Being single on this planet seems to be a very bad thing. I gesture to him to ask if he has a mate.
“A mate? I am not yet worthy, but hopefully soon.” He stands, putting his hands on his hips and surveys the cave with a broad smile, his pride akin to a midwestern dad standing on a newly built deck. “This nest is almost ready for a mate’s inspection. Just a few more things to prepare.”
His stance makes his crotch jut forward, and I try once again not to stare at his bizarre alien cock. Although I’ve gotten used to nudity, something embarrasses me at how casual he is with his nakedness.
His tentacles, on both his head and dick, are always subtly in motion. I gaze to the side to avoid staring at their gentle pulsating.
The alien must understand my shyness, and he gives me more space as if he’s trying to be polite. Keeping his voice low, he asks me if I need anything.
Shifting in the bed, my full bladder pinches in my belly, and I clench my pelvic floor.
“God, I don’t know if you’ll be able to understand me…but is there a restroom in this place?” I say, trying to figure out the best way to convey that I need the ladies’ room.
“I don’t understand…maybe you can show me?”
Geez, I don’t want to show him I have to pee…but I also don’t want to piss myself either. I grit my teeth and take a breath.
I look him dead in his big curious eyes—then I gesture to my crotch and signal a stream of pee with my hands. I even make a whizzing noise with my mouth. It is not my finest moment.
“Pee?” I say in my weakest of voices.
“Oh, I’m so sorry, yes…” He bites his lip and turns. “Follow me.”
He leads me to the far corner of the room. The floor holds a tiny tunnel full of swirling water. It’s like a miniature of the opening we came in before, and I stifle the awkward laugh that is bubbling inside my chest.
The toilet is very much in the open, and while I wouldn’t say I’m modest…I wouldn’t say I like using the commode in front of anyone.
“You can use the relief spot whenever needed…you can do anything you’d like really in the nest until I can take you to the capital. We’ll leave when it comes time for my next assessment. It’s against tradition to leave my nest before that point. I would take you there sooner was this not the case…but I cannot risk being eliminated.” He stares at me as if expecting a response he could understand.
“Can you turn around at least?” I wince, crossing my legs. I add a finger motion for good measure.
“Oh, my apologies,” he mumbles, quickly covering his eyes and spinning away from me.
At least I don’t have to get any more naked than need be with these strappy bodysuits all the bubble babes wear. I pull the crotch to the side while standing over the pool and take what feels like the longest, loudest pee of my life. The little water vortex spins the waste out quickly, and clean salt water replaces it. There’s no toilet paper around, so I splash some of the cool seawater onto my crotch, which is better than nothing, I suppose.
“I’m done!” I yell over to him, and he swivels, peeking through his fingers to ensure I’m not still doing my business.
“Well, I suppose you should make yourself comfortable. I need to complete a few things around the nest.”
I nod, returning to the bed, unsure of what to do with myself.
Sitting on its edge, I watch Kitaico get to work. He hauls up a line of the dredlin fish from the entrance pool—I wonder if he caught them while I slept.
His yellow fingers work swiftly, threading a cord through the gills and out of their mouths. He rips the line and ties up several in a bundle that he hangs from the ceiling—I assume to dry them and create the jerky I just inhaled. He barely pays attention to his hands, repeatedly turning back to check on me.
He has the look of my grandmother when she would make pierogi. I remember watching her hands move, seemingly on their own accord, as she gossiped with our neighbors. Her twisting and pinching of the dough was just some muscle memory forged long ago.
My travels as a bubble babe through space have proven that kindness isn’t universal. I’m lucky that someone like Kitaico rescued me.
As he works, his back flexes, his muscles and lines are so close to that of a human body. It makes me wonder if maybe we share some distant ancestor. I mean, minus the head and dick tentacles. What if the eccentrics on Ancient Aliens aren’t too off the mark?
Should I worry about what the elders of his people want to do with me? Probably. But I find myself unconcerned. If Kitaico treats me so kindly, surely his people are good.
I can’t go home to Earth. The Deenz regularly told us it’s off-limits. Before the Deenz decontaminate us, humans carry germs that could wipe out alien civilizations. Only the Deenz have the security clearance to “recruit” women from Earth.
Recruit and kidnap are interchangeable words, I guess.
I snap myself out of thinking about my former captors when I hear Kitaico yawn.
“Didn’t sleep well?” I ask as if he can understand me. He looks at me and smiles before promptly yawning again.
Appraising the cave we’re in, I come to a realization. While it’s not cramped by any means…it’s not some expansive place. The glow of the worms on the ceiling illuminates every corner.
There’s one bed.
Of course, he didn’t sleep well. I slept in the only bed, and he likely stayed up and kept watch. I’m a fucking awful guest.
He needs some sleep too. Could I convince him to take a nap? I rise from the bed and slip beside him as he works.
“You sleep now,” I tell him slowly, pointing to the bed and taking the cord from his hands. “I’ll do this. It doesn’t look too hard.” I point to the fish, which he begrudgingly hands over.
He twitches slightly and his skin ripples in waves of colors as our fingertips touch.
“You don’t have to—” he starts.
“Bed. Now,” I say, pointing more dramatically this time.
“Well, if you insist, I could use some rest…” He finishes his statement with another big yawn.
