Help! My Lover's an Alien - 7. Chapter 7

Dillon called Vincent the next morning.

“Hey there, sport. Bit early isn’t it?” Vincent greeted him.

“Hi. Sorry, but I have a few questions about the visitors. Can I meet you?”

“Of course, my boy. What about the park in half an hour? Give me time to escape Eve” —Dillon heard Eve call Vincent a rude name in the background and grinned— “and get there,” Vincent finished.

****

Twenty minutes later, Dillon was sitting on a park bench reading his phone’s Kindle app as the sun rose over the horizon when Vincent walked up.

“So what’s on your mind, son?” Vincent asked. Dillon loved it when Vincent called him son. Vincent had been more of a father to him than his own and was always there when he was needed.

“Well, one of the minister’s guards Lor has expressed an interest in getting to know me better,” Dillon started.

“Yes, the minister has told me about Lor. We had a meeting yesterday and he wanted to make sure I wouldn’t get in the way of Lor getting to know you.”

Dillon was surprised. “Well, that’s good and saves me explaining that. Well, the reason I wanted to talk to you was, firstly, to find out if there’s anything I should not be telling him, or any of them, even if they ask, and secondly, I wanted to know what restrictions have been put on their movements. I mean are they confined to the compound?”

Vincent nodded. “Good questions. I’ll forward you the briefing material the military sent to everyone else, soon as I get home. It’s actually my fault you were missed out.” Vincent looked a bit guilty. “I keep forgetting you’re not part of the military. You’re always at the compound and even sleep there occasionally. And since your last boyfriend was military too…”

Dillon held up a hand. “I am not discussing David. He made his choice when he decided to take that transfer overseas and tell me he wasn’t ready to settle for just one man.”

Vincent nodded. “Well anyway, in answer to your questions, firstly, there are no limits to what you can tell them. The only information they don’t have access to is classified way above your level, and some is even above mine too. Secondly, there are no restrictions on their movements as long as they are accompanied. We can’t keep them prisoner if we want them to get know humans as a whole species and not just the military.

“My only concern is how they look. Their clothes remind me of the monks of old. I don’t know why they wear them. Do they have some sort of meaning? I mean it’s not that cold at this time of year. And their skin is so pale, it’s almost white. “

“Oh, I know what you mean. I had Lor and Ziel in a training session yesterday.” For some reason Dillon didn’t mention the fact he knew the cloaks were spelled, something told him to be careful how much information he gave away of what Lor had told him— even to Vincent for now. “What about if I get them some clothes? I can find something that will keep them warm but allow them to blend in and get to know humans better than if they stood out too obviously as different. It’s just, I was thinking of taking Lor and Ziel out today. Ziel was talking during training about cooking and there’s a new cook shop just opened in the mall. Lor is his guard so…”

“Sounds like a great idea. I assume you’ve got a plan for your training sessions today?” —Dillon nodded— “Good. I would suggest taking someone else with you too. Just to keep up the protection. But otherwise, just make sure they both get permission from their minister. As Ziel’s mate, Mora is very protective of him, and I don’t want a war on our hands if anything happens to Ziel.”

Dillon shuddered. The Earth couldn’t afford war. Their military would never be a match against beings that could use magic, even if Dillon still wasn’t sure what that magic entailed yet. He and Lor had not gotten that far. He wasn’t sure if the military— or Vincent— knew about the aliens magical abilities. He couldn’t think of a way of asking Vincent without sounding suspicious so he would ask Lor first, before he said anything to anyone else.

“I’ll take Harry Gilbert with us. He’ll scare off any trouble.”

Dillon and Vincent firmed up the plans and then went their separate ways. Vincent had the day off— unless there was an emergency— and Dillon had calls to make to cover his sessions and get a message to Lor and Ziel.

****

Lor was surprised to get a message relayed to him in his accommodation early in the morning. The message was from Dillon and was an offer to take Lor and Ziel out for the afternoon. Lor read the message twice and then headed next door to knock on the minister’s room.

Mora answered the door and waved him inside. “What can I help you with?” Mora asked.

Lor explained the message and Mora agreed readily, especially as both of them could see the excitement on Ziel’s face at the prospect of getting out of the compound.

“I have more meetings today,” Mora said. “Their military wants to know a bit more about our magical abilities, so they can see if it can be used to enhance their technology. In return, they will give us any technology we want as long as it’s not weapons. I, of course, have said that we will not allow our mages to enhance any weapons they have, and so we are in agreement so far.”

“Sounds like a mutually beneficial idea,” Lor said. “Mr. Stewart has asked that Ziel and I be ready by midday Earth-time. He also said that if we are interested, there is a beginners training session this morning and we are welcome to attend. It starts in just over two and a half cycles.”

“Ziel, do you wish to train more?” Mora asked.

“Yes, please, my mate. I enjoyed learning the human’s techniques, and Mr. Stewart is a good teacher.” Ziel grinned and added, “Of course getting the opportunity to put Lor here in his place made it entertaining too.”

Lor flushed and Mora laughed. These were two of the few people who could get away with teasing him and bringing out his more relaxed side. Dillon was fast becoming a third.

“But even better was putting you in your place last night, my mate,” Ziel almost purred. Then it was Lor’s turn to laugh as Mora turned pink.

Mora scowled at the laughing pair. “You two haven’t really grown up since you were younglings.”

Lor smiled fondly as he watched Ziel mock attack Mora. Ziel was only two rotations— one Earth-year— older than Lor, and they had lived near one another as younglings. He had been present when Ziel and Mora had met and realized they were mates.

“I will return when I have changed into more appropriate clothing,” Lor said to the room at large, knowing the two mates were too wrapped up in each other to listen.

Shaking his head, he headed out the door, wondering if he would ever be like that with Dillon.

****

As they headed for the training room, Ziel was bouncing on his toes like an excited youngling.

“I wonder what we will learn this time,” Ziel said excitedly.

Lor rolled his eyes. “You would have learned most of the moves he has taught you so far rotations ago if you had listened to me when I tried to teach you.”

“But I like his way of teaching better. It does not involve me getting bruised as much as the way you used.”

Lor had to admit— but only to himself— that Ziel had a point.

****

Entering the training room, they saw a group of five males talking, but there was no sign of Dillon.

One of the men noticed them and headed over to them. “Hi, I’m Harry. The boss told me to look out for you two possibly turning up. He just stepped out for a moment. He said to tell you to set your outer garments over on the bench and join us when you’re ready.”

With a wave, the male jogged back to the group and Lor led Ziel over to the bench. They had just set their cloaks and hoods down and were heading over to the group when Dillon entered the room.

“Right,” he said, clapping his hands for attention. “Now everyone’s here we can begin. Since this is the first session of a new course and you’re all beginners, I will introduce myself.

“My name is Dillon Stewart, but in this room, I am Mr. Stewart or Sir. A fun fact about me is that I am not a member of the military; I am employed by them to make sure you lot can defend yourselves and not end up dead. That means that I don’t give a shit what your current rank is and or who your parents are. In this room, I am in charge, and if you don’t listen and obey, you will be thrown out.

“Now, I’m sure you’ve all met Harold Gilbert as well. He is my second here, so if he tells you to do something, you do it.

“First, Mr. Gilbert and I will show you a set of moves, and then you will copy them in pairs. Any questions?”

Lor had to use all his control to not burst out laughing; Dillon had effectively cut down to size any male in the room who thought they were in for an easy time. He also found that watching Dillon take control like that was arousing, and he didn’t appreciate having to fidget around to make his pants more comfortable.

Dillon and the male called Harry demonstrated various moves and got the trainees to copy them, each taking turns on who did which set.

At the end of the session, one male asked for a proper demonstration of what level they could reach.

Dillon and Harry moved into a clear section of the room, and without any warning, Harry attacked. Harry was almost as tall as Lor and much wider. Anyone would assume he was the stronger male and therefore the most likely to win over Dillon’s slim frame. The fight was short but fierce. The two males went through all the moves they’d shown in the session so far and then moved on to trying in earnest to best each other. Dillon won the bout, but it was a hard earned victory, and Harry put up a good effort. Both males were sweating, and the new trainees were watching with varying expressions of awe as they watched the bigger man get pinned to the floor. Lor was now hiding behind Ziel as much as possible to ensure no one saw how aroused he was by his mate’s display of strength.

****

After he sent the trainees off to the locker room, Dillon headed over to Lor and Ziel.

“I’m glad you came,” he said to them. “Are you taking me up on the outing idea?”

“Oh, yes please.” Ziel spoke before Lor even opened his mouth.

Dillon grinned. “Tell you what. Why don’t you both go shower and change then meet me at the entrance to the guest suites?” He went to turn then remembered something. “Oh, I nearly forgot. I got permission from the ambassador for this trip, but he had two concerns. One was protection, so I am bringing Harry with us, just as a precaution. And the other concern was your clothes. They do rather make you stand out, and the ambassador feels you would get a better sense of how humans interact if you blended in.” He went over to the door and grabbed a bag he’d left there when he entered. “Here are some clothes that I think will keep you warm enough, but allow you to blend in as well. I hope they’re acceptable.”

“Of course. It sounds like a good idea. It is something we would not have thought of,” Ziel answered and took the bag. “We will see you at the entrance.”

Dillon had to grin as Ziel grabbed Lor’s hand and dragged the poor male over to their things and barely gave him time to dress before grabbing him again and pulling him to the door.

Dillon chuckled as he headed for the shower.

****

“So, where we taking them?” Harry asked as they headed for the guest suites.

“Well, Ziel seems to really love to cook, so I thought we’d head for that new cooking shop in the mall. They do lots of stuff there and apparently they do demos too.”

Harry nodded.

Lor and Ziel were waiting for them, and Dillon had to take a moment to look at Lor in the clothes he’d given him.

Lor was wearing dark blue jeans that hugged his legs, paired with a blue long-sleeved T-shirt that matched his eyes and an open, blue denim jacket. Ziel was wearing the same clothes but in black with a yellow T-shirt. Dillon was glad he’d managed to guess their sizes right, although Lor’s T-shirt was a bit tight— not that Dillon was going to complain.

Dillon smiled. “I see you two are ready. Shall we head out, and we can stop somewhere for some lunch.”

The foursome headed for the gate, and Dillon and Harry showed their IDs to get past the guards.

****

They stopped at a fast-food restaurant for lunch. Ziel seemed to really love his burger and fries, and Dillon had to laugh when Lor had trouble with his. Every time Lor bit into one end, the burger tried to slide out the other.

After lunch, they headed for the shop Dillon had heard about.

As soon as they entered, Ziel let out a squeal. “Wow, this is great.”

He rushed off, and at a panicked look from Lor, they all went after him. They found Ziel gushing over a self-heating wok, with an amused sales assistant standing nearby.

When Ziel saw them, he grabbed Lor. “Look Lor, this heats up on its own. I wouldn’t need to concentrate on it so much, and there would be less chance of me burning the food.”

“I’m sure if you see anything you want Mora will send someone to get it for you before we go home. We cannot get anything today.” Lor said.

Dillon’s heart broke a bit at the disappointed look on Ziel’s face. As Ziel dragged Lor off to look at something else Dillon pulled the sales assistant to one side.

Handing over his ID he said, “Put that item on my credit and have it sent as soon as possible to the compound. Get it there within the next hour and you can add a twenty-five percent tip.”

The young man’s eyes lit up. “Yes, sir.”

Dillon chuckled and moved to see what else Ziel would fall in love with.

****

They spent over an hour looking round the cook shop and watching a demonstration of some nonstick bakeware.

Lor had finally convinced Ziel that he would get the chance to look again sometime before they left for home. Dillon had helped as well by telling Ziel that he could look all the items up on the compound database and even order things to be delivered too.

They were walking down the street when Ziel nearly bumped into a man coming the other way.

“Oh, I do apologize,” Ziel said immediately, just as Lor pulled him out the way with an arm round his shoulders.

“Fucking faggots. You shouldn’t be allowed out on the streets,” the man muttered.

Dillon recognized the voice immediately and so must have Harry as he was just as quick as Dillon to place himself between the man and their charges.

“I am sorry, sir,” Dillon said between gritted teeth. “But I think you should apologize for that comment. These men are guests of Ambassador Marston and the president. As such, they are to be treated with respect.”

“Guests? You mean those aliens? Well then they shouldn’t even be allowed on the planet.” The man turned on Dillon. “And you should know I never apologize for anything.”

The man pushed past Dillon and Harry and stormed off down the street.

“Who was that? He seemed to know you,” Lor asked Dillon.

Dillon sighed. “That was my father. Although he will deny I exist now if asked.”

“That man is one of your parents?” Ziel asked in a horrified voice. “How then can he treat you with such disrespect? And what did that word he called us mean?”

Harry came to Dillon’s rescue. “That man is not fit to be a parent, and he doesn’t like what Dillon does. So he decided that Dillon is no longer his son. As for the word he said, can we just leave it at the fact it is an insulting word and not let it ruin the rest of our outing?”

Ziel nodded and they continued looking in the shop windows. Lor saw an art shop, and Ziel dragged him inside, saying he knew Lor would want to look as he loved to draw. Dillon filed the information away and watched as Lor’s stern face broke into one of awe as he looked at the supplies on offer. Dillon ended up making a few more secret purchases, but these he decided to have delivered to his apartment, for later.

When a warning tone went off on Dillon’s phone telling them it was nearly time for dinner, they decided to head back to the compound.

The guards stopped Dillon as they entered. “A delivery arrived for you, sir.”

Dillon looked at the store name on the box and grinned.

“Here you go, Ziel. Consider this a welcome-to-Earth gift.”

Ziel looked at the box curiously. After a bit of trouble with the tape, he got it opened. The guards jumped as Ziel let out a high-pitched scream when he saw what was in the box. Suddenly Dillon found himself on the receiving end of one of Ziel’s hugs.

“Thank you. Thank you. Thank you,” Ziel was repeating, and he only let go of Dillon when Lor finally pulled him off.

Dillon was shaking his head. “Come on. Let’s get you back to your mate and you can tell him all about your adventure.”

They headed for the guest suites, and as Dillon was about to take his leave, Lor stopped him. “Please join me for dinner?”

Dillon nodded. “Of course.” Dillon turned to Harry. “I’ll see you tomorrow for training.”

Harry nodded, and Lor turned to him, smiling “Thank you for accompanying us. We enjoyed seeing more of your planet.”

Harry nodded again and waved as he walked away.

****

Ziel ran off to find his Mora as soon as they entered the building. Lor and Dillon headed straight for the food hall.

The selection was the same as the day before. This time Lor tried the casserole and Dillon had sweet-and-sour stir-fry.

Lor was surprised when Dillon picked up a forkful of his food and offered Lor a taste. Ziel and Mora entered the room just as Lor was leaning forward to accept the offering.

“Oh, look. Now they are feeding each other. Lor is turning into a lovesick youngling,” Ziel said to Mora, just loudly enough that Lor and Dillon would hear.

Lor scowled over at his friend, but Dillon was already laughing.

Ziel waved a finger in Lor’s face. “Now remember when I met Mora? You teased me without mercy. Well, now it is my turn.”

This made Dillon laugh harder, and even Lor had to crack a smile.

Ziel and Mora joined them with their food and the four spoke about all they had seen on their trip out. Mora also thanked Dillon again for the wok he bought Ziel and said he was sure it would get a lot of use.

****

After dinner, Dillon accepted Lor’s invitation to talk in his room again. This time they were sitting together on a soft couch. Dillon was trying to suppress the amusement he felt as he watched Lor trying to sneak an arm around him while they spoke. He had found out that Lor was sixty rotations— thirty Earth-years— old and had in turn told Lor he was twenty-eight years old. He had also found out only the higher military ranks knew about the alien’s magic, and they wanted to keep it that way, for now.

In the end, he took pity on the alien’s efforts and pulled Lor’s arm over his shoulders.

It had the added bonus of giving him the courage he needed to address the elephant in the room. “I feel I should apologize for my father’s rude words earlier,” he began.

Lor held up a hand to stop him. “You do not have to apologize for the words of another. He is responsible for what he says, not you. But I must ask, what did that word he used mean?”

Dillon winced. “Faggot is a derogatory term for a gay man. I don’t know where it started and have never been able to find out, but it has been used for centuries as an insult. Other insults are queer and abomination.”

Lor shook his head. “But this male was your father? He had a part in making you?” Dillon nodded. “So how can he call you these derogatory terms? On my planet younglings are loved by their parents. Our magic chooses our mate and our job to a certain extent, therefore parents accept whomever is chosen for their youngling. Even after the testing when younglings find out their level of magic and what their calling may be, their parents still support them and love them.”

“I’m afraid it doesn’t work that way here. People choose their mates/partners themselves. Sometimes it is based on love, and sometimes marriages are entered into for political reasons. Same-sex partnerships are more accepted now than centuries ago, but there are still people who cling to the old ways, and there always will be. Some of these relationships last and some break down and end with the two people splitting up to find someone else.

“Sadly, some parents look on their children as assets to be used to make them more money or to promote their place in society. You heard my speech at the beginning of the training session? I always say that because some of the trainees are only in the military because of who their parents are. Normally they wouldn’t have even been accepted. For example, William Summers, whom you met today; his father is an admiral in the navy. That’s how he got to bypass the normal tests and got straight into training. If, however, he doesn’t come up to my standards, he will be staying at beginner level for a long time, and he can’t complete his military training without passing my course. That’s why I refused to accept a rank from the military. I chose to stay an employee so I can’t be influenced by military politics.”

“Can they not take your job away if you do not do as they wish?”

“They can. But they know I don’t really need this job. I came into a trust fund when I turned twenty-five. It was left to me by my father’s mother. It means that I get enough money each month to live comfortably for the rest of my life. It also means I can donate my wages from the military to a few local charities that take in children that are living on the streets.”

****

Lor was stunned. His mate had survived some appalling things, and now he gave what he could to aid younglings in the same situation.

Lor was positive he was already halfway in love with this generous man, and it wouldn’t take much to send him falling the rest of the way.

“May I kiss you?” he asked. He didn’t want to do anything that may scare his mate away again.

“Of course.” Dillon smiled.

The kiss started off soft and chaste, but it couldn’t stay that way. Lor’s magic was pushing for more, so he carefully let himself go a bit further, deepening the kiss. He was pleased when Dillon answered with a passion that equaled what he was feeling.

A touch on his bare skin surprised him. Dillon had managed to untuck his T-shirt and was caressing the skin of his lower back. Oh, how he wanted this male.

But first Dillon needed to understand what it would mean if he allowed Lor to claim him.

“Please I want you… I need you…” Dillon moaned and Lor had to force himself to move back, just a short way, and look down at his mate.

“We need to talk first,” he said.