Author's Note: The words in italics are alien speech. Seto can't understand it. And the only difference between the Xerxonians and Earthlings is antennae. Cute little antennae that twitch. :3
Stockholm Syndrome
Joey turned his head as he heard the door slide open, hurriedly turning to face the Earthling as he stepped into the room with him. Any hope of escape for the moment faded as the door slid closed behind him, but he really hadn't thought of escaping for quite some time. He didn't know where his space ship was, and he'd be damned if he left Yugi on this planet all alone. …Even… if he didn't know where Yugi was, or whether he'd survived the crash…
He pressed up against the wall and bit his bottom lip as the brunet sauntered over to him, antennae twitching nervously as he noticed the syringe in his hand.
"Oh, Orglip…!" He gasped as the brunet grabbed for his wrist and immediately lashed out, hand smacking across the Earthling's face as hard as he could. He whimpered as his skin stung and immediately pulled his hand back, looking down at it in confusion.
His skin was already bruising. He'd spent a lot of time pounding on the door and screaming in his native tongue.
Joey gasped as the brunet finally grabbed his wrist, expecting to be hurt in retribution. He looked up in confusion when the Earthling gently cleaned a spot on his elbow, seemingly ignoring the fact that he'd just slapped him, then slid the needle into his arm so quickly that he only felt a short pinch of pain. He watched the syringe fill with his deep purple blood—so dark it was almost blue—then looked up at the brunet in confusion again, wondering what he could possibly do with his blood.
The Earthling glanced up at him, eyes sharp but also inquisitive. "…Do you understand what we've been saying…? Are you scared of us, or scared of being alone…?"
He could understand, but he couldn't respond; all of his words turned into his own language as soon as they reached his tongue out of habit, no matter how much he wished it to come out in this Earthling's language. He wished he had his translator, so he could communicate. He couldn't do anything without it.
The brunet frowned as he watched his eyes fill with tears of frustration and cupped his cheek gently. "Don't cry. We're trying to be gentle with you and your friend."
Yugi was alive!
Joey grabbed the Earthling's coat as he began to walk away, babbling in his native tongue his wish to see his friend. He whimpered as the brunet brushed his hands off and continued to the door, then sat down on his cot and sniffled.
"…Hey."
He looked up and lifted a hand to pull on his antennae anxiously; it was a nervous habit he'd never quite grown out of.
"Paaa?" The Earthling stared at him a moment before offering him a small, barely-there smile. "You'll be okay."
Joey blushed, his cheeks turning a light violet color as he turned his head away.
"Shut up! Orglip help me…" He glanced out of the corner of his eye to watch the brunet leave, biting his bottom lip in embarrassment.
His antennae twitched awkwardly. …That human had been pretty handsome…
Oh, Orglip! Was this how Stockholm Syndrome started? This was a terrible development!
.-.-.-.-.-.
"I probably shouldn't be doing this, but when I told my little brother that one of our… patients… wasn't feeling comfortable here… he wanted to give you something to make you feel better." Seto smiled and held up a bag filled with small, puffy white balls. "He thought these might help."
Joey hugged his knees to his chest and eyed him warily, antennae twitching anxiously. When the brunet stepped closer to him, he gasped and flinched closer to the wall, whimpering a plea for him to stay away. He was being so nice, always talking to him and commenting on neutral topics so that he wouldn't feel so on edge-! It was making him start to like the Earthling, and the thought of becoming attached to this man was terrifying!
"Come on. They're not bad. I mean, I don't really like sweets, but Mokuba can eat bags of these." The brunet sat beside him on the cot, using his teeth to rip the bag open in the corner. Pulling the plastic apart, he held the bag open and offered it to him. "I think you'll like them. Come on."
The blond held his knees tighter, eyeing the bag warily. After a moment, though, he hesitantly reached into the bag.
'I suppose it couldn't hurt…' He looked at the white puffs in his palm for a moment, then took one between his fingers and squished it experimentally. He couldn't help a giggle as it slowly melded back into its original shape, antennae picking up the minute sounds as it compressed and decompressed between his fingers.
He looked up at the Earthling and tilted his head, frowning when he motioned for him to eat it. Returning his gaze to the white confection, he tilted his head the other way, then carefully pushed it into his mouth past his lips. He gasped again in surprise as it left a powdery residue on his tongue, eyes widening as it seemed to melt a little, flooding his mouth with sweetness. He chewed on the marshmallow and gasped again as it turned gummy, nearly sticking to his teeth, before it seemed to naturally glide to the back of his throat.
…Amazing!
Joey turned and shoved his other hand into the bag, already gobbling his first handful.
'They must all be mine!' Seto tugged the bag away from him and chuckled. "Easy. We don't know how sugar affects you. I don't want you to get sick." He rolled the bag up and reached out to pat him on the head. "I'll be right back to take a blood sample, okay? To see if this caused any changes."
The blond whimpered and grabbed for the bag, but he was already up and walking away. Frowning and stuffing the last marshmallows into his mouth, the alien chewed them slowly to savor them longer. After a moment, though, he realized he felt a little strange. He was beginning to feel a little warm, and his breath was beginning to come a little harder. Perhaps he should lie down…
Placing his head on his pillow, Joey moaned quietly in discomfort. His stomach churned uncomfortably, hips shaking a little as his body felt warmer and warmer. Perhaps the marshmallows had been laced with something-? He'd thought the Earthling was nice, and now—
He blushed in embarrassment as he felt a thrill of pleasure. Reaching down, he moaned again as his palm came into contact with his erect cock through his thin cotton pants.
"Oh, Orglip, what has he done to me…!" He tried to think of something unpleasant, like freeze-dried meals and venomous space eels.
But he felt himself getting harder, and all he could do was whimper in mortification as his chest heaved. Sitting up, he groaned and reached into his pants, stroking himself quickly. He bent over a little and bit his bottom lip, trying to get off as quickly as he could. How humiliating! He'd thought this Earthling was nice, and now he was forcing him to—
"Hey-! What are you doing!"
Joey moaned as he felt fingers digging into his hair and allowed his head to be forced back, eyelids sagging as he continued to stroke himself. He took in the brunet's startled, confused expression and blushed a little more, turning his gaze away in embarrassment when he realized that he must not have intended for anything like this to happen. He closed his eyes tightly and whimpered again.
Seto took in his expression of shame, his cheeks flushed dark purple with embarrassment, then gently cupped his cheek. "I'm sorry. I didn't know this would happen."
"
I can't come with you staring at me like this!" Joey wailed, even though he knew Seto wouldn't understand. He gasped as he felt a larger hand wrapping around his own and looked down, squeaking in embarrassment when the brunet gave his throbbing shaft a squeeze.
"Huh!" "Here…" The Earthling knelt in front of him and batted his hand away, beginning to stroke his erection firmly. He glanced up at the blond with a wry smile. "Unfortunately, I've become very adept at this lately."
The alien moaned and covered his mouth, digging his other hand into the other man's brown hair.
"Mmn! Mm!" Seto swiped the head of his erection with his thumb and hummed quietly. "Other than the antennae and the make-up of your blood, you're really no different than humans, are you?"
"
You're—hnn! Ah! I'm gonna come!" Joey turned his head away and bit his bottom lip, using his hand to muffle his cry of completion.
"Ahn-!" His body jerked violently, hips shaking as he came.
"Aaaahhhhhh!" The brunet chuckled a little, smiling as he watched the alien's antennae twitch in embarrassment. "Do aliens do this as much as humans? Because humans do this quite often."
The alien turned his head away again, nodding his head a little.
"Really? I never would have gues—Did you just nod at me?" Seto asked, frowning.
Joey looked back at him and raised his eyebrows slightly, nodding again. It was the only way he could really communicate, so he wasn't going to just sit there and stare like a moron when the brunet had asked him a direct question.
The brunet could only stare at him for a few moments, stunned. "…You understand us?"
The alien nodded again, frowning in concern as he leaned back. Suddenly, he didn't feel safe, and when he saw the expression of surprise melting into agitation, he just wanted to hide. He glanced around for something he could use to protect himself, trying to inconspicuously tuck himself back into his pants.
"You mean you've been listening to us talk and you've done
nothing to show you understand!" Seto snarled, grabbing his shirt and shaking him a little.
Joey whimpered and grabbed his wrists.
"Wait! Wait, you're—hurting me—Ah!" He shrieked as he was thrown onto the ground, groaning in pain as the brunet twisted his arms behind his back and held them in one hand. He hissed as he felt a sharp pain in the crook of his elbow, as if the skin were being torn open.
A few moments later, the pain worsened, then immediately eased. He looked up as the Earthling stormed out, breathing hard, then sat up slowly. He gripped his aching arm and groaned, frowning when he felt how slippery it was, then looked down at it in confusion. It took a moment to register that he was bleeding, but eventually, he realized that the brunet had taken his blood, and had done quite a lot of damage this time. He hadn't taken the time to disinfect it or aim.
The blond could only stare as his violet blood dribbled down his arm and dripped off his elbow, watching as the puddle beneath his arm steadily grew. He realized he should do something to stop the bleeding, but… he really didn't want to.
He felt betrayed, but he also felt as if he'd done some betraying, too, in some way. Seto had always talked to him when he came in for his blood after that first time. Normally, he talked about simple things like the weather or other inane topics, but sometimes he divulged something personal. He felt as if he'd somehow betrayed his confidence by not showing, somehow, that he understood. And that made him feel terrible.
So he watched the violet puddle on the floor continue to grow, until eventually the blood trickled to a stop. Unfortunately, when he shifted into a more comfortable position, the tender scab ripped open, starting the bleeding anew.
Frowning, Joey crawled onto his cot, curling into a ball facing the wall even as his blood dampened the sheets. He still felt a little warm, and maybe a little turned on by the rough treatment, but he figured those were the residual effects of whatever had been laced in the sugary treat he'd been given. His eyes burned with tears, also, but he set his jaw and forced himself to believe that that was because of the marshmallows too.
.-.-.-.-.-.
Seto scowled at the door in front of him. He didn't want to see the alien on the other side yet. He'd taken a few days away from work to cool off, but now, knowing that the alien had understood every word he'd said, he felt himself getting angry all over again. Huffing in annoyance, he snatched the clipboard up to see what he'd missed.
He found himself frowning in concern despite his irritation. The blond had been unresponsive to the other scientists, staring at them blankly and ignoring his food. He'd flinched away when the scientists tried to clean his wound, holding it to his body protectively and refusing to allow others near it.
The good news was that he'd allowed the scientists to spoon-feed him—after he was propped up and he'd felt the laden spoon against his lips. The bad news was that one of the scientists had noticed that the wound he had might be getting an infection.
Seto's frown deepened as he grabbed a tray of bland cafeteria food, then he walked to the door again. He turned to watch it shut behind him, then returned his gaze to the blond curled up on his cot. He sighed quietly, then walked over and gently set the tray on the table that had been brought in. Stepping closer, he eased the blond into a sitting position, gasping in surprise when the glazed-over brown eyes stared up at him blankly.
The alien blinked slowly, then obediently opened his mouth, waiting for the first bite of food that he knew was coming.
Seto's brows furrowed together as he gently cupped the blond's jaw, running his thumb along his jaw line. "Did I do this to you?"
The blond blinked up at him.
"…I'm sorry, I… Here…" The brunet gently grasped his wrist, turning his arm so he could see the wound there. He grimaced when he saw the damage he'd caused with the needle, then sighed. "I'll be right back."
The alien blinked at him again and did nothing else to show he understood. Seto got the feeling that perhaps maybe he
didn't understand anymore.
He left to grab a first-aid kit and returned to find the blond hadn't moved, instead still staring sightlessly ahead of him. Sitting down on the cot carefully, Seto eased the blond's arm out so he could see all of it.
The alien gasped and jerked away, babbling something in his natural tongue and pulling his arm up to his chest protectively.
"Hey—Wait—Damn it, hold still!" Seto exclaimed angrily, grabbing his arm and yanking on it much more roughly than he probably should have.
The blond sobbed, antennae twitching violently before he fell still.
Seto stared at him for a few moments, stunned, then frowned, carefully reaching out to gently brush his fingers over the wound. The alien did nothing to acknowledge him, instead staring blankly ahead again. Deciding to take advantage of the new development, he took the time to treat the wound and carefully wrap it with a bandage.
Once that was finished, he motioned at the food. "Aren't you hungry?"
The blond turned his head to stare at him, blinking slowly, then turned his gaze back on the wall.
The human frowned in concern. "If you don't eat, you'll get sick, you know." When he still received no response, he lifted a hand to cup his cheek. "Come on. You know you need to."
He was surprised when the glazed eyes slowly moved to focus on him, but he quickly schooled his face into a pleasant smile. "Well? I suppose you're hungry."
The alien stared at him again, antennae twitching a little.
Seeing that the blond's eyes were still glazed over, Seto's smile faded. The alien had always looked at him, had been attentive, had
listened to him, and now… Now he didn't even see him. It hurt, seeing eyes once so full of life now dull and listless. Had… had he done that? When he'd gotten angry and stormed away, had he been the cause of the blond's current state.
The only thing that seemed to illustrate that the alien was even alive was the short twitches of his antennae.
He'd always wondered about those, but had been hesitant to even touch them. They looked so delicate, and he assumed they were sensitive, always feeling things out. He didn't want to accidentally hurt them, but… he'd seen the blond pull on them before, so why couldn't he just… touch them?
Seto lifted his hand, fingers only a few centimeters away from the end of one of the twitching appendages. After another tentative pause, he brushed the tip of his finger across the end of the twitching antenna.
He yelped as his finger was met with a short zap of electricity, jerking his hand back quickly and staring at the wildly twitching antenna in surprise. "What the he—"
"SZHA! KARGDAFONDEEEEE?" the alien shouted, clamping his hand around the waggling antenna and glaring at him in confusion.
Seto watched the antenna continue to have its seizure on the blond's head, wondering if it had been static electricity that he hadn't realized he'd created or if it was the blond's body that had done it. "…Is that… Are you okay?"
The blond chattered at him like an angry cat, then turned and huffed, crossing his arms as his antenna slowly calmed down.
The human frowned. …He supposed it was a step up from the blank stare he'd been getting before, though.
At least, it was until the alien grabbed the bowl from the tray and slammed it down on his head, covering him with runny oatmeal.
.-.-.-.-.-.
Joey scowled as the brunet stepped into his room again, but deep down, he was relieved. He hadn't liked the other men that had come in and poked and prodded him. He'd felt… lonely, sad. He'd worried that Seto may never come back, that he'd been really mad and that he'd never see him again. But, now that Seto
was back, he was angry that he'd left, so he made sure to make that anger known.
He'd been doing quite well with that, actually; so far, the Earthling had left the room with the blond's breakfast covering him a total of four times and counting.
Antennae twitching as he heard the rustle of plastic, he frowned and turned his head, gasping when he saw the familiar sugary treats. He lunged for it, releasing a squeal of delight.
Seto scowled and jerked it out of his reach. "Hey, you remember what happened last time? I just brought this in to see if you recognized any of the ingredients. The scans of your blood showed elevated hormone levels and—"
Joey grumbled and looked at the list of ingredients in annoyance. Who cared if he got a little hot and bothered! The jerk didn't seem to care last time, helping him jerk off! He was certain that Seto would help him again, if he was allowed to eat the stupid marshmallows-!
The blond's eyes narrowed before he lifted his head to glare at the Earthling.
"You. Gave. Me. Gelatin?" Seto frowned. "What? Do you see something?"
"
GELATIN TURNS ALL XERXONIANS INTO NYMPHOS, YOU ASSHOLE!" Joey roared, prodding the ingredient paragraph with his finger angrily.
"Elevated hormone levels! Who wouldn't have elevated hormone levels after eating as much gelatin as I did!" "…Sooo… no gelatin, then," the brunet muttered, looking at the ingredient the alien had been pointing at. "…Sorry about that."
"…
Yeah, whatever," the alien replied, opening the bag and shoving his hand in.
Seto let out a disgruntled snarl and grabbed for his wrist. "Are you serious? You just yelled at me and you think I'm going to just let you eat them!"
"
Nyu! They must all be mine!" the blond exclaimed, gobbling up as many as he could.
The Earthling shook him and snarled again. "You FREAK! Give me the bag! You're not supposed to be eating them anyway! GIVE THEM TO ME!"
Joey made sure to smack his lips as the marshmallows squished sickeningly between his teeth.
Seto couldn't help an outraged roar. "You're so immature!"
Joey didn't even bother pointing out that the brunet was just as immature. Seto wouldn't have understood what he said anyway.
