure she was next to me before I started saying things." He sighed as he maneuvered his way over some rocks into an alcove. The rocks were bathed in the orange rays of the sun, as were the waves that washed up onto the shoreline. The man's train of thought was broken upon seeing a familiar set of discarded clothes sitting in the sand.

"Celeste..?" Before he could continue the sound of something rising from the water drew his attention. It was more distinct than water crashing against the rocks and shore. Turning to the source of the noise, it took him a moment to register the figure silhouetted against the orange sun. Draped in the sun's beautiful light was none other than the interstellar beauty herself.

"Oh, Michael..! I was not expecting to see you here. I thought the location I chose was well hidden." Michael blinked as she walked up the shore towards him. The closer she got, the more he was able to make out that she was thankfully not naked. Celeste wore a green one piece bikini; a red clip holding her top together as well as a pattern of black strings stretching between each of her breasts to keep the fabric from spreading apart due to her generous nearly exposed bust. Her bottoms had similar black strips of fabric stretched across her navel. The entire outfit clung to her, especially since she had just gotten out of the water.

"I-I wasn't expecting to see you out here either..!" he stuttered. He didn't know where to look considering the alien woman stood in front of him with a curious look on her face upon seeing Michael's reaction. He wasn't flustered by this; it was just a swimsuit after all. He was more…caught off guard. Despite the fact that by being at the beach it was expected to see people in swimsuits.

"I actually made plans today to come out today." He continued. Celeste tilted her head, the water dripping from her hair splashing onto the sand below and getting on Michael's exposed feet.

"You had scheduled a meeting..? I don't recall receiving a message from you on my communicator." She stated.

"I know. I just wanted to surprise you with a visit today." The soft smile he had as he said that made Celeste tilt her head.

"You humans are very interesting creatures. You have the means to communicate with me and yet you elect to not do so." She had a point. He had every opportunity to contact her and schedule something but here he was, standing on the beach with funnel cake in his hand in front of a dripping wet alien woman.

"I know I do. But sometimes it's better to just show up. I mean, if I didn't show up like this I probably wouldn't have gotten the chance to see you dressed the way you are." Celeste looked down at herself and just how exposed she was.

"Is there a problem with my choice of swimming apparel?" She asked, looking slightly concerned that she might've done something wrong. Michael shook his head as he took a seat on the sand.

"No no..! Definitely not. You look great. Believe me when I say that." She seemed put off at first, looking down at her choice of clothing before moving to sit beside the man.

"Alright. I only trust your judgment of my clothing because of your experience in human art and expression." She said, remembering the way he was able to draw her so realistically with nothing more than a pencil and eraser. Michael rubbed his cheek, taking her statement as a positive one and rolling with it.

"Well I was only able to do that because I had such a wonderful woman to draw." His compliment found its mark as she blinked for a moment, her eyes shifting away from his slightly.

"I've still yet to get used to the flirtatious techniques you employ." She explained. Michael chuckled, peeling off another piece of funnel cake to pop into his mouth.

"It might take some time before you catch on. People like me can be a bit unpredictable with how we flirt." He could remember seeing the different ways Haric would flirt with girls in college. Many of them would giggle, but there were few that chose to go all the way with that friend of his. It might've been his choice to go all the way with certain girls but he never asked.

"Unpredictability you say..? Hmm I will keep that in mind. Humans have interesting ways of interaction." She told him. Michael needn't forget that Celeste was still unfamiliar with Earth and they way that some people act with one another. He didn't know how long she was stranded here for, but she did seem to have an interest with his species.

"That's only with people who enjoy surprises. There are other people that would prefer it if you were more straight up with what you want." Michael watched as Celeste nodded, listening intently as she absorbed the knowledge he had given her.

"I see…So then what about you? Do you prefer being more direct, or flirtatious when it comes to interactions with the opposite gender?" She asked.

"Hm…I like flirting because it gets a reaction out of others. Like how you reacted when I called you wonderful earlier. But it doesn't hurt being direct every once in a while." Celeste's questions about humans continued to rise, just like the tides as the sun set further down.

As he answered her questions he could see her locking those gorgeous orange eyes onto him, hugging her knees to her chest. Her lips were curled into a gentle smile, seemingly enjoying his answers and how he spoke about how some people react poorly to directness and bluntness.

"Is that so..? I would've thought that humans preferred being how you say 'blunt'?" She said in mild confusion.

"I guess we're just that confusing." Michael shared her sentiment as he took a small chunk off his dessert. As Celeste watched Michael talk and take another bite of his funnel cake she noticed him smiling happily as he enjoyed the decadent yet unhealthy treat.

"What is that?" She pointed at the remains of the funnel cake, some of the sugar being blown by the sea breeze.

"It's only one of the best desserts to have on the beach..!" He grinned, sensing that she hadn't tried this kind of food before.

"Want to give it a try? It's still warm and fluffy. The powdered sugar adds just the right amount of sweetness too..!" His description did have her interested, but the look on her face showed that she was a little unsure about trying it.

"Is it nutritional..? I notice humans roaming around eating sweet things all of the time." Her question had Michael arch an eyebrow.

"You kind of make it sound like your species doesn't have comfort food." He said.

"And you would be correct. Since my planet's environment is unkind we eat what is nutritionally beneficial to us. I suppose any food is comforting when you're trying to survive." She explained.

"Ahhh that makes sense. But you don't have anything to worry about…the only thing I'd worry about is if a crab were to snip at your feet." Michael jokes as he scooched across the sand closer to Celeste and tore off one of the remaining pieces of his dessert. Sitting the plate in his lap, he held the treat to her.

She was still a bit hesitant, but the tempting smell of the oil-fried dessert was too powerful and she opened her mouth. Once Michael popped the piece into her mouth she sat in silence as she analyzed the flavors. The powdered sugar disappeared in her mouth but what remained was a sweet sensation that paired well the soft and golden crust of the funnel cake. Michael awaited her verdict, seeing as she looked at him after swallowing the piece.

"Well?" He asked.

"I am surprised. How could humans make something so delicious yet so nutritionally worthless?" The way that she phrased herself had Michael chuckling. She hit the nail straight on the head when it came to foods like that. It was unhealthy but it scratched an itch where nothing else could.

"Like I said, it's comfort food. It's not meant to be healthy." Celeste reached down and took the final piece of the funnel cake, lifting up and rotating it as if she were trying to discern how it was created.

"Humans are an…interestingly inventive species" She said as Michael folded up the paper plate the food was on. Holding the funnel cake towards the man, she mimicked the same gesture that he did to her, offering it to him.

"Open your mouth, please." She didn't try beating around the bush or asking him to open his mouth. It was still something to grow accustomed to, but she was getting the hang of it. At least he thought.

Seeing her eyes gazing into his, Michael opened his mouth and allowed Celeste to slip the remaining dessert onto his tongue. He could taste the saltiness that she had unknowingly placed onto the dessert due to her swimming prior to their meeting but it bothered him none, smiling at the alien. Celeste smiled back in return, happy that her copying of his gesture from before had a positive affect on him.

The sky was dark at this point, giving way for the stars to begin illuminating the heavens above. As the night began, the beach seemed to come back to life as the sounds of people began to echo off the rocks that surrounded them. It wouldn't take long before Celeste stood up, dusting the sand off of her body and looking down at Michael.

"I enjoyed seeing you again, Michael." She spoke with an appreciative smile.

"I did too…" Joining her, the man dusted off his pants as he stood up. If only there weren't people that were showing up again maybe he could've taken her somewhere nice.

"I hope we can see each other again soon. I've come to like spending moments like this with you." Celeste's words had Michael rubbing the back of his head, taking the compliment with a grin.

"Aww thanks a lot…Maybe I can take you out somewhere away from here..?" He asked. The possibility was there, it would just have to take a bit of planning since she was an alien with blue skin and horns.

"I would very much like that…But I am afraid I must return to my ship for the time being." She sounded almost sad. She really did find enjoyment in this tall, blond human that had somehow earned her trust. It was a shame to depart from their meeting, but she knew she would see him again.

"I'll see you soon, okay?" Michael told her as she approached the left side of the alcove with her other clothes in her arms. Looking back at him, she smiled one last time.

"I look forward to it." Were the last words she said before hopping over the walls and disappearing from sight.

"Where do aliens like to go for dates?" Michael sighed before going to climb over the other wall of the alcove and walk back home. Luckily for him there weren't that many people occupying the beach yet. Since it was the weekend then that would mean a good amount of students from the University would be coming down to spend the weekend on the shore. Somewhere secluded for the date would be enjoyable to avoid people noticing her. But that's something that he'll think of later; now he just needed to get home and clean the sand off his pants.

Friday, Apartment, Night

Returning to his humble abode, Michael slipped off his sandy footwear at the door. Tracking sand further into the apartment wasn't something that he hoped for despite it being a result of coming from the beach.

"I'm definitely gonna have to vacuum after this." He sighed as he placed a towel down and removed his pants. Placing his phone on the counter, it was time to shed his clothing. Unfortunately the sand rustled off of his pants as he was slipping out of them was flung onto the tile that surrounded the towel as well. Groaning at the grains that were scattered across the floor, he placed the sandy garments on the edge of the bath and went to his room to change into a pair of loose shorts and a tank top so he could start vacuuming up the small mess.

"Sand sucks…" Michael grumbled his distaste for the grainy nuisance as he fired up his vacuum. It didn't take too long for him to clean up the trail of sand that led to the bathroom, but that was still a couple of minutes he could've spent cleaning his pants instead. After the main hall was cleaned he made his way into the bathroom where most of the mess was. Once the sandy mess was contained inside of either his vacuum or the bathtub, it was time to wash the remnants of the beach down his drain.

The repetitive sequence of rinsing and washing went on until his hands grew tired; the redness of his skin was a result of the task. After ten minutes of washing the task was finally complete, and so he left the pants hanging over the tub like before to dry. Drying his hands off, he snagged his phone off of the counter and checked the main screen. It seemed during his clothes washing he had received a message from that blue-haired cutie he went out with yesterday.

[hey can i get your opinion on something?] Nikki had sent. It was a simple request, but Michael couldn't help thinking what she wanted his thoughts on. Maybe to resume their talk about aliens they had the last time she called? There was only one way to find out.

[My opinion? Why certainly. What's up, Nikki?] He laid on his bed as he waited. It didn't take long for him to see those three ellipses indicating that she was typing.

[how does this look to you?] An image was sent along with the message. It was a pencil drawing of a woman with her arms over her head while she relaxed her cheek against her shoulder. At first glance it appeared to be a rather decent gesture, but the longer Michael's experienced eyes gazed at the image, the more he saw flaws that made the figure appear off.

[It looks good for the most part. There's something a bit off about her though…] He wanted to let her know that overall her drawing was good, but there was just something different about it.

[ikr? I've been practicing gesture but it still looks weird] Still looking at the picture, he also noticed eraser marks on the paper that Nikki used. It appeared that she had been trying hard on this figure since she elected to erase and restart so many times.

[It's probably the position of the head. Her pose is supposed to be relaxed, but it looks like she's holding her head beside her shoulder instead of resting on it.] He explained. Wanting to give her an example, he elected to send her two pictures of himself mimicking the same pose; one looking like he was holding his head above his shoulder and one relaxing his head into it.

[See what I mean?] He asked as he sent the two pictures.

[i think…] There was a couple of minutes of silence from Nikki as Michael awaited her next message. The next picture that was sent was another drawing. However this time it was improved. The woman now looked like she was relaxing her head instead, giving her a more loose and natural appearance instead of the stiff pose she had previously.

[like this?] Michael smiled as he saw the improvement that she quickly made.

[Yep just like that. Gesture drawing is more about the form than anatomy.] He sent.

[i know, thanks. you described it way better than the tutorials i watch.] He chuckled after reading that. He knew that those online teachers underexplained concepts until the end of the video because it pads out the time of the video, but that was pointless to tell her.

[It's not a problem.] The words felt extremely straight forward, but to him he was acting as a friend helping out a friend.

[the tutorials on the internet don't really help as much as i thought they would…sometimes i dont even want to practice drawing things like hands] Nikki's frustrations with some of the teachers on the internet could be felt by the artist. He's been there as well. So instead of having her grow frustrated with the multiple lengthy tutorials, he had an idea to give her some assistance.

[Would you want me to teach you some more tomorrow?] He was met with more silence after he sent that. This was probably one of the first times he had actively invited a girl over to his apartment. Aiko and Kyanna's sexual activities that occured here were spurred on by the two inviting themselves over, not that he was complaining of course!

[like…over the phone?] She asked.

[Nope. Over here. I can give you some tips, and critique what you're doing. Think of it like a date.] He explained.

[you really want me to come over..?] He could practically hear how her monotonous tone lightened up when she sent that, making him grin.

[Well of course! I liked hanging out with you yesterday so why not? We can order food and listen to music while we draw. It also beats going out since most places are packed.] Another couple of seconds passed before he got her response.

[...okay. i mean if thats what you really want to do.] When she sent that Michael felt himself get a little excited at her acceptance to his invitation.

[i dont have work tomorrow either but i have some things i have to do] She continued.

[That's fine. We can meet at the park and we can walk back to my place.] Since she didn't know his address, he felt it was a good idea to meet somewhere close by and take her back.

[that sounds good. i hope it isnt too far] she texted back.

[Don't worry. It's not too far from the park.] He replied, wanting to clear her worry of walking too far out of her comfort zone. As he was about to send her another text, he felt his stomach growl.

[I'm getting a little hungry, so have a good rest of your night 3] His reply was met with silence for a moment. Getting out of his bed, he walked to the kitchen to prepare something to eat for his final meal of the day. As he was making his meal he had received another message from Nikki.

[sorry i was a little busy again. have a good night…3] Michael stared down at the text message for a moment. The heart in the message made his lips curl into a goofy grin.

"Such a sweet girl…" He spoke as he made his last meal for the day. It was something not too heavy since he planned on resting soon, but as he ate his food he couldn't get that blue-haired cutie and the beautiful tendricidan out of his head.

Truly those girls were out of this world.

Author's Note: And so another chapter is done! I did make a few mistakes in this chapter since I wanted to keep Michael interacting romantically with only one girl for each chapter but I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter regardless of that.

Feel free to leave a review and tell me how you think of the story. I love hearing all of your feedback!

Have a good Morning/Afternoon/Night!