Cuddlefish - 1. 01

The petite Sepida bolted down the hall, dragging his slightly larger and definitely slower Nubra friend behind him. They ducked behind a corner and froze. Their lungs heaved, causing their secondary gills to flare, searching for more oxygen.

"Pip, I..." the inky-skinned Nubra whispered.

"Tilly, shh!" the Sepida gasped, peering around the corner. His wide eyes flashed an alarmed black as their pursuers spotted him. "Oh damn, run!" Pip yelped.

They scurried off again, dodging down tunnels and access hatches that left them utterly lost in the aging spaceport.

And the Hunnars were gaining on them.

"We should split up," Pip panted as they raced down an empty hall. "They aren't after you. They're chasing me."

"No way are we splitting up!" Tilbei countered, feeling his heart drop at the very idea. "How could you ask that of me? I'm your best friend!"

"That's why I'm suggesting it, knucklehead!" Pip shot back as they hauled ass around a corner. "You are my best friend. I don't want you to get hurt because of me...Ugh, this is all my fault!"

"It's not your fault that those damn Hunnars are looking to make quick cash with your pee!" Til huffed, all of the orange areas on his body glowing.

"It's not pee!" Pip stated with great affront. "It's a complex organic base with a wide range of neurological effects... that happens to be secreted from a gland that coincidentally empties into my urethra during pre-ejaculation, ejaculation, and urination!"

"Fine! Your special pee, then!" Tilly insisted, his orange parts glowing brighter in embarrassment.

"Argh!" Pip was distracted from any further arguments by the sight of a door next to a mountainous pile of scrap junk. The Sepida thought fast. "Quick, Tilly! In there! I'm right behind you!"

"Are you kidding me?" The Nubra questioned indignantly. "The scrap heap?"

"The door, dammit!"

Pip didn't waste more time explaining, flinging the door wide and shoving his black and orange friend inside. He was about to join Tilbei when he heard something behind him. His skin flashed a terrified black as he saw three Hunnars barreling toward him. He took a moment to look at his friend.

"I'll get away and come back!" Pip whispered desperately. "I promise!"

"Pip! SHIT!" Tilly hissed as his best friend slammed the door closed, sealed him in from the outside, and ran off without him. He slammed his hands balled into fists against it and whimpered. "Shit!"

There was no time to hide, to camouflage himself. The Hunnars were right behind him, their grunts and shouts spurring the Sepida to sprint until his legs burned with the effort. As he slid widely around yet another corner he recognized where he was, not far from the docking bays.

He raced forward, ignoring the growing number of people in his way as he dodged and spun around them, startling more than a few. Those same people were then bowled over by the pursuing Hunnars. It slowed them down, but not by much. When Pip reached the dock for his ship he slammed his palm against the registration pad, his head swiveling to peer behind him.

They were close! So close! Too damn close!

He felt a prickling tingle against his palm before the big hatch slowly slid open. He squeezed through before it finished its sluggish movement, banging desperately on the button just inside as soon as he could reach it.

The heavy metal door ground to a halt and began its lumbering slide back to it's starting position. Pip's pale skin and wide eyes flickered black and gray as he watched in horror as the Hunnars barreled toward him. They were reaching for the hatch, arms outstretched. As a safety measure against people losing fingers, toes, or limbs; the door would automatically reopen if anything obstructed it.

It thudded closed just as his pursuers were a hair from touching it.

Pip huddled for a moment, gasping in the docking tube, but he didn't have time to melt down. The Hunnars would find a way through that hatch. Pip had to get out of there. He could lose the Hunnars and circle back to pick up Tilbei, who would no doubt be cursing a blue streak when he saw him.

The Sepida straightened and hurried down the tube. He quickly boarded his ship and rushed to the little two-man bridge. His fingers flew over the controls. In minutes that felt like hours, his small ship was pushing off into space.

He was about to breathe a sigh of relief when a blip popped up on his sensors. He tapped it, letting out a terrified squeak as an image of a Hunnar ship popped up in front of him.

They were still chasing him.

"Stubborn bastards," Pip hissed as he tapped the controls.

"Good day, Pipolphi," a smooth computerized voice greeted him. "How can I help you?"

"Get me out of here," Pip begged. "As fast as you can!"

"The nearest planet is 20,000 miles away." The computer pointed out.

"Dammit," Pip hissed, his eyes on the image of the approaching Hunnar ship. They'd be close enough to grab him with their claspers in no time. "How long til we can jump?"

"A jump requires ten minutes to activate." The computer responded. "My protocol urges me to warn of the dangers of space jumps. Being charged by Lorthian Crystals, space jumps are incalculable and dangerous."

"I don't have ten minutes!" Pip shouted. "I need to jump in..." He quickly calculated in his head his speed and trajectory compared to that of the Hunnar ship using the numbers flashing on his display. "Two and a half minutes!"

"The fastest activation time is five minutes if shields are sacrificed for power." The computer replied.

"Is there any way to activate faster?" Pip asked desperately.

"Five minutes is the fastest time for a ship of this caliber." The computer insisted.

"I need a way to keep away from the Hunnar ship chasing us long enough for a jump."

"If thrusters are reversed promptly, this ship will slip beneath the Hunnar ship...confuses Hunnar radar briefly." The computer suggested.

"Sacrifice shields for power, initiate jump activation protocols, and do the reverse thruster thingy!" Pip yelled, leaning back in his seat as though that would somehow keep him away from the quickly approaching Hunnars.

The computer did as instructed, hovering the ship just beneath the Hunnar's mammoth of a ship for the remaining three minutes. "Please prepare for space jump, Captain Pipolphi. In 9, 8, 7..." The computer instructed.

However, the Hunnars finally began to realize that the Sepida's ship did not go into a space jump and was hiding underneath. They maneuvered their tummy ache ship to the side and shot several rounds towards the smaller ship just as it finally made the jump.

:::

As Zane was all but slammed down off his hammock, he let out a curse and nearly peed himself a bit. What had felt like an earthquake but a moment before had come to an abrupt stop. "What the fuck?" He hissed as he clambered to his feet and dusted himself off. He took a few steps outside hesitantly and let out a sigh of relief when he realized that, at least, it hadn't been a hurricane.

The human hopped onto the beach sand and looked out into the water. Not a storm in sight, and most definitely not a volcano. When his gaze fell onto his shed, however, he let out another curse. "Holy fuck!" The broken pieces of wood were strewn along the sand in a long line as if a giant's hand had smashed his shed and then smeared the pieces forward.

A calm disembodied voice announced something in a language he couldn't make heads or tails of. The former Olympic gymnast had heard dozens of languages over the years from Russian to Rotokas. It was nothing he'd ever heard before. He had a fleeting thought that the strange words were kind of pretty, smooth and musical with soft clicks on some words that reminded Zane of a language he'd heard in Africa once.

The big man staggered backward as a loud hiss was followed by a metallic clunk. Where there had been empty air a moment before, what looked like a large doorway stood a few feet above the wreckage that had been his shed. The air seemed to flicker. Something matte black and about the size of a bus appeared, the strange doorway slotted into its side. It disappeared and reappeared a few times before flitting out of existence again, leaving the disembodied door hanging in the air. A red light flashed from inside, and he heard the grating buzz of an alarm. The voice came again, fainter and apparently coming from inside the doorway.

As Zane walked inside, his slate gray eyes widened at the sight of the inside of a spaceship. The scenery kept flickering from visible to invisible on the inside, and he felt his stomach plummet with every flicker, as it somehow caused him to feel a sense of vertigo. From the brief glimpses of it, he could tell that it was at least the size of a bus. "Is anyone in here?" He asked cautiously.

He heard a soft moan, followed by that strange, indecipherable voice again. It sounded like someone was hurt. Zane put aside his inner turmoil at a goddamn whatever it was, crashing on top of his shed and followed his ears.

He was grateful when the interior stopped disappearing before his eyes if only to save himself from running into walls. He had to hunch slightly as well. The ceilings were low. Honestly, the inside kind of reminded him of an upscale tour bus. It wasn't very wide, but there was room for what looked like it might be three bunk areas with privacy curtains. A table with benches, couches, and chairs and lots of flashing video screens filled most of the space. He didn't see anyone around.

There was another door ahead of him that seemed to be the origin of the flashing red light. That was his destination.

His eyes widened when he ducked through the short doorway. Where the rest of the ship had looked oddly normal, the room he stepped into looked straight out of a sci-fi movie. Weird floating displays flashed everywhere. Banks of indecipherable controls displayed unfamiliar strings of shapes that might have been words in a language he didn't know. Everywhere, things were flashing and beeping.

In the middle of the small room, there was a chair facing away from him. A pale-skinned arm hung limply over one armrest. Something dark and wet dripped from the tips of the fingers. It looked like blood.

As the human approached, he realized it was green-blue blood. The alien, and it was most definitely an alien, was hauntingly beautiful. But, Zane couldn't waste any time staring at it. Instead, he carefully lifted the petite body into his arms and rushed out of the ship before the invisibility began to flash again. He heard something slide closed behind him and when he peered over his head, he noted that the entire ship could no longer be seen from the outside.

"Shit!" He hissed as he carefully laid the creature onto a cot. On the weekends he usually gave surfing lessons to local kids, so he always had to have first aid on-hand.

Zane quickly thudded the toolbox he used for his kit next to the cot before rushing to the sink. He washed his hands and wetted a clean cloth. The dark-haired man knelt next to the cot and looked the creature over to figure out where the bleeding was worst. A gash on the alien's temple looked worst, so he started there.

The man carefully wiped the blue-green blood away. He hoped the cut wasn't too deep. He didn't think he could handle stitching anyone up. There was a clinic on the island, but the hospital was on the mainland. Zane didn't know what the authorities would do with the creature if they found out about him. If the injuries were bad, though, Zane wouldn't hesitate to make the call. Better to have the poor little thing taken to a lab than to die on Zane's beach.

When the water of the cloth hit the gash, the blood gushed out for a moment before slowing down. The flesh around the cut began to swell, pressing the edges of the wound tightly together. After a few minutes, the bleeding stopped. The human wiped it clean and looked closely at the injury. The tissue around the cut was puffy and tinged blue. Zane hoped that wasn't bad. At least it had stopped bleeding.

There were a few other cuts that Zane cleaned up. The flesh reacted as the first gash had when he wiped them with the wet cloth. They bled faster, but then closed tightly when the flesh puffed up.

As he looked the petite creature over, Zane discovered that the alien was very naked and definitely male. Although, he supposed he was making assumptions. The flaccid member resting between the creature's legs certainly looked like a penis.

There were other things about the alien that were human, as well. There were ten fingers and ten toes. It had two eyes, a nose, and a soft-lipped mouth. When Zane shifted the slight body to look for more injuries, he saw that the alien had a nice little bubble bottom.

Blushing, Zane let the alien roll onto its back again.

Even with the similarities, the creature was clearly not human. Even closed, the man could see that the eyes were too large. They were at least two or three times the size that a human's would be. Also, the skin was unnaturally smooth and soft with no sign of body hair. It was also a pale white, like the stomach of a big shark he'd seen once at an aquarium. Instead of being pink, the alien's nipples were blueish-green. Zane wondered if the skin coloring was different due to the weird color of its blood.

That made the human wonder if the creature's hair color was natural. It was very long, trailing off the cot and almost touching the floor, and vivid shades of dark blue to lighter green. The strands were thick, as well, like the embroidery floss his grandmother used for cross-stitch. It was smooth, without any frizz. When he touched it, it almost felt like the strands were curling around his fingers.

When Zane was satisfied the little alien didn't have any hidden cuts, he sat back on his heels and rooted through the first-aid kit. The gauze bandages blended into the background of pale white skin, but the beige bandaids looked strange.

The brunette human was so engrossed with studying the alien's features that he didn't realize that another little buddy of his had wandered back inside and began to lick gray toes.

"Louie!" Zane hissed as his spotted English Setter sniffed and licked at the alien's feet. "What are you doing?"

What neither of them expected was for the alien to startle awake with a trilling shriek of some kind and then disappear.

"I-whoa!" the man gasped when he looked out at nothing. The fact that it was invisible didn't seem to deter the canine, as he let out a soft bark and began nose at it from the other side of the cot. "Shit! Down, Louie, down boy! You're probably scaring the life out of the poor thing!" He reprimanded, causing the Setter to whine and walk away with his tail between his legs before laying down on the floor a few feet away with his head draped down on his forelegs.

Zane took a deep breath and turned back around, unsure of where to look. "See? It's alright. He won't hurt you," He explained in a gentle voice.

The cot shook slightly. When Zane looked closer, he saw that the creature hadn't actually become invisible. The alien had turned the exact gray of the cot beneath him. Even his long hair matched the canvas holding him. The locks had dropped down over the creature's face and shoulders, breaking up the alien's silhouette and hiding it further. When Zane crouched down to look at it from the side, he saw the poor thing had flattened itself down as much as it could. Amazing.

The poor thing was trembling like a leaf, though. When Zane reached out tentatively, the camouflaged creature jerked, toppling off the cot. The human caught a momentary glimpse of impossibly wide blue-green eyes with no pupil and irises that showed almost no white.

{"Please, don't eat me!"} Pip squeaked.

The terrified alien scurried behind a worn but comfortable faded green armchair and changed his coloring to match, down to the stitching along the seams.

Zane could only gape at the amazing camouflage in action, much like cuttlefish and octopi from the sea. He shot a glance at Louie. "Stay, boy. Don't want to scare him any further." He then turned towards the armchair and held out his hands in a surrendering motion. "We didn't mean to scare you," He explained softly. "We wanted to help you."

Pip couldn't understand a word the strange creature was saying. Its voice was low and soothing, causing a pleasant tingle low in his stomach. He cautiously peeked over the top of the chair, letting out a frightened squeak and ducking back down again. The creature sounded nice enough, but it was gigantic! It could tear him apart with bare hands. Both of Pip's hearts thudded in his chest at a frightening thought.

{"Did the Hunnars send you?"} he called from his hiding place. {"Please, just let me go! I-I had tests done, and my secretions are very very poor quality!"}

The human hadn't the slightest idea what the creature was telling him in his trilling voice, but he could tell that the poor thing was quite distressed. "I know that we seem to have our communication wires crossed," Zane mused softly. "But, I don't mean you any harm. Your ship crashed on my shed, and you were bleeding."

Unfortunately, Louie took the opportunity that Zane wasn't looking his way to pad over to the alien to sniff him some more. "Louie, crap!" He hissed.

A scream erupted from behind the chair a moment before the little alien bolted from the cover it provided. The animal had opened its mouth just enough to let Pip see its teeth. Big, scary, very pointy teeth. That was a carnivore. And, it was almost as big as Pip. It was clearly going to kill him and eat him.

Pip instinctively sought the tallest thing in the room and deftly climbed it. The animal followed, peering up at him. Pip shook his finger at it, shouting to try to get it to go away.

{"No! Bad monster!"} Pip hollered. {"I am not delicious! I taste very bad! You'll get an awful tummy ache if you eat me, so go away!"}

Then Pip suddenly realized just what, or rather who he'd climbed to escape the monster. He turned his head, feeling like it took an eternity before he was face to face with the giant.

He was wrapped around the behemoth's upper half, his legs curled around a muscled chest and his arms clung to well-defined shoulders. The giant's hands cupped his butt, helping to hold him up.

{"Oh, damn the abyss,"} Pip whimpered.

His first instinct was to leap from the giant's arms, but the monster was still below him. Pip was stuck.

Zane had no idea just how he ended up with his arms full of alien, but the distressed tone of his voice still rung loud and clear. "Louie, enough." He commanded. "Go outside for a while. Go!" He instructed as the Setter let out another whine and trotted outside through a flap at the door.

The human let out a long sigh but made no sudden movements as he spoke to the creature in his arms. "Are you alright?" He asked softly.

Pip stared into soft gray eyes. They were small, but fit the giant's features nicely. They were warm and had an unexpected kindness in their depths. It reminded him of the clouded skies that promised spring, back home. Or, the small slate coins children played games with. He didn't even realize he'd dropped his camouflage, as he gazed into those deep eyes.

{"Pretty,"} Pip breathed, a lock of his filament tentacles reaching out to gently stroke the giant's cheek.

Zane felt quite proud of himself that he didn't freak the fuck out when one of the alien's hair strands began to caress him. He gulped, feeling nervous all of a sudden, as he gazed into large, lovely blue-green eyes. It was quite strange that they had no pupils, but they were still gorgeous. "I wouldn't have been able to dream a species like you up if I tried, you're quite beautiful." He whispered.

Something in the behemoth's voice left Pip blushing blue. The timber of the giant's voice rumbled against a very sensitive part of the alien's anatomy that happened to be pressed tightly to the human's broad chest. He blushed harder as his penis decided it was more excited than scared. Traitorous body part.

Slate gray eyes widened as he felt what he had previously thought was a male's rod actually hardening against him. "At least now I know you're really a male, little one." He mused with a teasing smile. He carefully lifted one of his hands to rub the alien's back gently. "It's alright. I can't control all my body's reactions either."

Pip promptly burst into tears, everything seeming to crash into him at once as he let himself believe that maybe the giant wasn't with the Hunnars, that maybe he was a good behemoth. He clung tightly to the human's body as he cried. Pip had very nearly been kidnapped, locked his best friend in a random room of a spaceport and stranded him there, almost been caught by Hunnar's, been shot at, hurt, and licked by a pointy-toothed monster.

Zane was amazed how some feelings and reactions were universal. He carefully walked over to his couch and sat down, continuing to gently stroke the alien's back. "There, there. A crash landing would be a traumatic experience for anyone." He soothed.

Eventually, Pip's sobs died down to hiccups, which were also universal. He sniffled and pulled back to look at the big man's concerned face. The giant certainly didn't seem anything like a Hunnar. Hunnars were cruel and bloodthirsty beings. They always moved in packs, with the biggest meanest one leading the rest. They had beady black eyes, wiry muscled bodies covered in ratty fur, and ugly hairless tails. They had technology, but their only weapons were on their ships. They never used anything but their claws and teeth fighting hand-to-hand. Needing a weapon when facing an opponent was considered a shameful weakness. Pip had learned about the nasty Hunnars at school when he was just a hatchling. They were among the species that were known to capture and enslave Sepida, "milking" them and selling the potent fluid as a drug. They were cruel beasts.

No, he couldn't imagine this sweet-faced giant was working with the Hunnars. Pip petted the man's cheeks. He couldn't help a trilling giggle. Scratchy, like sandpaper. How strange. Not bad, just...different.

{"I hope you really are a nice giant,"} he sighed softly as he blinked away the last of his tears.

Zane let out a sigh of relief and grinned. "You seem to have finally calmed down." He mused out loud, allowing the alien to touch him however he wished. "My name is Zane." He explained as he carefully took hold of one of the smaller male's hands and pressed it to his chest. "Zane."

Pip cocked his head to the side, his filament tentacles curling and uncurling around his shoulders. The giant seemed to be trying to tell him something. Pip's nose wrinkled as he tried to figure it out. He smiled wide and grasped the giant's hand, pressing it to his bare chest.

"Zzaaaay." He grinned triumphantly.

Zane shook his head. "No, I'm Zane." He tried again, pointing to himself. "Zane."

Pip nibbled his lip as his brow furrowed. He started to point to his own chest but stopped at a small shake of the giant's head. He pressed his hand to the larger man's warm chest.

"Zzayyy?" he trilled uncertainly, his skin flickering orange.

"Yes, close enough." Zane nodded and responded with a smile. "Zay works fine." He said as he pointed to himself again. "Zay."

{"Is that your name?"} Pip wondered aloud. {"Or maybe it's your rank? I think it's your personal name. You look like a Zay. I like it."} Pip took Zane's hand and spread it palm down on his chest. The sensation made him tingle pleasantly. {"Pipolphi Ets Dejunsi of the Sepida in the Waters,"} Pip said formally before smiling shyly. {"But you can call me Pip."} He patted the hand on his chest. "Pip."

Zane gaped at what he could only assume was the alien's fully extended name, but he felt relieved when he settled for a much simpler one. "Pip...that's nice. Pip." He decided to try something out. "Zay help Pip." He explained as he carefully motioned towards the bandages. "Zay help."

Pip looked himself over, his hand flying to his forehead to feel the gauze there. Suddenly, he felt all the cuts and bruises acutely, and he groaned pitifully. He was bandaged, though. And the giant must have known to apply water to his cuts. With water, cuts would bleed freely for a few moments to flush out debris. Then the water contacting the hypodermis caused localized edema, swelling until the wound closed and the water no longer touched the sub-skin layer. Another reaction within the damage connective tissue sealed the wound closed. Pip was impressed. His giant was a healer and seemed to be trying to tell him so.

{"Zay healer,"} Pip told him in Sepida, petting the big man's chest.

"Not sure what you just said, but hopefully it's close." Zane wondered out loud. "Pip hide?" He asked out loud as he mimicked hiding behind his hand. Somehow, he had to figure out a way to explain to the alien that he had to remain concealed around anyone other than him.

{"Oh! Hide?"} Pip asked, trying the word. {"Like this?"}

Pip flattened himself to Zane's chest. His tentacles obscured his outline as his chromatophores perfectly matched the colors under and around him. He lifted a lock of tentacles and peeked one large blue-green eye at the giant.

"Hide?" Pip asked uncertainly.

The dark-haired human was quite impressed, and more than a bit aroused. But, he pushed those thoughts down as he nodded sagely. "Yes, hide." He affirmed. "I'm going to lift you up carefully, ok?" He warned as he carefully stood up with Pip still in his arms. "Pip hide." He insisted as he walked with the alien outside of his beach house. He stopped for a moment to allow the alien to assess where he was. "Just let me know when you're ready." He whispered softly, hoping that Pip would give him a sign that he was ready to move onwards.

The little alien burbled nervously as he kept himself squished tight against the bigger body, keeping his camouflage up. Pip's eyes were wide, as he gazed through his tentacles at the odd world around him. The ocean was soothing and familiar, though the color wasn't as bright as he was used to at home. The sand was dark. Pip wondered if it was dirty or polluted, though Zane didn't seem to worry about walking on it. At home, the sands were perfectly white. The same shade as his pale skin. Pip felt a pang of homesickness, followed by worry for his best friend, Tilly.

Bizarre trees towered above their heads as they turned away from the beach. Pip wondered if the poor things were sick. They only had leaves at the very tops of their trunks. Some had big round balls up between the leaves. He wondered if it was some sort of fungus pod. Pip subtly held his tentacles in front of his nose and mouth, just in case the pods burst to release toxic spores.

His eyes widened, and he forgot to protect himself from alien spores when he saw the wreckage of the shed. There was a furrow in the ground, just about the size of the bottom of his ship.

{"Ship?"} Pip asked hesitantly.

"If what you just said is your ship, you're darn right it is." Zane pointed out as he carefully set Pip onto his feet. "You might want to check it out."

Pip immediately leaped back into his giant's arms. What if the sand was polluted? Or filled with razor-mites? Or... Pip blinked slowly, taking in the lack of burning or pain in the soles of his feet. He continued to cling to Zane, but let one foot dangle. He clenched his eyes shut and pushed one toe in the sand. His eyes slowly opened when nothing happened. Careful and slow, he put both his feet on the too-dark sand. He kept one hand wrapped in Zane's shirt and turned to the invisible ship. Pip whistled descending then ascending notes.

Though Zane was surprised at Pip's reaction, he had to hold back his laughter when the alien seemed frightened of the very sand beneath his feet. Hearing Pip whistle was definitely a treat, as it sounded fantastic. But, the notes were cut off when a voice sparked up.

"P-Pipolphi tsss 'ejunsi." Called out the computer from the inside, albeit in a digitally disjointed manner.

"That voice again..." Zane said with a slight frown, still unsure of its origin.

{"Open hatch, please,"} Pip said with a frown. The ship didn't sound well.

The hatch slid open, though it seemed to stick and jam a few times before fully opening. Zane was relieved to see that the inside was visible once again. "This was where I found you." He stated.

Pip cocked his head to the side. He untangled one hand from Zane's shirt and pointed.

{"Ship,"} he told the giant, then tugged at his shirt to urge the human closer to the open hatch.

Zane followed the alien's lead as they made their way towards the ship. {"Ship..."} He mused out loud, trying out Pip's language and surely butchering it.

{"Very good,"} Pip encouraged with a little pat, before stepping up into his ship.

He stepped quickly through the living and dining area to the bridge, keeping hold of Zane the whole way.

{"Oh no,"}} the alien gasped when he saw the state of it.

A bank of controls had come loose from the bulkhead and crashed to the floor next to his usual seat. That must have been what hit his head. It must have been a glancing blow. It could have easily killed him. Pip tried not to look too closely at the blood. He didn't do well with blood. Instead, he scooted over to an undamaged control panel and swept his hand across it. At first, nothing happened, making Pip turn a distressed pink. But the screen finally powered on.

{"Damage report, please?"} Pip requested.

{"Inner cloaking shield 'amaged."} The computer detailed. {"Controls for take-off 'isconnected. Hangar bent in several places. The underside of ship 'ented."}

{"Oh, damn it to the abyss,"} Pip said worriedly. {"Please, initiate repair protocols."}

Swirls of pink and gray darted across his skin. He didn't even notice his tentacles were sliding up and down Zane's bare arm. The Sepida were a touchy-feely people. In times of stress, they sought out the touch of others for comfort. They sought out the touch of others most of the time. Personal space wasn't really a thing among the Sepida. It sometimes made interspecies interaction awkward, to say the least.

Zane didn't know what any of the colors Pip was turning meant for the little alien. But, he knew distress when he heard it. "If you need help fixing anything, I'm sure we can figure out a way, don't be discouraged." He urged softly.

{"Loading repair protocols..."} The computer responded. {"Estimated time of completion, two standard moon cycles."}

{"Two STANDARD moon cycles?"} Pip shouted, making Zane jump.

"Is...everything alright?" Zane asked cautiously.

Pip stood, pushed Zane into his vacated seat, then climbed into his lap. He grabbed the human's arms and pulled them around him. Pip was still mostly pink and gray, but having the sweet giant holding him helped.

{"Complete protocols. Flag any problems completing repairs, please. I'll keep checking in to see what will have to be done manually."} Pip sighed as he nuzzled Zane's warm throat. {"Tilly...I'm so sorry..."}

{"Repair protocols loaded and in progress."} The computer replied.

From the sound of the smaller male's voice and his colors, he seemed really upset. "I'm sorry for whatever upset you, Pip. I'll do my best to aid you in any way that I can." Zane admitted as he gently rubbed the alien's side with his hand.

Pip leaned into the touch, a low trill falling from his lips. Zane really was a kind giant. He'd used his healing abilities to treat his injuries, protected him from the sharp-toothed monster that tried to eat him, and brought him back to his ship so repairs could be started. He'd even allowed Pip the needed comfort of nuzzling under his chin, a display usually reserved for family, close friends, and mates. Pip pressed an appreciative kiss to the soft skin of Zane's throat.

The grey-eyed human gulped when he felt the soft kiss, but he didn't question it. The poor alien had clearly must have gone through something drastic. "Well, if you've done what you can so far...how about we head back and try to find you something to eat?" He said out loud despite the fact that Pip couldn't understand a single thing. He gently lifted the smaller male into his arms and, just as they headed out of the space ship, once again urged him. "Pip, please hide?"

"Hide," Pip agreed with a nod. The Hunnars could be anywhere. {"Please, close the hatch when we exit. Continue repairs."}

He wrapped himself tightly around his new friend and let his chromatophores do the rest. Zane looked like he was wearing a rather lumpy, oversized shirt. Pip closed his eyes and snuggled his cheek against his giant's chest.

As they neared the house, Louie rushed over, nearly tripping Zane. But, he made a tutting noise with his tongue and told him to go back into his doghouse. He'd be sure to feed him after feeding their unexpected guest. Once inside, he brought Pip into the kitchen and sat him on the counter. He made sure to keep close, as it seemed that the little alien needed nearly constant touch. "Hold still. I'm going to bring a few things out of the fridge for us." He said as he dove in for some salami, cheese, and a salad. From the counter, he also grabbed some fruits. "I'm not sure what you can and can't eat, so just go for what looks most familiar to you." He tried to relay to him. "Or try a little bit of everything." He concluded as he peeled open and orange and took a wedge, showing him it was food.

Pip kept the toes of one foot pressed to Zane's thigh as he watched the giant eat a piece of what looked like a very small clarin fruit. Pip made a face. He'd never grown to like the bitter aftertaste of the highly caffeinated fruit. His older brothers had teased him that he had a child's palate. Pip had always said he felt adult enough without having to eat the strongly flavored fruit. The little alien wondered if his giant was nocturnal and needed to eat it to stay awake. Pip felt bad that he might be keeping the kind man awake.

Pip picked up the cheese, sniffing it before putting it back down. He did the same with the salami but shoved that away from himself in disgust. That couldn't be food. He looked over the fruit with interest but decided to try the bowl of leaves.

His toes rubbed up and down the human's thigh as he mimed taking a bite of the leaf, chewing, and swallowing. He cocked his head questioningly as his skin shifted from white to canary yellow in slow waves.

Zane watched his guest carefully, noting the dislike of cheese and complete dislike of meat. Shivers rolled down his spine at the soft touches to his thighs, but he quelled any of those feelings down. He grinned when he took a bite out of some lettuce. "Ah, so you seem to be Vegan." He deduced as he began putting everything else back. He thought for a moment and dug something out of the cabinet and revealed it to him. It was a sheet of seaweed. "What do you think of this?"

{"Is that seaweed?"} Pip chirped.

It certainly was the right color and consistency for dried seaweed. It was in a strange flat square, though. Pip pointed at the dark green sheet and then his mouth, his skin turning from yellow to white a little faster. He really wanted to know if he could eat that. His stomach grumbled demandingly. He hadn't eaten since before they'd reached the spaceport. They were looking for a restaurant when the Hunnars had started chasing them.

"Yes, it's for you. Eat." He insisted with a smile.

The human pulled off a rectangular strip from the sheet and handed it to Pip. The little alien sniffed it, his toes never stopping their motion on Zane's thigh. Pip held the giant's eyes as he poked his tongue out and gave the strip a little lick. It seemed alright. He gave it a few more licks before braving a bite.

{"Seaweed!"} Pip chirped giddily.

A happy trill vibrated in his throat as he quickly nibbled the seaweed strip until it was gone, then made grabby hands at the rest of the sheet Zane held.

{"Please, Zay?"} the little alien begged shamelessly.

Zane took a sharp breath of air as he tried not to allow the combination of Pip's pleading and touches to get a rise out of him. "All yours." He said as he handed him the sheet and dug out a few more sheets for him.

Pip never stopped making little happy noises as he demolished the rest of the seaweed sheet, then ate another when Zane gave it to him. The pale alien seemed to like licking it before he took a bite, a sight that was starting to make his shorts tight. The gymnast watched in fascination as Pip's skin turned mint green as the alien munched happily.

Zane bit his lower lip and swallowed hard, averting his gaze before he pitched a tent in front of his guest. He finished off eating the orange and went about getting Pip a glass of water to drink.

When Zane made its purpose clear, Pip chugged the entire glass. The tall human made two more trips to the water dispenser, the big jug gurgling merrily until Pip was satisfied.

The Sepida blinked sleepily. His tummy was full, he was hydrated, and he'd done what he could for his ship. He didn't want to be rude and go to sleep while Zane was awake. Pip thought he might have to eat one of the little orange clarin fruits to keep his eyelids open.

When he saw the alien begin to rub his big eyes, Zane couldn't help but smile. "I think it's time for a nap, Pip." He suggested as he lifted the alien back into his arms and made his way to his bedroom. He carefully sat the Sepida down on the bed and quickly stripped out of his shirt and pants until he remained in his boxers. He then clambered onto the bed and pulled the sheets back to tuck Pip in. "I'll be right here with you in case you need anything."

But, as soon as Zane got into the bed, Pip leaped out of it. He chittered in a worried manner as he scooped up the human's discarded clothes.

{"Your...Your...Wait, what is this?"} Pip stammered. {"I thought this was your skin!"} He held up the shirt, glaring at it accusingly before turning an embarrassed brown. {"It's clothing...Depths, I feel like an idiot. I've never seen clothes like this before."} Pip sighed. {"I clearly need to get out more."}

He put the shirt back, letting his tentacles hide his burning face as he sidled back towards the bed, unsure if he was still welcome after his embarrassing display. His fingertips rubbed tiny spirals on Zane's newly exposed shoulder, a simple request for affection when one was feeling a bit insecure, and waited to see if he would be rebuffed. The giant probably thought he was some foolish bumpkin still wet under his tentacles.

Zane could only gape at Pip's freaking out over his clothes. He didn't quite understand what was going on. But, he hoped the Sepida calmed back down. "Just because they're off doesn't mean I'm going to do anything weird to you." He murmured. When the alien began to touch him again, he remembered how touch seemed to ground him. So, he reached out to gently cup the side of Pip's face. "Are you ok?"

Pip smiled shyly. He didn't understand the words, but the man's actions were a language Pip understood. He climbed back into the bed. He was still feeling a little embarrassed, so he did the obvious thing and laid right on top of the giant. There was plenty of room, which was actually kind of nice. He'd never snuggled anyone so large. Pip was surprised it wasn't scary or intimidating. It actually made him feel safe, protected. He let out a trilling sigh as he wriggled to find the most comfortable position.

Zane didn't know whether to feel relieved or concerned when Pip draped himself over him. He took a steadying breath and decided that it was most definitely time to count sheep. He needed to focus on anything other than the lovely alien. His hand idly rubbed Pip's back, but he concentrated on those sheep.

Pip, however, had forgotten his weariness in favor of interest about the body beneath him. He petted the warm skin of Zane's chest with his fingertips, tracing the outline of muscle beneath the skin. His tentacles explored what they could reach, their soft dexterous tips mapping the human's side, shoulder, and part of one arm. Pip had a flash of absurd curiosity, wondering what all that pretty olive skin tasted like. The little alien nuzzled his cheek into Zane's chest and let his tongue peek out. He licked the body part closest to him, which happened to be Zane's nipple.

Zane's breath hitched. How he was able to survive the myriad of touches was beyond him. But, one thing was for certain. The tent in his boxers was starting to peek out of its open hole. The human peered down at blue-green eyes that seemed to flicker a new color into their depths. "Are you still hungry, Pip?" He wondered out loud.

The alien cocked his head, which Zane couldn't help but see as anything but adorable.

"Ungeree?" he asked quizzically before giving the nipple another lick.

It was slightly salty and felt pleasant against his tongue. He shifted slightly, his thigh sliding against Zane's hard shaft. Pip's lips had formed a little O of surprise before the alien smiled shyly. His fingers trailed down the hard planes of the human's stomach, slipping further to grasp the hard cock trying to escape the confines of Zane's boxers. Pip looked up at him, his cheeks blushing blue.

"Zay, ungeree?" Pip asked.

"Crap," Zane hissed. If the lovely alien kept touching him, he was sure to have an accident then and there. He cleared his throat. "W-wrong word for that. Aroused." Zane tried to explain as he reached down to gently cover Pip's hand around his shaft. "Zay aroused."

"Nnnn," the wide-eyed alien purred, rolling his hips to rub his own awakened hardness against the ridges of the human's stomach as he gave Zane's shaft a gentle squeeze. "Pip arouse."

Zane took a shuddering gasp. "Can't argue that. Pip arouse Zay." He shifted to slide his hand down to Pip's hip. "Can Zay touch Pip?" He asked as he pointed to the alien's own hard member.

{"Penis?"} Pip said in Sepida, unsure what the human was asking. {"It's not quite as...gigantic as yours."} He gave his new friend a shy smile. {"But, I think it likes you,"} Pip purred, rubbing up against the larger man again.

It had been ages since anyone had wanted to bond with the alien in that way. Tilly was always reassuring Pipolphi that he was lovely, but Pip thought his bestie was just being kind. The Sepida were petite people, overall. Nearly all of them were well under Pip's five-foot height, however. He stood out amongst others of his kind, always feeling ridiculously tall and awkward. They weren't unkind. He was never mocked or shunned. But, even if he were included in the ubiquitous physical contact among the Sepida, he'd rarely had anyone return his more carnal advances. He had few true friends among his kind, which made his friendship with Tilbei all the more precious to him.

But, here was someone taller than him, much taller. Bigger, too. And, the fascinating giant was clearly engaging in what any Sepida would recognize as arousal displays.

Pip's body tinged green with happiness.

The human was glad that he managed to at least catch what Pip's kind called it. He swallowed hard and tried again. "Can Zay touch Pip's {penis}?" He asked once more, using the Sepida's word as the hand at Pip's hip gently trailed closer towards the hardened green-tinged flesh.

Pip rolled to his side, lying along the length of the human's long body. He thought maybe if he exaggerated his own arousal display Zane might even touch him there. The thought made Pip shiver with excitement as his coloring diffused to an aroused blue. He rolled his hips again as the filament tentacles flowing from his crown braided themselves together in a scandalously wanton display that would have made his mother faint at the depravity of it. Pip didn't care. He was so turned on his body seemed to thrum with it. The little alien just hoped his giant didn't think he was some kind of tramp.

Zane was enchanted by Pip's active hair, for a moment quite distracted when the strands began to braid themselves. "Amazing," He whispered. He took the alien's hip rolling as consent as he finally took hold of the currently blue-tinged shaft and gently began to stroke it. "You're so beautiful, Pip."

He may not have fathomed the words, but the Sepida knew Zane had just said something sweet and complimentary to him. It made his hearts sing, and he couldn't hold back a happy burble that melted into a melodic moan when Zane's thumb rubbed across the sensitive head of his erection. The currently azure alien tried to replicate the delicious motion on Zane, finding that he needed to reach down with his other hand to help the first in order to even closely approximate it. The human's size was more than impressive compared to any Sepida Pip had ever seen. Before Zane, the largest aroused cock the alien had seen was his own, which certainly didn't look very large compared to Zane's.

{"You feel so warm and hard in my hands,"} Pip hummed, deciding on some pillow talk of his own. {"And I like how big you are...Such a tur-on, Zay."}

In spite not having a clue what he said, Zane's rod pulsed happily in the alien's hands. When Pip had cried out in that trill of his, the human's heart skipped a beat. He continued his gentle strokes and began to press his thumb against the underside of the Sepida's shaft, curious to see if it was more sensitive there, as human members were.

It was. Pip's braids tightened lustfully as his moans filled the room.

{"Please,"} the Sepida whimpered mindlessly as he began reflexively jerking the thick cock in his hands faster. {"Oh, please. Fuck! I'm so close...Abyss, your hands are huge. I can feel you all around me."}

Zane nearly came at that very moment due to the lovely sounds coming out of the Sepida's mouth. "Pip!" He gasped as he reached down to gently squeeze the alien's sac and sliding back up to dip his thumb into the slit of the tip. "Go on and let yourself go cutie."

Pip dug his toes into the blankets and pushed himself upwards to catch Zane's lips with his own. He keened his release into the kiss, his hands pumping his giant furiously even as Pip's seed erupted from the blue-flushed tip of his cock.

Shit! Zane thought as his balls tightened up and he came hard all over the alien beneath him. He took a shuddering breath when their lips parted, but he leaned down to gently kiss him again, his tongue sliding along the alien's bottom lip.

{"Nnnnn,"} Pip hummed softly into the kiss, his skin glowing blue-green. {"So, good,"} he murmured when Zane pulled back to gaze at him.

The little alien blinked slowly, his eyes melting from blue to green. He let out a soft contented sigh as his tentacles unwound and began petting the human affectionately. The slim appendages touched him with their tips as well as the sides, as was appropriate for a lover. Touching someone with the very tips of one's tentacles was considered sexual harassment if the attention was unwelcome. Pip smiled softly with happiness that he finally had another person to touch that way.

"Pip, that was...I can't remember the last time I..." Zane rambled incoherently. He eventually took hold of one of Pip's hands and held it to the side of his face, kissing the palm. "We should...we should get cleaned up." He decided as he carefully got out of the bed, lifted the Sepida into his arms, and headed towards his bathroom. He set Pip onto his feet on the floor and pulled back the shower curtain, turning on the water into a lukewarm setting.

Pip's knees wobbled, and he had to sit down on the tiled edge of the tub. It was a strange room Zane had brought them into. There were two large round bowls attached to the counter beneath a wide mirror. A pipe curved out of the counter to end pointing into each of the bowls. A strange white...something sat to one side of the counter. It was squat and rounded with an oval lid on top. Maybe it was some kind of odd chair? It pointed at what Pip recognized as a bathing tub. Was bathing something humans watched others do? How very strange.

He'd have to figure out Zane's language and ask him about it.

Pip looked longingly at the tub. He really wanted a bath. Another pipe snaked from the surface of the tile at the head of the tub, pointing its end towards the white inside of the bathtub. Knobs sat on either side of the pipe. Pip wondered if he could turn on the water by messing with the knobs.

Zane stripped off his boxers and stuck his hand behind the curtain next to the tub. Pip could hear falling water coming from behind the fabric. The human pushed the curtain aside, revealing yet another pipe. This one came out of the wall and arched toward the ceiling, before curving down again and ending in a large round disc. Droplets of water fell from the disc. Perhaps Zane would fill the tub with that water? Pip looked around but didn't see a bucket anywhere.

The Sepida was drawn from his thoughts by his giant taking his hand and pulling him up. Zane stepped into the shower and tugged gently on Pip's hand to get him to follow. The confused alien stepped into the space, pressing himself to the wall to stay away from the falling water.

Zane kept his eye on the alien as he stepped backward into the spray of water, allowing it to run down his body. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back so that the water flowed over his head, as well. He slicked his hair back and opened his eyes again. "Want to try, Pip?" He asked softly as he took one of the alien's hands and held it beneath the spray of the water. "It's just water, see?"

Pip jumped when the warm water splashed his fingers. It really was just water. The little alien chirruped inquisitively as he stuck his arm under the spray. It was like rain, but warm. Soon, the Sepida had both arms in the falling water, amazed at the soothing sensation.

Zane smiled, leaning down to give him a soft kiss as he reached for his bar of glycerin soap. He lathered up a cloth and began to wash himself with it.

Pip watched in fascination as Zane washed. He snuck a slim finger out to steal a little puff of bubbles. He sniffed it, then rubbed it on a bit of damp skin on his arm. In moments he was whining and rubbing at the patch under the flowing water, the small section of skin reddening with irritation.

"Oh, no soap for you, Pip," Zane said as he quickly tucked the cloth and soap away and switched places with the alien, allowing him to feel the full spray of the water. "There you go."

The Sepida squeaked when the water first hit him, his tentacles flaring with surprise. Zane fought back a chuckle at the sight. His little alien was adorable. As Zane watched Pip burble quietly as he explored the falling water, the human was struck with wonder at the situation.

An alien, an honest to god alien, had crashed into his shed in an invisible spaceship. And there Zane was, watching that same alien splash in his shower after they had fondled each other to orgasm. It certainly wasn't what he'd expected for the day.

Pip settled into washing himself after playing for a few minutes. The water was so pleasantly warm. He chittered in delight as he ran his hands over his slippery skin. It was very odd not cleaning himself in a tub or pool, but the shower seemed to be doing the job. Sepida skin was smooth and produced a gentle oil that repelled dirt. While in the water, most things rinsed off them easily.

Pip scrubbed his fingers over every inch of himself, his tentacles helping where they could reach. He even washed the bottoms of his feet and between his toes. It was important to rub the old oil off his skin. Without regular refreshing, dirty oil could cause irritation and infection.

When he was done, Pip was happy to see the red mark from the soapy bubbles had faded. He turned back to his giant, who was watching him with fascination.

{"What?"} Pip asked shyly as he stepped out of the spray, his tentacles wringing themselves out. {"Did I miss a spot?"}

"You are unbelievably adorable," Zane whispered as he pulled Pip into a soft hug. When the two of them were clean, he turned off the water and stepped out of the shower to dry himself off with a towel. He found the softest towel in his cabinet and placed it on the bar in case the Sepida wanted to dry himself off with it. The human hung his used towel up and turned to look at his companion. "Now we both should really get some rest." He suggested out loud.

Pip had carefully patted himself dry and was just finishing rubbing his skin vigorously with both hands. It would redistribute fresh oil on his skin. He wished he had his brush. It always felt good to run the soft-bristled brush over himself after a bath. It was also something a lover would do. Pip peeked at Zane when he spoke something sweet but unintelligible. He wondered if his giant would ever want to brush him, and blushed blue at the thought.

Zane smiled crookedly and offered his hand. Pip had to force his tentacles not to braid themselves up in a lustful display. The human was beautiful in a strange way. His eyes were too small, the tentacles on his head were too short and looked rather dead, and he towered freakishly over Pip. But it all came together in such an appealing way. The Sepida couldn't help but be attracted to him, especially since his personality seemed to be as sweet as his looks.

Pip took Zane's hand and let himself be led back to bed, where he ended up sprawled across the human's chest, soaking up Zane's warmth and purring softly. Pip looked out the window and sighed softly.

{"I hope you're okay, Tilly,"} Pip whispered as he closed his eyes, exhausted. {"I haven't forgotten you. I'm coming as soon as I can."}